Church History Locations (Saints).kmz

Church History Locations (Saints)

Continental Divides Folder

Continental Divides - Baltic Peninsula
Continental divides ;

Continental Divide - Julian Alps and Croatian Coastline

Continental Divide - Slovenia and Croatia

Continental Divide - Croatia and Bosnia

Continental Divide - Dineric Alps between Bosnia and Herzegovina

Continental Divide - Montenegro and Dinaric Alps

Continental Divide - Serbia and Bosnia

Continental Divide - Macedonia (from Thessaly, Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria)

Continental Divide - Balkan Mts between North and South Bulgaria

Continental Divide - Northeastern Bulgaria High Point

Continental Divide - Northern Epiros Southern Albania

Continental Divide - Eastern Epiros, Arachthos River Drainage

Continental Divide - Thessaly and West Greece

Continental Divide - Epirus and West Greece

Continental Divide - Northern Peloponnesos

Continental Divide - Arcadia Region, Central Peloponnesos, Greece

Continental Divide - Albania Serbia (Kosovo)

Continental Divide - Albania Macedonia

Continental Divide - Albania (Kosovo) Serbia

Continental Divides - Northern Macedonia

Continental Divides - Balkan Mountains

Continental Divide - Serbia (Kosovo) Macedonia

Continental Divide - Bulgaria Serbia Iskar River Balkan Mountains

Continental Divides - Asia Minor
Continental divides ;

Continental Divide - Greater Lydia or Western Asia Minor

Continental Divide - Iconium, Lykaonia, Akarcay&Goksu Rivers

Continental Divide - Lycia

Continental Divide - Caria from Pamphylia

Continental Divide - Caria, Rhodes Bay, Gulf of Cos, Dalyan Cayi River

Continental Divide - Galatia to Cappadocia and Georgia

Continental Divide - Southern Armenia

Continental Divide - Paphlagonia Bithynia

Continental Divide - Galatia Bithynia

Continental Divide - Paphlagonia and Pontus

Continental Divide - Between Cappadocia and Pontine

Continental Divide - Cilicia Lykaonia

Continental Divide - Cilicia, Greater Syria and Arabian Plate
Arabian Plate and Cilicia ;

Continental Divides - British Moorlands
British Moorlands;

Continental Divide - East and West England

Scottish Highlands area (moorland)

Southerland Uplands (moorland)

Lake District moorland area
Lake District moorland area;

Forest of Bowland area

Rombalds and Ilkley Moor area (moorland)

West Pennine Moors area (moorland)

North Yorkshire Moors area

Dark Peak moorland area
Dark Peak (moorland);

Mynydd Hiraethog area (moorland)

Migneint area (moorland)
Migneint (moorland) ;

Desert of Wales area (moorland)

Shropshire Hills (moorland)
Shropshire Hills (moorland) ;

Somerset Levels and Moors area
Somerset Levels and Moors ;

Exmoor area (moorland)
Exmoor (Moorland) ;

Dartmoor area (moorland)
Dartmoor (moorland) ;

Bodmin Moor area
Bodmin Moor area ;

Continental Divides - Sussex Divide

Continental Divide - between Essex and Canterbury

Continental Divide - between Wesse and Essex

Continental Divides - Broads, Herford Divide

Continental Divides - Chitten Hills Area, Chalk

Continental Divides - Broads, Rivers Cam and Ouse Divide

Continental Divide - between Essex and The Broads

Continental Divide - European Divides
Continental divides ;

Continental Divide - Spain and France (Mediterranean and Atlantic)

Continental Divides - Rousilon County, Aude River, France and Spain

Continental Divide - Central Spain and Portugal

Continental Divide - Gironde Divide in Southwest France

Continental Divide - Belgium and France, Scheldt and Somme Rivers

Continental Divide - Britany Divide in Western France

Continental Divide - Normandy Divide in Western France

Continental Divide - Poitevin Marsh, between Northern and Southern France

Continental Divide - Belgium and France, Oise-Seine River Drainage

Continental Divide - Germany and France, Muse and Seine Rivers

Continental Divide - Germany and Belgium, Muse and Scheldt Rivers

Continental Divide - Ardennes Mountains South of the Siegfried Line

Continental Divide - Rhine North Sea vs. Danube Black Sea

Continental Divide - Studets Mts between Czech and Germany

Continental Divide - Poland and Lithuania, Narew and Neman River Drainages

Continental Divide - Prussia - Poland and Lithuania, Neman River

Continental Divide - Lithuania and Latvia, Western Divna Drainage

Continental Divide - Latvia and Russia, Lakes Region

Continental Divide - Latvia and Estonia Border, Western Dvina Drainage

Continental Divide - Natural Pskov Estonia

Continental Divide - Pskov Novgorod Pskov St Petersburg

Continental Divide - between Novgorod and St Petersburg, along Volkhov

Continental Divide - Alps (Po River and Adriatic Sea)

Continental Divide - Northern Italy from Rome's Tiber River

Continental Divide - Rome Rivers from Naples Rivers

Continental Divide - Naples Rivers from Southern Italy

Continental Divide - Ukraine divide, separating waters of Russia from Little Russia (Ukraine)

Continental Divide - Muravsky Trail

Continental Divide - Upper Muravsky Trail, divides Moscow and Klyazma Rivers from Tver Rivers

Continental Divides - Kaluga Divide

Continental Divide - Valdai Hills

Continental Divide - Mologda Extension

Continental Divide - Lower Valdai Hills

Continental Divide - Lithuania, Poland and Russia (Dnieper Bug Canal area)

Continental Divide - Norway, Sweden, and Finland

Continental Divide - Finland Sweden Waters

Continental Divide - Western St Petersburg Area - Finland or Vologda Mologa divide

Continental Divide - Vologda, Northern White Sea Rivers from Southern Volga Rivers

Continental Divide - Vega and Onega Rivers from Kubena River

Continental Divide - Vega and Northern Dvina Rivers from Onega River

Continental Divide - Vega Sukhona Rivers

Continental Divides - Afganistan, Persia, Pakistan

Continental Divide - Afganistan

Continental Divide - Lake Urmia, Kurdistan, Iran

Continental Divide - Namak Lake Sink, Parthia, Tehran Region, Isfahan Crossroads

Continental Divides - Alborz Range north of Tehran, South Caspian Sea, very high to 18k ft

Continental Divide - Gavkhouni Basin Sink

Continental Divide - Jaz Murian Basin Sink

Continental Divide - Bakhtegan Lake Sink

Continental Divide - Thar Desert India Pakistan

Continental Divide - Arabian Penninsula

Continental Divide - Euro-Asian Divides, Ural Mountains and Ural River

Continental Divide - Siberia (Mongolian Plateau, Lake Baikal, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea)

Continental Divide - Northern Connector

Continental Divide - Stanovoy Range

Continental Divide - Yenisei and Angara Rivers Siberia

Continental Divide - Caspian Sea, Perm, Urals, to Arctic Ocean

Continental Divide - Black Sea to Caspean Sea, Caucasus Mountains

Continental Divide - Geogria from Armenia

Continental Divide - Samtskhe from the rest of Kartli or Central Georgia

Continental Divide - Upper Volga Oka Rivers Divide

Continental Divide - Boldino Heights Divide

Continental Divide - Volga Upland and Chuvash

Continental Divide - Volga Upland

Continental Divide - Between Scythia and Russia

Continental Divide - Between Scythia and Russia, High Point

Continental Divide - Don River Volga River Divide

Continental Divide (Trubeza, Yakhroma, Kirzach and Peksah River Sources)

Continental Divide - Upper Volga Connector

Continental Divide - Australian Divides

Continental Divide - East Coast Australia

Continental Divide - Central Australia

Continental Divide - North American Divides

Continental Divide of the Americas

Continental Divide - United States

Continental Divide - Canada and Alaska

Continental Divide - Panama thru Mexico

Continental Divide - South America to Panama

Continental Divide - South America

Playas Valley, east of the Continental Divide
Playas Valley, forms eastern edge of the Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Animas Valley, east of Continental Divide
Animas Valley, just east of the Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Gila National Forest, Continental Divide
Gila National Forest, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Reserve, New Mexico, Continental Divide
Reserve, New Mexico, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Pie Town, New Mexico, Continental Divide
Pie Town, New Mexico, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Cibola National Forest, west of Continental Divide
Cibola National Forest, western border of Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

El Malpais National Monument, Continental Divide
El Malpais National Monument, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

San Pedro Parks Wilderness. Continental Divide
San Pedro Parks Wilderness. Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Chama River Canyon Wilderness, near Continental Divide
Chama River Canyon Wilderness; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Carson National Forest, west of Continental Divide
Carson National Forest, west of Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Cumbres Pass, NM, Continental Divide
Cumbres Pass, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Wolf Creek Pass, CO, Continental Divide
Wolf Creek Pass, CO, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Canby Mt., CO, Continental Divide
Rio Grande River Source, Canby Mt., CO, Continental Divide;

Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Continental Divide
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Mount Elbert, Continental Divide
Mount Elbert, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Grays Peak, Continental Divide
Grays Peak, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Continental Divide - Llano Escatado

Rocky Mountain National Park, Continental Divide
Rocky Mountain National Park, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Rabbit Ears Pass, CO, Continental Divide
Rabbit Ears Pass, CO, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Medicine Bow National Forest, Battle Pass, WY, Continental Divide
Medicine Bow National Forest, Battle Pass, WY, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY, Continental Divide
Bridger-Teton National Forest, WY, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Two Ocean Pass, WY, Continental Divide
Two Ocean Pass, WY, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Henrys Lake, ID, Continental Divide
Henrys Lake, ID, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Lima, MT, Continental Divide
Lima, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Bitterroot Range, ID, Continental Divide
Bitterroot Range, ID, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Lemhi Pass, ID & MT, Continental Divide
Lemhi Pass, ID & MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Centennial Mountains, Continental Divide
Centennial Mountains, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Chief Joseph Pass, ID & MT, Continental Divide
Chief Joseph Pass, ID & MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Anaconda Mountain Range, MT, Continental Divide
Anaconda Mountain Range, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Circle of Butte, MT, Beaverhead Deerlodge NF, Continental Divide
Circle of Butte, Beaverhead Deerlodge NF, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Helena, MT, Continental Divide
Helena, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Lincoln, MT, Continental Divide
Lincoln, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Scapegoat Wilderness, MT, Continental Divide
Scapegoat Wilderness, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT, Continental Divide
Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Triple Divide Peak, MT, Continental Divide
Triple Divide Peak, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Glacier National Park, MT, Continental Divide
Glacier National Park, MT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Cape Prince of Wales, AK, Continental Divide
Cape Prince of Wales, AK, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Brooks Range, AK, Continental Divide
Brooks Range; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Porcupine River, AK & YT, Continental Divide
Porcupine River, AK & YT, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Yukon, Continental Divide
Yukon Territory, CanadaContinental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Cassiar Mountains, BC, Continental Divide
Cassiar Mountains, BC, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Omineca Mountains, BC, Continental Divide
Omineca Mountains, BC, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Nechako Plateau, of Interior Plateau, BC, Continental Divide
Nechako Plateau, of Interior Plateau, BC, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Summit Lake. BC. Continental Divide
Summit Lake. BC. Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

McGregor Plateau, Continental Divide
McGregor Plateau, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

120th Meridian West, BC & AB, Continental Divide
120th Meridian West, BC & AB, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Snow Dome, BC & AB, Canada, Continental Divide
Snow Dome (Canada); Artic Divide; Great Divide of the Americas ;

Waterton Lakes National Park, Continental Divide
Waterton Lakes National Park, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Chihuahua (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Chihuahua (state, Mexico), Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Durango (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Durango (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Zacatecas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Zacatecas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Aguascalientes (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Aguascalientes (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Jalisco (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Jalisco (state, Mexico), Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Guanajuato (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Guanajuato (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Queretaro (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Quertaro (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Federal District, Mexico City, Continental Divide
Federal District, Mexico City, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Morelos (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Morelos (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Puebla (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Puebla (state, Mexico), Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Oaxaca (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Oaxaca (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Chiapas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Chiapas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Southern Guatemala, Continental Divide
Southern Guatemala, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Southwestern Honduras, Continental Divide
Southwestern Honduras, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Western Nicaragua, Continental Divide
Western Nicaragua, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Western and Southwestern Costa Rica, Continental Divide
Western and Southwestern Costa Rica, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Southern Panama, Continental Divide
Southern Panama, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Andes Mountains, Continental Divide
Andes Mountains, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Western Columbia, Continental Divide
Western Columbia, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Central Ecuador, Continental Divide
Central Ecuador, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Western and Southwestern Peru, Continental Divide
Western and Southwestern Peru, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Eastern Chile, Continental Divide
Eastern Chile, Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Southern Chile, Western Patagonia, Continental Divide
Western Patagonia, Continental Divide ; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Northwest Territories, Smokey River Folder

Continental Divide - Eastern Divide

Eastern Divide 1 (Lake Okeechobee)

Eastern Divide 2

Eastern Divide 3 (Georgia)

Eastern Divide 4

Eastern Divide 5

Eastern Divide 25 (Cumberland (National) Road)

Eastern Divide 28 (Pennsylvania Mainline Canal)

The Fall Line, waterfalls

Continental Divide - West Virginia Divide to Eastern Divide, along Kentucky&West Virgiana Borders

Continental Divide - St Lawarence Divide

Continental Divide - St Lawrence Divide

St Lawrence Divide (Cape Breton Island)

St Lawrence Divide (New Brunswick)

St Lawrence Divide (Lake Champlain, near Rutland, VT)

St Lawrence Divide (near Ottawa, Canada)

St Lawrence Divide (Oneida, NY)

St Lawrence Divide (Finger Lakes)

St Lawrence Divide (Erie)

Continental Divides - Central New York State, Susquehanna and Delaware River Drainages

Saint Lawarence Divide (Cleveland)

Saint Lawrence Divide (Chicago)

St Lawrence Divide (Milwaukee)

St Lawrence Divide (Oneida, WI)

Continental Divide - Artic Divide

Snow Dome, BC & AB, Canada, Artic Divide
Snow Dome (Canada); Artic Divide; Great Divide of the Americas

Continental Divides - Nunavut Territory, Canada

Continental Divide - Laurentian Divide

Laurentian Divide 1 (Killinig Island, Cape Chidley)
Laurentian Divide;

Laurentian Divide 2

Laurentian Divide 3

Laurentian Divide 4

Triple Divide Peak, MT, Laurentian Divide
Triple Divide Peak (Montana); Laurentian Divide;

Continental Divide - Utah Great Basin

Continental Divide - South Platte River

Great Plains area

High Plains area

High Plains Area (before the Black Hills)

Continental Divide - Upper South Platte River

Great Basin of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California

Continental Divide - Columbia River

Continental Divides - North Idaho - South Idaho

Continental Divides - Bitterroot Divide, North Idaho-NW Montana

Continental Divide - Yukon Fraser

Purcell Trench 200 Miles Golden to Bonners

Continental Divides, Yaak-Moyie Divide, Purcell Mts

Continental Divides - East Kootenai-Moyie Divide

Continental Divides - West Kootenai - Columbia Divide

Continental Divides - Kokanee Glacier Selkirk Divide -Kootenai from Columbia creeks

Continental Divide - Ohio-Indiana Border

Continental Divides - Ohio-Indiana Border

Continental Divide - Indiana-Illinois Border

Continental Divide - Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, India, and China Divides

Continental Divide - Malaysia, Burma, China, Tibet, and India

Continental Divide - Tibetan Plateau

Continental Divide - Kazakhastan Divide - 3 Inland Lakes like Tarin Basin

Continental Divide - Uzbekistan Divide - Inland Lakes, Uzbekistan (from Syr Darya River to Oxus River)

Continental Divide - Southern Manchuria and North Korea

Continental Divide - Mongolian Plateau

Continental Divide - The Spine of Vietnam

Continental Divide - Hong Kong, Xi and Pearl Rivers

Continental Divide - South American Divides

Continental Divide - Northern Brazil, from, Veneszuela and Guyana

Continental Divide - North Side down East Side Argentina, Through Brazil and Bolivia

Continental Divide - African Divides

Continental Divide - South African Deserts

Continental Divides -East African

Contintal Divide - Albertine Rift

Continental Divide - Around Libya

Continental Divides - Egyptian Desert

Continental Divide - Northwest Africa from Timbuktu

Continental Divide - Senegal to Ghana

Continental Divide - Algiers

Continental Divide - Timbuktu to Albertine Rift

Continental Divide - West from Central Africa

Continental Divide - South Africa

Continental Divide - (Ocean Divides - 6,000 year old Earth)
Hydroplate Theory (the new theory) ; Walt Brown's free Online Book explaining the relatively new Hydroplate Theory with multimedia ; Weak arguments against the new Hydroplate Theory ;

Continental Divide - The Big Crack (See Hydroplate Theory, 6,000 year old Earth)
Hydroplate Theory (the new theory) ; Walt Brown's free Online Book explaining the relatively new Hydroplate Theory with multimedia ; Weak arguments against the new Hydroplate Theory ;

Continental Divide - The Trenches opposite the Big Crack (See Hydroplate Theory, 6,000 year old Earth
Hydroplate Theory (the new theory) ; Walt Brown's free Online Book explaining the relatively new Hydroplate Theory with multimedia ; Weak arguments against the new Hydroplate Theory ;

Continental Divide - Hawaii Midway Line of Mountains (underwater)

Continental Divide - Australia to Alaska

Continental Divide - Southern Connector

Continental Diviides - India

Continental Divide - Ganges River

Continental Divide - Western Ghats

Continental Divide - Southern India

Continental Divide - Godavari River

Continental Divide - Eastern Ghats

Continental Divide - Burma India Border

Continental Divides - Carpatians Transylvania Romania

Continental Divide - Bijor Mts Transylvania - Northern Transylvania, Oradea to Cluj

Continental Divide - Apuseni Mts Transylvania

Continental Divide - Apuseni to Carpatians, between waters to north and south

Continental Divide - Carpatians Transylvania

Major History Locations, 36 Folders

Bithynia Folder, its rivers and mountains

Bithynia Province (Lower Sakarya River at its center)
Bithynia Province (southwest coast of the Black Sea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Martyr Thyrsus at Caesarea, in Bithynia, Commemorated August 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Tation (Tatio) of Claudiopolis, Commemorated on August 24; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery ; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated November 28 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated November 28 ; Martyr Paramon and 370 Martyrs in Bithynia, Commemorated on November 29; 16Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Nicetas the Confessor the Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29 ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium Commemorated on June 3 EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Bithynia, 284-1413, Bithynia History Folder

Bithynia, 000, 1st Century Folder, Peter and Prochorus

Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Nicomedia; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Bithynia, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Saints Autonomus and Pantaleon

Bithynia, 222-235, Martyr Theodota at Nicea, from Cappadocia, Armenia, felt no pain or scars from iron hooks
Bithynia, 222-235, Martyr Theodota at Nicea; Holy Martyr Theodota, a native of Cappadocia, suffered in the city of Nicea during the reign of the emperor Alexander Severus (222-235). At this time the governor of Cappadocia was a certain Symblicius. They told him that a rich woman named Theodota was confessing Christ. The governor summoned Theodota and for a long time urged her to turn from the true Faith. the futility of his attempts, he gave Theodota over to torture. They suspended her and began to rake her with iron hooks, but she did not feel any pain. Then they put her in chains and led her away to a prison cell. eight days, when they led the saint out for new tortures, only faint traces of the tortures already endured remained on her body. The governor was amazed and asked, “Who are you?” The saint answered: “Your mind is darkened, but if you were sober, then you would have realized that I am Theodota.” commanded the martyr to be cast into a red-hot furnace. Flames shot out from the furnace and scorched those standing nearby, while those remaining unharmed shut the furnace and scattered in fright. After a certain while, pagan priests came and opened the furnace to scatter the ashes of the martyr, but they too were burned by the flames. Those remaining unhurt saw Saint Theodota unharmed. She stood in the midst of the flames between two youths in white raiment, and was glorifying the Lord. This apparition so terrified the pagans that they fell down as if dead. Later, they returned the saint to prison. invincibility of the martyr gave Symblicius no peace. He made a journey to Byzantium, on the return trip he stopped over at Ancyra and tried to get the better of Theodota. He gave orders to throw her all at once onto red-hot iron, but again the martyr remained unharmed. Symblicius gave orders that the saint be taken to Nicea. There, in a pagan temple he wanted to compel her to offer sacrifice to the idols, but through the prayer of the saint, the idols fell and were shattered. The outraged governor gave orders to stretch the martyr out and saw through her body, but here also the power of God preserved the saint. The saw caused Theodota no harm, and the servants became exhausted. Finally, they beheaded the saint. Bishop Sophronius of Nicea buried her body. Nicea (Nicaea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Fathers of the First Six Councils; First Council of Nicaea; Second Council of Nicaea; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia; Saint Sava I, first Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 and January 14; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Bithynia, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter
Troy, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter, confessed, tortures, clubs, iron hooks, fire, foot nails, no complaints, died right before beheading; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Martyr Tryphon was born in Phrygia, one of the districts of Asia Minor, in the village of Lampsacus. From his early years the Lord granted him the power to cast out demons and to heal various maladies. He once saved the inhabitants of his native city from starvation. Saint Tryphon, by the power of his prayer, turned back a plague of locusts that were devouring the grain and devastating the fields. Tryphon gained particular fame by casting out an evil spirit from the daughter of the Roman emperor Gordian (238-244). Helping everyone in distress, he asked only one thing from them: faith in Jesus Christ, by Whose grace he healed them. the emperor Decius (249-251) assumed the imperial throne, he began a fierce persecution of Christians. Someone reported to the commander Aquilinus that Saint Tryphon was boldly preaching faith in Christ, and that he led many to Baptism. The saint was arrested and subjected to interrogation, during which he fearlessly confessed his faith. was subjected to harsh tortures: they beat him with clubs, raked his body with iron hooks, they scorched his flesh with fire, and led him through the city, after iron nails were hammered into his feet. Saint Tryphon bravely endured all the torments without complaint. he was condemned to beheading with a sword. The holy martyr prayed before his execution, thanking God for strengthening him in his sufferings. He also asked the Lord to bless those who should call upon his name for help. Just as the soldiers raised the sword over the head of the holy martyr, he surrendered his soul into the hands of God. This event occurred in the city of Nicea in the year 250. wrapped the holy body of the martyr in a clean shroud and wanted to bury him in the city of Nicea, where he suffered, but Saint Tryphon in a vision commanded them to take his body to his native land to the village of Lampsacus. Later on, the relics of Saint Tryphon were transferred to Constantinople, and then to Rome. Russia, Saint Tryphon is regarded as the patron saint of birds. There is a story that when Tsar Ivan the Terrible was out hunting, his falconer carelessly allowed the Tsar’s favorite falcon to fly away. The Tsar ordered the falconer Tryphon Patrikeiev to find the bird within three days, or else he would be put to death. Tryphon searched all through the forest, but without luck. the third day, exhausted by long searching, he returned to Moscow to the place called Marinaya Grove. Overcome with weariness, he lay down to rest, fervently praying to his patron saint, the Martyr Tryphon, for help. a dream he saw a youth on a white horse, holding the Tsar’s falcon on his hand. The youth said, “Take the lost bird, go to the Tsar and do not grieve.” When he awakened, the falconer actually spotted the falcon on a pine tree. He took it to the Tsar and told him about the miraculous help he received from the holy Martyr Tryphon. Grateful to Saint Tryphon for saving his life, Tryphon Patrikeiev built a chapel on the spot where the saint appeared. Later on, he also built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Tryphon in Moscow. holy martyr is greatly venerated in the Russian Orthodox Church as the heavenly protector of Moscow. Many Russian icons depict the saint holding a falcon on his arm.

Bithynia, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo
Bithynia, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo, suffered under Decius, aCaesarea Bithynia, Leucius reproached tPerfect, Thyrsus eager for martydom refused sac tIdols, plus ridiculed wood&stone worship, arms legs pulled out sockets, eyes plucked, teeth shattered wHammer, taken tHeathen temple, prayers toppled Apollo statue, Perfect Cumbricius enraged increased torments, T endured&died peacefully, Pagan Priest Callinicus saw and converted; Bithynia, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo; Apollonia, in Bithynia , a promentory on the northeast shore near Golyazi ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; Holy Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus suffered for Christ under the emperor Decius (249-251) at Caesarea in Bithynia. Leucius, having reproached the prefect Cumbricius for his unjust persecution of Christians, was executed after being tortured. Thyrsus, who was still a catechumen, was nonetheless eager for martyrdom. He was sentenced to cruel tortures and torments after refusing to offer sacrifice to the idols. Citing the words of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 2:27), he ridiculed those who worshiped wood and stone. saint’s arms and legs were pulled out of their sockets, his eyes were plucked out, and his teeth were shattered with a hammer. was taken to a heathen temple, where, by his prayers, he toppled a statue of Apollo. was enraged by this, and he ordered that greater torments be devised for the athlete of Christ. He endured them all and died peacefully after making the Sign of the Cross. pagan priest Callinicus, seeing the bravery and the miracle involving Saint Thyrsus, believed in Christ and boldly confessed the true Faith, for which he was beheaded.

Bithynia, 250, Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him, Bithynia, P openly denounced cruel Gov, and confessed One true God, Jesus
Bithynai, 250, Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him, Bithynia Province (Lower Sakarya River at its center), P openly denounced cruel Gov, and confessed One true God, Jesus; Bithynia Province (southwest coast of the Black Sea); Martyr Paramon and 370 Martyrs in Bithynia, Commemorated on November 29; Holy Martyr Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him suffered for their faith in Christ in the year 250 during the rule of the emperor Decius (249-251). governor of the Eastern regions, Aquianus, had locked up 370 Christians in prison, urging them to abjure Christ and instead offer sacrifice to idols. subjected the captives to beatings, hoping by torture and the threat of death to persuade them to renounce Christ and worship the pagan gods. of the local inhabitants, Paramon by name, openly denounced the cruel governor and confessed his faith in the One True God, the Lord Jesus Christ. They beheaded Saint Paramon after fierce tortures, together with the other 370 martyrs.

Bithynia, 278-312, Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy
Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy, born 258 Ancyra, Galatia, christian mother, adopted bSophia who fed clothed abandoned children, Clement taught them fBaptism, reader deacon, then priest at 18, Ancyra Bishop a20, then Diocletian Persecution 284, tortured healed in Ancyra, hung on tree raked sharp iron entrals visible, mouth smashed wStones, turned on wheel burned over low fire, sent tDiocletion in Rome who did not believe, more Roman torture, , tPrison, Prison became church, many executed, t Maximian iNicomedia, on ship joined by Agathangelus, Maximian sent them to governor Agrippina, inhuman torments, on-lookers pity, pelted torturers wStones, C&A set free, they healed inhabitant laying on oHands, they baptized&taught throngs, arrested sent home new ruler cyrenius tortured them, tAmasea proconsul Dometius, cruelty, whole day in hot lime, unharmed, flayed, beat iron rods, red-hot beds, sulfur on wounds, healed, sent tTarsus, on the way Clement revelation 28yrs suffer for Christ, there multitude of tortures then tPrison, A beheaded Nov 5, C freed tCave church, announced martyrdom at Liturgy, beheaded while serving Liturgy Jan 23; Ancyra; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ. woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own children, not having the means to feed them. took in these unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. Clement assisted her in this. He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. of them died as martyrs for Christ. Clement was made a reader, and later a deacon. he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. afterwards the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out. Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. the governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, Saint Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the tortures. suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. smashed his mouth with stones, they turned him on a wheel and burned him over a low fire. Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his lacerated body. Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. seeing the martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison. of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. flocked to Saint Clement in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was literally transformed into a church. word of this reached the emperor, many of these new Christians were executed. struck by the amazing endurance of Saint Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to his co-emperor Maximian. the ship, the saint was joined by his disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other confessors, who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop Clement. emperor Maximian in turn sent Saints Clement and Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones. been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to them in multitudes. again on orders of Maximian, they were sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known for his great cruelty. Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot lime. spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. flayed them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured sulfur on their bodies. this failed to harm the saints, they were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. the wilderness along the way Saint Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight years for Christ. having endured a multitude of tortures, the saints were locked up in prison. Agathangelus was beheaded with the sword on November 5. Christians of Ancyra freed Saint Clement from prison and took him to a cave church. after celebrating Liturgy, the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the persecution and his own martyrdom. January 23, the holy hierarch was killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with him, but no one else was harmed. Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra; Clement, Bishop of Ancyra or simply Clement of Ancyra (c. 258-312) (born in Ancyra present-day Turkey) a bishop who served during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian. He was arrested by Roman authorities and tried by Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian attempted to convert Clement to Paganism but Clement refused and withstood tremendous torture. was eventually beheaded by a Roman soldier whilst he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the year 312.[1] He is venerated on 23 January according to the Gregorian calendar and on 5 February according to the Julian calendar in some Eastern Orthodox countries together with his disciple Agathangelus of Rome. relics are in the saint's altar in the basilica of Our Lady of Trapani in Trapani.[2] Saint Clement Church is the only structure survived from the Byzantine era in Ankara.[3]

Bithynia, 284-303, Italian and Bithynian Saint Autonomus, chruch builder, martyr, incorrupt relics
Bithynia, 284-303, Italian and Bithynian Saint Autonomus; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Hieromartyr Autonomus was a bishop in Italy. During the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), Autonomus left his own country and resettled in Bithynia, in the locality of Soreus with a man named Cornelius. Saint Autonomus did his apostolic duty with zeal and converted to Christ so many pagans, that a large Church was formed, for which he consecrated a temple in the name of the Archangel Michael. For this church, the saint at first ordained Cornelius as deacon, and then presbyter. Preaching about Christ, Saint Autonomus visited also Lykaonia and Isauria. emperor Diocletian gave orders to arrest Saint Autonomus, but the saint withdrew to Claudiopolis on the Black Sea. In returning to Soreus, he had the priest Cornelius ordained bishop. Saint Autonomus then went to Asia, and when he had returned from there, he began to preach in the vicinity of Limna, near Soreus. the newly-converted destroyed a pagan temple. The pagans decided to take revenge on the Christians. Seizing their chance, the pagans rushed upon the church of the Archangel Michael when Saint Autonomus was serving Divine Liturgy there. After torturing Saint Autonomus they killed him, reddening the altar of the church with his martyr’s blood. The deaconess Maria removed the body of the holy martyr from beneath a pile of stones and buried it. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, a church was built over the tomb of the saint. In the year 430, a certain priest had the old church pulled down. Not realizing that the martyr’s body had been buried beneath the church, he rebuilt the church in a new spot. But after another 60 years the relics of the saint were found incorrupt, and a church was then built in the name of the Hieromartyr Autonomus.

Bithynia, 284-304, Saints, Cyprian and Justina, Pagan Priest Magician, Virgin bridegroom of Christ
Bithynia, 284-304, Saints, Cyprian and Justina; Cyprian and Justina are honored in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy as Christians of Antioch, who in 304, during the persecution of Diocletian, suffered martyrdom at Nicomedia (modern-day İzmit, Turkey) on September 26. According to Roman Catholic sources, no Bishop of Antioch bore the name of Cyprian.[1] story must have arisen as early as the 4th century, as it is mentioned by both St. Gregory Nazianzen and Prudentius; both, nevertheless, have conflated Cyprian with St. Cyprian of Carthage, a mistake often repeated. The attempt has been made to find in Cyprian a mystical prototype of the Faustian legend. The legend is given in Greek and Latin in Acta SS. September, VII. Ancient Syriac and Ethiopic versions of it have been published.[1] Their story is told in the Golden Legend. outline of the legend or allegory is found with diffuse descriptions and dialogues in the unreliable "Symeon Metaphrastes" and was made the subject of a poem by Empress Aelia Eudocia.[1] Saint Cyprian and the demon, 14th-century manuscript of the Golden Legend. known by the title of "the Magician", to distinguish him from Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, received a liberal education in his youth, and particularly applied himself to astrology; after which he traveled for improvement through Greece, Egypt, India, etc.[2] Cyprian was a magician in Antioch and dealt in sorcery. is known for converting Cyprian,[3] and is said to have been a young woman who took private vows of chastity. She was killed during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the year 304 AD. would-be suitor sought the aid of Cyprian's magic to induce Justina into marrying him. The charms and spells had no effect on Justina, who spent her time in prayer and fasting. Brought to despair, Cyprian made the Sign of the cross himself and in this way was freed from the toils of Satan. He was received into the Church, was made pre-eminent by miraculous gifts, and became in succession deacon, priest and, finally, bishop, while Justina became abbess of a convent.[4] the Diocletian Persecution, both were seized and taken to Damascus, where they were tortured. As their faith never wavered, they were brought before Diocletian at Nicomedia, where at his command they were beheaded[4] on the bank of the Gallus River, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The same fate befell a man named Theoctistus, who upon observing Cyprian's faith, declared himself a Christian.[4] After the bodies of the saints had lain unburied for six days, they were taken by Christian sailors to Rome, where they were interred on the estate of a noble lady named Rufina and later entombed in Constantine's basilica. is mentioned in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It was under the 10th Persecution in 303 AD while Diocletian was Emperor of Rome. It says: " In the course of time he [Cyprian] became acquainted with Justina, a young lady of Antioch, whose birth, beauty, and accomplishments, rendered her the admiration of all who knew her. A pagan gentleman applied to Cyprian, to promote his suit with the beautiful Justina; this he undertook, but soon himself converted, burnt his books of astrology and magic, received baptism, and felt animated with a powerful spirit of grace. The conversion of Cyprian had a great effect on the pagan gentleman who paid his addresses to Justina, and he in a short time embraced Christianity. During the persecutions of Diocletian, Cyprian and Justina were seized upon as Christians, the former was torn with pincers, and the latter chastised; and, after suffering other torments, both were beheaded."[citation needed] and liturgical celebration feast day appeared in the General Roman Calendar of Roman Rite from the thirteenth century until it was deleted in 1969 because of the lack of historical evidence of their existence.[5] Their names were also removed from the 2001 revision of the Roman Martyrology, the official but professedly incomplete list of saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology, however, includes five other saints called Cyprian and two named Justina. Some traditionalist Catholics continue to observe their feast based on pre-1970 versions of the Roman Calendar. popular culture Spanish author, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, took the story as the basis of a drama: El mágico prodigioso. In 2005, American author Tono Rondone published a novel, The Martyrs, which is a continuation of this tradition. [6] Great Book of Saint Cyprian is full of prayers and spells, and is widely sold in the Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking world. is a popular name for a grimoire in Scandinavian folklore. Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina, and Martyr Theoctistus, of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2; Cyprian was a pagan and a native of Antioch. From his early childhood his misguided parents dedicated him to the service of the pagan gods. From the age seven until he was thirty, Cyprian studied at the leading centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus; in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis; in the Egyptian city of Memphis; and at Babylon. Once he attained eminent wisdom in pagan philosophy and the sorcerer’s craft, he was initiated into the pagan priesthood on Mount Olympus. Having discovered great power by summoning unclean spirits, he beheld the Prince of Darkness himself, speaking with him and receiving from him a host of demons to serve him. returning to Antioch, Cyprian was revered by the pagans as a prominent pagan priest, amazing people with his ability to cast spells, to summon pestilence and plagues, and to conjure up the dead. He brought many people to ruin, teaching them to serve the demons, and how to cast magic spells. holy virgin Justina lived in Antioch. After turning her own father and mother away from the error of paganism and leading them to faith in Christ, she dedicated herself to the Heavenly Bridegroom and spent her time in fasting and prayer. When the young man Aglaidas proposed marriage to her, the saint refused, for she wished to remain a virgin. sought Cyprian’s help. He said that he would arrange for Justina's heart to become filled with lust for the young man. No matter what Cyprian tried, he accomplished nothing, since the Saint overcame all the wiles of the devil by prayer and fasting. sent an unclean spirit to attack the holy virgin, and to arouse carnal passions in her, but she overcame them by the power of the Sign of the Cross, and by fervent prayer to the Lord. though one of the demons, and Cyprian himself, assumed various guises by the power of sorcery, they were unable to influence Saint Justina, who was guarded by her firm faith in Christ. All the spells were dissipated, and the demons fled at the mention of Justina's name. in his rage, sent down pestilence and plague upon Justina’s family and upon the entire city, but this was thwarted by her prayer. The sorcerer brought tribulation not only upon Justina and her family, but upon the entire city as well. Rumors spread that the city was being punished because Justina would not wed Aglaias. Several people went to her and demanded that she marry Aglaias so that Cyprian would not punish them with more afflictions. Justina calmed them and assured them that soon the misfortunes which Cyprian caused with the help of the demons would end. Saint Justina prayed to God, the power of the demons was destroyed, and everyone was healed of their illnesses and afflictions. began to praise Christ, and to mock Cyprian and his sorcery. Convinced that the devil was powerless against the Sign of the Cross, and trembled at the name of Christ, Cyprian came to his senses and realized that he had been corrupted by becoming a sorcerer, and participating in every sort of wickedness, doing harm to others and deceiving them. He killed many with his spells and potions, and he murdered many men and women as sacrificial offerings to the demons. He was already a partaker of the portion of the demons, and if he had died at that moment, he would have been cast into the depths of Hell. The Lord, however, in His infinite compassion, saved him from the abyss. Cyprian saw that the devil whom he served was afraid of Christ. The Evil One admitted that he was unable to conquer the maiden because he was afraid of "a certain sign" upon her. “If you take fright at even the mere shadow of the Cross and if the mere name of Christ makes you tremble,” said Cyprian, “then what will you do when Christ Himself stands before you?” devil then threw himself upon the pagan priest and attempted to beat and strangle him. For the first time, Saint Cyrian tested the power of the Sign of the Cross and the name of Christ, guarding himself from the fury of the Enemy. Afterward, he went to the local bishop Anthimos in profound repentance, and threw all of his books into the flames. The very next day, he went into the church, and did not want to leave it, even though he had not yet been baptized. his efforts to follow after righteousness, Saint Cyprian understood the great power of faith in Christ, making up for more than thirty years of service to Satan. Seven days after his Baptism he was tonsured as a reader, on the twelfth day, subdeacon, on the thirtieth, deacon. After a year, he was ordained as a priest. Shortly after this, Saint Cyprian was elevated to the rank of bishop. Cyprian converted so many pagans to Christ that in his diocese no one was left to offer sacrifice to idols, and the pagan temples fell into disuse. Saint Justina withdrew to a monastery and was chosen as its Superior. the persecution against Christians under Enperor Diocletian, Bishop Cyprian and Saint Justina were arrested and brought to Nicomedia, where after horrible tortures they were beheaded with the sword. Saint Cyprian, fearful that the holy virgin’s courage might falter if she saw him put to death, asked for time to pray. Saint Justina inclined her neck and was beheaded first. seeing the torments of Saint Justina, a soldier named Theoktistos fell at Cyprian’s feet and declared himself a Christian, and he was beheaded with them. Hieromartyr Cyprian, the Virgin Martyr Justina, and the Martyr Theoktistos suffered for Christ at Nicomedia in the year 304. relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina are to be found in various places around the world. One of Saint Cyprian's feet is at Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos. A piece of Saint Cyprian's skull is in the church named for these Saints at Menikos Nicosia. A small piece of Saint Justina's skull is there as well. Fragments of the Holy Relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina are in the Monastery which is dedicated to them at Phylḗ, Attica. The head of Saint Justina is located in the Monastery of Panagia Panachrantou (the All-Holy Theotokos) on the Greek island if Andros. Part of the hand of Saint Cyprian is located in the Zlătari church (Calea Victoriei 14, Bucharest Romania)

Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Diocletian Persecution, Angels scared excutnrs, unharmed by hot metal bed, in lake in sack
Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), Diocletian Persecution, Angels scared executioners, unharmed by hot metal bed, into lake in sack; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Holy Martyr Antonina suffered at Nicea during a persecution under the emperor Maximian (284-305). After fierce tortures, Saint Antonina was thrown into prison, but Maximian could not force the saint to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. of God appeared to the holy martyr and the executioners took fright. Even when they placed her on a red-hot metal bed, Saint Antonina remained unharmed, by the power of God. Finally, after long torture they sewed the saint into a sack and sank it in a lake.

Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia, survived fire, red hot plate, red hot rods into hands & feet
Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), survived various tortures, burned, red hot plate, red hot rods bored into hands and feet; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Holy Martyr Antonina suffered during the third century under Diocletian (284-305) in the city of Nicea. tortured her in various ways: they burned her with fire, they put her on a red-hot plate, they bored into her hands and feet with red-hot rods and they threw her in prison, where she languished for two days. torments did not break Saint Antonina’s spirit, and to her very death she confessed her faith in Christ. They threw the holy martyr into the sea.

Bithynia, 300, 4th Century Folder, Great Martyr George and First E Council

Bithynia, 301-311, Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora, special piety, healings, martyrdom, fire, rain
Bithynia, 300-311, Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora; Great Martyr George, died in Nicomedia, 303; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Virgins Menodora, Nymphodora, and Metrodora (305-311), were sisters from Bithynia (Asia Minor). Distinguished for their special piety, they wanted to preserve their virginity and avoid worldly associations. They chose a solitary place for themselves in the wilderness and spent their lives in deeds of fasting and prayer. of the holy life of the virgins soon spread, since healings of the sick began to occur through their prayers. The Bithynia region was governed at that time by a man named Frontonus, who ordered that the sisters be arrested and brought before him. first he tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, promising great honors and rewards. But the holy sisters steadfastly confessed their faith before him, rejecting all his suggestions. They told him that they did not value the temporal things of this world, and that they were prepared to die for their Heavenly Bridegroom, for death would be their gateway to eternal life. into a rage, the governor took out his wrath on Saint Menodora, the eldest sister. She was stripped of her clothes and beaten by four men, while a herald urged her to offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint bravely endured the torments and cried out, “Sacrifice? Can’t you see that I am offering myself as a sacrifice to my God?” Then they renewed their torments with even greater severity. Then the martyr cried out, “ Lord Jesus Christ, joy of my heart, my hope, receive my soul in peace.” With these words she gave up her soul to God, and went to her Heavenly Bridegroom. days later, they brought the two younger sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora to the court. They showed them the battered body of their older sister to frighten them. The virgins wept over her, but remained steadfast. Saint Metrodora was tortured. She died, crying out to her beloved Lord Jesus Christ with her last breath. Then they turned to the third sister, Nymphodora. Before her lay the bruised bodies of her sisters. Frontonus hoped that this sight would intimidate the young virgin. that he was charmed by her youth and beauty, he urged her to worship the pagan gods, promising great rewards and honors. Saint Nymphodora scoffed at his words, and shared the fate of her older sisters. She was tortured and beaten to death with iron rods. bodies of the holy martyrs were to be burned in a fire, but a heavy rain extinguished the blazing fire, and lightning struck down Frontonus and his servant. Christians took up the bodies of the holy sisters and reverently buried them at the so-called Warm Springs at Pythias (Bithynia). of the relics of the holy martyrs are preserved on Mt. Athos in the Protection cathedral of the Saint Panteleimon Russian monastery, and the hand of Saint Metrodora is on the Holy Mountain in the monastery of the Pantocrator. St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22 ;

Bithynia, 303, Euphrasia oNicomedia, Bithynia, beautiful, proposed protective herb tBarbarian, had him strike one on her neck
Bithynia, 303, Euphrasia oNicomedia, Bithynia (Lower Sakarya), illustrious family, beautiful christian, Maximian persecution, refused idol sacrifice, beaaten, given tBarbarian to be violated, prayed tLord fPreserve virginity, answered, she suggested special herb to protect him in battle, put one on her neck, asked him to strike the herb to prove its value for him, so God protected her when her head fell off; Nicomedia; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Euphrasia was born at Nicomedia into an illustrious family. was a Christian, and was noted for her beauty. the persecution of Christians by Maximian, the pagans tried to compel Euphrasia to offer sacrifice to idols. she refused, she was beaten, and then given to a certain barbarian to be violated. saint prayed tearfully to the Lord that He would preserve her virginity, and God heard her prayer. Euphrasia suggested to the barbarian that if he would not defile her, she would give him a special herb which would protect him from enemy weapons and death. this herb, she explained, held its power only when received from a virgin and not from a woman. soldier believed Saint Euphrasia and went with her into the garden. holy virgin picked the herb, then offered to demonstrate its power. placed the herb on her neck and told the man to strike her with his sword. a mighty blow, he cut off her head. her prayer was answered, and the wise virgin offered her soul to God in 303, safeguarding her bodily purity.

Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Senators & Martyrs, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever
Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Senators & Martyrs, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever, eager for martyrdom, removed belts, symbols of rank, submitted tSevere tortures, Bassos buried tWaist, upper body cut tPieces, Eusebios suspended head down, limbs cut off, Eutychios tied to 4 poles hands and feet and pulled apart, Basileides stabbed in he stomach w/knifer; Martyrs Bassus, Eusebius, Euthychius, and Basileides, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), suffered martyrdom in 303. were wealthy and members of the Senate. came to believe in Christ and were baptized after witnessing the martyrdom of Bishop Theopemptos of Nicomedia (January 5), endured with spiritual bravery the horrible tortures to which the pagans had had subjected him. idolaters denounced these men as Christians and brought them before the emperor because they refused to worship the gods of the pagans. Saints showed no fear whatsoever, boldly proclaimed their faith in Christ and their eagerness to follow the path which would lead to martyrdom. the Synaxarion it is stated that the martyrs removed their belts, the symbols of their rank, and then each of them submitted to severe tortures. Bassos was buried in the ground up to his waist, and his upper body was cut to pieces. Eusebios was suspended head downwards, and his limbs were cut off with axes. Eutychios was tied to four poles by his hands and feet, and he was pulled apart. Basileides was stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

Bithynia, 303, 20,000 Martyrs oNicomedia Church Fire, Great Story wAngels, earthquakes, thunderstorms, Christian never renounce
Rome, 303, 20,000 Martyrs oNicomedia Church Fire, Emperor Maximian ordered destroy Christian churches, burn service books, deprive citizenship, Nicomedia Bishop Cyril converted many members of his court there, Pagan Priestess Domna there read Book oActs &Epistles, wanted more info, went tCyril's successor Anthimus, baptized wIndes her eunuch servant, D&E helped poor, gave valuables&food from M's kitchen, Chief eunuch noted D&I not eating, beat them, remained silent, another eunuch ratted, locked iPrison woFood, Angel fed them, D feigned insanity, left court, then tMonastery wAbbess Agatha dressed her as a man & sent her away, Emperor returned fBattle ordered search fD, monastery destroyed, nuns tPrison, tortured but not defiled, Theophila sent tBrothell but Angel saved hVirginity, led her tCathredral, E prepared city square fPagan sacrifice, sprinkling crowd wBlood, christians began leave, Emperor enraged, great thunderstorm, people&Emperor fled, later Emperor tChurch, offered escape or burn church wPeople, presby Clycerius told him C's never renounce, hiding anger E left church, later arrested G, tortured him, ordered burned, later feast oNativity 20K Christians assembled Nicomedia Cathedral, soldiers surrounded building, offered escape, everybody refused idol worship, as fire prepared Bishop Anthimus baptized, all 20K died in fire, incl Agatha&Theophlia previously miraculously saved fDefilement ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Nicomedia; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor became enraged, in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. he promised to burn the church and those in it. Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. emperor wondered how to deal with them. his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. left her the bodies of the martyrs. reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna. Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 26; Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305). They lived in remote places and did not cease to preach Christianity to the pagans. young pagan named Pantoleon (Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, July 27) often passed by the house in which Saint Hermolaus had concealed himself. Once Saint Hermolaus chanced to meet the youth and asked him to stop by his house. In their conversation Saint Hermolaus began to explain to his guest the falseness, impiety and vanity of worshipping the pagan gods. From that day on, Pantoleon began to visit Saint Hermolaus daily and received holy Baptism from him. the trial of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was being held, Saints Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, were also arrested. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Hermolaus one evening and revealed to him that on the following day he would suffer for Him and receive a martyr’s crown. Hermippus and Hermocrates were arrested and brought to trial after Saint Hermolaus. All three were given the chance to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. But they resolutely refused, confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were prepared gladly to die for Him. pagans began to threaten the holy priests with torture and death. Suddenly, a strong earthquake occurred, and the idols and pagan temple collapsed and shattered. This was reported to the emperor. The enraged Maximian gave the holy martyrs over to torture and pronounced upon them a sentence of death. Bravely enduring all the torments, the holy Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were beheaded in about the year 305. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest.

Bithynia, 303, 1003 Martyrs aNicomedia, servants followed masters example, not swayed by promises, men, women children cut down
Bithynia, 303, 1003 Martyrs at Nicomedia, Bithynia, servants decided to follow masters example, not swayed by promises of rewards, surrounded by tight circle oSoldiers, cut down 1003 men women children; Nicomedia; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Martyrs at Nicomedia, were servants of the four dignitaries Bassos, Eusebius, Eutychius and Basilides, suffered for Christ with their wives (January 5) in the year 303 during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the martyric death of their masters, the servants decided to follow their example, they also confessed themselves Christians before Diocletian. neither by persuasion nor promises nor rewards, men, women, and small children were cut down by soldiers who formed a tight circle around them so that none of them remained alive.

Bithynia, 303-304, Neophytus oNicaea, child wonderworker, led to lion's cave at age 9 till 15, unharmed by torturers
Bithynia, 303-304, Neophytus oNicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), child wonderworker, water from aRock, white dove answering mother's prayer, led to lion's cave Mt Olympus at age 9 till 15, distributed inheritance tPoor, back tNicea tPreach Faith tDiocletian persecution, unharmed suspended from tree whipped ox thongs scraped iron claws, red hot oven 3 days, So, killed at age 16; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Holy Martyr Neophytus, a native of the city of Nicea in Bithynia, raised by his parents in strict Christian piety. his virtue, temperance and unceasing prayer, it pleased God to glorify Saint Neophytus with the gift of wonderworking, the saint was still just a child! Moses, the holy youth brought forth water from a stone of the city wall and gave this water to those who were thirsty. answer to the prayer of Saint Neophytus’ mother, asking that God’s will concerning her son might be revealed to her, white dove miraculously appeared and told of the path he would follow. saint was led forth from his parental home by this dove and brought to a cave on Mt. Olympus, served as a lion’s den. is said that he chased the lion from the cave so that he could live there himself. saint remained there from the age of nine until he was fifteen, it only once to bury his parents and distribute their substance to the poor. the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), he went to Nicea and boldly began to denounce the impiety of the pagan faith. enraged persecutors suspended the saint from a tree, they whipped him with ox thongs, and scraped his body with iron claws. they threw him into a red-hot oven, the holy martyr remained unharmed, three days and three nights in it. torturers, not knowing what else to do with him, decided to kill him. of the pagans ran him through with a sword (some say it was a spear), departed to the Lord at the age of sixteen.

Bithynia, 303-305, 3 Hieromartyrs oNicomedia, a20K Fire, back preaching iRemote places, Lord Jesus prep them, earthquake
Bithynia, 303-305, Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305)., They went back to work preaching to pagans in remote places, baptizing St Pantoleon, They were arrested at Pantoleon's trial, Lord Jesus appeared to Hermolaus and prepared him for his next day martyrdom, threatened with death by pagans suddenly strong earthquake Idols&Temple shattered, Enraged Emperor Maximian ordered torture&death, all 3 beheaded i305; Bithynia, 303, Church Fire in Nicomedia, Survivors, Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates; Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 26; Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305). lived in remote places and did not cease to preach Christianity to the pagans. young pagan named Pantoleon (Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, July 27) often passed by the house in which Saint Hermolaus had concealed himself. Saint Hermolaus chanced to meet the youth and asked him to stop by his house. In their conversation Saint Hermolaus began to explain to his guest the falseness, impiety and vanity of worshipping the pagan gods. From that day on, Pantoleon began to visit Saint Hermolaus daily and received holy Baptism from him. the trial of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was being held, Saints Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, were also arrested. Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Hermolaus one evening and revealed to him that on the following day he would suffer for Him and receive a martyr’s crown. Hermippus and Hermocrates were arrested and brought to trial after Saint Hermolaus. three were given the chance to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. they resolutely refused, confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were prepared gladly to die for Him. pagans began to threaten the holy priests with torture and death. a strong earthquake occurred, and the idols and pagan temple collapsed and shattered. was reported to the emperor. The enraged Maximian gave the holy martyrs over to torture and pronounced upon them a sentence of death. enduring all the torments, the holy Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were beheaded in about the year 305. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. At this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. Providentially, she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. Her heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. With the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. The chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. He had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. Another eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. He locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, but they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Saint Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. Then she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. The soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. The sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. Sent to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. The angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor became enraged, but in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. Otherwise, he promised to burn the church and those in it. The Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. Hiding his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Anyone who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. All 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Bishop Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. He soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. The emperor wondered how to deal with them. At his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. They jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Bishop Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. One of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. The holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. Then they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. When she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. That night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. They left her the bodies of the martyrs. With reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, especially over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna.

Bithynia, 303, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Cyril had converted many, Anthimus baptized 20,000 who died in church fire, and more
Bithynia, 303, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Cyril had converted many incl court, incl pagan priestess Domna w eunuch indes, Domna saved to take care of the bodies w incense and oils, Anthimus baptized 20,000 who died in church fire, more christians in town, Theophila virginity preserved in whore house, blood sprinkled on square, christians leave, enraged emperor stopped by thunderstorm, Glycerius did not fold, regimental commander Zeno and Indes did not fold, Euthymius executed w Domna; Nicomedia; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. Providentially, she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. Her heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. He had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. He locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, but they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. Then she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. The angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. this, the emperor became enraged, but in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. Otherwise, he promised to burn the church and those in it. Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Anyone who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. All 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Bishop Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. He soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. emperor wondered how to deal with them. At his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. They jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. One of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. The holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. Then they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. When she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. They left her the bodies of the martyrs. With reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, especially over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna.

Bithynia, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children
Bithynia, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; Holy Martyrs Eustathius, Thespesius and Anatolius, natives of the city of Gangra, were the children of a rich merchant. They were baptized by Bishop Anthimus of Nicomedia (September 3). They died as martyrs at Nicea, after suffering fierce tortures.

Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Senators & Martyrs, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever
Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides, Senators & Martyrs at Nicomedia, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever; Martyrs Bassus, Eusebius, Euthychius, and Basileides, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), and suffered martyrdom in 303. They were wealthy and members of the Senate. They came to believe in Christ and were baptized after witnessing the martyrdom of Bishop Theopemptos of Nicomedia (January 5), who endured with spiritual bravery the horrible tortures to which the pagans had had subjected him. idolaters denounced these men as Christians and brought them before the emperor because they refused to worship the gods of the pagans. The Saints showed no fear whatsoever, but boldly proclaimed their faith in Christ and their eagerness to follow the path which would lead to martyrdom. the Synaxarion it is stated that the martyrs removed their belts, the symbols of their rank, and then each of them submitted to severe tortures. Bassos was buried in the ground up to his waist, and his upper body was cut to pieces. Saint Eusebios was suspended head downwards, and his limbs were cut off with axes. Saint Eutychios was tied to four poles by his hands and feet, and he was pulled apart. Saint Basileides was stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

Bithynia, 303, Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, & Zoticus at Nicomedia, Bithynia, Martyred b t destroyed pagan temple, neck stones d
Bithynia, 303, Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya), Martyred because they destroyed pagan temple, many tortures, neck stones drowned; Nicomedia; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus of Nicomedia suffered martyrdom in the year 303, the emperor Diocletian (284-305), they destroyed a pagan temple. enduring many tortures, had stones tied around their necks, and were drowned in the sea.

Bithynia, 303, Great Martyr George, died in Nicomedia, 303
Great Martyr George, died in Nicomedia, 303; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22 ;

Bithynia, 303, Bishop Theopemptus and sorcerer Theonas, Nicomedia, red hot furnace, no food or drink 22 days, T poison failed
Bithynia, 303,Theopemptus and Theonas, Nicomedia, Bithynia, red hot furnace, preserved, no food or drink 22 days, sorcerer Theonas baptized after poison, no harm; Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Holy Martyrs Theopemptus and Theonas suffered in Nicomedia in the year 303. Saint Theopemptus was bishop in Nicomedia in the time of Diocletian. Speaking out against idolatry, he defended the faith in Christ. Because of this, he became one of the first victims of the Diocletian persecution. saint refused to obey the emperor’s order to worship an idol of Apollo. Saint Theopemptus was thrown into a red-hot furnace, but by the power of God he remained alive. The emperor came to the furnace by night with a detachment of soldiers, and there he saw the saint alive and praying to God. Ascribing the miracle to magic, Diocletian thought to exhaust Saint Theopemptus by depriving him of food and drink for twenty-two days, but the martyr was preserved by the will of God. emperor brought the famous sorcerer Theonas to overcome Bishop Theopemptus’ supposed magical power. Theonas prepared a poison for Saint Theopemptus, put it into a little cake, and offered it to him to eat. The poison did no harm at all to Saint Theopemptus. Then Theonas tried an even stronger poison on the martyr. Seeing that Saint Theopemptus remained unharmed, he came to believe in Christ. They threw him into prison together with the holy bishop, who taught and baptized him, giving him the name Synesios (which means “full of understanding”). dawn Diocletian summoned Saint Theopemptus, and again tried to turn him to pagan impiety. Seeing that the bishop remained firm in his faith, he subjected him to many grievous tortures, after which the saint was beheaded. The holy martyr Theonas refused to offer sacrifice to idols, so he was buried alive in a deep ditch. This occurred at Nicomedia in the year 303.

Bithynia, 303, 1003 Martyrs at Nicomedia, Bithynia, servants decided to follow masters example
Nicomedia; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Martyrs at Nicomedia, were servants of the four dignitaries Bassos, Eusebius, Eutychius and Basilides, who suffered for Christ with their wives (January 5) in the year 303 during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the martyric death of their masters, the servants decided to follow their example, and they also confessed themselves Christians before Diocletian. Swayed neither by persuasion nor promises nor rewards, 1003 men, women, and small children were cut down by soldiers who formed a tight circle around them so that none of them remained alive.

Bithynia, 303-320, 9yr old Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, tortured, her firmness converted Gov Alex
Nicomedia; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia suffered for her faith in Christ under the emperor Diocletian. The Nicomedia governor Alexander gave orders to arrest the nine-year-old Basilissa and force her to renounce Christ. But the young maiden displayed unshakable firmness in fidelity to her Lord, and so she was subjected to protracted and intense torture. the grace of God, the holy martyr remained alive and unharmed. This was evident to all those present as a manifestation of the power of God, and it so upset the governor Alexander, that he also came to believe in Christ and confessed himself a Christian. later by Bishop Anthimus, he lived for a short while in deep repentance, and then departed peacefully to the Lord, as did Saint Basilissa some while after him. Her death was peaceful and accompanied by miraculous signs of God’s mercy.

Bithynia, 304, Juliana oNicomedia, Bithynia, Virginmrtr, refused marriage, 630 witnessed hSteadfastness&Healing, baptized iBlood
Bithynia, 304, Juliana oNicomedia, Bithynia, Virginmartyr, do IPagan Africanus, refused marriage tbethrothed, beaten by f&b long&hard, healing &new strength after each b, seen by many people, 500 men 130 women confessed a witnessing courage and healings. They were b&baptized iOwnBlood; Virgin Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia, and 500 men and 130 women with her, Commemorated on December 21; Holy Virgin Martyr Juliana, daughter of an illustrious pagan named Africanus, was born in the city of As a child, she was betrothed to a certain Elusius, one of the emperor’s advisors. Juliana was endowed with a profound intellect and goodness of soul. saw through the delusion and deception of the pagan faith, and secretly accepted holy Baptism. the time of her wedding approached, Juliana refused to be married. Her father urged her not to break her engagement, but when she refused to obey him, he began to beat her viciously. Then Africanus handed his daughter over to the Eparch, who happened to be Elusius, Juliana’s former fiancé. fervently asked Juliana to marry him, promising not to require her to abandon her faith. Saint Juliana refused and said that she’d rather be put to death. beat the saint both long and harshly, but after each beating she received healing and new strength from God. Her punishment took place before a large number of people. Of these, 500 men and 130 women came to confess Christ after witnessing the steadfastness and courage of the holy virgin miraculously healed from her wounds. They were all beheaded, and were baptized in their own blood. of the futility of attempting to separate the holy virgin from her heavenly Bridegroom, Eleusius sentenced Juliana to death. accepted the sentence with joy and glorified the Lord for permitting her to receive a martyr’s crown. The holy Martyr Juliana was executed in the year 304. Juliana is the subject of an Anglo-Saxon poem, believed to have been written by Cynewulf in the eighth century. Nicomedia;

Bithynia, 304, Euphemia the all Praised, Chalcedon, stood alone, incorrupt relics, angel help, animals, then confessor in 451
Bithynia, 304, Euphemia the all Praised, Chalcedon, stood alone, incorrupt relics; Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia was the daughter of Christian parents, the senator Philophronos and his wife Theodosia. She suffered for Christ in the year 304 in the city of Chalcedon, on the Bosphorus opposite Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. the Proconsul of Chalcedon, issued a decree which required all the inhabitants of Chalcedon and the surrounding area to attend a pagan festival, in order to worship and offer sacrifice to the idol of Ares. He threatened grave torments for anyone who failed to appear. During this impious festival, 49 Christians were hidden in one house, where they worshiped the true God in secret. The young virgin Euphēmia was among those who prayed there. their hiding place was discovered, and they were brought before Priscus to answer the charges against them. For nineteen days the martyrs were subjected to various torments, but none of them wavered in their faith, nor did they consent to offer sacrifice to the idol. The governor, beside himself with rage and not knowing any other way of forcing the Christians to abandon their faith, sent them to Emperor Diocletian for trial. He kept the youngest, the virgin Euphēmia, hoping that she would not persevere if she were left all alone. from her fellow-Christians, Saint Euphēmia fervently prayed that the Lord Jesus Christ would strengthen her for her impending ordeal. Priscus urged the Saint to offer sacrifice to the idol, promising her many rewards. When she refused, he ordered that she be tortured. martyr was tied to a wheel with sharp knives attached to it, which slashed her body. The Saint prayed aloud, and miraculously, the wheel stopped by itself and would not move despite all the efforts of the executioners. An angel of the Lord, came down from Heaven, removed Euphēmia from the wheel, and healed her of her wounds, and the Saint gave thanks to God. did not notice the miracle which had taken place, so he ordered the soldiers Victor and Sosthenes to take the Saint to a red-hot furnace. the soldiers, seeing two Angels in the midst of the flames, refused to carry out the Proconsul's order and declared that they believed in the God Whom Euphēmia worshipped. Boldly proclaiming that they were Christians, Victor and Sosthenes awaited punishment. They were sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts. In the arena, they begged God to forgive the sins they had committed, asking the Lord to receive them into the Heavenly Kingdom. A Divine voice was heard, and the two soldiers entered into eternal life. The beasts, however, did not harm their bodies. Euphēmia, cast into the fire by other soldiers, did not suffer. With God's help she emerged unscathed after many other torments. Ascribing these things to sorcery, Priscus ordered a pit to be dug. Filling it with knives, he had it covered over with earth and grass, so that the martyr would not notice this trap. again, Saint Euphēmia remained safe, walking over the pit. Finally, she was sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts in the arena. Before her execution the Saint prayed that the Lord would deem her worthy of martyrdom. But none of the bears or lions attacked her, but only licked her feet. Finally, one she-bear wounded her foot, which bled slightly, and the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia died right away. As her soul departed, there was an earthquake. The city was shaken, the walls fell down, and the pagan temples crumbled. As Saint Euphēmia lay dead in the sand, the guards and spectators fled in terror, so that the Saint's parents were able to take her body and bury it near Chalcedon. a majestic church was built over the grave of the Great Martyr Euphēmia. The sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council took place there in the year 451. At that time, the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia confirmed the Orthodox confession of faith in a miraculous way, exposing the Monophysite heresy. That miracle is commemorated on July 11. the Persians captured Chalcedon in the year 617, the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphēmia were transferred to Constantinople (around the year 620). During the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary containing Saint Euphēmia's relics seems to have been thrown into the sea, but pious sailors recovered them. They were brought to the island of Lemnos, and they were returned to Constantinople in 796. incorrupt body of Saint Euphēmia is in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George at the Phanar in Constantinople. Portions of her relics are to be found in Kykkos Monastery on Cyprus, and in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra at Saint Petersburg. Chalcedon; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physis” meaning “one nature”], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Bithynia, 304, Martyrs Victor &Sosthenes at Chalcedon, stop by angels fBurning E, divine voice, wild beasts
Bithynia, 304, Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes at Chalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait), prevented throwing Euphemia into furnace by angels, placed in shackles, others burned by throwing but E unharmed, refused idols, divine voice surrendered souls, wild beasts not eat, buried by christians; Chalcedon; Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes at Chalcedon, Commemorated on September 16; Victor and Sosthenes are mentioned in the Life of the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia (Ευφημία). Proconsul Priscus ordered the soldiers Victor and Sosthenes to throw the Saint into a red-hot furnace. the flames, however, they saw angels who prevented them from touching the Saint. they refused to carry out the order, they were placed in shackles. soldiers, who threw Saint Euphēmia into the fire, were burnt by the flames escaping from the furnace, but inside the furnace, the martyr remained unharmed. Proconsul tried to make Victor and Sosthenes bow down to the idols, but they replied that they had come to know the true God. they were led to the wild beasts, they begged the Lord to forgive the sins they had committed in their pagan delusion. a Divine voice came from Heaven, calling them to their rest, and they surrendered their souls to the Lord. animals did not touch their bodies. Later, the two martyrs were buried secretly by some Christians. some calendars, such as the Roman Martyrology, the Saints' day of commemoration is listed as September 10.

Bithynia, 304-305, Philetairus oNicomedia, 2 Emperors failed, red-hot oven, wild beasts, hands stopped, exile, temple&idols dest
Rome, 304-305, Philetairus, Nicomedia, Bithynia, suffered twice, tall and handsome, Emperor insulted Lord, he replied let E's mouth be shut, red-hot oven, unharmed, set free, 2nd Emperor brought him to trial, confessed,whippings, wild beasts unharmed, 2 servants unable kill him wSword, their hands ceased tFunction, they both believed &beheaded, but P was exiled tProkonnesos iSea oMarmora, on tWay he many miracles&Destroyed Temple wIdols, 6Soldiers1Commander believed, Eubiotus came to see him, stayed E's cell 7days, P&the Soldiers died there; Nicomedia; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Holy Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia twice suffered torture for Christ: under the co-Emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (286-305). Diocletian arrived in Nicomedia, Saint Philetairus, who was tall and handsome, was put on trial. him, the emperor compared him to one of the pagan gods. questioned about his social rank and family the martyr answered, “I am the son of an eparch, I am a Christian, and I live with Christians.” emperor spoke insultingly of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the saint replied, “Let the mouth of anyone who dares to insult my Christ be silenced, whether he is the emperor or anyone else.” these words the martyr was thrown into a red-hot oven, but he emerged from it unharmed. Diocletian, witnessing the miracle, and taking into account the saint’s illustrious rank and handsome appearance, set him free. the emperor Maximian was informed that Philetairus was a Christian. Brought to trial before the emperor, the holy martyr again confessed his faith in Christ. this they subjected him to whippings. they threw him to be eaten by wild beasts, but he remained unharmed. they sentenced him to beheading by the sword, the two servants who were entrusted the execution were unable to kill him. as they raised the sword over the head of the martyr, their hands ceased to function. that the Lord invisibly was guarding the holy martyr, both executioners believed in Christ they themselves were beheaded by the sword. holy Martyr Philetairus was sentenced to exile on Prokonnesos, one of the islands of the Sea of Marmora. the journey, he performed many miracles and destroyed a heathen temple with its idols. soldiers and their commander, who accompanied the saint to his exile, came to believe in Christ. the way Saint Eubiotus (December 18), who had also undergone many sufferings for Christ, came to see him. saints joyfully embraced, and they stayed at the cell of Saint Eubiotus for seven days, together with the soldiers and their commander. Philetairus died there and was buried by Saint Eubiotus. The soldiers and their commander also died there eleven days later, and were buried beside Saint Philetairus.

Bithynia, 304-305, Saint, Panteleimon, Healer, dead child in street, snake, envious doctors, healing contest
Nicomedia; Bithynia, 304-305, Saint, Panteleimon, Healer; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon. His mother Saint Euboula (March 30) was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling. hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28), were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. Saint Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited Saint Hermolaus every day. day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly resolved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and receive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes. this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, Saint Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then believed in Christ and was baptized by Saint Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored. the death of his father, Saint Panteleimon dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to Saint Panteleimon. envious doctors told the emperor that Saint Panteleimon was healing Christian prisoners. Maximian urged the saint to refute the charge by offering sacrifice to idols. Saint Panteleimon confessed himself a Christian, and suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave Saint Panteleimon over to fierce torture. Lord appeared to the saint and strengthened him before his sufferings. They suspended the Great Martyr Panteleimon from a tree and scraped him with iron hooks, burned him with fire and then stretched him on the rack, threw him into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast him into the sea with a stone around his neck. Throughout these tortures the martyr remained unhurt, and denounced the emperor. this time the priests Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were brought before the court of the pagans. All three confessed their faith in the Savior and were beheaded (July 26). order of the emperor they brought the Great Martyr Panteleimon to the circus to be devoured by wild beasts. The animals, however, came up to him and licked his feet. The spectators began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The enraged Maximian ordered the soldiers to stab with the sword anyone who glorified Christ, and to cut off the head of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. led the saint to the place of execution and tied him to an olive tree. While the martyr prayed, one of the soldiers struck him with a sword, but the sword became soft like wax and inflicted no wound. The saint completed his prayer, and a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom. the Voice, the soldiers fell down on their knees before the holy martyr and begged forgiveness. They refused to continue with the execution, but Saint Panteleimon told them to fulfill the emperor’s command, because otherwise they would have no share with him in the future life. The soldiers tearfully took their leave of the saint with a kiss. the saint was beheaded, the olive tree to which the saint was tied became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution believed in Christ. The saint’s body was thrown into a fire, but remained unharmed, and was buried by Christians. Saint Panteleimon’s servants Laurence, Bassos and Probus witnessed his execution and heard the Voice from Heaven. They recorded the life, the sufferings and death of the saint. of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon were distributed throughout all the Christian world. His venerable head is now located at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt. Athos. veneration of the holy martyr in the Russian Orthodox Church was already known in the twelfth century. Prince Izyaslav (in Baptism, Panteleimon), the son of Saint Mstislav the Great, had an image of Saint Panteleimon on his helmet. Through the intercession of the saint he remained alive during a battle in the year 1151. On the Feast of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Russian forces won two naval victories over the Swedes (in 1714 near Hanhauze and in 1720 near Grenham). Panteleimon is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a mighty saint, and the protector of soldiers. This aspect of his veneration is derived from his first name Pantoleon, which means “a lion in everything”. His second name, Panteleimon, given him at Baptism, which means “all-merciful”, is manifest in the veneration of the martyr as a healer. The connection between these two aspects of the saint is readily apparent in that soldiers, receiving wounds more frequently than others, are more in need of a physician-healer. Christians waging spiritual warfare also have recourse to this saint, asking him to heal their spiritual wounds. holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is invoked in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick. Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus ; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; 200 Martyrs with Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated December 28; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Bithynia, 305, 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia, Bithynia, voluntarily presented selves for martyrdom to Diocletian
Bithynia, 305, 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya), voluntarily presented selves for martyrdom to Diocletian, beheaded and bodies burned; Nicomedia; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia suffered under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). were Christians who had come from Alexandria. had come to believe in Christ following the martyrdom of Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria (November 25). their wives and children with them, they arrived in Nicomedia and voluntarily presented themselves for martyrdom, exclaiming, “We are Christians.” first, Diocletian tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, seeing their resolve, he ordered them all to be beheaded, and for their bodies to be thrown into a fiery pit. years later, the relics of the holy martyrs were discovered through various manifestations of grace.

Bithynia, 325, First Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia, Nicaean Creed, anti Arian
Bithynia, 325, First Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia ; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326); St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31 ; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Bithynia, 364-378, Commemoration Gregory's Miracle, Nicaea, after Ariens failed, Orthodox Prayers open Church doors
Bithynia, , Commemoration Gregory"s Miracle, Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), Valens took Cathedral away fOrthodox for Ariens, Basil tGreat shows up, goes to Valens, Valens said return &Judge without favoritism, Basil returned to judge as V had decreed. Locked the doors, allowed Ariens 3 days prayer and Orthodox one, O complained. Ariens first, failed after 4days, Orthodox pray one day causing earthquake that opened doors. Many Ariens converted, Valens dies in fire.; Nicea (Nicaea); Commemoration of the miracle of Saint Basil the Great at Nicaea, Commemorated on January 19; the Church remembers a great miracle in Nicaea, when Saint Basil the Great, by his prayers, opened the doors of the Cathedral Church. a visit to Nicaea, Emperor Valens, at the request of some prominent Arians, took the Cathedral away from the Orthodox by force and allowed the Arians to occupy it. Orthodox were grief stricken by this terrible calamity. when Saint Basil happened to arrive in Nicaea, the faithful wept and told him what the Emperor had done. saint went to Constantinople and criticized Valens for his unjust action. Emperor was furious, but knew that he had been wrong in giving the Cathedral to the heretics. said, “Return to Nicaea and judge between the parties, but do not show any favoritism to your side.” Basil went back to Nicaea with an imperial decree and called the Arians together. He said, “The Emperor has given me authority to decide whether you or the Orthodox should have the church.” replied, “Very well, but judge the way that the Emperor would judge if he were here.” Basil ordered the Arians and the Orthodox to lock the doors of the church, affix their seals, and appoint some men to guard it. he told the Arians to go and pray for three days and nights, and then return. If the doors opened because of their prayers, they would be allowed to retain possession of the church. said, “If the doors do not open for you, then we shall pray for just one night, and then return. If the doors open for us, then we shall own the building again. If they do not open for us, then it will be yours.” Arians accepted this proposal, but the Orthodox thought that Saint Basil was giving an unfair advantage to the heretics because he feared the Emperor. the church was locked and sealed, and guards were stationed there. After three days and nights, the Arians’ prayers had achieved nothing, so they continued praying until noon of the fourth day. When the doors still failed to open, they hung their heads in shame and went away. Basil led the Orthodox to the church of Saint Diomedes outside the city, and served an All-Night Vigil. next morning, the hierarch led a procession back to the Cathedral as the people chanted “Holy God.” Halting before the doors of the church, he ordered them to lift their hands to Heaven and to cry, “Lord, have mercy.” Then they prayed, and Saint Basil made the Sign of the Cross over the doors three times and shouted, “Blessed is the God of the Christians, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” there was an earthquake which broke the locks, threw the bars on the floor, and split the seals, and then the doors flew open. Basil entered the building with all the Orthodox. After celebrating the divine service, he dismissed the faithful. Arians who came to see what would happen renounced their heresy and became Orthodox. for Valens, he was amazed when he heard of this great miracle, but he did not convert to Orthodoxy. he was wounded in a battle and he hid in a barn which was filled with straw. His enemies surrounded the barn and set it on fire. The evil tyrant perished in the flames and his soul departed to the everlasting fire.

Bithynia, 386-446, Saint, Hypatius of Bithynia
Bithynia, 386-446, Saint, Hypatius of Bithynia; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31;

Bithynia, 388-430, Bithynian Historian and Bishop, Palladius
Bithynian Historian and Bishop, 388-430, Palladius; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27;

Bithynia, 400, 5th Century Folder, Mt St Auxentius, Earthquakes, 4th E Council

Bythinia, 420-425, John tHut Dweller, rich p, monk, homesick, pauper aParents gate, 3days, Fancy Gospel ID's him, church Hostel
Bythinia, 420-425, John Calabytes, tHut Dweller, son rich illustrious, born 401 Constantinople, fine ed, mastered rhetoric philosoply by 12, loved spiritual books, parents gave him fancy gospel, read it constantly, monk came back to take him, tBithynia secretly, Unsleeping Ones M, monk tonsure, ascetic zeal: unceasing prayer, obedience, abstinence, work perseverance, after 6yrs temptations, regretted leaving parents, burning desire see them, returned as beggar, settled parents gates, father gave him food, oppressed insulted by servants, cold frost, unceasingly conversing wLord&Holy Angels, Lord appeared before his death told him 3days to go Heavenly Kingdom, askes steward give mother message come to him, curious but did not want to go, another message saying he die 3days, thanked her for charity, told her God would reward her, made her promise bury him beneath his hut in his rags, only then gave her his Gospel, tConsole in this life & guide to next life, Husband said it the one he commissioned, he admitted he was their child, they embraced him wTears oJoy, church built on place of hut, beside it a hostel fStrangers, they buried in that church, 12th C crusaders took head to Besancon France, other relics tRome; Bithyninum, Bithynia ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable John Calabytes “the Hut-Dweller”, Commemorated on January 15; John the Hut-Dweller was the son of rich and illustrious parents, was born in Constantinople in the early fifth century. received a fine education, and he mastered rhetoric and philosophy by the age of twelve. also loved to read spiritual books. the vanity of worldly life, he chose the path that was narrow and extremely difficult. with longing to enter a monastery, he confided his intention to a passing monk. made him promise to come back for him when he returned from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and take him to his monastery. asked his parents for a Gospel so that he might study the words of Christ. John’s parents hired a calligrapher to copy the text, and had the volume bound in a golden cover studded with gems. read the Gospel constantly, delighting in the Savior’s words. monk kept his promise to come back for John, and they went secretly to Bithynia. At the monastery of the “Unsleeping” (Akoimitoi), he received monastic tonsure. The young monk began his ascetical labors with zeal, astonishing the brethren with his unceasing prayer, humble obedience, strict abstinence, and perseverance at work. six years, he began to undergo temptations. He remembered his parents, how much they loved him, and what sorrow he caused them. He regretted leaving them, and was filled with a burning desire to see them again. John explained his situation to the igumen Saint Marcellus (December 29) and he asked to be released from the monastery. He begged the igumen for his blessing and prayers to return home. He bid farewell to the brethren, hoping that by their prayers and with the help of God, he would both see his parents and overcome the snares of the devil. The igumen then blessed him for his journey. John returned to Constantinople, not to resume his former life of luxury, but dressed as a beggar, and unknown to anyone. settled in a corner by the gates of his parents’ home. father noticed the “pauper,” and began to send him food from his table, for the sake of Christ. lived in a small hut for three years, oppressed and insulted by the servants, enduring cold and frost, unceasingly conversing with the Lord and the holy angels. his death, the Lord appeared to the monk in a vision, revealing that the end of his sorrows was approaching, and that in three days he would be taken into the Heavenly Kingdom. he asked the steward to give his mother a message to come to him, for he had something to say to her. first, she did not wish to go, but she was curious to know what this beggar had to say to her. he sent her another message, saying that he would die in three days. thanked her for the charity he had received, and told her that God would reward her for it. then made her promise to bury him beneath his hut, dressed in his rags. then did the saint give her his Gospel, which he always carried with him, saying, “May this console you in this life, and guide you to the next life.” showed the Gospel to her husband, saying that it was similar to the one they had given their son. He realized that it was, in fact, the very Gospel they had commissioned for John. went back to the gates, intending to ask the pauper where he got the Gospel, and if he knew anything about their son. to restrain himself any longer, he admitted that he was their child. tears of joy they embraced him, weeping because he had endured privation for so long at the very gates of his parental home. saint died in the mid-fifth century, when he was not quite twenty-five years old. the place of his burial the parents built a church, and beside it a hostel for strangers. they died, they were buried in the church they had built. the twelfth century the head of the saint was taken by Crusaders to Besançon (in France), other relics of the saint were taken to Rome.

Bithynia, 420-473, Auxentius, oMt St Auxentius, Near Chalcedon, 4th EC Confessor, spiritual sight, healing, many monasteries
Bithynia, 420-473, Saint Auxentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia, served Theodosius tYounger's court, virtuous learned wise man, moreover friend many pious men, distressed by worldly vanity, became priest and monk, then tSolitary place Mt Oxia near Chalcedon, shepherds discovered him spread tNews, people came fHealing, healed many, invited to 4th EC 451, denounced Eutychian&Nestorian heresies, easily bested opponents because knew scripture and theology, returned to solitary cell, with spiritual sight saw repose st simeon tStylite long distance, died 470 leaving disciplese & many monasteries in Bithynia, buried at Rufiananas, syria, Hypatius's monastery; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Auxentius, by origin a Syrian, served at the court of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (418-450). was known as a virtuous, learned and wise man, he was, moreover, a friend of many of the pious men of his era. by worldly vanity, Saint Auxentius was ordained to the holy priesthood, and then received monastic tonsure. this he went to Bithynia and found a solitary place on Mount Oxia, not far from Chalcedon, there he began the life of a hermit (this mountain was afterwards called Mt. Auxentius). place of the saint’s efforts was discovered by shepherds seeking their lost sheep. They told others about him, and people began to come to him for healing. Auxentius healed many of the sick and the infirm in the name of the Lord. the year 451 Saint Auxentius was invited to the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, he denounced the Eutychian and Nestorian heresies. with Holy Scripture and learned in theology, Saint Auxentius easily bested those opponents who disputed with him. the end of the Council, Saint Auxentius returned to his solitary cell on the mountain. his spiritual sight he saw the repose of Saint Simeon the Stylite (459) from a great distance. Auxentius died about the year 470, leaving behind him disciples many monasteries in the region of Bithynia. was buried in the Monastery of Saint Hypatius at Rufiananas, Syria.

Bithynia, 420-450, Hypatius of Bithynia, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia
Bithynia, 420-450, Hypatius of Bithynia, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14;

Bithynia, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, boy snatched up, Angels' Trisagion Prayer
Constantinople, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, from his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), who at first ordained him as a deacon, and then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Saint Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, and learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, the holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, but under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, strengthening listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius in which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokosâ€ in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. Having thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). By the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. At Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force and carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. Then, whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground and he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.â€ the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, “Have mercy on us!â€ Then the earthquakes stopped. The Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch for his ascetic life, for his concern about the downtrodden, and for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. Best known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. The activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. Surrounded by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years.

Bithynia, 451, Fourth Ecumenical Council, Chalcedon, Bithynia, Euphemia's choice of scrolls
Fourth Ecumenical Counci; Council of Chalcedon Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated February 18; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Bithynia, 451, Council of Chalcedon (451, 4th Ecum. Council)
Council of Chalcedon Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ;

Bithynia, 463-512, Vendemianus oBithynia, asceticism 42 yrs in Auxentius' cell cliff crevice, demon temptation, healing gift
Ephesus, 463-512, Vendemianus, Hermit oBithynia, fMysia Rgion (Caicus River area, near Ephesus), Auxentius' disciple, who was a father 4th EC, tA's monastery on Mt Oxia, Chalcedon, asceticism 42 yrs, with A his cell, cliff crevice, fasting prayer, demon temptation, granted healing gift, died 512; Mysia or Myzia; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Vendemianus (Bendemianus) was born in Myzia. his youth he was a disciple of Saint Auxentius, one of the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical He went to the monastery founded by Saint Auxentius (February 14) on Mount Oxia, not far from Chalcedon (Asia Minor), he lived in asceticism for forty-two years at the cell of his teacher in the crevice of a cliff. spent his life in fasting and prayer, and was tempted by demons. of his holy life and spiritual struggles, the saint was granted the gift of healing. died around the year 512.

Bithynia, 500, 6th C Folder, Mary or Marinus oAlexandria, blamed for fathering

Bithynia, 510-520, Mary oAlexandria, stayed wFather at Men's monastery as Marinus , did well, blamed for fathering child
Egypt, 510-520, Mary aka Marinus oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, beginning of 6th C, iBithynia, after mother died followed her father to men's monastery, did not want separate from dad, donned men's clothes, entered manastery near Alexandria, tonsured as Marinus, distinguished humility obedience, excelled virtues, father reposed, intensified ascetic labors, gift of healing & deliverance, one day out of m on business, repulsed humiliated pregnant inkeepers daughter accused mary of seduction, named him father of her child, then possessed by demon, inkeeper complained , Igumen kicked her out, Mary not deny, Inkeeper gave child to Marinus, raised him as own, after 3 yrs Mary brought back to monastery, most onerous obediences, 3 more years she dies and discovered, Igumen, inkeeper, daughter all ask forgiveness, dauthter confessed and delivered, boy becomes monk, her relics tConstantinople then Venice;; Alexandria; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (called Marinus) and her father Eugene, lived at the beginning of the VI century in Bithynia (Bithynίa - in the northwestern region of Asia Minor). Maria's mother died, her father decided to enter a monastery, Maria also wished to betroth herself to Christ . Mary could not bear to be separated from her father, so she donned male clothing. they entered a monastery, not far from Alexandria, she was tonsured with the name Marinus. Marinus excelled in the virtues, was distinguished by humility and obedience. a few years later, Saint Mary's father reposed, intensified her ascetical labors received from the Lord the gift of healing those possessed by unclean spirits. day the "monk" Marinus, along with some other brethren, was sent out on monastery business, on the way they had to spend the night at an inn. innkeeper's daughter, who had sinned with a soldier, and became pregnant, believed that Mary was a man, and burned with desire for the young "monk." daughter humiliated herself when Mary repulsed her, and the wanton woman sought revenge. she accused the "monk" of seducing her, naming "him" as the father of her child. she became possessed by a demon. innkeeper complained to the Igoumen of the monastery, expelled the "brother" who had sinned. did not deny the false accusation, but went out to live near the monastery wall. a boy was born to the sinful daughter, the innkeeper brought him to the "monk" Marinus, leaving his grandson with her and departed. Saint took the infant and raised him as her own. three years, the brethren begged the Igoumen to accept the "monk" Marinus into the monastery again. reluctantly the Igoumen gave in to their requests, assigning to "Brother Marinus" the most onerous obediences, which the nun fulfilled with the utmost zeal, continuing to bring up her supposed son. years later, the Saint peacefully departed to the Lord in her cell. brethren who came saw the deceased "monk" and the boy weeping over "him." they began to prepare her body for burial, her secret was revealed. Igoumen tearfully begged forgiveness from the deceased, and the innkeeper followed his example. Saint's body was reverently buried in the monastery. daughter of the innkeeper came to the Saint's tomb and openly confessed her sin, which she was immediately healed of her demonic possession. the boy who was brought up by the nun, became a monk. Saint's relics were transferred to Constantinople, and from there they were taken to Venice in 1113.

Bithynia, 600, 7th Century Folder, Hand of Forerunner to Chalcedon after fall of Antioch

Bithynia, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave
Bithynia, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, excellent ed, Heraclius first secretary but he Monothelite, resigned, went west because M rapid spread in East, fConstantinople tChrysopolis, Bithynia, simple monk Igumen, 638 edict Exposition oFaith, everyone must accept One will in two natures, Max successfully defended Orthodoxy tPeople, invisible attraction tHim, refuge in West, where Monothelitism rejected, Africa visit, 4th EC had condemned Monophysite's only one nature (divine), MThelite only one divine will &Energy, another path tMPhysite heresy, Armenia, Syria, Egypt heretics in East, fanned by Nationalism, unity threat, MTheites controlled Eastern Patriarchal thrones, Sergius iConstantinople, Athanasius iAntioch, Cyrus iAlexandria, Max tCrete tPreach, clashed w Nestorian & Severus Bishop, tAlexandria 6yrs, till 641 new Monothelite Emperor and Patriarch, intensified assaults tOrthodox, tCarthage preach 5yrs, Constantinople Patriarch Pyrrhus excaped there, debated Max, became Orthodox, wrote book, traveled Rome wMax, Pope Theodore received them, 647 Max returned Carthage, there Council condemned MTheletism as heracy, 648 new edict rrom Constans & Partiarch Paul, Pattern otFaith, forbid will debates, Max asked new Pope convene Latern Council, 649 150 Western & 37 Eastern reps, L council condemned Mthelitsm & Typos (faith pattern), false teachings anathematized, So Constans II arested Max and new Pope Mrtin, 654 Prison, 656 sent tTrace, later back to C Prison, Max & disciples tounge cut out Right hand cut off, exiled tSkemarum, Scythia, time of death revealed 662, 3 miracle candels burned over grave, many healings there; Chrysopolis; Chrysopolis Monastery Chrysopolis in Macedonia? Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 raised in a pious Christian family. received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. was well-read in the authors of antiquity he also mastered philosophy and theology. Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life. Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, was spreading rapidly through the East. resigned from his duties at court, went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), he received monastic tonsure. of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. in this position, he remained a simple monk. 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith),” decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life. Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, decided to leave his monastery and seek refuge in the West, Monothelitism had been completely rejected. the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics. Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, which falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). by this erroneous opinion, Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) only one divine energy (“energia”). of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, Egypt. heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: by Sergius, by Athanasius, Alexandria by Cyrus. Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Sergius died at the end of 638, the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” He even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople. the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. 648, a new edict was issued, commissioned by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, among them Saint Maximus the Confessor. Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized. Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison. saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. Each one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. Many healings occurred at his tomb. the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus to Constantinople, but it could also be the date of the saint’s death. may be that his memory is celebrated on January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Saint Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. His exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). Among the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”). The dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. In them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature. “Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. It is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22). Saint Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). He deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. Among his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Saint Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian. The theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, was continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14).

Bithynia, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch, Iron Bridge Battle
Syria, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch, When the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later (in 637), a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. ; Battle of the Iron Bridge; In 637, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, Antioch was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate during the Battle of the Iron Bridge.;

Bithynia, 700, 8th Century Folder, 7th E. Council, St Joannicius the Great

Bithynia, 717-741, Stephen oKhenolakkos, distinguished by paternal admin& moral influence, angelic escort tHeaven
Bithynia, 717-741, Stephen Wonderworker oKhenolakkos Monastery near Chalcedon, Triglia, Bithynia (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye), greatly impressed by holy ascetic's lives, visited many Palestine monasteries, Euthymios' m, Sabbas, Theodosios' m, then 714-741 Constantinople where Patriarch Germanos aided him building m iBithynia, for a monastic rule from his lessons many years experience, Monastery by the Goose Pond northeast Triglia, S distinguished by paternal admin& moral influence, foresaw his death, angelic escort tHeaven; Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720; Venerable Stephen, Abbot of Khenolakkos Monastery, near Chalcedon, Commemorated on January 14; Stephen lived during the eighth century, was born into a family in Cappadocia, who raised him in great piety. he reached maturity, he was greatly impressed by reading the lives of the holy ascetics, and so he visited many monasteries in Palestine in order to observe their way of life. In the wilderness he visited the monasteries of Saints Euthymios the Great (January 20), the Sanctified (December 5) Theodosios the Great (January 11), studying the Rule (Typikon) of each monastery. during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741), he visited Constantinople. holy Patriarch Germanos (May 12) had a high regard for Stephen, aided him in building a monastery in Bithynia in which he could establish a monastic Rule based on the great lessons that he had learned in the course of his many years of experience. Stephen founded the Monastery of Khenolakkos [“by the goose-pond”], was northeast of Triglia (near Moudania in Asia Minor). monks were drawn there by reports of his virtue. Stephen was distinguished for his paternal administration of the monastery, for his moral influence on the monks. many years as the Superior of the monastery, the holy ascetic foresaw his own death. he fell asleep in the Lord, some of the brethren were found worthy to behold the glorious departure of his soul into Heaven, by angels. Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Triglia, Commemorated on March 28; Stephen the Confessor, of Triglia Monastery, under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). a young age, the holy ascetic dedicated his life to God and received monastic tonsure. He later became head of the Triglia monastery near Constantinople. persecution again began against holy icons, the saintly igumen was summoned for questioning, and they tried to force him to sign a document rejecting the veneration of icons. Saint Stephen steadfastly refused to betray Orthodoxy and he boldly denounced the emperor for his impiety. They subjected the saint to cruel torments, after which they sent him to prison in the year 815. Weakened and sick, the holy Confessor Stephen soon died in prison from his sufferings.

Bithynia, 725-795, Timothy oSymbola iBithynia, near Mt Olympos Monastery, high degree spiritual perfection, healing&Deliverance
Bithynia, 725-795, Timothy oSymbola iBithynia, near Mt Olympos Monastery, an Italian, young monk, aSymbola, under Archmandrite Theoctistus and Platon otStudion m, high degree spiritual perfection, gifts oHealing and deliverance, many years hermit roaming wilderness mts and forests offering prayer to tLord, died great old age 795; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated on February 21; Timothy of Symbola was of Italian descent. became a monk at a young age and pursued asceticism at a monastery called “Symbola”, in Asia Minor near Mount Olympus. that time Theoctistus was the archimandrite of the monastery. Timothy was the disciple of Theoctistus also of Saint Platon of the Studion Monastery (April 5). a high degree of spiritual perfection, he received from God the gift of healing the sick and casting out unclean spirits. spent many years as a hermit, roaming the wilderness, the mountains and forests, day and night offering up prayer to the Lord God. died at a great old age, in the year 795.

Bithynia, 735-745, Martyr Anna of Mt Auxentius, Bithynia, falsly accused of sinning with St Stephen tN, crowns virginity martyr
Bithynia, 735-, Martyr Anna of Mt Auxentius, Bithynia, falsly accused of sinning with St Stephen tN, crowns virginity martyr, noblewoman, sold possessions, Money tPoor, monastic tonsure Steven tNew, Mt Auxentius, Hair Shirt Weavers Monastery, iconoclasts tried S, accused him visiting women aNight wAnna, she would not lie about S, tDungeon, public hearing, stripped naked, maidservant falsely swears, streached out on ground and beaten wRods, almost dead sent tabandoned monastery, died; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Anna was a noblewoman who sold all her possessions and gave the money to the poor. received the monastic tonsure from Saint Stephen the New while he was living on Mount Auxentius in Bithynia. sent her to live in the women’s monastery called Trichinarion (Community of hairshirt-wearers). the iconoclasts tried to turn Saint Stephen from venerating the holy icons, they tried flattery, bribery, and threats, but all their efforts were in vain. they accused him of visiting the Trichinarion Monastery at night and falling into sin with the nun Anna. her own maidservant testified against her (she was promised her freedom and marriage to a nobleman if she did), Saint Anna denied any guilt. emperor’s soldiers came to the monastery and seized Saint Anna and brought her before him, but she refused to lie about Saint Stephen. Therefore Emperor Constantine threw her into a dungeon in Constantinople. next morning the emperor sat in a public building with an assembled crowd, and had Saint Anna brought to his presence. Since she insisted that both she and Saint Stephen were innocent, the emperor had her stripped naked in the sight of all. her interrogation, she remained silent. her maidservant falsely swore that Saint Stephen had sinned with her mistress. by her refusal to speak, the emperor had Saint Anna stretched out on the ground, where soldiers beat her with rods. this torment, she said, “I have never sinned with Stephen. Lord, have mercy.” The soldiers continued to beat her until she was almost dead. emperor returned to his palace, leaving orders that Saint Anna be imprisoned in one of the city’s abandoned monasteries. she departed to the Lord, receiving from Him the twin crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Monk Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New was born in 715 at Constantinople into a pious Christian family. parents, having two daughters, prayed the Lord for a son. The mother of the new-born Stephen took him to the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos and dedicated him to God. the reign of the emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741) there was a persecution against the holy icons and against those venerating them. the support of the emperor, the adherents of the Iconoclast heresy seized control of the supreme positions of authority in the Empire and in the Church. by the powers of this world, Orthodoxy was preserved in monasteries far from the capital, in solitary cells, and in the brave and faithful hearts of its followers. Orthodox parents of Saint Stephen, grieved by the prevailing impiety, fled from Constantinople to Bithynia, they gave over their sixteen-year-old son in obedience to the monk John, who labored in asceticism in a solitary place on the Mount of Saint Auxentius. Stephen dwelt with the venerable monk John for more than fifteen years, devoting himself totally to this spirit-bearing Elder, and learning monastic activity from him. Stephen received the news that his father was dead, and his mother and sisters had been tonsured as nuns. a certain time his teacher John also died. With deep sorrow Saint Stephen buried his venerable body, continued with monastic effort in his cave by himself. monks began to come to the ascetic, desiring to learn from him the virtuous and salvific life, and a monastery was established, Saint Stephen as the igumen. forty-two years of age Stephen left the monastery he founded, and he went to another mountain, on whose summit he dwelt in deep seclusion in a solitary cell. here also a community of monks soon gathered, seeking the spiritual guidance of Saint Stephen. the Isaurian was succeeded by Constantine Copronymos (741-775), a fiercer persecutor of the Orthodox, and an even more zealous iconoclast. emperor convened an Iconoclast Council, attended by 358 bishops from the Eastern provinces. except for Constantine, the Archbishop of Constantinople, illegitimately raised to the patriarchal throne by the power of Copronymos, one of the other patriarchs participated in the wicked doings of this Council, thus making it less likely to style itself as “ecumenical.” council of heretics, at the instigation of the emperor and the archbishop, described icons as idols, and pronounced an anathema on all who venerated icons in the Orthodox manner, and it described icon veneration as heresy. the monastery of Mount Auxentius and its igumen became known in the capital. They told the emperor about the ascetic life of the monks, about their Orthodox piety, about the igumen Stephen’s gift of wonderworking, and of how Saint Stephen’s fame had spread far beyond the region of the monastery, and that the name of its head was accorded universal respect and love. saint’s open encouragement of icon veneration and the implied rebuff to the persecutors of Orthodoxy within the monastery of Mount Auxentius especially angered the emperor. Archbishop Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people.

Bithynia, 735-745, Stephen tNew oMt Auxentius, solitary but igumen 3times, wonderworking gifts, slandered w Anna, Prison, Pillar
Bithynia, 735-, Stephen t New of Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia, Monkmartyr confessor, dedicated to God, solitary but attracted, igumen, solitary again, attracted again, iconoclast council of heratics, igumen again, wonderworking gifts, slandered with Anna Sin Story, Prison, exiled a Marmora island, cave, attracted again, Pillar, Pharos island prison, Trial, golden coin emperor blasphemy story compared to b image king of heaven greater punishment, like prison monastery w 342 elders,; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Monk Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New was born in 715 at Constantinople into a pious Christian family. parents, having two daughters, prayed the Lord for a son. The mother of the new-born Stephen took him to the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos and dedicated him to God. the reign of the emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741) there was a persecution against the holy icons and against those venerating them. the support of the emperor, the adherents of the Iconoclast heresy seized control of the supreme positions of authority in the Empire and in the Church. by the powers of this world, Orthodoxy was preserved in monasteries far from the capital, in solitary cells, and in the brave and faithful hearts of its followers. Orthodox parents of Saint Stephen, grieved by the prevailing impiety, fled from Constantinople to Bithynia, they gave over their sixteen-year-old son in obedience to the monk John, who labored in asceticism in a solitary place on the Mount of Saint Auxentius. Stephen dwelt with the venerable monk John for more than fifteen years, devoting himself totally to this spirit-bearing Elder, and learning monastic activity from him. Stephen received the news that his father was dead, and his mother and sisters had been tonsured as nuns. a certain time his teacher John also died. With deep sorrow Saint Stephen buried his venerable body, continued with monastic effort in his cave by himself. monks began to come to the ascetic, desiring to learn from him the virtuous and salvific life, and a monastery was established, Saint Stephen as the igumen. forty-two years of age Stephen left the monastery he founded, and he went to another mountain, on whose summit he dwelt in deep seclusion in a solitary cell. here also a community of monks soon gathered, seeking the spiritual guidance of Saint Stephen. the Isaurian was succeeded by Constantine Copronymos (741-775), a fiercer persecutor of the Orthodox, and an even more zealous iconoclast. emperor convened an Iconoclast Council, attended by 358 bishops from the Eastern provinces. except for Constantine, the Archbishop of Constantinople, illegitimately raised to the patriarchal throne by the power of Copronymos, one of the other patriarchs participated in the wicked doings of this Council, thus making it less likely to style itself as “ecumenical.” council of heretics, at the instigation of the emperor and the archbishop, described icons as idols, and pronounced an anathema on all who venerated icons in the Orthodox manner, and it described icon veneration as heresy. the monastery of Mount Auxentius and its igumen became known in the capital. They told the emperor about the ascetic life of the monks, about their Orthodox piety, about the igumen Stephen’s gift of wonderworking, and of how Saint Stephen’s fame had spread far beyond the region of the monastery, and that the name of its head was accorded universal respect and love. saint’s open encouragement of icon veneration and the implied rebuff to the persecutors of Orthodoxy within the monastery of Mount Auxentius especially angered the emperor. Archbishop Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people. Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people.

Bithynia, 741-745, Heiromartyr Theokteristus oPelekete Monastery, Bithynia, suffered fIcons, wSteven tNew, Burned wBoiling Tar
Bithynia, 741-745, Heiromartyr Theokteristus oPelekete Monastery, Bithynia, suffered for Icons, with Steven tNew, Burned wBoiling Tar, a spiritual writer, Cannon MOG Sustainer of Many Misfortunes; Pelekete Monastery; Heiromartyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28; Holy Martyr Theokteristus, Igumen of the Pelekete monastery, for the holy icons under the impious emperor Constantine Copronymos (741-775). subjected to tortures were Saint Stephen the New (November 28), and other pious monks. Saint Theokteristus was burned with boiling tar. holy martyr was a spiritual writer, and composed a Canon to the Mother of God “Sustainer in Many Misfortunes.”

Bithynia, 750, 8th C, Hesychius tFaster, wWorking wilderness ascetic, Angel predicts demise, devine light surrounds cell
Bithynai, 750, 8th C, Hesychius tFaster oApamea, Bithynia (only Costal city beginning with an A), from Adrineia, raised in Piety, left home practiced asceticism wilderness of Mt Maioris, demons, wild animals robbers there, built a cell, garden, disciples came, built church at valley spring close by, wonderworking gift, even during lifetime, Healed demon possessed girl, predicted women's monastery there, Angel predicts demise in 3 days, H rejoices, gathers disciples instructs them 3 days, at midnight devine light surrounds cell and area, Into thy hands I commit my spirit. womans monastery built, relics transferred from his church to Amasea; Apamea in Bithynia ; Saint Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; Hesychius the Faster was born in the eighth century in the coastal city of Adrineia in Bithynia. since his youth in piety, he left his parental home and practiced asceticism in a wilderness spot on Mount Maionis. the threat of demons and wild animals and robbers living there, the holy ascetic in seeking greater solitude settled there and built himself a cell, digging himself a garden and eating from the fruit of his labors. a certain while disciples began to throng to him. a spring of water in a valley not far off Saint Hesychius built a church in the name of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. during his lifetime he was granted the gift of wonderworking. time they brought a demon-possessed girl to him. Her parents, falling down at the feet of the holy ascetic, implored his holy prayers for her healing. holy ascetic made prayer for the unfortunate one, and the devils left her. to the parents of the healed girl, Saint Hesychius predicted that a women’s holy monastery would arise at the place their daughter was healed. actually the prophecy was fulfilled in the future. angel appeared to Saint Hesychius three days before his end and predicted to him his approaching demise. accepted the news with joy. And before his blessed end, the saint summoned his disciples and for a long while he instructed them. midnight the cell of the saint and the surrounding area suddenly gleamed with a heavenly light, Saint Hesychius fell asleep in the Lord with the words: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” the place of his efforts, in accord with the prediction of Saint Hesychius, was later on built a women’s monastery. holy relics of Saint Hesychius, buried at the church of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, were later transferred by Theophylactus, Bishop of Amasea, to the city of Amasea (Asia Minor). ’s saint should not be confused with Saint Hesychius the Theologian, the priest of Jerusalem (March 28), whose writings are in the Philokalia.

Bithynia, 772-846, Joannicius, no ed, all day prayer, cross over cattle, military, seclusion, prophecy, levitation, invisible
Bithynia, 772-846, Saint, Joannicius The Great; St. Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4; Joannicius the Great was born in Bithynia in the year 752 in the village of Marikat. His parents were destitute and could not provide him even the basics of an education. From childhood he had to tend the family cattle, their sole wealth. for God and prayer completely dominated the soul of the child Joannicius. Often, having shielded the herd with the Sign of the Cross, he went to a secluded place and spent the whole day praying, and neither thieves nor wild beasts came near his herd. order of the emperor Leo IV (775-780), a multitude of officials went through the cities and towns to draft young men for military service. Young Joannicius was also drafted into the imperial army. earned the respect of his fellow soldiers for his good disposition, but he was also a brave soldier who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. Joannicius served in the imperial army for six years. More than once he was rewarded by his commanders and the emperor. But military service weighed heavily on him; his soul thirsted for spiritual deeds and solitude. Joannicius, having renounced the world, longed to go at once into the wilderness. However, on the advice of an Elder experienced in monastic life, he spent a further two years at the monastery. Here the saint became accustomed to monastic obedience, to monastic rules and practices. He studied reading and writing, and he learned thirty Psalms of David by heart. this, commanded by God to go to a certain mountain, the monk withdrew into the wilderness. For three years he remained in deep solitude in the wilderness, and only once a month a shepherd brought him some bread and water. The ascetic spent day and night in prayer and psalmody. After each verse of singing the Psalms Saint Joannicius made a prayer, which the Orthodox Church keeps to this day in a somewhat altered form, “The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my protection.” chance, he encountered some of his former companions from military service. The saint fled the wilderness and withdrew to Mount Kountourea to hide himself from everyone. after twelve years of ascetic life did the hermit accept monastic tonsure. The saint spent three years in seclusion after being tonsured. Then he went to a place called Chelidon to see the great ascetic Saint George (February 21). The ascetics spent three years together. During this time Saint Joannicius learned the entire Psalter by heart. As he grew older, Saint Joannicius settled in the Antidiev monastery and dwelt there in seclusion until his death. Joannicius spent seventy years in ascetic deeds and attained to a high degree of spiritual perfection. Through the mercy of God the saint acquired the gift of prophecy, as his disciple Pachomius has related. The Elder also levitated above the ground when he prayed. Once, he crossed a river flooded to overflowing. The saint could make himself invisible for people and make others also hidden from sight. Saint Joannicius led Greek captives out of prison under the very eyes of the guards. Poison and fire, with which the envious wanted to destroy the saint, did him no harm, and predatory beasts did not touch him. He freed the island of Thasos from a multitude of snakes. Saint Joannicius also saved a young nun who was preparing to leave the monastery to marry; he took upon himself the agonized maiden’s suffering of passion, and by fasting and prayer, he overcame the seductive assault of the devil. his death, Saint Joannicius fell asleep in the Lord on November 4, 846, at the age of 94.

Bithynia, 779-830, Joseph, BoThessalonica, Bro oTheodore tStudite, both tortured&exiled fOrthodoxy, hymn&sermon writer
Constantinople, 779-830, Joseph, Bishop oThessalonica, Brother oTheodore tStudite, both ascetics at Sakkudion, they exiled to a barren island for opposing emperor Constantine VI unlawful marriage, freed by E Michael Rangabes, tortured&imprisoned by Iconoclast Leo V Armenian, freed by Iconodule Michael tStammerer, then lived aStudion final years, renowned hymnographer and sermon writer; The Studion Monestary ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11), together they pursued a life of asceticism under the guidance of Saint Platon (April 5) in the monastery at Sakkudion, Bithynia. of his ascetic life, Saint Joseph was unanimously chosen archbishop of the city of Thessalonica. and his brother opposed the unlawful marriage of the emperor Constantine VI (780-797), which he was tortured then banished to a barren island. emperor Michael Rangabes (811-813) freed Saint Joseph from imprisonment. the emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) the holy hierarch and his brother Saint Theodore suffered once more for their veneration of holy icons. they subjected him to torture, he remained steadfast in his faith. iconoclast emperor ordered him to sign the iconoclast confession of faith, and when he refused they threw him into an even more foul prison. the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) Saint Joseph was set free, together with other monks who had suffered for their veneration of icons. He spent his final years at the Studion Monastery, where he died in 830. Joseph is renowned as a hymnographer. He composed triodia for Holy Week, several stikhera of the LENTEN TRIODION, a Canon for the Sunday of Prodigal Son (which is filled with the spirit of profound repentance), and other hymns. wrote several sermons for feastdays, of which the best known is the Sermon on the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

Bithynia, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia, Icons
Bithynia, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatios, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491). celebration of the wonderworking icon was established to commemorate deliverance from the Iconoclast heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 drew up dogmatic definitions about icon veneration based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. Armatia Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated twice during the year, on July 21 and August 17. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated on September 3; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated December 26 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem (Spiritual Meadow), Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11;

Bithynia, 800, 9th Century Folder, Saints Cosmos and Auxentios, Iconodules

Bithynia, 813, Saints Cosmos and Auxentios
Bithynia, 800, 9th Century Folder, Saints Cosmos and Auxentios; Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Chalcedon, and his fellow ascetic, Saint Auxentius Commemorated on April 18 ;

Bithynia, 813-821, Athanasius the Confessor oConstantinople, Iconoclast Leo tA tortured, eliled him for icons
Constantinople, 813-821, Athanasius the Confessor oConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), devoting self tGod aChildhood dream, rich pious parents, Nicomedia Monastery Pavlopetrios, imperial court heard about his lofty ascetic life, Iconoclast Leo the Armenian subjected him to torture for icons, exile grief suffering, confessing Orthodox faith to the end, peacefully in 821; Constantinople; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Athanasius the Confessor was born in Constantinople of rich and pious parents. his childhood he dreamed of devoting himself entirely to God, having reached maturity, he settled in one of the Nicomedia monasteries, called the Pavlopetrios (i.e., in the names of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul), and became a monk there. loftiness of his ascetic life became known at the imperial court. the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), Athanasius was subjected to torture for venerating icons, then underwent exile, grief and suffering. the Orthodox Faith until the very end of his life, Saint Athanasius died peacefully in the year 821.

Bithynia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, tAbgar m a20, igumen bread water only, prayer nights, think future life
Cilicia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), tAbgar m a20, ascetic life bread water only nights iPrayer, igumen, hid from Leo tArmenian 813-320, then returned, constantly repeated Lord, have mercy, don't focus earthly blessings, think future life, commended his spirit to Lord's hands&died a95; Tarsus; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 9 ; Eustratius came from the city of Tarsus. twenty years of age he secretly left his parents’ home and settled in the Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor). he lived a strict ascetic life, eating only bread and water, and spending his nights at prayer. a certain while he was chosen as igumen of the monastery. the reign of the Iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), Saint Eustratius hid from pursuit by roaming the hills and the wilds. the death of the emperor he returned to the monastery. was always on his lips, and he constantly repeated the words: “Lord, have mercy!” his death he gave instructions to the monks not to be attracted towards earthly blessings, constantly to think about the future life. himself with the Sign of the Cross, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” and he died in peace at age 95.

Bithynia, 886-911, Thomas oBithynia, igumen new Sakkoudion m, withdrew solitude, clairvoyantly answers Emperor's question
Bithynia, 886-911, Thomas oBithynia, from there, young monk, later chosen igumen new Sakkoudion m, withdrew solitude, Emperor visits, clairvoyantly answers question before asked; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia Commemorated on December 10; Thomas Dephourkinos was born in Bithynia. his youth he was fond of monastic life and entered one of the area monasteries. in his life, when the Byzantine official Galoliktos had founded a monastery at the River Sagarisa, Saint Thomas was already an experienced monk, and the brethren chose him as head of the new monastery. there Saint Thomas withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he labored in solitude. monk overcame many snares of the devil in the wilderness. The Lord glorified him with the gift of healing and prophecy. the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came to the monastery to Saint Thomas for advice. finding the monk at the monastery, the emperor sent his messenger with a letter for him. just as the messenger arrived at the the Elder’s hut, the saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the emperor’s question. is not known when Saint Thomas reposed.

Bithynia, 900, 10th Century Folder, Luke of Triglia

Bithynia, 912-980, Luke tNew Stylite oChalcedon, Soldier saved bGod, then monk, then Stylite, chains&Pillar, 45yrs, wonderworkng
BBithynia, 912-980, Luke tNew Stylite oChalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait), soldier under Constantine Porphyrogenitos, protected by God in War wBulgaria 917, became monk, ordained aPresbyter, striving highter degree, chains&pillar, tOlympos, tConstantinople, tChalcedon, 45yrs, wonderworking, died 980; Chalcedon; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Luke the New Stylite was a soldier under the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (912-959). a war with Bulgaria (917), Saint Luke remained unharmed through the Providence of God. this he became a monk, and having succeeded in his efforts, was ordained as a presbyter. for an even higher degree of perfection, the monk put chains upon himself and ascended a pillar. three years standing on the pillar, through divine inspiration, he went to Mount Olympos, and then to Constantinople, and finally to Chalcedon, he chose a pillar upon which he remained for 45 years, manifesting a gift of wonderworking. He died in about the year 980.

Bithynia, 929-999, Venerable Luke the Abbot, Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia)
Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia); Triglia, Bithynia; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Luke was a monk at the Deep Stream Monastery near Triglia, Lykaonia (in Asia Minor), and later became its third Igoumen, reposed there in peace at the end of the X century. Monastery, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ. was famed for the strictness of the ascetic life of its monks. first Igoumen and founder of the monastery was Saint Basil (July 1), and the second was Saint Ignatius (+ September 27, 970).1 to the Hagiologion of Metropolitan Sophronios Eustratiadou, Saint Luke is commemorated on September 7. Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14) lists his commemoration on December 27. Some sources list Saint Peter (September 7) as the second Igoumen.

Bithynia, 986, Hypomone, Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya) patience, I marvel at your sufferings H
Bithynia, 986, Hypomone, Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya) patience, I marvel at your sufferings H; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Hypomone, Commemorated on April 5; Hypomone (Αγία Υπομονή), who suffered during the pre-Nicene persecutions, not mentioned in the Synaxaristes of Saint Νikόdēmos (July 14), nor in the printed Menaia, but she is mentioned in Vatican Codex 1104 f. 986, which contains her Service, composed by Saint Theophanes (October 11). The acrostic of the Canon is: "I marvel at your sufferings, Hypomone." Her name means "patience."

Bithynia, 1000, 11th 14th Century Folder, Sultanate of Rum

Sultanate of Rum, 1077-1307, Nicaea, Bithynia (Iznik), Sunni
Sultanate of Rum, 1077-1307, Nicaea, Bithynia (Iznik), Sunni; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Bithynia, 1204-1261, Nicean Empire Folder, temporary Roman (Byzantine) Empire

Bithynia, 1204-1261, Nicean Empire, temporary Roman Empire after Crusaders took Constatninople
Empire, temporary Roman Empire after Crusaders took Constatninople Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire[1] is the conventional historiographic name for the largest of the three Byzantine Greek[2][3] rump states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade. the Empire of Trebizond and the Empire of Thessalonica, it claimed to be the continuation of the Roman Empire. by the Laskaris family,[3] it lasted from 1204 to 1261, when the Nicaeans restored the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople. Nicea (Nicaea);

Bithynia, 1299, 13th 14th Century Folder, Ottoman Empire in Bithynia

Bithynia, 1299-1335, Ottoman Empire, Sogut, (Sunni, Turkey, the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, Sogut, Bithynia 1299-1335 (Sunni, Turkey, the Turks); Turks; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated September 21 ; The Martyrs of Armenia, 24 April 1915 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia;

Bithynia, 1299-1326, Ottoman Sultan, Osman 1, Sogut, Bithynia
Ottoman Sultan, 1299-1326, Osman 1, Sogut, Bithynia ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Bithynia,1335-1413, Ottoman Empire Prusa, (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks)
Ottoman Empire Prusa, Bithnia, 1335-1413, (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks); Moslem sultan Bayazet; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Bithynia, 1389-1402, Moslem sultan Bayazet - Ottoman, Turks - Fortress at Bursa
Ottoman Empire, Prusa, Bithnia (1335-1413); Moslem sultan Bayazet; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Bithynia, 1393, Tatiana's Relics, disdained riches, virgin, served, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times
Rome, 222-235, Tatoama oRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), father secret wealthy christian, she decided remain virgin, disdaining earthly riches, deaconess, fasting prayer, tending sick needy, time o16yr old Alex Severus, regen Ulpian, she arrested, tApollo temple, her prayer caused earthquake, idol smashed, temple fell on pagans, demon fled screeching, demon shadow, T's eyes torn out, she prayed for tormentors, angels encircled T beating tormentors, heaven voice, 8 men believed&executed, she next day completely healed before judge, she slashed wRazors, wonderous fragrance, beaten so long servants replaced times, invisible power beating torturers, angels turned blows back torturers, 9 fell dead, tPrison, all night praises sang wAngels, next morning completely healthy, even more radient&beautiful, T seemed agreeable sacrifice tDiana, Thunder crash, Lightning struck D&Priests, she hung up scraped wIron claws, that night Angels healed wounds, next day tCircus wHungry Lion licked her feet, then killed torturer, T into fire, no harm, thought a sorceress cut hair locked her up Zeus Temple, Zeus shattered she praising God, she beheaded wHer father, Relics Tatiana iCraiova, Romania 1204 & Tarnovo Bulgaria, then Bucovat m near Craiova, 1393 her head to Nicea, Bythynia, then Holy Apostles Church, Constn, 1453 tCraopvesto and Bistrita m wGregory tDecapolite body, then tCurtea de Arges, 1955 tRamnicu Valcea, today iCraiova wNipon's relics &Sergius&Bacchus relics; Rome; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated January 12 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Tatiana was born into an illustrious Roman family, her father was elected consul three times. was secretly a Christian and raised his daughter to be devoted to God and the Church. she reached the age of maturity, Tatiana decided to remain a virgin, betrothing herself to Christ. earthly riches, she sought instead the imperishable wealth of Heaven. was made a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God in fasting and prayer, tending the sick and helping the needy. Rome was ruled by the sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222-235), power was concentrated in the hands of the regent Ulpian, an evil enemy and persecutor of Christians. blood flowed like water. was also arrested, and they brought her into the temple of Apollo to force her to offer sacrifice to the idol. saint began praying, suddenly there was an earthquake. idol was smashed into pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and fell down on the pagan priests and many pagans. demon inhabiting the idol fled screeching from that place. Those present saw its shadow flying through the air. they tore holy virgin’s eyes out with hooks, but she bravely endured everything, praying for her tormentors that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. the Lord heard the prayer of His servant. executioners saw four angels encircle the saint and beat her tormentors. voice was heard from the heavens speaking to the holy virgin. men believed in Christ and fell on their knees before Saint Tatiana, begging them to forgive them their sin against her. confessing themselves Christians they were tortured and executed, receiving Baptism by blood. next day Saint Tatiana was brought before the wicked judge. her completely healed of all her wounds, they stripped her and beat her, and slashed her body with razors. wondrous fragrance then filled the air. she was stretched out on the ground and beaten for so long that the servants had to be replaced several times. torturers became exhausted and said that an invisible power was beating them with iron rods. the angels warded off the blows directed at her and turned them upon the tormentors, causing nine of them to fall dead. then threw the saint in prison, she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the angels. new morning began, and they took Saint Tatiana to the tribunal once more. torturers beheld with astonishment that after such terrible torments she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. began to urge her to offer sacrifice to the goddess Diana. saint seemed agreeable, and they took her to the heathen temple. Tatiana made the Sign of the Cross and began to pray. there was a crash of deafening thunder, and lightning struck the idol, the sacrificial offerings and the pagan priests. again, the martyr was fiercely tortured. was hung up and scraped with iron claws, her breasts were cut off. night, angels appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds as before. the following day, they took Saint Tatiana to the circus and loosed a hungry lion on her. The beast did not harm the saint, but meekly licked her feet. they were taking the lion back to its cage, it killed one of the torturers. threw Tatiana into a fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to take away her magical powers, then locked her up in the temple of Zeus. the third day, pagan priests came to the temple intending to offer sacrifice to Zeus. beheld the idol on the floor, shattered to pieces, and the holy martyr Tatiana joyously praising the Lord Jesus Christ. The judge then condemned the valiant sufferer to be beheaded with a sword. Her father was also executed with her, because he had raised her to love Christ. Relics of Saint Tatiana in Craiova honorable head of the Holy Martyr Tatiana was first brought to Romania in 1204, members of the ruling family (Asanestan dynasty) placed it in a church in Tarnovo (Bulgaria) then in Bucovat Monastery (near Craiova). however, in 1393, the head of the Saint was taken to a church in the town of Nicaea (where the First Ecumenical Synod met), then to Constantinople, and placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. 1453, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab, the Craioveşti boyars brought the head of the holy Martyr Tatiana to this country, well as the entire body of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20), they placed in the church of Bistriţa Monastery. that monastery, the relics of Saint Tatiana were taken by Saint Neagoe Basarab (September 15) and brought to the royal church at Curtea de Argeș. with the reorganization of the Metropolitan Church of Oltenia (1950-1955), the honorable skull of Saint Tatiana was taken from Curtea de Argeș and brought to the Episcopal Cathedral of Râmnicu Vâlcea in 1955. the honored relics were permanently enshrined in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Craiova. the holy relics of Saint Tatiana are kept, with great honor, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Craiova, the same reliquary with the relics of Saint Niphon of Constantinople (August 11), and the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (October 7).

Bithynia, Lower Sakarya River Folder, Central BIT

Sakarya River

Sakarya River 5 (Phrygia and Bythnia)

Sogut, Bithynia (Sakarya River 5.4)
Sogut, Bithynia; St. Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Sakarya River 6 (Nicaea, Bithynia)

Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya)
Nicea (Nicaea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Saints Peter and Paul, Bishops of Nicaea, Commemorated on September 10; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Saint Sava I, first Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 and January 14; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Commemoration of the miracle of Saint Basil the Great at Nicaea, Commemorated on January 19; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Hypomone, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Sultanate of Rum, Seljuk of Rum, 1077-1308 from Nicaea over Anatolia, Sunni
Sultanate of Rum, Seljuk of Rum, 1077-1308 from Nicaea over Anatolia; Nicea (Nicaea); Saint John Shavteli, Bishop of Gaenati and Saint Eulogius, Prophet and Fool-for-Christ of Salosi, Commemorated on April 1;

Lake Ascanius
Lake Ascanius; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1;

Sakarya River 7 (Nicomedia, Bithynia)

Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya)
Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus ; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; 200 Martyrs with Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated December 28; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

City and Capital of Bithynia, Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya)
Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus ; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; 200 Martyrs with Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated December 28; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Limna, Bithynia
Limna, Bithynia; Hieromartyr Autonomus, Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12;

Sakarya River Mouth (Bithynia, Pontus and Black Sea)
Northwest Bithynia, on the coast of the Black Sea, Monk Martyrs Epictetus and Astion, at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Bithynia, Northwest Bithynia on the Coast of the Black Sea
Northwest Bithynia, on the coast of the Black Sea, Monk Martyrs Epictetus and Astion, at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Bithynia, Sakkoudion River Folder (Mysia, Mt Olympus), Southern BIT

Mysia Region
Mysia Region; Paul'™s Vision of the Man of Macedonia;

Sakkoudion (Sagarista) River

Sakkodian River (Lower Sakkodian)

Sakkoudion River Source (Mount Olympus)

Mt. Olympus, Bithynia in Asia Minor
Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor; Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor); Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24; St Peter of Atroe, Commemorated September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1;

Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia
Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; 16Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Olympos Monastery, Bithynia
Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; 16Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Polychronion monastery near Mount Olympus
Polychronion monastery near Mount Olympus; Equals of the Apostles and Teachers of the Slavs, Cyril and Methodius, Commemorated on May 11;

Abgar monastery, Bithynia (on Olympos, Asia Minor)
Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor); Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor); Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Sakkodian River 1 (Prusa and Caesarea)

Prusa, Bithynia (Proussa, Sakkoudion River 1, 50 monasteries on plain of P )
Prusa or Plusias, or Cius in Bithynia; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs
Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs; also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. was the first major and second overall capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1363. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning God's gift, in Ottoman Turkish, a name of Persian origin) during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yesil Bursa (Green Bursa) in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, towers over it, and has a well-known ski resort. Bursa has rather orderly urban growth and borders a fertile plain. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa, and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Prusa, and his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23;

Bursa Hot Springs at Prusa, Bithynia
Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs; also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. was the first major and second overall capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1363. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning God's gift, in Ottoman Turkish, a name of Persian origin) during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yesil Bursa (Green Bursa) in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, towers over it, and has a well-known ski resort. Bursa has rather orderly urban growth and borders a fertile plain. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa, and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Prusa, and his companions, Commemorated on May 19;

Plusias, Bithynia
Prusa or Plusias, or Cius in Bithynia; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Atroa, Bithynia (Plain of Prusa)
Atroa, Bithynia; Saints Michael and and Arsenius of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3;

Pelecete Monastery near Prusa, Bithynia, 709
Pelecete Monastery near Prusa and Bursa; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Saints Michael and and Arsenius of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Pelekete monestary is a former name of the Church Hagios Sergios. Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Apamea, Bithynia (Medikion Monastery, Triglia)
Apamea in Bithynia ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ;

Apamea, Bithynia (only Costal city beginning with an A)
Apamea in Bithynia ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Saint Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5;

Caesarea, Bithynia (upper Sakkoudion River Mouth, neak Lake Uluabat)
Caesarea, in Bithynia; Martyr Thyrsus at Caesarea, in Bithynia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3;

Sakkodian River 2 (Ulabat Lake, Apollonia)

Upper Sakkoudion River Mouth (Uluabat Lake)

Apollonia, in Bithynia (Uluabat Lake, Upper Sakkoudion River Mouth)
Apollonia, in Bithynia , a promentory on the northeast shore near Golyazi ; Martyr Thyrsus at Caesarea, in Bithynia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; St Nicetas the Confessor the Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 20;

Uluabat Lake

Lower Sakkodian River Source (Uluabat Lake)

Sakkodian River Mouth (Marmara Sea)

Pelekete Monastery, Bithynia, 709
Pelekete Monastery; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18; Heiromartyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Tryglia monestary, Bithynia, near Constantinople, 780
Tryglia in Turkey, or Tryglia monestary near Constantinople; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28;

Apamea Myrlea, Bithynia
Apamea Myrlea, Bithynia; Saint Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15;

Medikion Monastery, Ampamea, Bithynia, 780
Medikion Monastery; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3;

Moudania, Bithynia (Chenolakkos [by the goose-pond])
Moudania, Bithynia, Asia Minor; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ;

Chenolakkos Monastery Bithynia (Chenolakkos [by the goose-pond])
Moudania, Bithynia, Asia Minor; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ;

Triglia, Bithynia (east of Sakkoudion River Mouth)
Triglia, Bithynia; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7;

Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia)
Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia); Triglia, Bithynia; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7;

Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720
Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Triglia, Commemorated on March 28;

Khenolakkos Monastery, Triglia, Bithynia (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720
Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Triglia, Commemorated on March 28;

Bithynia, Lycus River Folder, Eastern BIT

Lycus River of Bithynia

Bithyninum, Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-Dweller, Commemorated on January 15;

Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones, Gommon, Northeastern Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable John Calabytes “the Hut-Dwellerâ€, Commemorated on January 15;

Claudiopolis, Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Claudiopolis (Bithynia); Martyr Tation (Tatio) of Claudiopolis, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ;

Soreus, Bithynia (Bolu (Bithynium) near Lycus River of Bithynia)
Soreus, Bithynia (Bolu (Bithynium)); Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12;

Limna, Bithynia near Soreus near Claudiopolis near Bolu
Limna, Bithynia near Soreus near Claudiopolis near Bolu; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12;

Lycus (river of Bithynia) Mouth (Black Sea)

Neapolis, Bithynia, Metroon, in Asia Minor (Lycus River Mouth)
Neapolis, Bithynia, Metroon, in Asia Minor; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mt Athos, Commemorated October 21 ;

Bithynia, Bosphoras Strait Folder (Chalcedon), Western BIT

Bosphorus Strait, Bithynia and Constantinople
Bosphorus;

Chalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait)
Chalcedon; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes at Chalcedon, Commemorated on September 16; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461) ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Council of Chalcedon, Commemorated July 17 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Ausentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia
Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14;

Trichinarion Monastery, at the foot of Ausentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia
Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14;

Mt Oxia near Chalcedon (Mt Kayisdag)
Mt Oxia near Chalcedon (Mt Kayisdag), named after Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14;

Chrysopolis, Bithynia
Chrysopolis; Chrysopolis Monastery Chrysopolis in Macedonia? Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 21; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ;

Symbola, Bosporus, Bythnia (across bridge from Symbola Bosphorus Hotel)
Symbola, Bosporus, Bythnia (Symbola Bosphorus Hotel); Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated on February 21;

Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari or Uskudar)
Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari or Uskudar); Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated August 13 ;

Helenopolis, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid near Nicomedia)
Helenopolis, Bithynia; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Prote Island, Bithynia
Prote Island; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Halki seminary, Bithynia, 1844
Halki seminary; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Bithynia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, points Folder

Bithynia (Clean), its Area
Bithynia, its Area

Bithynia (Clean), Straits Area, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople
Constantinople & Troy, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople

Bithynia, next to Greater Armenia Area
Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire, also includes Pontine and Cappadocia as revealed in many Saints' stories;

Bythia, next to Phyrgia, its Area
Phyrgia, its Area

Bithynia, next to Greater Lydia, its Area, which includes Ephesus
Lydia, Greater Lydia, its Area, west of Sakarya and Akarcay rivers, Western Asia Minor

Bithynia, next to Constantinople, Local Roads, its Area
Constantinople, Local Roads, its Area

Bithynia near Arabian Plate and Constantinople, its Area

Arabian Plate, its Area

Bithynia, Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya Rivers)

Bithynia, Great Road from Ephesus thru Colossae to the Euphrates at Melitine

Bithynia, Straits, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople

Bithynia, Dnieper (Varanigan) Trade Route (Varangia to Constantinople)
The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called œthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks.

Bithynia (Clean), Bosphoras Strait Folder (Chalcedon), Western BIT

Dardanelles Strait
Dardanelles Strait;

Constantinople (aka Istanbul, Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople;

Mt Oxia near Chalcedon (Mt Kayisdag)
Mt Oxia near Chalcedon (Mt Kayisdag), named after Auxentius of Bithynia;

Ausentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia
Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia;

Chalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait)
Chalcedon;

Bithynia (Clean), Mt Olympos (Asia Minor) Many Monasteries in Skkoudion River area

Mt. Olympus, Bithynia in Asia Minor, many monasteries in the Sakkoudion River area
Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor;

Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia
Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia;

Mt. Olympus, Bithynia in Asia Minor
Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor;

Polychronion monastery near Mount Olympus
Polychronion monastery near Mount Olympus;

Prusa, Bithynia (Proussa, Sakkoudion River 1, 50 monasteries on plain of P )
Prusa or Plusias, or Cius in Bithynia

Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs
Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs; also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. was the first major and second overall capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1363. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning God's gift, in Ottoman Turkish, a name of Persian origin) during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yesil Bursa (Green Bursa) in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, towers over it, and has a well-known ski resort. Bursa has rather orderly urban growth and borders a fertile plain. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa, and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums.

Atroa monastery, Bithynia (Plain of Prusa)
Atroa, Bithynia;

Olympos Monastery, Bithynia
Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia;

Abgar monastery, Bithynia (on Olympos, Asia Minor)
Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor); Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor);

Apollonia, in Bithynia (Uluabat Lake, Upper Sakkoudion River Mouth)
Apollonia, in Bithynia , a promentory on the northeast shore near Golyazi ;

Caesarea, Bithynia (upper Sakkoudion River Mouth, neak Lake Uluabat)
Caesarea, in Bithynia;

Khenolakkos Monastery, Triglia, Bithynia (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720
Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720;

Chenolakkos Monastery Bithynia (Chenolakkos [by the goose-pond])
Moudania, Bithynia, Asia Minor;

Pelekete Monastery, Bithynia, 709
Pelekete Monastery;

Medikion Monastery, Ampamea, Bithynia, 780
Medikion Monastery;

Tryglia monastery, Bithynia, near Constantinople
Tryglia in Turkey, or Tryglia monestary near Constantinople;

Bithynia (Clean), Lower Sakarya River Folder, Nicea and Nicomedia

Sakarya River, Lower Sakarya, below Ankara, Phrygia

Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya)
Nicea (Nicaea);

Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya)
Nicomedia;

City and Capital of Bithynia, Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya)
Nicomedia;

Sultanate of Rum, Seljuk of Rum, 1077-1308 from Nicaea over Anatolia, Sunni
Sultanate of Rum, Seljuk of Rum, 1077-1308 from Nicaea over Anatolia; Nicea (Nicaea);

Bithynia (Clean), Lycus River Folder

Bithyninum, Bithynia, City of Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ;

Church of the Archangel Michael, Soreus, Bithynia
Soreus, Bithynia (Bolu (Bithynium)); Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12;

Neapolis, Bithynia, Metroon, in Asia Minor (Lycus River Mouth)
Neapolis, Bithynia, Metroon, in Asia Minor;

Russia Folder

Russia, Lands of Slavic (Russian) People (Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe)
Lands of the Slavic People; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Martyr Inna, Disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Russia, Novgorod, the capital of Rus till 882
Novgorod, the capital of Rus till 882; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusOld Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Russia, Staro Rus (near Novgorod), Mid 10th Century on
Staro Rus; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Russia, Ancient Rus or Russia (Kievan Russia) 882-1240
Ancient Rus or Russia (Kievan or Ukrainian Russia); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated on September 19 ; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Land of Rus (Ancient Kievan Rus), 882-1240
Land of Rus (Ancient Kievan Rus), 882-1240; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Rus - Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478, Centered in Kiev, Capital Novgorod
Rus- Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478, Centered in Kiev, Capital Novgorod; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12 ;

Russia, Kievan Rus, 882-1240
Kievan Rus, 882-1240 ; Kievan Rus; East Slavs, Russian realm; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Rus Region (Vladimir was the capital 1157 - 1331)
Before Moscow, Vladimir was the original capital of the Orthodox Rus' (region); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, All Rus - Vladimir (1157-1331)
All Rus; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod
All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Russia, Golden Ring of Cities, 12th Century on, Northeast of Moscow
Golden Ring of Cities; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1;

Rus or Russia - Final Capital Moscow after 1331
Russia; Russians; Tartars; Ukrainians ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Scythia, Roman type Roads, after Russia submitted to the Mongols and became great

Russia, 2 - Area after 1248, within Mongol Scythia (Golden Horde), Defined the Ortoodox Russian Empire
Russia, 2 - Area after 1248, within Mongol Scythia, Defined the Ortoodox Russian Empire, Before Siberia, 1600

Russia, 3 - Scythia after 1248, its Area (includes Russia, but not Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia)

Russia, 4 - Scythia after 1248, this Area, from Urals to Dniester River, defined Russia for 600 Years

Kalka River

Molochna River

Vorskla River (Vystra River)

Seym River

Domnitsa River

Desna River

Psel River

Udai River

Sula River

Yahotyn River
Yahotyn River, Perevaslavl ;

Alta River

Svislocha River

Berezina River

Germania, not Germany, the fertile plain North of this Line, difficult to protect

Western Bug River (to Warsaw in Poland)

Styr River

Horyn River

Pripyat River

Ros River

Don River

Korotoyak, Voronezh Oblast, Don River
Korotoyak, Voronezh Oblast; Icon of the Mother of God “Divnogorsk”, Commemorated on February 5;

Seversky Donets River

Chir River

Bystraya Sosna River

Livny (Liven), Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1)
Livny, Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1);

Vorenezh River

Khopyor River

Verona River

Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Muravi is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Dniester River

Scythia, Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica, from Moldavia and Transylvania (Dacia) to Pontine)
Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia (Pontine Capital, near Kizilirmak River Mouth, Black Sea)
Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea);

Left Side Danube River 11-17 (Lesser Scythia on Eastern End and Mouth)

Volga River

Ural River

Lower Dnieper River, Sarmatae (down from Kiev)

Church of Saint Basil the Great, Vyshgorod, 946
Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod;

Dnieper River 4 (Kiev)

Russia, Varangia Folder, Varanger Peninsula and 9 Russian Varantian Cities

Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians)
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians); 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Varangians and other Vikings came down at the end of the Middle Age Warming Period
Varangians and other Vikings came down at the end of the Middle Age Warming Period;

Laplander or Sami People
Laplander or Sami People; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Jerusalem to Sweden, Verangian Penninsula 2,682 Miles North

Jerusalem to Moscow 1,659 Miles North

A point True North from Jerusalem

True North from Jerusalem

Russia - Land of the Varangians - Nine Cities
Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Gardarika, Varangia (the land of cities north of the Black Sea)
Gardarika (the land of cities): Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (five) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski with the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians. Gardarika (the land of cities) Along the Volkhov River; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Lyubsha
Lyubsha - earliest fort of the Varangians; Ladoga - Staraya Ladoga - a fort of the Varangians; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Ladoga
Lyubsha - earliest fort of the Varangians; Ladoga - Staraya Ladoga - a fort of the Varangians; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Kiev
land of the Varangians - Kiev; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Galicia, Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, Up the Rivers, Ukraine
Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, Ukraine;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Polotsk, Belarus
land of the Varangians - Polotsk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Smolensk
land of the Varangians - Smolensk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Suzdal
land of the Varangians - Suzdal; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Murom
land of the Varangians - Murom; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Rostov the Great, Lake Nero
land of the Varangians - Rostov; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Novgorod
land of the Varangians - Novgorod : Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Russia, Volga River Folder

Volga River Source (Valdai Hills)

Volga River 1 (Stolobnoye Island, Stolbensk Lake, Lake Seliger)

Volga River 2 (Selizharovo)

Volga River 3 (Staritsa)

Volga River 4 (Tver)

Volga River 5 (Moscow Volga Canal)

Volga River 6 (Kalyazim)

Volga River 7 (three rivers; Mologa,Sheksna and Sogozha)

Volga River 8 (Yaroslavl and Kostroma)

Volga River 9 (Nizhny Novgorod)

Volga River 10 (Kazan)

Volga River 11 Simbirsk (on Third Great Abatis Line 1736)

Volga River 12 (Annunciation Monastery, Tolyatti)

Volga River 13 (Sumara)

Volga River 14 (Saratov)

Volga River 15 (Sarai, Golden Horde)

Volga River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Russia, Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Dnieper (Varanigan) Trade Route (Varangia to Constantinople)
The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called œthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks.

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 1 (Constantinople)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 2 (Cherson, Korsun, Crimea)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 3 (Dnieper Gulf)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 4 (Ekaternoslav)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 5 (Kiev)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 6 (Mogilev)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 7 (Smolensk)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 8 (Dorogobuzha, Dnieper River 1)

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 9 (Sehzharovo, Volga River 2)

Russia, Oka River Folder

Oka River

Oka River Source (along the border)

Oka River 1 (Oryol)

Oka River 2 (Upa River Mouth)

Oka River 3 (Zhizdra River Mouth)

Oka River 4 (Kaluga, Ugra River Mouth)

Oka River 5 (Protva River Mouth)

Oka River 6 (Serpukhov Crossing, Nara River Mouth)

Oka River 7 (Kolomna, Moskva River and Osyotr Rivers)

Oka River 8 (Ryazan, Vozha River Mouth)

Oka River 9 (Ryazem and Pereslavl)

Oka River 10 (Pronya and Para River Mouths)

Oka River 11 (Pra River Mouth)

Oka River 11 (Zheleznoborov, Gus River Mouth)

Oka River 12 (Moksha River Mouth)

Oka River 13 (Murom, Tyosha River Mouth)

Tyosha River Mouth (Murom, Oka River 13)

Oka River 14 (Gorokhovetsa, Klyazma River Mouth)

Oka River Mouth (Nizhny Novgorod, Volga River 8.9)

Russia, Rostov, Ust and Kotorosi River Folder, In and Out of Nero

Ust River Source (along the border, close to Volga River)

Ust River

Trinity Monastery of St Bassian (Kotorosl River Source) 1492
Trinity Monastery of St Bassian, 30 Versts South of Uglich ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ;

Trinity Monastery of St Bassian, 30 Versts South of Uglich, 1492
Trinity Monastery of St Bassian, 30 Versts South of Uglich ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ;

Ust River 1 (Novy Torg, Boris and Gleb, and Rostov)

Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1)
Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ;

Novtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1)
Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ;

Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg, Rostov, 1363 or so
Boris and Gleb monastery; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the Pereyaslavl monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh]. Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that they commanded him. holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at Saint Cornelius as foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer. the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from within. Three months Saint Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. Saint Cornelius was the sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the garden. As if to bless the saint’s labors, excellent apples grew in the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors. body of Saint Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the brethren. For thirty years Saint Cornelius lived in complete silence, being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on July 22, 1693, Saint Cornelius made his confession to the monastery priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the schema. was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of Saint Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Borisoglebsk monastery (Ust River 1) 1363 or so
Borisoglebsk monastery; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Ust (Ustye) River Mouth (Kotorosi River 1)
Ustye River; St. Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22;

Kotorosi River

Kotorosi River Source (Lake Nero)

Kotorosi River 2 (Karabikha)

Kotorosl River Mouth (Volga River 8, Yaroslav)

Russia, Suzdal, Southern Valley, Klyazma & Ukhtoma (Nerl) Rivers Folder

Klyazma River

Klyazma River 1 (Ucha River Mouth)

Klyazma River 2 (Vorya River Mouth)

Klyazma River 3 (Gorodishchi, Kirzhach River Mouth)

Klyazma River 4 (Peksha River Mouth)

Klyazma River 5 (Vladimir, Nerl River Mouth)

Russia, Suzdal, Southern Valley, Klyazma River 5, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River Folder

Ukhtoma (Nerl Klyazma) River

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River Source (along the border)

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 1

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 2

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 3

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 4 (Southern Valley)

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5 (Suzdal)

Ukhtoma (Nerl) River Mouth (Vladimir, Klyzma River 5)

Klyazma River 6 (Uvod River Mouth)

Klyazma River 7 (Teza River Mouth)

Klyazma River 8 (Vyazniki)

Klyazma River 9 (Gorokhovetsa)

Klyazma River Mouth (Nizhny Novgorod, Oka River 14)

Russia, Novgorod Folder, its rivers and roads

Russia, Novgorod, 9th-11th Century, Varabguian Newcomers, Vikings, Kiev and Novgorod
Varangians; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Novgorod, the capital of Rus till 882
Novgorod, the capital of Rus till 882; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Novgorod, Russia (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen))
Veliky Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" in Novgorod; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 27 ; Nicholas Kochanov, Novgorod Fool-for-Christ (+ 1392), was born at Novgorod into a rich and illustrious family. From his youthful years he loved piety, he went to church faithfully, and he loved fasting and prayer. Seeing his virtuous life, people began to praise him. Blessed Nicholas, disdaining glory from men, began the difficult exploit of folly for the Lord’s sake. He ran about the city in the bitter cold dressed in rags, enduring beatings, insults and mockery. Blessed Nicholas and another Novgorod fool, Blessed Theodore (January 19), pretended to be irreconcilable foes, and graphically demonstrated to the people of Novgorod the pernicious character of their internecine strife. having overcome his sham opponent, Blessed Nicholas went along the Volkhov as if on dry land, and threw a head of cabbage at Blessed Theodore, therefore he was called “Kochanov” (i.e. “cabbage-head”). The Lord glorified Blessed Nicholas with the gift of miracles and clairvoyance. after being turned away by servants from a feast to which he had been invited, he left. Immediately, the wine disappeared from the barrel. Only upon the return of the fool, and through his prayer, did it reappear again. When he died, Blessed Nicholas was buried at the end of the cemetery by the Yakovlev cathedral. relics of Blessed Nicholas rest under a crypt in the church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon which was built over his grave. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3 ; ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23 ; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated January 11; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Theodore of Novgorod was the son of pious parents, wealthy citizens of Novgorod. Having been raised in strict Christian piety, and having reached the age of maturity, he took on himself the ascetic deed of foolishness for Christ’s sake. He gave all his possessions to the poor, and he lived in great poverty until the end of his life, not even having a roof over his head, nor warm clothes on cold days. he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. blessed one possessed the gift of clairvoyance. By warning people to see to their bread, he was actually predicting an impending famine. Another time he said, “This will be bare, it will be fine for sowing turnips.” This was his prediction of a fire that devastated the streets of the Torgov quarter. Blessed Theodore foresaw his own end and said to the Novgorod people, “Farewell, I’m going far away.” his life, the citizens of Novgorod saw him as a saint pleasing to God, and had a high regard for him. After his death in the year 1392, the holy fool was buried, at his request, in the Torgov quarter, at Lubyanitsa in the church of the holy Great Martyr George, at the porch where the saint usually loved to spend his time in unceasing prayer. A chapel was built over his holy relics. Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod Commemorated on February 10; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut MountÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Novgorod Republic, tWater going north fFinland Gulf tNorthern Urals, capital Novgorod, iHanseatic League
Novgorodian Republic, Novgorodians, all the water going north from Finland Gulf to Northern Urals, capital Novgorod, in Hanseatic League with North Germany, Poland, Estonia Novgorodians; Novgorod Republic (Russian: Новгородская республика) a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. capital was the city of Novgorod. republic prospered as the easternmost trading post of the Hanseatic League, its people were much influenced by the culture of the Byzantines.[4] state was called Novgorod and Great Novgorod (Russian: Великий Новгород, romanized: Veliky Novgorod) the form Sovereign Lord Novgorod the Great Государь Господин Великий Новгород, romanized: Gosudar Gospodin Veliky Novgorod) common in the 15th century. Novgorod Land and Novgorod volost usually referred to the land belonging to Novgorod. Republic itself is a much later term,[5] the polity was described as a republic as early as in the beginning of the 16th century.[6][7] historians frequently used the terms Novgorod Feudal Republic and Novgorod Boyar Republic.[8] article: Novgorod Land § History was populated by various Slavic tribes that were constantly at war with one another for supremacy. these tribes came together during the beginning of the 9th century to try to form a negotiated settlement to end military aggression amongst each other.[9] Novgorod First Chronicle, a collection of writings depicting the history of Novgorod from 1016 to 1471, states that these tribes wanted to "Seek a prince who may rule over us and judge us according to law."[10] Rus' and its inhabitants were influenced by Vikings.[11][failed verification] walls of the Novgorod Detinets from the late 15th century. The Kokui tower (left) dates from the 17th century; its name is of Swedish origin. Republic[edit] the late 11th century Novgorodians asserted greater control over the determination of their rules and rejected a politically dependent relationship to Kiev.[12] the Rus, the Novgorodians were the first to reach the regions between the Arctic Ocean and Lake Onega. though there is no definitive account of the precise timing of their arrival at the northern rivers that flowed into the Arctic, are chronicles which mention that one expedition reached the Pechora River in 1032, trading was established as early as in 1096 with the Yugra tribe.[13] also stated that the Novgorodians paid tribute to the Prince of Kiev by 1113. time after this, the administration of the principality seemed to have matured. Novgorod tysiatskii and posadniki appointed boyars from the cities and collected revenues for administration in the territories it held. charter from the 1130s mentioned 30 administrative posts in Novgorod territory, revenues were collected regularly and sent as a tithe to the Novgorod bishop. the 12th century, Novgorod utilized the Baltic-Volga-Caspian trade route, only for trading but also for bringing food from the fertile Oka region to their city.[13] comprised the territory of the important Oka region and lands along the vital Sheksna River. river lay in the Northern Volga tributary region. controlled the river was able to block food supplies causing a famine in Novgorod. due to these fears, Novgorod led a failed invasion of Suzdal in 1134. They tried again and succeeded in 1149. Novgorod, in a bid to appease Suzdal, accepted some Suzdalians as rulers of Novgorod. these events, Suzdal still blocked off trade to Novgorod twice and intercepted Novgorod's tributes.[13] 1136, the Novgorodians dismissed Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich and over the next century and a half were able to invite in and dismiss a number of princes. these invitations or dismissals were often based on who was the dominant prince in Rus' at the time, and not on any independent thinking on the part of Novgorod.[14] city of Pskov, initially part of Novgorod Land, had de facto independence from as early as the 13th century after opening a trading post for merchants of the Hanseatic League. princes such as Vsevolod Mstislavich (before 1117–1138) and Dovmont (c. 1240–1299) reigned in Pskov without any deference to, or consultation with, the prince or other officials in Novgorod. independence of the Pskov Republic was acknowledged in the 1348 Treaty of Bolotovo. the Archbishop of Novgorod continued to head the church in Pskov and kept the title "Archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov" until 1589. Republic was the subject of political rivalry between Poland and Lithuania on one side the Grand Duchy of Moscow on the other side in the 14th and 15th centuries. the 12th–15th centuries, the Novgorodian Republic expanded east and northeast. Novgorodians explored the areas around Lake Onega, along the Northern Dvina, and coastlines of the White Sea. the beginning of the 14th century, the Novgorodians explored the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, and the West-Siberian river Ob. lands to the north of the city, rich with fur, sea fauna and salt among others were of great economic importance to the Novgorodians, fought a protracted series of wars with Moscow beginning in the late 14th century in order to keep these lands. them meant economic and cultural decline for the city and its inhabitants. the ultimate failure of the Novgorodians to win these wars led to the downfall of the Novgorod Republic.[citation needed] of the Republic[edit] Martha the Mayoress at the Destruction of the Novgorod veche, by Klavdiy Lebedev Tver, Muscovy, and Lithuania fought over control of Novgorod and its enormous wealth from the 14th century. becoming the Grand Prince of Vladimir, Yaroslavich of Tver sent his governors to Novgorod. series of disagreements with Mikhail pushed Novgorod towards closer ties with Muscovy during the reign of Grand Prince George. part, Tver's proximity Tver Principality is contiguous with the Novgorodian Land) Novgorod. was feared that a Tverite prince would annex Novgorodian lands and thus weaken the Republic. the time, though, Muscovy did not border Novgorod, since the Muscovite princes were further afield, they were more acceptable as princes of Novgorod. could come to Novgorod's aid when needed but would be too far away to meddle too much in the Republic's affairs. Muscovy grew in strength, however, the Muscovite princes became a serious threat to Novgorod. Kalita, Simeon the Proud and other Muscovite monarchs sought to limit Novgorod's independence. 1397, a critical conflict took place between Muscovy and Novgorod, when Moscow annexed the Dvina Lands along the course of the Northern Dvina. lands were crucial to Novgorod's well-being since much of the city's furs came from there.[15][16] territory was returned to Novgorod the following year. the Muscovite oppression, the government of Novgorod sought an alliance with Poland–Lithuania. Novgorodian boyars wished to maintain the Republic's independence since if Novgorod were to be conquered, the boyars' wealth would flow to the grand prince and his Muscovite boyars, the Novgorodians would fall into decline. of them didn't earn enough to pay for war.[17] to tradition, Marfa Boretskaya, the wife of Posadnik Isak Boretskii, was the main proponent of an alliance with Poland-Lithuania to save the Republic. to this legend, Boretskaya invited the Lithuanian princeling Mikhail Olelkovich and asked him to become her husband and the ruler of Novgorod. also concluded an alliance with Casimir, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. prospects of changing allegiance in favor of the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania caused a major commotion among the commoners. Martin and Gail Lenhoff have recently argued that Boretskaya was scapegoated, probably by Archbishop Feofil (r. 1470–1480) in order to shift the blame from him for his betrayal of the terms of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy, which forbade Novgorod from conducting foreign affairs without grand princely approval.[18] the extent of Boretskaya's role in the Lithuanian party is probably exaggerated, did indeed try to turn to the King of Poland. draft treaty, allegedly found among the loot after the Battle of Shelon River, was drawn up between Casimir and the Novgorodians.[19] The removal of the veche bell from Novgorod (from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible) Muscovite authorities saw Novgorod's behavior as a repudiation of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy and went to war against the city. army of Moscow won a decisive victory in the Battle of Shelon River in July 1471, severely limited Novgorod's freedom to act thereafter, the city maintained its formal independence for the next seven years. 1478, Ivan III sent his army to take the city. destroyed the veche, tore down the Veche bell, the ancient symbol of participatory governance, civil society, and legal rights, and destroyed the library and archives, ending the independence of Novgorod.[20] the takeover, Ivan took 81.7% of Novgorod's land, half for himself and the rest for his allies.[21] Novgorod Chronicle which had been critical of Ivan III before the fall of Novgorod thus described the conquest in its aftermath, it on the grounds of purported conversion of Novgorodians to the Catholic faith:[22] did Great Prince Ivan advance with all his host against his domain of Novgorod of the rebellious spirit of its people, pride conversion to Latinism. a great and overwhelming force did he occupy the entire territory of Novgorod from frontier to frontier, on every part of it the dread powers of his fire and sword. city state of Novgorod had developed procedures of governance that held a large measure of democratic participation in advance of the rest of Europe[23] that share several similarities with the democratic traditions of Scandinavian peasant republics. people had the power to elect city officials they even had the power to elect and fire the prince. Chronicle writer then goes on to describe a "town meeting" where these decisions would have been made, which included people from all social classes ranging from the Posadniki (Burgomaster), to the Chernye Liudi (literally, the black folks) or the lowest free class.[24][25] precise constitution of the medieval Novgorodian Republic is uncertain, traditional histories have created the image of a highly institutionalized network of veches (public assemblies) a government of posadniks (burgomaster), tysyatskys ("thousandmen," the head of the town militia, but a judicial and commercial official), other members of aristocratic families, and the archbishops of Novgorod. was called a republic by Sigismund von Herberstein in his Notes on Muscovite Affairs written at least half a century after the conquest of Novgorod.[6] Marxist scholarship frequently described the political system of Novgorod as a "feudal republic", placing it within the Marxist historiographic periodization (slavery – feudalism – capitalism – socialism – communism).[26][27] scholars today, however, question whether Russia ever really had a feudal political system parallel to that of the medieval West.[citation needed] See also: Diocese of Novgorod and List of bishops and archbishops of Novgorod scholars argue that the archbishop was the head of the executive branch of the government, it is difficult to determine the exact competence of the various officials. It is possible that there was a "Council of Lords" (Совет Господ) was headed by the archbishop and met in the archiepiscopal palace (and in the Chamber of Facets after 1433).[28][29] (at least nominal) executives of Novgorod were always the Princes of Novgorod, invited by Novgorodians from the neighboring states, even though their power waned in the 13th and early 14th centuries.[30][31] is unclear if the archbishop of Novgorod was the real head of state or chief executive of the Novgorod Republic, in any case he remained an important town official. In addition to overseeing the church in Novgorod, he headed embassies, oversaw certain court cases of a secular nature, and carried out other secular tasks. However, the archbishops appear to have worked with the boyars to reach a consensus and almost never acted alone. The archbishop was not appointed, but elected by Novgorodians, and approved by the Metropolitan bishop of Russia.[30] The archbishops were probably the richest single land-owners in Novgorod, and they also made money off court fees, fees for the use of weights and measures in the marketplace, and through other means.[32][33] Veche and posadnik[edit] Main article: Novgorod veche The Veche in Novgorod, by Vasily Khudyakov Another important executive was the Novgorod Posadnik, who chaired the veche, co-chaired courts together with the Prince, oversaw tax collection and managed current affairs of the city. Most of the Prince's major decisions had to be approved by the Posadnik. In the mid-14th century, instead of one Posadnik, the Veche began electing six. These six posadniks kept their status for their lifetimes, and each year elected among themselves a chief Stepennoy Posadnik. Posadniks were almost invariably members of boyars – the city's highest aristocracy.[34] The precise makeup of the veche is also uncertain, although it appears to have comprised members of the urban population, as well as of the free rural population. Whether it was a democratic institution or one controlled by the boyars has been hotly debated. The posadniks, tysiatskys, and even the bishops and archbishops of Novgorod[35] were often elected or at least approved by the veche.[36] Tradespeople and craftsmen also participated in the political affairs of Novgorod the Great. The traditional scholarship argues that they were organized into five "kontsy" ("ends" in Russian) – i.e., the boroughs of the city they lived in; each end was then organized by the streets in which they lived. The ends and streets often bore names indicating that certain trades were concentrated in certain parts of the city (there was a Carpenter's End and a Potters' End, for example). The merchants were organised into associations, of which the most famous were those of wax traders (called Ivan's Hundred) and of the merchants engaged in overseas trade.[37] Novgorod within Kievan Rus' prior to independence. Like much of the rest of Novgorod's medieval history, the precise composition of these organizations is uncertain. It is quite possible that the "ends" and "streets" were simply neighborhood administrative groups rather than guilds or "unions". Street organizations were known to build churches in their neighborhoods and to have buried the dead of their neighborhoods during outbreaks of the plague, but beyond that their activities are uncertain. "Streets" and "ends" may have taken part in political decision-making in Novgorod in support of certain boyar factions or to protect their interests. Merchant "elders" are also noted in treaties and other charters, but only about a hundred of these charters exist. A half dozen date from the 12th century, while most are from after 1262. Thus it is difficult to determine Novgorod's political structure due to the paucity of sources.[38] Prince[edit] The prince, while his status in Novgorod was not inheritable and his power was much reduced, remained an important figure in Novgorodian life. Of around 100 princes of Novgorod, many, if not most, were invited in or dismissed by the Novgorodians. At least some of them signed a contract called a r'ad (ряд), which protected the interests of the Novgorodian boyars and laid out the prince's rights and responsibilities. The r'ads that have been preserved in archives describe the relationship of Novgorod with twelve invited Princes: five of them from Tver', four from Moscow, and three from Lithuania.[39] First and foremost among the prince's functions, he was a military leader. He also patronized churches in the city and held court, although it was often presided over by his namestnik or lieutenant when he was personally absent from the city. The posadnik had always to be present in the court and no court decision could be made without his approval. Also, without the posadnik's approval the prince could neither give out Novgorod lands nor issue laws.[40] Besides, the prince could not own land in Novgorod and could not himself collect taxes from the Novgorod lands. He lived from money given to him by the city.[30] According to several r'ads, the prince could not extradite or prosecute a Novgorodian outside of the Novgorodian Land.[41] The princes had two residences, one on the Marketplace (called Yaroslav's Court, after Yaroslav the Wise), and another (Городище / Riurkovo Gorodische) several miles south of the Market Side of the city. Administrative divisions[edit] Main article: Administrative divisions of the Novgorod Republic The administrative division of Novgorod Republic is not definitely known; the country was divided into several tysyachas (Russian: тысячи, lit. 'thousands') in the core lands of the country, and volosts (Russian: волости) in lands in the east and north that were being colonised or just paid tribute. The city of Novgorod and its vicinity, as well as a few other towns, were not part of any of those. Pskov achieved autonomy from Novgorod in the 13th century; its independence was confirmed by the Treaty of Bolotovo in 1348. Several other towns had special status as they were owned jointly by Novgorod and one of the neighbouring states. Economy[edit] The marketplace in Novgorod, by Apollinary Vasnetsov. See also: Foreign trade of medieval Novgorod The economy of the Novgorodian Republic included farming and animal husbandry (e.g., the archbishops of Novgorod and others raised horses for the Novgorodian army), while hunting, beekeeping, and fishing were also widespread. In most of the regions of the republic, these different "industries" were combined with farming. Iron was mined on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Staraya Russa and other localities were known for their saltworks. Flax and hop cultivation were also of significant importance. Countryside products, such as furs, beeswax, honey, fish, lard, flax, and hops, were sold on the market and exported to other Russian cities or abroad. The real wealth of Novgorod, however, came from the fur trade. The city was the main entrepôt for trade between Rus' and northwestern Europe as it was located at the eastern end of the Baltic trade network established by the Hanseatic League. From Novgorod's northeastern lands ("The Lands Beyond the Portages" as they were called in the chronicles), the area stretching north of Lakes Ladoga and Onega up to the White Sea and east to the Ural Mountains[42] had so much fur that medieval travel accounts tell of furry animals raining from the sky.[43] The Novgorodian merchants traded with Swedish, German, and Danish cities. In early years, the Novgorodians sailed the Baltic themselves (several incidents involving Novgorodian merchants in Gotland and Denmark are reported in the Novgorodian First Chronicle). Orthodox churches for Novgorodian merchants have been excavated on Gotland. Likewise, merchants from Gotland had their own St. Olaf church and trading house in Novgorod. However the Hanseatic League disputed the right of the Novgorod merchants to carry out sea trade independently and to deliver cargoes to the West-European ports by their own ships. Silver, cloth, wine and herring were imported from Western Europe.[37] Foreign coins and silver were used as a currency before Novgorod started minting its own novgorodka coins in 1420.[44][45] Society[edit] More than a half of all Novgorodian privately owned lands had been concentrated in the hands of some 30–40 noble boyar families by the 14th–15th century. These vast estates served as material resources, which secured political supremacy of the boyars. The House of Holy Wisdom (Дом святой Софии, Dom Svyatoy Sofiy) – the main ecclesiastic establishment of Novgorod – was their chief rival in terms of landownership. Its votchinas were located in the most economically developed regions of the Novgorod Land. The Yuriev Monastery, Arkazhsky Monastery, Antoniev Monastery and some other privileged monasteries are known to have been big landowners. There were also the so-called zhityi lyudi (житьи люди), who owned less land than the boyars, and unprivileged small votchina owners called svoyezemtsy (своеземцы, or private landowners). The most common form of labor exploitation – the system of metayage – was typical for the afore-mentioned categories of landowners. Their household economies were mostly serviced by slaves (kholopy), whose number had been constantly decreasing. Along with the metayage, monetary payments also gained significant importance by the 2nd half of the 15th century. 13th-century Novgorod as depicted in Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938) Some scholars argue that the feudal lords tried to legally tie down the peasants to their land. Certain categories of feudally dependent peasants, such as davniye lyudi (давние люди), polovniki (половники), poruchniki (поручники), dolzhniki (должники), were deprived of the right to leave their masters. The boyars and monasteries also tried to restrict other categories of peasants from switching their feudal lords. However, until the late 16th century peasants could leave their land in the weeks preceding and coming after St. George's day in the autumn. Marxist scholars (e.g., Aleksandr Khoroshev) often spoke of class struggle in Novgorod. There were some 80 major uprisings in the republic, which often turned into armed rebellions. The most notable among these took place in 1136, 1207, 1228–29, 1270, 1418, and 1446–47. The extent to which these were based on "class struggle" is unclear. Many were between various boyar factions or, if a revolt did involve the peasants or tradesmen against the boyars, it did not consist of the peasants wanting to overthrow the existing social order, but was more often than not a demand for better rule on the part of the ruling class. There did not seem to be a sense that the office of prince should be abolished or that the peasants should be allowed to run the city. Throughout the republican period, the archbishop of Novgorod was the head of the Orthodox church. The Finnic population of the Novgorod land was undergoing Christianisation. The sect of Strigolniki spread to Novgorod from Pskov in the middle of the 14th century, its members renouncing ecclesiastic hierarchy, monasticism and sacraments of priesthood, communion, repentance and baptism. Another sect, called the heresy of the Judaizers by its opponents appeared in Novgorod in the second half of the 15th century and subsequently enjoyed support at the court in Moscow. Military[edit] Similar to other medieval states in Rus', the military of Novgorod consisted of a levy and the prince's retinue (druzhina).[46] While potentially all free Novgorodians could be mobilised, in reality the number of recruits depended on the level of danger faced by Novgorod. The professional formations included the retinues of the archbishop and prominent boyars, as well as the garrisons of fortresses.[47] Firearms were first mentioned in 1394[48] and in the 15th century fortress artillery was used[49] and cannons were installed on ships.[50] Foreign relations[edit] Medieval Russian states around 1470, including Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Rostov and Moscow. During the era of Kievan Rus', Novgorod was a trade hub at the northern end of both the Volga trade route and the "route from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the Dnieper river system. A vast array of goods were transported along these routes and exchanged with local Novgorod merchants and other traders. The merchants of Gotland retained the Gothic Court trading house well into the 12th century. Later German merchantmen also established tradinghouses in Novgorod. Scandinavian royalty would intermarry with Russian princes and princesses. Hansa, Sweden and Livonian Order[edit] The Battle of the Ice against the Livonian order (16th century chronicle) After the great schism, Novgorod struggled from the beginning of the 13th century against Swedish, Danish, and German crusaders. During the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars, the Swedes invaded lands where some of the population had earlier paid tribute to Novgorod. The Germans had been trying to conquer the Baltic region since the late 12th century. Novgorod went to war 26 times with Sweden and 11 times with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The German knights, along with Danish and Swedish feudal lords, launched a series of uncoordinated attacks in 1240–1242. Novgorodian sources mention that a Swedish army was defeated in the Battle of the Neva in 1240. The Baltic German campaigns ended in failure after the Battle on the Ice in 1242. After the foundation of the castle of Vyborg in 1293 the Swedes gained a foothold in Karelia. On August 12, 1323, Sweden and Novgorod signed the Treaty of Nöteborg, regulating their border for the first time. Mongol invasion and its aftermath[edit] The Novgorod Republic was saved from the direct impact of the Mongol invasion as it was the only Rus principality that was never conquered by the Mongol troops.[51][dubious – discuss] In 1259, Mongol tax-collectors and census-takers arrived in the city, leading to political disturbances and forcing Alexander Nevsky to punish a number of town officials (by cutting off their noses) for defying him as Grand Prince of Vladimir (soon to be the khan's tax-collector in Russia) and his Mongol overlords. In the 14th century, raids by Novgorod pirates, or ushkuiniki,[52] sowed fear as far as Kazan and Astrakhan, assisting Novgorod in wars with Muscovy. Culture[edit] Art and iconography[edit] The Angel with Golden Hair icon (circa 1200) The Republic of Novgorod was famous for its high level of culture in relation to other Russian duchies like Suzdal. A great majority of the most important Eastern artwork of the period came from this city. Citizens of Novgorod were producing large quantities of art, more specifically, religious icons. This high level of artistic production was due to the flourishing economy. Not only would prominent boyar families commission the creation of icons, but artists also had the backing of wealthy merchants and members of the strong artisan class.[53] Icons became so prominent in Novgorod that by the end of the 13th century a citizen did not have to be particularly rich to buy one; in fact, icons were often produced as exports as well as for churches and homes.[54] However, scholars today have managed to find and preserve only a small, random assortment of icons made from the 12th century to the 14th century in Novgorod.[54] The icons that do remain show a mixture of traditional Rus style, Palaeologus-Byzantine style (prominent previously in Kiev), and European Romanesque and Gothic style.[55] The artists of Novgorod, and their audience, favored saints who provided protection mostly related to the economy. The Prophet Elijah was the lord of thunder who provided rain for the peasants' fields. Saint George, Saint Blaise, and Saints Florus and Laurus all provided some manner of protection over the fields or the animals and herds of the peasants. Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and Saint Anastasia both protected trade and merchants. Saint Nicholas was the patron of carpenters and protected travelers and the suffering. Both Saint Nicholas and the Prophet Elijah also offer protection from fires. Fires were commonplace in the fields and on the streets of the city.[56] Depictions of these saints retained popularity throughout the entire reign of the Republic. But in the beginning of the 14th century another icon became prominent in the city: the Virgin of Mercy. This icon commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Andrew Yurodivyi and Epifanii. During this appearance, Mary prays for humankind.[57] The art movement of Novgorod was essentially destroyed by Moscow after 1478, when a more uniform method for iconography was established throughout Russia.[58] Architecture and city layout[edit] The Volkhov River divided the Republic of Novgorod into two-halves. The commercial side of the city, which contained the main market, rested on one side of the Volkhov. The St. Sophia Cathedral and an ancient kremlin rested on the other side of the river.[59] The cathedral and kremlin were surrounded by a solid ring of city walls, which included a bell tower. Novgorod was filled with and surrounded by churches and monasteries.[60] The city was overcrowded because of its large population of 30,000 people. The wealthy (boyar families, artisans, and merchants) lived in large houses inside the city walls, and the poor used whatever space they could find.[59] The streets were paved with wood and were accompanied by a wooden water-pipe system, a Byzantine invention to protect against fire.[59] The Byzantine style (famous for large domes) and the European Romanesque style influenced the architecture of Novgorod.[61] A number of rich families commissioned churches and monasteries in the city. About 83 churches, almost all of which were built in stone, operated during this period.[62] Two prominent styles of churches existed in the Republic of Novgorod. The first style consisted of a single apse with a slanted (lopastnyi) roof. This style was standard throughout Russia during this period. The second style, the Novgorodian style, consisted of three apses and had roofs with arched gables. This second style was prominent in the early years of the Republic of Novgorod and also in the last years of the Republic, when this style was revitalized to make a statement against the rising power of Moscow.[63] The inside of the churches contained icons, woodcarvings, and church plates.[64] The first known one-day votive church was built in Novgorod in 1390 to ward off a pandemic, several others were built in the city until the mid-16th century. As they were built in one day, they were made of wood, small in size and simple in design.[65][66] Literature and literacy[edit] Many birch-bark documents have been found in Novgorod attesting to a high level of literacy among Novgorodians of different social classes See also: Birch bark manuscript Chronicles are the earliest kind of literature known to originate in Novgorod, the oldest one being the Novgorod First Chronicle. Other genres appear in the 14th and 15th centuries: travel diaries (such as the account of Stefan the Novgorodian's travel to Constantinople for trade purposes), legends about local posadniks, saints and Novgorod's wars and victories.[67] The events of many bylinas – traditional Russian oral epic poems – take place in Novgorod. Their protagonists include a merchant and adventurer Sadko and daredevil Vasily Buslayev. Scholars generally believe that the Republic of Novgorod had an unusually high level of literacy for the time period. Archeologists found over one thousand birch-bark texts, all dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries, in towns dating back to the early Rus'. Roughly 950 of these texts were from Novgorod. Archeologists and scholars estimate that as much as 20,000 similar texts still remain in the ground and many more burned down during numerous fires.[68] Novgorod citizens from all class levels, from boyars to peasants and artisans to merchants, participated in writing these texts. Even women wrote a significant amount of the manuscripts.[68] This collection of birch-bark texts consists of religious documents, writings from the city's archbishops, business messages from all classes, and travelogues, especially of religious pilgrimages. The citizens of Novgorod wrote in a realistic and businesslike fashion. In addition to the birch-bark texts, archeologists also found the oldest surviving Russian manuscript in Novgorod: three wax tablets with Psalms 67, 75, and 76, dating from the first quarter of the 11th century.[69] Veliky Novgorod; Hanseatic League; Hanseatic League[a] was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries, from Estonia in the north and east, to the King's Lynn, England in the west,[4][5] and Kraków, Poland, in the south.[6] League originated from various loose associations of German traders and towns formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers. arrangements gradually coalesced into the Hanseatic League, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes. interdependence and kinship ties between merchant families, who held important positions in towns, led to deeper political integration and the removal of obstacles to trade.[7] Cities gradually developed common trade regulations. its heyday, the Hanseatic League dominated maritime trade in the North and Baltic Seas. established trading posts in numerous towns and cities across Europe; some of these, like the Kontors in London (the Steelyard), Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod, became extraterritorial entities that enjoyed considerable legal autonomy. merchants, called Hansards, operated in basic private companies and were widely known for their access to a variety of commodities, and enjoyed privileges and protections abroad. collective economic power made the League capable of imposing blockades and even waging war against kingdoms and principalities. at its peak, the Hanseatic League was never more than a loosely aligned confederation of city-states. lacked a permanent administrative body, a treasury, and a standing military force. the 14th century, the Hanseatic League instated an irregular negotiating diet Low German: dachvart or dach; German: Tagfahrt or Hansetag) operated on deliberation and consensus. By the mid-16th century, these weak connections left the Hanseatic League vulnerable, it gradually unraveled as members became consolidated into other realms or departed, disintegrating in 1669. Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24;

Novgorod the Great, aka Novgorod Republic
Novgorod the Great, aka Novgorod Republic; Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9;

Novgorodians, iHanseatic league, trade&defense org,Merchant guilds&Market towns,iCentral&Northrn Europe
Novgorodians and Hanseatic league, commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in central and Northern Europe, Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries, Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries,The League originated from various loose associations of German traders and towns formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers, These arrangements gradually coalesced into the Hanseatic League, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes; Hanseatic League; Hanseatic League[a] was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries, from Estonia in the north and east, to the King's Lynn, England in the west,[4][5] and Kraków, Poland, in the south.[6] League originated from various loose associations of German traders and towns formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers. arrangements gradually coalesced into the Hanseatic League, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes. interdependence and kinship ties between merchant families, who held important positions in towns, led to deeper political integration and the removal of obstacles to trade.[7] Cities gradually developed common trade regulations. its heyday, the Hanseatic League dominated maritime trade in the North and Baltic Seas. established trading posts in numerous towns and cities across Europe; some of these, like the Kontors in London (the Steelyard), Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod, became extraterritorial entities that enjoyed considerable legal autonomy. merchants, called Hansards, operated in basic private companies and were widely known for their access to a variety of commodities, and enjoyed privileges and protections abroad. collective economic power made the League capable of imposing blockades and even waging war against kingdoms and principalities. at its peak, the Hanseatic League was never more than a loosely aligned confederation of city-states. lacked a permanent administrative body, a treasury, and a standing military force. the 14th century, the Hanseatic League instated an irregular negotiating diet Low German: dachvart or dach; German: Tagfahrt or Hansetag) operated on deliberation and consensus. By the mid-16th century, these weak connections left the Hanseatic League vulnerable, it gradually unraveled as members became consolidated into other realms or departed, disintegrating in 1669. Novgorodians; Novgorod Republic (Russian: Новгородская республика) a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. capital was the city of Novgorod. republic prospered as the easternmost trading post of the Hanseatic League, its people were much influenced by the culture of the Byzantines.[4] state was called Novgorod and Great Novgorod (Russian: Великий Новгород, romanized: Veliky Novgorod) the form Sovereign Lord Novgorod the Great Государь Господин Великий Новгород, romanized: Gosudar Gospodin Veliky Novgorod) common in the 15th century. Novgorod Land and Novgorod volost usually referred to the land belonging to Novgorod. Republic itself is a much later term,[5] the polity was described as a republic as early as in the beginning of the 16th century.[6][7] historians frequently used the terms Novgorod Feudal Republic and Novgorod Boyar Republic.[8] article: Novgorod Land § History was populated by various Slavic tribes that were constantly at war with one another for supremacy. these tribes came together during the beginning of the 9th century to try to form a negotiated settlement to end military aggression amongst each other.[9] Novgorod First Chronicle, a collection of writings depicting the history of Novgorod from 1016 to 1471, states that these tribes wanted to "Seek a prince who may rule over us and judge us according to law."[10] Rus' and its inhabitants were influenced by Vikings.[11][failed verification] walls of the Novgorod Detinets from the late 15th century. The Kokui tower (left) dates from the 17th century; its name is of Swedish origin. Republic[edit] the late 11th century Novgorodians asserted greater control over the determination of their rules and rejected a politically dependent relationship to Kiev.[12] the Rus, the Novgorodians were the first to reach the regions between the Arctic Ocean and Lake Onega. though there is no definitive account of the precise timing of their arrival at the northern rivers that flowed into the Arctic, are chronicles which mention that one expedition reached the Pechora River in 1032, trading was established as early as in 1096 with the Yugra tribe.[13] also stated that the Novgorodians paid tribute to the Prince of Kiev by 1113. time after this, the administration of the principality seemed to have matured. Novgorod tysiatskii and posadniki appointed boyars from the cities and collected revenues for administration in the territories it held. charter from the 1130s mentioned 30 administrative posts in Novgorod territory, revenues were collected regularly and sent as a tithe to the Novgorod bishop. the 12th century, Novgorod utilized the Baltic-Volga-Caspian trade route, only for trading but also for bringing food from the fertile Oka region to their city.[13] comprised the territory of the important Oka region and lands along the vital Sheksna River. river lay in the Northern Volga tributary region. controlled the river was able to block food supplies causing a famine in Novgorod. due to these fears, Novgorod led a failed invasion of Suzdal in 1134. They tried again and succeeded in 1149. Novgorod, in a bid to appease Suzdal, accepted some Suzdalians as rulers of Novgorod. these events, Suzdal still blocked off trade to Novgorod twice and intercepted Novgorod's tributes.[13] 1136, the Novgorodians dismissed Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich and over the next century and a half were able to invite in and dismiss a number of princes. these invitations or dismissals were often based on who was the dominant prince in Rus' at the time, and not on any independent thinking on the part of Novgorod.[14] city of Pskov, initially part of Novgorod Land, had de facto independence from as early as the 13th century after opening a trading post for merchants of the Hanseatic League. princes such as Vsevolod Mstislavich (before 1117–1138) and Dovmont (c. 1240–1299) reigned in Pskov without any deference to, or consultation with, the prince or other officials in Novgorod. independence of the Pskov Republic was acknowledged in the 1348 Treaty of Bolotovo. the Archbishop of Novgorod continued to head the church in Pskov and kept the title "Archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov" until 1589. Republic was the subject of political rivalry between Poland and Lithuania on one side the Grand Duchy of Moscow on the other side in the 14th and 15th centuries. the 12th–15th centuries, the Novgorodian Republic expanded east and northeast. Novgorodians explored the areas around Lake Onega, along the Northern Dvina, and coastlines of the White Sea. the beginning of the 14th century, the Novgorodians explored the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, and the West-Siberian river Ob. lands to the north of the city, rich with fur, sea fauna and salt among others were of great economic importance to the Novgorodians, fought a protracted series of wars with Moscow beginning in the late 14th century in order to keep these lands. them meant economic and cultural decline for the city and its inhabitants. the ultimate failure of the Novgorodians to win these wars led to the downfall of the Novgorod Republic.[citation needed] of the Republic[edit] Martha the Mayoress at the Destruction of the Novgorod veche, by Klavdiy Lebedev Tver, Muscovy, and Lithuania fought over control of Novgorod and its enormous wealth from the 14th century. becoming the Grand Prince of Vladimir, Yaroslavich of Tver sent his governors to Novgorod. series of disagreements with Mikhail pushed Novgorod towards closer ties with Muscovy during the reign of Grand Prince George. part, Tver's proximity Tver Principality is contiguous with the Novgorodian Land) Novgorod. was feared that a Tverite prince would annex Novgorodian lands and thus weaken the Republic. the time, though, Muscovy did not border Novgorod, since the Muscovite princes were further afield, they were more acceptable as princes of Novgorod. could come to Novgorod's aid when needed but would be too far away to meddle too much in the Republic's affairs. Muscovy grew in strength, however, the Muscovite princes became a serious threat to Novgorod. Kalita, Simeon the Proud and other Muscovite monarchs sought to limit Novgorod's independence. 1397, a critical conflict took place between Muscovy and Novgorod, when Moscow annexed the Dvina Lands along the course of the Northern Dvina. lands were crucial to Novgorod's well-being since much of the city's furs came from there.[15][16] territory was returned to Novgorod the following year. the Muscovite oppression, the government of Novgorod sought an alliance with Poland–Lithuania. Novgorodian boyars wished to maintain the Republic's independence since if Novgorod were to be conquered, the boyars' wealth would flow to the grand prince and his Muscovite boyars, the Novgorodians would fall into decline. of them didn't earn enough to pay for war.[17] to tradition, Marfa Boretskaya, the wife of Posadnik Isak Boretskii, was the main proponent of an alliance with Poland-Lithuania to save the Republic. to this legend, Boretskaya invited the Lithuanian princeling Mikhail Olelkovich and asked him to become her husband and the ruler of Novgorod. also concluded an alliance with Casimir, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. prospects of changing allegiance in favor of the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania caused a major commotion among the commoners. Martin and Gail Lenhoff have recently argued that Boretskaya was scapegoated, probably by Archbishop Feofil (r. 1470–1480) in order to shift the blame from him for his betrayal of the terms of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy, which forbade Novgorod from conducting foreign affairs without grand princely approval.[18] the extent of Boretskaya's role in the Lithuanian party is probably exaggerated, did indeed try to turn to the King of Poland. draft treaty, allegedly found among the loot after the Battle of Shelon River, was drawn up between Casimir and the Novgorodians.[19] The removal of the veche bell from Novgorod (from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible) Muscovite authorities saw Novgorod's behavior as a repudiation of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy and went to war against the city. army of Moscow won a decisive victory in the Battle of Shelon River in July 1471, severely limited Novgorod's freedom to act thereafter, the city maintained its formal independence for the next seven years. 1478, Ivan III sent his army to take the city. destroyed the veche, tore down the Veche bell, the ancient symbol of participatory governance, civil society, and legal rights, and destroyed the library and archives, ending the independence of Novgorod.[20] the takeover, Ivan took 81.7% of Novgorod's land, half for himself and the rest for his allies.[21] Novgorod Chronicle which had been critical of Ivan III before the fall of Novgorod thus described the conquest in its aftermath, it on the grounds of purported conversion of Novgorodians to the Catholic faith:[22] did Great Prince Ivan advance with all his host against his domain of Novgorod of the rebellious spirit of its people, pride conversion to Latinism. a great and overwhelming force did he occupy the entire territory of Novgorod from frontier to frontier, on every part of it the dread powers of his fire and sword. city state of Novgorod had developed procedures of governance that held a large measure of democratic participation in advance of the rest of Europe[23] that share several similarities with the democratic traditions of Scandinavian peasant republics. people had the power to elect city officials they even had the power to elect and fire the prince. Chronicle writer then goes on to describe a "town meeting" where these decisions would have been made, which included people from all social classes ranging from the Posadniki (Burgomaster), to the Chernye Liudi (literally, the black folks) or the lowest free class.[24][25] precise constitution of the medieval Novgorodian Republic is uncertain, traditional histories have created the image of a highly institutionalized network of veches (public assemblies) a government of posadniks (burgomaster), tysyatskys ("thousandmen," the head of the town militia, but a judicial and commercial official), other members of aristocratic families, and the archbishops of Novgorod. was called a republic by Sigismund von Herberstein in his Notes on Muscovite Affairs written at least half a century after the conquest of Novgorod.[6] Marxist scholarship frequently described the political system of Novgorod as a "feudal republic", placing it within the Marxist historiographic periodization (slavery – feudalism – capitalism – socialism – communism).[26][27] scholars today, however, question whether Russia ever really had a feudal political system parallel to that of the medieval West.[citation needed] See also: Diocese of Novgorod and List of bishops and archbishops of Novgorod scholars argue that the archbishop was the head of the executive branch of the government, it is difficult to determine the exact competence of the various officials. It is possible that there was a "Council of Lords" (Совет Господ) was headed by the archbishop and met in the archiepiscopal palace (and in the Chamber of Facets after 1433).[28][29] (at least nominal) executives of Novgorod were always the Princes of Novgorod, invited by Novgorodians from the neighboring states, even though their power waned in the 13th and early 14th centuries.[30][31] is unclear if the archbishop of Novgorod was the real head of state or chief executive of the Novgorod Republic, in any case he remained an important town official. In addition to overseeing the church in Novgorod, he headed embassies, oversaw certain court cases of a secular nature, and carried out other secular tasks. However, the archbishops appear to have worked with the boyars to reach a consensus and almost never acted alone. The archbishop was not appointed, but elected by Novgorodians, and approved by the Metropolitan bishop of Russia.[30] The archbishops were probably the richest single land-owners in Novgorod, and they also made money off court fees, fees for the use of weights and measures in the marketplace, and through other means.[32][33] Veche and posadnik[edit] Main article: Novgorod veche The Veche in Novgorod, by Vasily Khudyakov Another important executive was the Novgorod Posadnik, who chaired the veche, co-chaired courts together with the Prince, oversaw tax collection and managed current affairs of the city. Most of the Prince's major decisions had to be approved by the Posadnik. In the mid-14th century, instead of one Posadnik, the Veche began electing six. These six posadniks kept their status for their lifetimes, and each year elected among themselves a chief Stepennoy Posadnik. Posadniks were almost invariably members of boyars – the city's highest aristocracy.[34] The precise makeup of the veche is also uncertain, although it appears to have comprised members of the urban population, as well as of the free rural population. Whether it was a democratic institution or one controlled by the boyars has been hotly debated. The posadniks, tysiatskys, and even the bishops and archbishops of Novgorod[35] were often elected or at least approved by the veche.[36] Tradespeople and craftsmen also participated in the political affairs of Novgorod the Great. The traditional scholarship argues that they were organized into five "kontsy" ("ends" in Russian) – i.e., the boroughs of the city they lived in; each end was then organized by the streets in which they lived. The ends and streets often bore names indicating that certain trades were concentrated in certain parts of the city (there was a Carpenter's End and a Potters' End, for example). The merchants were organised into associations, of which the most famous were those of wax traders (called Ivan's Hundred) and of the merchants engaged in overseas trade.[37] Novgorod within Kievan Rus' prior to independence. Like much of the rest of Novgorod's medieval history, the precise composition of these organizations is uncertain. It is quite possible that the "ends" and "streets" were simply neighborhood administrative groups rather than guilds or "unions". Street organizations were known to build churches in their neighborhoods and to have buried the dead of their neighborhoods during outbreaks of the plague, but beyond that their activities are uncertain. "Streets" and "ends" may have taken part in political decision-making in Novgorod in support of certain boyar factions or to protect their interests. Merchant "elders" are also noted in treaties and other charters, but only about a hundred of these charters exist. A half dozen date from the 12th century, while most are from after 1262. Thus it is difficult to determine Novgorod's political structure due to the paucity of sources.[38] Prince[edit] The prince, while his status in Novgorod was not inheritable and his power was much reduced, remained an important figure in Novgorodian life. Of around 100 princes of Novgorod, many, if not most, were invited in or dismissed by the Novgorodians. At least some of them signed a contract called a r'ad (ряд), which protected the interests of the Novgorodian boyars and laid out the prince's rights and responsibilities. The r'ads that have been preserved in archives describe the relationship of Novgorod with twelve invited Princes: five of them from Tver', four from Moscow, and three from Lithuania.[39] First and foremost among the prince's functions, he was a military leader. He also patronized churches in the city and held court, although it was often presided over by his namestnik or lieutenant when he was personally absent from the city. The posadnik had always to be present in the court and no court decision could be made without his approval. Also, without the posadnik's approval the prince could neither give out Novgorod lands nor issue laws.[40] Besides, the prince could not own land in Novgorod and could not himself collect taxes from the Novgorod lands. He lived from money given to him by the city.[30] According to several r'ads, the prince could not extradite or prosecute a Novgorodian outside of the Novgorodian Land.[41] The princes had two residences, one on the Marketplace (called Yaroslav's Court, after Yaroslav the Wise), and another (Городище / Riurkovo Gorodische) several miles south of the Market Side of the city. Administrative divisions[edit] Main article: Administrative divisions of the Novgorod Republic The administrative division of Novgorod Republic is not definitely known; the country was divided into several tysyachas (Russian: тысячи, lit. 'thousands') in the core lands of the country, and volosts (Russian: волости) in lands in the east and north that were being colonised or just paid tribute. The city of Novgorod and its vicinity, as well as a few other towns, were not part of any of those. Pskov achieved autonomy from Novgorod in the 13th century; its independence was confirmed by the Treaty of Bolotovo in 1348. Several other towns had special status as they were owned jointly by Novgorod and one of the neighbouring states. Economy[edit] The marketplace in Novgorod, by Apollinary Vasnetsov. See also: Foreign trade of medieval Novgorod The economy of the Novgorodian Republic included farming and animal husbandry (e.g., the archbishops of Novgorod and others raised horses for the Novgorodian army), while hunting, beekeeping, and fishing were also widespread. In most of the regions of the republic, these different "industries" were combined with farming. Iron was mined on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Staraya Russa and other localities were known for their saltworks. Flax and hop cultivation were also of significant importance. Countryside products, such as furs, beeswax, honey, fish, lard, flax, and hops, were sold on the market and exported to other Russian cities or abroad. The real wealth of Novgorod, however, came from the fur trade. The city was the main entrepôt for trade between Rus' and northwestern Europe as it was located at the eastern end of the Baltic trade network established by the Hanseatic League. From Novgorod's northeastern lands ("The Lands Beyond the Portages" as they were called in the chronicles), the area stretching north of Lakes Ladoga and Onega up to the White Sea and east to the Ural Mountains[42] had so much fur that medieval travel accounts tell of furry animals raining from the sky.[43] The Novgorodian merchants traded with Swedish, German, and Danish cities. In early years, the Novgorodians sailed the Baltic themselves (several incidents involving Novgorodian merchants in Gotland and Denmark are reported in the Novgorodian First Chronicle). Orthodox churches for Novgorodian merchants have been excavated on Gotland. Likewise, merchants from Gotland had their own St. Olaf church and trading house in Novgorod. However the Hanseatic League disputed the right of the Novgorod merchants to carry out sea trade independently and to deliver cargoes to the West-European ports by their own ships. Silver, cloth, wine and herring were imported from Western Europe.[37] Foreign coins and silver were used as a currency before Novgorod started minting its own novgorodka coins in 1420.[44][45] Society[edit] More than a half of all Novgorodian privately owned lands had been concentrated in the hands of some 30–40 noble boyar families by the 14th–15th century. These vast estates served as material resources, which secured political supremacy of the boyars. The House of Holy Wisdom (Дом святой Софии, Dom Svyatoy Sofiy) – the main ecclesiastic establishment of Novgorod – was their chief rival in terms of landownership. Its votchinas were located in the most economically developed regions of the Novgorod Land. The Yuriev Monastery, Arkazhsky Monastery, Antoniev Monastery and some other privileged monasteries are known to have been big landowners. There were also the so-called zhityi lyudi (житьи люди), who owned less land than the boyars, and unprivileged small votchina owners called svoyezemtsy (своеземцы, or private landowners). The most common form of labor exploitation – the system of metayage – was typical for the afore-mentioned categories of landowners. Their household economies were mostly serviced by slaves (kholopy), whose number had been constantly decreasing. Along with the metayage, monetary payments also gained significant importance by the 2nd half of the 15th century. 13th-century Novgorod as depicted in Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938) Some scholars argue that the feudal lords tried to legally tie down the peasants to their land. Certain categories of feudally dependent peasants, such as davniye lyudi (давние люди), polovniki (половники), poruchniki (поручники), dolzhniki (должники), were deprived of the right to leave their masters. The boyars and monasteries also tried to restrict other categories of peasants from switching their feudal lords. However, until the late 16th century peasants could leave their land in the weeks preceding and coming after St. George's day in the autumn. Marxist scholars (e.g., Aleksandr Khoroshev) often spoke of class struggle in Novgorod. There were some 80 major uprisings in the republic, which often turned into armed rebellions. The most notable among these took place in 1136, 1207, 1228–29, 1270, 1418, and 1446–47. The extent to which these were based on "class struggle" is unclear. Many were between various boyar factions or, if a revolt did involve the peasants or tradesmen against the boyars, it did not consist of the peasants wanting to overthrow the existing social order, but was more often than not a demand for better rule on the part of the ruling class. There did not seem to be a sense that the office of prince should be abolished or that the peasants should be allowed to run the city. Throughout the republican period, the archbishop of Novgorod was the head of the Orthodox church. The Finnic population of the Novgorod land was undergoing Christianisation. The sect of Strigolniki spread to Novgorod from Pskov in the middle of the 14th century, its members renouncing ecclesiastic hierarchy, monasticism and sacraments of priesthood, communion, repentance and baptism. Another sect, called the heresy of the Judaizers by its opponents appeared in Novgorod in the second half of the 15th century and subsequently enjoyed support at the court in Moscow. Military[edit] Similar to other medieval states in Rus', the military of Novgorod consisted of a levy and the prince's retinue (druzhina).[46] While potentially all free Novgorodians could be mobilised, in reality the number of recruits depended on the level of danger faced by Novgorod. The professional formations included the retinues of the archbishop and prominent boyars, as well as the garrisons of fortresses.[47] Firearms were first mentioned in 1394[48] and in the 15th century fortress artillery was used[49] and cannons were installed on ships.[50] Foreign relations[edit] Medieval Russian states around 1470, including Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Rostov and Moscow. During the era of Kievan Rus', Novgorod was a trade hub at the northern end of both the Volga trade route and the "route from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the Dnieper river system. A vast array of goods were transported along these routes and exchanged with local Novgorod merchants and other traders. The merchants of Gotland retained the Gothic Court trading house well into the 12th century. Later German merchantmen also established tradinghouses in Novgorod. Scandinavian royalty would intermarry with Russian princes and princesses. Hansa, Sweden and Livonian Order[edit] The Battle of the Ice against the Livonian order (16th century chronicle) After the great schism, Novgorod struggled from the beginning of the 13th century against Swedish, Danish, and German crusaders. During the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars, the Swedes invaded lands where some of the population had earlier paid tribute to Novgorod. The Germans had been trying to conquer the Baltic region since the late 12th century. Novgorod went to war 26 times with Sweden and 11 times with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The German knights, along with Danish and Swedish feudal lords, launched a series of uncoordinated attacks in 1240–1242. Novgorodian sources mention that a Swedish army was defeated in the Battle of the Neva in 1240. The Baltic German campaigns ended in failure after the Battle on the Ice in 1242. After the foundation of the castle of Vyborg in 1293 the Swedes gained a foothold in Karelia. On August 12, 1323, Sweden and Novgorod signed the Treaty of Nöteborg, regulating their border for the first time. Mongol invasion and its aftermath[edit] The Novgorod Republic was saved from the direct impact of the Mongol invasion as it was the only Rus principality that was never conquered by the Mongol troops.[51][dubious – discuss] In 1259, Mongol tax-collectors and census-takers arrived in the city, leading to political disturbances and forcing Alexander Nevsky to punish a number of town officials (by cutting off their noses) for defying him as Grand Prince of Vladimir (soon to be the khan's tax-collector in Russia) and his Mongol overlords. In the 14th century, raids by Novgorod pirates, or ushkuiniki,[52] sowed fear as far as Kazan and Astrakhan, assisting Novgorod in wars with Muscovy. Culture[edit] Art and iconography[edit] The Angel with Golden Hair icon (circa 1200) The Republic of Novgorod was famous for its high level of culture in relation to other Russian duchies like Suzdal. A great majority of the most important Eastern artwork of the period came from this city. Citizens of Novgorod were producing large quantities of art, more specifically, religious icons. This high level of artistic production was due to the flourishing economy. Not only would prominent boyar families commission the creation of icons, but artists also had the backing of wealthy merchants and members of the strong artisan class.[53] Icons became so prominent in Novgorod that by the end of the 13th century a citizen did not have to be particularly rich to buy one; in fact, icons were often produced as exports as well as for churches and homes.[54] However, scholars today have managed to find and preserve only a small, random assortment of icons made from the 12th century to the 14th century in Novgorod.[54] The icons that do remain show a mixture of traditional Rus style, Palaeologus-Byzantine style (prominent previously in Kiev), and European Romanesque and Gothic style.[55] The artists of Novgorod, and their audience, favored saints who provided protection mostly related to the economy. The Prophet Elijah was the lord of thunder who provided rain for the peasants' fields. Saint George, Saint Blaise, and Saints Florus and Laurus all provided some manner of protection over the fields or the animals and herds of the peasants. Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and Saint Anastasia both protected trade and merchants. Saint Nicholas was the patron of carpenters and protected travelers and the suffering. Both Saint Nicholas and the Prophet Elijah also offer protection from fires. Fires were commonplace in the fields and on the streets of the city.[56] Depictions of these saints retained popularity throughout the entire reign of the Republic. But in the beginning of the 14th century another icon became prominent in the city: the Virgin of Mercy. This icon commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Andrew Yurodivyi and Epifanii. During this appearance, Mary prays for humankind.[57] The art movement of Novgorod was essentially destroyed by Moscow after 1478, when a more uniform method for iconography was established throughout Russia.[58] Architecture and city layout[edit] The Volkhov River divided the Republic of Novgorod into two-halves. The commercial side of the city, which contained the main market, rested on one side of the Volkhov. The St. Sophia Cathedral and an ancient kremlin rested on the other side of the river.[59] The cathedral and kremlin were surrounded by a solid ring of city walls, which included a bell tower. Novgorod was filled with and surrounded by churches and monasteries.[60] The city was overcrowded because of its large population of 30,000 people. The wealthy (boyar families, artisans, and merchants) lived in large houses inside the city walls, and the poor used whatever space they could find.[59] The streets were paved with wood and were accompanied by a wooden water-pipe system, a Byzantine invention to protect against fire.[59] The Byzantine style (famous for large domes) and the European Romanesque style influenced the architecture of Novgorod.[61] A number of rich families commissioned churches and monasteries in the city. About 83 churches, almost all of which were built in stone, operated during this period.[62] Two prominent styles of churches existed in the Republic of Novgorod. The first style consisted of a single apse with a slanted (lopastnyi) roof. This style was standard throughout Russia during this period. The second style, the Novgorodian style, consisted of three apses and had roofs with arched gables. This second style was prominent in the early years of the Republic of Novgorod and also in the last years of the Republic, when this style was revitalized to make a statement against the rising power of Moscow.[63] The inside of the churches contained icons, woodcarvings, and church plates.[64] The first known one-day votive church was built in Novgorod in 1390 to ward off a pandemic, several others were built in the city until the mid-16th century. As they were built in one day, they were made of wood, small in size and simple in design.[65][66] Literature and literacy[edit] Many birch-bark documents have been found in Novgorod attesting to a high level of literacy among Novgorodians of different social classes See also: Birch bark manuscript Chronicles are the earliest kind of literature known to originate in Novgorod, the oldest one being the Novgorod First Chronicle. Other genres appear in the 14th and 15th centuries: travel diaries (such as the account of Stefan the Novgorodian's travel to Constantinople for trade purposes), legends about local posadniks, saints and Novgorod's wars and victories.[67] The events of many bylinas – traditional Russian oral epic poems – take place in Novgorod. Their protagonists include a merchant and adventurer Sadko and daredevil Vasily Buslayev. Scholars generally believe that the Republic of Novgorod had an unusually high level of literacy for the time period. Archeologists found over one thousand birch-bark texts, all dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries, in towns dating back to the early Rus'. Roughly 950 of these texts were from Novgorod. Archeologists and scholars estimate that as much as 20,000 similar texts still remain in the ground and many more burned down during numerous fires.[68] Novgorod citizens from all class levels, from boyars to peasants and artisans to merchants, participated in writing these texts. Even women wrote a significant amount of the manuscripts.[68] This collection of birch-bark texts consists of religious documents, writings from the city's archbishops, business messages from all classes, and travelogues, especially of religious pilgrimages. The citizens of Novgorod wrote in a realistic and businesslike fashion. In addition to the birch-bark texts, archeologists also found the oldest surviving Russian manuscript in Novgorod: three wax tablets with Psalms 67, 75, and 76, dating from the first quarter of the 11th century.[69] Veliky Novgorod; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24;

Novgorodians - Why Novgorod was a uniquie Russian City, New Novgorod, 1080
New Novgorod, the unique Russian City ; almost all aspects of life and politics, Novgorod was very different from other cities of medieval Russia. explain why. the most prominent and powerful city of northwestern Rus in the Middle Ages, and being very popular with European merchants, Novgorod was unlike any other settlement in the lands of the Eastern Slavs during that era. medieval Russian cities grew around the main fortress, which was the political and religious heart of the community. however, emerged from a union of three settlements inhabited by different Slavic tribes. them, it became a “new city” – this is how “Novgorod” is literally translated from Russian (Novy – “new”, and gorod – “city”). the 14th and 15th centuries, during its heyday as a commercial and political power, the city of Novgorod was officially known as Gospodin Velikiy Novgorod – literally “The Great Master Novgorod”. city was almost an empire, controlling vast lands from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east, and from the White Sea in the north to the upper Volga in the south. Kiev, it was the second most powerful city in medieval Rus. Making Novgorod great Novgorod market in the 17th century Novgorod market in the 17th century Apollinariy Vasnetsov commerce was the foundation of Novgorod's prosperity, which truly made it great and powerful. local craftsmen – weavers and tanners, jewelers and glass blowers, potters and foundry workers, gunsmiths and locksmiths – were famous throughout the Russian lands. Novgorod also did a brisk trade with Western Europe via the Baltic Sea trade routes. the end of the 13th century, merchants from the Hanseatic League developed strong trade relations with Novgorod. Hanseatic League was the largest trade association of merchants from major German cities situated along the Baltic and North seas, but it also maintained four representative offices outside of the German-speaking world – in Novgorod, Bruges, Bergen and London. Guests from over the sea, Nikolai Rerikh, 1901 Guests from over the sea, Nikolai Rerikh, 1901 Nikolai Rerikh German merchants came to Novgorod to make wholesale purchases, and deals were concluded at the Hanseatic League's representative office. a merchant from any other Russian city couldn't enter the office's territory and make deals there. merchants were eager to come to Novgorod to sell prized luxury goods such as wine, expensive fabrics, ornamental stones, and precious metals. return, Novgorod sold fine and precious furs such as squirrel, weasel, and sable. Novgorod also massively exported honey, leather, wax (which Europe needed to make church candles), and walrus ivory. republic Velikiy Novgorod Velikiy Novgorod Apollinariy Vasnetsov ’s political system was unique among the myriad of city-states and principalities of medieval Rus; it was ruled by a small circle of boyar families that owned huge fiefdoms both near the city and in remote northern lands. title of boyar in Novgorod was hereditary, a fact that distinguished the city from the rest of Russia, the title of boyar usually was bestowed upon military commanders who were close to the Rurikid princes. fact that Novgorod was ruled solely by locally-born aristocracy was actually a prominent feature in the principality’s unique form of republican government. READ MORE: Who were the Russian boyars? the boyars in the rest of the Russian lands, the boyars of Novgorod weren’t military commanders. Rather, they were locally-born landowners and high-profile international traders who also were proficient in politics. supreme authority in Novgorod was the Veche, a kind of parliament that included the wealthiest and most influential men in the city. upper part of the Veche included at least 300 boyars – 14th century German sources report that the main assembly in Novgorod was called the "300 golden belts". Veche met in public on the square near the central market, and its convocation was announced by the famous Veche bell, a symbol of Novgorod’s freedom and independence. veche was not unique to Novgorod, however, and it was also a feature of the political system in other cities of medieval Rus until the time when Moscow began to solidify control over the other principalities to form a centralized Russian state. Only in Novgorod did the Veche exist up to the 15th century. Veche was so powerful that it elected and could even expel the prince; it also issued laws, declared war and made peace, established taxes and duties. the members of the Veche chose a posadnik, who was the managerial head of the city. He monitored whether the prince fulfilled the terms of the agreement with the city, as well as managed Novgorod’s possessions and was responsible for law enforcement, the courts, and even signed diplomatic treaties. prince of Novgorod had to represent the city to the other Russian lands and was responsible for the city’s defense. political life of Novgorodians, however, was not limited to the central Veche; ordinary Novgorodians also had the chance to participate in the city’s local street and district veches. The boyars used these meetings to promote their interests and fight against their opponents. city’s religious authorities enjoyed great freedom ever since the people of Novgorod were able to secure autonomy for their archbishop. the beginning of the 12th century, the Kiev bishop (known as a “metropolitan”) basically rubber stamped whatever candidate was proposed by the Novgorodians for this position. archbishop had his own regiment for protection, participated in diplomatic negotiations and put his official seal on international agreements. in princes Yaroslav the Wise, Nikolai Rerikh, 1941-1942 Yaroslav the Wise, Nikolai Rerikh, 1941-1942 Nikolai Rerikh of the rights of the princes began in Novgorod during the lifetime of Yaroslav the Wise (978 – 1054), agreed to give special privileges to the Novgorod boyars vis-a-vis the prince in exchange for support in the struggle for control of Kiev. did not develop a separate princely dynasty after the death of Yaroslav, the city was at the source of the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks” and was closely connected with Kiev. he died in 1054, Yaroslav the Wise bequeathed Kiev and Novgorod to his eldest son. As a result, the princely line that ruled Kiev usually chose a prince to rule in Novgorod, or Novgorod had the same prince as Kiev did. 1136, a rebellion in Novgorod led to the expulsion of the prince. From then on, the Novgorodians invited princes themselves and concluded a temporary agreement with them, according to which they could not interfere in the affairs of city management, change the highest officials and acquire lands on the outskirts of the Novgorod republic. case of any violation of the agreement, the prince was expelled from the city, and the Veche selected a new candidate. changes more than once had a serious impact on the life of all the principalities of Rus. such treatment of the princes, all the major figures of Kievan Rus, who were the builders of the future united Russian state – from Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Monomakh – reigned in Novgorod before ascending the throne in Kiev. Symbolically, Novgorod was also the first place where Rurik reigned in Russia. most literate city in Russia Birch bark letter #1 Birch bark letter #1 State Historical Museum July 26, 1951, archaeological excavations in Novgorod found the first letter written on birch bark, with a discernible text carved on the surface. total, more than 1100 such letters were found in Novgorod and about 100 in other cities of medieval Russia. analysis of Novgorod’s birch-bark letters allowed scholars to reconstruct the everyday life of the city and its inhabitants over the course of the 11th to the 15th centuries, which was the golden era of the Novgorod Republic. texts on birch bark testify to widespread literacy among the people of Novgorod who wrote to each other often and on a variety of matters, where they discussed household affairs, commercial transactions, as well as court decisions and simply the local gossip. Both men and women were literate, which was unheard of for Western Europe at this time. READ MORE: How did single women survive in Tsarist Russia? birch-barks showed that the position of women in Novgorod society was quite prominent, and they conducted their own affairs, concluded commercial transactions, dispatched their husbands orders, as well as appeared in court, including on financial issues; and in general were actively engaged in economic activity. the letters there were also touching declarations of love, such as the famous letter written by an unknown young woman in the 12th century: "I sent to you three times. What evil do you have against me that you did not come to me?" birch-bark letter contains one of the first records of Russian cursing. heroes, its tragic fall and legacy today Sadko, Ilya Repin, 1876 Sadko, Ilya Repin, 1876 Ilya Repin ’s political structure and the nature of its economy created special cultural and real heroes. the characters of the Russian bylinas who spend their time lying on the stove and waiting for an opportunity to stand up for the Novgorod's main hero, Sadko, who is a handsome man, as well as gusli player and merchant, is relentless in his pursuit of money and fame. successfully swindles the sea tsar and wraps him around his finger, and once he is rich, he swears to buy up all Novgorod’s goods. In some versions of the legend he even succeeds. atypical Novgorod hero, one not from a bylina but rather someone from real history, was the leader of the local resistance against Moscow. Boretskaya (or Marfa Posadnitsa because Marfa's second husband was a posadnik) from an influential boyar family and owned vast tracts of land that were already in her family’s possession, as well as those lands that she inherited after the death of her first husband. The taking away of the Novgorod Veche bell. Marfa Posadnitsa. 1889 The taking away of the Novgorod Veche bell. Marfa Posadnitsa. 1889 Klavdiy Lebedev in the 15th century the Grand Prince of Moscow, Ivan III, began to unite the Russian lands by conquering other cities, entered into negotiations with the Lithuanian Grand Duke to propose a merger with Novgorod on the condition that it maintains its rights of autonomy. READ MORE: How Russians executed... bells learned about the negotiations, Ivan III declared war on Novgorod, and in 1478 the republic ceased to exist. a sign of the abolition of Novgorod’s Veche, the famous bell was taken to Moscow, and the most promised townspeople were repressed. Marfa's lands were confiscated, and she herself soon died. while Novgorod has long disappeared from the map as an independent political entity, its legacy resonates today in the modern era. the dawn of Russian history Novogorod accepted Rurik to reign, thereby laying the foundation of Russian statehood. the city and its republican form of government showed that the path to rigid centralization and the absolute power of the Grand Prince was not the only possible political path for Russia. using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

Russia, Novgorod, Novgorod tGreat, Kiev Princes protected Cities fOutside, Boyers&Church leaders ruled Cities
Novgorod the Great; the Great was a city-state located in northwestern Russia, existing from the mid-tenth century to its annexation by Muscovy in 1478. Novgorod was named in the Laurentian redaction of the Primary Chronicle as the political seat occupied by Ryurik in 862, archaeological evidence indicates that the city was founded in the mid-tenth century. on the Volkhov River near its origins at Lake Ilmen, the city quickly emerged as a leading commercial center. after Prince Vladimir adopted Christianity for Kievan Rus, Novgorod became the seat of a bishopric and became a major ecclesiastic and cultural center. political institutions represented an alternative to the strong princely regime developing in northeastern Russia. At the peak of its power, Novgorod controlled lands stretching from the Baltic Sea to the White Sea and the northern Urals Mountains, but it was subjugated by Muscovy in 1478. organization and history Kievan Rus formed, Novgorod emerged as the second most important city of that state. princes appointed their sons or other close associates to govern Novgorod. when Svyatoslav died in 972, his son Vladimir was serving as prince in Novgorod. Similarly, when Vladimir died in 1015, his son Yaroslav was ruling Novgorod. Svyatoslav and Vladimir were able to use troops from Novgorod and Scandinavia to secure their own positions as princes of Kiev. it has been argued that Prince Yaroslav of Kiev intended Novgorod to become the hereditary seat of his son Vladimir, most scholars concur that Novgorod continued to be ruled by appointees of the Kievan princes. arrangement distinguished Novgorod from the other major towns of Kievan Rus, towns which, during the eleventh century, became patrimonies of different branches of the Rurikid dynasty. 1136 the Novgorodians asserted their right to name their own prince. the next century they selected princes from the Rurikid dynastic lines that ruled in Chernigov, Smolensk, and Vladimir-Suzdal and that competed for power in Kievan Rus. affiliation with a particular dynastic branch frequently gave its princes advantages over their competitors. Novgorod consequently also became an object of contention among the rival dynastic branches, which sought to influence Novgorod's choice of prince through political, economic, and military pressure. 1148–1149 and again in 1169 Novgorod clashed violently with Suzdalia, which was able to block supplies, including food, to the city. the second quarter of the thirteenth century, princes from Vladimir-Suzdal had gained dominance in Novgorod. the absence of a single branch of the dynasty permanently ruling the city and its associated lands, Novgorod developed a political system that was unique within the lands of Rus. exercised considerable authority and were responsible for defending the city. they were obliged to reside outside the city and to govern in conjunction with the city's administrators, its mayor (posadnik ) and militia commander (tysyatsky ), who were elected from Novgorod's wealthy, landowning elite, known as the Novgorodian boyars. addition, the city irregularly convened a town assembly, or veche. bishops of Novgorod, elevated to archbishops in 1165 and regarded as significant unifying influences in the city, also participated in the city's administration, its diplomatic affairs, its economic activities, and its judicial system. functions of these offices and institutions and division of authority among them remain imperfectly understood; scholars have therefore characterized Novgorod variously as a republic with its popular town assembly and as an oligarchy politically dominated by a few boyar families. Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in the period from 1238 to 1240 did not reach Novgorod. in 1259, the Mongols accompanied by Prince Alexander Nevsky (r. 1252–1263), who had led the defense of Novgorod from the Swedes at the Neva River in 1240 and from the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus in 1242, forced Novgorod to submit to a census and pay tribute. continued to recognize the grand princes of Vladimir, all of whom were also princes of Moscow after the mid-fourteenth century, as its own. the fourteenth century local officials played a greater role in the city's governance and administration. between them and their princes developed as disputes arose over the princes' demands for tribute payments and control of territories in Novgorod's northern empire, the North Dvina land, which Grand Prince Vasily I (r. 1389–1425) unsuccessfully tried to seize in 1397. conflicts between Novgorod and Moscow reached critical proportions in the fifteenth century. occasionally, in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, turned to Lithuania for a prince and resisted making tribute payments to Moscow. 1456 Grand Prince Vasily II (r. 1425–1462) defeated Novgorod militarily. ensuing Treaty of Yazhelbitsy curtailed Novgorod's autonomy, particularly in foreign affairs. Novgorod nevertheless sought closer relations with Lithuania in 1470–1471, Grand Prince Ivan III defeated Novgorod at the Battle of Shelon (1471). 1478 he removed the symbolic veche bell, replaced Novgorod's local officials with his own governors, and effectively annexed Novgorod to Muscovy. Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Novgorod, Novgorod Republic, hostile Monomakh line of the Olgovichi, 1136-1478
Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478, Capital Novgorod; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1300, 14th C, Novgorod the Great, Boyers greater influence over Vladimir Princes, turned tLithuania
Novgorod the Great; the Great was a city-state located in northwestern Russia, existing from the mid-tenth century to its annexation by Muscovy in 1478. Novgorod was named in the Laurentian redaction of the Primary Chronicle as the political seat occupied by Ryurik in 862, archaeological evidence indicates that the city was founded in the mid-tenth century. on the Volkhov River near its origins at Lake Ilmen, the city quickly emerged as a leading commercial center. after Prince Vladimir adopted Christianity for Kievan Rus, Novgorod became the seat of a bishopric and became a major ecclesiastic and cultural center. political institutions represented an alternative to the strong princely regime developing in northeastern Russia. At the peak of its power, Novgorod controlled lands stretching from the Baltic Sea to the White Sea and the northern Urals Mountains, but it was subjugated by Muscovy in 1478. organization and history Kievan Rus formed, Novgorod emerged as the second most important city of that state. princes appointed their sons or other close associates to govern Novgorod. when Svyatoslav died in 972, his son Vladimir was serving as prince in Novgorod. Similarly, when Vladimir died in 1015, his son Yaroslav was ruling Novgorod. Svyatoslav and Vladimir were able to use troops from Novgorod and Scandinavia to secure their own positions as princes of Kiev. it has been argued that Prince Yaroslav of Kiev intended Novgorod to become the hereditary seat of his son Vladimir, most scholars concur that Novgorod continued to be ruled by appointees of the Kievan princes. arrangement distinguished Novgorod from the other major towns of Kievan Rus, towns which, during the eleventh century, became patrimonies of different branches of the Rurikid dynasty. 1136 the Novgorodians asserted their right to name their own prince. the next century they selected princes from the Rurikid dynastic lines that ruled in Chernigov, Smolensk, and Vladimir-Suzdal and that competed for power in Kievan Rus. affiliation with a particular dynastic branch frequently gave its princes advantages over their competitors. Novgorod consequently also became an object of contention among the rival dynastic branches, which sought to influence Novgorod's choice of prince through political, economic, and military pressure. 1148–1149 and again in 1169 Novgorod clashed violently with Suzdalia, which was able to block supplies, including food, to the city. the second quarter of the thirteenth century, princes from Vladimir-Suzdal had gained dominance in Novgorod. the absence of a single branch of the dynasty permanently ruling the city and its associated lands, Novgorod developed a political system that was unique within the lands of Rus. exercised considerable authority and were responsible for defending the city. they were obliged to reside outside the city and to govern in conjunction with the city's administrators, its mayor (posadnik ) and militia commander (tysyatsky ), who were elected from Novgorod's wealthy, landowning elite, known as the Novgorodian boyars. addition, the city irregularly convened a town assembly, or veche. bishops of Novgorod, elevated to archbishops in 1165 and regarded as significant unifying influences in the city, also participated in the city's administration, its diplomatic affairs, its economic activities, and its judicial system. functions of these offices and institutions and division of authority among them remain imperfectly understood; scholars have therefore characterized Novgorod variously as a republic with its popular town assembly and as an oligarchy politically dominated by a few boyar families. Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in the period from 1238 to 1240 did not reach Novgorod. in 1259, the Mongols accompanied by Prince Alexander Nevsky (r. 1252–1263), who had led the defense of Novgorod from the Swedes at the Neva River in 1240 and from the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus in 1242, forced Novgorod to submit to a census and pay tribute. continued to recognize the grand princes of Vladimir, all of whom were also princes of Moscow after the mid-fourteenth century, as its own. the fourteenth century local officials played a greater role in the city's governance and administration. between them and their princes developed as disputes arose over the princes' demands for tribute payments and control of territories in Novgorod's northern empire, the North Dvina land, which Grand Prince Vasily I (r. 1389–1425) unsuccessfully tried to seize in 1397. conflicts between Novgorod and Moscow reached critical proportions in the fifteenth century. occasionally, in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, turned to Lithuania for a prince and resisted making tribute payments to Moscow. 1456 Grand Prince Vasily II (r. 1425–1462) defeated Novgorod militarily. ensuing Treaty of Yazhelbitsy curtailed Novgorod's autonomy, particularly in foreign affairs. Novgorod nevertheless sought closer relations with Lithuania in 1470–1471, Grand Prince Ivan III defeated Novgorod at the Battle of Shelon (1471). 1478 he removed the symbolic veche bell, replaced Novgorod's local officials with his own governors, and effectively annexed Novgorod to Muscovy. Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Novgorod, 1380 or 1480 and Before, Mongol-Tartar Yoke, all except Novgorod and Tver
Mongol-Tartar Yoke before 1380, All of Russia except Novgorod and Tver; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1471-1480, Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow
Novgorod, Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow (1471 - 1480); Battle of Shelon River 1471 ; Martha Boretskaya; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Russia, Novgorod History Folder

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Unknown Century Folder, Mark tGrave Digger, Theo's position itGrave

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus &John, otKiev Near Caves, T&J'sDouble Grave, dead John moves, Repent Tears
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus, and John, of the Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, natural brothers Theo&John loved each other so much they wanted double grave, side by side, John died while Theo away, John buried in higher place, Theo indignant wMark because he was tOlder bro, Mark humbly asked forgiveness and asked John to move, which he did, Theo begged forgiveness, Mark told Theo he ought to be concerned own salvation because soon he would join John, Theo became terrified, gave everything, awaited death, no one could stop his tears, nor tempt him tasty food, tears day&night, tears fBread, God granted several years, fasting Lamentation, even blind from tears, Mark foresaw hour his own death, told Theo, Theo either take me or restore my sight, do not desire death said Mark, you wil die 3days after you receive sight, words fulfilled; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus, and John, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 29; Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus and John are mentioned in the Kiev Caves Paterikon. brothers being monastics, Saints Theophilus and John, so loved each other that they prevailed upon Saint Mark to prepare a double grave so they could be buried side by side. years later, the older of the two brothers was away on monastery business. this time his brother John fell ill and died. days later, Saint Theophilus returned and went with the brethren to view his brother’s body. that he lay at the higher place in their common grave, he became indignant with Saint Mark and said, “Why did you put him in my place? I am older than he.” cave-dweller Mark, bowed humbly to Saint Theophilus and asked that he forgive him. Turning to the dead man, he said, “Arise, give this place to your older brother, and you lie down in the other place.” the dead man moved to the lower place in the grave. this, Saint Theophilus fell down at the knees of Saint Mark begging his forgiveness. cave-dweller Mark told Theophilus that he ought to be concerned for his own salvation, because soon he would join his brother in that place. this, Saint Theophilus became terrified and decided that he would soon die. gave away everything that he possessed, keeping only his mantle, and every day he awaited the hour of death. one was able to stop his tears, nor to tempt him with tasty food. were his bread by day and by night (Ps 41/42:3). granted him several years more for repentance, which he spent in fasting and lamentation. even went blind from continuous weeping. Mark forsaw the hour of his death and told Theophilus he would soon depart this life. pleaded, “Father, either take me with you, or restore my sight.” Mark said to Theophilus, “Do not desire death, it shall come in its own time, even if you do not wish it. this be the sign of your impending end: three days before you depart this world, your eyesight will return.” words of the saint were fulfilled. The body of Saint Theophilus was placed in the Antoniev Cave in the grave together with his brother Saint John, near the relics of Saint Mark. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Laurence tRecluse oKiev Far Caves, conquered passions thru prayer fasting, incorrupt relics
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Laurence tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, conquered passions thru prayer fasting, incorrupt relics; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; the vain glory of this world, Saint Laurence lived in a cave conquered the passions through prayer and fasting. incorrupt relics lie in the Far Caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Euthymius tSchemamonk, vow oSilence, spoke church&Prayer only, ate only Herbs, buried Kiev Far Caves
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Euthymius tSchemamonk, vow oSilence, spoke church&Prayer only, ate only Herbs, buried Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated on January 20; Schemamonk Euthymius of the Kiev Caves imposed upon himself a vow of silence, his mouth only for church services and for prayer. silent schemamonk ate only herbs. was buried in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius at the Kiev Caves monastery. memory is also celebrated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Pancratius otKiev Caves, received gift oWorking miracles, healing w fasting, prayer, anointing wOil
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Pancratius otKiev Caves, performed devine services wGrace, received gift oWorking miracles, Shared those gifts when asked, healing w fasting, prayer, anointing wOil; Kiev Caves; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; holy hieromonk Pancratius performed the divine services with much grace, received the gift of working miracles. shared his gifts with those who asked, the sick with fasting, prayer, and anointing with holy oil.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Paphnutius tRecluse, oKiev Caves, 1051, able to free himself through death rememberance, which led to tears
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Paphnutius tRecluse, oKiev Caves, 1051, able to free himself from worldly distractions and passions through prayer, repentance and fasting. This, in turn, led to tears; Kiev Caves; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Paphnutius had the gift of tears, which Saint John of the Ladder says (Step 6:1) is preceded by the remembrance of death. For worldly people, this remembrance may lead to fear and distress, but for Saint Paphnutius it led to constant prayer and the guarding of his mind. By remembering the hour of death and God’s judgment, Saint Paphnutius was able to free himself from worldly distractions and passions through prayer, repentance and fasting. This, in turn, led to tears.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Agathon, wonderworker otKiev Caves, great ascetic, healed the sick by laying on hands, also gift oProphecy
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Agathon, wonderworker otKiev Caves, great ascetic, healed the sick by laying on his hands, also gift oProphecy, and foretold time oDeath; Kiev Caves; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Agathon of the Kiev Caves was a great ascetic, and he healed the sick by a laying his hands upon them. also possessed the gift of prophecy and foretold the time of his own death. memory is celebrated also at the Synaxis of the Monks of the Far Caves on August 28.

Russia, Novgorod, 9999, Titus tSoldier, seriously wounded, lknown fBravery, illness bWwound, entered Kiev Caves monastery
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Titus the Soldier oKiev Caves monastery, seriously wounded in battle, lknown for bravery, illness by wound, left service, entered Kiev Caves Monastery, spent life in prayer and repentence, attained heavenly kingdom; Kiev Caves monastery; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Titus was a soldier who was known for his bravery. day, he was seriously wounded in battle. illness caused by his wound forced him to leave the military service, he entered the Kiev Caves Monastery. he spent the rest of his life in prayer and repentance, and attained the heavenly Kingdom.

Russia, Novgorod, 000, 1st Century Folder, Apostle Andrew First Called

Russia, Novgorod, 30-70, Andrew first called, to Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Sinope
Russia,Kiev, 30-70, Andrew t Apostle, first called, Peter's bro, J t Forerunner's closest disciple w J t Theologian, f Bethsaida, fisherman, sent to Jesus, to Asia M, Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Byzantium, Rome, Sinope, Patra, miracles w preaching, crucified ; Kiev, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. did not enter into marriage, he worked with his brother as a fisherman. the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian. the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Russian Church. his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. pagans remained at Patra, but among them was the prefect of the city, Aegeatos. The Apostle Andrew repeatedly turned to him with the words of the Gospel. But even the miracles of the Apostle did not convince Aegeatos. holy Apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, striving to reveal to him the Christian mystery of life eternal, through the wonderworking power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. angry Aegeatos gave orders to crucify the apostle. The pagan thought he might undo Saint Andrew’s preaching if he were to put him to death on the cross. Andrew the First-Called accepted the decision of the prefect with joy and with prayer to the Lord, went willingly to the place of execution. order to prolong the suffering of the saint, Aegeatos gave orders not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. For two days the apostle taught the citizens who gathered about. people, in listening to him, with all their souls pitied him and tried to take Saint Andrew down from the cross. a riot of the people, Aegeatos gave orders to stop the execution. the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would grant him death on the cross. as the soldiers tried to take hold of the Apostle Andrew, they lost control of their hands. crucified apostle, having given glory to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” a blazing ray of divine light illumined the cross and the martyr crucified upon it. When the light faded, the holy Apostle Andrew had already given up his holy soul to the Lord. the wife of the prefect, had the body of the saint taken down from the cross, and buried him with honor. few centuries later, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles beside the relics of the holy Evangelist Luke and Saint Paul’s disciple Saint Timothy.

Russia, Novgorod, 850, 9th-11th Century, History Folder, Varangian Newcomers

Russia, Novgorod, 862-1468, Novgorod the Great, Kiev Princes protected Cities from outside, Boyers & Church leaders ruled inside, Huge Area
Novgorod the Great; the Great was a city-state located in northwestern Russia, existing from the mid-tenth century to its annexation by Muscovy in 1478. Novgorod was named in the Laurentian redaction of the Primary Chronicle as the political seat occupied by Ryurik in 862, archaeological evidence indicates that the city was founded in the mid-tenth century. on the Volkhov River near its origins at Lake Ilmen, the city quickly emerged as a leading commercial center. after Prince Vladimir adopted Christianity for Kievan Rus, Novgorod became the seat of a bishopric and became a major ecclesiastic and cultural center. political institutions represented an alternative to the strong princely regime developing in northeastern Russia. At the peak of its power, Novgorod controlled lands stretching from the Baltic Sea to the White Sea and the northern Urals Mountains, but it was subjugated by Muscovy in 1478. organization and history Kievan Rus formed, Novgorod emerged as the second most important city of that state. princes appointed their sons or other close associates to govern Novgorod. when Svyatoslav died in 972, his son Vladimir was serving as prince in Novgorod. Similarly, when Vladimir died in 1015, his son Yaroslav was ruling Novgorod. Svyatoslav and Vladimir were able to use troops from Novgorod and Scandinavia to secure their own positions as princes of Kiev. it has been argued that Prince Yaroslav of Kiev intended Novgorod to become the hereditary seat of his son Vladimir, most scholars concur that Novgorod continued to be ruled by appointees of the Kievan princes. arrangement distinguished Novgorod from the other major towns of Kievan Rus, towns which, during the eleventh century, became patrimonies of different branches of the Rurikid dynasty. 1136 the Novgorodians asserted their right to name their own prince. the next century they selected princes from the Rurikid dynastic lines that ruled in Chernigov, Smolensk, and Vladimir-Suzdal and that competed for power in Kievan Rus. affiliation with a particular dynastic branch frequently gave its princes advantages over their competitors. Novgorod consequently also became an object of contention among the rival dynastic branches, which sought to influence Novgorod's choice of prince through political, economic, and military pressure. 1148–1149 and again in 1169 Novgorod clashed violently with Suzdalia, which was able to block supplies, including food, to the city. the second quarter of the thirteenth century, princes from Vladimir-Suzdal had gained dominance in Novgorod. the absence of a single branch of the dynasty permanently ruling the city and its associated lands, Novgorod developed a political system that was unique within the lands of Rus. exercised considerable authority and were responsible for defending the city. they were obliged to reside outside the city and to govern in conjunction with the city's administrators, its mayor (posadnik ) and militia commander (tysyatsky ), who were elected from Novgorod's wealthy, landowning elite, known as the Novgorodian boyars. addition, the city irregularly convened a town assembly, or veche. bishops of Novgorod, elevated to archbishops in 1165 and regarded as significant unifying influences in the city, also participated in the city's administration, its diplomatic affairs, its economic activities, and its judicial system. functions of these offices and institutions and division of authority among them remain imperfectly understood; scholars have therefore characterized Novgorod variously as a republic with its popular town assembly and as an oligarchy politically dominated by a few boyar families. Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in the period from 1238 to 1240 did not reach Novgorod. in 1259, the Mongols accompanied by Prince Alexander Nevsky (r. 1252–1263), who had led the defense of Novgorod from the Swedes at the Neva River in 1240 and from the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus in 1242, forced Novgorod to submit to a census and pay tribute. continued to recognize the grand princes of Vladimir, all of whom were also princes of Moscow after the mid-fourteenth century, as its own. the fourteenth century local officials played a greater role in the city's governance and administration. between them and their princes developed as disputes arose over the princes' demands for tribute payments and control of territories in Novgorod's northern empire, the North Dvina land, which Grand Prince Vasily I (r. 1389–1425) unsuccessfully tried to seize in 1397. conflicts between Novgorod and Moscow reached critical proportions in the fifteenth century. occasionally, in the late fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, turned to Lithuania for a prince and resisted making tribute payments to Moscow. 1456 Grand Prince Vasily II (r. 1425–1462) defeated Novgorod militarily. ensuing Treaty of Yazhelbitsy curtailed Novgorod's autonomy, particularly in foreign affairs. Novgorod nevertheless sought closer relations with Lithuania in 1470–1471, Grand Prince Ivan III defeated Novgorod at the Battle of Shelon (1471). 1478 he removed the symbolic veche bell, replaced Novgorod's local officials with his own governors, and effectively annexed Novgorod to Muscovy. Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Novgorod, 800, 9th Century History Folder, Varangian Newcomers, Cyril and Methodius

Russia, Novgorod, 800, 9th-11th Century, Varanguian Newcomers, Vikings, Kiev and Novgorod
Varangians; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Novgorod, 841, Cyprus Icon, Stromyn, Moscow girl healed by icon voice, many miracles
Cyprus, 392 & 841, Cyprus Icon, appeared at Lazarus' tomb, copies at Moscow&Stromyn, Triumph of Orthodoxy Week the first sunday of lent, Arab shot arrow, hit her knee, he struck dead, 1841 Stromyn Icon girl healed by voice from icon, then more miracles; Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God. this icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting on a throne with the Divine Infant in Her arms. There is an angel on either side of Her. prototype of this holy icon manifested itself in the year 392 on the island of Cyprus at the tomb of Righteous Lazarus, the friend of Christ (October 17), and is kept there in a monastery. copies of the Cyprus Icon are at the Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral, and in the Nikolo-Golutvin church in the village of Stromyn, Moscow diocese (Commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy). the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Greek Synaxarion has an account of an icon which is probably the Cyprus Icon. the island of Cyprus a certain Arab was passing by a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. order to display his hatred for Christianity, the man shot an arrow at an icon of the Mother of God which hung by the gate. The arrow struck the Virgin’s knee, from which blood began to flow. Overcome with fear, the Arab spurred his horse and rode for home, but was struck dead before he could get there. In this way, he was punished for his impiety. days commemorating the Cyprus Icon are the Day of the Holy Spirit, April 20, and July 9. Some copies of the Cyprus Icon have additional names such as “Cleansing,” “Knife,” and “Hawk.” “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.” sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19).

Russia, Novgorod, 879-912, K Rus King, Oleg of Novgorod, Oleg the Wise, tricked and killed Askold and Dir
Russia, Kiev, 879-912, Kiev Rus King, Oleg of Novgorod; He then came to the hills of Kyiv, and saw how Askold and Dir reigned there. He hid his warriors in the boats, left some others behind, and went forward himself bearing the child Igor'. He thus came to the foot of the Hungarian hill, and after concealing his troops, he sent messengers to Askold and Dir, representing himself as a stranger on his way to Greece on an errand for Oleg and for Igor', the prince's son, and requesting that they should come forth to greet them as members of their race. Askold and Dir straightway came forth. Then all the soldiery jumped out of the boats, and Oleg said to Askold and Dir, "You are not princes nor even of princely stock, but I am of princely birth." Igor' was then brought forward, and Oleg announced that he was the son of Rurik. They killed Askold and Dir, and after carrying them to the hill, they buried them there, on the hill now known as Hungarian, where the castle of Ol'ma now stands. Kiev Rus King, 870's, Princes Askold and Dir; Askold; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Novgorod, 882, Novgorod was the capital of Rus till 882
Novgorod, the capital of Rus till 882; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Russia, Novgorod, 900, 10th Century History Folder, incursion into Greece, then Orthodox

Russia, Novgorod, 907, Russian incursion into Greece, Oleg the Wise
Russian incursion into Greece in 907 (Rus-“Byzantine War (907)); The very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, œThis is not Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God.Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. Russian Primary Chronicle; Timeline of Russian history; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Oleg of Kiev and Novgorod (Little Russia); Little Russia (Ukraine);

Russia, Novgorod, 914-945, Igor, K Rus King, Oleg's son, besieged Constntnpl twice, plundered Arabs in Caspian
Kiev Rus King, 914-945, Igor of Kiev; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Novgorod, 944, Russia, Treaty of Igor, with Byzantine Empire
Treaty of Igor (of Kiev) with the Greeks in the year 944; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Novgorod, 980-1015, Malusha, Vladimir's Mother, Olga's Servant, Sviatoslav's Wife, Christian 945
Novgorod, 980-1015, Malusha, Vladimir's Mother, Olga's Servant, Sviatoslav's Wife, Christian in 945; Novgorod, 980-1015, Dobrynya, Vladimir's Tutor, Pagan then Christian in 988; Novgorod Great Prince, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Novgorod, 980-1015, Dobrynya, Vladimir's Tutor, Pagan then Christian in 988
Novgorod, 980-1015, Dobrynya, Vladimir's Tutor, Pagan then Christian in 988; Novgorod Great Prince, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Novgorod, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev, Pagan, then Christian in 988
Novgorod Great Prince, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Novgorod, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Novgorod by Vladimir the Great
Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem, Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Novgorod, 988, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, dangerous whirlpool, protecting Icon found on bank, D ceased, Korsun I copy 988
Russia, Novgorod, 988, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, dangerous whirlpool mouth of Desna, Kiev, protecting Icon found on bank, Icon Church prayers, Whirlpool danger ceased; Icon of the Mother of God the Rescuer of the Drowning, Commemorated on December 20; the village of Lenkov on the bank of the Desno River near Novgorod, Russia, there was a dangerous whirlpool, which made the river difficult to cross. the powerful swirling waters would cause the demise of ships and their passengers. was at that dangerous site that an Icon of the Mother of God was discovered, resting on the riverbank. time, a church dedicated to the Mother of God was erected on the site, and the Icon of the Mother of God, the "Rescuer of the Drowning," was enshrined therein. Those who journeyed along the Desno River customarily stopped at Lenkov to offer prayers in the icon's presence, imploring the Mother of God to grant them a safe journey despite the dangerous whirlpool. It had been said that after the icon had been discovered, mishaps to sailors were rare, and later completely ceased. and its church were destroyed during an invasion by the Poles in the 17th century. A new church dedicated to the Archangel Michael soon rose on the site of the former Church of the Mother of God, and the icon was enshrined therein. Many miracles were ascribed to the Mother of God, and the icon came to be revered not only in area of Lenkov, but far beyond, especially in Russia's larger port cities. the 18th century, the Icon was transferred to the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, where it remained until the Russian Revolution in 1917. History does not record what happened to the miraculous icon during Soviet times. However, in 2003, a pious man named Sergei Babushkin gave to the Church an identical antique copy of the long-lost original "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icon, which was subsequently enshrined in the Transfiguration Monastery, thus marking the beginning of its revival. icon is remarkably similar to the much older Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which was said to have been a copy of an icon by Saint Luke the Evangelist that had been kept in Ephesus until it was brought to Kyiv in 988 AD.

Russia, Novgorod, 989-1030, Ioakim Korsunianin, First Bishop of Novgorod, fKorsun around 988, cast idol into river, builder
Russia, Kiev, 989-1030, Ioakim Korsunianin, First Bishop of Novgorod, came from Korsun around 988, cast idol into river, builder over Pagan Temple locations, could have written Ioachim Chronicle; Kiev Rus Bishop, 989-1030, Joachim the Korsunian; Korsunianin was the first bishop of Novgorod the Great (r. ca. 989-1030). surname suggests he probably came from the Byzantine town of Cherson (Korsun) on the Crimean Peninsula according to the chronicles, arrived in Kievan Rus’ around the time of the Conversion in 988.[1] his arrival in Novgorod, he cast the idol of the god Perun into the Volkhov River built the Peryn Monastery on the site where it once stood.[2] also built the first, wooden, Cathedral of Holy Wisdom, “with 12 tops,”[3] on the site of a pagan cemetery. also built the Church of Joachim and Anne, named for his patron saints, which stood near the present site of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom. was buried there on his death in 1030, his remains were transferred into the current cathedral in 1598. little is known of his episcopate; the Ioakimovskaia Letopis (Ioachim Chronicle), a no longer extant source cited in the history of Vasilyev Tatishchev, traditionally attributed to Ioakim Korsunianin. is now considered to be highly questionable, as is the historical reliability of Tatishchev's work: it is more likely a seventeenth-century compilation and is now often attributed to Patriarch Ioakim of Moscow (d. 1690).[4] his death in 1030, Ioakim's disciple, Efrem, administered the eparchy for five years (1030–1035) until the arrival of Luka Zhidiata.[5] is venerated as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. feast days are February 10 (the feast of the Novgorodian Saints, in which 10 other bishops and archbishops and others are commemorated) June 19.[6]

Russia, Novgorod, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal
Russia, Vladimir, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; great wonderworker Saint Theodore, who was a Greek by birth, was the first Bishop of Rostov. was consecrated as a bishop in the year 991 or 992. that time, most of the Rostov territory was still pagan, and Saint Theodore worked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel to the people of that area. inhabitants subjected the hierarch to many insults, and they even drove him away on one occasion. Saint Theodore moved to Suzdal, where he brought many souls to Christ. fell asleep in the Lord at Suzdal in 1023, resting from his fruitful apostolic labors. His holy relics are in Suzdal's Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Cathedral. of his holy relics are also kept in two other churches at Suzdal: that of the Kazan Icon, and that of Saints Constantine and Helen. Theodore is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23), and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23). saint should not be confused with Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28), who reposed in 1395, and was the nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25).

Russia, Novgorod, 1000, 11th Century History Folder, Yaroslav the Wise and Anthony of Rome

Russia, Novgorod, 1001, Unbreakable Wall Icon, Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral, above main altar, 10 centuries unbreakable
Russia, Kiev, 1001, Unbreakable Wall Icon, Kiev's Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral, 960 by Olga, All Saints Sunday, Blachernae Type, above main altar, mandrola circle symbolizing divine light, 10 centuries unbreakable, while cathedral damaged several times; Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral in Kiev; Icon of the Mother of God The Unbreakable Wall, Commemorated on June 11; Unbreakable (or Indestructible) Wall Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. Mother of God is depicted against a golden background, standing with upraised hands on a quadrangular gold platform. some Icons of this type [but not in the mosaic Icon], Christ is depicted within a mandorla, an oval or circle, symbolizing the glory of Heaven, or the Divine Light. Icon is called the Unbreakable Wall because for ten centuries it has remained intact, spite of the fact that both Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral and the city have been damaged several times. ancient description of this Icon has been preserved: "A gigantic full-length portrait of the Theotokos.... stands upon a gold stone, as an unshakable foundation for all who resort to her protection. chiton is blue, and she wears a scarlet belt. Hanging from it is an embroidered cloth with which she wipes away so many tears. There are several possible sources for this Icon's title: The Prophet-King David wrote "God is in the midst of her (i. e. the city of God); she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance" (Psalm 45/46:5). "Thus the Lord showed me; and behold, he stood upon a wall of adamant..." (Amos 7:7, LXX). The Akathist to the Mother of God, Ikos 12. "Rejoice, indestructible wall of kingdoms" - Ikos XII). According to Kievan tradition, the wall of the church will not perish while the hands of the Mother of God are extended over it.

Russia, Novgorod, 1001-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov
Russia, Rostov, 1000-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov; Venerable Abramius, Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Novgorod, 1010-1054, Yaroslav the Wise, Kiev Rus King, 1019 defeated Svy and united Novg and Kiev
Kiev Rus King, 1019-1054, Yaroslav the Wise ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Novgorod, 1015, Boris& Gleb, Passion bearers because didn't resist evil wViolence, both killed bBrother Sviatopolk
Russia, Kiev, 1015, Boris and Gleb, Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4) residence of kievan rulers, Passion bearers because did not resist evil with violence, both killed by brother Sviatopolk; Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Boris and Gleb were sons of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Boris was named Romanus and Saint Gleb was named David at their Baptism. their father’s death the eldest son Sviatopolk planned to kill his brothers Boris, Gleb, and Yaroslav in order to seize power. sent a message to Boris, pretending that he wished to live in peace with him, and to increase Boris’s land holdings inherited from their father. of Vladimir’s advisers told Boris that he should take the army and establish himelf as ruler of Kiev. Saint Boris, however, said that he could never lift his hand against his own brother. Unfortunately, Sviatopolk was not so scrupulous. came to the town of Vyshegorod to ask its leaders if they were loyal to him. They assured him that they were ready to die for him. sent assassins to the Alta to kill Boris, who already knew that his brother wanted him dead. When they arrived they heard him chanting psalms and praying before an icon of Christ. He asked the Lord to strengthen him for the suffering he was about to endure. He also prayed for Sviatopolk, asking God not to count this against him as sin. he lay down upon his couch, and the assassins stabbed him with their lances, and also killed some of Boris’s servants. Wrapping Boris in a cloth, they threw him onto a wagon and drove off with him. When Sviatopolk saw that he was still breathing, he sent some men to finish him off with swords. Sviatopolk had killed Boris, he wondered, “Now how can I kill Gleb?” sent him a message saying that their father was ill and wished to see him. As he was on his way, he received word from Yaroslav that their father had died and that Sviatopolk had murdered Boris. Gleb wept for his father and brother, and was lamenting them when the assassins arrived. They seized his boat and drew their weapons, but it was Gleb’s cook Torchin who stabbed him with a knife. martyr’s body was thrown onto the shore between two trees. Later, he was buried beside Saint Boris in the church of Saint Basil. Boris and Gleb received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. They became known as Passion-Bearers, since they did not resist evil with violence. holy martyrs Princes Boris and Gleb are also commemorated on May 2.

Russia, Novgorod, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, children Christian upbringing, to monastery
Russia, Novgorod, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, , gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning, she left the world and went into a monastery; Kiev Rus Queen, 1019-1050, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden ; Olofsdotter of Sweden, also known as Irene, Anna and Saint Anna (1001 – 10 February 1050), was a Swedish princess and a Grand Princess of Kiev. was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skotkonung and Estrid of the Obotrites and the consort of Yaroslav I the Wise of Ingegerd or Saint Anna is often confused with the mother of Saint Vladimir “the Enlightenerâ€ of the Rus. This is mainly because Ingegerd and Yaroslav also had a son named Vladimir. However, Saint Vladimir was the father of Ingegerd’s husband Yaroslav I “the Wiseâ€, thus making her Saint Vladimir’s daughter-in-law. Saint Vladimir was the son of Sviatoslav and Malusha.[1] Sophia Cathedral in Kiev Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was born a princess in the court of King Olof Skötkonung. In 1015, after Olaf II of Norway assumed the throne as King of Norway, he proposed a royal marriage alliance. In 1016, noblemen of both countries tried to arrange a marriage between King Olaf and Princess Ingegerd. Olof Skötkonung agreed at first but later he reneged. Rather he agreed to the marriage of his daughter, Astrid Olavsdatter to King Olaf. [2][3][4] Skötkonung subsequently arranged for the marriage of Princess Ingegerd to the powerful Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Novgorod with whom Sweden had a flourishing trade relationship. The marriage took place in 1019. [5] in Kiev, Ingegerd had her name changed to the Greek Irene. According to several sagas, she received as a marriage gift Ladoga and adjacent lands, which later became known as Ingria, arguably a corruption of Ingegerd's name. She arranged for her father's cousin, jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson, to rule in her stead.[6] [7] Ingegerd and Yaroslav had six sons and four daughters; three of the latter becoming Queens of France, Hungary, and Norway. The whole family is depicted in one of the frescoes of the Saint Sophia. and burial[edit] died on 10 February 1050. Upon her death, according to different sources, Ingegerd was buried in either Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev or Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod. initiated the building of the Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev (foundation laid in 1037). also initiated the construction of Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod (built between 1045 and 1050). was later declared a saint under the name of St. Anna in Novgorod and Kiev. The reason for her sainthood was that she initiated the building of both cathedrals in Kiev and in Novgorod together with many other good deeds. following was stated by the church in reference to her sainthood: Anna, Grand Duchess of Novgorod, She was the daughter of Swedish King Olaf Sketktung, the "All-Christian King," who did much to spread Orthodoxy in Scandinavia, and the pious Queen Astrida. Sweden she was known as Princess Indegard; she married Yaroslav I “the Wise“, Grand Prince of Kiev, who was the founder of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1016, taking the name Irene. gave shelter to the outcast sons of British King Edmund, Edwin and Edward, as well as the Norwegian prince Magnus, who later returned to Norway. is perhaps best known as the mother of Vsevolod of , himself the father of Vladimir Monomakh and progenitor of the Princes of Moscow. daughters were Anna, Queen of France, Queen Anastasia of Hungary, and Queen Elizabeth (Elisiv) of Norway. The whole family was profoundly devout and pious. reposed in 1050 in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) in Kiev, having been tonsured a monastic with the name of Anna. As saint, her hymn goes: 4 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: Joy of the ranks of heaven joy of the Swedish people, thou didst gladden the Russian realm, filling it with grace and purity, adorning its throne with majesty, lustrous in piety like a priceless gem set in a splendid royal crown. Ingegerd in the baptismal waters, O venerable one, thou wast called Irene by thy Russian subjects, who perceived in thee the divine and ineffable peace; but when thou didst submit to monastic obedience, thou didst take the new name, Anna, after the honoured ancestor of Christ, the King of kings. in honourable matrimony, O holy Anna, thou didst live in concord with thy royal spouse, the right-believing and most wise Prince Yaroslav; and having born him holy offspring, after his repose thou didst betroth thyself unto the Lord as thy heavenly all the allurements of vanity and donning the coarse robes of a monastic, O wondrous and sacred Anna, thou gavest thyself over to fasting and prayer, ever entreating Christ thy Master, that He deliver thy people from the all want and misfortune. Feast days: 10 February, 4 October. Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Princess Anna of Novgorod, wife of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise, gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning. son Mstislav later became Great Prince of Kiev, and her daughter the queen of a western European realm. Saint Anna left the world and went into a monastery, where she ended her days in strict obedience and prayer in the year 1056. Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Novgorod, 1023-1065, Barlaam, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 2 pilgrimages to Jerusalem & Constantinople
Russia, Kiev, 1023-1065, Barlaam, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 2 pilgrimages to Jerusalem & Constantinople, son oIllustrious noble, yearned monk life, tAnthony, accepted, under Nikon, his father tried return but, made igumen, replacing Anthony, 1058 built wooden church, 2 pilgrimages, died in Volhynia 1065 returning, buried K Near Caves; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Barlaam, Igumen of the Kiev Caves, lived during the eleventh century at Kiev, was the son of an illustrious noble. his youth, he yearned for the monastic life and he went to Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), accepted the pious youth so firmly determined to become a monk, he bade Saint Nikon (March 23) to tonsure him. Barlaam’s father tried to return him home by force, but finally became convinced that his son would never return to the world, so he gave up. the number of monks at the Caves began to increase, Saint Anthony made Saint Barlaam igumen, while he himself moved to another cave and again began to live in solitude. Barlaam became the first igumen of the Kiev Caves monastery. the year 1058, after asking Saint Anthony’s blessing, Saint Barlaam built a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Barlaam became igumen of the newly-formed monastery in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius. Barlaam twice went on pilgrimage to the holy places in Jerusalem and Constantinople. he returned from his second journey, he died in the Vladimir Holy Mountain monastery at Volhynia in 1065 and was buried, in accord with his final wishes, at the Caves monastery in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1036-1052, Vladimir of Novgorod, Vladimir Yaroslavich
Novgorod, 1036-1052, Vladimir of Novgorod, Vladimir Yaroslavich; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1051s, Saint Georges Victory Church, by Yaroslav the Wise, George in baptism
Russia, Kiev, 1051s, Saint Georges Victory Church, Yaroslav the Wise, George in baptism, dedicated this church to his patron saint, long tradition building churches for patron saints; Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George at Kiev: with the holy Prince Vladimir (July 15), it was the pious custom of Russian princes to build a church in honor of their patron saint. Saint Vladimir (in Baptism Basil) built at Kiev and Vyshgorod temples dedicated to Saint Basil the Great (January 1). Izyaslav I (1054-1068) (in Baptism Demetrius) built a church and monastery at Kiev in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius (October 26). Yaroslav the Wise (in Baptism George) started to build a church and men’s monastery in honor of his patron saint, the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23). also built a church named for his wife’s patron saint, the Holy Great Martyr Irene (May 5). temple in honor of the Great Martyr George was consecrated by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21), a yearly commemoration was established in honor of this event. Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer, and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.”

Russia, Novgorod, 1052-1054, Izyaslav I, Kiev Rus King, Demetrius, Yaroslavich
Kiev Rus King, 1054-1078, Izyaslav I (Demetrius) Yaroslavich ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated on January 11; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1054, Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19

Russia, Novgorod, 1057-1090, Isaac tRecluse oKiev Near Caves oSt Anthony, extreme ascetic, demons, fool fChrist, Cross&Prayer
Russia, Kiev, 1057-1090, Isaac tRecluse oKiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057, first Fool fChrist iNorthern Lands, rich merchant in Toropets iPskov who gave sibstance tPoor went tKiev became monk by St Anthony, strict life oSeclusion, eating only single prosphor& little water end otDay, after 7yrs fierce temptation fDevil, mistook D for Christ, worshipped him, fell down terribly crippled, but Anthony&Theodosis nursed him, began walk and speak only after 3yrs, they forcably took him to church, after recovery took exploit of holy foolishness, endured beatings, nakedness, cold, then seclusion and onslaught of demons, delivered by sign otCross and prayer, then after 20 yrs died in 1090; Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Isaac was the first person in northern lands to live as a fool for Christ. name in the world was Chern. becoming a monk, he was a rich merchant in the city of Toropets in the Pskov lands. distributed all his substance to the poor, he went to Kiev and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Anthony (July 10). led a very strict life of reclusion, only a single prosphora and a little water at the end of the day. seven years as a hermit, he was subjected to a fierce temptation by the devil. mistaken the Evil One for Christ, he worshipped him, which he fell down terribly crippled. Anthony and Theodosius took care of him and nursed him. after three years did he begin to walk and to speak. did not wish to attend church, but he was brought there by force. his return to health he took upon himself the exploit of holy foolishness, beatings, nakedness and cold. his death he went into seclusion, again he was subjected to an onslaught of demons, which he was delivered by the Sign of the Cross and by prayer. his healing he spent about twenty years in asceticism. died in the year 1090. relics rest in the Caves of Saint Anthony, part of them were transferred to Toropets by the igumen of the Kudin monastery in the year 1711. Life of the Blessed Isaac was recorded by Saint Nestor in the Chronicles (under the year 1074). account in the Kiev Caves Paterikon differs somewhat from that of Saint Nestor. the Great Reading Menaion under April 27 is the “Account of Saint Isaac and his Deception by the Devil.”

Russia, Novgorod, 1060, Yelets Icon, 1060 Yelets-Chernigov I, 1395 Yelets I when MOG scared Tamerlane, s day Vladimir I in Moscw
Russia, Ryazan, 1060, Yelets (Elets) Icon, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4), same year as Yelets-Chernigov Icon, could be a copy, 1395 another Yelets Icon when MOG and Saints scared Tamerlane, same day residents prayed to Luke's Vladimir Icon in Moscow; Elets; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; only thing we known about this Icon is that it was located in the city of Yelts, Orlov Gubernia. addition, the annals record the year of its appearance - 1060, which is the same as that of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon (February 5). Researchers believe that the Yelets Icon is a late copy of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon. addition to the belt image of the Mother of God, there is another kind of Yelets Icon which depicts the appearance of the Queen of Heaven to Tamerlane in 1395 in the city of Yelets, before his march on Moscow. Holy Virgin appeared with a multitude of Saints, in a threatening vision to Tamerlane as he was resting in his tent on Mount Argamach. the same day (August 26) the residents of Moscow met the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, praying before it for deliverance from the terrible invasion. by the vision, Tamerlane exclaimed, "So, we shall not defeat the land of Russia!" and then he retreated with his horde. Yelets Icon is commemorated on January 11, and also on August 26, in remembrance of Tamerlane's retreat. The Elets-Chernigov (or Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated On February 5. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Russia, Novgorod, 1065 -1090, Isaiah tWonderworker, Bishop oRostov, Strength fResolute Intention, huge Diocese, successful t
Russia, Rostov, 1065 -1090, Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, fKiev, Kiev Caves Monastery, strength from resolute intention, Prince Iziaslav wanted Isaiah fhMonastery, 1078 apostolic ministry Bishop oRostov, Large territory, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, Moscow, Tver, &Olonets, Rostov Cathedral, traveled large area, teaching & destroying idols, P Vladimir Monomakh money fC, W Icon ; Rustov; Saint Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on May 15; Isaiah was born near Kiev to pious parents who raised him in the Orthodox Faith. his youth, he forsook worldly vanity and entered the Kiev Caves Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Theodosios († May 3, 1074). with love for the Savior, the young monk engaged in the difficult struggles of fasting and prayer. the same time, he was meek, humble, obedient, non-acquisitive, fraternal, and he mortified the carnal passions through abstinence and patience, as well as the virtues of wisdom, spiritual courage, and chastity. recalled the words of an ancient Elder: "A man's strength does not depend upon human nature, which is subject to change, but upon resolute intention." by God's help, he constantly ascended in spirit to the heavenly Jerusalem.1 of the young monk Isaiah's ascetical struggles soon spread beyond the Monastery. when Barlaam, the first Igoumen of the Monastery reposed, a Monastery was built in the courtyard of the Great Prince Iziaslav of Kiev, and dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. 1065, Prince Iziaslav asked Saint Theodosios to elevate Father Isaiah to the rank of Igoumen of that Monastery because of his virtuous life. Theodosios gave his blessing, and Father Isaiah became the Igoumen. receiving this high office, the blessed one was a good mentor for the brethren and a good shepherd of Christ's rational flock. As Igoumen, he always thought of the Lord, and continued to abide in humility and in spiritual and corporeal labors. such a holy man in his Monastery, Prince Iziaslav rejoiced in spirit, thanking the Lord and Saint Theodosios for granting his desire. 1078, Saint Isaiah, who was proficient in piety and filled with divine grace, took part in the joint prayer of the Elders of the Caves for the ascetic Nikḗtas (January 31), who had been deceived by a demon (later he became the Bishop of Novgorod). the podvig2 of monastic life for three years, and then serving as Igoumen for ten years, Saint Isaiah was called to exercise an apostolic ministry. 1078, Saint Isaiah was consecrated as Bishop of Rostov, where there were still many pagans at that time. Diocese of Rostov encompassed a vast territory which included Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, and part of Moscow, Tver, and Olonets. pagan inhabitants of the region clung to many superstitions, bloody customs, divination, and sorcery. good shepherd Saint Leontius of Rostov († May 23, 1073) labored hard for the enlightenment of the Rostov region, but still more pagans were to be found there by his valiant successor. Isaiah worked zealously, planting the seeds of Orthodoxy among the inhabitants of his large Diocese, also built a cathedral in Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. to his ancient Life, Saint Isaiah "found the newly-illumined people, who had not yet been firmly established in the Faith," and so he began to instruct them. travelled around with apostolic zeal, preaching about Christ in the Diocese of Rostov, persuading them of the folly of idolatry, and destroying the pagan idols. Isaiah begged his flock to remain strong in their faith, and to imitate Christ in their life. He repeated his message everywhere he went: "As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). a stikheron from his Church Service, the spirit of Saint Isaiah's ministry is perfectly expressed: "What shall we call you O Hierarch? Angel, for you lived on earth as one incorporeal; Apostle, for you taught the true Faith to the ends of Russia; Martyr, because for the sake of Christ you fought until death, turning people from the darkness of wickedness and bringing them to the pasture of godly reason." was a great consolation to Saint Isaiah to have the Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh participate in his ministry. The Great Prince gave money to build a cathedral at Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which there was a wonderworking icon painted by Saint Alypios of the Kiev Caves (August 17). Christ's Hierarch Isaiah treated the poor, the unfortunate, and all those in need with love. Lord glorified His servant by working many signs and miracles through him. In 1089, "borne on a cloud like the Apostles of old,"3 Bishop Isaiah was able to be present at the consecration of the "heavenly" church of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Kiev Caves Monastery. it was time for the consecration of the Dormition cathedral at the Kiev Caves Lavra, Metropolitan John of Kiev did not have time to invite the God-loving Bishops from distant lands to attend the Service. his pious wish was granted by an Angel of God who appeared to Bishop Isaiah and told him to attend the ceremony. Then, miraculously, the Angel brought him to the Kiev Caves Lavra, and he was able to participate in the consecration. himself, marveling at his wondrous journey, told Metropolitan John about it, saying that he did not dare to disobey his order by not coming to the consecration of the temple. First Hierarch of Russia was amazed by what he heard, for there was no time to invite the Bishops. This miraculous journey was the fruit of Saint Isaiah's obedience and zeal for the church of God. bishops, Isaiah of Rostov, Luke of Belgorod, and John of Chernigov, served with Metropolitan John at the consecration of the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 14, 1089, and then Bishop Isaiah returned to his flock, which welcomed him with great joy. that, Saint Isaiah shepherded his flock of Rostov for less than a year. He departed from this world in the summer after the Nativity of Christ (on May 15, 1090) after thirteen years as a Bishop. same Angel who bore him to Kiev for the consecration of the church, also carried his soul to dwell in the heavenly abodes for eternity. relics of Saint Isaiah were first found together with the relics of Saint Leontius on May 23, 1164. Holy Right-believing Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4) laid the foundation for a new stone church in Rostov to replace the wooden one damaged by a fire in 1160. While excavating the foundation under the southern wall, the relics of Saint Isaiah were found. According to ancient Tradition and the Chronicle: "The coffin of blessed Isaiah was found, and when they opened it, they saw the Saint's vestments and body were incorrupt, and they glorified God, Who was pleased to glorify His servant not only in life, but also in death. Though many years had passed, the Hierarch's vestments and his body remained untouched by decay." Saint's relics were placed in the church of Saint John, and since the stone church collapsed as soon as it was completed, the relics were moved to the cathedral in 1231 and placed in the narthex, on the right side. the years, however, the memory of Saint Isaiah's miracles was forgotten, so that not even a lamp was lit over his tomb, nor did any priest come with incense to serve a Panikhida for him, because the narthex was always closed. was not fitting, however, for such a great lamp to remain hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:15). According to the manuscript Life, "The Archbishop, seeing that the icon of Saint Isaiah was venerated by all, and also his coffin (in the narthex of the cathedral), he summoned the priests on May 17 and opened the coffin of this most wondrous Father. He took him from there in 1474 and placed him in a new coffin with honor, near the southern doors, where he still works miracles of healing." first Archbishop of Rostov was Theodore in 1390, and the ecclesiastical veneration of Saint Isaiah began in 1474, at the time of the transfer of his relics to the church. The first written Life of Saint Isaiah also belongs to that same time. In 1722 the relics were moved to a silver casket. April 25, 1920, by the decision of the Tenth Rostov District Congress of Soviets, despite the protests of believers, the relics of Saint Isaiah, and the relics of Saints Ignatius and Dēmḗtrios (Tuptalo), Venerable Abraham of Rostov, and Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk were exhibited naked in the center of the Dormition Cathedral. week later, the shrines with the relics of the Saints were returned to their places. Subsequently, the relics of Saint Isaiah were placed in a closed wooden shrine in the Dormition Cathedral. the end of the 1980s, some of the relics were brought to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, some were given to Archbishop Platon (Udovenko) of Yaroslavl and Rostov. the honorable head of Saint Isaiah is kept in the Serapion tent in the Lavra, and a portion of the relics is in Rostov's Dormition Cathedral, in an ark handed over on June 5, 1999 to the diocesan administrator of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Archbishop Micah (Kharkharov). the "Iconographer's Manual" a description of the Saint's external appearance is given: "Our Father among the Saints Bishop Isaiah of Rostov, the wonderworker, a pointed beard like that of Saint Blaise. The Saint's phelonion is red, with a green lining, a white omophorion, a white knobuk on his head, and he holds a Gospel in his hands." Isaiah is also commemorated on May 23, the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov - Yaroslavl. 1 Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2, 21:10) 2 Podvig = ascetical effort, spiritual struggle. 3 See the Feast of the Dormition on August 15.

Russia, Novgorod, 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition C, 4 Architects Dormition Icon, Queen of H, church in Rus, I will dwell in it
Russia, Kiev, 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition Cathedral, Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 4 Byzantine Architects, brought Icon of the Dormition, Lord will show t place, hansome youths, Queen summonds you to Blachernae, Queen of Heaven with warriors, build myself church in Rus, at Kiev, take gold for 3yrs, to Anthony and Theodosis, I will honor you, I will dwell in it, she also gave us relics for the foundation, they saw the church in the air, dew and dry spot, dry spot and dew, golden sash for measuring from previous vision, bolt of lightning on the spot; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (May 3) is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” hearing this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles.

Russia, Novgorod, 1073, Ignatius, Archmandrite o Kiev Caves, Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves, monastic pastor&healer otSick
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Ignatius Archmandrite o Kiev Caves, Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, monastic pastor&healer otSick; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Ignatius, Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves: In the general service to the Kiev Caves saints, it says of him: “Ignatius, monastic pastor and healer of the sick, in our infirmities you help us by your reverence, therefore let us offer song of praise unto your memory” (Ode 1 of the Canon). was buried in the Far (Theodosiev) Caves, his memory is celebrated together with the Fathers of these Far Caves, on August 28. commemoration of the Saint Ignatius was established on December 20 because of his namesake, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer. is also another commemoration: the Synaxis of all the Fathers of the Kiev Caves monastery on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1078-1088, Sviatopolk II, Kiev Rus King, Michael, internecine wars, not popular
Kiev Rus King, 1093-1113, Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich ; II Iziaslavich (Old East Slavic: November 8, 1050 - April 16, 1113) was supreme ruler of the Kievan Rus for 20 years, from 1093 to 1113. He was not a popular prince, and his reign was marked by incessant rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh. life[edit] was the son of Iziaslav Iaroslavich by his concubine. Sviatopolk's Christian name was Michael. During his brother Iaropolk's life, Sviatopolk was not regarded as a potential claimant to the throne of Kiev (Kyiv). 1069 he was sent to Polotsk, a city briefly taken by his father from the local ruler Vseslav, and then he spent ten years (1078–88) ruling Novgorod. Upon his brother's death he succeeded him in Turov, which would remain in possession of his descendants until the 17th century. of St. Demetrius was installed by Sviatopolk in the Kievan St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery to glorify the patron saint of his father. Vsevolod Iaroslavich died in 1093, Sviatopolk was acknowledged by other princes as the senior son of Veliki Kniaz and permitted to ascend the Kievan throne. he participated in the princely congresses organized by Vladimir Monomakh, he is sometimes charged with encouraging internecine wars among Rurikid princes. instance, he sided with his cousin David of Volhynia and his son-in-law Bolesław III Wrymouth in capturing and blinding one of the Galician princes.[1] He also sided with Vladimir Monomakh in several campaigns against the Kypchaks but was defeated in the Battle of the Stugna River (1093).[2] Later that year, Sviatopolk would face the Kypchaks again, and again be defeated.[2] Whereupon the Kypchaks destroyed Torchesk, an Oghuz Turk settlement.[2] 1096, in an attempt to force Oleg I of Chernigov into a Rus compact, Sviatopolk left his lands undefended.[3] His father-in-law, Tugorkhan raided Pereiaslavl, while Boniak raided as far as Kiev, destroying Berestovo and sacking the three monasteries of Klov, Vydubichi, and the Caves.[3] Tugorkhan would be killed during his raid on Pereiaslavl, consequently Sviatopolk would have him buried in Kiev.[4] Christian name was Michael, so he encouraged embellishment of St Michael's Abbey in Kiev, which has been known as the Golden-Roofed up to the present. The history now known as the Primary Chronicle was compiled by the monk Nestor during Sviatopolk's reign. and children[edit] Sviatopolk married firstly a Bohemian princess (Přemyslid dynasty), probably a daughter of Duke Spytihněv II. They had three children: Zbyslava, married to king Boleslaw III of Poland on November 15, 1102. Predslava, married to Prince Álmos of Hungary on August 21, 1104. Her fate is less known. Iaroslav (died 1123), Prince of Volynia and Turov was married three times - to Hungarian, Polish Sophia (daughter of Władysław I Herman and his second wife Judith of Swabia), and Kievan princesses. In consequence of Iaroslav's early death, his descendants forfeited any right to the Kievan throne and had to content themselves with Turov and Pinsk. Secondly, in 1094 Sviatopolk married to a daughter of Tugorkhan of the Kypchaks, Olena.[5] They had four children: Anna (died 1136), married to Sviatoslav Davydych from Chernihiv who turned into a monk upon her death and later became Saint Nikolai Svyatoslav Davydych of Chernihiv. Maria, married Piotr Włostowic, castellan of Wroclaw and Polish palatine. Bryachislav (1104–1127), possibly dethroned Iaroslav as the Prince of Turov (1118–1123) in 1118. Izyaslav (died 1127), possibly the Prince of Turov in 1123. In 1104, Sviatopolk would marry for a third time to Barbara Komnena.[6] sources claim Sviatopolk had an out-of-wedlock son Mstislav who ruled Novgorod-Sieversky in 1095–1097 and later Volyn (1097–1099). Mstislav later was murdered in Volodymyr-Volynski. ; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 31; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 10; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-Kissing , Commemorated on March 19; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1080, Novgorodians iHanseatic league, trade&defense org,Merchant guilds&Market towns,iC&N Europe
Sailing east, Visby merchants established a trading post at Novgorod called Gutagard (also known as Gotenhof) in 1080. (from Hanza Foundation, see below) and early development[edit] before the term Hanse appeared in a document in 1267,[14] merchants in different cities began to form guilds, or hansas, with the intention of trading with towns overseas, in the economically less-developed eastern Baltic. area could supply timber, wax, amber, resins, and furs, along with rye and wheat brought down on barges from the hinterland to port markets. guilds formed in both hometowns and destination ports as medieval corporations (universitates mercatorum),[15]: 42–43  despite competition would increasingly cooperate to coalesce into the Hanseatic network of merchant guilds. dominant language of trade was Middle Low German, which had significant impact on the languages spoken in the area, particularly the larger Scandinavian languages,[16]: 1222–1233 [17]: 1933–1934  Estonian,[18]: 288  and Latvian.[19]: 230–231  on the island of Gotland, functioned as the leading centre in the Baltic before the Hansa. east, Visby merchants established a trading post at Novgorod called Gutagard (also known as Gotenhof) in 1080.[20] 1120, Gotland gained autonomy from Sweden and permitted traders from its southern and western regions.[15]: 26  then on, under a treaty with the Visby Hansa, northern German merchants began to make regular stops at the island of Gotland.[21] in the first half of the 13th century, they established their own trading station or Kontor in Novgorod, known as the Peterhof, up the river Volkhov.[22] The Holstentor of Lübeck, built in 1464, is the only historic gate of the city still standing today. übeck soon became a base for merchants from Saxony and Westphalia trading eastward and northward; for them, because of its shorter and easier access route and better legal protections, it was a more attractive port than Schleswig.[15]: 27  became a transshipment port for trade between the North Sea and the Baltic too. addition, Lübeck granted extensive trade privileges to Russian and Scandinavian traders.[15]: 27–28  was also the main supply port for the Northern Crusades, improving its standing with the Pope. übeck gained imperial privileges to become a free imperial city in 1226, under Valdemar II of Denmark during the Danish dominion, as had Hamburg in 1189. in this period Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund and Danzig received city charters.[15]: 50–52  societies worked to remove restrictions on trade for their members. The earliest extant documentary mention (although without a name) of a specific German commercial federation dates between 1173 and 1175 (but commonly misdated to 1157) in London. year, the merchants of the Hansa in Cologne convinced King Henry II of England to exempt them from all tolls in London[23] and to grant protection to merchants and goods throughout England.[24]: 14–17  Hanseatic League left a significant cultural and architectural heritage. is especially renowned for its Brick Gothic monuments, such as Stralsund's St. Nikolai Church and its City Hall, shown here. old town of Stralsund, together with Wismar, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. colonists in the 12th and 13th centuries settled in numerous cities on and near the east Baltic coast, as Elbing (Elbląg), Thorn (Toruń), Reval (Tallinn), Riga, and Dorpat (Tartu), all of which became members of the Hanseatic League, some of which still retain many Hansa buildings and bear the style of their Hanseatic days. were granted Lübeck law,[needs copy edit] after the league's most prominent town.[25] law provided that they had to appeal in all legal matters to Lübeck's city council. like Danzig from 1295 onwards, had Magdeburg law or its derivative Culm law.[26][27][28] the Livonian Confederation of 1435 to c. 1582 incorporated modern-day Estonia and parts of Latvia; all of its major towns were members of the Hanseatic League. the 13th century, older and wealthier long-distance traders increasingly chose to settle in their hometowns as esteemed trade leaders, their retirement transitioning from the previous role as landowners. growing number of settled merchants afforded long-distance traders greater influence over town policies. with an increased presence in the ministerial class, elevated the status of merchants enabled them expand to and assert dominance over more cities.[15]: 44, 47–50 [29]: 27–28  decentralised arrangement was fostered by slow travel speeds, from Reval to Lübeck took between 4 weeks and, in winter, 4 months.[30]: 202  Foundation of the alliance between Lübeck and Hamburg in the part about ship law (Van schiprechte) in the Hamburg city right from 1497 1241 Lübeck, which had access to the Baltic and North seas' fishing grounds, formed an alliance—a precursor to the League—with the trade city of Hamburg, which controlled access to the salt-trade routes from Lüneburg. allied cities gained control over most of the salt-fish trade, especially the Scania Market; Cologne joined them in the Diet of 1260. towns raised their own armies, with each guild required to provide levies when needed. Hanseatic cities came to the aid of one another, and commercial ships often had to be used to carry soldiers and their arms. the period, a network of alliances grew to include a flexible roster of 70 to 170 cities.[31] the West, cities of the Rhineland like Cologne enjoyed trading privileges in Flanders and England.[12] 1266 King Henry III of England granted the Lübeck and Hamburg Hansa a charter for operations in England, causing competition with the Westphalians. the Cologne Hansa and the Wendish Hansa joined in 1282 to form the Hanseatic colony in London, they didn't completely merge until the 15th century. were blockades against Novgorod in 1268 and 1277/1278.[15]: 58–59  Westphalian traders continued to dominate trade in London and also Ipswich and Colchester, Baltic and Wendish traders concentrated between King's Lynn and Newcastle upon Tyne.[15]: 36  of the drive for co-operation came from the fragmented nature of existing territorial governments, failed to provide security for trade. the next 50 years, the merchant Hansa solidified with formal agreements for confederation and co-operation covering the west and east trade routes.[citation needed] not only from the east modern day Low Countries, but also Utrecht, Holland, Zealand, Brabant, Namur and modern Limburg joined in participation over the thirteenth century.[32]: 111  network of Hanseatic trading guilds is called the Kaufmannshanse in historiography. Novgorodians and Hanseatic league, commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in central and Northern Europe, Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries, Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries,The League originated from various loose associations of German traders and towns formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers, These arrangements gradually coalesced into the Hanseatic League, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes; Hanseatic League; Hanseatic League[a] was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the League expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across seven modern-day countries, from Estonia in the north and east, to the King's Lynn, England in the west,[4][5] and Kraków, Poland, in the south.[6] League originated from various loose associations of German traders and towns formed to advance mutual commercial interests, such as protection against robbers. arrangements gradually coalesced into the Hanseatic League, whose traders enjoyed toll privileges and protection in affiliated communities and their trade routes. interdependence and kinship ties between merchant families, who held important positions in towns, led to deeper political integration and the removal of obstacles to trade.[7] Cities gradually developed common trade regulations. its heyday, the Hanseatic League dominated maritime trade in the North and Baltic Seas. established trading posts in numerous towns and cities across Europe; some of these, like the Kontors in London (the Steelyard), Bruges, Bergen, and Novgorod, became extraterritorial entities that enjoyed considerable legal autonomy. merchants, called Hansards, operated in basic private companies and were widely known for their access to a variety of commodities, and enjoyed privileges and protections abroad. collective economic power made the League capable of imposing blockades and even waging war against kingdoms and principalities. at its peak, the Hanseatic League was never more than a loosely aligned confederation of city-states. lacked a permanent administrative body, a treasury, and a standing military force. the 14th century, the Hanseatic League instated an irregular negotiating diet Low German: dachvart or dach; German: Tagfahrt or Hansetag) operated on deliberation and consensus. By the mid-16th century, these weak connections left the Hanseatic League vulnerable, it gradually unraveled as members became consolidated into other realms or departed, disintegrating in 1669. Novgorodians; Novgorod Republic (Russian: Новгородская республика) a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. capital was the city of Novgorod. republic prospered as the easternmost trading post of the Hanseatic League, its people were much influenced by the culture of the Byzantines.[4] state was called Novgorod and Great Novgorod (Russian: Великий Новгород, romanized: Veliky Novgorod) the form Sovereign Lord Novgorod the Great Государь Господин Великий Новгород, romanized: Gosudar Gospodin Veliky Novgorod) common in the 15th century. Novgorod Land and Novgorod volost usually referred to the land belonging to Novgorod. Republic itself is a much later term,[5] the polity was described as a republic as early as in the beginning of the 16th century.[6][7] historians frequently used the terms Novgorod Feudal Republic and Novgorod Boyar Republic.[8] article: Novgorod Land § History was populated by various Slavic tribes that were constantly at war with one another for supremacy. these tribes came together during the beginning of the 9th century to try to form a negotiated settlement to end military aggression amongst each other.[9] Novgorod First Chronicle, a collection of writings depicting the history of Novgorod from 1016 to 1471, states that these tribes wanted to "Seek a prince who may rule over us and judge us according to law."[10] Rus' and its inhabitants were influenced by Vikings.[11][failed verification] walls of the Novgorod Detinets from the late 15th century. The Kokui tower (left) dates from the 17th century; its name is of Swedish origin. Republic[edit] the late 11th century Novgorodians asserted greater control over the determination of their rules and rejected a politically dependent relationship to Kiev.[12] the Rus, the Novgorodians were the first to reach the regions between the Arctic Ocean and Lake Onega. though there is no definitive account of the precise timing of their arrival at the northern rivers that flowed into the Arctic, are chronicles which mention that one expedition reached the Pechora River in 1032, trading was established as early as in 1096 with the Yugra tribe.[13] also stated that the Novgorodians paid tribute to the Prince of Kiev by 1113. time after this, the administration of the principality seemed to have matured. Novgorod tysiatskii and posadniki appointed boyars from the cities and collected revenues for administration in the territories it held. charter from the 1130s mentioned 30 administrative posts in Novgorod territory, revenues were collected regularly and sent as a tithe to the Novgorod bishop. the 12th century, Novgorod utilized the Baltic-Volga-Caspian trade route, only for trading but also for bringing food from the fertile Oka region to their city.[13] comprised the territory of the important Oka region and lands along the vital Sheksna River. river lay in the Northern Volga tributary region. controlled the river was able to block food supplies causing a famine in Novgorod. due to these fears, Novgorod led a failed invasion of Suzdal in 1134. They tried again and succeeded in 1149. Novgorod, in a bid to appease Suzdal, accepted some Suzdalians as rulers of Novgorod. these events, Suzdal still blocked off trade to Novgorod twice and intercepted Novgorod's tributes.[13] 1136, the Novgorodians dismissed Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich and over the next century and a half were able to invite in and dismiss a number of princes. these invitations or dismissals were often based on who was the dominant prince in Rus' at the time, and not on any independent thinking on the part of Novgorod.[14] city of Pskov, initially part of Novgorod Land, had de facto independence from as early as the 13th century after opening a trading post for merchants of the Hanseatic League. princes such as Vsevolod Mstislavich (before 1117–1138) and Dovmont (c. 1240–1299) reigned in Pskov without any deference to, or consultation with, the prince or other officials in Novgorod. independence of the Pskov Republic was acknowledged in the 1348 Treaty of Bolotovo. the Archbishop of Novgorod continued to head the church in Pskov and kept the title "Archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov" until 1589. Republic was the subject of political rivalry between Poland and Lithuania on one side the Grand Duchy of Moscow on the other side in the 14th and 15th centuries. the 12th–15th centuries, the Novgorodian Republic expanded east and northeast. Novgorodians explored the areas around Lake Onega, along the Northern Dvina, and coastlines of the White Sea. the beginning of the 14th century, the Novgorodians explored the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea, and the West-Siberian river Ob. lands to the north of the city, rich with fur, sea fauna and salt among others were of great economic importance to the Novgorodians, fought a protracted series of wars with Moscow beginning in the late 14th century in order to keep these lands. them meant economic and cultural decline for the city and its inhabitants. the ultimate failure of the Novgorodians to win these wars led to the downfall of the Novgorod Republic.[citation needed] of the Republic[edit] Martha the Mayoress at the Destruction of the Novgorod veche, by Klavdiy Lebedev Tver, Muscovy, and Lithuania fought over control of Novgorod and its enormous wealth from the 14th century. becoming the Grand Prince of Vladimir, Yaroslavich of Tver sent his governors to Novgorod. series of disagreements with Mikhail pushed Novgorod towards closer ties with Muscovy during the reign of Grand Prince George. part, Tver's proximity Tver Principality is contiguous with the Novgorodian Land) Novgorod. was feared that a Tverite prince would annex Novgorodian lands and thus weaken the Republic. the time, though, Muscovy did not border Novgorod, since the Muscovite princes were further afield, they were more acceptable as princes of Novgorod. could come to Novgorod's aid when needed but would be too far away to meddle too much in the Republic's affairs. Muscovy grew in strength, however, the Muscovite princes became a serious threat to Novgorod. Kalita, Simeon the Proud and other Muscovite monarchs sought to limit Novgorod's independence. 1397, a critical conflict took place between Muscovy and Novgorod, when Moscow annexed the Dvina Lands along the course of the Northern Dvina. lands were crucial to Novgorod's well-being since much of the city's furs came from there.[15][16] territory was returned to Novgorod the following year. the Muscovite oppression, the government of Novgorod sought an alliance with Poland–Lithuania. Novgorodian boyars wished to maintain the Republic's independence since if Novgorod were to be conquered, the boyars' wealth would flow to the grand prince and his Muscovite boyars, the Novgorodians would fall into decline. of them didn't earn enough to pay for war.[17] to tradition, Marfa Boretskaya, the wife of Posadnik Isak Boretskii, was the main proponent of an alliance with Poland-Lithuania to save the Republic. to this legend, Boretskaya invited the Lithuanian princeling Mikhail Olelkovich and asked him to become her husband and the ruler of Novgorod. also concluded an alliance with Casimir, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. prospects of changing allegiance in favor of the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania caused a major commotion among the commoners. Martin and Gail Lenhoff have recently argued that Boretskaya was scapegoated, probably by Archbishop Feofil (r. 1470–1480) in order to shift the blame from him for his betrayal of the terms of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy, which forbade Novgorod from conducting foreign affairs without grand princely approval.[18] the extent of Boretskaya's role in the Lithuanian party is probably exaggerated, did indeed try to turn to the King of Poland. draft treaty, allegedly found among the loot after the Battle of Shelon River, was drawn up between Casimir and the Novgorodians.[19] The removal of the veche bell from Novgorod (from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible) Muscovite authorities saw Novgorod's behavior as a repudiation of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy and went to war against the city. army of Moscow won a decisive victory in the Battle of Shelon River in July 1471, severely limited Novgorod's freedom to act thereafter, the city maintained its formal independence for the next seven years. 1478, Ivan III sent his army to take the city. destroyed the veche, tore down the Veche bell, the ancient symbol of participatory governance, civil society, and legal rights, and destroyed the library and archives, ending the independence of Novgorod.[20] the takeover, Ivan took 81.7% of Novgorod's land, half for himself and the rest for his allies.[21] Novgorod Chronicle which had been critical of Ivan III before the fall of Novgorod thus described the conquest in its aftermath, it on the grounds of purported conversion of Novgorodians to the Catholic faith:[22] did Great Prince Ivan advance with all his host against his domain of Novgorod of the rebellious spirit of its people, pride conversion to Latinism. a great and overwhelming force did he occupy the entire territory of Novgorod from frontier to frontier, on every part of it the dread powers of his fire and sword. city state of Novgorod had developed procedures of governance that held a large measure of democratic participation in advance of the rest of Europe[23] that share several similarities with the democratic traditions of Scandinavian peasant republics. people had the power to elect city officials they even had the power to elect and fire the prince. Chronicle writer then goes on to describe a "town meeting" where these decisions would have been made, which included people from all social classes ranging from the Posadniki (Burgomaster), to the Chernye Liudi (literally, the black folks) or the lowest free class.[24][25] precise constitution of the medieval Novgorodian Republic is uncertain, traditional histories have created the image of a highly institutionalized network of veches (public assemblies) a government of posadniks (burgomaster), tysyatskys ("thousandmen," the head of the town militia, but a judicial and commercial official), other members of aristocratic families, and the archbishops of Novgorod. was called a republic by Sigismund von Herberstein in his Notes on Muscovite Affairs written at least half a century after the conquest of Novgorod.[6] Marxist scholarship frequently described the political system of Novgorod as a "feudal republic", placing it within the Marxist historiographic periodization (slavery – feudalism – capitalism – socialism – communism).[26][27] scholars today, however, question whether Russia ever really had a feudal political system parallel to that of the medieval West.[citation needed] See also: Diocese of Novgorod and List of bishops and archbishops of Novgorod scholars argue that the archbishop was the head of the executive branch of the government, it is difficult to determine the exact competence of the various officials. It is possible that there was a "Council of Lords" (Совет Господ) was headed by the archbishop and met in the archiepiscopal palace (and in the Chamber of Facets after 1433).[28][29] (at least nominal) executives of Novgorod were always the Princes of Novgorod, invited by Novgorodians from the neighboring states, even though their power waned in the 13th and early 14th centuries.[30][31] is unclear if the archbishop of Novgorod was the real head of state or chief executive of the Novgorod Republic, in any case he remained an important town official. In addition to overseeing the church in Novgorod, he headed embassies, oversaw certain court cases of a secular nature, and carried out other secular tasks. However, the archbishops appear to have worked with the boyars to reach a consensus and almost never acted alone. The archbishop was not appointed, but elected by Novgorodians, and approved by the Metropolitan bishop of Russia.[30] The archbishops were probably the richest single land-owners in Novgorod, and they also made money off court fees, fees for the use of weights and measures in the marketplace, and through other means.[32][33] Veche and posadnik[edit] Main article: Novgorod veche The Veche in Novgorod, by Vasily Khudyakov Another important executive was the Novgorod Posadnik, who chaired the veche, co-chaired courts together with the Prince, oversaw tax collection and managed current affairs of the city. Most of the Prince's major decisions had to be approved by the Posadnik. In the mid-14th century, instead of one Posadnik, the Veche began electing six. These six posadniks kept their status for their lifetimes, and each year elected among themselves a chief Stepennoy Posadnik. Posadniks were almost invariably members of boyars – the city's highest aristocracy.[34] The precise makeup of the veche is also uncertain, although it appears to have comprised members of the urban population, as well as of the free rural population. Whether it was a democratic institution or one controlled by the boyars has been hotly debated. The posadniks, tysiatskys, and even the bishops and archbishops of Novgorod[35] were often elected or at least approved by the veche.[36] Tradespeople and craftsmen also participated in the political affairs of Novgorod the Great. The traditional scholarship argues that they were organized into five "kontsy" ("ends" in Russian) – i.e., the boroughs of the city they lived in; each end was then organized by the streets in which they lived. The ends and streets often bore names indicating that certain trades were concentrated in certain parts of the city (there was a Carpenter's End and a Potters' End, for example). The merchants were organised into associations, of which the most famous were those of wax traders (called Ivan's Hundred) and of the merchants engaged in overseas trade.[37] Novgorod within Kievan Rus' prior to independence. Like much of the rest of Novgorod's medieval history, the precise composition of these organizations is uncertain. It is quite possible that the "ends" and "streets" were simply neighborhood administrative groups rather than guilds or "unions". Street organizations were known to build churches in their neighborhoods and to have buried the dead of their neighborhoods during outbreaks of the plague, but beyond that their activities are uncertain. "Streets" and "ends" may have taken part in political decision-making in Novgorod in support of certain boyar factions or to protect their interests. Merchant "elders" are also noted in treaties and other charters, but only about a hundred of these charters exist. A half dozen date from the 12th century, while most are from after 1262. Thus it is difficult to determine Novgorod's political structure due to the paucity of sources.[38] Prince[edit] The prince, while his status in Novgorod was not inheritable and his power was much reduced, remained an important figure in Novgorodian life. Of around 100 princes of Novgorod, many, if not most, were invited in or dismissed by the Novgorodians. At least some of them signed a contract called a r'ad (ряд), which protected the interests of the Novgorodian boyars and laid out the prince's rights and responsibilities. The r'ads that have been preserved in archives describe the relationship of Novgorod with twelve invited Princes: five of them from Tver', four from Moscow, and three from Lithuania.[39] First and foremost among the prince's functions, he was a military leader. He also patronized churches in the city and held court, although it was often presided over by his namestnik or lieutenant when he was personally absent from the city. The posadnik had always to be present in the court and no court decision could be made without his approval. Also, without the posadnik's approval the prince could neither give out Novgorod lands nor issue laws.[40] Besides, the prince could not own land in Novgorod and could not himself collect taxes from the Novgorod lands. He lived from money given to him by the city.[30] According to several r'ads, the prince could not extradite or prosecute a Novgorodian outside of the Novgorodian Land.[41] The princes had two residences, one on the Marketplace (called Yaroslav's Court, after Yaroslav the Wise), and another (Городище / Riurkovo Gorodische) several miles south of the Market Side of the city. Administrative divisions[edit] Main article: Administrative divisions of the Novgorod Republic The administrative division of Novgorod Republic is not definitely known; the country was divided into several tysyachas (Russian: тысячи, lit. 'thousands') in the core lands of the country, and volosts (Russian: волости) in lands in the east and north that were being colonised or just paid tribute. The city of Novgorod and its vicinity, as well as a few other towns, were not part of any of those. Pskov achieved autonomy from Novgorod in the 13th century; its independence was confirmed by the Treaty of Bolotovo in 1348. Several other towns had special status as they were owned jointly by Novgorod and one of the neighbouring states. Economy[edit] The marketplace in Novgorod, by Apollinary Vasnetsov. See also: Foreign trade of medieval Novgorod The economy of the Novgorodian Republic included farming and animal husbandry (e.g., the archbishops of Novgorod and others raised horses for the Novgorodian army), while hunting, beekeeping, and fishing were also widespread. In most of the regions of the republic, these different "industries" were combined with farming. Iron was mined on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. Staraya Russa and other localities were known for their saltworks. Flax and hop cultivation were also of significant importance. Countryside products, such as furs, beeswax, honey, fish, lard, flax, and hops, were sold on the market and exported to other Russian cities or abroad. The real wealth of Novgorod, however, came from the fur trade. The city was the main entrepôt for trade between Rus' and northwestern Europe as it was located at the eastern end of the Baltic trade network established by the Hanseatic League. From Novgorod's northeastern lands ("The Lands Beyond the Portages" as they were called in the chronicles), the area stretching north of Lakes Ladoga and Onega up to the White Sea and east to the Ural Mountains[42] had so much fur that medieval travel accounts tell of furry animals raining from the sky.[43] The Novgorodian merchants traded with Swedish, German, and Danish cities. In early years, the Novgorodians sailed the Baltic themselves (several incidents involving Novgorodian merchants in Gotland and Denmark are reported in the Novgorodian First Chronicle). Orthodox churches for Novgorodian merchants have been excavated on Gotland. Likewise, merchants from Gotland had their own St. Olaf church and trading house in Novgorod. However the Hanseatic League disputed the right of the Novgorod merchants to carry out sea trade independently and to deliver cargoes to the West-European ports by their own ships. Silver, cloth, wine and herring were imported from Western Europe.[37] Foreign coins and silver were used as a currency before Novgorod started minting its own novgorodka coins in 1420.[44][45] Society[edit] More than a half of all Novgorodian privately owned lands had been concentrated in the hands of some 30–40 noble boyar families by the 14th–15th century. These vast estates served as material resources, which secured political supremacy of the boyars. The House of Holy Wisdom (Дом святой Софии, Dom Svyatoy Sofiy) – the main ecclesiastic establishment of Novgorod – was their chief rival in terms of landownership. Its votchinas were located in the most economically developed regions of the Novgorod Land. The Yuriev Monastery, Arkazhsky Monastery, Antoniev Monastery and some other privileged monasteries are known to have been big landowners. There were also the so-called zhityi lyudi (житьи люди), who owned less land than the boyars, and unprivileged small votchina owners called svoyezemtsy (своеземцы, or private landowners). The most common form of labor exploitation – the system of metayage – was typical for the afore-mentioned categories of landowners. Their household economies were mostly serviced by slaves (kholopy), whose number had been constantly decreasing. Along with the metayage, monetary payments also gained significant importance by the 2nd half of the 15th century. 13th-century Novgorod as depicted in Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938) Some scholars argue that the feudal lords tried to legally tie down the peasants to their land. Certain categories of feudally dependent peasants, such as davniye lyudi (давние люди), polovniki (половники), poruchniki (поручники), dolzhniki (должники), were deprived of the right to leave their masters. The boyars and monasteries also tried to restrict other categories of peasants from switching their feudal lords. However, until the late 16th century peasants could leave their land in the weeks preceding and coming after St. George's day in the autumn. Marxist scholars (e.g., Aleksandr Khoroshev) often spoke of class struggle in Novgorod. There were some 80 major uprisings in the republic, which often turned into armed rebellions. The most notable among these took place in 1136, 1207, 1228–29, 1270, 1418, and 1446–47. The extent to which these were based on "class struggle" is unclear. Many were between various boyar factions or, if a revolt did involve the peasants or tradesmen against the boyars, it did not consist of the peasants wanting to overthrow the existing social order, but was more often than not a demand for better rule on the part of the ruling class. There did not seem to be a sense that the office of prince should be abolished or that the peasants should be allowed to run the city. Throughout the republican period, the archbishop of Novgorod was the head of the Orthodox church. The Finnic population of the Novgorod land was undergoing Christianisation. The sect of Strigolniki spread to Novgorod from Pskov in the middle of the 14th century, its members renouncing ecclesiastic hierarchy, monasticism and sacraments of priesthood, communion, repentance and baptism. Another sect, called the heresy of the Judaizers by its opponents appeared in Novgorod in the second half of the 15th century and subsequently enjoyed support at the court in Moscow. Military[edit] Similar to other medieval states in Rus', the military of Novgorod consisted of a levy and the prince's retinue (druzhina).[46] While potentially all free Novgorodians could be mobilised, in reality the number of recruits depended on the level of danger faced by Novgorod. The professional formations included the retinues of the archbishop and prominent boyars, as well as the garrisons of fortresses.[47] Firearms were first mentioned in 1394[48] and in the 15th century fortress artillery was used[49] and cannons were installed on ships.[50] Foreign relations[edit] Medieval Russian states around 1470, including Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, Ryazan, Rostov and Moscow. During the era of Kievan Rus', Novgorod was a trade hub at the northern end of both the Volga trade route and the "route from the Varangians to the Greeks" along the Dnieper river system. A vast array of goods were transported along these routes and exchanged with local Novgorod merchants and other traders. The merchants of Gotland retained the Gothic Court trading house well into the 12th century. Later German merchantmen also established tradinghouses in Novgorod. Scandinavian royalty would intermarry with Russian princes and princesses. Hansa, Sweden and Livonian Order[edit] The Battle of the Ice against the Livonian order (16th century chronicle) After the great schism, Novgorod struggled from the beginning of the 13th century against Swedish, Danish, and German crusaders. During the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars, the Swedes invaded lands where some of the population had earlier paid tribute to Novgorod. The Germans had been trying to conquer the Baltic region since the late 12th century. Novgorod went to war 26 times with Sweden and 11 times with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The German knights, along with Danish and Swedish feudal lords, launched a series of uncoordinated attacks in 1240–1242. Novgorodian sources mention that a Swedish army was defeated in the Battle of the Neva in 1240. The Baltic German campaigns ended in failure after the Battle on the Ice in 1242. After the foundation of the castle of Vyborg in 1293 the Swedes gained a foothold in Karelia. On August 12, 1323, Sweden and Novgorod signed the Treaty of Nöteborg, regulating their border for the first time. Mongol invasion and its aftermath[edit] The Novgorod Republic was saved from the direct impact of the Mongol invasion as it was the only Rus principality that was never conquered by the Mongol troops.[51][dubious – discuss] In 1259, Mongol tax-collectors and census-takers arrived in the city, leading to political disturbances and forcing Alexander Nevsky to punish a number of town officials (by cutting off their noses) for defying him as Grand Prince of Vladimir (soon to be the khan's tax-collector in Russia) and his Mongol overlords. In the 14th century, raids by Novgorod pirates, or ushkuiniki,[52] sowed fear as far as Kazan and Astrakhan, assisting Novgorod in wars with Muscovy. Culture[edit] Art and iconography[edit] The Angel with Golden Hair icon (circa 1200) The Republic of Novgorod was famous for its high level of culture in relation to other Russian duchies like Suzdal. A great majority of the most important Eastern artwork of the period came from this city. Citizens of Novgorod were producing large quantities of art, more specifically, religious icons. This high level of artistic production was due to the flourishing economy. Not only would prominent boyar families commission the creation of icons, but artists also had the backing of wealthy merchants and members of the strong artisan class.[53] Icons became so prominent in Novgorod that by the end of the 13th century a citizen did not have to be particularly rich to buy one; in fact, icons were often produced as exports as well as for churches and homes.[54] However, scholars today have managed to find and preserve only a small, random assortment of icons made from the 12th century to the 14th century in Novgorod.[54] The icons that do remain show a mixture of traditional Rus style, Palaeologus-Byzantine style (prominent previously in Kiev), and European Romanesque and Gothic style.[55] The artists of Novgorod, and their audience, favored saints who provided protection mostly related to the economy. The Prophet Elijah was the lord of thunder who provided rain for the peasants' fields. Saint George, Saint Blaise, and Saints Florus and Laurus all provided some manner of protection over the fields or the animals and herds of the peasants. Saint Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and Saint Anastasia both protected trade and merchants. Saint Nicholas was the patron of carpenters and protected travelers and the suffering. Both Saint Nicholas and the Prophet Elijah also offer protection from fires. Fires were commonplace in the fields and on the streets of the city.[56] Depictions of these saints retained popularity throughout the entire reign of the Republic. But in the beginning of the 14th century another icon became prominent in the city: the Virgin of Mercy. This icon commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Andrew Yurodivyi and Epifanii. During this appearance, Mary prays for humankind.[57] The art movement of Novgorod was essentially destroyed by Moscow after 1478, when a more uniform method for iconography was established throughout Russia.[58] Architecture and city layout[edit] The Volkhov River divided the Republic of Novgorod into two-halves. The commercial side of the city, which contained the main market, rested on one side of the Volkhov. The St. Sophia Cathedral and an ancient kremlin rested on the other side of the river.[59] The cathedral and kremlin were surrounded by a solid ring of city walls, which included a bell tower. Novgorod was filled with and surrounded by churches and monasteries.[60] The city was overcrowded because of its large population of 30,000 people. The wealthy (boyar families, artisans, and merchants) lived in large houses inside the city walls, and the poor used whatever space they could find.[59] The streets were paved with wood and were accompanied by a wooden water-pipe system, a Byzantine invention to protect against fire.[59] The Byzantine style (famous for large domes) and the European Romanesque style influenced the architecture of Novgorod.[61] A number of rich families commissioned churches and monasteries in the city. About 83 churches, almost all of which were built in stone, operated during this period.[62] Two prominent styles of churches existed in the Republic of Novgorod. The first style consisted of a single apse with a slanted (lopastnyi) roof. This style was standard throughout Russia during this period. The second style, the Novgorodian style, consisted of three apses and had roofs with arched gables. This second style was prominent in the early years of the Republic of Novgorod and also in the last years of the Republic, when this style was revitalized to make a statement against the rising power of Moscow.[63] The inside of the churches contained icons, woodcarvings, and church plates.[64] The first known one-day votive church was built in Novgorod in 1390 to ward off a pandemic, several others were built in the city until the mid-16th century. As they were built in one day, they were made of wood, small in size and simple in design.[65][66] Literature and literacy[edit] Many birch-bark documents have been found in Novgorod attesting to a high level of literacy among Novgorodians of different social classes See also: Birch bark manuscript Chronicles are the earliest kind of literature known to originate in Novgorod, the oldest one being the Novgorod First Chronicle. Other genres appear in the 14th and 15th centuries: travel diaries (such as the account of Stefan the Novgorodian's travel to Constantinople for trade purposes), legends about local posadniks, saints and Novgorod's wars and victories.[67] The events of many bylinas – traditional Russian oral epic poems – take place in Novgorod. Their protagonists include a merchant and adventurer Sadko and daredevil Vasily Buslayev. Scholars generally believe that the Republic of Novgorod had an unusually high level of literacy for the time period. Archeologists found over one thousand birch-bark texts, all dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries, in towns dating back to the early Rus'. Roughly 950 of these texts were from Novgorod. Archeologists and scholars estimate that as much as 20,000 similar texts still remain in the ground and many more burned down during numerous fires.[68] Novgorod citizens from all class levels, from boyars to peasants and artisans to merchants, participated in writing these texts. Even women wrote a significant amount of the manuscripts.[68] This collection of birch-bark texts consists of religious documents, writings from the city's archbishops, business messages from all classes, and travelogues, especially of religious pilgrimages. The citizens of Novgorod wrote in a realistic and businesslike fashion. In addition to the birch-bark texts, archeologists also found the oldest surviving Russian manuscript in Novgorod: three wax tablets with Psalms 67, 75, and 76, dating from the first quarter of the 11th century.[69] Veliky Novgorod; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24;

Russia, Novgorod, 1087-1147, Saint Anthony of Rome, founder Antoniev monastery, floating stone and inheritance barrel
Novgorod Saint, 1117-1147, Anthony of Rome, founder Antoniev monastery; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Anthony the Roman was born at Rome in 1067 to rich parents who adhered to the Orthodox Faith, and they raised him in piety. After losing his parents at age 17, he took up the study of the Fathers in the Greek language. Afterwards, he distributed part of his inheritance to the poor, and the other portion he put into a wooden barrel and threw it into the sea. Then he was tonsured at one of the wilderness monasteries, where he lived for 20 years. persecution of the Latins against the Orthodox forced the brethren to separate. Saint Anthony wandered from place to place until he came upon a large rock upon the shore of the sea, where he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. On September 5, 1105 a terrible storm tore away the stone on which Saint Anthony stood, and threw it into the sea. By divine Providence, the stone floated to Novgorod. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the stone halted 3 versts from Novgorod on the banks of the River Volkhov near the village of Volkhov. This event is testified to in the Novgorod Chronicles. this place the monk, with the blessing of Saint Nikḗtas the Hermit (May 14), founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In another year, fishermen recovered the barrel containing Saint Anthony’s inheritance, cast into the sea many years before. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. Before a judge, Saint Anthony described the contents of the barrel, and it was returned to him. The saint used the money to buy land for the monastery. Spiritual asceticism was combined at the monastery with intense physical labor. Anthony was concerned that help should be given to the needy, orphans and widows from monastery funds. In 1117, the saint built a stone church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church, built during the lifetime of Saint Anthony in the years 1117-1119 by the renowned Novgorod architect Peter, and adorned with frescoes in the year 1125, has been preserved to the present time. In 1131, Saint Niphon of Novgorod made Saint Anthony igumen of the monastery. He died on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Saint Niphon. Anthony was glorified in 1597. His memory is also celebrated (uncovering of his relics) on the first Friday after the Feast of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), and on January 17, on the same day that Saint Anthony the Great is commemorated. The first Life of Saint Anthony the Roman was written soon after his death by his disciple and successor as igumen, the hieromonk Andrew. A Life, with an account of the uncovering of the relics, was written by a novice of the Antoniev monastery, the monk Niphon, in the year 1598. Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1088-1093, 1095-1117, Mstislav I of Kiev, Vladimirovich t Great, Vladimir II's s, Built C&Cathedrals in N&K
Novgorod Prince, 1088-1093, 1095-1117, Mstislav I of Kiev ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (February, 1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125–1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] He is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. was born in Turov. As his father's future successor, he reigned in Novgorod the Great from 1088 to 1093 and (after a brief stint at Rostov) from 1095–1117. he was Monomakh's co-ruler in Bilhorod Kyivskyi, and inherited the Kyivan throne after his death. built numerous churches in Novgorod, of which St. Nicholas Cathedral (1113)[2] and the cathedral of St Anthony Cloister (1117) survive to the present day. he would also erect important churches in Kiev, notably his family sepulchre at Berestovo and the church of Our Lady at Podil. St Nicholas Cathedral, built by Mstislav I near his palace at Yaroslav's Court, Novgorod, contains 12th-century frescoes depicting his illustrious family life was spent in constant warfare with Cumans (1093, 1107, 1111, 1129), Estonians (1111, 1113, 1116, 1130), Lithuanians (1131), and the princedom of Polotsk (1127, 1129). In 1096, he defeated his uncle Oleg of Chernigov on the Koloksha River, thereby laying foundation for the centuries of enmity between his and Oleg's descendants. Mstislav was the last ruler of united Rus, and upon his death, as the chronicler put it, "the land of Rus was torn apart". He died in Kiev, aged 55. 1095, Mstislav married Princess Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, daughter of King Inge I of Sweden.[3] They had many children: Ingeborg of Kiev, married Canute Lavard of Jutland, and was mother to Valdemar I of Denmark Malmfred, married (1) Sigurd I of Norway; (2) Eric II of Denmark Eupraxia, married Alexius Comnenus, son of John II Comnenus Vsevolod of Novgorod and Pskov Maria Mstislavna of Kiev, married Vsevolod II of Kiev Iziaslav II of Kiev Rostislav of Kiev Sviatopolk of Pskov Rogneda, married Yaroslav of Volinya Xenia, married Briachislav of Izyaslawl Christine died on January 18, 1122; later that year Mstislav married again, to Ljubava Dmitrievna, the daughter of Dmitry Saviditsch, a nobleman of Novgorod. Their children were: Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1171) Euphrosyne of Kiev, (c. 1130 – c. 1193) married King Géza II of Hungary in 1146. Euphrosyne, Mstislav is an ancestor of both Philippa of Hainault and King Edward III of England, hence of all subsequent English and British monarchs. his mother Gytha, he is part of a link between Harold II of England and the modern line of English kings founded by William the Conqueror, who deposed him. St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30;

Russia, Novgorod, 1089-1107, Prochorus oKiev Near Caves, fSmolensk, tKCM, great ascetic, bitter pigweeg into sweet, ashes tSalt
Russia, Kiev, 1089-1107, Kiev Near Caves, fSmolensk, tKCM 1089, great ascetic, temperance, patience, bitter pigweeg into sweet, russian famine, gathered pigweed for bread for others, others tried failed, bitter, his bread tNeedy, tasted like fine wheat, only bread blessed by Prochorus was edible, pure light in appearance, others stole it and it became unedible, then no salt, P's prayers and ashes created salt, merchants angry, missing profit, salt confiscated by prince Svyatopolk, back to just ordinary ashes, S discarded it, P blessed people to take ashes, turned back into salt, miracle reformed S, began zealous prayer, peace wIgumen, highly esteemed P, left his army at war for last hour oP, received blessing, buried P, returned to army at war and easily defeated Polvetsians, captured their supply carts, died 1107, buried Near Caves; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 10; Prochorus of the Caves was a native of Smolensk, entered the Kiev Caves monastery under the igumen John (1089-1103). was a great ascetic of strict temperance. place of bread he ate pigweed (or orach), and so he was called “pigweed-eater.” summer, he gathered pigweed and made enough bread from it to last him for a whole year. also ate prosphora from church now and then, his only drink was water. the patience of Saint Prochorus, God transformed the usual bitterness of the pigweed into sweetness. the saint’s lifetime, a famine threatened Russia. began to gather the pigweed even more zealously and to prepare his “bread”. people followed his example, they were not able to eat this weed because of its bitterness. distributed his pigweed bread to the needy, it tasted like it was made from fine wheat. the bread given with the blessing of Saint Prochorus was edible, even pure and light in appearance. anyone tried to prepare this bread himself, or take it without the saint’s blessing, it was not fit for consumption. became known to the igumen and the brethren, and the fame of Prochorus spread far and wide. a certain while there was no salt at Kiev, and the people suffered because of this. the saint gathered ashes from all the cells, and began to distribute it to the needy. his prayers, the ashes became pure salt. merchants, who hoped to take advantage of this shortage of salt for their own profit, angry with Saint Prochorus for distributing free salt to the people. Svyatopolk confiscated the salt from Prochorus. they transported it to the prince’s court, everyone saw that it was just ordinary ashes. three days, Svyatopolk gave orders to discard it. Prochorus blessed the people to take the discarded ashes, and they were again changed into salt. miracle reformed the fierce prince. began to pray zealously, made peace with the igumen of the monastery of the Caves, and highly esteemed Saint Prochorus. the last hour of the saint approached, the prince left his army and hastened to him, even though he was at war. received his blessing and with his own hands, carried the body of the saint to the cave and buried him. to his army, Svyatopolk easily gained victory over the Polvetsians, turning them to flight and capturing their supply carts. was the great power of the prayer of Saint Prochorus. righteous one died in the year 1107, was buried in the Near Caves. is also commemorated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1094-1115, Oleg 1, Father of all the Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov
Russia, Kiev, 1113-1125, Oleg 1, Father of all the Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov; Svyatoslavich (c. 1052-August 1115) was a Rurikid prince whose equivocal adventures ignited political unrest in Kievan Rus' at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. was a younger son of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov and his first wife, Killikiya.[1] He might have been either the second or the fourth among the four sons of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich by Killikiya, because their order of seniority is uncertain.[2] According to historian Martin Dimnik, Oleg was born around 1050.[1] Oleg was named after his grand uncle.[citation needed] His baptismal name was Michael.[3] Dimnik writes that "it is highly probable" that Oleg succeeded his brother, Gleb in Tmutarakan (fort controlling the straight between Black and Azov seas near Crimean P) after their father appointed the latter Prince of Novgorod in about 1068.[4] father and uncle, Vsevolod Iaroslavich made an alliance against their elder brother, Iziaslav Iaroslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev and dethroned him on 22 March 1073.[5][6] to Dimnik, Oleg received the Principality of Vladimir from his father who succeeded Iziaslav Iaroslavich in Kiev.[7] In short, Oleg and his cousin, Vladimir Monomach, ”son of Vsevolod Iaroslavich, ”became close friends.[8] writes in his Instruction that Oleg was the godfather of his eldest son, Mstislav.[8] two cousins together commanded the troops Oleg's father sent to assist Boleslav II of Poland in Bohemia in 1076, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[9] Sviatoslav Iaroslavich died in Kiev on 27 December 1077.[10][11] He was succeeded by his brother, Vsevolod Iaroslavich.[11] new grand prince seems to have confirmed Oleg's rule in Vladimir, because no source makes mention of a conflict between them.[11] However, the dethroned Iziaslav Iaroslavich(”Vsevolod's brother and Oleg's uncle) ”returned with Polish reinforcements.[12][13] and Vsevolod had a meeting where they reached an agreement: renounced of Kiev, but received Chernigov, the one-time domain of Oleg's father.[12][13] marched in Kiev on 15 July 1077, while Oleg "was with Vsevolod at Chernigov",[14] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[12] The chronicler's remark suggests that Oleg had by that time been forced to leave Vladimir.[15] to get along with his uncle, on 10 April 1077 Oleg fled to his brother Roman who reigned in Tmutarakan.[16][17] with his cousin, Boris Vyacheslavich, who had also settled in Tmutarakan, Oleg made an alliance with the Cumans and invaded Rus' in the summer of 1078.[18][19] routed their uncle, Vsevolod on the Sozh River and entered Chernigov on 25 August.[19] The Russian Primary Chronicle accuses Oleg and Boris of being the first to lead "the pagans to attack the land of Rus'".[20][21] Vladimir Monomach, in his Instruction, reveals that he and his father, Vsevolod had hired Cumans when attacking Polotsk in the previous year.[21] from Chernigov, Vsevolod fled to Kiev and sought assistance from his brother, Iziaslav.[19] united their forces and marched against Chernigov.[13][19] Oleg and Boris were not in the town when their uncles arrived, the citizens decided to resist.[22] was willing to start negotiations with his uncles, but Boris refused his proposal.[23] The decisive battle was fought "at a place near a village on the meadow of Nezhata"[24] on 3 October.[19] was defeated and escaped to Tmutarakan, where the Khazars had him imprisoned and sent in chains to Constantinople. emperor, who was a relative and ally of Vsevolod, exiled him to Rhodes. There he married a noble lady, Theophano Mouzalonissa, who bore him several children. years later, we again find him active in Tmutarakan, where he adopted the title "archon of Khazaria". 1094, he returned with the Kipchaks to Rus' and captured Chernihiv. There ensued a prolonged internecine struggle with his cousins Sviatopolk and Vladimir Monomakh. One of the most prominent princes of Kievan period who never attained the Kievan throne, he died on August 1, 1115 and was buried in Chernihiv. Tale of Igor's Campaign styles him Gorislavich, poetically deriving his patronymic from the Russian word for sorrow. His descendants, known as Olgovichi, were archrivals of Vladimir's descendants (known as Monomakhovichi) in their struggle for supremacy in Rus'. son was Igor II of Kiev. Kiev Rus King, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh of Chernigov;

Russia, Novgorod, 1095-1108, Nikita of tKiev Far Caves, Bishop oNovgorod, first trusted in self, posessed, delivered, tObedient
Russia, Kiev, 1095-1108, Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod, first trusted in his own strength, would not listen, fell into temptation, bowed to devil, posessed, delivered by elders, then strict fasting prayer, surpassing everyone in obedience humility, high degree spiritual perfection, gift oWonderworking, rain by prayers, stopped fire by prayers, Novgorod bishop 13 yrs, invoked forfire lightning protection; Russia, Novgorod, 1095-1108, Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 31; Nikḗtas, Bishop of Novgorod, in his youth entered the Kiev Caves monastery and soon wished to become a hermit. igumen cautioned him that such an exploit was premature for a young monk, but he, trusting in his own strength, would not listen. the hermitage Saint Nikḗtas fell into temptation. devil appeared to him in the guise of an angel, and the inexperienced ascetic bowed down to him. devil gave him advice, speaking as if to one who had attained perfection: “Don’t bother to pray, just read and study other things, and I shall pray in your place.” stood near the hermit, giving the appearance of praying. deceived monk Nikḗtas came to surpass everyone in his knowledge of the Books of the Old Testament, he would not speak about the Gospel, nor did he wish to hear it read. Elders of the Kiev Caves went to the monk, and after they had prayed, they expelled the devil from him. this Saint Nikḗtas remained a hermit with the blessing of the Elders, and lived in strict fasting and prayer, surpassing everyone in obedience and humility. the prayer of the holy Elders, the merciful Lord brought him up from the depths of his fall to a high degree of spiritual perfection. he was made Bishop of Novgorod, for his holy life God granted him the gift of wonderworking. during a time of drought, he brought rain from the heavens by his prayers. time, he stopped a fire in the city. Nikḗtas guided the Novgorod flock for thirteen years, and then peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1109. 1558, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, Bishop Nikḗtas was glorified as a saint. relics now rest in the church of the holy Apostle Philip in Novgorod. is also commemorated on May 14. Nikḗtas is invoked for protection against lightning and fire. also turn to the Most Holy Theotokos, glorified in her “Unburnt Bush” Icon (September 4), for this purpose. Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Nikḗtas the former Recluse of the Kiev Caves fell asleep in the Lord in 1109, after serving as Bishop of Novgorod for thirteen years. Nikḗtas was glorified as a saint during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, his holy relics, dressed in full vestments, were uncovered on April 30, 1558. day was marked by the healing of many people. relics now rest in the cathedral of the holy Apostle Philip in Novgorod. Nikḗtas of Novgorod is also commemorated on January 31, the day of his repose, and on May 14.

Russia, Novgorod, 1100, 12th-13th Century, Folder, Novgorod Republic of Novgorod and Kiev Time

Russia, Novgorod, 1136-1478, Novgorod Republic, hostile Monomakh line of the Olgovichi
Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478, Capital Novgorod; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1101, 12th Century Folder, Novgorod Republic of Novgorod and Kiev

Russia, Novgorod, 1101-1148, Onesiphorus, Confessor oKiev Near Caves, Clairvoyant Presbyter, buried beside Spyridon aProsphora b
Russia, Kiev, 1101-1148, Onesiphorus, Confessor oKiev Near Caves, Clairvoyant Presbyter, buried beside Spyridon the Prosphora baker; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves pursued the ascetic life in the Kiev Caves monastery. was a presbyter and had the gift of clairvoyance. died in the year 1148 and was buried in the Near Caves beside Saint Spyridon (October 31). memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker
Russia, Kiev, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Faster of the Near Caves of Kiev was a deacon. is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius of the Near Caves (twelfth century) is also commemorated on September 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1105-1147, Saint Anthony's stone and inheritance barrel floats to Novgorod
Novgorod Saint, 1117-1147, Anthony of Rome, founder Antoniev monastery; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Anthony the Roman was born at Rome in 1067 to rich parents who adhered to the Orthodox Faith, and they raised him in piety. After losing his parents at age 17, he took up the study of the Fathers in the Greek language. Afterwards, he distributed part of his inheritance to the poor, and the other portion he put into a wooden barrel and threw it into the sea. Then he was tonsured at one of the wilderness monasteries, where he lived for 20 years. persecution of the Latins against the Orthodox forced the brethren to separate. Saint Anthony wandered from place to place until he came upon a large rock upon the shore of the sea, where he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. On September 5, 1105 a terrible storm tore away the stone on which Saint Anthony stood, and threw it into the sea. By divine Providence, the stone floated to Novgorod. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the stone halted 3 versts from Novgorod on the banks of the River Volkhov near the village of Volkhov. This event is testified to in the Novgorod Chronicles. this place the monk, with the blessing of Saint Nikḗtas the Hermit (May 14), founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In another year, fishermen recovered the barrel containing Saint Anthony’s inheritance, cast into the sea many years before. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. Before a judge, Saint Anthony described the contents of the barrel, and it was returned to him. The saint used the money to buy land for the monastery. Spiritual asceticism was combined at the monastery with intense physical labor. Anthony was concerned that help should be given to the needy, orphans and widows from monastery funds. In 1117, the saint built a stone church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church, built during the lifetime of Saint Anthony in the years 1117-1119 by the renowned Novgorod architect Peter, and adorned with frescoes in the year 1125, has been preserved to the present time. In 1131, Saint Niphon of Novgorod made Saint Anthony igumen of the monastery. He died on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Saint Niphon. Anthony was glorified in 1597. His memory is also celebrated (uncovering of his relics) on the first Friday after the Feast of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), and on January 17, on the same day that Saint Anthony the Great is commemorated. The first Life of Saint Anthony the Roman was written soon after his death by his disciple and successor as igumen, the hieromonk Andrew. A Life, with an account of the uncovering of the relics, was written by a novice of the Antoniev monastery, the monk Niphon, in the year 1598. Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1108-1115, Sylvester otKiev Near Caves, Igumen, continued Nestor's historical work, deliverance minister
Russia, Kiev, 1108-1115, Sylvester otMikhilovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, Kiev Near Caves, Igumen, continued Nestor's work, wrote 9Lives Holy Kiev Caves Saints, called blessed, miraculous gift tWard off demonic suggestions; Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Sylvester of the Caves lived during the twelfth century was igumen of the Mikhailovsk Vydubitsk monastery at Kiev. continued the work of Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) he wrote nine lives of the holy saints of the Kiev Caves. the service to the Fathers venerated in the Near Caves, Sylvester is called blessed endowed with “a miraculous gift to ward off demonic suggestions” (Ode 9 of the Canon). Sylvester was buried in the Near Caves, and his memory is celebrated on September 28, on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1113, Monomakhovchi, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus, a Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kiev' Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1113, Olgoviches, House of Oleg of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus, w Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113, Olgoviches of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus; Russia, Kiev, 1113, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kiev' Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1113-1125, Vladimir II Monomakh, Prince, related to B emperor, wars w Cumans
Novgorod Prince, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1117-1138, Vsevolod of Pskov, K Rus King, Gabriel, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, kicked out of N
Kiev Rus King, 1117-1138, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel ; Mstislavich, the patron saint of the city of Pskov, ruled as Prince of Novgorod in 1117–32, Prince of Pereslavl (1132) and Prince of Pskov in 1137–38. life[edit] eldest son of Mstislav the Great and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, Vsevolod was born in Novgorod during his father's reign as prince there (1088–1093, 1095–1117) and given the baptismal name Gabriel, or Gavriil. His maternal grandfather was King Inge the Elder of Sweden. The date of his birth is unknown, although the idea has been advanced that the event was commemorated by the Annunciation Church in the Marketplace, founded by Mstislav in 1103.[1] was enthroned as Prince of Novgorod after his father Mstislav Vladimirovich became Grand Prince of Kiev in 1117 and ruled Novgorod, with some interruption, until he was ousted by the Novgorodians in 1136. He was married to a Chernigovian princess in Novgorod in 1123 and his son, Ivan, was born there (he died in 1128).[2] In 1123, Vsevolod led the Novgorodians against the Chud. These campaigns continued in 1130 and over the next several years.[3] Aside from Vladimir Yaroslavich, Vsevolod was the first Novgorodian prince known to have been in conflict with Finns (in 1123).[4] from Novgorod[edit] his father's death in 1132, support for him began to erode in Novgorod. That same year, he was sent by his uncle, Grand Prince Yaropolk, to Pereslavl, to reign there. When he tried to return to Novgorod later that year, the Novgorodians refused to accept him back because they considered his move to Pereslavl as a betrayal (He had sworn an oath to die in Novgorod). That being said, the chronicles indicate that he was back leading a Novgorodian army in 1133. It was during that campaign that Vsevolod captured the city of Yuryev (modern Tartu, Estonia).[5] 1134, Vsevolod led an unsuccessful campaign in Vladimir-Suzdal during which, according to the Novgorodians, he showed indecisiveness, one of the reasons for his dismissal a little over a year later. On 28 May 1136, he was confined in the Archbishop's courtyard (compound) in the Detinets along with his wife and family, guarded by thirty men so as not to escape. In mid-July he was allowed to leave, going to his uncle in Kiev.[6] The following year, he tried to come back to Novgorod at the head of an army but withdrew instead to Pskov, where he died in February 1138.[7] According to his own wishes, he was buried in the Church of St. Demetrius in Pskov. dismissal from Novgorod has traditionally been seen as the end of Kievan power in the north and the beginning of the Republic of Novgorod. After him a number of princes were invited in or dismissed over the next two centuries, although only a few, like Aleksandr Nevsky, could assert themselves in the city for a prolonged period. Church-building and veneration[edit] of Saint Nicholas, constructed by Vsevolod in Novgorod. addition to leading Novgorodian armies on several campaigns, Vsevolod built a number of churches in and around the city: the Church of St. John on Opoki (1127–1130),[8] the Church of St. George in the Market (1133), the Church of The Assumption in the Market (1133; built with Archbishop Nifont),[9] and the Church of St. George in the Yuriev Monastery.[10] It was Vsevolod who granted the charter to Ivan's Hundred, the first Russian merchant guild. In addition, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yaroslav's Court, while often attributed to his father Mstislav, was mostly built during Vsevolod's tenure in Novgorod. comparatively early death prevented him from claiming the Kievan throne. He was survived by a daughter, WierzchosÅ‚awa, the wife of BolesÅ‚aw IV the Curly. The prince was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Vsevolod-Gavriil. In the Stepennaya Kniga (the "Book of Degrees of Royal Genealogy"), he is listed as a Pskov Wonderworker.[11] His relics were moved from the Church of St. Demetrius to the Trinity Cathedral in the Pskov Kremlin in 1193. The Pskovians attached his name to a German sword with the inscription honorem meum nemini dabo, formerly preserved in the cathedral sacristy, but modern historians date the sword to the 15th century at the earliest. St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1117-1138, Vsevolod oPskov, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavnly Pskov defender, fNovgorod, exiled wWorkr
Russia, Kiev, 1117-1138, K Rus King, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavenly defender oPskov, fNovgorod, as father's vicar did much for Novgorod, many churches, George's Cathedral at Yuriev m, Forerunner's church at Opokakh, charter oLands&privileges in his Law Code for Holy Wisdom cathedral&others, saved everyone during famine by exhausting entire treasury, valiant warrior vs Yam&Chud, 1132 Mstislav died his brother Yaropolk transferred V tPeresyaslavl then eldest city after Kiev, but Monomakh's younger sons (Yuri D, Andrew D) were apprehensive, did not want V at Kiev as Y's successor, so they attacked nephew V, to avoide intercene strife V returned to Novgorod, but N disaffection, felt should not have left them, 1133 victory over Chud to restore N relations, & annexed Yuriev tNovgorod, but harsh winter campaign against Suzdal unsuccessful, N could not forgive V fDefeat, their chastisement fGod, N turned to hostile Monomakh line oOlgovichi for a Prince, and banished V, suffering exile fOwn people, held by guard till Prince arrived, V went to Kiev and Yaropolk gave him Vyshgorod near Kiev, which was Olga's palace, she preferred Kiev&Pskov tNovgorod, 1137 Olga appeared in defence of Pskov&Kiev from Novgorod, remembering his chud wars Pskov invited V tPskov, Olga's native land, he was chosen by will otPeople, the first, glorious works there (constructed first stone church) but ruled only 1yr, died 1138 at 46, All oPskov gathered, wailing, Novgorod sent priest to take back relics but he did not want to go, coffin would not move, Novgorod people repented, asked for small piece, received fingernail, Pskov put V into Demetrius's temple, armaments arranged as a cross, inscription - I will yield my honor to no one, 1192 relics uncovered transferred to Cathedral to V's chapel, always remained a Pskov wonderworker; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Prince Vsevolod of Pskov, in Baptism Gabriel, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was born at Novgorod, where in the years 1088-1093 and 1095-1117 his father ruled as prince. father was the holy prince Saint Mstislav-Theodore the Great (April 15). the year 1117, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh gave Mstislav Kievan Belgorod as his “udel” (land-holding), practically making him co-ruler, Vsevolod remained as his father’s vicar in the Novgorod principality. Prince Vsevolod did much good for Novgorod. with the Archbishop of Novgorod, Saint Niphon (April 8), raised up many churches, which were the cathedral of the Great Martyr George at the Yuriev monastery, the church of Saint John the Forerunner at Opokakh, built in honor of the “angel” (i.e. patron saint) of his first-born son John, who had died in infancy (+ 1128). his Ustav (Law code) the prince granted a special charter of lands and privileges the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) and other churches. a terrible famine, he exhausted his entire treasury to save people from perishing. Vsevolod was a valiant warrior, he marched victoriously against the Yam and Chud peoples, he never took up the sword for lucre or power. 1132, upon the death of holy Great Prince Mstislav, ’s uncle Prince Yaropolk of Kiev fulfilled the last wishes of his brother transferred Vsevolod to Pereyaslavl, then regarded as the eldest city after Kiev itself. the younger sons of Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrew Dobry, apprehensive lest Yaropolk make Vsevolod his successor at Kiev, so they marched out against their nephew. to avoid internecine strife, Saint Vsevolod returned to Novgorod, was received there with disaffection. Novgorodians felt that the prince had been “raised” by them and should not have left them earlier. “Vsevolod went to Rus, to Pereslavl,” noted the Novgorod chronicler, “and kissed the cross against the Novgorodians, saying, ‘I will kill you.’” to restore good relations with Novgorod, prince undertook a victorious campaign against the Chud people in 1133, he annexed Yuriev to the Novgorod domain. a harsh winter campaign in 1135-1136 against Suzdal was unsuccessful. stubborn people of Novgorod would not heed their chastisement by God, they could not forgive the prince for their defeat. assembly decided to summon a prince from the hostile Monomakh line of the Olgovichi, they condemned Saint Vsevolod to banishment. “You suffered exile at the hands of your own people,” we sing in the troparion to the saint. a month and a half they held the prince and his family under guard at the archbishop’s palace. Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich arrived on July 15, 1136, Vsevolod was released from his captivity. went again to Kiev, and his uncle Yaropolk gave him the Vyshgorod district near Kiev, place where Saint Olga (July 11) had lived in the tenth century during the rule of her son Svyatoslav, “preferring the cities of Kiev and Pskov.” Olga came to the defense of her descendant in 1137 the people of Pskov, recalling the campaigns of the Novgorod-Pskov army led by the prince, invited him to the Pskov principality, the native region of Saint Olga. was the first Pskov prince, chosen by the will of the Pskov people. the glorious works of Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel at Pskov the construction of the first stone church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, a wooden church from the time of Saint Olga. the icons of the saint, he is often depicted holding the church of the Holy Trinity. Vsevolod ruled as prince at Pskov for only a year. died on February 11, 1138 at the age of forty-six. All of Pskov gathered at the funeral of the beloved prince, and the chanting of the choir could scarcely be heard over the people’s wailing. people of Novgorod sent an archpriest from the Sophia cathedral to take his holy relics back to Novgorod. prince, however, did not want his body to rest in Novgorod. would not allow Pskov to be deprived of his relics by the people of Novgorod, had driven him out, the coffin would not move from the spot. Novgorod people wept bitterly and repented in their misfortune. Then they asked to be given just a small piece of his relics “for the protection of their city.” their prayers a fingernail fell from the saint’s hand. Pskov people put Saint Vsevolod into the temple of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. the grave they placed the military armaments of the prince, a shield and sword, in the shape of a cross, with the Latin inscription, “I will yield my honor to no one.” November 27, 1192, the relics of holy Prince Vsevolod were uncovered and transferred into the Trinity cathedral, in which a chapel was consecrated in his honor. deep spiritual bond of the city of Saint Olga with the holy Prince Vsevolod was never broken. always remained a Pskov wonderworker. the siege of Pskov by Stephen Bathory in 1581, when the walls of the fortress were already breached and the Poles were ready to rush into the city, brought the holy relics of Prince Vsevolod from the Trinity cathedral to the place of battle, the enemy withdrew. April 22, 1834, on the first day of Pascha, the saint’s holy relics were solemnly transferred to a new shrine in the main church of the cathedral. the appearance of the wonderworking Pskov-Protection Icon (October 1), Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel stood among the heavenly defenders of Pskov. Kiev Rus King, 1117-1138, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel ; Mstislavich, the patron saint of the city of Pskov, ruled as Prince of Novgorod in 1117–32, Prince of Pereslavl (1132) and Prince of Pskov in 1137–38. 1 Early life 2 Expulsion from Novgorod 3 Church-building and veneration 4 Marriage and children 5 Succession 6 References 7 External links life[edit] eldest son of Mstislav the Great and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, Vsevolod was born in Novgorod during his father's reign as prince there (1088–1093, 1095–1117) and given the baptismal name Gabriel, or Gavriil. His maternal grandfather was King Inge the Elder of Sweden. The date of his birth is unknown, although the idea has been advanced that the event was commemorated by the Annunciation Church in the Marketplace, founded by Mstislav in 1103.[1] was enthroned as Prince of Novgorod after his father Mstislav Vladimirovich became Grand Prince of Kiev in 1117 and ruled Novgorod, with some interruption, until he was ousted by the Novgorodians in 1136. He was married to a Chernigovian princess in Novgorod in 1123 and his son, Ivan, was born there (he died in 1128).[2] In 1123, Vsevolod led the Novgorodians against the Chud. These campaigns continued in 1130 and over the next several years.[3] Aside from Vladimir Yaroslavich, Vsevolod was the first Novgorodian prince known to have been in conflict with Finns (in 1123).[4] from Novgorod[edit] his father's death in 1132, support for him began to erode in Novgorod. That same year, he was sent by his uncle, Grand Prince Yaropolk, to Pereslavl, to reign there. When he tried to return to Novgorod later that year, the Novgorodians refused to accept him back because they considered his move to Pereslavl as a betrayal (He had sworn an oath to die in Novgorod). That being said, the chronicles indicate that he was back leading a Novgorodian army in 1133. It was during that campaign that Vsevolod captured the city of Yuryev (modern Tartu, Estonia).[5] 1134, Vsevolod led an unsuccessful campaign in Vladimir-Suzdal during which, according to the Novgorodians, he showed indecisiveness, one of the reasons for his dismissal a little over a year later. On 28 May 1136, he was confined in the Archbishop's courtyard (compound) in the Detinets along with his wife and family, guarded by thirty men so as not to escape. In mid-July he was allowed to leave, going to his uncle in Kiev.[6] The following year, he tried to come back to Novgorod at the head of an army but withdrew instead to Pskov, where he died in February 1138.[7] According to his own wishes, he was buried in the Church of St. Demetrius in Pskov. dismissal from Novgorod has traditionally been seen as the end of Kievan power in the north and the beginning of the Republic of Novgorod. After him a number of princes were invited in or dismissed over the next two centuries, although only a few, like Aleksandr Nevsky, could assert themselves in the city for a prolonged period. Church-building and veneration[edit] of Saint Nicholas, constructed by Vsevolod in Novgorod. addition to leading Novgorodian armies on several campaigns, Vsevolod built a number of churches in and around the city: the Church of St. John on Opoki (1127–1130),[8] the Church of St. George in the Market (1133), the Church of The Assumption in the Market (1133; built with Archbishop Nifont),[9] and the Church of St. George in the Yuriev Monastery.[10] It was Vsevolod who granted the charter to Ivan's Hundred, the first Russian merchant guild. In addition, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yaroslav's Court, while often attributed to his father Mstislav, was mostly built during Vsevolod's tenure in Novgorod. comparatively early death prevented him from claiming the Kievan throne. He was survived by a daughter, Wierzchosława, the wife of Bolesław IV the Curly. The prince was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Vsevolod-Gavriil. In the Stepennaya Kniga (the "Book of Degrees of Royal Genealogy"), he is listed as a Pskov Wonderworker.[11] His relics were moved from the Church of St. Demetrius to the Trinity Cathedral in the Pskov Kremlin in 1193. The Pskovians attached his name to a German sword with the inscription honorem meum nemini dabo, formerly preserved in the cathedral sacristy, but modern historians date the sword to the 15th century at the earliest.

Russia, Novgorod, 1119-1147, Anthony of Rome, igumen Antoniev monastery, stone transport story
Novgorod Saint, 1119-1147, Anthony of Rome, founder Antoniev monastery; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1127-1176, St Athanasius Resurrected One, died, 3rd day found alive, weeping, replied only seek salvation, +
Russia, Kiev, 1127-1176, St Athanasius oKiev Near Caves, Resurrected One, Polycarp otKiev Caves contemporary, ill long time, died, 3rd day found alive, sitting up &weeping, replied only seek salvation, obey igumen, repent each hour &pray to Lord Jesus, MOG, & Anthony&Theodosius tAllow end life here, do not ask anything else for I must pray, then he lived 12 more years in solitude oCave, Then he repeated earlier words, Babylas healed at his relics after A appeared to him, buried Antoniev Cave; Kiev Caves Caverns; Near Caves; Venerable Athanasius “the Resurrected One”, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Athanasius, hermit of the Near Caves of Kiev, a contemporary of the archimandrite Saint Polycarp (July 24) of the Kiev Caves. Athanasius was grievously ill for a long time. When he died, the brethren prepared him for burial, and on the third day the igumen came to bury him. they all saw the dead man alive. He was sitting up and weeping. all their questions he replied only: “Seek salvation, obey the igumen in everything, repent each hour and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, to His All-Pure Mother and to Saints Anthony and Theodosius, to allow you to end your life here. not ask me anything else, for I must pray” (There is a similar story of Saint Hesychius [October 3] in THE LADDER of Saint John Climacus, Step 6). this he lived for twelve years more in solitude in a cave. that time he spoke not a word to anyone. He wept day and night, and partook of a little bread and water only every other day. before his death, he assembled the brethren, and repeated his earlier words to them, and then he peacefully departed unto the Lord (in about the year 1176). monk Babylas, who had suffered illness and an infirmity of the legs for many years, was healed at his relics. “As I lay there,” he told the brethren, “I cried out in pain. Saint Athanasius appeared to me and said, ‘Come to me, and I shall heal you.’ I wanted to ask him how and when he had returned here, but he became invisible. believed his words and asked to be taken to his relics. indeed, I have been healed.” Athanasius was buried in the Antoniev Cave. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1130-1156, Bishop Niphont, appointed Anthony of Rome Igumen
Novgorod Bishop, 1130-1156, Niphont; Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov, Commemorated on September 24; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Novgorod, 1136-1478, Novgorod Republic of Novgorod and Kiev
Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478, Centered in Kiev, Capital Novgorod; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1136-1478, Novgorod Republic (Land of the Novgorodians)
Novgorod Republic, 1136-1478 (Land of the Novgorodians) ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated October 17 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1136-1164, Svyatoslav, hostile Oleg line, Oleg's son, Oleg and Igor's fathr, Yuri D's ally, invited to N
Russia, Novgorod, 1136-1164, Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich; Olgovich (died February 14, 1164) was the Prince of Novgorod (1136–1138); Novgorod-Seversky (1139); Belgorod Kievsky (1141–1154); and Chernigov (1154–1164). He was the son of Oleg Sviatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov with an unnamed daughter of Asaduk, Khan of Khumans. to Chernigov; Sviatoslav Olgovich in his deathbed, with his wife and sons.jpg the death of their older brother, Vsevolod II, Sviatoslav and his brother Igor were driven out of Kiev by Iziaslav Mstislavich. Sviatoslav escaped, but Igor was captured and eventually killed in 1147. Sviatoslav fled to Chernigov but was ordered to relinquish his city, Novgorod-Seversky, to his cousins, Iziaslav Davidovich and Vladimir Davidovich. the assistance of his ally, Yuri Dolgoruki, and his father-in-law, Aepa Khan, Sviatoslav began a war against his cousins, but was forced to flee to Karachev. There on January 16, 1147, Sviatoslav defeated the Davidovichi brothers. 1108, Sviatoslav married a Cuman princess, daughter of Aepa Khan, who gave him a daughter and a son, Oleg. In 1136 Svyatoslav married a second time, to a woman of Novgorod, who bore his famous son, Igor Sviatoslavich. St. Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Saint Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; the people of Novgorod drove away their prince, Vsevolod, they invited Prince Svyatslav to govern them. The new prince wanted to enter into a marriage which was against the Church canons. Not only did Saint Niphon refuse to perform the ceremony, he also told his clergy to regard this betrothal as unlawful. Prince Svyatoslav brought priests in from elsewhere to perform the wedding, and the holy hierarch was not afraid to denounce his behavior.

Russia, Novgorod, 1149-1151, 1155-1157, Yuri I Dolgorukiy, K Rus King, far reaching, power f Kiev to Suzdal
Kiev Rus King, 1149-1157, Yuri I Dolgorukiy ; I Vladimirovich ( known under his soubriquet Yuri Dolgorukiy (also known in various accounts as Gyurgi, Dyurgi, or George I of Rus), (c. 1099 – 15 May 1157) was a Rurikid prince. He reigned as Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv) from September 1149 to April 1151 and then again from March 1155 to May 1157. played a key role in the transition of political power from Kiev to Suzdal following the death of his elder brother Mstislav the Great in 1132. in identifying birthdate and mother[edit] to Vasily Tatishchev, Yuri was born in 1090 which would make him a son of Vladimir Monomakh's first wife Gytha of Wessex, a daughter of Harold Godwinson. problem exists with Gytha's date of death. The scholars think it was either 1098 or 1107. to the "Testament of Vladimir Monomakh" Yuri's mother died on May 7, 1107. If Gytha died on March 07, 1098 then Yuri Vladimirovich could have been a son of his father's second wife Yefimia. chronicles report that Yuri's elder brother, Viacheslav, said to him: "I am much older than you; I was already bearded when you were born." Since Viacheslav was born in 1083, this supposedly pushes Yuri's birth to c. 1099/1100. However, the Primary Chronicle records the first marriage of Yuri - on 12 January 1108. It means that Yuri was born before c. 1099/1100 (as he couldn't have been 6–9 years old at the time of marriage). also records that Yuri's son Andrei Bogolyubskiy was born around 1111. It is doubtful that Yuri was at that time younger than 16 or 17. question of Yuri's birthday remains open, though taking into account all the above mentioned information Yuri's birth date can be approximated to the end of 1080s - first half of 1090s. But then it means that Gytha was indeed his mother. in Rostov and Suzdal[edit] 1108 Vladimir Monomakh sent his young son Yuri to govern in his name the vast Vladimir-Suzdal principality in the north-east of Kievan Rus'. In 1121 Yuri quarreled with the boyars of Rostov and moved the capital of his lands from that city to Suzdal. As the area was sparsely populated, Yuri founded many fortresses there. He established the towns of Ksniatin (in 1134), Pereslavl-Zalesski and Yuriev-Polski (in 1152), and Dmitrov (in 1154). The establishment of Tver, Kostroma, and Vologda is also popularly assigned to Yuri. 1147 Yuri Dolgorukiy had a meeting with Sviatoslav Olgovich (then prince of Belgorod Kievsky) in a place called Moscow. In 1156 Yuri fortified Moscow with wooden walls and a moat.[citation needed] Although the settlement probably existed later or earlier, Dolgorukiy is often called "the Founder of Moscow". for Kiev[edit] all the interest he took in fortifying his Northern lands, Yuri still coveted the throne of Kiev. It is his active participation in the Southern affairs that earned him the epithet of Dolgorukiy, "the far-reaching". His elder brother Mstislav of Kiev died in 1132, and "the Rus lands fell apart", as one chronicle put it. Yuri instantaneously declared war on the princes of Chernigov, the reigning Grand Prince and his brother Yaropolk II of Kiev, enthroned his son in Novgorod, and captured his father's hereditary principality at Pereyaslav of the South. The Novgorodians, however, betrayed him, and Yuri avenged by seizing their key eastern fortress, Torzhok. 1147, Dolgorukiy resumed his struggle for Kiev and in 1149[citation needed] he captured it, but in 1151 he was driven from the capital of Rus by his nephew Iziaslav. In 1155, Yuri regained Kiev once again. After presumably being poisoned at the feast of a Kievan nobleman, Yuri unexpectedly died in 1157 which sparked anti-Suzdalian uprising in Kiev.[citation needed] Yuri Dolgoruki was interred at the Saviour Church in Berestovo, Kiev, but his tomb is empty. and children[edit] Primary Chronicle records the first marriage of Yuri on 12 January 1108. His first wife was a daughter of Aepa Ocenevich,[1] Khan of the Cumans. Her paternal grandfather was Osen. Her people belonged to the Cumans, a confederation of pastoralists and warriors of Turkic origin. second wife Helena survived him and moved to Constantinople. Her paternity is not known for certain but Nikolay Karamzin was the first to theorise that Helena was returning to her native city. She has since been theorised to be a member of the Komnenos dynasty which ruled the Byzantine Empire throughout the life of Yuri. websites have speculated that his wife was a daughter of Isaac Komnenos. The identification would make her a granddaughter of Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina. There are no documents to back up this connection. had at least fifteen children. The identities of the mothers are not known for certain following are considered elder children and usually attributed to the first wife. Rostislav, Prince of Pereyaslavl (d. 6 April 1151). Ivan, Prince of Kursk (d. 24 February 1147). Olga (d. 1189). Married Yaroslav Osmomysl. Andrei I Bogolyubsky (c. 1111 – 28 June 1174). Maria. Married Oleg Sviatoslavich, Prince of Novhorod-Siverskyi. Sviatoslav (d. 11 January 1174). Yaroslav (d. 12 April 1166). Gleb of Kiev (d. 1171). Boris, Prince of Belgorod and Turov (d. 12 May 1159). Mstislav, Prince of Novgorod (d. 1166). Vasilko, Prince of Suzdal (deposed in 1161). following are considered youngest and typically attributed to the second wife Mikhail of Vladimir (d. 20 June 1176). Vsevolod the Big Nest (1154 – 12 April 1212). Davyd, Prince of Murom, Married Euphrosyne of Murom, Peasant from the Village of Laskovo, Ryazan Governorate (d. 25 June 1228) Yaropolk. Moscow monument of Yuri Dolgorukiy as shown on a 1997 Russian coin have cherished Yuri's memory as the legendary founder of their city. His patron saint, Saint George appears on the coat of arms of Moscow slaying a dragon. In 1954, a monument to him designed by sculptor Sergei Orlov was erected on Moscow's Tverskaya Street, the city's principal avenue, in front of the Moscow municipality. image was stamped on the Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow", introduced in 1947. nuclear submarine Yuri Dolgoruki is named after him. Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1150 12th C, Nectarius t Obedient, Kiev Near Caves, unquestioning obedience t older b & diligence in labors
Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th C, Nectarius t Obedient, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, unquestioning obedience to older bretheren and diligence in labors, reposed peacefully; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Nektarios struggled in the Kiev Caves Monastery during the XII century. of his unquestioning obedience to the older brethren, and for the diligence he showed in his labors, Saint Nektarios was called "the Obedient." He reposed peacefully after a life of much toil and many spiritual struggles. He was buried in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony. Nektarios is also commemorated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1150 12th C, Theophanes tFaster, Kiev Near Caves, drew closer to tLord by strict fasting
Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th Century, Theophanes tFaster, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, drew closer to tLord by strict fasting ; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Theophanes the Faster of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 11; epithet "Faster," by which the Venerable Theophanes is known, indicates that he drew closer to the Lord by means of his strict fasting. relics of Saint Theophanes lie in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony. lived during the XII century, the details of his Life are not described in the commemoration books of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Theophanes is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves of Saint Anthony (September 28), and on the Synaxis of All the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves (The second Sunday of Great Lent).

Russia, Novgorod, 1152-1186, Nikita tStylite, Pereyaslavl, repentent tax collector, pillar-well, myrrh, d light, incrrpt r
Russia, Pereyaslavl, 1152-1186, Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl (Lake Pereyaslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky), tax collector, cost building new city&stone church, more taxes, N overcharged, many years, led tRepent, Wash &Make yourself clean, led tR again, pot blood hHeads, hands, feet rising to top, monastery igumen repentence test, stand gates 3days, confessing sins tPassersby, found lying swamp, covered mosquitos midges, bleeding, tonsured monk, day night prayer, chanting Psalms, r saints lives, hair shirt, heavy chains, 2 deep wells, deep round pit wStanding stone, stylite in his pillar-well, underground passage to church, martyr death, relatives saw glitter on chains, murdured, fragrand body, iron chains cross glorified b devine light over Volga, incorrupt relics; Pereslavl-Zalessky; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Nikḗtas the Stylite of Pereyaslavl was a native of the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, he was in charge of collecting taxes. 1152, Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy founded the city of Pereyaslavl and built a stone church dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior in that new place. of the cost of building the city and the church, more taxes had to be collected from the residents of the city. mercilessly overcharged people, keeping a large portion of the money for himself. This went on for many years. But the merciful Lord, Who desires that all sinners might be saved, led Niketas to repentance. day, he went to church and heard the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "Wash, and make yourselves clean, remove the iniquities from your souls before my eyes; cease your wickedness, learn to do good; diligently seek judgment; deliver those who suffer wrongs; defend the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16-17). was shaken, as if by thunder, by these words which penetrated into the depths of his heart. Niketas did not sleep all night, remembering the words: "Wash, and make yourselves clean." In the morning, however, he decided to invite some friends to his home for some cheerful conversation, and to forget the horrors of the previous night. again, the Lord called Niketas to repentance. While his wife was preparing a meal for their guests, suddenly she saw some things rising to the surface in the boiling pot: blood, human heads, hands, and feet. Horrified, she called out to her husband, and Niketas saw the same thing. his sleeping conscience was awakened, and he realized that by overcharging people he was acting like a robber and a murderer. "Alas," he cried, "I have sinned much! O God, lead me on Your path!" With these words, he ran out of the house. versts from Pereyaslavl there was a monastery dedicated to the Great Martyr Niketas (September 15) where Niketas went, shaken by the terrible vision. With tears he fell at the feet of the Igoumen saying: "Save a perishing soul. the Igoumen decided to test the sincerity of his repentance, giving him his first obedience: stand at the monastery gates for three days, confessing his sins to everyone who passed. With profound humility, Niketas fulfilled his first obedience. days later, the Igoumen remembered him and sent a monk to see what he was doing at the monastery gates. the monk did not find Niketas there. He found him lying in a swamp, covered with mosquitoes and midges, and he was bleeding from their bites. the Igoumen came to the sufferer and said, "My son! what are you doing to yourself?" Save a perishing soul," Niketas replied. Igoumen clothed Niketas in a hair shirt, received him into the monastery, and tonsured him as a monk. the monastic vows with all his heart, Niketas spent his days and nights in prayer, chanting Psalms, and reading the Lives of the holy ascetics. the Igoumen's blessing, he wore heavy chains, and there in the place of his monastic struggles, he dug two deep wells. he increased his struggles. He dug a deep round pit and there he placed a stone upon which he stood, becoming a man of ardent prayer, like the ancient stylites. the blue sky and the night stars saw him at the bottom of his pillar-well, but there was a narrow underground passage beneath the wall of the church, and through it Niketas went to church for the Services. by struggling well in the monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas, the Venerable Niketas also ended his life with a martyr's death. night, some of the Saint's relatives came to him for his blessing, and were attracted by the glitter of his chains and crosses. mistook them for silver, and decided to steal them. On the night of May 24, 1186, they removed part of the roof, killed the ascetic, took his crosses and chains, wrapped them in a rough canvas, and then ran away. Matins, the sacristan, who came to Saint Niketas for the blessing, found the damaged roof and reported it to the Igoumen. The Igoumen and the brethren hurried to the Venerable Stylite and saw that he had been murdered, and his body was fragrant. the killers stopped on the banks of the Volga River, and decided to divide their loot, but they were astonished to see that it was not made of silver but of iron, and threw the chains into the Volga. Lord glorified these visible signs of the Saint's hidden struggles and works. night Simeon, a pious Elder of the Yaroslavl Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, saw three bright rays of light over the Volga. informed the Igoumen of the Monastery and the city officials. The assembled priests and numerous townspeople, who had come down to the river, saw three crosses and chains floating in the waters of the Volga. reverence and prayers they were brought to the Monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas and laid on the grave of Saint Niketas. the same time, there were miracles of healing. 1420 - 1425, Saint Photios, the Metropolitan of Kiev (July 2), gave his blessing to uncover the relics of Saint Niketas. Igoumen of the Monastery served a Moleben with the brethren, and then he opened the coffin, in which was an incorrupt body. Suddenly, the grave filled up with earth, and the relics remained in the ground. 1511-1522 a chapel was built in honor of the Monastic Martyr Niketas, and in the XIX century Archpriest A. Svirelin composed an Akathist to the Saint.

Russia, Novgorod, 1154, Rostislav-Michael, Rostislav 1 of Kiev, Smolensk, Kiev Rus King, abandoned N for K
Kiev Rus King, 1154-1157, Rostislav-Michael; Rostislav Mstislavich (c. 1110-1167), Kniaz' (Prince) of Smolensk (1125-“1160), Novgorod (1154) and Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1154, 1159-“1167). He was the son of Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. Yaroslav II of Kiev was driven out of Novgorod, Rostislav was invited to become the ruler of Novgorod. He accepted, and became the prince on April 17, 1154. Then, learning that Iziaslav II had died, Rostislav left Novgorod to take the Kievan throne. Indignant that their prince had abandoned them and angered that "he did not make order among them, but tore them more apart", the citizens of Novgorod drove out Rostislav's son, David, who was their governor. They replaced him with Mstislav Yurievich, the son of Yury Dolgoruky. ruled Kiev for one week before Iziaslav III of Kiev forced him to flee to Chernigov. left four sons, princes David Rostislavich of Novgorod, Mstislav Rostislavich of Smolensk, Roman I of Kiev and Rurik Rostislavich and two daughters Elena Rostislavna of Kiev-Smolensk (died 1204) and Agrafena Rostislavna (died 1237). Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Novgorod, 1155, Bogoliub Icon, Commemorating MOG appearance tAndrew while moving Vladimir Icon to V
Russia, Vladimir, 1155, Bogoliub Icon &monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5), Vladimir Icon a copy or Luke's icon, fVyshgorod Andrew moved it toward Vladimir&Rostav, cart stopped 7V before V, aBogolyubov, MOG appearance, VIcon tV notR, here build stone church&Monastery, then new MOG icon (Bogolyubov) as he saw her, in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner; Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, of the most ancient wonderworking icons of Russia, painted in the twelfth century at the request of Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4), commemorate the appearance of the Mother of God to him. on cypress wood, the Icon is remarkable because of its large size. the year 1131, an Icon was sent from Constantinople to the Holy Prince Mstislav (Theodore in Baptism, commemorated April 15) in Russia, was placed in the Devichii monastery in Vyshgorod, ancient appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support) city of Saint Olga (July 11). night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world.

Russia, Novgorod, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky, tried to unite w Kiev and Novgorod, N Dvina, V icon, M of God, to Vladimir
Novgorod, 1157-1174, Great Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (1110-1174), a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was the son of Yurii Dolgoruky and a Polovetsian princess (in holy Baptism Maria). While still in his youth he was called œBogoliubsky œGod-loving for his profound attention to prayer, his diligence for church services and œhis adoption of secret prayers to God. From his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh, the grandson inherited great spiritual concentration, love for the Word of God and the habit of turning to the Scripture in all the circumstances of life. brave warrior, a participant in his military father'™s many campaigns, more than once he came close to death in battle. But each time Divine Providence invisibly saved the princely man of prayer. Thus for example, on February 8, 1150, in a battle near Lutsk, Saint Andrew was saved from the spear of an enemy German by a prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, whose memory was celebrated that day. chronicles also stress Saint Andrew'™s peace-making activity, a rare trait among the princes and military commanders of those harsh times. The combination of military valor with love for peace and mercy, of great humility with indomitable zeal for the Church were present in Prince Andrew in the highest degree. A responsible master of the land, and a constant coworker in the city construction and church building activity of Yurii Dolgoruky, he built with his father: Moscow (1147), Iuriev-Polsk (1152), Dmitrov (1154), and he also adorned the cities of Rostov, Suzdal™, and Vladimir with churches. In 1162 Saint Andrew could say with satisfaction, œI have built up white Rus with cities and settlements, and have rendered it with much populace. Yurii Dolgoruky became Great Prince of Kiev in 1154, he gave his son Vyshgorod near Kiev as his appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support), but God willed otherwise. night in the summer of 1155, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God in the Vyshgorod church was removed. This icon was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and in some period before this had been transferred here from Constantinople. Later, it was called the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. On this night with the icon in hand, holy Prince Andrew left Vyshgorod going northwards to the Suzdal territory, secretly and without the blessing of his father, mindful only of the will of God. miracle of this holy icon, which occured on the way from Vyshgorod to Vladimir, was recorded by a clergyman of Prince Andrew, œthe priest Mikula [Nicholas], in his œReports of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. versts before reaching Vladimir, the horse bearing the icon suddenly stopped. During the night the Mother of God appeared to Saint Andrew with a scroll in her hand and commanded, œI do not want you to take my icon to Rostov, but rather leave it in Vladimir. Build a stone church here in the name of My Nativity. In memory of this miraculous event, Saint Andrew commissioned an iconographer to paint an icon of the Mother of God the way that the All-Pure Virgin had appeared to him. He established Feast of this icon as June 18. The icon, named the Bogoliubsk, was afterwards glorified by numerous miracles. the place decreed by the Queen of Heaven, Prince Andrew built (in 1159) the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He also remained in the city of Bogoliubov, which became his constant dwelling and the place of his martyric end. his father Yurii Dolgoruky died (+ May 15, 1157), Saint Andrew did not take up his father'™s throne at Kiev, but rather remained prince at Vladimir. During the years 1158-1160 was built the Dormition cathedral at Vladimir, and in it was placed the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In the year 1164 the Golden Gates were set in place, over which was the church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, and also the church of the Savior at the princely court. churches were built by Prince Andrew during the years of his rule. The finest of them is the Dormition cathedral. The richness and splendor of the church helped to spread Orthodoxy among the surrounding peoples and foreign merchants. Saint Andrew had directed that all travellers, whether Latins or pagans, were to be led into the churches he built and to have œtrue Christianity pointed out to them. The chronicler writes: œBoth Bulgars, and Jews, and every sort of common person, beholding the glory of God and churchly adornment, came to be baptized. conquest of the great Volga journey-way became for Saint Andrew a fundamental task of his civil service to Russia. The Volga Bulgars from the time of the campaigns of Svyatoslav (+ 972) presented a serious danger to the Russian state. Saint Andrew continued with the initiatives of Svyatoslav. shattering blow was struck against the enemy in 1164, when Russian forces burned and destroyed several Bulgar fortresses. Saint Andrew took with him on this campaign the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and a two-sided icon, on one side was depicted the Icon of the Savior œNot-Made-by-Hands, and the œVeneration of the Cross on the opposite side. [At the present time both icons are in the Tretyakov State Gallery.] great miracle from the holy icons occurred for the Russian army on the day of the decisive victory over the Bulgars, August 1, 1164. After the destruction of the Bulgar army, the princes (Andrew, his brother Yaroslav, his son Izyaslav and others) returned towards the infantry standing by the princely standards with the Vladimir Icon, and they made a prostration before the Icon, œbestowing on it praise and song. And then all beheld the blinding rays of light, issuing from the face of the Mother of God and the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands. a faithful son of the Orthodox Church in all things, vigilant in belief and canons, Saint Andrew turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a filial request to establish a separate metropolitan for northeastern Rus. And with the prince’s letter of accord there journeyed to Byzantium the candidate chosen by the prince, Archimandrite Theodore of Suzdal. Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges, however, only agreed to consecrate Theodore as Bishop of Vladimir, but not as Metropolitan. Yet at the same time, wanting to uphold the position of Prince Andrew as the most powerful among the rulers of the Russian Land, the Patriarch honored Bishop Theodore with the right to wear the white klobuk [monastic head covering], which in ancient Rus was a distinctive sign of church autonomy. Such recognition (the white klobuk) was also granted to the Archbishop of Novgorod. Evidently, since the Russian chronicles speak of Bishop Theodore with the title of “White Klobukâ€, much later historians sometimes call him œthe bishop of an autonomous diocese. the year 1167 Saint Rostislav died at Kiev. He was the twin brother of Andrew, and had been able to carry out compromise during the complicated political and churchly life of the time. But after this, there was dispatched from Constantinople a new metropolitan, Constantine II. The new metropolitan demanded that Bishop Theodore come before him to be confirmed in his position. Saint Andrew again went to Constantinople for the affirmation of the autonomous status of the Vladimir diocese and again he requested a separate metropolitanate. The letter of reply from Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges has been preserved. It contains a categorical refusal for establishing a new metropolitan, a demand to accept the expelled bishop Leo, and to submit to the Metropolitan of Kiev. fulfilling this churchly obedience, Saint Andrew urged Bishop Theodore to journey in repentance to Kiev for the restoration of canonical relations with the Metropolitan. The repentance of Bishop Theodore was not accepted. Without investigation by a council, and in accord with the Byzantine morals of the time, Metropolitan Constantine condemned him to a terrible execution. Saint Theodore’s tongue was cut out, they cut off his right hand, and then they gouged out his eyes. After this he was drowned by servants of the Metropolitan (by other accounts, he died in prison). only the churchly, but also the political affairs of Southern Rus demanded the decisive response of the Great Prince of Vladimir. On 8 March 8, 1169 an army of allied princes with Andrew'™s son Mstislav at the head conquered Kiev. The city was devastated and burned, and the Polovetsians participating in the campaign did not spare even the churchly treasures. The Russian chronicles viewed this event as something that was deserved: “These misfortunes were for their sins (the Kievans), especially for the outrage perpetuated by the Metropolitan.â€ In the same year (1169) the prince moved an army against unruly Novgorod, but they were repulsed by a miracle of the Novgorod Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), which had been carried along the city walls by holy Archbishop John (September 7). But when the understandable wrath of the Great Prince gave way to mercy, and in peace he summoned the Novgorod people to him, the blessing of God returned to him. Novgorod accepted the prince appointed by Saint Andrew. such a manner, towards the end of 1170, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky was able to attain the unity of the Russian Land under his rule. the winter of 1172 he sent a large army under the command of his son Mstislav against the Volga Bulgars. The Russian forces gained the victory, but their joy was overshadowed by the death of the valiant Mstislav (March 28, 1172). the night of June 30, 1174 holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky accepted a martyr'™s death at the hands of traitors in his own household. The Tver Chronicle relates that Saint Andrew was murdered at the instigation of his second wife (a Volga Bulgar), who participated in the conspiracy. At the head of the conspiracy stood her brothers, the Kuchkovichi: “and they commited murder in the night, as did Judas against the Lord.â€ A throng of assassins, twenty men, burst in upon the court, they killed the few guards and stormed into the bedchamber of the unarmed prince. The sword of Saint Boris, which hung constantly over his bed, had been treacherously removed that night by the steward Anbal. The prince succeeded in pushing the first of his assailants down on the floor. The conspirators then mistakenly ran him through with their swords. Soon they realised their mistake, “and then they perceived the prince, and he fought much with them, for he was strong, and they did thrust with swords and sabres, and gave him copious wounds.â€ The forehead of the holy prince was struck on the side with a spear, while all the remaining blows from the cowardly assassins were dealt from behind. When the prince finally fell, they abruptly rushed out of the bedchamber, taking along their murdered accomplice. saint was still alive, however. With his final strength he lowered himself along the palace stairway, hoping to alert a guard. Instead, his groans were heard by the assassins and they turned back. The prince was able to hide himself in a niche below the stairway and so they passed by him. The conspirators rushed to the bedchamber but did not find the prince there. “Disaster stands before us, since the prince is alive,â€ the assassins cried out in terror. But all around it was quiet, and no one came to the aid of the suffering prince. Then the evil-doers again regained their boldness, they lit candles and followed the bloody trail to seek out their victim. Prayer was on the lips of Saint Andrew when the assassins again surrounded him. Russian Church remembers and venerates its martyrs and makers. A special place belongs to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky. Having taken in his hands the wonderworking icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the holy prince, as it were, blessed the major events of Russian history with it. In 1395 was the year of the transfer of the Vladimir Icon to Moscow and the deliverance of the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane (August 26); the year 1480 marks the salvation of Rus from the invasion of Khan Akhmat and the ultimate collapse of the Mongol Horde (June 23); in the year 1521 Moscow was saved from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girei (May 21). Through the prayers of Saint Andrew, his fondest dreams for the Russian Church came true. In the year 1300, Metropolitan Maximus transferred the metropolitan See of All-Russia from Kiev to Vladimir, making the Dormition cathedral the foremost cathedral of the Russian Church. There rest the relics of Saint Andrew, and the Vladimir wonderworking Icon is its chief holy object. on, when the center of the Russian Church was moved to Moscow, selections of the metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Church were made before the Vladimir Icon. In the year 1448, a Council of Russian bishops raised up the first metropolitan of the autocephalous Russian Church, Saint Jonah. On November 5, 1917, in front of it was made the selection of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon, the first such election after the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Church. And in 1971, on the Feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the enthronment of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen took place. liturgical activity of Saint Andrew was multi-faceted and fruitful. In 1162 the Lord granted the holy prince a great solace: in Rostov there was discovered the relics of Rostov saints -- the holy hierarchs Isaiah and Leontius. The glorification of these Rostov saints throughout all the Church took place somewhat later, but Saint Andrew initiated their national veneration. In 1164 the military forces of Saint Andrew crushed their long-time enemy, the Volga Bulgars. The victories of the Orthodox nation were marked by a blossoming of liturgical creativity within the Russian Church. this same year of 1164, at the initiative of Saint Andrew, the Church established the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos on August 1 (venerated by the Russian people as “Savior of the First Honeyâ€), in memory of the Baptism of Rus by holy Equal of the Apostles Vladimir and in memory of the victory over the Bulgars in 1164. The Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on October 1 embodied in liturgical forms the faith of the holy prince and all the Orthodox nation in the acceptance by the Mother of God of Holy Rus beneath Her omophorion. The Protection of the Theotokos became one of the most beloved of Russian Church Feasts. The Protection is a Russian national holiday, unknown to the Latin West. It is a liturgical continuation and creative development of theological ideas inherent to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God on July 2. first church consecrated to the new Feast was the Protection church at Nerla (1165), a remarkable monument of Russian Church architecture, built by the master artisans of Saint Andrew at the head-waters of the River Nerla, so that the prince could always see it from a window of his Bogoliubov garret. Andrew took an active part in the literary work of the Vladimir church writers. He participated in the compiling of the Service of the Protection (the most ancient copy is in the manuscript of a fourteenth century Psalter), and also a preface about the establishment of the Feast of the Protection in the Great Reading Menaion for October, as well as a “Discourse on the Protection.â€ He wrote an “Account of the Victory over the Bulgars and the Establishing of the Feast of the Savior in the Year 1164,â€ which in several of the old manuscripts is called, “Discourse concerning the Mercy of God by Great Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky.â€ The fate of Bogoliubsky is also noted in the Vladimir Chronicle entry for the year 1177, completed after the death of the prince by his confessor, the priest Mikula, who inserted his special “Account of the Murder of Saint Andrew.â€ To Saint Andrew’s time belongs also the final editing of the “Account of Boris and Gleb,â€ inserted into the “Dormition Sbornikâ€ (“Compendiumâ€ or “Book of Collected Servicesâ€ of these Rostov saints). The prince particularly venerated Saint Boris, and his chief household treasure was a cap belonging to Saint Boris. Saint Boris’s sword always hung over his bed. Another memorial of Saint Andrew’s prayerful inspiration is “A Prayer,â€ included in the chronicle under the year 1096 after the “Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh.â€

Russia, Novgorod, 1161-1210, Ignatius, wonderworker Bishop oSmolensk, miracle at his death, devine great light on him
Russia, Kiev, 1161-1210, Ignatius, wonderworker&Bishop oSmolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2), first BoSmolensk, ordained Abraham his friend, kindly pious elder, judge A's trial, instigated bA's enemies, acquitted, Ignatius founded Avraamiev m, lived there, miracle at his death, devine great light on him, all filled wFear, his relics in Smolensk Cathedral Church; Smolensk; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; Ignatius, Bishop of Smolensk and Wonderworker (+ ca. 1210): some accounts, Saint Ignatius was the first bishop of Smolensk. He was a friend of Saint Abraham (August 21), whom he ordained to the priesthood. Ignatius was a kindly and pious Elder, heading the trial instigated by Saint Abraham’s enemies, at which the monk was acquitted. Ignatius founded a monastery in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God. To him is ascribed the construction of the most ancient Avraamiev monastery in which he spent the remainder of his days, after resigning as bishop. the death of Saint Ignatius a miracle occurred: “A great light came down from heaven upon him, and all were filled with fear.” The relics of the saint rest in the Smolensk cathedral church.

Russia, Novgorod, 1162-1186, John, Wonderwrkr oNovgorod, MOG gold, Savior Icon voice, icon itself moved, much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1162-1186, John, Archbishop & Wonderworker of Novgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), inheritance, w b Gabriel small monastery, means ran out, MOG sent horse w gold, wrote vocation of pastor, 1165 Archbishop Novgorod Cathedral, 1170 Vladimir forces seige N, Savior Icon voice, Ilna st MOG icon not move, Molieben, icon itself moved, to city walls, arrows like rain, darkness covered Suzdal forces, 1172 jounneyed to Vladimir to reconcile w Andrew B, spiritual conversations, monks guidance, unusual grace powers, against deamon story, one night holy land visit, deamon's revenge, sensed death, took schema as John, appointed brother; Veliky Novgorod; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos with their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. Only their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. She told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. Thus did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, the brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. Saint John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. Since you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. Look first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. It is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? Do not impose penances upon orphans.... Let everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. Suzdal forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. They also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. The archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. They began to sing a Molieben, and after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. The people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, and tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, they became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. Saint John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. He showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, and he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir to reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, but most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, which often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. There are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, monks as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross ought to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, just as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator and ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, in order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit and to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer... for haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. Once, when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. Seeing that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. Soon the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, and it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. It began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” The unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. Sensing its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. The saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; in the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Saint Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. In his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, who was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, and I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. In 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Novgorod, 1162-1186, Ilya (1st Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John, horse w sacks of gold built m, consecrated Khutyn m
Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John; of Novgorod, also known as Ioann (John) of Novgorod (his name upon entering the Great Schema and the name by which he is known in Russian Orthodox hagiography), was Archbishop of Novgorod from 1165 to his death in 1186. St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos with their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. Their good intentions were not without difficulties. Before they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. Only their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. They turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. She told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. Thus did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, the brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. Saint John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. His first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. It was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. Since you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. He is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. Look first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. When your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. It is not seemly to impose harsh penances.Do not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? ... Do not impose penances upon orphans.... Let everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. Suzdal forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. They also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. On the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. Going into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. The archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. They began to sing a Molieben, and after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. The people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. The Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. In the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. Then the icon turned its visage towards the city, and tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, they became unable to see and they fell back in terror. This occurred on February 25, 1170. Saint John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. Here also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. He showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, and he distributed aid to orphans. Just like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. In 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir to reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, but most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. Saint John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, which often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. There are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, monks as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross ought to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. Let them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. A monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. Monastic life and worldly life are incompatible, just as one would not harness a camel and horse together. The monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator and ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, in order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit and to sow the seeds of the reason of God. The black-robed is not his own master; being like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer... for haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. For his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. Once, when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. Seeing that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. Soon the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, and it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. The saint was agreeable, but ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. The demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. The revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. It began to scatter women’s things in his cell. Once, when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” The unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. They put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. But the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. The heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. Sensing its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. He appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. The saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; in the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Saint Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. In his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, who was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, and I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. In 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Abishop of N) AKA John, John gave inheritance tBuild m, MOG sent Horse wGold, much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John, built Khutyn Monastery, son of pious Parent fNovgorod, John and bro Gabriel give inheritance tBuild monastery, wooden church then shortly stone church that they ran out of funds for, turned to Queen oHeaven to help them, she told them in a dream everything would be provided, , she gave the funds through angel horse with gold that disappeared, upon completion brothers became monks, J became Elias, G became Gregory, John became Bishop 1162, his first archpastoral letter: to clergy, concern about his flock, spirit oFatherly guidance, some you encouraged me tTake this office (of which I am unworthy) now listen to me, a pastor is concerned about his sheep, he not only chstizes but heals sinners, don't be too much attached to the world, but rather instruct the people, first that they not give selves tDrunkenness, this vice most of all for rich and poor, when your spiritual children repent, question them wMildness, harsh penances not seemly, encourage book reading (do not scorn) to distinguish us from the people (simple & unschooled), no pennances on orphans, for the yoke of Christ ought tbLight, 1165 John became archbishop so Novgorod became archbishopric, winter 1170 difficult time for Novgorod, Suzdal forces siege city 2days, because N people would not accept Svyatoslav, they stole the tribute tax otDvina district not subject to them, Novgorod people prayed to Theotokos fCity salvation, third night while praying to Savior's icon, John heard a voice telling him get Theotokos' icon from Ilna Street Church otSavior, they sang Molieben when they got there, the Icon itself moved from the place, Lord have mercy, Ilya carried it to City Wall, Suzdal forces ready for pillage, they saw them, assault began 6th hr, arrows fell like rain, Icon turned towards city with tears, darkness fell, unable to see they fell back, Feb 25th 1170, but Suzdal inflicted great harm on region, Ilya great concern for hungry, distrib aid tOrphans, calmed internecine strife, 1172 he journed to Vladimir (Suzdal is in Suzdal) to reconcile Andrew Bogoliubsky wNovogorod people, John devoted mTime wSpiritual Conversations, 30 instructions preserved (Baptism, Confession, Eucharist), monks ought live solitary places, like Christ, monk always a monk, fleshless itFlesh, preserving memory oDeath, yoke otCreator, pulling tPlow iValley oHumility, a monk is not his own master, being like gods do not fall back in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer, haughty pride comes from human glory, Ilya' spiritual powers were unusual, his simple soul and pure heart gave him power against demons. for example water splashing in bedroom washbasin, no one there so he made sigh otCross over washbasin, restraining the demon, demon begged release from washbasin, Ilya agreed but ordered demon to carry him from Novgorod tJerusalem, tLords grave and back, all in one night, demon did it because Ilya's prayer scorched him like fire, plus demon asked I to tell no one about his shame, Ilya once told his flock he knew a man who visited Holy Land in one night, evil spirit took revenge for that swiftly, women's things scattered in his cell, transformed tWoman fleeing from cell, unruly crowd dragged Ilya to River Volkhov, put him on raft, but raft floated upstream to St Georges' Monastery, crowd ashamed, asked forgiveness, and to return, filled wJoy for himself and also his flock, granted pardon to all, he died soon after, sensing approach oDeath, appointed his brother take over, died 1186, 1439 Euthymius repairing Holy Wisdom Cathedral, loose stone cracked lid oHis tomb, they lifted broken boards and temple filled with fragrance, from incorrupt relics, but who was it, prayed God reveal, John appeared at night and said it was he, he also proclaimed God's will to celebrate memory archbishops&Princes laying here Oct 4th, ; Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John; St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? ... Do not impose penances upon orphans.... everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. began to sing a Molieben, after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, fall from the heights like Lucifer... haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, but ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. But the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Novgorod, 1170, miraculous sign from the Novgorod Icon
miraculous sign from the Novgorod Icon in the year 1170; In that year the allied forces of Russian appanage princes, headed by a son of Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, marched to the very walls of Great Novgorod. For the people of Novgorod, their only remaining hope was that God would help them. Day and night they prayed, beseeching the Lord not to forsake them. On the third night Bishop Elias of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice commanding that the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos be taken out of the church of the Savior™s Transfiguration on Ilina street, and carried about on the city walls. When they carried the icon, the enemy fired a volley of arrows at the procession, and one of them pierced the iconographic face of the Mother of God. Tears trickled from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face towards the city. After this divine Sign an inexpressible terror suddenly fell upon the enemy. They began to strike one another, and taking encouragement from the Lord, the people of Novgorod fearlessly gave battle and won the victory. Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Theotokos of Bogolyubovo; Andrey Bogolyubsky; Yury Bogolyubsky;

Russia, Novgorod, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, Suzdal attack, voice, walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire
Russia, Novgorod, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, against Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, voice, carry around walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire, engouragement, people of N win; Veliky Novgorod; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign”, depicts the Most Holy Theotokos with prayerfully uplifted hands, and the Divine Infant is at Her bosom in a mandorla (or sphere). depiction of the Mother of God is regarded as one of the very first of Her iconographic images. In the mausoleum of Saint Agnes at Rome is a depiction of the Mother of God with hands raised in prayer with the Infant Christ sitting upon Her knees. This depiction is ascribed to the fourth century. There is also an ancient Byzantine icon of the Mother of God “Nikopea” from the sixth century, where the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted seated upon a throne and holding in Her hands an oval shield with the image of the Savior Emmanuel. of the Mother of God, known as “The Sign”, appeared in Russia during the eleventh-twelfth centuries, and were so called because of a miraculous sign from the Novgorod Icon in the year 1170. that year the allied forces of Russian appanage princes, headed by a son of Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, marched to the very walls of Great Novgorod. For the people of Novgorod, their only remaining hope was that God would help them. Day and night they prayed, beseeching the Lord not to forsake them. On the third night Bishop Elias of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice commanding that the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos be taken out of the church of the Savior’s Transfiguration on Ilina street, and carried about on the city walls. they carried the icon, the enemy fired a volley of arrows at the procession, and one of them pierced the iconographic face of the Mother of God. Tears trickled from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face towards the city. After this divine Sign an inexpressible terror suddenly fell upon the enemy. They began to strike one another, and taking encouragement from the Lord, the people of Novgorod fearlessly gave battle and won the victory. remembrance of the miraculous intercession of the Queen of Heaven, Archbishop Elias established a feastday in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God, which the Russian Church celebrates to the present day. The Athonite hieromonk Pachomius the Logothete, who was present at the festal celebration of the Icon in Russia, composed two Canons for this Feast. certain Novgorod Icons of the Sign, the miraculous occurrences of the year 1170 were also depicted. For 186 years afterwards, the wonderworking icon remained in the Savior-Transfiguration church on Ilina street. In 1356 it was transferred to a church built in Novgorod in honor of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,” which became the cathedral church of the monastery of the Sign. copies of the Sign Icon are known throughout Russia. Many of them were also glorified by miracles in their local churches, and were then named for the place of the appearance of the miracle. Similar copies of the Sign Icon are the icons of Dionysievo-Glushets, Abalaka (July 20), Kursk, Seraphim-Ponetaev and others.

Russia, Novgorod, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky, Yuri D's gson, Novgorod Prince, m Tamar
Russia, Vladimir, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky; Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Novgorod, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, Vladimir, young ascetic, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles 1238,1410,1613
Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, son of Andrew Bogoliubsky, Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo, young ascetic, strict fasting and prayer, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles, 1238 tomb protected from fire, 1410 flames shot forth from tomb and Tartars fled, Glebs prayers protected V in 1613 ; Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Prince Gleb of Vladimir, named George in holy Baptism, was a younger son of the holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4). the influence of his pious parents he grew up with a deep faith, and from twelve years of age he led a solitary spiritual life. parents did not hinder their son and even assisted him in spiritual growth. The prince especially loved the reading of holy books, he esteemed the clergy and he was charitable to all. Despite his young age, he chose for himself the exploit of strict fasting and prayerful vigilance. Gleb died in the year 1174, at age nineteen. incorrupt relics were preserved and glorified by miracles. the year 1238, during the time of the incursion of Batu upon the Russian Land, the Tatars burned the cathedral at Vladimir. In this conflagration perished Bishop Metrophanes, Great-princess Agatha, wife of Great-prince George Vsevolodovich (+ 1238), and many inhabitants of the city of Vladimir, who were locked in the cathedral church. fire, however, did not even touch the tomb of Saint Gleb. later, in July 1410, Tatars again descended upon Vladimir. In plundering the city, they began to sack the cathedral church treasury, having murdered the door-keeper Patrick. Supposing that treasure was hidden in the saint’s tomb, they set about to break it open. Just as the Tatars touched the stone crypt of Saint Gleb, flames shot forth from it, and the Tatars fled the city in terror. the prayers of the holy prince the city was saved from an incursion of Polish-Lithuanian plunderers in 1613. celebration of Saint Gleb was established in the year 1702, and then also a service was written to him, and somewhat later, a Life. His relics rest in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. In the year 1774 the south chapel of the cathedral was dedicated to him. Prince Gleb is revered as the special patron and defender of the city of Vladimir.

Russia, Novgorod, 1177, Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, received everything he prayed for
Russia, Kiev, 1177, Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, received everything he prayed for; Kiev Near Caves; Monastic Martyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 22; Monk Martyr Anastasius, Deacon of the Kiev Caves, lived an ascetical life in the Near Caves. hieromonk Athanasius the Sooty calls him brother of Saint Titus the Presbyter (February 27). the manuscripts of the saints he is called a deacon. the Service to the Synaxis of the Fathers of the Near Caves, it says that the Monk Martyr Anastasius possessed such steadfastness in God, that he received everything he asked for. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1192, Barlaam of Khutyn Monastery, wonderworking and discernment, friend of Anthony
Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1192, Barlaam of Khutyn Monastery, wonderworking and discernment, friend of Anthony, illustrious parents, early tonsure, solitary, unceasing prayer, strict fast, hard work, taught virtue beginning root all good; Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1192, Barlaam of Khutyn Monastery, Novgorod; Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Barlaam, Abbot of Khutyn lived in the twelfth century, son of an illustrious citizen of Novgorod, where he spent his childhood years. at an early age to the Lisich monastery near the city, Saint Barlaam was tonsured there. he settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod. Barlaam led a strict solitary life, occupying himself with unceasing prayer and keeping a very strict fast. He was a zealous ascetic in his labors: he cut timber in the forest, chopped firewood and tilled the soil, fulfilling the words of Holy Scripture, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10). inhabitants of Novgorod gathered around him, wanting to share in monastic works and deeds. Instructing those who came, Saint Barlaam said, “My children, beware of all unrighteousness, and do not give in to envy or slander. Refrain from anger, and do not practice usury. Beware of unjust judgment. Do not swear an oath falsely, but rather fulfill it. Do not indulge the bodily appetites. Always be meek and bear all things with love. This virtue is the beginning and root of all good.” a church was built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and a monastery founded. of his service to others, the Lord granted Saint Barlaam the gifts of wonderworking and discernment. Saint Barlaam’s life was drawing to a close, the hieromonk Anthony came from Constantinople by divine Providence. was of the same age and a friend of Saint Barlaam. saint turned to him and said, “My beloved brother! God’s blessings rest upon this monastery. Now I leave this monastery in your hands. Watch over it and care for it. Although in the flesh I am leaving you, I shall always be with you in spirit.” instructing the brethren, commanding them to preserve the Orthodox Faith and to dwell constantly in humility, Saint Barlaam fell asleep in the Lord on November 6, 1192. Slavonic practice, Saint Barlaam is commemorated during the Proskomedia along with the venerable and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in asceticism (sixth particle). Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), the saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. Here he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, and returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Saint Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. In the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, and from that time they were glorified by many miracles. Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1224, Anthony of Dymsk and Khutyn, Lake Dyma monastery, friend of Barlaam, incorrupt r
Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1224, Anthony of Dymsk and Khutyn; Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), the saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. Here he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, and returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Saint Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. In the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, and from that time they were glorified by many miracles. Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; story Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Barlaam, Abbot of Khutyn lived in the twelfth century, the son of an illustrious citizen of Novgorod, where he spent his childhood years. Withdrawing at an early age to the Lisich monastery near the city, Saint Barlaam was tonsured there. Later he settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod. Barlaam led a strict solitary life, occupying himself with unceasing prayer and keeping a very strict fast. He was a zealous ascetic in his labors: he cut timber in the forest, chopped firewood and tilled the soil, fulfilling the words of Holy Scripture, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10). inhabitants of Novgorod gathered around him, wanting to share in monastic works and deeds. Instructing those who came, Saint Barlaam said, “My children, beware of all unrighteousness, and do not give in to envy or slander. Refrain from anger, and do not practice usury. Beware of unjust judgment. Do not swear an oath falsely, but rather fulfill it. Do not indulge the bodily appetites. Always be meek and bear all things with love. This virtue is the beginning and root of all good.” a church was built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and a monastery founded. Because of his service to others, the Lord granted Saint Barlaam the gifts of wonderworking and discernment. Saint Barlaam’s life was drawing to a close, the hieromonk Anthony came from Constantinople by divine Providence. He was of the same age and a friend of Saint Barlaam. The saint turned to him and said, “My beloved brother! God’s blessings rest upon this monastery. Now I leave this monastery in your hands. Watch over it and care for it. Although in the flesh I am leaving you, I shall always be with you in spirit.” After instructing the brethren, commanding them to preserve the Orthodox Faith and to dwell constantly in humility, Saint Barlaam fell asleep in the Lord on November 6, 1192. Slavonic practice, Saint Barlaam is commemorated during the Proskomedia along with the venerable and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in asceticism (sixth particle).

Russia, Novgorod, 1177-1212, Vsevolod III, Big Nest, K Rus King, Yuri D's 11th son, long reign in Vladimir, m Georgian
Kiev Rus King, 1173, Vsevolod III, the Big Nest; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves Commemorated on January 22; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated on January 29; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated on January 29; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 24; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1180-1699, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after fire
Russia, Volhynia, 1180, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after church burned, 1600 K Monastery, 1699 Roman Catholics, Uniate monks, 1699 to Sophia C Kiev; Kupyatich monastery, Kobrin, Belarus, Leposovsky monastery today; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15; Kupyatich Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1180 near the village of Kupyatich in the area of the former Pinsk district of the Minsk governance. icon was found in the forest on a tree by the peasant girl Anna, a cattle herder. The image, in the form of a cross, shone with an unusual light. the spot of the miraculous appearance of the icon, peasants built a church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, and placed the icon within it. After some years, Tatars burned the church. The icon was found a second time after many years by a traveler named Joachim. Peasants transferred the cruciform-icon to the village church. Joachim remained at the church as church attendant, by God’s will. the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Kupyatich monastery was built next to the church. Roman Catholics seized both at the end of the century. Later on, Uniate monks struggled there. monks, when they abandoned the monastery, took with them the holy icon of the Kupyatich Mother of God. They transferred the wonderworking icon to the Kiev Sophia cathedral. Kupyatich Icon is a small copper cross. On one side of the cross the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Infant, and on the other side, the Crucifixion.

Russia, Novgorod, 1182, Erasmus oKiev Near Caves, temptations, careless, sickness, 3 days time for repentence
Russia, Kiev, 1182, Erasmus of Kiev Near Caves, monastery adornment, donated icons, temptations for not giving to poor, careless, saved by sickness, 3 days time for repentence from Anthony, Theodosius and MOG for icons; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Erasmus of the Kiev Caves Saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir (May 10), wrote about him to his friend Saint Polycarp (July 24): “At the Caves was Erasmus the black-robed. He acquired a legacy of fame because he used everything he possessed for the adornment of the monastery church. He donated many icons, which even now may be seen over the altar. “The saint experienced great temptations after he had given away his wealth. The Evil One began to suggest to him that he should have given the money to the poor, rather than spend it on the beautification of the church. Saint Erasmus did not understand such thoughts, so he fell into despondency and began to live in a careless manner. Because of his former virtue the gracious and merciful God saved him. He sent him a grievous illness, and the monk lay near death. “In this sickness Erasmus lay for seven days, unable to see or speak, and hardly breathing. On the eighth day the brethren came to him and, seeing the difficulty of his approaching death, said, ‘Woe to the soul of this brother, for he lived in idleness and in sin. Now his soul beholds something and tarries, not having the strength to leave the body.’ “Erasmus suddenly got up, as though he had not been ill, and said to the monks, ‘Fathers and brethren! It is true that I am a sinner, and have not repented, as you said. Today, however, our monastic fathers Anthony and Theodosius have appeared to me, and said: “We have prayed for you, and the Lord has given you time for repentance.” Then I saw the All-Pure Mother of God with Christ in Her arms, and She said to me, “Erasmus, since you adorned My Church with icons, I will also adorn you and exalt you in the Kingdom of my Son! Arise, repent, take the angelic schema, and on the third day you will be taken from this life.”’ “Having said this, Erasmus began to confess his sins before all without shame, then went to church and was clothed in the schema, and on the third day he died.” Saint Erasmus was buried in the Near Caves. His memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit otCaves&Bishop oTurov, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 B See oTurov
Russia, Kiev, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, Ukraine (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2), Near Caves hermit to Devetrius Monastery aKiev, then Kiev Caves m, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 See of Turov Bishop; Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, in the Near Caves at first lived as a hermit at the monastery of the Great Martyr Demetrius, built by Great Prince Izyaslav at Kiev near the Monastery of the Caves. he transferred to the Kiev Caves monastery, and was glorified by a gift of healing. was elevated to the See of Turov in 1182 (Turov is a city in the Minsk region), was a successor of Saint Cyril of Turov (April 28). died in 1194, and was buried in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Novgorod, 1190, Titus tPresbyter oKiev Near Caves, angel killed friend who refused to forgive, while healing friend who did
Russia, Kiev, , Titus tPresbyter oKiev Near Caves, friend of Deacon Evagrius which became strong dislike&Hostility, E rejected several times T's tries to make peace, titus got grave illness, asked E to be brought to him, broughrt by force, T tearfully begged forgiveness, E declared he would not in this life or the next, and fell down dead, struck by an angel, instantly T was healed and got out of bed, demons around him left when he forgave E, while radiant angels surrounded T, after this T increased ascetic struggles, and received gift of working miracles, known for great humility, reposed 1190; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Titus, Presbyter of the Near Caves, in great friendship with the deacon Evagrius, later turned into a strong dislike and hostility. Hieromonk Titus tried several times to make peace with his former friend, deacon Evagrius refused to be reconciled (Compare the story of the Martyr Nikēphóros on February 9). Saint Titus fell ill with a grievous illness and began to prepare himself for death, he asked for Evagrius to be brought to him in order to ask his forgiveness. brethren brought Evagrius to the sickbed by force. Titus tearfully begged him for forgiveness, but Evagrius remained obstinate. declared that he would not forgive Titus in this world, nor in the world to come. he said this, he fell dead, struck down by an angel. that very instant, Saint Titus was healed, and got up out of bed. revealed that the demons were all around him until he forgave Evagrius. he had done so, the demons left him and attacked Evagrius, while radiant angels surrounded Saint Titus. this, Saint Titus increased his ascetic struggles, and received from God the gift of working miracles. was also known for his great humility. Titus reposed around 1190. memory is celebrated also on September 28 at the Synaxis of the Fathers of the Near Caves.

Russia, Novgorod, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2
Russia, Novgorod, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Holy Trinity or Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2; Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Xenophon of Robeika was the disciple of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (+ November 6, 1192). the latter's repose, and the repose of Venerable Anthony of Dymsk (+ June 24, 1224), Father Xenophon became the third Superior of Khutyn Monastery when Igoumen Isidore fell asleep in the Lord in 1243. resigning as Superior, Father Xenophon founded Holy Trinity Monastery on the banks of the Robeika River (not far from Novgorod). June 28, 1262 Saint Xenophon reposed at Robeika Monastery, which he founded. holy relics rested in the monastery church, which later became a parish. Xenophon is commemorated on June 28, the day of his repose; January 26, the Feast Day of his heavenly patron, Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople (V-VI centuries); on the third Sunday after Pentecost, the Synaxis of the Novgorod Saints.

Russia, Novgorod, 1195-1242, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III
Russia, Novgorod, 1195-1242, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III; Rome, 1191-1198, Pope, Celestine III; Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Novgorod, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Northern Crusades, Great Battle of the Ice, Andrew Nevsky

Russia, Novgorod, 1201 - 1232, Saint Anthony of Novgorod, the Pilgrim, to Constntnpl, Cyprus, Holy Land
Novgorod,1200 - 1232, Saint Anthony of Novgorod, the Pilgrim ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1212-1218, Prince, Konstantin of Rostov, Big Nest' son, a w Mitsislav against Yuri II
Novgorod Prince, 1212-1218, Konstantin of Rostov; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Novgorod, 1218-1238, Prince, Yuri II of Vladimir, St George, given N but kicked out
Novgorod Prince, 1218-1238, Yuri II of Vladimir; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Cosmas the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Novgorod, 1220-1240, Saints Constantine and Cosmas, Kosinsk Monastery, from Khutin and Barlaam
Kosinsk, Pskov, 3 Versts between the two rivers from Stara Rus Venerable Constantine and Cosmas, Abbots of Kosinsk, Commemorated on July 29; Constantine and Cosmas were monastic followers of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) and his successor, Saint Anthony of Dymsk (January 17). About the year 1220, they left the Khutyn monastery and settled upon a wilderness peninsula, situated 3 versts from the city of Staraya Rus, between the Rivers Polista and Smezhnya. In time they founded a monastery there in the name of Saint Nicholas, headed by Saint Constantine until his death (ca. 1240). Cosmas continued with the exploits of his mentor. He was buried in the same grave with Saint Constantine. Their bodies rest beneath the vestibule of the Nikolaev church, built in 1820 over the tomb of the saints.

Russia, Novgorod, 1225-1246, Saint Michael of Chernigov, promoted trade, t routes K and Vohl, f Oleg Martyr
Novgorod, 1225-1246, Saint Michael of Chernigov; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20 ; St Oleg the Prince of Briansk, Commemorated on September 20 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1238-1246, Prince, Yaroslav II of Vladimir, N's f, restored country after M invasion, married Mtslav's d
Novgorod Prince, 1238-1246, Yaroslav II of Vladimir; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Novgorod, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pios, fought giant and others w aid of angels & radiant woman
Russia, Kiev, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pios, fought giant and others w aid of angels and radiant woman, killed by giant's son; Smolensk; Mercurius of Smolensk; Holy Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk was a Slav by birth, probably from Moravia, the descendant of a princely line. Brought up in Orthodoxy, Saint Mercurius in zeal for the true Faith left his own native land for Russia, where he served in the army of the Prince of Smolensk. The saintly soldier secretly led an ascetic life. He was strict in fasting, he was chaste, spending his nights at prayer, and spiritually preparing himself to suffer for Christ. In the year 1239 a horde of Tatars [Mongols], already having laid waste to many Russian cities, appeared in the vicinity of Smolensk and set up camp 25 versts away at Dolgomost, threatening to destroy the city and its holy places. church warden, praying by night in the Smolensk cathedral before a wonderworking icon of the Theotokos, heard the voice of the Queen of Heaven commanding him to find the holy warrior and say to him: “Mercurius, go forth into battle, for the Sovereign Lady summons you.” The soldier went himself to the cathedral and heard the voice of the All-Pure Virgin, sending him to fight the enemy and promising him heavenly assistance. warrior of Christ set off that very night to the Tatar camp at Dolgomost. He fought there with the leader of the Tatar army, a giant possessed of immense strength. He killed him and entered into single-combat with the enemy host. Invoking the name of the Lord and of the All-Pure Theotokos, the holy warrior destroyed many of the enemy. The Tatar warriors watched with terror as lightning-bearing men and a radiant Woman aided Saint Mercurius in the fight. Unable to stand against the warrior of Christ, they retreated in flight. Saint Mercurius was himself killed in the battle by the son of the Tatar giant he had killed. inhabitants of Smolensk, saved through the miraculous intervention of the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos, reverently buried the body of the soldier-martyr in the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Soon after his death, Saint Mercurius appeared in a vision to the church warden and ordered that his armor be hung over his grave, promising the Smolensk people constant help and intervention in every sorrow and struggle. Even today the sandals of the holy Martyr Mercurius are still preserved in the Smolensk cathedral church. His Feast was established at the end of the sixteenth century, and in 1509 the inhabitants of Smolensk were already calling him their special patron.

Russia, Novgorod, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, he d Europe & G Horde by submition, GH Orthodoxy & lands to t Pacific
Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, extremely important, he defeated Europe by Converting Mongol Horde, Orthodoxy then covering Ghengis Khan's lands to the Pacific; Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, Yaroslav II son, Big Nest's gson, Yuri's bro, Saint Simon of Suzdal, to Novgorod w dad by Yuri, Michael of Chernigov, back to P, back to N, Euphrosvne, fought Germans in Estonia, Y to Kiev, A to rule in N, married Polotsian Alexandra, Theodore icon, troublesome time, mongols, teutonic knights, cross bearers, Batu, Swedes, Neva, Birger, haughty, prayer, c of Saint Sophia, hasten towards enemy, m omen, B and G boat, emboldened, fight valiantly, Angel, slain opposite bank, lightning quick captured rus fort Kopore from knights, but they captured Pskov, winter campaign, l pskov, spring, battle of the Ice, famous world wide, to the Horde w his father, meekness and wisdom, alliance w Batu, Batu wishing to break w G Horde, Mongolia, Y poisoned, only 10 days after Michael, w support from Alex, Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan , Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan, but other Russian princes sought support from Europe against Mongols, M of Cherginov, D of Galich, brother A of V sought help from Pope, 1252 bro Andrew rose up against Mongols, A to the Horde once more, Andrew defeated fled to Swedes, whom A had defeated, AN then became ruler of all Rus, repelled new Pskov G invasion, treaty w norway, converted Finland, 1256 Batu died, Sartak poisoned 3rd trip to new Khan Berke, a moslem, who needed Rus, 1261 Cyril and AN established diocese at Sarai, Great christianization of East, 1262 Tartar Tribute and conscription stopped by decree w no reprisal, 4th trip, another channel, Berke independent GH, shield for Russia from East, uniting Rus w GH against Mongolia and Europe, Russian Church now to Pacific Ocean, all Ghengis Khan's lands Yaroslavich Nevsky[1] (13 May 1221[2] - 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–63) during some of the most difficult times in Kievan Rus' history. regarded as a key figure of medieval Rus', Alexander was a grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders. He preserved Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolite Macarius canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.[3] Pereslavl-Zalessky; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His father Yaroslav II, Theodore in Baptism (+1246), “a gentle, kindly and genial prince”, was the younger son of Vsevolod III Large Nest (+ 1212), brother of the Holy Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (February 4). Saint Alexander’s mother, Theodosia Igorevna, a Ryazan princess, was Yaroslav’s third wife. Their older son was the Holy Prince Theodore (June 5), who departed to the Lord at age fifteen. Saint Alexander was their second son. childhood was spent at Pereslavl-Zalessk, where his father was prince. princely tonsure of the lad Alexander (a ceremony of initiation to be soldier) was done in the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (May 10), one of the compilers of the Kiev Caves Paterikon (Lives of the Fathers). this Elder-hierarch, Saint Alexander received his first blessing for military service in the name of God, to defend the Russian Church and the Russian Land. 1227 Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the people of Novgorod, was sent by his brother Yuri, the Great Prince of Vladimir, to rule as prince in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander. Dissatisfied with the Vladimir princes, the people of Novgorod soon invited Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20), and in February 1229 Yaroslav with his sons departed to Pereslavl. The matter ended peacefully: in 1230 Yaroslav with his sons returned to Novgorod, and Saint Michael’s daughter Theodosia was betrothed to Saint Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. After the death of the bridegroom in 1233 the young princess went to a monastery and became famous in monastic exploits as the nun Saint Euphrosynē of Suzdal (September 25). his early years Saint Alexander went along on his father’s campaigns. In 1235 he participated in a battle at the River Emajogi (in present-day Estonia), where the forces of Yaroslav totally routed the Germans. In the following year Yaroslav went to Kiev, “settling” his son, Saint Alexander, to rule independently as prince at Novgorod. In 1239 Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as wife the daughter of the Polotsian prince Briacheslav. Some histories relate that the day the princess was baptized was the Name Day of her saintly spouse, and she was named Alexandra. His father, Yaroslav, blessed them at betrothal with the holy wonderworking icon of the Theodore Mother of God (the father was named Theodore in Baptism). Afterwards, Saint Alexander constantly prayed before this icon. Later, it was taken from the Gorodetsk Monastery, where he died, by his brother Basil of Kostroma (+1276), and transferred to Kostroma. very troublesome time had begun in Russian history: from the East came the Mongol Horde destroying everything in their path; from the West came the forces of the Teutonic Knights, which blasphemously and with the blessing of the Roman Pope, called itself “Cross-bearers” by wearing the Cross of the Lord. In this terrible hour the Providence of God raised up for the salvation of Russia holy Prince Alexander, a great warrior, man of prayer, ascetic and upholder of the Land of Russia. “Without the command of God there would not have been his prince.” by the invasion of Batu, by the ruin of Russian cities, by the dismay and grief of the nation, by the destruction of its finest sons and leaders, a horde of crusaders made incursions into the borders of Russia. First were the Swedes. “A king of Roman faith from the midnight land,” Sweden, in 1240 gathered a great armed force and sent them to the Neva on many ships under the command of his son-in-law, Yarl (Prince) Birger. The haughty Swede sent his messengers to Novgorod to say to Saint Alexander: “Fight me if you have the courage, for I am already here and I am taking your land captive.” Alexander, then not yet twenty years old, prayed a long time in the church of Saint Sophia, the Wisdom of God. He recited the Psalm of David, saying: “Judge, O Lord, those who injure me, fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me” (Ps. 34/35). Archbishop Spyridon blessed the holy prince and his army for the battle. Leaving the church, Saint Alexander exhorted his troops with words of faith: “The power of God is not in numbers, but in truth.” With a smaller force, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hastened towards the enemy to await help from his father, not knowing whether the enemy would attack, nor when. there was a miraculous omen: at dawn on July 15 the warrior Pelgui, in Baptism Philip, saw a boat, and on it were the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb, in royal purple attire. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, let us help our kinsman Alexander.” When Pelgui reported the vision to the prince, Saint Alexander commanded that no one should speak about the miracle. Emboldened by this, he urged the army to fight valiantly against the Swedes. “There was a great slaughter of the Latins, and a countless multitude was killed, and their leader was left with a mark upon his face from a sharp spear.” An angel of God invisibly helped the Orthodox army: when morning came, on the opposite bank of the River Izhora, where the army of Saint Alexander was unable to proceed, was a multitude of the slain enemy. Because of this victory at the River Neva on July 15, 1240, the nation called the saint Alexander Nevsky. Teutonic Knights remained a dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 Saint Alexander recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov. The enemy boasted of “subjecting all the Slavic nation.” Saint Alexander, setting forth in a winter campaign, liberated Pskov, that ancient home of the Holy Trinity, and in spring of the year 1242 fought a decisive battle against the Teutonic Order. On the ice of Lake Chud both armies clashed on April 5, 1242. Raising his hands towards the heavens, Saint Alexander prayed: “Judge me, O God, and judge my strife with a boastful nation and grant help to me, O God, as to Moses of old against Amalek, and to my great-grandfather Yaroslav the Wise against accursed Svyatopolk.” his prayer, by the help of God, and by military might the Crusaders were completely destroyed. There was a terrible slaughter, and there was such a crashing of striking spears and swords that it seemed as though the frozen lake were in motion and not solid ice, since it was covered with blood. When they turned to flee, the enemy was pursued and slashed by Alexander’s army “as if they sped through the air, and there was nowhere for the enemy to flee.” Later, they led a multitude of captives behind the holy prince, marching in disgrace. clearly understood the universal historical significance of the Great Battle of the Ice, and the name of Saint Alexander was celebrated throughout Holy Russia, “through all the lands, from the Egyptian Sea to Mount Ararat, from both sides of the Varangian Sea to Great Rome.” western boundaries of the Russian land were safely secured, and it was time to guard Russia from the East. In 1242 Saint Alexander Nevsky and his father Yaroslav journeyed to the Horde. Metropolitan Cyril blessed them for this new service of many hardships: it was necessary to turn the Tatars from enemies and plunderers into honorable allies, and this required “the meekness of an angel and the wisdom of a snake.” Lord crowned the holy mission of the defenders of the Russian land with success, but this required years of hardship and sacrifice. Having made an alliance with Khan Batu, Prince Yaroslav was required to travel to faraway Mongolia, to the capital of all the nomadic empire. The situation of Batu himself being precarious, he sought the support of the Russian princes, wishing to break with his own Golden Horde from faraway Mongolia. And there in turn, they trusted neither Batu nor the Russians. Yaroslav was poisoned. He died in agony, surviving the Holy Martyr Michael of Chernigov, whose relative he nearly became, by only ten days. his father bequeathed him an alliance with the Golden Horde, it was necessary for Saint Alexander Nevsky to hold fast to it in order to avert a new devastation of Russia. the son of Batu, had accepted Christianity, and was in charge of Russian affairs with the Horde. became his friend, and like a brother to him. his support, Saint Alexander allowed Batu to launch a campaign against Mongolia, to become the chief power in all the Great Steppes, and to raise up the Tatar Christian leader, Khan Munke (most of his Tatar Christians were Nestorians) on the throne in Mongolia. all the Russian princes possessed the wisdom of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Many hoped for European help in the struggle against the Mongol Yoke. Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniel of Galich, and Andrew, Saint Alexander’s brother, conducted negotiations with the Roman Pope. Saint Alexander well knew the fate of Constantinople, seized and devastated by Crusaders in the year 1204. His own personal experience taught him not to trust the West. The alliance of Daniel of Galich with the Pope, giving him nothing in return, was a betrayal of Orthodoxy, a unia with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this to happen to his Church. ambassadors of the Roman Pope appeared in 1248 to seduce him also, he wrote in answer that the Russians were faithful to the Church of Christ and to the belief of the Seven Ecumenical Councils: “These we know very well, but we do not accept your teaching.” was unsuitable for the Russian Church, and a unia signified a rejection of Orthodoxy, a rejection of the source of spiritual life, a rejection of the historical future foreordained by God, and the dooming of itself to spiritual death. the year 1252 many Russian cities rose up against the Tatar Yoke, supporting Andrew Yaroslavich. The situation was very risky. Again there arose a threat to the very existence of Russia. Alexander had to journey to the Horde once more, in order to prevent a punitive Tatar incursion on the Russian lands. Defeated, Andrew fled to the Swedes seeking the help of those very robbers whom his great brother had crushed with the help of God at the Neva. Alexander became the ruling Great Prince of All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod. great responsibility before God and history lay upon his shoulders. 1253, he repelled a new German incursion against Pskov; 1254 he made a treaty with Norway concerning peacetime borders; in 1256 he went on a campaign to the Finnish land. The chronicler called it “the dark campaign,” because the Russian army went along through the polar night, “going to impassable places, unable to see either day or night”. Into the darkness of paganism Saint Alexander brought the light of Gospel preaching and Orthodox culture. All the coastal region was enlightened and opened up by the Russians. 1256 Khan Batu died, and soon his son Sartak was poisoned, the one who was like a brother to Alexander Nevsky. holy prince journeyed a third time to Sarai in order to confirm peaceful relations of Rus and the Horde with the new Khan, Berke. Although the successor to Batu had accepted Islam, he needed the alliance with Orthodox Rus. 1261, by the diligent efforts of Saint Alexander and Metropolitan Cyril, a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established at Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. followed an epoch of great Christianization of the pagan East, and Saint Alexander Nevsky prophetically speculated about the historical vocation of Rus. The holy prince used every possibility to uplift his native land and the ease its allotted cross. 1262 by his decree in many of the cities the Tatar collectors of tribute and the conscription of soldiers were stopped. They waited for a Tatar reprisal. But the great intercessor of the nation again journeyed to the Horde and he wisely directed the event into quite another channel. been dismissed for the uprising of the Russians, Khan Berke ceased to send tribute to Mongolia and proclaimed the Golden Horde an independent entity, making it a veritable shield for Russia from the East. this great uniting of the Russian and Tatar lands and peoples the future multi-national Russian State was matured and strengthened. within the bounds of the Russian Church, was encompassed nearly the entire legacy of Ghenghis Khan to the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. diplomatic journey of Saint Alexander Nevsky to Sarai was his fourth and last. The future of Rus was rescued, his duty before God was fulfilled. But his power was wholly devoted, and his life put to the service of the Russian Church. On the return journey from the Horde Saint Alexander fell deathly ill. Unable to reach Vladimir, in a monastery at Gorodets the prince-ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, completing his difficult earthly path by receiving the monastic schema with the name of Alexis. Cyril, the spiritual Father and companion of the holy prince, said in the funeral eulogy: “Know, my child, that already the sun has set for the land of Suzdal. There will be no greater prince in the Russian land.” They took his holy body to Vladimir, the journey lasted nine days, and the body remained undecayed. November 23, before his burial at the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, there was manifest by God “a wondrous miracle and worthy of memory.” When the body of Saint Alexander was placed in the crypt, the steward Sebastian and Metropolitan Cyril wanted to take his hand, in order to put in it the spiritual gramota (document of absolution). The holy prince, as though alive, reached out his hand and took the document from the hand of the Metropolitan. “Because of their terror, and they were barely able to stumble from his tomb. Who would not be astonished at this, since he was dead and the body was brought from far away in the winter time.” did God glorify the saintly Soldier-Prince Alexander Nevsky. The universal Church glorification of Saint Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Cathedral in 1547. The Canon to the saint was compiled at that time by the monk Michael of Vladimir.

Russia, Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights
Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore, Commemorated on March 14 Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke and resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, the icon was found by his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodetsk Theodorov monastery was built on this spot. Prince Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. In the year 1239, he solemnly transferred the relics of his brother from Rostov to the Vladimir Dormition cathedral. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest, and he was connected to almost all of the significant events in the history of Rus in the first half of the thirteenth century. was burned and torn apart by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilt and embellished the cities, the holy monasteries and the churches. He restored cities along the Volga devastated by the enemy: Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, Gorodets. founded he church of Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Theodorov monastery near Gorodets in honor of his patron saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land through a singularly difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the East, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the West. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his policies. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. Yaroslavich was the youngest (eighth) son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1246 after the death of his father (Prince Yaroslav was poisoned in the capital city of Mongolia, Karakorum when he was only five years old) Basil became prince of the Kostroma appanage-holding, the least important of his father’s domains. In the year 1272, he became Great Prince of Vladimir. four years as Great Prince (1272-1276) were filled with fratricidal princely quarrels. For several years he waged war against Novgorod with an unruly nephew Demetrius. In becoming Great Prince, however, Basil did not journey to Vladimir, but remained under the protection of the wonderworking icon at Kostroma, regarding this place as safer in case of new outbreaks of strife. had occasion also to defend Rus against external enemies. In 1272, during a Tatar incursion, a Russian army came forth from Kostroma to engage them. Following the example of his grandfather, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (who took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with him on military campaigns), Prince Basil went into battle with the wonderworking Theodore Icon. A blinding light came forth from the holy image, and the Tatars dispersed and fled from the Russian land. Chronicles say that the Great Prince Basil had a special love for the Church and the clergy. After the martyric death of Bishop Metrophanes of Vladimir during the storming of Vladimir by Tatars on February 4, 1238, the Vladimir diocese had remained widowed for many years. This grieved Great Prince Basil. With his help, a large cathedral was constructed in Vladimir in 1274. This was apparently in connection with the consecration of Saint Serapion (July 12) as Bishop of Vladimir. He was an igumen from the Monastery of the Caves. Cyril III (+ 1282) presided over a council of Russian hierarchs. This was the first council in the Russian Church since the time of the Mongol invasion. Many problems and disorders had arisen in Church life, but the Russian Church was just barely beginning to recover from the woe that had befallen it. One of its main tasks was to recover a Russian churchly literacy, and the restoration of the tradition of the ancient Russian “princely order.â€ books the Church’s salvific activity would be almost impossible. Books were needed for church services, and for preaching, for the monastic cell rule, and for believers to read at home. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Cyril and the Russian bishops and monastic scholars, this important task was begun. The council approved new editions of essential books which formed the canonical basis of Orthodox church life. 1276, Prince Basil completed his life’s journey. Most of the important events in his life occured with the blessing of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. He died at Kostroma, and there he also found his final resting place. Since that time, the holy icon has been in the Kostroma cathedral of Saint Theodore Stratelates. interest in the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God and the spread of its veneration throughout all Russia is connected with events of the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the end of the Time of Troubles. In the year 1613, the wonderworking Theodore Icon from the Kostroma cathedral was used at the proclamation of Michael Romanov as the new Tsar. In memory of this historic event, March 14 was designated for the commemoration of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. copies were made from the Kostroma Theodore Icon, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. the year 1670 the hierodeacon Longinus from the Kostroma Hypatiev monastery wrote the “Narrative concerning the Manifestations and Miracles of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in Kostroma.â€ Not all the things contained in it agree with things previously stated. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskeva on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on August 16.

Russia, Novgorod, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves
Russia, Kiev, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves; Kiev Caves; Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 15; Lucian the Presbyter lived in the XIII century, and suffered martyrdom under Batu around 1243. else is known about him. Lucian's relics are in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios, his Feast Day is on October 15, because of his Patron Saint, Hieromartyr Lucian, the Presbyter of Antioch. He is also commemorated on August 28 (Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios); and again on the second Sunday of Great Lent (Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Monastery).

Russia, Novgorod, 1250, 13th C, Mardarius tRecluse oKiev Caves, Zealot oPoverty, non-acquisitive, perfect bPrayer fasting obey
Russia, Kiev, 1250, 13th C, Mardarius tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, Zealot oPoverty, or non-acquisitive, perfection through prayer, fasting, obedience; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Mardarios (Mardários) the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, as an ascetic in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios during the XIII century, himself in his cell. he strove for perfection through prayer, fasting, and obedience. his Troparion and Kontakion he is described as "non-acquisitive," according to an inscription over his relics, "without a cell.” had nothing in his cell except the clothes on his back. the Ode 7 of the Service for the Synaxis for the Fathers of the Far Caves (August 28) Saint Mardarios is mentioned along with Saint Ammon (October 4), and he is called a “zealot of poverty.” Mardarios was buried in the Far Caves. He is also commemorated on August 28, and at the Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves (movable Feast on the second Sunday of Great Lent).

Russia, Novgorod, 1250-1298, Saint Theodore the Balck, P of Smolensk, bored, he went to Sarai, prominence in H
Kiev, 1250-1298, Saint Theodore the Balck; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19;

Russia, Novgorod, 1252-1263, Prince, Alexander Nevsky, battles of Neva and Ice
Novgorod Prince, 1252-1263, Alexander Nevsky; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore, Commemorated on March 14 Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke and resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, the icon was found by his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodetsk Theodorov monastery was built on this spot. Prince Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. In the year 1239, he solemnly transferred the relics of his brother from Rostov to the Vladimir Dormition cathedral. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest, and he was connected to almost all of the significant events in the history of Rus in the first half of the thirteenth century. was burned and torn apart by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilt and embellished the cities, the holy monasteries and the churches. He restored cities along the Volga devastated by the enemy: Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, Gorodets. founded he church of Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Theodorov monastery near Gorodets in honor of his patron saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land through a singularly difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the East, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the West. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his policies. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. Yaroslavich was the youngest (eighth) son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1246 after the death of his father (Prince Yaroslav was poisoned in the capital city of Mongolia, Karakorum when he was only five years old) Basil became prince of the Kostroma appanage-holding, the least important of his father’s domains. In the year 1272, he became Great Prince of Vladimir. four years as Great Prince (1272-1276) were filled with fratricidal princely quarrels. For several years he waged war against Novgorod with an unruly nephew Demetrius. In becoming Great Prince, however, Basil did not journey to Vladimir, but remained under the protection of the wonderworking icon at Kostroma, regarding this place as safer in case of new outbreaks of strife. had occasion also to defend Rus against external enemies. In 1272, during a Tatar incursion, a Russian army came forth from Kostroma to engage them. Following the example of his grandfather, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (who took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with him on military campaigns), Prince Basil went into battle with the wonderworking Theodore Icon. A blinding light came forth from the holy image, and the Tatars dispersed and fled from the Russian land. Chronicles say that the Great Prince Basil had a special love for the Church and the clergy. After the martyric death of Bishop Metrophanes of Vladimir during the storming of Vladimir by Tatars on February 4, 1238, the Vladimir diocese had remained widowed for many years. This grieved Great Prince Basil. With his help, a large cathedral was constructed in Vladimir in 1274. This was apparently in connection with the consecration of Saint Serapion (July 12) as Bishop of Vladimir. He was an igumen from the Monastery of the Caves. Cyril III (+ 1282) presided over a council of Russian hierarchs. This was the first council in the Russian Church since the time of the Mongol invasion. Many problems and disorders had arisen in Church life, but the Russian Church was just barely beginning to recover from the woe that had befallen it. One of its main tasks was to recover a Russian churchly literacy, and the restoration of the tradition of the ancient Russian “princely order.â€ books the Church’s salvific activity would be almost impossible. Books were needed for church services, and for preaching, for the monastic cell rule, and for believers to read at home. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Cyril and the Russian bishops and monastic scholars, this important task was begun. The council approved new editions of essential books which formed the canonical basis of Orthodox church life. 1276, Prince Basil completed his life’s journey. Most of the important events in his life occured with the blessing of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. He died at Kostroma, and there he also found his final resting place. Since that time, the holy icon has been in the Kostroma cathedral of Saint Theodore Stratelates. interest in the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God and the spread of its veneration throughout all Russia is connected with events of the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the end of the Time of Troubles. In the year 1613, the wonderworking Theodore Icon from the Kostroma cathedral was used at the proclamation of Michael Romanov as the new Tsar. In memory of this historic event, March 14 was designated for the commemoration of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. copies were made from the Kostroma Theodore Icon, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. the year 1670 the hierodeacon Longinus from the Kostroma Hypatiev monastery wrote the “Narrative concerning the Manifestations and Miracles of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in Kostroma.â€ Not all the things contained in it agree with things previously stated. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskeva on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on August 16. Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Novgorod, 1259, Kursk-Root Icon, icon found on root face down, tried to move to Ryla, events there
Russia, Kiev, 1259, Icon the Sign, Kursk-Root, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths), icon found on rood face down, chapel there, tried to move to Ryla, back to chapel, imporant events there 1612 Swede Pol Lith incursion, 1812 Napolian incursion; Kursk; Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign”, the “Kursk-Root”, Commemorated on September 8 ; Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. inhabitants of the city of Ryl’a heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryl’a and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryl’a repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, the 1812 Fatherland war. the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified. Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-Root, Commemorated on November 27 ; Story Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. In the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. The hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. With the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. Just as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. This occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. Soon inhabitants of the city of Ryla heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryla and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryla repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. Everyone then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. The special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: with the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, and the 1812 Fatherland war. From the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified.

Russia, Novgorod, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov, Pagan in Lithuania, then Saint in Pskov
Lithuania, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov (Utena); or Dovmont[1] (c. 1240? - May 17, 1299), was a Lithuanian prince best remembered as a military leader of the Principality of Pskov between 1266 and 1299. During his term in office, Pskov became de facto independent from Novgorod. is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day observed on May 20.[3] 1 In Lithuania 2 Ruler of Pskov 3 Later years and legacy 4 References Lithuania[edit] 1265, Daumantas[4] was Duke of Nalsia, a northern province of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and was an ally of King Mindaugas. Mindaugas' and Daumantas' wives were sisters. In spite of the family relationship, Daumantas chose to ally himself with Mindaugas' nephew Treniota, who was Duke of Samogitia. Treniota had been steadily increasing his personal power within the kingdom as he tried to spark an all-Balts rebellion against the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. 1263, Daumantas assassinated Mindaugas and two of his sons. It has been suggested that he acted in collusion with Treniota. a result, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania relapsed into paganism for another one hundred and twenty years. Russian chronicles say that Daumantas' motive for the murder was to further his power and get revenge: after Queen Morta's death c. 1262, Mindaugas took Daumantas' wife for himself. When Mindaugas dispatched a large army towards Bryansk, Daumantas participated in the expedition, but suddenly returned and killed Mindaugas and two of his sons. to the Bychowiec Chronicle (a late and not very reliable source), Daumantas received the title of Duke of Utena as his reward. Vaiselga, the eldest son of Mindaugas, entered into an alliance with Shvarn of Halych-Volhynia in 1264, he was able to take revenge for his father's death by killing Treniota. Daumantas and his followers fled to Pskov. of Pskov[edit] on the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod arriving in Pskov, Daumantas was baptized into Eastern Orthodoxy, assumed the Christian name Timotheus and married a daughter of Dmitry of Pereslavl, son of Alexander Nevsky. He led Pskovian armies against the Lithuanians and defeated them on the bank of the Western Dvina, proceeded to devastate the land of Duke Gerdenis, and captured his two sons and wife. Daumantas' daring spirit, his friendly ways, and the success of his military enterprise persuaded the Pskovians to elect him as their knyaz, or military leader. election was never sanctioned by the Novgorod Republic, which had traditionally controlled the Pskovian affairs. Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod planned to punish the Pskovians for their willfulness and oust Daumantas from the city, but the Novgorodians refused to support Yaroslav's campaign and, joining their forces with the Pskovians, invaded Lithuania the following year. Daumantas was again in command and returned to Pskov in triumph. January 1268 the Pskovian-Novgorodian alliance was cemented when they invaded Danish Estonia together. The Pskovians, led by Daumantas, joined their forces with the Novgorodians led by Alexander Nevsky's son Dmitry and looted the Danish Estonian countryside, but were defeated by the combined forces of vassals of the Danish crown, Livonian Knights and local Estonian militia[5] in the Battle of Rakvere (February 18, 1268, near modern-day Rakvere). The following year Master of the Livonian Order, Otto von Lutterberg, led the Livonian forces to the territory of Pskov, burned Izborsk castle and laid siege to Pskov itself, but Daumantas, after receiving support from the Novgorodians, managed to conclude a truce with the Livonians.[6] years and legacy[edit] Town in Pskov. 1270, Yaroslav again attempted to interfere into Pskovian affairs and to replace Daumantas with a puppet ruler. The Pskovians stood up for Daumantas, forcing Yaroslav to abandon his plans. In order to strengthen his position, Daumantas married Dmitry's daughter, Maria. In 1282, when his father-in-law was ousted from Vladimir to Koporye, Daumantas made a sally into Ladoga, where he captured Dmitry's treasury from the Novgorodians and transported it to Koporye. Thereupon his name disappears from the chronicles for some seventeen years. 1299, the Livonian Order unexpectedly invaded north-western Russia and laid siege to Pskov. Having expelled them from the republic, Daumantas abruptly lapsed into illness and died, survived by his alleged son, David of Hrodna. His body was buried in the Trinity Cathedral, where his sword and personal effects would be on exhibit until the 20th century. to Pskovian chronicles, no ruler was loved by the citizens of Pskov more than Daumantas; they particularly praise his military skills and wisdom. After the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him, he came to be regarded as a patron saint of Pskov (on par with Vsevolod Mstislavich). The fortifications erected by Dovmont in Pskov's downtown became known as the "Daumantas Town". A church to the memory of the blessed prince Daumantas-Timofei was consecrated there in 1574. the 1990s, Russian author Sergey Kalitin wrote a novel, Hour of the Wolf, about the life of Daumantas and his transition from a "minor Lithuanian noble" to Prince of Pskov. Utena, Lithuania; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Novgorod, 1261, Kholm Icon, by Luke, w many icons for V, Icon damaged, Tartars punished
Russia, Novgorod, 1261, Icon of Kholm, Novgorod ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3), transmitted through James the Emaciated, by Luke, brought to Rus w many icons from C for Vladimir, 1261 Kolm pillaged, icon damaged, 1361 Kolm Cathedral, 2 gashes, 1261 Tartars punished sight and faces, other miraculous; Kholm ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3); Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Kholm Icon of the Mother of God, by a tradition transmitted through Bishop James the Emaciated, painted by the Evangelist Luke. was brought from Greece to Russia in the time of Saint Vladimir, who after Baptism received many icons as a gift from Constantinople. Kholm image of the Mother of God is rendered on a board of cypress wood. the year 1261 at the time of an invasion of the Tatar (Mongol) Horde, the city of Kholm was pillaged, and the icon of the Theotokos also suffered: the jeweled frame was taken, the painting damaged and the icon itself thrown down. an hundred years the holy icon was relocated and solemnly placed in the Kholm cathedral. the icon there remain two deep gashes: one on the left shoulder of the Theotokos, the other on Her right hand. is a tradition that the invading Tatars were punished after they plundered and damaged the holy icon. They lost their sight, and their faces became distorted. of the miraculous signs worked by the Kholm Icon of the Mother of God, are recorded in a book by Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) entitled THE NEW HEAVEN.

Russia, Novgorod, 1276-1293, Dmitry, Pereslavl, Nevsky's 2nd, too young, welcmd back, Koporye F, w Nagoli o Andrey& Horde
Vladimir Great Prince, 1276-1293, Dmitry of Pereslavl ; Alexandrovich (ca. 1250-1294) was Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1276 until 1281 and then from 1283 until 1293. was the second son of Alexander Nevsky. When his elder brother Vasily died young, Dmitry remained the chief heir to his illustrious father. As early as 1259, he was left by Alexander in charge of Novgorod. Upon Alexander's death in 1264, however, the Novgorodians expelled Dmitry to his native Pereslavl-Zalessky, citing his youth as a pretext. years later, when Dmitry had turned 18, he was welcomed back to Novgorod and ” together with his future son-in-law, Daumantas of Pskov ” led a local militia against Livonian Knights in the Battle of Rakvere. During the following decade, he struggled for control of Novgorod against his uncles, Yaroslav III and Vasily of Kostroma. In 1276, when his elders died, he finally ascended the coveted thrones of Vladimir and Novgorod. Two years later, he founded a great fortress of Koporye, which he intended to rule himself. The Novgorodians revolted, forcing Dmitry to leave Koporye and Novgorod altogether. Dmitry was preoccupied with pacifying Novgorod, Andrey of Gorodets (Dmitry's younger brother) went to the Golden Horde and received from the khan permission to replace Dmitry as the Grand Prince. In 1281, Andrey returned to Russia, joined his forces with princes of Rostov and Yaroslavl and, after much devastation to Dmitry's lands, seized his capital Pereslavl. Dmitry fled to Koporye but, failing to win support of Novgorodians, had to retreat further northward, probably to Scandinavia. years later, Dmitry returned to Russia, only to find his lands ravaged by the Mongols and his brother Andrey. Thereupon he went to the Black Sea and met Nogai Khan, who was the greatest enemy of the Golden Horde at that time. Wishing to increase his authority in Russia, Nogai vowed to support Dmitry in his struggle for the grand ducal throne. On hearing about this, Andrey renounced his claims to Vladimir and Novgorod and returned to Gorodets. 1285 Andrey again brought Mongol hordes to Russia, but these were expelled by Dmitry and his allies. Finally, in 1293 Andrey managed to unite the Mongols and Russian princes in opposition to Dmitry. Reluctant to renew fratricidal hostilities, Dmitry took monastic vows in 1293 and died the next year. He was buried in the Saviour Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1280-1320, Silvanus oKiev Far Caves, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, Wonderworking
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1320, Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, pure soul&body, subdued flesh wFasting&virgils, cleansed soul wPrayer&meditation, abundant spiritual gifts, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, wonderworking; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 10; Holy Schemamonk Silvanus (Silouan) of the Kiev Caves, zealously preserved the purity of both soul and body, subdued his flesh with fasting and vigils, and he cleansed his soul with prayer and meditation on God. Lord granted him an abundance of spiritual gifts: a prayerful boldness towards God, constant joy in the Lord, clairvoyance and wonderworking. monk lived at the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. His relics rest in the Caves.

Russia, Novgorod, 1280-1326, Patriarch Peter, wonderworker, unifier, moved See fKiev, tVladimir 1308 to Moscow in 1325
Russia, Vladimir, 1308-1326, Patriarch Peter, moved See to Moscow in 1325, born iVolhynia, pre birth revelation oPeter's Blessedness, monk a12, science studies&obediences, Holy Scriptures, Iconographer, hiermonk, after years tSolitary place, cell aRata river, place later called Novodvorsk m, built church there, igumen there, never angry wGuilty monk, instructed by word&example, became famous afar, like Yuri oGalacia spiritual inst visits, like Met Maximus oKiev&Vladimir bringng instruction&getting icon which he prayed to till death, after Met M death see vacant, Abbot Gerontius wanted position, tConstantinople wPeter's (M's?) vestments, Archpastor staff, and M's icon painted by P, G Prince Michael oVlakimir agreed sent petition supporting G, but Prince Yuri oGlacia suggested tPeter go, he reluctantly went, God chose Peter by MOG appearing to Gerontius in sea storm and telling him this icon's painter shall be elevated Kiev's All Russia Met throne, Athanasius oConstantinople elevated Peter bestowing vestaments, staff, icon brought bGerontius, P tKiev 1308 then Vladimir then Moscow, many Tartar Yoke trials, changes in residences, his labors journeys for faith&morality, christian piety, unity, 1312 tHorde, decree protecting clergy, 1325 See tMoscow, prophecied deliverance Mongol Yoke, and that Moscow would become foremost, foundation Dormition Cathedral 1326, P died same year, buried there in crypt self prepared, many miracles there, many secret healings after death, saint i1339, Princes kissed his tomb's cross to show fidelity tPrince oMoscow, called tWitness Treaties, after Novgorod annexation by Ivan III, their archbishops consecrated aPeters grave, Russian hierarchs named chosen there, plus no significant state undertaking without prayers there, 1472&1479 relics tranfer feasts; Vladimir Patriarch, 1308-1325, Peter of Moscow; Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev[1] and all Russia (Russian: Пётр)(c. 1260- 20 December 1326) was the Russian metropolitan who moved his see from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325. Later he was proclaimed a patron saint of Moscow. In spite of the move, the office remained officially entitled "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'" until the autocephalous election of Saint Jonah of Moscow in 1448. Life[edit] Peter was born in Volhynia[1] (part of the Kingdom of Russia). His parents were Theodore and Eupraxia. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery where he learned iconography. The igumen of the monastery had St Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place.[2] He built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of St Peter” was so called because it was painted by St Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratne[3] monastery by St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', Peter gave him the icon as a gift.[4] In 1308 king Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia nominated and the Patriarch of Constantinople appointed Peter to the vacant see of Kiev and all Rus'.[2] Mikhail Yaroslavich, Grand Prince of Vladimir and Tver, wanted to advance his own candidate for this position. Peter's nomination caused prolonged animosity between Mikhail and Peter to the point that the latter had to ask for protection from the Prince of Moscow in 1325. Peter travelled to Constantinople where Patriarch Athanasius consecrated him as Metropolitan of Russia and bestowed on him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon. Upon his return to Rus' in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. During this time of Tatar (Mongol) authority Russia was in turmoil, and Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence.[2] Peter transferred his metropolitan duties from depopulated Kiev to Vladimir. In 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great prince Ivan Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan cathedra-chair from Vladimir to Moscow.[5] The move strengthened the political position of Moscow and established it as the spiritual capital of fragmented Russia. After Peter's move to Moscow, the Cathedral of the Dormition and several other stone churches were built by Ivan Kalita in the Moscow Kremlin. The foundation of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow is ascribed to Peter. He also authored a few sermons and epistles. Peter died on 21 December 1326.[5] After his canonization by Metropolitan Alexis, his veneration was propagated all over Moscovy. Accordingly, many churches were dedicated to Peter the Metropolitan in Moscow and other cities of Russia. His feast day is celebrated on 24 August (the translation of his relics to the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow) and 5 October (in common with Metropolitans Jonah and Alexis) Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia of pious parents, Theodore and Eupraxia. before the birth of her son, the Lord revealed to Eupraxia the preordained blessedness of her son. the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery. He successfully studied the book sciences of those times and eagerly fulfilled his monastic obediences. future saint devoted much time to an attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, he also learned iconography. The icons painted by Saint Peter were distributed to the brethren and to Christians who visited the monastery. of his virtuous and ascetic life, the igumen of the monastery had Saint Peter ordained as a hieromonk. years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place. built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. church dedicated to the Savior was built for the monks who came to him. as igumen, Saint Peter guided his spiritual children, and never became angry with a guilty monk. he instructed the brethren by word and by example. virtuous igumen and ascetic became known far beyond the vicinity of the monastery. Prince Yuri of Galicia frequently visited the monastery in order to receive spiritual instruction from the holy ascetic. in his travels through the Russian land, Metropolitan Maximus of Kiev and Vladimir (December 6) visited the monastery with words of instruction and edification. received the blessing of Saint Maximus, Saint Peter presented him with an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he had painted. Maximus prayed before the icon for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God until the end of his days. Metropolitan Maximus died, the See of Vladimir remained for a certain time unoccupied. abbot named Gerontius, aspiring to become the primate of Russia, went to Constantinople with Saint Peter’s vestments, archpastoral staff, and the icon he had painted. Great Prince of Vladimir, Saint Michael of Tver (November 22), sent him to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be appointed as Metropolitan of Russia. the suggestion of Prince Yuri of Galicia, Igumen Peter reluctantly went to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be consecrated as Metropolitan. chose Saint Peter to nourish the Russian Church. Mother of God appeared to Gerontius during a storm on the Black Sea and said, “You labor in vain, for you will never be bishop. The one who painted this icon, the Rata igumen Peter, shall be elevated to the throne of Kiev.” words of the Mother of God were fulfilled. Athanasius of Constantinople (1289-1293) elevated Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Russia, bestowing upon him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon, brought by Gerontius. his return to Russia in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. chief hierarch was tested by many trials during his first years of guiding the Russian metropolitanate. beneath the Tatar (Mongol) Yoke the Russian land was in turmoil, Saint Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence. this period the saint’s labors and concerns to affirm the true Faith and morality in the realm were particularly important. his journeys throughout the diocese, he incessantly instructed the people and clergy on preserving Christian piety. He also brought quarrelsome princes to peace and unity. the year 1312 the saint made a journey to the Horde, where he received a decree from Khan Uzbek, safeguarding the rights of the Russian clergy. 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great Prince John Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan See from Vladimir to Moscow. event had very great significance for all the Russian land. Saint Peter prophetically predicted deliverance from the Tatar Yoke and that Moscow would become the foremost city in Russia. his blessing, the foundation of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Moscow Kremlin was laid in August 1326. Peter fell asleep in the Lord on December 21, 1326. holy relics of the saint were buried in the Dormition cathedral in a stone crypt, which he himself had prepared. miracles were accomplished through the saint’s prayers. healings were even done secretly, which testifies to his profound humility even after death. veneration of the first hierarch of the Russian Church was affirmed and spread throughout the Russian land. In 1339, under Saint Theognostus (March 14), Saint Peter was numbered among the saints. Princes kissed the cross on the saint’s tomb as a sign of their fidelity to the Great Prince of Moscow. a particularly venerated protector of Moscow, Saint Peter was called on to witness the drawing up of government treaties. people of Novgorod once had the right of nominating their own bishop in the cathedral of Saint Sophia. their annexation to Moscow under Ivan III, they swore an oath that henceforth they would only consecrate their archbishops at the grave of Saint Peter the Wonderworker. it was at the grave of the saint that the first hierarchs of Russia were named and chosen. Russian Chronicles mention him frequently, and no significant state undertaking was initiated without prayers at the grave of Saint Peter. relics of Saint Peter were transferred in 1472 and 1479. In memory of these events, feastdays were established for October 5 and August 24.

Russia, Novgorod, 1283-1303, Daniel of Moscow, Nevsky's 4th& youngest s , Churches & Ms, first Tartars victory, unified rus
Russia, Moscow, 1283-1303, Prince Daniel of Moscow; father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] Aleksandrovich (1261-“ 4 March 1303) was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and forefather of all the Grand Dukes of father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] When he was a child, the tiny principality was being governed by tiuns (deputies), appointed by his paternal uncle, Grand Prince Yaroslav has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, namely the Lord's Epiphany, and The Danilov Monestery (Saint Daniel Monestery): named in his honor, situated on the right bank of the Moskva River at a distance of 5 miles from the Moscow Kremlin, and founded, by Daniel, as the first monastery wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite no later than also built the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin in the 1280s, dedicated to the Great Martyr took part in his brothers (”Dmitri of Pereslavl and Andrey of Gorodets) ”struggle for the right to govern Vladimir and Novgorod, respectively. After Dmitry's death in 1294, Daniel made an alliance with Mikhail of Tver and Ivan of Pereslavl against Andrey of Gorodets of Novgorod. participation in the struggle for Novgorod in 1296 indicated Moscow's increasing political influence. Constantine, the prince of Ryazan, tried to capture the Moscow lands with the help of a Mongol force. Prince Daniel defeated it near Pereslavl. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom.[2] 1300, he went to Ryazan with an army and imprisoned the ruler of the Ryazan Principality "by some ruse", as the chronicle says, and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. To secure his release, the prisoner ceded to Daniel his fortress of Kolomna. It was an important acquisition, as now Daniel controlled all the length of the Moskva River. 1302 his childless nephew and ally, Ivan of Pereslavl, bequeathed to Daniel all his lands, including Pereslavl-Zalessky.[2] the Mongol occupation and internecine wars among the Rus' princes, Daniel created peace in Moscow without bloodshed. 30 years of ruling Daniel participated in battles only once.[1] According to legend, Daniel was popular and respected by his subjects for his meekness, humility and peacefulness. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; the time of Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505), Saint Daniel gave reminders of himself to his forgetful descendents. He appeared as a stranger to a youth who attended the Great Prince and said: Don’t be afraid of me. I was a Christian and the master of this place, my name is Daniel Prince of Moscow, and by the will of God I am here. Tell Great Prince John about me saying: you are enjoying yourself while you have forgotten me, but God has not forgotten me. this, the Great Prince ordered panikhidas for his ancestral princes to be sung in the cathedral. During the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the dying son of a barge merchant was healed at the grave of Saint Daniel. The Tsar, struck by the miracle, renovated the ancient Danilov monastery and established a yearly church procession. The Metropolitan led the way to the the holy prince’s tomb, and served a panikhida there. 1652 holy Prince Daniel was glorified by the uncovering of his incorrupt relics, which were transferred on August 30 to the church dedicated to the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. holy relics were placed in a reliquary “to the glory of the Holy Trinity and for the healing of the infirm. Metropolitan Platon of Moscow (+ 1812), in the Life of the holy prince which he compiled, writes: “The founder laid the foundation of Moscow’s grandeur, modestly making only a small path to it. Just as any edifice, which is not built with excessive haste, but rather with great artistry and skill, receives a particular firmness and stands indestructible for a long time; like a tall tree that grows for many centuries after beginning as a small sapling, then slowly becomes sturdier, with its branches spreading about far around, so this city was to grow from small, but firm beginnings, so that its first sparkle would not bedazzle the eyes of the envious, and so it would not be shaken or felled early on, before it had attained its full height. Thus did this founder prepare the great city given him, giving it a modest but steady radiance, undisturbed by any gusts of the wind. He left the great glory of its rise to his son Great Prince John, called Kalita.

Russia, Novgorod, 1283-1305, Maximus, Met all Rus, throne north, MOG stay Vladimir, need Yuri D peace Michael of T, & go Horde
Russia, Kiev, 1283-1305, Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus, from Greece in 1283, to Kiev, Tartars there, to Briansk, to Suzdal, to Volhynia, terrible times throne north to Tver, prayer, MOG stay in Vladimir 1299, recognizing needs, need Yuri D of M peace w Michael of T, need Yuri D go to Horde, Michael of T throne of V, rules for fasting, lawful marriage, gilded over grave 1305, Maximov Icon 1299 from his vision, v on crypt ; Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Maximus, successor of Metropolitan Cyril III of Kiev (1243-1280), was a Greek by birth, and he arrived in Rus, then suffering under the Mongol (Tatar) Yoke, in 1283 as Metropolitan. saint decided to remain at Kiev, but the city was completely devastated by the plundering incursions of the Tatars. Metropolitan Maximus withdrew to Briansk, and from there to Suzdal. During his visit to Volhynia the saint met with Saint Peter the igumen of the Rata monastery, (December 21), who would succeed him as metropolitan. 1295 the saint deposed James from the bishop’s cathedra at Vladimir and replaced him with Simon. these terrible times the throne of the Great Prince was first at Vladimir, then at Pereslavl, then at Tver. lest he insult the South Russian princes by moving to the north, the saint offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, and She indicated Vladimir as the place of his residence. the year 1299 Metropolitan Maximus went to Vladimir, and in the following year he established Saint Theoctistus (December 23) as Bishop of Novgorod. 1301, Metropolitan Maximus was in Constantinople for a Patriarchal Council, where at the urging of Saint Theognostus, Bishop of Zaraisk, he set forth questions concerning the needs of the Russian Church to be resolved by the Council. the need to build up the strength of subjugated Rus, the saint urged Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow to make peace with the holy Prince Michael of Tver. also advised Yuri to journey to the Horde to receive the throne. 1304, the saint installed Saint Michael of Tver (November 22) upon the Great-princely throne of Vladimir. an example of intense spiritual life for others, Metropolitan Maximus was concerned about the spiritual growth of his proverbial flock. the saint established rules for fasting for other times in addition to Great Lent. He ordained it for the Apostles’, Dormition and Nativity lenten periods, and he defined when fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed (in Russia until the fourteenth century they did not fast on the Midfeast and Leave-taking of Pascha). holy metropolitan was particularly concerned with upholding lawful marriage: “I write, therefore, about this, so that you my children, born and newly-sanctified in the baptismal font, will take your wife from the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the woman is for the salvation of the man. If you cleave to them in promiscuity without marriage, does it benefit you? No, but rather beseech and implore them, whether young or old, to be married in the Church.” saint reposed on December 6, 1305, and his body was buried in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. A gilded covering was built over the saint’s grave. Maximov Icon of the Mother of God (April 18) was placed on the wall above the grave of the saint. It was painted in the year 1299 following a vision to Metropolitan Maximus. A description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of the crypt. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Novgorod, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine, from Kiev Caves to Sven, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of C
Russia, Kiev, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1288 from Kiev Caves M to Sven M, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of Chernigov at B, monastery on spot, 1812 delivered B from Napoleon; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the repose of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Sven Caves Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Saint Alypius of the Caves (August 17). the icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon a throne, and with the Divine Infant on Her knees. Saint Theodosius is on the right side of the throne, and Saint Anthony of the Caves on the left. the year 1288 it was in the Kiev Caves monastery, where it was glorified by miracles. In 1288 it was transferred to the Briansk-Svensk monastery, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Roman of Chernigov, then at Briansk, became blind. Hearing about the miracles worked by the icon of Saint Alypius, the prince sent a courier to the monastery requesting that the icon be sent to him at Briansk. They sent a priest with the icon along the River Desna. the voyage the boat landed on the right bank of the River Svena. lodging for the night they went to the boat to pray before the icon, but they did not find it there. saw it on a hill on the opposite bank, resting in the branches of an oak tree. News of this reached Prince Roman, and they led him to the icon on foot. prince prayed fervently before the icon and vowed to build a monastery on that spot, donating all the land which could be seen from the hill. After the prayer the prince regained his sight. First he saw the footpath, then nearby objects, and finally all the surroundings. making a shrine for the icon, the prince had a Molieben served, and then they laid the foundations for a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. tree on which the icon rested was cut up and used as wood for other icons. Feast day of the Sven Icon of the Mother of God was set for May 3. It is also commemorated on August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius the Iconographer). The icon was glorified by healings of the blind and of the possessed, and has long been regarded as a protector from enemies.

Russia, Novgorod, 1290-1307, Theoctistus, Archbishop, built churches, renovated Valaam, silence, relics healing
Russia, Novgorid, 1290-1307, Theoctistus, Archbishop, built churches, renovated Valaam, silence, relics healing; Veliky Novgorod; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, prior to becoming a bishop, was igumen of the Annunciation monastery near Novgorod. the death of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop, and Metropolitan Maximus with the bishops Simeon of Rostov and Andrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoctistus as Archbishop of Novgorod. of Saint Theoctistus’ concerns was the renovation and building of churches. He consecrated cathedrals in the name of Saints Boris and Gleb, and in the name of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. The monastery of Valaam was set in good order during his time. the year 1307, because of poor health, the saint withdrew to the Annunciation monastery, where he lived until his death, devoting himself to the ascetic deed of silence. Theoctistus was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings at his relics. In 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Novgorod, 1293-1304, Alexander or Andrey of Gorodets, Nevsky's 3rd s, K Fortress, took V from b, lost V to D, lost to Daniel
Vladimir Great Prince, 1293-1304, Andrey of Gorodets of Vladimir-Suzdal; Andrey III Alexandrovich (ca. 1255 -“ 27 July 1304), a Russian prince, son of Alexander Nevsky, received from his father the town of Gorodets on the Volga. In 1276 he added Kostroma to his possessions and joined the struggle for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal. In 1281 Andrey, joining the Mongol army, expelled his elder brother Dmitri from Vladimir. After some feasting with Mongols in Vladimir, Andrey went to Novgorod, where the populace made him heartily welcome. Meanwhile, his brother allied himself with the powerful Nogai Khan, who reinstated Dmitry as Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1283. During the following decade, Andrey thrice brought the Mongols to Russia in order to wrest Vladimir from his brother. In the campaign of 1293 they pillaged 14 Russian towns, finally forcing Dmitry to abdicate. Even when elevated to the grand-ducal throne of Vladimir, Andrey continued to live in Gorodets. During the last decade of his reign he struggled with a league formed by Daniel of Moscow, Mikhail of Tver, and Ivan of Pereslavl [ru]. In 1301 he drove the Swedes from Landskrona near present-day Saint Petersburg.[1] For more description of Alexander, see Daniel of Moscow March 4 below: Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. 1300, when the Ryazan prince Constantine was making secret preparations for a sudden assault on the Moscow principality, Prince Daniel went to Ryazan with an army. He defeated the enemy, took Constantine captive,and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom. he had beaten the Ryazan prince and scattered his confederates the Tatars, Prince Daniel did not take advantage of his victory to seize foreign lands or take booty, as was the accepted custom during these times. Instead, he displayed an example of true non-covetousness, love and fraternity. The holy prince never resorted to arms to seize the lands of others, nor did he ever take away the property of other princes either by force or by treachery. And so the Lord saw fit to expand the boundaries of his princely realm. John of Pereslavl-Zalessk, Daniel’s nephew, was gentle and pious and benevolent towards the poor, and he esteemed and loved his uncle. Dying childless in 1302, he bequeathed his principality to Saint Daniel. The Pereslavl lands together with Dmitrov, had the most inhabitants after Rostov, with the corresponding fortification befitting a major city. Pereslavl-Zalessk was well protected on all sides. But the holy prince remained faithful to Moscow and did not transfer the capital of his princedom to the stronger and more significant seat of Pereslavl. This annexation allowed Moscow to be considered as the most significant principality. Here the principle of the unification of the Russian Land into a single powerful realm was set in place. the ages God’s providence concerning Russia and its destiny was clearly manifest! for the constant blessings of the HodÄ“gá¸—tria (She who leads the Way) both in his personal life, and also in the life of the Russian realm, Saint Daniel’s father, Saint Alexander Nevsky said, “God is not in might, but in right!â€ Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18;

Russia, Novgorod, 1300, 14th Century, Folder, Novgorod the Great, Vladimir Time, Boyers turn to Lithuania

Russia, Novgorod, 1300, 14th Century, Novgorod the Great, Boyers greater influence over Vladimir Princes, turned to Lithuania

Russia, Novgorod, 1301-1307, Theoctistius, Archbishop oNovgorod, church Building, retired to silence, miracles at his relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1300-1307, Theoctistius, Archbishop oNovgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), Novgorod Annunciation monastery Igumen, church renovation&Building, 2 Cathedrals, Valaam Monastery, retired to silence until death, miracles at his relics, relics transferred tYuriev Theoctistus Chapel; Veliky Novgorod; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, to becoming a bishop, was igumen of the Annunciation monastery near Novgorod. the death of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop, Metropolitan Maximus with the bishops Simeon of Rostov and Andrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoctistus as Archbishop of Novgorod. of Saint Theoctistus’ concerns was the renovation and building of churches. consecrated cathedrals in the name of Saints Boris and Gleb, and in the name of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. monastery of Valaam was set in good order during his time. the year 1307, because of poor health, the saint withdrew to the Annunciation monastery, where he lived until his death, devoting himself to the ascetic deed of silence. Theoctistus was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings at his relics. 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Novgorod, 1303-1325, Prince Yuri D, Son of Dan, elevated to supreme p by the GH Khan
Moscow Prince, 1303-1325, Yuri of Moscow ; Danilovich, also known as Georgiy Danilovich (1281-21 November 1325) was Prince of Moscow (1303-1325) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (from 1318). was the oldest son of Daniel, the first prince of Moscow. His first official action was to defend Pereslavl-Zalessky against Grand Duke Andrew III. Upon Andrew's death the next year, Yury had to contend the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir with Mikhail of Tver. While the Tverian army besieged Pereslavl and Moscow itself, Mikhail went to the Golden Horde, where the Khan elevated him to the supreme position among Russian princes. the meantime, Yury arranged the murder of Prince Konstantin of Ryazan. This unlucky ruler had been captured by Yury's father back in 1302 and had been incarcerated in Moscow since then. While Ryazan was shocked by such a barbarity, Yury annexed the key Ryazanian fortress of Kolomna to Moscow Duchy. He also captured Mozhaisk, which formerly belonged to the princes of Smolensk. By 1314, Yury secured backing from the Metropolitan Peter and formed an alliance with Novgorod against Tver. Now, he felt strong enough to challenge Mikhail of Tver in the Horde. 1315 Yury went to the Golden Horde and, after spending two years there, constructed an alliance with Uzbeg Khan. Upon Yury's marriage to the khan's sister Konchaka, Uzbeg Khan deposed Mikhail and nominated Yury as the Grand Duke of Vladimir. in Russia with a large force of Mongols, Yury approached Tver. However, Yuri's army was defeated and his brother Boris and his wife were taken prisoners. Thereupon he fled to Novgorod and sued for peace. that time his wife, still held in Tver as a hostage, died unexpectedly. Yury availed himself of the confusion that followed and announced to the khan that she had been poisoned on Mikhail's order. The khan summoned both princes to Sarai and, after a trial, had Mikhail executed. returned to Russia, hated by other princes and populace alike, in 1319. He was now entrusted with the task of gathering all-Russian tribute to the Horde. Mikhail's son and successor, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, still opposed him. In 1322, Dmitry, seeking revenge for his father's murder, went to Sarai and persuaded the khan that Yury had appropriated a large portion of the tribute due to the Horde. was summoned to the Horde for a trial but, before any formal investigation, was killed by Dmitry. Eight months later, Dmitry was also executed in the Horde.[1 ] before his death, Yury led the army of Novgorod to fight the Swedes and founded a fort in the mouth of the Neva River. Upon signing the Treaty of Orekhovo in 1323, Yury continued eastward and conquered Velikiy Ustyug the same year. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on January 18; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Novgorod, 1304-1318, Mikhail of T, righteous, Nervsky's n, lost GP to Yury of M, Novgorod, Khan's sister, k by Horde, incorrupt relics
Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Yaroslavich (1271 - 22 November 1318), also known as Michael of Tver, was a Prince of Tver (from 1285) who ruled as Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1304 until 1314 and again from 1315–1318. was canonized and counted among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. Yaroslavich was the second son of Yaroslav III (Yaroslav Yaroslavich), the younger brother of Aleksandr Nevsky; he succeeded his elder brother Yaroslav as Prince of Tver in 1285. mother Xenia was the second spouse to Yaroslav III and is known as the saint Xenia of Tarusa. the death of Andrei Aleksandrovich (Aleksandr Nevsky's son and Yaroslav's nephew), Mikhail became the Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1304, as was consistent with the rota system of collateral succession that had been practised in Rus since the time of Yaroslav the Wise. He was confirmed in office by Tokhta, Khan of the Golden Horde.[1] as Grand Prince and Rivalry with Moscow[edit] he seemed secure in the throne, being the legitimate heir and having been confirmed by the Khan in Sarai, Grand Prince Mikhail suffered a series of setbacks as grand prince which led to him losing the grand princely office for both himself and, in some ways, ultimately for his descendants. He was, like most Grand Princes of Vladimir, accepted as Prince of Novgorod the Great in 1309,[2] but fought with Novgorod, going so far as to withdraw his lieutenants (namestniki) and cut off grain shipments into the city in 1312. Last Words, by Pimen Orlov he was on decent terms with Tokhta Khan, and initially with his successor, Uzbeg Khan (Mikhail paid homage on Uzbeg's accession to the throne in 1313 and remained in Sarai until 1315), he eventually lost influence to Yury of Moscow, who gained influence in Novgorod while the grand prince was away in Sarai. Mikhail did manage to finally take control of the city in 1316 with Mongol aid, but the following year Uzbeg Khan gave the yarlik or patent of office of the Grand Prince of Vladimir to Yury, who also married Uzbeg's sister.[3] granting Yury the iarlyk or patent of office, the Khan sent his army under the Mongol general Kavgadii to help Yuri in his struggle with Mikhail Yaroslavich. On 22 December 1317 Mikhail defeated Yuri at a village called Bortenevo (40 km from Tver). Mikhail captured Yuri's wife, who was the Khan's sister. When she died in Mikhail's custody, he was blamed for her death, although it seems unlikely that he would have killed her knowing how much it would hurt him politically for such little gain. He released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on 22 November 1318.[4] and the Church[edit] also alienated the Church, particularly Metropolitan Petr (ruled 1308-1326). When Metropolitan Maksim died in 1305, Mikhail nominated another candidate, but Petr was consecrated by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Petr sided with Moscow and opposed Mikhail on several occasions. In 1309, he appointed David as Archbishop of Novgorod and David was instrumental in the argument that led Mikhail to withdraw his lieutenants and cut the grain supplies to the city. In 1314, Novgorod called on Yury to be named grand prince and for Mikhail to be deposed. Thus the support of the Church aided Yury to Mikhail's detriment.[5] his having been unfavored by the Russian Orthodox Church during his lifetime, the Church later declared Mikhail a saint because of his piousness during his summons by the Khan which he knew was to certain death and because his relics, when transported to his hometown, were discovered to be incorrupt.[6] and children[edit] In 1294 Mikhail married Princess Anna of Rostov, daughter of Dimitry of Rostov. They had five children: Prince Dmitry of Tver (1299–1326) Prince Alexander of Tver (1301–1339) Prince Konstantin of Tver (1306–1346) Prince Vasily of Kashin (d. after 1368) Feodora of Tver Mikhail's sons and successors Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and Alexander were both also loved in the Horde, as was Alexander's elder son, Mikhail. Both Aleksandr Mikhailovich, and Mikhail Aleksandrovich briefly held the Grand Princely office (in 1326-1327 and 1371-1372 respectively)[7] but Mikhail's failure to defeat Yury of Moscow, followed by Aleksandr's role (real or perceived) in the Tver Uprising of 1327, led the Tver branch to lose the favor of the Khans, and the Danilovich - the Muscovite princes, held the title for all but two years after 1317. wife took the veil in Kashin's nunnery and died there on 2 October 1368. She is commemorated as Anna of Kashin by the Russian Orthodox Church and was canonized in 1677. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Novgorod, 1308-1326, Peter, Metropolitan of All Russia, moved See from Kiev to Vladimir i1308, then to Moscow i1325
Russia, Vladimir, 1308-1326, Patriarch Peter, moved See to Moscow in 1325, born iVolhynia, pre birth revelation oPeter's Blessedness, monk a12, science studies&obediences, Holy Scriptures, Iconographer, hiermonk, after years tSolitary place, cell aRata river, place later called Novodvorsk m, built church there, igumen there, never angry wGuilty monk, instructed by word&example, became famous afar, like Yuri oGalacia spiritual inst visits, like Met Maximus oKiev&Vladimir bringng instruction&getting icon which he prayed to till death, after Met M death see vacant, Abbot Gerontius wanted position, tConstantinople wPeter's (M's?) vestments, Archpastor staff, and M's icon painted by P, G Prince Michael oVlakimir agreed sent petition supporting G, but Prince Yuri oGlacia suggested tPeter go, he reluctantly went, God chose Peter by MOG appearing to Gerontius in sea storm and telling him this icon's painter shall be elevated Kiev's All Russia Met throne, Athanasius oConstantinople elevated Peter bestowing vestaments, staff, icon brought bGerontius, P tKiev 1308 then Vladimir then Moscow, many Tartar Yoke trials, changes in residences, his labors journeys for faith&morality, christian piety, unity, 1312 tHorde, decree protecting clergy, 1325 See tMoscow, prophecied deliverance Mongol Yoke, and that Moscow would become foremost, foundation Dormition Cathedral 1326, P died same year, buried there in crypt self prepared, many miracles there, many secret healings after death, saint i1339, Princes kissed his tomb's cross to show fidelity tPrince oMoscow, called tWitness Treaties, after Novgorod annexation by Ivan III, their archbishops consecrated aPeters grave, Russian hierarchs named chosen there, plus no significant state undertaking without prayers there, 1472&1479 relics tranfer feasts; Vladimir Patriarch, 1308-1325, Peter of Moscow; Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev[1] and all Russia (Russian: Пётр)(c. 1260- 20 December 1326) was the Russian metropolitan who moved his see from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325. Later he was proclaimed a patron saint of Moscow. In spite of the move, the office remained officially entitled "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'" until the autocephalous election of Saint Jonah of Moscow in 1448. Life[edit] Peter was born in Volhynia[1] (part of the Kingdom of Russia). His parents were Theodore and Eupraxia. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery where he learned iconography. The igumen of the monastery had St Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place.[2] He built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of St Peter” was so called because it was painted by St Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratne[3] monastery by St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', Peter gave him the icon as a gift.[4] In 1308 king Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia nominated and the Patriarch of Constantinople appointed Peter to the vacant see of Kiev and all Rus'.[2] Mikhail Yaroslavich, Grand Prince of Vladimir and Tver, wanted to advance his own candidate for this position. Peter's nomination caused prolonged animosity between Mikhail and Peter to the point that the latter had to ask for protection from the Prince of Moscow in 1325. Peter travelled to Constantinople where Patriarch Athanasius consecrated him as Metropolitan of Russia and bestowed on him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon. Upon his return to Rus' in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. During this time of Tatar (Mongol) authority Russia was in turmoil, and Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence.[2] Peter transferred his metropolitan duties from depopulated Kiev to Vladimir. In 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great prince Ivan Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan cathedra-chair from Vladimir to Moscow.[5] The move strengthened the political position of Moscow and established it as the spiritual capital of fragmented Russia. After Peter's move to Moscow, the Cathedral of the Dormition and several other stone churches were built by Ivan Kalita in the Moscow Kremlin. The foundation of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow is ascribed to Peter. He also authored a few sermons and epistles. Peter died on 21 December 1326.[5] After his canonization by Metropolitan Alexis, his veneration was propagated all over Moscovy. Accordingly, many churches were dedicated to Peter the Metropolitan in Moscow and other cities of Russia. His feast day is celebrated on 24 August (the translation of his relics to the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow) and 5 October (in common with Metropolitans Jonah and Alexis) Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia of pious parents, Theodore and Eupraxia. before the birth of her son, the Lord revealed to Eupraxia the preordained blessedness of her son. the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery. He successfully studied the book sciences of those times and eagerly fulfilled his monastic obediences. future saint devoted much time to an attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, he also learned iconography. The icons painted by Saint Peter were distributed to the brethren and to Christians who visited the monastery. of his virtuous and ascetic life, the igumen of the monastery had Saint Peter ordained as a hieromonk. years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place. built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. church dedicated to the Savior was built for the monks who came to him. as igumen, Saint Peter guided his spiritual children, and never became angry with a guilty monk. he instructed the brethren by word and by example. virtuous igumen and ascetic became known far beyond the vicinity of the monastery. Prince Yuri of Galicia frequently visited the monastery in order to receive spiritual instruction from the holy ascetic. in his travels through the Russian land, Metropolitan Maximus of Kiev and Vladimir (December 6) visited the monastery with words of instruction and edification. received the blessing of Saint Maximus, Saint Peter presented him with an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he had painted. Maximus prayed before the icon for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God until the end of his days. Metropolitan Maximus died, the See of Vladimir remained for a certain time unoccupied. abbot named Gerontius, aspiring to become the primate of Russia, went to Constantinople with Saint Peter’s vestments, archpastoral staff, and the icon he had painted. Great Prince of Vladimir, Saint Michael of Tver (November 22), sent him to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be appointed as Metropolitan of Russia. the suggestion of Prince Yuri of Galicia, Igumen Peter reluctantly went to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be consecrated as Metropolitan. chose Saint Peter to nourish the Russian Church. Mother of God appeared to Gerontius during a storm on the Black Sea and said, “You labor in vain, for you will never be bishop. The one who painted this icon, the Rata igumen Peter, shall be elevated to the throne of Kiev.” words of the Mother of God were fulfilled. Athanasius of Constantinople (1289-1293) elevated Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Russia, bestowing upon him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon, brought by Gerontius. his return to Russia in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. chief hierarch was tested by many trials during his first years of guiding the Russian metropolitanate. beneath the Tatar (Mongol) Yoke the Russian land was in turmoil, Saint Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence. this period the saint’s labors and concerns to affirm the true Faith and morality in the realm were particularly important. his journeys throughout the diocese, he incessantly instructed the people and clergy on preserving Christian piety. He also brought quarrelsome princes to peace and unity. the year 1312 the saint made a journey to the Horde, where he received a decree from Khan Uzbek, safeguarding the rights of the Russian clergy. 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great Prince John Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan See from Vladimir to Moscow. event had very great significance for all the Russian land. Saint Peter prophetically predicted deliverance from the Tatar Yoke and that Moscow would become the foremost city in Russia. his blessing, the foundation of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Moscow Kremlin was laid in August 1326. Peter fell asleep in the Lord on December 21, 1326. holy relics of the saint were buried in the Dormition cathedral in a stone crypt, which he himself had prepared. miracles were accomplished through the saint’s prayers. healings were even done secretly, which testifies to his profound humility even after death. veneration of the first hierarch of the Russian Church was affirmed and spread throughout the Russian land. In 1339, under Saint Theognostus (March 14), Saint Peter was numbered among the saints. Princes kissed the cross on the saint’s tomb as a sign of their fidelity to the Great Prince of Moscow. a particularly venerated protector of Moscow, Saint Peter was called on to witness the drawing up of government treaties. people of Novgorod once had the right of nominating their own bishop in the cathedral of Saint Sophia. their annexation to Moscow under Ivan III, they swore an oath that henceforth they would only consecrate their archbishops at the grave of Saint Peter the Wonderworker. it was at the grave of the saint that the first hierarchs of Russia were named and chosen. Russian Chronicles mention him frequently, and no significant state undertaking was initiated without prayers at the grave of Saint Peter. relics of Saint Peter were transferred in 1472 and 1479. In memory of these events, feastdays were established for October 5 and August 24.

Russia, Novgorod, 1317, Moscow Intercene (Civil) War with Tver
Tver, 1317, Moscow Intercene (Civil) War with Tver , Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow; Yuri was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism.; Yuri'™s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom St Michael released, and the Moscow prince'™s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on November 22, 1318.

Russia, Novgorod, 1325-1340, G Prince Ivan I of Moscow, Kalita, John D, rise of Moscow for protection
Vladimir Great Prince, 1325-1340, Ivan I of Moscow; I Daniilovich Kalita (1 November 1288 - 31 March 1340 or 1341[1]) was Grand Duke of Moscow from 1325 and Vladimir from 1332.[2] was the son of the Prince of Moscow Daniil Aleksandrovich. the death of his elder brother Yury, Ivan inherited the Principality of Moscow. Ivan participated in the struggle to get the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir which could be obtained with the approval of a khan of the Golden Horde. The main rivals of the princes of Moscow in this struggle were the princes of Tver:“ Mikhail, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, and Alexander II, all of whom obtained the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir and were deprived of it. All of them were murdered in the Golden Horde. In 1328 Ivan Kalita received the approval of khan Muhammad Ozbeg to become the Grand Duke of Vladimir with the right to collect taxes from all Russian lands. to the Russian historian Kluchevsky, the rise of Moscow under Ivan I Kalita was determined by three factors. The first one was that the Moscow principality was situated in the middle of other Russian principalities; thus, it was protected from any invasions from the East and from the West. Compared to its neighbors, Ryazan principality and Tver principality, Moscow was less often devastated. The relative safety of the Moscow region resulted in the second factor of the rise of Moscow - an influx of working and tax-paying people who were tired of constant raids and who actively relocated to Moscow from other Russian regions. The third factor was a trade route from Novgorod to the Volga river. to Baumer[3] Az Beg Khan took a fateful decision when he abandoned the former policy of divide and rule by making the new grand prince responsible for collecting and passing on all the tribute and taxes from all the Russian cities. Ivan delivered these exactions punctually, so further strengthening his position of privilege. In this way he laid the foundations for Moscow's future as a regional great power. Kalita intentionally pursued the policy of relocation of people to his principality by an invitation of people from other places and by purchase of Russian people captured by Mongols during their raids. He managed to eliminate all the thieves in his lands, thus ensuring the safety of traveling merchants. Internal peace and order together with the absence of Mongolian raids to the Moscow principality was mentioned in Russian chronicles as - œgreat peace, silence, and relief of Russian land. made Moscow very wealthy by maintaining his loyalty to the Horde (hence, the nickname Kalita, or the Moneybag[4]). He used this wealth to give loans to neighbouring Russian principalities. These cities gradually fell deeper and deeper into debt, a condition that would allow Ivan's successors to annex them. The people called Ivan the - ˜gatherer of the Russian lands™. He bought lands around Moscow, and very often the poor owners sold their lands willingly. Some of them kept the right to rule in their lands on behalf of Ivan Kalita. In one way or another a number of cities and villages joined the Moscow principality -“ Uglich in 1323, the principality of Belozero in 1328-“1338, the principality of Galich in 1340. Ivan's greatest success, however, was convincing the Khan in Sarai that his son, Simeon The Proud, should succeed him as the Grand Duke of Vladimir; from then on, the important position almost always belonged to the ruling house of Moscow. The Head of the Russian Church - “ Metropolitan Peter, whose authority was extremely high, moved from Vladimir to Moscow to Prince Ivan Kalita. Princess Elena died on March 1, 1331 . A year later, Kalita married again, and only the name is known about his second wife - Ulyana . There is a hypothesis according to which it was the daughter of Fyodor Davydovich Galitsky with half of her father's principality as a dowry . According to A. V. Eksemplyarsky, in his second marriage, Ivan Danilovich had one daughter . VA Kuchkin suggested that there were two daughters, Maria and Theodosia, who appear in the prince's will as "smaller children". One of them was alive in 1359; nothing more is known about the other . Ulyana survived her husband and died between 1366 and 1372 . a Lithuanian raid on the town of Torzhok in 1335 (as part of the Muscovite-“Lithuanian Wars), Ivan retaliated by burning the towns of Osechen and Riasna.[5] Ivan died in Moscow, 31 March 1340 or 1341.[1] He was buried 1 April in the Church of the Archangel Michael.[1] Ivan had built the church and was also the first person to be buried there.[6] Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Novgorod, 1325-1362, Moses, 1325 Archbishop oNovogrod, first bishop by Moscow, built many N churches&M, incorrupt relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1325-1362, Moses tArchbishop oNovgorod & Archmandrite oYuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1), fNovgorod, ran away tTver's Otroch m, became monk &hieromonk (priestmonk), later archimandrite(important m abbot) oYuriev m, his parents found him, transferred to N, then Archbishop oNovgorod i1325, the first bishop consecration in Moscow, quarrels, factions, conflagrations, misfortunes, so he sought monastic solitude, 4yrs retired to asceticism, suceeded by Basil, 1330 tKolmov m tranquility, soon found desolate Derevyuanitsa, built stone church, 20 yrs monastic deeds, returned N after Basils death, defended downtrodden, protected destitute widows, employed copyists, many books written, confirmed many, 1354 permission wear many crosses, sent him a set, permission deal directly with Constantinople Patriarch, hierarch till 1361, built many churches in N, 1352 stone church aVolotva, 1355 m & stone church iSkovordka, 1357 churches for 3 m (Radogovitsa near Volotov, Holy S m, woman's m founded by Moses), 1359 sick withdrew tSkovorodsk founded bM, died 1362, incorrupt relics uncovered 1686 Yuriev Monastery; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod (1325-1330, 1352-1359), in the world Metrophanes, was born at Novgorod. his youth he secretly left his home and entered Tver’s Otroch monastery, where he became a monk. parents found him, and at their insistence he transferred to a monastery near Novgorod. this monastery he was ordained as a hieromonk, later he was appointed archimandrite of the Yuriev monastery. the death of Archbishop David of Novgorod, Saint Peter (December 21) consecrated Moses as Archbishop of Novgorod in 1325. was the first episcopal consecration to be performed in Moscow. Moses did not guide his Novgorod flock for long, however. quarrels and contentious factions, the conflagrations and other misfortunes weighed heavily on his soul, which sought monastic solitude. four years, he petitioned to be allowed to retire and live in asceticism. He was succeeded by Saint Basil. 1330 the saint withdrew to the Kolmov monastery for tranquillity. did not remain here very long, either. found a desolate spot at Derevyanitsa, where he built the stone church of the Resurrection of Christ. this place the monk spent more than twenty years at monastic deeds. Basil’s death, Saint Moses yielded to the requests of the Novgorod people to be their archpastor once again. ancient chronicler describes Saint Moses in this way: “He shepherded his flock as a good pastor; defended the downtrodden, and protected destitute widows; employed a company of copyists, and because of him many books were written, he confirmed many in piety by his guidance.” the year 1354 Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354-1355, 1364-1376), as a token of his deep respect for Saint Moses gave him permission to wear polystavrion vestments (“many crosses”), and even sent him a set. also permitted Saint Moses to deal directly with the Patriarch of Constantinople without intermediaries. Moses continued as hierarch for seven years, period marked by the building of many churches in Novgorod and its environs. 1352 the saint built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at Volotova; 1355 a monastery was built in a place named Skovorodka, with a stone church in honor of the holy Archangel Michael. 1357, churches were also built at three monasteries: Radogovitsa near the Volotov Dormition church, the Holy Spirit monastery, at a women’s monastery. churches were named for Saint John the Theologian (the first and third of these monasteries were founded by Saint Moses). 1359, feeling weak and sick, the saint withdrew into the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Skovorodsk which he had founded. Moses labored here in asceticism until his death on January 25, 1362. was buried at the cathedral church. Feast of Saint Moses on April 19 commemorates the uncovering of his incorrupt relics in 1686.

Russia, Novgorod, 1337, Tenderness Icon of Novgorod, floating in the air with tears flowing, plague stopped
Russia, Novgorod, 1337, Tenderness Icon of Novgorod,; Tenderness icon of the Mother of God belongs to the Eleousa (Umilenie) type. July 8, 1337 a caretaker in Holy Trinity Church in Novgorod heard a noise inside the church and went to investigate. He was astonished to see that the icon of the Mother of God from the second tier of icons above the northern door of the iconostasis had left its place and was floating in the air, and tears were flowing from the eyes of the Virgin. Alexis was notified, and he and his clergy came to the church with a large crowd of people. A special shrine was built for the icon, and July 8 was appointed as its date of commemoration. same year, a plague appeared in Novgorod. People flocked to pray before the wonderworking icon, and the plague was stopped. In 1352, Archbishop Basil ordered that an annual procession be made from the church of Holy Wisdom to Holy Trinity Church. the summer of 1366 Holy Trinity Church burned down, and the “Tender Feelingâ€ Icon floated in the air above the flames. Archbishop Alexis came to the church to serve a Molieben, and the icon descended into his hands. The fire went out, but a burn mark seven inches long was left on the back of the icon. Prince John III took the icon to Moscow in 1397, where it remained until 1508. At that time, the Mother of God appeared to Princess Maria in a dream and ordered that the icon be returned to Novgorod. “Tender Feelingâ€ Icon is of the Umilenie, or Eleousa type. Veliky Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" in Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut MountÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Novgorod, 1337, Black Plague in Russia, 1350-1353, Worldwide 1331-1353
Moscow, 1350-1353, Black Plague in Russia, Worldwide 1331-1353; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated on September 24; Russia, Novgorod, 1337, Tenderness Icon of Novgorod,; Tenderness icon of the Mother of God belongs to the Eleousa (Umilenie) type. July 8, 1337 a caretaker in Holy Trinity Church in Novgorod heard a noise inside the church and went to investigate. He was astonished to see that the icon of the Mother of God from the second tier of icons above the northern door of the iconostasis had left its place and was floating in the air, and tears were flowing from the eyes of the Virgin. Alexis was notified, and he and his clergy came to the church with a large crowd of people. A special shrine was built for the icon, and July 8 was appointed as its date of commemoration. same year, a plague appeared in Novgorod. People flocked to pray before the wonderworking icon, and the plague was stopped. In 1352, Archbishop Basil ordered that an annual procession be made from the church of Holy Wisdom to Holy Trinity Church. the summer of 1366 Holy Trinity Church burned down, and the “Tender Feelingâ€ Icon floated in the air above the flames. Archbishop Alexis came to the church to serve a Molieben, and the icon descended into his hands. The fire went out, but a burn mark seven inches long was left on the back of the icon. Prince John III took the icon to Moscow in 1397, where it remained until 1508. At that time, the Mother of God appeared to Princess Maria in a dream and ordered that the icon be returned to Novgorod. “Tender Feelingâ€ Icon is of the Umilenie, or Eleousa type.

Russia, Novgorod, 1346-1359, Prince Ivan II of Moscow, Donskoy's Father
Novgorod Prince, 1253-1359, Ivan II of Moscow; II Ivanovich the Fair (30 March 1326 - 13 November 1359) was the Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1353. Until that date, he had ruled the towns of Ruza and Zvenigorod. He was the second son of Ivan Kalita, and succeeded his brother Simeon the Proud, who died of the Black Death. Upon succeeding his brother and because of increased civil strife among the Golden Horde, Ivan briefly toyed with the idea of abandoning traditional Moscow allegiance to the Mongols and allying himself with Lithuania, a growing power in the west. This policy was quickly abandoned and Ivan asserted his allegiance to the Golden Horde.[1] Contemporaries described Ivan as a pacific, apathetic ruler, who didn't flinch even when Algirdas of Lithuania captured his father-in-law's capital, Bryansk.[2] He also allowed Oleg of Riazan to burn villages on his territory. However, Orthodox churchmen aided in consolidating the power of the Grand Prince. He received much aid from the capable Metropolitan Alexius. Like his brother, Ivan II was not as successful as his father or grandfather with regard to territorial expansion. Nevertheless, he was able to annex areas southwest of Moscow, including the areas of Borovsk, and Vereya. He is buried in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in Moscow. Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Novgorod, 1359-1389, Prince Dimitri of the Don
Novgorod, 1359-1389, Prince Dimitri of the Don; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Novgorod, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops M, Novgorod, Demetrius Donsky relative, set example & much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops Monastery, Novgorod, relative of Demetrius of the Don, 44yrs at Klops, setting example in monastic efforts, clairvoyant, denounced vices, summoned spring, grain supplies not diminished; Klops Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Michael of Klops was of noble lineage, and he was a relative of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389). took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ to avoid the praise of men. Leaving Moscow dressed in rags, he arrived at the Klops monastery, near Novgorod. one knew how he got into the locked cell of the hieromonk Macarius, who was going round the cell censing during the Ninth Ode of the Canon. A man in monastic garb sat there beneath a candle, copying out the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After the end of Matins the igumen came with some of the brethren and asked the stranger who he was, and what his name was. But he responded only by repeating the questions, and did not reveal his origin. church the stranger sang in the choir and read the Epistle, and he also read the Lives of the Saints at meals. All who listened were moved by the beauty and spirituality of his reading. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Klops monastery was visited by Prince Constantine Dimitrievich (son of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don ). Communion he was in the trapeza with the princess, during which time the unknown stranger read from the Book of Job. Hearing the reading, the prince approached the reader and looked him over. Then he bowed down to him, calling his kinsman Michael Maximovich by name. The fool remarked, “Only the Creator knows me, and who I am,” but he confirmed that his name was Michael. Michael soon set an example for the brethren in all the monastic efforts. He lived at the Klops monastery for forty-four years, exhausting his body in work, vigils and various deprivations, and he received from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance. denounced the vices of people, not fearing the powerful of this world. He predicted the birth of Great Prince Ivan III on January 22, 1440, and his capture of Novgorod. He denounced Prince Demetrius Shemyaka for blinding his brother the Great Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462). a sandy spot Saint Michael summoned forth a spring of water, having written upon the earth: “I will take the cup of salvation (Ps. 115/116:13), let the well-spring show forth on this spot.” And during a time of famine, the supplies of bread at the monastery granary did not diminish, though they distributed grain abundantly to the hungry. indicated beforehand the place of his burial, the saint died on January 11, 1453.

Russia, Novgorod, 1368-1372, Lithuanian Moscovite Wars
Russia, Novgorod, 1368-1372, Lithuanian Moscovite Wars; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11;

Russia, Novgorod, 1372-1392, Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, enmity Torgov & Sophia quarters, pretend feud
Russia, Novgorod, 1372-1392, Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, no roof, no warm clothes until end of life, wealthy parents, gave all possessions to poor, enmity Torgov quarter and Sophia quarter, pretend feud w Nicholas Kochanov on Sophia side, Volkhov Bridge, clairvoyance, see to your bread prediction, sowing turnips fire prediction, Farewell, I am going away; Veliky Novgorod; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Theodore of Novgorod was the son of pious parents, wealthy citizens of Novgorod. Having been raised in strict Christian piety, and having reached the age of maturity, he took on himself the ascetic deed of foolishness for Christ’s sake. He gave all his possessions to the poor, and he lived in great poverty until the end of his life, not even having a roof over his head, nor warm clothes on cold days. he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. blessed one possessed the gift of clairvoyance. By warning people to see to their bread, he was actually predicting an impending famine. Another time he said, “This will be bare, it will be fine for sowing turnips.” This was his prediction of a fire that devastated the streets of the Torgov quarter. Blessed Theodore foresaw his own end and said to the Novgorod people, “Farewell, I’m going far away.” his life, the citizens of Novgorod saw him as a saint pleasing to God, and had a high regard for him. After his death in the year 1392, the holy fool was buried, at his request, in the Torgov quarter, at Lubyanitsa in the church of the holy Great Martyr George, at the porch where the saint usually loved to spend his time in unceasing prayer. A chapel was built over his holy relics.

Russia, Novgorod, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Fisherman, Lake Ladoga
Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Lake Ladoga; 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. Lake Ladoga; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,â€ the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,â€ adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.â€ Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the Hodegetria model and is similar in style to the ancient Iveron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodegetria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Novgorod, 1383, Tikhvin Icon, St Petersburg area, by Luke, hovered L Ladoga, radiant light, MOG moved it there
Russia, St Petersburg, , Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2), Painted by Luke, from Jerusalem to Blachernae in 450, in 1383 hovered over Lake Ladoga, radiant light, Theotokos moved it there, survived fires, 1560 Ivan t T built monastery, 1613 seized Novgorod and attempted to destroy t monastery, moscow army appeared, icon copies' miracles, even preserved after Rus Revolution, taken to Pskov&Riga&Bavaria&Chicago then back to Tikvin; Tikhvin; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the “Hodēgḗtria” model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Novgorod, 1385-1406, Patriarch Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow
Moscow Patriarch, 1385-1406, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13;

Russia, Novgorod, 1389-1425, Prince Vasily I of Moscow (Basil I), GH Vassal, Freed Moscow
Novgorod Prince, 1389-1425, Vasily I of Moscow (Basil I); I Dmitriyevich (30 December 1371 – 27 February 1425) was the Grand Prince of Moscow (r. 1389—1425), heir of Dmitry Donskoy (r. 1359—1389). ruled as a Golden Horde vassal between 1389-1395, and again in 1412-1425. raid on the Volgan regions in 1395 by Mongol emir Timur resulted in a state of anarchy for the Golden Horde and the independence of Moscow. 1412, Vasily reinstated himself as a vassal of the Horde. had entered an alliance with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1392 and married the only daughter of Vytautas the Great, Sophia, though the alliance turned out to be fragile, and they waged war against each other in 1406–1408. Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Novgorod, 1395-1413, Theophilus & Jacob, Wondorworkers of Omucha, fKonevets tOmcha 1395, monastery 1412
Russia, Novgorod, 1395-1413, Theophilus & Jacob, Wondorworkers of Omucha, Novgorod (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1), spent time on Konevets wArsenios oK, monks there, 1395 both crossed Omch River tDemyansk county 65 versts fPorkhov, estab hermitage 1395, known as Theophilos Hermitage but Jacob put it in order, Monastery from 1412, the year T reposed; Omucha, Pskov (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1); Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Theophilos and Jacob, wonderworkers of Omuch, Commemorated on December 29; is not known where or when Saints Theophilos and Jacob were born, but they spent some time on the island of Konevets with Saint Arsenios of Konevets (June 12), and perhaps it was there that they began their monastic labors. in 1395 or 1396, both ascetics left Konevets and crossed the Omuch River. There in Demyansk county, 65 versts from the city of Porkhov, they established a Hermitage in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. appears that Saint Theophilos, the founder of the monastery, was highly revered, because it was known as the Theophilos Hermitage, it was Elder Jacob who put it in order. monastery dates from the beginning of the XV century, around 1412. Theophilos reposed on December 29, 1412, and was buried in the wooden church of the Dormition. do not know when Saint Jacob went to the Lord, nor the specific place where he was buried. Theophilos and Jacob are commemorated together on October 21. They are also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, and Ladoga (the third Sunday of Pentecost). holy relics of these God-pleasers have rested in the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God ever since the parish was founded in 1764. Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; Theophilus and James, Abbots of Omutch in Pskov, lived the ascetic life on the island of Konev together with Saint Arsenius (June 12). the year 1396, in the Pskov diocese at the River Omutch, not far from the city of Porkhov, Saints Theophilus and James established a wilderness monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. fell asleep in the Lord about the year 1412.

Russia, Novgorod, 1400, 15th-18th Century, History Folder, Fall to Moscow, Moscow Time

Russia, Novgorod, 1410-1462, Barlaam oShenkursk, Vologda, Novgorod mayor, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, monk 12 yrs
Russia, Vologda, 1410-1462, Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6), mayor oNovgorod t1445, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, became Pinezhsky, monk i1456 for 12 yrs, buried next to church he built ; Shenkursk (Vaga River) ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, Commemorated on June 19; Varlaam was known as Vasily Stepanovich Svoezemtsev in life, in monasticism he was given the name Varlaam Vazhsky. Stepanovich was born around 1390 into the family of the Novgorod Boyar (his father was Stepan Vasilyevich). baptism he received the name Vasily. was married and had two sons, Ivan and Semyon. According to another version of his life, he had two daughters and eight sons. served as mayor of Novgorod until 1445. He also served as a representative of the Boyar family of Svoezemtsev, Novgorod. 1426, he founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, where subsequently the town of Pinezhsky was founded. 1456, Vasily Stepanovich was tonsured a monk and given the name Barlaam Vazhsky by the first Hegumen of St. John Theological Monastery. Varlaam lived as a monastic for six years, and upon his death on June 19, 1462, he was buried next to the church of John the Theologian, which he had built.

Russia, Novgorod, 1416-1441, Gerasimus 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians, respected aMoscow councils, Raids Vogulians oNovgorod
Mongol, Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oGreat Perm (Kama River Basin)& Ust-Vymsk (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3, Centered in Aykino) Regions, 3rd Bishop oNewly enlightened Zyryani people, successor to Steven, Perm enlightener, elevated a1416, aMoscow Councils far fPerm, 1438 condemning Florence union & Met Isadore oKiev, another 1441 declared Russian Mets chosen bRussian bishops council, so his contemporaries valued his opinion, great authority, interceding fFlock before GP Basil II, requesting assistance, Raids by Novgorodians, especially pagan Vogulians, went into V camps, murdered by V servant 1441, strangled by omophorion (bishop's stole), buried cathedral church first Perm Hierarchs (top of system oArrangement oPeople); Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; Gerasimos (Gerásimos), Bishop of Great Perm and Ust-Vymsk, the third Bishop of the newly-enlightened Zyryani people, a worthy successor to Saint Stephen, the Enlightener of Perm (April 26). was elevated to the See of Perm after 1416. he lived far from the capital city, Gerásimos participated in the Moscow Councils: in 1438, which condemned the Union of Florence, as well as its proponent, Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev (1437–1441); another in 1441, which decreed that the Metropolitans of All Russia would be chosen by a Council of Russian bishops. indicates that his contemporaries valued his opinion, and that he possessed great authority. a doubt, at these Councils the Hierarch interceded for his flock before the Great Prince Basil II (1425–1462), assistance and benefits for them. new flock had suffered from raids by the Novgorodians, from the pagan Vogulians. went to their camps urging them to stop pillaging the villages of the defenseless Christians of Perm. Gerásimos was murdered by a Vogulian servant during one of his journeys through Perm in 1441 to Tradition, he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the cathedral church of the First Hierarchs of Perm, later became the Annunciation church in the village of Ust-Vyma, of the city of Yarenga, the Vychegda River. Feast Day was established in 1607. January 29 there is a joint commemoration of the three Perm Hierarchs: Gerasimos, Pitirim, and Jonah.

Russia, Novgorod, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, BoPerm, constant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps, killed by hVogul servant
Mongol Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), worthily succeded Steven, Enlightener oPerm, who converted only part otZyryani, incessant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps urging stop plundering defenceless Christians oPerm, killed by his Vogul servant, strangeled bOmophorion; Perm (Kama River 6); St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Gerasimus was the third bishop of the Zyryan people, and a worthy successor of Saint Stephen, Enlightener of Perm. was elevated to the See of Perm sometime after the year 1416, only part of the Zyryani had been converted to Christianity. was concerned for his flock, which suffered incessant incursions from the Novgorodians and pagan Vogulians. went into the Vogul camps, urging them to stop plundering the defenseless Christians of Perm. one of these journeys in 1441, he was murdered by his Vogul servant (according to tradition he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the Annunciation church of the village of Ust-Vym not far from the city of Yarenga, at the River Vychegda (also January 24). ’s common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Gerasimus is also commemorated on January 24.

Russia, Novgorod, 1429-1458, Saint, Euthymius II, Archbishop of Novgorod
Russia, Novgorod, 1429-1458, Saint, Euthymius II, Archbishop of Novgorod; St. Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11;

Russia, Novgorod, 1439-988, Synaxis Hierarchs oNovgorod, 1439 John appeared to&commanded Euthymius serve tBburied, J's incrrpt r
Russia, Novgorod, 1439-988, Synaxis oHierarchs oNovgorod, Russia (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), 1439 St John appeared to and commanded Euthymius to serve special panikhida in memory those buried Sophia Cathedral, then John's incorrupt relics discovered, Saint Joachim of Korsun, first bishop of Novgorod (988-1030); Saint Luke the Jew, bishop (October 15, 1060); Saint Germanus, bishop (1078-1096); Saint Arcadius, bishop (September 18); Saint Gregory, archbishop (May 24, 1193); Saint Martyrius, archbishop (August 24, 1199); Saint Anthony, archbishop (October 8, 1231); Saint Basil the Lame, archbishop (July 3, 1352); Saint Simeon, archbishop (June 15, 1421); Saint Gennadius, archbishop (December 4); Saint Pimen, archbishop (1553-1571); Saint Aphthonius, metropolitan (April 6, 1653). The relics of these saints were buried or transferred to Novgorod’s Sophia Cathedral (except for Saint Germanus, Saint Gennadius and Saint Pimen) therefore, in some sources their names are not included in the Synaxis. Besides those mentioned, hierarchs who have separate commemorations are: Saint Nikḗtas the Hermit, bishop (January 31); Saint Niphon, bishop (April 8); Saint John, archbishop (September 7); Saint Theoctistus, archbishop (December 23); Saint Moses, archbishop (January 25); Saint Euthymius, archbishop (March 11); Saint Jonah, archbishop (November 5); Saint Serapion, archbishop (March 16. ; Veliky Novgorod; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod Commemorated on February 10; Synaxis of Novgorod Hierarchs is also celebrated on October 4 and on the third Sunday after Pentecost. October 4, 1439 Saint John (September 7) to the presiding hierarch Saint Euthymius (March 11) ordered him to serve a special panikhida in memory of those buried at the Sophia cathedral Russian princes and Archbishops of Novgorod, and all Orthodox Christians) the Feast of the Hieromartyr Hierotheus, first Bishop of Athens. the incorrupt relics of Saint John (September 7) were uncovered. the Synaxis was established to mark the glorification of the Novgorod hierarchs. Golubinsky says that because these hierarchs remained unknown at the time of their glorification, he determined this date for their common celebration was established in the period between the time of the Moscow Council of 1549 and the time of the formation of the Holy Synod Golubinsky, History of the Canonization of Saints in the Russian Church. Moscow, 1903, p. 157). in the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs are: Joachim of Korsun, first bishop of Novgorod (988-1030); Luke the Jew, bishop (October 15, 1060); Germanus, bishop (1078-1096); Arcadius, bishop (September 18); Saint Gregory, archbishop (May 24, 1193); Martyrius, archbishop (August 24, 1199); Anthony, archbishop (October 8, 1231); Basil the Lame, archbishop (July 3, 1352); Simeon, archbishop (June 15, 1421); Gennadius, archbishop (December 4); Pimen, archbishop (1553-1571); Aphthonius, metropolitan (April 6, 1653). relics of these saints were buried or transferred to Novgorod’s Sophia Cathedral (except for Saint Germanus, Saint Gennadius and Saint Pimen) in some sources their names are not included in the Synaxis. those mentioned, hierarchs who have separate commemorations are: Nikḗtas the Hermit, bishop (January 31); Niphon, bishop (April 8); John, archbishop (September 7); Theoctistus, archbishop (December 23); Moses, archbishop (January 25); Euthymius, archbishop (March 11); Saint Jonah, archbishop (November 5); Serapion, archbishop (March 16. October 4 celebration was established in connection with the memory of the holy Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich of Novgorod (+ 1052), the February 10 Synaxis of the Novgorod hierarchs is celebrated in connection with the holy Princess Anna of Novgorod (+ 1056).

Russia, Novgorod, 1440-1470, Jonah, Novgorod Archbishop, Moscow Met, wonderworker, Anthony's arrow, Feast otRobe, incorrupt r
Russia, Moscow, 1440-1461, Metropolitan, Jonah, wonderworker, Anthony's arrow, Feast of the Robe, incorrupt relics, fGalich, tonsured there at 12, tMoscow Simonov m fMany yrs, Met Moscow Photius saw J sleeping in Bakery wFingers iBlessing p, don't wake him, predicted great hierarch, later bishop oRyazn&Murom, Met Moscow&allRus 1448, confirmed b both Rus Bishops(first time)&Constantinople Met, after nefarious Bulgarian Isadore Rus Met had embraced Catholicism, 1451 Tartars tMoscow, J led procession along walls, asked dying monk Anthony to pray, A said prayers answered by MOG who prayed to her son, arrow struck A after he said only he would die, deliverance oMoscow Church, Miraculous healings J Grave, 1472 incorrupt relics; Moscow Patriarch, 1449-1461, St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, was born in the city of Galich into a pious Christian family. The father of the future saint was named Theodore. The youth received monastic tonsure in one of the Galich monasteries when he was only twelve years old. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Simonov monastery, where he fulfilled various obediences for many years. Saint Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow (May 27 and July 2), visited the Simonov monastery. After the Molieben, he blessed the archimandrite and brethren, and also wished to bless those monks who were fulfilling their obediences in the monastery. he came to the bakery, he saw Saint Jonah sleeping, exhausted from his work. The fingers of the saint’s right hand were positioned in a gesture of blessing. Saint Photius said not to wake him. He blessed the sleeping monk and predicted to those present that this monk would be a great hierarch of the Russian Church, and would guide many on the way to salvation. prediction of Saint Photius was fulfilled. Several years later, Saint Jonah was made Bishop of Ryazan and Murom. Photius died in 1431. Five years after his death, Saint Jonah was chosen Metropolitan of All Russia for his virtuous and holy life. The newly-elected Metropolitan journeyed to Constantinople in order to be confirmed as Metropolitan by Patriarch Joseph II (1416-1439). Shortly before this the nefarious Isidore, a Bulgarian, had already been established as Metropolitan. Spending a short time at Kiev and Moscow, Isidore journeyed to the Council of Florence (1438), where he embraced Catholicism. Council of Russian hierarchs and clergy deposed Metropolitan Isidore, and he was compelled to flee secretly to Rome (where he died in 1462). Saint Jonah was unanimously chosen Metropolitan of All Russia. He was consecrated by Russian hierarchs in Moscow, with the blessing of Patriarch Gregory III (1445-1450) of Constantinople. was the first time that Russian bishops consecrated their own Metropolitan. Saint Jonah became Metropolitan on December 15, 1448. archpastoral zeal he led his flock to virtue and piety, spreading the Orthodox Faith by word and by deed. Despite his lofty position, he continued with his monastic struggles as before. 1451 the Tatars unexpectedly advanced on Moscow; they burned the surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the city. Metropolitan Jonah led a procession along the walls of the city, tearfully entreating God to save the city and the people. Seeing the dying monk Anthony of the Chudov monastery, who was noted for his virtuous life, Saint Jonah said, “My son and brother Anthony! Pray to the Merciful God and the All-Pure Mother of God for the deliverance of the city and for all Orthodox Christians.” humble Anthony replied, “Great hierarch! We give thanks to God and to His All-Pure Mother. She has heard your prayer and has prayed to Her Son. The city and all Orthodox Christians will be saved through your prayers. The enemy will soon take flight. The Lord has ordained that I alone am to be killed by the enemy.” Just as the Elder said this, an enemy arrow struck him. prediction of Elder Anthony was made on July 2, on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. broke out among the Tatars, and they fled in fear and terror. his courtyard, Saint Jonah built a church in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from the enemy. Jonah reposed in the year 1461, and miraculous healings began to take place at his grave. 1472 the incorrupt relics of Metropolitan Jonah were uncovered and placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin (the Transfer of the holy Relics is celebrated May 27). A Council of the Russian Church in 1547 established the commemoration of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1596, Patriarch Job added Saint Jonah to the Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs (October 5). Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31;

Russia, Novgorod, 1440-1505, Ivan III, G Prince of Moscow, t Great, defeated Novg, expanded R, ended GH yoke
Moscow Prince, 1440-1505, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, the Great; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Novgorod, 1471, Battle of Shelon River, Moscow over Novgorod
Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow (1471 - 1480); Battle of Shelon River 1471 ; Martha Boretskaya; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1473-1489, Patriarch, Gerontius, Metropolitan of Moscow
Moscow Patriarch, 1473-1489, Gerontius, Metropolitan of Moscow; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29;

Russia, Novgorod, 1478, Martha Boretskaya, Mayor of Novgorod
Russia, Novgorod, 1471-1480, Martha Boretskaya, Mayor of Novgorod; Novgorod, Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow (1471 - 1480); Battle of Shelon River 1471 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Russia, Novgorod, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets M, orphaned at 10, raised by priest who became monk, toiled with him 7yrs, then many experiences with Theotokos thru her icons, many came, built Z Monastery
Russia, Pskov, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, fVeliki Luki (Great Meadow) early 16th C, parents died when he was 10, raised by priest Boris, his soul cleaved to God, often visited Boris after he became monk Bogolep at local monestary, later for 7 yrs. toiled with him single cell, MOG first showed to him in a dream as Tikhvin Icon in firery colomn, he kissed it and it was hot, Later on her forehead, demons in wilderness shamed by prayer, wanted dwell in W but Bogolep advised return, he went to Smolensk to venerate wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon oMOG, and Abramius & Ephriam relics, they appeared to him, reassured wilderness life, when God will bless and MOG lead, Abramius (there since his healing) told Martyrius about secret place where he saw radiant Cross of Stars. received Elder's blessing to wilderness, took 2 small icons, settled in Zelents, a beautiful Green Island in forrested swamp, harsh wilderness life, cold, deprivation, wild beasts, devils wiles, did not shake his resolve, built small chapel, again worthy to see MOG icon in dream, floating on sea, archangel Michael on the right, who told him to venerate the icon, M went into water, icon began to sink, M cried out, wave carried him to shore, icon vanished, wilderness sanctified by M, many arrived, to stay, so he built a church, his disciple Gurais permitted to see Cross in the Heavens shining over top of the church, this was beginning of Zelenets monastery in 1582, Lord blessed his labors, discernment and healings, eminent Novgorod personal gifts to monastery, exmple Pious boyar Theodore Syrkov provided heated church, MOG continued to help, appeared to him, even wealthier benefactor, 1595 at Tver M resurrected Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich's son, while praying in fromt of his two MOG icons, resurrected after both icons placed on his chest, so M built church in honor of Tikhvin Icon and John Chrysostom (son's patron), 1595 Tsar Theodore increased land for the monastery, sufficient to sustain it, sensing imminent departure, in great old age M dug grave and fashioned coffin for himself, fell asleep Mar1, 1603; Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrius of Zelenets, in the world Menas, was born in the city of Veliki Luki (Great Meadow) in the sixteenth century. parents, Cosmas and Stephanida, died when he was just ten years old. was raised by his spiritual Father, a priest of the city’s Annunciation church, and the child’s soul cleaved to God. widowed priest Boris became a monk with the name Bogolep at the Trinity-Sergius monastery in Veliki Luki. often visited him at the monastery, and later on he himself received monastic tonsure there taking the name Martyrius. seven years both teacher and disciple toiled for the Lord unrelentingly in a single cell, encouraging each other in deeds of work and prayer. Martyrius had the obediences of “kellarios” [cellarer], treasurer, and “ponomar” [or altar server]. was at this time that the Mother of God first showed Her special solicitude for Saint Martyrius. mid-day he dozed off in the bell tower and beheld the Tikhvin (Hodēgḗtria) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a fiery column. monk venerated it, and it was still hot from the fiery column. When he awoke, he still felt this heat on his forehead. the spiritual advice of Saint Martyrius, the grievously ill monk Abramius went to venerate the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and he received healing. Martyrius was filled with intense faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. began to pray that the Heavenly Queen would show him where he might go for the ascetic feat of complete silence, for which his soul yearned. monk secretly withdrew into a desolate place situated 60 versts from Veliki Luki. he himself writes, “in this wilderness I received fearful visitations from demons, but I prayed to God, and the demons were put to shame.” a letter to Elder Bogolep, Saint Martyrius asked his blessing to dwell in the wilderness, the spiritual father advised him to return to the cenobitic life where he would be of use to the brethren. daring to disobey his experienced Elder, and not knowing how to proceed, Saint Martyrius went to Smolensk to venerate the wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of Saints Abramius and Ephraim (August 21). saints appeared to Saint Martyrius in a dream, and they reassured him that he would be permitted to live in the wilderness, “wherever God will bless and the Most Holy Theotokos will guide you.” Martyrius then went to the Tikhvin monastery, hoping that the Mother of God would resolve his dilemma. monk Abramius, who remained at this monastery in gratitude to the Mother of God for his healing, told Saint Martyrius about a secret place, over which he had seen a radiant Cross of stars. time he received the blessing of the Elder. Martyrius took with him two small icons: one of the Life-Creating Trinity, and the other of the Tikhvin Mother of God. then settled in Zelents (the green island), which was a beautiful island in a forested swamp. and painful was the life of the monk in the wilderness, neither cold, nor deprivation, nor wild beasts, nor the wiles of the enemy were able to shake his resolve. built a small chapel for the glorification of, and in gratitude to, the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos. was again deemed worthy to see an icon of the Mother of God in a dream. time it was floating on the sea. To the right of the icon he saw the Archangel Gabriel who told him to venerate the icon. Martyrius went into the water, and the icon began to sink in the sea. The saint then cried out, and a wave carried him to shore. With that, the icon vanished. wilderness was sanctified by the life of the hermit, and many began to arrive, not only to be instructed by the word and example of the monk, but also to settle there with him. increased number of disciples prompted the monk to build a church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, he placed his own icons of the Trinity and of the Tikhvin Mother of God. a sign of the grace of God resting upon the monastery of Saint Martyrius, his disciple Saint Gurias was permitted to see a Cross in the heavens, shining over the cross on top of the church. was the beginning of the Trinity Zelenets monastery, “the green wilderness monastery of Martyrius.” Lord blessed his labors, and the grace of God shone visibly upon him. The fame of his discernment and gift of healing became known to many. Many eminent people of Novgorod began to send gifts to the monastery. funds provided by the pious boyar Theodore Syrkov, a heated church was built and consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the first church at Veliki Luki, from which the saint had begun his path to God. Martyrius continued to receive help from the Mother of God. appeared to him on a bench in the corner where the icons stood. The saint recalled: “I looked upon Her without lowering my eyes... I gazed upon Her holy face, at her eyes filled with tears, ready to trickle down Her all-pure face. awoke from the dream and was afraid. I lit a candle from the lampada, in order to see whether or not the Most Pure Virgin sat at the place where I saw Her in the dream. went up to the icon of the Hodēgḗtria and was convinced that in truth the Mother of God had appeared to me as She is depicted on my icon.” after this (about the year 1570) Saint Martyrius was ordained priest at Novgorod by the archbishop (Alexander or Leonid). was already an igumen in 1582. the Lord granted the Zelenets wilderness monastery an even wealthier benefactor. 1595 at Tver Saint Martyrius resurrected the son of the former Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich, in front of his own icons of the Life-Creating Trinity and the Tikhvin Mother of God. placed both icons upon the chest of the dead child, and he awoke as if from sleep. gratitude Simeon built a church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and of Saint John Chrysostom, the Heavenly patron saint of the ruler’s son John. 1595 Tsar Theodore endowed the monastery with a sufficient quantity of land for its support. reached a great old age and preparing for death, Saint Martyrius dug a grave for himself, and near it he placed a coffin fashioned by his own hands. often came there to weep. Sensing his imminent departure, the monk assembled the brethren and told his children in the Lord to have steadfast hope in the Most Holy Trinity and to trust the Mother of God, as he himself had always trusted in Her. receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he gave the brethren his blessing with the words: “Peace to all the Orthodox.” With spiritual joy he fell asleep in the Lord on March 1, 1603. saint was buried in the grave he dug near the church of the Mother of God. his holy relics rested beneath a crypt in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, beneath the lower temple in honor of Saint John the Theologian. a former monk of the Zelenets monastery, and later Metropolitan of Kazan and Novgorod (+ 1698), compiled a service and wrote the Life of Saint Martyrius, making use of personal notes and the saint’s testament. memory of Saint Martyrius of Zelenets and Veliki Luki is celebrated also on November 11.

Russia, Novgorod, 1484-1505, Saint, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius, Gennadius Bible
Moscow Saint, 1484-1505, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4;

Russia, Novgorod, 1484-1505, Gennady oNovgorod, Gennadius Bible, Typikon service zealot, septuagent bible defend vs Judaizrs OT
Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Saint, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius, Gennadius Bible, descendent Gonzov family, dignified, intelligent, virtuous, scripture learned, Valaam Monastery monk, under Sabbatius oSolovki, 1472 Chudov Archimandrite, Typikon service zealot, defended ancient Bible rule, 1483 built stone church aChudov, 1484 Archbishop oNovgorod, 1470 Judiazing preachers guise oMerchants already planting weeds oHeresy iN, 1487 first reports (17yrs), drunk heratics revealed, spread tMoscow1480, 1487 reported tMoscow Met inquiry material&Apostates list&their writings, 12yrs struggle against J's attempts alter history Russian church&state, Gennadius Bible helped, Judaizers used OT text different from Septuagent, single codes OT from separate parts, Pentateuch, Kings, Proverbs, Psalter, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles, apocrypha, Jusiazers used prophecies they altered, 1499 G Bible complete, first printed Bible 1581, through 1751 Elizabethan Bible tToday, Great literary work Fourth Novgorod Chronicle up to 1486, library for Solovki monastery wDositheus, who wrote lives o2 saints tG's request, Novgorod school for clergy, impending end oWorld 1492 end 7th milenium, Paschal dates not computed beyond 1491, G decreed 8th M bCalculated, finished P for 70 yrs, plus Source fPaschalion t8thousandth year, -“It is proper not to fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at every moment, no one even knows the end, it is a circle; Moscow Saint, 1484-1505, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4; Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, descended from the Gonzov family was, in the testimony of contemporaries, “dignified, intelligent, virtuous and learned in the Holy Scripture.” was made a monk at the Valaam monastery, under the spiritual guidance of Saint Sabbatius of Solovki (September 27). the year 1472, he was Archimandrite of the Chudov (Miracle of the Archangel Michael) monastery in Moscow. for celebrating divine services according to the Typikon, and Bassian, Archbishop of Rostov, and later his successor Joasaph, rose up in defense of the ancient Rule during a dispute at the consecration of the Dormition cathedral in Moscow during the years 1479-1481. 1483 Saint Gennadius began construction of a stone church at the Chudov monastery honor of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), the founder of the monastery. December 12, 1484 Saint Gennadius was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. in Novgorod, but still honoring the memory of Saint Alexis, did not cease to concern himself with the construction of the church, contributing silver for the completion of this temple. time of holy Archbishop Gennadius as hierarch at Novgorod coincided with a terrible period in the history of the Russian Church. 1470, Judaizing preachers, who traveled to Novgorod in the guise of merchants, had already begun to plant the weeds of heresy and apostasy among the Orthodox. first reports about the heresy reached Saint Gennadius in the year 1487. members of a secret society, in a state of intoxication, opened up and told the Orthodox of the existence of the impious heresy. soon as it became known to him, the zealous archpastor immediately began an inquiry with deep sorrow became convinced that the danger was a threat not only to local Novgorod piety, also in Moscow, the very capital of Orthodoxy, where the leaders of the Judaizers had journeyed in 1480. September 1487 he sent to Metropolitan Gerontius at Moscow all the material from the inquiry, with a list of the apostates he had discovered, as well as their writings. struggle with the Judaizers became the main focus of Saint Gennadius’ archpastoral activity. the words of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9), “this archbishop, angered by the malevolent heretics, pounced upon them like a lion from out of the thicket of the Holy Scriptures and the splendid heights of the prophets and the apostolic teachings.” twelve years Saint Gennadius and Saint Joseph struggled against the most powerful attempts of the opponents of Orthodoxy to alter the course of history of the Russian Church and the Russian state. their efforts the Orthodox were victorious. The works of Gennadius in the study of the Bible contributed to this victory. heretics in their impious cleverness used texts from the Old Testament, but which were different from the texts accepted by the Orthodox. Gennadius undertook an enormous task: bringing the correct listings of Holy Scripture together in a single codex. until this time Biblical books had been copied in Russia, following the example of Byzantium, not in their entirety, but in separate parts—the Pentateuch (first five books) or Octateuch (first eight books), Kings, Proverbs, the Psalter, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and other instructive books. holy books of the Old Testament in particular often were subjected to both accidental and intentional errors. Gennadius wrote about this with sorrow in a letter to Archbishop Joasaph: “The Judaizing heretical tradition adheres to the Psalms of David, or prophecies which they have altered.” around himself learned and industrious Biblical scholars, the saint collected all the books of the Holy Scripture into a single codex, he gave his blessing for the Holy Books which were not found in manuscripts of the traditional Slavonic Bible to be retranslated from the Latin language. 1499 the first complete codex of Holy Scripture in Slavonic (“the Gennadius Bible,” as they called it after its compiler) was published in Russia. work became an integral link in the succession of Slavonic translations of the Word of God. the God-inspired translation of the Holy Scripture by Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bible of Saint Gennadius (1499), reproduced in the first printed Bible (Ostrozh, 1581), Church has maintained a Slavonic Biblical tradition right through the so-called Elizabethan Bible (1751) and all successive printed editions. with the preparation of the Bible, the circle of church scholars under Archbishop Gennadius also undertook a great literary task: compilation of the “Fourth Novgorod Chronicle.” hand-written books were translated, corrected and transcribed, bringing the Chronicle up to the year 1496. the igumen of the Solovki monastery who was at Novgorod on monastery matters, worked for several years with Saint Gennadius compiling a library for the Solovki monastery. was at the request of Saint Gennadius that Dositheus wrote the Lives of Saints Zosimas (April 17) and Sabbatius (September 27). majority of the books transcribed with the blessing of the Novgorod hierarch (more than 20), preserved in the collection of Solovki manuscripts. a zealous advocate for spiritual enlightenment, Saint Gennadius founded a school for the preparation of worthy clergy at Novgorod. memory of Saint Gennadius is preserved also in his work for the welfare of the Orthodox Church. the end of the fifteenth century many Russians were concerned about the impending end of the world, which they believed would take place at the end of the seventh millenium from the creation of the world (in 1492 A.D.). in 1408, it was decided not to compute the Paschal dates beyond the year 1491. In September 1491, however, the Archbishops’ Council of the Russian Church at Moscow, with the participation of Saint Gennadius, decreed that the Paschalion for the eighth millenium be calculated. Zosimas at Moscow on November 27, 1492 “set forth a cathedral Paschalion for twenty years,” asked Bishop Philotheus of Perm and Archbishop Gennadius of Novgorod each to compile their own Paschalion for conciliar review and confirmation on December 21, 1492. Gennadius finished calculating his Paschalion, which in contrast to that of the Metropolitan, extended for seventy years. was distributed to the dioceses, with the approval of the Council, as the accepted Paschalion for the next twenty years. with the Paschalion was Saint Gennadius’s own commentary upon it in an encyclical entitled, “Source for the Paschalion Transposed to the Eight Thousandth Year.” his theological explanation of the Paschalion, based upon the Word of God and the holy Fathers, the saint wrote: “It is proper not to fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at every moment. just as God might deign to end the world, so also might He deign to prolong the course of time.” one knows when the world created by God will end, “not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father “(Mt. 24:36). the holy Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, explained the cycle of years from the creation of the world precisely as a cycle. “This occurs in a circular motion, not having an end.” The saint contrasts the heretical methods of calculating the times with the way hallowed by the Church, a constant spiritual sobriety. Gennadius expounded on the theological fundamentals of the Paschalion. explained that on the basis of the cycle of years from the world’s creation, it is possible to determine a Paschalion for the future, as may be required. Paschalion of Saint Gennadius, by his own testimony, was not something new that he created, but rather was based on a former tradition; in part, on the basis of the Paschalion for 1360-1492 under Saint Basil Kalika, Archbishop of Novgorod (July 3). 1539, under Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod, a Paschalion was compiled for the eighth millenium, based on the principles of the Paschalion of Saint Gennadius. prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, which he composed in 1497, also demonstrates his deep spiritual life and prayerful inspiration. addition to his letters to Metropolitans Zosimas and Simon, to Archbishop Joasaph, to Bishops Niphon and Prochorus, and a letter to the 1490 Council, Archbishop Gennadius also wrote a church “Small Rule” and the “Tradition for Monks,” who live according to the monastic Rule of skete life. his archpastoral service in 1504, the saint lived in retirement at the Chudov monastery, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on December 4, 1505. the Stepen-Ranks book we read: “Archbishop Gennadius served as archbishop for nineteen years, beautifying the churches, improving the behavior of the clergy, and proclaiming the Orthodox Faith among the heretics. he lived at Moscow for a year and a half at the Chudov monastery, dedicated to the Miracle of the Archangel Michael to Saint Alexis the Metropolitan and wonderworker, where he had been Archimandrite, and then he fell asleep in the Lord.” holy relics of Saint Gennadius were put into the church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae (September 6), that place particularly venerated by him, where the relics of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow rested. Gennadius is also commemorated on the third Sunday after Pentecost, when the Church remembers all the Saints who shone forth at Novgorod.

Russia, Novgorod, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy R's, but studied lives otFathers, so God led tN, dLight&dSmoke
Rome, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy Roman family, Protestant Reformation time, but he studied lives otFathers, focused on saving his soul, God led him become Orthodox, left for Russia without money, wearing old garment, tNovgorod, many churches monasteries there, tSvir, there Alex oSvir tonsured him monk, but he longed for solitary life, tIsland in Lezna r, 45 miles fNovgorod, mosquito breeding ground, berries roots herbs, fed&pet bears, discovered bHunters, because divine light, fed them, spoke prayed showed way out of marsh, many people came, chose place further out on Lesna, but pillar fire at night and fragrant smoke at day exposed him, some asked to stay, saw it was Lord's will he blessed them to build cells, 1540 wooden church, ordained as priest by Marcarius oNovgorod& Met All Russia, he example tOthers, clairvoyance wonderworking gifts, returned to solitary island after several yrs, fell asleep 1550, his monastery distinguished by spiritual life, Novgorod monasteries plundered by Sweds 17th C, Hermitage burned 1615, monks put to sword, 18th C dependency Nevsky Lavra St Pete, closed by Catherine 1764 like she closed other m ; Rome; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, he did not desire honors or earthly glory. he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Russia, Novgorod, 1506-1509, Archbishop, Serapion of Novgorod
Russia, Novgorod, 1506-1509, Archbishop, Serapion of Novgorod; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30;

Russia, Novgorod, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant
Germany, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant; Germany, 1503-1546, Martin Luther, Protestant ; Wittenberg, Germany ; Lutherhaus; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Russia, Novgorod, 1521-1581, Ananias tIconographer, Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, icons many wonderworkers, never beyond m fence
Russia, Novgorod, 1521-1581, Ananias the Iconographer, Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, endowed painting gift, marvelous icons many holy wonderworkers, never beyond m fence 30 yrs; Antoniev monastery; Venerable Ananias the Iconographer, Commemorated on June 25; Ananias was born in Russia and was tonsured in the monastery of Saint Antony the Roman at Novgorod. endowed him with a gift for painting icons, and he exercised this talent for the glory of the Lord. Venerable Ananias painted "marvelous icons of many holy wonderworkers." thirty-three years, he never went beyond the fence of the monastery. records do not agree about the year of his repose. Some say that he went to the Lord in 1521, 1561, or 1581. His relics are buried in a hidden place at the Monastery. Ananias is commemorated on the third Sunday of Pentecost and on June 17.

Russia, Novgorod, 1526-1563, Macarius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Metropolitan of Moscow
Russia, Novgorod, 1526-1563, Archbishop of Novgorod, Metropolitan of Moscow, Macarius; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15;

Russia, Novgorod, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets Monestary, parents died when he was 10, raised by priest Boris who became monk Bogolep, who he often visited, later for 7 yrs. toiled with him single cell, MOG first showed to him in a dream as Tikhvin Icon in firery colomn, he kissed it and it was hot, Abramius told Martyrius about secret place where he saw radiant Cross of Stars, over and over MOG helped him build and enlarge the Zelenets Monastery
Russia, Pskov, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, fVeliki Luki (Great Meadow) early 16th C, parents died when he was 10, raised by priest Boris, his soul cleaved to God, often visited Boris after he became monk Bogolep at local monestary, later for 7 yrs. toiled with him single cell, MOG first showed to him in a dream as Tikhvin Icon in firery colomn, he kissed it and it was hot, Later on her forehead, demons in wilderness shamed by prayer, wanted dwell in W but Bogolep advised return, he went to Smolensk to venerate wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon oMOG, and Abramius & Ephriam relics, they appeared to him, reassured wilderness life, when God will bless and MOG lead, Abramius (there since his healing) told Martyrius about secret place where he saw radiant Cross of Stars. received Elder's blessing to wilderness, took 2 small icons, settled in Zelents, a beautiful Green Island in forrested swamp, harsh wilderness life, cold, deprivation, wild beasts, devils wiles, did not shake his resolve, built small chapel, again worthy to see MOG icon in dream, floating on sea, archangel Michael on the right, who told him to venerate the icon, M went into water, icon began to sink, M cried out, wave carried him to shore, icon vanished, wilderness sanctified by M, many arrived, to stay, so he built a church, his disciple Gurais permitted to see Cross in the Heavens shining over top of the church, this was beginning of Zelenets monastery in 1582, Lord blessed his labors, discernment and healings, eminent Novgorod personal gifts to monastery, exmple Pious boyar Theodore Syrkov provided heated church, MOG continued to help, appeared to him, even wealthier benefactor, 1595 at Tver M resurrected Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich's son, while praying in fromt of his two MOG icons, resurrected after both icons placed on his chest, so M built church in honor of Tikhvin Icon and John Chrysostom (son's patron), 1595 Tsar Theodore increased land for the monastery, sufficient to sustain it, sensing imminent departure, in great old age M dug grave and fashioned coffin for himself, fell asleep Mar1, 1603; Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrius of Zelenets, in the world Menas, was born in the city of Veliki Luki (Great Meadow) in the sixteenth century. parents, Cosmas and Stephanida, died when he was just ten years old. was raised by his spiritual Father, a priest of the city’s Annunciation church, and the child’s soul cleaved to God. widowed priest Boris became a monk with the name Bogolep at the Trinity-Sergius monastery in Veliki Luki. often visited him at the monastery, and later on he himself received monastic tonsure there taking the name Martyrius. seven years both teacher and disciple toiled for the Lord unrelentingly in a single cell, encouraging each other in deeds of work and prayer. Martyrius had the obediences of “kellarios” [cellarer], treasurer, and “ponomar” [or altar server]. was at this time that the Mother of God first showed Her special solicitude for Saint Martyrius. mid-day he dozed off in the bell tower and beheld the Tikhvin (Hodēgḗtria) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a fiery column. monk venerated it, and it was still hot from the fiery column. When he awoke, he still felt this heat on his forehead. the spiritual advice of Saint Martyrius, the grievously ill monk Abramius went to venerate the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and he received healing. Martyrius was filled with intense faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. began to pray that the Heavenly Queen would show him where he might go for the ascetic feat of complete silence, for which his soul yearned. monk secretly withdrew into a desolate place situated 60 versts from Veliki Luki. he himself writes, “in this wilderness I received fearful visitations from demons, but I prayed to God, and the demons were put to shame.” a letter to Elder Bogolep, Saint Martyrius asked his blessing to dwell in the wilderness, the spiritual father advised him to return to the cenobitic life where he would be of use to the brethren. daring to disobey his experienced Elder, and not knowing how to proceed, Saint Martyrius went to Smolensk to venerate the wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of Saints Abramius and Ephraim (August 21). saints appeared to Saint Martyrius in a dream, and they reassured him that he would be permitted to live in the wilderness, “wherever God will bless and the Most Holy Theotokos will guide you.” Martyrius then went to the Tikhvin monastery, hoping that the Mother of God would resolve his dilemma. monk Abramius, who remained at this monastery in gratitude to the Mother of God for his healing, told Saint Martyrius about a secret place, over which he had seen a radiant Cross of stars. time he received the blessing of the Elder. Martyrius took with him two small icons: one of the Life-Creating Trinity, and the other of the Tikhvin Mother of God. then settled in Zelents (the green island), which was a beautiful island in a forested swamp. and painful was the life of the monk in the wilderness, neither cold, nor deprivation, nor wild beasts, nor the wiles of the enemy were able to shake his resolve. built a small chapel for the glorification of, and in gratitude to, the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos. was again deemed worthy to see an icon of the Mother of God in a dream. time it was floating on the sea. To the right of the icon he saw the Archangel Gabriel who told him to venerate the icon. Martyrius went into the water, and the icon began to sink in the sea. The saint then cried out, and a wave carried him to shore. With that, the icon vanished. wilderness was sanctified by the life of the hermit, and many began to arrive, not only to be instructed by the word and example of the monk, but also to settle there with him. increased number of disciples prompted the monk to build a church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, he placed his own icons of the Trinity and of the Tikhvin Mother of God. a sign of the grace of God resting upon the monastery of Saint Martyrius, his disciple Saint Gurias was permitted to see a Cross in the heavens, shining over the cross on top of the church. was the beginning of the Trinity Zelenets monastery, “the green wilderness monastery of Martyrius.” Lord blessed his labors, and the grace of God shone visibly upon him. The fame of his discernment and gift of healing became known to many. Many eminent people of Novgorod began to send gifts to the monastery. funds provided by the pious boyar Theodore Syrkov, a heated church was built and consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the first church at Veliki Luki, from which the saint had begun his path to God. Martyrius continued to receive help from the Mother of God. appeared to him on a bench in the corner where the icons stood. The saint recalled: “I looked upon Her without lowering my eyes... I gazed upon Her holy face, at her eyes filled with tears, ready to trickle down Her all-pure face. awoke from the dream and was afraid. I lit a candle from the lampada, in order to see whether or not the Most Pure Virgin sat at the place where I saw Her in the dream. went up to the icon of the Hodēgḗtria and was convinced that in truth the Mother of God had appeared to me as She is depicted on my icon.” after this (about the year 1570) Saint Martyrius was ordained priest at Novgorod by the archbishop (Alexander or Leonid). was already an igumen in 1582. the Lord granted the Zelenets wilderness monastery an even wealthier benefactor. 1595 at Tver Saint Martyrius resurrected the son of the former Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich, in front of his own icons of the Life-Creating Trinity and the Tikhvin Mother of God. placed both icons upon the chest of the dead child, and he awoke as if from sleep. gratitude Simeon built a church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and of Saint John Chrysostom, the Heavenly patron saint of the ruler’s son John. 1595 Tsar Theodore endowed the monastery with a sufficient quantity of land for its support. reached a great old age and preparing for death, Saint Martyrius dug a grave for himself, and near it he placed a coffin fashioned by his own hands. often came there to weep. Sensing his imminent departure, the monk assembled the brethren and told his children in the Lord to have steadfast hope in the Most Holy Trinity and to trust the Mother of God, as he himself had always trusted in Her. receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he gave the brethren his blessing with the words: “Peace to all the Orthodox.” With spiritual joy he fell asleep in the Lord on March 1, 1603. saint was buried in the grave he dug near the church of the Mother of God. his holy relics rested beneath a crypt in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, beneath the lower temple in honor of Saint John the Theologian. a former monk of the Zelenets monastery, and later Metropolitan of Kazan and Novgorod (+ 1698), compiled a service and wrote the Life of Saint Martyrius, making use of personal notes and the saint’s testament. memory of Saint Martyrius of Zelenets and Veliki Luki is celebrated also on November 11.

Russia, Novgorod, 1652-1658, Metropolitan, Patriarch Nikon of Moscow
Novgorod Metropolitan, 1652-1658, Patriarch Nikon of Moscow ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19;

Russia, Novgorod, 1727-1927, Folder, Novgorod Governorate, Russian Empire

Russia, Novgorod, 1727-1927, Novgorod Governorate, 1727-1927, Russian Empire
Novgorod Governorate ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod,Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod;

Russia, Novgorod, 1786, Theoctistus Relics Translation, tYuriev Monastery, d1310, Glorified 1664, fMiraculous healings aGrave
Russia, Novgorod, 1786, Theoctistus Relics Translation, tYuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) , died 1310, main feast Dec 23, Glorified 1664, because miraculous healings at his grave, Relics transferred tYuriev, Novgorod Cathedral 1786 ; Yuriev Monastery; Repose of Saint Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Saint Theoktistos (Theóktistos) became a bishop, he was the Igoumen of Annunciation Monastery near Novgorod. the repose of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop. Metropolitan Maximus and Bishops Simeon of Rostov and Aofndrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoktistos as Archbishop Novgorod on June 29, 1300. of the Hierarch's concerns was the renovation and building of churches. consecrated cathedrals in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb (July 24), and in honor of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (Seventh Sunday after Pascha). Valaam Monastery was set in good order during this time. of his poor health, the Hierarch retired to Annunciation Monastery in 1307, himself to the ascetical feat (podvig) of silence until his blessed repose on December 23,1310. Theoktistos was glorified in 1664, because of the many miraculous cures which took place before his relics. relics were transferred to Yuriev in 1786, where Archimandrite Photios built a chapel in the local cathedral and dedicated it to Saint Theoktistos. July 10, 2015, as a result of the opening of an XVIII century tomb an archaeological team led by Vladimir Sedov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Doctor of Art History, in the presence of Metropolitan Leo of Novgorod and Staraya Rus, holy relics of Archbishop Theoktistos of Novgorod were discovered. relics were solemnly transferred to the Cathedral of the Savior at Saint George's Monastery, and placed in a reliquary for the faithful to venerate. the same time, the first Moleben was served in honor of the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Theoktistos. Theoktistos is also commemorated on the following dates: January 23 (The recovery of his Holy Relics); and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of the Novgorod Saints). Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; main Feast of Saint Theoctistus is December 23. was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings which took place at his relics. 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Novgorod, 1841, Cyprus Icon, Stromyn, Moscow girl healed by icon voice, many miracles
Cyprus, 392 & 1841, Cyprus Icon, appeared at Lazarus' tomb, copies at Moscow&Stromyn, Triumph of Orthodoxy Week the first sunday of lent, Arab shot arrow, hit her knee, he struck dead, 1841 Stromyn Icon girl healed by voice from icon, then more miracles; Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God. this icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting on a throne with the Divine Infant in Her arms. There is an angel on either side of Her. prototype of this holy icon manifested itself in the year 392 on the island of Cyprus at the tomb of Righteous Lazarus, the friend of Christ (October 17), and is kept there in a monastery. copies of the Cyprus Icon are at the Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral, and in the Nikolo-Golutvin church in the village of Stromyn, Moscow diocese (Commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy). the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Greek Synaxarion has an account of an icon which is probably the Cyprus Icon. the island of Cyprus a certain Arab was passing by a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. order to display his hatred for Christianity, the man shot an arrow at an icon of the Mother of God which hung by the gate. The arrow struck the Virgin’s knee, from which blood began to flow. Overcome with fear, the Arab spurred his horse and rode for home, but was struck dead before he could get there. In this way, he was punished for his impiety. days commemorating the Cyprus Icon are the Day of the Holy Spirit, April 20, and July 9. Some copies of the Cyprus Icon have additional names such as “Cleansing,” “Knife,” and “Hawk.” “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.” sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19).

Russia, Novgorod, Volkhov River Folder

Volkhov River

Volkhov River Source (Novgorod, Lake Ilmen)

Novgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen))
Veliky Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" in Novgorod; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 27 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3 ; ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God , Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23 ; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated January 11; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut Mount , Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTenderness in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Novgorod Theological Seminary
Novgorod Theological Seminary; Saint Theophan the Recluse, Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Hieromartyr Philósophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31;

Volkhov River 1 (Novgorod, St Georges Monastery)

Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, 1117
Antoniev monastery; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Anthony the Roman was born at Rome in 1067 to rich parents who adhered to the Orthodox Faith, and they raised him in piety. After losing his parents at age 17, he took up the study of the Fathers in the Greek language. Afterwards, he distributed part of his inheritance to the poor, and the other portion he put into a wooden barrel and threw it into the sea. Then he was tonsured at one of the wilderness monasteries, where he lived for 20 years. persecution of the Latins against the Orthodox forced the brethren to separate. Saint Anthony wandered from place to place until he came upon a large rock upon the shore of the sea, where he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. On September 5, 1105 a terrible storm tore away the stone on which Saint Anthony stood, and threw it into the sea. By divine Providence, the stone floated to Novgorod. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the stone halted 3 versts from Novgorod on the banks of the River Volkhov near the village of Volkhov. This event is testified to in the Novgorod Chronicles. this place the monk, with the blessing of Saint Nikḗtas the Hermit (May 14), founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In another year, fishermen recovered the barrel containing Saint Anthony’s inheritance, cast into the sea many years before. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. Before a judge, Saint Anthony described the contents of the barrel, and it was returned to him. The saint used the money to buy land for the monastery. Spiritual asceticism was combined at the monastery with intense physical labor. Anthony was concerned that help should be given to the needy, orphans and widows from monastery funds. In 1117, the saint built a stone church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church, built during the lifetime of Saint Anthony in the years 1117-1119 by the renowned Novgorod architect Peter, and adorned with frescoes in the year 1125, has been preserved to the present time. In 1131, Saint Niphon of Novgorod made Saint Anthony igumen of the monastery. He died on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Saint Niphon. Anthony was glorified in 1597. His memory is also celebrated (uncovering of his relics) on the first Friday after the Feast of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), and on January 17, on the same day that Saint Anthony the Great is commemorated. The first Life of Saint Anthony the Roman was written soon after his death by his disciple and successor as igumen, the hieromonk Andrew. A Life, with an account of the uncovering of the relics, was written by a novice of the Antoniev monastery, the monk Niphon, in the year 1598. St. Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Ananias the Iconographer, Commemorated on June 25;

Novgorod governia
Novgorod governia, Novgorod Republic is Novgorod governia before Moscow took control of Novgorod. When Moscow had control (1479) these lands were called Grand Duchy of Moscow ; Grand Duchy of Moscow; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk);

Cathedral of Holy Wisdom, Saint (Hagia) Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod, 1045
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ; St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Saint (Hagia) Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod, 1045
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ; St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Novgorod Cathedral, Saint (Hagia) Sophia C., 1045
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Zverin monastery of the Protection at Novgorod, 1164
Zverin monastery of the Protection at Novgorod; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19

Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Novgorod Fair, Torgovaja Storona
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19

Hansiatic League Trading Colony, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Novgorod Fair, Torgovaja Storona
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Hansa League Trading Colony, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19

Meniugi, Trinity church in Meniugi village, Norwegian Quarter, Novgorod
Trinity church in Meniugi village, Novgorod; Righteous Youths John and Jacob (James) of Meniugi, Commemorated on June 24 ; Righteous Youths James and John of Meniugi were brothers by birth, children of the pious couple Isidore and Barbara. They were killed by miscreants (James at three years of age, and John at five years of age). the years 1682-1689 their relics were found incorrupt and were placed in a reliquary at the Trinity church in Meniugi village, Novgorod diocese, on the site of the former Trinity monastery.

Volkhov Bridge
When he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19;

Sophia Quarter, across Volkhov Bridge from Norwegian Quarter, Sophia Cathedral
When he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19;

Yaroslav's Cathedral - Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod, 1113
Yaroslav's Cathedral - Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8;

Savior-Transfiguration church on Ilyina Street, Novgorod, 1169
Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ;

Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street, Novgorod, 1169
Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ;

Church of the Apostle Philip, Novgorod, 1527
Church of the Apostle Philip, Novgorod, 1527, 58°30'55"N 31°17'37"E; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Nikita, Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30;

St Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Sinch Hill, Novgorod
St Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Sinch Hill, Novgorod; Saint Charitina, Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5;

Yuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) 1030
Yuriev Monastery; Repose of Saint Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ;; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

St George men's monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) 1030
Saint George's Monastery (Novgorod); St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Cathedral of St George, Yuriev Monastery, Novgorod, 1030
Yuriev Monastery; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Saint George's Mens Monastery, Novgorod, Jurievo village, Novgorod district, Novgorod region
Saint George's Mens Monastery, Novgorod, Jurievo village, Novgorod district, Novgorod region; Saint John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7;

Yurievo Tolchische (Yurievo Threshing-Mill, Volkhov River1), Novgorod
Yurievo Tolchische (Yurievo Threshing-Mill), Novgorod; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Volkhov River 2 (Khutyn or Xenophon Monastery)

Russia, Novgorod, Volkhov River 2, Roeika River Folder

Robeika River

Robeika River (Looks like a section of Volkhov River)

Volotovo Church, 1352 (Robeika River 1, Novgorod)
Volotovo Church, 1352; St. Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Robeika River Mouth (not far from Novgorod)

Trinity monastery, Khutyn, Novgorod (Robeika River, Volkhov River 2) 1192
Xenophon monastery: The Khutyn Monastery was founded by Xenophon of Robika; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Xenophon monastery, Khutyn, Novgorod (Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2) 1192
Xenophon monastery: The Khutyn Monastery was founded by Xenophon of Robika; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Khutyn Monastery, Novgorod, (Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2) 1192, wonderworker Barlaam
Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Barlaam, Abbot of Khutyn lived in the twelfth century, the son of an illustrious citizen of Novgorod, where he spent his childhood years. Withdrawing at an early age to the Lisich monastery near the city, Saint Barlaam was tonsured there. Later he settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod. Barlaam led a strict solitary life, occupying himself with unceasing prayer and keeping a very strict fast. He was a zealous ascetic in his labors: he cut timber in the forest, chopped firewood and tilled the soil, fulfilling the words of Holy Scripture, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10). inhabitants of Novgorod gathered around him, wanting to share in monastic works and deeds. Instructing those who came, Saint Barlaam said, “My children, beware of all unrighteousness, and do not give in to envy or slander. Refrain from anger, and do not practice usury. Beware of unjust judgment. Do not swear an oath falsely, but rather fulfill it. Do not indulge the bodily appetites. Always be meek and bear all things with love. This virtue is the beginning and root of all good.” a church was built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and a monastery founded. Because of his service to others, the Lord granted Saint Barlaam the gifts of wonderworking and discernment. Saint Barlaam’s life was drawing to a close, the hieromonk Anthony came from Constantinople by divine Providence. He was of the same age and a friend of Saint Barlaam. The saint turned to him and said, “My beloved brother! God’s blessings rest upon this monastery. Now I leave this monastery in your hands. Watch over it and care for it. Although in the flesh I am leaving you, I shall always be with you in spirit.” After instructing the brethren, commanding them to preserve the Orthodox Faith and to dwell constantly in humility, Saint Barlaam fell asleep in the Lord on November 6, 1192. Slavonic practice, Saint Barlaam is commemorated during the Proskomedia along with the venerable and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in asceticism (sixth particle). Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), the saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. Here he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, and returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Saint Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. In the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, and from that time they were glorified by many miracles. Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Volkhov River 3

Oskuya River Mouth (Volkhov River 3)

Volkhov River 4

Tigoda River Mouth (Volkhov River 4)

Volkhov, Novgorod (Volkhov River 5)
Volkhov; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, commemorated August 3;

Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District Novgorod, 1582
Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1;

Volkhov River Mouth (St Petersburg, Lake Ladoga)

Russia, Novgorod, Vishera River Folder

Vishera River Novgorod

Vishera River Novgorod Source (Malaya Vishera)

St Macarius the Roman's Monastery, pillar of fire, fragrant cloud of smoke, locals found him
St Macarius the Roman's Monastery; holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. Sometimes a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. During the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. Drawn by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. He wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. The Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. Although pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. About this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. In 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. The monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Saint Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. His parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. He might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. While others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Saint Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. With tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. One of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Saint Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. Macarius, however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Saint Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Saint Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. Sometimes a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. During the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. Drawn by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. He wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. The Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. Although pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. About this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. In 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. The monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Vishera River 1

Vishera River Mouth (Novgorod)
Vishera River a right tributary of the Maly Volkhovets River, an eastern armlet of the Volkhov River. Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod;

Sava-Vishera Monastery (7 Versts from Novgorod, Vishera River) 1418
Sava-Vishera Monastery (7 Versts from Novgorod, Vishera River); Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1;

monastery of Saint Savva of Vishersk
monastery of Saint Savva of Vishersk; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Perekop, Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1;

Russia, Novgorod, Verenda River Folder

Verenda River

Verenda River Mouth (Perekop, Lake Ilmen)

Vyazhishchsky Monastery, Novgorod, 1391
Vyazhishchsky Monastery; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11;

Klops Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400
Klops Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11;

Perekop Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400
Perekop Monastery (Island at mouth of Verenda River); Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11;

St. Michael Klopsky Monastery of the Holy Trinity, 23k Southwest of Novgorod, 1400
St. Michael Klopsky Monastery of the Holy Trinity, 23k Southwest of Novgorod; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11;

Russia, Novgorod, Shelon River Folder

Shelon River

Shelon River Source (Swamps east of Pskov Region)

Shelon River 1 (Porkhov)

Shelon River 2

Shelon River Mouth (Novgorod, Lake llmen)

Volotovsky District, Novgorod (Between Shelon and Polista Rivers)
River Perekhoda is in the Volotovsky District; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod;

Russia, Novgorod, Shelon River 1, Omucha River Folder

River Omucha

River Omucha Source

River Omucha Mouth (Shelon River 1)
River Omucha, not far from the city of Porkhov. Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov;

Porkhov, Novgorod (Omucha River, Shelon River 1)
Porkhov (Shelon River 1) ; Venerable Nicander; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21 ;

Omucha, Novgorod (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1) 1396
Omucha, Pskov (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1); Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21;

Russia, Novgorod, Lovat River Folder

Lovat River

Lovat River Source (Lake Lovat)
Lake Lovat in Northwest Corner of Belarus.

Lovat River 1 (Luki)

Luki

Veliki Luki, Novgorod (Great Meadow, Lovat River 1, Volga Trade Rte 7)
Veliki Luki (Great Meadows) Monastery; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated November 11 ; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1;

Lovat River 2

Lovat River 3 (Kholm)

Kholm, Novgorod ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3)
Kholm ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3); Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Russia, Novgorod, Lovat River 3, Kunya River Folder

Kunya River

Kunya River Source (Lake (Kunya) Vsteselovo)

Kunya River 1 (Volga Trade Route 7)

Kunya River 2

Kunya River 3

Kunya River Mouth (Kholm, Lovat River 3)

Lovat River 4 (Polista River)

Russia, Novgorod, Lovat River 4, Polista River Folder

Polista River

Polista River Source (Lake Polista)

Polista River 1

Polista River 2

Polista River 3 (Stara Rus and Leokhnov)

Leokhnov, Novgorod (near Stara Rus, Polista River 3)
Leokhnov, Novgorod (near Stara Rus) ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17 ;

Hermitage of Saint Macarius, Leokhnov, Novgorod (near Stara Rus, Polista River 3)
Probable location of Hermitage of Saint Macarius, Leokhnov, Novgorod (near Stara Rus, Polista River 3), 45 miles upstream from Novgorod. Leokhnov, Novgorod (near Stara Rus) ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17 ;

Staro Rus (near Novgorod, Polista River 3)
Staro Rus; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Klinkovo, Novgorod, N 57° 55′ 13″, E 30° 51′ 6″; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Perekop, Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26;

Staraya Russa, Novgorod (Polist River Mouth, Lovat River 4)
Staraya Russa; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated July 29 ; Venerable Cosmas the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœStaro RusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Kosinsk, Pskov and Novgorod near Stara Rus, monastery on penninsula between two rivers
Kosinsk, Pskov, 3 Versts between the two rivers from Stara Rus Venerable Constantine and Cosmas, Abbots of Kosinsk, Commemorated on July 29; Constantine and Cosmas were monastic followers of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) and his successor, Saint Anthony of Dymsk (January 17). About the year 1220, they left the Khutyn monastery and settled upon a wilderness peninsula, situated 3 versts from the city of Staraya Rus, between the Rivers Polista and Smezhnya. In time they founded a monastery there in the name of Saint Nicholas, headed by Saint Constantine until his death (ca. 1240). Cosmas continued with the exploits of his mentor. He was buried in the same grave with Saint Constantine. Their bodies rest beneath the vestibule of the Nikolaev church, built in 1820 over the tomb of the saints.

Polista River Mouth (Novgorod, Lovat River 4)

Lovat River Mouth (Novgorod, Lake llmen)

Lake Ilmen
Lake Ilmen Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod;

Russia, Novgorod, Msta River Folder

Msta River

Msta River Source (Tver, Valdai Hills)

Msta River 1

Msta River 2 (Msta)

Starorussky District, Novgorod (Msta River)
Starorussky District; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24;

Msta River 3 (Borov)

Borov
Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk;

Borovichi (Borov, Novgorod, Valdai Hills, Msta River 3)
Borovichi Valdai Hills; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated October 23 ;

Msta River Mouth (Novgorod, Lake Ilmen)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine Folder, Western and Soutwestern Russia

Kiev, its Area

Russia, Kiev Caves, its Area

Kiev, Russia - land of the Varangians
land of the Varangians - Kiev; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia, Kiev, 860, Rus-“Byzantine War
Rus-“Byzantine War (860), Russians seize Constantinople ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Russia, Kiev, 862, Invitation of the Varangians
Russia, Kiev, 862, Invitation of the Varangians; Invitation of the Varangians, and Foundation of the Kievian State; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Russia, Kiev, 862, Rurik dynasty, from Chernigov, Kievan Rus
Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Chernigov; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23;

Russia, Kiev, 882-1240, Land of the Rus (Kievian Rus)
Land of the Rus (Kievian Rus); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10;

Russia, Kiev, 800, 9th-11th Century, Kiev Varangians (Land of the Varangians)
Kiev Varangians; Theodore; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Russia, Kiev, 907, Russian incursion into Greece, Oleg the Wise
Russian incursion into Greece in 907 (Rus-“Byzantine War (907)); The very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, œThis is not Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God.Â Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. Russian Primary Chronicle; Timeline of Russian history; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Oleg of Kiev and Novgorod (Little Russia); Little Russia (Ukraine);

Russia, Kiev, 988, Baptism of Rus, August 1st, 988
Baptism of Rus, Kiev, August 1st, 988; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1113, Monomakhovchi, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus, a Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kiev' Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Kiev, 1113, Olgoviches, House of Oleg of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus, w Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113, Olgoviches of Rurik dynasty, Kievan Rus; Russia, Kiev, 1113, House of Monomakh of Rurik dynasty, Kiev' Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine (Dnieper River Tributaries and Southern Bug River)
Ukraine; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed Heaven, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-Kissing, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Russia, Ukraine, Land of the Drevlyans (Right Bank Ukraine, Right bank Dnieper)
Drevlyans; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Drevlians, people of the forests, Mal of the Drevlians, 6th - 10th Century
Drevlians, people of the forests, Mal of the Drevlians, 6th - 10th Century; Polyanians, people of the fields, Kiev Rus, 6th - 10th Century; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev (Ukraine) History Folder

Russia, Kiev, 000, 1st Century, Ukraine Folder, Saint Andrew the Apostle

Russia,Kiev, 30-70, Andrew first called, to Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Rome, Sinope
Russia,Kiev, 30-70, Andrew t Apostle, first called, Peter's bro, J t Forerunner's closest disciple w J t Theologian, f Bethsaida, fisherman, sent to Jesus, to Asia M, Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Byzantium, Rome, Sinope, Patra, miracles w preaching, crucified ; Kiev, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. did not enter into marriage, he worked with his brother as a fisherman. the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian. the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Russian Church. his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. pagans remained at Patra, but among them was the prefect of the city, Aegeatos. The Apostle Andrew repeatedly turned to him with the words of the Gospel. But even the miracles of the Apostle did not convince Aegeatos. holy Apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, striving to reveal to him the Christian mystery of life eternal, through the wonderworking power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. angry Aegeatos gave orders to crucify the apostle. The pagan thought he might undo Saint Andrew’s preaching if he were to put him to death on the cross. Andrew the First-Called accepted the decision of the prefect with joy and with prayer to the Lord, went willingly to the place of execution. order to prolong the suffering of the saint, Aegeatos gave orders not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. For two days the apostle taught the citizens who gathered about. people, in listening to him, with all their souls pitied him and tried to take Saint Andrew down from the cross. a riot of the people, Aegeatos gave orders to stop the execution. the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would grant him death on the cross. as the soldiers tried to take hold of the Apostle Andrew, they lost control of their hands. crucified apostle, having given glory to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” a blazing ray of divine light illumined the cross and the martyr crucified upon it. When the light faded, the holy Apostle Andrew had already given up his holy soul to the Lord. the wife of the prefect, had the body of the saint taken down from the cross, and buried him with honor. few centuries later, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles beside the relics of the holy Evangelist Luke and Saint Paul’s disciple Saint Timothy.

Russia, Kiev, 700, 8th Century, Ukraine Folder, Prince Bravlin conquers Crimea, becomes Christian

Russia, Kiev, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15;

Russia, Kiev, 800, 9th - 11th Century, Ukraine Folder, Varangian Newcomers

Russia, Kiev, 800-899, 9th Century Folder, Rus Byzantine War, Kiev Varangians, Cyril and Methodius

Russia, Kiev, 800, 9th C, Drevlians, people of the forests, Mal of the Drevlians, 6th - 10th Century
Drevlians, people of the forests, Mal of the Drevlians, 6th - 10th Century; Polyanians, people of the fields, Kiev Rus, 6th - 10th Century; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO SLAVS, f Thessalonica, Greece, Clement's relics, Cirilic a, Slavic litergy
Greece, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS, from Thessalonica, Greece, Constantine to Arabs, then philosophy prof, librarian, Methodius a slav governor, both then to Khazars Dnieper-Volga, discovered Clements relics, 863 G Moravia prince Rotislav asked for Slav missionaries, litergy in Slavonic, invented S alphabet, Cyrillic a, for Russian, Ukranian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, German missionaries of HRE, to Pope w Clements relics, new Caroligian Latin bishop forced M to exile in Bulgaria; Thessalonica; Repose of Saint Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs Commemorated on February 14; Cyril Equal of the Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs (Constantine in the schema), and his older brother Methodius (April 6), were Slavs, born in Macedonia in the city of Thessalonica. Cyril received the finest of educations, and from the age of fourteen he was raised with the son of the emperor. Later, he was ordained as a priest. Upon his return to Constantinople, he worked as a librarian of the cathedral church, and as a professor of philosophy. Saint Cyril successfully held debates with iconoclast heretics and with Moslems. for solitude, he went to Mount Olympos to his older brother Methodius, but his solitude lasted only a short while. Both brothers were sent by the emperor Michael on a missionary journey to preach Christianity to the Khazars in the year 857. Along the way they stopped at Cherson and discovered the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (November 25). at the territory of the Khazars, the holy brothers spoke with them about the Christian Faith. Persuaded by the preaching of Saint Cyril, the Khazar prince together with all his people accepted Christianity. The grateful prince wanted to reward the preachers with rich presents, but they refused this and instead asked the prince to free and send home with them all the Greek captives. Saint Cyril returned to Constantinople together with 200 such captives set free. the year 862 began the chief exploit of the holy brothers. At the request of Prince Rostislav, the emperor sent them to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavic language. Saints Cyril and Methodius by a revelation from God compiled a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel, Epistles, the Psalter and many Service books into the Slavonic language. They introduced divine services in Slavonic. holy brothers were then summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Roman Pope. Pope Adrian received them with great honor, since they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement. Sickly by nature and in poor health, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from his many labors, and after taking the schema, he died in the year 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death, he expressed his wish for his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. Saint Cyril was buried in the Roman church of Saint Clement, whose own relics also rest there, brought to Italy from Cherson by the Enlighteners of the Slavs. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; (originally Constantine) and Methodius were brothers, from a noble family in Thessalonika, a district in northeastern Greece. was the younger, born in about 827, and his brother Methodius in about 825. They both entered the priesthood. undertook a mission to the Arabs, and then became a professor of philosophy at the imperial school in Constantinople and librarian at the cathedral of Santa Sophia. became governor of a district that had been settled by Slavs. brothers then retired to monastic life. about 861, the Emperor Michel III sent them to work with the Khazars northeast of the Black Sea in the Dnieper-Volga region of what was later Russia. They learned the Khazar language and made many converts, and discovered what were believed to be relics of Clement, an early Bishop of Rome. about 863, Prince Rotislav, the ruler of Great Moravia (an area including much of what was later Czechoslovakia), asked the emperor for missionaries, specifying that he wanted someone who would teach his people in their own language (he had western missionaries, but they used only Latin). emperor and the Patriarch Photius sent Methodius and his brother Constantine, who translated the Liturgy and much of the Scriptures into Slavonic. Slavonic had no written form, they invented an alphabet for it, the Glagolitic alphabet, which gave rise to the Cyrillic alphabet (named for Constantine aka Cyril), which is used to write Russian and (with modifications) several related languages today. used the Greek alphabet as their basis, writing a letter in two forms when two similar sounds in Slavonic each needed a letter (hence, in modern Russian, we have "plain a" written "A" and "fancy a" written like a backward "R" representing the sounds of hard and soft (or unpalatalized and palatalized) a, represented approximately in English by "ah" and "yah"). no Greek letter was close, then they borrowed from Hebrew (the letter TZADDI for the sound "ts" as in "tsar", and the letter SHIN for the sound "sh", and a variant on it for the sound "shch" as in "Khrushchev", and so on). resulting alphabet had 43 letters. It has since undergone development, chiefly simplification and the omission of letters. Thus, the modern Russian alphabet has only 32 letters. Cyrillic alphabet with minor variations is used today for Russian, Ukrainian, and other languages of the former USSR, and also for Bulgarian and Serbian and formerly for Rumanian. and Croats both speak Serbo-Croatian, but the Serbs, who are traditionally East Orthodox, write it with the Cyrillic alphabet, while the Croats, who are traditionally Roman Catholic, write it with the Latin alphabet. the first World War, there were many muslims (regarded as Turks) living in Greece, and many Christians (regarded as Greeks) living in western Turkey. Each group spoke the language of the country in which it lived, but the Greek-speaking Turks in Greece wrote Greek using the Arabic script that was then standard for writing Turkish, and the Turkish-speaking Greeks in Turkey wrote Turkish in the Greek alphabet. For some reason, the alphabet matters to rival religious groups.) Thus the brothers were the first to produce written material in the Slavic languages, and are regarded as the founders of Slavic literature. brothers encountered missionaries from Germany, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Holy Roman Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as their rightful mission field. When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, went south toward Venice, and then from Venice to Rome to see the Pope, hoping to reach an agreement that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. brought with them the above-mentioned relics of Clement, third bishop of Rome after the Apostles (see 23 November). arrived in Rome in 868 and were received with honor. Constantine entered a monastery there, taking the name Cyril, by which he is now remembered. However, he died only a few weeks thereafter. He is buried in Rome in the Church of San Clemente. Pope (Adrian II) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorization to use the Slavonic Liturgy. however, Prince Rotislav, who had originally invited the brothers to Moravia, died, and his successor did not support Methodius. 870 the Frankish king Louis and his bishops deposed Methodius at a synod at Ratisbon, and imprisoned him for a little over two years. The pope (John VIII) secured his release, but told him not to use the Slavonic Liturgy any more. In 878 he was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by his arguments and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. died 6 April 885 in Velehrad, the old capitol of Moravia. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Wiching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. found refuge with King Boris of Bulgaria (852-889), under whom they reorganized a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. Cyril and Methodius are honored by Eastern and Western Christians alike, and the importance of their work in preaching and worshipping in the language of the people is recognized on all sides. by James Kiefer

Russia, Kiev, 845 &1000-1499, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium, copy tRussia, scroll, petitions fUs, garments so Fire Bearing Icon
Constantinople, 845, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium (downtown Constantinople), painted in 845, widespread copies 12-15th centuries, 1100-1499, one to Russia, scroll in hand, her petitions to Jesus for us, garments visible fire, so icon called fire bearing; Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Icon of the Mother of God “Areovindus”, Commemorated on February 10; is little information about the history of this Icon, and the story of its appearance is shrouded in mystery. only know that the now lost original was painted around 845. However, there is reason to believe its iconographic type was the same as the Hagiosoritissa Icon.1 Copies of the ancient Icon were widespread in Byzantium during the 12th to the 15th centuries; apparently one of these came from that area to Russia. original version of the Icon represented the Virgin without the Child, but she held a scroll in her hands. this scroll were the All Holy Virgin’s petitions concerning us, which are addressed to her Son. gives us hope that the “Fire-appearing” Icon of the Mother of God, like her other icons, will help and protect us from all misfortune and adversity. Therefore, we pray before the Icon for everything that exceeds the limits of our strength and requires God’s help. face of the Theotokos is turned toward her right side, and her garments are bright red red in color. This is why the Icon is called “Fire-appearing,” or “Visible in Fire.” The name Hagiosoritissa, “of the holy soros” (chest), is derived from the chapel of the holy soros, which was built next to the Blachernae church by Emperor Leo I to house the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Palestine in 473 (see July 2). The Panagia Hagiosoritissa Icon is associated with this shrine. This icon type shows the Mother of God with both hands raised in supplication, as depicted in the Deisis row of the iconostasis.

Russia, Kiev, 860, Rus-“Byzantine War, Prince Askold
Rus-“Byzantine War (860), Russians seize Constantinople ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Russia, Kiev, 9th-11th Century, Kiev Varangians (Land of the Varangians)
Kiev Varangians; Theodore; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Russia, Kiev, 860-879, Askold, Kiev Rus King, Pagan Novgorodian Rurik Varangian, captured Kiev on way to atttack Constantinople
Russia, Kiev, 860-879, Kiev Rus King, Askold Kiev Rus King, 870's, Princes Askold and Dir; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at, Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Kiev, 862, Invitation of the Varangians, Pagan Novgorodian Rurik Dynasty, w Askold and Dir, captured Kiev
Russia, Kiev, 862, Invitation of the Varangians; Invitation of the Varangians, and Foundation of the Kievian State; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Russia, Kiev, 862-867, Cyril and Methodius in Russia, Kiev Rus Saints
Kiev Rus Saints, 862-867, Saints Cyril and Methodius in Russia; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6;

Russia, Kiev, 870-882, Askold and Dir, Kiev Rus Kings, earliest Norse rulers of Kiev, baptized, martyred by Oleg
Kiev Rus King, 870's, Princes Askold and Dir; and Dir (died in 882), mentioned in both the Primary Chronicle[1] and the Nikon Chronicle,[2] were the earliest known Norse rulers of Kiev.[3] Map of Kievan principality in the 9th century Chronicle[edit] Primary Chronicle relates that Askold and Dir were sanctioned by Rurik to go to Constantinople. travelling on the Dnieper, they settled in Kiev seizing power over the Polans who had been paying tribute to the Khazars. chronicle also states that they were killed by Oleg the Seer in 882.[1] to the Primary Chronicle he tricked and killed Askold and Dir using an elaborate scheme.[4] Tatishchev, Boris Rybakov and some other Russian and Ukrainian historians interpreted the 882 coup d'état in Kiev as the reaction of the pagan Varangians to Askold's baptism. went so far as to style Askold "the first Russian martyr".[citation needed] Askold; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at, Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Kiev, 879-912, Oleg of Novgorod, K Rus King, the Wise, tricked and killed Askold and Dir
Russia, Kiev, 879-912, Kiev Rus King, Oleg of Novgorod; He then came to the hills of Kyiv, and saw how Askold and Dir reigned there. He hid his warriors in the boats, left some others behind, and went forward himself bearing the child Igor'. He thus came to the foot of the Hungarian hill, and after concealing his troops, he sent messengers to Askold and Dir, representing himself as a stranger on his way to Greece on an errand for Oleg and for Igor', the prince's son, and requesting that they should come forth to greet them as members of their race. Askold and Dir straightway came forth. Then all the soldiery jumped out of the boats, and Oleg said to Askold and Dir, "You are not princes nor even of princely stock, but I am of princely birth." Igor' was then brought forward, and Oleg announced that he was the son of Rurik. They killed Askold and Dir, and after carrying them to the hill, they buried them there, on the hill now known as Hungarian, where the castle of Ol'ma now stands.[ Kiev Rus King, 870's, Princes Askold and Dir; Askold; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Kiev, 882-1240, Ancient Rus or Russia (Kievan Russia)
Ancient Rus or Russia (Kievan or Ukrainian Russia); Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated on September 19 ; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24;

Russia, Kiev, 900-999, 10th Century Folder, Treaty of Igor, Vladimir, Baptism of the Rus

Russia, Kiev, 907, Russian incursion into Greece, Oleg the Wise
Russian incursion into Greece in 907 (Rus-“Byzantine War (907)); The very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, œThis is not Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God. Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. Russian Primary Chronicle; Timeline of Russian history; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Oleg of Kiev and Novgorod (Little Russia); Little Russia (Ukraine);

Russia, Kiev, 914-945, Igor, K Rus King, Oleg's son, besieged Constntnpl twice, plundered Arabs in Caspian
Kiev Rus King, 914-945, Igor of Kiev; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev, 940s-970s, Sveneld, and his son Mstisha, Kiev Rus Warlord, Pagan, Drevlyani lands
Russia, Kiev, 940s-970s, Kiev Rus Warlord, Sveneld; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; peace treaty had to be sworn to by both the religious communities of Kiev: “Baptized Rusâ€, i.e. the Christian, took place in the cathedral church of the holy Prophet of God Elias (July 20); “Unbaptized Rusâ€, i.e. the pagans, in turn swore their oath on their weapons in the sanctuary of Perun the Thunderer. The fact, that Christians are included in the document in the first place, indicates their significant spiritual influence in the life of Kievan Rus. at the moment when the treaty of 944 was being drawn up at Constantinople, there were people in power in Kiev sympathetic to Christianity, who recognized the historical inevitability of involving Rus into the life-creating Christian culture. To this trend possibly belonged even prince Igor himself, whose official position did not permit him personally to go over to the new faith, nor at that time of deciding the issue concerning the Baptism of the whole country with the consequent dispersal throughout it of Orthodox Church hierarchs. The treaty therefore was drawn up in the circumspect manner of expression, which would not hinder the prince to ratify it in either the form of a pagan oath, or in the form of a Christian oath. when the Byzantine emissaries arrived in Kiev, conditions along the River Dneipr had essentially changed. A pagan opposition had clearly emerged, at the head of which stood the Varangian voevoda (military-leader) Svenel’d (or Sveinald) and his son Mstislav (Mtsisha) to whom Igor had given holdings in the Drevlyani lands. also at Kiev was the influence of the Khazar Jews, who could not but be displeased with the thought of the triumph of Orthodoxy in the Russian Land. to overcome the customary inertia, Igor remained a pagan and he concluded the treaty in the pagan manner, swearing an oath on his sword. He refused the grace of Baptism and was punished for his unbelief. A year later, in 945, rebellious pagans murdered him in the Drevlyanian land, cut down betwixt two trees. But the days of paganism and the lifestyle of the Slavic tribes basic to it were already numbered. The burden of government fell upon the widow of Igor -- the Kiev Great-princess Olga, and her three-year-old son Svyatoslav.

Russia, Kiev, 944, Russia, Treaty of Igor, with Byzantine Empire
Treaty of Igor (of Kiev) with the Greeks in the year 944; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Kiev, 945-963, Olga, King w son Svyatoslav 945, Christian 955, centralized admin trade centers
Kiev Rus King, 945-963, Olga of Kiev ; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Olga, Equal of the Apostles, was the wife of the Kievan Great Prince Igor. The struggle of Christianity with paganism under Igor and Olga, who reigned after Oleg (+ 912), entered into a new phase. The Church of Christ in the years following the reign of Igor (+ 945) became a remarkable spiritual and political force in the Russian realm. The preserved text of a treaty of Igor with the Greeks in the year 944 gives indication of this: it was included by the chronicler in the “Tale of Bygone Years,â€ under the entry recording the events of the year 6453 (945). peace treaty had to be sworn to by both the religious communities of Kiev: “Baptized Rusâ€, i.e. the Christian, took place in the cathedral church of the holy Prophet of God Elias (July 20); “Unbaptized Rusâ€, i.e. the pagans, in turn swore their oath on their weapons in the sanctuary of Perun the Thunderer. The fact, that Christians are included in the document in the first place, indicates their significant spiritual influence in the life of Kievan Rus. at the moment when the treaty of 944 was being drawn up at Constantinople, there were people in power in Kiev sympathetic to Christianity, who recognized the historical inevitability of involving Rus into the life-creating Christian culture. To this trend possibly belonged even prince Igor himself, whose official position did not permit him personally to go over to the new faith, nor at that time of deciding the issue concerning the Baptism of the whole country with the consequent dispersal throughout it of Orthodox Church hierarchs. The treaty therefore was drawn up in the circumspect manner of expression, which would not hinder the prince to ratify it in either the form of a pagan oath, or in the form of a Christian oath. when the Byzantine emissaries arrived in Kiev, conditions along the River Dneipr had essentially changed. A pagan opposition had clearly emerged, at the head of which stood the Varangian voevoda (military-leader) Svenel’d (or Sveinald) and his son Mstislav (Mtsisha) to whom Igor had given holdings in the Drevlyani lands. also at Kiev was the influence of the Khazar Jews, who could not but be displeased with the thought of the triumph of Orthodoxy in the Russian Land. to overcome the customary inertia, Igor remained a pagan and he concluded the treaty in the pagan manner, swearing an oath on his sword. He refused the grace of Baptism and was punished for his unbelief. A year later, in 945, rebellious pagans murdered him in the Drevlyanian land, cut down betwixt two trees. But the days of paganism and the lifestyle of the Slavic tribes basic to it were already numbered. The burden of government fell upon the widow of Igor -- the Kiev Great-princess Olga, and her three-year-old son Svyatoslav. name of the future enlightener of the Russian Land and of her native region is first to be met with in the “Tale of Bygone Years,â€ in the phrase where it speaks about the marriage of Igor: “and they brought him a wife from Pskov, by the name of Olga.â€ She belonged, so specifies the Joakimov Chronicle, to the lineage of the Izborsk princes, -- one of the obscure ancient-Russian princely dynasties, of which in Rus during the 10th-11th Centuries there numbered no less than twenty, but who were all displaced by the Rurikovichi or merged otherwise with them through marriage. Some of them were of local Slavic descent, others -- Varangian new-comers. It is known, that the Scandinavian Viking “koenigsâ€ (kinglets) called to become princes in the Russian cities -- invariably assimilated to the Russian language, and often, they soon became genuinely Russian with Russian names and lifestyle, world-outlook and even physical appearance of attire. Igor’s wife also had the Varangian name “Helga,â€ which in Russian is pronounced Olga. The feminine name Olga corresponds to the masculine name “Olegâ€ (Helgi), which means “holyâ€ [from Germanic “heiligâ€ for “holyâ€]. Although the pagan understanding of holiness was quite different from the Christian, it also presupposed within a man a particular frame of reference, of chastity and sobriety of mind, and of insight. The fact that people called Oleg the Wise-Seer (“Veschiâ€) and Olga the Wise (“Mudraâ€) shows the spiritual significance of names. later traditions regard her a native of a village named Vybuta, several kilometers from Pskov up along the River Velika. They still not so long ago used to point out at the river the Olga Bridge, the ancient fording place, where Olga was met by Igor. The Pskov geographic features have preserved several names connected with this great descendent of Pskov: the village of Ol’zhinets and Ol’gino Pole (Olga Field); the Olga Gateway, one of the branches of the River Velika; Olga Hill and the Olga Cross near Lake Pskov; and the Olga Stone at the village of Vybuta. beginning of the independent rule of Princess Olga is connected in the chronicles with the narrative about her terrible revenge on the Drevlyani, who murdered Igor. Having sworn their oaths on their swords and believing “only in their swordsâ€, the pagans were doomed by the judgment of God to also perish by the sword (Mt. 26: 52). Worshipping fire among the other primal elements, they found their own doom in the fire. And the Lord chose Olga to fulfill the fiery chastisement. struggle for the unity of Rus, for the subordination to the Kievan center of mutually divisive and hostile tribes and principalities paved the way towards the ultimate victory of Christianity in the Russian Land. For Olga, though still a pagan, the Kiev Christian Church and its Heavenly patron saint the holy Prophet of God Elias [in icons depicted upon a fiery chariot] stood as a flaming faith and prayer of a fire come down from the heavens, and her victory over the Drevlyani—despite the severe harshness of her victory, was a victory of Christian constructive powers in the Russian realm over the powers of a paganism, dark and destructive. God-wise Olga entered into history as a great builder of the civil life and culture of Kievan Rus. The chronicles are filled with accounts of her incessant “goingsâ€ throughout the Russian land with the aim of the well-being and improvement of the civil and domestic manner of life of her subjects. Having consolidated the inner strengthening of the might of the Kiev great-princely throne, thereby weakening the influence of the hodge-podge of petty local princes in Rus, Olga centralized the whole of state rule with the help of the system of “pogostiâ€ (administrative trade centers). In the year 946 she went with her son and retinue through the Drevlyani land, “imposing tribute and taxesâ€, noting the villages, inns and hunting places, liable for inclusion in the Kiev great-princely holdings. The next year she went to Novgorod, establishing administrative centers along the Rivers Msta and Luga, everywhere leaving visible traces of her activity. “Her lovischa (hunting preserves) were throughout all the land, the boundary signs, her places and administrative centers, wrote the chronicler, and her sleighs stand at Pskov to this very day, as are her directed places for snaring of birds along the Dneipr and the Desna Rivers; and her village of Ol’zhicha stands to the present day.â€ “pogostiâ€ established by Olga, as financial-administrative and law-court centers, represented sturdy props of great-princely power in these places. first of all, and in the actual sense of the word, centers of trade and exchange (the merchant as “guestâ€) gathered together and became organized around the settlements (and in place of the “humanly arbitraryâ€ gathering of tribute and taxes, there now existed uniformity and order with the “pogostiâ€ system). Olga’s “pogostiâ€ became an important network of the ethnic and cultural unification of the Russian nation. on, when Olga had become a Christian, they began to erect the first churches at the “pogostiâ€; from the time of the Baptism of Rus the “pogostâ€ and church (parish) became inseparably associated. (It was only afterwards with the existence of cemeteries alongside churches that there developed the current meaning of the Russian word “pogostâ€ to nowadays signify “parish graveyardâ€.) Olga exerted much effort to fortify the defensive might of the land. The cities were built up and strengthened, Vyshgorod (or Detintsa, Kroma) they enclosed with stone and oak walls (battlements), and they bristled them with ramparts and pallisades. Knowing how hostile many were to the idea of strengthening the princely power and the unification of Rus, the princess herself lived constantly “on the hillâ€ over the Dneipr, behind the trusty battlements of Kievan Vyshgorod (“Verkhna-gorodâ€ or “Upper-cityâ€), surrounded by her faithful retainers. Two thirds of the gathered tribute, as the chroniclers testify, she gave over for the use of the Kiev “vecheâ€ (city-council), and the remaining one third went “to Olga, for Vyshgorodâ€ -- for the needs of building fortifications. And to the time period of Olga, historians note the establishment of the first state frontiers of Russia -- to the west, with Poland. Heroic outposts to the south guarded the peaceful fields of the Kievans from the peoples of the Wild Plains. Foreigners hastened to Gardarika (“the land of citiesâ€), as they called Rus, with merchandise and craftwares. Swedes, Danes, Germans all eagerly entered as mercenaries into the Russian army. The foreign connections of Kiev spread. This furthered the development of construction with stone in the city, the beginnings of which was initiated under Olga. The first stone edifices of Kiev -- the city palace and Olga’s upper enclosure -- were discovered by archaeologists only but in this century. (The palace, or more properly its foundations and remains of the walls were found in excavations during the years 1971-1972). it was not only the strengthening of the civil realm and the improvement of domestic norms of the manner of life for people that attracted the attention of the wise princess. Even more urgent for her was the fundamental transformation of the religious life of Rus, the spiritual transfiguration of the Russian nation. Rus had become a great power. Only two European realms could compare with it during these years in significance and might: in Eastern Europe -- the ancient Byzantine empire, and in the West the kingdom of Saxony. experience of both empires, connected with the exaltation in spirit of Christian teaching, with the religious basis of life, showed clearly, that the way to the future greatness of Rus lay not through military means, but first of all and primarily through spiritual conquering and attainment. Having entrusted Kiev to her teenage son Svyatoslav, and seeking grace and truth, Great-princess Olga in the Summer of 954 set off with a great fleet to Constantinople. This was a peaceful “expeditionâ€, combining the tasks of religious pilgrimage and diplomatic mission, but the political considerations demanded that it become simultaneously a display of the military might of Rus on the Black Sea, which would remind the haughty “Romaioiâ€ [Byzantine Greeks] of the victorious campaigns of Askold and Oleg, who in the year 907 advanced in their shields “to the very gates of Constantinople.â€ result was attained. The appearance of the Russian fleet in the Bosphorus created the necessary effect for the developing of Russo-Byzantine dialogue. In turn, the southern capital struck the stern daughter of the north with its variety of beauty and grandeur of architecture, and its jumbled mixture of pagans and peoples from all over the world. But a great impression was produced by the wealth of Christian churches and the holy things preserved in them. Constantinople, “the city of the imperial Caesar,â€ the Byzantine Empire, strove in everything to be worthy of the Mother of God, to Whom the city was dedicated by Saint Constantine the Great (May 21) in 330 (see May 11). The Russian princess attended services in the finest churches of Constantinople: at Hagia Sophia, at Blachernae, and others. her heart the wise Olga found the desire for holy Orthodoxy, and she made the decision to become a Christian. The sacrament of Baptism was made over her by the Constantinople Patriarch Theophylactus (933-956), and her godfather was the emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (912-959). At Baptism she was given the name Helen in honor of the holy Equal of the Apostles Helen (May 21), the mother of Saint Constantine, and she also had been the discoverer of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. In an edifying word spoken at the conclusion of the rite, the Patriarch said: “Blessed are you among Russian women, for you have forsaken the darkness and have loved the Light. The Russian people shall bless you in all the future generations, from your grandson and great-grandson to your furthermost descendants.â€ He instructed her in the truths of the Faith, the churchly rules and the rule of prayer, he explained the commands about fasting, chastity and charity. “She, however,â€ says the Monk Nestor, “bowed her head and stood, literally like a sponge absorbing water, listening to the teaching, and bowing down to the Patriarch, she said, “By your prayers, O Master, let me be preserved from the wiles of enemiesâ€. is in precisely this way, with a slightly bowed head, that Saint Olga is depicted on one of the frescoes of the Kiev Sophia cathedral, and likewise on a Byzantine miniature contemporary to her, in a manuscript portrait of the Chronicles of John Scilitius in the Madrid National Library. The Greek inscription, accompanying the miniature, terms Olga “Archontissa (i.e. ruler) of Rus,â€ “a woman, Helga by name, who came to the emperor Constantine and was baptizedâ€. The princess is depicted in special head attire, “as a newly-baptized Christian and venerable deaconess of the Russian Church.â€ Beside her in the same attire of the newly-baptized -- is Malusha (+ 1001), the future mother of the Equal of the Apostles Saint Vladimir (July 15). one who had originally so disliked the Russians as did the emperor Constantine Porphyrigenitos, it was no trivial matter for him to become the godfather to the “Archontissa of Rusâ€. In the Russian chronicles are preserved narratives about this, how resolutely and on an equal footing Olga conversed with the emperor, amazing the Greeks by her spiritual depth and wisdom of governance, and displaying that the Russian nation was quite capable of accepting and assimilating the highest attainments of the Greek religious genius, the finest fruition of Byzantine spirituality and culture. And thus by a peaceful path Saint Olga succeeded in “taking Constantinopleâ€, something which no other military leader before her had ever been able to do. According to the witness of the chronicles, the emperor himself had to admit, that Olga “had given him the slipâ€ (had outwitted him), and the popular mind, jumbling together into one the traditions about Oleg the Wise and Olga the Wise, sealed in its memory this spiritual victory in the bylina or folk-legend entitled “Concerning the Taking of Constantinople by Princess Olgaâ€. his work “About the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court,â€ which has survived to the present day in just one copy, Constantine Porphyrigenitos has left us a detailed description of the ceremony surrounding the stay of Saint Olga at Constantinople. He describes a triumphant reception in the famed Magnaura palace, beneath the singing of bronze birds and the roars of copper lions, where Olga appeared with an impressive retinue of 108 men (not counting the men of Svyatoslav’s company). And there took place negotiations in the narrower confines of the chambers of the empress, and then a state dinner in the hall of Justinian. And here during the course of events, there providentially met together at one table the four “majestic ladiesâ€: the grandmother and the mother of holy Equal of the Apostles Saint Vladimir (Saint Olga and her companion Malusha), and the grandmother and the mother of Saint Vladimir’s future spouse Anna (the empress Helen and her daughter-in-law Theophano). Slightly more than half a century would pass, and at the Desyatin church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Kiev would stand aside each other the marble tombs of Saint Olga, Saint Vladimir and “Blessed Annaâ€. the time of one of these receptions, as Constantine Porphyrogenitos relates, the Russian princess was presented a golden plate inset with jewels. Saint Olga offered it to the vestry of the Sophia cathedral, where at the beginning of the thirteenth century it was seen and described by the Russian diplomat Dobrynya Yadeikovich (who afterwards was to become the Novgorod archbishop Anthony): “The large golden official plate of Olga of Russia, when she took it as tribute, having come to Constantinople; upon the plate be precious stones, and upon it is written in these stones the name Christâ€. the wily emperor, after reporting such details as would underscore how “Olga had given him the slipâ€, also presents a difficult riddle for historians of the Russian Church. This is it: Saint Nestor the Chronicler relates in the “Tale of Bygone Yearsâ€ that the Baptism of Olga took place in the Biblical year 6463 (955 or 954), and this corresponds to the account of the Byzantine chronicles of Kedrinos. Another Russian Church writer of the eleventh century, Yakov Mnikh, in his work “Eulogy and Laudation to Vladimir... and how Vladimir’s Grandmother Olga was Baptizedâ€, speaks about the death of the holy princess (+ 969) and he notes that she lived as a Christian for fifteen years, and he places the actual date of Baptism as the year 954, which corresponds within several months to the date indicated by Nestor. In contrast to this, describing for us the stay of Olga at Constantinople and providing the precise dates of the receptions given in her honor, Constantine Porphyrogenitos has us to understand in no uncertain terms that all this occurred in the year 957. reconcile the cited chronicles, on the one hand, with the testimony of Constantine on the other hand, Russian Church historians are led to suppose one of two things: either Saint Olga made a second journey to Constantinople in the year 957 to continue negotiations with the emperor, or she was not baptized at Constantinople, having previously been baptized at Kiev in 954, and that she was merely making a pilgrimage to Byzantium, since she was already a Christian. The first supposition is the more credible. for the immediate diplomatic outcome of the negotiations, there were basic matters for Saint Olga that had been left unsettled. She had gained success on questions concerning Russian trade within the territories of the Byzantine Empire, and also the reconfirmation of the peace accord with Byzantium, concluded by Igor in the year 944. But she had not been able to sway the emperor on two issues of importance to Rus: the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with a Byzantine princess, and the conditions for restoring an Orthodox metropolitan to Kiev as had existed at the time of Askold. The evidently inadequate outcome of her mission is detected in her answer, when she had already returned home, which was given to emissaries sent out by the emperor. To the emperor’s inquiry about promised military aid, Saint Olga curtly replied through the emissaries: “If you had spent time with me at Pochaina, as I did at the Court, then I would send the soldiers to help you.â€ all this, in spite of her failed attempts at establishing the Church hierarchy within Rus, Saint Olga, after becoming a Christian, zealously devoted herself to efforts of Christian evangelization among the pagans, and also church construction: “demanding the distressing of demons and the beginning of life for Christ Jesusâ€. She built churches: of Saint Nicholas and the church of the Holy Wisdom at Kiev, of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos at Vytebsk, and of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity at Pskov. Pskov from that period has been called in the chronicles the Domicile of the Holy Trinity. The church, built by Olga at the River Velika at a spot pointed out to her from on high, according to the chronicler, by a “light-beam of the Thrice-Radiant Divinityâ€, stood for more than one and an half centuries. In the year 1137 holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11) replaced this wooden temple with one made of stone, which in turn in 1363 was rebuilt and replaced finally with the presently existing Trinity cathedral. very important monument of Russian “Monument Theologyâ€, as Church architecture frequently is termed, connected with the name of Saint Olga, is the temple of the Wisdom of God at Kiev, which was started soon after her return from Constantinople, and consecrated on May 11, 960. This day was afterwards observed in the Russian Church as a special Church feastday. the Mesyatseslov (calendar supplement)of a parchment Epistle-book from 1307, under May 11 is written: “On this day the consecration of Saint Sophia took place at Kiev in the year 6460.â€ The date is indicated in the so-called “Antiochianâ€ rather than generally-accepted Constantinople chronology, and it corresponds to the year 960 from the Birth of Christ. was no mere coincidence that Saint Olga received in Baptism the name of Saint Helen, who found the Venerable Wood of the Cross at Jerusalem (March 6). The foremost sacred item in the newly built Kiev Sophia temple was a piece of the Holy Cross, brought by this new Helen from Constantinople, and received by her in blessing from the Constantinople Patriarch. The Cross, by tradition, was hewn out from an entire piece of the Life-Creating Wood of the Lord. Upon the Cross-Wood was inscribed: “The Holy Cross for the Regeneration of the Russian Land, Received by Noble Princess Olga.â€ Olga did much to memorialize the first Russian confessors of the Name of Christ: over the grave of Askold the Saint Nicholas church was built, where according to certain accounts, she herself was afterwards interred. Over the grave of Dir was built the afore-mentioned Sophia cathedral, which stood for half a century and burned in the year 1017. On this spot Yaroslav the Wise later on built a church of Saint Irene in 1050, but the sacred items of Olga’s Sophia temple were transferred into a stone church of the same name now standing as the Kiev Sophia, started in 1017 and consecrated about the year 1030. In the Prologue of the thirteenth century, it says about the Olga Cross: “for It is now at Kiev in Saint Sophia in the altar on the right side.â€ The plundering of Kiev’s holy things, which after the Mongols was continued by the Lithuanians who captured the city in 1341, did not spare even this. Under Jagiello in the period of the Liublin Unia, which in 1384 united Poland and Lithuania into one state, the Olga Cross was snatched from the Sophia cathedral and carried off by the Catholics to Lublin. Its further fate is unknown. even in Olga’s time there were at Kiev among the nobles and retainers no few people who, in the words of Solomon, “hated Wisdomâ€, and also Saint Olga, for having built Wisdom’s temple. Zealots of the old paganism became all the more emboldened, viewing with hope the coming of age of Svyatoslav, who decidedly spurned the urgings of his mother to accept Christianity, and even becoming angry with her over this. It was necessary to hurry with the intended matter of the Baptism of Rus. The deceit of Byzantium, at the time not wanting to promote Christianity in Rus, played into the hands of the pagans. In search of a solution, Saint Olga looked to the west. No contradiction here yet existed. Saint Olga (+ 969) belonged still to the undivided Church (i.e. before the Great Schism of 1054), and she had scant possibility to study the theological points involved between the Greek and Latin Creeds. The opposition of West and East presented itself to her first of all as a political rivalry, of secondary importance in comparison with her task, the establishment of the Russian Church and the Christian enlightenment of Rus. the year 959, the German chronicler named “the Continuant of Reginon,â€ records: “to the king came emissaries of Helen, queen of the Russes, who was baptized in Constantinople, and who sought for their nation to have bishop and priestsâ€ King Otto, the future founder of the German Empire, willingly acceded to Olga’s request, but he urged that the matter not be decided in haste. It was only on Nativity of the following year 960, that there was established a Russian bishop Libutius, from the monastery brethren of Anatolius Alban am Mainz. But he soon died (March 15, 961). In his place was ordained Adalbert of Trier, whom Otto “generously furnishing all needsâ€ finally sent to Russia. It is difficult to say what would have happened, had the king not delayed for so long a while, but when in 962 when Adalbert showed up at Kiev, he “did not succeed in the matter for which he had been sent, and did consider his efforts to be in vain.â€ Furthermore, on the return journey “certain of his companions were murdered, and the bishop himself did not escape mortal danger.â€ turned out that after the passage of years, as Olga indeed had foreseen, matters at Kiev had twisted ultimately in favor of paganism, and Rus having become neither Orthodox nor Catholic, had second thoughts about accepting Christianity. The pagan reaction thus produced was so strong, that not only did the German missionaries suffer, but also some of the Kiev Christians who had been baptized with Olga at Constantinople. By order of Svyatoslav, Saint Olga’s nephew Gleb was killed and some of the churches built by her were destroyed. It seems reasonable, that this transpired not without Byzantium’s secret diplomacy: given the possibility of a strengthened Rus in alliance with Otto, the Greeks would have preferred to support the pagans, with the consequent intrigues against Olga and various disorders. collapse of the mission of Adalbert had providential significance for the future Russian Orthodox Church, escaping papal dominion. Saint Olga was obliged to accede to the humiliation and to withdraw fully into matters of personal piety, handing over the reigns of governance to her pagan-son Svyatoslav. Because of her former role, all the difficult matters were referred over to her in her wisdom of governance. When Svyatoslav absented himself from Kiev on military campaigns and wars, the governance of the realm was again entrusted to his mother. But the question about the Baptism of Rus was for a while taken off the agenda, and this was ultimately bitter for Saint Olga, who regarded the good news of the Gospel of Christ as the chief matter in her life. meekly endured the sorrow and grief, attempting to help her son in civil and military affairs, and to guide matters with heroic intent. The victories of the Russian army were a consolation for her, particularly the destruction of an old enemy of the Russian state—the Khazar kaganate. Twice, in the years 965 and 969, the armies of Svyatoslav went through the lands of “the foolish Khazars,â€ forever shattering the might of the Jewish rulers of Priazovia and lower Povolzhia. A subsequent powerful blow was struck at the Mahometan Volga Bulgars, and then in turn came the Danube Bulgars. Eighteen years were spent on the Danube with the Kiev military forces. Olga was alone and in worry: it was as though, absorbed by military matters in the Balkans, Svyatoslav had forgotten about Kiev. the Spring of 969 the Pechenegs besieged Kiev: “and it was impossible to lead out the horses to water, for the Pechenegs stood at the Lybeda.â€ The Russian army was far away, at the Danube. Having sent off messengers to her son, Saint Olga herself headed the defense of the capital. When he received the news, Svyatoslav rode quickly to Kiev, and “he hugged his mother and his children and was distressed, with what had happened with them from the Pechenegs.â€ But after routing the nomads, the warrior prince began anew to say to his mother: “It does not please me to sit at Kiev, for I wish to live at Pereslavl’ on the Dunaj (Danube) since that is the center of my lands.â€ dreamed of creating a vast Russian holding from the Danube to the Volga, which would unite all Rus, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Near Black Sea region and Priazovia (Azov region), and extend his borders to those of Constantinople itself. Olga the Wise understood however, that all the bravery and daring of the Russian companies could not compare against the ancient Byzantine Empire, and that the venture of Svyatoslav would fail. But the son would not heed the admonitions of his mother. Saint Olga thereupon said, “You see that I am ill. Why do you want to forsake me? After you bury me, then go wherever you wish.â€ days were numbered, and her burdens and sorrows sapped her strength. On July 11, 969 Saint Olga died: “and with great lament they mourned her, her son and grandsons and all the people.â€ In her final years, amidst the triumph of paganism, she had to have a priest by her secretly, so she would not evoke new outbursts of pagan fanaticism. But before death, having found anew her former firmness and resolve, she forbade them to make over her the pagan celebration of the dead, and she gave final instructions to bury her openly in accord with Orthodox ritual. Presbyter Gregory, who was with her at Constantinople in 957, fulfilled her request. Olga lived, died, and was buried as a Christian. “And thus having lived and well having glorified God in Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, having worshipped in the blessed faith, she ended her life in the peace of Christ Jesus, our Lord.â€ As her prophetic testament to succeeding generations, with deep Christian humility she confessed her faith concerning her nation: “God’s will be done! If it pleases God to have mercy upon my native Russian Land, then they shall turn their hearts to God, just as I have received this gift.â€ glorified the holy toiler of Orthodoxy, the “initiator of faithâ€ in the Russian Land, by means of miracles and incorrupt relics. Yakov Mnikh (+ 1072), a hundred years after her death, wrote in his work “Memory and Laudation to Vladimirâ€: “God has glorified the body of His servant Olga, and her venerable body remains incorrupt to this day.â€ Olga glorified God with good deeds in all things, and God glorified her. Under holy Prince Vladimir, ascribed by some as occurring in the year 1007, the relics of Saint Olga were transferred into the Desyatin church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and placed within a special sarcophagus, such as was customary to enclose the relics of saints in the Orthodox East. “And hear ye concerning a certain miracle about her: the grave of stone is small in the church of the Holy Mother of God, this church built by the blessed Prince Vladimir, and in the grave is the blessed Olga. And an opening was made in the tomb to behold Olga’s body lying there whole.â€ But not everyone was given to see this miracle of the incorrupt relics of the saint: “For whoever came with faith, the aperture opened up, and there the venerable body could be seen lying intact, and one would marvel at such a miracle -- the body lying there for so many years without decay. Worthy of all praise is this venerable body: resting in the grave whole, as though sleeping. But for those who did not approach in faith, the grave aperture would not open up, and they would not see this venerable body, but only the grave.â€ even after death Saint Olga espoused life eternal and resurrection, filling believers with joy and confounding non-believers. She was, in the words of Saint Nestor the Chronicler, “a precursor in the Christian land, like the dawn before sunrise or the twilight before the light.â€ holy Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, himself giving thanks to God on the day of the Baptism of Rus, witnessed before his countrymen concerning Saint Olga with the remarkable words: “The sons of Rus bless you, and also the generations of your descendants.â€ Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev, 960, Sophia Icon, Wisdom prophecy, Sophia = Wisdom = Jesus, House = MOG, 7 Epistles of Paul
Russia, Kiev, 960, Sophia Icon, Kiev's Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral, 960 by Olga, Wisdom prophecy, Sophia = Wisdom = Jesus, House = MOG, 7 Epistles of Paul, icon arrangement church, MOG, archway 7 pillars, palms out, feet on crescent moon, holding pre-eternal Christ child, blessing w right hand, Father and holy spirit over entrance, Father affirmation of wisdom's footsteps, 7 Archangels along both sides, symbold of duties in their hands, Right side Michael w flaming sword, Uriel w lightning downward, Raphael w Myhrr, Left side Gabriel w lily blossom, Selaphiel w scale, Jerudiel w crown, Barachiel w flowers on shawl, Staircase MOG footrest, seven steps (the Church), under a cloud w crescent moon, 7 steps, faith, hope, love, purity, humility, blessedness, glory, 7 steps on 7 pillars w images from Apocalypse; Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral in Kiev; Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, Commemorated on September 8; Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God (Kiev), occupies an unique place in the Russian Orthodox Church. the icon is depicted the Theotokos, and the Hypostatic Wisdom, the Son of God incarnate of Her. Wisdom or Sophia, ponders the Son of God, about Whom in the Proverbs of Solomon it says: “Wisdom has built a house for herself, and has set up seven pillars” (9:1). words refer to Christ, the Son of God, Who in the Epistles of Saint Paul is called “Wisdom of God” (1 Cor.1:30), the word “house” refers to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, of Whom the Son of God is incarnate. arrangement of the icon bears witness to the fulfillment of this prophecy. the Kiev icon of Sophia is a church, and standing there is the Mother of God in a robe with a veil on her head, under an archway of seven pillars. palms of Her hands are outstretched, and her feet are set upon a crescent moon. Theotokos holds the Pre-eternal Christ Child, blessing with Her right hand, and holding the Infant with Her left. the cornice of the entrance are inscribed the words from the Book of Proverbs: “Wisdom has built a house for herself, and has set up seven pillars.” the entrance are depicted God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. From the mouth of God the Father issues the words: “I am affirmation of Her footsteps.” both sides the seven Archangels are depicted with outstretched wings, holding in their hands symbols of their duties. the right side: Michael with flaming sword; Uriel with a lightning flash hurling downwards; Raphael with alabaster vessel of myrrh. the left side: Gabriel with a lily blossom; Selaphiel with a scale; Jerudiel with royal crown; and Barachiel with flowers on a white shawl. a cloud with the crescent moon, serving as a footrest for the Mother of God, is a staircase with seven steps (depicting the Church of God on earth). standing on the seven steps are the Old Testament witnesses of the manifestation of Wisdom, the Forefathers and the Prophets. each of the seven steps are inscribed: faith, hope, love, purity, humility, blessedness, glory. The seven steps of the staircase are set upon the seven pillars, on which images are inscribed, and their explanation taken from the Apocalypse.

Russia, Kiev, 962 co E -1025-1028 E, Constantine VIII, Byzantine Emperor, Basil II's b, Zoe's f, disaster reign
Byzantine Emperor, 962-1028, Constantine VIII ; VIII Porphyrogenitus (960 - 11/12 November 1028) was de jure Byzantine Emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano. was nominal co-emperor for 63 years, successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. II died childless on 15 December 1025 and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in Constantine's hands. had no interest in politics, statecraft or the military. His brief reign is said to have been "an unmitigated disaster", sparking "a collapse of the military power of the Empire". Constantine had no sons, so shortly before his death he married his daughter Zoë to his chosen successor, Romanos Argyros. Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; Venerable Nikon "œMetanoeite,"Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated on January 19; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Kiev, 963-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev, Kiev Rus King, Olga's s, but Pagan, Volga to Danube Empire
Kiev Rus King, 945-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev; I Igorevich ( 943 - 26 March 972), also spelled Svyatoslav, was a Grand Prince of Kiev[2][3] famous for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, precipitated the collapse of two great powers of Eastern Europe, Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire. also conquered numerous East Slavic tribes, defeated the Alans and attacked the Volga Bulgars,[4][5] and at times was allied with the Pechenegs and Magyars. decade-long reign over the Kievan Rus' was marked by rapid expansion into the Volga River valley, the Pontic steppe, and the Balkans. By the end of his short life, Sviatoslav carved out for himself the largest state in Europe, eventually moving his capital in 969 from Kiev (modern-day Ukraine) to Pereyaslavets (identified as the modern village of NufÄƒru, Romania)[6] on the Danube. In contrast with his mother's conversion to Christianity, Sviatoslav remained a staunch pagan all of his life. Due to his abrupt death in ambush, his conquests, for the most part, were not consolidated into a functioning empire, while his failure to establish a stable succession led to a fratricidal feud among his three sons, resulting in two of them being killed. of Kiev, who served as regent during her son's youth Primary Chronicle records Sviatoslav as the first ruler of the Kievan Rus' with a name of Slavic origin (as opposed to his predecessors, whose names had Old Norse forms). Some scholars see the name of Sviatoslav, composed of the Slavic roots for "holy" and "glory", as an artificial derivation combining the names of his predecessors Oleg and Rurik (whose respective names mean "holy" and "glorious" in Old Norse).[7] Sveinald or Sveneld is identical to Sviatoslav, as the Norse rendition of the Slavic name.[8] life and personality[edit] nothing is known about Sviatoslav's childhood and youth, which he spent reigning in Novgorod. Sviatoslav's father, Igor, was killed by the Drevlians around 945, and his mother, Olga, ruled as regent in Kiev until Sviatoslav reached maturity (ca. 963).[9] was tutored by a Varangian named Asmud.[10] The tradition of employing Varangian tutors for the sons of ruling princes survived well into the 11th century. appears to have had little patience for administration. His life was spent with his druzhina (roughly, "company") in permanent warfare against neighboring states. to the Primary Chronicle, he carried neither wagons nor kettles on his expeditions, and he boiled no meat, rather cutting off small strips of horseflesh, game, or beef to eat after roasting it on the coals. Nor did he have a tent, rather spreading out a horse-blanket under him and setting his saddle under his head, and all his retinue did likewise.[11] of Sviatoslav wearing a vyshyvanka, by Fedor Solntsev appearance has been described very clearly by Leo the Deacon, who himself attended the meeting of Sviatoslav with John I Tzimiskes. Following Deacon's memories, Sviatoslav was a bright-eyed man of average height but of stalwart build, much more sturdy than Tzimiskes. He had a bald head and a wispy beard and wore a bushy mustache and a sidelock as a sign of his nobility.[12] He preferred to dress in white, and it was noted that his garments were much cleaner than those of his men, although he had a lot in common with his warriors. He wore a single large gold earring bearing a carbuncle and two pearls.[13] beliefs[edit] mother, Olga, converted to Orthodox Christianity at the court of Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in 957,[14] at the approximate age of 67. Sviatoslav remained a pagan all of his life. In the treaty of 971 between Sviatoslav and the Byzantine emperor John I Tzimiskes, the Rus' swore by the gods Perun and Veles.[15] According to the Primary Chronicle, he believed that his warriors (druzhina) would lose respect for him and mock him if he became a Christian.[16] The allegiance of his warriors was of paramount importance in his conquest of an empire that stretched from the Volga to the Danube. mother, Olga, with her escort in Constantinople, a miniature from the late 11th century chronicle of John Skylitzes. little is known of Sviatoslav's family life. It is possible that he was not the only (or the eldest) son of his parents. The Russo-Byzantine treaty of 945 mentions a certain Predslava, Volodislav's wife, as the noblest of the Rus' women after Olga. The fact that Predslava was Oleg's mother is presented by Vasily Tatishchev. He also speculated that Predslava came from the Hungarian nobility. George Vernadsky was among many historians to speculate that Volodislav was Igor's eldest son and heir who died at some point during Olga's regency. Another chronicle told that Oleg (? - 977?) was the eldest son of Igor. At the time of Igor's death, Sviatoslav was still a child, and he was raised by his mother or under her instructions. Her influence, however, did not extend to his religious observance. I in the Tsarsky Titulyarnik, 1672 had several children, but the origin of his wives is not specified in the chronicle. By his wives, he had Yaropolk and Oleg.[17] By Malusha, a woman of indeterminate origins,[18] Sviatoslav had Vladimir, who would ultimately break with his father's paganism and convert Rus' to Christianity. Skylitzes reported that Vladimir had a brother named Sfengus; whether this Sfengus was a son of Sviatoslav, a son of Malusha by a prior or subsequent husband, or an unrelated Rus' nobleman is unclear.[19] Predslava Oleg of Drelinia (died 977?) Yaropolk I of Kiev (952 - 978) Malusha Vladimir the Great (c. 958 - 1015) Sfengus? campaigns[edit] after his accession to the throne, Sviatoslav began campaigning to expand Rus' control over the Volga valley and the Pontic steppe region. greatest success was the conquest of Khazaria, which for centuries had been one of the strongest states of Eastern Europe. The sources are not clear about the roots of the conflict between Khazaria and Rus', so several possibilities have been suggested. The Rus' had an interest in removing the Khazar hold on the Volga trade route because the Khazars collected duties from the goods transported by the Volga. Historians have suggested that the Byzantine Empire may have incited the Rus' against the Khazars, who fell out with the Byzantines after the persecutions of the Jews in the reign of Romanus I Lecapenus.[20] Kievan Rus' at the beginning of Sviatoslav's reign (in red), showing his sphere of influence to 972 (in orange) began by rallying the East Slavic vassal tribes of the Khazars to his cause. Those who would not join him, such as the Vyatichs, were attacked and forced to pay tribute to the Kievan Rus' rather than to the Khazars.[21] According to a legend recorded in the Primary Chronicle, Sviatoslav sent a message to the Vyatich rulers, consisting of a single phrase: "I want to come at you!" (Old East Slavic khochiu na vy iti)[22] This phrase is used in modern Russian and Ukrainian (usually misquoted as idu na vy) to denote an unequivocal declaration of one's intentions. Proceeding by the Oka and Volga rivers, he attacked Volga Bulgaria. He employed Oghuz and Pecheneg mercenaries in this campaign, perhaps to counter the superior cavalry of the Khazars and Bulgars.[23] destroyed the Khazar city of Sarkel around 965, possibly sacking (but not occupying) the Khazar city of Kerch on the Crimea as well.[24] At Sarkel he established a Rus' settlement called Belaya Vyezha ("the white tower" or "the white fortress", the East Slavic translation for "Sarkel").[25] subsequently destroyed the Khazar capital of Atil.[26] A visitor to Atil wrote soon after Sviatoslav's campaign: "The Rus' attacked, and no grape or raisin remained, not a leaf on a branch."[27] The exact chronology of his Khazar campaign is uncertain and disputed; for example, Mikhail Artamonov and David Christian proposed that the sack of Sarkel came after the destruction of Atil.[28] Council of War by Boris Chorikov Ibn Haukal reports the sack of Samandar by Sviatoslav, the Rus' leader did not bother to occupy the Khazar heartlands north of the Caucasus Mountains permanently. On his way back to Kiev, Sviatoslav chose to strike against the Ossetians and force them into subservience.[29] Therefore, Khazar successor statelets continued their precarious existence in the region.[30] The destruction of Khazar imperial power paved the way for Kievan Rus' to dominate north-south trade routes through the steppe and across the Black Sea, routes that formerly had been a major source of revenue for the Khazars. Moreover, Sviatoslav's campaigns led to increased Slavic settlement in the region of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, greatly changing the demographics and culture of the transitional area between the forest and the steppe.[31] in the Balkans[edit] article: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria invading Bulgaria, Manasses Chronicle annihilation of Khazaria was undertaken against the background of the Rus'-Byzantine alliance, concluded in the wake of Igor's Byzantine campaign in 944.[32] Close military ties between the Rus' and Byzantium are illustrated by the fact, reported by John Skylitzes, that a Rus' detachment accompanied Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros Phokas in his victorious naval expedition to Crete. 967 or 968,[33] Nikephoros sent his agent, Kalokyros, to persuade Sviatoslav to assist the Byzantines in a war against Bulgaria.[34] Sviatoslav was paid 15,000 pounds of gold and set sail with an army of 60,000 men, including thousands of Pecheneg mercenaries.[35][36] defeated the Bulgarian ruler Boris II[37] and proceeded to occupy the whole of northern Bulgaria. Meanwhile, the Byzantines bribed the Pechenegs to attack and besiege Kiev, where Olga stayed with Sviatoslav's son Vladimir. The siege was relieved by the druzhina of Pretich, and immediately following the Pecheneg retreat, Olga sent a reproachful letter to Sviatoslav. He promptly returned and defeated the Pechenegs, who continued to threaten Kiev. Rus'–Byzantine Wars of Sviatoslav's warriors by the Byzantine army, a miniature from 11th century chronicles of John Skylitzes. refused to turn his Balkan conquests over to the Byzantines, and the parties fell out as a result. To the chagrin of his boyars and his mother (who died within three days after learning about his decision), Sviatoslav decided to move his capital to Pereyaslavets in the mouth of the Danube due to the great potential of that location as a commercial hub. In the Primary Chronicle record for 969, Sviatoslav explains that it is to Pereyaslavets, the centre of his lands, "all the riches flow: gold, silks, wine, and various fruits from Greece, silver and horses from Hungary and Bohemia, and from Rus' furs, wax, honey, and slaves". Skylitzes, meeting between John Tzimiskes and Sviatoslav. summer 969, Sviatoslav left Rus' again, dividing his dominion into three parts, each under a nominal rule of one of his sons. At the head of an army that included Pecheneg and Magyar auxiliary troops, he invaded Bulgaria again, devastating Thrace, capturing the city of Philippopolis, and massacring its inhabitants. Nikephoros responded by repairing the defenses of Constantinople and raising new squadrons of armored cavalry. In the midst of his preparations, Nikephoros was overthrown and killed by John Tzimiskes, who thus became the new Byzantine emperor.[38] Tzimiskes first attempted to persuade Sviatoslav to leave Bulgaria, but he was unsuccessful. Challenging Byzantine authority, Sviatoslav crossed the Danube and laid siege to Adrianople, causing panic in the streets of Constantinople in summer 970.[39] Later that year, the Byzantines launched a counteroffensive. Being occupied with suppressing a revolt brought by Bardas Phokas in Asia Minor, John Tzimiskes sent his commander-in-chief, Bardas Skleros, who defeated the coalition of Rus', Pechenegs, Magyars, and Bulgarians in the Battle of Arcadiopolis.[40] Meanwhile, John, having quelled the revolt of Bardas Phokas, came to the Balkans with a large army and promoting himself as the liberator of Bulgaria from Sviatoslav, penetrated the impracticable mountain passes and shortly thereafter captured Marcianopolis, where the Rus' were holding a number of Bulgar princes hostage. of Durostorum in Manasses Chronicle retreated to Dorostolon, which the Byzantine armies besieged for sixty-five days. Cut off and surrounded, Sviatoslav came to terms with John and agreed to abandon the Balkans, renounce his claims to the southern Crimea, and return west of the Dnieper River. In return, the Byzantine emperor supplied the Rus' with food and safe passage home. Sviatoslav and his men set sail and landed on Berezan Island at the mouth of the Dnieper, where they made camp for the winter. Several months later, according to the Primary Chronicle, their camp was devastated by famine, so that even a horse's head could not be bought for less than a half-grivna.[41] While Sviatoslav's campaign brought no tangible results for the Rus', it weakened the Bulgarian state and left it vulnerable to the attacks of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer four decades later. and aftermath[edit] Rurikids , (IX—XI century) that the peace with Sviatoslav would not endure, the Byzantine emperor induced the Pecheneg khan Kurya to kill Sviatoslav before he reached Kiev. This was in line with the policy outlined by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in De Administrando Imperio of fomenting strife between the Rus' and the Pechenegs.[42] According to the Slavic chronicle, Sveneld attempted to warn Sviatoslav to avoid the Dnieper rapids, but the prince slighted his wise advice and was ambushed and slain by the Pechenegs when he tried to cross the cataracts near Khortytsia early in 972. The Primary Chronicle reports that his skull was made into a chalice by the Pecheneg khan.[43] Death of Sviatoslav by Boris Chorikov Sviatoslav's death, tensions among his sons grew. A war broke out between his legitimate sons, Oleg and Yaropolk, in 976, at the conclusion of which Oleg was killed. In 977 Vladimir fled Novgorod to escape Oleg's fate and went to Scandinavia, where he raised an army of Varangians and returned in 980. Yaropolk was killed, and Vladimir became the sole ruler of Kievan Rus'. St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; when the Byzantine emissaries arrived in Kiev, conditions along the River Dneipr had essentially changed. A pagan opposition had clearly emerged, at the head of which stood the Varangian voevoda (military-leader) Svenel’d (or Sveinald) and his son Mstislav (Mtsisha) to whom Igor had given holdings in the Drevlyani lands. also at Kiev was the influence of the Khazar Jews, who could not but be displeased with the thought of the triumph of Orthodoxy in the Russian Land. to overcome the customary inertia, Igor remained a pagan and he concluded the treaty in the pagan manner, swearing an oath on his sword. He refused the grace of Baptism and was punished for his unbelief. A year later, in 945, rebellious pagans murdered him in the Drevlyanian land, cut down betwixt two trees. But the days of paganism and the lifestyle of the Slavic tribes basic to it were already numbered. The burden of government fell upon the widow of Igor -- the Kiev Great-princess Olga, and her three-year-old son Svyatoslav. Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21;

Russia, Kiev, 968, Seige of Kiev by Pechenegs
Russia, Kiev, 968, Seige of Kiev by Pechenegs; Kiev Rus King, 945-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Kiev, 969-977, Oleg of the Drevlyans, Pagan
Russia, Kiev, 969-977, Oleg of the Drevlyans; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Russia, Kiev, 972-980, Yaropolk I of Kiev, Kiev Rus King, Christian
Russia, Kiev, 972-980, Kiev Rus King, Yaropolk I of Kiev; Russia, Kiev, 968, Seige of Kiev by Pechenegs; Kiev Rus King, 945-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Russia, Kiev, 976-1025, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, Byzantine Emperor, with Rus over First B Empire and Georgia
Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; II Porphyrogenitus (c.958 -“ 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer [note 3] was the senior Byzantine Emperor for almost 50 years (10 January 976 -“ 15 December 1025), having been a junior colleague to other emperors since 960. He and his brother Constantine[note 4] were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. The throne went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-“969) then John Tzimiskes (r. 969-“976), before Basil became senior emperor. His influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos was the de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire until 985.[note 5] Basil II then held power for forty years. early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy; first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian Empire, its foremost European foe, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-“988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate that ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate that gained the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. near-constant warfare, Basil distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, filling its treasury, and leaving it with its greatest expanse in four centuries. his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions taken during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor states of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 24; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28;

Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Vladimir the Great, Kiev Rus King, Pagan then Great Christian
Kiev Rus King, 980-1015, Vladimir the Great ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; St Procopius, Commemorated on September 16; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Vladimir I, Apostles equal, Olga's gson, C Kiev and Pagan Novgorod, robe a Cyril lead to baptism
Kiev Great Prince, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Holy Equal of the Apostles and Great Prince Vladimir, the youngest son of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev, was born in 963. He was only six years old when his grandmother, the Holy Princess Olga (July 11), who had raised him, reposed, and his father sent him to reign in Novgorod under the tutelage of the voivode Dobryn, his mother's brother. Princess Malusha, who still bore her Scandinavian name Malchrid, was a Christian. After Saint Vladimir converted to Christianity and founded the church of the Tithes at Kiev, she donated her estate to it. Olga's son Prince Svyatoslav was killed in battle with the Pechenegs three years after his mother's repose. Then his sons' tutors fought a war among themselves. Christian Kiev and pagan Novgorod struggled for supremacy. After the death of his father Svyatoslav in 972, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod was forced to flee to Scandinavia in 976, Vladimir's brother Yaropolk murdered his other brother Oleg of Drelinia and conquered Rus'. For the rest of his life Prince Vladimir mourned their deaths. the age of seventeen he began to rule on his own. He spent the first six years of his reign on military campaigns, leading his army personally, reconquering Novgorod from Yaropolk. By 980, Vladimir had consolidated the territory of Kievan Rus' from what is now Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to the Baltic Sea. In addition, he strengthened the frontiers against the incursions of Bulgarians, Baltic tribes, and Eastern nomads. the Slavic tribes from the Carpathians and the Neman, and the city of Gorodyon (Grodno) to Beloozero, Anka and Volga united to form a single whole – the Russian land (Русскую землo), and they were called Russians. In gratitude for his victory at Kiev he set up idols of pagan gods - Perun and Beles - and offered them human sacrifices. In ancient times, the Slavs did not have idols and sacrifices, but adopted them much later from other pagan lands. the VI century, the Greeks said of them: "They recognize one God as the Ruler of the whole world." He was called Svarog, which means "blue sky." Perun, Veles, and other, lesser deities were thought to be his children. The Slavs believed in the immortality of the soul and in the afterlife, which predisposed them toward Christianity. the year 860 the Russians attacked Constantinople from the sea, but the Greeks immersed the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in the ocean. The sea became agitated, and the Russian ships were swept away and retreated. After that, they sent an embassy to Constantinople to request Baptism. This was the first Baptism of Rus'. in 860 Saint Cyril, the enlightener of the Slavs, baptized 200 families in the southern Russian steppes. He made his own translation of the Gospel and the Psalter. Metropolitan Michael was sent to care for the converts, and the Prince gathered the people and called them to be baptized. The elders agreed, but they demanded a miracle. They wanted a Gospel book to be thrown into the fire without being burnt. The Gospel was thrown in, the miracle occurred, and the people were baptized. This was the second Baptism of Rus'. third took place under Princess Olga. By that time, there were already many Christians in Kiev and there was a church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. After Saint Olga's repose, the spread of Christianity was halted temporarily, but not for long. The time of Prince Vladimir had come. those days, Kiev was a large trading city. Merchants came from all over the world, as well as preachers of various religions. Saint Vladimir wanted to unite his people, not just under one government, but also under one Faith. The Prince sent envoys to various countries to see which religion would be most suitable for his people. When Vladimir's emissaries returned from Constantinople, they told him that when they stood in the church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), they did not know "whether they were on earth or in heaven." was located on a great waterway from the Varangian region to Constantinople; that is, from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire. The proximity of Orthodox Constantinople may have influenced Saint Vladimir, and the memory of Christianity, recently destroyed by Svyatoslav, was revived. According to the XI century writer Jacob Mnikh, the young Prince Vladimir remembered the example of his grandmother, Princess Olga, "the wisest of men," as she was called by her contemporaries. Furthermore, he could not help being influenced by the example of his mother, the Christian Princess Malusha, as well. The heroic death of Holy Protomartyrs Theodore and his son John (July 12) in 983 also made a lasting impression on him. one Icelandic saga it is said that in his youth, King Olaf of Norway had lived for a long time at the court of "the Gardarikian king Vol'demar" (Gardarika, that is, the land of cities. The Scandinavians called it Northwestern Russia). When he reached adulthood, he left there on military campaigns, according to the custom of the Scandinavians of that time. While upon the sea, he heard a heavenly voice calling him to Constantinople, where he would come to know the only true God. There he was baptized, and on the way back, he stopped to see King Vol'demar and urged him to convert to Christianity. When he returned from his campaign as a Christian, King Olaf encouraged his people to be baptized. Vladimir, however, was still a pagan, and he adhered to pagan customs. He also had five wives. How he was brought to Christ, and how his conversion was took place, remains a mystery. Hilarion († 1053) in his "Word of Law and Grace," addressed the departed Great Prince Vladimir, saying, "How did you believe? How was your mind moved to love what is unseen, and to strive for heavenly things? You have not seen any Apostle who, after coming to your land, inclined your heart to humility. Guided only by your kind heart and sharp mind, you realized that there is one God." continued: "Upon him came a visitation of the Most High, and the eye of the All-Merciful God looked upon him; and a thought shone forth in his heart - he realized the futility of idol worship, and sought the one God, the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible. He had heard about the Orthodox, and the strong Christ-loving faith of the Byzantine Empire, who honor the one God in Trinity, and worship Him. When he heard all this, he was aflame in spirit, and with all his heart he longed to be a Christian, and to convert his entire land to Christianity." to the reason for the conversion of Saint Vladimir to Christ, another writer of the XI century, Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) states in his Life of Saints Boris and Gleb: "In those years there was a Prince named Vladimir, who ruled the Russian land. He was righteous and merciful to the poor, to orphans, and to widows, but he was a pagan. God intervened and made him a Christian, just like Saint Eustathios Plakidas (September 20). So Prince Vladimir became a Christian, receiving the name Basil at his Baptism." Venerable Nestor the Chronicler pointed out that the Holy Prince Vladimir's experience was similar to that of Saint Eustathios, the exact details are not known. Meanwhile, by the will of God, external events led Saint Vladimir to the fulfillment of his desire. The Byzantine Emperors Constantine and Basil asked Vladimir to help them put down the revolt of Phokas. Vladimir agreed, but asked for the hand of Princess Anna Porphyrogenita, in return. The Emperors agreed, and sent clergy and the sacred utensils required for the Baptism of Rus'. when Vladimir defeated Phokas, they did not fulfill their obligations. Then Vladimir conquered Korsun, thereby forcing the Emperors to keep their promise. He returned Korsun to the Greeks as a ransom for his bride. His army was baptized and, according to the "Tale of the Baptism of Russia," he himself was baptized. This was in 988, and the Chronicle says that before Baptism he became blind, but received his sight when he came out of the water. However, Jacob Mnikh (XI century) writes that Vladimir captured Korsun when he was already a Christian, and that he was baptized in 987 at his estate Vasiliev (now Vasilkov). Prince Vladimir returned to Kiev, the Orthodox priests who came with him were obviously Bulgarians (Bulgaria was then subject to the Byzantine Empire). They baptized the people of Kiev at the confluence of the river, then called Khreshchatyk, with the Dnieper. They brought with them liturgical books translated into Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11), the enlighteners of the Slavs. With them was Metropolitan Michael of Kiev (June 15, September 30). At Kiev, where people had heard of Christianity, the Faith was quickly established. In the north, at Novgorod, Rostov, and Murom, paganism lasted longer, and it took a great deal of effort for princes and preachers to uproot it. Vladimir was twenty-five years old at the Baptism of Rus'. With all the fervor of youth, he began to fulfill the precepts of Christ, especially those about helping the poor, sick and disadvantaged. This assistance was provided on a large scale. Throughout Russia, the poor were sought and were given everything they needed, and the sick also received treatment. During Saint Vladimir's reign, the state served the people, which was very unusual in those days. In ancient times there was no death penalty in Russia. Instead, there was a "penalty," that is, a monetary fine. Saint Vladimir confirmed this custom, saying: "I am afraid of sin." This custom became law and entered the Code of Laws compiled under his son, Great Prince Yaroslav under the name "Russkaya Pravda." people loved their Prince, praising him in songs and epics, calling him the Red Sun. Saint Vladimir summoned the elders of the people from all over Russia for meetings and provided feasts for them. The memory of these feasts is also preserved in the epics. He built new cities, such as Volodymyr-Volynsky (where his palace once stood), Vladimir in the land of Suzdal, and others. He strengthened the boundaries of his possessions as a defense against the neighboring pagan tribes. In order to unite Russia, he sent his sons to rule in different cities: at Rostov, Murom, Novgorod, Polotsk, and other places. Soon the influence of the Varangians began to wane, and the importance of the Slavs increased. In Kiev, at the place where the Russian Protomartyrs Theodore and John were murdered, he built the church of the Tithes and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, donating a tenth of his income for its upkeep. Holy Prince Vladimir reposed on July 15, 1015 in his beloved village of Berestov and was buried in the church of the Tithes. A piece of his holy relics was kept in Holy Wisdom Cathedral, established by his son, Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Feast Day of Saint Vladimir was instituted by Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) after May 15, 1240, because of Saint Vladimir's help and intercession at Saint Alexander's renowned victory over the Crusaders at the Neva River. In Russia, the Church veneration of the Holy Prince began much earlier. In Saint Hilarion's "Word of Law and Grace," the holy Prince is called "an apostolic sovereign," similar to Saint Constantine (May 20); and his evangelization of the Russian land is likened to the preaching of the Gospel by the Holy Apostles. Vladimir is commemorated on July 15 (the day of his repose) and on the second Sunday of Great Lent, along with the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves, and all Saints who shone forth in Little Russia.

Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Vladimir, consolidated Russia from Belarus South to Black Sea, Unified Slavs with Christianity
Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Vladimir, Apostles Equal, Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4), consolidated Russia from Belarus South through Kiev to Black Sea, Unified Slavs with Christianity, great story; Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Holy Equal of the Apostles and Great Prince Vladimir, youngest son of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev, was born in 963. was only six years old when his grandmother, the Holy Princess Olga (July 11), who had raised him, reposed, and his father sent him to reign in Novgorod under the tutelage of the voivode Dobryn, his mother's brother. Malusha, who still bore her Scandinavian name Malchrid, was a Christian. Saint Vladimir converted to Christianity and founded the church of the Tithes at Kiev, she donated her estate to it. Olga's son Prince Svyatoslav was killed in battle with the Pechenegs three years after his mother's repose. his sons' tutors fought a war among themselves. Kiev and pagan Novgorod struggled for supremacy. After the death of his father Svyatoslav in 972, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod was forced to flee to Scandinavia in 976, brother Yaropolk murdered his other brother Oleg of Drelinia and conquered Rus'. the rest of his life Prince Vladimir mourned their deaths. the age of seventeen he began to rule on his own. spent the first six years of his reign on military campaigns, leading his army personally, reconquering Novgorod from Yaropolk. 980, Vladimir had consolidated the territory of Kievan Rus' from what is now Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to the Baltic Sea. In addition, he strengthened the frontiers against the incursions of Bulgarians, Baltic tribes, and Eastern nomads. the Slavic tribes from the Carpathians and the Neman, and the city of Gorodyon (Grodno) to Beloozero, Anka and Volga united to form a single whole – the Russian land (Русскую землo), and they were called Russians. gratitude for his victory at Kiev he set up idols of pagan gods - Perun and Beles - and offered them human sacrifices. In ancient times, the Slavs did not have idols and sacrifices, but adopted them much later from other pagan lands. the VI century, the Greeks said of them: "They recognize one God as the Ruler of the whole world." was called Svarog, which means "blue sky." Perun, Veles, and other, lesser deities were thought to be his children. Slavs believed in the immortality of the soul and in the afterlife, which predisposed them toward Christianity. the year 860 the Russians attacked Constantinople from the sea, the Greeks immersed the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in the ocean. The sea became agitated, and the Russian ships were swept away and retreated. that, they sent an embassy to Constantinople to request Baptism. This was the first Baptism of Rus'. in 860 Saint Cyril, the enlightener of the Slavs, baptized 200 families in the southern Russian steppes. He made his own translation of the Gospel and the Psalter. Metropolitan Michael was sent to care for the converts, and the Prince gathered the people and called them to be baptized. elders agreed, but they demanded a miracle. They wanted a Gospel book to be thrown into the fire without being burnt. Gospel was thrown in, the miracle occurred, and the people were baptized. This was the second Baptism of Rus'. third took place under Princess Olga. By that time, there were already many Christians in Kiev and there was a church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. Saint Olga's repose, the spread of Christianity was halted temporarily, but not for long. The time of Prince Vladimir had come. those days, Kiev was a large trading city. Merchants came from all over the world, as well as preachers of various religions. Vladimir wanted to unite his people, not just under one government, but also under one Faith. Prince sent envoys to various countries to see which religion would be most suitable for his people. Vladimir's emissaries returned from Constantinople, they told him that when they stood in the church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), they did not know "whether they were on earth or in heaven." was located on a great waterway from the Varangian region to Constantinople; that is, from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire. proximity of Orthodox Constantinople may have influenced Saint Vladimir, and the memory of Christianity, recently destroyed by Svyatoslav, was revived. to the XI century writer Jacob Mnikh, the young Prince Vladimir remembered the example of his grandmother, Princess Olga, "the wisest of men," as she was called by her contemporaries. he could not help being influenced by the example of his mother, the Christian Princess Malusha, as well. heroic death of Holy Protomartyrs Theodore and his son John (July 12) in 983 also made a lasting impression on him. one Icelandic saga it is said that in his youth, King Olaf of Norway had lived for a long time at the court of "the Gardarikian king Vol'demar" that is, the land of cities. The Scandinavians called it Northwestern Russia). he reached adulthood, he left there on military campaigns, according to the custom of the Scandinavians of that time. upon the sea, he heard a heavenly voice calling him to Constantinople, where he would come to know the only true God. There he was baptized, and on the way back, he stopped to see King Vol'demar and urged him to convert to Christianity. he returned from his campaign as a Christian, King Olaf encouraged his people to be baptized. Vladimir, however, was still a pagan, and he adhered to pagan customs. He also had five wives. How he was brought to Christ, and how his conversion was took place, remains a mystery. Hilarion († 1053) in his "Word of Law and Grace," addressed the departed Great Prince Vladimir, saying, "How did you believe? How was your mind moved to love what is unseen, and to strive for heavenly things? You have not seen any Apostle who, after coming to your land, inclined your heart to humility. Guided only by your kind heart and sharp mind, you realized that there is one God." continued: "Upon him came a visitation of the Most High, and the eye of the All-Merciful God looked upon him; and a thought shone forth in his heart - he realized the futility of idol worship, and sought the one God, the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible. He had heard about the Orthodox, and the strong Christ-loving faith of the Byzantine Empire, who honor the one God in Trinity, and worship Him. When he heard all this, he was aflame in spirit, and with all his heart he longed to be a Christian, and to convert his entire land to Christianity." to the reason for the conversion of Saint Vladimir to Christ, another writer of the XI century, Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) states in his Life of Saints Boris and Gleb: those years there was a Prince named Vladimir, who ruled the Russian land. He was righteous and merciful to the poor, to orphans, and to widows, but he was a pagan. God intervened and made him a Christian, just like Saint Eustathios Plakidas (September 20). So Prince Vladimir became a Christian, receiving the name Basil at his Baptism." Venerable Nestor the Chronicler pointed out that the Holy Prince Vladimir's experience was similar to that of Saint Eustathios, the exact details are not known. by the will of God, external events led Saint Vladimir to the fulfillment of his desire. Byzantine Emperors Constantine and Basil asked Vladimir to help them put down the revolt of Phokas. agreed, but asked for the hand of Princess Anna Porphyrogenita, in return. The Emperors agreed, and sent clergy and the sacred utensils required for the Baptism of Rus'. when Vladimir defeated Phokas, they did not fulfill their obligations. Vladimir conquered Korsun, thereby forcing the Emperors to keep their promise. He returned Korsun to the Greeks as a ransom for his bride. His army was baptized and, according to the "Tale of the Baptism of Russia," he himself was baptized. was in 988, and the Chronicle says that before Baptism he became blind, but received his sight when he came out of the water. Jacob Mnikh (XI century) writes that Vladimir captured Korsun when he was already a Christian, and that he was baptized in 987 at his estate Vasiliev (now Vasilkov). Prince Vladimir returned to Kiev, the Orthodox priests who came with him were obviously Bulgarians (Bulgaria was then subject to the Byzantine Empire). baptized the people of Kiev at the confluence of the river, then called Khreshchatyk (main street of Kiev with Khreshchatyk streams flowing under it) , with the Dnieper. brought with them liturgical books translated into Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11), the enlighteners of the Slavs. them was Metropolitan Michael of Kiev (June 15, September 30). Kiev, where people had heard of Christianity, the Faith was quickly established. the north, at Novgorod, Rostov, and Murom, paganism lasted longer, and it took a great deal of effort for princes and preachers to uproot it. Vladimir was twenty-five years old at the Baptism of Rus'. all the fervor of youth, he began to fulfill the precepts of Christ, those about helping the poor, sick and disadvantaged. This assistance was provided on a large scale. Russia, the poor were sought and were given everything they needed, and the sick also received treatment. Saint Vladimir's reign, the state served the people, which was very unusual in those days. ancient times there was no death penalty in Russia. Instead, there was a "penalty," that is, a monetary fine. Saint Vladimir confirmed this custom, saying: "I am afraid of sin." This custom became law and entered the Code of Laws compiled under his son, Great Prince Yaroslav under the name "Russkaya Pravda." people loved their Prince, praising him in songs and epics, calling him the Red Sun. Vladimir summoned the elders of the people from all over Russia for meetings and provided feasts for them. The memory of these feasts is also preserved in the epics. built new cities, such as Volodymyr-Volynsky (where his palace once stood), Vladimir in the land of Suzdal, and others. strengthened the boundaries of his possessions as a defense against the neighboring pagan tribes. order to unite Russia, he sent his sons to rule in different cities: at Rostov, Murom, Novgorod, Polotsk, and other places. the influence of the Varangians began to wane, and the importance of the Slavs increased. Kiev, at the place where the Russian Protomartyrs Theodore and John were murdered, he built the church of the Tithes and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, donating a tenth of his income for its upkeep. Holy Prince Vladimir reposed on July 15, 1015 in his beloved village of Berestov and was buried in the church of the Tithes. piece of his holy relics was kept in Holy Wisdom Cathedral, established by his son, Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise. Feast Day of Saint Vladimir was instituted by Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) after May 15, 1240, because of Saint Vladimir's help and intercession at Saint Alexander's renowned victory over the Crusaders at the Neva River. Russia, the Church veneration of the Holy Prince began much earlier. In Saint Hilarion's "Word of Law and Grace," the holy Prince is called "an apostolic sovereign," similar to Saint Constantine (May 20); and his evangelization of the Russian land is likened to the preaching of the Gospel by the Holy Apostles. Vladimir is commemorated on July 15 (the day of his repose) and on the second Sunday of Great Lent, along with the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves, and all Saints who shone forth in Little Russia.

Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Elias of Murom, Earliest Saint wIincorrupt relics, his hand position supported Greek Tradition
Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Kiev Rus Saint, Elias of Murom (Ilya Muromets), Probably first Russian Saint with incorrupt relics, his hand position supported Greek Tradition, Old Believers Controversy Summary per Paisii Pace holy incorrupt relics are at the Kiev Caves. Since he was either the first Russian saint with incorrupt relics or the first that could be seen during the Old Believers or Old Ritualists controversy, the way he held his hand with the first three fingers joined and the last two folded to the palm, supported the new position that agreed with the Greek tradition. Kiev Rus Saint, 980-1015, Elias of Murom (Ilya Muromets); Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; Elias Muromets of the Caves, nicknamed “Shoemaker” or “Cobbler,” was from the city of Murom. legend identifies him with the famous warrior hero Elias Muromets, who was the subject of Russian ballads and of Gliere’s Symphony No. 3. Elias died with the fingers of his right hand formed to make the Sign of the Cross in the position accepted even today in the Orthodox Church: first three fingers together, and the two outermost fingers folded onto the palm contrast to the Sign of the Cross used by the “Old Ritualists”]. the struggle with the Old Ritualist Schism (seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), information about the saint served as a powerful proof in favor of the present positioning of the fingers. Ilya Muromets is a major figure in the byliny, Russian epic folklore collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ilya in byliny Muromets is a major figure in the byliny, Russian epic folklore collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. is the son of a farmer, was born in a village near Murom (in modern-day Russia). suffered a serious illness in his youth and was unable to walk until the age of 33. could only lie on a Russian stove, until he was miraculously healed by two pilgrims. was then given super-human strength by a dying knight – Svyatogor – and set out to liberate the city of Kiev (Kyiv) from Idolishche to serve Prince Vladimir the Great. the way he single-handedly defended the city of Chernigov (Chernihiv, Ukraine) from nomadic invasion (possibly by the Polovtsi) was offered knighthood by the local ruler, but Ilya declined to stay. the forests of Bryansk (now in Russia) he then killed the forest-dwelling monster Nightingale the Robber (Solovei-Razboinik), murdered travelers with his powerful whistle.[1] Kiev, Ilya was made chief bogatyr by Vladimir he defended Rus' from numerous attacks by the steppe people, including Kalin [ru], (mythical) tsar of the Golden Horde. Summary per Paisii Pace holy incorrupt relics are at the Kiev Caves. Since he was either the first Russian saint with incorrupt relics or the first that could be seen during the Old Believers or Old Ritualists controversy, the way he held his hand with the first three fingers joined and the last two folded to the palm, supported the new position that agreed with the Greek tradition. Old Ritualists (Old Believers); Believers or Old Ritualists[a] are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1652 and 1666. Resisting the accommodation of Russian piety to the contemporary forms of Greek Orthodox worship, these Christians were anathematized, together with their ritual, in a Synod of 1666–67, producing a division in Eastern Europe between the Old Believers and those who followed the state church in its condemnation of the Old Rite. Russian speakers refer to the schism itself as raskol (раскол), etymologically indicating a "cleaving-apart". Part of a series on the History of Christian theology Malmesbury Abbey's 1407 Bible from Belgium Christian theology Diversity in early Christian theology Adoptionism Arianism Docetism Gnosticism Marcionism Montanism Early Christianity Proto-orthodox Christianity Timeline History of Christianity Template:History of Christianity Ecclesiastical polity Trinitarianism Nontrinitarianism Christology Paterology Pneumatology Mariology Biblical canon Deuterocanon Hermeneutics Theological hermeneutics African American Asian American Philosophical theology Christian philosophy Christian apologetics Persecution and tolerance Historical theology Ecumenical Creeds Apostles' Nicene Chalcedonian Athanasian Patristics and Councils Great church ante-Nicene period Church Fathers Apostolic Fathers Cappadocian Fathers Desert Fathers Desert Mothers Augustine Nicaea Ephesus Chalcedon Post-Nicene development Heresy Monophysitism Monothelitism Byzantine Iconoclasm Gregory I Alcuin Photios East–West Schism Scholasticism Aquinas Anselm Palamas Reformation Martin Luther Theology 95 Theses John Calvin Radical Evangelicalism theology Five solae Book of Concord Arminianism English Counter- Trent Jansenism From the Reformation to the World Wars Natural Practical wikipedia Category Pietism John Wesley Great Awakenings Holiness movement Restoration Movement Existentialism Dogmatic theology Fundamental/foundational Liberal Secular Catholic Modernism Anglo-Catholic Critical realism Political the World Wars Vatican II Situational ethics Nouvelle théologie (Ressourcement) Death of God Postliberal • Narrative Continental philosophy Radical orthodoxy Neo-orthodoxy Paleo-orthodoxy Reconciliation Open theism Analytic in Thomism Atheism Theopoetics of religions Ecumenism Digital Transmodernism Constructive Eco- Environmental Public extraterrestrial life Progressive Christianity Moderate Christianity Conservative Christianity Emerging church Confessing Movement Evangelical theology Contextualisation and Inculturation Indigenous church mission theory Sino-Christian Feminist in the broader movement of Feminist theology Asian Womanist New Queer Liberation Black Dalit Latin American Minjung Palestinian Postcolonial icon Christianity portal vte 1652, Nikon of Moscow, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from then until 1658, introduced a number of ritual and textual revisions with the aim of achieving uniformity between the practices of the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches. having noticed discrepancies between Russian and Greek rites and texts, ordered an adjustment of the Russian rites to align with the Greek ones of his time.[11] doing so, according to the Old Believers, Nikon acted without adequate consultation with the clergy and without gathering a council.[11] the implementation of these revisions, the Church anathematized and suppressed—with the support of Muscovite state power—the prior liturgical rite itself, as well as those who were reluctant to pass to the revised rite. who maintained fidelity to the existing rite endured severe persecutions from the end of the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century as "Schismatics" (Russian: раскольники, raskol'niki). became known as "Old Ritualists", a name introduced under the empress Catherine the Great, who reigned from 1762 to 1796.[12] who adopted new liturgical practices started to call themselves pravoslavnye (Православные - those believing rightly).

Russia, Kiev, 988-992, Michael I of Kiev, Suzdal, Novgorod, Rostov, Metropolitan, first church, utensils, crosses f Korsun
Kiev Rus Metropolitan, 988-992, Michael I of Kiev; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; on certain Russian sources, Saint Michael is remembered as the first Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia (988-992). He began his missionary work in Kiev, Suzdal, Novgorod, and Rostov, as well as in other cities. He built the first wooden church of the Dormition of the Theotokos at Rostov, and installed Theodore the Greek there as bishop. largest church in Kiev was the one dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was adorned with icons, crosses and Church utensils, brought from Korsun by Saint Michael. Saint Vladimir moved the coffin containing the relics of Saint Olga, Equal-of-the-Apostles († 969) to that church. When Saint Michael fell asleep in the Lord on June 15, 992, he was also buried there.1 First Hierarch of the See of Kiev left behind a good memory. At the Synods held in the Holy Wisdom cathedrals of Kiev and Novgorod, he is forever described as "the first beginning of the hierarchy in Russia." Michael was distinguished for his wisdom, kindness and his strictness, and he was succeeded by Leo. the year 1103, the Saint's body was transferred to the katholikon in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony by Igoumen Theóktistos.2 Michael is also commemorated on September 30 (the Transfer of his relics). St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8 ;

Russia, Kiev, 988, Baptism of Rus, August 1st, 988
Baptism of Rus, Kiev, August 1st, 988; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three "œFeasts of the Savior"Â in August), Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Kiev, 988, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, dangerous whirlpool from Desna Mouth, protecting Icon found on bank, D ceased
Russia, Kiev, 988, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, dangerous whirlpool mouth of Desna, Kiev, protecting Icon found on bank, Icon Church prayers, Whirlpool danger ceased; Icon of the Mother of God the Rescuer of the Drowning, Commemorated on December 20; the village of Lenkov on the bank of the Desno River near Novgorod, Russia, there was a dangerous whirlpool, which made the river difficult to cross. the powerful swirling waters would cause the demise of ships and their passengers. was at that dangerous site that an Icon of the Mother of God was discovered, resting on the riverbank. time, a church dedicated to the Mother of God was erected on the site, and the Icon of the Mother of God, the "Rescuer of the Drowning," was enshrined therein. Those who journeyed along the Desno River customarily stopped at Lenkov to offer prayers in the icon's presence, imploring the Mother of God to grant them a safe journey despite the dangerous whirlpool. It had been said that after the icon had been discovered, mishaps to sailors were rare, and later completely ceased. and its church were destroyed during an invasion by the Poles in the 17th century. A new church dedicated to the Archangel Michael soon rose on the site of the former Church of the Mother of God, and the icon was enshrined therein. Many miracles were ascribed to the Mother of God, and the icon came to be revered not only in area of Lenkov, but far beyond, especially in Russia's larger port cities. the 18th century, the Icon was transferred to the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, where it remained until the Russian Revolution in 1917. History does not record what happened to the miraculous icon during Soviet times. However, in 2003, a pious man named Sergei Babushkin gave to the Church an identical antique copy of the long-lost original "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icon, which was subsequently enshrined in the Transfiguration Monastery, thus marking the beginning of its revival. icon is remarkably similar to the much older Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which was said to have been a copy of an icon by Saint Luke the Evangelist that had been kept in Ephesus until it was brought to Kyiv in 988 AD.

Russia, Kiev, 989-1030, Ioakim Korsunianin, First Bishop of Novgorod, from Korsun around 988, cast idol into river, builder
Russia, Kiev, 989-1030, Ioakim Korsunianin, First Bishop of Novgorod, came from Korsun around 988, cast idol into river, builder over Pagan Temple locations, could have written Ioachim Chronicle; Kiev Rus Bishop, 989-1030, Joachim the Korsunian; Korsunianin was the first bishop of Novgorod the Great (r. ca. 989-1030). surname suggests he probably came from the Byzantine town of Cherson (Korsun) on the Crimean Peninsula according to the chronicles, arrived in Kievan Rus’ around the time of the Conversion in 988.[1] his arrival in Novgorod, he cast the idol of the god Perun into the Volkhov River built the Peryn Monastery on the site where it once stood.[2] also built the first, wooden, Cathedral of Holy Wisdom, “with 12 tops,”[3] on the site of a pagan cemetery. also built the Church of Joachim and Anne, named for his patron saints, which stood near the present site of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom. was buried there on his death in 1030, his remains were transferred into the current cathedral in 1598. little is known of his episcopate; the Ioakimovskaia Letopis (Ioachim Chronicle), a no longer extant source cited in the history of Vasilyev Tatishchev, traditionally attributed to Ioakim Korsunianin. is now considered to be highly questionable, as is the historical reliability of Tatishchev's work: it is more likely a seventeenth-century compilation and is now often attributed to Patriarch Ioakim of Moscow (d. 1690).[4] his death in 1030, Ioakim's disciple, Efrem, administered the eparchy for five years (1030–1035) until the arrival of Luka Zhidiata.[5] is venerated as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. feast days are February 10 (the feast of the Novgorodian Saints, in which 10 other bishops and archbishops and others are commemorated) June 19.[6]

Russia, Kiev, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal
Russia, Vladimir, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; great wonderworker Saint Theodore, who was a Greek by birth, was the first Bishop of Rostov. was consecrated as a bishop in the year 991 or 992. that time, most of the Rostov territory was still pagan, and Saint Theodore worked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel to the people of that area. inhabitants subjected the hierarch to many insults, and they even drove him away on one occasion. Saint Theodore moved to Suzdal, where he brought many souls to Christ. fell asleep in the Lord at Suzdal in 1023, resting from his fruitful apostolic labors. His holy relics are in Suzdal's Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Cathedral. of his holy relics are also kept in two other churches at Suzdal: that of the Kazan Icon, and that of Saints Constantine and Helen. Theodore is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23), and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23). saint should not be confused with Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28), who reposed in 1395, and was the nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25).

Russia, Kiev, 1000-1099, 11th Century Folder, Anthony of Kiev, Boris and Gleb, Yaroslav the Wise

Russia, Kiev, 1001-1499, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium, copy tRussia, scroll, petitions fUs, garments so Fire Bearing Icon
Constantinople, 845, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium (downtown Constantinople), painted in 845, widespread copies 12-15th centuries, 1100-1499, one to Russia, scroll in hand, her petitions to Jesus for us, garments visible fire, so icon called fire bearing; Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Icon of the Mother of God “Areovindus”, Commemorated on February 10; is little information about the history of this Icon, and the story of its appearance is shrouded in mystery. only know that the now lost original was painted around 845. However, there is reason to believe its iconographic type was the same as the Hagiosoritissa Icon.1 Copies of the ancient Icon were widespread in Byzantium during the 12th to the 15th centuries; apparently one of these came from that area to Russia. original version of the Icon represented the Virgin without the Child, but she held a scroll in her hands. this scroll were the All Holy Virgin’s petitions concerning us, which are addressed to her Son. gives us hope that the “Fire-appearing” Icon of the Mother of God, like her other icons, will help and protect us from all misfortune and adversity. Therefore, we pray before the Icon for everything that exceeds the limits of our strength and requires God’s help. face of the Theotokos is turned toward her right side, and her garments are bright red red in color. This is why the Icon is called “Fire-appearing,” or “Visible in Fire.” The name Hagiosoritissa, “of the holy soros” (chest), is derived from the chapel of the holy soros, which was built next to the Blachernae church by Emperor Leo I to house the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Palestine in 473 (see July 2). The Panagia Hagiosoritissa Icon is associated with this shrine. This icon type shows the Mother of God with both hands raised in supplication, as depicted in the Deisis row of the iconostasis.

Russia, Kiev, 1001, Unbreakable Wall Icon, Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral, above main altar, 10 centuries unbreakable
Russia, Kiev, 1001, Unbreakable Wall Icon, Kiev's Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral, 960 by Olga, All Saints Sunday, Blachernae Type, above main altar, mandrola circle symbolizing divine light, 10 centuries unbreakable, while cathedral damaged several times; Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral in Kiev; Icon of the Mother of God The Unbreakable Wall, Commemorated on June 11; Unbreakable (or Indestructible) Wall Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. Mother of God is depicted against a golden background, standing with upraised hands on a quadrangular gold platform. some Icons of this type [but not in the mosaic Icon], Christ is depicted within a mandorla, an oval or circle, symbolizing the glory of Heaven, or the Divine Light. Icon is called the Unbreakable Wall because for ten centuries it has remained intact, spite of the fact that both Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral and the city have been damaged several times. ancient description of this Icon has been preserved: "A gigantic full-length portrait of the Theotokos.... stands upon a gold stone, as an unshakable foundation for all who resort to her protection. chiton is blue, and she wears a scarlet belt. Hanging from it is an embroidered cloth with which she wipes away so many tears. There are several possible sources for this Icon's title: The Prophet-King David wrote "God is in the midst of her (i. e. the city of God); she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance" (Psalm 45/46:5). "Thus the Lord showed me; and behold, he stood upon a wall of adamant..." (Amos 7:7, LXX). The Akathist to the Mother of God, Ikos 12. "Rejoice, indestructible wall of kingdoms" - Ikos XII). According to Kievan tradition, the wall of the church will not perish while the hands of the Mother of God are extended over it.

Russia, Kiev, 1001-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov, destroyed idol with Forerunner's staff
Russia, Rostov, 1000-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov; Abraham of Rostov, Archimandrite of Rostov, in the world Abercius, was born in tenth century in Chuhloma, which is in Kostroma region near Galich, Russia.[1] of the Saint[edit] Born Abercius, he was very ill as a child. He converted to Christianity in his youth after being cured from illness through prayer.[2] He decided to become a monk at Valaam and with the new name Abramius (Abraham) settled at Rostov on the shore of Lake Nero.[3] Not far from his hut was a temple where the local tribes worshiped the stone idol of Veles, a source of superstitious fright in the whole neighborhood. His legend recounts a miraculous vision of Saint John the Evangelist, who gave him a staff, crowned with a cross, to destroy the idol. In commemoration of this, at the site of the temple, Abraham erected a monastery in honor of the Theophany. He also built a church dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, and preached the Gospel in his area. Convinced by his preaching, many pagans were baptized.[3] At the petition of the Rostov princes Avraham was ordained to the rank of archimandrite of the monastery of the Theophany.[4] His death and veneration[edit] Abraham Reposed in old age and was buried in the church of the Theophany by his disciples.[5] His relics were found during the time of Grand Prince Vsevolod Georgievich (1176-1212).[6] According to Golubinsky the general church canonization of the Monk Abraham was held already by the time of the Makaryev Sobors of 1547-1549.[7] The divine service devoted to Abraham of Rostov, compiled in the imitation of the like to the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, was first mentioned in the manuscript collection of the 15th century.[8] In 1551 Ivan the Terrible, during his military campaign against Khanate of Kazan, made a pilgrimage to the Abraham Monastery before the battles. He took the staff of the saint and upon successful defeat of Kazan khans he returned it back and ordered construction of the stone Cathedral of the Theophany in 1553- 1555.[9][6] His feast days are: October 29 (November 11) (new style) - finding relics - in the Synaxis of the Kostroma saints, May 23 - in the Synaxis of Rostov-Yaroslavski Saints and in the Synaxis of the Karelian Saints - May 21 (dates are given according to the Julian calendar).[8] Years of life and activity[edit] The legend of the saint indicates 1010 as the date of his death, but most historians recognize this date to be wrong.[1] Nikolay Karamzin indicated, that Abraham was acting in Rostov during or after Andrey Bogolyubsky (c. 1111 â€“ 1174). The activity of Abraham in Rostov dates from 1073â€“1077 years according to Vasily Klyuchevsky; Macarius Bulgakov refers it to (?)-1045 years, Andrei Titov - the end of the XI - the beginning of the XII century, Filaret (Gumilevsky) - the beginning of the XII century.[10] Evgeny Golubinsky was skeptical about the very fact of the existence of Abraham, apparently considering him a single person with Abraham Galitzki and referring his activity to the last quarter of the fourteenth century (according to the legend, the latter lived the same years as Yury Dmitrievich, born in 1374). Arseny Kadlubovsky does not consider Abraham to be the founder of the Theophany Monastery, and also relates his life to the fourteenth century. [10][1] Venerable Abramius, Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Kiev, 1003-1073, Anthony of Kiev, Rus Saint, founder of monasticism in Rus, and Dormition Cathedral
Kiev Rus Saint, 1003-1073, Anthony of Kiev; of Kiev also called Anthony of the Caves (c. 983-1073) was a monk and the founder of the monastic tradition in Kievan Rus'. Together with Theodosius of Kiev, he co-founded the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Monastery of the Caves). 1 Early life 2 Return to Kiev 3 Establishment of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra 4 Exile and return 5 Veneration 6 See also 7 References 8 External links life[edit] sculpture in Lyubech by Giennadij Jerszow was born in Lyubech (present-day Liubech, Ukraine) in Chernigov Principality and was baptized with the name "Antipas". was drawn to the spiritual life from an early age and left for the Greek Orthodox Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos to live as a hermit. He lived in a secluded cave there overlooking the sea, which is still shown to visitors. circa 1011, the abbot gave Anthony the job of expanding monasticism in his native Kiev (present-day Kyiv, Ukraine), which had only recently begun its conversion to Christianity. to Kiev[edit] returned to Kiev, and founded several monasteries on the Greek model on the order of local princes. These monasteries were not as austere as Anthony was used to from his time on Mount Athos. He instead chose to live in a small four-yard cave which had been dug by the presbyter Hilarion. 1015, his peaceful austerity was interrupted by the death of Vladimir I of Kiev, and the subsequent fratricidal war for the throne between Vladimir's sons Yaroslav and Sviatopolk, and Anthony returned to Mount Athos. When the conflict ended, the abbot sent Anthony back to Kiev, prophesying that many monks would join him on his return. of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra[edit] his return, Anthony found a small 4-yard cave which Hilarion of Kiev had dug before his elevation as the first native Metropolitan of Kyiv. Anthony became well known in the area for his strict asceticism. He ate rye bread every other day and drank only a little water. His fame soon spread beyond Kiev, and several people began to ask for his spiritual guidance or blessing. Soon, some people even offered to join him. Eventually, Anthony accepted the company of a few of them. The first was a priest named Nikon. The second was Theodosius of Kiev. new monastery enjoyed royal favor almost from the beginning, although there were occasional problems. When Iziaslav I of Kiev demanded that the son of a wealthy boyar and one of his own retainers be told to leave the monastery, Nikon said he could not take soldiers away from the King of Heaven. This did nothing to placate Iziaslav's anger, and Anthony decided that it might be expedient for him to leave. Anthony returned after Iziaslav's wife requested his return. thereafter Anthony had gained twelve disciples. Anthony, devoted to the model of the solitary hermit set by his namesake Anthony the Great, left his cave for a nearby mountain so he could continue to live the solitary life. There he dug another cave for himself and lived in seclusion there. This cave became the first of what would later be known as the Far Caves. time, the first official abbot of the monastery, Barlaam of Kiev, was called by Iziaslav to head a new monastery, St. Demetrios, which had been built at the gates of the city. The monks requested Anthony to name the replacement, and he named Theodosius. the number of monks grew and crowding became a problem, Anthony requested that Iziaslav give them the hill in which the caves were located. He did so, and the monks built a wooden church and some cells there, encircling the area with a wooden fence. Theodosius continued to consult Anthony in the guidance of the community and, as the monastery grew, so did Anthony's reputation. and return[edit] Iziaslav and his brothers were facing a popular uprising involving the Cumans, they came to Anthony for his blessing. did not get it. Anthony foretold that because of their sins they would be defeated, and that the brothers would be buried in a church they would build. Shortly thereafter Iziaslav left because of the rebellion. He suspected Anthony of sympathizing with the opposition and arranged to banish Anthony upon his return. he could do so, Iziaslav's brother, Sviatoslav, arranged for Anthony to be secretly taken to Chernigov. Anthony dug himself a cave there. Eletsky Monastery there is said by some to be built on the site of Anthony's cave. Eventually Iziaslav was again reconciled to Anthony and asked that he return to Kiev. his return, Anthony and Theodosius decided to build a larger stone church to accommodate the ever-increasing number of monks. Anthony himself did not live to see the church completed. He died in 1073, shortly after blessing the foundation of the new church, at 90 years old. Shortly before his death he called the monks together and consoled them about his coming death. He also asked them that his remains be hidden away forever. The monks carried out his request. He was reportedly buried in his cave, but no relics have ever been found. Many however have subsequently come to the cave to pray and many of them have reported being healed there. Anthony is venerated as a saint and the founder of monasticism in Kievan Rus'. His feast day falls on July 10. Since the Russian Orthodox Church as well as Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow_Patriarchate) follow the Julian Calendar, the day on which his feast is celebrated is currently July 23 on the modern Gregorian Calendar. Saint Anthony is also venerated by Greek Catholics and is listed in the Martyrologium Romanum of the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day of May 7. relics have never been found. Kiev Rus Saint, 1024-1091, Theodosis of Kiev; Baptism of Rus, Kiev, August 1st, 988; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; œChernigov-GethsemaneÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3;

Russia, Kiev, 1015, Boris and Gleb, Passion bearers because did not resist evil with violence, both killed by brother Sviatopolk
Russia, Kiev, 1015, Boris and Gleb, Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4) residence of kievan rulers, Passion bearers because did not resist evil with violence, both killed by brother Sviatopolk; Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Boris and Gleb were sons of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Boris was named Romanus and Saint Gleb was named David at their Baptism. their father’s death the eldest son Sviatopolk planned to kill his brothers Boris, Gleb, and Yaroslav in order to seize power. sent a message to Boris, pretending that he wished to live in peace with him, and to increase Boris’s land holdings inherited from their father. of Vladimir’s advisers told Boris that he should take the army and establish himelf as ruler of Kiev. Saint Boris, however, said that he could never lift his hand against his own brother. Unfortunately, Sviatopolk was not so scrupulous. came to the town of Vyshegorod to ask its leaders if they were loyal to him. They assured him that they were ready to die for him. sent assassins to the Alta to kill Boris, who already knew that his brother wanted him dead. When they arrived they heard him chanting psalms and praying before an icon of Christ. He asked the Lord to strengthen him for the suffering he was about to endure. He also prayed for Sviatopolk, asking God not to count this against him as sin. he lay down upon his couch, and the assassins stabbed him with their lances, and also killed some of Boris’s servants. Wrapping Boris in a cloth, they threw him onto a wagon and drove off with him. When Sviatopolk saw that he was still breathing, he sent some men to finish him off with swords. Sviatopolk had killed Boris, he wondered, “Now how can I kill Gleb?” sent him a message saying that their father was ill and wished to see him. As he was on his way, he received word from Yaroslav that their father had died and that Sviatopolk had murdered Boris. Gleb wept for his father and brother, and was lamenting them when the assassins arrived. They seized his boat and drew their weapons, but it was Gleb’s cook Torchin who stabbed him with a knife. martyr’s body was thrown onto the shore between two trees. Later, he was buried beside Saint Boris in the church of Saint Basil. Boris and Gleb received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. They became known as Passion-Bearers, since they did not resist evil with violence. holy martyrs Princes Boris and Gleb are also commemorated on May 2.

Russia, Kiev, 1015-1019, Svyatopolk, K Rus King, Accursd, Killed 3 of 4 brothers, d by Y, fled to Poland
Kiev Rus King, 1015-1019, Svyatopolk the Accursed; I Vladimirovich (Sviatopolk the Accursed, the Accursed Prince; c. 980 – 1019) was the Kniaz' (Turov) of Turov (988–1015) and Velykyi Kniaz or Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1015–1019) whose paternity and guilt in the murder of brothers are disputed. 1 Early life 2 Biography according to domestic sources 3 Biography according to foreign sources 4 Archeological record 5 See also 6 References life[edit] coin of Sviatopolk I, Grand Prince of Kiev Sviatopolk's silver srebrenik of Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev of Vladimir the Great from a 17th-century Menaion mother was a Greek nun captured by Sviatoslav I in Bulgaria and married to his lawful heir Yaropolk I, who became Prince of Rus in 972. In 980, Yaropolk's brother Vladimir had him murdered, and the new sovereign married his predecessor's wife, who gave birth to a child. Thus, Sviatopolk may have been the eldest of Vladimir's sons, although his parentage has been questioned. Sviatopolk was eight years old, Vladimir put him in charge of Turov and later arranged his marriage with the daughter of the Polish duke BolesÅ‚aw I Chrobry of Poland. The young princess came to Turov together with Reinbern, the Bishop of Kolberg (now KoÅ‚obrzeg). Dissatisfied with Vladimir and encouraged by his own wife and Reinbern, Sviatopolk began preparations for war against Vladimir, probably counting on support from his father-in-law. Vladimir soon discovered Sviatopolk's intentions, however, and threw him, his wife and Reinbern in prison. Reinbern died in prison. according to domestic sources[edit] (in red) with Boleslaw the Brave at the Golden Gate in Kiev long before Vladimir's death, Sviatopolk was freed from prison and sent to govern the town of Vyshgorod several miles from Kiev. In 1015, Sviatopolk's retinue concealed Vladimir's death from him to prevent him from claiming the Kievan throne. When Sviatopolk learned of Vladimir's demise, he seized power in Kiev almost immediately. citizens of Kiev did not show much sympathy for Sviatopolk and, therefore, he decided to distribute presents in order to win them over. Then, he decided to rid himself of three of Vladimir's sons, Boris, Gleb, and Sviatoslav, whose claims for the Kievan throne threatened his power. Boris presented most danger to him because he had been in charge of Vladimir's druzhina (personal guards) and army, and enjoyed the support of the citizens. He sent the boyars of Vyshgorod to execute Boris. Boris and his manservant were stabbed to death when sleeping in a tent. The prince was discovered still breathing when his body was being transported in a bag to Kiev, but the Varangians put him out of his misery with the thrust of a lance. cold-blooded reprisal earned him the nickname of the Accursed. The news of this triple murder reached another son of Vladimir, Yaroslav, Prince of Novgorod, who decided to go to war against Sviatopolk with the support from the citizens of Novgorod and the Varangians. The battle took place in 1016 not far from Lubech, near Dnieper river. Sviatopolk was defeated and fled to Poland. of Yaroslav the Wise 1018, he returned to Rus', defeated Yaroslav with the help from his father-in-law and seized Kiev. BolesÅ‚aw I Chrobry of Poland and his army remained in Rus' for several months, but later left for Poland. On his way to Poland, BolesÅ‚aw seized some of the Cherven towns. the posadnik Konstantin Dobrynich and other citizens of Novgorod persuaded Yaroslav to go to war against Kiev once again. Sviatopolk was defeated and fled to the steppes. Soon he returned with the Pecheneg army and attacked Yaroslav on the Alta River, but was once again defeated and fled to Poland, eventually dying on his way there. Sviatopolk's death could have been procured by a descendant of Valuk Conqueror (Wallux dux Winedorum)[1] who in 1018 helped him and his father-in-law BolesÅ‚aw I in expedition against Yaroslav. according to foreign sources[edit] (IX—XI century) gold crown.svg Igor (co-ruler: Simple gold crown.svg Oleg) gold crown.svg Sviatoslav (co-ruler: Simple gold crown.svg St. Olga) gold crown.svg Yaropolk gold crown.svg Sviatopolk the Accursed of Drelinia gold crown.svg St. Vladimir of Novgorod [ru] of Polotsk (Polotsk branch) gold crown.svg Yaroslav the Wise Vladimirovich [ru] the Brave Mstislavich [ru] of Drelinia [ru] Boris Gleb Vladimirovich [ru] [ru] of Pskov gold crown.svg — Grand Prince of Kiev of Sviatopolk" by Jan Matejko, 1892 the last century, the traditional account of Svyatopolk's career has been somewhat modified. It has been argued that it was Boris who succeeded Vladimir in Kiev, while Svyatopolk was still in prison. One Norse saga called Eymund's saga (a part of Yngvars saga vÃðförla), with remarkable details, puts on Yaroslav the blame of his brother Burizlaf's murder. This Burizlaf, however, may be Svyatopolk (whose troops were commanded by the Polish king BolesÅ‚aw I Chrobry of Poland; the latter name is also rendered as Burizlaf in some sagas) as well as Boris. Therefore, it has been suggested that Svyatopolk ascended the throne after Boris's assassination and tried to fend off Yaroslav's attacks as well as to punish his agents guilty of Boris's murder. chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg, who died in 1018, could have been regarded as the only contemporary and unbiased account of events, if it were not for the fact that Thietmar's data could have been supplied by Svyatopolk himself during his brief exile at the Polish court. Unfortunately it can be interpreted ambiguously as far as the question of Svyatopolk's guilt is concerned. One place in his chronicle can be understood (although this is not necessary) as telling that Svyatopolk escaped from Kiev to Poland immediately after his father's death. But Thietmar states that Boleslaus I of Poland firstly supported his son-in-law against Yaroslav in 1017, which is the date, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, of Svyatopolk's first defeat by Yaroslav. Preparing a campaign against Kiev, Boleslaus abruptly stopped a successful war against the German Emperor Henry II. So, it is unlikely that Svyatopolk had been present at his court since 1015, which is often supposed by the historians that consider Yaroslav guilty of Boris and Gleb's murders. Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1018, Boleslaw I the Brave of Poland, Captured Kiev, installed Svyatopolk 1 as ruler
Poland, 992-1025, Boleslaw I the Brave; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 26;

Russia, Kiev, 1019-1054, Yaroslav the Wise, K Rus King, d Svyatopolk 1, then ruled both Novgorod and Kiev
Kiev Rus King, 1019-1054, Yaroslav the Wise ; I, Grand Prince of Rus', known as Yaroslav the Wise or Iaroslav the Wise (c. 978 – 20 February 1054) was thrice grand prince of Veliky Novgorod and Kiev, uniting the two principalities for a time under his rule. Yaroslav's baptismal name was George (Yuri) after Saint George. son of Vladimir the Great, the first Christian Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav acted as vice-regent of Novgorod at the time of his father's death in 1015. his eldest surviving brother, Sviatopolk I of Kiev, killed three of his other brothers and seized power in Kiev. Yaroslav, with the active support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian mercenaries,[2] defeated Svyatopolk and became the Grand Prince of Kiev in 1019. Yaroslav the codification of legal customs and princely enactments began, and this work served as the basis for a law code called the Russkaya Pravda ("Rus Truth [Law]"). During Yaroslav's lengthy reign, Kievan Rus' reached the zenith of its cultural flowering and military power.[2] 1 Rise to the throne 2 Reign 2.1 Power struggles between siblings 2.2 Allies along the Baltic coast 2.3 Campaign against Byzantium 2.4 Protecting the inhabitants of the Dnieper from the Pechenegs 2.5 Establishment of law 3 Family life and posterity 4 Grave 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 References 7.1 Bibliography 8 External links to the throne[edit] article: BolesÅ‚aw I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis of Yaroslav the Wise from Granovitaya Palata. early years of Yaroslav's life are mostly unknown. He was one of the numerous sons of Vladimir the Great, presumably his second by Rogneda of Polotsk,[3] although his actual age (as stated in the Primary Chronicle and corroborated by the examination of his skeleton in the 1930s) would place him among the youngest children of Vladimir. has been suggested that he was a child begotten out of wedlock after Vladimir's divorce from Rogneda and marriage to Anna Porphyrogenita, or even that he was a child of Anna Porphyrogenita herself. figures prominently in the Norse sagas under the name Jarisleif the Lame; his legendary lameness (probably resulting from an arrow wound) was corroborated by the scientists who examined his remains.[citation needed] his youth, Yaroslav was sent by his father to rule the northern lands around Rostov but was transferred to Veliky Novgorod,[4] as befitted a senior heir to the throne, in 1010. living there, he founded the town of Yaroslavl (literally, "Yaroslav's") on the Volga River. relations with his father were apparently strained,[4] and grew only worse on the news that Vladimir bequeathed the Kyivan throne to his younger son, Boris. 1014 Yaroslav refused to pay tribute to Kyiv and only Vladimir's death, in July 1015, prevented a war.[4] the next four years Yaroslav waged a complicated and bloody war for Kyiv against his half-brother Sviatopolk I of Kyiv, was supported by his father-in-law, Duke BolesÅ‚aw I Chrobry (King of Poland from 1025).[5] the course of this struggle, several other brothers (Boris, Gleb, and Svyatoslav) were brutally murdered.[5][6] Primary Chronicle accused Svyatopolk of planning those murders,[5] while the saga Eymundar þáttr hrings is often interpreted as recounting the story of Boris' assassination by the Varangians in the service of Yaroslav. the victim's name is given there as Burizaf, which is also a name of Boleslaus I in the Scandinavian sources. is thus possible that the Saga tells the story of Yaroslav's struggle against Svyatopolk (whose troops were commanded by the Polish duke), and not against Boris.[citation needed] of Yaroslav and his descendants represent the trident. defeated Svyatopolk in their first battle, in 1016, and Svyatopolk fled to Poland.[5] ----------------------------------But Svyatopolk returned in 1018 with Polish troops furnished by his father-in-law, seized Kyiv[5] and pushed Yaroslav back into Novgorod. at last, prevailed over Svyatopolk, and in 1019 firmly established his rule over Kyiv.[7] of his first actions as a grand prince was to confer on the loyal Novgorodians (who had helped him to gain the Kyivan throne), numerous freedoms, and privileges. the foundation of the Novgorod Republic was laid. For their part, the Novgorodians respected Yaroslav more than they did other Kyivan princes; and the princely residence in their city, next to the marketplace (and where the veche often convened) was named Yaroslav's Court after him. probably was during this period that Yaroslav promulgated the first code of laws in the lands of the East Slavs, the Russkaya Pravda. struggles between siblings[edit] aside the legitimacy of Yaroslav's claims to the Kievan throne and his postulated guilt in the murder of his brothers, Nestor the Chronicler and later Russian historians often presented him as a model of virtue, styling him "the Wise". A less appealing side of his personality is revealed by his having imprisoned his youngest brother Sudislav for life. Yet another brother, Mstislav of Chernigov, whose distant realm bordered the North Caucasus and the Black Sea, hastened to Kiev and, despite reinforcements led by Yaroslav's brother-in-law King Anund Jacob of Sweden (as Jakun - "blind and dressed in a gold suit"),[8] inflicted a heavy defeat on Yaroslav in 1024. Yaroslav and Mstislav then divided Kievan Rus' between them: the area stretching left from the Dnieper River, with the capital at Chernihiv, was ceded to Mstislav until his death in 1036. along the Baltic coast[edit] his foreign policy, Yaroslav relied on a Scandinavian alliance and attempted to weaken the Byzantine influence on Kiev. In 1030, he conquered Cherven Cities from the Poles followed by the construction of Sutiejsk to guard the newly acquired lands. Yaroslav concluded an alliance with Polish King Casimir I the Restorer, sealed by the latter's marriage to Yaroslav's sister, Maria. In another successful military raid the same year, he captured Tartu, Estonia and renamed it Yuryev[9] (named after Yury, Yaroslav's patron saint) and forced the surrounding Ugandi County to pay annual tribute. According to Heimskringla Olaf the swede made an alliance with Yaroslav even thou the alliance was not liked in Sweden to conquer Norway. to the Icelandic Sagas king, Olof of Sweden married his daughter to Yaroslav instead of the Norwegian king. That lead to protests in Sweden because the swedes wanted to reestablish control over lost eastern territories and bring in tribute from Kievan Rus. Olof Skötkonung did not listeen to his people and allied Yaroslav the Wise and both became close allies. Instead declaring war against Olaf Tryggvason.[10] the Far-Travelled Anund Jakobs jarl later under Yaroslav's reign sent Swedish soldiers into Kievan Rus due to Olof son wanting to assist his fathers ally Yaroslav in his conquest against the Pechenegs and Byzantines.[11] The georgians annals report 1000 men coming into Georgia but original force was likely much larger around 3000 men. [12] faith is unknown likely captured in battle during Byzantine campaigns or killed. Only one ship returned to Sweden according to the legend.[13] against Byzantium[edit] article: Rus'–Byzantine War (1043) presented his second direct challenge to Constantinople in 1043, when Rus' flotilla headed by one of his sons appeared near Constantinople and demanded money, threatening to attack the city otherwise. Whatever the reason, the Greeks refused to pay and preferred to fight. The Rus' flotilla defeated the Byzantine fleet but was almost destroyed by a storm and came back to Kyiv empty-handed.[14] the inhabitants of the Dnieper from the Pechenegs[edit] defend his state from the Pechenegs and other nomadic tribes threatening it from the south he constructed a line of forts, composed of Yuriev, Bohuslav, Kaniv, Korsun, and Pereyaslavl. To celebrate his decisive victory over the Pechenegs in 1036 (who thereafter were never a threat to Kiev) he sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1037. That same year there were built monasteries of Saint George and Saint Irene (named after patron saints of Yaroslav and his wife). Some mentioned and other celebrated monuments of his reign such as the Golden Gate of Kiev perished during the Mongol invasion of Rus', but later restored. of law[edit] was a notable patron of book culture and learning. In 1051, he had a Slavic monk, Hilarion of Kiev, proclaimed the metropolitan bishop of Kiev, thus challenging the Byzantine tradition of placing Greeks on the episcopal sees. Hilarion's discourse on Yaroslav and his father Vladimir is frequently cited as the first work of Old East Slavic literature. Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Kiev, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, children Christian upbringing, to monastery
Russia, Novgorod, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, , gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning, she left the world and went into a monastery; Kiev Rus Queen, 1019-1050, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden ; Olofsdotter of Sweden, also known as Irene, Anna and Saint Anna (1001 – 10 February 1050), was a Swedish princess and a Grand Princess of Kiev. was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skotkonung and Estrid of the Obotrites and the consort of Yaroslav I the Wise of Ingegerd or Saint Anna is often confused with the mother of Saint Vladimir “the Enlightenerâ€ of the Rus. This is mainly because Ingegerd and Yaroslav also had a son named Vladimir. However, Saint Vladimir was the father of Ingegerd’s husband Yaroslav I “the Wiseâ€, thus making her Saint Vladimir’s daughter-in-law. Saint Vladimir was the son of Sviatoslav and Malusha.[1] Sophia Cathedral in Kiev Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was born a princess in the court of King Olof Skötkonung. In 1015, after Olaf II of Norway assumed the throne as King of Norway, he proposed a royal marriage alliance. In 1016, noblemen of both countries tried to arrange a marriage between King Olaf and Princess Ingegerd. Olof Skötkonung agreed at first but later he reneged. Rather he agreed to the marriage of his daughter, Astrid Olavsdatter to King Olaf. [2][3][4] Skötkonung subsequently arranged for the marriage of Princess Ingegerd to the powerful Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Novgorod with whom Sweden had a flourishing trade relationship. The marriage took place in 1019. [5] in Kiev, Ingegerd had her name changed to the Greek Irene. According to several sagas, she received as a marriage gift Ladoga and adjacent lands, which later became known as Ingria, arguably a corruption of Ingegerd's name. She arranged for her father's cousin, jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson, to rule in her stead.[6] [7] Ingegerd and Yaroslav had six sons and four daughters; three of the latter becoming Queens of France, Hungary, and Norway. The whole family is depicted in one of the frescoes of the Saint Sophia. and burial[edit] died on 10 February 1050. Upon her death, according to different sources, Ingegerd was buried in either Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev or Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod. initiated the building of the Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev (foundation laid in 1037). also initiated the construction of Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod (built between 1045 and 1050). was later declared a saint under the name of St. Anna in Novgorod and Kiev. The reason for her sainthood was that she initiated the building of both cathedrals in Kiev and in Novgorod together with many other good deeds. following was stated by the church in reference to her sainthood: Anna, Grand Duchess of Novgorod, She was the daughter of Swedish King Olaf Sketktung, the "All-Christian King," who did much to spread Orthodoxy in Scandinavia, and the pious Queen Astrida. Sweden she was known as Princess Indegard; she married Yaroslav I “the Wise“, Grand Prince of Kiev, who was the founder of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1016, taking the name Irene. gave shelter to the outcast sons of British King Edmund, Edwin and Edward, as well as the Norwegian prince Magnus, who later returned to Norway. is perhaps best known as the mother of Vsevolod of , himself the father of Vladimir Monomakh and progenitor of the Princes of Moscow. daughters were Anna, Queen of France, Queen Anastasia of Hungary, and Queen Elizabeth (Elisiv) of Norway. The whole family was profoundly devout and pious. reposed in 1050 in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) in Kiev, having been tonsured a monastic with the name of Anna. As saint, her hymn goes: 4 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: Joy of the ranks of heaven joy of the Swedish people, thou didst gladden the Russian realm, filling it with grace and purity, adorning its throne with majesty, lustrous in piety like a priceless gem set in a splendid royal crown. Ingegerd in the baptismal waters, O venerable one, thou wast called Irene by thy Russian subjects, who perceived in thee the divine and ineffable peace; but when thou didst submit to monastic obedience, thou didst take the new name, Anna, after the honoured ancestor of Christ, the King of kings. in honourable matrimony, O holy Anna, thou didst live in concord with thy royal spouse, the right-believing and most wise Prince Yaroslav; and having born him holy offspring, after his repose thou didst betroth thyself unto the Lord as thy heavenly all the allurements of vanity and donning the coarse robes of a monastic, O wondrous and sacred Anna, thou gavest thyself over to fasting and prayer, ever entreating Christ thy Master, that He deliver thy people from the all want and misfortune. Feast days: 10 February, 4 October. Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Princess Anna of Novgorod, wife of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise, gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning. son Mstislav later became Great Prince of Kiev, and her daughter the queen of a western European realm. Saint Anna left the world and went into a monastery, where she ended her days in strict obedience and prayer in the year 1056. Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Fool fChrist aVyzama then founding monk aB&G Monastery aNovtorsk under Ephraim
Russia, Rostov, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), from rich pious merchant family iVyazama, free from world early age, Rus earliest Fool FC, copied early Greek fools Symeon&Andrew, fools not anxious fLife, eats, drink, clothes, life more tFood, body more tClothing, Paul wFool FC, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted, no home, work wHands, bless wReviled, endure wPersecuted, entreat wMaligned, refise otWorld, offscouring oAll things, Fool by day, Prayer aNight, concealed angelic life, people mocked appearance simplicity kindness &Ignorance oNecesities, people discovered his prayer, noted radiant face, tears, so not madman, advise always good, predictions happened, preferred silence, spoke rarely, broom before any Cross Procession, so purity required before feast, Ephraim stopped iVyzama because heard about Arcadius, A becomes disciple, E helps him avoid pride from Foolishness, so A strengthened self by spiritual struggles, tNovotorsk aEphraim, schema, founding church&B&Gmonastery, monk there, appeared iDreams aVyazma, departed peacefully 1077 ; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary ; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Arcadius was born at the beginning of the XI century in the city of Vyazma, was a member of the Syreishchikov family of merchants, were distinguished for their fervent piety. a young age, and loving the Lord with all his heart and soul, he resolved to devote his entire life to His service, and to free his soul from worldly attachments. was one of the earliest fools for the sake of Christ in Russia, may have been inspired by reading the Lives of Greek fools such as Saint Symeon of Emesa (July 21) and Saint Andrew of Constantinople (October 2). holy fools for Christ tried to live according to the words of Christ: “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). holy fools were also mindful of Saint Paul’s words: “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are dishonored. Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst; we are naked and buffeted, and have no fixed abode; we labor with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure. When we are maligned, we entreat. We have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now” (I Corinthians 4:10-13). the day, Saint Arcadius concealed his exalted angelic life by foolish behavior, people mocked his appearance, as well as his child-like simplicity, kindness, and ignorance of the necessities of life. made him seem strange and incomprehensible to worldly individuals, and his conduct became more unusual with every passing day. night, however, he devoted his time to prayer, standing atop a stone on a hill in the forest outside of town. the venerable one’s love of solitude helped him to remain unknown for a time, people soon became aware of the Saint’s virtuous life. noticed that when he prayed in church, his very appearance seemed to change. face became radiant, and his attention was completely focused on the prayers. he would weep, shedding tears of compunction and repentance. never occurred to anyone who observed him at such times that he might be a madman. his advice always seemed to be good, and his predictions always came to pass. He spoke only rarely, however, preferring to remain silent. there was a Cross Procession, Saint Arcadius would take a broom, and for two days ahead of time he swept the streets, starting from the cathedral to the church. this way he demonstrated that one must have inner purity and keep God’s commandments, especially when preparing for a Church Feast. that time, Saint Ephraim of Novotorsk (January 28) would often travel to Kiev to visit the more experienced Elders. on the way from Kiev, he stopped at Vyazma, where he heard about Arcadius. that moment, the young ascetic became the disciple of Elder Ephraim, who helped him to avoid the spiritual dangers inherent in the difficult and unusual exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Ephraim taught him that being despised by others could lead the mind away from God, because knowing that one was suffering unjustly often leads to pride. such a way of life could also darken one’s mind and heart, instead of leading one to enlightenment and the renewal of the inner man (2 Corinthians 4:16). time Arcadius strengthened himself by constant spiritual struggles. joined his Spiritual Father in Novotorsk, where Saint Ephraim tonsured him into the angelic Schema. this the people of Vyazma witnessed several miracles which were accomplished through the prayers of Blessed Arcadius, he fled from worldly glory and went to a place along the upper Tvertsa River. Arcadius also participated in founding a church and monastery dedicated to the royal Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb (May 2). moving into the new monastery, Saint Arcadius cut off his own will and obeyed his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim, in all things. Arcadius never missed a service; he and his spiritual guide were always the first to come to church for Matins. his Elder’s repose, the Venerable Arcadius continued to labor according to his precepts, living a life of prayer, fasting and quietude. he had lived in the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb for several years, he departed peacefully to the Lord on December 13, 1077. body was buried next to his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim. inhabitants of Torzhok and the surrounding areas frequently experienced the power of the grace-filled actions of the Venerable Arcadius, and clearly saw in them a sign of God’s favor. they turned to him with faith and prayer, they always received relief from their illnesses and deliverance from their sorrows through his intercession. holy monk often appeared to the inhabitants of the city of Vyazma in dreams and visions and delivered them from troubles and sorrows. In their minds there was no doubt concerning his holiness. canonization of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk for local veneration apparently took place around 1584-1587. Vyazma’s church of the All-Merciful Savior (built in 1594), and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Arcadius was built soon after his glorification. combined celebration of Saints Arcadius and Ephraim was established by Metropolitan Dionysius sometime around 1584-1587. relics of Saint Arcadius, glorified by miracles of healing, were uncovered on June 11, 1572. July 11, 1677, with the blessing of Metropolitan Cornelius of Novgorod and Velikiy Luki, Archimandrite Eustathios of Novotorsk monastery solemnly recovered the incorrupt relics of the Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk and transferred them to a crypt in Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral at Novotorsk (New Market); in 1841, the left side chapel of Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church was dedicated to Saint Arcadius. August 14, 1798 the Saint’s holy relics were placed in a stone coffin, which had served as the resting place of Saint Ephraim until 1572. solemn celebration of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of the holy relics of Saint Arcadius to the cathedral of Saints Boris and Gleb in 1677 took place in the city of Novotorsk in July of 1977. July 21, 2019, a portion of the relics of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk were presented to the Cathedral church of Saints Boris and Gleb Monastery by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Arcadius is also commemorated on August 14 (the day of his blessed repose), July 11 (the transfer of his relics in 1677), and June 11 (the discovery of his relics).

Russia, Kiev, 1023-1065, Barlaam, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 2 pilgrimages to Jerusalem & Constantinople
Russia, Kiev, 1023-1065, Barlaam, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 2 pilgrimages to Jerusalem & Constantinople, son oIllustrious noble, yearned monk life, tAnthony, accepted, under Nikon, his father tried return but, made igumen, replacing Anthony, 1058 built wooden church, 2 pilgrimages, died in Volhynia 1065 returning, buried K Near Caves; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Barlaam, Igumen of the Kiev Caves, lived during the eleventh century at Kiev, was the son of an illustrious noble. his youth, he yearned for the monastic life and he went to Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), accepted the pious youth so firmly determined to become a monk, he bade Saint Nikon (March 23) to tonsure him. Barlaam’s father tried to return him home by force, but finally became convinced that his son would never return to the world, so he gave up. the number of monks at the Caves began to increase, Saint Anthony made Saint Barlaam igumen, while he himself moved to another cave and again began to live in solitude. Barlaam became the first igumen of the Kiev Caves monastery. the year 1058, after asking Saint Anthony’s blessing, Saint Barlaam built a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Barlaam became igumen of the newly-formed monastery in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius. Barlaam twice went on pilgrimage to the holy places in Jerusalem and Constantinople. he returned from his second journey, he died in the Vladimir Holy Mountain monastery at Volhynia in 1065 and was buried, in accord with his final wishes, at the Caves monastery in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1024-1091, Theodosis, K Rus Saint, of the Kiev Caves, Cenobitic Monasticism
Kiev Rus Saint, 1024-1091, Theodosis of Kiev; Baptism of Rus, Kiev, August 1st, 988; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27;

Russia, Kiev, 1024-1091, Athanasius tRecluse, wTheodosius, He had no need oCandles, heavenly light, He grants healing wFaith
Russia, Kiev, 1024-1091, Athanasius tRecluse, wTheodosius, He had no need oCandles, heavenly light, He grants healing who approach him wFaith; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2; Athanasius, Recluse of the Far Caves of Kiev is mentioned in the Fourth Ode of the general Canon of the Monastic Fathers of the Far Caves. “Sayings and Lives of the Saints Who Repose in the Cave of Saint Theodosius” says that Saint Athanasius had no need of candles in the cave, since a heavenly light shone for him. He grants healing to all who approach him with faith. memory of Saint Athanasius is celebrated also on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1024-1093, Gregory, wonderworker otKNC, Rostislav's servants, Weep, disaster approches, you wfDeath iWater wR
Russia, Kiev,1024-1093, Gregory, wonderworker otKiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, Theodosius' time 1024-1091, time tReading, books only possession, brought thieves tSenses, Rostislav's servants made fun, children when should ask prayers displeasing God, Weep, disaster approches, repent, ask mercy day oJudgement, you will find death in water wPrince, Rostislav drowned Gregory, predictions came true, buried Near Caves ; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Gregory, Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Gregory was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery in the time of Saint Theodosius (May 3). saint devoted much time to reading books, which were his sole possession. had the ability to bring thieves to their senses. times robbers broke in on him in his cell or in the garden, but the saint reasoned with them, the thieves repented, and began to lead honest lives. when the monk went to the Dnieper River for water, some servants of Prince Rostislav caught sight of the Elder and rudely began making fun of him. saint answered them, “Children, when you should be asking for everyone’s prayers, you are displeasing God. for disaster approaches. and ask God to be merciful to you on the Day of Judgment. you will find death in the water with your prince.” orders of the enraged Prince Rostislav, the monk was bound hand and foot, and he was drowned in the Dnieper with a stone around his neck. his prediction came true. did not return from the campaign. that same year of 1093 the twenty-year-old prince drowned in sight of his brother, Vladimir Monomakh, trying to save himself as he fled from the Polovetsians. sources identify Saint Gregory with Saint Gregory, a composer of Canons in honor of the holy Prince Vladimir, Saint Theodosius, and the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb. Saint Gregory, compiler of canons, lived later and died in about the year Saint Gregory the Wonderworker died in 1093 and was buried in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1025-1028, Constantine VIII, Byzantine Emperor, Brother of Basil II
Russia, Kiev, 1025-1028, Kiev Rus King, Constantine VIII, Brother of Basil II; Russia, Kiev, 960-976, Kiev Rus King, Basil II, Basil the Bulgar Slayer ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev, 1040-1077, Sviatoslav II, K Rus King, Yaroslav's son, Monk, Kiev, Volhy, Cherg, Triumvirate
Kiev Rus King, 1040-1077, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, St Nicholas Sviatoslav ; II Iaroslavich or Sviatoslav II Yaroslavich (1027 -“ 27 December 1076[1] in Kiev [Kyiv]) was Grand Prince of Kiev between 1073 and 1076. He was born as a younger son of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. His baptismal name was Nicholas. ruled the Principality of Vladimir in Volhynia in his father's lifetime (from around 1040 to 1054). the Wise, who divided the Kievan Rus' between his five sons in his testament, willed the Principality of Chernigov to Sviatoslav. joined his brothers, Iziaslav of Kiev and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav, in forming a princely "triumvirate" that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus' until 1072. three brothers together fought against their enemies, including the nomadic Oghuz Turks, and their distant relative, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. Cumans defeated their united force in the autumn of 1068, but Sviatoslav routed a Cuman band plundering his principality. "triumvirate" broke up, when Sviatoslav, supported by his younger brother Vsevolod, dethroned and replaced their older brother Iziaslav in 1073. commissioned the compilation of at least two miscellanies of theological works. Otherwise, his short reign was uneventful. 1 Early life 2 Triumvirate 3 Grand Prince of Kiev 4 Family 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 7.1 Primary sources 7.2 Secondary sources 8 Further reading life[edit] was the fourth son of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev, and his wife, Ingegerd of Sweden.[2] He was born in 1027.[2] The Lyubetskiy sinodik—a list of the princes of Chernigov which was completed in the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Lyubech—writes that his baptismal name was Nicholas.[3] Russian Primary Chronicle writes that Sviatoslav was staying "at Vladimir"[4] (Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Ukraine) in Volhynia around the time his father fell seriously ill before his death.[5] to the historian Martin Dimnik, the chronicle's report shows that Yaroslav the Wise had, most probably in about 1040, appointed Sviatoslav to rule this important town of the Kievan Rus'.[6] his deathbed, Yaroslav the Wise divided the most important towns of his realm among his five sons—Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor, and Vyacheslav—who survived him.[7][8] Sviatoslav, he bequeathed Chernigov (Chernihiv, Ukraine).[9] dying grand prince also ordered that his four younger sons should "heed"[10] their eldest brother, Iziaslav who received Kiev.[8] of the Kievan Rus' in the Kievan Rus' (1054–1132) the Wise died on 20 February 1054.[11] three elder sons—Iziaslav of Kiev, Sviatoslav of Chernigov, and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav—decided to jointly govern the Kievan Rus'.[12] Martin Dimnik writes that taking into account Sviatoslav's political and military skills it "is reasonable to assume that he was one of the main motivating forces, if not the actual architect, of many of the policies adopted" by the three brothers.[13] "triumviri" closely cooperated in the following years.[12] 1059 they liberated their uncle, Sudislav whom their father had sent to prison around 1035.[14][15] made a joint expedition "by horse and ship against the Torks"[16] or Oghuz Turks, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, in 1060.[17] On hearing of the arrival of the Rus' forces, the Torks fled from their lands without resistance.[18] 1065, Sviatoslav led his troops against his nephew, Rostislav Vladimirovich, who had in the previous year expelled by force Sviatoslav's son, Gleb from Tmutorakan.[19] Upon Sviatoslav's arrival, Rostislav withdrew from this important center of his uncle's domains, but he reoccupied it after Sviatoslav had returned to Chernigov.[20] A distant cousin of the "triumviri", Vseslav Briacheslavich (Prince of Polotsk), attacked Pskov in 1065, according to The Chronicle of Pskov.[21][22] Vseslav Briacheslavich could not take this town, but he seized and plundered Novgorod—which had been ruled by Iziaslav of Kiev's son, Mstislav—in the next winter.[21][23] Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod soon united their forces and set forth against Vseslav, "though it was the dead of winter",[24] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[25] They routed Vseslav's army by the Nemiga River (near Minsk) on 3 March 1066.[25] Vseslav, who fled from the battlefield, agreed to enter into negotiations with the "triumviri", but they treacherously captured him at a meeting at Orsha in early June.[22][25] Cumans, who had emerged as the dominant power of the Pontic steppes in the early 1060s, invaded the southern regions of Kievan Rus' in 1068.[26] The three brothers together marched against the invaders, but the Cumans routed them on the Alta River.[27] From the battlefield, Sviatoslav withdrew to Chernigov and regrouped his troops.[27] He returned to defeat the Cumans with a smaller force at the town of Snovsk on 1 November, thus enhancing his prestige among the populace.[27] In the meantime, the townspeople of Kiev had dethroned and expelled Sviatoslav's brother, Iziaslav.[28] Taking advantage of Iziaslav's absence, Sviatopluk sent his own son, Gleb to Novgorod to rule the town.[29][30] returned at the head of Polish reinforcements.[31] The townspeople of Kiev sent messages to Sviatoslav and Vsevolod, imploring them to come to their "father's city"[32] and defend it, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[33] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod requested Iziaslav "not to lead the Poles in attack upon Kiev", stating that "if he intended to nurse his wrath and destroy the city, they would be properly concerned for the ancestral capital".[33][34][31] Iziaslav partially acquiesced: he did not let his Polish allies enter the town, but his retinue slaughtered or mutilated many of his opponents in Kiev.[35] He also attempted to punish Anthony—the founder of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev—who had supported his enemies, but Sviatoslav gave shelter to the saintly monk in Chernigov.[36] Iziaslav's return to Kiev, the "triumvirate" was restored.[28] The three brothers together visited Vyshhorod in order to participate in the translation of the relics of their saintly uncles, Boris and Gleb on 3 May 1072.[37] According to The Narrative, Passion, and Encomium of Boris and Gleb, Sviatoslav took Saint Gleb's hand and "pressed it to his injury, for he had pain in his neck, and to his eyes, and to his forehead"[38] before placing it back into the coffin.[39] In short Sviatoslav felt a pain at the top of his head and his servant found a fingernail of the saint under his cap.[39] Most historians agree that the three brothers expanded their father's legal code on this occasion, but the exact date is unknown.[40] [41] Prince of Kiev[edit] Izbornik of 1076 page from Sviatoslav's Izbornik of 1073 to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "the devil stirred up strife"[42] among the three brothers shortly after the canonization of Saints Boris and Gleb.[43][44] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod united their forces and expelled Iziaslav from Kiev on 22 March 1073.[43] The chronicler put the blame for this action on Sviatoslav, stating that "he was the instigator of his brother's expulsion, for he desired more power".[42][44] The chronicler also states that Sviatoslav had "misled Vsevolod by asserting that" Iziaslav "was entering into an alliance"[42] with Vseslav Briacheslavich against them.[44] Modern historians disagree about the motives of Sviatoslav's action. Franklin and Shepard write that he was driven by "straightforward greed";[45] Martin says that Sviatoslav who seems to have suffered from a grave illness wanted to secure his sons' right to Kiev which would have been lost if Sviatoslav "had predeceased Iziaslav without having ruled"[46] the town. In fact, the Russian Primary Chronicle states that it was Sviatoslav who "ruled in Kiev after the expulsion"[42] of Iziaslav.[47] the head of the Monastery of the Caves, Feodosy criticized Sviatoslav for usurping the throne.[43][48] However, before his death in May 1074 he was reconciled with the grand prince, who supported the foundation of a stone church dedicated to the Mother of God in Kiev.[45][49] Sviatoslav also supported the compilation of ecclesiastic works. Two izborniki or miscellanies—collections of excerpts from the Bible and from theological works—were completed under his auspices in 1073 and 1076.[50] According to the Izbornik of 1073, Sviatoslav, who is praised as a "new Ptolemy", had by that time collected a great number of spiritual books.[51] rule was short and uneventful.[52] His dethroned brother first fled to Poland, but Duke Boleslav II, who was Sviatoslav's son-in-law, expelled him from his lands.[28][53] Next Iziaslav sought the assistance of the German monarch, Henry IV.[43] The latter, in 1075, sent his envoys—including Sviatoslav's brother-in-law, Burchard—to Kiev to collect more information.[54] According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "in his pride", Sviatoslav "showed them his riches", displaying them "the innumerable quantity of his gold, silver and silks".[55][56] In 1076 Sviatoslav sent reinforcements to Poland to help his son-in-law against the Bohemians.[57] died on 27 December 1076.[1] The Russian Primary Chronicle writes that "the cutting of a sore"[58] caused his death.[59] He was buried in the Holy Savior Cathedral in Chernigov.[59] Within a year, his elder brother Iziaslav was restored and Sviatoslav's sons lost most parts of his domains.[1][60] Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2;

Russia, Kiev, 1051s, Saint Georges Victory Church, by Yaroslav the Wise, George in baptism
Russia, Kiev, 1051s, Saint Georges Victory Church, Yaroslav the Wise, George in baptism, dedicated this church to his patron saint, long tradition building churches for patron saints; Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George at Kiev: with the holy Prince Vladimir (July 15), it was the pious custom of Russian princes to build a church in honor of their patron saint. Saint Vladimir (in Baptism Basil) built at Kiev and Vyshgorod temples dedicated to Saint Basil the Great (January 1). Izyaslav I (1054-1068) (in Baptism Demetrius) built a church and monastery at Kiev in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius (October 26). Yaroslav the Wise (in Baptism George) started to build a church and men’s monastery in honor of his patron saint, the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23). also built a church named for his wife’s patron saint, the Holy Great Martyr Irene (May 5). temple in honor of the Great Martyr George was consecrated by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21), a yearly commemoration was established in honor of this event. Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer, and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.”

Russia, Kiev, 1051-1055, Hilarion, First native Kiev Rus Metropolitan, Writer, Splits 1054
Kiev Rus Metropolitan, 1051-1055, Hilarion of Kiev; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21; Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, lived during the era of the Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise (+ 1054), son of Saint Vladimir. the history of the Russian Church he is remembered as the first Russian installed as Metropolitan by a Council of Russian bishops. The Russian Church up to that time had been a Metropolitan See, under the patriarchate of Constantinople. Russia’s first metropolitans were Greeks, and they were appointed by Constantinople. Hilarion, priest of the prince’s village of Berestovo near Kiev, was the spiritual Father and companion of Prince Yaroslav. Saint Nestor the Chronicler relates: prince Yaroslav loved Berestovo, and built the church of the Holy Apostles there, and he honored many priests. Among them was the presbyter Hilarion, a man of virtue, knowledge, and given to fasting. He made his way from Berestovo to the Dniepr, where the old Kiev Caves monastery is now, and he made his prayer in the deep forest there. Having dug out a shallow 14 foot cave, he chanted the Hours and prayed in solitude to God....” Hilarion, as his works attest, was not simply a “man of books”, but was endowed with great spiritual gifts and profound theological knowledge. He devoted all his efforts to the service of the Russian Church. When Metropolitan Theopemptus died, Rus was in a state of war against Byzantium. By decision of a Council of the Russian hierarchs, a resolution was made to establish a Metropolitanate at Kiev, not subject to Constantinople. Hilarion was famed among the Russian clergy for his heightened spiritual life and gift for preaching. Prior to this, he gave a eulogy in the “Tithe” church of Kiev to the holy Prince Vladimir with his acclaimed “Discourse Concerning Law and Grace,” in which he provided a theological explanation of the place of the Russian Church in the history of the divine economy of Salvation. choice of the Council hierarchs was dear to the heart of Yaroslav the Wise. Saint Hilarion was installed as Metropolitan at the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in the year 1051 and was later confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. He was not the primate of the Russian Church for long. The chronicle does not mention the year of his death, but the saint was not at the death of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (February 20, 1054), and in the year 1055 a new metropolitan had arrived at Kiev. Evidently, Saint Hilarion had died in 1053. spiritual legacy lives on in the Russian Church especially in a fine example of Russian church literature, the “Discourse Concerning Law and Grace.” Its content is profound and multi-faceted. At the heart of the “Discourse” is the teaching concerning salvation and grace. Secondly, great attention is devoted to the question of the superiority of Christianity over Judaism. This theme was essential during those times in Kievan Rus. The Jews had approached Saint Vladimir, hoping to convert him to their faith, and Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (May 3) had gone to the “Jewish Quarter” in Kiev to preach Christ Crucified. It is also known that the Jews had attempted to convert the holy hierarch Nikḗtas the Hermit to Judaism when he was still a monk of the Kiev Caves monastery (1088). Saint Simon relates this in the Kiev Caves Paterikon. This explains the attention which Saint Hilarion devotes to the question “about the Law given to Moses, and about grace and truth, through the coming of Jesus Christ.” finally, the third theme, the occasion of the uttering of the “Discourse” was the glorification of the apostolic work of holy Prince Vladimir. The kingdom of nature, the kingdom of grace and the future Kingdom of Glory are perceived in the spiritual experience of the Church as inseparably connected. The Law is only the forerunner and servant of grace and truth. Truth and grace are but servants of the future age and true life. Saint Hilarion teaches thus about the superiority of the Church: “Moses and the prophets foretold the Coming of Christ, whereas Christ and His Apostles bore witness to the Resurrection and the future age.” saint explains that from the moment the Savior came into he world, the Old Covenant of man with God ceased to be in effect. With the theological symbols of the Old and New Covenants the saint employs images borrowed from the holy Apostle Paul (Gal. 4:22-31) relating to the two wives of Abraham: the freeborn Sarah and the maidservant Hagar. “Hagar was cast out, a slave, together with her son Ishmael; and Isaac, the free son, was heir to Abraham. Thus also were the Jews cast out and dispersed through the lands, whereas the sons of grace, the Christians, have become heirs to God the Father. As the light of the moon fades at the shining of the sun, so also the Law fades at the shining forth of grace. The cold of night vanishes when the warmth of the sun heats the earth, and mankind is no longer bent over under the burden of the Law, but instead walks freely in grace.” joy of Christ fills the holy preacher when he speaks about the entry of his native Rus into the host of Christian peoples. “The grace of Christ has filled all the earth,” and especially, the youthfully alive peoples, to which the Russian people also belong. “It becomes grace and truth to shine forth in new peoples. They do not, in the words of the Lord, pour new wine (this being the teaching of grace) into old wineskins (referring to the Jews) but the rather put the new teaching, into new wineskins, into new peoples,” Thus the faith “throughout all the earth has spread and reached our Russian tongue. Here now we too, glorify the Holy Trinity with all Christians, and the Jews be silent. Pagans are accepted, but the Jews are spurned.” the Orthodox Russians “are not termed idolaters, but rather Christians. No longer do we build heathen temples, but rather the churches of Christ. No longer do we sacrifice others to the demons (Varangian Martyrs, July 12), but instead, Christ has been slain for us in sacrifice to God the Father. The Blessed God has had mercy on all lands, and has not despised us, for He also desired to save us and bring us to our senses in truth.” great apostolic exploit of the enlightening of the Russian Land was made by holy Prince Vladimir (15 July 15), “like Saint Constantine,” who “commanded throughout all his land that they be baptized in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In a clear and loud voice, he ordered all in the cities to glorify the Holy Trinity and to be Christians, the small and great, slave and free, young and old, rich and poor.” Saint Hilarion speaks with pride about his native land, “Saint Vladimir did not exercise sovereignty in a bad or ignorant land, but the rather in Russia, which is known and heard of by all the ends of the earth.” “Discourse Concerning Law and Grace” was the first work of its time in the Russian Church in which the holy Baptizer of Rus is acclaimed blessed among the ranks of the equals-to-the-Apostles. “Rejoice in the midst of sovereigns, O apostle, not in having dead bodies resurrected, but our deadened souls resurrecting: for by you have we been made alive in God and given to know life in Christ.” Such is the content of this remarkable memorial of ancient Russian theology. Among the other works of Saint Hilarion is his episcopal “Confession,” having become the model for a bishop’s vow in the Russian Church. Usually appended to the manuscripts of the “Discourse Concerning Law and Grace” is the “Prayer of Saint Hilarion.” This work of the saint also possesses a long history within the tradition of his native church. In the year 1555, upon his journey to the newly-formed Kazan diocese, Saint Gurias ordered that there be read to him the prayer, “The Work of Metropolitan Hilarion the Russian”, at Moscow and in the other cities, through which he was to travel. Hilarion was buried in the Kiev caves. In the inscribed titles to his works, in the manuscripts of saintly literature and lists of holy hierarchs, Saint Hilarion is invariably termed a saint and described as a wonderworker. His assured literary veneration as a saint is evidenced in the services to the Fathers of the Kiev Caves. Both in the service of the Synaxis of Fathers of the Near Caves (September 28), and also in the service to all the Kiev Caves Saints (second Sunday of Great Lent), Saint Hilarion is numbered among the saintly hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1054-1078, Izyaslav I, K Rus King,Yaroslav's oldest son, Caves M, legal code, w Poland,Ger,HRE
Kiev Rus King, 1054-1078, Izyaslav I (Demetrius) Yaroslavich ; Yaroslavich (1024 – 3 October 1078, baptized as Demetrius) was a Kniaz' (Prince) of Turov and Veliki Kniaz (Grand Prince of Kiev (now Kyiv, Ukraine), from 1054). children Yaropolk and Sviatopolk would rule the Turov Principality. Their authority was mainly challenged by the Rostilavichi of Rostislav Vsevolodovich. 1 Biography 2 Children 3 Ancestry 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links was the oldest son of Yaroslav I the Wise by his second wife Ingigerd Olafsdottir. succeeded his father, after Yaroslav's oldest child, Vladimir (the only child by Yaroslav's first wife), had predeceased his father. was one of the authors of "Pravda Yaroslavichiv" – a part of the first legal code of Rus, called Russkaya Pravda. is also credited with the foundation of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery. Iziaslav I of Kiev ceded the whole mountain to Antonite monks who founded a monastery built by architects from Constantinople. to the Primary Chronicle, in the early 11th century, Antony, a Greek Orthodox monk from Esphigmenon monastery on Mount Athos, originally from Liubech in the Principality of Chernigov, returned to Rus' and settled in Kiev as a missionary of the monastic tradition to Kievan Rus'. chose a cave at the Berestov Mount that overlooked the Dnieper River and a community of disciples soon grew. 1043 his father Veliki Kniaz (Grand Prince) Yaroslav made an agreement with King Casimir I of Poland that recognized Cherven (Cherven Cities, or Vohly, between Poland and Russia) as part of Kiev. agreement was sealed with a double marriage—Casimir to Dobronega, Yaroslav's sister; and Iziaslav to Gertrude, Casimir's sister.[1] this marriage were born three children: Iziaslav's son Yaropolk, Mstislav and Sviatopolk. Upon the death of Yaroslav the Wise, his realm was divided between three of his older sons (Vladimir of Novgorod died before that), Izyaslav, Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod, the Yaroslavichi triumvirate that ruled the country for the next 20 years. a result of the popular uprising in 1068, Iziaslav was deposed and fled to Poland.[1] 1069 he retook Kiev with the help of the Polish army; however, he was ousted again by his brothers in 1073. turned to the German king Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Polish king BolesÅ‚aw II the Bold, and Pope Gregory VII, for help on several occasions. Iziaslav became the first King of Rus' in 1075 when the Pope sent him a crown. He succeeded in retaking Kiev once again in 1076, but soon died in an internecine war against Princes Oleg Sviatoslavich and Boris Vyacheslavich. Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated on January 11; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1054-1098, Saint Ephraim of the Caves, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, copied Studite monastic rule, builder at P
Russia, Kiev, 1054-1098, Saint Ephraim of the Caves, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, (the Principality, Alta River, Trubizh River, Dnieper River 4), treasurer and steward for Izyaslav 1054-1098, became monastic w enraged I, threatened destroy monastery, changed his mind, Ephraim to Holy Land, copied Studite monastic rule, 1072 made bishop of P, builder at P, churches, public buildings, stone walls, hospices, public bath houses, 1091 transfer Theodosius' relics, 1098 died; Pereyaslavl; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Ephraim of the Caves, Bishop of Pereyaslavl, before his tonsure into monasticism, was treasurer and steward of household affairs at the court of the Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (Demetrius) Yaroslavich (1054-1068). Weighed down by this noisy and bustling life and wishing to become a monk, he was accepted by Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves and was tonsured by Saint Nikon (March 23). enraged prince demanded that Ephraim return, threatening to lock him up in prison and to destroy the Monastery of the Caves. Saint Anthony and the brethren left the monastery and decided to go to another place. Izyaslav, however, feared the wrath of God. He took his wife’s advice and withdrew his forces from the monastery in disgrace. Ephraim wished to go on pilgrimage to the holy places abroad. With the blessing of Saint Anthony, he journeyed to Constantinople and settled there in one of the monasteries. While in Constantinople, Saint Ephraim made a copy of the Studite monastic Rule, and took it to Kiev at the request of Saint Theodosius. As soon as he received the Rule, Saint Theodosius implemented it in his monastery. the year 1072 Ephraim was made bishop in Pereyaslavl, with the title of Metropolitan. He adorned Pereyaslavl with many beautiful churches and public buildings, and he built stone walls around the city in the Greek manner. He built free hospices for the poor and travelers, and constructed several public bath-houses. the year 1091, Saint Ephraim participated in the opening and solemn transfer of the relics of Saint Theodosius. A Life of Saint Ephraim existed in former times, but it has not survived. We find an account of him both in the Life of Saint Theodosius, and in the Russian Chronicles. A tale and encomium for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is ascribed to Saint Ephraim. Ephraim died in the year 1098. He was buried in the Antoniev (Far) Caves of the Kiev Caves monastery. memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1057-1090, Isaac tRecluse oKiev Near Caves oSt Anthony, extreme ascetic, demons, fool fChrist, sign otCross&Prayer
Russia, Kiev, 1057-1090, Isaac tRecluse oKiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057, first Fool fChrist iNorthern Lands, rich merchant in Toropets iPskov who gave sibstance tPoor went tKiev became monk by St Anthony, strict life oSeclusion, eating only single prosphor& little water end otDay, after 7yrs fierce temptation fDevil, mistook D for Christ, worshipped him, fell down terribly crippled, but Anthony&Theodosis nursed him, began walk and speak only after 3yrs, they forcably took him to church, after recovery took exploit of holy foolishness, endured beatings, nakedness, cold, then seclusion and onslaught of demons, delivered by sign otCross and prayer, then after 20 yrs died in 1090; Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Isaac was the first person in northern lands to live as a fool for Christ. name in the world was Chern. becoming a monk, he was a rich merchant in the city of Toropets in the Pskov lands. distributed all his substance to the poor, he went to Kiev and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Anthony (July 10). led a very strict life of reclusion, only a single prosphora and a little water at the end of the day. seven years as a hermit, he was subjected to a fierce temptation by the devil. mistaken the Evil One for Christ, he worshipped him, which he fell down terribly crippled. Anthony and Theodosius took care of him and nursed him. after three years did he begin to walk and to speak. did not wish to attend church, but he was brought there by force. his return to health he took upon himself the exploit of holy foolishness, beatings, nakedness and cold. his death he went into seclusion, again he was subjected to an onslaught of demons, which he was delivered by the Sign of the Cross and by prayer. his healing he spent about twenty years in asceticism. died in the year 1090. relics rest in the Caves of Saint Anthony, part of them were transferred to Toropets by the igumen of the Kudin monastery in the year 1711. Life of the Blessed Isaac was recorded by Saint Nestor in the Chronicles (under the year 1074). account in the Kiev Caves Paterikon differs somewhat from that of Saint Nestor. the Great Reading Menaion under April 27 is the “Account of Saint Isaac and his Deception by the Devil.”

Russia, Kiev, 1060-1676, Yelets Icon, 1060 Yelets-Chernigov I, 1395 Yelets I when MOG scared Tamerlane
Russia, Ryazan, 1060-1676, Yelets (Elets) Icon, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4), same year as Yelets-Chernigov Icon, could be a copy, 1395 another Yelets Icon when MOG and Saints scared Tamerlane, same day residents prayed to Luke's Vladimir Icon in Moscow; Elets; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; only thing we known about this Icon is that it was located in the city of Yelts, Orlov Gubernia. addition, the annals record the year of its appearance - 1060, which is the same as that of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon (February 5). Researchers believe that the Yelets Icon is a late copy of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon. addition to the belt image of the Mother of God, there is another kind of Yelets Icon which depicts the appearance of the Queen of Heaven to Tamerlane in 1395 in the city of Yelets, before his march on Moscow. Holy Virgin appeared with a multitude of Saints, in a threatening vision to Tamerlane as he was resting in his tent on Mount Argamach. the same day (August 26) the residents of Moscow met the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, praying before it for deliverance from the terrible invasion. by the vision, Tamerlane exclaimed, "So, we shall not defeat the land of Russia!" and then he retreated with his horde. Yelets Icon is commemorated on January 11, and also on August 26, in remembrance of Tamerlane's retreat. The Elets-Chernigov (or Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated On February 5. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Russia, Kiev, 1060-1676, Elets-Chernigov (Spruce Tree) Icon, appeared in tree, numerous miracles
Russia, Kiev, 1060-1676, Elets-Chernigov (Spruce Tree) Icon, appeared in tree, monastery built, 1238 m pillaged Tartars, Icon hidden in walls, 1579 to Moscow because Bathory, copy in Vladimir 1676, numerous miracles; Chernigov; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov", Commemorated on February 5; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). The icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Russia, Kiev, 1060-1129, Constantine of Murom with his sons Michael and Theodore (Fyodor), Saint, died 1129
Kiev Saint, died 1129, Constantine of Murom; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21;

Russia, Kiev, 1064-1114, Alypius of the Caves, First Kiev Rus Iconographer
Russia, Kiev, 1064-1114, First Kiev Rus Iconographer, Alypius of the Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14

Russia, Kiev, 1065 -1090, Isaiah tWonderworker, Bishop oRostov, Strength fResolute Intention, huge Diocese, successful t
Russia, Rostov, 1065 -1090, Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, fKiev, Kiev Caves Monastery, strength from resolute intention, Prince Iziaslav wanted Isaiah fhMonastery, 1078 apostolic ministry Bishop oRostov, Large territory, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, Moscow, Tver, &Olonets, Rostov Cathedral, traveled large area, teaching & destroying idols, P Vladimir Monomakh money fC, W Icon ; Rustov; Saint Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on May 15; Isaiah was born near Kiev to pious parents who raised him in the Orthodox Faith. his youth, he forsook worldly vanity and entered the Kiev Caves Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Theodosios († May 3, 1074). with love for the Savior, the young monk engaged in the difficult struggles of fasting and prayer. the same time, he was meek, humble, obedient, non-acquisitive, fraternal, and he mortified the carnal passions through abstinence and patience, as well as the virtues of wisdom, spiritual courage, and chastity. recalled the words of an ancient Elder: "A man's strength does not depend upon human nature, which is subject to change, but upon resolute intention." by God's help, he constantly ascended in spirit to the heavenly Jerusalem.1 of the young monk Isaiah's ascetical struggles soon spread beyond the Monastery. when Barlaam, the first Igoumen of the Monastery reposed, a Monastery was built in the courtyard of the Great Prince Iziaslav of Kiev, and dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. 1065, Prince Iziaslav asked Saint Theodosios to elevate Father Isaiah to the rank of Igoumen of that Monastery because of his virtuous life. Theodosios gave his blessing, and Father Isaiah became the Igoumen. receiving this high office, the blessed one was a good mentor for the brethren and a good shepherd of Christ's rational flock. As Igoumen, he always thought of the Lord, and continued to abide in humility and in spiritual and corporeal labors. such a holy man in his Monastery, Prince Iziaslav rejoiced in spirit, thanking the Lord and Saint Theodosios for granting his desire. 1078, Saint Isaiah, who was proficient in piety and filled with divine grace, took part in the joint prayer of the Elders of the Caves for the ascetic Nikḗtas (January 31), who had been deceived by a demon (later he became the Bishop of Novgorod). the podvig2 of monastic life for three years, and then serving as Igoumen for ten years, Saint Isaiah was called to exercise an apostolic ministry. 1078, Saint Isaiah was consecrated as Bishop of Rostov, where there were still many pagans at that time. Diocese of Rostov encompassed a vast territory which included Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, and part of Moscow, Tver, and Olonets. pagan inhabitants of the region clung to many superstitions, bloody customs, divination, and sorcery. good shepherd Saint Leontius of Rostov († May 23, 1073) labored hard for the enlightenment of the Rostov region, but still more pagans were to be found there by his valiant successor. Isaiah worked zealously, planting the seeds of Orthodoxy among the inhabitants of his large Diocese, also built a cathedral in Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. to his ancient Life, Saint Isaiah "found the newly-illumined people, who had not yet been firmly established in the Faith," and so he began to instruct them. travelled around with apostolic zeal, preaching about Christ in the Diocese of Rostov, persuading them of the folly of idolatry, and destroying the pagan idols. Isaiah begged his flock to remain strong in their faith, and to imitate Christ in their life. He repeated his message everywhere he went: "As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). a stikheron from his Church Service, the spirit of Saint Isaiah's ministry is perfectly expressed: "What shall we call you O Hierarch? Angel, for you lived on earth as one incorporeal; Apostle, for you taught the true Faith to the ends of Russia; Martyr, because for the sake of Christ you fought until death, turning people from the darkness of wickedness and bringing them to the pasture of godly reason." was a great consolation to Saint Isaiah to have the Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh participate in his ministry. The Great Prince gave money to build a cathedral at Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which there was a wonderworking icon painted by Saint Alypios of the Kiev Caves (August 17). Christ's Hierarch Isaiah treated the poor, the unfortunate, and all those in need with love. Lord glorified His servant by working many signs and miracles through him. In 1089, "borne on a cloud like the Apostles of old,"3 Bishop Isaiah was able to be present at the consecration of the "heavenly" church of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Kiev Caves Monastery. it was time for the consecration of the Dormition cathedral at the Kiev Caves Lavra, Metropolitan John of Kiev did not have time to invite the God-loving Bishops from distant lands to attend the Service. his pious wish was granted by an Angel of God who appeared to Bishop Isaiah and told him to attend the ceremony. Then, miraculously, the Angel brought him to the Kiev Caves Lavra, and he was able to participate in the consecration. himself, marveling at his wondrous journey, told Metropolitan John about it, saying that he did not dare to disobey his order by not coming to the consecration of the temple. First Hierarch of Russia was amazed by what he heard, for there was no time to invite the Bishops. This miraculous journey was the fruit of Saint Isaiah's obedience and zeal for the church of God. bishops, Isaiah of Rostov, Luke of Belgorod, and John of Chernigov, served with Metropolitan John at the consecration of the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 14, 1089, and then Bishop Isaiah returned to his flock, which welcomed him with great joy. that, Saint Isaiah shepherded his flock of Rostov for less than a year. He departed from this world in the summer after the Nativity of Christ (on May 15, 1090) after thirteen years as a Bishop. same Angel who bore him to Kiev for the consecration of the church, also carried his soul to dwell in the heavenly abodes for eternity. relics of Saint Isaiah were first found together with the relics of Saint Leontius on May 23, 1164. Holy Right-believing Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4) laid the foundation for a new stone church in Rostov to replace the wooden one damaged by a fire in 1160. While excavating the foundation under the southern wall, the relics of Saint Isaiah were found. According to ancient Tradition and the Chronicle: "The coffin of blessed Isaiah was found, and when they opened it, they saw the Saint's vestments and body were incorrupt, and they glorified God, Who was pleased to glorify His servant not only in life, but also in death. Though many years had passed, the Hierarch's vestments and his body remained untouched by decay." Saint's relics were placed in the church of Saint John, and since the stone church collapsed as soon as it was completed, the relics were moved to the cathedral in 1231 and placed in the narthex, on the right side. the years, however, the memory of Saint Isaiah's miracles was forgotten, so that not even a lamp was lit over his tomb, nor did any priest come with incense to serve a Panikhida for him, because the narthex was always closed. was not fitting, however, for such a great lamp to remain hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:15). According to the manuscript Life, "The Archbishop, seeing that the icon of Saint Isaiah was venerated by all, and also his coffin (in the narthex of the cathedral), he summoned the priests on May 17 and opened the coffin of this most wondrous Father. He took him from there in 1474 and placed him in a new coffin with honor, near the southern doors, where he still works miracles of healing." first Archbishop of Rostov was Theodore in 1390, and the ecclesiastical veneration of Saint Isaiah began in 1474, at the time of the transfer of his relics to the church. The first written Life of Saint Isaiah also belongs to that same time. In 1722 the relics were moved to a silver casket. April 25, 1920, by the decision of the Tenth Rostov District Congress of Soviets, despite the protests of believers, the relics of Saint Isaiah, and the relics of Saints Ignatius and Dēmḗtrios (Tuptalo), Venerable Abraham of Rostov, and Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk were exhibited naked in the center of the Dormition Cathedral. week later, the shrines with the relics of the Saints were returned to their places. Subsequently, the relics of Saint Isaiah were placed in a closed wooden shrine in the Dormition Cathedral. the end of the 1980s, some of the relics were brought to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, some were given to Archbishop Platon (Udovenko) of Yaroslavl and Rostov. the honorable head of Saint Isaiah is kept in the Serapion tent in the Lavra, and a portion of the relics is in Rostov's Dormition Cathedral, in an ark handed over on June 5, 1999 to the diocesan administrator of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Archbishop Micah (Kharkharov). the "Iconographer's Manual" a description of the Saint's external appearance is given: "Our Father among the Saints Bishop Isaiah of Rostov, the wonderworker, a pointed beard like that of Saint Blaise. The Saint's phelonion is red, with a green lining, a white omophorion, a white knobuk on his head, and he holds a Gospel in his hands." Isaiah is also commemorated on May 23, the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov - Yaroslavl. 1 Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2, 21:10) 2 Podvig = ascetical effort, spiritual struggle. 3 See the Feast of the Dormition on August 15.

Russia, Kiev, 1068, Battle of the River Alta, Cumans, Kipchaks over Rus
Kiev, Battle of the River Alta, 1068; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1068-1069, Vseslav, Grand Prince ( Prince of Polotsk (Vohly) and Belarus, 1044-1101)
Russia, Belarus, 1044-1101, Prince, Vseslav of Polotsk (also Grand Prince of Kiev 1068-9); of Polotsk or Vseslav Bryachislavich (c. 1039 – 24 April 1101), also known as Vseslav the Sorcerer or Vseslav the Seer, the most famous ruler of Polotsk and was briefly Grand Prince of Kiev in 1068–1069. with Rostislav Vladimirovich and voivode Vyshata, they created a coalition against the Yaroslaviches' triumvirate. Polotsk's Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (completed in 1066) is one of the most enduring monuments on the lands of modern Belarus and dates to his 57-year reign. Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1070-1114, Nestor tChronicler oRussian History, oKiev Near Caves, Russian Primary Chronicle
Russia, Kiev, 1070-1114, Nestor tChronicler oRussian History, oKiev Near Caves, came to igumen Theodosius as novice, tonsured and hierodeacon under igumen Stephen, cast out Niketas tHermit's devil concerning false Hebrew Old Testament wisdom, Nestor liked true knowledge, humility, penitence, he said great is the benefit oBook learning, they teach way to repentence, wisdom&temperance, true knowledge is the stream from whidh springs wisdom, in books a boundless depth, comfort in sorrows, bridle fModeration, great benefit fSoul, therefore book reading converses wGod or the Saints, in 1080'a wrote Account about the Life and Martyrdom otBlessed Passion Bearers Boris&Gleb, for 1072 transfer of their relics, 1080s wrote Life oTheodosius, 1091 dug up his relics, his chief work Years 1112-1113 of Russian Primary Chronicle, how Russia came to be, first prince, how R land arranged, all in the first line, his purpose, wide circle oSources, unified strict ecclesiastical view, which permitted his history included part of world history, history of human salvation, significant moments Russian Church, first mention bPhotius 866, Cyril&M slavonic alphabet, Olga's baptism, 945 first Kiev Church, 983Varangian Martyrs, Vladimir's testing otFaiths 986, Baptism otRus 988, More Nestor details, first metropolitans, K Caves Monastery foundes&ascetics, Not easy times, princely feuds, Polovetsian nomads lay waste cities&villages, led russians into slavery, burned churches monasteries, incl he saw KC monastery devatation 1096, significant creation oWorld Literature, died 1114, left others to continue historical work incl igumen Sylvester's contemporary accts, igumen Moses to year 1200,, igumen Lawrence 1337 preserved Nestors Chronicle in Laurentian Chronicle, KC hagiographic tradition continued bSimon oVladimir' s KC Paterikon, narrating saints lives, often quotes Nestor, published in English as The Russian Primary Chronicle; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Nestor the Chronicler, of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves born at Kiev in 1050. came to Saint Theodosius (May 3) as a young man, and became a novice. Saint Nestor took monastic tonsure under the successor to Saint Theodosius, the igumen Stephen, under him was ordained a hierodeacon. his lofty spiritual life it says that, with a number of other monastic Fathers participated in the casting out of a devil from Nikḗtas the Hermit (January 31), had become fascinated by the Hebrew wisdom of the Old Testament. Nestor deeply appreciated true knowledge, along with humility and penitence. “Great is the benefit of book learning,” he said, “for books point out and teach us the way to repentance, from the words of books we discover wisdom and temperance. is the stream, watering the universe, from which springs wisdom. books is a boundless depth, them we are comforted in sorrows, they are a bridle for moderation. you enter diligently into the books of wisdom, you shall discover great benefit for your soul. the one who reads books converses with God or the saints.” the monastery Saint Nestor had the obedience of being the chronicler. the 1080s he wrote the “Account about the Life and Martyrdom of the Blessed Passion Bearers Boris and Gleb” connection with the transfer of the relics of the saints to Vyshgorod in the year 1072 (May 2). the 1080s Saint Nestor also compiled the Life of the Monk Theodosius of the Kiev Caves. in 1091, on the eve of the patronal Feast of the Kiev Caves Monastery, was entrusted by Igumen John to dig up the holy relics of Saint Theodosius (August 14) for transfer to the church. chief work in the life of Saint Nestor was compiling in the years 1112-1113 The Russian Primary Chronicle. “Here is the account of years past, how the Russian land came to be, who was the first prince at Kiev and how the Russian land is arrayed.” The very first line written by Saint Nestor set forth his purpose. Nestor used an extraordinarily wide circle of sources: prior Russian chronicles and sayings, monastery records, the Byzantine Chronicles of John Malalos and George Amartolos, various historical collections, the accounts of the boyar-Elder Ivan Vyshatich and of tradesmen and soldiers, of journeymen and of those who knew. drew them together with a unified and strict ecclesiastical point of view. permitted him to write his history of Russia as an inclusive part of world history, the history of the salvation of the human race. monk-patriot describes the history of the Russian Church in its significant moments. speaks about the first mention of the Russian nation in historical sources in the year 866, in the time of Saint Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. tells of the creation of the Slavonic alphabet and writing by Saints Cyril and Methodius; of the Baptism of Saint Olga at Constantinople. Chronicle of Saint Nestor has preserved for us an account of the first Orthodox church in Kiev (under the year 945), of the holy Varangian Martyrs (under the year 983), the “testing of the faiths” by Saint Vladimir (in 986) the Baptism of Rus (in 988). are indebted to the first Russian Church historian for details the first Metropolitans of the Russian Church, the emergence of the Kiev Caves monastery, about its founders and ascetics. times in which Saint Nestor lived were not easy for the Russian land and the Russian Church. lay torn asunder by princely feuds; Polovetsian nomads of the steppes lay waste to both city and village with plundering raids. They led many Russian people into slavery, and burned churches and monasteries. Nestor was an eyewitness to the devastation of the Kiev Caves monastery in the year 1096. the Chronicle a theologically thought out patriotic history is presented. spiritual depth, historical fidelity and patriotism of the The Russian Primary Chronicle establish it in the ranks of the significant creations of world literature. Nestor died around the year 1114, having left to the other monastic chroniclers of the Kiev Caves the continuation of his great work. successors in the writing of the Chronicles were: Sylvester, who added contemporary accounts to the The Russian Primary Chronicle; Moses Vydubitsky brought it up to the year 1200; finally, Igumen Laurence, who in the year 1377 wrote the most ancient of the surviving manuscripts that preserve the Chronicle of Saint Nestor (this copy is known as the “Lavrentian Chronicle”). hagiographic tradition of the Kiev Caves ascetics was continued by Saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir (May 10), the compiler of the Kiev Caves Paterikon. Narrating the events connected with the lives of the holy saints of God, Saint Simon often quotes, among other sources, from the Chronicle of Saint Nestor. Nestor was buried in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony. The Church also honors his memory in the Synaxis of the holy Fathers of the Near Caves commemorated September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent when is celebrated the Synaxis of all the Fathers of the Kiev Caves. works have been published many times, including in English as “The Russian Primary Chronicle”. Russia, Kiev, 1108-, Sylvester otMikhilovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, Kiev Near Caves, Igumen, continued Nestor's work, wrote 9Lives Holy Kiev Caves Saints, called blessed, miraculous gift tWard off demonic suggestions; Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Sylvester of the Caves lived during the twelfth century was igumen of the Mikhailovsk Vydubitsk monastery at Kiev. continued the work of Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) he wrote nine lives of the holy saints of the Kiev Caves. the service to the Fathers venerated in the Near Caves, Sylvester is called blessed endowed with “a miraculous gift to ward off demonic suggestions” (Ode 9 of the Canon). Sylvester was buried in the Near Caves, and his memory is celebrated on September 28, on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1072-1115, Oleg I, K Rus P, Chernigov, Tmutarakan, Crimea, Kazaria, w Cumans, Olgovichis
Kiev, 1072-1115, Rus Prince, Oleg I of Chernigov, œGorislavich; Svyatoslavich (c. 1052 -“ August 1115) was a Rurikid prince whose equivocal adventures ignited political unrest in Kievan Rus' at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. was a younger son of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov and his first wife, Killikiya.[1] He might have been either the second or the fourth among the four sons of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich by Killikiya, because their order of seniority is uncertain.[2] According to historian Martin Dimnik, Oleg was born around 1050.[1] Oleg was named after his grand uncle.[citation needed] His baptismal name was Michael.[3] writes that "it is highly probable" that Oleg succeeded his brother, Gleb in Tmutarakan after their father appointed the latter Prince of Novgorod in about 1068.[4] father and uncle, Vsevolod Iaroslavich made an alliance against their elder brother, Iziaslav Iaroslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev and dethroned him on 22 March 1073.[5][6] to Dimnik, Oleg received the Principality of Vladimir from his father who succeeded Iziaslav Iaroslavich in Kiev.[7] short, Oleg and his cousin, Vladimir Monomach—son of Vsevolod Iaroslavich—became close friends.[8] Monomach writes in his Instruction that Oleg was the godfather of his eldest son, Mstislav.[8] two cousins together commanded the troops Oleg's father sent to assist Boleslav II of Poland in Bohemia in 1076, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[9] Iaroslavich died in Kiev on 27 December 1077.[10][11] He was succeeded by his brother, Vsevolod Iaroslavich.[11] The new grand prince seems to have confirmed Oleg's rule in Vladimir, because no source makes mention of a conflict between them.[11] the dethroned Iziaslav Iaroslavich—Vsevolod's brother and Oleg's uncle—returned with Polish reinforcements.[12][13] Iziaslav and Vsevolod had a meeting where they reached an agreement: renounced of Kiev, but received Chernigov, the one-time domain of Oleg's father.[12][13] Iziaslav marched in Kiev on 15 July 1077, while Oleg "was with Vsevolod at Chernigov",[14] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[12] The chronicler's remark suggests that Oleg had by that time been forced to leave Vladimir.[15] to get along with his uncle, on 10 April 1077 Oleg fled to his brother Roman who reigned in Tmutarakan.[16 Together with his cousin, Boris Vyacheslavich, who had also settled in Tmutarakan (Tmutarakan was a Kievan Rus' principality that controlled the passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, near Crimean Penninsula), Oleg made an alliance with the Cumans and invaded Rus' in the summer of 1078.[18][19] routed their uncle, Vsevolod on the Sozh River and entered Chernigov on 25 August.[19] The Russian Primary Chronicle accuses Oleg and Boris of being the first to lead "the pagans to attack the land of Rus'".[20][21] Vladimir Monomach, in his Instruction, reveals that he and his father, Vsevolod had hired Cumans when attacking Polotsk in the previous year.[21] from Chernigov, Vsevolod fled to Kiev and sought assistance from his brother, Iziaslav.[19] They united their forces and marched against Chernigov.[13][19] Oleg and Boris were not in the town when their uncles arrived, the citizens decided to resist.[22] Oleg was willing to start negotiations with his uncles, but Boris refused his proposal.[23] The decisive battle was fought "at a place near a village on the meadow of Nezhata"[24] on 3 October.[19] was defeated and escaped to Tmutarakan, where the Khazars had him imprisoned and sent in chains to Constantinople. emperor, who was a relative and ally of Vsevolod, exiled him to Rhodes. There he married a noble lady, Theophano Mouzalonissa, who bore him several children. years later, we again find him active in Tmutarakan, where he adopted the title "archon of Khazaria". 1094, he returned with the Kipchaks to Rus' and captured Chernihiv. There ensued a prolonged internecine struggle with his cousins Sviatopolk and Vladimir Monomakh. of the most prominent princes of Kievan period who never attained the Kievan throne, he died on August 1, 1115 and was buried in Chernihiv. Tale of Igor's Campaign styles him Gorislavich, poetically deriving his patronymic from the Russian word for sorrow. descendants, known as Olgovichi, were archrivals of Vladimir's descendants (known as Monomakhovichi) in their struggle for supremacy in Rus'. son was Igor II of Kiev. Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated on September 19;

Russia, Kiev, 1073, Dormition Icon Story, 4 Architects, 3 year Gold, MOG, Blachernae to Caves, War Hero
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Dormition Icon Story, 4 Architects, 3 year Gold, MOG, Blachernae to Caves, War Hero; Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. The architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ We all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. Finally, we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. Two friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. When Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, but Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. He even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. He went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. Entreat the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. Let the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” Zachariah gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. In 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. The Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). In 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. The icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15. Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 1; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Russia, Kiev, 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition C, 4 Architects Dormition Icon, Queen of H, church in Rus, I will dwell in it
Russia, Kiev, 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition Cathedral, Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 4 Byzantine Architects, brought Icon of the Dormition, Lord will show t place, hansome youths, Queen summonds you to Blachernae, Queen of Heaven with warriors, build myself church in Rus, at Kiev, take gold for 3yrs, to Anthony and Theodosis, I will honor you, I will dwell in it, she also gave us relics for the foundation, they saw the church in the air, dew and dry spot, dry spot and dew, golden sash for measuring from previous vision, bolt of lightning on the spot; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (May 3) is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” hearing this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles.

Russia, Kiev, 1073, Kiev Caves Icon, from MOG in Blachernae, for MOG Church, build church in Rus at Kiev I will dwell in it
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Kiev Caves Icon, from MOG in Blachernae, Constantinople, 4 Byzantine Architects to build church, Lord will show place, much gold, each summoned to Blachernae by youths, MOG, multitude of warriors, build church in Rus at Kiev, to Anthony and Theodosis, MOG will dwell in it, Relics for foundation, A saw church in air, named C of MOG, MOG gave MOG Icon for it, place of church dew and no dew, no dew and dew, golden sash, lightning bolt, numerous Icon miracles, two friends inheritance story, could not kiss icon, icon defended land many times, 1677 from Turks, 1709 Poltava battle Swedes, 1812 French ; Blachernae; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ We all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. Finally, we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, everyone glorified God, Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. Entreat the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. Let the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15.

Russia, Kiev, 1073, Transltn Dormition Icon fConstantinople tKiev Far Caves, when MOG built her Church iK
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Translation of Dormition Icon from Constantinople to Kiev Far Caves, architects brought it, story MOG having Church built, angels, dew defines spot, enough gold f3yrs, foundation relics, church vision, C named&protected by MOG, numerous icon miracles, war hero; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Translation of the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev Caves, Far Caves; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, all glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, but Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. He even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” Zachariah gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. The Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. The icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15 .

Russia, Kiev, 1073, Ignatius, Archmandrite o Kiev Caves, Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves, monastic pastor&healer otSick
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Ignatius Archmandrite o Kiev Caves, Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, monastic pastor&healer otSick; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Ignatius, Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves: In the general service to the Kiev Caves saints, it says of him: “Ignatius, monastic pastor and healer of the sick, in our infirmities you help us by your reverence, therefore let us offer song of praise unto your memory” (Ode 1 of the Canon). was buried in the Far (Theodosiev) Caves, his memory is celebrated together with the Fathers of these Far Caves, on August 28. commemoration of the Saint Ignatius was established on December 20 because of his namesake, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer. is also another commemoration: the Synaxis of all the Fathers of the Kiev Caves monastery on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1073-1077, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, K Rus King, NIcholas, Y's younger son, Vohly trade
Kiev Rus King, 1073-1077, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, Nicholas; II Iaroslavich or Sviatoslav II Yaroslavich (1027 – 27 December 1076[1] in Kiev [Kyiv]) was Grand Prince of Kiev between 1073 and 1076. was born as a younger son of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. His baptismal name was Nicholas. ruled the Principality of Vladimir in Volhynia in his father's lifetime (from around 1040 to 1054). Yaroslav the Wise, who divided the Kievan Rus' between his five sons in his testament, willed the Principality of Chernigov to Sviatoslav. Sviatoslav joined his brothers, Iziaslav of Kiev and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav, in forming a princely "triumvirate" that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus' until 1072. The three brothers together fought against their enemies, including the nomadic Oghuz Turks, and their distant relative, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. The Cumans defeated their united force in the autumn of 1068, but Sviatoslav routed a Cuman band plundering his principality. "triumvirate" broke up, when Sviatoslav, supported by his younger brother Vsevolod, dethroned and replaced their older brother Iziaslav in 1073. He commissioned the compilation of at least two miscellanies of theological works. Otherwise, his short reign was uneventful. 1 Early life 2 Triumvirate 3 Grand Prince of Kiev 4 Family 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 7.1 Primary sources 7.2 Secondary sources 8 Further reading life[edit] was the fourth son of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev, and his wife, Ingegerd of Sweden.[2] He was born in 1027.[2] The Lyubetskiy sinodik—a list of the princes of Chernigov which was completed in the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Lyubech—writes that his baptismal name was Nicholas.[3] Russian Primary Chronicle writes that Sviatoslav was staying "at Vladimir"[4] (Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Ukraine) in Volhynia around the time his father fell seriously ill before his death.[5] According to the historian Martin Dimnik, the chronicle's report shows that Yaroslav the Wise had, most probably in about 1040, appointed Sviatoslav to rule this important town of the Kievan Rus'.[6] his deathbed, Yaroslav the Wise divided the most important towns of his realm among his five sons—Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor, and Vyacheslav—who survived him.[7][8] To Sviatoslav, he bequeathed Chernigov (Chernihiv, Ukraine).[9] The dying grand prince also ordered that his four younger sons should "heed"[10] their eldest brother, Iziaslav who received Kiev.[8] of the Kievan Rus' in the Kievan Rus' (1054–1132) the Wise died on 20 February 1054.[11] His three elder sons—Iziaslav of Kiev, Sviatoslav of Chernigov, and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav—decided to jointly govern the Kievan Rus'.[12] Historian Martin Dimnik writes that taking into account Sviatoslav's political and military skills it "is reasonable to assume that he was one of the main motivating forces, if not the actual architect, of many of the policies adopted" by the three brothers.[13] The "triumviri" closely cooperated in the following years.[12] In 1059 they liberated their uncle, Sudislav whom their father had sent to prison around 1035.[14][15] They made a joint expedition "by horse and ship against the Torks"[16] or Oghuz Turks, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, in 1060.[17] On hearing of the arrival of the Rus' forces, the Torks fled from their lands without resistance.[18] 1065, Sviatoslav led his troops against his nephew, Rostislav Vladimirovich, who had in the previous year expelled by force Sviatoslav's son, Gleb from Tmutorakan.[19] Upon Sviatoslav's arrival, Rostislav withdrew from this important center of his uncle's domains, but he reoccupied it after Sviatoslav had returned to Chernigov.[20] A distant cousin of the "triumviri", Vseslav Briacheslavich (Prince of Polotsk), attacked Pskov in 1065, according to The Chronicle of Pskov.[21][22] Vseslav Briacheslavich could not take this town, but he seized and plundered Novgorod—which had been ruled by Iziaslav of Kiev's son, Mstislav—in the next winter.[21][23] Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod soon united their forces and set forth against Vseslav, "though it was the dead of winter",[24] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[25] They routed Vseslav's army by the Nemiga River (near Minsk) on 3 March 1066.[25] Vseslav, who fled from the battlefield, agreed to enter into negotiations with the "triumviri", but they treacherously captured him at a meeting at Orsha in early June.[22][25] Cumans, who had emerged as the dominant power of the Pontic steppes in the early 1060s, invaded the southern regions of Kievan Rus' in 1068.[26] The three brothers together marched against the invaders, but the Cumans routed them on the Alta River.[27] From the battlefield, Sviatoslav withdrew to Chernigov and regrouped his troops.[27] He returned to defeat the Cumans with a smaller force at the town of Snovsk on 1 November, thus enhancing his prestige among the populace.[27] In the meantime, the townspeople of Kiev had dethroned and expelled Sviatoslav's brother, Iziaslav.[28] Taking advantage of Iziaslav's absence, Sviatopluk sent his own son, Gleb to Novgorod to rule the town.[29][30] returned at the head of Polish reinforcements.[31] The townspeople of Kiev sent messages to Sviatoslav and Vsevolod, imploring them to come to their "father's city"[32] and defend it, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[33] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod requested Iziaslav "not to lead the Poles in attack upon Kiev", stating that "if he intended to nurse his wrath and destroy the city, they would be properly concerned for the ancestral capital".[33][34][31] Iziaslav partially acquiesced: he did not let his Polish allies enter the town, but his retinue slaughtered or mutilated many of his opponents in Kiev.[35] He also attempted to punish Anthony—the founder of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev—who had supported his enemies, but Sviatoslav gave shelter to the saintly monk in Chernigov.[36] Iziaslav's return to Kiev, the "triumvirate" was restored.[28] The three brothers together visited Vyshhorod in order to participate in the translation of the relics of their saintly uncles, Boris and Gleb on 3 May 1072.[37] According to The Narrative, Passion, and Encomium of Boris and Gleb, Sviatoslav took Saint Gleb's hand and "pressed it to his injury, for he had pain in his neck, and to his eyes, and to his forehead"[38] before placing it back into the coffin.[39] In short Sviatoslav felt a pain at the top of his head and his servant found a fingernail of the saint under his cap.[39] Most historians agree that the three brothers expanded their father's legal code on this occasion, but the exact date is unknown.[40] [41] Prince of Kiev[edit] Izbornik of 1076 page from Sviatoslav's Izbornik of 1073 to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "the devil stirred up strife"[42] among the three brothers shortly after the canonization of Saints Boris and Gleb.[43][44] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod united their forces and expelled Iziaslav from Kiev on 22 March 1073.[43] The chronicler put the blame for this action on Sviatoslav, stating that "he was the instigator of his brother's expulsion, for he desired more power".[42][44] The chronicler also states that Sviatoslav had "misled Vsevolod by asserting that" Iziaslav "was entering into an alliance"[42] with Vseslav Briacheslavich against them.[44] Modern historians disagree about the motives of Sviatoslav's action. Franklin and Shepard write that he was driven by "straightforward greed";[45] Martin says that Sviatoslav who seems to have suffered from a grave illness wanted to secure his sons' right to Kiev which would have been lost if Sviatoslav "had predeceased Iziaslav without having ruled"[46] the town. In fact, the Russian Primary Chronicle states that it was Sviatoslav who "ruled in Kiev after the expulsion"[42] of Iziaslav.[47] the head of the Monastery of the Caves, Feodosy criticized Sviatoslav for usurping the throne.[43][48] However, before his death in May 1074 he was reconciled with the grand prince, who supported the foundation of a stone church dedicated to the Mother of God in Kiev.[45][49] Sviatoslav also supported the compilation of ecclesiastic works. Two izborniki or miscellanies—collections of excerpts from the Bible and from theological works—were completed under his auspices in 1073 and 1076.[50] According to the Izbornik of 1073, Sviatoslav, who is praised as a "new Ptolemy", had by that time collected a great number of spiritual books.[51] rule was short and uneventful.[52] His dethroned brother first fled to Poland, but Duke Boleslav II, who was Sviatoslav's son-in-law, expelled him from his lands.[28][53] Next Iziaslav sought the assistance of the German monarch, Henry IV.[43] The latter, in 1075, sent his envoys—including Sviatoslav's brother-in-law, Burchard—to Kiev to collect more information.[54] According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "in his pride", Sviatoslav "showed them his riches", displaying them "the innumerable quantity of his gold, silver and silks".[55][56] In 1076 Sviatoslav sent reinforcements to Poland to help his son-in-law against the Bohemians.[57] died on 27 December 1076.[1] The Russian Primary Chronicle writes that "the cutting of a sore"[58] caused his death.[59] He was buried in the Holy Savior Cathedral in Chernigov.[59] Within a year, his elder brother Iziaslav was restored and Sviatoslav's sons lost most parts of his domains.[1][60] Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1073-1114, Saint, Alypius of the Caves, Iconographer
Russia, Kiev, 1073-1114, Saint, Alypius of the Caves, Iconographer; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7;

Russia, Kiev, 1078-1087, Yaropolk Izyaslavich, Rus King, Belrus Vohly, Caves benefactor, j to Pol, Ger, Rome
Kiev Rus King, 1078-1087, Yaropolk Izyaslavich; Izyaslavich[2] (died 1087) was a Knyaz (prince) during the eleventh-century in the Kievan Rus' kingdom and was the King of Rus (1076-1078). son of Grand Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich by a Polish princess named Gertruda, he is visible in papal sources by the early 1070s but largely absent in contemporary Rus sources until his father's death in 1078. his father's exile in the 1070s, Yaropolk can be found acting on his father's behalf in an attempt to gain the favor of the German emperors and the papal court of Pope Gregory VII. father returned to Kiev in 1077 and Yaropolk followed. his father's death Yaropolk was appointed Prince of Volhynia and Prince of Turov in 1078 by the new Grand Prince, his uncle Vsevolod. 1085 Yaropolk had fallen into a state of enmity with the Grand Prince, and by extension the Grand Prince's son Vladimir Monomakh, forcing him to flee to Poland, his mother's homeland. returned in 1086 and made peace with Monomakh but was murdered the same year on a journey to Zvenyhorod.[3] was remembered in Rus sources as extremely pious and generous to the church and is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27;

Russia, Kiev, 1078, Master Builders come from Greece with Theotokos Icon
Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; 1078 Saint Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured this meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him. Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. Because of this, Saint Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honor of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery. Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1078-1093, Vsevolod I, K Rus King, Y's 5th, favorite, Married B Princess, Monomahk
Kiev Rus King, 1078-1093, Vsevolod I of Kiev; I Yaroslavich (c. 1030 – 13 April 1093) ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv) from 1078 until his death. 1 Early life 2 Reign 3 Children 4 Ancestry 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 8 External links life[edit] was the fifth[1] and favourite son of Yaroslav I the Wise by Ingigerd Olafsdottir. was born around 1030.[2] On his seal from his last years, he was named "Andrei Vsevolodu" in Greek, implying that his baptismal name was Andrew.[3] back up an armistice signed with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos in 1046, his father married Vsevolod to a Byzantine princess, who according to tradition was named Anastasia or Maria. That the couple's son Vladimir Monomakh bore the family name of the Byzantine emperor, suggests she was a member of his close family, but no contemporary evidence attests to a specific relationship and accounts of the Emperor give him no such daughter.[4] his father's death in 1054, he received in appanage the towns of Pereyaslav,[5] Rostov, Suzdal, and the township of Beloozero which would remain in possession of his descendants until the end of Middle Ages. with his elder brothers Iziaslav and Sviatoslav he formed a sort of princely triumvirate which jointly waged war on the steppe nomads, Polovtsy, and compiled the first East Slavic law code. 1055 Vsevolod launched an expedition against the Turks who had in the previous years expelled the Pechenegs from the Pontic steppes.[6] also made peace with the Cumans who appeared for the first time in Europe in the same year.[6] The Cumans invaded his principality in 1061 and routed Vsevolod in a battle.[6] Vsevolod persuaded his brother, Iziaslav, and their distant cousin, Vseslav to join him and they together attacked the Turks in 1060.[6] 1067, Vsevolod's Greek wife died and he soon married a Kypchak princess, Anna Polovetskaya. She bore him another son, who drowned after the Battle of the Stugna River, and daughters, one becoming a nun and another, Eupraxia of Kiev, marrying Emperor Henry IV. Cumans again invaded Kievan Rus' in 1068.[7] The three brothers united their forces against them, but the Cumans routed them on the Alta River.[7] After their defeat, Vsevolod withdrew to Pereyaslav.[8] its citizens rose up in open rebellion, dethroned Iziaslav, and liberated and proclaimed Vseslav their grand prince.[9] Vsevolod and Sviatoslav made no attempt to expel the usurper from Kiev.[10] supported Sviatoslav against Iziaslav.[11] They forced their brother to flee from Kiev in 1073.[11] Feodosy, the saintly hegumen or head of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev remained loyal to Iziaslav, and refused lunch with Sviatoslav and Vsevolod.[2] court in the times of Vsevolod I granted Sviatoslav's former principality to Vsevolod, Sviatoslav's sons considered the Principality of Chernigov as their own patrimony or otchina.[11] Oleg Sviatoslavich made an alliance with the Cumans and invaded Chernigov.[12] came to Vsevolod's rescue and they forced Oleg to retreat, but Iziaslav was murdered in the battle.[12][13] Iziaslav's death, Vsevolod, as their father's only surviving son, took the Kievan throne, thus uniting the three core principalities—Kiev, Chernigov and Pereyaslavl—in Kievan Rus'.[14] appointed his eldest son, Vladimir Monomach to administer Chernigov.[15][13] Russian Primary Chronicle writes that the "people no longer had access to the Prince's justice, judges became corrupt and venal",[16] followed his young councilors' advice instead of that of his old retainers in his last years.[17] Monomakh, Vsevolod's son spoke five foreign languages, according to Vladimir Monomach's Autobiography.[18] Historian George Vernadsky believes that these probably included Greek and Cuman, because of the nationality of his two wives, and that he likely spoke Latin, Norse, and Ossetian.[19] lost most of his battles; his eldest son, Vladimir Monomakh, a grand and famous warrior, did most of the fighting for his father. last years of his reign were clouded by grave illness, and Vladimir Monomakh presided over the government. Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2;

Russia, Kiev, 1088-1093, Rostislav, Kiev Rus Prince, Vsevolod's son, Monomahk's half bro
Kiev Rus Prince, 1088-1093, Rostislav Vsevolodovich; Vsevolodovich ((c. 1070-“1093) was the Prince of Pereyaslavl (1078-“1093), son of Vsevolod I of Kiev, and half brother of Vladimir Monomakh. He fought at Stugna river against the Cumans and drowned while fleeing the battle.[1] Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12;

Russia, Kiev, 1088-1093, 1095-1117, Mstislav I of Kiev, Prince, Vladimirovich the Great, Vladimir II's son
Novgorod Prince, 1088-1093, 1095-1117, Mstislav I of Kiev ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (February, 1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125–1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] He is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. was born in Turov. As his father's future successor, he reigned in Novgorod the Great from 1088 to 1093 and (after a brief stint at Rostov) from 1095–1117. Thereafter he was Monomakh's co-ruler in Bilhorod Kyivskyi, and inherited the Kyivan throne after his death. He built numerous churches in Novgorod, of which St. Nicholas Cathedral (1113)[2] and the cathedral of St Anthony Cloister (1117) survive to the present day. Later, he would also erect important churches in Kiev, notably his family sepulchre at Berestovo and the church of Our Lady at Podil. St Nicholas Cathedral, built by Mstislav I near his palace at Yaroslav's Court, Novgorod, contains 12th-century frescoes depicting his illustrious family Mstislav's life was spent in constant warfare with Cumans (1093, 1107, 1111, 1129), Estonians (1111, 1113, 1116, 1130), Lithuanians (1131), and the princedom of Polotsk (1127, 1129). In 1096, he defeated his uncle Oleg of Chernigov on the Koloksha River, thereby laying foundation for the centuries of enmity between his and Oleg's descendants. Mstislav was the last ruler of united Rus, and upon his death, as the chronicler put it, "the land of Rus was torn apart". He died in Kiev, aged 55. 1095, Mstislav married Princess Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, daughter of King Inge I of Sweden.[3] They had many children: Ingeborg of Kiev, married Canute Lavard of Jutland, and was mother to Valdemar I of Denmark Malmfred, married (1) Sigurd I of Norway; (2) Eric II of Denmark Eupraxia, married Alexius Comnenus, son of John II Comnenus Vsevolod of Novgorod and Pskov Maria Mstislavna of Kiev, married Vsevolod II of Kiev Iziaslav II of Kiev Rostislav of Kiev Sviatopolk of Pskov Rogneda, married Yaroslav of Volinya Xenia, married Briachislav of Izyaslawl Christine died on January 18, 1122; later that year Mstislav married again, to Ljubava Dmitrievna, the daughter of Dmitry Saviditsch, a nobleman of Novgorod. Their children were: Vladimir III Mstislavich (1132–1171) Euphrosyne of Kiev, (c. 1130 – c. 1193) married King Géza II of Hungary in 1146. Through Euphrosyne, Mstislav is an ancestor of both Philippa of Hainault and King Edward III of England, hence of all subsequent English and British monarchs. Through his mother Gytha, he is part of a link between Harold II of England and the modern line of English kings founded by William the Conqueror, who deposed him. St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30;

Russia, Kiev, 1089-1107, Prochorus oKiev Near Caves, fSmolensk, tKCM, great asceic, bitter pigweeg into sweet, ashes tSalt
Russia, Kiev, 1089-1107, Kiev Near Caves, fSmolensk, tKCM 1089, great ascetic, temperance, patience, bitter pigweeg into sweet, russian famine, gathered pigweed for bread for others, others tried failed, bitter, his bread tNeedy, tasted like fine wheat, only bread blessed by Prochorus was edible, pure light in appearance, others stole it and it became unedible, then no salt, P's prayers and ashes created salt, merchants angry, missing profit, salt confiscated by prince Svyatopolk, back to just ordinary ashes, S discarded it, P blessed people to take ashes, turned back into salt, miracle reformed S, began zealous prayer, peace wIgumen, highly esteemed P, left his army at war for last hour oP, received blessing, buried P, returned to army at war and easily defeated Polvetsians, captured their supply carts, died 1107, buried Near Caves; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 10; Prochorus of the Caves was a native of Smolensk, entered the Kiev Caves monastery under the igumen John (1089-1103). was a great ascetic of strict temperance. place of bread he ate pigweed (or orach), and so he was called “pigweed-eater.” summer, he gathered pigweed and made enough bread from it to last him for a whole year. also ate prosphora from church now and then, his only drink was water. the patience of Saint Prochorus, God transformed the usual bitterness of the pigweed into sweetness. the saint’s lifetime, a famine threatened Russia. began to gather the pigweed even more zealously and to prepare his “bread”. people followed his example, they were not able to eat this weed because of its bitterness. distributed his pigweed bread to the needy, it tasted like it was made from fine wheat. the bread given with the blessing of Saint Prochorus was edible, even pure and light in appearance. anyone tried to prepare this bread himself, or take it without the saint’s blessing, it was not fit for consumption. became known to the igumen and the brethren, and the fame of Prochorus spread far and wide. a certain while there was no salt at Kiev, and the people suffered because of this. the saint gathered ashes from all the cells, and began to distribute it to the needy. his prayers, the ashes became pure salt. merchants, who hoped to take advantage of this shortage of salt for their own profit, angry with Saint Prochorus for distributing free salt to the people. Svyatopolk confiscated the salt from Prochorus. they transported it to the prince’s court, everyone saw that it was just ordinary ashes. three days, Svyatopolk gave orders to discard it. Prochorus blessed the people to take the discarded ashes, and they were again changed into salt. miracle reformed the fierce prince. began to pray zealously, made peace with the igumen of the monastery of the Caves, and highly esteemed Saint Prochorus. the last hour of the saint approached, the prince left his army and hastened to him, even though he was at war. received his blessing and with his own hands, carried the body of the saint to the cave and buried him. to his army, Svyatopolk easily gained victory over the Polvetsians, turning them to flight and capturing their supply carts. was the great power of the prayer of Saint Prochorus. righteous one died in the year 1107, was buried in the Near Caves. is also commemorated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1091-1099, Cuman Chief Boniak, Mangy, plundered Kiev and Caves, w Oleg, d Hungary
Russia, Kiev, 1091-1099, Cuman Chief Boniak, Boniak (Maniak) the Mangy; Bonyak or Maniac, also known as Boniak the Mangy, was "one of the most prominent Cuman chieftains"[1] in the late 11th century and the early 12th century. He headed a powerful Cuman tribe or clan that inhabited the steppes to west of the Dnieper River. He supported the Byzantines against the Pechenegs in the Battle of Levounion in 1091. He defeated Coloman, King of Hungary in 1097 or 1099. descent is uncertain.[2] Svetlana Pletneva associates him with the Burch tribe, Peter B. Golden with the Ölberli tribe of the "Wild Cumans", and Omeljan Pritsak with the Qay clan.[3][4][5] Boniak's nickname – the Mangy – may show that he was born with the caul, according to the Hungarian historian Szilvia Kovács.[6] In Anna Komnene's Alexiad, he is called Maniac.[7] exact position cannot be determined, but his career shows that he must have been the head of powerful Cuman tribal federation, tribe, or clan.[2] When pursuing Boniak, Sviatopolk II of Kiev and Vladimir Monomach "advanced to the Bug and later beyond the Ros' ",[8] according to Vladimir's Testament, which suggests that Boniak's people dwelled between the rivers Dnieper and Southern Bug or Dniester.[9] His participation in military campaigns in the Balkan Peninsula also shows that his people lived near the Lower Danube.[9] records[edit] with Tugorkan, Boniak, or Maniak, was one of the Cumans' "outstanding leaders",[10] named by Anna Komnene, who came to assist the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos against the Pechenegs.[11][12] The united Byzantine and Cuman army annihilated the Pechenegs in the Battle of Levounion on 29 April 1091.[13] Historian Florin Curta writes that the two Cuman chieftains plundered the eastern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary on their return to the Desht-i Kypchak, or Cuman steppes.[11] Pletneva says that Boniak and Tugorkan together supported the pretender Pseudo-Diogenes against Emperor Alexios I in 1094, but Anna Komnene did not refer to Boniak's participation in the fights.[14] in Rus'[edit] Russian Primary Chronicle recorded two events connected to Boniak under the year 6604, that is 1095[15] or 1096 AD.[16][17] First Boniak and his Cumans "appeared before Kiev ..., and while ravaging the environs, they burned the prince's palace at Berestovo"[18] around 24 May.[19][16][20] On 20 July, "Boniak, that godless, mangy thief and bandit, came suddenly to Kiev for the second time"[21] and plundered three monasteries, including the Cave Monastery.[22][23] During the second campaign, the Cumans "planted two standards before the monastery gates",[21] which may show that they were under the command of two chieftains, according to Kovács.[24] Kovács writes that Boniak's action preceded the campaign that Sviatopolk II and Vladimir Monomach launched against Oleg I of Chernigov.[25] According to Simon Franklin and Jonathan Shepard, Boniak invaded only after Sviatopolk and his army left Kiev for a campaign against Chernigov (Chernihiv in Ukraine).[20] Kovács says that the joint campaign of Sviatopolk and Vladimir Monomach against Boniak's land over the river Ros' that Monomach mentioned in his Testament seems to have been a retaliatory action after Bonia's plundering raids in Kiev.[26] of Kiev expelled David Igorevich, Prince of Volhynia, from his principality in the late 1090s.[27][28][29] David Igorevich fled to the Cumans and persuaded Bonyak and another Cuman chieftain, Altunopa, to join him to fight against Sviatopolk who had sought assistance from Coloman, King of Hungary.[27][30] On the eve of the battle against the Hungarians, Boniak "rode away from the troops" and "began to howl like a wolf, till first one and then many wolves answered him with their howls",[31] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[3] On his return, Boniak predicted to David Igorevich that they would defeat the Hungarians in the battle.[3] The Cumans annihilated the Hungarian army and seized the royal treasury.[32] According to the Hungarian Illuminated Chronicle, "[r]arely did Hungarians suffer such slaughter as in this battle".[33][34] However, David Igorevich could not reconquer Volhynia and was again forced to seek refuge among the Cumans.[32] Boniak again joined them and their united armies seized Lutsk and Volodymyr-Volynskyi.[29] According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, these events occurred in 1097, but many historians (including Kovács and Martin Dimnik) say that the fights took place two years later.[27][28] Russian Primary Chronicle recorded that five Rus' princes – Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Vladimir Monomach, Davyd Sviatoslavich, Oleg Sviatoslavich and Yaroslav Sviatoslavich – assembled on the left bank of the Dnieper near Kiev in 1101.[28][23] On learning of the princes' meeting, all Cuman chieftains sent envoys to them "with propositions of peace".[35][36] The princes and the Cuman chieftains met at Sakov on the Dnieper and made peace on 15 September.[28] Two years later Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Vladimir Monomach and Davyd Sviatoslavich invaded the Cuman steppes and routed a large Cuman army, killing 20 Cuman chieftains.[37] to the Hypatian version of the Russian Primary Chronicle, Boniak made an incursion into the region of Zarub in the Principality of Pereyaslavl, fighting with the Torks and Berendei in the winter of 1105 and 1106.[38] The Russian Primary Chronicle recorded that Boniak "raided and seized many horses in the vicinity of Pereyaslavl' "[39] in May 1107.[37] During the summer, he returned accompanied by Sharukan and other Cuman chieftains and laid siege to Lubno on the Sula River.[40] Vladimir Monomach, Prince of Pereyaslavl, persuaded Svyatopolk II of Kiev and other Rus' princes to come to fight against the invaders.[40] Their unified armies unexpectedly crossed the Sula, forcing the terrified Cumans to lift the siege and leave their camp on 12 August.[41] According to an alternative narration, recorded in Vladimir Monomach's Testament, the united forces of the Rus' princes routed Boniak and his Cuman allies on the banks of the Sula in summer, and Monomach alone defeated Boniak at Lubno alone only in 1108.[42] II of Kiev died on 16 April 1113 or 1114.[43][44] After the Cumans learned of Svyatopluk's death, the Cumans marched as far as Vyr' River.[44][45] The Cumans were under the command of Aepa and Boniak, according to the Testament of Vladimir Monomach who succeeded Svyatopolk in Kiev.[44] Monomach wrote that he "advanced to meet them as far as"[46] Romny with his sons and Oleg Sviatoslavich, forcing the Cumans to flee.[44][47] Boniak is often represented as a sorcerer in Rus' folklore.[48] Kiev, 1095-1096, Cuman Chief Boniak Wars in Kiev; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1093, Vladimir II Monomakh and Rostislav, 1093, both betrayed by Oleg, R drowned fleeing
Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev and Prince Rostislav 1093; II Monomakh (Christian name: Vasiliy, or Basileios) (26 May 1053 -19 May 1125) reigned as Grand Prince of Kievan Rus' from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.[1] Family[edit] He was the son of Vsevolod I (married in 1046) by a relative of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, from whom Vladimir obtained his sobriquet.[2] Contemporary Byzantine naming practice allowed the adoption of a maternal surname if the mother's family was perceived to be of a more exalted origin than that of the father.[3] Testament of Vladimir Monomakh to Children, 1125. Lithography of 1836. his famous Instruction (also known as The Testament) to his own children, Monomakh mentions that he conducted 83 military campaigns and 19 times made peace with the Polovtsi. At first he waged war against the steppe jointly with his cousin Oleg, but after Vladimir was sent by his father to rule Chernigov and Oleg made peace with the Polovtsi to retake that city from him, they parted company. Since that time, Vladimir and Oleg were bitter enemies who would often engage in internecine wars. The enmity continued among their children and more distant posterity. 1094, his chief patrimony was the southern town of Pereyaslav, although he also controlled Rostov, Suzdal, and other northern provinces (see Principality of Pereyaslavl). In these lands he founded several towns, notably his namesake, Vladimir, the future capital of Russia. In order to unite the princes of Rus' in their struggle against the Great Steppe, Vladimir initiated three princely congresses, the most important being held at Lyubech in 1097 and Dolobsk in 1103. 1107 he defeated Boniak, a Cuman khan who led an invasion on Kievan Rus'. When Sviatopolk II died in 1113, the Kievan populace revolted and summoned Vladimir to the capital. The same year he entered Kiev to the great delight of the crowd and reigned there until his death in 1125. As may be seen from his Instruction, he promulgated a number of reforms in order to allay the social tensions in the capital. These years saw the last flowering of Ancient Rus, which was torn apart 10 years after his death. Monomakh is buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Succeeding generations often referred to his reign as the golden age of that city. Numerous legends are connected with Monomakh's name, including the transfer from Constantinople to Rus of such precious relics as the Theotokos of Vladimir and the Vladimir/Muscovite crown called Monomakh's Cap. and children[edit] married three times. Some sources cite his first wife as Gytha of Wessex, daughter of Harold of England who had fallen at Hastings in 1066 and of Edith Swannesha. Problems exist in that none of the sources citing this are contemporary, and none of the Russian sources cite the name of his first wife as the daughter of Harold Godwinson. They had at least five children: I of Kiev (1 June 1076 -14 April 1132) Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Kursk (c. 1077 -“ 6 September 1096) Svyatoslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Smolensk and Pereyaslav (c. 1080- 16 March 1114) Yaropolk II of Kiev (1082-18 February 1139) Viacheslav I of Kiev (1083- 2 February 1154) The following daughter has been attributed to either the first or the second wife: Vladimirovna (d. 1146). Married Leon Diogenes, a pretender to the throne of the Byzantine Empire who claimed to be a son of Romanos IV and who rose to the rank of khan of the Cumans in Ossetia. rests after hunting (painting by Viktor Vasnetsov, c. 1900). second wife, Eufimia, is considered to have been a Byzantine noblewoman.[2] The Primary Chronicle and the "Testament of Vladimir Monomakh" record her date of death as 7 May 1107. However the Chronicle does not mention her name. This marriage produced at least six children: Prince of Volhynia (d. 6 January 1119) Eufemia of Kiev (d. 4 April 1139). Married Coloman of Hungary. Agafia (Agatha). Married Vsevolod Davidovich, Prince of Gorodno. According to older historians her husband was a son of David Igorevich, Prince of Volhynia (d. 1113), but this theory was rejected.[4] Yuri (George), later known as Yuri Dolgoruki (d. 15 May 1157). Andrew, Prince of Volhynia (11 July 1102-1141). third marriage is thought to have been to a daughter of Aepa Ocenevich, Khan of the Cumans. Her paternal grandfather was Osen. Her people belonged to the Kipchaks, a confederation of pastoralists and warriors of Turkic origin. the Primary Chronicle identifies Aepa as father-in-law to Yuri Dolgoruki, with Vladimir negotiating the marriage in name of his son.[citation needed] Whether father and son married sisters or the identity of intended groom was misidentified remains unclear. Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1093-1113, Sviatopolk II, Michael, Kiev Rus King, internecine wars, not popular
Kiev Rus King, 1093-1113, Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich ; II Iziaslavich (Old East Slavic: November 8, 1050 - April 16, 1113) was supreme ruler of the Kievan Rus for 20 years, from 1093 to 1113. He was not a popular prince, and his reign was marked by incessant rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh. life[edit] was the son of Iziaslav Iaroslavich by his concubine. Sviatopolk's Christian name was Michael. During his brother Iaropolk's life, Sviatopolk was not regarded as a potential claimant to the throne of Kiev (Kyiv). 1069 he was sent to Polotsk, a city briefly taken by his father from the local ruler Vseslav, and then he spent ten years (1078–88) ruling Novgorod. Upon his brother's death he succeeded him in Turov, which would remain in possession of his descendants until the 17th century. of St. Demetrius was installed by Sviatopolk in the Kievan St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery to glorify the patron saint of his father. Vsevolod Iaroslavich died in 1093, Sviatopolk was acknowledged by other princes as the senior son of Veliki Kniaz and permitted to ascend the Kievan throne. he participated in the princely congresses organized by Vladimir Monomakh, he is sometimes charged with encouraging internecine wars among Rurikid princes. instance, he sided with his cousin David of Volhynia and his son-in-law Bolesław III Wrymouth in capturing and blinding one of the Galician princes.[1] He also sided with Vladimir Monomakh in several campaigns against the Kypchaks but was defeated in the Battle of the Stugna River (1093).[2] Later that year, Sviatopolk would face the Kypchaks again, and again be defeated.[2] Whereupon the Kypchaks destroyed Torchesk, an Oghuz Turk settlement.[2] 1096, in an attempt to force Oleg I of Chernigov into a Rus compact, Sviatopolk left his lands undefended.[3] His father-in-law, Tugorkhan raided Pereiaslavl, while Boniak raided as far as Kiev, destroying Berestovo and sacking the three monasteries of Klov, Vydubichi, and the Caves.[3] Tugorkhan would be killed during his raid on Pereiaslavl, consequently Sviatopolk would have him buried in Kiev.[4] Christian name was Michael, so he encouraged embellishment of St Michael's Abbey in Kiev, which has been known as the Golden-Roofed up to the present. The history now known as the Primary Chronicle was compiled by the monk Nestor during Sviatopolk's reign. and children[edit] Sviatopolk married firstly a Bohemian princess (Přemyslid dynasty), probably a daughter of Duke Spytihněv II. They had three children: Zbyslava, married to king Boleslaw III of Poland on November 15, 1102. Predslava, married to Prince Álmos of Hungary on August 21, 1104. Her fate is less known. Iaroslav (died 1123), Prince of Volynia and Turov was married three times - to Hungarian, Polish Sophia (daughter of Władysław I Herman and his second wife Judith of Swabia), and Kievan princesses. In consequence of Iaroslav's early death, his descendants forfeited any right to the Kievan throne and had to content themselves with Turov and Pinsk. Secondly, in 1094 Sviatopolk married to a daughter of Tugorkhan of the Kypchaks, Olena.[5] They had four children: Anna (died 1136), married to Sviatoslav Davydych from Chernihiv who turned into a monk upon her death and later became Saint Nikolai Svyatoslav Davydych of Chernihiv. Maria, married Piotr Włostowic, castellan of Wroclaw and Polish palatine. Bryachislav (1104–1127), possibly dethroned Iaroslav as the Prince of Turov (1118–1123) in 1118. Izyaslav (died 1127), possibly the Prince of Turov in 1123. In 1104, Sviatopolk would marry for a third time to Barbara Komnena.[6] sources claim Sviatopolk had an out-of-wedlock son Mstislav who ruled Novgorod-Sieversky in 1095–1097 and later Volyn (1097–1099). Mstislav later was murdered in Volodymyr-Volynski. ; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 31; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 10; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-Kissing , Commemorated on March 19; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1094-1115, Oleg 1, Father of Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov&Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113-1125, Oleg 1, Father of all the Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov; Svyatoslavich (c. 1052-August 1115) was a Rurikid prince whose equivocal adventures ignited political unrest in Kievan Rus' at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. was a younger son of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich, Prince of Chernigov and his first wife, Killikiya.[1] He might have been either the second or the fourth among the four sons of Sviatoslav Iaroslavich by Killikiya, because their order of seniority is uncertain.[2] According to historian Martin Dimnik, Oleg was born around 1050.[1] Oleg was named after his grand uncle.[citation needed] His baptismal name was Michael.[3] Dimnik writes that "it is highly probable" that Oleg succeeded his brother, Gleb in Tmutarakan (fort controlling the straight between Black and Azov seas near Crimean P) after their father appointed the latter Prince of Novgorod in about 1068.[4] father and uncle, Vsevolod Iaroslavich made an alliance against their elder brother, Iziaslav Iaroslavich, Grand Prince of Kiev and dethroned him on 22 March 1073.[5][6] to Dimnik, Oleg received the Principality of Vladimir from his father who succeeded Iziaslav Iaroslavich in Kiev.[7] In short, Oleg and his cousin, Vladimir Monomach, ”son of Vsevolod Iaroslavich, ”became close friends.[8] writes in his Instruction that Oleg was the godfather of his eldest son, Mstislav.[8] two cousins together commanded the troops Oleg's father sent to assist Boleslav II of Poland in Bohemia in 1076, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[9] Sviatoslav Iaroslavich died in Kiev on 27 December 1077.[10][11] He was succeeded by his brother, Vsevolod Iaroslavich.[11] new grand prince seems to have confirmed Oleg's rule in Vladimir, because no source makes mention of a conflict between them.[11] However, the dethroned Iziaslav Iaroslavich(”Vsevolod's brother and Oleg's uncle) ”returned with Polish reinforcements.[12][13] and Vsevolod had a meeting where they reached an agreement: renounced of Kiev, but received Chernigov, the one-time domain of Oleg's father.[12][13] marched in Kiev on 15 July 1077, while Oleg "was with Vsevolod at Chernigov",[14] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[12] The chronicler's remark suggests that Oleg had by that time been forced to leave Vladimir.[15] to get along with his uncle, on 10 April 1077 Oleg fled to his brother Roman who reigned in Tmutarakan.[16][17] with his cousin, Boris Vyacheslavich, who had also settled in Tmutarakan, Oleg made an alliance with the Cumans and invaded Rus' in the summer of 1078.[18][19] routed their uncle, Vsevolod on the Sozh River and entered Chernigov on 25 August.[19] The Russian Primary Chronicle accuses Oleg and Boris of being the first to lead "the pagans to attack the land of Rus'".[20][21] Vladimir Monomach, in his Instruction, reveals that he and his father, Vsevolod had hired Cumans when attacking Polotsk in the previous year.[21] from Chernigov, Vsevolod fled to Kiev and sought assistance from his brother, Iziaslav.[19] united their forces and marched against Chernigov.[13][19] Oleg and Boris were not in the town when their uncles arrived, the citizens decided to resist.[22] was willing to start negotiations with his uncles, but Boris refused his proposal.[23] The decisive battle was fought "at a place near a village on the meadow of Nezhata"[24] on 3 October.[19] was defeated and escaped to Tmutarakan, where the Khazars had him imprisoned and sent in chains to Constantinople. emperor, who was a relative and ally of Vsevolod, exiled him to Rhodes. There he married a noble lady, Theophano Mouzalonissa, who bore him several children. years later, we again find him active in Tmutarakan, where he adopted the title "archon of Khazaria". 1094, he returned with the Kipchaks to Rus' and captured Chernihiv. There ensued a prolonged internecine struggle with his cousins Sviatopolk and Vladimir Monomakh. One of the most prominent princes of Kievan period who never attained the Kievan throne, he died on August 1, 1115 and was buried in Chernihiv. Tale of Igor's Campaign styles him Gorislavich, poetically deriving his patronymic from the Russian word for sorrow. His descendants, known as Olgovichi, were archrivals of Vladimir's descendants (known as Monomakhovichi) in their struggle for supremacy in Rus'. son was Igor II of Kiev. Kiev Rus King, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh of Chernigov;

Russia, Kiev, 1095-1096, Cuman Chief Boniak Wars in Kiev, plundered Kiev K Caves, w Oleg, d Hungary
Kiev, 1095-1096, Cuman Chief Boniak Wars in Kiev; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1095-1108, Nikita of tKiev Far Caves, Bishop oNovgorod, first trusted in self, posessed, delivered, then obedient
Russia, Kiev, 1095-1108, Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod, first trusted in his own strength, would not listen, fell into temptation, bowed to devil, posessed, delivered by elders, then strict fasting prayer, surpassing everyone in obedience humility, high degree spiritual perfection, gift oWonderworking, rain by prayers, stopped fire by prayers, Novgorod bishop 13 yrs, invoked forfire lightning protection; Russia, Novgorod, 1095-1108, Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 31; Nikḗtas, Bishop of Novgorod, in his youth entered the Kiev Caves monastery and soon wished to become a hermit. igumen cautioned him that such an exploit was premature for a young monk, but he, trusting in his own strength, would not listen. the hermitage Saint Nikḗtas fell into temptation. devil appeared to him in the guise of an angel, and the inexperienced ascetic bowed down to him. devil gave him advice, speaking as if to one who had attained perfection: “Don’t bother to pray, just read and study other things, and I shall pray in your place.” stood near the hermit, giving the appearance of praying. deceived monk Nikḗtas came to surpass everyone in his knowledge of the Books of the Old Testament, he would not speak about the Gospel, nor did he wish to hear it read. Elders of the Kiev Caves went to the monk, and after they had prayed, they expelled the devil from him. this Saint Nikḗtas remained a hermit with the blessing of the Elders, and lived in strict fasting and prayer, surpassing everyone in obedience and humility. the prayer of the holy Elders, the merciful Lord brought him up from the depths of his fall to a high degree of spiritual perfection. he was made Bishop of Novgorod, for his holy life God granted him the gift of wonderworking. during a time of drought, he brought rain from the heavens by his prayers. time, he stopped a fire in the city. Nikḗtas guided the Novgorod flock for thirteen years, and then peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1109. 1558, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, Bishop Nikḗtas was glorified as a saint. relics now rest in the church of the holy Apostle Philip in Novgorod. is also commemorated on May 14. Nikḗtas is invoked for protection against lightning and fire. also turn to the Most Holy Theotokos, glorified in her “Unburnt Bush” Icon (September 4), for this purpose. Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Nikḗtas the former Recluse of the Kiev Caves fell asleep in the Lord in 1109, after serving as Bishop of Novgorod for thirteen years. Nikḗtas was glorified as a saint during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, his holy relics, dressed in full vestments, were uncovered on April 30, 1558. day was marked by the healing of many people. relics now rest in the cathedral of the holy Apostle Philip in Novgorod. Nikḗtas of Novgorod is also commemorated on January 31, the day of his repose, and on May 14.

Russia, Kiev, 1096-1100, Nikon tDry, Bonyak prisoner, no ransom, St Appearance, described release i3days, transorted, incorpt r
Russia, Kiev, 1096, Nikon tDry oKiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, rich parents, gave everything, monk aKiev Caves M, 10960Bonyak incursions prisoner, they wanted ransom, refused to ask, hunger torment heat cold, beaten daily 3yrs, gave thanks tGod, told captors Sts Anthony&Theodosis prayers returned him in 3days, as Eustratius predicted appearing to him, leg tendons cut, strong guard set, suddenly 3rd day 6th hr became invisible, guard heard Praise the Lord from tHeavens, transported tDominion Church, wanted conceal miracle, wanted keep fetters, igumen convinced him Lord wanted him freed from fetters, former master converted recognizing him atMonastery, monk under Nikon, died about 1100, incorrupt relics; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11; Nikon the Dry, the son of rich and illustrious parents, gave up everything for Christ and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. the year 1096, during the incursions of Khan Bonyak, he was taken into captivity with some other monks. captors treated Saint Nikon harshly, while waiting for a ransom to be paid. the saint refused to be ransomed, his masters began to torment him with hunger, and left him exposed in the heat of summer and the cold of winter. was mistreated and beaten every day for about three years, for his captors thought he would change his mind and send word to his relatives, asking to be ransomed. saint gave thanks to God for everything, once said to his tormentor that the Lord, through the prayers of Saints Anthony and Theodosius would return him to his monastery within three days, Saint Eustratius (March 28) had predicted while appearing to him. captor cut the tendons in Saint Nikon’s legs and set a strong guard over him. suddenly, on the third day at the sixth hour, the holy captive became invisible. the moment the guard heard the words, “Praise the Lord from the Heavens” (Ps. 148). Nikon was transported to the Dormition church, where the Divine Liturgy was being served. The brethren surrounded him and began to ask how he got there. Saint Nikon wanted to conceal the miracle, but the brethren implored him to tell the truth. Nikon did not want to have his fetters removed, but the igumen said, “If the Lord had wanted you to remain fettered, He would not have delivered you from captivity.” a long while Saint Nikon’s former master came to the Kiev Caves monastery and recognized his former captive, who was withered from hunger and the loss of blood from his wounds. came to believe in Christ, and accepted Baptism. After receiving monastic tonsure, he became a novice under Saint Nikon’s direction. Nikon died at the beginning of the twelfth century and was buried in the Near Caves. he did not enjoy good health in this life, his holy relics were glorified by incorruption. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1097-1123, Davyd Sviatoslavich, ruler of Murom and Chernigov, father of Nicholas Sviatosha the first prince monk
Russia, Kiev, 1097-1123, Davyd Sviatoslavich, ruler of Murom and Chernigov, father of Nicholas Sviatosha the first prince monk; Sviatoslavich was the ruler of Murom and Chernigov. date of his birth is uncertain. Before his father's death was appointed to the Pereyaslav Principality, however in 1076 he ran to Murom which was located as far away as possible from Kiev. In 1093 Davyd was appointed a prince of Smolensk. During the war of his brother Oleg I of Chernigov against Sviatopolk II of Kiev and Vladimir II Monomakh he went up against the Vladimir's son Izyaslav of Murom. Oleg and Davyd in the united coalition of Sviatoslavichi managed to recover Smolensk and defeated Izyaslav at Murom where the last one perished. the Council of Liubech in 1097 Davyd was appointed to Chernigov, while Oleg was given Novhorod-Siverskyi. Protested against the rule of Sviatopolk who after the council together with Davyd Igorevich took Vasylko Rostyslavich a hostage and blinded him. The last two were in the constant warfare in the western areas of the Grand Duchy. Under pressure from Monomakh and Sviatoslavichi Sviatopolk outcast Davyd Igorevich to Poland. Later supported Sviatopolk in the war against Rostislavichi (one of whom was Vasylko). Davyd sent along his son Sviatoslav, but after an unsuccessful campaign the last one came back to his father and upon the death of his wife became a monk. At the Council of Witchew between the Sviatoslavichi, Monomakh, and Sviatopolk agreed to peace, stop the civil war, and consolidated their forces against the foreign enemies. At the council it was decided to cast Davyd Igorevich away from government duties, yet leaving him with some estates in Volyn. sometimes together with his brother, but more often with Vladimir Monomakh raided the Cuman lands from 1103 to 1111. Among numerous battles the most important one were at the Suteni river and Salnitsa river (March 27, 1111). During that campaign they managed to occupy the Cuman cities of Sharukan which is believed to be located somewhere between Chuhuiv and Zmiiv, and Sugrov. Davyd also greatly assisted Monomakh in the war against Polatsk Prince and Prince of Volyn in 1115–1118, while their sons continued to raid the Cumania. Chernigov; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves, was a great-grandson of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise and son of Prince David Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (+ 1123). was the Prince of Lutsk, and he had a wife and children (his daughter was later married to the Novgorod prince Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). February 17, 1106 the holy prince left his family and was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. Nicholas Sviatosha carried out his obediences with great humility. For three years he worked in the kitchen, for which he chopped wood and carried water. For the next three years, he was gatekeeper at the monastery. The saint had a garden around his cell. Out of his own means he built at the monastery the temple of the Holy Trinity and the infirmary church in the name of Saint Nicholas, his patron saint. Nicholas was the first of the Russian princes to accept monasticism, patiently enduring the reproaches of his brothers for his decision to lead a life of humble obedience. The saint’s doctor, Peter, pointed out to the royal ascetic that such exploits of obedience had injured his health. But suddenly the doctor himself fell sick, and was healed only by the prayer of Saint Nicholas. Then Peter himself was tonsured. he had progressed through various obediences, Saint Nicholas took upon himself the vow of silence. When the saint received money, he used it to beautify the church and to procure books (because he loved reading), or he distributed it to the poor. Saint Nicholas was a zealous peacemaker; in 1142 he reconciled the Prince of Chernigov with the Great Prince Vsevolod. after the death of the saint, his brother Prince Izyaslav fell grievously ill. The igumen of the monastery sent the sick man the saint’s hairshirt. Izyaslav put it on and was healed.

Russia, Kiev, 1100, 12th - 14th Century, Ukraine Folder, Novgorod Republic Time

Russia, Kiev, 1100-1199, 12th Century Folder, Monomashichi and Olgovichi

Russia, Kiev, 1101-1123 , Saint Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov from K Caves, angel flames of fire story
Russia, Kiev, 1101-1123 , Saint Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov from Kiev Far Caves; Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov, before assuming the episcopal office, pursued an ascetic life at the Kiev Caves monastery. He was one of the great Elders, healing Saint Nikḗtas, the future Bishop of Novgorod (January 31), by his prayers. the year 1103, Saint Theoctistus was made igumen of the Kiev Caves monastery. In the year 1108 he built a stone trapeza (dining hall) through the generosity of the pious prince Gleb Vseslavich. Saint Theoctistus particularly insisted that the name of Saint Theodosius (May 3) be included in the Synodikon of the saints of all Russia. February 11, 1110, there was a heavenly apparition at the Caves monastery. A pillar of fire appeared, stretching from the ground to the sky, and lightning lighted up all the earth, At the first hour of the night, there was a crash of thunder. The fiery pillar stood over the stone trapeza so that its cross was not visible. Later, it proceeded to the church and settled over the grave of Saint Theodosius, and then, turning to the East, it disappeared. “This was not a pillar of fire, but rather an angelic face,” wrote Saint Nestor the Chronicler, “because an angel appears thus when there is a pillar of fire, a flaming, as says the Prophet David: Who makes His angels spirits and His servants flames of fire” (Ps. 103 [104]: 4). the year 1113, Saint Theoctistus was consecrated Bishop of Chernigov. The Hieromartyr Monk Kuksha (August 27), enlightening the Vyatichi at this time, belonged to the Chernigov diocese. On May 2, 1115 Saint Theoctistus participated in the transfer of the relics of holy Princes Boris and Gleb to Vyshgorod, and later in Chernigov near his cathedral he consecrated a church in the name of the holy Princes Boris and Gleb, built in the year 1120 by Prince David of Chernigov. And to the noble Prince Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb the saint made a sermon on the day of their memory. On August 6, 1123, the Feast of the Transfiguration, Saint Theoctistus died, and because of the feastday, his memory is kept on August 5. one of the lists of the Saints it is said, that he was buried at the Caves monastery. Saint Theoctistus is also commemorated on September 28, when he is remembered in the 9th ode of the Canon of the Synaxis of the Monastic Fathers of the Near Caves. Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Kiev Caves Caverns; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; St Nestor (not the Chronicler) of the Far Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated October 25; Venerable Martyrius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves< Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Russia, Kiev, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker
Russia, Kiev, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Faster of the Near Caves of Kiev was a deacon. is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius of the Near Caves (twelfth century) is also commemorated on September 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1101-1148, Onesiphorus, Confessor oKiev Near Caves, Clairvoyant Presbyter, buried beside Spyridon aProsphora bkr
Russia, Kiev, 1101-1148, Onesiphorus, Confessor oKiev Near Caves, Clairvoyant Presbyter, buried beside Spyridon the Prosphora baker; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves pursued the ascetic life in the Kiev Caves monastery. was a presbyter and had the gift of clairvoyance. died in the year 1148 and was buried in the Near Caves beside Saint Spyridon (October 31). memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1106-1142, Nicholas Sviatosha, first Rus P monk, Lutsk Vohlynia, Cherginov, wonderwrkr, silence, peacemkr
Russia, Kiev, 1106-1142, Nicholas Sviatosha the first Rus Prince monk; Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves, was a great-grandson of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise and son of Prince David Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (+ 1123). was the Prince of Lutsk, and he had a wife and children (his daughter was later married to the Novgorod prince Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). February 17, 1106 the holy prince left his family and was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. Nicholas Sviatosha carried out his obediences with great humility. For three years he worked in the kitchen, for which he chopped wood and carried water. For the next three years, he was gatekeeper at the monastery. The saint had a garden around his cell. Out of his own means he built at the monastery the temple of the Holy Trinity and the infirmary church in the name of Saint Nicholas, his patron saint. Nicholas was the first of the Russian princes to accept monasticism, patiently enduring the reproaches of his brothers for his decision to lead a life of humble obedience. saint’s doctor, Peter, pointed out to the royal ascetic that such exploits of obedience had injured his health. But suddenly the doctor himself fell sick, and was healed only by the prayer of Saint Nicholas. Then Peter himself was tonsured. he had progressed through various obediences, Saint Nicholas took upon himself the vow of silence. When the saint received money, he used it to beautify the church and to procure books (because he loved reading), or he distributed it to the poor. Nicholas was a zealous peacemaker; in 1142 he reconciled the Prince of Chernigov with the Great Prince Vsevolod. after the death of the saint, his brother Prince Izyaslav fell grievously ill. The igumen of the monastery sent the sick man the saint’s hairshirt. Izyaslav put it on and was healed. Russia, Kiev, 1097-1123, Davyd Sviatoslavich, ruler of Murom and Chernigov, father of Nicholas Sviatosha the first prince monk; Sviatoslavich was the ruler of Murom and Chernigov. date of his birth is uncertain. Before his father's death was appointed to the Pereyaslav Principality, however in 1076 he ran to Murom which was located as far away as possible from Kiev. In 1093 Davyd was appointed a prince of Smolensk. During the war of his brother Oleg I of Chernigov against Sviatopolk II of Kiev and Vladimir II Monomakh he went up against the Vladimir's son Izyaslav of Murom. Oleg and Davyd in the united coalition of Sviatoslavichi managed to recover Smolensk and defeated Izyaslav at Murom where the last one perished. the Council of Liubech in 1097 Davyd was appointed to Chernigov, while Oleg was given Novhorod-Siverskyi. Protested against the rule of Sviatopolk who after the council together with Davyd Igorevich took Vasylko Rostyslavich a hostage and blinded him. The last two were in the constant warfare in the western areas of the Grand Duchy. Under pressure from Monomakh and Sviatoslavichi Sviatopolk outcast Davyd Igorevich to Poland. Later supported Sviatopolk in the war against Rostislavichi (one of whom was Vasylko). Davyd sent along his son Sviatoslav, but after an unsuccessful campaign the last one came back to his father and upon the death of his wife became a monk. At the Council of Witchew between the Sviatoslavichi, Monomakh, and Sviatopolk agreed to peace, stop the civil war, and consolidated their forces against the foreign enemies. At the council it was decided to cast Davyd Igorevich away from government duties, yet leaving him with some estates in Volyn. sometimes together with his brother, but more often with Vladimir Monomakh raided the Cuman lands from 1103 to 1111. Among numerous battles the most important one were at the Suteni river and Salnitsa river (March 27, 1111). During that campaign they managed to occupy the Cuman cities of Sharukan which is believed to be located somewhere between Chuhuiv and Zmiiv, and Sugrov. Davyd also greatly assisted Monomakh in the war against Polatsk Prince and Prince of Volyn in 1115–1118, while their sons continued to raid the Cumania. Chernigov; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves, was a great-grandson of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise and son of Prince David Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (+ 1123). was the Prince of Lutsk, and he had a wife and children (his daughter was later married to the Novgorod prince Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). February 17, 1106 the holy prince left his family and was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. Nicholas Sviatosha carried out his obediences with great humility. For three years he worked in the kitchen, for which he chopped wood and carried water. For the next three years, he was gatekeeper at the monastery. The saint had a garden around his cell. Out of his own means he built at the monastery the temple of the Holy Trinity and the infirmary church in the name of Saint Nicholas, his patron saint. Nicholas was the first of the Russian princes to accept monasticism, patiently enduring the reproaches of his brothers for his decision to lead a life of humble obedience. The saint’s doctor, Peter, pointed out to the royal ascetic that such exploits of obedience had injured his health. But suddenly the doctor himself fell sick, and was healed only by the prayer of Saint Nicholas. Then Peter himself was tonsured. he had progressed through various obediences, Saint Nicholas took upon himself the vow of silence. When the saint received money, he used it to beautify the church and to procure books (because he loved reading), or he distributed it to the poor. Saint Nicholas was a zealous peacemaker; in 1142 he reconciled the Prince of Chernigov with the Great Prince Vsevolod. after the death of the saint, his brother Prince Izyaslav fell grievously ill. The igumen of the monastery sent the sick man the saint’s hairshirt. Izyaslav put it on and was healed.

Russia, Kiev, 1108-1115, Sylvester otKiev Near Caves, Igumen, continued Nestor's historical work, deliverance minister
Russia, Kiev, 1108-1115, Sylvester otMikhilovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, Kiev Near Caves, Igumen, continued Nestor's work, wrote 9Lives Holy Kiev Caves Saints, called blessed, miraculous gift tWard off demonic suggestions; Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Sylvester of the Caves lived during the twelfth century was igumen of the Mikhailovsk Vydubitsk monastery at Kiev. continued the work of Saint Nestor the Chronicler (October 27) he wrote nine lives of the holy saints of the Kiev Caves. the service to the Fathers venerated in the Near Caves, Sylvester is called blessed endowed with “a miraculous gift to ward off demonic suggestions” (Ode 9 of the Canon). Sylvester was buried in the Near Caves, and his memory is celebrated on September 28, on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1094-1115, Oleg 1, Father of all the Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov and Cumans
Russia, Kiev, 1113-1125, Oleg 1, Father of all the Olgoviches, parted with Vladimir II over Chernigov Kiev Rus King, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh of Chernigov;

Russia, Kiev, 1113-1125, Vladimir II, Father of all the Monomashichi, parted with Oleg over Chernigov and Cumans
Kiev Rus King, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh of Chernigov; II Monomakh (Christian name: Vasiliy, Vasyl, or Basileios) (26 May 1053 - 19 May 1125) reigned as Grand Prince of Kyivan Rus' from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.[1] 1 Family 2 Reign 3 Marriages and children 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further reading 8 External links was the son of Vsevolod I (married in 1046) by a relative of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, from whom Vladimir obtained his sobriquet.[2] Contemporary Byzantine naming practice allowed the adoption of a maternal surname if the mother's family was perceived to be of a more exalted origin than that of the father.[3] Testament of Vladimir Monomakh to Children, 1125. Lithography of 1836. his famous Instruction (also known as The Testament) to his own children, Monomakh mentions that he conducted 83 military campaigns and 19 times made peace with the Polovtsi. At first he waged war against the steppe jointly with his cousin Oleg, but after Vladimir was sent by his father to rule Chernigov and Oleg made peace with the Polovtsi to retake that city from him, they parted company. Since that time, Vladimir and Oleg were bitter enemies who would often engage in internecine wars. The enmity continued among their children and more distant posterity. 1094, his chief patrimony was the southern town of Pereyaslav, although he also controlled Rostov, Suzdal, and other northern provinces (see Principality of Pereyaslavl). In these lands he founded several towns, notably his namesake, Vladimir, the future capital of Russia. In order to unite the princes of Rus' in their struggle against the Great Steppe, Vladimir initiated three princely congresses, the most important being held at Lyubech in 1097 and Dolobsk in 1103. 1107 he defeated Boniak, a Cuman khan who led an invasion on Kievan Rus'. When Sviatopolk II died in 1113, the Kievan populace revolted and summoned Vladimir to the capital. The same year he entered Kiev to the great delight of the crowd and reigned there until his death in 1125. As may be seen from his Instruction, he promulgated a number of reforms in order to allay the social tensions in the capital. These years saw the last flowering of Ancient Rus, which was torn apart 10 years after his death. Monomakh is buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Succeeding generations often referred to his reign as the golden age of that city. Numerous legends are connected with Monomakh's name, including the transfer from Constantinople to Rus of such precious relics as the Theotokos of Vladimir and the Vladimir/Muscovite crown called Monomakh's Cap. Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1113-1125, Vladimir II Monomakh of Chernigov and Vladimir, Kiev Rus King, Byzantine E relative
Kiev Rus King, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh of Chernigov; II Monomakh (Christian name: Vasiliy, Vasyl, or Basileios) (26 May 1053 - 19 May 1125) reigned as Grand Prince of Kyivan Rus' from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.[1] was the son of Vsevolod I (married in 1046) by a relative of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, from whom Vladimir obtained his sobriquet.[2] Contemporary Byzantine naming practice allowed the adoption of a maternal surname if the mother's family was perceived to be of a more exalted origin than that of the father.[3] Testament of Vladimir Monomakh to Children, 1125. Lithography of 1836. his famous Instruction (also known as The Testament) to his own children, Monomakh mentions that he conducted 83 military campaigns and 19 times made peace with the Polovtsi. At first he waged war against the steppe jointly with his cousin Oleg, but after Vladimir was sent by his father to rule Chernigov and Oleg made peace with the Polovtsi to retake that city from him, they parted company. Since that time, Vladimir and Oleg were bitter enemies who would often engage in internecine wars. The enmity continued among their children and more distant posterity. 1094, his chief patrimony was the southern town of Pereyaslav, although he also controlled Rostov, Suzdal, and other northern provinces (see Principality of Pereyaslavl). In these lands he founded several towns, notably his namesake, Vladimir, the future capital of Russia. In order to unite the princes of Rus' in their struggle against the Great Steppe, Vladimir initiated three princely congresses, the most important being held at Lyubech in 1097 and Dolobsk in 1103. 1107 he defeated Boniak, a Cuman khan who led an invasion on Kievan Rus'. When Sviatopolk II died in 1113, the Kievan populace revolted and summoned Vladimir to the capital. The same year he entered Kiev to the great delight of the crowd and reigned there until his death in 1125. As may be seen from his Instruction, he promulgated a number of reforms in order to allay the social tensions in the capital. These years saw the last flowering of Ancient Rus, which was torn apart 10 years after his death. Monomakh is buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Succeeding generations often referred to his reign as the golden age of that city. Numerous legends are connected with Monomakh's name, including the transfer from Constantinople to Rus of such precious relics as the Theotokos of Vladimir and the Vladimir/Muscovite crown called Monomakh's Cap. Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1115-1122, Daniel the Traveler, Kiev Rus Igumen, to Constntnpl, Cyprus, Holy Land & Ephesus
Kiev Rus Igumen, 1115-1122, Daniel the Traveler; 7 Holy Youths "œSeven Sleepers"Â of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; 7 Holy Youths "œSeven Sleepers "phesus, Commemorated on October 22; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11;

Russia, Kiev, 1117-1138, Vsevolod oPskov, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavenly Pskov defender, fNovgorod, but exiled, wWorkr
Russia, Kiev, 1117-1138, K Rus King, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavenly defender oPskov, fNovgorod, as father's vicar did much for Novgorod, many churches, George's Cathedral at Yuriev m, Forerunner's church at Opokakh, charter oLands&privileges in his Law Code for Holy Wisdom cathedral&others, saved everyone during famine by exhausting entire treasury, valiant warrior vs Yam&Chud, 1132 Mstislav died his brother Yaropolk transferred V tPeresyaslavl then eldest city after Kiev, but Monomakh's younger sons (Yuri D, Andrew D) were apprehensive, did not want V at Kiev as Y's successor, so they attacked nephew V, to avoide intercene strife V returned to Novgorod, but N disaffection, felt should not have left them, 1133 victory over Chud to restore N relations, & annexed Yuriev tNovgorod, but harsh winter campaign against Suzdal unsuccessful, N could not forgive V fDefeat, their chastisement fGod, N turned to hostile Monomakh line oOlgovichi for a Prince, and banished V, suffering exile fOwn people, held by guard till Prince arrived, V went to Kiev and Yaropolk gave him Vyshgorod near Kiev, which was Olga's palace, she preferred Kiev&Pskov tNovgorod, 1137 Olga appeared in defence of Pskov&Kiev from Novgorod, remembering his chud wars Pskov invited V tPskov, Olga's native land, he was chosen by will otPeople, the first, glorious works there (constructed first stone church) but ruled only 1yr, died 1138 at 46, All oPskov gathered, wailing, Novgorod sent priest to take back relics but he did not want to go, coffin would not move, Novgorod people repented, asked for small piece, received fingernail, Pskov put V into Demetrius's temple, armaments arranged as a cross, inscription - I will yield my honor to no one, 1192 relics uncovered transferred to Cathedral to V's chapel, always remained a Pskov wonderworker; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Prince Vsevolod of Pskov, in Baptism Gabriel, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was born at Novgorod, where in the years 1088-1093 and 1095-1117 his father ruled as prince. father was the holy prince Saint Mstislav-Theodore the Great (April 15). the year 1117, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh gave Mstislav Kievan Belgorod as his “udel” (land-holding), practically making him co-ruler, Vsevolod remained as his father’s vicar in the Novgorod principality. Prince Vsevolod did much good for Novgorod. with the Archbishop of Novgorod, Saint Niphon (April 8), raised up many churches, which were the cathedral of the Great Martyr George at the Yuriev monastery, the church of Saint John the Forerunner at Opokakh, built in honor of the “angel” (i.e. patron saint) of his first-born son John, who had died in infancy (+ 1128). his Ustav (Law code) the prince granted a special charter of lands and privileges the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) and other churches. a terrible famine, he exhausted his entire treasury to save people from perishing. Vsevolod was a valiant warrior, he marched victoriously against the Yam and Chud peoples, he never took up the sword for lucre or power. 1132, upon the death of holy Great Prince Mstislav, ’s uncle Prince Yaropolk of Kiev fulfilled the last wishes of his brother transferred Vsevolod to Pereyaslavl, then regarded as the eldest city after Kiev itself. the younger sons of Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrew Dobry, apprehensive lest Yaropolk make Vsevolod his successor at Kiev, so they marched out against their nephew. to avoid internecine strife, Saint Vsevolod returned to Novgorod, was received there with disaffection. Novgorodians felt that the prince had been “raised” by them and should not have left them earlier. “Vsevolod went to Rus, to Pereslavl,” noted the Novgorod chronicler, “and kissed the cross against the Novgorodians, saying, ‘I will kill you.’” to restore good relations with Novgorod, prince undertook a victorious campaign against the Chud people in 1133, he annexed Yuriev to the Novgorod domain. a harsh winter campaign in 1135-1136 against Suzdal was unsuccessful. stubborn people of Novgorod would not heed their chastisement by God, they could not forgive the prince for their defeat. assembly decided to summon a prince from the hostile Monomakh line of the Olgovichi, they condemned Saint Vsevolod to banishment. “You suffered exile at the hands of your own people,” we sing in the troparion to the saint. a month and a half they held the prince and his family under guard at the archbishop’s palace. Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich arrived on July 15, 1136, Vsevolod was released from his captivity. went again to Kiev, and his uncle Yaropolk gave him the Vyshgorod district near Kiev, place where Saint Olga (July 11) had lived in the tenth century during the rule of her son Svyatoslav, “preferring the cities of Kiev and Pskov.” Olga came to the defense of her descendant in 1137 the people of Pskov, recalling the campaigns of the Novgorod-Pskov army led by the prince, invited him to the Pskov principality, the native region of Saint Olga. was the first Pskov prince, chosen by the will of the Pskov people. the glorious works of Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel at Pskov the construction of the first stone church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, a wooden church from the time of Saint Olga. the icons of the saint, he is often depicted holding the church of the Holy Trinity. Vsevolod ruled as prince at Pskov for only a year. died on February 11, 1138 at the age of forty-six. All of Pskov gathered at the funeral of the beloved prince, and the chanting of the choir could scarcely be heard over the people’s wailing. people of Novgorod sent an archpriest from the Sophia cathedral to take his holy relics back to Novgorod. prince, however, did not want his body to rest in Novgorod. would not allow Pskov to be deprived of his relics by the people of Novgorod, had driven him out, the coffin would not move from the spot. Novgorod people wept bitterly and repented in their misfortune. Then they asked to be given just a small piece of his relics “for the protection of their city.” their prayers a fingernail fell from the saint’s hand. Pskov people put Saint Vsevolod into the temple of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. the grave they placed the military armaments of the prince, a shield and sword, in the shape of a cross, with the Latin inscription, “I will yield my honor to no one.” November 27, 1192, the relics of holy Prince Vsevolod were uncovered and transferred into the Trinity cathedral, in which a chapel was consecrated in his honor. deep spiritual bond of the city of Saint Olga with the holy Prince Vsevolod was never broken. always remained a Pskov wonderworker. the siege of Pskov by Stephen Bathory in 1581, when the walls of the fortress were already breached and the Poles were ready to rush into the city, brought the holy relics of Prince Vsevolod from the Trinity cathedral to the place of battle, the enemy withdrew. April 22, 1834, on the first day of Pascha, the saint’s holy relics were solemnly transferred to a new shrine in the main church of the cathedral. the appearance of the wonderworking Pskov-Protection Icon (October 1), Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel stood among the heavenly defenders of Pskov. Kiev Rus King, 1117-1138, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel ; Mstislavich, the patron saint of the city of Pskov, ruled as Prince of Novgorod in 1117–32, Prince of Pereslavl (1132) and Prince of Pskov in 1137–38. 1 Early life 2 Expulsion from Novgorod 3 Church-building and veneration 4 Marriage and children 5 Succession 6 References 7 External links life[edit] eldest son of Mstislav the Great and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, Vsevolod was born in Novgorod during his father's reign as prince there (1088–1093, 1095–1117) and given the baptismal name Gabriel, or Gavriil. His maternal grandfather was King Inge the Elder of Sweden. The date of his birth is unknown, although the idea has been advanced that the event was commemorated by the Annunciation Church in the Marketplace, founded by Mstislav in 1103.[1] was enthroned as Prince of Novgorod after his father Mstislav Vladimirovich became Grand Prince of Kiev in 1117 and ruled Novgorod, with some interruption, until he was ousted by the Novgorodians in 1136. He was married to a Chernigovian princess in Novgorod in 1123 and his son, Ivan, was born there (he died in 1128).[2] In 1123, Vsevolod led the Novgorodians against the Chud. These campaigns continued in 1130 and over the next several years.[3] Aside from Vladimir Yaroslavich, Vsevolod was the first Novgorodian prince known to have been in conflict with Finns (in 1123).[4] from Novgorod[edit] his father's death in 1132, support for him began to erode in Novgorod. That same year, he was sent by his uncle, Grand Prince Yaropolk, to Pereslavl, to reign there. When he tried to return to Novgorod later that year, the Novgorodians refused to accept him back because they considered his move to Pereslavl as a betrayal (He had sworn an oath to die in Novgorod). That being said, the chronicles indicate that he was back leading a Novgorodian army in 1133. It was during that campaign that Vsevolod captured the city of Yuryev (modern Tartu, Estonia).[5] 1134, Vsevolod led an unsuccessful campaign in Vladimir-Suzdal during which, according to the Novgorodians, he showed indecisiveness, one of the reasons for his dismissal a little over a year later. On 28 May 1136, he was confined in the Archbishop's courtyard (compound) in the Detinets along with his wife and family, guarded by thirty men so as not to escape. In mid-July he was allowed to leave, going to his uncle in Kiev.[6] The following year, he tried to come back to Novgorod at the head of an army but withdrew instead to Pskov, where he died in February 1138.[7] According to his own wishes, he was buried in the Church of St. Demetrius in Pskov. dismissal from Novgorod has traditionally been seen as the end of Kievan power in the north and the beginning of the Republic of Novgorod. After him a number of princes were invited in or dismissed over the next two centuries, although only a few, like Aleksandr Nevsky, could assert themselves in the city for a prolonged period. Church-building and veneration[edit] of Saint Nicholas, constructed by Vsevolod in Novgorod. addition to leading Novgorodian armies on several campaigns, Vsevolod built a number of churches in and around the city: the Church of St. John on Opoki (1127–1130),[8] the Church of St. George in the Market (1133), the Church of The Assumption in the Market (1133; built with Archbishop Nifont),[9] and the Church of St. George in the Yuriev Monastery.[10] It was Vsevolod who granted the charter to Ivan's Hundred, the first Russian merchant guild. In addition, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yaroslav's Court, while often attributed to his father Mstislav, was mostly built during Vsevolod's tenure in Novgorod. comparatively early death prevented him from claiming the Kievan throne. He was survived by a daughter, Wierzchosława, the wife of Bolesław IV the Curly. The prince was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Vsevolod-Gavriil. In the Stepennaya Kniga (the "Book of Degrees of Royal Genealogy"), he is listed as a Pskov Wonderworker.[11] His relics were moved from the Church of St. Demetrius to the Trinity Cathedral in the Pskov Kremlin in 1193. The Pskovians attached his name to a German sword with the inscription honorem meum nemini dabo, formerly preserved in the cathedral sacristy, but modern historians date the sword to the 15th century at the earliest.

Russia, Kiev, 1125, Smolensk begins to separate from Kiev, Mstislav's son Rostislav, Monomahk' gson
Kiev Rus King, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, The Great ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1125-15th Century, Rostaslavichi, Rostislav Mstislavich decendants, Ruled Smolensk from 1125 till 15th Century
Rostaslavichi, Rostislav Mstislavich decendants, Ruled Smolensk till 15th Century; Prince of Smolensk was the kniaz, the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Smolensk, a lordship based on the city of Smolensk. passed between different groups of descendants of Grand Prince Iaroslav I of Kiev until 1125, when following the death of Vladimir Monomakh the latter's grandson Rostislav Mstislavich was installed in the principality, while the latter's father Mstislav I Vladimirovich became Grand Prince. gained its own bishopric in 1136. was Rostislav's descendants, the Rostaslavichi, who ruled the principality until the fifteenth-century. Smolensk enjoyed stronger western ties than most Rus' principalities.

Russia, Kiev, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, Monomakh, b churches, c warfare, Cumans Estons Vohly Chern, English gf Harold II
Kiev Rus King, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, The Great, Theodore ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Kiev, 1127-1176, St Athanasius Resurrected One, died, 3rd day found alive, weeping, replied only seek salvation, obey+
Russia, Kiev, 1127-1176, St Athanasius oKiev Near Caves, Resurrected One, Polycarp otKiev Caves contemporary, ill long time, died, 3rd day found alive, sitting up &weeping, replied only seek salvation, obey igumen, repent each hour &pray to Lord Jesus, MOG, & Anthony&Theodosius tAllow end life here, do not ask anything else for I must pray, then he lived 12 more years in solitude oCave, Then he repeated earlier words, Babylas healed at his relics after A appeared to him, buried Antoniev Cave; Kiev Caves Caverns; Near Caves; Venerable Athanasius “the Resurrected One”, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Athanasius, hermit of the Near Caves of Kiev, a contemporary of the archimandrite Saint Polycarp (July 24) of the Kiev Caves. Athanasius was grievously ill for a long time. When he died, the brethren prepared him for burial, and on the third day the igumen came to bury him. they all saw the dead man alive. He was sitting up and weeping. all their questions he replied only: “Seek salvation, obey the igumen in everything, repent each hour and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, to His All-Pure Mother and to Saints Anthony and Theodosius, to allow you to end your life here. not ask me anything else, for I must pray” (There is a similar story of Saint Hesychius [October 3] in THE LADDER of Saint John Climacus, Step 6). this he lived for twelve years more in solitude in a cave. that time he spoke not a word to anyone. He wept day and night, and partook of a little bread and water only every other day. before his death, he assembled the brethren, and repeated his earlier words to them, and then he peacefully departed unto the Lord (in about the year 1176). monk Babylas, who had suffered illness and an infirmity of the legs for many years, was healed at his relics. “As I lay there,” he told the brethren, “I cried out in pain. Saint Athanasius appeared to me and said, ‘Come to me, and I shall heal you.’ I wanted to ask him how and when he had returned here, but he became invisible. believed his words and asked to be taken to his relics. indeed, I have been healed.” Athanasius was buried in the Antoniev Cave. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1129, Constantine of Murom, Kiev Saint, died 1129, to spread Christianity there, Sviatoslav II's son
Kiev Saint, died 1129, Constantine of Murom; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21;

Russia, Kiev, 1131, Vladimir Icon received from Constantinople by K Rus King, Mstislav I, Monomakh
Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; the year 1131, an Icon was sent from Constantinople to the Holy Prince Mstislav (Theodore in Baptism, commemorated April 15) in Russia, and was placed in the Devichii monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support) city of Saint Olga (July 11). Kiev Rus King, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, The Great ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1132-1139, Yaropolk II, K Rus King, Monomakh's son, always against the Cumans, Olegs and Yuri D
Kiev Rus King, 1132-1139, Yaropolk II ; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Kiev, 1139, Viacheslav I, K GP, driven out by VII, M's son, Smolensk, Turov, Pereyaslavl, Peresopnytsia, Vyshgorod
Kiev Rus King, 1113-1154, Viacheslav I of Kiev, Vyacheslav Vladimirovich; Vladimirovich (1083 - 2 February 1154) was a Prince of Smolensk (1113-1125), Turov (1125-1132, 1134-1146), Pereyaslavl (1132-1134, 1142), Peresopnytsia (1146-1149), Vyshgorod (1149-1151) and Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1139, 1151-1154). was a son of Vladimir Monomakh and Gytha of Wessex. 18 February 1139 he succeeded his brother Yaropolk II of Kiev as Grand Prince, but was driven out in March by Vsevolod II of Kiev. later ruled Kiev jointly with his nephew Iziaslav II of Kiev and died not long after Iziaslav in late 1154 or early 1155 and is buried in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. His only son, Michael Viacheslavovich, had predeceased him in 1129. Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1139-1146, Vsevolod II, Oleg's son, two sons, but chose b Igor, a prince of Chernigov, Kiev Rus King
Kiev Rus King, 1139-1146, Vsevolod II, Vsevolod Olegovich; II Olgovich (died August 1, 1146) was the Prince (Knyaz) of Chernigov (1127–1139) and Grand Prince (Velikiy Knyaz) of Kiev] (Kyiv, 1139–1146), son of Oleg Svyatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov. married Maria Mstislavna of Kiev, the daughter of Grand Duke Mstislav of Kiev. They had two sons and two daughters: III of Kiev II Vsevolodovich, born in 1139 Anna of Chernigov, married a prince of Halych, son of Vasylko Rostyslavych according to some chronicles of Chernigov, married Boleslaw I the Tall, Duke of Wroclaw he had two sons, Vsevolod's chosen successor was his brother, Igor, and he obtained pledges from his subjects to accept Igor as his heir. According to one account, Vsevolod even had the Kievans kiss the Holy Cross and swear loyalty to Igor, which they resented. Shortly before his death, Vsevolod became a monk under the name Gavriil. Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Kiev, 1146, Igor II, George, K Rus King, Olgovich, Oleg's son, Chernigov, resist to Olgovich, pit, killed by mob
Kiev Rus King, 1146, Igor II Olgovich of Kiev; II Olgovich (Igor II Ol'govich in Russian; died September 19, 1147), Prince of Chernigov and Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1146). Son of Oleg Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (modern Chernihiv). Saint - feast day: 5 June. was the chosen successor of his brother, Vsevolod II of Kiev. Though his brother had extracted promises of loyalty from his Kievan subjects, Igor and his family, the Olgovichi, were unpopular and there was resistance against his accession. chroniclers accused Igor of being dishonest, greedy, scheming, and violent. He had reigned less than two weeks before the Kievans invited his cousin and rival, Iziaslav Mstislavich, to be their prince. Reneging on a promise he had made not to seek power, Iziaslav attacked and defeated Igor and his brother Svyatoslav. escaped, but Igor got bogged down in some marshes and was unable to flee because of an infirmity in his legs. He was captured, and Iziaslav had him thrown into a pit. He languished in the pit until autumn 1146, when, desperately ill, he requested permission to become a monk. Iziaslav released him, but Igor was so weak he had to be carried from the pit and nearly died of illness. He became a monk at the monastery of St. Feodor in Kiev under the name Ignati. In 1147, a mob attacked Igor under the mistaken impression that he intended to usurp Iziaslav's throne. Iziaslav's brother, Vladimir, tried to rescue Igor, but the mob tore down a balcony on which Igor had sought sanctuary, and thus killed him. His body was dragged behind a cart and exhibited in a market before it could be salvaged by Vladimir. were alleged to have occurred around Igor's body, and he was proclaimed a saint-martyr. Eventually his remains were sent to Transfiguration Cathedral, Chernihiv. Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1146-1149, 1151-1154, Izyaslav Mstislavich, Iziaslav II of Kiev, Panteleimon, Volhynian Momomakh
Kiev Rus King, 1146-1154, Iziaslav II of Kiev, Izyaslav Mstislavich; II Mstislavich (c. 1096[1] - 13 November 1154),[1] was the oldest son of Mstislav Vladimirovich (Prince of Novgorod) and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. He was baptized as Panteleimon.[1] Izyaslav is considered to be progenitor of the Monomakhovychi Volhynian branch (senior branch).[2] held following offices Prince of Pereyaslav (1132), Prince of Turov (1132–1134), Prince of Rostov (1134– ), Prince of Volhynia (1134–1142), Pereyaslavl (1143–1145), Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1146–1149 and 1151–1154). Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1147-1154, Clement of Smolensk, Kliment Smoliatich, chosen Metropolitan illegally, Not Constantinople
Russia, Kiev, 1147-1154, Clement of Smolensk, Kliment Smoliatich, chosen Metropolitan illegally by Russians, Not Constantinople ; Smolensk; Blessed Constantine, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1147-1178, Gerasimus of the Vologda, First Northern Wonderworker
Russia, Vologda, 1147-1178, Gerasimus of the Vologda, Trinity Monastery, First Northern Wonderworker; Gerasimus Vologda Trinity Monastery; Vologda; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Gerasimus, First Vologda Wonderworker, accepted monastic tonsure on March 4 (at that time it was customary to give a new monk the name of the saint commemorated on the day of his tonsure) the Kiev Gniloe Dormition monastery, having been attracted to the Caves where Saint Theodosius (May 3) secluded himself during Great Lent. of obedience to the brethren, Saint Gerasimus accepted the rank of hieromonk. imitation of the exploits of the Fathers of old, the monk felt drawn to Northern Rus and he arrived at the River Vologda (August 19, 1147). blessed the emerging settlement on the right bank, “foretelling that here would be a great city.” saint chose the dense virgin forest for his dwelling place, separated from the settlement by the Kaisarova creek. There the monk built a hut, and in the tranquil solitude he devoted himself to the contemplation of God, unceasing prayer and work. built a church in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, and so the first monastery in the north named for the Most Holy Trinity came into being. The monastery served for the spiritual enlightenment of the surrounding peoples. monk peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on March 4, 1178, the day of his monastic tonsure, and the Feast of his namesake Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan.

Russia, Kiev, 1149-1151, 1155-1157, Yuri I Dolgorukiy, K Rus King, George, far reaching, Kiev to Suzdal, Yuri D
Kiev Rus King, 1149-1157, Yuri I Dolgorukiy ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1150-1182, Saint Cyril of Turov, Belarus and Volhynia
Russia, Kiev, 1150-1182, Saint Cyril of Turov; St. Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th C, Nectarius t Obedient, Kiev Near Caves, unquestioning obedience t older b & diligence in labors
Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th C, Nectarius t Obedient, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, unquestioning obedience to older bretheren and diligence in labors, reposed peacefully; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Nektarios struggled in the Kiev Caves Monastery during the XII century. of his unquestioning obedience to the older brethren, and for the diligence he showed in his labors, Saint Nektarios was called "the Obedient." He reposed peacefully after a life of much toil and many spiritual struggles. He was buried in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony. Nektarios is also commemorated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1150, 12th C, Onesimus tRecluse, Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, Ascetic
Russia, Kiev, 1150, 12th C, Onesimus tRecluse, Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, Ascetic; Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Onesimus the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 21; Onesimus the Recluse of the Kiev Caves (XII-XIII) was an ascetic in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony in the twelfth century. is also commemorated on October 4, and again on September 28 (Synaxis of the Fathers of the Near Caves). saint’s holy relics were buried at the place of his ascetic labors.

Russia, Kiev, 1150, 12th C, Onesimus tSilent, Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, Ascetic
Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Onuphrius the Silent of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 21;

Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th C, Theophanes tFaster, Kiev Near Caves, drew closer to tLord by strict fasting
Russia, Kiev, 1150 12th Century, Theophanes tFaster, Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, drew closer to tLord by strict fasting ; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Theophanes the Faster of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 11; epithet "Faster," by which the Venerable Theophanes is known, indicates that he drew closer to the Lord by means of his strict fasting. relics of Saint Theophanes lie in the Near Caves of Saint Anthony. lived during the XII century, the details of his Life are not described in the commemoration books of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Theophanes is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves of Saint Anthony (September 28), and on the Synaxis of All the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves (The second Sunday of Great Lent).

Russia, Kiev, 1151-1154, Viacheslav I, K GP, shared, M's son, Smolensk, Turov, Pereyaslavl, Peresopnytsia, Vyshgorod
Kiev Rus King, 1113-1154, Viacheslav I of Kiev, Vyacheslav Vladimirovich; Vladimirovich (1083 - 2 February 1154) was a Prince of Smolensk (1113-1125), Turov (1125-1132, 1134-1146), Pereyaslavl (1132-1134, 1142), Peresopnytsia (1146-1149), Vyshgorod (1149-1151) and Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1139, 1151-1154). was a son of Vladimir Monomakh and Gytha of Wessex. 18 February 1139 he succeeded his brother Yaropolk II of Kiev as Grand Prince, but was driven out in March by Vsevolod II of Kiev. later ruled Kiev jointly with his nephew Iziaslav II of Kiev and died not long after Iziaslav in late 1154 or early 1155 and is buried in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. His only son, Michael Viacheslavovich, had predeceased him in 1129. Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1151-1154, Iziaslav II, Mstislavich, Volhynian Momomakh, Panteleimon, Pereyaslav, Turov, Rostov
Kiev Rus King, 1146-1154, Iziaslav II of Kiev, Izyaslav Mstislavich; II Mstislavich (c. 1096[1] - 13 November 1154),[1] was the oldest son of Mstislav Vladimirovich (Prince of Novgorod) and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. He was baptized as Panteleimon.[1] Izyaslav is considered to be progenitor of the Monomakhovychi Volhynian branch (senior branch).[2] held following offices Prince of Pereyaslav (1132), Prince of Turov (1132–1134), Prince of Rostov (1134“ ), Prince of Volhynia (1134-“1142), Pereyaslavl (1143-“1145), Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1146-“1149 and 1151-“1154). Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1152-1186, Nikita tStylite, Pereyaslavl, repentent tax collector, pillar-well, myrrh, d light, incrrpt r
Russia, Pereyaslavl, 1152-1186, Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl (Lake Pereyaslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky), tax collector, cost building new city&stone church, more taxes, N overcharged, many years, led tRepent, Wash &Make yourself clean, led tR again, pot blood hHeads, hands, feet rising to top, monastery igumen repentence test, stand gates 3days, confessing sins tPassersby, found lying swamp, covered mosquitos midges, bleeding, tonsured monk, day night prayer, chanting Psalms, r saints lives, hair shirt, heavy chains, 2 deep wells, deep round pit wStanding stone, stylite in his pillar-well, underground passage to church, martyr death, relatives saw glitter on chains, murdured, fragrand body, iron chains cross glorified b devine light over Volga, incorrupt relics; Pereslavl-Zalessky; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Nikḗtas the Stylite of Pereyaslavl was a native of the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, he was in charge of collecting taxes. 1152, Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy founded the city of Pereyaslavl and built a stone church dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior in that new place. of the cost of building the city and the church, more taxes had to be collected from the residents of the city. mercilessly overcharged people, keeping a large portion of the money for himself. This went on for many years. But the merciful Lord, Who desires that all sinners might be saved, led Niketas to repentance. day, he went to church and heard the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "Wash, and make yourselves clean, remove the iniquities from your souls before my eyes; cease your wickedness, learn to do good; diligently seek judgment; deliver those who suffer wrongs; defend the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16-17). was shaken, as if by thunder, by these words which penetrated into the depths of his heart. Niketas did not sleep all night, remembering the words: "Wash, and make yourselves clean." In the morning, however, he decided to invite some friends to his home for some cheerful conversation, and to forget the horrors of the previous night. again, the Lord called Niketas to repentance. While his wife was preparing a meal for their guests, suddenly she saw some things rising to the surface in the boiling pot: blood, human heads, hands, and feet. Horrified, she called out to her husband, and Niketas saw the same thing. his sleeping conscience was awakened, and he realized that by overcharging people he was acting like a robber and a murderer. "Alas," he cried, "I have sinned much! O God, lead me on Your path!" With these words, he ran out of the house. versts from Pereyaslavl there was a monastery dedicated to the Great Martyr Niketas (September 15) where Niketas went, shaken by the terrible vision. With tears he fell at the feet of the Igoumen saying: "Save a perishing soul. the Igoumen decided to test the sincerity of his repentance, giving him his first obedience: stand at the monastery gates for three days, confessing his sins to everyone who passed. With profound humility, Niketas fulfilled his first obedience. days later, the Igoumen remembered him and sent a monk to see what he was doing at the monastery gates. the monk did not find Niketas there. He found him lying in a swamp, covered with mosquitoes and midges, and he was bleeding from their bites. the Igoumen came to the sufferer and said, "My son! what are you doing to yourself?" Save a perishing soul," Niketas replied. Igoumen clothed Niketas in a hair shirt, received him into the monastery, and tonsured him as a monk. the monastic vows with all his heart, Niketas spent his days and nights in prayer, chanting Psalms, and reading the Lives of the holy ascetics. the Igoumen's blessing, he wore heavy chains, and there in the place of his monastic struggles, he dug two deep wells. he increased his struggles. He dug a deep round pit and there he placed a stone upon which he stood, becoming a man of ardent prayer, like the ancient stylites. the blue sky and the night stars saw him at the bottom of his pillar-well, but there was a narrow underground passage beneath the wall of the church, and through it Niketas went to church for the Services. by struggling well in the monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas, the Venerable Niketas also ended his life with a martyr's death. night, some of the Saint's relatives came to him for his blessing, and were attracted by the glitter of his chains and crosses. mistook them for silver, and decided to steal them. On the night of May 24, 1186, they removed part of the roof, killed the ascetic, took his crosses and chains, wrapped them in a rough canvas, and then ran away. Matins, the sacristan, who came to Saint Niketas for the blessing, found the damaged roof and reported it to the Igoumen. The Igoumen and the brethren hurried to the Venerable Stylite and saw that he had been murdered, and his body was fragrant. the killers stopped on the banks of the Volga River, and decided to divide their loot, but they were astonished to see that it was not made of silver but of iron, and threw the chains into the Volga. Lord glorified these visible signs of the Saint's hidden struggles and works. night Simeon, a pious Elder of the Yaroslavl Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, saw three bright rays of light over the Volga. informed the Igoumen of the Monastery and the city officials. The assembled priests and numerous townspeople, who had come down to the river, saw three crosses and chains floating in the waters of the Volga. reverence and prayers they were brought to the Monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas and laid on the grave of Saint Niketas. the same time, there were miracles of healing. 1420 - 1425, Saint Photios, the Metropolitan of Kiev (July 2), gave his blessing to uncover the relics of Saint Niketas. Igoumen of the Monastery served a Moleben with the brethren, and then he opened the coffin, in which was an incorrupt body. Suddenly, the grave filled up with earth, and the relics remained in the ground. 1511-1522 a chapel was built in honor of the Monastic Martyr Niketas, and in the XIX century Archpriest A. Svirelin composed an Akathist to the Saint.

Russia, Kiev, 1154-1164, Sviatoslav, Oleg's s, Igor's f, assisted by Yuri D, Novgorod, N Seversky, Belgorod K, Chernigov
Kiev Rus King, 1154-1164, Sviatoslav Olgovich; Olgovich (died February 14, 1164) was the Prince of Novgorod (1136-“1138); Novgorod-Seversky (1139); Belgorod Kievsky (1141-“1154); and Chernigov (1154-“1164). He was the son of Oleg Sviatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov with an unnamed daughter of Asaduk, Khan of Khumans. to Chernigov; Sviatoslav Olgovich in his deathbed, with his wife and sons.jpg the death of their older brother, Vsevolod II, Sviatoslav and his brother Igor were driven out of Kiev by Iziaslav Mstislavich. escaped, but Igor was captured and eventually killed in 1147. fled to Chernigov but was ordered to relinquish his city, Novgorod-Seversky, to his cousins, Iziaslav Davidovich and Vladimir Davidovich. the assistance of his ally, Yuri Dolgoruki, and his father-in-law, Aepa Khan, Sviatoslav began a war against his cousins, but was forced to flee to Karachev. There on January 16, 1147, Sviatoslav defeated the Davidovichi brothers St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1154, 1159-1167, Rostislav 1, Michael,, Monomakh, left N for K after 1 week, Chernigov, Smolensk, K 59-67
Kiev Rus King, 1154-1157, Rostislav-Michael; Mstislavich (c. 1110-“1167), Kniaz' (Prince) of Smolensk (1125-“1160), Novgorod (1154) and Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1154, 1159-“1167). He was the son of Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. Yaroslav II of Kiev was driven out of Novgorod, Rostislav was invited to become the ruler of Novgorod. He accepted, and became the prince on April 17, 1154. Then, learning that Iziaslav II had died, Rostislav left Novgorod to take the Kievan throne. Indignant that their prince had abandoned them and angered that "he did not make order among them, but tore them more apart", the citizens of Novgorod drove out Rostislav's son, David, who was their governor. They replaced him with Mstislav Yurievich, the son of Yury Dolgoruky. ruled Kiev for one week before Iziaslav III of Kiev forced him to flee to Chernigov. left four sons, princes David Rostislavich of Novgorod, Mstislav Rostislavich of Smolensk, Roman I of Kiev and Rurik Rostislavich and two daughters Elena Rostislavna of Kiev-Smolensk (died 1204) and Agrafena Rostislavna (died 1237). Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1154-1171, Vladimir III Mstislavich, K Rus King, ties with pagan Hungary and Serbia
Kiev Rus King, 1154-1171, Vladimir III Mstislavich, Vladimir Mstislavich; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated on September 19;

Russia, Kiev, 1155, Vladimir Icon secretly moved to Vladimir by Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky
Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; One night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, and started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. Later, this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). Tradition says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. After this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. When the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. The Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). The Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. It became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. In 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world. Kiev Rus King, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, The Great ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1155, Bogoliub Icon, Commemorating MOG appearance to Andrew while moving Vladimir Icon to V
Russia, Vladimir, 1155, Bogoliub Icon &monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5), Vladimir Icon a copy or Luke's icon, fVyshgorod Andrew moved it toward Vladimir&Rostav, cart stopped 7V before V, aBogolyubov, MOG appearance, VIcon tV notR, here build stone church&Monastery, then new MOG icon (Bogolyubov) as he saw her, in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner; Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, of the most ancient wonderworking icons of Russia, painted in the twelfth century at the request of Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4), commemorate the appearance of the Mother of God to him. on cypress wood, the Icon is remarkable because of its large size. the year 1131, an Icon was sent from Constantinople to the Holy Prince Mstislav (Theodore in Baptism, commemorated April 15) in Russia, was placed in the Devichii monastery in Vyshgorod, ancient appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support) city of Saint Olga (July 11). night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world.

Russia, Kiev, 1155, Andrey Bogolyubsky, vision moved him from his Vyshgorod to Vladimir with his Vladimir Icon
Russia, Kiev, 1155, Andrey Bogolyubsky, vision moved him from his Vyshgorod to Vladimir with his Vladimir Icon night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, and started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. Later, this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). Tradition says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; I Yuryevich, commonly known under his sobriquet Andrei the Pious (c. 1111 - June 28, 1174), was Grand prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1157 until his death. His reign saw a complete decline of Kiev's rule over northeastern Rus, and the rise of Vladimir as the new capital city. Andrei was known in the West as Scythian Caesar, and is canonized as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church.[1] 1 Life 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Prince Saint Andrei Bogolyubsky, by Viktor Vasnetsov was the son of Yuri Dolgoruki,[2] who proclaimed Andrei a prince in Vyshgorod (near Kiev). His mother was a Polovtsian (Cuman) princess, khan Aepa's/Ayepa's daughter. left Vyshgorod in 1155 and moved to Vladimir. After his father's death (1157), he became Knyaz (prince) of Vladimir, Rostov and Suzdal.[1] Bogolyubsky tried to unite Rus' lands under his authority. From 1159 he persistently struggled for submission of Novgorod to his authority and conducted a complex military and diplomatic game in South Rus. In 1162, Andrey Bogolyubsky sent an embassy to Constantinople, lobbying for a separate metropolitan see in Vladimir. In 1169 his troops sacked Kiev, devastating it as never before.[3][4] After plundering the city,[5] stealing much religious artwork, which included the Byzantine "Mother of God" icon.[6] Andrei appointed his brother Gleb as prince of Kiev, in an attempt to unify his lands with Kiev.[7] Following his brother's death in 1171, Andrei became embroiled in a two-year war to maintain control over Kiev, which ended in his defeat.[7] achieved the right to receive a tribute from the population of the Northern Dvina land. Becoming "ruler of all Suzdal land", Andrei Bogolyubsky transferred his capital to Vladimir, strengthened it and constructed the magnificent Assumption Cathedral,[2] the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl,[8] and other churches and monasteries. Under his leadership Vladimir was much enlarged, and fortifications were built around the city.[9] the same time the castle Bogolyubovo was built next to Vladimir, and was a favorite residence of his.[9] In fact he received his nickname "Bogolyubsky" in honor of this place. It was he who brought the Theotokos of Vladimir to the city whose name it now bears. During Andrei Bogolyubsky's reign the Vladimir-Suzdal principality attained significant power and was the strongest among the Rus' principalities.[citation needed] of princely authority and conflict with outstanding boyars was the cause of a plot against Andrei Bogolyubsky, as a result of which he was killed on the night of June 28 to June 29, 1174.[6] Twenty of his disgruntled retainers burst into his chambers and slew Andrei in his bed.[6] His silver-inlaid war axe can now be viewed at the State Historical Museum in Moscow. son, Yuri Bogolyubsky, was the first husband of Queen Tamar of Georgia. An ancient icon, Theotokos of Bogolyubovo, is associated with him.[citation needed] St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God of the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most ancient wonderworking icons of Russia, was painted in the twelfth century at the request of Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4), to commemorate the appearance of the Mother of God to him. Painted on cypress wood, the Icon is remarkable because of its large size. the year 1131, an Icon was sent from Constantinople to the Holy Prince Mstislav (Theodore in Baptism, commemorated April 15) in Russia, and was placed in the Devichii monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support) city of Saint Olga (July 11). night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, and started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. Later, this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). Tradition says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. After this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. When the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. The Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). The Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. It became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. In 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world. Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1157-1174, G Prince, Andrey Bogolyubsky, strong, tried to unite w Kiev and Novgorod, N Dvina, killed
Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (1110-1174), a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was the son of Yurii Dolgoruky and a Polovetsian princess (in holy Baptism Maria). While still in his youth he was called “Bogoliubskyâ€ (“God-lovingâ€) for his profound attention to prayer, his diligence for church services and “his adoption of secret prayers to God.â€ From his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh, the grandson inherited great spiritual concentration, love for the Word of God and the habit of turning to the Scripture in all the circumstances of life. brave warrior [Andrew means “braveâ€], a participant in his military father’s many campaigns, more than once he came close to death in battle. But each time Divine Providence invisibly saved the princely man of prayer. Thus for example, on February 8, 1150, in a battle near Lutsk, Saint Andrew was saved from the spear of an enemy German by a prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, whose memory was celebrated that day. chronicles also stress Saint Andrew’s peace-making activity, a rare trait among the princes and military commanders of those harsh times. The combination of military valor with love for peace and mercy, of great humility with indomitable zeal for the Church were present in Prince Andrew in the highest degree. A responsible master of the land, and a constant coworker in the city construction and church building activity of Yurii Dolgoruky, he built with his father: Moscow (1147), Iuriev-Polsk (1152), Dmitrov (1154), and he also adorned the cities of Rostov, Suzdal’, and Vladimir with churches. In 1162 Saint Andrew could say with satisfaction, “I have built up white Rus with cities and settlements, and have rendered it with much populace.â€ Yurii Dolgoruky became Great Prince of Kiev in 1154, he gave his son Vyshgorod near Kiev as his appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support), but God willed otherwise. One night in the summer of 1155, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God in the Vyshgorod church was removed. This icon was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and in some period before this had been transferred here from Constantinople. Later, it was called the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. On this night with the icon in hand, holy Prince Andrew left Vyshgorod going northwards to the Suzdal territory, secretly and without the blessing of his father, mindful only of the will of God. miracle of this holy icon, which occured on the way from Vyshgorod to Vladimir, was recorded by a clergyman of Prince Andrew, “the priest Mikulaâ€ [Nicholas], in his “Reports of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.â€ versts before reaching Vladimir, the horse bearing the icon suddenly stopped. During the night the Mother of God appeared to Saint Andrew with a scroll in her hand and commanded, “I do not want you to take my icon to Rostov, but rather leave it in Vladimir. Build a stone church here in the name of My Nativity.â€ In memory of this miraculous event, Saint Andrew commissioned an iconographer to paint an icon of the Mother of God the way that the All-Pure Virgin had appeared to him. He established Feast of this icon as June 18. The icon, named the Bogoliubsk, was afterwards glorified by numerous miracles. the place decreed by the Queen of Heaven, Prince Andrew built (in 1159) the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He also remained in the city of Bogoliubov, which became his constant dwelling and the place of his martyric end. his father Yurii Dolgoruky died (+ May 15, 1157), Saint Andrew did not take up his father’s throne at Kiev, but rather remained prince at Vladimir. During the years 1158-1160 was built the Dormition cathedral at Vladimir, and in it was placed the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In the year 1164 the Golden Gates were set in place, over which was the church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, and also the church of the Savior at the princely court. churches were built by Prince Andrew during the years of his rule. The finest of them is the Dormition cathedral. The richness and splendor of the church helped to spread Orthodoxy among the surrounding peoples and foreign merchants. Saint Andrew had directed that all travellers, whether Latins or pagans, were to be led into the churches he built and to have “true Christianityâ€ pointed out to them. The chronicler writes: “Both Bulgars, and Jews, and every sort of common person, beholding the glory of God and churchly adornment, came to be baptized.â€ conquest of the great Volga journey-way became for Saint Andrew a fundamental task of his civil service to Russia. The Volga Bulgars from the time of the campaigns of Svyatoslav (+ 972) presented a serious danger to the Russian state. Saint Andrew continued with the initiatives of Svyatoslav. shattering blow was struck against the enemy in 1164, when Russian forces burned and destroyed several Bulgar fortresses. Saint Andrew took with him on this campaign the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and a two-sided icon, on one side was depicted the Icon of the Savior “Not-Made-by-Hands,â€ and the “Veneration of the Crossâ€ on the opposite side. [At the present time both icons are in the Tretyakov State Gallery.] great miracle from the holy icons occurred for the Russian army on the day of the decisive victory over the Bulgars, August 1, 1164. After the destruction of the Bulgar army, the princes (Andrew, his brother Yaroslav, his son Izyaslav and others) returned towards the infantry standing by the princely standards with the Vladimir Icon, and they made a prostration before the Icon, “bestowing on it praise and song.â€ And then all beheld the blinding rays of light, issuing from the face of the Mother of God and the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands. a faithful son of the Orthodox Church in all things, vigilant in belief and canons, Saint Andrew turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a filial request to establish a separate metropolitan for northeastern Rus. And with the prince’s letter of accord there journeyed to Byzantium the candidate chosen by the prince, Archimandrite Theodore of Suzdal. Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges, however, only agreed to consecrate Theodore as Bishop of Vladimir, but not as Metropolitan. Yet at the same time, wanting to uphold the position of Prince Andrew as the most powerful among the rulers of the Russian Land, the Patriarch honored Bishop Theodore with the right to wear the white klobuk [monastic head covering], which in ancient Rus was a distinctive sign of church autonomy. Such recognition (the white klobuk) was also granted to the Archbishop of Novgorod. Evidently, since the Russian chronicles speak of Bishop Theodore with the title of “White Klobukâ€, much later historians sometimes call him “the bishop of an autonomous diocese.â€ the year 1167 Saint Rostislav died at Kiev. He was the twin brother of Andrew, and had been able to carry out compromise during the complicated political and churchly life of the time. But after this, there was dispatched from Constantinople a new metropolitan, Constantine II. The new metropolitan demanded that Bishop Theodore come before him to be confirmed in his position. Saint Andrew again went to Constantinople for the affirmation of the autonomous status of the Vladimir diocese and again he requested a separate metropolitanate. The letter of reply from Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges has been preserved. It contains a categorical refusal for establishing a new metropolitan, a demand to accept the expelled bishop Leo, and to submit to the Metropolitan of Kiev. fulfilling this churchly obedience, Saint Andrew urged Bishop Theodore to journey in repentance to Kiev for the restoration of canonical relations with the Metropolitan. The repentance of Bishop Theodore was not accepted. Without investigation by a council, and in accord with the Byzantine morals of the time, Metropolitan Constantine condemned him to a terrible execution. Saint Theodore’s tongue was cut out, they cut off his right hand, and then they gouged out his eyes. After this he was drowned by servants of the Metropolitan (by other accounts, he died in prison). only the churchly, but also the political affairs of Southern Rus demanded the decisive response of the Great Prince of Vladimir. On 8 March 8, 1169 an army of allied princes with Andrew’s son Mstislav at the head conquered Kiev. The city was devastated and burned, and the Polovetsians participating in the campaign did not spare even the churchly treasures. The Russian chronicles viewed this event as something that was deserved: “These misfortunes were for their sins (the Kievans), especially for the outrage perpetuated by the Metropolitan.â€ In the same year (1169) the prince moved an army against unruly Novgorod, but they were repulsed by a miracle of the Novgorod Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), which had been carried along the city walls by holy Archbishop John (September 7). But when the understandable wrath of the Great Prince gave way to mercy, and in peace he summoned the Novgorod people to him, the blessing of God returned to him. Novgorod accepted the prince appointed by Saint Andrew. such a manner, towards the end of 1170, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky was able to attain the unity of the Russian Land under his rule. the winter of 1172 he sent a large army under the command of his son Mstislav against the Volga Bulgars. The Russian forces gained the victory, but their joy was overshadowed by the death of the valiant Mstislav (March 28, 1172). the night of June 30, 1174 holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky accepted a martyr’s death at the hands of traitors in his own household. The Tver Chronicle relates that Saint Andrew was murdered at the instigation of his second wife (a Volga Bulgar), who participated in the conspiracy. At the head of the conspiracy stood her brothers, the Kuchkovichi: “and they commited murder in the night, as did Judas against the Lord.â€ A throng of assassins, twenty men, burst in upon the court, they killed the few guards and stormed into the bedchamber of the unarmed prince. The sword of Saint Boris, which hung constantly over his bed, had been treacherously removed that night by the steward Anbal. The prince succeeded in pushing the first of his assailants down on the floor. The conspirators then mistakenly ran him through with their swords. Soon they realised their mistake, “and then they perceived the prince, and he fought much with them, for he was strong, and they did thrust with swords and sabres, and gave him copious wounds.â€ The forehead of the holy prince was struck on the side with a spear, while all the remaining blows from the cowardly assassins were dealt from behind. When the prince finally fell, they abruptly rushed out of the bedchamber, taking along their murdered accomplice. saint was still alive, however. With his final strength he lowered himself along the palace stairway, hoping to alert a guard. Instead, his groans were heard by the assassins and they turned back. The prince was able to hide himself in a niche below the stairway and so they passed by him. The conspirators rushed to the bedchamber but did not find the prince there. “Disaster stands before us, since the prince is alive,â€ the assassins cried out in terror. But all around it was quiet, and no one came to the aid of the suffering prince. Then the evil-doers again regained their boldness, they lit candles and followed the bloody trail to seek out their victim. Prayer was on the lips of Saint Andrew when the assassins again surrounded him. Russian Church remembers and venerates its martyrs and makers. A special place belongs to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky. Having taken in his hands the wonderworking icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the holy prince, as it were, blessed the major events of Russian history with it. In 1395 was the year of the transfer of the Vladimir Icon to Moscow and the deliverance of the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane (August 26); the year 1480 marks the salvation of Rus from the invasion of Khan Akhmat and the ultimate collapse of the Mongol Horde (June 23); in the year 1521 Moscow was saved from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girei (May 21). Through the prayers of Saint Andrew, his fondest dreams for the Russian Church came true. In the year 1300, Metropolitan Maximus transferred the metropolitan See of All-Russia from Kiev to Vladimir, making the Dormition cathedral the foremost cathedral of the Russian Church. There rest the relics of Saint Andrew, and the Vladimir wonderworking Icon is its chief holy object. on, when the center of the Russian Church was moved to Moscow, selections of the metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Church were made before the Vladimir Icon. In the year 1448, a Council of Russian bishops raised up the first metropolitan of the autocephalous Russian Church, Saint Jonah. On November 5, 1917, in front of it was made the selection of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon, the first such election after the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Church. And in 1971, on the Feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the enthronment of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen took place. liturgical activity of Saint Andrew was multi-faceted and fruitful. In 1162 the Lord granted the holy prince a great solace: in Rostov there was discovered the relics of Rostov saints -- the holy hierarchs Isaiah and Leontius. The glorification of these Rostov saints throughout all the Church took place somewhat later, but Saint Andrew initiated their national veneration. In 1164 the military forces of Saint Andrew crushed their long-time enemy, the Volga Bulgars. The victories of the Orthodox nation were marked by a blossoming of liturgical creativity within the Russian Church. this same year of 1164, at the initiative of Saint Andrew, the Church established the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos on August 1 (venerated by the Russian people as “Savior of the First Honeyâ€), in memory of the Baptism of Rus by holy Equal of the Apostles Vladimir and in memory of the victory over the Bulgars in 1164. The Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on October 1 embodied in liturgical forms the faith of the holy prince and all the Orthodox nation in the acceptance by the Mother of God of Holy Rus beneath Her omophorion. The Protection of the Theotokos became one of the most beloved of Russian Church Feasts. The Protection is a Russian national holiday, unknown to the Latin West. It is a liturgical continuation and creative development of theological ideas inherent to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God on July 2. first church consecrated to the new Feast was the Protection church at Nerla (1165), a remarkable monument of Russian Church architecture, built by the master artisans of Saint Andrew at the head-waters of the River Nerla, so that the prince could always see it from a window of his Bogoliubov garret. Andrew took an active part in the literary work of the Vladimir church writers. He participated in the compiling of the Service of the Protection (the most ancient copy is in the manuscript of a fourteenth century Psalter), and also a preface about the establishment of the Feast of the Protection in the Great Reading Menaion for October, as well as a “Discourse on the Protection.â€ He wrote an “Account of the Victory over the Bulgars and the Establishing of the Feast of the Savior in the Year 1164,â€ which in several of the old manuscripts is called, “Discourse concerning the Mercy of God by Great Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky.â€ The fate of Bogoliubsky is also noted in the Vladimir Chronicle entry for the year 1177, completed after the death of the prince by his confessor, the priest Mikula, who inserted his special “Account of the Murder of Saint Andrew.â€ To Saint Andrew’s time belongs also the final editing of the “Account of Boris and Gleb,â€ inserted into the “Dormition Sbornikâ€ (“Compendiumâ€ or “Book of Collected Servicesâ€ of these Rostov saints). The prince particularly venerated Saint Boris, and his chief household treasure was a cap belonging to Saint Boris. Saint Boris’s sword always hung over his bed. Another memorial of Saint Andrew’s prayerful inspiration is “A Prayer,â€ included in the chronicle under the year 1096 after the “Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh.â€

Russia, Kiev, 1159-1167, 1154, Rostislav 1, Michael, Monomakh, left N for K after 1 week, Chernigov, Smolensk, then K 59-67
Kiev Rus King, 1154-1157, Rostislav-Michael; Mstislavich (c. 1110-“1167), Kniaz' (Prince) of Smolensk (1125-“1160), Novgorod (1154) and Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (Kyiv, 1154, 1159-“1167). He was the son of Mstislav I of Kiev and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden. Yaroslav II of Kiev was driven out of Novgorod, Rostislav was invited to become the ruler of Novgorod. He accepted, and became the prince on April 17, 1154. Then, learning that Iziaslav II had died, Rostislav left Novgorod to take the Kievan throne. Indignant that their prince had abandoned them and angered that "he did not make order among them, but tore them more apart", the citizens of Novgorod drove out Rostislav's son, David, who was their governor. They replaced him with Mstislav Yurievich, the son of Yury Dolgoruky. ruled Kiev for one week before Iziaslav III of Kiev forced him to flee to Chernigov. left four sons, princes David Rostislavich of Novgorod, Mstislav Rostislavich of Smolensk, Roman I of Kiev and Rurik Rostislavich and two daughters Elena Rostislavna of Kiev-Smolensk (died 1204) and Agrafena Rostislavna (died 1237). Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1161-1210, Ignatius, wonderworker Bishop oSmolensk, miracle at his death, devine great light on him
Russia, Kiev, 1161-1210, Ignatius, wonderworker&Bishop oSmolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2), first BoSmolensk, ordained Abraham his friend, kindly pious elder, judge A's trial, instigated bA's enemies, acquitted, Ignatius founded Avraamiev m, lived there, miracle at his death, devine great light on him, all filled wFear, his relics in Smolensk Cathedral Church; Smolensk; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; Ignatius, Bishop of Smolensk and Wonderworker (+ ca. 1210): some accounts, Saint Ignatius was the first bishop of Smolensk. He was a friend of Saint Abraham (August 21), whom he ordained to the priesthood. Ignatius was a kindly and pious Elder, heading the trial instigated by Saint Abraham’s enemies, at which the monk was acquitted. Ignatius founded a monastery in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God. To him is ascribed the construction of the most ancient Avraamiev monastery in which he spent the remainder of his days, after resigning as bishop. the death of Saint Ignatius a miracle occurred: “A great light came down from heaven upon him, and all were filled with fear.” The relics of the saint rest in the Smolensk cathedral church.

Russia, Kiev, 1162-1186, John, Wonderworker of Novgorod, MOG gold, Savior Icon voice, Molieben, icon itself moved, much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1162-1186, John, Archbishop & Wonderworker of Novgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), inheritance, w b Gabriel small monastery, means ran out, MOG sent horse w gold, wrote vocation of pastor, 1165 Archbishop Novgorod Cathedral, 1170 Vladimir forces seige N, Savior Icon voice, Ilna st MOG icon not move, Molieben, icon itself moved, to city walls, arrows like rain, darkness covered Suzdal forces, 1172 jounneyed to Vladimir to reconcile w Andrew B, spiritual conversations, monks guidance, unusual grace powers, against deamon story, one night holy land visit, deamon's revenge, sensed death, took schema as John, appointed brother; Veliky Novgorod; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos with their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. Only their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. She told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. Thus did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, the brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. Saint John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. Since you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. Look first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. It is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? Do not impose penances upon orphans.... Let everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. Suzdal forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. They also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. The archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. They began to sing a Molieben, and after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. The people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, and tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, they became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. Saint John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. He showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, and he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir to reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, but most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, which often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. There are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, monks as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross ought to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, just as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator and ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, in order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit and to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer... for haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. Once, when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. Seeing that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. Soon the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, and it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. It began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” The unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. Sensing its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. The saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; in the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Saint Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. In his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, who was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, and I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. In 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Kiev, 1165-1224, Abramius the Wonderworker, teacher of repentence
Smolensk, 1165-1224, Abramius the Wonderworker; Smolensk; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Abramius of Smolensk, a preacher of repentance and the Dread Last Judgment, was born in the mid-twelfth century at Smolensk of rich parents, who had twelve daughters before him, and they begged God for a son. childhood he grew up in the fear of God, he was often in church and had the opportunity to read books. The parents hoped that their only son would enter into marriage and continue their illustrious lineage, but he sought a different life. After the death of his parents, having given away all his wealth to monasteries, to churches and to the destitute, the saint walked through the city in rags, asking God to show him the way to salvation. was tonsured in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, five versts from Smolensk, at Selischa. Having passed through various obediences there, the monk fervently occupied himself with copying books, culling spiritual riches from them. The Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) started a school in the city, in which they taught not only in Slavonic, but also from Greek and Latin books. The Prince himself had a large collection of books, which Saint Abramius used. He had struggled for more than 30 years at the monastery, when in the year 1198 the igumen persuaded him to accept the dignity of presbyter. Every day he served the Divine Liturgy and fulfilled the obedience of clergy not only for the brethren, but also for the laity. the monk became widely known. This aroused the envy of the brethren, and then of the igumen also, and five years later, the monk was compelled to transfer to the Exaltation of the Cross monastery in Smolensk itself. With offerings from the devout, he embellished the cathedral church of the poor monastery with icons, and with curtains and candle-stands. He himself painted two icons on themes which most concerned him. On one he depicted the Dread Last judgment, and on the other the suffering of the trials of life. Lean and pale from extreme toil, in priestly garb the ascetic resembled Saint Basil the Great in appearance. The saint was strict both towards himself, and towards his spiritual children. He preached constantly in church and to those coming to him in his cell, conversing with rich and poor alike. city notables and the clergy demanded that Bishop Ignatius bring the monk to trial, accusing him of seducing women and tempting his spiritual children. But even more terrible were the accusations of heresy and the reading of forbidden books. For this they proposed to drown or burn the ascetic. At the trial by the Prince and the Bishop, the saint answered all the false accusations. Despite this, they forbade him to serve as a priest and returned him to his former monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos . A terrible drought occurred in consequence of God’s wrath over the unjust sentence, and only when Saint Ignatius pardoned Saint Abramius, permitting him to serve and preach, did the rain again fall on Smolensk. bishop Saint Ignatius built a new monastery, in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, and he entrusted the guidance of it to Saint Abramius, and he himself settled into it, retiring from the diocese because of age. Many wished to enter under the guidance of Saint Abramius, but he examined them very intensely and only after great investigation, so at his monastery there were only seventeen brethren. Saint Abramius, after the death of Saint Ignatius, having become his spiritual friend, urged the brethren, more than before, to think about death and to pray day and night, that they be not condemned in the Judgment by God. Abramius died after the year 1224, having spent 50 years in monasticism. Already at the end of the thirteenth century a service had been compiled to him, together with his disciple Saint Ephraim. The terrible Mongol-Tatar invasion, seen as the wrath of God for the nation’s sins, not only did not stifle the memory of Saint Abramius of Smolensk, but rather was a reminder to people of his calling to repentance and recollection of the dread Last Judgment.

Russia, Kiev, 1165-1224, Ephraim tWWorker, compiled life oAAbramius, which pDetails about education NWRussia those days
Smolensk, 1165-1224, Ephraim the Wonderworker, disciple of Abramius, and Archimandrite of Smolensk, compiled life oA, which pDetails about education NWRussia those days; Smolensk; Venerable Ephraim the Wonderworker, disciple of Abramius, and Archimandrite of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; Ephraim was the disciple of Saint Abramius of Smolensk. compiled the Life of Saint Abramius, which provides many details about education in the remote northwestern part of Russia in those days.

Russia, Kiev, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Abishop of N) AKA John, John gave inheritance tBuild m, MOG sent Horse wGold, much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John, built Khutyn Monastery, son of pious Parent fNovgorod, John and bro Gabriel give inheritance tBuild monastery, wooden church then shortly stone church that they ran out of funds for, turned to Queen oHeaven to help them, she told them in a dream everything would be provided, , she gave the funds through angel horse with gold that disappeared, upon completion brothers became monks, J became Elias, G became Gregory, John became Bishop 1162, his first archpastoral letter: to clergy, concern about his flock, spirit oFatherly guidance, some you encouraged me tTake this office (of which I am unworthy) now listen to me, a pastor is concerned about his sheep, he not only chstizes but heals sinners, don't be too much attached to the world, but rather instruct the people, first that they not give selves tDrunkenness, this vice most of all for rich and poor, when your spiritual children repent, question them wMildness, harsh penances not seemly, encourage book reading (do not scorn) to distinguish us from the people (simple & unschooled), no pennances on orphans, for the yoke of Christ ought tbLight, 1165 John became archbishop so Novgorod became archbishopric, winter 1170 difficult time for Novgorod, Suzdal forces siege city 2days, because N people would not accept Svyatoslav, they stole the tribute tax otDvina district not subject to them, Novgorod people prayed to Theotokos fCity salvation, third night while praying to Savior's icon, John heard a voice telling him get Theotokos' icon from Ilna Street Church otSavior, they sang Molieben when they got there, the Icon itself moved from the place, Lord have mercy, Ilya carried it to City Wall, Suzdal forces ready for pillage, they saw them, assault began 6th hr, arrows fell like rain, Icon turned towards city with tears, darkness fell, unable to see they fell back, Feb 25th 1170, but Suzdal inflicted great harm on region, Ilya great concern for hungry, distrib aid tOrphans, calmed internecine strife, 1172 he journed to Vladimir (Suzdal is in Suzdal) to reconcile Andrew Bogoliubsky wNovogorod people, John devoted mTime wSpiritual Conversations, 30 instructions preserved (Baptism, Confession, Eucharist), monks ought live solitary places, like Christ, monk always a monk, fleshless itFlesh, preserving memory oDeath, yoke otCreator, pulling tPlow iValley oHumility, a monk is not his own master, being like gods do not fall back in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer, haughty pride comes from human glory, Ilya' spiritual powers were unusual, his simple soul and pure heart gave him power against demons. for example water splashing in bedroom washbasin, no one there so he made sigh otCross over washbasin, restraining the demon, demon begged release from washbasin, Ilya agreed but ordered demon to carry him from Novgorod tJerusalem, tLords grave and back, all in one night, demon did it because Ilya's prayer scorched him like fire, plus demon asked I to tell no one about his shame, Ilya once told his flock he knew a man who visited Holy Land in one night, evil spirit took revenge for that swiftly, women's things scattered in his cell, transformed tWoman fleeing from cell, unruly crowd dragged Ilya to River Volkhov, put him on raft, but raft floated upstream to St Georges' Monastery, crowd ashamed, asked forgiveness, and to return, filled wJoy for himself and also his flock, granted pardon to all, he died soon after, sensing approach oDeath, appointed his brother take over, died 1186, 1439 Euthymius repairing Holy Wisdom Cathedral, loose stone cracked lid oHis tomb, they lifted broken boards and temple filled with fragrance, from incorrupt relics, but who was it, prayed God reveal, John appeared at night and said it was he, he also proclaimed God's will to celebrate memory archbishops&Princes laying here Oct 4th, ; Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John; St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? ... Do not impose penances upon orphans.... everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. began to sing a Molieben, after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, fall from the heights like Lucifer... haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, but ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. But the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Kiev, 1167-1170, Mstislav II, K Rus King, Michael Izyaslavich, wars w Yuri D, fled to Poland, killed Yuri at Vohly
Kiev Rus King, 1167-1170, Mstislav II ; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, Suzdal attack, voice, walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire
Russia, Novgorod, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, against Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, voice, carry around walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire, engouragement, people of N win; Veliky Novgorod; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign”, depicts the Most Holy Theotokos with prayerfully uplifted hands, and the Divine Infant is at Her bosom in a mandorla (or sphere). depiction of the Mother of God is regarded as one of the very first of Her iconographic images. In the mausoleum of Saint Agnes at Rome is a depiction of the Mother of God with hands raised in prayer with the Infant Christ sitting upon Her knees. This depiction is ascribed to the fourth century. There is also an ancient Byzantine icon of the Mother of God “Nikopea” from the sixth century, where the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted seated upon a throne and holding in Her hands an oval shield with the image of the Savior Emmanuel. of the Mother of God, known as “The Sign”, appeared in Russia during the eleventh-twelfth centuries, and were so called because of a miraculous sign from the Novgorod Icon in the year 1170. that year the allied forces of Russian appanage princes, headed by a son of Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, marched to the very walls of Great Novgorod. For the people of Novgorod, their only remaining hope was that God would help them. Day and night they prayed, beseeching the Lord not to forsake them. On the third night Bishop Elias of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice commanding that the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos be taken out of the church of the Savior’s Transfiguration on Ilina street, and carried about on the city walls. they carried the icon, the enemy fired a volley of arrows at the procession, and one of them pierced the iconographic face of the Mother of God. Tears trickled from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face towards the city. After this divine Sign an inexpressible terror suddenly fell upon the enemy. They began to strike one another, and taking encouragement from the Lord, the people of Novgorod fearlessly gave battle and won the victory. remembrance of the miraculous intercession of the Queen of Heaven, Archbishop Elias established a feastday in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God, which the Russian Church celebrates to the present day. The Athonite hieromonk Pachomius the Logothete, who was present at the festal celebration of the Icon in Russia, composed two Canons for this Feast. certain Novgorod Icons of the Sign, the miraculous occurrences of the year 1170 were also depicted. For 186 years afterwards, the wonderworking icon remained in the Savior-Transfiguration church on Ilina street. In 1356 it was transferred to a church built in Novgorod in honor of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,” which became the cathedral church of the monastery of the Sign. copies of the Sign Icon are known throughout Russia. Many of them were also glorified by miracles in their local churches, and were then named for the place of the appearance of the miracle. Similar copies of the Sign Icon are the icons of Dionysievo-Glushets, Abalaka (July 20), Kursk, Seraphim-Ponetaev and others.

Russia, Kiev, 1171-1177, Roman I (Smolensk, Rosislav's son Mstislav's gson Monomahk' ggson), K Rus King
Kiev Rus King, 1171-1177, Roman I of Kiev (Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1173-1210, Rurik Rostislavich, Oleg's grandson, K Rus King, w Cumans
Kiev Rus King, 1173-1210, Rurik Rostislavich; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, Vladimir, young ascetic, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles 1238,1410,1613
Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, son of Andrew Bogoliubsky, Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo, young ascetic, strict fasting and prayer, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles, 1238 tomb protected from fire, 1410 flames shot forth from tomb and Tartars fled, Glebs prayers protected V in 1613 ; Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Prince Gleb of Vladimir, named George in holy Baptism, was a younger son of the holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4). the influence of his pious parents he grew up with a deep faith, and from twelve years of age he led a solitary spiritual life. parents did not hinder their son and even assisted him in spiritual growth. The prince especially loved the reading of holy books, he esteemed the clergy and he was charitable to all. Despite his young age, he chose for himself the exploit of strict fasting and prayerful vigilance. Gleb died in the year 1174, at age nineteen. incorrupt relics were preserved and glorified by miracles. the year 1238, during the time of the incursion of Batu upon the Russian Land, the Tatars burned the cathedral at Vladimir. In this conflagration perished Bishop Metrophanes, Great-princess Agatha, wife of Great-prince George Vsevolodovich (+ 1238), and many inhabitants of the city of Vladimir, who were locked in the cathedral church. fire, however, did not even touch the tomb of Saint Gleb. later, in July 1410, Tatars again descended upon Vladimir. In plundering the city, they began to sack the cathedral church treasury, having murdered the door-keeper Patrick. Supposing that treasure was hidden in the saint’s tomb, they set about to break it open. Just as the Tatars touched the stone crypt of Saint Gleb, flames shot forth from it, and the Tatars fled the city in terror. the prayers of the holy prince the city was saved from an incursion of Polish-Lithuanian plunderers in 1613. celebration of Saint Gleb was established in the year 1702, and then also a service was written to him, and somewhat later, a Life. His relics rest in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. In the year 1774 the south chapel of the cathedral was dedicated to him. Prince Gleb is revered as the special patron and defender of the city of Vladimir.

Russia, Kiev, 1176-1198, Yaroslav II, Vsevolod II's son, Oleg's gson, Rus Prince and Saint, Cherginov
Kiev Rus Prince and Saint, 1176-1198, Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich (Vasily); Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves Commemorated on January 22; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Kiev, 1177, Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, received everything he prayed for
Russia, Kiev, 1177, Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, received everything he prayed for; Kiev Near Caves; Monastic Martyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 22; Monk Martyr Anastasius, Deacon of the Kiev Caves, lived an ascetical life in the Near Caves. hieromonk Athanasius the Sooty calls him brother of Saint Titus the Presbyter (February 27). the manuscripts of the saints he is called a deacon. the Service to the Synaxis of the Fathers of the Near Caves, it says that the Monk Martyr Anastasius possessed such steadfastness in God, that he received everything he asked for. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk, monk at Barlaam's Khutyn m, left fSolitude, struggled&founded D m, incrpt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk fNovgorod, heard Christ's words, if come after me, deny, take up cross, follow me, so became monk at Barlaam's Khutyn monastery, appointed igumen b Dying Barlaam, Anthony had gone to Constantinople, returned day of B's death, but left for solitude tShores oLake Dyma near Tikhvin, struggled &founded monastery there, incorrupt relics glorified by many miracles; Tikhvin, Dymsk on Lake Dyma on the outskirts of Tikhvin; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, from that time they were glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Kiev, 1177-1212, Vsevolod III, the Big Nest, K Rus King, Yuri D's 11th son, long reign in Vladimir, m Georgian
Kiev Rus King, 1173, Vsevolod III, the Big Nest; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves Commemorated on January 22; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated on January 29; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated on January 29; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 24; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1180-1699, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after fire
Russia, Volhynia, 1180, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after church burned, 1600 K Monastery, 1699 Roman Catholics, Uniate monks, 1699 to Sophia C Kiev; Kupyatich monastery, Kobrin, Belarus, Leposovsky monastery today; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15; Kupyatich Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1180 near the village of Kupyatich in the area of the former Pinsk district of the Minsk governance. icon was found in the forest on a tree by the peasant girl Anna, a cattle herder. The image, in the form of a cross, shone with an unusual light. the spot of the miraculous appearance of the icon, peasants built a church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, and placed the icon within it. After some years, Tatars burned the church. The icon was found a second time after many years by a traveler named Joachim. Peasants transferred the cruciform-icon to the village church. Joachim remained at the church as church attendant, by God’s will. the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Kupyatich monastery was built next to the church. Roman Catholics seized both at the end of the century. Later on, Uniate monks struggled there. monks, when they abandoned the monastery, took with them the holy icon of the Kupyatich Mother of God. They transferred the wonderworking icon to the Kiev Sophia cathedral. Kupyatich Icon is a small copper cross. On one side of the cross the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Infant, and on the other side, the Crucifixion.

Russia, Kiev, 1182, Erasmus oKiev Near Caves, temptations, careless, sickness, 3 days time for repentence
Russia, Kiev, 1182, Erasmus of Kiev Near Caves, monastery adornment, donated icons, temptations for not giving to poor, careless, saved by sickness, 3 days time for repentence from Anthony, Theodosius and MOG for icons; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Erasmus of the Kiev Caves Saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir (May 10), wrote about him to his friend Saint Polycarp (July 24): “At the Caves was Erasmus the black-robed. He acquired a legacy of fame because he used everything he possessed for the adornment of the monastery church. He donated many icons, which even now may be seen over the altar. “The saint experienced great temptations after he had given away his wealth. The Evil One began to suggest to him that he should have given the money to the poor, rather than spend it on the beautification of the church. Saint Erasmus did not understand such thoughts, so he fell into despondency and began to live in a careless manner. Because of his former virtue the gracious and merciful God saved him. He sent him a grievous illness, and the monk lay near death. “In this sickness Erasmus lay for seven days, unable to see or speak, and hardly breathing. On the eighth day the brethren came to him and, seeing the difficulty of his approaching death, said, ‘Woe to the soul of this brother, for he lived in idleness and in sin. Now his soul beholds something and tarries, not having the strength to leave the body.’ “Erasmus suddenly got up, as though he had not been ill, and said to the monks, ‘Fathers and brethren! It is true that I am a sinner, and have not repented, as you said. Today, however, our monastic fathers Anthony and Theodosius have appeared to me, and said: “We have prayed for you, and the Lord has given you time for repentance.” Then I saw the All-Pure Mother of God with Christ in Her arms, and She said to me, “Erasmus, since you adorned My Church with icons, I will also adorn you and exalt you in the Kingdom of my Son! Arise, repent, take the angelic schema, and on the third day you will be taken from this life.”’ “Having said this, Erasmus began to confess his sins before all without shame, then went to church and was clothed in the schema, and on the third day he died.” Saint Erasmus was buried in the Near Caves. His memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit otCaves&Bishop oTurov, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 Bishop See oTurov
Russia, Kiev, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, Ukraine (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2), Near Caves hermit to Devetrius Monastery aKiev, then Kiev Caves m, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 See of Turov Bishop; Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, in the Near Caves at first lived as a hermit at the monastery of the Great Martyr Demetrius, built by Great Prince Izyaslav at Kiev near the Monastery of the Caves. he transferred to the Kiev Caves monastery, and was glorified by a gift of healing. was elevated to the See of Turov in 1182 (Turov is a city in the Minsk region), was a successor of Saint Cyril of Turov (April 28). died in 1194, and was buried in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1190, Titus tPresbyter oKiev Near Caves, angel killed friend who refused to forgive, while healing friend who did
Russia, Kiev, , Titus tPresbyter oKiev Near Caves, friend of Deacon Evagrius which became strong dislike&Hostility, E rejected several times T's tries to make peace, titus got grave illness, asked E to be brought to him, broughrt by force, T tearfully begged forgiveness, E declared he would not in this life or the next, and fell down dead, struck by an angel, instantly T was healed and got out of bed, demons around him left when he forgave E, while radiant angels surrounded T, after this T increased ascetic struggles, and received gift of working miracles, known for great humility, reposed 1190; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Titus, Presbyter of the Near Caves, in great friendship with the deacon Evagrius, later turned into a strong dislike and hostility. Hieromonk Titus tried several times to make peace with his former friend, deacon Evagrius refused to be reconciled (Compare the story of the Martyr Nikēphóros on February 9). Saint Titus fell ill with a grievous illness and began to prepare himself for death, he asked for Evagrius to be brought to him in order to ask his forgiveness. brethren brought Evagrius to the sickbed by force. Titus tearfully begged him for forgiveness, but Evagrius remained obstinate. declared that he would not forgive Titus in this world, nor in the world to come. he said this, he fell dead, struck down by an angel. that very instant, Saint Titus was healed, and got up out of bed. revealed that the demons were all around him until he forgave Evagrius. he had done so, the demons left him and attacked Evagrius, while radiant angels surrounded Saint Titus. this, Saint Titus increased his ascetic struggles, and received from God the gift of working miracles. was also known for his great humility. Titus reposed around 1190. memory is celebrated also on September 28 at the Synaxis of the Fathers of the Near Caves.

Russia, Kiev, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2
Russia, Novgorod, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Holy Trinity or Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2; Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Xenophon of Robeika was the disciple of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (+ November 6, 1192). the latter's repose, and the repose of Venerable Anthony of Dymsk (+ June 24, 1224), Father Xenophon became the third Superior of Khutyn Monastery when Igoumen Isidore fell asleep in the Lord in 1243. resigning as Superior, Father Xenophon founded Holy Trinity Monastery on the banks of the Robeika River (not far from Novgorod). June 28, 1262 Saint Xenophon reposed at Robeika Monastery, which he founded. holy relics rested in the monastery church, which later became a parish. Xenophon is commemorated on June 28, the day of his repose; January 26, the Feast Day of his heavenly patron, Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople (V-VI centuries); on the third Sunday after Pentecost, the Synaxis of the Novgorod Saints.

Russia, Kiev, 1200-1299, 13th Century Folder, Mongol Yoke begins , Alexander Nevsky, Theodore the Black

Russia, Kiev, 1210-1238, K Rus King, Yuri II of Vladimir, St George, d at Sit River, family d at V
Kiev Rus King, 1210-1238, Yuri II of Vladimi; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Kiev, 1219-1246, Michael of Chernigov, Oleg's gggson, promoted t, t routes K and Vohl, first O Martyr
Russia, Kiev, 1219-1246, Michael of Chernigov, Mikhail Vsevolodovich; Chernigov; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 25; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1223, Ukraine, Battle of the Kalka River 1223, decisive Mongol v
Battle of the Kalka River; Mongol-Tatar invasions 1223-1778; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Kiev, 1223, Battle of Kalka River, at Mariupol, decisive Mongol v
Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol; Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223-1241; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign, the œKursk-Root, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Kiev, 1223-1240, Mongol (Tartar) invasion of Rus 1223-1240, Kiev
Mongol (Tartar) invasion of Rus 1223-1240; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10;

Russia, Kiev, 1225-1246, Michael of Chernigov, cured, promoted t, t routes K and Vohl, f Oleg, Martyr
Novgorod, 1225-1246, Saint Michael of Chernigov; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20 ; St Oleg the Prince of Briansk, Commemorated on September 20 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1230-1262, K Rus King, Rostislav Mikhailovich, Rostislav III of Kiev, m Hun king's d
Kiev Rus King, 1230-1262, Rostislav Mikhailovich, Rostislav III of Kiev; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19;

Russia, Kiev, 1236-1243, Michael of Chernigov, focus on trade w Poland through Kiev and Vohly G
Kiev, 1236-1243, Kiev Rus King, Saint, Michael of Chernigov ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23;

Russia, Kiev, 1238-1252, K Rus King, Sviatoslav III of Vladimir, short uneventful reign, visited GH
Kiev Rus King, 1238-1252, Sviatoslav III of Vladimir; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Kiev, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pios, fought giant and others w aid of angels & radiant woman
Russia, Kiev, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pios, fought giant and others w aid of angels and radiant woman, killed by giant's son; Smolensk; Mercurius of Smolensk; Holy Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk was a Slav by birth, probably from Moravia, the descendant of a princely line. Brought up in Orthodoxy, Saint Mercurius in zeal for the true Faith left his own native land for Russia, where he served in the army of the Prince of Smolensk. The saintly soldier secretly led an ascetic life. He was strict in fasting, he was chaste, spending his nights at prayer, and spiritually preparing himself to suffer for Christ. In the year 1239 a horde of Tatars [Mongols], already having laid waste to many Russian cities, appeared in the vicinity of Smolensk and set up camp 25 versts away at Dolgomost, threatening to destroy the city and its holy places. church warden, praying by night in the Smolensk cathedral before a wonderworking icon of the Theotokos, heard the voice of the Queen of Heaven commanding him to find the holy warrior and say to him: “Mercurius, go forth into battle, for the Sovereign Lady summons you.” The soldier went himself to the cathedral and heard the voice of the All-Pure Virgin, sending him to fight the enemy and promising him heavenly assistance. warrior of Christ set off that very night to the Tatar camp at Dolgomost. He fought there with the leader of the Tatar army, a giant possessed of immense strength. He killed him and entered into single-combat with the enemy host. Invoking the name of the Lord and of the All-Pure Theotokos, the holy warrior destroyed many of the enemy. The Tatar warriors watched with terror as lightning-bearing men and a radiant Woman aided Saint Mercurius in the fight. Unable to stand against the warrior of Christ, they retreated in flight. Saint Mercurius was himself killed in the battle by the son of the Tatar giant he had killed. inhabitants of Smolensk, saved through the miraculous intervention of the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos, reverently buried the body of the soldier-martyr in the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Soon after his death, Saint Mercurius appeared in a vision to the church warden and ordered that his armor be hung over his grave, promising the Smolensk people constant help and intervention in every sorrow and struggle. Even today the sandals of the holy Martyr Mercurius are still preserved in the Smolensk cathedral church. His Feast was established at the end of the sixteenth century, and in 1509 the inhabitants of Smolensk were already calling him their special patron.

Russia, Kiev, 1240, Theodore Icon, Luke, Gorodets chapel, T Stratelates, in tree, Nevsky, copies
Russia, Vologda, 1551, Theodore Icon; to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), had found the icon in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodets monastery of Saint Theodore was built on this spot. When the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of Khan they did not have time to take the Icon with them. 1239 the residents of Kostroma saw the Icon being carried through their city by a radiant figure who resembed Saint Theodore Stratelates. The next day the Icon was found in a tree by Prince Basil of Kostroma, Saint Alexander Nevsky’s younger brother, while he was hunting in the forest. The Icon was placed in the church of Saint Theodore Stratelates, and many miracles took place before it. Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. - Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; August 16 we commemorate the miraculous finding of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore. According to Tradition, the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke, and resembles the famous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Saint Alexander Nevsky’s father Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), had found the icon in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodets monastery of Saint Theodore was built on this spot. When the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of Khan they did not have time to take the Icon with them. 1239 the residents of Kostroma saw the Icon being carried through their city by a radiant figure who resembed Saint Theodore Stratelates. The next day the Icon was found in a tree by Prince Basil of Kostroma, Saint Alexander Nevsky’s younger brother, while he was hunting in the forest. The Icon was placed in the church of Saint Theodore Stratelates, and many miracles took place before it. Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he often prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. copies of the Kostroma Theodore Icon were made, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskevḗ, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskevḗ on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. first Romanov tsar was acclaimed as sovereign before the Theodore Icon in 1613. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on March 14. Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; "œMyrrh-Bearing" Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Kiev, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, he d Europe & G Horde by submition, GH Orthodoxy & lands to t Pacific
Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, extremely important, he defeated Europe by Converting Mongol Horde, Orthodoxy then covering Ghengis Khan's lands to the Pacific; Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, Yaroslav II son, Big Nest's gson, Yuri's bro, Saint Simon of Suzdal, to Novgorod w dad by Yuri, Michael of Chernigov, back to P, back to N, Euphrosvne, fought Germans in Estonia, Y to Kiev, A to rule in N, married Polotsian Alexandra, Theodore icon, troublesome time, mongols, teutonic knights, cross bearers, Batu, Swedes, Neva, Birger, haughty, prayer, c of Saint Sophia, hasten towards enemy, m omen, B and G boat, emboldened, fight valiantly, Angel, slain opposite bank, lightning quick captured rus fort Kopore from knights, but they captured Pskov, winter campaign, l pskov, spring, battle of the Ice, famous world wide, to the Horde w his father, meekness and wisdom, alliance w Batu, Batu wishing to break w G Horde, Mongolia, Y poisoned, only 10 days after Michael, w support from Alex, Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan , Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan, but other Russian princes sought support from Europe against Mongols, M of Cherginov, D of Galich, brother A of V sought help from Pope, 1252 bro Andrew rose up against Mongols, A to the Horde once more, Andrew defeated fled to Swedes, whom A had defeated, AN then became ruler of all Rus, repelled new Pskov G invasion, treaty w norway, converted Finland, 1256 Batu died, Sartak poisoned 3rd trip to new Khan Berke, a moslem, who needed Rus, 1261 Cyril and AN established diocese at Sarai, Great christianization of East, 1262 Tartar Tribute and conscription stopped by decree w no reprisal, 4th trip, another channel, Berke independent GH, shield for Russia from East, uniting Rus w GH against Mongolia and Europe, Russian Church now to Pacific Ocean, all Ghengis Khan's lands Yaroslavich Nevsky[1] (13 May 1221[2] - 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–63) during some of the most difficult times in Kievan Rus' history. regarded as a key figure of medieval Rus', Alexander was a grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders. He preserved Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolite Macarius canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.[3] Pereslavl-Zalessky; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His father Yaroslav II, Theodore in Baptism (+1246), “a gentle, kindly and genial prince”, was the younger son of Vsevolod III Large Nest (+ 1212), brother of the Holy Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (February 4). Saint Alexander’s mother, Theodosia Igorevna, a Ryazan princess, was Yaroslav’s third wife. Their older son was the Holy Prince Theodore (June 5), who departed to the Lord at age fifteen. Saint Alexander was their second son. childhood was spent at Pereslavl-Zalessk, where his father was prince. princely tonsure of the lad Alexander (a ceremony of initiation to be soldier) was done in the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (May 10), one of the compilers of the Kiev Caves Paterikon (Lives of the Fathers). this Elder-hierarch, Saint Alexander received his first blessing for military service in the name of God, to defend the Russian Church and the Russian Land. 1227 Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the people of Novgorod, was sent by his brother Yuri, the Great Prince of Vladimir, to rule as prince in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander. Dissatisfied with the Vladimir princes, the people of Novgorod soon invited Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20), and in February 1229 Yaroslav with his sons departed to Pereslavl. The matter ended peacefully: in 1230 Yaroslav with his sons returned to Novgorod, and Saint Michael’s daughter Theodosia was betrothed to Saint Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. After the death of the bridegroom in 1233 the young princess went to a monastery and became famous in monastic exploits as the nun Saint Euphrosynē of Suzdal (September 25). his early years Saint Alexander went along on his father’s campaigns. In 1235 he participated in a battle at the River Emajogi (in present-day Estonia), where the forces of Yaroslav totally routed the Germans. In the following year Yaroslav went to Kiev, “settling” his son, Saint Alexander, to rule independently as prince at Novgorod. In 1239 Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as wife the daughter of the Polotsian prince Briacheslav. Some histories relate that the day the princess was baptized was the Name Day of her saintly spouse, and she was named Alexandra. His father, Yaroslav, blessed them at betrothal with the holy wonderworking icon of the Theodore Mother of God (the father was named Theodore in Baptism). Afterwards, Saint Alexander constantly prayed before this icon. Later, it was taken from the Gorodetsk Monastery, where he died, by his brother Basil of Kostroma (+1276), and transferred to Kostroma. very troublesome time had begun in Russian history: from the East came the Mongol Horde destroying everything in their path; from the West came the forces of the Teutonic Knights, which blasphemously and with the blessing of the Roman Pope, called itself “Cross-bearers” by wearing the Cross of the Lord. In this terrible hour the Providence of God raised up for the salvation of Russia holy Prince Alexander, a great warrior, man of prayer, ascetic and upholder of the Land of Russia. “Without the command of God there would not have been his prince.” by the invasion of Batu, by the ruin of Russian cities, by the dismay and grief of the nation, by the destruction of its finest sons and leaders, a horde of crusaders made incursions into the borders of Russia. First were the Swedes. “A king of Roman faith from the midnight land,” Sweden, in 1240 gathered a great armed force and sent them to the Neva on many ships under the command of his son-in-law, Yarl (Prince) Birger. The haughty Swede sent his messengers to Novgorod to say to Saint Alexander: “Fight me if you have the courage, for I am already here and I am taking your land captive.” Alexander, then not yet twenty years old, prayed a long time in the church of Saint Sophia, the Wisdom of God. He recited the Psalm of David, saying: “Judge, O Lord, those who injure me, fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me” (Ps. 34/35). Archbishop Spyridon blessed the holy prince and his army for the battle. Leaving the church, Saint Alexander exhorted his troops with words of faith: “The power of God is not in numbers, but in truth.” With a smaller force, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hastened towards the enemy to await help from his father, not knowing whether the enemy would attack, nor when. there was a miraculous omen: at dawn on July 15 the warrior Pelgui, in Baptism Philip, saw a boat, and on it were the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb, in royal purple attire. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, let us help our kinsman Alexander.” When Pelgui reported the vision to the prince, Saint Alexander commanded that no one should speak about the miracle. Emboldened by this, he urged the army to fight valiantly against the Swedes. “There was a great slaughter of the Latins, and a countless multitude was killed, and their leader was left with a mark upon his face from a sharp spear.” An angel of God invisibly helped the Orthodox army: when morning came, on the opposite bank of the River Izhora, where the army of Saint Alexander was unable to proceed, was a multitude of the slain enemy. Because of this victory at the River Neva on July 15, 1240, the nation called the saint Alexander Nevsky. Teutonic Knights remained a dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 Saint Alexander recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov. The enemy boasted of “subjecting all the Slavic nation.” Saint Alexander, setting forth in a winter campaign, liberated Pskov, that ancient home of the Holy Trinity, and in spring of the year 1242 fought a decisive battle against the Teutonic Order. On the ice of Lake Chud both armies clashed on April 5, 1242. Raising his hands towards the heavens, Saint Alexander prayed: “Judge me, O God, and judge my strife with a boastful nation and grant help to me, O God, as to Moses of old against Amalek, and to my great-grandfather Yaroslav the Wise against accursed Svyatopolk.” his prayer, by the help of God, and by military might the Crusaders were completely destroyed. There was a terrible slaughter, and there was such a crashing of striking spears and swords that it seemed as though the frozen lake were in motion and not solid ice, since it was covered with blood. When they turned to flee, the enemy was pursued and slashed by Alexander’s army “as if they sped through the air, and there was nowhere for the enemy to flee.” Later, they led a multitude of captives behind the holy prince, marching in disgrace. clearly understood the universal historical significance of the Great Battle of the Ice, and the name of Saint Alexander was celebrated throughout Holy Russia, “through all the lands, from the Egyptian Sea to Mount Ararat, from both sides of the Varangian Sea to Great Rome.” western boundaries of the Russian land were safely secured, and it was time to guard Russia from the East. In 1242 Saint Alexander Nevsky and his father Yaroslav journeyed to the Horde. Metropolitan Cyril blessed them for this new service of many hardships: it was necessary to turn the Tatars from enemies and plunderers into honorable allies, and this required “the meekness of an angel and the wisdom of a snake.” Lord crowned the holy mission of the defenders of the Russian land with success, but this required years of hardship and sacrifice. Having made an alliance with Khan Batu, Prince Yaroslav was required to travel to faraway Mongolia, to the capital of all the nomadic empire. The situation of Batu himself being precarious, he sought the support of the Russian princes, wishing to break with his own Golden Horde from faraway Mongolia. And there in turn, they trusted neither Batu nor the Russians. Yaroslav was poisoned. He died in agony, surviving the Holy Martyr Michael of Chernigov, whose relative he nearly became, by only ten days. his father bequeathed him an alliance with the Golden Horde, it was necessary for Saint Alexander Nevsky to hold fast to it in order to avert a new devastation of Russia. the son of Batu, had accepted Christianity, and was in charge of Russian affairs with the Horde. became his friend, and like a brother to him. his support, Saint Alexander allowed Batu to launch a campaign against Mongolia, to become the chief power in all the Great Steppes, and to raise up the Tatar Christian leader, Khan Munke (most of his Tatar Christians were Nestorians) on the throne in Mongolia. all the Russian princes possessed the wisdom of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Many hoped for European help in the struggle against the Mongol Yoke. Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniel of Galich, and Andrew, Saint Alexander’s brother, conducted negotiations with the Roman Pope. Saint Alexander well knew the fate of Constantinople, seized and devastated by Crusaders in the year 1204. His own personal experience taught him not to trust the West. The alliance of Daniel of Galich with the Pope, giving him nothing in return, was a betrayal of Orthodoxy, a unia with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this to happen to his Church. ambassadors of the Roman Pope appeared in 1248 to seduce him also, he wrote in answer that the Russians were faithful to the Church of Christ and to the belief of the Seven Ecumenical Councils: “These we know very well, but we do not accept your teaching.” was unsuitable for the Russian Church, and a unia signified a rejection of Orthodoxy, a rejection of the source of spiritual life, a rejection of the historical future foreordained by God, and the dooming of itself to spiritual death. the year 1252 many Russian cities rose up against the Tatar Yoke, supporting Andrew Yaroslavich. The situation was very risky. Again there arose a threat to the very existence of Russia. Alexander had to journey to the Horde once more, in order to prevent a punitive Tatar incursion on the Russian lands. Defeated, Andrew fled to the Swedes seeking the help of those very robbers whom his great brother had crushed with the help of God at the Neva. Alexander became the ruling Great Prince of All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod. great responsibility before God and history lay upon his shoulders. 1253, he repelled a new German incursion against Pskov; 1254 he made a treaty with Norway concerning peacetime borders; in 1256 he went on a campaign to the Finnish land. The chronicler called it “the dark campaign,” because the Russian army went along through the polar night, “going to impassable places, unable to see either day or night”. Into the darkness of paganism Saint Alexander brought the light of Gospel preaching and Orthodox culture. All the coastal region was enlightened and opened up by the Russians. 1256 Khan Batu died, and soon his son Sartak was poisoned, the one who was like a brother to Alexander Nevsky. holy prince journeyed a third time to Sarai in order to confirm peaceful relations of Rus and the Horde with the new Khan, Berke. Although the successor to Batu had accepted Islam, he needed the alliance with Orthodox Rus. 1261, by the diligent efforts of Saint Alexander and Metropolitan Cyril, a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established at Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. followed an epoch of great Christianization of the pagan East, and Saint Alexander Nevsky prophetically speculated about the historical vocation of Rus. The holy prince used every possibility to uplift his native land and the ease its allotted cross. 1262 by his decree in many of the cities the Tatar collectors of tribute and the conscription of soldiers were stopped. They waited for a Tatar reprisal. But the great intercessor of the nation again journeyed to the Horde and he wisely directed the event into quite another channel. been dismissed for the uprising of the Russians, Khan Berke ceased to send tribute to Mongolia and proclaimed the Golden Horde an independent entity, making it a veritable shield for Russia from the East. this great uniting of the Russian and Tatar lands and peoples the future multi-national Russian State was matured and strengthened. within the bounds of the Russian Church, was encompassed nearly the entire legacy of Ghenghis Khan to the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. diplomatic journey of Saint Alexander Nevsky to Sarai was his fourth and last. The future of Rus was rescued, his duty before God was fulfilled. But his power was wholly devoted, and his life put to the service of the Russian Church. On the return journey from the Horde Saint Alexander fell deathly ill. Unable to reach Vladimir, in a monastery at Gorodets the prince-ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, completing his difficult earthly path by receiving the monastic schema with the name of Alexis. Cyril, the spiritual Father and companion of the holy prince, said in the funeral eulogy: “Know, my child, that already the sun has set for the land of Suzdal. There will be no greater prince in the Russian land.” They took his holy body to Vladimir, the journey lasted nine days, and the body remained undecayed. November 23, before his burial at the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, there was manifest by God “a wondrous miracle and worthy of memory.” When the body of Saint Alexander was placed in the crypt, the steward Sebastian and Metropolitan Cyril wanted to take his hand, in order to put in it the spiritual gramota (document of absolution). The holy prince, as though alive, reached out his hand and took the document from the hand of the Metropolitan. “Because of their terror, and they were barely able to stumble from his tomb. Who would not be astonished at this, since he was dead and the body was brought from far away in the winter time.” did God glorify the saintly Soldier-Prince Alexander Nevsky. The universal Church glorification of Saint Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Cathedral in 1547. The Canon to the saint was compiled at that time by the monk Michael of Vladimir.

Russia, Kiev, 1240-1263, K Rus Prince, Alexander Nevsky, battles Neva and Ice, Politician, Mongol friend
Kiev Rus Prince, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore, Commemorated on March 14 Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke and resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, the icon was found by his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodetsk Theodorov monastery was built on this spot. Prince Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. In the year 1239, he solemnly transferred the relics of his brother from Rostov to the Vladimir Dormition cathedral. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest, and he was connected to almost all of the significant events in the history of Rus in the first half of the thirteenth century. was burned and torn apart by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilt and embellished the cities, the holy monasteries and the churches. He restored cities along the Volga devastated by the enemy: Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, Gorodets. founded he church of Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Theodorov monastery near Gorodets in honor of his patron saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land through a singularly difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the East, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the West. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his policies. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. Yaroslavich was the youngest (eighth) son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1246 after the death of his father (Prince Yaroslav was poisoned in the capital city of Mongolia, Karakorum when he was only five years old) Basil became prince of the Kostroma appanage-holding, the least important of his father’s domains. In the year 1272, he became Great Prince of Vladimir. four years as Great Prince (1272-1276) were filled with fratricidal princely quarrels. For several years he waged war against Novgorod with an unruly nephew Demetrius. In becoming Great Prince, however, Basil did not journey to Vladimir, but remained under the protection of the wonderworking icon at Kostroma, regarding this place as safer in case of new outbreaks of strife. had occasion also to defend Rus against external enemies. In 1272, during a Tatar incursion, a Russian army came forth from Kostroma to engage them. Following the example of his grandfather, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (who took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with him on military campaigns), Prince Basil went into battle with the wonderworking Theodore Icon. A blinding light came forth from the holy image, and the Tatars dispersed and fled from the Russian land. Chronicles say that the Great Prince Basil had a special love for the Church and the clergy. After the martyric death of Bishop Metrophanes of Vladimir during the storming of Vladimir by Tatars on February 4, 1238, the Vladimir diocese had remained widowed for many years. This grieved Great Prince Basil. With his help, a large cathedral was constructed in Vladimir in 1274. This was apparently in connection with the consecration of Saint Serapion (July 12) as Bishop of Vladimir. He was an igumen from the Monastery of the Caves. Cyril III (+ 1282) presided over a council of Russian hierarchs. This was the first council in the Russian Church since the time of the Mongol invasion. Many problems and disorders had arisen in Church life, but the Russian Church was just barely beginning to recover from the woe that had befallen it. One of its main tasks was to recover a Russian churchly literacy, and the restoration of the tradition of the ancient Russian “princely order.â€ books the Church’s salvific activity would be almost impossible. Books were needed for church services, and for preaching, for the monastic cell rule, and for believers to read at home. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Cyril and the Russian bishops and monastic scholars, this important task was begun. The council approved new editions of essential books which formed the canonical basis of Orthodox church life. 1276, Prince Basil completed his life’s journey. Most of the important events in his life occured with the blessing of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. He died at Kostroma, and there he also found his final resting place. Since that time, the holy icon has been in the Kostroma cathedral of Saint Theodore Stratelates. interest in the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God and the spread of its veneration throughout all Russia is connected with events of the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the end of the Time of Troubles. In the year 1613, the wonderworking Theodore Icon from the Kostroma cathedral was used at the proclamation of Michael Romanov as the new Tsar. In memory of this historic event, March 14 was designated for the commemoration of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. copies were made from the Kostroma Theodore Icon, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. the year 1670 the hierodeacon Longinus from the Kostroma Hypatiev monastery wrote the “Narrative concerning the Manifestations and Miracles of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in Kostroma.â€ Not all the things contained in it agree with things previously stated. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskeva on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on August 16. Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Kiev, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves
Russia, Kiev, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves; Kiev Caves; Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 15; Lucian the Presbyter lived in the XIII century, and suffered martyrdom under Batu around 1243. else is known about him. Lucian's relics are in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios, his Feast Day is on October 15, because of his Patron Saint, Hieromartyr Lucian, the Presbyter of Antioch. He is also commemorated on August 28 (Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios); and again on the second Sunday of Great Lent (Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Monastery).

Russia, Kiev, 1244,1578&1770, 6 Translations otRelics otMartyr's Prince Michael & Boyer Theodore, killed by Batu 1244
Russia, Kiev, 1578&1770, Translation otRelics otMartyr Michael oChernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland, Prince Michael oC and Boyar Theodore killed by Batu 1244, (1) relics saved by Christians, (2) later r transferred to Vladimir, (3) then 1272 to Polish Chernigov, (4) 1573 to Moscow by Ivan tTerrible, (5) then 1770 to Moscow's Meething otLprd Cathedral, (6) 1774 hidden in Kremlin's Holy Archangel Cathedral, Michael&Theodore commemorated Sept 20, Feb 14th, Sunday before Aug 26th, synaxis Moscow's Saints; Chernigov; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov and his Boyar Theodore were put to death by Batu of the Golden Horde on September 20, 1244. first, some devout Russian Christians secretly took their relics. Later, the relics of the holy wonderworkers were transferred to the city of Vladimir, then to Chernigov, after Chernigov was ceded to the Poles in the year 1572. February 14, 1578 Tsar Ivan the Terrible transferred their relics to a church which was dedicated to them in Moscow, with the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony. 1770 the relics of Saints Michael and Theodore were transferred to the Meeting of the Lord (Сретенский) cathedral, November 21,1774, they have been kept in a hidden place in Moscow's Holy Archangels Cathedral in the Kremlin. Holy Martyrs and Confessors Michael and Theodore are commemorated September 20 (the day of their martyric death); February 14 (the Translation of their Holy Relics in 1578; on the Sunday before August 26 (Synaxis of the Moscow Saints).

Russia, Kiev, 1246-1288, Prince, Roman of Chernigov, and Bryansk, to GH, cured by Icon
Kiev Prince, 1246-1288, Roman of Chernigov; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10;

Russia, Kiev, 1250, 13th C, Mardarius tRecluse oKiev Caves, Zealot oPoverty, or non-acquisitive, perfect bPrayer fasting obey
Russia, Kiev, 1250, 13th C, Mardarius tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, Zealot oPoverty, or non-acquisitive, perfection through prayer, fasting, obedience; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Mardarios (Mardários) the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, as an ascetic in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios during the XIII century, himself in his cell. he strove for perfection through prayer, fasting, and obedience. his Troparion and Kontakion he is described as "non-acquisitive," according to an inscription over his relics, "without a cell.” had nothing in his cell except the clothes on his back. the Ode 7 of the Service for the Synaxis for the Fathers of the Far Caves (August 28) Saint Mardarios is mentioned along with Saint Ammon (October 4), and he is called a “zealot of poverty.” Mardarios was buried in the Far Caves. He is also commemorated on August 28, and at the Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves (movable Feast on the second Sunday of Great Lent).

Russia, Kiev, 1250-1298, Saint Theodore the Black, Prince of Smolensk, bored, went to Sarai, prominence in H
Kiev, 1250-1298, Saint Theodore the Balck; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19;

Russia, Kiev, 1259, Kursk-Root Icon, icon found on root face down, tried to move to Ryla, events there
Russia, Kiev, 1259, Icon the Sign, Kursk-Root, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths), icon found on rood face down, chapel there, tried to move to Ryla, back to chapel, imporant events there 1612 Swede Pol Lith incursion, 1812 Napolian incursion; Kursk; Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign”, the “Kursk-Root”, Commemorated on September 8 ; Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. inhabitants of the city of Ryl’a heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryl’a and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryl’a repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, the 1812 Fatherland war. the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified. Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-Root, Commemorated on November 27 ; Story Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. In the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. The hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. With the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. Just as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. This occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. Soon inhabitants of the city of Ryla heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryla and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryla repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. Everyone then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. The special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: with the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, and the 1812 Fatherland war. From the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified.

Russia, Kiev, 1275, Mongol Tartar Invasion of Rus, 1223-1241, up at Kursk in 1275
Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223 - 1241; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignœKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8; Icon of the Mother of God Kursk Root œof the SignÂ, Commemorated on March 8;

Russia, Kiev, 1280-1320, Silvanus oKiev Far Caves, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, Wonderworking
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1320, Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, pure soul&body, subdued flesh wFasting&virgils, cleansed soul wPrayer&meditation, abundant spiritual gifts, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, wonderworking; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 10; Holy Schemamonk Silvanus (Silouan) of the Kiev Caves, zealously preserved the purity of both soul and body, subdued his flesh with fasting and vigils, and he cleansed his soul with prayer and meditation on God. Lord granted him an abundance of spiritual gifts: a prayerful boldness towards God, constant joy in the Lord, clairvoyance and wonderworking. monk lived at the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. His relics rest in the Caves.

Russia, Kiev, 1280-1326, Patriarch Peter, wonderworker, unifier, moved See fKiev, tVladimir 1308 to Moscow in 1325
Russia, Vladimir, 1308-1326, Patriarch Peter, moved See to Moscow in 1325, born iVolhynia, pre birth revelation oPeter's Blessedness, monk a12, science studies&obediences, Holy Scriptures, Iconographer, hiermonk, after years tSolitary place, cell aRata river, place later called Novodvorsk m, built church there, igumen there, never angry wGuilty monk, instructed by word&example, became famous afar, like Yuri oGalacia spiritual inst visits, like Met Maximus oKiev&Vladimir bringng instruction&getting icon which he prayed to till death, after Met M death see vacant, Abbot Gerontius wanted position, tConstantinople wPeter's (M's?) vestments, Archpastor staff, and M's icon painted by P, G Prince Michael oVlakimir agreed sent petition supporting G, but Prince Yuri oGlacia suggested tPeter go, he reluctantly went, God chose Peter by MOG appearing to Gerontius in sea storm and telling him this icon's painter shall be elevated Kiev's All Russia Met throne, Athanasius oConstantinople elevated Peter bestowing vestaments, staff, icon brought bGerontius, P tKiev 1308 then Vladimir then Moscow, many Tartar Yoke trials, changes in residences, his labors journeys for faith&morality, christian piety, unity, 1312 tHorde, decree protecting clergy, 1325 See tMoscow, prophecied deliverance Mongol Yoke, and that Moscow would become foremost, foundation Dormition Cathedral 1326, P died same year, buried there in crypt self prepared, many miracles there, many secret healings after death, saint i1339, Princes kissed his tomb's cross to show fidelity tPrince oMoscow, called tWitness Treaties, after Novgorod annexation by Ivan III, their archbishops consecrated aPeters grave, Russian hierarchs named chosen there, plus no significant state undertaking without prayers there, 1472&1479 relics tranfer feasts; Vladimir Patriarch, 1308-1325, Peter of Moscow; Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev[1] and all Russia (Russian: Пётр)(c. 1260- 20 December 1326) was the Russian metropolitan who moved his see from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325. Later he was proclaimed a patron saint of Moscow. In spite of the move, the office remained officially entitled "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'" until the autocephalous election of Saint Jonah of Moscow in 1448. Life[edit] Peter was born in Volhynia[1] (part of the Kingdom of Russia). His parents were Theodore and Eupraxia. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery where he learned iconography. The igumen of the monastery had St Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place.[2] He built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of St Peter” was so called because it was painted by St Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratne[3] monastery by St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', Peter gave him the icon as a gift.[4] In 1308 king Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia nominated and the Patriarch of Constantinople appointed Peter to the vacant see of Kiev and all Rus'.[2] Mikhail Yaroslavich, Grand Prince of Vladimir and Tver, wanted to advance his own candidate for this position. Peter's nomination caused prolonged animosity between Mikhail and Peter to the point that the latter had to ask for protection from the Prince of Moscow in 1325. Peter travelled to Constantinople where Patriarch Athanasius consecrated him as Metropolitan of Russia and bestowed on him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon. Upon his return to Rus' in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. During this time of Tatar (Mongol) authority Russia was in turmoil, and Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence.[2] Peter transferred his metropolitan duties from depopulated Kiev to Vladimir. In 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great prince Ivan Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan cathedra-chair from Vladimir to Moscow.[5] The move strengthened the political position of Moscow and established it as the spiritual capital of fragmented Russia. After Peter's move to Moscow, the Cathedral of the Dormition and several other stone churches were built by Ivan Kalita in the Moscow Kremlin. The foundation of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow is ascribed to Peter. He also authored a few sermons and epistles. Peter died on 21 December 1326.[5] After his canonization by Metropolitan Alexis, his veneration was propagated all over Moscovy. Accordingly, many churches were dedicated to Peter the Metropolitan in Moscow and other cities of Russia. His feast day is celebrated on 24 August (the translation of his relics to the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow) and 5 October (in common with Metropolitans Jonah and Alexis) Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia of pious parents, Theodore and Eupraxia. before the birth of her son, the Lord revealed to Eupraxia the preordained blessedness of her son. the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery. He successfully studied the book sciences of those times and eagerly fulfilled his monastic obediences. future saint devoted much time to an attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, he also learned iconography. The icons painted by Saint Peter were distributed to the brethren and to Christians who visited the monastery. of his virtuous and ascetic life, the igumen of the monastery had Saint Peter ordained as a hieromonk. years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place. built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. church dedicated to the Savior was built for the monks who came to him. as igumen, Saint Peter guided his spiritual children, and never became angry with a guilty monk. he instructed the brethren by word and by example. virtuous igumen and ascetic became known far beyond the vicinity of the monastery. Prince Yuri of Galicia frequently visited the monastery in order to receive spiritual instruction from the holy ascetic. in his travels through the Russian land, Metropolitan Maximus of Kiev and Vladimir (December 6) visited the monastery with words of instruction and edification. received the blessing of Saint Maximus, Saint Peter presented him with an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he had painted. Maximus prayed before the icon for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God until the end of his days. Metropolitan Maximus died, the See of Vladimir remained for a certain time unoccupied. abbot named Gerontius, aspiring to become the primate of Russia, went to Constantinople with Saint Peter’s vestments, archpastoral staff, and the icon he had painted. Great Prince of Vladimir, Saint Michael of Tver (November 22), sent him to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be appointed as Metropolitan of Russia. the suggestion of Prince Yuri of Galicia, Igumen Peter reluctantly went to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be consecrated as Metropolitan. chose Saint Peter to nourish the Russian Church. Mother of God appeared to Gerontius during a storm on the Black Sea and said, “You labor in vain, for you will never be bishop. The one who painted this icon, the Rata igumen Peter, shall be elevated to the throne of Kiev.” words of the Mother of God were fulfilled. Athanasius of Constantinople (1289-1293) elevated Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Russia, bestowing upon him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon, brought by Gerontius. his return to Russia in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. chief hierarch was tested by many trials during his first years of guiding the Russian metropolitanate. beneath the Tatar (Mongol) Yoke the Russian land was in turmoil, Saint Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence. this period the saint’s labors and concerns to affirm the true Faith and morality in the realm were particularly important. his journeys throughout the diocese, he incessantly instructed the people and clergy on preserving Christian piety. He also brought quarrelsome princes to peace and unity. the year 1312 the saint made a journey to the Horde, where he received a decree from Khan Uzbek, safeguarding the rights of the Russian clergy. 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great Prince John Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan See from Vladimir to Moscow. event had very great significance for all the Russian land. Saint Peter prophetically predicted deliverance from the Tatar Yoke and that Moscow would become the foremost city in Russia. his blessing, the foundation of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Moscow Kremlin was laid in August 1326. Peter fell asleep in the Lord on December 21, 1326. holy relics of the saint were buried in the Dormition cathedral in a stone crypt, which he himself had prepared. miracles were accomplished through the saint’s prayers. healings were even done secretly, which testifies to his profound humility even after death. veneration of the first hierarch of the Russian Church was affirmed and spread throughout the Russian land. In 1339, under Saint Theognostus (March 14), Saint Peter was numbered among the saints. Princes kissed the cross on the saint’s tomb as a sign of their fidelity to the Great Prince of Moscow. a particularly venerated protector of Moscow, Saint Peter was called on to witness the drawing up of government treaties. people of Novgorod once had the right of nominating their own bishop in the cathedral of Saint Sophia. their annexation to Moscow under Ivan III, they swore an oath that henceforth they would only consecrate their archbishops at the grave of Saint Peter the Wonderworker. it was at the grave of the saint that the first hierarchs of Russia were named and chosen. Russian Chronicles mention him frequently, and no significant state undertaking was initiated without prayers at the grave of Saint Peter. relics of Saint Peter were transferred in 1472 and 1479. In memory of these events, feastdays were established for October 5 and August 24.

Russia, Kiev, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness, fervor for Temple, scripture reading, fasting, frequently ill as a child so parents viwed give him monastery if healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Macarius the Deacon lived in the Far Caves of Kiev, is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius lived during the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, was distinguished by his lack of covetousness. He possessed great fervor for the temple of God he continuously labored in reading Holy Scripture and in fasting. to Tradition, he was frequently ill as a child, his parents vowed that they would offer their son to the Monastery of the Caves if he were made healthy. his mildness and humility he earned the love of the brethren, taught him to read and to write. of his piety of life he was ordained as a deacon. Lord also granted him the gift of wonderworking. Macarius of the Far Caves is also commemorated on August 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1283-1303, P Daniel of Moscow, Nevsky's 4th, yngst s, Churches and Ms, first victory over Ts, unified rus
Russia, Moscow, 1283-1303, Prince Daniel of Moscow; father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] Aleksandrovich (1261-“ 4 March 1303) was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and forefather of all the Grand Dukes of father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] When he was a child, the tiny principality was being governed by tiuns (deputies), appointed by his paternal uncle, Grand Prince Yaroslav has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, namely the Lord's Epiphany, and The Danilov Monestery (Saint Daniel Monestery): named in his honor, situated on the right bank of the Moskva River at a distance of 5 miles from the Moscow Kremlin, and founded, by Daniel, as the first monastery wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite no later than also built the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin in the 1280s, dedicated to the Great Martyr took part in his brothers (”Dmitri of Pereslavl and Andrey of Gorodets) ”struggle for the right to govern Vladimir and Novgorod, respectively. After Dmitry's death in 1294, Daniel made an alliance with Mikhail of Tver and Ivan of Pereslavl against Andrey of Gorodets of Novgorod. participation in the struggle for Novgorod in 1296 indicated Moscow's increasing political influence. Constantine, the prince of Ryazan, tried to capture the Moscow lands with the help of a Mongol force. Prince Daniel defeated it near Pereslavl. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom.[2] 1300, he went to Ryazan with an army and imprisoned the ruler of the Ryazan Principality "by some ruse", as the chronicle says, and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. To secure his release, the prisoner ceded to Daniel his fortress of Kolomna. It was an important acquisition, as now Daniel controlled all the length of the Moskva River. 1302 his childless nephew and ally, Ivan of Pereslavl, bequeathed to Daniel all his lands, including Pereslavl-Zalessky.[2] the Mongol occupation and internecine wars among the Rus' princes, Daniel created peace in Moscow without bloodshed. 30 years of ruling Daniel participated in battles only once.[1] According to legend, Daniel was popular and respected by his subjects for his meekness, humility and peacefulness. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; the time of Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505), Saint Daniel gave reminders of himself to his forgetful descendents. He appeared as a stranger to a youth who attended the Great Prince and said: Don’t be afraid of me. I was a Christian and the master of this place, my name is Daniel Prince of Moscow, and by the will of God I am here. Tell Great Prince John about me saying: you are enjoying yourself while you have forgotten me, but God has not forgotten me. this, the Great Prince ordered panikhidas for his ancestral princes to be sung in the cathedral. During the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the dying son of a barge merchant was healed at the grave of Saint Daniel. The Tsar, struck by the miracle, renovated the ancient Danilov monastery and established a yearly church procession. The Metropolitan led the way to the the holy prince’s tomb, and served a panikhida there. 1652 holy Prince Daniel was glorified by the uncovering of his incorrupt relics, which were transferred on August 30 to the church dedicated to the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. holy relics were placed in a reliquary “to the glory of the Holy Trinity and for the healing of the infirm. Metropolitan Platon of Moscow (+ 1812), in the Life of the holy prince which he compiled, writes: “The founder laid the foundation of Moscow’s grandeur, modestly making only a small path to it. Just as any edifice, which is not built with excessive haste, but rather with great artistry and skill, receives a particular firmness and stands indestructible for a long time; like a tall tree that grows for many centuries after beginning as a small sapling, then slowly becomes sturdier, with its branches spreading about far around, so this city was to grow from small, but firm beginnings, so that its first sparkle would not bedazzle the eyes of the envious, and so it would not be shaken or felled early on, before it had attained its full height. Thus did this founder prepare the great city given him, giving it a modest but steady radiance, undisturbed by any gusts of the wind. He left the great glory of its rise to his son Great Prince John, called Kalita.

Russia, Kiev, 1283-1305, Maximus, Met of all Rus, throne north, MOG stay Vladimir, need Yuri D peace Michael of T, & go Horde
Russia, Kiev, 1283-1305, Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus, from Greece in 1283, to Kiev, Tartars there, to Briansk, to Suzdal, to Volhynia, terrible times throne north to Tver, prayer, MOG stay in Vladimir 1299, recognizing needs, need Yuri D of M peace w Michael of T, need Yuri D go to Horde, Michael of T throne of V, rules for fasting, lawful marriage, gilded over grave 1305, Maximov Icon 1299 from his vision, v on crypt ; Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Maximus, successor of Metropolitan Cyril III of Kiev (1243-1280), was a Greek by birth, and he arrived in Rus, then suffering under the Mongol (Tatar) Yoke, in 1283 as Metropolitan. saint decided to remain at Kiev, but the city was completely devastated by the plundering incursions of the Tatars. Metropolitan Maximus withdrew to Briansk, and from there to Suzdal. During his visit to Volhynia the saint met with Saint Peter the igumen of the Rata monastery, (December 21), who would succeed him as metropolitan. 1295 the saint deposed James from the bishop’s cathedra at Vladimir and replaced him with Simon. these terrible times the throne of the Great Prince was first at Vladimir, then at Pereslavl, then at Tver. lest he insult the South Russian princes by moving to the north, the saint offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, and She indicated Vladimir as the place of his residence. the year 1299 Metropolitan Maximus went to Vladimir, and in the following year he established Saint Theoctistus (December 23) as Bishop of Novgorod. 1301, Metropolitan Maximus was in Constantinople for a Patriarchal Council, where at the urging of Saint Theognostus, Bishop of Zaraisk, he set forth questions concerning the needs of the Russian Church to be resolved by the Council. the need to build up the strength of subjugated Rus, the saint urged Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow to make peace with the holy Prince Michael of Tver. also advised Yuri to journey to the Horde to receive the throne. 1304, the saint installed Saint Michael of Tver (November 22) upon the Great-princely throne of Vladimir. an example of intense spiritual life for others, Metropolitan Maximus was concerned about the spiritual growth of his proverbial flock. the saint established rules for fasting for other times in addition to Great Lent. He ordained it for the Apostles’, Dormition and Nativity lenten periods, and he defined when fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed (in Russia until the fourteenth century they did not fast on the Midfeast and Leave-taking of Pascha). holy metropolitan was particularly concerned with upholding lawful marriage: “I write, therefore, about this, so that you my children, born and newly-sanctified in the baptismal font, will take your wife from the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the woman is for the salvation of the man. If you cleave to them in promiscuity without marriage, does it benefit you? No, but rather beseech and implore them, whether young or old, to be married in the Church.” saint reposed on December 6, 1305, and his body was buried in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. A gilded covering was built over the saint’s grave. Maximov Icon of the Mother of God (April 18) was placed on the wall above the grave of the saint. It was painted in the year 1299 following a vision to Metropolitan Maximus. A description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of the crypt. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Kiev, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, appeared 1288, deliverance from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War
Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the repose of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Sven Caves Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Saint Alypius of the Caves (August 17). the icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon a throne, and with the Divine Infant on Her knees. Saint Theodosius is on the right side of the throne, and Saint Anthony of the Caves on the left. the year 1288 it was in the Kiev Caves monastery, where it was glorified by miracles. In 1288 it was transferred to the Briansk-Svensk monastery, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Roman of Chernigov, then at Briansk, became blind. Hearing about the miracles worked by the icon of Saint Alypius, the prince sent a courier to the monastery requesting that the icon be sent to him at Briansk. They sent a priest with the icon along the River Desna. the voyage the boat landed on the right bank of the River Svena. lodging for the night they went to the boat to pray before the icon, but they did not find it there. saw it on a hill on the opposite bank, resting in the branches of an oak tree. News of this reached Prince Roman, and they led him to the icon on foot. prince prayed fervently before the icon and vowed to build a monastery on that spot, donating all the land which could be seen from the hill. After the prayer the prince regained his sight. First he saw the footpath, then nearby objects, and finally all the surroundings. making a shrine for the icon, the prince had a Molieben served, and then they laid the foundations for a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. tree on which the icon rested was cut up and used as wood for other icons. Feast day of the Sven Icon of the Mother of God was set for May 3. It is also commemorated on August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius the Iconographer). The icon was glorified by healings of the blind and of the possessed, and has long been regarded as a protector from enemies.

Russia, Kiev, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine, from Kiev Caves M to Sven M, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of C
Russia, Kiev, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1288 from Kiev Caves M to Sven M, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of Chernigov at B, monastery on spot, 1812 delivered B from Napoleon; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the repose of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Sven Caves Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Saint Alypius of the Caves (August 17). the icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon a throne, and with the Divine Infant on Her knees. Saint Theodosius is on the right side of the throne, and Saint Anthony of the Caves on the left. the year 1288 it was in the Kiev Caves monastery, where it was glorified by miracles. In 1288 it was transferred to the Briansk-Svensk monastery, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Roman of Chernigov, then at Briansk, became blind. Hearing about the miracles worked by the icon of Saint Alypius, the prince sent a courier to the monastery requesting that the icon be sent to him at Briansk. They sent a priest with the icon along the River Desna. the voyage the boat landed on the right bank of the River Svena. lodging for the night they went to the boat to pray before the icon, but they did not find it there. saw it on a hill on the opposite bank, resting in the branches of an oak tree. News of this reached Prince Roman, and they led him to the icon on foot. prince prayed fervently before the icon and vowed to build a monastery on that spot, donating all the land which could be seen from the hill. After the prayer the prince regained his sight. First he saw the footpath, then nearby objects, and finally all the surroundings. making a shrine for the icon, the prince had a Molieben served, and then they laid the foundations for a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. tree on which the icon rested was cut up and used as wood for other icons. Feast day of the Sven Icon of the Mother of God was set for May 3. It is also commemorated on August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius the Iconographer). The icon was glorified by healings of the blind and of the possessed, and has long been regarded as a protector from enemies.

Russia, Kiev, 1299, Appearance of Maximas Icon, Patriarch Maximus' vision, Metropolitan of all Rus
Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles. Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Maximus, successor of Metropolitan Cyril III of Kiev (1243-1280), was a Greek by birth, and he arrived in Rus, then suffering under the Mongol (Tatar) Yoke, in 1283 as Metropolitan. saint decided to remain at Kiev, but the city was completely devastated by the plundering incursions of the Tatars. Metropolitan Maximus withdrew to Briansk, and from there to Suzdal. During his visit to Volhynia the saint met with Saint Peter the igumen of the Rata monastery, (December 21), who would succeed him as metropolitan. 1295 the saint deposed James from the bishop’s cathedra at Vladimir and replaced him with Simon. these terrible times the throne of the Great Prince was first at Vladimir, then at Pereslavl, then at Tver. lest he insult the South Russian princes by moving to the north, the saint offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, and She indicated Vladimir as the place of his residence. the year 1299 Metropolitan Maximus went to Vladimir, and in the following year he established Saint Theoctistus (December 23) as Bishop of Novgorod. 1301, Metropolitan Maximus was in Constantinople for a Patriarchal Council, where at the urging of Saint Theognostus, Bishop of Zaraisk, he set forth questions concerning the needs of the Russian Church to be resolved by the Council. the need to build up the strength of subjugated Rus, the saint urged Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow to make peace with the holy Prince Michael of Tver. also advised Yuri to journey to the Horde to receive the throne. 1304, the saint installed Saint Michael of Tver (November 22) upon the Great-princely throne of Vladimir. an example of intense spiritual life for others, Metropolitan Maximus was concerned about the spiritual growth of his proverbial flock. the saint established rules for fasting for other times in addition to Great Lent. He ordained it for the Apostles’, Dormition and Nativity lenten periods, and he defined when fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed (in Russia until the fourteenth century they did not fast on the Midfeast and Leave-taking of Pascha). holy metropolitan was particularly concerned with upholding lawful marriage: “I write, therefore, about this, so that you my children, born and newly-sanctified in the baptismal font, will take your wife from the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the woman is for the salvation of the man. If you cleave to them in promiscuity without marriage, does it benefit you? No, but rather beseech and implore them, whether young or old, to be married in the Church.” saint reposed on December 6, 1305, and his body was buried in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. A gilded covering was built over the saint’s grave. Maximov Icon of the Mother of God (April 18) was placed on the wall above the grave of the saint. It was painted in the year 1299 following a vision to Metropolitan Maximus. A description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of the crypt. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Russia, Kiev, 1299, MOG icon painted by Maximus 1299, from vision, transfer See to Vladimir from Kiev, many miracles
Russia, Vladimir, 1299, Vladimir (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5), painted by Maximus 1299, from vision, omophorion (identifies bishop), transfer See to Vladimir from Kiev, golden coffer (strongbox), many miracles; Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Kiev, 1300-1399, 14th Century Folder, Orthodox Golden Horde by Theodore the Black

Russia, Kiev, 1301, 14th Century, Saint Aquila, Great Fasting Deacon, otKiev Caves
Russia, Kiev, 1300, 14th Century, Saint Aquila, Great Fasting Deacon, otKiev Caves, Those thirsting deliverance from passions ot stomach, and those wishing temperance turn tHim; Saint Aquila, Deacon, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 4; Aquila the Deacon of the Kiev Caves (14th Century), became famous as a great faster, having spent a long while as a hermit. He ate neither vareny (pirogi) nor sweet food, he ate vegetables seldom and only in small quantities. During fasting periods, he ate only a single prosphoron. thirsting for deliverance from “the enslavement of the passions of the stomach,” and those wishing to learn temperance turn to Saint Aquila entreating his help (Third Ode of the Canon to the monks venerated in the Far Caves). Aquila the Deacon is also commemorated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1320, Battle of Irpen River, Lithuania over Kiev
Russia, Kiev, 1320, Battle of Irpen River, Lithuania over Kiev; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24;

Russia, Kiev, 1327-1352, Patriarch, Theognostus of Kiev and All Russia
Moscow Patriarch, 1327-1352, Theognostus of Kiev and All Russia; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1334-1362, Fiodor of Kiev, a Lithuanian tax collector for the Horde
Russia, Kiev, 1334-1362, K Rus King, Fiodor of Kiev, a Lithuanian tax collector for the Horde; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24;

Russia, Kiev, 1334-1392, Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine (Udai River 1)
Russia, Moscow, 1334-1392, Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine (Udai River 1) ; of Priluki Prilutsky by iconographer Dionisius holy, God-bearing Father Dimitri of Priluki, also Demetrius of Priluki, was a Russian monastic and Wonderworker of the fourteenth century who pioneered monastic life into the Russian North and founded the Nikolsky Monastery, now the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky. A disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, he is commemorated on February 11. is known of the early life of St. Dimitri. He was born into a rich merchant's family in Pereyaslavl-Zalessk in present day Yaroslavl Oblast and entered early on a religious life. He was tonsured a monk at one of the monasteries in Pereyaslavl. Later, he founded the cenobitic monastery of St. Nicholas near the city on Ss. Boris and Gleb Hill on the shore of Lake Plescheevo. He became its hegumen. 1334, Dimitri met St. Sergius of Radonezh who had come to Pereyaslavl to visit the local hierarch, Metropolitan Athanasius. From this meeting a close friendship grew as they would often conversed with each other. The holiness of hegumen Dimitri spread widely. He became the godfather to the children of Grand Prince Dmitri Ioannovich. As he became more famous, and encouraged by St. Sergius, Demetrius looked to a more isolated life and decided to move to a remote place. his disciple Pachomius, he traveled north to a spot near Avnezh at the Obnora River in the Vologda forests. There they built a church dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ and prepared to lay the foundations for a monastery. The local inhabitants, however, fearful that their village would become monastery property if a monastery were built there, demanded that the monks leave their territory. The two monks, wishing not to be a burden to any one, moved further north. an isolated spot not far from the city of Vologda, Dimitri decided to establish at a bend of the Vologda River the first cenobitic monastery of the Russian North. The people of Vologda and the surrounding area welcomed the monks and gladly consented to help Dimitri. The monastery was built on land owned by Elias and Isidore who even trampled down a grain field so that a temple might be built immediately. By 1371, a wooden cathedral, dedicated to the Savior, was built and brethren began to arrive at the new monastery, including many disciples of Dimitri who came from the Pereyaslavl monasteries. The monastery would later be known as the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery. established a life at the monastery that combined prayer and strict asceticism with kindliness. He fed the poor and hungry and took in strangers. He conversed with those in need of consolation and gave counsel. And he loved to pray in solitude. His Lenten food consisted of prosphora with warm water. On feast days, he would not even partake of the wine and fish that was permitted by the Rule. He wore an old sheepskin coat during both winter and summer, and, even in his old age, he joined with the brethren on common tasks. St. Dimitri accepted contributions to the monastery cautiously, so that the welfare of the monastery would not be detrimental to those living nearby. Lord granted His servant the gift of clairvoyance, in which the saintly monk attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. On February 11, 1392, St. Dimitri died at an advanced age. As the brethren approached his cell at the time, they found him as though asleep and with his cell filled with a wondrous fragrance. associated with the relics of St. Dimitri began in the year 1409, and during that century his veneration spread throughout all Rus. By the year 1440, the Priluki monk Macarius recorded his Life (Great Reading Menaion, February 11) based on the narratives of St. Dimitri's disciple Igumen Pachomius. Priluki city (Udai River); Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Demetrius of Priluki, Wonderworker, was born into a rich merchant’s family in Pereyaslavl-Zalessk. From his youth the saint was uncommonly handsome. Receiving monastic tonsure at one of the Pereyaslavl monasteries, the saint later founded the Saint Nicholas cenobitic monastery on the Saints Boris and Gleb Hill at the shore of Lake Plescheevo near the city, and became its igumen. 1334 Saint Demetrius first met with Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who had come to Pereyaslavl to see Metropolitan Athanasius. From that time, he frequently conversed with Saint Sergius and became close with him. The fame of the Pereyaslavl igumen was so widespread that he became godfather to the children of Great Prince Demetrius Ioannovich. Under the influence of the Radonezh wonderworker, Saint Demetrius decided to withdraw to a remote place, and went north with his disciple Pachomius. the Vologda forests, at the River Velika, near the Avnezh settlement, they built a church of the Resurrection of Christ and they prepared to lay the foundations for a monastery. The local inhabitants were fearful that if a monastery were built there, their village would become monastery property. They demanded that the monks leave their territory, and wishing to be a burden to no one, they moved farther away. far from Vologda, at the bend of a river in an isolated spot, Saint Demetrius decided to form the first of the cenobitic monasteries of the Russian North. The people of Vologda and the surrounding gladly consented to help the saint. The owners of the land intended for the monastery, Elias and Isidore, even trampled down a grain field, so that a temple might be built immediately. In 1371 the wooden Savior cathedral was built, and brethren began to gather. disciples of the monk came there from Pereyaslavl. Saint Demetrius combined prayer and strict asceticism with kindliness. He fed the poor and hungry, he took in strangers, he conversed with those in need of consolation, and he gave counsel. He loved to pray in solitude. His Lenten food consisted of prosphora with warm water. Even on feastdays, he would not partake of the wine and fish permitted by the Rule. Both winter and summer he wore an old sheepskin coat, and even in his old age he went with the brethren on common tasks. The saint accepted contributions to the monastery cautiously, so that the welfare of the monastery would not be detrimental to those living nearby. Lord granted His servant the gift of clairvoyance, and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. Saint Demetrius died at an advanced age on February 11, 1392. The brethren approaching found him as though asleep, and his cell was filled with a wondrous fragrance. from the relics of Saint Demetrius began in the year 1409, and during the fifteenth century his veneration spread throughout all Rus. And no later than the year 1440, the Priluki monk Macarius recorded his Life (Great Reading Menaion, February 11) based on the narratives of Saint Demetrius’s disciple Igumen Pachomius. St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Mercurius t Faster of the Far Caves, deep spiritual friendship & buried w Paisus
Russia, Kiev, 1350, Mercurius t Faster of the Far Caves, deep spiritual friendship & buried w Paisus; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Mercurius of Kiev Caves pursued asceticism in the Farther Caves in the fourteenth century, and was strict in fasting. During his lifetime Saint Mercurius had a deep spiritual friendship with Saint Paisius, and when they died, they were buried in the same grave. November 24 commemoration of the saint is made because of his namesake, the holy Great Martyr Mercurius. He is also remembered on August 28, the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves; and on the second Sunday of Great Lent, the Synaxis of all the monastic Fathers of the Kiev Caves. Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves Commemorated on July 19 Saint Paisius of the Caves was a monk of the Kiev Caves monastery. From the Canon to the Kiev Caves monks, venerated in the Far Caves, it is known that he was connected by oneness of mind and brotherly love with Saint Mercurius (November 24). Both saints were inseparable, they lived in the same cell, and after death were placed in the same grave. At the present time their relics rest in separate reliquaries.

Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Zeno the Faster, oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, resplendent iFasting
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno the Faster and Lover of Labor of the Far Caves of Kiev lived in the fourteenth century. the Third Ode of the Canon to the Monks of the Far Caves, he is described as “resplendent in fasting.” memory is also celebrated on August 28 and the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves, his food wUncooked grass, served grass and sick were healed
Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, relics lie Cave oTheodosius, uncooked grass was his food all his life, served grass tThose coming to him & sick were healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Gregory, Hermit of the Caves, lived during the fourteenth century. the “Lives of the Saints Whose Relics lie in the Cave of Saint Theodosius,” it says that uncooked grass served as Saint Gregory’s food all his life. gave this grass to those coming to him, and the sick were healed. is also commemorated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Met oMoscow&Kiev, his future revealed early, Lord told him he was to be catcher oMen
Russia, Kiev, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev, his future revealed early, Lord told him he was to be catcher of men, not birds, much solitude from then on, church attendance, decided monk at 15, 1320 entered Theophany m, 12 yrs strict monastic struggles, guided by renouned ascetics: Gerontios, Sergius' bro Stephen, called out of M by Met Theognos to manage ecclesiastical courts, 12 yrs, concecrated Bishop by Met, 1350 Bishop oVladimir, 1354 Met when Met reposed, Russian church rifts&quarrels, pretensions oMet Romanos oLithuania&Volhynia, 1356 tConstantinople to see Ecumenical Patriarch Kallistos, who gave him Archbishop over all russia, most venerable met and Exarch, over Kiev and Great Russia, storm at sea upon his return, vowed build temple for saint otDay upon his return, Aug 16, despite problems devoted to his flock, appointed bishops, estab cenobitic m's like Sergius' Trinity Lavra, healed Khan's wife bringing order to Horde relations, guardian oDemetrios, Princes refused accept Moscow authority, He continued establishing monasteries, Icon Savior at Yauza, fulfilled storm return fConstantinople Aug 16, also Chudov M1 in Moscow Kremlin where he was buried, reposed at 78; Moscow, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow; St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Alexei, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia the Wonderworker (in the world Eleutherios), born in the year 1292 (or according to another source, 1304) at Moscow into the family of the noble Theodore Byakont, a descendant of the Chernigov princely line. Lord revealed to the future Saint his lofty destiny from early childhood. twelve years of age Eleutherios went to a field and set nets to ensnare birds. dozed off and suddenly he heard a voice: “Alexei! Why do you labor in vain? You are to be a catcher of men." this day on the boy abandoned childish games and spent much time in solitude. often attended church, when he was fifteen he decided to become a monk. 1320, he entered Moscow’s Theophany Monastery, where he spent more than twelve years in strict monastic struggles. renowned ascetics of that monastery, the Elders Gerontios and Saint Stephen (July 14), the brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, were guides for him and his companions. Theognostos, who noticed the virtuous life and spiritual gifts of Saint Alexei, bade the future Saint to leave the monastery and manage the ecclesiastical courts. Saint fulfilled this office for twelve years. the end of 1350, Metropolitan Theognostos had Alexei consecrated as Bishop of Vladimir. the Metropolitan's repose in the year 1354, Saint Alexei succeeded him. this period the Russian Church was torn by great rifts and quarrels, part because of the pretensions of Metropolitan Romanos of Lithuania and Volhynia. 1356, in order to put an end to the troubles and disturbances, the Saint went to Constantinople to see the Ecumenical Patriarch. Kallistos gave Saint Alexei the right to be called, and to consider himself, as both Archbishop of Kiev and Great Russia with the title, “Most Venerable Metropolitan and Exarch.” his return journey, during a storm at sea, the ship was in danger of sinking. Alexei prayed and vowed to build a temple to the Saint of that day on which the ship should come to shore. The storm subsided, and the ship arrived on August 16. spite of problems on every side, Saint Alexei devoted himself to his flock: appointed bishops, and established cenobitic monasteries (on the model of the Trinity Lavra, founded by Saint Sergius), he brought order to Russian relations with the Khans of the Horde. Alexei journeyed more than once to the Golden Horde. 1357 the Khan told the Great Prince that Saint Alexei should come to him and heal the blindness of his wife Taidulla. “That is beyond my power,” Metropolitan Alexei replied, “but I believe that God, Who gave sight to the blind, will also help me.” his prayers, and after sprinkling the Khan's wife with holy water, she was healed. Great Prince John died, his young son Demetrios (the future saint), then still a minor, was taken under the Saint Alexei's guardianship. holy Hierarch had much difficulty in reconciling and appeasing the Princes, obstinately refused to accept Moscow's authority. did Vladyka (Bishop) Metropolitan (he) neglect the work of establishing new monasteries. 1361 he founded a Monastery dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Yauza in Moscow. the disciple of Saint Sergius, was the first Igoumen of the Monastery, fulfilling the vow he had made on his return journey from Constantinople, when the ship was in danger. Alexei also founded the Chudov Monastery1 in the Moscow Kremlin. monasteries were restored: the Annunciation Monastery at Nizhni-Novgorod, and Saints Constantine and Helen at Vladimir. 1361 a women’s cenobitic monastery was named for him (Alekse'ev). Alexei reached the advanced age of seventy-eight, spent twenty-four years upon the metropolitan cathedra. reposed on February 12, 1378 was buried at the Chudov Monastery in accordance with his last wishes. His relics were uncovered in a miraculous manner fifty years later, after which the memory of the great holy Hierarch and intercessor began to be commemorated. Alexei is also commemorated on May 20 (Recovery of his relics) and on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs). 1 The Monastery is dedicated to the Miracle of the Archangel Michael (September 6).

Russia, Kiev, 1359-1389, Prince Dimitri of the Don
Novgorod, 1359-1389, Prince Dimitri of the Don; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Kiev, 1362, Battle of Blue Waters, S Bug, Lithuanians take over Kiev from Horde
Russia, Kiev, 1362, Battle of Blue Waters, S Bug, Lithuanians take over Kiev from Horde; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24;

Russia, Kiev, 1362-1394, Lithuanian, Vladimir Olgerdovich, replaced Fiodore after Blue Watters battle
Kiev Lithuanian King, 1362-1394, Vladimir Olgerdovich; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18;

Russia, Kiev, 1380-1382, 1390-1406, Patriarch, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus
Kiev Patriarch, 1380-1382, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev, then Kiev and all Rus with his residence in Moscow, until 1406 with a little time off inbetween; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1382-1384, Patriarch, Pimen I, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus
Kiev Patriarch, 1382-1384, Pimen I, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Pimen Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to Moscow from Constantinople in 1381 by Metropolitan Pimen. Many miracles took place before this icon, which flowed with a fragrant healing myrrh. Pimen Icon was kept in the altar of the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin.

Russia, Kiev, 1385-1406, Patriarch Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow
Moscow Patriarch, 1385-1406, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13;

Russia, Kiev, 1400, 15th Century - Present, Ukraine Folder

Russia, Kiev, 1400, 15th C Folder, Uniate Bulgarian Met oKiev, Juliana oVyazma, Pat transferred tMoscow, first Uniate Met oKiev, incorrupt relics, Icon appeared nKiev, Kiev Met killed by tartars, incorrupt r

Russia, Kiev, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Bulgarian, Metropolitan, Became Uniate
Russia, Kiev, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Catholic; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, virtues&chastity, wYuri fled Vitovt over hill tTver, adultry, J wounded Y, Y killed J
Russia, Kiev, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, Ukraine (Vyazna River 1) &Novy Torg Tver close by across the hill in Vladai Hills, Princess oVyazma&Novy Torg, Maximus Danilov daughter, known virtues&chastity, Husband Prince Simeon oV wPrince Yuri oSmolensk fled because Lithuanian P Vitovt had seized their lands, then Basil oMoscow gave Torzhok Tver tThem, Yuri wanted adultry wJ, but J faithful, Yuri killed husband Simeon, tried to rape, but J wounded him wKnife, J ordered her hands feet cut off and body thrown into Tversta River, Yuri fled tTartars, no peace, tRyazan wilderness; Vyazma; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Juliana, Princess of Vyazma and Novy Torg, daughter of the noble Maximus Danilov, known for her virtues and her chastity. spouse, Prince Simeon of Vyazma, and also Prince Yuri of Smolensk, were compelled to flee their native lands, which the Lithuanian prince Vitovt had seized. Prince Basil of Moscow bestowed the Tver city of Torzhok upon the exiled princes. Yuri became captivated by Juliana’s beauty and tried in every way to persuade her to commit adultery, Juliana remained faithful to her husband. a feast, Prince Yuri killed Juliana’s husband, in the hope of taking her by force. Juliana resisted the ravisher, wounding him with a knife. enraged Prince Yuri ordered that her hands and feet be cut off, and that her body be thrown into the Tvertsa River. by his conscience and censured by everyone, Prince Yuri fled to the Tatars, even there he did not find peace. settled in the Ryazan wilderness where he died in 1408. martyrdom of Saint Juliana occurred in the winter of 1406. the spring of 1407, they saw the body of Princess Juliana floating in the river. A certain peasant heard a voice from above, commanding that the body of Saint Juliana be buried in the Torzhok cathedral on the right side by the south doors. tomb for her body was afterwards built at the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral, where many received healing from her. connection with the glorification of Saint Juliana on June 2, 1819 a chapel was built on the right-hand side, and dedicated to her. the cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, where earlier there had been a chapel over the grave of the saint, a church was built and also dedicated to Saint Juliana in 1906.

Russia, Kiev, 1408-1431, Patriarch, Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev, transfered to Moscow 1410
Moscow Patriarch, 1408-1431, Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, was by birth a Greek from the Peloponnesian city of Monembasia (Malbasia). While still in his adolescence he entered a monastery and was tonsured under the Elder Acacius, a great ascetic (afterwards the Metropolitan of Monembasia). 1408, when Photius was in Constantinople with the Patriarch on church matters, the question arose about a replacement for the Russian See after the death of Saint Cyprian (September 16). The choice of Patriarch Matthew (1397-1410) fell upon Photius, known for his learning and holiness of life. On September 1, 1408 Saint Photius was made Metropolitan and in the next year arrived in Rus. spent half a year at Kiev (September 1409-February 1410), concerning himself with settling affairs in the southern dioceses of the Russian Church, then included within the principality of Lithuania, or more precisely, of Lithuania and Russia. The saint perceived that the throne of the Metropolitan, the spiritual center of churchly life in Rus, could not remain in the Kiev lands, where everything increasingly fell under the dependence of Catholic Poland. On the day of Holy Pascha in 1410, Metropolitan Photius arrived in Moscow following the example of former Russian Metropolitans, who transferred their residence first to Vladimir, then to Moscow. 22 years the saint labored in the difficult service of archpastor of the Russian Church. In grievous conditions of war, fratricidal strife, and pillaging incursions of Tatars he knew how to highly advance the spiritual significance, the material prosperity and well-being of the churches under the See of Moscow. conditions in the Church allowed Saint Photius to render great assistance to the increasingly impoverished Patriarch of Constantinople, and to strengthen the international position of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian realm. enemies of Orthodoxy tried to subvert the churchly-patriotic service of Saint Photius more than once. In the spring of 1410, when Saint Photius arrived in Vladimir from Moscow, Khan Edigei, having laid waste this portion of the Russian Land for two years, undertook a new campaign with the intent of capturing the Metropolitan himself. A Tatar detachment, headed by Prince Talychoi “the Exile,â€ suddenly and quickly took Vladimir, but God preserved His righteous saint. evening before, not suspecting danger, the saint had gone off to the Svyatoozersk (Holy Lake) monastery beyond the city. When the Tatars attempted pursuit, he concealed himself in a small settlement, surrounded by impassable swamps, at the River Senega. Unable to capture the Metropolitan, the rapacious Tatars plundered Vladimir, especially the Dormition cathedral church. The doorkeeper of the cathedral, Patrikii, endured terrible torments and accepted a martyr’s death from the plundering Tatars, but he did not reveal where the church sacred items and treasury were hidden. the efforts of Metropolitan Photius the canonical unity of the Russian Church was restored. The separate Lithuanian metropolitanate, established by Prince Vitovt for the southern and western eparchies [dioceses], was abolished in 1420. In that same year the saint visited the returned eparchies and greeted the flock with an instructive encyclical. The wise and erudite pastor left behind many instructions and letters. Of great theological significance was his denunciation of the heresy of the Strigolniki, which had arisen at Pskov prior to his time. By his wise efforts the heresy was put to an end in 1427. Church historical sources compiled by Saint Photius are his “Order of Selection and Installation of Bishopsâ€ (1423), “ Discourse on the Seriousness of the Priestly Office and the Obligations of Church Servers,â€ and also the “Spiritual Testamentâ€, in which he tells of his life. Another great work of the saint was the compilation, under his guidance, of the Obscherussk (All-Russian) Chronicle (about 1423). April 20, 1430 the holy archpastor was informed by an angel of his approaching end, and he reposed peacefully on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, on July 2, 1431. His relics were uncovered in the year 1471. Two sakkoi (robes) of Saint Photius are preserved in the Armory Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Kiev, 1458-1473, Patriarch, Gregory II Bulgarian, First Uniate Metropolitan of Kiev
Patriarch, 1458-1473, Gregory II Bulgarian, First Uniate Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Kiev, 1463, Finding relics of St Theodore (and His sons David and Constantine) uncovered at Yaroslav, incorrupt
Russia, Kiev, 1463, Finding relics of St Theodore (and His sons David and Constantine) Prince of Smolensk, uncovered at Yaroslav, incorrupt; Smolensk; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; March 5, 1463, the relics of holy Prince Theodore and his sons, David and Constantine were uncovered at Yaroslavl. chronicler, an eyewitness to the event, wrote: “At the city of Yaroslavl in the monastery of the Holy Savior they unearthed three Great Princes: Prince Theodore Rostislavich and his sons David and Constantine, and brought them above the ground. Great Prince Theodore was a man of great stature, and they placed his sons David and Constantine beside him. They were shorter than he was. All three had lain in a single grave.” physical appearance of the holy prince so impressed the eyewitnesses and those present at the uncovering of the relics, that an account of this event was entered into the Prologue (lives of saints) in Saint Theodore’s Life, and also into the text of the Manual for Iconographers. Theodore, David and Constantine are also commemorated on September 19.

Russia, Kiev, 1492, Mezhetsk Icon, Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4), appeared nKiev 1492, mMiracles, Queen's crown on her head
Russia, Kiev, 1492, Mezhetsk Icon, Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4), appeared near Kiev 1492, many miracles, Queen's crown on her head, Queen of Heaven; Kiev; “Mezhetsk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 26; wonderworking Mezhetsk (Межецкая) or Mezhitsk (Межетская) Icon of the Mother of God appeared near Kiev in 1492 became renowned because of the numerous miracles which took place when people prayed before it. We have no other details concerning the Icon. Mother of God is depicted with a crown on her head and the Child on her left hand.

Russia, Kiev, 1495-1497, Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Vladimir Cathedral, Killed by Tartars, incorrupt relics
Russia, Kiev, 1495-1497, Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Vladimir Cathedral, Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral, Killed by Tartars, incorrupt relics; Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral; , Commemorated on May 1; 1495, after the death of Metropolitan Jonah of Kiev, Macarius was chosen and ordained in his place by an assembly of hierarchs; Vassian of Vladimir, Luke of Polotsk, Vassian of Turov and Jonah of Lutsk. of blessing were sent from Constantinople by the Patriarch Niphon, confirming the election of Saint Macarius to the metropolitan See of Kiev. May 1, 1497 Tatars invading Russia killed Metropolitan Macarius of Kiev and All Rus in the village of Strigolovo, at the River Vzhischa, where the saint was conducting divine services. Many of his flock were killed with him, or taken into captivity . holy incorrupt relics of Saint Macarius, glorified by God with miracles, rest now at Kiev at the Vladimir cathedral church.

Russia, Kiev, 1500, 16th C Folder, Directress Icon return oSmolensk, Oprichnina Secret Police, Union oBrest Kiev&Rome

Russia, Kiev, 1525, Directress Icon of Smolensk, by Luke, graceful copies, return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania 1514
Russia, Kiev, 1525, Directress Icon of Smolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2, Varangian Trade Route, Moscow Road to Poland), original painted by Luke, many graceful copies, Russian protectress, from Antioch to Jerusalem to Constantinople Blachernae Church, to Kiev in Russia to Pereyslavl to Smolensk, directed Mercurius to Batu's camp, to Lithuanian Princes, to Moscow, 1456 returned to Smolensk, 2 copies remained in Moscow, 1602 exact copy, new copy same power, it defended Rus armies 1812 and healed sick wounded Lefortovo palace, to Yaroslavl, 1525 return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania in 1514; Smolensk; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria Icon of the Theotokos, or She who leads the way, was, according to Church Tradition, painted by the holy Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos. holy hierarch Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this icon was painted at the request of Theophilus, the prefect of Antioch. Antioch the holy image was transferred to Jerusalem. there the empress Eudokia, the spouse of Arcadius, gave it at Constantinople to Pulcheria, the sister of the emperor, put the holy icon in the Blachernae church. 1046, the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1054), gave his daughter Anna in marriage to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. blessed her on her way with this icon. the death of Prince Vsevolod the icon went to his son Vladimir Monomachos, transferred it at the beginning of the twelfth century into the Smolensk cathedral church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. that time, the icon was known as the Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria. the year 1238, at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercurius went by night into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in whose number was their most powerful warrior. accepted a martyr’s death in battle, he was included by the Church in the ranks of the Saints (November 24). the fourteenth century, Smolensk came into the possession of the Lithuanian princes. daughter of prince Vitovt, Sophia, was given in marriage to the Moscow Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich (1398-1425). 1398, she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with her to Moscow. They set the holy image in the Annunciation cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the Royal Doors. 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk with Bishop Misael at the head, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk in a church procession, at Moscow there remained two copies. was put in the Annunciation cathedral, the other, a measure for measure, was put in the Novodevichi monastery, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on Devichi Pole (Virgin’s Field), where “with many tears” the Muscovites handed over the holy icon to Smolensk. 1602 an exact copy was painted from the wonderworking icon 1666 together with the ancient icon they brought a new copy to Moscow for restoration) which they placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall over the Dneprovsk Gates, under a specially constructed cover. in 1727, a wooden church was built there, in 1802, a stone church. new copy took on the power of the old image, when the Russian armies left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this icon through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to great deeds. ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, taken to the Dormition cathedral on the day of the Battle of Borodino went in procession with the Iveron and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl. were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God defended Russia through Her icons. the victory over the enemy forces the Directress or Hodegetria Icon was returned to Smolensk together with its glorified copy. celebration in honor of this wonderworking icon on July 28 was established in the year 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. exist many venerated copies of the Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria, for which the celebration is set on this day. is also a day of celebration for the Smolensk Icon (November 5), glorified in the nineteenth century when this image was returned to Smolensk on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov. In memory of the expulsion of the enemy from Russia, it was decided to celebrate this day annually at Smolensk. holy icon of the Hodegetriaa Mother of God is one of the chief holy objects of the Russian Church. have received and do receive from it an abundant help of grace. Mother of God through Her holy icon intercedes for and strengthens us, guiding us on the way to salvation, and we call out to Her, “Thou art the All-Blessed Hodegetria or Directress for faithful peoples, art the affirmation, the Praiseworthy of Smolensk and all the Russian land. Rejoice, Directress or Hodegetria, salvation of Christians!”

Russia, Kiev, 1545-1608, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky, Konstanty Ostrogski, of Turov and Pinsk
Volhynia, 1545-1608, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky, Konstanty Ostrogski; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1558-1621, Polycarp oBriansk, warlord prince oCities, became monk, gave means to build monastery wStrict rule
Russia, Kiev, 1558-1621, Polycarp oBriansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2), was Prince Peter Ivanovich Boryatinsky, descendant oSaint Michael, Prince of Chernigov, this connection because Boryatinsky connected to monastery started by Polycarp, Prince B often in 16th C documents, so he was sent off to war agaijnst Swedes at Sestra, 1576 named voevod (warlord) at Tula, then voevod aKolm, 1580 captured by Lithuanians Parin's seige, released by Boris Godinov, retuerned home iDisgrace, 1591 named warlord oTiumen, several years, left world, monk Polycarp, gave his means to build monastery, established rule oStrict ascetical life, he was its first Superior, died 1621; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Polycarp of Briansk, in the world, was Prince Peter Ivanovich Boryatinsky, descendant of Saint Michael, Prince of Chernigov (September 20). supposition has been put forward because Boryatinsky is connected with the destiny of the Briansk Savior Transfiguration monastery. name of Prince Peter Boryatinsky is often encountered in documents of the sixteenth century. he was among those sent off to wage war against the Swedish king at the river Sestra. 1576, he was named voevod at Tula. 1580, Boryatinsky, having been appointed voevod at Kholm, captured by the Lithuanians under a siege headed by Panin. his release from captivity under Boris Godinov, Boryatinsky returned home in disgrace. 1591 he was named voevod at Tiumen, after several years he left the world, settled at Briansk and received monastic tonsure with the name Polycarp. his means the monk built a monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord and established in it a Rule of strict ascetical life. Polycarp was the first Superior of this monastery. died and was buried there in 1620 or 1621.

Russia, Kiev, 1560's, Oprichnina, secret police, 1560's, (Kiev and Novgorod area)
Oprichnina, Ivan the Terrible's secret police (Kiev and Novgorod area); Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev, Roman Catholic
Poland, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Kiev, 1600, 17th C Folder, Time oTroubles PoleMoscow War, Uniates allied with Moslems, Smolensk War, Glinsk Icon, Right Bank Cossack Hetman Converted tOrthodox,

Russia, Kiev, 1605-1618, Polish-Muscovite War (during Time of Troubles)
Kiev, 1605-1618, Polish-Muscovite War ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-Kissing, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Kiev, 1614-1678, Macarius of Kanev, Ukraine, 30 yrs battled w uniates for Ukraine, Poles allied w Moslems, did not burn
Russia, Kiev, 1614-1678, Macarius of Kanev, Ukraine (near Kiev, Ros River Mouth, Dnieper River 4), 30 yrs battled w uniates for Ukraine, U Poles allied w Moslems, his body did not burn ; Kanev; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev lived in the seventeenth century. was a most terrible time for Orthodox Christians in western Rus. constant struggles of the Hieromartyr, were an attempt to defend the Orthodox Faith under difficult conditions, when it was possible only to defend the future of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was preserved from the brusque passing of the hurricane of the Unia, endured together with Tatar incursions. holy Hieromartyr Macarius was born in 1605 in the city of Ovruch in Volhynia into the illustrious Tokarevsky family, renowned adherents of Orthodoxy. the years between 1614-1620 the saint studied at the Ovruch Dormition monastery, and upon the death of his parents he became a monk at this monastery, having begun his service as a novice. 1625 Saint Macarius, with the blessing of the archimandrite, left the Dormition monastery and was sent to the Pinsk bishop, Avramii, who assigned him to the Pinsk Kupyatichsk monastery. 1630 he was ordained as hierodeacon, in 1632 as hieromonk. about the excellence of the monastic life of the hieromonk Macarius spread beyond the bounds of the Kupyatichsk monastery, and in 1637 the brethren of the Bretsk Symonov monastery turned with a request to the igumen of the Kupyatichsk monastery, Hilarion (Denisevich), to send them Saint Macarius to be their head. But the Kupyatichsk igumen also had need of the hieromonk Macarius. 1637 the head of the Kupyatichsk monastery sent him to Metropolitan Peter Moghila of Kiev to hand over money collected by the brethren for the rebuilding of Kiev’s church of the Holy Wisdom, and for the solicitation of help for the construction and repair of damaged monastery churches. in the hieromonk Macarius a talented son of God’s Church, the Metropolitan issued him a certificate to collect offerings, in 1638 appointed him head of the Kamenetsk Resurrection monastery (in Grodnensk district). the pillaging and seizing of the monastery by the Uniates in 1642, Saint Macarius guided the brethren of the Resurrection monastery. these harsh times the brethren of the Kupyatichsk monastery elected Saint Macarius as igumen, who led the monastery until 1656. 1656 through 1659, Saint Macarius headed the Pinsk monastery, from 1660 as archimandrite Saint Macarius guided the brethren of his original Ovruch Dormition monastery. than ten years passed in constant struggle with the Latin Poles in Ovruch. could compel the brethren to quit the monastery, neither the seizure of the farm lands belonging to the monastery by the Dominicans, nor the rapacious pillaging of moveable property, nor beatings. in the year 1671, after the devastation of Ovruch by the Tatars, did the holy archimandrite Macarius leave the monastery, in which there remained not a single monk, and he went to the Kiev Caves Lavra. the defenders of Orthodoxy, like Saint Macarius, were needed not only at Kiev, but even more outside of Kiev. Joseph (Neliubovich-Tukal’sky) assigned Archimandrite Macarius as head of the Kanev monastery. after thirty years of struggle with the Uniates, Saint Macarius was again on the front lines of battle for the Orthodox Faith. 1672 Yuri, the son of Bogdan Khmel’nitsky, sought shelter at the Kanev monastery. The hetman Doroshenko, petitioned Metropolitan Joseph for the assignment of Saint Macarius, and repeatedly visited Kanev monastery. 1675, he switched his allegiance to Russia, after he renounced allegiance to the Turks, evidently, not without counsel from Saint Macarius. response the Turkish powers dispatched an army to Little Russia. September 4, 1678, the aggressors rushed on the monastery. Saint Macarius met the enemy with cross in hand at the entrance to the church. Turks demanded that the monk hand over to them the monastery treasury. Hearing the answer of the monk, that his treasure was in Heaven, the furious robbers hung the saint hand and foot between two posts. two days they beheaded the Hieromartyr on September 7, 1678. Witnesses to the martyric death of Archimandrite Macarius carried his body to the monastery church, in which they were hidden for safety. the returning Turks placed firewood around the church and burned everything in the temple. the surviving citizens of Kanev began removing the bodies of those who perished, then only one body was found whole and as though alive. This was the body of the Hieromartyr Macarius, attired in hairshirt, with a cross on his breast and another cross in his hand. The holy body was buried in this temple beneath the altar on September 8, 1678. holy Hieromartyr Macarius was a man of highly righteous and spiritual life, glorified while still alive by miracles and the gift of clairvoyance. At Kanev, he healed the blind and the dying. 1688, during renovation of the temple, the grave of the Hieromartyr was opened, and the incorrupt body of the saint was found. In connection with the danger of invasion for the Kanev monastery, on May 13, 1688 the holy relics were solemnly transferred to the Pereyaslavl regimental Resurrection church. There also they transferred the beloved book of the Hieromartyr, “Discourse of John Chrysostom on the 14 Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul” (Kiev edition 1621-23) with his signature on one of the pageleafs. Under Bishop Zachariah (Cornelovich) the relics were transferred in 1713 to a new-built temple of the Pereyaslavl Mikhailovsk monastery, and after its closing the relics rested at the Pereyaslavl Resurrection monastery from August 4, 1786. 1942, the relics were transferred to the Trinity church in the city of Cherkassa, and from 1965 they have been in the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in that same city. commemoration of the Hieromartyr Macarius is made twice: September 7, the day of his repose, and on May 13, the transfer of his holy relics.

Russia, Kiev, 1632-1634, Polish-Muscovite War, the Smolensk War
Polish-Muscovite War (1632-1634), the Smolensk War; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius' Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Kiev, 1633-1646, Patriarch, Peter Mogila, theologian and reformer
Keiv Patriarch, 1633-1646, Peter Mogila; Peter (21 December 1596 – 1 January [O.S. 22 December] 1647) was an influential Romanian Orthodox[1] theologian and reformer, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych and All Rus' from 1633 until his death. Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1648, Glinsk Family Icon of Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region, monastery established 1648
Russia, Kiev, 1648, Glinsk Family Icon of Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region, monastery established 1648; Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Glinsk Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the seventeenth century in the Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region. monastery was established in 1648 and received its name from the noble Glinsky family.

Russia, Kiev, 1648-1657, Hetman, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Turk Moslem converted to Orthodox
Kiev Hetman, 1648-1657, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1648-1657, Hetman, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine
Kiev Hetman, 1648-1657, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1649-1764, Cossack Hetmanate, of Right Bank Ukraine, Orthodox
Russia, Kiev, 1649-1764, Cossack Hetmanate, of Right Bank Ukraine; Kiev Hetman, 1648-1657, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1650-1696, Repose oTheodosius, Chernigov Archbishop, reunited Kiev tOrthodoxy aJesuit Dominican Uniate assaults
Russia, Kiev, 1650-1696, Repose oTheodosius oChernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5), Archbishop, noble descent, father a priest, childhood piety, Kiev's Brotherhood School, it flourishing end of 1640's, Rectors Archmandrite Innocent&Chernigov Archbishop Lazar, instructors Epiphanius, Arsenius, Bishop Theodosius oBelarus, Igumen Theodosius, and Meletius Dzik, These the enlightened men oThose days, famous comrads future pastors, the Brotherhood school was chief center against Catholic Jesuits assaults, his spiritual maturity grew near Kiev Caves, imitating their holy life, free time in prayer, meditating God, reading Scripture, lifelong generous to K Brotherhood m, first a monk at Kiev Caves m, archdeacon Kiev's Holy Wisdom cathedral, steward oEpiscopal household, t Krupitsky m near Baturino, Chernigov, famed strict monk life, ordained priest there, short time 1662 igumen Korsun m, 1664 igumen ancient Kiev-Vydubitsky m, from Polish Uniate hands, complete ruin, quickly restored with Vydubitsky Mikhallovsk m, particularly concerned Church Service order, formed excellent choir that taught Moscow Kievan Chant in 1685, strict ascetic, concerned spiritual growth of his monks, for bretheren solitude, formed skete on Mikhailovschina Island near his Vydubitsky m, headed by Hiermonk Job, a most zealous monk, difficult days, accused of treason by Methodius of Mstislav&Orshansk, Sept 20 1668 he explained the matter, Nov 17 the lie was exposed, he and other igumens vindicated, Archbishop Law befriended him because high spiritual qualities, sheep in Christ's flock teaching by humility, Kiev's locum tenens Met in 1689 from Chernigov, appointed Theodosius his vicar in Kiev, active role many church events as locum tenens, 1685 decisive vote for Gideon's Met oKiev election, sent to Moscow with Igumen Jerome wNews of Gideon's election, Both received wHonor, because this resulted in reuniting Kiev See with Russian Orthodox Church, 1688 archmandrite Eletsy m in Chernigov, Jesuits&Dominicans had been expelled, and in great disorder, ordered spare no effort, in 2-3yrs revenues properties increased, Dormition Church repaired, Elets Icon enshrinned there, he assisted with Kiev's response, a concillar reply to Moscow Patriarch Joachim about questions of Council of Florence, like judgement on the question of the transformation of the Holy Gifts, When Patriarch unsatisfied with answers, he sent Baturino Igumen Demetrius to Lazar early 1689, L sent him to clear up the matter, Lazar wanted Theodosius consecrated bishop because he wanted him to suceed himself, 1692 elected archbishop oChrenigov, he maintained and founded monasteries, a skete near Liubech, special enthusiasm of monks in Chernigov, clergy education, brought in learned monks from Kiev, other confessions turned tHim for advice, Sensed death, appointed Briansk Svensk admin John Archmandrite Elets m. Died 1696; Chernigov; Repose of Saint Theodosius of Chernigov Commemorated on February 5; Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, born in the seventeenth century at the beginning of the decade of the thirties in Podolsk governance. was descended from a noble family, the Polonitsky-Uglitskys. parents were the priest Nikḗtas and Maria. The saint was taught Christian piety in his parents’ home, and this piety remained with him throughout his life. childhood he was distinguished by a fervent love for God and zeal for the Church. innate abilities of the youth came to light in the Kiev Brotherhood school at Kiev’s Theophany monastery. school was flourishing at the end of the 1640s, its rectors were Archimandrite Innocent (Gizel), and Igumen Lazar (Baranovich), who later became Archbishop of Chernigov. its instructors were: Hieromonk Epiphanius (Slavinetsky), Hieromonk Arsenius (Satanovsky), Bishop Theodosius (Baevsky) of Belorus, Igumen Theodosius (Saphonovich) and Meletius Dzik. were the enlightened men of those days. comrades of Saint Theodosius at the school would become future outstanding pastors: Simeon Polotsky, Joannicius Golyatovsky, Anthony Radivillovsky, Barlaam Yasninsky. Kiev Brotherhood Theophany school was the chief center in the struggle of Orthodoxy against the assaults of Catholic clergy, particularly the Jesuits. Theodosius grew to spiritual maturity near the relics of Saints Anthony and Theodosius and other God-pleasers of the Kiev Caves, he tried to imitate their holy life as much as he could. He devoted all his free time to prayer, meditation on God, and the reading of Holy Scripture. might be surmised that the saint did not finish the full course of studies, since the school ceased its activity for several years following the devastation of Podolia by the Poles. his life the saint had a deep regard for the Kiev Brotherhood monastery where he was educated. the Synodikon of the Kiev-Vydubitsk monastery is the following comment about Saint Theodosius: “He was a man of fine intellect, and generous to the Kiev Brotherhood monastery.” receiving his education, the future hierarch received monastic tonsure at the Kiev Caves Lavra with the name Theodosius, in honor of Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3). Dionysius (Balaban) of Kiev made him archdeacon of Kiev’s cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) , and then appointed him steward of the episcopal household. he left Kiev and went to the distant Krupitsky monastery near Baturino (in the Chernigov diocese), which was famed for its strict monastic life. he was ordained to the holy priesthood, but remained there only a short time. 1662, Saint Theodosius was appointed Igumen of the Korsun monastery in Kiev diocese, in the year 1664 he was made head of the ancient Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery. monastery had fallen into the hands of the Uniates and Poles at the beginning of the seventeenth century and was in complete ruin. to the energy and initiative of Saint Theodosius, the Vydubitsky Mikhailovsk monastery was quickly restored. was particularly concerned with the order of church services. formed an excellent choir, which was famed not only in Little Russia, but also in Moscow. Theodosius sent his singers to Moscow in 1685 to instruct their choirs in Kievan chant. a strict ascetic himself, Saint Theodosius was concerned with the spiritual growth of his monks. founded a small skete on the island of Mikhailovschina, not far from the monastery, for brethren wishing to live in solitude. appointed the hieromonk Job (Opalinsky), one of the most zealous monks of his monastery, to organize and administer the skete. Theodosius had to live through some quite difficult days, enduring many sorrows. and other Igumens were accused by Bishop Methodius of Mstislav and Orshansk of betraying Russia in a supposed correspondence with the enemies of Russia. September 20, 1668 Saint Theodosius explained the matter. November 17, 1668 the lie was exposed, and Saint Theodosius together with the other Igumens were vindicated. Lazar (Baranovich) esteemed the high spiritual qualities of Saint Theodosius and befriended him. called him “a sheep of the flock of Christ, teaching by humility,” and he prophetically expressed the wish that the name of Saint Theodosius might be inscribed in Heaven. Archbishop Lazar became locum tenens of Kiev’s Metropolitan See in 1689, he appointed Saint Theodosius as his vicar in Kiev, while he remained at Chernigov. his capacity as vicar of the locum tenens of the Kiev Metropolitan See, Saint Theodosius had an active role in many churchly events. 1685 he participated with the right of a decisive vote in the election of Bishop Gideon (Chetverinsky) as Metropolitan of Kiev, and he was sent to Moscow with news of this event with Igumen Jerome (Dubin) of Pereyaslavl . In Moscow, both representatives were received with honor and esteem. the result of this delegation was the reuniting of the Kiev Metropolitan See with the Russian Orthodox Church. 1688 Saint Theodosius was appointed archimandrite of Chernigov’s Eletsy monastery, replacing the deceased Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky). appointing Saint Theodosius, Archbishop Lazar told him to spare no effort in placing the Eletsy monastery in good order. monastery had not yet been set aright after the expulsion of the Jesuits and Dominicans, and it was in great disorder. the efforts of Saint Theodosius, in his two or three years as igumen, the monastery’s revenues and properties increased, the church of the Dormition was repaired, and the Elets Icon (February 5) was enshrined there. his new position, the saint also assisted Archbishop Lazar in many important matters. participated in drafting a conciliar reply to Patriarch Joachim of Moscow in response to his questions about the attitude of the Kiev Metropolitan See to the Council of Florence, and its judgment on the question of the transformation of the Holy Gifts as accepted by this Florentine Council. the Patriarch proved to be unsatisfied by these answers, the Baturino Igumen Saint Demetrius (the future Metropolitan of Rostov) was sent to him at the beginning of 1689. Theodosius journeyed with him as the representative of Archbishop Lazar. He was entrusted with the delivery of a letter to the Patriarch, and to clear up the misunderstandings. of his poor health, Archbishop Lazar wished to see Saint Theodosius consecrated to the episcopate, seeing in the saint a worthy successor to himself. September 11, 1692 the election of Saint Theodosius as Archbishop of Chernigov was confirmed, and he was consecrated in the Dormition cathdral of the Moscow Kremlin two days later. information regarding Saint Theodosius’s administration of the Chernigov diocese has been preserved. saint worked incessantly to raise the level of true Christian piety in his flock. also focused on maintaining old monasteries, and founding new communities. the very beginning of his episcopate, the the Pecheniksk women’s monastery was established with his blessing, and he himself consecrated the monastery church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. 1694, a skete was founded near Liubech. same year, at the Domnitsky men’s monastery, the saint consecrated a temple in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the summer of 1695, he consecrated a majestic temple in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the summit of Boldino Hill, near the ancient monastery of Saint Elias. Saint Theodosius there was a special enthusiasm for and strengthening of monasticism in the Chernigov diocese. saint also devoted much attention to the clergy, and he tried to choose worthy candidates for the priesthood. He also encouraged the pastoral education of the Chernigov clergy. He invited learned monks from Kiev, among whom was Saint John (Maximovitch), the future Metropolitan of Tobolsk (June 10), and also a helper and successor of Saint Theodosius in organizing the Chernigov clergy school. uprightness in regard to clergy and flock, deep compassion, concern and Christian love of peace were distinguishing features in the activity of Saint Theodosius. only did the Orthodox turn to him for help and advice, but even persons of other confessions. Theodosius did not remain with his Chernigov flock very long. the approach of death, he summoned the administrator of the Briansk Svensk monastery, Saint John (Maximovitch), and appointed him Archimandrite of the Chernigov Elets monastery. Theodosius died on February 5, 1696, was buried in Chernigov’s Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church, in a special crypt near the right cleros. successor Saint John (Maximovitch), who was healed of a grievous illness by Saint Theodosius, later placed a stone plaque over his grave with a poetic inscription in gratitude for the saint’s help. The special grace which Saint Theodosius attained is shown by his ascetic life and his assistance to all who turn to him in prayer. glorification of Saint Theodosius occurred on September 9, 1896.

Russia, Kiev, 1653, Polish invasion of Liubech
Lubech; The Deluge (Polish history) ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1654, Kiev-Bratsk Icon, appeared in Vyshgorod, kievan rulers residence, Polish Tartar attack, River to Podol
Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. In 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. The temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. But the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, where it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. The icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. The Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. All these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. The original icon has not been preserved. The copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1654, Icon of Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery & relics saved by river to Podol neighborhood and Brotherhood M 1662
Russia, Kiev, 1654, Icon of Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, Kiev (Dneiper River 4), appeared 1654 Boris and Gleb Church Vyshgorod Kiev, temple destroyed by Tartars fighting for Poland, Icon and relics saved by river to Podol neighborhood and Brotherhood M 1662; Brotherhood monatery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. original icon has not been preserved. copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God.

Russia, Kiev, 1654, Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon, Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, miraculous preservation
Russia, Kiev, 1654, Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon, Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, revealed in Vyshgorod, 1662 Icon preserved in river during war wPoles&Crimean Tartars, tartar clinging to it, he believed, Kept in K-B monastery, 1807 description, 1919 K-B closed, Icon thought lost long time til 1990's, but found transferred tKCavesLarva 1926, 1948 recorded Ukraine Museum, sent back to Kiev early 2000s, plus exact copy at K Protection M; Brotherhood monatery; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 10 ; wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk (i.e. "Brotherhood") Icon of the Mother of God was revealed in 1654, and was originally kept in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), and was placed in a shrine to the left of the Royal Doors on the iconostasis. May 10, 1662, during a war with Poland (1659–1667), the city suffered great damage from the Poles and Crimean Tatars who fought against Russia. church of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was ravaged and looted by enemy soldiers, who took all the jewels and icons, but the relics of the Saints were hidden under a crypt. God's Providence, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was preserved. devout Christians, at the risk of their very lives, rescued the Icon of the Mother of God from the unclean hands of those who had stolen it. they were unable to hide the Icon, they had to consign it to the Dnieper River, praying that God's will would be done. their amazement, the Icon did not sink, but floated upright down the river. Vyshgorod, the Tatars began to cross the Dnieper, but they were drowned during a storm. Only one of them escaped by clinging to the Icon of the Mother of God as though it were a raft. The river carried the holy Icon to the bank of the Podil in Kiev, where it stopped before the Bratsk Monastery. Tatar was afraid of drowning, and cried desperately for help. A boat was sent from the Monastery, into which the monks received the Icon and the Tatar. Tatar, whose life was spared by God, believed in Jesus Christ and was baptized. Icon was placed in the wooden church of Saints Boris and Gleb, where it remained for a long time. inventory of the church property in the Kiev-Bratsk Monastery, compiled in 1807, gives a description of the miraculous Icon. 1919, the Bratsk Monastery was closed, and the Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was thought to be lost. For a long time, the lack of information about the shrines of the Monastery until the 90s of the XX century was perceived as confirmation that the Icon was lost. In recent years, however, studies have shown that the Icon is one of the five most valuable icons in the Monastery. It was transferred to the Kiev Caves Lavra in 1926. 1948, this group of icons was first recorded in the ledger of the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NHMU) with a note saying their fate before they came to the museum was unknown. The reacquisition of the Kiev-Bratsk Icon occurred in the early 2000s, when employees of the NHMU established a connection between these monuments and the Bratsk Monastery. the Kiev-Bratsk Icon is in the collection of NHMU. It's reacquisition is regarded as confirmation of the Icon's miraculous qualities. is an exact copy of the Icon, which is located in the Kievan Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on September 6, May 10, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 1657-1681, Hetman, Yurii Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine, became Orthodox from Tartar and Uniate
Kiev Hetman, 1657-1681, Yurii Khmelnytsky, Hetman of Right Bank Ukraine ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1662, Crimean-Nogali Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662
Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662 and destroyed it - Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Cossack Hetmanate ; Crimean-Nogai raids into East Slavic lands 1441-1774 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks
Zbarazhsk Castle; Zbarazhsk War with the Turks 1675; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1676-1681, Russo-Turkish War (1676-“81)
Russo-Turkish War (1676-81) ; Turks lay siege to Chigirin 1677 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1677, Turks lay siege to Chigirin
Turks lay siege to Chigirin 1677 ; Russo-Turkish War (1676-“81) ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1689 & 1709, Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon, Akhtyr, Dream MOG order came true placed icon iKharkov tWin Poltava Battle
Russia, Kiev, 1689 & 1709, Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon, Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4, Akhtyrka, in Kharkov province, dream Elder ordered J take icons fDream Iconogs, keep Kazan copy, & J would obtain mercy&grace fMOG, fasted &Litergy 3days, then 3 Iconogs came to his home & offered free K icon, kept but 3rd day MOG appeared& told him to put it in her church, cell bright light, tears icon's eyes&face down board, icon delivered woman from demons, national prominence during war Charles XII wPeter tGreat, Peter sought help from J, kept Icon wArmy, meanwhile C XII t J's house, his soldiers tried set fire tChurch, did not burn b MOG's icon, man tells Charles icon is with Peter iKharkov, C realizes icon w help P, Russia wins Battle of Poltava, silver gilt riza w precious stones for icon; Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4; Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God (1689), Commemorated on September 11; the end of the XVII century, versts from the city of Akhtyrka, in Kharkov province, in the village of Kaplunovka, on the Khukhra River, a pious priest, Father John Umanov. On September 11, 1689 a wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was given to him. September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, he saw an Elder in a dream told him that in three days three iconographers would come to him: one in his seventies, another in his eighties, and the third in his nineties. Elder ordered Father John to take a stack of icons from the oldest of the three, return the first seven to him, keep the eighth one, which would be a copy of the Kazan icon (July 8). return, he promised the priest that he would obtain mercy and grace from the Mother of God. this dream, Father John fasted and served the Liturgy for three days. the third day, as he was returning home from church, he saw three old iconographers walking toward him. invited them to his home and welcomed them cordially, the oldest iconographer took several icons from his pack, the eighth, as predicted in his dream, was a copy of the Kazan Icon. iconographers wanted to give him the Icon for free, but they agreed to take 15 kopecks for it. After that, they continued on their way. Umanov put the Icon in his room and kept a lit candle before it day and night. the eve of the third Sunday he saw a Virgin of extraordinary beauty in a dream, who touched his hand, to him: "Priest John, do not keep me in your home, but take me to my church." church in Kaplunovka was dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. Father John awakened, his cell was illumined by a bright light. he approached the Icon he noticed that from the eyes on the Mother of God's face, tears were streaming down the board. he summoned some respected parishioners, and told them about the Icon and the events of the previous night. he served a Moleben, the Icon was solemnly transferred to the church, where it became renowned for its miracles. Icon began to be called Kaplunovskaya, from the name of the village. certain woman named Paraskevḗ, who was possessed by demons, heard about this miracle, and with faith she ran to the church and asked the priest to chant a Moleben for her health before the Icon of the Mother of God, she was freed from the power of the devil. Feeling that she was her normal self, she thanked God and her Intercessor, the Most Holy Theotokos. John served in the village for a long time after these events, and was consoled by the ever-increasing glory of the Icon. also had the joy of seeing the national prominence that the Icon received during Charles XII's war with Peter the Great. the Swedish King Charles XII invaded Little Russia with his troops, Peter sought heavenly help, since he was going to meet him. summoned Father John to Kharkov with the Kaplunovka Icon, which he kept with the army. Charles and Ivan Mazepa reached Kaplunovka and stayed there to rest, occupying Father John's house. of the soldiers wanted to set fire to the church, but the wood they piled around the temple did not catch fire. saw all this from the window and asked Mazepa for an explanation of why the soldiers could not burn the church. said that it was probably guarded by the Mother of God, since her wonderworking Icon was located there. Swedish King ordered them to bring to one of the residents of Kaplunovka to him. They found a man in the woods, and Charles began to ask him where Peter and his troops were. man said that he was in Kharkov. Charles asked where the Icon of the Mother of God was. he heard that it had been taken to the army, he told Mazepa, "If we could not set fire to the church when the Icon was not here, it is likely to be very bad for us when and where it is present." the Battle of Poltava started, Peter ordered the Kaplunovka Icon to be carried past the ranks of the Russian army, and he prayed with tears before the Icon. after the battle, Father John was summoned to Moscow with the Icon and from there he was sent home with the shrine. made a silver gilt riza with precious stones for the Icon, and a silver icon case (kivot). June 14, 2020, the wonderworking Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God was donated to the Patriarchal Cathedral in honor of the Resurrection of Christ - the main temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Kaplunovka Icon is also commemorated on July 8, the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon.

Russia, Kiev, 1696-1771, Domnitsa River Icon, Chernigov appeared river bank, monastery there, delivered f plague in 1771
Russia, Kiev, 1696-1771, Domnitsa River Icon, Berezna, Chernigov (Desna River 5), appeared river bank, monastery established there, delivered from plague in 1771; Berezna, Chernigov; Domnitsa River, Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Domnitsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1696 on the bank of the Domnitsa River in Chernigov diocese, not far from the city of Berezna. the place of appearance of the icon a monastery was established, in which was situated the wonderworking image. the year 1771 the inhabitants of the city prayed before the holy icon and were delivered from plague through the intercession of the Theotokos.

Russia, Kiev, 1700, 18th C Folder, Great Northern War, Poltava Battle, MOG Angels visit Niketas, MOG c Akhtyr Icon washed tHeal Malaria

Russia, Kiev, 1700-1721, Great Northern War, Russia and Sweden
Great Northern War; Battle of Poltava; Great Northern War; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Kiev, 1709, Battle of Poltava, Great Northern War, Russian Victory
Battle of Poltava; Great Northern War; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24;

Russia, Kiev, 1715-1793, Niketas oRoslavl Forests, Smolensk, Kiev, MOG&Angels visit, tears, incorrupt r, prayer rope&rotten shoe
Russia, Kiev, 1715-1793, Niketas of the Roslavl Forests, Smolensk, Kiev area (Desna River 1), tWhite Bluff Hermitage, 1780 small hill cell wWell, roadside bread in tree basket, animals present, mosquitoes torment, tears gift, became ill lost voice heartbroken for Annunciation feast, visited by MOG divine light & angels, blessed he began to sing angels joined him, health back to White Bluff, only ashes, later moved to the monastery, exhausted he moved to Roslavl and Alexandra Bronevskaya property, protector of hermits till 1793 his repose,, behive burial, incorrept relics, couldn't remove prayer rope, only shoe not made by him rotted; Roslavl; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29; holy Schema-monk Niketas was born in the city of Orel in 1695. childhood, he loved to go on pilgrimages to the holy places. As a youth, he left his parents and lived about a mile or so from the White Bluff (Beloberezhsk) Hermitage. is not known when he received the monastic tonsure, or from whom. In 1780 he built a cell on a hillock, and he dug a well by the hill. ate bread that passersby would leave in his basket, which hung by the roadside on a tree. was in a dense part of the forest, and animals were often seen by the hermit’s cell. bit him mercilessly, until he was covered in blood. They tormented him terribly, but Saint Nikḗtas bore everything with patience. received the gift of tears from God, and he always shed tears for his own sins and for the sins of others. in March, he became ill, and lay down without moving. The day before the Feast of the Annunciation arrived. Father Nikḗtas lay there and heard the bells ringing in the Hermitage for the all-night service. He tried to sing the Troparion of the Feast, but being so weak, and because he had lost his voice, he was unable to do so. The Elder wept bitterly, heartbroken because he could not meet the Feast Day in an appropriate way. his cell became awash with light, and Nikḗtas saw the Most Holy Theotokos surrounded by angels. Mother of God blessed him, and he began to sing the Troparion of the Feast feebly, but with an unearthly ecstasy. The angels joined him in the singing, and his cell was filled with the praises of the inhabitants of heaven. The vision ended, but Saint Nikḗtas remained under its impression for a long time. soon as he regained his health, he went to the White Bluff Hermitage for a time. When he got there, he found only ashes where his cell had once stood. evil person had burnt it down while the Elder was away. Father Nikḗtas sat down on the hillock weeping bitter tears. he moved to the monastery, where he humbly fulfilled all the obediences that were laid upon him, serving the monks without sparing himself. during a Church service, he fell on the floor from exhaustion. about the Roslavl solitaries, he moved in with them and lived there on the southern edge of Monks’ Gorge, near the village of Yakimovskoe (Akimovka) on the property of Alexandra Bronevskaya, a zealous protector of the hermits who lived on her lands in great numbers. reposed in 1853, and was more than eighty years of age. Nikḗtas lived there for over ten years, and again he moved to White Bluff Hermitage. 1792, however, he wanted to return to his Hermitage before his death. At his request, the Roslavl hermit Father Dositheos rented a horse from a peasant, and in late 1792 he came over to the Hermitage for Father Nikḗtas, and found him very ill. Dositheos asked him to wait until summer, but the Elder was in a hurry to see his Hermitage. the Superior’s blessing, Dositheos took Nikḗtas and laid him on the wagon, and covered him with a tarp and some straw. took the ailing Elder some 90 miles to the Roslavl Forest. Here Nikḗtas lived for another six months, departing to the Lord on March 29, 1793. preparing his body for burial, Father Dositheos put it into a beehive, called in the nearby priest and neighboring hermits, and they buried him near his cell. Monks’ Gorge always had water in it, Father Dositheos, after a certain revelation, dug up the grave of Elder Nikḗtas after seven years, in order to move it to higher ground. beehive was whole, and the body and clothing of the Elder were incorrupt. a birch (linden?) bark shoe which was made by a disciple and not by the Elder himself was found to have rotted. The other shoe was whole. the beehive was opened, Father John from the village of Luga was there with other hermits. One of these, Father Arsenios, wanted to exchange his prayer ropes for those of the Elder. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not take them from Saint Nikḗtas’s hand. body of Father Nikḗtas was taken out of the beehive and placed in a coffin. After a Memorial Service, he was buried on the hillock. the burial there was a sick monk who suffered from a stomachache. He drank water from the grave site and was healed. fifteen years after Elder Nikḗtas’s death, the coffin was opened again, and his body was found incorrupt just as before. his grave were two memorial stones, and one was very large. Hermits came here on Pascha to sing the Paschal Canon. Elder Dositheos honored the memory of Schema-monk Nikḗtas until the time of his own death, and he always remembered him every year at Pascha. Nikḗtas was approved for local veneration in the Smolensk Diocese on August 31, 2017.

Russia, Kiev, 1739-1768, Icon of Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula River 1), MOG commanded wash the icon, use the water to heal malaria
Russia, Kiev, 1739-1768, Icon of Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula (Vorskla) River 1), MOG commanded wash the icon, use the water to heal malaria, found in a field, radiant light, same room inexplicable fear, miracles investigated, stolen but copies still worked, painted western style, uncovered head, cross smaller proportion; Akhtyr ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Akhtyr Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on July 2, 1739 in the village of Akhtyr in the area of Kharkov, east of Kiev. Basil Danilov, a righteous man of strong faith, was the priest of the Dormition church in Akhtyr. He wanted to try out a new scythe, and so he went out to a field by the church. As he began to cut the tall grass, Basil noticed an icon of the Mother of God shining with a radiant light. Dropping the scythe, he fell to his knees and began to pray, then took the icon to his home. icon remained in the priest’s home for three years. No one could spend the night in the same room as the icon, because an inexplicable fear would force them to leave. night the Theotokos appeared to Father Basil in a dream, reproaching him because he had not cleaned the icon in the three years since he had found it. he awoke, he dusted the icon off and washed it with water, then went back to sleep. night he had another dream in which he saw himself going to the river in order to pour out the water he had used to wash the icon. Mother of God appeared to him again and ordered him to return home with the water, explaining that it would cure people of malaria and fever. Father Basil’s daughter became ill with malaria, he gave her some of the water to drink and she was healed. Others also received healing in this way. The priest decided that the icon should not remain in his home, so he took it to the church. iconographer named John was commissioned to restore the icon. his son was suffering from malaria, John remembered how the water used to wash the icon had cured people of that disease. Therefore, he washed the icon and gave his son some of the water to drink. The young man was healed at once, and there were many other miracles after this one. miracles of the Akhtyr Icon were investigated no less than three times. In 1751 the Holy Synod determined that reports of the miracles were true, and declared the icon to be wonderworking. Elizabeth had a stone church built in Akhtyr for the icon, and she personally donated two thousand rubles. Joasaph of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10) blessed the cornerstone. The church was consecrated in the year 1768. Nicholas I ordered that on the Saturday before Pentecost the Akhtyr Icon should be taken from the Protection Cathedral and carried in procession to the Akhtyr-Holy Trinity Monastery. The icon was brought back to the cathedral during the week of All Saints. the icon was stolen from the Protection Cathedral on April 1, 1905. Many copies of the Akhtyr Icon were made before it was stolen. July 2 many churches bless water in remembrance of the healings which took place after the Mother of God ordered Father Basil Danilov to wash the icon. icon is rather unusual, and does not seem to have an earlier prototype. is painted in a Western style, and shows the Theotokos with an uncovered head. The Crucifixion of Christ is depicted in much smaller proportions, and the Virgin seems to be gazing directly at the Cross. hands are held with the palms together, and the fingers pointing upward, which is not a typical gesture of prayer in Orthodox iconography.

Russia, Kiev, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupe relics
Russia, Kiev, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6), could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupe relics; Poltava; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Paϊsios Velichkovsky was born in Poltava in Little Russia on December 21, 1722, and was the eleventh of twelve children. father John was a priest, who named him Peter at his Baptism, in honor of Saint Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow, on whose Feast he was born. the children’s father died, their mother Irene raised them in piety. Peter was sent to study at the Moghila Academy in Kiev in 1735. After four years, Peter decided to leave the world and become a monk. the age of seventeen, he went in search of a monastery and a good Spiritual Father. For seven years Peter visited various monasteries, including the Kiev Caves Lavra, but he did not feel drawn to any of the monasteries of Ukraine. being made a rassophore monk (one blessed to wear the rasson, but not yet tonsured “into the mantya”) at the Saint Nicholas Medvedevsky Monastery with the name Platon, he found that there was no experienced Elder there who could teach him obedience, or give him spiritual direction. Not wishing to begin his monastic life without such guidance, he left the monastery a week afterward with the blessing of his Elder. first, he went to Kiev, where he happened to meet his sister-in-law, the widow of his older brother Archpriest John. She informed him of his mother’s sorrow when he left Kiev, and her mind seemed to be affected by her grief. one day an Angel appeared to her and told her that instead of loving the Creator with all her heart and soul, she loved His creation (her son) more. Because of this excessive love, the Angel continued, she was thinking of starving herself to death, which would result in her eternal condemnation. Angel said that by God’s grace, her son would become a monk, and that she should also renounce the world and become a nun. this, she became calm and accepted God’s will. She entered a convent and was tonsured with the name Juliana. After ten years or so, she departed to the Lord. at Kiev, Father Platon met two monks from Romania who were about to return to their country. After crossing the border into Moldavia, they came to Vlachia and the Skete of Saint Nicholas, which is called Traisteni, around 1745. The Elder of the Skete, Hieroschema-monk Michael, was away on business in Ukraine, so Father Platon and his companions were welcomed by the Superior, Father Demetrios. Father Platon was placed under a general obedience and was given a cell near the Skete, from which the church was visible. he was sleeping one night, the semantron was sounded calling the monks to Sunday Matins, but Father Platon did not hear it. woke up and ran to the church, only to find that the Gospel had already been read, and the Canon was being sung. In his grief and shame, he did not enter the church, but returned to his cell, weeping bitter tears. the Liturgy, when it was time for the meal, the Superior and the Elder were surprised that Father Platon had not been seen at the Services. The Elder ordered that the meal be delayed while he sent Father Athanasios to find out what had happened to the absent monk.. Athanasios found him and asked why he was weeping. With difficulty, Father Platon was able to tell him the reason for his sorrow. Father Athanasios tried to console him and urged him to come to the Skete, where the others were waiting for him. Finally, he was persuaded to go. the brethren at table but not eating, Father Platon fell down before them weeping and asking their forgiveness. The Elder and the Superior lraised him up and heard from Father Athanasios the reason for his sorrow. The Elder told Father Platon not to grieve so over something that had happened involuntarily, and did his best to console him. that time, however, the Saint would not sleep lying down in bed, but sitting up on a bench. day the Elder Onuphrios of Kyrkoul visited the Skete and spoke about his Skete at Kyrkoul. Platon longed to see Kyrkoul, and so he returned there with Father Onuphrios. He remained there for a time, conversing with Father Onuphrius about overcoming the passions, the struggle with demons, unceasing prayer, and other soul-profiting topics. This seed fell on good ground, and later produced spiritual fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8). time came when Father Platon was filled with longing to visit Mount Athos. He asked the brethren of the Skete, and those of other Sketes, for their forgiveness and blessing for the journey. He also thanked them for their kindness and their paternal instruction. They blessed him and let him go in peace. At that time, he was just twenty-four years old. Platon went to Mount Athos in 1746, arriving at the Greatest Lavra on July 4, the eve of the Feast of Saint Athanasios of Athos. traveling companion, Hieromonk Tryphon fell ill and reposed after four days. Father Platon would have died from the same illness, if not for the care of the Russian monks. recovered and lived in solitude in a cell called Kaparis near the Pantokrator Monastery. went around visiting many ascetics and solitaries, seeking a Spiritual Father, but was unable to find anyone suitable. 1750 Saint Basil of Poiana Marului (April 15) visited the Holy Mountain and spent some time with Father Platon, who asked him for monastic tonsure. Basil granted his request, giving him the name Paϊsios. Father Basil returned to his Skete at Vlachia. About three months later, a young monk named Bessarion came to the Holy Mountain from Vlachia. He went around to the monasteries searching for an instructor, but did not find one. He also came to Father Paϊsios and asked him to tell him something about saving his soul. Paϊsios sighed and told him that he himself had been looking for an instructor without success. Yet, feeling compassion for Father Bessarion, he talked to him a little about the qualifications necessary for a true instructor, and about the Jesus Prayer. hearing him, Father Bessarion said, “Why should I seek any further?" He fell down at the feet of Father Paϊsios, entreating him to be his Elder. Father Paϊsios did not wish to be anyone’s Elder, preferring to be one under the authority of an Elder. Bessarion wept for three days until Father Paϊsios finally agreed to accept him as a friend, but not as a disciple. They lived together for about four years, fulfilling God’s commandments, cutting off their own will, and obeying one another as equals. disciples began to join them, and their number continued to increase. Since they needed a priest and a confessor, they pleaded with Father Paϊsios to accept ordination. He did not want to hear of this, and repeatedly refused to consent. They did not give up, however. They asked him how he could expect to teach the brethren obedience and cutting off their own will, when he disobeyed the tearful entreaties of those who wished him to accept. Finally, he said, “May God's will be done.” 1754 Father Paϊsios was ordained to the holy priesthood and was given the Skete of the Prophet Elias, where he began to accept even more disciples. Saint Paϊsios remained on Mount Athos for seventeen years, copying Greek patristic books and translating them into Slavonic. 1763 Father Paϊsios went to Moldavia with sixty-four disciples, and was given the Dragomίrna Monastery near the city of Sochava, on the border between Bukovina and Moldavia. Here he remained for twelve years, and the number of monks increased to three hundred and fifty. friend Hieromonk Alexius came to visit him from Vlachia, and Father Paϊsios asked to be tonsured into the Schema. Father Alexius did so, but without changing his name. at Dragomίrna, Elder Paϊsios corrected the Slavonic translations of patristic books by comparing them to the Greek manuscripts he had copied on Mount Athos. Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1768, and Moldavia and Vlachia saw many battles. Dragomίrna and the forests around it became filled with refugees from the villages near the battlegrounds. catastrophe followed in 1771 with an outbreak of the plague. Dragomίrna and Bukovina came under the control of Austrian Catholics, so Saint Paϊsios and his flock fled to Moldavia. October of 1775, the Holy Elder and many of his monks went to Secu Monastery, which is dedicated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. was too small for the number of brethren, who were crowded with three to five monks in a cell. the spring, more brethren were due to arrive from Dragomίrna, so new cells had to be built. three years of labor one hundred cells were completed, and everyone had a place. Still, the numbers continued to increase, and they had to look for a larger monastery. Constantine Muruz wrote to the Elder saying that there was no larger monastery than Neamţ, about two hours from Secu. August 14, 1779, Saint Paϊsios moved to Neamţ Monastery, where he spent the last fifteen years of his life translating the writings of the Holy Fathers. also introduced the the Typikon (Rule) of Mount Athos in that community. He gathered about a thousand monks in the monastery, instructing them in the unceasing prayer of the heart. Ambrose visited Saint Paϊsios at Neamţ in 1790, remaining for two days to converse with the Elder. the Sunday Liturgy, he raised Saint Paϊsios to the rank of Archimandrite. He stayed for two more days, then departed after blessing everyone. Paϊsios fell asleep in the Lord on November 15, 1794 when he was almost seventy-two. is possible that God revealed the time of his death to him beforehand, for he stopped translating books. He merely reviewed and corrected what had already been translated. was ill for four days, but felt well enough to attend the Liturgy on Sunday. After the service, he asked everyone to come and receive his blessing. Bidding farewell to them all, he returned to his cell and would not receive anyone. A few days later, on November 15, he received the Holy Mysteries once more, and surrendered his soul to God. His funeral was conducted by Bishop Benjamin of Tuma, and was attended by multitudes of priests, monks, laymen, nobles and ordinary people. holy relics of Saint Paϊsios were uncovered in 1846, 1853, 1861 and 1872, and were found to be incorrupt. Paϊsios has had an enormous influence, not only in Romania, but throughout the Orthodox world. His disciples traveled to Russia, sparking the spiritual revival of the XIX century with Slavonic translations of the Philokalia and the tradition of eldership which they had learned from Saint Paϊsios. His influence has been felt even in America, through Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). Saint Herman had been taught by Elders whose spiritual formation was guided by Saint Paϊsios. he was still in Russia, Saint Herman met Saint Nazarius (February 23), who became his Elder at Valaam, at Sarov, then followed him to Sanaxar Monastery when Saint Theodore (February 19) was the Igoumen. One of the books that Saint Herman brought with him to America was the Slavonic Philokalia, printed in 1794. Not only did he absorb the spiritual wisdom that it contained, he also imparted it to others.

Russia, Kiev, 1800, 19th C Folder, Mel oKharkov spiritual learning, Napoleon Invasion, Sven Icon Napoleon war deliverance, Fatherland War, Smolensk destruction,

Russia, Kiev, 1804-1840, Meletius oKharkov, interest in Iinstitutions of spiritual learning &clergy education &Siberia
Mongol, Scythia, 1804-1840, Meletius, Archbishop Kharkov, Scythia (High Point, Source of 3 Rivers, Seversky Donets River1), from Poltava, 1808 top student in Ekaterinoslav Seminary, to Nevsky Spiritual Academy, 1814 Greek Professor, 1817 Sec Academy Building Committee and transferred to Kiev Religious Seminary, inspector, Greek & C History P, 1819 Kiev Spiritual Academy first inspector, 1820 tonsured Monk Meletios, deacon, Hiermnk, 1821 rector Mogilevsk Seminary & head Khutynsk Orshansk M & Archimandrite. 1823 rector Pskov Seminary, 1824 rector Kiev S Academy, 1826 Bishop oChigrinsk, vicar Kiev Diocese, & head Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. True ascetic, 1828 Perm Cathedral, strict, Ordinand's Catechism, 1831 Archbishop oIrkutsk, all over Siberia, tTungus, tBuryats, tKamchadali, tKurile&Aleutian Islands, 1835 health transfer to Kharkov, 1840 repose; Kharkov governance; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk (in the world Michael Ivanovich Leontovich), was born on November 6, 1784 in the village of Stara Stanzhara in the Poltava district. 1808 Michael Leontovich successfully completed the Ekaterinoslav religious Seminary. Since he was the best student, Archbishop Platon of Ekterinoslav sent him to Peterburg, to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy.1 Graduating in 1814 with a Master's Degree, he was appointed as adjunct professor of Greek. March 11, 1817 they appointed Michael Leontovich as Secretary of the Academy Building Committee. July 30, 1817 he was transferred to the Kiev religious Seminary, serving in the position of Inspector, as well as Professor of Church History and Greek. When the Kiev Spiritual Academy opened on September 28, 1819, Michael became its first Inspector. February 11, 1820, on the eve of the Feast of Saint Meletios of Antioch, he was tonsured as a monk with the name Meletios, in the kathoikon of the Kiev-Bratsk Monastery, tonsure was done by Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitnikov). of Kiev. On February 22, 1820 the Monk Meletios was ordained to the diaconate by Metropolitan Eugene, and then as a Hieromonk on February 25. August 9, 1821 Hieromonk Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Mogilevsk religious Seminary and head of the Khutynsk Orshansk Monastery, and raised to the dignity of Archimandrite. August 1823 he was appointed as Rector of the Pskov religious Seminary. January 24,1824 Archimandrite Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Kiev Spiritual Academy. October 1826 the Holy Synod decided to name Archimandrite Meletios as Bishop of Chigirinsk, a vicar of the Kiev Diocese, and head of the Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. October 19, 1826 he was elected as bishop, and on October 21, 1826 his consecration took place at Kiev's Holy Wisdom cathedral. paternal love, the Saint concerned himself with young foster-children, raising them in a spirit of devotion to the Church of Christ. paid particular attention to the needy, widows, and orphans. often visited those in prison and provided them the consolation of Divine Services in the prison churches. was also concerned about the spiritual nourishment of the brethren of the Mikhailov Monastery. his edifying discourses and personal example, he inspired the monks with the spirit of true asceticism. Meletios said: "Humility is a protective sword, by which we pass over earth and Hades, to reach Heaven." April 1828 Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral in Perm. with himself, the Saint was also strict with others. To prepare candidates for accepting of the dignity of the priesthood, Saint Meletios himself wrote the so‑called "Ordinand's Catechism". 1831 Vladika was transferred to the See of Irkutsk, and elevated to the rank of Archbishop. Meletios devoted much attention to the enlightenment of the lesser nations of Russia with the light of the Gospel. founded churches in the north of Kamchatka, in the northeast parts of the Irkutsk Diocese and along the Aldan River, on the tract from Yakutsk to Okhotsk. often reviewed his wide-spread Diocese, going to the shores of the Okhotsk and Arctic Seas, to the boundaries of North America, where Father John Veniaminov, the reknowned Apostle of Siberia (later known as Saint Innocent), the Apostle to America was.2 through Siberia and along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Saint Meletios frequently interacted with the native peoples who professed Lamaism. Gently, he urged them to abandon their errors, and explained the Gospel truths to these pagan peoples: Tungus, the Buryats, the Kamchadali, and also the inhabitants of the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. of his tireless labors, Vladika's health began to deteriorate, and they transferred him to the Slobodsk-Ukraine See (later the See of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk) in 1835. Meletios showed great interest in the institutions of spiritual learning, concerning himself with the life and education of the clergy. Archbishop raised questions about reopening the monasteries and spiritual schools which Empress Catherine II had closed. He also devoted much labor to the struggle with the schismatics. July 2, 1839 Saint Meletios led the service in the city of Akhtyrsk for the tenth anniversary of the appearance of the wonderworking Akhtyrsk Icon of the Mother of God. Saint's blessed repose occurred on the night of February 29, 1840. After receiving Holy Communion, he made the Sign of the Cross, and then he turned to everyone to say, "Forgive me." With those words, he departed to the Lord. March 4, 1840 Saint Meletios was buried by Bishop Iliodore of Kursk, in a crypt beneath the Church of the Cross at the Protection Monastery. after his death, believers had great faith in the powerful intercession of Saint Meletios with God, and they received healing in sicknesses, comfort in sorrows, and deliverance from difficult circumstances. Believers in Khar'kov placed their trust in Saint Meletios during the terrible days of World War II. With miraculous advice, the Saint foretold the impending deliverance of the city from the enemy. 1948, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexei, the coffin with the relics of Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral of the Annunciation. February 21, 1978, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church "approved and blessed a Church Service and an Akathist to Saint Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk," for use in all churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Service and Akathist to the holy Archpastor was composed by Archbishop Νikόdēmos of Khar'kov (later Metropolitan of Leningrad). shrine containing the Saint's relics, from which believers receive grace-filled help, the healing of ailments of the soul and body is located in the left (northern) aisle of the cathedral. Meletios is commemorated on February 12 (his Name Day) and on February 29 (the day of his repose).3

Russia, Kiev, 1812, Napoleon invasion of Russia
Napoleon invasion of Russia 1812; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21;

Russia, Kiev, 1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine, trade r, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland, 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace
Russia, Kiev,1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the reopse of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. The August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War.

Russia, Kiev, 1812, Fatherland war Smolensk (French Invasion of Russia)
1812 Fatherland war Smolensk (French Invasion of Russia); Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1812, Fatherland War of 1812 (Intensional Destruction of Smolensk, Ukraine)
Fatherland War of 1812 (Neman River Crossing), French Invasion of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27 ;

Russia, Kiev, 1814-1840, Meletius, oKharkov, Ukraine, many stories of his meekness, ruffeled bed after all night prayer
Russia, Kiev, 1814-1840, Kharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), many stories of his meekness, ruffeled bed after all night prayer, 1814 Greek Teacher, 1817 director Mogilev Seminary, Rector Kiev Academy, 1826 vicar Bishop Kiev Metro, t Ikursk, 1835 to Kharkov till 1841;; Kharkov; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; name of Meletios Leontovich, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, who reposed righteously on February 29, 1840 was deeply respected and honored by his former flock. residents of Khar'kov faithfully visit his grave in the Cave Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery. Here Memorial Services are offered for his soul, and at the same time, they ask for his prayers for themselves and their relatives. The memory of his saintly life, his love for the poor, and his meekness, still live among his contemporaries who call him "The Unmercenary Vladika." are many stories about the meek way he governed his diocese. Most Reverend Meletios (Michael, in the world)1 was a teacher of the Greek language in 1814. was transferred to the (Mogilev) Seminary in Kiev in 1817 as its director, and later became rector of the Kiev Academy. In 1826, he was consecrated as vicar bishop of the Metropolitan of Kiev, and then transferred to Irkutsk in Siberia. He came to Kharkov in 1835, the diocese which he governed for 5 and one half years. have the following narrative by a parish priest, concerning Vladika's all night prayer and abstinence. While visiting parishes of his Diocese, the Archbishop stopped for the night in the village of Preobrazhensk, in the Zmievsk region. The local priest, in whose house he was to stay, wanted to do his best for the comfort of his important guest. He prepared a room, furnishing it with rugs and soft furniture for the Archbishop's rest. the usual welcome and evening service, His Eminence retired to the room which had been prepared for him. As it later turned out, however, he was not concerned about rest for his body, but for the benefit of the soul, which finds rest in prayer and conversation with God. It happened that the door of the room had a small opening in it, so that by the light of the lampada, the priest who occupied the next room was able to see everything that happened in the Archbishop's room. to sleep, the priest heard a muffled noise in the next room and, with all possible caution, walked over to the opening in the door and looked. He saw the Archbishop clothed in just a cassock, with his head uncovered, kneeling and fervently praying with his hands raised. After watching him for a long time, the priest finally went to lie down, but some sort of fear would not allow him to go to sleep. a while, he went to the door again and saw the same thing. The Archbishop's prayerful conversation with God continued for almost the whole night. Only toward morning did the man of prayer remove his cassock and roll it up to use as a pillow. He lay on the floor and fell asleep, mussing the bedclothes somewhat to make it appear that he had slept in the bed all night. When the priest awoke at dawn, he rushed to the door again and saw the Archbishop at prayer, just as before. Father Confessor, Father Sergius, always remembered Vladika's humility and purity of heart. According to his words, the Archbishop's Confession was most touching, detailed, and sincere. Like many children, he regarded his smallest sins as very grave, and humbly repented of them. He confessed every month, and each Confession lasted for a long time. The Archbishop gave an account of all his deeds, and of his most secret thoughts. He would always weep after Confession, when he knelt and received absolution. After this Mystery, his face always shone with unearthly joy. the Father Confessor was touched by Vladika's great humility, and told him so. "Do you think it is easy to acquire this inner humility?" Archbishop Meletios asked with a meek smile. his relationships with everyone, the Archbishop was most welcoming and cordial. His conversations were absorbing, and brought untold pleasure to his listeners. Everyone, the wealthy dignitary, the poor clerk, the wretched widow, all received the same welcome from him. the rich he spoke mostly about the incorruptible treasures of everlasting life, and of the perishable nature of earthly treasures. He advised them to exchange worldly goods for the eternal good things. comforted the poor worker with the promise of a heavenly reward for his labors. He told the widow that God Himself is the Father of orphans and widows. While comforting everyone with his words, he also extended his hand to the needy with material help. He used up all his income for this purpose. himself lived in utter want, even though he appeared before his visitors in garb suited to his rank, usually in something purple (his favorite color). After his death, only eight rubles in paper money and change was found. during the Divine Liturgy, a young man, who was inclined to piety, was amazed by Archbishop Meletios's reverence and prayerful spirit as he offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. Mentally, he recognized him as a righteous man, and thought to himself: "How fortunate those people who serve such a man must be." the end of the Holy Liturgy a monk came up to the young man and asked him to come with him, as the Archbishop had ordered. Amazed, he obeyed. The monk took him to Vladika's reception room, and then left. Soon Archbishop Meletios himself entered. Vladika warmly greeted the confused young man with great love and questioned him in detail. Suddenly, he asked him to become his cell attendant. Shocked by Vladika's clairvoyance, the young man fell at his feet and readily accepted the offer. Afterward, by his way of life, he fully proved the correctness of Vladika's choice, and later still, when he was a monk, he remembered this decisive event in his life with much tenderness. his last illness, Archbishop Meletios was so weak that he was unable to stand up to pray, so he performed his Rule of prayer while sitting on his bed, supported on all sides by pillows. Three days before his death, while seated in this position, Archbishop Meletios ordered his cell attendant to lie down in the same room with him, something he had never done before. cell attendant himself said later that he felt some sort of fear, and was unable to fall asleep. Noticing this, Vladika told him to cover himself with his (the Archbishop's) rasson, saying, "Now you will not be afraid, and perhaps you will soon fall asleep." Instantly, the cell attendant fell asleep. asleep, he had a vision foretelling the Archbishop's death. When the vision ended, the attendant's whole body shook, and he woke up. Before him he saw the Archbishop lying on his back, with his eyes raised up toward Heaven. His face shone with an unearthly radiance. Archbishop Meletios called the now awakened cell attendant to him and said in a quiet voice that he would die in three days, asking him not to say anything about this to anyone. The repose of Archbishop Meletios took place exactly three days later, on February 29, 1840, soon after he received the Holy Mysteries, and his departure was most peaceful and calm. much-laboring body rested in the church so the faithful could give him the last kiss, until the Bishop of Kursk could get there for the funeral. At this time, according to the testimony of his Father Confessor Father Sergius, Vladika's body was so soft that, when he came to wash him with rose water, he found it flexible. Noticing that the omophorion had been pushed to one side, Father Sergius bowed to the Archbishop as if he were still alive, then lifted the body and sat it down. After rearranging the omophorion, he laid the body down again, to the great amazement of those who were present. Meletios's body is buried in a crypt located under the lower church of the Protection Monastery. Now, in that section, there is a church dedicated to the Three Hierarchs (January 30), where Memorial Services were being conducted for the Archbishop's soul, as requested by pilgrims. Above the coffin there is an icon with a lampada before it. Now the peace is broken only rarely, by the footsteps of a pilgrim. Meletios of Khar'kov is also commemorated on February 12 (his Name Day). He was born on November 6, 1784 in the Ekaterinoslav region, and received the name Michael in Holy Baptism. His father died when the child was quite young.

Russia, Kiev, 1819, Theophanes otRoslavl Forests, Desna River 1, Entire Lent no eat, no sleep, no lie down & 800 prostrations
Russia, Kiev, 1819, Theophanes otRoslavl Forests, Kiev, Desna River 1, fasting beyond natural human limits, Entire Lent no eat, no sleep, no lie down & 800 prostrations; Roslavl; Saint Theophanes of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on June 15; holy Schema-monk Theophanes (in the world, Theodore Talunin) was from Vladimir Province. served in the Black Sea Cossack army until 1791. his discharge, he lived at Sophroniev Hermitage for a time, and then he went to Moldavia, where he lived at Neamts Monastery under obedience to Saint Paisios Velichkovsky (Nov. 15) for three years. the death of Elder Paisios, he returned to Russia and was accepted into the brotherhood of Optina Hermitage in 1800, and he was tonsured there in 1801. Moses of Optina has provided most of the information about Schema-monk Theophanes, and has related the following: “He zealously pursued the active virtues of fasting, prayer, and prostrations with extreme non-acquisitiveness and meekness of spirit. the first and last weeks of Great Lent, he ate nothing at all; during the other fasting periods he ate only every third day. zeal for fasting made him take up the great measure of fasting beyond the bounds of nature.” Theophanes often went from Optina to the Roslavl Forest to see Fathers Athanasios and Moses. 1819, when Fathers Moses and Anthony came to look over Optina Hermitage, he told them that he would come to visit them for the entire period of Great Lent. “You are most welcome, please come,” the hermits told him. came to them before the beginning of Great Lent in 1819, and he announced that he intended to pass the entire Fast without eating. “I have faith that I will not die from fasting,” he said. “Let it be according to your faith,” they answered, not daring to dissuade him. moved in with them, and brought along his icon of the Crucifixion painted on linen, before which he prayed. Theophanes decided not to eat, and not to lie down to sleep. In addition to his usual Prayer Rule, he also made 800 prostrations. he prayed, he wore special cuffs with cords which were tied to the hooks on the wall where the icon was hanging. In this way, he was able to stand at prayer all night without falling from exhaustion. addition, he heated his own cell, helped to sing at Church services, and he appeared cheerful. ate nothing during the entire Fast, and once a week he drank some water mixed with vinegar, because the dryness of his mouth. seeing his thinness, Saint Moses said, “Father, you have worn yourself out.” Father Theophanes replied, “No. Christ my Savior has poured out all His blood to the last drop for my sake. There is plenty of blood left in me yet.” the Fast, which he endured until the end, he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. he wanted to repeat this struggle, but because of the cold he fell ill with a terrible cough. He became very weak, and gradually wasted away, departing to the Lord on June 15, 1819. few moments before Father Theophanes died, Father Moses asked, “Is your soul at peace? Do you fear anything at this hour of death?” He replied, “With joy I desire to be released from this life.” that moment, he passed away. He had just started to make the Sign of the Cross upon himself, and gave up his soul to God. He is buried in the wilderness. Anthony, in whose arms Father Theophanes died, said that he forgot to ask him for his prayers at his death. On the fortieth day after death, the Elder appeared to him. “Batiushka,” said Father Anthony, “I wanted to ask you for your prayers for me when you come before the throne of God, and I did not do it.” Father Theophanes said, “I always pray to God for you. Saint Basil the Great says, ‘He who prays for others, prays for himself.’” to Father Anthony, this Elder had such a radiant face when he was still alive, that one could not look directly at it, but only small glances from the side. His grave is on the edge of a ravine by the Florovka creek, and is revered by pilgrims to this day. Theophanes was approved for local veneration in the Smolensk Diocese on August 31, 2017.

Russia, Kiev, 1822-1864, Makarios of Glinsk, trusted elders' spiritual path, absolute obedience, many w clairvoyance stories
Russia, Kiev, 1822-1864, Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage (between Seym and Desna Rivers), wealthy, f Ephraimov iTula, devout mother, Glinsk a22, under Philaretos, Monastery in 1828, child needing spiritual milk, trusted P's spiritual path, absolute obedience, 1833 Monastic vows, ordination, 1841 P dies, 1844 Dean, obedience, many wonderful clairvoyance stories; Glinsk Hermitage ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Saint Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage, Commemorated on February 21; holy Elder Hieromonk Makarios (Matthew Terent'evich Sharov in the world) was born in 1802, and came from a wealthy bourgeois family in the city of Ephraimov in Tula Province. His mother was particularly devout, always walking with a prayer rope in her hands, and she raised her children in the fear of God. Following the example of his parents, Matthew Terent'evich was also devout, humble, and led a restrained life: he did not eat quickly, he read spiritual books, avoided worldly fuss, diligently visited the temple of God and often prayed to God at home. In 1822, when he was twenty years old, he finally decided to forsake the world and enter the Glinsk Hermitage under the guidance of the ever-memorable Igoumen Philaretos (Danielevskii), a man known for the sanctity of his life. arrived at Glinsk Hermitage when its ever-memorable restorer, Igoumen Philaretos, was the Superior. In 1828, he was enrolled in the monastery's brotherhood. As is well-known, Father Philaretos kept a close watch over the newcomers. To him, a newcomer was a child who needed spiritual milk (I Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12; I Peter 2:2), and the Igoumen supplied it in abundance. Into this school of piety came Matthew Sharov. In the person of Father Philaretos he found a knowledgeable spiritual guide, who had learned through personal experience, the difficulty of the path to salvation. had studied this path to such a degree that the person under his guidance was fully assured of reaching his goal. Matthew soon felt this and entrusted himself to the wise instructor in absolute obedience. learning Matthew's capabilities, this spiritual guide assigned him to various obediences, which did not correspond to his abilities or spiritual needs, and the young novice carried them out in a zealous manner. first, he was appointed to work in the monastery's apiary, where Father Igoumen often visited and watched the newcomer closely, paternally instructing him in the monastic life. His ardent performance of his duties, and his humble and willing obedience to his Elder's will predisposed Father Philaretos toward him, and he often spoke to the young struggler in a paternal way. In a short time he was so prepared that he made his monastic vows on December 16, 1833, fully aware of what he was doing. He was tonsured by his great Elder and was named Makarios. still a novice, he kept watch over his soul, and after becoming a monk his vigilance increased. His humility was shown in his every word, as well as in his actions, his appearance, his clothing, and in every movement. In other words, he became an image of humility in a short time. By keeping watch over his heart, he blocked the passions from entering therein with the weapon of noetic prayer. Elder Philaretos rejoiced exceedingly over his spiritual child and taught him how a true warrior of Christ must do battle with the Enemy of our salvation. The attentive disciple of this wise instructor was quickly perfected in the virtues, reaching such a level that Father Philaretos deemed him worthy of ordination. Makarios tried to cleanse his heart of all earthly matters, and those things which are displeasing to God, so that he might become worthy of the grace which was given to him at his ordination. He always served with special reverence, which was noticed by those around him, even though he tried to hide it from everyone. His serving was distinguished by a profound feeling of humility, with fear and trembling before the greatness of Almighty God, before Whose altar he now stood. Philaretos, seeing his disciple and spiritual son rapidly ascending the steps of perfection, wished to see him in the rank of a priest during his lifetime. Father Makarios was ordained on February 29, 1839, and his elevation to the priesthood served to make him more attentive in his spiritual life. He had it very well under the protection of his wise teacher, Father Philaretos, who always had the correct solution, his clairvoyant counsels, and his timely and necessary directives. on March 31, 1841, Glinsk Hermitage was deprived of its Superior, and Hieromonk Makarios lost his earthly guardian angel. But the seeds the Elder had sown were watered by his prayers from Heaven, and were strengthened by his disciple's zeal for salvation here below. Not only were these seeds not lost, but they also bore fruit a hundredfold. Hieromonk Makarios became an example for all the monks to emulate. He studied the Holy Scriptures; he had great knowledge of the exalted Christian virtues, and of the monastic virtues. He tried to put these into practice in his own life in order to be filled with the virtues indicated to us by our Lord Jesus Christ: love of God and love for one's neighbor, strict reclusion, and mortifying the body through fasting and prayer. God's grace these became so strong in him that he wished to embrace the whole world, and to lead everyone to God. This same ardent love drew him to the service of the salvation of many people. Makarios was appointed as Dean of the monastery in 1844, despite the fact that not so long ago this zealous doer of the Lord's commandments was enrolled with the state because of illness. assuming the difficult position of Dean of the monastery, Father Makarios devoted himself to the performance of his duty. Only his humility and his Christian love toward all led him to accept this heavy and burdensome duty, but he gave his all to it. he was Dean, there was exemplary behavior in the monastery. Relying on the Dean's vigilance, the Superior was at peace because he knew that for the sake of holy obedience Father Makarios was ready to sacrifice his own comfort for that of all the brethren; and he also knew that they would maintain their good conduct out of respect for Father Makarios. did Father Dean act? He divided his love in half, as it were: one half was for the Superior, whose orders he regarded as sacred; giving the other half, and himself, to the brethren. course, some of them did not always conduct themselves as the Superior required. refused to carry out their assigned obediences out of stubbornness or self-love. Father Makarios tried to carry out their obediences himself. For example, he often made the dough for bread at night, and did other heavy work. Father Makarios tried to conceal the weakness of some of the monks from the Superior, and often he got into trouble because of this. covering up for the others, Father Makarios was deeply grieved by their weaknesses. He begged and begged them to correct themselves, and tried to counsel them. His instructions, coming from a heart aflame with love for God and for his neighbor, were so effective that those toward whom they were directed involuntarily gave way before the power of his words, and submitted themselves to holy obedience. Once they corrected themselves, Father Makarios was at peace concerning them. He knew that those who had been corrected would not permit any conduct which was contrary to the rules of the monastery, because they did not wish to grieve him. of his position, he was obliged to come into contact with worldly people, and found ways to converse with them and to be useful to them. with the usual topics, imperceptibly he would lead the conversation toward the soul's salvation. Then he would become inspired and, as if from a pure spring, he would give spiritual drink to his listeners. by the power of his words, they listened attentively to the ascetic and many learned the science of Christian life through him. while caring for the salvation of others, Father Makarios did not neglect his own. He knew how to conduct himself so that his contact with worldly people did not have an adverse effect upon him. He was rewarded abundantly when he saw that a human soul, under the influence of his tender paternal counsels, recognized its Creator. his cell, Father Makarios had only a few icons and books, and that was all. He did not acquire anything else. So that he would not be distracted, he glued paper over the windows of his cell, or painted them over, so that nothing could be seen through them. and solitude were his only food. Weakened by illness, he lay down on a rug and read the Psalter. At night the Elder got up to pray, supported by two crutches, and read the Holy Gospels, conversing with God for such a long time that one could not understand how he could do this, since he was ill. But God's "power is perfected in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). is said that sometimes the Elder would take a book and go into the forest. Then he would sit down somewhere to read or to pray. Finding a suitable tree stump, the ascetic would place the book on it and kneel down before it. Then his pure soul would fly to Heaven on the wings of prayer. Father Makarios, as usual, went for one of these strolls in the woods, and became very tired. He sat down by the side of the road in order to rest a little, but he was so deep in meditation that he did not hear a peasant's horse-drawn wagon approaching. Suddenly, as the wagon came closer, he stood up. The horse became frightened and veered to the side. Father Makarios said, "Forgive me, brother," and bowed to him. peasant smiled and said, "If it were anyone else... but, since it is Father Makarios, then we shall say nothing." little incident shows just how much Father Makarios was respected, not only by the brethren of the monastery, but also by those who lived outside its gates. great ascetical labors finally caused his already fragile health to deteriorate. in June of 1848, he was relieved of his duties at his own request. After this, he did not leave his cell, except to go to church, and for infrequent solitary walks in the woods. At such times he was seen in the cemetery, where there was much that his humble and attentive soul knew and loved. Even though his solitary retreat in his cell was not full reclusion, all his ascetical labors were truly those of a real recluse. evening, two monks were going to his cell together in order to speak with him. Among the other things they mentioned about Father Makarios, one of them said, "He has locked himself in. It is easy to be saved in reclusion, because one does not behold any temptations. If he lived as we do, however, having temptations before his eyes, and if he could live as if he did not have them, then that would be a great ascetic feat indeed!" one of them had to pass by the cell of Father Makarios in order to get to his own. Father Makarios opened his door and asked him to come in. he said, "forgive me, a sinner, and a weak one, who is unable to struggle as you do, but hides from worldly temptations in his cell. For the sake of God, forgive me." monk was stricken, not so much by the Elder's humility, but by the very words which the monk himself had spoken only a few moments before, and were now repeated by the Elder. This monk who had judged others made a prostration before the humble ascetic, and sincerely asked to forgiven. many admirers of Father Makarios, who were deprived of the great benefit of his counsels after he had locked himself in his cell, tried to come to him now in his cell, but they were turned away. some of them, having great faith, and who loved the Elder, asked the Superior to order Father Makarios to receive those who came to him, for the sake of obedience. As usual, the humble Elder now preferred the benefit and the will of others to his own solace, and so he opened the door of his cell to everyone. had been waiting for a long time to hear his grace-filled words, and now that his door was open, they came to him often, and at all times, knowing that Father Makarios would always give them just the right advice and the necessary help from God. cell was a place where many of their spiritual needs were met, and many questions were answered. From early morning until the evening, many people disclosed to him the thoughts of their hearts, weeping many warm and salvific tears of repentance. They vowed to correct themselves, and their perplexities were resolved. Elder’s calmness when counseling people was amazing. He listened to both the nonsensical superstitions of the common folk, and the disbelief and the foolish freethinking of educated persons. He heard the senseless complaints of a peasant woman, and the fanciful curiosity of a wealthy woman, as well as the simple stories of a peasant, and the deceitfully elegant conversations of the wise of this world. Nothing could disturb his Christian patience and his complete spiritual peace, however. He conquered all by his most profound humility. Pure joy shone on his radiant countenance, reflecting the purity of his heart. His eyes expressed his angelic meekness and inner peace. Those who entered his cell in sadness emerged in a state of happiness. The sorrowful received comfort; the despairing came out with the hope of repentance; the self-confident became humble. for his great piety, many people wrote to ask him for advice and guidance in the spiritual life, or about their doubts and sorrows. The loving Elder, who was always ready to help his neighbor, did not refuse to reply. someone who had received only the most elementary education at home, he was not learned in worldly wisdom, but he attained great perfection by obeying Christ’s commandments, by his attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, and the writings of the Holy Fathers. of those who came to Father Makarios with faith noticed that he had the gift of clairvoyance. One hieromonk tells us: “When I entered the monastery, I was given a cell not far from that of Father Makarios. He always had so many people waiting to see him that they stood at his door from Matins until Vespers. often saw Father Makarios open the door, and those who were closest would fall to the floor before him. He, as though he did not notice them, would call out to someone far in the back: “John,” or “Anna, come here.” people made their way through the crowd with difficulty, he would ask them to tell him their name, something about their life, and their reason for coming to him. Then after giving advice, he would let the person go forth in peace, and then he would call the next person in the same way. it happened that a person who had traveled a great distance, perhaps thousands of miles, never got to see the Elder. Later, it was noticed that those he called had a greater need for his godly-wise conversation than the others.” “Invited and blessed by Father Makarios, I often came to help out in his cell. Once, as a reward for my efforts, the Elder blessed me with a Priest’s Service Book and said, ‘Do not be proud or judge others; humble yourself and you will be a good monk. Later, you will bless others.’ “These words seemed impossible to me, because at that time I was barely able to read. Later, events revealed the truth of the Elder’s clairvoyant words, foretelling that I would become a priest. “About two weeks after he took up residence in the tower located in the ‘Bishop’s Garden,’ I went to see him. came to his tower and saw that there were no crowds waiting for him, only one woman who tossed some white object on the Elder’s steps as I approached. had just reached the door, and before I had time to say the prayer, I heard the Elder’s voice: ‘Timothy, Timothy, hurry and open the door.’ The Elder could not have seen me because at the time he was lying down on his little rug with the Psalter in his hand. ‘Why do you come to me so seldom now?’ he asked. ‘Forgive me, Batushka,’ I replied. ‘I don’t have the time, because of my obedience.’ ‘It is good that you have come,’ he said. Pointing to a jar of ointment in the window he said, ‘You can rub me with that. My chest hurts, and it is hard to breathe.’ “Because of his illness, the Elder’s chest was swollen. As I rubbed him I, the sinful one, thought: ‘The Elder still has some fat on him.’ “He replied to my thoughts on the spot: ‘Timothy, do you see how smooth I am? I eat so much; you can see how fat I am.’ ‘Forgive me, Batushka,’ I said, struck by his clairvoyance. “Then he said, ‘Go out and bring what is on the steps. Didn’t you see anything?’ “I forgot that I had witnessed the woman’s actions and replied, ‘No, Batushka, I did not, but bless me and I will see if there is something there, and if so, I shall bring it.’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘don’t go. It isn’t necessary.’ “After finishing some of the chores which needed to be done, I said, ‘Batushka, perhaps you will bless me to go home now?’ ‘God will bless you,’ he said, ‘but come to see me more often. When you go out, you will see a man and a woman standing on the ground. They are married, and live very much in harmony. His name is John, and hers is Eudokia. Tell them to come in.’ ‘Bless me,’ I said. “I went down the steps thinking: ‘Is someone here now? When I came in, there was no one around, and one cannot see from the cell because the windows are facing the forest, and besides, the Elder could not get up from the floor.’ “I went down the steps with these thoughts, and I saw a man and a woman. I thought I should ask them their names. ‘Are you here to see Father Makarios?’ I asked. ‘Yes, to see Father Makarios,’ they replied. “I asked the man his name, and he said, ‘John.’ ‘And yours?’ I asked the woman. “She said, ‘Eudokia.’ “I asked them how they were related, and they said, ‘We are husband and wife.’ ‘Go on up,’ I said. “Then I understood the Elder’s wondrous gift of clairvoyance. I went back to my cell, not understanding why the Elder was so open with me this time. He knew, however, that this would be my last visit to him, and so he did not conceal his gift. Soon after this, he became ill. When I went to see him at the infirmary, he was unable to speak, because of his weakness. He gestured feebly for me to come close to him. Even then, when he was ill and close to death, and in pain, he still kept me in prayerful remembrance.” those who came to him, Father Makarios with his spiritual eyes knew their future destiny, and often revealed it to them. A certain devout monk tells us the following: “One day, my mother, my brother, and I came to Glinsk to receive Father Makarios’s blessing. As he was blessing us the Elder pointed to me and said to my mother, ‘Give this child to the Queen of Heaven, and keep this one (pointing to my brother) for yourself.’ In her simplicity, and because of her sincere faith in God’s will, as expressed to her through the Elder, she said that she was prepared to leave both of us with him. The Elder, however, repeated what he had just said.” as it happened, the older of the two boys, who had a sincere disposition toward monasticism, was proficient in that capacity. The other one, because of his leanings, could not endure monastic life. A. said, “I came to Glinsk Hermitage from the Maloyaroslavets-St. Nicholas Monastery. The late Father Archimandrite Innocent, for special reasons, did not usually accept monks from other monasteries into his. When I requested to be accepted into the Hermitage, the Archimandrite refused, although he did not set a time limit on my stay at the monastery guesthouse. I lived there for three months without leaving the monastery, which had become so dear to me. In the end, I decided to go to Father Makarios for advice. The ever-memorable Elder was already sick in bed when I went to see him. Bowing to the ground before him, I described my sorrow because I could not stay and work there, since the Superior would not accept me. “Go and ask him,” Batushka said, “and he will take you in.” “I did as I was told, and contrary to all expectation, Father Innocent made an exception for me and took me in. Of course, it was through the prayers of Father Makarios that he accepted me.” certain elderly nun, a disciple of Father Makarios, describes how she entered the monastery which he indicated to her by his clairvoyance. “Once, when I was young, I was at Glinsk Hermitage on a certain Feast Day, and attended a solemn Moleben. Among those who were serving, I saw a tall, thin Hieromonk with sunken eyes. I wanted to see his face, and just as I had that thought, he turned and looked straight at me. This, as I found out later, was Father Makarios. On another occasion, I was at Glinsk Hermitage with a little girl. I had heard a great deal about Father Makarios, but I was afraid to go see him. After the Divine Liturgy, I went back to our room in the guesthouse, and the little girl disappeared without me noticing. After a short time, she returned with a booklet: Brief Instructions for Monks. ‘I was told to give this to you,’ she said, handing me the booklet. “After that, I wanted to see Father Makarios in person, and I asked the monk in the guesthouse to find out if he would receive me. I received this reply: ‘She must go to the monastery, and when they accept her, she may come to me for a blessing.’ “When I arrived back home, I became quite bored with everything, and could find no relief in anything I did, so I was forced to go back to Glinsk Hermitage to see Father Makarios. He received me very kindly, comforting me and ordering me to enter a monastery. When I asked which one, and where, he replied that God Himself would arrange everything. “Returning home to my family, I regarded myself as a stranger with them. Life in the world had lost all its meaning for me. Through some acquaintances, I asked Father Makarios what I should do. He ordered them to tell me that when the time came for me to enter the monastery, I would not remain at home for even a moment. I traveled, wishing to distract myself from my terrible boredom. I visited one maiden’s monastery to pray, but did not want to enter. When I received the blessing of the Igoumeness, however, I suddenly asked to be accepted into the monastery, and she took me in. After that, I went to see Father Makarios. He received me as a father would meet a beloved child. He opened the door to his cell and told me to look things over. “Look here, look at everything,” he said. “In his cell he had only an Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” (August 13), a cross, a few books, a table, a chair, and a simple wooden bench upon which was placed an old peasant’s coat. On the table there was an apple. After showing me his cell, he sat on the steps and instructed me about humility, patience, non-acquisitiveness, and in general, how a nun must live. After this, he embraced my head and kissed it, like a loving mother.1 Then he said, ‘Do you want your sister to die?’ “He was asking about my younger sister who was always sick, and whom I loved very much. I did not wish to be separated from her, however. I did not answer, and the Elder asked me again. Then, as if he was replying to my thoughts, he said, ‘You do not desire this, but it would be better if she did die. Pray about it.’ But I could not pray for my sister’s death. “Eventually, she got better and grew up, but she had a very unhappy life. Now I regret that she did not die back then. After a year, I wanted to leave the monastery. There were many sorrows, and I did not have the patience to bear them. So, I went to Father Makarios again. He ordered me to go to another monastery and to remain there for a while. I asked to be accepted there, and I was. But I went to Father Makarios in order to find out where I must live. I returned to Batushka and he told me to go back to the first monastery, saying that God Himself had decreed that this is where I must live. “When I returned and told Matushka Igoumeness about my trip, she would not let me go, and ordered me to make prostrations for a week (probably at trapeza) as a punishment for my willful absence. I was comforted by Father Makarios in this sorrow, and I received his wise counsel until the end of his life.” was a certain nun (Mother Agnes) who had money, and a nice cell; the Igoumeness loved her, and all the sisters respected her. This, however, was not good for the salvation of her soul, because "it is through many tribulations that we must enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).2 The Elder prayed and arranged for her to bear these saving sorrows. As a wise instructor, he did not leave her to face these sorrows without warning her ahead of time. He prepared her for all this in advance, foretelling the grief, persecution, and want that she would face. "Weep a little, weep a little! It doesn't matter why you weep," he said, "it is better than being happy." did not believe any of this, thinking that the Elder was joking with her. She did not realize the wisdom of the Elder's predictions until she returned to the monastery and discovered that her position had changed. His prophecy came true, exactly as he said it would. Even then, he did not leave her without help. He sent her comforting letters, saying that all this would pass, and that she would live as before. This also came true, but it was no longer harmful for her soul, because she had passed through the fire of temptation, and knew the value of worldly goods, and the fickleness of human love. general, the Elder consoled some people by offering a better outlook for the future; others were warned of troubles to come, preparing them in time, so that their sorrow would be easier to bear. crowds of people were drawn to Father Makarios by his counsels, which came from his gift of grace, his admonitions, and by his healing of bodily infirmities. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult to move in the monastery courtyard, or near its gates, or by the cell of Father Makarios. On one occasion, people were waiting to be received, each in his turn, by the godly Elder. Hieromonk Joseph, a disciple of Father Makarios, had to make his way through the crowd. Because of the great multitude, his progress was very slow, and he was displeased. He thought, “Look at the crowd the old man has brought here. Why does he care for them? They will not let me by.” he walked by the Elder’s cell, he heard a tapping on the window. He went in and asked him, “Did you call me?” “Yes, I did call you,” he replied. “Please tell me, for God’s sake, what am I to do with the people? You see how many have come and I, a wretched old man, must care for them, and they will not let me go by.” Joseph then understood that the Elder had discerned his thoughts and called him in to ask him what to do with all the people. Stricken by this, Hieromonk Joseph asked for forgiveness. The Elder forgave him and said that he, “a sinner,” was not acting on his own, but in obedience to the command of the Queen of Heaven, and was doing her will. We do not know how this will was expressed: in a vision, or by the Superior’s blessing for him to receive visitors. In any case, a certain vision may have had something to do with it. Father Makarios himself told some nuns that he once had a vision on his way to church. In the monastery courtyard, and all around him, many swallows were flying. Some of them landed on his hands, and others on his shoulders, and he was able to hold them in his hands and blow on them. After that, when he was returning from church, he was carrying a cross on his head. On the roof of the cells there were many crows cawing at him. He understood that the vision of the swallows meant that he should not refuse to receive women who sought his advice. The vision where he was carrying the cross meant that this was a difficult task. The crows which cawed at him represented the brethren who complained because he received women. his many spiritual gifts, Father Makarios received the gift of healing human sickness. Once, a possessed person was brought to him. He was calm, but as soon as his companions turned toward the cell of Father Makarios, the possessed man became frantic. They dragged him to the Elder by force, and Christ’s true follower laid his hands on him and healed the man by his powerful prayer to God. words did not have the elegance of the learned people of the world, but they were permeated with wisdom from on high, and were fervent because of his meekness and love, and so they were vibrant and effective. His words were filled with spiritual rationality, which the Fathers call the highest of all virtues. any doubt, we know that everyone who followed the Elder’s advice received not only spiritual benefit, but they also became more successful in their worldly affairs. There are so many examples of this that it is superfluous to mention all of them here. the Elder’s many visitors succeeded in getting him to accept some small gift (which did not happen often). He sent all of these to the Superior, however, without pausing for a moment. Upon his death, only a small coin was in found in one of his books, because he used it as a bookmark and then forgot about it. The Elder only kept incense and candles, which he used in his cell. return the visitors often asked Father Makarios for some small thing as a blessing and memento. The Elder gave away everything he received to the pilgrims, and when he had nothing left, he would say, "What can I give you? I have nothing left but a few crusts of bread left over from trapeza." visitors were happy to receive even these crusts and accepted them with sincere reverence. By God's grace, these were more precious to them than gold or silver. Faith in the power of the Elder's prayer gave his things, even a crust of bread, similar power. According to the testimony of those who received them, they healed people of their illnesses. Makarios, who helped everyone in their inner renewal, did not forget his closest fellow ascetics in the monastery. In all circumstances, and the attacks of the Enemy, the brethren ran to Batushka. Once, when Hieromonk Moses was stricken with spiritual sorrow, he hoped to receive comfort from Heaven by speaking with the Elder. But Father Makarios was so exhausted from receiving visitors that he could hardly breathe, so he asked Father Moses to come back to him in the morning. Father Moses left the Elder's cell with a heavy heart, and silently turned to Heaven, and his prayer was heard. next morning, as dawn was breaking, Father Makarios sent for Father Moses. When he came to the Elder's cell Father Makarios bowed before him and said, "Forgive me, a sinner, Father and brother, for refusing you yesterday. Last night I suffered terribly because of it." From that time forward, the Elder devoted himself completely to his disciples. They were able to come to him at any time without having to wait. They only had to say the customary Jesus Prayer at the door. After this they no longer were afraid of coming at inconvenient times, or of disturbing the Elder. His peace was in the spiritual peace of his disciples. Truly, one could say that Father Makarios was a worthy disciple of a worthy teacher: the ever-memorable Igoumen Philaretos. He in his turn became a worthy spiritual guide for others. the brethren of Glinsk Hermitage, with whom Father Makarios was on especially friendly terms, was the nearly one-hundred-year-old Monk Theodotos. Elder Makarios was also the spiritual brother of the strict ascetic and Elder, Father Schema-Archimandrite Heliodoros (1797-1879). between these great spiritual men, however, there arose spiritual discontentment. Father Makarios, filled with love for everyone, had yielded to the requests of his many admirers, and he agreed to have some photographic visiting cards made. Heliodoros was deeply offended by this, and when Father Makarios came to visit him, he told him so. He believed that this decision of Father Makarios was inconsistent with monastic humility, and he criticized him harshly, "You are not an Elder, but an old man with a basket" (the Russian word he used refers to a large basket which peasants use to carry things). Then he explained the reason for his unusual words. Father Makarios explained that he did not act as he had from a desire to glorify himself, but because he didn't want to scorn the love of others. Father Heliodoros, however, refused to listen to Father Makarios. He said, "You did not do this according to God’s will. Bishops are luminaries, but who are you? This is the sort of thing which is done by those who do not care about a heavenly reward. had been done could not be changed, and this is the only reason we have the Elder's portrait. Father Makarios, however, took the stern disapprobation of Elder Heliodoros to heart. Hieromonk Pankratios, who was loved by Elder Makarios, and who learned much from him about his ascetical life, and himself had witnessed many signs of God's grace by the Elder's prayers, kept a secret journal about these things. Somehow, Father Makarios found out about it. Recalling Father Heliodoros's stern criticism, and through fear of eternal damnation, he ordered Father Pankratios to destroy all his notes. The latter did so, though much against his will. tireless worker for the glory of God, and for the salvation of his neighbor, did not spare his own health, sacrificing everything for the sake of others. After a time, although the inner man continued to grow, the temple of his body became weaker and weaker. He received some sort of revelation concerning his approaching death. As the Elder said later, he wished to "depart to live with the Angels in Heaven," and he desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema. He was tonsured on June 1, 1863 with the same name. To the repetition of his monastic vows he added even more to his former great works. attended all the lengthy services at the Hermitage as usual. Standing at the kleros3 and leaning on his crutch, he stood until the end of the service, ignoring the swelling of his legs and the festering wounds which covered his body, causing him to suffer a great deal. Just as before, he wore the mantiya and klobuk, with the Great Schema beneath. It was only rarely that he wore all the garments pertaining to the Great Schema. That is because after Elder Heliodoros was tonsured into the Great Schema, he wore all the garments of the Great Schema when he came to church. These, as we know, are adorned with many crosses. In their simplicity, some commoners made the Sign of the Cross and made prostrations before him. This disturbed and grieved the humble Elder so much that he never wore the garments of the Schema before the people again, but only the mantiya and klobuk. Elder Makarios imitated the example of Elder Heliodoros. his weakness, Elder Makarios served the Divine Liturgy with the same reverence as before. He slept very little now, sitting in the chair which had served him as a bed for seventeen years. After his tonsure into the Schema, he stopped corresponding with people by mail, but he received those who wished to see him and to receive his blessing, although not as many as before. Now he received almost no women. This continued until he was forced to take to his bed. cause of his last illness was a cold. As long as he was able, the Elder read all the Church Services in his cell (alone, or with the help of others), and when he was confined to bed by his illness, he listened attentively to the prayers being read by others. Now he began to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more frequently, knowing full well that soon he would be separated from the bonds of his body. Provided with the Church’s Mysteries, and with his disciples weeping over him, he surrendered his soul peacefully and quietly on February 21, 1864, at the age of sixty-three. a good and faithful servant, Father Makarios did not sever his ties with the world below after he had passed into the joy of his Lord. There are several testimonials about this. The aforementioned woman Eudokia, who told the Elder all the circumstances of her life, was experiencing great sorrow. She often remembered Father Makarios and thought, “If only he were still alive, he would console me with his grace-filled words.” night, after she had fallen into a light sleep, she beheld a beautiful bower covered with greenery, and Father Makarios was inside. She rushed toward him, intending to tell him of her grief, but before she could do so, the Elder gave her an icon of Christ the Savior, and a small bottle of olive oil, and then he disappeared. In this case, the bottle of oil represented the oil of consolation, because by the Elder’s prayers, her sorrow soon passed away. is another case. In a certain village, about four miles from Glinsk Hermitage, there lived a poor peasant with his wife and children. He became ill, so that he was not only unable to work, but he could not even walk. This sickness lasted for four years. His poor wife labored beyond her strength so that they would not all die from starvation. The man was not helped by village medications, and under the circumstances, they could not even think of getting a doctor to treat him. They were so poor that a dry crust of bread was regarded as a great mercy from God. She often bowed down before the holy Icon, broken-hearted and in tears, beseeching the Mother of God to heal her husband. day, after praying in this manner, she fell asleep and saw a majestic Elder standing before her. “Why do you weep?” he asked. “How can I not weep, Batushka?” and the unfortunate woman told him of her sorrow. “Do not weep,” he told her, “but go to Glinsk Hermitage and ask the Superior to serve a Moleben to the Mother of God with a procession to the Skete, and your husband shall be healed.”4 “But how shall I do this?” the woman asked. “I have no money, not even a kopek.” The Elder said, “You go to the Superior. He is kind, and he will do it without payment.” Then she asked, “What is your name, Batushka?” “Makarios,” he replied, and then he vanished. unusual dream made such an impression on the woman that she went to the Hermitage at once without saying anything to anyone. The first person she met was Father Gurios, the vestment-keeper, and she told him everything she had seen. Father Gurios related all this to Igoumen Innocent, who blessed for a Moleben to be served without any payment. The Moleben for the sick man’s health began, and at the end of the Akathist, the man himself entered the church and prayed with great fervor. those who heard the woman’s account of her husband’s hopeless illness were astonished when he came in, most of all, the wife herself. As he recounted later, the man had seen Father Makarios, whom he had known personally, in his dream. The Elder came and took him by the hand saying, “Why do you lay there? Get up and go to Glinsk Hermitage. Your wife will pray at the Skete, and you must pray as well.” he awoke, the man felt his strength returning, and he was able to move, but only with difficulty. Even so, he was able to get to the Skete before the end of the Moleben. Everyone who has experienced something similar will understand how great the joy of these poor peasants was. Even now, many people who knew Father Makarios, or who have only heard about him, take dust and leftover rain water from his grave stone with faith. Because of their faith, and the prayers of the ever-memorable ascetic, they receive help, by the grace of God. August 16, 2008, at the Glinsk Nativity of the Mother of God Hermitage, Saint Makarios was glorified for local veneration, along with the holy venerable Elders of Glinsk. His name was added to the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church by the decision of the Council of Bishops in 2017. 1 This unusual gesture, kissing a person on the head the way one would venerate a saint’s relic, indicates the wish that the person might also become a saint. 2 However: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but out of all of them the Lord will deliver them" (Psalm 33/34:19). [FrJF] 3 The area at the front of the church where the Readers and singers stand. The right and left choirs. The name is derived from κλήρος, which means "the drawing of lots." In the earlier times the Readers and singers were chosen by lots. (A Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services, by Archpriest D. Sokolof. New York and Albany, 1899. Pages 18-19.) 4 At Glinsk Hermitage, on several days during the summer, there is a procession from the monastery to the Skete with the wonderworking Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos.

Russia, Kiev, 1843-1882, Ioannikios, Kharkhov High Point, 1845 Holy Mt Monastery for life, Hesychast, much more
Mongol, Perm, 1843-1882, Hiermonk Ioannikios, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), large family, kept from church, Church vision story, Church built on his spot, at 16 Monasticism vision dream, come with us, it is God' will, ran away tM, but father brought him back, father died, mother released him, 1845 to Holy Mt M for life, very long story; Orlov; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10; Ioanikkios (in the world Trophimos N. Averkiev) was born in 1823 and was named Trophimos in Holy Baptism. parents were Government-owned peasants in Orlov Province, and they had a large family. was one of the younger children. The boy was quite bright and also very pious. He loved to be in church, and if his mother went to church for the Feast Days he always begged to go along. however, was not easy. The village where they lived was not near the church. had to cross a stream on the way, and the bridge was so old and rotten that once Trophimos fell in and caused his mother to be delayed. she did not always take him with her. Most of the time, she left him at home. When he stayed at home, Trophimos wept bitterly because she would not bring him to church. He felt drawn there by some “overpowering force,” as he expressed himself later in life. Sunday his father and mother went to church for the Divine Liturgy and took his older brothers, but they left him at home. After crying for some time, Trophimos went out into the yard, before which there was a field covered with grass. he noticed a beautiful stone church on a hillock. He was surprised to see it and wondered how it got there, so he started walking toward it in order to take a closer look at it. For a while he walked around the church, admiring its beauty. tried to enter, but the door was locked. When his hand touched the door knob, it vanished, and there he was, standing in the middle of an empty field! This astonished him even more, and he could not understand anything for a while. When his parents came home, he hastened to tell them what had happened. first, they paid no attention to him, but later, when his father mentioned this at a meeting of all the peasants in the village, an old man stated that he had also had seen a church on that very spot at dawn. peasants asked to see Trophimos and to hear the story from his own lips. When Trophimos was brought to the meeting, he told them in detail where he had seen the church in the field, and described what sort of church it was. showed them the exact spot, and the men marked the spot with four stakes. They decided to collect money and to build a stone church there. Indeed, a church was needed because the parish church was far away. In addition, there was the stream to be crossed. In the spring, when the stream was full, it became difficult and dangerous to cross. the peasants were wealthy, the required funds were soon collected, and they began to build a church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (July 8, Oct. 22). a few years the church was completed and consecrated, and on the outside it closely resembled the church that Trophimos had seen in a vision. the boy was sixteen years old, he wanted to enter a monastery, so he begged his parents to give their blessing for him to go to Tolshev’s Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. parents were very unhappy about this, especially his father. The young man became very sad and did not know what to do. night he had a dream wherein he saw a group of monks in a church in their mantiyas and klobuks. All of them went to the middle of the church and sang a divine hymn. Taking Trophimos by the hand they said, “Come with us, and do not be afraid of grieving your parents. It is God’s will that you be with us.” from his dream, he decided to run off to the monastery in secret. He got ready, placing a piece of bread in a shepherd’s sack. Dressed in an old peasant’s coat, and without shoes, he left for the Tolshev Monastery. road was not easy for him, but he arrived at the gates of the Monastery in the afternoon, and he saw a few monks standing there. Seeing the barefoot boy, they asked him why he had come. Trophimos replied that he had come in order to be a monk. monk, an Elder with a grey beard, volunteered to take him to the Superior’s cells. This was Hieromonk Jacob from Sarov Hermitage, where he had been known and loved by Batushka Seraphim. Jacob led an ascetical life, and was respected by the brethren. Trophimos now sat in the waiting room, fearfully awaiting the Superior’s decision concerning him. Superior, a short, grey-headed old man, was surprised at the young man’s appearance because he was dressed in rags. He thought that Trophimos was a beggar seeking alms. When Father Jacob started to tell him that the young man wanted to be a monk, the Superior said that he was much too young, and he would never be able to endure the labors and the sorrows of the monastic life. So he advised him to go back home. When this did not work, and the young man remained unshaken, the Superior pretended to be angry and ordered a bundle of rods to be brought over, saying; “Now I will teach you not to wander needlessly and leave home in order to avoid work. Take off your shirt and I will punish you so that you will remember our monastery.” young man immediately removed his shirt and lay on the ground before the Superior to receive his punishment. Seeing his readiness and weakness, the Superior and Father Jacob looked at each other and changed their tone. Superior told Trophimos to get up and to tell him in detail where he was from, and why he had come. Had he perhaps committed some crime and thought to hide in the monastery? After telling him everything in detail, Trophimos fell down on the floor, tearfully begging the Superior not to chase him away and to make him a monk. Superior ordered Father Jacob to take him to his cell and teach him the monastic Rule for novices. Jacob fed him and got him some clothes, making him his cell attendant. cell was the very cell which the wonderworker Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (August 13) had occupied when he lived at Tolshev Monastery in retirement. Here the holy bishop’s belongings were preserved. chair stood in the corner, covered up. Elder Jacob never dared to sit in the chair himself, but Trophimos, who did not know the value of the chair, once tried to sit in it when the Elder was out of the cell, but he was pushed away by some force he did not understand. Father Jacob returned Trophimos told him what had occurred. Father Jacob explained the chair’s significance to him and strictly forbade him to sit in it. his humility, obedience, and meekness, Trophimos soon won Father Jacob’s paternal love. Trophimos loved the order and customs of the monastery and had no time to become bored. He could only thank God and be happy that he lived in such a holy place. particular he loved being in church when the monks all came to the center in their mantiyas and klobuks. always wondered how he had been able to see all this in such detail in his dream. was especially attracted to the mantiya, and when Father Jacob was not in the cell he would put it on and walk around the cell with measured footsteps. greatest wish was to receive the mantiya and to be able to wear it to church. One day Father Jacob caught him in the cell wearing his mantiya. He forbade him to do this, explaining the spiritual meaning of the mantiya. He told him to pray to God, asking Him for His mercy, so that perhaps he might receive a mantiya in due time. was not destined to remain at Tolshev Hermitage, since his father did not wish it. He came to the monastery and bound his son’s legs so he could not get away. brought him home that way and punished him severely for running away. The poor young man had to submit to his parents’ wishes for the time being, waiting for the time to come when he might fulfill his heartfelt desire. had lived at Tolshev Monastery only three months, but in that short time it left its mark on the future course of his life. father’s death released Trophimos from his burdensome situation. Now the family’s finances were controlled by his mother and older brothers. mother no longer tried to hold him there against his will, but blessed him to be a monk. even gave him an icon of the Great Martyr George (April 23). He kept this icon as a great treasure and revered Saint George until the end of his life. After obtaining his identification papers, Trophimos went to Kiev to venerate the holy places. there, he went to the Holy Mountain Hermitage in Kharkhov Province with the intention of remaining there for the rest of his life. He arrived on October 10, 1845 and went to see Igumen (later Archimandrite) Arsenios. The latter asked him detailed questions concerning the events of his past life. Then he accepted him into the monastery and assigned him to the kitchen for his obedience. first, Trophimos lived in the attic with his knapsack for two weeks, until the cold forced him to move elsewhere. Hieromonk Theodosios, the Father Confessor of the monks, who had come from Glinsk Hermitage with Father Arsenios, took him into his cell as his cell attendant. Trophimos lived behind a thin wall in the narrow entryway. the beginning, Father Theodosios treated him sternly, testing his character and intentions. He would leave money lying around in the cell, or he would leave some tea or sugar, as though he had forgotten to put them away, or perhaps he would leave some honey on the table and go out. After seeing that nothing was ever touched, he stopped doing this and began to trust Trophimos. Hieromonk Theodosios, who had received his spiritual formation under the guidance of the well-known Igumen of Glina Hermitage, Saint Philaretos (March 31, 1841) of holy life, was himself a strict ascetic. He often went into the woods with his prayer rope, walking about with his mind focused on the Jesus Prayer. When he returned from the forest his face was always radiant. So much so that at first his novice Trophimos feared this radiance, and he was afraid to approach him or talk to him. Trophimos was illiterate, Father Theodosios saw to it that he learned to read. instructor was Father Philotheos, who worked in the monastery office. He was not yet old, but he led a life of strict asceticism. learned to read and write under his guidance. At the same time, he continued his careful study of the monastic Rule, taught by his Elder. the evening Prayer Rule, Father Theodosios would dismiss the monk who came to him for Confession. Trophimos a prayer rope, he made him repeat the Jesus Prayer slowly and in a loud voice. At first it was frightening for him to repeat the prayer under the watchful eye of his Elder, and his voice would tremble. The Elder noticed this and ordered him to be In this fear, Father Theodosios saw in this the work of the Enemy, who especially hated the Jesus Prayer. it happened, his fear soon disappeared and was replaced by a tender, compunctionate feeling, which produced abundant tears in him. Sometimes, because of these tears, he could scarcely say the words of the prayer. was a time of strict judgment for Trophimos under the Elder’s watchfulness. He would forget all the sins he had committed during the day, but all the details would come back to his mind during prayer. This brought about sincere repentance in him. After prayer, he would confess to his Elder and receive absolution. After this, Trophimos would feel an unusual lightness and joy in his soul. He went through all the trials of his novitiate before the eyes of his experienced Elder without concealing any of his transgressions from him. Almost unnoticed, he raised himself up. Psalter, the Holy Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles became his favorite books. He always read a certain amount from each of them every day. He tried to do this without fail, often cutting short his night’s rest if he had no time to read during the day. Seeing his zeal, simplicity, and loyalty, his Elder sometimes told him some of the things that happened to him. Once, for example, he came back from the woods with his riasson and prayer rope badly torn. As he sewed up the sleeves of the riasson, Trophimos was amazed and wondered how the Elder could have torn them so much. Elder said, “I was battling with the devils in the forest. They jumped me, a whole bunch of them, and they wanted to tear the prayer ropes from my hands, screaming that I must not say the Jesus Prayer. God helped me, however. I held on to the prayer ropes, even though they were torn in many places, but the riasson really got it from them.” Father Theodosios strictly forbade him to mention this to any of the monks. Theodosios did not have a bed, but slept on the floor. Noticing that there were bedbugs on the floor where the Elder slept, Trophimos brought a kettle of hot water, and wanted to pour it on them. The Elder would not allow this saying, “Their bites remind me of the never-resting worm which is ready for the sinners who have angered God. In this way they bring me to repentance. Do not deprive me of these insects so that I will not feel sorry later.” lived for about two and a half years in his obedience as cell attendant to Father Theodosios. In 1850, he was listed officially as a novice of the Holy Mountain Hermitage. On March 24, he was tonsured as a riassophore monk by Father Arsenios and was named Timon. At that time he was appointed as overseer of the caves. October 21, 1850 Hieromonk Theodosios, the Monastery’s Father Confessor, reposed. His death was a severe blow to his loyal spiritual son Timon, who shed bitter tears at the loss of his father, instructor, and benefactor. Father Arsenios gave him a wooden cross which belonged to Father Theodosios. He accepted it as a treasure in memory of his Elder. Later, Timon gave the cross to the Skete church, where it is a reminder of the labors and prayers of the great ascetic, Father Theodosios. the repose of Father Theodosios, he received a certain comfort when he was appointed to serve the recluse Hieromonk John in his cave. Timon was quite attached to the recluse. He did everything he could for him, watching over him, and fulfilling all of his requests, even the smallest. Later, when others replaced Timon, the recluse often remembered how Timon always pleased him and was always sincerely predisposed toward him. April 2, 1854, Timon was tonsured into the mantiya and renamed Ioannikios. After this he was appointed as the sacristan (ризничий). This was not an easy obedience, for it required a lot of work. After a while he was appointed to the caves, and once again he served Hieromonk John, who lived there. he was ordained to the diaconate, he became even more diligent toward the church services, while continuing his labors of fasting and prayer in his cell. He acquired a fair number of spiritual books and read them with fervor, increasing his knowledge, and using them as guides in his life. In his spare time he liked to go into the woods and converse with God in seclusion. He practiced the Jesus Prayer with attentiveness (π ρο σοχή), and it became more and more a part of his soul. During one of his walks he ventured deep into the forest, and was taken by its seclusion and beauty as he sat down beside the roots of a large spruce tree. As soon as he touched the moss with his hand, he felt heat coming from it, as if from a stove. He was amazed by this, so he began to inspect the place carefully, and discovered that the moss had been placed there skillfully to conceal the entrance of a cave. Inside he saw a a small stove, and a table, upon which was a Psalter. A lampada was burning before an icon, but the occupant of the cave was not at home, giving Father Ioannikios a chance to examine the cave. Except for some old dried bread, some dried fruit, and a pitcher of water, there was nothing in the cave that indicated the hermit’s life of strict fasting. For some time he had been hearing rumors in the Holy Mountain Hermitage about solitaries who lived nearby in the forest, unknown to the world. It was said that they were living there even before the monastery was rebuilt.1 Archimandrite Arsenios, the Superior, was very uneasy about this because he feared that the secular authorities might regard these unknown persons as vagabonds without identification papers, and this could cause trouble for the newly reopened monastery. Father Arsenios discovered two of these hermits, and so he sent them away from the monastery in a peaceful manner. These two happened to be aged Elders, and soon afterward they completed the course of their lives in nearby villages. their departure Father Arsenios felt somewhat more at ease and stopped searching for the others. The brethren of the monastery continued to wonder if there were more hermits were living in the forest, because they saw thin, blackened people at the church services who were dressed like peasants. They avoided all contact with the monks and left quickly after the service, heading in the direction of the nearest farm. Ioannikios realized that the cave he found must belong to one of these hermits, so he decided to wait for him to return. Soon a tall, very thin man of middle age arrived dressed in a white peasant’s shirt and carrying an armload of firewood from another part of the forest. The hermit was rather disturbed to find a guest waiting for him. He sighed deeply and said, “Apparently, it is God’s will that I leave here. I know you. You are the servant of God, Father Ioannikios. Perhaps you will not tell the Archimandrite about me, but I do not wish to place you in such a position. So tomorrow I shall leave here and go elsewhere.” he invited Father Ioannikios to sit down and offered to let him taste some of his cooked dried pears. The hermit told him that his name was Leontios, and he was a soldier who had deserted. He had been living in that vicinity for about twenty years. Here he found an Elder, who was also a hermit, and who taught him to fast, to pray and to sing Psalms. When the Elder was dying he left him this cave. Father Ioannikios loved the hermit and, in his simplicity, he tried to persuade him to stay in the monastery with them. Not understanding, he offered to go to Father Arsenios with him, saying that he would probably be accepted into the monastery. the hermit shook his head and said, “I am a runaway soldier and have no identification whatsoever. Your Superior will not take me in without papers, so it is useless to ask him to do what is impossible. I thank you, Father, for your love, for which the Lord will reward you in Heaven. But now demonstrate your love and do not say anything to anyone in the monastery until tomorrow about finding my cave and seeing me here until I can move to a place farther away from the monastery. Also bow down before the Father Confessor Epiphanios and say to him that by God’s will Leontios left here and went farther away from those who would pursue him.” leaving the hermit, Father Ioannikios did as he requested, and said nothing to anyone about seeing him. About two days later, he went into the woods again, to the cave, thinking that he might find the hermit still there. However, the entrance to the cave was filled in with dirt, and there was no sign that anyone had lived there. When Father Ioannikios described to Father Epiphanios how he had found the hermit, the Confessor felt sorry for him. He said that he had known him for a long time, and that he was his Spiritual Father. He called him a true servant of God, and an ascetic of lofty spiritual life. years later, a peasant came to Father Ioannikios from a nearby village, bringing him several pounds of beeswax. He said, “Leontios orders you to live a long life, and wishes you to know of his repose. The wax is given to you to make candles to be used in the services offered for the repose of his soul.” The hermit had lived beside the peasant’s beehives. He had lived a very strict ascetical life, and had departed to the Lord after a brief illness. Before his death, he had received the Holy Mysteries from the local priest. Arsenios organized a Skete on the Holy Mountain with a church dedicated to Saint Arsenios the Great (May 8). He wanted to place a few monks from his monastery there, monks who loved ascetical struggles and who would lay a firm foundation for this place of seclusion and prayer. Father Ioannikios was also assigned to the Skete as a deacon. This was very much to his liking, since he had an inclination for solitude. 1859, Archimandrite Arsenios passed away after a lengthy illness. Father Germanus (later Archimandrite) was chosen by the brethren to succeed him, and he completed the work of establishing the Skete. life of Father Ioannikios was peaceful and quiet, and he served in the church in his capacity as a deacon. He labored in fasting and prayer, not sparing himself, and so he grew weaker in body. He began to spit up blood; he lost weight, and became thin and pale. Finally, he was put to bed in the monastery’s infirmary where he remained for about six months. Several times he was so close to death that the doctor lost all hope for his recovery. than once during his illness he saw before him the icon of the Holy Napkin (Aug. 16) and the image of the Lord’s face was life-sized. A beautiful fragrance came forth from it, which brought him untold joy and made him forget his illness. Once, when he was especially ill, those around him awaited his death. He saw the holy icon again, and it came so close to him that it touched his face. He heard a soft voice say, “Get up! Be half-healthy, and benefit the souls of your neighbors.” that moment, he felt that the terrible pain in his chest and side had vanished; some of his strength began to return, and he started to get better, which bewildered the doctor who said long ago that he would die. Truly, he never became completely healthy, but only “half-healthy,“ thin, weak, and bent over. Frequently, he spat up blood, but he got out of bed and was able to walk around, praying and serving in order to benefit the souls of his neighbors. August 24, 1864, he was ordained as a priest. Though weak and sickly, Father Ioannikios labored along with other priests who were healthy, young, and strong. He often did more than they did, and soon he was appointed as the Father Confessor for the pilgrims to the monastery. He performed this duty without any respite or laziness. He frequently confessed the pilgrims who came to the Holy Mountain Hermitage for the better part of the day, especially during the summer. On Feast Days it was often the case that between 2000 and 5000 pilgrims received Holy Communion. Lord gave him a special gift to be a Father Confessor: he knew how to obtain people’s love and trust. He knew at once, from his experience, the spiritual illnesses of those who came to him, and he also knew how to apply the right spiritual medicine for them. There were times, however, when he sought the advice of the very experienced and knowledgeable Elder Kyprianos, who was also his Father Confessor. first, Father Ioannikios admitted that “many women, pilgrims and nuns, would bother me with their tales of the supposed visions and miracles they had seen. They did not say what needs to be said in Confession, but wasted time flaunting their alleged holiness before me. So, I asked Batushka Kyprianos how to deal with such penitents. “He advised me: ‘Order them to make prostrations for every vision or miracle that they disclose to you in a boastful way, and without need for it. Believe me; they will soon leave you in peace.’ “I began to follow his advice, and the women didn’t like it. They stopped coming to me for Confession, and went to other priests. They said I was rude. I was happy though, because they only caused difficulties without any benefit to anyone. Some would waste an hour telling of her visions, while others were waiting for Confession.” Ioannikios disliked hypocrisy and self-proclaimed holiness. He scolded to their face those who tried to conceal their sinfulness under the guise of false virtue and holiness. For those who repented sincerely, however, he avoided making harsh demands, and did not impose severe penances. He said that one might vex the soul of a sinner and thereby cause more harm than good. “It is not beneficial to deprive a penitent of Communion,” said Father Ioannikios. “Christianity is so weak now, especially among the learned, that even without depriving them, they seldom receive Communion. To deprive them would not be a punishment for them, but would only serve to make them weaker.” often substituted other means of penance, and even then with great care, according to each person’s strength and circumstances. addition to his duties as Father Confessor for the Monastery, Father Ioannikios was often sent to nearby villages to give Holy Communion, or to minister to those who were sick or dying. Here are some of the other things that Father Ioannikios related about his experience as a Father Confessor: “Once, a peasant came to me late at night and asked me to go with him at once to give Holy Communion to his brother who was dying. I said to him, ‘Can this wait until morning? It will be easier to make the trip then, and it is better to give Communion before a person has any food. ’ “The peasant insisted that we must go immediately; saying that his brother had told him that he would not live through the night. So we went! We travelled through forests and over fields, and we saw wolves whose eyes shone like candles in the dark. At long last, we arrived at a small secluded village and his brother’s home. I went in and saw that the house had been tidied up. The table was covered with a cloth, and on it were lighted candles. I did not see the sick man anywhere, however. “I was met by a thin and pale peasant, who was dressed decently in clean clothes. As it turned out, he was the one who wished to receive Holy Communion. I was amazed and said, ‘Since you are strong enough to be up, you could have waited to receive Communion in the morning, because only those who are dying may receive after eating food.’ “The man said that he was dying, and had very little time to live. He asked me to confess him right away and then give him Communion. He said, ‘I waited for you, Father. Glory be to God that I was able to wait this long. Please give me the Holy Mysteries now, for those who are sent for my soul are here, and are waiting until you do so.’ “After sending his family from the house, I started to confess him. I must admit that seldom have I heard such a Confession. His life was righteous, his feelings and his mind were so elevated and spiritual, his faith was so sincere, and his love for the Savior was so ardent that I was amazed how such an illiterate family man could acquire such virtues. He partook of the Holy Mysteries with great tenderness and heard the Prayers of Thanksgiving while sitting on a bench. He kissed the cross and my hand, and then peacefully gave his soul into God’s hands. “Later, after questioning his family and his grieving wife, I learned that he had been ill for just a few days. He was not confined to bed, but sat up most of the time. From the start of his illness he ate no food. He told his wife that his time was up and he would die. He asked for a priest to come and give him Communion. Seeing that he was sitting up, his family was in no hurry to do so. Only in the evening of the day before he reposed, they heeded his request and believed him when he said he wouldn’t live until morning. He led an abstinent life; he was kind and ready to help anyone with his last piece of bread. He was most fervent in prayer, and the Lord manifested His grace in him, which was revealed clearly by his righteous death.” “On another occasion, I was called to visit a sick woman. I entered the house and saw a woman, who was still young, standing before a mirror and putting a kerchief on her head. She was the sick person! I was quite upset and I reproached her sternly because she appeared to be healthy, but she wanted to receive the Holy Mysteries before she died. She listened to me meekly and said, ‘I asked you to come because I feel that my death is near. Do not think that you have been deceived because you found me by the mirror. I did not want to come to the holy chalice with my hair uncombed, so I did the best I could.’ “She asked me to confess her and give her Holy Communion. I began unwillingly, because I did not believe what she said, and she seemed to be completely healthy. She confessed and received Holy Communion with great reverence, as a true Christian ought to do. I didn’t even have time to put the holy chalice away and begin the Prayers of Thanksgiving. When I looked, she lay down and closed her eyes. I bent over her, but she had already departed to the Lord. She became sick after giving birth and had passed away, leaving an orphaned child.” the Holy Mountain Monastery lived a landowner, a family man, of advanced years. He had cancer, which covered his face in one large wound. He suffered very much, and had to be fed with a spoon. The local priest refused to give him Holy Communion because of the stench which came from the open wound. The family turned to Father Ioannikios for help because the man wanted very much to receive Holy Communion. He looked at the sick man and decided that he could place the Holy Communion right into his mouth with a long-handled spoon, since it had not been eaten away by the cancer. He made such a spoon, confessed the man, and gave him Holy Communion. This made the man very happy. that time on, the suffering man frequently sent for Father Ioannikios in order to receive the Holy Mysteries from him, for it was the one joy in his life. The effect on Father Ioannikios was not insignificant. Many of the monks at the monastery marveled at how he was able to bear the stench, or even the sight of this terrible wound. They even thought that he would become ill himself by visiting this man. Father Ioannikios, however, having complete hope in God, did not fear the stench or the possibility of becoming infected. He continued to bring the Holy Mysteries to the man until the very end. feeling of compassion for the sick and the suffering was especially strong in Father Ioannikios. Very many pilgrims came to Holy Mountain Monastery from everywhere in the summertime. People from all walks of life, from peasants to those who were educated; and many of these were afflicted or possessed, and were brought to the monastery by relatives in the hope of a cure from the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas. Seeing the suffering of these unfortunates, who often screamed loudly with tumultuous voices, or went into convulsions, especially in church during the Divine Liturgy. Knowing that prayers of exorcism are to be read in such cases, Saint Ioannikios was motivated by faith, and he began to pray in this manner over the possessed, anointing them with holy oil in the name of the Lord. of the monks did not approve of this, for they thought Father Ioannikios was too bold. However, Elder Kyprianos, the Father Confessor of the monastery, did not have enough nerve to pray over them himself, so he blessed the saint to do it with complete faith and humility of mind. Kyprianos said that Father Ioannikios, as a faster and a man of prayer, was fully capable of dealing with such afflicted persons, because according to the Lord, “This kind is never expelled except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29). In truth, the prayers of Father Ioannikios over these people, said with firm faith before the Almighty Lord, often brought visible cures. Far from the monastery word spread that the Father Confessor was a healer and that he was able to cure the possessed by his prayers. the summertime, he was often seen after the services in front of the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas, praying over the possessed, whose ferocious screaming could be heard at that time. Some cursed him with the most horrible words; others blasphemed terribly, and some even tried to beat him. He did suffer from beatings more than once. He endured all of this meekly, however, attacking the evil demons through fasting and prayer, with which he prepared himself beforehand. Usually, he succeeded, and the sufferers would calm down. They would become humble and meek, and would start praying to God and weep, or they threw up a malodorous liquid on the floor, after which they were completely healed. an enormous man, a Cossack soldier from the vicinity of the Kuban River, was brought to him with a wild expression on his face. His relatives, two strong men, had dragged him there with great difficulty. The possessed man roared with an inhuman voice like a bear, or a wolf, or a pig. All of these were heard from the man at the same time, and his eyes glared with unspeakable hatred. In front of the cathedral of the Holy Mountain Monastery, which is on top of a hill, there is a wide stone stairway leading to the small square where the cathedral is situated. The two men dragged the possessed man to the stairs, but were unable to make him climb the stairs by any means. One of these men went into the cathedral to speak to Father Ioannikios. Fearlessly, the saint came out of the cathedral in his epitracheilion, ready to pray over the man, who was lying on the ground. the man jumped up, seized Father Ioannikios, and threw him over his shoulder. He ran up the stairs and around the cathedral. Those who were present were terrified and did not know what to do. They ran after the man, and saw him on the ground by the cathedral’s western door. Father Ioannikios was all right and unharmed, and he sat on top of the man, holding him by his hair. His relatives ran up to bind the man’s hands and feet, but Father Ioannikios would not permit it. “Don’t touch him,” he said. “Leave him alone. He won’t run anymore. We’ve already had our battle, and you can see who won.” He pointed to the man, whose hair he held with a firm grip. Then he stood up and covered the man’s head with his epitracheilion, and began to read the prayers. The man lay quietly, breathing heavily, as though he were going to vomit. Finally, with a great effort, he threw up fetid, bloody foam so malodorous that those who stood nearby had to move away from him. this the man got up and began to make prostrations while facing the church and offering his heartfelt prayers. The next day he made his Confession to Father Ioannikios and partook of the Holy Mysteries, which he had avoided for the past five years. During Confession he explained that he had become possessed when he had dared to strike his mother. that moment, he experienced terrible suffering. He left the monastery, assured of his complete cure, and went home to Kuban. Later, he received instructions on how to conduct himself so that he would not become subjected to that same evil spirit again. Father Ioannikios said later that when the possessed man threw him over his shoulder and ran up the stairs, he suddenly felt a power within him which enabled him to overcome the man almost effortlessly, while calling upon the sweetest name of the Lord Jesus. was not only adults who were brought to Father Ioannikios, but even children who exhibited sure signs of possession. They spoke in foreign languages, foretold the future, and blasphemed so much that it was frightening. It was much easier to win them over than the adults, however. This was not simply because they were only children, but also because their innocent nature was much more receptive to God’s grace. There were cases where the possessed would relate in detail, and in a loud voice, whatever Father Ioannikios did or thought, or if he ate a little more than usual. They told him that all of his efforts to cast them out would be in vain. Therefore, he fasted even more, for he knew that prayer and fasting are the best weapons to use in healing those who are afflicted. only were the saint’s prayers effective against evil spirits, but also in healing many other illnesses of people who came to him with sincere faith. Once, a young man, the son of a merchant from a nearby town, visited him in his cell. He told him of his sorrow at being a drunkard, because this caused his parents intense grief. He fell down at the feet of Father Ioannikios, begging to be released from this destructive passion, by his prayers. Father Ioannikios put on his epitracheilion and read the prayer for the sick, and then he anointed him with holy oil. He ordered him to drink a little holy water every morning before eating or drinking anything else. a while, the young man visited Father Ioannikios again and said that from the time that he prayed over him and anointed him with the holy oil, he felt such revulsion for wine that he could no longer endure the smell of it. He gave fervent thanks to Father Ioannikios for this. The saint advised him to continue to drink the holy water, ascribing his cure to the grace of God. Later, the young man became interested in monasticism and entered a monastery in Kursk province. compassion for everyone, Saint Ioannikios was always ready to help a poor person in trouble and even went so far as to deny himself as much as possible. large throng of pilgrims usually visited the monastery on the Feast of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on May 9, and the church was very crowded during the services. Once, two well-dressed, still young women from Rostov on the Don River came for this Feast. One of them was pregnant and was so pressed by those in the church that she felt that her child was about to be born. The other woman got her out of the church with some difficulty, and her son was born in the monastery guesthouse. This created a disturbance and so the manager told Father Ioannikios what had happened, and asked him what to do. He wondered if he should ask the women to go to the nearby village. “Why,” Father Ioannikios cried, “are we like animals to act in such a way?” went to the guesthouse himself and asked the other woman to come out and tell him right away about everything in detail. Then he sent other women pilgrims to the monastery to go and help them. He also sent for the parish priest to come and baptize the baby, because a Hieromonk is not permitted to do so, except in cases of great necessity. He himself became the child’s godfather2 and participated in this unforeseen event which befell these visitors so far from their home, for which they thanked him very much. The boy’s father, a wealthy merchant of Rostov, became a great benefactor of the Holy Mountain Hermitage and sincerely respected Father Ioannikios, keeping him informed about the child’s growth and accomplishments. of the saint’s extraordinary character traits was his love for children. Often, among the pilgrims, there were families with children, who received special attention from the Elder. He also had a child-like simplicity and trust, and he knew how to convey this to the youngsters so that they loved him and listened to him. He said, “The innocence of such children always evokes tenderness in me. One child looks like an angel of God, the purity of his soul just radiates from his face, especially at Holy Communion.” unfortunate persons, feeble-minded adults, may seem like children in their undeveloped minds. These also received the special love and protection of the kindly Father Ioannikios. We have already see how much he loved Theophilos, the blessed Fool for Christ (+ January 30, 1868), and how he cared for him during his illness, visiting him and gratifying all his wishes. was not the only one he befriended, however. Father Ioannikios always knew how to get along with those whose mental faculties were somewhat diminished. They always loved him and listened to him, and would frequently work along with the monks. Hieromonk Kyprianos, the monastery’s Father Confessor reposed, Father Ioannikios, in the humility and simplicity of his soul, did not wish to take his place. Some of the monks, however, desired this. Even Father Kyprianos himself pointed him out as a Confessor who was more experienced than anyone else. The Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, chose him as his own Father Confessor following the death of Father Kyprianos. This elevated him in the eyes of the entire monastery, but he always acted in such a way that he would not arouse anyone’s jealousy or give them cause to complain. he was sent out into the world by the Superior on the monastery’s business. Even though he was exposed to worldly turmoil, he preserved his spiritual tranquility by unceasing prayer. He also brought much benefit to those worldly people in whose company he happened to find himself. In particular, he loved to visit with his spiritual children who were living in the world. He completed his business quickly and in an expeditious manner. He did not like to sit around for very long. He performed his duties, and then went home to the monastery. His ill health also made such traveling and movement necessary for him. If he remained in his cell too long, the bleeding would start again. If he was traveling, it stopped right away. So it happened that he would leave the monastery feeling very weak, but when he returned he felt much stronger. Whether he was in a railroad car, at the train station, at an inn, or in the home of a peasant, he always tried to benefit his neighbor. cell was very simple. There were a few icons, a number of Church Service Books, some clothing, a poor man’s tea service, and a cheap clock. That was all. He always had books all over his cell. Some were opened, others had page markers. It was apparent that the Elder spent all his spare time in reading. A lampada always burned in his cell before the holy icons. He always advised people to prepare for, and to partake of, the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible. He would say, “Someone who often prepares himself for receiving Holy Communion will improve in his inward being unconsciously, and even that is a great accomplishment. Our union with Christ through partaking of His Mysteries makes even our poor and insufficient preparation better by His grace. It renews us and recreates us, transforming us from carnal creatures to spiritual beings. Every person who partakes of the Holy Mysteries frequently will soon discover this and feel it within himself. Do not tell me that you are not prepared, or are unworthy to partake often. You are not prepared because of laziness, and in this way you do what the Enemy likes. He cannot endure anyone who prepares himself and receives Communion often, because this person is frightening and inaccessible to him. You are not worthy! Who among us can claim to be worthy of receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord? All of us are unworthy of this gift of God’s mercy! If we deprive ourselves of this gift by saying that we are unworthy, then we sin grievously, because we are pushing God away from ourselves. If we acknowledge our unworthiness, if we repent, and if we thirst to partake of the Holy Mysteries, then we receive help from above, and this becomes the means by which we partake of the Holy Mysteries uncondemned.” he himself was cautious about manifestations from the spiritual world, Father Ioannikios always warned his Spiritual Children about believing in dreams or visions. simplicity was extraordinary, and often it was like that of a child. Since he was non-acquisitive, he always declined expensive gifts. If he was forced to accept, he would give all of it to the monastery, according to the strict cenobitic Rule. It was easy to make him happy with a small inexpensive gift. He preferred small sizes of books, such as the Psalter, the Holy Gospels, or the book of Canons. He had them in the smallest sizes one could obtain. His tea service was also quite small, almost like those made for children. Nothing made him happier than to be presented with a small drinking glass, or a tiny tea cup, or a small comb. events occurred to make his poor health even worse. Once, while passing through the monastery yard, he saw that the crank on the water well was not working properly, and that the novice who was sent to repair it was unable to do so. The Elder came, and without stopping to think about it, he started to help. He climbed to the top of the structure and fell down into the well, where he might have drowned if the pulley hadn’t kept his head above the water. He bruised his shoulder, arm, and side very seriously on the wooden sides of the well. The monks came running and pulled him out of the well nearly unconscious, and he was ill for a long time afterward. This fall made his health even worse and, as he said himself, it was the precursor of his approaching death. found himself in danger once again, on one of his trips by train. He was rushing, as quickly as ever, to get into the coach. He missed his step, however, and fell between the car and the station platform. He was saved by his slender build, which allowed the train to pass over him, brushing him slightly with the wheels. after this, he was sick for some time, and his side turned black and hard to the touch. As he lay beneath the train expecting to be killed, he prayed to the Mother of God asking her to deliver him from such a terrible death. Suddenly, he felt as if someone were pulling him toward the platform to a narrow space where he lay on his side and waited for the entire train to pass over him. “Yes, my time is near, perceptibly near,” he said. He began to ask his friends not to forget him after his death, and to remember his parents Nikḗtas and Martha as well. “If you love me,” he said, “do not forget my parents. In this way you will show your love for me.” February 1, 1882 he was visited by the Superior, Father Germanus after Vespers, who found the Elder very ill. They sent for a doctor, who diagnosed him with acute pneumonia, and stated that his condition was grave. His Confessor, Hieromonk Arkadios, brought him the Holy Mysteries every day, and visited him often. His neighbor in the next cell, Hieromonk Dometios, was with him almost all the time and looked after him with rare love and devotion. February 8, he received the Mystery of Holy Unction. Toward evening on February 10, he became much worse. Now his death was very near, indeed. His Confessor read the Prayer for the dying over him. Father Germanus came to visit and stayed until the end, which was not long in coming. At 7:00 P.M. he passed peacefully and quietly away. crowds in the monastery were very large. Memorial Services were sung over him, and everyone wanted to bid him farewell in his cell. It was very stuffy because of the crowds, but his body remained incorrupt. There was no odor of death, but he was so thin that his body on the table looked like bones covered with skin. February 11, his body was taken from his cell to the church of the Protecting Veil by Hieromonk Paisios, the Confessor for the monks. On February 12, in the same church, the Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, solemnly served the Liturgy with other priests, and the Funeral Service took place afterward. The coffin was taken to the underground church in the caves and was buried there. Ioannikios was glorified on July 12, 2008. 1 The monastery was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the French in 1812. 2 According to Canon 4 of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, a monk may not intrude upon or meddle in ecclesiastical affairs. See The Pedalion p. 248. The Interpretation of this Canon says that “monks must not become godfathers to children being baptized (except in cases of urgent necessity...”) Pedalion page 249.

Russia, Kiev, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, first bishop martyred bCommunists, and Ukranian Church
Russia, Mordovia, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), first bishop tortured slain bCommunists diring Russian Revolution, his priest father also murdered, 1874 graduate Kiev Theological A, taught aTambov Seminary 7yrs, 1881 priesthood, Wife&Son died 1886, entered Tambov's Koslov m, 1888 bishop oStaraya Rus& vicar oNovgorod d, 1891 diocese oSamara, cholera & crop failure, led care for sick, 1892 archbishop Kartalin&Kahetin, 1898 Met Moscow&Kolomna for 15yrs, besides helping poor, widows, orphans he helped alcoholics&Who left church, also education expecially theological schools, 1912 Met oPetrogad till 1915, when he disapproved Rasputin &transferred tKiev byTsar, 1917 Tikhon elected patriarch oMoscow, Ukranian Congress called for automous Ukraine and independent Ukranian Church, Vladimir warned that division would help church enemies, but end 1917 Ukranian dominion formed, searate U church, uncannon group forbade Tikhon commemoration, demanded Vlad leave Kiev, Jan 1918 civil war came to kiev, many churches monasteries damaged, Bolsheviks seized Kiev Caves Lavra, soldiers into churches, monks to courtyard, Jan 25th looking for Met Vlad, Tortured choked demanded money, attendant asked for blessing, enough bowing to blood-drinkers, Good-by Philip, walked calmly wExecutioners, prayed and blessed Executioners, May God forgive you, several rifle shots, morning women to Lavra told where his body, in Moscow All-Russian Church Council Tikhon preformed memorial service, but Revolution halted investigation; Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution. Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky was born in the province of Tambov of pious parents on January 1, 1848. father, a priest, was later murdered. young Basil graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev in 1874, taught in the Tambov seminary for seven years before he was ordained to the holy priesthood. wife died in 1886, and their only child died shortly thereafter. bereaved widower entered the Kozlov monastery in Tambov and was given the name Vladimir. 1888 he was consecrated bishop of Staraya Rus, served as a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese. 1891 he was assigned to the diocese of Samara. those days people of his diocese suffered from a cholera epidemic and a crop failure. Vladimir devoted himself to caring for the sick and suffering, inspiring others to follow his example. 1892 he became Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin, in 1898 he was chosen as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. served fifteen years in this position. Vladimir was distinguished by his compassion for the poor, and for widows and orphans. also tried to help alcoholics and those who had abandoned the Church. Metropolitan was also interested in the education of children in school, especially those who were studying in the theological schools. 1912, after the death of Metropolitan Anthony, he was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd, administering that diocese until 1915. he disapproved of Rasputin, Metropolitan Vladimir fell out of favor with the Tsar, and so he was transferred to Kiev. November 5, 1917 it was he who announced that Saint Tikhon (April 7) had been elected as Patriarch of Moscow. “Ukrainian Congress” was also calling for an autonomous Ukraine and for the creation of a Ukrainian Church independent from the Church of Russia. Vladimir suffered and grieved because of this question, warning that such a division in the Church would allow its enemies to be victorious. at the end of 1917, a Ukrainian Dominion was formed, and also a separate Ukrainian church administration (“rada”) led by the retired Archbishop Alexis Dorodnitzin. uncanonical group forbade the commemoration of Patriarch Tikhon during church services, and demanded that Metropolitan Vladimir leave Kiev. January 1918 the civil war came to Kiev, the two forces vied for control of the city. churches and monasteries were damaged by the cannon fire. Bolsheviks seized the Kiev Caves Lavra on January 23, and soldiers broke into the churches. were taken out into the courtyard to be stripped and beaten. At six thirty on the night of January 25, five armed soldiers and a sailor came looking for Metropolitan Vladimir. seventy-year-old hierarch was tortured and choked in his bedroom with the chain of his cross. ruffians tortured the Metropolitan and demanded money. they emerged, the Metropolitan’s cell attendant approached and asked for a blessing. sailor pushed him aside and told him, “Enough bowing to these blood-drinkers. No more of it.” blessing and kissing him, the Metropolitan said, “Good-bye, Philip.” he walked calmly with his executioners, just as if he were on his way to serve the Liturgy. Vladimir was driven from the monastery to the place of execution. they got out of the car, the holy martyr asked, “Do you intend to shoot me here?” “Why not?” they replied. praying for a short time and asking forgiveness for his sins, Metropolitan Vladimir blessed the executioners, saying, “May God forgive you.” several rifle shots were heard. the morning, some women came to the gates of the Lavra and told the monks where the Metropolitan’s body could be found. was lying on his back, with bullet wounds near his right eye and by his right collarbone. were also several cuts and gashes on the body, including a very deep chest wound. hieromartyr was carried into the Lavra church of Saint Michael, where he had spent his last days at prayer. Moscow, the All-Russian Church Council was in session when word came of Metropolitan Vladimir’s death. Tikhon and his clergy performed a Memorial Service for the New Martyr Vladimir. commission was formed to investigate the circumstances of Metropolitan Vladimir’s murder, it was unable to carry out its duties because of the Revolution. Council decided that January 25, the day of his death, would be set aside for the annual commemoration of all of Russia’s martyrs and confessors killed by the Soviets. holy New Martyr Vladimir of Kiev was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. the Sunday closest to January 25 (the day of Metropolitan Vladimir’s martyrdom) we also observe the Synaxis of Russia’s New Martyrs and Confessors.

Russia, Kiev, 1880-1882, Kozelshchansk Icon, Kozelschina, Poltava, Ukraine, Sick Girl Story, Instantly cured of Paralysis, More
Russia, Kiev, 1880-1882, Kozelshchansk Icon, Kozelschina, Poltava, Ukraine, Sick Girl Story, Instantly cured of Paralysis, More, from italy, Liz's maid of honor 1741, to Ukraine, Kapnist family 1880s, daughter's foot dislocation, special shoe, hot baths, supplements, no reliev, other foot twisted, both shoulders&left hip dislocated, pain in spine, curative mineral waters in Caucasus, lost all feeling hands&feet on way, specialists in Moscow, despair, foreign professor opportunity, but wait, pray with faith to Icon while waiting.; village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance; “Kozelshchansk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 21; Kozelshchansk Icon of the Mother of God was glorified in the late nineteenth century, though it is older than that. icon is of Italian origin and was brought to Russia by one of Empress Elizabeth’s (1741-1761) maids of honor, who was Italian. owner of the icon married a records clerk of the Zaporozhsky-Cossack army, Siromakh. So, the icon went to the Ukraine with them. the nineteenth century it belonged to the family of Count Vladimir Kapnist, and was one of their sacred possessions. icon was in the village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance. During Cheesefare Week in the year 1880, the daughter of V. I. Kapnist, dislocated some bones in her foot. The local doctor said the problem was not serious. Dr. Grube, a noted surgeon in Kharkov, agreed with the diagnosis, and he applied a plaster cast to Maria’s foot. He also prescribed hot baths and iron supplements. To lessen the discomfort of the foot while walking, a special shoe was made with metal bands that went around the girl’s leg. Lent passed, but the girl did not feel any relief. Pascha, Maria’s other foot became twisted. Then both shoulders and her left hip became dislocated, and she developed pain in her spine. The doctor advised Count Kapnist to take his daughter immediately to the Caucasus for the curative mineral waters and mountain air. The journey to the Caucasus and the curative treatments caused even greater affliction. The girl lost all feeling in her hands and feet, and did not even feel pinches. of the advanced degree of the illness, and since therapy was not helping, they were compelled to return home. the month of October, the father journeyed with his sick daughter to Moscow. Here he consulted specialists, who declared that they could do nothing for Maria. parents and the sick girl began to despair. However, an unexpected opportunity for help from a foreign professor presented itself. Since it would be some while before his arrival in Moscow, the sick girl asked to return home. The Count sent her back to the village, and his wife promised to bring their daughter back to Moscow when he received news of the the professor’s arrival. On February 21, 1881, they received a telegram saying that the professor had arrived in Moscow. the day before the appointment, Maria’s mother suggested that she pray before the family icon of the Mother of God. She said to her daughter, “Masha [a diminutive form of Maria], tomorrow we go to Moscow. Take the icon, let us clean its cover and pray to the Most Holy Theotokos that your infirmity be cured.” girl, who had no confidence in earthly physicians, placed all her hope in God. This icon had long been known as wonderworking. According to Tradition, young women would pray before it to have a happy family. It was also the custom to clean the cover of the icon, and the one praying would wipe it with cotton or linen. the holy icon to her bosom, the sick girl, with the help of her mother, cleaned it and poured out all her sorrow and despair of soul to the Mother of God. All at once, she felt the strength return to her body and she cried out loudly, “Mama! Mama! I can feel my legs! I can feel my hands!” She tore off the metal braces and bandages and began to walk about the room, while continuing to hold the icon of the Mother of God in her hands. parish priest was summoned at once and celebrated a service of Thanksgiving before the icon. The joyous event quickly became known throughout all the surrounding villages. The Countess and Maria went to Moscow and took with them the holy icon of the Mother of God. News of the healing quickly spread about Moscow and people began to throng to the hotel, and then to the church, where they had brought the icon. icon continued to work several more healings. When the family returned home to Kozelschina, people had already heard about the miracles of the Kozelschansk icon of the Mother of God in Moscow, and many came to venerate the icon. It was no longer possible to keep the icon at home, so by the order of Archbishop John of Poltava, the icon was transferred to a temporary chapel on April 23, 1881. Every day from early morning, services of Thanksgiving and Akathists were served before the icon. 1882 a chapel was built on the grounds of the estate, and then a church. At the decision of the Holy Synod on March 1, 1885 a women’s monastery was established, and on February 17, 1891 it was dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. present, the Kozelschansk Icon is in the Krasnogorsk Protection women’s monastery (Kiev diocese). In the lower left corner of the icon is a table with a cup and a spoon. It is believed that this symbolizes the Mother of God as a “bowl for mixing the wine of joy” (Akathist, Ikos 11). A Service and an Akathist have been composed for the Kozelschansk Icon.

Russia, Kiev, 1891-1918, Hiermrtr Nikodemos, Bishop oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian, incorrupt relics
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28.

Russia, Kiev, 1898, Kursk Icon of the Sign, Survived Anarchist time-bomb, even the glass, other things devastated
Russia, Kiev, 1898, Icon of the Sign, Kursk, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths), to destroy it Anarchists time-bombed it, but it survived, even its glass, while Everything in Cathedral except the icon was devastated.; Kursk; Icon of the Mother of God of “the Sign”, Commemorated on March 8; March 8, 1898, a group of anarchists who hoped to undermine the people’s faith in the Kursk-Root Icon’s wonderworking power, decided to destroy it. placed a time bomb in the Cathedral of the Sign in the city of Kursk, and at 2 o’clock in the morning there was a devastating explosion that shook the monastery's walls. frightened monks ran immediately to the cathedral, where they saw horrible devastation. The force of the blast shattered the gilded canopy above the Icon. The heavy marble base, with several massive steps, had been jolted out of position and had split into several pieces. A huge metal candlestick which had stood in front of the Icon was blown to the opposite side of the cathedral. A cast iron door near the Icon of the Mother of God was torn from its hinges and was thrown outward where it smashed against a wall and made a deep crack. All the windows in the cathedral, including those in the dome overhead, were shattered. Amid the general devastation, the holy Icon remained in one piece and even the glass within the frame was intact. Instead of destroying the Kursk-Root Icon, the anarchists had, on the contrary, become the cause of its greater glorification. principal Feast Day of the Kursk-Root Icon is on November 27. It is also commemorated on September 8, the day of its appearance in 1259.

Russia, Kiev, 1900, 20th C Folder, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade, tShanghai, tPhillipines, Russian Civil War, Kiev Civil War, Dormition Kiev destroyed WWII, Chernobyl disaster

Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbying, Paris
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; Kharkov; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

Russia, Kiev, 1918, Kiev Civil War, Russian Civil War
Russia, Kiev, 1918, Kiev Civil War, Russian Civil War; St. Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25;

Russia, Kiev, 1944, Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII)
Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII); Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 1; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Russia, Kiev, 1986, Chernobyl (Wormwood) Disaster, 1986, (Kiev, Pirypat River Mouth)
Chernobyl (Wormwood) Disaster;

Russia, Kiev, 2000, 21st C Folder, Nikodemos' incorrupt relics in the Donbas

Russia, Kiev, 2012, Uncovering of Nikodemos' incorrupt Relics, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28. Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Unknown Century Folder, Mark tGrave Digger, Theo's position itGrave

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus &John, otKiev Near Caves, T&J'sDouble Grave, dead John moves, Repent Tears
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus, and John, of the Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, natural brothers Theo&John loved each other so much they wanted double grave, side by side, John died while Theo away, John buried in higher place, Theo indignant wMark because he was tOlder bro, Mark humbly asked forgiveness and asked John to move, which he did, Theo begged forgiveness, Mark told Theo he ought to be concerned own salvation because soon he would join John, Theo became terrified, gave everything, awaited death, no one could stop his tears, nor tempt him tasty food, tears day&night, tears fBread, God granted several years, fasting Lamentation, even blind from tears, Mark foresaw hour his own death, told Theo, Theo either take me or restore my sight, do not desire death said Mark, you wil die 3days after you receive sight, words fulfilled; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus, and John, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 29; Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus and John are mentioned in the Kiev Caves Paterikon. brothers being monastics, Saints Theophilus and John, so loved each other that they prevailed upon Saint Mark to prepare a double grave so they could be buried side by side. years later, the older of the two brothers was away on monastery business. this time his brother John fell ill and died. days later, Saint Theophilus returned and went with the brethren to view his brother’s body. that he lay at the higher place in their common grave, he became indignant with Saint Mark and said, “Why did you put him in my place? I am older than he.” cave-dweller Mark, bowed humbly to Saint Theophilus and asked that he forgive him. Turning to the dead man, he said, “Arise, give this place to your older brother, and you lie down in the other place.” the dead man moved to the lower place in the grave. this, Saint Theophilus fell down at the knees of Saint Mark begging his forgiveness. cave-dweller Mark told Theophilus that he ought to be concerned for his own salvation, because soon he would join his brother in that place. this, Saint Theophilus became terrified and decided that he would soon die. gave away everything that he possessed, keeping only his mantle, and every day he awaited the hour of death. one was able to stop his tears, nor to tempt him with tasty food. were his bread by day and by night (Ps 41/42:3). granted him several years more for repentance, which he spent in fasting and lamentation. even went blind from continuous weeping. Mark forsaw the hour of his death and told Theophilus he would soon depart this life. pleaded, “Father, either take me with you, or restore my sight.” Mark said to Theophilus, “Do not desire death, it shall come in its own time, even if you do not wish it. this be the sign of your impending end: three days before you depart this world, your eyesight will return.” words of the saint were fulfilled. The body of Saint Theophilus was placed in the Antoniev Cave in the grave together with his brother Saint John, near the relics of Saint Mark. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Laurence tRecluse oKiev Far Caves, conquered passions thru prayer fasting, incorrupt relics
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Laurence tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, conquered passions thru prayer fasting, incorrupt relics; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; the vain glory of this world, Saint Laurence lived in a cave conquered the passions through prayer and fasting. incorrupt relics lie in the Far Caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Euthymius tSchemamonk, vow oSilence, spoke church&Prayer only, ate only Herbs, buried Kiev Far Caves
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Euthymius tSchemamonk, vow oSilence, spoke church&Prayer only, ate only Herbs, buried Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated on January 20; Schemamonk Euthymius of the Kiev Caves imposed upon himself a vow of silence, his mouth only for church services and for prayer. silent schemamonk ate only herbs. was buried in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius at the Kiev Caves monastery. memory is also celebrated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Pancratius otKiev Caves, received gift oWorking miracles, healing w fasting, prayer, anointing wOil
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Pancratius otKiev Caves, performed devine services wGrace, received gift oWorking miracles, Shared those gifts when asked, healing w fasting, prayer, anointing wOil; Kiev Caves; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; holy hieromonk Pancratius performed the divine services with much grace, received the gift of working miracles. shared his gifts with those who asked, the sick with fasting, prayer, and anointing with holy oil.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Paphnutius tRecluse, oKiev Caves, 1051, able to free himself through death rememberance, which led to tears
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Paphnutius tRecluse, oKiev Caves, 1051, able to free himself from worldly distractions and passions through prayer, repentance and fasting. This, in turn, led to tears; Kiev Caves; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Paphnutius had the gift of tears, which Saint John of the Ladder says (Step 6:1) is preceded by the remembrance of death. For worldly people, this remembrance may lead to fear and distress, but for Saint Paphnutius it led to constant prayer and the guarding of his mind. By remembering the hour of death and God’s judgment, Saint Paphnutius was able to free himself from worldly distractions and passions through prayer, repentance and fasting. This, in turn, led to tears.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Agathon, wonderworker otKiev Caves, great ascetic, healed the sick by laying on hands, also gift oProphecy
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Agathon, wonderworker otKiev Caves, great ascetic, healed the sick by laying on his hands, also gift oProphecy, and foretold time oDeath; Kiev Caves; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Agathon of the Kiev Caves was a great ascetic, and he healed the sick by a laying his hands upon them. also possessed the gift of prophecy and foretold the time of his own death. memory is celebrated also at the Synaxis of the Monks of the Far Caves on August 28.

Russia, Kiev, 9999, Titus tSoldier, seriously wounded, lknown fBravery, illness bWwound, entered Kiev Caves monastery
Russia, Kiev, 9999, Titus the Soldier oKiev Caves monastery, seriously wounded in battle, lknown for bravery, illness by wound, left service, entered Kiev Caves Monastery, spent life in prayer and repentence, attained heavenly kingdom; Kiev Caves monastery; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Titus was a soldier who was known for his bravery. day, he was seriously wounded in battle. illness caused by his wound forced him to leave the military service, he entered the Kiev Caves Monastery. he spent the rest of his life in prayer and repentance, and attained the heavenly Kingdom.

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Folder

Dnieper River

Dnieper River Source (Valdai Hills, near Smolensk)
Valdai Hills;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Source, Vyazama River Folder

Vyazma River

Vyazma River Source (Valdai Hills)

Vyazma River 1 (Vyazama)

Vyazma, Ukraine (Vyazna River 1)
Vyazma; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated August 14 ; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated December 13 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2;

Vyazma River 2

Vyazma River 3

Vyazma River Mouth (Dnieper River Source)

Dnieper River 1 (Dorogobuzha)

Dorogobuzha, Ukraine (Dnieper River 1)
Dorogobuzha, Ukraine (Dnieper River 1) ; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1;

Dnieper River 2 (Smolensk)

Dnieper River 3 (Mogilev)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 2, Smolensk Folder, to Poland or Volga

Smolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2, Varangian Trade Route, Moscow Road to Poland from Volga)
Smolensk; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Smolensk, Commemorated July 24 ; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Abramius of Smolensk, a preacher of repentance and the Dread Last Judgment, was born in the mid-twelfth century at Smolensk of rich parents, who had twelve daughters before him, and they begged God for a son. childhood he grew up in the fear of God, he was often in church and had the opportunity to read books. The parents hoped that their only son would enter into marriage and continue their illustrious lineage, but he sought a different life. After the death of his parents, having given away all his wealth to monasteries, to churches and to the destitute, the saint walked through the city in rags, asking God to show him the way to salvation. was tonsured in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, five versts from Smolensk, at Selischa. Having passed through various obediences there, the monk fervently occupied himself with copying books, culling spiritual riches from them. The Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) started a school in the city, in which they taught not only in Slavonic, but also from Greek and Latin books. The Prince himself had a large collection of books, which Saint Abramius used. He had struggled for more than 30 years at the monastery, when in the year 1198 the igumen persuaded him to accept the dignity of presbyter. Every day he served the Divine Liturgy and fulfilled the obedience of clergy not only for the brethren, but also for the laity. the monk became widely known. This aroused the envy of the brethren, and then of the igumen also, and five years later, the monk was compelled to transfer to the Exaltation of the Cross monastery in Smolensk itself. With offerings from the devout, he embellished the cathedral church of the poor monastery with icons, and with curtains and candle-stands. He himself painted two icons on themes which most concerned him. On one he depicted the Dread Last judgment, and on the other the suffering of the trials of life. Lean and pale from extreme toil, in priestly garb the ascetic resembled Saint Basil the Great in appearance. The saint was strict both towards himself, and towards his spiritual children. He preached constantly in church and to those coming to him in his cell, conversing with rich and poor alike. city notables and the clergy demanded that Bishop Ignatius bring the monk to trial, accusing him of seducing women and tempting his spiritual children. But even more terrible were the accusations of heresy and the reading of forbidden books. For this they proposed to drown or burn the ascetic. At the trial by the Prince and the Bishop, the saint answered all the false accusations. Despite this, they forbade him to serve as a priest and returned him to his former monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos . A terrible drought occurred in consequence of God’s wrath over the unjust sentence, and only when Saint Ignatius pardoned Saint Abramius, permitting him to serve and preach, did the rain again fall on Smolensk. bishop Saint Ignatius built a new monastery, in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, and he entrusted the guidance of it to Saint Abramius, and he himself settled into it, retiring from the diocese because of age. Many wished to enter under the guidance of Saint Abramius, but he examined them very intensely and only after great investigation, so at his monastery there were only seventeen brethren. Saint Abramius, after the death of Saint Ignatius, having become his spiritual friend, urged the brethren, more than before, to think about death and to pray day and night, that they be not condemned in the Judgment by God. Abramius died after the year 1224, having spent 50 years in monasticism. Already at the end of the thirteenth century a service had been compiled to him, together with his disciple Saint Ephraim. The terrible Mongol-Tatar invasion, seen as the wrath of God for the nation’s sins, not only did not stifle the memory of Saint Abramius of Smolensk, but rather was a reminder to people of his calling to repentance and recollection of the dread Last Judgment. Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves,Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Blessed Heaven"Â, Commemorated on March 6; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the "œSweet-Kissing"Â, Commemorated on March 19; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Uncut Mount"Â, Commemorated on March 24; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œVirgin of Tenderness"Â from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Smolensk, 1125-1484, Smolensk Princes, Rostislavichi, Sons of Rostislav Mstislavich, stronger Western Ties
The Prince of Smolensk was the kniaz, the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Smolensk, a lordship based on the city of Smolensk. It passed between different groups of descendants of Grand Prince Iaroslav I of Kiev until 1125, when following the death of Vladimir Monomakh the latter's grandson Rostislav Mstislavich was installed in the principality, while the latter's father Mstislav I Vladimirovich became Grand Prince. It gained its own bishopric in 1136. It was Rostislav's descendents, the Rostaslavichi, who ruled the principality until the fifteenth-century. Smolensk enjoyed stronger western ties than most Rus' principalities.

Rostaslavichi, Rostislav Mstislavich decendants, Ruled Smolensk from 1125 till 15th Century
Rostaslavichi, Rostislav Mstislavich decendants, Ruled Smolensk till 15th Century; Prince of Smolensk was the kniaz, the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Smolensk, a lordship based on the city of Smolensk. passed between different groups of descendants of Grand Prince Iaroslav I of Kiev until 1125, when following the death of Vladimir Monomakh the latter's grandson Rostislav Mstislavich was installed in the principality, while the latter's father Mstislav I Vladimirovich became Grand Prince. gained its own bishopric in 1136. was Rostislav's descendants, the Rostaslavichi, who ruled the principality until the fifteenth-century. Smolensk enjoyed stronger western ties than most Rus' principalities.

Smolensk, 1147-1154, Clement of Smolensk, Kliment Smoliatich, chosen Metropolitan illegally by Russ, Not Constantinople
Russia, Kiev, 1147-1154, Clement of Smolensk, Kliment Smoliatich, chosen Metropolitan illegally by Russians, Not Constantinople ; Smolensk; Blessed Constantine, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Smolensk, 1165-1224, Abramius the Wonderworker, teacher of repentence
Smolensk, 1165-1224, Abramius the Wonderworker; Smolensk; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Abramius of Smolensk, a preacher of repentance and the Dread Last Judgment, was born in the mid-twelfth century at Smolensk of rich parents, who had twelve daughters before him, and they begged God for a son. childhood he grew up in the fear of God, he was often in church and had the opportunity to read books. The parents hoped that their only son would enter into marriage and continue their illustrious lineage, but he sought a different life. After the death of his parents, having given away all his wealth to monasteries, to churches and to the destitute, the saint walked through the city in rags, asking God to show him the way to salvation. was tonsured in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, five versts from Smolensk, at Selischa. Having passed through various obediences there, the monk fervently occupied himself with copying books, culling spiritual riches from them. The Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) started a school in the city, in which they taught not only in Slavonic, but also from Greek and Latin books. The Prince himself had a large collection of books, which Saint Abramius used. He had struggled for more than 30 years at the monastery, when in the year 1198 the igumen persuaded him to accept the dignity of presbyter. Every day he served the Divine Liturgy and fulfilled the obedience of clergy not only for the brethren, but also for the laity. the monk became widely known. This aroused the envy of the brethren, and then of the igumen also, and five years later, the monk was compelled to transfer to the Exaltation of the Cross monastery in Smolensk itself. With offerings from the devout, he embellished the cathedral church of the poor monastery with icons, and with curtains and candle-stands. He himself painted two icons on themes which most concerned him. On one he depicted the Dread Last judgment, and on the other the suffering of the trials of life. Lean and pale from extreme toil, in priestly garb the ascetic resembled Saint Basil the Great in appearance. The saint was strict both towards himself, and towards his spiritual children. He preached constantly in church and to those coming to him in his cell, conversing with rich and poor alike. city notables and the clergy demanded that Bishop Ignatius bring the monk to trial, accusing him of seducing women and tempting his spiritual children. But even more terrible were the accusations of heresy and the reading of forbidden books. For this they proposed to drown or burn the ascetic. At the trial by the Prince and the Bishop, the saint answered all the false accusations. Despite this, they forbade him to serve as a priest and returned him to his former monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos . A terrible drought occurred in consequence of God’s wrath over the unjust sentence, and only when Saint Ignatius pardoned Saint Abramius, permitting him to serve and preach, did the rain again fall on Smolensk. bishop Saint Ignatius built a new monastery, in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, and he entrusted the guidance of it to Saint Abramius, and he himself settled into it, retiring from the diocese because of age. Many wished to enter under the guidance of Saint Abramius, but he examined them very intensely and only after great investigation, so at his monastery there were only seventeen brethren. Saint Abramius, after the death of Saint Ignatius, having become his spiritual friend, urged the brethren, more than before, to think about death and to pray day and night, that they be not condemned in the Judgment by God. Abramius died after the year 1224, having spent 50 years in monasticism. Already at the end of the thirteenth century a service had been compiled to him, together with his disciple Saint Ephraim. The terrible Mongol-Tatar invasion, seen as the wrath of God for the nation’s sins, not only did not stifle the memory of Saint Abramius of Smolensk, but rather was a reminder to people of his calling to repentance and recollection of the dread Last Judgment.

Smolensk, 1165-1224, Ephraim tWWorker, compiled life oAAbramius, which pDetails about education NWRussia those days
Smolensk, 1165-1224, Ephraim the Wonderworker, disciple of Abramius, and Archimandrite of Smolensk, compiled life oA, which pDetails about education NWRussia those days; Smolensk; Venerable Ephraim the Wonderworker, disciple of Abramius, and Archimandrite of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; Ephraim was the disciple of Saint Abramius of Smolensk. compiled the Life of Saint Abramius, which provides many details about education in the remote northwestern part of Russia in those days.

Smolensk Kremlin
Smolensk Kremlin; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Smolensk diocese
Smolensk diocese: St Rostislav founded the cities of Rostislavl, Mstislavl, Krichev, Propoisk, and Vasiliev among others. He was the forefather of the Smolensk princely dynasty, and Smolensk diocese south of Smolensk mostly along the Sozh River. Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Smyadyn Castle near Smolensk
Smyadyn Castle somewhere near Smolensk Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Andrusov, Smolensk, Ukraine
Andrusov, Smolensk, Ukraine Treaty of Andrusov ; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26;

Smolensk, Cathredral Hill - Assumption Cathedral, 1101
Cathredral Hill - Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Savior cathedral at the Smyadynsk Boris and Gleb monastery, Smolensk
Savior cathedral at the Smyadynsk Boris and Gleb monastery, Smolensk; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael, Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Dolgomost, 30 K East of Smolensk
Dolgomost, 30 K East of Smolensk; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24;

Liubech, Chernigov, Ukraine (Dnieper River 3.5)
Lubech; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4)
Kiev; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara - Gloves, Commemorated July 11 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God Chernigov-GethsemaneÂ, Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimirin Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, Commmorated September 8 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated September 19 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 11 ; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 29 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore the Silent of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; “Mezhetsk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Kursk Root œof the SignÂ, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-KissingÂ, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Balikin, Commemorated on June 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Russia, Kiev, 1243-1280, Maximus, Metropolitan Kiev, mongol yoke, Tartar incursions in Kiev, withdrew to Briansk, and to Suzdal, visit to Volhynia at Rata w st Peter, 1295 deposed James at Vladimir,
Kiev; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6; Maximus, successor of Metropolitan Cyril III of Kiev (1243-1280), was a Greek by birth, and he arrived in Rus, then suffering under the Mongol (Tatar) Yoke, in 1283 as Metropolitan. saint decided to remain at Kiev, but the city was completely devastated by the plundering incursions of the Tatars. Maximus withdrew to Briansk, and from there to Suzdal. his visit to Volhynia the saint met with Saint Peter the igumen of the Rata monastery, (December 21), who would succeed him as metropolitan. 1295 the saint deposed James from the bishop’s cathedra at Vladimir and replaced him with Simon. these terrible times the throne of the Great Prince was first at Vladimir, then at Pereslavl, then at Tver. lest he insult the South Russian princes by moving to the north, the saint offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, and She indicated Vladimir as the place of his residence. the year 1299 Metropolitan Maximus went to Vladimir, in the following year he established Saint Theoctistus (December 23) as Bishop of Novgorod. 1301, Metropolitan Maximus was in Constantinople for a Patriarchal Council, where at the urging of Saint Theognostus, Bishop of Zaraisk, he set forth questions concerning the needs of the Russian Church to be resolved by the Council. the need to build up the strength of subjugated Rus, the saint urged Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow to make peace with the holy Prince Michael of Tver. He also advised Yuri to journey to the Horde to receive the throne. 1304, the saint installed Saint Michael of Tver (November 22) upon the Great-princely throne of Vladimir. an example of intense spiritual life for others, Metropolitan Maximus was concerned about the spiritual growth of his proverbial flock. the saint established rules for fasting for other times in addition to Great Lent. He ordained it for the Apostles’, Dormition and Nativity lenten periods, and he defined when fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed (in Russia until the fourteenth century they did not fast on the Midfeast and Leave-taking of Pascha). holy metropolitan was particularly concerned with upholding lawful marriage: “I write, therefore, about this, so that you my children, born and newly-sanctified in the baptismal font, will take your wife from the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the woman is for the salvation of the man. If you cleave to them in promiscuity without marriage, does it benefit you? No, but rather beseech and implore them, whether young or old, to be married in the Church.” saint reposed on December 6, 1305, and his body was buried in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. A gilded covering was built over the saint’s grave. Maximov Icon of the Mother of God (April 18) was placed on the wall above the grave of the saint. It was painted in the year 1299 following a vision to Metropolitan Maximus. A description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of the crypt.

Drevlyan Lands (Kiev)
Drevalyans

Left-bank Ukraine (Left bank of the Dnieper River)
Left-bank Ukraine (Left bank of the Dnieper River) ;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Stugna River Folder, Kiev area

Stugna River

Stugna River Source (along the border)

Stugna River 1 (Vasylkiv)

St. Panteleimon's Cathedral
St. Panteleimon's Cathedral; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Kievan Belgorod
Kievan Belgorod; Saint Vsevolod (in Baptism Gabriel), Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11;

Kiev'™s St Vladimir cathedral
Kiev'™s St Vladimir cathedral; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Stugna River Mouth (Dnipper River 4)
Stugna River Mouth (Dnipper River 4);

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Many Kiev Locations Folder

Vladimir Cathedral, Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral, 1859
Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara - Gloves, Commemorated July 11 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1;

Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev, 1051s, Yaroslav the Wise, George in baptism
Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer, and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.”

Temple of Boris and Gleb, Dorogozhich
St. Cyril's Monastery is in the Dorogozhich neighborhood of Kiev.; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Dorogozhich neighborhood, Kiev
St. Cyril's Monastery is in the Dorogozhich neighborhood of Kiev.; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

St. Cyril's Monastery, Kiev, Ukraine
St. Cyril's Monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kiev, 960 by Olga
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; http://oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=103312; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Kiev-Sophia archbishop'™s house
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; http://oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=103312; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Demetrius's Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s
Demetrius's Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s, Later called Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations.

Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s
Demetrius's Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s, Later called Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26;

Kiev's Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral, 960 by Olga
Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral in Kiev; Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, Commemorated on September 8; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall”, Commemorated on June 11;

Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Zlatoverkh-Mikhailovo Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Demetrius's Monastery, Kiev, 1070
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev, Towards the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded,; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26, ; the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Kiev Theodosis (Studite) monastery, 1595
Kiev Theodosis (Studite) monastery; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Kiev-Bratsk (Brotherhood) Monastery (Podol Neighborhood, Dnieper River 4) 1595
Kiev-Bratsk (Brotherhood) Monastery (Podol Neighborhood, Dnieper River 4); Podol Neighborhood of Kiev; Subdivisions of Kiev; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ;

Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, Kiev (Dneiper River 4) 1595
Brotherhood monatery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Tithe Church, Kiev (Desyatina (Tithe) church) 989
Church of the Tithes (Desyatina (Tithe) church); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated on September 19 ;

Kiev Spiritual Academy, Moghila Academy Kiev, Mogilyansk, 1615-1632
Moghila Academy Kiev; St Peter Mogila; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ;

Moghila Academy Kiev, Mogilyansk, Kiev Spiritual Academy, 1615-1632
Moghila Academy Kiev; St Peter Mogila; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ;

Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev, 1722
Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated October 12 ;

Kiev Theological Seminary (Dnieper River 4) 1615
Kiev Theological Seminary; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Kiev Theological Academy (Dneiper River 4) 1615
Kiev Theological Academy; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on September 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated January 10; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Podol Neighborhood, Kiev (Dneiper River 4)
Podol Neighborhood of Kiev; Subdivisions of Kiev; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3;

Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery
Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ;

Castle and Residents of Kievan Rus Monarchs, 946
Vyshgorod (the name literally translates as "the town upstream") dates from as early as 946, when it was described as the favourite residence of Saint Olga. Also mentioned in De Administrando Imperio, Vyshgorod served as the fortified castle and residence of the monarchs of Kievan Rus on the Dnieper from that time until 1240, when the Mongols sacked it. At Vyshhorod Vladimir the Great (reigned 980 to 1015); Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26;

Church of Saint Basil the Great, Vyshgorod, 946
Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26;

Devichi monastery, Vyshgorod, 946
Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26;

Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4) residence of kievan rulers
Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. In 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. The temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. But the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, where it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. The icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. The Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. All these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. The original icon has not been preserved. The copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Kiev Mezhigorsk Womens monastery Suzdal
Kiev Mezhigorsk monastery; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ;

Savior-Transfiguration monastery, Kiev 988
Savior-Transfiguration monastery, Kiev; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20;

Mezhigorsk Monastery, Kiev 988
Mezhigorsk Monastery; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Ros River Folder, Kiev

Ros River Source

Ros River 1

Ros River 2 (Yuriev)

Yuriev, Ukraine (Ros River 2)
Yuriev (Ros River 2); St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ;

Ros River 3

Ros River 4

Ros River 5 (Korsun)

Korsun, Ukraine (Ros River 5)
Korsun (Ros River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15;

Ros River Mouth (Kiev, Dnieper River 4)

Kanev, Ukraine (near Kiev, Ros River Mouth, Dnieper River 4)
Kanev; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13;

Cherkassa, Ukraine (relics of Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev)
Cherkassa, Ukraine (relics of Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev); Martyr Macarius, Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl Commemorated on September 7;

Heorhiivskyi Church of Saint George at Kiev, Ros River Mouth
Heorhiivskyi Church of Saint George at Kiev; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River Folder, Kiev area, Chernigov, Briansk, Kursk

Desna River Source (Valdai Hills, Boldino Hill)

Boldino Hill, southeast of Smolensk (Desna River Source)
Boldino Museum, southeast of Smolensk ; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1;

Desna River 1 (Roslavl)

Roslavl, Smolensk, Kiev area (Desna River 1), Forests
Roslavl; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7; Saint Theophanes of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Borisovsk, Kaluga (somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District)
Borisovsk, Kaluga (somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District) plus there are many other small towns named Borisovsk; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Desna River 2 (Briansk)

Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland)
Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the reopse of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. The August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War. St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; St. Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated May 3 ; St Oleg the Prince of Briansk, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ;

Forests of Bryansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2)
Forests of Bryansk ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina;

Karachev district, Ukraine (Desna River 2)
Karachev district; Icon of the Mother of God Assuage My Sorrows, Commemorated October 9; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ;

Karachev, Ukraine (Desna River 2)
Karachev; Venerable Macarius of Optina; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ;

Seltso (Desna River 2, Kiev, Ukraine)
Seltso; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Desna River 3 (Sev River, Sloboda)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River 3, Sev River Folder

Sev River

Sev River Source

Sev River 1 (Sevsk)

Sevsk, Ukraine (Sev River 1)
Sevsk (Sev River); St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Macarius of Optina; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated May 3 ;

Sloboda Ukraine (Desna River 3, Sev River Mouth)
Sloboda Ukraine Wild Fields immediately south of Severia; Sloboda Ukraine was the sparsely inhabited area of the Wild Fields on the south border of Muscovite Russia, immediately south of Severia, was traditionally used by the Crimean Tatars and Nogai Tatars to launch annual raids into Russian territories along the Muravsky Trail and Izyum Trail. Apart from the Cossacks, the settlers of Sloboda Ukraine included peasants and townspeople from Right and Left-bank Ukraine, divided by the Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667. The name Sloboda Ukraine derives from the word sloboda, a Slavic term meaning freedom (or liberty), and also the name of a type of settlement. The settlers of a sloboda were freed by the Tsar from the obligation of paying taxes and fees for a certain period of time, which proved to be very enticing for settlers. By the end of the 18th century, 523 slobodas (slobody) had been settled in Sloboda Ukraine.

Desna River 4 (Seym River Mouth)

Desna River 5 (Chernigov)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River 5, Chernigov Folder

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River 4, Seym River Folder, Kursk

Seym River Source (Kursk, confluence Kur and Tuskar Rivers)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River 4, Seym River Source, Kur and Tuscar Rivers Folder

Tuskar River

Kur River

Kur River Mouth (Seym River Source, Tuskar River)

Kursk, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths)
Kursk; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on November 27 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Kursk Root" "œof the Sign"Â, Commemorated on March 8; Icon of the Mother of God of “the Sign”, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9 ;

Lgov, Kursk Oblast
Lgov, Kursk Oblast; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ;

Seym River 1

Seym River 2 (Ryla)

Ryla (Rylsk) (Seym River 2)
Ryla (Rylsk); Icon of the Mother of God "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on November 27;

Seym River 3 (Putivl)

Putivl, Ukraine (Seym River 3)
Putivl; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region
Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Glinsk Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the seventeenth century in the Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region. A monastery was established in 1648 and received its name from the noble Glinsky family.

Russia, 1648, Glinsk Icon, Appeared in Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region
Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Glinsk Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the seventeenth century in the Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region. A monastery was established in 1648 and received its name from the noble Glinsky family.

Glinsk Hermitage (between Seym and Desna Rivers) 1648
Glinsk Hermitage ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Saint Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage, Commemorated on February 21;

Seym River 4

Baturino, Ukraine (Seym River 4)
Baturino (in the Chernigov diocese, Ukraine); Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ;

Seym River Mouth (Desna River 4)

Chernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland
Chernigov; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; ; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated September 19 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of Saint Theodosius of Chernigov Commemorated on February 5; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Balikin, Commemorated on June 30;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Chernigov History Folder

Russia, Chernigov, 1073-1077, K Rus King, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, NIcholas, Y's younger son, Vohly trade
Kiev Rus King, 1073-1077, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, Nicholas; II Iaroslavich or Sviatoslav II Yaroslavich (1027 – 27 December 1076[1] in Kiev [Kyiv]) was Grand Prince of Kiev between 1073 and 1076. was born as a younger son of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. His baptismal name was Nicholas. ruled the Principality of Vladimir in Volhynia in his father's lifetime (from around 1040 to 1054). Yaroslav the Wise, who divided the Kievan Rus' between his five sons in his testament, willed the Principality of Chernigov to Sviatoslav. Sviatoslav joined his brothers, Iziaslav of Kiev and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav, in forming a princely "triumvirate" that oversaw the affairs of Kievan Rus' until 1072. The three brothers together fought against their enemies, including the nomadic Oghuz Turks, and their distant relative, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk. The Cumans defeated their united force in the autumn of 1068, but Sviatoslav routed a Cuman band plundering his principality. "triumvirate" broke up, when Sviatoslav, supported by his younger brother Vsevolod, dethroned and replaced their older brother Iziaslav in 1073. He commissioned the compilation of at least two miscellanies of theological works. Otherwise, his short reign was uneventful. 1 Early life 2 Triumvirate 3 Grand Prince of Kiev 4 Family 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 7.1 Primary sources 7.2 Secondary sources 8 Further reading life[edit] was the fourth son of Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev, and his wife, Ingegerd of Sweden.[2] He was born in 1027.[2] The Lyubetskiy sinodik—a list of the princes of Chernigov which was completed in the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Lyubech—writes that his baptismal name was Nicholas.[3] Russian Primary Chronicle writes that Sviatoslav was staying "at Vladimir"[4] (Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Ukraine) in Volhynia around the time his father fell seriously ill before his death.[5] According to the historian Martin Dimnik, the chronicle's report shows that Yaroslav the Wise had, most probably in about 1040, appointed Sviatoslav to rule this important town of the Kievan Rus'.[6] his deathbed, Yaroslav the Wise divided the most important towns of his realm among his five sons—Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, Vsevolod, Igor, and Vyacheslav—who survived him.[7][8] To Sviatoslav, he bequeathed Chernigov (Chernihiv, Ukraine).[9] The dying grand prince also ordered that his four younger sons should "heed"[10] their eldest brother, Iziaslav who received Kiev.[8] of the Kievan Rus' in the Kievan Rus' (1054–1132) the Wise died on 20 February 1054.[11] His three elder sons—Iziaslav of Kiev, Sviatoslav of Chernigov, and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav—decided to jointly govern the Kievan Rus'.[12] Historian Martin Dimnik writes that taking into account Sviatoslav's political and military skills it "is reasonable to assume that he was one of the main motivating forces, if not the actual architect, of many of the policies adopted" by the three brothers.[13] The "triumviri" closely cooperated in the following years.[12] In 1059 they liberated their uncle, Sudislav whom their father had sent to prison around 1035.[14][15] They made a joint expedition "by horse and ship against the Torks"[16] or Oghuz Turks, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, in 1060.[17] On hearing of the arrival of the Rus' forces, the Torks fled from their lands without resistance.[18] 1065, Sviatoslav led his troops against his nephew, Rostislav Vladimirovich, who had in the previous year expelled by force Sviatoslav's son, Gleb from Tmutorakan.[19] Upon Sviatoslav's arrival, Rostislav withdrew from this important center of his uncle's domains, but he reoccupied it after Sviatoslav had returned to Chernigov.[20] A distant cousin of the "triumviri", Vseslav Briacheslavich (Prince of Polotsk), attacked Pskov in 1065, according to The Chronicle of Pskov.[21][22] Vseslav Briacheslavich could not take this town, but he seized and plundered Novgorod—which had been ruled by Iziaslav of Kiev's son, Mstislav—in the next winter.[21][23] Izyaslav, Sviatoslav and Vsevolod soon united their forces and set forth against Vseslav, "though it was the dead of winter",[24] according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[25] They routed Vseslav's army by the Nemiga River (near Minsk) on 3 March 1066.[25] Vseslav, who fled from the battlefield, agreed to enter into negotiations with the "triumviri", but they treacherously captured him at a meeting at Orsha in early June.[22][25] Cumans, who had emerged as the dominant power of the Pontic steppes in the early 1060s, invaded the southern regions of Kievan Rus' in 1068.[26] The three brothers together marched against the invaders, but the Cumans routed them on the Alta River.[27] From the battlefield, Sviatoslav withdrew to Chernigov and regrouped his troops.[27] He returned to defeat the Cumans with a smaller force at the town of Snovsk on 1 November, thus enhancing his prestige among the populace.[27] In the meantime, the townspeople of Kiev had dethroned and expelled Sviatoslav's brother, Iziaslav.[28] Taking advantage of Iziaslav's absence, Sviatopluk sent his own son, Gleb to Novgorod to rule the town.[29][30] returned at the head of Polish reinforcements.[31] The townspeople of Kiev sent messages to Sviatoslav and Vsevolod, imploring them to come to their "father's city"[32] and defend it, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle.[33] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod requested Iziaslav "not to lead the Poles in attack upon Kiev", stating that "if he intended to nurse his wrath and destroy the city, they would be properly concerned for the ancestral capital".[33][34][31] Iziaslav partially acquiesced: he did not let his Polish allies enter the town, but his retinue slaughtered or mutilated many of his opponents in Kiev.[35] He also attempted to punish Anthony—the founder of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev—who had supported his enemies, but Sviatoslav gave shelter to the saintly monk in Chernigov.[36] Iziaslav's return to Kiev, the "triumvirate" was restored.[28] The three brothers together visited Vyshhorod in order to participate in the translation of the relics of their saintly uncles, Boris and Gleb on 3 May 1072.[37] According to The Narrative, Passion, and Encomium of Boris and Gleb, Sviatoslav took Saint Gleb's hand and "pressed it to his injury, for he had pain in his neck, and to his eyes, and to his forehead"[38] before placing it back into the coffin.[39] In short Sviatoslav felt a pain at the top of his head and his servant found a fingernail of the saint under his cap.[39] Most historians agree that the three brothers expanded their father's legal code on this occasion, but the exact date is unknown.[40] [41] Prince of Kiev[edit] Izbornik of 1076 page from Sviatoslav's Izbornik of 1073 to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "the devil stirred up strife"[42] among the three brothers shortly after the canonization of Saints Boris and Gleb.[43][44] Sviatoslav and Vsevolod united their forces and expelled Iziaslav from Kiev on 22 March 1073.[43] The chronicler put the blame for this action on Sviatoslav, stating that "he was the instigator of his brother's expulsion, for he desired more power".[42][44] The chronicler also states that Sviatoslav had "misled Vsevolod by asserting that" Iziaslav "was entering into an alliance"[42] with Vseslav Briacheslavich against them.[44] Modern historians disagree about the motives of Sviatoslav's action. Franklin and Shepard write that he was driven by "straightforward greed";[45] Martin says that Sviatoslav who seems to have suffered from a grave illness wanted to secure his sons' right to Kiev which would have been lost if Sviatoslav "had predeceased Iziaslav without having ruled"[46] the town. In fact, the Russian Primary Chronicle states that it was Sviatoslav who "ruled in Kiev after the expulsion"[42] of Iziaslav.[47] the head of the Monastery of the Caves, Feodosy criticized Sviatoslav for usurping the throne.[43][48] However, before his death in May 1074 he was reconciled with the grand prince, who supported the foundation of a stone church dedicated to the Mother of God in Kiev.[45][49] Sviatoslav also supported the compilation of ecclesiastic works. Two izborniki or miscellanies—collections of excerpts from the Bible and from theological works—were completed under his auspices in 1073 and 1076.[50] According to the Izbornik of 1073, Sviatoslav, who is praised as a "new Ptolemy", had by that time collected a great number of spiritual books.[51] rule was short and uneventful.[52] His dethroned brother first fled to Poland, but Duke Boleslav II, who was Sviatoslav's son-in-law, expelled him from his lands.[28][53] Next Iziaslav sought the assistance of the German monarch, Henry IV.[43] The latter, in 1075, sent his envoys—including Sviatoslav's brother-in-law, Burchard—to Kiev to collect more information.[54] According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, "in his pride", Sviatoslav "showed them his riches", displaying them "the innumerable quantity of his gold, silver and silks".[55][56] In 1076 Sviatoslav sent reinforcements to Poland to help his son-in-law against the Bohemians.[57] died on 27 December 1076.[1] The Russian Primary Chronicle writes that "the cutting of a sore"[58] caused his death.[59] He was buried in the Holy Savior Cathedral in Chernigov.[59] Within a year, his elder brother Iziaslav was restored and Sviatoslav's sons lost most parts of his domains.[1][60] Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1 ;

Berezna, Chernigov (Desna River 5)
Berezna, Chernigov; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Domnitsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1696 on the bank of the Domnitsa River in Chernigov diocese, not far from the city of Berezna. the place of appearance of the icon a monastery was established, in which was situated the wonderworking image. the year 1771 the inhabitants of the city prayed before the holy icon and were delivered from plague through the intercession of the Theotokos.

Domnitsa (River near Berezna)
Domnitsa (River near Berezna); Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Domnitsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1696 on the bank of the Domnitsa River in Chernigov diocese, not far from the city of Berezna. the place of appearance of the icon a monastery was established, in which was situated the wonderworking image. the year 1771 the inhabitants of the city prayed before the holy icon and were delivered from plague through the intercession of the Theotokos.

Domnitsa Icon, appeared in 1697, delivered from plague 1771
Domnitsa (River near Berezna); Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Domnitsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1696 on the bank of the Domnitsa River in Chernigov diocese, not far from the city of Berezna. the place of appearance of the icon a monastery was established, in which was situated the wonderworking image. the year 1771 the inhabitants of the city prayed before the holy icon and were delivered from plague through the intercession of the Theotokos.

Chernihiv (Schekovitsa)
Chernihiv (Schekovitsa) ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; St Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov, Commemorated August 5 ;

Schekovitsa (Chernihiv)
Chernihiv (Schekovitsa) ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; St Theoctistus, Bishop of Chernigov, Commemorated August 5 ;

Boldina Hill, Chernigov

Eletsk Chernigov monastery, Boldina Hill, Ukraine, 1030 and 1851
Eletsk Chernigov monastery; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys
Rurik dynasty, 862, from Chernigov, Kiev Rus, including Boryatinskys; Chernigov; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23;

Caves of the Eletsky Monastery, Chernigov, Ukraine, before 1050
caves of the Eletsky Monastery, Chernigov ; Caves Monasteries; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov", Commemorated on April 16 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Caves of the Eletsky Monastery, Chernigov, Ukraine, 1030 and 1851
caves of the Eletsky Monastery, Chernigov ; Caves Monasteries; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Ilyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Trinity Monastery Chernigov, 1030
Trinity Monastery Chernigov, 1030; Icon of the Mother of God "œChernigov-Gethsemane"Â, Commemorated on September 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5;

Trinity-Ilyin Monastery Chernigov, 1030
Trinity Monastery Chernigov, 1030; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount Boldina, and where in the eleventh century Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves struggled in asceticism. Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: “The end of the booklet, but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count them?” The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its copies. Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity Sergiev Lavra.) the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May 1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church named for Saint Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was consecrated on October 27, 1851 by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the Gethsemane skete. this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of Saint Anthony of the Caves, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Saints Cyril and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God. is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova, was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years. at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the celebration of the Repose of Saint Sergius (September 25), Thekla recovered completely. Saint Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October 6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast of Saint Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 Saint Innocent arrived at the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears. September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing, people from every class of society came with firm faith to the wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them. the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+ April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon. initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of Saint Sergius, in the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral, painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness monastery. Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). The icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. In 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Russia, Kiev, 1869, Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon, Trinity-Ilyin Monastery, copy of Ilyin-Chernigov Icon
Trinity Monastery Chernigov, 1030; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount Boldina, and where in the eleventh century Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves struggled in asceticism. Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: “The end of the booklet, but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count them?” The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its copies. Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity Sergiev Lavra.) the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May 1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church named for Saint Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was consecrated on October 27, 1851 by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the Gethsemane skete. this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of Saint Anthony of the Caves, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Saints Cyril and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God. is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova, was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years. at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the celebration of the Repose of Saint Sergius (September 25), Thekla recovered completely. Saint Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October 6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast of Saint Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 Saint Innocent arrived at the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears. September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing, people from every class of society came with firm faith to the wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them. the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+ April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon. initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of Saint Sergius, in the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral, painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). The icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. In 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Desna River 6

Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev (Desna River 6) 1722
Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated October 12 ;

Desna River Mouth (Kiev, Vishgorod, Dnipper River 4)

Lenkov Whirlpool, Desna River Mouth, Kiev, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, protecting Icon found on bank, Danger ceased
Russia, Kiev, 988, Icon Rescuer otDrowning, dangerous whirlpool mouth of Desna, Kiev, protecting Icon found on bank, Icon Church prayers, Whirlpool danger ceased; Icon of the Mother of God the Rescuer of the Drowning, Commemorated on December 20; the village of Lenkov on the bank of the Desno River near Novgorod, Russia, there was a dangerous whirlpool, which made the river difficult to cross. the powerful swirling waters would cause the demise of ships and their passengers. was at that dangerous site that an Icon of the Mother of God was discovered, resting on the riverbank. time, a church dedicated to the Mother of God was erected on the site, and the Icon of the Mother of God, the "Rescuer of the Drowning," was enshrined therein. Those who journeyed along the Desno River customarily stopped at Lenkov to offer prayers in the icon's presence, imploring the Mother of God to grant them a safe journey despite the dangerous whirlpool. It had been said that after the icon had been discovered, mishaps to sailors were rare, and later completely ceased. and its church were destroyed during an invasion by the Poles in the 17th century. A new church dedicated to the Archangel Michael soon rose on the site of the former Church of the Mother of God, and the icon was enshrined therein. Many miracles were ascribed to the Mother of God, and the icon came to be revered not only in area of Lenkov, but far beyond, especially in Russia's larger port cities. the 18th century, the Icon was transferred to the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, where it remained until the Russian Revolution in 1917. History does not record what happened to the miraculous icon during Soviet times. However, in 2003, a pious man named Sergei Babushkin gave to the Church an identical antique copy of the long-lost original "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icon, which was subsequently enshrined in the Transfiguration Monastery, thus marking the beginning of its revival. icon is remarkably similar to the much older Korsun Icon of the Mother of God, which was said to have been a copy of an icon by Saint Luke the Evangelist that had been kept in Ephesus until it was brought to Kyiv in 988 AD.

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Pripyat River Folder, Wormwood, Chenoble

Pripyat River Source (Dnieper Bug Canal)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Pripyat River Source, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder

Dnieper Bug Canal Start Point (Brest)
Dnieper Bug Canal (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania;

Dnieper Bug Canal End Point - Pinsk, Russia (Pripyat River to Dnieper River)

Dnieper Bug Canal - Brest to Pinsk

Dnieper Bug Canal - Lesna, Poland (Narew River)

Dnieper Bug Canal End Point - Sapotskin, Lithuania (Neman River)

Dnieper Bug Canal - Brest to Sapotskin

Pripyat River 1 (Pinsk)

Pinsk, Ukraine (Pripyat River 1)
Pinsk; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near Pinsk, Ukraine
Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near Pinsk ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ;

Pripyat River 2 (Turov and Mazyr)

Turov and Pinsk Principality, Ukraine
Principality of Turov and Pinsk; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Turov, Ukraine (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2)
Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27;

Chernobyl (Wormwood) Disaster (Kiev, Pirypat River Mouth)
Chernobyl (Wormwood) Disaster;

Pripyat River Mouth (Kiev, Dneiper River 4)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Pereyaslavl Folder (Alta River, Trubizh River)

Trubizh River

Trubizh River Mouth (Pereyaslavl, Dnieper River 5)

Berezan, Russian Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine
Berezan; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Zolotonoshka River

Zolotonoshka River Source. a lake

Zolotonosha, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine
Zolotonosha, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine; St. Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Zolotonoshka River Mouth (Dnieper River )

Pereyaslavl Principality, Ukraine, (Alta River, Trubizh River, Dnieper River 4) 988-1323
Pereyaslavl; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the Pereyaslavl monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh]. Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that they commanded him. holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at Saint Cornelius as foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer. the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from within. Three months Saint Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. Saint Cornelius was the sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the garden. As if to bless the saint’s labors, excellent apples grew in the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors. body of Saint Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the brethren. For thirty years Saint Cornelius lived in complete silence, being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on July 22, 1693, Saint Cornelius made his confession to the monastery priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the schema. was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of Saint Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, (Trubizh River Mouth, Dnieper River 4)
Pereyaslavl; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the Pereyaslavl monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh]. Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that they commanded him. holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at Saint Cornelius as foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer. the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from within. Three months Saint Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. Saint Cornelius was the sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the garden. As if to bless the saint’s labors, excellent apples grew in the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors. body of Saint Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the brethren. For thirty years Saint Cornelius lived in complete silence, being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on July 22, 1693, Saint Cornelius made his confession to the monastery priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the schema. was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of Saint Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Pereyaslavl, Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl
Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Dnieper River 5 (Chigirinsk)

Malorussia, Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 5, Ukraine, Sula River Folder

Sula River Source

Sula River 1 (Romny)

Sula (Vorskla) River 1 (Akhtyr)

Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula (Vorskla) River 1)
Akhtyr ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Akhtyr Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on July 2, 1739 in the village of Akhtyr in the area of Kharkov, east of Kiev. Basil Danilov, a righteous man of strong faith, was the priest of the Dormition church in Akhtyr. He wanted to try out a new scythe, and so he went out to a field by the church. As he began to cut the tall grass, Father Basil noticed an icon of the Mother of God shining with a radiant light. Dropping the scythe, he fell to his knees and began to pray, then took the icon to his home. icon remained in the priest’s home for three years. No one could spend the night in the same room as the icon, because an inexplicable fear would force them to leave. night the Theotokos appeared to Father Basil in a dream, reproaching him because he had not cleaned the icon in the three years since he had found it. When he awoke, he dusted the icon off and washed it with water, then went back to sleep. That night he had another dream in which he saw himself going to the river in order to pour out the water he had used to wash the icon. The Mother of God appeared to him again and ordered him to return home with the water, explaining that it would cure people of malaria and fever. Father Basil’s daughter became ill with malaria, he gave her some of the water to drink and she was healed. Others also received healing in this way. The priest decided that the icon should not remain in his home, so he took it to the church. iconographer named John was commissioned to restore the icon. When his son was suffering from malaria, John remembered how the water used to wash the icon had cured people of that disease. Therefore, he washed the icon and gave his son some of the water to drink. The young man was healed at once, and there were many other miracles after this one. miracles of the Akhtyr Icon were investigated no less than three times. In 1751 the Holy Synod determined that reports of the miracles were true, and declared the icon to be wonderworking. Elizabeth had a stone church built in Akhtyr for the icon, and she personally donated two thousand rubles. Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10) blessed the cornerstone. The church was consecrated in the year 1768. Nicholas I ordered that on the Saturday before Pentecost the Akhtyr Icon should be taken from the Protection Cathedral and carried in procession to the Akhtyr-Holy Trinity Monastery. The icon was brought back to the cathedral during the week of All Saints. Unfortunately, the icon was stolen from the Protection Cathedral on April 1, 1905. Many copies of the Akhtyr Icon were made before it was stolen. July 2 many churches bless water in remembrance of the healings which took place after the Mother of God ordered Father Basil Danilov to wash the icon. icon is rather unusual, and does not seem to have an earlier prototype. It is painted in a Western style, and shows the Theotokos with an uncovered head. The Crucifixion of Christ is depicted in much smaller proportions, and the Virgin seems to be gazing directly at the Cross. Her hands are held with the palms together, and the fingers pointing upward, which is not a typical gesture of prayer in Orthodox iconography.

Sula River 2 (Lubno, Udai River Mouth)

Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monestary, Udai River Mouth, Sula River, Ukraine, 1619
Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Mgarsk monestary, Udai River Mouth, Sula River, Ukraine, 1619
Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 5, Ukraine, Sula River 2, Udai River Folder

Udai River Source (along the border)

Nizhyn, Ukraine (Udai River Source, Sula River)
Nizhyn; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Udai River 1 (Priluki)

Priluki, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine (Udai River 1)
Priluki city (Udai River); Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Udai River Mouth (Sula River 2)

Lubno (Lubensk, Lubny), Ukraine (Udai River Mouth, Sula River2)
Lubno (Lubensk); Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 19; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Sula River Mouth (Dnieper River 5)
Sula River Mouth (Dnieper River 5);

Chigirinsk, Ukraine (Across from Sula River Mouth, Dnieper River 5)
Chigirinsk; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 5, Ukraine, Psel River Folder

Psel River Source (Kursk Oblast, Russia)

Psel River 1 (Oboyan, Russia)

Psel River 2 (Sumy, Ukraine)

Sumy (Psel River 2)
Sumy (Psel River 2); Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14;

Psel River 3 (Hadiach, Ukraine)

Psel River Mouth (Dnieper River 5.5)
Psel River ;

village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance (Psel River, Dnieper River 5.5)
village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance; “Kozelshchansk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 21;

Dnieper River 6 (Ekaterinoslav)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 6, Ukraine, Vorskla River Folder

Vorskla River Source (near Belgorod, Central Russian Upland )
Central Russian Upland;

Belgorod (High Point, Muravsky Trail, Great Abatis Line, Vorskla &Sversky Donets Rivers)
Belgorod; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Kharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River)
Kharkov; Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God (1689), Commemorated on September 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Ozerianka, Commemorated on October 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2;

Vorskla River 1 (Russia Ukraine border)

Vorskla River 2

Vorskla River 3

Vorskla River 4

Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4, Akhtyrka, in Kharkov province,
Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4; Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God (1689), Commemorated on September 11; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Vorskla River 6 (Poltava)

Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6)
Poltava; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God (1689), Commemorated on September 11; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated December 10 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Poltava Governorate, Kiev or Ukraine
Poltava Governorate; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12;

Rzhevets Monastery (Poltava, Ukraine, Vorskla River 6, Dnieper River 6)
Rzhevets Monastery (Poltava); Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ;

Vorskla River Mouth (Dnieper River 6)

Ekaterinoslav Seminary, Ukraine (Vorskla Mouth, Dnieper River 6) 1787
Ekaterinoslav Seminary ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Dnieper River Mouth (Dnieper Gulf, North Black Sea)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Mouth, Ukraine, Southern Bug River Folder

Southern Bug River

Southern Bug 1 (Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine)

Southern Bug 2 (Vinnytsia, Ukraine)

Southern Bug 3 (Olviopolis and Pervomaisk, Ukraine)

Olviopolis, Ukraine (Southern Bug River 3)
Olviopolis; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4;

Southern Bug River Mouth (Mykolaiv, Bug Estuary, Black Sea)

Sarmatia, Ukraine (Dneiper River Mouth)
Sarmatians; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ;

Dnieper River Mouth (from Smolensk and Kiev)
Dnieper River (from Kiev) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Drevlyany Lands Folder, Ovruch

Ovruch, Ukraine (the center of Drevlyany Lands)
Ovrucha; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dniester River Folder

Russia, Gallich (Ukraine or Little Rus)
Ukraine; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ;

Podolia, Southwest Ukraine, North and West of Moldova, between Dniester and Southern Bug
Podolia, Southwest Ukraine; Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Dniester River Source (Ukranian Carpathians near Drohobych)
Dniester River Source: Ukranian Carpathians near Drohobych.

Dniester River 1 (Khodoriv)
Khodoriv Ukraine;

Dniester River 2 (Galich, Ukraine)

Halych, Volhynia (Galich) Ukraine (Dniester River 2) Vladimir the Great, 900's
Galich, (Halych) Ukraine (Dniester River 2); Hungary, 1226-1231, Princess, Elizabeth of Hungary; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Halych Principality, Volhynia (Galich) Ukraine (Dniester River 2) Vladimir the Great, 900's
Halych Principality, Volhynia (Galich) Ukraine of Halych or Kalieshi/Kialioshi (meaning The Key of Heavens[citation needed]), or Principality of Halychian Rus',[1] a medieval East Slavic principality, and one of main regional states within the political scope of Kievan Rus', established by members of the oldest line of Yaroslav the Wise descendants. characteristic feature of Halych principality was an important role of the nobility and citizens in political life, consideration a will of which was the main condition for the princely rule.[2] as the capital mentioned in around 1124 as a seat of Ivan Vasylkovych the grandson of Rostislav of Tmutarakan. to Mykhailo Hrushevsky the realm of Halych was passed to Rostyslav upon the death of his father Vladimir Yaroslavich, but he was banished out of it later by his uncle to Tmutarakan.[3] realm was then passed to Yaropolk Izyaslavich who was a son of the ruling Grand Prince of Kiev Izyaslav I of Kiev. Galich, (Halych) Ukraine (Dniester River 2); Hungary, 1226-1231, Princess, Elizabeth of Hungary; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Dniester River 3 (Ukraine)

Dniester River 4 (Seret River Mouth)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dniester River 4, Siret River Folder

Siret River

Seret River Source
Seret River;

Seret River 1 (Ternopol, Ukraine)

Ternopol (Seret River 1)

Seret River 2 (Terebovlya, Ukraine)

Terebovlya, Ukraine or Moldovia (Seret River 2)
Terebovlya, Ukraine (Seret River 2) ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ;

Terebovlya Princes (1223-1246)
Terebovlya Princes (1223-1246) ; Terebovlya, Ukraine (Seret River 2) ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ;

Ugornits monastery, Terebovlya, Ukraine (Seret River 2) 1097
Transfiguration Ugornits monastery; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Seret River 3 (Chortkiv)

Seret River Mouth (Dniester River 4 at Kasperov)

Kasperov, Ukraine (Seret River Mouth, Dniester River 4)
Kasperov, Ukraine (Seret River Mouth, Dniester River 4); Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on October 1;

Dniester River 5 (Khotyn, Smotrych River Mouth)

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dniester River 5, Smotrych River Folder

Smotrych River

Smotrych River Source (Podilla Upland)

Smotrych River Mouth (Dniester River 5)

Kamenets Podolski, Ukraine or Moldovia (Smotrych Mouth, Dniester 5)
Kamenets Podolski, Ukraine or Moldovia ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ;

Dniester River 6 (entering Moldova)

Poldolia, Ukraine (northeast of Dneister R. to Kiev and Pirypat R.
Poldolia, Ukraine; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Dniester River 7 (near Podoha)

Dniester River 8 (Dubasari, Moldova)

Dniester River 9 (Bender, Moldova)

Dniester River Mouth (near Odessa, Black Sea)

Odessa, Ukraine (near Dniester River Mouth, Black Sea, near Crimea)
Odessa, Ukraine (near Dniester River Mouth 19 miles to the South); Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated October 1 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that this holy icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. night in February of 1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. Looking at the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened by age, had suddenly become bright. Soon the icon was glorified by many miracles, and people regarded it as wonderworking. the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday. icon is painted with oils on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left arm. The Child is holding a scroll. Saint John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted on one side of the icon, and Saint Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. Kasperov Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.

Odessa Cathedral, 1794
Odessa Cathedral, 1794; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that this holy icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. night in February of 1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. Looking at the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened by age, had suddenly become bright. Soon the icon was glorified by many miracles, and people regarded it as wonderworking. the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday. icon is painted with oils on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left arm. The Child is holding a scroll. Saint John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted on one side of the icon, and Saint Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. Kasperov Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Molchna and Kalka Riverr Folder, above Cirmea

Melitopol, Ukraine (Molochna River 3)
Melitopol; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated February 7;

Molochna River Source (along the border)

Molochna (Milky) River 1

Molochna River 2

Molochna River 3 (Melitopol)

Molochna River Mouth (Sea of Azov)

Kalka River Mouth (Sea of Azov)

Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol (1223)
Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol; Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223-1241; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœof the SignÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, the ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœKursk-RootÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Dnieper (Varanigan) Trade Route (Varangia to Constantinople)
The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called œthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Kiev Caves Folder

Kiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, 1032
Kiev Caves; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth, he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy life. igumen saw in Saint Anthony the great future ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land, saying, “Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you.” to the land of Rus, Anthony began to make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos. the Providence of God, Anthony came to the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dnieper. The forested area near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot, Anthony prayed with tears, “Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon this spot, and strengthen me to remain here.” He began to struggle in prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint. Anthony’s first disciples was Saint Nikon (March 23), who tonsured Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the monastery in the year 1032. virtuous life of Saint Anthony illumined the Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. Saint Anthony lovingly received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them how to follow Christ, he asked Saint Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve disciples had gathered about Saint Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave and built a church and cells for the monks within it. he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the brethren, Saint Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves. the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of Saint Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although Saint Anthony had no gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of Rus. his holiness of life, God glorified Saint Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and Saint Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of Saint Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073. Divine Providence, the relics of Saint Anthony remain hidden. Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of the Venerable Theodosius, Commemorated on August 28; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 15; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia ; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves ; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves; Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of the Venerable Theodosius; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves ; Venerable Ammon the recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Venerable Theodore the Silent of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves; Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 1057
Kiev Near Caves; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Theophanes the Faster of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger, Theophilus, and John, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Gregory, Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 1032, 1073
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Kiev Caves Caverns; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 15; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; St Nestor (not the Chronicler) of the Far Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated October 25; Venerable Martyrius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves< Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Translation of the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 10;

Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Caves Lavra of Theodosis) 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Theodora of the Carpathians,Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robed of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Dimitriev Monasthery, founded by Isaslav aka Dimitrius, for Theodosius, 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Martyr Michael "œthe Black-Robed"Â of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

monastery of St Nicholas at Askhold's Grave
monastery of St Nicholas at Askhold's Grave; Venerable Theodosius, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3;

Kiev Pechersk (Caves), Kiev Neighborhood
Pechersk, Kiev; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe Protection, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10;

Kiev Caves monastery, 1051
Kiev Caves monastery; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31 ; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 27; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23 ; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Michael ""Â of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Kiev Caves, Great (Gate) Church of the Caves
Great Church of the Caves; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Berestovo Village, Kiev Far Caves - St Anthony's first Location, 1030
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Kiev Caves Caverns; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; St Nestor (not the Chronicler) of the Far Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated October 25; Venerable Martyrius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves< Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073, Icon of the Domition Story, 4 Architects
Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. The architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ We all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. Finally, we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. Two friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. When Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, but Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. He even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. He went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. Entreat the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. Let the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” Zachariah gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. In 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. The Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). In 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. The icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15. Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 1; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Kiev Caves Caverns
Kiev Caves Caverns; Near Caves; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected One, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 11 Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1;

Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057
Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Onesimus the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 21; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 21; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated September 28 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected One, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Kiev, , Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057
Near Caves of St Anthony ; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 21;

Sven Caves, Near Caves of Saint Anthony, 1057
Sven Caves, Near Caves of Saint Anthony; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17;

Russia, Moscow Folder, its rivers and roads

Moscow (Clean), its Area

Moscow, Russia (Moscova River 4) 1147
Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three Feasts of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe JoyfulÂ, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated October 5 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas; Icon of the Mother of God "In Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity", Commemorated October 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated December 5 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow", Commemorated October 24 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage my sorrow", Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Commemorated on February 22; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unfading BloomÂ, Commemorated on April 3; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on April 30; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Right-believing Demetrios Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Moscow, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus, Conquest 1227
Moscow, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus, Conquest 1227; Icon of the Mother of God -œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1331, Moscow Final Russian Capital after 1331
Russia; Russians; Tartars; Ukrainians ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Moscow, 1380 or 1480 and Before, Mongol-Tartar Yoke, all except Novgorod and Tver
Mongol-Tartar Yoke before 1380, All of Russia except Novgorod and Tver; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1453, Moscow, Third Rome, after Fall of Constantinople
Moscow, 1453, Moscow, Third Rome, after Fall of Constantinople; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant
Germany, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant; Germany, 1503-1546, Martin Luther, Protestant ; Wittenberg, Germany ; Lutherhaus; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Russia, Moscow, 1547-1721, Tsardom, Fall of Constantinople thru Northern War
Moscow, 1547-1721, Tsardom of Russia, Fall of Constantinople thru Northern War with Sweden ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1598 - 1613, Time of Troubles, Famine and Polish Occupation
Moscow, 1598 - 1613, Time of Troubles, Famine and Polish Occupation ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Protestand Sweden)
Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire
Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire; Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1989, Russian Communism
Russia, Moscow, 1917-1989, Russian Communism;

Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943
Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1989-Present, Russian Nationalism
Russia, Moscow, 1989-Present, Russian Nationalism;

Russia, Moscow History Folder

Russia, Moscow, 800, 9th Century Folder, Cyprus Icon Story

Russia, Moscow, 841, Cyprus Icon, Stromyn girl h by icon voice, m miracles
Cyprus, 392 & 841, Cyprus Icon, appeared at Lazarus' tomb, copies at Moscow&Stromyn, Triumph of Orthodoxy Week the first sunday of lent, Arab shot arrow, hit her knee, he struck dead, 1841 Stromyn Icon girl healed by voice from icon, then more miracles; Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God. this icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting on a throne with the Divine Infant in Her arms. There is an angel on either side of Her. prototype of this holy icon manifested itself in the year 392 on the island of Cyprus at the tomb of Righteous Lazarus, the friend of Christ (October 17), and is kept there in a monastery. copies of the Cyprus Icon are at the Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral, and in the Nikolo-Golutvin church in the village of Stromyn, Moscow diocese (Commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy). the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Greek Synaxarion has an account of an icon which is probably the Cyprus Icon. the island of Cyprus a certain Arab was passing by a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. order to display his hatred for Christianity, the man shot an arrow at an icon of the Mother of God which hung by the gate. The arrow struck the Virgin’s knee, from which blood began to flow. Overcome with fear, the Arab spurred his horse and rode for home, but was struck dead before he could get there. In this way, he was punished for his impiety. days commemorating the Cyprus Icon are the Day of the Holy Spirit, April 20, and July 9. Some copies of the Cyprus Icon have additional names such as “Cleansing,” “Knife,” and “Hawk.” “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.” sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromyn” Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19).

Russia, Moscow, 1100, 12th-15th Century Folder, Mongol Yoke

Russia, Moscow, 1100-1199, 12th Century, Moscow Founded

Russia, Moscow, 1149-1151, Prince, Yuri Dolgorukiy, Murom, Founder of Moscow, Andrei's Father
Moscow Prince, 1149-1151, Yuri Vladimirovich, Murom, Founder of Moscow; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1200-1299, 13th Century, First Prince, Daniel of Moscow, First Monastery, Danilov

Russia, Moscow, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus, 1227
Moscow, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-Root, Commemorated on November 27; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1223, Battle of Kalka River, at Mariupol, Mongol Victory
Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol; Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223-1241; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1227-1255, Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu Khan, Conquest of Russia
Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu (Batu Khan 1227-1255) Battle of Sita River ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Russia, Moscow, 1230 & 1501, Yaroslavl, Rostov, both ruled like Christians 1230, under & to Horde, both incorrupt relics 1501
Russia, Rostov, 1230 and 1501, Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8), both ruled like a Christian in 1230, under and to the Horde, both incorrupt relics in 1501; Yaroslav; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Moscow, 1237, First Battle with the Tartars at Kolomna (1237)
In 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. "glorious fight,"Â said the prince, "œis better than a shameful peace."Â The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri''™s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1238, Mologda, Vologda, Battle of Sit River
Mologda, Vologda, 1238, Battle of Sit River ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Russia, Moscow, 1280-1326, Patriarch Peter, wonderworker, unifier, moved See fKiev, tVladimir 1308 to Moscow in 1325

Russia, Moscow, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness, fervor for Temple, scripture reading, fasting, frequently ill as a child so parents viwed give him monastery if healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Macarius the Deacon lived in the Far Caves of Kiev, is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius lived during the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, was distinguished by his lack of covetousness. He possessed great fervor for the temple of God he continuously labored in reading Holy Scripture and in fasting. to Tradition, he was frequently ill as a child, his parents vowed that they would offer their son to the Monastery of the Caves if he were made healthy. his mildness and humility he earned the love of the brethren, taught him to read and to write. of his piety of life he was ordained as a deacon. Lord also granted him the gift of wonderworking. Macarius of the Far Caves is also commemorated on August 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1283-1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story; Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom: His memory is celebrated by the Church on June 10 and July 3 (the day of his death in 1295). On June 10, 1609 the holy relics of Bishop Basil at Ryazan were uncovered and transferred to the Dormition cathedral church. Basil I, Wonderworker of Ryazan, is mentioned in the Lavrentian Chronicles. In the ancient list of Ryazan hierarchs, he is mentioned as the fourth. (Basil II was consecrated as bishop in 1356 by Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow,). older tradition connects with Saint Basil the transfer to Ryazan of the wonderworking Murom Icon of the Mother of God (April 12). Saint Basil was at first bishop of Murom. But by the slander of the spirit of evil, the citizens rose up against him, unjustly accusing him of transgressions unbecoming an archpastor. Then the saint, after prolonged prayer, left for the River Oka, and spreading out on the water his bishop’s mantiya he stood upon it, holding in his hands the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Murom. A strong wind carried him against the current and after several hours he reached Ryazan, where he was received with reverence by the prince and people of Ryazan. during his lifetime Saint Basil was regarded a righteous and pious man. Long before his relics were uncovered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ryazan people cherished his memory and called him “their constant intercessor, helper in sorrows and travail.â€ To him most often they turned before setting out on journeys: seeking his help against problems on dry land, and to protect them from drowning in the water. about the year 1540 the monk Erazm Ermolaev wrote “An Account of Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Muromâ€. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1283-1303, P Daniel of Moscow, Nevsky's youngest, Churches Ms, first victory, humble, united rus
Russia, Moscow, 1283-1303, Prince Daniel of Moscow; father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] Aleksandrovich (1261-“ 4 March 1303) was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and forefather of all the Grand Dukes of father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] When he was a child, the tiny principality was being governed by tiuns (deputies), appointed by his paternal uncle, Grand Prince Yaroslav has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, namely the Lord's Epiphany, and The Danilov Monestery (Saint Daniel Monestery): named in his honor, situated on the right bank of the Moskva River at a distance of 5 miles from the Moscow Kremlin, and founded, by Daniel, as the first monastery wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite no later than also built the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin in the 1280s, dedicated to the Great Martyr took part in his brothers (”Dmitri of Pereslavl and Andrey of Gorodets) ”struggle for the right to govern Vladimir and Novgorod, respectively. After Dmitry's death in 1294, Daniel made an alliance with Mikhail of Tver and Ivan of Pereslavl against Andrey of Gorodets of Novgorod. participation in the struggle for Novgorod in 1296 indicated Moscow's increasing political influence. Constantine, the prince of Ryazan, tried to capture the Moscow lands with the help of a Mongol force. Prince Daniel defeated it near Pereslavl. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom.[2] 1300, he went to Ryazan with an army and imprisoned the ruler of the Ryazan Principality "by some ruse", as the chronicle says, and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. To secure his release, the prisoner ceded to Daniel his fortress of Kolomna. It was an important acquisition, as now Daniel controlled all the length of the Moskva River. 1302 his childless nephew and ally, Ivan of Pereslavl, bequeathed to Daniel all his lands, including Pereslavl-Zalessky.[2] the Mongol occupation and internecine wars among the Rus' princes, Daniel created peace in Moscow without bloodshed. 30 years of ruling Daniel participated in battles only once.[1] According to legend, Daniel was popular and respected by his subjects for his meekness, humility and peacefulness. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; the time of Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505), Saint Daniel gave reminders of himself to his forgetful descendents. He appeared as a stranger to a youth who attended the Great Prince and said: Don’t be afraid of me. I was a Christian and the master of this place, my name is Daniel Prince of Moscow, and by the will of God I am here. Tell Great Prince John about me saying: you are enjoying yourself while you have forgotten me, but God has not forgotten me. this, the Great Prince ordered panikhidas for his ancestral princes to be sung in the cathedral. During the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the dying son of a barge merchant was healed at the grave of Saint Daniel. The Tsar, struck by the miracle, renovated the ancient Danilov monastery and established a yearly church procession. The Metropolitan led the way to the the holy prince’s tomb, and served a panikhida there. 1652 holy Prince Daniel was glorified by the uncovering of his incorrupt relics, which were transferred on August 30 to the church dedicated to the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. holy relics were placed in a reliquary “to the glory of the Holy Trinity and for the healing of the infirm. Metropolitan Platon of Moscow (+ 1812), in the Life of the holy prince which he compiled, writes: “The founder laid the foundation of Moscow’s grandeur, modestly making only a small path to it. Just as any edifice, which is not built with excessive haste, but rather with great artistry and skill, receives a particular firmness and stands indestructible for a long time; like a tall tree that grows for many centuries after beginning as a small sapling, then slowly becomes sturdier, with its branches spreading about far around, so this city was to grow from small, but firm beginnings, so that its first sparkle would not bedazzle the eyes of the envious, and so it would not be shaken or felled early on, before it had attained its full height. Thus did this founder prepare the great city given him, giving it a modest but steady radiance, undisturbed by any gusts of the wind. He left the great glory of its rise to his son Great Prince John, called Kalita.

Russia, Moscow, 1283-1305, Patriarch Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus, his icon moved see to V
Vladimir, 1283-1305, Patriarch Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1283-1305, Maximus, Met of all Rus, throne north, MOG stay Vladimir, need Yuri D peace Michael of T, & go Horde
Russia, Kiev, 1283-1305, Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus, from Greece in 1283, to Kiev, Tartars there, to Briansk, to Suzdal, to Volhynia, terrible times throne north to Tver, prayer, MOG stay in Vladimir 1299, recognizing needs, need Yuri D of M peace w Michael of T, need Yuri D go to Horde, Michael of T throne of V, rules for fasting, lawful marriage, gilded over grave 1305, Maximov Icon 1299 from his vision, v on crypt ; Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Maximus, successor of Metropolitan Cyril III of Kiev (1243-1280), was a Greek by birth, and he arrived in Rus, then suffering under the Mongol (Tatar) Yoke, in 1283 as Metropolitan. saint decided to remain at Kiev, but the city was completely devastated by the plundering incursions of the Tatars. Metropolitan Maximus withdrew to Briansk, and from there to Suzdal. During his visit to Volhynia the saint met with Saint Peter the igumen of the Rata monastery, (December 21), who would succeed him as metropolitan. 1295 the saint deposed James from the bishop’s cathedra at Vladimir and replaced him with Simon. these terrible times the throne of the Great Prince was first at Vladimir, then at Pereslavl, then at Tver. lest he insult the South Russian princes by moving to the north, the saint offered fervent prayers to the Mother of God, and She indicated Vladimir as the place of his residence. the year 1299 Metropolitan Maximus went to Vladimir, and in the following year he established Saint Theoctistus (December 23) as Bishop of Novgorod. 1301, Metropolitan Maximus was in Constantinople for a Patriarchal Council, where at the urging of Saint Theognostus, Bishop of Zaraisk, he set forth questions concerning the needs of the Russian Church to be resolved by the Council. the need to build up the strength of subjugated Rus, the saint urged Prince Yuri Danilovich of Moscow to make peace with the holy Prince Michael of Tver. also advised Yuri to journey to the Horde to receive the throne. 1304, the saint installed Saint Michael of Tver (November 22) upon the Great-princely throne of Vladimir. an example of intense spiritual life for others, Metropolitan Maximus was concerned about the spiritual growth of his proverbial flock. the saint established rules for fasting for other times in addition to Great Lent. He ordained it for the Apostles’, Dormition and Nativity lenten periods, and he defined when fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is allowed (in Russia until the fourteenth century they did not fast on the Midfeast and Leave-taking of Pascha). holy metropolitan was particularly concerned with upholding lawful marriage: “I write, therefore, about this, so that you my children, born and newly-sanctified in the baptismal font, will take your wife from the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, for the woman is for the salvation of the man. If you cleave to them in promiscuity without marriage, does it benefit you? No, but rather beseech and implore them, whether young or old, to be married in the Church.” saint reposed on December 6, 1305, and his body was buried in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. A gilded covering was built over the saint’s grave. Maximov Icon of the Mother of God (April 18) was placed on the wall above the grave of the saint. It was painted in the year 1299 following a vision to Metropolitan Maximus. A description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of the crypt. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Moscow, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ
Russia, Moscow, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ; Ustiug Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God The “Ustiug Annunciationâ€ is a venerable icon, before which Saint Procopius, Fool-for-Christ (+ 1303) prayed with intense fervor on June 25, 1290 for the salvation of the city of Ustiug from the wrath of God. icon was painted by a Novgorod iconographer when the holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11) ruled in the city. In 1567, under Metropolitan Philip (January 9), the holy icon was transferred from Great Ustiug to Moscow and placed in the Dormition cathedral. At the present time it is located in the state Tretyakov gallery.

Russia, Moscow, 1292-1318, Mikhail oTver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai
Russia, Moscow, 1292-1318, Mikhail of Tver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai, born after monk father's death going to Horde, raised w love fGod by his mother, educated by Novgorod Archbishop, Tver Prince after bro Svyatoslav, 1285 built stone church, 1305 tHorde&appointed Great Prince, but Yuri oMoscow sought title, Yuri often aHorde&married Khan Uzbek's daughter& given GPrince title, Yuri began Civil war wTver, Tartar detachment wKavgadi heading, sent by Uzbek, but Tver wMichael defeated Yuri 1317, m captives incl K and Yuri's wife, wife dies, Yuri slandered M before Khan, Khan demands Michael appear Sarai and give account, M does knowing he will be killed, M farewell family&Tver, receives blessing, guilty unjust trial, death sentence, heavy wooden stocks, read Psalter wBoy turning pages, blessed Lord for allowing him to suffer for him, not deprived Christian solace, Orthodox priests, confession, Holy Mysteries, but Yuri&Kavgadi want revenge for defeat, sent assassins, tortured and cut out heart, Tartars & Orthodox see radiant clouds over body, wild animals no touch, everyone said M a saint unjustly murdered, bod to Moscow Kremlin, but wife Anna not aware, 1319 Yuri returns wMichaels yarlyk (trial edict) Tver boyars&Prince Constantine, 1319 Tver learns about M&hisMoscow burial, Anna asks Yuri permission cary M to Tver, Boyers sent, miracles arriving Moscow, incorrupt relics, Anna&sons went out toward Volga to meet wTears, relics transferred tTver 1320, local veneration soon after, 1606 M helped Russia riding out on white horse wSword forcing Poles Lithuanians to flee; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, the brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23). his journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured as a monk with the name Athanasios, then he reposed. ’s mother, Xenia, raised her son with fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of an Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 Michael built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration to replace of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and was appointed as Great Prince by right of seniority. Yurii of Moscow would not submit to this, however, because he sought the princely title for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had converted to Mohammedanism, and was known for his cruelty and fanaticism. Yurii knew how to please the Khan, so he married the Khan's sister Konchaka and was given the title of Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began a civil war with Tver. Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, led by Prince Michael, defeated Yurii on December 22, 1317. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow Prince Yurii's wife Konchaka, who died unexpectedly at Tver. Yurii slandered Prince Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael went humbly to the Horde, knowing that this meant certain death for him. bade farewell to his family and the people of Tver, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his Spiritual Father Igoumen John. “Father,” said Michael, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but because of my sins, I was not able to stop this civil war. give me your blessing, so that if my blood is shed for them, they might have some respite, and so the Lord may forgive my sins.” unjust trial was held at the Horde, which found the Saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. removed him under guard and put him in heavy wooden stocks. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison blessed the Lord for allowing him to suffer for Him. asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stocks, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. suggested that he flee, but the Saint replied, “Never in my life have I fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that for me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the Igoumens Alexander and Mark. week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who wanted revenge on Michael for their defeat, were sent into the encampment where the captive was held. November 22, 1318, they beat the Martyr severely and kicked him, then one of them stabbed Prince Michael with a knife and cut out his heart. royal Martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. Two guards were posted to watch the body that night, but fear overcame them and they fled. the morning, the body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but Tatars as well, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the Martyr's body lay. many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them touched him. the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a Saint, and was unjustly murdered." the body of the martyred Prince was brought to Moscow and buried in the Kremlin's Monastery of the Savior in the Transfiguration church. Anna was not yet aware of her husband's martyrdom. year later, Prince Yurii returned from the Khan with Michael's yarlyk.1 He brought with him the Tver boyars and Prince Constantine from the Horde. year later, in 1319, the people of Tver learned the fate of their Prince, his death, and his burial in Moscow. Anna and her children asked Prince Yurii of Moscow for permission to carry the holy relics to Tver, and he barely gave his consent. boyars from Tver were sent to Moscow to bring Saint Michael's body back to Tver. they arrived in Moscow they witnessed a remarkable miracle by which the Lord was pleased to glorify His Saint: his body showed no signs of decay. boyars took the coffin with the Holy Prince's relics and carried them to Tver with much honor. the procession approached the city, Princess Anna and her sons Dēmḗtrios, Alexander and Basil went toward the Volga, and Bishop Barsanuphios, with all the priests of the cathedral and countless people, met the holy relics on the shore. was much sobbing, so loud that the choir could not be heard, and Princess Anna wept bitter tears. the request of his wife, Saint Anna of Kashin (October 2), and the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, on September 6, 1320 they were placed in the church he had built in honor of the Lord's Transfiguration. veneration of the Holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, his Church-wide glorification took place at the Council of 1549. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. martyred Prince has often helped the Russian land. 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw an unknown horseman ride out from the city on a white horse, with sword in hand, forcing them to flee. when they saw an icon of Saint Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoktistos of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael. 1 ярлык: An emblem of Saint Michael's office as Great Prince. Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. Murom; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Kolomna; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1293, Suzdal joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Vladimir, 1293,Suzdal joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1300-1399, 14th Century, Moscow the Capital of Rus, St Sergius, Black Plague

Russia, Moscow, 1303-1325, Prince Yuri D, of Moscow, Son of Dan, elevated to supreme p by the GH Khan
Moscow Prince, 1303-1325, Yuri of Moscow ; Danilovich, also known as Georgiy Danilovich ( in Russian) (1281-21 November 1325) was Prince of Moscow (1303-1325) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (from 1318). was the oldest son of Daniel, the first prince of Moscow. His first official action was to defend Pereslavl-Zalessky against Grand Duke Andrew III. Upon Andrew's death the next year, Yury had to contend the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir with Mikhail of Tver. While the Tverian army besieged Pereslavl and Moscow itself, Mikhail went to the Golden Horde, where the Khan elevated him to the supreme position among Russian princes. the meantime, Yury arranged the murder of Prince Konstantin of Ryazan. This unlucky ruler had been captured by Yury's father back in 1302 and had been incarcerated in Moscow since then. While Ryazan was shocked by such a barbarity, Yury annexed the key Ryazanian fortress of Kolomna to Moscow Duchy. He also captured Mozhaisk, which formerly belonged to the princes of Smolensk. By 1314, Yury secured backing from the Metropolitan Peter and formed an alliance with Novgorod against Tver. Now, he felt strong enough to challenge Mikhail of Tver in the Horde. 1315 Yury went to the Golden Horde and, after spending two years there, constructed an alliance with Uzbeg Khan. Yury's marriage to the khan's sister Konchaka, Uzbeg Khan deposed Mikhail and nominated Yury as the Grand Duke of Vladimir. in Russia with a large force of Mongols, Yury approached Tver. However, Yuri's army was defeated and his brother Boris and his wife were taken prisoners. he fled to Novgorod and sued for peace. At that time his wife, still held in Tver as a hostage, died unexpectedly. Yury availed himself of the confusion that followed and announced to the khan that she had been poisoned on Mikhail's order. The khan summoned both princes to Sarai and, after a trial, had Mikhail executed. returned to Russia, hated by other princes and populace alike, in 1319. He was now entrusted with the task of gathering all-Russian tribute to the Horde. Mikhail's son and successor, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, still opposed him. In 1322, Dmitry, seeking revenge for his father's murder, went to Sarai and persuaded the khan that Yury had appropriated a large portion of the tribute due to the Horde. Yury was summoned to the Horde for a trial but, before any formal investigation, was killed by Dmitry. Eight months later, Dmitry was also executed in the Horde.[1] before his death, Yury led the army of Novgorod to fight the Swedes and founded a fort in the mouth of the Neva River. Upon signing the Treaty of Orekhovo in 1323, Yury continued eastward and conquered Velikiy Ustyug the same year. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on January 18; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1304-1318, Mikhail of T, Nervsky's n, lost GP to Yury, Novgrd, Khan's sister, k by Horde, incorrupt r
Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Yaroslavich (1271 - 22 November 1318), also known as Michael of Tver, was a Prince of Tver (from 1285) who ruled as Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1304 until 1314 and again from 1315–1318. was canonized and counted among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. Yaroslavich was the second son of Yaroslav III (Yaroslav Yaroslavich), the younger brother of Aleksandr Nevsky; he succeeded his elder brother Yaroslav as Prince of Tver in 1285. mother Xenia was the second spouse to Yaroslav III and is known as the saint Xenia of Tarusa. the death of Andrei Aleksandrovich (Aleksandr Nevsky's son and Yaroslav's nephew), Mikhail became the Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1304, as was consistent with the rota system of collateral succession that had been practised in Rus since the time of Yaroslav the Wise. He was confirmed in office by Tokhta, Khan of the Golden Horde.[1] as Grand Prince and Rivalry with Moscow[edit] he seemed secure in the throne, being the legitimate heir and having been confirmed by the Khan in Sarai, Grand Prince Mikhail suffered a series of setbacks as grand prince which led to him losing the grand princely office for both himself and, in some ways, ultimately for his descendants. He was, like most Grand Princes of Vladimir, accepted as Prince of Novgorod the Great in 1309,[2] but fought with Novgorod, going so far as to withdraw his lieutenants (namestniki) and cut off grain shipments into the city in 1312. Last Words, by Pimen Orlov he was on decent terms with Tokhta Khan, and initially with his successor, Uzbeg Khan (Mikhail paid homage on Uzbeg's accession to the throne in 1313 and remained in Sarai until 1315), he eventually lost influence to Yury of Moscow, who gained influence in Novgorod while the grand prince was away in Sarai. Mikhail did manage to finally take control of the city in 1316 with Mongol aid, but the following year Uzbeg Khan gave the yarlik or patent of office of the Grand Prince of Vladimir to Yury, who also married Uzbeg's sister.[3] granting Yury the iarlyk or patent of office, the Khan sent his army under the Mongol general Kavgadii to help Yuri in his struggle with Mikhail Yaroslavich. On 22 December 1317 Mikhail defeated Yuri at a village called Bortenevo (40 km from Tver). Mikhail captured Yuri's wife, who was the Khan's sister. When she died in Mikhail's custody, he was blamed for her death, although it seems unlikely that he would have killed her knowing how much it would hurt him politically for such little gain. He released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on 22 November 1318.[4] and the Church[edit] also alienated the Church, particularly Metropolitan Petr (ruled 1308-1326). When Metropolitan Maksim died in 1305, Mikhail nominated another candidate, but Petr was consecrated by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Petr sided with Moscow and opposed Mikhail on several occasions. In 1309, he appointed David as Archbishop of Novgorod and David was instrumental in the argument that led Mikhail to withdraw his lieutenants and cut the grain supplies to the city. In 1314, Novgorod called on Yury to be named grand prince and for Mikhail to be deposed. Thus the support of the Church aided Yury to Mikhail's detriment.[5] his having been unfavored by the Russian Orthodox Church during his lifetime, the Church later declared Mikhail a saint because of his piousness during his summons by the Khan which he knew was to certain death and because his relics, when transported to his hometown, were discovered to be incorrupt.[6] and children[edit] In 1294 Mikhail married Princess Anna of Rostov, daughter of Dimitry of Rostov. They had five children: Prince Dmitry of Tver (1299–1326) Prince Alexander of Tver (1301–1339) Prince Konstantin of Tver (1306–1346) Prince Vasily of Kashin (d. after 1368) Feodora of Tver Mikhail's sons and successors Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and Alexander were both also loved in the Horde, as was Alexander's elder son, Mikhail. Both Aleksandr Mikhailovich, and Mikhail Aleksandrovich briefly held the Grand Princely office (in 1326-1327 and 1371-1372 respectively)[7] but Mikhail's failure to defeat Yury of Moscow, followed by Aleksandr's role (real or perceived) in the Tver Uprising of 1327, led the Tver branch to lose the favor of the Khans, and the Danilovich - the Muscovite princes, held the title for all but two years after 1317. wife took the veil in Kashin's nunnery and died there on 2 October 1368. She is commemorated as Anna of Kashin by the Russian Orthodox Church and was canonized in 1677. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1305-1368, Anna of Kashin, Mike of T's wife, righteous sons, grave miracles, old Believers, 2nd glorification
Moscow, 1305-1368, Saint Anna of Kashin; Anna of Kashin (Russian: Ð¡Ð²ÑÑ‚Ð°Ñ [Ð±Ð»Ð°Ð³Ð¾Ð²ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð°Ñ Ð²ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ°Ñ ÐºÐ½ÑÐ³Ð¸Ð½Ñ - Ð¸Ð½Ð¾ÐºÐ¸Ð½Ñ] ÐÐ½Ð½Ð° ÐšÐ°ÑˆÐ¸Ð½ÑÐºÐ°Ñ) (1280 – 2 October 1368) was a Russian princess from the Rurik Dynasty, who was canonized in 1650. was a daughter of Prince Dmitry Borisovich of Rostov and a great-granddaughter of Prince Vasily of Rostov. From her earliest years, Anna was brought up strictly Christian. She was taught the virtues of humility and obedience. Her teacher was Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Rostov (died 1288), who was noted for strict selflessness and pacifism. Like all royal daughters of her time, Anna learned different kinds of needlework. When the princess grew up, Princess Xenia of Tver, second wife of Grand Prince Yaroslav of Tver sent ambassadors to Rostov with a request to marry Anna to her son Mikhail. The embassy was successful, and Anna became the wife of Prince Mikhail. Anna's marriage to Prince Mikhail took place on 8 November 1294 in the Preobrazhensky cathedral of Tver. In celebration of this event, dwellers in the city of Kashin built the Saint Michael Church and the triumphal gates from the local Kremlin to the Tver road, naming the gates also "Mikhaylovsky." In the Kashin Uspensky cathedral a special Feast was established and celebrated annually on 8 November. Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, a daughter of the Rostov prince Demetrius Borisovich, in 1294 became the wife of the holy Great Prince Michael Yaroslavich of Tver, who was murdered by the Mongol-Tatars of the Horde in 1318, (November 22). After the death of her husband, Anna withdrew into Tver’s Sophia monastery and accepted tonsure with the name Euphrosyne. Later, she transferred to the Kashin Dormition monastery, and became a schemanun with the name Anna. She fell asleep in the Lord on October 2, 1338. Anna’s sons also imitated their father’s steadfast confession of faith in Christ. Demetrius Mikhailovich (“Dread Eyesâ€) was murdered at the Horde on September 15, 1325; and later, Alexander Mikhailovich, Prince of Tver, was murdered together with his son Theodore on October 29, 1339. at Saint Anna’s grave began in 1611, during the siege of Kashin by Polish and Lithuanian forces. There was also a great fire in the city which died down without doing much damage. The saint, dressed in the monastic schema, appeared to Gerasimus, a gravely ill warden of the Dormition cathedral. She promised that he would recover, but complained, “People show no respect for my tomb. They ignore it and my memory! Do you not know that I am supplicating the Lord and His Mother to deliver the city from the foe, and that you be spared many hardships and evils?â€ She ordered him to tell the clergy to look after her tomb, and to light a candle there before the icon of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands. the Council of 1649 it was decided to uncover her relics for general veneration and to glorify the holy Princess Anna as a saint. But in 1677 Patriarch Joachim proposed to the Moscow Council that her veneration throughout Russia should be discontinued because of the Old Believers Schism, which made use of the name of Saint Anna of Kashin for its own purposes. When she was buried her hand had been positioned to make the Sign of the Cross with two fingers, rather than three. However, the memory of Saint Anna, who had received a crown of glory from Christ, could not be erased by decree. People continued to love and venerate her, and many miracles took place at her tomb. June 12, 1909 her second glorification took place, and her universally observed Feast day was established. Her Life describes her as a model of spiritual beauty and chastity, and an example to future generations.

Russia, Moscow, 1306, St Peter Icon, given to St Maximus, MOG, bishop rather on one who painted this icon
+Ratne, Volhynia; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of Saint Peter” was so called because it was painted by Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow (+ December 21, 1326) while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratsk monastery by Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia (+ December 6, 1306), Saint Peter gave him this icon as a gift. The Metropolitan took it to Vladimir at Klyazma, where his cathedral was then located. the death of Saint Maximus, the igumen Gerontius, who wished to become the new metropolitan, intended to take this icon to Patriarch Athanasius of Constantinople (October 24). The journey of Igumen Gerontius was delayed, however, by a terrible storm at sea. During this storm, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him and said: “The office of bishop will not be conferred upon you, but rather on the one who painted My Icon.” he came before Patriarch Athanasius, Saint Peter was already in Constantinople and had been consecrated as Metropolitan. The Patriarch gave the icon to Saint Peter with the words: “Take the holy icon of the Mother of God, which you painted with your own hands, for this reason the Ever-Virgin Herself has granted you this gift, and She foretold your path.” Peter took the icon to Vladimir, and when the metropolitan cathedral was transfered to Moscow in the year 1325, the icon was placed in the Dormition Cathedral above the table of oblation. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia of pious parents, Theodore and Eupraxia. Even before the birth of her son, the Lord revealed to Eupraxia the preordained blessedness of her son. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery. He successfully studied the book sciences of those times and eagerly fulfilled his monastic obediences. The future saint devoted much time to an attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, and he also learned iconography. The icons painted by Saint Peter were distributed to the brethren and to Christians who visited the monastery. of his virtuous and ascetic life, the igumen of the monastery had Saint Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place. built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. A church dedicated to the Savior was built for the monks who came to him. Chosen as igumen, Saint Peter guided his spiritual children, and never became angry with a guilty monk. Instead, he instructed the brethren by word and by example. The virtuous igumen and ascetic became known far beyond the vicinity of the monastery. Prince Yuri of Galicia frequently visited the monastery in order to receive spiritual instruction from the holy ascetic. in his travels through the Russian land, Metropolitan Maximus of Kiev and Vladimir (December 6) visited the monastery with words of instruction and edification. Having received the blessing of Saint Maximus, Saint Peter presented him with an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he had painted. Saint Maximus prayed before the icon for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God until the end of his days. Metropolitan Maximus died, the See of Vladimir remained for a certain time unoccupied. An abbot named Gerontius, aspiring to become the primate of Russia, went to Constantinople with Saint Peter’s vestments, archpastoral staff, and the icon he had painted. The Great Prince of Vladimir, Saint Michael of Tver (November 22), sent him to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be appointed as Metropolitan of Russia. the suggestion of Prince Yuri of Galicia, Igumen Peter reluctantly went to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be consecrated as Metropolitan. God chose Saint Peter to nourish the Russian Church. The Mother of God appeared to Gerontius during a storm on the Black Sea and said, “You labor in vain, for you will never be bishop. The one who painted this icon, the Rata igumen Peter, shall be elevated to the throne of Kiev.” words of the Mother of God were fulfilled. Patriarch Athanasius of Constantinople (1289-1293) elevated Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Russia, bestowing upon him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon, brought by Gerontius. Upon his return to Russia in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. chief hierarch was tested by many trials during his first years of guiding the Russian metropolitanate. Suffering beneath the Tatar (Mongol) Yoke the Russian land was in turmoil, and Saint Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence. During this period the saint’s labors and concerns to affirm the true Faith and morality in the realm were particularly important. On his journeys throughout the diocese, he incessantly instructed the people and clergy on preserving Christian piety. He also brought quarrelsome princes to peace and unity. the year 1312 the saint made a journey to the Horde, where he received a decree from Khan Uzbek, safeguarding the rights of the Russian clergy. 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great Prince John Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan See from Vladimir to Moscow. This event had very great significance for all the Russian land. Saint Peter prophetically predicted deliverance from the Tatar Yoke and that Moscow would become the foremost city in Russia. his blessing, the foundation of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Moscow Kremlin was laid in August 1326. Peter fell asleep in the Lord on December 21, 1326. The holy relics of the saint were buried in the Dormition cathedral in a stone crypt, which he himself had prepared. Many miracles were accomplished through the saint’s prayers. Many healings were even done secretly, which testifies to his profound humility even after death. veneration of the first hierarch of the Russian Church was affirmed and spread throughout the Russian land. In 1339, under Saint Theognostus (March 14), Saint Peter was numbered among the saints. Princes kissed the cross on the saint’s tomb as a sign of their fidelity to the Great Prince of Moscow. a particularly venerated protector of Moscow, Saint Peter was called on to witness the drawing up of government treaties. The people of Novgorod once had the right of nominating their own bishop in the cathedral of Saint Sophia. After their annexation to Moscow under Ivan III, they swore an oath that henceforth they would only consecrate their archbishops at the grave of Saint Peter the Wonderworker. And it was at the grave of the saint that the first hierarchs of Russia were named and chosen. Russian Chronicles mention him frequently, and no significant state undertaking was initiated without prayers at the grave of Saint Peter. The relics of Saint Peter were transferred in 1472 and 1479. In memory of these events, feastdays were established for October 5 and August 24.

Russia, Moscow, 1308-1326, Peter, Metropolitan of All Russia, moved See from Kiev to Vladimir i1308, then to Moscow i1325

Russia, Moscow, 1314, Tolga Icon, across from river Tolga, fiery column and bridge leading to it, Icon in air, Prayer, staff
Russia, Rostov, 1314, Tolga Icon stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. At midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. The next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop'™s staff. The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Russia, Moscow, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov tGreat, nobility but devout
Russia,Rostov, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, nobility but devout, every virtue, child cried in womb, people astonished, Maria frightened, but later believed become vessel divine grace, they agreed dedicate him, soon civil strife, so move tRadonezh, later S requests monk, but they say wait till we die, because brothers responsibilities, S obeyed because always did, later they decided monk themselves, died 1337, so S gave tBrother&Became monk; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Cyril and his wife Maria were the parents of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25). belonged to the nobility, more importantly, they were devout and faithful Christians who were adorned with every virtue. the child in Maria’s womb cried out three times in church during Liturgy, people were astonished. frightened at first, Maria came to see this event as a sign from God that her child would become a chosen vessel of divine grace. and her husband agreed that if the child was a boy, they would bring him to church and dedicate him to God. child, the second of their three sons, was born around 1314. was named Bartholomew at his baptism. of civil strife, Saint Cyril moved his family from Rostov to Radonezh when Bartholomew was still a boy. when their son expressed a desire to enter the monastic life, Cyril and Maria asked him to wait and take care of them until they passed away, his brothers Stephen and Peter were both married and had their own family responsibilities. young Bartholomew obeyed his parents, did everything he could to please them. later decided to retire to separate monasteries, and departed to the Lord after a few It is believed that Saints Cyril and Maria both reposed in 1337. days after burying his parents, settled their estate, giving his share to his brother Peter. then went to the monastery when he was twenty-three years old, was tonsured on October 7 with the name Sergius (in honor of the martyr Saint Segius who is commemorated on that day). everyone knows, Saint Sergius of Radonezh became one of Russia’s greatest and most revered saints. Cyril and Maria were glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. are also commemorated on September 28, and July 6 (Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh).

Russia, Moscow, 1317, Moscow Civil War with Tver, Yuri D defeated by Michael T, Yuri's wife d, slander, k, radiant clouds
Tver, 1317, Moscow Intercene (Civil) War with Tver , Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, after the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, a brother of holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23). On the journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured a monk with the name Athanasius, then died. Michael’s mother, Xenia, raised her son in fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of the Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. He took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 he built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration in place of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and received the grant to the great princely throne by right of seniority. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow would not submit to this, because he sought the princely rule for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism. Prince Yurii knew how to please the Khan, and he married his sister Konchaka and became Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began an internecine war with Tver. In Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. But the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow prince’s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. Yurii slandered Saint Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. The Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. Not wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael humbly went to the Horde, knowing that this meant death for him. He bid his his family and the Tver people farewell, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his spiritual Father Igumen John. “Father,” said the saint, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but through my sins, I was not able to stop internecine war. Now give me your blessing, so that if my blood is spilled for them, they might have some respite, and that the Lord will forgive my sins.” the Horde an unjust trial was held, which found the saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. They removed him under guard and put him in a heavy wooden stock. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison and blessed the Lord for granting him to suffer for Him. He asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. Since the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stock, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. The holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. They suggested that he flee, but the saint bravely answered, “In all my life I never fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that to me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the igumens Alexander and Mark. Each week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. At the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who took revenge on the holy prince for their defeat, assassins rushed into the encampment where the captive was held. They fiercely beat the martyr and kicked him with their feet, then one of them stabbed Saint Michael with a knife. holy martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. By night two guards were set to watch the body, but fear seized them and they fled. In the morning, his body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but also Tatars, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the body of the martyr lay. Although many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them had touched him. In the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a saint, and was innocently murdered.” From the Horde the body of the prince was transferred to Moscow, where they buried him in the church of the Savior-Wood in the Kremlin. a year later, in 1318, the people of Tver learned the fate of their prince. At the wish of his wife, the right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin (October 2), and at the request of the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, and on September 6, 1320 were placed in the church he built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Local veneration of the holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, and the general Church glorification of the saint took place at a 1549 Council. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. The holy Prince has often helped the Russian land. In 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw a wondrous horseman ride out from the city upon a white horse with sword in hand, turning them to flight. Later, when they saw an icon of holy Prince Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoctistus of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael himself. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow; Yuri was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism.; Yuri'™s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom St Michael released, and the Moscow prince'™s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on November 22, 1318.

Russia, Moscow, 1325-1340, Prince Ivan I of Moscow, John Daniilovich Kalita, controlled V and M
Moscow, 1325-1340, Prince Ivan I of Moscow ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God "œTenderness"Â in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1325-1362, Moses, 1325 Archbishop oNovogrod, first bishop by Moscow, built many N churches&M, incorrupt relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1325-1362, Moses tArchbishop oNovgorod & Archmandrite oYuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1), fNovgorod, ran away tTver's Otroch m, became monk &hieromonk (priestmonk), later archimandrite(important m abbot) oYuriev m, his parents found him, transferred to N, then Archbishop oNovgorod i1325, the first bishop consecration in Moscow, quarrels, factions, conflagrations, misfortunes, so he sought monastic solitude, 4yrs retired to asceticism, suceeded by Basil, 1330 tKolmov m tranquility, soon found desolate Derevyuanitsa, built stone church, 20 yrs monastic deeds, returned N after Basils death, defended downtrodden, protected destitute widows, employed copyists, many books written, confirmed many, 1354 permission wear many crosses, sent him a set, permission deal directly with Constantinople Patriarch, hierarch till 1361, built many churches in N, 1352 stone church aVolotva, 1355 m & stone church iSkovordka, 1357 churches for 3 m (Radogovitsa near Volotov, Holy S m, woman's m founded by Moses), 1359 sick withdrew tSkovorodsk founded bM, died 1362, incorrupt relics uncovered 1686 Yuriev Monastery; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod (1325-1330, 1352-1359), in the world Metrophanes, was born at Novgorod. his youth he secretly left his home and entered Tver’s Otroch monastery, where he became a monk. parents found him, and at their insistence he transferred to a monastery near Novgorod. this monastery he was ordained as a hieromonk, later he was appointed archimandrite of the Yuriev monastery. the death of Archbishop David of Novgorod, Saint Peter (December 21) consecrated Moses as Archbishop of Novgorod in 1325. was the first episcopal consecration to be performed in Moscow. Moses did not guide his Novgorod flock for long, however. quarrels and contentious factions, the conflagrations and other misfortunes weighed heavily on his soul, which sought monastic solitude. four years, he petitioned to be allowed to retire and live in asceticism. He was succeeded by Saint Basil. 1330 the saint withdrew to the Kolmov monastery for tranquillity. did not remain here very long, either. found a desolate spot at Derevyanitsa, where he built the stone church of the Resurrection of Christ. this place the monk spent more than twenty years at monastic deeds. Basil’s death, Saint Moses yielded to the requests of the Novgorod people to be their archpastor once again. ancient chronicler describes Saint Moses in this way: “He shepherded his flock as a good pastor; defended the downtrodden, and protected destitute widows; employed a company of copyists, and because of him many books were written, he confirmed many in piety by his guidance.” the year 1354 Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354-1355, 1364-1376), as a token of his deep respect for Saint Moses gave him permission to wear polystavrion vestments (“many crosses”), and even sent him a set. also permitted Saint Moses to deal directly with the Patriarch of Constantinople without intermediaries. Moses continued as hierarch for seven years, period marked by the building of many churches in Novgorod and its environs. 1352 the saint built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at Volotova; 1355 a monastery was built in a place named Skovorodka, with a stone church in honor of the holy Archangel Michael. 1357, churches were also built at three monasteries: Radogovitsa near the Volotov Dormition church, the Holy Spirit monastery, at a women’s monastery. churches were named for Saint John the Theologian (the first and third of these monasteries were founded by Saint Moses). 1359, feeling weak and sick, the saint withdrew into the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Skovorodsk which he had founded. Moses labored here in asceticism until his death on January 25, 1362. was buried at the cathedral church. Feast of Saint Moses on April 19 commemorates the uncovering of his incorrupt relics in 1686.

Russia, Moscow, 1327-1352, Patriarch, Theognostus of Kiev and All Russia, influence repaired Hagia Sophia
Moscow Patriarch, 1327-1352, Theognostus of Kiev and All Russia; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Theognostus the Greek succeeded Saint Peter (August 25 and December 21) as Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, holding this office from 1327 until 1353. It was through his influence that the Grand Prince Simeon sent money to the Byzantine Emperor John Cantacuzene for repairs to the Great Church of Hagia Sophia. Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1330, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed by Novatians after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia
Armenia, 325, St Hypatius of Gangra, Paphlagonia, killed by Novatians coming back from 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia; Gangra; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was bishop of the city of Gangra in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). In the year 325 he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, at which the heresy of Arius was anathematized. Saint Hypatius was returning in 326 from Constantinople to Gangra, followers of the schismatics Novatus and Felicissimus fell upon him in a desolate place. The heretics ran him through with swords and spears, and threw him into a swamp. Like the Protomartyr Stephen, Saint Hypatius prayed for his murderers. Arian woman struck the saint on the head with a stone, killing him. The murderers hid his body in a cave, where a Christian who kept straw there found his body. Recognizing the bishop’s body, he hastened to the city to report this, and the inhabitants of Gangra piously buried their beloved archpastor. his death, the relics of Saint Hypatius were famous for numerous miracles, particularly for casting out demons and for healing the sick. of old the hieromartyr Hypatius was particularly venerated in the Russian land. Thus in the year 1330 the Ipatiev monastery was built at Kostroma, on the place where the Mother of God appeared with the Pre-eternal Christ Child, the Apostle Philip, and the hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra. monastery later occupied a significant place in the spiritual and social life of the nation, particularly during the Time of Troubles. ancient copies of the Life of the hieromartyr Hypatius were widely distributed in Russian literature, and one of these was incorporated into The Reading Menaion of Metropolitan Macarius (1542-1564). In this Life there is an account of the appearance of the Savior to Saint Hypatius on the eve of the martyr’s death. entry for the saint’s Feast consists of his Life, some prayers, and words of praise and instruction. The pious veneration of Saint Hypatius was also expressed in Russian liturgical compositions. During the nineteenth century a new service was written for the hieromartyr Hypatius, distinct from the services written by Saint Joseph the Studite, contained in the March Menaion.

Russia, Moscow, 1330-1380, Blessed John the Hairy, Fool f Christ of Rostov, no shelter, humility, patience, unceasing prayer
Russia, Rostov, 1330-1380, Blessed John the Hairy or Merciful, Fool for Christ of Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, no permanent shelter, humility, patience, unceasing prayer, hair upon his head abundantly; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Blessed John œthe Hairy and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; John the Merciful of Rostov (also known as “the Hairy”) struggled at Rostov in the exploit of holy foolishness, enduring much deprivation and sorrow. did not have a permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one of the aged widows. in humility, patience and unceasing prayer, he spiritually nourished many people, among them Saint Irenarchus, Hermit of Rostov (January 13). a long life of pursuing asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to his final wishes, beside the church of Saint Blaise beyond the altar. had “hair upon his head abundantly,” therefore he was called “Hairy.” title “Merciful” was given to Blessed John because of the many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose name he shared.

Russia, Moscow, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud
Russia, Vologda, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud People, fWhite Lake city, fAnthony tRoman's m, tKargopolsk 52yrs, high command tChelma Hill, Chud people come, his preaching many baptisms, end oLife monastery&church, died a82; Kargopol; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Cyril of Chelma Hill, Enlightener of the Chudian People, born in the city of White Lake. was tonsured at the monastery of Saint Anthony the Roman, where for six years he passed through various obediences. after wandering through the wilderness for three years, he settled in a wild region of Kargopolsk. here, by a command from on high, he chose Chelma Hill for his constant abode. of the afflicted from the Chud people came to see Saint Cyril, whose luminous ascetic life and kindly preaching moved many to accept holy Baptism. the end of his life, Saint Cyril established a monastery and church in honor of the Theophany of the Lord. monk dwelt upon Chelma Hill for fifty-two years, and died at the advanced age of 82.

Russia, Moscow, 1334-1392, Demetrius of Priluki, close tSergius, built church &MFoundation but moved to avoid conflict wLocals
Russia, Vologda, 1334-1392, Demetrius of Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, Wonderworker, wealthy, uncommonly hansome, tonsured aPereyaslav, founded St Nicholas cenobitic m on St Boris &Gleb Hill, lake Plescheevo shore near P, igumen, 1334 met St Sergius oRadonezh, aP, came to see Met Athanasius, became close tSergius, talked frequently, fame, godfather children oDemetrius otDon, Ioannovich, built with him Church resurrection oChrist, prepared foundation fMonastery but locals feared village would be part oM property, demanded monks leave, to be burden to no one they left, tBend oRiver near Vologda, first cenobitic monastery in Russian north, Vologda people helped, land owners trampled down grain field so temple built immediately, 1371 woden cathedral built, brethern gather, many disciples fP, Demetrios combined prayer, strict asceticism &Kindness, fed poor&hungry, took in strangers, conversed with those needing consolation, gave counsel, loved solitude prayer, prosphora&warm water lenten food, no wine&fins oFeastdays, respected those living rearby by accepting countributions cautiously, gift oClairvoyance, old sheepskin coat winter summer, even in old age went out on common tasks, attained high degree spiritual perfection, died advanced age 1392, found as asleep, cell's wonderous fragrance, miracles 1409 and on, 15th C vereration throughout Rus, before 1440 monk Macarius recorder his life, based on disciplt Igumen Pachomius; Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11; Demetrios (Dēmḗtrios) of Priluki, Wonderworker, was born into a rich merchant’s family in Pereyaslavl-Zalessk. his youth the saint was uncommonly handsome. monastic tonsure at one of the Pereyaslavl monasteries, the saint later founded the Saint Nicholas cenobitic monastery on the Saints Boris and Gleb Hill at the shore of Lake Plescheevo near the city, and became its igumen. 1334 Saint Demetrios first met with Saint Sergius of Radonezh, had come to Pereyaslavl to see Metropolitan Athanasius. that time, he frequently conversed with Saint Sergius and became close with him. fame of the Pereyaslavl igumen was so widespread that he became godfather to the children of Great Prince Demetrios Ioannovich. the influence of the Radonezh wonderworker, Saint Demetrios decided to withdraw to a remote place, and went north with his disciple Pachomius. the Vologda forests, at the River Velika, near the Avnezh settlement, built a church of the Resurrection of Christ they prepared to lay the foundations for a monastery. local inhabitants were fearful that if a monastery were built there, their village would become monastery property. demanded that the monks leave their territory, wishing to be a burden to no one, they moved farther away. far from Vologda, at the bend of a river in an isolated spot, Saint Demetrios decided to form the first of the cenobitic monasteries of the Russian North. The people of Vologda and the surrounding gladly consented to help the saint. owners of the land intended for the monastery, Elias and Isidore, even trampled down a grain field, so that a temple might be built immediately. 1371 the wooden Savior cathedral was built, and brethren began to gather. disciples of the monk came there from Pereyaslavl. Demetrios combined prayer and strict asceticism with kindliness. fed the poor and hungry, took in strangers, conversed with those in need of consolation, he gave counsel. loved to pray in solitude. Lenten food consisted of prosphora with warm water. on feastdays, he would not partake of the wine and fish permitted by the Rule. winter and summer he wore an old sheepskin coat, even in his old age he went with the brethren on common tasks. saint accepted contributions to the monastery cautiously, so that the welfare of the monastery would not be detrimental to those living nearby. Lord granted His servant the gift of clairvoyance, he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. Demetrios died at an advanced age on February 11, 1392. brethren approaching found him as though asleep, his cell was filled with a wondrous fragrance. from the relics of Saint Demetrios began in the year 1409, during the fifteenth century his veneration spread throughout all Rus. no later than the year 1440, the Priluki monk Macarius recorded his Life (Great Reading Menaion, February 11) on the narratives of Saint Demetrios’s disciple Igumen Pachomius.

Russia, Moscow, 1334-1392, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, most highly venerated
Moscow, 1334-1392, Saint Sergius of Radonezh; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on January 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Russia, Moscow, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava
Russia, Tver, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava ; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, Vologda, disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow, hermit, silence, monastery, 112yrs old
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, Kostroma, Vologda (Obnora River, Kostroma River 3), disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow 1317, youth piety kindness, rich parents, Nativity Tolga Monastery, tSergius Radonezh, several years, hermit separate cell 15yrs, then wandered, like Chukhoma, tKomel Forest, first aGryazovitsa River 3yrs complete silence, no rest for future rest, then Nurma River aObnora River, no food 5days aWeek, then bread water, but people came, never refused guidance, Sergius oNurma visited, also fSergius oR, built Holy Trinity Church 1414, monaster sprung up, wrote strict monk rule, made Alexi igumen, continued as hermit his cell, died 112yrs old; Obnora, Vologda; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547. Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well.

Russia, Moscow, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, Vologda , hermit, close to Paul oObnora, fSergius oR, joined hermits&hermitages
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hermit, close friend hermit Paul oObnora, Komel Forest Obnora River, met Pauls visit, so met before 1414, M fDanilovo oPisma River LBank, 12K from Pisma Hermitage, Pismensky relative, trained by Sergius aHoly Trinity M, back home solitude near Pisma River, Makariev Hermitage, disciples gathered, small m mile away his cell, wooden church, later burried there, 1414 Paul estab his m, not separate monasteries, Obnora grew, Pisma remained small, bond never broken, Makarios Pisma belonged to Obnora, beginning oMonastic life Komel, 1683 icon proves local veneration fBoth had begun, Makarios' tomb in Paul's Chapel, where miracle dew protecting M's grave in fire, blindness for attempt open tomb; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well. Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547.

Russia, Moscow, 1340, MOG Appearance leaving Footprint&Spring fMonastery, Pochaev, Volhynia (high point, sources 5 rivers)
Russia, Volhynia, 1340, Appearance MOG leaving Footprint and Spring, Pochaev, Volhynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources), 2 Monks in Cave on hill where monastery now located, reading prayer rule, tTop of Hill, beheld Theotokos enveloped in flames, summoned other monk tWitness, shepherd J B also ran there, she left footprint in rock which became healing spring; Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev, Commemorated on April 21; Bright Friday we commemorate the Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev. the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and and suddenly he beheld the Theotokos standing on a rock and enveloped in flames. summoned the other monk, who also witnessed the miracle. third witness of the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. He ran to the hill, and the three of them glorified God. Most Holy Theotokos left the imprint of her right foot on the stone where she had stood, and this filled up with water. Since that time, many people have been healed at this miraculous spring. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Russia, Moscow, 1340 & 1500's, Pochaev Icon, MOG, flames, foot imprint spring, monk transported, more
Russia, Volynia, 1340, Pochaev Icon, Volynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources), Theotokos standing on rock, top of hill, enveloped in flames, 3 witnesses, foot imprint in rock, healing spring from imprint, 1559 radiant icon, 1597 healing icon given to monk on hill and monastery, monk transported from Tartar captivity, icon most revered Orthodox objects; Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and suddenly he beheld the Theotokos standing on a rock and enveloped in flames. summoned the other monk, who also witnessed the miracle. A third witness of the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. ran to the hill, and the three of them glorified God. Most Holy Theotokos left the imprint of her right foot on the stone where she had stood, and this filled up with water. that time, many people have been healed at this miraculous spring. 1559 Metropolitan Neophytus of Constantinople, on his journey through Volhynia, visited the noblewoman Anna Goiskaya living at the estate of Orlya, not far from Pochaev. a farewell blessing he left Anna an icon of the Mother of God which he brought from Constantinople. began to notice a radiance coming from the icon. 1597 Anna’s brother Philip was healed of an ailment before the eyes of a monk who lived on the hill at Pochaev. then gave the wonderworking image to the monk. The icon was placed in a church which was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. monastery was later established there, and Anna Goiskaya provided a large portion of the money needed for construction. following is one of the more famous accounts of help from the Queen of Heaven through her wonderworking Pochaev Icon. monk of Pochaev monastery was taken into captivity by the Tatars. Held as a slave, he thought of the Pochaev monastery, its holy things, the divine services, and the church singing. In particular the monk yearned to be in Pochaev for the approaching Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. He prayed tearfully to the Mother of God for deliverance from captivity, and suddenly, through the prayers of the Holy Virgin, the walls of the dungeon disappeared, and the monk found himself standing before the walls of the Pochaev monastery. Pochaev Icon is also celebrated on Friday of Bright Week and on July 23. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Russia, Moscow, 1340-1353, Prince, Simeon of Moscow, and Vladimir, against Novg and Lith, died Black Death
Moscow Prince, 1340-1353, Simeon of Moscow ; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6;

Russia, Moscow, 1345-1406, Sava of Zvenigorod, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of humility, confessor tAll, incrrpt r
Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Zvenigorod, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of humility, confessor to all, incorrupt relics, tonsured bSergius oRadonezh, his mentor, loved solitude, avoided conversation, constant toil, lamenting his soul's poverty, trembling God's judgement, model oSimplicity humility, attained spiritual wisdom, Radonezh confessor, excedingly learned, became igumen aDemetry otDon's Dubenka River monastery, ate plants, wore coarse clothing, slept oGround, 1392 igumen Trinity-Sergius, built well, Yuri oZ, Sergius' godson, chose Savva spiritual father, come bless my whole family, begged to stay, prayed before icon, accepted, new Storozhi monastery 1399, dug well, carried water, wooden palisade circling m, hollow cell above it, 1399 blessed Yuri campaign, speedy victory, stone church, died 1406, appointed Savva II igumen, miraculous curative power from his grave, numerous appearances, divine light illuminating all, 1539 called wonderworker, 1480 appeared t4th igumen, I am Savva tFounder othis place, dream verified by one who knew him, obeyed command paint Icon oSavva, incorrupt relics 1652; Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Tver, Moscow River 3, Trinity-Sergiev Lavra 1345, solitude, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of simplicity and humility, father confessor to all, Donskoy's Dubenka River monastery 1380, 1392 Trinity monastery, Yuri of Z's monastery 1399 , Opening incorrupt relics 1652; Cape of Storozhev (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 2), Steep Banks of the Moscova River; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; we commemorate opening of the incorrupt relics of Saint Savva of Storozhev and Zvenigorod on January 19, 1652. Savva is also also commemorated on December 3, as determined by the Moscow Council of 1547. Venerable Savva, Igoumen of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Savva of Zvenigorod forsook the world in his early youth, and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), and was his disciple and fellow-ascetic. Savva loved solitude, and avoided conversing with people. He lived in constant toil, lamenting the poverty of his soul, and trembling before the judgment of God. He was a model of simplicity and humility, and he attained such a depth of spiritual wisdom that “in the monastery of Saint Sergius he was the Father Confessor to all the brethren, a venerable and exceedingly learned Elder.” Great Prince Demetrios of the Don built the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Dubenka River, in gratitude for the victory over Mamai, Savva became the Igoumen, with the blessing of Saint Sergius. Maintaining the simple manner of his life of asceticism, he ate plants, wore coarse clothing and slept on the ground. the departure of their Igoumen Saint Nikon (November 17) into the wilderness in 1392, the brethren of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra asked Saint Savva to become the Igoumen of the monastery. Here he “shepherded the flock entrusted to him well, to the best of his ability, helped by the prayers of his Spiritual Father, Saint Sergius.” According to Tradition, the well outside the Lavra walls was built while he was Igoumen. Yuri of Zvenigorod, a godson of Saint Sergius, regarded Saint Savva with much love and esteem. He chose Saint Savva as his Spiritual Father and begged him to come and bestow his blessing upon his entire household. The Saint had hoped to return to his monastery, but the Prince begged him to stay and establish a new monastery, “in his fatherland, near Zvenigorod, at a place called Storozhi.” Savva acceded to the request of Prince Yuri, and praying tearfully before an icon of the Mother of God, he entreated her protection for that site in the wilderness. On Storozhi Hill, he built a small wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and nearby a small cell for himself. Here he established a monastery in 1399, with paternal love he accepted all who came seeking a life of quietude and seclusion. Savva worked very hard to build up the monastery. He dug a well at the foot of the hill, from which he carried water on his own shoulders. He encircled the monastery with a wooden palisade, and in a hollow above it, he dug out a cell where he could live in solitude. 1399 Saint Savva blessed his spiritual son, Prince Yuri, to go on a military campaign, predicting that the enemy would be defeated. Through the prayers of the holy Elder, the forces of the Prince won a speedy victory. Through the efforts of Saint Savva, a stone church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was built to replace the old wooden one. Savva went to the Lord at an advanced age on December 3, 1406. He appointed his disciple, who was also named Savva, as his successor. of the holy God-pleaser by the local people began immediately after his death. The miraculous curative power issuing from the Saint's grave, and his numerous appearances, convinced everyone that Igoumen Savva was "truly an unsetting sun of divine light, illumining all with its miraculous rays.” In a letter of 1539 Saint Savva was called a wonderworker. Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich had a special veneration for him, repeatedly visiting the monastery of Saint Savva on foot. Tradition has preserved for us a remarkable account of how Saint Savva was saved from a ferocious bear. Life of Saint Savva, compiled in the XVI century, relates how at the end of the XV century (1480-1490), the Saint appeared to Father Dionysios, the fourth Igoumen of Saint Savva Monastery and said: “Dionysios! Wake up and paint my icon.” When Father Dionysios asked who he was, he replied, “I am Savva, the founder of this place.” Father Dionysios had not known the Saint personally, so he summoned Elder Habakkuk, who had known Saint Savva in his youth, hoping to convince himself that his dream was not a delusion. He described the Saint's outward appearance, and Father Habakkuk assured him that the Saint looked exactly as the Igoumen had seen him in the dream. Then Father Dionysios obeyed the command and painted an icon of Saint Savva. Feast Day of Saint Savva was established at the Moscow Council of 1547. His incorrupt relics were recovered on January 19, 1652.

Russia, Moscow, 1350, 14th C, Mercurius t Faster of the Far Caves, deep spiritual friendship & buried w Paisus
Russia, Kiev, 1350, Mercurius t Faster of the Far Caves, deep spiritual friendship & buried w Paisus; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Mercurius of Kiev Caves pursued asceticism in the Farther Caves in the fourteenth century, and was strict in fasting. During his lifetime Saint Mercurius had a deep spiritual friendship with Saint Paisius, and when they died, they were buried in the same grave. November 24 commemoration of the saint is made because of his namesake, the holy Great Martyr Mercurius. He is also remembered on August 28, the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves; and on the second Sunday of Great Lent, the Synaxis of all the monastic Fathers of the Kiev Caves. Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves Commemorated on July 19 Saint Paisius of the Caves was a monk of the Kiev Caves monastery. From the Canon to the Kiev Caves monks, venerated in the Far Caves, it is known that he was connected by oneness of mind and brotherly love with Saint Mercurius (November 24). Both saints were inseparable, they lived in the same cell, and after death were placed in the same grave. At the present time their relics rest in separate reliquaries.

Russia, Moscow, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves, his food wUncooked grass, served grass and sick were healed
Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, relics lie Cave oTheodosius, uncooked grass was his food all his life, served grass tThose coming to him & sick were healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Gregory, Hermit of the Caves, lived during the fourteenth century. the “Lives of the Saints Whose Relics lie in the Cave of Saint Theodosius,” it says that uncooked grass served as Saint Gregory’s food all his life. gave this grass to those coming to him, and the sick were healed. is also commemorated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1350, 14th C, Zeno the Faster, oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, resplendent iFasting
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno the Faster and Lover of Labor of the Far Caves of Kiev lived in the fourteenth century. the Third Ode of the Canon to the Monks of the Far Caves, he is described as “resplendent in fasting.” memory is also celebrated on August 28 and the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1350-1353, Black Plague in Russia, Worldwide 1331-1353
Moscow, 1350-1353, Black Plague in Russia, Worldwide 1331-1353; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated on September 24;

Russia, Moscow, 1350-1370 , St John, B Suzdal&Nizhegorod, attending angel, lower taxes, poor houses, hospices, Mordovians
Russia, Vladimir, 1350- , Saint John, Bishop of Suzdal; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; John, Bishop of Suzdal, entered one of the monasteries of Suzdal while a youth. his virtuous and humble life, the saint was made the first Bishop of Suzdal and Nizhegorod in 1350. John merited a great mercy of God: Prince Boris of Suzdal saw how an angel of God attended the saint during the Divine Liturgy. John was known for his love towards the destitute and the sick; he interceded for the poor before the princes to lower their taxes. He also built poor houses and hospices for the sick. saint was very concerned about enlightening the pagan Mordvians with the Christian Faith. the annexation of Suzdal to the Moscow Diocese, Saint John took the monastic schema and withdrew to the Bogoliub monastery. He lived there in seclusion and died in peace. Numerous miracles took place at his grave.

Russia, Moscow, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma
Russia, Moscow, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma Russia, Vologda, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma ; Chukhloma Icon of the Mother of God of Galich appeared in the year 1350 to Saint Abraham of Galich, who came there from the north for ascetical labors with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. On the wild shores of the Galich lake near the large mountain, hidden in the dense forest, he turned with prayer to the Mother of God, asking Her blessing for his endeavors. After completing his prayer the saint sat down to rest, and suddenly a bright light appeared on the nearby mountainside and he heard a voice: “Abraham, come up the mountain, where there is an icon of My Mother.” monk went up the mountain where the light shone, and indeed found an icon of the Mother of God with the Infant on a tree. With tenderness and in gratitude to God, the holy ascetic took the revealed icon and, strengthened by prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, he built a chapel at that place, in which he put the icon. a certain time the Galich prince Demetrius Feodorovich, learned about the Elder’s trip, and asked him to bring the icon. Saint Abraham rowed across the Galich lake in a boat and, accompanied by clergy and a throng of people, he took the wonderworking icon to the cathedral church of the city of Galich. this day a large number of the sick were healed by this icon. When Saint Abraham told about the appearance of the icon, the Prince offered money to build a monastery. a church was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, around which a monastery grew. Saint Abraham founded several more monasteries, the last being founded was the Chukhloma, not far from the city of Chukhloma, from the name of this monastery the ascetic was named “of Chukhloma,” and the wonderworking icon became known as the Chukhloma Icon of Galich. icon is also commemorated on May 28, July 4, and August 15. Galich (Lake Galich);

Russia, Moscow, 1350, middle 14th to first half 15th centuries, Strigolniki Heretics, social justice
Strigolniki Heretics, middle 14th to first half 15th centuries; Strigolniki were followers of the first Russian heretical sect of the middle of the 14th and first half of the 15th century, established in Pskov and later in Novgorod and Tver.[1] origins of the name remain unclear. Some historians believe it has something to do with handicrafts that the first Strigolniki were engaged in, such as cloth-cutting or hairdressing (it appears that the word strigolnik derives from the Russian root strig-, which connotes cutting or trimming. Others think the name comes from a special initiation ceremony (a specific haircut, or strizhka), performed by a deacon named Karp – a supposed founder of the sect (together with deacon Nikita) yet others think it could mean that these people refused to either grow a beard or cut their beards when they entered churches. participants of the sect were tradespeople and low-ranking clergy. They renounced all ecclesiastic hierarchy and monasticism, sacraments of priesthood, communion, repentance, and baptism, which had been accompanied by large fees ("extortions", in their view) to the benefit of the clergy. Criticizing and exposing the venality, vices, and ignorance of the priests, the Strigolniki demanded the right to a religious sermon for laymen. Their sermons were full of social motifs: they reproached the rich for enslaving the free and the poor. Karp found many followers in Pskov, but had to move to Novgorod to avoid persecution. Some scholars argue that Archbishop of Novgorod Vasilii Kalika (1330–1352) ignored the heresy, but that his successors, Moisei (1325–1330; 1352–1359), and Aleksei (1359–1388) took firm measures against the heretics. In 1375, enraged citizens of Novgorod threw three heretics from the bridge into the Volkhov River.[2] Beginning in 1382, the sect was opposed by Archbishop Dionysios of Suzdal. the teachings of the Strigolniki lived on. They spread widely in Novgorod, in Pskov, and also in Tver, where bishops Feodor Dobry and Yevfimiy Vislen came forward with support for the movement. In the early 15th century Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Russia, denounced the Strigolniki teachings.[3] has been no record of the sect since the second half of the 15th century. Some historians believe that it merged with the Sect of Skhariya the Jew. The Orthodox Church believes the heresy ended in 1427.[citation needed] St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1351-1453, Sophia of Lithuania, Vytautas' daughter, Russian Basil I's wife, regent for son Vasily II
of Lithuania (1371–1453) was a Grand Princess consort of Muscovy by marriage to Vasili I of Russia. She was regent of Muscovy during the minority of her son from 1425 to 1434. was the only daughter of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania and his first wife, Anna. On 21 January 1391, while her father was engaged in the Lithuanian Civil War, she married Vasili I of Russia. She was the longest serving consort of Russia. Vasili's death in 1425 she became regent for their ten-year-old son Vasili II. Her father supported Vasili's claim to the throne, which was disputed by his uncle, Yuri of Zvenigorod. was buried in the Ascension Convent; the sarcophagus was moved in 1929 to the Cathedral of the Archangel by Soviet authorities.[1] She and Vasili I of Russia had at least nine children: Anna of Moscow (1393 – August 1417), wife of John VIII Palaiologos Yury Vasilievich (30 March 1395 – 30 November 1400) Ivan Vasilievich (15 January 1396 – 20 July 1417), husband of a daughter of Ivan Vladimirovich of Pronsk Anastasia Vasilievna (d. 1470), wife of Vladymir Alexander, Prince of Kiev. Her husband was a son of Vladymir, Prince of Kiev. His paternal grandparents were Algirdas and Maria of Vitebsk. Daniil Vasilievich (6 December 1400 – May 1402). Vasilisa Vasilievna, wife of Alexander Ivanovich "Brukhaty", Prince of Suzdal, and Alexander Daniilovich "Vzmetenj", Prince of Suzdal. Simeon Vasilievich (13 January – 7 April 1405) Maria Vasilievna, wife of Yuri Patrikievich. Her husband was a son of Patrikas, Prince of Starodub, and his wife, Helena. His paternal grandfather was Narimantas. Vasily II of Moscow (10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462) Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); (c. 1350 – October 27, 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great[1] (Lithuanian: About this soundVytautas Didysis (help·info), Polish: Witold Kiejstutowicz, Witold Aleksander or Witold Wielki[1] Ruthenian: Vitovt, Latin: Alexander Vitoldus, Old German: Wythaws or Wythawt)[2] from the 15th century onwards, was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians. He was also the Prince of Grodno (1370–1382), Prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.[3] modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revered as a national hero and was an important figure in the national rebirth in the 19th century. Vytautas is a popular male given name in Lithuania. In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death, Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in the independent Lithuania during the interwar period from 1918 to 1939. It is known that Vytautas himself knew and spoke in the Lithuanian language with Jogaila.[4][5] for power[edit] –1384[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) Seal of Vytautas, c. 14th-15th centuries uncle Algirdas had been Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' father Kestutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kestutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against the Teutonic Order. Algirdas was succeeded by his son Jogaila, and a struggle for power ensued. 1380, Jogaila signed the secret Treaty of Dovydiskes with the Teutonic Order against Kestutis. Kestutis discovered this in 1381, he seized Vilnius, imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kestutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kestutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported to Kreva Castle. One week later, Kestutis was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate. and Kestutis imprisoned by Jogaila. Painting by Wojciech Gerson 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to the Treaty of Dubysa, by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part of Samogitia up to the Dubysa River. However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. was baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name of Wigand. Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to the Nevezis River in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. in July of the same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kestutis' lands, except for Trakai. –1392[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392) and Lithuania, 1386–1434 1385, Jogaila concluded the Union of Krewo with Poland, under which he married Jadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o. participated in the Union and in 1386 was re-baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. left his brother Skirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attacked Vilnius but failed. early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through the Treaty of Konigsberg (1390).[6] Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. army now invaded Lithuania.[citation needed] Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughter Sophia to Vasili I of Russia in 1391.[6] Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not bring any benefit to Poland. 1392, Jogaila sent Henry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with the Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. and Vytautas signed the Astrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all KÄ™stutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila. Duke of Lithuania[edit] towards the East[edit] to Vilnius Cathedral issued by Vytautas in Vilnius on February 16, 1410 (Latin language) continued Algirdas' vision to control as many Ruthenian lands as possible. Much of the territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by the Mongols. Khan of the Golden Horde, sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat by Timur. An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked a part of the Crimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. A number of Tatar captives were brought to ethnic Lithuania. attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by the Treaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himself Supremus Dux Lithuaniae, ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to the knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition of Pskov and Novgorod the Great.[6] of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great, circa 1399–1401. by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support from Pope Boniface IX for organising a crusade against the Mongols. political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that the Teutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. number of territories revolted against Vytautas, and Smolensk was retaken by its hereditary ruler, George of Smolensk, and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-law Vasili I of Moscow and Svitrigaila, a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty of Ugra, by which Velikiy Novgorod was granted to Jogaila's brother Lengvenis, and the important city of Pskov to Jogaila's envoy Jerzy Nos, the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciaz.[7][8] The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despite Hermann II of Celje's attempt to negotiate a solution.[9] against the Teutonic Order[edit] article: Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War the Great as shown on Jan Matejko's oil painting of the Battle of Grunwald the Great Monument in Kaunas the Treaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferred Zemaitija Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights. Zemaitija/Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based in Prussia, from the Livonian Order, based in Latvia. The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Zemaitija for only three years, because on March 13, 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support from Svitrigaila, brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404 Peace of Raciaz was signed, which in essence repeated the Treaty of Salynas: Zemaitija/Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support any Gediminid who could have claims to the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war. 1408, Vytautas reached peace in the east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the second Samogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burned SkirsnemunÄ— castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-day Malbork). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy in the Battle of Grunwald, also called the Battle of Å½algiris (Lithuanian) or Tannenberg (German). The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with the Roman curia.[6] a result of the Peace of Thorn of 1411, Vytautas received Zemaitija (Samogitia) for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas (Neman River) was Zemaitija and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just a few months, and the dispute was brought to the Council of Constance. Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting, the Treaty of Lake Melno was signed. Å½emaitija/Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-day KlaipÄ—da) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until the Memel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland. with Poland[edit] 1399 Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died in childbirth. Jogaila's power in Poland was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was the Union of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case JagieÅ‚Å‚o died first without an heir, the Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters. of Vytautas the Great. Built around 1400 in Kaunas was one of the creators of the Union of HorodÅ‚o with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted Lithuanian Christian nobles the same rights as the Polish szlachta. This act did not include Orthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between the nobles of Poland and of Lithuania. January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk it was proposed by Sigismund, king of Hungary, that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytuatas, king WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw and Polish nobles. envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas coronation and proposing alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and Teutonic Order were stopped at Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430.[10] died in the Trakai Island Castle, ending the whole affair. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius. The knowledge about his remains has been lost. to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour was combined with statesmanlike foresight." the Great watch tower in Kherson, Ukraine commemorative coin dedicated to Vytautas the Great backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule, the influential Radvila (RadziwiÅ‚Å‚) and GoÅ¡tautas families began their rise. 1398, Vytautas brought over families of the Karaim (388 families) and Tatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in the kenesa in Vilnius.[11] beside his uncle Algirdas on the Millennium of Russia in Veliky Novgorod. in 1350 in the castle of present-day Old Trakai (Senieji Trakai), Vytautas was the son of KÄ™stutis and his wife BirutÄ—. Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend of Jogaila (WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he married Anna, who gave birth to Sophia of Lithuania. Sophia was married to Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow, and mother and regent to their son Vasili II. After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her niece Juliana Olshanska, daughter of Ivan Olshanski who outlived him.[12] Because of the relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however, Jan KropidÅ‚o did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418.[13] According to the 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle, his first wife was Maria Åukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources.[13] Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed Heaven, Commemorated on March 6;

Russia, Moscow, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake)
Russia, Moscow, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake); Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1353-1359, Prince, Ivan II of Moscow, John II, chose GHorde over Lith, Donskoy's father
Moscow Prince, 1353-1359, Ivan II of Moscow ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14 ; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1354-1378, Alexius, Metropolitan of M, calling at 12, church order, Khan' wife healed, monasteries
Moscow, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7; St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia the Wonderworker (in the world Eleutherius), was born in the year 1292 (or according to another source, 1304) at Moscow into the family of the noble Theodore Byakont, a descendant of the Chernigov princely line. Lord revealed to the future saint his lofty destiny from early childhood. At twelve years of age Eleutherius went to a field and set nets to ensnare birds. He dozed off and suddenly he heard a voice: “Alexis! Why do you toil in vain? You are to be a catcher of people.” this day on the boy abandoned childish games and spent much time in solitude. He frequently visited church, and when he was fifteen he decided to become a monk. 1320, he entered Moscow’s Theophany monastery, where he spent more than twelve years in strict monastic struggles. The renowned ascetics of the monastery, the Elders Gerontius and Saint Stephen (July 14), brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, were guides for him and his companions. Theognostus, who had taken notice of the virtuous life and spiritual gifts of Saint Alexis, bade the future saint to leave the monastery and manage the ecclesiastical courts. The saint fulfilled this office for twelve years. Towards the end of 1350, Metropolitan Theognostus had Alexis consecrated as Bishop of Vladimir. After the death of the metropolitan, he became his successor in the year 1354. this period the Russian Church was torn by great rifts and quarrels, in part because of the pretensions of Metropolitan Romanus of Lithuania and Volhynia. In 1356, in order to put an end to the troubles and disturbances, the saint went to Constantinople to the Ecumenical Patriarch. Patriarch Callistus gave Saint Alexis the right to both be called and to consider himself Archbishop of Kiev and Great Russia with the title, “All-Venerable Metropolitan and Exarch.” the return journey, during a storm at sea, the ship was in danger of shipwreck. Saint Alexis prayed and vowed to build a temple to the saint of that day on which the ship should come to shore. The storm subsided, and the ship arrived on August 16. Moscow delightedly came out to meet the saint. spite of problems on every side, Saint Alexis devoted himself to his flock: he appointed bishops, he established cenobitic monasteries (on the model of the Trinity Lavra, founded by Saint Sergius), and he brought order to Russian relations with the Khans of the Horde. The saint journeyed more than once to the Golden Horde. In 1357 the Kh an told the Great Prince that the saint should come to him and heal the blindness of Taidulla, his wife. “This is beyond my powers,” said Saint Alexis, “but I believe that God, Who gave sight to the blind, will also aid me.” Through his prayer, and after being sprinkled with holy water, the wife of the Khan was healed. Great Prince Ioann died, his young son Demetrius (the future saint), still a minor, was taken under the saint’s guardianship. The holy bishop had much toil in reconciling and appeasing princes obstinately refusing to accept the authority of Moscow. Nor did the metropolitan neglect the work of organizing new monasteries. 1361 he founded the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands monastery at the Yauza in Moscow (Andronikov, the disciple of Saint Sergius, was the first igumen of the monastery), fulfilling the vow he had made on his return journey from Constantinople, when the ship was in danger. also founded the Chudov monastery in the Moscow Kremlin. Ancient monasteries were restored: the Annunciation monastery at Nizhni-Novgorod, and Saints Constantine and Helen at Vladimir. In 1361 a women’s cenobitic monastery was named for him (the Alekseev). Alexis reached the advanced age of seventy-eight, having spent twenty-four years upon the metropolitan cathedra. He reposed on February 12, 1378 and was buried in accord with his last wishes at the Chudov monastery. His relics were uncovered in a miraculous manner fifty years later, after which the memory of the great holy hierarch and man of prayer began to be celebrated. Alexis is also commemorated on May 20 (Uncovering of his relics) and on October 5.

Russia, Moscow, 1354-1378, Alexius, Met oMoscow&Kiev, his future revealed early, Lord told him he was to be catcher oMen
Russia, Kiev, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev, his future revealed early, Lord told him he was to be catcher of men, not birds, much solitude from then on, church attendance, decided monk at 15, 1320 entered Theophany m, 12 yrs strict monastic struggles, guided by renouned ascetics: Gerontios, Sergius' bro Stephen, called out of M by Met Theognos to manage ecclesiastical courts, 12 yrs, concecrated Bishop by Met, 1350 Bishop oVladimir, 1354 Met when Met reposed, Russian church rifts&quarrels, pretensions oMet Romanos oLithuania&Volhynia, 1356 tConstantinople to see Ecumenical Patriarch Kallistos, who gave him Archbishop over all russia, most venerable met and Exarch, over Kiev and Great Russia, storm at sea upon his return, vowed build temple for saint otDay upon his return, Aug 16, despite problems devoted to his flock, appointed bishops, estab cenobitic m's like Sergius' Trinity Lavra, healed Khan's wife bringing order to Horde relations, guardian oDemetrios, Princes refused accept Moscow authority, He continued establishing monasteries, Icon Savior at Yauza, fulfilled storm return fConstantinople Aug 16, also Chudov M1 in Moscow Kremlin where he was buried, reposed at 78; Moscow, 1354-1378, Patriarch Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow; St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Alexei, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia the Wonderworker (in the world Eleutherios), born in the year 1292 (or according to another source, 1304) at Moscow into the family of the noble Theodore Byakont, a descendant of the Chernigov princely line. Lord revealed to the future Saint his lofty destiny from early childhood. twelve years of age Eleutherios went to a field and set nets to ensnare birds. dozed off and suddenly he heard a voice: “Alexei! Why do you labor in vain? You are to be a catcher of men." this day on the boy abandoned childish games and spent much time in solitude. often attended church, when he was fifteen he decided to become a monk. 1320, he entered Moscow’s Theophany Monastery, where he spent more than twelve years in strict monastic struggles. renowned ascetics of that monastery, the Elders Gerontios and Saint Stephen (July 14), the brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, were guides for him and his companions. Theognostos, who noticed the virtuous life and spiritual gifts of Saint Alexei, bade the future Saint to leave the monastery and manage the ecclesiastical courts. Saint fulfilled this office for twelve years. the end of 1350, Metropolitan Theognostos had Alexei consecrated as Bishop of Vladimir. the Metropolitan's repose in the year 1354, Saint Alexei succeeded him. this period the Russian Church was torn by great rifts and quarrels, part because of the pretensions of Metropolitan Romanos of Lithuania and Volhynia. 1356, in order to put an end to the troubles and disturbances, the Saint went to Constantinople to see the Ecumenical Patriarch. Kallistos gave Saint Alexei the right to be called, and to consider himself, as both Archbishop of Kiev and Great Russia with the title, “Most Venerable Metropolitan and Exarch.” his return journey, during a storm at sea, the ship was in danger of sinking. Alexei prayed and vowed to build a temple to the Saint of that day on which the ship should come to shore. The storm subsided, and the ship arrived on August 16. spite of problems on every side, Saint Alexei devoted himself to his flock: appointed bishops, and established cenobitic monasteries (on the model of the Trinity Lavra, founded by Saint Sergius), he brought order to Russian relations with the Khans of the Horde. Alexei journeyed more than once to the Golden Horde. 1357 the Khan told the Great Prince that Saint Alexei should come to him and heal the blindness of his wife Taidulla. “That is beyond my power,” Metropolitan Alexei replied, “but I believe that God, Who gave sight to the blind, will also help me.” his prayers, and after sprinkling the Khan's wife with holy water, she was healed. Great Prince John died, his young son Demetrios (the future saint), then still a minor, was taken under the Saint Alexei's guardianship. holy Hierarch had much difficulty in reconciling and appeasing the Princes, obstinately refused to accept Moscow's authority. did Vladyka (Bishop) Metropolitan (he) neglect the work of establishing new monasteries. 1361 he founded a Monastery dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Yauza in Moscow. the disciple of Saint Sergius, was the first Igoumen of the Monastery, fulfilling the vow he had made on his return journey from Constantinople, when the ship was in danger. Alexei also founded the Chudov Monastery1 in the Moscow Kremlin. monasteries were restored: the Annunciation Monastery at Nizhni-Novgorod, and Saints Constantine and Helen at Vladimir. 1361 a women’s cenobitic monastery was named for him (Alekse'ev). Alexei reached the advanced age of seventy-eight, spent twenty-four years upon the metropolitan cathedra. reposed on February 12, 1378 was buried at the Chudov Monastery in accordance with his last wishes. His relics were uncovered in a miraculous manner fifty years later, after which the memory of the great holy Hierarch and intercessor began to be commemorated. Alexei is also commemorated on May 20 (Recovery of his relics) and on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs). 1 The Monastery is dedicated to the Miracle of the Archangel Michael (September 6).

Russia, Moscow, 1357-1427, Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery
Mologa Saint, 1357-1427, St Cyril of White Lake monastery, Sheksna, Vologda; St Cyril of White Lake monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1359-1389, Dmitry Donskoy (D otDon), age 9 GP M, GPrince Vladmir 1363, Horde victory, Submitted tThem fVictories
Russia, Moscow, 1359-1389, Prince Dmitry Ioannovich Donskoy (Dimitrius of the Don), ascended at age 9 GP Moscow, regent Met Aleksey, most prized title GPrince oVladmir 1363, national hero, central figure middle ages, great victory over Horde then submitted to Horde to defeat everyone else; Moscow, 1363-1389, Prince Dmitry Donskoy (Dimitrius of the Don); Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy ( tr. Dmítriy Ivanovich Donskóy, also known as Dimitrii or Demetrius), or Dmitry of the Don, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitry October 1350 – 19 May 1389), son of Ivan II the Fair of Moscow (1326–1359), as the Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 to his death. was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol authority in Russia. is regarded as a national hero and central figure of the Russian Middle Ages. nickname, Donskoy ("of the Don"), alludes to his great victory against the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo (1380), which took place on the Don River.[1] He is venerated as a Saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day on 19 May. reign[edit] was born in Moscow in 1350, the son of Ivan the Fair, Grand Prince of Moscow, and his second wife, Alexandra Vassilievna Velyaminova, the daughter of the mayor of Moscow. was orphaned at the age of nine and ascended the throne of the Principality of Moscow.[2] Per the terms of Ivan's will, during Dmitry's minority, Metropolitan Aleksey served as regent. 1360 Khiḍr Khan, Khan of the Golden Horde, transferred the title most prized among the Rus' princes, that of Grand Prince of Vladimir, to Dmitry Konstantinovich of Nizhny Novgorod. 1363, after that prince was deposed, Dmitry Ivanovich was crowned at Vladimir. Three years later, he made peace with Dmitry Konstantinovich and married his daughter Eudoxia. most important event during Dmitry's early reign was to start building the Moscow Kremlin; it was completed in 1367. Thanks to the new fortress, the city withstood two sieges by Algirdas of Lithuania during the Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372).[3] The war ended with the Treaty of Lyubutsk. 1375, Dmitry settled, in his own favor, a conflict with Mikhail II of Tver over Vladimir. princes of Northern Russia acknowledged his authority and contributed troops to the impending struggle against the Horde. By the end of his reign, Dmitry had more than doubled the territory of the Principality of Moscow. against Mamai[edit] Monument to Dmitry Donskoy in front of Marinkina tower (Kolomna Kremlin) domination of Rus began to crumble during Dmitry's thirty-year reign. The Golden Horde was severely weakened by civil war and dynastic rivalries. Dmitry took advantage of this lapse in Mongol authority to openly challenge the Tatars. he kept the Khan's patent to collect taxes for all of Russia, Dmitry is also famous for leading the first Russian military victory over the Mongols. Mamai, a Mongol general and claimant to the throne, tried to punish Dmitry for attempting to increase his power. In 1378 Mamai sent a Mongol army, but it was defeated by Dmitry's forces in the Battle of Vozha River.[3] years later Mamai personally led a large force against Moscow. of Radonezh blessed Dmitry Donskoy when he went to fight the Tatars in the signal Battle of Kulikovo field, but only after he was certain Dmitry had pursued all peaceful means of resolving the conflict. sent the two warrior monks Alexander Peresvet and his friend Rodion Oslyabya to join the Russian The battle of Kulikovo was opened by single combat between two champions. The Russian champion was Alexander Peresvet. The Horde champion was Temir-murza. The champions killed each other in the first run. defeated the Horde.[2] In gratitude for the victory, Dmitry established the Dormition monastery on the Dubenka River and built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos over the graves of the fallen warriors.[4][5] defeated Mamai was presently dethroned by a rival Mongol general, Tokhtamysh. That khan reasserted Mongol rule of Rus and overran Moscow in 1382 for Dmitry's resistance to Mamai. however, pledged his loyalty to Tokhtamysh and to the Golden Horde and was reinstated as Mongol principal tax collector and Grand Duke of Vladimir. his death in Moscow in 1389, Dmitry was the first Grand Duke to bequeath his titles to his son Vasili I of Russia without consulting the Khan.[2] and children[edit] He was married to Eudoxia of Nizhniy Novgorod. She was a daughter of Dmitry of Suzdal and Vasilisa of Rostov. They had at least twelve children: Daniil Dmitriyevich (c. 1370 – 15 September 1379). Vasiliy I of Moscow (30 September 1371 – 27 February 1425). Sofia Dmitriyevna. Married Fyodor Olegovich, Prince of Ryazan (reigned 1402–1427). Yuriy Dmitriyevich, Duke of Zvenigorod and Galich (26 November 1374 – 5 June 1434). Claimed the throne of Moscow against his nephew Vasiliy II of Moscow. Maria Dmitriyevna (d. 15 May 1399). Married Lengvenis. Anastasia Dmitriyevna. Married Ivan Vsevolodovich, Prince of Kholm. Simeon Dmitrievich (d. 11 September 1379). Ivan Dmitriyevich (d. 1393). Andrey Dmitriyevich, Prince of Mozhaysk (14 August 1382 – 9 July 1432). Pyotr Dmitriyevich, Prince of Dmitrov (29 July 1385 – 10 August 1428). Anna Dmitriyevna (born 8 January 1387). Married Yury Patrikiyevich. Her husband was a son of Patrikas, Prince of Starodub and his wife Helena. His paternal grandfather was Narimantas. The marriage solidified his role as a Boyar attached to Moscow. Konstantin Dmitriyevich, Prince of Pskov (14 May/15 May 1389 – 1433).[3] Demetrius Ioannovich Donskoy Right-Believing Prince Honored in Eastern Orthodox Church Canonized 6 June 1988, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius by 1988 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, (Patriarch Pimen I of Moscow) Major shrine Cathedral of the Archangel Feast 23 January, 9 May, 19 May, 6 July, 22 August, 22 September Attributes sword and helmet Patronage The Military Police of Russia Prince Demetrius Ioannovich Donskoy was canonized on 6 June 1988 in Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius by 1988 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church under Patriarch Pimen I of Moscow.[6] Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 28 ; St Roman of Kirzhachsk, Commemorated on July 29 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Converser"Â, Commemorated on August 14; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œCzestochowa"Â, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Russia, Moscow, 1362 &1581 &1682, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden
Russia, Vologda, 1362 &1581 &1682, Anthony oBlack Lake (Chernopovets) founded Black Lake (Chernoezero) monastery, Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, twice completely destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden ; Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Anthony of Black Lake founded the Mother of God monastery at Black Lake [Chernoezero] in the Novgorod area, not far from the city of Chernopovets. monastery was on an island of the Schirsk countryside. monastery twice suffered complete destruction: in 1581, from the Lithuanians; in 1682, from the Swedes. monastery was closed in 1764.

Russia, Moscow, 1363-1394, Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, founded 3 monasteries, many great ascetic disciples, iconographer
Russia, Rostov, 1363-1394, Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, founded Old & New Simonovo Monastery near Kremlin 1379, Dimitri o Don confessor, 1387 bishop of Rostov, many great ascetic disciples, iconographer, founded Rostov monastery; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, in the world John, the son of Stephen (brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh), who occupied an important post under Prince Andrew of Radonezh. a widower, Stephen became a monk, and together with his twelve-year-old son, went to the monastery to Saint Sergius, who foreseeing the ascetic life of the child John, tonsured him with the name Theodore on the Feast of Saint Theodore the Hair-Shirt Wearer (April 20). Theodore attained an appropriate age, he was given a blessing to be ordained to the priesthood. the blessing of Saint Sergius, Saint Theodore built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and founded a monastery on the banks of the River Moskva, at the place called Simonovo. the monastery began to attract a throng of people. Saint Theodore built a cell five versts from the Moscow Kremlin, and pursued new ascetical labors, and here disciples gathered around him. Sergius, visiting this place, blessed the founding of a monastery, and Metropolitan Alexis blessed the construction of a church in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at Novoe Simonovo, which also had its foundations laid in 1379. The old Simonov monastery remained the burial place of monks. of his virtuous life and strict asceticism, Saint Theodore became known in Moscow. Metropolitan Saint Alexis elevated him to the rank of igumen, and Great Prince Demetrius of the Don chose him as his father confessor. Theodore journeyed to Constantinople several times on church matters for the Russian Metropolitan. his first journey in 1384, Patriarch Nilus made him an archimandrite. Simonov monastery was put directly under the Patriarch, thus becoming stavropegial. 1387, he was consecrated archbishop and occupied the See of Rostov. the igumen, and then the archimandrite of the Simonov monastery, and despite being occupied with churchly matters, Theodore stalwartly guided those in the monastic life and counted many great and famous ascetics among his disciples. Cyril (June 9) and Therapon (May 27), the future founders of two famous White Lake monasteries, were tonsured at the Simonov monastery. Theodore occupied himself with iconography, and he adorned with icons of his own painting both the Simonov monastery, and many Moscow churches. Rostov, Archbishop Theodore founded the Nativity of the Virgin monastery. blessed death of the saint occurred on November 28, 1394. His relics are in the Rostov Dormition cathedral. Theodore is also commemorated on May 23. Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22: Paul and Theodore of Rostov founded a monastery at the River Ust, not far from Rostov, in honor of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb (May 2). Theodore (November 28) first came to the site of the future monastery from the Novgorod region. Paul came three years later for ascetic struggles. Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5) came to Rostov, his native region, in 1363. of this, Saints Theodore and Paul went to the great ascetic for spiritual counsel. Sergius visited their wilderness monastery and blessed them to build a church there named for the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. during the construction of this first church, monks began gathering around the ascetics. igumen, Saint Theodore, joyfully accepted all who came. Soon a second temple was built in honor of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. the Borisoglebsk monastery in order, Saint Theodore entrusted its direction to Saint Paul. he himself took several disciples and withdrew into the Vologda forest. at White Lake, near to the confluence of the River Kouzha into it, he founded a monastery and lived an ascetic life for several years. He built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, set the monastery in order, and appointed an igumen for it. receiving a revelation about his impending death, he returned to the Boris and Gleb monastery, where he died on October 22, 1409. Saint Paul directed the two monasteries for a certain time, then he also died at the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb.

Russia, Moscow, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops M, Novgorod, Demetrius Donsky relative, set example & much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops Monastery, Novgorod, relative of Demetrius of the Don, 44yrs at Klops, setting example in monastic efforts, clairvoyant, denounced vices, summoned spring, grain supplies not diminished; Klops Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Michael of Klops was of noble lineage, and he was a relative of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389). took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ to avoid the praise of men. Leaving Moscow dressed in rags, he arrived at the Klops monastery, near Novgorod. one knew how he got into the locked cell of the hieromonk Macarius, who was going round the cell censing during the Ninth Ode of the Canon. A man in monastic garb sat there beneath a candle, copying out the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After the end of Matins the igumen came with some of the brethren and asked the stranger who he was, and what his name was. But he responded only by repeating the questions, and did not reveal his origin. church the stranger sang in the choir and read the Epistle, and he also read the Lives of the Saints at meals. All who listened were moved by the beauty and spirituality of his reading. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Klops monastery was visited by Prince Constantine Dimitrievich (son of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don ). Communion he was in the trapeza with the princess, during which time the unknown stranger read from the Book of Job. Hearing the reading, the prince approached the reader and looked him over. Then he bowed down to him, calling his kinsman Michael Maximovich by name. The fool remarked, “Only the Creator knows me, and who I am,” but he confirmed that his name was Michael. Michael soon set an example for the brethren in all the monastic efforts. He lived at the Klops monastery for forty-four years, exhausting his body in work, vigils and various deprivations, and he received from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance. denounced the vices of people, not fearing the powerful of this world. He predicted the birth of Great Prince Ivan III on January 22, 1440, and his capture of Novgorod. He denounced Prince Demetrius Shemyaka for blinding his brother the Great Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462). a sandy spot Saint Michael summoned forth a spring of water, having written upon the earth: “I will take the cup of salvation (Ps. 115/116:13), let the well-spring show forth on this spot.” And during a time of famine, the supplies of bread at the monastery granary did not diminish, though they distributed grain abundantly to the hungry. indicated beforehand the place of his burial, the saint died on January 11, 1453.

Russia, Moscow, 1367-1389, Eudoxia of Moscow, wife of Dmitri Donskoy, Grand D, Archangel Icon, monastic
Russia, Moscow, 1367-1389, Eudoxia of Moscow, Grand Duchess, wife of Dmitri Donskoy; of Moscow, with monastic name Euphrosyne (1353 - 1407), was a Grand princess of Moscow and wife of Dmitry Donskoy. was a daughter of Dmitry Konstantinovich, Grand Prince of Suzdal[1] and Nizhny Novgorod and Vasilisa of Rostov. maternal grandparents were Konstantin Vasilievich, Prince of Rostov and Maria of Moscow. Maria was a daughter of Ivan I of Moscow and his first wife Yelena. 18 January 1366, Eudoxia married Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy. In 1382, she stayed in Moscow in the absence of her husband, while the army of khan Tokhtamysh was approaching the capital. After the birth of her son Andrey Dmitriyevich, she attempted to leave Moscow, but was detained by the Muscovites, who agreed to let her go only after long negotiations. works[edit] (Raka) of Eudoxia of Moscow was greatly influenced by Alexius, Metropolitan of Kiev. After her husband's death, Eudoxia became known for her piety; legend has it that she possessed the gift of healing. To commemorate her husband's victory at the Battle of Kulikovo, Eudoxia commissioned an icon of the Archangel Michael, which later became the patronal icon of the Kremlin'™s Archangel Cathedral.[1] 1387, Eudoxia established the Ascension Monastery next to the Frolovskaya (Spasskaya) Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Later in her life, Eudoxia Dmitriyevna took the veil at the Ascension Monastery under the name of Yefrosiniya (Euphrosyne) and remained there until her death in 1407.[1] 1393, she founded the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, the oldest surviving building in Moscow. The church was dedicated to the Virgin's Nativity, because on this feast her husband defeated the Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo. According to tradition, in 1395, during Tamerlane'™s invasion into southern Russia, she had the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Moscow.[2] died on 7 July 1407 and was buried in the Ascension Convent. In 1929 the authorities ordered the destruction of the church and her relics were lost, but were uncovered in 2002, and then transferred to the Cathedral of the Archangel located inside the Kremlin. was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. and Dmitri Donskoi had at least 12 children: Daniil Dmitrievich (c. 1370 – 15 September 1379). Vasily I of Moscow (30 September 1371 – 27 February 1425). Sofia Dmitrievna. Married Fyodor Olegovich, Prince of Ryazan (reigned 1402–1427). Yury Dmitrievich, Duke of Zvenigorod and Galich (26 November 1374 – 5 June 1434). Claimed the throne of Moscow against his nephew Vasily II of Moscow. Maria Dmitrievna (d. 15 May 1399). Married Lengvenis. Anastasia Dmitrievna. Married Ivan Vsevolodich, Prince of Kholm. Simeon Dmitrievich (d. 11 September 1379). Ivan Dmitrievich (d. 1393). Andrei Dmitrievich, Prince of Mozhaysk (14 August 1382 – 9 July 1432). Piotr Dmitrievich, Prince of Dmitrov (29 July 1385 – 10 August 1428). Anna Dmitrievna (born 8 January 1387). Married Yuri Patrikievich. Her husband was a son of Patrikei, Prince of Starodub and his wife Yelena. His paternal grandfather was Narimantas. The marriage solidified his role as a Boyar attached to Moscow. Konstantin Dmitrievich, Prince of Pskov (14 May/15 May 1389 – 1433). 15 August 2007, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church instituted the Order of St. Euphrosyne, named after Eudoxia, who was the first noblewoman of Moscow to enter monasticism. The award was established to commemorate the 600th anniversary of Euphrosyne's death. According to the synod's ukase (decree), the new decoration will be given to women for special contributions towards the strengthening of spiritual and moral traditions in society, development of the church's social activities, maintaining relations between church and state or church and society, and other fields of work for the betterment of the Orthodox faith. The Order of St. Euphrosyne will be the second women's decoration of the Russian Orthodox Church after the Order of Saint Olga.[3] Archangel Michael Icon By Andrei Rublev Arkhangelsky Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin Reproduction; Moscow, 1362-1389, Prince Dmitry Donskoy (Dimitrius of the Don); St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Russia, Moscow, 1370-1389, Demetrios Donskoy, piety&political talents fUnification&Emancipation fMongols bSubmission
Russia, Moscow, 1370-1389, Demetrios Donskoy, raised by St Alexis, piety&political talents, fUnification&Emancipation fMongols, 1380 gathered forces&visited Sergius fBlessing, S blessed 2 Monks to go along& predicted victory, marched tKolomna, Icon appeared in air before Battle of Kulikovo, hovering oPine tree, descended D's hands, that night Lithuanian Montvid Montvilo (w later saved D taking sword) dreamed St Nicholas, chest icon oNik, promised famous descendent for Russia, Alex Motovilov story (wrote aim of Christian Life& how to acquire Grace), after K Field battle Nik Church built on site by D, ; Moscow; Right-believing Demetrios Donskoy, Grand Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on May 19; right-believing Great Prince Demetrios of Moscow was born in 1350. father died when Demetrios was just a young child, and so he was entrusted to the guidance of Saint Alexis of Moscow (February 12). holy Prince Demetrios combined Christian piety with his remarkable political talents, devoting himself to the unification of the land of Russia and to the emancipation of Russia from the Tatar-Mongol Yoke. August 18, 1380, after gathering his forces for a decisive battle with Mamai of the Golden Horde, Saint Demetrios visited Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) in order to receive his blessing. The Elder blessed two monks from his monastery, Schema-monk Andrew [Oslyaba] and Schema-monk Alexander [Peresvet], to go along and help the Prince. He also predicted that Saint Demetrios would be victorious. Prince left Moscow with his army on August 20, and marched toward Kolomna. day, as they made camp before the Battle of Kulikovo, an Icon of St. Nicholas appeared in the air, hovering over a pine tree, and it descended into the hands of Saint Demetrios. is a later Icon depicting this event, with Saint Demetrios kneeling before the Icon of Saint Nicholas, and laying his gold crown at the roots of the tree. of those who fought in the Battle of Kulikovo was a Lithuanian Prince by the name of Montvid Montvilo, who saved the life of Saint Demetrios by shielding him from a Tatar sword with his own body. night he beheld Saint Nicholas in a dream. The holy wonderworker told him that he had cushioned the blow because Prince Montvilo wore on his chest an Icon of Saint Nicholas, which was a family heirloom. return for saving the Prince's life, Saint Nicholas told Prince Montvilo that one of his descendants would render great service to Russia. the years, the Lithuanian name Montvilo became the Russian Motovilov. Motovilov, a descendant of Prince Montvilo, proposed and was rejected by his intended bride Maria, and so he entered a monastery. His obedience was to work in the prosphora bakery, but one day he felt so exhausted that he fell asleep at noon. Saint Nicholas appeared to him and said, "Alexander, your path does not lie in the monastery, but in family life. You will find your happiness with Maria, who turned you down. She will bear you a son, whom you shall name Nicholas. God requires him! I am Saint Nicholas, and I shall be the patron saint of the Motovilov family. I have been so since your ancestor, Prince Montvid Montvilo, served in the army of Prince Demetrios of the Don. During the Battle of Kulikovo, the Tatar warrior who struck down the monks Alexander and Andrew rushed at the Great Prince with his sword, but your ancestor took the blow, and the sword struck my Icon, which he wore on his chest. He would have been killed if I had not cushioned the blow, and then struck down the Tatar by Montvid's hand." Icon of Saint Nicholas, which was damaged by the Tatar's sword, was treasured as a holy relic in the family of George Nikolaevich Motovilov. Alexandrovich Motovilov was born on May 3, 1809, and reposed on January 14, 1879. His great service to Russia, of course, was to write down his conversation with Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) about the aim of the Christian life, and how to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. winning the battle, the Prince ordered a Moleben of Thanksgiving to God and to Saint Nicholas to be served. Later, he built a church and a monastery dedicated to St. Nicholas on that site. his victory at Kulikovo Field, between the Don and Nepryadva Rivers (on September 8, the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), Prince Demetrios received the honorific "of the Don." He established the Dormition Monastery at the Dubenka River, and the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos near the graves of those who died for their country. The Memorial Saturday before the Feast of Saint Demetrios of Thessalonika (October 26) was established in memory of the Orthodox warriors who were killed at Kulikovo Field in the great battle against the Horde. Demetrios fell asleep in the Lord on May 19, 1389. He was buried in the cathedral of the Archangels in the Moscow Kremlin.

Russia, Moscow, 1371-1400, Ignatius oLoma, started aPriluki a1371, monk aWhite Lake a1390, started Loma M, then silence
Russia, Pskov, 1371 or 1390-1400, Ignatius oLoma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00", Far North Pskov near Gdov River, started at Priluki which started 1371, then monk at White Lake (started 1390), then started Loma Wilderness Monastery, then silence; Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00"; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated on December 28; Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav: circumstances of his life while still in the world are unknown. started his ascetic path at the Priluki monastery of the Savior at Vologda, he received monastic tonsure at the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery. Ignatius then departed to the vicinity of Loma and there founded a wilderness monastery, gradually attracted disciples. he withdrew to a forest skete and pursued asceticism in silence.

Russia, Moscow, 1372-1392, Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, enmity Torgov & Sophia quarters, pretend feud
Russia, Novgorod, 1372-1392, Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, no roof, no warm clothes until end of life, wealthy parents, gave all possessions to poor, enmity Torgov quarter and Sophia quarter, pretend feud w Nicholas Kochanov on Sophia side, Volkhov Bridge, clairvoyance, see to your bread prediction, sowing turnips fire prediction, Farewell, I am going away; Veliky Novgorod; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Theodore of Novgorod was the son of pious parents, wealthy citizens of Novgorod. Having been raised in strict Christian piety, and having reached the age of maturity, he took on himself the ascetic deed of foolishness for Christ’s sake. He gave all his possessions to the poor, and he lived in great poverty until the end of his life, not even having a roof over his head, nor warm clothes on cold days. he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. blessed one possessed the gift of clairvoyance. By warning people to see to their bread, he was actually predicting an impending famine. Another time he said, “This will be bare, it will be fine for sowing turnips.” This was his prediction of a fire that devastated the streets of the Torgov quarter. Blessed Theodore foresaw his own end and said to the Novgorod people, “Farewell, I’m going far away.” his life, the citizens of Novgorod saw him as a saint pleasing to God, and had a high regard for him. After his death in the year 1392, the holy fool was buried, at his request, in the Torgov quarter, at Lubyanitsa in the church of the holy Great Martyr George, at the porch where the saint usually loved to spend his time in unceasing prayer. A chapel was built over his holy relics.

Russia, Moscow, 1375-1426, Nikon t Abbot of Radonezh, not accepted, persistance, obedience zealot, not grieve, builder, icongr
Russia, Radonezh, 1375-1426, Nikon t Abbot of Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3), Disciple & successor of Sergius, at first not accepted, persistance, zealot of obedience, w sergius in cell, time each day for silence, Edigei invasion, appearance hierarch saints, do not grieve destruction, will flourish all the more, builder, S incorrupt relics, finest iconogrophers, time of death and resting place ; Radonezh; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; Nikon, Abbot of Radonezh, a disciple and successor of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), was born at Yuriev-Polsk. heard of the angelic life of the Radonezh Wonderworker, the young man came to Saint Sergius and requested to be tonsured into the angelic schema. Sergius did not accept Nikon, whether because of his youth or for some other reason. he sent him to his disciple Saint Athanasius (September 12) at Serpukhov. Saint Athanasius would not accept him right away. Only after seeing the young man’s persistence did he tonsure him into the monastic schema. Nikon struggled in prayer, studied Holy Scripture and persevered in virtue and purity. of his humility and the way he fulfilled each task assigned him without argument, Saint Nikon was called a “zealot of obedience.” he reached the age of thirty, he was ordained to the priesthood. a certain while, Saint Athanasius blessed him to go see Saint Sergius. Saint Sergius, catching sight of him, said, “It is good that you have come, my child Nikon,” and happily received him. first, he gave orders for Saint Nikon to serve the brethren. The disciple passed whole days in monastic matters, and his nights in prayerful conversation with God. Saint Sergius was comforted by his virtuous life. received a special insight concerning him, Saint Sergius bade his disciple to dwell with him in his own cell, so that he might share in spiritual attainment. instructed him in every monastic virtue, and explained much about the essence of spiritual life. Saint Sergius assigned Saint Nikon to the duty of assisting him, six months before his repose, he appointed his disciple as his successor. Then Saint Sergius withdrew into seclusion. the death of Saint Sergius (September 25, 1392), Nikon carried out his duties exactly as he was instructed by the founder of the monastery. had the habit of attending all the monastic services, and never did he forsake common tasks, working on a equal footing with all the brethren. the burden of being the igumen of the monastery weighed upon Saint Nikon. Recalling his quiet life in the Serpukhov Vysotsk monastery with Saint Athanasius, and later with Saint Sergius, he gave up his position and retired to his own cell. six years the monastery was guided by Saint Savva of Storozhevsk (December 3). the year 1400 Saint Savva founded his own monastery near Zvenigorod, and the brethren entreated Saint Nikon to again take over its direction. consented, but allotted himself a certain time each day for silence, so as to stand alone before God. reports began to spread about an invasion of the Russian land by Khan Edigei (1408), Saint Nikon zealously prayed to God to spare the monastery. a dream the Moscow hierarchs Peter (December 21) and Alexis (February 12) together with Saint Sergius appeared to him and said that he should not grieve over the destruction of the monastery, since it would not become desolate, but would flourish all the more. monks left the monastery, taking with them relics, books, and consecrated vessels. When they returned, they saw that their beloved place had been reduced to ashes. But Saint Nikon did not despair, and the brethren began to restore the monastery. of all a wooden church was built in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. It was consecrated on September 25, 1411, the anniversary of the repose of Saint Sergius. monastery was restored, and Saint Nikon began construction of a stone church over the grave of his spiritual Father, Saint Sergius. work crew digging the foundations uncovered the incorrupt relics of Saint Sergius on July 5, 1422. universal rejoicing they placed the relics in a new reliquary and at the new site a wooden church was built (now the church in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit is at this place). Nikon later built a new stone church in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. In honor and memory of his spiritual Father, he transferred the holy relics into this newly built church. Nikon brought in the finest iconographers, Saints Andrew Rublev (July 4) and Daniel Cherny (June 13) for the adornment of the temple. Then Saint Andrew painted the Icon of the Most Holy Trinity (Hospitality of Abraham), embodying what was revealed to Saint Sergius. Saint Nikon was occupied with the construction of the Trinity church until the end of his life. Nikon’s final resting place was revealed to him in a vision before his death. He summoned the brethren and gave them instructions. After receiving the All-Pure Body of Christ and His Precious Blood, Saint Nikon gave the brethren a last blessing and said, “Go forth, my soul, with joy to the place where repose is prepared for you. Christ is calling you.” made the Sign of the Cross, Saint Nikon died on November 27, 1426. He was buried near the reliquary of Saint Sergius. the hierarch Jonah (1448-1461), the hieromonk Pachomius the Logothete wrote the Service and Life of Saint Nikon. In the year 1547 a generally observed celebration to him was established. In the year 1548 a church named for him was built over the grave of Saint Nikon. In 1623 a new one was constructed in its place, in which the relics of Saint Nikon rest in a crypt. The 500 year anniversary of the repose of Saint Nikon was solemnly observed in 1976 at the Trinity-Sergeev Lavra. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1380, Kulikovo Battle 1380 (Don River 1) won by Dimitri over Mongol Horde
Kulikovo Battle; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Greben Icon of the Mother of God, glorified by miracles and located in a church in the city of Greben (on the River Chira, flowing into the Don), was presented by the inhabitants of the city to Great Prince Demetrius of the Don upon his return from the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. 1471, after a successful campaign against Novgorod, Great Prince Ivan III built the church of the Dormition in Moscow at Lubyanka and placed in it the Greben icon of the Mother of God, which he had taken with him on the campaign. He adorned the icon with a silver riza covered with precious stones, and ordered an Akathist to be written in honor of the icon. When the church burned in 1617, the icon miraculously was preserved. The icon, almost a reverse image of the Iveron icon (February 12, March 31, October 13), is recognized by the distinctive folds of the Virgin’s omaphorion and the position of the Christ Child’s legs. Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. Demetrius Ioannovich of the Don; Alexander Peresvet; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1380-1409, Arsenius Bishop oTver, fTver and Kiev Caves, Tver unrest in Church, A brought to Tver to take over, refused until threatened suspension, successful ending dischord with prayer and peacemaker, compiled russian lit in Arsenian Redaction
Russia, Tver, 1380-1409, Arsenius Bishop oTver, born aTver, monk at Kiev Caves M, distinguished for their piety, Arsenius noted for saintly life, strictly keeping monastic vows, knowledge oTypikon (divine liturgy directives), study oHoly Scriptures, and love for work, Metropolitan's archdeacon who governed Met when he was absent, July 3 1390 to Tver wMetropolitan Cyprian at Prince's request, to Council for judgement against Bishop Euthymius oTver, no peace in Tver Church so E was deposed and sent to Chedov M in Moscow, Arsenius appointed to Tver cathedra but afraid and returned to Moscow with Cyprian, then Prince requested Met consecrate A Bishop oTver, A also refused, until threatened wSuspension, Bishop oTver Aug 15 1390, ended much of the discord with prayer and peacemaker, cathedrals built and restored between 1390-1409, compiled list (Arseniev Redaction) of Russian Literature, to assure his monks be edified by asceticism of Fathers ot Caves, A died Mar 2, 1409, buried Zheltikov M he founded, 1483 his relics found incorrupt and that year Theodosius composed his life story, 1547 A commemorated throughout the Church; Tver; Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, was born at Tver, and in his early years received monastic tonsure in the Kiev Caves monastery. among the monks of this ancient monastery, distinguished for their piety, was noted for his saintly life as well as for his strictness in keeping his monastic vows, his knowledge of the Church typikon, his study of Holy Scripture, and his love for work. Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev (1380-1382) he served as archdeacon, and when the Metropolitan was absent, he governed the administration of the Kiev metropolitanate. July 3, 1390 he went with Metropolitan Cyprian to Tver, where at the request of Prince Micjae of Tver, a Council of Russian and Greek hierarchs had been convened to pass judgment upon Bishop Euthymius of Tver. prince and the bishop were involved in a lengthy dispute, and many of the people of Tver made serious accusations against the bishop. unsuccessful attempts to restore peace to the Tver church, Metropolitan Cyprian deposed Euthymius as bishop and sent him off to Moscow to the Chudov monastery. Arsenius was appointed to the Tver cathedra, he was both troubled and afraid to accept this position, in view of the great enmity and spite in that place. the return of Metropolitan Cyprian and archdeacon Arsenius to Moscow, the Prince sent his nobles to the Metropolitan with a petition to consecrate Arsenius as Bishop of Tver. time Arsenius also refused. In the words of the chronicle for the year 1390 “even at the Metropolitan’s entreaty, Archdeacon Arsenius would not go to Tver.” threatening Arsenius with suspension, the Metropolitan and the Prince finally got him to agree to accept episcopal consecration, which took place on August 15, 1390. the bishops taking part in the laying on of hands was Saint Stephen, Bishop of Perm (April 26). Arsenius, as a man of great prayer and peacemaker, was able to end much of the discord in the Tver principality. his episcopacy, from 1390 to 1409, cathedrals were built consecrated in honor of the Archangel Michael at Staritsa and Mikulina, and the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral was restored with the construction of a cathedral belltower. saint founded the Zheltikov monastery on the river Tmaka near Tver, where a church was built in honor of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (1394), and a stone Dormition cathedral. that the monks of this new monastery would always be edified by the asceticism of the Fathers of the Caves, Arsenius gave orders to compile a list from the Kiev Caves Paterikon, using the most ancient manuscripts of this precious memorial of Russian literature. compilation was known as the Arseniev Redaction. saint died on March 2, 1409, and was buried in the Zheltikov monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he founded. 1483 his relics were found incorrupt and were placed in the monastery cathedral. the same year hieromonk Theodosius composed a Life and a Canon in honor of the holy bishop. a Council of 1547 Saint Arsenius’ commemoration was established throughout all the Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1380-1430, Saint, Andrei Rublev, artist, iconographer
Radonezh Saint, 1380-1430, Andrei Rublev; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1380-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, greatest i, highest asceticism
Russia, Radonezh, 1380-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, greatest i, highest asceticism, lived iTrinity-Sergius m Radonezh, first work 1405 icons frescoes Moscow Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral, 1408 painted Assumption Cathredal Vladimir, 1425-27 painted Trinity-Sergiev Cathedral, most famous icon Hospitaity oAbraham; Russia, Radonezh, 1385-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh), the greatest iconographer, highest asceticism; Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Rublev, born in the 1360s, died btween 1427 and 1430, is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes. is little information about his life. It is not known where he was born. Andrei Rublev probably lived in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra monastery near Moscow. first mention of Rublev is in 1405 when he decorated icons and frescos for the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Moscow Kremlin in company with Theophanes the Greek and Prokhor of Gorodets. His name was the last of the list of masters as the junior both by rank and by age. Theophanes was an important Byzantine master who moved to Russia, and is considered to have trained Rublev. tell us that in 1408 he painted (together with Daniil Cherni) the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and in 1425–1427 the Cathedral of St. Trinity in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. After Daniil's death Andrei came to Moscow's Andronikov Monastery where he painted his last work, the frescoes of the Savior Cathedral. is also believed to have painted at least one of the miniatures in the Khitrovo Gospels. Rublev's famous icon of the Trinity. only work authenticated as entirely his is the icon of the Trinity, ca. 1410, currently in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. It is based upon an earlier icon known as the "Hospitality of Abraham" (illustrating Genesis 18). Rublev removed the figures of Abraham and Sarah from the scene, and through a subtle use of composition and symbolism changed the subject to focus on the Mystery of the Trinity. Rublev's art, two traditions are combined: the highest asceticism and the classic harmony of Byzantine mannerism. The characters of his paintings are always peaceful and calm. After some time his art came to be perceived as the ideal of Church painting and of Orthodox iconography. died at Andronikov Monastery on between 1427 and 1430 (the traditional date is January 29, 1430). He was canonized a saint in 1988 by the Russian Orthodox Church. The church celebrates his feast day on January 29 and July 4. 1959 the Andrei Rublev Museum has been open at the Andronnikov Monastery, displaying the art of his works and his epoch. 1966, Andrei Tarkovsky made his celebrated film, Andrei Rublev loosely based on the artist's life, which shows him as "a world-historic figure" and "Christianity as an axiom of Russia's historical identity" during a turbulent period in the history of Russia. from Wikipedia Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Andrew Rublev, Russia’s greatest iconographer, was born near Moscow sometime between 1360 and 1370. While still very young, he went to the Holy Trinity Monastery, and was profoundly impressed by Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25). the death of Saint Sergius in 1392, Saint Nikon (November 17) succeeded him as igumen. Saint Andrew became a novice in the monastery under Saint Nikon. Sometime before 1405 he moved to the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery founded by Saint Andronicus (June 13), with the blessing of Saint Nikon.There Saint Andrew received monastic tonsure and was taught iconography by Theophanes the Greek and the monk Daniel, Saint Andrew’s friend and fellow-ascetic. Andrew is first mentioned in the Chronicles in 1405, when he, Theophanes, and Prochorus painted the cathedral of the Annunciation. His next important project, which he undertook with the monk Daniel, was to paint the frescoes in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir in 1408. Nikon of Radonezh asked Saint Andrew and Daniel to paint the new church in the reconstructed monastery of the Holy Trinity, which had been destroyed by the Tatars in 1408. At this time Saint Andrew painted his most famous icon: the Holy Trinity (actually, the Hospitality of Abraham). Andrew fell asleep in the Lord between 1427-1430, and was buried in the Andronikov Monastery. He was over seventy years old at the time of his death. The monk Daniel, who died before Saint Andrew, appeared to his friend and urged him to join him in eternal blessedness.

Russia, Moscow, 1381, Pimen Icon, from Constantinople in 1381, by Met Pimen, flowed w fragrant healing myrrh, at Dormition C
Russia, Moscow, 1381, Pimen Icon, Dormition Cathedral, Kremlin, Moscow, from Constantinople in 1381, by Met Pimen, flowed w fragrant healing myrrh, kept Dormition Cathedral after 1479; Dormition Cathedral, Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Pimen Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to Moscow from Constantinople in 1381 by Metropolitan Pimen. Many miracles took place before this icon, which flowed with a fragrant healing myrrh. Pimen Icon was kept in the altar of the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin.

Russia, Moscow, 1382, Golden Horde Siege of Moscow
Golden Horde Siege of Moscow (1382); Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1382-1384, Metropolitan Pimen I, contested, accomplished little
Moscow Patriarch, 1382-1384, Metropolitan Pimen I; Dimitri sent him to Constantinople with his nominee for the metropolitanate. Nominee died on the way (Mitya or Mikhail). and Pimen was consecrated in his place, although this was done without the knowledge of the Grand Prince and the Patriarch was said to have been tricked (perhaps to exonerate him later for any complicity he may have had in the deception), as Pimen had apparently used forged grand princely letters to get Patriarch Nilus of Constantinople to consecrate him.[1]:219-“220 Donskoy was angry upon hearing the news of Pimen's consecration and swore not to accept Pimen upon his return. Thus Pimen's metropolitanate was contested from the start, and he accomplished little as a result. Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6;

Russia, Moscow, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Fisherman, Lake Ladoga
Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Lake Ladoga; 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. Lake Ladoga; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,â€ the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,â€ adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.â€ Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the Hodegetria model and is similar in style to the ancient Iveron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodegetria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Moscow, 1383, Tikhvin Icon, St Petersburg area, by Luke, hovered L Ladoga, radiant light, MOG moved it there
Russia, St Petersburg, , Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2), Painted by Luke, from Jerusalem to Blachernae in 450, in 1383 hovered over Lake Ladoga, radiant light, Theotokos moved it there, survived fires, 1560 Ivan t T built monastery, 1613 seized Novgorod and attempted to destroy t monastery, moscow army appeared, icon copies' miracles, even preserved after Rus Revolution, taken to Pskov&Riga&Bavaria&Chicago then back to Tikvin; Tikhvin; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the “Hodēgḗtria” model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Moscow, 1383, Converser Icon, MOG and St Nick converse with Sacristan George, to replace metal cross with wood
Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Converser Icon, MOG and St Nick converse with Sacristan George, to replace metal cross with wood; depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. This event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. Icon of the Mother of God the Converse, Commemorated on August 14; “Converser” Icon of the Mother of God is so named since it depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. This event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. the place of this vision a chapel was built in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The chapel burned several times (the first time was in 1390 at the same time as the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). In 1515, a wooden church was built and a monastery founded in honor of this holy icon. Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Lake Ladoga; 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake'™s waters amidst a radiant light. Lake Ladoga; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,â€ the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,â€ adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.â€ Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the Hodegetria model and is similar in style to the ancient Iveron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodegetria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Moscow, 1384-1385, Dionysius, Metropolitan of Kiev, Volga monasteries, against Strigolniki, wonderworker
Moscow Patriarch, 1384-1385, Dionysius, Metropolitan of Kiev; Dionysius I; secular name: David (1300? – October 15, 1385) was a Russian Orthodox metropolitan in 1384–1385. native of the Duchy of Kiev as a young man David entered the Kyiv Caves Lavra, where he was tonsured a hieromonk and given the religious name Dionysius. He is known to have spent a number of years living in a cave that he dug out himself on the banks of the Volga River not far from Nizhny Novgorod. Later, Dionysius founded the Pechersky Monastery on that same spot, which was dedicated in honour of the Ascension of the Lord. In 1374, he was consecrated the Bishop of Suzdal and won love and respect on the part of the locals. 1378, Dionysius was recommended as Metropolitan of Kyiv by St. Sergius of Radonezh after the death of Metropolitan Alexius. However, Grand Prince Dmitri Donskoi had his own candidate – a priest by the name of Mikhail (Mityaya). Dionysius was one of a number of bishops at the council who opposed Mikhail, who was suspected of heresy (Strigolniki). If elected, Mikhail wanted to introduce a new way of enthroning the Metropolitan at home, in Russia, rather than traveling to Constantinople to be installed by the Ecumenical Patriarch (at the time, Russia was not yet an autocephalous church). In 1379 Dionysius went to Constantinople carrying a protest against the choice of Mikhail addressed to the Patriarch. Mikhail was afraid that Dionysius would get the patriarch's blessing and followed him to Constantinople. However, Mikhail died on his way there and one of his accompanying clergymen, Archmandrite Pimen, reached Constantinople (Slavonic: Tzargrad) before Dionysius and was named Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' in place of Mikhail. 1382 the Dionysius received the title of archbishop from the Patriarch, who was impressed with his piety and humility. In 1383, Dionysius returned from this long journey to his congregation at Suzdal and continued his struggle against the Strigolniki. He also implored Dmitri Donskoi against Pimen, whom he viewed as a usurper, since no one in the Russian Church, not even the Great Prince himself, had been consulted before Pimen was appointed Metropolitan. In 1384, Dionysius was sent back to Constantinople to ask for Pimen's deposition and his own appointment as Metropolitan. Patriarch Neilus Kerameus was not sure whether he could trust Dionysius and sent two metropolitans to Moscow, who were supposed to depose Pimen and install the archbishop of Suzdal. On his way back to Moscow, Dionysius stopped in Kiev, where he was detained by the Kievan prince Vladimir Olgerdovich at the insistence of Cyprian, Archbishop of Kiev, who was to have succeeded as Metropolitan of Moscow in 1378 upon the death of Alexius, but who was not finally welcomed into Moscow until 1390. Dionysius died in detention on October 15, 1385. He was buried in the Caves of St. Anthony at Kiev, in the monastery in which he began his spiritual life. Russian Orthodox Church used to celebrate his feast day on July 19, but subsequently this tradition died down. He is now commemorated on October 15 of the traditional Julian Calendar (October 28 on the modern Gregorian Calendar), where he is listed as "Metropolitan of Suzdal", since he was never able to take possession of his Metropolitan See. St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26 ; Archbishop of Suzdal, in the world David, was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. arrived at the Volga with an icon of the Mother of God that he had received as a blessing from Saints Anthony and Theodosius. Saint Dionysius dug out a cave not far from Nizhni-Novgorod and struggled in total solitude. Brethren constantly thronged to the holy ascetic and in the year 1335 he founded a monastery in honor of the Ascension of the Lord. Among the students of Saint Dionysius were Saints Euthymius of Suzdal (April 1) and Macarius of Zheltovod and Unzha (July 25). In the year 1352 the holy Elder sent twelve of his brethren to “the upper cities and countryside, whom God would bless” for the spiritual enlightenment of the people and the organizing of new monasteries. The monastery of Saint Dionysius exerted a deep charitable influence on the inhabitants of Nizhni-Novgorod. In the year 1371 the saint tonsured into monasticism the forty-year-old widow of Prince Andrew Constantinovich, an example of how he accepted into monasticism “various dignitaries: women, widowers, and virgins.” the year 1374 Saint Dionysius was deemed worthy of the office of bishop. His years of service as bishop occurred during a remarkable period, for Russia was rising to cast off the Mongol-Tatar Yoke. On March 31, 1375 the Tatar military-chief, having been shown to the bishop’s court by the enslaved inhabitants of Nizhni-Novgorod, shot an arrow at Saint Dionysius, but the Lord preserved his chosen one, and the arrow struck only the bishop’s mantle. In 1377, through the blessing of Saint Dionysius (who may have edited the document), the Lavrentian Chronicle was compiled by Saint Laurence, inspiring Russia in its struggle for freedom. 1379, preserving the integrity of the first hierarch’s cathedra, Saint Dionysius was one of the bishops gathered in Moscow by order of the prince, and he came out against the election of the prince’s protegee, the ill-reputed archimandrite Mityaya as Metropolitan. the same year of 1379 Saint Dionysius journeyed to Constantinople with a protest against the choice of Mityaya on grounds of his complicity with the heretical Strigolniki. The saint made a strong impression upon the Greeks by his sublime spiritual frame of mind and his profound knowledge of Holy Scripture. Patriarch Nilus, having termed the saint “a warrior of God and a spiritual man,” wrote that he himself saw him “at fasting and charity, and vigil, and prayers, and tears, and every other virtue.” From Constantinople Saint Dionysius sent two copies of the Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God to a Council at Suzdal. In 1382 the bishop received the title of archbishop from the patriarch. Returning to Russia, the saint travelled to Pskov and Novgorod to struggle against the heresy of the Strigolniki. visited Constantinople a second time in 1383 for discussion with the patriarch on questions about the governance of the Russian metropolitanate. In the year 1384 Saint Dionysius was made “metropolitan for Russia” by Patriarch Nilus. But upon his return to Kiev the saint was arrested on orders of the Kiev prince Vladimir Olgerdovich and subjected to imprisonment, where he died on October 15, 1385. The burial of the saint was in “the Kiev Cave of the Great Anthony.” Saint Dionysius is commemorated on June 26 because it is the Feast of his patron saint, Saint David of Thessalonica, whose name he was given in Baptism. In the Synodikon of the 1552 Nizhni-Novgorod Caves monastery, Saint Dionysius is called a “wonderworking monk”.

Russia, Moscow, 1385, Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, habitation shall prosper, even after depart
Russia, Radonezh, 1385, Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3), late at night, be alert for visitation, all pure one approaches, MOG Peter & John, fear not chosen one, your prayer heard, habitation shall prosper, even after departure to God, supplying and protecting your monastery, invisible, trinity monastery; Radonezh; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to Saint Sergius of Radonezh: late at night, Saint Sergius (1314-1392) was reading an Akathist to the Mother of God. finished his habitual rule, he sat down to rest a bit, but suddenly he said to his disciple, Saint Micah (May 6): “Be alert, my child, for we shall have a wondrous visitation.” Scarcely had he uttered these words than a voice was heard: “The All-Pure One approaches!” Sergius rushed from the cell to the entrance, and suddenly it was illumined by a bright light, brighter than the sun. beheld nearby in imperishable glory the Mother of God, accompanied by the Apostles Peter and John. to bear such a vision, Saint Sergius reverently prostrated himself before the Mother of God. She said to him, “Fear not, My chosen one! I have come to visit you. prayer for your disciples and your monastery has been heard. not be troubled, for your habitation shall prosper, not only in your lifetime, but also after your departure to God. will be with your monastery, supplying its needs abundantly, and protecting it.” said this, the Mother of God became invisible. a long time Saint Sergius was in an inexpressible rapture, and having come to himself, he raised up Saint Micah. “Tell me, Father,” he asked, “what is the meaning of this miraculous vision? My soul nearly left my body from terror!” Saint Sergius was silent, and only his luminous face spoke of the spiritual joy which he had experienced. “Wait a bit,” he said finally to his disciple, “my soul also trembles because of this wondrous vision.” a while Saint Sergius summoned two of his disciples, Saints Isaac and Simon, and shared with them the vision and the promise of the Theotokos. all sang a Molieben to the Mother of God. Sergius spent the remaining part of the night without sleep, calling to mind the divine vision. appearance of the Mother of God at the cell of Saint Sergius, at the present place of the Serapionov chamber, was on one of the Fridays of the Nativity Fast in the year 1385. commemoration of the visit of the Mother of God to the Trinity monastery and of Her promise was reverently kept by the disciples of Saint Sergius. July 5, 1422 the holy relics of Saint Sergius were uncovered, and soon after an icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God was placed on the grave of Saint Sergius. The icon was honored with great reverence. the year 1446 Great Prince Basil (1425-1462) was besieged at the Trinity monastery by the armies of Princes Demetrius Shemyaka and John of Mozhaisk. He barricaded himself into the Trinity cathedral, and when he heard that he was being sought, he took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God and with it met Prince John at the southern church doors, saying: “Brother, we kissed the Life-Creating Cross and this icon in this church of the Life-Creating Trinity at this grave of the Wonderworker Sergius, that we would neither intend nor wish any evil to any of our brethren among ourselves. Now I do not know what will happen to me here.” Trinity monk Ambrose reproduced the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God to Saint Sergius, carved in wood (mid-fourteenth century). Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). The most famous icon, painted in the year 1588, was by the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra, Eustathius Golovkin on a board from the wooden reliquary of Saint Sergius, which was taken apart in the year 1585 when the relics of Saint Sergius were placed in a silver reliquary (August 14). this icon, the Mother of God repeatedly protected the Russian army. Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich (1645-1676) took it on the Polish campaign in 1657. In the year 1703, the icon took part in all the military campaigns against the Swedish king Charles XII, and in 1812 Metropolitan Platon sent it to the Moscow military levy. The icon was carried in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, and during World War I it was at the quarters of the supreme commander-in-chief in 1914. church was built over the grave of Saint Micah and at its consecration on December 10, 1734 was named in honor of the Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos and the holy Apostles to Saint Sergius of Radonezh. September 27, 1841 the church was restored and consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who said: “By the grace of the All-Holy and All-Sacred Spirit the restoration of this temple is now accomplished, fashioned before us in honor and memory of the Appearance of our Lady the Most Holy Theotokos to our holy God-bearing Father Sergius, to which Saint Micah was also an eyewitness.” commemoration of this grace-bearing event is rightly marked by the consecration of a church, however, this whole monastery is a memorial of that miraculous visit. Therefore, its purpose in the continuing centuries was the fulfillment of the promise of the heavenly Visitor: “This place shall endure.” memory of the visit of the Mother of God at the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is sung on Fridays, and a special service in honor of the appearance of the Mother of God is celebrated at the monastery on August 24, on the second day of the leave-taking of the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Russia, Moscow, 1385-1392, James t Wonderworker of Rostov, condmnd woman story, thrown out, Lake Nero Mantiya boat s
Russia, Rostov, 1385-1392, James the Wonderworker of Rostov, tonsured at Kopyrsk monastery, Vladimir-Suzdal (Nerl (Uktoma) mouth, Klyzma River 5), Rostov bishop 1385, condemned woman story, thrown out, Lake Nero Mantiya boat story, to site of Conception-St James monastery, Rostov repented, forgiven but never returned; Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ; to a local tradition, Saint James received monastic tonsure at Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers from Rostov. For a long time he was igumen of this monastery, in the year 1385 he was made Bishop of Rostov when Pimen was Metropolitan and Demetrius of the Don was Great Prince. defending a woman condemned to execution, the saint followed the example of the Savior, inviting whoever considered himself to be without sin to cast the first stone at her (John 8:7), and he then sent the woman forth to repentance. Prince and the Rostov nobles, disgruntled over the bishop’s judgment, threw Saint James out of Rostov. the city, the saint proceeded to Lake Nero, spread his bishop’s mantiya on the water, and having signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, he sailed off on it as if on a boat, guided by the grace of God. one and a half versts from the city, Saint James emerged on shore at the site of his future monastery. prince and the people, repenting their actions, besought the saint’s forgiveness. The gentle bishop forgave them, but he did not return again. the shore of Lake Nero he made himself a cell and built a small church in honor of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna, marking the beginning of the Conception-Saint James monastery. James died there on November 27, 1392. is a story that Saint James fought against the Iconoclast heresy of a certain fellow named Markian, who appeared in Rostov toward the end of the fourteenth century. more ancient Lives of our saint do not mention this, and even the great hagiographer Saint Demetrius of Rostov was unaware of it. More recent hagiographers were wont to draw material from the Service to Saint James of Rostov. But the Service itself, preserved in copies from the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries, was compiled by borrowing from the Service to Saint Bucolus (February 6), who struggled against the first century heretic Marcian, and from the Service to Saint Stephen of Surozh (December 15), who contended against the emperor Constantine Kopronymos (741-775). James is also commemorated on May 23.

Russia, Moscow, 1385-1406, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow, Mt Athos, Serb, service books and lit translations
Moscow Patriarch, 1385-1406, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, was a Serb by origin, and struggled on Mt. Athos. By his pious life and education he came to the attention of Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who in 1375 consecrated Cyprian as Metropolitan of Kiev and Lithuania. the Constantinople Council it was decided to avoid a fragmentation of the Russian metropolia, and that “upon the death of Saint Alexis (February 12), he should become the Metropolitan of All Rus.” At Moscow, Saint Cyprian endured many sorrows from the Great Prince, so at first he lived either in Lithuania or at Constantinople. Only in the year 1390, in the time of Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich, was he accepted as primate at Moscow. Cyprian concerned himself with the correction of the service books. There are preserved autographic manuscripts of certain Slavonic translations by the saint, witnessing to his great scientific work. And by his pastoral epistles he encouraged the faith of the Church. His activity in the translation of liturgical literature is widely known. Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13;

Russia, Moscow, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Mologa, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios
Russia, Vologda, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios, divine light miracle, beautiful view; Cherepovets ; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Athanasios (nicknamed "the Iron Staff") and Theodosios, were disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, they settled in the Novgorod region, on the border of Cherepovets, at the confluence of the Yagorba River and the Sheksna. in the dense, impenetrable forests, they built a church in honor of the Holy Trinity, and a monastery was also established. is known for certain about Saint Theodosios, and almost no information has been preserved about Saint Athanasios, because during the Time of Troubles the Monastery was razed almost to the ground, and the written records were destroyed. do know that the Monastery church built by Saints Athanasios and Theodosios, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as well as to Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh. the basis of this information, it is thought that both Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios were tonsured at Trinity-Sergius Monastery, for the ancient hermits used to build monasteries on the model of those in which they became monks. is written testimony about these Saints in an inscription in a loose-leaf book from 1568 which reads: "This is the book of the Monastery of the Resurrection of Christ and the Life-giving Trinity, and of our Venerable Fathers Theodosios and Athanasios." the the chronicle of the Saints it says: "Venerable Athanasios, called 'Iron Staff,' the disciple of Saint Sergius the Wonderworker; who reposed in the year 1392." Stroganov Manual of Iconography describes the Saint's appearance: "Venerable Athanasios... a grey beard, narrower and shorter than Blaise's." before the arrival of the monks in that region, a chapel was built through the efforts of a merchant. man decided to build a chapel after a miracle occurred. day he was transporting goods in a boat, when suddenly in the middle of the day, it grew dark, and the boat ran aground. The frightened merchant began to pray, and soon the darkness lifted, and a nearby mountain was illumined with a bright light. The man climbed the mountain and was so amazed at the beautiful view that he returned to the area and built a chapel the following year. little information about these Saints has come down to us. We know that Saint Athanasios carried an iron staff, and Saint Theodosios may have been the merchant who built the chapel. 1764, the Resurrection Monastery was abolished, and its church became a parish church. Since 1780 it has been called the Resurrection Cathedral of the city of Cherepovets. under this church, the relics of Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios now rest. The Cherepovets Resurrection Cathedral also has icons of Saints Athanasios and Theodosios. Saints reposed in the year 1388, and were buried in the Monastery’s cathedral church. They are also commemorated on July 5 and September 25.

Russia, Moscow, 1389-1425, Vasily I, Prince, Basil of Moscow, GH Vassal to unify R
Moscow Prince, 1389-1425, Basil of Moscow (Vasily I); Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on January 19; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2 ; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1389-1425, Vasili I, G Prince of Moscow, Basil I, Dimitrievich, son of D Donskoy
Moscow Prince, 1389-1425, Vasili I, Grand Prince of Moscow, Basil I ; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2 ; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb in Median, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit, to Russia 1390
Median, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Unburning Bush, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit and not consumed, to Russia 1390 from Palestine, 1812 riza return story, 1822 arson fires story; Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; of the Old Testament prototypes pointing to the Mother of God is the Unburnt Bush - the Bush which Moses saw on Mount Horeb. was on fire, but was not consumed (Exodus 3:2). Bush signifies the Mother of God's sinless conception of Christ when the Holy Spirit came upon her and she was overshadowed by the power of the Most High (Luke 1:35). the Angel "revealed the Holy Trinity by naming the Holy Spirit, the Power which is the Son (I Corinthians 1:24), and the Most High which is the Father" (Saint Theophylact, Commentary on the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, chapter 1). Theotokos was born into a fallen world, yet she was absolutely pure, and did not commit any personal sin. remained a Virgin before, during, and after giving birth. the Bush burned and was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth to Thee yet remained a Virgin" (Octoechos, Dogmatikon Tone 2, "The shadow of the Law"). ancient Unburnt Bush Icon shows a bush engulfed in flames. Virgin, with her Child in her arms, is seen above the Bush. image is rare. Icons depict an octagonal star with the Mother of God in the center with a circle of Cherubim around her. She is shown holding Jacob's Ladder, for she calls us to ascend from earth to Heaven. the gate and the rod are depicted as symbols of the Savior, Who in Church hymns is called "a rod from the root of Jesse." star is made up of two quadrangles. One is painted red, like a flame; the other is green, the color of the mysterious Bush seen by Moses. the red points of the star there are four symbols of the Evangelists: a man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke), and an eagle (John). the rays are eight Angels: An Angel shows burning fire, for the earth will be destroyed by fire. The Spirit of wisdom and of the knowledge of God - spring, summer, autumn, and winter. He created all things for man's benefit. The Angel of Thunder shows Christ's second coming, for He shall come in thunder and lightning. The Angel of the spirit of piety. The cutting off of those who proclaim things contrary to the Faith. He holds the cup of the bitterness of God's wrath. The Spirit of the Lord for warmth amid winter, snow, frost, and ice. The Spirit of purification which sends forth dew and mist and rain. The Angel of Thunder and of the fear of God, revealing Christ's second coming, for He shall judge His servants at the end of the world. The Angel of lightning and scorching, i.e. He shall be the righteous Judge, for the lightning shall find all. the four corners of the Icon are the Prophets who prefigure the Virgin: and the Unburnt Bush (Exodus chapter 3); with the Seraphim touching his lips with a live coal (Isaiah 6:6); vision of the gate by which no one could enter except the Lord (Ezekiel 44:1), Jacob's vision of the Ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). to popular belief, this Icon protects the homes of the faithful from fire. a man happened to witness a great fire which engulfed many buildings. Among them was a wooden house which did not burn. A woman stood there motionless, holding an icon of the Unburnt Bush in her hands. Tears ran down her cheeks, but her face expressed complete calm and unshakable faith. She did not seem to be worried about her home, but she wept for the misfortune of others. The fire was intense, but the woman would not move. The man left, marveling at her faith, but he expected her house to be reduced to ashes by the flames. The next day he returned to the spot. the devastation of the fire only the woman's house remained standing, guarded by the power of the Icon. of the oldest icons of the Unburnt Bush is located in Moscow's Annunciation Cathedral. was brought to Russia by Palestinian foreigners in 1390 and, according to tradition, it was painted on a piece of the rock where Moses beheld the mysterious Bush. the Moscow church of the Unburnt Bush at Khamovniki, there is an Icon which was once in the Palace. The ancient writing is beautiful. The size of the Icon measures 1 arshin 12 vershkov long, and 1 arshin 7 vershkov wide. Icon is commemorated twice: on September 4, the Feast Day of the Prophet Moses, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man), because according to tradition, the Icon was transferred from the Kremlin to the newly-consecrated Khamovniki church on that day. was a wondrous event connected with the riza of this Icon, when Russia was attacked by Napoleon in 1812. leaving Moscow, a Polish soldier came to Father Alexei Vvedensky, the priest of the Novodevichii Monastery, and gave him the riza from the Unburnt Bush Icon, begging him to return it to the church from which it was taken. soldier confessed that ever since he took the riza, he had been unable to find peace, and he was tormented by an unbearable melancholia. the same church there is an Icon of the Unburnt Bush (which was donated in 1835) and a smaller, especially revered Icon dating from 1837. depicts someone praying before the Mother of God. In the church there is a special manuscript Service to the Icon with the note: "This Service is chanted on Holy Mount Sinai, whenever someone requests it, or whenever there is terrible lightning." 1822, in the city of Slavyansk, Kharkov gubernia, fires caused by arson became more frequent. residents were at a loss about what to do. it was revealed in a dream to a pious old woman named Belnitskaya that if they painted an Icon of the Unburnt Bush, and served a Moleben before it, the fires would stop. told the Archpriest about her dream, and the Icon was painted right away. After the Liturgy, a Moleben was served before it. that very day, there was another fire, and the arsonist was caught. crafty young woman named Maura had set all the fires. the fires ceased, and the grateful residents had a kiot made for the Icon with the inscription: "In remembrance of the city's deliverance from fire in 1822." The Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity. is also a revered icon of the Unburnt Bush in the village of Kubenskoye, Vologda Province.

Russia, Moscow, 1390-1455, Martinian igumen oBeloye (White) Lake &Therapon m Vozha L, obedience, incorrupt relics
Russia, Velogda, Meloga, 1390-1455, Martinian oByeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake), Martinian oWhite Lake (Byeloezersk or Beloye) fBerezniko v near Cyrilov m, tGreat Aacetic St Cyril a13, complete obedience, copied Cyril&books, deacon, hiermonk, aCyril dies tIsland oVozha, monastery, general rule, successful igumen, spiritual support fBasil tGreat, because B's cousin Demitrius Shemyaka lllicitly sought Moscow, truth justice advocate, accepted igumen Radonezh monastery fBasil, 1455 time oDeath back to Therapon m, thrown, not able tWalk, incorrupt relics uncovered 1514; Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Martinian of White Lake, in the world Michael, born in the year 1370 in the village of Berezniko, not far from the Cyrilov monastery. age thirteen he left his parents and went secretly to Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), whom many described as a great ascetic. young Martinian began zealously to imitate his teacher, with whom he dwelt in complete obedience. the monastery he studied reading and writing, and with the blessing of Saint Cyril, he occupied himself with the copying of books. time Martinian was ordained deacon and then hieromonk. the death of Saint Cyril (+ 1427), Martinian withdrew to a deserted island on Lake Vozha. monks gradually gathered around him. Martinian established for them the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and introduced a general Rule for the inhabitants. to the persistent requests of the brethren of Therapon monastery, he consented to become igumen of the monastery and brought it into an improved condition. Martinian gave spiritual support to Great Prince Basil in the difficulties of his time, his first-cousin Demetrius Shemyaka illicitly sought the Moscow throne. was always an advocate of truth and justice. upon the entreaty of the Great Prince, the saint accepted the governance of the monastery of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. 1455, Saint Martinian returned to the Therapon monastery. his last years he was grievously ill and not able to walk, so the brethren carried him to church. He died at age 85. relics were uncovered in the year 1514, and this event is celebrated on October 7.

Russia, Moscow, 1391-1439, Alexander oKushta, left A fQuiet, cross iWater gathered Zealous, h leaves, seen wNicholas aDeath
Russia, Vologda, 1391-1439, Alexander oKushta, Vologda, Archbishop oRostov, obedience, strict fasting, Hiermonk, constant work or prayer, seen as angel oGod, it troubled him, left by night, river Syazhem, austere abstinence, people came, left for Kuben aka Kushta, wEuthymios, exchanged cells, r cross from E, loved quiet, cross in water prayer to gather zealous, elder came f5yrs, built church after 3rd elder came, Rostov Hegoumen blessed temple construction, 5 Tartars story, frozen by cross several hrs, Princess Maria story, offered village, saw insects on his chest, not necessary to see our misery, sick, asked prayer but told preare fEnd oLife. Wheat sack story, thief not able tLift, A admonished him &added more wheat for him, blessed burden easy to lift, A foretold death, ordered grave location, tree grew there, healing leaves, after death A& Nicholas seen praying or censing together at the temple; Savior-Kamen monastery; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9; Alexander, Hegoumen of Kushta Monastery in Vologda, was born about the year 1371, and his name in the world was Alexei. was tonsured at the Savior-Stone (Spaso-Kamen) monastery by Hegoumen Dionysios of the Holy Mountain, who brought the Athonite Rule to the monastery. he became the Archbishop of Rostov. Here Saint Alexander went through all the phases of obedience and strict fasting, and was ordained as a Hieromonk. was constantly at work or at prayer. The brethren looked upon him as upon an angel of God, and this troubled Saint Alexander. left the monastery secretly by night and came to the River Syazhem, where there was a thick forest and lake. Here he built a cell and lived his life in prayer and austere abstinence. Little by little, people started coming to him. Alexander went from this place to the shore of Lake Kuben, at the mouth of the River Kushta. that time Saint Euthymios (April 11) was living there. Saint Alexander offered to exchange cells with him, and Saint Euthymios agreed to this. they parted, he gave Saint Alexander his cross as a blessing. quiet wilderness was very dear to Saint Alexander. to the lake, he immersed the cross in the water and prayed to God, asking that he might gather in this place those who were zealous for the way of the Cross. some time, a certain Elder came to Saint Alexander, with whom he dwelt for five years. a third brother arrived, Saint Alexander decided to build a church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. saint journeyed to Rostov to see his former Hegoumen, Archbishop Dionysios (1418-1425), who blessed the construction of the temple. day, Tatars came when Prince Demetrios of Zaozersk was away, and five of them galloped up to the Kushta monastery. Saint Alexander met them calmly and he blessed them with the cross. The Tatars fell down as if they were dead; and they lay senseless for several hours, after which Saint Alexander roused them from their torpor in the name of the Life-creating Trinity. Prince Demetrios reposed, his widow, Princess Maria, who had great respect for Saint Alexander, offered a village for the support of the monastery in remembrance of her husband. Once she came to the monastery and went into the church, where Saint Alexander was reading the Psalter, while insects attacked his bare chest. The monk was distressed by her visit and said, “It is not necessary, O Princess, for you to observe our misery.” The princess humbly asked for pardon. The monk blessed her, but said, “Feed your poverty at home.” When she reached her home, the princess fell sick and asked him to pray for the recovery of her health. Saint Alexander foresaw her end and said, “Let her prepare for that life.” Princess Maria died twenty days later. was gathered on the floor of the monastery; and a certain peasant decided to steal a sack, but he was not able to lift it. The saint happened upon him and said, “My son, it is in vain that you try to lift what is beyond your strength.” The astounded thief threw himself at the feet of the venerable one, asking his forgiveness, but Saint Alexander ordered him to add more wheat to the sack. After admonishing him not to steal from others in future, he blessed him to take the sack and to go with God. The peasant easily carried the burden which was blessed, and thanked the generous Elder. that the time of his death was near, Saint Alexander said to those dwelling with him, “I am growing weak, but I urge you to endure in this place, preserving humility and mutual love.” On Sunday he served the Divine Liturgy, and partook of the Holy Mysteries. Then he prayed on his knees for himself and for his monastery, and at age of sixty-eight, he peacefully surrendered his soul to the Lord on June 9, 1439. to Saint Alexander’s last instructions in his will, his body was placed at the south side of the altar. A year afterward, a Rowan-berry tree grew up over his grave. Once, on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, a peasant child broke off a branch from this tree and suddenly his hand began to hurt. His parents prayed and brought their son to the saint’s grave, and he was healed. From that time people began to pick berries from this tree for healing purposes. His disciples built a heated church in honor of Saint Nicholas over the saint’s grave and it was dedicated on the anniversary of his repose. Many of the sick who were brought to the church said that they saw Saint Alexander and Saint Nicholas praying together, or censing the temple. Many of the sick received healing at Saint Alexander’s grave.

Russia, Moscow, 1392, 1456, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list Tambov, appearance, Pitrim prayers, false accusation story
Russia, Mordovia, 1392, 1456, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list at Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), once belonged to Pitirim +1456, 1833 false accusation story; Tambov; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Icon appeared on February 29, 1392. of the oldest shrines of the Devpeteruv (Девпетерувская) Icon of the Mother of God is now located in the Nikolaev church of the village of Batyushkova, or Batatkova, Dmitrovsky district of Moscow Province. this image, the child Jesus is shown resting on the Virgin’s right shoulder; His left hand is on His Mother’s left shoulder, and her right hand is on His right shoulder. Tambov's Transfiguration Cathedral, above the tomb of St. Pitirim (July 28), there is another list of the miracles of the Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God. image once belonged to St. Pitirim, and before it, he offered his fervent prayers to the Lord God. Icon became especially famous in 1833 after a miracle took place. certain woman, whose husband was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison, once saw an Elder whom she did not know in a dream. This Elder ordered her to search the cathedral for the Icon from St. Pitirim's cell, and to have a Moleben served before it. He also showed her the Icon itself. The woman found the Saint's Icon and asked for a Moleben to be served before it. Shortly afterward, her husband was acquitted and released from prison.

Russia, Moscow, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1395, Commemoration Luke's Vladimir Icon, Deliverance Moscow from Tamerlane, MOG great Christian protectoress
Russia, Moscow, 1395, Commemoration Luke's Vladimir Icon, Deliverance Moscow from Tamerlane, MOG great Christian protectoress, dream, holy hierarchs, golden staffs, majestic woman, she commanded him to leave Russia, icon from MOG and Joseph's kitchen table, grace of my son and me will be with this icon, 1131 to Rus Vyshgorod, 1155 Andrew B brought it to Vladimir, 1395 to Moscow, 1395 Tammerlane reaches Ryazan frontier; Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1395, Luke's Vladimir Icon, Grace of Jesus and MOG shall be with this Icon
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1395, Feast of the Dormition, Vladimir Icon sent to Moscow, same hour of meeting at Kuchkov, T's dream
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1395-1413, Theophilus & Jacob, Wondorworkers of Omucha, fKonevets tOmcha 1395, monastery 1412
Russia, Novgorod, 1395-1413, Theophilus & Jacob, Wondorworkers of Omucha, Novgorod (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1), spent time on Konevets wArsenios oK, monks there, 1395 both crossed Omch River tDemyansk county 65 versts fPorkhov, estab hermitage 1395, known as Theophilos Hermitage but Jacob put it in order, Monastery from 1412, the year T reposed; Omucha, Pskov (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1); Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Theophilos and Jacob, wonderworkers of Omuch, Commemorated on December 29; is not known where or when Saints Theophilos and Jacob were born, but they spent some time on the island of Konevets with Saint Arsenios of Konevets (June 12), and perhaps it was there that they began their monastic labors. in 1395 or 1396, both ascetics left Konevets and crossed the Omuch River. There in Demyansk county, 65 versts from the city of Porkhov, they established a Hermitage in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. appears that Saint Theophilos, the founder of the monastery, was highly revered, because it was known as the Theophilos Hermitage, it was Elder Jacob who put it in order. monastery dates from the beginning of the XV century, around 1412. Theophilos reposed on December 29, 1412, and was buried in the wooden church of the Dormition. do not know when Saint Jacob went to the Lord, nor the specific place where he was buried. Theophilos and Jacob are commemorated together on October 21. They are also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Saints of Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, and Ladoga (the third Sunday of Pentecost). holy relics of these God-pleasers have rested in the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God ever since the parish was founded in 1764. Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; Theophilus and James, Abbots of Omutch in Pskov, lived the ascetic life on the island of Konev together with Saint Arsenius (June 12). the year 1396, in the Pskov diocese at the River Omutch, not far from the city of Porkhov, Saints Theophilus and James established a wilderness monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. fell asleep in the Lord about the year 1412.

Russia, Moscow, 1397, part of The Robe was transferred from C to Rus by St Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1400, 15th-17th Century Folder, Third Rome, Orthodox Protector

Russia, Moscow, 1401-1499, 15th Century Folder, Muslim White Horde, Civil War, Third Rome, Printing

Russia, Moscow, 1401-1434, Sabbatius oTver, wArsenitus, estab monastery, taught famous ascetics, strict, holy, chains, silence
Russia, Tver, 1401-1434, Sabbatius oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), wArsenitus, estab monastery 15V away, taught famous ascetics, strict, holy, chains, silence; Tver; Saint Sabbatius of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Sabbatius of Tver pursued asceticism with the blessing of Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, at a distance 15 versts from Tver. Sabbatius established a monastery there, known for the strictness and holiness of its rule. ascetics as Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9) and Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19) went there to be instructed in monasticism. chains found in the cave where Saint Sabbatius practiced silence testify to his ascetic deeds. died no later than the year 1434.

Russia, Moscow, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Uniate
Russia, Kiev, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Catholic; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, virtues&chastity, wYuri fled Vitovt over hill tTver, adultry, J wounded Y, Y killed J
Russia, Kiev, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, Ukraine (Vyazna River 1) &Novy Torg Tver close by across the hill in Vladai Hills, Princess oVyazma&Novy Torg, Maximus Danilov daughter, known virtues&chastity, Husband Prince Simeon oV wPrince Yuri oSmolensk fled because Lithuanian P Vitovt had seized their lands, then Basil oMoscow gave Torzhok Tver tThem, Yuri wanted adultry wJ, but J faithful, Yuri killed husband Simeon, tried to rape, but J wounded him wKnife, J ordered her hands feet cut off and body thrown into Tversta River, Yuri fled tTartars, no peace, tRyazan wilderness; Vyazma; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Juliana, Princess of Vyazma and Novy Torg, daughter of the noble Maximus Danilov, known for her virtues and her chastity. spouse, Prince Simeon of Vyazma, and also Prince Yuri of Smolensk, were compelled to flee their native lands, which the Lithuanian prince Vitovt had seized. Prince Basil of Moscow bestowed the Tver city of Torzhok upon the exiled princes. Yuri became captivated by Juliana’s beauty and tried in every way to persuade her to commit adultery, Juliana remained faithful to her husband. a feast, Prince Yuri killed Juliana’s husband, in the hope of taking her by force. Juliana resisted the ravisher, wounding him with a knife. enraged Prince Yuri ordered that her hands and feet be cut off, and that her body be thrown into the Tvertsa River. by his conscience and censured by everyone, Prince Yuri fled to the Tatars, even there he did not find peace. settled in the Ryazan wilderness where he died in 1408. martyrdom of Saint Juliana occurred in the winter of 1406. the spring of 1407, they saw the body of Princess Juliana floating in the river. A certain peasant heard a voice from above, commanding that the body of Saint Juliana be buried in the Torzhok cathedral on the right side by the south doors. tomb for her body was afterwards built at the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral, where many received healing from her. connection with the glorification of Saint Juliana on June 2, 1819 a chapel was built on the right-hand side, and dedicated to her. the cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, where earlier there had been a chapel over the grave of the saint, a church was built and also dedicated to Saint Juliana in 1906.

Russia, Moscow, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Muslim White Horde
Moscow, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Moscow, 1408-1431, Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev, transfered to Moscow 1410, recognized Jonah
Moscow Patriarch, 1408-1431, Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kiev; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, was by birth a Greek from the Peloponnesian city of Monembasia (Malbasia). While still in his adolescence he entered a monastery and was tonsured under the Elder Acacius, a great ascetic (afterwards the Metropolitan of Monembasia). 1408, when Photius was in Constantinople with the Patriarch on church matters, the question arose about a replacement for the Russian See after the death of Saint Cyprian (September 16). The choice of Patriarch Matthew (1397-1410) fell upon Photius, known for his learning and holiness of life. On September 1, 1408 Saint Photius was made Metropolitan and in the next year arrived in Rus. spent half a year at Kiev (September 1409-February 1410), concerning himself with settling affairs in the southern dioceses of the Russian Church, then included within the principality of Lithuania, or more precisely, of Lithuania and Russia. The saint perceived that the throne of the Metropolitan, the spiritual center of churchly life in Rus, could not remain in the Kiev lands, where everything increasingly fell under the dependence of Catholic Poland. On the day of Holy Pascha in 1410, Metropolitan Photius arrived in Moscow following the example of former Russian Metropolitans, who transferred their residence first to Vladimir, then to Moscow. 22 years the saint labored in the difficult service of archpastor of the Russian Church. In grievous conditions of war, fratricidal strife, and pillaging incursions of Tatars he knew how to highly advance the spiritual significance, the material prosperity and well-being of the churches under the See of Moscow. conditions in the Church allowed Saint Photius to render great assistance to the increasingly impoverished Patriarch of Constantinople, and to strengthen the international position of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian realm. enemies of Orthodoxy tried to subvert the churchly-patriotic service of Saint Photius more than once. In the spring of 1410, when Saint Photius arrived in Vladimir from Moscow, Khan Edigei, having laid waste this portion of the Russian Land for two years, undertook a new campaign with the intent of capturing the Metropolitan himself. A Tatar detachment, headed by Prince Talychoi “the Exile,â€ suddenly and quickly took Vladimir, but God preserved His righteous saint. evening before, not suspecting danger, the saint had gone off to the Svyatoozersk (Holy Lake) monastery beyond the city. When the Tatars attempted pursuit, he concealed himself in a small settlement, surrounded by impassable swamps, at the River Senega. Unable to capture the Metropolitan, the rapacious Tatars plundered Vladimir, especially the Dormition cathedral church. The doorkeeper of the cathedral, Patrikii, endured terrible torments and accepted a martyr’s death from the plundering Tatars, but he did not reveal where the church sacred items and treasury were hidden. the efforts of Metropolitan Photius the canonical unity of the Russian Church was restored. The separate Lithuanian metropolitanate, established by Prince Vitovt for the southern and western eparchies [dioceses], was abolished in 1420. In that same year the saint visited the returned eparchies and greeted the flock with an instructive encyclical. The wise and erudite pastor left behind many instructions and letters. Of great theological significance was his denunciation of the heresy of the Strigolniki, which had arisen at Pskov prior to his time. By his wise efforts the heresy was put to an end in 1427. Church historical sources compiled by Saint Photius are his “Order of Selection and Installation of Bishopsâ€ (1423), “ Discourse on the Seriousness of the Priestly Office and the Obligations of Church Servers,â€ and also the “Spiritual Testamentâ€, in which he tells of his life. Another great work of the saint was the compilation, under his guidance, of the Obscherussk (All-Russian) Chronicle (about 1423). April 20, 1430 the holy archpastor was informed by an angel of his approaching end, and he reposed peacefully on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, on July 2, 1431. His relics were uncovered in the year 1471. Two sakkoi (robes) of Saint Photius are preserved in the Armory Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1410-1462, Barlaam oShenkursk, Vologda, Novgorod mayor, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, monk 12 yrs
Russia, Vologda, 1410-1462, Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6), mayor oNovgorod t1445, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, became Pinezhsky, monk i1456 for 12 yrs, buried next to church he built ; Shenkursk (Vaga River) ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, Commemorated on June 19; Varlaam was known as Vasily Stepanovich Svoezemtsev in life, in monasticism he was given the name Varlaam Vazhsky. Stepanovich was born around 1390 into the family of the Novgorod Boyar (his father was Stepan Vasilyevich). baptism he received the name Vasily. was married and had two sons, Ivan and Semyon. According to another version of his life, he had two daughters and eight sons. served as mayor of Novgorod until 1445. He also served as a representative of the Boyar family of Svoezemtsev, Novgorod. 1426, he founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, where subsequently the town of Pinezhsky was founded. 1456, Vasily Stepanovich was tonsured a monk and given the name Barlaam Vazhsky by the first Hegumen of St. John Theological Monastery. Varlaam lived as a monastic for six years, and upon his death on June 19, 1462, he was buried next to the church of John the Theologian, which he had built.

Russia, Moscow, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, BoPerm, incessant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps, killed by hVogul servant
Mongol Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), worthily succeded Steven, Enlightener oPerm, who converted only part otZyryani, incessant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps urging stop plundering defenceless Christians oPerm, killed by his Vogul servant, strangeled bOmophorion; Perm (Kama River 6); St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Gerasimus was the third bishop of the Zyryan people, and a worthy successor of Saint Stephen, Enlightener of Perm. was elevated to the See of Perm sometime after the year 1416, only part of the Zyryani had been converted to Christianity. was concerned for his flock, which suffered incessant incursions from the Novgorodians and pagan Vogulians. went into the Vogul camps, urging them to stop plundering the defenseless Christians of Perm. one of these journeys in 1441, he was murdered by his Vogul servant (according to tradition he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the Annunciation church of the village of Ust-Vym not far from the city of Yarenga, at the River Vychegda (also January 24). ’s common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Gerasimus is also commemorated on January 24.

Russia, Moscow, 1416-1441, Gerasimus 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians, respected aMoscow councils, Raids Vogulians oNovgorod
Mongol, Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oGreat Perm (Kama River Basin)& Ust-Vymsk (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3, Centered in Aykino) Regions, 3rd Bishop oNewly enlightened Zyryani people, successor to Steven, Perm enlightener, elevated a1416, aMoscow Councils far fPerm, 1438 condemning Florence union & Met Isadore oKiev, another 1441 declared Russian Mets chosen bRussian bishops council, so his contemporaries valued his opinion, great authority, interceding fFlock before GP Basil II, requesting assistance, Raids by Novgorodians, especially pagan Vogulians, went into V camps, murdered by V servant 1441, strangled by omophorion (bishop's stole), buried cathedral church first Perm Hierarchs (top of system oArrangement oPeople); Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; Gerasimos (Gerásimos), Bishop of Great Perm and Ust-Vymsk, the third Bishop of the newly-enlightened Zyryani people, a worthy successor to Saint Stephen, the Enlightener of Perm (April 26). was elevated to the See of Perm after 1416. he lived far from the capital city, Gerásimos participated in the Moscow Councils: in 1438, which condemned the Union of Florence, as well as its proponent, Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev (1437–1441); another in 1441, which decreed that the Metropolitans of All Russia would be chosen by a Council of Russian bishops. indicates that his contemporaries valued his opinion, and that he possessed great authority. a doubt, at these Councils the Hierarch interceded for his flock before the Great Prince Basil II (1425–1462), assistance and benefits for them. new flock had suffered from raids by the Novgorodians, from the pagan Vogulians. went to their camps urging them to stop pillaging the villages of the defenseless Christians of Perm. Gerásimos was murdered by a Vogulian servant during one of his journeys through Perm in 1441 to Tradition, he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the cathedral church of the First Hierarchs of Perm, later became the Annunciation church in the village of Ust-Vyma, of the city of Yarenga, the Vychegda River. Feast Day was established in 1607. January 29 there is a joint commemoration of the three Perm Hierarchs: Gerasimos, Pitirim, and Jonah.

Russia, Moscow, 1420, Support of the Humble Icon, appeared at Stony Lake and transferred to Pskov same year
Russia, Pskov, 1420, Support of the Humble Icon; Icon of the Mother of God, “Support of the Humble”, appeared in 1420 at Stony Lake near Pskov. same year, on September 16, it was transferred to Pskov and placed in the cathedral church. Today’s celebration was established in memory of the transfer of this wonderworking icon. Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1420, Chirsk-Pskov Icon, pestilence, tears from Icon, church procession
Russia, Pskov, 1420, Chirsk-Pskov Icon, pestilence, tears from Icon, church procession; Chirsk is somewhere near Pskov Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated July 16 ; Chirsk (Pskov) Icon of the Mother of God was initially in the Chirsk village church of the Pskov diocese. July 16, 1420, during the time of Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich, Archbishop Simeon of Novgorod and Pskov, and Prince Theodore Alexandrovich were present in Pskov. a time of a deadly pestilence, tears flowed from the eyes of the Chirsk Icon of the Mother of God. was reported to authorities in the city of Pskov. and devout men carried the wonderworking icon to Pskov. church procession was formed to meet the icon, which was placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Trinity. the reverse of the icon are depicted the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves.

Russia, Moscow, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, aTherapon wJoasaph, vision oMartinian tbMonk, left fUchma, guide mPeople
Russia, Rostov, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Mangupa Princes descendent, tMoscow fBizantium wSophia Paleologa, for GP Ivan III, Monk at Therapon wJoasaph, miraculous vision oMartinian, urged him tbMonk, left for Volga Uchma confluence, monastery guide mPeople; Uglich; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Cassian the Greek of Uglich, in the world Constantine, was a descendant of the Greek Mangupa princes. arrived in Moscow as part of the delegation to Great Prince Ivan III, together with the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, Sophia Paleologa. decided to devote his life to the service of God, the saint declined the offer to remain at the court of the Great Prince, and he resettled near Bishop Joasaph of Rostov. the bishop withdrew to the Therapon monastery for solitude, Constantine followed him, and he led a strict ascetic life. accepted monasticism after a miraculous vision by night of Saint Martinian, urging him to take monastic tonsure. a certain period of time, Saint Cassian left the monastery going not far from the city of Uglich, near the confluence of the Volga and Uchma Rivers, he founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. of the monk spread widely, and many people began to come to receive his blessing, to see the wilderness habitation and converse with him. Saint Cassian accepted everyone with love, guiding them on the way to salvation with quiet words. monk died in great old age on October 2, 1504. In the Uglich Chronicles many miracles of the saint were recorded, in particular the protection of his monastery from Polish soldiers in the years 1609-1611 by his prayers. memory of Saint Cassian of Uglich is celebrated also on May 21, the day he shares with his namesake, the holy Emperor Constantine the Great. Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; we commemorate the namesake of Saint Cassian (in the world Constantine). commemoration of Saint Cassian is in honor of Emperor Constantine, his patron Saint at Baptism. When he became a monk, he was tonsured with the new name Cassian, in honor of St. John Cassian (Feb. 28), (Feb. 29 in Leap Year). October 2, the date of his repose, for Saint Cassian's life account.

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1453, Muscovite Civil War, Inter Ruling Family Squabble
Muscovite Civil War 1425-1453, Inter Ruling Family Squabble; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1462, Vasily II, Basil, Great Prince of Moscow , allied with Teutonic Order
Moscow Prince, 1425-1462, Basil, Great Prince of Moscow (Vasily II) ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Belozersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1462, Vasily II of Moscow, war with his Lithuanian Grandfather, Vytautas the Great
Moscow Prince, 1425-1462, Basil, Great Prince of Moscow (Vasily II) ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Belozersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1462, Vasily II of Moscow, Basil the Dark or Blind, Civil War for Moscow, Vasily I's son
Moscow Prince, 1425-1462, Basil the Dark (Vasily II of Moscow); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Belozersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31 ; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1462, Vasily II of Moscow, CW against Yury of Zvenigorod, D Donskoy's Son
Russia, Moscow, 1425-1462, Basil the Dark or Blind (Vasily II of Moscow) CW against Yury of Zvenigorod; Moscow Prince, 1425-1462, Basil the Dark (Vasily II of Moscow); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Belozersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31 ; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1465, Euthymius oSyanzhemsk, years in solitary cell then started S monastery, igumen, relics
Russia, Vologda, 1425-1465, Euthymius oSyanzhemsk &Savior-Kamen monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, became monk aSavior-Stone monastery, Lake Kuben, solitary cell on Kuben River, gave cell to Alexander oKushta, moved tSyanzhem, founded monastery, igumen, died 1465, after appointing Chariton successor, relics appeared next C, 16th C; Savior-Kamen monastery; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Euthymius of Syanzhemsk and Vologda was born in Vologda, received monastic tonsure at the Savior-Stone monastery at Lake Kuben. some time he lived in a solitary cell on the River Kuben, then gave up the place to Saint Alexander of Kushta (June 9) moved to Syanzhem, where he founded the Ascension monastery and became its igumen. Euthymius died around the year 1465, appointing Saint Chariton (September 28) as his successor. story of the appearance of his relics was recorded in the sixteenth century by Bishop Ioasaph of Vologda, a noted hagiographer of his time.

Russia, Moscow, 1425-1480, Serapion of Eleazar M, Pskov, silence vow, monk role model, unburied corpse, bones covered by skin
Russia, Pskov, 1425-1480, Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov Lake (Peipus), 1447, joined ascetic monk Euphrosynus 1425, received great schema, silence vow, monk role model, unburied corpse, bore every insult, power communal prayers, bones covered by skin; Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, 1447; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated on September 7; Serapion of Pskov was born at Yuriev (now Tartu), which then was under the rule of Germans, who sought to stamp out Orthodoxy. parents were parishioners of a Russian church in the name of Saint Nicholas. Serapion was well versed in the Holy Scripture, and more than once he entered into the defense of Orthodoxy. they wanted to convert him by force to the foreign faith, he departed to the Tolvsk wilderness, not far from Pskov, where the Pskov ascetic monk Euphrosynus (May 15) began his prayerful work. his nurturing, Saint Serapion began to acquire the wisdom of wilderness life. soon he happened to undergo temptations. a blessing, he wanted to leave his guide and to live an ascetic life in complete solitude. the Lord brought the inexperienced novice to his senses: after he seriously hurt his leg, he repented of his self-will and disobedience and returned to the Elder. he received the Great Schema, he dwelt constantly with Saint Euphrosynus for 55 years, strictly keeping the vow of silence. began gradually to gather around Saint Euphrosynus, for which the Elder built a temple in the name of the Three Hierarchs and gave a skete rule. Serapion zealously fulfilled everything commanded of him and was a role model for the monks. monk so strictly fulfilled the monastic vow of uncovetousness, that a copyist of his life called him “an unburied corpse.” bore every insult with extraordinary humility, always blaming himself alone, and he himself asked forgiveness of his insulter. monk deeply sensed the power of communal prayers he said that “the order of the twelve Psalms” sung alone in the cell cannot equal one “Lord, have mercy” sung in church. Serapion died on September 8, 1480, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the day of repose of Saint Serapion coincides with one of the twelve Great Feasts, his commemoration is on September 7. A Troparion and Kontakion were composed for the saint. Euphrosynus himself committed the body of his disciple to the earth. his fervent deeds he had transformed himself into mere “bones, covered by skin.” Serapion was not separated from his spiritual Father even after death: their holy relics were placed beside each other. common service was composed to Saints Euphrosynus and Serapion (15 May), Saint Serapion is glorified as the first co-ascetic, “companion and friend” of Saint Euphrosynus.

Russia, Moscow, 1434, Repose of Maximus of Moscow, Fool for Christ, walked about almost naked, humility, wisdom, everyone heeded
Russia, Moscow, 1434, Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Russia (Moscova River 4), Fool for Christ, summer and winter walked about almost naked, humility, wisdom, everyone heeded; Moscow; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Maximus of Moscow, the Fool for Christ. is known about his parents, or the time and place of birth. Maximus chose one of the most difficult and thorny paths to salvation, having taken upon himself the guise of a fool for the sake of Christ. and winter Maximus walked about almost naked, enduring both heat and cold. He had a saying, “The winter is fierce, but Paradise is sweet.” loved its holy fools, it esteemed their deep humility, it heeded their wisdom, expressed in the proverbial sayings of the people’s language. And everyone heeded the holy fools, from the Great Princes down to the least beggar. Maximus lived at a difficult time for the Russian people. Tatar incursions, droughts, epidemics were endemic and people perished. saint said to the unfortunate, “Not everything is by the weave of the wool, some is opposite... have won the fight, submit, and bow lower. not, you who are beaten; but weep, you who are unbeaten. us show tolerance, and in this at least, we shall be human. even green wood will burn. will grant salvation if we bear all with patience.” the saint did not only speak words of consolation. His angry denunciations frightened the mighty of his world. Maximus would often say to the rich and illustrious, “The house has an icon corner, but the conscience is for sale. makes the Sign of the Cross, not everyone prays. sees every wrong. He will not deceive you, nor will you deceive Him.” Maximus died on November 11, 1434 and is buried at the church of the holy Princes Boris and Gleb. healings began occurring from the relics of God’s saint. an encyclical of 1547, Metropolitan Macarius enjoined “the singing and celebration at Moscow for the new Wonderworker Maximus, Fool-for-Christ.” same year on August 13 the incorrupt relics of Blessed Maximus were uncovered. church of Saints Boris and Gleb, where the saint was buried, burned in the year 1568. On the site a new church was built, which they consecrated in the name of Saint Maximus, Fool-for-Christ. The venerable relics of Saint Maximus were placed in this church.

Russia, Moscow, 1436-1478, Saint, Zosima of Solovki
Russia, Vologda, 1436-1478, Saint, Zosima of Solovki; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1437-1437, Nefarious Patriarch, Isadore, Metropolitan of Kiev, Moscow, All Rus, became catholic
Moscow Patriarch, 1437-1437, Isadore, Metropolitan of Kiev, Moscow, All Rus; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1440-1461, Metropolitan, Jonah, wonderworker, Anthony's arrow, Feast of the Robe, incorrupt relics
Russia, Moscow, 1440-1461, Metropolitan, Jonah, wonderworker, Anthony's arrow, Feast of the Robe, incorrupt relics, fGalich, tonsured there at 12, tMoscow Simonov m fMany yrs, Met Moscow Photius saw J sleeping in Bakery wFingers iBlessing p, don't wake him, predicted great hierarch, later bishop oRyazn&Murom, Met Moscow&allRus 1448, confirmed b both Rus Bishops(first time)&Constantinople Met, after nefarious Bulgarian Isadore Rus Met had embraced Catholicism, 1451 Tartars tMoscow, J led procession along walls, asked dying monk Anthony to pray, A said prayers answered by MOG who prayed to her son, arrow struck A after he said only he would die, deliverance oMoscow Church, Miraculous healings J Grave, 1472 incorrupt relics; Moscow Patriarch, 1449-1461, St Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, was born in the city of Galich into a pious Christian family. The father of the future saint was named Theodore. The youth received monastic tonsure in one of the Galich monasteries when he was only twelve years old. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Simonov monastery, where he fulfilled various obediences for many years. Saint Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow (May 27 and July 2), visited the Simonov monastery. After the Molieben, he blessed the archimandrite and brethren, and also wished to bless those monks who were fulfilling their obediences in the monastery. he came to the bakery, he saw Saint Jonah sleeping, exhausted from his work. The fingers of the saint’s right hand were positioned in a gesture of blessing. Saint Photius said not to wake him. He blessed the sleeping monk and predicted to those present that this monk would be a great hierarch of the Russian Church, and would guide many on the way to salvation. prediction of Saint Photius was fulfilled. Several years later, Saint Jonah was made Bishop of Ryazan and Murom. Photius died in 1431. Five years after his death, Saint Jonah was chosen Metropolitan of All Russia for his virtuous and holy life. The newly-elected Metropolitan journeyed to Constantinople in order to be confirmed as Metropolitan by Patriarch Joseph II (1416-1439). Shortly before this the nefarious Isidore, a Bulgarian, had already been established as Metropolitan. Spending a short time at Kiev and Moscow, Isidore journeyed to the Council of Florence (1438), where he embraced Catholicism. Council of Russian hierarchs and clergy deposed Metropolitan Isidore, and he was compelled to flee secretly to Rome (where he died in 1462). Saint Jonah was unanimously chosen Metropolitan of All Russia. He was consecrated by Russian hierarchs in Moscow, with the blessing of Patriarch Gregory III (1445-1450) of Constantinople. was the first time that Russian bishops consecrated their own Metropolitan. Saint Jonah became Metropolitan on December 15, 1448. archpastoral zeal he led his flock to virtue and piety, spreading the Orthodox Faith by word and by deed. Despite his lofty position, he continued with his monastic struggles as before. 1451 the Tatars unexpectedly advanced on Moscow; they burned the surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the city. Metropolitan Jonah led a procession along the walls of the city, tearfully entreating God to save the city and the people. Seeing the dying monk Anthony of the Chudov monastery, who was noted for his virtuous life, Saint Jonah said, “My son and brother Anthony! Pray to the Merciful God and the All-Pure Mother of God for the deliverance of the city and for all Orthodox Christians.” humble Anthony replied, “Great hierarch! We give thanks to God and to His All-Pure Mother. She has heard your prayer and has prayed to Her Son. The city and all Orthodox Christians will be saved through your prayers. The enemy will soon take flight. The Lord has ordained that I alone am to be killed by the enemy.” Just as the Elder said this, an enemy arrow struck him. prediction of Elder Anthony was made on July 2, on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. broke out among the Tatars, and they fled in fear and terror. his courtyard, Saint Jonah built a church in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from the enemy. Jonah reposed in the year 1461, and miraculous healings began to take place at his grave. 1472 the incorrupt relics of Metropolitan Jonah were uncovered and placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin (the Transfer of the holy Relics is celebrated May 27). A Council of the Russian Church in 1547 established the commemoration of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1596, Patriarch Job added Saint Jonah to the Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs (October 5).

Russia, Moscow, 1440-1505, Ivan III, G Prince, t Great, defeated Novg, expanded R, ended GH yoke
Moscow Prince, 1440-1505, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, the Great; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Moscow, 1441-1455, Pitrim, Bishop oPerm&Ustiug, martyr, historian, converted Voguli, served vast area
Mongol, Perm, 1441-1455, Pitrim Bishop of Perm & Ustiug, Vologda (Yug and Skukhona Rivers, Northern Dvina Source), succeeded Gerasimus as B oPerm&Ustiug, even during his time Voguli attacked peaceful Zyryanis oPerm, 1447 appealed Great Prince to help Z's, wide territory, often visited flock, danger, privation, converted V's along Pechora river, so murdered by V leader Asyk, Pitrim compiled life of Alexis & Cannon fUncovering his relics, Common commemoration these three saints acknowledges their activity Eastern Russia; Ustiug, Vologda; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Pitirim succeeded Saint Gerasimus as bishop of Great Perm and Ustiug. during his time the Voguli had not ceased attacking the peaceful Zyryani, the settlers of Perm. Pitirim stood up for his flock just as his predecessor had done. 1447 he personally appealed to the Great Prince to help the Zyryani. saint often visited his flock, which was spread out over a wide territory, instructing them in the Word of God and assisting them in their misfortunes. undertook long journeys to enlighten the pagan Voguli, during which his life was frequently in danger, and he had to endure all sorts of privation. saint did not slacken his efforts, he enlightened and instructed people in their homes, in churches, and in the open places. his preaching he converted many of the Voguli who lived along the tributaries of the River Pechora, to Christianity. of this he aroused the terrible wrath of the leader of the Voguli, Asyk, who murdered the saint in a field as he was serving a Molieben. occurred not far from Ust-Vym on August 19, 1455. Pitirim compiled the Life of Saint Alexis and the Canon for the uncovering of his relics. relics of Saint Pitirim rest in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Pitirim is also commemorated on August 19.

Russia, Moscow, 1441-1481, St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda, built & headed church & monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1441-1481, St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 1) White Lake wilderness dweller, discovered St Nicholas Icon, built and headed church and monastery; Krasny Kholm; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated January 17 ; Anthony of Krasny Kholm was initially a wilderness-dweller in the vicinity of White Lake. hieromonk arrived in the region of Tver and settled near “Pretty Hillock” [“Krasny kholm”], at the bank of the River Mologa, building a chapel and cell there. the discovery of an icon of Saint Nicholas, a stone church was built and a monastery founded, headed by the saint, who taught the brethren both by word and by example throughout his life. Saint Anthony died in 1481.

Russia, Moscow, 1442, Makaryev Icon, unknown light, angelic refrain, Icon s by radiance, cell-icon
Russia, Vologda, 1442, Makaryev Icon; Makariev Directress Icon of the Mother of God appeared during the reign of Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462) to Saint Macarius the Wonderworker, who labored in asceticism on the desolate shores of the River Unzha. September 17, 1442 at about the third hour of the morning, when Saint Macarius was finishing his usual morning Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, his cell was illumined suddenly by an unknown light. The monk became confused in spirit and fervently began to pray. the cell walls he heard the angelic refrain: “Hail, Full of Grace, O Virgin Mother!” With fear and astonishment the monk went out from his cell and on the northwest horizon he saw the icon of the Mother of God, surrounded by a luminous radiance. icon approached towards the cell of the ascetic. With joyful trembling the monk fell to the ground and cried out: “Hail, Mother of God! Hail, Ever-Flowing Fountain issuing salvation to all the world and assuring protection and intercession to all the land of Galicia!” reverently took up the icon and placed it in his cell, thus it also came to be named the “Cell-Icon.” Afterwards, the disciples of the monk gave it the title of “Makariev.” On the place of the appearance of the holy icon a monastery was founded, and was also named Makariev. Copies of the Makariev Icon of the Mother of God were made, which became as renowned as the original. Makaryev on the Unzha River; Macarius of the Unza; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1442-1492, Cosmas oYakhrom, servant tBoyer healed by Icon iTree fMOG, seek Joy otRighteous, build monastery
Russia, Radonezh, 1442-1492, Cosmas oYakhrom, Radonezh (Yakhroma River Mouth, Volga Canal 3), sick Boyer's servant, whom he comforted by reading books, traveling town tTown, stopped Yakhrom river, exhausted, sound sleep, Cosmos awakened suddenly by vision oExtraordinary Light, Icon ot Dormition in a tree, mysterious voice said: Pay attention C, &Understand the words oLife, Lead God-pleasing life, seek tJoy of tRighteous, so you may receive eternal blessings, The voice also commanded him to become a monk and build a monestary. He reverently brought Icon to sick Master, as soon as placed on him it healed him, Cosmos went to Kiev Caves as soon as his servitude term expired, after giving Icon, he was tonsured, astonished many experienced monks by his asceticism, contested there many years, then he had another vision, an Angel told him leave and take Icon, he left to place found Icon, there built temple dedicated to Dormition, he remained there, self imposed monastic struggles, disciples gathered, Monaster established, Cosmos chosen Igumen, Great Prince heard of his great struggles, reposed 1492, advanced age, buried in monastery he founded; Yakhroma (Yakhroma River); Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Cosmas of Yakhrom was the servant of a certain Boyar, whom he comforted during his long illness by reading to him from books. so, travelling from town to town, they happened to stop at the Yakhrom River. by their long journey, they fell into a sound sleep. Cosmas was awakened by a vision of extraordinary light. a tree, Cosmas saw an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, he heard a mysterious voice say: "Pay attention, Cosmas, and understand the words of life. a God-pleasing life and seek the joy of the righteous, so that you may receive eternal blessings.” voice also commanded him to become a monk and to build a monastery. he took the Icon of the Mother of God and brought it to his sick master. soon as it was placed on the old man, he was healed of his infirmity. his term of servitude expired, Cosmas went to the Kiev Caves Lavra. giving the Icon to the brethren, he was tonsured in that Monastery. he was tonsured, he astonished even experienced monks by his asceticism. Saint contested there for many years, then he had a vision of an Angel telling him to leave the Lavra and to take with him the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. asked the monks for the Icon, and left Kiev, at the place where the wonderworking Icon had appeared to him. with the help of some pious donors, he built a temple dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. remained at the church, engaging in various monastic struggles which he had imposed on himself. began to gather around the Saint, a Monastery was established, and Saint Cosmas was chosen as its Igoumen. this time, word of his ascetic struggles even reached the ears of the Great Prince. Cosmas reposed at an advanced age on February 18, 1492, was buried in the Monastery which he founded. is also commemorated on October 14, the Feast of the Yakhrom Icon of the Mother of God.1 1 Many sources indicate that it was an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos which appeared to Saint Cosmas, but only a reputed copy of the Icon has been preserved, which depicts the Mother of God according to the "Tenderness" category of Russian icons.

Russia, Moscow, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, copied spiritual books, founded 2Monasteries, wonderwrkr, relics glorified bMiracles
Russia, Rostov, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), founded 2Monasteries, wonderworker, Igumen, fKashin, Tver, tUncle Macarius oKalyazin a11, obedience fasting prayer, copying soul-saving books, famed teacher, 1464 founded cenobitic Protection m for Prince Andrew, 1489 founded organized N G m, lived old age died 1504, relics glorified bMiracles; Uglich; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Paisius of Uglich was igumen of the Protection monastery, near Uglich. was born in the Tver district near the city of Kashin, he was a nephew of Saint Macarius of Kalyazin (March 17). Paisius entered his uncle’s monastery after the death of his parents, when he was just an eleven-year-old child. his uncle’s guidance, Saint Paisius led a monastic life of obedience, fasting and prayer, he was put to work copying soul-saving books. “A man wondrous of spirit, famed teacher of holiness and most astounding wonderworker, founded (in 1464) the cenobitic Protection monastery three versts from Uglich the wish of Prince Andrew, he was chosen igumen.” Paisius was also “founder and organizer of the holy Nikolsky Grekhozaruchnya monastery in 1489.” at the Protection monastery, Saint Paisius lived into old age and died on June 6, 1504. relics, glorified by miracles, rest beneath a crypt in the Protection monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1445-1447, Dmitry Shemyaka, G P Moscow, blinded Vasily, lack of support from boyars, who poisoned him
Moscow Prince, 1445-1447, Dmitry Shemyaka, Grand Prince Moscow; Yurievich Shemyaka (died 1453) was the second son of Yury of Zvenigorod by Anastasia of Smolensk and grandson of Dmitri Donskoi. His hereditary patrimony was the rich Northern town Galich-Mersky. Shemyaka (1445, 1446–1447) was twice Grand Prince of Moscow. causes of the Muscovite Civil War waged in the second quarter of the 15th century are still disputed. No small part, however, was played by Dmitri Donskoi's will, which ran contrary to Rurikid dynastic custom whereby the throne would pass from an elder brother to a younger one (agnatic seniority), rather than from father to son (primogeniture). The testament provided for the accession of his son, Vasily I, which was still in keeping with the tradition of lateral succession since Vasily was the eldest of his generation. the event of Vasily having no surviving son at his death, his brother, Dmitry's second son, Yury of Zvenigorod, was to succeed as grand prince in Moscow. Vasily I's death, however, Yury refused to come to Moscow and swear allegiance to his nephew, Vasily II, and claimed the throne himself in accordance with his right under the long-held custom of lateral inheritance. (He further claimed it was provided for in Dmitry's testament – but this ignored the provision that voided Yury's succession in the event of Vasily I producing a son). son, Dmitry Shemyaka, actively participated in all of his father's incursions against Moscow, culminating in Yury's capture of Moscow and accession as grand prince in 1433. Yury of Zvenigorod died in Moscow in 1434. of Shemyaka with Vasily II after the Latter's Blinding. Yury's death, Shemyaka continued to press his branch's claim to the grand princely throne, and was seldom at peace with Vasily II. Initially, Dmitry and his younger brother Dmitry Krasnyi concluded an alliance with Vasily against their elder brother Vasily Kosoy, who had proclaimed himself grand prince. They succeeded in driving Kosoy from Moscow and were rewarded with the towns of Uglich and Rzhev. The following year Shemyaka came to Moscow in order to invite Vasily II to his impending wedding with a princess of Yaroslavl, but was accused of siding with Kosoy and taken prisoner. He was released on the eve of a decisive clash between Vasily II and Vasily Kosoy. This action of Vasily II was successful - Shemyaka and his people did not help Vasily Kosoy and so he was completely defeated in the battle on the Cheryokha River in 1436, captured and blinded. Soon after, Shemyaka entered into an agreement with Vasily II, recognizing him as his suzerain ("older brother"). Next year, he was sent by Vasily II to expel the exiled Golden Horde Khan Ulugh Muhammad, but was defeated in the battle of Belyov. When Ulugh Muhammad in his turn besieged Moscow in 1439, Dmitry didn't sent his troops to Vasily and only the mediation of a Trinity hegumen could forestall a new civil war between the cousins. two men maintained an uneasy peace for much of the next decade until 1445, when Vasily II was taken prisoner by Olug Moxammat after the Muscovite forces were surprised by the Tatar prince outside Suzdal, Shemyaka seized Moscow, had the recently released Vasily blinded and proclaimed himself the Grand Prince of Vladimir. He could claim this by right of lateral inheritance since his father had sat on the throne. (A prince was excluded from the succession (izgoi) if his father had not sat on the throne before him.) Shemyaka's lack of support among the Muscovite boyars forced him, however, to leave the city for Lake Chukhloma, but he continued to press his claim to the grand princely throne. several peace treaties, Shemyaka continued to plot against his cousin. He suffered a series of defeats in 1450 and 1452 which forced him to seek refuge in Novgorod. There, on July 17, 1453, he was poisoned while eating a dinner of chicken in the Gorodishche, the princely compound south of the Market side of the city,[1] his cook having been bribed by Muscovite agents. Delighted at the news, Vasily II ennobled a herald who had first brought him the message of Shemyaka's death. Nikolai Karamzin famously wrote in his history that the grand prince showed "indecent joy" at the news of his rival's untimely demise. to chronicle sources, Shemyaka was buried in the Church of St. George in the Yuriev Monastery south of Novgorod, [2] however, twentieth-century archaeological excavations of the necropolis of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in the Novgorod Kremlin suggest that the prince was actually buried there and his grave has been misidentified since at least 1616 as that of Prince Fedor Yaroslavich (died 1233).[3] the aftermath of Shemyaka's murder, his wife and son fled Novgorod to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where they were given Rylsk and Novgorod-Seversky in appanage. male line died out by 1561, but there are many living descendants from his daughter's marriage to Prince Alexander Chertoryzhsky. name survives in the Russian expression "Shemyakin sud" ("Shemyaka's Justice", "Shemyaka's Judgement"), which means hasty and unfair judgement. It comes from the 17th century literary work The Tale of Shemyaka's Judgement (see its translation here[4]). However modern researchers question the identification of Dmitry Shemyaka with Judge Shemyaka in the tale. St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1447-1457, Philip of Rabanga, because locals sought monasticism, monastery founder, Dionysius of G disciple
Russia, Vologda, 1447-1457, Philip of Rabanga (Sodima and Rabanga Rivers, Vologda), because locals sought to become monks, monastery founder, disciple of Dionysius' of Glushitsa; Kadnikova (Sodima River); St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15 ; Philip of Rabanga was the founder of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery, near Kadnikov to the northeast of Vologda. spent the beginning of his monastic life in the monastery of Saint Dionysius of Glushitsa (June 1), and was one of his closest disciples. the death of his teacher and spiritual Father, Saint Philip left the Glushitsa monastery and settled in a sparsely populated area at the confluence of the Sukhona and Rabanga Rivers. saint wanted to lead his life in complete solitude. local inhabitants learned about him, and seeking his guidance to become monks, they began to come to him in the wilderness. this as a mandate from above, Saint Philip traveled to Rostov to the holy Archbishop Ephraim (March 27) and asked the saint’s blessing to found a monastery and to build a church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord (the temple was built in 1447). relates that the holy founder of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery was extremely strict with himself, but lenient towards the infirmities of others. Philip died on November 15, 1457 and was buried in the monastery he founded.

Russia, Moscow, 1448-1461, Jonah of Moscow, Ryazan and Murom, Metropolitan, Anthony's arrow, incorrupt relics
Moscow Patriarch, 1448-1461, Jonah of Moscow, Metropolitan of All Rus; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, was born in the city of Galich into a pious Christian family. The father of the future saint was named Theodore. The youth received monastic tonsure in one of the Galich monasteries when he was only twelve years old. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Simonov monastery, where he fulfilled various obediences for many years. Saint Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow (May 27 and July 2), visited the Simonov monastery. After the Molieben, he blessed the archimandrite and brethren, and also wished to bless those monks who were fulfilling their obediences in the monastery. he came to the bakery, he saw Saint Jonah sleeping, exhausted from his work. The fingers of the saint’s right hand were positioned in a gesture of blessing. Saint Photius said not to wake him. He blessed the sleeping monk and predicted to those present that this monk would be a great hierarch of the Russian Church, and would guide many on the way to salvation. prediction of Saint Photius was fulfilled. Several years later, Saint Jonah was made Bishop of Ryazan and Murom. Photius died in 1431. Five years after his death, Saint Jonah was chosen Metropolitan of All Russia for his virtuous and holy life. The newly-elected Metropolitan journeyed to Constantinople in order to be confirmed as Metropolitan by Patriarch Joseph II (1416-1439). Shortly before this the nefarious Isidore, a Bulgarian, had already been established as Metropolitan. Spending a short time at Kiev and Moscow, Isidore journeyed to the Council of Florence (1438), where he embraced Catholicism. Council of Russian hierarchs and clergy deposed Metropolitan Isidore, and he was compelled to flee secretly to Rome (where he died in 1462). Saint Jonah was unanimously chosen Metropolitan of All Russia. He was consecrated by Russian hierarchs in Moscow, with the blessing of Patriarch Gregory III (1445-1450) of Constantinople. This was the first time that Russian bishops consecrated their own Metropolitan. Saint Jonah became Metropolitan on December 15, 1448. With archpastoral zeal he led his flock to virtue and piety, spreading the Orthodox Faith by word and by deed. Despite his lofty position, he continued with his monastic struggles as before. 1451 the Tatars unexpectedly advanced on Moscow; they burned the surrounding area and prepared for an assault on the city. Metropolitan Jonah led a procession along the walls of the city, tearfully entreating God to save the city and the people. Seeing the dying monk Anthony of the Chudov monastery, who was noted for his virtuous life, Saint Jonah said, “My son and brother Anthony! Pray to the Merciful God and the All-Pure Mother of God for the deliverance of the city and for all Orthodox Christians.” humble Anthony replied, “Great hierarch! We give thanks to God and to His All-Pure Mother. She has heard your prayer and has prayed to Her Son. The city and all Orthodox Christians will be saved through your prayers. The enemy will soon take flight. The Lord has ordained that I alone am to be killed by the enemy.” Just as the Elder said this, an enemy arrow struck him. prediction of Elder Anthony was made on July 2, on the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. Confusion broke out among the Tatars, and they fled in fear and terror. In his courtyard, Saint Jonah built a church in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from the enemy. Jonah reposed in the year 1461, and miraculous healings began to take place at his grave. 1472 the incorrupt relics of Metropolitan Jonah were uncovered and placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin (the Transfer of the holy Relics is celebrated May 27). A Council of the Russian Church in 1547 established the commemoration of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1596, Patriarch Job added Saint Jonah to the Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs (October 5). Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow is also commemorated on March 31.

Russia, Moscow, 1450 15th Century, Basil of Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben), a monk, full length icon, heavy iron chains & cap
Russia, Vologda, 1450 15th Century, Basil of Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben), a monk, full length icon of B, heavy iron chains, cap of iron strips; Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben) is not defined in wikipedia, but it is probably right here next to the Kubena River at the mouth of Lake Kuben. If not then Kubensk may be another name for Kamenny Monastery. ; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, Commemorated on August 2; Basil of Kubensk lived during the fifteenth century, a monk at the Savior-Kamenny monastery, on an island of Lake Kuben (not far from Vologda). the shrine of his relics, built afterwards in a church in honor of Saint Basil of Moscow, is a full-length icon of Saint Basil of Kubensk, with heavy iron chains and a cap of iron strips.

Russia, Moscow, 1448-1532, Cyril of New Lake, Pskov, Novorzhev, Boris Morozov, the royal tutor, kinsman, incorrupt r
Cyril of New Lake; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1448, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of White Lake; of Beloozero (Cyril of Beloezero, 1337 – 1427) was a monk and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who lived in the 15th century. Saint Cyril was a disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. In 1397, he founded the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in Northern Russia, in the present-day Vologda Oblast. was born as Kosma in Moscow in 1337. His origin is not entirely clear, but he was in any case close to the boyar family of Velyaminov. Cyril's parents died when he was a child. Around 1380 he became a monk in the Simonov Monastery and took the name of Cyril (Kirill).[1] In the monastery, he got in contact with Sergius of Radonezh. In 1387, the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery, Feodor, was appointed a bishop of Rostov, and Cyril became his successor. However, he soon realized that the position of archimadrite required too much involvement in public affairs, and first resigned, then moved to a neighboring monastery as an ordinary monk, and then decided to move to a deserted place where he could pray in peace. Together with St. Therapont, previously the monk of the same monastery, Cyril left for Lake Beloye. On arrival, following the advice of Sergius of Radonezh, he first dug a cave, and then built a wooden Assumption chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Therapont, who found the restriction imposed by Cyril too strict, left within a year and founded nearby the Ferapontov Monastery. In what became Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Cyril established a very strict order.[1] monastery grew and later became the largest monastery of Northern Russia. Cyril, as the first hegumen, arranged purchases of large areas of land by the monastery.[1] of White Lake died in the monastery in 1427, at the age of ninety. present there are several churches in Russia bearing the name of Cyril. day is marked by Russian Orthodox Church on June 9.[2][3] Novorzhev, Pskov; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1648, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. They had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. When Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. After a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. On September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. The coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. Mozarov, after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. In October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod).

Russia, Moscow, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos
Russia, Moscow, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos; The holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. Moscow Prince, 1440-1505, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, the Great; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Moscow, 1451-1500, Sebastian oSokhota, Poshekhonye District, Mologa, founded monastery, taught ascetics by example
Transfiguration of the Lord monestary, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, founded a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Saint Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, and in 1764 closed down. In the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. The saint is also commemorated on December 18. Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Pshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on February 26.

Russia, Moscow, 1453-1508, Saint, Nilus of Sora, great ascetic, writer, rule, steps, mental activity, glorified relics
Russia, Moscow, 1453-1508, Saint, Nilus of Sora; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Nilus of Sora, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was descended from the Maikov nobility. accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9). Here he made use of the counsels of the pious Elder Paisius Yaroslavov, who was afterwards igumen of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Nilus journeyed much through the East, studying the monastic life in Palestine and on Mt. Athos. Returning to Rus, he withdrew to the River Sora in the Vologda lands, and built a cell and a chapel, where there soon grew up a monastery with a new (for that time in Rus) skete Rule adopted by Saint Nilus from Mt. Athos. Following the command of Saint Nilus, the monks had to sustain themselves by the work of their own hands, to accept charity only in extreme need, and to shun the love of things and splendor even in church. Women were not permitted in the skete, monks was not allowed to leave the skete under any pretext, and the possession of lands or estates was forbidden. monks lived in the forest around the small church in honor of the Meeting of the Lord, in separate cells of one or two but not more than three men. They gathered together in church for divine services. Moreover, readings from the holy Fathers were prescribed at the All-Night Vigil, which actually lasted the whole night. On other days, each one prayed and worked in his own cell. saint struggled constantly with his own thoughts and passions. Then peace would be born in his soul, clarity in his mind, contrition and love in his heart. In his written works, “A Tradition for my Disciple, Wishing to Live in the Wilderness,” and the “Rule,” Saint Nilus describes the steps of this salvific mental activity in detail. The first step is renunciation of the world, particularly, from every worldly distraction. The second is unceasing prayer, accompanied by the remembrance of death. saint was distinguished for his non-possessiveness and love for work. He dug a pond and a well, whose water had healing power. For his sanctity of life the Elder Nilus was deeply venerated by the Russian hierarchs of his time. He participated in the Councils of 1490 and 1503. Disdaining the honors and glories of this world, he told his disciples before his death either to throw his body to be eaten by beasts and birds, or to bury it without honor at the place of his struggles. saint died in his seventy-sixth year of life, on May 7, 1508. His relics, buried in the monastery he founded, were glorified by many miracles. The Russian Church has numbered him among the saints. English, fragments of his “Tradition” and “Rule” may be found in G. Fedotov’s TREASURY OF RUSSIAN SPIRITUALITY.]

Russia, Moscow, 1453, Moscow the Third Rome 1453, Fall of Constantinople 1453
Moscow, Third Rome 1453, Fall of Constantinople; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm, after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, Idols eradicated, Churches built
Mongol, Perm, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, tribes along Vishera, Kama, Chusova and other rivers, Idols eradicated, Churches built, Experienced pastors sent tSchools aUs-Vym; Perm (Kama River 6); St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Saint Pitirim, Saint Jonah ascended the throne of Perm. He converted to Christianity the remaining part of Great Perm, i.e. the pagan tribes living along the Rivers Vishera, Kama, Chusova and others. his efforts the idols were eradicated and in their place churches were built. pastors were sent to teach the new converts at the church-run schools of Us-Vym. Jonah reposed on June 6, 1470. relics rest together with the relics of Saints Gerasimus and Pitirim in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). commemoration in common of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Jonah is also commemorated on June 6.

Russia, Moscow, 1456, 1392, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list Tambov, appearance, Pitrim prayers, false accusation story
Russia, Mordovia, 1392, 1456, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list at Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), once belonged to Pitirim +1456, 1833 false accusation story; Tambov; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Icon appeared on February 29, 1392. of the oldest shrines of the Devpeteruv (Девпетерувская) Icon of the Mother of God is now located in the Nikolaev church of the village of Batyushkova, or Batatkova, Dmitrovsky district of Moscow Province. this image, the child Jesus is shown resting on the Virgin’s right shoulder; His left hand is on His Mother’s left shoulder, and her right hand is on His right shoulder. Tambov's Transfiguration Cathedral, above the tomb of St. Pitirim (July 28), there is another list of the miracles of the Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God. image once belonged to St. Pitirim, and before it, he offered his fervent prayers to the Lord God. Icon became especially famous in 1833 after a miracle took place. certain woman, whose husband was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison, once saw an Elder whom she did not know in a dream. This Elder ordered her to search the cathedral for the Icon from St. Pitirim's cell, and to have a Moleben served before it. He also showed her the Icon itself. The woman found the Saint's Icon and asked for a Moleben to be served before it. Shortly afterward, her husband was acquitted and released from prison.

Russia, Moscow, 1459-1509, Bassian oUglich, Paisios' disciple, P's m at 33, 20yrs then sought silence but monastery prophecied
Russia, Rostov, 1459-1509, Bassian oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Paisios' disciple, from Bezhetsky, like Theodore oSmolensk from Shestikhinsky Princes, 1472 entered P's Protection m at 33, endured obediences&great abstinence, on Volga banks discovered protection icon 1482, 1492 allowed leave PM for silence, remote place 30 V south oUglich, ascetical contests, but people found him for guidance, 1492 built wooden chrch, soon monks gathered there, Holy trinity m, died 1509, deliverance at his grave for Gerasimos, paralysis healing there for Valerian, 1548 his uncorrupt relics discovered while building stone church, 1764 monastery restored, became parish church, Venerable Vassion oRyabov Hermitage in description oRussian saints; Uglich; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Bassian of Úglich was a disciple of the Saint Paisios of Uglich (+ June 6, 1504). was born in the village of Rozhalov, located in the Kesovsk volost of the city of Bezhetsky Verkh,1 he was descended from the family of the Shestikhinsky Princes (their ancestor is the right-believing Prince Theodore of Smolensk (+ September 19, 1299). Bassian entered the Protection Monastery when he was 33 years old, soon he was tonsured by Saint Paisios. went through his obediences without murmuring and lived in great abstinence. 1482, Saint Bassian discovered the Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on the banks of the Volga. spending 20 years in the monastery of SaintPaisios, Bassian asked his blessing to live a life of silence. instructor blessed him, saying, "Go, child desired by Christ, with His easy yoke (Matthew 11:30), and please the Lord. Soon you will form your own monastery and gather a monastic flock for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity." the year 1492 Saint Bassian left the Monastery and, after spending some time at the Saint Nicholas-Uleim Monastery,2 he went to a remote place 30 versts south of Uglich and began a solitary life of ascetical contests. soon people found his secluded dwelling, and began coming to him for advice and guidance. 1492 the Saint built a wooden church dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity, and soon those who wished to receive the monastic tonsure gathered there. Saint did not sever his contact with his instructor until his death, at which time he was with other disciples. he had lived for 17 years at Holy Trinity Monastery, Saint Bassian reposed on February 12, 1509. years later, a certain Gerasimos was freed from an unclean spirit at the Saint's grave, and a man named Valerian was healed of his paralysis. 1548, during the construction of a stone church to replace the ancient wooden one, the Saint's incorrupt relics were found,over which a stone vault was built. Monastery was restored in 1764, and Holy Trinity church became a parish church.The church has not survived to this day, and the Saint's burial place has been lost. The memory of "Venerable Vassian, theSuperior of Ryabov Hermitage" is noted in the "Description of the Russian Saints" (end of the XVII–XVIII centuries). Local veneration was tacitly approved by the inclusion of his name in the Synaxis of Rostov-Yaroslavl Saints (May 23). 1 Bezhetsky Verkh is located 20 versts from the town of Bezhetsk, Tver region. in the territory between the Mota River and the tributaries of the Volga, became part of the Moscow state, together with Novgorod. 2 The Pritection-Saint Nicholas Monastery, in which Saint Vassian was tonsured, is located three versts from the city of Uglich, on the left bank of the Volga. 3 The Saint Nicholas-Uleima Monastery is located 10 versts from Uglich at the confluence of the Uleyma and Vorzhekhoti rivers. The Saint's ascetical life was spent on the territory of the present day Yaroslavl Region (Yaroslavl Diocese).

Russia, Moscow, 1460, Hilarion's Ozersk [Lake] Monastery Founded, Pskov Lakes
monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the River Dubenka; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Russia, Moscow, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda, founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov
Russia, Vologda, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda (Sogozha River 3), founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov (now Tutaef) in Yaroslav district, his monks cultivated soil and ate work of own hands, he taught by example and guidance, died 1500, Transfiguration monastery on Sokhota later annexed by Cherepoveta Assension monastery; Poshekhonye; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, at the River Sokhota, versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on December 18.

Russia, Moscow, 1460-1515, Joseph of Volokolamsk, writer, monastic instructor a guide, strict rule, great memory
Russia, Tver, 1460-1515, Saint and Author, Joseph of Volokolamsk; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; Joseph of Volokolamsk, in the world John Sanin, was born on November 14, 1440 (1439 according to another source) in the village of Yazvisch-Pokrov, not far from the city of Volokolamsk. He was born into a pious family with his father named John (in monasticism Joannicius) and his mother Marina (in schema Maria). The seven-year-old boy John was sent to the pious and enlightened Elder Arsenius of the Volokolamsk-Exaltation of the Cross monastery to be educated. by rare qualities and extraordinary aptitude for church service, for one year the talented youth studied the Psalter, and, the following year, the entire Holy Scripture. He became a reader and singer in the monastery church. Contemporaries were astonished at his exceptional memory. Often, without having a single book in his cell, he would do the monastic rule, reciting from memory from the Psalter, the Gospel, the Epistles, and all that was required. before becoming a monk, John lived a monastic lifestyle. Thanks to his reading and studying of Holy Scripture and the works of the holy Fathers, he dwelt constantly in contemplation of God. As his biographer notes, he “disdained obscene and blasphemous talk and endless mirth from his childhood years.” twenty years of age John chose the path of monastic striving and, leaving his parents’ home, he went off into the wilderness nigh to the Tver Savvin monastery, to the renowned Elder and strict ascetic, Barsanuphius. the monastic rule seemed insufficiently strict to the young ascetic. With the blessing of Elder Barsanuphius, he set off to Borov to Saint Paphnutius of Borov (May 1), who had been a novice of Elder Nikḗtas of the Vysotsk monastery, who in turn was a disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and Athanasius of Vysotsk. simple life of the holy Elder, the tasks which he shared with the brethren, and the strict fulfilling of the monastic rule suited John’s spiritual state. Saint Paphnutius lovingly accepted the young ascetic who had come to him, and on February 13, 1460 he tonsured him into monasticism with the name Joseph, thus realizing John’s greatest wish. With love and with zeal the young monk shouldered the heavy obediences imposed upon him, in the kitchen, the bakery, the infirmary. Saint Joseph fulfilled this latter obedience with special care, “giving food and drink to the sick, taking up and arranging the bedding, so very anxious and concerned with everything, working, as though attending to Christ Himself.” great spiritual abilities of the young monk were evidenced in the Church reading and singing. He was musically talented and possessed a voice that “in church singing and reading was like that of a swallow and wondrously harmonious, delighting the hearing of listeners, as much as anyone anywhere.” Saint Paphnutius made Joseph ecclesiarch in church, so that he would observe the fulfilling of the Church rule. spent about seventeen years in the monastery of Saint Paphnutius. The strict efforts of monastic obedience under the direct guidance of the experienced abbot was for him an excellent spiritual schooling, having educated him into a future instructor and guide of monastic life. Towards the end of the life of Saint Paphnutius, Joseph was ordained hieromonk and, in accord with the final wishes of Saint Paphnutius, he was appointed Igumen of the Borov monastery. Joseph decided to transform the monastic life along strictly coenobitic principles, following the example of the Kiev Caves, Trinity-Saint Sergius, and Saint Cyril of White Lake monasteries. But this met with strong opposition from a majority of the brethren. Only seven pious monks were of one mind with the igumen. Saint Joseph decided to visit Russian coenobitic monasteries, to investigate the best arrangement for monastic life. He arrived together with the Elder Gerasimus at the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, which itself presented a model of strict asceticism on the principles of a coenobitic monastery rule. acquaintance with the life of these monasteries strengthened Saint Joseph’s views. But, after he returned to Borov monastery at the wish of the prince, Saint Joseph encountered again the former staunch resistance of the brethren to change from their customary rule. Therefore, he resolved to found a new monastery with a strict coenobitic rule, so he took seven like-minded monks to Volokolamsk, his native region, to a forest known to him since childhood. Volokolamsk at the time, the prince was Boris Vasilievich, the pious brother of Great Prince Ivan III. Hearing of the virtuous life of the great ascetic Joseph, he gladly received him and allowed him to settle on the outskirts of his principality, at the confluence of the Rivers Struga and Sestra. The selection of this spot was accompanied by a remarkable occurrence: a storm blew down the trees before the eyes of the astonished travelers, as though clearing the place for the future monastery. Here the ascetics set up a cross and built a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God in June 1479, which was consecrated on August 15, 1479. This day and year stand in history as the date of the founding of the monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God as “volok’ lamsk” [“broken-up peninsula”], later named after its founder. monastery was built rather quickly. Much of the work in the construction of the monastery was done by the founder himself. “He was skilled in every human craft: he felled trees, carried logs, he chopped and sawed wood.” By day he toiled with everyone at the construction of the monastery, but spent his nights in solitary cell prayer, remembering always that “Desires kill the sluggard, for his hands do not choose to do anything” (Prov 21:25). reports about the new ascetic attracted disciples to him. The number of monks soon increased to a hundred men, and the venerable Joseph strove to be a good example for his monks in everything. Preaching temperance and spiritual sobriety in all things, his external appearance was no different than the others. His simple, cold-weather rags were his constant clothing, and bast shoes (made from bark) served as his footwear. was the first one to appear in church, he read and sang in the choir beside the others, he gave instruction and was the last to leave church. At nights the holy igumen walked around the monastery and the cells, safeguarding the peace and prayerful sobriety of the brethren entrusted him by God. If he chanced to hear a frivolous conversation, he rapped on the door and quietly withdrew. Joseph devoted much attention to the inner ordering of the life of the monks. He himself led a strict cenobitic life in accord with the Rule he compiled, to which all the services and obediences of the monks were subordinated, and it governed their whole life, “whether in their comings or goings, their words or their deeds.” At the core of the rule was total non-covetousness, detachment from one’s own will, and constant work. The brethren possessed everything in common: clothing, footwear, food and other things. of the brethren could take anything into their cell without the blessing of the igumen, not even a book or an icon. Part of the trapeza meal of the monks, by general consent, was given away to the poor. Work, prayer, spiritual efforts filled the life of the brethren. The Jesus Prayer never vanished from their lips. Festivity was viewed by Saint Joseph as a chief weapon for demonic seduction. Saint Joseph invariably imposed upon himself quite burdensome obediences. The monastery was occupied with the copying and transcription of Service Books and the writings of the holy Fathers, so that the Volokolamsk book collection soon became one of the finest of Russian monastic libraries. each passing year the monastery of Saint Joseph flourished all the more. In the years 1484-1485 a stone church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was built in place of the wooden one. In the Summer of 1485 “artistic masters of the Russian land” painted within it, Dionysius the Iconographer with his sons Vladimir and Theodosius. Saint Joseph’s nephews, Dositheus and Bassian Toporkov, participated in the adornment of the new Church. In 1504 a heated church in honor of the Holy Theophany was set up, followed by the establishment of a bell-tower and next to the bell tower, a church named in honor of the Hodēgḗtria (Directress)Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Joseph trained a whole school of renowned monks, some of whom gained notoriety in the arena of church-historical activity since they were “good pastors,” while others gained fame with works of enlightenment. Some were remembered as worthy examples of pious monastic struggles. History has preserved for us the names of many disciples and co-ascetics of the holy Volokolamsk igumen, who continued to develop his ideas. the disciples and followers of Saint Joseph were: the Metropolitans of Moscow and All Rus Daniel (+ 1539) and Macarius (+1563); the Archbishop of Rostov Bassian (+1515); the Bishops of Suzdal Simeon (+1515), Dositheus of Krutitsa (+1544), Savva of Krutitsa (called “the Black”), Acacius of Tver, Bassian of Kolomets, and many others. Monastics of the Volokolamsk monastery occupied the most important Archepiscopal sees of the Russian Church: the holy hierarchs of Kazan Gurias (December 5) and Germanus (November 6 ), and Saint Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver (April 11). activity and influence of Saint Joseph were not limited to the monastery. Many laypeople went to him to receive advice. With a pure spiritual insight he penetrated into the deep secrets of the souls of questioners and clairvoyantly revealed to them the will of God. Everyone living around the monastery considered him their spiritual Father and protector. Eminent nobles and princes asked him to be godfather for their children. They revealed their souls to him in confession, they asked for letters of guidance to help them fulfill his directives. common folk found at the monastery the means for sustaining their existence on occasions of extreme need. The number of those fed through monastery resources sometimes approached 700 people. “All of the Volotsk land are inclined to good, enjoying peace and quiet. And the name Joseph, as something sacred, is on everyone’s lips.” monastery was famed not only for its piety and help for the suffering, but also for its manifestations of the grace of God. During Matins of Holy Saturday, the righteous monk Bessarion once saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a white dove, sitting upon the Shroud of the Lord, which was being carried by Saint Joseph. The Abbot, bidding the monk to keep silent about the vision, himself rejoiced in spirit, hoping that God would not forsake the monastery. This monk had seen the souls of dying brethren, white as snow, issuing forth from their mouths. To Saint Joseph himself was revealed the day of his end, and he fell asleep in the Lord with joy, having received the Holy Mysteries and assuming the schema. saintly life of Saint Joseph was neither easy nor placid. In these difficult times for the Church in Russia, the Lord raised him up as a zealous defender of Orthodoxy in the struggle with heresies and churchly disputes. Saint Joseph exerted quite a great effort in denouncing the Judaizers, who tried to poison and distort the foundations of Russian spiritual life. Just as the holy Fathers and teachers of the Ecumenical Councils had elaborated on the teachings of Orthodoxy in responding to the ancient heresies (which contended against the Spirit, Christ, or icons), so also Saint Joseph was summoned forth by God to oppose the false teachings of the Judaizers and to compile the first manual of Russian Orthodox theology, his large book The Enlightener. earlier, preachers from the Khozars had come to Saint Vladimir (July 15), trying to convert him to Judaism. But the great Baptizer of Rus repudiated the pretensions of the rabbis. After this, Saint Joseph writes, “the Great Russian land dwelt for five centuries in the Orthodox Faith, until the Enemy of salvation the devil, should bring the cunning Jew to the city of Novgorod.” with the retinue of the Lithuanian prince Michael Olelkovich, who came to Novgorod in 1470, the Jewish preacher Skhariya (Zachariah) accompanied them. Playing upon the deficiencies of faith and of learning on the part of certain clergy, Skhariya and his accomplices sowed distrust among the petty-minded towards the church hierarchy, inclining them towards a revolt against the spiritual authorities, tempting them with the idea of “self-authority,” i.e. a capricious self-determination of each individual in matters of faith and salvation. Those they tempted gradually pushed towards a full break with the Church: they disdained the holy icons, and repudiated the veneration of the saints, basic elements of Orthodox popular morality. they led the religiously blind and deluded to a denial of the saving Mysteries and the fundamental teachings of Orthodoxy, outside of which there is no knowledge of God: the teaching of the Most Holy Trinity and the teaching of the Incarnation of the God-man our Lord Jesus Christ. If decisive measures were not taken, “all of Orthodox Christianity would be doomed by heretical teachings.” So the question was posed for history. The Great Prince Ivan III, enticed by the Judaizers, invited them to Moscow. He had two of the most prominent of the heretics made archpriests, one at the Dormition, the other at the Archangel Michael cathedrals of the Kremlin, and he summoned to Moscow even the arch-heretic Skhariya himself. those close to the prince were led astray by the heresy, beginning with the clerk heading the government, Theodore Kuritsyn, whose brother became a ringleader of the heretics. Even the in-law of the great prince, Elena Voloshanka, accepted the Judaizers. And finally, the heretical Metropolitan Zosimas was installed upon the bishop’s Throne of the great Moscow Hierarchs Peter, Alexis and Jonah. Joseph and Saint Gennadius, Bishop of Novgorod (December 4), called for a struggle against the spread of the heresy. Saint Joseph wrote his first epistle “Concerning the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity” while still a monk at the Paphnutiev Borov monastery in the year 1477. From the very beginning the Dormition Volokolamsk monastery became a bulwark of Orthodoxy in the struggle against the heresy. Here Saint Joseph wrote his chief works, The Enlightener, engendered with his fiery anti-heretical epistles, or as the monk himself unassumingly called them, “book exercises.” The works of Saint Joseph and Archbishop Gennadius were crowned with success. In 1494 the heretic Zosimas was deposed from the bishop’s Throne, and in the years 1502-04 the malicious and unrepentant Judaizers, who blasphemed against the Holy Trinity, Christ the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Church,were condemned at a church council. Joseph had many other trials and tribulations, but each time the Lord tried him according to the measure of his spiritual strength. The saint angered the Great Prince Ivan III, who only towards the end of his life reconciled with the saint and repented of his former weakness for the Judaizers. The saint also angered the Volotsk appenage prince Theodore, on whose lands Joseph’s monastery was situated. In 1508 the saint suffered wrongful interdiction from Saint Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod (March 16), with whom, however, he soon reconciled. 1503, a Council at Moscow, under the auspices of Saint Joseph and his disciples, adopted a “Conciliar Reply” concerning the indissolubility of church properties, “therefore all church-acquired property is essentially the acquired property of God, pledged, entrusted, and given to God.” The legacy of the canonical works of Igumen Joseph is notably in “The Nomocanon Codex,” a vast codex of canonical rules of the Orthodox Church, begun by Saint Joseph and completed by Metropolitan Macarius. are opinions about the differences of outlook and discord between the two great pedagogues of Russian monasticism at the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth centuries: Saint Joseph of Volotsk and Saint Nilus of Sora (May 7). In the historical literature these views usually present them as proclaiming two “contrary” currents within Russian spiritual life: external action and inner contemplation. This is profoundly incorrect. Saint Joseph in his Rule synthesized these two aspects of the Russian monastic tradition, proceeding without interruption from the Athonite blessing given to Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves, through Saint Sergius, and down to our own day. Rule presupposes the need for a full inner regeneration of man, submitting one’s whole life to the task of salvation and deification [Greek theosis] not only for each individual monk, but also for the collective salvation of the whole human race. A great emphasis in the Rule is put on the demand to monastics for constant work in connection with inward and churchly prayer, “the monk should never be on holiday.” Work, as “a collective deed,” comprised for Joseph the very essence of church life: faith, embodied in good works, is the realization of prayer. the other hand, Saint Nilus of Sora had lived the ascetic life for a number of years on Mt. Athos, and he brought from there the teaching about the contemplative life and “the Jesus Prayer” as a means of a hesychastic service of monks to the world, as a constant spiritual activity, in connection with the physical work necessary for sustaining one’s life. spiritual work and physical work are but two aspects of the same Christian vocation: a vital continuation of the creative activity of God in the world, encompassing as much the ideal as well as the material spheres. In this regard Saints Joseph and Nilus are spiritual brothers, varied in continuing the Church Tradition of the holy Fathers, and are heirs to the precepts of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. Saint Joseph highly regarded the spiritual experience of Saint Nilus and sent his own disciples to him to study inner prayer. Joseph was also an active proponent of a strong centralized Moscow realm. He was one of the originators of the teaching about the Russian Church as the recipient and bearer of the piety of the Byzantine Empire, “the Russian land has now surpassed all in piety.” The ideas of Saint Joseph, possessing tremendous historical significance, were further developed later by his disciples and followers. From them came the Pskov Spaso-Eleazarov monastery Elder Philotheus with his own teaching about Moscow as the Third Rome. He declared, “Two Romes have fallen, Moscow is the third, and a fourth there shall not be.” views of the Josephites on the significance of monasteries possessing properties for church building, and the participation of the Church in social life, were set amidst the conditions of the struggle for centralized power by the Moscow prince. His opponents were separatists who tried to disparage these views for their own political ends, surreptitiously using the teaching of Saint Nilus of Sora about “non-acquisitiveness,” the withdrawal of monastics from worldly matters and possessions. supposed opposition engendered a false view on the hostility between the trends of Saints Joseph and Nilus. In actuality, both trends legitimately coexisted within the Russian monastic Tradition, complementing each other. As is evidenced from the Rule of Saint Joseph, its basis was complete non-acquisitiveness, and renunciation of the very concepts of “yours-mine.” years passed. The monastery flourished with the construction work and efforts of Saint Joseph, and as he got old, he prepared himself for life eternal. Before his end he received the Holy Mysteries, then summoned all the brethren. He gave them his peace and blessing, and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on September 9, 1515. funeral oration to Saint Joseph was composed by his nephew and disciple, the monk Dositheus Toporkov. first Life of the saint was written in the 1540s by a disciple of Saint Joseph, Bishop Savva the Black of Krutitsa, with the blessing of Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus (+ 1564). It entered into the Great Menaion Readings compiled by Macarius. A second redaction of the Life was written by the Russified Bulgarian writer Lev the Philolog with the assistance of Saint Zenobios of Otensk (October 30). celebration of Saint Joseph was established at the Volokolamsk monastery in December of 1578, on the hundred year anniversary of the founding of the monastery. On June 1, 1591, the church-wide celebration of his memory was established under Patriarch Job. Saint Job, a disciple of the Volokolamsk saint, tonsured Saint Germanus of Kazan, and was a great admirer of Saint Joseph and was author of the Service to him, which was included in the MENAION. Another disciple of Saints Germanus and Barsanuphius was also the companion and successor to Patriarch Job, the Hieromartyr Patriarch Hermogenes (February 17), a spiritual leader of the Russian people in the struggle for liberation under the Polish incursion. theological works of Saint Joseph comprise an undeniable contribution within the treasury of the Orthodox Tradition. As with all Church writings inspired by the grace of the Holy Spirit, they continue to be a source of spiritual life and knowledge, and they have their own theological significance and pertinence. Joseph’s chief book was written in sections. Its original form, completed at the time of the 1503-1504 councils, included eleven sections. In the final redaction, compiled after the death of the saint and involving a tremendous quantity of scrolls, The Book against the Heretics or The Enlightener includes sixteen sections, prefaced by An Account of the Newly-Appeared Heresies. The first section expounds the Church teaching about the teaching of the Most Holy Trinity; the second, about Jesus Christ, the True Messiah; the third, about the significance within the Church of the prophecies of the Old Testament; the fourth, about the Incarnation of God; the fifth through seventh, about the veneration of icons. In the eighth through tenth sections, Saint Joseph expounds on the fundamentals of Christian eschatology. The eleventh section is devoted to monasticism. In the twelfth the ineffectiveness of the anathemas and sanctions imposed by heretics is demonstrated. The final four sections consider methods of the Church’s struggle with the heretics, and the means for their correction and repentance. Joseph is also commemorated on September 9 and February 13.

Russia, Moscow, 1461-1464, Theodosius, Metropolitan of Moscow
Russia, Moscow, 1461-1464, Theodosius, Metropolitan of Moscow; (Феодосий in Russian) (died 1475) was the Metropolitan bishop of Moscow in 1461–1464. In 1454, when Theodosius was still archimandrite of the Moscow Kremlin's Chudov Monastery, he was promoted to the office of Archbishop of Rostov. After the death of Metropolitan Jonah in 1461, Theodosius became Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' in early May 1461.[1] Theodosius's appointment marked a new period of actual independence of the Russian Orthodox Church from the Patriarch of Constantinople. He was the first metropolitan appointed by the Grand Prince after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks (in 1453), although his predecessor, Jonah of Moscow, is considered the first independent metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' as he was appointed in 1448 without the approval of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius' appointment was, however, eventually blessed by the Metropolitan of Caesarea Philippi on behalf of the patriarch of Constantinople in April 1464.[2] Since his first days as a metropolitan, Theodosius sought to eradicate unscrupulousness among the priests and educating the clergy in his province. Theodosius's attempts at reshaping the clergy failed. When he started sifting through the priests and defrocking those unfit for preaching, many parishes were left without priests. Ordinary people had nothing against their priests, therefore, they started to voice their discontent and damn the metropolitan. Theodosius also had to contend with a metropolitanate in Lithuania which threatened to take the western eparchies of the Province of Moscow, most notably Novgorod the Great, and was suspected of Latinizing, in which case these western regions would not only be lost to the Moscow metropolitan, but would go over to Catholicism and be lost to Orthodoxy altogether.[3] The metropolitans of Lithuania had been opposed for several decades (going back at least to the metropolitanate of Photius(Fotii) in Moscow, and would continue after Theodosius' tenure. Theodosius resigned the metropolitan office and retired to Chudov Monastery, where he had previously been archimandrite, after only 3 years. He later transferred to the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra north of Moscow where he died in 1475. He is buried in the Troitse-Sergiyeva lavra.[4] Saint Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1

Russia, Moscow, 1462-1468, Tryphon, Bishop oRostov, Great Prince Basil the Dark'd confessor at Moscow at Novospassky Monastery
Russia, Rostov, 1462-1468, Tryphon, Bishop oRostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, was igumen Moscow's Novospassky (New Savior) Monastery and Great Prince Basil the Dark's confessor, 1462 Bishop of Rostov, Retired 1466 tYaroslavl Monastery, died 1468; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov was head of Moscow’s Novospassky (New Savior) monastery and was confessor to Great Prince Basil the Dark. May 23, 1462 he was consecrated as Bishop of Rostov by Metropolitan Theodosius of Moscow. 1466, he retired to the Savior monastery in Yaroslavl, where he died on December 30, 1468 (certain local documents indicate the year 1466). commemoration was transferred to February 1, it seems, so that he would be honored with his namesake Saint Tryphon of Lampsacus. Prochorus was also buried at this monastery, as the schemamonk Tryphon, also a Bishop of Rostov, who died in 1328 (September 7).

Russia, Moscow, 1462-1505, Ivan III, Great, regent for blind father, ended Mongol yoke, 3x territory
Moscow Prince, 1462-1505, Ivan III of Russia, The Great ; III Vasilyevich ( 22 January 1440, Moscow -27 October 1505, Moscow), also known as Ivan the Great,[1][2] was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. served as the co-ruler and regent for his blind father Vasily II from the mid-1450s before he officially ascended the throne in 1462. tripled the territory of his state, ended the dominance of the Mongols/Tatars over Russia, renovated the Moscow Kremlin, introduced a new legal codex and laid the foundations of the Russian state. 1480 victory over the Great Horde is cited as the restoration of Russian independence 240 years after the fall of Kiev to Mongols' invasion.[3] was the first Russian ruler to style himself "tsar", albeit not as an official title. marriage to Sofia Paleologue, he made the double-headed eagle Russia's coat of arms and adopted the idea of Moscow as Third Rome. 43-year reign was one of the longest in Russian history, second only to his grandson Ivan IV. Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; St Macarius of Oredezhsk, Commemorated on August 9 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated August 10 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated on August 28; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated on January 24; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on February 10; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich, Commemorated on June 6; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1462, Saint Jonah, Bishop of Perm, Converted Great Perm to Christ
Saint Jonah, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6; Jonah, Bishop of Great Perm, was successor to Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Perm (August 19), who was murdered by the Vogulani in 1455. In the year 1462 Saint Jonah converted the inhabitants of Great Perm to Christ. He journeyed throughout his extensive diocese to spread and consolidate the Christian Faith. The saint reposed on June 6, 1470 and was buried at Ust-Vym at the Annunciation cathedral.

Russia, Moscow, 1463, Finding relics of St Theodore (and His sons David and Constantine) uncovered at Yaroslav, incorrupt
Russia, Kiev, 1463, Finding relics of St Theodore (and His sons David and Constantine) Prince of Smolensk, uncovered at Yaroslav, incorrupt; Smolensk; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; March 5, 1463, the relics of holy Prince Theodore and his sons, David and Constantine were uncovered at Yaroslavl. chronicler, an eyewitness to the event, wrote: “At the city of Yaroslavl in the monastery of the Holy Savior they unearthed three Great Princes: Prince Theodore Rostislavich and his sons David and Constantine, and brought them above the ground. Great Prince Theodore was a man of great stature, and they placed his sons David and Constantine beside him. They were shorter than he was. All three had lain in a single grave.” physical appearance of the holy prince so impressed the eyewitnesses and those present at the uncovering of the relics, that an account of this event was entered into the Prologue (lives of saints) in Saint Theodore’s Life, and also into the text of the Manual for Iconographers. Theodore, David and Constantine are also commemorated on September 19.

Russia, Moscow, 1463-1473, Philip I, Theodosius' handpick metro, anti Latinism & pol-lith influence at Novgrd
Moscow Patriarch, 1463-1473, Philip I, Metropolitan of Moscow; I (Russian: Филипп) (died 1473) was Metropolitan of Moscow from 1464 to 1473. about Philip's life only begins in 1455, when he was already the Archbishop of Suzdal.[1] In 1464, he was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow, hand-picked by Theodosius at the time of his resignation, just as Theodosius had been picked by his predecessor, Iona[2] the 1470s, Philip was actively engaged in a struggle against the Polish-Lithuanian influence over Novgorod, particularly the influence of the Metropolitan of Lithuania and the fear that Novgorod would defect to him and eventually go over to Catholicism.[3] he was instrumental in bringing Sophia Paleologue from Rome to Moscow in 1472, Philip was against admitting a papal legate in her entourage into Moscow, thus continuing his opposition to Catholicism or "Latinism" in his province.[4] same year, Philip started reconstructing the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin. The original cathedral, built by Metropolitan Petr in 1326, was in a dilapidated state; Philipp hired inexperienced workers and soon after his death the building collapsed. It was rebuilt by Aristotile Fioravanti under Metropolitan Gerontius.[5] Philip died on 5 April 1473 and was buried in the Cathedral of the Dorimition in the Moscow Kremlin.[6] Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1467-1506, Russo-Kazan Wars of Ivan III, Tartar v, but Amin sued for peace and paid h
Russia, Moscow, 1467-1506, Russo-Kazan Wars of Ivan III; of Ivan III[edit] War (1467–1469)[edit] Russians used skis to facilitate transportation during their winter campaigns fragile peace was broken in 1467, when Ibrahim of Kazan came to the throne and Ivan III of Russia supported the claims of his ally or vassal Qasim Khan. Ivan's army sailed down the Volga, with their eyes fixed on Kazan, but autumn rains and rasputitsa ("quagmire season") hindered the progress of Russian forces. When frosty winter came, the Russian generals launched an invasion of the northern Vyatka Region. The campaign fell apart for lack of unity of purpose and military capability. following year, the Russians set out from Kotelnich in the Vyatka Land. They sailed down the Vyatka River and the Kama towards the Volga, pillaging merchant vessels on their way. In response, Ibrahim mounted a counter-offensive, overran Vyatka, and forced local inhabitants into slavery for the duration of the campaign.[3] 1469, a much stronger army was raised and, sailing down the Volga and the Oka, linked up in Nizhny Novgorod. The Russians marched downstream and ravaged the neighbourhood of Kazan but did not dare to lay siege to the Tatar capital because Qasim's widow had pledged to negotiate an advantageous peace with Ibrahim (her son). In the meantime, the units from Yaroslavl and Veliky Ustyug vainly attempted to win Vyatka to the Russian side. After negotiations were broken, the Tatars clashed with the Russians in two bloody but indecisive battles. autumn 1469 Ivan III launched a third invasion of the khanate. The Russian commander, Prince Daniil Kholmsky, besieged Kazan, cut off water supplies, and compelled Ibrahim to surrender. Under the terms of the peace settlement, the Tatars set free all the ethnic Christian Russians they had enslaved in the forty previous years. of Kazan (1487)[edit] Vyatka Region remained the principal bone of contention between Kazan and Moscow for decades to come. In 1478, shortly before his death, Ibrahim devastated the region. In revenge, Ivan III sent his generals to sack the neighbourhood of Kazan. At that time Ibrahim died and was succeeded by Ilham, whilst his half-brother Moxammat Amin fled to Moscow. Ivan III allowed him to settle in Kashira and pledged his support for Moxammat's claims to the Tatar throne. 1484 Russia placed Moxammat Amin on the throne, but within a year Ilham regained power. In 1487 Ivan again found it prudent to intervene in Kazan affairs and replace Ilham with Moxammat Amin. Prince Kholmsky sailed down the Volga from Nizhny Novgorod and laid siege to Kazan on 18 May. The city fell to the Russians on 9 June. Ilham was sent in chains to Moscow before being imprisoned in Vologda, while Moxammat Amin was proclaimed the new khan.[4] In reference to this victorious campaign, Ivan III proclaimed himself "Lord of Volga Bulgaria".[citation needed] of Arsk Field (1506)[edit] last war of Ivan's reign was instigated by Ilham's widow, who married Moxammat Amin and persuaded him to assert his independence from Moscow in 1505. The rebellion broke out into the open on Saint John's Day, when the Tatars massacred Russian merchants and envoys present at the annual Kazan Fair. A huge army of the Kazan and Nogai Tatars then advanced towards Nizhny Novgorod and besieged the city. The affair was decided by 300 Lithuanian archers, who had been captured by Russians in the Battle of Vedrosha and lived in Nizhny in captivity. They managed to put the Tatar vanguard into disarray: the khan's brother-in-law was killed in action and the horde retreated. death prevented hostilities from being renewed until May 1506, when Prince Fyodor Belsky led Russian forces against Kazan. After the Tatar cavalry attacked his rear, many Russians took flight or drowned in the Foul Lake (22 May). Prince Vasily Kholmsky was sent to relieve Belsky and defeated the khan on Arsk Field on June 22. Moxammat Amin withdrew to the Arsk Tower but, when the Russians started to celebrate their victory, ventured out and inflicted an excruciating defeat on them (June 25). Although it was the most brilliant Tatar victory in decades, Moxammat Amin – for some reason not clearly understood – resolved to sue for peace and paid homage to Ivan's successor, Vasily III of Russia. Mongol, Perm, 1467-1479, Tartar Khan, Ibrahim of Kazan; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Moscow, 1468-1533, Alexander, Abbot of Svir, contemplative miracles, appearances, incorruptible relics, myrrh
Russia, St Petersburg, 1468-1533, Alexander, Abbot of Svir; Svirsky or Alexander of Svir (1448–1533) was an Eastern Orthodox saint, monk, and hegumen of the Russian Orthodox Church.[1] (his baptismal name) was born to a peasant family in the Novgorod Republic, east of Ladoga. At the age of 19, he left home for the Valaam Monastery and became a monk and occasional isolation. In 1506, Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, appointed him Hegumen of the Trinity monastery, which later became known as Alexander-Svirsky Monastery.[2] Alexander became known for his righteous life and contemplative miracles, including the appearances of the Trinity and the Virgin Mary with the Holy Child. His feast day is commemorated on April 17 and August 30,[3] according to the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar. of Saint Alexander were found on April 17 (27), 1641. According to the Vita of the saint, they were found incorruptible.[4] October 22, 1918, the coffin with the relics of Alexander Svirsky was opened. According to Soviet reports, instead of relics, a wax doll was supposedly found.[5][6][7] However, testimony of the monks present, as well as a later Soviet commission under the direction of Grigory Zinoviev, demonstrated that a human body instead of a wax figure was present in the coffin.[8][9][10] Russia, Moscow, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir ; Alexander of Svir died on August 30, 1533. His incorrupt relics were uncovered in 1641 during the reconstruction of the Transfiguration cathedral. April 17, 1641, the relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were found and examined. The discovery was accompanied by special signs; on April 15 and 16 there was extraordinary thunder and lightning, which ran along the ground above the grave of the holy founder of the monastery. Then during the Divine Liturgy on April 17 (the Saturday of the Righteous Lazarus) the workers were digging a hole for the walls of the new stone church of the Transfiguration of the Lord; and in the altar of the old church they found the Saint's coffin. The ground above it was in the shape of a cave, with nothing to support it. the monks came down to see the decayed coffin (only the lower board was well preserved). When Igoumen Abraham removed the top board, a strong fragrance was noticed. The Saint's body was intact, and was clothed in a mantya and the schema. His face was covered, and beneath the schema, part of his beard could be seen; both legs lay as if he were recently deceased, with the right foot upward, and the left foot facing to the side, both feet were in sandals. his body emanated a fragrance like myrrh, or flowers. Metropolitan Aphthonios of Novgorod was present at the uncovering of the relics. With reverence and joy, the relics were placed in a new coffin and were taken to the temple of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in that same Hermitage. monks, who had seen the incorrupt flesh of their heavenly patron, were amazed, and they made a detailed description of the shrine. Particularly surprising was the face, which was so life-like that the Saint seemed asleep. The face matched the icons which had been painted by his contemporaries. The authors of the description also noted the unusual position of the Saint's hands and feet and the amber-yellow color of his skin. Soon the relics were placed in a silver reliquary donated by Tsar Michael, and were moved to the newly rebuilt Transfiguration Cathedral. the same time, the commemoration of Saint Alexander was appointed on two dates: August 30, the day of his blessed repose, and April 17, the day of the uncovering of his relics. incorrupt relics of the saint were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to liquidate the relics of the saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian saints were stolen and subjected to “scientific examination” or displayed in antireligious museums. Some were completely destroyed. to prove that the relics were fakes, the Soviets conducted many tests. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy. There they remained for nearly eighty years. second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were in fact the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before their return to the Svir Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous healings continue to take place before them. August 30 for the Life of Saint Alexander. Svir River; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Alexander of Svir was born on July 15, 1448, on the Feast Day of the Prophet Amos, and was named for him in Baptism. Saint Alexander was a beacon of monasticism in the deep forests of the Russian North, living in asceticism, and so he received remarkable gifts by the All-Holy Spirit. parents, Stephen and Vassa (Vasilisa) were peasants living in the village of Mandera near Lake Ladoga, on the shores of the Oyata River, a tributary of the Svira River. They had adult sons and daughters who had left the home of their parents. Stephen and Vassa longed to have another son, and prayed that God would grant their wish. The couple heard a voice from on high: “Rejoice, good man and wife, you shall bear a son, in whose birth God will give comfort to His Church.” grew up to be an extraordinary child. He was always obedient and gentle, he avoided games, jokes and foul talk; he wore poor clothing and so weakened himself with fasting that it caused his mother much anxiety. When he came of age, he met some monks from Valaam who had come to the Oyata to purchase various necessities, and on other monastery business. this time Valaam was already known as a monastery of great piety and strict ascetic life. After speaking with the monks, the young man was fascinated by their account of Skete life (with two or three monks living together) and the solitary life of the anchorite. Knowing that his parents had arranged a marriage for him, the young man fled secretly to Valaam when he was nineteen. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him the guise of a traveler, and showed him the way to the island. Amos lived at the monastery as a novice for seven years, leading an austere life. He spent his days at work, and his nights in vigil and prayer. Sometimes, he prayed in the forest bare-chested, covered with mosquitoes and gnats, until it was time for Matins. the year 1474, Amos was tonsured with the new name Alexander. After several years, his parents eventually learned where their son had gone from some Karelians visiting Mandera. Following the example of their son, the parents also went to monasteries and were tonsured with the names Sergius and Barbara. After their deaths, Saint Alexander, with the blessing of the Igumen of the monastery, settled on an island, where he built a cell in the crevice of a cliff and continued his spiritual endeavors. fame of his asceticism spread far and wide. Then in 1485, Saint Alexander departed from Valaam and, after receiving instructions from on high, chose a place in the forest by the shores of a beautiful lake, which was later called Holy Lake. Here he built a shack, living in solitude for seven years, eating only what he gathered in the forest.1 this time, Alexander experienced terrible suffering from hunger, frost, sickness and demonic temptations, but the Lord sustained the righteous one's spiritual and bodily strength. Once, he was afflicted with a terrible pain in his stomach. Not only was he unable to get up off the ground, but he couldn't even lift his head. He just lay there and chanted Psalms. Then an Angel appeared to him. Placing his hand on the sore spot, he made the Sign of the Cross over the Saint and healed him. 1493 while hunting for deer, a nearby landowner named Andrew Zavalishin happened to discover the Saint's cell. Andrew told him of a fiery pillar he had seen over this place, and begged him to tell him about his life. The Saint was deeply saddened by this, because he had not able to hide himself from men. After making the other promise not to tell anyone about him until after his death, Saint Alexander spoke to him about his life in the wilderness, where he had lived for seven years without seeing anyone, how he had subsisted on plants alone, and how he had been healed of a pain in his stomach by an Angel. After that, Andrew began to visit Saint Alexander often. Finally, following the Saint's advice, he went to Valaam, where he was tonsured with the name Adrian. Saint Adrian founded the Ondrusov monastery, and led a holy life (Saint Andrew is commemorated on August 26 and May 17). Zavalishin was unable to remain silent about the holy ascetic, despite the promise he had given. News of the righteous one began to spread widely, and soon monks gathered around him. Therefore, Saint Alexander withdrew from the brethren and built a cell 130 sazhen from the monastery. There he encountered a multitude of temptations. The demons assumed the forms of wild animals. Hissing like snakes, they ordered him to leave. Saint Alexander's prayers scorched and scattered the demons like a fiery flame. 1508, twenty-three years after he came to this secluded spot, the Life-Creating Trinity appeared to Saint Alexander. One night he was praying in his cell. Suddenly, there was a dazzling light, and he saw three Angels in resplendent white garments approaching him. They shone with a pure brightness greater than the sun. Each held a staff in His hand. Saint Alexander fell down in terror, and after recovering his senses, he prostrated himself upon the ground. Raising him by the hand, the Angels said: “Have faith, blessed one, and do not be afraid.” Saint was told to build a church and a monastery. He fell to his knees, protesting his own unworthiness, but the Lord raised him up and ordered him to carry out the instructions he had been given. Saint Alexander asked to whom the church ought to be dedicated. The Lord said: "Beloved, as you see us speaking with you in Three Persons, so build the church in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity. Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.” Saint Alexander beheld the Lord with outstretched wings, moving along the ground until He became invisible. appearance is acknowledged as unique in history of the Russian Orthodox Church After this vision, the Saint began thinking of where to build the church. Once, as he was praying to God, he heard a voice. Gazing up to the heavens, he saw an Angel of the Lord clothed in a mantiya and klobuk, such as Saint Pachomios (May 15) had seen. Angel, standing in the air with outstretched wings and upraised hands, proclaimed: “One is Holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen.” Then he turned to Saint Alexander saying, “Build a church here in honor of the Lord Who has appeared to you in Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Undivided Trinity.” making the Sign of the Cross over the place three times, the Angel became invisible. that same year he built a wooden church in honor of the Life-Creating Trinity (a stone church was built here in 1526). At the same time as the church was built, the brethren urged Saint Alexander to be ordained to the holy priesthood. For a long time he refused, considering himself unworthy. Then the brethren implored Saint Serapion, the Archbishop of Novgorod (March 16), to convince him to accept this office. So that very year Saint Alexander went to Novgorod and was ordained by the holy Archbishop. Soon afterward, the brethren also asked the Saint to be their Superior. Igumen, Saint Alexander became even more humble than before. He wore tattered clothes, and he slept on the bare ground. He himself prepared food, kneaded dough and baked bread. On one occasion, there was not enough firewood, so the steward asked the Saint to send any unoccupied monks to gather firewood. Saint Alexander replied, "I am not busy." Then he began to chop firewood. Another time, he carried water. all were asleep, the saint was often busy grinding wheat with hand-stones to make more bread. Every night, he went around to all the cells, and if he heard vain conversations, he tapped softly on the door and left. In the morning, if the brother readily acknowledged his guilt and repented, he was forgiven. On the other hand, if the brother tried to justify himself, he was admonished and given a penance. the end of his life, Saint Alexander decided to build a stone church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. One evening, after chanting an Akathist to the Mother of God, he settled down to rest in his cell. Suddenly, he said to his cell attendant Athanasios, “Child, be sober and alert, because at this very hour we shall have a wondrous and astounding visitation." a voice like thunder said, “Behold, the Lord and His Mother are coming.” Alexander hastened to the entrance to the cell, which it was illumined by a great light shining throughout the monastery, brighter than the rays of the sun. The Saint beheld the Most Pure Mother of God upon the foundation of the Protection church, and sitting where the altar would be, like a Queen upon a throne. She held the Infant Christ in her arms, and a multitude of Angels stood before her, with shining with indescribable radiance. fell down to the ground, unable to endure the great light. The Most Holy Theotokos said, “Arise, chosen one of my Son and God. I have come here to visit you, my dear one, and to see the foundation of my church. Since you have prayed for your disciples and for your monastery, henceforth they shall have all that they need; not only during your lifetime, but also after your death. I shall be with your monastery always, providing an abundance of what is required. Behold, and note carefully how many are the monks who have come into your flock. You must guide them on the path of salvation in the name of the Holy Trinity.” Saint arose and saw a multitude of monks carrying stones and bricks for the foundation. Again the Mother of God said: “My dear one, if someone brings even one brick for the building of my church, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Son and God, he shall not lose his reward.” saying this, she became invisible. year before his death, Saint Alexander foresaw the time of his departure from this life. He summoned the brethren and gave them his final instructions, commending them to the Mother of God. The brethren wept at the thought of being separated from their beloved Father. When they asked where he wished to be buried he said, "Bind my sinful body by the legs and drop it into a the marsh then, after covering it with moss, trample on it with your feet." brethren replied, "No, Father, we cannot do this.” the holy ascetic said that if they would not do as he asked, then they should bury him near the church of the Transfiguration. Saint Alexander departed to the heavenly Kingdom on August 30, 1533 at the age of 85. miracles of healing took place at his grave for those who came there with faith. 1545, his disciple and successor, Igumen Herodion, compiled his Life. In 1547 local veneration of the Saint began and a Service was composed for him. On April 17,1641, during the rebuilding of the Transfiguration church, the incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were uncovered, and his universal veneration was established on two dates: the day of his repose, August 30, and on April 17, the day of his glorification (and the uncovering of his relics). Alexander of Svir instructed a multitude of disciples, just as the Mother of God had promised him. These Include Ignatius of Ostrov, Leonid of Ostrov, Cornelius of Ostrov, Dionysios of Ostrov, Athanasios of Ostrov, Theodore of Ostrov, and Therapon of Ostrov. addition to these saints, there are disciples and conversers with Saint Alexander of Svir, who have separate days of commemoration: Saint Athanasios of Syandem (January 18), Saint Gennadios of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Makarios of Orodezh (August 9), Saint Adrian of Ondrosov (May 17), Saint Nikephoros of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Gennadios of Kostroma and Liubimograd (January 23). these saints (except Saint Gennadios of Kostroma) are depicted on the Icon of the monastic Fathers who shone forth in the land of Karelia (the icon is in the church at the Seminary in Kuopio, Finland). The Synaxis of the Saints who have shone forth in Karelia is celebrated by the Finnish Orthodox Church on the Saturday which falls between October 31 and November 6. incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to destroy the relics of the Saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian Saints were stolen and subjected to "scientific examination” or displayed in anti-religious museums. Some of them were completely destroyed.2 second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December of 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were truly the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before they were returned to the Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics, they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous cures continue to take place before them. Later at this place, Holy Lake, 36 versts from the future city of Olonets and 6 versts from the River Svira, Saint Alexander founded the monastery of the Life-Creating Trinity, and 130 sazhen (i.e. 910 feet) from it, at Lake Roschina, he built a cell on the future site of the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery. The Soviets conducted many tests, hoping to prove that the relics were fakes. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy, where they remained for almost eighty years. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1470, Verkneostrov Monastery founded by Dostheus, at Pskov Kremlin
Verkneostrov, Pskov, aka Pskov Krom or Kremlin; Venerable Dositheus, Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Dositheus, Abbot of Verkhneostrov and Pskov was a disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Spasoeleazarov and Pskov (May 15). In 1470, he founded the Peter and Paul Verkhneostrov monastery at Lake Pskova, where he was igumen.

Russia, Moscow, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, g ascetic & clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya
Russia, Vologda, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, Vologda, great ascetic and a clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya; Keno Lake (Lake Kenozero, Kena River); Saint Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Pachomius is commemorated on the Saturday after Theophany. founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord near Lake Keno, and tonsured Saint Anthony of Siya (December 7) as a monk in 1508. did not entrust Saint Anthony to one of the other monks, but he himself took him under his wing and trained him in asceticism and in the spiritual life. Anthony possessed every virtue and resisted every temptation, purified his mind and soul from the passions, and freed himself from worldly attachments. the time came for Saint Anthony to leave the monastery and live in solitude, Saint Pachomius blessed him to follow this path saying, “May the Lord bless you, my child. May the Lord’s will be done.” Pachomius was a great ascetic and a clairvoyant Elder, a good and faithful servant who entered into the joy of his Lord in 1515.

Russia, Moscow, 1471-1480, Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow
Novgorod, Fall of the Novgorod Republic to Moscow (1471 - 1480); Battle of Shelon River 1471 ; Martha Boretskaya; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1473-1489, Metropolitan, Gerontius, resist the Horde to the end, heresy moderate position
Moscow Patriarch, 1473-1489, Gerontius, Metropolitan of Moscow; (died 1489) was Metropolitan of Moscow from 1473 until 1489 and a writer. Gerontius was the Bishop of Kolomna. In 1473, he was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow. the late 1470s, he was in conflict with Ivan III over, among other things, the consecration procedures of the new churches. the Great standing on the Ugra river in 1480, Gerontius spoke for resisting the Golden Horde to the very end. adhered to a moderate position in dealing with heresies, which had already plagued Moscow and Novgorod. 1482, Gerontius left his post, though he would later return at the request of the Grand Prince. Gerontius died in 1489, was buried in Dormition Cathedral, Moscow. St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1475-1532, Cyril oNovoezersk, a15 led bAngel tCornelius, WSaw hGrace, expected wilterness, Lord's Fire there
Russia, Vologda, -1532, Cyril oNovoezersk, Novgorod (nearMurmansk and Kola River in Lapland), cried out fMother's womb, a child fond oSolitude&Prayer, dreamt monk life, left home a15, led by angel to Pskov Caves, Clairvoyant Cornelius saw his grace, emaciated flesh with fasting, even then thought end days wilterness solitude, parents mourned him but C's Elder came to them, told about son's monastic life, mom & dad left inheritance, became monastics, father came to son, Cornelius told son to meet father, asked forgiveness, Cyril instructed his father, Cyril obedient tIgumen&Brethren, Cyril thirsted to be wanderer to find a wilderness place fLife oSilence, tCoastal Regions 20 yrs, outskirts Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, never entered any house, never accepted alms, daily wandering nightly prayer church porches, attended church services, heavenly light directed him where found monastery, at Tikvin m Theotokos appeared and directed him to Eastern White Lake, Lord my son will direct you your place oRest, small island w Pillar oFire, built hut beneath old Spruce, then two cells, one for future brothers, and two small churches, Resurrection church&MOG church, overcame many temptations by brave endurance&constant prayer, brethern gathered, much healing, foresight gift, sensed impending end, gathered b, humility tears instructed one last time, voice quit, long silence, “I go to the Lord unto life eternal, but I entrust you to God the Word and His Grace, bestowing an inheritance and sanctification upon all. May it help you. But I beseech you, do not become lax in fasting and prayers, guard yourself from the snares of the Enemy, and the Lord in His ineffable mercy will not condemn your humility ; Novoezersk, Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4; Cyril of New Lake was born into a pious family. Lord marked him as one of the chosen even before he was born. ’s mother was praying in church during the Divine Liturgy, and the infant in her womb cried out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth!” the time of his childhood the saint was fond of solitude and prayer, he dreamt of monastic life. fifteen years of age Cyril secretly left his parental home, intending to enter the Pskov Caves monastery. did not know the way to the monastery, and took nothing from home for the journey. He went his way, putting all his trust in the Lord and His All-Pure Mother. versts from the city the youth met a magnificent monastic Elder, who led him to the monastery. he left, he blessed him with the words, “May God bless you, my child, and grant you the angelic schema, and may you be a chosen vessel of the Divine Spirit.” said this, the Elder became invisible. boy realized that this had been a messenger from God, and he gave thanks to the Lord. igumen Saint Cornelius (February 20) saw with his clairvoyant eye the grace manifest in the young man. provided him with much guidance and tonsured him into the monastic schema with the name Cyril. fifteen-year-old monk astonished the brethren with his efforts. emaciated the flesh through fasting and prayer, and zealously fulfilled obediences. and night he was ready to study the Word of God. then he thought to end his days in solitude in the wilderness. boy’s parents mourned him as one dead, once an Elder of the monastery of Saint Cornelius came to them and told them about their son and his life at the monastery. joyful news confirmed in Cyril’s mother her love for God. spoke with her husband about leaving to the monastery her portion of the inheritance, then left the world and became a nun with the name Elena (Helen). died in peace a short time later. saint’s father came to the monastery, and Igumen Cornelius told Cyril to meet with him. saint was troubled, but not daring to disobey the igumen, he fell down at his father’s feet, imploring forgiveness for secretly leaving home. father forgave his son, and he himself remained at the monastery. Cornelius tonsured him into monasticism with the name Barsanuphius, gave him to his son for instruction. years later, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. son continued to toil more fervently for the Lord, disdaining his own will, and in was obedient not only to the igumen, but also to the brethren. thirsted to go about all the Russian land, venerating its holy shrines and to find for himself a wilderness place for a life of silence. the blessing of Saint Cornelius, Saint Cyril left the monastery in which he had grown strong spiritually, he went to the coastal regions, roaming through the forests and the wild places, eating tree roots and berries. saint spent about twenty years in this difficult exploit of wanderer, he went to the outskirts of Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov, he never entered any house nor did he accept alms. wandered about during the day, and spent his nights at prayer on church porches, and he attended the church services. while at prayer, Saint Cyril saw a heavenly light indicating the direction where he should found a monastery. set off on his way at once, and having reached the Tikhvin monastery, he spent three days and three nights there in ceaseless prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. Mother of God appeared to him in a dream. Her approval of him, She said, “My servant Cyril, pleaser of the Most Holy Trinity, go to the Eastern region of White Lake, the Lord My Son will show you the place of rest for your old age.” saint proceeded to White Lake, weeping copious tears at the miraculous vision. the lake he saw a small island, from which a pillar of fire rose up to the sky. beneath a centuries-old spruce tree, Saint Cyril built a hut, then set up two cells: one for himself, the other for future brethren. hermit also constructed two small churches, in honor of the Resurrection of Christ the other in honor of the Mother of God Hodēgḗtria. underwent many temptations from invisible enemies, and from idlers roving about, he overcame everything by brave endurance and constant prayer. of his holy life spread everywhere, and brethren gathered around him. were many instances of healing through his prayers, the Lord also granted His saint the gift of foresight. his impending end, Saint Cyril summoned the brethren. tears of humility the saint instructed his spiritual children one last time, until his voice gave out. a long time then he was silent, but suddenly he cried out with loud sobbing, “I go to the Lord unto life eternal, but I entrust you to God the Word and His Grace, bestowing an inheritance and sanctification upon all. May it help you. But I beseech you, do not become lax in fasting and prayers, guard yourself from the snares of the Enemy, and the Lord in His ineffable mercy will not condemn your humility.” said this, the saint gave a final kiss to the brethren, received the Holy Mysteries, signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, and with the words “Glory to God for everything!” he gave up his pure soul to the Lord on February 4, 1532.

Russia, Moscow, 1477-1556, Anthony oSiya, White Sea Rgn, rich, gave tPoor, loved solitude, benefactor, 2Wilderness Monasteries
Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony oSiya (Sura), White Sea Region, Vologda, rich farmer, educated, iconographer, wife soon died, giving monk, Pachomiev wilderness monastery under Pachomius, hiermonk, authorized self served divine services, out tWork, but loved solitude, chose 2companions, Mikhailov Island, built chapel 1520, land difficult to clear, grumbling, unknown man gives subsistance&money, Siya M becomes famous, withdrew more remote place Lake Palun, 3yrs solitary cell, requested he come back Siya, died 1556 a79yrs old; Siya; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Anthony of Siya, in the world Andrew, was born into a family of rich farmers in the village of Kekhta near the North Dvina river. childhood he received a fine education, read much and learned iconography. the death of his parents, Andrew went to Novgorod, and for five years worked for a boyar [nobleman] there. later married, but his wife died after a year. Andrew decided to devote himself to monasticism. distributed his goods to the poor and as a wanderer came to the Pachomiev wilderness monastery at the River Kena. Pachomius tonsured him with the name Anthony. he was ordained a hieromonk, Anthony, with the blessing of the igumen, celebrated the divine services by himself. went out with the other monks of the monastery to work for the monastery’s needs. of love for solitude Saint Anthony eventually left the Pachomiev wilderness, choosing two companions from the monastic brethren, he settled upon Mikhailov Island, on the one side washed by the River Sii, and on the other, by encircling lakes. this harsh frontier within the dense thickets Anthony built a chapel in 1520. to clear the forest required difficult work, and Anthony’s companions began to grumble against him. quite unexpectedly an unknown man furnished them with the means of subsistence, offering money for good measure. Siya monastery became famous, and inhabitants of surrounding villages often visited it. again Saint Anthony, taking one disciple, withdrew to a still more remote place on Lake Palun. in a solitary cell, he dwelt for three years. the igumen Theoctistus refused to guide the Siya monastery any longer, the brethren tried to persuade Saint Anthony to return to them. finally acceded to the request of the monks, again became igumen and piously guided the monastery until his death in the year 1556, when he was seventy-nine years old.

Russia, Moscow, 1477-1556, Anthony of Siya, iconographer, wealth distributed to poor, found Pachomius, famous Siya Chapel 1520
Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony of Siya, Novgorod, iconographer, wealthy, distributed wealth to poor, found Pachomius, love for solitude, Mikhallov island, Chapel 1520, unknown benefactor, Siya monastery famous, withdrew to Lake Palun 3 yrs, called back to Siya til death at 70 in 1556; Venerable Anthony, Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7 Anthony of Siya, in the world Andrew, was born into a family of rich farmers in the village of Kekhta near the North Dvina river. childhood he received a fine education, read much and learned iconography. the death of his parents, Andrew went to Novgorod, and for five years worked for a boyar [nobleman] there. He later married, but his wife died after a year. Andrew decided to devote himself to monasticism. He distributed his goods to the poor and as a wanderer came to the Pachomiev wilderness monastery at the River Kena. Pachomius tonsured him with the name Anthony. Soon he was ordained a hieromonk, and Anthony, with the blessing of the igumen, celebrated the divine services by himself. went out with the other monks of the monastery to work for the monastery’s needs. of love for solitude Saint Anthony eventually left the Pachomiev wilderness, after choosing two companions from the monastic brethren, and he settled upon Mikhailov Island, on the one side washed by the River Sii, and on the other, by encircling lakes. this harsh frontier within the dense thickets Anthony built a chapel in 1520. to clear the forest required difficult work, and Anthony’s companions began to grumble against him. quite unexpectedly an unknown man furnished them with the means of subsistence, offering money for good measure. Siya monastery became famous, and inhabitants of surrounding villages often visited it. again Saint Anthony, taking one disciple, withdrew to a still more remote place on Lake Palun. There, in a solitary cell, he dwelt for three years. the igumen Theoctistus refused to guide the Siya monastery any longer, the brethren tried to persuade Saint Anthony to return to them. He finally acceded to the request of the monks, again became igumen and piously guided the monastery until his death in the year 1556, when he was seventy-nine years old. Russia, Vologda, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, Vologda, great ascetic and a clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya; Keno Lake (Lake Kenozero, Kena River); Saint Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Pachomius is commemorated on the Saturday after Theophany. founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord near Lake Keno, and tonsured Saint Anthony of Siya (December 7) as a monk in 1508. did not entrust Saint Anthony to one of the other monks, but he himself took him under his wing and trained him in asceticism and in the spiritual life. Anthony possessed every virtue and resisted every temptation, purified his mind and soul from the passions, and freed himself from worldly attachments. the time came for Saint Anthony to leave the monastery and live in solitude, Saint Pachomius blessed him to follow this path saying, “May the Lord bless you, my child. May the Lord’s will be done.” Pachomius was a great ascetic and a clairvoyant Elder, a good and faithful servant who entered into the joy of his Lord in 1515.

Russia, Moscow, 1480, Meeting of the Vladimir Icon, saving Moscow, ending Mongol Horde Yoke
Russia, Moscow, 1480, Meeting of the Vladimir Icon, saving Moscow, ending Mongol Horde Yoke; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of the Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; the church celebrates the miracle of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which led to the saving of Moscow from the invasion of Khan Achmed in 1480. Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on May 21 and August 26. Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21; Celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei in 1521. The Tatar hordes approached Moscow, burning and destroying Russian cities and villages, and exterminating their inhabitants. Prince Basil raised an army against the Tatars, while Metropolitan Barlaam and the people of Moscow prayed fervently for deliverance. At this time a certain pious blind nun had a vision. She saw Moscow’s bishop-saints exiting from the Savior gates of the Kremlin, forsaking the city and taking with them the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the holiest object in the city of Moscow. This was God’s chastisement for the sins of its inhabitants. the Savior gates the holy hierarchs were met by Saints Sergius of Radonezh (Sept. 25) and Barlaam of Khutyn (Nov. 6), tearfully imploring them not to leave Moscow. All of them offered intense prayer to the Lord for the forgivness of their transgressions and the deliverance of Moscow from its enemies. After this prayer the bishop-saints returned to the Kremlin, and they carried back the holy Vladimir Icon. Basil the Blessed (August 2) saw a similar vision. It was revealed to him that Moscow would be saved, through the intercession of the Theotokos and the prayers of the saints. The Tatar Khan also had a vision of the Mother of God with a fearsome host, contending against his forces. The Tatars fled in fear, and the capital of the Russian realm was saved. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on June 23 and August 26. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.â€ the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.â€ The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!â€ At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1480-1550, Athanasius oSynadem&Vologda, estab hermitage near Olonets, Svir Disciple&Igumen, incorrupt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1480-1550, Athanasius of Synadem and Vologda, estab Dormition hermitage near Olonets, near St Petersburg (Olonka River, Lake Ladoka), Alex oSvir Disciple, from his monastery tDormition hermitage Karelia, near Olonets, on island oSynadem lake, locals slander, back tSvir, igumen there, back tDormition, died 1550, great old age, buried high point Roschinsk island, incorrupt relics; Olonets; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; a disciple of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the death of his mentor, he established the Dormition hermitage in the forests of Karelia, far from the city of Olonets, an island of Lake Synadem. slander and pettiness of the local inhabitants compelled Saint Athanasius to move back to the Svir monastery, they chose him as igumen. returning to the Dormition hermitage, Athanasius died in about the year 1550 in great old age, was buried on one of the promontories of Roschinsk island. a church was built over his grave, named for Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria. incorrupt relics of Saint Athanasius were placed in this church in 1720.

Russia, Moscow, 1483-1516, Serapion, Archbishop oNovgorod, church property, appearance, incorrupt relics, miracles, after death
Russia, Moscow, 1483-1516, Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, from Pekhrka (Pekhora River Mouth, Moscow River 5.4, SE of Moscow), wanted tbMonk, married, she died 1yr, tonsured Dubensk, igumen, Serapion Hermatige namesake, left for rigor tTrinity-S, igumen i1495, GP IvanIII, pardoned boyars, church property ownership question&JoVohlkom conflict, , 1516 Schema&died, 1517 incorrupt relics, miracles gift, even after death 1608 many saw him; Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod; Pekhorka (Pekhora River Mouth, Moscow River 5.4) ; Saint Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 16; Serapion was born in the village of Pekhorka near Moscow, from a young age he was inclined toward monasticism. to the wish of his parents, he entered into marriage, and was ordained to the priesthood. year later he became a widower and was tonsured at the Dubensk Monastery of the Dormition. of his virtuous life he was elected as Igumen of the monastery and he labored so much for it that it later became known by his name - Serapion Hermitage. to engage in more rigorous ascetical struggles, the Saint resigned his position and entered the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he became the Igumen in 1495. Saint enjoyed the respect of the Great Prince Ivan Vasilyevich, at his request, the Prince pardoned three convicted boyars who had been condemned to death. attending the Council of 1504, Saint Serapion passionately defended the practice of the Church and Monasteries possessing property, as a means of charity. brought him into conflict with Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9), who taught that the Church should not own villages and estates. 1506 he was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. During a big fire in that city in the year 1508, the Saint tearfully prayed that the Lord would cause it to cease. Serapion had to endure many troubles. In 1509 he was deprived of his See and exiled to Moscow’s Andronikov Monastery. In 1511 Saint Serapion moved to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where he spent the remainder of his life in unceasing meditation and prayer, honored by the Lord with the gifts of discernment and of working miracles. being tonsured into the Schema, the hierarch reposed in peace on March 16, 1516. His incorrupt relics were found on April 7,1517, and to this day they rest hidden in Serapion’s Pavilion, at Holy Trinity Cathedral, in Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Lord has glorified His saint with the gift of miracles, both during his lifetime and after his death. Once, on the Feast of the Dormition, the saint healed a lame man, who for many years had crawled on his feet and hands and feet, leaning on pieces of wood. 1608, during the siege of the Lavra by the Poles, many monks and laymen, who came to the temple to pray for his monastery, saw him in the bishop’s vestments.

Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Saint, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius, Gennadius Bible
Moscow Saint, 1484-1505, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Gennady oNovgorod, Gennadius Bible, Typikon service zealot, septuagent bible defend vs Judiaziers OT
Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Saint, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius, Gennadius Bible, descendent Gonzov family, dignified, intelligent, virtuous, scripture learned, Valaam Monastery monk, under Sabbatius oSolovki, 1472 Chudov Archimandrite, Typikon service zealot, defended ancient Bible rule, 1483 built stone church aChudov, 1484 Archbishop oNovgorod, 1470 Judiazing preachers guise oMerchants already planting weeds oHeresy iN, 1487 first reports (17yrs), drunk heratics revealed, spread tMoscow1480, 1487 reported tMoscow Met inquiry material&Apostates list&their writings, 12yrs struggle against J's attempts alter history Russian church&state, Gennadius Bible helped, Judaizers used OT text different from Septuagent, single codes OT from separate parts, Pentateuch, Kings, Proverbs, Psalter, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles, apocrypha, Jusiazers used prophecies they altered, 1499 G Bible complete, first printed Bible 1581, through 1751 Elizabethan Bible tToday, Great literary work Fourth Novgorod Chronicle up to 1486, library for Solovki monastery wDositheus, who wrote lives o2 saints tG's request, Novgorod school for clergy, impending end oWorld 1492 end 7th milenium, Paschal dates not computed beyond 1491, G decreed 8th M bCalculated, finished P for 70 yrs, plus Source fPaschalion t8thousandth year, -“It is proper not to fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at every moment, no one even knows the end, it is a circle; Moscow Saint, 1484-1505, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4; Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, descended from the Gonzov family was, in the testimony of contemporaries, “dignified, intelligent, virtuous and learned in the Holy Scripture.” was made a monk at the Valaam monastery, under the spiritual guidance of Saint Sabbatius of Solovki (September 27). the year 1472, he was Archimandrite of the Chudov (Miracle of the Archangel Michael) monastery in Moscow. for celebrating divine services according to the Typikon, and Bassian, Archbishop of Rostov, and later his successor Joasaph, rose up in defense of the ancient Rule during a dispute at the consecration of the Dormition cathedral in Moscow during the years 1479-1481. 1483 Saint Gennadius began construction of a stone church at the Chudov monastery honor of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), the founder of the monastery. December 12, 1484 Saint Gennadius was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. in Novgorod, but still honoring the memory of Saint Alexis, did not cease to concern himself with the construction of the church, contributing silver for the completion of this temple. time of holy Archbishop Gennadius as hierarch at Novgorod coincided with a terrible period in the history of the Russian Church. 1470, Judaizing preachers, who traveled to Novgorod in the guise of merchants, had already begun to plant the weeds of heresy and apostasy among the Orthodox. first reports about the heresy reached Saint Gennadius in the year 1487. members of a secret society, in a state of intoxication, opened up and told the Orthodox of the existence of the impious heresy. soon as it became known to him, the zealous archpastor immediately began an inquiry with deep sorrow became convinced that the danger was a threat not only to local Novgorod piety, also in Moscow, the very capital of Orthodoxy, where the leaders of the Judaizers had journeyed in 1480. September 1487 he sent to Metropolitan Gerontius at Moscow all the material from the inquiry, with a list of the apostates he had discovered, as well as their writings. struggle with the Judaizers became the main focus of Saint Gennadius’ archpastoral activity. the words of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9), “this archbishop, angered by the malevolent heretics, pounced upon them like a lion from out of the thicket of the Holy Scriptures and the splendid heights of the prophets and the apostolic teachings.” twelve years Saint Gennadius and Saint Joseph struggled against the most powerful attempts of the opponents of Orthodoxy to alter the course of history of the Russian Church and the Russian state. their efforts the Orthodox were victorious. The works of Gennadius in the study of the Bible contributed to this victory. heretics in their impious cleverness used texts from the Old Testament, but which were different from the texts accepted by the Orthodox. Gennadius undertook an enormous task: bringing the correct listings of Holy Scripture together in a single codex. until this time Biblical books had been copied in Russia, following the example of Byzantium, not in their entirety, but in separate parts—the Pentateuch (first five books) or Octateuch (first eight books), Kings, Proverbs, the Psalter, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and other instructive books. holy books of the Old Testament in particular often were subjected to both accidental and intentional errors. Gennadius wrote about this with sorrow in a letter to Archbishop Joasaph: “The Judaizing heretical tradition adheres to the Psalms of David, or prophecies which they have altered.” around himself learned and industrious Biblical scholars, the saint collected all the books of the Holy Scripture into a single codex, he gave his blessing for the Holy Books which were not found in manuscripts of the traditional Slavonic Bible to be retranslated from the Latin language. 1499 the first complete codex of Holy Scripture in Slavonic (“the Gennadius Bible,” as they called it after its compiler) was published in Russia. work became an integral link in the succession of Slavonic translations of the Word of God. the God-inspired translation of the Holy Scripture by Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bible of Saint Gennadius (1499), reproduced in the first printed Bible (Ostrozh, 1581), Church has maintained a Slavonic Biblical tradition right through the so-called Elizabethan Bible (1751) and all successive printed editions. with the preparation of the Bible, the circle of church scholars under Archbishop Gennadius also undertook a great literary task: compilation of the “Fourth Novgorod Chronicle.” hand-written books were translated, corrected and transcribed, bringing the Chronicle up to the year 1496. the igumen of the Solovki monastery who was at Novgorod on monastery matters, worked for several years with Saint Gennadius compiling a library for the Solovki monastery. was at the request of Saint Gennadius that Dositheus wrote the Lives of Saints Zosimas (April 17) and Sabbatius (September 27). majority of the books transcribed with the blessing of the Novgorod hierarch (more than 20), preserved in the collection of Solovki manuscripts. a zealous advocate for spiritual enlightenment, Saint Gennadius founded a school for the preparation of worthy clergy at Novgorod. memory of Saint Gennadius is preserved also in his work for the welfare of the Orthodox Church. the end of the fifteenth century many Russians were concerned about the impending end of the world, which they believed would take place at the end of the seventh millenium from the creation of the world (in 1492 A.D.). in 1408, it was decided not to compute the Paschal dates beyond the year 1491. In September 1491, however, the Archbishops’ Council of the Russian Church at Moscow, with the participation of Saint Gennadius, decreed that the Paschalion for the eighth millenium be calculated. Zosimas at Moscow on November 27, 1492 “set forth a cathedral Paschalion for twenty years,” asked Bishop Philotheus of Perm and Archbishop Gennadius of Novgorod each to compile their own Paschalion for conciliar review and confirmation on December 21, 1492. Gennadius finished calculating his Paschalion, which in contrast to that of the Metropolitan, extended for seventy years. was distributed to the dioceses, with the approval of the Council, as the accepted Paschalion for the next twenty years. with the Paschalion was Saint Gennadius’s own commentary upon it in an encyclical entitled, “Source for the Paschalion Transposed to the Eight Thousandth Year.” his theological explanation of the Paschalion, based upon the Word of God and the holy Fathers, the saint wrote: “It is proper not to fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at every moment. just as God might deign to end the world, so also might He deign to prolong the course of time.” one knows when the world created by God will end, “not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father “(Mt. 24:36). the holy Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, explained the cycle of years from the creation of the world precisely as a cycle. “This occurs in a circular motion, not having an end.” The saint contrasts the heretical methods of calculating the times with the way hallowed by the Church, a constant spiritual sobriety. Gennadius expounded on the theological fundamentals of the Paschalion. explained that on the basis of the cycle of years from the world’s creation, it is possible to determine a Paschalion for the future, as may be required. Paschalion of Saint Gennadius, by his own testimony, was not something new that he created, but rather was based on a former tradition; in part, on the basis of the Paschalion for 1360-1492 under Saint Basil Kalika, Archbishop of Novgorod (July 3). 1539, under Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod, a Paschalion was compiled for the eighth millenium, based on the principles of the Paschalion of Saint Gennadius. prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, which he composed in 1497, also demonstrates his deep spiritual life and prayerful inspiration. addition to his letters to Metropolitans Zosimas and Simon, to Archbishop Joasaph, to Bishops Niphon and Prochorus, and a letter to the 1490 Council, Archbishop Gennadius also wrote a church “Small Rule” and the “Tradition for Monks,” who live according to the monastic Rule of skete life. his archpastoral service in 1504, the saint lived in retirement at the Chudov monastery, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on December 4, 1505. the Stepen-Ranks book we read: “Archbishop Gennadius served as archbishop for nineteen years, beautifying the churches, improving the behavior of the clergy, and proclaiming the Orthodox Faith among the heretics. he lived at Moscow for a year and a half at the Chudov monastery, dedicated to the Miracle of the Archangel Michael to Saint Alexis the Metropolitan and wonderworker, where he had been Archimandrite, and then he fell asleep in the Lord.” holy relics of Saint Gennadius were put into the church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae (September 6), that place particularly venerated by him, where the relics of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow rested. Gennadius is also commemorated on the third Sunday after Pentecost, when the Church remembers all the Saints who shone forth at Novgorod.

Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Judaizers, heretic Jews using Hebrew OT created after Jesus
Russia, Moscow, 1484-1505, Judiazers, heretic Christians using Hebrew OT created after Jesus; Judaizers are Christians who teach it is necessary to adopt Jewish customs and practices, especially those found in the Law of Moses, to be saved. The term is derived from the Koine Greek word, used once in the Greek New Testament (Galatians 2:14),[1] when Paul publicly challenges Peter for compelling gentile converts to Early Christianity to "judaize".[2][3] This episode is known as the incident at Antioch. This term includes groups who claim the necessity of continued obedience to the Law of Moses found in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) for gentiles.[4] Members of such groups dispute the label because "Judaizers" is sometimes used as a pejorative. Most Christians believe that much of the Old Covenant has been superseded, while according to some modern Protestants it has been completely abrogated and replaced by the Law of Christ. The Christian debate over Judaizing began in the lifetime of the apostles, notably at the Council of Jerusalem and the incident at Antioch. It has been carried on parallel to continuing debates about Paul the Apostle and Judaism, Protestant views of the Ten Commandments, and Christian ethics. Moscow Saint, 1484-1505, Gennady of Novgorod, St Gennadius ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1486, Roman oUglich, incorrupt relics, many miracles, 1595 witnessed by Met, sainthood, Poles burned relics 1609
Rostov, 1255-1285, Roman oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), son oVladimir&Photina oUglich, nephew oBasil oRostov, father died 1248, brother died 1261, Roman became govenor Uglich at 26, became father tHis subjects, poor house, took in destitute that came from everywhere, built 15 more churches, present every devine service, often conversed wMonks, devoted fasting, prayer, righteous works, built Romanov (Tutaev) on high bank oVolga, died peacefully 1285, 1486 incorrupt relics found, miracles, witnessed by Met Heremogenes 1595, sainthood, 1609 relics burned by Poles; Uglich; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, of Prince Vladimir and Princess Photina of Uglich, nephew of Saint Basil (Basilko) of Rostov (March 4), born on October 1, 1235. the death of his father (in 1248) and his older brother Andrew (in 1261), Saint Roman, at the age of twenty-six, took upon himself the governance of Uglich and became a father to his subjects. established a poor-house and took in the destitute, who came to him from everywhere. the principality he built fifteen more churches. Roman was present every day at the divine services, and he often conversed with pious monks. the death of his wife in 1280, he devoted himself entirely to ascetic exploits of fasting, prayer and works of righteousness. built the city Romanov (now Tutaev) on the high bank of the Volga. holy prince died peacefully on February 3, 1285 and was buried in the Church of the Transfiguration in Uglich. 1486, the relics of Saint Roman were found to be incorrupt were transferred into the new cathedral Church of the Transfiguration. the year 1595 with the blessing of Patriarch Job in consequence of the fame concerning miracles relics were witnessed to by the Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Saint Hermogenes (February 17), Saint Roman was numbered among the saints. 1609, the holy relics were burned along with the church during an invasion by the Poles.

Russia, Moscow, 1488-1557, Basil of Moscow, Fool for Christ, barefoot cobbler
Moscow Saint, 1488-1552, Basil the Blessed, Fool for Christ; Elokhov church, Yelokhovo Cathedral, Moscow, Basil. Fool for Christ; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler. Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.” the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true. he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong. certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.” to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church. mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing. saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away. the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.” by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills. Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588. an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow]. saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1490's, Gennady's Bible
Russia, Moscow, 1490's, Gennady's Bible; St. Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1490-1494, Metropolitan, Zosimus, Third Rome, Rus apt, Judaizers, not hanged and burned, removed, writer
Russia, Moscow, 1490-1494, Patriarch, Zosimus, Metropolitan of Moscow; the Bearded (died 1494) was Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia from 1490. He was the author of the Third Rome conception. the first time in Russian history, Zosimus was appointed metropolitan by the decision of the council of the Russian bishops by order of the Grand Prince Ivan III. He had been archimandrite of the Simonovskii Monastery in Moscow when he was picked to replace Metropolitan Gerontii some six months after Gerontii's death.[1] Gennady of Novgorod had uncovered the Heresy of the Judaizers in 1487 and Zosimus's entire metropolitanate was overshadowed by this crisis. Gennady wrote a letter in 1490 to Zosimus and other bishops in the Russian church demanding a council be convened and the heresy be dealt with. The council convened less than a month after Zosimus' elevation to the metropolitan throne and condemned the heresy.[2] Gennady demanded that the heretics be severely punished - hanged and burned - and not merely incarcerated, but Zosimus and Grand Prince Ivan III opposed these harsher methods. Zosimus was eventually accused of being a secret heretic and, on May 17, 1494, he was removed from the metropolitan throne on charges of heresy and sodomy.[3] He died before any trial was held. is known for having compiled a list of banned books and written an epistle against heretics. Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1490-1534, Johah oKlimetzk, Lake Onega, caught bStorm mVow, Lord said fMonastery, tree icon, bM&2churches
Russia, St Petersburg, 1490-1534, Johah oKlimetzk, Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega, caught by storm made vow, boat to sandbar, Lord commanded to found monastery for Trinity, Icon in tree, bM&2churches, simple monk there, plus church over relics; Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega; Venerable Jonah, Abbot of Klimetzk, Commemorated on June 6 ; Jonah of Klimetzk, in the world John, became a monk, and founded the Klimetzk Trinity Monastery in fulfillment of a vow. 1490 he had been caught by a storm on Lake Onega. When there was no hope for survival, John cried out to the Lord, entreating Him to preserve his life so he might repent and serve God. The boat was thrown onto a sandbar by the waves. There he heard the voice of the Lord commanding him to found a monastery in honor of the Life-Creating Trinity. miraculously discovered a holy icon on a juniper tree. The saint fulfilled the will of the Lord and built a monastery with two churches, one dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity and the other in honor of Saint Nicholas, protector of those who sail and those who travel. the rank of igumen, Saint Jonah remained a simple monk at the monastery. He died on June 6, 1534. A church was built over his relics, and was dedicated to Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth.

Russia, Moscow, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy R's, but studied lives otFathers, so God led tN, dLlight smoke
Rome, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy Roman family, Protestant Reformation time, but he studied lives otFathers, focused on saving his soul, God led him become Orthodox, left for Russia without money, wearing old garment, tNovgorod, many churches monasteries there, tSvir, there Alex oSvir tonsured him monk, but he longed for solitary life, tIsland in Lezna r, 45 miles fNovgorod, mosquito breeding ground, berries roots herbs, fed&pet bears, discovered bHunters, because divine light, fed them, spoke prayed showed way out of marsh, many people came, chose place further out on Lesna, but pillar fire at night and fragrant smoke at day exposed him, some asked to stay, saw it was Lord's will he blessed them to build cells, 1540 wooden church, ordained as priest by Marcarius oNovgorod& Met All Russia, he example tOthers, clairvoyance wonderworking gifts, returned to solitary island after several yrs, fell asleep 1550, his monastery distinguished by spiritual life, Novgorod monasteries plundered by Sweds 17th C, Hermitage burned 1615, monks put to sword, 18th C dependency Nevsky Lavra St Pete, closed by Catherine 1764 like she closed other m ; Rome; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, he did not desire honors or earthly glory. he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Russia, Moscow, 1490 & 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831-48 Cholera, MOG appeared
Mongol, Scythia, 1490 & 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831 Cholera raging, MOG appeared, to Korotoyak, C ceased, again in 1847-48 ; Divnogorsk, Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna; Divnogorsk Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated on February 5; Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God received the first part of its title from where it was enshrined when it was glorified: the Dormition monastery of Divnogorsk, in the former Ostrogozhsk district in Voronezh governance. title of “Sicilian” comes from its place of origin, since by tradition this icon at Diva (i.e. “Wondrous Heights”) was brought from Sicily by the pious monastic Elders Xenophon and Joasaph. suggest that these saints were Orthodox Greeks by birth, and that they had arrived there not earlier than the end of the fifteenth century. and Joasaph founded a monastery at a scenic spot above the River Don, near the confluence of the River Tikha Sosna [Quiet Pine River]. The place was called Wondrous Heights by those struck by the form of the chalk columns throughout the hills. is said that Xenophon and Joasaph lived in a cave (where later the church of Saint John the Forerunner was built), and that they carved out the first church in a chalk column, into which also they put the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God which they had brought with them. Here is where they found their eternal repose. the Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, the Theotokos is depicted sitting in the clouds. In Her right hand is a white lily blossom, and with Her left arm She supports the Divine Infant, Who sits upright upon Her knees. The Savior holds a lily blossom in His left hand, and blesses with His right hand. Around the face of the Mother of God are eight angels. The two beneath are shown on bended knee and with hands upraised in prayer. Over the head of the Theotokos is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. special glorification of the icon began in the year 1831, when cholera was raging. At Korotoyak, 7-8 versts from the monastery, the Most Holy Virgin appeared (as She is depicted in the Divnogorsk Icon) to a certain elderly woman, Ekaterina Kolomenska, in a dream. She commanded that Her icon be brought and a Molieben be served before it. The wonderworking icon was brought to Korotoyak, and after a Molieben before the holy icon, the cholera ceased. the intercession of the Mother of God, the city of Ostrogozhsk also was saved from cholera. The people of Korotoyak and Ostrogozhsk were also saved from cholera in 1847 and 1848 through the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, which occurred after a church procession around these towns with the holy icon. to Tradition, the feastday of the wonderworking icon on February 5 was established already at its original habitation by Xenophon and Joasaph.

Russia, Moscow, 1492, Mezhetsk Icon, Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4), appeared nKiev 1492, mMiracles, Queen's crown on her head
Russia, Kiev, 1492, Mezhetsk Icon, Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4), appeared near Kiev 1492, many miracles, Queen's crown on her head, Queen of Heaven; Kiev; “Mezhetsk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 26; wonderworking Mezhetsk (Межецкая) or Mezhitsk (Межетская) Icon of the Mother of God appeared near Kiev in 1492 became renowned because of the numerous miracles which took place when people prayed before it. We have no other details concerning the Icon. Mother of God is depicted with a crown on her head and the Child on her left hand.

Russia, Moscow, 1492, Abraham&Corprius, founders Pechenga Wilderness Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, great work
Russia, Vologda, 1492, Abraham&Corprius, founders Pechenga Wilderness Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth ) in Gryazovetsk district, 21 versts from Vologda, took great work to bring monastery necessities and set everything in order, they did not spare themselves, lived in asceticism till death; Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast; Venerable Abraham and Coprius, of Pechenga Commemorated on February 4; Abraham and Coprius of Pechenga in 1492 founded the Savior wilderness monastery at the River Pechenga, in Gryazovetsk district, 21 versts from Vologda. required great work to bring in the necessities to the wilderness spot, in order to build the monastery and set everything in proper order. blessed toilers did not spare themselves, zealously living in asceticism until their death.

Russia, Moscow, 1493-1549, Adrian of Ondrusov, aka nobleman Andrew Z of Svir, robber Ondrusov story, Ivan IV, incorrupt
Russia, Moscow, 1493-1549, Saint, Adrian of Ondrusov, aka Andrew Zavalushin; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Adrian of Ondrusov (in the world the nobleman Andrew Zavalushin), was the owner of a rich estate (Andreevschina), 9 versts from the monastery of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). He accidentally encountered Saint Alexander of Svir during a stag hunt in 1493, and after this he went often to him for guidance, and supplied bread for the ascetics. his estate, he took monastic tonsure at the Valaamo monastery with the name Adrian. Several years later, with the blessing of Saint Alexander of Svir, Saint Adrian settled in a solitary place on the peninsula of Lake Ladoga. There he built a church in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Opposite the settlement of monks in the deep forest was an island, Sala (the Thicket), where there was a gang of robbers under the leadership of Ondrusa as their ataman. Encountering the monks, the ataman demanded that they get off his land. Saint Adrian, knowing that he did not have money to buy the place, promised the ataman to intercede for him before God. The robber laughed at the monk, but he entreated him so long and so humbly, that the ataman softened and said, “Live.” ataman was soon taken captive by another gang, hidden not far from the stoney Cape of Storozhev. The hapless fellow knew that after suffering, torture and death awaited him, and he bitterly repented of his former life. Suddenly, he saw Saint Adrian before him. He said, “You are freed through the mercy of the Lord, for Whose sake you were asked to show mercy to the wilderness brethren,” and he vanished. ataman saw himself without fetters at the shore, and with no one around. Astonished, he rushed to the monastery of Saint Adrian and found all the ascetics chanting Psalms. It seemed that Saint Adrian had not left the monastery. The robber fell at the knees of the saint and begged to be accepted as one of the brethren. He finished his life in repentance at the monastery. The robber of another gang also repented. Through the prayers of Saint Adrian, he was tonsured with the name Cyprian. Afterwards, at the place of a tributary, he built a monastery and was glorified by miracles. monastery of Saint Adrian received an endowment from Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584). In August 1549, Saint Adrian was godfather for Anna, daughter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. When the saint was returning from Moscow to the monastery, robbers killed him near the village of Obzha, hoping to find money. The brethren waited for a long time for their Superior, and two years later, he appeared one night in a vision to a few Elders and told them of his death. On another day, May 17, the brethren found his incorrupt body in a swamp and committed it to burial in the wall of his church in honor of Saint Nicholas. memory of Saint Adrian, having received the martyr’s crown, has come to be celebrated twice: on the day of the finding and transfer of his relics (May 17), and on the day of his repose, which he shares with his namesake, the holy Martyr Adrian.

Russia, Moscow, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, by Luke, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L
Lithuania, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, transfer from Moscow to V, by Luke, 1472 to Moscow w Sophia m Ivan III, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L, I the Terrible tries to bring it back 1533; Vilnius (Vilno, Vilna), Lithuania; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on February 15; celebration commemorates the transfer of the Icon from Moscow to Vil'na (Vilnius), Lithuania. to local tradition, this Icon (of the Hodegetria type) was painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke, and was brought from Palestine to Constantinople. For many years it belonged to the family of the Byzantine emperors. Later, they sent the Icon to the rulers of Galicia and Chervona Rus'. the fall of the Galician principality, the Icon became the property of the Great Princes of Moscow. It did not stay In Moscow very long, however. In 1495, Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505), blessed his daughter Elena with the Icon before giving her in marriage to the Lithuanian Grand Duke Alexander. Thus, the Icon came with her to the Lithuanian capital of Vil'na, where it remains today. to another legend, which is more credible, this Icon was brought to Moscow by Princess Sophia Palaiologina in 1472 when she married Ivan III. Both legends converge in all other details. Princess Elena died, the holy Icon of the Mother of God was placed above her tomb in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos. the relationship between the courts of Moscow and Lithuania came to an end, Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) tried to bring the wonderworking Icon back to Moscow, offering Grand Duke Sigismund II of Lithuania (1520-1572) fifty noble Lithuanian prisoners in exchange, but Sigismund strongly opposed this, because all the clergy, both the Orthodox and the Uniates, did not want to lose this treasure. Icon remained In the Cathedral of the Mother of God until the XVIII century, Later, it was moved to the church of Saint John the Forerunner. Afterward, the Icon was transferred to Vil'na's Holy Trinity Monastery, which was then in possession of the Uniates, and the Cathedral of the Mother if God was also given to them. in 1839 were Holy Trinity Monastery and the Hodegetria Icon returned to the Orthodox. Since that time, the Icon of the Mother of God has been there with other local icons, and was honored by all the Orthodox. It has replaced her lost Ostro Bram (the Dawn Gates) Icon (which is commemorated on December 26 and April 14). Hodegetria Icon is painted on four boards which have been joined together. Some are made of cypress wood, and the others of birch. It was restored in 1864. a monastery on the outskirts of Vil'na, there is another Vil'na Icon, which appeared in 1341. It is not unlike the Hodegetria Icon. It is a full length depiction of the Mother of God, who stands on a crescent moon, and Holy Angels hold a crown over her pure head. In some variations of this Icon she stands on clouds, surrounded by Angels, and is wearing a crown. Vil'na Icon is also commemorated on April 14.

Russia, Moscow, 1495-1497, Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Vladimir Cathedral, Killed by Tartars, incorrupt relics
Russia, Kiev, 1495-1497, Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Vladimir Cathedral, Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral, Killed by Tartars, incorrupt relics; Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral; , Commemorated on May 1; 1495, after the death of Metropolitan Jonah of Kiev, Macarius was chosen and ordained in his place by an assembly of hierarchs; Vassian of Vladimir, Luke of Polotsk, Vassian of Turov and Jonah of Lutsk. of blessing were sent from Constantinople by the Patriarch Niphon, confirming the election of Saint Macarius to the metropolitan See of Kiev. May 1, 1497 Tatars invading Russia killed Metropolitan Macarius of Kiev and All Rus in the village of Strigolovo, at the River Vzhischa, where the saint was conducting divine services. Many of his flock were killed with him, or taken into captivity . holy incorrupt relics of Saint Macarius, glorified by God with miracles, rest now at Kiev at the Vladimir cathedral church.

Russia, Moscow, 1400, 15th-17th Century Folder, Third Rome, Orthodox Protector.kmz

Russia, Moscow, 1500-1599, 16th Century Folder, Return of Smolensk, War with Protestants

Russia, Moscow, 1501-1540, Loginus oKoryazhma, Vologda, started&built Koryazhma monastery, near Solvychegod, igumen
Russia, Vologda, 1501-1540, Loginus oKoryazhma, Vologda (Koryazhma River Mouth, near Vychegda River Mouth), a monk fObnora&Solvychegod monasteries, tKoryazhema, 10Versts fSolvychegod, cells&chapel first, then aChurch&Monastery, Longinus the igumen, he dug aWell, L died 1540, L buried near enterance, 1556 placed inside, special service, life compiled aLater time; Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ; Koryazhemsk monastery; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ; Longinus of Koryazhemsk first pursued asceticism at the monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora, then lived at the Saints Boris and Gleb Solvychegod monastery. there he settled with his friend Simon near Vychegda, toward the mouth of the Koryazhema river. deep in the countryside, ten versts from Solvychegod, the ascetics built cells and a chapel. brethren gathered around them, they built a church named for Saint Nicholas, and built a monastery in which the saint was igumen. the church there was a well, dug out by Saint Longinus himself. his death in 1540 the saint’s body was buried, in accord with his last wishes, near the entrance to the church. years later, it was placed inside the church. memory of Saint Longinus is celebrated with a special service, and there is a brief Life, compiled at a later time.

Russia, Moscow, 1501-1550, Adrian Poshekhonye, icongrphr, strict rule, benefactors, mysterious lowly one, defending angels
Poshekhonye; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. In the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. But the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Saint Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. A certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. He also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. The astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. Returning to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian. Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1501, Suprasl Icon miracles, Orthodox and Catholics, Suprasl, Poland (Narew River 6)
Suprasl; Suprasl monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type.

Russia, Moscow, 1501, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Russia, Moscow, 1501, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk, Belarus
Russia, Crimea, 1500, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk ; Russia, Crimea, 988, Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great; Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Grear Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday. Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1501, Minsk Icon, Belarus, Tartar threw into Dnipr, floated upstream to Minsk, d light, m miracles recorded
Russia, Belarus, 996, Icon of Minsk, Belarus (Svislocha River 1), brought from Korsun by Vladimir to Kiev Tithes, 500 yrs, 1500 Tartar threw into Dnipr, floated upstream to Minsk, d light, Uniate monastery 1616, Orthodox 1839, friday Akathist, many miracles recorded; Minsk, Belarus (White Rus) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Great Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. it was transferred to the cathedral. 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday.

Russia, Moscow, 1501, Basil and Constantine, Rostov, both ruled lke Christians1230, under&to Horde, both incorrupt relics1501
Russia, Moscow, 1501, Basil and Constantine, Yaroslavl, Rostov, both ruled lke Christians 1230, under & to Horde, both incorrupt relics uncovered 1501; Yaroslav; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Moscow, 1504-1554, Nilus oStolbensk Lake, strict fasting, stillness, never lie down, aroused enemy, woods fire, robbers
Russia, Tver, 1504-1554, Nilus oStolbensk Lake, Tver (Volga River Source), 1505 Savva oKrypetsk monk, Pskov, 10yrs, River Sereml&Ostashkova, 13yrs, incl devil as reptiles wild beasts, people came so led by voice tLake Seliger&Stolobnoye island, dense forest, dug cave from small hill, built hut, 26 yrs, strict fasting, stillness, never lie down, enemy aroused, fire to woods, flames out miraculously, robbers to Icon treasure in corner, blinded, repentence tears, many other miracles, refused gifts from impure, prepared his own grave, ltime of death ast Holy mysteries, censed icons and died; Stolbensk Lake; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Nilus of Stolobnoye was born into a peasant family in a small village of the Novgorod diocese. the year 1505 he was tonsured at the monastery of Saint Savva of Krypetsk (August 28) near Pskov. ten years in ascetic life at the monastery he set out to the River Sereml, on the side of the city of Ostashkova; for thirteen years he led a strict ascetic life in incessant struggle against the snares of the devil, who took on the appearance of reptiles and wild beasts. of the inhabitants of the surrounding area started coming to the monk for instruction, but this became burdensome for him and he prayed God to show him a place for deeds of quietude. after long prayer he heard a voice saying, “Nilus! Go to Lake Seliger. upon the island of Stolobnoye you can be saved!” Saint Nilus learned the location of this island from people who visited him. When he arrived there, he was astonished by its beauty. island, in the middle of the lake, was covered over by dense forest. Nilus found a small hill and dug out a cave, after a while he built a hut, in which he lived for twenty-six years. his exploits of strict fasting and stillness [ie. hesychia] added another —he never lay down to sleep, but permitted himself only a light nap, leaning on a prop set into the wall of the cell. pious life of the monk frequently roused the envy of the Enemy of mankind, evidenced itself through the spiteful action of the local inhabitants. time someone set fire to the woods on the island where stood the saint’s hut, the flames went out in miraculous manner upon reaching the hill. time robbers forced their way into the hut. The monk said to them: “All my treasure is in the corner of the cell.” In this corner stood an icon of the Mother of God, but the robbers began to search there for money and became blinded. Then with tears of repentance they begged for forgiveness. Nilus performed many other miracles. He would refuse gifts if the conscience of the one offering it to him was impure, or if they were in bodily impurity. of his approaching end, Saint Nilus prepared a grave for himself. the time of his death, an igumen from one of the nearby monasteries came to the island and communed him with the Holy Mysteries. the igumen’s departure, Saint Nilus prayed for the last time, censing around the holy icons and the cell, and surrendered his soul to the Lord on December 7, 1554. translation of his holy relics (now venerated at the church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” in the city of Ostashkova) took place in the year 1667, with feastdays established both on the day of his death, and on May 27.

Russia, Moscow, 1505-1533, Vasili III, Basil IIIl, Adequate, consolidation, annexed Pskov, captured Smolensk
Moscow Prince, 1505-1533, Vasili III, Basil, Grand Prince of Moscow ; III Ivanovich (also Basil; 25 March 1479-3 December 1533) was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. He was the son of Ivan III Vasiliyevich and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil . had three brothers: Yuri, born in 1480, Simeon, born in 1487 and Andrei, born in 1490, as well as five sisters: Elena (born and died in 1474), Feodosiya (born and died in 1475), another Elena (born 1476), another Feodosiya (born 1485) and Eudoxia (born 1492).[1] is sometimes mockingly referred to as Vasili the Adequate due to his rule taking place between those of Ivan the Great and his son Ivan the Terrible, as well as the relative uneventfulness of his reign. affairs[edit] Map of Russia (Moscovia) published by Sigismund von Herberstein in 1549 III continued the policies of his father Ivan III and spent most of his reign consolidating Ivan's gains. Vasili annexed the last surviving autonomous provinces: Pskov in 1510, appanage of Volokolamsk in 1513, principalities of Ryazan in 1521 and Novgorod-Seversky in 1522. also took advantage of the difficult position of Sigismund of Poland to capture Smolensk, the great eastern fortress of Lithuania (siege started 1512, ended in 1514), chiefly through the aid of the rebel Lithuanian, Prince Mikhail Glinski, who provided him with artillery and engineers. The loss of Smolensk was an important injury inflicted by Russia on Lithuania in the course of the Russo-Lithuanian Wars and only the exigencies of Sigismund compelled him to acquiesce in its surrender (1522).[2] 1521 Vasili received an emissary of the neighboring Iranian Safavid Empire, sent by Shah Ismail I whose ambitions were to construct an Irano-Russian alliance against the common enemy, the Ottoman Empire.[3] was equally successful against the Crimean Khanate. Although in 1519 he was obliged to buy off the Crimean khan, Mehmed I Giray, under the very walls of Moscow, towards the end of his reign he established Russian influence on the Volga. In 1531-“32 he placed the pretender Cangali khan on the throne of Khanate of Kazan.[2] was the first grand-duke of Moscow who adopted the title of tsar and the double-headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire.[2] affairs[edit] Vasili Basil of Caesarea and prince Vasili III of Russia. Icon internal policy, Vasili III enjoyed the support of the Church in his struggle with the feudal opposition. In 1521, metropolitan Varlaam was banished for refusing to participate in Vasili's fight against an appanage prince, Vasili Ivanovich Shemyachich. Rurikid princes Vasili Shuisky and Ivan Vorotynsky were also sent into exile. The diplomat and statesman, Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev, was executed in 1525 for criticizing Vasili's policies. Maximus the Greek (publicist), Vassian Patrikeyev (statesman) and others were sentenced for the same reason in 1525 and 1531. During the reign of Vasili III, the landownership of the gentry increased, while authorities actively tried to limit immunities and privileges of boyars and the nobility. life[edit] Church of Ascension was built by Vasili III to commemorate the birth of his heir. 1526 when he was 47 years old, Vasili had been married to Solomonia Saburova for over 20 years with no heir to his throne being produced. Conscious of her husband's disappointment, Solomonia tried to remedy this by consulting sorcerers and going on pilgrimages. When this proved unsuccessful, Vasili consulted the boyars, announcing that he did not trust his two brothers to handle Russia's affairs. boyars suggested that he take a new wife, and despite much opposition from the clergy, he divorced his barren wife and married Princess Elena Glinskaya, the daughter of a Serbian princess and niece of his friend Michael Glinski. many of the boyars approved of his choice, as Elena was of Catholic upbringing. Vasili was so smitten that he defied Russian social norms and trimmed his beard to appear younger. After three days of matrimonial festivity, the couple consummated their marriage, though initially it appeared that Elena was as sterile as Solomonia. Russian populace began to suspect this was a sign of God's disapproval of the marriage. However, to the great joy of Vasili and the populace, the new tsaritsa gave birth to a son, who would succeed him as Ivan IV. Three years later, a second son, Yuri, was born.[1] to a story, Solomonia Saburova also bore a son in the convent where she had been confined, just several months after the controversial divorce. out hunting on horseback near Volokolamsk, Vasili felt a great pain in his right hip, the result of an abscess. He was transported to the village of Kolp, where he was visited by two German doctors who were unable to stop the infection with conventional remedies. that his time was short, Vasili requested to be returned to Moscow, where he was kept in the Saint Joseph Cathedral along the way. By 25 November 1533, Vasili reached Moscow and asked to be made a monk before dying. Taking on the name Varlaam, Vasili died at midnight, 4 December 1533.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; St Macarius of Oredezhsk, Commemorated on August 9 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated August 10 ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on October 20; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Blessed John ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe HairyÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15; St Sophia, Commemorated on December 16; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated on January 21; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on February 10; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœVirgin of TendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1505-1542, Sophia 0Suzdal, chosen f500 bride Prince Basil, Time oTroubles succession crisis, wworkng Nun
Russia, Vladimir, 1505-1542, Sophia oSuzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), mother died, raised by Aunt Eudokia, 1505 chosen f500 bride Prince Basil, son oIvanIII, married aDormition C Moscow Kremlin, first boyer family princess, unable tConceive, brothers wInherit so Basil imprisoned them, extinction Rurikid dynasty & Time oTroubles succession crisis, despite her radiant beauty, exemplary morals, mild character Basil divorced her, then married daughter Lithuanian Prince, condemned by Patriarchs, P oJerusalem predicted Cruel Child be born, Ivan tTerrible born 1530, best Russian people stood fSophia, Met Maximos removed imprisoned, a first, S forced tbNun, aNativity monastery Moscow, tProtection m Suzdal, 17yrs ascetic, died 1542, rumors oHoliness, called Monastic martyr, wonderworker, graveside miracle cures, 1609 Pole invasion Suzdal saved she appeared frightful form scaring Lisovsky, healings 1610 blind woman, 1646 paralyzed girl, amnesia woman, 1647 blind Nun, & deaf woman, 1648 paralized woman, 1649 blind woman, 1650 local venoration, her wonderworking icon, 1916 Orthodox ven, 2007 Church-wide ven, relics uncovered 1995; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; Sophia (in the world Great Princess Solomonia Yurievna) was born around 1490, daughter of the noble Yuri Saburov. mother died when she was young, and she was raised by her aunt Eudokia (her father's sister). the year 1505 she was chosen as the bride of the heir to the throne, the future Great Prince Basil III. was selected from among 500 girls from all over the country, who were presented at court for this purpose. wedding of Prince Basil and Solomonia took place on September 4, 1505, in the presence of the groom's father, Ivan III. Simon blessed the couple at the Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. she married Basil, her father was raised to the rank of boyar. the first time in Moscow's history, a Great Prince took neither a foreign princess nor a Russian princess as his wife, a bride who came from a boyar family. twenty years, it became apparent that Solomonia was unable to conceive a child. understood perfectly that if he died childless his brothers would inherit the throne. order to preclude that possibility, they were imprisoned or forbidden to marry until his own son was born. the end, this led to the extinction of the Rurikid dynasty, to the succession crisis known as the Time of Troubles. her radiant beauty, exemplary morals, and mild character, Solomonia's failure to produce an heir must have weighed upon Basil's relations with his wife, who turned to foreign doctors for help. 1525, the Great Prince decided to divorce Solomonia, with the approval of Metropolitan Daniel and the boyars, other Church authorities declared the divorce was unlawful. order to obtain an heir, Great Prince Basil decided to marry Elena Glinska, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Basil Glinsky. action of the Great Prince Basil was condemned by all the Patriarchs, Patriarch Mark of Jerusalem even predicted that of this second marriage a "cruel child" would be born, who would fill Russia with blood and horrors. the Terrible was born in 1530, and Basil's second son, Yuri, was feeble-minded. the best Russian people of that time stood up for the blameless and miserable Great Princess: Metropolitan Barlaam, Saint Maximos the Greek (January 21) and others. all their protests were in vain. the first time in Russian history, a Great Prince removed a Metropolitan from office and imprisoned him in a monastery. Maximos was not allowed to serve, and others were persecuted as well. Andrew Kurbsky called Princess Solomonia "innocent and holy." November 25, 1525 Basil ordered Solomonia to become a nun. tonsured with the name Sophia, she was sent under guard to the Nativity Monastery in Moscow. she was moved to the Protection Monastery in Suzdal, one of the many churches established by Basil and his wife, where prayers were offered for the birth of an heir. her ascetical struggles, Saint Sophia banished all worldly thoughts from her heart, and dedicated herself entirely to God. reposed on December 18, 1542, after living as a nun for seventeen years. concerning Sophia's holiness quickly spread throughout Russia. a letter to Tsar Ivan, Prince Andrew Kurbsky calls the Right-believing Princess “a Monastic Martyr.” a manuscript of the Lives of the Saints she is called “Holy Venerable Princess Sophia the Nun, the Wonderworker, who dwelt in the Protection Monastery.” the reign of Tsar Theodore (the son of Ivan the Terrible) she was revered as a Saint. Irene sent to Suzdal, “to the Great Princess Solomonia, also called Sophia, a velvet veil depicting the Savior and other Saints.” Joseph wrote to Archbishop Serapion of Suzdal instructing him to have Panikhidas and Molebens served for the Nun Sophia. sacristan Ananias of Suzdal speaks of several miraculous cures at her grave. 1609, during an invasion by the Poles, she saved Suzdal from destruction, appearing in a frightful form to the Polish military commander Lisovsky. with fear, he swore to spare the city and monastery. 1610 a peasant woman named Theodosia was healed after being afflicted with blindness for a year and a half. 1646 a girl, Irene Popova, was healed after being paralyzed for several years. same summer a woman named Juliana was cured of amnesia. Nun Theodora was healed in 1647 after being blind for two and a half months. same year Julitta Ivanova, a resident of the village of Kideksha, was healed after being deaf for two years. of Suzdal was healed of paralysis in 1648 after several years. 1649 the Nun Alexandra (Trusov) of the Protection Monastery was healed after losing her sight. other miracles took place, and continue to take place, through the intercession of Saint Sophia. 1650, Patriarch Joseph told the Archbishop of Suzdal to permit her local veneration as a Saint. the middle of the XVIII century, the question of her canonization arose. icon, painted in the XVII century, has survived to this day and is considered a wonderworking icon. with the blessing of the Holy Synod, her name was included in the Orthodox Church Calendar in 1916. 2007, her Church-wide veneration took place, and her Service was included in the Menaion. Sophia's tomb in the Protection Monastery was highly revered. August 14, 1995, the solemn uncovering of her relics took place. On that day, a Moleben was served at her tomb. With the blessing of Metropolitan Eulogios, the Church Archaeological Commission made excavations, and the Saint's relics were found and transferred to the Protection Cathedral. Sophia is also commemorated on June 23, the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir.

Russia, Moscow, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, Translated Psalms into Slavonic, suffered unjust persecution patiently, grave grace
Greece, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, fArta, Epirus, Greece (Arta Bridge, Arachthos River 3), rich dignatary's son, studied languages sciences iEurope, Paris Florence Venice, tAthos Vatopedi m, there studied ancient manuscripts left there by Emperors Monks Andronicus Paleologos&John Kantakuzenos, Moscow GP Basil III translator tSlavic, Anotated Psalms first, some imperfections but Met liked his work, New Met things changed, Met Daniel wanted Max to translate history containing Arius' letters, Max refused, rift between them, Max continued Russia spiritual enlightenment, letters against moslems, Roman Catholics, and Pagans, translated Chrysostom's Matthew&John commentaries, +Own works, GP wanted divorce but Max sent him advice not to yield bestial passions, Prince never forgave Max, locked in prison, much suffering, translation mistakes regarded deliberate, difficult but Max granted the great mercy of God, Angel appeared, endure father, temporary pain for eternal torments deliverance, wrote present cannon on prison wall, as manna from heaven, fill my soul with Holy Spirit, that through HS I may serve thee always, after 6yrs sent tTver, wrote patience suffering unjustly, after 20 yrs aTver excommunication removed, tTrinity Sergiev for rest of life, reposed 1556, buried there, many grace manifistations, on Radonezh Saints Icon Arta, Greece (Arachthos River 3) Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Maximus the Greek was the son of a rich Greek dignitary in the city of Arta (Epiros), he received a splendid education. his youth he travelled widely and he studied languages and sciences (i.e. intellectual disciplines) in Europe, spending time in Paris, Florence, and Venice. returning to his native land, he went to Athos and became a monk at the Vatopedi monastery. And with enthusiasm he studied ancient manuscripts left on Athos by the Byzantine Emperors Andronicus Paleologos and John Kantakuzenos (who became monks). this period the Moscow Great Prince Basil III (1505-1533) wanted to make an inventory of the Greek manuscripts and books of his mother, Sophia Paleologina, he asked the Protos of the Holy Mountain, Igumen Simeon, to send him a translator. Maximus was chosen to go to Moscow, he had been brought up on secular and ecclesiastical books from his youth. his arrival, he was asked to translate patristic and liturgical books into Slavonic, with the Annotated Psalter. Maximus tried to fulfill his task, but since Slavonic was not his native language, there were certain imprecisions in the translations. Barlaam of Moscow highly valued the work of Saint Maximus, when the See of Moscow was occupied by Metropolitan Daniel, the situation changed. new Metropolitan ordered Saint Maximus to translate the Church History of Theodoritus of Cyrrhus into Slavonic. Maximus absolutely refused this commission, out that “in this history are included letters of the heretic Arius, and this might present danger for the semi-literate.” refusal caused a rift between Maximus and the Metropolitan. their differences, Saint Maximus continued to labor for the spiritual enlightenment of Rus. wrote letters against Moslems, Roman Catholics, and pagans. translated Saint John Chrysostom’s Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, he also wrote several works of his own. the Great Prince wished to divorce his wife Solomonia because of her infertility, dauntless confessor Maximus sent the Prince his “Instructive Chapters on Initiating Right Belief,” which he persuasively demonstrated that the Prince was obliged not to yield to bestial passions. Prince never forgave Maximus for his audacity, and locked Saint Maximus in prison. that moment a new period began in the life of the monk, filled with much suffering. in his translations were regarded as deliberate and intentional corruptions of the text by Saint Maximus. was difficult for him in prison, in his sufferings the saint also gained the great mercy of God. angel appeared to him and said, “Endure, Abba! Through this temporary pain you will be delivered from eternal torments.” prison the Elder wrote a Canon to the Holy Spirit in charcoal upon a wall, even at present is read in the Church: “Just as Israel was nourished with manna in the wilderness of old, so Master, fill my soul with the All-Holy Spirit, that through Him I may serve Thee always....” six years, Saint Maximus was set free from prison and sent to Tver. he lived under the supervision of the good-natured Bishop Acacius, who dealt kindly with guiltless sufferer. saint then wrote in his autobiography: “While I was locked in prison and grieving, I consoled and strengthened myself with patience. ” Here are some more words from this vivid text: “Neither grieve, nor be sad, beloved soul, that you have suffered unjustly, for it behooves you to accept all for your benefit.” after twenty years at Tver did they decide to let Maximus live freely, and remove the church excommunication. Maximus, now about seventy years of age, spent the final years of his life at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. and work took their toil on his health, his spirit remained vigorous, he continued with his work. with his cell-attendant and disciple Nilus, the saint translated the Psalter from Greek into Slavonic. Maximus reposed on January 21, 1556. was buried at the northwest wall of the Holy Spirit church of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. manifestations of grace took place at the grave of Saint Maximus, a Troparion and Kontakion were composed in his honor. Maximus is depicted on the icon of the Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh (July 6).

Russia, Moscow, 1505-1583, Trypphon oPechenga&Kola, early age resolve tLapplanders, gradually m converted by kindness meekness
Russia, Vologda, 1505-1583, Trypphon oPechenga and Kola, fNovgorod governia, priestly family, resolved go tLaplanders from early age, fish vendor accounts, heard voice in forest, this not your place, tKola penninsula, Pechenga River, wLapps lived, trading wThem, learned their pagan beliefs, studied Lapp language, they mistrust, hardships, hostility, beatings, gradually through kind meekness, many converted, church built help Novgorod Archbishop, wTheodoretos, 1532 founded Pechenga-Trinity M, Ivan tTerrible helped him, died 1583 a98, 1589 Swedes destroyed m, later m transferred tKola Penninsula, there monastery church named fTryphon, Tryphon's burial place at destroyed P-T m not forgotten, 1708 Sretensky Church there, then 1886 monastery there, church destroyed 1944, monastery restoration 2009-12 new church, miracles by invoking Tryphon with faith, rescued sailors, calmed storms, healed deafness, blindness & paralysis; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Tryphon of Pechenga and Kola (Mētrophánēs in the world), was born in the Novgorod governia into a priestly family. pious parents raised their son in the fear of God. his early years Tryphon had resolved to devote his life to apostolic deeds and to go to the pagan Laplanders to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. had heard of them only through the accounts of fish vendors. while praying in the forest he had heard a voice, “Tryphon, this is not your place. An inhospitable and thirsting land awaits you.” his parental home, the Saint went out to the Kola Peninsula and halted on the banks of the Pechenga River, where the Lapps lived. he began to trade with them. First the Saint acquainted himself with the pagan beliefs of those people and studied their language, then he began to preach the Christian Faith to them. Lapps listened to his words with great mistrust. suffered many hardships, enduring hostility and even beatings. gradually, through his wise and kindly words and meekness, many were converted to Christ. the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Novogord, Tryphon and Saint Theodóretos (August 17) built a church for the new converts. 1532 he founded the Pechenga-Trinity Monastery for those who were zealous for the monastic life, “on the cold sea, on the frontier of Murmansk.” Ivan the Terrible helped him and richly endowed the Monastery. Enlightener of the Lapps went to the Lord in 1583 at the age of 98, after living in Lapland for almost 70 years. veneration of Saint Tryphon began soon after his death. 1589, the Swedes destroyed the Pechenga monastery. by order of Tsar Theodore, the Monastery was transferred to the Kola Peninsula. the site of the restored Monastery a church was built and named for Saint Tryphon. Swedes destroyed Pechenga Monastery in 1589, but the Saint's burial place under the altar was not forgotten. 1708-1709 the Sretensky church was built here, which the Monastery was revived in 1886. church was destroyed again in 1944, but after the restoration of the Monastery in 2009-2012 a new church was built over the Saint's relics. who invoke Saint Tryphon with faith have received his miraculous help. during his lifetime he rescued shipwrecked sailors, calmed storms at sea, and healed those who suffered from deafness, blindness, and paralysis.

Russia, Moscow, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel
Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel, founder Irap Wilderness Monastery, orphan near Komel Monastery, accepted by Cornelius, monk Philip, priest, withdrew near White Lake, built Irapa River Chapel near Cherepovets, monks flock+Laity, lived there 15 yrs &died 1536, age 45, relics, icon over grave, Kransnoborsk Phillippov Monastery there; Irap near Novgorod, 45 versts from Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda Cherepovets ; Saint Philip, Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, in the world Theophilus, was the founder of the Irap wilderness-monastery. an orphan and not remembering his parents, the twelve-year-old Theophilus wandered about and eventually settled near the Komel monastery and lived on charity. Cornelius (May 19) accepted the pious youth into the monastery and after three years tonsured him a monk with the name Philip. humble and hard-working, at the request of the brethren he was ordained to the priesthood. striving for greater efforts led him to withdraw to the outskirts of White Lake. having the patronage of Prince Andrew Sheleshpansky, who had allotted him land near the River Irapa, 45 versts from Cherepovets, the monk built a chapel in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and a cell for himself. about the holy wilderness-dweller spread throughout all the surrounding area, and monks began to flock to him. laity also went to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Philip would instruct them in the virtues which those living in the world ought to possess. at the place of the chapel a church was built in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity. Philip dwelt in the wilderness for fifteen years and died in 1537 at age 45. relics were placed beneath a crypt in the Trinity temple. Over his grave was an icon, painted by the monk Theodosius. Soon after the death of Saint Philip, the Krasnoborsk Philippov monastery arose on the place of his struggles. celebration of Saint Philip was established at the end of the sixteenth century. The manuscript service to him dates from the end of the sixteenth century. Venerable Cornelius, Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Komel was descended from the boyar (noble) family Kriukov. His brother Lukian served at the court of the Great Prince of Moscow. When Lukian, who was getting old, decided to go to the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake, he was followed by Cornelius, who longed for the solitary life from a young age. he was tonsured, the young Cornelius began his monastic endeavors with a difficult obedience: he wore heavy chains in the bakery. In his spare time he occupied himself with copying church books. Because of his love for solitude, Saint Cornelius later left the White Lake monastery, and he visited Rostov. Novgorod, Saint Gennadius (December 4) attempted to hold on to him, but the ascetic settled in a desolate spot near Novgorod. When people began to visit here also, he moved to the Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery. Later, in 1497, he settled in the Komel forest, not far from Vologda, where he built a cell. Monks began to gather around the cell of Saint Cornelius. In 1501 he built a wooden church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. In that year Metropolitan Simon ordained him as hieromonk. 1512, when the number of brethren had grown, the saint built a stone church and he compiled a Rule for the brethren, based on the Rules of Saints Joseph of Volokolamsk and Nilus of Sora. This was the third monastic Rule written by Russian saints. Cornelius of Komel was distinguished by his charity toward the unfortunate, and during a famine he built an orphanage in the monastery courtyard. Because of his love for the poor and orphaned, Saint Cornelius was often granted visions of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), for whom he had a special reverence. He constructed a church at his monastery in honor of this great ascetic. saint’s strictness of life provoked some of the brethren to grumbling, and Saint Cornelius was compelled to leave the monastery. He settled at Lake Sursk, 70 versts from his monastery. At times he also lived at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Interceding for the monks of the Korniliev monastery, Great Prince Basil Ivanovich urged the saint to return to his own monastery. The ascetic gave in, and having returned to his own monastery, he transferred its guidance to his disciple Laurence and shut himself in his cell. a Tatar incursion into the Vologda region Saint Cornelius went with the monks to the outskirts of White Lake. The saint died at the age of eighty-two on May 19, 1537. Many disciples of Saint Cornelius were also glorified for their holiness of life: Saints Gennadius of Liubimograd (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonye (March 5), Laurence and Cassian of Komel (May 16). commemoration of Saint Cornelius (May 19) was established on January 25, 1600 by Patriarch Job and a council of bishops. The Life of the saint was written by his disciple Nathaniel in the year 1589. There is a service and an encomium to the saint, and the Rule of Saint Cornelius has been preserved. Cornelius is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda (Third Sunday after Pentecost); and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (the Sunday after June 28).

Russia, Moscow, 1510-1557, Nicephorus oVazheozersk, disciple Alex oSvir&Cyril New Lake, estab monastery wGennadius aVazhe Lake
Vologda, 1510-1557, Nicephorus oVazheozersk, Vologda, tAlexander of Svir 1510, 1518 visit tCyril oNew Lake, Cyril came by boat and woke resting N to spend 8days spiritual converse, tKiev Caves relics, returned settled Vazhe Lake, wGennadius, N built Church&Monastery, there till 1557 death; Vazheozersk; Saints Gennadius and Nicephorus of Vazhe Lake in Vologda; his return, and with the blessing of Saint Alexander, he settled at Vazhe Lake, where Saint Gennadius pursued asceticism. Saint Nicephorus built the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived until his own death on February 9, 1557. Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Nicephorus of Vazhe Lake came to Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17) in the year 1510 and was warmly received by him. 1518 he made a visit, with the blessing of his mentor, to Saint Cyril of New Lake (February 4). Nicephorus approached New Lake, he was fatigued by his long journey and lay down in the darkness and fell asleep. Cyril hastened by boat to row across the lake and awoke him. Nicephorus spent eight days in spiritual conversation with the saint. then journeyed to Kiev to venerate the relics of the saints of the Caves. his return, and with the blessing of Saint Alexander, he settled at Vazhe Lake, Saint Gennadius pursued asceticism. Nicephorus built the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived until his own death. the second half of the nineteenth century, in the Zadne-Nikiforov wilderness, a church was built and dedicated to Saints Nicephorus and Gennadius of Vazhe Lake. relics of the saints were put to rest in a hidden place in the monastery they founded.

Russia, Moscow, 1511-1521, Metropltn, Varlaam, austere, unsycophantic to Vasily III, his conscience, deposed by V o divorce
Russia, Moscow, 1511-1521, Patriarch, Varlaam, Metropolitan of Moscow; was Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' from 1511 to 1521. From 1506 he was archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery in Moscow. was selected by Grand Prince Vasily III on July 27, 1511 and consecrated Metropolitan on August 3, 1511. was said to be austere, never sycophantic to the grand prince, and never one to do anything against his own conscience. He was of the Non-possessors, those who opposed ecclesiastical land-ownership, although that group had been defeated at earlier church councils. He also protected Maximus the Greek, who was brought to Moscow to translate Greek texts. 1515, Varlaam consecrated the main church of the Khutyn Monastery just outside Novgorod the Great (the archiepiscopal see being vacant from 1509). That same year, he consecrated the Tikhvin Monastery, also in the Novgorodian Eparchy. to a dispute with Vasily III, who wished to divorce his wife and remarry, a policy which the metropolitan opposed, Varlaam was removed from office on December 17, 1521. He was initially confined in shackles in the Kyrilo-Beloozersky Monastery north of Moscow, but was soon removed to the Spaso-Kamenyi Monastery in Vologda where he died sometime in 1522.[1] Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1512, Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga, Laurence, Fool for Christ
Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Moscow, 1512-1515, Laurence, Fool f Christ, Kaluga, sharp axe, suddenly board prince's ship, inspired soldiers
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Moscow, 1513-1555, Sergius of Malopinyega, converted Chud people, virtuous, schema
Russia, Vologda, 1513-1555, Sergius of Malopinyega, converted Chud people, k soul, p mind, c heart, humility, q strength, l truth, merciful t poor, took the schema; Mouth of the Pinyega, Malopinyega District (Pinyega River and Northern Dvina 5) Malopinyega probably somewhere near here Saint Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off “to the side of the icy sea,” when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III. in the northlands, Markian Stephanovich married Apollinaria, a maiden from a rich and noble family. The pious spouses raised their son Simeon in the fear of God, they gave him a fine education, and inculcated in him the love for “book-learning.” grown old, Markian and Apollinaria by mutual agreement went to monasteries. Markian (in monasticism Matthew) was afterwards igumen of the Resurrection monastery in the city of Keurola. Apollinaria died a schemanun with the name Pelagia. was ordained presbyter at the canonical age of thirty to serve the churches of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Great Martyr George in the Malopinega district. holy presbyter Simeon with love finished his pastoral service at age sixty-two. With apostolic zeal he labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people. The rare personal qualities of the pastor contributed much to the success of his preaching. As the Chronicle notes, he possessed a kindly soul and pure mind, a courageous heart, humility and quiet strength, love for truth, and was merciful to the poor to the point of self-denial. the final year of his life, the monk took the schema with the name Sergius and died on November 16, 1585. Following the saint’s final instructions, they buried him near the altar of the Transfiguration church. Later, a chapel was built over his grave. The old hand-written manuscript tells about the numerous miracles which occurred at the grave of the saint.

Russia, Moscow, 1514, Return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania
Russia, Moscow, 1514, Return of Smolensk to Russia; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Russia, Moscow, 1515, David oSerpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6), built Davidov Wilderness Monastery
Russia, Kaluga, 1515, David oSerpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6), built Davidov Wilderness Monastery; Serpukhov; Saint David of Serpukhov, Commemorated on October 18; David of Serpukhov, a disciple of Saint Paphnutius of Borov (May 1), lived as a hermit at the River Lopasna, 23 versts from Serpukhov. In 1515, on the right bank of the river, he built a church dedicated to the Ascension, and laid the foundations of the Davidov wilderness monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1515-1583, St Typhon of Pechenga, P Monastery founder, Enlightener of the Sami
Moscow, 1515-1583, St Typhon of Pechenga; Tryphon of Pechenga was a Russian monk and ascetic in the Eastern Orthodox Church on the Kola Peninsula and in Lapland in the 16th century. He is considered to be the founder of the Pechenga Monastery and "Enlightener of the Sami".[2] Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15; Jonah of Pechenga and Kola was, as tradition tells us, a priest in the city of Kola. the death of his daughter and wife he went off to the Pechenga-Trinity monastery near Kola, and became a disciple of its founder, Saint Tryphon. the death of his teacher, he settled in 1583 at the site of what was to become his grave in the neighboring Dormition wilderness, where he was killed by the Swedes in the year 1590.

Russia, Moscow, 1520-1588, Beheading of Cornelius of Pskov-Caves, hospicess etc, chronicles, beheaded by Ivan t T, incorrupt r
Russia, Pskov, 1520-1588, Beheading of Cornelius, Pskov-Caves Monastery (Puisa (Tolva) River 1), Igumen at 28 in 1529, successful, Esti&Saeti people, hospicess, orphan homes, plague services, Livonian War preaching churches storerooms, library, historian, chronicles tradition, beheaded by Ivan t T, incorrupt r; Pskov Caves Monestary ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius of the Pskov Caves was born in the year 1501 at Pskov into the noble family of Stephen and Maria. order to give their son an education, his parents sent him to the Pskov Mirozh monastery, where he worked under the guidance of an Elder. He made candles, chopped wood, studied his letters, transcribed and adorned books, and also painted icons. Having finished his studies, Cornelius returned to his parental home with the resolve to become a monk. the government clerk Misiur Munekhin took Cornelius with him to the Pskov Caves monastery in the woods. The solemnity of services in the cave church produced such a strong impression on Cornelius that he left his parental home forever and received monastic tonsure at the Pskov Caves monastery. 1529, at the age of twenty-eight, Saint Cornelius was made igumen and became head of the monastery. he was igumen, the Pskov Caves monastery reached its prime. The number of brethren increased from 15 to 200 men. This number of monks was not surpassed under any subsequent head of the monastery. activity of Saint Cornelius extended far beyond the bounds of the monastery. spread Orthodoxy among the Esti [Aesti] and Saeti people living around the monastery, he built churches, hospices, homes for orphans and those in need. During a terrible plague in the Pskov region Saint Cornelius walked through the plague-infested villages to give Communion to the living and to sing burial services for the dead. the Livonian war Saint Cornelius preached Christianity in the occupied cities, built churches, and distributed generous aid from the monastery storerooms to the Esti and Livonians suffering from the war. At the monastery he selflessly doctored and fed the injured and the maimed, preserved the dead in the caves, and inscribed their names in the monastery Synodikon for eternal remembrance. the year 1560, on the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Saint Cornelius sent a prosphora and holy water as blessing for the Russian armies besieging the city of Thellin. On that very day the Germans surrendered the city. 1570 when a See was established in Livonian Yuriev, a certain igumen Cornelius was appointed as Bishop of Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin). Some have identified him with Saint Cornelius, but this does not correspond with actual events. Cornelius was a great lover of books, and at the monastery there was quite a collection of books. In 1531 his work entitled, “An Account of the Origin of the Pechersk Monastery” appeared. In the mid-sixteenth century the Pskov Caves monastery took over the tradition of writing chronicles from the Spaso-Eleaszar monastery. the start of the chronicles were accounts of the first two Pskov chronicles from 1547 to 1567. Besides this, Igumen Cornelius left behind a great monastery Synodikon for remembering the deceased brothers and benefactors of the monastery, and from the year 1588 he began to maintain the “Stern Book” [“Kormovaya kniga”: since the rear of a ship is called the stern, the sense of the title is “looking back in remembrance”]. He also compiled a “Description of the Monastery” and a “Description of the Miracles of the Pechersk Icon of the Mother of God.” Cornelius expanded and beautified the monastery, he further enlarged the monastery caves, he moved the wooden church of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste beyond the monastery enclosure to the monastery gate, and on its site he built a church in the name of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the year 1541. In 1559, he constructed a church dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Caves monastery, on the frontier of the Russian state, was not only a beacon of Orthodoxy, but also a bulwark against the external enemies of Russia. 1558-1565, Saint Cornelius built a massive stone wall around the monastery, and over the holy gates, he built a stone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, entrusting the protection of the monastery to him. In the church was a sculpted wooden icon of “Nicholas the Warrior.” the chronicle compiled by the hierodeacon Pitirim, the martyric death of Saint Cornelius was recorded: “This blessed Igumen Cornelius ... was igumen forty-one years and two months. Not only as a monk, but also by his fasting and holy life, he was an image of salvation ... in these times there was much unrest in the Russian land. Finally, the earthly Tsar (Ivan the Terrible) sent him from this corruptible life to the Heavenly King in the eternal habitations, on February 20, 1570, in his 69th year.” (This information is on a ceramic plate, from the ceramics covering the mouth of the tomb of Saint Cornelius). the ancient manuscripts of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra it was written that Igumen Cornelius came out from the monastery gates with a cross to meet the Tsar. Ivan the Terrible, angered by a false slander, beheaded him with his own hands, but then immediately repented of his deed, and carried the body to the monastery. The pathway made scarlet by the blood of Saint Cornelius, along which the Tsar carried his body to the Dormition church, became known as the “Bloody Path.” Evidence of the Tsar’s repentance was the generous recompense he made to the Pskov Caves monastery after the death of Saint Cornelius. The name of the igumen Cornelius was inscribed in the Tsar’s Synodikon. body of Saint Cornelius was set into the wall of “the cave formed by God,” where it remained for 120 years without corruption. In the year 1690, Metropolitan Marcellus of Pskov and Izborsk, had the relics transferred from the cave to the Dormition cathedral church and placed in a new crypt in the wall. December 17, 1872 the relics of Saint Cornelius were transferred from the former tomb into a copper-silver reliquary. They were placed into a new reliquary in 1892. It is presumed that the service to the martyr was composed for the Uncovering of the Relics in the year 1690.

Russia, Moscow, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei
Moscow, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei in 1521. The Tatar hordes approached Moscow, burning and destroying Russian cities and villages, and exterminating their inhabitants. Prince Basil raised an army against the Tatars, while Metropolitan Barlaam and the people of Moscow prayed fervently for deliverance. At this time a certain pious blind nun had a vision. She saw Moscow’s bishop-saints exiting from the Savior gates of the Kremlin, forsaking the city and taking with them the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the holiest object in the city of Moscow. This was God’s chastisement for the sins of its inhabitants. the Savior gates the holy hierarchs were met by Saints Sergius of Radonezh (Sept. 25) and Barlaam of Khutyn (Nov. 6), tearfully imploring them not to leave Moscow. All of them offered intense prayer to the Lord for the forgivness of their transgressions and the deliverance of Moscow from its enemies. After this prayer the bishop-saints returned to the Kremlin, and they carried back the holy Vladimir Icon. Basil the Blessed (August 2) saw a similar vision. It was revealed to him that Moscow would be saved, through the intercession of the Theotokos and the prayers of the saints. The Tatar Khan also had a vision of the Mother of God with a fearsome host, contending against his forces. The Tatars fled in fear, and the capital of the Russian realm was saved. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on June 23 and August 26.

Russia, Moscow, 1521, Tenderness Icon painted and transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581
Russia, Pskov, 1521, Tenderness Icon transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581; Siege of Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Moscow, 1521-1581, Ananias tIconographer, Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, icons many wonderworkers, never beyond m fence
Russia, Novgorod, 1521-1581, Ananias the Iconographer, Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, endowed painting gift, marvelous icons many holy wonderworkers, never beyond m fence 30 yrs; Antoniev monastery; Venerable Ananias the Iconographer, Commemorated on June 25; Ananias was born in Russia and was tonsured in the monastery of Saint Antony the Roman at Novgorod. endowed him with a gift for painting icons, and he exercised this talent for the glory of the Lord. Venerable Ananias painted "marvelous icons of many holy wonderworkers." thirty-three years, he never went beyond the fence of the monastery. records do not agree about the year of his repose. Some say that he went to the Lord in 1521, 1561, or 1581. His relics are buried in a hidden place at the Monastery. Ananias is commemorated on the third Sunday of Pentecost and on June 17.

Russia, Moscow, 1522-1539, Patriarch, Daniel, Metropolitan of Moscow
Russia, Moscow, 1522-1539, Patriarch, Daniel, Metropolitan of Moscow; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1524, Voronisk icon appeared in 1524, Sura River Mouth, Volga 9, Chuvash
Voroninsk (Sura River Mouth, Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; Holy Icon of the Voroninsk Mother of God was situated in the Voroninsk Dormition of the Mother of God hermitage in the Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance. Its appearance occurred in 1524.

Russia, Moscow, 1525, Directress Icon of Smolensk, , by Luke, graceful copies, return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania 1514
Russia, Kiev, 1525, Directress Icon of Smolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2, Varangian Trade Route, Moscow Road to Poland), original painted by Luke, many graceful copies, Russian protectress, from Antioch to Jerusalem to Constantinople Blachernae Church, to Kiev in Russia to Pereyslavl to Smolensk, directed Mercurius to Batu's camp, to Lithuanian Princes, to Moscow, 1456 returned to Smolensk, 2 copies remained in Moscow, 1602 exact copy, new copy same power, it defended Rus armies 1812 and healed sick wounded Lefortovo palace, to Yaroslavl, 1525 return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania in 1514; Smolensk; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria Icon of the Theotokos, or She who leads the way, was, according to Church Tradition, painted by the holy Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos. holy hierarch Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this icon was painted at the request of Theophilus, the prefect of Antioch. Antioch the holy image was transferred to Jerusalem. there the empress Eudokia, the spouse of Arcadius, gave it at Constantinople to Pulcheria, the sister of the emperor, put the holy icon in the Blachernae church. 1046, the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1054), gave his daughter Anna in marriage to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. blessed her on her way with this icon. the death of Prince Vsevolod the icon went to his son Vladimir Monomachos, transferred it at the beginning of the twelfth century into the Smolensk cathedral church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. that time, the icon was known as the Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria. the year 1238, at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercurius went by night into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in whose number was their most powerful warrior. accepted a martyr’s death in battle, he was included by the Church in the ranks of the Saints (November 24). the fourteenth century, Smolensk came into the possession of the Lithuanian princes. daughter of prince Vitovt, Sophia, was given in marriage to the Moscow Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich (1398-1425). 1398, she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with her to Moscow. They set the holy image in the Annunciation cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the Royal Doors. 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk with Bishop Misael at the head, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk in a church procession, at Moscow there remained two copies. was put in the Annunciation cathedral, the other, a measure for measure, was put in the Novodevichi monastery, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on Devichi Pole (Virgin’s Field), where “with many tears” the Muscovites handed over the holy icon to Smolensk. 1602 an exact copy was painted from the wonderworking icon 1666 together with the ancient icon they brought a new copy to Moscow for restoration) which they placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall over the Dneprovsk Gates, under a specially constructed cover. in 1727, a wooden church was built there, in 1802, a stone church. new copy took on the power of the old image, when the Russian armies left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this icon through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to great deeds. ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, taken to the Dormition cathedral on the day of the Battle of Borodino went in procession with the Iveron and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl. were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God defended Russia through Her icons. the victory over the enemy forces the Directress or Hodegetria Icon was returned to Smolensk together with its glorified copy. celebration in honor of this wonderworking icon on July 28 was established in the year 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. exist many venerated copies of the Smolensk Directress or Hodegetria, for which the celebration is set on this day. is also a day of celebration for the Smolensk Icon (November 5), glorified in the nineteenth century when this image was returned to Smolensk on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov. In memory of the expulsion of the enemy from Russia, it was decided to celebrate this day annually at Smolensk. holy icon of the Hodegetriaa Mother of God is one of the chief holy objects of the Russian Church. have received and do receive from it an abundant help of grace. Mother of God through Her holy icon intercedes for and strengthens us, guiding us on the way to salvation, and we call out to Her, “Thou art the All-Blessed Hodegetria or Directress for faithful peoples, art the affirmation, the Praiseworthy of Smolensk and all the Russian land. Rejoice, Directress or Hodegetria, salvation of Christians!”

Russia, Moscow, 1525-1736, Great Abatis Line Folder, (Ukraine mostly)

1 First Great Line finished 1566

First Great Abatis Line along Oka finished 1566

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Bryansk (Desna River 2)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Bryansk;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Belyov, Ryazan (Oka River 1)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Belyov;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kozelsk, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kozelsk;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Tula, Kaluga (Ryazan Frontier, Upa River 1)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Tula;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth, Oka River 6)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Serpukhov;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kolomna, Kaluga (Moscow River Mouth, Oka River 7)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kolomna;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Zaraysk (Ryazan Frontier, Osyotr River 2, Oka River 7)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Zaraysk;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Ryazan (Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 9)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Ryazan;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Meshchera, Ryazan (Frontier, Pra River Source, above Oka River 11)
Meshchera (Meshchera Lowlands); Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Meshchera;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir-Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 9)
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Nizhny Novgorod;

2 Second Great Line finished 1640

Second Great Abatis Line Finished 1640

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Alatyr, Mordovia (near Boldino Heights Toysha River Source above Oka 13)
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Alatyr;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Oryol, Kaluga (Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 1)
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Oryol;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Novhorod-Siverskyi, Kiev Ukraine (Sev River Mouth, Desna River 3)
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Novhorod-Siverskyi;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Putyvl, Kiev Ukraine (Seym River 3 above Desna River 4 and Kiev)
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Putyvl;

3 Third Great Line finished 1736

Third Great Abatis Line 1736

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Livny, Scythia (Muravsky Trail 6, Bystraya 1 above Don River 4)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Livny;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kursk, Kiev Ukraine (Kur River Mouth, Seym River Source, Tuskar River)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kursk;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1, Muravsaky T 4, Vorskla River Source Ukraine Central Russian Uplands, above Azov Sea, Don Mouth)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Belgorod;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh Mouth, Don River 8, above Azov Sea)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Voronezh;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets Mouth, Tsna River 1, above Oka 12)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Tambov;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Simbirsk (Volga River 11)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Simbirsk;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kazan, Mongol, Perm (Volga River 10, Great Perm)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kazan;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Baskirs (high point near Ural River Source, other side of mt)
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Baskirs;

Russia, Moscow, 1527-1569, Philip, in court w young Ivan, Solovaki igumen, but Ivan wanted him metro, complex Ivan disctription
Russia, Moscow, 1527-1569, Philip, Metropolitan, a noble, in court w Ivan, snuck away to Onegan and Solovaki, Elder Jonah, fasting, unceasing prayer and heavy hammer, bakery MOG image w Philp, wilderness solitude, Igumen 1546, S history, found Hodegetria icon, stone cross, Psalter, and robe of Zosimus, S spiritual revival, new m rule, majestic temples 1557, he worked as simple laborer building, w John and Longinus of Yarenga and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk, often withdrew to Philippov wilderness, but Ivan remembered him and wanted him as companion metropolitan anti boyer, description of complex Ivan, he imagined Oprichnina as Monastic Brotherhood for triumph of Orthodoxy, Philip saw O unrepentent malice and envy, murderers, profiteers, Philip opposed Ivan, Boyer conspiricy to deliver I to Polish King, P defended the executed, 1568 P refused to bless I his O, openly denounced their acts, Boyer Duma, false witnesses from Solovaki, Public shame during service by O, held in Moscow cellars, stocks and chains 1 yr, put to death in Tver ; ,Moscow; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the world Theodore, was descended from the illustrious noble lineage of the Kolichevi, occupying a prominent place in the Boyar duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. was born in the year 1507. His father, Stephen Ivanovich, “a man enlightened and filled with military spirit,” attentively prepared his son for government service. Theodore’s pious mother Barbara, who ended her days as a nun with the name Barsanouphia, implanted in the soul of her son a sincere faith and deep piety. Theodore Kolichev applied himself diligently to the Holy Scripture and to the writings of the holy Fathers. Moscow Great Prince Basil III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought young Theodore into the court, but he was not attracted to court life. Conscious of its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore all the more deeply immersed himself in the reading of books and visiting the churches of God. Life in Moscow repelled the young ascetic. The young Prince Ivan’s sincere devotion to him, promising him a great future in government service, could not deter him from seeking the Heavenly City. Sunday, June 5, 1537, in church for Divine Liturgy, Theodore felt intensely in his soul the words of the Savior: “No man can serve two masters” (Mt.6:24), which determined his ultimate destiny. Praying fervently to the Moscow wonderworkers, and without bidding farewell to his relatives, he secretly left Moscow in the attire of a peasant, and for a while he hid himself away from the world in the village of Khizna, near Lake Onega, earning his livelihood as a shepherd. thirst for ascetic deeds led him to the renowned Solovki monastery on the White Sea. There he fulfilled very difficult obediences: he chopped firewood, dug the ground, and worked in the mill. After a year and a half of testing, the igumen Alexis tonsured him, giving him the monastic name Philip and entrusting him in obedience to the Elder Jonah Shamina, a converser with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the guidance of experienced elders Philip grew spiritually, and progressed in fasting and prayer. Igumen Alexis sent him to work at the monastery forge, where Saint Philip combined the activity of unceasing prayer with his work with a heavy hammer. was always the first one in church for the services, and was the last to leave. He toiled also in the bakery, where the humble ascetic was comforted with a heavenly sign. In the monastery afterwards they displayed the “Bakery” image of the Mother of God, through which the heavenly Mediatrix bestowed Her blessing upon the humble baker Philip. With the blessing of the igumen, Saint Philip spent a certain while in wilderness solitude, attending to himself and to God. 1546 at Novgorod the Great, Archbishop Theodosius made Philip igumen of the Solovki monastery. The new igumen strove with all his might to exalt the spiritual significance of the monastery and its founders, Saints Sabbatius and Zosimus of Solovki (September 27, April 17). searched for the Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God brought to the island by the first head of Solovki, Saint Sabbatius. located the stone cross which once stood before the saint’s cell. The Psalter belonging to Saint Zosimus (+1478), the first igumen of Solovki, was also found. His robe, in which igumens would vest during the service on the days when Saint Zosimus was commemorated, was also discovered. monastery experienced a spiritual revival. A new monastic Rule was adopted to regulate life at the monastery. Philip built majestic temples: a church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, consecrated in the year 1557, and a church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. igumen himself worked as a simple laborer, helping to build the walls of the Transfiguration church. the north portico he dug himself a grave beside that of his guide, the Elder Jonah. life in these years flourished at the monastery: struggling with the brethren with the disciples of Igumen Philip were Saints John and Longinus of Yarenga (July 3) and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (July 12). Philip often withdrew to a desolate wilderness spot for quiet prayer, two versts from the monastery, which was later known as the Philippov wilderness. the Lord was preparing the saint for other work. In Moscow, Tsar Ivan the Terrible fondly remembered the Solovki hermit from his childhood. Tsar hoped to find in Saint Philip a true companion, confessor and counsellor, who in his exalted monastic life had nothing in common with the sedition of the nobles. Metropolitan of Moscow, in Ivan’s opinion, ought to have a certain spiritual meekness to quell the treachery and malice within the Boyar soul. The choice of Saint Philip as archpastor of the Russian Church seemed to him the best possible. a long time the saint refused to assume the great burden of the primacy of the Russian Church. He did not sense any spiritual affinity with Ivan. He attempted to get the Tsar to abolish the Oprichniki [secret police]. Ivan the Terrible attempted to argue its civil necessity. the dread Tsar and the holy Metropolitan came to an agreement: Saint Philip would not meddle in the affairs of the Oprichniki and the running of the government, he would resign as Metropolitan in case the Tsar could not fulfill his wishes, and that he would be a support and counsellor of the Tsar, just as former Metropolitans supported the Moscow sovereigns. July 25, 1566 Saint Philip was consecrated for the cathedra of Moscow’s hierarch saints, whose number he was soon to join. the Terrible, one of the greatest and most contradictory figures in Russian history, lived an intensely busy life. He was a talented writer and bibliophile , he was involved in compiling the Chronicles (and himself suddenly cut the thread of the Moscow chronicle writing), he examined the intricacies of the monastic Rule, and more than once he thought about abdicating the throne for the monastic life. aspect of governmental service, all the measures undertaken to restructure civil and social life, Ivan the Terrible tried to rationalize as a manifestation of Divine Providence, as God acting in history. beloved spiritual heroes were Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) and Saint Theodore the Black (September 19), military men active with complex contradictory destinies, moving toward their ends through whatever the obstacles before them, and fulfilling their duties to the nation and to the Church. more the darkness thickened around Ivan, the more resolutely he demanded cleansing and redemption of his soul. Journeying on pilgrimage to the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, he declared his wish to become a monk to the igumen and the brethren. The haughty autocrat fell on his knees before the igumen, who blessed his intent. Ivan wrote, “it seems to me, an accursed sinner, that I am already robed in black.” imagined the Oprichnina in the form of a monastic brotherhood, serving God with weapons and military deeds. The Oprichniki were required to dress in monastic garb and attend long and tiring church services, lasting from 4 to 10 o’clock in the morning. “Brethren” not in church at 4 o’clock in the morning, were given a penance by the Tsar. Ivan and his sons fervently wished to pray and sing in the church choir. From church they went to the trapeza, and while the Oprichniki ate, the Tsar stood beside them. The Oprichniki gathered leftover food from the table and distributed it to the poor at the doorway of the trapeza. with tears of repentance and wanting to be an esteemer of the holy ascetics, the teachers of repentance, wanted to wash and burn away his own sins and those of his companions, cherishing the assurance that even his terribly cruel actions would prove to be for the welfare of Russia and the triumph of Orthodoxy. most clearly spiritual action and monastic sobriety of Ivan the Terrible is revealed in his “Synodikon.” before his death, he ordered full lists compiled of the people murdered by him and his Oprichniki. These were then distributed to all the Russian monasteries. Ivan acknowledged all his sins against the nation, and besought the holy monks to pray to God for the forgiveness of his tormented soul. pseudo-monasticism of Ivan the Terrible, a dark most grievous oppression over Russia, tormented Saint Philip, who considered it impossible to mix the earthly and the heavenly, serving the Cross and serving the sword. Philip saw how much unrepentant malice and envy was concealed beneath the black cowls of the Oprichniki. There were outright murderers among them, hardened in lawless bloodletting, and profiteers seeking gain, rooted in sin and transgressions. the sufferance of God, history is often made by the hands of the impious, and Ivan the Terrible wanted to whiten his black brotherhood before God. The blood spilled by its thugs and fanatics cried out to Heaven. Philip decided to oppose Ivan. This was prompted by a new wave of executions in the years 1567-1568. the autumn of 1567, just as the Tsar was setting out on a campaign against Livonia, he learned about a boyar conspiracy. The plotters intended to seize the Tsar and deliver him to the Polish king, who already was on the move with an army towards Russian territory. dealt severely with the conspirators, and again he shed much blood. It was bitter for Saint Philip, and the conscience of the saint compelled him boldly to enter into defense of the executed. final rift occurred in the spring of 1568. On the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, March 2, 1568, when the Tsar with his Oprichniki entered the Dormition cathedral in monastic garb, as was their custom, Saint Philip refused to bless him, and began openly to denounce the lawless acts committed by the Oprichniki. The accusations of the hierarch shattered the harmony of the church service. In a rage Ivan retorted, “Would you oppose us? We shall see your firmness! I have been too soft on you.” Tsar began to show ever greater cruelty in persecuting all those who opposed him. Executions followed one after the other. The fate of the saintly confessor was sealed. But Ivan wanted to preserve a semblance of canonical propriety. The Boyar Duma obediently carried out his decision to place the Primate of the Russian Church on trial. A cathedral court was set up to try Metropolitan Philip in the presence of a diminished Boyar Duma, false witnesses were found. To the deep sorrow of the saint, these were monks the Solovki monastery, his former disciples and novices whom he loved. They accused Saint Philip of a multitude of transgressions, including sorcery. “Like all my ancestors,” the saint declared, “I came into this world prepared to suffer for truth.” Having refuted all the accusations, the holy sufferer attempted to halt the trial by volunteering to resign his office. His resignation was not accepted, however, and new abuse awaited the martyr. after a sentence of life imprisonment had been handed down, they compelled Saint Philip to serve Liturgy in the Dormition cathedral. This was on November 8, 1568. the middle of the service, the Oprichniki burst into the temple, they publicly read the council’s sentence of condemnation, and then abused the saint. Tearing his vestments off, they dressed him in rags, dragged him out of the church and drove him off to the Theophany monastery on a simple peasant’s sledge. a long while they held the martyr in the cellars of the Moscow monasteries. They placed his feet into stocks, they held him in chains, and put a heavy chain around his neck. Finally, they drove him off to the Tver Otroch monastery. And there a year later, on December 23,1569, the saint was put to death at the hands of Maliuta Skuratov. three days before this the saint foresaw the end of his earthly life and received the Holy Mysteries. At first, his relics were committed to earth there at the monastery, beyond the church altar. Later, they were transferred to the Solovki monastery (August 11, 1591) and from there to Moscow (July 3, 1652). the memory of Saint Philip was celebrated by the Russian Church on December 23, the day of his martyric death. In 1660, the celebration was transferred to January 9.

Russia, Moscow, 1529, John of Kazan, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, tKazan, slave tKhan's relative, killed
Mongol, Perm, 1529, John of Kazan, Perm, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, brought to Kazan, slave to Khan's relative, killed, at time of GP Basil, Tartars attacked Nizhni, Novgorod, inhabitants tCaptivity in Kazan incl fearless John, who was given to Khan relative, served master by day, but night without sleep prayed, enduring insults, abuse, master resolved force him tBecome Moslem, but J worshiped Jesus as God, in winter led tRussian Cemetery, mortally wounded him, left him in snow, but that night J t door of Christians asked for Priest, got Holy Mysteries, prayed all night, died next morning ; Kazan ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Martyr John of Kazan suffered for Christ in the city of Kazan on January 24, 1529. During the reign of Great Prince Basil the Tatars swooped down upon Nizhni Novgorod. Many of the inhabitants were taken into captivity and brought to Kazan. Also among their number was the fearless John. the captives were distributed to their new owners, he was given to Alei-Shnura, who was related to the Khan. By day John honestly served his master, but at night he went without sleep and prayed, patiently enduring insults and abuse. The master resolved to force his servant to become a Moslem, but John firmly declared that he worshiped Jesus Christ as God. the winter the Tatars tied him up and led him to a Russian cemetery, mortally wounded him with swords, and threw him into the snow. That night, Saint John reached the door of some Russians living in Kazan, and he asked them to summon a priest. He received the Holy Mysteries and prayed all night, then died the following morning.

Russia, Moscow, 1529-1565, Gennadius oKostroma, 1529, Gennadiev monastery, igumen, no task slack, Clairvoyance&Wonderworking
Russia, Vologda, 1529-1565, Gennadius oKostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), fMogilev Belarus, wealthy family, early love fThe Church, frequent monastery visits, parents dismay, resolve devote life tGod, secretly left home fMoscow's holy places, not suitable, tNovgorod region, encountered Alex oSvir who sent him tKostroma forest and Cornelius oKomel, tonsured Gennadius, they moved to Kostroma Forest, Lake Sura, 1529, Gennadiev monastery, igumen, but no task slack, and together with the brethren he went out to the monastery tasks: he chopped wood, carried firewood, made candles and baked prosphora. He also wore heavy chains. One of his favorite tasks was the painting of icons, with which he adorned his new monastery, Holylife, received the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. Journeying to Moscow on monastic affairs, at the house of the nobleman Roman Zakharin, the saint predicted to his daughter Anastasia that she would become Tsaritsa. Indeed, Tsar Ivan the Terrible chose her as his wife.The Life of Saint Gennadius included his spiritual testament dictated by Saint Gennadius himself. In it he commands the monks to observe the monastery Rule, to toil constantly, to be at peace witheveryone, and to preserve the books collected at the monastery, while striving to understand their meaning. He said, “Strive towards the light, and shun the darkness.” died on January 23, 1565, and was glorified by the Church on August 19, 1646. ; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Gennadius of Kostroma and Liubimograd, in the world Gregory, born in the city of Mogilev into a rich family. early displayed love for the church, his frequent visits to monasteries evoked the dismay of his parents. however, was firmly resolved to devote himself to God, changing into tattered clothing, he secretly left his parental home and journeyed to Moscow. visited the holy places in Moscow, but he did not find it suitable in spirit so set out to the Novgorod region. destiny of the future ascetic was decided by an encounter with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). his blessing, Gregory went to the Vologda forest to Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19), was tonsured by him with the name Gennadius. with Saint Cornelius, Gennadius moved on to the Kostroma forest. on the shores of Lake Sura, in about the year 1529, there emerged the monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, called “the Gennadiev monastery”. become igumen, Saint Gennadius did not slacken his monastic efforts, and together with the brethren he went out to the monastery tasks: chopped wood, carried firewood, made candles and baked prosphora. also wore heavy chains. of his favorite tasks was the painting of icons, which he adorned his new monastery. his holy life Saint Gennadius received from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. to Moscow on monastic affairs, at the house of the nobleman Roman Zakharin, the saint predicted to his daughter Anastasia that she would become Tsaritsa. Tsar Ivan the Terrible chose her as his wife. Life of Saint Gennadius was written by his disciple, Iguman Alexis, between the years 1584-1587. it was inserted his spiritual testament, dictated by Saint Gennadius himself. it he commands the monks to observe the monastery Rule, to toil constantly, to be at peace with everyone, and to preserve the books collected at the monastery, while striving to understand their meaning. said, “Strive towards the light, and shun the darkness.” Gennadius died on January 23, 1565, was glorified by the Church on August 19, 1646.

Russia, Moscow, 1530-1550, St Macarius the Roman, pillar of fire, fragrant cloud, clairvoyant, wonderworker, monastery
St Macarius the Roman's Monastery; holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. Sometimes a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. During the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. Drawn by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. He wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. The Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. Although pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. About this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. In 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. The monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Saint Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. His parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. He might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. While others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Saint Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. With tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. One of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Saint Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. Macarius, however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Saint Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Saint Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. Sometimes a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. During the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. Drawn by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. He wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. The Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. The Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. Although pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. About this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. In 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. The monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Russia, Moscow, 1530-1550, Macarius t Roman, writings sent to Russia, mosquitos, pet bears, divine light, night fire pillar, m
Rome, 1530-1550, Macarius the Roman (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), wealthy, educated, to save his soul, protestant reformation, Holy Fathers writings, conflicts within Western Church, God sent him to Russia & Orthodox, Novgorod churches and monasteries, monk at Alexander's River Svir m, solitary life at R Lezna, mosquitos, pet bears, hunters, divine light, many people, move to elevated place, night pillar of fire, day cloud of fragrant smoke, monastery, 1540 church, ordained priest and igumen, clairvoyance&wonderworking, back to island solitary, d 1550; Rome; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Russia, Moscow, 1533-1584, Ivan, Tsar of All Russia, Vasilievich, intelligent, devout, terrible
Moscow, 1533-1584, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Tsar of All Russia, Vasilievich ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Zosimas of Solovki, Commemorated on August 8; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Venerable Jonah the Abbot of Yashezersk, Commemorated on September 22; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on October 20; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated on November 4; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated on January 21; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 31; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16 ; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Icon of the Mother of God "œVirgin of Tenderness"Â from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23 ; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1539-1542, Metropolitan, Joasaphus, writer, against both possessors and non-possessors
Moscow Patriarch, 1539-1542, Joasaphus, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Skripitsyn (? - 1555 or 1556) was Metropolitan of Moscow from 1539 to 1542. Joasaph is known to have authored a number of theological works. was first a monk and then hegumen at the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra (since 1529). He enjoyed the favor of Grand Prince Vasili III. After Metropolitan Daniel had been deposed at the church sobor of 1539, Joasaph was elected Metropolitan of Moscow just three days later (February 5, 1539).[1] is known to have opposed the supporters of the Josephites or "Non-possessors" and favored the opponents of monastic landownership. Joasaph was the one to solicit young Ivan IV's forgiveness for the disgraced Belskys and prince Vladimir of Staritsa and render support for Maximus the Greek. the regency of Grand Duchess Elena Glinskaya, in the first five years of the reign of Ivan IV (1533-“1538), Joasaph managed to keep his influence at the royal court, but in 1542, Joasaph fell into disgrace and was exiled to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and then transferred to the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra in 1547, where he would remain until his death on July 27, 1555.[2] Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Rzhevsk (or Okovetsk) Icon of the Mother of God is from the Rzhevets Monastery in Poltava. On May 26, 1539, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), in Tver diocese, in Vyryshensk town situated in a virgin forest on the bank of the rivulet Vyryshna in the Okovetsk district, not far from the city of Rzhev, at a crossroads for people from four surrounding villages, the monk Stephen made a discovery: fastened to a pine tree was a large iron cross and on another tree an old painted icon depicting the Mother of God with Child, and also Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra. the discovery of the holy cross and the icon there shone an extraordinary light and healings occurred. From the Day of the Holy Spirit to the start of the Apostles’ Fast, 27 healings occurred. monk Stephen, and right after him the Rzhevsk priest Gregory Onisiphorov, journeyed to Moscow with reports of the appearance of the holy icon and cross and the healing that occurred. The then head of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Joasaph (1539-1541) of Moscow, gave thanks to the Lord, and after verifying the miracles of that place, gave blessing to erect there two churches: one dedicated to the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord, and the other in honor of the HodÄ“gá¸—tria Mother of God, having in it a chapel named for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. At the consecration of the churches a priest and deacon were sent from Moscow, together with church utensils, icons, vestments, books and bells. January 1541 the Rzhevsk icon was solemnly transferred to Moscow for the consecration of a church in honor of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God. After the consecration of the temple, the icon and cross were transferred to the Dormition cathedral, where they remained until July 11. On this day the Rzhevsk icon and cross were returned to the place of their miraculous appearance. The metropolitan together with all the assembled clergy of the capital, and with the young Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, and all the people, accompanied the icon from the Dormition cathedral to the church of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God, where a copy of this venerable icon was placed. In memory of this celebration the Feast of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God was established on July 11.

Russia, Moscow, 1539, Miraculous Appearance of Rzhev Icon with Healings, large iron cross fastened to tree
Rzhev; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Rzhevsk (or Okovetsk) Icon of the Mother of God is from the Rzhevets Monastery in Poltava. On May 26, 1539, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), in Tver diocese, in Vyryshensk town situated in a virgin forest on the bank of the rivulet Vyryshna in the Okovetsk district, not far from the city of Rzhev, at a crossroads for people from four surrounding villages, the monk Stephen made a discovery: fastened to a pine tree was a large iron cross and on another tree an old painted icon depicting the Mother of God with Child, and also Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra. the discovery of the holy cross and the icon there shone an extraordinary light and healings occurred. From the Day of the Holy Spirit to the start of the Apostles’ Fast, 27 healings occurred. monk Stephen, and right after him the Rzhevsk priest Gregory Onisiphorov, journeyed to Moscow with reports of the appearance of the holy icon and cross and the healing that occurred. The then head of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Joasaph (1539-1541) of Moscow, gave thanks to the Lord, and after verifying the miracles of that place, gave blessing to erect there two churches: one dedicated to the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord, and the other in honor of the HodÄ“gá¸—tria Mother of God, having in it a chapel named for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. At the consecration of the churches a priest and deacon were sent from Moscow, together with church utensils, icons, vestments, books and bells. January 1541 the Rzhevsk icon was solemnly transferred to Moscow for the consecration of a church in honor of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God. After the consecration of the temple, the icon and cross were transferred to the Dormition cathedral, where they remained until July 11. On this day the Rzhevsk icon and cross were returned to the place of their miraculous appearance. The metropolitan together with all the assembled clergy of the capital, and with the young Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, and all the people, accompanied the icon from the Dormition cathedral to the church of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God, where a copy of this venerable icon was placed. In memory of this celebration the Feast of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God was established on July 11. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1540, James of Borovichi, Novgorod, Wonderworker, Foof f C, block of ice floating against current w relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1540, Blessed James of Borovichi, Wonderworker of Novgorod; Borovichi Valdai Hills; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated October 23 ; of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi, Wonderworker of Novgorod Saint James took upon himself the arduous task of foolishness for Christ in his youth. Most of the details of his life are unknown, but the Lord glorified him after death. the year 1540, on the third day of Pascha, a large block of ice floated up against the current along the River Msta to the village of Borovichi (in Novgorod district), and on this block of ice stood the coffin (made from an oak log) without cover, in which the body of the youth lay. Shunning the holy relics, peasants with poles pushed the block of ice back into the river, but it returned to the shore. This was repeated three times. That night the youth appeared in a dream to the elders of the village, who had seen him upon the ice-floe, and said, “I am also a Christian just like you. Don’t push me away. My name is James. I am the namesake of Saint James, the Brother of God.” relics of the holy youth were first placed in a chapel, then in 1544 were transferred to the Descent of the Holy Spirit church. Then the annual commemoration of the saint every year on October 23 was established. The Lord, having glorified his God-pleasing one, granted the relics of Saint James a curative power. A Feastday with Matins was established in 1572. The Iconographic Manuals describe Saint James: “A youth, bare, girded with a piece of cloth.” In 1657 Patriarch Nikon sent part of the relics to Valdai, to the Ivḗron Monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, fasting & Prayer, spoke truth, even to B Godunov, Big Cap
Russia, Moscow, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3) from Vologda, to Rostov, to Moscow, strict fasting & Prayer, hard work, foolishness, spoke truth, even to Boris Godunov, foretold time of troubles; Vologda; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; John, Fool-for-Christ, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born on the outskirts of Vologda. his youth he toiled at a saltworks, where he was a water-carrier. The saint combined strict fasting and prayer with his heavy work. he moved on to Rostov, where he began his exploit of holy foolishness for the sake of Christ. wore chains with heavy iron crosses, and on his head was a heavy iron cap, for which they called him “John Big-Cap”. Moscow he went barefoot and almost naked in even the most severe frost, and he foretold the great misfortunes for Russia, the Time of Troubles and the incursion of the Poles, saying that “in Moscow will be many visible and invisible devils.” spoke the truth to everyone fearlessly, regardless of what position they might occupy. Even to Tsar Boris Godunov, he often said: “Clever mind, sort out the things of God. God waits for a long time. Yes, it hurts.” his death Saint John indicated the place where he wanted to be buried: at the Protection church on Rva, which was later known as the cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed (August 2). himself for burial, he removed the chains he had worn under his clothing and poured water over himself three times. before his repose (? 1589), the blessed one received the gift of healing. Moscow, he was venerated as a great wonderworker and seer. On June 12, 1672, the relics of the blessed one were found resting under a crypt in one of the chapels of the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. Service and Life were preserved in Lists of the seventeenth century.

Russia, Moscow, 1540-1603, Martyrius oZelenets, Pskov, MOG Fiery column&healing Icon, MOG where fSilence, cross over Church
Russia, St Petersburg, 1540-1603, Martyrius oZelenets (Green Island), Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, born Veliki Luki, mentor Boris became monk Bogolep, M joined him, work&prayer, treasurer, altar server, MOG showed tM, wFiery Tikhvin Icon and column, still hot when he kissed it, heat on forehead upon wake, sent ill monk tIcon, M filled wintense faith, pMOG show him where go for silence, 60K away, demons put to shame, asked Bogolep permission, advised return, tSmolensk&MOG Icon+relcs, Abramius&Ephraim appeared, reassured him, tTikhvin, monk told him secret place wRadiant cross stars, This time Boog approved Zelenets, harsh life there, no shake resolve, small chapel, another icon in dream, on sea, Gabriel told him venerate, M into water tV, but icon sinks, wilderness sanctified by M life, monks come, shining cross over church, visible grace on M, discernment&healing, funds fNovgorod, new heated church, MOG appeared on bench near icons, 1570 ordained priest, igumen before 1582, then wealthier benefactor, 1595 benefactor son's ressurection, his 2icons on dead boy's chest, 1595 Tsar Theodore gives land, sensing death M told brothers tTrust MOG as he had, passed wJoy 1603; Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, Zelenets (Green Island); Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrius of Zelenets, in the world Menas, was born in the city of Veliki Luki (Great Meadow) in the sixteenth century. His parents, Cosmas and Stephanida, died when he was just ten years old. was raised by his spiritual Father, a priest of the city’s Annunciation church, and the child’s soul cleaved to God. widowed priest Boris became a monk with the name Bogolep at the Trinity-Sergius monastery in Veliki Luki. often visited him at the monastery, and later on he himself received monastic tonsure there taking the name Martyrius. seven years both teacher and disciple toiled for the Lord unrelentingly in a single cell, encouraging each other in deeds of work and prayer. Saint Martyrius had the obediences of “kellarios” [cellarer], treasurer, and “ponomar” [or altar server]. was at this time that the Mother of God first showed Her special solicitude for Saint Martyrius. mid-day he dozed off in the bell tower and beheld the Tikhvin (Hodēgḗtria) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a fiery column. The monk venerated it, and it was still hot from the fiery column. When he awoke, he still felt this heat on his forehead. the spiritual advice of Saint Martyrius, the grievously ill monk Abramius went to venerate the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and he received healing. Martyrius was filled with intense faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. began to pray that the Heavenly Queen would show him where he might go for the ascetic feat of complete silence, for which his soul yearned. monk secretly withdrew into a desolate place situated 60 versts from Veliki Luki. As he himself writes, “in this wilderness I received fearful visitations from demons, but I prayed to God, and the demons were put to shame.” a letter to Elder Bogolep, Saint Martyrius asked his blessing to dwell in the wilderness, but the spiritual father advised him to return to the cenobitic life where he would be of use to the brethren. daring to disobey his experienced Elder, and not knowing how to proceed, Saint Martyrius went to Smolensk to venerate the wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of Saints Abramius and Ephraim (August 21). saints appeared to Saint Martyrius in a dream, and they reassured him that he would be permitted to live in the wilderness, “wherever God will bless and the Most Holy Theotokos will guide you.” Martyrius then went to the Tikhvin monastery, hoping that the Mother of God would resolve his dilemma. monk Abramius, who remained at this monastery in gratitude to the Mother of God for his healing, told Saint Martyrius about a secret place, over which he had seen a radiant Cross of stars. time he received the blessing of the Elder. Martyrius took with him two small icons: one of the Life-Creating Trinity, and the other of the Tikhvin Mother of God. He then settled in Zelents (the green island), which was a beautiful island in a forested swamp. and painful was the life of the monk in the wilderness, but neither cold, nor deprivation, nor wild beasts, nor the wiles of the enemy were able to shake his resolve. built a small chapel for the glorification of, and in gratitude to, the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos. was again deemed worthy to see an icon of the Mother of God in a dream. This time it was floating on the sea. To the right of the icon he saw the Archangel Gabriel who told him to venerate the icon. Martyrius went into the water, and the icon began to sink in the sea. The saint then cried out, and a wave carried him to shore. With that, the icon vanished. wilderness was sanctified by the life of the hermit, and many began to arrive, not only to be instructed by the word and example of the monk, but also to settle there with him. increased number of disciples prompted the monk to build a church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, where he placed his own icons of the Trinity and of the Tikhvin Mother of God. As a sign of the grace of God resting upon the monastery of Saint Martyrius, his disciple Saint Gurias was permitted to see a Cross in the heavens, shining over the cross on top of the church. was the beginning of the Trinity Zelenets monastery, “the green wilderness monastery of Martyrius.” The Lord blessed his labors, and the grace of God shone visibly upon him. fame of his discernment and gift of healing became known to many. Many eminent people of Novgorod began to send gifts to the monastery. With funds provided by the pious boyar Theodore Syrkov, a heated church was built and consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the first church at Veliki Luki, from which the saint had begun his path to God. Martyrius continued to receive help from the Mother of God. She appeared to him on a bench in the corner where the icons stood. saint recalled: “I looked upon Her without lowering my eyes... I gazed upon Her holy face, at her eyes filled with tears, ready to trickle down Her all-pure face. awoke from the dream and was afraid. I lit a candle from the lampada, in order to see whether or not the Most Pure Virgin sat at the place where I saw Her in the dream. I went up to the icon of the Hodēgḗtria and was convinced that in truth the Mother of God had appeared to me as She is depicted on my icon.” after this (about the year 1570) Saint Martyrius was ordained priest at Novgorod by the archbishop (Alexander or Leonid). He was already an igumen in 1582. the Lord granted the Zelenets wilderness monastery an even wealthier benefactor. 1595 at Tver Saint Martyrius resurrected the son of the former Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich, praying in front of his own icons of the Life-Creating Trinity and the Tikhvin Mother of God. He placed both icons upon the chest of the dead child, and he awoke as if from sleep. gratitude Simeon built a church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and of Saint John Chrysostom, the Heavenly patron saint of the ruler’s son John. 1595 Tsar Theodore endowed the monastery with a sufficient quantity of land for its support. reached a great old age and preparing for death, Saint Martyrius dug a grave for himself, and near it he placed a coffin fashioned by his own hands. often came there to weep. his imminent departure, the monk assembled the brethren and told his children in the Lord to have steadfast hope in the Most Holy Trinity and to trust the Mother of God, as he himself had always trusted in Her. receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he gave the brethren his blessing with the words: “Peace to all the Orthodox.” With spiritual joy he fell asleep in the Lord on March 1, 1603. saint was buried in the grave he dug near the church of the Mother of God. Later, his holy relics rested beneath a crypt in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, beneath the lower temple in honor of Saint John the Theologian. Cornelius, a former monk of the Zelenets monastery, and later Metropolitan of Kazan and Novgorod (+ 1698), compiled a service and wrote the Life of Saint Martyrius, making use of personal notes and the saint’s testament. memory of Saint Martyrius of Zelenets and Veliki Luki is celebrated also on November 11. Venerable Martyrius, Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11; Martyrius was a monk in the Veliki Luki (Great Meadows) Monastery, and shared a cell with Elder Bogolep. These holy ascetics ate only once a day. After the services in church, they would fulfill the rule of prayer in their cell, then they would work during the night milling corn. Saint Martyrius went to live at Zelenets (Green Island), and founded a monastery in the midst of the swamps. By 1582, he was already the igumen of the monastery, which had twelve monks. Several benefactors donated to the monastery, including Theodore Syrkov, Simeon Bekbulatov (the ruler of Kasim), and Tsar Theodore, who donated land. Martyrius fell asleep in the Lord in 1603. He is also commemorated on March 1.

Russia, Moscow, 1541-1562, Simon of Soyga Monastery, from Komel under Cornelius, w to Koryazhemsk w Longinus, to Sioga in 1541
Russia, Vologda, 1541-1562, Simon of Soyga Monastery, from Komel under Cornelius, w to Koryazhemsk w Longinus, to Sioga River in 1541; Soyga (located approximately half-way between Solvychegodsk and Yarensk Soyga is 60k or Versts from Solvychegodsk; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; Simon of Soiga belonged to the Komel disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. was born at Solvychegodsk, and was tonsured at the Komel monastery under Saint Cornelius (May 19). passed through his obediences with such ascetics and disciples of Cornelius of Komel as Gennadius of Liubimsk (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonsk (March 5), Laurence of Komel (May 16). the death of his mentor Saint Cornelius, Saint Simon was, for a certain time, the companion of Saint Longinus (February 10), the founder of the Koryazhemsk monastery, and went with him to dwell in the wilderness. this he settled at the River Soiga, 60 versts from Koryazhma. There he established a church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, consecrated on May 17, 1541. After founding a monastery by this church, the saint was chosen igumen by the brethren. Simon died on November 24, 1562 and was buried in the monastery he founded, in the church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Catherine, whose Feast is also observed on November 24.

Russia, Moscow, 1542, Icon of Syamsk, 1542 fire, only Syamsk icon saved, Church Rebuilt in 1770 wIcon
Russia, Vologda, , Icon of Syamsk, Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, 1542 fire, only Syamsk icon saved, Church Rebuilt in 1770 wIcon; Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Syamsk, Commemorated on September 8; Syamsk Icon of the Mother of God was found at the Syamsk-Vologda monastery, established in the sixteenth century. the year 1542, during a fire at the monastery, only the wonderworking icon was saved. After the fire, the monastery was rebuilt. the year 1770, a church was built at the monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in it was placed this wonderworking icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1542-1563, Metropltn, Macarius, icons, s V III's divorce, sent missions north, saints lives, I IV's advisor
Moscow Patriarch, 1542-1563, Macarius, Metropolitan of all Russia; (1482 - 12 January 1563) was a notable Russian cleric, writer, and icon painter who served as the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia from 1542 until 1563. life and work on the Menaion[edit] was born in the region around Moscow. His parents' names (at least his mother's monastic names) are known because he dedicates the Great Menaion Reader to them. His secular name is thought to have been Mikhail.[1] the late 15th century, Macarius became a monk at the St. Paphnutius Monastery [ru] in Borovsk, where he would serve as a reader, subdeacon, deacon, and priest. It was here that Macarius mastered the art of icon painting. He is also known to have been a firm supporter of Joseph Volotsky and his disciples. 1523, Metropolitan Daniel raised Macarius to the rank of archmandrite of a monastery in Mozhaisk. It was there that Macarius became acquainted with the Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasili III. He was one of a few clerics who supported Vasili III's divorce from the barren Solomonia Saburova and blessed his second mariage with Elena Glinskaya. 1526, Macarius was appointed Archbishop of Novgorod,[2] where he conducted pro-Muscovite policies. In 1533 and again in 1535, he sent the monk Il'ia and others on missionary work among the Finno-Ugric peoples along the Neva, Lakes Ladoga and Onega, and up into the Kola Peninsula. (His successor in Novgorod, Feodosii, send missionaries to the same region a decade later.) In 1541, Macarius and his companions finished work on the first edition of their great work, the Great Menaion Reader. This compilation of lives of the Russian saints comprised 12 volumes arranged on monthly basis. He is also credited with beginning the Stepennaia Kniga (The Book of Degrees of Royal Genealogy) which traced Ivan the Terrible's lineage back to a fictitious brother of Caesar Augustus named Prus.[3] He is also said to have painted the icons in the little iconostasis of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Novgorod.[4] of Russia[edit] secured the support of powerful Prince Andrey Shuisky, Macarius was elected Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia on 16 March 1542. During Ivan IV's nonage and Shuiskys' regency, Macarius's relations with the Boyar Duma gradually worsened due to his constant "grief" over the disgrace of courtiers and church dignitaries. His independent-mindedness induced a number of attempts to dislodge him. In the summer of 1544, Macarius escaped a sure death in the fire raging in the Moscow Kremlin. Three years later, he took part in removing Ivan's maternal relatives, the Glinskys, from the Russian government. becoming one of the closest advisers of Ivan the Terrible, Macarius arranged his coronation on 16 January 1547. That year, he blessed the tsar's marriage with Anastasia Zakharyina-Yuriyeva. Macarius was an active participant at the zemsky sobors of 1547, 1549, and 1550, advocating conciliation between the opposing boyar groups. the synod of 1542, Macarius achieved the excommunication of Maximus the Greek's associate Isaac Sobaka (archmandrite of Chudov Monastery). Curiously enough, Macarius would later correspond with the exiled Maximus the Greek and include some of his essays in his the Great Menaion Reader, rejecting, however, his appeals for pardon. During Stoglav and other such synods (traditionally known as Macarius's synods in Russian historiography), Macarius carried out canonization of 39 all-Russian saints. In 1551, Macarius (together with the tsar) convened the so-called Stoglavi Sobor. He also blessed the Russian army before its departure to Kazan in 1552. During his Kazan campaign in 1559, Ivan the Terrible left Macarius in Moscow to "protect the tsardom", which made him a temporary head of state. In 1552 and 1554, Macarius completed the second and third editions of the Grand Menaion. During the church councils in 1553-1555, Macarius supported the accusations of heresy, aimed at a boyar son Matvei Bashkin, starets Artemiy, and monk Feodosiy Kosoy. However, he took the side of Silvester, a monk at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin, who had been accused by diak Ivan Viskovatyi in uncanonical wall-painting of the above-mentioned cathedral. the tsar was away from Moscow, Macarius was in charge of diplomatic negotiations and dispatching messengers abroad with different deeds. The painting of the Saint Basil's Cathedral and Kremlin's Golden Chamber was carried out with his assistance. He also took part in compiling the Chronicle of the Beginning of Tsardom of Tsar and Grand Prince Ivan Vasiliyevich, i.e., an official chronicle of Ivan the Terrible's reign and the Regal Book, an illuminated manuscript about Ivan's reign and policies. years[edit] his declining years, Macarius moved away from the affairs of the state. He supervised the creation of the Stepennaya kniga (or the Book of Generations), supported Ivan Fyodorov's book-printing, and renovated icons. Metropolitan Macarius died on 12 January 1563 and was buried in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Moscow Kremlin. After his death, they wrote his life and A Tale of the Last Days of Metropolitan Macarius. Macarius was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988 (he, however, is found in lists of saints dating back to the 18th century).[5] His icon hangs in a niche over the archway of the entrance to the Russian State Archive of Ancient Documents in Moscow. Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31;

Russia, Moscow, 1547, Great Fire of Moscow in 1547
Russia, Moscow, 1547, Great Fire of Moscow in 1547 ; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2;

Russia, Moscow, 1547-1721, Tsardom of Russia , Fall of Constantinople thru Northern War
Moscow, Tsardom of Russia 1547-1721, Fall of Constantinople thru Great Northern War with Sweden ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1550-1568, Theodosius oTotma, searching fSalt Works tTotma,but started 2 m's, grave miracles, incorrupt relics
Russia, Vologda, 1550-1568, Theodosius oTotma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5), married for Parents, continued prayer&church, parents &Wife died, tPriluki m near Vologda, various obediences (water ca, firewood ch, flour mi, bread ba), searching fSalt Works tTotma, Ivan's permission start m at T, T appointed Igumen, 1554 taxation free grant, plus Totma Ephraimov Wilderness m, head 2 m, ascetic life continued, chains hair shirt ironcap, many spiritual books fLibrary, died 1568, grave miracles, incorrupt relics; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; Theodosius of Totma was born at Vologda about the year 1530. his youth he was raised in a spirit of Christian piety and the fear of God. the insistence of his parents he married, family life did not turn him away from God. He went fervently to church and prayed at home, particularly at night. the death of his parents and his wife, he withdrew to the Priluki monastery not far from Vologda. the monastery Theodosius passed through the various obediences: he carried water, chopped fire-wood, milled flour and baked bread. went to Totma on the igumen’s orders to search for a salt-works for the monastery. sought the permission of Tsar Ivan Vasilevich and the blessing of Archbishop Nicander to found a monastery at Totma. was appointed head of this newly-formed Totma monastery, which in a grant of 1554 was declared free of taxation. saint founded the Totma Ephraimov wilderness monastery and brought brethren into it. becoming the head of two monasteries, continued to lead an ascetic life. wore down his body by wearing chains and a hairshirt, and beneath his monastic cowl he wore an iron cap. of spiritual reading, he acquired many books for the monastery. Theodosius reposed in the year 1568 was buried in the monastery he founded, miracles occurred at his grave. On September 2, 1796 during the reconstruction of the Ascension church, his relics were found incorrupt, their glorification took place on January 28, 1798, on the day of his repose.

Russia, Moscow, 1550, 16th Century, Saint Barlaam of Keretsk, White Sea Region, posthumous miracles, s from drowning
Russia, Vologda, 1550, 16th Century, Saint Barlaam of Keretsk, Lake Keretsk, Kolsk Penninsula, White Sea Region, for Industrial Workers, posthumous miracles, saving from drowning; Lake Keretsk ; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ; Barlaam of Keretsk served during the sixteenth century as a priest in the Keretsk area of the Kolsk peninsula on the White Sea. was venerated as the patron of White Sea industrial workers and sea-farers. He was glorified by posthumous miracles, saving those in danger of drowning.

Russia, Moscow, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov, out in cold grew abundant hair, patience&unceasing prayer
Russia, Rostov, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov, out in the cold grew abundant hair, patience&unceasing prayer, aka J the Merciful, no permanent residence, lived wPriest orAged Widows, spiritually nourished many incl Irenarchus oRostov; Russia, Rostov, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov; John the Hairy (also known as John the Merciful of Rostov) was a holy fool, of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 16th century. He endured a great many trials in his lifetime.[1] "He did not have a permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one of the aged widows." to Orthodox Church in America sources, Blessed John, Living in humility, patience and unceasing prayer... spiritually nourished many people, among them St Irenarchus, Hermit of Rostov (January 13). a long life of pursuing asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to his final wishes, beside the church of Saint Blaise beyond the altar.[1] He had "hair upon his head abundantly," therefore he was called "Hairy." The title "Merciful" was given to Blessed John because of the many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose name he shared.[1] John the Hairy is commemorated on November 12 in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[1] relics of the saint are in Rostov in the church in honor of Theotokos of Tolga, next to sanctuary are psalms and cupressus the cross belonging to the saint. Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; John the Merciful of Rostov (also known as the Hairy) struggled at Rostov in the exploit of holy foolishness, enduring much deprivation and sorrow. did not have a permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one of the aged widows. in humility, patience and unceasing prayer, he spiritually nourished many people, among them Saint Irenarchus, Hermit of Rostov (January 13). After a long life of pursuing asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to his final wishes, beside the church of Saint Blaise beyond the altar. had hair upon his head abundantly,therefore he was called Hairy. title Merciful was given to Blessed John because of the many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose name he shared.

Russia, Moscow, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma, Theroponov M n after him, prophet, fMoscow
Russia, Vologda, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake, monk at River Monza, fMoscow tKostroma, tMonza wAdrian&Paphnutius fObnora, asceticism till life end, blessed tWithdraw forest&prayed each day, each night transcribed spiritual useful books, emulated Basil oMoscow, prophecied famine, Theraponov monastery named after him; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12; Therapon of Monza was a monk in the monastery of Saint Adrian (May 5) at the River Monza. monk began his ascetic deeds in Moscow, and then transferred to the city of Kostroma at the Elevation of the Cross monastery, and was tonsured there. pious monks Adrian and Paphnutius, from the monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora (January 10), seeking solitude, moved to the Monza and founded a monastery 25 versts from Galich. Therapon transferred to this monastery, where he labored in asceticism until the end of his life. day, with the blessing of the igumen, he withdrew into a forest thicket and prayed. night he read and transcribed copies of spiritually useful books. his life he emulated Blessed Basil of Moscow (August 2), whom he called his friend, although personally he never saw him. during his life, Saint Therapon was glorified with a gift of wonderworking. his death he predicted a year of famine (1601). surrendered his soul to God in the year 1597. The monastery at the River Monza was called after him the Theraponov.

Russia, Moscow, 1550-1612, Hermogenes of Moscow, inspired end of TofT, converted muslim tartars
Russia, Moscow, 1550-1612, Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow; or Germogen (before 1530 - 17 February 1612) was the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia from 1606. was he who inspired the popular uprising that put an end to the Time of Troubles. was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1913. Hermogenes refusing to bless the Poles painting by Pavel Chistyakov (1860). the Holy Synod of 1589, which established the patriarchy in Moscow, Hermogenes was appointed Metropolitan of the newly conquered city of Kazan. During the following two decades, he gained renown for a number of Muslim Volga Tatars converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. 1606, Hermogenes was summoned by False Dmitry I to take part in the Senate recently instituted in Moscow. There he learnt about the tsar's design to marry a Roman Catholic woman, Marina Mniszech, and firmly declared against such an alliance. At that he was exiled from the capital, only to return with great honours several months later, when the false tsar had been deposed, and Patriarch Ignatius followed suit. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1550-1612, Hermogenes, Hiermartyr, Don Cossack, Kazan Icon 1579 account, b tartars, against uniates, starved
Russia, Moscow, 1550-1612, Hermogenes, Hiermartyr, Kazan, Perm, Don Cossack, priest, monk, archmandrite, metropolitan, Kazan Icon 1579 account, baptized tartars, against uniates and catholics, Tushino imposter killed by associate, H died by starvation ; Kazan ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, was born in Kazan around 1530, and was descended from the Don Cossacks. to the Patriarch’s own testimony, he served as priest in Kazan in a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (December 6 and May 9), near the Kazan bazaar. Soon he became a monk, and from 1582 was archimandrite of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery at Kazan. On May 13, 1589 he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan. he was the priest at Saint Nicholas, the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (July 8) was discovered in Kazan in 1579. With the blessing of Archbishop Jeremiah of Kazan, he carried the newly-appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Having remarkable literary talent, the saint in 1594 compiled an account describing the appearance of the wonderworking icon and the miracles accomplished through it. In 1591 the saint gathered newly-baptized Tatars into the cathedral church and for several days he instructed them in the Faith. relics of Saint Germanus, the second archbishop of Kazan (September 25, November 6, and June 23), who died at Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a plague, were transfered and buried in Saint Nicholas Church in 1592. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589-1605), Saint Hermogenes reburied the relics at the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. January 9, 1592 Saint Hermogenes addressed a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he asked for permission to commemorate in his See of Kazan those Orthodox soldiers who gave their lives for the Faith and the nation in a battle against the Tatars. In the past, it was customary to enter into the diptychs the names of all Orthodox warriors who had fallen in battle, and to commemorate them. the same time he mentioned three martyrs who had suffered at Kazan for their faith in Christ, one of whom was a Russian named John (January 24) born at Nizhny Novgorod and captured by the Tatars. The other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), were newly-converted Tatars. saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not inserted into the diptychs read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that “Memory Eternal” was not sung for them. In answer to Saint Hermogenes, the Patriarch issued a decree on February 25, which said: “to celebrate at Kazan and throughout all the Kazan metropolitanate a panikhida for all the Orthodox soldiers killed at Kazan and the environs of Kazan, on the Saturday following the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1), and to inscribe them in the great Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,” and also ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be inscribed in the Synodikon, leaving it to Saint Hermogenes to set the day of their memory. Saint Hermogenes circulated the Patriarchal decree throughout his diocese, and required all the churches and monasteries to serve Liturgies, Panikhidas and Lityas for the three Kazan martyrs on January 24. Hermogenes displayed zeal in the faith and firmness in the observance of Church traditions, and he devoted himself to the enlightenment of Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ. 1595, with the active participation of the Saint Hermogenes, the relics of the Kazan Wonderworkers Saint Gurias, the first archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Saint Barsanuphius bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11) were discovered and uncovered. Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584-1598) had given orders to erect at the Kazan Savior-Transfiguration monastery a new stone church on the site of the first one, where the saints were buried. the graves of the saints were discovered, Saint Hermogenes came with a gathering of clergy. He commanded the graves to be opened and, when he saw the incorrupt relics and clothing of the saints, he notified the Patriarch and the Tsar. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the Tsar, the relics of the newly-appeared wonderworkers were placed in the new church. Saint Hermogenes himself compiled the lives of hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius. been found worthy of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Hermogenes was elected to the primatial See, and on July 3, 1606 he was installed as Patriarch by the assembly of the holy hierarchs at Moscow’s Dormition cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore handed the Patriarch the staff of the holy hierarch Peter, Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar gave as a gift to the new Patriarch a panagia, embellished with precious stones, a white klobuk and staff. In the ancient manner, Patriarch Hermogenes made his entrance riding upon a donkey. activity of Patriarch Hermogenes coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state: the appearance of the false Tsarevich Demetrius and the Polish king Sigismund III. The first hierarch devoted all his powers to the service of the Church and the nation. Hermogenes was not alone in this exploit: his self-sacrificing fellow-countrymen followed his example and assisted him. With special inspiration His Holiness the Patriarch stood up against the traitors and enemies of the nation, who wanted to spread Uniatism and Western Catholicism throughout Russia and to wipe out Orthodoxy, while enslaving the Russian nation. the imposter arrived at Moscow and settled himself at Tushino, Patriarch Hermogenes sent two letters to the Russian traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You have forgotten the vows of our Orthodox Faith, in which we are born, baptized, nourished and raised. You have violated your oath and the kissing of the Cross to stand to the death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow realm, but have fallen for your false would-be Tsarevich ... My soul aches, my heart is sickened, all within me agonizes, and all my frame shudders; I weep and with sobbing I lament: Have mercy, have mercy, brethren and children, on your own souls and your parents departed and living ... Consider, how our nation is devastated and plundered by foreigners, who offer insult to the holy icons and churches, and how innocent blood is spilled, crying out to God. Think! Against whom do you take up arms: is it not against God, Who has created you? Is it not against your own brothers? Do you not devastate your own country?... I adjure you in the name of God, give up your undertaking, there is yet time, so that you do not perish in the end.” In the second document the saint appeals: “For the sake of God, come to your senses and turn around, gladden your parents, your wives and children; and we stand to pray God for you...” the righteous judgment of God fell upon the Brigand of Tushino: he was killed by his own close associates on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in peril, since the Poles and traitors, loyal to Sigismund III, remained in the city. The documents sent by Patriarch Hermogenes throughout the cities and villages, exhorted the Russian nation to liberate Moscow from the enemies and to choose a lawful Russian Tsar. Muscovites rose up in rebellion, and the Poles burned the city, shutting themselves up in the Kremlin. Together with Russian traitors they forcefully seized Patriarch Hermogenes from the patriarchal throne and imprisoned him in the Chudov monastery. Bright Monday in 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began the seige of the Kremlin, which continued for several months. Besieged within the Kremlin, the Poles often sent messengers to the Patriarch with the demand that he order the Russian militia to leave the city, threatening him with execution if he refused. saint firmly replied, “What are your threats to me? I fear only God. If all our enemies leave Moscow, I shall bless the Russian militia to withdraw from Moscow; but if you remain here, I shall bless all to stand against you and to die for the Orthodox Faith.” still in prison, the hieromartyr Hermogenes sent a final epistle to the Russian nation, blessing the liberating army to fight the invaders. The Russian commanders could not come to an agreement over a way to take the Kremlin and free the Patriarch. He languished more than nine months in dreadful confinement, and on February 17, 1612 he died a martyr’s death from starvation. liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible valor, was successfully achieved. The body of the hieromartyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov monastery, but in 1654 was transferred to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The glorification of Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint occurred on May 12, 1913.

Russia, Moscow, 1551, Adrian of Ondrusov's Relics Trnsfr tSt Nic's, Adrian&robbers stories, A's swamp death relics story
Russia, St Petersburg, 1551, Adrian of Ondrusov's Relics Transfer to St Nicholas Monastery at Ladoga Fortress, Adrian's story & robbers release and conversion stories, A's swamp death relics story; St Nicholas Monastery &Fortress, Lake Ladoga ; Ladoga Fortress; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Adrian of Ondrusov (in the world the nobleman Andrew Zavalushin), was the owner of a rich estate (Andreevschina), 9 versts from the monastery of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). accidentally encountered Saint Alexander of Svir during a stag hunt in 1493, and after this he went often to him for guidance, and supplied bread for the ascetics. his estate, he took monastic tonsure at the Valaamo monastery with the name Adrian. years later, with the blessing of Saint Alexander of Svir, Saint Adrian settled in a solitary place on the peninsula of Lake Ladoga. he built a church in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. the settlement of monks in the deep forest was an island, Sala (the Thicket), where there was a gang of robbers under the leadership of Ondrusa as their ataman. the monks, the ataman demanded that they get off his land. Adrian, knowing that he did not have money to buy the place, promised the ataman to intercede for him before God. robber laughed at the monk, but he entreated him so long and so humbly, that the ataman softened and said, “Live.” ataman was soon taken captive by another gang, hidden not far from the stoney Cape of Storozhev. hapless fellow knew that after suffering, torture and death awaited him, and he bitterly repented of his former life. he saw Saint Adrian before him. He said, “You are freed through the mercy of the Lord, for Whose sake you were asked to show mercy to the wilderness brethren,” and he vanished. ataman saw himself without fetters at the shore, and with no one around. he rushed to the monastery of Saint Adrian and found all the ascetics chanting Psalms. seemed that Saint Adrian had not left the monastery. robber fell at the knees of the saint and begged to be accepted as one of the brethren. finished his life in repentance at the monastery. robber of another gang also repented. Through the prayers of Saint Adrian, he was tonsured with the name Cyprian. Afterwards, at the place of a tributary, he built a monastery and was glorified by miracles. monastery of Saint Adrian received an endowment from Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584). August 1549, Saint Adrian was godfather for Anna, daughter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. the saint was returning from Moscow to the monastery, robbers killed him near the village of Obzha, hoping to find money. brethren waited for a long time for their Superior, two years later, he appeared one night in a vision to a few Elders and told them of his death. On another day, May 17, the brethren found his incorrupt body in a swamp and committed it to burial in the wall of his church in honor of Saint Nicholas. memory of Saint Adrian, having received the martyr’s crown, has come to be celebrated twice: on the day of the finding and transfer of his relics (May 17), and on the day of his repose, which he shares with his namesake, the holy Martyr Adrian. Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17; the manuscript of the Olonets Trebnik under May 17 it is noted: "Today is the transfer of the relics of Venerable Father Adrian, Igoumen of Saint Nicholas Monastery on Lake Ladoga, on Ondrus Island, in the Olonets district, the new wonderworker. His memory is also celebrated on August 26."

Russia, Moscow, 1551-1568, Saint, Herman of Kazan, Volokolamsk, Staritsa and Svyazhsk, library, Moscow, Tsar d
Mongol, Perm, 1551-1568, Saint, Herman of Kazan, Volokolamsk, Staritsa and Svyazhsk, library, Moscow, Tsar d, fStaritsa novility, JV Monastery uGurias, copied books, Maximus tGreek friend, tStaritsa archman, St JoV Rule, left a2.5yrs tVolokolamsk solitary, Bashkin's tonsure, B sent to Herman at V, 1555 taking oKazan, Gurias' missionary monastery there, Dormition m of Sviyazhsk Herman igumen, cramped cell, library, enlightenment center, 1564 Bishop Kazan, built churches, light of Christ, 1566 Ivan ordered him to Moscow, first refused, injustive Tsar's inner circle, admonished Tsar, lived in disgrace 2yrs; Kazan Saint, 1551-1568, St Herman, Herman of Kazan and Svyazhsk; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6; Herman, Archbishop of Kazan, lived during the sixteenth century. He was born in the city of Staritsa, and was descended from the old boyar nobility of the Polevi. In his youth Gregory (his baptismal name) was tonsured at the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery under Igumen Gurias, who later became Archbishop of Kazan (December 5). (Saint Gurias was head of the monastery from 1542 to 1551). the monastery Saint Herman occupied himself with copying books, and he was a close friend of Saint Maximus the Greek (January 21), who was living there in confinement. In 1551 the brethren of the Staritsa Dormition monastery, seeing his piety, chose him as their archimandrite. up the governance of this monastery with a pastoral zeal, Saint Herman concerned himself with its internal and external order, for he himself was a model of humility and meekness. He exhorted all to observe their monastic commitment strictly, and he introduced into his monastery the Rule of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (October 18). after two and a half years Archimandrite Herman left the Staritsa monastery, leaving its direction to the hieromonk Job (June 19), who afterwards was to become the first Patriarch of Moscow, and was an ascetic and sufferer for the Russian Land. Herman’s love for solitary struggles brought him to return to his original Volokolamsk monastery, he strove toward salvation as a simple monk. when the new heretic Matthew Bashkin (who refused to acknowledge the Holy Mysteries and denied faith in the Holy Trinity) appeared at Moscow, Herman and his own father (who had received tonsure at the Volokolamsk monastery with the name Philotheus) were summoned to the Moscow Council of 1553. Council censured the heretic Bashkin resolved to send him for correction to Saint Herman at the Volokolamsk monastery, since Saint Herman was known for his holy life and zeal for the faith in Christ. 1555, after the taking of Kazan, an archepiscopal See was established there. Gurias, the former igumen of Volokolamsk monastery, was chosen as archbishop. was entrusted with building the Dormition monastery in the city of Sviyazhsk for missionary purposes. decree of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was appointed as head of this new monastery in Sviyazhsk. A stone cathedral was built with a belltower and monastic cells. igumen of the monastery lived very frugally in a cramped cell beneath the cathedral belltower. Saint Herman particularly concerned himself with acquiring a library for the monastery. his monastery became famous for its good works, and it became a center of enlightenment for the Kazan region. March 12, 1564, after the repose of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was consecrated Bishop of Kazan. short duration of his tenure there was marked nonetheless by his efforts to build churches and to enlighten the people of the region with the light of Christ. 1566, Ivan the Terrible summoned Saint Herman to Moscow and ordered that he be elected to the Metropolitan cathedra. first, Saint Herman refused to have this burden imposed upon him. Tsar would not tolerate any objection, however, and the saint was obliged to settle into the Metropolitan’s quarters until his elevation to the position of Metropolitan. injustice among those of the Tsar’s inner circle, Saint Herman, true to his pastoral duty, attempted to admonish the Tsar. “You are not yet elevated to Metropolitan, and already you place constraints upon my freedom,” the Tsar told him through his aides. He ordered Saint Herman expelled from the Metropolitan’s quarters and that he be kept under surveillance. saint lived in disgrace for about two years, and died on November 6, 1567. They buried him in the church of Saint Nicholas the Hospitable. In 1595, at the request of the inhabitants of Sviyazhsk, the relics of the saint were transferred from Moscow to the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. Saint Hermogenes, then Metropolitan of Kazan, visited his grave. Herman is also commemorated on September 25 (first translation of his relics in 1595) and June 23 (second translation of his relics in 1714).

Russia, Moscow, 1552, Kazan campaign 1552 Tsar Ivan the Terrible
Russo-Kazan Wars; Fall of Kazan 1552; Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1554, Sumorin-Totem Icon, Totma, many appearances to sick w Theodosius holding this icon, numerous healings
Russia, Vologda, 1554, Sumorin-Totem Icon, Totma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5), numerous healings, Ivan the T, received from Priluki, for success in building monastery, many appearances to sick w Theodosius holding this icon; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated January 28 ; Sumorin Totma Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous healings at the Spaso-Sumorin monastery of the city of Totma. the inhabitants of the city turned to Tsar Ivan the Terrible for permission to build a monastery in their city, the Rostov archbishop Nicander in the year 1554 bestowed upon Saint Theodosius the grant for building. The igumen of the Priluki monastery blessed Saint Theodosius with an icon of the Mother of God for success at building the new monastery. icon thereafter received the name Sumorin Totma (Sumorin is the family name of Saint Theodosius, and Totma is a city). After the death of the monk, the wonderworking icon was put in a case in front of the crypt of the saint at the Ascension church of the monastery. Theodosius has appeared to many of the sick, holding this icon in his hands.

Russia, Moscow, 1555, St Christopher Icon and Spring, Solvychegodsk (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1)
Solvychegodsk (Vychegda River 5) ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Christopher, Commemorated July 28 ; 1555, the Icon of the Mother of God “Of Saint Christopher” was put in the church of the monastery founded by Saint Christopher of Solvychegodsk (July 25), a disciple of Saint Longinus of Koryazkemsk (February 10). icon was glorified by many miracles, and near the monastery a spring of healing water flows from the earth. Saint Christopher Icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1555-1563, Gurias, Archbishop, fRadonezh, Kazan Bishop bLot, 8yrs- 4Ms, 1Cathdrl, 10Cs, Gt Schema, incrrpt r
Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Gurias, Archbishop oKazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10), fRadonezh, not wealthy, served Prince as steward, accused improprieties Prince's wife, underground dungeon 2yrs, so health issues, wrote children's reader iPrison, tonsured Volokolamsk m, 1543 igumen, 1552 resigned, monk 2yrs, 1yr Selizharov m Tver igumen, 1555 chosen Bishop Kazan by lot, assisted bBarsanuphius, in 8yrs 4monastereis, 1Cathedra;. 10Churches, 1561 greviously ill, carried him tchurch, 1563 great schema fBarsanuphius & buried, 1595 incorrupt relics wBarnasuphius, 1613 relics transferred Annunciation Cathedral, present Kazan Theodore Murom church; Kazan ; ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan, (in the world Gregory Rugotin), the first archbishop of the Kazan diocese, established in 1555. was born in the town of Radonezh outside Moscow into the family of a courtier. parents were not wealthy, so from his early years he had to serve Prince Ivan Penkov as steward of his estates. his youth, Gregory was pious, humble and gentle, and he preserved his chastity. of improprieties with the prince’s wife, Gregory was locked up in an underground dungeon for two years. undermined his health, but it also intensified and deepened his religious fervor. prison, he wrote a small booklet to teach children how to read and write. donated the proceeds from his primer to the needy. from prison, Gregory was tonsured with the name Gurias at the Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery, for its strict monastic rule. 1543, he was chosen by the brethren as igumen of this monastery. administered it for almost nine years, then he resigned as igumen and lived for two years as a simple monk. becoming bishop, Saint Gurias directed the Trinity Selizharov monastery in Tver diocese for one year. was chosen by lot to the See of Kazan. by Saint Barsanuphius (April 11), Saint Gurias devoted himself to missionary activity. his eight years as bishop there, four monasteries were organized, and the Annunciation cathedral church and ten more city churches were built. 1561 the saint fell grievously ill and could no longer perform the divine services himself. feastdays they carried him into the church, and he either sat or lay down, since he did not have the strength to walk or even stand. before his death (1563), he received the great schema from Saint Barsanuphius, he was buried in the Savior-Transfiguration monastery. October 4, 1595, the incorrupt relics of the holy hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius were uncovered. Hermogenes, Metropolitan of Kazan (May 12), was present at the uncovering of their relics, and he described this event in the lives of these saints. June 20, 1613, the relics of Saint Gurias were transferred from the Savior-Transfiguration monastery to the Annunciation cathedral church. present, the relics rest in Kazan in a cemetery church named for the holy Princes Theodore of Murom and his sons David and Constantine (May 21).

Russia, Moscow, 1558-1590, Russo-Swedish War (1558-1583)
Moscow, 1558-1590, Russo-Swedish War (1558-1583); Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1558, Narva Icon, war hero, Swedes t icon into fire, House a city burn, Russians took advantage, icon unharmed
Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland); Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; Narva Icon of the Mother of God became famous in the year 1558, when the Russian army attacked the city of Narva. one of the houses where Russian merchants had once lived, drunken Germans grabbed an icon of the Mother of God that had been left behind. Mocking the holy thing, they threw it into a fire under a kettle, in which they were brewing beer. Flames shot out from the kettle and engulfed the roof of the house. that very moment a storm blew up, and spread the fire throughout all the city. advantage of the confusion, the Russian army advanced and took the city. Wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, and an icon of Saint Nicholas, were found in the ashes unharmed.

Russia, Moscow, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r
Russia, Ryazan, 1559-1623, Macarius oZhabyn's Monastery, Belev, Rayazan, born 1539, Tonsured Onuphrius, founded Z monastery 1585 near Belev, 1615 Z destroyed by Lisovski's Poles, M restored it, Stone church this time, with gates bell-tower, lifetime severe monk struggles, cold heat hunger thirst , prayed tGod solitude deep into forest, once heard lost moaning polish enemy, probably destroyed monastery, asked for drink, love surged forth, prayer, plunged staff, spring gushed forth, gave man a drink, when monastery life restored, M withdrew took Schema name Macarius, forgotten about until incorrupt relics found in 1818, then Igumen Jonah fOptina near Zhabyn became head oZhabyn and reestablished Feast oSaint Macarius 1888; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Macarius of Zhabyn, Wonderworker of Belev, was born in the year 1539. his early years he was tonsured with the name Onuphrius, in the year 1585 he founded Zhabyn’s Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple near the River Oka, not far from the city of Belev. 1615 the monastery was completely destroyed by Polish soldiers under the command of Lisovski. to the charred remains, the monk began to restore the monastery. He again gathered the brethren, in place of the wooden church a stone church was built in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21), a bell-tower at the gates. saint spent his life in austere monastic struggles, cold, heat, hunger and thirst, as the monastery accounts relate. often went deep into the forest, where he prayed to God in solitude. when he was following a path in the forest, he heard a faint moaning. looked around and saw a weary Polish man reclining against a tree trunk, with his sabre beside him. had strayed from his regiment and had become lost in the forest. In a barely audible voice this enemy, might have been one of the destroyers of the monastery, for a drink of water. and sympathy surged up within the monk. With a prayer to the Lord, he plunged his staff into the ground. At once, a fresh spring of water gushed forth, and he gave the dying man a drink. both the external and internal life of the monastery had been restored, Onuphrius withdrew from the general monastic life, having entrusted the guidance of the brethren to one of his disciples, took the schema with the name Macarius. the place of his solitude, he chose a spot along the upper tributary of the River Zhabynka. one verst separated the mouth of the tributary and the banks of the River Oka. ascetical struggles of Saint Macarius were concealed not only from the world, but also from his beloved brethren. died in 1623 at the age of eighty-four, at the hour when the roosters start to crow. He was buried opposite the gates of the monastery on January 22, the commemoration of Saint Timothy, where a church was later built and named for him. Iconographic Originals has preserved a description of Saint Macarius in his last years: had gray hair with a small beard, and over his monastic riassa he wore the schema. of Saint Macarius was established at the end of the seventeenth century, or the beginning of the eighteenth. to Tradition, his relics remained uncovered, but by 1721 they were interred in a crypt. the eighteenth century the monastery became deserted. memory of his deeds and miracles was so completely forgotten, when the incorrupt relics of the monastery’s founder were uncovered during the construction of the church of Saint Nicholas in 1816, a general panikhida was served over them. restoration of the liturgical commemoration of Saint Macarius of Belev is credited to Igumen Jonah, was born on January 22 (the Feast of Saint Macarius), who began his own monastic journey at the Optina monastery not far from the Zhabyn monastery. 1875 Igumen Jonah became head of the Zhabyn monastery. request to re-establish the Feast of Saint Macarius strengthened by the petition of the people of Belev, through the centuries had preserved their faith in the saint. January 22, 1888, the annual commemoration of Saint Macarius of Zhabyn was resumed. 1889, a church dedicated to Saint Macarius was built at his tomb. Jonah who lived at the monastery and actually participated in the construction, that in addition to the building project, the holy relics of Saint Macarius would also be uncovered. everything was on the point of readiness, Macarius appeared to the participants and sternly warned them that they should not proceed with their intention, or they would be punished. memory of this appearance was reverently preserved among the monks of the monastery. Macarius of Zhabynsk is also commemorated on September 22.

Russia, Moscow, 1563 & 1569, Sviatogorsk Tenderness Icon appeared in a tree to shephard and fool Timothy, Miraculous voice oGod
Russia, Moscow, 1563 & 1569, Sviatogorsk Tenderness Icon appeared in a tree to shephard and fool Timothy, Miraculous voice oGod, dLight, H Icon, stone church replaces burned church Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Sviatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God is from the Sviatogorsky Monastery in the province of Pskov. In the year 1563, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, in the environs of Pskov a “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to a fifteen-year-old shepherd and fool named Timothy, not far from the stream Lugovitsa. This icon was thereafter situated in the Voronicha parish church of Saint George. The voice from the icon said that after six years the grace of God would shine forth upon this hill. 1569 to this same youth upon the Sinicha hill, there appeared a Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God upon a pine tree. Timothy spent forty days at this place in fasting and prayer. The miraculous voice from the icon commanded that the clergy and the people should come to the Sinicha heights with the Tenderness icon on the Friday following the Sunday of All Saints. the church procession reached the hill and began the Molieben, a light suddenly shone during the reading of the Gospel. The air was filled with fragrance and everyone saw upon the pine tree the Hodegetria icon. Both holy icons, the Hodegetriaa and the Tenderness, were put into the church of the Great Martyr George. From them many miraculous signs and healings took place, about which reports were made to Tsar Ivan IV. Through his decree, upon the Sinicha Hill, called from that time the “Svyataâ€ (“Holyâ€), a chapel was built, into which were transferred the wonderworking icons. But soon, on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, when a church procession with icons went to Holy Hill, the chapel suddenly burned that night. The fire destroyed everything else inside, but the holy things remained unharmed. this sacred spot they built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the altar of which stood on the place where the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon had appeared. Both glorified icons were placed into the lower tier of the iconostas: the Hodegetria on the right side (a chapel in honor of which was built in 1770), and the Tenderness on the left (a chapel was built in 1776). that same year of 1569 on Holy Hill was founded the Sviatogorsk (“Holy Hillâ€) Dormition monastery. year, on the first Friday of the Peter and Paul Fast, the icons are conveyed to the Trinity cathedral of the city of Pskov. On the following Sunday, a procession is made with them along the inner walls of the city. celebration in honor of the Tenderness icon is March 19, and on the ninth Friday after Pascha. The Hodegetria icon is commemorated on July 17, and on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1). Russia, Pskov, 1521, Tenderness Icon transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581; Siege of Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov. Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Sviatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God is from the Sviatogorsky Monastery in the province of Pskov. In the year 1563, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, in the environs of Pskov a “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to a fifteen-year-old shepherd and fool named Timothy, not far from the stream Lugovitsa. This icon was thereafter situated in the Voronicha parish church of Saint George. The voice from the icon said that after six years the grace of God would shine forth upon this hill. 1569 to this same youth upon the Sinicha hill, there appeared a HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon of the Mother of God upon a pine tree. Timothy spent forty days at this place in fasting and prayer. The miraculous voice from the icon commanded that the clergy and the people should come to the Sinicha heights with the Tenderness icon on the Friday following the Sunday of All Saints. the church procession reached the hill and began the Molieben, a light suddenly shone during the reading of the Gospel. The air was filled with fragrance and everyone saw upon the pine tree the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon. Both holy icons, the HodÄ“gá¸—tria and the Tenderness, were put into the church of the Great Martyr George. From them many miraculous signs and healings took place, about which reports were made to Tsar Ivan IV. Through his decree, upon the Sinicha Hill, called from that time the “Svyataâ€ (“Holyâ€), a chapel was built, into which were transferred the wonderworking icons. But soon, on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, when a church procession with icons went to Holy Hill, the chapel suddenly burned that night. The fire destroyed everything else inside, but the holy things remained unharmed. this sacred spot they built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the altar of which stood on the place where the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon had appeared. Both glorified icons were placed into the lower tier of the iconostas: the HodÄ“gá¸—tria on the right side (a chapel in honor of which was built in 1770), and the Tenderness on the left (a chapel was built in 1776). that same year of 1569 on Holy Hill was founded the Sviatogorsk (“Holy Hillâ€) Dormition monastery. year, on the first Friday of the Peter and Paul Fast, the icons are conveyed to the Trinity cathedral of the city of Pskov. On the following Sunday, a procession is made with them along the inner walls of the city. celebration in honor of the Tenderness icon is March 19, and on the ninth Friday after Pascha. The HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon is commemorated on July 17, and on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1).

Russia, Moscow, 1566-1569, Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow, Ivan's confessor but opposed Oprichnina publicly, false witnesses
Russia, Moscow, 1527-1569, Philip, Metropolitan, a noble, in court w Ivan, snuck away to Onegan and Slovaki, Elder Jonah, fasting, unceasing prayer and heavy hammer, bakery MOG image w Philp, wilderness solitude, Igumen 1546, S history, found Hodegetria icon, stone cross, Psalter, and robe of Zosimus, S spiritual revival, new m rule, majestic temples 1557, he worked as simple laborer building, w John and Longinus of Yarenga and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk, often withdrew to Philippov wilderness, but Ivan remembered him and wanted him as companion metropolitan anti boyer, description of complex Ivan, he imagined Oprichnina as Monastic Brotherhood for triumph of Orthodoxy, Philip saw O unrepentent malice and envy, murderers, profiteers, Philip opposed Ivan, Boyer conspiricy to deliver I to Polish King, P defended the executed, 1568 P refused to bless I his O, openly denounced their acts, Boyer Duma, false witnesses from Slovaki, Public shame during service by O, held in Moscow cellars, stocks and chains 1 yr, put to death in Tver ; ,Moscow; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the world Theodore, was descended from the illustrious noble lineage of the Kolichevi, occupying a prominent place in the Boyar duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. was born in the year 1507. His father, Stephen Ivanovich, “a man enlightened and filled with military spirit,” attentively prepared his son for government service. Theodore’s pious mother Barbara, who ended her days as a nun with the name Barsanouphia, implanted in the soul of her son a sincere faith and deep piety. Theodore Kolichev applied himself diligently to the Holy Scripture and to the writings of the holy Fathers. Moscow Great Prince Basil III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought young Theodore into the court, but he was not attracted to court life. Conscious of its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore all the more deeply immersed himself in the reading of books and visiting the churches of God. Life in Moscow repelled the young ascetic. The young Prince Ivan’s sincere devotion to him, promising him a great future in government service, could not deter him from seeking the Heavenly City. Sunday, June 5, 1537, in church for Divine Liturgy, Theodore felt intensely in his soul the words of the Savior: “No man can serve two masters” (Mt.6:24), which determined his ultimate destiny. Praying fervently to the Moscow wonderworkers, and without bidding farewell to his relatives, he secretly left Moscow in the attire of a peasant, and for a while he hid himself away from the world in the village of Khizna, near Lake Onega, earning his livelihood as a shepherd. thirst for ascetic deeds led him to the renowned Solovki monastery on the White Sea. There he fulfilled very difficult obediences: he chopped firewood, dug the ground, and worked in the mill. After a year and a half of testing, the igumen Alexis tonsured him, giving him the monastic name Philip and entrusting him in obedience to the Elder Jonah Shamina, a converser with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the guidance of experienced elders Philip grew spiritually, and progressed in fasting and prayer. Igumen Alexis sent him to work at the monastery forge, where Saint Philip combined the activity of unceasing prayer with his work with a heavy hammer. was always the first one in church for the services, and was the last to leave. He toiled also in the bakery, where the humble ascetic was comforted with a heavenly sign. In the monastery afterwards they displayed the “Bakery” image of the Mother of God, through which the heavenly Mediatrix bestowed Her blessing upon the humble baker Philip. With the blessing of the igumen, Saint Philip spent a certain while in wilderness solitude, attending to himself and to God. 1546 at Novgorod the Great, Archbishop Theodosius made Philip igumen of the Solovki monastery. The new igumen strove with all his might to exalt the spiritual significance of the monastery and its founders, Saints Sabbatius and Zosimus of Solovki (September 27, April 17). searched for the Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God brought to the island by the first head of Solovki, Saint Sabbatius. located the stone cross which once stood before the saint’s cell. The Psalter belonging to Saint Zosimus (+1478), the first igumen of Solovki, was also found. His robe, in which igumens would vest during the service on the days when Saint Zosimus was commemorated, was also discovered. monastery experienced a spiritual revival. A new monastic Rule was adopted to regulate life at the monastery. Philip built majestic temples: a church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, consecrated in the year 1557, and a church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. igumen himself worked as a simple laborer, helping to build the walls of the Transfiguration church. the north portico he dug himself a grave beside that of his guide, the Elder Jonah. life in these years flourished at the monastery: struggling with the brethren with the disciples of Igumen Philip were Saints John and Longinus of Yarenga (July 3) and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (July 12). Philip often withdrew to a desolate wilderness spot for quiet prayer, two versts from the monastery, which was later known as the Philippov wilderness. the Lord was preparing the saint for other work. In Moscow, Tsar Ivan the Terrible fondly remembered the Solovki hermit from his childhood. Tsar hoped to find in Saint Philip a true companion, confessor and counsellor, who in his exalted monastic life had nothing in common with the sedition of the nobles. Metropolitan of Moscow, in Ivan’s opinion, ought to have a certain spiritual meekness to quell the treachery and malice within the Boyar soul. The choice of Saint Philip as archpastor of the Russian Church seemed to him the best possible. a long time the saint refused to assume the great burden of the primacy of the Russian Church. He did not sense any spiritual affinity with Ivan. He attempted to get the Tsar to abolish the Oprichniki [secret police]. Ivan the Terrible attempted to argue its civil necessity. the dread Tsar and the holy Metropolitan came to an agreement: Saint Philip would not meddle in the affairs of the Oprichniki and the running of the government, he would resign as Metropolitan in case the Tsar could not fulfill his wishes, and that he would be a support and counsellor of the Tsar, just as former Metropolitans supported the Moscow sovereigns. July 25, 1566 Saint Philip was consecrated for the cathedra of Moscow’s hierarch saints, whose number he was soon to join. the Terrible, one of the greatest and most contradictory figures in Russian history, lived an intensely busy life. He was a talented writer and bibliophile , he was involved in compiling the Chronicles (and himself suddenly cut the thread of the Moscow chronicle writing), he examined the intricacies of the monastic Rule, and more than once he thought about abdicating the throne for the monastic life. aspect of governmental service, all the measures undertaken to restructure civil and social life, Ivan the Terrible tried to rationalize as a manifestation of Divine Providence, as God acting in history. beloved spiritual heroes were Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) and Saint Theodore the Black (September 19), military men active with complex contradictory destinies, moving toward their ends through whatever the obstacles before them, and fulfilling their duties to the nation and to the Church. more the darkness thickened around Ivan, the more resolutely he demanded cleansing and redemption of his soul. Journeying on pilgrimage to the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, he declared his wish to become a monk to the igumen and the brethren. The haughty autocrat fell on his knees before the igumen, who blessed his intent. Ivan wrote, “it seems to me, an accursed sinner, that I am already robed in black.” imagined the Oprichnina in the form of a monastic brotherhood, serving God with weapons and military deeds. The Oprichniki were required to dress in monastic garb and attend long and tiring church services, lasting from 4 to 10 o’clock in the morning. “Brethren” not in church at 4 o’clock in the morning, were given a penance by the Tsar. Ivan and his sons fervently wished to pray and sing in the church choir. From church they went to the trapeza, and while the Oprichniki ate, the Tsar stood beside them. The Oprichniki gathered leftover food from the table and distributed it to the poor at the doorway of the trapeza. with tears of repentance and wanting to be an esteemer of the holy ascetics, the teachers of repentance, wanted to wash and burn away his own sins and those of his companions, cherishing the assurance that even his terribly cruel actions would prove to be for the welfare of Russia and the triumph of Orthodoxy. most clearly spiritual action and monastic sobriety of Ivan the Terrible is revealed in his “Synodikon.” before his death, he ordered full lists compiled of the people murdered by him and his Oprichniki. These were then distributed to all the Russian monasteries. Ivan acknowledged all his sins against the nation, and besought the holy monks to pray to God for the forgiveness of his tormented soul. pseudo-monasticism of Ivan the Terrible, a dark most grievous oppression over Russia, tormented Saint Philip, who considered it impossible to mix the earthly and the heavenly, serving the Cross and serving the sword. Philip saw how much unrepentant malice and envy was concealed beneath the black cowls of the Oprichniki. There were outright murderers among them, hardened in lawless bloodletting, and profiteers seeking gain, rooted in sin and transgressions. the sufferance of God, history is often made by the hands of the impious, and Ivan the Terrible wanted to whiten his black brotherhood before God. The blood spilled by its thugs and fanatics cried out to Heaven. Philip decided to oppose Ivan. This was prompted by a new wave of executions in the years 1567-1568. the autumn of 1567, just as the Tsar was setting out on a campaign against Livonia, he learned about a boyar conspiracy. The plotters intended to seize the Tsar and deliver him to the Polish king, who already was on the move with an army towards Russian territory. dealt severely with the conspirators, and again he shed much blood. It was bitter for Saint Philip, and the conscience of the saint compelled him boldly to enter into defense of the executed. final rift occurred in the spring of 1568. On the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, March 2, 1568, when the Tsar with his Oprichniki entered the Dormition cathedral in monastic garb, as was their custom, Saint Philip refused to bless him, and began openly to denounce the lawless acts committed by the Oprichniki. The accusations of the hierarch shattered the harmony of the church service. In a rage Ivan retorted, “Would you oppose us? We shall see your firmness! I have been too soft on you.” Tsar began to show ever greater cruelty in persecuting all those who opposed him. Executions followed one after the other. The fate of the saintly confessor was sealed. But Ivan wanted to preserve a semblance of canonical propriety. The Boyar Duma obediently carried out his decision to place the Primate of the Russian Church on trial. A cathedral court was set up to try Metropolitan Philip in the presence of a diminished Boyar Duma, false witnesses were found. To the deep sorrow of the saint, these were monks the Solovki monastery, his former disciples and novices whom he loved. They accused Saint Philip of a multitude of transgressions, including sorcery. “Like all my ancestors,” the saint declared, “I came into this world prepared to suffer for truth.” Having refuted all the accusations, the holy sufferer attempted to halt the trial by volunteering to resign his office. His resignation was not accepted, however, and new abuse awaited the martyr. after a sentence of life imprisonment had been handed down, they compelled Saint Philip to serve Liturgy in the Dormition cathedral. This was on November 8, 1568. the middle of the service, the Oprichniki burst into the temple, they publicly read the council’s sentence of condemnation, and then abused the saint. Tearing his vestments off, they dressed him in rags, dragged him out of the church and drove him off to the Theophany monastery on a simple peasant’s sledge. a long while they held the martyr in the cellars of the Moscow monasteries. They placed his feet into stocks, they held him in chains, and put a heavy chain around his neck. Finally, they drove him off to the Tver Otroch monastery. And there a year later, on December 23,1569, the saint was put to death at the hands of Maliuta Skuratov. three days before this the saint foresaw the end of his earthly life and received the Holy Mysteries. At first, his relics were committed to earth there at the monastery, beyond the church altar. Later, they were transferred to the Solovki monastery (August 11, 1591) and from there to Moscow (July 3, 1652). the memory of Saint Philip was celebrated by the Russian Church on December 23, the day of his martyric death. In 1660, the celebration was transferred to January 9.

Russia, Moscow, 1566-1568, Saint, Herman of Kazan, Volokolamsk, Staritsa and Svyazhsk, library, Moscow, Tsar d
Kazan Saint, 1566-1568, St Herman, Herman of Kazan and Svyazhsk; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6; Herman, Archbishop of Kazan, lived during the sixteenth century. He was born in the city of Staritsa, and was descended from the old boyar nobility of the Polevi. In his youth Gregory (his baptismal name) was tonsured at the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery under Igumen Gurias, who later became Archbishop of Kazan (December 5). (Saint Gurias was head of the monastery from 1542 to 1551). the monastery Saint Herman occupied himself with copying books, and he was a close friend of Saint Maximus the Greek (January 21), who was living there in confinement. In 1551 the brethren of the Staritsa Dormition monastery, seeing his piety, chose him as their archimandrite. up the governance of this monastery with a pastoral zeal, Saint Herman concerned himself with its internal and external order, for he himself was a model of humility and meekness. He exhorted all to observe their monastic commitment strictly, and he introduced into his monastery the Rule of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (October 18). after two and a half years Archimandrite Herman left the Staritsa monastery, leaving its direction to the hieromonk Job (June 19), who afterwards was to become the first Patriarch of Moscow, and was an ascetic and sufferer for the Russian Land. Herman’s love for solitary struggles brought him to return to his original Volokolamsk monastery, where he strove toward salvation as a simple monk. However, when the new heretic Matthew Bashkin (who refused to acknowledge the Holy Mysteries and denied faith in the Holy Trinity) appeared at Moscow, Saint Herman and his own father (who had received tonsure at the Volokolamsk monastery with the name Philotheus) were summoned to the Moscow Council of 1553. The Council censured the heretic Bashkin and resolved to send him for correction to Saint Herman at the Volokolamsk monastery, since Saint Herman was known for his holy life and zeal for the faith in Christ. 1555, after the taking of Kazan, an archepiscopal See was established there. Saint Gurias, the former igumen of Volokolamsk monastery, was chosen as archbishop. He was entrusted with building the Dormition monastery in the city of Sviyazhsk for missionary purposes. By decree of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was appointed as head of this new monastery in Sviyazhsk. A stone cathedral was built with a belltower and monastic cells. The igumen of the monastery lived very frugally in a cramped cell beneath the cathedral belltower. Saint Herman particularly concerned himself with acquiring a library for the monastery. his monastery became famous for its good works, and it became a center of enlightenment for the Kazan region. March 12, 1564, after the repose of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was consecrated Bishop of Kazan. The short duration of his tenure there was marked nonetheless by his efforts to build churches and to enlighten the people of the region with the light of Christ. 1566, Ivan the Terrible summoned Saint Herman to Moscow and ordered that he be elected to the Metropolitan cathedra. At first, Saint Herman refused to have this burden imposed upon him. The Tsar would not tolerate any objection, however, and the saint was obliged to settle into the Metropolitan’s quarters until his elevation to the position of Metropolitan. injustice among those of the Tsar’s inner circle, Saint Herman, true to his pastoral duty, attempted to admonish the Tsar. “You are not yet elevated to Metropolitan, and already you place constraints upon my freedom,” the Tsar told him through his aides. He ordered Saint Herman expelled from the Metropolitan’s quarters and that he be kept under surveillance. saint lived in disgrace for about two years, and died on November 6, 1567. They buried him in the church of Saint Nicholas the Hospitable. In 1595, at the request of the inhabitants of Sviyazhsk, the relics of the saint were transferred from Moscow to the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. Saint Hermogenes, then Metropolitan of Kazan, visited his grave. Herman is also commemorated on September 25 (first translation of his relics in 1595) and June 23 (second translation of his relics in 1714).

Russia, Moscow, 1567, Miraculous Sign of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God, Tears for Plague at Pskov
Russia, Pskov, 1567, Miraculous Sign of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God; Mirozh Icon appeared at the Mirozh monastery in the year 1198. But later, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at a time when a plague raged at Pskov, an ancient report tells how tears flowed from both eyes of the icon. Many benefits and healings for man occured from the icon of the Mother of God. Mirozh Icon is an “Oransâ€ (“Prayingâ€) type. On either side of the Most Holy Theotokos stand the Pskov Saints: on the right, the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20); on the left, his wife, the holy nun Martha, in the world named Maria Dimitrievna (November 8, 1300). Tsar Ivan Vasilievich took away the wonderworking icon from Pskov, but at the monastery an exact copy remained: the so-called “Great Panagiaâ€ from the Savior-Mirozh monastery. September 24, 1567, on the Feast of Saint Abraham at the Mirozh monastery there occurred a miraculous sign from an ancient icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The celebration of the Mirozh Icon of the Sign was established in that same year, with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod and Pskov. A special service to this icon was composed, and was published in the 1666 MENAION. Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 24;

Russia, Moscow, 1567-1568, Philip II, Metropolitan, Solviki hermit, Ivan IV's companion, confessor, counsellor
Moscow Patriarch, 1567-1568, Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9; Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the world Theodore, was descended from the illustrious noble lineage of the Kolichevi, occupying a prominent place in the Boyar duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. was born in the year 1507. His father, Stephen Ivanovich, “a man enlightened and filled with military spirit,” attentively prepared his son for government service. Theodore’s pious mother Barbara, who ended her days as a nun with the name Barsanouphia, implanted in the soul of her son a sincere faith and deep piety. Young Theodore Kolichev applied himself diligently to the Holy Scripture and to the writings of the holy Fathers. The Moscow Great Prince Basil III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought young Theodore into the court, but he was not attracted to court life. Conscious of its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore all the more deeply immersed himself in the reading of books and visiting the churches of God. Life in Moscow repelled the young ascetic. The young Prince Ivan’s sincere devotion to him, promising him a great future in government service, could not deter him from seeking the Heavenly City. Sunday, June 5, 1537, in church for Divine Liturgy, Theodore felt intensely in his soul the words of the Savior: “No man can serve two masters” (Mt.6:24), which determined his ultimate destiny. Praying fervently to the Moscow wonderworkers, and without bidding farewell to his relatives, he secretly left Moscow in the attire of a peasant, and for a while he hid himself away from the world in the village of Khizna, near Lake Onega, earning his livelihood as a shepherd. thirst for ascetic deeds led him to the renowned Solovki monastery on the White Sea. There he fulfilled very difficult obediences: he chopped firewood, dug the ground, and worked in the mill. After a year and a half of testing, the igumen Alexis tonsured him, giving him the monastic name Philip and entrusting him in obedience to the Elder Jonah Shamina, a converser with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the guidance of experienced elders Philip grew spiritually, and progressed in fasting and prayer. Igumen Alexis sent him to work at the monastery forge, where Saint Philip combined the activity of unceasing prayer with his work with a heavy hammer. was always the first one in church for the services, and was the last to leave. He toiled also in the bakery, where the humble ascetic was comforted with a heavenly sign. In the monastery afterwards they displayed the “Bakery” image of the Mother of God, through which the heavenly Mediatrix bestowed Her blessing upon the humble baker Philip. With the blessing of the igumen, Saint Philip spent a certain while in wilderness solitude, attending to himself and to God. 1546 at Novgorod the Great, Archbishop Theodosius made Philip igumen of the Solovki monastery. The new igumen strove with all his might to exalt the spiritual significance of the monastery and its founders, Saints Sabbatius and Zosimus of Solovki (September 27, April 17). He searched for the Hodēgḗtria icon of the Mother of God brought to the island by the first head of Solovki, Saint Sabbatius. He located the stone cross which once stood before the saint’s cell. The Psalter belonging to Saint Zosimus (+1478), the first igumen of Solovki, was also found. His robe, in which igumens would vest during the service on the days when Saint Zosimus was commemorated, was also discovered. monastery experienced a spiritual revival. A new monastic Rule was adopted to regulate life at the monastery. Saint Philip built majestic temples: a church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, consecrated in the year 1557, and a church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The igumen himself worked as a simple laborer, helping to build the walls of the Transfiguration church. Beneath the north portico he dug himself a grave beside that of his guide, the Elder Jonah. Spiritual life in these years flourished at the monastery: struggling with the brethren with the disciples of Igumen Philip were Saints John and Longinus of Yarenga (July 3) and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (July 12). Philip often withdrew to a desolate wilderness spot for quiet prayer, two versts from the monastery, which was later known as the Philippov wilderness. the Lord was preparing the saint for other work. In Moscow, Tsar Ivan the Terrible fondly remembered the Solovki hermit from his childhood. The Tsar hoped to find in Saint Philip a true companion, confessor and counsellor, who in his exalted monastic life had nothing in common with the sedition of the nobles. The Metropolitan of Moscow, in Ivan’s opinion, ought to have a certain spiritual meekness to quell the treachery and malice within the Boyar soul. The choice of Saint Philip as archpastor of the Russian Church seemed to him the best possible. a long time the saint refused to assume the great burden of the primacy of the Russian Church. He did not sense any spiritual affinity with Ivan. He attempted to get the Tsar to abolish the Oprichniki [secret police]. Ivan the Terrible attempted to argue its civil necessity. Finally, the dread Tsar and the holy Metropolitan came to an agreement: Saint Philip would not meddle in the affairs of the Oprichniki and the running of the government, he would resign as Metropolitan in case the Tsar could not fulfill his wishes, and that he would be a support and counsellor of the Tsar, just as former Metropolitans supported the Moscow sovereigns. On July 25, 1566 Saint Philip was consecrated for the cathedra of Moscow’s hierarch saints, whose number he was soon to join. the Terrible, one of the greatest and most contradictory figures in Russian history, lived an intensely busy life. He was a talented writer and bibliophile , he was involved in compiling the Chronicles (and himself suddenly cut the thread of the Moscow chronicle writing), he examined the intricacies of the monastic Rule, and more than once he thought about abdicating the throne for the monastic life. aspect of governmental service, all the measures undertaken to restructure civil and social life, Ivan the Terrible tried to rationalize as a manifestation of Divine Providence, as God acting in history. His beloved spiritual heroes were Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) and Saint Theodore the Black (September 19), military men active with complex contradictory destinies, moving toward their ends through whatever the obstacles before them, and fulfilling their duties to the nation and to the Church. more the darkness thickened around Ivan, the more resolutely he demanded cleansing and redemption of his soul. Journeying on pilgrimage to the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, he declared his wish to become a monk to the igumen and the brethren. The haughty autocrat fell on his knees before the igumen, who blessed his intent. Ivan wrote, “it seems to me, an accursed sinner, that I am already robed in black.” imagined the Oprichnina in the form of a monastic brotherhood, serving God with weapons and military deeds. The Oprichniki were required to dress in monastic garb and attend long and tiring church services, lasting from 4 to 10 o’clock in the morning. “Brethren” not in church at 4 o’clock in the morning, were given a penance by the Tsar. Ivan and his sons fervently wished to pray and sing in the church choir. From church they went to the trapeza, and while the Oprichniki ate, the Tsar stood beside them. The Oprichniki gathered leftover food from the table and distributed it to the poor at the doorway of the trapeza. with tears of repentance and wanting to be an esteemer of the holy ascetics, the teachers of repentance, wanted to wash and burn away his own sins and those of his companions, cherishing the assurance that even his terribly cruel actions would prove to be for the welfare of Russia and the triumph of Orthodoxy. The most clearly spiritual action and monastic sobriety of Ivan the Terrible is revealed in his “Synodikon.” Shortly before his death, he ordered full lists compiled of the people murdered by him and his Oprichniki. These were then distributed to all the Russian monasteries. Ivan acknowledged all his sins against the nation, and besought the holy monks to pray to God for the forgiveness of his tormented soul. pseudo-monasticism of Ivan the Terrible, a dark most grievous oppression over Russia, tormented Saint Philip, who considered it impossible to mix the earthly and the heavenly, serving the Cross and serving the sword. Saint Philip saw how much unrepentant malice and envy was concealed beneath the black cowls of the Oprichniki. There were outright murderers among them, hardened in lawless bloodletting, and profiteers seeking gain, rooted in sin and transgressions. By the sufferance of God, history is often made by the hands of the impious, and Ivan the Terrible wanted to whiten his black brotherhood before God. The blood spilled by its thugs and fanatics cried out to Heaven. Philip decided to oppose Ivan. This was prompted by a new wave of executions in the years 1567-1568. In the autumn of 1567, just as the Tsar was setting out on a campaign against Livonia, he learned about a boyar conspiracy. The plotters intended to seize the Tsar and deliver him to the Polish king, who already was on the move with an army towards Russian territory. dealt severely with the conspirators, and again he shed much blood. It was bitter for Saint Philip, and the conscience of the saint compelled him boldly to enter into defense of the executed. The final rift occurred in the spring of 1568. On the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, March 2, 1568, when the Tsar with his Oprichniki entered the Dormition cathedral in monastic garb, as was their custom, Saint Philip refused to bless him, and began openly to denounce the lawless acts committed by the Oprichniki. The accusations of the hierarch shattered the harmony of the church service. In a rage Ivan retorted, “Would you oppose us? We shall see your firmness! I have been too soft on you.” Tsar began to show ever greater cruelty in persecuting all those who opposed him. Executions followed one after the other. The fate of the saintly confessor was sealed. But Ivan wanted to preserve a semblance of canonical propriety. The Boyar Duma obediently carried out his decision to place the Primate of the Russian Church on trial. A cathedral court was set up to try Metropolitan Philip in the presence of a diminished Boyar Duma, and false witnesses were found. To the deep sorrow of the saint, these were monks of the Solovki monastery, his former disciples and novices whom he loved. They accused Saint Philip of a multitude of transgressions, including sorcery. “Like all my ancestors,” the saint declared, “I came into this world prepared to suffer for truth.” Having refuted all the accusations, the holy sufferer attempted to halt the trial by volunteering to resign his office. His resignation was not accepted, however, and new abuse awaited the martyr. after a sentence of life imprisonment had been handed down, they compelled Saint Philip to serve Liturgy in the Dormition cathedral. This was on November 8, 1568. In the middle of the service, the Oprichniki burst into the temple, they publicly read the council’s sentence of condemnation, and then abused the saint. Tearing his vestments off, they dressed him in rags, dragged him out of the church and drove him off to the Theophany monastery on a simple peasant’s sledge. a long while they held the martyr in the cellars of the Moscow monasteries. They placed his feet into stocks, they held him in chains, and put a heavy chain around his neck. Finally, they drove him off to the Tver Otroch monastery. And there a year later, on December 23,1569, the saint was put to death at the hands of Maliuta Skuratov. Only three days before this the saint foresaw the end of his earthly life and received the Holy Mysteries. At first, his relics were committed to earth there at the monastery, beyond the church altar. Later, they were transferred to the Solovki monastery (August 11, 1591) and from there to Moscow (July 3, 1652). the memory of Saint Philip was celebrated by the Russian Church on December 23, the day of his martyric death. In 1660, the celebration was transferred to January 9.

Russia, Moscow, 1568-1570, Russo-Turkish War, first of 12 wars, Astrakhan, Volga and Don, Azov, M froze, storm
Moscow, 1568-1570, Russo-Turkish War (1568-“70) ; Russo-Turkish War (1568-“1570) or Don-Volga-Astrakhan campaign of 1569[3] (referred to in Ottoman sources as the Astrakhan Expedition) was a war between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Astrakhan Khanate. It was the first of twelve Russo-Turkish wars ending with World War I in 1914-18. AIn 1556 the Astrakhan Khanate was conquered by Ivan the Terrible, who had a new fortress built on a steep hill overlooking the Volga.[4] 1568 the Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet PasŸa, who was the real power in the administration of the Ottoman Empire under Selim II, initiated the first encounter between the Ottoman Empire and her future northern arch-rival Russia. The results presaged the many disasters to come. A plan to unite the Volga and Don by a canal was detailed in Constantinople. the summer of 1569 in response to Moscovy's interference in Ottoman commercial and religious pilgrimages, the Ottoman Empire sent a large force under Kasim PaÅŸa of 20,000 Turks and 50,000 Tatars to lay siege to Astrakhan.[5] Meanwhile an Ottoman fleet besieged Azov. However, a sortie from the garrison under Knyaz (prince) Serebrianyi-Obolenskiy, the military governor of Astrakhan, drove back the besiegers. A Russian relief army of 30,000 attacked and scattered the workmen and the Tatar force sent for their protection. On their way home up to 70% of the remaining soldiers and workers froze to death in the steppes or became victims of attacks by Circassians. The Ottoman fleet was destroyed by a storm. The Ottoman Empire, though militarily defeated, achieved safe passage for Muslim pilgrims and traders from Central Asia and the destruction of the Russian fort on the Terek River.[5]

Russia, Moscow, 1569, Translation Tikhon oKostroms's relics, healing began at grave, incorrupt
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1569, Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), healing began at grave, incorrupt, igumen struck blind, repented, recovered, 70 posthumous miracles; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 26; the year 1569 the healing of many sick persons began at the tomb of Saint Tikhon of Lukhov, his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. Igumen Constantine, who uncovered the relics, was struck blind. repenting and then recovering his sight, he placed Saint Tikhon’s relics back into the ground. veneration of Saint Tikhon dates from this time. Life with a description of 70 posthumous miracles was compiled in the year 1649. Tikhon of Lukhov is also commemorated on June 16 (his blessed repose in 1503).

Russia, Moscow, 1570-1600, Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Olonets Land , founded a monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1570-1600, Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Olonets Land (Northwestern Imperial Russia, Finland to White Sea), founded a monastery; Olonets Land; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Athanasius of Navolotsk went at the end of the sixteenth century from the Kargopol region to the Olonets land, he founded a monastery 78 versts from what later became the city of Petrozavodsk. The saint died at a Verkholedsk suburb not far from Shenkursk.

Russia, Moscow, 1571, Jerusalem Icon MOG transferred to Moscow's Dormition cathedral, Luke, from Novgorod, Korsun
Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord at Gethsemane. the year 463, the icon was transferred to Constantinople. The Byzantine army carried the Jerusalem Icon into battle when they turned back an invasion of the Scythians. 988 the icon was transferred to Korsun and given to the holy Prince Vladimir. When the people of Novgorod accepted Christianity, Saint Vladimir sent them this icon. 1571, Ivan the Terrible transferred the icon to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. During the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, the original was stolen by the French and brought to Paris. An authenticated copy was placed in the Dormition cathedral. Jerusalem Icon is also commemorated on November 13, and on the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent. Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1571, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, 1571 transferred to Moscow by Ivan t T, 1812 stolen by France, but replaced by copy
Jerusalem, 463, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, war hero Constantnpl 469 over huns, 988 Korsun and Novgorod, 1571 Moscow, 1812 stolen by France, but copy ; Jerusalem; Icon of the Mother of God Jerusale, Commemorated on October 12 ; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord at Gethsemane. the year 463, the icon was transferred to Constantinople. Byzantine army carried the Jerusalem Icon into battle when they turned back an invasion of the Scythians. 988 the icon was transferred to Korsun and given to the holy Prince Vladimir. the people of Novgorod accepted Christianity, Saint Vladimir sent them this icon. 1571, Ivan the Terrible transferred the icon to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, the original was stolen by the French and brought to Paris. An authenticated copy was placed in the Dormition cathedral. Jerusalem Icon is also commemorated on November 13, and on the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1572, Uncovering Ephraim's relics, E's brother George k wBoris, E founded Rostov B&Gleb M, G's head connection
Russia, Rostov, 1572, Uncovering relics oEphraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), Hungarian E's brother George killed wBoris, E founded G&Gleb M in Rostov, wanderer's home there, E burried wGeorge's head with instructions to uncover later, B&G sons of Vladimir, killed by brother Sviatopolk both without resisting and praying for him, other son Yaroslav kills S, Yaroslav's grandsons develop peculiar worship oB&G, transfer in 1115, relics separated, from then on B protected Monomashichi, and G protected Ol’govichi and the Davidovich, names Boris&Gleb akaRoman&David stayed within their protection, monasteries in specific places connected wThe murders, this one connected wGeorge's head; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11; of the Relics of Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg (+ January 28, 1053) took place in the year 1572 under Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod. The Feast day was established under Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow (1584-1587). Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. with his brothers, Saint Moses the Hungarian (July 26) and Saint George (in Hungarian “Sandor,” pronounced “Shandor”), he quit his native land, possibly because he was Orthodox. come to Russia, all three brothers entered into the service of the Rostov prince Saint Boris, son of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Ephraim’s brother George also perished in the year 1015 at the River Alta, with holy Prince Boris. murderers cut off his head, and took the gold medallion which he had received from Saint Boris. Moses managed to save himself by flight, and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. Ephraim, evidently in Rostov at this time, and arriving at the place of the murder, found the head of his brother and took it with him. service at the princely court, Saint Ephraim withdrew to the River Tvertsa in order to lead a solitary monastic life. several other monks settled near him, he founded a monastery in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb in the year 1038. The brethren chose him to lead them. the monastery, not far from a merchant’s road to Novgorod, a wanderer’s home was built, where the poor and travelers stayed for free. Ephraim died in old age. His body was buried at the monastery he founded. head of his brother, Saint George was also placed in the grave, in accordance with his last wishes. relics of Saint Ephraim were uncovered in the year 1572. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Boris and Gleb were sons of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Boris was named Romanus and Saint Gleb was named David at their Baptism. their father’s death the eldest son Sviatopolk planned to kill his brothers Boris, Gleb, and Yaroslav in order to seize power. sent a message to Boris, pretending that he wished to live in peace with him, and to increase Boris’s land holdings inherited from their father. of Vladimir’s advisers told Boris that he should take the army and establish himelf as ruler of Kiev. Boris, however, said that he could never lift his hand against his own brother. Sviatopolk was not so scrupulous. came to the town of Vyshegorod to ask its leaders if they were loyal to him. They assured him that they were ready to die for him. sent assassins to the Alta to kill Boris, who already knew that his brother wanted him dead. they arrived they heard him chanting psalms and praying before an icon of Christ. He asked the Lord to strengthen him for the suffering he was about to endure. He also prayed for Sviatopolk, asking God not to count this against him as sin. he lay down upon his couch, and the assassins stabbed him with their lances, and also killed some of Boris’s servants. Boris in a cloth, they threw him onto a wagon and drove off with him. Sviatopolk saw that he was still breathing, he sent some men to finish him off with swords. Sviatopolk had killed Boris, he wondered, “Now how can I kill Gleb?” sent him a message saying that their father was ill and wished to see him. As he was on his way, he received word from Yaroslav that their father had died and that Sviatopolk had murdered Boris. Gleb wept for his father and brother, and was lamenting them when the assassins arrived. seized his boat and drew their weapons, but it was Gleb’s cook Torchin who stabbed him with a knife. martyr’s body was thrown onto the shore between two trees. Later, he was buried beside Saint Boris in the church of Saint Basil. Boris and Gleb received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. became known as Passion-Bearers, since they did not resist evil with violence. holy martyrs Princes Boris and Gleb are also commemorated on May 2. Translation of the Relics of the Holy Passionbearers Boris and Gleb (in Baptism Roman and David—1072 and 1115), Commemorated on May 2; Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. Saint Boris (July 24) was a brother of the Great Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054), and was baptized with the name Roman. The murdered Prince Boris was buried at the church of Saint Basil the Great at Vyshgorod near Kiev. John I of Kiev (1008-1035) and his clergy solemnly met the incorrupt relics of the holy passion-bearer Gleb and placed them in the church where the relics of Saint Boris rested. the burial place was glorified by miracles. the relics of the holy brothers Boris and Gleb were removed from the ground and placed in a specially constructed chapel. July 24, 1026 a church of five cupolas built by Yaroslav the Wise was consecrated in honor of the holy martyrs. later years, the Vyshgorod Saints Boris and Gleb church containing the relics of the holy Passion-Bearers became the family church of the Yaroslavichi, sanctuary of brotherly love and service to the nation. symbol of their unity was the celebration of the Transfer of the Relics of Boris and Gleb, observed on May 2. history of the establishing of this Feast is bound up with the preceding events of Russian history. May 2, 1069 the Great Prince Izyaslav, who had been expelled from the princedom for seven months (i.e. from September 1068) because of an uprising of the Kievan people, entered into Kiev. gratitude for God’s help in establishing peace in the Russian land, the prince built a new church to replace an older structure. Two Metropolitans, George of Kiev and Neophytus of Chernigov, participated in its consecration with other bishops, igumens, and clergy. transfer of the relics, in which all three of the Yaroslavichi (Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod) participated, was set for May 2, and it was designated as an annual celebration. Yaroslavich, Prince of Kiev during 1073-1076, made an effort to transform the Saints Boris and Gleb temple into a stone church, but he was able to build the walls only eight cubits high. Vsevolod (+ 1093) finished the church construction, but it collapsed by night. veneration of Saints Boris and Gleb developed during the time of Yaroslav’s grandsons, often producing a peculiar pious competition among them. ’s son Svyatopolk (+ 1113), built silver reliquaries for the saints. 1102 Vsevolod’s son Vladimir Monomakh (+ 1125), sent master craftsmen by night and secretly adorned the silver reliquaries with gold leaf. ’s son Oleg (+ 1115) outdid them. He was called “Gorislavich”, and was mentioned in the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” He “intended to raise up the collapsed stone (church) and hired some builders.” He provided everything that was necessary. church was ready in the year 1111, and Oleg “pressured and besought Svyatopolk to transfer the holy relics into it.” Svyatopolk did not want to do this, “because he did not build this church.” death of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich (+ 1113) brought a new insurrection to Kiev, which nearly killed Vladimir Monomakh, who had become Great Prince of that city. decided to cultivate friendship with the Svyatoslavichi through the solemn transfer of the relics into the Oleg church. “Vladimir gathered his sons, and David and Oleg with their sons. all arrived at Vyshgorod. All the hierarchs, igumens, monks and priests came, filling all the town and there was no space left for the citizenry along the walls.” the morning of May 2, 1115, the Sunday of the Myrhhbearing Women, they began to sing Matins at both churches, old and new, and the transfer of relics began. three were separated. “First they brought Saint Boris in a cart, and with him went Metropolitan Vladimir and his clergy.” other carts went Saint Gleb “and David with bishops and clergy.” (Oleg waited for them in the church). separation was adhered to in future generations. Boris was considered a heavenly protector of the Monomashichi; Gleb, of the Ol’govichi and the Davidovichi. Vladimir Monomakh speaks about Boris in his “Testament”, he does not mention Gleb. the Ol’govichi line, none of the princes received the name Boris. general the names Boris and Gleb, and so also Roman and David, were esteemed by many generations of Russian princes. brothers of Oleg Gorislavich were named Roman (+ 1079), Gleb (+ 1078), David (+ 1123), and one of his sons was named Gleb (+ 1138). Monomakh were the sons Roman and Gleb; Yuri Dolgoruky, Boris and Gleb; Saint Rostislav of Smolensk, Boris and Gleb; Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, Saint Gleb (+ 1174); Vsevolod Big Nest, Boris and Gleb. the sons of Vseslav of Polotsk (+ 1101) was the full range of “Saints Boris and Gleb” names: Roman, Gleb, David, Boris. Vyshgorod sanctuaries were not the only centers for the liturgical veneration of Saints Boris and Gleb. It was spread throughout the Russian land. of all, there were churches and monasteries in specific places connected with the martyrdom of the saints, and their miraculous help for people; temple of Boris and Gleb at Dorogozhich on the road to Vyshgorod, where Saint Boris died; Saints Boris and Gleb monastery at Tmo near Tver where Gleb’s horse injured its leg; monastery of the same name at Smyadyno at the place of Gleb’s murder; at the River Tvertsa near Torzhok (founded in 1030), where the head of Saint George the Hungarian was preserved note: the beloved servant of Saint Boris was beheaded in order to steal the gold medallion given him by Saint Boris]. dedicated to Saints Boris and Gleb were built at the Alta in memory of the victory of Yaroslav the Wise over Svyatopolk the Accursed on July 24, 1019; also at Gzena near Novgorod where Gleb Svyatoslavich defeated a sorcerer. Ol’govichi and the Monomashichi vied with each other in building churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. himself, in addition to the Vyshgorod church, built the Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral in Old Ryazan in 1115 (therefore, the diocese was later called Saints Boris and Gleb). brother David also built at Chernigov (in 1120). the year 1132 Yuri Dolgoruky built a church of Boris and Gleb at Kideksh at the River Nerla, “where the encampment of Saint Boris had been.” 1145, Saint Rostislav of Smolensk “put a stone church at Smyadyno,” at Smolensk. the following year the first (wooden) Saints Boris and Gleb church was built in Novgorod. 1167 a stone foundation replaced the wood, and it was completed and consecrated in the year 1173. The Novgorod Chronicles name the legendary Sotko Sytinich as the builder of the church. holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb were the first Russian saints glorified by the Russian and Byzantine Churches. service to them was composed soon after their death, and its author was Saint John I, Metropolitan of Kiev (1008-1035), which a MENAION of the twelfth century corroborates. innumerable copies of their Life, the accounts of the relics, the miracles and eulogies in the manuscripts and printed books of the twelfth-fourteenth centuries bear witness to the special veneration of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb in Russia. note: Neither this account nor those of the individual feastdays give the details of their martyrdom. Perhaps it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the story, or perhaps it is too painful to recount. The saints chose not to take up arms to defend themselves, or flee to safety. In their final prayers, they refer to the Lord’s voluntary suffering and death, as recorded by the chroniclers. Since they meekly accepted an unjust death for the sake of Christ, they are known as “Passion-Bearers.”]

Russia, Moscow, 1572-1588, Volokolamsk Icon, V Tver (Lama River Source), a copy of Vladimir Icon in Moscow Dormition Cathedral
Russia, Tver, 1572-1588, Volokolamsk monastery, Tver (Lama River Source), a copy of Vladimir Icon in Moscow Dormition Cathedral which was brought from Constantinople to Moscow in 1395; Volokolamsk monastery, Volokolamsk-Exaltation of the Cross monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The icon was brought from Zvenigorod to the Dormition monastery of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk on March 2, 1572, during the second week of Great Lent and was solemnly met by Igumen Leonid (1563-1566; 1568-1573) and all the monastic brethren. is distinguished by its particular depiction on the margins of Saint Cyprian (right) and Saint Gerontius (left), Metropolitans of Moscow. name of Metropolitan Cyprian is associated with the first arrival of the ancient Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to Moscow in the year 1395, and under Metropolitan Gerontius in 1480 the Vladimir Icon came finally to Moscow. the year 1588 the Volokolamsk Icon was dedicated atop the gate in the church at the south gates of the Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (August 26). the end of the seventeenth century, when a church of the same name was built in Moscow at Staraya Basmanna, the church atop the gate of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk was rededicated in honor of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Volokolamsk Icon was transferred to its proper place on the iconostasis of the new cathedral Dormition church of the monastery of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk. 1578, the icon was recognized as wonderworking.

Russia, Moscow, 1577, Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, lightning strike, not buried, light over incorrup body
Russia, Vologda, 1577, Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol; village of Verkola in Pinezhsky; Uyezd in Arkhangelsk Governorate; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, Commemorated October 20; Righteous Artemius of Verkola was born in the village of Dvina Verkhol around the year 1532. son of pious parents, Artemius was a child who was courageous, meek and diligent for every good deed. June 23, 1545 the twelve-year-old Artemius and his father were taken by surprise in a field by a thunderstorm. A clap of thunder broke right over their heads, and the child Artemius fell dead. thought that this was a sign of God’s judgment, therefore they left the body in a pine forest without a funeral, and without burial. years later, the village reader beheld a light over the place where the incorrupt body of the Righteous Artemius lay. to the church of Saint Nicholas in 1577, the holy relics were shown to be a source of numerous healings. this village a monastery was later built, called the Verkhol. 1918, the impious Soviets chopped the holy relics into pieces and threw them into a well. The memory of Saint Artemius is also celebrated on October 20. Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23;

Russia, Moscow, 1578, 1244&1770, 6 Translations otRelics otMartyr's Prince Michael & Boyer Theodore, killed by Batu 1244
Russia, Kiev, 1578&1770, Translation otRelics otMartyr Michael oChernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland, Prince Michael oC and Boyar Theodore killed by Batu 1244, (1) relics saved by Christians, (2) later r transferred to Vladimir, (3) then 1272 to Polish Chernigov, (4) 1573 to Moscow by Ivan tTerrible, (5) then 1770 to Moscow's Meething otLprd Cathedral, (6) 1774 hidden in Kremlin's Holy Archangel Cathedral, Michael&Theodore commemorated Sept 20, Feb 14th, Sunday before Aug 26th, synaxis Moscow's Saints; Chernigov; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov and his Boyar Theodore were put to death by Batu of the Golden Horde on September 20, 1244. first, some devout Russian Christians secretly took their relics. Later, the relics of the holy wonderworkers were transferred to the city of Vladimir, then to Chernigov, after Chernigov was ceded to the Poles in the year 1572. February 14, 1578 Tsar Ivan the Terrible transferred their relics to a church which was dedicated to them in Moscow, with the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony. 1770 the relics of Saints Michael and Theodore were transferred to the Meeting of the Lord (Сретенский) cathedral, November 21,1774, they have been kept in a hidden place in Moscow's Holy Archangels Cathedral in the Kremlin. Holy Martyrs and Confessors Michael and Theodore are commemorated September 20 (the day of their martyric death); February 14 (the Translation of their Holy Relics in 1578; on the Sunday before August 26 (Synaxis of the Moscow Saints).

Russia, Moscow, 1579, Kazan Icon, discovered by 10 yr old girl's dream
after a fire destroyed Kazan in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, revealing the location where the icon lay hidden. The girl told the archbishop about the dream but she was not taken seriously. However, on 8 July 1579, after two repetitions of the dream, the girl and her mother recovered the icon on their own, buried under a destroyed house where it had been hidden to save it from the Tatars Mongol, Perm, 1579, Kazan Icon; Lady of Kazan, also called Mother-of-God of Kazan, was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan, and a palladium of all of Russia, known as the Holy Protectress of Russia. to legend, the icon was originally acquired from Constantinople, lost in 1438, and miraculously recovered in pristine state over 140 years later in 1579. Two major cathedrals, the Kazan Cathedral, Moscow, and the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, and they display copies of the icon, as do numerous churches throughout the land. The original icon in Kazan was stolen, and likely destroyed, in 1904. "Fátima image" is a 16th-century copy of the icon, or possibly the 16th-century original, stolen from St. Petersburg in 1917 and purchased by F. A. Mitchell-Hedges in 1953. It was housed in Fátima, Portugal from 1970 to 1993, then in the study of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican from 1993 to 2004, when it was returned to Kazan, where it is now kept in the Kazan Monastery of the Theotokos. Copies of the image are also venerated in the Catholic Church. days of Our Lady of Kazan are 21 July, and 4 November (which is also the Russian Day of National Unity). 1 History 1.1 Fátima image 2 See also 3 References 4 External links to tradition, the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was brought to Russia from Constantinople in the 13th century. After the establishment of the Khanate of Kazan (c. 1438) the icon disappeared from the historical record for more than a century. Hermogenes' chronicle, written at the request of Tsar Feodor in 1595, describes the recovery of the icon.[1][unreliable source?] According to this account, after a fire destroyed Kazan in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, revealing the location where the icon lay hidden. The girl told the archbishop about the dream but she was not taken seriously. However, on 8 July 1579, after two repetitions of the dream, the girl and her mother recovered the icon on their own, buried under a destroyed house where it had been hidden to save it from the Tatars.[2][1][unreliable source?] Monastery of the Theotokos where the icon was conserved until 1904, and the home of the "Fátima image" since 2004 Other churches were built in honour of the revelation of the Virgin of Kazan, and copies of the image were displayed at the Kazan Cathedral of Moscow (constructed in the early 17th century), at Yaroslavl, and at St. Petersburg. military commanders Dmitry Pozharsky (17th century) and Mikhail Kutuzov (19th century) credited invocation of the Virgin Mary through the icon with helping the country to repel the Polish invasion of 1612, the Swedish invasion of 1709, and Napoleon's invasion of 1812. The Kazan icon achieved immense popularity, and there were nine or ten separate miracle-attributed copies of the icon around Russia.[1][unreliable source?] the night of June 29, 1904, the icon was stolen from the Kazan Convent of the Theotokos [ru] in Kazan where it had been kept for centuries (the building was later blown up by the communist authorities[citation needed]). Thieves apparently coveted the icon's gold frame, which was ornamented with many valuable jewels. Several years later, Russian police apprehended the thieves and recovered the frame. The thieves originally declared that the icon itself had been cut to pieces and burnt, although one of them eventually confessed that it was housed in a monastery in the wilds of Siberia. This one, however, was believed to be a fake, and the Russian police refused to investigate, using the logic that it would be very unlucky to venerate a fake icon as though it were authentic.[3] The Orthodox Church interpreted the disappearance of the icon as a sign of tragedies that would plague Russia after the image of the Holy Protectress of Russia had been lost. Indeed, the Russian peasantry was wont to credit all the miseries of the Revolution of 1905, as well as Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, to the desecration of her image.[3] of Saint Nicolas and the Venerable Gerasimus holding the icon Lady of Kazan in Makaryev Monastery (17th century, photograph by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky) Lady of Kazan (1850s reproduction) Our Lady of Kazan. Mid 19th-century Our Lady of Kazan átima image[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Our Lady of Kazan" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Lady of Kazan (Fátima image) Cathedral, Kazan (1561–62) to the site of the icon's recovery, 21 July 2015. the Russian Revolution of 1917, there was speculation that the original icon was in fact preserved in St. Petersburg. Reportedly, an icon of Our Lady of Kazan was used in processions around Leningrad fortifications during the Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944) during World War II.[4] theory proposed that the Bolsheviks had sold the image abroad, although the Russian Orthodox Church did not accept such theories. The history of the stolen icon between 1917 and 1953 is unknown. In 1953 Frederick Mitchell-Hedges purchased an icon from Arthur Hillman. Although the status of the icon as the original Kazan icon remained disputed, Cyril G.E. Bunt concluded "that it is the work of a great icon painter of the 16th century [...] the pigments and the wood of the panel are perfectly preserved as exhaustive X-ray tests have proved, and have mellowed with age", suggesting that while it was a copy of the original icon, it was nevertheless the original icon carried by Pozharski in 1612. It was exhibited at the World Trade Fair in New York in 1964–1965. On 13 September 1965, members of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima spent the night in veneration of the icon in the pavilion in New York. The Blue Army eventually bought the icon from Anna Mitchell-Hedges for US$125,000 in January 1970, and the icon was enshrined in Fátima, Portugal. 1993 the icon from Fátima was given to the Vatican and Pope John Paul II had it installed in his study, where he venerated it for eleven years. In his own words, "it has found a home with me and has accompanied my daily service to the Church with its motherly gaze".[5] John Paul II wished to visit Moscow or Kazan so that he himself could return the icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. However the Moscow Patriarchate was suspicious that the Pope might have other motives, so he presented the icon to the Russian Church unconditionally in August 2004.[6] On August 26, 2004, it was exhibited for veneration on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica and then delivered to Moscow.[7] On the next feast day of the holy icon, July 21, 2005, Patriarch Alexius II and Mintimer Shaymiev, the president of Tatarstan, received it in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin [ru].[8] icon is now enshrined in the Cathedral of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, part of the Convent of the Theotokos (re-established as a monastery in 2005), on the site where the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was found, and plans are underway to make the monastery's other buildings into an international pilgrimage centre. The Complicated History of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8/21 and October 22/November 4, Sergei Milov; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8; Icon œNot Made by Handsfrom Lydda, Commemorated on March 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, P oConstantinople, Muldovia, Thessalonica, Great Story
Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, Patriarch oConstantinople, Wonderworker, from Crete, from pious Greek family, wealthy but wanted asceticism, novice Thess M, trapeza at Esphigmenou, tonsured palestinian Ms, returned, presbyter aThss, Gospel to Vlachs & Moldovians & translated Psalter, tConstantinople tPreachby Cyril, bishop aThss, Cyril slandered, tC as Metro, struggle a heratics, Moslems, Jesuits; deposed a 40days, Cyril returned, tAthos, returned&deposed iYr, Thss&Athos, 1633-45 alms petitions to Moscow, tGa1lats aMoldova, 1652 returned C Patriarch 15days, but sermon denouncing Catholics' universal jurisdiction, tGalats Moldovia, tRussian Tzar&Patriarch iMoscow, great alms but ill on way back and died in Lubensk, Ukraine.; Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. there, he later went to the monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. living at Thessalonica became impossible for the saint, he was forced to journey to Moldavia under the protection of its sovereign, Basil Lukulos, he settled there in the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galats, he longed for Mount Athos. He visited it often and hoped to finish his life there, but God ordained something else for him. 1652 after the death of Patriarch Cyril I, Saint Athanasius was returned to the patriarchal throne. remained only fifteen days, since he was not acceptable to the Moslems and Catholics. his final Patriarchal service he preached a sermon in which he denounced papal pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church. by the Moslems and Jesuits, physically weakened, he transferred the administration of the Church of Constantinople to Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, he withdrew to Moldavia, where he was appointed administrator of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Galats. the deep faith and responsiveness of the Russian nation, Saint Athanasius undertook a journey to Russia. April 1653 he was met with great honor in Moscow by Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) and Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. received generous alms for the needs of the monastery, Patriarch Athanasius left for Galats in December 1653. the way he fell ill and stayed at the Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery in the city of Lubno in February 1654. his impending death, the saint wrote his last will, and he fell asleep in the Lord on April 5. Petronios and the brethren of the monastery buried the Patriarch. Greek custom the saint was buried in a sitting position. February 1, 1662 Saint Athanasius was glorified as a saint and his Feastday was designated as May 2, the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. relics of holy Patriarch Athansios, glorified by numerous miracles and signs, rest in the city of Kharkov, in the Annunciation cathedral church. At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1580-1662, WWorking Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, always w Athanasius III
Constantinople, 1634-1652, Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, very ancient, always w Athanasios III, after him to Vatopedi till 1849, tRussian Andrew Skete, tSloboda i1863 w Paisios, 18yr old speech healed by touching her lips, list of icon's miracles at Slobodsky, church for tIcon built aVyatka 1871-82, gilded riza added 1866, miraculous copy St Petersburg 1890. ; Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 19; exact origin of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God is unknown, but the lettering on the Icon indicates that it is very ancient. is a tradition that the Icon belonged to the holy Patriarch Athanasios III of Constantinople (May 2). This Icon accompanied him in all his travels, and so he brought the Icon to Russia with him in the year 1653. the repose of Saint Athanasios in 1654, the Icon was brought to the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, remaining there until October 11,1849, when the Russian Skete of Saint Andrew was founded. Gregory, who was living alone at Vatopedi, gave the Icon to the newly-founded Skete as a blessing from his monastery. The Icon was kept in the cell of Hieroschema-monk Bessarion (Vavilov), the founder of the Skete. Father Bessarion blessed the brotherhood with the Icon saying, “May this icon bring you joy, and console you in afflictions and sorrows.” glorification of the Icon took place in Russia, in 1863, when Hieromonk Paisios arrived in the town of Sloboda (Vyatka Province) from Mount Athos, bringing with him the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God. image was decorated with rich silver and a gilded riza. Father Paisios placed the Icon in the women’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, in the church of the Nativity. Father Paisios was about to return to the Holy Mountain, the eighteen-year-old son of a local priest, Father Vladimir Nevolin, who had been unable to speak for six years, was healed by the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. a Moleben, he touched her lips and began to speak. After this, people began to make pilgrimages to the Icon, and many suffering pilgrims received healing and comfort in their sorrows from the holy Icon in those days. holy Icon was transferred to the women’s Monastery of the Transfiguration in the city of Vyatka with great reverence. Slobodsky, an exact list of the Icon’s miracles was compiled by the same eighteen-year old young man who had been healed. spiritual uplifting of the inhabitants of Vyatka was so great that on the eve of a Great Cross procession, the “Vyatka Provincial Gazette” compared the religious fervor to that when the holy Icon from Mount Athos first arrived. Father Paisios was leaving for Mount Athos, he left the list of the Icon’s miracles at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. Vyatka, on June 26, 1871, the foundation of a church in honor of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon was laid. It was built over a period of eleven years. August 31, 1882, on the Feast of the Placing of the Honorable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archbishop Appolos consecrated the church, and every Saturday an Akathist was read before the Icon. two years, in remembrance of the holy Icon’s stay in the Vyatka region and the miraculous healings which took place, solemn processions were held throughout the entire diocese. November 19, 1866 at Sloboda’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, a gilded riza was added to the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God from Mount Athos; in remembrance of the Icon’s first healing (of the young man who could not speak), a particularly solemn service took place in the monastery. That day was established as the Feast Day of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. March 27, 1890, an exact copy of the Icon was delivered to Russia and placed in the Annunciation Cathedral at St. Petersburg, the representation church of Saint Andrew’s Skete on Mount Athos. and night, crowds of people came to venerate the wonderworking Icon. the grace of God, this icon of the Mother of God was also glorified by numerous miracles. the Icon is at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in St. Petersburg, and a list of miracles is with the holy Icons in the suburban Cathedral of Saint Katherine. 1999, the altar of one of the churches of the former Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the town of Sloboda was consecrated in honor of the wonderworking Icon. the Aleksievo-Akatov women’s monastery in Voronezh, there is also a list of the Athos shrine, which says: “This icon was painted and blessed on the Holy Mountain in the Russian Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom under the rector Hieroschema-monk Cyril in 1905.” The Icon was restored in 1999. “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon is in the form of a triptych. In addition to the Most Holy Theotokos, the following saints are depicted: The Great Martyrs George and Demetrios of Thessaloniki on horseback; Saint John the Forerunner and Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the monastic saints Anthony, Euthymios, Onuphrios the Great and Savva the Sanctified; Saints Spyridon of Trimythontos and Nicholas the Wonderworker. The Icon is adorned with several rizas, one of which is gold. the Feast Day of the Icon is on November 19, it does not have its own Service; so the Troparion, Kontakion, and Akathist for the Assuage my Sorrows Icon (January 25 and October 9) are also used for this Icon. Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, Patriarch oConstantinople, Wonderworker, from Crete, from pious Greek family, wealthy but wanted asceticism, novice Thess M, trapeza at Esphigmenou, tonsured palestinian Ms, returned, presbyter aThss, Gospel to Vlachs & Moldovians & translated Psalter, tConstantinople tPreachby Cyril, bishop aThss, Cyril slandered, tC as Metro, struggle a heratics, Moslems, Jesuits; deposed a 40days, Cyril returned, tAthos, returned&deposed iYr, Thss&Athos, 1633-45 alms petitions to Moscow, tGa1lats aMoldova, 1652 returned C Patriarch 15days, but sermon denouncing Catholics' universal jurisdiction, tGalats Moldovia, tRussian Tzar&Patriarch iMoscow, great alms but ill on way back and died in Lubensk, Ukraine.; Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. there, he later went to the monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. living at Thessalonica became impossible for the saint, he was forced to journey to Moldavia under the protection of its sovereign, Basil Lukulos, he settled there in the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galats, he longed for Mount Athos. He visited it often and hoped to finish his life there, but God ordained something else for him. 1652 after the death of Patriarch Cyril I, Saint Athanasius was returned to the patriarchal throne. remained only fifteen days, since he was not acceptable to the Moslems and Catholics. his final Patriarchal service he preached a sermon in which he denounced papal pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church. by the Moslems and Jesuits, physically weakened, he transferred the administration of the Church of Constantinople to Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, he withdrew to Moldavia, where he was appointed administrator of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Galats. the deep faith and responsiveness of the Russian nation, Saint Athanasius undertook a journey to Russia. April 1653 he was met with great honor in Moscow by Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) and Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. received generous alms for the needs of the monastery, Patriarch Athanasius left for Galats in December 1653. the way he fell ill and stayed at the Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery in the city of Lubno in February 1654. his impending death, the saint wrote his last will, and he fell asleep in the Lord on April 5. Petronios and the brethren of the monastery buried the Patriarch. Greek custom the saint was buried in a sitting position. February 1, 1662 Saint Athanasius was glorified as a saint and his Feastday was designated as May 2, the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. relics of holy Patriarch Athansios, glorified by numerous miracles and signs, rest in the city of Kharkov, in the Annunciation cathedral church. At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch. Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582)
Siege of Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Moscow, 1581, deliverance of Pskov & Pskov Caves by Tenderness Icon, D's Vision where to defend
Russia, Pskov, 1581, deliverance of Pskov and Pskov Caves by Tenderness Icon; Siege of Pskov; Virgin of Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on August 26; Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. The Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov. October 7 commemoration was established in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Pskov from the invading army of Napoleon in 1812. Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe Protection, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes. The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, œAppearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus. The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTenderness, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTenderness of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; œTenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Moscow, 1581, 1362, 1682, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden
Russia, Vologda, 1362 &1581 &1682, Anthony oBlack Lake (Chernopovets) founded Black Lake (Chernoezero) monastery, Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, twice completely destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden ; Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Anthony of Black Lake founded the Mother of God monastery at Black Lake [Chernoezero] in the Novgorod area, not far from the city of Chernopovets. monastery was on an island of the Schirsk countryside. monastery twice suffered complete destruction: in 1581, from the Lithuanians; in 1682, from the Swedes. monastery was closed in 1764.

Russia, Moscow, 1583-1590, Jonah, disciple oTrypphon oPechenga, tPechenga-Trinity m after wife daughter death, Killed by Swedes
Russia, Vologda, 1583-1590, Jonah, disciple oTrypphon oPechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth), tPechenga-Trinity m near Kola after wife daughter death, 1583 Tryphon died, tDormition wilderness, Killed by Swedes 1590l Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Jonah of Pechenga and Kola was, as tradition tells us, a priest in the city of Kola. the death of his daughter and wife he went off to the Pechenga-Trinity monastery near Kola, became a disciple of its founder, Saint Tryphon. the death of his teacher, he settled in 1583 at the site of what was to become his grave in the neighboring Dormition wilderness, where he was killed by the Swedes in the year 1590. Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Tryphon of Pechenga and Kola (Mētrophánēs in the world), was born in the Novgorod governia into a priestly family. pious parents raised their son in the fear of God. his early years Tryphon had resolved to devote his life to apostolic deeds and to go to the pagan Laplanders to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. had heard of them only through the accounts of fish vendors. while praying in the forest he had heard a voice, “Tryphon, this is not your place. An inhospitable and thirsting land awaits you.” his parental home, the Saint went out to the Kola Peninsula and halted on the banks of the Pechenga River, where the Lapps lived. he began to trade with them. First the Saint acquainted himself with the pagan beliefs of those people and studied their language, then he began to preach the Christian Faith to them. Lapps listened to his words with great mistrust. suffered many hardships, enduring hostility and even beatings. gradually, through his wise and kindly words and meekness, many were converted to Christ. the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Novogord, Tryphon and Saint Theodóretos (August 17) built a church for the new converts. 1532 he founded the Pechenga-Trinity Monastery for those who were zealous for the monastic life, “on the cold sea, on the frontier of Murmansk.” Ivan the Terrible helped him and richly endowed the Monastery. Enlightener of the Lapps went to the Lord in 1583 at the age of 98, after living in Lapland for almost 70 years. veneration of Saint Tryphon began soon after his death. 1589, the Swedes destroyed the Pechenga monastery. by order of Tsar Theodore, the Monastery was transferred to the Kola Peninsula. the site of the restored Monastery a church was built and named for Saint Tryphon. Swedes destroyed Pechenga Monastery in 1589, but the Saint's burial place under the altar was not forgotten. 1708-1709 the Sretensky church was built here, which the Monastery was revived in 1886. church was destroyed again in 1944, but after the restoration of the Monastery in 2009-2012 a new church was built over the Saint's relics. who invoke Saint Tryphon with faith have received his miraculous help. during his lifetime he rescued shipwrecked sailors, calmed storms at sea, and healed those who suffered from deafness, blindness, and paralysis.

Russia, Moscow, 1583-1589, Priestmonk Jonah oPechenga, martyred w 116 monks&laypersons by Swedes one year before Rus-Swede war
Russia, Vologda, 1589, Priestmonk Jonah oPechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth), martyred w cocelebrant and 115 monks&laypersons by Swedes one year before Rus-Swede war; Priestmonk Jonah the Martyr of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 25; on the Synodikon of the Solovetsk Monastery in northern Russian about 1500 AD -- the exact date is unknown -- the Priestmonk Jonah was born in the Pomeranian village of Varzuga in Russia's northern Murmansk district. serving as a parish priest, he entered the Pechenga Monastery, where he became a close disciple of Saint Tryphon. Jonah was martyred in December 1589 -- one year before the beginning of the Russian-Swedish War -- during an attack on the monastery by Swedish-Finnish invaders. holds that he and his concelebrant, the Priestmonk Herman, were martyred during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, as they were receiving the Eucharist. together with 115 monks and laypersons killed during the invasion, were venerated throughout the Novgorod region. In 2003, they were formally glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church for Church-wide veneration.

Russia, Moscow, 1584, Simon of Yurievets, Kostroma, Fool f C, fasting black skin, mistreaters prayer, clairvoyance
Russia, Kostroma, 1584, Simon of Yurievets District, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6), Fool for Christ, black skin f fasting, prayer for mistreaters, clairvoyance, killed by commander who did not know him, but honored him with funeral; Yurievets District; Volga Region; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4; Simon of Yurievets was born in the city of Yurievets in the Povolzhsk or Volga region. by his parents, the saint took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ. Both winter and summer he went barefoot, dressed only in a shirt, so that his skin became blackened and withered from fasting. people often were cruel to him, sometimes beating him. The holy fool never complained, but prayed for those who mistreated him. Simon was fond of praying on the porches of various churches. ascetic exploit of self-denial cleansed his soul, and he received from God the gift of clairvoyance: foresaw many things and predicted the future. Contemporaries, mentioning his name, beheld various miraculous signs. before his death, the saint went to the house of the military commander Theodore Petelin. not knowing the saint, in a fit of anger gave orders to beat him. Saint Simon fell grievously ill. He summoned a priest, made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and commended his soul to God. The commander later repented of his sin. city gathered for the saint’s funeral, and the body of Blessed Simon was buried in Theophany monastery. This occurred on November 4, 1584. the year 1635, Patriarch Joasaph ordered the Theophany monastery’s Igumen Dionysius to compile an account of the life and miracles of Blessed Simon and gave a blessing to paint his icon. The Feast of Blessed Simon was established in the year 1635.

Russia, Moscow, 1584-1598, Tsar Feodor I, Theodore, pious, retiring, R ruled by Boris G, wife's b, death then TofT
Moscow, 1584-1598, Tsar Feodor I of Russia, Theodore Ioannovich ; I Ivanovich or Feodor I Ioannovich ( 31 May 1557 - 16 January (NS) 1598), also known as Feodor the Bellringer, was the last Rurikid Tsar of Russia (1584-“1598). Feodor's mother died when he was three, and he grew up in the shadow of his father, Ivan the Terrible. A pious man of retiring disposition, Feodor took little interest in ,politics, and the country was effectively administered in his name by Boris Godunov, the brother of his beloved wife Irina. His childless death left the Rurikid dynasty extinct, and spurred Russia's descent into the catastrophic Time of Troubles. In Russian documents, Feodor is sometimes called blessed. He is also listed in the "Great Synaxaristes" of the Orthodox Church, with his feast day on January 7 (OS).[1] Intercession of the œDonÂ Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; St John the Hermit of Pskov; Commemorated on October 24; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15; St Sophia, Commemorated on December 16; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Onuphrius the Abbot of Malsk, Pskov, Commemorated on June 12 ; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1584-1612, Galacteon of Vologda, prince shoemaker ascetic, chained to wall, fed through window, out to prophet
Russia, Vologda, 1584-1612, Galacteon of Vologda, Prince fearing Ivan, to Staritsa, Tver, to Vologda, shoemaker, wife died, pit near river sodima near church, tonsured, earnings split 3ways, advancing spiritually chained to wall, fed bread water through window, powerful words for visitors, special spiritual grace, prayed for rain success, revelation impending woe fVologda, left cell in chains, Poles Lithuanians upon us, fasting prayer for temple for sign icon, so MOG deliver V as Novgorod, challanged by Nechai P, Temple when you die q, Monaster at my place, your church burned, y house laid waste, Demetri's church wb destroyed, prophecy fulfilled, miraculous healings over his burial place; Vologda; Monastic Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24; Galacteon of Vologda: Fearing the wrath of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, kinsmen of the disgraced prince Ivan Ivanovich Belsky secretly brought his seven-year-old son Gabriel to the city of Staritsa. the years of his growing up, and seeing the malice of the Tsar towards his family, the young prince withdrew to Vologda and lived with a shoemaker, from whom he learned the cobbler’s craft. marriage did not last long, for his wife soon died, leaving Prince Gabriel to raise his infant daughter. adversities of his earthly life strengthened in him the intent to devote himself to God. sought out a place at the River Sodima, he dug a pit and made his cell near a church named for the Most Holy Trinity. being tonsured with the name Galacteon, he began to labor in fasting and prayer. ascetic did not give up his cobbler’s trade, and the money which he received from the work was divided into three portions. One part he dedicated to God, another portion he gave to the poor, and the third part he kept for his own needs. in spiritual life, Saint Galacteon secluded himself in his cell, chaining himself to the wall. Christians gave him food through a small window. ascetic rested little, on his knees and holding on to the chain, and he ate only dry bread and water. the cell of Saint Galacteon was nothing but the old matting with which he covered himself. soon began to come to the hermit for spiritual guidance. He received both the rich and the poor, and his words were filled with spiritual power. He consoled the grieving and brought the proud to their senses. prayer Saint Galacteon achieved a special spiritual grace. when the Vologda region had gone a long time without rain, Bishop Anthony came to the church of the Holy Trinity with a church procession and sent a request to the hermit to come and pray with everyone for deliverance from the common woe. Galacteon obediently left his cell and prayed in the church, and the Lord sent abundant rain upon the parched earth. ascetic had a revelation from God about impending misfortunes of Vologda. emerged from his cell in his chains, went to an earthen hut and declared, “Our sins have brought the Poles and Lithuanians upon us. Let there be fasting and prayer, and preparations to build a temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), so that the Heavenly Queen might deliver Vologda from the wrath of God as She did before Novgorod.” of those present, Nechai Proskurov, said, “He is concerned not for us, but for himself; he only wants to have a church near him. And what will become of the temple when you die, Elder?” Galacteon answered gravely, “Wrath is approaching Vologda. for me, there at my place God is glorified, and there also a monastery will be built.” also said that the Trinity church built by Nechai would be burned and the house of Nechai laid waste. the church dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Priluki (February 11), he said, “The Wonderworker Demetrius has prayed to the Savior for the city, but they insult him. Around his church they set up shops and hawk their wares. This church will be destroyed.” prophecy of the righteous one was soon fulfilled. September 1612 the Polish and Lithuanians stormed into Vologda, and they killed many of the inhabitants. defiled and plundered the churches of God, and they set afire the city and its surroundings. As Saint Galacteon predicted, the house and church built by Nechai were burned, as was also the city church named for Saint Demetrius. Galacteon was murdered by the invaders on September 24, 1612. Christians buried the body of hosiomartyr in his cell. the place of his burial miraculous healings began to occur. the time of Bishop Barlaam (1627-1645), a church was built in honor of the Sign Icon of the Mother of God over the relics of the hosiomartyr Galacteon, and a monastery was founded. the blessing of Archbishop Marcellus (1645-1663), a cathedral church was built at the monastery in honor of the Holy Spirit, and the monastery took its name from this church.

Russia, Moscow, 1585-1605, Tsar Boris Godunov, Tartar, defacto regent then Tzar in 1598, T of T, English trade
Moscow, 1598-1605, Tsar Boris Godunov ; Fyodorovich Godunov (possibly 1551 – 23 April [O.S. 13 April] 1605) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as de facto regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his reign, Russia descended into the Time of Troubles. 1 Early years 2 Regency 3 Reign 4 Arts and popular media 5 Gallery 6 See also 7 References 8 External links years[edit] Godunov was the most noted member of an ancient, now extinct, Russian family of Tatar origin (Chet), which came from the Horde to Kostroma in the early 14th century.[2] This legend is written in the annals dating from early 17th century. He was descended from the Tatar Prince Chet, who went from the Golden Horde to Russia and founded the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma. Boris was the son of Feodor Ivanovich Godunov Krivoy (the one-eyed) (died, c. 1568-1570) and his wife Stepanida Ivanovna. His older brother Vasily died young and without issue. career began at the court of Ivan the Terrible. He is mentioned in 1570 for taking part in the Serpeisk campaign as an archer of the guard. The following year he became an oprichnik – a member of Ivan's personal guard and secret police. In 1570/1571, Godunov strengthened his position at court by his marriage to Maria Grigorievna Skuratova-Belskaya, the daughter of Malyuta Skuratov-Belskiy, head of the oprichniks. 1580, the Tsar chose Boris Godunov's sister Irina Godunova (1557 - 26 October/23 November 1603) to be the wife of his second son and eventual heir, the fourteen-year-old Feodor Ivanovich (1557-1598). On this occasion, Godunov was promoted to the rank of Boyar.[2] 15 November 1581, Godunov was present when the Tsar murdered his own eldest son, the crown prince Ivan. Godunov tried to intervene but received blows from the Tsar's sceptre. The elder Ivan immediately repented, and Godunov rushed to get help for the Tsarevich, who died four days later.[3] years later, on his deathbed, Ivan IV appointed a council consisting of Godunov, Feodor Nikitich Romanov, Vasili Shuiski and others to guide his son and successor of Russia Feodor I, who was feeble both in mind and body: he took refuge from the dangers of the palace in devotion to religion; and though his people called him a saint, they recognized that he lacked the iron to govern men.[4] the time of his death, Ivan also had a three-year-old son, Dmitry Ivanovich (1581–1591), from his seventh and last marriage. son (and his mother's family) had no claim to the throne because the Orthodox Church recognized only Ivan's first three marriages as legitimate. after Ivan's death the council had both Dmitri and his mother, Maria Nagaya, moved to Uglich, some 120 miles north of Moscow. Dmitri died there in 1591 at the age of ten under suspicious circumstances. Dmitri's death was announced by the ringing of the church bell, the Uglich population rose up to protest the suspected assassination, which they believed was commissioned by Boris Godunov. swiftly quelled the rebellion. Godunov ordered the removal of the Uglich bell's clapper (the bell's tongue). He had the offending bell flogged in public and exiled to Siberia along with the townspeople who had not been executed.[5] official commission headed by Vasili Shuiski was sent to determine the cause of death. The official verdict was that the boy had cut his throat during an epileptic seizure. widow claimed that her son had been murdered by Godunov's agents. Godunov's guilt was never established and shortly thereafter Dmitri's mother was forced to take the veil.[4] Dmitry Ivanovich was laid to rest and promptly, though temporarily, forgotten. estate near Moscow the coronation of Feodor Ivanovich as Tsar Feodor I on 31 May 1584, Boris received honors and riches as a member of the regency council, in which he held the second place during the life of the Tsar's uncle Nikita Romanovich. When Nikita died in 1586, Boris had no serious rival for the regency. conspiracy of other boyars and of Dionysius II, Metropolitan of Moscow, sought to break Boris's power by divorcing the Tsar from Godunov's childless sister. The attempt proved unsuccessful, and the conspirators were banished or sent to monasteries. After that, Godunov remained supreme in Russia and he corresponded with foreign princes as their equal. policy was generally pacific and always prudent. In 1595, he recovered from Sweden some towns lost during the former reign. Five years previously he had defeated a Tatar raid upon Moscow, for which he received the title of Konyushy, an obsolete dignity even higher than that of Boyar. He supported an anti-Turkish faction in the Crimea and gave the Khan subsidies in his war against the sultan. encouraged English merchants to trade with Russia by exempting them from duties. He built towns and fortresses along the north-eastern and south-eastern borders of Russia to keep the Tatar and Finnic tribes in order. These included Samara, Saratov, Voronezh, and Tsaritsyn, as well as other lesser towns. He colonized Siberia with scores of new settlements, including Tobolsk. his rule, the Russian Orthodox Church received its patriarchate, placing it on an equal footing with the ancient Eastern churches and freeing it from the influence of the Patriarch of Constantinople. This pleased the Tsar, as Feodor took a great interest in church affairs. Godunov's most important domestic reform, a 1597 decree forbade peasants to transfer from one landowner to another (which they had been free to do each year around Saint George's Day in November), thus binding them to the soil. This ordinance aimed to secure revenue, but it led to the institution of serfdom in its most oppressive form.[2] (See also Serfdom in Russia.) the death of the childless Feodor on 7 January 1598, as well as the rumored assassination of Feodor's much younger brother Dimitry, supposedly ordered by Boris himself to guarantee his seat on the throne, self-preservation as much as ambition led Boris' rise to power. Had he not done so, the mildest treatment he could have hoped for would have been lifelong seclusion in a monastery. His election was proposed by Patriarch Job of Moscow, who believed that Boris was the one man capable of coping with the difficulties of the situation. Boris, however, would accept the throne only from the Zemsky Sobor (national assembly), which met on 17 February and unanimously elected him on 21 February. On 1 September, he was solemnly crowned tsar. Mausoleum in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius the first years of his reign, he was both popular and prosperous, and ruled well. He recognized the need for Russia to catch up with the intellectual progress of the West and did his best to bring about educational and social reforms. He was the first tsar to import foreign teachers on a large scale, the first to send young Russians abroad to be educated, and the first to allow Lutheran churches to be built in Russia. After the Russo–Swedish War (1590–1595), he pursued gaining access to the Baltic Sea and attempted to obtain Livonia by diplomatic means. He cultivated friendly relations with the Scandinavians and hoped to take a bride from a foreign royal house, thereby increasing the dignity of his own dynasty.[2] However he declined the personal union proposed to him in 1600 by the diplomatic mission led by Lew Sapieha from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth[citation needed]. died after a lengthy illness and a stroke on 13/23 April 1605. He left one son, Feodor II, who succeeded him and ruled for only a few months, until he and Boris' widow were murdered by the enemies of the Godunovs in Moscow on 10/20 June 1605.[6] Boris's first son, Ivan, was born in 1587 and died in 1588. His daughter, Xenia, was born in 1582. She was engaged to Johann of Schleswig-Holstein, but he died shortly before their planned wedding in October 1602. Xenia was given the name "Olga" upon being forced to take monastic vows at the Voskresensky Monastery in Beloozero and her name is inscribed as "the Nun Olga Borisovna" at the crypt of the Godunovs at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius where she lived from 1606, when she sojourned there to attend the reburial of her father, until her death in 1622.[7] Boris, his wife, and their children are buried together in a mausoleum near the entrance of the Assumption Cathedral at Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. and popular media[edit] life was dramatised by the founder of Russian literature, Alexander Pushkin, in his play Boris Godunov (1831), which was inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV. Modest Mussorgsky based his opera Boris Godunov on Pushkin's play. Sergei Prokofiev later wrote incidental music for Pushkin's drama. In 1997, the score of a 1710 baroque opera based on the reign of Boris by German composer Johann Mattheson was rediscovered in Armenia and returned to Hamburg, Germany. This opera, never performed during the composer's lifetime, had its world premiere in 2005 at the Boston Early Music Festival & Exhibition. was portrayed on BBC Radio 4 by Shaun Dooley in the radio plays Ivan the Terrible: Absolute Power[8] and Boris Godunov: Ghosts[9] written by Mike Walker and which were the first two plays in the first series of Tsar. The plays were broadcast on 11 and 18 September 2016. character Boris Badenov in the cartoon The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show takes his name from a play on Godunov's name. Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1588-1611, Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon, MOG sent man tKazan&take K Icon t Romanov, stolen, rByY, MOG YChurch, copy t R
Mongol, Perm, 1588, Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon, found 1588 by hand crippled Gerasimos because MOG told him go to place in Kazan, take icon to Romanov church, after that hand healed, Kazan icon stayed there 21 yrs until R taken by Polish-Lithuanian forces, L officer stole icon, Yaroslavl citizens begged officer for it, he wanted much cash, he rejected offers but suddenly brought it march 1609, as P-L troups attack Tver it was taken Yaroslavl i1609, MOG appeared twice to Eleazar commanding build church for icon, where many miracles, also womans monastery, 1610 Romanov begged Tsar Basin IV for it's return, same day new Yaroslavl healings, Tsar decided remain in Y, but Y make exact copy w metal cover for R, annually original brought to Romanov Kazan ; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was found in the year 1588 a man named Gerasimos, who had traveled to Kazan to pray before its famous Icon, because his right hand had become crippled. Mother of God appeared to him and ordered him to go to a certain place, and then to take her Icon and bring it to the city of Romanov and place it in a church. After the man had followed these directives to the letter, his hand was healed. holy Kazan Icon remained at Romanov for twenty-one years, but on March 9,1609 the city was taken by the Polish-Lithuanian forces. Lithuanian officer stole the Icon from the Kazan cathedral in Romanov. it was learned that the holy Icon had been found in the officer's home, the citizens of Yaroslavl begged him to let their city have it. said he would give it to them if they paid him a considerable sum of money. a long time the officer rejected their offers, but then suddenly, on March 18, he brought it to one of Yaroslav's most honorable citizens - Basil Lytkin. Icon was solemnly transferred to the country parish church of the "Laudation of the Virgin” Icon (Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). the Polish-Lithuanian troops attacked Tver that year the holy Icon was taken into the city to the church of the Nativity of the Lord on the banks of the Volga. the Mother of God appeared twice to Deacon Eleazar, commanding him to build a new church to house the Icon. people of Yaroslavl placed the wonderworking Kazan Icon in that church, and many miracles occurred. also worked most energetically to build a women's monastery for seventy-two sisters whose own monastery had been destroyed by the Polish-Lithuanian army. 1610, the residents of Romanov begged Tsar Basil IV Shuisky to allow the Icon to be taken from Yaroslavl and returned to Romanov. new healings took place before the Icon that same day. The nun Anysia, who was unable to move her hands or feet recovered, and a man named Constantine was delivered from his madness. view of these miracles, the citizens of Yaroslavl, in their turn, asked the Tsar to let the Icon remain at Yaroslavl. Moscow there came a request for detailed information about the Icon, and the Tsar decided that the Icon would remain at Yaroslavl. the people of Yaroslavl were ordered to make an exact copy of the Icon, and to adorn it with an oklad (metal cover), just like the one on the wonderworking Icon, and then send the copy to Romanov. this was done. 1611, the copy was taken to Romanov and it was placed in the Kazan church, where the wonderworking Icon had once stood. year the original wonderworking Icon was brought to the city of Romanov with great ceremony.

Russia, Moscow, 1589-1605, Patriarch, Job of Moscow, incorrupt and fragrant relics, worker of miracles
Moscow Patriarch, 1589-1605, Job of Moscow ; also known as Job of Moscow (d. 19 June 1607) was the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and is a saint of the Orthodox Church. According to Debra A. Coulter: was known as a humble man of impeccable morals, learned for his times, who worked for the good of the church and the promotion of Orthodox Christianity.[1] St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; his death in 1607, the relics of Patriarch Job were buried by the western doors of the Dormition Church of the monastery in Staritsa. Many miracles took place at his grave. 1652, on the recommendation of Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, Tsar Alexei ordered that the relics of Saint Job and Saint Philip (January 9) be transferred to Moscow. Barlaam of Rostov presided at the uncovering of Saint Job’s relics in Staritsa. The Patriarch’s incorrupt and fragrant relics became the source of healing for many who were afflicted by physical and mental illnesses. March 27 a procession set off for Moscow with the relics. On Monday of the sixth week of Lent (April 5), the relics of Patriarch Job were brought to the Passions Monastery. From there, the procession proceeded to the Kremlin, and the relics of the saint were placed in the Dormition cathedral. A few days later, Patriarch Joseph died and was buried next to Saint Job. Job has long been revered as a worker of miracles. The Altar Crosses in the churches of the Staritsa monastery and the Tver cathedral contained particles of his holy relics. Job is commemorated on June 19, and also (in the Tver diocese) on the first Sunday after the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, fKargopol tOlnets land, founded Novolotsk m 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk
Russia, St Petersburg, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, Petrozavodsk, Lake Onega, St. Petersburg, Svir River side, fKargopol tOlnets land, founded Novolotsk monastery 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk; Petrozavodsk; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Athanasius of Navolotsk went at the end of the sixteenth century from the Kargopol region to the Olonets land, he founded a monastery 78 versts from what later became the city of Petrozavodsk. saint died at a Verkholedsk suburb not far from Shenkursk.

Russia, Moscow, 1591, Don Icon Intercession, Moscow Kremlin, Crimean Moslem Tartars, Soldiers' chapel, m same spot
Russia, Moscow, 1591, Intercession of Don Icon at Moscow Kremlin, against Moslem Tartars from Crimea, Church procession, with soldiers in military chapel, set Tartars to flight, monastery same spot; Moscow Kremlin; Intercession of the “Don” Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God.

Russia, Moscow, 1591, Crown Prince, Dimitri of Uglich or Saint Dimitri of Moscow, age 8, famously impersonated
Moscow Crown Prince, 1591, Dimitri of Uglich or Saint Dimitri of Moscow, age 8; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1594, Icon of Lukianov, appeared 3times 1594, looted during Polish invasion 1612, 1640 2Wonderworking Icons
Russia, Radonezh, 1594, Icon of Lukianov Monastery (Yakhroma River 1), 1594 it appeared 3times, church moved there, looted during Polish invasion 1612, 1640 2Wonderworking Icons discovered neglected, New church built; Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast; Icon of the Mother of God of Lukianov, Commemorated on September 8; Lukianov Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos is from a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Ignatiev. 1594, it appeared three times in the wilderness area of Pokovitino-Ramen’e, not far from the village. priest Gregory, after he consulted with his parishioners, petitioned the blessing of Patriarch Job to transfer the church to the place of the appearance of the icon. The priest was also resettled with the transferred church. a Polish-Lithuanian invasion the church was looted. the year 1640, the Monk Lukian arrived in Ramen’e from an Uglich monastery and found in the neglected church two icons which remained unharmed: the temple icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and an Altar icon: the Smolensk Mother of God. new church was built at the Lukianov monastery in honor of the appearance of the two wonderworking icons.

Russia, Moscow, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev, Roman Catholic
Poland, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Moscow, 1598-1627, Procopius of Vyatka, Perm, Fool for Christ, Clairvoyant
Mongol, Perm, 1598-1627, Procopius of Vyatka, Perm, Fool for Christ, Clairvoyant, endured hunger cold mocking insults; Vyatka (Kirov); Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ; Procopius, Fool-for-Christ, of Vyatka, was the son of pious peasants. Procopius reached age twenty, they wanted him to marry, but he secretly went to the city of Khlynov and took upon himself the feat of foolishness. holy fool endured hunger, cold, mocking and insults. The Lord glorified him with the gift of clairvoyance. Procopius died at the age of forty-nine in 1627.

Russia, Moscow, 1598-1613, Interregnum, between Rurik Romanov dynasties, T of T
Moscow, 1598-1613, Interregnum, between Rurik Romanov dynasties ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, Protestant TimeOfTroubles,Turk&Chinese Mslm Wars

Russia, Moscow, 1601-1650, Maximus oTotma, Vologda, Fool fChrist known for miracles aHis grave, Priest, then 45yrs as FFC
Russia, Moscow, 1601-1650, Maximus of Totma, Vologda, gifts, Fool for Christ known for miracles at his grave, son of a priest, priest himself, then 45yrs as FFC, unceasing prayer, fasting, nakedness, completely neglecting his body, distinguished by grace filled gifts during lifetime, reposed 1650, miraculous cures flowed fHis tomb, so his life written, but fire destroyed writing, 1680 new life composed, life writing lost again, miracles continued, grave built over relics and new writing 1715, miracles detailed, 1680 paralized man healed instantly, 1691 bed ridden 9 wks peasant cured, 1703 man paralized 9yrs dreamt old man led him to venerate his grave, woke able to vererate M's grave, 1705 M appeared to woman not in right mind 1mo, in dream, have 2 Panikhidas at tomb and you will be healed, she awoke asked to be taken, perfectly well; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus Makar'ev was a priest in the city of Tot'ma (Vologda Diocese) the first half of the XVII century, his father was a priest. Maximus was also ordained to the priesthood, for 45 years he voluntarily undertook the difficult spiritual exploit of foolishness for Christ's sake, his time in unceasing prayer, fasting, and nakedness, neglecting to take care of his body. Maximus was already distinguished by grace-filled gifts from God during his lifetime. reposed at an advanced age on January 16, 1650 was buried near the Resurrection church of Varnitsa in the city of Tot'ma. laborious and holy life, and the miraculous cures which flowed from his tomb, served as an incentive to write his Life, it was destroyed in 1676 during a fire in the church of the Resurrection. new Life was composed in 1680, and it was lost as well. the miracles continued at the righteous one's tomb. veneration of the Saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles which occurred at his grave. that year, the Priest John Rokhletsov and the parishioners of Holy Resurrection church asked Archbishop Joseph of Great Ustyug allow them to place a sepulcher over the relics of Saint Maximus in the church of Saint Paraskevḗ, was built over his relics, to put an Icon of the Saint on the tomb. granted their petition and gave his blessing for Molebens to be served for him, as is done for other God-pleasers. that time, everyone still remembered the miracles which took place at the tomb of Blessed Maximus, these miracles were depicted on the borders of the icon which adorned the God-pleaser’s tomb. 1680, Boris Tarunin, a resident of Tot'ma, fell ill with a fever and was paralyzed for six months. When he prayed to the righteous Maximus for the help, he was healed right away. 1691, the peasant Aréthas Malevinsky was bed-ridden for nine weeks with a fever. When he began to call upon Saint Maximus for help, his illness completely disappeared. peasant Theodore Mamoshov was paralyzed for nine years. On the night of November 5, 1703, he dreamt that an old man, clad in just a shirt, approached his bedside and said to him, "Theodore, cease your grieving." Taking him by the shoulder, he led him into the church and commanded him to venerate his grave. When he awakened, Theodore felt so well that he was able to walk to the church of the Resurrection in order to venerate the tomb of his healer. 1705, Anna Tataurova had not been in her right mind for a month. One night, Saint Maximus appeared to her in a dream, telling her to have two Panikhidas served at his tomb, promising her that she would recover if she did this. When the sick girl woke up, she asked to be taken to the righteous one's tomb. After the two Panikhidas were served, she felt perfectly well. Maximus is also commemorated on the third Sunday of Pentecost, the Synaxis of the Vologda Saints.

Russia, Moscow, 1601-1650, St Maximus of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, right before Andrew
Russia, Vologda, 1601-1650, Maximus of Totma, Vologda, Fool f Christ, gifts, Fool for Christ known for miracles at his grave, son of a priest, priest himself, then 45yrs as FFC, unceasing prayer, fasting, nakedness, completely neglecting his body, distinguished by grace filled gifts during lifetime, reposed 1650, miraculous cures flowed fHis tomb, so his life written, but fire destroyed writing, 1680 new life composed, life writing lost again, miracles continued, grave built over relics and new writing 1715, miracles detailed, 1680 paralized man healed instantly, 1691 bed ridden 9 wks peasant cured, 1703 man paralized 9yrs dreamt old man led him to venerate his grave, woke able to vererate M's grave, 1705 M appeared to woman not in right mind 1mo, in dream, have 2 Panikhidas at tomb and you will be healed, she awoke asked to be taken, perfectly well; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus, Priest of Totma, was for a certain time, a priest in the city of Totma in the Vologda diocese. forty years he undertook the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ, constantly in fasting and in prayer. Maximus died in great old age on January 16, 1650 and was buried at the Resurrection church in which he served. The local veneration of the saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles occurring at his grave. Vologda, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ of Totma was a seventeenth century Russian Orthodox Church religious figure. was born in countryside nearby Totma the town and named after Saint Andrew Stratelates. According to the Gospel he left his parents and went to desert places. When he came back his parents was dead. Then he left the Ust-Tolshma and went to the Monastery of Galic. After time in the Monastery of Galic he became a yurodivy and moved to Totma. He was known for prayer and begging his bread. His feast day is celebrated on 10 October.[1] Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Andrew of Totma, the Fool-for-Christ was born in the year 1638 in the village of Ust-Totma and chose to leave the world while still a child. the blessing of Stephen, igumen of the Resurrection monastery in Galich, Andrew took upon himself the arduous calling of fool-for-Christ. He lived at the church of the Resurrection of Christ in the city of Totma on the banks of the River Sukhona. barefoot in both winter and summer, Andrew wore tattered clothing, and ate only bread and water, and that in such a small quantity that it just barely kept him from starving. He prayed both day and night, and if anyone gave him anything, he would give it away to the poor. his efforts and toil the Blessed Andrew acquired the gift of wonderworking. winter a blind man by the name of Azhibokai came to the blessed fool, asking for healing while offering him a large sum of money. But the fool fled away. Azhibokai then washed his eyes with snow from where the saint had stood. In doing so, he was able to see. time of his own death was revealed to the Blessed Andrew. He made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1673. his grave was built the bell-tower church of the holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates (August 19), whose name he bore. Many miracles were witnessed at the grave of the Blessed Andrew.

Russia, Moscow, 1605, Yug Icon, Mother of God sends Icon from Pskov to Yug River in Volomsk forest
Volomsk forest is 80 versts southwest of Ustiug at Kichmenga River; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Wonderworking Yuga Icon of the Mother of God appeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the Elder Saint Dorotheus, schemamonk of the Pskov Caves monastery. The Mother of God, during an invasion of the Swedes, commanded him to take Her image to a place She specified, and to bring the icon to Yaroslav diocese and to start a monastery there . igumen of the monastery would not agree to give up the Icon of the Mother of God, but She appeared to him in a vision commanding him to fulfill Her will and let Elder Dorotheus take Her icon. Elder Dorotheus came to the place specified in the vision, stopped to rest, and put the holy icon upon a tree. he wanted to continue the journey, then some invisible power prevented him from taking the holy icon from the tree. Saint Dorotheus realized that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place. He then built a small hut and stayed near the holy icon. News of the Elder’s arrival quickly spread through the surrounding villages. Pilgrims came to venerate the holy icon, from which many healings took place. Money was collected by the pious local inhabitants, and construction of a new monastery began. Dorotheus died in the year 1622. Clergy presented accounts of miracles to Patriarch Philaret. They received his blessing to establish a monastery at the River Yuga with church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery became known as the Yuga. In 1654, by the intercession of the Mother of God, a deadly pestilence was halted in that place.

Russia, Moscow, 1605, Ustiuzhena Icon, delivered U from Swedes and Polish by intercession of Queen of Heaven
Ustiuzhena; Icon of the Mother of God of Ustiuzhena, Commemorated July 28 ; Ustiuzhena Icon of the Mother of God (1290), glorified by many miracles, was situated in the city of Ustiuzhna under Novgorod governance (now Vologda district). At the beginning of the seventeenth century the inhabitants of Ustiushna, praying for salvation before this holy icon, were delivered from an invasion of the Swedes and Polish by the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Euphrosynos of Blue Jay Lake, (Ephraim in the world) was born in Karelia near Lake Ladoga in the second half of the XVI century. When he was young he lived near Valaam Monastery, and later he moved to Novgorod the Great. After spending some time there, the Saint then withdrew to a place on the outskirts of Novgorod - the Bezhetsk “pentary” (one fifth of the “Pyatiny Novgorodskiya,” comprising five outlying districts of Novgorod the Great). became a Reader for the Church services in the village of Doloska, twenty versts from the city of Ustiuzhna of Zhelezopolska. He was tonsured at the Tikhvin Dormition Monastery with the name Euphrosynos. After living there for some time, he told the Superior of his desire to go into the wilderness for greater solitude, and a life of fasting and silence. The Superior told him about some of the dangers of the eremetic life, and then gave his blessing. So, in 1600 he began his solitary life in the wild marshlands by the shore of Blue Jay Lake. Here the Saint planted a Cross and dug a cave. He lived here for two years, eating nothing but wild vegetation, berries, and mushrooms. people from neighboring villages found him, and they came to him for instruction, prayer, and spiritual counsel. Several of them remained with him. Soon it became necessary to build a church, where all the brethren could pray together. They cleared the forest, hewed the timber, and built a log church. Since the Elder, out of humility, had not been ordained, the church was consecrated by his fellow ascetic Saint Gurias of Shalatsk (November 15), and dedicated to the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. This was done with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod (1603-1609). Saint Gurias sometimes visited Blue Jay Lake in order to pray with the brethren, converse with them about spiritual matters, and to give them Holy Communion. On one of these visits Saint Euphrosynos was tonsured into the Great Schema by Saint Gurias. 1612, when Polish troops were laying waste to Russia, many people saved their lives by hiding at the Monastery of the Annunciation in the wilderness. On March 19, Saint Euphrosynos revealed to everyone that the Poles were on their way to the monastery, and he advised everyone to flee. brethren and beloved children in Christ, whoever wishes to escape certain death, leave the Monastery of the Mother of God and save yourselves from this great calamity, for it is pleasing to God's righteous judgment that enemies will come soon to this holy place." did not believe him. “Then why don’t you leave this place yourself?” they asked. Elder replied, “I have come here to die for Christ.” who obeyed the Saint and left the monastery were spared, but all those who remained met a horrible death. Jonah was one of the monks at the monastery. Frightened by the Elder's clairvoyant prediction, he wanted to flee with the others, but Saint Euphrosynos held him back, inspiring him with zeal for the house of God. “Brother Jonah,” he said, "why do you allow faint-hearted fear into your soul? When the battle begins, that is the time for courage. For the love of Christ, let us not be afraid of some passing fear. We have vowed to live and die here in the wilderness. We must be faithful to our vow, made before the Lord. It is different for laymen, who are not bound by a vow. They must spare themselves for the sake of their children.” inflamed in spirit, Saint Jonah placed all his hope in God, and decided to die there in the wilderness with his Elder. this Saint Euphrosynos clothed himself in the Great Schema, and spent the entire night in prayer. On the following day, March 20, Polish forces descended upon the monastery. In the garb of a Schema-monk, the Saint emerged from his cell and stood beside the Cross he had planted. The enemy said to him, “Old man, give us all the monastery’s possessions." “All my possessions, and those of this monastery, are in the church of the All-Pure Theotokos,” he replied. was referring to spiritual treasures which cannot be stolen (Matthew 6:19-21). Failing to comprehend this, the Poles rushed to the church. One of them drew a sword and struck Saint Euphrosynos. His neck was cut half way through, and the holy Elder fell to the ground dead. When the Poles returned, angry because they had found nothing in the church, one of them struck the Saint's head with an axe. Saint Jonah perished in the attack along with his Elder, and he is also commemorated today with Saint Euphrosynos. certain pious Christian, Ioann Suma, had also stayed at the monastery with the monks. When the Poles attacked, he was in the Elder's cell. Despite the grievous wounds he received from these ruffians, Ioann remained alive, but unconscious. After the Poles left, he regained his senses and told his son Emilian what had transpired. From them, the nearby inhabitants learned about the destruction of the monastery and the martyric death of Saint Euphrosynos. March 28, the bodies of Saint Euphrosynos, Saint Jonah, and all the others who had perished by the sword, were buried with due reverence by the Cross where they suffered martyrdom. years after the death of the Saint, a new church was built by a man named Moses, and dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. With the blessing of Metropolitan Makarios of Novgorod, the incorrupt relics of Saint Euphrosynos were transferred to a new reliquary beneath the belfry on March 25, 1655. to the Monastery's records, the Monastic Martyr Euphrosynos was of medium height, with wide shoulders and a broad chest. His hair was brown, with traces of gray. His beard was long, and divided in two at the bottom. Euphrosynus was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 29, 1912.

Russia, Moscow, 1605-18, Swede Pole-Moscow War, TOT Civil Wars, famine, boyar false Dimitris, Pole Tzar
Moscow, 1605-1618, Swedisn Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18) ; Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1605-1606, Tsar, False Dmitriy I, true Dmitriy suicide or killed
Moscow Tsar, 1605-1606, False Dmitriy I ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1606-1610, Tsar Vasili IV of All Russia, Basil Shuisky, TiOfTroubles, died in Warsaw prison
Moscow Tsar, 1606-1610, Vasili IV of All Russia, Basil Shuisky; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1606-1612, Irenarchus tRecluse oRostov, Grt ascetic deeds, barefeet, heavy chains, tears, war warnings&encourage
Russia, Rostov, 1606-1612, Irenarchus tRecluse oRostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, Boris&Gleb monk a30, slept on ground, gave vagrant his boots, then barefoot in snow, igumen no like, endured humiliation wPatience, still barefoot iSnow, igumen no change, transfer tAbramiev m, chosen steward, zeal but grieved brothers wasted property, Abraham comforted him, blessed him dsitribute tAll wOut trouble, sobbed loudly because knew mother died, transferred tRostov Lazarus m, solitary 3yrs privation hunger, visited bJohn tFool, tBig Simpleton, encouraged each other, desire back to Boris&Gleb, accepted back in love bStrict Balaam, greater deeds, chained to chair, heavy chains crosses, endured bro's sneers, John tFool visits &predicts Lithuanian invasion Moscow, 25years shackled in chains crosses&arduous tasks, deeds silent reproach tCareless living, they lied about him, igumen believed slander, banished, tLazarus m 1yr, igumen calls him back, blamed himself for no righteous works, continued heavy chains, slept only 1or2hr, prayed and beat body wIron rod, Lithuania invasion vision wChurches destroyed, wept bittherly, igumen sent him tMoscow tWarn Tsar Basil Shuisky, returned tPray fervently mercy Russia, Enemies appeared Moscow, 2 False Demetries sought Russia fPolish King, B&G also overun, they amazed by his words predicting catastrophy fThem, Polish noble Sapega wanted tSee Elder iChains, amazed aHis exploit, he boldly told him he prayed for Russian Tsar, Sapega said Grandfather speaks truly, Irenarchus urged S leave Russia or death for him, then he followed tWar and blessed Demetrius Pozharsky, told him come to Moscow tSee Glory oGod, handed him his cross, Russians vanquishe Lithuanians, Pozharsky took Kremlin, Peace returns, time oDeath revealed, chains Crosses heal; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Hermit of Rostov, was born into a peasant family in the village of Kondakovo in the Rostov district. Baptism he received the name Elias. his thirtieth year, he was tonsured a monk at the Rostov Saints Boris and Gleb monastery. he began fervently to labor at monastic tasks, he attended church services, and by night he prayed and slept on the ground. taking pity on a vagrant who did not have shoes, Saint Irenarchus gave him his own boots, from that time he began to go barefoot through the snow. igumen did not care for such behavior, and he began to humiliate him, compelling him to stand for an hour or nearly two in the snow opposite his cell, or to ring the bells for a long time. saint endured everything with patience but he did not change his conduct. igumen continued to be hard-hearted, the monk was obliged to transfer to the Abramiev Theophany monastery, he was accepted into the number of the brethren and he was soon chosen as steward. saint fulfilled his monastic obediences with zeal, grieved that the brethren and servants did not look after the property of the monastery, but imprudently wasted it. in a dream he saw Saint Abraham of Rostov (October 29), who comforted him and blessed him to distribute necessities to all without trouble. Saint Irenarchus sobbed loudly during the singing of the Cherubimic hymn. The archimandrite asked him why he wept, and he answered, “My mother has died!” Abramiev monastery, Saint Irenarchus transferred to the Rostov monastery of Saint Lazarus, into a solitary cell and lived for three years in privation and hunger. he was visited by Blessed John the Fool, nicknamed “the Big Simpleton.” saints encouraged each other by spiritual conversation. Elder, however, had a desire to return to the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery. was accepted back with love by the strict Barlaam, and he began to pursue even greater ascetic deeds at the monastery. withdrawn into solitude, Saint Irenarchus chained himself to a wooden chair, and he placed on himself heavy chains and crosses. For this he endured the mockery and sneers of the brethren. this time he was visited by his old friend, Blessed John the Fool, who predicted the Lithuanian invasion of Moscow. Irenarchus spent twenty-five years shackled in chains and in arduous tasks. ascetic deeds were a silent reproach to those living carelessly at the monastery, they lied to the igumen about him. said that the Elder taught that they should not do monastic work, but rather pursue asceticism as he did. igumen believed the slander and he banished the holy Elder from the monastery. submitting, Saint Irenarchus again went to Rostov and lived in the monastery of Saint Lazarus for one year. the igumen of Saints Boris and Gleb regretted his conduct and sent monks after Saint Irenarchus. returned, blaming himself that he did not live like the brethren who engaged in righteous works, in which he was lacking. monk continued to bear his own heavy fetters. He made clothes for the needy, and he knitted hairshirts and klobuks. He slept at night for only an hour or two, the rest of the time he prayed and beat his body with an iron rod. Irenarchus had a vision that Lithuania would invade Moscow, that churches there would be destroyed. began to weep bitterly about the impending disaster, the igumen ordered him to go to Moscow and warn Tsar Basil Shuisky (1606-1610) about the terrible misfortune. Irenarchus carried out the order. He refused the gifts offered him when he returned, he began to pray fervently that the Lord would show mercy on the Russian land. appeared against Russia, they began the conquest of the city, beat the inhabitants, and robbed churches and monasteries. False Demetrius and a second Pretender sought to conquer Russia for the Polish king. Boris and Gleb monastery was also overrun by the enemy, came to the holy hermit and were amazed at the direct and bold words of the Elder, predicting catastrophe for them. remaining at the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery, wanted to see the Elder sitting in chains, and he was amazed at such an ascetic exploit. the Polish nobles with Sapega told him that the Elder prayed for Shuisky, the monk boldly said, “I am born and baptized in Russia, and I pray to God for the Russian Tsar.” answered, “Grandfather speaks truly; in whatever land one lives, there one also serves.” this Saint Irenarchus began to urge Sapega to leave Russia, predicting death for him if he did not do so. Irenarchus followed the course of the war and sent his blessings and a prosphora to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky. told him to come to Moscow, predicting, “You shall see the glory of God.” assist Pozharsky and Minin, the saint handed over his cross. the help of God the Russians vanquished the Lithuanians, Pozharsky took possession of the Kremlin, and peace gradually began to return to the Russian land. Irenarchus incessantly prayed God with tears for the deliverance of Russia from enemies with the power to work miracles, he healed the sick and demoniacs. day of his death was revealed to him, and summoning his disciples Alexander and Cornelius, he them his final instructions. taking leave of all he quietly fell asleep in the Lord. holy Elder left behind 142 copper crosses, seven shoulder chains, other chains which he wore on his neck, iron foot shackles, eighteen hand fetters, heavy “bonds” which he wore on his belt, and iron rods with which he thrashed his body to drive away demons. these works, as the Elder called them, he spent thirty-eight years, and having lived in the world for thirty years, he died in his sixty-eighth year. the death of Saint Irenarchus, many miracles took place at his grave, the healing of the sick and the demoniacs by laying the holy ascetic’s crosses and chains upon them.

Russia, Moscow, 1606-1612, Patriarch Hermogenes, 300 yr intercessor, from Tof T, strict church
Russia, Moscow, 1606-1612, Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, was glorified on May 12, 1913. memory of Patriarch Hermogenes as a holy martyr was passed on from generation to generation for three centuries, and people increasingly regarded him as an intercessor and supplicant for the Russian land before the Throne of the Almighty. terrible years of national hardship, the nation turned to the memory of the heroic Patriarch. The Russian people came to his tomb with their personal tribulations, sicknesses and infirmities, reverently asking the help of Saint Hermogenes, and the All-Merciful Lord rewarded their faith. from all ends of Russia began to flock to Moscow for the glorification of the hieromartyr Hermogenes 300 years after his death. Pilgrims hastened to venerate the relics of the holy Patriarch, in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin, where panikhidas were served almost without interruption. the eve of the glorification there was a procession with an icon of Saint Hermogenes, and after it a grave cover, on which the saint was depicted full-length in mantiya and holding a staff. Beside the icon of the Patriarch they carried an icon of Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, his fellow-struggler in spiritual and patriotic deeds for the liberation of the Russian land from Polish-Lithuanian usurpers. the bell tower of Ivan the Great hung a tremendous banner, “Rejoice, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Great Intercessor of the Russian land.â€ A hundred thousand candles blazed in the hands of believers. At the end of the procession, they began to chant the Paschal Canon and a Canon to Saint Hermogenes, at the shrine where the relics of the Patriarch rested. all-night Vigil took place under the open skies at all the Kremlin squares. On this night a number of healings occurred through the prayers of Saint Hermogenes. For example, a certain sick person came to the Dormition Cathedral on crutches, and was healed as he approached the shrine with the relics of the saint. Another sick person was healed, who had suffered from terrible crippling disease. They brought him to the reliquary of the hieromartyr Hermogenes on a stretcher, where he was completely cured. These and other similar healings, witnessed by a multitude of the faithful, were remarkable proofs of the holiness of the new Russian wonderworker. Sunday May 12, Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Dormition Cathedral. Presiding at the celebration of the solemn glorification of the new saint was His Beatitude Gregorios, Patriarch of Antioch. At the finish of Liturgy in all the churches of Moscow, Moliebens were served to Saint Hermogenes and a procession made to the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than twenty hierarchs took part. They accompanied the procession singing, “O Holy Hierarch Father Hermogenes, pray unto God for us.â€ From this day the liturgical veneration of Saint Hermogenes began. Thus, the wish of the faithful Russian people was fulfilled. Through their prayers the Russian Orthodox Church received a heavenly patron. Holy Synod of the Russian Church established the commemoration of the hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for February 17, the day of his repose (his life and works are found under this day), and May 12, the day of his glorification. is the national significance of Saint Hermogenes, a tireless struggler for the purity of Orthodoxy and the unity of the Russian land. His ecclesial and civil activity during several centuries serves as an outstanding example of his ardent faith and love for the Russian people. ecclesial activity of the archpastor is characterized by an attentive and strict regard for church services. Under him were published a GOSPEL, a MENAION for September (1607), October (1609), November (1610), and for the first twelve days of December. The “Great Primary Ruleâ€ was printed in 1610. Saint Hermogenes did not merely give his blessing for this book, but carefully oversaw the accuracy of the text. With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes the Service to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30) also was translated from Greek into the Russian language, and his Feast began to be celebrated in the Dormition Cathedral. the supervision of the Archpastor, new presses were made for printing service books, and a new print shop was built. This was damaged during the 1611 conflagration, when Moscow was burned by the Poles. Concerned about the order of divine services, Saint Hermogenes compiled a “Letter to all the People, Especially Priests and Deacons, on the Improvement of Church Singing.â€ The “Letterâ€ chastizes the clergy for performing Church services not according to the Typikon, for unnecessary talking, and lay people for their irreverent attitude toward the divine services. literary activity of the first hierarch of the Russian Church is widely known. He wrote “An Account of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Service to this Icon (1594);â€ “A Letter to Patriarch Job, Containing an Account of the Kazan Martyrsâ€ (1591), a collection of articles in which questions about divine services (1598) are examined; there are patriotic documents and appeals, directed to the Russian nation (1606-1613), and other works. contemporaries speak of Patriarch Hermogenes as a man of outstanding intellect and erudition, “a Master of great reason and thought,â€ “very remarkable,â€ “very accomplished in wisdom and refined in learning,â€ “ever concerning himself about divine literature, and all the books about the Old Law and the New Grace, and pursuing to the end various Church rules and principles of law.â€ Saint Hermogenes spent a lot of time in monastery libraries, especially in the library of the Moscow Chudov monastery, where he copied precious historical accounts from ancient manuscripts. the seventeenth century they called the Chronicle by His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes the “Resurrection Chronicle.â€ In the collected works of the saint and his archpastoral documents there are many quotations from Holy Scripture, and examples taken from history, which testify to his profound knowledge of the Word of God and his familiarity with the Church literature of his time. Hermogenes incorporated his research in his preaching and teaching. The saint’s contemporaries regard the Archpastor as “a man of reverence,â€ “purity of life,â€ “a true shepherd of the flock of Christ,â€ and “a sincere upholder of the Christian faithâ€. qualities of Saint Hermogenes were quite especially apparent during the Time of Troubles, when the Russian land was overwhelmed by internal chaos, and worsened by Polish-Lithuanian intrigue. During this dark period, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church selflessly protected the Russian realm, by word and by deed defending the Orthodox Faith from Latinism, and also national unity from internal and external enemies. In saving his native land, Saint Hermogenes won the crown of a martyrdom, becoming a heavenly intercessor for Russia before the Throne of the Holy Trinity.

Russia, Moscow, 1606-1633, Saint Dionysius of R, Tof T, w Hermogenes, hospice, translations, imprisoned
Radonezh, 1590-1633, Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, Time of Troubles; Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow. 1611, Saint Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow. monastic training helped Saint Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it. “Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,â€ said Saint Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.â€ can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled Saint Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him. such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 Saint Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions. their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused Saint Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618. from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of Saint Dionysius when he was correcting the service books. Saint Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

Russia, Moscow, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev, established monastery, incorrupt relics
Russia, St Petersburg, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev? (above Vodla Lake), established monastery, incorrupt relics Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? This is the location of the only church in the area. Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20; Diodorus of Yuregorsk was born in the village of Turchasovo at the River Onega. parents, Jerothei and Maria, named their son Diomid. a fifteen-year-old youth he went on pilgrimage to the Solovki monastery, and then remained there as a novice. There he received monastic tonsure when he was nineteen under the igumen Anthony. lived with the hermits on desolate islands, and then he settled at Lake Vodla. He spent seven years there with his disciple Prochorus. to found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Trinity on Mount Yurev, the monk went to Moscow, where he received approval from Tsar Michael (1613-1645) also money for the building of the monastery from the Tsar’s mother, the nun and Eldress Martha. before his death, Saint Diodorus was obliged to journey to Kargopol on monastery matters. leave of the brethren, he predicted his impending death. He died on November 27, 1633 and was buried at Kargopol. two years his incorrupt body was transferred to the Trinity monastery and buried at the south wall of the cathedral church. memory of Saint Diodorus is celebrated on November 20 because of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign,” with which his repose coincides.

Russia, Moscow, 1607-1610, Tsar, False Dmitriy II, Rebel of Tushino
Moscow Tsar, 1607-1610, False Dmitriy II, Rebel of Tushino; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Moscow, 1609, Roman oUglich, Relics burned by Poles
Rostov, 1255-1285, Roman oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), son oVladimir&Photina oUglich, nephew oBasil oRostov, father died 1248, brother died 1261, Roman became govenor Uglich at 26, became father tHis subjects, poor house, took in destitute that came from everywhere, built 15 more churches, present every devine service, often conversed wMonks, devoted fasting, prayer, righteous works, built Romanov (Tutaev) on high bank oVolga, died peacefully 1285, 1486 incorrupt relics found, miracles, witnessed by Met Heremogenes 1595, sainthood, 1609 relics burned by Poles; Uglich; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, of Prince Vladimir and Princess Photina of Uglich, nephew of Saint Basil (Basilko) of Rostov (March 4), born on October 1, 1235. the death of his father (in 1248) and his older brother Andrew (in 1261), Saint Roman, at the age of twenty-six, took upon himself the governance of Uglich and became a father to his subjects. established a poor-house and took in the destitute, who came to him from everywhere. the principality he built fifteen more churches. Roman was present every day at the divine services, and he often conversed with pious monks. the death of his wife in 1280, he devoted himself entirely to ascetic exploits of fasting, prayer and works of righteousness. built the city Romanov (now Tutaev) on the high bank of the Volga. holy prince died peacefully on February 3, 1285 and was buried in the Church of the Transfiguration in Uglich. 1486, the relics of Saint Roman were found to be incorrupt were transferred into the new cathedral Church of the Transfiguration. the year 1595 with the blessing of Patriarch Job in consequence of the fame concerning miracles relics were witnessed to by the Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Saint Hermogenes (February 17), Saint Roman was numbered among the saints. 1609, the holy relics were burned along with the church during an invasion by the Poles.

Russia, Moscow, 1610-1613, Tsar, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish or Lithuanian King, 16yrs old
Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Murom; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Russia, Moscow, 1611-1612, Tsar, False Dmitriy III, Thief of Pskov
Moscow Tsar, 1611-1612, False Dmitriy III, Thief of Pskov; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1611-1612, Prince, Dmitry Pozharsky, Savior of the Motherland
Moscow Prince, 1611-1612, Dmitry Pozharsky, Savior of the Motherland; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1612, Swede-Polish-Lith incursion, Moscow Kremlin, R victory, unpaid Polish wages
Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign, the œKursk-Root, Commemorated on September 8; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Icon of the Mother of God "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1612, Polish Incursion of 1612 (Moscow Kremlin)
Polish Incursion of 1612 (Moscow Kremlin); Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1612, Kazan Icon, Deliverance from the Poles, delivering sinners
Russia, Moscow, 1612, Kazan Icon, Deliverance from the Poles ; Commemoration of the Deliverance of Moscow From the Poles by the Kazan Icon was established in gratitude for the deliverance of Moscow and all Russia from the incursion of the Polish in 1612. end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth centuries is known in Russian history as “the Time of Troubles.â€ The country suffered the onslaught of Polish armies, which scoffed at the Orthodox Faith, plundering and burning churches, cities and villages. Through deceit they succeeded in taking Moscow. In response to the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes (May 12), the Russian people rose up in defense of its native land. Kazan, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was sent to the army headed by Prince Demetrius Pozharsky. Demetrius of Rostov (September 21), in his Discourse on the Day of Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God at Kazan (July 8), said: “The Mother of God delivered from misfortune and woe not only the righteous, but also sinners, but which sinners? those who turn themselves to the Heavenly Father like the Prodigal Son, they make lamentation beating their bosom, like the Publican, they weep at the feet of Christ, like the Sinful Woman washing His feet with her tears, and they offer forth confession of Him, like the Thief upon the Cross. It is such sinners whom the All-Pure Mother of God heeds and hastens to aid, delivering them from great misfortunes and woe.â€ that they suffered such misfortunes for their sins, the whole nation and the militia imposed upon themselves a three-day fast. With prayer, they turned to the Lord and His All-Pure Mother for help. The prayer was heard. Saint Sergius of Radonezh appeared to Saint Arsenius (afterwards Bishop of Suzdal) and said that if Moscow were to be saved, then people must pray to the Most Holy Virgin. Emboldened by the news, Russian forces on October 22, 1612 liberated Moscow from the Polish usurpers. A celebration in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in 1649. Even in our day this icon is especially revered by the Russian Orthodox nation. Polish Incursion of 1612 (Moscow Kremlin); Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1612, Militia of Minin (Cleared Moscow Kremlin of Polish Forces)
Russia, Vladimir, Nizhni Novogorod, 1612, Militia of Minin (Cleared Moscow Kremlin of Polish Forces); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1612, Tribe of Judah Seal Date, Polish Incursion, Romanov's
August 13, 1612 OS: Judah's Seal Date, Polish Incursion, Romanov's ; Polish Incursion of 1612 (Moscow Kremlin); Moscow Romanov Dynasty, 1613-1917 ; Moscow Tsar, 1613-1645, Michael I of Russia ;

Russia, Moscow, 1612-1680, Eleazar oAnzersk Island, artful wooden cups brought fishermen success, his prophecy built monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1612-1680, Eleazar oAnzersk Island, Solovki, fKozelsk merchant family, tSolovki m, tonsured bIrenachus, woodcarving art gift, fT Cathedral, 1612 hermit Anzersk Is, carved wooden cups, on Dock message fFood, fishermen left bread&supplies, rewarded great catch, 1616 schemamonk, disciples gathered, skete strict rule following ancient form, together Sat Sun only, Pat Nikon aDisciple, Tsar Michael summoned Eleazar tMoscow, E predicted M Son's birth, M helped build stone church& M, loved books, compiled Flower Gardens, 3 books edifying sayings, wrote commentary Monastic Rule, Died great old age, lived A 40Yrs after some time aSolovki; Anzersk Island, Solovki; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ; Eleazar of Anzersk was born in the city of Kozelsk into the merchant family Severiukov. the blessing of his parents he went off to the Solovki monastery, he received monastic tonsure from the igumen Saint Irenarchus (July 17). the monastery he displayed an astonishing artistic gift: learned woodcarving he took part in the embellishment of the Transfiguration Cathedral. the blessing of the igumen, he went to the island of Anzersk in 1612, he became a hermit, himself to constant prayer and meditation on God. order to obtain subsistence for himself on the island wilderness, Eleazar carved wooden cups, he left at the dock. the cups he wrote a message requesting food. left bread and other supplies for the ascetic, they were rewarded with a great catch of fish. the year 1616 Saint Eleazar was elevated to schemamonk. gathered around the saint wishing to live near him and benefit from his instruction. organized a skete with a strict rule of monastic life following the ancient form. cells were built far away from one another, and the hermits gathered together only for Saturday and Sunday services. the disciples of Saint Eleazar was the hieromonk Niketas (Nikḗtas), future Patriarch Nikon. Michael (1613-1645), learning of the saint’s ascetic life, summoned him to Moscow. Eleazar predicted the birth of a son, in return the Tsar generously gave him help to build a stone church on the island dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and also a monastery. Eleazar loved books. He compiled three books, “Flower Gardens,” collecting edifying sayings and examples from various sources. also wrote a commentary on the Rule for monastic cell life. Eleazar died in great old age, forseeing the time of his death. is not known how old he was, but he lived at Ansersk for forty years, he was at Solovki for some time before that.

Russia, Moscow, 1613-1917, Romanov Dynasty, Polish Incursion to Communism
Moscow, 1613-1917, Romanov Dynasty, Polish Incursion to Communism ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1613-1645, Tsar Michael I, Feodorovich, first Romanov, with Cossacks, c siberia to Pacific
Moscow, 1613-1645, Tsar Michael I of Russia ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Irenarchus the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on July 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Job of Ushchelsk, Commemorated August 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Passion"Â, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated on September 5; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20 ; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "œAssuage my sorrow"Â, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Passion"Â, Commemorated on April 30; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow, 1614-1678, Macarius of Kanev, Ukraine, 30 yrs battled w uniates f Ukraine, Poles allied w Moslems, incorrupt r
Russia, Kiev, 1614-1678, Macarius of Kanev, Ukraine (near Kiev, Ros River Mouth, Dnieper River 4), 30 yrs battled w uniates for Ukraine, U Poles allied w Moslems, his body did not burn ; Kanev; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Macarius of Kanev lived in the seventeenth century. was a most terrible time for Orthodox Christians in western Rus. constant struggles of the Hieromartyr, were an attempt to defend the Orthodox Faith under difficult conditions, when it was possible only to defend the future of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was preserved from the brusque passing of the hurricane of the Unia, endured together with Tatar incursions. holy Hieromartyr Macarius was born in 1605 in the city of Ovruch in Volhynia into the illustrious Tokarevsky family, renowned adherents of Orthodoxy. the years between 1614-1620 the saint studied at the Ovruch Dormition monastery, and upon the death of his parents he became a monk at this monastery, having begun his service as a novice. 1625 Saint Macarius, with the blessing of the archimandrite, left the Dormition monastery and was sent to the Pinsk bishop, Avramii, who assigned him to the Pinsk Kupyatichsk monastery. 1630 he was ordained as hierodeacon, in 1632 as hieromonk. about the excellence of the monastic life of the hieromonk Macarius spread beyond the bounds of the Kupyatichsk monastery, and in 1637 the brethren of the Bretsk Symonov monastery turned with a request to the igumen of the Kupyatichsk monastery, Hilarion (Denisevich), to send them Saint Macarius to be their head. But the Kupyatichsk igumen also had need of the hieromonk Macarius. 1637 the head of the Kupyatichsk monastery sent him to Metropolitan Peter Moghila of Kiev to hand over money collected by the brethren for the rebuilding of Kiev’s church of the Holy Wisdom, and for the solicitation of help for the construction and repair of damaged monastery churches. in the hieromonk Macarius a talented son of God’s Church, the Metropolitan issued him a certificate to collect offerings, in 1638 appointed him head of the Kamenetsk Resurrection monastery (in Grodnensk district). the pillaging and seizing of the monastery by the Uniates in 1642, Saint Macarius guided the brethren of the Resurrection monastery. these harsh times the brethren of the Kupyatichsk monastery elected Saint Macarius as igumen, who led the monastery until 1656. 1656 through 1659, Saint Macarius headed the Pinsk monastery, from 1660 as archimandrite Saint Macarius guided the brethren of his original Ovruch Dormition monastery. than ten years passed in constant struggle with the Latin Poles in Ovruch. could compel the brethren to quit the monastery, neither the seizure of the farm lands belonging to the monastery by the Dominicans, nor the rapacious pillaging of moveable property, nor beatings. in the year 1671, after the devastation of Ovruch by the Tatars, did the holy archimandrite Macarius leave the monastery, in which there remained not a single monk, and he went to the Kiev Caves Lavra. the defenders of Orthodoxy, like Saint Macarius, were needed not only at Kiev, but even more outside of Kiev. Joseph (Neliubovich-Tukal’sky) assigned Archimandrite Macarius as head of the Kanev monastery. after thirty years of struggle with the Uniates, Saint Macarius was again on the front lines of battle for the Orthodox Faith. 1672 Yuri, the son of Bogdan Khmel’nitsky, sought shelter at the Kanev monastery. The hetman Doroshenko, petitioned Metropolitan Joseph for the assignment of Saint Macarius, and repeatedly visited Kanev monastery. 1675, he switched his allegiance to Russia, after he renounced allegiance to the Turks, evidently, not without counsel from Saint Macarius. response the Turkish powers dispatched an army to Little Russia. September 4, 1678, the aggressors rushed on the monastery. Saint Macarius met the enemy with cross in hand at the entrance to the church. Turks demanded that the monk hand over to them the monastery treasury. Hearing the answer of the monk, that his treasure was in Heaven, the furious robbers hung the saint hand and foot between two posts. two days they beheaded the Hieromartyr on September 7, 1678. Witnesses to the martyric death of Archimandrite Macarius carried his body to the monastery church, in which they were hidden for safety. the returning Turks placed firewood around the church and burned everything in the temple. the surviving citizens of Kanev began removing the bodies of those who perished, then only one body was found whole and as though alive. This was the body of the Hieromartyr Macarius, attired in hairshirt, with a cross on his breast and another cross in his hand. The holy body was buried in this temple beneath the altar on September 8, 1678. holy Hieromartyr Macarius was a man of highly righteous and spiritual life, glorified while still alive by miracles and the gift of clairvoyance. At Kanev, he healed the blind and the dying. 1688, during renovation of the temple, the grave of the Hieromartyr was opened, and the incorrupt body of the saint was found. In connection with the danger of invasion for the Kanev monastery, on May 13, 1688 the holy relics were solemnly transferred to the Pereyaslavl regimental Resurrection church. There also they transferred the beloved book of the Hieromartyr, “Discourse of John Chrysostom on the 14 Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul” (Kiev edition 1621-23) with his signature on one of the pageleafs. Under Bishop Zachariah (Cornelovich) the relics were transferred in 1713 to a new-built temple of the Pereyaslavl Mikhailovsk monastery, and after its closing the relics rested at the Pereyaslavl Resurrection monastery from August 4, 1786. 1942, the relics were transferred to the Trinity church in the city of Cherkassa, and from 1965 they have been in the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in that same city. commemoration of the Hieromartyr Macarius is made twice: September 7, the day of his repose, and on May 13, the transfer of his holy relics.

Russia, Moscow, 1615, Lisovski Raiders, Pole-Lith light cavalry, looted large Vologda area
Moscow, 1615, Lisovski Riders, Polish; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker Commemorated on January 22 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1615-1771, Seven Lakes Icon, Kazan, Perm, f Ustiug by Euthymius 1615, plague deliverances 1654,1655&1771
Mongol, Perm, 1615-1771, Seven Lakes Icon, Kazan, Perm, brought from Ustiug by Euthymius Seven Lakes M founder 1615, plague deliverances 1654,1655&1771; The Seven Lakes Hermitage of the Mother of God, 420099 Republic of Tatarstan; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 28; Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, of the Seven Lakes monastery. placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city. certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance. monk told the authorities about the vision. Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. seven days of prayer and processions, deadly pestilence began to abate. the monks asked to have their icon returned, was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. heavy snow storm came up, however, prevented them from leaving the church. was repeated three times, it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan a time. was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655. ’s Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God. Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26. Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 13; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, of the Seven Lakes Mother of God monastery. blessed the place of the future monastery with this icon. of the Seven Lakes Icon were established in memory of its transfer from Ustiug, memory of the deliverance of Kazan a plague epidemic in 1654 and 1655 (June 26), again from pestilence in 1771 (July 28).

Russia, Moscow, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja, Georgia, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, myrrh to this day
Georgia, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), while, Celebrating Resurrection with lights, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, only 2 fled, rose bush in dry soil, bones stream myrrh to this day; David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; 1616 the Persian shah Abbas I led his enormous army in an attack on Georgia. quenched his thirst for the blood of the Christians, he arranged a hunt in the valley of Gare (Outer) Kakheti. He encamped with his escorts in the mountains of Gareji and spent the night in that place. midnight the shah’s attention was drawn to a flaming column of lights advancing up the mountain. At first he took it to be an apparition. He was soon informed, however, that a famous monastery was situated in that place and on that night the monks were circling their church three times with lighted candles in celebration of Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Immediately the shah commanded his army to march to the monastery and destroy all those found celebrating. same night an angel of the Lord appeared to Abbot Arsenius of David-Gareji and told him, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling the brothers to His Heavenly Kingdom. On this night great suffering awaits you—you will be killed by the sword. He who desires to prolong his earthly life, let him flee, but he who thirsts to purify his soul for eternity, let him perish by the sword, and the Lord God will adorn him with the crown of immortality. Tell this to all who dwell in the monastery, and let each man choose for himself!” abbot informed the monks about his vision, and they began to prepare for their imminent sufferings. Only two young monks feared death and fled to a mountain not far from the monastery. the chanting of the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the Paschal Liturgy, the monastery was completely surrounded by Persian warriors. Abbot Arsenius stepped out of the church and approached their leader to request that the monks be given a bit more time to finish the service and for all the brothers to receive Holy Communion. Persians consulted among themselves and agreed to honor this request. The fathers partook of the Holy Gifts, encouraged one another, and presented themselves clad in festive garments before the unbelievers. the Persians beheaded Abbot Arsenius; then they massacred his brothers in Christ without mercy. the Persians finished killing the monks, they were organized into several regiments and made their way towards the other monasteries of the Gareji Wilderness. Halfway between the Chichkhituri and Saint John the Baptist Monasteries the Muslims captured the two young monks who had earlier fled and demanded that they convert to Islam. monks refused to abandon the Christian Faith and for this they were killed. A rose bush grew up in the place where they were killed and continued to fragrantly blossom through the 19th century, despite the dry and rocky soil. the end of the 17th century, King Archil gathered the bones of the martyrs with great reverence and buried them in a large stone reliquary to the left of the altar in the Transfiguration Church of David-Gareji Monastery. Their holy relics continue to stream myrrh to this day. brothers of the Monasteries of Saint David of Gareji and Saint John the Baptist received a blessing from Catholicos Anton I to compose a commemorative service for the martyrs and to designate their feast day as Bright Tuesday, or the third day of Holy Pascha.

Russia, Moscow, 1617, Treaty of Stolbovo, ended Russia's war with Sweden, Luke's Tikvin Icon, appearance large army
Stolbovo (Treaty of Stolbovo) which ended Russia's war with Sweden. Stolbovo is south of Lake Ladgoda and 33 Miles from Tikhvin ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. According to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the “Hodēgḗtria” model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, Moscow, 1619-1633, Patriarch, Philaret, Emperor Michael's father, regent, first romanov, diplomat
Moscow Patriarch, 1619-1633, Patriarch Philaret of Moscow; Nikitich Romanov (1553 - 1 October 1633) was a Russian boyar who after temporary disgrace rose to become patriarch of Moscow as Filaret and became de facto ruler of Russia during the reign of his son, Mikhail Feodorovich. second son of a prominent boyar Nikita Romanovich, Feodor was born in Moscow and was the first to bear the Romanov surname. the reign of his first cousin Feodor I (1584–1598), young Feodor Romanov distinguished himself both as a soldier and a diplomat, fighting against the forces of John III of Sweden in 1590, and conducting negotiations with the ambassadors diplof Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1593 to 1594.[1] He was made a Boyar in 1583. the death of the childless tsar, he was the popular candidate for the vacant throne; but he acquiesced in the election of Boris Godunov, and shared the disgrace of his too-powerful family three years later, when Boris compelled both him and his wife, Xenia Shestova, to take monastic vows under the names of Filaret and Martha respectively.[1] was kept in the strictest confinement in the Antoniev Monastery of the Russian North, where he was exposed to every conceivable indignity; but when the False Dmitriy I overthrew the Godunovs, he released Filaret and made him metropolitan of Rostov (1605).[1] Filaret of Moscow. A 19th-century hand-drawn lubok. of Moscow[edit] 1609 Filaret fell into the hands of False Dmitriy II, who named him Patriarch of all Russia, though his jurisdiction only extended over the very limited area which acknowledged the impostor. 1610 to 1618 he was a prisoner in the hands of the Polish king, Sigismund III Vasa, whom he refused to acknowledge as tsar of Muscovy on being sent on an embassy to the Polish camp in 1610. was released on the conclusion of the truce of Deulino (13 February 1619), and on 24 June of the same year was canonically enthroned Patriarch of Moscow[1] and all of Russia. until his death, the established government of Muscovy was a diarchy. 1619 to 1633 there were two actual sovereigns, Tsar Michael and his father, the most holy Patriarch Filaret. they were co-regents, but Filaret frequently transacted affairs of state without consulting the tsar. replenished the treasury by a more equable and rational system of assessing and collecting the taxes. His most important domestic measure was the chaining of the peasantry to the soil, a measure directed against the ever-increasing migration of the down-trodden serfs to the steppes, where they became freebooters instead of taxpayers. The taxation of the tsar's military tenants was a first step towards the proportional taxation of the hitherto privileged classes.[1] zeal for the purity of Orthodoxy sometimes led him into excesses but he encouraged the publication of theological works, formed the nucleus of the subsequently famous Patriarchal Library, and commanded that every archbishop should establish a seminary for the clergy, himself setting the example. great service rendered by Filaret to his country was the reorganization of the Muscovite army with the help of foreign officers. death in October 1633 put an end to the Russo-Polish War (1632–33), withdrawing the strongest prop from a tsar feeble enough even when supported by all the weight of his authority.[1] the rights of a sovereign, Filaret issued a royal decree in May 1625 which gave the patriarch the right to judge and oversee the clerical and peasant populations of the patriarchate in all matters except for theft and robbery. Thus, under Filaret the patriarchate ultimately developed into a state within a state. While the administration of the patriarchate became more structured, it also became significantly more complex. patriarchate's administration was divided into the following departments: the Judicial department which oversaw legal affairs; the Ecclesiastical department which oversaw matters regarding parishes; the Treasury department which oversaw tax collections from the clergy; and the Palace department which managed the economic matters on the patriarchal estates. department was headed by a patriarchal boyar (a member of the highest rank of the Russian aristocracy) and staffed with clerks and scribes. The patriarch personally received and signed reports. Filaret also ordered a full inventory of church and monastery property as well as a review of the land grants issued to the monasteries. 1620 the new Diocese of Tobolsk was created. 1625 as a gift from the king of Persia, Filaret received a piece of the supposed Seamless Robe of Jesus. This relic was placed in a shrine in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral, and today is kept in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. patriarch was instrumental in the establishment of the Romanov dynasty through his use of ostentatious ceremonies and architectural projects which succeeded in underlining the importance of the Crown. Due to the Thirty Years War, mercenaries were common, so he hired English and Scottish officers to modernize the army, helping to push Russia into the modern age.[2] Filaret's marriage to Xenia Shestova produced six children, of whom two survived into adulthood: Tatyana (d. 1612), married Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Katyrev-Rostovsky, no issue Boris (b. 1592, died in infancy) Nikita (b. 1593, died in infancy) Michael (1596-1645), first tsar of Russia from the House of Romanov Lev (b. 1597, died in infancy) Ivan (b. 1599, died in infancy) The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Leonid of Ustnedumsk, Commemorated on July 17 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG
Russia, Vologda, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. Archangelsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated on August 22; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. 1654, Hieromonk Makarios of Krasnogorsk Monastery brought the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (which had been brought from Persia) to Moscow for restoration, and to be covered with a new riza. It was placed in the newly-built church, dedicated to the Life-giving Trinity, at Nikitnikov Lane near the Saint Barbara Gate, where the Kremlin masters carried on their iconographic work. Gregory Nikitnikov had built the church on his property at his own expense (1628-1651). In the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint Nikḗtas (September 15). Members of the Nikitnikov family were also entombed there. that time, a plague or pestilence was raging in Moscow. At the request of the master silversmith Gabriel Evdokimov, whose son was near death, a Moleben was served in his house before the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God from Krasnogorsk Monastery. The patient soon recovered. In gratitude for this miraculous healing, a copy of Georgian Icon was made and placed in Holy Trinity church. From that time, the church was also called Georgian. gracious help of the Most Holy Theotokos continued to be conferred by the aforementioned copy of her Icon. During the plague epidemic of 1654, the Moscow merchant Stephanov prayed continuously to the Queen of Heaven. The Most Holy Virgin appeared to him three times in a dream saying: "Pray to the Georgian Theotokos, on the Glinishchi at the mills, and you will be spared." The Holy Trinity church at Nikitniki was also called the church of the Great Martyr Nikḗtas (one of the chapels) on Glinishchi, near the mills. The merchant did not take his family from Moscow as he intended, but began to pray fervently in the Holy Trinity church. The epidemic did not touch him or his family. Churchwide celebration of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was established with the blessing of Patriarch Nikon in 1654. In 1698, the caretaker of the Moscow printing house Theodore Polikarpov compiled a second edition of the Service. the liberation of Moscow from Napoleon's troops, on December 1, 1812 the wonderworking Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, along with other miraculous Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (Vladimir, Iveron, and Assuage my Sorrows) were carried in solemn procession around the Kremlin. 1904, a chapel was built in Holy Trinity church in honor of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Now this Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitnikov (Razin Street). healings were granted by the Most Holy Theotokos through her wonderworking Icon, which were documented and verified at the end of the XIX century. For example, on June 17, 1887, Lydia Tserkovnitskaya, the wife of a priest in the village of Shuysk, Vologda Province, was critically ill. She recovered after praying before the wonderworking Georgian Icon. There is historical evidence of four more Georgian icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which was in Moscow's Alekseevsky Convent, church evidence reports that it is not a copy of the Icons from Krasnogorsk Monastery nor from Holy Trinity church at Nikitnikov, which were brought from Georgia. In the same deadly plague epidemic of 1654, one of the nuns at the Alekseev Convent fell ill. While she addressed long prayers to the Heavenly Healer, the sick woman suddenly remembered the miraculous recovery she had heard about from the Icon of the Mother of God, which is in the church of the Life-giving Trinity by Saint Barbara's Gate. However, there was no one to send there. After some time, an unknown monk came to the Convent. Turning to the sick nun, he said: "Do not be sad that the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God cannot be brought here. You have here exactly the same Icon as the one brought from Georgia. You will find it in the cave, and you shall behold God's mercy." allegorical meaning of these words became clear afterward in the monastery sacristy, which was laid out like caves, when a hitherto unknown Icon of the Mother of God was discovered. After a Moleben, the miraculous Icon was carried to the cells of the nuns who were suffering from the pestilence. All of them were healed. From that time, the epidemic in Moscow began to abate. the prayerful intercession of the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Alekseev Convent, the blind Princess Martha Prozorovskaya received miraculous healing in 1662. She gained her sight by the prayers of her parents, after seven years of serious illness. the northwest of Kazan, 18 versts from the city of Sviyazhsk, in the middle of the XVII century was the Raithu communal Hermitage of the Theotokos, which got its name from one of its churches, which was dedicated to the Venerable Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu (January 14). Tradition states that during the construction of the monastery, Metropolitan Laurence of Kazan, by a revelation from above, sent the best local iconographers to Pinega, to the Krasnogorsk Monastery, which was very far from Kazan, in order to make a faithful copy of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Persia. 1661, a skillfully executed copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was delivered from Arkhangelsk. It became highly revered by the local population. Subsequently, this Icon was placed in the cathedral church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. the XVIII century, the pious peasants of the village of Klyucharev, Korchev county, Tver Province, presented the caretaker of the Moscow Archangel Cathedral with a copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which became highly regarded by the locals, when the rye crop was threatened with destruction in the late 1860s. Vast fields of newly-sprouted crops were being eaten by an unknown worm, and nothing they did was of any use. Then the peasants prayed for help to the Most Holy Theotokos, whose Georgian Icon they revered. After a Cross Procession around the fields with the Icon, a sudden, unprecedented torrential rain fell. Streams of water washed the worms out of the ground, which were eaten by a large flock of birds. See also other revered copies of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God in the Protection church at Vorontsov Field, and in the Holy Cross Church in the city of Tula. Icon disappeared after the closure of the monastery (1920-1922), and later it was returned to the monastery. In his 1946 report to the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Leonty (Smirnov) of Arkhangelsk states that the Georgian Icon was carried in a procession, which took place at Arkhangelsk in 1946. The further fate of the Georgian Icon is unknown. St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1622 &1880 &1923 &1924 &1998 &2001, Icon Surety oSinners, Koretsk, Volhynia, transfered tHTConvent 1622
Koretsk Region and Korets; Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners” in Koretsk, Commemorated on June 8; ancient "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets has been kept in the princely castle of Korets from ancient times, and was called "gracious." the death of Samuel, the last of the Orthodox Korets Princes, his brother John offered to let his sister, Igoumeness Seraphima take the Icon from the princely chapel and bring it to Holy Resurrection Maidens' Monastery at Korets. solemn transfer of the holy Icon took place on Thursday of Pentecost Week in 1622. this day, a festal celebration was established in honor of the "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets. August 12, 1880, the Icon was transferred to Holy Trinity Church then returned to the Monastery and was placed in a carved wooden kiosk at the left front column. than once the wonderworking Icon showed gracious help for the suffering - 1923 on the Feast of the Holy Trinity a young man who was possessed by an unclean spirit was healed before the Icon. next year, when during the period from the Ascension of the Lord to the Thursday after Pentecost, there were incessant downpours in Volhynia. Miraculously, after a Cross Procession around the temple with the blessed Icon, the rain began to subside. believers who turn to the Queen of Heaven for help and intercession because of some discord, family troubles, and especially when "anguish of the soul" suggests that after praying before the Icon, they receive spiritual relief and peace, for she is truly the "Surety of Sinners." the Icon, the Mother of God is depicted holding her Child on her left hand, and He holds her right hand with both of His hands. inscription reads: “I am the Surety of Sinners for my Son Who has entrusted me to hear them, and through me, those who bring me the joy of hearing them shall receive everlasting joy." August 17, 1998, the Superior of Holy Trinity Korets women's Monastery, Igoumeness Natalia (Ilchuk) petitioned Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia to add the Korets Icon to the list of wonderworking Icons of the Mother of God on the Patriarchal Church Calendar. With the Patriarch's blessing, the celebration in honor of the Korets Icon was approved. November 2001, an attempt was made to steal the Icon, but the attackers only managed to carry off its valuable riza. People donated money for a new riza to be made, a copy of the the one which was stolen. Icon is kept in the Holy Trinity women's Monastery at Korets.

Russia, Moscow, 1624, Igritsa Icon, left neglected, shone w bright hues, as newly painted
Igritsa, not far from Kostroma, Pesochna River Mouth; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Igritsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1624 in Igritsa at the River Pesochna not far from the city of Kostroma. Local peasants found the icon in an old half-ruined church, for fifty years it was left neglected after a deadly plague. The icon stood in the altar and shone with bright hues, as though newly painted. the first service of thanksgiving served in front of this holy icon, a boyar’s (nobleman’s) blind son Emilian gained his sight. Then four devout Christians stayed to live around the desolate church and took monastic vows. At the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God there afterwards was built a new church and a monastic community emerged.

Russia, Moscow, 1625, Finding Incorrupt Relics Adrian of Poshekhonye, monastery and church builder, murdered
Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. In the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. But the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Saint Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. A certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. He also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. The astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. Returning to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian. Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery; Poshekhonye; Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian. Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1627-1642, Simeon of Verkhoturye, Kazakhstan, Siberia, nobleman, beggar, appearances miracles after death
Russia, Siberia,1627-1642, , Simeon of Verkhoturye, Kazakhstan, Siberia, nobleman, beggar, sewed clothes, failed to sew something, appearances miracles after death; Verkhoturye (Tura River) ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; Simeon of Verkhoturye was a nobleman, but he concealed his origin and led the life of a beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats and other clothes, primarily for the poor. While doing this he deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for which he endured abuse from his customers. ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the outskirts of Perm). Saint Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. In his free time, the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, guiding the local people in the true Faith. His conversations were a seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially revered. Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel Michael. September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of Saint Simeon were transferred from the church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of Saint Nicholas. Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the saint’s appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he also gave instruction and guidance for the soul. memory of Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on December 18, on the day of his glorification (1694). Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; Simeon of Verkhoturye was a nobleman, he concealed his origin and led the life of a beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats and other clothes, primarily for the poor. doing this he deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for which he endured abuse from his customers. ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the outskirts of Perm). Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. his free time, the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, guiding the local people in the true Faith. conversations were a seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially revered. Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel Michael. September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of Saint Simeon were transferred from the church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of Saint Nicholas. Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the saint’s appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he also gave instruction and guidance for the soul. memory of Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on September 12, on the day of the translation of his relics (1704).

Russia, Moscow, 1632-1634, Polish-Muscovite War, the Smolensk War, P and Lith defend R attack
Polish-Muscovite War (1632-1634), the Smolensk War; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1634-1640, Patriarch Joasaphus I, raw ascetic, pious, humble, moral renewal, ignored state affairs
Moscow, 1634-1640, Patriarch Joasaphus I of Moscow; I ( ? - 28 November 1640, Moscow) was the fifth Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1634–1640). took monastic vows in Solovetsky Monastery. In 1621, he became a hegumen at Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery. In January 1627, Joasaphus was appointed archbishop of Pskov and Velikiye Luki. He is known for his protection of Pskov's trade privileges and resistance to pretensions of the German merchants, for which he would be punished by the patriarch. of Moscow[edit] Philaret's death in 1634, Joasaphus was appointed his successor, upon his recommendation. His selection to the role of Patriarch was held in the traditional way: The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church (knowing in advance the will of Mikhaill Romanov[1]) pointed to three candidates, of whom the Tsar could choose. Enthronement of the new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was held, also in keeping with tradition, the council of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the Kremlin[2] in Moscow on 6 February 1634. of Joasaphus' first deeds was severe punishment of Joseph Kurtsevich, Archbishop of Suzdal, for his indecent behaviour. He took part in reviving Moscow's printing activities. They published 23 ecclesiastic books under his supervision. In 1636, Joasaphus wrote Память (Pamyat, or memo), in which he urged Russian clergymen to settle all the discords between themselves. He also published a piece called Лестница властям (Lestnitsa vlastyam, or Hierarchy of power), in which he explained the hierarchy of clergymen during divine services and sobors. Also, Joasaphus published the so-called Требник (Trebnik, or book of prayers) with a supplement of Philaret's resolutions and decrees. Patriarch, he did not interfere in affairs of state policy and refused to even granting the tsar advice in this regard, thereby the strengthening process the position of the Patriarchate in the country declined. He focused instead on efforts to moral renewal of society. He aimed for the effective implementation of the provisions of the Council of the Hundred Chapters in terms of arrangement of worship, opposed the custom of simultaneous execution of several passages of worship at the same time and false jurodiwych. Joasaphus I is buried in the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin. historians assess Josaphus as a colorless figure. According to the historian Parsley[3] such determination activities of the patriarch is unfair, because the lack of interest of Josaphus for state affairs did not mean lack of involvement in the problems of the Orthodox Church, where the latter showed the energy and determination. Parsley also points out that the relatively short period of office of the patriarch by Joazafa results in the obfuscation of its achievements and the personalities of the two other seventeenth-century Russian Orthodox Church superiors: Filaret and Nikon. At the same time the authors of works devoted to Josaphus give it a raw ascetic, pious and humble man. Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated on November 4;

Russia, Moscow, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda, hunter discovers church, rotten utensils, but unharmed altar icon
Russia, Vologda, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hunter discovers small old church, rotten utensils, but unharmed altar icon, monastery afterwards; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Slovenka Icon of the Mother of God manifested itself on September 23, 1635 at the village of Slovenka, Kostroma district. certain hunter while hunting by chance discovered a small rickety church, overgrown with moss. went inside and saw that all the church utensils had rotted with time, except for the altar icon of the Mother of God, which was perfectly unharmed. monastery was afterwards built at this place.

Russia, Moscow, 1636, 1695, 1850, 1930, Icon of Tambov, Moscow, abundant tears flowed, miracles improved citizen's character
Russia, Mordovia, 1636, 1695, , Icon of Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), 1695 abundant tears flowed, moistened cloth beneath, Pitirim healing then, poor citizen morals, two icons city gates, priests allowed bring tMany Private homes, 1850 fancy risa precious stones, 1930 Cathedral closed shrine lost; Tambov; Icon of the Mother of God of Tambov, Commemorated on July 8; Annals of Tambov state that the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Tambov from the first years of the city’s existence (it had been founded in 1636), it was the main shrine in the region of Tambov. to the Annals, “on December 6, 1695, during the All Night Vigil in the wooden cathedral church, tears flowed from the eyes of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.” tears were so abundant that they moistened the cloth beneath the Icon and the analogion, as well. was the Icon’s first miracle. Hieromonk Gabriel, the Treasurer of the bishop’s household, recorded this event. then, many who prayed before the Icon began to receive healing, including Saint Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov (+ July 28, 1698) himself. Pitirim had a difficult time when he was first appointed to that See. The moral character of the citizens was very low, and he had to struggle to correct them, especially those who were recent arrivals. he placed two Icons on the main gates of the city: one of the Crucifixion, and one of the Kazan Mother of God. may have happened soon after the appearance of the tears. people came to venerate the Icon, entreating the Most Holy Theotokos to help them in their afflictions. priests from the Cathedral of the Savior were permitted to bring the Icon from the temple into the private homes of those who were sick so that prayers for their healing could be offered. to one historian of the nineteenth century, the Icon “visited many houses in the city and outside the city, and dried the tears of many unfortunate people.” (Khitrov, G. Historical and Statistical Description of the Tambov Diocese, Tambov, 1861). the middle of the XIX century, the icon was placed under glass in a wooden carved frame and it had a silver and gold-plated riza, which was studded with precious stones: turquoise, amethysts, diamonds and topaz. Cathedral of the Savior was closed in the 1930s, and the shrine was lost. the Icon is of the Kazan type, its date of commemoration is July 8. In the upper church of the cathedral is another Tambov Icon, also known as Utkinskaya, which is an Icon of the Hodēgḗtria type. Its Feast Day is April 16.

Russia, Moscow, 1637, Abalaka Icon, Kazakhstan, Siberia, MOG appeared wSt Nic&Mary oEgypt, Icon healed Paraliyed Euthymius
Russia, Siberia, 1637, Abalaka Icon, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River 1), MOG appeared wSt Nic&Mary oEgypt tWidow Maria, Sign Icon healed Euthymius oParalysis so he remodeled temple, like Novgorod sign Icon but with Nic&Mary plus Basil oMangazeya; Abalaka, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated on November 27 ; =--The Abalaka Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” painted by Matthew, a protodeacon of the Tobolsk cathedral, in honor of Sophia (the Wisdom of God), fulfillment of a vow by a paralytic peasant Euthymius to rebuild the church at the Abalaka monastery of the Mother of God “of the Sign.” church was built in 1637 after the Mother of God, accompanied by Saint Nicholas and Saint Mary of Egypt, appeared to the pious widow Maria. the temple’s Icon “of the Sign” was painted, the paralytic Euthymius was completely healed. healings took place during the solemn transfer of the icon to the Abalaka church. general appearance, the Abalaka Icon resembles the Novgorod Icon of the Sign, but with this distinction: on the Abalaka Icon, Saint Nicholas and Saint Mary of Egypt stand before the Most Holy Theotokos. Basil of Mangazeya (March 23) is also depicted on this icon. wonderworking copies of the Abalaka Icon are venerated throughout Siberia. Abalaka Icon “Of the Sign” is also commemorated on July 20.

Russia, Moscow, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir
Russia, Moscow, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir ; Svir River; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1641, Passions Icon of the MOG, go to Nizhni-Novgorod and buy my Icon from Gregory
Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka); Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. There was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. After recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese. Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. After recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese. Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1641,The Passions Icon, Nizhni-Novgorod, Katherine's seisures after marriage, icon transferred to Moscow 1641
Russia, Vladimir, 1641,The Passion Icon, Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9), Katherine's seisures after marriage, prayed, vowed,, long time remembered v, go buy icon at N-N, healing, miracles, transferred to Moscow 1641; Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka); Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on August 13; The Icon of the Mother of God Of the Passion icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese.

Russia, Moscow, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, transfered from Radonezh by MOG for new MOG monastery
Russia, Rostov, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, transfered from Radonezh for new MOG monastery; October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodegetria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area. Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was the cell icon of the archimandrite of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Anthony. October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodegetria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area.

Russia, Moscow, 1643-1703, Metrophanes o Voronezh, 117 churches, 2 m, stricter rule, funded fleet, made Peter remove p statues
Mongol, Scythia, 1643-1703, Metrophanes of Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8), monastic in 1663 after wife died, archmandrite 1675, 1681 dioceses created and his Voronezh bishoprick & cathedral, 20 yrs bishop, 182-239 churches, 2 new monasteries, stricter rule old m, friend Tambov's Pitrim, funded fleet, refused go pagan statues court, Peter 1 removed them; Voronezh; First finding of the St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, in the world Michael, was born November 8, 1623. the saint’s book of commemorations begins with persons of priestly rank, it is assumed that he was born into a priestly family. know from Saint Metrophanes’ will that he “was born of pious parents and was raised by them in the incorrupt piety of the Eastern Church, in the Orthodox Faith.” he was forty, the saint lived in the world. He was married, had a son John, and served as a parish priest. place of Father Michael’s pastoral activity was the village of Sidorovo, situated at the River Molokhta, a tributary of the Teza flowing to the Klyazma, not far from the city of Shui (now Vladimir district). his wife died, Father Michael received monastic tonsure with the name Metrophanes in the Zolotnikovskaya Dormition Monastery in 1663. the Synodikon of the monastery the entry for Saint Metrophanes begins with the words: “Origin of the black clergy Metrophanes of Sidorovo.” three years of monastic life the hieromonk Metrophanes was chosen igumen of the Saint Cosmas of Yakrom (February 18) monastery. guided the monastery for ten years, showing himself zealous as its head. By his efforts a church was built here in honor of the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands (August 16). Joachim (1674-1690), learning about the deep piety of Saint Metrophanes, raised him in 1675 to the rank of archimandrite of the Makariev-Unzha monastery. the supervision of the saint, a stone church was built there in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, together with a trapeza and bell-tower. the Moscow Council of 1681-1682 among the number of measures taken for the struggle against the old ritualist schism, and with the goal of improving Christian enlightenment among the Orthodox populace, was resolved to increase the number of dioceses, and to open up new cathedrals at Voronezh, Tambov, Kholmogor and Great Ustiug. Metrophanes was summoned to the capital and on April 2, 1682 was consecrated Bishop of Voronezh by Patriarch Joachim and sixteen archpastors. beginning of Saint Metrophanes’ tenure as bishop coincided with a dispute over the imperial succession, and a Church schism. his arrival at Voronezh the saint first of all sent an encyclical to the pastors of his diocese, in which he urged his pastors to moral improvement. “Venerable priests of God Most High,” he wrote, “leaders of the flock of Christ! You ought to possess clear eyes of the mind, illumined by the light of reason, in order to lead others on the correct path. In the words of the Lord, you must be the light yourselves: ‘you are the light of the world’ (Mt. 5:14). When Christ the Savior entrusted His flock to the Apostle Peter, He said to him three times: ‘feed my sheep.’ This is because pastors care for their flock in three ways: by the words of teaching, by prayer and the power of the Holy Mysteries, and by their way of life. You must also act by all three methods: teach the people, set an example of a righteous life, and pray for them. Strengthen them by the Holy Mysteries; above all enlighten the unbelievers by holy Baptism, and try to lead sinners to repentance. Take care of the sick, so that they do not depart from this life without receiving Holy Communion and Holy Unction.” Metrophanes began his archpastoral activity with the building of a new cathedral church in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, replacing an old wooden temple. 1692 the cathedral with chapels in honor of Saint Michael and Saint Nicholas was consecrated. In the twenty years that Saint Metrophanes was bishop, the number of churches increased from 182 to 239, and two monasteries were founded: the Korotoyaksk Ascension and the Bitiugsk Trinity monasteries. And in the existing monasteries, he concerned himself with eradicating the unseemly behavior and disorder, emphasizing a strict life according to the monastic rule. first Bishop of Voronezh eagerly concerned himself with the needs of his flock. consoled both the poor and the wealthy, was a defender of widows and orphans, and an advocate of the wronged. home served as a hostel for strangers a hospice for the sick. saint prayed not only for the living, but also for dead Christians, and particularly soldiers fallen for the Fatherland, inscribing their names in the cathedral’s memorial list. Remembering them at Proskomedia [priest’s preparation of the gifts before Liturgy], Saint Metrophanes said: “If this is a righteous soul, then there is a greater portion of worthiness. If he is a sinner, however, then there is a connection with God’s mercy.” was a great friendship between Saint Metrophanes and Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov (July 28). They not only kept up a correspondence, but also met for spiritual talks. founding of the Tregulyaev monastery of Saint John the Forerunner was connected with the friendship of the bishops. September 15, 1688 Saint Metrophanes visited Saint Pitirim. Three of them (the priest Basil was with them) took a stroll together to the Tambov archpastor’s place of solitary prayer, and there they chose the place for the future monastery. Metrophanes, an intensely patriotic man, by his own moral authority, kind-heartedness and prayers, contributed to the reforms of Peter I, the necessity and purpose of which he well understood. the building of a fleet at Voronezh for a campaign against Azov, Saint Metrophanes urged the nation to fully support Peter I. This was particularly important, since many regarded the construction of a fleet as useless. saint did not limit himself only to advice to the Tsar, but rendered also material support to the state treasury, which needed money for the construction of the fleet, and he provided all the means, aware that they would go for the benefit of the nation. saint’s patriotic feelings were combined in his soul with unflinching faith and strict Orthodox conviction, on account of which he did not fear incurring the Tsar’s wrath. The saint refused to go to court to see Peter I, since there were statues of pagan gods there, although disgrace threatened the saint for disobeying the imperial will, he remained uncompromising. Peter gave orders to remove the statues and from that time was filled with greater respect for the bishop. Metrophanes died in 1703 in extreme old age, taking the schema with the name Macarius before his death. funeral took place on December 4, conducted according to the saint’s monastic, not priestly rank. became the established practice for the burial of a bishop. Peter I himself carried the coffin from the cathedral to the tomb. Taking leave, he said: “I no longer have a holy Elder such as he. Memory eternal to him.” of the remarkable memorials of the life and activity of Saint Metrophanes is his Spiritual Testament. it he says: “By divine destiny I have arrived at old age and now I have exhausted my natural strength. Therefore I declare this my final writing ... When my sinful soul is released from its union with the flesh, I entrust it to God Who created it, that it might find favor as the work of His hands. My sinful bones I grant to the mother of all (the earth), in expectation of the resurrection of the dead.” Further on, addressing pastors and the flocks, the saint says: “The simple sinner gives answer to God for his soul alone, but priests can come to torment for many, in neglecting the sheep, from which they gather milk and wool... For everyone the rule of wise men is: do work, preserve a balance, and you will be rich. Drink temperately, eat little, and you will be healthy. Do good, shun evil, and you will be saved.” commemoration of Saint Metrophanes was established in 1832. On August 7, we celebrate the translation of his holy relics.

Russia, Moscow, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, named after fr Dalmatos, Theotokos helped him , icon survives several fires
Croatia, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), named after fr Dalmatos, not Dalmatia, Croatia, he went to Nevyan Monastery in Tobolsk, rejected being Igumen, then to Perm, Tyumen Tatar Ilegei's land, I went to expel, Theotokos protected D, she appeared to I, ordered him to give land for the monastery, Kalmyks burn m, only D survives w icon, D begins to rebuild, people come, 1651 burned again by Siberian muslim Devlet-Girei, icon unscathed, scorched spot for muslim's hand, 1702 icon restored, monastery restored by D's son, 1800 icon adorned, 1852 another fire, icon unscathed ; Dalmatia; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Perm Gubernia, Shadrinsk county, on the banks of the Iseti River, is the Dalmatian Monastery of the Dormition. the cathedral church of this monastery is a wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which belonged to Father Dalmatios, the founder of this monastery. the first half of the XVII century, a certain resident of Tobolsk, a nobleman by the name of Demetrios Mokrinsky, left his wife and children, and went to the Nevyan Monastery (Tobolsk Diocese), where he was tonsured with the name Dalmatios, in honor of the fourth century ascetic Saint Dalmatios of Constantinople (August 3). Father Dalmatios was known for his exalted life of asceticism and virtue, the brethren of the Nev'yan Monastery wanted to choose him as their Igoumen, but out of humility, the Elder would not accept such an august position with all its responsibilities. He left the monastery, taking with him an Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. 1644 he arrived in Perm Gubernia, where he settled in a cave on land owned by the Tyumen Tatar Ilegei. When Iligei discovered that a monk had settled on his property, and even intended to establish a monastery there, he was indignant. Gathering his relatives, he went with the intention of expelling Dalmatios. Iligei spent the night near the cave, beyond the River Iseti, waiting for dawn to make an unexpected attack on the recluse. Dalmatios seemed to be in imminent danger of death, if he tried to resist or defend himself. He could not expect help from anyone anywhere, nor could he flee, since he did not know that an enemy lurked beyond the river in the darkness of night, ready to spill his blood at any moment. The monk did not require any human protection, however, for his protector was the Queen of Heaven. Iligei was asleep, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream, wearing a crown and dressed in a crimson robe, holding a flaming sword in her hands. The Most Holy Theotokos strictly forbade him to harm Father Dalmatios, and ordered Iligei to give the monk some land for a monastery. Awakened by this terrible vision, the Tatar went to Father Dalmatios, accompanied by all his companions, and gave him a piece of land on which to build a monastery. Queen of Heaven's wondrous protection of Dalmatios occurred in 1646. In that same year, the Dalmatian Monastery was founded. the end of 1646, the newly-established monastery was attacked by the Kalmyks. They set fire to the monastery's buildings; some of the monks who fled were killed, and some were taken captive. this time, only Dalmatios, the founder of the monastery, escaped death, saved by the wonderworking Icon. This was the same Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God which he brought with him from the Nevyan Monastery. the Kalmyks went away, Elder Dalmatios returned to the same site and began working alone to rebuild the monastery. A few years later, because of his diligence, a wooden church was already standing on the site of the ruined monastery, and nearby there were also cells for monks. Pilgrims began to visit and made donations for the adornment of the monastery and the temple. From that time, word of the monastery quickly spread all over, not only in the places close by, but also in very remote places. 1651, less than twenty years after the founding of the Dalmatian Monastery, it was attacked again. This time it was attacked by the Siberian Prince Devlet-Girei. He ransacked and burned the monastery. The Icon of the Mother of God, however, remained unscathed, although the church completely burned down. In just one place, on the back of the board, there was a scorched spot where a certain Muslim had put his hand. 1702, the icon was restored by the Tobolsk iconographer Ivan Nikitin. monastery was restored by Archimandrite Isaac, the son of Father Dalmatios. He built a stone church in 1707, and in it he placed the wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. the reign of Empress Catherine II, the monastery withstood a three-day siege by the troops of Emelian I. Pugachev, while the monks prayed before the Dalmatian Icon. 1800 the Icon was adorned with a gilded riza with silver crowns and precious gems, by order of Igoumen Gideon. In 1864 Archimandrite Methodios ordered a new silver and gilded riza from Moscow, decorated with precious stones. The Icon was in a special kiot, decorated with carvings, and was covered with a colorful silk curtain, which could be opened when necessary. April 19, 1852, many of the Monastery buildings, including the upper church, were destroyed by fire. again, the Dalmatian Icon remained damaged. year on February 15th, and again on August 15th, the Monastery's Altar Feast, great crowds would travel to the Dalmatian Monastery in order to venerate the wonderworking Icon. The sick receive healing, according to their faith, from this wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God. This custom continued until 1917. the early 1920s, after the monastery was abolished, the monks went to other monasteries, taking the Dalmatian Icon with them. At present, there is no information about the location of the Icon. who experience physical or spiritual suffering pray before the Dalmatian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos for deliverance.

Russia, Moscow, 1645-1676, Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar of All R, Expansion, Western Ideas
Moscow, 1645-1676, Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar of All Russia ; Mikhailovich (Russian: , IPA: ; 29 March [O.S. 19 March] 1629 -“ 8 February [O.S. 29 January] 1676) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676.[2] His reign saw wars with Poland and Sweden, schism in the Russian Orthodox Church, and the major Cossack revolt of Stenka Razin.[2] Nevertheless, at the time of his death Russia spanned almost 2,000,000,000 acres (8,100,000 km2). Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Brest-Litovsk, Commemorated on July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated on September 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 23 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œThe Word was made Flesh"Â; Commemorated on March 9; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Passion"Â, Commemorated on April 30; ; Icon of the Mother of God "œStaro Rus"Â Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of T, found lying on ground, then in tree, miracles, M-B monastery
Russia, Kostroma, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of Tsarevokokshaisk, Kostroma, Vologda (Malaya Kokshaga River 1, near Kazan), lying on ground, became invisible, unseen force holding it in tree, miracles, carried to T, then Moscow, then back, Myrrh-Bearing monastery, MOG depicted w Myrrh-Bearing Women; Tsarevokokshaisk ; œMyrrh-Bearing Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; “Myrrh-Bearing” Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarevokokshaisk (in the province of Kazan) appeared to the peasant Andrew Ivanov on May 1, 1647 near Bolshaya Kuznetsa, fifteen versts from the city of Tsarevokokshaisk in the Kazan region. Working in the field, Andrew noticed an icon lying on the ground and wanted to pick it up, but the icon became invisible. The astonished peasant, looking around, noticed the icon in a tree, supported by an unseen force. He prayed and took the icon home, where it was glorified by miracles. thronged to the icon from all the surrounding villages. They carried the image to the city of Tsarevokokshaisk, and later to Moscow, and after a while, they returned home with it. A monastery was built at the place of its appearance. It is called “Myrrh-Bearing” because the Mother of God is depicted with the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

Russia, Moscow, 1648, Glinsk Family Icon of Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region, monastery established 1648
Russia, Kiev, 1648, Glinsk Family Icon of Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region, monastery established 1648; Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Glinsk Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the seventeenth century in the Glinsk wilderness of the Kursk region. monastery was established in 1648 and received its name from the noble Glinsky family.

Russia, Moscow, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma, Vologda, the Fool-For-Christ, right after St Maximus
Vologda, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ of Totma was a seventeenth century Russian Orthodox Church religious figure. was born in countryside nearby Totma the town and named after Saint Andrew Stratelates. According to the Gospel he left his parents and went to desert places. When he came back his parents was dead. Then he left the Ust-Tolshma and went to the Monastery of Galic. After time in the Monastery of Galic he became a yurodivy and moved to Totma. He was known for prayer and begging his bread. His feast day is celebrated on 10 October.[1] Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Andrew of Totma, the Fool-for-Christ was born in the year 1638 in the village of Ust-Totma and chose to leave the world while still a child. the blessing of Stephen, igumen of the Resurrection monastery in Galich, Andrew took upon himself the arduous calling of fool-for-Christ. He lived at the church of the Resurrection of Christ in the city of Totma on the banks of the River Sukhona. barefoot in both winter and summer, Andrew wore tattered clothing, and ate only bread and water, and that in such a small quantity that it just barely kept him from starving. He prayed both day and night, and if anyone gave him anything, he would give it away to the poor. his efforts and toil the Blessed Andrew acquired the gift of wonderworking. winter a blind man by the name of Azhibokai came to the blessed fool, asking for healing while offering him a large sum of money. But the fool fled away. Azhibokai then washed his eyes with snow from where the saint had stood. In doing so, he was able to see. time of his own death was revealed to the Blessed Andrew. He made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1673. his grave was built the bell-tower church of the holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates (August 19), whose name he bore. Many miracles were witnessed at the grave of the Blessed Andrew. Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus, Priest of Totma, was for a certain time, a priest in the city of Totma in the Vologda diocese. forty years he undertook the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ, constantly in fasting and in prayer. Maximus died in great old age on January 16, 1650 and was buried at the Resurrection church in which he served. The local veneration of the saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles occurring at his grave.

Russia, Moscow, 1649, Finding Anna'a Incorrupt Relics, Kashin, healing miracles, Old Believers hand position
Russia, Pereyaslavl, , Finding Anna'a Relics, Kashin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6), tomb opened 1649, incorrupt relics discovered, healing miracles then, relics examined, 1650 church council sainthood, transfer to stone cathedral, 1677 veneration discontinuation proposed, Old Believers Cross Sign Hand position, but veneration miracles continued, relics moved several times, 1909 veneration restored, 1993 relics returned Kashin Cathedral; Kashin; The Finding of the honored relics of the Venerable right-believing Great Princess and Nun Anna of Kashin, Wonderworker, Commemorated on July 21; Holy right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin (Euphrosynē in monasticism) reposed on October 2, 1368. July 21, 1649, Archbishop Jonah of Kazan and some of the local clergy opened Saint Anna's tomb, and noticed that her relics were incorrupt. miracles of healing occurred at that time. clergy and citizens of Kashin petitioned Tsar Alexei (reigned 1645-1676) to order an examination of Princess Anna's relics. 1650, a Council of the Russian Church met and decided to number Princess Anna among the Saints, ordering a Church Service to be composed for her, and that she be venerated throughout Russia. solemn transfer of her relics from the wooden Dormition Cathedral to the stone Resurrection Cathedral took place on June 12, 1650. 1677 Patriarch Joachim proposed to the Moscow Council that Saint Anna's veneration throughout Russia should be discontinued because of the Old Believer Schism, which made use of her name for its own purposes. she was buried, her hand was positioned to make the Sign of the Cross with two fingers, rather than three. Therefore, only her local veneration was permitted. the memory of Saint Anna, whom God had glorified, could not be erased by a decree. People continued to love and venerate her, and many miracles took place at her tomb. the Church-wide veneration of Saint Anna was restored on June 12, 1909. the Soviet period, however, the relics of Saint Anna were taken from the Cathedral and moved several times. on June 25, 1993, her relics were returned to Kashin's Resurrection Cathedral.

Russia, Moscow, 1649, Finding Incorrupt Relics oCyril of New Lake, Tutor Morozov Story
Russia, Pskov, 1649, Finding Relics oCyril of New Lake, Pskov, Novorzhev, incorrupt r, 1648 popular rebellion against Moscow, Boris Morozov, the royal tutor, kinsman, hides in White Lake Monastery, Moved by Cyril New Lake, to his grave, praying wTears, I wll build stone church here, returned White Lake M, then restored as tutor, 1649 built tStoneChurch, found intact coffin wDigging foundation at roots oTree, did not move or open, told Met, Patriarch&B, BtoldTsar+life miracles Cyril New Lake, Pat&Tsar ordered inspetion celebration, incorrupt r &healings Nov7 1649; Novorzhev, Pskov; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1648, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of New Lake; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1448, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of White Lake; of Beloozero (Cyril of Beloezero, 1337 – 1427) was a monk and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who lived in the 15th century. Saint Cyril was a disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. In 1397, he founded the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in Northern Russia, in the present-day Vologda Oblast. was born as Kosma in Moscow in 1337. His origin is not entirely clear, but he was in any case close to the boyar family of Velyaminov. Cyril's parents died when he was a child. Around 1380 he became a monk in the Simonov Monastery and took the name of Cyril (Kirill).[1] In the monastery, he got in contact with Sergius of Radonezh. In 1387, the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery, Feodor, was appointed a bishop of Rostov, and Cyril became his successor. However, he soon realized that the position of archimadrite required too much involvement in public affairs, and first resigned, then moved to a neighboring monastery as an ordinary monk, and then decided to move to a deserted place where he could pray in peace. Together with St. Therapont, previously the monk of the same monastery, Cyril left for Lake Beloye. On arrival, following the advice of Sergius of Radonezh, he first dug a cave, and then built a wooden Assumption chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Therapont, who found the restriction imposed by Cyril too strict, left within a year and founded nearby the Ferapontov Monastery. In what became Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Cyril established a very strict order.[1] monastery grew and later became the largest monastery of Northern Russia. Cyril, as the first hegumen, arranged purchases of large areas of land by the monastery.[1] of White Lake died in the monastery in 1427, at the age of ninety. present there are several churches in Russia bearing the name of Cyril. day is marked by Russian Orthodox Church on June 9.[2][3]

Russia, Moscow, 1650, All Rus Pestilance, 48k d in Kazan, stopped by Mother of God
Russia, Moscow, 1650, All Rus Pestilance, 48k d in Kazan, stopped by Mother of God; The Seven Lakes Hermitage of the Mother of God, 420099 Republic of Tatarstan; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 28; Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. This holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. Originally, seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, founder of the Seven Lakes monastery. He placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. There 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city. certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: a radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast and go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance. monk told the authorities about the vision. The Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. After circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. After an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, the icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. After seven days of prayer and processions, the deadly pestilence began to abate. the monks asked to have their icon returned, it was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, then to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. A heavy snow storm came up, however, which prevented them from leaving the church. This was repeated three times, so it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan for a time. It was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655. ’s Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. Orthodox inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God. Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26.

Russia, Moscow, 1650-1696, Repose oTheodosius, Chernigov Archbishop, reunited Kiev tOrthodoxy aJesuit Dominican Uniate assaults
Russia, Kiev, 1650-1696, Repose oTheodosius oChernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5), Archbishop, noble descent, father a priest, childhood piety, Kiev's Brotherhood School, it flourishing end of 1640's, Rectors Archmandrite Innocent&Chernigov Archbishop Lazar, instructors Epiphanius, Arsenius, Bishop Theodosius oBelarus, Igumen Theodosius, and Meletius Dzik, These the enlightened men oThose days, famous comrads future pastors, the Brotherhood school was chief center against Catholic Jesuits assaults, his spiritual maturity grew near Kiev Caves, imitating their holy life, free time in prayer, meditating God, reading Scripture, lifelong generous to K Brotherhood m, first a monk at Kiev Caves m, archdeacon Kiev's Holy Wisdom cathedral, steward oEpiscopal household, t Krupitsky m near Baturino, Chernigov, famed strict monk life, ordained priest there, short time 1662 igumen Korsun m, 1664 igumen ancient Kiev-Vydubitsky m, from Polish Uniate hands, complete ruin, quickly restored with Vydubitsky Mikhallovsk m, particularly concerned Church Service order, formed excellent choir that taught Moscow Kievan Chant in 1685, strict ascetic, concerned spiritual growth of his monks, for bretheren solitude, formed skete on Mikhailovschina Island near his Vydubitsky m, headed by Hiermonk Job, a most zealous monk, difficult days, accused of treason by Methodius of Mstislav&Orshansk, Sept 20 1668 he explained the matter, Nov 17 the lie was exposed, he and other igumens vindicated, Archbishop Law befriended him because high spiritual qualities, sheep in Christ's flock teaching by humility, Kiev's locum tenens Met in 1689 from Chernigov, appointed Theodosius his vicar in Kiev, active role many church events as locum tenens, 1685 decisive vote for Gideon's Met oKiev election, sent to Moscow with Igumen Jerome wNews of Gideon's election, Both received wHonor, because this resulted in reuniting Kiev See with Russian Orthodox Church, 1688 archmandrite Eletsy m in Chernigov, Jesuits&Dominicans had been expelled, and in great disorder, ordered spare no effort, in 2-3yrs revenues properties increased, Dormition Church repaired, Elets Icon enshrinned there, he assisted with Kiev's response, a concillar reply to Moscow Patriarch Joachim about questions of Council of Florence, like judgement on the question of the transformation of the Holy Gifts, When Patriarch unsatisfied with answers, he sent Baturino Igumen Demetrius to Lazar early 1689, L sent him to clear up the matter, Lazar wanted Theodosius consecrated bishop because he wanted him to suceed himself, 1692 elected archbishop oChrenigov, he maintained and founded monasteries, a skete near Liubech, special enthusiasm of monks in Chernigov, clergy education, brought in learned monks from Kiev, other confessions turned tHim for advice, Sensed death, appointed Briansk Svensk admin John Archmandrite Elets m. Died 1696; Chernigov; Repose of Saint Theodosius of Chernigov Commemorated on February 5; Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov, born in the seventeenth century at the beginning of the decade of the thirties in Podolsk governance. was descended from a noble family, the Polonitsky-Uglitskys. parents were the priest Nikḗtas and Maria. The saint was taught Christian piety in his parents’ home, and this piety remained with him throughout his life. childhood he was distinguished by a fervent love for God and zeal for the Church. innate abilities of the youth came to light in the Kiev Brotherhood school at Kiev’s Theophany monastery. school was flourishing at the end of the 1640s, its rectors were Archimandrite Innocent (Gizel), and Igumen Lazar (Baranovich), who later became Archbishop of Chernigov. its instructors were: Hieromonk Epiphanius (Slavinetsky), Hieromonk Arsenius (Satanovsky), Bishop Theodosius (Baevsky) of Belorus, Igumen Theodosius (Saphonovich) and Meletius Dzik. were the enlightened men of those days. comrades of Saint Theodosius at the school would become future outstanding pastors: Simeon Polotsky, Joannicius Golyatovsky, Anthony Radivillovsky, Barlaam Yasninsky. Kiev Brotherhood Theophany school was the chief center in the struggle of Orthodoxy against the assaults of Catholic clergy, particularly the Jesuits. Theodosius grew to spiritual maturity near the relics of Saints Anthony and Theodosius and other God-pleasers of the Kiev Caves, he tried to imitate their holy life as much as he could. He devoted all his free time to prayer, meditation on God, and the reading of Holy Scripture. might be surmised that the saint did not finish the full course of studies, since the school ceased its activity for several years following the devastation of Podolia by the Poles. his life the saint had a deep regard for the Kiev Brotherhood monastery where he was educated. the Synodikon of the Kiev-Vydubitsk monastery is the following comment about Saint Theodosius: “He was a man of fine intellect, and generous to the Kiev Brotherhood monastery.” receiving his education, the future hierarch received monastic tonsure at the Kiev Caves Lavra with the name Theodosius, in honor of Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3). Dionysius (Balaban) of Kiev made him archdeacon of Kiev’s cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) , and then appointed him steward of the episcopal household. he left Kiev and went to the distant Krupitsky monastery near Baturino (in the Chernigov diocese), which was famed for its strict monastic life. he was ordained to the holy priesthood, but remained there only a short time. 1662, Saint Theodosius was appointed Igumen of the Korsun monastery in Kiev diocese, in the year 1664 he was made head of the ancient Kiev-Vydubitsky monastery. monastery had fallen into the hands of the Uniates and Poles at the beginning of the seventeenth century and was in complete ruin. to the energy and initiative of Saint Theodosius, the Vydubitsky Mikhailovsk monastery was quickly restored. was particularly concerned with the order of church services. formed an excellent choir, which was famed not only in Little Russia, but also in Moscow. Theodosius sent his singers to Moscow in 1685 to instruct their choirs in Kievan chant. a strict ascetic himself, Saint Theodosius was concerned with the spiritual growth of his monks. founded a small skete on the island of Mikhailovschina, not far from the monastery, for brethren wishing to live in solitude. appointed the hieromonk Job (Opalinsky), one of the most zealous monks of his monastery, to organize and administer the skete. Theodosius had to live through some quite difficult days, enduring many sorrows. and other Igumens were accused by Bishop Methodius of Mstislav and Orshansk of betraying Russia in a supposed correspondence with the enemies of Russia. September 20, 1668 Saint Theodosius explained the matter. November 17, 1668 the lie was exposed, and Saint Theodosius together with the other Igumens were vindicated. Lazar (Baranovich) esteemed the high spiritual qualities of Saint Theodosius and befriended him. called him “a sheep of the flock of Christ, teaching by humility,” and he prophetically expressed the wish that the name of Saint Theodosius might be inscribed in Heaven. Archbishop Lazar became locum tenens of Kiev’s Metropolitan See in 1689, he appointed Saint Theodosius as his vicar in Kiev, while he remained at Chernigov. his capacity as vicar of the locum tenens of the Kiev Metropolitan See, Saint Theodosius had an active role in many churchly events. 1685 he participated with the right of a decisive vote in the election of Bishop Gideon (Chetverinsky) as Metropolitan of Kiev, and he was sent to Moscow with news of this event with Igumen Jerome (Dubin) of Pereyaslavl . In Moscow, both representatives were received with honor and esteem. the result of this delegation was the reuniting of the Kiev Metropolitan See with the Russian Orthodox Church. 1688 Saint Theodosius was appointed archimandrite of Chernigov’s Eletsy monastery, replacing the deceased Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky). appointing Saint Theodosius, Archbishop Lazar told him to spare no effort in placing the Eletsy monastery in good order. monastery had not yet been set aright after the expulsion of the Jesuits and Dominicans, and it was in great disorder. the efforts of Saint Theodosius, in his two or three years as igumen, the monastery’s revenues and properties increased, the church of the Dormition was repaired, and the Elets Icon (February 5) was enshrined there. his new position, the saint also assisted Archbishop Lazar in many important matters. participated in drafting a conciliar reply to Patriarch Joachim of Moscow in response to his questions about the attitude of the Kiev Metropolitan See to the Council of Florence, and its judgment on the question of the transformation of the Holy Gifts as accepted by this Florentine Council. the Patriarch proved to be unsatisfied by these answers, the Baturino Igumen Saint Demetrius (the future Metropolitan of Rostov) was sent to him at the beginning of 1689. Theodosius journeyed with him as the representative of Archbishop Lazar. He was entrusted with the delivery of a letter to the Patriarch, and to clear up the misunderstandings. of his poor health, Archbishop Lazar wished to see Saint Theodosius consecrated to the episcopate, seeing in the saint a worthy successor to himself. September 11, 1692 the election of Saint Theodosius as Archbishop of Chernigov was confirmed, and he was consecrated in the Dormition cathdral of the Moscow Kremlin two days later. information regarding Saint Theodosius’s administration of the Chernigov diocese has been preserved. saint worked incessantly to raise the level of true Christian piety in his flock. also focused on maintaining old monasteries, and founding new communities. the very beginning of his episcopate, the the Pecheniksk women’s monastery was established with his blessing, and he himself consecrated the monastery church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. 1694, a skete was founded near Liubech. same year, at the Domnitsky men’s monastery, the saint consecrated a temple in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the summer of 1695, he consecrated a majestic temple in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the summit of Boldino Hill, near the ancient monastery of Saint Elias. Saint Theodosius there was a special enthusiasm for and strengthening of monasticism in the Chernigov diocese. saint also devoted much attention to the clergy, and he tried to choose worthy candidates for the priesthood. He also encouraged the pastoral education of the Chernigov clergy. He invited learned monks from Kiev, among whom was Saint John (Maximovitch), the future Metropolitan of Tobolsk (June 10), and also a helper and successor of Saint Theodosius in organizing the Chernigov clergy school. uprightness in regard to clergy and flock, deep compassion, concern and Christian love of peace were distinguishing features in the activity of Saint Theodosius. only did the Orthodox turn to him for help and advice, but even persons of other confessions. Theodosius did not remain with his Chernigov flock very long. the approach of death, he summoned the administrator of the Briansk Svensk monastery, Saint John (Maximovitch), and appointed him Archimandrite of the Chernigov Elets monastery. Theodosius died on February 5, 1696, was buried in Chernigov’s Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church, in a special crypt near the right cleros. successor Saint John (Maximovitch), who was healed of a grievous illness by Saint Theodosius, later placed a stone plaque over his grave with a poetic inscription in gratitude for the saint’s help. The special grace which Saint Theodosius attained is shown by his ascetic life and his assistance to all who turn to him in prayer. glorification of Saint Theodosius occurred on September 9, 1896.

Russia, Moscow, 1651-1707, Hilarion, Met Suzdal, tears b MOG Icon grace over passions, robbers, church construction, give tPoor
Russia, Moscow, 1651-1707, Hilarion, Met oSuzdal&Yuriev, Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), famed priest father, monk a22, founded built Philorischev wilderness monastery a25 1655, near Gorokhovetsa, fleshly passions, down before Vladimir icon, MOG shielded him grace power&calmed hSpirit, once Robbers set H on fire, turned to Icon, if injured no longer glorify Son&you, Robbers heard shouts fled, once heard voice passing church, I will glorify thee...all the land, only Icon there, tears, unworthiness before Icon, Later when constricting stone church sad disagreements distracting him from prayer, tears to MOG not abandon, fell asleep, MOG dream transfer my Vladimir Icon from this hot church to new stone church, and I will help you there, solem transfer from portico tTemple, all night virgil, construction soon completed, under me, a sinner, no one possessed anything.... assigned to fire possessions which would destrom cenobitic community, 1681 Archbishop Suzdal & Yuriev, 1682 Met till 1705, 1707 d peacefully, unceasing concern for Poor; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev (in the world John), born November 13, 1631 into the family of the lower city priest Ananias. father, famed for his piety and reading, was one of three candidates for the Patriarchal throne, together with the future Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658). entered a monastery in 1653. 1655, he became founder and builder of the Phlorischev wilderness monastery not far from the city of Gorokhovetsa. his monastic struggles, the saint wrestled with fleshly passions. he fell down in exhaustion before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God beseeching Her help, the Mother of God shielded him with gracious power and calmed his spirit. when Saint Hilarion was serving Vespers together with a hierodeacon, robbers burst into the church. killed the deacon and started to set Saint Hilarion on fire, asking him where the monastery treasure was hid. did not believe that there was no gold in the monastery. by the pain, Saint Hilarion turned to the wonderworking icon and said, “O All-Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ! If they injure me with the fire, I shall no longer have the ability to glorify Thy Son and Thee.” the robbers heard the shouts of people searching for them, and they fled. time, Saint Hilarion in passing by the church heard a voice: “I shall glorify thee throughout all the land.” trembled, and going into the vestibule, he found no people there. the portico he found only the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The ascetic fell down before the image with tears and confessed his unworthiness. on, when the saint had begun the construction of a stone church, he was very sad that concerns about the construction and disagreements among the workers were distracting him from prayer. serving in church with the brethren, he was preoccupied by these thoughts and began to regret undertaking the work. With tears he besought the Mother of God not to abandon him and to deliver him from these worries. he finished his prayer, Saint Hilarion remained alone in church and began again to think about the construction. so he fell asleep. a dream the Mother of God appeared to him and said, “Transfer My icon, named the Vladimir, from this hot church and put it in the newly-built stone church, and I shall be your Helper there”. Hilarion awoke and ordered the large bell to be rung. monks immediately assembled. All went to the hot church and, having prayed before the icon, solemnly transferred it from the portico into the temple. serving the all night Vigil, Divine Liturgy and a Molieben, the saint told the brethren of his vision. in procession they transferred the icon to the church under construction, where they set it in the midst of the woods. that time the construction went successfully and was soon completed. saint wanted to dedicate the temple in honor of the icon, but he it was revealed to him in a vision that the temple was to be consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. the wilderness monastery he maintained a very strict community rule. 1694, the saint sent a letter to the Phlorischev monastery in which he reminisced about his own monastic Rule at this monastery: “Under me, a sinner, no one possessed anything of his own, but all was shared in common. Many of you may remember that former cenobitic community. And you also remember that I consigned to the fire those possessions which would destroy that cenobitic community.” December 11, 1681, the saint was consecrated as Archbishop of Suzdal and Yuriev, in 1682 he was elevated to the dignity of Metropolitan and remained on the Suzda’ cathedra until February 1705. saint died peacefully on December 14, 1707 and was buried in the Suzdal cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. saint was known for his unceasing concern for the poor. his death they found only three coins. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir-Phlorischev (August 26) had been painted by the renowned iconographer John Chirov in 1464 at Nizhni Novgorod in fulfillment of a vow of John Vetoshnikov.

Russia, Moscow, 1652, uncovering incorrupt relics of Sava of Zvenigorod
Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Tver, Moscow River 3, Trinity-Sergiev Lavra 1345, solitude, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of simplicity and humility, father confessor to all, Donskoy's Dubenka River monastery 1380, 1392 Trinity monastery, Yuri of Z's monastery 1399 , Opening incorrupt relics 1652; Cape of Storozhev (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 2), Steep Banks of the Moscova River; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; we commemorate opening of the incorrupt relics of Saint Savva of Storozhev and Zvenigorod on January 19, 1652. Savva is also also commemorated on December 3, as determined by the Moscow Council of 1547. Venerable Savva, Abbot of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Savva of Zvenigorod forsook the world in his early youth, and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), and was his disciple and fellow-ascetic. Savva loved solitude, and avoided conversing with people. He lived in constant toil, lamenting the poverty of his soul, and trembling before the judgment of God. He was a model of simplicity and humility, and he attained such a depth of spiritual wisdom that “in the monastery of Saint Sergius he was the Father Confessor to all the brethren, a venerable and exceedingly learned Elder.” Great Prince Demetrios of the Don built the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Dubenka River, in gratitude for the victory over Mamai, Savva became the Igoumen, with the blessing of Saint Sergius. Maintaining the simple manner of his life of asceticism, he ate plants, wore coarse clothing and slept on the ground. the departure of their Igoumen Saint Nikon (November 17) into the wilderness in 1392, the brethren of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra asked Saint Savva to become the Igoumen of the monastery. Here he “shepherded the flock entrusted to him well, to the best of his ability, helped by the prayers of his Spiritual Father, Saint Sergius.” According to Tradition, the well outside the Lavra walls was built while he was Igoumen. Yuri of Zvenigorod, a godson of Saint Sergius, regarded Saint Savva with much love and esteem. He chose Saint Savva as his Spiritual Father and begged him to come and bestow his blessing upon his entire household. The Saint had hoped to return to his monastery, but the Prince begged him to stay and establish a new monastery, “in his fatherland, near Zvenigorod, at a place called Storozhi.” Savva acceded to the request of Prince Yuri, and praying tearfully before an icon of the Mother of God, he entreated her protection for that site in the wilderness. On Storozhi Hill, he built a small wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and nearby a small cell for himself. Here he established a monastery in 1399, with paternal love he accepted all who came seeking a life of quietude and seclusion. Savva worked very hard to build up the monastery. He dug a well at the foot of the hill, from which he carried water on his own shoulders. He encircled the monastery with a wooden palisade, and in a hollow above it, he dug out a cell where he could live in solitude. 1399 Saint Savva blessed his spiritual son, Prince Yuri, to go on a military campaign, predicting that the enemy would be defeated. Through the prayers of the holy Elder, the forces of the Prince won a speedy victory. Through the efforts of Saint Savva, a stone church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was built to replace the old wooden one. Savva went to the Lord at an advanced age on December 3, 1406. He appointed his disciple, who was also named Savva, as his successor. of the holy God-pleaser by the local people began immediately after his death. The miraculous curative power issuing from the Saint's grave, and his numerous appearances, convinced everyone that Igoumen Savva was "truly an unsetting sun of divine light, illumining all with its miraculous rays.” In a letter of 1539 Saint Savva was called a wonderworker. Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich had a special veneration for him, repeatedly visiting the monastery of Saint Savva on foot. Tradition has preserved for us a remarkable account of how Saint Savva was saved from a ferocious bear. Life of Saint Savva, compiled in the XVI century, relates how at the end of the XV century (1480-1490), the Saint appeared to Father Dionysios, the fourth Igoumen of Saint Savva Monastery and said: “Dionysios! Wake up and paint my icon.” When Father Dionysios asked who he was, he replied, “I am Savva, the founder of this place.” Father Dionysios had not known the Saint personally, so he summoned Elder Habakkuk, who had known Saint Savva in his youth, hoping to convince himself that his dream was not a delusion. He described the Saint's outward appearance, and Father Habakkuk assured him that the Saint looked exactly as the Igoumen had seen him in the dream. Then Father Dionysios obeyed the command and painted an icon of Saint Savva. Feast Day of Saint Savva was established at the Moscow Council of 1547. His incorrupt relics were recovered on January 19, 1652.

Russia, Moscow, 1652-1695, Russia China War of the Amur Region
Moscow, Russia China War of the Amur Region (1652-1695) ; Icon of the Mother of God "œThe Word was made Flesh"Â, Commemorated on March 9;

Russia, Moscow, 1652-1658, Nikon Metropolitan of Moscow (and Novgorod), service reforms, Old Believers
Moscow Patriarch, 1652-1658, Nikon Metropolitan of Moscow (and Novgorod); born Nikita Minin (7 May 1605 - 17 August 1681) was the seventh Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' of the Russian Orthodox Church, serving officially from 1652 to 1666. He was renowned for his eloquence, energy, piety and close ties to Tsar Alexis of Russia. Nikon introduced many reforms which eventually led to a lasting schism known as Raskol in the Russian Orthodox Church. For many years he was a dominant political figure, often equaling or even overshadowing the Tsar. His liturgical reforms were unpopular among conservatives. In December 1666, Nikon was tried by a synod of church officials, deprived of all his sacerdotal functions, and reduced to the status of a simple monk. 1 Introduction 2 Prior to Nikon 3 Origins of reform 4 Reforms of Nikon 4.1 Main alterations 5 Schism 5.1 After the schism 6 Old Believer denominations 6.1 Priested (Popovtsy) 6.2 Priestless (Bezpopovtsy) 6.2.1 Minor groups 7 Edinovertsy 8 Validity of the reformist theory 9 Background 10 Main differences 11 Present situation 12 Old Believer churches 13 See also 14 References 15 Sources 15.1 In English 16 Further reading 16.1 In Russian 17 External links 1652, Patriarch Nikon (1605–1681; patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1652 to 1658) introduced a number of ritual and textual revisions with the aim of achieving uniformity between the practices of the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches. Nikon, having noticed discrepancies between Russian and Greek rites and texts, ordered an adjustment of the Russian rites to align with the Greek ones of his time. In doing so, according to the Old Believers, Nikon acted without adequate consultation with the clergy and without gathering a council.[11] After the implementation of these revisions, the Church anathematized and suppressed—with the support of Muscovite state power—the prior liturgical rite itself, as well as those who were reluctant to pass to the revised rite. who maintained fidelity to the existing rite endured severe persecutions from the end of the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century as "Schismatics" (Russian: Ñ€Ð°ÑÐºÐ¾Ð»ÑŒÐ½Ð¸ÐºÐ¸, raskol'niki). They became known as "Old Ritualists", a name introduced under the empress Catherine the Great who reigned from 1762 to 1796.[12] They continued to call themselves simply "Orthodox Christians". Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1652, Old Believers Schism, reforms of Nikon
Russia, Moscow, 1652, Old Believers Schism; Eastern Orthodox Church history, especially within the Russian Orthodox Church, the Old Believers or Old Ritualists are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1652 and 1666. Resisting the accommodation of Russian piety to the contemporary forms of Greek Orthodox worship, these Christians were anathematized, together with their ritual, in a Synod of 1666-“67, producing a division in Eastern Europe between the Old Believers and those who followed the state church in its condemnation of the Old Rite. speakers refer to the schism itself as raskol, etymologically indicating a "cleaving-apart". Moscow Patriarch, 1652-1658, Nikon Metropolitan of Moscow (and Novgorod);

Russia, Moscow, 1653, Polish invasion of Liubech, Cherginov
Lubech; The Deluge (Polish history) ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1654, Translation of Blacherne Icon to Russia, a gift from Mt Athos, after fall of Constantinople
Russia, Moscow, 1654, Translation of Blacherne Icon to Russia; the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Blachernae Icon was transferred to Mt. Athos, and in 1654 it was sent by the Athonite monks to Moscow as gift to the Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich. Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God was discovered at Jerusalem by the empress Eudokia during the time of Saint Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20). The holy icon was sent to Constantinople, where the empress Pulcheria placed it in the Blacernae Church, where the Venerable Robe of the Mother of God (July 2) was preserved. holy icon is also called the Hodegetria, or œShe who leads the way. It was with this icon that Patriarch Sergius (610-631) made the rounds of the walls of Constantinople in the year 626 with Moliebens during a siege of the capital by the Avars. In memory of this and other victories, which were won thanks to the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, an annual celebration was established on Saturday of the Fifth Week of the Great Fast to offer Praises to the Most Holy Theotokos (Saturday of the Akathist). At first the celebration took place only at the Blachernae church in Constantinople. In the ninth century the Feast was included in the Typikon of Saint Savva the Sanctified, and in the Studite Rule. Later, it was included in the Lenten Triodion and made universal for all the Orthodox Church. the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Blachernae Icon was transferred to Mt. Athos, and in 1654 it was sent by the Athonite monks to Moscow as gift to the Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich. Blachernae Icon is celebrated on July 2, and in the Fifth Week of Great Lent (Saturday of the Akathist). Moscow, 1645-1676, Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsar of All Russia ; Mikhailovich (Russian: , IPA: ; 29 March [O.S. 19 March] 1629 -“ 8 February [O.S. 29 January] 1676) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676.[2] His reign saw wars with Poland and Sweden, schism in the Russian Orthodox Church, and the major Cossack revolt of Stenka Razin.[2] Nevertheless, at the time of his death Russia spanned almost 2,000,000,000 acres (8,100,000 km2). Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Passion"Â, Commemorated on April 30; ; Icon of the Mother of God "œStaro Rus"Â Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1654-1655, Ozerianka Icon, of Shuiu-Smolensk, copy, painted in response to pestinence
Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5); Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, where an unrelenting pestilence raged. Trusting in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, an icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. When the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. From that time the pestilence began to ease, at first in the area of the Resurrection parish, and then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. The icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Russia, Moscow, 1654-1655, Ozerianka icon, Scythia, painted during pestilnc, Smolensk icon copy, prayer while painted, ended p
Mongol, Scythia, 1654-1655, Ozerianka icon, Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2), painted during pestilence, in 1Weed, Smolensk icon copy, prayer while painted, placed in special church place, pestilence ended in Parish then in all tCity; Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, an unrelenting pestilence raged. in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. that time the pestilence began to ease, first in the area of the Resurrection parish, then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Russia, Moscow, 1654-1667, Russian-Polish War, for Ukraine, Swede Deluge, First N War, R gains in U
Russian-Polish War, 1654-1667, War for the Ukraine ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Russia, Moscow, 1654, Kiev-Bratsk Icon, appeared Vyshgorod, rulers residence, Polish Tartar attack, River to Podol
Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. In 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. The temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. But the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, where it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. The icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. The Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. All these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. The original icon has not been preserved. The copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1654, Icon of Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery & relics saved by river to Podol neighborhood and Brotherhood M 1662
Russia, Kiev, 1654, Icon of Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, Kiev (Dneiper River 4), appeared 1654 Boris and Gleb Church Vyshgorod Kiev, temple destroyed by Tartars fighting for Poland, Icon and relics saved by river to Podol neighborhood and Brotherhood M 1662; Brotherhood monatery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. original icon has not been preserved. copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God.

Russia, Moscow, 1654, Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon, Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, miraculous preservation
Russia, Kiev, 1654, Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon, Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, revealed in Vyshgorod, 1662 Icon preserved in river during war wPoles&Crimean Tartars, tartar clinging to it, he believed, Kept in K-B monastery, 1807 description, 1919 K-B closed, Icon thought lost long time til 1990's, but found transferred tKCavesLarva 1926, 1948 recorded Ukraine Museum, sent back to Kiev early 2000s, plus exact copy at K Protection M; Brotherhood monatery; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 10 ; wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk (i.e. "Brotherhood") Icon of the Mother of God was revealed in 1654, and was originally kept in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), and was placed in a shrine to the left of the Royal Doors on the iconostasis. May 10, 1662, during a war with Poland (1659–1667), the city suffered great damage from the Poles and Crimean Tatars who fought against Russia. church of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was ravaged and looted by enemy soldiers, who took all the jewels and icons, but the relics of the Saints were hidden under a crypt. God's Providence, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was preserved. devout Christians, at the risk of their very lives, rescued the Icon of the Mother of God from the unclean hands of those who had stolen it. they were unable to hide the Icon, they had to consign it to the Dnieper River, praying that God's will would be done. their amazement, the Icon did not sink, but floated upright down the river. Vyshgorod, the Tatars began to cross the Dnieper, but they were drowned during a storm. Only one of them escaped by clinging to the Icon of the Mother of God as though it were a raft. The river carried the holy Icon to the bank of the Podil in Kiev, where it stopped before the Bratsk Monastery. Tatar was afraid of drowning, and cried desperately for help. A boat was sent from the Monastery, into which the monks received the Icon and the Tatar. Tatar, whose life was spared by God, believed in Jesus Christ and was baptized. Icon was placed in the wooden church of Saints Boris and Gleb, where it remained for a long time. inventory of the church property in the Kiev-Bratsk Monastery, compiled in 1807, gives a description of the miraculous Icon. 1919, the Bratsk Monastery was closed, and the Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was thought to be lost. For a long time, the lack of information about the shrines of the Monastery until the 90s of the XX century was perceived as confirmation that the Icon was lost. In recent years, however, studies have shown that the Icon is one of the five most valuable icons in the Monastery. It was transferred to the Kiev Caves Lavra in 1926. 1948, this group of icons was first recorded in the ledger of the National Art Museum of Ukraine (NHMU) with a note saying their fate before they came to the museum was unknown. The reacquisition of the Kiev-Bratsk Icon occurred in the early 2000s, when employees of the NHMU established a connection between these monuments and the Bratsk Monastery. the Kiev-Bratsk Icon is in the collection of NHMU. It's reacquisition is regarded as confirmation of the Icon's miraculous qualities. is an exact copy of the Icon, which is located in the Kievan Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on September 6, May 10, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1658-1666, Patriarch, 1658-1666 Vacant, 1667-1672, Joasaphus II, reforms led to Old Believers Schism
Moscow Patriarch, 1658-1666 Vacant, 1667-1672, Joasaphus II ; II, (Joasaph of Novy Torg) was Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' from 1667 until his death five years and one day later in 1672. was archimandrite of the Rozhdestvenskii (Nativity) Monastery in Vladimir from 1654 to April 25, 1656, when he was named archimandrite of the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. In 1666, he was a member of the court that tried Patriarch Nikon and deposed him, although it also approved his reforms that had led to the Old Believer Schism. February 10, 1667, Joasaph was elected patriarch. He died February 11, 1672 and is buried in the Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10;

Russia, Moscow, 1659, Isaakov Icon, appeared, not able to move, Molieben, moved, returned n d, chapel & skete
Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Isaakov Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the year 1659, not far from the village of Isaakievo. The peasants wanted to take the icon to their own village, but they were not able. They then turned to the priest, and he got vested, and in the company of choir and people with church banners, went to the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God. the branches of a willow tree was the icon, radiating an extraordinary light like the sun. After the singing of a Molieben the priest reverently took the icon with the tree branch and carried it to the Isaakievo village into the parish church. the following day the icon was not in the church. It was at the place where it was first found. At this place of the appearance of the wonderworking icon they built a chapel, around which a skete was formed. the blessing of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, at the place of the chapel there was built in 1662 a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the year 1758 a stone church was built in place of the wooden, into which they transferred this icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1659-1758, Isaakov Icon, appeared in tree, divine light, moved to church, came back, built church w skete
Russia, Rostov, 1659-1758, Isaakov Icon, near Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8), appeared in tree, divine light, moved to church, came back, built chapel w skete, wooden church 1662, stone church 1758; Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Isaakov Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the year 1659, far from the village of Isaakievo. peasants wanted to take the icon to their own village, but they were not able. then turned to the priest, and he got vested, and in the company of choir and people with church banners, went to the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God. the branches of a willow tree was the icon, radiating an extraordinary light like the sun. the singing of a Molieben the priest reverently took the icon with the tree branch and carried it to the Isaakievo village into the parish church. the following day the icon was not in the church. It was at the place where it was first found. this place of the appearance of the wonderworking icon they built a chapel, around which a skete was formed. the blessing of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, at the place of the chapel there was built in 1662 a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the year 1758 a stone church was built in place of the wooden, into which they transferred this icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1662, Moslem Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662
Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662 and destroyed it - Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin Chernigov, Commemorated on April 16 ; Cossack Hetmanate ; Crimean-Nogai raids into East Slavic lands 1441-1774 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1662-1667, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, unusual traits, ilnesses, angelic garb, permit tonsure, promising s presnc
Mongol, Scythia, 1662-1667, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Astrakhan, Scythia (Volga River Mouth, North Caspian Sea), unusual traits, no milk Wed and Fri, cry church bells, to church or cried all day ate nothing, ilnesses, monks angelic garb, permit monastic tonsure, completely healthy, but new fever killed him, many appearances to people promicising spiritual presence w believers; Astrakhan (Volga River Mouth); Schemamonk, totally given up worldly life for Christ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24). was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. was known for his integrity. infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing. 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales. during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”). the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region. 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar. bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga. disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers. simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16). pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Russia, Moscow, 1671-1709, Saint Dimitry of Rostov, Cossack Hierarch, not Caesaropapist
Moscow, 1671-1709, Saint Dimitry of Rostov ; Saint Dimitry of Rostov (sometimes Latinized as Demetrius, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitri Rostovsky, (11 December 1651 -“ 28 October 1709) was a leading opponent of the Caesaropapist reform of the Russian Orthodox church promoted by Feofan Prokopovich. (Caesaropapism, political system in which the head of the state is also the head of the church and supreme judge in religious matters. The term is most frequently associated with the late Roman, or Byzantine, Empire.) He is representative of the strong Cossack Baroque influence upon the Russian Orthodox Church at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Demetrius is sometimes credited as composer or compiler of the first Russian opera, the lengthy Rostov Mysteries of 1705, though the exact nature of this work, as well as its place in history, is open to debate.[2] He is the author of several written works, out of which the most famous is The Lives of Saints .[3] Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, incor r, ascetic preacher writer, organized saints history which inspired theolgns
Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, quick uncorrupt r, many miracles, K-Mogilyansk College, ascetic preacher writer Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Kiev Caves, organized MENAION lives saints, igumen several monasteries, Metro of Tobolsk, Met Rostov, strengthened church after Old Believers S, history of saints inspired theologians; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; 1702, Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov, arrived at the Rostov cathedral and also visited the monastery of Saint James, Bishop of Rostov (November 27 and May 23). served the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he indicated to those present the site of his future burial on the right side of the temple. “Behold my resting place,” he said, “here I will settle for eternity.” Saint Demetrios reposed on October 28, 1709. to the Saint's wishes, which he had expressed in his will, the clergy and people of Rostov asked the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Stephen Yavorsky of Ryazan, who had come for the funeral, to conduct the burial at the city's cathedral church. Stephen insisted on burying the body of his deceased friend beside Saint Joasaph, who was Saint Demetrios's predecessor. However, a grave was not prepared until the arrival of Metropolitan Stephen, even though about a month had passed since the Saint's death. to the urgent departure of Metropolitan Stephen from Rostov, a hastily constructed wooden frame was placed into the grave, in which the body of the Saint was buried on November 25. This circumstance, foreseen by the Providence of God, led to a quick uncovering of the relics. 1752 repairs were being made in the cathedral church of the monastery, and on September 21, the incorrupt body of Saint Demetrios was discovered. The place of burial had been affected by dampness, the oaken coffin and the writing on it were decayed, but the body of the Saint, and even his omophorion, sakkos, mitre and silken prayer rope were preserved undamaged. the discovery of his relics, Saint Demetrios began to heal many illnesses, and performed many miracles. When the Holy Synod was informed of these facts, it sent a Commitee: Metropolitan Sylvester of Suzdal and Archimandrite Gabriel of Simonov Monastery, to examine the relics of Bishop Demetrios and to verify the miraculous cures. the Committee's recommendation, a decree was issued by the Holy Synod on April 29, 1757 numbering Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov among the saints, and designating the dates of his commemoration as October 28 (the day of his repose) and September 21 (the uncovering of his relics). Church of Russia also commemorates the Hierarchs Demetrios of Rostov, Metrophanes and Tikhon of Voronezh on July 19. St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (in the world Daniel Savvich Tuptalo), was born in December 1651 in the locale of Makarovo, not far from Kiev. He was born into a pious family and grew up a deeply believing Christian. 1662, soon after his parents resettled to Kiev, Daniel was sent to the Kiev-Mogilyansk college, where the gifts and remarkable abilities of the youth were first discovered. successfully learned the Greek and Latin languages and the entire series of classical sciences. On July 9,1668 Daniel accepted monastic tonsure with the name Demetrius, in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Prior to the spring of 1675 he progressed through the monastic obediences at Kiev’s Kirillov monastery, where he began his literary and preaching activity. Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained Demetrius as hieromonk on May 23, 1675. For several years Hieromonk Demetrius lived as an ascetic and preached the Word of God at various monasteries and churches in the Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. 1684, while he was Igumen of the Maximov monastery (later the Baturinsk Nikol’sk monastery), he was summoned to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Superior of the Lavra, Archimandrite Barlaam (Yasinsky), knowing the high spiritual disposition of his former disciple, his education, his proclivity for scientific work, and also his undoubted literary talent, entrusted the hieromonk Demetrius with organizing the MENAION, the Lives of the Saints for the whole year. this time, all the rest of Saint Demetrius’s life was devoted to the fulfilling of this ascetic work, all-encompassing in its scope. The work demanded an enormous exertion of strength, since it necessitated the gathering and analyzing of a multitude of various sources and their exposition in a fluent language, worthy of the lofty subject of exposition and at the same time accessible to all believers. Divine assistance did not abandon the saint for his twenty-year labor. to the testimony of Saint Demetrius himself, his soul was filled with impressions of the saints, which strengthened him both in spirit and body, and they encouraged faith in the felicitous completion of his noble task. At this time, the venerable Demetrius was head of several monasteries (in succession). works of the ascetic brought him to the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In 1701, by decree of Tsar Peter I, Archimandrite Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23 at the Dormition cathedral of the Kremlin he was consecrated as Metropolitan of the Siberian city of Tobolsk. But after a certain while, because of the importance of his scientific work and the frailty of his health, the saint received a new appointment to Rostov-Yaroslavl, and on March 1, 1702 assumed his duties as Metropolitan of Rostov. as before, he continued to be concerned about the strengthening of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened by the “Old Believers” schism. his inspired works and preachings many generations of Russian theologians drew spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. He remains an example of a saintly, ascetic, non-covetous life for all Orthodox Christians. Upon his death on October 28, 1709, it was discovered that he had few possessions, except for books and manuscripts. glorification of Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, took place on April 22, 1757. He is also remembered on September 21, the day of the uncovering of his holy relics. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1671-1709, Unexpected joy icon, MOG spoke to boy going out to sin, joy of forgiveness, could be Dimirty
Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, quick uncorrupt r, many miracles, K-Mogilyansk College, ascetic preacher writer Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Kiev Caves, organized MENAION lives saints, igumen several monasteries, Metro of Tobolsk, Met Rostov, strengthened church after Old Believers S, history of saints inspired theologians; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; 1702, Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov, arrived at the Rostov cathedral and also visited the monastery of Saint James, Bishop of Rostov (November 27 and May 23). served the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he indicated to those present the site of his future burial on the right side of the temple. “Behold my resting place,” he said, “here I will settle for eternity.” Saint Demetrios reposed on October 28, 1709. to the Saint's wishes, which he had expressed in his will, the clergy and people of Rostov asked the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Stephen Yavorsky of Ryazan, who had come for the funeral, to conduct the burial at the city's cathedral church. Stephen insisted on burying the body of his deceased friend beside Saint Joasaph, who was Saint Demetrios's predecessor. However, a grave was not prepared until the arrival of Metropolitan Stephen, even though about a month had passed since the Saint's death. to the urgent departure of Metropolitan Stephen from Rostov, a hastily constructed wooden frame was placed into the grave, in which the body of the Saint was buried on November 25. This circumstance, foreseen by the Providence of God, led to a quick uncovering of the relics. 1752 repairs were being made in the cathedral church of the monastery, and on September 21, the incorrupt body of Saint Demetrios was discovered. The place of burial had been affected by dampness, the oaken coffin and the writing on it were decayed, but the body of the Saint, and even his omophorion, sakkos, mitre and silken prayer rope were preserved undamaged. the discovery of his relics, Saint Demetrios began to heal many illnesses, and performed many miracles. When the Holy Synod was informed of these facts, it sent a Commitee: Metropolitan Sylvester of Suzdal and Archimandrite Gabriel of Simonov Monastery, to examine the relics of Bishop Demetrios and to verify the miraculous cures. the Committee's recommendation, a decree was issued by the Holy Synod on April 29, 1757 numbering Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov among the saints, and designating the dates of his commemoration as October 28 (the day of his repose) and September 21 (the uncovering of his relics). Church of Russia also commemorates the Hierarchs Demetrios of Rostov, Metrophanes and Tikhon of Voronezh on July 19. St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (in the world Daniel Savvich Tuptalo), was born in December 1651 in the locale of Makarovo, not far from Kiev. He was born into a pious family and grew up a deeply believing Christian. 1662, soon after his parents resettled to Kiev, Daniel was sent to the Kiev-Mogilyansk college, where the gifts and remarkable abilities of the youth were first discovered. successfully learned the Greek and Latin languages and the entire series of classical sciences. On July 9,1668 Daniel accepted monastic tonsure with the name Demetrius, in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Prior to the spring of 1675 he progressed through the monastic obediences at Kiev’s Kirillov monastery, where he began his literary and preaching activity. Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained Demetrius as hieromonk on May 23, 1675. For several years Hieromonk Demetrius lived as an ascetic and preached the Word of God at various monasteries and churches in the Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. 1684, while he was Igumen of the Maximov monastery (later the Baturinsk Nikol’sk monastery), he was summoned to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Superior of the Lavra, Archimandrite Barlaam (Yasinsky), knowing the high spiritual disposition of his former disciple, his education, his proclivity for scientific work, and also his undoubted literary talent, entrusted the hieromonk Demetrius with organizing the MENAION, the Lives of the Saints for the whole year. this time, all the rest of Saint Demetrius’s life was devoted to the fulfilling of this ascetic work, all-encompassing in its scope. The work demanded an enormous exertion of strength, since it necessitated the gathering and analyzing of a multitude of various sources and their exposition in a fluent language, worthy of the lofty subject of exposition and at the same time accessible to all believers. Divine assistance did not abandon the saint for his twenty-year labor. to the testimony of Saint Demetrius himself, his soul was filled with impressions of the saints, which strengthened him both in spirit and body, and they encouraged faith in the felicitous completion of his noble task. At this time, the venerable Demetrius was head of several monasteries (in succession). works of the ascetic brought him to the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In 1701, by decree of Tsar Peter I, Archimandrite Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23 at the Dormition cathedral of the Kremlin he was consecrated as Metropolitan of the Siberian city of Tobolsk. But after a certain while, because of the importance of his scientific work and the frailty of his health, the saint received a new appointment to Rostov-Yaroslavl, and on March 1, 1702 assumed his duties as Metropolitan of Rostov. as before, he continued to be concerned about the strengthening of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened by the “Old Believers” schism. his inspired works and preachings many generations of Russian theologians drew spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. He remains an example of a saintly, ascetic, non-covetous life for all Orthodox Christians. Upon his death on October 28, 1709, it was discovered that he had few possessions, except for books and manuscripts. glorification of Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, took place on April 22, 1757. He is also remembered on September 21, the day of the uncovering of his holy relics.

Russia, Moscow, 1671-1727, Philotheos oTobolsk, enlightner oSiberia, great admin &successful apostle, 400,000 conversions
Russia, Siberia, 1671-1727, Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11), enlightener oSiberia, 1702 Met oS, more extensive tToday, 1st centures example Spiritual Council, pastoral rules&instructions, more churches&pastors wBetter living conditions, widespread education, he funded Slavic-Russian school at Bishoprick, progenitor all Tobolsk schools, fOnly 160C t448 Churches&37Monasteries, renovations fBeauty, stopped supporting congregational Churches, cathedral choir fExiled Little Russians, pastoral success after he quit Met job & focused apostolic, began fKamchatka 1705, mObstacles, 1707 Ostyaks oBerezovsky, then Mongolia high priest Buddhists aKhalkhas, successful among Ostyaks, Voguls, other Siberian aliens, constant journeys among savages, teaching Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, far north churches Kyrgyz iAltai, Siberian outskirts Laplanders&Chukchi, baptized 400k foreigners, churches, parishes, cornerstones, not easy, traveling difficulties, muslim resistance, missionaries fled, Met P left alone on shore, bullet through clothing without touching, & danger at Konda, deceived Vogulsky Prince Satyga intended to kill Met P, warmly received S envoys who revealid plot, he sailed to S's camp, some fled but remaining baptized, other benefits to converts-protection, freedom, no head tax, no cart obligation, yasak payment benefits, no insults, Bread &Money distriution, so they loved him, 1711 illness, retired to Tyumen HT Monastery, received schema, as Theodore, even more difficult missionary feats nort of Siberia-1712 tBerezovsky T along Irtysh Ob &Sosve Rivers, supplied by Met John employees, by Prince Gagarin ship, rowers, interpreters, guard, 2000 Rubles, &gifts fNewly-baptized, Peter 1 wanted to destroy idols, proving them worthless, but Met P convinced Ostyaks to do it. 1715 replaced Tobolsk Siberian Met, attention to overseas Beijing Mission from 1714, sent Bishop to Beijing, retured second time 1726, visited Nizovsky T &Obdorsk, retired 1720 and 1726, died 1726, incorrupt relics Tobolsk; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Most Reverend hierarch, the renowned Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk, was from a noble, but poor family and received a theological degree at the then famous Kiev Theological Academy. the end of the course, he was ordained as a priest for one of the rural churches, but he was soon widowed. He was tonsured as a monk with the name Philotheos, and joined the brotherhood of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Siberia Christianity began to spread among the native pagans and Mohammedans from the very conquest of this country by the Russian state (in 1581), conversions of the Siberian non-Russians to faith in Christ were generally insignificant and mostly individual. newly-baptized aliens left their former places of residence and their compatriots and, settling in Russian cities and villages, they entered into the Russian population, their conversion did not influence the masses, who still remained solid pagans or Mohammedans. this was known to the great converter of Russia, Tsar Peter I, who decided to take measures to enlighten the Siberian aliens with the light of Christianity with them their neighbors, the Mongols and Chinese. implement this wise plan, by a decree of June 18, 1700, the Sovereign commanded Metropolitan Barlaam Yasinsky of Kiev to “find” in the Russian cities and monasteries Archimandrites, Igumens, and other monks to occupy the cathedra of Tobolsk, which had remained vacant after Metropolitan Ignatius. He wanted “Pastors who are not only good and adorned with a blameless life, but also scholars who would take with them to Siberia any educated monks who were capable of learning the local languages. God’s help, and with their help, the Metropolitan of Tobolsk could gradually lead the blind inhabitants of Siberia, Mongolia and China, who were stagnating in idolatry, to the knowledge of the true God. ” Barlaam’s choice fell on the Novgorod-Seversk Archimandrite Demetrios Tuptalo, later Saint Demetrios, the wonderworker of Rostov, who was summoned to Moscow in early 1700. On March 23, at the age of 50, he was consecrated as the Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk. Saint Demetrios ruled his Siberian flock for only nine months, but he did not live in Siberia. Saint Demetrios of Rostov was appointed to the Siberian Diocese, primarily for missionary purposes, he refused to go to Siberia for good and was transferred to the cathedra of Rostov. Archimandrite Philotheos Leschinsky was appointed as someone who was well-known for his pious life, high education and energy. He was consecrated as Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk on January 4, 1702. Diocese of Tobolsk and Siberia is extensive today; but in the 17th and early 18th centuries it was incomparably more extensive; borders were then in the north - the Arctic Sea, in the east - the Pacific Ocean, in the south - lands under the Chinese emperor, i.e. Dauria and so on, and the Kirghiz-kaysati steppe, in the west - the Urals and even part of European Russia, to the fortress of Beerskaya and Achitskaya. general, the diocese occupied more than 300,000 square miles, a space in which there are currently more than nine independent dioceses with several vicariates. difficulty of administering such a huge diocese was increased by its complete lack of organization. the new bishop of Siberia, Metropolitan Philotheos, energetically set to work. the very first year of his stay in Siberia he followed the example of the pastors of the first centuries of Christianity, decided to assemble a spiritual council from representatives of the Siberian clergy for the improvement of the Siberian Church. a council took place in Tobolsk in December 1702. It developed a number of rules and instructions to the clergy regarding the streamlining of their pastoral work. the new Metropolitan of Siberia occupied himself with the Tobolsk episcopal residence, multiplying churches in Siberia, increasing the number of clergy, improving their condition, etc. They paid great attention to widespread education, and he first set an example by teaching foreign children in the religious schools he established. order to provide the diocese with good pastors, Metropolitan Philotheos started a “Slavic-Russian” school in the episcopal residence, and paid for it with his own money. became the progenitor of all educational institutions in the city of Tobolsk. also got several learned monks from Kiev as teachers for the school. Metropolitan Philotheos took over the administration of the Tobolsk diocese, there were only 160 churches throughout its vast area. The saint made tremendous efforts to multiply of the churches of God in Siberia, and the Lord blessed these works with success. By the time he left the diocese there were already up to 448 churches and 37 monasteries. new churches, he also took care of maintaining their well-being and beauty: asked the government for permission to renovate some of the monasteries; stopped issuing “wax, incense, and red wine” to the congregational and unpaid churches. the cathedral, permission was given to form a choir of singers from the exiled Little Russians. missionary activity of Metropolitan Philotheos among the Siberian pagans was the main subject of his cares and labors and was crowned with good success, which the archpastor achieved, not during his administration of the diocese, but after his release from it, when he devoted himself entirely to the apostolic ministry. hierarch began his educational activity from Kamchatka, where in 1705 he sent a missionary, Archimandrite Martinian, and after him the missionary monk Ignatius Kozyrevsky, but the preaching of these missionaries was not particularly successful, since the missionaries had to experience many obstacles. hierarch’s second mission was sent in 1707 to the Ostyaks of the Berezovsky Territory, the third to Mongolia, to the Kutuhta (high priest) of the Buddhists, to the town of Khalkhas. preaching of the Tobolsk Metropolitan among the Ostyaks, Voguls and other Siberian aliens was particularly successful. by an insignificant retinue, with the then impossible ways of communication, the ever-memorable missionary spent most of his archpastoral ministry in Siberia in c,onstant journeys among savages, the Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, building churches in the far north, in the Kyrgyz territory in the Altai, then enlightening the distant sons of the outskirts of Siberia, Laplanders and Chukchi, helping them spiritually and materially. all the time of his archpastoral ministry, he enlightened and baptized up to 400,000 foreigners, to mention how many churches this great architect built across Siberia, how many parishes he founded, how many cornerstones he laid, so to speak, for the spread of Christianity among the pagans. It was not easy for Metropolitan Philotheos. Not to mention the incredible difficulties traveling along the wild outskirts, across steppes and marshes, taiga and northern tundra; not to mention all sorts of hardships associated with traveling under such conditions; the very life of the Metropolitan was repeatedly endangered. he came to the Ostyaks of Burinsky. Those who were invited to be baptized that they were Muslims and no one had the right to baptize them. left him and locked themselves in one large yurt.1 His Eminence nevertheless remained in their territory and from time to time he sent them missionaries who were with him to summon the Ostyaks. same savages, in order to put an end to the matter all at once, according to the suggestion of the Tatar preacher hiding from them, seized their weapons, and fiercely rushed at the Orthodox missionaries. of them was wounded in the head with an arrow, the other in the shoulder, and the third was punctured through and through by their hands. fright, the unarmed Russians all fled from the shore onto the ships. Metropolitan, who was then praying for the restraint of his enemies, was left alone on the shore. the Ostyak foreman Uman fired a rifle at the Metropolitan, but God preserved His Apostle-Preacher. The bullet passed through his clothing without touching his body. another occasion, the Metropolitan was threatened with danger in Konda. he stayed in the Katyshev yurts to rest, a messenger came to him from Vogulsky Prince Satyga inviting him to hasten to the nomad camp because a lot of people had gathered there, desiring to be baptized. fact, as it turned out, Satyga was deceived by a Tatar from Tobolsk, as though the Tsar himself wanted the Metropolitan’s death, and that there would be no punishment for the murderers. intended to kill Philotheos and all those with him. But for now, the Metropolitan avoided danger. ’s envoys were received kindly by the Metropolitan, and after receiving generous gifts, they informed Philotheos of the danger that threatened him. overtook the missionaries, and many advised him to flee to Tobolsk. Some, however, argued that such cowardice would impair the future work of preaching the Word of God. Metropolitan agreed with those who wished to stay, and it was decided to sail down to the nomad camp. was frightened when he learned that his plans were known to the Metropolitan. The intruders fled into the forest, and the remaining Voguls were willingly baptized. Philotheos not only cared about the spiritual enlightenment of the pagans who converted, but he also tried to deliver those or other benefits to the converts in civil matters. his request, those who were persecuted by the unbaptized were protected from being chased by guards; slaves were given their freedom, those who were included in the head tax were exempted from it. was relieved of the obligation to supply carts, received benefits in the payment of the yasak, they were protected from insults and harassment by the Cossacks and minor officials. Metropolitan distributed a significant amount of bread and money to the newly-baptized poor, and, in general, he helped as much as he could, anyway. newly-baptized loved the Metropolitan as a father. When he visited them, they immediately went out to meet him and greeted him with cordiality and pleasure clearly written on their faces; willingly they heeded his instructions, and gave a firm promise to put his advice into practice. general, they accepted the Metropolitan as their benefactor and their protector, as a man sent from God. memory of Metropolitan Philotheos still lives among the aliens who were enlightened by him. For example, the Ostyaks, when they were asked about him, usually said: “He was a kindly old man; the people did not give offense; he loved the Ostyaks very, very much.... ” 1711, Metropolitan Philotheos was relieved of the administration of the diocese “due to illness,” and retired to the Tyumen Holy Trinity Monastery, he received the schema and the name Theodore. Metropolitan did not give up his archiepiscopal cathedra for rest and peace, now that he was burdened with age and illnesses, but for even more difficult feats of missionary work in the harsh north of Siberia. June 1712, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore, the blessing of the then Siberian archpastor, Metropolitan John Maximovitch (June 10), by his own desire and inclination, and at the suggestion of Prince M. Gagarin, who was then the governor of Siberia, who fulfilled the command of Peter I to begin preaching the Gospel among Siberians, and entered into this apostolic spiritual exploit. that year, the hierarch made his first missionary journey to Berezovsky territory along the rivers Irtysh, Ob and Sosve. John, who ruled the diocese, gave him capable employees, Prince Gagarin supplied him from the treasury with a vessel for sailing, rowers, interpreters of the native languages, a guard for preserving the mission, the sum of 2000 rubles, and various gifts for newly-baptized. to the ukaz of Peter the Great, the evangelizer of Siberia wished to prepare the ground of this field on his previous journey; is, to destroy the pagan places of worship with their idols, and to show the pagans how powerless their imaginary gods are to protect even themselves. the help of God, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore managed to convince the Ostyaks, who lived near Samarov and in the yurts of Sherkal, to destroy the idols which were especially honored in those districts. June 10, 1715, Metropolitan John Maximovich of Tobolsk reposed, and the aged Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore was again entrusted with the administration of the Siberian Diocese, he did not stop his favorite missionary activity. Schema-monk Theodore was so fond of the enlightened Ostyaks that, a year before his death, being retired and ill for the second time, the patient visited Nizovsky territory again in 1726 and even reached far off Obdorsk. this was to be the last journey of the ever-memorable hierarch. his second administration of the diocese, Metropolitan Theodore paid attention to the overseas Beijing mission, which from 1714 was headed by Archimandrite Hilarion of Lezhaysk, who was sent to the capital of China by imperial command, under Metropolitan John Maximovich. the death of this Archimandrite, his successor Anthony Platkovsky was appointed head of the mission, and returned to Russia in 1721, according to the suggestion of the Most Reverend Theodore and the Siberian governor, as well as the highest levels of government, it was decided to send a bishop to Beijing. during his first administration of the Tobolsk diocese, he had a vicar bishop, Barlaam Kossovsky, the Bishop of Irkutsk from 1706. He lived in Irkutsk until 1714, when he returned to Moscow, and he was soon appointed to the archiepiscopal cathedra of Tver. Theodore’s second tenure in the Siberian Diocese lasted for five years. 1720, at his own request, Tsar Peter I sent him a letter granting him retirement, in which he gave thanks to the holy hierarch of God for his zealous pastoral service, especially for his tireless and successful work in the missionary field. addition, the archpastor received a retirement pension: 200 rubles in cash, 50 quarters of bread (3000 bushels of grain) per year. exhausted hierarch settled in the Tyumen monastery which he himself had built. May 31, 1727, he reposed at the age of 76, among the brethren and children of the newly-baptized. by his portraits, Metropolitan Philotheos was tall, lean, with a long nose, and gray hair. to his character, in the words of the Siberian Chronicle of Cherepanov, “he was quiet, very indulgent to all, and had very little vanity.” life was most active and simple; in the summertime, he often used to go on foot to Tobolsk to the Ivanov monastery and fished there in the Shantalyne River. alone, he taught the children of the newly-baptized to read, write, and sing in his leisure hours. of them lived in his cell. he composed Church hymns; example - the Troparion and Kontakion of the wonderworker Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye (December 18), a Canon to the martyr Basil of Mangazea (March 23),2 and others, as well as poems of religious content. his own hand, he wrote many of the documents which he issued, especially those concerning the newly-baptized, or pertaining to the episcopal estates. only the residents of Tyumen, but also those from other places in Siberia, visit the grave of the pious archpastor with reverence and offer memorial services for him.3 the Russian Revolution, his relics were secretly reburied. On October 21, 2006, the incorrupt relics of Saint Philotheos were found in Tyumen in the Ascension-Saint George Church. Philotheos is commemorated on May 31, and also on June 10, the Synaxis of Siberian saints. 1 A yurt was a sort of tepee made from animal skins. 2 See Orthodox Life # 2, 1972. 3 Source: The Russian Pilgrim, 1900 (Русский Паломник, 1900 г.)

Russia, Moscow, 1672-1673, Patriarch Pitrim, opposed Nikon his boss, wanted his position, did not get it until later
Moscow Patriarch, 1672-1673, Pitrim; of Krutitsy (died April 1673) was the ninth Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Nikon held the post of patriarch, Pitirim was a metropolitan of Krutitsy. When Nikon willfully left the altar, Pitirim became his deputy and acted on his own as a real patriarch without even dealing with Nikon. When an ecumenical council gathered for hearing of Nikon's case, Pitirim was one of his most bitter opponents and accusers, probably, hoping to fill his post after his official deposition. Pitirim didn't succeed, however, because the council chose Joasaphus II over him. Only after the latter's death in 1672, Pitirim was appointed patriarch and remained on this post until his death a year later. to being named Metropolitan of Krutitsy, he had been Metropolitan of Novgorod for almost eight years (6 August 1664 – 7 July 1672).[1]

Russia, Moscow, 1674-1690, Patriarch, Joachim, tried to discontinue veneration of Anna
Moscow Patriarch, 1674-1690, Joachim; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow"Â, Commemorated on October 24; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; St. John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1675, Turkish siege Pochaev on July 20-23, 1675
Volynia, Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675; Crimean-Nogai Raids; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Russia, Moscow, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, Zbarazh Castle, H R Source, Volhynia, W Ukraine
Zbarazhsk Castle; Zbarazhsk War with the Turks 1675; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Russia, Moscow, 1675, Pochaev Icon saves P M, heavenly army, Turks shooting at MOG, Job, arrows turned back
Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Moscow, 1676-1681, Russo-Turkish War (1676-“81) R bank Ukraine, Russian v

Russia, Moscow, 1676-1682, Tsar, Feodor III of Russia, progressive views, beard shaving, nobility books d
Moscow Tsar, 1676-1682, Feodor III of Russia; III Alexeyevich or Fyodor III Alekseevich (9 June 1661-“ 7 May 1682) was the Tsar of Russia between 1676 and 1682. Contents 1 Life 2 Family 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links Life[edit] Born in Moscow, Fyodor, as the eldest surviving son of Tsar Alexis and Maria Miloslavskaya, succeeded his father on the throne in 1676 at the age of fifteen. He had a fine intellect and a noble disposition; he had received an excellent education at the hands of Simeon Polotsky, the most learned Slavonic monk of the day. He knew Polish and even possessed the unusual accomplishment of Latin.[citation needed] He had been disabled from birth, however, horribly disfigured and half paralyzed by a mysterious disease, supposed to be scurvy.[citation needed] He spent most of his time with young nobles, Ivan Maksimovich Yazykov [ru] and Aleksei Timofeievich Likhachov [ru], who would later introduce Polish ceremonies, court dress, and language to the Russian court.[citation needed] On 28 July 1680 he married a noblewoman, Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya (1663 -“ after 14 July 1681), daughter of Simeon Feodorovich Grushevsky and of his wife Maria Ivanovna Zaborovskaya, and assumed the sceptre. His native energy, though crippled, was not crushed by his disabilities. He soon showed himself as a thorough and devoted reformer. The atmosphere of the court ceased to be oppressive, the light of a new liberalism shone, and the severity of the penal laws was considerably mitigated.[citation needed] The Tsar founded the academy of sciences in the Zaikonospassky monastery, where competent professors were to teach everything not expressly forbidden by the Orthodox church the syllabus included Slavonic, Greek, Latin and Polish.[1] The Feodorean and the later Petrine reforms differed in that while the former were primarily, though not exclusively, for the benefit of the church, the latter were primarily for the benefit of the state. A household census took place in 1678.[2] The most notable reform of Feodor III, made at the suggestion of Vasily Galitzine, involved the abolition in 1682 of the system of mestnichestvo, or "place priority", which had paralyzed the whole civil and military administration of Muscovy for generations. Henceforth all appointments to the civil and military services were to be determined by merit and by the will of the sovereign,[1] while pedigree (nobility) books were to be destroyed. Family[edit] Fyodor's first consort, Agaphia Simeonovna Grushevskaya, shared his progressive views. She was the first to advocate beard-shaving.[1] On 11 July 1681, the Tsaritsa gave birth to her son, Tsarevich Ilya Fyodorovich, the expected heir to the throne. Agaphia died as a consequence of the childbirth three days later, on 14 July, and seven days later, on 21 July, the ten-days-old Tsarevich also died. Seven months later, on 24 February 1682 Fyodor married a second time Marfa Apraksina (1667-“1716), daughter of Matvei Vasilievich Apraksin and wife Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. Feodor died three months after his new wedding, on 7 May, without surviving issue. The news of his death sparked the Moscow Uprising of 1682. Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Russia, Moscow, 1677, Turks lay siege to Chigirin
Turks lay siege to Chigirin 1677 ; Russo-Turkish War (1676-“81) ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1682-1725, Tsar Peter 1, Enlightened, W marriages, G Embassy, Ship b, beard tax, dress, calendar
Moscow Tsar, 1682-1725, Peter the Great, Tsar of All Russia ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All Who SorrowÂ, Commemorated on October 24; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1682, 1362, 1581, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden
Russia, Vologda, 1362 &1581 &1682, Anthony oBlack Lake (Chernopovets) founded Black Lake (Chernoezero) monastery, Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, twice completely destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden ; Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Anthony of Black Lake founded the Mother of God monastery at Black Lake [Chernoezero] in the Novgorod area, not far from the city of Chernopovets. monastery was on an island of the Schirsk countryside. monastery twice suffered complete destruction: in 1581, from the Lithuanians; in 1682, from the Swedes. monastery was closed in 1764.

Russia, Moscow, 1684-1686, Chinese Invasions of Albazin and Amur River
Moscow, Chinese Invasions of Albazin (1684-1686) ; Icon of the Mother of God "œThe Word was made Flesh"Â, Commemorated on March 9; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Moscow, 1685, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia, Establish sign wMe to shame them, earthquake, 1685 vision arms&legs
Armenia, 304, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), fTyana, soldier, devoted tChrist, refused pagan worship, Maximinus tTyana stamp out C, O refused riches, flogged naked, jail 7days, tPagan Temple, willing subject earthly matters but no king but true God, lashes, rods, rawhide, fire, Establish wMe aSign fGood, to shame who hate me, earthquake idols smashed Temple collapsed, prison 7days nFoodoDrink, resume torture 20 nails into legs, tied wild horse, dragged tDeath, 1685 vision Orestes says also both arms and both legs cut off; Cappadocia; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Orestes the Physician lived in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-311). was an illustrious and capable soldier, from his childhood he had been a devoted servant of Christ, a sacrifice of praise to God with a pure heart, and refusing to worship the demons which the pagans call "gods." the Emperor's command, the military officer Maximinus was sent to Tyana to stamp out Christianity, by then had spread throughout Cappadocia. was among the first brought to trial before Maximinus. Courageously, he confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. prosecutor offered the Saint riches, honors and fame if he would become an idolater, but Saint Orestes would not agree to this. tried in many ways, to force him to deny Christ. Even with the pressures they exerted upon him, they were unable to convince him to worship the idols. they stripped him naked, beat him up, and flogged him as a punishment. Afterward, he was put in jail for seven days. the end of the seventh day he was taken to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice and worship to the idols. asked him, "Do you still refuse to convert to the worship which is offered with such reverence by our august emperors?" replied that he was a willing subject when it came to political and earthly matters. Apart from that, however, he would not recognize any king except the one true God. ordered that Orestes be taken to a pagan temple and once again, demanded that he worship the idols. he refused, forty soldiers took turns, one after the other, beating the holy martyr with lashes, with rods, with rawhide, and then they tormented him with fire. Orestes cried out to the Lord, “Establish with me a sign for good, let those who hate me see it and be put to shame” (Psalm 85/86:17). Lord heard the prayer of His faithful servant. The earth began to tremble, and the idols toppled and were smashed. Everyone rushed out of the temple, and when Saint Orestes came out, the entire temple collapsed. Maximinus ordered the holy martyr to be locked up in prison for seven days giving him neither food nor drink, and to resume the torture on the eighth day. hammered twenty nails into the martyr’s legs, and then tied him to a wild horse. over the stones, the holy martyr departed to the Lord in the year 304, and his relics were thrown into the sea. 1685, when Saint Dēmḗtrios, later the Bishop of Rostov, (October 28) had just finished writing the Life of Saint Orestes to be printed by the Kiev Caves Lavra, he became tired and fell asleep. Orestes appeared to him one night in a dream, during the Nativity Fast, just before Matins. With a joyful countenance, he said, "I suffered more torments for Christ than these." the Martyr bared his chest and showed Saint Dēmḗtrios the deep wound in his left side. "Here," he said, "they pierced me with a spear." Saint Orestes showed him his right elbow and said, "Here they cut off my arm." he showed him his left arm with a similar wound, saying "They cut off this arm here." this he bent over and showed him one leg, and then the other, with wounds behind the knee. He said, "My legs were cut off with a scythe." this the Martyr stood up and looked the writer in the face, and declared, "Now you see that I suffered more torments for Christ than you have described.” humble monk wondered whether this was Saint Orestes, one of the Five Martyrs of Sebaste (December 13). if in answer to his thoughts the Martyr said, “I am not that Orestes, but him whose Life you have just finished writing.” then, the bells rang for Matins, and the vision ended.

Russia, Moscow, 1686-1700, Russo-Turkish War (1686-“1700) European Anti-Turk Coalition, 2 Crimean Ds, Azov V

Russia, Moscow, 1687, Appearance of the Rudens, Belarus Icon
Rudens (Rudzensk), Belarus ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens; Rudens Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1687 in the Rudno locale of Mogilevsk diocese. In 1712 the icon was transferred to the Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev, where now it is located.

Russia, Moscow, 1688, Appearance of Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon, sister of Patriarch, Euphemia's prayer to Theotokos
Russia, Moscow, 1688, appearance of Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon; Moscow; Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 24; much consolation is contained in just the name of this Icon - awakening, strengthening the people's faith in the Mother of God, as a wondrous helper, who hastens everywhere where the groan of human suffering is heard, who wipes away the tears of those who mourn, and in sorrow itself, bestows moments of delight and heavenly joy. Rejoice always, O Heavenly Joy of all who Sorrow. accordance with the faith of the people in the loving kindness of the Mother of God toward the human race, it has been customary to depict the Theotokos in a way which conforms to what is heard in the words of the prayer: "O Most Holy Sovereign Lady Theotokos, you are higher than all the Angels and Archangels, and more honorable than all creation. You are the helper of the oppressed, the hope of the hopeless, the aid of the poor, the consolation of the grieving, the nourished of the hungry, the clothing of the naked, the healing of the sick, the salvation of the sinful, the help and succor of all Christians." the Mother of God is depicted in full stature, sometimes with the Divine Child in her arms (as in the Moscow prototype), sometimes without the Child (as in the Icon with coins, which was glorified in St. Petersburg on July 23, 1888. She is surrounded by all sorts of distressed people - the naked, the offended, and the hungry. Around these poor unfortunates Angels are often depicted, sent by the Sovereign Lady to alleviate human suffering. The Angels, coming close to the people, point to the Mother of God, who is depicted on the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icons, either in glory, with a crown on her head and in royal vesture, or in the usual garments of her earthly sojourn, and in a white cloth on her head. Moscow, in the XVII century, a certain Icon of the Mother of God of this name became famous. The first miracle occurred in 1688 for the ailing Euphemia, the sister of Patriarch Joachim, who lived on Ordynka. She experienced terrible suffering from a wound in her side. This wound was so great that her intestines were visible. The patient was waiting for death, but at the same time, she did not lose hope in Divine help. One day, after asking to partake of the Holy Mysteries, she began to cry out to the Most Holy Theotokos with great faith: "Hear me, All-Merciful Sovereign Lady! The entire world boasts of you, and all receive your abundant mercies. I deserve to be punished for my iniquities, but do not punish me in your wrath. Behold my harsh infirmity, and have mercy on me." this prayer, the patient heard a voice: "Euphemia, in your suffering, why do you not resort to the universal Healer of all?" by the voice Euphemia replied, "Where may I find such a Healer?" answer came: "There is an image of me in the church of my Son's Transfiguration, called "Joy of all who Sorrow." It stands on the left side in the trapeza, where the women usually stand. Summon the priest from that church to come to your house with the Icon, and when he has served a Moleben with the Sanctification of Water, you shall receive healing. Do not forget my mercy toward you, and proclaim it for the glorification of my name." Euphemia recovered from the excitement of this vision, she learned from her relatives that in the church of the Transfiguration, on Ordynka, there really was a "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon of the Mother of God, so she summoned the priest to come to her house with the Icon. After serving a Moleben with the Sanctification of Water, Euphemia was healed on October 24, 1688. Later, a Feast was established in honor of this Icon in remembrance of her healing which took place on this day. think that the original "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon of the Mother of God was brought to St. Petersburg, to Princess Natalia Alekseevna, and that it is precisely the image that stands in the Sorrowful Church, on Shpalerna. However, it is more probable that the original Icon remained in Moscow.

Russia, Moscow, 1689 & 1709, Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon, Akhtyr, Dream MOG order came true placed icon iKharkov tWin Poltava Battle
Russia, Kiev, 1689 & 1709, Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon, Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4, Akhtyrka, in Kharkov province, dream Elder ordered J take icons fDream Iconogs, keep Kazan copy, & J would obtain mercy&grace fMOG, fasted &Litergy 3days, then 3 Iconogs came to his home & offered free K icon, kept but 3rd day MOG appeared& told him to put it in her church, cell bright light, tears icon's eyes&face down board, icon delivered woman from demons, national prominence during war Charles XII wPeter tGreat, Peter sought help from J, kept Icon wArmy, meanwhile C XII t J's house, his soldiers tried set fire tChurch, did not burn b MOG's icon, man tells Charles icon is with Peter iKharkov, C realizes icon w help P, Russia wins Battle of Poltava, silver gilt riza w precious stones for icon; Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4; Kazan - Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God (1689), Commemorated on September 11; the end of the XVII century, versts from the city of Akhtyrka, in Kharkov province, in the village of Kaplunovka, on the Khukhra River, a pious priest, Father John Umanov. On September 11, 1689 a wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was given to him. September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, he saw an Elder in a dream told him that in three days three iconographers would come to him: one in his seventies, another in his eighties, and the third in his nineties. Elder ordered Father John to take a stack of icons from the oldest of the three, return the first seven to him, keep the eighth one, which would be a copy of the Kazan icon (July 8). return, he promised the priest that he would obtain mercy and grace from the Mother of God. this dream, Father John fasted and served the Liturgy for three days. the third day, as he was returning home from church, he saw three old iconographers walking toward him. invited them to his home and welcomed them cordially, the oldest iconographer took several icons from his pack, the eighth, as predicted in his dream, was a copy of the Kazan Icon. iconographers wanted to give him the Icon for free, but they agreed to take 15 kopecks for it. After that, they continued on their way. Umanov put the Icon in his room and kept a lit candle before it day and night. the eve of the third Sunday he saw a Virgin of extraordinary beauty in a dream, who touched his hand, to him: "Priest John, do not keep me in your home, but take me to my church." church in Kaplunovka was dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. Father John awakened, his cell was illumined by a bright light. he approached the Icon he noticed that from the eyes on the Mother of God's face, tears were streaming down the board. he summoned some respected parishioners, and told them about the Icon and the events of the previous night. he served a Moleben, the Icon was solemnly transferred to the church, where it became renowned for its miracles. Icon began to be called Kaplunovskaya, from the name of the village. certain woman named Paraskevḗ, who was possessed by demons, heard about this miracle, and with faith she ran to the church and asked the priest to chant a Moleben for her health before the Icon of the Mother of God, she was freed from the power of the devil. Feeling that she was her normal self, she thanked God and her Intercessor, the Most Holy Theotokos. John served in the village for a long time after these events, and was consoled by the ever-increasing glory of the Icon. also had the joy of seeing the national prominence that the Icon received during Charles XII's war with Peter the Great. the Swedish King Charles XII invaded Little Russia with his troops, Peter sought heavenly help, since he was going to meet him. summoned Father John to Kharkov with the Kaplunovka Icon, which he kept with the army. Charles and Ivan Mazepa reached Kaplunovka and stayed there to rest, occupying Father John's house. of the soldiers wanted to set fire to the church, but the wood they piled around the temple did not catch fire. saw all this from the window and asked Mazepa for an explanation of why the soldiers could not burn the church. said that it was probably guarded by the Mother of God, since her wonderworking Icon was located there. Swedish King ordered them to bring to one of the residents of Kaplunovka to him. They found a man in the woods, and Charles began to ask him where Peter and his troops were. man said that he was in Kharkov. Charles asked where the Icon of the Mother of God was. he heard that it had been taken to the army, he told Mazepa, "If we could not set fire to the church when the Icon was not here, it is likely to be very bad for us when and where it is present." the Battle of Poltava started, Peter ordered the Kaplunovka Icon to be carried past the ranks of the Russian army, and he prayed with tears before the Icon. after the battle, Father John was summoned to Moscow with the Icon and from there he was sent home with the shrine. made a silver gilt riza with precious stones for the Icon, and a silver icon case (kivot). June 14, 2020, the wonderworking Kaplunovka Icon of the Mother of God was donated to the Patriarchal Cathedral in honor of the Resurrection of Christ - the main temple of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Kaplunovka Icon is also commemorated on July 8, the Feast Day of the Kazan Icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony t Hesychast, solitary, cave, deamon struggles, chapel church w angels, Oltenia revival
Romania, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony the Hesychast, Vilcea county (Olt River 14), solitary found cave for cell, struggled against deamons, day work night virgil, fasting prostrations, & chapel church w angels for prayer & services, long fasts, battles w unseen, heart tears, 2-3 hrs sleep, bread crumbs & vegetables, Jesus prayer, psalms, visitors for spiritual advice & consolation, genuine Oltenia spiritual revival; Vilcea county ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23, Saint Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vilcea county in Romania; Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vâlcea county in Romania, and he loved Christ from his early childhood. visited many of the monasteries and sketes in that area, conversing with several hesychasts who sought quietude in the mountains. had a profound effect upon his life, and in time, he entered the monastic life at Iezeru Skete in the beautiful wilderness of Vâlcea. 1690, after he had acquired experience in the ascetical life, the Igoumen blessed him to live as a solitary a few kilometers above Iezeru Skete on the mountain of the same name. walked from place to place searching for a stone cave for his cell and a chapel. he found a small cave, where he glorified God and struggled against the demons. true hesychasts know what great temptations and trials face those who wish to live as solitaries. Anthony labored for three years, digging a chapel out of the cliffside with only a hammer and chisel. He worked during the day, and kept vigil by night. cave was a shelter for his body, exhausted by his fasting and prostrations. his soul was not at rest because there was no church nearby, where he could lift up his heart and hands in prayer day and night. From time to time, a hieromonk from the Skete would come to serve the Divine Liturgy on Feast Days and during the fasts. praying to the Mother of God, he began to hollow out a space for a small chapel. When it was finished, it was consecrated by Bishop Hilarion of Râmnicu Vâlcea. this little chapel, the blessed one prayed unceasingly, together with the Angels in heaven, reading the daily services, and making hundreds of prostrations. can describe his long fasts for three days and more, his all-night vigils, his battles with unseen enemies who cannot abide the humility and hardships of the saints, his fervent prayer and incessant tears from his heart? never slept for more than two or three hours a night, nor did he eat anything but breadcrumbs soaked in water and salt, with a few vegetables that he grew in his little garden. repeated the Jesus Prayer unceasingly from his heart, and he read the Psalms with many tears of humility. Anthony’s holy life became known throughout the area, and many of the clergy and laity flocked to him for spiritual advice or consolation in their sorrows. received them with love, gave them the help they needed, and then sent them home in peace. Through his influence, a genuine spiritual revival took place in sub-Carpathian Oltenia. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord in 1714 after twenty-five years of spiritual struggles. disciples mourned him, and buried him beside his small chapel. The faithful still go there to light candles and to pray, asking for his blessing and assistance. Anthony the Hesychast was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992. inscription on St. Anthony's scroll reads “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

Russia, Moscow, 1690, Fathers martyred by Dagestanians, David Gareja monastery, Kakheti, dagestanis killed & destroyed icons
Georgia, 1690, Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), Shio's brother killed b, became monk, in charge, dagestani robbers killed and destroyed icons; David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; holy monk-martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel and Paul labored in the David-Gareji Wilderness at the end of the 17th century. Shio was from the village of Vedzisi in the Kartli region. His parents, Papuna and Tamar, were wealthy and highly influential people. They had eight children: five sons and three daughters. After their parents died, Shio’s brothers quarreled so intensely over their inheritance that the eldest brother finally killed the youngest. disturbed by this tragedy, blessed Shio sought to withdraw from the vanity of the world—a world in which brother can murder brother and a son can murder his father. Shio confessed his desire to his spiritual father, and he was advised to journey to the David-Gareji Monastery and be tonsured a monk. In fact, the abbot, Fr. Onopre (Machutadze), had invited Shio to the monastery several times before, saying, “Come, brother Shio, and let us finish our lives here.” great joy Onopre received Shio, who was already revered by many for his faith and chastity. He directed him to a cell and clothed him as a novice. Shio’s tireless labors, humility, and manifest love for his brothers inspired many to seek his counsel. The abbot himself often trusted Shio to administer the affairs of the monastery in his absence. Fr. Onopre departed to attend to some matters outside the monastery, leaving Shio in charge. After Vespers and a meal, the exhausted brothers were settling down to rest when a band of Dagestani robbers suddenly stormed the monastery grounds. They ransacked the monastery and captured Hieromonk Shio and the monks David, Gabriel and Paul and killed them. Some of the brothers who remained tried to flee, but they were caught and brutally slain. cells of the David-Gareji Monastery were soaked with blood. Then the Dagestanis, yet unsatisfied, seized and destroyed nearly all the monastery’s property. They stole some of the clerical vestments, and the rest they cut in pieces and tossed in a well. Then they hacked the holy icons to pieces with their axes. the blessing of the catholicos and by order of the king, the mutilated relics of the holy martyrs were buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji. Martyrs Shio, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Akhalkalaki in Georgia, Commemorated on June 1; holy monk-martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel and Paul labored in the David-Gareji Wilderness at the end of the 17th century. Shio was from the village of Vedzisi in the Kartli region. His parents, Papuna and Tamar, were wealthy and highly influential people. They had eight children: five sons and three daughters. After their parents died, Shio’s brothers quarreled so intensely over their inheritance that the eldest brother finally killed the youngest. disturbed by this tragedy, blessed Shio sought to withdraw from the vanity of the world—a world in which brother can murder brother and a son can murder his father. Shio confessed his desire to his spiritual father, and he was advised to journey to the David-Gareji Monastery and be tonsured a monk. In fact, the abbot, Fr. Onopre (Machutadze), had invited Shio to the monastery several times before, saying, “Come, brother Shio, and let us finish our lives here.” great joy Onopre received Shio, who was already revered by many for his faith and chastity. He directed him to a cell and clothed him as a novice. Shio’s tireless labors, humility, and manifest love for his brothers inspired many to seek his counsel. The abbot himself often trusted Shio to administer the affairs of the monastery in his absence. Fr. Onopre departed to attend to some matters outside the monastery, leaving Shio in charge. After Vespers and a meal, the exhausted brothers were settling down to rest when a band of Dagestani robbers suddenly stormed the monastery grounds. They ransacked the monastery and captured Hieromonk Shio and the monks David, Gabriel and Paul and killed them. Some of the brothers who remained tried to flee, but they were caught and brutally slain. cells of the David-Gareji Monastery were soaked with blood. Then the Dagestanis, yet unsatisfied, seized and destroyed nearly all the monastery’s property. They stole some of the clerical vestments, and the rest they cut in pieces and tossed in a well. Then they hacked the holy icons to pieces with their axes. the blessing of the catholicos and by order of the king, the mutilated relics of the holy martyrs were buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji.

Russia, Moscow, 1690-1716, Anthimus tGeorgian, Turk slave, Romanian Metroplitn, author, printer, woodcarver, builder, spirit L
Georgia, 1690-1716, Anthimus the Georgian, Georgia (Iberia, the land of St George), Orthodox, captured by Turks invading Georgia, slave in Constantinople, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, skilled woodcarving, embroidery, painting, Escaped tEcumenical Patriarchate, invited to Wallachia by Constantine Brancoveanu for his talents, became monk 1691, later priest, royal print shop iBucharest, printing house iSnagov Monastery, printed 63 books iRomanian, Greek, Arabic, Georgian, author 38 oThem, Igumen 1696, Bishop Rimnicu-Vilcea 1705, Metropolitan Wallachia 1708, schools, churches, monasteries, spiritual legacy Romanian Church, arrested by Turks 1716, tSt Catherines Mt Sinai, killed along the way; Georgia (country) ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; Anthimus was born in Georgia, and his parents were called John and Mary. The child received the name Andrew in Baptism, and his parents raised him as an Orthodox Christian. was captured by Turks who invaded Georgia when he was young, he was one of many who were made slaves in Constantinople. he learned to speak Greek, Arabic, and Turkish, and also became skilled in woodcarving, embroidery, and painting. a few years as a slave, Andrew escaped and fled to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for refuge. 1690, Andrew was invited to Wallachia by Prince Constantine Brancoveanu (August 16), who had heard of his talents. a year or so, he became a monk and received the name Anthimus. he was ordained to the holy priesthood. was placed in charge of the royal print shop in Bucharest, and later set up a printing house in the Snagov Monastery. monastery printed sixty-three books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and Georgian. Anthimus was the author of thirty-eight of them. He was chosen to be the igumen of Snagov in 1696. saint was consecrated as Bishop of Rimnicu-Vilcea in 1705, three years later he was made Metropolitan of Wallachia. Metropolitan, he established schools for poor children, and built churches and monasteries. Since he was a woodcarver, he used his talent to beautify many churches. Anthimus was a zealous pastor who satisfied his flock’s hunger for spiritual knowledge. in the Romanian language, he taught them the saving truths of Orthodoxy, and offered words of encouragement and consolation. His edifying books and sermons are part of the spiritual legacy of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Anthimus was arrested by the Turks in 1716 and sentenced to be exiled at Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, but he never arrived at his destination. September 27, 1716, he was killed by the soldiers who were escorting him. cut his body into little pieces and threw them into the Tungia River, south of the Danube. Thus, the faithful servant of Christ received the crown of martyrdom. Anthimus was a true shepherd of his flock, and a father to his clergy. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Russia, Moscow, 1696-1771, Domnitsa River Icon, Chernigov appeared river bank, monastery there, delivered f plague in 1771
Russia, Kiev, 1696-1771, Domnitsa River Icon, Berezna, Chernigov (Desna River 5), appeared river bank, monastery established there, delivered from plague in 1771; Berezna, Chernigov; Domnitsa River, Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Domnitsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1696 on the bank of the Domnitsa River in Chernigov diocese, not far from the city of Berezna. the place of appearance of the icon a monastery was established, in which was situated the wonderworking image. the year 1771 the inhabitants of the city prayed before the holy icon and were delivered from plague through the intercession of the Theotokos.

Russia, Moscow, 1501-1550, Adrian of Poshekhonye, Jesus (unknown Elder) told him to go and led him to Poshekhonye, vanished
Russia, Moscow, 1500-1550, Saint, Adrian of Poshekhonye, fRostov tGreat, tCornelius' monastery, tonsured a monk there, gifted builders, iconogaphers at C monastery, churches constructed and adorned by saints themselves. 1537 tartars attacked, but did not destroy because of view many soldiers protecting, which were angels protecting, bretheren returned, Cornelius reposed 1537, 1540 Adrian desired found a Theotokos monastery in Wilderness, Lord Helped him, as unknown Elder, striking appearance, called self the lowly one, when asked say something beneficial for the soul, while in Adrian's cell, he said he would show where build church and monastery, so Adrian immediately went to ask igumen lawrence belssing to live in wilderness, because C had ordered that any monks who wished to withdraw to wilderness should be released, Lawrence gave his blessing and sent with him his assistant Elder Leonid, they prayed at C's grave and went, led by mysterious black-robed monk (Jesus), A brought icon of Theotokos which he had painted, arrived at Poshekhonye Forest Sept 1540 (eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord), near Belta, Patrobolsha, Sheishedolsk and Ukhorsk, on banks of river Votkha, there elder leading them became invisible, astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God, portent future fame otMonastery, a place where God would be glorified, they suffered for3 years then went to Moscow for Met Marcarius' blessing to build monastery, blessed in writing, ordained A Priesthood and igumen, the document ordered “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” at Moscow they found generous benefactors who gave abundant offeringsto build church, returned spring 1543, laid church foundations, with a trapeza (refectory, dining room), built manastery after consecrating the church, strict rule of Cornelius, Nothing of own, little being sufficient for everyone, devoted large portion of time to prayer, in church&in cells, no small time to reading scripture, in humble and mild voice, one reads another speaks of what is read, Adrian also painted icons, for complete silence he went to cell he had built 1K from monastery, 1549 Leonid reposed, buried with reverence, number bretheren had increased, built 3 cells as dwellings and 1 for preparing food and baking bread, Adrian began plans for large stone church, gathered money for that purpose, 1550 armed robbers burst into monastery and murdered A after beating him,1626, 76 yrs later his holy relics uncovered, transferred to monastery church, to open crypt by choir, many miracles thereRussia, Moscow, 1500-1550, Saint, Adrian of Poshekhonye, fRostov tGreat, tCornelius' monastery, tonsured a monk there, gifted builders, iconogaphers at C monastery, churches constructed and adorned by saints themselves. 1537 tartars attacked, but did not destroy because of view many soldiers protecting, which were angels protecting, bretheren returned, Cornelius reposed 1537, 1540 Adrian desired found a Theotokos monastery in Wilderness, Lord Helped him, as unknown Elder, striking appearance, called self the lowly one, when asked say something beneficial for the soul, while in Adrian's cell, he said he would show where build church and monastery, so Adrian immediately went to ask igumen lawrence belssing to live in wilderness, because C had ordered that any monks who wished to withdraw to wilderness should be released, Lawrence gave his blessing and sent with him his assistant Elder Leonid, they prayed at C's grave and went, led by mysterious black-robed monk (Jesus), A brought icon of Theotokos which he had painted, arrived at Poshekhonye Forest Sept 1540 (eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord), near Belta, Patrobolsha, Sheishedolsk and Ukhorsk, on banks of river Votkha, there elder leading them became invisible, astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God, portent future fame otMonastery, a place where God would be glorified, they suffered for3 years then went to Moscow for Met Marcarius' blessing to build monastery, blessed in writing, ordained A Priesthood and igumen, the document ordered “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” at Moscow they found generous benefactors who gave abundant offeringsto build church, returned spring 1543, laid church foundations, with a trapeza (refectory, dining room), built manastery after consecrating the church, strict rule of Cornelius, Nothing of own, little being sufficient for everyone, devoted large portion of time to prayer, in church&in cells, no small time to reading scripture, in humble and mild voice, one reads another speaks of what is read, Adrian also painted icons, for complete silence he went to cell he had built 1K from monastery, 1549 Leonid reposed, buried with reverence, number bretheren had increased, built 3 cells as dwellings and 1 for preparing food and baking bread, Adrian began plans for large stone church, gathered money for that purpose, 1550 armed robbers burst into monastery and murdered A after beating him,1626, 76 yrs later his holy relics uncovered, transferred to monastery church, to open crypt by choir, many miracles there; Poshekhonye; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, by the mysterious black-robed monk. Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, he gave them a written document to that effect. ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Moscow, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, founded 2 monasteries wFasting prayer virgil, wonderworker, martyr
Greece, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, Greece, eminent rich deeply devout parents, raised iDeep piety &rich Belief, given iMarriage a12, impious crude husband, often beat&tormented her, endured abuse, she often prayed he come to his senses, he died after 3yrs, she began fasting, virgil and prayer labor, she founded woman's monastery, accepted tonsure wPhilothea name, Greece under Turks, many Athenians slaves, she freed them by ransom, once 4women ran away from massters who had demanded they renounce, refuge in her monastery, Turks burst into her cell, beat her, took her to governor, thrown into prison, Turk mob gathered, led her out, hacked to pieces if did not renounce Christ, but just then Crowd Christians assembled by God' Grace, pacified judges and freed her, back at her monastery she continued abstinence prayer vigil, for which granted gift oWonderworking, in Athens suburb Patesia she founded new monastery, asceticism wSisters, during vigil St Dionysis Turks seized and tortured her, threw down half dead, sisters brought Philothea blood flowing tKalogreza, she died 1589, relics tAthens Cathedral; Athens; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monastic Martyr Philothea was born in Athens in 1522. parents, Syriga and Angelos Benizelos, were renowned not only for being eminent and rich, but also deeply devout. the kind-hearted Syriga had implored the Most Holy Theotokos for a child. fervent prayers were heard, and a daughter was born to the couple. They named her Revoula. parents raised their daughter in deep piety and right belief, when she was twelve years old they gave her away in marriage. husband turned out to be an impious and crude man, who often beat and tormented his wife. patiently endured the abuse and she prayed to God, that He might bring her husband to his senses. three years Revoula’s husband died, she began to labor in fasting, vigil and prayer. saint founded a women’s monastery in the name of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30 and June 30). the monastery was completed, the saint was the first to accept monastic tonsure, with the name Philothea. this time Greece was suffering under the Turkish Yoke, many Athenians had been turned into slaves by their Turkish conquerors. Philothea utilized all her means to free her fellow countrywomen, ransoming many from servitude. four women ran away from their Turkish masters, who demanded that they renounce their Christianity, took refuge in the monastery of Saint Philothea. Turks, having learned where the Greek women had gone, burst into the saint’s cell, and beat her. took her to the governor, who threw the holy ascetic into prison. the morning, a mob of Turks had gathered, and they led her out of the prison. governor said that if she did not renounce Christ, she would be hacked to pieces. when Saint Philothea was ready to accept a martyr’s crown, crowd of Christians assembled by the grace of God. pacified the judges and freed the holy ascetic. to her monastery, Saint Philothea continued with her efforts of abstinence, prayer and vigil, which she was granted the gift of wonderworking. Patesia, an Athens suburb, she founded a new monastery, where she struggled in asceticism with the sisters. the Vigil for Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), Turks seized Saint Philothea and tortured her. they threw her down on the ground half-dead. sisters tearfully brought the holy martyr, flowing with blood, to Kalogreza, where she died on February 19, 1589. thereafter, the relics of the holy Monastic Martyr Philothea were brought to the Athens cathedral church.

Russia, Moscow,1546-1576, Fool FC Nicholas oPskov, Prophet wonderworker, worthless beggar drove off Tsar &His thousand soldiers
Russia, Pskov,1546-1576, Fool FC Nicholas oPskov (South End Pskov Lake, Pskov River Mouth, Velikaya River 4 or Mouth), life of Holy Fool more than 30 yrs, acquired grace oHoly Spirit, wonderworking, prophecy long before repose, residents called him the fool and revered him as a saint, 1570 after devastating campaign against Novgorod, Ivan the Terrible decided attack Pskov, suspecting treason, he came with great ferocity, wanting shed muchj blood, first Sunday of Lent whole city prayed deliverance, hearing bell ring fMatins Tsar's heart was softened, when he read inscription on Liubyatov Tenderness Icon in St Nicholas M, Be merciful, Blunt your swords upon stones, let there be end to the killing, all Pskov came out into streets holding brad and salt to meet Tsar, Nick ran toward Tsar astride stick as if riding horse, Ivan Ivan eat our bread and salt but not the blood of Christians, he still intended to sack the city, attended Moleben at Cathedral, venerated Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel relics, asked to receive blessing of fool Nick, who prophecied Tsar would not have horse to ride when he left, if he hesitate leaving, Tsar did not listen, ordered men remove Cathedral Bell, then Tsar's horse fell dead, Nick invited Tsar visit his cell under the Bell tower, offered water, then raw meat, Tsar said he is Christian and does not eat meat during Lent, but you drink human Blood said Nick, Ivan ordered stop to the looting and fled city, thus did worthless beggar terrify and drive off Tsar and his thousand soldiers, Nick died 1576, burried with Princes and Hierarchs at Cathedral, local vereration only 5yrs later, 1581 when Bathory of Poland beseiging, Nick appeared with MOG and other Pskov saints, praying for the city, his relics still venerated there, he turned Tsar's power from wrath tMercy; Pskov; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 ; Nicholas of Pskov lived the life of a holy fool for more than three decades. before his repose, he acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit and was granted the gifts of wonderworking and of prophecy. his lifetime, the residents of Pskov called him Mikula [Mikola, Nikola] the Fool, and revered him as a Saint, even calling him Saint Mikula. February 1570, after a devastating campaign against Novgorod, Tsar Ivan the Terrible decided to attack Pskov, suspecting the inhabitants of treason. the Pskov Chronicle relates, “the Tsar came ... with great ferocity, like a roaring lion,1 wanting to tear innocent people apart, and to shed much blood.” the first Saturday of Great Lent, the whole city prayed to be delivered from the Tsar’s wrath. the bell ring for Matins in Pskov, the Tsar’s heart was softened when he read the inscription the XV century wonderworking Liubyatov Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God (March 19) the Monastery of Saint Nicholas (the Tsar’s army was at the time). “Be merciful,” he told his soldiers. “Blunt your swords upon the stones, and let there be an end to killing.” the inhabitants of Pskov came out upon the streets, and each family knelt at the doors of their houses, holding bread and salt to meet the Tsar. one of the streets Blessed Nicholas ran toward the Tsar astride a stick as if he were riding a horse, and cried out: “Ivanushko, Ivanushko, eat our bread and salt, but not the blood of Christians." Tsar commanded that the holy fool be apprehended, but he disappeared. he had forbidden his men to kill, Ivan still intended to sack the city. Tsar attended a Moleben at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where he venerated the relics of the right-believing Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). also expressed his wish to receive the blessing of the holy fool Nicholas. Saint taught the Tsar “by many terrible sayings,” to stop the killing and not to plunder God's holy churches. prophesied that when the Tsar left Pskov he would not have a horse to ride. us, you passer-by," the blessed one said in a stern voice, "go quickly from us. If you hesitate, there will be nothing here for you to flee on." Ivan did not listen to him, and he ordered his men to remove the bell from Holy Trinity Cathedral. just as the Saint had predicted, the Tsar’s favorite horse fell dead. Nicholas invited the Tsar to visit his cell under the bell tower. When the Tsar arrived at the Saint's cell Nicholas said, “Come in and accept a drink of water from us, there is no reason why you should shun it.” Then the holy fool offered the Tsar a piece of raw meat. “I am a Christian and I do not eat meat during Lent," Ivan objected. you drink human blood,” Nicholas replied. by the fulfillment of the Saint's prophecy and denounced for his wicked deeds, ordered a stop to the looting and fled from the city. Oprichniki, witnessing this, wrote: “The mighty tyrant ... departed beaten and shamed, driven off as though by an enemy. did a worthless beggar terrify and drive off the Tsar with his multitude of a thousand soldiers.” Nicholas fell asleep in the Lord on February 28, 1576 and was buried at Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city he had saved. Such honors were granted only to the Pskov Princes, and later on, to Hierarchs. local veneration of the Saint began five years after his death. the year 1581, when Pskov was besieged by the soldiers of the Polish king Stephen Bathory, the Mother of God appeared to the blacksmith Dorotheos, together with a number of Pskov Saints, praying for the city. these was Blessed Nicholas, according to an account concerning the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Mother of God (October 1). Holy Trinity cathedral the relics of Blessed Nicholas of Pskov are still venerated, “by feigning foolishness, he was shown as a glorified citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem" (Troparion). also “turned the Tsar’s power from wrath to mercy" (Kontakion). 1 I Peter 5:8

Russia, Moscow, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets M, orphaned at 10, raised by priest who became monk, toiled with him 7yrs, then many experiences with Theotokos thru her icons, many came, built Z Monastery
Russia, Pskov, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, fVeliki Luki (Great Meadow) early 16th C, parents died when he was 10, raised by priest Boris, his soul cleaved to God, often visited Boris after he became monk Bogolep at local monestary, later for 7 yrs. toiled with him single cell, MOG first showed to him in a dream as Tikhvin Icon in firery colomn, he kissed it and it was hot, Later on her forehead, demons in wilderness shamed by prayer, wanted dwell in W but Bogolep advised return, he went to Smolensk to venerate wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon oMOG, and Abramius & Ephriam relics, they appeared to him, reassured wilderness life, when God will bless and MOG lead, Abramius (there since his healing) told Martyrius about secret place where he saw radiant Cross of Stars. received Elder's blessing to wilderness, took 2 small icons, settled in Zelents, a beautiful Green Island in forrested swamp, harsh wilderness life, cold, deprivation, wild beasts, devils wiles, did not shake his resolve, built small chapel, again worthy to see MOG icon in dream, floating on sea, archangel Michael on the right, who told him to venerate the icon, M went into water, icon began to sink, M cried out, wave carried him to shore, icon vanished, wilderness sanctified by M, many arrived, to stay, so he built a church, his disciple Gurais permitted to see Cross in the Heavens shining over top of the church, this was beginning of Zelenets monastery in 1582, Lord blessed his labors, discernment and healings, eminent Novgorod personal gifts to monastery, exmple Pious boyar Theodore Syrkov provided heated church, MOG continued to help, appeared to him, even wealthier benefactor, 1595 at Tver M resurrected Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich's son, while praying in fromt of his two MOG icons, resurrected after both icons placed on his chest, so M built church in honor of Tikhvin Icon and John Chrysostom (son's patron), 1595 Tsar Theodore increased land for the monastery, sufficient to sustain it, sensing imminent departure, in great old age M dug grave and fashioned coffin for himself, fell asleep Mar1, 1603; Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrius of Zelenets, in the world Menas, was born in the city of Veliki Luki (Great Meadow) in the sixteenth century. parents, Cosmas and Stephanida, died when he was just ten years old. was raised by his spiritual Father, a priest of the city’s Annunciation church, and the child’s soul cleaved to God. widowed priest Boris became a monk with the name Bogolep at the Trinity-Sergius monastery in Veliki Luki. often visited him at the monastery, and later on he himself received monastic tonsure there taking the name Martyrius. seven years both teacher and disciple toiled for the Lord unrelentingly in a single cell, encouraging each other in deeds of work and prayer. Martyrius had the obediences of “kellarios” [cellarer], treasurer, and “ponomar” [or altar server]. was at this time that the Mother of God first showed Her special solicitude for Saint Martyrius. mid-day he dozed off in the bell tower and beheld the Tikhvin (Hodēgḗtria) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a fiery column. monk venerated it, and it was still hot from the fiery column. When he awoke, he still felt this heat on his forehead. the spiritual advice of Saint Martyrius, the grievously ill monk Abramius went to venerate the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and he received healing. Martyrius was filled with intense faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. began to pray that the Heavenly Queen would show him where he might go for the ascetic feat of complete silence, for which his soul yearned. monk secretly withdrew into a desolate place situated 60 versts from Veliki Luki. he himself writes, “in this wilderness I received fearful visitations from demons, but I prayed to God, and the demons were put to shame.” a letter to Elder Bogolep, Saint Martyrius asked his blessing to dwell in the wilderness, the spiritual father advised him to return to the cenobitic life where he would be of use to the brethren. daring to disobey his experienced Elder, and not knowing how to proceed, Saint Martyrius went to Smolensk to venerate the wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of Saints Abramius and Ephraim (August 21). saints appeared to Saint Martyrius in a dream, and they reassured him that he would be permitted to live in the wilderness, “wherever God will bless and the Most Holy Theotokos will guide you.” Martyrius then went to the Tikhvin monastery, hoping that the Mother of God would resolve his dilemma. monk Abramius, who remained at this monastery in gratitude to the Mother of God for his healing, told Saint Martyrius about a secret place, over which he had seen a radiant Cross of stars. time he received the blessing of the Elder. Martyrius took with him two small icons: one of the Life-Creating Trinity, and the other of the Tikhvin Mother of God. then settled in Zelents (the green island), which was a beautiful island in a forested swamp. and painful was the life of the monk in the wilderness, neither cold, nor deprivation, nor wild beasts, nor the wiles of the enemy were able to shake his resolve. built a small chapel for the glorification of, and in gratitude to, the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos. was again deemed worthy to see an icon of the Mother of God in a dream. time it was floating on the sea. To the right of the icon he saw the Archangel Gabriel who told him to venerate the icon. Martyrius went into the water, and the icon began to sink in the sea. The saint then cried out, and a wave carried him to shore. With that, the icon vanished. wilderness was sanctified by the life of the hermit, and many began to arrive, not only to be instructed by the word and example of the monk, but also to settle there with him. increased number of disciples prompted the monk to build a church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, he placed his own icons of the Trinity and of the Tikhvin Mother of God. a sign of the grace of God resting upon the monastery of Saint Martyrius, his disciple Saint Gurias was permitted to see a Cross in the heavens, shining over the cross on top of the church. was the beginning of the Trinity Zelenets monastery, “the green wilderness monastery of Martyrius.” Lord blessed his labors, and the grace of God shone visibly upon him. The fame of his discernment and gift of healing became known to many. Many eminent people of Novgorod began to send gifts to the monastery. funds provided by the pious boyar Theodore Syrkov, a heated church was built and consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the first church at Veliki Luki, from which the saint had begun his path to God. Martyrius continued to receive help from the Mother of God. appeared to him on a bench in the corner where the icons stood. The saint recalled: “I looked upon Her without lowering my eyes... I gazed upon Her holy face, at her eyes filled with tears, ready to trickle down Her all-pure face. awoke from the dream and was afraid. I lit a candle from the lampada, in order to see whether or not the Most Pure Virgin sat at the place where I saw Her in the dream. went up to the icon of the Hodēgḗtria and was convinced that in truth the Mother of God had appeared to me as She is depicted on my icon.” after this (about the year 1570) Saint Martyrius was ordained priest at Novgorod by the archbishop (Alexander or Leonid). was already an igumen in 1582. the Lord granted the Zelenets wilderness monastery an even wealthier benefactor. 1595 at Tver Saint Martyrius resurrected the son of the former Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich, in front of his own icons of the Life-Creating Trinity and the Tikhvin Mother of God. placed both icons upon the chest of the dead child, and he awoke as if from sleep. gratitude Simeon built a church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and of Saint John Chrysostom, the Heavenly patron saint of the ruler’s son John. 1595 Tsar Theodore endowed the monastery with a sufficient quantity of land for its support. reached a great old age and preparing for death, Saint Martyrius dug a grave for himself, and near it he placed a coffin fashioned by his own hands. often came there to weep. Sensing his imminent departure, the monk assembled the brethren and told his children in the Lord to have steadfast hope in the Most Holy Trinity and to trust the Mother of God, as he himself had always trusted in Her. receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he gave the brethren his blessing with the words: “Peace to all the Orthodox.” With spiritual joy he fell asleep in the Lord on March 1, 1603. saint was buried in the grave he dug near the church of the Mother of God. his holy relics rested beneath a crypt in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, beneath the lower temple in honor of Saint John the Theologian. a former monk of the Zelenets monastery, and later Metropolitan of Kazan and Novgorod (+ 1698), compiled a service and wrote the Life of Saint Martyrius, making use of personal notes and the saint’s testament. memory of Saint Martyrius of Zelenets and Veliki Luki is celebrated also on November 11.

Russia, Moscow, 1558-1621, Polycarp oBriansk, warlord prince oCities, became monk, gave means to build monastery wStrict rule
Russia, Kiev, 1558-1621, Polycarp oBriansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2), was Prince Peter Ivanovich Boryatinsky, descendant oSaint Michael, Prince of Chernigov, this connection because Boryatinsky connected to monastery started by Polycarp, Prince B often in 16th C documents, so he was sent off to war agaijnst Swedes at Sestra, 1576 named voevod (warlord) at Tula, then voevod aKolm, 1580 captured by Lithuanians Parin's seige, released by Boris Godinov, retuerned home iDisgrace, 1591 named warlord oTiumen, several years, left world, monk Polycarp, gave his means to build monastery, established rule oStrict ascetical life, he was its first Superior, died 1621; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Polycarp of Briansk, in the world, was Prince Peter Ivanovich Boryatinsky, descendant of Saint Michael, Prince of Chernigov (September 20). supposition has been put forward because Boryatinsky is connected with the destiny of the Briansk Savior Transfiguration monastery. name of Prince Peter Boryatinsky is often encountered in documents of the sixteenth century. he was among those sent off to wage war against the Swedish king at the river Sestra. 1576, he was named voevod at Tula. 1580, Boryatinsky, having been appointed voevod at Kholm, captured by the Lithuanians under a siege headed by Panin. his release from captivity under Boris Godinov, Boryatinsky returned home in disgrace. 1591 he was named voevod at Tiumen, after several years he left the world, settled at Briansk and received monastic tonsure with the name Polycarp. his means the monk built a monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord and established in it a Rule of strict ascetical life. Polycarp was the first Superior of this monastery. died and was buried there in 1620 or 1621.

Russia, Moscow, 1571, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, 1571 transferred to Moscow by Ivan t T, 1812 stolen by France, replaced by copy
Jerusalem, 463, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, war hero Constantnpl 469 over huns, 988 Korsun and Novgorod, 1571 Moscow, 1812 stolen by France, but copy ; Jerusalem; Icon of the Mother of God Jerusale, Commemorated on October 12 ; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord at Gethsemane. the year 463, the icon was transferred to Constantinople. Byzantine army carried the Jerusalem Icon into battle when they turned back an invasion of the Scythians. 988 the icon was transferred to Korsun and given to the holy Prince Vladimir. the people of Novgorod accepted Christianity, Saint Vladimir sent them this icon. 1571, Ivan the Terrible transferred the icon to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, the original was stolen by the French and brought to Paris. An authenticated copy was placed in the Dormition cathedral. Jerusalem Icon is also commemorated on November 13, and on the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1700, 18th - 21st Century Folder, Many Wars protecting Orthodox

Russia, Moscow, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Wars with Sweden, Turkey, Persia, and Mongols

Russia, Moscow, 1701-1721, Great Northern War (with Protestants and Sweden)
Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1701-1731, Innocent oIrkutsk, deprivations fStrength, successfully produced 2Schools no funding, incorrupt rlcs
Mongol, China, 1701-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk, oNoble Descent, Kulchitsky family, Kiev Spiritual Academy, monk i1710, instructor Moscow Slav-Greek-Latin Academy, theology professor,t Petersburg Nevsky Lavra 1719, chief naval chaplain, 1720 vice-regent, 1721 Bishop oPereyaslavl & Peking Spiritual Mission, refused entry by China because spiritual, 3yrs aSelingin, deprivation&Grief, diplomat blunders, intrgues oIrkutsk archmandrite, other named China Archmandrite, Anthony named Irkutsk&Nerchinsk, location close to china, size, sparse population, many nationalities, unenlightened christians, lack roads, poverty, Plus no pay oFunding, but his monastery still maintained 2Schools (Mongol&Russian), toiled tirelesly, sermons Letters directives, deprivations provided strength, humility, insight, 1728 Baikal drought, grain famine 1727, weekly moliebens, saturday Akathist sunday M, to St Elias feast, the day drought ended, new stone church, expanded boundaries, robust health but died 1731, 1764 incorrupt, 1804 sainthood, relics moved tAnti-religious Yaroslav museum, moved again 1939, remains unknown man, 1990 Tolga Monastery Yaroslav, 1990 back to Irkutsk; Moscow, 1700-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk, (in the world John) was descended from the noble Kulchitsky family. parents moved from Volhynia to the Chernigov region in the mid-seventeenth century. saint was born in about the year 1680, educated at the Kiev Spiritual Academy. accepted monastic tonsure in 1710 was appointed an instructor at the Moscow Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy as prefect and professor of theology. 1719 Saint Innocent transferred to the Saint Peterburg Alexander Nevsky Lavra, was appointed chief naval chaplain. 1720 he served as vice-regent of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. February 14, 1721, hieromonk Innocent was consecrated as Bishop of Pereyaslavl appointed to the Peking Spiritual Mission in China. the Chinese government refused to allow him to enter the country, the Senate Commission on External Affairs had indiscretely characterized him as “a spiritual personage, a great lord.” saint was compelled to spend three years at Selingin on the Chinese border, suffering much deprivation because of the uncertainty of his position, and grief from the disarray of the civil government in Siberia. blunders of the Russian Mission in China by Graf Raguzinsky, intrigues by the Irkutsk archimandrite Anthony Platkovsky led to the appointment of Archimandrite Anthony in China. decree of the Most Holy Synod Saint Innocent was named in 1727 to be Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk. so he entered into the governance of the newly-formed dioceses. proximity of the Chinese border, the expanse and sparsely-settled dioceses, the great number of diverse nationalities (Buryat, Mongol, and others), mostly unenlightened by the Christian Faith, the lack of roads and the poverty—all this made Saint Innocent’s pastoral work burdensome and his life full of deprivations. a strange oversight of the Senate, he did not receive any money until the time of his death, and he endured extreme want. these difficult conditions of scant funds, the Irkutsk Ascension monastery still maintained two schools opened under him, one Mongol and the other Russian. constant concern of the saint was directed towards the schools: the selection of worthy teachers, and providing the necessary books, clothing and other provisions for students. saint toiled tirelessly at organizing the diocese, and strengthening its spiritual life. many sermons, pastoral letters and directives bear witness to this. his work and deprivations Saint Innocent found spiritual strength, humility, and insight. the spring of 1728, the Baikal region began to suffer a drought. Famine from a poor grain harvest had threatened the diocese already back in 1727. the blessing of the holy hierarch, in May within the churches of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region they began to include a Molieben for an end to the drought at each Liturgy. Saturdays they sang an Akathist to the Mother of God, on Sundays they served a Molieben. “The supplications,” said the saint, “should end on the Feast of Saint Elias” (July 20). on that very day a storm raged at Irkutsk with such strong rains, that in the streets of the city water stood up to people’s knees, and thus the drought ended. the efforts of Saint Innocent, construction was started on a stone church to replace the wooden one at the Ascension monastery, the boundaries of the diocese were expanded to include not only Selingin, but also the Yakutsk and Ilimsk surroundings. saint, not noted for robust health, and under the influence of the severe climate and his afflictions, departed to the Lord at a rather young age (51). He reposed on the morning of November 27, 1731. the year 1764, the body of the saint was discovered incorrupt during restoration work on the monastery’s Tikhvin church. miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer. moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify the saint in the year 1800. the year 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout all Russia on November 26, the Sign Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27). Saint Innocent is also remembered on February 9. 1921, the relics of Saint Innocent were taken from their shrine and placed in a Soviet anti-religious museum. were moved to another museum in Yaroslav in 1939, and were exhibited as “mummified remains of an unknown man.” In 1990, they were brought to the newly-reopened Tolga Monastery in the Yaroslav diocese. September of 1990, the holy relics arrived in Irkutsk and were placed in the cathedral, to the joy of all the faithful. Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9;

Russia, Moscow, 1702, Unexpected Joy Icon, Rostov, youth praying before sinning, wounds and blood, finally unexpected joy
Russia, Rostov, 1702, Unexpected Joy Icon, Rostov-Yaroslavl, sinful youth, devoted to MOG, praying before sinning, wounds and blood, who has done this, you and other sinners, prayed for forgiveness, finally recieved unexptected joy; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Icon of the Mother of God The Unexpected Joy, Commemorated on January 25; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1.

Russia, Moscow, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului skete, Romania), hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania
Romania, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) skete, Romania (Olt River 8), hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania; Poiana Marului ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Basil, the Elder of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), was born toward the end of the seventeenth century. He received monastic tonsure at Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete in 1705 or 1706, laboring in asceticism with great fervor. Basil was ordained to the holy priesthood, and became igumen of Dalhautsi in 1715. He remained in that position for twenty years, and was a wise instructor of monks, teaching them obedience, humility, and the art of the Jesus Prayer. fame of this great spiritual Father began to spread, so that even Prince Constantine Mavrocordat heard of him. Saint Basil’s community became known as a spiritual school of hesychasm, based on the wisdom of the Holy Fathers. When the number of his disciples increased until there was no longer room for all of them at Dalhautsi, they settled in other Sketes in the area. In this way, his influence and teaching spread to other places, inspiring a spiritual renewal of Romanian monastic life in the eighteenth century. Basil renovated the Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) Skete near the city of Romni-Sarat between 1730-1733, then moved there with twelve disciples. In addition to his duties as Igumen of Poiana Marului, Saint Basil was the spiritual guide of all the Sketes in the Buzau Mountains. One of his most famous disciples was Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, whom he tonsured on Mount Athos in 1750. holy Elder Basil also wrote introductions to the writings of Saints Gregory of Sinai, Nilus of Sora, and others who wrote about the spiritual life, guarding the mind, and on the Jesus Prayer. He taught that the Holy Scriptures are a “saving medicine” for the soul, and recommended reading the Holy Fathers in order to obtain a correct understanding of Scripture, and to avoid being led astray through misunderstanding. Saint Basil also warned against any inclination to excuse ourselves and our sins, for this hinders true repentance. Basil fell asleep in the Lord on April 25, 1767, leaving behind many disciples. His influence has been felt in other Orthodox countries beyond the borders of Romania.

Russia, Moscow, 1707-1727, Tsarina, Catherine I of Russia, from maid to tzar story
Moscow, 1725-1726, Tsar, Catherine I of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1707-1727, Icon oBethlehem, Judea, iBasillica Christ's Nativity, luxurious fabrics, Empress Catherine
Jerusalem, 1707-1727, Icon oBethlehem, Judea, iBasillica Christ's Nativity, luxurious fabrics, Empress Catherine, infinite affection emanates from eyes of icon, & her serene gaze, sweetens and exalts hearts of faithful, also all Catherine's jewels on icon, forcing empresses not wear Jewels any more; “Bethlehem” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 26; the magnificent Basilica of Christ’s Nativity in Bethlehem, the wonderworking icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, known as Bethlehemitissa, stands out. is located in a prominent proskynitarion on the right side of the southern entrance of the Holy Cave of the Nativity. infinite affection which emanates from the eyes of the Panagia’s icon, and her serene gaze, sweetens and exalts the hearts of the faithful. clothing on the Icon of the Theotokos is covered with luxurious fabrics and precious gems, and makes a distinct impression. is no clear historical data concerning the origin of the icon. is speculation that it came from Russia, and pious tradition particularly links it to the Russian Empress Catherine, who visited the Holy Land and Bethlehem after a miracle performed by the Virgin. donated her imperial garments in order to clothe the “Mistress of the World” with them. to tradition, she also gave her jewelry to be placed on the sacred icon, empresses not to wear rubies (or diamonds, according to others) any longer, for this was the exclusive privilege of the “Queen of the Angels.” the Bethlehem Icon has a special place in the hearts of all the Orthodox. Virgin Mary, the Lady of the Holy Land, is the tender mother who obeyed God’s command and brought our Savior and Redeemer into the world; at the same time she is the mother of us all and an intercessor before her Son in all our appeals. is our guardian angel. our moments of difficulty, we turn spontaneously to face her icon and her grace, always invoking her as “our fervent protector and helper.” Bethlehem;

Russia, Moscow, 1709, Battle of Poltava, Great Northern War, Russian Victory
Battle of Poltava; Great Northern War; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24;

Russia, Moscow, 1710-1711, Russo-Turkish War (1710-1711), Pruth R Campaign, Swede King to Moldovia
Moscow, 1710-1711, Russo-Turkish War (1710-1711), Pruth River Campaign;

Russia, Moscow, 1715-1793, Niketas oRoslavl Forests, Smolensk, Kiev, MOG&Angels visit, incorrupt r, prayer rope&rotten shoe
Russia, Kiev, 1715-1793, Niketas of the Roslavl Forests, Smolensk, Kiev area (Desna River 1), tWhite Bluff Hermitage, 1780 small hill cell wWell, roadside bread in tree basket, animals present, mosquitoes torment, tears gift, became ill lost voice heartbroken for Annunciation feast, visited by MOG divine light & angels, blessed he began to sing angels joined him, health back to White Bluff, only ashes, later moved to the monastery, exhausted he moved to Roslavl and Alexandra Bronevskaya property, protector of hermits till 1793 his repose,, behive burial, incorrept relics, couldn't remove prayer rope, only shoe not made by him rotted; Roslavl; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29; holy Schema-monk Niketas was born in the city of Orel in 1695. childhood, he loved to go on pilgrimages to the holy places. As a youth, he left his parents and lived about a mile or so from the White Bluff (Beloberezhsk) Hermitage. is not known when he received the monastic tonsure, or from whom. In 1780 he built a cell on a hillock, and he dug a well by the hill. ate bread that passersby would leave in his basket, which hung by the roadside on a tree. was in a dense part of the forest, and animals were often seen by the hermit’s cell. bit him mercilessly, until he was covered in blood. They tormented him terribly, but Saint Nikḗtas bore everything with patience. received the gift of tears from God, and he always shed tears for his own sins and for the sins of others. in March, he became ill, and lay down without moving. The day before the Feast of the Annunciation arrived. Father Nikḗtas lay there and heard the bells ringing in the Hermitage for the all-night service. He tried to sing the Troparion of the Feast, but being so weak, and because he had lost his voice, he was unable to do so. The Elder wept bitterly, heartbroken because he could not meet the Feast Day in an appropriate way. his cell became awash with light, and Nikḗtas saw the Most Holy Theotokos surrounded by angels. Mother of God blessed him, and he began to sing the Troparion of the Feast feebly, but with an unearthly ecstasy. The angels joined him in the singing, and his cell was filled with the praises of the inhabitants of heaven. The vision ended, but Saint Nikḗtas remained under its impression for a long time. soon as he regained his health, he went to the White Bluff Hermitage for a time. When he got there, he found only ashes where his cell had once stood. evil person had burnt it down while the Elder was away. Father Nikḗtas sat down on the hillock weeping bitter tears. he moved to the monastery, where he humbly fulfilled all the obediences that were laid upon him, serving the monks without sparing himself. during a Church service, he fell on the floor from exhaustion. about the Roslavl solitaries, he moved in with them and lived there on the southern edge of Monks’ Gorge, near the village of Yakimovskoe (Akimovka) on the property of Alexandra Bronevskaya, a zealous protector of the hermits who lived on her lands in great numbers. reposed in 1853, and was more than eighty years of age. Nikḗtas lived there for over ten years, and again he moved to White Bluff Hermitage. 1792, however, he wanted to return to his Hermitage before his death. At his request, the Roslavl hermit Father Dositheos rented a horse from a peasant, and in late 1792 he came over to the Hermitage for Father Nikḗtas, and found him very ill. Dositheos asked him to wait until summer, but the Elder was in a hurry to see his Hermitage. the Superior’s blessing, Dositheos took Nikḗtas and laid him on the wagon, and covered him with a tarp and some straw. took the ailing Elder some 90 miles to the Roslavl Forest. Here Nikḗtas lived for another six months, departing to the Lord on March 29, 1793. preparing his body for burial, Father Dositheos put it into a beehive, called in the nearby priest and neighboring hermits, and they buried him near his cell. Monks’ Gorge always had water in it, Father Dositheos, after a certain revelation, dug up the grave of Elder Nikḗtas after seven years, in order to move it to higher ground. beehive was whole, and the body and clothing of the Elder were incorrupt. a birch (linden?) bark shoe which was made by a disciple and not by the Elder himself was found to have rotted. The other shoe was whole. the beehive was opened, Father John from the village of Luga was there with other hermits. One of these, Father Arsenios, wanted to exchange his prayer ropes for those of the Elder. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not take them from Saint Nikḗtas’s hand. body of Father Nikḗtas was taken out of the beehive and placed in a coffin. After a Memorial Service, he was buried on the hillock. the burial there was a sick monk who suffered from a stomachache. He drank water from the grave site and was healed. fifteen years after Elder Nikḗtas’s death, the coffin was opened again, and his body was found incorrupt just as before. his grave were two memorial stones, and one was very large. Hermits came here on Pascha to sing the Paschal Canon. Elder Dositheos honored the memory of Schema-monk Nikḗtas until the time of his own death, and he always remembered him every year at Pascha. Nikḗtas was approved for local veneration in the Smolensk Diocese on August 31, 2017.

Russia, Moscow, 1720-1863, Uncut Mount Icon, pray to Clouded Mt icon, f icon in attic, lived in peace, t to Smolensk Icon t
Russia, Tver, 1720, Uncut Mount Icon, Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), pray to MOG Clouded Mt icon, f icon in attic, lived in peace, t to Smolensk Icon t; Tver; Icon of the Mother of God of the Uncut Mount, Commemorated on March 24; Uncut, or Clouded Mountain Icon of the Mother of God: 250-300 years ago this icon was in one of the men’s monasteries of Tver was presented by the Superior to Cosmas Volchaninov in gratitude for his fine work in the monastery church. This icon was passed on from generation to generation, but a certain impious grandson of Cosmas removed it and placed the icon in an attic. bride endured many insults from her husband and his relatives. In despair over her marriage she resolved to commit suicide in a deserted bath-house. On the way there a monk appeared to her and said, “Where are you going, unhappy one? Go back, pray to the Theotokos of The Clouded Mountain, and you will live in peace.” agitated young wife returned home and revealed everything, not concealing her interrupted intention. They searched for the monk, but they did not find him, and no one had seen him but her. This took place on the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. found the icon in the attic, cleaned off the dirt and set it up in the house in a place of honor. In the evening, the parish priest served the all-night Vigil before the icon. From that time, Vigil was served in the house every year on this day. more than 150 years the icon was in the Volchaninov family. Katherine, daughter of Basil, the last of the Volchaninov line, married George Ivanovich Konyaev, taking with her the icon of the Mother of God as a precious inheritance. Moliebens and all-night vigils were served in the Konyaev house on March 24 and November 7 (perhaps this was the day when the icon was transferred from the monastery to the house of Cosmas Volchaninov). 1863 near a cemetery church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God it was decided to build a chapel in honor of Saint Tikhon and Saint Macarius of Kalyazin. The then owner of the icon, George Konyaev (who died in 1868 at the age of 97) wanted to donate the icon of the Theotokos to the church. He asked the clergy to build another chapel for the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God of the “Clouded Mountain.” also said, “I feel the very best place for it is the temple of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, since the place on which the church was built, in former times was called a Mount, since it was the highest place in the city. The inhabitants took their possessions to the Mount and saved themselves from ruin during a flood. Let the icon, “The Clouded Mountain”, remain on this mountain with your blessing, and let all who are buried here be veiled with Her mercy.” On July 15, 1866 the icon was transferred into the new chapel, which was consecrated by Bishop Anthony of Staritsk the following day. the icon the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted standing on a semi-circular elevation, a mountain; on Her left arm, the Divine Infant blesses with His right hand. Upon the head of the Mother of God is a crown, and in Her hand a mountain, on which are seen above churches with cupolas and crosses.

Russia, Moscow, 1721, Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721, GN War
Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721; Great Northern War 1700-1721; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1725, Peter 1 the G, Expansion and Navy in Azov, Black, White, and Baltic Seas
Moscow Tsar, 1682-1725, Peter the Great, Tsar of All Russia ; the Great (9 June [O.S. 30 May] 1672 - 8 February [O.S. 28 January] 1725)[b] ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother, Ivan V. a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power and also laid the groundwork for the Imperial Russian Navy after capturing ports at Azov and the Baltic Sea. led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, Westernised and based on the Enlightenment.[1] Peter's reforms had a lasting impact on Russia, and many institutions of the Russian government trace their origins to his reign. He is also known for founding and developing the city of Saint Petersburg, which remained the capital of Russia until 1917. Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All Who SorrowÂ, Commemorated on October 24; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1725, Emperor Peter 1 the G, Cultural Revolution, Westernization, no beards, anti church
Moscow Tsar, 1682-1725, Peter the Great, Tsar of All Russia ; the Great (9 June [O.S. 30 May] 1672 - 8 February [O.S. 28 January] 1725)[b] ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from 7 May [O.S. 27 April] 1682 until his death in 1725, jointly ruling before 1696 with his elder half-brother, Ivan V. a number of successful wars, he expanded the Tsardom into a much larger empire that became a major European power and also laid the groundwork for the Imperial Russian Navy after capturing ports at Azov and the Baltic Sea. led a cultural revolution that replaced some of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, Westernised and based on the Enlightenment.[1] Peter's reforms had a lasting impact on Russia, and many institutions of the Russian government trace their origins to his reign. He is also known for founding and developing the city of Saint Petersburg, which remained the capital of Russia until 1917. Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All Who SorrowÂ, Commemorated on October 24; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated on December 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected JoyÂ, Commemorated on January 25; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire, third largest in history, 1 British and 2 Mongol
Moscow, 1721-1917, Russian Empire; Moscow, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Sweden); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14;

Russia, Moscow, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722-“23) Caspian, Caucasus North and South, C Iran to R
Moscow, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722-“23) Russia over Persia to control Caspian and Caucasus (Georgia) for Orthodoxy, Peter the Great; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1724-1771, Sophronius, Irkutsk, Siberian Wonderworker, trustworthy workers from Ukraine. stable S culture
Russia, Siberia, 1724-1771, Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and Wonderworker of all Siberia, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14), from Little Russia aka Ukraine, Pereyaslavl, U, Kiev T A, Krasnogorsk M, heard voice, build All Saints Church, Bishop of Irkutsk but back to Kiev to get trustworthy workers, developed stable local culture ; Irkutsk; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and Wonderworker of all Siberia, whose family name was Kristalevsky, was born in Malorussia in the Chernigov region in 1704. His father, Nazarius, was “a common man in his affairs,” and the saint was named Stephen, in honor of the protomartyr Saint Stephen. He had two brothers and a sister, Pelagia. The name of one brother was Paul. The name of the other older brother is unknown, but it is said that he was head of the Krasnogorsk Zolotonosh monastery. ’s childhood years were spent in the settlement of Berezan in the Pereyaslavl district of the Poltava governance, where the family settled after the father was discharged from service. he came of age, Stephen entered the Kiev Theological Academy, where two other future hierarchs were studying: Joasaph, future Bishop of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10), and Paul, future Metropolitan of Tobolsk (June 10 and November 4). completing his religious education, Stephen entered the Krasnogorsk Transfiguration monastery [later renamed the Protection monastery. In 1789, it was transformed into a women’s monastery], where his elder brother already labored in asceticism. On April 23, 1730 he received monastic tonsure with the name of Sophronius, in honor of Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (March 11). the night after his monastic tonsure, Saint Sophronius heard a Voice in the Protection church predicting his future service: “When you become bishop, build a church dedicated to All Saints.” 1732, he was summoned to Kiev. There he was ordained hierodeacon, and then hieromonk in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom. After Saint Sophronius had been a monk for two years, he became treasurer of the Zolotonosh monastery for two years, and then His Grace Bishop Arsenius (Berlov) of the Pereyaslavl diocese sent him into the house of his archbishop, where he was steward for eight years. facts testify to the connections of the saint with his original Protection monastery. During his obedience under the presiding hierarch at Pereyaslavl, he often visited his monastery, spending the day in quiet contemplation and work, serving as an example to the brethren. Hieromonk Sophronius traveled to the Holy Synod on behalf of his bishop, they paid close attention to him. In January 1742, the future saint was transferred to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Peterburg, the foremost monastery of the capital. A year later he was appointed treasurer of the monastery, and in 1746 he was appointed as Superior of the monastery. summoned his fellow countryman, the hieromonk Sinesios (Ivanoff), a native of the city of Priluki, and made him igumen of the Saint Sergius Hermitage, a dependancy of Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra. From this time the friendship of the two ascetics, hieromonk Sophronius and hieromonk Sinesios, was strengthened by their joint pastoral effort, and they were inseparable until they died in Siberia. these years Saint Sophronius worked hard at managing the monastery and improvement of teaching at the seminary located nearby. He and Archbishop Theodosius made it their task to acquire more books for the monastic library. Sophronius built a two storey church: the upper church was dedicated to Saint Theodore, the older brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky; and the lower to Saint John Chrysostom. Innocent II (Nerunovich) of Irkutsk died in 1747. For six years afterwards, the Irkutsk diocese remained without a spiritual head. on February 23, 1753, the empress Elizabeth (1741-1761) recommended the pious Igumen Sophronius of the Alexander Nevsky monastery to the Holy Synod as “a person, not only worthy of episcopal rank, but also someone completely able to fulfill the wishes and the hopes of the state and the Synod, and take up the burden of episcopal service on the far frontier and satisfy the needs of his flock in that harsh land, among wild primitives and lawless people.” April 18, 1753, Thomas Sunday, Hieromonk Sophronius was consecrated Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk in the Dormition cathedral. difficult service on the distant Siberian frontier, the new bishop did not immediately travel to the Irkutsk eparchy, but rather began to gather educated and spiritually experienced co-workers. During this period Saint Sophronius visited at his original Krasnogorsk monastery. At the holy places of Kiev, he also sought the blessings of the Kiev Caves Saints for his service. The constant companion of the saint, as had been before, was the hieromonk Sinesios, sharing in his friend’s work. Moscow, Archbishop Platon of Moscow and Sevsk provided him with further assistance. He gave him fatherly advice for his task, since he was quite familiar with the peculiarities of the Siberian religious life. He forewarned him about the self-willed local authorities, and advised him to surround himself with trustworthy helpers. March 20, 1754 the saint arrived at Irkutsk. He went first to the Ascension monastery, his predecessor’s residence, and prayed at the grave of Bishop Innocent (Kulchitz), asking his blessing as he took up his assignment. himself with the state of affairs in the diocese, the saint began the reorganization of the Spiritual consistory, monasteries and parishes, and appealed to the Holy Synod to send worthy men to the Irkutsk eparchy for priestly service. the arrival of Saint Sophronius, the Irkutsk monasteries had already a century-old history. The founders of these monasteries were motivated by a fervent desire for monastic life. The wise hierarch appointed people of piety, wisdom, virtue, and with great experience both of life and spiritual matters as heads of the monastic communities. In 1754, Bishop Sophronius elevated his friend and companion Hieromonk Sinesios to be Archimandrite of Ascension monastery. He served the monastery for thirty-three years until his blessed repose. September 1754, the bishop issued a decree in which he expressed concern for the education and upbringing of the children of the clergy. He wanted them to learn the HOROLOGION, the PSALTER, singing and letters, and this instruction “ought to be conducted with all industriousness and the utmost diligence, so that the children might be able to fulfill the responsibilities of sacristan and deacon.” both people and circumstances, the bishop in his sermons and conversations exhorted all to a higher moral ideal. He devoted particular attention to the reverent and correct performance of the divine services and the Holy Mysteries, and he also looked after the moral purity of laymen. He was concerned about the position of women in the family, and defended them against their unjust inequality. The bishop attempted to set straight the Rule of divine services, and so he summoned priests, deacons, subdeacons and sacristans, and those who sang in the choir during services. about the diocese, the saint noticed that censing and the ringing of bells were not being done properly in all places, and therefore he issued a decree restoring the proper way of censing and bell-ringing. to apostolic service in this frontier region, Saint Sophronius realized that his duty was to enlighten the Christians of the area, and also to convert the idol-worshippers, who were very numerous in Siberia. was difficult to bring pagans to the Church of Christ, especially because sometimes there was no one to serve in the churches, and to borrow priests for missionary activity only made matters worse. Knowing that the Church services would have a salutary effect on non-Russians, the saint not only served with reverence himself, but also required it of all his clergy. Sophronius also contributed to the development of a stable culture among the local people. He offered them monastic lands for settlements and in every way he endeavored to isolate them from the influence of paganism. A constant throng of visitors came from faraway places for his blessing. with his many cares, he did not forget his own spiritual life and eternity. He also led an ascetical life. His cell-attendant said that the saint “used simple food in small quantities. He served often, spent the greater part of the night at prayer, sleeping on the floor under a sheepskin or a fur, a deerskin or bear hide, and a small simple pillow.” spirit of his ascetic life fit in with the general uplifting of the Christian spirit in Russia after the glorification of Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21), Theodosius of Chernigov (September 9), and the uncovering of the incorrupt relics of his predecessor, Saint Innocent of Irkutsk (February 9). This event inspired Saint Sophronius to greater efforts and encouraged him to ask for the help of Saint Innocent in his task of building up the diocese. the end of his days Saint Sophronius kept his love for the Krasnogor Zolotonosh monastery, which had nurtured him in the days of his youth. He constantly contributed support for its upkeep, sending the necessary means for this. a deterioration in his health, Saint Sophronius petitioned the Holy Synod to let him retire. The answer from Peterburg did not come right away, since it was difficult to choose a worthy successor. final days of Saint Sophronius’s life were spent in asceticism and prayer. light, which shone on the good deeds of Saint Sophronius, continues to the present time to testify to the glory of the Heavenly Father, “Who mercifully strengthens His saints.” Now the holy memory of Saint Sophronius is reverently preserved not only in Siberia at the place of his final deeds, but also at the place of his first deeds. Sophronius is also commemorated on June 30 (his glorification in 1918).

Russia, Moscow, 1725-1754, Joasaph oBelgorod, great admin&Spiritual abilities, rebuilder, Athanasius appears fProtection sign
Mongol, Scythia, 1725-1754, Joasaph oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), fProluka, Poltava, Ukrainian Lineage, Kiev Spiritual Academy a7yrOld, 1725 rasophore against parents w aKiev Mezhigorsk m, 1727 monk Joasaph aKiev-Bratsk m, Kiev Archbishop Raphael Zaborovsky noticed abilities, assigned greater service, office oExaminer, 1734 hiermonk, or priest, fSchool tArchbishop's house, appointed Kiev religious consistory, correction clergy deficiencies, developed admin abilities, clergy good points&failings, his great spiritual efforts, seen in tConflict of tSeven Venerable Virtues with tSeven Deadly Sins, 1737 igumen Mgarsk m, bastion against Unia, Athanasius' relics, A appeareances, as protection sign, 1744 Archmandrite, tMoscow then tTrinity Sergiev Rostov for fire rebuilding, 1748 Bishop oBelgorod, emphasized piety, church condition, proper divine service, moral condition flock, education clergy, without health regard, 2time oDeath prophecies; Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Joasaph was born at Proluka, in the former Poltava governance, on September 8, 1705, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. was descended from the old and venerable Little Russian (Ukrainian) lineage of the Gorlenkovi. At Baptism he was named Joachim. 1712, his father enrolled the seven-year-old Joachim in the Kiev Spiritual Academy. the walls of the academy he felt attracted to monastic life. For seven years he studied it further, and finally revealed his intention to his parents. a long time his mother and father pleaded with their first-born son not to accept monastic tonsure. in 1725, unknown to them, he became a “rasophore” (“robe-wearing novice”) with the name Hilarion at the Kiev Mezhigorsk monastery, on 21 November 1727 he was tonsured in the mantya with the name Joasaph at the Kievo-Bratsk monastery. This event coincided with the completion of his studies at the spiritual academy. the death of His Grace Barlaam, the See of Kiev was governed by Archbishop Raphael Zaborovsky. Raphael noticed the abilities of the young ascetic and assigned him to greater service to the Church. was entrusted with the responsibility of the office of examiner of the Kiev archbishopric. November 1734, Archbishop Raphael ordained the hierodeacon Joasaph as hieromonk, he was transferred from the Bratsk monastery school to the Kiev-Sophia archbishop’s house. the same time, he was appointed a member of the Kiev religious consistory. fulfilling the office of examiner, he exerted much effort towards the correction of moral deficiencies among the parish clergy. saint’s service in the consistory office enabled him to develop his administrative abilities. this time, he made a good study of the needs of clergy-servers, noting both the good points and the failings of the diocese. talent for administration was combined with his great spiritual effort. He quickly ascended the ladder of spiritual perfection, can be seen in his work, “The Conflict of the Seven Venerable Virtues with the Seven Deadly Sins.” June 24, 1737 Hieromonk Joasaph was appointed head of the Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery, and elevated to the rank of igumen. he worked with all his strength to put the monastery in good order, for it was an old bastion of Orthodoxy in the struggle with the Unia. this monastery were relics of Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Constantinople and Wonderworker of Lubny (May 2). times Saint Athanasius appeared to Igumen Joasaph, as a sign of his patronal protection. 1744 Metropolitan Raphael elevated Igumen Joasaph to the dignity of archimandrite. the end of that same year he was called to Moscow and soon, at the direction of the Most Holy Synod, he was appointed vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra monastery. this monastery of Saint Sergius he also unstintingly fulfilled obedience to the Church (this year required much exertion for the rebuilding of the monastery after a fire). June 2, 1748 at the Peter and Paul cathedral in Peterburg, Archimandrite Joasaph was ordained Bishop of Belgorod. the archbishop’s throne, Saint Joasaph strictly concerned himself with piety and the condition of the churches, with the proper celebration of divine services, and especially with the moral condition of his flock. saint devoted great attention to the education of the clergy, and the correct observance of churchly norms and traditions. as before, the saint worked with all his strength in his archpastoral service, without regard for his health. the eve of his repose, the saint forbade his cell attendant Stephen to aspire to the priesthood, and he predicted that if he did not obey him, he would meet with an untimely end. another cell attendant Basil, the saint indicated that he would be a deacon, but would never become a priest. this prediction was fulfilled. Saint Joasaph died on December 10, 1754, and was glorified on September 4, 1911.

Russia, Moscow, 1727-1730, Tsar, Peter II of Russia, Orphan, hunting, feasting, end of R line
Moscow, 1727-1730, Tsar, Peter II of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1730, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Icon, Appearance of Mother of God to heal cantor
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius ™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1730-1740, Tsar, Anna of Russia, influenced by uncle Peter the G
Moscow, 1730-1740, Tsar, Anna of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Icon of the Mother of God "œXenophon Hodigitria"Â, Commemorated on January 21; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1732-1778, Rousseau, modern thought, Facist, Nazi, Marxist, progressive
Switzerland, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive; Rousseau; 28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought.[1] Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. Rousseau's sentimental novel Julie, or the New Heloise (1761) was important to the development of preromanticism and romanticism in fiction.[2][3] His Emile, or On Education (1762) is an educational treatise on the place of the individual in society. Rousseau's autobiographical writings—the posthumously published Confessions (composed in 1769), which initiated the modern autobiography, and the unfinished Reveries of the Solitary Walker (composed 1776–1778)—exemplified the late-18th-century "Age of Sensibility", and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. befriended fellow philosopher Denis Diderot in 1742, and would later write about Diderot's romantic troubles in his Confessions. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosophers among members of the Jacobin Club. He was interred as a national hero in the Panthéon in Paris, in 1794, 16 years after his death. Absolved From Being Good-Mannered: The Romantic Totalitarianism of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, May 20, 2021 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks, Ural River, Kazakhastan, Siberia, Orthodox
Russia, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Moscow, 1735-1739, Austro-Russian-Turk War) Crimea, Hapsburgs w Russia, Black Sea, R g Azov, bad for Austria
Moscow, 1735-1739, Austro-Russian-“Turkish War (1735-“39); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1739-1768, Icon of Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula River 1), MOG commanded wash the icon, use the water to heal malaria
Russia, Kiev, 1739-1768, Icon of Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula (Vorskla) River 1), MOG commanded wash the icon, use the water to heal malaria, found in a field, radiant light, same room inexplicable fear, miracles investigated, stolen but copies still worked, painted western style, uncovered head, cross smaller proportion; Akhtyr ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Akhtyr Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on July 2, 1739 in the village of Akhtyr in the area of Kharkov, east of Kiev. Basil Danilov, a righteous man of strong faith, was the priest of the Dormition church in Akhtyr. He wanted to try out a new scythe, and so he went out to a field by the church. As he began to cut the tall grass, Basil noticed an icon of the Mother of God shining with a radiant light. Dropping the scythe, he fell to his knees and began to pray, then took the icon to his home. icon remained in the priest’s home for three years. No one could spend the night in the same room as the icon, because an inexplicable fear would force them to leave. night the Theotokos appeared to Father Basil in a dream, reproaching him because he had not cleaned the icon in the three years since he had found it. he awoke, he dusted the icon off and washed it with water, then went back to sleep. night he had another dream in which he saw himself going to the river in order to pour out the water he had used to wash the icon. Mother of God appeared to him again and ordered him to return home with the water, explaining that it would cure people of malaria and fever. Father Basil’s daughter became ill with malaria, he gave her some of the water to drink and she was healed. Others also received healing in this way. The priest decided that the icon should not remain in his home, so he took it to the church. iconographer named John was commissioned to restore the icon. his son was suffering from malaria, John remembered how the water used to wash the icon had cured people of that disease. Therefore, he washed the icon and gave his son some of the water to drink. The young man was healed at once, and there were many other miracles after this one. miracles of the Akhtyr Icon were investigated no less than three times. In 1751 the Holy Synod determined that reports of the miracles were true, and declared the icon to be wonderworking. Elizabeth had a stone church built in Akhtyr for the icon, and she personally donated two thousand rubles. Joasaph of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10) blessed the cornerstone. The church was consecrated in the year 1768. Nicholas I ordered that on the Saturday before Pentecost the Akhtyr Icon should be taken from the Protection Cathedral and carried in procession to the Akhtyr-Holy Trinity Monastery. The icon was brought back to the cathedral during the week of All Saints. the icon was stolen from the Protection Cathedral on April 1, 1905. Many copies of the Akhtyr Icon were made before it was stolen. July 2 many churches bless water in remembrance of the healings which took place after the Mother of God ordered Father Basil Danilov to wash the icon. icon is rather unusual, and does not seem to have an earlier prototype. is painted in a Western style, and shows the Theotokos with an uncovered head. The Crucifixion of Christ is depicted in much smaller proportions, and the Virgin seems to be gazing directly at the Cross. hands are held with the palms together, and the fingers pointing upward, which is not a typical gesture of prayer in Orthodox iconography.

Russia, Moscow, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia, exiled bJealous superiors, revived 2 Monasteries
Russia, Mordovia, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, near Volga River 9), fRomanov, Yaroslavl, 1719, Prince's son, enlisted Petersburg Guard regiment, obtained rank sargent, God delivered him from great spiritual danger in Capital, example drinking party one suddenly collapsed and died, affected him greatly, similar to Xenia's hisband's death, Major Andrew Petrov, decided leave and live in wilderness, dedicating self to God, reminded of life luxury by seeing his uncle and servants, abandoned cell in forrests by White Sea, there 3yrs oHardship, Govt regs citizens not permitted allow monks in forrests, beaten by villagers, Ploschansk m south oKiev, said son oPriest, no admit sargent otGuard, legal obsticles, igumen no accept long time, no ID papers, Finally did accept, assigned reader, hearing him read relized probably nobility, ordered J live in forrest, fearing autohority problem, found empty cell, caught by authorities, admitted sargent otGauard, taken to empress Elizabeth, she asked why did you desert, to save his soul, forgave him, did not want former rank, why snuck away not asking discharge, you wouln not have believed my terrible burden, I have been tested in spiritual life and want to return till death, Liz agreed, but stipulated he remain at Alex Nevsky Lavra in St Pete, tonsured at Liz' express command at 29 in 1748, Archbishop Theodosius gave him name Theodore, for Theodore oYaroslavl, people came tAsk him how to please God, tried tell them more experienced monks, he found he could not answer all the questions so he began to read books and Chrysostom, Praying God enlighten him, able to instruct people, this caused jealousy among some older monks, disturbing tranquility, hierarch ordered no visitor requesting Theodore admitted, Theodore asked why, told he presumed instruct people, routine oMonastery disrupted, T said if something unlawful to Eminence, then should question me. it sinful tCause unneccessary sorrow those seeking spiritual profit, furious but archbishop ordered people allowed see T again, jealousy continued 10 yrs, T patiently endured, 1757 he wanted transfer tSarov, when brethern found out they insisted he submit written request to transfer, Fr T left St Pete with many followers male and female, settled his women disciples aSt Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, they soon moved to vacant Alexeyevsky Convent, male disciples went with him to Sarov, 1759 T asked Igumen Ephraim let him have Samaxar M, because disciples had increased, S had been closed after 50 yrs by Peter I, property under Sarov, at Sanaxar began building cells and storerooms, Bishop Tambov appointed T as Superior, and ordained reluctant T as priest in 1762, established rule for reverent unhurried celebration oServices, cell rule, monks continued increase, not all tonsured, number monks allowed regulated by law, 1763 Emperess Catherine II decreed all his monks should be tonsred, 1764 she limited number of monasteries, Sanaxar scheduled closed, but remained open for T's efforts, 1764 T became Igumen, Sanaxar reclassified a monastery 1765, needed larger stone church, foundation, swarm of bees on altar spot, sign oIncrease and abundant grace, Monk named Herman ordered brush bees off, or Gerasimus, Father herman now in America, Theodore may have been one of Herman's early instructors, T once visited Tikhon at Zadonsk, Tikhon also knew suffer offences from superiors and worldly minded monks, and layman, perhaps advised T how endure trials ahead, Royal edict ordered him exiled to Soovki as troublemaker, deprived of rank, igumen and Hiermonk, Solovki superior ordered keep close eye on him, there 9yrs, release by his disciple Archmandrite Theophanes, who was cell attendant to Met Gabriel oSt Pete, who asked Theophanes prepare memo of case facts in detail, resule Met G asked Emperess Catherine II release T and permit return tSanaxar, 1783 return, weakened condition from cold&Stove fumes, took long time get back Sanaxar, arrived Arzamas Oct 1783, greeted by sisters and 2Hiermonks fSanaxar, plus others, monastery superiors, respected nobles, merchants, ordinary men and women, stayed 1Week, instructing nuns each day, Entire Sanaxar brotherhood met him at the ferry on Moksha River, accompanied him walk tSanaxar, few days later renewed persecution, Hierodeacon Hillarion acccused him being heretic and atheist, before Holy Synod, they determined Hillarion at fault, should be punished, Hillarion asked T's forgiveness before whole community, Sanaxar Superior Bennedict jealous of T because otCrowds oVisitors, complained tLocal Bishop, that monastery quiet being disturbed, investigators sent, did not interview anyone favorable to T, so T forbidden receive visitors, once again Theophanes brought T's plight tMet Gabriel, bit more freedom, but only by writing letters, Bennedict became ill, T went to B' cell to ask forgiveness, B turned his face and refused to speak, B suffered a while and died 1778, T again permitted visit nuns Alexxeyevsky Convent aArzamas, delivered moving homily Pslam 136 (by rivers oBabylon), left Arzamas, stopped aSarov, asked forgiveness everyone, rushed back tSanaxar, arrived wed oCheesefare week, spoke tHis disciples around noon, dismissed them tTheir Cells, 2Noble disciples remained behind tAsk advice, Suddenly expression changed and began to weep for 15minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth, then order them to their cells, saying feeling weak, unusual weakness, soon cell attendant knocked, no answer, entered and found him praying on his bed, left and reported, they all came to see him but he would not speak, 5hrs later he surrended his soul to God; Sanaxar; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Theodore was born near the town of Romanov in the province of Yaroslavl in 1719, son of Prince Ignatius Ushakov and his wife Paraskevḗ (or Irene). his Baptism, he was named John. a young man, John Ushakov enlisted in the Preobrazhensky Guard Regiment in Petersburg, attained the rank of sergeant. in the capital was fraught with great spiritual danger for a young person, God delivered John from the wrong path. John was twenty, at a drinking party with his friends, one of them suddenly collapsed and died. They all experienced fear and sadness, but this seemed to affect John more than the others. incident is remarkably similar to the circumstances surrounding the death of Major Andrew Petrov, the husband of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg (January 24), it may be only coincidental. any case, John decided to leave Saint Petersburg and live in the wilderness, dedicating himself to God. walking near the city of Yaroslavl disguised as a laborer, saw his uncle out with his servants. uncle did not recognize him because of his poor clothing, but John was reminded of his former life of luxury and ease. soon banished this thought and resolved to dwell in the wilderness. walking in the forests near the White Sea, came upon an abandoned cell, he decided to remain there in solitude and pray to God. lived there for three years in great hardship and affliction. regulations of the time enjoined citizens not to permit monks to live in the forests. John came to the village for supplies, he was beaten within an inch of his life, and was forced to flee. eventually came to the region south of Kiev, reaching the Ploschansk Monastery. begged the igumen to accept him, saying that he was the son of a priest. could not admit to being a sergeant of the Guard, since legal obstacles would have made it very difficult for him to enter monastic life. igumen would not accept him for a long time, since he did not have the proper identification papers. he did accept John and assigned him to read in church. hearing him read, the igumen realized that John was not from a priestly family, but probably belonged to the nobility. trouble with the authorities, he ordered John to live in the forest near the monastery where other ascetics were living. found an empty cell and received the blessing of these Fathers to remain there. a team of investigators came to the forest looking for monks living there illegally, John was caught. he had no documents and admitted to being a sergeant in the Guard, he was brought to Saint Petersburg and taken to the empress Elizabeth. he was taken to the empress, she asked, “Why did you desert my regiment?” explained that he had done so in order to save his soul. forgave him and was willing to restore him to his former rank, but John said that he did not want his former life or rank. empress then asked why he had snuck away in secret instead of asking to be discharged. replied, “If I had troubled Your Majesty with such a request, you would not have believed that a young man such as I could have borne such a burden. I have now been tested in the spiritual life, and I ask Your Majesty to bless me to continue in it until my death.” agreed to this, but stipulated that he should remain in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. at her express command, John was tonsured in August of 1748 at the age of twenty-nine. Archbishop Theodosius, who then governed the monastery, ordered that he be named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore of Yaroslavl (September 19). Father Theodore was in the Lavra, people would visit and ask him about how to please God while living in the world. tried to tell them that there were older, wiser monks there who would be able to instruct them better than he could. they insisted, so he tried to help them. found, however, that he could not always answer their questions or find solutions to their problems, he began to read patristic books, especially the works of Saint John Chrysostom, God to enlighten him so he could understand the Scriptures and the teachings of the Fathers. learned many things from his reading, and he was able to instruct people for their spiritual profit. caused jealousy among some of the older monks, who complained to the archbishop that this young monk was attracting people to himself and disturbing the tranquility of the monastery. hierarch ordered that no visitor requesting to see Father Theodore should be admitted. Theodore went to the steward of the monastery, asking him why people could not see him. was told that because he presumed to instruct people, attracting many visitors, that the routine of the monastery was disrupted. “If there is something in my teaching which seems unlawful to His Eminence,” Father Theodore responded, “then he should question me. is sinful, however, to cause unnecessary sorrow to those seek spiritual profit.” archbishop was furious, but he ordered that people should be allowed to see Father Theodore again. jealousy and difficulties continued for ten years, and Father Theodore endured his trials with patience. 1757, he wanted to transfer to Sarov Monastery, and when the brethren of the Lavra found out about this, they insisted that he submit a written request for transfer. his release, Father Theodore left Saint Petersburg with many of his disciples, male and female. the way they stopped at Saint Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, where he settled his women disciples. they moved to the vacant Alexeyevsky Convent. male disciples went with him to Sarov. 1759, after two years at Sarov, Father Theodore asked Igumen Ephraim to let him have the Sanaxar Monastery, the number of his disciples had increased. had been founded in 1659, but was closed by Tsar Peter I in the first half of the eighteenth century, and the property was administered by the Sarov Monastery. moving to Sanaxar Hermitage, Father Theodore began the work of building cells and storerooms. Pachomius of Tambov appointed Father Theodore as the Superior. also ordained the reluctant Father Theodore to the holy priesthood on December 13, 1762. Theodore began setting things in order, establishing a Rule for the reverent, unhurried celebration of the services. also set down a cell Rule for the monks to follow. shared in the work (except those who were too old or too sick), including the Superior. number of monks at Sanaxar continued to increase, but not all of them had been tonsured. was necessary to obtain permission to have them tonsured, the number of monks allowed to live in a monastery was regulated by law. April 23, 1763 Empress Catherine II decreed that all of Father Theodore’s monks should be tonsured. following year, she issued a decree limiting the number of monasteries, those not specifically approved would be closed. Hermitage was among the monastic institutions scheduled to be closed, it remained open through Father Theodore’s efforts. Theodore was raised to the rank of igumen in October of 1764, Sanaxar was reclassified as a Monastery on March 7, 1765. of the number of brethren, it became necessary to build a larger stone church to replace the small wooden one. foundation was dug and a Molieben served at the site. a swarm of bees came and settled on the spot where the altar would be. was taken as a sign of an increase in the number of brethren, and an abundance of grace in the monastery. to N. Subbotin’s 1862 book on Archimandrite Theophanes of the Saint Cyril of New Lake Monastery (who was a novice at Sanaxar at the same time that Saint Herman was), Theodore ordered a monk named Herman to brush the bees into a hive. is probable that this was the future Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). another edition of the book, the brother’s name is given as Gerasimus. this account, Subbotin mentions “Father Herman, who is now in America.” discrepency in names may be explained if Saint Herman’s name before his tonsure was Gerasimus. Herman, in one of his letters to Father Nazarius, says that he had friends at Sarov and Sanaxar, Saint Theodore may have been one of Saint Herman’s early instructors. Theodore once visited Saint Tikhon (August 13) at the Zadonsk Monastery. is not known how long the two had known one another, but the retired bishop received him with love. visit was providential, because Saint Tikhon also knew what it was to suffer offenses from superiors, from worldly-minded monks, and from laymen. he even advised Father Theodore on how to endure the trials which lay ahead of him. Father Theodore returned to Sanaxar a royal edict was delivered to him by a courier. ordered him to be sent as an exile to Solovki Monastery as a troublemaker. was deprived of the rank of Igumen and Hieromonk, the Superior of Solovki was ordered to keep a close eye on him. Theodore remained there for nine years (1774-1783). release came about thanks to his disciple Archimandrite Theophanes (Sokolov), who found himself assigned as cell attendant to Metropolitan Gabriel of Saint Petersburg. to help his Elder, Father Theophanes made the Metropolitan aware of Father Theodore’s situation. Eminence asked Father Theophanes to prepare a memorandum setting forth the facts of the case in detail. a result, Metropolitan Gabriel asked Empress Catherine II to release Father Theodore and permit him to return to Sanaxar. April 18, 1783 she issued a decree authorizing his release. of his weakened condition from the cold and fumes from smoky stoves, it took him a long time to make his way back to Sanaxar. arrived at Arzamas Monastery on October 9, 1783 where he was greeted by the sisters, and by two hieromonks from Sanxar. were also on hand to meet the Elder: superiors from other monasteries, respected nobles, merchants, and ordinary men and women. stayed about a week, instructing the nuns each day. he prepared to return to Sanaxar. entire brotherhood came to meet him at the ferry on the Moksha River. receiving his blessing, they accompanied him on the walk to Sanaxar. Theodore thanked the brethren for their continued love, and for completing the church without him. a few days after his return, Father Theodore faced renewed persecution. Hilarion accused him of being “a heretic and an atheist,” placed these accusations before the Holy Synod. determined that Hierodeacon Hilarion was at fault and should be punished. later asked Father Theodore’s forgiveness in front of the whole community. Superior of the Monastery, Father Benedict, was jealous of Father Theodore because of the crowds of visitors who came to see him. complained to the local bishop, saying that the quiet of the monastery was being disturbed by so many people. were sent, but they did not interview anyone who might have said anything favorable to Father Theodore. a result, Father Theodore was forbidden to receive visitors. again, Father Theophanes brought the Elder’s plight to the attention of Metropolitan Gabriel. Eminence sent a note saying that he was well-disposed toward Father Theodore. a result, he was given a bit more freedom, his disciples could only seek his advice by writing letters. Benedict became ill, and Father Theodore went to his cell to ask his forgiveness. Benedict turned his face to the wall and refused to speak to the Elder. suffering for a while, Father Benedict died on December 27, 1778. the Superior’s death, Father Theodore was once again permitted to visit the nuns of the Alexeyevsky Convent at Arzamas. delivering a moving homily on Psalm 136 (“By the rivers of Babylon”) left Arzamas and stopped at the monastery in Sarov. he asked forgiveness of everyone, rushed back to Sanaxar. arrived on Wednesday of Cheesefare Week and spoke to his disciples in his cell around noon. Then he dismissed them to return to their cells. noble disciples of Saint Theodore remained behind to ask his advice. his expression changed and he began to weep for about fifteen minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth. he ordered them to their cells, saying that he was feeling weak. was not rare for the Elder to be ill, but this weakness seemed unusual. two disciples left and returned to their cells. after this, his cell attendant knocked on the door with the customary prayer, but received no reply. entered the cell and found Father Theodore lying on his bed and praying, so he left and told the brethren about this. all came to see him, but he would not speak. five hours later, around nine o’clock on the evening of February 19, 1791, Saint Theodore surrendered his soul to God. Theodore’s relics were uncovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28, 1999. He was glorified for national veneration by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004. Theodore of Sanaxar, who is also commemorated on April 21 (the uncovering of his relics in 1999), should not be confused with his famous relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov), Admiral of the Russian Fleet (October 2).

Russia, Moscow, 1739-1803, Xenia of St Petersburg, when her husband died drinking, she became a Fool for Christ
Russia, St Petersburg, 1739-1803, 18th Century, Xenia of St Petersburg, she was 26 when her husband died a colonel, she became a Fool for Christ for 45 years, wandering the S P streets wearing husband's uniform; St Petersburg; Xenia of Saint Petersburg; Grigoryevna Petrova, also known as Saint Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg ( c. 1719–1730 – c. 1803) is a patron saint of St. Petersburg, who according to tradition, gave all her possessions to the poor after her husband died. husband had been Colonel Andrey Fyodorovich Petrov, a chanter at the Saint Andrew Cathedral. his death, Xenia became a "fool-for-Christ" and for 45 years wandered around the streets of St. Petersburg, usually wearing her late husband's military uniform. grave is in the Smolensky Cemetery of St. Petersburg. It has been marked by an ornate chapel since 1902. was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia on September 24, 1978 (O. S. September 11, 1978) in Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York, USA and by Russian Orthodox Church on June 6, 1988 during Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Her feast day in the O.S. is January 24, which is February 6 in the New Calendar. In July 2020, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church also resolved to include Xenia of St. Petersburg in its calendar on January 24.[1] a saint, she is noted for her intercessions in helping those with employment, marriage, the homeless, for fires, for missing children, and for a spouse.[2] She is venerated in several countries. There are about 40 churches and chapels built in her name.[3] Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; Xenia lived during the eighteenth century, but little is known of her life or of her family. She passed most of her life in Petersburg during the reigns of the empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II. Grigorievna Petrova was the wife of an army officer, Major Andrew Petrov. After the wedding, the couple lived in Saint Petersburg. Saint Xenia became a widow at the age of twenty-six when her husband suddenly died at a party. She grieved for the loss of her husband, and especially because he died without Confession or Holy Communion. her earthly happiness ended, she did not look for it again. From that time forward, Xenia lost interest in the things of this world, and followed the difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ. The basis for this strange way of life is to be found in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:18-24, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Cor. 3:18-19). The Lord strengthened her and helped her to bear sorrow and misfortune patiently for the next forty-five years. started wearing her husband’s clothing, and insisted that she be addressed as “Andrew Feodorovich.” She told people that it was she, and not her husband, who had died. In a certain sense, this was perfectly true. She abandoned her former way of life and experienced a spiritual rebirth. When she gave away her house and possessions to the poor, her relatives complained to the authorities. After speaking to Xenia, the officials were conviced that she was in her right mind and was entitled to dispose of her property as she saw fit. Soon she had nothing left for herself, so she wandered through the poor section of Petersburg with no place to lay her head. She refused all assistance from her relatives, happy to be free of worldly attachments. her late husband’s red and green uniform wore out, she clothed herself in rags of those colors. After a while, Xenia left Petersburg for eight years. It is believed that she visited holy Elders and ascetics throughout Russia seeking instruction in the spiritual life. She may have visited Saint Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who had been a military man himself. His life changed dramatically when a young officer died at a drinking party. Perhaps this officer was Saint Xenia’s husband. In any case, she knew Saint Theodore and profited from his instructions. Xenia eventually returned to the poor section of Petersburg, where she was mocked and insulted because of her strange behavior. When she did accept money from people it was only small amounts, which she used to help the poor. She spent her nights praying without sleep in a field outside the city. Prayer strengthened her, and in her heart’s conversation with the Lord she found the support she needed on her difficult path. a new church was being built in the Smolensk cemetery, Saint Xenia brought bricks to the site. She did this in secret, during the night, so that no one would know. her great virtue and spiritual gifts began to be noticed. She prophesied future events affecting the citizens of Petersburg, and even the royal family. Against her will, she became known as someone pleasing to God, and nearly everyone loved her.They said, “Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God.” People regarded her visits to their homes or shops as a great blessing. Saint Xenia loved children, and mothers rejoiced when the childless widow would stand and pray over a baby’s crib, or kiss a child. They believed that the blessed one’s kiss would bring that child good fortune. Xenia lived about forty-five years after the death of her husband, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy-one. The exact date and circumstances of her death are not known, but it probably took place at the end of the eighteenth century. She was buried in the Smolensk cemetery. the 1820s, people flocked to her grave to pray for her soul, and to ask her to intercede with God for them. So many visitors took earth from her grave that it had to be replaced every year. Later, a chapel was built over her grave. who turn to Saint Xenia in prayer receive healing from illness, and deliverance from their afflictions. She is also known for helping people who seek jobs.

Russia, Moscow, 1740-1741, Tsar, Ivan VI, emperor at 2 months old, first cousin Elizabeth's Coup
Moscow, 1740-1741, Tsar, Ivan VI of Russia ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Russia, Moscow, 1740-1800, Barsanuphius tGreat&His disciple John tProphet, both wonderworking, raised the dead etc, humble
Palestine, 483-565 or 600, Barsanuphius tGreat &John tProphet, Abba Seridus Monastery, Gaza, Palestine (Way of the Sea 5), time oJustinian I, B fEgypt, ascetic from youth, built small cell, solitude, later his disciple John lived same cell 18yrs till death, J aClairvoyant prophet, B built another cell near monastery, which sent him 3 loaves bread per week, 50 years work&Ascetic deeds, Pat Eustochios oJerusalem heard &Wanted see for self, tried dig under wall tEnter Cell, flames burst forth, devoted to prayer, high degree spiritual perfection, manuscript accounts oB&J, accounts translated Moldavian&Slavonic languages, Paisius Velichkovsk lifetime 1740's-90's, publication 1800's by Optina Elders, B attained heights oHumility, reasoning, and fiery love, Lord gave him gifts oDiscernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking, he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses, things he blessed received divine power and grace, (for exampe: a weed took away monk's headache), even his name, when invoked mentally, gave help when called upon it, rain from his prayers, his predictions always came true, he got these gifts after many yrs patiently enduring great temptations and illness, following B's instructions, J became like B in all things, but out oHumility J sent questions to B, ; Abba Seridus is at Gaza, but that is all Wikipedia knows about it.; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6; Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet lived during the sixth century during the reign of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). lived in asceticism at the monastery of Abba Seridus in Palestine, near the city of Gaza. Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is unknown). his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life. Arriving at the cenobitic monastery of Abba Seridus, built a small cell outside the monastery. Here he lived in solitude. Saint John, disciple of Saint Barsanuphius, lived in this cell for eighteen years until his death. John imitated his teacher in silence, ascetic deeds and in virtue. Because of his gift of clairvoyance, he was known as “the Prophet.” a certain time, Saint Barsanuphius built another cell near the monastery. the beginning of his solitude, the monastery sent him only three loaves of bread per week. He dwelt for fifty years in work and ascetic deeds. Patriarch Eustochios of Jerusalem heard about the ascetical life of Saint Barsanuphius, it seemed unbelievable to him. wanted to see Barsanuphius for himself, he and his companions tried to dig under the wall, and to enter the monk’s cell from beneath. attempting to enter were almost burned by flames suddenly bursting forth from the cell. his hermitage Saint Barsanuphius devoted himeself entirely to prayer, and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. have manuscript accounts about the life, the deeds and talents of Saints Barsanuphius and John. the lifetime of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), they were translated into the Moldavian and Slavonic languages. publication of these manuscripts, and also their translation into the Russian language, was done in the nineteenth century by the Elders of Optina’s Entry of the Theotokos Monastery. precepts of Saints Barsanuphius and John clearly show the degree of their moral perfection, and their love for people, contain scant facts about their lives. do not know exactly when Saint Barsanuphius died. Some sources say the year of his death was 563, others say more cautiously before the year 600. spending a long time in seclusion, Saint Barsanuphius thereafter and until the death of Saint John the Prophet began to serve others by instructing them on the path to salvation, as Abba Dorotheus (June 5) testifies. Barsanuphius replied to questioners through Saint John, sometimes instructing him to give the answers, or even through Abba Seridus (August 13), who wrote down the saint’s answers. the answers of Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, who were guides in the spiritual life not only for their contemporaries, but also for succeeding generations, it is clearly possible to see the monks’ gradual spiritual ascent “from strength to strength.” deeds of fasting, silence, guarding the heart, and unceasing prayer, Barsanuphius attained the heights of humility, reasoning and fiery love. Lord gave him the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking. the power of his prayers, he was able to free the souls of people from sins. Sometimes, he took the sins of others upon himself. venerable one knew the dispositions of hearts, therefore he gave advice according to the spiritual state of each person. the Name of the Lord he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses. that he blessed received divine power and grace (for example, kukol or furrow-weed took away a monk’s headache). the name of Abba Barsanuphius, when invoked mentally, gave help to those who called upon it. the prayers of Saint Barsanuphius, God sent rain upon the earth, withdrawing His wrath from the multitudes of the people. saint’s predictions always came true. he predicted that a certain monk, the Elder Euthymius the Silent, would be placed with him in a single grave, which indeed came to pass. Barsanuphius acquired these gifts after many years of patiently enduring great temptations and illness. the Orthodox ascetic Barsanuphius the Great, there was another Barsanuphius, a Monophysite heretic. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, anathematized him in his “Confession of Faith,” sent to the Sixth Ecumenical Council). do not know when Saint Barsanuphius arrived at the monastery of Abba Seridus, nor anything about the home and family of Saint John the Prophet. the instructions of Saint Barsanuphius, John attained the heights of perfection, and became like his teacher in all things. of humility, he sent those who came to him with questions to Abba Barsanuphius. John foresaw and predicted many things, even his own death a week after the death of Abba Seridus. Elian, the young igumen of this monastery, begged John to remain with him for two more weeks, in order to teach him the Rule and how to govern the monastery. John fulfilled his request and died after two weeks. Barsanuphius the Great survived his disciple and friend, but after St. John's death embraced complete silence and refused to give answers to anyone. two ascetics have left the soul-profiting book, GUIDANCE TOWARD SPIRITUAL LIFE: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF DISCIPLES by the Holy Monastic Fathers Barsanuphius and John as their spiritual legacy. book was known to many saints who lived at a later time, as evidenced by the wrings of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26), the hieromonk Nikon Chernogorets (+ 1060), Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and other Orthodox ascetics and writers.

Russia, Moscow, 1741-1761, Empress, Elizabeth, popular, no executions, constrctn projects, westrn enlightenment, icons
Moscow, 1741-1761, Empress, Elizabeth ; Elizabeth Petrovna (29 December [O.S. 18 December] 1709 -“ 5 January 1762 [O.S. 25 December 1761]), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, was the Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian monarchs because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous construction projects, and her strong opposition to Prussian policies.[1] second eldest daughter of Tsar Peter the Great, Elizabeth lived under the confused successions of her father's descendants since her half-brother Alexei's death. The throne was first passed to her nephew Peter II, who died in 1730 and was succeeded by her first cousin Anna. After the brief rule of Anna's great-nephew, Ivan VI, Elizabeth seized the throne with the military's support and declared her own nephew, the future Peter III, to be her heir. her reign, Elizabeth continued the policies of her father and brought a remarkable Age of Enlightenment in Russia. Her domestic policies allowed the nobles to gain dominance in local government while shortening their terms of service to the state. She encouraged Mikhail Lomonosov's foundation of the University of Moscow, the highest-ranking Russian educational institution. Her court was one of the most splendid in all Europe, especially regarding architecture: she modernized Russia's roads, encouraged Ivan Shuvalov's foundation of the Imperial Academy of Arts, and financed grandiose baroque projects of her favourite architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, particularly in Peterhof Palace. The Winter Palace and the Smolny Cathedral in Saint Petersburg are among the chief monuments of her reign.[1] led the country during the two major European conflicts of her time: the War of Austrian Succession (1740-“48) and the Seven Years' War (1756'“63). She and diplomat Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin solved the first event by forming an alliance with Austria and France, but indirectly caused the second. Russia enjoyed several victories against Prussia and briefly occupied Berlin, but when Frederick the Great was finally prepared to surrender in January 1761 (1762?), the message was sent only to find the Empress dead. St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. Two servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. Considering it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. Immediately, she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. Later, the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. A second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. In 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. The icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast. Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Isaakov Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the year 1659, not far from the village of Isaakievo. The peasants wanted to take the icon to their own village, but they were not able. They then turned to the priest, and he got vested, and in the company of choir and people with church banners, went to the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God. the branches of a willow tree was the icon, radiating an extraordinary light like the sun. After the singing of a Molieben the priest reverently took the icon with the tree branch and carried it to the Isaakievo village into the parish church. the following day the icon was not in the church. It was at the place where it was first found. At this place of the appearance of the wonderworking icon they built a chapel, around which a skete was formed. the blessing of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, at the place of the chapel there was built in 1662 a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the year 1758 a stone church was built in place of the wooden, into which they transferred this icon. Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Tsarskoe Selo Sign Icon of the Mother of God an ancient wonderworking icon, was brought by way of a present to Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich by one of the Eastern Patriarchs, supposedly by Saint Athanasius of Constantinople (October 28). Tsar Peter I transferred the icon, together with other sacred items from Moscow, to his new capital city. the year 1747, a church was built for the icon at Tsarskoe Selo. Moliebens were served before it during times of national catastrophe, for example, during a plague in 1771, and of cholera in 1831. Through the intercession of the Mother of God, the terrible epidemics only barely touched Tsarskoe Selo. Prayers before the Tsarsko Selo Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,â€ were also offered entreating the Mother of God’s help during fires and shipwrecks. the icon, Cherubim shade the head of the Mother of God. More recent copies of the icon depict the Apostle Peter, Saints Zachariah, Alexis the Man of God, and Righteous Elizabeth. St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage my sorrowÂ, Commemorated on January 25; “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was glorified at Moscow by many miracles in the second half of the eighteenth century, particularly during a plague in 1771. The icon had been brought to Moscow by Cossacks in 1640 in the reign of Tsar Michael (1613-1645), and placed in the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow. perhaps after a fire and the rebuilding of the temple, the icon was carelessly put in a bell tower. However, the abundant mercies manifested by the Mother of God would one day bring about a renewed veneration of this holy icon. Feast of the wonderworking icon on January 25 was established in 1760 to commemorate the healing of a sick woman who had seen the icon in a vision. A voice instructed her to go to the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow where she would find this icon. “Pray before it, and you will receive healing.â€ obeyed and went to Moscow, where she found an icon, darkened by age and dust, in the church’s bell tower. When the sick woman saw the face and inscription she cried out, “It is She!â€ The woman, who previously had been unable to move her arms and legs, walked out of church on her own after a Molieben was served before the icon on January 25. 1760 an honored place was set aside for the Icon in the church, and later a chapel was built for it. The Church Services and the Akathist for the Icon date from this period. Copies of the “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon are to be found in some churches of Moscow and other cities. The church of Saint Nicholas at Pupishevo was destroyed in the 1930s, but by the grace of God the Icon has survived. It is now in the church of Saint Nicholas near Kuznetskaya Sloboda. “Assuage my Sorrowsâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on September 25 and October 9. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Seeker of the LostÂ, Commemorated on February 5; time immemorial the Russian people, with faith in the all-powerful help of the Most Holy Theotokos, considered the title “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ to refer not only to those who are dying, but to those whose souls are in danger of spiritual death. are no reliable accounts of the origin of the “Seeker of the Perishing" Icon. There are, however, several wonderworking icons of this name, through which the Theotokos showed her mercy to persons at the very brink of death. the mid-eighteenth century, in the village of Bor (Kaluga Gubernia), the pious peasant Theodotos Obukhov lost his way in a blizzard on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. The horse became exhausted and paused on the edge of an impassable ravine. Seeing no way to save himself, Obukhov lay down in his sleigh, where he began to freeze. these terrible moments, he prayed with all his being, asking the Queen of Heaven for help, and he vowed that if he were rescued he would have a copy of the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon painted and donate it to his parish church. She heard his prayer and helped him in a marvelous way. A certain peasant in the nearby village heard a voice outside his window saying, “Take him.â€ He went out and saw the half-frozen Obukhov on his sleigh. When he recovered his health, Obukhov fulfilled his vow and commissioned a copy of the Icon from the Saint George church in the city of Volkhov (Orlov Gubernia). From that time the Bor “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon was glorified by many manifestations of grace and miracles. are other “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icons: one manifested itself in 1770 in the village of Malizhino (Kharkov Gubernia), and delivered the people from cholera three times. There was another in the village of Krasnoe (Chernigov Gubernia), and another from Voronezh and Kozlov (Tambov Gubernia). In the year 1835, at the Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage Institute, a church was dedicated to the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon. particular interest is the “Seeker of the Perishingâ€ Icon in the Church of the Glorious Resurrection in Moscow. This Icon had been transferred from the church of the Nativity of Christ to the Palashev alley. Its final owner had become widowed and was on the verge of complete poverty. Fervent prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos saved him from despair and arranged matters for his daughters. This man felt that he was not worthy to have this wonderworking Icon in his house, so he gave it to the church. 1812 the Palashev church was pillaged by the French. The desecrated Icon was found among the rubble, broken into three pieces. After the Icon was found, numerous miracles of healing took place. Brides entering into marriage pray before this Icon so that their marriage might be a happy one. People come to it, overwhelmed by drunkenness, perishing in poverty, or suffering from illness, and they turn to the Icon in prayer as to a Mother with her perishing children. Icon has several names. In Slavonic it is called (Recovery of the Perishing, Seeker of the Perishing, Seeker of the Lost). In Greek it is known as (Seeker of the Perishing). St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; Akhtyr Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on July 2, 1739 in the village of Akhtyr in the area of Kharkov, east of Kiev. Basil Danilov, a righteous man of strong faith, was the priest of the Dormition church in Akhtyr. He wanted to try out a new scythe, and so he went out to a field by the church. As he began to cut the tall grass, Father Basil noticed an icon of the Mother of God shining with a radiant light. Dropping the scythe, he fell to his knees and began to pray, then took the icon to his home. icon remained in the priest’s home for three years. No one could spend the night in the same room as the icon, because an inexplicable fear would force them to leave. night the Theotokos appeared to Father Basil in a dream, reproaching him because he had not cleaned the icon in the three years since he had found it. When he awoke, he dusted the icon off and washed it with water, then went back to sleep. That night he had another dream in which he saw himself going to the river in order to pour out the water he had used to wash the icon. The Mother of God appeared to him again and ordered him to return home with the water, explaining that it would cure people of malaria and fever. Father Basil’s daughter became ill with malaria, he gave her some of the water to drink and she was healed. Others also received healing in this way. The priest decided that the icon should not remain in his home, so he took it to the church. iconographer named John was commissioned to restore the icon. When his son was suffering from malaria, John remembered how the water used to wash the icon had cured people of that disease. Therefore, he washed the icon and gave his son some of the water to drink. The young man was healed at once, and there were many other miracles after this one. miracles of the Akhtyr Icon were investigated no less than three times. In 1751 the Holy Synod determined that reports of the miracles were true, and declared the icon to be wonderworking. Elizabeth had a stone church built in Akhtyr for the icon, and she personally donated two thousand rubles. Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10) blessed the cornerstone. The church was consecrated in the year 1768. Nicholas I ordered that on the Saturday before Pentecost the Akhtyr Icon should be taken from the Protection Cathedral and carried in procession to the Akhtyr-Holy Trinity Monastery. The icon was brought back to the cathedral during the week of All Saints. Unfortunately, the icon was stolen from the Protection Cathedral on April 1, 1905. Many copies of the Akhtyr Icon were made before it was stolen. July 2 many churches bless water in remembrance of the healings which took place after the Mother of God ordered Father Basil Danilov to wash the icon. icon is rather unusual, and does not seem to have an earlier prototype. It is painted in a Western style, and shows the Theotokos with an uncovered head. The Crucifixion of Christ is depicted in much smaller proportions, and the Virgin seems to be gazing directly at the Cross. Her hands are held with the palms together, and the fingers pointing upward, which is not a typical gesture of prayer in Orthodox iconography.

Russia, Moscow, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War, Vyborg, near St Pete, Russian V
Moscow, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War (1741-“43) ; Moscow Empress, 1741-1761, Elizabeth ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupe relics
Russia, Kiev, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6), could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupe relics; Poltava; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Paϊsios Velichkovsky was born in Poltava in Little Russia on December 21, 1722, and was the eleventh of twelve children. father John was a priest, who named him Peter at his Baptism, in honor of Saint Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow, on whose Feast he was born. the children’s father died, their mother Irene raised them in piety. Peter was sent to study at the Moghila Academy in Kiev in 1735. After four years, Peter decided to leave the world and become a monk. the age of seventeen, he went in search of a monastery and a good Spiritual Father. For seven years Peter visited various monasteries, including the Kiev Caves Lavra, but he did not feel drawn to any of the monasteries of Ukraine. being made a rassophore monk (one blessed to wear the rasson, but not yet tonsured “into the mantya”) at the Saint Nicholas Medvedevsky Monastery with the name Platon, he found that there was no experienced Elder there who could teach him obedience, or give him spiritual direction. Not wishing to begin his monastic life without such guidance, he left the monastery a week afterward with the blessing of his Elder. first, he went to Kiev, where he happened to meet his sister-in-law, the widow of his older brother Archpriest John. She informed him of his mother’s sorrow when he left Kiev, and her mind seemed to be affected by her grief. one day an Angel appeared to her and told her that instead of loving the Creator with all her heart and soul, she loved His creation (her son) more. Because of this excessive love, the Angel continued, she was thinking of starving herself to death, which would result in her eternal condemnation. Angel said that by God’s grace, her son would become a monk, and that she should also renounce the world and become a nun. this, she became calm and accepted God’s will. She entered a convent and was tonsured with the name Juliana. After ten years or so, she departed to the Lord. at Kiev, Father Platon met two monks from Romania who were about to return to their country. After crossing the border into Moldavia, they came to Vlachia and the Skete of Saint Nicholas, which is called Traisteni, around 1745. The Elder of the Skete, Hieroschema-monk Michael, was away on business in Ukraine, so Father Platon and his companions were welcomed by the Superior, Father Demetrios. Father Platon was placed under a general obedience and was given a cell near the Skete, from which the church was visible. he was sleeping one night, the semantron was sounded calling the monks to Sunday Matins, but Father Platon did not hear it. woke up and ran to the church, only to find that the Gospel had already been read, and the Canon was being sung. In his grief and shame, he did not enter the church, but returned to his cell, weeping bitter tears. the Liturgy, when it was time for the meal, the Superior and the Elder were surprised that Father Platon had not been seen at the Services. The Elder ordered that the meal be delayed while he sent Father Athanasios to find out what had happened to the absent monk.. Athanasios found him and asked why he was weeping. With difficulty, Father Platon was able to tell him the reason for his sorrow. Father Athanasios tried to console him and urged him to come to the Skete, where the others were waiting for him. Finally, he was persuaded to go. the brethren at table but not eating, Father Platon fell down before them weeping and asking their forgiveness. The Elder and the Superior lraised him up and heard from Father Athanasios the reason for his sorrow. The Elder told Father Platon not to grieve so over something that had happened involuntarily, and did his best to console him. that time, however, the Saint would not sleep lying down in bed, but sitting up on a bench. day the Elder Onuphrios of Kyrkoul visited the Skete and spoke about his Skete at Kyrkoul. Platon longed to see Kyrkoul, and so he returned there with Father Onuphrios. He remained there for a time, conversing with Father Onuphrius about overcoming the passions, the struggle with demons, unceasing prayer, and other soul-profiting topics. This seed fell on good ground, and later produced spiritual fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8). time came when Father Platon was filled with longing to visit Mount Athos. He asked the brethren of the Skete, and those of other Sketes, for their forgiveness and blessing for the journey. He also thanked them for their kindness and their paternal instruction. They blessed him and let him go in peace. At that time, he was just twenty-four years old. Platon went to Mount Athos in 1746, arriving at the Greatest Lavra on July 4, the eve of the Feast of Saint Athanasios of Athos. traveling companion, Hieromonk Tryphon fell ill and reposed after four days. Father Platon would have died from the same illness, if not for the care of the Russian monks. recovered and lived in solitude in a cell called Kaparis near the Pantokrator Monastery. went around visiting many ascetics and solitaries, seeking a Spiritual Father, but was unable to find anyone suitable. 1750 Saint Basil of Poiana Marului (April 15) visited the Holy Mountain and spent some time with Father Platon, who asked him for monastic tonsure. Basil granted his request, giving him the name Paϊsios. Father Basil returned to his Skete at Vlachia. About three months later, a young monk named Bessarion came to the Holy Mountain from Vlachia. He went around to the monasteries searching for an instructor, but did not find one. He also came to Father Paϊsios and asked him to tell him something about saving his soul. Paϊsios sighed and told him that he himself had been looking for an instructor without success. Yet, feeling compassion for Father Bessarion, he talked to him a little about the qualifications necessary for a true instructor, and about the Jesus Prayer. hearing him, Father Bessarion said, “Why should I seek any further?" He fell down at the feet of Father Paϊsios, entreating him to be his Elder. Father Paϊsios did not wish to be anyone’s Elder, preferring to be one under the authority of an Elder. Bessarion wept for three days until Father Paϊsios finally agreed to accept him as a friend, but not as a disciple. They lived together for about four years, fulfilling God’s commandments, cutting off their own will, and obeying one another as equals. disciples began to join them, and their number continued to increase. Since they needed a priest and a confessor, they pleaded with Father Paϊsios to accept ordination. He did not want to hear of this, and repeatedly refused to consent. They did not give up, however. They asked him how he could expect to teach the brethren obedience and cutting off their own will, when he disobeyed the tearful entreaties of those who wished him to accept. Finally, he said, “May God's will be done.” 1754 Father Paϊsios was ordained to the holy priesthood and was given the Skete of the Prophet Elias, where he began to accept even more disciples. Saint Paϊsios remained on Mount Athos for seventeen years, copying Greek patristic books and translating them into Slavonic. 1763 Father Paϊsios went to Moldavia with sixty-four disciples, and was given the Dragomίrna Monastery near the city of Sochava, on the border between Bukovina and Moldavia. Here he remained for twelve years, and the number of monks increased to three hundred and fifty. friend Hieromonk Alexius came to visit him from Vlachia, and Father Paϊsios asked to be tonsured into the Schema. Father Alexius did so, but without changing his name. at Dragomίrna, Elder Paϊsios corrected the Slavonic translations of patristic books by comparing them to the Greek manuscripts he had copied on Mount Athos. Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1768, and Moldavia and Vlachia saw many battles. Dragomίrna and the forests around it became filled with refugees from the villages near the battlegrounds. catastrophe followed in 1771 with an outbreak of the plague. Dragomίrna and Bukovina came under the control of Austrian Catholics, so Saint Paϊsios and his flock fled to Moldavia. October of 1775, the Holy Elder and many of his monks went to Secu Monastery, which is dedicated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. was too small for the number of brethren, who were crowded with three to five monks in a cell. the spring, more brethren were due to arrive from Dragomίrna, so new cells had to be built. three years of labor one hundred cells were completed, and everyone had a place. Still, the numbers continued to increase, and they had to look for a larger monastery. Constantine Muruz wrote to the Elder saying that there was no larger monastery than Neamţ, about two hours from Secu. August 14, 1779, Saint Paϊsios moved to Neamţ Monastery, where he spent the last fifteen years of his life translating the writings of the Holy Fathers. also introduced the the Typikon (Rule) of Mount Athos in that community. He gathered about a thousand monks in the monastery, instructing them in the unceasing prayer of the heart. Ambrose visited Saint Paϊsios at Neamţ in 1790, remaining for two days to converse with the Elder. the Sunday Liturgy, he raised Saint Paϊsios to the rank of Archimandrite. He stayed for two more days, then departed after blessing everyone. Paϊsios fell asleep in the Lord on November 15, 1794 when he was almost seventy-two. is possible that God revealed the time of his death to him beforehand, for he stopped translating books. He merely reviewed and corrected what had already been translated. was ill for four days, but felt well enough to attend the Liturgy on Sunday. After the service, he asked everyone to come and receive his blessing. Bidding farewell to them all, he returned to his cell and would not receive anyone. A few days later, on November 15, he received the Holy Mysteries once more, and surrendered his soul to God. His funeral was conducted by Bishop Benjamin of Tuma, and was attended by multitudes of priests, monks, laymen, nobles and ordinary people. holy relics of Saint Paϊsios were uncovered in 1846, 1853, 1861 and 1872, and were found to be incorrupt. Paϊsios has had an enormous influence, not only in Romania, but throughout the Orthodox world. His disciples traveled to Russia, sparking the spiritual revival of the XIX century with Slavonic translations of the Philokalia and the tradition of eldership which they had learned from Saint Paϊsios. His influence has been felt even in America, through Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). Saint Herman had been taught by Elders whose spiritual formation was guided by Saint Paϊsios. he was still in Russia, Saint Herman met Saint Nazarius (February 23), who became his Elder at Valaam, at Sarov, then followed him to Sanaxar Monastery when Saint Theodore (February 19) was the Igoumen. One of the books that Saint Herman brought with him to America was the Slavonic Philokalia, printed in 1794. Not only did he absorb the spiritual wisdom that it contained, he also imparted it to others.

Russia, Moscow, 1744-1783, Tikhon of Zadonsk, writer, teacher, builder, Voronezh, Novgorod, Tver, Petersburg
Moscow, 1744-1783, Saint, Tikhon of Zadonsk; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh (in the world Timothy), was born in the year 1724 in the village of Korotsk in the Novgorod diocese, into the family of the cantor Sabellius Kirillov. (A new family name, Sokolov, was given him afterwards by the head of the Novgorod seminary). His father died when Timothy was a young child, leaving the family in such poverty that his mother was barely able to make ends meet. She wanted to give him to be raised by a neighbor, a coachman, since there was nothing with which to feed the family, but his brother Peter would not permit this. Timothy often worked a whole day with the peasants for a single piece of black bread. a thirteen-year-old boy, he was sent to a clergy school near the Novgorod archbishop’s home, and earned his keep by working with the vegetable gardeners. In 1740, he was accepted under a state grant set up for the Novgorod seminary. The youth excelled at his studies. Upon finishing seminary in 1754, he became a teacher there, first in Greek, and later in Rhetoric and Philosophy. In the year 1758, he was tonsured with the name Tikhon. In that same year they appointed him to be prefect of the seminary. 1759, they transferred him to Tver, elevating him to be archimandrite of the Zheltikov monastery. Later, they appointed him rector of the Tver seminary and, at the same time, head of the Otroch monastery. election as bishop was providential. Metropolitan Demetrius, the presiding member of the Holy Synod, had intended to transfer the young archimandrite to the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. On the day of Pascha, at Peterburg, Archimandrite Tikhon was one of eight candidates being considered for selection as vicar-bishop for Novogorod. The lot fell on him three times. the same day, during the Cherubic Hymn, Bishop Athanasius of Tver, without realizing it, commemorated him as a bishop while cutting out particles from the prosphora at the Table of Oblation. On May 13, 1761 he was consecrated Bishop of Keksgolma and Ladoga (i.e., a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese). 1763, Saint Tikhon was transferred to the See of Voronezh. During the four and a half years that he administered the Voronezh diocese, Saint Tikhon provided constant edification, both by his life and by his numerous pastoral guidances and soul-saving books. wrote a whole series of works for pastors: Concerning the Seven Holy Mysteries A Supplement to the Priestly Office Concerning the Mystery of Repentance An Instruction Concerning Marriage saint considered it essential that each priest, deacon and monk have a New Testament, and that he should read it daily. In an Encyclical, he called on pastors to perform the Holy Mysteries with reverence, with the fear of God, and love for one’s neighbor. (An Explanation of Christian Duties was often republished in Moscow and Peterburg during the eighteenth century). Voronezh the saint eradicated an ancient pagan custom, the celebration in honor of Yarila (a pagan god associated with the fertility of grain and cattle). In the outlying districts where military units of the Don Cossacks were dispersed, he formed a missionary commission to restore sectarians to the Orthodox Church. 1765, Saint Tikhon transformed the Voronezh Slavic-Latin school into a seminary. He invited experienced instructors from Kiev and Kharkhov, and planned the courses for it. He exerted much attention and effort to build up both the churches and the school, and to guide pastors to understand the need for education. saint was unflagging in his efforts to administer the vast diocese, and he often spent nights without sleep. In 1767, poor health compelled him to give up running the diocese and withdraw for rest to the Tolshevsk monastery, at a distance 40 versts from Voronezh. 1769, the saint transferred to the monastery of the Theotokos in the city of Zadonsk. Having settled into this monastery, Saint Tikhon became a great teacher of the Christian life. With deep wisdom he set forth the ideal of true monasticism in his Rule of Monastic Living and his Guidances to Turn from the Vanity of the World, and in his own life he fulfilled this ideal. He kept strictly to the precepts of the Church. Zealously (almost daily) he visited the temple of God, and he often sang and read in the choir. In time, out of humility, he altogether ceased participating and serving, but merely stood in the altar, reverently making the Sign of the Cross over himself. He loved to read the Lives of the Saints and the works of the Holy Fathers. He knew The Psalter by heart, and he usually read or sang the Psalms on his journeys. saint underwent much tribulation because he had to leave his flock. When he recovered his health, he thought about returning to the Novgorod diocese, where Metropolitan Gabriel had invited him to head the Iveron Vallaisk monastery. But when his cell-attendant mentioned this to the Elder Aaron, he declared: “Are you mad? The Mother of God does not direct him to move away from here.” The cell-attendant conveyed this to His Grace. “If that is so,” said the saint “I shall not move away from here,” and he tore up the invitation. Sometimes he journeyed to the village of Lipovka, where he celebrated church services at the Bekhteev house. The saint journeyed also to the Tolshev monastery, which he loved for its solitude. fruition of all his spiritual life were the books that the saint wrote while in retirement: A SPIRITUAL TREASURY, GATHERED FROM THE WORLD (1770), and ON TRUE CHRISTIANITY (1776). saint lived in very simple circumstances: he slept on straw, covered by a sheepskin coat. His humility was so great that he paid no attention to the workers who laughed at him as he walked about the monastery, pretending that he did not hear it. He used to say, “It is pleasing to God that even the monastery workers mock me, and I deserve it because of my sins.” He often said, “Forgiveness is better than revenge.” a fool named Kamenev struck the saint on the cheek saying, “Don’t be so haughty.” The saint, accepting this with gratitude, gave the fool three kopeks every day for the rest of his life. his life the saint “in troubles, and sorrows, and insults... joyfully endured, mindful that there can be no crown without the victory, nor victory without effort, nor effort without struggle, nor struggle without enemies” (Ode 6 of the Canon). towards himself, the saint was indulgent towards others. On the Friday before Palm Sunday, he entered the cell of his friend the schemamonk Metrophanes, and he saw him at table together with Cosmas Ignatievich, of whom he was also fond. There was fish on the table, and his friends became upset (fish is not permitted during Lent, except for Feast days). The saint said, “Sit down, for I know you. Love is higher than fasting.” To further calm them, he ate some of their fish soup. especially loved the common folk, and comforted them in their grievous lot, interceding with the landowners, and moving them to compassion. He gave away his pension, and gifts from admirers, to the poor. his deeds of self-denial and love of soul, the saint advanced in contemplation of Heaven and foresaw the future. In 1778, he had a vision in his sleep: the Mother of God stood in the clouds, and near Her were the Apostles Peter and Paul. On bended knees, the saint prayed to the All-Pure Virgin for the peace of the whole world. The Apostle Paul loudly exclaimed: “When they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction will come upon them” (I Thess. 5:3). The saint fell asleep in trembling and in tears. The following year, he again saw the Mother of God in the air and several people near Her. The saint knelt down, and near him four others in white garments also fell to their knees. The saint entreated the All-Pure Virgin for someone, that She would not leave him (the saint did not tell his cell-attendant who the four people were, nor for whom the request was made). She answered, “Let it be as you ask.” Tikhon prophesied much about the future, particularly the victory of Russia over the French in 1812. More than once they saw the saint in spiritual rapture, with a transformed and luminous face, but he forbade them to speak about this. three years before his repose he prayed each day, “Tell me, O Lord, of my end.” And a quiet voice in the morning dawn said, “It will be on a Sunday.” In that same year, he saw in a dream a beautiful meadow with wondrous palaces upon it. He wanted to go inside, but they said to him: “In three years, you may enter. For now, continue your labors.” After this the saint secluded himself in his cell and admitted only a few friends. clothing and a grave were prepared for the time of his death. He often came to weep over his coffin, while standing hidden from people in a closet. A year and three months before his death, in a vivid dream, it seemed to the saint that he was standing in the monastery church. A priest of his acquaintance was carrying the Divine Infant, covered with a veil, out of the altar through the Royal Doors. The saint approached and kissed the Infant on the right cheek, and he felt himself stricken on the left. Awakening, the saint sensed a numbness in his left cheek, his left leg, and a trembling in his left hand. He accepted this illness with joy. before his death, the saint saw in a dream a high and twisting ladder and he heard a command to climb it. “At first, I was afraid because of weakness,” he told his friend Cosmas. “But when I started to go climb, the people standing around the ladder lifted me higher and higher, up to the very clouds.” “The ladder,” said Cosmas, “is the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Those who helped were those you have helped by your advice, and they remember you.” The saint said with tears, “I thought so, too. I feel that my end is near.” He frequently received the Holy Mysteries during his illness. Tikhon died, as was revealed to him, on Sunday August 13, 1783, at the age of fifty-nine. The first uncovering of his relics occurred on May 14, 1846. Tikhon’s glorification took place on Sunday August 13, 1861.

Russia, Moscow, 1747,Tsarskoye Selo Icon, St Petersburg, ancient, wonderworking, Plague, cholera, fires, shipwrecks
Russia, St Petersburg, 1747,Tsarskoye Selo Icon, St Petersburg, ancient, wonderworking, Peter I, Church, Plague 1771, cholera 1831, epidemics, fires, shipwrecks; Tsarskoye Selo; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated November 27 ; Tsarskoe Selo Sign Icon of the Mother of God an ancient wonderworking icon, brought by way of a present to Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich by one of the Eastern Patriarchs, supposedly by Saint Athanasius of Constantinople (October 28). Peter I transferred the icon, together with other sacred items from Moscow, to his new capital city. the year 1747, a church was built for the icon at Tsarskoe Selo. Moliebens were served before it during times of national catastrophe, for example, during a plague in 1771, and of cholera in 1831. the intercession of the Mother of God, the terrible epidemics only barely touched Tsarskoe Selo. before the Tsarskoe Selo Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,” were also offered entreating the Mother of God’s help during fires and shipwrecks. the icon, Cherubim shade the head of the Mother of God. More recent copies of the icon depict the Apostle Peter, Saints Zachariah, Alexis the Man of God, and Righteous Elizabeth.

Russia, Moscow, 1748, Kaluga Icon Appearance, She spit on it and bad things happened, Molieben, then many healings
Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on September 2; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. Two servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. Considering it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. Immediately, she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. Later, the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. A second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. In 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. The icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Russia, Moscow, 1750, 1770, 1812, 1835, Seeker oPerishing Icon, many copies, Theotokos' mercy at brink of death
Russia, Kaluga, , Seeker oPerishing Icon, Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District (Protva River 2.5), title refers to both dying & spiritual death, no origin accounts, several wonderworking icons this name, Theotokos showed her mercy at brink of death, 1750 example peasant Theodotos fBor lost in blizzard on Feast Lord's Baptism, horse exhausted impassable ravine edge, no hope laid down in his Sleigh, began to freeze, prayed Heaven's Queen help, vowed donate copy Seeker oPerishing icon to his Church, She heard & helped him by telling nearby peasant "Take Him", Peasant went out and saw Obukhov in his sleigh, O recpvered. commissioned copy from Volkhov, thereafter Bor Seeker oPerishing icon glorified by many manifestations oGrace&Miracles, many other SOP Icons, 1770 Malizhino Krakhov village, delivered fCholera 3 times, another Krasnoe Chernigov village, another Voronezh&Kozlov Tambov, 1835 SOP Church at Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage, another particular interest because owner widowed verge complete poverty, praying for his daughters he gave SOP Icon to his church, Icon arranged matters for daughters, 1812 his church pillaged by French, icon found in 3 pieces, numerous miracles from those 3 pieces, Icon has several names, people come for drunkenness, poverty, illness, turn to SOP icon as to a Mother with her perishing children; Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District; Icon of the Mother of God “the Seeker of the Lost”, Commemorated on February 5; time immemorial the Russian people, with faith in the all-powerful help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the title “Seeker of the Perishing” to refer not only to those who are dying, but to those whose souls are in danger of spiritual death. are no reliable accounts of the origin of the “Seeker of the Perishing" Icon. are, however, several wonderworking icons of this name, which the Theotokos showed her mercy to persons at the very brink of death. the mid-eighteenth century, in the village of Bor (Kaluga Gubernia), the pious peasant Theodotos Obukhov lost his way in a blizzard on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. horse became exhausted and paused on the edge of an impassable ravine. Seeing no way to save himself, Obukhov lay down in his sleigh, where he began to freeze. these terrible moments, he prayed with all his being, asking the Queen of Heaven for help, he vowed that if he were rescued he would have a copy of the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon painted and donate it to his parish church. heard his prayer and helped him in a marvelous way. certain peasant in the nearby village heard a voice outside his window saying, “Take him.” went out and saw the half-frozen Obukhov on his sleigh. he recovered his health, Obukhov fulfilled his vow and commissioned a copy of the Icon from the Saint George church in the city of Volkhov (Orlov Gubernia). that time the Bor “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon was glorified by many manifestations of grace and miracles. are other “Seeker of the Perishing” Icons: manifested itself in 1770 in the village of Malizhino (Kharkov Gubernia), and delivered the people from cholera three times. was another in the village of Krasnoe (Chernigov Gubernia), another from Voronezh and Kozlov (Tambov Gubernia). the year 1835, at the Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage Institute, a church was dedicated to the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon. particular interest is the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon in the Church of the Glorious Resurrection in Moscow. Icon had been transferred from the church of the Nativity of Christ to the Palashev alley. final owner had become widowed and was on the verge of complete poverty. prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos saved him from despair and arranged matters for his daughters. man felt that he was not worthy to have this wonderworking Icon in his house, so he gave it to the church. 1812 the Palashev church was pillaged by the French. desecrated Icon was found among the rubble, broken into three pieces. the Icon was found, numerous miracles of healing took place. entering into marriage pray before this Icon so that their marriage might be a happy one. come to it, overwhelmed by drunkenness, perishing in poverty, or suffering from illness, they turn to the Icon in prayer as to a Mother with her perishing children. Icon has several names. In Slavonic it is called (Recovery of the Perishing, Seeker of the Perishing, Seeker of the Lost). In Greek it is known as (Seeker of the Perishing).

Russia, Moscow, 1750-1802, Gabriel the Lesser, Tbilisi, a major figure, writer, historian, k by Dagestanis
Georgia, 1750-1802, Gabriel the Lesser, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church, well educated, tailor but monastic life, left for monastic life, writer, historian, killed by Moslem Dagestanis; Tbilisi; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church. Few details of his life are known, but it is evident that the education he received was quite good for the period. Striving toward the monastic life but still living in the world, Gabriel tried in every way to close himself off from the vanity of the world. He kept a small sewing shop in Tbilisi and distributed most of his profits to the poor. day Saint Gabriel abandoned his business and set off for the Davit-Gareji Wilderness, where he was tonsured a monk. Gabriel occupied much of his time with writing, and his works left a significant mark on the spiritual literature of Georgia. He compiled several collections of patristic writings, and he also wrote original works of a theological nature. His original writings include An Explanation of the Hierarchical Liturgy, which describes in detail the meaning of every part of the service, Spiritual Stories of the Pious, The Life and Labors of Venerable Schemamonk Onisphore, A Short Story of Porphyry, and writings on the Nomocanon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. the brothers at his monastery, Saint Gabriel was distinguished by a remarkable capacity for love and a fervent desire to help others: he helped all, cared for all, and encouraged all. During the Great Fast in 1802, a certain archdeacon came from Tbilisi to Davit-Gareji Monastery, desiring to draw closer to the ascetic way of life. After some time, however, he became anxious to see his family and decided to return home. Saint Gabriel accompanied him on his way, but the two men were suddenly assailed by Dagestanis, and the holy father was killed. The brothers carried his relics back to the monastery and buried them there with great honor.

Russia, Moscow, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Ms, renewer Athos&Paisian hesyc
Romania, 1750-1806, George oCernica (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania), fSaliste, Sibiu, inclined monastic fyouth, but Catholic Austrian Rulers oTransylvania supressed Orthodoxy, esp monasticism, to unify, so 1749 he went tWallacia tGreek Met Rosca aBucharest, spiritual father, tConstan&Mt Athos wRosca, Vatopaidi M, monk then deacon, Rosca dies so Paisios Velichkovsky elder, Prophet Elias Skete, 1752 Great Schema, 1754 Hieroschema monk fRomanians aSt Elias Skete, 1764 w64&P tDragomirna M iMoldovia, Hierschemamonk, Confessor, steward 12 yrs, wBukovina fell tAustria 1775, they moved to Secu M, 1779 wP tNeamt M 2yrs, 1781 P blessed him to return Mt Athos, on way iBucharest he met Met Gregory II oWallacia (P's disciple) & old friend Hiermonk Makarios, they persuaded him with vision oSt Nick to undertake revival oCernica M, dedicated to St Nic, in ruins 30 yrs, task cenobitic rule similar Athonite & Paisan Ms, help fWallacian ruler Nick Mavrogenes began restore church&cells, he perfected monks spiritual life, daily services, scripture &Holy fathers reading, work including manuscript copying, he revived spiritual life, grew to 103 in 5yrs, 1785 gravely ill, his will prescribed monastic order, but he recovered, 1793 Met Philaret II assigned him to Caldarusani M also, 1794 on lived both Ms, Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, worship 7times day frequent confession obedience constant prayer common meal, died 1806, buried Cernica Lazarus font, venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition, many disciples incl Kalinikos&Makarios, 2005 Romanian sainthood, 2007 Russian sainthood; Cernica; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; George was born in 1730 to pious Orthodox parents in the town of Sălişte, near Sibiu in Romania. his youth he was inclined toward the monastic life. at that time the Roman Catholic Austrian rulers of Transylvania tried to suppress Orthodoxy, especially Orthodox monasticism, in order to make the faithful unite with them. at the age of nineteen, the young man went to Wallachia and came to the Greek Metropolitan Rosca, who was in Bucharest at that time. He became George's Spiritual Father. thereafter, in 1750, he accompanied his Spiritual Father to Constantinople, and then to Mount Athos. he settled at Vatopaidi Monastery, and was tonsured as a monk, and later he was ordained as a deacon. the repose of his Elder, he became a disciple of Saint Paϊsios Velichkovsky at the Prophet Elias Skete. in 1752, Saint Paϊsios tonsured Father George into the Great Schema. years later he was ordained as a Hieroschema-monk for the Romanian community at Saint Elias Skete. his stay on Mount Athos he advanced with great zeal and much spiritual benefit, on the ladder of spiritual perfection, 1763, together with sixty-four other disciples, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Dragomirna Monastery in Moldavia. the next twelve years, he served this Monastery as a Hieromonk, Confessor, and steward. Bukovina fell under the power of Roman Catholic Austria in 1775, the Dragomirna brethren, led by Elder Paϊsios, moved to Secu Monastery. 1779, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Neamț Monastery, where he lived for another two years. 1781, with the blessing of his Elder he went to Mount Athos again. his return to Bucharest, he met Metropolitan Gregory II of Wallachia, who was a disciple of Saint Paϊsios, and his old friend Hieromonk Makarios. their persistent persuasion, followed by prayer and fasting, and a vision of Saint Nicholas, he agreed to undertake the revival of monastic life at Cernίca Monastery, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and which had been in ruins for more than thirty years. task was to establish a monastery in this region of Wallachia with a cenobitic Rule, similar to the Athonite and Paisian monasteries. the help of the Wallachian ruler Nicholas Mavrogenes and other Christians, Father George began to restore the main church and the cells. devoted a lot of time to perfecting the spiritual life of the monks. the monastery the Services were performed every day, along with reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church, and work which was carried out in numerous obediences: including copying manuscripts and physical labor. his sacrificial and gifted shepherding, he revived the spiritual life at Cernίca Monastery. After just five years, the community grew to 103 monks. 1785, Saint George became gravely ill and, expecting his imminent demise, made his will in which he prescribed the proper order of life of the monastic community. However, he soon recovered and continued his pastoral labors. view of his successes, in 1793, Metropolitan Philaret II of Wallachia also assigned him to Căldărușani Monastery. April 1794, Father George lived in both monasteries alternately, appointing Igoumens in them, especially during his absence. both monasteries he introduced the Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, which included worship seven times a day, frequent Confession, obedience, constant prayer, and a common meal. George continued to manage both monasteries until the very end of his earthly life. reposed on December 3, 1806, lamented by the numerous brethren of the two monasteries. was buried at Cernica Monastery, in front of the church of Saint Lazarus. Saint George's repose, he was venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition. Elder had many disciples and followers, such as Saint Kallinikos of Cernίca, Hieromonk Makarios and others. the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on October 20-21, 2005, Elder George was glorified and numbered among the Saints. formal announcement of his canonization took place at Cernίca Monastery on the day of his commemoration December 3, 2005, with Patriarch Theoktistos of Romania presiding at the Service. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of August 21, 2007, Saint George's name was included in the Synaxarion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1760, Assuage my sorrow Icon, many miracles, girl's vision led her to icon in bell tower for her healing
Russia, Moscow, 1760, Assuage my sorrow Icon oMOG, Church of St. Nicholas, Khamovniki, Moscow, many miracles, especially plague o1771, brought to Moscow 1640 bTsar Michael, carelessly put in bell tower after fire, but vereration renewed in 1760 by girl's vision led her to the icon, go Church oSt Nick, find icon, pray, receive healing from paralysis arms & legs, Icon darkened by age&dust in Bell Tower, It is She! woman walked out of church after Molieben served before tIcon, copies can be found; Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage my sorrow", Commemorated January 25 ; “Assuage my Sorrows” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was glorified at Moscow by many miracles in the second half of the eighteenth century, particularly during a plague in 1771. icon had been brought to Moscow by Cossacks in 1640 in the reign of Tsar Michael (1613-1645), placed in the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow. perhaps after a fire and the rebuilding of the temple, the icon was carelessly put in a bell tower. the abundant mercies manifested by the Mother of God would one day bring about a renewed veneration of this holy icon. Feast of the wonderworking icon on January 25 was established in 1760 commemorate the healing of a sick woman who had seen the icon in a vision. voice instructed her to go to the church of Saint Nicholas in the Pupishevo district of Moscow where she would find this icon. “Pray before it, and you will receive healing.” obeyed and went to Moscow, where she found an icon, darkened by age and dust, in the church’s bell tower. the sick woman saw the face and inscription she cried out, “It is She!” woman, who previously had been unable to move her arms and legs, walked out of church on her own after a Molieben was served before the icon on January 25. 1760 an honored place was set aside for the Icon in the church, later a chapel was built for it. Church Services and the Akathist for the Icon date from this period. of the “Assuage my Sorrows” Icon are to be found in some churches of Moscow and other cities. church of Saint Nicholas at Pupishevo was destroyed in the 1930s, but by the grace of God the Icon has survived. is now in the church of Saint Nicholas near Kuznetskaya Sloboda. “Assuage my Sorrows” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on September 25 and October 9.

Russia, Moscow, 1761-1762, Emperor, Peter III, German Born, pro Prussian, removed by troups in Coup
Russia, Moscow, 1761-1762, Emperor, Peter III, German Born, pro Prussian, removed by troups in Coup;

Russia, Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great, removed husband, Enlightened, Golden Age
Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage My Sorrows"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity"Â, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "œAssuage my sorrow"Â, Commemorated on January 25; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Seeker of the Lost"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œOur Lady of Sitka", Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II, Nobles, no longer having to fight or lead, Built Mansions
Moscow, 1762-1796, Empress, Catherine II the Great ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage My Sorrows"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity"Â, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "œAssuage my sorrow"Â, Commemorated on January 25; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Seeker of the Lost"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œOur Lady of Sitka"Â, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Moscow, 1765-1817, Saint Theodore Ushakov, Admiral, Sanaxar Monastery Patron
Moscow, 1765-1817, Saint Theodore Ushakov, Admiral; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia'™s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country'™s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787-”1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as œa neighbor and a significant patron of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore’s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy’s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called œAdmiral Ushakov.

Russia, Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War, Moldovia, Ochakov, Crimea, Black and Azov Seas
Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74) ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2;

Russia, Moscow, 1770, 1244&1578, 6 Translations otRelics otMartyr's Prince Michael & Boyer Theodore, killed by Batu 1244
Russia, Kiev, 1578&1770, Translation otRelics otMartyr Michael oChernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland, Prince Michael oC and Boyar Theodore killed by Batu 1244, (1) relics saved by Christians, (2) later r transferred to Vladimir, (3) then 1272 to Polish Chernigov, (4) 1573 to Moscow by Ivan tTerrible, (5) then 1770 to Moscow's Meething otLprd Cathedral, (6) 1774 hidden in Kremlin's Holy Archangel Cathedral, Michael&Theodore commemorated Sept 20, Feb 14th, Sunday before Aug 26th, synaxis Moscow's Saints; Chernigov; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov and his Boyar Theodore were put to death by Batu of the Golden Horde on September 20, 1244. first, some devout Russian Christians secretly took their relics. Later, the relics of the holy wonderworkers were transferred to the city of Vladimir, then to Chernigov, after Chernigov was ceded to the Poles in the year 1572. February 14, 1578 Tsar Ivan the Terrible transferred their relics to a church which was dedicated to them in Moscow, with the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony. 1770 the relics of Saints Michael and Theodore were transferred to the Meeting of the Lord (Сретенский) cathedral, November 21,1774, they have been kept in a hidden place in Moscow's Holy Archangels Cathedral in the Kremlin. Holy Martyrs and Confessors Michael and Theodore are commemorated September 20 (the day of their martyric death); February 14 (the Translation of their Holy Relics in 1578; on the Sunday before August 26 (Synaxis of the Moscow Saints).

Russia, Moscow, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague
Russia, Kaluga, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague; Kaluga; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Russia, Moscow, 1774-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands saved
Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov ; Seraphim of Sarov (30 July [O.S. 19 July] 1754 (or 1759) - 14 January [O.S. 2 January] 1833), born Prokhor Moshnin, is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerated both in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. is generally considered the greatest of the 19th-century startsy (elders). Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson. He taught that the purpose of the Christian life was to acquire the Holy Spirit. Perhaps his most popular quotation amongst Orthodox believers is "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1903. Alongside his veneration in the Catholic calendar, Pope John Paul II also referred to him as a Saint.[1] Mordovia; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; of the Relics of Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov: The glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), took place in 1903, seventy years after his repose. July 3, 1903 Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg, assisted by Bishop Nazarius of Nizhni-Novgorod and Bishop Innocent of Tambov, transferred the saint’s relics from their original burial place to the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra provided a new cypress coffin to receive the relics. This cypress coffin was then placed inside an oak coffin and remained in the church until the day of the saint’s glorification. noon on July 16, the first day of the festivities, Metropolitan Anthony offered a Memorial Service for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim in the Dormition Cathedral. Services also took place in the monastery’s other churches. next day Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius served a Memorial Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral. At 5:00 that afternoon, the bells of Sarov began to ring, announcing the arrival of Tsar Nicholas and his family. Metropolitan Anthony greeted them and then led them to the Dormition Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving. royal family attended the early Liturgy on July 18th and received the Holy Mysteries. Later that morning, the final Memorial Service for the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim’s soul was offered in the Cathedral. These would be the last prayers offered for him as a departed servant of God. From that time forward, prayers would be addressed to him as a saint. At 6 P.M. the bells rang for Vigil, the first service with hymns honoring Saint Seraphim, and during which his relics would be exposed for public veneration. the time of the Litia during Vespers, the saint’s coffin was carried from the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius and into the Dormition Cathedral. Several people were healed of various illnesses during this procession. During Matins, as “Praise ye the Name of the Lord” was sung, the coffin was opened. After the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and the other hierarchs kissed the holy relics. They were followed by the royal family, the officiating clergy, and all the people in the cathedral. July 19, the saint’s birthday, the late Liturgy began at 8 o’clock. At the Little Entrance, twelve Archimandrites lifted the coffin from the middle of the church, carried it around the altar, then placed it into a special shrine. The long awaited event was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, who had gathered at Sarov in large numbers. More than 200,000 people came to Sarov from all across Russia. festivities at Sarov came to an end with the dedication of the first two churches to Saint Seraphim. The first church to be consecrated was over his monastic cell in Sarov. The second church was consecrated on July 22 at the Diveyevo convent. 1991, Saint Seraphim’s relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious museum for seventy years. Widely esteemed in his lifetime, Saint Seraphim is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church.

Russia, Moscow, 1774-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Mordovia, visions during services, divine light, Jesus, much more
Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Mordovia, from Kursk, Cathedral at K, 7 story fall, unharmed, excellent meomory, greviously ill, MOG promise visit to heal him, Kursk Root Icon procession, copper cross, from K to Kiev Caves, sent to Sarov by elder Dositheus, a woman, Pachomius, Joseph, bread, prosphora and carpentry, no despondency by prayer, fasting, isolation, Jesus prayer, after 2 yrs fell ill w dropsy 3 yrs, no complaint, no want Dr, asked for prayer, molieben, MOG vision, Peter, John, side touched, fluid, chapel at place, Seraphim's altar table for his holy mysteries, served each day, visions during services, divine light, Jesus, bodiless powers of heaven, he couldn't move or speak, 1793 Mt Athos in the forest, Pachomius of the Desert's rule of prayer, silence and solitude, fed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits and wolves, bear would obey him and run errands, new stylite struggle for 1000 days and nights, robbers beat him severly, MOG healed him , 1825 MOG told him to end seclusion and devote to others, Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov, desire to know aim of Christian life, acquisition of Holy Spirit, how recognize H S, your eyes flashing, in the Spirit or you would not see me, MOG et al entrusted D sisters to him, levitation in prayer, when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire ; Sarov; Sarov Monestary 1910; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were inhabitants of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant. Toward the end of his life, he began construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but he died before the completion of the work. His little son Prochorus,the future Seraphim, remained in the care of his widowed mother, who raised her son in piety. the death of her husband, Agathia Moshnina continued with the construction of the cathedral. Once she took the seven-year-old Prochorus there with her, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Prochorus, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. one point Prochorus fell grievously ill, and his life was in danger. In a dream the boy saw the Mother of God, promising to visit and heal him. Soon past the courtyard of the Moshnin home came a church procession with the Kursk Root Icon of the Sign (November 27). His mother carried Prochorus in her arms, and he kissed the holy icon, after which he speedily recovered. still in his youth Prochorus made his plans to devote his life entirely to God and to go to a monastery. His devout mother did not object to this and she blessed him on his monastic path with a copper cross, which he wore on his chest for the rest of his life. Prochorus set off on foot with pilgrims going from Kursk to Kiev to venerate the Saints of the Caves. Elder Dositheus (actually a woman, Daria Tyapkina), whom Prochorus visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov wilderness monastery, and there seek his salvation. Returning briefly to his parental home, Prohkor bid a final farewell to his mother and family. November 20, 1778 he arrived at Sarov, where the monastery then was headed by a wise Elder, Father Pachomius. He accepted him and put him under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Joseph. Under his direction Prochorus passed through many obediences at the monastery: he was the Elder’s cell-attendant, he toiled at making bread and prosphora, and at carpentry. fulfilled all his obediences with zeal and fervor, as though serving the Lord Himself. By constant work he guarded himself against despondency (accidie), this being, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks. is treated by prayer, by abstaining from idle chatter, by strenuous work, by reading the Word of God and by patience, since it is engendered by pettiness of soul, negligence, and idle talk.” the blessing of Igumen Pachomius, Prochorus abstained from all food on Wednesdays and Fridays, and went into the forest, where in complete isolation he practiced the Jesus Prayer. two years as a novice, Prochorus fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he was beset with suffering. His instructor Father Joseph and the other Elders were fond of Prochorus, and they provided him care. The illness dragged on for about three years, and not once did anyone hear from him a word of complaint. The Elders, fearing for his very life, wanted to call a doctor for him, but Prochorus asked that this not be done, saying to Father Pachomius: “I have entrusted myself, holy Father, to the True Physician of soul and body, our Lord Jesus Christ and His All-Pure Mother.” asked that a Molieben be offered for his health. While the others were praying in church, Prochorus had a vision. The Mother of God appeared to him accompanied by the holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing with Her hand towards the sick monk, the Most Holy Virgin said to Saint John, “He is one of our kind.” Then She touched the side of the sick man with Her staff, and immediately the fluid that had swelled up his body began to flow through the incision that She made. After the Molieben, the brethren found that Prochorus had been healed, and only a scar remained as evidence of the miracle. at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God, an infirmary church was built for the sick. One of the side chapels was dedicated to Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki (April 17). With his own hands, Saint Seraphim made an altar table for the chapel out of cypress wood, and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. eight years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prochorus was tonsured with the name Seraphim, a name reflecting his fiery love for the Lord and his zealous desire to serve Him. After a year, Seraphim was ordained as hierodeacon. in spirit, he served in the temple each day, incessantly praying even after the service. The Lord granted him visions during the church services: he often saw holy angels serving with the priests. the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday, which was celebrated by the igumen Father Pachomius and by Father Joseph, Saint Seraphim had another vision. After the Little Entrance with the Gospel, the hierodeacon Seraphim pronounced the words “O Lord, save the God-fearing, and hear us.” Then, he lifted his orarion saying, “And unto ages of ages.” Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright ray of light. up, Saint Seraphim beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Reaching the ambo, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered into His Icon to the right of the royal doors. Saint Seraphim, in spiritual rapture after this miraculous vision, was unable to utter a word, nor to move from the spot. They led him by the hand into the altar, where he just stood for another three hours, his face having changed color from the great grace that shone upon him. the vision the saint intensified his efforts. He toiled at the monastery by day, and he spent his nights praying in his forest cell. 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was ordained to the priesthood, and he served the Divine Liturgy every day. After the death of the igumen Father Pachomius, Saint Seraphim received the blessing of the new Superior Father Isaiah, to live alone in a remote part of the forest three and a half miles from the monastery. He named his new home “Mount Athos,” and devoted himself to solitary prayer. He went to the monastery only on Saturday before the all-night Vigil, and returned to his forest cell after Sunday’s Liturgy, at which he partook of the Divine Mysteries. Seraphim spent his time in ascetical struggles. His cell rule of prayer was based on the rule of Saint Pachomius for the ancient desert He always carried the Holy Gospels with him, reading the entire New Testament in the course of a week. He also read the holy Fathers and the service books. The saint learned many of the Church hymns by heart, and sang them while working in the forest. Around his cell he cultivated a garden and set up a beehive. He kept a very strict fast, eating only once during the entire day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he completely abstained from food. From the first Sunday of the Great Fast he did not partake of food at all until the following Saturday, when he received the Holy Mysteries. holy Elder was sometimes so absorbed by the unceasing prayer of the heart that he remained without stirring, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The schemamonk Mark the Silent and the hierodeacon Alexander, also wilderness-dwellers, would visit him every now and then. Finding the saint immersed in prayer, they would leave quietly, so they would not disturb his contemplation. the heat of summer the righteous one gathered moss from a swamp as fertilizer for his garden. Gnats and mosquitoes bit him relentlessly, but he endured this saying, “The passions are destroyed by suffering and by afflictions.” solitude was often disturbed by visits from monks and laymen, who sought his advice and blessing. With the blessing of the igumen, Father Seraphim prohibited women from visiting him, then receiving a sign that the Lord approved of his desire for complete silence, he banned all visitors. Through the prayers of the saint, the pathway to his wilderness cell was blocked by huge branches blown down from ancient pine trees. Now only the birds and the wild beasts visited him, and he dwelt with them as Adam did in Paradise. They came at midnight and waited for him to complete his Rule of prayer. Then he would feed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and even wolves with bread from his hand. Saint Seraphim also had a bear which would obey him and run errands for him. order to repulse the onslaughts of the Enemy, Saint Seraphim intensified his toil and began a new ascetical struggle in imitation of Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). Each night he climbed up on an immense rock in the forest, or a smaller one in his cell, resting only for short periods. He stood or knelt, praying with upraised hands, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He prayed this way for 1,000 days and nights. robbers in search of money or valuables once came upon him while he was working in his garden. The robbers demanded money from him. Though he had an axe in his hands, and could have put up a fight, he did not want to do this, recalling the words of the Lord: “Those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26: 52). Dropping his axe to the ground, he said, “Do what you intend.” The robbers beat him severely and left him for dead. They wanted to throw him in the river, but first they searched the cell for money. They tore the place apart, but found nothing but icons and a few potatoes, so they left. The monk, regained consciousness, crawled to his cell, and lay there all night. the morning he reached the monastery with great difficulty. The brethren were horrified, seeing the ascetic with several wounds to his head, chest, ribs and back. For eight days he lay there suffering from his wounds. Doctors called to treat him were amazed that he was still alive after such a beating. Seraphim was not cured by any earthly physician: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a vision with the Apostles Peter and John. Touching the saint’s head, the Most Holy Virgin healed him. However, he was unable to straighten up, and for the rest of his life he had to walk bent over with the aid of a stick or a small axe. Saint Seraphim had to spend about five months at the monastery, and then he returned to the forest. He forgave his abusers and asked that they not be punished. 1807 the abbot, Father Isaiah, fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Seraphim was asked to take his place, but he declined. He lived in silence for three years, completely cut off from the world except for the monk who came once a week to bring him food. If the saint encountered a man in the forest, he fell face down and did not get up until the passerby had moved on. Saint Seraphim acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic once said, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls will be saved around you.” new Superior of the monastery, Father Niphon, and the older brethren of the monastery told Father Seraphim either to come to the monastery on Sundays for divine services as before, or to move back into the monastery. He chose the latter course, since it had become too difficult for him to walk from his forest cell to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after fifteen years of living in the wilderness. his silence, he shut himself up in his cell, occupying himself with prayer and reading. He was also permitted to eat meals and to receive Communion in his cell. There Saint Seraphim attained the height of spiritual purity and was granted special gifts of grace by God: clairvoyance and wonderworking. After five years of solitude, he opened his door and allowed the monks to enter. He continued his silence, however, teaching them only by example. November 25, 1825 the Mother of God, accompanied by the two holy hierarchs commemorated on that day (Hieromartyr Clement of Rome, and Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria), appeared to the Elder in a vision and told him to end his seclusion and to devote himself to others. He received the igumen’s blessing to divide his time between life in the forest, and at the monastery. He did not return to his Far Hermitage, but went to a cell closer to the monastery. This he called his Near Hermitage. At that time, he opened the doors of his cell to pilgrims as well as his fellow-monks. Elder saw into the hearts of people, and as a spiritual physician, he healed their infirmities of soul and body through prayer and by his grace-filled words. Those coming to Saint Seraphim felt his great love and tenderness. No matter what time of the year it was, he would greet everyone with the words, “Christ is Risen, my joy!” He especially loved children. Once, a young girl said to her friends, “Father Seraphim only looks like an old man. He is really a child like us.” Elder was often seen leaning on his stick and carrying a knapsack filled with stones. When asked why he did this, the saint humbly replied, “I am troubling him who troubles me.” the final period of his earthly life Saint Seraphim devoted himself to his spiritual children, the Diveyevo women’s monastery. While still a hierodeacon he had accompanied the late Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to its monastic leader, Mother Alexandra, a great woman ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed Saint Seraphim to care always for the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a genuine father for the sisters, who turned to him with all their spiritual and material difficulties. Seraphim also devoted much effort to the women’s monastic community at Diveyevo. He himself said that he gave them no instructions of his own, but it was the Queen of Heaven who guided him in matters pertaining to the monastery. His disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to feed and nourish the Diveyevo community. Michael V. Manturov, healed by the monk from grievous illness, was one of Diveyvo’s benefactors. On the advice of the Elder he took upon himself the exploit of voluntary poverty. Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, out of obedience to the Elder, voluntarily consented to die in place of her brother, who was still needed in this life. Alexandrovich Motovilov, was also healed by the monk. In 1903, shortly before the glorification of the saint, the remarkable “Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov” was found and printed. Written by Motovilov after their conversation at the end of November 1831, the manuscript was hidden in an attic in a heap of rubbish for almost seventy years. It was found by the author S. A. Nilus, who was looking for information about Saint Seraphim’s life. This conversation is a very precious contribution to the spiritual literature of the Orthodox Church. It grew out of Nicholas Motovilov’s desire to know the aim of the Christian life. It was revealed to Saint Seraphim that Motovilov had been seeking an answer to this question since childhood, without receiving a satisfactory answer. The holy Elder told him that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and went on to explain the great benefits of prayer and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. asked the saint how we can know if the Holy Spirit is with us or not. Saint Seraphim spoke at length about how people come to be in the Spirit of God, and how we can recognize His presence in us, but Motovilov wanted to understand this better. Then Father Seraphim took him by the shoulders and said, “We are both in the Spirit of God now, my son. Why don’t you look at me?” replied, “I cannot look, Father, for your eyes are flashing like lightning, and your face is brighter than the sun.” Seraphim told him, “Don’t be alarmed, friend of God. Now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You are in the fulness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.” Saint Seraphim promised Motovilov that God would allow him to retain this experience in his memory all his life. “It is not given for you alone to understand,” he said, “but through you it is for the whole world.” knew and esteemed Saint Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his end, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Seraphim was granted to behold the Queen of Heaven once more in the company of Saint John the Baptist, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve Virgin Martyrs (Saints Barbara, Katherine, Thekla, Marina, Irene, Eupraxia, Pelagia, Dorothea, Makrina, Justina, Juliana, and Anysia). The Most Holy Virgin conversed at length with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Concluding the conversation, She said to him: “Soon, My dear one, you shall be with us.” The Diveyevo nun Eupraxia was present during this visit of the Mother of God, because the saint had invited her. the last year of Saint Seraphim’s life, one of those healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade this to be mentioned until after his death. Seraphim became noticeably weaker and he spoke much about his approaching end. During this time they often saw him sitting by his coffin, which he had placed in the ante-room of his cell, and which he had prepared for himself. saint himself had marked the place where finally they would bury him, near the altar of the Dormition cathedral. On January 1, 1833 Father Seraphim came to the church of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius one last time for Liturgy and he received the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and bid them farewell, saying: “Save your souls. Do not be despondent, but watchful. Today crowns are being prepared for us.” January 2, Father Paul, the saint’s cell-attendant, left his own cell at six in the morning to attend the early Liturgy. He noticed the smell of smoke coming from the Elder’s cell. Saint Seraphim would often leave candles burning in his cell, and Father Paul was concerned that they could start a fire. “While I am alive,” he once said, “there will be no fire, but when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire.” When they opened the door, it appeared that books and other things were smoldering. Saint Seraphim was found kneeling before an icon of the Mother of God with his arms crossed on his chest. His pure soul was taken by the angels at the time of prayer, and had flown off to the Throne of the Almighty God, Whose faithful servant Saint Seraphim had been all his life. Seraphim has promised to intercede for those who remember his parents, Isidore and Agathia.

Russia, Moscow, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed w oil from icon's lampada, they received healing
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed with oil from the icon's lampada, they received healing Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . holy ascetic reposed while praying before the icon on January 2, 1833. Father Niphon, the Superior of the monastery, gave the holy Tenderness icon to the sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. When the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. Numerous pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1776-1836, Herman of Alaska, miracle MOG healing, hesychast, peacemaker, prophet, animals, light pillar
Moscow, 1772-1836, Priest, Herman of Alaska; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission. Saint Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. This wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. With the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff); the hieromonks Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan, and Nectarius; hierodeacons Nectarius and Stephen; and the monks Joasaph and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself: “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. He wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors on behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” The Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). We who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Saint Herman.) for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; of Alaska (born 1756 or 1760 in Serpukhov, Russia – December 13 or November 15, 1837 on Spruce Island, Alaska) one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas. was born in the town of Serpukhov near Moscow around 1756. Herman is his name in monasticism; his birth name is unknown. 16, he entered the Russian Orthodox monastic life at the Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood. request was made for a mission into the Alaskan territory. Herman was selected to go, along with seven other monks. and the other monks arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia. eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood. died on November 15, 1837, but was not buried on Spruce Island until December 13 because a priest could not come to serve the funeral, and was forgotten until the first investigation of his life in 1867 by Bishop Peter of Alaska. was named a saint by the Orthodox Church in America on 9 August 1970. (more at Wikipedia) Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13;

Russia, Moscow, 1776-1837, Herman, Wonderworker, N Valaam Spruce Is Alaska, what do you love, 40 years & can't completely
Russia, St Petersburg, 1776-1837, Herman, Serpukhov merchants, Trinity-Sergius St Petersburg, Sarov, Nazarius, Sanaxar, Sergius Hermitage, Valaam on Lake Ladoga, Innocent, Serdobol marble q, Herman's wilderness, Aleutian Is, chain Kamchatka to N America, natives, 10 men selected, holy zeal several thousand accepted, school, church, Phoenix, The New Valaam — Spruce Island, his home, clothes, bed, blanket, pillow, food, fertilizer, visits, reestablish understandng in families, children, Epedemic, admonished fear, spiritual teacher, school, chapel near cell, powerful sermons w students singing, Sophia Vlasova lived there, Yanovsky, naval captain and educated men lost for an answer before him, one general question, what do you love above all, certainly we love god, but I have been trying 40 yrs, and can't love him completely, always remember him, try to please him, he talked of eternity, salvation, our destinies under God, lives of Saints, Prologue, nothing frivolous, description- short, pale, sparkly grey-blue eyes, few grey hairs, pleasant voice, Peter's martyrdom, Spanish Jesuit torture, saved by Monterey order, Supernatural gifts, icon stopping flood, moss fire break, epedemic unites the aleuts, I will not be forgotten, 30 yrs from now you will be old when I will be remembered, death prophecies; Valaam Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793 with volunteers from the monks of the Valaam Monastery. were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who had come under the sovereignty of Russia only ten years before. Saint Herman was one of the members of this mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow diocese. name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. There is a possibility, however, that his baptismal name was Gerasimus. had a great zeal for piety from his youth, and he entered monastic life at sixteen. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. also spent time at at Sarov, where he first met Father Nazarius, who became his Elder at Valaam. Later, Saint Herman followed him to Sanaxar where Saint Theodore (February 19) was their igumen. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward everything’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff), the Hieromonks, Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan and Nectarius, Hierodeacons, Nectarius and Stephen, and the monks Joasaph, and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman, himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself, “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors in behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. face was pale and covered with wrinkles. eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, on his head there were a few gray hairs. voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Herman. for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; of Alaska (born 1756 or 1760 in Serpukhov, Russia – December 13 or November 15, 1837 on Spruce Island, Alaska) one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas. was born in the town of Serpukhov near Moscow around 1756. Herman is his name in monasticism; his birth name is unknown. 16, he entered the Russian Orthodox monastic life at the Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood. request was made for a mission into the Alaskan territory. Herman was selected to go, along with seven other monks. and the other monks arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia. eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood. died on November 15, 1837, but was not buried on Spruce Island until December 13 because a priest could not come to serve the funeral, and was forgotten until the first investigation of his life in 1867 by Bishop Peter of Alaska. was named a saint by the Orthodox Church in America on 9 August 1970. (more at Wikipedia)

Russia, Moscow, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Theophany Convent and monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1780-1848, Preserved Virginity Icon, oil and canvas icon, e light, vision, voice, finest quality icon on board
Russia, Moscow, 1780-1848, In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity Icon, Nikolaev Peshkov monastery, Moscow; Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow ; In Giving Birth, You Preserved Your Virginity Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; Icon of the Mother of God “In Giving Birth, You Preserved Your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before Birth and After Birth”) was transferred to the Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow diocese by the Moscow merchant Alexis Grigorievich Mokeev. the year 1780 Alexis joined the brethren of the monastery. He had given all of his wealth to the igumen of the monastery, Archimandrite Macarius, and the holy icon remained in his cell. Alexis’s death, the icon was brought to the archimandrite, who observed that the icon was painted in oil on canvas and not according to the prescribed rules of iconography (using egg tempera on wood), and he installed it over the exit door of the chapel of Saint Methodius, which was on a street not far from the monastery. glorification of the holy icon began in 1827, when Captain Platon Osipovich Shabashev, going past the chapel at night, saw an extraordinary light coming from the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Another time he had a vision of the icon at a time when he found himself in difficult circumstances. In a dream, Platon beheld the radiant icon of the Mother of God in the clouds above the chapel of Saint Methodius and heard a voice say, “If you wish to be delivered from temptation, pray before this icon.” Platon obeyed the guidance of the Mother of God, and the sorrow passed him by. pious Platon told the Superior of the monastery about the miracles. He then transfered the holy image into the monastery. When they went to put the icon in a ornamental case, the image of the Most Holy Virgin, painted on canvas, stiffened taut upon a board, on which was concealed a depiction of the Mother of God of finest quality. Numerous miracles are recorded to have taken place from this icon in 1848 during an outbreak of cholera, when many praying before it were healed.

Russia, Moscow, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska, Kodiak, Nushek, Kenai Bay, Kushokwim Mouth, Quinahgak, Baptised many
Moscow, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24; Juvenal, the Protomartyr of America, was born in 1761 in Nerchinsk, Siberia. His secular name was John Feodorovich Hovorukhin, and he was trained as a mining engineer. In a letter to Abbot Nazarius of Valaam (December 13, 1819), Saint Herman says that Saint Juvenal “had been an assistant at our monastery and was a former officer.” his wife died in 1791, John entered a monastery at Saint Petersburg (Saint Herman’s Letter of December 13, 1819) and was tonsured with the name Juvenal. Three years later, he went to Alaska as a missionary. 1794, the hieromonks Juvenal and Macarius spent two months in the area around Kodiak teaching the inhabitants about Christ and baptizing them. They traveled in small boats of hide in all sorts of weather, dividing up the territory among themselves. Saint Herman tells of a conversation he heard one day as he walked with the hieromonks to a small hill on the south side of the harbor. They sat down facing the sea, and spoke of various things. Soon they began to discuss where each of them should go to preach. Aflame with zeal and eager to set out on their journey, a friendly argument ensued between Father Macarius and Father Juvenal. Father Macarius said he intended to go north to the Aleutian Islands, and then make his way to the Alaskan mainland, where the inhabitants had invited him to visit. The monks had a map of Captain Cook’s which indicated that some Russians were living near a certain river in that particular area, and Father Macarius hoped to find them. Juvenal interrupted, saying that he believed that the Alaskan mainland was his territory. “I beg you to yield to me and not offend me in this,” he told Father Macarius, “since the ship is leaving for Yakutan. I shall begin preaching in the south, proceeding north along the ocean, cross the Kenai peninsula, then from the port there I shall cross to Alaska.” Macarius became sorrowful and said, “No, Father. Do not restrict me in this way. You know the Aleutian chain of islands is joined to Alaska, therefore it belongs to me, and also the whole northern shore. As for you, the southern part of America is sufficient for your whole lifetime, if you please.” he listened to their apostolic fervor, Saint Herman says he “went from joy to rapture” (Letter to Abbot Nazarius, May 19, 1795). 1795, Father Juvenal baptized over 700 Chugatchi at Nushek, then he crossed Kenai Bay and baptized the local people there. In 1796, according to native oral tradition, Saint Juvenal came to the mouth of the Kuskokwim near the present village of Quinahgak, where he was killed by a hunting party. (There is a forged diary attributed to Ivan Petroff which gives a slanderous version of Father Juvenal’s death, and alleges that he was martyred at Lake Iliamna.) precise reason for Saint Juvenal’s murder by the natives is not known. However, they later told Saint Innocent something about his death. They said that Saint Juvenal did not try to defend himself when attacked, nor did he make any attempt to escape. After being struck from behind, he turned to face his attackers and begged them to spare the natives he had baptized. natives told Saint Innocent that after they had killed Saint Juvenal, he got up and followed them, urging them to repent. The fell upon him again and gave him a savage beating. Once more, he got to his feet and called them to repentance. This happened several times, then finally the natives hacked him to pieces. Thus, the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal became the first Orthodox Christian in America to receive the crown of martyrdom. His unnamed guide, possibly a Tanaina Indian convert, was also martyred at the same time. is said that a local shaman removed Saint Juvenal’s brass pectoral cross from his body and attempted to cast a spell. Unexpectedly, the shaman was lifted up off the ground. He made three more tries with the same result, then concluded that there was a greater power than his own at work here. Years later, a man showed up at the Nushagak Trading Post wearing a brass pectoral cross exactly like the one worn by Saint Juvenal. column of light arose from his holy relics and reached up to Heaven. It is not known how long this phenomenon continued. Juvenal, in his tireless evangelization of the native peoples of Alaska, served the Church more than all the other missionaries combined.

Russia, Moscow, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire, by choice
Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire, by choice
Georgia, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire; Saint Hilarion the New of Georgia, Commemorated on February 14; the Russian annexation of Kartli-Kakheti, the imperial court of the tsar increased diplomatic correspondence with the court of King Solomon II. king was urged likewise to unite the Imeretian Kingdom to Russia. Solomon summoned a council of noblemen, and it was decided that Imereti would remain independent, while maintaining friendly relations with Russia until the king’s death. However, it was agreed that since King Solomon had no heir, after his repose the court of the imperial tsar would acquire jurisdiction over the region. the political climate in Georgia became increasingly tense, and the ability of the Imeretian court to govern was severely undermined. court was suddenly besieged with cases of envy and treason, and it became necessary for the king to flee to Turkey. Protopresbyter Ise Qanchaveli accompanied King Solomon II to his place of exile and remained with him to the end of the king’s life. the king’s death in 1815, Fr. Ise received an amnesty from Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) on behalf of the king and his court. Ise himself planned to go into reclusion in the village where he was born, King Solomon’s widow, Queen Mariam, summoned him to Moscow where she was being held in “honorable captivity.â€ Fr. Ise brought to her a piece of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, which had belonged to King Solomon, and the queen preserved her husband’s treasure in the court church. life at the imperial court was tiresome for the God-fearing Fr. Ise, so he exchanged his clothing for beggars’ rags and set off for Mt. Athos in the year 1819.

Russia, Moscow, 1786, Theoctistus Relics Translation, tYuriev Monastery, d1310, Glorified 1664, fMiraculous healings aGrave
Russia, Novgorod, 1786, Theoctistus Relics Translation, tYuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) , died 1310, main feast Dec 23, Glorified 1664, because miraculous healings at his grave, Relics transferred tYuriev, Novgorod Cathedral 1786 ; Yuriev Monastery; Repose of Saint Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Saint Theoktistos (Theóktistos) became a bishop, he was the Igoumen of Annunciation Monastery near Novgorod. the repose of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop. Metropolitan Maximus and Bishops Simeon of Rostov and Aofndrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoktistos as Archbishop Novgorod on June 29, 1300. of the Hierarch's concerns was the renovation and building of churches. consecrated cathedrals in honor of Saints Boris and Gleb (July 24), and in honor of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (Seventh Sunday after Pascha). Valaam Monastery was set in good order during this time. of his poor health, the Hierarch retired to Annunciation Monastery in 1307, himself to the ascetical feat (podvig) of silence until his blessed repose on December 23,1310. Theoktistos was glorified in 1664, because of the many miraculous cures which took place before his relics. relics were transferred to Yuriev in 1786, where Archimandrite Photios built a chapel in the local cathedral and dedicated it to Saint Theoktistos. July 10, 2015, as a result of the opening of an XVIII century tomb an archaeological team led by Vladimir Sedov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Doctor of Art History, in the presence of Metropolitan Leo of Novgorod and Staraya Rus, holy relics of Archbishop Theoktistos of Novgorod were discovered. relics were solemnly transferred to the Cathedral of the Savior at Saint George's Monastery, and placed in a reliquary for the faithful to venerate. the same time, the first Moleben was served in honor of the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Theoktistos. Theoktistos is also commemorated on the following dates: January 23 (The recovery of his Holy Relics); and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of the Novgorod Saints). Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; main Feast of Saint Theoctistus is December 23. was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings which took place at his relics. 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Moscow, 1786-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Hesychast, visions, bright light, Jesus, silence, animals, clairvoyant
Moscow, 1786-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. His parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were inhabitants of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant. Toward the end of his life, he began construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but he died before the completion of the work. His little son Prochorus,the future Seraphim, remained in the care of his widowed mother, who raised her son in piety. the death of her husband, Agathia Moshnina continued with the construction of the cathedral. Once she took the seven-year-old Prochorus there with her, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Prochorus, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. one point Prochorus fell grievously ill, and his life was in danger. In a dream the boy saw the Mother of God, promising to visit and heal him. Soon past the courtyard of the Moshnin home came a church procession with the Kursk Root Ico,n of the Sign (November 27). His mother carried Prochorus in her arms, and he kissed the holy icon, after which he speedily recovered. still in his youth Prochorus made his plans to devote his life entirely to God and to go to a monastery. His devout mother did not object to this and she blessed him on his monastic path with a copper cross, which he wore on his chest for the rest of his life. Prochorus set off on foot with pilgrims going from Kursk to Kiev to venerate the Saints of the Caves. Elder Dositheus (actually a woman, Daria Tyapkina), whom Prochorus visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov wilderness monastery, and there seek his salvation. Returning briefly to his parental home, Prohkor bid a final farewell to his mother and family. On November 20, 1778 he arrived at Sarov, where the monastery then was headed by a wise Elder, Father Pachomius. He accepted him and put him under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Joseph. Under his direction Prochorus passed through many obediences at the monastery: he was the Elder’s cell-attendant, he toiled at making bread and prosphora, and at carpentry. He fulfilled all his obediences with zeal and fervor, as though serving the Lord Himself. By constant work he guarded himself against despondency (accidie), this being, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks. It is treated by prayer, by abstaining from idle chatter, by strenuous work, by reading the Word of God and by patience, since it is engendered by pettiness of soul, negligence, and idle talk.” the blessing of Igumen Pachomius, Prochorus abstained from all food on Wednesdays and Fridays, and went into the forest, where in complete isolation he practiced the Jesus Prayer. After two years as a novice, Prochorus fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he was beset with suffering. His instructor Father Joseph and the other Elders were fond of Prochorus, and they provided him care. The illness dragged on for about three years, and not once did anyone hear from him a word of complaint. The Elders, fearing for his very life, wanted to call a doctor for him, but Prochorus asked that this not be done, saying to Father Pachomius: “I have entrusted myself, holy Father, to the True Physician of soul and body, our Lord Jesus Christ and His All-Pure Mother.” asked that a Molieben be offered for his health. While the others were praying in church, Prochorus had a vision. The Mother of God appeared to him accompanied by the holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing with Her hand towards the sick monk, the Most Holy Virgin said to Saint John, “He is one of our kind.” Then She touched the side of the sick man with Her staff, and immediately the fluid that had swelled up his body began to flow through the incision that She made. After the Molieben, the brethren found that Prochorus had been healed, and only a scar remained as evidence of the miracle. at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God, an infirmary church was built for the sick. One of the side chapels was dedicated to Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki (April 17). With his own hands, Saint Seraphim made an altar table for the chapel out of cypress wood, and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. eight years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prochorus was tonsured with the name Seraphim, a name reflecting his fiery love for the Lord and his zealous desire to serve Him. After a year, Seraphim was ordained as hierodeacon. in spirit, he served in the temple each day, incessantly praying even after the service. The Lord granted him visions during the church services: he often saw holy angels serving with the priests. During the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday, which was celebrated by the igumen Father Pachomius and by Father Joseph, Saint Seraphim had another vision. After the Little Entrance with the Gospel, the hierodeacon Seraphim pronounced the words “O Lord, save the God-fearing, and hear us.” Then, he lifted his orarion saying, “And unto ages of ages.” Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright ray of light. up, Saint Seraphim beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Reaching the ambo, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered into His Icon to the right of the royal doors. Saint Seraphim, in spiritual rapture after this miraculous vision, was unable to utter a word, nor to move from the spot. They led him by the hand into the altar, where he just stood for another three hours, his face having changed color from the great grace that shone upon him. After the vision the saint intensified his efforts. He toiled at the monastery by day, and he spent his nights praying in his forest cell. 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was ordained to the priesthood, and he served the Divine Liturgy every day. After the death of the igumen Father Pachomius, Saint Seraphim received the blessing of the new Superior Father Isaiah, to live alone in a remote part of the forest three and a half miles from the monastery. He named his new home “Mount Athos,” and devoted himself to solitary prayer. He went to the monastery only on Saturday before the all-night Vigil, and returned to his forest cell after Sunday’s Liturgy, at which he partook of the Divine Mysteries. Seraphim spent his time in ascetical struggles. His cell rule of prayer was based on the rule of Saint Pachomius for the ancient desert monasteries. He always carried the Holy Gospels with him, reading the entire New Testament in the course of a week. He also read the holy Fathers and the service books. The saint learned many of the Church hymns by heart, and sang them while working in the forest. Around his cell he cultivated a garden and set up a beehive. He kept a very strict fast, eating only once during the entire day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he completely abstained from food. From the first Sunday of the Great Fast he did not partake of food at all until the following Saturday, when he received the Holy Mysteries. holy Elder was sometimes so absorbed by the unceasing prayer of the heart that he remained without stirring, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The schemamonk Mark the Silent and the hierodeacon Alexander, also wilderness-dwellers, would visit him every now and then. Finding the saint immersed in prayer, they would leave quietly, so they would not disturb his contemplation. the heat of summer the righteous one gathered moss from a swamp as fertilizer for his garden. Gnats and mosquitoes bit him relentlessly, but he endured this saying, “The passions are destroyed by suffering and by afflictions.” solitude was often disturbed by visits from monks and laymen, who sought his advice and blessing. With the blessing of the igumen, Father Seraphim prohibited women from visiting him, then receiving a sign that the Lord approved of his desire for complete silence, he banned all visitors. Through the prayers of the saint, the pathway to his wilderness cell was blocked by huge branches blown down from ancient pine trees. Now only the birds and the wild beasts visited him, and he dwelt with them as Adam did in Paradise. They came at midnight and waited for him to complete his Rule of prayer. Then he would feed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and even wolves with bread from his hand. Saint Seraphim also had a bear which would obey him and run errands for him. order to repulse the onslaughts of the Enemy, Saint Seraphim intensified his toil and began a new ascetical struggle in imitation of Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). Each night he climbed up on an immense rock in the forest, or a smaller one in his cell, resting only for short periods. He stood or knelt, praying with upraised hands, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He prayed this way for 1,000 days and nights. robbers in search of money or valuables once came upon him while he was working in his garden. The robbers demanded money from him. Though he had an axe in his hands, and could have put up a fight, he did not want to do this, recalling the words of the Lord: “Those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26: 52). Dropping his axe to the ground, he said, “Do what you intend.” The robbers beat him severely and left him for dead. They wanted to throw him in the river, but first they searched the cell for money. They tore the place apart, but found nothing but icons and a few potatoes, so they left. The monk, regained consciousness, crawled to his cell, and lay there all night. the morning he reached the monastery with great difficulty. The brethren were horrified, seeing the ascetic with several wounds to his head, chest, ribs and back. For eight days he lay there suffering from his wounds. Doctors called to treat him were amazed that he was still alive after such a beating. Seraphim was not cured by any earthly physician: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a vision with the Apostles Peter and John. Touching the saint’s head, the Most Holy Virgin healed him. However, he was unable to straighten up, and for the rest of his life he had to walk bent over with the aid of a stick or a small axe. Saint Seraphim had to spend about five months at the monastery, and then he returned to the forest. He forgave his abusers and asked that they not be punished. 1807 the abbot, Father Isaiah, fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Seraphim was asked to take his place, but he declined. He lived in silence for three years, completely cut off from the world except for the monk who came once a week to bring him food. If the saint encountered a man in the forest, he fell face down and did not get up until the passerby had moved on. Saint Seraphim acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic once said, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls will be saved around you.” new Superior of the monastery, Father Niphon, and the older brethren of the monastery told Father Seraphim either to come to the monastery on Sundays for divine services as before, or to move back into the monastery. He chose the latter course, since it had become too difficult for him to walk from his forest cell to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after fifteen years of living in the wilderness. his silence, he shut himself up in his cell, occupying himself with prayer and reading. He was also permitted to eat meals and to receive Communion in his cell. There Saint Seraphim attained the height of spiritual purity and was granted special gifts of grace by God: clairvoyance and wonderworking. After five years of solitude, he opened his door and allowed the monks to enter. He continued his silence, however, teaching them only by example. November 25, 1825 the Mother of God, accompanied by the two holy hierarchs commemorated on that day (Hieromartyr Clement of Rome, and Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria), appeared to the Elder in a vision and told him to end his seclusion and to devote himself to others. He received the igumen’s blessing to divide his time between life in the forest, and at the monastery. He did not return to his Far Hermitage, but went to a cell closer to the monastery. This he called his Near Hermitage. At that time, he opened the doors of his cell to pilgrims as well as his fellow-monks. Elder saw into the hearts of people, and as a spiritual physician, he healed their infirmities of soul and body through prayer and by his grace-filled words. Those coming to Saint Seraphim felt his great love and tenderness. No matter what time of the year it was, he would greet everyone with the words, “Christ is Risen, my joy!” He especially loved children. Once, a young girl said to her friends, “Father Seraphim only looks like an old man. He is really a child like us.” The Elder was often seen leaning on his stick and carrying a knapsack filled with stones. When asked why he did this, the saint humbly replied, “I am troubling him who troubles me.” the final period of his earthly life Saint Seraphim devoted himself to his spiritual children, the Diveyevo women’s monastery. While still a hierodeacon he had accompanied the late Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to its monastic leader, Mother Alexandra, a great woman ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed Saint Seraphim to care always for the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a genuine father for the sisters, who turned to him with all their spiritual and material difficulties. Seraphim also devoted much effort to the women’s monastic community at Diveyevo. He himself said that he gave them no instructions of his own, but it was the Queen of Heaven who guided him in matters pertaining to the monastery. His disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to feed and nourish the Diveyevo community. Michael V. Manturov, healed by the monk from grievous illness, was one of Diveyvo’s benefactors. On the advice of the Elder he took upon himself the exploit of voluntary poverty. Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, out of obedience to the Elder, voluntarily consented to die in place of her brother, who was still needed in this life. Alexandrovich Motovilov, was also healed by the monk. In 1903, shortly before the glorification of the saint, the remarkable “Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov” was found and printed. Written by Motovilov after their conversation at the end of November 1831, the manuscript was hidden in an attic in a heap of rubbish for almost seventy years. It was found by the author S. A. Nilus, who was looking for information about Saint Seraphim’s life. This conversation is a very precious contribution to the spiritual literature of the Orthodox Church. It grew out of Nicholas Motovilov’s desire to know the aim of the Christian life. It was revealed to Saint Seraphim that Motovilov had been seeking an answer to this question since childhood, without receiving a satisfactory answer. The holy Elder told him that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and went on to explain the great benefits of prayer and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. asked the saint how we can know if the Holy Spirit is with us or not. Saint Seraphim spoke at length about how people come to be in the Spirit of God, and how we can recognize His presence in us, but Motovilov wanted to understand this better. Then Father Seraphim took him by the shoulders and said, “We are both in the Spirit of God now, my son. Why don’t you look at me?” replied, “I cannot look, Father, for your eyes are flashing like lightning, and your face is brighter than the sun.” Seraphim told him, “Don’t be alarmed, friend of God. Now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You are in the fulness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.” Saint Seraphim promised Motovilov that God would allow him to retain this experience in his memory all his life. “It is not given for you alone to understand,” he said, “but through you it is for the whole world.” knew and esteemed Saint Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his end, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Seraphim was granted to behold the Queen of Heaven once more in the company of Saint John the Baptist, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve Virgin Martyrs (Saints Barbara, Katherine, Thekla, Marina, Irene, Eupraxia, Pelagia, Dorothea, Makrina, Justina, Juliana, and Anysia). The Most Holy Virgin conversed at length with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Concluding the conversation, She said to him: “Soon, My dear one, you shall be with us.” The Diveyevo nun Eupraxia was present during this visit of the Mother of God, because the saint had invited her. the last year of Saint Seraphim’s life, one of those healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade this to be mentioned until after his death. Seraphim became noticeably weaker and he spoke much about his approaching end. During this time they often saw him sitting by his coffin, which he had placed in the ante-room of his cell, and which he had prepared for himself. saint himself had marked the place where finally they would bury him, near the altar of the Dormition cathedral. On January 1, 1833 Father Seraphim came to the church of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius one last time for Liturgy and he received the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and bid them farewell, saying: “Save your souls. Do not be despondent, but watchful. Today crowns are being prepared for us.” January 2, Father Paul, the saint’s cell-attendant, left his own cell at six in the morning to attend the early Liturgy. He noticed the smell of smoke coming from the Elder’s cell. Saint Seraphim would often leave candles burning in his cell, and Father Paul was concerned that they could start a fire. “While I am alive,” he once said, “there will be no fire, but when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire.” When they opened the door, it appeared that books and other things were smoldering. Saint Seraphim was found kneeling before an icon of the Mother of God with his arms crossed on his chest. His pure soul was taken by the angels at the time of prayer, and had flown off to the Throne of the Almighty God, Whose faithful servant Saint Seraphim had been all his life. Seraphim has promised to intercede for those who remember his parents, Isidore and Agathia.

Russia, Moscow, 1787-1792, Russo-Turkish War, Crimea, Moldovia
Moscow, 1787-1792, Russo-Turkish War (1787-“92) ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia’s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country’s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787—1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as “a neighbor and a significant patronâ€ of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore’s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy’s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called “Admiral Ushakov.â€ Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1787-1817, Admiral, Fyodor Ushakov, won every engagement
Moscow, 1787-1817, Admiral, Fyodor Ushakov ; Fyodorovich Ushakov ( 24 February [O.S. 13 February] 1745 - 14 October [O.S. 2 October] 1817) was the most illustrious Russian naval commander and admiral of the 18th century. He is notable for winning every engagement he participated in as the Admiral of the Russian fleet. Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Theodore, one of Russia'™s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country'™s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War (1787-”1791), and also fought against the French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded. Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he venerated the relics of Saint Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place. his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, Saint Theodore was forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the monks and attending the services. Nathaniel of Sanaxar regarded Saint Theodore as œa neighbor and a significant patron of the monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his neighbor. Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two. After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1991, and Saint Theodore'™s grave was found in 1994. Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy relics. holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791. Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just as Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and Saint Demetrius of the Don (May 19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy'™s atomic cruisers has been named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called œAdmiral Ushakov. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22;

Russia, Moscow, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish Wa, Sweden (allied w Turks) domestic r, fake d, Baltic sea battles
Moscow, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish War (1788-“90) ; Moscow Empress, 1762-1796, Catherine the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Russia, Moscow, 1795, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, Persian V, Muslim Traitors, Russia could not help per treaty
Georgia, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, 1795, Muslim Traitors inside the gates ; Battle of Krtsanisi was fought between the Qajar Iran (Persia) and the Georgian armies of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and Kingdom of Imereti at the place of Krtsanisi[10] near Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 8 to September 11, 1795, part of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's war in response to King Heraclius II of Georgia’s alliance with the Russian Empire.[11] battle resulted in the decisive defeat of the Georgians, capture, and complete destruction of their capital Tbilisi,[8] as well as the temporary absorption of eastern parts of Georgia into the Iranian Empire.[3][4][12][13] the Qajars were victorious and Agha Mohammad Khan kept his promise to Heraclius (Erekle) that if he would not drop the alliance with Russia and voluntarily reaccept Iranian suzerainty they would invade his kingdom, also showed that Russia's own ambitions and agenda were set as the most important reason for Russia not to intervene at Krtsanisi, even though the latter had officially declared in the Treaty of Georgievsk of 1783 that it would protect Erekle's kingdom against any new Iranian ambitions to re-subjugate Georgia. in order to restore Russian prestige, Catherine would launch a punitive campaign against Iran the next year, but it was shortly recalled after her death. following years remained turbulent and were known as a time of muddle and confusion. Reestablishment of Iranian rule over Georgia did not last long, for the shah was assassinated in 1797 in Shusha, and the Georgian king had died the year after. Georgia laying in ruins and the central rule in Iran being concerned with the next heir to the throne, it opened the way for Georgia's annexation by Russia several years later by Tsar Paul. Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan, which were integral parts of Iran for centuries, the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle directly led to the bitter Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), in which Fath Ali Shah, Agha Mohammad Khan's successor, attempted to reverse Russian military advances and restore Iranian authority north of the Aras and Kura rivers.[14] After these wars, Iran ceded Transcaucasia and Dagestan to imperial Russia per the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) and the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828).[14] Georgia, composed of the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, had been in the early modern era under Iranian suzerainty since the 1510s.[15] 1744, Nader Shah had granted the kingship of Kartli and Kakheti to Teimuraz II and his son Erekle II (Heraclius II) respectively, as a reward for their loyalty.[16] Nader Shah died in 1747, they capitalized on the chaos that had erupted in mainland Iran, and declared de facto independence. After Teimuraz II died in 1762, Erekle II assumed control over Kartli, and united the two kingdoms in a personal union as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, becoming the first Georgian ruler to preside over a politically unified eastern Georgia in three centuries.[17] about the same time, Karim Khan Zand had ascended the Iranian throne; Erekle II quickly tendered his de jure submission to the new Iranian ruler, however, de facto, he remained autonomous.[18][19] 1783, Heraclius placed his kingdom under the protection of the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Georgievsk. In the last few decades of the 18th century, Georgia had become a more important element in Russo-Iranian relations than some provinces in northern mainland Persia, such as Mazandaran or even Gilan.[20] Peter I, Catherine, the then ruling monarch of Russia, viewed Georgia as a pivot for her Caucasian policy, as Russia's new aspirations were to use it as a base of operations against both Iran and the Ottoman Empire,[21] both immediate bordering geo-political rivals of Russia. top of that, having another port on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea would be ideal.[20] A limited Russian contingent of two infantry battalions with four artillery pieces arrived in Tbilisi in 1784,[18] but was withdrawn, despite the frantic protests of the Georgians, in 1787 as a new war against Ottoman Turkey had started on a different front.[18] the next several years, Russia would be too occupied with Turkey (due to the 1768-74 war), Poland, and the European consequences of the French Revolution to give Georgia much attention. the consolidation of the Qajar dynasty under Agha Mohammad Khan, who had become the new owners to the Iranian throne and therefore the new heirs to the geo-politically rivalling empire that had been bordering Russia for centuries, did not divert Catherine from preoccupations in the west.[18] 1791, when Agha Mohammad Khan was in Tabriz, Erekle asked General Gudovich, commander of the Russian Caucasian Line, for renewed military aid, but the government in St.Petersburg did not judge it expedient to send troops again to Georgia.[18] 1792, Gudovich told Erekle that he would receive only diplomatic support in the advent of any Iranian onslaught.[5] Despite being left to his own devices, Heraclius still cherished a dream of establishing, with Russian protection, a strong and united monarchy, into which the western Georgian Kingdom of Imereti and the lost provinces under Ottoman rule would all eventually be drawn.[8] consequences of these events came a few years later, when a new dynasty, the Qajars, emerged victorious in the protracted power struggle in Persia. head, Agha Mohammad Khan, as his first objective,[22] resolved to bring the Caucasus again fully under the Persian orbit. For Agha Mohammah Khan, the resubjugation and reintegration of Georgia into the Iranian Empire was part of the same process that had brought Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz under his rule.[18] He viewed, like the Safavids and Nader Shah before him, the territories no different than the territories in mainland Iran. was a province of Iran the same way Khorasan was.[18] As the Cambridge History of Iran states, its permanent secession was inconceivable and had to be resisted in the same way as one would resist an attempt at the separation of Fars or Gilan.[18] was therefore natural for Agha Mohammad Khan to perform whatever necessary means in the Caucasus in order to subdue and reincorporate the recently lost regions following Nader Shah's death and the demise of the Zands, including putting down what in Iranian eyes was seen as treason on the part of the wali of Georgia.[18] an interval of peace amid their own quarrels and with northern, western, and central Persia secure, the Persians demanded Heraclius II to renounce the treaty with Russia and to reaccept Persian suzerainty,[22] in return for peace and the security of his kingdom. Ottomans, Iran's neighboring rival, recognized Iran's rights over Kartli and Kakheti for the first time in four centuries.[5] Heraclius appealed then to his theoretical protector, Empress Catherine II of Russia, pleading for at least 3,000 Russian troops,[5] but he was not listened to, leaving Georgia to fend off the Persian threat alone.[8] Nevertheless, Heraclius II still rejected the Khan's ultimatum.[23] invasion[edit] capture of Tbilisi by Agha Muhammad Khan. A Qajar-era Persian miniature from the British Library. August 1795, Agha Mohammad Khan crossed the Aras river with a 70,000-strong army.[5] This force was divided in three: the left wing was sent in the direction of Erivan, the right one parallel to the Caspian Sea into the Mughan across the lower Aras towards Dagestan and Shirvan, while the Shah headed the centre force himself, advancing towards the fortress of Shusha in the Karabakh Khanate, which he besieged between 8 July and 9 August 1795.[7] His right and left wing forced the Khans of Ganja and Erivan into alliance respectively.[24] Having abandoned the siege of Shusha due to stiff resistance,[25] which was further aided by Georgian crown prince Aleksandre,[5] the Khan of Karabakh, Ibrahim Khan, eventually surrendered to Mohammad Khan after discussions, including the paying of regular tribute and to surrender hostages, though the Qajar forces were still denied entrance to Shusha.[25] Since the main objective was Georgia, Mohammad Khan was willing to have Karabakh secured by this agreement for now, for he and his army subsequently moved further.[25] While at Ganja, having secured Shirvan, he was joined by Javad Khan Qajar and the rest of his right wing contingent.[24] At Ganja, Mohammad Khan sent Erekle his last ultimatum, who received it in September 1795: Highness knows that for the past 100 generations you have been subject to Iran; now we deign to say with amazement that you have attached yourself to the Russians, who have no other business than to trade with Iran... Last year you forced me to destroy a number of Georgians, although we had no desire at all for our subjects to perish by our own hand...It is now our great will that you, an intelligent man, abandon such things... and break relations with the Russians. If you do not carry out this order, then we shall shortly carry out a campaign against Georgia, we will shed both Georgian and Russian blood and out of it will create rivers as big as the Kura....[5] According to the author of the Fārsnāma-ye Nāṣeri, Ḥasan-e Fasāʼi, a contemporary Qajar era historian, Agha Mohammad Khan had declared in the letter: Ismail I Safavi ruled over the province of Georgia. When in the days of the deceased king we were engaged in conquering the provinces of Persia, we did not proceeed to this region. As most of the provinces of Persia have come into our possession now, you must, according to ancient law, consider Georgia (Gurjistan) part of the empire, and appear before our majesty. You have to conform your obedience; then you may remain in the possession of your governorship (wali) of Georgia. If you do not do this, you will be treated as the others".[26] advisors divided, Erekle ignored the ultimatum, but, sent couriers to St.Petersburg. Gudovich, who sat in Georgievsk at the time, instructed Erekle to avoid "expense and fuss",[5] while Erekle, together with Solomon II and some Imeretians headed southwards of Tbilisi to fend off the Iranians.[5] Mohammad Khan at the same time marched directly on Tbilisi, with half of the army he crossed the Aras river with, though other estimations mention 40,000[7] instead of 35,000,[5][6] and attacked the heavily fortified Georgian positions of Erekle and Solomon on the southwestern limits of the city. Abandoned by several of his nobles, Heraclius II managed to mobilize around 5,000 troops, including some 2,000 auxiliaries from neighbouring Imereti under its King Solomon II, a member of the Georgian Bagrationi Dynasty and thus distantly related to Heraclius II. The Georgians offered a desperate resistance and succeeded in rolling back a series of Persian attacks on September 9 and 10. After that, it is said that some traitors informed the Persians that the Georgians had no more strength to fight and the Qajars army cancelled their plan of going back to Persia, which they previously had. Early on September 11, Agha Mohammad Khan personally led an all-out offensive against the Georgians. Amid an artillery duel and a fierce cavalry charge, the Persians managed to cross the Kura River and outflanked the decimated Georgian army. Heraclius II attempted to mount a counterattack, but he had to retreat to the last available positions in the outskirts of Tbilisi. By nightfall, the Georgian forces had been exhausted and almost completely destroyed. The last surviving Georgian artillery briefly held the advancing Persians to allow Heraclius II and his retinue of some 150 men to escape through the city to the mountains. The fighting continued in the streets of Tbilisi and at the fortress of Narikala. In a few hours, Agha Mohammad Khan was in full control of the Georgian capital which was completely sacked and its population massacred. Among those killed in the city was the archbishop of Tbilisi, Doistheus.[27] The Persian army marched back laden with spoil and carrying off some 15,000 captives.[8][9] The Georgians had lost 4,000 men in the battle, the Iranians 13,000; a third of their total force.[5] eye-witness, having entered the city several days after the bulk of the Iranian troops had withdrawn, described what he saw: therefore pursued my way, paved as it were, with carcases, and entered Tiflis by the gate of Tapitag: but what was my consternation on finding here the bodies of women and children slaughtered by the sword of the enemy; to say nothing about the men, of whom I saw more than a thousand, as I should suppose, lying dead in one little tower! (...) The city was almost entirely consumed, and still continued to smoke in different places; and the stench from the putrefying, together with the heat which prevailed, was intolerable, and certainly infectious.[7] Entrance of the Russian troops in Tiflis, 26 November 1799, by Franz Roubaud, 1886 his return, after the conquest of Tbilisi and being in effective control of eastern Georgia,[4][12][28] Agha Mohammad was formally crowned Shah in 1796 in the Mughan plain, just like his predecessor Nader Shah was about sixty years earlier.[4] As The Cambridge History of Iran notes; "Russia's client, Georgia, had been punished, and Russia's prestige, damaged." Heraclius II returned to Tbilisi to rebuild the city, but the destruction of his capital was a death blow to his hopes and projects. Upon learning of the fall of Tbilisi General Gudovich put the blame on the Georgians themselves.[29] To restore Russian prestige, Catherine II declared war on Persia, upon the proposal of Gudovich,[29] and sent an army under Valerian Zubov to the Qajar possessions on April of that year, but the new Tsar Paul I, who succeeded Catherine in November, shortly recalled it. Mohammad Shah was later assassinated while preparing a second expedition against Georgia in 1797 in Shusha[29] and the seasoned king Heraclius died early in 1798. Reassessment of Iranian hegemony over Georgia did not last long; in 1799 the Russians marched into Tbilisi.[30] The next two years were a time of muddle and confusion, and the weakened and devastated Georgian kingdom, with its capital half in ruins, was easily absorbed by Russia in 1801.[8][23] As Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan[14] the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle would also directly lead up to two wars between the nations. The Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) would eventually forced the cession of the aforementioned regions to Imperial Russia per the Gulistan and Turkmenchay of 1813 and 1828 respectively. Persian Qajar Shah, 1789-1797, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ; thousand Persian soldiers marched toward Georgia in the year 1795. The Georgian king Erekle II (1762-1798) and his two thousand soldiers declared war on the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. Georgians won the first skirmish, but many perished in the fighting. The enemy was shaken and was preparing to flee the battleground, when several traitors reported to Aqa Muhammed Khan that King Erekle had lost nearly his entire army. betrayal decided the fate of the battle: the one hundred fifty soldiers who remained in the Georgian army barely succeeded in saving the life of King Erekle, who had willed to perish on the battlefield with his soldiers. of Tbilisi was engulfed in flames. The plunderers murdered the people, set fire to the libraries, destroyed the print shop, and vandalized the churches and the king’s palace. They slaughtered the clergy in an especially cruel manner. history has not preserved the names of all those martyrs who perished in this tragedy, but we do know that a certain Metropolitan Dositheus of Tbilisi was killed because he would not abandon his flock. While the invaders simply killed most of the clergymen, from Saint Dositheus they demanded a renunciation of the Christian Faith. They commanded him to defile the True and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. But the holy hieromartyr Dositheus endured the greatest torments without yielding to the enemy, and he joyfully accepted death for Christ’s sake. The invaders slaughtered Christ’s devoted servant with their swords. Dositheus was martyred on September 12 in the year 1795.

Russia, Moscow, 1795, Battle of Krtsanisi, Aga Mohammad, Cruel rapacious Qajar Persian, d Georgia
Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Mohammad Khan Qajar (14 March 1742 - 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah, was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as king (shah). chieftain of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a young adult upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is also noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during the re-subjugation of Georgia. He sacked the capital Tbilisi, massacred many of its inhabitants, and moved some 15,000 Georgian captives back to mainland Iran. Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon, appeared 1795, many miracles, Moscow & Vatopedi
Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon; Moscow; Joyful Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 7; “Joyful” (Vzigranie) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared near Moscow on November 7, 1795 . Nothing is known of the history of the icon, except that many miracles have taken place before it. of this name are found in the Novodevichii Monastery in Moscow, and in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mt Athos. In appearance, the “Joyful” Icon resembles the “Pelagonitissa” Icon, a variant of the Glykophylousa (“Sweet-Kissing”) or Eleousa type. Icon is sometimes called “Child Leaping for Joy.”

Russia, Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia, overshadowed by mother Catherine II, hated French, assinated
Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia ; I (1 October [O.S. 20 September] 1754 - 23 March [O.S. 11 March] 1801) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her lover Sergei Saltykov.[1][2] remained overshadowed by his mother for most of his life. He adopted the laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules that lasted until the end of the Romanov dynasty and of the Russian Empire. also intervened in the French Revolutionary Wars and, toward the end of his reign, added Kartli and Kakheti in Eastern Georgia into the empire, which was confirmed by his son and successor Alexander I. was de facto Grand Master of the Order of Hospitallers from 1799 to 1801 and ordered the construction of a number of Maltese thrones.[3] Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your VirginityÂ, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7; When the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas. Commemorated on March 31;

Russia, Moscow, 1796-1864, Hilarian tGeorgian, tNew, learned iWilderness, G King's confessor, tAthos, lives of saints iGeorgian
thGeorgia, 1796-1864, Hilarian tGeorgian, tNew, fShorapani, Kutaisi (Argveti River 1), a noble, t hermit herodeacon uncle Stepane at 6yr, tTabakini m when S reposed, but set off fTiblisi seminary, on the way visited Bisho Athanasios who convinced him to return to his family, you will learn much more in wilderness than classroom, return home amd in prayer the lord will lead tServe the church, his father took him to Court of Imeretian King iKutaisi, to be raised, King Solomon II 1789-1815, who recognized his piety and appointed him his personal spiritual advisor, king suggested Ise married Princess Miriam, soon named priest and court confessor, Miriam died two years later, after Russian annexation Kartli-Kakheti,Tsar's court increased diplomatic correspondence w Solomon's court, Solomon urged unite Imertian Kingdom wRussia, noblemen decided remain independent till Solomon's death, since Solomon had no heir, envy and treason, Solomon had to flee tTurkey, Protopresbyter Ise accompanied Solomon, remained till Solomon's death 1815, Ise received amnesty from Tsar Alexander I 1801-1825, behalf oKing and his Court, Ise planned reclusion iHis village, Solomon's widow Mariam summoned him to her honorable captivity in Moscow, Ise brought Solomon's life giving piece of the Cross, She preserved it in Court Church, but court life tiresome for Ise, put on beggar's clothing, set off for Athos 1819, appeared to Athos Fathers as unknown pilgrim, come tVenerate holy places, first tIveron then tDionysiou, 1821 tonsured monk as Hilarion, presented new garments but asked permission tRemain iRags, every obedience fulfilled wLove, but did not know greek language so did not learn from divine services, finally permission borrow Georgian books fIveron, while venerating Iveron Icon there, Greek archmandrite he knew from moscow, recognized him, he kissed his hands and cried out: Fr Ise! Holy Shepherd! Confessor otKing!, news spread through Athos monasteries, spiritual father otKing concealed as a beggar, monks great reverence, but Hilarion ashamed, withdrew tNearby wilderness, at that time Turks retaliating Greek Insurrection 1821, pillaged Greece slaughtering Christians, sentenced tDeah, but pasha's servents, georgians, recognized him, wanted send him tAthos but H ministered to prisoners in Thessalonica, dedicating himself 6mos then tAthos, then tHis monastery, labored 3yrs as hermit, then tTower oNew Skete fStrict asceticism, strict fast Fridays, other days only pieces oDried Bread, one glass water aDay, demons tempted H wTerrible visions, faithful christians desired visit, not admitted, human ladder tReach his cell, H abandoned cell for forest, but became weak from ascetic labors, left solitary life, moved tIveron, took charge oGeorgian library, organized catelog, 12 volumes lives otSaints called Flower Garden, published in Russia in Georgian, H died at Panteleimon, the Russikon, 1864, I desired martyrdom but God did not give it, Insetead he sent me illness, which will be equal tMartyrdom if I can bear it. Asked to be buried in secret, but 1867 his vault opened by monks during Feast ot Assension, Sweet fragrance from his body, brilliant sphere oLight like the sun over his cell, Hillarian tNew; Shorapani; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hiero-schema monk Hilarion the Georgian (Ise Qanchaveli in the world) born in 1776 in the village of Losiantkhevi, in the Shorapani district of Kutaisi. parents, Khakhuli and Mariam Qanchaveli, were pious and God-fearing nobles. to God’s will, Ise’s uncle, the hermit Hierodeacon Stepane, took his six-year-old nephew into his care. Stepane reposed, Ise moved to Tabakini Monastery, learning that a seminary had opened in Tbilisi, he set off for it. his way he visited a certain Bishop Athanasios of Nikozi to receive his blessing, the bishop, delighted by the youth’s fervent prayers, advised him to return home to his family: “My son, you will learn much more in the wilderness than you ever could in the classroom. home, and the Lord, having instructed you in prayer, will lead you on a path that will serve your people and the Church.” returned to the bosom of his family, his father took him to Kutaisi to be raised in the court of the Imeretian king. Solomon II (1789-1815) soon recognized that the young Ise stood above all the other courtiers in piety, and he appointed him to be his personal spiritual adviser and instructor. the king’s suggestion, Ise married the Princess Mariam. after his marriage, the humble nobleman was ordained to the priesthood and appointed confessor of the court church. two years later Princess Mariam reposed, leaving Fr. Ise a widower. the Russian annexation of Kartli-Kakheti, the imperial court of the tsar increased diplomatic correspondence with the court of King Solomon II. king was urged likewise to unite the Imeretian Kingdom to Russia. summoned a council of noblemen, and it was decided that Imereti would remain independent, while maintaining friendly relations with Russia until the king’s death. it was agreed that since King Solomon had no heir, after his repose the court of the imperial tsar would acquire jurisdiction over the region. the political climate in Georgia became increasingly tense, and the ability of the Imeretian court to govern was severely undermined. court was suddenly besieged with cases of envy and treason, and it became necessary for the king to flee to Turkey. Ise Qanchaveli accompanied King Solomon II to his place of exile and remained with him to the end of the king’s life. the king’s death in 1815, Fr. Ise received an amnesty from Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) on behalf of the king and his court. himself planned to go into reclusion in the village where he was born, King Solomon’s widow, Queen Mariam, summoned him to Moscow where she was being held in “honorable captivity.” Ise brought to her a piece of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, which had belonged to King Solomon, and the queen preserved her husband’s treasure in the court church. life at the imperial court was tiresome for the God-fearing Fr. Ise, he exchanged his clothing for beggars’ rags and set off for Mt. Athos in the year 1819. Ise appeared before the holy fathers of Mt. Athos as an unknown pilgrim, who had come to venerate the holy places. first visited Ivḗron Monastery and from there crossed over the peninsula to Dionysiou Monastery. 1821 Ise was tonsured a monk and given the name Hilarion. was presented with new monastic garments for the tonsure service, but asked permission to remain dressed in his own rags. Hilarion fulfilled his every obedience with love. was dispirited only by his ignorance of the Greek language, which prevented him from hearing and understanding the Word of God during the divine services. he received permission from the abbot of Dionysiou to borrow some of the Georgian books from the large collection of sacred manuscripts at Ivḗron Monastery. arriving at the monastery, Fr. Hilarion went to venerate the Ivḗron Icon of the Mother of God. praying on his knees before the icon, a Greek archimandrite whom he knew from Moscow saw and recognized him. bowed before him, kissed his hands and cried out: “Fr. Ise! Holy Shepherd! Confessor of the king!” the news spread through all the monasteries of Mt. Athos that the spiritual father of the king had concealed himself as a beggar. the monks greeted him with great reverence. Fr. Hilarion, ashamed of the attention, withdrew to the wilderness not far from the monastery. that time, in retaliation for the Greek Insurrection of 1821, the Turks were pillaging Greece and slaughtering the Christians. 1822 a certain Abdul Robut-Pasha surrounded the Holy Mountain with an enormous army and commanded the abbots of all the monasteries to submit to his authority. of all the monasteries, including Fr. Hilarion and two others from Dionysiou were sent to Chromitsa to petition the pasha. Hilarion stood boldly before the pasha, burning with a desire to be martyred at the hands of an unbeliever. learned that Fr. Hilarion was a Georgian, Robut-Pasha was overjoyed: himself was also Georgian by descent but had been kidnapped by the Turks in his early adolescence. pasha proposed that Saint Hilarion leave the monastery and move to his palace in Thessalonica, promising him every kind of material wealth. Fr. Hilarion refused and condemned the ruler’s unbelief. The furious pasha began to curse the Orthodox believers and all the Christian saints, among them the Most Holy Theotokos. holy father was allowed no opportunity to reply to the pasha’s blasphemous remarks; instead they released him and took the other monks captive. returned to the monastery, Fr. Hilarion regretted that he had not properly rebuffed the blasphemous pasha. suffering was aggravated when the unbeliever continued to martyr and massacre other Christians. he asked the abbot for his blessing and set off for the Turkish court in Thessalonica. he stood before the pasha and fearlessly trampled upon his false teachings: “You sought to deny the virginity of the Most Holy Mother of God,” he charged. “Even your prophet Muhammad admits that Jesus was born without seed of a Virgin and that the mystery of the birth of God is necessarily beyond human comprehension. is the True God, Who took on flesh for the salvation of mankind, to rescue fallen man from the curse of sin and death!” pasha began to argue, but Saint Hilarion told him, “You, the son of Christian parents, are on such a brutal rampage that you have deadened the pangs of conscience calling you back to the true Faith!” pasha laughed and answered that he was glad to have been delivered from the “ridiculous” Christian Faith. “I am indebted to the man who kidnapped me from my parents and sold me to the Turks,” he said, “and I have since rewarded him generously for his deed. your Faith is indeed true, why have you fallen into the hands of the invaders? Why has your beloved God punished you so?” “You misunderstand everything, Pasha,” answered Saint Hilarion. “Does not a loving father take up the rod when his beloved son runs wild? he does this not out of hatred but out of love, desiring to save the ignorant from grave misfortune. the father sees that his child has corrected his behavior, he casts the rod into the fire. Lord has permitted these sorrows to befall us because of our sins. You are a staff in the hands of the Lord: He sees that we have mended our ways, He will cast you into the fire as well!” three consecutive days Saint Hilarion confronted the pasha in his palace, desiring to infuriate him to the point that he would order his execution. the fourth day Saint Hilarion arrived at the palace and began to speak about the falseness of Muhammad and the Islamic faith. the pasha provoked him even further, demanding, “What do you think—where will we go after death?” amidst believers of divers faiths, Saint Hilarion boldly answered that only those who truly believe in God, who are found in the bosom of the Orthodox Faith of Christ, will be saved. enraged bystanders demanded that the insolent monk be executed, and Abdul Robut-Pasha finally ordered his death. Hilarion prepared to meet death with joy, a pair of the pasha’s servants, Georgians by descent, requested that the pasha repeal his death sentence, since it would be shameful for them to murder their fellow countryman. intended to send him in secret to Mt. Athos, instead Saint Hilarion began to minister to the sick prisoners held in Thessalonica, and he selflessly dedicated himself to their service for six months. according to God’s will, he set off again for Mt. Athos. returned to his monastery, Fr. Hilarion labored for three years as a hermit afterwards withdrew to the tower of New Skete (a dependency of the Monastery of Saint Paul) to lead a life of strict asceticism. Fridays he kept a strict fast, on other days he ate only tiny pieces of dried bread. he would place in a narrow-mouthed jar and eat only what he was able to draw out with his hand. drank just one glass of water a day. the period of his reclusion in the tower, demons tempted Saint Hilarion with terrible visions. a group of faithful Christians desired to visit the hermit. the elder received no one, they were not admitted. pilgrims therefore decided to form a human ladder, standing one on top of the other in order to reach the small window of his cell. for their lives but not wanting to break his vow of reclusion, Hilarion temporarily abandoned his cell and fled to the forest. some time, Saint Hilarion became physically weak from his strict ascetic labors and was forced to leave behind the solitary life. the help of his faithful friend Benedict the Georgian, he gradually regained some of his strength moved to the Ivḗron Monastery. the Ivḗron Monastery he took charge of the Georgian library, organized a catalog, and compiled twelve volumes of Lives of the Saints, which he entitled The Flower Garden. presented the twelve volumes to the abbot of Zographou Monastery before the latter departed for Russia. Russia the abbot published the twelve volumes in the Georgian language—without mention of the name of their compiler. Hilarion reposed at Saint Panteleimon Monastery, known as the Russikon, in a cell named for Great-martyr George, on February 14, 1864. he was desperately ill, Saint Hilarion continued to thank the Lord sincerely until his last day. “Glory to God!” he would say. “I desired martyrdom, but God did not grant it to me. Instead He sent me an illness which will be equal in merit to martyrdom if I am able to bear it!” to his death he asked his disciple, Father Savva, to bury his body in secret, circumstances later required that his burial place be revealed. 1867, during the vigil for the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, a group of monks opened Saint Hilarion’s burial vault immediately sensed a sweet fragrance issuing forth from his body. that moment one of the hermits saw a brilliant sphere of light shining like the sun over Fr. Hilarion’s cell. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Hieroschemamonk Hilarion (Qanchaveli) on October 17, 2002, to differentiate him from Saint Hilarion the Georgian (commemorated November 19), called him “Hilarion Kartveli, Akhali” or “Hilarion the Georgian, the New.”

Russia, Moscow, 1799, Transfer of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, from Malta to Winter Palace
Russia, Moscow, 1799, Transfer of the Right Hand of John the Baptist the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. Moscow, 1796-1801, Emperor, Paul I of Russia ; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7; When the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. ;

Russia, Moscow, 1799, The Healer Icon, dreadful I, putrified tongue, prayer, guardian angel, bedside MOG
Georgia, 317, The Healer Icon original icon known as “Tselitel’nitsa,” or “The Healer” was from the Tsilkan church in Kartali, Georgia. It was painted at the time of Saint Nino (January 14). is another icon with the same name in the Alexeev women’s monastery in Moscow, and many miracles took place before it at the end of the eightheenth century. Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21 and October 28) relates a story about this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. cleric of the Navarninsky church, Vincent Bulvinensky, was in the habit of venerating the icon of the Mother of God whenever he entered the church. He would also recite the following prayer before the icon: “Hail, Virgin Theotokos full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed is the womb which bore Christ, and the breasts which nourished the Lord God, our Savior.” time, he found himself suffering from a dreadful affliction. His tongue began to putrefy, and he passed out from the pain. When he came to himself, he prayed his usual prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. soon as he had finished his prayer, he saw a handsome young man at the head of his bed. The sufferer realized at once that this was his guardian angel. The angel looked at him with pity, calling on the Mother of God to heal him. Suddenly, the Theotokos appeared and healed the sick man who was so devoted to Her. He got out of bed and went to church, taking his place on the cliros for the service. Those present were astonished to see his recovery. miracle inspired the painting of “The Healer” icon depicting the Mother of God standing at the bed of the sick man. Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Ksani Fortress, Ksani River 2); Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Healer€, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated December 2; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Russia, Moscow, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, Wars with France, Turkey, and Persia

Russia, Moscow, 1801-1825, Emperor, Alexander I, began enlightened, but; against, for, against Napoleon
Moscow, 1801-1825, Emperor, Alexander I ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your VirginityÂ, Commemorated on October 17; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; Icon of the Mother of God œTinosÂ, Commemorated on January 30; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas. Commemorated on March 31; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Moscow, 1801-1917, Tambov Icon, Mordovia, icon forgotten but MOG made them remember her w dream oMiraculous healing
Russia, Mordovia, 1801-1888, Tambov Icon, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), 1686 Pitrim brought copy Ilnsk-Chernigov icon to Tambov, patroness SW territory, placed SW gate, copy came to be called Tambov Icon, wooden church at gate, later stone church there by Utkin, Utkin Church, Icon there forgotten, but Queen of Heaven made them remember her, 1801 Priest from Kaluga leg affliction, Tambov Icon appeared to him in dream, voice told him search for this Icon, pray before it, be healed, found dream icon at Utkino Church, completely healed, widely known, other miraculous cures, 1835 church disrepair right side altar dedicated to Tambov Icon, over time Icon adorned silver risa&gems, too many cases healing time to record, 1888 cross procession April 16 ordered, 1900 church itself named for MOG, Russian Revolution churches ravaged risa removed gems picked out, icon disappeared, but miracle accounts preserved; Tambov; Tambov (Utkino) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 16; 1686, Saint Pitirim (July 28) arrived in Tambov. with other holy objects, he brought a copy of the Il'insk-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God, which was considered to be the patroness of the southwest territory. the copy was placed at the southwestern gate of the city. a while, the Icon was called Tambov, especially since the copy differed slightly from the original Il’insk-Chernigov Icon. either side of the Virgin, Saint Alexis, the man of God, and Saint Eudokia were depicted. It has been suggested that these were the patron saints of Saint Pitirim’s parents, and it is quite possible that he himself painted the images of these Saints. on the site of the southwestern city gates, a small wooden church was built and dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. that church, there was an Icon. the merchant Ivan Utkin built a stone church in honor of the Protomartyr Archdeacon Stephen with his own funds in 1771, the Tambov Icon was transferred here and placed in the altar above the Table of Oblation. began to call the church Utkino, after the builder, and subsequently, the Icon was completely forgotten. Queen of Heaven made them remember her, however. the beginning of the XIX century, a certain provincial priest from Kaluga suffered from an affliction in his leg, and he was unable to walk. was this Icon of the Mother of God which appeared to him in a dream, and a voice told him, “Search for this icon. Pray before it, and you shall be healed.” this, the priest obtained some relief from his illness, so that he was able to walk. away, he began to search for the Icon he had seen in his dream. After visiting several villages and cities, he finally reached Tambov. looked in all the churches until he found the Icon from his dream in the altar of the Utkino church. praying before this Icon, he was completely healed. This incident became widely known in the city, and thereafter several more miraculous cures of the townspeople took place. Tambov Icon became known once again, and in 1835, when the old Utkino church was in a terrible state of disrepair, the townspeople requested that the right side altar be dedicated to the Tambov Icon of the Mother of God. time, the grateful people of Tambov diligently adorned the Icon. A luxurious silver riza was made, studded with many gems. were so many cases of healing before the Icon that there was not enough time to record all of them. 1888, by a decree of the Holy Synod, all the churches of the city were ordered to have a Cross Procession on April 16 in honor of the Tambov Icon. In 1900, the church itself was named for the Theotokos. the Russian Revolution, the churches of Tambov were ravaged, and the wonderworking Icon suffered. They removed the riza and picked out the gems, and the Icon itself disappeared without a trace. city has preserved accounts of the miracles performed by the Icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1804-1840, Meletius oKharkov, interest iInstitutions of spiritual learning &clergy education &Siberia
Mongol, Scythia, 1804-1840, Meletius, Archbishop Kharkov, Scythia (High Point, Source of 3 Rivers, Seversky Donets River1), from Poltava, 1808 top student in Ekaterinoslav Seminary, to Nevsky Spiritual Academy, 1814 Greek Professor, 1817 Sec Academy Building Committee and transferred to Kiev Religious Seminary, inspector, Greek & C History P, 1819 Kiev Spiritual Academy first inspector, 1820 tonsured Monk Meletios, deacon, Hiermnk, 1821 rector Mogilevsk Seminary & head Khutynsk Orshansk M & Archimandrite. 1823 rector Pskov Seminary, 1824 rector Kiev S Academy, 1826 Bishop oChigrinsk, vicar Kiev Diocese, & head Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. True ascetic, 1828 Perm Cathedral, strict, Ordinand's Catechism, 1831 Archbishop oIrkutsk, all over Siberia, tTungus, tBuryats, tKamchadali, tKurile&Aleutian Islands, 1835 health transfer to Kharkov, 1840 repose; Kharkov governance; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk (in the world Michael Ivanovich Leontovich), was born on November 6, 1784 in the village of Stara Stanzhara in the Poltava district. 1808 Michael Leontovich successfully completed the Ekaterinoslav religious Seminary. Since he was the best student, Archbishop Platon of Ekterinoslav sent him to Peterburg, to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy.1 Graduating in 1814 with a Master's Degree, he was appointed as adjunct professor of Greek. March 11, 1817 they appointed Michael Leontovich as Secretary of the Academy Building Committee. July 30, 1817 he was transferred to the Kiev religious Seminary, serving in the position of Inspector, as well as Professor of Church History and Greek. When the Kiev Spiritual Academy opened on September 28, 1819, Michael became its first Inspector. February 11, 1820, on the eve of the Feast of Saint Meletios of Antioch, he was tonsured as a monk with the name Meletios, in the kathoikon of the Kiev-Bratsk Monastery, tonsure was done by Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitnikov). of Kiev. On February 22, 1820 the Monk Meletios was ordained to the diaconate by Metropolitan Eugene, and then as a Hieromonk on February 25. August 9, 1821 Hieromonk Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Mogilevsk religious Seminary and head of the Khutynsk Orshansk Monastery, and raised to the dignity of Archimandrite. August 1823 he was appointed as Rector of the Pskov religious Seminary. January 24,1824 Archimandrite Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Kiev Spiritual Academy. October 1826 the Holy Synod decided to name Archimandrite Meletios as Bishop of Chigirinsk, a vicar of the Kiev Diocese, and head of the Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. October 19, 1826 he was elected as bishop, and on October 21, 1826 his consecration took place at Kiev's Holy Wisdom cathedral. paternal love, the Saint concerned himself with young foster-children, raising them in a spirit of devotion to the Church of Christ. paid particular attention to the needy, widows, and orphans. often visited those in prison and provided them the consolation of Divine Services in the prison churches. was also concerned about the spiritual nourishment of the brethren of the Mikhailov Monastery. his edifying discourses and personal example, he inspired the monks with the spirit of true asceticism. Meletios said: "Humility is a protective sword, by which we pass over earth and Hades, to reach Heaven." April 1828 Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral in Perm. with himself, the Saint was also strict with others. To prepare candidates for accepting of the dignity of the priesthood, Saint Meletios himself wrote the so‑called "Ordinand's Catechism". 1831 Vladika was transferred to the See of Irkutsk, and elevated to the rank of Archbishop. Meletios devoted much attention to the enlightenment of the lesser nations of Russia with the light of the Gospel. founded churches in the north of Kamchatka, in the northeast parts of the Irkutsk Diocese and along the Aldan River, on the tract from Yakutsk to Okhotsk. often reviewed his wide-spread Diocese, going to the shores of the Okhotsk and Arctic Seas, to the boundaries of North America, where Father John Veniaminov, the reknowned Apostle of Siberia (later known as Saint Innocent), the Apostle to America was.2 through Siberia and along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Saint Meletios frequently interacted with the native peoples who professed Lamaism. Gently, he urged them to abandon their errors, and explained the Gospel truths to these pagan peoples: Tungus, the Buryats, the Kamchadali, and also the inhabitants of the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. of his tireless labors, Vladika's health began to deteriorate, and they transferred him to the Slobodsk-Ukraine See (later the See of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk) in 1835. Meletios showed great interest in the institutions of spiritual learning, concerning himself with the life and education of the clergy. Archbishop raised questions about reopening the monasteries and spiritual schools which Empress Catherine II had closed. He also devoted much labor to the struggle with the schismatics. July 2, 1839 Saint Meletios led the service in the city of Akhtyrsk for the tenth anniversary of the appearance of the wonderworking Akhtyrsk Icon of the Mother of God. Saint's blessed repose occurred on the night of February 29, 1840. After receiving Holy Communion, he made the Sign of the Cross, and then he turned to everyone to say, "Forgive me." With those words, he departed to the Lord. March 4, 1840 Saint Meletios was buried by Bishop Iliodore of Kursk, in a crypt beneath the Church of the Cross at the Protection Monastery. after his death, believers had great faith in the powerful intercession of Saint Meletios with God, and they received healing in sicknesses, comfort in sorrows, and deliverance from difficult circumstances. Believers in Khar'kov placed their trust in Saint Meletios during the terrible days of World War II. With miraculous advice, the Saint foretold the impending deliverance of the city from the enemy. 1948, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexei, the coffin with the relics of Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral of the Annunciation. February 21, 1978, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church "approved and blessed a Church Service and an Akathist to Saint Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk," for use in all churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Service and Akathist to the holy Archpastor was composed by Archbishop Νikόdēmos of Khar'kov (later Metropolitan of Leningrad). shrine containing the Saint's relics, from which believers receive grace-filled help, the healing of ailments of the soul and body is located in the left (northern) aisle of the cathedral. Meletios is commemorated on February 12 (his Name Day) and on February 29 (the day of his repose).3

Russia, Moscow, 1805, Innocent Incorrupt Relics, Irkutsk, Siberia, body discovered 1764, many miracles, glorified 1800
Russia, Siberia, 1805, Innocent Incorrupt Relics, Irkutsk, Siberia, incorrupt body discovered 1764, many miracles, glorified 1800, uncovered 1805; Irkutsk; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; 1764, the body of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk was discovered incorrupt during restoration work on the Ascension monastery’s Tikhvin church. Many miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer. This moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify the saint in the year 1800. 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout all Russia on November 26, since the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign” is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27). Today we commemorate the uncovering of his relics in 1805.

Russia, Moscow, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War, France w Turks, Moldovia and Wallacia, Russian V.
Moscow, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War (1806-“12) Russia crossed the Caucasus and annexed Georgia for Orthodoxy; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina, elders w spiritual life, published ascetical lives, prepare soul for temptations
Russia, Kaluga, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) always looking for elders w lofty spiritual life. in cell w Father Athanasius to help bad leg 10 yrs till 1825, read & published copies of ascetical lives, Glinsk Hdeacon Samuel mental prayer, at Optina Fr Leonid had struggled spiritual foes, preparing soul for temptations; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; future Saint Macarius was born in 1788 into the noble Ivanov family, and was baptized with the name Michael in honor of Saint Michael of Tver (November 22). parents Nicholas and Elizabeth had an estate in the village of Shepyatino in the Dimitrov district in the Orel province. also owned property in other provinces, including the village of Zhelezniki in Orel Province where they lived. Ivanovs moved to Moscow in 1794 so Elizabeth could receive medical treatment for tuberculosis. ’s beloved mother died on January 21, 1797, and was buried in the Saint Andronicus monastery. nine-year-old Michael moved to the village of Karachev to live with his sister Daria and her husband Simeon Peredelsky, who had been elected to the District Court of Karachev. Michael received his primary education there in the local parish school. 1801, Michael and his two brothers moved into the house of his aunt Anna M. Verevkina, where they were educated along with her own son. 1802, when he was fourteen, Michael and his brother Alexis were hired as assistant bookkeepers in the District Treasury of Lgov. the job was difficult, Michael carried out his duties with precision and care that he attracted the attention of the provincial authorities. 1805 Michael was appointed as head of the Financial Board (Treasury) in Kursk. he was not working, he liked to spend his time reading or playing the violin. Michael’s father died on March 17, 1806 after a long illness, and was buried near the parish church at Turischev. visited the Ploschansk Hermitage, twenty-four miles from his family’s estate in Schepyatino, in October of 1810. there he wrote to his brothers saying that he was leaving the estate to them, for he intended to remain at the hermitage. His only condition was that they donate 1000 rubles to build a stone church at Turischev where their father was buried. closest to Michael never knew whether his visit to Ploschansk was accidental or premeditated. He did seem inclined to the monastic life, but perhaps he did not make a final decision to become a monk until he had observed the monastic life at Ploschansk. entered the Ploschansk Hermitage of the Theotokos at the age of twenty-two. It had no large buildings, no great wealth, and was far from populated areas. Perhaps he was attracted by the unpretentiously humble circumstances of the place. There were fifty monks at the Hermitage, led by Hieromonk Joannicus. was enrolled as a novice a month after arriving at Ploschansk, and was tonsured as a rassophore on December 24, 1810 with the name Melchizedek. did not mind the privation and hard work at the Hermitage, but there were no Elders there capable of offering spiritual guidance. that Elders of lofty spiritual life were living in the forests of Bryansk, and in the monasteries of the Orel and Kursk dioceses, Father Melchizedek longed to meet them and profit from their teaching. However, the opportunity did not arise for some time. 1814, he went on pilgrimage to Kiev, where he venerated the relics of various saints. the way back, he met some experienced Elders and was able to converse with them. Paul, who came from a family of Rostov merchants, and who was tonsured on Mount Athos, became the new Superior of Ploschansk in 1815. noticed Father Melchizedek’s zeal for the monastic life, and for fulfilling his obediences. March 7, 1815 Father Paul tonsured him as a monk with the new name Macarius. A few days later, on March 12, Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk ordained Father Macarius as a hierodeacon. Athanasius (Zakharov), a disciple of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15) was visiting Ploschansk in 1815. He had lived at White Bluff Monastery and Florischev Hermitage in the Vladimir Province. at Ploschansk, Father Athanasius fell off a bench and dislocated a joint in his leg. He went to Cholnsk Monastery in 1816 and partially recovered, but he could no longer walk without a crutch. 1817 he returned to Ploschansk, and Father Macarius moved to his cell to take care of him. Athanasius had a great influence on the spiritual development of Father Macarius, who revered him as his Father and teacher. seven years he had lived in the Neamts Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky. Athanasius finished the course of his earthly life on October 17, 1825, and died in the arms of Father Macarius. He had lived at Ploschansk for ten years, and Father Macarius derived much benefit from his Elder’s example. Athanasius had copies of the translations of the ascetical Fathers made by Saint Paisius, he himself had translated the Life of Saint Gregory of Sinai, the Catechetical Homilies of Saint Theodore the Studite, the homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, and many other profitable writings. only did Father Macarius read and copy these translations and absorb the wisdom contained in them, he later published them for the benefit of others. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk on May 27, 1817. Igumen Paul retired to the bishop’s residence at Kaluga in 1818, he was replaced by Hieromonk Seraphim, a disciple of Father Basil (Kishkin), the Superior of White Bluff Hermitage. Seraphim brought good order to Ploschansk, instructing the monks in the spiritual life. Father Seraphim’s blessing, Father Macarius made a pilgrimage to Kiev in 1819 with Hierodeacon Palladius. they met Archimandrite Anthony, who later became Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk. On the way back to Ploschansk, the two visited Glinsk Hermitage. Macarius became acquainted with Hierodeacon Samuel, who was experienced in mental prayer. Father Athanasius had never spoken to him of this activity, Father Macarius was gratified to meet someone who could speak about it from personal experience. 1824, Father Macarius went to Rostov to venerate the relics of Saint Demetrius (September 21 and October 28). that same trip he visited Optina Monastery and its new Skete for the first time. of Father Macarius’s spiritual guides passed away within a short time: Elder Athanasius in 1825, and Igumen Seraphim in 1826. Marcellinus was appointed as Superior of Ploschansk in addition to his duties as Bishop Gabriel’s steward. He continued to live at Orel for two years, while the Ploschansk Hermitage was administered by Father Anatole, the treasurer. Macarius was made dean of the Hermitage on June 10, 1826. January of 1827, he was assigned as confessor at the Holy Trinity Convent of Sevsk. began his period of spiritual direction and spiritual correspondence which lasted until his death. He did not assume such a role on his own, but only in obedience to the will of the bishop. 1828 Father Leonid (Nagolkin) came to Ploschansk from the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery with several disciples. Macarius thought that the arrival of Father Leonid was the answer to his prayers, for Father Leonid was a man of great spiritual wisdom. This holy Elder, who had struggled against many visible and invisible foes, was able to give useful advice to those who were experiencing temptations. understood from personal experience that those who wish to serve the Lord must prepare their souls for temptation (Sirach 2:1). agreed to Father Macarius’s repeated requests to accept him as a spiritual son and disciple. When Father Leonid moved to Optina in 1829, Father Macarius kept in touch with him through letters. Macarius visited Optina and Father Leonid in 1831 on his way to Petersburg, where Bishop Νikodemos of Orel was serving his term in the Holy Synod. appointed Father Macarius as treasurer and steward, much to the latter’s chagrin. Father Macarius did not care for the bustle of the city, and longed to return to the tranquility of the monastery, yet he remained in his position out of obedience to the bishop. serving for almost a year in Petersburg, Father Macarius returned to Ploschansk Hermitage. On the way back, he visited Father Leonid again at Optina. He also submitted a request to Father Moses to be admitted to the Skete at Optina as soon as this might be arranged. The desired transfer from Ploschansk to Optina did not take place until January 14, 1834. Macarius had lived at Ploschansk for twenty-three years, and always retained a certain fondness for the place for the rest of his life. Father Macarius finally arrived at Optina on February 5, 1834. the age of forty-six, Father Macarius placed himself at the feet of Father Leonid, humbling himself and demonstrating complete obedience. At first, he helped the Elder with his correspondence, but later his responsibilities increased. In October of 1836 he was appointed as confessor for the monastery. After Father Anthony was assigned to Saint Nicholas Monastery in Maloyaroslavets as abbot, Father Macarius succeeded him as Superior of the Skete on December 1, 1839. Father Macarius’s relationship with Father Leonid did not change because of his new position. He never did anything without consulting Father Leonid, and always attributed any success he achieved to the blessing and prayers of his Elder. Macarius remained humble and obedient to Father Leonid until the Elder’s death on October 11, 1841. Even when Father Leonid was transferred from the Skete to the Monastery in 1836, Father Macarius visited him every day to ask his advice on various matters. his final illness, Father Leonid told his spiritual children to go to Father Macarius for spiritual counsel. Seeing in Father Macarius the same spiritual gifts possessed by Father Leonid, people recommended him to their friends and acquaintances. As a result, the number of Father Macarius’s disciples grew larger every year. He was also assigned as instructor of the new novices, and of those who were about to be tonsured. Macarius received visitors from morning until night, and also kept up an extensive spiritual correspondence. Sometimes he was exhausted by the crowds of people, and by the number of letters he had to write. His humility and love for people who were afflicted in body and in spirit would not permit him to curtail his activities, however. Macarius had always loved reading and studying patristic literature. At Ploschansk, he had copied many translations done by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky which were in the possession of Schemamonk Athanasius. His knowledge and understanding of the Fathers increased at Optina under the guidance of Father Leonid, a disciple of Father Theodore of Svir, who was himself a disciple of Saint Paisius. Father Anthony, abbot of the Skete and Father Moses, abbot of the Monastery, both encouraged the study of patristic books. Conditions for the publication of these manuscripts, translated and corrected by Saint Paisius, were quite favorable, for Optina possessed the best copies of these writings. 1845, Ivan V. Kireyevsky, the editor of The Muscovite, asked Father Macarius to write a biography of Saint Paisius for his magazine. In 1846, Father Macarius was visiting the Kireyevskys at their estate, and the discussion turned to the lack of spiritual books offering instruction in the Christian life. Natalia Kireyevsky, the spiritual daughter of Father Macarius since 1838, happened to have some manuscripts of ascetical literature. They both asked Father Macarius, “What prevents us from offering these spiritual treasures to the world?” the beginning of 1847 a biography of Father Pasius Velichkovsky, with extracts from his writings, was published. Over the course of time, sixteen books of patristic literature were published under the Elder’s supervision, including works by Saint Nilus of Sora, Saints Barsanuphius and John, Saint Simeon the New Theologian, and Saint Isaac of Syria. 1853, Father Macarius resigned as Superior of the Skete of Saint John the Baptist, and was succeeded by Father Paphnutius. This took place on November 30, exactly fourteen years from the time Father Macarius had first assumed the office. 1859, one of Father Macarius’s spiritual daughters, was at the point of death. Maria asked Father Macarius to pray that God would spare her life so that she could see her son again. The Elder told her that she would recover, and that they would both die around the same time. The old woman told her friends of this prediction, saying, “Beware my death, for it is connected with the Elder’s death.” Maria died on August 23, 1860 in the presence of Father Macarius and Father Leonid Kavelin. August 26, the Elder became ill with ischuria. A doctor who happened to be at Optina saw him and treated him with drugs. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and so they sent for a certain nobleman’s personal physician. That doctor was not available, so Father Kavelin went to another doctor to ask for advice. Father Macarius showed no improvement, so he received Holy Unction and the life-giving Mysteries of Christ. On September 2, he received two gifts which delighted him. One was an enamel icon of the Vladimir Mother of God from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, which he wore on his breast. The other was a cross containing a relic of the Cross of Christ. Elder felt weaker on September 4, and received Holy Communion after Vespers. During his illness the brethren who cared for him read the daily rule of prayer for him at the proper times. He also asked them to read certain portions of the writings of the holy Fathers. September 5, Father Macarius was moved from his small bedroom into the larger reception room where the air was fresher. During the night the ninety-year-old Schemamonk Hilarion reposed, and the church bell was rung three times according to the custom of the Monastery, indicating that one of the brethren had departed. Many of Father Macarius’s disciples and some visitors in the guesthouse thought that the bell tolled for him. They became alarmed until it was announced that Father Hilarion had passed away. Elder experienced shortness of breath on September 6. He received Communion, and was visited by two doctors, but there was nothing they could do for him. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and received Holy Communion a second time around 8:00 P.M. Around midnight he talked with his confessor for about half an hour, receiving absolution and forgiveness of his sins. Macarius asked to have the prayer for the dying read, which he heard while sitting in a chair. The Canon and Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos were also read, and the Canon to the Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ was read during Matins. During these readings it appeared that the Elder’s sufferings were alleviated. the night Father Macarius asked to be moved several times from the bed to the chair. He was calm and peaceful, and thanked those around him for caring for him. At 6:00 the next morning he received Holy Communion for the last time. 7:00 on the morning of September 7, 1860, Father Macarius departed to the Lord while the Ninth Ode of the Canon for the Departure of the Soul from the Body was being read. Two years before his death, he was secretly tonsured into the Great Schema. Therefore, a schema which had been blessed on the Lord’s Sepulchre was placed on his body. Several Panikhidas were offered for his soul throughout the day. Macarius was laid to rest on September 10, in a grave prepared for him opposite the altar of the Saint Nicholas chapel in the main church. He was buried to the right of the grave of Father Leonid, his friend and fellow ascetic. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1812, French Invasion of Russia, Patriotic War of 1812
Moscow, 1812, French Invasion of Russia, Patriotic War of 1812; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1812, Laurence, Fool for Christ, Kaluga became limit of French offensive and beginning of enemy's retreat
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Moscow, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.
Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Russia, Moscow, 1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine, trade r, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland, 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace
Russia, Kiev,1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the reopse of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. The August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War.

Russia, Moscow, 1812, Battle of Borodino, French victory before Moscow fell
Russia, Moscow, 1812, Battle of Borodino; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Russia, Moscow, 1812, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, 1571 transferred to Moscow by Ivan t T, 1812 stolen by France, replaced by copy
Jerusalem, 463, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, war hero Constantnpl 469 over huns, 988 Korsun and Novgorod, 1571 Moscow, 1812 stolen by France, but copy ; Jerusalem; Icon of the Mother of God Jerusale, Commemorated on October 12 ; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord at Gethsemane. the year 463, the icon was transferred to Constantinople. Byzantine army carried the Jerusalem Icon into battle when they turned back an invasion of the Scythians. 988 the icon was transferred to Korsun and given to the holy Prince Vladimir. the people of Novgorod accepted Christianity, Saint Vladimir sent them this icon. 1571, Ivan the Terrible transferred the icon to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, the original was stolen by the French and brought to Paris. An authenticated copy was placed in the Dormition cathedral. Jerusalem Icon is also commemorated on November 13, and on the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent.

Russia, Moscow, 1813, Treaty of Gulistan, with Persia, R P War of 1804-13
Moscow, 1813, Treaty of Gulistan, with Persia ; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12;

Russia, Moscow, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, to be impaled, sooner I die the fewer sins
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius. St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Russia, Moscow, 1814-1840, Meletius oKharkov, Ukraine, many stories of his meekness, ruffeled bed after all night prayer
Russia, Kiev, 1814-1840, Kharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), many stories of his meekness, ruffeled bed after all night prayer, 1814 Greek Teacher, 1817 director Mogilev Seminary, Rector Kiev Academy, 1826 vicar Bishop Kiev Metro, t Ikursk, 1835 to Kharkov till 1841;; Kharkov; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; name of Meletios Leontovich, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, who reposed righteously on February 29, 1840 was deeply respected and honored by his former flock. residents of Khar'kov faithfully visit his grave in the Cave Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery. Here Memorial Services are offered for his soul, and at the same time, they ask for his prayers for themselves and their relatives. The memory of his saintly life, his love for the poor, and his meekness, still live among his contemporaries who call him "The Unmercenary Vladika." are many stories about the meek way he governed his diocese. Most Reverend Meletios (Michael, in the world)1 was a teacher of the Greek language in 1814. was transferred to the (Mogilev) Seminary in Kiev in 1817 as its director, and later became rector of the Kiev Academy. In 1826, he was consecrated as vicar bishop of the Metropolitan of Kiev, and then transferred to Irkutsk in Siberia. He came to Kharkov in 1835, the diocese which he governed for 5 and one half years. have the following narrative by a parish priest, concerning Vladika's all night prayer and abstinence. While visiting parishes of his Diocese, the Archbishop stopped for the night in the village of Preobrazhensk, in the Zmievsk region. The local priest, in whose house he was to stay, wanted to do his best for the comfort of his important guest. He prepared a room, furnishing it with rugs and soft furniture for the Archbishop's rest. the usual welcome and evening service, His Eminence retired to the room which had been prepared for him. As it later turned out, however, he was not concerned about rest for his body, but for the benefit of the soul, which finds rest in prayer and conversation with God. It happened that the door of the room had a small opening in it, so that by the light of the lampada, the priest who occupied the next room was able to see everything that happened in the Archbishop's room. to sleep, the priest heard a muffled noise in the next room and, with all possible caution, walked over to the opening in the door and looked. He saw the Archbishop clothed in just a cassock, with his head uncovered, kneeling and fervently praying with his hands raised. After watching him for a long time, the priest finally went to lie down, but some sort of fear would not allow him to go to sleep. a while, he went to the door again and saw the same thing. The Archbishop's prayerful conversation with God continued for almost the whole night. Only toward morning did the man of prayer remove his cassock and roll it up to use as a pillow. He lay on the floor and fell asleep, mussing the bedclothes somewhat to make it appear that he had slept in the bed all night. When the priest awoke at dawn, he rushed to the door again and saw the Archbishop at prayer, just as before. Father Confessor, Father Sergius, always remembered Vladika's humility and purity of heart. According to his words, the Archbishop's Confession was most touching, detailed, and sincere. Like many children, he regarded his smallest sins as very grave, and humbly repented of them. He confessed every month, and each Confession lasted for a long time. The Archbishop gave an account of all his deeds, and of his most secret thoughts. He would always weep after Confession, when he knelt and received absolution. After this Mystery, his face always shone with unearthly joy. the Father Confessor was touched by Vladika's great humility, and told him so. "Do you think it is easy to acquire this inner humility?" Archbishop Meletios asked with a meek smile. his relationships with everyone, the Archbishop was most welcoming and cordial. His conversations were absorbing, and brought untold pleasure to his listeners. Everyone, the wealthy dignitary, the poor clerk, the wretched widow, all received the same welcome from him. the rich he spoke mostly about the incorruptible treasures of everlasting life, and of the perishable nature of earthly treasures. He advised them to exchange worldly goods for the eternal good things. comforted the poor worker with the promise of a heavenly reward for his labors. He told the widow that God Himself is the Father of orphans and widows. While comforting everyone with his words, he also extended his hand to the needy with material help. He used up all his income for this purpose. himself lived in utter want, even though he appeared before his visitors in garb suited to his rank, usually in something purple (his favorite color). After his death, only eight rubles in paper money and change was found. during the Divine Liturgy, a young man, who was inclined to piety, was amazed by Archbishop Meletios's reverence and prayerful spirit as he offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. Mentally, he recognized him as a righteous man, and thought to himself: "How fortunate those people who serve such a man must be." the end of the Holy Liturgy a monk came up to the young man and asked him to come with him, as the Archbishop had ordered. Amazed, he obeyed. The monk took him to Vladika's reception room, and then left. Soon Archbishop Meletios himself entered. Vladika warmly greeted the confused young man with great love and questioned him in detail. Suddenly, he asked him to become his cell attendant. Shocked by Vladika's clairvoyance, the young man fell at his feet and readily accepted the offer. Afterward, by his way of life, he fully proved the correctness of Vladika's choice, and later still, when he was a monk, he remembered this decisive event in his life with much tenderness. his last illness, Archbishop Meletios was so weak that he was unable to stand up to pray, so he performed his Rule of prayer while sitting on his bed, supported on all sides by pillows. Three days before his death, while seated in this position, Archbishop Meletios ordered his cell attendant to lie down in the same room with him, something he had never done before. cell attendant himself said later that he felt some sort of fear, and was unable to fall asleep. Noticing this, Vladika told him to cover himself with his (the Archbishop's) rasson, saying, "Now you will not be afraid, and perhaps you will soon fall asleep." Instantly, the cell attendant fell asleep. asleep, he had a vision foretelling the Archbishop's death. When the vision ended, the attendant's whole body shook, and he woke up. Before him he saw the Archbishop lying on his back, with his eyes raised up toward Heaven. His face shone with an unearthly radiance. Archbishop Meletios called the now awakened cell attendant to him and said in a quiet voice that he would die in three days, asking him not to say anything about this to anyone. The repose of Archbishop Meletios took place exactly three days later, on February 29, 1840, soon after he received the Holy Mysteries, and his departure was most peaceful and calm. much-laboring body rested in the church so the faithful could give him the last kiss, until the Bishop of Kursk could get there for the funeral. At this time, according to the testimony of his Father Confessor Father Sergius, Vladika's body was so soft that, when he came to wash him with rose water, he found it flexible. Noticing that the omophorion had been pushed to one side, Father Sergius bowed to the Archbishop as if he were still alive, then lifted the body and sat it down. After rearranging the omophorion, he laid the body down again, to the great amazement of those who were present. Meletios's body is buried in a crypt located under the lower church of the Protection Monastery. Now, in that section, there is a church dedicated to the Three Hierarchs (January 30), where Memorial Services were being conducted for the Archbishop's soul, as requested by pilgrims. Above the coffin there is an icon with a lampada before it. Now the peace is broken only rarely, by the footsteps of a pilgrim. Meletios of Khar'kov is also commemorated on February 12 (his Name Day). He was born on November 6, 1784 in the Ekaterinoslav region, and received the name Michael in Holy Baptism. His father died when the child was quite young.

Russia, Moscow, 1817-1879, Innocent of Alaska, 45 yrs, 10,000 baptized, geography, alpahbet, Japan, Metropolitan of Moscow
Moscow, 1817-1879, Innocent of Alaska, Metropolitan of Moscow; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America (in the world John Popov-Veniaminov), was born on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk diocese, into the family of a sacristan. boy mastered his studies at an early age and by age seven, he was reading the Epistle in church. In 1806 they sent him to the Irkutsk seminary. In 1814, the new rector thought it proper to change the surnames of some of the students. John Popov received the surname Veniaminov in honor of the deceased Archbishop Benjamin of Irkutsk (+ July 8, 1814). May 13, 1817 he was ordained deacon for the Irkutsk Annunciation church, and on May 18, 1821, he was ordained priest. missionary service of the future Apostle of America and Siberia began with the year 1823. John spent 45 years laboring for the enlightenment of the peoples of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, North America, Yakutsk, the Khabarov frontier, performing his apostolic exploit in severe conditions and at great risks to life. Innocent baptized ten thousand people, and built churches, beside which he founded schools and he himself taught the fundamentals of the Christian life. His knowledge of various crafts and arts aided him in his work. John was a remarkable preacher. During the celebration of the Liturgy, memorial services and the all-night Vigil, he incessantly guided his flock. During his time of endless travels, Father John studied the languages, customs and habits of the peoples, among whom he preached. work in geography, ethnography and linguistics received worldwide acclaim. composed an alphabet and grammar for the Aleut language and translated the Catechism, the Gospel and many prayers into that language. of the finest of his works was the Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven (1833), translated into the various languages of the peoples of Siberia and appearing in more than 40 editions. to the toil of Father John, the Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language. November 29, 1840, after the death of his wife, Father John was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow, in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. December 15, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. On April 21, 1850 Bishop Innocent was elevated to the rank of archbishop. the Providence of God on January 5, 1868, Saint Innocent succeeded Metropolitan Philaret on the Moscow cathedra. Through the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Innocent consolidated the secular missionary efforts of the Russian Church (already in 1839 he had proposed a project for improving the organization of missionary service). the care of Metropolitan Innocent a Missionary Society was created, and the Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work. 1870 the Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission headed by Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin [afterwards Saint Nicholas of Japan, (February 3)] was set up, with whom Saint Innocent had shared much of his own spiritual experience. guidance by Saint Innocent of the Moscow diocese was also fruitful, by his efforts, the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built up into the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Innocent fell asleep in the Lord on March 31, 1879, on Holy Saturday, and was buried at the Holy Spirit Church of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. October 6, 1977, Saint Innocent was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. His memory is celebrated three times during the year: on March 31, the day of his blessed repose, on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs), and on October 6, the day of his glorification. Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1817-1879, St Innocent, Aleut Enlightener&Moscow Metropolitan, Apostle to t Americas, m more
Russia, Siberia, 1817-1879, St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Irkutsk, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14), early age mastery studies, from 1823 45 yrs missionary, 10,000 baptized, endless travels, geography, ethnography, linguistics, Aleut alphabet & grammar for catechism, Gospel & prayers, indication of way into heaven, 1840 became monk Innocent and Bishop, 1850 archbishop, 1868 Metropolitan of Moscow, organized missionary service, 1870 Japanese Spiritual Mission, Moscow Spiritual Academy; Irkutsk; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America (in the world John Popov-Veniaminov), born on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk diocese, into the family of a sacristan. boy mastered his studies at an early age and by age seven, he was reading the Epistle in church. 1806 they sent him to the Irkutsk seminary. 1814, the new rector thought it proper to change the surnames of some of the students. John Popov received the surname Veniaminov in honor of the deceased Archbishop Benjamin of Irkutsk (+ July 8, 1814). May 13, 1817 he was ordained deacon for the Irkutsk Annunciation church, and on May 18, 1821, he was ordained priest. missionary service of the future Apostle of America and Siberia began with the year 1823. John spent 45 years laboring for the enlightenment of the peoples of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, North America, Yakutsk, the Khabarov frontier, his apostolic exploit in severe conditions and at great risks to life. Innocent baptized ten thousand people, and built churches, beside which he founded schools and he himself taught the fundamentals of the Christian life. knowledge of various crafts and arts aided him in his work. John was a remarkable preacher. During the celebration of the Liturgy, memorial services and the all-night Vigil, he incessantly guided his flock. his time of endless travels, Father John studied the languages, customs and habits of the peoples, among whom he preached. work in geography, ethnography and linguistics received worldwide acclaim. composed an alphabet and grammar for the Aleut language and translated the Catechism, the Gospel and many prayers into that language. of the finest of his works was the Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven (1833), translated into the various languages of the peoples of Siberia and appearing in more than 40 editions. to the toil of Father John, the Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language. November 29, 1840, after the death of his wife, Father John was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow, in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. December 15, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. April 21, 1850 Bishop Innocent was elevated to the rank of archbishop. the Providence of God on January 5, 1868, Saint Innocent succeeded Metropolitan Philaret on the Moscow cathedra. the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Innocent consolidated the secular missionary efforts of the Russian Church (already in 1839 he had proposed a project for improving the organization of missionary service). the care of Metropolitan Innocent a Missionary Society was created, the Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work. 1870 the Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission headed by Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin [afterwards Saint Nicholas of Japan, (February 3)] was set up, with whom Saint Innocent had shared much of his own spiritual experience. guidance by Saint Innocent of the Moscow diocese was also fruitful, his efforts, the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built up into the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Innocent fell asleep in the Lord on March 31, 1879, on Holy Saturday, was buried at the Holy Spirit Church of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. October 6, 1977, Saint Innocent was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. memory is celebrated three times during the year: on March 31, the day of his blessed repose, on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs), and on October 6, the day of his glorification.

Russia, Moscow, 1819, Theophanes otRoslavl Forests, Desna River 1, Entire Lent no eat, no sleep, no lie down & 800 prostrations
Russia, Kiev, 1819, Theophanes otRoslavl Forests, Kiev, Desna River 1, fasting beyond natural human limits, Entire Lent no eat, no sleep, no lie down & 800 prostrations; Roslavl; Saint Theophanes of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on June 15; holy Schema-monk Theophanes (in the world, Theodore Talunin) was from Vladimir Province. served in the Black Sea Cossack army until 1791. his discharge, he lived at Sophroniev Hermitage for a time, and then he went to Moldavia, where he lived at Neamts Monastery under obedience to Saint Paisios Velichkovsky (Nov. 15) for three years. the death of Elder Paisios, he returned to Russia and was accepted into the brotherhood of Optina Hermitage in 1800, and he was tonsured there in 1801. Moses of Optina has provided most of the information about Schema-monk Theophanes, and has related the following: “He zealously pursued the active virtues of fasting, prayer, and prostrations with extreme non-acquisitiveness and meekness of spirit. the first and last weeks of Great Lent, he ate nothing at all; during the other fasting periods he ate only every third day. zeal for fasting made him take up the great measure of fasting beyond the bounds of nature.” Theophanes often went from Optina to the Roslavl Forest to see Fathers Athanasios and Moses. 1819, when Fathers Moses and Anthony came to look over Optina Hermitage, he told them that he would come to visit them for the entire period of Great Lent. “You are most welcome, please come,” the hermits told him. came to them before the beginning of Great Lent in 1819, and he announced that he intended to pass the entire Fast without eating. “I have faith that I will not die from fasting,” he said. “Let it be according to your faith,” they answered, not daring to dissuade him. moved in with them, and brought along his icon of the Crucifixion painted on linen, before which he prayed. Theophanes decided not to eat, and not to lie down to sleep. In addition to his usual Prayer Rule, he also made 800 prostrations. he prayed, he wore special cuffs with cords which were tied to the hooks on the wall where the icon was hanging. In this way, he was able to stand at prayer all night without falling from exhaustion. addition, he heated his own cell, helped to sing at Church services, and he appeared cheerful. ate nothing during the entire Fast, and once a week he drank some water mixed with vinegar, because the dryness of his mouth. seeing his thinness, Saint Moses said, “Father, you have worn yourself out.” Father Theophanes replied, “No. Christ my Savior has poured out all His blood to the last drop for my sake. There is plenty of blood left in me yet.” the Fast, which he endured until the end, he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. he wanted to repeat this struggle, but because of the cold he fell ill with a terrible cough. He became very weak, and gradually wasted away, departing to the Lord on June 15, 1819. few moments before Father Theophanes died, Father Moses asked, “Is your soul at peace? Do you fear anything at this hour of death?” He replied, “With joy I desire to be released from this life.” that moment, he passed away. He had just started to make the Sign of the Cross upon himself, and gave up his soul to God. He is buried in the wilderness. Anthony, in whose arms Father Theophanes died, said that he forgot to ask him for his prayers at his death. On the fortieth day after death, the Elder appeared to him. “Batiushka,” said Father Anthony, “I wanted to ask you for your prayers for me when you come before the throne of God, and I did not do it.” Father Theophanes said, “I always pray to God for you. Saint Basil the Great says, ‘He who prays for others, prays for himself.’” to Father Anthony, this Elder had such a radiant face when he was still alive, that one could not look directly at it, but only small glances from the side. His grave is on the edge of a ravine by the Florovka creek, and is revered by pilgrims to this day. Theophanes was approved for local veneration in the Smolensk Diocese on August 31, 2017.

Russia, Moscow, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou, Mt Athos, sent tConstantinople with Eudocimus who failed martyrdom & blamed Joseph
Greece, Mt Athos, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou monastery, Mt Athos, iconographer, painted Archangels on Donysiou's iconostasis, Igumen sent him to accompany Eudocimus to Constantinople so he could wipe out sin oApostamy to become Moslem from Orthodoxy, but Eudocimus failed and blamed Joseph, denying Christ again, Joseph arrested, tortured, refused to convert, and hung; Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Joseph was a monk of Dionysiou Monastery on Mt. Athos, where he shone forth with the virtues of monastic life. was an iconographer, he painted the icon of the holy Archangels on the iconostasis of Dionysiou’s main church. obedience to the instructions of Igumen Stephen, Joseph traveled to Constantinople with Eudocimus, had apostasized from Orthodoxy to become a Moslem. repented, and wished to wipe out his sin through martyrdom. faced with torture and death, however, the unfortunate Eudocimus denied Christ again, blaming Joseph for turning him from Islam. Joseph was arrested and threatened with death. spite of many tortures, he refused to convert to Islam. holy martyr of Christ was hanged on February 17, 1819, so he obtained an incorruptible crown of glory. sources list his commemoration on February 17, while others list him on September 14 or October 26.

Russia, Moscow, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk, fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance
Russia, Siberia, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk (Tom River Mouth, Ob River 5), fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance; Tomsk; Saint Domna of Tomsk, Commemorated on October 16; holy fool Saint Domna (Karpovna) was born into a noble family the central Ukraine around the beginning of the nineteenth century. at an early age, Saint Domna grew up in her aunt’s house. received an excellent education, and was able to speak several languages. was a beautiful girl, and therefore she had many suitors who hoped to marry her. righteous one, however, desired to preserve her virginity for the Lord’s sake. she discovered that her relatives wished to force her to be married, she left the house in secret, dressed in plain clothing, and she went on pilgrimage to the holy places. Since she had no documents to prove her identity, she was arrested and exiled to Siberia, where she settled in the city of Tomsk. There she undertook the exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Domna had no permanent home, and she often spent her days and nights in the open air. Her clothes consisted of various items in different sizes, which hung from her almost naked body. Bags of all sorts hung from her body, filled with bits of glass, incense, bread, sugar, shoes, ropes, stones, and other things. Saint Domna often counted them instead of the knots on a prayer rope, thereby concealing her unceasing prayer from human sight. When compassionate people gave her coats during the severe winters, she accepted them with gratitude, but a few hours later she would give them to some other beggar, while she continued to suffer from the cold. about the difficult stay of the prisoners in the Tomsk police station, Domna began to walk among them and sing spiritual songs, for which she herself was detained. learning of this, the Tomsk merchants, who revered Domna, carried her loads of cakes, bliny, tea and sugar, which she meted out to the distressed prisoners. the words of Holy Scripture: “A righteous man pities the lives of his animals” (Proverbs 12:10, Septuagint), the saint also took care of stray animals and watchdogs. She often fed them, and she was fond of the dogs, about whom the owners did not care, turning them loose at will. Animals also loved the righteous one and by night a multitude of them surrounded her. But even among dumb animals Domna Karpovna did not forget about God. The residents of Tomsk, amid the howling of dogs, often heard her prayer in the darkness: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” blessed one prayed intensely and fervently in the temple, but only when there were just a few people present. One eyewitness described her prayer: “Once I glanced into the side chapel of the church, and there I saw Domna Karpovna, kneeling, and praying. Oh, how she prayed! And the tears, the tears! They flowed from her eyes in two streams.” But as soon as she noticed someone was looking at her, she began to behave like a fool again, moving from place to place, talking, and extinguishing candles. her exploit of foolishness Saint Domna preserved her virginity, voluntarily enduring poverty, suffering from the heat and cold, and putting the sinful passions to death. At the end of her life she received the gift of clairvoyance from the Lord, which served for the spiritual benefit of others. She surrendered her soul to God on October 16, 1872, and she was buried in the convent of Saint John the Baptist in Tomsk. Church of Russia glorified Saint Domna in 1984. She is also commemorated on June 10, the Synaxis of All Saints of Siberia. Some sources give December 16 as the day of her repose. Today, not far from Saint Domna’s burial place, a chapel was built and dedicated to her.

Russia, Moscow, 1821-1867, Philaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow, Old Believer imprisonment, Russian bible
Moscow, 1821-1867, Patriarch, Philaret Drozdov ; Philaret (26 December 1782 - 1 December 1867) was Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna and the most influential figure in the Russian Orthodox Church for more than 40 years, from 1821 to 1867. was canonized on 13 October 1994 and his feast day is celebrated on November 19. was born in Kolomna as Vasily Drozdov. His father was a member of the clergy. Vasily was educated at the seminary of Kolomna, where courses were taught in Latin; and then at the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, and on the completion of his studies was at once appointed professor in the latter. He became preacher of the lavra in 1806, and in 1808, received the monastic tonsure and was named Philaret after Saint Philaret the Merciful.[1] In 1809 he was appointed professor of theology in the ecclesiastical academy of Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, becoming archimandrite in 1811 and director in 1812. Events of 1812 produced a strong impression on Philaret; he explained the success of the Russians by moral reason and read a lecture on this theme in the "Society of friends of the Russian word". In 1813 he declaimed his famous speech on Kutuzov's death. took monastic vows in 1817, and was soon consecrated bishop of Reval[2] and then episcopal vicar of St. Petersburg. In 1819, he became Archbishop of Tver and a member of the Most Holy Synod. In the following year he was archbishop of Yaroslavl, and in 1821 was translated to Moscow, also becoming metropolitan in 1826. daring utterances, however, brought him into imperial disfavor from 1845 until the accession of Alexander II. In 1855 he was restricted to the limits of his diocese. He is said to have prepared Alexander's proclamation freeing the serfs, and he enjoyed the reputation of being one of the leading pulpit orators of his time and country. was the spiritual father of missionary hieromonk Macarius (Glukharyov) (1792–1847), canonized in 2000 for his role as "Apostle to the Altai". was responsible for some of the worst offences towards the Old Believers, including the misappropriation of churches and the sealing of the altars at the churches of the Rogozhskoye Cemetery, which was the administrative and spiritual center of the Belokrinitskoe Soglasie Old Believers. Philaret was also directly involved in the imprisonment of Old Believer hierarchs and monastics. was a prominent figure in preparing a Russian translation of the Bible (until his time, only a Church Slavonic version not readily understood by the general populace was available), and wrote many volumes of theological and historical works collectively known as the Filaretica. They include the Colloquy between a Believer and a Skeptic on the True Doctrine of the Greco-Russian Church (St. Petersburg, 1815); Compend of Sacred History (1816); Commentary on Genesis (1816); Attempt to Explain Psalm lxvii. (1818); Sermons delivered at Various Times (1820); Extracts from the Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles for Use in Lay Schools (1820); Christian Catechism (1823); Extracts from the Historical Books of the Old Testament (1828–30); Principles of Religious Instruction (1828); and New Collection of Sermons (1830–36). Filaret also wrote spiritual poems from an early age; his poetical correspondence with Pushkin is well known. Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1821-1867, Philaret Drozdov, Met oMoscow, great story, unceasing p, clairvoyance, healing, saint appearances
Russia, Moscow, 1821-1867, Philaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow, fKolomna nMoscow, priest father, Kolomna Seminary, iLatin, small but talented, Moscow Theological Academy Holy Trinity Lavra, tonsured 1808, deacon, 1809 tReopened St Pete Theological, St Pete Bishop 1817, Archbishop iTver Yaroslav Moscow, 1826 Met oMoscow, taught Church teachings&traditions, therefore life by holy fathers wisdom, 1823 Catechism book still influential, Peter tGreat's reforms had abolished patriarchate& put life under Govt control, P regained some church freedom, made enemies, tUnceasing prayer, from Anthony & Seraphim oSarov, made Anthony his elder, consulted him before important decisions, unceasing prayer clairvoyance healing gifts, 19th C Russian Spiritual Revival, defended Optina Elders & Seraphim's Nuns, supported publication Optina texts, Sergius oRadonezh appeared to help him condemn Triumphal Gate pagan gods, near death his father appeared warning of the date; Moscow, 1821-1867, Patriarch, Philaret Drozdov ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Philaret (Drozdov) was born on December 26, 1782 in Kolomna, a suburb of Moscow, and was named Basil in Baptism. His father was a deacon (who later became a priest). young Basil studied at the Kolomna seminary, where courses were taught in Latin. He was small in stature, and far from robust, but his talents set him apart from his classmates. 1808, while he was a student at the Moscow Theological Academy at Holy Trinity Lavra, Basil received monastic tonsure and was named Philaret after Saint Philaret the Merciful (December 1). Not long after this, he was ordained a deacon. 1809, he went to teach at the Theological Academy in Petersburg, which had been reopened only a short time before. Philaret felt ill at ease in Petersburg, but he was a very good teacher who tried to make theology intelligible to all. he worked to have classes taught in Russian rather than in Latin. was consecrated as bishop in 1817, and was appointed to serve as a vicar in the diocese of Petersburg. soon rose to the rank of archbishop, serving in Tver, Yaroslavl, and Moscow. In 1826, he was made Metropolitan of Moscow, and remained in that position until his death. Metropolitan believed that it was his duty to educate and enlighten his flock about the Church’s teachings and traditions. he preached and wrote about how to live a Christian life, basing his words on the wisdom of the Holy Fathers. 1823 CATECHISM has been an influential book in Russia and in other countries for nearly two hundred years. reforms of Tsar Peter the Great had abolished the patriarchate and severely restricted the Church, placing many aspects of its life under governmental control. Philaret tried to regain some of the Church’s freedom to administer its own affairs, regarding Church and State as two separate entities working in harmony. everyone shared his views, and he certainly made his share of enemies. Still, he did achieve some degree of success in effecting changes. day, Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev), a disciple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), paid a call on his diocesan hierarch. their conversation, Father Anthony spoke of the patristic teaching on unceasing prayer, and he may have told the Metropolitan something of Saint Seraphim. Philaret felt a deep spiritual kinship with Father Anthony, who soon became his Elder. made no important decision concerning diocesan affairs, or his own spiritual life, without consulting Father Anthony. Seraphim once told Father Anthony that he would become the igumen of a great monastery, and gave him advice on how to conduct himself. was Saint Philaret who appointed him as igumen of Holy Trinity Lavra. Philaret wanted to have the Holy Scriptures translated into modern Russian, so that people could read and understand them. Anthony, however, criticized the unorthodox ethos of the Russian Bible Society, which was popular during the reign of Alexander I. his eagerness to have the Bible translated into modern Russian, Saint Philaret at first supported the Bible Society without realizing how dangerous some of its ideas were. first Russian translation of the Bible was printed during the reign of Tsar Alexander II. the direction of his Elder, Metropolitan Philaret made great progress in the spiritual life. also received the gifts of unceasing prayer, clairvoyance, and healing. is no exaggeration to suggest that Saint Philaret himself was one of the forces behind the spiritual revival in nineteenth century Russia. defended the Elders of Optina Monastery when they were misunderstood and attacked by many. He protected the nuns of Saint Seraphim’s Diveyevo Convent, and supported the publication of patristic texts by Optina Monastery. Philaret was asked to dedicate the new Triumphal Gate in Moscow, and Tsar Nicholas I was also present. statues of pagan gods on the Gate, the Metropolitan refused to bless it. Tsar became angry, and many people criticized the saint’s refusal to participate. felt that he had followed his conscience in this matter, but still felt disturbed by it, and so he prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep. was awakened around 5 A.M. by the sound of someone opening the door which he usually kept locked. The Metropolitan sat up and saw Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) leaning over his bed. “Don’t worry,” he said, “it will all pass.” Then he disappeared. months before his death, Saint Philaret saw his father in a dream, warning him about the 19th day of the month. November 19, 1867, he served the Divine Liturgy for the last time. At two in the afternoon, they went to his cell and found his body. He was buried at Holy Trinity Lavra. Philaret was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1995.

Russia, Moscow, 1822-1864, Jacob Netsvetov, church builder, exorcist, Southwestern Alaska, Yukon
Russia, Moscow, 1822-1864, Saint, Jacob Netsvetov; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Jacob (Netsvetov) of Alaska was born of pious parents in 1802 on Atka Island, Alaska. His father, Yegor Vasil’evich Netsvetov was a Russian from Tobolsk. His mother, Maria Alekseevna, was an Aleut from Atka island. Yegor and Maria had four children who survived infancy; Jacob was the first born, followed by Osip (Joseph), Elena, and Antony. and Maria were devoted to their children and, though of meager means, did all they could to provide them with the education which would help them in this life as well as in the life to come. Osip and Antony were eventually able to study at the Saint Petersburg Naval Academy in Russia, becoming a naval officer and a shipbuilder, respectively. Their sister, Elena, married a successful and respected clerk for the Russian-American Company. Jacob yearned for a different kind of success, a success that the world might consider failure for “the righteous live forever, their reward is with the Lord” (Wis. Sol. 5:15). And so, when the family moved to Irkutsk in 1823, Jacob enrolled in the Irkutsk Theological Seminary and placed all his hope in Christ by seeking first the Kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33). was tonsured as a Subdeacon on October 1, 1825. He married a Russian woman (perhaps also a Creole) named Anna Simeonovna, and in 1826 graduated from the Seminary with certificates in history and theology. On October 31, 1826, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate and assigned to serve the altar of the Holy Trinity-Saint Peter Church in Irkutsk. Two years later, on March 4, 1828, Archbishop Michael, who had earlier ordained Father John Veniaminov (Saint Innocent), elevated the godly deacon Jacob to the Holy Priesthood. however, was no ordinary ordination. As if he were a new Patrick, hearing the mystical call of his distant flock, Father Jacob yearned to return to his native Alaska. And the all-good God, who “satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Ps.107:9) heard the prayer of his servant. Michael provided Father Jacob with two antimensia: one for the new Church which would be dedicated to the glory of God in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in Atka, and one to be used for missionary activity. On May 1, 1828 a molieben for travelers was served, and Father Jacob, his father, Yegor, (now tonsured as reader for the Atka Church), and his matushka, Anna, set out for Alaska. can tell of the perils and trials associated with such a journey? Travel in those days was never easy, either overland or over the waves of the sea. Nevertheless, aided by prayer and confidence in God’s providence, the Netsvetov family arrived safely in Atka over a year later, on June 15, 1829. The new assignment for the newly-ordained Father Jacob would also prove to be quite a challenge. The Atka “parish” comprised a territory stretching for nearly 2,000 miles and included Amchitka, Attu, Copper, Bering and Kurile Islands. But this did not deter the godly young priest, for when he was clothed in the garments of the Priesthood, he was found to be “clad with zeal as a cloak’ (Is. 59:17), and so he threw himself wholly into his sacred ministry. His deep love for God and for his flock was evident in everything that he did. Both in Atka and in the distant villages and settlements which he visited, Father Jacob offered himself as a “living sacrifice” (Rom 12:1). Having “no worry about his life” (Mt. 6:25 ff), the holy one endured manifold tortures of cold, wet, wind, illness, hunger and exhaustion, for to him life was Christ (Phil 1:21). Showing himself as a “rule of faith,” his example brought his people to a deep commitment to their own salvation. Being fully bilingual and bicultural, Father Jacob was uniquely blessed by God to care for the souls of his fellow Alaskans. he arrived in Atka, the Church of Saint Nicholas had not yet been built. So, with his own hands Father Jacob constructed a large tent (Acts 18:3) in which he conducted the services. For Father Jacob the services of the Church were life: life for his people and life for himself. It was in the worship of God that he found both strength and joy. Later he would transport this tent with him on his missionary journeys, and like Moses in the wilderness, the grace of God was found wherever this tent was taken (Num 4:1 ff; 10:17 ff). his first six months had ended (end of 1829), Father Jacob recorded that he had baptized 16, chrismated 442, married 53 couples, and buried 8. the church was constructed, Father Jacob turned his attention to the building of a school in which the children would learn to read and write both Russian and Unangan Aleut. The Russian American Company provided some of the support initially, with the students providing the remainder. This continued until 1841, when it was reorganized as a parish school and ties with the company ceased. Father Jacob proved to be a talented educator and translator whose students became distinguished Aleut leaders in the next generation. Netsvetov led an active physical and intellectual life, hunting and gathering for his own subsistence needs, preparing specimens of fish and marine animals for the natural history museums of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, corresponding with Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) on matters of linguistics and translations. He labored over the creation of an adequate alphabet for the Unangan-Aleut language, and the translation of the Holy Scriptures and other appropriate literature into that language. Saint Innocent praised the young pastor for his holiness of life, his teaching, and for continuing this work of translating which he, himself, had begun earlier among the native peoples. After fifteen years of service, Father Jacob was awarded the Nabedrennik, Kamilavka, and Gold Cross. Later, he would be made Archpriest and receive the Order of Saint Anna. ecclesiastical awards do not tell of the personal sufferings of this warrior for Christ. In March of 1836, his precious wife, Anna, died of cancer; his home burned to the ground in July of 1836; and his dear father, Yegor, died of an undetermined illness in 1837. Who can utter the depth of sorrow felt by this God-pleaser? Yet he lifted up his voice with that ancient sufferer and cried, “shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity? In all this he did not sin with his lips” (Job 2:10). In his journal Father Jacob attributed all to “the Will of Him whose Providence and Will are inscrutable and whose actions toward men are incomprehensible.” He patiently endured hardships and sufferings like the Holy Apostle Paul. He saw in these misfortunes not a Victory by the hater of men’s souls (i.e. the devil) but a call from God to even greater spiritual struggles. With this in mind, Father Jacob petitioned his ruling bishop to return to Irkutsk in order to enter the monastic life. A year later, word reached him that permission was granted contingent upon the arrival of a replacement. None ever came. Bishop Innocent soon came to Atka and asked Father Jacob to accompany him on a voyage by ship to Kamchatka. Who can know the heavenly discourse enjoyed by these two lovers of Christ as they traveled over the waves? This, however, is clear, the holy archpastor was able to accomplish three things in Father Netsvetov. Firstly, he applied the healing salve of the Spirit with words of comfort; secondly, he dissuaded Father Jacob from entering the monastery; and thirdly, he revealed to the godly priest the true plan of the Savior for his life, that he ‘might preach (Christ) among the Gentiles” (Gal. 1: 16) deep in the Alaskan interior. Father Jacob continued to serve his far-flung flock of the Atka parish until December 30, 1844. A new zeal had taken hold of him, and it was then that Saint Innocent appointed him to head the new Kvikhpak Mission in order to bring the light of Christ to the people of the Yukon. Here, aided by two young Creole assistants, Innokentii Shayashnikov and Konstantin Lukin, together with his young nephew, Vasilii Netsvetov, Father Jacob “settled’ in the wilderness of Alaska. learned new languages, embraced new peoples and cultures, devised another alphabet, built another church and Orthodox community, and for the next twenty years, until his health and eyesight failed, continued to be an evangelical beacon of the grace of God in southwestern Alaska. his headquarters in the Yup’ik Eskimo village of Ikogmiute (today’s ‘Russian Mission’) he traveled to native settlements hundreds of miles up and down Alaska’s longest river (the Yukon) as well as the Kuskokwim River region. At the insistence of Indian leaders, he traveled as far as the middle of the Innoko River baptizing hundreds of Indians from various, and often formerly hostile, tribes. “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Ps 133:1). He built the first Christian temple in this region, and dedicated it to the feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Here Father Jacob, in spite of failing health, joyfully celebrated the Church’s cycle of services, including all of the services prescribed for Holy Week and Pascha. in 1863, the evil One, who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet 5:8), sought one last time to get the better of the righteous one. So the devil, the father of lies, (John 8:44), inspired an assistant of Father Jacob to level spurious and slanderous charges against his master. This resulted in a summons to Sitka, issued by Bishop Peter. The godly pastor was quickly cleared of all charges, but due to his ever-worsening health, he remained in Sitka for his final year serving a Tlingit chapel. He died on July 26, 1864 at the age of 60 and was buried on the third day at the entry of the chapel. During his final missionary travels in the Kuskokwim/Yukon delta region, he had baptized 1,320 people—distinguishing himself as the evangelizer of the Yup’ik Eskimo and Athabascan Indian peoples. brief history has recounted the basic chronology of the saint’s life and labors, but we must not neglect to relate his other deeds, that the light be not “hidden under a bushel” (Mt.5:15). In 184 1, Father Jacob encountered a group of women from his flock in Amlia who had fallen victim to certain demonic influences and teachings. Blaming himself for the seduction and fall of his spiritual children by the evil one, he informed the leader among them that he was going to pay them a visit. arriving, he found one of the women paralyzed, semi-conscious and unable to speak. He ordered that she be removed to another house apart, and on the next day when this was accomplished, he lit the lampada before the icons of the beautiful corner, vested himself in his priestly epitrachilion (stole), sprinkled holy water throughout the room, and began the first prayers of exorcism. He then left. the night he was notified that the woman had begun to speak but incoherently. He came immediately to her and performed a second exorcism. This time, she sprang out of her bed and stood next to the saint, joined her prayer to his, and accompanied them with prostrations. When the prayers were finished, Father Jacob again sprinkled her with holy water and gave her the precious cross to kiss. She regained full consciousness, a state of health and true reason—that is, even the false teachings of the evil spirits had no more part in her. in November of 1845, Father Jacob was preaching in the village of Kalskag, where the local chief was also the head shaman. He spoke for all of the villagers and resisted the Word of God forcefully. But the saint, calm and full of the Holy Spirit, continued to sow the seeds of right belief and piety. After many hours, the chief fell silent and finally came to believe. The villagers, in solidarity with their leader, also joyously expressed their belief in the Triune God and sought Holy Baptism. Jacob was a physician of bodies as well as souls. He often cared for the sick among his flock even to his own detriment. During the winter of 1850-1851 the saint was himself ravaged with illness. Yet he cared for the sick and dispensed medicine to them every day. Father Jacob’s preaching often brought together in the Holy Faith tribes who were traditional enemies. One example from his journal reads: “Beginning in the morning, upon my invitation, all the Kol’chane and Ingalit from the Yukon and the local ones gathered at my place and I preached the word of God, concluding at noon. Everyone listened to the preaching with attention and without discussion or dissent, and in the end they all expressed faith and their wish to accept Holy Baptism, both the Kol’chane and the Ingatit (formerly traditional enemies). I made a count by families and in groups, and then in the afternoon began the baptismal service. First I baptized 50 Kol’chane and Ingalit men, the latter from the Yukon and Innoko. It was already evening when I completed the service. March 21, 1853.” it was that this apostolic man, this new Job, conducted himself during his earthly course. There are many other deeds and wonders which he performed, many known and many more known only to God. Few missionaries in history have had to endure the hardships which Father Jacob faced, yet he did so with patience and humility. His life of faith and piety are the legacy which he leaves to us, his spiritual children in America, and indeed to all Christians throughout the world.

Russia, Moscow, 1822-1864, Makarios of Glinsk, trusted elders' spiritual path, absolute obedience, many w clairvoyance stories
Russia, Kiev, 1822-1864, Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage (between Seym and Desna Rivers), wealthy, f Ephraimov iTula, devout mother, Glinsk a22, under Philaretos, Monastery in 1828, child needing spiritual milk, trusted P's spiritual path, absolute obedience, 1833 Monastic vows, ordination, 1841 P dies, 1844 Dean, obedience, many wonderful clairvoyance stories; Glinsk Hermitage ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Saint Makarios of Glinsk Hermitage, Commemorated on February 21; holy Elder Hieromonk Makarios (Matthew Terent'evich Sharov in the world) was born in 1802, and came from a wealthy bourgeois family in the city of Ephraimov in Tula Province. His mother was particularly devout, always walking with a prayer rope in her hands, and she raised her children in the fear of God. Following the example of his parents, Matthew Terent'evich was also devout, humble, and led a restrained life: he did not eat quickly, he read spiritual books, avoided worldly fuss, diligently visited the temple of God and often prayed to God at home. In 1822, when he was twenty years old, he finally decided to forsake the world and enter the Glinsk Hermitage under the guidance of the ever-memorable Igoumen Philaretos (Danielevskii), a man known for the sanctity of his life. arrived at Glinsk Hermitage when its ever-memorable restorer, Igoumen Philaretos, was the Superior. In 1828, he was enrolled in the monastery's brotherhood. As is well-known, Father Philaretos kept a close watch over the newcomers. To him, a newcomer was a child who needed spiritual milk (I Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12; I Peter 2:2), and the Igoumen supplied it in abundance. Into this school of piety came Matthew Sharov. In the person of Father Philaretos he found a knowledgeable spiritual guide, who had learned through personal experience, the difficulty of the path to salvation. had studied this path to such a degree that the person under his guidance was fully assured of reaching his goal. Matthew soon felt this and entrusted himself to the wise instructor in absolute obedience. learning Matthew's capabilities, this spiritual guide assigned him to various obediences, which did not correspond to his abilities or spiritual needs, and the young novice carried them out in a zealous manner. first, he was appointed to work in the monastery's apiary, where Father Igoumen often visited and watched the newcomer closely, paternally instructing him in the monastic life. His ardent performance of his duties, and his humble and willing obedience to his Elder's will predisposed Father Philaretos toward him, and he often spoke to the young struggler in a paternal way. In a short time he was so prepared that he made his monastic vows on December 16, 1833, fully aware of what he was doing. He was tonsured by his great Elder and was named Makarios. still a novice, he kept watch over his soul, and after becoming a monk his vigilance increased. His humility was shown in his every word, as well as in his actions, his appearance, his clothing, and in every movement. In other words, he became an image of humility in a short time. By keeping watch over his heart, he blocked the passions from entering therein with the weapon of noetic prayer. Elder Philaretos rejoiced exceedingly over his spiritual child and taught him how a true warrior of Christ must do battle with the Enemy of our salvation. The attentive disciple of this wise instructor was quickly perfected in the virtues, reaching such a level that Father Philaretos deemed him worthy of ordination. Makarios tried to cleanse his heart of all earthly matters, and those things which are displeasing to God, so that he might become worthy of the grace which was given to him at his ordination. He always served with special reverence, which was noticed by those around him, even though he tried to hide it from everyone. His serving was distinguished by a profound feeling of humility, with fear and trembling before the greatness of Almighty God, before Whose altar he now stood. Philaretos, seeing his disciple and spiritual son rapidly ascending the steps of perfection, wished to see him in the rank of a priest during his lifetime. Father Makarios was ordained on February 29, 1839, and his elevation to the priesthood served to make him more attentive in his spiritual life. He had it very well under the protection of his wise teacher, Father Philaretos, who always had the correct solution, his clairvoyant counsels, and his timely and necessary directives. on March 31, 1841, Glinsk Hermitage was deprived of its Superior, and Hieromonk Makarios lost his earthly guardian angel. But the seeds the Elder had sown were watered by his prayers from Heaven, and were strengthened by his disciple's zeal for salvation here below. Not only were these seeds not lost, but they also bore fruit a hundredfold. Hieromonk Makarios became an example for all the monks to emulate. He studied the Holy Scriptures; he had great knowledge of the exalted Christian virtues, and of the monastic virtues. He tried to put these into practice in his own life in order to be filled with the virtues indicated to us by our Lord Jesus Christ: love of God and love for one's neighbor, strict reclusion, and mortifying the body through fasting and prayer. God's grace these became so strong in him that he wished to embrace the whole world, and to lead everyone to God. This same ardent love drew him to the service of the salvation of many people. Makarios was appointed as Dean of the monastery in 1844, despite the fact that not so long ago this zealous doer of the Lord's commandments was enrolled with the state because of illness. assuming the difficult position of Dean of the monastery, Father Makarios devoted himself to the performance of his duty. Only his humility and his Christian love toward all led him to accept this heavy and burdensome duty, but he gave his all to it. he was Dean, there was exemplary behavior in the monastery. Relying on the Dean's vigilance, the Superior was at peace because he knew that for the sake of holy obedience Father Makarios was ready to sacrifice his own comfort for that of all the brethren; and he also knew that they would maintain their good conduct out of respect for Father Makarios. did Father Dean act? He divided his love in half, as it were: one half was for the Superior, whose orders he regarded as sacred; giving the other half, and himself, to the brethren. course, some of them did not always conduct themselves as the Superior required. refused to carry out their assigned obediences out of stubbornness or self-love. Father Makarios tried to carry out their obediences himself. For example, he often made the dough for bread at night, and did other heavy work. Father Makarios tried to conceal the weakness of some of the monks from the Superior, and often he got into trouble because of this. covering up for the others, Father Makarios was deeply grieved by their weaknesses. He begged and begged them to correct themselves, and tried to counsel them. His instructions, coming from a heart aflame with love for God and for his neighbor, were so effective that those toward whom they were directed involuntarily gave way before the power of his words, and submitted themselves to holy obedience. Once they corrected themselves, Father Makarios was at peace concerning them. He knew that those who had been corrected would not permit any conduct which was contrary to the rules of the monastery, because they did not wish to grieve him. of his position, he was obliged to come into contact with worldly people, and found ways to converse with them and to be useful to them. with the usual topics, imperceptibly he would lead the conversation toward the soul's salvation. Then he would become inspired and, as if from a pure spring, he would give spiritual drink to his listeners. by the power of his words, they listened attentively to the ascetic and many learned the science of Christian life through him. while caring for the salvation of others, Father Makarios did not neglect his own. He knew how to conduct himself so that his contact with worldly people did not have an adverse effect upon him. He was rewarded abundantly when he saw that a human soul, under the influence of his tender paternal counsels, recognized its Creator. his cell, Father Makarios had only a few icons and books, and that was all. He did not acquire anything else. So that he would not be distracted, he glued paper over the windows of his cell, or painted them over, so that nothing could be seen through them. and solitude were his only food. Weakened by illness, he lay down on a rug and read the Psalter. At night the Elder got up to pray, supported by two crutches, and read the Holy Gospels, conversing with God for such a long time that one could not understand how he could do this, since he was ill. But God's "power is perfected in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). is said that sometimes the Elder would take a book and go into the forest. Then he would sit down somewhere to read or to pray. Finding a suitable tree stump, the ascetic would place the book on it and kneel down before it. Then his pure soul would fly to Heaven on the wings of prayer. Father Makarios, as usual, went for one of these strolls in the woods, and became very tired. He sat down by the side of the road in order to rest a little, but he was so deep in meditation that he did not hear a peasant's horse-drawn wagon approaching. Suddenly, as the wagon came closer, he stood up. The horse became frightened and veered to the side. Father Makarios said, "Forgive me, brother," and bowed to him. peasant smiled and said, "If it were anyone else... but, since it is Father Makarios, then we shall say nothing." little incident shows just how much Father Makarios was respected, not only by the brethren of the monastery, but also by those who lived outside its gates. great ascetical labors finally caused his already fragile health to deteriorate. in June of 1848, he was relieved of his duties at his own request. After this, he did not leave his cell, except to go to church, and for infrequent solitary walks in the woods. At such times he was seen in the cemetery, where there was much that his humble and attentive soul knew and loved. Even though his solitary retreat in his cell was not full reclusion, all his ascetical labors were truly those of a real recluse. evening, two monks were going to his cell together in order to speak with him. Among the other things they mentioned about Father Makarios, one of them said, "He has locked himself in. It is easy to be saved in reclusion, because one does not behold any temptations. If he lived as we do, however, having temptations before his eyes, and if he could live as if he did not have them, then that would be a great ascetic feat indeed!" one of them had to pass by the cell of Father Makarios in order to get to his own. Father Makarios opened his door and asked him to come in. he said, "forgive me, a sinner, and a weak one, who is unable to struggle as you do, but hides from worldly temptations in his cell. For the sake of God, forgive me." monk was stricken, not so much by the Elder's humility, but by the very words which the monk himself had spoken only a few moments before, and were now repeated by the Elder. This monk who had judged others made a prostration before the humble ascetic, and sincerely asked to forgiven. many admirers of Father Makarios, who were deprived of the great benefit of his counsels after he had locked himself in his cell, tried to come to him now in his cell, but they were turned away. some of them, having great faith, and who loved the Elder, asked the Superior to order Father Makarios to receive those who came to him, for the sake of obedience. As usual, the humble Elder now preferred the benefit and the will of others to his own solace, and so he opened the door of his cell to everyone. had been waiting for a long time to hear his grace-filled words, and now that his door was open, they came to him often, and at all times, knowing that Father Makarios would always give them just the right advice and the necessary help from God. cell was a place where many of their spiritual needs were met, and many questions were answered. From early morning until the evening, many people disclosed to him the thoughts of their hearts, weeping many warm and salvific tears of repentance. They vowed to correct themselves, and their perplexities were resolved. Elder’s calmness when counseling people was amazing. He listened to both the nonsensical superstitions of the common folk, and the disbelief and the foolish freethinking of educated persons. He heard the senseless complaints of a peasant woman, and the fanciful curiosity of a wealthy woman, as well as the simple stories of a peasant, and the deceitfully elegant conversations of the wise of this world. Nothing could disturb his Christian patience and his complete spiritual peace, however. He conquered all by his most profound humility. Pure joy shone on his radiant countenance, reflecting the purity of his heart. His eyes expressed his angelic meekness and inner peace. Those who entered his cell in sadness emerged in a state of happiness. The sorrowful received comfort; the despairing came out with the hope of repentance; the self-confident became humble. for his great piety, many people wrote to ask him for advice and guidance in the spiritual life, or about their doubts and sorrows. The loving Elder, who was always ready to help his neighbor, did not refuse to reply. someone who had received only the most elementary education at home, he was not learned in worldly wisdom, but he attained great perfection by obeying Christ’s commandments, by his attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, and the writings of the Holy Fathers. of those who came to Father Makarios with faith noticed that he had the gift of clairvoyance. One hieromonk tells us: “When I entered the monastery, I was given a cell not far from that of Father Makarios. He always had so many people waiting to see him that they stood at his door from Matins until Vespers. often saw Father Makarios open the door, and those who were closest would fall to the floor before him. He, as though he did not notice them, would call out to someone far in the back: “John,” or “Anna, come here.” people made their way through the crowd with difficulty, he would ask them to tell him their name, something about their life, and their reason for coming to him. Then after giving advice, he would let the person go forth in peace, and then he would call the next person in the same way. it happened that a person who had traveled a great distance, perhaps thousands of miles, never got to see the Elder. Later, it was noticed that those he called had a greater need for his godly-wise conversation than the others.” “Invited and blessed by Father Makarios, I often came to help out in his cell. Once, as a reward for my efforts, the Elder blessed me with a Priest’s Service Book and said, ‘Do not be proud or judge others; humble yourself and you will be a good monk. Later, you will bless others.’ “These words seemed impossible to me, because at that time I was barely able to read. Later, events revealed the truth of the Elder’s clairvoyant words, foretelling that I would become a priest. “About two weeks after he took up residence in the tower located in the ‘Bishop’s Garden,’ I went to see him. came to his tower and saw that there were no crowds waiting for him, only one woman who tossed some white object on the Elder’s steps as I approached. had just reached the door, and before I had time to say the prayer, I heard the Elder’s voice: ‘Timothy, Timothy, hurry and open the door.’ The Elder could not have seen me because at the time he was lying down on his little rug with the Psalter in his hand. ‘Why do you come to me so seldom now?’ he asked. ‘Forgive me, Batushka,’ I replied. ‘I don’t have the time, because of my obedience.’ ‘It is good that you have come,’ he said. Pointing to a jar of ointment in the window he said, ‘You can rub me with that. My chest hurts, and it is hard to breathe.’ “Because of his illness, the Elder’s chest was swollen. As I rubbed him I, the sinful one, thought: ‘The Elder still has some fat on him.’ “He replied to my thoughts on the spot: ‘Timothy, do you see how smooth I am? I eat so much; you can see how fat I am.’ ‘Forgive me, Batushka,’ I said, struck by his clairvoyance. “Then he said, ‘Go out and bring what is on the steps. Didn’t you see anything?’ “I forgot that I had witnessed the woman’s actions and replied, ‘No, Batushka, I did not, but bless me and I will see if there is something there, and if so, I shall bring it.’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘don’t go. It isn’t necessary.’ “After finishing some of the chores which needed to be done, I said, ‘Batushka, perhaps you will bless me to go home now?’ ‘God will bless you,’ he said, ‘but come to see me more often. When you go out, you will see a man and a woman standing on the ground. They are married, and live very much in harmony. His name is John, and hers is Eudokia. Tell them to come in.’ ‘Bless me,’ I said. “I went down the steps thinking: ‘Is someone here now? When I came in, there was no one around, and one cannot see from the cell because the windows are facing the forest, and besides, the Elder could not get up from the floor.’ “I went down the steps with these thoughts, and I saw a man and a woman. I thought I should ask them their names. ‘Are you here to see Father Makarios?’ I asked. ‘Yes, to see Father Makarios,’ they replied. “I asked the man his name, and he said, ‘John.’ ‘And yours?’ I asked the woman. “She said, ‘Eudokia.’ “I asked them how they were related, and they said, ‘We are husband and wife.’ ‘Go on up,’ I said. “Then I understood the Elder’s wondrous gift of clairvoyance. I went back to my cell, not understanding why the Elder was so open with me this time. He knew, however, that this would be my last visit to him, and so he did not conceal his gift. Soon after this, he became ill. When I went to see him at the infirmary, he was unable to speak, because of his weakness. He gestured feebly for me to come close to him. Even then, when he was ill and close to death, and in pain, he still kept me in prayerful remembrance.” those who came to him, Father Makarios with his spiritual eyes knew their future destiny, and often revealed it to them. A certain devout monk tells us the following: “One day, my mother, my brother, and I came to Glinsk to receive Father Makarios’s blessing. As he was blessing us the Elder pointed to me and said to my mother, ‘Give this child to the Queen of Heaven, and keep this one (pointing to my brother) for yourself.’ In her simplicity, and because of her sincere faith in God’s will, as expressed to her through the Elder, she said that she was prepared to leave both of us with him. The Elder, however, repeated what he had just said.” as it happened, the older of the two boys, who had a sincere disposition toward monasticism, was proficient in that capacity. The other one, because of his leanings, could not endure monastic life. A. said, “I came to Glinsk Hermitage from the Maloyaroslavets-St. Nicholas Monastery. The late Father Archimandrite Innocent, for special reasons, did not usually accept monks from other monasteries into his. When I requested to be accepted into the Hermitage, the Archimandrite refused, although he did not set a time limit on my stay at the monastery guesthouse. I lived there for three months without leaving the monastery, which had become so dear to me. In the end, I decided to go to Father Makarios for advice. The ever-memorable Elder was already sick in bed when I went to see him. Bowing to the ground before him, I described my sorrow because I could not stay and work there, since the Superior would not accept me. “Go and ask him,” Batushka said, “and he will take you in.” “I did as I was told, and contrary to all expectation, Father Innocent made an exception for me and took me in. Of course, it was through the prayers of Father Makarios that he accepted me.” certain elderly nun, a disciple of Father Makarios, describes how she entered the monastery which he indicated to her by his clairvoyance. “Once, when I was young, I was at Glinsk Hermitage on a certain Feast Day, and attended a solemn Moleben. Among those who were serving, I saw a tall, thin Hieromonk with sunken eyes. I wanted to see his face, and just as I had that thought, he turned and looked straight at me. This, as I found out later, was Father Makarios. On another occasion, I was at Glinsk Hermitage with a little girl. I had heard a great deal about Father Makarios, but I was afraid to go see him. After the Divine Liturgy, I went back to our room in the guesthouse, and the little girl disappeared without me noticing. After a short time, she returned with a booklet: Brief Instructions for Monks. ‘I was told to give this to you,’ she said, handing me the booklet. “After that, I wanted to see Father Makarios in person, and I asked the monk in the guesthouse to find out if he would receive me. I received this reply: ‘She must go to the monastery, and when they accept her, she may come to me for a blessing.’ “When I arrived back home, I became quite bored with everything, and could find no relief in anything I did, so I was forced to go back to Glinsk Hermitage to see Father Makarios. He received me very kindly, comforting me and ordering me to enter a monastery. When I asked which one, and where, he replied that God Himself would arrange everything. “Returning home to my family, I regarded myself as a stranger with them. Life in the world had lost all its meaning for me. Through some acquaintances, I asked Father Makarios what I should do. He ordered them to tell me that when the time came for me to enter the monastery, I would not remain at home for even a moment. I traveled, wishing to distract myself from my terrible boredom. I visited one maiden’s monastery to pray, but did not want to enter. When I received the blessing of the Igoumeness, however, I suddenly asked to be accepted into the monastery, and she took me in. After that, I went to see Father Makarios. He received me as a father would meet a beloved child. He opened the door to his cell and told me to look things over. “Look here, look at everything,” he said. “In his cell he had only an Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” (August 13), a cross, a few books, a table, a chair, and a simple wooden bench upon which was placed an old peasant’s coat. On the table there was an apple. After showing me his cell, he sat on the steps and instructed me about humility, patience, non-acquisitiveness, and in general, how a nun must live. After this, he embraced my head and kissed it, like a loving mother.1 Then he said, ‘Do you want your sister to die?’ “He was asking about my younger sister who was always sick, and whom I loved very much. I did not wish to be separated from her, however. I did not answer, and the Elder asked me again. Then, as if he was replying to my thoughts, he said, ‘You do not desire this, but it would be better if she did die. Pray about it.’ But I could not pray for my sister’s death. “Eventually, she got better and grew up, but she had a very unhappy life. Now I regret that she did not die back then. After a year, I wanted to leave the monastery. There were many sorrows, and I did not have the patience to bear them. So, I went to Father Makarios again. He ordered me to go to another monastery and to remain there for a while. I asked to be accepted there, and I was. But I went to Father Makarios in order to find out where I must live. I returned to Batushka and he told me to go back to the first monastery, saying that God Himself had decreed that this is where I must live. “When I returned and told Matushka Igoumeness about my trip, she would not let me go, and ordered me to make prostrations for a week (probably at trapeza) as a punishment for my willful absence. I was comforted by Father Makarios in this sorrow, and I received his wise counsel until the end of his life.” was a certain nun (Mother Agnes) who had money, and a nice cell; the Igoumeness loved her, and all the sisters respected her. This, however, was not good for the salvation of her soul, because "it is through many tribulations that we must enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).2 The Elder prayed and arranged for her to bear these saving sorrows. As a wise instructor, he did not leave her to face these sorrows without warning her ahead of time. He prepared her for all this in advance, foretelling the grief, persecution, and want that she would face. "Weep a little, weep a little! It doesn't matter why you weep," he said, "it is better than being happy." did not believe any of this, thinking that the Elder was joking with her. She did not realize the wisdom of the Elder's predictions until she returned to the monastery and discovered that her position had changed. His prophecy came true, exactly as he said it would. Even then, he did not leave her without help. He sent her comforting letters, saying that all this would pass, and that she would live as before. This also came true, but it was no longer harmful for her soul, because she had passed through the fire of temptation, and knew the value of worldly goods, and the fickleness of human love. general, the Elder consoled some people by offering a better outlook for the future; others were warned of troubles to come, preparing them in time, so that their sorrow would be easier to bear. crowds of people were drawn to Father Makarios by his counsels, which came from his gift of grace, his admonitions, and by his healing of bodily infirmities. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult to move in the monastery courtyard, or near its gates, or by the cell of Father Makarios. On one occasion, people were waiting to be received, each in his turn, by the godly Elder. Hieromonk Joseph, a disciple of Father Makarios, had to make his way through the crowd. Because of the great multitude, his progress was very slow, and he was displeased. He thought, “Look at the crowd the old man has brought here. Why does he care for them? They will not let me by.” he walked by the Elder’s cell, he heard a tapping on the window. He went in and asked him, “Did you call me?” “Yes, I did call you,” he replied. “Please tell me, for God’s sake, what am I to do with the people? You see how many have come and I, a wretched old man, must care for them, and they will not let me go by.” Joseph then understood that the Elder had discerned his thoughts and called him in to ask him what to do with all the people. Stricken by this, Hieromonk Joseph asked for forgiveness. The Elder forgave him and said that he, “a sinner,” was not acting on his own, but in obedience to the command of the Queen of Heaven, and was doing her will. We do not know how this will was expressed: in a vision, or by the Superior’s blessing for him to receive visitors. In any case, a certain vision may have had something to do with it. Father Makarios himself told some nuns that he once had a vision on his way to church. In the monastery courtyard, and all around him, many swallows were flying. Some of them landed on his hands, and others on his shoulders, and he was able to hold them in his hands and blow on them. After that, when he was returning from church, he was carrying a cross on his head. On the roof of the cells there were many crows cawing at him. He understood that the vision of the swallows meant that he should not refuse to receive women who sought his advice. The vision where he was carrying the cross meant that this was a difficult task. The crows which cawed at him represented the brethren who complained because he received women. his many spiritual gifts, Father Makarios received the gift of healing human sickness. Once, a possessed person was brought to him. He was calm, but as soon as his companions turned toward the cell of Father Makarios, the possessed man became frantic. They dragged him to the Elder by force, and Christ’s true follower laid his hands on him and healed the man by his powerful prayer to God. words did not have the elegance of the learned people of the world, but they were permeated with wisdom from on high, and were fervent because of his meekness and love, and so they were vibrant and effective. His words were filled with spiritual rationality, which the Fathers call the highest of all virtues. any doubt, we know that everyone who followed the Elder’s advice received not only spiritual benefit, but they also became more successful in their worldly affairs. There are so many examples of this that it is superfluous to mention all of them here. the Elder’s many visitors succeeded in getting him to accept some small gift (which did not happen often). He sent all of these to the Superior, however, without pausing for a moment. Upon his death, only a small coin was in found in one of his books, because he used it as a bookmark and then forgot about it. The Elder only kept incense and candles, which he used in his cell. return the visitors often asked Father Makarios for some small thing as a blessing and memento. The Elder gave away everything he received to the pilgrims, and when he had nothing left, he would say, "What can I give you? I have nothing left but a few crusts of bread left over from trapeza." visitors were happy to receive even these crusts and accepted them with sincere reverence. By God's grace, these were more precious to them than gold or silver. Faith in the power of the Elder's prayer gave his things, even a crust of bread, similar power. According to the testimony of those who received them, they healed people of their illnesses. Makarios, who helped everyone in their inner renewal, did not forget his closest fellow ascetics in the monastery. In all circumstances, and the attacks of the Enemy, the brethren ran to Batushka. Once, when Hieromonk Moses was stricken with spiritual sorrow, he hoped to receive comfort from Heaven by speaking with the Elder. But Father Makarios was so exhausted from receiving visitors that he could hardly breathe, so he asked Father Moses to come back to him in the morning. Father Moses left the Elder's cell with a heavy heart, and silently turned to Heaven, and his prayer was heard. next morning, as dawn was breaking, Father Makarios sent for Father Moses. When he came to the Elder's cell Father Makarios bowed before him and said, "Forgive me, a sinner, Father and brother, for refusing you yesterday. Last night I suffered terribly because of it." From that time forward, the Elder devoted himself completely to his disciples. They were able to come to him at any time without having to wait. They only had to say the customary Jesus Prayer at the door. After this they no longer were afraid of coming at inconvenient times, or of disturbing the Elder. His peace was in the spiritual peace of his disciples. Truly, one could say that Father Makarios was a worthy disciple of a worthy teacher: the ever-memorable Igoumen Philaretos. He in his turn became a worthy spiritual guide for others. the brethren of Glinsk Hermitage, with whom Father Makarios was on especially friendly terms, was the nearly one-hundred-year-old Monk Theodotos. Elder Makarios was also the spiritual brother of the strict ascetic and Elder, Father Schema-Archimandrite Heliodoros (1797-1879). between these great spiritual men, however, there arose spiritual discontentment. Father Makarios, filled with love for everyone, had yielded to the requests of his many admirers, and he agreed to have some photographic visiting cards made. Heliodoros was deeply offended by this, and when Father Makarios came to visit him, he told him so. He believed that this decision of Father Makarios was inconsistent with monastic humility, and he criticized him harshly, "You are not an Elder, but an old man with a basket" (the Russian word he used refers to a large basket which peasants use to carry things). Then he explained the reason for his unusual words. Father Makarios explained that he did not act as he had from a desire to glorify himself, but because he didn't want to scorn the love of others. Father Heliodoros, however, refused to listen to Father Makarios. He said, "You did not do this according to God’s will. Bishops are luminaries, but who are you? This is the sort of thing which is done by those who do not care about a heavenly reward. had been done could not be changed, and this is the only reason we have the Elder's portrait. Father Makarios, however, took the stern disapprobation of Elder Heliodoros to heart. Hieromonk Pankratios, who was loved by Elder Makarios, and who learned much from him about his ascetical life, and himself had witnessed many signs of God's grace by the Elder's prayers, kept a secret journal about these things. Somehow, Father Makarios found out about it. Recalling Father Heliodoros's stern criticism, and through fear of eternal damnation, he ordered Father Pankratios to destroy all his notes. The latter did so, though much against his will. tireless worker for the glory of God, and for the salvation of his neighbor, did not spare his own health, sacrificing everything for the sake of others. After a time, although the inner man continued to grow, the temple of his body became weaker and weaker. He received some sort of revelation concerning his approaching death. As the Elder said later, he wished to "depart to live with the Angels in Heaven," and he desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema. He was tonsured on June 1, 1863 with the same name. To the repetition of his monastic vows he added even more to his former great works. attended all the lengthy services at the Hermitage as usual. Standing at the kleros3 and leaning on his crutch, he stood until the end of the service, ignoring the swelling of his legs and the festering wounds which covered his body, causing him to suffer a great deal. Just as before, he wore the mantiya and klobuk, with the Great Schema beneath. It was only rarely that he wore all the garments pertaining to the Great Schema. That is because after Elder Heliodoros was tonsured into the Great Schema, he wore all the garments of the Great Schema when he came to church. These, as we know, are adorned with many crosses. In their simplicity, some commoners made the Sign of the Cross and made prostrations before him. This disturbed and grieved the humble Elder so much that he never wore the garments of the Schema before the people again, but only the mantiya and klobuk. Elder Makarios imitated the example of Elder Heliodoros. his weakness, Elder Makarios served the Divine Liturgy with the same reverence as before. He slept very little now, sitting in the chair which had served him as a bed for seventeen years. After his tonsure into the Schema, he stopped corresponding with people by mail, but he received those who wished to see him and to receive his blessing, although not as many as before. Now he received almost no women. This continued until he was forced to take to his bed. cause of his last illness was a cold. As long as he was able, the Elder read all the Church Services in his cell (alone, or with the help of others), and when he was confined to bed by his illness, he listened attentively to the prayers being read by others. Now he began to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ more frequently, knowing full well that soon he would be separated from the bonds of his body. Provided with the Church’s Mysteries, and with his disciples weeping over him, he surrendered his soul peacefully and quietly on February 21, 1864, at the age of sixty-three. a good and faithful servant, Father Makarios did not sever his ties with the world below after he had passed into the joy of his Lord. There are several testimonials about this. The aforementioned woman Eudokia, who told the Elder all the circumstances of her life, was experiencing great sorrow. She often remembered Father Makarios and thought, “If only he were still alive, he would console me with his grace-filled words.” night, after she had fallen into a light sleep, she beheld a beautiful bower covered with greenery, and Father Makarios was inside. She rushed toward him, intending to tell him of her grief, but before she could do so, the Elder gave her an icon of Christ the Savior, and a small bottle of olive oil, and then he disappeared. In this case, the bottle of oil represented the oil of consolation, because by the Elder’s prayers, her sorrow soon passed away. is another case. In a certain village, about four miles from Glinsk Hermitage, there lived a poor peasant with his wife and children. He became ill, so that he was not only unable to work, but he could not even walk. This sickness lasted for four years. His poor wife labored beyond her strength so that they would not all die from starvation. The man was not helped by village medications, and under the circumstances, they could not even think of getting a doctor to treat him. They were so poor that a dry crust of bread was regarded as a great mercy from God. She often bowed down before the holy Icon, broken-hearted and in tears, beseeching the Mother of God to heal her husband. day, after praying in this manner, she fell asleep and saw a majestic Elder standing before her. “Why do you weep?” he asked. “How can I not weep, Batushka?” and the unfortunate woman told him of her sorrow. “Do not weep,” he told her, “but go to Glinsk Hermitage and ask the Superior to serve a Moleben to the Mother of God with a procession to the Skete, and your husband shall be healed.”4 “But how shall I do this?” the woman asked. “I have no money, not even a kopek.” The Elder said, “You go to the Superior. He is kind, and he will do it without payment.” Then she asked, “What is your name, Batushka?” “Makarios,” he replied, and then he vanished. unusual dream made such an impression on the woman that she went to the Hermitage at once without saying anything to anyone. The first person she met was Father Gurios, the vestment-keeper, and she told him everything she had seen. Father Gurios related all this to Igoumen Innocent, who blessed for a Moleben to be served without any payment. The Moleben for the sick man’s health began, and at the end of the Akathist, the man himself entered the church and prayed with great fervor. those who heard the woman’s account of her husband’s hopeless illness were astonished when he came in, most of all, the wife herself. As he recounted later, the man had seen Father Makarios, whom he had known personally, in his dream. The Elder came and took him by the hand saying, “Why do you lay there? Get up and go to Glinsk Hermitage. Your wife will pray at the Skete, and you must pray as well.” he awoke, the man felt his strength returning, and he was able to move, but only with difficulty. Even so, he was able to get to the Skete before the end of the Moleben. Everyone who has experienced something similar will understand how great the joy of these poor peasants was. Even now, many people who knew Father Makarios, or who have only heard about him, take dust and leftover rain water from his grave stone with faith. Because of their faith, and the prayers of the ever-memorable ascetic, they receive help, by the grace of God. August 16, 2008, at the Glinsk Nativity of the Mother of God Hermitage, Saint Makarios was glorified for local veneration, along with the holy venerable Elders of Glinsk. His name was added to the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church by the decision of the Council of Bishops in 2017. 1 This unusual gesture, kissing a person on the head the way one would venerate a saint’s relic, indicates the wish that the person might also become a saint. 2 However: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but out of all of them the Lord will deliver them" (Psalm 33/34:19). [FrJF] 3 The area at the front of the church where the Readers and singers stand. The right and left choirs. The name is derived from κλήρος, which means "the drawing of lots." In the earlier times the Readers and singers were chosen by lots. (A Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services, by Archpriest D. Sokolof. New York and Albany, 1899. Pages 18-19.) 4 At Glinsk Hermitage, on several days during the summer, there is a procession from the monastery to the Skete with the wonderworking Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos.

Russia, Moscow, 1823-1829, S-nun Martha of Diveyevo, pure unceasing prayer, named by MOG for new hermitage
Russia, Mordovia, 1823-1829, Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, Lord's very rare gift of pure and unceasing prayer, most severe ascetic, almost completely silent, of Seraphim's chosen orphans, MOG named 8 sisters to take to new hermitage and where ; Diveyevo women's monastery; Venerable Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Mother Martha (in the world Maria Semenovna Milyukova) was born on February 10, 1810 a peasant family of the Nizhny Novgorod governorate, Ardatovsky district, in the village of Pozhidovo (now Malinovka). Milyukov family, who led a righteous and God-pleasing life, was close to Elder Seraphim of Sarov. addition to Maria, there were two older children - her sister Praskovya Semenovna and her brother Ivan Semenovich. village, along with those adjacent to it, were appanages - they did not belong to the lord-landowner, but to the treasury. land was divided separately, but it was infertile, because the black earth plots were seized by neighboring landlords. peasants lived very poorly, from childhood they had to work a great deal in the fields, and to take care of the livestock. Saint Seraphim's blessing, Praskovya Semenovna entered the community of Mother Alexandra (in the world Agathia Semenovna Belokopytova), the first founder of Diveyevo Monastery, and a nun of exalted spiritual life. Maria was thirteen years old, she and her sister Praskovya came to Father Seraphim for the first time. This occurred on November 21, 1823, the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Praskovya Semenovna told it, Maria "was attached to me," and so both of them came to Sarov. great Elder, seeing that the girl Maria was a chosen vessel of God's grace, he did not allow her to return home, but ordered her to remain in the community. thirteen-year-old Maria Semenovna was numbered with Father Seraphim's chosen orphans, in the community of Matushka Alexandra, of which the Eldress Xenia Mikhailovna Kocheulova was the Superior, whom Father Seraphim called "a pillar of fire from earth to heaven" and a "spiritual rasp" because of her righteous life. extraordinary, hitherto inconspicuous girl Maria cannot be compared with anyone: she was angelic, a child of God, and from an early age she began to lead an ascetical life. the severity of her ascetical contest (podvig) she surpassed even the sisters of the community, who were distinguished for the severity of their life, and even surpassed the Superior Xenia Mikhailovna herself. prayer was her food, and she would reply only to necessary questions with heavenly meekness. She was almost completely silent, Father Seraphim loved her with exceptional tenderness, disclosing to her all his heavenly revelations concerning the Monastery's future glory, and other great spiritual mysteries. ordered her not to speak of these things until that time. She obeyed his instructions, despite the requests and entreaties of the sisters and her relatives. Whenever she returned after seeing Saint Seraphim, she was radiant with inexpressible joy. afterward, Maria entered the community of the Kazan church. Queen of Heaven had blessed the creation of a new community next to that one, which is how the construction of the Monastery, which the Mother of God had promised to Mother Alexandra, began. 1825, Father Seraphim began going to bless first the sisters, and then the virtuous Superior of the Diveyevo community, Xenia Mikhailovna, who, of course, deeply respected and highly revered Father Seraphim, she would not agree to change the Rule of her community, which seemed to be too severe, both to Father Seraphim and all the sisters who had been rescued in the community. number of sisters had increased so much in the community that they needed to enlarge their property, but it was impossible to expand in any direction. Seraphim summoned Xenia Mikhailovna and tried to persuade her that it would be easier to replace the severe Sarov Rule, but she wouldn't hear of it. me, my joy," Father Seraphim said. the uncompromising Eldress finally replied: "No, Batiushka, let it be the old way. We have been content with the Rule which our founder, Father Pakhomios († 1794) has already established for us!" Father Seraphim dismissed the Superior of the Diveyevo community, reassured that what the great Eldress Mother Alexandra had asked him to do no longer weighed on his conscience, or that the time for God's will to be done had not yet come. on November 25 of that year, on the Feast Day of the holy God-pleasers Clement, the Pope of Rome, and Saint Peter of Alexandria, while he was making his way through the thickets of the forest along the bank of the Sarovka River, and going to his Far Hermitage as usual, Seraphim saw the Mother of God and two Apostles standing behind her: Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Queen of Heaven, struck the earth with her staff, so that a spring issued from the ground, a fountain of clear water. She said to him, "Why do you wish to disregard what my servant Agathia, the nun Alexandra, has asked you to do, and to forsake Xenia and her sisters, for this commandment to my servants must not be broken, but strictly observed; for it is by my will that she gave it to you. will show you another place, also in the village of Diveyevo, and there I will establish this, my promised abode. In remembrance of the promise I gave her, take eight sisters from Xenia’s community, the place of my servant’s repose." also told him the names of which girls to take. weeks after this vision of the Queen of Heaven, on December 9, 1825, Maria and another sister, came to Saint Seraphim, and Batiushka told them that they should accompany him to his Far Hermitage. there and going into the dwelling, Father Seraphim gave the sisters two lit wax candles, which they brought with them at his orders, together with oil and breadcrumbs. told Maria to stand on the right side of the cross hanging on the wall, and Praskovia Stepanovna (that was the name of the other sister) on the left. they stood for more than an hour with lit candles, and Father Seraphim stood between them, praying all the while. praying, he stood before the cross and told them to pray as well. before beginning to establish a new community he prayed mystically with the sisters, who had been designated by the Mother of God for special service to her and to the Monastery. four years, Maria struggled, helping Saint Seraphim and the sisters to establish the new community, stored poles and timbers for the mill which the Mother of God blessed them to build on the site where the new community would be built. carried bricks for construction of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos; ground flour fulfilled other obediences, which she never neglected her heartfelt prayers, "silently lifting up her ardent soul to the Lord." wondrous girl was endowed by the Lord with a very rare gift of pure and unceasing prayer. all things she was always guided by Saint Seraphim himself. an example of her unconditional obedience, it was said that when her sister Praskovia Semenovna had a question about a certain Sarov monk, Maria was surprised and like an innocent child she asked: "What kind of monks, Parasha, look like a priest?" in turn by her sister's question, Praskovya Semenovna replied to her: "After all, you go to Sarov, didn't you see what you were asking about?" – "No, Parashenka," Maria Semenovna said humbly, "because I don't see or know anything; Seraphim ordered me never to look at them, and I tie a handkerchief over my face like this, so I can see the road beneath my feet." is how the child-ascetic was. She lived in the Monastery for just six years, and then she went peacefully and quietly to the Lord at the age of nineteen. August 21,1829, Diveyevo Monastery lost its wondrous young girl of holy life, Maria Semenovna Milyukova, Schema-nun Martha. foreseen the hour of her death in the spirit, Saint Seraphim suddenly wept with great sorrow and told Father Paul in the neighboring cell, “Paul! Maria has departed, and it grieves me that, as you see, everyone is crying!” Seraphim wished to make her an oak coffin, rounded and hollowed out. Semenovna went after him with another sister of Diveyevo, Aquilina Vasilyevna. Semenovna was very upset, and Batiushka embraced her in a paternal way, caressing and encouraging her. he joined the hands of Praskovya Semenovna and Aquilina Vasilyevna and told them: you shall be sisters, and I am your father, for I have begotten you in the Spirit! is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her into the Schema. She has everything: the Schema, the mantiya, and my kamilavka, all this is hers. Put it down! Don't be discouraged, Matushka." Father Seraphim turned to Praskovya Semenovna and said, "Her soul is in the Kingdom of Heaven, near the Holy Trinity, at God's Throne, and your entire family shall be saved by her." addition, Batiushka Seraphim donated 25 rubles for the funeral expenses and 25 copper rubles to give to all the sisters and laymen, whoever was at her burial, three kopecks each. He also donated two towels for the altar, a bunch of yellow candles for her to be commemorated for forty days after her repose, so that they would burn in the church day and night for forty days, and at her coffin a yellow one ruble candle, and at the funeral, half a pound of white twenty-kopeck candles. with the blessing of Saint Seraphim, Maria Semenovna, Schema-nun Martha, was laid in a coffin: in two scrolls (shirts), in a paper cassock, belted with a woolen black edge, over this was in a black and white cross-stitched Schema and a long robe. On her head was placed a green velvet embroidered gold cap, and on top of it Batiushka Seraphim's kamilavka, and finally, still tied with a large dradedam a dark blue handkerchief with tassels. In her hands - leather prayer ropes. these things were given to her by Father Seraphim with his own hands, them always to commune of the Holy Mysteries, was exactly what Maria did on each of the Twelve Major Feasts, and during the four fasts. righteous Seraphim sent all those who had just come to him in these days to Diveyevo for the funeral of Maria Semenovna. to the sisters who knew nothing about it, those who worked on Satis (a forest area on the banks of the Satis River), to Barbara Ilyinishna and others, the Elder said: "You are my joys! Come soon to Diveyevo where the great servant of God Maria has departed to the Lord!" sisters could not understand how Maria could die, and they were surprised to find Maria Semenovna in her coffin. Maria Semenovna's brother Ivan, who had also attended his sister's funeral, went to speak to Batiushka Seraphim. the Elder said: "Are you really Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he replied. Batiushka looked at him a second time and asked: "Are you Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he said again. the Elder thought for a long, long time, still staring intently at Ivan, who stood before him. he became so joyful and luminous that the sun's rays seemed to shine from his face, and Ivan had to turn away from Father Seraphim, unable to look at him. Batiushka exclaimed: "Behold, my joy! What mercy she has received from the Lord! She is in the Kingdom of Heaven at the Throne of God, near the Queen of Heaven, with the holy virgins! is an intercessor for your entire family! She is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her. you are at Diveyevo, never pass by her grave without kneeling down and saying: "Our lady and Mother Martha, remember us before God's Throne in the Kingdom of Heaven!" Saint Seraphim repeated this to Ivan Semenovich three times. that, Father Seraphim summoned Sister Xenia Vasilyevna Putkova (later the Nun Capitolina) whom he always assigned to write down various names for commemoration, said to her, "Behold, Matushka, list her as the Nun Maria, but because by her deeds and by the prayers of the wretched Seraphim, she has received the Schema! Pray to her as Schema-nun Martha, you and everyone around her." to the testimony of the sisters and those close to Diveyeo, Maria Semenovna was tall and attractive in appearance; with an oblong, pale, bright face, blue eyes, thick light blonde eyebrows, and hair of the same color. was buried with her hair loose. She rests on the left side of Mother Alexandra, the first founder of the Kazan community. of the stories told by the older nuns about Maria Semenovna have been preserved. Ilarionovna (later the nun Melitina) related the following: "Living in the world and hearing about Father Seraphim from everyone," she said: "I wished to be at Sarov and to receive his blessing. First of all, when I arrived at Sarov, I went to Batiushka in his wilderness; he came out to meet me, blessed me, and said with a smile, 'Matushka, do you know Maria Semenovna?' I said 'I do know her, Batiushka; she lives three yards away from us.' Matushka," the Saint continued, 'I will tell you about her, how zealous she was about her work. a church was being built at Diveyevo in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the girls themselves carried small bricks, one took two, another took three, she, Matushka, could carry five or six bricks, and silently, with a prayer on her lips, she lifted up her ardent soul to the Lord. she developed a stomach ailment and surrendered her soul to God.' to Saint Seraphim, the nineteen-year-old ascetic Schema-nun Martha, who departed to the Lord, was appointed, as the Superior of the Diveyevo "orphans" in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the abode of the Mother of God, which he said to the Eldress Eudokia Ephraimna: "The Lord has twelve Apostles, the Queen of Heaven has twelve virgins, so you twelve are mine. Just as the Lord chose the Great Martyr Katherine as His bride, so from you twelve virgins, I selected Maria as His future bride. There she is above you, she will be the eldest!" brother, Ivan Semenovich, also ended his life as a monk at Sarov Hermitage. the obedience as the gatekeeper at Sarov, he said: "As a layman and a peasant, I often worked for Father Seraphim, he foretold many, many wonderful things to me concerning Diveyevo, he always said: "If anyone offends my orphan girls, he shall be punished severely by the Lord; whoever stands up for them, and defends and helps them when in need, God's great mercy will poured forth on that person from on high. even sighs and pities them in his heart will be rewarded by the Lord. I will tell you, Batiushka, remember this: happy is everyone who stays with the wretched Seraphim at Diveyevo for a day, from morning to morning, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, visits Diveyevo every twenty-four hours!" his commandment to Batiushka he added: "Gatekeeper, I have always said that, and I tell everyone." of his daughters later entered the Diveyevo community. One of them, Elena Ivanovna, married a spiritual man, Saint Seraphim's friend Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov, who was the Monastery's benefactor. She was a "great lady," as Batiushka Seraphim called her when she was just a child, ordering her sister to fall down at the young girl's feet. Elena Ivanovna was the only one present at Father Seraphim's burial in 1833, and the survived until his glorification in 1903. Widowed in the last years of her life she lived at Diveyevo. Elena Ivanovna reposed at an advanced age in 1910. Before her death, she was secretly tonsured as a nun. Stepanovna, an old sister in the community by the mill related how terrible it was to disobey Father Seraphim, recalled that once Batiushka ordered her to come with the young woman Maria Semenovnaya with two horses pulling logs behind them. They were to go straight to Batiushka in the woods, where he would be waiting for them. prepared two thin logs for each horse. Then, lthinking that all four logs could be carried by one horse. The sisters attached the logs to one horse, and to the second horse they attached a large, thick log. as soon as they tried to move from their places, this horse fell, wheezed, and almost died. that they were guilty of acting contrary to what Batiushka had blessed, they immediately fell to their knees in tears and asked for forgiveness, then removed the thick log and attached the other logs as before. horse jumped up and ran so fast that they could hardly catch up with it. words of Schema-nun Martha have come down to us through generations of Diveyevo sisters, recorded by an old woman, Justinia Ivanovna (later the nun Hilaria), from a manuscript page found in the cells of Schema-nun Margarita Lakhtionova. the Monastery was restored, the Lord wondrously celebrated the Feast Day of the Venerable Schema-nun Martha by consecrating the Transfiguration Cathedral. was built in 1917 but was not consecrated. It lay in ruins during the Soviet years and the authorities transferred the cathedral to the restored Monastery in 1991, restoration work went on until 1998, and the Cathedral's consecration just happened to coincide with the day of the Saint's blessed repose. to the memoirs of the nun Seraphima Bulgakova of Diveyevo Monastery, before the Monastery's closure in 1927, there was a portrait of Schema-nun Martha, painted by the sisters immediately after her death. to the testimony of Archpriest Stephen Lyashevsky, in addition to this portrait, another one was painted by his mother (Capitolina Zakharovna Lyashevskaya, later the nun Maria). is a hagiographic image of the Schema-nun Martha with the following scenes around the borders: Martha carrying bricks to the top of the Nativity Church under construction; Seraphim tonsuring her into the schema; Seraphim, Maria, and Praskovya Semenovna pray with lit candles for Diveyevo; soul of Schema-nun Martha ascending to God's Throne; Queen of Heaven and Schema-nun Martha in a vision in the church; three holy graves. present location of Schema-nun Martha's portrait is unknown, but the hagiographic image is believed to have been taken abroad. 2000, Schema-nun Martha was canonized for local veneration as a Saint in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, now her relics rest in the church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery. Martha of Diveyevo is commemorated on August 21 (the day of her repose), June 14 (the Synaxis of the Diveyevo Saints), and on the Synaxis of the Nizhny Novgorod Saints (Movable Feast on the Sunday after August 26).

Russia, Moscow, 1825-1855, Emperor, Nicolas 1, reactionary, geo expansion, industry, Greece , centralization, icons
Moscow, 1825-1855, Emperor, Nicolas 1 ; I ( 6 July [O.S. 25 June] 1796 – 2 March [O.S. 18 February] 1855) as Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 1825 until 1855. was the third son of Paul I and younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I. Nicholas inherited his brother's throne despite the failed Decembrist revolt against him. is mainly remembered in history as a reactionary whose controversial reign was marked by geographical expansion, economic growth and massive industrialisation on the one hand, and centralisation of administrative policies and repression of dissent on the other. had a happy marriage that produced a large family; all of their seven children survived childhood.[1] biographer Nicholas V. Riasanovsky said that he displayed determination, singleness of purpose, and an iron will, along with a powerful sense of duty and a dedication to very hard work. saw himself as a soldier—a junior officer totally consumed by spit and polish. A handsome man, he was highly nervous and aggressive. Trained as an engineer, he was a stickler for minute detail. In his public persona, stated Riasanovsky, "Nicholas I came to represent autocracy personified: infinitely majestic, determined and powerful, hard as stone, and relentless as fate."[2] I was instrumental in helping to create an independent Greek state, and resumed the Russian conquest of the Caucasus by seizing IgdÄ±r Province and the remainder of modern-day Armenia and Azerbaijan from Qajar Persia during the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828. He ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 successfully as well. on, however, he led Russia into the Crimean War (1853–1856), with disastrous results. emphasize that his micromanagement of the armies hindered his generals, as did his misguided strategy. William C. Fuller notes that historians have frequently concluded that "the reign of Nicholas I was a catastrophic failure in both domestic and foreign policy."[3] the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its geographical zenith, spanning over 20 million square kilometers (7.7 million square miles), but had a desperate need for reform. Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Seven Arrows"Â, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God "œChernigov-Gethsemane"Â, Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated October 1 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMultiplier of Wheat"Â, Commemorated on October 15; Icon of the Mother of God "œIn Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity"Â, Commemorated on October 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25; Icon of the Mother of God "œTinos"Â, Commemorated on January 30; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30; Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky"Â, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Seeker of the Lost"Â, Commemorated on February 5; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners"Â in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners"Â of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas. Commemorated on March 31; Translation of the relics of the Blessed Vsevolod, in Holy Baptism Gabriel, the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on April 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners"Â, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Moscow, 1827-1848, Preserved Virginity Icon, canvas paiinted, stiffened on board, quality MOG picture, cholera miracles
Russia, Moscow, 1827-1848, Preserved Virginity Icon, Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow, (Moscow River 4.8), divine light 1827, dream vision pray for temptation miracle, canvas paiinted but stiffened on board, quality MOG picture, 1848 cholera miracles; Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow ; In Giving Birth, You Preserved Your Virginity Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; Icon of the Mother of God “In Giving Birth, You Preserved Your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before Birth and After Birth”) transferred to the Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow diocese by the Moscow merchant Alexis Grigorievich Mokeev. the year 1780 Alexis joined the brethren of the monastery. He had given all of his wealth to the igumen of the monastery, Archimandrite Macarius, and the holy icon remained in his cell. Alexis’s death, the icon was brought to the archimandrite, observed that the icon was painted in oil on canvas and according to the prescribed rules of iconography (using egg tempera on wood), he installed it over the exit door of the chapel of Saint Methodius, which was on a street not far from the monastery. glorification of the holy icon began in 1827, when Captain Platon Osipovich Shabashev, going past the chapel at night, saw an extraordinary light coming from the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. time he had a vision of the icon at a time when he found himself in difficult circumstances. a dream, Platon beheld the radiant icon of the Mother of God in the clouds above the chapel of Saint Methodius and heard a voice say, “If you wish to be delivered from temptation, pray before this icon.” obeyed the guidance of the Mother of God, and the sorrow passed him by. pious Platon told the Superior of the monastery about the miracles. He then transfered the holy image into the monastery. When they went to put the icon in a ornamental case, the image of the Most Holy Virgin, painted on canvas, stiffened taut upon a board, on which was concealed a depiction of the Mother of God of finest quality. Numerous miracles are recorded to have taken place from this icon in 1848 during an outbreak of cholera, when many praying before it were healed. This icon of the Mother of God is of the Hodegetria type.

Russia, Moscow, 1827-1867, Ignatius Bryanchaninov, great Orthodox patristic spiritual writer, nineteenth century
Moscow, 1827-1867, Saint, Ignatius Bryanchaninov ; Ignatius (secular name Dmitry Alexandrovich Brianchaninov, 1807-1867) was a bishop and theologian of the Russian Orthodox Church. He stands out as one of the greatest Eastern Orthodox patristic writers of the nineteenth century.[1] was glorified (canonized) as a saint by the 1988 meeting of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. His relics are preserved at the ancient Tolga Monastery on the Volga River near Yaroslavl.[2] Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1828-1829, Russo-Turkish War, Turks closed Dardanelles, Russian Victory
Moscow, 1828-1829, Russo-Turkish War (1828-“29); Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 was sparked by the Greek War of Independence of 1821–1829. War broke out after the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II closed the Dardanelles to Russian ships and revoked the 1826 Akkerman Convention in retaliation for Russian participation in October 1827 in the Battle of Navarino.[2] Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1830, Seven Arrows Icon, Vologda, discovered by Cripples' vision
Russia, Moscow, 1830, Seven Arrows Icon, Vologda, discovered by Cripples' vision; a long time the icon was located at the belltower stairway entrance of a church in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). Since it was face downwards, they mistook the icon for an ordinary board and walked on it. Then a cripple in the city of Kadnikova had a vision that he would receive healing after praying before this icon. Vologda; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Seven Arrows, Commemorated on August 13 ; Seven Arrows Icon of the Mother of God depicts the Virgin’s heart pierced by seven arrows. For a long time the icon was located at the belltower stairway entrance of a church in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). Since it was face downwards, they mistook the icon for an ordinary board and walked on it. Then a cripple in the city of Kadnikova had a vision that he would receive healing after praying before this icon. They served a Molieben before the newly-discovered icon, after which the sick one became well. The icon was especially glorified in 1830 during a cholera epidemic at Vologda.

Russia, Moscow, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina, ascetic-builder, 32yrs headed OM, Optina Spirit, his example developed future elders
Russia, Kaluga, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), ascetic-builder, 32yrs headed OM, Optina Spirit, his example developed future elders, Optina's best time; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Isaac I of Optina, Commemorated on August 22; Isaac (Antimonov) fell asleep in the Lord on August 22, 1894. The Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Russia, Kaluga, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) ; OF SAINT ISAAC THE ELDER OF OPTINA (1810-1895) Isaac, in the assembly of Optina elders, represents a type of ascetic-builder. For 32 years he headed Optina Monastery, devoting himself entirely to the monastery, taking care of the brethren, continuing to create that particular “Optina” spirit that his predecessors planted. He took over the management of the monastery after the death of Archimandrite Moses and was abbot during the flourishing of the monastery—during the time of the Elder Ambrose, and his successors in eldership, Father Hilarion and Father Anatoly (the Elder). Under his leadership the future Elders Joseph, Barsanuphy, and Anatoly (the Younger) grew and developed. Archimandrite Moses revived Optina Monastery after a period of desolation, and Father Isaac continued his work, consolidating the state of the monastery, while not sparing himself from hard labor for its improvement. Elders Macarius and Ambrose blessed him in the difficult obedience of superior, seeing the high spiritual qualities, prayerfulness, simplicity, and humility of Father Isaac, and from these the ability to take care of the organization of the monastery—both external and internal. may seem that the Elder Isaac, who carried the cross of superiorship, dwells, as it were, in the shadow of the elders who spiritually nurtured the monks and pilgrims of the monastery—Ambrose, Hilarion, and Anatoly. Little of his teachings and statements were saved, so that there are not such detailed memories of him. But this is his special achievement—by carrying the heavy burden of economic affairs of the monastery, he served the brethren and pilgrims, revealing an amazing height of humility. Behind his simplicity is an amazing depth, integrity, and strength of spirit. The period of his superiorship was the best time in the life of Optina. Family Ivanovich Antimonov (the name of Saint Isaac in the world) was born on May 31, 1810, and was descended from an eminent, wealthy merchant family of the city of Kursk. The Antimonovs had the title of honorary citizens. The patriarchal spirit reigned in the house of the Antimonovs; the way of life was built strictly in accordance with Church rules, and only respect towards elders and obedience to them were accepted. Thus, the skills of piety and obedience, which are so important for a monk, the future ascetic received in his own home. head of the house was Ivan's grandfather—Vasily Vasilyevich Antimonov. He was particularly zealous to attend divine services. His eldest son Ivan Vasilyevich had thirteen children from three marriages. Ivan Jr. was the last, fifth child from his first marriage with Anna Puzanov. Little Ivan was a favorite of his grandfather, who often took his grandson with him to the church. Vasily Vasilyevich visited the church every day—he went without fail to the Matins and Vespers services. Vasilyevich inherited his father’s piety and love for the Church, according to his upbringing; his simplicity and good disposition towards people produced a favorable impression on everyone. A family story is preserved about Saint Isaac’s father’s journey to Kiev in 1809 to the elder, Hieromonk Parfeny, who greeted Ivan Vasilyevich with the words: “Blessed be the womb that gave birth to a monk.” In raising the young Ivan and other children, he adhered to strict rules but never allowed himself to be rude to the children. He did not raise his hands at them—although at that time this was common in merchant families. The children, while behaving respectfully towards their father, loved him at the same time. Antimonov family enjoyed universal respect in the city for impeccable honesty, true piety, and wide charity—they were generous donors for Church needs and helped the needy. In the house there was even a certain day of the week appointed in which alms were given to the poor. was in such an atmosphere that Ivan Ivanovich’s years of childhood and youth passed. Details about this period of his life do not survive, but it is known that he was distinguished by modesty and was fond of silence. At the same time, despite his reserved nature, Ivan was endowed with natural gaiety and wit; his presence always enlivened family gatherings. in the World reaching mature age, Ivan Ivanovich began to help his father in trade affairs. He constantly had to deal with people, give orders, and conduct financial calculations. He knew how to find an approach to a man, and he won people over by his heartfelt kindness and sense of justice. He had the most beneficial influence on his subordinates; he forced them to end any habit of fraud, any attempts to act deceitfully. Immaculate honesty in business earned Ivan Ivanovich universal respect. strict in his requirements, the venerable one never took offense. Such a case is known: one of his workers, a man of obstinate nature, because of the constant punishments that Ivan Ivanovich gave him for carelessness and audacity, decided in his mind to kill him. When this became known to him, Ivan Ivanovich forgave the worker and released him, not handing him over to the hands of justice. the life of Ivan Ivanovich there were events that clearly revealed to him the action of the providence of God, which repeatedly protected him from mortal danger. A compilation he himself made of the descriptions of such significant cases has even been preserved. Once, on a feast day, Ivan Ivanovich was obliged to work, weighing goods. Suddenly, the crossbar on which the scales were supported collapsed. Ivan Ivanovich was threatened with death, but, marvelously, the heavy iron rocker weighing 550 pounds did not even touch him. Since then, he vowed not to work on feast days. On another occasion of God’s providential protection, he was leading a horse to a watering place, which creature almost kicked him in the stomach—he managed to block it with his hand, receiving a heavy wound. One incident happened to him in childhood. They sent Ivan, together with the clerk, to escort a herd of bulls, which was a difficult task for the boy. Suddenly, two bulls rushed off to the side; Ivan tried to get them back and rushed after them on a horse. Suddenly the horse stopped at the edge of a deep ditch; he even involuntarily exclaimed, “Ack, Lord, what on earth is this?” After these words, the ditch disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and the horse brought him to the herd in utter exhaustion. Another time, on the Black Sea coast where the Antimonovs were fishing, somehow Ivan Ivanovich almost maimed himself, and again salvation came in a miraculous way. All his life he was grateful to God and did not consider deliverance from these misfortunes an accident. These events may also have played a role in the determination of his future path. idea of entering the monastery matured in Ivan Ivanovich's soul gradually. While still living in the world, he voluntarily took upon himself the fulfillment of certain feats in the name of the Lord. There is a story passed down that every day during prayer he offered a thousand bows. Even on non-fasting days, he did not eat meat, although this was not noticed by his family members. The love of the Church and divine services, instilled in him by his pious grandfather, awakened an interest in Church singing. Ivan sang on the kliros, gathered chanters at his home on feast days, arranged rehearsals, and studied music notes, some of which he later took with him to the monastery. of the obstacles for deciding to leave the world was the fact that it was Ivan Ivanovich himself whom his father saw as his successor. He was gradually handing over to him the management of all the affairs of the Antimonovs. He would not agree to let go of his son, upon whom he placed so many hopes. Meanwhile, one of his eldest sons, Mikhail Ivanovich, entered monasticism in Optina Monastery. Ivan Ivanovich often visited Optina to see his brother. His example had a great influence on Ivan. One time he turned to his brother with a request to give him advice about joining the monastery. Mikhail decisively refused to give such advice, believing that in this matter one should make his own choice. this time, Ivan had repeatedly appealed for help from the Optina elders and was convinced of the spiritual strength of their counsels. Ivan Ivanovich’s memory of his first meeting with Elder Leonid was preserved: “Being a worldly man, I came for the first time to Optina Monastery and wished to receive the blessing of Father Leonid. I came to the elder early in the morning. He did not have any people yet. Only some woman was kneeling before him. The cell attendant reported about me: "Ivan Ivanovich Antimonov has come." “Let him wait,” the elder said loudly. I sat in the front on the bench. Having released the woman, the elder loudly called out, “Vanyushka!” By no means did I think that this word was directed at me, so I sat quietly. And the cell attendant, smiling, said, "The batyushka is calling you." To me, who carried myself in such an official manner, such a fatherly address seemed very unexpected. But I was not offended by this at all. On the contrary, such a simple appeal of the great elder appealed to my heart and for some reason very much comforted me; and I still remember this with spiritual delight. “Vanyushka! Come over here,” the elder continued to call me to himself, “I am calling you!...” I went to the elder, took a blessing from him and, standing on my knees, explained to him my circumstances which worried me. The elder, having listened to everything with fatherly love, comforted me very much with his conversation and, as he was letting me go, foretold to me that in time, I also would live in monasticism. And after seven years, the prediction was fulfilled.” Interestingly, the elder referred to Ivan in the same way as his beloved grandfather had once called him. After the death of the Elder Leonid, Ivan Ivanovich, still frequenting Optina, resorted to the advice of the Elder Macarius. 1842, Ivan had already decided to leave secretly for Optina, but halfway there, due to his own hesitation and judging that he was going without the blessing of Elder Macarius, he returned to Kursk. A letter he received later from Father Macarius, with a blessing to enter Optina, confirmed his resolution. 36 years old, Ivan Ivanovich finally clearly revealed his intention to leave for the monastery. The family tried to dissuade him through yet another unsuccessful matchmaking attempt. His father repeatedly offered someone for him to marry, but each time, for one reason or another, attempts to settle him into a family life failed. 1847, his father sent Ivan on trade business to Ukraine. Having fulfilled the assignment, he decided to carry out his long-standing intention and go to Optina Monastery without returning home. Having written a letter to his father in which he announced his decision, Ivan at last went to Optina. It was as if thunder struck Ivan Vasilyevich with the news of his son leaving for the monastery. According to recollection, upon learning of what had happened, the forlorn father exclaimed: “He, the barbarian, has slain me!” Ivan Vasilyevich could not compose himself for a long time, shedding tears over his beloved son. The hardest thing for the one who decides to leave the world is to part with his relatives, to escape from the typical, conventional way of life. After all, the Elder Ambrose, who for a long time did not carry out his decision to leave the world, in the end went to the monastery secretly, without announcing it either to those close to him or the authorities—fearing that, being led by worldly thinking, and out of the best of intentions, they would interfere in bringing his decision to fulfillment. In these situations, the meaning of the words of the Savior, which may seem too “tough,” especially to modern people, becomes obvious: “A man’s enemies shall be those of his own household” (Mt. 11:36). on his way to the monastery, Ivan Ivanovich had to struggle with the desire to turn back. The desire was especially strong at the last station, but he overcame the temptation and arrived happily at Optina Monastery. the Monastery Ivanovich entered the monastery in 1847, under the Hegumen Moses and the Elder Macarius. At that time, his brother had already been transferred to the Kaluga Tikhonov Monastery as the Hieromonk Meletios and later transferred to the Kiev-Pechersky Lavra. But the brothers maintained amicable relations, and the younger one often turned to the elder for advice; he appreciated his spiritual wisdom. Ivanovich was immediately appointed to reside at the Saint John the Baptist Skete. As is the custom, his first obediences were those that especially contributed to the building up of humility and patience in a novice. At first he labored in the kitchen—he baked bread, and later he became a cook. He also performed general brotherly obediences such as haymaking, harvesting potatoes, and other heavy work. He was distinguished by robust health and powerful strength—he could lift weights up to 550 pounds. Although he was of medium height, he was stocky, with fine-looking features, and he stood out among the brethren. He always had a concentrated look that reflected his inner state. Elder Macarius favored the novice, whom he knew well before his admission to the monastery. He foresaw the future ascetic in him. Father Macarius particularly appreciated the simplicity inherent in Ivan—a very important quality for a monk. The elder trained the novice towards monastic life. In turn, Ivan Ivanovich devoted himself wholeheartedly to the leadership of the elder. The progress of a monk is not easy—the struggle with passions is accompanied by sorrows "to bloody sweat." The ascetic said that the primordial enemy of the human race strongly disturbed his soul with thoughts of leaving the monastery: “While disturbed by such thoughts, I was walking one time on a path along the skete's fence. ‘Ey! leap over the fence,’—the thought flashed before me. But having reflected a bit, I thought: ‘Yes, if I simply wanted to leave, the gate isn’t even shut.’ Such a contradictory statement to the thought, although unintentional, together with the invocation of help from God, eased the battle.” Elder Macarius humbled his disciple, cultivating in him the main monastic virtue—unquestioning obedience. Once his spiritual son carelessly spoke about the customs of the monastery. Father Macarius would not accept him for several days. One time he confessed to the elder about vain thoughts about his strong, beautiful voice, and Father Macarius humbled him, citing as an example a bull, who, possessing a much louder bass, does not pride itself in it. to recollections, the Elder Macarius repeatedly predicted to close people that the novice Ivan would become the abbot. He treated him with particular attention, carefully fostering the future instructor of monks. Ivanovich showed zeal in everything—he punctiliously attended divine services, coming to the church first and leaving last, not allowing himself any conversations during the time of the service. He also strictly followed the cell rule. Without even having a school education, the lack of which was compensated for by a natural intellect, rich in life experience, novice Ivan engaged himself much in reading the works of the holy fathers, which allowed him to deeply comprehend the science of “inner work.” But the chief guide for him was the elder's advice. ascending gradually along the stairs of spiritual virtues, Ivan Ivanovich passed successively through the stages of monastic life. In 1851, he was tonsured as a rassaphor; on October 5, 1854—into the mantia with the name of Isaac. A year later, Father Isaac was ordained a deacon, and in 1858 he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk. left the worldly life without a parental blessing, while still a novice, Ivan painfully endured this rift with his father. Therefore, having lived in the skete for about a year, he, along with the Elder Macarius, went to Kursk to be reconciled with his father. Through the prayers of the elder and with his assistance, peaceful relations were restored. Before his death, 85-year-old Ivan Vasilyevich was even tonsured by Father Isaac in private into the mantia. Receiving the parting blessing of the Mysteries of the holy Church, he peacefully reposed in the Lord. 1860, Elder Macarius died. Father Isaac then began to turn to Father Ambrose for advice. And he lived under his guidance until the death of that elder (1891). In 1862, the Abbot of Optina Monastery, Archimandrite Moses, died. It is known that in 1860, foreseeing his end approaching and knowing of the morbid state of Archimandrite Moses, the Elder Macarius had made a trip to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who always especially favored Optina. Being warmly received by the metropolitan, Father Macarius expressed to him his desire that after the death of Archimandrite Moses, the position of superior of Optina Monastery would be taken up by the skete Hieromonk Isaac. Vladyka fully endorsed the opinion of Father Macarius, and since then, the election of Father Isaac as superior was already decided. As soon as the rumor of this reached the humble Father Isaac, he immediately went to the elder asking his advice in this matter and trying to reject this appointment. But Father Macarius answered him: “Well, so what, so what? If the will of God is in this and he will elect you, do not refuse. Just do not become proud! Go!” when the time came to elect a new superior, most of the brethren voted for the monastery’s superior to be Father Paphnutius. In the minority, the ones who voted for Father Isaac, were actually the oldest and the most revered members of the brethren, however. Vladyka Gerasim, Vicar of the Kaluga Diocese, who was present at the elections, was puzzled by this result. He turned to Father Ambrose and learned that the reposed Elder Macarius had intended Father Isaac as superior. Father Ambrose himself was of the same opinion. The elder did not participate in the elections, in so far as he already promised it to Father Isaac, who did not want to take upon himself the superiorship. Then, by his own decision, Vladyka approved in the appointment to the post of superior—Father Isaac. the Head of the Monastery Isaac took charge of the monastery in 1862, at the age of 52, having lived there 16 years until now. The beginning of the activities of the new superior was complicated by the fact that his election took place against the will of the majority of the brethren. Indeed, and even Father Isaac himself did not strive for this calling. It turns out that shortly after taking the superiorship, Father Isaac, while alone with Vladyka Gregory, the Bishop of Kaluga, expressed his grief to him regarding his election as superior, pinned upon him against his will: “I would rather, Your Eminence, have agreed to go to the bakery than to be the superior.” “Well, so what,” said Vladyka, “if you wish, bake some bread.” “And who will be the abbot?” “You will be the abbot.” To these words of His Eminence, Father Isaac could not find anything to say. Isaac carried out the management of the monastery in accordance with the Optina spirit, with which he was thoroughly infused during the years of his life in the monastery under the guidance of the elders. He did nothing without the advice of Elder Ambrose; this was his main principle. Deep spiritual love and full confidence tied the elder with the ascetic-superior. At the beginning of his activity, taking up the work with zeal, Father Isaac wanted to increase the severity of the life of the brethren, but Father Ambrose stopped him, understanding that the desire for spiritual feats should not exceed the strength of the monks, especially the new ones. Father Isaac obeyed without retorting and did not make any changes to the rule. every possible way, Father Isaac took careful watch of the preservation of peace among the brothers. He instructed the quarrelsome, inclining them towards reconciliation. “Oh, brothers! Please end in peace,” he appealed to the stubborn ones, and these simple words had an impact. In all the difficult cases, he sent monks to Elder Ambrose, who maintained the spiritual life of the monks at the same height as it was under his predecessors. The grace-filled force that emanated from the elder often compelled a person to submit to his instructions, even against his own will. upon the elder the spiritual nourishment of the brethren, Abbot Isaac did not abandon his own concern for the upbringing of the monks in the Christian virtues. His instructions were simple, but edifying and effective, because they were the result of life experience and came from a loving heart and a sincere desire for good towards his spiritual children. “Well, look brother, I’m forewarning you, and now see to it for yourself, so that I won’t answer for you before God,” he often said, deeply aware of the responsibility of the abbot before God’s judgment seat for each brother. Tonsures and ordinations were done after proper testing, and the superior was sure to carefully examine each monk and gauge his spiritual condition. He explained to the brethren that tonsure into a ryassophore or mantia is not a promotion to a rank, like secular ranks, but an image of humility. Hegumen Isaac paid special attention to the attendance of brethren at the divine services. If he noticed that someone rarely went to the services, then during the trapeza he would give an admonition to the whole brotherhood: “Holy fathers! You all forget the church. We need to know why we came to the monastery. After all, we have to answer for this before God. I plead with all of you not to forget the temple of God.” of the penalties was deprivation of a monthly portion of tea. Almost until his death, Father Isaac himself distributed tea and sugar to the brethren at the beginning of each month, thus being able to talk with everyone, encouraging one and scolding another. If someone expressed displeasure and grumbled at the monastic order, Father Isaac usually answered: “Brother! Take my keys and be the superior, and I will go to fulfill your obedience.” One day, to a monk who was trying to evade his obedience, he said, “Now look! If you do not want to, then you already know how it goes.” With these simple words, the abbot touched him so much that he, throwing himself at his feet, asked for forgiveness and immediately agreed to everything. Then Father Isaac gladly blessed him and said, “This is how it will be better—to obey and reject your own will. You will walk this way, and in all things you will continue to be well and joyful.” personal insults, he never punished, trying whenever possible to reason with the offender. One monk, distinguished by his heavy temper, having come to the abbot once, accused him of insolence and even wanted to hit him in the face. But the father hegumen calmly said to the exasperated monk: “Go ahead.” Struck by such humility, the monk turned around and quickly left. The following episode was also remembered: a novice from the well-educated, having left Optina Monastery, wandered for a long time to different places and after a while again appeared to Hegumen Isaac, accused him of being dictatorial and finished with the words: “You are an hegumen, but not smart.” [Note: “smart” in Russian is oomen, like the end of hegumen.] After quietly listening to this reproach, Father Isaac, grinning, replied: “And lo! you are smart, but not an hegumen.” of the Monastery Isaac used to say, “I received a monastery with a single dime.” This was said in no wise figuratively. Indeed, after the death of Archimandrite Moses, only one dime turned up in the money bag, and that only because it had fallen somewhere in a crack. In addition, there was a great debt against the monastery. Father Isaac was very distressed about how he could manage the monastery with such a debt and lack of funds. But right at the beginning of his superiorship, there followed the unmistakable help of God, which Father Isaac interpreted as an admonition and a blessing for further work. A long-time benefactor of the monastery paid off the debt, and another donor contributed a large amount to the maintenance of the monastery. Afterwards, Father Isaac never ceased to rely on the providence of God, repenting of his faint-heartedness. When the material needs of the monastery were so quickly resolved, he exclaimed: “Lord! I, the ungrateful one, not having hope in Thee, began to complain, and lo, already help is sent by Thee.” The economic life of the monastery always went well with him. Here, fully useful was his rich experience in doing business, acquired in the world. Isaac completed the construction of the church dedicated to All Saints in the new cemetery. The iconostases were renewed in Vvedensky [Entrance of the Theotokos] Cathedral, wall paintings were restored, stone floors were replaced by wooden ones. Later, work was carried out to expand the Kazan Church. the expansion of the monastery, the monastic elderly home demanded rebuilding. Elder Ambrose had long wanted to build a church in the name of his patrons, Saint Ambrose of Milan, in honor of whom he was named in monasticism, and the pious Prince Alexander Nevsky—the patron saint of the elder in Holy Baptism. At the expense of admirers of Ambrose's father, the old ruined building in 1885 was rebuilt with a church and two chapels in honor of the patron saints of the elder, as well as a new two-story building for the elderly. 1874 a new hospital was built with two floors, with a church in the name of Saint Hilarion the Great—the initiator in this case was the skete superior, Father Hilarion, who in his old age suffered from a difficult prolonged illness. Abbot Isaac also set up a bookstore—it was transferred from an inconvenient room in the gatehouse to a more suitable place and expanded. abbot did not tire of taking care of all the needs of the monastery. They acquired forest land—and thereby solved the problem of firewood for heating and wood for construction—completed the construction of an aqueduct, bought some marshland and, through drainage works, turned it into floodplain meadows, and also built a candle factory. Good wax for making candles, at low prices or sometimes donated, was supplied to the monastery by the nephew of the superior, with good-willed reverence towards the monastery. chief assistants to the superior were the treasurer Father Flavian and the clerk, Hieromonk Makarius (Strukov), who spared no effort in working for the benefit of the monastery. Father Isaac encouraged the desire of Flavian’s father to plant gardens and vegetable gardens in the monastery. The places, which used to be filled up with garbage before, were carefully cleared, fertilized and planted with fruit trees and assembled seedbeds. the activity of the hegumen concerned not only the needs of the monastery and the brethren; in his presence the pilgrims in the monastery met true fatherly care. By order of Father Isaac, a new guesthouse was constructed and the old guesthouses were improved at the holy gates. For the nuns, who came to the Elder Ambrose for advice, a separate building was constructed where they could stay for free. All visitors to the bookstore were given little icons for free and inexpensive soul-enriching literature as a memento of their visits to the monastery. monastery supported the needy, both with alms and various kinds of help. For the wanderers, poor, and needy Father Isaac built a special house of hospitality where, according to his order, about 300 people were fed every Saturday, while giving alms from 10 to 15 rubles to everyone in need. In addition, every day after the brethren’s trapeza, a free-of-charge trapeza was offered to visitors. After acquiring new land at the monastery, the timber forest was more than sufficient for the needs of the brotherhood, so the abbot offered lumber to poor peasant families to build houses free of charge. Father Ambrose was engaged in the arrangement of the Shamordino Convent, he began to leave the monastery often, and then moved entirely to Shamordino. For Father Isaac, who was accustomed to having the beloved elder always nearby and being able to quickly turn to him on any issue, it was hard to be separated from his spiritual father. But following the lead of Father Ambrose, he began to treat Shamordino as his precious child; after the death of the elder he defended the sisters and supported them in everything. Even when Vladyka Vitaly, who did not favor the Shamordino Convent, tried to hinder the help that Optina rendered to the young convent, Abbot Isaac, without fear of Vladyka’s dissatisfaction, continued to assist the sisters of the convent—he sent spiritual fathers there to nourish the sisters, and inquired of all their needs. long-term activity of Abbot Isaac for the benefit of the monastery did not go unnoticed. Repeatedly, he was recognized with various Church awards. But his unhypocritical humility and modesty never allowed him to be exalted by any distinctions. When in 1872 he was chosen to be elevated to the rank of archimandrite, he evaded this “promotion,” and only in 1885, without asking his consent, was Father Isaac made an archimandrite. the end of his life he also had to bear unjust reproach. Denunciations began to arrive to His Grace Vitaly, making it seem as if the Optina abbot, Father Isaac, because of his age, was incapable of administering the monastery. After inquiry and the unanimous confirmation of all the brethren that “their superior is exemplary and they wish to remain under his leadership until his very death,” Bishop Vitaly showed Father Isaac those written denunciations of him, promising to strictly punish those responsible. But he, with tears, asked Vladyka not to punish anyone. Spiritual Character of Archimandrite Isaac Isaac, according to recollections, gave the impression of a stern monk. He was silent, and his eyes were usually lowered in public. At first glance, those who saw the abbot were even initially afraid of his strict appearance. But his main characteristic was amazing simplicity in everything. In his daily life, he did not stand out among the brethren. He dressed like everyone else—he wore an old, worn cassock. He went to trapeza together with the brethren and never had food cooked for him separately. The furnishings of his life were ascetical. Father Isaac occupied two rooms in the superior’s apartment: one served as a bedroom, the other—a prayer room. In the bedroom there was a simple bed with a hard mattress and a desk, at which he engaged in business. It had a clock, inherited from Archimandrite Moses, with the inscription "Do not waste time." Isaac chose the best way to educate and edify the monks—by his own example. His severity towards himself amazed everyone. Father Isaac rose at midnight, fulfilled the cell rule given in the monastery and then went to Matins. The monk in charge of waking him up never found him asleep. To the early vigil he went constantly, commemorating all his relatives and the benefactors of the monastery during the Proskomedia. During the late service and after a short afternoon rest, he received visitors, was engaged in the affairs of the monastery, and at the first ring of the bell for Vespers he hurried back to the church again. He observed fasts with all rigor. On the first week of the Great Fast, even in old age, he always read the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. He especially liked the services of the Great Fast. Until his last days, he retained a beautiful, deep, low voice; his reading in the church was always clear and imbued the service with prayerfulness. moved involuntarily to the monastery from the skete, Father Isaac reminisced with sadness about the solitary life. When one of the novices came to him, asking him to appoint him to the skete, the superior, praising his intention, said, “This is good. God help you! The skete is a quiet haven. I myself lived in it for 16 years and would go there again and leave my superiorship; blessed are the days that I spent in the skete.” occupying the highest position in the monastery, Father Isaac could never allow himself the thought of making any decision without the blessing of his spiritual father, Elder Ambrose. It was on this foundation that the special Optina spirit was built, which made an indelible impression on all visitors to the monastery. The subordination of all the brethren—from the superior to the last novice—to an elder is the submission to God's will, revealed through the elder. Human reasoning, thoughts, and considerations in resolving issues of monastic life are thus eliminated. Father Isaac reached gracious humility can be seen from his words to the monk who asked how to conquer pride: “How does one conquer? For this, struggle and self-compulsion to humility are necessary. It does not come suddenly but with time. This is the same as shedding blood. Ask God. Gradually you will be acquainted with humility, and then it will turn into a skill.” Bright episodes have survived, of which it was manifest that the humility in the soul of Father Isaac had indeed turned into a “skill.” Once there was a burial at the monastery. Father Isaac did not reach the grave in time and made his way through the thick crowd of brethren to bid farewell to the dead. Taking one of them by the sleeve, Father Isaac wanted his help to climb on the earth piled at the grave, but he, not noticing the abbot, pushed him away strongly, so that Father Isaac almost fell down. But he was not at all disturbed. He walked away and humbly began to wait his turn. When the visitors who watched this expressed their surprise, some of the brethren remarked, “Truly, we have never seen him ever blame anyone for such actions; by occupation he is our boss, but he behaves like a brother.” Father Isaac never singled out any of the brethren, so as not to embarrass the others, but he was able to, imperceptibly for others, show attention to the weak, sick, or elderly monks, rendering them help with condescension. Isaac happened to be managing the monastery when free-thinking and disobedience to the authorities began to spread like a plague in Russian society. Those who came to the monastery were often already infected with this spiritual illness of their time. Father Isaac tried to impress upon the novices the need for a Christian to be humble and obedient. If a guilty brother sincerely repented, the abbot never remembered his guilt. But if the novice showed stubbornness, boldness, or disobedience, the abbot, without hesitating, expelled him from the community, so as not to disturb the established order or scandalize the newcomers. brethren loved their abbot very much, and this was manifested in the fact that among themselves the inmates called Father Isaac “grandfather.” Numerous testimonies of the prayerful assistance of the abbot towards his disciples have survived. Many recognized the strength and effectiveness of his words. Often the monks, coming in frustrated with him, left the “grandfather” forgetting all their sorrows. “What are our sorrows?” Father Isaac said. “We do not have sorrows, but little sorrowshkies. This is the world of sorrow: a wife, children, cares about everything. But what about us? Come on! God is provoked to wrath. It is necessary only to thank Him; we live provided with everything.” If he addressed a person with instruction, it was always deep, wise, and useful to the soul. One of the educated visitors after a conversation with Father Isaac asked, "Father, which university did you attend?" Surprised by such an unexpected question, Father Isaac told her that he had not graduated from any educational institutions. When Father Isaac told the elder about this, they both laughed heartily at this scene. Last Days and the Death of Archimandrite Isaac state of Father Isaac, even in his advanced years, heretofore distinguished by good health and good spirits, was seriously affected first by the departure of the Elder Ambrose to Shamordino and then by his death. All the years of his superiorship, he was “by the elder,” guided by his help and counsels. These events also influenced the affairs of the monastery; after the death of the Elder Ambrose there were fewer pilgrims, and the donations were reduced. Maintaining the economy of a large monastery was no longer simple. to these circumstances, the first blow of illness struck Archimandrite Isaac; it was light, though, and the sick one soon recovered. But his health thereafter deteriorated. He wished to take the tonsure into the great schema in private, which was fulfilled by his brotherly confessor, the skete abbot, Father Anatoly. In June 1895, the superior-ascetic was afflicted with a mortal disease—dysentery, and he began to noticeably weaken and prepare for the end. The brethren, seeing the state of the hegumen, were seriously worried about his illness, and the inhabitants began to come in to receive their last instructions and parting words. The elder blessed each with an icon and spoke a profitable word. When asked to indicate his successor, he answered: "The Mother of God herself will indicate to you the abbot." During the whole time of his illness, he listened to the cell rule, and two weeks before his death he began to receive daily the Communion of the holy Mysteries of Christ. He did not resort to medical means, although at the beginning of his illness, at the insistence of the brethren, he once invited a doctor from Kozelsk. was a hot summer. It was too stuffy for the sick one to lie in a cell, and he wished to be in the open air. His bed was placed in the courtyard of the his apartment, under the shade of a large tree. Both brethren and visitors flocked here to bid farewell to him. It was moving to see an ascetic surrounded by a crowd of people who each waited with a sinking heart, waiting to approach for a blessing and receive spiritual edification. His last admonition to all was the following: "Live according to your conscience and ask for help from the Queen of heaven, and everything will be fine." Many of them saying goodbye to him wept. August 20th, another blow followed, after which Father Isaac could no longer speak. He was transferred to his abbot's chambers, and the dying man expressed a desire to partake of the holy Mysteries of Christ, which was done. In this position, Father Isaac spent two more days without losing consciousness and constantly praying with a prayer rope. On August 22nd, at 8pm, he peacefully reposed in the Lord at the age of 85. next day, the body of the deceased abbot was solemnly transferred to the church. On August 24, after the celebration of Divine Liturgy, the rite of burial was performed. The body of the newly departed Archimandrite Isaac was interred in Kazan Cathedral, by the right wall behind the choir. us conclude the life of Elder Isaac with the words of Hieromonk Tryphon, pronounced in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Monastery at the Panikhida service on the ninth day after the death of Archimandrite Isaac: “Behold, his life of asceticism has ended, finished is the difficult battle with the passions and desires, cleansed is the heart, the season of examinations has passed,…and now, we trust that he has flown into the heavenly abodes of light, leaving as a legacy those beginnings by which the purity of the heart and the vision of God are achieved—the cutting off of one's own will and the killing of passions by asceticism. And as long as they are firm among monks, Optina Monastery will be firm. And in their memory let them be established and strengthened in it forever. And this will be his best reward, for we believe and hope that from the height of heaven he will look at the children of his abode and rejoice and be gladdened in their spiritual progress and their search for salvation.”

Russia, Moscow, 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831-48 Cholera, MOG appeared
Mongol, Scythia, 1490 & 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831 Cholera raging, MOG appeared, to Korotoyak, C ceased, again in 1847-48 ; Divnogorsk, Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna; Divnogorsk Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated on February 5; Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God received the first part of its title from where it was enshrined when it was glorified: the Dormition monastery of Divnogorsk, in the former Ostrogozhsk district in Voronezh governance. title of “Sicilian” comes from its place of origin, since by tradition this icon at Diva (i.e. “Wondrous Heights”) was brought from Sicily by the pious monastic Elders Xenophon and Joasaph. suggest that these saints were Orthodox Greeks by birth, and that they had arrived there not earlier than the end of the fifteenth century. and Joasaph founded a monastery at a scenic spot above the River Don, near the confluence of the River Tikha Sosna [Quiet Pine River]. The place was called Wondrous Heights by those struck by the form of the chalk columns throughout the hills. is said that Xenophon and Joasaph lived in a cave (where later the church of Saint John the Forerunner was built), and that they carved out the first church in a chalk column, into which also they put the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God which they had brought with them. Here is where they found their eternal repose. the Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, the Theotokos is depicted sitting in the clouds. In Her right hand is a white lily blossom, and with Her left arm She supports the Divine Infant, Who sits upright upon Her knees. The Savior holds a lily blossom in His left hand, and blesses with His right hand. Around the face of the Mother of God are eight angels. The two beneath are shown on bended knee and with hands upraised in prayer. Over the head of the Theotokos is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. special glorification of the icon began in the year 1831, when cholera was raging. At Korotoyak, 7-8 versts from the monastery, the Most Holy Virgin appeared (as She is depicted in the Divnogorsk Icon) to a certain elderly woman, Ekaterina Kolomenska, in a dream. She commanded that Her icon be brought and a Molieben be served before it. The wonderworking icon was brought to Korotoyak, and after a Molieben before the holy icon, the cholera ceased. the intercession of the Mother of God, the city of Ostrogozhsk also was saved from cholera. The people of Korotoyak and Ostrogozhsk were also saved from cholera in 1847 and 1848 through the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, which occurred after a church procession around these towns with the holy icon. to Tradition, the feastday of the wonderworking icon on February 5 was established already at its original habitation by Xenophon and Joasaph.

Russia, Moscow, 1832-1891, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk, unfulfilled promise to become a monk, published Ladder
Russia, Moscow, 1832-1891, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk, unfulfilled promise to become a monk, published Ladder in Russian, visitors all day ; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus. Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1832, Saint Metrophanes, Voronezh Cathedral, incorrupt relics, monastic schema
Voronezh Annunciation Cathedral; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Russia, Moscow, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, Husband falsely accused, wife ordered to find icon in dream, Moleben, acquitted
Russia, Mordovia, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, Husband falsely accused, woman sees Elder in dream, orders her search cathedral for icon fPitrim's cell, and to have a Moleben served. He also showed her the Icon, done, Husband acquitted; Tambov; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Icon appeared on February 29, 1392. of the oldest shrines of the Devpeteruv (Девпетерувская) Icon of the Mother of God is now located in the Nikolaev church of the village of Batyushkova, or Batatkova, Dmitrovsky district of Moscow Province. this image, the child Jesus is shown resting on the Virgin’s right shoulder; His left hand is on His Mother’s left shoulder, and her right hand is on His right shoulder. Tambov's Transfiguration Cathedral, above the tomb of St. Pitirim (July 28), there is another list of the miracles of the Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God. image once belonged to St. Pitirim, and before it, he offered his fervent prayers to the Lord God. Icon became especially famous in 1833 after a miracle took place. certain woman, whose husband was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison, once saw an Elder whom she did not know in a dream. This Elder ordered her to search the cathedral for the Icon from St. Pitirim's cell, and to have a Moleben served before it. He also showed her the Icon itself. The woman found the Saint's Icon and asked for a Moleben to be served before it. Shortly afterward, her husband was acquitted and released from prison.

Russia, Moscow, 1834-1860, Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov, Theologian, slavofile, anti western
Moscow, 1834-1860, Theologian, Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Theophan the Recluse, writer inexpensive practical books, focused on his salvation
Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia, writer inexpensive practical books, focused on his salvation, undisturbed communion w God; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest. first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. From 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. In these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. After graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, and later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. Before he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy. Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. He was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. After being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. Soon he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Saint Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools. May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, where he established a diocesan school for girls. During his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. In 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. He also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir. holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. It was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. Many abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. Instead, he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral. was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. He had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. When Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds. 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. He was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles. he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. On July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, and to devote himself to writing spiritual books. Through these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. Although he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him. Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. He wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, such as how to live a Christian life, how to overcome sinful habits, and how to avoid despair. He tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. Some of his books include THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND HOW TO BE ATTUNED TO IT, THE PATH TO SALVATION, and LETTERS ON THE SPIRITUAL LIFE. He also translated the PHILOKALIA in five volumes, and THE SERMONS OF ST SIMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN. the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. He stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. He often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days. in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) and no longer left his cell to attend church. He built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. For ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. For the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent. anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. If anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books. he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. He received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. He was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls. eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. In the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. After finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. On days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day. Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord. Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery. of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation. Theophan the Recluse, 1835 - 1894;

Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Theophan t Recluse, teaching leading many places, then recluse writer near Vysha m Tambov, Inc Rlcs
Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia, fOrlov District, primary&Military school aLiven, 1837-41 Kiev Theological, monk, rector Kiev's church schools, rector Novgorod seminary, Professor Inspector Petersburg Academy, Russian Mission iJerusalem, Rector Olnets Seminary, chief priest Embassy Church Constantinople, rector Petersburg Academy& supervisor religious schools ed, 1859 Bishop oTambov, school fGirls, loved Vysha Monastery, 1863 tVladimir f3yrs, another school fGirls, but difficult him worldly disputes, could not chastise, had someone else do it,1861 impressed bUncovering Tikhon's relics, childhood friend, 1866 igumen Vysha m, soon resigned, but lived there, celebrate services whenever, pension, 1866 left diocese fReculusion, and writing spiritual books, benefactor fAll Orthodox, worldwide rep, many books no profit, new topics like how Christian life, how overcome sin habits, how avoid despair, how steps perfection, he also translated Philokalia and Simeon tNew sermons, firs 6yrs attended all services, stood still eyes closed, then 1872 cut all relationships wPeople except his confessor, stayed iCell, chapel there, 10yrs served there Sundays&Feast Days, then last 11yrs served every day by himself, sometimes sing sometimes silent, if sent money then distributed tPoor, writing praying carpentry painting icons, answered 20-40 letters aDay, discerned letter spirit condition, eyesight declined, litergy prepared night before, tea after next day, egg milk Lunch a1pm, tea a4pm, weaker but still writing&died 1894, incorrupt 6days, books translated English; Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest. first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy. Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools. May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, he established a diocesan school for girls. his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir. holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral. was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds. 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles. he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, to devote himself to writing spiritual books. these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him. Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, as how to live a Christian life, to overcome sinful habits, how to avoid despair. tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. of his books include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, Path to Salvation, Letters on the Spiritual Life. also translated the Philokalia in five volumes, and The Sermons of Saint Simeon the New Theologian. the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days. in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) no longer left his cell to attend church. built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent. anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books. he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls. eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day. Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord. Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery. of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

Russia, Moscow, 1836-1882, Antipas oValaam monastery, fMoldavia Romania, tValaam 1865, clairvoyant hermit
Russia, St Petersburg, 1836-1882, Antipas oValaam monastery (Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga), father deacon mother became schemanun, fMoldavia Romania, tValaam 1865, clairvoyant hermit, fell asleep 1882; Valaam Monastery ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Antipas was born in Moldavia, Romania in 1816. father was a deacon in the village church, and his mother ended her life in a women’s monastery as a schemanun. Antipas came to Valaam Monastery from Mt Athos on November 6, 1865. spent the rest of his life in the skete at Valaam, living like a hermit. with the gift of clairvoyance, Saint Antipas fell asleep in the Lord on January 10, 1882.

Russia, Moscow, 1839-1877, Andronicus Icon placed in Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, Tver
Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, not in Wikipedia. Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Andronicus Icon of the Mother of God was a family icon of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III. In 1347 he gave the icon to the Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos. From here the image was sent to Russia in 1839. In 1877 the holy icon was placed in a temple of the Kazan women’s monastery near Vyshnii Volochek. Other Feast days of this icon are May 1 and July 8.

Russia, Moscow, 1840, Cherson, Crimea, Russia, divine light from icon, wonderworking, protected Odessa C War 1853-56
Russia, Crimea, 1840, Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name for Korsun, divine light from icon, wonderworking, protected Odessa C War 1853-56 ; Korsun, Crimea, Korsun is the Slavic Name ; Korsun, , Cherson is the Greek name for Korsun; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that this holy icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. night in February of 1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. Looking at the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened by age, had suddenly become bright. Soon the icon was glorified by many miracles, and people regarded it as wonderworking. the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday. icon is painted with oils on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left arm. The Child is holding a scroll. Saint John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted on one border of the icon, and Saint Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. Kasperov Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.

Russia, Moscow, 1840, Kasperov Icon, Cherson, features became bright, wonderworking, in Crimean War it saved Odessa
Russia, 1840, Kasperov Icon, Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name, Korsun is the Russian Name, features suddenly became bright, many miracles, wonderworking, Crimean War (Russia against Protestants, Catholics and Moslems) in 1853-56 carried through besieged Odessa, city spared, Akathists since; Korsun, Crimea ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that this holy icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. night in February of 1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. at the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened by age, had suddenly become bright. the icon was glorified by many miracles, and people regarded it as wonderworking. the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday. icon is painted with oils on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left arm. The Child is holding a scroll. Saint John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted on one side of the icon, and Saint Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. Kasperov Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.

Russia, Moscow, 1841, Stromyn village, now Church of the Domition
Moscow, 1841, Stromyn village, now Church of the Domition; “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.â€ sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19). Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1841, Cyprus Icon, Stromyn, Moscow girl healed by icon voice, many miracles

Russia, Moscow, 1843, Surety of sinners Icon, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), I am surety for my son entrusted me to hear them
Mongol, Perm, 1843, œthe Surety of sinners Icon, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), I am surety for my son entrusted me to hear them; Orlov; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners" of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners", Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints.

Russia, Moscow, 1843-1882, Ioannikios, Kharkhov High Point, 1845 Holy Mt Monastery for life, Hesychast, much more
Mongol, Perm, 1843-1882, Hiermonk Ioannikios, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), large family, kept from church, Church vision story, Church built on his spot, at 16 Monasticism vision dream, come with us, it is God' will, ran away tM, but father brought him back, father died, mother released him, 1845 to Holy Mt M for life, very long story; Orlov; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10; Ioanikkios (in the world Trophimos N. Averkiev) was born in 1823 and was named Trophimos in Holy Baptism. parents were Government-owned peasants in Orlov Province, and they had a large family. was one of the younger children. The boy was quite bright and also very pious. He loved to be in church, and if his mother went to church for the Feast Days he always begged to go along. however, was not easy. The village where they lived was not near the church. had to cross a stream on the way, and the bridge was so old and rotten that once Trophimos fell in and caused his mother to be delayed. she did not always take him with her. Most of the time, she left him at home. When he stayed at home, Trophimos wept bitterly because she would not bring him to church. He felt drawn there by some “overpowering force,” as he expressed himself later in life. Sunday his father and mother went to church for the Divine Liturgy and took his older brothers, but they left him at home. After crying for some time, Trophimos went out into the yard, before which there was a field covered with grass. he noticed a beautiful stone church on a hillock. He was surprised to see it and wondered how it got there, so he started walking toward it in order to take a closer look at it. For a while he walked around the church, admiring its beauty. tried to enter, but the door was locked. When his hand touched the door knob, it vanished, and there he was, standing in the middle of an empty field! This astonished him even more, and he could not understand anything for a while. When his parents came home, he hastened to tell them what had happened. first, they paid no attention to him, but later, when his father mentioned this at a meeting of all the peasants in the village, an old man stated that he had also had seen a church on that very spot at dawn. peasants asked to see Trophimos and to hear the story from his own lips. When Trophimos was brought to the meeting, he told them in detail where he had seen the church in the field, and described what sort of church it was. showed them the exact spot, and the men marked the spot with four stakes. They decided to collect money and to build a stone church there. Indeed, a church was needed because the parish church was far away. In addition, there was the stream to be crossed. In the spring, when the stream was full, it became difficult and dangerous to cross. the peasants were wealthy, the required funds were soon collected, and they began to build a church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (July 8, Oct. 22). a few years the church was completed and consecrated, and on the outside it closely resembled the church that Trophimos had seen in a vision. the boy was sixteen years old, he wanted to enter a monastery, so he begged his parents to give their blessing for him to go to Tolshev’s Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. parents were very unhappy about this, especially his father. The young man became very sad and did not know what to do. night he had a dream wherein he saw a group of monks in a church in their mantiyas and klobuks. All of them went to the middle of the church and sang a divine hymn. Taking Trophimos by the hand they said, “Come with us, and do not be afraid of grieving your parents. It is God’s will that you be with us.” from his dream, he decided to run off to the monastery in secret. He got ready, placing a piece of bread in a shepherd’s sack. Dressed in an old peasant’s coat, and without shoes, he left for the Tolshev Monastery. road was not easy for him, but he arrived at the gates of the Monastery in the afternoon, and he saw a few monks standing there. Seeing the barefoot boy, they asked him why he had come. Trophimos replied that he had come in order to be a monk. monk, an Elder with a grey beard, volunteered to take him to the Superior’s cells. This was Hieromonk Jacob from Sarov Hermitage, where he had been known and loved by Batushka Seraphim. Jacob led an ascetical life, and was respected by the brethren. Trophimos now sat in the waiting room, fearfully awaiting the Superior’s decision concerning him. Superior, a short, grey-headed old man, was surprised at the young man’s appearance because he was dressed in rags. He thought that Trophimos was a beggar seeking alms. When Father Jacob started to tell him that the young man wanted to be a monk, the Superior said that he was much too young, and he would never be able to endure the labors and the sorrows of the monastic life. So he advised him to go back home. When this did not work, and the young man remained unshaken, the Superior pretended to be angry and ordered a bundle of rods to be brought over, saying; “Now I will teach you not to wander needlessly and leave home in order to avoid work. Take off your shirt and I will punish you so that you will remember our monastery.” young man immediately removed his shirt and lay on the ground before the Superior to receive his punishment. Seeing his readiness and weakness, the Superior and Father Jacob looked at each other and changed their tone. Superior told Trophimos to get up and to tell him in detail where he was from, and why he had come. Had he perhaps committed some crime and thought to hide in the monastery? After telling him everything in detail, Trophimos fell down on the floor, tearfully begging the Superior not to chase him away and to make him a monk. Superior ordered Father Jacob to take him to his cell and teach him the monastic Rule for novices. Jacob fed him and got him some clothes, making him his cell attendant. cell was the very cell which the wonderworker Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (August 13) had occupied when he lived at Tolshev Monastery in retirement. Here the holy bishop’s belongings were preserved. chair stood in the corner, covered up. Elder Jacob never dared to sit in the chair himself, but Trophimos, who did not know the value of the chair, once tried to sit in it when the Elder was out of the cell, but he was pushed away by some force he did not understand. Father Jacob returned Trophimos told him what had occurred. Father Jacob explained the chair’s significance to him and strictly forbade him to sit in it. his humility, obedience, and meekness, Trophimos soon won Father Jacob’s paternal love. Trophimos loved the order and customs of the monastery and had no time to become bored. He could only thank God and be happy that he lived in such a holy place. particular he loved being in church when the monks all came to the center in their mantiyas and klobuks. always wondered how he had been able to see all this in such detail in his dream. was especially attracted to the mantiya, and when Father Jacob was not in the cell he would put it on and walk around the cell with measured footsteps. greatest wish was to receive the mantiya and to be able to wear it to church. One day Father Jacob caught him in the cell wearing his mantiya. He forbade him to do this, explaining the spiritual meaning of the mantiya. He told him to pray to God, asking Him for His mercy, so that perhaps he might receive a mantiya in due time. was not destined to remain at Tolshev Hermitage, since his father did not wish it. He came to the monastery and bound his son’s legs so he could not get away. brought him home that way and punished him severely for running away. The poor young man had to submit to his parents’ wishes for the time being, waiting for the time to come when he might fulfill his heartfelt desire. had lived at Tolshev Monastery only three months, but in that short time it left its mark on the future course of his life. father’s death released Trophimos from his burdensome situation. Now the family’s finances were controlled by his mother and older brothers. mother no longer tried to hold him there against his will, but blessed him to be a monk. even gave him an icon of the Great Martyr George (April 23). He kept this icon as a great treasure and revered Saint George until the end of his life. After obtaining his identification papers, Trophimos went to Kiev to venerate the holy places. there, he went to the Holy Mountain Hermitage in Kharkhov Province with the intention of remaining there for the rest of his life. He arrived on October 10, 1845 and went to see Igumen (later Archimandrite) Arsenios. The latter asked him detailed questions concerning the events of his past life. Then he accepted him into the monastery and assigned him to the kitchen for his obedience. first, Trophimos lived in the attic with his knapsack for two weeks, until the cold forced him to move elsewhere. Hieromonk Theodosios, the Father Confessor of the monks, who had come from Glinsk Hermitage with Father Arsenios, took him into his cell as his cell attendant. Trophimos lived behind a thin wall in the narrow entryway. the beginning, Father Theodosios treated him sternly, testing his character and intentions. He would leave money lying around in the cell, or he would leave some tea or sugar, as though he had forgotten to put them away, or perhaps he would leave some honey on the table and go out. After seeing that nothing was ever touched, he stopped doing this and began to trust Trophimos. Hieromonk Theodosios, who had received his spiritual formation under the guidance of the well-known Igumen of Glina Hermitage, Saint Philaretos (March 31, 1841) of holy life, was himself a strict ascetic. He often went into the woods with his prayer rope, walking about with his mind focused on the Jesus Prayer. When he returned from the forest his face was always radiant. So much so that at first his novice Trophimos feared this radiance, and he was afraid to approach him or talk to him. Trophimos was illiterate, Father Theodosios saw to it that he learned to read. instructor was Father Philotheos, who worked in the monastery office. He was not yet old, but he led a life of strict asceticism. learned to read and write under his guidance. At the same time, he continued his careful study of the monastic Rule, taught by his Elder. the evening Prayer Rule, Father Theodosios would dismiss the monk who came to him for Confession. Trophimos a prayer rope, he made him repeat the Jesus Prayer slowly and in a loud voice. At first it was frightening for him to repeat the prayer under the watchful eye of his Elder, and his voice would tremble. The Elder noticed this and ordered him to be In this fear, Father Theodosios saw in this the work of the Enemy, who especially hated the Jesus Prayer. it happened, his fear soon disappeared and was replaced by a tender, compunctionate feeling, which produced abundant tears in him. Sometimes, because of these tears, he could scarcely say the words of the prayer. was a time of strict judgment for Trophimos under the Elder’s watchfulness. He would forget all the sins he had committed during the day, but all the details would come back to his mind during prayer. This brought about sincere repentance in him. After prayer, he would confess to his Elder and receive absolution. After this, Trophimos would feel an unusual lightness and joy in his soul. He went through all the trials of his novitiate before the eyes of his experienced Elder without concealing any of his transgressions from him. Almost unnoticed, he raised himself up. Psalter, the Holy Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles became his favorite books. He always read a certain amount from each of them every day. He tried to do this without fail, often cutting short his night’s rest if he had no time to read during the day. Seeing his zeal, simplicity, and loyalty, his Elder sometimes told him some of the things that happened to him. Once, for example, he came back from the woods with his riasson and prayer rope badly torn. As he sewed up the sleeves of the riasson, Trophimos was amazed and wondered how the Elder could have torn them so much. Elder said, “I was battling with the devils in the forest. They jumped me, a whole bunch of them, and they wanted to tear the prayer ropes from my hands, screaming that I must not say the Jesus Prayer. God helped me, however. I held on to the prayer ropes, even though they were torn in many places, but the riasson really got it from them.” Father Theodosios strictly forbade him to mention this to any of the monks. Theodosios did not have a bed, but slept on the floor. Noticing that there were bedbugs on the floor where the Elder slept, Trophimos brought a kettle of hot water, and wanted to pour it on them. The Elder would not allow this saying, “Their bites remind me of the never-resting worm which is ready for the sinners who have angered God. In this way they bring me to repentance. Do not deprive me of these insects so that I will not feel sorry later.” lived for about two and a half years in his obedience as cell attendant to Father Theodosios. In 1850, he was listed officially as a novice of the Holy Mountain Hermitage. On March 24, he was tonsured as a riassophore monk by Father Arsenios and was named Timon. At that time he was appointed as overseer of the caves. October 21, 1850 Hieromonk Theodosios, the Monastery’s Father Confessor, reposed. His death was a severe blow to his loyal spiritual son Timon, who shed bitter tears at the loss of his father, instructor, and benefactor. Father Arsenios gave him a wooden cross which belonged to Father Theodosios. He accepted it as a treasure in memory of his Elder. Later, Timon gave the cross to the Skete church, where it is a reminder of the labors and prayers of the great ascetic, Father Theodosios. the repose of Father Theodosios, he received a certain comfort when he was appointed to serve the recluse Hieromonk John in his cave. Timon was quite attached to the recluse. He did everything he could for him, watching over him, and fulfilling all of his requests, even the smallest. Later, when others replaced Timon, the recluse often remembered how Timon always pleased him and was always sincerely predisposed toward him. April 2, 1854, Timon was tonsured into the mantiya and renamed Ioannikios. After this he was appointed as the sacristan (ризничий). This was not an easy obedience, for it required a lot of work. After a while he was appointed to the caves, and once again he served Hieromonk John, who lived there. he was ordained to the diaconate, he became even more diligent toward the church services, while continuing his labors of fasting and prayer in his cell. He acquired a fair number of spiritual books and read them with fervor, increasing his knowledge, and using them as guides in his life. In his spare time he liked to go into the woods and converse with God in seclusion. He practiced the Jesus Prayer with attentiveness (π ρο σοχή), and it became more and more a part of his soul. During one of his walks he ventured deep into the forest, and was taken by its seclusion and beauty as he sat down beside the roots of a large spruce tree. As soon as he touched the moss with his hand, he felt heat coming from it, as if from a stove. He was amazed by this, so he began to inspect the place carefully, and discovered that the moss had been placed there skillfully to conceal the entrance of a cave. Inside he saw a a small stove, and a table, upon which was a Psalter. A lampada was burning before an icon, but the occupant of the cave was not at home, giving Father Ioannikios a chance to examine the cave. Except for some old dried bread, some dried fruit, and a pitcher of water, there was nothing in the cave that indicated the hermit’s life of strict fasting. For some time he had been hearing rumors in the Holy Mountain Hermitage about solitaries who lived nearby in the forest, unknown to the world. It was said that they were living there even before the monastery was rebuilt.1 Archimandrite Arsenios, the Superior, was very uneasy about this because he feared that the secular authorities might regard these unknown persons as vagabonds without identification papers, and this could cause trouble for the newly reopened monastery. Father Arsenios discovered two of these hermits, and so he sent them away from the monastery in a peaceful manner. These two happened to be aged Elders, and soon afterward they completed the course of their lives in nearby villages. their departure Father Arsenios felt somewhat more at ease and stopped searching for the others. The brethren of the monastery continued to wonder if there were more hermits were living in the forest, because they saw thin, blackened people at the church services who were dressed like peasants. They avoided all contact with the monks and left quickly after the service, heading in the direction of the nearest farm. Ioannikios realized that the cave he found must belong to one of these hermits, so he decided to wait for him to return. Soon a tall, very thin man of middle age arrived dressed in a white peasant’s shirt and carrying an armload of firewood from another part of the forest. The hermit was rather disturbed to find a guest waiting for him. He sighed deeply and said, “Apparently, it is God’s will that I leave here. I know you. You are the servant of God, Father Ioannikios. Perhaps you will not tell the Archimandrite about me, but I do not wish to place you in such a position. So tomorrow I shall leave here and go elsewhere.” he invited Father Ioannikios to sit down and offered to let him taste some of his cooked dried pears. The hermit told him that his name was Leontios, and he was a soldier who had deserted. He had been living in that vicinity for about twenty years. Here he found an Elder, who was also a hermit, and who taught him to fast, to pray and to sing Psalms. When the Elder was dying he left him this cave. Father Ioannikios loved the hermit and, in his simplicity, he tried to persuade him to stay in the monastery with them. Not understanding, he offered to go to Father Arsenios with him, saying that he would probably be accepted into the monastery. the hermit shook his head and said, “I am a runaway soldier and have no identification whatsoever. Your Superior will not take me in without papers, so it is useless to ask him to do what is impossible. I thank you, Father, for your love, for which the Lord will reward you in Heaven. But now demonstrate your love and do not say anything to anyone in the monastery until tomorrow about finding my cave and seeing me here until I can move to a place farther away from the monastery. Also bow down before the Father Confessor Epiphanios and say to him that by God’s will Leontios left here and went farther away from those who would pursue him.” leaving the hermit, Father Ioannikios did as he requested, and said nothing to anyone about seeing him. About two days later, he went into the woods again, to the cave, thinking that he might find the hermit still there. However, the entrance to the cave was filled in with dirt, and there was no sign that anyone had lived there. When Father Ioannikios described to Father Epiphanios how he had found the hermit, the Confessor felt sorry for him. He said that he had known him for a long time, and that he was his Spiritual Father. He called him a true servant of God, and an ascetic of lofty spiritual life. years later, a peasant came to Father Ioannikios from a nearby village, bringing him several pounds of beeswax. He said, “Leontios orders you to live a long life, and wishes you to know of his repose. The wax is given to you to make candles to be used in the services offered for the repose of his soul.” The hermit had lived beside the peasant’s beehives. He had lived a very strict ascetical life, and had departed to the Lord after a brief illness. Before his death, he had received the Holy Mysteries from the local priest. Arsenios organized a Skete on the Holy Mountain with a church dedicated to Saint Arsenios the Great (May 8). He wanted to place a few monks from his monastery there, monks who loved ascetical struggles and who would lay a firm foundation for this place of seclusion and prayer. Father Ioannikios was also assigned to the Skete as a deacon. This was very much to his liking, since he had an inclination for solitude. 1859, Archimandrite Arsenios passed away after a lengthy illness. Father Germanus (later Archimandrite) was chosen by the brethren to succeed him, and he completed the work of establishing the Skete. life of Father Ioannikios was peaceful and quiet, and he served in the church in his capacity as a deacon. He labored in fasting and prayer, not sparing himself, and so he grew weaker in body. He began to spit up blood; he lost weight, and became thin and pale. Finally, he was put to bed in the monastery’s infirmary where he remained for about six months. Several times he was so close to death that the doctor lost all hope for his recovery. than once during his illness he saw before him the icon of the Holy Napkin (Aug. 16) and the image of the Lord’s face was life-sized. A beautiful fragrance came forth from it, which brought him untold joy and made him forget his illness. Once, when he was especially ill, those around him awaited his death. He saw the holy icon again, and it came so close to him that it touched his face. He heard a soft voice say, “Get up! Be half-healthy, and benefit the souls of your neighbors.” that moment, he felt that the terrible pain in his chest and side had vanished; some of his strength began to return, and he started to get better, which bewildered the doctor who said long ago that he would die. Truly, he never became completely healthy, but only “half-healthy,“ thin, weak, and bent over. Frequently, he spat up blood, but he got out of bed and was able to walk around, praying and serving in order to benefit the souls of his neighbors. August 24, 1864, he was ordained as a priest. Though weak and sickly, Father Ioannikios labored along with other priests who were healthy, young, and strong. He often did more than they did, and soon he was appointed as the Father Confessor for the pilgrims to the monastery. He performed this duty without any respite or laziness. He frequently confessed the pilgrims who came to the Holy Mountain Hermitage for the better part of the day, especially during the summer. On Feast Days it was often the case that between 2000 and 5000 pilgrims received Holy Communion. Lord gave him a special gift to be a Father Confessor: he knew how to obtain people’s love and trust. He knew at once, from his experience, the spiritual illnesses of those who came to him, and he also knew how to apply the right spiritual medicine for them. There were times, however, when he sought the advice of the very experienced and knowledgeable Elder Kyprianos, who was also his Father Confessor. first, Father Ioannikios admitted that “many women, pilgrims and nuns, would bother me with their tales of the supposed visions and miracles they had seen. They did not say what needs to be said in Confession, but wasted time flaunting their alleged holiness before me. So, I asked Batushka Kyprianos how to deal with such penitents. “He advised me: ‘Order them to make prostrations for every vision or miracle that they disclose to you in a boastful way, and without need for it. Believe me; they will soon leave you in peace.’ “I began to follow his advice, and the women didn’t like it. They stopped coming to me for Confession, and went to other priests. They said I was rude. I was happy though, because they only caused difficulties without any benefit to anyone. Some would waste an hour telling of her visions, while others were waiting for Confession.” Ioannikios disliked hypocrisy and self-proclaimed holiness. He scolded to their face those who tried to conceal their sinfulness under the guise of false virtue and holiness. For those who repented sincerely, however, he avoided making harsh demands, and did not impose severe penances. He said that one might vex the soul of a sinner and thereby cause more harm than good. “It is not beneficial to deprive a penitent of Communion,” said Father Ioannikios. “Christianity is so weak now, especially among the learned, that even without depriving them, they seldom receive Communion. To deprive them would not be a punishment for them, but would only serve to make them weaker.” often substituted other means of penance, and even then with great care, according to each person’s strength and circumstances. addition to his duties as Father Confessor for the Monastery, Father Ioannikios was often sent to nearby villages to give Holy Communion, or to minister to those who were sick or dying. Here are some of the other things that Father Ioannikios related about his experience as a Father Confessor: “Once, a peasant came to me late at night and asked me to go with him at once to give Holy Communion to his brother who was dying. I said to him, ‘Can this wait until morning? It will be easier to make the trip then, and it is better to give Communion before a person has any food. ’ “The peasant insisted that we must go immediately; saying that his brother had told him that he would not live through the night. So we went! We travelled through forests and over fields, and we saw wolves whose eyes shone like candles in the dark. At long last, we arrived at a small secluded village and his brother’s home. I went in and saw that the house had been tidied up. The table was covered with a cloth, and on it were lighted candles. I did not see the sick man anywhere, however. “I was met by a thin and pale peasant, who was dressed decently in clean clothes. As it turned out, he was the one who wished to receive Holy Communion. I was amazed and said, ‘Since you are strong enough to be up, you could have waited to receive Communion in the morning, because only those who are dying may receive after eating food.’ “The man said that he was dying, and had very little time to live. He asked me to confess him right away and then give him Communion. He said, ‘I waited for you, Father. Glory be to God that I was able to wait this long. Please give me the Holy Mysteries now, for those who are sent for my soul are here, and are waiting until you do so.’ “After sending his family from the house, I started to confess him. I must admit that seldom have I heard such a Confession. His life was righteous, his feelings and his mind were so elevated and spiritual, his faith was so sincere, and his love for the Savior was so ardent that I was amazed how such an illiterate family man could acquire such virtues. He partook of the Holy Mysteries with great tenderness and heard the Prayers of Thanksgiving while sitting on a bench. He kissed the cross and my hand, and then peacefully gave his soul into God’s hands. “Later, after questioning his family and his grieving wife, I learned that he had been ill for just a few days. He was not confined to bed, but sat up most of the time. From the start of his illness he ate no food. He told his wife that his time was up and he would die. He asked for a priest to come and give him Communion. Seeing that he was sitting up, his family was in no hurry to do so. Only in the evening of the day before he reposed, they heeded his request and believed him when he said he wouldn’t live until morning. He led an abstinent life; he was kind and ready to help anyone with his last piece of bread. He was most fervent in prayer, and the Lord manifested His grace in him, which was revealed clearly by his righteous death.” “On another occasion, I was called to visit a sick woman. I entered the house and saw a woman, who was still young, standing before a mirror and putting a kerchief on her head. She was the sick person! I was quite upset and I reproached her sternly because she appeared to be healthy, but she wanted to receive the Holy Mysteries before she died. She listened to me meekly and said, ‘I asked you to come because I feel that my death is near. Do not think that you have been deceived because you found me by the mirror. I did not want to come to the holy chalice with my hair uncombed, so I did the best I could.’ “She asked me to confess her and give her Holy Communion. I began unwillingly, because I did not believe what she said, and she seemed to be completely healthy. She confessed and received Holy Communion with great reverence, as a true Christian ought to do. I didn’t even have time to put the holy chalice away and begin the Prayers of Thanksgiving. When I looked, she lay down and closed her eyes. I bent over her, but she had already departed to the Lord. She became sick after giving birth and had passed away, leaving an orphaned child.” the Holy Mountain Monastery lived a landowner, a family man, of advanced years. He had cancer, which covered his face in one large wound. He suffered very much, and had to be fed with a spoon. The local priest refused to give him Holy Communion because of the stench which came from the open wound. The family turned to Father Ioannikios for help because the man wanted very much to receive Holy Communion. He looked at the sick man and decided that he could place the Holy Communion right into his mouth with a long-handled spoon, since it had not been eaten away by the cancer. He made such a spoon, confessed the man, and gave him Holy Communion. This made the man very happy. that time on, the suffering man frequently sent for Father Ioannikios in order to receive the Holy Mysteries from him, for it was the one joy in his life. The effect on Father Ioannikios was not insignificant. Many of the monks at the monastery marveled at how he was able to bear the stench, or even the sight of this terrible wound. They even thought that he would become ill himself by visiting this man. Father Ioannikios, however, having complete hope in God, did not fear the stench or the possibility of becoming infected. He continued to bring the Holy Mysteries to the man until the very end. feeling of compassion for the sick and the suffering was especially strong in Father Ioannikios. Very many pilgrims came to Holy Mountain Monastery from everywhere in the summertime. People from all walks of life, from peasants to those who were educated; and many of these were afflicted or possessed, and were brought to the monastery by relatives in the hope of a cure from the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas. Seeing the suffering of these unfortunates, who often screamed loudly with tumultuous voices, or went into convulsions, especially in church during the Divine Liturgy. Knowing that prayers of exorcism are to be read in such cases, Saint Ioannikios was motivated by faith, and he began to pray in this manner over the possessed, anointing them with holy oil in the name of the Lord. of the monks did not approve of this, for they thought Father Ioannikios was too bold. However, Elder Kyprianos, the Father Confessor of the monastery, did not have enough nerve to pray over them himself, so he blessed the saint to do it with complete faith and humility of mind. Kyprianos said that Father Ioannikios, as a faster and a man of prayer, was fully capable of dealing with such afflicted persons, because according to the Lord, “This kind is never expelled except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29). In truth, the prayers of Father Ioannikios over these people, said with firm faith before the Almighty Lord, often brought visible cures. Far from the monastery word spread that the Father Confessor was a healer and that he was able to cure the possessed by his prayers. the summertime, he was often seen after the services in front of the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas, praying over the possessed, whose ferocious screaming could be heard at that time. Some cursed him with the most horrible words; others blasphemed terribly, and some even tried to beat him. He did suffer from beatings more than once. He endured all of this meekly, however, attacking the evil demons through fasting and prayer, with which he prepared himself beforehand. Usually, he succeeded, and the sufferers would calm down. They would become humble and meek, and would start praying to God and weep, or they threw up a malodorous liquid on the floor, after which they were completely healed. an enormous man, a Cossack soldier from the vicinity of the Kuban River, was brought to him with a wild expression on his face. His relatives, two strong men, had dragged him there with great difficulty. The possessed man roared with an inhuman voice like a bear, or a wolf, or a pig. All of these were heard from the man at the same time, and his eyes glared with unspeakable hatred. In front of the cathedral of the Holy Mountain Monastery, which is on top of a hill, there is a wide stone stairway leading to the small square where the cathedral is situated. The two men dragged the possessed man to the stairs, but were unable to make him climb the stairs by any means. One of these men went into the cathedral to speak to Father Ioannikios. Fearlessly, the saint came out of the cathedral in his epitracheilion, ready to pray over the man, who was lying on the ground. the man jumped up, seized Father Ioannikios, and threw him over his shoulder. He ran up the stairs and around the cathedral. Those who were present were terrified and did not know what to do. They ran after the man, and saw him on the ground by the cathedral’s western door. Father Ioannikios was all right and unharmed, and he sat on top of the man, holding him by his hair. His relatives ran up to bind the man’s hands and feet, but Father Ioannikios would not permit it. “Don’t touch him,” he said. “Leave him alone. He won’t run anymore. We’ve already had our battle, and you can see who won.” He pointed to the man, whose hair he held with a firm grip. Then he stood up and covered the man’s head with his epitracheilion, and began to read the prayers. The man lay quietly, breathing heavily, as though he were going to vomit. Finally, with a great effort, he threw up fetid, bloody foam so malodorous that those who stood nearby had to move away from him. this the man got up and began to make prostrations while facing the church and offering his heartfelt prayers. The next day he made his Confession to Father Ioannikios and partook of the Holy Mysteries, which he had avoided for the past five years. During Confession he explained that he had become possessed when he had dared to strike his mother. that moment, he experienced terrible suffering. He left the monastery, assured of his complete cure, and went home to Kuban. Later, he received instructions on how to conduct himself so that he would not become subjected to that same evil spirit again. Father Ioannikios said later that when the possessed man threw him over his shoulder and ran up the stairs, he suddenly felt a power within him which enabled him to overcome the man almost effortlessly, while calling upon the sweetest name of the Lord Jesus. was not only adults who were brought to Father Ioannikios, but even children who exhibited sure signs of possession. They spoke in foreign languages, foretold the future, and blasphemed so much that it was frightening. It was much easier to win them over than the adults, however. This was not simply because they were only children, but also because their innocent nature was much more receptive to God’s grace. There were cases where the possessed would relate in detail, and in a loud voice, whatever Father Ioannikios did or thought, or if he ate a little more than usual. They told him that all of his efforts to cast them out would be in vain. Therefore, he fasted even more, for he knew that prayer and fasting are the best weapons to use in healing those who are afflicted. only were the saint’s prayers effective against evil spirits, but also in healing many other illnesses of people who came to him with sincere faith. Once, a young man, the son of a merchant from a nearby town, visited him in his cell. He told him of his sorrow at being a drunkard, because this caused his parents intense grief. He fell down at the feet of Father Ioannikios, begging to be released from this destructive passion, by his prayers. Father Ioannikios put on his epitracheilion and read the prayer for the sick, and then he anointed him with holy oil. He ordered him to drink a little holy water every morning before eating or drinking anything else. a while, the young man visited Father Ioannikios again and said that from the time that he prayed over him and anointed him with the holy oil, he felt such revulsion for wine that he could no longer endure the smell of it. He gave fervent thanks to Father Ioannikios for this. The saint advised him to continue to drink the holy water, ascribing his cure to the grace of God. Later, the young man became interested in monasticism and entered a monastery in Kursk province. compassion for everyone, Saint Ioannikios was always ready to help a poor person in trouble and even went so far as to deny himself as much as possible. large throng of pilgrims usually visited the monastery on the Feast of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on May 9, and the church was very crowded during the services. Once, two well-dressed, still young women from Rostov on the Don River came for this Feast. One of them was pregnant and was so pressed by those in the church that she felt that her child was about to be born. The other woman got her out of the church with some difficulty, and her son was born in the monastery guesthouse. This created a disturbance and so the manager told Father Ioannikios what had happened, and asked him what to do. He wondered if he should ask the women to go to the nearby village. “Why,” Father Ioannikios cried, “are we like animals to act in such a way?” went to the guesthouse himself and asked the other woman to come out and tell him right away about everything in detail. Then he sent other women pilgrims to the monastery to go and help them. He also sent for the parish priest to come and baptize the baby, because a Hieromonk is not permitted to do so, except in cases of great necessity. He himself became the child’s godfather2 and participated in this unforeseen event which befell these visitors so far from their home, for which they thanked him very much. The boy’s father, a wealthy merchant of Rostov, became a great benefactor of the Holy Mountain Hermitage and sincerely respected Father Ioannikios, keeping him informed about the child’s growth and accomplishments. of the saint’s extraordinary character traits was his love for children. Often, among the pilgrims, there were families with children, who received special attention from the Elder. He also had a child-like simplicity and trust, and he knew how to convey this to the youngsters so that they loved him and listened to him. He said, “The innocence of such children always evokes tenderness in me. One child looks like an angel of God, the purity of his soul just radiates from his face, especially at Holy Communion.” unfortunate persons, feeble-minded adults, may seem like children in their undeveloped minds. These also received the special love and protection of the kindly Father Ioannikios. We have already see how much he loved Theophilos, the blessed Fool for Christ (+ January 30, 1868), and how he cared for him during his illness, visiting him and gratifying all his wishes. was not the only one he befriended, however. Father Ioannikios always knew how to get along with those whose mental faculties were somewhat diminished. They always loved him and listened to him, and would frequently work along with the monks. Hieromonk Kyprianos, the monastery’s Father Confessor reposed, Father Ioannikios, in the humility and simplicity of his soul, did not wish to take his place. Some of the monks, however, desired this. Even Father Kyprianos himself pointed him out as a Confessor who was more experienced than anyone else. The Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, chose him as his own Father Confessor following the death of Father Kyprianos. This elevated him in the eyes of the entire monastery, but he always acted in such a way that he would not arouse anyone’s jealousy or give them cause to complain. he was sent out into the world by the Superior on the monastery’s business. Even though he was exposed to worldly turmoil, he preserved his spiritual tranquility by unceasing prayer. He also brought much benefit to those worldly people in whose company he happened to find himself. In particular, he loved to visit with his spiritual children who were living in the world. He completed his business quickly and in an expeditious manner. He did not like to sit around for very long. He performed his duties, and then went home to the monastery. His ill health also made such traveling and movement necessary for him. If he remained in his cell too long, the bleeding would start again. If he was traveling, it stopped right away. So it happened that he would leave the monastery feeling very weak, but when he returned he felt much stronger. Whether he was in a railroad car, at the train station, at an inn, or in the home of a peasant, he always tried to benefit his neighbor. cell was very simple. There were a few icons, a number of Church Service Books, some clothing, a poor man’s tea service, and a cheap clock. That was all. He always had books all over his cell. Some were opened, others had page markers. It was apparent that the Elder spent all his spare time in reading. A lampada always burned in his cell before the holy icons. He always advised people to prepare for, and to partake of, the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible. He would say, “Someone who often prepares himself for receiving Holy Communion will improve in his inward being unconsciously, and even that is a great accomplishment. Our union with Christ through partaking of His Mysteries makes even our poor and insufficient preparation better by His grace. It renews us and recreates us, transforming us from carnal creatures to spiritual beings. Every person who partakes of the Holy Mysteries frequently will soon discover this and feel it within himself. Do not tell me that you are not prepared, or are unworthy to partake often. You are not prepared because of laziness, and in this way you do what the Enemy likes. He cannot endure anyone who prepares himself and receives Communion often, because this person is frightening and inaccessible to him. You are not worthy! Who among us can claim to be worthy of receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord? All of us are unworthy of this gift of God’s mercy! If we deprive ourselves of this gift by saying that we are unworthy, then we sin grievously, because we are pushing God away from ourselves. If we acknowledge our unworthiness, if we repent, and if we thirst to partake of the Holy Mysteries, then we receive help from above, and this becomes the means by which we partake of the Holy Mysteries uncondemned.” he himself was cautious about manifestations from the spiritual world, Father Ioannikios always warned his Spiritual Children about believing in dreams or visions. simplicity was extraordinary, and often it was like that of a child. Since he was non-acquisitive, he always declined expensive gifts. If he was forced to accept, he would give all of it to the monastery, according to the strict cenobitic Rule. It was easy to make him happy with a small inexpensive gift. He preferred small sizes of books, such as the Psalter, the Holy Gospels, or the book of Canons. He had them in the smallest sizes one could obtain. His tea service was also quite small, almost like those made for children. Nothing made him happier than to be presented with a small drinking glass, or a tiny tea cup, or a small comb. events occurred to make his poor health even worse. Once, while passing through the monastery yard, he saw that the crank on the water well was not working properly, and that the novice who was sent to repair it was unable to do so. The Elder came, and without stopping to think about it, he started to help. He climbed to the top of the structure and fell down into the well, where he might have drowned if the pulley hadn’t kept his head above the water. He bruised his shoulder, arm, and side very seriously on the wooden sides of the well. The monks came running and pulled him out of the well nearly unconscious, and he was ill for a long time afterward. This fall made his health even worse and, as he said himself, it was the precursor of his approaching death. found himself in danger once again, on one of his trips by train. He was rushing, as quickly as ever, to get into the coach. He missed his step, however, and fell between the car and the station platform. He was saved by his slender build, which allowed the train to pass over him, brushing him slightly with the wheels. after this, he was sick for some time, and his side turned black and hard to the touch. As he lay beneath the train expecting to be killed, he prayed to the Mother of God asking her to deliver him from such a terrible death. Suddenly, he felt as if someone were pulling him toward the platform to a narrow space where he lay on his side and waited for the entire train to pass over him. “Yes, my time is near, perceptibly near,” he said. He began to ask his friends not to forget him after his death, and to remember his parents Nikḗtas and Martha as well. “If you love me,” he said, “do not forget my parents. In this way you will show your love for me.” February 1, 1882 he was visited by the Superior, Father Germanus after Vespers, who found the Elder very ill. They sent for a doctor, who diagnosed him with acute pneumonia, and stated that his condition was grave. His Confessor, Hieromonk Arkadios, brought him the Holy Mysteries every day, and visited him often. His neighbor in the next cell, Hieromonk Dometios, was with him almost all the time and looked after him with rare love and devotion. February 8, he received the Mystery of Holy Unction. Toward evening on February 10, he became much worse. Now his death was very near, indeed. His Confessor read the Prayer for the dying over him. Father Germanus came to visit and stayed until the end, which was not long in coming. At 7:00 P.M. he passed peacefully and quietly away. crowds in the monastery were very large. Memorial Services were sung over him, and everyone wanted to bid him farewell in his cell. It was very stuffy because of the crowds, but his body remained incorrupt. There was no odor of death, but he was so thin that his body on the table looked like bones covered with skin. February 11, his body was taken from his cell to the church of the Protecting Veil by Hieromonk Paisios, the Confessor for the monks. On February 12, in the same church, the Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, solemnly served the Liturgy with other priests, and the Funeral Service took place afterward. The coffin was taken to the underground church in the caves and was buried there. Ioannikios was glorified on July 12, 2008. 1 The monastery was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the French in 1812. 2 According to Canon 4 of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, a monk may not intrude upon or meddle in ecclesiastical affairs. See The Pedalion p. 248. The Interpretation of this Canon says that “monks must not become godfathers to children being baptized (except in cases of urgent necessity...”) Pedalion page 249.

Russia, Moscow, 1844-1894, Anatole I oOptina, under Marcarius,Ambrose&Anthony, unceasing prayr, clairvoyant prophet, archmndrite
Russia, Kaluga, 1844-1894, Anatole I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), devout parents hoped children monastics, read at 5, studied Boris Theological Seminary, later Kaluga Seminary, fever a14, missed school 1yr, wanted to be monk, thunderstorm kept him from Rosilav forests hermits, sign fGod, back tM, named Anatole, healed oTuberculosis, tOptima m wMother, Marcarius praised her for Anatole's path, A under M wing, taught Jesus prayer, principles Spiritual life, blessed to seek Ambrose&Anthony, kitchen obediences, slept oWood Pile, frequently transferred cell tCell, sorrows trials taught patience&humility, Ignatius Brianchaninov visited, referred to Deacon A, impressed by A, told Marcarius, who beat him with his staff, because it is easy to be proud, after M reposed 1860, A became very close to Ambrose, Amb noticed Ana mature enough to guide, he began to train A to Guide, 1870 priesthood, 1871 Superior of Spassy-Orlov m, soArcmandriteRank, did not leave Orlov, appointed assistant tAmbrose, 1874 Superior otSkete, continued respect obey Ambrose, doors otSkete to the right Ambrose, to the left Anatole, visitors often see both, Ana also corresponded with many for his advise, because ill, Amb relied Ana lead Shamordino Convent, told nuns rarely visited bConfidence iAna, Amb called him great Jesus prayer, receiving gift unceasing prayer, so one in 1K, clairvoyant prophet, 1891 Amb reposed, anti Amb bishop not let Ana tShamordino, deep sorrow health affected, tSt Petersburg&John oKronstadt, served together, doctors found heart lungs not good, 1893 worse health, tonsured Great Schema, fell asleep end Jan 1894, burried near Macarius&Ambrose, 1996 Optima Elders, 1998 relics uncovered; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Anatole (Zertsalov) was born with the name Alexis in the village of Bobolya on March 24, 1824. father, Moses Kopev, was a deacon, and his mother’s name was Anna. parents were exceptionally devout Christians who hoped that their children would enter the monastic life. only son Alexis was taught to read from the age of five. studied at the Saint Boris Theological Seminary, later he entered the seminary at Kaluga. he was fourteen, Alexis was stricken with a fever which kept him out of school for a year. a very early age, Alexis wanted to become a monk. even thought about going to the Roslavl forests to live with the hermits at that place. plans were not fulfilled, however, because a thunderstorm prevented him from continuing on his way. decided to turn back, regarding the storm as a sign that God did not wish him to proceed on his journey. young man returned to seminary, where he was renamed Anatole M. Zertsalov. students at Russian seminaries were given new names, as was the case with Saint Innocent Veniaminov (March 31). being healed of tuberculosis, he arrived at Optina Monastery with his mother. Macarius (September 7) praised her for setting her son on such a good path. Elder took Anatole under his wing, instructing him in the Jesus Prayer, and in the principles of the spiritual life. Father Macarius was too busy, he blessed Anatole to seek advice from Father Ambrose or Father Anthony. fulfilled various obediences in the monastery, beginning in the kitchen. did not get much sleep, and then only on the wood pile. was frequently transferred from cell to cell, and he experienced many sorrows and trials. These difficulties taught him the virtues of humility and patience. Ignatius Brianchaninov (April 30) once visited Optina hoping to meet and converse with monks experienced in the spiritual life, and was referred to Father Anatole, who was then a deacon. bishop was impressed with Father Anatole, and related the details of their conversation to Father Macarius. Elder began to beat him with his staff, and ordered him out of the room. When someone asked why he had been so harsh, Father Macarius said, “Why shouldn’t I scold him? It’s easy to become proud.” Father Macarius reposed in 1860, Father Anatole became very close to Father Ambrose. Father Ambrose noticed that Father Anatole was mature enough to guide others, he began to train him for this service, just as Father Macarius had trained him. Anatole was ordained to the priesthood in 1870. August 3, 1871 he was assigned as Superior of the Spassky-Orlov Monastery, and raised to the rank of archimandrite. Father Anatole did not wish to leave Optina, and Father Ambrose made a formal request to have him assigned as his assistant, and so the appointment was made. Anatole was made Superior of the Skete in 1874, at the urging of Father Ambrose. Anatole accepted these duties out of obedience to his Elder, and fulfilled them to the best of his ability. in his new position, Father Anatole continued to respect and obey Father Ambrose. Ambrose’s cell was to the right of the doors to the Skete, while that of Father Anatole was to the left. to one often went to see the other, as well. addition to receiving visitors, Father Anatole maintained a correspondence with many people who relied on his advice. Ambrose, because of his illness, relied greatly on Father Anatole in ordering life at the Shamordino Convent. told the nuns that he rarely visited them because of his confidence in Father Anatole. Ambrose called him a great practicioner of the Jesus Prayer, who had received grace and the gift of unceasing prayer. one in a thousand received such grace, he informed the nuns. the end of his life, Father Anatole had atained the same spiritual wisdom, discernment, and clairvoyance possessed by Father Macarius and Father Ambrose. saw the secrets of the human soul, and was able to foretell future events. Father Ambrose’s repose in 1891, the bishop (who did not approve of Father Ambrose) forbade Father Anatole to visit Shamordino. caused him deep sorrow, which affected his health. He traveled to Saint Petersburg in 1892 and met with Saint John of Kronstadt (December 20). On October 10, the anniversary of Father Ambrose’s death, they served together. Doctors in the capital examined him and found that his heart and lungs were not good. Anatole’s health grew worse during 1893, and on October 10, he was secretly tonsured into the Great Schema. Anatole fell asleep in the Lord on January 25, 1894, and was buried near his beloved instructors Saint Ambrose and Saint Macarius. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, broadened Theological institutions
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. Growing up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School and later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, he was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. From Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. He graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Hieromonk Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. He was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese and with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions most essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. From the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. At first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, then from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, and from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. He was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, and many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. The divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, and as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Many Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) The Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander considered the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, the principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. Through his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. Outside of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. He restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, and many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. He devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, a diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, a great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. Not a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, which he himself had restored. Only once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— did he step outside the monastery walls. The eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Saint Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, forced Russification, A for spiritual life&learning, fixed Georgian churches&Ms
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, f Gori district, Gori Theological, tTiblisi Seminary, till 1845, Monk aTiblisi m, tKazan Theological Academy, wHonors, back tGeorgia, Tiblisi Seminary taught: Scriptures, Latin, Moral theology, &Archaeology, till 1851, also oversaw monks iAbkhazeti, and supervised Kutaisi Theological, most essential tFaith iGeorgia- broadening Theological school network, especially Ilori in Ochamchire, pedagogue (youth teacher) 1851, 1856 archmandrite, 1862 bishop, called Second Apostle tGeorgia, difficult time because russian only in R Empire, only rich could afford school, left Church&Monasteries, forced Russification, A considered revival spiritual life&learning means tNational Spirit Cultural Advance: iAbkhazeti - 2 Churches iSokhumi, outside A - Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, &Shemokmedi monasteries, Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, many other churches Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara &Imerti, special attention to Shio-Mgvime m area, 1878 Tiblisi school for women bA's contributions, published spiritual &Historical books, textbooks, hymns, Ilia tRighteous spiritual father, died 1907 aShio-Mgvime; Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, he himself had restored. once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— he step outside the monastery walls. The eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1845-1896, Gabriel, BoImereti, Humility, language nationalst, conflicts wRus&Georgia, tKutaisi, incrpt rlcs
Georgia, 1845-1896, Gabriel, Bishop oImereti region (Western Inland Georgia, Rioni and Argveti Rivers), fOzurgeti iGuria, son of a priest, 1840-1845 Tbilisi, Pskov & St Pete Theological Seminaries, 1849 St Pete Masters Degree, married & returned tGeorgia& Dean oTbilisi Seminary, 1854 ordained Deacon&later Priest, 1856 terrible grief lost wife&5 children tEpidemic, tonsured monk aDavid-Gareji, 1858 abbot there and Bishop oGori, 1860 transferred tImerti Region, till 1896 end of life, 1869 Abkhazeti diocese added under him, traveled constantly tVillages preaching helping those in need, his character most powerful influence, no differentiation among petitioners, not tolerate lawlessness or imorality, his simple character evident in his clothing, dwelling, food, visitors mistook him for servant, merciful alms giver tWidows&orphans, for struggling simple people sought universal primary education, sheltered young people, funded their studies, hosted dinners&long discussions for virtuous thoughts & love of humility, his axiom nothing is my own, all belongs tGod, we know everything from his diaries: beggars buried, naked clothed, people way to survival, student opportunity tStudy, sick he purchased medicine, in winter anonymously firewood&money, Despite this letters accusing unrighteousness, injustice, immorality, ambition, selling church property, Gabriel's strong nationalist sentiments caused conflicts with Russian exarch (governor) Evsevi, especially language, so entangled in politics Georgian-Russian, regarded aUntrustworthy bGeorgian Govt, assigned spies, 1885 his secretary, a publicist, was killed, Gabriel received threatining letters so he intended leave Georgia because spiritual weakness, frightened, afraid for disgrace for nation, but he never left, just tKutaisi, died 1896 there after severe torment, terrible visions from devil to spiritually weaken him. unusually hersh winter there, impossible to translate his relics fKutaisi to nearby Gelati, people waited 46 days while body no decay, His will distributed his possessions to widows, orphans, poor, Gabriel's parting address: remitting sins of his flock, asking forgiveness his own sins, his will was publisned, enduring testament of his faith; Imereti region; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Gabriel (Kikodze) was born November 15, 1825, in the village of Bachvi, in the western Georgian district of Ozurgeti in Guria. father was the priest Maxime Kikodze. 1840 to 1845, Gabriel (Gerasime in the world) studied in Tbilisi and at the theological seminaries in Pskov and Saint Petersburg. 1849, he graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy with a master’s degree, in the same year he was married and returned to Georgia. his return he was appointed dean of Tbilisi Seminary. 1854 Saint Gabriel was ordained a deacon, and later a priest. 1856 a terrible grief befell Saint Gabriel: his wife and five children died during an epidemic that swept through the capital. this tragedy Saint Gabriel received a blessing from the exarch Isidore to be tonsured a monk at Davit-Gareji Monastery, in 1858 he was enthroned as abbot of this monastery. the same year he was consecrated bishop of Gori, then on July 2, 1860, he was transferred to the Imereti region. shepherded the flock of this diocese to the end of his life. 1869 the Abkhazeti diocese was also brought under his leadership. Gabriel strove tirelessly to strengthen the faith of his flock, to this end he traveled constantly throughout the villages, preaching and helping those in need. the end it was his own character and example that proved to have the most powerful influence on his spiritual children. existed no differentiation among petitioners in the eyes of Bishop Gabriel: or young, prince or pauper, relative, acquaintance or stranger were equal to him and equally deserving of his help, support, and protection. would not tolerate lawlessness or immorality. simplicity of his character was evident even in his clothing, his dwelling, and the food he ate. was not unusual for visitors, seeing the elder clad in a shabby monk’s robe, to take him for a servant. Gabriel was a merciful almsgiver and generously distributed aid to the widows and orphans in his community. sympathized deeply with the struggles of simple people sought to establish a system of universal primary education. offered his help to many young people by providing them with shelter and by often funding their studies. would host dinners for the youth, leading long discussions to instill in them virtuous thoughts to cultivate a love of humility in their young souls. Gabriel lived by the axiom: “Nothing is my own; all belongs to God.” know from Bishop Gabriel’s diaries the number of beggars he buried, the naked he clothed, the people for whom he paved the way to survival, the students for whom he created an opportunity for study, and the sick for whom he purchased medicine. in the winter Saint Gabriel would anonymously send firewood and money to families that were suffering from hunger and cold. all of this, Bishop Gabriel would receive letters accusing him of unrighteousness, injustice, immorality, ambition, and the selling of Church property without permission. Gabriel’s strong nationalist sentiments (especially those pertaining to the Georgian language) often caused conflicts with the Russian exarch Evsevi. this reason Bishop Gabriel became entangled in the politics of Georgian-Russian relations he was held in high suspicion by officials of the Russian rule in Georgia. Gabriel began to be regarded as “untrustworthy” by his own government, and the officials assigned spies to watch over his every action. 1885 Bishop Gabriel’s secretary, the publicist Evstati Mchedlidze (Bosleveli), was killed. bishop himself began to receive threatening letters, and he decided to leave Georgia. “My spiritual weakness was such that I became frightened,” he wrote in his memoirs. “It was not only for myself that I was afraid, seeing how I had already grown old and had little time remaining in the world. Rather, if they had killed me, a great disgrace would have fallen on the nation that had devoted itself so faithfully to its shepherd.” Bishop Gabriel never left Georgia. his last years he began to suffer severe inner torment, and he often saw terrible visions—the enemy of mankind launched a final campaign to spiritually defeat the already physically weakened elder. Gabriel ceaselessly repeated the prayer “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” his last, he prayed, “Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom!” Gabriel reposed in Kutaisi on January 25, 1896. winter was unusually harsh in western Georgia that year. The roads were covered with snow, and it was impossible to translate his holy relics from Kutaisi to nearby Gelati. people waited for more agreeable weather, until it arrived Bishop Gabriel’s relics remained at the City Cathedral in Kutaisi (this cathedral was destroyed during the Communist period). forty-six days all of Georgia mourned Bishop Gabriel’s passing, and during that time his body showed no signs of decay. accordance with his will, the hierarch’s personal possessions were distributed to widows, orphans, and the poor. parting address, in which he remitted the sins of all his flock and asked for the forgiveness of his own sins, published as a final, enduring testament to his great faith.

Russia, Moscow, 1846, First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Sythia, Mongol Lands (Don River 5), incorrupt Relics
Zadonsk;Zadonsk Monestary; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14; incorrupt relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk were first uncovered in May 1846, during the construction of the new cathedral at Zadonsk. They were found beneath the altar of the old church. Tikhon is also commemorated on August 13.

Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Tolstoy, Writer, Rousseau admirer, Anarchist, Pacifist, nonviolent resist, Henry George
Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy[note 1] (9 September, [O.S. 28 August] 1828 - 20 November, [O.S. 7 November] 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time.[3] He received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909. That he never won is a major controversy.[4][5][6][7] to an aristocratic Russian family in 1828,[3] Tolstoy is best known for the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878),[8] often cited as pinnacles of realist fiction.[3] first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-autobiographical trilogy, Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1852–1856), and Sevastopol Sketches (1855), based upon his experiences in the Crimean War. fiction includes dozens of short stories and several novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Family Happiness (1859), and Hadji Murad (1912). He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays. the 1870s, Tolstoy experienced a profound moral crisis, followed by what he regarded as an equally profound spiritual awakening, as outlined in his non-fiction work A Confession (1882). literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist.[3] ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You (1894), had a profound impact on such pivotal 20th-century figures as Mahatma Gandhi[9] and Martin Luther King Jr.[10] also became a dedicated advocate of Georgism, the economic philosophy of Henry George, which he incorporated into his writing, particularly Resurrection (1899). ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1849-1908, John of Kronstadt Island, mass confessions, miracles, charitable work, anti-semite, anti-communist
Russia, Moscow, 1849-1908, John of Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg, mass confessions, miracles, charitable work, anti-semite, anti-communist; of Kronstadt (31 October [O.S. 19 October] 1829[a] - 2 January 1909 [O.S. 20 December 1908]) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and a member of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. was known for his mass confessions, numerous miracles, charitable work but also for his monarchistic, chauvinistic, antisemitic and anti-communist views.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] is a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church and is known with the epithet "Righteous". Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). His parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Feasts & Saints Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1853-1856, Crimean War, Orthodox East v Ottomans and West (Catholics and Protestants)
Crimean War (1853-1856); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1853-1856, Russo-Turkish War, Crimean War, R defeat by Eng, Ger, Fr and Turks
Moscow, 1853-1856, Russo-Turkish War of 1853-56, Crimean War; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Russia, Moscow, 1854, Socola Icon, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, remarkable miracle of shedding tears, many people saw it
Romania, 1854, Socola Icon, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, remarkable miracle of shedding tears, many people saw it, Crimean War Moldovia occupied by Austrian troups, verified tears, to Russia and War and Peace, forcasted difficult times for Church, Socola destroyed, moved to Iasi; Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562; Icon of the Mother of God “Socola”, Commemorated on February 1; Socola Icon of the Mother of God was in the church of the Transfiguration in the Orthodox Theological Seminary at the Socola Monastery in Romania. In February 1854, it became famous for the remarkable miracle of shedding tears. the Divine Liturgy on February 1, 1854, a frightened member of the clerical staff went to Hieromonk Isaiah, the ecclesiarch, and said that he had seen tears on the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Several of those serving ran to the church. There they all witnessed tears running down from the eyes of the Mother of God. Bishop Philaret Skriban, the rector of the seminary, removed the Icon of the Mother of God from its frame, and carefully examined it. Believing that it may have been sprinkled with holy water for the Feast of Saint Tryphon, the bishop wiped away the tears with a towel, and put the Icon back in its place. Then, after ordering everyone to leave the church, he looked all around the church, and then locked it. hours later, the seminary professors and students went into the church with the rector for Vespers, and all were amazed to see the same miraculous flow of tears from the eyes of the Theotokos depicted on the Icon. Bishop Philaret served a Moleben and Akathist to the Mother of God. Soon, all of Romania learned of this miraculous event, and people from all parts of the country began to arrive at the Socola Monastery to venerate the newly-revealed Weeping Icon of the Theotokos. tears sometimes flowed every day; and sometimes they appeared two, three, or four days apart. As a result, many people were able to see the actual miracle of weeping first hand, and bear witness to it. who did not see the actual miracle were convinced that a genuine miracle had taken place because they observed traces of the dried tears on the surface of the Icon. the Crimean War (1854-1856), the Principality of Moldavia was occupied by Austrian troops. Paar, the commanding officer of the Austrian army, heard about the Socola Icon and ordered a staff officer to investigate the reported miracle and to give a report of his results. The Colonel went to the monastery and examined the Icon, which was not weeping at the time. Finding nothing unusual, he returned the Icon to its frame. Taking a lighted candle, he looked carefully at the face of the Virgin. Suddenly, two small shining tears formed in the eyes of the Mother of God, and the tears began to flow. The officer recoiled in terror, and exclaimed, “It is weeping! This is a great miracle! Fathers, pray unto God!” Colonel reported what had transpired to his commanding officer. His description of the miraculous flow of tears from the Icon is of unquestionable importance, for he had come to Socola Monastery with no faith that such a miracle was possible. When he left, however, he was convinced that it was an indisputable fact. His was not the only evidence that a true miracle had taken place. There were many other eyewitness accounts, including accounts by individuals whose sincerity there would be no reason to question. of the weeping Socola Icon also spread to Russia, and some people believe that the weeping icon mentioned in Tolstoy’s “War and Peace“ (Book 5, Ch. 11) may have been based on this Icon. account provided by Bishop Melchizedek Stefanescu of Romania deserves particular attention. He was one of the first to witness this miracle, when he was a professor in the seminary at Socola Monastery. Reminiscing 35 years later about seeing tears flow from the eyes of the Mother of God, the Elder recalled how he had speculated about the reason for its tears. He knew that in times past there had also been such Icons, which wept from time to time, and that such events always presaged difficult trials for Christ’s Church and for the homeland. supported the Elder’s conclusion. Soon after the miraculous appearance of the tears, the Moldavian Principalities were subjected to severe trials. Socola Monastery also suffered great hardship. It was as important to Romanians as St. Sergius Lavra is to the Russian people. ’s great religious and educational center was destroyed. The seminary was moved to Iași, and the local instructors and monastics were dispersed. Thus, where the glorious historical seminary had stood, serving for almost a century as a center of religious education, there remained only a small elementary school. When the Seminary moved from Socola to Iași in 1886, the icon was transferred to the new Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași. name Socola probably came from a Slavic source, from the word socola, or “hawk” (perhaps because there were many hawks near the monastery).

Russia, Moscow, 1854, Kasperov Icon becomes war hero
Russia, Crimea, 1840, Kasperov Icon becomes war hero; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday.

Russia, Moscow, 1855-1881, Alexander II, Emperor, Serf Lib in 1861, reformer, but killed by serfs, Alaska
Moscow, 1855-1881, Alexander II, Emperor of Russia ; II (29 April 1818 - 13 March 1881)[a] was the Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 2 March 1855 until his assassination.[1] most significant reform as emperor was emancipation of Russia's serfs in 1861, for which he is known as Alexander the Liberator. tsar was responsible for other reforms, including reorganizing the judicial system, setting up elected local judges, abolishing corporal punishment,[2] promoting local self-government through the zemstvo system, imposing universal military service, ending some privileges of the nobility, and promoting university education. After an assassination attempt in 1866, Alexander adopted a somewhat more reactionary stance until his death.[3] pivoted towards foreign policy and sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, fearing the remote colony would fall into British hands if there was another war.[4] He sought peace, moved away from bellicose France when Napoleon III fell in 1871, and in 1872 joined with Germany and Austria in the League of the Three Emperors that stabilized the European situation. Despite his otherwise pacifist foreign policy, he fought a brief war with the Ottoman Empire in 1877–78, pursued further expansion into Siberia and the Caucasus, and conquered Turkestan. Although disappointed by the results of the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Alexander abided by that agreement. his greatest domestic challenges was an uprising in Poland in 1863, to which he responded by stripping that land of its separate constitution and incorporating it directly into Russia. was proposing additional parliamentary reforms to counter the rise of nascent revolutionary and anarchistic movements when he was assassinated in 1881.[5] Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Tikon of Zadonsk, Commemorated August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMultiplier of Wheat"Â, Commemorated on October 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Icon of the Mother of God "œSeraphim-Ponetaevka"Â, Commemorated on November 27; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on December 20; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated on January 25; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25; Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky"Â, Commemorated on February 1; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Icon of the Mother of God of "the Uncut Mount"Â, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas. Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Russia, Moscow, 1855-1900, Meletios, Siberian Missionary Bishop, Translator, Muslim converter gRelics, Great Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1855-1900, Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan (Oka River 9), 35 yrs missionary in Eastern Siberia before Ryazan, Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts, 1896 Bishop Ryazan, c missionary w, from Viatka D, b 1835, PKid, father died, destitute, but top student, but attracted to solitude, wanted acceptance as monk (tonsure) but appointed teacher, 1858 Kazan Academy, 1859 finally tonsured as Melitos, 1859 Deacon, 1862 tPosolsk M at Baikal by Synod directive, Baptism of many natives, building of churches, establishing villages (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic), 1862 Priesthood, 1873 friend Archbishop Benjamin t Irkutsk mission, 1874 tArchimandrite otNilov Hermitage itSayansk Mountains, important translation work at Kazan till 1875, 1888-1896 Bishop of Ikursk &Misionary territories East LBaikal, 1896 Bisho oRyazan, Writer, Converted Moslems Ryazan; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14; Meletios, one of the last preachers of the Holy Gospel to the people of Siberia with all the self-denial of a true missionary, reposed on January 14, 1900. spent nearly thirty-five years of ascetic labors in eastern Siberia, spreading the light of Christ among the native Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts. 1896, he was consecrated as Bishop of Ryazan, where he continued his missionary work until the last days of his truly ascetical life. Meletios (Michael Koz’mich Yakimov in the world) was from the Viatka Diocese, and he was born on October 29, 1835, the son of a village priest. His father died when Michael was just a year old, leaving his wife to take care of the children in great poverty. the family’s destitution and Michael’s poor health, he successfully completed his primary and secondary schooling, and as one of the best students in the seminary, he was able to continue his education at the Academy. then, his soul was attracted to solitude. graduating from seminary, Michael spoke to the rector, Archimandrite Ambrose, the Igoumen of the Dormition Monastery, asking to be accepted into the monastery, and to be tonsured. request was not fully granted, however. He was received into the monastery, but was not tonsured. Here, he fulfilled the obediences of preaching and working in the library. Later, he was appointed as a teacher of Church History and Church singing in the primary school in Viatka. later, he was asked to supervise the students who lived in the monastery. He remained in the humble position of a young novice for a year. August of 1858 he entered the Kazan Academy, and on February 1, 1859 he was tonsured with the name Meletios in honor of Saint Meletios of Antioch (February 12). On March 16, he was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Νikόdēmos. a Synodal ukaz, he was sent to the Posol’sk Monastery of the Savior at Lake Baikal in the Diocese of Irkutsk (southeastern Siberia). arrived at the monastery on June 23, 1862 and began his beneficial work among the Buryats at once. resulted in the Baptism of many natives, the building of churches, and establishing villages for the newly-baptized (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic). In December of that same year, Deacon Meletios was ordained to the holy priesthood. this time Father Meletios became the close friend of Vicar Bishop Benjamin of Selengin (later Archbishop of Irkutsk), and this friendship endured for the rest of their lives. Meletios’s work took him from place to place on the very borders of Mongolia. did not remain there long, however. On August 30, 1873 Archbishop Benjamin placed him in charge of the Irkutsk mission, on February 2, 1874 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite of the Nilov Hermitage in the Sayansk Mountains. that time, his missionary work expanded a great deal, and even more so when he went to Kazan to learn the methods for translating Christian books into the native languages. his stay outside the mission, he visited his family in Viatka Province, visiting his mother and his brother, who was a priest in the village of Verkhovskoy, Nolinsky district, and made a pilgrimage in Moscow and Kiev. lived in Kazan until May 1875. his relationship with Professor Nicholas I. Il’minsky (1822-1891) and his assistants had great significance for the Saint’s future missionary work. the work of translating Christian teachings into spoken Buryat, Father Meletios was helped by the Buryat Jacob Chistokhin, his cell attendant (later a missionary of the Tunkinsky Territory). first book in the Buryat language was published at Kazan: “Teaching the newly-baptized about the Holy Christian Faith” (Поучение к новокрещёным о святой христианской вере). was a very important step, which led to the success of the work of evangelizing the natives during the five years that Archimandrite Meletios was in charge of the mission, and 11,000 natives were baptized. labors increased after his consecration as Vicar Bishop of the Irkutsk Diocese (1888-1896), and he was appointed to oversee the missionary territory east of Lake Baikal. regional city of Chita (Чита) became the center from which the missionary bishop went all around Lake Baikal, in 1881 (which was the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Trans-Baikal mission by the missionaries Theodosios and Makarios). went around preaching the Word of God throughout Trans-Baikal, enlightening his flock and shaping the churchly and secular lives of the newly- baptized in order to integrate them into the permanent Russian population. Meletios founded the Church Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodios, and of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk in Chita, in order to reinforce the spread of Christianity in his flock. did everything possible to strengthen his spiritual children by starting church schools. result of these measures while he was the head of the Eastern Baikal Mission was the conversion of some 4000 natives to Christianity from shamanism, and Lamaites.1 July 5, 1889 he was appointed Bishop of Yakutsk and arrived there on September 16. Diocese of Yakutsk previously had a worthy missionary bishop named Dionysios, who later became Bishop of Ufa. He may certainly be called the Apostle to the Yakuts. the first year in his new Diocese, Saint Meletios employed the methods he had learned from experience in his new territory. year he would inspect different sections of his vast Diocese. Although there were no roads, he covered tens of thousands of miles in one trip. built churches, and found generous donors for this purpose. his journeys he consecrated many of these churches himself, and organized church schools for them. the end of 1889, there were 77 churches in his Diocese, and 118 chapels. 1895, there were nine stone churches, 214 wooden churches, chapels, and houses of prayer. Later, the number of churches and schools increased. looking for ways to support the schools, Bishop Meletios requested and obtained an annual allowance of 6000 rubles, paid to him by the Department of Revenue. 1892, he organized the Church Brotherhood of Christ the Savior. was another aspect to his missionary work at Yakutsk, he was the first person to reduce and help to eradicate leprosy among his flock. 1890 there was an article in the Yakutsk Diocesan Journal # 17, entitled “Leprosy in the Vilyusk Region.” The following year, Miss Marsden, who was an English nurse, came to the region, and worked very hard to help those who were sick. Meletios was so energetic in his efforts to help her that he received a letter of thanks from the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. to say, his flock was most grateful to him for this. Therefore, when he left to go to the Diocese of Riazan, his farewell was exceptionally warm. Seldom has a bishop received such a farewell. October 14, 1896 he was named Bishop of Ryazan and Zaraysk. On November 27, he left Yakutsk and arrived in Ryazan on February 17, 1897. was no wonder that his flock at Riazan awaited their new Archpastor with great enthusiasm and expectation, since they knew of his past life of asceticism and missionary activity, and they were not disappointed in their expectations. This kindly hierarch, who demanded much of himself, yet was condescending to the weakness of others, was an excellent preacher and a true missionary. He left behind a vast legacy of good deeds which caused him to be remembered by the people of Ryazan. Also in 1897, he was made an honorary member of the Kazan Theological Academy. missionary activities in Siberia had a profound influence on his labors in his new Diocese. In the Diocese of Ryazan there were many Old Ritualists, and even Moslems. Bishop Meletios revived the mission to the Mohammedans, he also wrote a great deal. He published many of his sermons, missionary notes, and reports about the Eastern Baikal and Irkutsk missions. He also contributed many historical articles to various Orthodox journals, all for the sake of his missionary work, and not for personal gain. All of his articles came from his apostolic spirit and his character, which were revealed in all the places where he labored for the glory of God. his thirty-five years of missionary work, he was known as the “Apostle to the Yakuts, and Enlightener of the Gentiles in Siberia and Asia.” Meletios reposed on January 14, 1900, and was buried in the Cathedral of the Ryazan Kremlin. Saint Meletios was included in the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints in 1983. Lord Himself decided to glorify the relics of His saint: almost a hundred years after his repose his holy relics were found on June 18, 1998 in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of the Ryazan Kremlin, on the eve of the celebration of the Synaxis of the Ryazan Saints and the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints, and the eve of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Ryazan Diocese. On September 18, 1998, his relics were transferred to Ryazan’s Trinity Monastery. the course of 35 years of work in this field, he was called “The Apostle of the Yakuts and the Enlightener of the Pagans in Siberia and Asia.“ These were natives from southeastern Siberia, in the area near Tibet, who acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Dalai Lama.

Russia, Moscow, 1855-1908, John of Kronstadt, convict exiles, t gospel purpose, joy of living C values, m miracles t Nick
Russia, St Petersburg, 1855-1908, John of Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg, poor, difficult time to keep up in studies, prayer, veil lifted, remembered clearly, first in class, forgiveness, meekness, love, center of C, one path, C death and resurrection, m to china, m girl f Kronstadt, deacon 1855, account for deeds of his flock, daily devine services, murders etc exiled to K, hovels, stay for hours, material needs, Brotherhood for Charity, taught purpose of Gospel, joy of living C values, more miracles than Nick; Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.” After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.” John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.” conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.” He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.” appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with bov 1`redom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.” To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.” John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990.

Russia, Moscow, 1857-1911, St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, Ambrose' assistant, also head of Shamordino C and Optima M
Kaluga's St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, 1857-1911; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Joseph of Optina was born on November 2, 1837 in the village of Gorodishcha in the province of Kharkov. His name in the world was John Litovkin, and his parents Euthymius and Maria were simple but pious people. They were generous to the poor, and often lent money to those in need even when there seemed little chance that it would be repaid. Euthymius also loved to receive monks who came to his door collecting alms for their monasteries. Invariably, he would give each one five rubles for the needs of the monastery. Litovkins had six children, and they often read to them from spiritual books, especially from the Lives of the Saints. The second of their three sons (the future Saint Joseph) was baptized with the name John in honor of Saint John the Merciful (November 12). Instead of providing them with earthly wealth, the couple endowed their children with heavenly treasures, raising them in piety, obedience, and in the fear of God. learned to read even before he started school, taught by his older sister Alexandra at home. He was a sickly child, nearsighted and hard of hearing in one ear. He also met with various accidents. Once he was knocked down by another child and bit off the tip of his own tongue. Another time he was scalded with boiling water. In spite of all this, he was a happy and affectionate child. His father knew there was something special about John, and others also believed that God’s special favor was upon the boy. he was only four, John’s beloved father died, and his mother had to raise the children herself. he was eight, John was playing with some friends, and suddenly froze on the spot. He raised his arms and his head toward the sky, then fell down unconscious. They carried him home and put him to bed. When he awoke, they asked him what had happened. He told them that he had seen the Queen of Heaven in the air. “What makes you think you saw the Queen?” they asked. “Because she had a crown with a cross,” he replied. that time on, the boy became more quiet and thoughtful, and started to avoid children’s games. Soon after this, the family moved into a new home. There was a great fire in the village, and John prayed that the Mother of God would protect their house from the flames. The Livotkin home was spared, even though everything around it was burned. 1848, their mother died during an outbreak of cholera. John was only eleven at the time. His older brother Simeon and his sister Anna were both married before their mother passed away, and his sister Alexandra had gone to the Borisovsk monastery in Kursk Province to become a nun. Simeon became the head of the family, although his drinking problem made him rather unreliable. Simeon took care of John for a while, and their younger brother Peter went to live with Anna. Simeon decided to leave home, and so John was placed in the care of various people, including a tavern keeper and a grocer. to endure conditions in the homes of such people, John went to live with a cousin who was a deacon in Novocherkassk. He ate nothing on his journey, for he was ashamed to beg, and people did not offer him any food on their own. When he arrived at the church where his cousin served, John sat down outside and waited for the Liturgy to end. Two women with rolls passed by and took pity upon him. One of them gave him a warm roll, which the boy regarded as manna from heaven. stayed with his cousin for a brief time, then moved on to other places, taking various jobs to support himself. Later in life he was asked whether he had ever had a girlfriend when he was living in the world. He shook his head and said, “Since I was nearsighted, I couldn’t really see anyone at a distance, and I was too shy to approach anyone up close.” living in the world John was often unhappy, and he found consolation in prayer and in church services. One day he received a letter from his sister, Mother Leonida, suggesting that he enter the skete at Optina, which was blessed with experienced Elders. Then the desire to leave the world and embrace the monastic life began to grow within him. that John was planning to make a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves, the man for whom he was working offered him his daughter in marriage. Years later Father Joseph would say, “It’s always that way. As soon as one begins to think of following the path to salvation, obstacles and temptations begin to appear.” his employer’s permission, John started out for Kiev. On the way, he stopped to visit his parents’ graves and the place where he had spent a happy childhood. He stayed briefly at the Dormition Monastery in Kharkov’s Holy Mountains, but he did not wish to remain there. Finally he went to the Borisovsk Women’s Hermitage to visit his sister, Mother Leonida. She had spoken to Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) of her concern for John. He told her not to worry, because John would become a monk. Leonida’s Eldress, Schemanun Alypia, overheard some of their conversation and said to John, “Forget about Kiev. Go to the Elders at Optina.” Mother Leonida gave him a look indicating that John should obey. traveled to Optina with some nuns of the women’s monastery at Belev, driving the cart for them. Saint Macarius had already departed to the Lord in 1860, and was succeeded as Elder by his disciple, Saint Ambrose (October 10). Knowing of John’s monastic inclinations, the nuns jokingly introduced him as “Brother John.” Saint Ambrose replied solemnly, “This Brother John will prove useful to us, and to you.” March 1, 1861 John found himself standing before the Elder Ambrose, telling him of his life, and asking for a blessing to go to Kiev. Father Ambrose told him to remain at Optina, forseeing the blessings he would bring to Optina, and to the women’s monasteries which were under the guidance of the Optina Elders. Taking Saint Ambrose’s words as an indication of God’s will, John murmured, “May it be blessed.” like all new novices, was given an obedience in the kitchen. He was assigned to help the cook in the skete. From the very start, John demonstrated perfect obedience and humility. Life in the monastery was everything he had hoped it would be, and he was glad to leave the tumult of the world behind. June the Superior of the Skete, Father Paphnutius, asked John if he would like to move in with the Elder Ambrose as his cell-attendant. The next day he moved to the Elder’s quarters, where he remained for the next fifty years. As happy as he was to be near the Elder, he was disturbed by the constant flow of visitors. He felt that there was no time to pray or go to church, and began to have misgivings. He was tempted by the thought that perhaps he would be better off in Kiev or on Mount Athos, and did not notice that Father Ambrose had entered the cell. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the Elder say, “Brother John, it’s better here than it is on Athos. Stay with us.” realized that his thoughts had been sent by the Enemy of our salvation, and he fell down at Father Ambrose’s feet in repentance. April 15, 1872 he was tonsured as a rassophore (wearer of the rassa), then on June 16, 1872 he was tonsured as a monk, receiving the name Joseph in honor of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). He was unexpectedly ordained as a deacon in 1877 in a way which demonstrated that God was directing the course of his life. December 7 (Father Ambrose’s nameday), Igumen Isaac served Liturgy in the skete church. Later, he visited Father Ambrose to offer his congratulations, and the cell-attendants Father Joseph and Father Michael served them tea. The Superior asked Father Ambrose about a monk whom he proposed to recommend for ordination to the diaconate. The Elder said that the time was not right for that particular monk, recommending someone else instead. Noticing Father Joseph standing nearby with a tray, Father Isaac smiled and said, “Well Father, you don’t want my candidate, and I don’t want yours. Let’s ordain Father Joseph.” it was that Father Joseph was sent to Kaluga, where he was ordained by Bishop Gregory on December 9. It was customary at Optina that a newly-ordained deacon or priest would serve every day for forty days. Father Joseph’s health did not permit him to fulfill the forty days, however. He developed an inflammation on his right side, and he nearly died. Joseph’s life continued as it had before, but with more responsibilities. He had no cell of his own, but continued to sleep in the reception room, which the Elder used each day until almost 11 P.M. Father Ambrose frequently tested his cell-attendant in order to give him the opportunity to acquire patience and humility, following the instructions of Saint John of the Ladder (Book 4, paragraphs 27 and 28). Ambrose built the Shamordino Convent about eight miles from Optina, and on October 1, 1884 Bishop Vladimir of Kaluga came for its opening. At the Liturgy that day, Father Joseph was ordained as a priest and from that day forward the nuns regarded him as their priest, and he became the spiritual director of the convent after the repose of Father Ambrose. Joseph now became the Elder’s senior cell-attendant, and tried to protect him and also to placate the visitors who grumbled about having to wait for so long to see Father Ambrose. In spite of his duties, Father Joseph found time to read spiritual books. He particularly loved the PHILOKALIA and the writings of the Fathers. In these books he found spiritual wisdom, which he shared with those who came to him for advice. Joseph’s inner life was known only to God, but his advice to others indicates that he practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. Forseeing that Father Joseph would serve as Elder after him, Father Ambrose blessed some people to start going to Father Joseph for their spiritual needs. Joseph attended Saint Ambrose for thirty years, until the Elder’s death on October 10, 1891. Father Ambrose prepared Father Joseph for eldership, teaching him by word and by example. He would also refer some visitors to Father Joseph for advice. There was such oneness of mind between them that when people would ask Father Joseph about something and then ask Father Ambrose about the same thing, they would receive the very same answer. Joseph’s health was not good, and he was susceptible to colds in winter. In February 1888 he became very ill and took to his bed, and he received the Mystey of Holy Unction. The doctor recommended that he be moved to the infirmary for treatment, but Father Joseph did not wish to leave Father Ambrose. The Superior of the skete insisted on the transfer, however. The ride to the monastery in a sleigh during cold weather only made his illness worse. Joseph was tonsured into the schema (the highest level of monasticism) during the Liturgy on February 14. The next day, prayers for the Departure of the Soul were read for him, and people came to bid him farewell. A novice, sitting behind a screen, heard Father Joseph praying aloud. Peering through a slit in the screen, he saw Father Joseph gazing at an icon of Christ and lifting up his hands. This novice went to the infirmary later and heard someone behind the screen say, “Be patient, my dear one, only a little remains.” He looked behind the screen, but saw no one there except Father Joseph. Later, Father Ambrose told people that Father Joseph had seen the Mother of God during his illness. Though he had been quite near death, he got well. his recovery, Father Joseph began to hear confessions on a regular basis, since this was becoming too difficult for Father Ambrose. He blessed people to go to Father Joseph “not just once, but always.” the summer of 1888, Father Ambrose blessed Father Joseph to go on a pilgrimage to Kiev. After nearly thirty years, he was able to fulfill his desire to visit the holy places of Kiev. On his way back to Optina, he stopped to visit his sister Mother Leonida at Borisovsk. Ambrose usually spent three weeks during the summer at the Shamordino Convent, accompanied by Father Joseph. In June of 1890 Father Joseph began to prepare for the journey, but Father Ambrose said, “I’m not taking you this time, you’re needed here.” He ordered Father Joseph to move into his cell and to transfer a large “Surety of Sinners” Icon (March 7 and May 29) into the reception room. Father Joseph had a premonition that Father Ambrose would never return. he missed the Elder, Father Joseph resigned himself to the situation. He did go to Shamordino once a month to visit Father Ambrose, however. In the absence of Father Ambrose, many monks who confessed to him began to go to Father Joseph. During the Nativity Fast Father Ambrose started sending his spiritual children at Shamordino to confess to Father Joseph as well. This was difficult for the nuns, who were used to Father Ambrose. Even when he heard a nun’s confession himself, Father Ambrose would send her to Father Joseph for the prayers of absolution. In this manner, he indicated that he was entrusting his spiritual children to no one but Father Joseph. September 1891 Father Ambrose became ill, but no one thought it was serious. On October 8, he was so critical that they sent for Father Joseph. That evening the service of Holy Unction was performed, and the next morning Father Joseph gave Father Ambrose Communion for the last time. Saint Ambrose reposed on the morning of October 10, and no one grieved more than Father Joseph. Even in his sorrow, however, he comforted and consoled others. any outside influence or pressure, the monks of Optina began coming to Father Joseph just as they had come to Father Ambrose. When the nuns of Shamordino asked to whom they should go for spiritual direction, Father Isaac told them, “At Optina all we have Father Joseph as our common Elder, and he must be yours as well.” the next twenty years, Saint Joseph received visitors, gave spiritual counsel to those who asked for his advice, and even performed miracles of healing for the afflicted. Out of humility, Father Joseph never said anything on his own authority, but quoted the words of Father Ambrose, or gave examples from his life. He spoke very little, and then only to answer a question which had been put to him. Some laymen, and even some of the monks, were annoyed with him because he did not say more. monk had the thought that since Father Joseph was filled with spiritual wisdom and was so familiar with the writings of the Fathers, he could have said many beneficial things to people. The Elder explained this to him, quoting Saint Peter of Damascus, who said that one should not say anything helpful unless asked by the brethren, because then the resulting benefit would come from their free choice. Even concerning something which might be useful for salvation, the ancient Fathers would not speak without being asked, considering unsolicited advice as idle talk (Vol. 3 of the English PHILOKALIA, p. 186). greatest care was for the Shamordino Convent, which remained unfinished, and for the spiritual welfare of its nuns. The Superior of the convent now turned to Father Joseph to consult him about everything related to the life of the convent, and would do nothing without his blessing. He went there twice a year, during the Apostles’ Fast, and during the Dormition Fast, to hear the confessions of the sisters. In the winter, they would visit him at Optina for Confession. Soon he was obliged to give up traveling to Shamordino because of his health. Joseph was officially appointed as confessor for the Optina brotherhood near the end of 1893 when Father Anatole became ill and could not fulfill this duty. Many of the monks had already been confessing to Father Joseph, but now they all came to him. January 25, 1894 Saint Anatole, the head of the skete, fell asleep in the Lord. Archimandrite Isaac and the bretheren unanimously chose Father Joseph to succeed Father Anatole as Superior of the skete. Although he never sought this honor, Father Joseph accepted his election with all humility. He discharged his duties, not by issuing orders, but with paternal love and humility. Superior, he could have chosen to serve only on major Feast Days when the priests concelebrated, and designated one of the priests of the skete to serve on other days. He often served as a simple monk, however, with only one deacon to assist him. the last years of his life, Father Joseph grew weaker and was often ill. In May of 1905 he felt that he lacked the strength to carry out his duties, and he asked to retire as Superior of the skete. He also had to give up hearing the confessions of visitors, since this exhausted him. His spiritual children were saddened by his decision, but the monks and nuns continued to come to him with their spiritual wounds and afflictions. 1911 Father Joseph was weak and ill, but began to feel somewhat better during Great Lent. He was unusually joyful during Holy Week, which led some to believe that he had had some sort of vision. On April 11, the third day of Pascha, Father Joseph developed a fever and stopped seeing visitors. The following week, a doctor diagnosed him with maleria, declaring that there was no hope for recovery. April 20 the wonderworking Icon “of the Sign” was brought to his cell and a molieben was served. In the afternoon, the Kazan Icon and the rassa of Saint Seraphim were brought to him. Two days later, he requested that the skete brotherhood be permitted to come to him so that he could bid them farewell and ask their forgiveness. Then he asked that the Shamordino nuns also be allowed to come. Joseph stopped taking food from April 28 on, nourishing himself only with the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Up until the time of his death, he was conscious and lucid, answering questions and dictating replies to letters. On May 8 he felt a little better, then became weak again. On the morning of May 9 he received Holy Communion, then at four in the afternoon he received some people for a final blessing. evening the Elder lay resting on his bed with his eyes closed, and his face shone with an unearthly radiance. At 10:45 he drew his last breath and departed to the Lord with a smile on his face. the body was prepared for burial, panikhidas were served one after another for the departed Elder. The saint appeared to some of the brethren in dreams both that night and on subsequent days. body was placed in a coffin at six o’clock the next morning and was carried to the skete church. Following the Liturgy, a panikhida was served, then the casket was brought to the monastery church of Saint Mary of Egypt. The monks began taking turns serving panikhidas for Father Joseph until his burial. miracles took place on the day Saint Joseph was laid to rest at the feet of Father Ambrose. Even today, he continues to intercede with God and to work miracles for those who entreat him with faith. Joseph became a great Elder because first he had been a great disciple. He was obedient to his Elder Father Ambrose in all things, and never contradicted him. Because he renounced his own will, refrained from judging others, and reproached himself for his own sins, Father Joseph acquired humility and the grace of God. He also obtained from the Lord the discernment to recognize every sort of spiritual illness, and how to treat it. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1861-1912, Nicholas oJapan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan
Japan, 1861-1912, Nicholas of Japan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan, fBelsk oSmolensk, Belsk religious school, Smolensk Theological Seminary, 1857 St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1860 tonsured Nicolas, ordained deacon, ordained priest, later requested and assigned head of consular church in Hakodate, Japan, at first preaching in Japan seemed imposible, Japanese looked on foreigners as beasts in his own words, and on Christianity as villanous sect for villans and sorcerers, 8years studying country, language, manners, customs, 1868 at 32 and 8years Flock was 20 Japanese, 1869 reported in person to St Petersburg, 1870 special Russian Mission in Japan, for preaching, Nick archmandrite and Head oMission, 1871 return tJapan, Persecution in Hakodate, many arrested, 1873 free preaching possible, stone bldg Tokyo, church, school, for 50 men, and seminary in 1878, 1874 Bishoo arruved Tokyo to ordain priests recommended by Archmandrite Nick, 4 schools aTokyo mission: for catechists, women, chrch servers, & seminary, at Hakodate two separate schools for boys and girls, 1877 regular publication Church Herald, 1878 4115 Christians iJapan, number of communities wServices and classes in Japanese, 1880 Nick became Bishop at Nevsky Lavra St Pete, returned Japan, completed Tokyo Cathedral, translated service books, completed Orthodox dictionary in Japanese, 1904-05 Rus-Japan War great hardship for his flock, Nick elevated to Archbishop, 1911 50 yr, 33017 Christians 266 Communities, 1 Archbishop, 1 Bishop, 35 Priests, 6 Deacons, 14 singing instructors, 116 catechists, he died 1912, 76yr old, 1970 sainthood; Japan Saint, 1856-1912, Nicholas of Japan; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, born Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin on August 1, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk diocese, his father served as deacon. the age of five he lost his mother. completed the Belsk religious school, and afterwards the Smolensk Theological Seminary. 1857 Ivan Kasatkin entered the Saint Peterburg Theological Academy. June 24, 1860, in the academy temple of the Twelve Apostles, Bishop Nectarius tonsured him with the name Nicholas. June 29, the Feast of the foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the monk Nicholas was ordained deacon. next day, on the altar feast of the academy church, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. at his request, Father Nicholas was assigned to Japan as head of the consular church in the city of Hakodate. first, the preaching of the Gospel in Japan seemed completely impossible. Father Nicholas’s own words: “the Japanese of the time looked upon foreigners as beasts, on Christianity as a villainous sect, to which only villains and sorcerers could belong.” spent eight years in studying the country, the language, manners and customs of the people among whom he would preach. 1868, at 32 and 8 years, the flock of Father Nicholas numbered about twenty Japanese. the end of 1869 Hieromonk Nicholas reported in person to the Synod in Peterburg about his work. decision was made, on January 14, 1870, to form a special Russian Spiritual Mission for preaching the Word of God among the pagan Japanese. Nicholas was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed as head of this Mission. to Japan after two years in Russia, he transferred some of the responsibility for the Hakodate flock to Hieromonk Anatolius, and began his missionary work in Tokyo. 1871 there was a persecution of Christians in Hakodate. Many were arrested (among them, the first Japanese Orthodox priest Paul Sawabe). in 1873 did the persecution abate somewhat, and the free preaching of Christianity became possible. this year Archimandrite Nicholas began the construction of a stone building in Tokyo which housed a church, a school for fifty men, and later a religious school, which became a seminary in 1878. 1874, Bishop Paul of Kamchatka arrived in Tokyo to ordain as priests several Japanese candidates recommended by Archimandrite Nicholas. the Tokyo Mission, there were four schools: for catechists, for women, for church servers, and a seminary. At Hakodate there were two separate schools for boys and girls. the second half of 1877, the Mission began regular publication of the journal “Church Herald.” the year 1878 there already 4115 Christians in Japan, there were a number of Christian communities. services and classes in Japanese, publication of religious and moral books permitted the Mission to attain such results in a short time. Nicholas petitioned the Holy Synod in December of 1878 to provide a bishop for Japan. Nicholas was consecrated bishop on March 30, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. to Japan, he resumed his apostolic work with increased fervor. completed construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, translated the service books, compiled a special Orthodox theological dictionary in the Japanese language. hardship befell the saint and his flock at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. his ascetic labor during these difficult years, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. 1911, half a century had passed since the young hieromonk Nicholas had first set foot on Japanese soil. that time there were 33,017 Christians in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church, 1 Archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 singing instructors, and 116 catechists. February 3, 1912, Archbishop Nicholas departed peacefully to the Lord at the age of seventy-six. Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified him on April 10, 1970, the saint had long been honored in Japan as a righteous man, and a prayerful intercessor before the Lord.

Russia, Moscow, 1868-1879, St Innocent, Moscow Metropolitan & Aleut Enlightener, Apostle to t Americas, m more
Russia, Siberia, 1817-1879, St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Irkutsk, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14), early age mastery studies, from 1823 45 yrs missionary, 10,000 baptized, endless travels, geography, ethnography, linguistics, Aleut alphabet & grammar for catechism, Gospel & prayers, indication of way into heaven, 1840 became monk Innocent and Bishop, 1850 archbishop, 1868 Metropolitan of Moscow, organized missionary service, 1870 Japanese Spiritual Mission, Moscow Spiritual Academy; Irkutsk; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America (in the world John Popov-Veniaminov), born on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk diocese, into the family of a sacristan. boy mastered his studies at an early age and by age seven, he was reading the Epistle in church. 1806 they sent him to the Irkutsk seminary. 1814, the new rector thought it proper to change the surnames of some of the students. John Popov received the surname Veniaminov in honor of the deceased Archbishop Benjamin of Irkutsk (+ July 8, 1814). May 13, 1817 he was ordained deacon for the Irkutsk Annunciation church, and on May 18, 1821, he was ordained priest. missionary service of the future Apostle of America and Siberia began with the year 1823. John spent 45 years laboring for the enlightenment of the peoples of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, North America, Yakutsk, the Khabarov frontier, his apostolic exploit in severe conditions and at great risks to life. Innocent baptized ten thousand people, and built churches, beside which he founded schools and he himself taught the fundamentals of the Christian life. knowledge of various crafts and arts aided him in his work. John was a remarkable preacher. During the celebration of the Liturgy, memorial services and the all-night Vigil, he incessantly guided his flock. his time of endless travels, Father John studied the languages, customs and habits of the peoples, among whom he preached. work in geography, ethnography and linguistics received worldwide acclaim. composed an alphabet and grammar for the Aleut language and translated the Catechism, the Gospel and many prayers into that language. of the finest of his works was the Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven (1833), translated into the various languages of the peoples of Siberia and appearing in more than 40 editions. to the toil of Father John, the Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language. November 29, 1840, after the death of his wife, Father John was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow, in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. December 15, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. April 21, 1850 Bishop Innocent was elevated to the rank of archbishop. the Providence of God on January 5, 1868, Saint Innocent succeeded Metropolitan Philaret on the Moscow cathedra. the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Innocent consolidated the secular missionary efforts of the Russian Church (already in 1839 he had proposed a project for improving the organization of missionary service). the care of Metropolitan Innocent a Missionary Society was created, the Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work. 1870 the Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission headed by Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin [afterwards Saint Nicholas of Japan, (February 3)] was set up, with whom Saint Innocent had shared much of his own spiritual experience. guidance by Saint Innocent of the Moscow diocese was also fruitful, his efforts, the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built up into the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Innocent fell asleep in the Lord on March 31, 1879, on Holy Saturday, was buried at the Holy Spirit Church of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. October 6, 1977, Saint Innocent was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. memory is celebrated three times during the year: on March 31, the day of his blessed repose, on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs), and on October 6, the day of his glorification.

Russia, Moscow, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, first bishop martyred bCommunists, and Ukranian Church
Russia, Mordovia, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), first bishop tortured slain bCommunists diring Russian Revolution, his priest father also murdered, 1874 graduate Kiev Theological A, taught aTambov Seminary 7yrs, 1881 priesthood, Wife&Son died 1886, entered Tambov's Koslov m, 1888 bishop oStaraya Rus& vicar oNovgorod d, 1891 diocese oSamara, cholera & crop failure, led care for sick, 1892 archbishop Kartalin&Kahetin, 1898 Met Moscow&Kolomna for 15yrs, besides helping poor, widows, orphans he helped alcoholics&Who left church, also education expecially theological schools, 1912 Met oPetrogad till 1915, when he disapproved Rasputin &transferred tKiev byTsar, 1917 Tikhon elected patriarch oMoscow, Ukranian Congress called for automous Ukraine and independent Ukranian Church, Vladimir warned that division would help church enemies, but end 1917 Ukranian dominion formed, searate U church, uncannon group forbade Tikhon commemoration, demanded Vlad leave Kiev, Jan 1918 civil war came to kiev, many churches monasteries damaged, Bolsheviks seized Kiev Caves Lavra, soldiers into churches, monks to courtyard, Jan 25th looking for Met Vlad, Tortured choked demanded money, attendant asked for blessing, enough bowing to blood-drinkers, Good-by Philip, walked calmly wExecutioners, prayed and blessed Executioners, May God forgive you, several rifle shots, morning women to Lavra told where his body, in Moscow All-Russian Church Council Tikhon preformed memorial service, but Revolution halted investigation; Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution. Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky was born in the province of Tambov of pious parents on January 1, 1848. father, a priest, was later murdered. young Basil graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev in 1874, taught in the Tambov seminary for seven years before he was ordained to the holy priesthood. wife died in 1886, and their only child died shortly thereafter. bereaved widower entered the Kozlov monastery in Tambov and was given the name Vladimir. 1888 he was consecrated bishop of Staraya Rus, served as a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese. 1891 he was assigned to the diocese of Samara. those days people of his diocese suffered from a cholera epidemic and a crop failure. Vladimir devoted himself to caring for the sick and suffering, inspiring others to follow his example. 1892 he became Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin, in 1898 he was chosen as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. served fifteen years in this position. Vladimir was distinguished by his compassion for the poor, and for widows and orphans. also tried to help alcoholics and those who had abandoned the Church. Metropolitan was also interested in the education of children in school, especially those who were studying in the theological schools. 1912, after the death of Metropolitan Anthony, he was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd, administering that diocese until 1915. he disapproved of Rasputin, Metropolitan Vladimir fell out of favor with the Tsar, and so he was transferred to Kiev. November 5, 1917 it was he who announced that Saint Tikhon (April 7) had been elected as Patriarch of Moscow. “Ukrainian Congress” was also calling for an autonomous Ukraine and for the creation of a Ukrainian Church independent from the Church of Russia. Vladimir suffered and grieved because of this question, warning that such a division in the Church would allow its enemies to be victorious. at the end of 1917, a Ukrainian Dominion was formed, and also a separate Ukrainian church administration (“rada”) led by the retired Archbishop Alexis Dorodnitzin. uncanonical group forbade the commemoration of Patriarch Tikhon during church services, and demanded that Metropolitan Vladimir leave Kiev. January 1918 the civil war came to Kiev, the two forces vied for control of the city. churches and monasteries were damaged by the cannon fire. Bolsheviks seized the Kiev Caves Lavra on January 23, and soldiers broke into the churches. were taken out into the courtyard to be stripped and beaten. At six thirty on the night of January 25, five armed soldiers and a sailor came looking for Metropolitan Vladimir. seventy-year-old hierarch was tortured and choked in his bedroom with the chain of his cross. ruffians tortured the Metropolitan and demanded money. they emerged, the Metropolitan’s cell attendant approached and asked for a blessing. sailor pushed him aside and told him, “Enough bowing to these blood-drinkers. No more of it.” blessing and kissing him, the Metropolitan said, “Good-bye, Philip.” he walked calmly with his executioners, just as if he were on his way to serve the Liturgy. Vladimir was driven from the monastery to the place of execution. they got out of the car, the holy martyr asked, “Do you intend to shoot me here?” “Why not?” they replied. praying for a short time and asking forgiveness for his sins, Metropolitan Vladimir blessed the executioners, saying, “May God forgive you.” several rifle shots were heard. the morning, some women came to the gates of the Lavra and told the monks where the Metropolitan’s body could be found. was lying on his back, with bullet wounds near his right eye and by his right collarbone. were also several cuts and gashes on the body, including a very deep chest wound. hieromartyr was carried into the Lavra church of Saint Michael, where he had spent his last days at prayer. Moscow, the All-Russian Church Council was in session when word came of Metropolitan Vladimir’s death. Tikhon and his clergy performed a Memorial Service for the New Martyr Vladimir. commission was formed to investigate the circumstances of Metropolitan Vladimir’s murder, it was unable to carry out its duties because of the Revolution. Council decided that January 25, the day of his death, would be set aside for the annual commemoration of all of Russia’s martyrs and confessors killed by the Soviets. holy New Martyr Vladimir of Kiev was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. the Sunday closest to January 25 (the day of Metropolitan Vladimir’s martyrdom) we also observe the Synaxis of Russia’s New Martyrs and Confessors.

Russia, Moscow, 1872-1923, Alexei oTeklati, inner warfare, invisible instructor, if die now, who will, God will, die tWorld
Georgia, 1872-1923, Hieromonk Alexei oTeklati, fSenaki d oSamegrelo, a16 father died &blessed care family, same year 1868 tJerusalem & tConstantinople visit pious rich merchant uncle, there facinated wTrade, resolved be merchant, but discovered God's will by praying wForerunner's icon, first great inner warfare, love for mother v force calling spiritual life, How can I fulfill my father's will, invisible instructor answered, if you die now, who will, God will, so die to world, entrust everything to God and he will, life transformed, confined tRoom, scriptures, strict fasting, uncle thought return Georgia, brothers distressed but Mom approved him a monk, tTeklati Woman's Monastery, began Fool FChrist, strict ascetic life, village tVillage, caring for TB cholera, serious illnesses, burying corpses, preaching intensly, example fMany incl mother, sister, brother, become monks, Brother tJerusalem several yrs then priest aMartvili, later great schema, A tMt Athos then tKiev Caves, then back tGeorgia, 1885 tGelati m, study&writing, 1886 reassighned tKhobi m, ordained deacon, 1888 hiermonk, 1890 ill & returned Teklati wMother, sisters, healed by God 1991 &Cell Menji (archangels hill) near birthplace, gathered disciples, celebrated divine services, received alms but gave 2/3, prayed wLife size cross on his back like Simon tCyrene, close to tCommunity because spiritual warmth radiated, bad health f1915 till death 1923, friends stayed in his cell 40 days with incorrupt body; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; Alexi (Shushania) was born September 23, 1852, in the village of Noqalaqevi, in the Senaki district of Samegrelo, to a pious Christian couple. father died in 1868, after giving the sixteen-year-old future hieromonk his blessing to care for the family. the same year that his father died, Alexi journeyed to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, from there to Constantinople to visit his uncle, Islam Shushania, a successful merchant and a clever and pious man. this visit, Alexi became fascinated with the trade industry and resolved to become a merchant as well. he would soon discover that God’s will was different from his own. day Alexi borrowed a small icon of Saint John the Baptist from his uncle, confined himself to his room, and there began to experience great inner warfare. was moved by a profound love for his mother, sisters, brothers, and friends, at the same time he sensed an invisible force calling him to the spiritual life. several agonizing hours, Alexi finally asked himself, “How can I fulfill my father’s will? He entrusted me with the responsibility to look after the family—how can I reconcile this with God’s calling?” his great wonder, an invisible instructor answered him, saying, “If you die now, who will take over your responsibilities?” answer was clear. “God will!” Alexi proclaimed. And he heard the voice again. “So die to the world, entrust everything to God, and He will minister to your family.” encounter transformed Alexi’s life. he confined himself to his room for months, reading the Holy Scriptures, and keeping a strict fast. the radical change in Alexi’s way of life, his uncle thought it would be best for them to leave Constantinople and return to Georgia. was not long before Alexi’s loved ones realized he had made a covenant with God, that he would enter the monastic life. brothers and sisters were distressed upon hearing the news, but his mother gave thanks to God and blessed her son. the age of twenty Alexi moved to Teklati Women’s Monastery. began to lead a strict ascetic life went from village to village, caring for those ill with tuberculosis, cholera, other serious illnesses, burying the corpses of the homeless. years passed, and many became convinced that Alexi was a fool-for-Christ. preached the Word of God with intensity, and his life was an example for many. preaching inspired his mother, Elene, his younger sister Salome, and his brother Besarion to join him in the monastic life. he was tonsured a monk, Besarion made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained there for several years. of his exemplary service to the Lord, he was ordained a priest at Martvili Monastery. he was tonsured into the great schema. also spent time on Mt. Athos. returning from the Holy Mountain, he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves Monastery, then returned to Georgia to continue his labors. the year 1885 Saint Alexi moved to Gelati Monastery, where he continued to study and produced several original works. 1886 he was reassigned to Khobi Monastery ordained a deacon by Bishop Grigol, in 1888 he was ordained a hieromonk. years later, in 1890, he became ill and returned to be with his mother and sisters at Teklati Monastery. to God’s will his health was restored, and in 1891 Alexi fashioned a cell for himself in the mountainous village of Menji (also called “Archangels’ Hill”), near the place where he was born. gathered his disciples and undertook a stricter ascetic life. Fr. ’s health was so improved that he was able to celebrate the divine services again. holy father would receive alms, but he distributed most of what was given to him. divided the alms in three parts: first he put aside for his personal needs, second, for the church and its guests, the third, for the poor and infirm. Alexi kept a life-size cross in his cell, and when he prayed he supported the cross on his back, since it reminded him of the position in which Saint Simon of Cyrene carried the Holy Cross to Christ’s Crucifixion on Golgotha. spite of his strict ascetic life, Hieromonk Alexi was remarkably close to the people in his community and was loved by many for the spiritual warmth that he radiated. many years the strict ascetic life finally took its toll on Fr. Alexi’s health. dismissed his pupils and spent the last years of his earthly life (from around the year 1915) with his cousins, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto. Alexi reposed January 18, 1923, frail from a long and labor-filled life in the service of the Lord. forty days after his death, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto remained in his cell for fear that the Communist government’s henchmen would destroy his humble dwelling. they buried Fr. Alexi’s body at Teklati, themselves began to labor at the Archangels’ Monastery. the blessing of Metropolitan Eprem of Batumi-hemokmedi and Chqondidi, Schemanun Akepsima and Abbess Pasto Fr. Alexi’s incorrupt relics from Teklati to the Archangels’ Monastery buried them near the east wall of the temple on January 8, 1960. Alexi was canonized on September 18, 1995.

Russia, Moscow, 1869, Sept 1, first of many Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon Healings, Complete cripple Thekla Adrianova of Tula
Gethsemane skete; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount Boldina, and where in the eleventh century Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves struggled in asceticism. Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: “The end of the booklet, but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count them?” The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its copies. Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity Sergiev Lavra.) the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May 1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church named for Saint Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was consecrated on October 27, 1851 by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the Gethsemane skete. this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of Saint Anthony of the Caves, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Saints Cyril and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God. is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova, was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years. at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the celebration of the Repose of Saint Sergius (September 25), Thekla recovered completely. Saint Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October 6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast of Saint Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 Saint Innocent arrived at the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears. September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing, people from every class of society came with firm faith to the wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them. the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+ April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon. initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of Saint Sergius, in the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral, painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness monastery.

Russia, Moscow, 1875-1918, Hieromartyr Kirion II, Archbishop, historian, writer for Gegogian Autocephaly
Georgia, 1875-1918, Hieromartyr Kirion II, from Nikozi in the Gori district, Ananuri P School, Gori T School, Tiblisi Seminary, 1880 Kiev T Academy, A Dean Odesssa T Seminary, 1883-1886 education Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, Tiblisi, 1886 supervisor Georgian Monasteries & Society for Renewal of Christianity, directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli, 1886 Monk&Abbot of Kvabtakhevi, collected manuscripts, 1898 Bishop of Alaverdi, fought Armenian Monophysites church confiscation, 1901 Bishop of Gori, contested abolition G Autocephaly so Govt. frequently reassigned him to different parts Russian Empire, 1903 Cherson, 1904 Orel, 1905 Ilia helped w autocephaly commission b rejected, 1906 Sokhumi, restored churches monasteries, 1907 Ilia killed, repression increased, 1908 accused, arrested, no longer Bishop, worldwide response, 1915 restored Bishop, Archbishop of Polotsk &Vitebsk WRussia, 1917 returned to Georgia w honor, Catholicos-Patriarch All Georgia, 1918 Autocephaly, and murdered Nikozi in the Gori district; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12; holy Hieromartyr Kirion II (known in the world as George Sadzaglishvili) was born in 1855 in the village of Nikozi in the Gori district. His father was a priest. enrolled at the parochial school in Ananuri, then at the theological school in Gori, and finally at Tbilisi Seminary. 1880 he graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy and was appointed assistant dean of the Odessa Theological Seminary. 1883 to 1886 Saint Kirion was active in the educational life of Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, and Tbilisi. 1886 he was appointed supervisor of the Georgian monasteries and dean of the schools of the Society for the Renewal of Christianity in the Caucasus. directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli (the Liakhvi River flows through his native region of Shida [Inner] Kartli, the central part of eastern Georgia). 1886 God’s chosen, George, was tonsured a monk with the name Kirion, and he was enthroned as abbot of Kvabtakhevi Monastery. Kirion continued his scholarly pursuits and intensified his spiritual labors. collected folklore and ethnographic materials and studied artifacts from ancient Georgian churches. generously donated the reliquaries and rare manuscripts he found to the antiquities collections at the Church Museum of Tbilisi and the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians. 1898 Kirion published a description of the historical monuments of Liakhvi Gorge. His publication is an important resource for scholars and historians, since most of the monuments he describes were toppled by Georgia’s ideological and national enemies in subsequent years. (Kirion would later join the Moscow Archaeological Society.) August of 1898 Archimandrite Kirion was consecrated bishop of Alaverdi. Kirion began at once to rebuild Alaverdi Church, and he offered his own resources for this momentous task. the same time, he began to study the ancient artifacts of Kakheti and Hereti in eastern Georgia. the manuscripts he turned over to the Church Museum of Tbilisi was a Holy Gospel from the year 1098, unknown to scholars until that time. Kirion was a tireless researcher, with a broad range of scholarly interests. his pen belong more than forty monographs on various themes relating to the history of the Georgian Church and Christian culture in Georgia. He compiled a short terminological dictionary of the ancient Georgian language and, with the linguist Grigol Qipshidze, a History of Georgian Philology. fought the appropriation of Georgian churches by the Armenian Monophysites. He sent a detailed memorandum to the Russian exarch in Georgia demanding that the confiscated Orthodox churches be returned. 1901 Kirion was installed as bishop of Gori. By that time it had become clear to the Georgian exarchate that the educated and progressive clergymen were endorsing the holy hierarch Kirion and contesting the abolition of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. But the government found a way out of this “dangerous situation” by frequently reassigning Saint Kirion to serve in different parts of the Russian Empire: in 1903 he was reassigned to Cherson, in 1904 to Orel, and in 1906 to Sokhumi. Sokhumi Saint Kirion exerted every effort to restore and revive the historical Georgian churches and monasteries, though he would soon be reassigned to the Kovno diocese. 1905, at the demand of Georgia’s intelligentsia (under the leadership of Saint Ilia the Righteous), the regime formed an extraordinary commission to formally consider the question of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. Kirion delivered two lectures to the commission: one on the reasons behind Georgia’s struggle for the restoration of an autocephalous Church, and the other on the role of nationality in the life of the Church. commission rejected the Georgian claims to autocephaly and subjected the leaders of the movement to harsh repression. 1907 Saint Ilia the Righteous was killed, and the government forbade Saint Kirion to travel to Georgia to pay his last respects. Kirion managed only to send a letter of condolence to Saint Ilia’s loved ones. the months that followed, the regime tightened down even more severely on Saint Kirion. 1908 he was accused of conspiring in the murder of Exarch Nikon, deprived of the rank of bishop, and arrested. treacherous deed roused the indignation not only of the Georgian people but of the faithful of Russia as well. the democratic forces in Europe founded a society for the protection of the rights of Bishop Kirion and gathered signatures to demand his release from prison. bishop himself humbly carried the cross of his persecution and consoled his sympathizers with the words of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli: “‘Not a single rose is plucked from this world without thorns.’ We must bear our suffering with love, since suffering is the fruit of love and in suffering we will find our strength!” the year 1915 the regime had ceased to persecute Saint Kirion. They restored him to the bishopric and elevated him as archbishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk in western Russia. He was not, however, permitted to return to his motherland. March of 1917 the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church declared its autocephaly restored. At the incessant demands of the Georgian people, Saint Kirion finally returned to his motherland. One hundred and twenty cavalrymen met him in Aragvi Gorge (along the Georgian Military Highway) and reverently escorted him to the capital. In Tbilisi Saint Kirion was met with great honor. September of 1917 the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church enthroned Bishop Kirion as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. the enthronement ceremony at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Saint Kirion addressed the faithful: “My beloved motherland, the nation protected by the Most Holy Theotokos, purified in the furnace by tribulations and suffering, washed in its own tears: I turn to you, having been separated from you, having sought after you, having grieved over you, having sought for you and now having returned not as a prodigal son, but as your confidant and the conscience of your Church. “I know that in your minds you are all inquiring, ‘What has he brought back with him? With what ointment will he heal his wounds? How will he comfort himself in his sadness?’ my words: He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). likewise, have come not as a hired servant, but as a faithful and obedient son!” after he was enthroned, Saint Kirion sent an appeal to all the Orthodox patriarchs of the world in which he described in detail the history of the Georgian Church and requested an official recognition of her autocephaly. May 26, 1918, Georgia declared its independence. next day Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II presided during a service of thanksgiving. The chief shepherd and his flock rejoiced at the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and the independence of the Georgian state, though from the beginning they perceived the imminence of the Bolshevik danger. The socialist revolution, now showing its true face, posed an enormous threat to the young republic and her Church. June 27, 1918, Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II was found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martqopi Monastery. The investigation was a mere formality and the guilty were never found. were even spread that Saint Kirion had shot himself. When the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church convened on October 17, 2002, it canonized Holy Hieromartyr Kirion and numbered him among the saints.

Russia, Moscow, 1877-1905, general, Sergei Alexandrovich, nationalist, v religous, archiology, charities, expelled Jews, r ideas
Moscow Grand Duke, 1877-1905, Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia; Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (11 May 1857 - 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II, who was also his brother-in-law through Sergei's marriage to Elizabeth, the sister of Tsarina Alexandra.[1] Duke Sergei's education gave him lifelong interests in culture and the arts. Like all male members of the Romanov dynasty, he followed a military career, and he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, receiving the Order of St George for courage and bravery in action. In 1882, his brother, Tsar Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, a position he held until 1891. In 1889, Grand Duke Sergei was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 1884, Sergei married Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Their marriage remained childless, but they became the guardians of the two children of his brother, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia: Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dmitri. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife promoted the marriage of Sergei's nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, with Princess Alix of Hesse, Elizabeth's youngest sister. 1891 and 1905, Grand Duke Sergei served as Governor-General of Moscow. His reputation was tarnished as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy, which, during the festivities following the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, resulted in more than a thousand deaths. a Governor of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was responsible for the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews[2] at the start of his tenure, and he repressed a student movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas. His conservative policies, extreme even by contemporary standards, made him a polarizing figure, and he was regarded as a reactionary. 1894 Grand Duke Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow Military District. After thirteen years of service, Grand Duke Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905. Targeted by the SR Combat Organization, he was assassinated by a terrorist bomb at the Kremlin. life[edit] Duke Sergei with his parents and his sister, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was born on 11 May [O.S. 29 April] 1857 in the Zubov wing of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. He was the seventh child and fifth son among the eight children of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna, née Duchess Maximilienne Wilhelmine of Hesse and by Rhine.[3] Duke Sergei with his younger brother Grand Duke Paul he was old enough to begin lessons, Sergei's earlier years were spent with his younger brother Paul, from whom he was inseparable, and their sister at Livadia, the family's Crimean retreat, at Tsarskoye Selo, and at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. By the time Sergei was born, his mother was already in declining health. Although she was not a particularly affectionate mother, except to her daughter, her three youngest children, Marie, Sergei and Paul, were close to her and especially to one another.[3] Marie adored him and called him "an exceptionally nice young man... and can be recommended one very possible way, not because he is my brother, but because he is an exception among princes."[4] time passed and the Empress's health made it necessary for her to avoid the harsh Russian climate, they spent long sojourns abroad in Jugenheim outside Darmstadt and winters in the South of France.[5] family tragedy hit them there. In April 1865, shortly before Sergei's eighth birthday, his eldest brother and godfather Nicholas, the heir to the crown, died in Nice.[6] As a child, Sergei was shy, studious, and withdrawn. Under the influence of his mother, whose reserved character he resembled, he became very religious. the 1870s, Sergei and his younger brother Paul were kept in Russia by their studies. They were destined to follow a military career, but their tutor, Admiral Arseniev, encouraged Sergei's linguistic, artistic, and musical abilities. He was fluent in several languages and learned Italian in order to read Dante in the original.[7] His interest in Italian art and culture intensified as he grew older. He painted well and was musical, playing the flute in an amateur orchestra. He enjoyed acting and steeped himself in the early history, culture, and traditions of Russia. He liked to read and in time came to know many of Russia's great writers personally, among them Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, whose work the Grand Duke read and admired.[7] He met Dostoevsky over dinner at the Winter Palace where he was invited by Sergei's professor.[8] career[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in his youth Duke Sergei Alexandrovich started a military career early in his life. He was from birth Colonel-in-Chief of the 38th Tobolsk Infantry Regiment, he also became Colonel-in-Chief of the 2nd Battalion Guards Rifles and, towards the end of his life, Colonel-in-Chief of the 5th Kievsky Grenadier Regiment.[9] On his twentieth birthday on 29 April 1877, the Grand Duke took the solemn oath of allegiance to the Emperor.[7] An educational tour that had been proposed for him was postponed upon the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Sergei took part in the war with his father and brothers, the Tsarevich Alexander and Grand Dukes Vladimir and Alexei. He spent the greater part of his time serving as Poruchik in the Leib Guard under the Tsarevich in southeast Romania.[10] He was consequently promoted to Colonel. On 12 October, following the battle of Meyk, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of St George, for courage and bravery in action with the enemy, for a reconnaissance expedition at Kara Loma near Koshev. At the end of December 1877, Sergei Alexandrovich returned to Saint Petersburg with his father. II had started a new family with his mistress and Sergei sided with his neglected mother in the breaking of the family's harmony.[11] Empress Maria died in June 1880, and in March 1881 Alexander II, who had married his mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki, was assassinated by terrorists. Sergei was then in Italy with his brother Paul and Admiral Arseniev. Three months later, in June 1881, the Grand Duke went to Palestine accompanied by Paul and his cousin Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich. They visited Jerusalem and the sacred sites. He helped to found a society dedicated to the upkeep of Orthodox shrines in the Holy Land and the provision of services to Russian pilgrims. He became chairman of this society, and his status as patron of the Russian presence in Jerusalem is believed to have given him more pleasure than any of his other duties.[12] 1882 on, Sergei's military career, which occupied an increasing amount of his time in Saint Petersburg and on maneuvers at Krasnoe Selo, advanced still further.[13] On 15 January 1882, his brother, Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, the elite regiment founded by Peter the Great, with the rank of Colonel. Seven years later, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 26 February 1891, he was made Adjutant General of the H. I. M. Retinue. He became the commanding officer in the village of Preobrazhenskoy. Sergei commanded this regiment until 1891, when his brother the Emperor appointed him Governor-General of Moscow.[9] Russian Grand Duke[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia. twenty-six, the fair-haired Grand Duke was reserved, intelligent, well-read and refined.[9] Over six feet tall, his extremely slim figure was accentuated by a corset, worn in the manner of Prussian officers.[9] his closely cropped hair and neat beard, Sergei Alexandrovich cut an impressive figure.[14] When Consuelo Vanderbilt, then Duchess of Marlborough, met him in Moscow, she considered him to be "One of the most handsome men I have ever seen."[15] Described by his brother-in-law Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, as "tall and fair with delicate features and beautiful light green eyes". Very self-conscious, he held himself very stiffly and with a hard expression in his eyes.[14] health was seriously compromised as he suffered from osteoarticular tuberculosis.[16] A condition he strove to conceal, but it caused all his joints to waste away.[16] He had to take salts and hot baths to get some relief.[16] He could not ride a horse and had to wear a spinal corset at all times.[16] He stood very straight and had a habit of playing with one of his jeweled rings, turning it around his finger. He kept his feelings rigidly in check, and many mistook his reserve for pride. Few had the chance to know him well. He was noted for his adherence to the Church, took a deep interest in Russian antiques and art treasures, and was interested in archaeology, music and acting and sometimes chairing meetings of the Archaeological Congress.[8] shy and reserved, he made no secret of his disapproval of fashionable society and its lax ways, and he defied all criticism. He found it hard to cope with opposition and easily lost his temper. In his home, he demanded tidiness, order, and discipline, and he expected to be obeyed. His niece, Marie, Queen of the Romanians, remembered him: "Dry, nervous, short of speech, impatient, he had none of the rather careless good humor of his three elder brothers ... but for all that we loved him, felt irresistibly attracted to him, hard though he could be. Few perhaps cherish his memory, but I do." Many other family members, including his nephew Kiril, Princess Marie of Greece and Prince Gabriel, included their good impressions of him in their memoirs.[17] Duke Sergei and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna 1881 there had been talks of a possible marriage to Princess Caroline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein.[18] Emperor Alexander II had hoped that at least one of his sons would marry a princess of Hesse as he had done. eventually chose as his bride Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, a daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She was an older sister of both Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Alix of Hesse, later the Empress consort of Nicholas II of Russia. They were first cousins once removed (i.e., Elizabeth's great-grandfather, her father's paternal grandfather, Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, was Sergei's maternal grandfather) and had known each other all their lives.[3] were hesitations on both sides and Elizabeth first rejected his proposal of marriage.[18] Queen Victoria, who had anti-Russian sentiments, opposed the marriage of her motherless granddaughter.[19] Elizabeth and her sisters were not pressured into following political marriages; they were allowed to follow their own inclination.[18] After the couple spent some time together at Schloss Wolfsgarten in Darmstadt in September 1883, Elizabeth agreed to marry him.[20] Their engagement was announced publicly on 26 February 1884 when Sergei returned to visit her in Darmstadt.[21] Upon her marriage, Princess Elizabeth took the name of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia.[22] The wedding took place on 15 June 1884 in the Winter Palace.[23] spent their honeymoon in Ilinskoye, Sergei's 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) country estate forty miles west of Moscow on the left bank of the Moskva River, that he inherited from his mother. The couple later settled in Saint Petersburg in a mansion occupying the southeast corner of the Fontanka Canal and the Nevsky Prospekt, a short drive from his former apartments in the Winter Palace.[21] The Beloselsky Belozersky mansion, bought by Sergei to live with his wife, was renamed Sergeivsky Palace.[24] The couple also had Ferme, a villa located in the grounds of Peterhof that Sergei had inherited from his mother.[25] They usually entertained at Ilinskoe during the summer months, with guests occupying various wooden villas dotted around the park. There was also Usovo, a substantial stone and brick house with an innovative central heating, that Sergei had built on the opposite bank of the Moskva River. couple was close to Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna and the Tsar trusted Sergei more than his other brothers. In 1886, Alexander III appointed him Commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, entrusting him with introducing the Tsarevich (the future Nicholas II) to army life. and Ella represented Russia in 1887 during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1888, they were sent to the Holy Land on the occasion of the consecration of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, built-in memory of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. By 1892, eight years into the marriage, Sergei was already certain that they would not have children and he left a will making the children of his brother Paul his heirs after his and his wife's deaths. of Moscow[edit] Duke Sergei and his wife, 1892 Alexander III adopted a policy of repression; he wanted a like mind at the helm of Imperial Russia's second city and former capital. Thus, in spring 1891, the tsar appointed Sergei as governor general of Moscow.[26] Although it was a great honour, Grand Duke Sergei accepted his new appointment with reluctance. He had hoped to stay longer in command of the Preobrazhensky, where he was popular; and he and his wife loved the quiet life they were living in Saint Petersburg. vice-regal role of Governor-General ruling Prince of Moscow was one that was answerable only to the emperor.[27] Grand Duke Sergei was a political hardliner who shared his brother's inalienable belief in strong, nationalist government.[27] tenure began with the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews.[27] It started four weeks before he arrived in person, after the publication of an imperial ukase by the Minister of the Interiors, Ivan Durnovo, by which all Jews of lower social stance (artisans, minor traders and so on) had to be expelled from Moscow. On 29 March, the first day of Passover, the city's Jewish population learned of the new decree that called for their expulsion.[27] In three carefully planned phases over the next twelve months, Moscow's Jews were expelled. Those first to go were the unmarried, the childless, and those who had lived in the city for less than three years.[27] Next, it was the turn of apprentices, of families with up to four children, and those with less than six years residency.[27] Last of all, it was the turn of the old Jewish settlers with large families and/or numerous employees, some of whom had lived in Moscow for forty years.[27] Young Jewish women were made to register as prostitutes if they wanted to stay in the city.[2] the expulsion, homes were surrounded by mounted Cossacks in the middle of the night while policemen ransacked every house. In January 1892, in a temperature of 30 degrees below zero, Brest station was packed with Jews of all ages and sexes, all in rags and surrounded by meager remnants of households goods, all leaving voluntarily rather than face deportation.[27] Sergei as governor-general was petitioned by the police commissioners to stop the expulsions until the weather conditions improved.[27] While he agreed, the order was not published until the expulsions were over.[27] Some of them moved to southern and western regions of the empire although there were many who decided to emigrate.[28] In counting the cost, Moscow lost 100 million rubles in trade and production, 25,000 Russians employed by Jewish firms lost their livelihoods, while the manufacture of silk, one of the city's most lucrative industries, was all but wiped out.[29] meet the needs of students, Sergei ordered the start of the construction of new dormitories in the city. At the same time, however, severe restrictions were imposed on the students and professors in the universities as a part of the state's policy of conspiracy prevention and elimination of revolutionary ideas.[30] made Sergei Alexandrovich very unpopular in Moscow among intelligentsia, though the more conservative citizens were pleased.[30] Muscovite nobility and merchants despised him because he was rough and lacked tact while attempting to fight commercial fraud and enforce strict policy measures. However, he did significantly improve general living conditions during his tenure and was extremely conscientious in carrying out his duties: “Even in the country when he was supposed to be resting," his niece remembered, "he was constantly receiving couriers from Moscow and giving audiences.â€ He paid much attention to detail, attending personally to matters that could easily have been left to subordinates, punishing corruption and fraud. At times, he would go about the city incognito to see conditions for himself.[31] In private, he and his wife were concerned about the poverty they saw in Moscow and the surrounding countryside, discussing ways to improve it.[32] organizations and charities always attracted Sergei's attention and he became either chairman or patron of scores of them. He was, for example, chairman of the Moscow Society for the Care, Upbringing, and Education of Blind Children; of the Society for Homeless, Neglected Children, and Convicted Adolescents; and the Moscow Department of the Russian Department Society of National Health Protection.[33] addition, he was a patron of organizations as diverse as the Moscow and Saint Petersburg Universities, The Printer's Mutual Aid Fund, the Society of Care for Aged Actors, the Pskov Non-Classical Secondary School, and Prince Nikola's Alm Houses. He was also chairman of the Academies of both Arts and Science, the Moscow Archeological Society, the Society of Agriculture, the Russian Musical Society, the Historical Museum in Moscow, and the Moscow Theological Academy among others.[33] Tragedy[edit] See also: Khodynka Tragedy Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (right) with his brother Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (center, smoking) on 14 May 1896, coronation of Nicholas II. Alexander III died on 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 and his son Nicholas II ascended to the Russian throne. The relationship between Grand Duke Sergei and his nephew, who had served under his command in the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, was close and it became stronger with Nicholas II's marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse, the youngest sister of Sergei's wife—a union that Sergei and Elizabeth Feodorovna had helped to promote. coronation ceremonies of the new Emperor and his wife, as tradition demanded, took place in Moscow and Sergei as Governor General of the City was in charge of overseeing the arrangements. As part of the preparations, Sergei had introduced the novelty of electric light to Moscow. Towards the end of the festivities, according to custom, every newly crowned Tsar presented gifts to the populace; Field, on the outskirts of Moscow, was where the distribution was held since the coronation of Tsar Alexander II. The choice was questionable, as the field was normally used as a military training ground and was crisscrossed with ditches. Nevertheless, Sergei, as Governor General approved the plans. Although a crowd of nearly half a million was expected from all over Russia, only one squadron of Cossacks and a small detachment of police were sent to maintain order. in the morning of 30 May [O.S. 18 May] 1896, families began to gather outside the frail wooden fence that protected the field, watching carts laden with beer, and the eagerly sought after gifts.[34] Around 6 am, a rumour swept through the mass that the booths had already opened and the souvenirs were being given out.[35] Suddenly moving as one, that great body of people began to surge forward in the direction of the booths.[35] As it did so, men, women and children, hundreds of whom had no idea what was happening, fell or slipped on the uneven ground and were crushed and trampled underfoot. Others suffocated in the mayhem.[35] The police, far too few in numbers, were helpless to do much and even the Cossacks when they arrived were unable to stop the catastrophe. One thousand three hundred people, many hideously mutilated and unrecognizable, were killed and twice that number were seriously injured.[36] Grand Duke Sergei had not directly participated in the planning for Khodynka Field, he was to blame for the lack of foresight and as Governor-General, ultimately responsible. However, he did not assume his part of the responsibility for the tragedy. He laid the blame on others, most notably on Ilarion Count Voronzov-Dashkov, head of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, with whom there had been some dispute over the management of the coronation festivities,[37] and Colonel Alexander Vlasovsky (1842–1899), the city of Moscow's Chief of Police.[38] In the eyes of public opinion Sergei had done himself great harm by not going to the scene of the incident or at least putting in appearances at the victims' funerals. of the stampede at Khodynka the tragedy, many members of the Romanov family, headed by Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers, thought that the remaining festivities should be canceled. On the other hand, Sergei Alexandrovich and his brothers thought that a historical event, such as a coronation, should not be disrupted or marred by a conspicuous period of mourning. The latter opinion believed that the crowds who came long distances should not be disappointed and that the tightly scheduled events for foreign dignitaries not be slighted and should go forward. There was also division among the Romanov family as to whether Grand Duke Sergei should have resigned. Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers called for his resignation, while Sergei's own brothers Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich and Alexei Alexandrovich closed ranks supporting him and threatened to retire from public life if Sergei was made the scapegoat for the Khodynka tragedy.[39] Sergei ultimately offered to resign but Vorontzov-Dashkov did not. The Tsar ultimately did not support a thoroughly proposed investigation, the Chief of Police was dismissed, but Grand Duke Sergei retained his high office. night of the tragedy Tsar Nicholas II, for diplomatic reasons, attended a ball in honor of the French; because of that, his reputation suffered for what was perceived to be his lack of sympathy for the victims. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich 1894 Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow military district. Because Sergei was devoted to the policies of his nephew, the Tsar regarded him as a useful counter weight to some of his ministers and officials and would always readily take his side.[40] When, in 1896, disturbances broke out in the universities, Nicholas II was grateful for his prompt action and that of the authorities that quickly restored order. Sergei was often condemned as a complete reactionary during his governorship, according to his brother-in-law Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse, he wanted and strove for improvements, which angered conservatives, but blocked revolutionary reforms, which infuriated radicals, because he considered them impractical or thought that Russia was not ready for them.[36][41] enigmatic personality and harsh manners made him appear arrogant and disagreeable. Shy by nature, he dreaded personal contact. When courtesy demanded a handshake, he solved the problem by wearing a white glove. Puritan and humourless, at least in public, he had a total disregard for public opinion. He never seemed to be at ease with himself and others. He became a focus for serious opponents of the regime as well as for malicious gossip. His cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich left a damaging description about him: "Try as I will,â€ he wrote, “ I cannot find a single redeeming feature in his character… Obstinate, arrogant, disagreeable, he flaunted his many peculiarities in the face of the entire nation… "[42] Later writers have accused him of sadism.[30][43] great deal of controversy around Sergei Alexandrovich has centered on the nature of his personal life. Conjecture about the perhaps unhappy nature of the relationship with his wife has abounded.[44] Sergei's marriage is barely documented. His private papers, including his correspondence with his wife, have not survived, and the evidence that does exist in the Moscow State Archives, the most important repository of Romanov papers, is open to interpretation. According to some contemporary reports, Sergei was homosexual.[43][45][46] His sexuality conflicted with his intense religious beliefs and the expectations of his position.[46] Contrary to this belief, the marriage was happy, in its own way. Unusually for royal couples, they slept in the same bed for all of their married life.[47] Forced to defend Sergei against rumors of discord, Elizabeth Feodorovna was devoted to her husband and treasured his memory after his death. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia with his foster children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna jr, and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich their marriage remained childless, the two children of Grand Duke Paul, Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dimitri, often joined their household, spending Christmases and later some summer holidays with Sergei and his wife. The couple set aside a playroom and bedrooms for the youngsters at their home. 1902, Paul was banished from living in Russia after he contracted a morganatic marriage and Sergei asked for and obtained the guardianship of his niece and nephew.[45] a foster father, Sergei was strict and demanding, but devoted and affectionate towards the children. Nevertheless, Maria and Dimitri resented their aunt and uncle, blaming them for the forced separation from their real father, who had abandoned them.[48] While Sergei had their best interests at heart, his preoccupation with the smallest detail of their education and upbringing were not appealing to the two difficult adolescents, especially the obstinate Maria.[49] the end of 1904, Russia had suffered disastrously in the Russo-Japanese War and the country was in turmoil. As discontent and demonstration multiplied, so did the pressure on Sergei to maintain order.[50] He was of the opinion that only the utmost severity could put an end to the revolutionary ferment, but in the wake of civil disorder Nicholas II was forced to make concessions. did not support the Tsar's security policies of vacillations and evasions.[51] According to Marie Pavlovna, "it appeared to my uncle little less than monstrous ... he expressed deep sorrow for the state of affairs in Russia, of the necessity for serious measures, and of the criminal weakness of the Tsar's ministers and councilors." disillusioned with the whole situation and deciding it was the right time to retire into private life, he informed the Tsar that new times needed new faces.[52] After thirteen years of service, Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905 and was succeeded by Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. However, he continued as Commander of the Moscow military district.[53] Ivan Kalyayev Assassination of the carriage his resignation, Grand Duke Sergei moved to the Neskuchnoye Palace with his wife and foster children. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Nicholas Palace within the safety of the Kremlin, under the cover of night. Sergei took every precaution advised by his detectives. Sergei and his wife rarely ventured outside.[54] At home, they only received their closest friends.[54] Like his father, Alexander II, Sergei was firm of the belief that unless it was the will of God, no attempt on his life would succeed. If it were the will of God, no amount of security would prevent it. One precaution he did take was for the benefit of his adjutants, whom he would no longer allow traveling with him. 15 February 1905, the family attended a concert at the Bolshoi Theatre in aid of Elizabeth Feodorovna's Red Cross War charities.[55] A terrorist organization that knew his route had planned to assassinate him that day. However, one of their members noticed the children in the carriage and decided to call off their attack. To kill the Grand Duchess and the children would surely have sparked a wave of apprehension throughout the empire, and would have set back the revolutionary cause by years.[53] Having had lunch with his wife at Nicholas Palace on 17 February, Sergei left unaccompanied for the Governor General's mansion.[56] Because of the looming threat, Sergei had refused to take his adjutant, Alexei, since he was married and a father. The arrival of the Grand Duke's recognizable carriage, drawn by a pair of horses and driven by his coachman Andrei Rudinkin, alerted the terrorist who had been waiting in the Kremlin with a bomb wrapped in newspapers.[57] before 14:45, the carriage of the Grand Duke passed through the gate of Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin and turned the corner of the Chudov Monastery into Senatskaya Square. From a distance no more than four feet (1.2 m) away and still some 60 feet (18 m) inside the Nikolsky Gate, Ivan Kalyayev, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party's combat detachment, stepped forward and threw a nitroglycerin bomb directly into Sergei's lap.[58] The explosion disintegrated the carriage and the Grand Duke died immediately, his body blown to bits.[58] Scattered all over the bloodstained snow lay pieces of scorched cloth, fur, and leather. The body of the Grand Duke was mutilated, with the head, the upper part of the chest, and the left shoulder and arm blown off and completely destroyed.[59] Surrounded by splintered skull bones was what little that remained of his face.[58] Some of the Grand Duke's fingers, still adorned with the rings he habitually wore, were found on the roof of a nearby building.[58][60] impact, the carriage horses had bolted towards the Nikolsky Gate, dragging with them the front wheels and coachbox as well as the semi-conscious and badly burned driver, Rudinkin, whose back had been riddled with bits of bomb and stones. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he died three days later. Kalyayev, who by his own testimony had expected to die in the explosion, survived.[57][61] Sucked into the vortex of the explosion, he ended up by the remains of the rear wheels. His face was peppered by splinters, pouring with blood.[57] Kalyayev was immediately arrested, sentenced to death, and hanged two months later. Grand Duchess rushed to the scene of the explosion.[61] Stunned but perfectly controlled, she gave instructions, and, kneeling in the snow, helped to gather up Sergei's remains.[61] The bared torso, part of the skull, a hand bone fragment, fingers, and a still-booted foot were placed on a stretcher and covered with an army greatcoat. The Grand Duchess also gathered Sergei's medallions.[61] affected by the Grand Duke's death, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna retired from the royal family and founded the Russian Orthodox convent of Martha and Mary, where she dedicated herself to the care of Moscow's poor and suffering.[58] Part of the obligations of the sisters of the Martha and Mary convent was to make an annual pilgrimage to the sepulchral church in memory of the Grand Duke on the day of his repose, 4 February.[62] Elizabeth Feodorovna was murdered during the Russian Civil War in 1918, together with many other Romanov relatives. bodies were smuggled to China and eventually reached Jerusalem. The wooden coffins were met at the railway station by the deputy British governor, Sir Harry Charles Luke, and taken for burial at the Church of Maria Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.[12] of the memorial, 4 May 2017 Duke Sergei's body was buried in a crypt of the Chudov Monastery within the precincts of the Moscow Kremlin. A memorial cross was erected on the spot where he was killed. After the downfall of the Romanovs, the cross was destroyed with the personal participation of Vladimir Lenin.[52] Monastery was demolished in 1928, and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was built on the site. The burial crypt of the Grand Duke was located in a courtyard of that building, which had been used as a parking lot. In 1990, building workers in the Kremlin discovered the blocked up entrance of the burial vault. The coffin was examined and found to contain the Grand Duke's remains, covered with the military greatcoat of the Kiev regiment, decorations, and an icon. He had left written instructions that he was to be buried in the Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment uniform, but as his body was so badly mutilated this proved impossible. In 1995, the coffin was officially exhumed, and after a Panikhida in the Kremlin Cathedral of the Archangel, it was reburied in a vault of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow on 17 September 1995.[63] 4 May 2017, the memorial cross was restored in a ceremony that was attended by President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[64] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78) in Bulgaria
Moscow, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); Icon of the Mother of God œSocola, Commemorated on February 1; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Russia, Moscow, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, MTrail, invalid ignores 2vision, then goes 3rd, icon found, alcoholics c
Russia, Kaluga, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7), retired soldier, pension on alcohol, broke, poor health, no walk, continued to drink, Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared and told him to go to Serpukhov M for IChalice Molieben, ignored twice, crawled, got better on the way, woman rubbed legs, hard to remember icon, restored health, alcoholism cured, news spread, many alcoholics cured, annual Molieben wAkathist; Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5; “Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was revealed in Russia in 1878. retired soldier from Tula had spent his pension on alcohol, ruining his health. Though he was no longer able to walk, he continued to drink. night the holy Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared to him in a dream and told him to go to the Serpukhov Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple. “Have a Molieben served before her Icon ‘The Inexhaustible Chalice.’” he had no money and could not walk, the man paid no attention to the dream. the Elder appeared a second and third time, speaking to him with increasing severity. on all fours, the man reached the next village and stayed in the home of an old woman. She rubbed his legs, and he began to feel better. The next day, he resumed his journey with two canes, then with one, until he arrived at the monastery. described his dreams to the monks, but none of them had ever heard of “The Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon. Finally, one of them remembered an icon on which a chalice was depicted. On the back of the icon was an inscription, “The Inexhaustible Chalice.” the Molieben, the peasant returned home restored to health, and cured of his alcoholism. of the miracle spread, and many alcoholics and their families came to pray before the Icon. Many of them came back to thank the Mother of God for answering their prayers. Sunday in the Serpukhov-Vyotsk monastery a Molieben with an Akathist is served before the Icon for those who are addicted to alcohol.

Russia, Moscow, 1879-1885, Icon of MOG œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, numerous miracles, painted by nuns, divine light face
Russia, Mordovia, 1879-1885, Icon of MOG œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, numerous miracles, paiinted by nuns, divine light face when the nuns prayed, pilgrims healed blindness crippling, 70 instances noted; Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1879-1892, Macarius Bulgakov, Metropolitan of Moscow, popular student manual, history russian church
Moscow Patriarch, 1879-1892, Macarius Bulgakov, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Macarius (1 October [O.S. 19 September] 1816-21 June [O.S. 9] 1882), was the Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna in 1879-82 and member of many learned societies, including the Russian Academy of Sciences. 1841, he graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy, of which he served as a dean in 1851-57. His popular student manual, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, steeped in the Latin methodology, was originally printed in 6 volumes in 1847–53. In 1866 Macarius started the publication of his landmark History of the Russian Church, for which he is best remembered. The 12th volume of his magnum opus, covering the patriarchate of Nikon, was released posthumously. has been considered one of the three major church historians of the Russian Empire, along with Filaret Gumilevsky and Yevgeny Golubinsky. Tatar descent, he was a distant relative of the major Eastern Orthodox theologian Sergei Bulgakov.[1] Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1880-1882, Kozelshchansk Icon, Kozelschina, Poltava, Ukraine, Sick Girl Story, Instantly cured oParalysis, More
Russia, Kiev, 1880-1882, Kozelshchansk Icon, Kozelschina, Poltava, Ukraine, Sick Girl Story, Instantly cured of Paralysis, More, from italy, Liz's maid of honor 1741, to Ukraine, Kapnist family 1880s, daughter's foot dislocation, special shoe, hot baths, supplements, no reliev, other foot twisted, both shoulders&left hip dislocated, pain in spine, curative mineral waters in Caucasus, lost all feeling hands&feet on way, specialists in Moscow, despair, foreign professor opportunity, but wait, pray with faith to Icon while waiting.; village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance; “Kozelshchansk” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 21; Kozelshchansk Icon of the Mother of God was glorified in the late nineteenth century, though it is older than that. icon is of Italian origin and was brought to Russia by one of Empress Elizabeth’s (1741-1761) maids of honor, who was Italian. owner of the icon married a records clerk of the Zaporozhsky-Cossack army, Siromakh. So, the icon went to the Ukraine with them. the nineteenth century it belonged to the family of Count Vladimir Kapnist, and was one of their sacred possessions. icon was in the village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance. During Cheesefare Week in the year 1880, the daughter of V. I. Kapnist, dislocated some bones in her foot. The local doctor said the problem was not serious. Dr. Grube, a noted surgeon in Kharkov, agreed with the diagnosis, and he applied a plaster cast to Maria’s foot. He also prescribed hot baths and iron supplements. To lessen the discomfort of the foot while walking, a special shoe was made with metal bands that went around the girl’s leg. Lent passed, but the girl did not feel any relief. Pascha, Maria’s other foot became twisted. Then both shoulders and her left hip became dislocated, and she developed pain in her spine. The doctor advised Count Kapnist to take his daughter immediately to the Caucasus for the curative mineral waters and mountain air. The journey to the Caucasus and the curative treatments caused even greater affliction. The girl lost all feeling in her hands and feet, and did not even feel pinches. of the advanced degree of the illness, and since therapy was not helping, they were compelled to return home. the month of October, the father journeyed with his sick daughter to Moscow. Here he consulted specialists, who declared that they could do nothing for Maria. parents and the sick girl began to despair. However, an unexpected opportunity for help from a foreign professor presented itself. Since it would be some while before his arrival in Moscow, the sick girl asked to return home. The Count sent her back to the village, and his wife promised to bring their daughter back to Moscow when he received news of the the professor’s arrival. On February 21, 1881, they received a telegram saying that the professor had arrived in Moscow. the day before the appointment, Maria’s mother suggested that she pray before the family icon of the Mother of God. She said to her daughter, “Masha [a diminutive form of Maria], tomorrow we go to Moscow. Take the icon, let us clean its cover and pray to the Most Holy Theotokos that your infirmity be cured.” girl, who had no confidence in earthly physicians, placed all her hope in God. This icon had long been known as wonderworking. According to Tradition, young women would pray before it to have a happy family. It was also the custom to clean the cover of the icon, and the one praying would wipe it with cotton or linen. the holy icon to her bosom, the sick girl, with the help of her mother, cleaned it and poured out all her sorrow and despair of soul to the Mother of God. All at once, she felt the strength return to her body and she cried out loudly, “Mama! Mama! I can feel my legs! I can feel my hands!” She tore off the metal braces and bandages and began to walk about the room, while continuing to hold the icon of the Mother of God in her hands. parish priest was summoned at once and celebrated a service of Thanksgiving before the icon. The joyous event quickly became known throughout all the surrounding villages. The Countess and Maria went to Moscow and took with them the holy icon of the Mother of God. News of the healing quickly spread about Moscow and people began to throng to the hotel, and then to the church, where they had brought the icon. icon continued to work several more healings. When the family returned home to Kozelschina, people had already heard about the miracles of the Kozelschansk icon of the Mother of God in Moscow, and many came to venerate the icon. It was no longer possible to keep the icon at home, so by the order of Archbishop John of Poltava, the icon was transferred to a temporary chapel on April 23, 1881. Every day from early morning, services of Thanksgiving and Akathists were served before the icon. 1882 a chapel was built on the grounds of the estate, and then a church. At the decision of the Holy Synod on March 1, 1885 a women’s monastery was established, and on February 17, 1891 it was dedicated to the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. present, the Kozelschansk Icon is in the Krasnogorsk Protection women’s monastery (Kiev diocese). In the lower left corner of the icon is a table with a cup and a spoon. It is believed that this symbolizes the Mother of God as a “bowl for mixing the wine of joy” (Akathist, Ikos 11). A Service and an Akathist have been composed for the Kozelschansk Icon.

Russia, Moscow, 1880-1915, Raphael, Bishop oBrooklyn, Syrian Arab, worked wRussian Tikhon to bring Orthodox priests to America
US, 1880-1915, Raphael, Bishop oBrooklyn, NY, family fSyria, fled to Beruit, R born in B, no continuing city in life, 1861 family returned tDamascus, very well in Elementary school, 1874 father not able ed him, but future Met got him accepted in school fFuture priests, 1877 selected substitute teaching assistant, 1878 teacher oArabic and Turkish, tonsured 1879, and Patriarch's personal assistant, since Syrian Seminary closed 1840, selected to Constantinople's school oTheology aHalki, 1885 ordained deacon, 1886 Certificate oTheology & returned tSyria, Patriarch oAntioc Gerasimus impressed bR, took him on pastoral visits, substitute preacher for G, thirst more knowledge, asked G for graduate studies in Russia, promising return, to serve as russian language secretary, accepted Theological Academy Kiev, 1889 G ordered him head oAntiochian Church Moscow, ordained priest, same year raised rank oArchmandrite by Moscow Met, as head oAntiochian Representation Church iRussia, in 2yrs reduced their debt by 15k Rubles from 65k, also arranged 24 mor syrian students come to russia, hoping they return to teach others, When G (a Greek) resigned, Raphael saw a chance to have a Syrian as Patriarch oAntioch, freeing them from foreign hierarchs, campaign of letters to Antiochian bishops influentian laymen, but a Greek was elected, many arabs believed he had purchased the election distributing 10,000 lira to notable people iDamascus, R refused to commorate new patriarch, who suspended him, R accepted suispension but continued writing to Russian newspapers defending Antiochian cause, Antioch Constantinople Alexandria Jerusalem successfuylly petitioned Russian Tsar to forbid newspapers from printing the articles, so he published letters in book form, new Greek P then asked R's friend to persuade R to ask his forgiveness, He did so, suspension lifted, R allowed to transfer tChurch oRussia, he went tKazan fPosition instructor Arabic studies in K Theological Academy, til 1895 when invited tSyrian Orthodox Benevolent Society oNew York, come to be Pastor Arab Orthodox community, he set off on great missionary jouirney, chapel in Lower Manhattan in less than 2wks, furnished wEcclesiastical items he brought fRussia, soon learned oSmall communities Arab Christians throughout North America, concerned they turn away without Pastor, dialogue OK but clear distinction between Orthodox and heterodox, teachings o7Ecumenical Councils, spotless faith delivered to the saints, do not attend heterodox services, have household head read the hours, 1896 pastoral journeys across continent, 30 cities, preached where he stopped, marriages, baptisms, confessions, Divine Liturgy, 1898 produced Arab language service book, and used Isabell Hapgoods English Service book for the Children, 1898 2nd Pastoral tour, need for arabic speaking priests to Nicholas, brought qualified priests from Syria, sought educated laymen for ordination, only after blessing otRussian hierarch at American Mission, Raphael welcomed Tikhon when he replaced Nicholas, all orthodox united under Russian bishops omophorion, until Russian revolution, R ministered to Greeks, Russians, Arabs, weddings baptisms, regularizing weddings performed by non-orthodox, charismating children baptized by Catholic priests, restored calm in Johnstown ending bitter fued, while there received call than Syrian Arab had been elected Antioch Partiarch, first time in 168 yrs, refused to succeed him in Latakia, important work in America, 1901 same for Beruit, wanted build Church and Cemetery in New York, Olivet cemetery Long Island, declined bishopric Zahleh, need build Syrian temple in NY, 190 bought existing church in Brooklin and remodeled, Tikhon concecrated it, Reorganized diocese, too many parishes, Tikhon submitted plan to move See from San Francisco to New York, Tikhon made Archbishop Raphael his 2nd vicar bishop, Bishop oAlaska his 1st, 1903 Russians made Raphael bishop oBrooklyn, while remaining head Syro-Arab mission in North America, Antiochian Met Meletios pleased, Raphael accepted, meanwhile Father Innocent Pustynsky consecrated Bishop by Tikhon in St Petersburg, 1904 Raphael became 1st Orthodox Bishop consecrated on American soil, by Tikhon and Pustynsky, St Nicholas Cathedral Brooklyn, his new Bishop's vestments a gift from Russian Tsar Nicholas II, at end of 1904 R announced plans to publish magazine called The Wiord, Syro-Arab Mission's official pub, to link people and parishes closely gogether, needed this because he could not visit all parishes, so he could preach salvation to those he would never meet, first issue 1905, considered this equal to acquisition of cathedral and parish cemetery, 1905 consecrated St Tikhon's Monastery and blessed orphanage both in South Canaan, PA, 3 days later presided over conference Old Forge, PA becuase Tikhon in San Fran, with 3 saints, 2 of which Martyrs in Russia, growin flock, increase of children needing services in English, evening school for children, 1907 Tikhon returned to Russia, replaced by Platon, and honored, could not understand honor for doing his job, 1912 fell,. heart trouble that will eventually cause death, 1913-14 continued pastoral visits, 1915 fell ill again, several months at home, patiently bearing illness, died Feb 15, 1915; Brooklyn, NY; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn (+1915) on the Glorification of Our Holy Father Bishop RAPHAEL (30-Apr-2000) holy Father Raphael was born in Syria in 1860 to pious Orthodox parents, Michael Hawaweeny and his second wife Mariam, the daughter of a priest of Damascus. exact date of Raphael’s birth is not known, but he estimated it to be on or near his Name Day, Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven (November 8). to the violent persecution of Christians, at which time their parish priest, Saint Joseph of Damascus (July 10) and his companions were martyred, Hawaweeny family was forced to flee to Beirut for their safety. was here that the future saint first saw the light of day, and not in the city of his parents. as the child’s life unfolded, it was evident that he would have no continuing city in this world, but would seek the city which is to come (Heb 13:14). the Feast of Theophany in 1861, he was baptized with the name Rafla, and later that spring the family was able to return to Damascus. child attended elementary school, where he did very well, in 1874 it appeared that Michael Hawaweeny would no longer be able to afford his son’s tuition. help came from Deacon Athanasius Atallah (later Metropolitan of Homs), recommended to Patriarch Hierotheus of Antioch that Rafla be accepted as a student of the Patriarchate in preparation for the priesthood. was such a good student that he was selected to be a substitute teaching assistant in 1877. following year he was appointed as a teacher of Arabic and Turkish. March 28, 1879 he was tonsured as a monk by Patriarch Hierotheus, served as His Beatitude’s personal attendant. the Balamand Seminary had been closed in 1840, JOACHIM III of Constantinople invited the Patriarch of Antioch to send at least one deserving student to study on scholarship at the School of Theology at Halki, Saint Raphael was the one who was selected to go. December 8, 1885, he was ordained to the diaconate at the school chapel. July of 1886, the young deacon received his Certificate of Theology, and returned to his homeland in the hope of serving the Church there. Gerasimus of Antioch was impressed with Deacon Raphael, and often took him along on his pastoral visitations of his parishes. His Beatitude could not be present, Deacon Raphael was asked to preach the Word of God to the people. Raphael was not satisfied with the extent of his knowledge, and thirsted to learn even more. did not stem from personal pride or ambition, came from his fervent desire to benefit others. the words of King Solomon could be applied to Saint Raphael: “Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser; instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction” (Proverbs 9:9). he asked Patriarch Gerasimus to permit him to do graduate studies at a school in Russia, to return and serve as the Patriarch’s Russian-language secretary. Patriarch gave his blessing, and Deacon Raphael was accepted as a student at the Theological Academy of Kiev. 1889 Patriarch Gerasimus ordered the young deacon to take over as head of the Antiochian representation church in Moscow. was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop SYLVESTER, the rector of the Academy, at the request of Patriarch Gerasimus. month later, he was raised to the rank of archimandrite by Metropolitan IOANNIKII of Moscow, was confirmed as head of the Antiochian representation church. two years, Archimandrite Raphael was able to reduce the representation’s 65,000 ruble debt by 15,000 rubles. also arranged for twenty-four Syrian students to come to Russia to further their education, hoping that they would return to Syria and teach others. Patriarch Gerasimus resigned in order to accept the See of Jerusalem, Raphael regarded this as an opportunity to free the Church of Antioch from its domination by foreign hierarchs. with love for the Church of Antioch, and wishing to restore the administration of the church to its own native clergy and people, Raphael began a campaign of writing letters to some Antiochian bishops and influential laymen. also wrote articles in the Russian press, drawing attention to the plight of Antioch. courageous efforts did not meet with success, however, and there was a price to pay for his outspoken criticism. November of 1891 Metropolitan SPYRIDON, a Greek Cypriot, was elected as Patriarch of Antioch. Arabs believed that he had purchased the election by distributing 10,000 lira to several notable people in Damascus. Raphael refused to commemorate the new Patriarch during services at the representation church. a result, he was suspended from his priestly functions by Patriarch SPYRIDON. Raphael accepted his suspension, but continued to write articles in Russian newspapers in defense of the Antiochian cause. Patriarchs of Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Jerusalem successfully petitioned the Tsar to forbid Russian newspapers from publishing his articles. this door closed to him, Saint Raphael began to publish his writings in book form. Patriarch SPYRIDON wrote to the Assistant Overprocurator of Russia, a friend of Saint Raphael’s, asking him to persuade Father Raphael to ask for the Patriarch’s forgiveness. did so, and the suspension was lifted. Raphael was allowed to transfer from the jurisdiction of Antioch to the Church of Russia, and to remain there. went to Kazan, taking a position as instructor in Arabic studies at the theological academy. remained there until 1895 he was invited by the Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Society of New York to come to that city to be the pastor of the Arab Orthodox community. the holy Apostle Paul had a vision of a man entreating him to come to Macedonia to help them (Acts 16:10), he set off on a great missionary journey. Saint Raphael heard of the needs of his countrymen who were scattered in a strange land, he crossed the ocean to labor in yet another foreign country. Raphael arrived in New York on November 2, 1895, was welcomed by a delegation of Arab Christians who were awaiting their leader from Russia. November 5, his first Sunday in America, he assisted Bishop NICHOLAS in serving the Divine Liturgy at the Russian church in New York city. than two weeks after his arrival, Archimandrite Raphael found a suitable place in lower Manhattan to set up a chapel, furnished it with ecclesiastical items that he had brought with him from Russia. NICHOLAS blessed the new chapel, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. zealous pastor remained in New York teaching, preaching, and celebrating the divine services for his parishioners. was not long, however, before he heard of smaller communities of Arab Christians scattered throughout the length and breadth of North America. these Arab immigrants had no pastor to care for them, it was not surprising that some should turn to other Christian traditions, or completely neglect their religious duties. was an ongoing concern for Saint Raphael throughout the course of his ministry. he was not opposed to dialogue with non-Orthodox Christians, nor to friendly relations based on shared beliefs, Raphael never lost sight of the clear line of distinction that exists between the Orthodox and the heterodox. always insisted that any church unity must be based on the teachings of the seven Ecumenical Councils. Orthodoxy of Saint Raphael’s life and teaching was demonstrated over and over again by his words and his actions. always upheld and defended the spotless Faith which was “delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Although at first he did not understand the teachings of the heterodox, later discovered how far removed they were from Orthodox doctrine. he realized this, he took steps to protect his flock from harmful influences. directed his people not to attend heterodox services lest they become confused by “divers and strange doctrines” (Heb 13:9). believed it would be preferable for the head of the household to read the Hours at home from the Service Book when it was not possible to attend an Orthodox church. the summer of 1896, Saint Raphael undertook the first of several pastoral journeys across the continent. visited thirty cities between New York and San Francisco, out the Master’s lost sheep in cities, towns, and on isolated farms. fed the spiritually hungry people with the Word of God in each place where he stopped. performed marriages, baptisms, heard confessions, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the homes of the faithful where there was no church building. other words, he zealously fulfilled his ministry as a preacher of the Gospel, enduring many hardships and afflictions, and he was watchful in all things concerning the care of his flock (2 Tim 4:5). 1898, with the blessing of Bishop Nicholas, Saint Raphael produced his first book in the New World -- an Arabic language Service Book called The Book of True Consolation in the Divine Prayers. book of liturgical services and prayers was very useful to priests in celebrating the divine services, also to the people in their personal prayer life. English version published by Archimandrite Seraphim Nassar is still being used today. May-November 1898, Saint Raphael set off on his second pastoral tour. this trip he became convinced of the need for Arabic-speaking priests to serve in the new churches he had established. he returned to New York, he made a report to Bishop NICHOLAS expressing these concerns. Bishop NICHOLAS’s blessing Saint Raphael was able to bring qualified priests from Syria. also sought out educated laymen whom he could recommend for ordination. as an archimandrite and later as bishop, Saint Raphael would appoint pastors only after obtaining the blessing of the Russian hierarch who headed the American Mission. was the normal state of affairs in America at the time. Raphael welcomed Bishop Tikhon when the latter replaced Bishop NICHOLAS as the ruling bishop in America. December 15, Saint Tikhon came to serve the Liturgy at the Syrian church of Saint Nicholas. Raphael told his people that their new Archpastor was one who “has been sent here to tend the flock of Christ -- Russians, Slavs, Syro-Arabs, and Greeks -- which is scattered across the entire North American continent.” that time, of course, there were no parallel jurisdictions based on nationality. Church united those of diverse backgrounds under the omophorion of the Russian Archbishop. was the norm until the Russian Revolution disrupted church life in Russia, and also in America. March of 1899, Saint Raphael received permission from Bishop Tikhon to start collecting funds for a cemetery, and for building a new church to replace the chapel which was located in an old building on a dirty street. the spring he left on another pastoral tour of forty-three cities and towns. by land and sea, and undeterred by the obstacles and difficulties before him, he spent seven months in the northeastern, southern, and midwestern regions of the United States. Raphael ministered to Greeks and Russians as well as Arabs, weddings and baptisms, regularizing the weddings of Orthodox people who had been married by non-Orthodox clergy. also chrismated some children who had been baptized by Catholic priests. Johnstown, PA he reconciled those whose personal enmity threatened to divide the Arabic community. civil courts had been unable to make peace, Saint Raphael restored calm and put an end to the bitter feud. in Johnstown, he received a telegram informing him that Metropolitan Meletios (Doumani), had been elected Patriarch of Antioch. great joy Saint Raphael told his people that for the first time in 168 years, a native Arab had been chosen as primate of the Antiochian Church. the new Patriarch had been installed, Archimandrite Raphael was proposed to succeed Meletios as Metropolitan of Latakia. Patriarch, however, stated that the Holy Synod could not elect Father Raphael because of his important work in America. 1901, Metropolitan GABRIEL of Beirut wrote to Archimandrite Raphael asking him to be his auxiliary bishop, but he declined, saying that he could not leave his American flock. he wanted to build a permanent church, and to acquire a parish cemetery. The latter goal was achieved in August of 1901 when Father Raphael purchased a section of Mt Olivet cemetery on Long Island. December of 1901 Archimandrite Raphael was elected as Bishop of Zahleh. Meletios sent a telegram congratulating him and asking him to return. Raphael thanked the Patriarch, but again declined higher office. said that he wished to complete the project of building a temple for the Syrian community in New York. following year, he bought an existing church building on Pacific Street in Brooklyn, and had it remodeled for Orthodox worship. Tikhon consecrated the church to the great joy of the faithful in attendance. Thus, Saint Raphael’s second major project was finished. the number of parishes within the Diocese of North America was growing, Bishop Tikhon found it impossible to visit all of them. diocese had to be reorganized in order to administer it more efficiently. Bishop Tikhon submitted a plan to the Russian Holy Synod which would transfer the See from San Francisco to New York because most parishes and individuals were concentrated in the east. various ethnic groups required special attention and pastoral leadership, Bishop Tikhon proposed that Archimandrite Raphael be made his second vicar bishop (the Bishop of Alaska would be his first). 1903, the Holy Synod of Russia unanimously elected Archimandrite Raphael to be the Bishop of Brooklyn while retaining him as head of the Syro-Arab Orthodox Mission in North America. Holy Synod announced the election to Patriarch Meletios, who was pleased by their decision. Tikhon wrote to Saint Raphael to inform him of his election, and Father Raphael sent him a letter of acceptance. Father Innocent Pustynsky was consecrated as Tikhon’s first auxiliary bishop at Saint Petersburg’s cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. the third Sunday of Lent in 1904, Saint Raphael became the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated on American soil. Tikhon and Bishop Innocent performed the service at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn. new bishop’s vestments were a gift from Tsar Nicholas II. his consecration, Bishop Raphael continued his pastoral labors, ordaining priests and assigning them to parishes, and helping Bishop Tikhon in the administration of the diocese. the end of 1904, Bishop Raphael announced his intention to publish a magazine called Al-Kalimat (The Word) as the official publication of the Syro-Arab mission. would help to link the people and parishes of his diocese more closely together. Raphael knew that he could not visit all Orthodox Christians across North America in person, but through the ministry of the printed word, he could preach the word of salvation even to people he would never meet. content was to be spiritual, moral, and churchly so that the magazine could reinforce people in their Faith. Word would focus on five primary topics: truths, teaching, and contemporary ecclesiastical subjects, chronicle of baptisms, weddings, etc., official pronouncements. first issue was printed in January 1905, and Saint Raphael considered this milestone as one equal in importance to the acquisition of Saint Nicholas Cathedral and the parish cemetery. July of 1905 Bishop Raphael consecrated the grounds for Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and blessed the orphanage at South Canaan, PA. days later, he presided at a conference of diocesan clergy at Old Forge, PA, because Archbishop Tikhon was in San Francisco. the clergy in attendance were three who would also be numbered among the saints: Father ALEXIS Toth, Father Alexander Hotovitzky, and Father John Kochurov last two would die as martyrs in Russia). the next ten years Bishop Raphael tended his growing flock. the growth of his New York community came an increase in the number of children, and he was concerned about their future. wanted to establish an evening school to educate them in a Christian atmosphere, because the future of the Church in this country depended upon the instruction of the youth. who did not speak Arabic were already going to non-Orthodox churches where Sunday school classes were conducted in English. Raphael saw the absolute necessity for using English in worship and in education for the future progress of the Syro-Arab Mission. heed of Saint Paul’s words to pray in a language that people understood (1 Cor.14:15-19), Raphael recommended the use of the Service Book of the Holy Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church (translated by Isabel Hapgood) in all of his parishes. March of 1907 Saint Tikhon returned to Russia and was replaced by Archbishop PLATON. again Saint Raphael was considered for episcopal office in Syria, being nominated to succeed Patriarch GREGORY as Metropolitan of Tripoli in 1908. Holy Synod of Antioch removed Bishop Raphael’s name from the list of candidates, citing various canons which forbid a bishop being transferred from one city to another. the Sunday of Orthodoxy in 1911, Bishop Raphael was honored for his fifteen years of pastoral ministry in America. PLATON presented him with a silver-covered icon of Christ and praised him for his work. his humility, Bishop Raphael could not understand why he should be honored merely for doing his duty (Luke 17:10). He considered himself an “unworthy servant,” yet he did perfectly the work that fell to him (Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians). the end of 1912, Bishop Raphael became ill while working in his office. diagnosed him with a heart ailment that eventually caused his death. two weeks he felt strong enough to celebrate the Liturgy in his cathedral. 1913-1914 this missionary bishop continued to make pastoral visitations to various cities. 1915 he fell ill again and spent two months at home, bearing his illness with patience. 12:40 AM on February 14/27 he rested from his labors. They called him, but he did not answer. They shook him, but he was gone. his youth, Saint Raphael’s greatest joy was to serve the Church. When he came to America, he found his people scattered abroad, and he called them to unity. He never neglected his flock, but traveled throughout America, Canada, and Mexico in search of them so that he might care for them. He kept them from straying into strange pastures, and he protected them from spiritual harm. During twenty years of faithful ministry he nurtured them and helped them to grow. At the time of his death, the Syro-Arab Mission had thirty parishes with 25,000 faithful. was also a scholar, and the author of several books. He wrote many, if not most, of the articles that appeared in The Word. He served his own Arabic community, and also reached out to Greeks and Russians, speaking to them in their own language. He became fluent in English, and encouraged its use in church services and educational programs. Raphael came into contact with all sorts of people, and was a gentle father to them. He gained their love and respect by first loving them, and also through his charming personality and excellent character. He was always kind and merciful to others, but was strict with himself. He accomplished many good things during his earthly life, and now he joins the holy angels in offering ceaseless prayer and praise to God. the prayers of the holy Bishop Raphael, may we also be made worthy of the heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Russia, Moscow, 1880-1918, Philosophos oSt Pete, Jo Kronstadt protege&kin, moral preacher, almshouses, c builder, more
Russia, St Petersburg, 1880-1918, Philosophos oSt Petersburg, Russia (Peterburg or Petrograd), St Kronstadt protege&kin, moral education, city council, shelters, orphanages, almshouses, church builder, modest lifestyle, but handled millions, large family, needed give private lessons, mag editor&censor, friend of Tikhon&Kazansky, rector Kazan Cathedral St Pete, gave apt for infirmary WWI, support tFront Lines, preached anti communism, our intellectuals must become russian, 1918 defense oShrines, arrested, impassive&calm, Chekists broke promise, prophecy perishing like dogs Russia to be Russia again, shot, body floated in Bay near Oranienbaum; St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Philosophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31; Hieromartyr Archpriest Philosophos N. Ornatsky was born on May 21, 1860 in the churchyard of Novaya Yerga, Cherepovets County, Novgorod Governorate,1 the family of a village priest. of his brothers was married to the niece of Saint John of Kronstadt. studied first in Kirillov Theological School, and then in the Novgorod Theological Seminary. 1885 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy with the degree of Candidate. the summer of 1885, Philosophos married Elena Zaozerskaya, the daughter of the former subdeacon of Metropolitan Isidore, and soon he was ordained to the priesthood. the young priest served as rector in the church of the orphanage of the Prince of Oldenburg, where he had once taught the Law of God (catechism). 1892 to 1912, he served as the rector of the church at the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers. twenty-six years he was the chairman of the Society for the Dissemination of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, successfully counteracting anti-church movements. 1893, Father Ornatsky was elected as a member of the St. Petersburg City Duma from the clergy and held this office until 1917. took part in the establishment of shelters in the city: orphanages and almshouses. Through his efforts in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area, twelve churches were built, the largest of which was the church of the Resurrection of Christ at the Varshavsky railway station. addition, we should also mention the churches of Daints Peter and Paul in Lesnoy, Saint Sergius of Radonezh on Novosivkovskaya Street, Saint Seraphim of Sarov behind the Narva outpost, the church of the Forerunner on the Vyborg side, Saint Gerasimos church, and Saint Isidore of Yuriev church. Saint lived quite modestly, though his was a large family (he had ten children). The whole array of public titles and offices which he held for the glory of God, did not bring in any means of subsistence. Chairman of the Temple Building Committees, large sums of money passed through his hands, yet he was obliged to give private lessons in order to feed his family. Ornatsky was also the editor and censor of such metropolitan spiritual magazines as "St. Petersburg Spiritual Herald" (published from 1894), "The Christian's Rest" (1901), and "Orthodox-Russian Word" (1902). Philosophos was one of the closest companions of the Hieromartyr Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazansky), of Petrograd and Gdovsk, when he was a student of the Theological Academy, was actively engaged in preaching activities in the working neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. of spiritual friendship also sprang up between him and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. almost twenty years, Father Philosophos was the spiritual son of Saint John of Kronstadt, who often visited him at home and blessed all his undertakings for the good of the Church. holy pastor entrusted Father Philosophos with being an intermediary in his correspondence with Saint Theophanes, the Recluse of Vysha. 1913, the Archpriest was appointed to the post of rector of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. the First World War, Father Philosophos gave up his apartment to be used as an infirmary for wounded soldiers, and he and his family moved to a small state-owned room. he went to the areas of hostilities, accompanying the transports with needed supplies for the soldiers, and trying with all his might to inspire and support the defenders of Russia. son Nicholas (born in 1886) was a military doctor who was part of the Ninth Russian Army; another son, Boris (born in 1887), was a staff captain of the 23rd Artillery Brigade, who graduated from the Konstantinov Artillery School, and fought heroically on the Austro-Hungarian front. Ornatsky's gift of preaching attracted those who were seeking the words of life, and he repeatedly urged his flock not to accept the corrupting ideas of Bolshevism. that Orthodoxy is at the heart of Russian life, Batiushka urged the intelligentsia to realize this. He never tired of repeating: "Our intellectuals have to become Russian." the Revolution, he saw his wife's sister's husband, Peter Skipetrov (+ January 20) shot before his eyes. the funeral service, Father Philosophos gave a sermon, fearlessly denouncing the Bolsheviks. He repeatedly called upon his flock to surround the churches and to protect the shrines of their land. January 1918, when Father Peter Skipetrov was killed at the Lavra, Father Philosophos organized a defense of the shrines of Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra, organizing Cross Processions to it from all the churches of the capital. August 9, 1918, he was arrested, along with his two eldest sons, Nicholas and Boris. the time of his arrest he was absolutely impassive and calm. gathered by the thousands and walked along Nevsky Prospekt, demanding the release of their shepherd. Chekists received the delegation of believers, promising to do what they asked. on the same night (July 20, 1918), Father Philósophos was transported to prison in the city of Kronstadt. October 30, 1918, thirty-two men were brought from different prisons, all officers of the Imperial Army, who were being taken to be shot. Some were young, and others were older. said he was a Colonel of the Guards. He told their escorts, "You will all perish, perhaps in twenty years, but you will perish like dogs. will be Russia again, but you will perish." Their escorts said nothing. they were being led to the place of execution, Father Philosophos read aloud the prayer for the departure of the soul over his two sons and the rest of the convicts. say the place of execution was in Kronstadt, while others say it was not far from the Gulf of Finland, between Ligovo and Oranienbaum. bodies of those who were shot were dumped into the bay. Ornatsky's body did not sink, but was tossed onto the shore by the waves near Oranienbaum. There it was buried secretly by the inhabitants. Saints were canonized as New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for general Church veneration. Philosophos is also commemorated on July 20, and on the Third Sunday after Pentecost (Movable Feast: Synaxis of the Saints of St. Petersburg. 1 Now the Cherepovetsky District of Vologda Oblast.

Russia, Moscow, 1880-1921, Liuba Semyonova Sukhanovskaya, Ryazan, Paralyzed then Fool For Christ, Clairvoyant, Much More
Russia, Ryazan, 1880-1921, Liuba Semyonova Sukhanovskaya, Ryazan (Oka River 9), raised in God fearing poverty, paralyzed 15yrs, prayer warrior, ST Nic's Icon, Nic appeared and said get up and play the fool, mother wonders, priest encourages fool role, God' will, enclosed in wall 3yrs standing at Pronsk, then to Ryazan to mix with the people playing the fool, ; Ryazan; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8; Semyonova Sukhanovskaya was born in 1860 in the Ryazan region, in the city of Pronsk, into the family of Semyon and Maria Sukhanovsky, humble and God-fearing people. Later, her younger sister Olga was born. 1874, the Sukhanovskys moved to Ryazan and settled in a house on the corner of Vladimir and Resurrection Streets, becoming parishioners of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem church. Lord took special notice of this pious family. The Sukhanovskys lived in poverty, and also had a heavy sorrow. beloved daughter Liubushka was paralyzed for fifteen years, and could neither walk nor stand on her own two feet. parents taught her to pray and how to read, Liuba prayed a great deal and read spiritual books, drawing on these for comfort. particular, she loved to pray before the family icon of Saint Nicholas. pure prayer, and her uncomplaining patience in her illness, were accepted by the Lord, revealed His will for Liubushka. day, when she was alone in the house, the God-pleaser Saint Nicholas appeared before her and said, "Get up, Liuba, go and play the fool!" stood up, which was a great joy for her mother when she returned home. then her mother realized that the feat of foolishness was very difficult, and she went to the priest for advice. listened to her and said, "This is God's will! Do not detain your daughter, let her go, let her play the fool! The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord (Psalm 36/37:23). that time, Liubushka embarked on that very difficult path. residents of Ryazan know her as an ascetic who enclosed herself in a wall between the stove and a wall in her house. She stood there for three years, like an ancient stylite, immersed in prayer and in the knowledge of God. humility before God's Providence, her patience and heavenly grace helped her to accomplish this unprecedented feat. Lord prepared her for her contest by her fifteen years of paralysis, just as He did for Saint Elias of Murom (December 19). years later, Blessed Liubov, strengthened from above by divine love, left her "torture-chamber" and went out among the people, bearing this love. living in Ryazan away from her relatives, she became a constant intercessor in all the city churches, and above all other monasteries, she loved visiting the Kazan Monastery, where she lived for a long time with some sisters, especially with the Superior, Igoumeness Katherine, who consoled with her sublime discourses. was often seen on the street, in the shops of merchants, or in the homes of friends. And her conversations always had some spiritual purpose. Blessed one prayed for people, giving them good and wise advice, and warning them of dangers. waited for her impatiently, honorable people understood that the Lord Himself spoke through Liubushka, had granted her both clairvoyance and the gift of love. with all fools for Christ, her actions were not quite ordinary. example, the Blessed one would go into the shop of a wealthy merchant and take whatever she needed without asking. merchant was only too happy about this, for he knew that he would do good business that day. time, Liubushka would pass by the shop without stopping, even if she were invited. she was tired, the Blessed one would sit on someone's porch and be given food. She would accept it from some, but to others she said: "You don't have very much." she did accept food, she gave it to the needy she met along the way. Poor people and beggars loved her very much. clairvoyant, the Blessed one addressed even strangers by name, and would reply to unspoken questions. often than not, Liubushka clothed her clairvoyance in a mysterious form, revealing things by means of paper figures. where her hostess kept scissors and paper, she took them, cut the figures out, and gave them to those for whom they were intended. someone was about to travel, she would make a horse or a train. If a person was to be married, she would fashion a crown. If someone was about to die, she would cut out a tombstone. people feared her predictions and hid the scissors, but the Blessed one just tore the paper with her fingers and still gave the appropriate figures to those for whom they were meant. made these figures with great skill, and silently she handed them to that person and then left. of her predictions came true. people, however, did not believe Liubushka, and laughed at her. She endured everything very complacently and patiently, and the smile never left her face. She dressed in very plain clothes, and on her head she wore a kerchief - sometimes blue, or pink. a child, Liubushka loved the color pink, and she even asked that her coffin be lined with pink cloth when she died. Blessed one made predictions not only with paper figures, but also by other means. example, they mention the following incident. During the Nativity Fast, Liubushka visited the Sh. family, where their grandmother was pouring tea for everyone at 4:00 P.M. At that time, Liubushka came in with a piece of velvet and said: "I was walking past the funeral parlor, where a coffin was being lined, and I took a piece of velvet. Here, take it!" The grandmother was perplexed, but soon they received news that their relative had died, and the velvet was for her coffin. This is how the Blessed one prepared everyone for the sad event. another occasion, Blessed Liubushka foretold the fate of two little girls through the icons that she gave them. received an icon of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and later she married a man named Alexander, and they lived by the Alexander Nevsky train station. other girl was given an icon of Saint Anna of Kashin, and like that Saint, she too was left as a widow with two children. Blessed one foresaw many things at her beloved Kazan Monastery. Once she cut out an entire monastery with scissors. The paper monastery had a fence, a church, and a choir in it. in this way, she answered a question posed by the sister of a certain novice, who wondered whether she should be a nun. the time came, this girl did enter the Monastery and, as one who possessed a rare voice (a female bass), she was placed in the choir to chant and read. After the Monastery was closed, she sang in the church until she was quite old. Blessed one returned to her home. At that time her grandfather was still alive. day she arrived when her grandfather's kum1 was in the house, and he decided to joke with her and asked: "Tell us, Liubov Semyonovna, to whom will your house go when you die?" She smiled and replied, "To the soldiers." laughed at such an unexpected answer. one could imagine that one day the house would be demolished, and in its place a military warehouse would be built to store equipment. sister did not take her seriously either, and only after her death did she realize her mistake, seeing how many people came to accompany Blessed Liuba on her final journey, calling her the holy intercessor of Ryazan. the abdication of the Tsar in 1917, the Blessed one walked through the streets and repeated: "The walls of Jericho are falling, the walls of Jericho are falling." Only later did people realize what that meant. weeks before her death, Liubuska warned her good friend Elizabeth M. about it: "Lizon'ka, I am going to die soon, and you must pray to God for me. Go to my grave and take dirt from it, and line my coffin with pink cloth." Liubov reposed on February 8, 1921. was in ruins, the stores were empty, and Elizabeth decided to go to the pharmacy for some gauze at least. And O, the wonder! She was given some pink cloth. coffin was beautifully decorated, and even ruffles and bows were made. So, to everyone's joy, Liubushka's wish was miraculously fulfilled. the Blessed one was carried on her final journey, the streets around the funeral procession resembled a living wall of weeping people. abandoned their businesses in order to bid farewell to the marvelous God-pleaser. over Blessed Liubov's grave, a monument was put up by the efforts of a resident of Ryazan, a Deacon, and others who admired her. the years passed, God was gradually displaced from the life and consciousness of formerly devout people who forgot their covenants and their own ancestors. were being closed and destroyed, and priests were tortured and killed. Soon there was only one functioning church in Ryazan - a church dedicated to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon of the Mother of God. And there was a cemetery. But then few persons visited the cemetery, and Liubushka's grave became overgrown. day a certain soldier appeared at the cemetery and began to ask where Blessed Liubushka was buried. He wanted to put up a cross and a metal fence around her grave. This soldier happened to be very sick, but the doctors could not help him. Saint Liubov appeared to him in a dream and said: "Do not grieve or worry, but go to Ryazan, find the grave of Liubov Semyonovna Sukhanovskaya in the cemetery, and enclose it with a fence, and then you shall be healthy and happy." did as the Blessed one commanded him to do, and he was healed. He visited her grave every year and had a Panikhida served for her. Thus Saint Liubov came forth once more to the people who had forgotten her, in order to demonstrate that "love never fails" (I Corinthians 13:8). other miracles were performed, and are still being performed, by prayers offered to Blessed Liubov of Ryazan. In 1992, by the diligence of the brethren of Saint John the Theologian Monastery, a chapel was built over her grave, and on June 10/23, 1998, Blessed Liubov was numbered with the Saints of Ryazan (June 23) and her holy relics were transferred to the Saint Nicholas-Yamsk church in Ryazan. 1 Kum = A godparent, or those who hold the crowns at an Orthodox wedding (from the Greek word κουμπάρος).

Russia, Moscow, 1881-1894, Emperor Alexander III, counter-reformer, peacemaker, orthodox
Moscow Emperor, 1881-1894, Alexander III, Emperor of Russia ; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joy of All who sorrow" (with coins) in St Petersburg, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” (With Coins) was glorified in the year 1888 in St. Petersburg, when during the time of a terrible thunderstorm lightning struck in a chapel. All was burned or singed, except for this icon of the Queen of Heaven. It was knocked to the floor, and the poor box broke open at the same time. Somehow, twelve small coins (half-kopeck pieces), became attached to the icon. A church was built in 1898 on the site of the chapel. Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat"Â, Commemorated on October 15; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joy of All Who Sorrow"Â, Commemorated on October 24; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Icon of the Mother of God "œSeraphim-Ponetaevka"Â, Commemorated on November 27; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on December 20; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated on January 25; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Russia, Moscow, 1884-1918, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, beauty, charitable works, forgiveness
Russia, Moscow, 1884-1918, Grand Duchess Elizabeth; Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, later Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (1 November 1864 - 18 July 1918), was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was also a maternal great-aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II. granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her beauty and charitable works among the poor. After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned. She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow. In 1918 she was arrested and ultimately murdered by the Bolsheviks. 1981 Elisabeth was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate. of Hesse Hessian grand ducal family in May 1875 was born on 1 November 1864 as the second child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria. she came from one of the oldest and noblest houses in Germany, Elisabeth and her family lived a rather modest life by royal standards. The children swept the floors and cleaned their own rooms, while their mother sewed dresses herself for the children. During the Austro-Prussian War, Princess Alice often took Elisabeth with her while visiting wounded soldiers in a nearby hospital. In this relatively happy and secure environment, Elisabeth grew up surrounded by English domestic habits, and English became her first language. Later in life, she would tell a friend that, within her family, she and her siblings spoke English to their mother and German to their father. the autumn of 1878, diphtheria swept through the Hesse household, killing Elisabeth's youngest sister, Marie, on 16 November, as well as her mother Alice on 14 December. Elisabeth had been sent away to her paternal grandmother's home at the beginning of the outbreak and she was the only member of her family to remain unaffected. When she was finally allowed to return home, she described the meeting as "terribly sad" and said that everything was "like a horrible dream".[citation needed] and suitors and with a very accommodating personality, Elisabeth was considered by many historians and contemporaries to be one of the most beautiful women in Europe at that time. Her cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh wrote that "one could never take one's eyes off [Ella]"[1] and that Ella's features were "exquisite beyond words, it almost brought tears to your eyes."[2] Her older cousin Prince Wilhelm of Prussia called her "exceedingly beautiful, in fact she is the most beautiful girl I ever saw."[3] Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden, her sister's lady-in-waiting, reflected that she was "a very pretty girl, tall and fair, with regular features."[4] a young woman, Elisabeth's cousin, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, fell in love with her. In April 1875, the 16-year-old Wilhelm visited Darmstadt to celebrate Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine's 12th birthday and first expressed interest in the 11-year-old Elisabeth. He wrote in a letter to his mother that "if God grants that I may live till then I shall make her my bride once if you allow it."[5] When he was a student at Bonn University, he often visited his Aunt Alice and his Hessian relatives on the weekends. During these frequent visits, he fell in love with Elisabeth,[6] writing numerous love poems and regularly sending them to her. He proposed to Elisabeth in 1878, but she rejected him. Charles Montagu, the second son of the 7th Duke of Manchester courted her unsuccessfully. Wilson, later a distinguished soldier, vied unsuccessfully for Elisabeth's hand. future Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden, Wilhelm's first cousin, proposed to Elisabeth. Queen Victoria described him as "so good and steady", with "such a safe and happy position,"[7] that when Elisabeth declined to marry him the Queen "deeply regretted it". Frederick's grandmother, the Empress Augusta, was so furious at Elisabeth's rejection of Frederick that it took some time for her to forgive Elisabeth. admirers included: Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia (the poet KR), who wrote a poem about her first arrival in Russia and the general impression she made to all the people present at the time. Prince Felix Yusupov considered her a second mother, and stated in his memoirs that she helped him greatly during the most difficult moments of his life. As a young girl, Queen Marie of Romania was very fascinated with her cousin Ella. In her memoirs, she wrote that "her beauty and sweetness was a thing of dreams."[8] The French Ambassador to the Russian court, Maurice Paleologue, wrote in his memoirs how Elisabeth was capable of arousing what he described as "profane passions". Ultimately, it was a grand duke of Russia who would win Elisabeth's heart; Elisabeth's great-aunt, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, was a frequent visitor to Hesse. During these visits, she was usually accompanied by her youngest sons, Sergei and Paul. Elisabeth had known them since they were children, and she initially viewed them as haughty and reserved. Sergei, especially, was a very serious young man, intensely religious, and he found himself attracted to Elisabeth after seeing her as a young woman for the first time in several years. first, Sergei made little impression on Elisabeth. But after the death of both of his parents within a year of each other, Elisabeth sympathised with Sergei because she had felt this same grief after the death of her mother. Their other similarities (both were artistic and religious) drew them closer together. It was said that Sergei was especially attached to Elisabeth because she had the same character as his beloved mother. So when Sergei proposed to her for the second time, she accepted—much to the chagrin of her grandmother Queen Victoria. Duchess of Russia and her husband Sergei and Elisabeth married on 15 (3) June 1884, at the Chapel of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg; upon her conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, she took the name Elizabetha Feodorovna. It was actually at the wedding that Sergei's 16-year-old nephew, Tsarevich Nicholas, first met his future wife, Elisabeth's youngest surviving sister Alix. was not legally required to convert to Russian Orthodoxy from her native Lutheran religion, but she voluntarily chose to do so in 1891. Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Elisabeth's Lutheran sister-in-law who had not converted to Russian Orthodoxy, insisted that it was "a disgrace for a German Protestant princess to go over to the Orthodox faith."[9] Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had once been in love with her, declared that she converted because of "an inordinate pursuit of popularity, a desire to improve her position at court, a great lack of intelligence, and also a want of true religiousness."[10] new Grand Duchess made a good first impression on her husband's family and the Russian people. "Everyone fell in love with her from the moment she came to Russia from her beloved Darmstadt", wrote one of Sergei's cousins. The couple settled in the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg; after Sergei was appointed Governor-General of Moscow by his elder brother, Tsar Alexander III, in 1892, they resided in one of the Kremlin palaces. During the summer, they stayed at Ilyinskoe, an estate outside Moscow that Sergei had inherited from his mother. couple never had children of their own, but their Ilyinskoe estate was usually filled with parties that Elisabeth organized especially for children. They eventually became the foster parents of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Sergei's niece and nephew. was somewhat instrumental in the marriage of her nephew-by-marriage, Tsar Nicholas II, to her youngest sister Alix. Much to the dismay of Queen Victoria, Elisabeth had been encouraging Nicholas, then tsarevich, in his pursuit of Alix. When Nicholas did propose to Alix in 1894, and Alix rejected him on the basis of her refusal to convert to Orthodoxy, it was Elisabeth who spoke with Alix and encouraged her to convert. When Nicholas proposed to her again, a few days later, Alix then accepted. of Ivan Kalyayev taken just after the assassination. I threw the bomb from less than four steps. I was taken by the explosions, I saw the carriage flew to pieces...My overcoat was strewn with splinters of wood all around, it was torn and burnt, there was blood on my face... 17 February 1905, Sergei was assassinated in the Kremlin by the Socialist-Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev. The event came as a terrible shock to Elisabeth, but she never lost her calm. It was as if her prophecy had come true that "God will punish us severely" which she made after the Grand Duke expelled 20,000 Jews from Moscow, by simply surrounding thousands of families' houses with soldiers and expelling the Jews without any notice overnight out of their homes and the city. Her niece Marie later recalled that her aunt's face was "pale and stricken rigid" and she would never forget her expression of infinite sadness. In her rooms, said Marie, Elisabeth "let herself fall weakly into an armchair...her eyes dry and with the same peculiar fixity of gaze, she looked straight into space, and said nothing." As visitors came and went, she looked without ever seeming to see them. the day of her husband's murder, Elisabeth refused to cry. But Marie recalled how her aunt slowly abandoned her rigid self-control, finally breaking down into sobs. Many of her family and friends feared that she would suffer a nervous breakdown, but she quickly recovered her equanimity. to Edvard Radzinsky, spent all the days before the burial in ceaseless prayer. On her husband's tombstone she wrote: 'Father, release them, they know not what they do.' She understood the words of the Gospels heart and soul, and on the eve of the funeral she demanded to be taken to the prison where Kalyayev was being held. Brought into his cell, she asked, 'Why did you kill my husband?' 'I killed Sergei Alexandrovich because he was a weapon of tyranny. I was taking revenge for the people.' 'Do not listen to your pride. Repent... and I will beg the Sovereign to give you your life. I will ask him for you. I myself have already forgiven you.' On the eve of revolution, she had already found a way out; forgiveness! Forgive through the impossible pain and blood -- and thereby stop it then, at the beginning, this bloody wheel. By her example, poor Ella appealed to society, calling upon the people to live in Christian faith. 'No!" replied Kalyayev. 'I do not repent. I must die for my deed and I will... My death will be more useful to my cause than Sergei Alexandrovich's death.' Kalyayev was sentenced to death. 'I am pleased with your sentence,' he told the judges. 'I hope that you will carry it out just as openly and publicly as I carried out the sentence of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Learn to look the advancing revolution right in the face.'[11] was hanged on 23 May 1905. 1915 the All-Russian Zemstvo Union was organised under her auspices to provide support for sick and injured soldiers during the First World War.[12] life Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna as a nun after her husband's death Sergei's death, Elisabeth wore mourning clothes and became a vegetarian. In 1909, she sold off her magnificent collection of jewels and sold her other luxurious possessions; even her wedding ring was not spared. With the proceeds she opened the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary and became its abbess. soon opened a hospital, a chapel, a pharmacy and an orphanage on its grounds. Elisabeth and her nuns worked tirelessly among the poor and the sick of Moscow. She often visited Moscow's worst slums and did all she could to help alleviate the suffering of the poor. many years, Elisabeth's institution helped the poor and the orphans in Moscow by fostering the prayer and charity of devout women. 1916, Elisabeth had what was to be her final meeting with her sister Alexandra, the tsarina, at Tsarskoye Selo. While the meeting took place in private, the tutor to the tsar's children apparently recalled that the discussion included Elisabeth expressing her concerns over the influence that Grigori Rasputin had over Alexandra and the imperial court, and begging her to heed the warnings of both herself and other members of the imperial family. 2010 a historian claimed that Elisabeth may have been aware that the murder of Rasputin was to take place and secondly, she knew who was going to commit that particular murder when she wrote a letter and sent it to the Tsar and two telegrams to Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Zinaida Yusupova, her friend. The telegrams, which were written the night of the murder, reveal that the Grand Duchess was aware of who the murderers were before that information had been released to the public, and she stated that she felt that the killing was a "patriotic act."[13] 1918, Vladimir Lenin ordered the Cheka to arrest Elisabeth. They then exiled her first to Perm, then to Yekaterinburg, where she spent a few days and was joined by others: the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Princes Ioann Konstantinovich, Konstantin Konstantinovich, Igor Konstantinovich and Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; Grand Duke Sergei's secretary, Fyodor Remez; and Varvara Yakovleva, a sister from the Grand Duchess's convent. They were all taken to Alapayevsk on 20 May 1918, where they were housed in the Napolnaya School on the outskirts of the town. shaft in Siniachikha where Elisabeth and her family were murdered noon on 17 July, Cheka officer Pyotr Startsev and a few Bolshevik workers came to the school. They took from the prisoners whatever money they had left and announced that they would be transferred that night to the Upper Siniachikhensky factory compound. The Red Army guards were told to leave and Cheka men replaced them. That night the prisoners were awakened and driven in carts on a road leading to the village of Siniachikha, some 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Alapayevsk where there was an abandoned iron mine with a pit 20 metres (66 feet) deep. Here they halted. The Cheka beat all the prisoners before throwing their victims into this pit, Elisabeth being the first. Hand grenades were then hurled down the shaft, but only one victim, Fyodor Remez, died as a result of the grenades. to the personal account of Vasily Ryabov, one of the killers, Elisabeth and the others survived the initial fall into the mine, prompting Ryabov to toss in a grenade after them. Following the explosion, he claimed to have heard Elisabeth and the others singing an Orthodox hymn from the bottom of the shaft.[14] Unnerved, Ryabov threw down a second grenade, but the singing continued. Finally a large quantity of brushwood was shoved into the opening and set alight, upon which Ryabov posted a guard over the site and departed. on 18 July 1918, the leader of the Alapayevsk Cheka, Abramov, and the head of the Yekaterinburg Regional Soviet, Beloborodov, who had been involved in the murder of the Imperial Family, exchanged a number of telegrams in a pre-arranged plan saying that the school had been attacked by an "unidentified gang". A month later, Alapayevsk fell to the White Army of Admiral Alexander Kolchak. Lenin welcomed Elisabeth's death, remarking that "virtue with the crown on it is a greater enemy to the world revolution than a hundred tyrant tsars".[15][16] Moscow Grand Duke, 1877-1905, Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia; Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (11 May 1857 - 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II, who was also his brother-in-law through Sergei's marriage to Elizabeth, the sister of Tsarina Alexandra.[1] Duke Sergei's education gave him lifelong interests in culture and the arts. Like all male members of the Romanov dynasty, he followed a military career, and he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, receiving the Order of St George for courage and bravery in action. In 1882, his brother, Tsar Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, a position he held until 1891. In 1889, Grand Duke Sergei was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 1884, Sergei married Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Their marriage remained childless, but they became the guardians of the two children of his brother, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia: Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dmitri. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife promoted the marriage of Sergei's nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, with Princess Alix of Hesse, Elizabeth's youngest sister. 1891 and 1905, Grand Duke Sergei served as Governor-General of Moscow. His reputation was tarnished as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy, which, during the festivities following the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, resulted in more than a thousand deaths. a Governor of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was responsible for the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews[2] at the start of his tenure, and he repressed a student movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas. His conservative policies, extreme even by contemporary standards, made him a polarizing figure, and he was regarded as a reactionary. 1894 Grand Duke Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow Military District. After thirteen years of service, Grand Duke Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905. Targeted by the SR Combat Organization, he was assassinated by a terrorist bomb at the Kremlin. life[edit] Duke Sergei with his parents and his sister, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was born on 11 May [O.S. 29 April] 1857 in the Zubov wing of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. He was the seventh child and fifth son among the eight children of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna, née Duchess Maximilienne Wilhelmine of Hesse and by Rhine.[3] Duke Sergei with his younger brother Grand Duke Paul he was old enough to begin lessons, Sergei's earlier years were spent with his younger brother Paul, from whom he was inseparable, and their sister at Livadia, the family's Crimean retreat, at Tsarskoye Selo, and at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. By the time Sergei was born, his mother was already in declining health. Although she was not a particularly affectionate mother, except to her daughter, her three youngest children, Marie, Sergei and Paul, were close to her and especially to one another.[3] Marie adored him and called him "an exceptionally nice young man... and can be recommended one very possible way, not because he is my brother, but because he is an exception among princes."[4] time passed and the Empress's health made it necessary for her to avoid the harsh Russian climate, they spent long sojourns abroad in Jugenheim outside Darmstadt and winters in the South of France.[5] family tragedy hit them there. In April 1865, shortly before Sergei's eighth birthday, his eldest brother and godfather Nicholas, the heir to the crown, died in Nice.[6] As a child, Sergei was shy, studious, and withdrawn. Under the influence of his mother, whose reserved character he resembled, he became very religious. the 1870s, Sergei and his younger brother Paul were kept in Russia by their studies. They were destined to follow a military career, but their tutor, Admiral Arseniev, encouraged Sergei's linguistic, artistic, and musical abilities. He was fluent in several languages and learned Italian in order to read Dante in the original.[7] His interest in Italian art and culture intensified as he grew older. He painted well and was musical, playing the flute in an amateur orchestra. He enjoyed acting and steeped himself in the early history, culture, and traditions of Russia. He liked to read and in time came to know many of Russia's great writers personally, among them Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, whose work the Grand Duke read and admired.[7] He met Dostoevsky over dinner at the Winter Palace where he was invited by Sergei's professor.[8] career[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in his youth Duke Sergei Alexandrovich started a military career early in his life. He was from birth Colonel-in-Chief of the 38th Tobolsk Infantry Regiment, he also became Colonel-in-Chief of the 2nd Battalion Guards Rifles and, towards the end of his life, Colonel-in-Chief of the 5th Kievsky Grenadier Regiment.[9] On his twentieth birthday on 29 April 1877, the Grand Duke took the solemn oath of allegiance to the Emperor.[7] An educational tour that had been proposed for him was postponed upon the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Sergei took part in the war with his father and brothers, the Tsarevich Alexander and Grand Dukes Vladimir and Alexei. He spent the greater part of his time serving as Poruchik in the Leib Guard under the Tsarevich in southeast Romania.[10] He was consequently promoted to Colonel. On 12 October, following the battle of Meyk, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of St George, for courage and bravery in action with the enemy, for a reconnaissance expedition at Kara Loma near Koshev. At the end of December 1877, Sergei Alexandrovich returned to Saint Petersburg with his father. II had started a new family with his mistress and Sergei sided with his neglected mother in the breaking of the family's harmony.[11] Empress Maria died in June 1880, and in March 1881 Alexander II, who had married his mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki, was assassinated by terrorists. Sergei was then in Italy with his brother Paul and Admiral Arseniev. Three months later, in June 1881, the Grand Duke went to Palestine accompanied by Paul and his cousin Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich. They visited Jerusalem and the sacred sites. He helped to found a society dedicated to the upkeep of Orthodox shrines in the Holy Land and the provision of services to Russian pilgrims. He became chairman of this society, and his status as patron of the Russian presence in Jerusalem is believed to have given him more pleasure than any of his other duties.[12] 1882 on, Sergei's military career, which occupied an increasing amount of his time in Saint Petersburg and on maneuvers at Krasnoe Selo, advanced still further.[13] On 15 January 1882, his brother, Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, the elite regiment founded by Peter the Great, with the rank of Colonel. Seven years later, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 26 February 1891, he was made Adjutant General of the H. I. M. Retinue. He became the commanding officer in the village of Preobrazhenskoy. Sergei commanded this regiment until 1891, when his brother the Emperor appointed him Governor-General of Moscow.[9] Russian Grand Duke[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia. twenty-six, the fair-haired Grand Duke was reserved, intelligent, well-read and refined.[9] Over six feet tall, his extremely slim figure was accentuated by a corset, worn in the manner of Prussian officers.[9] his closely cropped hair and neat beard, Sergei Alexandrovich cut an impressive figure.[14] When Consuelo Vanderbilt, then Duchess of Marlborough, met him in Moscow, she considered him to be "One of the most handsome men I have ever seen."[15] Described by his brother-in-law Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, as "tall and fair with delicate features and beautiful light green eyes". Very self-conscious, he held himself very stiffly and with a hard expression in his eyes.[14] health was seriously compromised as he suffered from osteoarticular tuberculosis.[16] A condition he strove to conceal, but it caused all his joints to waste away.[16] He had to take salts and hot baths to get some relief.[16] He could not ride a horse and had to wear a spinal corset at all times.[16] He stood very straight and had a habit of playing with one of his jeweled rings, turning it around his finger. He kept his feelings rigidly in check, and many mistook his reserve for pride. Few had the chance to know him well. He was noted for his adherence to the Church, took a deep interest in Russian antiques and art treasures, and was interested in archaeology, music and acting and sometimes chairing meetings of the Archaeological Congress.[8] shy and reserved, he made no secret of his disapproval of fashionable society and its lax ways, and he defied all criticism. He found it hard to cope with opposition and easily lost his temper. In his home, he demanded tidiness, order, and discipline, and he expected to be obeyed. His niece, Marie, Queen of the Romanians, remembered him: "Dry, nervous, short of speech, impatient, he had none of the rather careless good humor of his three elder brothers ... but for all that we loved him, felt irresistibly attracted to him, hard though he could be. Few perhaps cherish his memory, but I do." Many other family members, including his nephew Kiril, Princess Marie of Greece and Prince Gabriel, included their good impressions of him in their memoirs.[17] Duke Sergei and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna 1881 there had been talks of a possible marriage to Princess Caroline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein.[18] Emperor Alexander II had hoped that at least one of his sons would marry a princess of Hesse as he had done. eventually chose as his bride Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, a daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She was an older sister of both Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Alix of Hesse, later the Empress consort of Nicholas II of Russia. They were first cousins once removed (i.e., Elizabeth's great-grandfather, her father's paternal grandfather, Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, was Sergei's maternal grandfather) and had known each other all their lives.[3] were hesitations on both sides and Elizabeth first rejected his proposal of marriage.[18] Queen Victoria, who had anti-Russian sentiments, opposed the marriage of her motherless granddaughter.[19] Elizabeth and her sisters were not pressured into following political marriages; they were allowed to follow their own inclination.[18] After the couple spent some time together at Schloss Wolfsgarten in Darmstadt in September 1883, Elizabeth agreed to marry him.[20] Their engagement was announced publicly on 26 February 1884 when Sergei returned to visit her in Darmstadt.[21] Upon her marriage, Princess Elizabeth took the name of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia.[22] The wedding took place on 15 June 1884 in the Winter Palace.[23] spent their honeymoon in Ilinskoye, Sergei's 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) country estate forty miles west of Moscow on the left bank of the Moskva River, that he inherited from his mother. The couple later settled in Saint Petersburg in a mansion occupying the southeast corner of the Fontanka Canal and the Nevsky Prospekt, a short drive from his former apartments in the Winter Palace.[21] The Beloselsky Belozersky mansion, bought by Sergei to live with his wife, was renamed Sergeivsky Palace.[24] The couple also had Ferme, a villa located in the grounds of Peterhof that Sergei had inherited from his mother.[25] They usually entertained at Ilinskoe during the summer months, with guests occupying various wooden villas dotted around the park. There was also Usovo, a substantial stone and brick house with an innovative central heating, that Sergei had built on the opposite bank of the Moskva River. couple was close to Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna and the Tsar trusted Sergei more than his other brothers. In 1886, Alexander III appointed him Commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, entrusting him with introducing the Tsarevich (the future Nicholas II) to army life. and Ella represented Russia in 1887 during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1888, they were sent to the Holy Land on the occasion of the consecration of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, built-in memory of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. By 1892, eight years into the marriage, Sergei was already certain that they would not have children and he left a will making the children of his brother Paul his heirs after his and his wife's deaths. of Moscow[edit] Duke Sergei and his wife, 1892 Alexander III adopted a policy of repression; he wanted a like mind at the helm of Imperial Russia's second city and former capital. Thus, in spring 1891, the tsar appointed Sergei as governor general of Moscow.[26] Although it was a great honour, Grand Duke Sergei accepted his new appointment with reluctance. He had hoped to stay longer in command of the Preobrazhensky, where he was popular; and he and his wife loved the quiet life they were living in Saint Petersburg. vice-regal role of Governor-General ruling Prince of Moscow was one that was answerable only to the emperor.[27] Grand Duke Sergei was a political hardliner who shared his brother's inalienable belief in strong, nationalist government.[27] tenure began with the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews.[27] It started four weeks before he arrived in person, after the publication of an imperial ukase by the Minister of the Interiors, Ivan Durnovo, by which all Jews of lower social stance (artisans, minor traders and so on) had to be expelled from Moscow. On 29 March, the first day of Passover, the city's Jewish population learned of the new decree that called for their expulsion.[27] In three carefully planned phases over the next twelve months, Moscow's Jews were expelled. Those first to go were the unmarried, the childless, and those who had lived in the city for less than three years.[27] Next, it was the turn of apprentices, of families with up to four children, and those with less than six years residency.[27] Last of all, it was the turn of the old Jewish settlers with large families and/or numerous employees, some of whom had lived in Moscow for forty years.[27] Young Jewish women were made to register as prostitutes if they wanted to stay in the city.[2] the expulsion, homes were surrounded by mounted Cossacks in the middle of the night while policemen ransacked every house. In January 1892, in a temperature of 30 degrees below zero, Brest station was packed with Jews of all ages and sexes, all in rags and surrounded by meager remnants of households goods, all leaving voluntarily rather than face deportation.[27] Sergei as governor-general was petitioned by the police commissioners to stop the expulsions until the weather conditions improved.[27] While he agreed, the order was not published until the expulsions were over.[27] Some of them moved to southern and western regions of the empire although there were many who decided to emigrate.[28] In counting the cost, Moscow lost 100 million rubles in trade and production, 25,000 Russians employed by Jewish firms lost their livelihoods, while the manufacture of silk, one of the city's most lucrative industries, was all but wiped out.[29] meet the needs of students, Sergei ordered the start of the construction of new dormitories in the city. At the same time, however, severe restrictions were imposed on the students and professors in the universities as a part of the state's policy of conspiracy prevention and elimination of revolutionary ideas.[30] made Sergei Alexandrovich very unpopular in Moscow among intelligentsia, though the more conservative citizens were pleased.[30] Muscovite nobility and merchants despised him because he was rough and lacked tact while attempting to fight commercial fraud and enforce strict policy measures. However, he did significantly improve general living conditions during his tenure and was extremely conscientious in carrying out his duties: “Even in the country when he was supposed to be resting," his niece remembered, "he was constantly receiving couriers from Moscow and giving audiences.â€ He paid much attention to detail, attending personally to matters that could easily have been left to subordinates, punishing corruption and fraud. At times, he would go about the city incognito to see conditions for himself.[31] In private, he and his wife were concerned about the poverty they saw in Moscow and the surrounding countryside, discussing ways to improve it.[32] organizations and charities always attracted Sergei's attention and he became either chairman or patron of scores of them. He was, for example, chairman of the Moscow Society for the Care, Upbringing, and Education of Blind Children; of the Society for Homeless, Neglected Children, and Convicted Adolescents; and the Moscow Department of the Russian Department Society of National Health Protection.[33] addition, he was a patron of organizations as diverse as the Moscow and Saint Petersburg Universities, The Printer's Mutual Aid Fund, the Society of Care for Aged Actors, the Pskov Non-Classical Secondary School, and Prince Nikola's Alm Houses. He was also chairman of the Academies of both Arts and Science, the Moscow Archeological Society, the Society of Agriculture, the Russian Musical Society, the Historical Museum in Moscow, and the Moscow Theological Academy among others.[33] Tragedy[edit] See also: Khodynka Tragedy Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (right) with his brother Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (center, smoking) on 14 May 1896, coronation of Nicholas II. Alexander III died on 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 and his son Nicholas II ascended to the Russian throne. The relationship between Grand Duke Sergei and his nephew, who had served under his command in the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, was close and it became stronger with Nicholas II's marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse, the youngest sister of Sergei's wife—a union that Sergei and Elizabeth Feodorovna had helped to promote. coronation ceremonies of the new Emperor and his wife, as tradition demanded, took place in Moscow and Sergei as Governor General of the City was in charge of overseeing the arrangements. As part of the preparations, Sergei had introduced the novelty of electric light to Moscow. Towards the end of the festivities, according to custom, every newly crowned Tsar presented gifts to the populace; Field, on the outskirts of Moscow, was where the distribution was held since the coronation of Tsar Alexander II. The choice was questionable, as the field was normally used as a military training ground and was crisscrossed with ditches. Nevertheless, Sergei, as Governor General approved the plans. Although a crowd of nearly half a million was expected from all over Russia, only one squadron of Cossacks and a small detachment of police were sent to maintain order. in the morning of 30 May [O.S. 18 May] 1896, families began to gather outside the frail wooden fence that protected the field, watching carts laden with beer, and the eagerly sought after gifts.[34] Around 6 am, a rumour swept through the mass that the booths had already opened and the souvenirs were being given out.[35] Suddenly moving as one, that great body of people began to surge forward in the direction of the booths.[35] As it did so, men, women and children, hundreds of whom had no idea what was happening, fell or slipped on the uneven ground and were crushed and trampled underfoot. Others suffocated in the mayhem.[35] The police, far too few in numbers, were helpless to do much and even the Cossacks when they arrived were unable to stop the catastrophe. One thousand three hundred people, many hideously mutilated and unrecognizable, were killed and twice that number were seriously injured.[36] Grand Duke Sergei had not directly participated in the planning for Khodynka Field, he was to blame for the lack of foresight and as Governor-General, ultimately responsible. However, he did not assume his part of the responsibility for the tragedy. He laid the blame on others, most notably on Ilarion Count Voronzov-Dashkov, head of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, with whom there had been some dispute over the management of the coronation festivities,[37] and Colonel Alexander Vlasovsky (1842–1899), the city of Moscow's Chief of Police.[38] In the eyes of public opinion Sergei had done himself great harm by not going to the scene of the incident or at least putting in appearances at the victims' funerals. of the stampede at Khodynka the tragedy, many members of the Romanov family, headed by Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers, thought that the remaining festivities should be canceled. On the other hand, Sergei Alexandrovich and his brothers thought that a historical event, such as a coronation, should not be disrupted or marred by a conspicuous period of mourning. The latter opinion believed that the crowds who came long distances should not be disappointed and that the tightly scheduled events for foreign dignitaries not be slighted and should go forward. There was also division among the Romanov family as to whether Grand Duke Sergei should have resigned. Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers called for his resignation, while Sergei's own brothers Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich and Alexei Alexandrovich closed ranks supporting him and threatened to retire from public life if Sergei was made the scapegoat for the Khodynka tragedy.[39] Sergei ultimately offered to resign but Vorontzov-Dashkov did not. The Tsar ultimately did not support a thoroughly proposed investigation, the Chief of Police was dismissed, but Grand Duke Sergei retained his high office. night of the tragedy Tsar Nicholas II, for diplomatic reasons, attended a ball in honor of the French; because of that, his reputation suffered for what was perceived to be his lack of sympathy for the victims. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich 1894 Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow military district. Because Sergei was devoted to the policies of his nephew, the Tsar regarded him as a useful counter weight to some of his ministers and officials and would always readily take his side.[40] When, in 1896, disturbances broke out in the universities, Nicholas II was grateful for his prompt action and that of the authorities that quickly restored order. Sergei was often condemned as a complete reactionary during his governorship, according to his brother-in-law Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse, he wanted and strove for improvements, which angered conservatives, but blocked revolutionary reforms, which infuriated radicals, because he considered them impractical or thought that Russia was not ready for them.[36][41] enigmatic personality and harsh manners made him appear arrogant and disagreeable. Shy by nature, he dreaded personal contact. When courtesy demanded a handshake, he solved the problem by wearing a white glove. Puritan and humourless, at least in public, he had a total disregard for public opinion. He never seemed to be at ease with himself and others. He became a focus for serious opponents of the regime as well as for malicious gossip. His cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich left a damaging description about him: "Try as I will,â€ he wrote, “ I cannot find a single redeeming feature in his character… Obstinate, arrogant, disagreeable, he flaunted his many peculiarities in the face of the entire nation… "[42] Later writers have accused him of sadism.[30][43] great deal of controversy around Sergei Alexandrovich has centered on the nature of his personal life. Conjecture about the perhaps unhappy nature of the relationship with his wife has abounded.[44] Sergei's marriage is barely documented. His private papers, including his correspondence with his wife, have not survived, and the evidence that does exist in the Moscow State Archives, the most important repository of Romanov papers, is open to interpretation. According to some contemporary reports, Sergei was homosexual.[43][45][46] His sexuality conflicted with his intense religious beliefs and the expectations of his position.[46] Contrary to this belief, the marriage was happy, in its own way. Unusually for royal couples, they slept in the same bed for all of their married life.[47] Forced to defend Sergei against rumors of discord, Elizabeth Feodorovna was devoted to her husband and treasured his memory after his death. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia with his foster children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna jr, and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich their marriage remained childless, the two children of Grand Duke Paul, Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dimitri, often joined their household, spending Christmases and later some summer holidays with Sergei and his wife. The couple set aside a playroom and bedrooms for the youngsters at their home. 1902, Paul was banished from living in Russia after he contracted a morganatic marriage and Sergei asked for and obtained the guardianship of his niece and nephew.[45] a foster father, Sergei was strict and demanding, but devoted and affectionate towards the children. Nevertheless, Maria and Dimitri resented their aunt and uncle, blaming them for the forced separation from their real father, who had abandoned them.[48] While Sergei had their best interests at heart, his preoccupation with the smallest detail of their education and upbringing were not appealing to the two difficult adolescents, especially the obstinate Maria.[49] the end of 1904, Russia had suffered disastrously in the Russo-Japanese War and the country was in turmoil. As discontent and demonstration multiplied, so did the pressure on Sergei to maintain order.[50] He was of the opinion that only the utmost severity could put an end to the revolutionary ferment, but in the wake of civil disorder Nicholas II was forced to make concessions. did not support the Tsar's security policies of vacillations and evasions.[51] According to Marie Pavlovna, "it appeared to my uncle little less than monstrous ... he expressed deep sorrow for the state of affairs in Russia, of the necessity for serious measures, and of the criminal weakness of the Tsar's ministers and councilors." disillusioned with the whole situation and deciding it was the right time to retire into private life, he informed the Tsar that new times needed new faces.[52] After thirteen years of service, Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905 and was succeeded by Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. However, he continued as Commander of the Moscow military district.[53] Ivan Kalyayev Assassination of the carriage his resignation, Grand Duke Sergei moved to the Neskuchnoye Palace with his wife and foster children. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Nicholas Palace within the safety of the Kremlin, under the cover of night. Sergei took every precaution advised by his detectives. Sergei and his wife rarely ventured outside.[54] At home, they only received their closest friends.[54] Like his father, Alexander II, Sergei was firm of the belief that unless it was the will of God, no attempt on his life would succeed. If it were the will of God, no amount of security would prevent it. One precaution he did take was for the benefit of his adjutants, whom he would no longer allow traveling with him. 15 February 1905, the family attended a concert at the Bolshoi Theatre in aid of Elizabeth Feodorovna's Red Cross War charities.[55] A terrorist organization that knew his route had planned to assassinate him that day. However, one of their members noticed the children in the carriage and decided to call off their attack. To kill the Grand Duchess and the children would surely have sparked a wave of apprehension throughout the empire, and would have set back the revolutionary cause by years.[53] Having had lunch with his wife at Nicholas Palace on 17 February, Sergei left unaccompanied for the Governor General's mansion.[56] Because of the looming threat, Sergei had refused to take his adjutant, Alexei, since he was married and a father. The arrival of the Grand Duke's recognizable carriage, drawn by a pair of horses and driven by his coachman Andrei Rudinkin, alerted the terrorist who had been waiting in the Kremlin with a bomb wrapped in newspapers.[57] before 14:45, the carriage of the Grand Duke passed through the gate of Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin and turned the corner of the Chudov Monastery into Senatskaya Square. From a distance no more than four feet (1.2 m) away and still some 60 feet (18 m) inside the Nikolsky Gate, Ivan Kalyayev, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party's combat detachment, stepped forward and threw a nitroglycerin bomb directly into Sergei's lap.[58] The explosion disintegrated the carriage and the Grand Duke died immediately, his body blown to bits.[58] Scattered all over the bloodstained snow lay pieces of scorched cloth, fur, and leather. The body of the Grand Duke was mutilated, with the head, the upper part of the chest, and the left shoulder and arm blown off and completely destroyed.[59] Surrounded by splintered skull bones was what little that remained of his face.[58] Some of the Grand Duke's fingers, still adorned with the rings he habitually wore, were found on the roof of a nearby building.[58][60] impact, the carriage horses had bolted towards the Nikolsky Gate, dragging with them the front wheels and coachbox as well as the semi-conscious and badly burned driver, Rudinkin, whose back had been riddled with bits of bomb and stones. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he died three days later. Kalyayev, who by his own testimony had expected to die in the explosion, survived.[57][61] Sucked into the vortex of the explosion, he ended up by the remains of the rear wheels. His face was peppered by splinters, pouring with blood.[57] Kalyayev was immediately arrested, sentenced to death, and hanged two months later. Grand Duchess rushed to the scene of the explosion.[61] Stunned but perfectly controlled, she gave instructions, and, kneeling in the snow, helped to gather up Sergei's remains.[61] The bared torso, part of the skull, a hand bone fragment, fingers, and a still-booted foot were placed on a stretcher and covered with an army greatcoat. The Grand Duchess also gathered Sergei's medallions.[61] affected by the Grand Duke's death, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna retired from the royal family and founded the Russian Orthodox convent of Martha and Mary, where she dedicated herself to the care of Moscow's poor and suffering.[58] Part of the obligations of the sisters of the Martha and Mary convent was to make an annual pilgrimage to the sepulchral church in memory of the Grand Duke on the day of his repose, 4 February.[62] Elizabeth Feodorovna was murdered during the Russian Civil War in 1918, together with many other Romanov relatives. bodies were smuggled to China and eventually reached Jerusalem. The wooden coffins were met at the railway station by the deputy British governor, Sir Harry Charles Luke, and taken for burial at the Church of Maria Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.[12] of the memorial, 4 May 2017 Duke Sergei's body was buried in a crypt of the Chudov Monastery within the precincts of the Moscow Kremlin. A memorial cross was erected on the spot where he was killed. After the downfall of the Romanovs, the cross was destroyed with the personal participation of Vladimir Lenin.[52] Monastery was demolished in 1928, and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was built on the site. The burial crypt of the Grand Duke was located in a courtyard of that building, which had been used as a parking lot. In 1990, building workers in the Kremlin discovered the blocked up entrance of the burial vault. The coffin was examined and found to contain the Grand Duke's remains, covered with the military greatcoat of the Kiev regiment, decorations, and an icon. He had left written instructions that he was to be buried in the Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment uniform, but as his body was so badly mutilated this proved impossible. In 1995, the coffin was officially exhumed, and after a Panikhida in the Kremlin Cathedral of the Archangel, it was reburied in a vault of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow on 17 September 1995.[63] 4 May 2017, the memorial cross was restored in a ceremony that was attended by President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[64] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1883-1925, Tikhon, Apostle to America, Patriarch and Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia
Moscow, 1883-1925, Tikhon, Apostle to America, Patriarch of Moscow; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America was born as Vasily Ivanovich Belavin on January 19, 1865 into the family of Ioann Belavin, a rural priest of the Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese. childhood and adolescence were spent in the village in direct contact with peasants and their labor. From his early years he displayed a particular religious disposition, love for the Church as well as rare meekness and humility. Vasily was still a boy, his father had a revelation about each of his children. One night, when he and his three sons slept in the hayloft, he suddenly woke up and roused them. He had seen his dead mother in a dream, who foretold to him his imminent death, and the fate of his three sons. She said that one would be unfortunate throughout his entire life, another would die young, while the third, Vasily, would be a great man. The prophecy of the dead woman proved to be entirely accurate in regard to all three brothers. 1878 to 1883, Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary. The modest seminarian was tender and affectionate by nature. He was fair-haired and tall of stature. His fellow students liked and respected him for his piety, brilliant progress in studies, and constant readiness to help comrades, who often turned to him for explanations of lessons, especially for help in drawing up and correcting numerous compositions. Vasily was called “bishop” and “patriarch” by his classmates. 1888, at the age of 23, Vasily Belavin graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman, and returned to the Pskov Seminary as an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. The whole seminary and the town of Pskov became very fond of him. He led an austere and chaste life, and in 1891, when he turned 26, he took monastic vows. Nearly the whole town gathered for the ceremony. He embarked on this new way of life consciously and deliberately, desiring to dedicate himself entirely to the service of the Church. The meek and humble young man was given the name Tikhon in honor of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. was transferred from the Pskov Seminary to the Kholm Theological Seminary in 1892, and was raised to the rank of archimandrite. Archimandrite Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on October 19, 1897, and returned to Kholm for a year as Vicar Bishop of the Kholm Diocese. Bishop Tikhon zealously devoted his energy to the establishment of the new vicariate. His attractive moral make-up won the general affection, of not only the Russian population, but also of the Lithuanians and Poles. September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was made Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. As head of the Orthodox Church in America, Bishop Tikhon was a zealous laborer in the Lord’s vineyard. did much to promote the spread of Orthodoxy, and to improve his vast diocese. He reorganized the diocesan structure, and changed its name from “Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska” to “Diocese of the Aleutians and North America” in 1900. Both clergy and laity loved their archpastor, and held him in such esteem that the Americans made Archbishop Tikhon an honorary citizen of the United States. May 22, 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York, and was also involved in establishing other churches. On November 9, 1902, he consecrated the church of Saint Nicholas in Brooklyn for the Syrian Orthodox immigrants. Two weeks later, he consecrated Saint Nicholas Cathedral in NY. 1905, the American Mission was made an Archdiocese, and Saint Tikhon was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. He had two vicar bishops: Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny) in Brooklyn to assist him in administering his large, ethnically diverse diocese. In June of 1905, Saint Tikhon gave his blessing for the establishment of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. 1907, he returned to Russia, and was appointed to Yaroslavl, where he quickly won the affection of his flock. They came to love him as a friendly, communicative, and wise archpastor. He spoke simply to his subordinates, never resorting to a peremptory or overbearing tone. When he had to reprimand someone, he did so in a good-natured, sometimes joking manner, which encouraged the person to correct his mistakes. Saint Tikhon was transferred to Lithuania on December 22, 1913, the people of Yaroslavl voted him an honorary citizen of their town. After his transfer to Vilnius, he did much in terms of material support for various charitable institutions. There too, his generous soul and love of people clearly manifested themselves. World War I broke out when His Eminence was in Vilnius. He spared no effort to help the poor residents of the Vilnius region who were left without a roof over their heads or means of subsistence as a result of the war with the Germans, and who flocked to their archpastor in droves. the February Revolution and formation of a new Synod, Saint Tikhon became one of its members. On June 21, 1917, the Moscow Diocesan Congress of clergy and laity elected him as their ruling bishop. He was a zealous and educated archpastor, widely known even outside his country. August 15, 1917, a local council was opened in Moscow, and Archbishop Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan, and then elected as chairman of the council. The council had as its aim to restore the life of Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical principles, and its primary concern was the restoration of the Patriarchate. All council members would select three candidates, and then a lot would reveal the will of God. The council members chose three candidates: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, the wisest, Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod, the strictest, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow, the kindest of the Russian hierarchs. November 5, following the Divine Liturgy and a Molieben in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a monk removed one of the three ballots from the ballot box, which stood before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced Metropolitan Tikhon as the newly elected Patriarch. Saint Tikhon did not change after becoming the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In accepting the will of the council, Patriarch Tikhon referred to the scroll that the Prophet Ezekiel had to eat, on which was written, “Lamentations, mourning, and woe.” He foresaw that his ministry would be filled with affliction and tears, but through all his suffering, he remained the same accessible, unassuming, and kindly person. who met Saint Tikhon were surprised by his accessibility, simplicity and modesty. His gentle disposition did not prevent him from showing firmness in Church matters, however, particularly when he had to defend the Church from her enemies. He bore a very heavy cross. He had to administer and direct the Church amidst wholesale church disorganization, without auxiliary administrative bodies, in conditions of internal schisms and upheavals by various adherents of the Living Church, renovationists, and autocephalists. situation was complicated by external circumstances: the change of the political system, by the accession to power of the godless regime, by hunger, and civil war. This was a time when Church property was being confiscated, when clergy were subjected to court trials and persecutions, and Christ’s Church endured repression. News of this came to the Patriarch from all ends of Russia. His exceptionally high moral and religious authority helped him to unite the scattered and enfeebled flock. At a crucial time for the church, his unblemished name was a bright beacon pointing the way to the truth of Orthodoxy. In his messages, he called on people to fulfill the commandments of Christ, and to attain spiritual rebirth through repentance. His irreproachable life was an example to all. order to save thousands of lives and to improve the general position of the church, the Patriarch took measures to prevent clergy from making purely political statements. On September 25, 1919, when the civil war was at its height, he issued a message to the clergy urging them to stay away from political struggle. summer of 1921 brought a severe famine to the Volga region. In August, Patriarch Tikhon issued a message to the Russian people and to the people of the world, calling them to help famine victims. He gave his blessing for voluntary donations of church valuables, which were not directly used in liturgical services. However, on February 23, 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a decree making all valuables subject to confiscation. to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were regarded as sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve such total confiscation, especially since many doubted that the valuables would be used to combat famine. This forcible confiscation aroused popular indignation everywhere. Nearly two thousand trials were staged all over Russia, and more than ten thousand believers were shot. The Patriarch’s message was viewed as sabotage, for which he was imprisoned from April 1922 until June 1923. Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon did much on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church during the crucial time of the so-called Renovationist schism. He showed himself to be a faithful servant and custodian of the undistorted precepts of the true Orthodox Church. He was the living embodiment of Orthodoxy, which was unconsciously recognized even by enemies of the church, who called its members “Tikhonites.” Renovationist priests and hierarchs repented and returned to the church, they were met with tenderness and love by Saint Tikhon. This, however, did not represent any deviation from his strictly Orthodox policy. “I ask you to believe me that I will not come to agreement or make concessions which could lead to the loss of the purity and strength of Orthodoxy,” the Patriarch said in 1924. a good pastor, who devoted himself entirely to the church’s cause, he called upon the clergy to do the same: “Devote all your energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ, especially today, when unbelief and atheism are audaciously attacking the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of you!” was extremely painful and hard for the Patriarch’s loving, responsive heart to endure all the Church’s misfortunes. Upheavals in and outside the church, the Renovationist schism, his primatial labors, his concern for the organization and tranquility of Church life, sleepless nights and heavy thoughts, his confinement that lasted more than a year, the spiteful and wicked baiting of his enemies, and the unrelenting criticism sometimes even from the Orthodox, combined to undermine his strength and health. 1924, Patriarch Tikhon began to feel unwell. He checked into a hospital, but would leave it on Sundays and Feast Days in order to conduct services. On Sunday, April 5, 1925, he served his last Liturgy, and died two days later. On March 25/April 7, 1925 the Patriarch received Metropolitan Peter and had a long talk with him. In the evening, the Patriarch slept a little, then he woke up and asked what time it was. When he was told it was 11:45 P.M., he made the Sign of the Cross twice and said, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee.” He did not have time to cross himself a third time. a million people came to say farewell to the Patriarch. The large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not contain the crowd, which overflowed the monastery property into the square and adjacent streets. Saint Tikhon, the eleventh Patriarch of Moscow, was primate of the Russian Church for seven and a half years. September 26/October 9, 1989, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Tikhon and numbered him among the saints. For nearly seventy years, Saint Tikhon’s relics were believed lost, but in February 1992, they were discovered in a concealed place in the Donskoy Monastery. would be difficult to imagine the Russian Orthodox Church without Patriarch Tikhon during those years. He did so much for the Church and for the strengthening of the Faith itself during those difficult years of trial. Perhaps the saint’s own words can best sum up his life: “May God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake.”

Russia, Moscow, 1883-1953, Euthymius (Takaishvili) historian protector nation's treasures, incorrupt relics
Georgia, 1883-1953, Euthymius (Takaishvili) historian protector nation's treasures, incorrupt relics , Kutaisi, Imereti, Georgia Argveti River Mouth, Rioni River 3), called Man oGod, fOzurgeti, Guria, noble family, orphaned, passion fLearning, 1883 St Petersburg U, 1887 returned tG wHistory degree, married 1895, daughter oFamous Lawyer brother iLaw Ilia Chavchavadze, collected historical-archaeological and ethnographical materials from all over Georgia, learning more Georgia history by applying interests in historiography, archaeology, ethnography, epigraphy, numismatics, philology, folklore, linguistics, and art history, 1889 estab Exarchate Museum oGorgia, which preserved ancient manuscripts, sacred objects, theological books, and copies of many important frescoes that had been removed from ancient churches, rediscovering Georgia Church Hisory, 1907 founded Society for Georgian History and Ethnography, that society received respect bMuslim Southwest Georgia, 1918 w9 founded Tiblisi U, advocated autocephaly, 1921 Geo Govt exiled tFrance, Govt archives & spiritual cultural treasures flown tFrance, Ekvtime trusted to keek treasures safe, onslaught American European museums collectors, claims Georgian Expats, 1931 Wife died starvation, he almost died hunger cold stress, Soviet victory 1945 treasurs&Ekvtime flown tGeorgia, restored professorship, 1951 checkists arrested caretaker step-daughter, 1952 professorship revoked, house arrest, prevented seeing people, 1953 died heart attack, 1963 incorrupt relics; Kutaisi; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated Janaury 3; Ekvtime (Euthymius) Takaishvili, the “Man of God,” born January 3, 1863, the village of Likhauri, in the Ozurgeti district of Guria, the noble family of Svimeon Takaishvili and Gituli Nakashidze. was orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle. early childhood Saint Ekvtime demonstrated a great passion for learning. Having completed his studies at the village grammar school, he enrolled at Kutaisi Classical High School. 1883 he graduated with a silver medal and moved to Saint Petersburg to continue his studies in the department of history-philology at Saint Petersburg University. 1887, having successfully completed his studies and earned a degree in history, Ekvtime returned to Georgia and began working in the field of academia. profound faith and love for God and his motherland determined his every step in this demanding and admirable profession. 1895, Ekvtime married Nino Poltoratskaya, of the famous Tbilisi attorney Ivan Poltoratsky, was himself a brother in-law and close friend of Saint Ilia Chavchavadze the Righteous. the very beginning of his career Saint Ekvtime began to collect historical-archaeological and ethnographical materials from all over Georgia. sphere of scholarly interests was broad, including historiography, archaeology, ethnography, epigraphy, numismatics, philology, folklore, linguistics, and art history. all, Saint Ekvtime strove to learn more about Georgian history and culture by applying the theories and methodologies of these various disciplines to his work. 1889, Saint Ekvtime established the Exarchate Museum of Georgia, which were preserved ancient manuscripts, sacred objects, theological books, and copies of many important frescoes that had been removed from ancient churches. museum played a major role in rediscovering the history of the Georgian Church. 1907, Saint Ekvtime founded the Society for Georgian History and Ethnography. the many expeditions organized by this society, the journey through Muslim (southwestern) Georgia was one of the most meaningful. witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the forced isolation and Islamization of this region, Ekvtime and his fellow pilgrims acquired a greater love for the Faith of their forefathers and became more firmly established in their national identity. they no longer spoke the Georgian language, the residents of this region received the venerable Ekvtime with great respect, sensed from his greeting and kindness that he had come from their far-off motherland. was not a single patriotic, social or cultural movement in Georgia during the first quarter of the 20th century in which Saint Ekvtime did not actively take part. his other important achievements, he was one of the nine professors who founded Tbilisi University in 1918. Ekvtime also vigorously advocated the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. March 11, 1921, the Georgian government went into exile in France. government archives the nation’s spiritual and cultural treasures were also flown to France for protection from the Bolshevik danger. Ekvtime was personally entrusted to keep the treasures safe, he and his wife accompanied them on their flight to France. Ekvtime bore the hardships of an emigrant’s life and the horrors of World War II with heroism, boldly resisting the onslaught of European and American scholars and collectors the claims of other Georgian emigrants to their “family relics.” 1931 Saint Ekvtime’s wife, Nino, his faithful friend and companion, died of starvation. elderly widower himself often drew near to the brink of death from hunger, cold, and stress, he never faltered in his duty before God and his motherland— faithfully protected his nation’s treasures. perils were great for Saint Ekvtime and the treasures he protected: and American museums sought to purchase the Georgian national artifacts; certain Salome Dadiani, the widow of Count Okholevsky, declared herself the sole heir of the Georgian national treasure; World War II the Nazis searched Saint Ekvtime’s apartment; the French government claimed ownership of the Georgian treasures. the Soviet victory over fascist Germany created conditions favorable for the return of the national treasures to Georgia. to an agreement between Stalin and De Gaulle, treasures and their faithful protector were loaded onto an American warplane and flown back to their motherland on April 11, 1945. he finally stepped off the plane and set foot on Georgian soil, Ekvtime bowed deeply and kissed the earth where he stood. greeted its long-lost son with great honor. The people overwhelmed Saint Ekvtime with attention and care, his university professorship, recognized him as an active member of the Academy of Sciences. healed the wounds that had been inflicted on his heart. by the separation from his motherland and the woes of emigration, Saint Ekvtime rejoined society with the last of his strength. mankind’s enemy became envious of the victory of good over evil and rose up against Saint Ekvtime’s unshakable spirit. 1951 the Chekists arrested his stepdaughter, Lydia Poltoratskaya. Ekvtime, who by that time was seriously ill, was now left without his caregiver. 1952, without any reasonable explanation, Saint Ekvtime was forbidden to lecture at the university he himself had helped to found, he was secretly placed under house arrest. people who had reverently greeted him upon his return now trembled in fear of his persecution and imminent death. tried to visit and support Saint Ekvtime, but they were forbidden. February 21, 1953, Saint Ekvtime died of a heart attack, three days later a group of approximately forty mourners accompanied the virtuous prince to his eternal resting place. February 10, 1963, the centennial of Saint Ekvtime’s birth, his body was reburied at the Didube Pantheon in Tbilisi. his grave was uncovered, it was revealed that not only his body, but even his clothing and footwear had remained incorrupt. Saint Ekvtime’s relics were moved once again, to the Pantheon at the Church of Saint Davit of Gareji on Mtatsminda, where they remain today. body of Nino Poltoratskaya-Takaishvili was brought from Leville (France) and buried next to Saint Ekvtime on February 22, 1987. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Saint Ekvtime on October 17, 2002, and joyously proclaimed him a “Man of God.”

Russia, Moscow, 1885-1944, Euthymius tConfessor, saved Georgian Chant, musical tradition, print shop, free to public, w notation
Georgia, 1885-1944, Euthymius tConfessor, fRacha Region, Georgia (Upper Rioni River Valley), after studies sought work iKutaisi&Tiblisi, with others began Book Club to--strengthen Orthodox faith iGeorgia, to better understand ancient Georgian Chant, to spread musical tradition knowledge to general public, so in 1890's purchased print shop wHelp from Ilia tRighteous, next 25 yrs these guys published theological texts and distributed them free to public, 1912 became monk, novice aGelati, new name Ekvtime, ordained hirodeacon 1913, 1917 Priest, 1921 Communist Kutaisi deemed E untrustworthy, arrested, released lack oEvidence, even though Gelati monks expected abuses each day, E persevered in his work, gathering Geortian hymns, publishin in western notation, 1924 Communists destroyed Kutaisi Cathedral, same year killed Met and his clergy, peak oHysteria, he moved his cart otranscrips savely on dangerous road to Tiblisi then Mtskheta, tSvetitskhoveli Cathedral there, appointed Dean there, guarded transcripts even 1925 when Patriarch imprisoned at Metekhi and clergy threats increased, he was spiritual faather nuns oSamtavro Convent, 1929 relocated Zedazeni near Mtskheta, there concealed music iMetal vessels for 6yrs til 1935, Samtavro Nuns cared for him till he died i1944; Racha; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Euthymius Kereselidze was born in 1865 the village of Sadmeli (Racha region) to the pious Solomon and Marta Kereselidze. birth he was given the name Evstate. completing his studies at the local parish school, fifteen-year-old Evstate traveled first to Kutaisi, then Tbilisi, in search of work. the help of other pious young men Evstate founded a kind of theological “book club” in Tbilisi. objectives of the organization were to the Orthodox Faith among the Georgian people, better understand the ancient school of Georgian chant, to spread knowledge of this venerable musical tradition among the general public. the 1890s the organization purchased a print shop with the help of Saint Ilia the Righteous. the twenty-five years that followed, these young men zealously published theological texts and distributed them to the public free of charge. some time Evstate resolved to take upon himself the heavy yoke of monasticism, which he had been preparing from an early age. spiritual father, the venerable Saint Alexi (Shushania), supported his decision. 1912, with the blessing of Bishop Giorgi (Aladashvili) of Imereti, Evstate began to labor as a novice at Gelati Monastery. December 23, 1912, he was tonsured a monk by a certain Antimos, the abbot of the monastery. was given the name Ekvtime in honor of Saint Ekvtime of Mt. Athos. May of 1913 he was ordained a hierodeacon. 1917 Fr. Ekvtime was ordained to the priesthood by the same Bishop Giorgi. the terrible year of 1921, immediately after the Communists seized power in Kutaisi, the authorities deemed Fr. Ekvtime untrustworthy and arrested him. according to God’s will, he was released due to the lack of evidence against him. this ungodly era, the clergy and monks of Gelati Monastery came to expect abuses and persecutions each day. the faithful hieromonk Ekvtime persevered in his work, gathering hundreds of ancient Georgian hymns for eventual publication according to Western notation. 1924 the Communists destroyed the Cathedral of King Davit the Restorer in Kutaisi. that year they shot and killed Metropolitan Nazar of Kutaisi-Gaenati and the clergy who served under him. hysteria had reached its peak. Fr. Ekvtime planned to leave Gelati Monastery and to move the ancient manuscripts with which he had been working to a more secure location. that time thousands of travelers were killed on the road between Kutaisi and Tbilisi, Fr. Ekvtime safely transported himself and his cartload of manuscripts from Kutaisi to Mtskheta, a short distance from Tbilisi. Ekvtime brought the manuscripts to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral for safekeeping, and he was soon appointed dean of this parish. in 1925, when Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrosi was imprisoned at Metekhi and threats to the Georgian clergy increased significantly, Fr. Ekvtime continued to guard the ancient manuscripts faithfully. transcribed the music from the medieval neume system of notation to the European-style staff system. the same time, Fr. Ekvtime served as spiritual father to the nuns of Samtavro Convent, located a short distance from Svetitskhoveli. 1929 Fr. Ekvtime was relocated to Zedazeni Monastery outside of Mtskheta. brought the ancient music manuscripts with him to his new home, concealed them in metal vessels, and buried them beneath the earth. years later, in November of 1935, he turned over thirty-four volumes of music containing 5,532 chants and several theological manuscripts to the State Museum of Georgia. World War II conditions in the Georgian monasteries grew ever more bleak. abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, Archimandrite Mikael (Mandaria), was taking food to the monks of Saguramo when the Communists shot and killed him for violating the curfew they had imposed. young monk Parten (Aptsiauri) was falsely accused and arrested. the repose of the elder Saba (Pulariani), Fr. Ekvtime was the only monk remaining at Zedazeni. Ekvtime’s spiritual children, the nuns of Samtavro Convent, cared for him as he grew older. the winter of 1944 the nun Zoile (Dvalishvili) and several others went to visit him at Zedazeni and found him lying enfeebled in bed. a short time Fr. Ekvtime peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord. Fr. Ekvtime was buried in the yard of Zedazeni Monastery, near the church sanctuary. of his rich library was moved to Samtavro. this day several of the original manuscripts of hymns he transcribed to European-style notation are preserved there. ancient school of Georgian chant is preserved up to this day primarily as a result of Abbot Ekvtime’s fearless labors. Saint Ekvtime (Kereselidze), like Saint Ekvtime of Mt. Athos for whom he was named, dedicated his life to the enrichment of his mother Church. Saint Ekvtime Taqaishvili, the “Man of God”, he gave his talents and energies to the preservation of Georgia’s unique spiritual heritage. was a monk-ascetic and a scholar who prayed fervently. (Several of his theological treatises are preserved at Samtavro.) From his youth Saint Ekvtime was for others an example of virginity, humility and patience. September 18, 2003, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church declared Ekvtime (Kereselidze) worthy of being numbered among the saints. Synod called him “Ekvtime the Confessor,” thereby recognizing his confession of the Faith and his vital role in the preservation of the rich tradition of national liturgical song.

Russia, Moscow, 1889-1916, Russian Mystic, Rasputin, not orthodox, controversial figure, close to nik & alix
Russia, Moscow, 1889-1916, Russian Mystic, Rasputin; St. Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and the New Martyrs of Estonia, Traveling Preacher
Estonia, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, fPootsi in Pätnu county, Priest, Traveling Preacher, Bishop i1917, 1918 German Occupation, still traveled to all parishes that summer, 1919 arrested shot by athiest Russian communist regime, then also 2 Archpriests Bezhanitsky&Bleive were shot; Estonia; Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Commemorated on January 14; holy Hieromartyr Platon (Πλάτων) was born on July 13, 1869, at Pootsi in Pätnu county, Estonia. At Holy Baptism, he received the name Paul. attending various theological schools, Paul Kulbusch was ordained as a priest. Father Paul travelled about, preaching the Word of God in the Orthodox churches of Estonia. December 31, 1917 he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Estonia, engaging in numerous activities in his efforts to elevate the Orthodox parishes. than two months after his consecration, Estonia was occupied by the German army. At that time it was very difficult to travel, but that did not stop the Bishop from visiting almost all of the Orthodox parishes in Estonia during that summer. 1919, he was arrested by the atheist regime in Moscow and, after being tortured, he was shot on January 14, 1919. Afterward, Archpriest Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Archpriest Michael Bleive were also put to death. Saint Platon's relics rest in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Tallinn. the Church also commemorates all the New Martyrs of Estonia: Priests, Deacons and laymen. Platon, Archpriests Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Michael Bleive were glorified as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1982, and by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2000. Church Service in honor of Saint Platon was composed by Metropolitan Joel of Edessa.

Russia, Moscow, 1889-1937, New Hieromrtr Elias, CLaw, Theology, Old Believers author, martyr w Alexis
Russia, Tver, 1889-1937, New Hieromrtr Elias, opposed Living Church in Communist Russia, martyr w Alexis, Cannon Law. Theology, Old Believers, etc. expert, teacher, author, e 1920s arrested b opposed Church Property confiscation, 1925 exiled tSurgut, Siberia, kicked out oMoscow, returned to Tver, 1937 Martyred wAlexis; New Hieromartyr Elias (Gromoglasov) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; in 1869, the New Martyr Elias Gromoglasov was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. was well educated in canon law, theology and other disciplines, had taught for many years, and had authored numerous pieces on a variety of topics ranging from canon law to the Old Believer Schism. the early 1920s he was arrested in Moscow due to his opposition to the confiscation of Church property by the Soviet regime, but was soon released. 1925 he was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile in Surgut, Siberia. of the right to reside in Moscow after his release, he relocated to Tver. December 4, 1937, he was again arrested with his coworker, Saint Alexis Benemanskii, with whom he was martyred on the following day. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, resisted Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943, strongly opposed Living Church, arrested exiled 4times, Martyred wElias; New Hieromartyr Alexis (Benemanskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; January 6, 1881 in the Tver region, the New Martyr Alexis Constantinovich Benemanskii was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. widely opposed the Living Church, which had been set up in the 1920s by the Soviet state to challenge the legitimacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow and, initially, Saint Tikhon himself. was tenacious in defending the canonical Church against the "renovationists," as proponents of the Living Church were called, and was unwilling to sacrifice his principles. the years, he had been arrested four times and imprisoned or exiled. December 4/November 21, 1937, he was arrested again, together with his coworker Archpriest Elias Gromoglasov, and martyred the following day, been accused of taking part in fictitious counter-revolutionary activities allegedly organized by the New Martyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, who was arrested three days later and subsequently martyred. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1891, Founding Church of Great Martyr George, Zakatalsk region, G enlightened Georgia, namesake, Bogomils came
Georgia, 1891, Founding of the Church of the Great Martyr George, Zakatalsk region (Talsk River of Alazani), new church in place of old, George enlightened Georgia, namesake, Nino established this feastday, Bogomils came; Zakatalsk region; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated November 10 ; Founding of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Georgia: was enlightened with the Christian faith by the holy Equal of the Apostles Nino (January 14), a kinswoman of the holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer (April 23). Georgia has special veneration for Saint George as its patron saint. name Georgia is derived from George (this name is preserved now in many languages of the world). Nino established a feastday in his honor. It is celebrated in Georgia on November 10, in remembrance of the sufferings of Saint George. 1891, near the village of Kakha in the Zakatalsk region of the Caucasus, a new church in place of the old was built in honor of the holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, many of the heterodox Bogomils came in droves to it. heterodox Bogomils was a Christian neo-Gnostic or dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Peter I in the 10th century.[1][2][3] It most probably arose in what is today the region of Macedonia.[4][5] Bogomils called for a return to what they considered to be early spiritual teaching, rejecting the ecclesiastical hierarchy. primary political tendencies were resistance to the state and church authorities. This helped the movement spread quickly in the Balkans, gradually expanding throughout the Byzantine Empire and later reaching Kievan Rus', Bosnia (Bosnian Church), Dalmatia, Serbia, Italy, and France (Cathars). Bogomils were dualists or Gnostics in that they believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body. did not use the Christian cross, nor build churches, as they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging,[clarification needed] fasting, celebrating and dancing.

Russia, Moscow, 1891-1917, Priest John Kochurov, first priest martyred by Bolsheviks
Russia, Moscow, 1891-1917, Priest John Kochurov, first priest martyred by Bolsheviks Tsarskoye Selo; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated November 27 ;

Russia, Moscow, 1891-1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, MOG, St Ambrose, crop failure famines, but rain w icon
Russia, Kaluga, 1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon; Optina Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat”, was painted at the blessing of the Elder Ambrose (October 10) of the Visitation Optina wilderness monastery. Ambrose, a great Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, was ardent with a childlike faith towards the Mother of God. In particular, he revered all the Feastdays of the Mother of God, and on these days he redoubled his prayer. the icon, “Multiplier of Wheat,” Saint Ambrose blessed the Shamordino women’s monastery established in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he had founded not far from the Optina monastery. this icon, the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneath her is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. Ambrose himself decreed the day of celebration, October 15, and called the icon “Multiplier of Wheat”, indicating by this, that the Most Holy Theotokos “is a Helper for people in their labors for the acquiring of their daily bread.” his blessed repose, Saint Ambrose ordered many copies of this icon and sent them to his spiritual children. the Akathist to this icon, the Elder composed a particular response, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Grant unto us unworthy ones the dew of Your grace and the showing forth of Your mercy!” Ambrose’s burial took place on October 15, the Feastday of the icon. first miracle from the holy icon was witnessed in 1891, when throughout Russia there was a famine because of crop failure. In the Kaluga district and on the fields of the Shamordino monastery, however, grain was produced. 1892, already after the death of Saint Ambrose, his attendant John Cherepanov sent a copy of the icon to the Pyatnitsa women’s monastery in Voronezh district. In this locale there was a threat of drought and famine, but soon after a Molieben was celebrated before the icon “The Multiplier of Wheat”, rain fell and ended the drought. Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus.

Russia, Moscow, 1891-1918, Hiermrtr Nikodemos, Bishop oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian, incorrupt relics
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28.

Russia, Moscow, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia Seminary, New York, San Francisco, Moscow, special spark from God
Russia, Volhynia, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia, son of rector of V T Seminary, educated there and Petersburg T A, New York, San Francisco, special spark from God, preaching, Tikhon, US missionary, Uniates from his home, Philidelphia, Yonkers, Passaic, publisher, mutual aid, St Nik Cathedral, Finland, proselytic Lutherans, Moscow, Tikhon, struggle to save the nation, Civil War, brotherhood, alms for Cathedral, arrests, confiscations, chruch donations for starving, however Church forbad sacred vessels surrender, court cases counter-revolutionary activities, draft resolution guaratee for starving, deemed c-r, executions, acknowleged main organizer, milder verdict 10 yrs, amnesty, interrogation, exile to Turuhan r, return, protopresbyter to Sergius, rector on Donskoy st, light in his eyes, 1937 arrest and martyrdom; Alexander Hotovitzky (or Hotovitsky), hieromartyr of the Bolshevik yoke, Missionary of America, was a Ukrainian who came to the United States in the 1890s as a lay missionary and was ordained to the priesthood while there. was active as a missionary among the emigrated Uniates in the northeastern United States before being ordered back to Europe 1914. was to become vicar of the congregation of the Russian Embassy in Berlin. of the outbreak of the First World War he was instead nominated as vicar of the Orthodox congregation in Helsinki, Finland, then a part of imperial Russia. 1917 he was assigned to Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. the Bolshevik coup he was subjected to many cruelties by the revolutionaries as he defended the Orthodox faith, his people, and church property. to many arrests and exile Father Alexander served his Church as best he could through these tumultuous times until after a final arrest he was executed during the Great Purge on August 19, 1937. glorification is celebrated on December 4. Kremenetz - Kremenetz city of Kremenetz district and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Lavra ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; New Martyr of Russia Alexander Hotovitzky was born on February 11, 1872 in the city of Kremenetz, into the pious family of Archpriest Alexander, who was Rector of the Volhynia Theological Seminary and would later be long remembered in the hearts of the Orthodox inhabitants of Volhynia as a good shepherd. Alexander received a good Christian upbringing from his parents, who instilled in him love for the Orthodox Church and for the people of God. future pastor was educated at the Volhynia Seminary and the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, from which he graduated with a Master’s degree in 1895. graduation from the Academy, he was sent for missionary service to the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America, where he was assigned to the position of reader at the newly-established Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in New York City. his marriage to Maria Scherbuhina, a graduate of the Pavlovsk Institute in Saint Petersburg, the Hieromartyr Alexander was ordained to the diaconate, and soon after, on February 25, 1896, to the priesthood by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians, whom Father Alexander would always later remember with gratitude and love. ordination took place at the diocesan cathedral in San Francisco. In his address to the newly-ordained Father Alexander, Bishop Nicholas explained his selection of the new priest for ordained ministry in these words: “Your special sense of decency, your good upbringing, your noble idealism, and your sincere piety immediately caused me to look favorably upon you and compelled me to single you out among the young people, with whom you used to visit me in Saint Petersburg... could see that you had that special spark from God, which makes any service an action truly done for God’s sake, and without which a vocation becomes soul-less and dead work... first experience in preaching has shown you the power of this kind of inspiration: you saw how the people gathered around you and how attentively they stood and listened at length to your discourses... Why did these people listen to you rather than going to hear other preachers? Clearly the spark which burns within you attracts the hearts of these people like a magnet.” week after his ordination, the young priest returned to New York to assume the pastorate of the parish where he had previously served as reader. From 1898 to 1907, the New Martyr Alexander served as a pastor under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon. Tikhon, who, in the tragic year of 1917, was to be elevated by Divine Providence to the primatial see as Patriarch of Moscow, valued highly Father Alexander’s sincere piety, his gift of pastoral love, and his multifaceted theological erudition. spectrum of his activity in the United States was quite broad and very fruitful. He was successful in missionary service, primarily among Uniates newly-emigrated from Galicia and Carpathian Rus. was also one of the closest collaborators of the Orthodox archpastors in America and represented the Orthodox Church before American religious institutions and meetings. Alexander’s missionary work was not without many temptations and sorrows. later Metropolitan, Platon (Rozhdestvensky) expressed gratitude for the Passion-bearer Alexander’s labors in America in an address delivered at the Divine Liturgy on February 26, 1914. Bidding farewell to Father Alexander, the Archbishop said, “One morning, during the years we worked together, you came to my room and, without saying much, unbuttoned your shirt, revealing a very large, bluish, bloody abrasion on your chest. That wound from a fanatic, who in a fit of rage attacked you wildly with a stick, followed the meeting of Russian people at which you had encouraged your own ethnic brother to renounce the pernicious Unia with Rome... My entire being was shaken to the core and I was profoundly moved, for before me at that moment was a genuine example of witness for Christ.” Father Alexander’s efforts, Orthodox parishes were established in Philadelphia, Yonkers, and Passaic as well as other large and small towns throughout North America. The parishioners of these churches were cradle Orthodox whom fate had brought to the New World, as well as Carpatho-Russians converted from the Unia and former Protestant converts to the Orthodox Church. important contribution to the witness of the truth of Orthodoxy before heterodox American society was made by the American Orthodox Messenger, which was published in English and Russian under Father Alexander’s editorship. Articles by the editor regularly appeared in this journal. New Martyr Alexander actively participated in the establishment of an Orthodox diocesan mutual aid society and at various times, he served as treasurer, first secretary, and president of this organization. The society provided material aid to Austrian Carpatho-Russians, Macedonian Slavs, Russian troops in Manchuria, and to Russian prisoners of war in Japanese camps. Alexander also took upon himself the ascetical burden of constructing the architecturally remarkable and majestic Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York to replace the small parish church. cathedral was to become an adornment of the city. He visited Orthodox communities throughout America soliciting funds for the construction of the Cathedral. 1901, he also traveled to his homeland, Russia, for this purpose. the annals of Saint Nicholas Church, which in 1903 became the diocesan Cathedral, it is recorded that, “This Cathedral was established and constructed in the City of New York in North America, under the supervision and through the efforts and labors of the most honorable Archpriest Father Alexander Hotovitzky in the year of Our Lord 1902.” February 26, 1906, Orthodox America celebrated the tenth anniversary of priestly service of Archpriest Alexander, one of its most remarkable pastors. Bishop Tikhon greeted the jubilarian with these words: “As you remember your ordination as a priest of God at this anniversary, you are doubtless unwillingly contemplating how you have used your God-given talents, and asking yourself if the Grace of God was bestowed on you in vain and how far you have advanced on the path of moral perfection. you judge yourself in this way, you are at the same time the judge and the accused. In order for a judgment to be fair, the testimony of onlookers, the witnesses, must be heard. Now they are speaking before you—listen to them. Thanks be to the Lord! We just heard their eloquent and heartfelt testimony praising you. myself as your superior, I can testify that you have proven to be trustworthy, and have justified the expectations which were hoped for at your ordination.” sacrificial and dedicated pastoral service of the New Martyr Alexander in America was concluded on February 26, 1914, exactly eighteen years after his ordination to the priesthood. his farewell address, Father Alexander said, “Farewell, American Orthodox Rus—my dear Mother, the Holy American Church. I, your ever-grateful son, bow fully to the ground before you. You gave birth to me spiritually, you nurtured me, from your depths you inspired me by your strength. Through the shining witness of your founders, through the enlightened apostolic teachings of your preachers, through the fervor of your faithful flock, you have given me the greatest possible joy—to be your son.” 1914 to 1917, Father Alexander served as a priest in Helsinki, Finland, where the majority of the population was Protestant. Finland was then part of the Russian Empire, the Orthodox clergy there had to exert great efforts to protect the Orthodox Karelians from the proselytic expansionism of the Finnish Lutherans. In Finland, the New Martyr Alexander was a loyal, active, and dedicated assistant to his archpastor—Sergius (Stragorodsky), the future Patriarch. August 1917, Archpriest Alexander was transferred to Moscow and assigned as assistant pastor of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Here he was again under the direct guidance of Saint Tikhon, with whom he had already been closely associated in America. Passion-bearer Alexander participated in the deliberations of the Church Council of 1917-18. When the Council discussed the drafting of a message to the Orthodox flock concerning elections to the State Council, he stated that, as the fate of Russia was at stake, the Church and the Council in particular should not shy away from the struggle to save the nation. about the efforts of the Council to upbuild the Church, he outlined his preliminary plans for order and healing in the internal life of the Church and stated with some bitterness, “It seems as if there were builders who were furiously preparing blueprints, plans and so forth for the construction of an edifice and at the same time were calmly observing the destruction brick by brick of this edifice by enemies.” the difficult years of the Civil War, the New Martyr Alexander collaborated closely with Saint Tikhon in the administration of the Moscow diocese. 1918, under the spiritual leadership of the rector, Father Nicholas Arseniev, and the assistant pastor, Father Alexander, a brotherhood affiliated with Christ the Savior Cathedral was established. As its first activity, the brotherhood issued an appeal to the Orthodox flock, which Father Alexander helped write. document stated, “People of Russia! Christ the Savior Cathedral, the adornment of Moscow, the pride of Russia, the joy of the Orthodox Church has been condemned to slow destruction. This glorious monument to the great exploits of Russian warriors, who gave their lives for their native land and the Holy Orthodox Faith, has been denied state support...People of Russia! Will you really surrender this wonderful church of the Savior to mockery? it really true, as is claimed by the persecutors of the Holy Church, that the people of Russia no longer need holy things—Churches, sacraments, services, because all this is outdated and superstitious? Respond, you faithful! All of you, respond as one! Rise up and protect your holy things! May the generous and well-intentioned donations of the rich be added to the precious pennies of the faithful poor. Moscow, you are the heart of Russia! Preserve your holy shrine—your golden-domed Church of the Savior!...” response to this appeal, Orthodox inhabitants of Moscow joined the brotherhood of Christ the Savior Cathedral, and gave their alms to support the majestic church. service at that time was accompanied by much grief and danger. May 1920 and November 1921 Father Alexander was arrested for brief periods. He was accused of violating the decrees concerning the separation of the Church from the state, and the school from the Church, by holding church school for the children. 1922, the Church was subjected to harsh tribulations when, under the pretext of helping the starving, ecclesiastical treasures including sacred vessels, icons, and other holy things were violently confiscated by the state. the appeal of Her holy primate, the Orthodox Church made generous donations to assist the starving. when Saint Tikhon issued a statement to his flock throughout Russia forbidding the cooperation of the clergy in surrendering sacred vessels for non-ecclesiastical use based on canon law, slanderous campaign against the Church was begun in the press, Her primate was arrested, and a wave of court cases took place throughout Russia, in which servants of the Lord’s altar were accused of counter-revolutionary activity. During these trials many faithful servants of the Church of Christ were sentenced to death and shed their blood as hieromartyrs and martyrs. this difficult time for the Church, Father Alexander was unwaveringly guided by the statements of the Holy Patriarch to his flock and also followed his directives. to assist the starving were collected at Christ the Savior Cathedral. At the same time, measures were undertaken to protect the sacred objects of this church. of the clergy and parishioners of Christ the Savior Cathedral were held at Father Alexander’s apartment in order to draft a resolution of the general parish meeting concerning the state decree. draft of the resolution, prepared by Father Alexander, protested against the violent confiscation of church valuables. general meeting of parishioners was convened on March 23, 1922 at Christ the Savior Cathedral, presided by Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev. Alexander had already been arrested. meeting adopted the final text of the resolution, which demanded guarantees from the state that all donations be used to save the lives of the starving. The participants in the meeting protest the poisonous publications against the Church as well as insults against the hierarchy. The drafting of this document was deemed by the authorities to be criminal counter-revolutionary activity. two court cases against the Church, in Petrograd and Moscow, which resulted in the executions of hieromartyrs and martyrs, a new highly visible trial of clergy and laity began in Moscow on November 27, 1922, during which they were accused of supposedly “attempting to retain in their hands possession of church valuables and, through the resulting starvation, to topple the Soviet regime.” trial in this case were 105 clergy and laity. the main defendants were Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, dean of the second district of forty churches in Prechistenka, Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev, dean of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky, assistant pastor of this Cathedral, Ilya Gromoglasov, priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Lev Evgenievich Anohin, warden of this Cathedral, and Archpriest Simeon Golubev, rector of Saint John the Warrior Church. most significant part of the indictment submitted to the Court concerned the activity of the clergy and laity of Christ the Savior Cathedral. indictment stated, “The main organizers and leaders of this criminal activity were Priest Hotovitzky, chairman of the council of parishes in this area, Priest Arseniev, rector of the Cathedral, Priest Zotikov, Priest Gromoglasov, former lawyer Kayutov, former deputy minister Shchepkin, the merchant Golovkin, and engineer Anohin. the decree of the Supreme Central Executive Committee concerning the confiscation of church valuables was issued, they began their preliminary activities under the leadership of the priest Hotovitzky, who repeated to secretly gather the above named people at his apartment in order to plan with them the measures which they proposed to enact to achieve their criminal intentions.” case was in court for two weeks. After the detailed indictment was read, questioning of the defendants began. Father Alexander remained cool and calm during the questioning as he tried to protect the other defendants. did not admit any guilt, stating, “I consider that it is not counter-revolutionary to ask for a corresponding amount of metal in return for church valuables.” the interrogation of all the defendants and witnesses, at the Court session on December 6, the later infamous, sinister prosecutor Vishinsky delivered the concluding statement for the prosecution. He asked the court for a sentence of capital punishment for thirteen defendants including Archpriests Alexander Hotovitzky, Nicholas Arseniev, Sergius Uspensky, Priest Ilya Gromoglasov, Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya) of the Novodevichii Women’s Monastery and L.E. Anohin. Vishinsky requested that the other defendants be sentenced to prison terms of varying length. December 11, defendants were given an opportunity to say a final word to the court. his comments, Father Alexander attempted, first of all, to obtain the court’s leniency and mercy for his brother clergy, “I direct your attention to those who were at the meeting in my apartment: some of them are old and the others are very young and guilty of nothing. This was a completely ordinary meeting, it was not counter-revolutionary and it cannot by any means be characterized as a shady plot.” lengthiest final comments were delivered by the professor and priest Ilya Gromoglasov. This defendant attempted to gain the favor of the court by expounding on his former opposition to the Holy Synod. Concerning the conclusions of the prosecution, he said that he “knew nothing of the criminal organization headed by Hotovitzky.” December 13, the verdict of the revolutionary tribunal was announced. was milder than the bloodthirsty verdicts delivered at previous trials held in Petrograd and Moscow in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. of the main defendants—Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya), Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, and Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky were sentenced to ten years in prison, the confiscation of their personal property and the deprivation of their civil rights for five years. others were sentenced to lesser terms of imprisonment. Appeals for pardon, made by those who were sentenced to the longest terms of imprisonment, including that of Archpriest Alexander, were rejected by the presidium of the Supreme Central Executive Committee on February 16, 1923. the holy Patriarch Tikhon resumed his administration of the Church and made several statements regarding loyalty to the governmental authorities, many hierarchs, clergy, church leaders and laity, who had previously received sentences from the judiciary in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables, were granted amnesty. Alexander was among those freed in October 1923. Following his liberation, he was not assigned to a parish but served by invitation at various churches in Moscow. remained free for only a short time. Already on September 4, 1924, E. Tuchkov, head of the 6th section of the Department of State Political Management, compiled a list of thirteen clergy and church leaders of Moscow and recommended that they be subjected to administrative exile. New Martyr Alexander, who was included in the list, was characterized as follows in this document, “A priest and preacher with a post-graduate education, very active, zealous and influential among the Tikhonites. His outlook is anti-Soviet.” September 9, 1924, the New Martyr Alexander was subjected to an interrogation. “In my religious convictions,” he said at that time, “I consider myself to be a Tikhonite. My relations with the Patriarch are intimate rather than just strictly administrative, but lately, I have avoided meeting with Patriarch Tikhon, as I felt that this might inconvenience him due to my conviction in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. I have never expressed an opinion concerning the restoration of the former government and such a thought has not even crossed my mind.” a decision of a special meeting of the administration of the Department of State Political Management, the New Martyr Alexander was exiled to the Turuhan region for a period of three years. His already failing health was further weakened by his sojourn in the far north. his return from exile, Father Alexander was raised to the rank of protopresbyter and became one of the closest assistants of the Deputy Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Sergius, who knew him well since the time of his service in Finland. the 1930s, Protopresbyter Alexander served as rector of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe on Donskoy Street. One of the parishioners of this church recalls, “In 1936, Father Alexander did not preach, as he was apparently forbidden to do so. In 1936-7, I was present many times when Father Alexander served. He was a tall, gray-haired priest with gentle facial features, who looked extremely intelligent. Gray, trimmed hair, a small beard, very kind gray eyes, a high-pitched, loud tenor...pronounced exclamations distinctly and with inspiration...His appearance reminded me of many priests who were exiles from the western regions...Father Alexander had many parishioners who greatly revered him...Even today, I remember Father Alexander’s eyes. It seemed as if his glance penetrated your heart and embraced it with affection. I had the same feeling when I saw the holy Patriarch Tikhon...The same light also shining in Father Alexander’s eyes was testimony of his sanctity.” the fall of 1937, the New Martyr Alexander was arrested again. The documentary evidence about him at our disposal ends with this; however, a majority of oral reports testify to his death as a martyr. The Orthodox Church in America, on whose territory Protopresbyter Alexander served as a priest until 1914, venerates him as a passion-bearer, whose life as a confessor ended with sufferings for Christ. The place of his burial is unknown. Church of Russia also commemorates Saint Alexander on August 7, along with the Archpriests Alexei Vorobiev, Michael Plishevsky, John Voronets, the priests Demetrius Milovidov, and Peter Tokarev, the deacon Elisha Sholder, and Igumen Athanasius Egorov. photo gallery of the 1994 Glorification of Saint Alexander may be viewed here.

Russia, Moscow, 1894, Uglich, Rostov, sick St Petersburg merchant dream, MOG told him go to icon at Uglich, healed, Wworking s
Russia, Rostov, 1894, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), sick St Petersburg merchant, dream vision, MOG told him go to icon at Uglich pray before it tbHealed, Igumen ordered search, found &Moved to Dorm Church, merchant healed, wonderworking since, Alekseev Womens M; Uglich; Úglich Portaίtissa (Gatekeeper) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 23; Most Holy Theotokos first appeared to Igoumen Evangelos, who was the Superior of the Monastery from 1864-1872. late XIX century researcher I. Vinogradov dates the Icon's presence in the Monastery to that period. he was correct in thinking that the Icon was painted during that time, then it was lost for almost thirty years. Icon was found in the Monastery storeroom in 1894. June 23 of that year, a sick merchant from St. Petersburg arrived alone at the Monastery. Speaking to the Igoumen, he told him in detail about his illness, and of the vision he had in a dream. The Mother of God told the merchant to go to Úglich, where her Icon was located, and to pray before it, promising that he would be healed. Igoumen ordered that a search be made for the Icon. This was done, and the Icon was moved into the Monastery's Dormition church in great triumph. When the sick merchant prayed before the Icon, he soon recovered. In gratitude for the healing he had received, he covered the Icon with a silver gilded riza. that time, the wonderworking Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Theotokos has granted healing and consolation to those who resort to the Queen of Heaven with faith in her intercession before God. this Icon the Mother of God is depicted as a nun with a staff and a prayer rope in her left hand, and a candle in her right hand. This image is located in the Alekseev Women's Monastery in Úglich, Yaroslavl Province, and it is also known as the "Inextinguishable Candle." Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Mother of God bears a striking resemblance to the Igoumeness of Mount Athos Icon, which is commemorated on the second Sunday after Pentecost, along with All Saints of Mount Athos.

Russia, Moscow, 1894-1917, Emperor, Nicholas II, Reformer, peaceful, L of Nations, disarmament, enlightened, executed
Moscow Emperor, 1894-1917, Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia ; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Joy of All who sorrowÂ (with coins) in St Petersburg, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30 ; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God the œMultiplier of WheatÂ, Commemorated on October 15; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on December 20; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated on January 25; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1894-1917, Emperess Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse), Nic and Alix
Moscow Emperess, 1894-1917, Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse); Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated on October 2; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God the œMultiplier of WheatÂ, Commemorated on October 15; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on December 20; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated on January 25; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1897-1960, George oGeorgia (Mkheidze) fRacha region, dedicated self tGeorgia’s national liberation, spirit gifts
Georgia, 1897-1960, George (John) oGeorgia, Archmandrite John, (Basil Maisuradze in the world) fTskhinvali iSamachablo, peasant family, taught handiwork, 1894 as teen helped restore Betania m, tIveron Mt Athos 1903 for 17yrs, simplicity&obedience, monk, priest, dedicated serving others, 1920 left circumstances there for Amazi m, Miskheta, shot in back bChekists, tossed gorge, tSamtavro m, Mtskheta, tBetania m, abbot, ag labor admin, festal meal fVisitors, children loved him, blessed Ilia II, worked hard all day, slept piece oWood, prayed all night, monastery had Govt protectors, healed deaf&terminally ill, knew people by name as they arrived, clarvoyant,Fr. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement, Ilia tRighteous personal secretary, monk, Priest, Archmandrite, Chekist mob threatened, sought help athieist family, tBetania m same year, labored for John rest of life, poor health, lightest tasks, vegetable garden, bees, generous, often tTabilisi spiritual children, secret christians working fGovt, prophecy, healing, clairvoyance, advance knowing sisters coming, prepared food in advance, healed meningitis, deaf, Theotokos, Angel & Thekla appearances, ; Tskhinvali; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; John (Basil Maisuradze in the world) was born in the town of Tskhinvali in Samachablo around 1882. was raised in a peasant family taught to perform all kinds of handiwork. was barely in his teens when he helped Fr. Spiridon (Ketiladze), the main priest at Betania Monastery, to restore the monastery between 1894 and 1896. his youth Basil was eager to enter the monastic life, in 1903, according to God’s will, he moved to the Skete of Saint John the Theologian at Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos. the brothers he was distinguished for his simplicity and obedience. He was tonsured a monk and named John in honor of Saint John the Theologian, whom he revered deeply and sought to emulate. monk John was soon ordained to the priesthood. his life the holy father dedicated himself to serving God and his brothers in Christ in hopes that his own life might be fruitful for them. John remained on Mt. Athos for seventeen years. (1920), due to the increasingly troubling circumstances there, he left the Holy Mountain with the other Georgian monks sometime between 1920 and 1921. settled at Armazi Monastery outside of Mtskheta, where the Bolsheviks had left just one monk to labor in solitude. a band of armed Chekists broke into the monastery, led both Fr. John and the other monk away, and shot them in the back. them to be dead, they tossed them in a nearby gorge. group of people later discovered Fr. John’s nearly lifeless body and brought it to Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta. other monk suffered only minor injuries and returned to the monastery on his own. his health had been restored, Fr. John went to Betania Monastery, where his first spiritual father was still laboring. was appointed abbot shortly thereafter. to hard work from his childhood, he skillfully administered the agricultural labors of the monastery. visitors came to the monastery seeking advice or solace, Fr. John welcomed them warmly, spreading a festal meal before them. He enjoyed spending time with his guests, especially with children. is said that he always had candy or a special treat to give to the little ones. children loved him so much that on the feast of Saint John the Theologian, while he was sprinkling the church with holy water, they skipped around him and tried to tousle his hair. children’s parents were ashamed, but Fr. John cheerfully assured them that it was fitting to be so joyous on a feast day. Fr. John was endowed with a deep love for young people, he was also blessed with the divine gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. a certain Irakli Ghudushauri, a student at Moscow Theological Seminary, visited him at the monastery. John received him with exceptional warmth, blessing him with tears of rejoicing. student would later become Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the beloved shepherd who continues to lead the flock of the Georgian faithful to this very day. John disciplined himself severely. worked hard all day and slept on a single piece of wood. He would spend entire nights praying. wondered when he rested and where he had acquired such a seemingly infinite supply of energy. thieves would steal food or domestic animals from the monastery. the monastery also had many protectors, even within the Soviet government. group of Christians who worked for the government while secretly practicing their faith supported Fr. John and Fr. George (Mkheidze) (see below), explaining and justifying them to the government as “guardians of a national cultural monument.” of the miracles performed by Fr. John are known to us today, he was wary of receiving honor for his deeds. John and George healed the deaf, and many of the terminally ill were brought to them for healing. spending several days in the monastery, the infirm would miraculously be cleansed of their diseases. John bore the heaviest workload in the monastery. sympathized deeply with Fr. George, who was ailing physically and unfit for strenuous labor. Fr. John departed this life before Fr. George. John became ill and reposed in 1957, at the age of seventy-five. He was buried at Betania Monastery. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy— instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement. one point the pious and learned George worked for Saint Ilia the Righteous as his personal secretary. often met Saint Ilia’s spiritual father, the holy hierarch Alexandre (Okropiridze), the holy hieromartyr Nazar (Lezhava), he was acquainted with other important spiritual leaders of the time as well. to sacrifice his life to God, George was tonsured into monasticism by the holy hieromartyr Nazar. rare character combined a nobleman’s deportment with a monk’s humble asceticism. George was ordained a priest and soon after elevated to the rank of archimandrite. with divine love and patriotic sentiment, the holy father willingly endured the heavy burdens and spiritual tribulations afflicting his country at that time. 1924, while Fr. George was laboring at Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, armed Chekist mob broke into the monastery. perpetrators beat him, cut off his hair, shaved his beard, and threatened to take his life. sought refuge with his family, but to no avail—his brothers, who were atheists, shaved off his beard while he was sleeping. of Fr. George’s brothers later committed suicide, and the other, together with his wife, was shot to death by the Chekists.) the same year, Fr. George visited Betania Monastery and was introduced to Fr. John (Maisuradze), with whom he would labor for the remainder of his life. George’s health was poor, and he was able to perform only the lightest of tasks around the monastery. tended the vegetable garden and took responsibility for raising the bees. was extremely generous. At times he would give all the monastery’s food to the needy, Fr. John that God Himself would provide their daily bread. thin, and with an upright posture, Fr. George was strict in both appearance and demeanor. spoke very little with other people, and children did not play with him as they did with Fr. John. his character, they tried to please him by reciting prayers and behaving themselves. George did not like to leave the monastery, but it was often necessary for him to travel to Tbilisi to visit his spiritual children— among whom were many secret Christians who worked for the government. George was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and healing, he was careful to hide them. constrained to reveal them, he would pass them off as though they were nothing extraordinary. a certain pilgrim arrived at the monastery and was surprised to discover that Fr. George knew him by name. his great amazement, Fr. George told the pilgrim that he had attended his baptism some thirty years earlier, thus concealing his God-given gift. George knew in advance when his nephew was bringing his sisters, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years, to visit him at the monastery during Great Lent. with this foreknowledge, Fr. George prepared fish and a festal meal in honor of the occasion. prayers of Fr. George and Fr. John healed the former’s nephew, who was afflicted by a deadly strain of meningitis. restored hearing to a deaf child and healed many others of their bodily infirmities. 1957, when Fr. John reposed in the Lord, Fr. George was tonsured into the great schema. was given the name John in honor of his newly departed spiritual brother. George-John now bore full responsibility for the affairs of the monastery. health deteriorated further under the weight of this heavy yoke. spiritual children began to come from the city to care for him. a twenty-year-old girl arrived at the monastery, complaining of incessant headaches. had been told that the water from Betania Monastery would heal her. remained there for one week and was miraculously healed. she left to return home, Fr. George-John walked five miles to see her off, in spite of his physical frailty. Theotokos appeared to Fr. George-John in a vision and relieved his terrible physical pain. protomartyr Thekla also appeared to him, presenting him with a bunch of grapes. days before his repose, the holy father was in the city when an angel appeared to him and announced his imminent repose. angel told him to return to the monastery to prepare for his departure from this world. George-John (Mkheidze) reposed in 1960. He was buried at Betania Monastery, next to Fr. John (Maisuradze). These venerable fathers were canonized on September 18, 2003, at a council of the Holy Synod under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. John and George-John have been lovingly deemed “one soul in two bodies.”

Russia, Moscow, 1897-1960, St George (John) of Georgia, prophet, healing, clairvoyant
Georgia, 1897-1960, George (John) oGeorgia, Archmandrite John, (Basil Maisuradze in the world) fTskhinvali iSamachablo, peasant family, taught handiwork, 1894 as teen helped restore Betania m, tIveron Mt Athos 1903 for 17yrs, simplicity&obedience, monk, priest, dedicated serving others, 1920 left circumstances there for Amazi m, Miskheta, shot in back bChekists, tossed gorge, tSamtavro m, Mtskheta, tBetania m, abbot, ag labor admin, festal meal fVisitors, children loved him, blessed Ilia II, worked hard all day, slept piece oWood, prayed all night, monastery had Govt protectors, healed deaf&terminally ill, knew people by name as they arrived, clarvoyant,Fr. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement, Ilia tRighteous personal secretary, monk, Priest, Archmandrite, Chekist mob threatened, sought help athieist family, tBetania m same year, labored for John rest of life, poor health, lightest tasks, vegetable garden, bees, generous, often tTabilisi spiritual children, secret christians working fGovt, prophecy, healing, clairvoyance, advance knowing sisters coming, prepared food in advance, healed meningitis, deaf, Theotokos, Angel & Thekla appearances, ; Skhvava (Village near Racha); St George (John) of Georgia ; George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy—but instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement. one point the pious and learned George worked for Saint Ilia the Righteous as his personal secretary. often met Saint Ilia’s spiritual father, the holy hierarch Alexandre (Okropiridze), and the holy hieromartyr Nazar (Lezhava), and he was acquainted with other important spiritual leaders of the time as well. to sacrifice his life to God, George was tonsured into monasticism by the holy hieromartyr Nazar. His rare character combined a nobleman’s deportment with a monk’s humble asceticism. Fr. George was ordained a priest and soon after elevated to the rank of archimandrite. with divine love and patriotic sentiment, the holy father willingly endured the heavy burdens and spiritual tribulations afflicting his country at that time. 1924, while Fr. George was laboring at Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, an armed Chekist mob broke into the monastery. The perpetrators beat him, cut off his hair, shaved his beard, and threatened to take his life. He sought refuge with his family, but to no avail—his brothers, who were atheists, shaved off his beard while he was sleeping. (One of Fr. George’s brothers later committed suicide, and the other, together with his wife, was shot to death by the Chekists.) In the same year, Fr. George visited Betania Monastery and was introduced to Fr. John (Maisuradze), with whom he would labor for the remainder of his life. George’s health was poor, and he was able to perform only the lightest of tasks around the monastery. He tended the vegetable garden and took responsibility for raising the bees. He was extremely generous. At times he would give all the monastery’s food to the needy, assuring Fr. John that God Himself would provide their daily bread. thin, and with an upright posture, Fr. George was strict in both appearance and demeanor. He spoke very little with other people, and children did not play with him as they did with Fr. John. Knowing his character, they tried to please him by reciting prayers and behaving themselves. Fr. George did not like to leave the monastery, but it was often necessary for him to travel to Tbilisi to visit his spiritual children— among whom were many secret Christians who worked for the government. George was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and healing, but he was careful to hide them. When constrained to reveal them, he would pass them off as though they were nothing extraordinary. Once a certain pilgrim arrived at the monastery and was surprised to discover that Fr. George knew him by name. Sensing his great amazement, Fr. George told the pilgrim that he had attended his baptism some thirty years earlier, thus concealing his God-given gift. Fr. George knew in advance when his nephew was bringing his sisters, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years, to visit him at the monastery during Great Lent. with this foreknowledge, Fr. George prepared fish and a festal meal in honor of the occasion. prayers of Fr. George and Fr. John healed the former’s nephew, who was afflicted by a deadly strain of meningitis. They restored hearing to a deaf child and healed many others of their bodily infirmities. 1957, when Fr. John reposed in the Lord, Fr. George was tonsured into the great schema. He was given the name John in honor of his newly departed spiritual brother. Fr. George-John now bore full responsibility for the affairs of the monastery. His health deteriorated further under the weight of this heavy yoke. His spiritual children began to come from the city to care for him. a twenty-year-old girl arrived at the monastery, complaining of incessant headaches. She had been told that the water from Betania Monastery would heal her. She remained there for one week and was miraculously healed. When she left to return home, Fr. George-John walked five miles to see her off, in spite of his physical frailty. Theotokos appeared to Fr. George-John in a vision and relieved his terrible physical pain. The protomartyr Thekla also appeared to him, presenting him with a bunch of grapes. Several days before his repose, the holy father was in the city when an angel appeared to him and announced his imminent repose. The angel told him to return to the monastery to prepare for his departure from this world. George-John (Mkheidze) reposed in 1960. He was buried at Betania Monastery, next to Fr. John (Maisuradze). These venerable fathers were canonized on September 18, 2003, at a council of the Holy Synod under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. Frs. John and George-John have been lovingly deemed “one soul in two bodies.”

Russia, Moscow, 1898, Kursk Icon of the Sign, Survived Anarchist time-bomb, even the glass, other things devastated
Russia, Kiev, 1898, Icon of the Sign, Kursk, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths), to destroy it Anarchists time-bombed it, but it survived, even its glass, while Everything in Cathedral except the icon was devastated.; Kursk; Icon of the Mother of God of “the Sign”, Commemorated on March 8; March 8, 1898, a group of anarchists who hoped to undermine the people’s faith in the Kursk-Root Icon’s wonderworking power, decided to destroy it. placed a time bomb in the Cathedral of the Sign in the city of Kursk, and at 2 o’clock in the morning there was a devastating explosion that shook the monastery's walls. frightened monks ran immediately to the cathedral, where they saw horrible devastation. The force of the blast shattered the gilded canopy above the Icon. The heavy marble base, with several massive steps, had been jolted out of position and had split into several pieces. A huge metal candlestick which had stood in front of the Icon was blown to the opposite side of the cathedral. A cast iron door near the Icon of the Mother of God was torn from its hinges and was thrown outward where it smashed against a wall and made a deep crack. All the windows in the cathedral, including those in the dome overhead, were shattered. Amid the general devastation, the holy Icon remained in one piece and even the glass within the frame was intact. Instead of destroying the Kursk-Root Icon, the anarchists had, on the contrary, become the cause of its greater glorification. principal Feast Day of the Kursk-Root Icon is on November 27. It is also commemorated on September 8, the day of its appearance in 1259.

Russia, Moscow, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, Bolsheviks, Revolution, Living Progressive Church

Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, opposed Living Church in Communist Russia, martyr w Elias
Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, resisted Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943, strongly opposed Living Church, arrested exiled 4times, Martyred wElias; New Hieromartyr Alexis (Benemanskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; January 6, 1881 in the Tver region, the New Martyr Alexis Constantinovich Benemanskii was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. widely opposed the Living Church, which had been set up in the 1920s by the Soviet state to challenge the legitimacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow and, initially, Saint Tikhon himself. was tenacious in defending the canonical Church against the "renovationists," as proponents of the Living Church were called, and was unwilling to sacrifice his principles. the years, he had been arrested four times and imprisoned or exiled. December 4/November 21, 1937, he was arrested again, together with his coworker Archpriest Elias Gromoglasov, and martyred the following day, been accused of taking part in fictitious counter-revolutionary activities allegedly organized by the New Martyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, who was arrested three days later and subsequently martyred. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1903-1912, Bolsheviks, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats)
Bolsheviks, 1903-1912, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats); St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1903-1937, Demetrius M Benevolenskii, Tver priest i1911, imprisond s times fPastoral duties, shot i1937
Russia, Tver, 1903-1937, Demetrius Mikhailovich Benevolenskii oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4) priest in 1911, tOstrovno V, tPanoshino [today Udomlya V, tSinev V, imprisoned several times for pastoral duties, then shot in 1937; Tver; New Hieromartyr Demetrius (Benevolenskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 14; Mikhailovich Benevolenskii was born on October 10, 1883 in Vishny Volochyok, Tver province. his ordination to the priesthood in 1911, he was assigned to the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius in the village of Ostrovno in 1919, to the Church of All the Afflicted in the village of Panoshino [today Udomlya]. later served at the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Sinev in the Dubrovo Sonkovskii District of the Tver region. a result of his intense dedication to his pastoral duties, he had been arrested and imprisoned several times by the communist regime. his final arrest, he was shot on November 27, 1937. September 19, 1999, he was numbered among the new martyrs and confessors of Russia.

Russia, Moscow, 1904-1905, Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905
Moscow, Russo-Japanese war in 1904, 1905; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Moscow, 1905, All Blessed Icon Copy, sent to city oKazan, Russia
St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul; All Blessed Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) The original “All Blessed” (Pammakaristos) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is in Constantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. is a mosaic icon dating from the middle of the eleventh century. 1905, Patriarch Joachim III presented a copy of the icon to the city of Kazan in Russia.

Russia, Moscow, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom
Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom, wrote about The Unity otChurch, An Outline otHistory otChurch's Dogma, called for restoration Moscow Patriarchate, disolved bPerter I, Tikhon Patriarch, Hilarion Bishop 1920, so great lumiinary on the lampstand, only 6mos wTikhon, 1922 arrested, tArchangelisk 1yr, then 6yrs Solvoki labor camp, there aFilomonov Wharf catching fish mending nets, formerly fishermen became theologians now the reverse, popular inmate, tall robust brown hair, always gave, remained cheerful, 1925 Yaroslav prison, treated lenient, books plesant conversations wWarden, 1926 back tSolvoki, 1929 exiled Alma-Atu, robbed on the way, ill wParasites, dressed iRags, knew time oDeath, 1929; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; holy New Martyr Archbishop Hilarion (Vladimir Alexievich Troitsky in the world), outstanding theologian, an eloquent preacher, and a fearless defender of Christ’s holy Church, was born around 1885. Hilarion wrote many books and articles on various topics, including “The Unity of the Church.” His Master’s thesis, “An Outline of the History of the Church’s Dogma,” was over five hundred pages long, and was a well-documented analysis of the subject. the Council of 1917 he delivered a brilliant address calling for the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate, had been dissolved by Tsar Peter I in the eighteenth century. Saint Tikhon (April 7) was chosen as Patriarch, Saint Hilarion became his fervent supporter. Hilarion was consecrated as bishop on May 20, 1920, so the great luminary was placed upon the lampstand (Luke 11:33). that time, he was to know less than two years of freedom. He spent only six months working with Patriarch Tikhon. was arrested and exiled in Archangelsk for a year, he spent six years (1923-1929) in a labor camp seven versts from Solovki. at the Filomonov Wharf he and at least two other bishops were employed in catching fish and mending nets. the hymns of Pentecost, Archbishop Hilarion remarked, “Formerly, the fishermen became theologians. Now the theologians have become fishermen.” Hilarion was one of the most popular inmates of the labor camp. is remembered as tall, robust, and with brownish hair. possessions meant nothing to him, so he always gave his things away to anyone who asked for them. never showed annoyance when people disturbed him or insulted him, but remained cheerful. the summer of 1925, Vladika was taken from the camp and placed in the Yaroslav prison. he was treated more leniently, and received certain privileges. example, he was allowed to receive religious books, and he had pleasant conversations with the warden in his office. Hilarion regarded his time at the Yaroslav Isolated Detention Center as the best part of his imprisonment. following spring he was back at Solovki. 1929 the Communists decided to exile Archbishop Hilarion to Alma-Atu in central Asia. his trip southward from the far north, Saint Hilarion was robbed and endured many privations. he arrived in Petrograd, he was ill with typhus, infested with parasites and dressed in rags. informed that he would have to be shaved, he replied, “You may now do with me whatever you wish.” wrote from the prison hospital, “My fate will be decided on Saturday, December 15. I doubt I will survive.” Hilarion died at the age of forty-four in the hospital of a Petrograd prison on December 15, 1929. body was placed in a coffin hastily made from some boards, and then was released to his family. once tall and robust Archbishop Hilarion had been transformed by his sufferings into a pitiful white-haired old man. One female relative fainted when she saw the body. Seraphim (Chichagov) provided a set of white vestments for the late Archbishop. He was also placed in a better coffin. Seraphim presided at the funeral of Saint Hilarion, assisted by six bishops and several priests. The saint was buried at Novodevichii Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); and on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Moscow, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich, Aust-Hung Catholic monk to Rus Orthodox priest, shot for continuing services
Poland, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich oZdynia, Poland in the Beskids (Vistula River Source), Austro-Hungarian Catholic Monk iKrakow, attempts to denationalize Russians and Latinize Eastern Rite, went tPochaev monastery, Orthodox, potential recognized, sent to Zhitomir seminary 1911, married&ordained, Lemko region Orthodox movement tAncestors faith, Home tHrab, Vysovatka, Dovhe, Dec 1911 Austrians ordered O services stop b Russian sympathies, M continued O services iHomes, repeatedly fined temp arrest, 1912 prison 2yrs Lviv, not guilty trial, continued O services, Aug 1914 WWI arrested, no trial, shot, family sent to Talerhof CCamp, son M born, future Lemko Rusyn priest, glorification 1994, relics transfered 2007; Zdynia, Poland; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Maxim was born in 1886 in Zdynia in the Lemko region of Carpatho-Rus which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in present day Poland. father, Tymofej, was the cantor of Zydnia’s Greek Catholic church. completing his education in the nearby town of Jaslo and Nowy Sacz, he entered the Greek Catholic Basilian monastery in Krakow. with the attempts to Latinize the Eastern rite to make it more acceptable to the Roman Catholic majority and also attempts to denationalize the Rusyns, he crossed the border into the Russian empire and entered the famed Orthodox monastery at Pochaev. was while at the monastery that his outstanding potential attracted the attention of the illustrious Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) who enrolled him in the Orthodox seminary in Zhitomir. completed his seminary studies in 1911 that same year married Pelagia Grigoryuk and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. that time in the Lemko region there was a growing movement away from the Greek Catholic Church to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. Maxim returned home to serve the Orthodox faithful in the villages of Hrab, Vysovatka and Dovhe. serving his first Divine Liturgy in Hrab on December 2, 1911, the Austrian authorities, suspicious of the Orthodox Faith for its alleged “Russian sympathies,” issued an order forbidding any further Orthodox services. Maxim ignored the order and continued to conduct services in village homes. was repeatedly fined and held under temporary arrest. Before Pascha in 1912, he was again arrested with his friend and spiritual father, Father Ignatij Hudyma, held in prison for two years in a Lviv prison until their trial began on March 9, 1914. being found not guilty he immediately returned to his native village and continued minister to his Orthodox parishioners. the outbreak of World War I, Father Maxim was again arrested and imprisoned on August 4, 1914 along with his entire family. Maxim, his father, mother, brother, and wife were forced to travel on foot to the prison while being prodded by the bayonets of the soldiers. prison they were placed in separate cells and denied the opportunity to see each other. time, however, there would be no court trial. the morning of September 6, Father Maxim awoke in his cell and read his morning prayers as usual. soldiers led the twenty-eight year old priest from his cell to a wall in the prison courtyard where he was bound and blindfolded. he was being led from his cell Father Maxim realized where they were taking him and humbly and with dignity asked, “Be so good as not to hold me. I will go peacefully wherever you wish.” they ripped his priestly cross from his chest and threw it to the dirt, marking an “X” with chalk over his heart for a target. the command to execute the priest was given, Father Maxim was heard to shout: “Long live the Rus’ people, long live Orthodoxy!” the shots rang out the martyr slumped to the ground. To assure that he was dead three more blasts of a revolver were emptied into his head. September 12, Saint Maxim’s father, his pregnant wife, and brother were sent to the concentration camp at Talerhof in the far western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. in the camp Pelagia gave birth to a son she named Maxim in honor of his father. his father, the younger Maxim also entered the priesthood serving the Lemko Rusyn people faithfully until his death in 1991. Canonization September 1994, the official glorification of Saint Maxim began in the courtyard of the Gorlice Court House where the saint had been martyred, a bronze plaque marking the tragic event was placed on the wall. this service, a procession of hierarchs, including our Metropolitan Nicholas of blessed memory, clergy and faithful entered the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice for the service of glorification. the glorification of a saint, ordinarily the saint’s relics would be exhumed from their grave and transferred in procession to the church. bishops of the Orthodox Church of Poland decided to delay the transfer, fearing it would provoke the areas’ Roman Catholics who reluctantly tolerate the Orthodox presence. on September 5-6, 2007, the martyr’s relics were transferred from the village cemetery in Zdynia to the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice, Poland where they are enshrined on the right side of the icon screen. Witness of Martyrs Lord said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). life of this new hieromartyr (priest-martyr) echo the words of Jesus. Maxim had no fear of threats from the government, imprisonment, abuse, insults and even a firing squad. this newly-ordained priest was arrested for serving an Orthodox Divine Liturgy his first action on being freed was to immediately return to his flock and resume his priestly ministry. Lord’s words in the Book of Revelation apply well to Saint Maxim: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). my many years working as a hospice chaplain I have often been summoned by doctors and nurses to the bedside of a terminally ill patient who is fearful of his approaching death. medical professionals assume, rightly so, that it is primarily an active faith that can help a person face this fear. promise of the Lord Jesus to us is that if we believe in Him and our lives are joined to His we have nothing to fear in death. while the death and resurrection of our Savior have removed our fear of death, Jesus does not desire that all of our fears vanish. does want us to be afraid of something! He wants us to be afraid of the right things, to be fearful of things that should be fear: “...fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). life of Saint Maxim Sandovich, faithful priest shines forth this truth! — Father Edward Pehanich

Russia, Moscow, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina, lived through terrible times
Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Nikon was born on September 26, 1888, the son of Metrophanes and Vera Belyaev, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. His parents, who were both very devout, belonged to one of Moscow’s merchant families. Belyaev family received a visit from Saint John of Kronstadt when Nicholas was in his first year. He blessed Vera and gave her a signed photograph of himself. Nicholas and his brother John loved going to church and reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual books. When John and Nicholas decided to embrace monasticism, they cut up a list of Russia’s monasteries from an old book, and Nicholas was asked to pick one of the strips after praying to God. The strip he selected read, “The Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Kozelsk.â€ Until that moment, neither of them had ever heard of this monastery. brothers traveled to Optina on February 24, 1907 with their mother’s blessing, and were accepted into the monastery on December 9, the commemoration of the “Unexpected Joyâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. was assigned as secretary to Father Barsanuphius, the Superior of the Skete, in October 1908. Except for reading and serving in church, this became his chief monastic obedience for the rest of his life. Saint Barsanuphius (April 1) foresaw that he would become an excellent monk as well as a worthy disciple. Nicholas was devoted to the Elder, and followed his will in all matters. Father Barsanuphius gave him the benefit of his knowledge and experience, guiding him to ascend the spiritual ladder of virtues. was tonsured into the Lesser Schema on May 24, 1915 with the new name Nikon in honor of the martyr Saint Nikon (September 28). He was ordained as a deacon on April 30, 1916, and as a priest on November 3, 1917. Father Nikon could not help but remember the prophecy of Father Barsanuphius made several years before the Russian Revolution. Saint Barsanuphius foresaw times of difficulty for monasteries when Christians would be persecuted and suffer martyrdom. He predicted that he himself would be dead before this happened, and that Father Nikon would live through those terrible times. Nikon was arrested and jailed on September 18, 1919 without the benefit of a trial, just because he was a monk. He was later released and permitted to return to Optina, where the monks had formed a farming cooperative. Soviets closed the cooperative in 1923, and the monastery was turned into a museum. Two monks were allowed to stay and work in the museum, while the others were expelled and told to go wherever they wished. Father Nikon was blessed by Father Isaac to serve in the church dedicated to the Kazan Icon and to receive visitors. When people came to him for advice, he always quoted the words of the Optina Elders. last church at Optina was closed early in 1924, and Father Nikon was obliged to leave in June. He went to live at Kozelsk with Father Cyril Zlenko. There he continued to receive visitors and offer spiritual counsel, sharing money and food with those who were too old, or too sick to work. Father Nikon was a wise spiritual Father, who was able to help people overcome their shame and reveal the sins which had troubled them for a long time. People would leave Father Nikon feeling cleansed and renewed. Nikon, Father Cyril, and Father Agapitus Taub were arrested and thrown into prison in June of 1927. Father Nikon and Father Agapitus were sent to the “Kemperpunktâ€ camp, where Father Nikon was assigned the duty of guarding the storehouses. Nikon wrote to his spiritual children from the camp with cheerful words of encouragement. Although he accepted his imprisonment as God’s will, it was nevertheless difficult for him to endure. When their prison term ended, the two monks were sent into exile at Archangelsk. Before leaving the camp, Father Nikon was examined and found to have tuberculosis. The doctors advised him to request that his place of exile be changed to a place with a more suitable climate. asked the advice of Father Agapitus, who told him not to make such a request. At Archangels, Father Nikon lodged in the home of an elderly woman who gave him little rest or peace. Every week he had to travel three kilometers to present himself before the authorities in the city of Pinyega. shoveling snow at the beginning of Great Lent, Father Nikon’s leg began to hemorrhage, and he developed a high fever. His landlady did not feel any pity for him, but told him that he must leave her house so that the others would not become infected with tuberculosis. Father Nikon was visited by Father Peter, who had once lived at Optina. He begged Father Peter to take him in, which he did. Father Peter cared for the Elder to the best of his ability. For the last two months of his life, Father Nikon received Holy Communion almost every day, and his sufferings seemed to grow less severe. He often dictated letters to his spiritual children to Father Peter. One day, Father Nikon saw Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) in a vision and told Sister Irene to pull up a chair for him. She was slow to obey him so he said, “Forgive her, Father, for she is not very experienced.â€ June 25, 1931 Father Nikon was so weak that he could not speak. Archimandrite Niká¸—tas was called to bring him Communion, and to read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul. That night the Elder fell asleep in the Lord at the age of forty-three. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Unexpected Joy Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?â€ The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.â€ Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joyâ€ icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; I. Plikhanov was born in the city of Samara on July 5,1845, the son of John and Natalia Plikhanov. His mother died in childbirth, and his father later remarried so that his son would have a mother. Although his stepmother was very strict, she was a real mother to him, and he loved her very much. a descendant of the Orenburg Cossacks, Paul was enrolled in the Polotsk Cadet Corps. He completed his studies at the Orenburg Military School and received an officer’s commission. He later graduated from the Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers’ School, and also served at the headquarters of the Kazan military district and eventually rose to the rank of colonel. as he was sick with pneumonia, Paul sensed that he was about to die. He asked his orderly to read the Gospel to him, and passed out. Then he had a vision in which the heavens seemed to open, and he was afraid because of the great light. His whole sinful life passed before him, and he was overcome with repentance. A voice told him he should go to Optina Monastery, but the doctors did not think he would recover. His health did improve, however, and the colonel visited Optina. In August 1889 the Elder of the Monastery was Saint Ambrose (October 10), who told Paul to set his worldly affairs in order. Two years later, Saint Ambrose blessed him to cut all ties to the world and told him to enter Optina within three months. was not easy for the colonel to resign his commission within the specified three month period, because obstacles were placed in his way. In fact, he was offered a promotion to the rank of general, and was asked to delay his retirement. Some people even tried to arrange a marriage for him, laughing at his intention to go to the monastery. Only his stepmother was happy that he wished to become a monk. On the very last day of the three months he concluded his affairs and arrived at Optina. However, Saint Ambrose was already laid out in his coffin in the church. Anatole I (January 25) succeeded Father Ambrose as Elder, and he assigned Paul to Hieromonk Nectarius (April 29) as his cell attendant. He was accepted as a novice in 1892, and tonsured as a rassophore in 1893. Over the next ten years he advanced through the various stages of monastic life, including ordination as deacon (1902), and as priest (1903). The monk Paul was secretly tonsured into the mantiya in December of 1900 because of a serious illness. When they asked him what name he wished to receive, he said it did not matter. They named him in honor of Saint Barsanuphius of Tver and Kazan (April 11). Although he recovered, they did not give him the mantiya until December of 1902 after the Liturgy when it was revealed that he had been tonsured on his sickbed. September 1, 1903 Father Barsanuphius was appointed to assist Elder Joseph, the skete Superior, in the spiritual direction of the skete brethren and the sisters of the Shamordino convent. the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war in 1904, Father Barsanuphius was sent to the Far East as a military chaplain, where he ministered to wounded soldiers. The war ended in August 1905, and Saint Barsanuphius returned to Optina on November 1, 1905. Elder Joseph had become too old and frail to administer the skete’s affairs, Father Barsanuphius was appointed as Superior of the skete in his place. Father Barsanuphius soon reestablished order and discipline, paid off debts, repaired buildings, etc. As Superior, he combined strictness with paternal concern and tenderness for those under him. Barsanuphius, like the other Elders of Optina, possessed the gifts of clairvoyance and of healing people afflicted with physical and spiritual ailments. One of his spiritual sons, Father Innocent Pavlov, recalled his first Confession with the Elder. He became fearful because Father Barsanuphius seemed to know his innermost thoughts, reminding him of people and events which he had forgotten. The saint spoke gently and told him that it was God who had revealed to him these things about Father Innocent. “During my lifetime, do not tell anyone about what you are experiencing now,â€ he said, “but you may speak of it after my death.â€ Barsanuphius loved spiritual books, especially the Lives of the Saints. He often told people that those who read these Lives with faith benefit greatly from doing so. The answers to many of life’s questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints, he said. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious. Although the Lives of the Saints were widely available, it saddened the Elder that more people did not read them. Barsanuphius commemorated many saints each day during his Rule of prayer, and this was not accidental. Each saint, he once explained, had some particular importance in his life. If, for example, some significant event took place, he would look to see which saints were commemorated on that day, then he would begin to commemorate them each day. Later he noticed that on their Feast Day, they would often deliver him from some danger or trouble. On December 17, 1891, the commemoration of the Prophet Daniel and the three holy youths, he left Kazan and never returned. That was the day he decided to leave the world, and Saint Barsanuphius felt that God had delivered him from a furnace of passions. Just as the three youths were delivered from the fiery furnace because they would not bow down before idols, the Elder always believed that he left the world unharmed because he refused to bow down before the idols of lust, pride, gluttony, etc. 1908, Saint Barsanuphius seemed to fall ill more frequently, and began to speak of his approaching death. In April of that year, someone sent him a package containing the Great Schema. Father Barsanuphius had long desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema before his death, but he had told no one of this except for the archimandrite. Therefore, he regarded this as a sign that he would soon die. night in July 1910, the Elder became so ill that he had to leave church during Vigil and return to his cell. The next morning, July 11, he was so weak that he could not sit up by himself. That evening he was tonsured into the Great Schema. Barsanuphius began to recover, but there were new problems in the monastery. New monks came in from spiritually lax environments. They did not understand the ascetical nature of monasticism or the whole notion of eldership, and so they began to clamor for reform and change. They wanted to assume positions of authority, and to close the skete. Because of their complaints, Father Barsanuphius was removed from Optina and assigned as igumen of the Golutvinsky Monastery. When he arrived to take up his duties, Father Barsanuphius found the monastery in a state of physical and spiritual decline. Nevertheless, he did not lose heart, and soon the monastery began to revive. More people began to visit, once they heard that an Optina Elder had come to Goluvinsky, and the monastery’s financial position also began to improve. However, the rebellious brethren caused him great sorrow, and he had to expel some of them the beginning of 1913, Saint Barsanuphius became ill again and asked Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow for permission to retire to Optina, but that was not to be. He fell asleep in the Lord on April 1, and his body remained in the church of Golotvino until April 6 (which was also Lazarus Saturday). After the funeral, his body was placed on a train and sent to Optina for burial. The train arrived at Kozelsk Station on April 8, and the coffin was carried to Optina by clergy. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, Orthodox Social Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews, several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Russia, Moscow, 1913, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, 300 yrs after his death in 1612 (time of troubles) became intercessor
Russia, Moscow, 1913, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, relics in Chudov (Archangel Michael, Passions) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 300 yrs after his death in 1612 (time of troubles) became intercessor ; Chudov Monastery ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, was glorified on May 12, 1913. memory of Patriarch Hermogenes as a holy martyr was passed on from generation to generation for three centuries, and people increasingly regarded him as an intercessor and supplicant for the Russian land before the Throne of the Almighty. terrible years of national hardship, the nation turned to the memory of the heroic Patriarch. The Russian people came to his tomb with their personal tribulations, sicknesses and infirmities, reverently asking the help of Saint Hermogenes, and the All-Merciful Lord rewarded their faith. from all ends of Russia began to flock to Moscow for the glorification of the hieromartyr Hermogenes 300 years after his death. Pilgrims hastened to venerate the relics of the holy Patriarch, in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin, where panikhidas were served almost without interruption. the eve of the glorification there was a procession with an icon of Saint Hermogenes, and after it a grave cover, on which the saint was depicted full-length in mantiya and holding a staff. Beside the icon of the Patriarch they carried an icon of Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, his fellow-struggler in spiritual and patriotic deeds for the liberation of the Russian land from Polish-Lithuanian usurpers. the bell tower of Ivan the Great hung a tremendous banner, “Rejoice, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Great Intercessor of the Russian land.” A hundred thousand candles blazed in the hands of believers. At the end of the procession, they began to chant the Paschal Canon and a Canon to Saint Hermogenes, at the shrine where the relics of the Patriarch rested. all-night Vigil took place under the open skies at all the Kremlin squares. On this night a number of healings occurred through the prayers of Saint Hermogenes. For example, a certain sick person came to the Dormition Cathedral on crutches, and was healed as he approached the shrine with the relics of the saint. Another sick person was healed, who had suffered from terrible crippling disease. They brought him to the reliquary of the hieromartyr Hermogenes on a stretcher, where he was completely cured. These and other similar healings, witnessed by a multitude of the faithful, were remarkable proofs of the holiness of the new Russian wonderworker. Sunday May 12, Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Dormition Cathedral. Presiding at the celebration of the solemn glorification of the new saint was His Beatitude Gregorios, Patriarch of Antioch. At the finish of Liturgy in all the churches of Moscow, Moliebens were served to Saint Hermogenes and a procession made to the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than twenty hierarchs took part. They accompanied the procession singing, “O Holy Hierarch Father Hermogenes, pray unto God for us.” From this day the liturgical veneration of Saint Hermogenes began. Thus, the wish of the faithful Russian people was fulfilled. Through their prayers the Russian Orthodox Church received a heavenly patron. Holy Synod of the Russian Church established the commemoration of the hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for February 17, the day of his repose (his life and works are found under this day), and May 12, the day of his glorification. is the national significance of Saint Hermogenes, a tireless struggler for the purity of Orthodoxy and the unity of the Russian land. His ecclesial and civil activity during several centuries serves as an outstanding example of his ardent faith and love for the Russian people. ecclesial activity of the archpastor is characterized by an attentive and strict regard for church services. Under him were published a GOSPEL, a MENAION for September (1607), October (1609), November (1610), and for the first twelve days of December. The “Great Primary Rule” was printed in 1610. Saint Hermogenes did not merely give his blessing for this book, but carefully oversaw the accuracy of the text. With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes the Service to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30) also was translated from Greek into the Russian language, and his Feast began to be celebrated in the Dormition Cathedral. the supervision of the Archpastor, new presses were made for printing service books, and a new print shop was built. This was damaged during the 1611 conflagration, when Moscow was burned by the Poles. Concerned about the order of divine services, Saint Hermogenes compiled a “Letter to all the People, Especially Priests and Deacons, on the Improvement of Church Singing.” The “Letter” chastizes the clergy for performing Church services not according to the Typikon, for unnecessary talking, and lay people for their irreverent attitude toward the divine services. literary activity of the first hierarch of the Russian Church is widely known. He wrote “An Account of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Service to this Icon (1594);” “A Letter to Patriarch Job, Containing an Account of the Kazan Martyrs” (1591), a collection of articles in which questions about divine services (1598) are examined; there are patriotic documents and appeals, directed to the Russian nation (1606-1613), and other works. contemporaries speak of Patriarch Hermogenes as a man of outstanding intellect and erudition, “a Master of great reason and thought,” “very remarkable,” “very accomplished in wisdom and refined in learning,” “ever concerning himself about divine literature, and all the books about the Old Law and the New Grace, and pursuing to the end various Church rules and principles of law.” Saint Hermogenes spent a lot of time in monastery libraries, especially in the library of the Moscow Chudov monastery, where he copied precious historical accounts from ancient manuscripts. the seventeenth century they called the Chronicle by His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes the “Resurrection Chronicle.” In the collected works of the saint and his archpastoral documents there are many quotations from Holy Scripture, and examples taken from history, which testify to his profound knowledge of the Word of God and his familiarity with the Church literature of his time. Hermogenes incorporated his research in his preaching and teaching. The saint’s contemporaries regard the Archpastor as “a man of reverence,” “purity of life,” “a true shepherd of the flock of Christ,” and “a sincere upholder of the Christian faith”. qualities of Saint Hermogenes were quite especially apparent during the Time of Troubles, when the Russian land was overwhelmed by internal chaos, and worsened by Polish-Lithuanian intrigue. During this dark period, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church selflessly protected the Russian realm, by word and by deed defending the Orthodox Faith from Latinism, and also national unity from internal and external enemies. In saving his native land, Saint Hermogenes won the crown of a martyrdom, becoming a heavenly intercessor for Russia before the Throne of the Holy Trinity. Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, was born in Kazan around 1530, and was descended from the Don Cossacks. According to the Patriarch’s own testimony, he served as priest in Kazan in a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (December 6 and May 9), near the Kazan bazaar. Soon he became a monk, and from 1582 was archimandrite of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery at Kazan. On May 13, 1589 he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan. he was the priest at Saint Nicholas, the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (July 8) was discovered in Kazan in 1579. With the blessing of Archbishop Jeremiah of Kazan, he carried the newly-appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Having remarkable literary talent, the saint in 1594 compiled an account describing the appearance of the wonderworking icon and the miracles accomplished through it. In 1591 the saint gathered newly-baptized Tatars into the cathedral church and for several days he instructed them in the Faith. relics of Saint Germanus, the second archbishop of Kazan (September 25, November 6, and June 23), who died at Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a plague, were transfered and buried in Saint Nicholas Church in 1592. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589-1605), Saint Hermogenes reburied the relics at the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. January 9, 1592 Saint Hermogenes addressed a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he asked for permission to commemorate in his See of Kazan those Orthodox soldiers who gave their lives for the Faith and the nation in a battle against the Tatars. In the past, it was customary to enter into the diptychs the names of all Orthodox warriors who had fallen in battle, and to commemorate them. the same time he mentioned three martyrs who had suffered at Kazan for their faith in Christ, one of whom was a Russian named John (January 24) born at Nizhny Novgorod and captured by the Tatars. The other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), were newly-converted Tatars. saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not inserted into the diptychs read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that “Memory Eternal” was not sung for them. In answer to Saint Hermogenes, the Patriarch issued a decree on February 25, which said: “to celebrate at Kazan and throughout all the Kazan metropolitanate a panikhida for all the Orthodox soldiers killed at Kazan and the environs of Kazan, on the Saturday following the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1), and to inscribe them in the great Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,” and also ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be inscribed in the Synodikon, leaving it to Saint Hermogenes to set the day of their memory. Saint Hermogenes circulated the Patriarchal decree throughout his diocese, and required all the churches and monasteries to serve Liturgies, Panikhidas and Lityas for the three Kazan martyrs on January 24. Hermogenes displayed zeal in the faith and firmness in the observance of Church traditions, and he devoted himself to the enlightenment of Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ. 1595, with the active participation of the Saint Hermogenes, the relics of the Kazan Wonderworkers Saint Gurias, the first archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Saint Barsanuphius bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11) were discovered and uncovered. Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584-1598) had given orders to erect at the Kazan Savior-Transfiguration monastery a new stone church on the site of the first one, where the saints were buried. the graves of the saints were discovered, Saint Hermogenes came with a gathering of clergy. He commanded the graves to be opened and, when he saw the incorrupt relics and clothing of the saints, he notified the Patriarch and the Tsar. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the Tsar, the relics of the newly-appeared wonderworkers were placed in the new church. Saint Hermogenes himself compiled the lives of hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius. been found worthy of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Hermogenes was elected to the primatial See, and on July 3, 1606 he was installed as Patriarch by the assembly of the holy hierarchs at Moscow’s Dormition cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore handed the Patriarch the staff of the holy hierarch Peter, Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar gave as a gift to the new Patriarch a panagia, embellished with precious stones, a white klobuk and staff. In the ancient manner, Patriarch Hermogenes made his entrance riding upon a donkey. activity of Patriarch Hermogenes coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state: the appearance of the false Tsarevich Demetrius and the Polish king Sigismund III. The first hierarch devoted all his powers to the service of the Church and the nation. Hermogenes was not alone in this exploit: his self-sacrificing fellow-countrymen followed his example and assisted him. With special inspiration His Holiness the Patriarch stood up against the traitors and enemies of the nation, who wanted to spread Uniatism and Western Catholicism throughout Russia and to wipe out Orthodoxy, while enslaving the Russian nation. the imposter arrived at Moscow and settled himself at Tushino, Patriarch Hermogenes sent two letters to the Russian traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You have forgotten the vows of our Orthodox Faith, in which we are born, baptized, nourished and raised. You have violated your oath and the kissing of the Cross to stand to the death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow realm, but have fallen for your false would-be Tsarevich ... My soul aches, my heart is sickened, all within me agonizes, and all my frame shudders; I weep and with sobbing I lament: Have mercy, have mercy, brethren and children, on your own souls and your parents departed and living ... Consider, how our nation is devastated and plundered by foreigners, who offer insult to the holy icons and churches, and how innocent blood is spilled, crying out to God. Think! Against whom do you take up arms: is it not against God, Who has created you? Is it not against your own brothers? Do you not devastate your own country?... I adjure you in the name of God, give up your undertaking, there is yet time, so that you do not perish in the end.” In the second document the saint appeals: “For the sake of God, come to your senses and turn around, gladden your parents, your wives and children; and we stand to pray God for you...” the righteous judgment of God fell upon the Brigand of Tushino: he was killed by his own close associates on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in peril, since the Poles and traitors, loyal to Sigismund III, remained in the city. The documents sent by Patriarch Hermogenes throughout the cities and villages, exhorted the Russian nation to liberate Moscow from the enemies and to choose a lawful Russian Tsar. Muscovites rose up in rebellion, and the Poles burned the city, shutting themselves up in the Kremlin. Together with Russian traitors they forcefully seized Patriarch Hermogenes from the patriarchal throne and imprisoned him in the Chudov monastery. Bright Monday in 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began the seige of the Kremlin, which continued for several months. Besieged within the Kremlin, the Poles often sent messengers to the Patriarch with the demand that he order the Russian militia to leave the city, threatening him with execution if he refused. saint firmly replied, “What are your threats to me? I fear only God. If all our enemies leave Moscow, I shall bless the Russian militia to withdraw from Moscow; but if you remain here, I shall bless all to stand against you and to die for the Orthodox Faith.” still in prison, the hieromartyr Hermogenes sent a final epistle to the Russian nation, blessing the liberating army to fight the invaders. The Russian commanders could not come to an agreement over a way to take the Kremlin and free the Patriarch. He languished more than nine months in dreadful confinement, and on February 17, 1612 he died a martyr’s death from starvation. liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible valor, was successfully achieved. The body of the hieromartyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov monastery, but in 1654 was transferred to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The glorification of Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint occurred on May 12, 1913.

Russia, Moscow, 1914-1918, Russo-Turkish War (1914-18), Caucasus Campeign of WWI
Moscow, 1914-1918, Russo-Turkish War (1914-18), Caucasus Campeign of WWI;

Russia, Moscow, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbyng, Paris
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; Kharkov; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

Russia, Moscow, 1917, Russian Revolution, Russian Civil War
Russia, Moscow, 1917, Russian Revolution Chariman, 1917-1924, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthroned, Commemorated on March 2; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Moscow, 1917, Chekists, Cheka, first Soviet State Police
Chekists, Cheka, first Soviet State Police; St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1922, Benjamin of Petrograd, not resist consiscations, kicked L Church out, trial, shot
Russia, St Petersburg, 1917-1922, Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, 1922 Communists confiscating Church treasurers, for food for starving, he did not resist, wanted it to be voluntary, comission agreed but Moscow not, 12 living church priests called for unconditional surrender valuables, B met with authorities, substituted other property, L Church tried control from Tikhon, L Church outside C until repent, Soviets enraged, B ordered to rescind, did not, trial, false witnesses, shot; Petrograd: St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; New Hieromartyr Benjamin (Kazansky) was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd in the summer of 1917. those tumultuous times, he was one of the few people in Russia with no interest in politics. He was more concerned with caring for his diocese and his flock. 1922, the Communists began confiscating Church treasures. They professed that they wanted to sell them in order to buy food for the starving population. the people protested, there were bloody reprisals. Benjamin did not resist turning over the Church’s valuables, for he believed it was his duty to help save people’s lives. wanted this sacrifice to be voluntary, however, and not a plundering of church property by the government. March 6, 1922 Metropolitan Benjamin met with a commission which had been formed to help the starving. They agreed to his request that the dispersal of funds from voluntary contributions should be controlled by the parishes. Newspapers of that time praised the Metropolitan and his clergy for their charitable spirit. leaders in Moscow did not approve of the decision made by the Communists of Petrograd allowing voluntary contributions to be administered by the parishes, and declared that the confiscation of Church property would continue. gathered in Petrograd, shouting and throwing stones at those who were stealing from the churches. March 24, 1922 “Pravda” printed a letter from twelve priests who broke ranks with the other clergy, referring to them as “counter-revolutionaries” and blaming them for the famine. of these twelve would later be active in the “Living Church.” They called for unconditional surrender of all Church valuables to the Soviets. clergy of Petrograd were outraged by the letter from the twelve. Benjamin, hoping to avoid confrontations between the people and the Communists, tried to calm his priests. also asked for a meeting with the authorities. and Boyarsky, two of the twelve, were delegated to talk with Soviet leaders, and came to an agreement. Parishes would be permitted to keep their sacred vessels if they substituted other property of equal value. This program seemed to work well for a time. Boyarsky, and others tried to wrest control of the Church from Patriarch Tikhon and the bishops. informed Metropolitan Benjamin of the new state of affairs, declaring that Vvedensky had been appointed as the Petrograd representative of the new Church administration. Metropolitan could not accept this threat to Church order, so he proclaimed that Vvedensky would be regarded as being outside the Church until he repented of his error. decree was published in the newspapers, and served to enrage the Soviets. and the Petrograd commandant Bakaev went to see the Metropolitan and ordered him to rescind his decree. If he did not, they told him, he and others close to him would be placed on trial. They warned Metropolitan Benjamin that he and others would be put to death if he made the wrong choice. He refused to submit. courageous archpastor began meeting with his friends in order to say farewell. He also gave instructions for the administration of the diocese. A few days later, the Metropolitan was placed under house arrest. Not long after that, he was taken to prison. his trial began, the Metropolitan entered the courtroom with Bishop Benedict and other clergy. When everyone stood up for him, Metropolitan Benjamin blessed them. judges tried to get the Metropolitan to renounce the idea of the parishes voluntarily contributing church valuables in order to feed the hungry, or to provide the names of those who had conceived this idea. It would suit their purposes very well if he could be made to “repent” or back away from his previous statements and submit to the authorities. other clergy and civilians on trial with Metropolitan Benjamin did not try to ingratiate themselves with the court, and did not accuse others in order to win leniency for themselves. the trial, Archimandrite Sergius (Shein) explained that as a monk he had renounced the world in order to dedicate himself to God. Only the flimsiest of threads still connected him with the outside world, he asserted. “Does this tribunal imagine,” he said, “that severing this thread which connects me with life could frighten me? Do your deed. I pity you, and I pray for you.” trial lasted for two weeks, and the prosecutors presented witnesses who had been hired to bring false accusations against the defendants. witnesses were called, and their testimony seemed to support Metropolitan Benjamin and to weaken the government’s case against him. certain professor of the Technological Institute named Egorov angered the court by his testimony. He was accused of being a follower of the Metropolitan, so he was arrested on the spot. spite of all the evidence, the defendants were found guilty. Government supporters and members of the Red Army in the court broke into applause. defense attorney addressed the court, saying that he knew that any pleas he might offer would be useless. “Political considerations come first with you, and all verdicts must favor your policy,” he declared. though everyone understood that the trial was a farce, the Soviet government could not afford to make a martyr out of Metropolitan Benjamin. The example of history, he pointed out, should warn them against such a course. the defense attorney had finished, there was loud clapping. The judges tried to restore order, but found that many Communists in the audience had also joined in the applause. defendants were given a chance to speak, and the Metropolitan stood to address the court. He said it grieved him to be called an enemy of the people, for he had always loved the people and dedicated his life to them. The rest of his comments were a defense of the others on trial with him. the presiding judge asked him to say something about himself, he said that no matter what sentence the court decreed he would thank God by saying, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee for all things.” 9:00 P.M. on July 5, the chairman of the tribunal announced that ten defendants, including the Metropolitan, were to be shot. Benjamin and those with him (Archimandrite Sergius, George, and John of Petrograd) were executed on July 31, 1922. had been shaved and dressed in rags so that the firing squad would not know that they were shooting members of the clergy. saints are also commemorated at the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (January 25 or the Sunday after the 25th).

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1925, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia, Bishop in US
Moscow, 1917-1925, Patriarch, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia ; Tikhon of Moscow (31 January [O.S. 19 January] 1865-“ 7 April [O.S. 25 March] 1925), born Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin , was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On 5 November 1917 (OS) he was selected the 11th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,[Note 1] after a period of about 200 years of the Synodal rule in the ROC. He was canonised as a confessor by the ROC in 1989. Early life[edit] From 1878 to 1884, Bellavin studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary. In 1888, at the age of 23, he graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman. He then returned to the Pskov Seminary and became an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. In 1891, at the age of 26, he took monastic vows and was given the name Tikhon in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on 19 October 1897. Bishop in the United States[edit] On 14 September 1898, he was appointed Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. He went to the United States, and eventually became a naturalized American citizen. The peripatetic bishop visited emerging Orthodox emigrant communities in various American cities, including New York City, Chicago and the coal and steel-making cities in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The consecration of Reginald Heber Weller as an Anglican bishop at St. Paul's Cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, with Anthony Kozlowski of the Polish National Catholic Church and Tikhon of Moscow (along with his chaplains John Kochurov and Sebastian Dabovich) of the Russian Orthodox Church present As head of the ROC diocese in North America, in 1900 he reorganized the diocese and changed its name from the "Of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska" to "Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America". He had two auxiliary bishops in the United States: Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and St. Raphael (Hawaweeny) in Brooklyn. On 22 May 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City (fundraising for which had begun in 1894 and to which Tsar Nicholas II contributed 5,000 in 1900) in a great ceremony attended by New York Mayor Seth Low, Russian diplomats and sailors, and enthusiastic worshippers.[1] He celebrated the first liturgy in the new building's basement on July 20, 1902, and in the main hall on November 10, 1902.[2] Tikhon was also involved in building other churches in North America, and establishing a dialog with Greek Orthodox churches in America. On 9 November 1902, he consecrated the church of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn for Syrian Antiochian Orthodox immigrants. While in the United States, Tikhon became aware of the country's tradition of religious diversity, as well as the growing ecumenical and Pan-Slav movements, and the needs of a wide variety of eastern and southern European immigrants. Before his arrival, in 1890, a delegation of Carpatho-Rusyns also had approached the Russian consul in San Francisco and requested a bishop, since the Latin Catholic archbishop of Minnesota, John Ireland was attempting to force their assimilation, although Byzantine Rite Catholics had previously been accorded certain dispensations from the Roman Rite practices of the Latin Church. Their Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic priest, Alexis Toth, was formally accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church in 1892. In 1900, Tikhon attended the consecration of Reginald Heber Weller as coadjutor bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, though he was not one of the consecrating bishops (all Episcopalians).[3] More Byzantine Catholics joined the Eastern Orthodox fold, especially priests after 1907, when Pope Pius X published Ea Semper, restricting their previously recognized right to ordain married men. In 1905, the title of Archbishop was bestowed on him, and he moved his formal residence and diocesan office from San Francisco to New York.[4] In June 1905, the new archbishop gave his blessing for the establishment of a monastery in Pennsylvania, which in the 1930s became Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. On September 17, [O.S. September 4, ] 1905 The Holy Trinity Russian (Greek) Orthodox church was consecrated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on the corner of McKenzie Street and Manitoba Avenue by the new Archbishop Tikhon, Head of the Russian Orthodox Mission in North America and soon to become Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Ukrainian teachers studying at the Ruthenian Training School sang at the consecration ceremony.[5] Return to Russia and restoration of Patriarchy[edit] In 1907, Tikhon returned to Russia, having been appointed to the See of Yaroslavl. On 22 December 1913, he was transferred to the diocese of Vilno in Lithuania. However, the First World War and the Russian Revolution created turmoil in his native land. On 21 June 1917, the Diocesan Congress of clergy and laity elected Tikhon the ruling bishop of Moscow. On 14 August 1917 (OS),[6] Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan of Moscow. On the next day, the Local Council of the ROC, the first such convention since the late 17th century, opened in Moscow. The council's major decision that passed on 28 October 1917, days after the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd, was to restore the Patriarchy in the ROC. On 5 November 1917, after his election by vote as one of the three candidates for the reinstated Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced that Metropolitan Tikhon had been selected for the position after a drawing of lots as the new Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Patriarchate[edit] During the Russian Civil War the patriarch, like the entire Russian Church, was widely considered anti-Bolshevik and many bishops were exiled, imprisoned or even executed by the new regime. Tikhon openly condemned the killings of the tsar's family in 1918, and protested against violent attacks by the Bolsheviks on the church. In 1920, he granted autonomy to what became the Orthodox Church in America and other dioceses of the Church of Russia that were cut off from the governance of the highest church authority (i.e. the patriarch), until such time as normal relations with the highest church authority could be resumed. In November 1921, many of the Russian bishops, who had fled Russia in 1919â€“1920, had gathered in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, and adopted a number of anti-Bolshevik statements; in May the following year Tikhon and his Synod formally dissolved the exile group, which nevertheless continued to exist as a separate Russian ecclesiastical entity, viewed as schismatic by the Moscow Patriarchate.[citation needed] Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow near Donskoy Monastery Jul 1923 In 1922 Russia was afflicted with mass famine. The Communist government used the situation to confiscate ecclesiastical property and to accuse the patriarch of being a saboteur. From April 1922 until June 1923 he resided under house arrest in Donskoy Monastery.[7] His public protest against nationalization of Church property was reframed as a criminal act. This caused international resonance and several countries sent formal protest notes to the Soviet government. Under pressure from the authorities, Tikhon issued several messages to the believers in which he stated in part that he was "no longer an enemy to the Soviet power". Textual analysis of these messages shows considerable similarity with a number of documents exchanged in the Politburo on the "Tikhon's Affair". Despite his declaration of loyalty, he continued to enjoy the trust of the Orthodox community in Russia. In 1923 Tikhon was "deposed" by a Soviet-sponsored[8] council of the so-called Living Church, which decreed that he was "henceforth a simple citizenâ€”Vasily Bellavin." This deposition has never been recognized as an act of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is therefore considered invalid by both the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Russian Federation. Death[edit] In 1924 the patriarch fell ill and was hospitalized. On 5 April 1925, he served his last Divine Liturgy, and died two days later, 25 March (OS)/7 April, the Feast of the Annunciation. He was buried on 12 April in the winter church of Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. From the time of his death, he was widely considered a martyr or confessor for the faith. Canonization Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1924, Chariman, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Chariman, 1917-1924, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthroned, Commemorated on March 2; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1957, Living Church and Cheka, Alexander Tuchkov
Russia, Moscow, 1917-1957, Living Church and Cheka, Alexander Tuchkov ; Moscow, 1917-1925, Patriarch, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia ; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1918, Saint, Andronicus of Perm
Moscow Saint, 1918, Andronicus of Perm; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; holy New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm was an outspoken critic of the Communist decree which ordered the separation of Church and State. reading the Moscow Overland Assembly’s instructions on the matter, Archbishop Andronicus ordered his archdeacon to anathematize the Communists. The Archbishop was arrested, shot by two members of the Perm CHEKA, then buried on the road from Perm to Motoviliha. Theophanes, an assistant to Archbishop Andronicus, was also arrested about this time. He was then drowned in the River Kama. When they learned of the execution of the Perm bishops, the Moscow Church Assembly sent a special commission, headed by Bishop Basil of Chernigov, to investigate their murder. The Communists, however, took steps to conceal the facts from the investigators. the members of the commission were on their way back to Moscow, their train was attacked by Red soldiers somewhere between Perm and Viatka. Bishop Basil and the others were killed, and their bodies were thrown from the coach. The bodies were buried by peasants, but were later dug up and burned by the Communists when pilgrims began flocking to the graves.

Russia, Moscow, 1918, Nun-martyr Barbara, died wElizabeth next day, Grenades, E singing hymns, r tJerusalem 1920
Russia, Moscow, 1918, Nun-martyr Barbara, died wElizabeth next day, Grenades, E singing hymns, r tJerusalem 1920; Nun-martyr Barbara, Commemorated on July 18; Barbara died with Saint Elizabeth on July 5, 1918, the day after the murder of Tsar Nicholas and his family. The two nuns were thrown into a mineshaft, and grenades were tossed in after them. Saint Elizabeth remained alive for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns. bodies of Saint Barbara and Saint Elizabeth were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of Saint Mary Magdalene Russia, Moscow, 1884-1918, Grand Duchess Elizabeth; Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, later Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (1 November 1864 - 18 July 1918), was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was also a maternal great-aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II. granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her beauty and charitable works among the poor. After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned. She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow. In 1918 she was arrested and ultimately murdered by the Bolsheviks. 1981 Elisabeth was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate. of Hesse Hessian grand ducal family in May 1875 was born on 1 November 1864 as the second child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria. she came from one of the oldest and noblest houses in Germany, Elisabeth and her family lived a rather modest life by royal standards. The children swept the floors and cleaned their own rooms, while their mother sewed dresses herself for the children. During the Austro-Prussian War, Princess Alice often took Elisabeth with her while visiting wounded soldiers in a nearby hospital. In this relatively happy and secure environment, Elisabeth grew up surrounded by English domestic habits, and English became her first language. Later in life, she would tell a friend that, within her family, she and her siblings spoke English to their mother and German to their father. the autumn of 1878, diphtheria swept through the Hesse household, killing Elisabeth's youngest sister, Marie, on 16 November, as well as her mother Alice on 14 December. Elisabeth had been sent away to her paternal grandmother's home at the beginning of the outbreak and she was the only member of her family to remain unaffected. When she was finally allowed to return home, she described the meeting as "terribly sad" and said that everything was "like a horrible dream".[citation needed] and suitors and with a very accommodating personality, Elisabeth was considered by many historians and contemporaries to be one of the most beautiful women in Europe at that time. Her cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh wrote that "one could never take one's eyes off [Ella]"[1] and that Ella's features were "exquisite beyond words, it almost brought tears to your eyes."[2] Her older cousin Prince Wilhelm of Prussia called her "exceedingly beautiful, in fact she is the most beautiful girl I ever saw."[3] Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden, her sister's lady-in-waiting, reflected that she was "a very pretty girl, tall and fair, with regular features."[4] a young woman, Elisabeth's cousin, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, fell in love with her. In April 1875, the 16-year-old Wilhelm visited Darmstadt to celebrate Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine's 12th birthday and first expressed interest in the 11-year-old Elisabeth. He wrote in a letter to his mother that "if God grants that I may live till then I shall make her my bride once if you allow it."[5] When he was a student at Bonn University, he often visited his Aunt Alice and his Hessian relatives on the weekends. During these frequent visits, he fell in love with Elisabeth,[6] writing numerous love poems and regularly sending them to her. He proposed to Elisabeth in 1878, but she rejected him. Charles Montagu, the second son of the 7th Duke of Manchester courted her unsuccessfully. Wilson, later a distinguished soldier, vied unsuccessfully for Elisabeth's hand. future Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden, Wilhelm's first cousin, proposed to Elisabeth. Queen Victoria described him as "so good and steady", with "such a safe and happy position,"[7] that when Elisabeth declined to marry him the Queen "deeply regretted it". Frederick's grandmother, the Empress Augusta, was so furious at Elisabeth's rejection of Frederick that it took some time for her to forgive Elisabeth. admirers included: Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia (the poet KR), who wrote a poem about her first arrival in Russia and the general impression she made to all the people present at the time. Prince Felix Yusupov considered her a second mother, and stated in his memoirs that she helped him greatly during the most difficult moments of his life. As a young girl, Queen Marie of Romania was very fascinated with her cousin Ella. In her memoirs, she wrote that "her beauty and sweetness was a thing of dreams."[8] The French Ambassador to the Russian court, Maurice Paleologue, wrote in his memoirs how Elisabeth was capable of arousing what he described as "profane passions". Ultimately, it was a grand duke of Russia who would win Elisabeth's heart; Elisabeth's great-aunt, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, was a frequent visitor to Hesse. During these visits, she was usually accompanied by her youngest sons, Sergei and Paul. Elisabeth had known them since they were children, and she initially viewed them as haughty and reserved. Sergei, especially, was a very serious young man, intensely religious, and he found himself attracted to Elisabeth after seeing her as a young woman for the first time in several years. first, Sergei made little impression on Elisabeth. But after the death of both of his parents within a year of each other, Elisabeth sympathised with Sergei because she had felt this same grief after the death of her mother. Their other similarities (both were artistic and religious) drew them closer together. It was said that Sergei was especially attached to Elisabeth because she had the same character as his beloved mother. So when Sergei proposed to her for the second time, she accepted—much to the chagrin of her grandmother Queen Victoria. Duchess of Russia and her husband Sergei and Elisabeth married on 15 (3) June 1884, at the Chapel of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg; upon her conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, she took the name Elizabetha Feodorovna. It was actually at the wedding that Sergei's 16-year-old nephew, Tsarevich Nicholas, first met his future wife, Elisabeth's youngest surviving sister Alix. was not legally required to convert to Russian Orthodoxy from her native Lutheran religion, but she voluntarily chose to do so in 1891. Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Elisabeth's Lutheran sister-in-law who had not converted to Russian Orthodoxy, insisted that it was "a disgrace for a German Protestant princess to go over to the Orthodox faith."[9] Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had once been in love with her, declared that she converted because of "an inordinate pursuit of popularity, a desire to improve her position at court, a great lack of intelligence, and also a want of true religiousness."[10] new Grand Duchess made a good first impression on her husband's family and the Russian people. "Everyone fell in love with her from the moment she came to Russia from her beloved Darmstadt", wrote one of Sergei's cousins. The couple settled in the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg; after Sergei was appointed Governor-General of Moscow by his elder brother, Tsar Alexander III, in 1892, they resided in one of the Kremlin palaces. During the summer, they stayed at Ilyinskoe, an estate outside Moscow that Sergei had inherited from his mother. couple never had children of their own, but their Ilyinskoe estate was usually filled with parties that Elisabeth organized especially for children. They eventually became the foster parents of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Sergei's niece and nephew. was somewhat instrumental in the marriage of her nephew-by-marriage, Tsar Nicholas II, to her youngest sister Alix. Much to the dismay of Queen Victoria, Elisabeth had been encouraging Nicholas, then tsarevich, in his pursuit of Alix. When Nicholas did propose to Alix in 1894, and Alix rejected him on the basis of her refusal to convert to Orthodoxy, it was Elisabeth who spoke with Alix and encouraged her to convert. When Nicholas proposed to her again, a few days later, Alix then accepted. of Ivan Kalyayev taken just after the assassination. I threw the bomb from less than four steps. I was taken by the explosions, I saw the carriage flew to pieces...My overcoat was strewn with splinters of wood all around, it was torn and burnt, there was blood on my face... 17 February 1905, Sergei was assassinated in the Kremlin by the Socialist-Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev. The event came as a terrible shock to Elisabeth, but she never lost her calm. It was as if her prophecy had come true that "God will punish us severely" which she made after the Grand Duke expelled 20,000 Jews from Moscow, by simply surrounding thousands of families' houses with soldiers and expelling the Jews without any notice overnight out of their homes and the city. Her niece Marie later recalled that her aunt's face was "pale and stricken rigid" and she would never forget her expression of infinite sadness. In her rooms, said Marie, Elisabeth "let herself fall weakly into an armchair...her eyes dry and with the same peculiar fixity of gaze, she looked straight into space, and said nothing." As visitors came and went, she looked without ever seeming to see them. the day of her husband's murder, Elisabeth refused to cry. But Marie recalled how her aunt slowly abandoned her rigid self-control, finally breaking down into sobs. Many of her family and friends feared that she would suffer a nervous breakdown, but she quickly recovered her equanimity. to Edvard Radzinsky, spent all the days before the burial in ceaseless prayer. On her husband's tombstone she wrote: 'Father, release them, they know not what they do.' She understood the words of the Gospels heart and soul, and on the eve of the funeral she demanded to be taken to the prison where Kalyayev was being held. Brought into his cell, she asked, 'Why did you kill my husband?' 'I killed Sergei Alexandrovich because he was a weapon of tyranny. I was taking revenge for the people.' 'Do not listen to your pride. Repent... and I will beg the Sovereign to give you your life. I will ask him for you. I myself have already forgiven you.' On the eve of revolution, she had already found a way out; forgiveness! Forgive through the impossible pain and blood -- and thereby stop it then, at the beginning, this bloody wheel. By her example, poor Ella appealed to society, calling upon the people to live in Christian faith. 'No!" replied Kalyayev. 'I do not repent. I must die for my deed and I will... My death will be more useful to my cause than Sergei Alexandrovich's death.' Kalyayev was sentenced to death. 'I am pleased with your sentence,' he told the judges. 'I hope that you will carry it out just as openly and publicly as I carried out the sentence of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Learn to look the advancing revolution right in the face.'[11] was hanged on 23 May 1905. 1915 the All-Russian Zemstvo Union was organised under her auspices to provide support for sick and injured soldiers during the First World War.[12] life Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna as a nun after her husband's death Sergei's death, Elisabeth wore mourning clothes and became a vegetarian. In 1909, she sold off her magnificent collection of jewels and sold her other luxurious possessions; even her wedding ring was not spared. With the proceeds she opened the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary and became its abbess. soon opened a hospital, a chapel, a pharmacy and an orphanage on its grounds. Elisabeth and her nuns worked tirelessly among the poor and the sick of Moscow. She often visited Moscow's worst slums and did all she could to help alleviate the suffering of the poor. many years, Elisabeth's institution helped the poor and the orphans in Moscow by fostering the prayer and charity of devout women. 1916, Elisabeth had what was to be her final meeting with her sister Alexandra, the tsarina, at Tsarskoye Selo. While the meeting took place in private, the tutor to the tsar's children apparently recalled that the discussion included Elisabeth expressing her concerns over the influence that Grigori Rasputin had over Alexandra and the imperial court, and begging her to heed the warnings of both herself and other members of the imperial family. 2010 a historian claimed that Elisabeth may have been aware that the murder of Rasputin was to take place and secondly, she knew who was going to commit that particular murder when she wrote a letter and sent it to the Tsar and two telegrams to Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Zinaida Yusupova, her friend. The telegrams, which were written the night of the murder, reveal that the Grand Duchess was aware of who the murderers were before that information had been released to the public, and she stated that she felt that the killing was a "patriotic act."[13] 1918, Vladimir Lenin ordered the Cheka to arrest Elisabeth. They then exiled her first to Perm, then to Yekaterinburg, where she spent a few days and was joined by others: the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Princes Ioann Konstantinovich, Konstantin Konstantinovich, Igor Konstantinovich and Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; Grand Duke Sergei's secretary, Fyodor Remez; and Varvara Yakovleva, a sister from the Grand Duchess's convent. They were all taken to Alapayevsk on 20 May 1918, where they were housed in the Napolnaya School on the outskirts of the town. shaft in Siniachikha where Elisabeth and her family were murdered noon on 17 July, Cheka officer Pyotr Startsev and a few Bolshevik workers came to the school. They took from the prisoners whatever money they had left and announced that they would be transferred that night to the Upper Siniachikhensky factory compound. The Red Army guards were told to leave and Cheka men replaced them. That night the prisoners were awakened and driven in carts on a road leading to the village of Siniachikha, some 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Alapayevsk where there was an abandoned iron mine with a pit 20 metres (66 feet) deep. Here they halted. The Cheka beat all the prisoners before throwing their victims into this pit, Elisabeth being the first. Hand grenades were then hurled down the shaft, but only one victim, Fyodor Remez, died as a result of the grenades. to the personal account of Vasily Ryabov, one of the killers, Elisabeth and the others survived the initial fall into the mine, prompting Ryabov to toss in a grenade after them. Following the explosion, he claimed to have heard Elisabeth and the others singing an Orthodox hymn from the bottom of the shaft.[14] Unnerved, Ryabov threw down a second grenade, but the singing continued. Finally a large quantity of brushwood was shoved into the opening and set alight, upon which Ryabov posted a guard over the site and departed. on 18 July 1918, the leader of the Alapayevsk Cheka, Abramov, and the head of the Yekaterinburg Regional Soviet, Beloborodov, who had been involved in the murder of the Imperial Family, exchanged a number of telegrams in a pre-arranged plan saying that the school had been attacked by an "unidentified gang". A month later, Alapayevsk fell to the White Army of Admiral Alexander Kolchak. Lenin welcomed Elisabeth's death, remarking that "virtue with the crown on it is a greater enemy to the world revolution than a hundred tyrant tsars".[15][16] Moscow Grand Duke, 1877-1905, Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia; Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (11 May 1857 - 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II, who was also his brother-in-law through Sergei's marriage to Elizabeth, the sister of Tsarina Alexandra.[1] Duke Sergei's education gave him lifelong interests in culture and the arts. Like all male members of the Romanov dynasty, he followed a military career, and he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, receiving the Order of St George for courage and bravery in action. In 1882, his brother, Tsar Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, a position he held until 1891. In 1889, Grand Duke Sergei was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 1884, Sergei married Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Their marriage remained childless, but they became the guardians of the two children of his brother, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia: Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dmitri. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife promoted the marriage of Sergei's nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, with Princess Alix of Hesse, Elizabeth's youngest sister. 1891 and 1905, Grand Duke Sergei served as Governor-General of Moscow. His reputation was tarnished as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy, which, during the festivities following the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, resulted in more than a thousand deaths. a Governor of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was responsible for the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews[2] at the start of his tenure, and he repressed a student movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas. His conservative policies, extreme even by contemporary standards, made him a polarizing figure, and he was regarded as a reactionary. 1894 Grand Duke Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow Military District. After thirteen years of service, Grand Duke Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905. Targeted by the SR Combat Organization, he was assassinated by a terrorist bomb at the Kremlin. life[edit] Duke Sergei with his parents and his sister, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was born on 11 May [O.S. 29 April] 1857 in the Zubov wing of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. He was the seventh child and fifth son among the eight children of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna, née Duchess Maximilienne Wilhelmine of Hesse and by Rhine.[3] Duke Sergei with his younger brother Grand Duke Paul he was old enough to begin lessons, Sergei's earlier years were spent with his younger brother Paul, from whom he was inseparable, and their sister at Livadia, the family's Crimean retreat, at Tsarskoye Selo, and at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. By the time Sergei was born, his mother was already in declining health. Although she was not a particularly affectionate mother, except to her daughter, her three youngest children, Marie, Sergei and Paul, were close to her and especially to one another.[3] Marie adored him and called him "an exceptionally nice young man... and can be recommended one very possible way, not because he is my brother, but because he is an exception among princes."[4] time passed and the Empress's health made it necessary for her to avoid the harsh Russian climate, they spent long sojourns abroad in Jugenheim outside Darmstadt and winters in the South of France.[5] family tragedy hit them there. In April 1865, shortly before Sergei's eighth birthday, his eldest brother and godfather Nicholas, the heir to the crown, died in Nice.[6] As a child, Sergei was shy, studious, and withdrawn. Under the influence of his mother, whose reserved character he resembled, he became very religious. the 1870s, Sergei and his younger brother Paul were kept in Russia by their studies. They were destined to follow a military career, but their tutor, Admiral Arseniev, encouraged Sergei's linguistic, artistic, and musical abilities. He was fluent in several languages and learned Italian in order to read Dante in the original.[7] His interest in Italian art and culture intensified as he grew older. He painted well and was musical, playing the flute in an amateur orchestra. He enjoyed acting and steeped himself in the early history, culture, and traditions of Russia. He liked to read and in time came to know many of Russia's great writers personally, among them Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, whose work the Grand Duke read and admired.[7] He met Dostoevsky over dinner at the Winter Palace where he was invited by Sergei's professor.[8] career[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in his youth Duke Sergei Alexandrovich started a military career early in his life. He was from birth Colonel-in-Chief of the 38th Tobolsk Infantry Regiment, he also became Colonel-in-Chief of the 2nd Battalion Guards Rifles and, towards the end of his life, Colonel-in-Chief of the 5th Kievsky Grenadier Regiment.[9] On his twentieth birthday on 29 April 1877, the Grand Duke took the solemn oath of allegiance to the Emperor.[7] An educational tour that had been proposed for him was postponed upon the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Sergei took part in the war with his father and brothers, the Tsarevich Alexander and Grand Dukes Vladimir and Alexei. He spent the greater part of his time serving as Poruchik in the Leib Guard under the Tsarevich in southeast Romania.[10] He was consequently promoted to Colonel. On 12 October, following the battle of Meyk, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of St George, for courage and bravery in action with the enemy, for a reconnaissance expedition at Kara Loma near Koshev. At the end of December 1877, Sergei Alexandrovich returned to Saint Petersburg with his father. II had started a new family with his mistress and Sergei sided with his neglected mother in the breaking of the family's harmony.[11] Empress Maria died in June 1880, and in March 1881 Alexander II, who had married his mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki, was assassinated by terrorists. Sergei was then in Italy with his brother Paul and Admiral Arseniev. Three months later, in June 1881, the Grand Duke went to Palestine accompanied by Paul and his cousin Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich. They visited Jerusalem and the sacred sites. He helped to found a society dedicated to the upkeep of Orthodox shrines in the Holy Land and the provision of services to Russian pilgrims. He became chairman of this society, and his status as patron of the Russian presence in Jerusalem is believed to have given him more pleasure than any of his other duties.[12] 1882 on, Sergei's military career, which occupied an increasing amount of his time in Saint Petersburg and on maneuvers at Krasnoe Selo, advanced still further.[13] On 15 January 1882, his brother, Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, the elite regiment founded by Peter the Great, with the rank of Colonel. Seven years later, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 26 February 1891, he was made Adjutant General of the H. I. M. Retinue. He became the commanding officer in the village of Preobrazhenskoy. Sergei commanded this regiment until 1891, when his brother the Emperor appointed him Governor-General of Moscow.[9] Russian Grand Duke[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia. twenty-six, the fair-haired Grand Duke was reserved, intelligent, well-read and refined.[9] Over six feet tall, his extremely slim figure was accentuated by a corset, worn in the manner of Prussian officers.[9] his closely cropped hair and neat beard, Sergei Alexandrovich cut an impressive figure.[14] When Consuelo Vanderbilt, then Duchess of Marlborough, met him in Moscow, she considered him to be "One of the most handsome men I have ever seen."[15] Described by his brother-in-law Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, as "tall and fair with delicate features and beautiful light green eyes". Very self-conscious, he held himself very stiffly and with a hard expression in his eyes.[14] health was seriously compromised as he suffered from osteoarticular tuberculosis.[16] A condition he strove to conceal, but it caused all his joints to waste away.[16] He had to take salts and hot baths to get some relief.[16] He could not ride a horse and had to wear a spinal corset at all times.[16] He stood very straight and had a habit of playing with one of his jeweled rings, turning it around his finger. He kept his feelings rigidly in check, and many mistook his reserve for pride. Few had the chance to know him well. He was noted for his adherence to the Church, took a deep interest in Russian antiques and art treasures, and was interested in archaeology, music and acting and sometimes chairing meetings of the Archaeological Congress.[8] shy and reserved, he made no secret of his disapproval of fashionable society and its lax ways, and he defied all criticism. He found it hard to cope with opposition and easily lost his temper. In his home, he demanded tidiness, order, and discipline, and he expected to be obeyed. His niece, Marie, Queen of the Romanians, remembered him: "Dry, nervous, short of speech, impatient, he had none of the rather careless good humor of his three elder brothers ... but for all that we loved him, felt irresistibly attracted to him, hard though he could be. Few perhaps cherish his memory, but I do." Many other family members, including his nephew Kiril, Princess Marie of Greece and Prince Gabriel, included their good impressions of him in their memoirs.[17] Duke Sergei and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna 1881 there had been talks of a possible marriage to Princess Caroline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein.[18] Emperor Alexander II had hoped that at least one of his sons would marry a princess of Hesse as he had done. eventually chose as his bride Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, a daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She was an older sister of both Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Alix of Hesse, later the Empress consort of Nicholas II of Russia. They were first cousins once removed (i.e., Elizabeth's great-grandfather, her father's paternal grandfather, Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, was Sergei's maternal grandfather) and had known each other all their lives.[3] were hesitations on both sides and Elizabeth first rejected his proposal of marriage.[18] Queen Victoria, who had anti-Russian sentiments, opposed the marriage of her motherless granddaughter.[19] Elizabeth and her sisters were not pressured into following political marriages; they were allowed to follow their own inclination.[18] After the couple spent some time together at Schloss Wolfsgarten in Darmstadt in September 1883, Elizabeth agreed to marry him.[20] Their engagement was announced publicly on 26 February 1884 when Sergei returned to visit her in Darmstadt.[21] Upon her marriage, Princess Elizabeth took the name of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia.[22] The wedding took place on 15 June 1884 in the Winter Palace.[23] spent their honeymoon in Ilinskoye, Sergei's 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) country estate forty miles west of Moscow on the left bank of the Moskva River, that he inherited from his mother. The couple later settled in Saint Petersburg in a mansion occupying the southeast corner of the Fontanka Canal and the Nevsky Prospekt, a short drive from his former apartments in the Winter Palace.[21] The Beloselsky Belozersky mansion, bought by Sergei to live with his wife, was renamed Sergeivsky Palace.[24] The couple also had Ferme, a villa located in the grounds of Peterhof that Sergei had inherited from his mother.[25] They usually entertained at Ilinskoe during the summer months, with guests occupying various wooden villas dotted around the park. There was also Usovo, a substantial stone and brick house with an innovative central heating, that Sergei had built on the opposite bank of the Moskva River. couple was close to Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna and the Tsar trusted Sergei more than his other brothers. In 1886, Alexander III appointed him Commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, entrusting him with introducing the Tsarevich (the future Nicholas II) to army life. and Ella represented Russia in 1887 during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1888, they were sent to the Holy Land on the occasion of the consecration of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, built-in memory of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. By 1892, eight years into the marriage, Sergei was already certain that they would not have children and he left a will making the children of his brother Paul his heirs after his and his wife's deaths. of Moscow[edit] Duke Sergei and his wife, 1892 Alexander III adopted a policy of repression; he wanted a like mind at the helm of Imperial Russia's second city and former capital. Thus, in spring 1891, the tsar appointed Sergei as governor general of Moscow.[26] Although it was a great honour, Grand Duke Sergei accepted his new appointment with reluctance. He had hoped to stay longer in command of the Preobrazhensky, where he was popular; and he and his wife loved the quiet life they were living in Saint Petersburg. vice-regal role of Governor-General ruling Prince of Moscow was one that was answerable only to the emperor.[27] Grand Duke Sergei was a political hardliner who shared his brother's inalienable belief in strong, nationalist government.[27] tenure began with the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews.[27] It started four weeks before he arrived in person, after the publication of an imperial ukase by the Minister of the Interiors, Ivan Durnovo, by which all Jews of lower social stance (artisans, minor traders and so on) had to be expelled from Moscow. On 29 March, the first day of Passover, the city's Jewish population learned of the new decree that called for their expulsion.[27] In three carefully planned phases over the next twelve months, Moscow's Jews were expelled. Those first to go were the unmarried, the childless, and those who had lived in the city for less than three years.[27] Next, it was the turn of apprentices, of families with up to four children, and those with less than six years residency.[27] Last of all, it was the turn of the old Jewish settlers with large families and/or numerous employees, some of whom had lived in Moscow for forty years.[27] Young Jewish women were made to register as prostitutes if they wanted to stay in the city.[2] the expulsion, homes were surrounded by mounted Cossacks in the middle of the night while policemen ransacked every house. In January 1892, in a temperature of 30 degrees below zero, Brest station was packed with Jews of all ages and sexes, all in rags and surrounded by meager remnants of households goods, all leaving voluntarily rather than face deportation.[27] Sergei as governor-general was petitioned by the police commissioners to stop the expulsions until the weather conditions improved.[27] While he agreed, the order was not published until the expulsions were over.[27] Some of them moved to southern and western regions of the empire although there were many who decided to emigrate.[28] In counting the cost, Moscow lost 100 million rubles in trade and production, 25,000 Russians employed by Jewish firms lost their livelihoods, while the manufacture of silk, one of the city's most lucrative industries, was all but wiped out.[29] meet the needs of students, Sergei ordered the start of the construction of new dormitories in the city. At the same time, however, severe restrictions were imposed on the students and professors in the universities as a part of the state's policy of conspiracy prevention and elimination of revolutionary ideas.[30] made Sergei Alexandrovich very unpopular in Moscow among intelligentsia, though the more conservative citizens were pleased.[30] Muscovite nobility and merchants despised him because he was rough and lacked tact while attempting to fight commercial fraud and enforce strict policy measures. However, he did significantly improve general living conditions during his tenure and was extremely conscientious in carrying out his duties: “Even in the country when he was supposed to be resting," his niece remembered, "he was constantly receiving couriers from Moscow and giving audiences.â€ He paid much attention to detail, attending personally to matters that could easily have been left to subordinates, punishing corruption and fraud. At times, he would go about the city incognito to see conditions for himself.[31] In private, he and his wife were concerned about the poverty they saw in Moscow and the surrounding countryside, discussing ways to improve it.[32] organizations and charities always attracted Sergei's attention and he became either chairman or patron of scores of them. He was, for example, chairman of the Moscow Society for the Care, Upbringing, and Education of Blind Children; of the Society for Homeless, Neglected Children, and Convicted Adolescents; and the Moscow Department of the Russian Department Society of National Health Protection.[33] addition, he was a patron of organizations as diverse as the Moscow and Saint Petersburg Universities, The Printer's Mutual Aid Fund, the Society of Care for Aged Actors, the Pskov Non-Classical Secondary School, and Prince Nikola's Alm Houses. He was also chairman of the Academies of both Arts and Science, the Moscow Archeological Society, the Society of Agriculture, the Russian Musical Society, the Historical Museum in Moscow, and the Moscow Theological Academy among others.[33] Tragedy[edit] See also: Khodynka Tragedy Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (right) with his brother Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (center, smoking) on 14 May 1896, coronation of Nicholas II. Alexander III died on 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 and his son Nicholas II ascended to the Russian throne. The relationship between Grand Duke Sergei and his nephew, who had served under his command in the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, was close and it became stronger with Nicholas II's marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse, the youngest sister of Sergei's wife—a union that Sergei and Elizabeth Feodorovna had helped to promote. coronation ceremonies of the new Emperor and his wife, as tradition demanded, took place in Moscow and Sergei as Governor General of the City was in charge of overseeing the arrangements. As part of the preparations, Sergei had introduced the novelty of electric light to Moscow. Towards the end of the festivities, according to custom, every newly crowned Tsar presented gifts to the populace; Field, on the outskirts of Moscow, was where the distribution was held since the coronation of Tsar Alexander II. The choice was questionable, as the field was normally used as a military training ground and was crisscrossed with ditches. Nevertheless, Sergei, as Governor General approved the plans. Although a crowd of nearly half a million was expected from all over Russia, only one squadron of Cossacks and a small detachment of police were sent to maintain order. in the morning of 30 May [O.S. 18 May] 1896, families began to gather outside the frail wooden fence that protected the field, watching carts laden with beer, and the eagerly sought after gifts.[34] Around 6 am, a rumour swept through the mass that the booths had already opened and the souvenirs were being given out.[35] Suddenly moving as one, that great body of people began to surge forward in the direction of the booths.[35] As it did so, men, women and children, hundreds of whom had no idea what was happening, fell or slipped on the uneven ground and were crushed and trampled underfoot. Others suffocated in the mayhem.[35] The police, far too few in numbers, were helpless to do much and even the Cossacks when they arrived were unable to stop the catastrophe. One thousand three hundred people, many hideously mutilated and unrecognizable, were killed and twice that number were seriously injured.[36] Grand Duke Sergei had not directly participated in the planning for Khodynka Field, he was to blame for the lack of foresight and as Governor-General, ultimately responsible. However, he did not assume his part of the responsibility for the tragedy. He laid the blame on others, most notably on Ilarion Count Voronzov-Dashkov, head of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, with whom there had been some dispute over the management of the coronation festivities,[37] and Colonel Alexander Vlasovsky (1842–1899), the city of Moscow's Chief of Police.[38] In the eyes of public opinion Sergei had done himself great harm by not going to the scene of the incident or at least putting in appearances at the victims' funerals. of the stampede at Khodynka the tragedy, many members of the Romanov family, headed by Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers, thought that the remaining festivities should be canceled. On the other hand, Sergei Alexandrovich and his brothers thought that a historical event, such as a coronation, should not be disrupted or marred by a conspicuous period of mourning. The latter opinion believed that the crowds who came long distances should not be disappointed and that the tightly scheduled events for foreign dignitaries not be slighted and should go forward. There was also division among the Romanov family as to whether Grand Duke Sergei should have resigned. Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers called for his resignation, while Sergei's own brothers Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich and Alexei Alexandrovich closed ranks supporting him and threatened to retire from public life if Sergei was made the scapegoat for the Khodynka tragedy.[39] Sergei ultimately offered to resign but Vorontzov-Dashkov did not. The Tsar ultimately did not support a thoroughly proposed investigation, the Chief of Police was dismissed, but Grand Duke Sergei retained his high office. night of the tragedy Tsar Nicholas II, for diplomatic reasons, attended a ball in honor of the French; because of that, his reputation suffered for what was perceived to be his lack of sympathy for the victims. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich 1894 Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow military district. Because Sergei was devoted to the policies of his nephew, the Tsar regarded him as a useful counter weight to some of his ministers and officials and would always readily take his side.[40] When, in 1896, disturbances broke out in the universities, Nicholas II was grateful for his prompt action and that of the authorities that quickly restored order. Sergei was often condemned as a complete reactionary during his governorship, according to his brother-in-law Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse, he wanted and strove for improvements, which angered conservatives, but blocked revolutionary reforms, which infuriated radicals, because he considered them impractical or thought that Russia was not ready for them.[36][41] enigmatic personality and harsh manners made him appear arrogant and disagreeable. Shy by nature, he dreaded personal contact. When courtesy demanded a handshake, he solved the problem by wearing a white glove. Puritan and humourless, at least in public, he had a total disregard for public opinion. He never seemed to be at ease with himself and others. He became a focus for serious opponents of the regime as well as for malicious gossip. His cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich left a damaging description about him: "Try as I will,â€ he wrote, “ I cannot find a single redeeming feature in his character… Obstinate, arrogant, disagreeable, he flaunted his many peculiarities in the face of the entire nation… "[42] Later writers have accused him of sadism.[30][43] great deal of controversy around Sergei Alexandrovich has centered on the nature of his personal life. Conjecture about the perhaps unhappy nature of the relationship with his wife has abounded.[44] Sergei's marriage is barely documented. His private papers, including his correspondence with his wife, have not survived, and the evidence that does exist in the Moscow State Archives, the most important repository of Romanov papers, is open to interpretation. According to some contemporary reports, Sergei was homosexual.[43][45][46] His sexuality conflicted with his intense religious beliefs and the expectations of his position.[46] Contrary to this belief, the marriage was happy, in its own way. Unusually for royal couples, they slept in the same bed for all of their married life.[47] Forced to defend Sergei against rumors of discord, Elizabeth Feodorovna was devoted to her husband and treasured his memory after his death. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia with his foster children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna jr, and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich their marriage remained childless, the two children of Grand Duke Paul, Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dimitri, often joined their household, spending Christmases and later some summer holidays with Sergei and his wife. The couple set aside a playroom and bedrooms for the youngsters at their home. 1902, Paul was banished from living in Russia after he contracted a morganatic marriage and Sergei asked for and obtained the guardianship of his niece and nephew.[45] a foster father, Sergei was strict and demanding, but devoted and affectionate towards the children. Nevertheless, Maria and Dimitri resented their aunt and uncle, blaming them for the forced separation from their real father, who had abandoned them.[48] While Sergei had their best interests at heart, his preoccupation with the smallest detail of their education and upbringing were not appealing to the two difficult adolescents, especially the obstinate Maria.[49] the end of 1904, Russia had suffered disastrously in the Russo-Japanese War and the country was in turmoil. As discontent and demonstration multiplied, so did the pressure on Sergei to maintain order.[50] He was of the opinion that only the utmost severity could put an end to the revolutionary ferment, but in the wake of civil disorder Nicholas II was forced to make concessions. did not support the Tsar's security policies of vacillations and evasions.[51] According to Marie Pavlovna, "it appeared to my uncle little less than monstrous ... he expressed deep sorrow for the state of affairs in Russia, of the necessity for serious measures, and of the criminal weakness of the Tsar's ministers and councilors." disillusioned with the whole situation and deciding it was the right time to retire into private life, he informed the Tsar that new times needed new faces.[52] After thirteen years of service, Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905 and was succeeded by Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. However, he continued as Commander of the Moscow military district.[53] Ivan Kalyayev Assassination of the carriage his resignation, Grand Duke Sergei moved to the Neskuchnoye Palace with his wife and foster children. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Nicholas Palace within the safety of the Kremlin, under the cover of night. Sergei took every precaution advised by his detectives. Sergei and his wife rarely ventured outside.[54] At home, they only received their closest friends.[54] Like his father, Alexander II, Sergei was firm of the belief that unless it was the will of God, no attempt on his life would succeed. If it were the will of God, no amount of security would prevent it. One precaution he did take was for the benefit of his adjutants, whom he would no longer allow traveling with him. 15 February 1905, the family attended a concert at the Bolshoi Theatre in aid of Elizabeth Feodorovna's Red Cross War charities.[55] A terrorist organization that knew his route had planned to assassinate him that day. However, one of their members noticed the children in the carriage and decided to call off their attack. To kill the Grand Duchess and the children would surely have sparked a wave of apprehension throughout the empire, and would have set back the revolutionary cause by years.[53] Having had lunch with his wife at Nicholas Palace on 17 February, Sergei left unaccompanied for the Governor General's mansion.[56] Because of the looming threat, Sergei had refused to take his adjutant, Alexei, since he was married and a father. The arrival of the Grand Duke's recognizable carriage, drawn by a pair of horses and driven by his coachman Andrei Rudinkin, alerted the terrorist who had been waiting in the Kremlin with a bomb wrapped in newspapers.[57] before 14:45, the carriage of the Grand Duke passed through the gate of Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin and turned the corner of the Chudov Monastery into Senatskaya Square. From a distance no more than four feet (1.2 m) away and still some 60 feet (18 m) inside the Nikolsky Gate, Ivan Kalyayev, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party's combat detachment, stepped forward and threw a nitroglycerin bomb directly into Sergei's lap.[58] The explosion disintegrated the carriage and the Grand Duke died immediately, his body blown to bits.[58] Scattered all over the bloodstained snow lay pieces of scorched cloth, fur, and leather. The body of the Grand Duke was mutilated, with the head, the upper part of the chest, and the left shoulder and arm blown off and completely destroyed.[59] Surrounded by splintered skull bones was what little that remained of his face.[58] Some of the Grand Duke's fingers, still adorned with the rings he habitually wore, were found on the roof of a nearby building.[58][60] impact, the carriage horses had bolted towards the Nikolsky Gate, dragging with them the front wheels and coachbox as well as the semi-conscious and badly burned driver, Rudinkin, whose back had been riddled with bits of bomb and stones. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he died three days later. Kalyayev, who by his own testimony had expected to die in the explosion, survived.[57][61] Sucked into the vortex of the explosion, he ended up by the remains of the rear wheels. His face was peppered by splinters, pouring with blood.[57] Kalyayev was immediately arrested, sentenced to death, and hanged two months later. Grand Duchess rushed to the scene of the explosion.[61] Stunned but perfectly controlled, she gave instructions, and, kneeling in the snow, helped to gather up Sergei's remains.[61] The bared torso, part of the skull, a hand bone fragment, fingers, and a still-booted foot were placed on a stretcher and covered with an army greatcoat. The Grand Duchess also gathered Sergei's medallions.[61] affected by the Grand Duke's death, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna retired from the royal family and founded the Russian Orthodox convent of Martha and Mary, where she dedicated herself to the care of Moscow's poor and suffering.[58] Part of the obligations of the sisters of the Martha and Mary convent was to make an annual pilgrimage to the sepulchral church in memory of the Grand Duke on the day of his repose, 4 February.[62] Elizabeth Feodorovna was murdered during the Russian Civil War in 1918, together with many other Romanov relatives. bodies were smuggled to China and eventually reached Jerusalem. The wooden coffins were met at the railway station by the deputy British governor, Sir Harry Charles Luke, and taken for burial at the Church of Maria Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.[12] of the memorial, 4 May 2017 Duke Sergei's body was buried in a crypt of the Chudov Monastery within the precincts of the Moscow Kremlin. A memorial cross was erected on the spot where he was killed. After the downfall of the Romanovs, the cross was destroyed with the personal participation of Vladimir Lenin.[52] Monastery was demolished in 1928, and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was built on the site. The burial crypt of the Grand Duke was located in a courtyard of that building, which had been used as a parking lot. In 1990, building workers in the Kremlin discovered the blocked up entrance of the burial vault. The coffin was examined and found to contain the Grand Duke's remains, covered with the military greatcoat of the Kiev regiment, decorations, and an icon. He had left written instructions that he was to be buried in the Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment uniform, but as his body was so badly mutilated this proved impossible. In 1995, the coffin was officially exhumed, and after a Panikhida in the Kremlin Cathedral of the Archangel, it was reburied in a vault of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow on 17 September 1995.[63] 4 May 2017, the memorial cross was restored in a ceremony that was attended by President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[64] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze), philosopher, theologian, saved Georgian manuscripts from Reds and Nazis
Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, of Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia, philosopher, theologian, Berlin, Bonn, Louvain, Oxford, Paris, Warsaw, found ancient Georgian manuscripts, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy, England, 1920's taken to Paris for savekeeping from Red Army, 1940 from Nazis in Paris, arrested for sheltering Jews; Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory (Peradze) was born August 31, 1899, in the village of Bakurtsikhe, in the Sighnaghi district of Kakheti. His father, Roman Peradze, was a priest. 1918, Gregory completed his studies at the theological school and seminary in Tbilisi and enrolled in the philosophy department at Tbilisi University. years later, in 1921, he began to teach at the university, but the Georgian Church soon sent him to Germany to study theology. 1922 to 1925, Gregory studied theology and eastern languages at the University of Berlin, and in 1925 he transferred to the philosophy department at the University of Bonn, he received a doctoral degree in philosophy for his dissertation “The Monastic Life in Georgia from Its Origins to 1064.” continued to attend lectures in theology at the University of Louvain until 1927. 1927, Gregory moved to England to continue his career in academia, and there he became acquainted with the old patristic manuscripts that were preserved in the library collections of the British Museum and Oxford University. July of that year, Gregory was named an associate professor at the University of Bonn, and he returned there to lecture on the history of Georgian and Armenian literature. 1931, Gregory was tonsured a monk, ordained a priest, and appointed dean of the Georgian church in Paris. year later he was invited to Oxford to lecture on Georgian history. new period in Saint Gregory’s life began later in 1932, when the Metropolitan of all Poland, Dionysius Waledinsky, invited him to be a professor of Patrology and the chair of Orthodox Theology at Warsaw University. often delivered lectures at academic conferences and in academic centers throughout Europe. sought tirelessly for ancient Georgian manuscripts and historical documents on the Georgian Church. His searches took him to Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy and England. As a result of his labors, many long-lost Georgian manuscripts surfaced again. and industriousness characterized the Hieromartyr Gregory throughout his life. In difficult moments he often repeated the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for all things!” the 1920s, as the Red Army was securing its occupation of Georgia, the nation’s treasures were carried away to France for safekeeping. in the 1940s, Georgian society was unaware that, due to Saint Gregory’s efforts alone, many treasures of Georgian national culture were spared confiscation by the Nazis in Paris. execution at the hands of a firing squad, Saint Gregory wrote in the official documentation presented to the Nazis that these items were of no particular value but were precious to the Georgians as part of their national consciousness. did most of Georgian society know that, in Paris, Archimandrite Gregory had founded a Georgian church in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino and a parish journal called Jvari Vazisa, or “The Cross of Vines.” May of 1942, Saint Gregory was arrested by the Gestapo. The priceless Georgian manuscripts he had preserved and many sacred objects that had been crafted by ancient Georgian masters and collected by Saint Gregory during his travels (in hopes of returning them to Georgia) disappeared after his apartment was searched. Gregory was arrested for sheltering and aiding Jews and other victims of the fascist persecutions. He was incarcerated at Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, and deported to Auschwitz at the beginning of November. the camp an inmate killed a German officer. The guards drove everyone out of the barracks absolutely naked, forcing them to stay in the below-freezing temperatures until someone confessed. Gregory decided to take the blame for the murder, thus saving innocent prisoners from freezing to death. The guards let loose the dogs on the martyr, poured gasoline over him, and lit him on fire. Then they said, “Poles, go warm yourselves around him, your intercessor.” to the official German documentation, Gregory Peradze died on December 6, 1942 [November 23, old style], at 4:45 in the afternoon. (According to another account, the martyr entered the gas chamber in place of a Jewish man with a large family. This was reported by a former prisoner, who, after being liberated, visited Metropolitan Dionysius and gave him Saint Gregory’s cross.) In the end, like Christ Himself, Archimandrite Gregory died for having taken upon himself the sin of another.

Russia, Moscow, 1922-1952, Joseph Stalin, Soviet General Secreatary
Secretary, 1922-1952, Joseph Stalin, Soviet General Secreatary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1925-1936, Peter Polyansky of Krutitsy, well known, Tikhon Locum Metropolitan, Russ Church Letter, anti Living C
Krutitsy; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsy was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 23, 1997. Peter was born in the Voronezh region, and studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, graduating in 1892, where he then continued as inspector. a short stay at the seminary of Zhirovits in Belarus as inspector, he was appointed secretary of the Synodal Education Committee becoming de facto inspector of all the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church. many of his contemporaries who had graduated from a theological academy, Peter Polyansky did not seek ordination, and for a long time remained a layman. secretary of the Synodal Education Committee he traveled widely, visiting innumerable theological establishments, meeting and knowing many people. Gifted with an outstanding intellect, a firm character and a sociable nature, he was widely known and made many friends. He exercised a beneficial influence on the religious education of future priests. 1917-18, Peter Polyansky took part in the work of the local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, when Saint Tikhon (April 7) was elected Patriarch. latter made Peter Polyansky one of his closest aides, and persuaded him to become bishop; the Patriarch wished to consolidate the leadership of the Church in what was fast becoming the darkest time for the Church in many centuries. In 1920 Peter Polyansky was made a monk and auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Moscow; in a matter of months he was appointed Metropolitan of Krutitsy, one of the highest ranking bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, the day of the Annunciation (March 25). increasing troubles and uncertainty for the Church, thinking that the government would not allow a Church council to assemble and elect the next patriarch, Saint Tikhon took an administrative decision aimed at securing a smooth succession when he died. He nominated three bishops in order of priority, as locum tenens; the third was Metropolitan Peter Polyansky. the first two choices were found to be in prison and thus unable to assume the leadership of the Church, this heavy task befell Metropolitan Peter. against the Church was raging, the government gave its support to the splinter group “The Living Church” in an attempt to discredit and destroy the official Orthodox Church. great number of bishops had been imprisoned or exiled to remote parts of the country, and were unable to have a clear understanding of the prevailing situation. The whole country was in turmoil; the so-called Living Church energetically tried to replace the true Church. the absence of a patriarch, people did not know whom to believe and to whom to give their allegiance. Metropolitan Peter then issued an uncompromisingly firm “Letter to the Russian Church” where he described the position of the Church vis a vis the authorities and vis a vis the “Living Church.” made no compromises with anybody, and stood firm in the truth of Christ. This letter helped the Church to strengthen itself but caused the Metropolitan to be arrested. history of the few months in which a campaign was master-minded by the Commissar for religious affairs, Tuchkov, to compromise and weaken Saint Peter, shows how determined the government was to defeat the head of the Church, but this did not break him. December 10, 1925, Saint Peter was put under house arrest, and two days later sent to the Lubianka prison; in May 1926 he was transferred to the Suzdal fortress, then back to the Lubianka, and finally, in December, he was sent to Siberia, first to Tobolsk, then to the village of Abalak on the banks of the river Irtysh which he reached in 1927. of the other bishops had experienced a similar fate, the dioceses remaining without their shepherds. August 1927, Metropolitan Peter was taken to another destination beyond the Arctic Circle, a place called Khe on the mouth of the Ob, in the frozen tundra. For a little while he lived there peacefully, recovering from the arduous journey. However, on August 29, the day of the Beheading of the Saint John the Baptist, he suffered his first attack of angina and had to stay in bed. Two paramedics who came from a far distance by river in a boat manned by a native, advised him to be seen by a doctor and be transferred to a hospital. The Metropolitan wrote to the authorities at the GPU, but never got a reply, or money, or provisions, although he knew that several parcels had arrived in Tobolsk addressed to him. damp, cold climate of this northern region was extremely harmful to him in his condition. Eventually, towards the end of September, he was taken back to Tobolsk. Unexpectedly, he had an interview with Tuchkov who offered him freedom if he surrendered his title of locum tenens, but he remained firm and refused to compromise. He was then sent back to Khe for another three years of exile, but he was never granted his freedom. In Moscow in 1936, ten years after his first imprisonment, believers were waiting for his return, counting on the end of his ten-year term of exile. They never saw him again. He may have been moved for the last time to a monastery nearer central Russia where he was a little less constrained, but with no freedom to write or communicate with the world. He was shot by decision of the Soviet authorities after years of prison and exile. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow. 1611, Saint Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow. monastic training helped Saint Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it. “Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,” said Saint Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.” can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled Saint Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him. such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 Saint Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions. their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused Saint Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618. from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of Saint Dionysius when he was correcting the service books. Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

Russia, Moscow, 1937, New Hieromartyr Thaddeus oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), executed in 1937
Tver; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; New Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) was the Archbishop of Tver. He was executed in 1937.

Russia, Moscow, 1938, Isaac II, Optina M, Kaluga, died as a martyr, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally&2000 universally
Russia, Kaluga, 1938, Saint Isaac II (Bobrikov), Optina Monastery, Kaluga, died as a martyr, Dec 26, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally and 2000 universally; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Isaac II of Optina, Commemorated on December 26; Isaac II (Bobrikov) died as a martyr on December 26, 1938. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1945-1970, Patriarch Alexy I, after 20 years, got stalin to allow church to function again, controversy
Russia, Moscow, 1945-1970, Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow; Alexy I (November 8 [O.S. October 27] 1877 - 17 April 1970) was the 13th Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) between 1945 and 1970. in Moscow to a noble family, his father was a Chamberlain of the Russian Imperial Court. In 1899 he graduated from Moscow Imperial University with a law degree; was conscripted by the army and served in a grenadier regiment. 1902 he enrolled at Moscow Theological Academy and by 1906 he had been elevated to the dignity of archimandrite and was appointed rector of the seminary at Tula. the Bolshevik Revolution he was arrested several times and in 1922 exiled to Kazakhstan. In 1926 he returned to Saint Petersburg (which had been renamed Leningrad) and was appointed Archbishop of Khutyn, that is, the vicar of the Diocese of Novgorod. July 29, 1927, Metropolitan Sergei Stragorodsky, acting as de facto head of the Russian Orthodox Church, signed a statement of unconditional loyalty to the Soviet State. The statement was co-signed by all members of the Holy Synod, and Archbishop Alexy of Khutyn.[1] ran the diocese for much of the next seven years while Metropolitan Arsenius Stadnitsky was in prison or exile. In 1933 Alexius served briefly as Archbishop of Novgorod (for several months) and then metropolitan of Leningrad. the early hours of September 5, 1943, Metropolitan Alexius together with Metropolitan Sergius and Metropolitan Nicholas (Yarushevich) met with Joseph Stalin in the Kremlin where a historic decision was made regarding the fate of the Church in the state ruled by the militantly atheist Communist party. In the midst of World War II Stalin decided to allow the Russian Orthodox Church to legally function again after two decades of severe persecution. Restrictions on the Patriarchate of Moscow were relaxed somewhat and many churches throughout the Soviet Union were re-opened. Stalin tried to appeal to patriotic feelings of the Russian people especially the peasantry (backbone of the Red Army), many of whom grew up in still deeply religious families. Patriarch Sergei died on May 15, 1944, Metropolitan Alexy took his place as Patriarchal locum tenens. In his first statement after assuming control of the Church, the Metropolitan assured Stalin of his "profound affection and gratitude" and vowed to "safeguard the Church against mistakes and false steps".[2] February 2, 1945, with Stalin's approval, Alexius I was elected Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia and enthroned on February 4, 1945. 1946 Alexius I presided over the controversial "re-unification" of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with ROC seen by many as a takeover forced by the Stalinist government. in 1946, Patriarch Alexius called on all Catholics in the Soviet Union to reject all allegiance to the Pope: "Liberate yourself! You must break the Vatican chains, which throw you into the abyss of error, darkness and spiritual decay. Hurry, return to your true mother, the Russian Orthodox Church!"[3] Pius XII replied: "Who does not know, that Patriarch Alexius I recently elected by the dissident bishops of Russia, openly exalts and preaches defection from the Catholic Church. In a letter lately addressed to the Ruthenian Church, a letter, which contributed not a little to the persecution?"[4] Alexius joined the World Peace Council, "a Soviet front organization,"[5] when it was founded in 1949. According to Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, both Patriarch Alexius and Metropolitan Nicholas "were highly valued by the KGB as agents of influence."[6] the death of Stalin on March 5, 1953, the Patriarch composed a personal statement of condolence to the USSR's Council of Ministers. It read, "His death is a heavy grief for our Fatherland and for all the people who inhabit it. The whole Russian Orthodox Church, which will never forget his benevolent attitude to Church needs, feels great sorrow at his death. The bright memory of him will live ineradicably in our hearts. Our Church proclaims eternal memory to him with a special feeling of abiding love."[7] 1955, Patriarch Alexius declared, "The Russian Orthodox Church supports the totally peaceful foreign policy of the Soviet Union, not because the Church lacks freedom, but because Soviet policy is just and corresponds to the Christian ideals which the Church preaches."[8] 1959 however, the Russian Orthodox Church also had to endure a new wave of persecution, mostly carried out on the orders of the new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. this, Patriarch Alexius was permitted by the KGB to enroll the Russian Orthodox Church into the Christian Peace Conference in 1958 and the World Council of Churches in 1961.[9] 1965, Fathers Gleb Yakunin and Nikolai Eshilman wrote an open letter to Patriarch Alexius. According to Evgeny Barabanov, "They showed convincingly how a significant part of the governing episcopate, with voluntary silence or cunning connivance, had assisted the Atheists to close churches, monasteries, and religious schools, to liquidate religious communities, to establish the illegal practice of registering christenings, and had yielded to them control over the assignment and transfer of priests."[10] letter was published as samizdat ("self-published", i.e., underground press). In May 1966, Patriarch Alexius ordered both priests suspended from the ministry. Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn sharply criticized the treatment of Fathers Gleb and Nikolai in his own open letter to Patriarch Alexius. Alexius died of a myocardial infarction at the age of 92 in 1970 and was buried in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius at Sergiyev Posad outside of Moscow. praise Alexius I for working hard to ensure the survival of the Christianity in Russia, advocating peace and inter-church unity, while opponents often accused him of complicity with the Soviet authorities. leading critic of Patriarch Alexei's leadership is Father Gleb Yakunin who claims in his books and articles that the postwar hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church was controlled by KGB informants. Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1953-1964, Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev
Moscow Secretary, 1953-1964, Nikita Khrushchev; St John, Commemorated on January 23; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1989, Arrival of Iveron Icon to Tbilisi, Georgia, for gratitude, copy of Protectress Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi
Georgia, 1989, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), for gratitude, copy of protectoris Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi Georgia 1989; Tbilisi; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. the reign of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron Monastery, Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). comes from the Akathist to the Mother of God: “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, March 31, October 13 (Its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (Commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel). September 26, 1989, a copy of this famous icon arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia from the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. This copy had been painted by the monks on Mt. Athos as a symbol of love and gratitude to the Georgian people.

Russia, Moscow, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, death 1703, first finding 1832, 2nd f 1989
Russia, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8), death 1703, first finding 1832, second finding 1989; Voronezh; Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh; or Mitrofan of Voronezh (1623 - 1703) was appointed in 1682 the first bishop of Voronezh. He is reputed to have possessed miracle-working powers.[1] (as he was then known) was born in the village of Antilokhovo, Savinsky District and took monastic vows after his wife's death in 1663. He managed the Kosmin Monastery near Yuryev-Polsky and the Unzha Monastery in Makaryev before being promoted to a bishop's see in 1682. He supported Peter the Great in his efforts to build the first Russian warships in Voronezh but was generally critical of his Westernization policies. was buried in the Annunciation Monastery in the Tsar's presence in 1703. When 14 years later his tomb was opened, Mitrofan's body was found to be "whole" and his relics were proclaimed to have healing powers. After he was formally canonized in 1832 and Nicholas I paid a visit to his shrine,[2] his fame increased and large numbers of pilgrims from Central Russia started flocking to his tomb in Voronezh.[3] The first Moscow church in his name was consecrated in 1895. Bolsheviks had Mitrofan's relics confiscated. It was in 1989 that the relics were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. There is an ornate statue of Saint Mitrofan in front of the Annunciation Cathedral where his relics have been kept since then. Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on September 4; Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh took place in 1989. March 22, 1998 Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow gave his blessing for the celebration of this Feast. First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Russia, Moscow, 1990, Glorification oSt John oKronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 14; John of Kronstadt was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990. He is also commemorated on December 20.

Russia, Moscow, 1992, Finding Tikhon's Relics, found after considered lost, found after fire, OCA reps present at uncovering
Russia, Moscow, 1992, Finding Tikhon's Relics, found accidentally after considered lost, found after Dormition Cathedral fire, OCA reps present at uncovering; Moscow; Finding of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Commemorated on February 22; widely reported, 2017 marked the 100th Anniversary of the Election and Enthronement of Saint Tikhon as Patriarch of Moscow during the All-Russian Church Council. Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and a delegation representing the Orthodox Church in America departed for Moscow on Thursday, November 30, 2017 to participate in the celebration of this ever-memorable occasion that directly relates to the life of the Church in Russia and America, inasmuch as Saint Tikhon served as Bishop and later Archbishop of North America from 1898 until 1907, when he returned to his homeland. also marked the 25th Anniversary of the discovery and recovery of the relics of Saint Tikhon, which were secured after his death in Moscow's Donskoy Monastery. Patriarch Tikhon fell asleep in the Lord on April 7, 1925. He had suffered greatly during the years of turmoil and persecution that followed the Russian Revolution. He was laid to rest in the monastery's small "winter" cathedral. Subsequently the monastery was closed and repurposed, and the relics of Saint Tikhon were moved for safe keeping. Donskoy Monastery subsequently was returned to the Church and has been restored. was on Saturday, February 22, 1992, that Saint Tikhon's relics were discovered, hidden deep beneath the floor of the small cathedral. weeks before this joyous event, Protopresbyter Daniel Hubiak, together with Matushka Dunia, had arrived in Moscow as the Orthodox Church in America's first Representative to the Russian Orthodox Church. did they realize at the time that they would be witnesses to the recovery of Saint Tikhon's relics on that cold February afternoon. Father Daniel and Matushka Dunia wrote first-hand accounts of the discovery of Saint Tikhon's relics, now enshrined in the Donskoy Monastery's main cathedral. conjunction with the Anniversary of Saint Tikhon's Enthronement in 1917, we offer the Hubiaks' accounts of the discovery of Saint Tikhon's relics. of Matushka Dunia Hubiak is Saturday, February 22, 1992, in Moscow. Father Dan and I are living at the Danilovsky Hotel. We arrived in Moscow a month ago for Father Dan to begin his new assignment as Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Russian Orthodox Church (The Moscow Patriarchate). no church was yet designated as our Representation Church, Father Dan would call Father Matfey Stadniuk on Saturday mornings to be told where he was to be for the Vigil and Divine Liturgy that weekend (usually at the Patriarchal Cathedral). Saturday morning (February 22) Father Matfey could not be reached. Finally, around noon he answered the phone and told Father Dan to be at the Donskoy Monastery for a special service at 2:00 p.m. receptionists at the hotel (who were always very helpful) ordered a car and driver for us, and off we were to the Donskoy Monastery. Upon our arrival at the main gate of the monastery, a mass of people, including clergy of all ranks, was gathering. A sense of excitement permeated the scene. could all of this mean? arrived at the winter church and saw more people, clergy and TV cameras! Father Dan was separated from me to join the clergy – I was left behind. At that time, a month after arriving in Moscow, my linguistic ability was almost nonexistent, so I was unable to ask anyone anything. So I stood there, trying to not get squeezed trying to see. We were standing around what looked like a crypt in the vestibule. Aleksy entered and began the service. More and more people crowded into the space, and again I was pushed to the side, unable to see. However, I could still hear, and to my astonishment I discovered that we were standing at the tomb of the recently canonized Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia – in many ways OUR Patriarch whom we commemorate as “the Enlightener of North America.” Molieben service began and the coffin was opened. I made my way to a side of the area and found a chair on which I stood. When the reality dawned on me as to what was taking place, I was very much moved and could hardly see because of my tears. most of the crowd had pushed and shoved its way to the side, I was able to look down and found the Mantia still intact with the eagles on the shoulders and at the hem. Dan was given a piece of wood from the casket. think! If Father Dan had not reached Father Matfey, who was in his office all of two minutes, we would have missed this once in a lifetime experience! of Father Daniel Hubiak the end of the meeting of the Permanent Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy was informed that the grave of Saint Tikhon had been found in the smaller Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don in the Donskoy Monastery. The Patriarch immediately went to the site and arranged for the opening of the casket at a special service at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 1992. top of the simple wooden casket was removed, revealing the mantia which covered the body of the saint. Two gold brocaded emblems on the mantia were shining as new. His Holiness said that the green patriarchal mantia was special in that it was one of only three made with that material and special style. The stones in the cross of the Saint’s miter glistened as camera lights flashed. Molieben was sung. Patriarch Aleksy spoke of the significance of this discovery and stated that a crypt will be made for the Saint’s relics. discovery of the Saint’s grave was miraculous. Three different rumors pointed to the improbability of ever finding the remains of the Saint. One version had it that the remains of the Saint had been cremated, another that he was buried in an unmarked grave in one cemetery, another that his remains were in another, unidentified cemetery. The Church had no plans of trying to find the grave. fire at the smaller Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don made it necessary to undertake an extensive renovation of the church. In the process of this renovation, a grave marker was found, but there was no body under the stone. It was thought that perhaps the burial place was to one side or another of the stone. A search of the area proved fruitless. But under the stone was a large heating pipe that appeared to be intact. An archeological expert examined the site and noticed that in fact the pipe, not detectable to the untrained eye, had indeed been disturbed. The pipe was removed and beneath it, covered by earth, was a grave vault. The vault was opened and the casket of Saint Tikhon was discovered there. On the casket was a plaque identifying it as the casket of the Saint. Those who buried the Saint took special pains to keep his body and his burial place secure and safe. finding of the Saint’s grave was a miracle. The presence of the Representative of the OCA at the opening of the grave was another sign of God’s providence. By chance I had called Father Matrfey Stadniuk to discuss the schedule of services for the weekend. He was in his office for only for a few minutes – and that was when I called. He told me to be at the Donskoy Monastery for a Molieben. It appears that the person who was to have informed me simply forgot to do so. Act of the Opening of the Grave was signed by the Patriarch, the hierarchs, clergy and lay persons present. My name and my wife’s name appear on the document. I obtained a piece of wood from the top of the Saint’s casket. Holy Father Patriarch Tikhon, pray unto God for us!

Russia, Moscow, 1996, Finding Maximus Relics at Trinity, found incorrupt &fragrant on preserved wood per old plans
Russia, Radonezh, 1996, Finding Maximus tGreek's Relics at Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh), in 1988 Milenial Celebration of 988 Baptism otRus council celebrated M but could not find his relics, he was holy man, wonderworker, ascetic, but falsely accused by his enemies, prison many years, but remained firm confession w humility, leaned man, author defending apostles traditions, glorified by this council in 1988, after repose 1556 miracles at his tomb, later icons of him, local saint veneration, but council not find relics, buried by northwestern wall Holy Spirit church, but no indication of tomb there, archaeological excevation 1996, after Moleben, foundations for 1745 church unearthed, work concetrated there, sweet fragrance southern part several days, head discovered, burial on 15 cm high wooden slab completely preserved, body where 1745 plan indicated, Archeologists agreed remains w M, special shrine prepared there; Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Finding of the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek (July 4, 1996), Commemorated on July 4 ; 1988, during the Millennial Celebration of the Baptism of Russia, the Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church met at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and glorified several saints. these was Venerable Maximus the Greek (January 21), whom the Council described as "a holy man, a wonderworker, a venerable ascetic, and a master of the monastic life." because of the baseless slander of his enemies, he was thrown into prison for many years. Even so, he remained firm in his confession of the Orthodox Faith, and in his humility. was a learned man, and the author of many edifying works, defending Orthodox dogmas, and the traditions of the Holy Fathers. glorification by the Council marked the end of centuries of unsuccessful attempts to exonerate him, and to prove that the accusations made against him during his lifetime were false. the Saint's final years, he lived at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, where he was treated with respect and honor. his repose in 1556, several miracles occurred at his tomb, for those who sought his intercession. Troparion and Kontakion were composed, as well as a Church Service. Later, iconographic representations of Saint Maximus began to appear. the end of the sixteenth century, Saint Maximus the Greek was being venerated as a local saint. remained just one important question for the Jubilee Council of 1988: the whereabouts of the holy relics of Saint Maximus. Acts of the Council state: "His honorable relics are buried by the northwestern wall of the Church of the Holy Spirit at Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra." from the moment the Council decided upon his canonization, until the start of the excavation of his grave site eight years later, there were no indications of any tomb on the surface of the ground. by the end of the sixteenth century the first chapel had been built over the grave, which was frequently rebuilt and enlarged. It survived, in its altered form, until the 1930s. there was no discernible burial site for Saint Maximus the Greek, or for several other newly-glorified saints, the Jubilee Council of 1988 restricted itself to the adoption of the following formula: "Their honorable remains, wherever they may be, are to be considered holy relics." only the approximate location of Saint Maximus' grave was known, it was necessary to conduct archaeological excavations. Alexei II, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave his blessing for this. the excavations began, on June 24,1996, a Moleben (Service of Prayer) to Saint Maximus was served in the Church of the Holy Spirit at the Lavra. Service was performed by Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), the Spiritual Father of the Lavra, and the monks of the Lavra. Students of the Moscow Ecclesiastical schools, and the archaeologists also participated. the excavations began. Since part of the area had been paved with a sidewalk, the pavement had to be removed first. Then the site was prepared. To avoid any mistakes, a large area was excavated; about ten meters on the east-west axis, and six meters on the north-south axis. the excavation, the foundations of several structures were uncovered, most of them from the nineteenth century: a chapel and a representation church, built in 1867, along with a church dedicated to St. Philaretos the Merciful (December 1) on the south side of the church of the Holy Spirit. discovery was made by the northwest corner of the church of the Holy Spirit. Here the foundations of the first, or one of the first chapels erected over Maximus' grave, was uncovered. site of these foundations, in relation to the church of the Holy Spirit, its dimensions and the corresponding area they enclosed, corresponded exactly to the chapel over the grave as indicated in the plan of 1745. soon as these foundations were unearthed, work was concentrated in that area. noon on June 30, a sweet fragrance was noticed, coming from the southern part of the excavation, and it lasted for several days. some time, the head of Saint Maximus became visible. continued that night until almost 2:00 A.M. was determined that the burial was on a wooden slab, which was completely preserved (about 15 cm. high), and that the holy remains were on the spot where, according to the plan of 1745, the grave was located. for the holy remains within the foundations of the chapel, there were no other bodies. this, it became clear that the sacred remains which had been discovered belonged to Saint Maximus the Greek. July 1, a detailed report about the results of the work that had been conducted, and concerning the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek, was made to the Patriarch. was noted that the historical and archaeological evidence, as well as the distinct fragrance, bore witness to the fact that the remains were those of Saint Maximus. Partiarch gave his blessing for an anthropological examination of the preserved remains. was done on July 2, by the chief anthropologists of the Russian Academy of Science. A written affidavit states that (1) the remains were those of one person; (2) this person was male; (3) he died around the age of 80. A comparison of the head with old depictions of Saint Maximus made by the anthropologists showed similarities. expert opinion of the anthropologists confirmed the previous conclusion that the remains were those of Saint Maximus the Greek. that same day, the findings of the anthropologists were presented to Patriarch Alexei. He gave his blessing to remove the honorable relics on the following day, July 3, 1996. this, the work continued literally uninterrupted until the Patriarch arrived. There was only a short break from five to eight A.M. was decided that not the slightest part of the sacred relics would remain in the earth, and that they would be removed as a single piece; that is, along with the slab and a layer of soil. this it was necessary to dig out the soil under the slab, but the gray clay broke up very poorly, and for a long time this prevented the relics from being removed as a single item. by two in the afternoon, the relics of Saint Maximus were transferred to a temporary casket, prepared for removal, and they were covered with a monastic Schema. The casket remained on the site where the grave was found. the sound of the bells announced the arrival of the Archimandrite of Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and of Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia. usual, the Patriarch began his visit at the Lavra by venerating the holy relics of Saint Sergius in Holy Trinity church. leaving Holy Trinity church, he went to the church of the Holy Spirit to be vested. There the Archimandrite spoke with the superior and other residents of the Lavra, and learned about the progress of the excavations. 4:00 P. M. the Patriarch, with Bishop Alexis of Orekhovo-Zueva, Father Theognostos, the Superior of the Lavra, and other priests, among whom was Hieromonk Theoktistos, the Dean of the representation church of the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, proceeded to the cathedral square. Moleben to Saint Maximus the Greek was begun. After the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Patriarch and the priests approached the excavation, and the Service continued over the sacred relics of Saint Maximus. the end of the Moleben, which was read by the Patriarch, the Lavra choir under the direction of Archimandrite Matthew Mormyl, and the numerous pilgrims who attended the ceremony, began to sing the Magnification: "We magnify you, our Father Saint Maximus." the Magnification, all the diggers lifted the casket containing the relics and placed it at the edge of the excavation, where the brethren of the Lavra and the residents of the Moscow representation church of Saint Panteleimon of Mount Athos took it. the singing continued, the casket was borne into the church of the Holy Spirit, where it was placed in a spot prepared in the center of the church. year 1996 marked the 440th anniversary of the death of Saint Maximus the Greek. Maximus came to the Lavra of Saint Sergius as a humble monk. His glorification, and the discovery of his relics were a fitting recompense for the many sufferings he endured during his earthly life. discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek was a joyous event for both the Russian Orthodox Church and for all of Orthodoxy. Saint Maximus is honored by both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Church of Greece. recently, the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek were kept in the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra. April 9, 2013, with the blessing of Patriarch Kyrill, their return to the church of the Holy Spirit occurred. special shrine had been prepared for them, and so the Saint's relics were placed in the northern corner of the church. Maximus the Greek is also commemorated on January 21.

Russia, Moscow, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga, after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey
Russia, Kaluga, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga (Protva River 1), after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11; New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) fell asleep in the Lord on December 15, 1929 after spending six years in labor camps. Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) of Leningrad obtained permission from the authorities to take Saint Hilarion's body from the prison hospital for burial, he vested him in white vestments and a mitre, and then brought him to the church at Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. the Saint's relatives saw his body, they barely recognized him. His years in the labor camps had changed his appearance from that of a man of forty-four into a grey-haired old man. Seraphim presided at the funeral service and burial, assisted by Archbishop Alexei (Simansky), the future Patriarch of Moscow, and five other hierarchs. Saint Hilarion was buried in the cemetery of Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. relics of Saint Hilarion were found on July 11, 1998. May 10, 1999, Saint Hilarion, the Archbishop of Verey, was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. On the eve of his canonization, the Holy Hieromartyr’s relics were uncovered and transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow and were placed in the church of the Sretensky Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Moscow, 1999, Recovery Relics oPeter oSanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery, Mordovia, 1659
Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery; The Recovery of the Relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on April 21; Relics of Hieromonk Theodore (Ushakov) the restorer of the Monastery, were recovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28/July 11, 1999. at the celebrations and the rite of canonization, which was performed by the ruling Bishop, His Grace Bishop Barsanuphios of Saransk and Mordovia, the Archimandrite of the Monastery, and ruling bishops from the neighboring dioceses: His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim of Penza and Kuznetsk, and His Eminence Archbishop Proklos of Simbirsk and Melekes. Theodore is commemorated on February 19, (the day of his blessed repose), on April 21/May 21 (the recovery of his holy relics), and on May 23/June 5 (the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl). relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar now rest in the cathedral church of Saint John the Baptist.

Russia, Moscow, 2000-2099, 21st Century Folder, Orthodox Russia

Russia, Moscow, 2012, Uncovering of Nikodemos' incorrupt Relics, Bishop oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28. Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos.

Russia, Moscow, 9999, Time not known

Russia, Tver, 9999, The Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Seliger comes from the island of Seliger in the Tver Province
Russia, Tver, 9999, The Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Seliger comes from the island of Seliger in the Tver Province of Russia. Seliger, Lake Seliger, Tver (near Volga River Source) ; Lake Seliger;

Russia, Moscow, Moscova River Area Folder

Moscova River

Moscova River Source (Valdai Hills)

Moscova River 1 (Mozhiask)

Moscova River 2 (Zvenigorod)

Moscova River 3

Moscova River 4 (Moscow)

Moscow, Russia (Moscova River 4) 1147
Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeasts of the SaviorÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the PassionÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe JoyfulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated October 5 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas; Icon of the Mother of God "In Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity", Commemorated October 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated December 5 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow", Commemorated October 24 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage my sorrow", Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœEnthronedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 2; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Blessed HeavenÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Surety of sinnersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Unfading BloomÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on April 3; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the PassionÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on April 30; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Unexpected JoyÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Surety of sinnersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on May 29; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow, 1623 (Moscow River 4.8)
Nikolaev Peshkov monastery of Moscow ; In Giving Birth, You Preserved Your Virginity Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17;

Moscova River 5 (Moscow)

Ugreshsky Monastery of Saint Nicholas, 1521 (Moscow River 5.1)
Ugreshsky Monastery; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Pekhorka (Pekhora River Mouth, Moscow River 5.4, SE of Moscow)
Pekhorka (Pekhora River Mouth, Moscow River 5.4) ; Saint Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 16;

Moscova River 6

Moscova River 7

Moscova River Mouth (Kolomna, Oka River 7)

Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomna; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Kolomensk Royal Estate, Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomensk Royal Estate, Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7); Kolomna; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Golutvinsky Monastery, near Kolomna (Moscova River Mouth)
Golutvinsky Monastery is in or near Kolomna. Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Moscow, Yauza River Area Folder

Yauza River

Yauza River Source

Yauza River 1

Yauza River 2 (Starava Basmanna and Andronikov Monastery)

Staraya Basmanna, Moscow (Yauza River 2)
Staraya Basmanna; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3;

Elokhov church, Yelokhovo Cathedra (Yauza Riverl, Moscow) Basil. Fool for Christ, barefoot cobbler, 1557
Elokhov church, Yelokhovo Cathedral, Moscow, Basil. Fool for Christ; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler. Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.” the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true. he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong. certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.” to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church. mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing. saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away. the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.” by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills. Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588. an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow]. saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy.

Russia, Moscow, 1557, Basil of Moscow, Fool for Christ, barefoot cobbler
Elokhov church, Yelokhovo Cathedral, Moscow, Basil. Fool for Christ; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler. Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.” the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true. he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong. certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.” to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church. mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing. saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away. the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.” by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills. Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588. an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow]. saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy.

Temple of St. Nicetas the Martyr on Shvivaya Hill beyond Yauza, Novoniketa Icon list of miracles
Temple of St. Nicetas the Martyr on Shvivaya Hill beyond Yauza; Icon of the Mother of God of Novoniketa, Commemorated on September 15; is one of the most ancient icons of the Mother of God. It appeared to the holy martyr Nikḗtas (+ September 15, 372). Saint Nikḗtas, a former soldier, was a disciple of Bishop Theophilos of the Goths. Even before he was baptized, he saw a Child in a dream, holding a Cross in His hand. When he awakened, he thought about this for a long time, but was unable to understand what this vision signified. A Christian girl named Juliana, who had a special revelation from God, told him to look down at his chest. his unspeakable surprise, Nikḗtas found an Icon of the Mother of God on his chest. She held her divine Child on her lap, and He was holding a Cross in His hand. "This is the same Icon I saw in my dream," the startled Nikḗtas cried. The appearance of the Icon made such an impression on him that he was baptized right away. afterward, the persecution of Christians began, and Saint Nikḗtas received the crown of martyrdom along with many other confessors. When he was being led to the place of execution, he had on his chest, under his clothes, the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. was established that the Novonikḗta Icon of the Mother of God should be commemorated on the day of Saint Nikḗtas's martyrdom. list of miracles from this Icon is in Moscow, in the court cathedral, which is dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior, at the Gate of Saint Nikḗtas.

Lefortovo Palace (Catherine Palace) 1773
Lefortovo Palace (Catherine Palace); Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Yauza (Andronikov) Monastery, Moscow (Yauza River 2) 1357
Andronikov Monastery; Khitrovo Gospels; ANDREI RUBLEV MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Andronikov Monastery, Moscow (Yauza River 2) 1357
Andronikov Monastery; Khitrovo Gospels; ANDREI RUBLEV MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Saint Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 16 St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, Moscow (Yauza River 2) 1357
Andronikov Monastery; Khitrovo Gospels; ANDREI RUBLEV MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Unexpected JoyÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Yauza River Mouth (Moscova River 5)

Krutitsy ( near Yauza River Mouth, Moscova River 5) with highest ranking Rus bishops
Krutitsy; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsy was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 23, 1997. Peter was born in the Voronezh region, and studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, graduating in 1892, where he then continued as inspector. a short stay at the seminary of Zhirovits in Belarus as inspector, he was appointed secretary of the Synodal Education Committee becoming de facto inspector of all the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church. many of his contemporaries who had graduated from a theological academy, Peter Polyansky did not seek ordination, and for a long time remained a layman. secretary of the Synodal Education Committee he traveled widely, visiting innumerable theological establishments, meeting and knowing many people. Gifted with an outstanding intellect, a firm character and a sociable nature, he was widely known and made many friends. He exercised a beneficial influence on the religious education of future priests. 1917-18, Peter Polyansky took part in the work of the local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, when Saint Tikhon (April 7) was elected Patriarch. latter made Peter Polyansky one of his closest aides, and persuaded him to become bishop; the Patriarch wished to consolidate the leadership of the Church in what was fast becoming the darkest time for the Church in many centuries. In 1920 Peter Polyansky was made a monk and auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Moscow; in a matter of months he was appointed Metropolitan of Krutitsy, one of the highest ranking bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, the day of the Annunciation (March 25). increasing troubles and uncertainty for the Church, thinking that the government would not allow a Church council to assemble and elect the next patriarch, Saint Tikhon took an administrative decision aimed at securing a smooth succession when he died. He nominated three bishops in order of priority, as locum tenens; the third was Metropolitan Peter Polyansky. the first two choices were found to be in prison and thus unable to assume the leadership of the Church, this heavy task befell Metropolitan Peter. against the Church was raging, the government gave its support to the splinter group “The Living Church” in an attempt to discredit and destroy the official Orthodox Church. great number of bishops had been imprisoned or exiled to remote parts of the country, and were unable to have a clear understanding of the prevailing situation. The whole country was in turmoil; the so-called Living Church energetically tried to replace the true Church. the absence of a patriarch, people did not know whom to believe and to whom to give their allegiance. Metropolitan Peter then issued an uncompromisingly firm “Letter to the Russian Church” where he described the position of the Church vis a vis the authorities and vis a vis the “Living Church.” made no compromises with anybody, and stood firm in the truth of Christ. This letter helped the Church to strengthen itself but caused the Metropolitan to be arrested. history of the few months in which a campaign was master-minded by the Commissar for religious affairs, Tuchkov, to compromise and weaken Saint Peter, shows how determined the government was to defeat the head of the Church, but this did not break him. December 10, 1925, Saint Peter was put under house arrest, and two days later sent to the Lubianka prison; in May 1926 he was transferred to the Suzdal fortress, then back to the Lubianka, and finally, in December, he was sent to Siberia, first to Tobolsk, then to the village of Abalak on the banks of the river Irtysh which he reached in 1927. of the other bishops had experienced a similar fate, the dioceses remaining without their shepherds. August 1927, Metropolitan Peter was taken to another destination beyond the Arctic Circle, a place called Khe on the mouth of the Ob, in the frozen tundra. For a little while he lived there peacefully, recovering from the arduous journey. However, on August 29, the day of the Beheading of the Saint John the Baptist, he suffered his first attack of angina and had to stay in bed. Two paramedics who came from a far distance by river in a boat manned by a native, advised him to be seen by a doctor and be transferred to a hospital. The Metropolitan wrote to the authorities at the GPU, but never got a reply, or money, or provisions, although he knew that several parcels had arrived in Tobolsk addressed to him. damp, cold climate of this northern region was extremely harmful to him in his condition. Eventually, towards the end of September, he was taken back to Tobolsk. Unexpectedly, he had an interview with Tuchkov who offered him freedom if he surrendered his title of locum tenens, but he remained firm and refused to compromise. He was then sent back to Khe for another three years of exile, but he was never granted his freedom. In Moscow in 1936, ten years after his first imprisonment, believers were waiting for his return, counting on the end of his ten-year term of exile. They never saw him again. He may have been moved for the last time to a monastery nearer central Russia where he was a little less constrained, but with no freedom to write or communicate with the world. He was shot by decision of the Soviet authorities after years of prison and exile. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow. 1611, Saint Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow. monastic training helped Saint Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it. “Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,” said Saint Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.” can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled Saint Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him. such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 Saint Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions. their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused Saint Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618. from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of Saint Dionysius when he was correcting the service books. Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

Novospassky Monastery, Yauza River Area, Moscow, early 1300's
Novospassky Monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Simonov Monestary (Yauza River Area, Moscova River 5) 1370
Simonov Monestary; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated November 28 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, Kremlin Area Folder

Moscow Kremlin, 1331
Moscow Kremlin; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30, Today, on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there hangs an image of Holy Queen Dinar mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy ; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Kremlin, Moscow Kremlin, 1331, White Stoned Walls, these walls and the Myhrrgusher saved Russia
Moscow Kremlin; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30, Today, on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there hangs an image of Holy Queen Dinar mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy ; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Christ the Savior Cathedral (Kremlin Savior Gates, Moscow, 1883)
Christ the Savior Cathedral; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Kremlin Savior Gates (Christ the Savior Cathedral, Moscow, 1883)
Christ the Savior Cathedral; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Archangel cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 1333, 1505
Archangel cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin ; Archangel Michael Icon By Andrei Rublev Arkhangelsky Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin Reproduction; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3;

Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow Kremlin, 1405 & 1489
Cathedral of the Annunciation; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Annunciation Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin, 1405 & 1489
Cathedral of the Annunciation; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Throne Hall, Grand Kremlin Palace, 1837, after western enlightenment
Throne Room, Grand Kremlin Palace; Grand Kremlin Palace, also translated Great Kremlin Palace,[1] was built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, Russia on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovitsky Hill. Designed by a team of architects under the management of Konstantin Thon, it was intended to emphasise the greatness of Russian autocracy. Konstantin Thon was also the architect of the Kremlin Armoury and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there hangs an image of Holy Queen Dinar mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy.

Demetrius' Temple, 1280, honoring Demetrius the Myhrrgusher of Thessalonica
Demetrius' Temple, 1280; Dormition Cathedral, Moscow, 1479; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations.

Dormition Cathedral, Kremlin, Moscow, 1479
Dormition Cathedral, Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Greben Icon of the Mother of God, glorified by miracles and located in a church in the city of Greben (on the River Chira, flowing into the Don), was presented by the inhabitants of the city to Great Prince Demetrius of the Don upon his return from the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. 1471, after a successful campaign against Novgorod, Great Prince Ivan III built the church of the Dormition in Moscow at Lubyanka and placed in it the Greben icon of the Mother of God, which he had taken with him on the campaign. He adorned the icon with a silver riza covered with precious stones, and ordered an Akathist to be written in honor of the icon. When the church burned in 1617, the icon miraculously was preserved. The icon, almost a reverse image of the Iveron icon (February 12, March 31, October 13), is recognized by the distinctive folds of the Virgin’s omaphorion and the position of the Christ Child’s legs. Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 1; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Stromyn Village, now Church of the Domition, Moscow, Kremlin, 1841
Moscow, 1841, Stromyn village, now Church of the Domition; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.â€ sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19).

Chudov (Archangel Michael, Passions) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1365
Chudov Monastery ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church, Moscow, 1389
Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated February 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2;

Ascension Convent, Moscow, 1389
Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated February 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2;

Ascension women's monastery at Moscow Kremlin, founded 1387
Ascension monastery; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated July 7 ;

Antiochian Representation Church in Moscow, 1848
Antiochian Representation Church in Moscow, 1848 Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Church of St Basil the Great, Moscow Kremlin, 1561, fool for christ, barefoot cobbler
Saint Basil's Cathedral; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler. Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.” the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true. he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong. certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.” to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church. mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing. saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away. the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.” by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills. Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588. an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow]. saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ;

St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin, 1561, fool for christ, barefoot cobbler
Saint Basil's Cathedral; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Basil the Blessed, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born in December 1468 on the portico of the Elokhov church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos outside Moscow. His parents were commoners and sent their son to be trained as a cobbler. Basil’s apprenticeship, the master happened to witness a remarkable occurrence, which showed him that his student was no ordinary man. A certain merchant had brought grain to Moscow on a barge and then went to order boots, specifying that they be made in a particular way, since he would not pick them up for a year. Blessed Basil wept and said, “I wish you would cancel the order, since you will never wear them.” the perplexed master questioned his apprentice he explained that the man would not wear the boots, for he would soon die. After several days the prediction came true. he was sixteen, the saint arrived in Moscow and began the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ. In the burning summer heat and in the winter’s harsh frost, he walked about barefoot through the streets of Moscow. His actions were strange: here he would upset a stand with kalachi, and there he would spill a jug with kvas. Angry merchants throttled the blessed one, but he endured the beatings with joy and he thanked God for them. Then it was discovered that the kalachi were poorly cooked, and the kvas was badly prepared. The reputation of Saint Basil quickly grew, and people saw him as a holy fool, a man of God, and a denouncer of wrong. certain merchant wanted to build a stone church on Pokrovna in Moscow, but its arches collapsed three times. The merchant turned to the saint for advice, and he pointed him toward Kiev. “Find there John the Cripple,” he said. “He will advise you how to construct the church.” to Kiev, the merchant sought out John, who sat in a poor hut and rocked an empty cradle. “Whom do you rock?” asked the merchant. “I weep for my beloved mother, who was made poor by my birth and upbringing.” Only then did the merchant remember his own mother, whom he had thrown out of the house. Then it became clear to him why he was not able to build the church. Returning to Moscow, he brought his mother home, begged her forgiveness, and built the church. mercy, the blessed one helped those who were ashamed to ask for alms, but who were more in need of help than others. Once, he gave away a rich imperial present to a foreign merchant who was left without anything at all. Although the man had eaten nothing for three days, he was not able to beg for food, since he wore fine clothing. saint harshly condemned those who gave alms for selfish reasons, not out of compassion for the poor and destitute, but hoping for an easy way to attract God’s blessings upon their affairs. Once, the saint saw a devil in the guise of a beggar. He sat at the gates of the All-Pure Virgin’s church, and he gave speedy help in their affairs to everyone who gave alms. The saint exposed the wicked trick and drove the devil away. the salvation of his neighbor, Saint Basil also visited the taverns, where he tried to see a grain of goodness, even in people very much gone to ruin, and to strengthen and encourage them by kindness. Many observed that when the saint passed by a house in which they made merry and drank, he wept and clutched the corners of that house. They inquired of the fool what this meant, and he answered: “Angels stand in sorrow at the house and are distressed by the sins of the people, but I entreat them with tears to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners.” by great deeds and by the prayer of his soul, the saint was also given the gift of foreseeing the future. In 1547 he predicted the great fire of Moscow; through prayer he extinguished a fire at Novgorod; and once he reproached Tsar Ivan the Terrible, because during the divine services he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a palace on the Vorobiev hills. Basil died on August 2, 1557. Saint Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow served the saint’s funeral with many clergy. His body was buried in the cemetery of Trinity church, where in 1554, the Protection cathedral was built in memory of the conquest of Kazan. His Holiness Patriarch Job glorified Saint Basil the Blessed at a Council on August 2, 1588. an early icon, Saint Basil is portrayed as old, with white hair curling at the ears, and a short, curly white beard. He is completely naked, and holds a handkerchief in his hand. The veneration of Saint Basil the Blessed was always so strong that the Trinity temple and the attached Protection church were renamed for him [the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow]. saint’s chains are preserved at the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Moscow Cathedral, St Basil's, Moscow Kremlin, 1561
Saint Basil's Cathedral; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, St Basil's, 1561
Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Saint Basil's Cathedral; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ;

Moscow Spiritual Academy
Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas; Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Saint Basil's Cathedral; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ;

Kulishki, Church of All Saints at Kulishki, Moscow
Kulishki, Church of All Saints at Kulishki, Moscow; Venerable Νikόdēmos, Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work
Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work; Glorification of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6;

Patriarchal Theophany (Epiphany) monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1296
Theophany (Epiphany) monastery; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20;

Theophany (Epiphany) monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1296
Theophany (Epiphany) monastery; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20;

Moscow Theological Seminary, Slavic Greek Latin Academy, 1682
Moscow Theological Seminary, Slavic Greek Latin Academy; St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Danilov Hotel and Bolshoi Theater
Danilov Hotel and Bolshoi Theater; Finding of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Commemorated on February 22;

Arbat Gate (Arbatskaya Square, Moscow, Church of Saint Tikhon)
Arbat Gate (Arbatskaya Square, Moscow) ; Square or Arbat Square is one of the oldest squares of Moscow, located on the junction of Gogolevsky Boulevard, Znamenka Street and Arbat Gates Square (in 1925–1993 – part of Arbatskaya Square). square is home to the Arbatskaya metro station, on Filyovskaya Line. square is dominated by the wide avenue of New Arbat, however, prior to redevelopment of the 1960s, the square was located south from this avenue, on the line of Arbat Street and the vestibule of Arbatskaya subway station. Arbat Gates of Bely Gorod were located here; the wall of Bely Gorod was demolished in the 1750s-1770s, the tower in 1792, creating the original Arbat Gates Square. was no straight connection between Vozdvizhenka and Arbat: westbound coaches had to make a sharp turn south into Nikitsky Boulevard, past a corner block on this boulevard, then make a turn west into either Arbat, Povarskaya Street, Bolshaya Molchanovka, Malaya Molchanovka or Merzlyakovsky Lane. All these four streets fanned out west from the square. In 1807–1812, it hosted Arbatsky Theater [ru], which perished in the Fire of Moscow (1812), as well as most of the neighborhoods around it. Arbat Fountain, originally a fire reservoir (1840s), later a decorative fountain, was located in the south of the square, on the line of Maly Afanasyevsky Lane. In 1945, it was refitted with sculptures and granite slabs in stalinist style, only to be destroyed in the 1960s. Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Strastna monastery in Strastna Square (Passion Monastery) 1654
Strastna monastery in Strastna Square; Icon of the Mother of God Â, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on April 30;

Passions Monastery (Pushkinskaya Square, Moscow, 1654)
Passions Monastery (Pushkinskaya Square); Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion's, Commemorated on August 13 ; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19;

St Tryphon's Church at Naprudnoe, 38, Moskva, 129272
St Tryphon's Church at Naprudnoe, 38, Moskva, 129272; Martyr Tryphon of Lampsacus Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1;

Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649
Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street Malaya Dmitrovka street; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25;

Moscow'™s Dormition churchi on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649
Moscow'™s Dormition churchi on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649, The only church on the short street. Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street Malaya Dmitrovka street; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25;

Lubianka prison, 1897 (just outside Kremlin Area)
Lubianka prison ; "ÂœTHE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES"Â, Commemorated July 16 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ;

Sretensky Monastery (Just outside Kremlin Area)
Sretensky Monastery; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Russia, Moscow, South of Moscova River Folder

Russia, Moscow, South of Moscova River, Khamovniki Bend Area Folder

Khamovniki District, Moscow
Khamovniki District, Moscow ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking Surety of Sinners Icon was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God he Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29;

Novodevichy Convent and Monestary, Khamovniki Bend Area, Moscow, 1524
Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God the Joyful Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking Surety of Sinners Icon was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Church of St. Nicholas, Khamovniki, Moscow, 1682
Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage my sorrow", Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking Surety of Sinners Icon was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29;

Ordinka Street, Moscow (across the river)
Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Tretiakov gallery, South Moscow, Khamovniki Bend
Tretiakov gallery; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Donskoy Monastery, South Moscow, K Bend, 1591, built on place of Don Icon Chapel soldiers Story
Donskoi monastery; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9; Finding of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Commemorated on February 22; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925);

Danilov monastery, approx. 1272
Danilov monastery, became the Moscow Kremlin; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Sparrow Hills
Sparrow Hills; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392);

Donskoi monastery, under the Sparrow Hills
SERGIUS;

Vorobiev hills (Sparrow Hills)
Vorobiev hills (Sparrow Hills) ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack;

Tver gates - Triumphal Arch of Moscow, 1829, for 1812 Victory over Napoleon of France
Tver gates - Triumphal Arch of Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on April 30;

Petersburg Academy of Sciences, South Moscow
Petersburg Academy of Sciences; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov;

Podolsk, south of Moscow 25 miles
Podolsk, south of Moscow 25 miles; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ;

Podolia, south of Moscow 25 miles
Podolsk, south of Moscow 25 miles; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ;

Peremyshl, Moscovy
Peremyshl, Moscovy; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir (in Baptism Basil), Enlightener of the Russian Lands, Commemorated on July 15;

Klovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia, 143354 (South of Moscow River, Southwest of Moscow) 1080 questionable
Klovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia, 143354; Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 and October 10; 1078 Saint Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured this meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him. Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. of this, Saint Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honor of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery.

Podolsk governance (industrial area south of Moscow)
Podolsk governance; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ;

Moscow Theological Academy, 1687
Moscow Theological Academy; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26 ;

Holy Trinity Lavra, Moscow Theological Academy, 1687
Moscow Theological Academy; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26 ;

Slavic Greek Latin Academy, Moscow, 1687
Slavic Greek Latin Academy; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ;

Moscow Patriarchate
Moscow Patriarchate or the Russian Orthodox Church; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Kolomenskoye, Southeast Moscow
Kolomenskoye; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2;

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads Folder

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads, Moscow Road to Poland Folder, 1200

Moscow Road to Poland 1 (Moscow)
Moscow Road to Poland;

Moscow Road to Mozhiask, Smolensk, Belarus and Poland

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads, Moscow Road to St Petersburg Folder

Moscow to St. Petersburg Trade Route 1 (Moscow towards Tver)
Saint Petersburg Trade Route

Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast (St Petersburg Trade Route)
Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Moscow to St Petersburg Trade Route

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads Folder, Moscow Volga Canal, 1937

Moscow Volga Canal 7 (Moscova River 3)
Moscow Canal;

Moscow Volga Canal

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads, Muravsky Trail Folder, 1200

Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Muravsky Trail 1 (Perekop)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Muravsky Trail 2 (Parallel to the Sea of Azov)

Muravsky Trail 3 (east of Dnieper 6 and west of Donets 3)

Muravsky Trail 4 (west of Donets River Source)

Muravsky Trail 5 (Stary Oskol)

Muravsky Trail 6 (Livny, Elets, Oka River1)

Ryazan frontier (Oka River 1-9, along Muravsky Trail)
Ryazan frontier; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Muravsky Trail 7 (Tula)

Muravsky Trail 9 (Serpukhov, crossing at Oka River 6)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('MuravÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads, Trans Siberian Road and Railway, 1868 Railway

Trans-Siberian Railway (RWY) 1 - Yaroslav Terminal in Moscow
Trans-Siberian Railway (Yaroslav Terminal in Moscow);

Trans-Siberian Railway (RWY)

Russia, Moscow, Moscow Roads, The Merchants Road to Nizhny Novgorod, 1395

The Merchant's Road 1 - Moscow
The Merchant's Road Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod

The Merchants Road - Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod

Russia, Moscow, Great Abatis Line Folder, 1525-1736

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Bryansk
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Bryansk;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Belyov
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Belyov;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Tula
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Tula;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Zaraysk
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Zaraysk;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kolomna
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kolomna;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Ryazan
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Ryazan;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Serpukhov
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Serpukhov;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Meshchera
Meshchera (Meshchera Lowlands); Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Meshchera;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Nizhny Novgorod
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Nizhny Novgorod;

Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kozelsk
Great Abatis Line 1525-1531 - Kozelsk;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Alatyr
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Alatyr;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Oryol
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Oryol;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Novhorod-Siverskyi
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Novhorod-Siverskyi;

Great Abatis Line 1640 - Putyvl
Great Abatis Line 1640 - Putyvl;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Livny
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Livny;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kursk
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kursk;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Belgorod
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Belgorod;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Voronezh
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Voronezh;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Tambov
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Tambov;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Simbirsk
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Simbirsk;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Baskirs
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Baskirs;

Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kazan
Great Abatis Line 1736 - Kazan;

Russia, Pereyaslavl Lake Folder, Pereslavl-Zalessky

Russia, Vladimir Folder, Vladimir-Suzdal, Southern Valley, and its rivers

Vladimir-Suzdal 1094
Vladimir-Suzdal; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Passion"Â, Commemorated on August 13 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe God Loving"Â, Commemorated on June 18; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1157 - 1331, Vladimir was the capital of Rus
Before Moscow, Vladimir was the original capital of the Orthodox Rus' (region); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, Suzdal - land of the Suzdal (southern valley)
Suzdal; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Rostovo-Suzdal Principality
Rostovo-Suzdal Principality; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Suzdal Monomashichi
Suzdal Monomashichi; Rostovo-Suzdal Principality; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Vladimir History Folder

Russia, Vladimir, 980-1157, Folder, Vladimir the Great of Kiev

Russia, Vladimir, 981-1015, Great Prince, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev
Vladimir Great Prince, 980-1015, Vladimir I The Great of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9;

Russia, Vladimir, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal
Russia, Vladimir, 991-1023, Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; great wonderworker Saint Theodore, who was a Greek by birth, was the first Bishop of Rostov. was consecrated as a bishop in the year 991 or 992. that time, most of the Rostov territory was still pagan, and Saint Theodore worked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel to the people of that area. inhabitants subjected the hierarch to many insults, and they even drove him away on one occasion. Saint Theodore moved to Suzdal, where he brought many souls to Christ. fell asleep in the Lord at Suzdal in 1023, resting from his fruitful apostolic labors. His holy relics are in Suzdal's Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Cathedral. of his holy relics are also kept in two other churches at Suzdal: that of the Kazan Icon, and that of Saints Constantine and Helen. Theodore is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23), and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23). saint should not be confused with Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28), who reposed in 1395, and was the nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25).

Russia, Vladimir, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker
Russia, Kiev, 1101-12th C, Marcarius tFaster oKiev Near Caves, a deacon, wonderworker; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Faster of the Near Caves of Kiev was a deacon. is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius of the Near Caves (twelfth century) is also commemorated on September 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1019-1054, Yaroslav the Wise, Novgorod, Kiev and Vladimir, Kiev Rus King
Kiev Rus King, 1019-1054, Yaroslav the Wise ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Vladimir, 1094-1125, Prince, Vladimir II Monomakh, Novgorod, Kiev, and Vladimir; Monomashichi
Novgorod Prince, 1113-1125, Vladimir Monomakh; II Monomakh (26 May 1053 - 19 May 1125) reigned as Grand Prince of Kievan Rus' from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.[1] 1 Family 2 Reign 3 Marriages and children 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 Further reading 8 External links was the son of Vsevolod I (married in 1046) by a relative of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, from whom Vladimir obtained his sobriquet.[2] Contemporary Byzantine naming practice allowed the adoption of a maternal surname if the mother's family was perceived to be of a more exalted origin than that of the father.[3] Testament of Vladimir Monomakh to Children, 1125. Lithography of 1836. his famous Instruction (also known as The Testament) to his own children, Monomakh mentions that he conducted 83 military campaigns and 19 times made peace with the Polovtsi. At first he waged war against the steppe jointly with his cousin Oleg, but after Vladimir was sent by his father to rule Chernigov and Oleg made peace with the Polovtsi to retake that city from him, they parted company. Since that time, Vladimir and Oleg were bitter enemies who would often engage in internecine wars. The enmity continued among their children and more distant posterity. 1094, his chief patrimony was the southern town of Pereyaslav, although he also controlled Rostov, Suzdal, and other northern provinces (see Principality of Pereyaslavl). In these lands he founded several towns, notably his namesake, Vladimir, the future capital of Russia. In order to unite the princes of Rus in their struggle against the Great Steppe, Vladimir initiated three princely congresses, the most important being held at Lyubech in 1097 and Dolobsk in 1103. 1107 he defeated Boniak, a Cuman khan who led an invasion on Kievan Rus'. When Sviatopolk II died in 1113, the Kievan populace revolted and summoned Vladimir to the capital. The same year he entered Kiev to the great delight of the crowd and reigned there until his death in 1125. may be seen from his Instruction, he promulgated a number of reforms in order to allay the social tensions in the capital. These years saw the last flowering of Ancient Rus, which was torn apart 10 years after his death. Monomakh is buried in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. Succeeding generations often referred to his reign as the golden age of that city. Numerous legends are connected with Monomakh's name, including the transfer from Constantinople to Rus of such precious relics as the Theotokos of Vladimir and the Vladimir/Muscovite crown called Monomakh's Cap. and children[edit] married three times. Some sources cite his first wife as Gytha of Wessex, daughter of Harold of England who had fallen at Hastings in 1066 and of Edith Swannesha. Problems exist in that none of the sources citing this are contemporary, and none of the Russian sources cite the name of his first wife as the daughter of Harold Godwinson. They had at least five children: Mstislav I of Kiev (1 June 1076 – 14 April 1132) Izyaslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Kursk (c. 1077 – 6 September 1096) Svyatoslav Vladimirovich, Prince of Smolensk and Pereyaslav (c. 1080 – 16 March 1114) Yaropolk II of Kiev (1082 – 18 February 1139) Viacheslav I of Kiev (1083 – 2 February 1154) following daughter has been attributed to either the first or the second wife: Marina Vladimirovna (d. 1146). Married Leon Diogenes, a pretender to the throne of the Byzantine Empire who claimed to be a son of Romanos IV and who rose to the rank of khan of the Cumans in Ossetia. rests after hunting (painting by Viktor Vasnetsov, c. 1900). second wife, Eufimia, is considered to have been a Byzantine noblewoman.[2] The Primary Chronicle and the "Testament of Vladimir Monomakh" record her date of death as 7 May 1107. However the Chronicle does not mention her name. This marriage produced at least six children: Roman, Prince of Volhynia (d. 6 January 1119) Eufemia of Kiev (d. 4 April 1139). Married Coloman of Hungary. Agafia (Agatha). Married Vsevolod Davidovich, Prince of Gorodno. According to older historians her husband was a son of David Igorevich, Prince of Volhynia (d. 1113), but this theory was rejected.[4] Yuri (George), later known as Yuri Dolgoruki (d. 15 May 1157). Andrew, Prince of Volhynia (11 July 1102 – 1141). third marriage is thought to have been to a daughter of Aepa Ocenevich, Khan of the Cumans. Her paternal grandfather was Osen. Her people belonged to the Kipchaks, a confederation of pastoralists and warriors of Turkic origin. the Primary Chronicle identifies Aepa as father-in-law to Yuri Dolgoruki, with Vladimir negotiating the marriage in name of his son.[citation needed] Whether father and son married sisters or the identity of intended groom was misidentified remains unclear. St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Vladimir, 1149-1151, 1155-1157, K Rus King, Yuri I Dolgorukiy, far reaching, Kiev to Suzdal
Kiev Rus King, 1149-1157, Yuri I Dolgorukiy ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1157-1331, Folder, Vladimir Time, Capital of Rus

Russia, Vladimir, 1100-1199, 12th Century Folder, Andrew Bogolyubsky, George B. and Big Nest

Russia, Vladimir, 1155, Vladimir Icon secretly moved to Vladimir by Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky
Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; One night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, and started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. Later, this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). Tradition says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. After this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. When the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. The Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). The Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. It became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. In 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world. Kiev Rus King, 1125-1132, Mstislav I, The Great ; I Vladimirovich the Great or Mstislav the Great (1076 - April 14, 1132) was the Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex.[1] is figured prominently in the Norse Sagas under the name Harald, to allude to his grandfather, Harold II of England. Mstislav's Christian name was Theodore. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1155, Bogoliub Icon, Commemorating MOG appearance as Andrew saw her while moving Vladimir Icon to V
Russia, Vladimir, 1155, Bogoliub Icon &monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5), Vladimir Icon a copy or Luke's icon, fVyshgorod Andrew moved it toward Vladimir&Rostav, cart stopped 7V before V, aBogolyubov, MOG appearance, VIcon tV notR, here build stone church&Monastery, then new MOG icon (Bogolyubov) as he saw her, in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner; Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, of the most ancient wonderworking icons of Russia, painted in the twelfth century at the request of Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4), commemorate the appearance of the Mother of God to him. on cypress wood, the Icon is remarkable because of its large size. the year 1131, an Icon was sent from Constantinople to the Holy Prince Mstislav (Theodore in Baptism, commemorated April 15) in Russia, was placed in the Devichii monastery in Vyshgorod, ancient appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support) city of Saint Olga (July 11). night in the summer of 1155, Prince Andrew secretly removed the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshgorod church without the blessing of his father, Prince George Dolgoruky, started northward toward Suzdal'. Some sources say that his father bequeathed the Icon to Prince Andrew. this Icon would be known as the Vladimir Icon (August 26, June 23, May 21). says it was one of the Icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), or a copy made from the original. versts from Vladimir, the cart carrying the wonderworking Icon stopped and could not be moved from that spot. Prince Andrew asked the priest Nicholas, who accompanied him, to serve a Moleben before the Icon. For a long time Andrew prayed before the holy image with tears. Later, he went into his tent and continued his fervent prayers. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him holding a small scroll in her right hand, and said: "I do not wish you to take my Icon to Rostov, but to the city of Vladimir. Here, in this place (the site of her miraculous appearance), you shall build a stone church and a monastery in honor of my Nativity." the All-Holy Virgin lifted one hand toward Heaven, and received a blessing from Christ the Savior, and the vision ended. obedience to the will of the Mother of God, Prince Andrew built a stone church dedicated to her Nativity, as well as a monastery. this, the Prince commissioned skilled iconographers to depict the All-Holy Virgin just as he had seen her in his vision: in full stature, with a scroll1 in her right hand, and her face turned toward the Savior in the upper right hand corner. the church was completed, the Icon he had commissioned was placed inside, and June 18 was designated as the annual commemoration of the appearance of the Mother of God. Icon depicting the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos remained at Bogolyubov and was called the Bogolyubov Icon. Andrew named both the monastery and the city which sprang up around it Bogolyubov because as he himself said, "the Mother of God loves this place." The Prince also became known as Bogolyubsky ("the lover of God"). Vladimir Icon remained in the convent until work was completed on the Dormition Cathedral at Vladimir, then it was solemly transferred to the cathedral. Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God has been glorified by countless miracles, and over the course of many centuries she has consoled the pious Christians of Russia, and has healed their infirmities. The fame of the miracles which took place before her Icon have inspired the faithful in many places to make copies of this holy Icon, some of which are also wonderworking. Moscow Bogolyubov Icon (1157) shows several saints gathered before the Theotokos: the Metropolitans of Moscow Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip; The blessed Basil and Maxim, fools for Christ; Venerable Paraskeve; Saint Basil the Great; Saint Alexis the Man of God; Symeon, the kinsman of the Lord; the Apostle Peter; the monastic martyr Eudokia; and the Martyr Paraskeve. In some variants of the Icon the following Saints are also included: Saint Onouphrios, Venerable Mary of Egypt, Zosimas and Sabbatius, and the Great Martyrs Barbara and Katherine. 1771 an annual feast day was established in in honor of the Bogolyubov Icon to commemorate the deliverance of the city of Vladimir and the surrounding area from plague. As soon as the Icon was brought to Vladimir, the plague disappeared. became customary to bring the Icon from Bogolyubovo to Vladimir on May 21. As many people as possible took turns in carrying the Icon at different times to and from Vladimir Province. The Icon stayed at Bogolyubovo Monastery, 10 versts from the city. 1820, the inhabitants of the city of Vladimir adorned the Icon with an expensive riza. the Bolshevik Revolution, the Icon was customarily brought to the city of Vladimir on May 21, where it remained until July 16, when it was returned to the monastery. The scroll on the Icon reads: O Most Gracious Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my Son and my God, hear the prayer of Your Mother, for she is praying for the world.

Russia, Vladimir, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky, Yuri D's son, strong, tried to unite V w Kiev&Novgrd, N Dvina, k, icon
Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; I Yuryevich, commonly known under his sobriquet Andrei the Pious (c. 1111 - June 28, 1174), was Grand prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1157 until his death. His reign saw a complete decline of Kiev's rule over northeastern Rus, and the rise of Vladimir as the new capital city. Andrei was known in the West as Scythian Caesar, and is canonized as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church.[1] 1 Life 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Prince Saint Andrei Bogolyubsky, by Viktor Vasnetsov was the son of Yuri Dolgoruki,[2] who proclaimed Andrei a prince in Vyshgorod (near Kiev). His mother was a Polovtsian (Cuman) princess, khan Aepa's/Ayepa's daughter. left Vyshgorod in 1155 and moved to Vladimir. After his father's death (1157), he became Knyaz (prince) of Vladimir, Rostov and Suzdal.[1] Bogolyubsky tried to unite Rus' lands under his authority. From 1159 he persistently struggled for submission of Novgorod to his authority and conducted a complex military and diplomatic game in South Rus. In 1162, Andrey Bogolyubsky sent an embassy to Constantinople, lobbying for a separate metropolitan see in Vladimir. In 1169 his troops sacked Kiev, devastating it as never before.[3][4] After plundering the city,[5] stealing much religious artwork, which included the Byzantine "Mother of God" icon.[6] Andrei appointed his brother Gleb as prince of Kiev, in an attempt to unify his lands with Kiev.[7] Following his brother's death in 1171, Andrei became embroiled in a two-year war to maintain control over Kiev, which ended in his defeat.[7] achieved the right to receive a tribute from the population of the Northern Dvina land. Becoming "ruler of all Suzdal land", Andrei Bogolyubsky transferred his capital to Vladimir, strengthened it and constructed the magnificent Assumption Cathedral,[2] the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl,[8] and other churches and monasteries. Under his leadership Vladimir was much enlarged, and fortifications were built around the city.[9] the same time the castle Bogolyubovo was built next to Vladimir, and was a favorite residence of his.[9] In fact he received his nickname "Bogolyubsky" in honor of this place. It was he who brought the Theotokos of Vladimir to the city whose name it now bears. During Andrei Bogolyubsky's reign the Vladimir-Suzdal principality attained significant power and was the strongest among the Rus' principalities.[citation needed] of princely authority and conflict with outstanding boyars was the cause of a plot against Andrei Bogolyubsky, as a result of which he was killed on the night of June 28 to June 29, 1174.[6] Twenty of his disgruntled retainers burst into his chambers and slew Andrei in his bed.[6] His silver-inlaid war axe can now be viewed at the State Historical Museum in Moscow. son, Yuri Bogolyubsky, was the first husband of Queen Tamar of Georgia. An ancient icon, Theotokos of Bogolyubovo, is associated with him.[citation needed] St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God of the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (1110-1174), a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was the son of Yurii Dolgoruky and a Polovetsian princess (in holy Baptism Maria). While still in his youth he was called “Bogoliubskyâ€ (“God-lovingâ€) for his profound attention to prayer, his diligence for church services and “his adoption of secret prayers to God.â€ From his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh, the grandson inherited great spiritual concentration, love for the Word of God and the habit of turning to the Scripture in all the circumstances of life. brave warrior [Andrew means “braveâ€], a participant in his military father’s many campaigns, more than once he came close to death in battle. But each time Divine Providence invisibly saved the princely man of prayer. Thus for example, on February 8, 1150, in a battle near Lutsk, Saint Andrew was saved from the spear of an enemy German by a prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, whose memory was celebrated that day. chronicles also stress Saint Andrew’s peace-making activity, a rare trait among the princes and military commanders of those harsh times. The combination of military valor with love for peace and mercy, of great humility with indomitable zeal for the Church were present in Prince Andrew in the highest degree. A responsible master of the land, and a constant coworker in the city construction and church building activity of Yurii Dolgoruky, he built with his father: Moscow (1147), Iuriev-Polsk (1152), Dmitrov (1154), and he also adorned the cities of Rostov, Suzdal’, and Vladimir with churches. In 1162 Saint Andrew could say with satisfaction, “I have built up white Rus with cities and settlements, and have rendered it with much populace.â€ Yurii Dolgoruky became Great Prince of Kiev in 1154, he gave his son Vyshgorod near Kiev as his appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support), but God willed otherwise. One night in the summer of 1155, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God in the Vyshgorod church was removed. This icon was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and in some period before this had been transferred here from Constantinople. Later, it was called the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. On this night with the icon in hand, holy Prince Andrew left Vyshgorod going northwards to the Suzdal territory, secretly and without the blessing of his father, mindful only of the will of God. miracle of this holy icon, which occured on the way from Vyshgorod to Vladimir, was recorded by a clergyman of Prince Andrew, “the priest Mikulaâ€ [Nicholas], in his “Reports of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.â€ versts before reaching Vladimir, the horse bearing the icon suddenly stopped. During the night the Mother of God appeared to Saint Andrew with a scroll in her hand and commanded, “I do not want you to take my icon to Rostov, but rather leave it in Vladimir. Build a stone church here in the name of My Nativity.â€ In memory of this miraculous event, Saint Andrew commissioned an iconographer to paint an icon of the Mother of God the way that the All-Pure Virgin had appeared to him. He established Feast of this icon as June 18. The icon, named the Bogoliubsk, was afterwards glorified by numerous miracles. the place decreed by the Queen of Heaven, Prince Andrew built (in 1159) the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He also remained in the city of Bogoliubov, which became his constant dwelling and the place of his martyric end. his father Yurii Dolgoruky died (+ May 15, 1157), Saint Andrew did not take up his father’s throne at Kiev, but rather remained prince at Vladimir. During the years 1158-1160 was built the Dormition cathedral at Vladimir, and in it was placed the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In the year 1164 the Golden Gates were set in place, over which was the church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, and also the church of the Savior at the princely court. churches were built by Prince Andrew during the years of his rule. The finest of them is the Dormition cathedral. The richness and splendor of the church helped to spread Orthodoxy among the surrounding peoples and foreign merchants. Saint Andrew had directed that all travellers, whether Latins or pagans, were to be led into the churches he built and to have “true Christianityâ€ pointed out to them. The chronicler writes: “Both Bulgars, and Jews, and every sort of common person, beholding the glory of God and churchly adornment, came to be baptized.â€ conquest of the great Volga journey-way became for Saint Andrew a fundamental task of his civil service to Russia. The Volga Bulgars from the time of the campaigns of Svyatoslav (+ 972) presented a serious danger to the Russian state. Saint Andrew continued with the initiatives of Svyatoslav. shattering blow was struck against the enemy in 1164, when Russian forces burned and destroyed several Bulgar fortresses. Saint Andrew took with him on this campaign the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and a two-sided icon, on one side was depicted the Icon of the Savior “Not-Made-by-Hands,â€ and the “Veneration of the Crossâ€ on the opposite side. [At the present time both icons are in the Tretyakov State Gallery.] great miracle from the holy icons occurred for the Russian army on the day of the decisive victory over the Bulgars, August 1, 1164. After the destruction of the Bulgar army, the princes (Andrew, his brother Yaroslav, his son Izyaslav and others) returned towards the infantry standing by the princely standards with the Vladimir Icon, and they made a prostration before the Icon, “bestowing on it praise and song.â€ And then all beheld the blinding rays of light, issuing from the face of the Mother of God and the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands. a faithful son of the Orthodox Church in all things, vigilant in belief and canons, Saint Andrew turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a filial request to establish a separate metropolitan for northeastern Rus. And with the prince’s letter of accord there journeyed to Byzantium the candidate chosen by the prince, Archimandrite Theodore of Suzdal. Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges, however, only agreed to consecrate Theodore as Bishop of Vladimir, but not as Metropolitan. Yet at the same time, wanting to uphold the position of Prince Andrew as the most powerful among the rulers of the Russian Land, the Patriarch honored Bishop Theodore with the right to wear the white klobuk [monastic head covering], which in ancient Rus was a distinctive sign of church autonomy. Such recognition (the white klobuk) was also granted to the Archbishop of Novgorod. Evidently, since the Russian chronicles speak of Bishop Theodore with the title of “White Klobukâ€, much later historians sometimes call him “the bishop of an autonomous diocese.â€ the year 1167 Saint Rostislav died at Kiev. He was the twin brother of Andrew, and had been able to carry out compromise during the complicated political and churchly life of the time. But after this, there was dispatched from Constantinople a new metropolitan, Constantine II. The new metropolitan demanded that Bishop Theodore come before him to be confirmed in his position. Saint Andrew again went to Constantinople for the affirmation of the autonomous status of the Vladimir diocese and again he requested a separate metropolitanate. The letter of reply from Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges has been preserved. It contains a categorical refusal for establishing a new metropolitan, a demand to accept the expelled bishop Leo, and to submit to the Metropolitan of Kiev. fulfilling this churchly obedience, Saint Andrew urged Bishop Theodore to journey in repentance to Kiev for the restoration of canonical relations with the Metropolitan. The repentance of Bishop Theodore was not accepted. Without investigation by a council, and in accord with the Byzantine morals of the time, Metropolitan Constantine condemned him to a terrible execution. Saint Theodore’s tongue was cut out, they cut off his right hand, and then they gouged out his eyes. After this he was drowned by servants of the Metropolitan (by other accounts, he died in prison). only the churchly, but also the political affairs of Southern Rus demanded the decisive response of the Great Prince of Vladimir. On 8 March 8, 1169 an army of allied princes with Andrew’s son Mstislav at the head conquered Kiev. The city was devastated and burned, and the Polovetsians participating in the campaign did not spare even the churchly treasures. The Russian chronicles viewed this event as something that was deserved: “These misfortunes were for their sins (the Kievans), especially for the outrage perpetuated by the Metropolitan.â€ In the same year (1169) the prince moved an army against unruly Novgorod, but they were repulsed by a miracle of the Novgorod Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), which had been carried along the city walls by holy Archbishop John (September 7). But when the understandable wrath of the Great Prince gave way to mercy, and in peace he summoned the Novgorod people to him, the blessing of God returned to him. Novgorod accepted the prince appointed by Saint Andrew. such a manner, towards the end of 1170, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky was able to attain the unity of the Russian Land under his rule. the winter of 1172 he sent a large army under the command of his son Mstislav against the Volga Bulgars. The Russian forces gained the victory, but their joy was overshadowed by the death of the valiant Mstislav (March 28, 1172). the night of June 30, 1174 holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky accepted a martyr’s death at the hands of traitors in his own household. The Tver Chronicle relates that Saint Andrew was murdered at the instigation of his second wife (a Volga Bulgar), who participated in the conspiracy. At the head of the conspiracy stood her brothers, the Kuchkovichi: “and they commited murder in the night, as did Judas against the Lord.â€ A throng of assassins, twenty men, burst in upon the court, they killed the few guards and stormed into the bedchamber of the unarmed prince. The sword of Saint Boris, which hung constantly over his bed, had been treacherously removed that night by the steward Anbal. The prince succeeded in pushing the first of his assailants down on the floor. The conspirators then mistakenly ran him through with their swords. Soon they realised their mistake, “and then they perceived the prince, and he fought much with them, for he was strong, and they did thrust with swords and sabres, and gave him copious wounds.â€ The forehead of the holy prince was struck on the side with a spear, while all the remaining blows from the cowardly assassins were dealt from behind. When the prince finally fell, they abruptly rushed out of the bedchamber, taking along their murdered accomplice. saint was still alive, however. With his final strength he lowered himself along the palace stairway, hoping to alert a guard. Instead, his groans were heard by the assassins and they turned back. The prince was able to hide himself in a niche below the stairway and so they passed by him. The conspirators rushed to the bedchamber but did not find the prince there. “Disaster stands before us, since the prince is alive,â€ the assassins cried out in terror. But all around it was quiet, and no one came to the aid of the suffering prince. Then the evil-doers again regained their boldness, they lit candles and followed the bloody trail to seek out their victim. Prayer was on the lips of Saint Andrew when the assassins again surrounded him. Russian Church remembers and venerates its martyrs and makers. A special place belongs to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky. Having taken in his hands the wonderworking icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the holy prince, as it were, blessed the major events of Russian history with it. In 1395 was the year of the transfer of the Vladimir Icon to Moscow and the deliverance of the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane (August 26); the year 1480 marks the salvation of Rus from the invasion of Khan Akhmat and the ultimate collapse of the Mongol Horde (June 23); in the year 1521 Moscow was saved from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girei (May 21). Through the prayers of Saint Andrew, his fondest dreams for the Russian Church came true. In the year 1300, Metropolitan Maximus transferred the metropolitan See of All-Russia from Kiev to Vladimir, making the Dormition cathedral the foremost cathedral of the Russian Church. There rest the relics of Saint Andrew, and the Vladimir wonderworking Icon is its chief holy object. on, when the center of the Russian Church was moved to Moscow, selections of the metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Church were made before the Vladimir Icon. In the year 1448, a Council of Russian bishops raised up the first metropolitan of the autocephalous Russian Church, Saint Jonah. On November 5, 1917, in front of it was made the selection of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon, the first such election after the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Church. And in 1971, on the Feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the enthronment of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen took place. liturgical activity of Saint Andrew was multi-faceted and fruitful. In 1162 the Lord granted the holy prince a great solace: in Rostov there was discovered the relics of Rostov saints -- the holy hierarchs Isaiah and Leontius. The glorification of these Rostov saints throughout all the Church took place somewhat later, but Saint Andrew initiated their national veneration. In 1164 the military forces of Saint Andrew crushed their long-time enemy, the Volga Bulgars. The victories of the Orthodox nation were marked by a blossoming of liturgical creativity within the Russian Church. this same year of 1164, at the initiative of Saint Andrew, the Church established the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos on August 1 (venerated by the Russian people as “Savior of the First Honeyâ€), in memory of the Baptism of Rus by holy Equal of the Apostles Vladimir and in memory of the victory over the Bulgars in 1164. The Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on October 1 embodied in liturgical forms the faith of the holy prince and all the Orthodox nation in the acceptance by the Mother of God of Holy Rus beneath Her omophorion. The Protection of the Theotokos became one of the most beloved of Russian Church Feasts. The Protection is a Russian national holiday, unknown to the Latin West. It is a liturgical continuation and creative development of theological ideas inherent to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God on July 2. first church consecrated to the new Feast was the Protection church at Nerla (1165), a remarkable monument of Russian Church architecture, built by the master artisans of Saint Andrew at the head-waters of the River Nerla, so that the prince could always see it from a window of his Bogoliubov garret. Andrew took an active part in the literary work of the Vladimir church writers. He participated in the compiling of the Service of the Protection (the most ancient copy is in the manuscript of a fourteenth century Psalter), and also a preface about the establishment of the Feast of the Protection in the Great Reading Menaion for October, as well as a “Discourse on the Protection.â€ He wrote an “Account of the Victory over the Bulgars and the Establishing of the Feast of the Savior in the Year 1164,â€ which in several of the old manuscripts is called, “Discourse concerning the Mercy of God by Great Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky.â€ The fate of Bogoliubsky is also noted in the Vladimir Chronicle entry for the year 1177, completed after the death of the prince by his confessor, the priest Mikula, who inserted his special “Account of the Murder of Saint Andrew.â€ To Saint Andrew’s time belongs also the final editing of the “Account of Boris and Gleb,â€ inserted into the “Dormition Sbornikâ€ (“Compendiumâ€ or “Book of Collected Servicesâ€ of these Rostov saints). The prince particularly venerated Saint Boris, and his chief household treasure was a cap belonging to Saint Boris. Saint Boris’s sword always hung over his bed. Another memorial of Saint Andrew’s prayerful inspiration is “A Prayer,â€ included in the chronicle under the year 1096 after the “Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh.â€

Russia, Vladimir, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Abishop of N) AKA John, John gave inheritance tBuild m, MOG sent Horse wGold, much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (1st Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John, built Khutyn Monastery, son of pious Parent fNovgorod, John and bro Gabriel give inheritance tBuild monastery, wooden church then shortly stone church that they ran out of funds for, turned to Queen oHeaven to help them, she told them in a dream everything would be provided, , she gave the funds through angel horse with gold that disappeared, upon completion brothers became monks, J became Elias, G became Gregory, John became Bishop 1162, his first archpastoral letter: to clergy, concern about his flock, spirit oFatherly guidance, some you encouraged me tTake this office (of which I am unworthy) now listen to me, a pastor is concerned about his sheep, he not only chstizes but heals sinners, don't be too much attached to the world, but rather instruct the people, first that they not give selves tDrunkenness, this vice most of all for rich and poor, when your spiritual children repent, question them wMildness, harsh penances not seemly, encourage book reading (do not scorn) to distinguish us from the people (simple & unschooled), no pennances on orphans, for the yoke of Christ ought tbLight, 1165 John became archbishop so Novgorod became archbishopric, winter 1170 difficult time for Novgorod, Suzdal forces siege city 2days, because N people would not accept Svyatoslav, they stole the tribute tax otDvina district not subject to them, Novgorod people prayed to Theotokos fCity salvation, third night while praying to Savior's icon, John heard a voice telling him get Theotokos' icon from Ilna Street Church otSavior, they sang Molieben when they got there, the Icon itself moved from the place, Lord have mercy, Ilya carried it to City Wall, Suzdal forces ready for pillage, they saw them, assault began 6th hr, arrows fell like rain, Icon turned towards city with tears, darkness fell, unable to see they fell back, Feb 25th 1170, but Suzdal inflicted great harm on region, Ilya great concern for hungry, distrib aid tOrphans, calmed internecine strife, 1172 he journed to Vladimir (Suzdal is in Suzdal) to reconcile Andrew Bogoliubsky wNovogorod people, John devoted mTime wSpiritual Conversations, 30 instructions preserved (Baptism, Confession, Eucharist), monks ought live solitary places, like Christ, monk always a monk, fleshless itFlesh, preserving memory oDeath, yoke otCreator, pulling tPlow iValley oHumility, a monk is not his own master, being like gods do not fall back in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer, haughty pride comes from human glory, Ilya' spiritual powers were unusual, his simple soul and pure heart gave him power against demons. for example water splashing in bedroom washbasin, no one there so he made sigh otCross over washbasin, restraining the demon, demon begged release from washbasin, Ilya agreed but ordered demon to carry him from Novgorod tJerusalem, tLords grave and back, all in one night, demon did it because Ilya's prayer scorched him like fire, plus demon asked I to tell no one about his shame, Ilya once told his flock he knew a man who visited Holy Land in one night, evil spirit took revenge for that swiftly, women's things scattered in his cell, transformed tWoman fleeing from cell, unruly crowd dragged Ilya to River Volkhov, put him on raft, but raft floated upstream to St Georges' Monastery, crowd ashamed, asked forgiveness, and to return, filled wJoy for himself and also his flock, granted pardon to all, he died soon after, sensing approach oDeath, appointed his brother take over, died 1186, 1439 Euthymius repairing Holy Wisdom Cathedral, loose stone cracked lid oHis tomb, they lifted broken boards and temple filled with fragrance, from incorrupt relics, but who was it, prayed God reveal, John appeared at night and said it was he, he also proclaimed God's will to celebrate memory archbishops&Princes laying here Oct 4th, ; Russia, Novgorod, 1165-1186, Ilya (Archbishop of Novgorod) AKA John; St. John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? ... Do not impose penances upon orphans.... everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. began to sing a Molieben, after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, fall from the heights like Lucifer... haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, but ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. But the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Vladimir, 1170-1172, John oNovgorod, Vladimir seige oN, darkness covered V forces, tVladimir tRreconcile wAndrew
Russia, Novgorod, 1162-1186, John, Archbishop & Wonderworker of Novgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), inheritance, w b Gabriel small monastery, means ran out, MOG sent horse w gold, wrote vocation of pastor, 1165 Archbishop Novgorod Cathedral, 1170 Vladimir forces seige N, Savior Icon voice, Ilna st MOG icon not move, Molieben, icon itself moved, to city walls, arrows like rain, darkness covered Suzdal forces, 1172 jounneyed to Vladimir to reconcile w Andrew B, spiritual conversations, monks guidance, unusual grace powers, against deamon story, one night holy land visit, deamon's revenge, sensed death, took schema as John, appointed brother; Veliky Novgorod; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; John, Archbishop of Novgorod, was born at Novgorod of the pious parents Nicholas and Christina. He passed his childhood in quiet and peaceful surroundings. the death of their parents, John and his brother Gabriel decided to establish a small monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos with their inheritance. first they built a wooden church, but a short time later they also built a stone church. good intentions were not without difficulties. they finished construction on the stone temple, the brothers totally exhausted their means. Only their steadfast and living faith inspired them to continue what they had started. turned for help with it to the Queen of Heaven, on Whose account this God-pleasing matter was begun. of their unflagging faith and zeal, She manifested Her mercy to them. She told them in a dream that everything necessary for the completion of the temple would be provided. the following morning, the brothers saw a splendid horse loaded with two sacks of gold. No one came for it, and when the brothers removed the sacks, the horse vanished. Thus did the Mother of God provide for the monastery. completion of the monastery construction, under the protection of the Mother of God, the brothers were clothed in the monastic schema. Saint John took the name of Elias, and Saint Gabriel took the name Gregory. chronicles speak of Saint John being made bishop under the entries for the year 1162. first archpastoral letter was addressed to the clergy of his diocese. was filled with an endearing concern about his flock, written in a spirit of fatherly guidance: “It has pleased God and the Most Holy Theotokos, through your prayers, that I, a mere man, should not refuse this high office, of which I am unworthy. Since you yourselves have encouraged me to this service, now listen to me ...” saint spoke about the vocation of the pastor. is concerned about his sheep, he not only chastizes, but also heals those who lead a sinful life. “At the beginning of my discourse I ask you not to be too much attached to this world, but rather be instructive to people. Look first of all, that they not give themselves over to drunkenness. You yourselves know, that through this vice most of all, not only do the simple people perish, but we also. your spiritual children come to you in repentance, then question them with mildness. It is not seemly to impose harsh penances. not scorn the reading of books, since if we do not start doing this, then what will distinguish us from the simple unschooled people? Do not impose penances upon orphans.... Let everything be seemly, for the yoke of Christ ought to be light.” the year 1165 Saint John was elevated to archbishop (from that time the Novgorod cathedra became an archbishopric). winter of 1170 was a very difficult time for Novgorod. Suzdal forces with their allies laid siege to the city for two days, since the Novgorod people would not accept Prince Svyatoslav. They also took the tribute-tax of the Dvina district which was not subject to them. grief the people of Novgorod prayed to God and the Most Holy Theotokos for the salvation of the city. the third night, while he was praying before an icon of the Savior, Saint John heard a voice ordering him to go to the church of the Savior on Il’ina street, to take the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and carry it out to the walls of the city. the morning the saint told the people about the command and sent his deacon with clergy to the church of the Savior for the icon. into the church, the archdeacon bowed down before the icon and wanted to take it, but the icon would not budge. The archdeacon returned to the archbishop and told him what had happened. the saint with all the assembly went to the Il’ina church and on their knees began to pray before the icon. They began to sing a Molieben, and after the Sixth Ode at the kontakion “Protectress of Christians,” the icon itself moved from the place. The people with tears cried out: “Lord, have mercy!” Saint John took the icon and together with two deacons carried it to the city walls. Novgorodian people saw their doom, for the Suzdal forces and their allies were ready for pillage. the sixth hour the assault began, and the arrows fell like rain. the icon turned its visage towards the city, and tears trickled down from the eyes of the Most Holy Theotokos, which the saint gathered on his phelonion. darkness covered the Suzdal forces, they became unable to see and they fell back in terror. occurred on February 25, 1170. Saint John established a solemn feastday for Novgorod, the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos (November 27). Suzdal army inflicted great harm on the Novgorod region. also the archpastor did not remain on the sidelines. He showed fatherly concern for devastated households suffering hunger, and he distributed aid to orphans. like other Russian hierarchs, he calmed and soothed the internecine strife in much-suffering Rus by his prayers and his virtue. 1172, the archpastor journeyed to Vladimir to reconcile Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky with the Novgorod people. saint not only shared in the adversity of his people, but most of all he concerned himself with their spiritual enlightenment. John devoted much attention to spiritual conversations, which often occurred in the circle of the clergy and the laypeople. There are preserved about 30 of his instructions concerning Baptism, Confession, the Holy Eucharist. Guidance for Monks is filled with spiritual grandeur: “Once having followed after Christ, monks as actualisers of spiritual life by the Cross ought to live in solitary places, separate from worldly folk. them steal nothing for themselves, and let them be wholly dedicated to God. monk ought always to be a monk, at every time and at every place, both in asleep and awake he should preserve the memory of death, and be fleshless in the flesh.” “Not for everyone does the monastery serve as a therapy for sensual love, just as silence is for anger, and non-acquisitiveness is for money, and the tomb is for avarice. life and worldly life are incompatible, just as one would not harness a camel and horse together. monk bends his neck beneath the yoke of the Creator and ought to pull the plow in the valley of humility, in order to multiply the fine wheat by the warmth of the Life-giving Spirit and to sow the seeds of the reason of God. black-robed is not his own master; like gods, take care not to rot in likeness to people, nor fall from the heights like Lucifer... for haughty pride comes from human glory.” saint’s spiritual powers of grace were unusual. his simplicity of soul and purity of heart God gave him power against demons. Once, when the saint prayed by night, as was his custom, he heard something splashing the water in the washbasin. Seeing that there was no one beside him, the saint realized that this was a demon trying to scare him. saint made the Sign of the Cross over the washbasin and restrained the devil. Soon the evil spirit could no longer bear the prayer of the saint, which scorched it like fire, and it began to beg to be released from the washbasin. saint was agreeable, ordered the demon to carry him from Novgorod to Jerusalem to the Sepulchre of the Lord and back, all in one night. demon fulfilled the saint’s command, but asked him to tell no one about his shame. one of his conversations, the saint told his flock that he knew a man who visited the Holy Land in one night. revenge of the evil spirit was not slow in coming. It began to scatter women’s things in his cell. when people had gathered in Saint John’s cell, the devil transformed himself into a woman who ran in front of them as if fleeing from the cell. saint heard the racket and gently asked, “What has happened, my children, what is the noise all about?” The unruly crowd, shouting various charges of perverse life against the saint, dragged him to the River Volkhov. put the saint on a raft and released it down along the current of the river. the raft, contrary to expectation, sailed against the current straight to the Saint George men’s monastery, three versts from Novgorod. this, people were ashamed and with weeping and shouts they went along the riverbank after the raft, beseeching the saint to forgive them and to return to the city. heart of the simple archpastor was filled with joy, not only for himself, but for his flock: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” he prayed, and granted pardon to all. happened not long before the death of the saint. Sensing its approach, he put off the hierarch’s omophor and took the schema with the name John, the same name he had in his youth. appointed his brother, Saint Gregory (May 24) as his successor. The saint died on September 7, 1186 and was buried in the church of Holy Wisdom. 1439, repairs were being made at the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) through the zeal of Saint Euthymius; in the portico chapel of Saint John the Forerunner, a stone suddenly came loose and cracked the lid of the tomb standing there. Saint Euthymius gave orders to lift off the boards broken by the stone, and the temple was filled with fragrance. the tomb they beheld the incorrupt relics of the saint, but no one was able to identify who this archpastor was. In his cell, Saint Euthymius fervently began to pray for God to reveal to him the name of this saint. night a man appeared before him, clothed in the vestments of a hierarch, and said that he was Archbishop John, who was found worthy to serve the miracle of the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of Her Sign. “I proclaim to you the will of God,” continued the saint, “to celebrate the memory of the archbishops and princes lying here, on October 4, and I shall pray Christ for all Christians.” His memory is also celebrated at the Synaxis of Novgorod hierarchs on February 10. In 1630, a feastday was also established for December 1.

Russia, Vladimir, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, Suzdal attack, voice, walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire
Russia, Novgorod, 1170, Weeping Sign Icon, against Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, voice, carry around walls, arrow, tears, terror, friendly fire, engouragement, people of N win; Veliky Novgorod; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign”, depicts the Most Holy Theotokos with prayerfully uplifted hands, and the Divine Infant is at Her bosom in a mandorla (or sphere). depiction of the Mother of God is regarded as one of the very first of Her iconographic images. In the mausoleum of Saint Agnes at Rome is a depiction of the Mother of God with hands raised in prayer with the Infant Christ sitting upon Her knees. This depiction is ascribed to the fourth century. There is also an ancient Byzantine icon of the Mother of God “Nikopea” from the sixth century, where the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted seated upon a throne and holding in Her hands an oval shield with the image of the Savior Emmanuel. of the Mother of God, known as “The Sign”, appeared in Russia during the eleventh-twelfth centuries, and were so called because of a miraculous sign from the Novgorod Icon in the year 1170. that year the allied forces of Russian appanage princes, headed by a son of Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky of Suzdal, marched to the very walls of Great Novgorod. For the people of Novgorod, their only remaining hope was that God would help them. Day and night they prayed, beseeching the Lord not to forsake them. On the third night Bishop Elias of Novgorod heard a wondrous voice commanding that the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos be taken out of the church of the Savior’s Transfiguration on Ilina street, and carried about on the city walls. they carried the icon, the enemy fired a volley of arrows at the procession, and one of them pierced the iconographic face of the Mother of God. Tears trickled from Her eyes, and the icon turned its face towards the city. After this divine Sign an inexpressible terror suddenly fell upon the enemy. They began to strike one another, and taking encouragement from the Lord, the people of Novgorod fearlessly gave battle and won the victory. remembrance of the miraculous intercession of the Queen of Heaven, Archbishop Elias established a feastday in honor of the Sign of the Mother of God, which the Russian Church celebrates to the present day. The Athonite hieromonk Pachomius the Logothete, who was present at the festal celebration of the Icon in Russia, composed two Canons for this Feast. certain Novgorod Icons of the Sign, the miraculous occurrences of the year 1170 were also depicted. For 186 years afterwards, the wonderworking icon remained in the Savior-Transfiguration church on Ilina street. In 1356 it was transferred to a church built in Novgorod in honor of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,” which became the cathedral church of the monastery of the Sign. copies of the Sign Icon are known throughout Russia. Many of them were also glorified by miracles in their local churches, and were then named for the place of the appearance of the miracle. Similar copies of the Sign Icon are the icons of Dionysievo-Glushets, Abalaka (July 20), Kursk, Seraphim-Ponetaev and others.

Russia, Vladimir, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky, Yuri D's gson, Novgorod Prince, m Tamar
Russia, Vladimir, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky; Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, Vladimir, young ascetic, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles 1238,1410,1613
Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Gleb Andreevich, son of Andrew Bogoliubsky, Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo, young ascetic, strict fasting and prayer, died at 19, incorrupt relics produced miracles, 1238 tomb protected from fire, 1410 flames shot forth from tomb and Tartars fled, Glebs prayers protected V in 1613 ; Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Prince Gleb of Vladimir, named George in holy Baptism, was a younger son of the holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4). the influence of his pious parents he grew up with a deep faith, and from twelve years of age he led a solitary spiritual life. parents did not hinder their son and even assisted him in spiritual growth. The prince especially loved the reading of holy books, he esteemed the clergy and he was charitable to all. Despite his young age, he chose for himself the exploit of strict fasting and prayerful vigilance. Gleb died in the year 1174, at age nineteen. incorrupt relics were preserved and glorified by miracles. the year 1238, during the time of the incursion of Batu upon the Russian Land, the Tatars burned the cathedral at Vladimir. In this conflagration perished Bishop Metrophanes, Great-princess Agatha, wife of Great-prince George Vsevolodovich (+ 1238), and many inhabitants of the city of Vladimir, who were locked in the cathedral church. fire, however, did not even touch the tomb of Saint Gleb. later, in July 1410, Tatars again descended upon Vladimir. In plundering the city, they began to sack the cathedral church treasury, having murdered the door-keeper Patrick. Supposing that treasure was hidden in the saint’s tomb, they set about to break it open. Just as the Tatars touched the stone crypt of Saint Gleb, flames shot forth from it, and the Tatars fled the city in terror. the prayers of the holy prince the city was saved from an incursion of Polish-Lithuanian plunderers in 1613. celebration of Saint Gleb was established in the year 1702, and then also a service was written to him, and somewhat later, a Life. His relics rest in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. In the year 1774 the south chapel of the cathedral was dedicated to him. Prince Gleb is revered as the special patron and defender of the city of Vladimir.

Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Burial of St Andrew, Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5), A's long history
Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (1110-1174), grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, the son of Yurii Dolgoruky and a Polovetsian princess (in holy Baptism Maria). still in his youth he was called “Bogoliubsky” (“God-loving”) for his profound attention to prayer, his diligence for church services and “his adoption of secret prayers to ” From his grandfather, Vladimir Monomakh, the grandson inherited great spiritual concentration, love for the Word of God and the habit of turning to the Scripture in all the circumstances of life. brave warrior [Andrew means “brave”], a participant in his military father’s many campaigns, more than once he came close to death in battle. But each time Divine Providence invisibly saved the princely man of prayer. for example, on February 8, 1150, in a battle near Lutsk, Saint Andrew was saved from the spear of an enemy German by a prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, whose memory was celebrated that day. chronicles also stress Saint Andrew’s peace-making activity, a rare trait among the princes and military commanders of those harsh times. combination of military valor with love for peace and mercy, of great humility with indomitable zeal for the Church were present in Prince Andrew in the highest degree. responsible master of the land, and a constant coworker in the city construction and church building activity of Yurii Dolgoruky, he built with his father: Moscow (1147), Iuriev-Polsk (1152), Dmitrov (1154), and he also adorned the cities of Rostov, Suzdal’, and Vladimir with churches. 1162 Saint Andrew could say with satisfaction, “I have built up white Rus with cities and settlements, and have rendered it with much populace.” Yurii Dolgoruky became Great Prince of Kiev in 1154, he gave his son Vyshgorod near Kiev as his appanage (land given by kings and princes to their younger children for their support), but God willed otherwise. night in the summer of 1155, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God in the Vyshgorod church was removed. This icon was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and in some period before this had been transferred here from Constantinople. Later, it was called the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. this night with the icon in hand, holy Prince Andrew left Vyshgorod going northwards to the Suzdal territory, secretly and without the blessing of his father, mindful only of the will of God. miracle of this holy icon, which occured on the way from Vyshgorod to Vladimir, was recorded by a clergyman of Prince Andrew, “the priest Mikula” [Nicholas], in his “Reports of the Miracles of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.” versts before reaching Vladimir, the horse bearing the icon suddenly stopped. the night the Mother of God appeared to Saint Andrew with a scroll in her hand and commanded, “I do not want you to take my icon to Rostov, but rather leave it in Vladimir. Build a stone church here in the name of My Nativity.” memory of this miraculous event, Saint Andrew commissioned an iconographer to paint an icon of the Mother of God the way that the All-Pure Virgin had appeared to him. He established Feast of this icon as June 18. The icon, named the Bogoliubsk, was afterwards glorified by numerous miracles. the place decreed by the Queen of Heaven, Prince Andrew built (in 1159) the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. He also remained in the city of Bogoliubov, which became his constant dwelling and the place of his martyric end. his father Yurii Dolgoruky died (+ May 15, 1157), Saint Andrew did not take up his father’s throne at Kiev, but rather remained prince at Vladimir. During the years 1158-1160 was built the Dormition cathedral at Vladimir, and in it was placed the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. In the year 1164 the Golden Gates were set in place, over which was the church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, and also the church of the Savior at the princely court. churches were built by Prince Andrew during the years of his rule. The finest of them is the Dormition cathedral. The richness and splendor of the church helped to spread Orthodoxy among the surrounding peoples and foreign merchants. Saint Andrew had directed that all travellers, whether Latins or pagans, were to be led into the churches he built and to have “true Christianity” pointed out to them. The chronicler writes: “Both Bulgars, and Jews, and every sort of common person, beholding the glory of God and churchly adornment, came to be baptized.” conquest of the great Volga journey-way became for Saint Andrew a fundamental task of his civil service to Russia. The Volga Bulgars from the time of the campaigns of Svyatoslav (+ 972) presented a serious danger to the Russian state. Saint Andrew continued with the initiatives of Svyatoslav. shattering blow was struck against the enemy in 1164, when Russian forces burned and destroyed several Bulgar fortresses. Saint Andrew took with him on this campaign the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and a two-sided icon, on one side was depicted the Icon of the Savior “Not-Made-by-Hands,” and the “Veneration of the Cross” on the opposite side. [At the present time both icons are in the Tretyakov State Gallery.] great miracle from the holy icons occurred for the Russian army on the day of the decisive victory over the Bulgars, August 1, 1164. After the destruction of the Bulgar army, the princes (Andrew, his brother Yaroslav, his son Izyaslav and others) returned towards the infantry standing by the princely standards with the Vladimir Icon, and they made a prostration before the Icon, “bestowing on it praise and song.” And then all beheld the blinding rays of light, issuing from the face of the Mother of God and the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands. a faithful son of the Orthodox Church in all things, vigilant in belief and canons, Saint Andrew turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a filial request to establish a separate metropolitan for northeastern Rus. And with the prince’s letter of accord there journeyed to Byzantium the candidate chosen by the prince, Archimandrite Theodore of Suzdal. Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges, however, only agreed to consecrate Theodore as Bishop of Vladimir, but not as Metropolitan. Yet at the same time, wanting to uphold the position of Prince Andrew as the most powerful among the rulers of the Russian Land, the Patriarch honored Bishop Theodore with the right to wear the white klobuk [monastic head covering], which in ancient Rus was a distinctive sign of church autonomy. Such recognition (the white klobuk) was also granted to the Archbishop of Novgorod. Evidently, since the Russian chronicles speak of Bishop Theodore with the title of “White Klobuk”, much later historians sometimes call him “the bishop of an autonomous diocese.” the year 1167 Saint Rostislav died at Kiev. He was the twin brother of Andrew, and had been able to carry out compromise during the complicated political and churchly life of the time. But after this, there was dispatched from Constantinople a new metropolitan, Constantine II. The new metropolitan demanded that Bishop Theodore come before him to be confirmed in his position. Saint Andrew again went to Constantinople for the affirmation of the autonomous status of the Vladimir diocese and again he requested a separate metropolitanate. The letter of reply from Patriarch Luke Chrysoverges has been preserved. It contains a categorical refusal for establishing a new metropolitan, a demand to accept the expelled bishop Leo, and to submit to the Metropolitan of Kiev. fulfilling this churchly obedience, Saint Andrew urged Bishop Theodore to journey in repentance to Kiev for the restoration of canonical relations with the Metropolitan. The repentance of Bishop Theodore was not accepted. Without investigation by a council, and in accord with the Byzantine morals of the time, Metropolitan Constantine condemned him to a terrible execution. Saint Theodore’s tongue was cut out, they cut off his right hand, and then they gouged out his eyes. After this he was drowned by servants of the Metropolitan (by other accounts, he died in prison). only the churchly, but also the political affairs of Southern Rus demanded the decisive response of the Great Prince of Vladimir. On 8 March 8, 1169 an army of allied princes with Andrew’s son Mstislav at the head conquered Kiev. The city was devastated and burned, and the Polovetsians participating in the campaign did not spare even the churchly treasures. The Russian chronicles viewed this event as something that was deserved: “These misfortunes were for their sins (the Kievans), especially for the outrage perpetuated by the Metropolitan.” In the same year (1169) the prince moved an army against unruly Novgorod, but they were repulsed by a miracle of the Novgorod Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), which had been carried along the city walls by holy Archbishop John (September 7). But when the understandable wrath of the Great Prince gave way to mercy, and in peace he summoned the Novgorod people to him, the blessing of God returned to him. Novgorod accepted the prince appointed by Saint Andrew. such a manner, towards the end of 1170, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky was able to attain the unity of the Russian Land under his rule. the winter of 1172 he sent a large army under the command of his son Mstislav against the Volga Bulgars. The Russian forces gained the victory, but their joy was overshadowed by the death of the valiant Mstislav (March 28, 1172). the night of June 30, 1174 holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky accepted a martyr’s death at the hands of traitors in his own household. The Tver Chronicle relates that Saint Andrew was murdered at the instigation of his second wife (a Volga Bulgar), who participated in the conspiracy. At the head of the conspiracy stood her brothers, the Kuchkovichi: “and they commited murder in the night, as did Judas against the Lord.” A throng of assassins, twenty men, burst in upon the court, they killed the few guards and stormed into the bedchamber of the unarmed prince. The sword of Saint Boris, which hung constantly over his bed, had been treacherously removed that night by the steward Anbal. The prince succeeded in pushing the first of his assailants down on the floor. The conspirators then mistakenly ran him through with their swords. Soon they realised their mistake, “and then they perceived the prince, and he fought much with them, for he was strong, and they did thrust with swords and sabres, and gave him copious wounds.” The forehead of the holy prince was struck on the side with a spear, while all the remaining blows from the cowardly assassins were dealt from behind. When the prince finally fell, they abruptly rushed out of the bedchamber, taking along their murdered accomplice. saint was still alive, however. With his final strength he lowered himself along the palace stairway, hoping to alert a guard. Instead, his groans were heard by the assassins and they turned back. The prince was able to hide himself in a niche below the stairway and so they passed by him. The conspirators rushed to the bedchamber but did not find the prince there. “Disaster stands before us, since the prince is alive,” the assassins cried out in terror. But all around it was quiet, and no one came to the aid of the suffering prince. Then the evil-doers again regained their boldness, they lit candles and followed the bloody trail to seek out their victim. Prayer was on the lips of Saint Andrew when the assassins again surrounded him. Russian Church remembers and venerates its martyrs and makers. A special place belongs to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky. Having taken in his hands the wonderworking icon of the Vladimir Mother of God, the holy prince, as it were, blessed the major events of Russian history with it. In 1395 was the year of the transfer of the Vladimir Icon to Moscow and the deliverance of the capital from the invasion of Tamerlane (August 26); the year 1480 marks the salvation of Rus from the invasion of Khan Akhmat and the ultimate collapse of the Mongol Horde (June 23); in the year 1521 Moscow was saved from the invasion of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girei (May 21). Through the prayers of Saint Andrew, his fondest dreams for the Russian Church came true. In the year 1300, Metropolitan Maximus transferred the metropolitan See of All-Russia from Kiev to Vladimir, making the Dormition cathedral the foremost cathedral of the Russian Church. There rest the relics of Saint Andrew, and the Vladimir wonderworking Icon is its chief holy object. on, when the center of the Russian Church was moved to Moscow, selections of the metropolitans and patriarchs of the Russian Church were made before the Vladimir Icon. In the year 1448, a Council of Russian bishops raised up the first metropolitan of the autocephalous Russian Church, Saint Jonah. On November 5, 1917, in front of it was made the selection of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon, the first such election after the restoration of the patriarchate in the Russian Church. And in 1971, on the Feast of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the enthronment of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen took place. liturgical activity of Saint Andrew was multi-faceted and fruitful. In 1162 the Lord granted the holy prince a great solace: in Rostov there was discovered the relics of Rostov saints -- the holy hierarchs Isaiah and Leontius. The glorification of these Rostov saints throughout all the Church took place somewhat later, but Saint Andrew initiated their national veneration. In 1164 the military forces of Saint Andrew crushed their long-time enemy, the Volga Bulgars. The victories of the Orthodox nation were marked by a blossoming of liturgical creativity within the Russian Church. this same year of 1164, at the initiative of Saint Andrew, the Church established the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos on August 1 (venerated by the Russian people as “Savior of the First Honey”), in memory of the Baptism of Rus by holy Equal of the Apostles Vladimir and in memory of the victory over the Bulgars in 1164. The Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God on October 1 embodied in liturgical forms the faith of the holy prince and all the Orthodox nation in the acceptance by the Mother of God of Holy Rus beneath Her omophorion. The Protection of the Theotokos became one of the most beloved of Russian Church Feasts. The Protection is a Russian national holiday, unknown to the Latin West. It is a liturgical continuation and creative development of theological ideas inherent to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God on July 2. first church consecrated to the new Feast was the Protection church at Nerla (1165), a remarkable monument of Russian Church architecture, built by the master artisans of Saint Andrew at the head-waters of the River Nerla, so that the prince could always see it from a window of his Bogoliubov garret. Andrew took an active part in the literary work of the Vladimir church writers. He participated in the compiling of the Service of the Protection (the most ancient copy is in the manuscript of a fourteenth century Psalter), and also a preface about the establishment of the Feast of the Protection in the Great Reading Menaion for October, as well as a “Discourse on the Protection.” He wrote an “Account of the Victory over the Bulgars and the Establishing of the Feast of the Savior in the Year 1164,” which in several of the old manuscripts is called, “Discourse concerning the Mercy of God by Great Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky.” The fate of Bogoliubsky is also noted in the Vladimir Chronicle entry for the year 1177, completed after the death of the prince by his confessor, the priest Mikula, who inserted his special “Account of the Murder of Saint Andrew.” To Saint Andrew’s time belongs also the final editing of the “Account of Boris and Gleb,” inserted into the “Dormition Sbornik” (“Compendium” or “Book of Collected Services” of these Rostov saints). The prince particularly venerated Saint Boris, and his chief household treasure was a cap belonging to Saint Boris. Saint Boris’s sword always hung over his bed. Another memorial of Saint Andrew’s prayerful inspiration is “A Prayer,” included in the chronicle under the year 1096 after the “Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh.”

Russia, Vladimir, 1175-1176, Mikhail of Vladimir, Yuri D's son, Big Nest's older b
Russia, Vladimir, 1175-1176, Mikhail of Vladimir; Vladimir, 1173-1212, Great Prince Vsevolod III the Big Nest ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1177-1212, Vsevolod III the Big Nest, Yuri D's 11th son, long reign in Vladimir, m Georgian
Vladimir, 1173-1212, Great Prince Vsevolod III the Big Nest ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24 ; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated on January 29; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated on January 29; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Vladimir, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk, monk at Barlaam's Khutyn m, left fSolitude, struggled&founded D m, incrpt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk fNovgorod, heard Christ's words, if come after me, deny, take up cross, follow me, so became monk at Barlaam's Khutyn monastery, appointed igumen b Dying Barlaam, Anthony had gone to Constantinople, returned day of B's death, but left for solitude tShores oLake Dyma near Tikhvin, struggled &founded monastery there, incorrupt relics glorified by many miracles; Tikhvin, Dymsk on Lake Dyma on the outskirts of Tikhvin; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, from that time they were glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Vladimir, 1180-1699, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after fire
Russia, Volhynia, 1180, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after church burned, 1600 K Monastery, 1699 Roman Catholics, Uniate monks, 1699 to Sophia C Kiev; Kupyatich monastery, Kobrin, Belarus, Leposovsky monastery today; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15; Kupyatich Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1180 near the village of Kupyatich in the area of the former Pinsk district of the Minsk governance. icon was found in the forest on a tree by the peasant girl Anna, a cattle herder. The image, in the form of a cross, shone with an unusual light. the spot of the miraculous appearance of the icon, peasants built a church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos, and placed the icon within it. After some years, Tatars burned the church. The icon was found a second time after many years by a traveler named Joachim. Peasants transferred the cruciform-icon to the village church. Joachim remained at the church as church attendant, by God’s will. the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Kupyatich monastery was built next to the church. Roman Catholics seized both at the end of the century. Later on, Uniate monks struggled there. monks, when they abandoned the monastery, took with them the holy icon of the Kupyatich Mother of God. They transferred the wonderworking icon to the Kiev Sophia cathedral. Kupyatich Icon is a small copper cross. On one side of the cross the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Infant, and on the other side, the Crucifixion.

Russia, Vladimir, 1182, Erasmus of Kiev Near Caves, monastery adornment, temptations, careless, sickness, 3 days time for repentence
Russia, Kiev, 1182, Erasmus of Kiev Near Caves, monastery adornment, donated icons, temptations for not giving to poor, careless, saved by sickness, 3 days time for repentence from Anthony, Theodosius and MOG for icons; Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Erasmus of the Kiev Caves Saint Simon, Bishop of Vladimir (May 10), wrote about him to his friend Saint Polycarp (July 24): “At the Caves was Erasmus the black-robed. He acquired a legacy of fame because he used everything he possessed for the adornment of the monastery church. He donated many icons, which even now may be seen over the altar. “The saint experienced great temptations after he had given away his wealth. The Evil One began to suggest to him that he should have given the money to the poor, rather than spend it on the beautification of the church. Saint Erasmus did not understand such thoughts, so he fell into despondency and began to live in a careless manner. Because of his former virtue the gracious and merciful God saved him. He sent him a grievous illness, and the monk lay near death. “In this sickness Erasmus lay for seven days, unable to see or speak, and hardly breathing. On the eighth day the brethren came to him and, seeing the difficulty of his approaching death, said, ‘Woe to the soul of this brother, for he lived in idleness and in sin. Now his soul beholds something and tarries, not having the strength to leave the body.’ “Erasmus suddenly got up, as though he had not been ill, and said to the monks, ‘Fathers and brethren! It is true that I am a sinner, and have not repented, as you said. Today, however, our monastic fathers Anthony and Theodosius have appeared to me, and said: “We have prayed for you, and the Lord has given you time for repentance.” Then I saw the All-Pure Mother of God with Christ in Her arms, and She said to me, “Erasmus, since you adorned My Church with icons, I will also adorn you and exalt you in the Kingdom of my Son! Arise, repent, take the angelic schema, and on the third day you will be taken from this life.”’ “Having said this, Erasmus began to confess his sins before all without shame, then went to church and was clothed in the schema, and on the third day he died.” Saint Erasmus was buried in the Near Caves. His memory is also celebrated on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit otCaves&Bishop oTurov, Ukraine, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 B See oTurov
Russia, Kiev, 1182-1194, Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, Ukraine (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2), Near Caves hermit to Devetrius Monastery aKiev, then Kiev Caves m, glorified by healing gift, then 1182 See of Turov Bishop; Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Laurence, Hermit of the Caves and Bishop of Turov, in the Near Caves at first lived as a hermit at the monastery of the Great Martyr Demetrius, built by Great Prince Izyaslav at Kiev near the Monastery of the Caves. he transferred to the Kiev Caves monastery, and was glorified by a gift of healing. was elevated to the See of Turov in 1182 (Turov is a city in the Minsk region), was a successor of Saint Cyril of Turov (April 28). died in 1194, and was buried in the Near Caves. memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2
Russia, Novgorod, 1192-1262, Xenophon oRobeica, Founder Holy Trinity or Xenophon Monastery at Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2; Khutyn Monastery; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; Xenophon of Robeika was the disciple of Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (+ November 6, 1192). the latter's repose, and the repose of Venerable Anthony of Dymsk (+ June 24, 1224), Father Xenophon became the third Superior of Khutyn Monastery when Igoumen Isidore fell asleep in the Lord in 1243. resigning as Superior, Father Xenophon founded Holy Trinity Monastery on the banks of the Robeika River (not far from Novgorod). June 28, 1262 Saint Xenophon reposed at Robeika Monastery, which he founded. holy relics rested in the monastery church, which later became a parish. Xenophon is commemorated on June 28, the day of his repose; January 26, the Feast Day of his heavenly patron, Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople (V-VI centuries); on the third Sunday after Pentecost, the Synaxis of the Novgorod Saints.

Russia, Vladimir, 1200-1299, 13th Century Folder, Fall to the Tartars, then Andrew Nevsky

Russia, Vladimir, 1208-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, disinherited by Big Nest, for Yuri II, d Yuri II
Russia, Rostov, 1208-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, Grand Prince of Vladimir; Vsevolodovich (May 18, 1186 in Rostov - February 2, 1218) was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna. 1206 and 1207, he was the prince of Novgorod. In 1207, his father sent him to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl. In consequence of one domestic squabble, Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin on his deathbed and bequeathed his capital Vladimir to a younger son, Yuri II. In the Battle of Lipitsa (1216), Konstantin and his ally Mstislav of Novgorod soundly defeated Yuri and occupied Vladimir. Konstantin's death in 1218, Yuri returned to the throne. Konstantin's descendants, meanwhile, retained the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl, where they would reign until the late 15th century. Thus, numerous princely families of Russia issue from this prince. Konstantin is also remembered for building the new Assumption Cathedral in Rostov and three brick cathedrals in Yaroslavl. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint’s great-grandfather was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III “Big-Nestâ€ (+ 1212), brother to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who had been heir to and continuer of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky’s work. From Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod Big-Nest single-handedly set the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The Lay of Igor’s Campaign says that he could splash the Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets. oldest grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, Saint Basil was born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince. He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to rule himself. valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of justice and the heeding of one’s elders, all these are traditional features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were present in Basil. The saint’s father, Great-prince Constantine, died on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great Prince Saint Yuri of Vladimir (February 4). twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in relations with the nobles: Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another prince. the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. Saint Yuri was then held hostage at Nizhni Novgorod. 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, “an unknown peopleâ€, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. Saint Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov. 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil’s uncle, Saint Yuri, had previously married Saint Michael’s sister [i.e. Basil’s uncle Yuri had married Maria’s aunt]. In 1231 Basil’s oldest son Boris was born. storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, “the earth shook during Liturgyâ€, and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in 1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land. 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. “A glorious fight,â€ said the prince, “is better than a shameful peace.â€ The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri’s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Yuri and his faithful companion Saint Basil were determined to fight “for the Orthodox Christian Faithâ€ against the “godlessly vile Tatars.â€ Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu. him were his nephews, Saint Basil of Rostov and his company, and his brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces. Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri’s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered “before the eyes of the Khanâ€. (In several of the old collections of Saints’ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to him, “he lamented in a loud voice with tears.â€ He said it would be better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world, since he alone survived. Saint Basil, arriving with the Rostov company, encouraged him to continue with the military effort. March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its victory. Saint Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded Basil was brought to Batu’s headquarters. Tatars demanded that he “follow their vile customs, be subject to their will and fight for them.â€ The holy prince angrily refused to betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. You cannot take the Christian Faith from me said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian confessors. They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in the Shernsk woods. Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God, resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Saint Basil was not even thirty years of age. Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri (they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The body of Saint Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest’s son and was taken to Rostov. There the prince’s wife, his children, Bishop Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of the cathedral church. the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: The multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful, and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr’s blood his transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away.â€ people regarded it as a sign of God’s mercy that the two princely comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral church: Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies together. (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral). Church venerates Saints Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence with the blessing of Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole. Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Saint Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. The city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. Besides this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. He suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. He did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his brother, but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. In 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. In the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Vladimir, 1212-1238, G Prince, Yuri II, St George, d at Sit River, family d at V
Russia, Vladimir, 1209-1238, George the Great Prince of Vladimir, son of Big Nest, 1212 throne, military valor and piety, 1237 Horde of Batu, died at Sita River 1238; Vladimir-Suzdal; Vladimir Great Prince, 1212-1238, Yuri II of Vladimir; II , also known as George II of Vladimir or Georgy II Vsevolodovich (1189-“ 4 March 1238), was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir (1212-“1216, 1218-“1238) who presided over Vladimir-Suzdal at the time of the Mongol invasion of Rus'. was the third and best-loved son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna. first distinguished himself in the battles against Ryazan in 1208. His father wanted Yuri to inherit Rostov and his elder brother Konstantin to succeed him in Vladimir. The latter, however, declared that he would rule both towns or nothing at all. Thereupon Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin and passed the throne to Yuri. Mongols under the walls of Vladimir. Vsevolod's death, Konstantin allied himself with Mstislav the Bold and defeated Yuri and his other brothers on the Lipitsa River. gained Vladimir, Konstantin sent Yuri to rule Rostov and Yaroslavl. years later Konstantin died, and Yuri was allowed to return to Vladimir. his reign in Vladimir, Yuri waged several wars against Volga Bulgaria founded the fortress of Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga River to secure the area from Bulgarian attacks. installed his younger brother Yaroslav in Novgorod. the Mongols first approached Russia in 1223, he sent a small unit against them, it arrived too late to take part in the disastrous Battle of the Kalka River. the Mongols returned in 1237, Yuri treated their envoys with disdain. he did not help Ryazan when Batu Khan laid siege to that city. own capital, however, was the next in line. sons were soundly defeated near Kolomna, and Yuri himself could barely escape to Yaroslavl. wife Agatha (Mikhail of Kiev's sister) and all his family died in Vladimir when a church where they had sought refuge from the fire collapsed. himself was killed on 4 March 1238, in the Battle of the Sit River, vast Mongol hordes defeated the army of Vladimir-Suzdal. relics of the prince are in Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir. Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Great Prince George was a son of Great Prince Vsevolod, nicknamed “Big Nest.” He was born in the year 1189, and he assumed the great princely throne of Vladimir in 1212. He was distinguished for his military valor and his piety. the year 1237 the Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu descended upon the Russian land. Saint George was compelled to leave the capital city in charge of his sons, and went north to meet up with the other princes. March 4, 1238 the Battle at the River Sita was fought, in which the Tatars destroyed the small but valiant company of the Great Prince. The saint himself fell in this fight, and Bishop Cyril buried his body at the Rostov cathedral. Two years later, it was transferred to Vladimir’s Dormition cathedral with great solemnity. Church glorification of the saint occurred in 1645.

Russia, Vladimir, 1212-1238, George Vsevolodovich, Yuri II, Nest's son, Yuri D's gson, Sit River
Vladimir Great Prince, 1212-1238, St George Vsevolodovich/a>; II (Russian: Ð®ÌÑ€Ð¸Ð¹â€“II), also known as George II of Vladimir or Georgy II Vsevolodovich (1189 – 4 March 1238), was the fourth Grand Prince of Vladimir (1212–1216, 1218–1238) who presided over Vladimir-Suzdal at the time of the Mongol invasion of Rus'. was the third and best-loved son of Vsevolod III and Maria Shvarnovna. first distinguished himself in the battles against Ryazan in 1208. His father wanted Yuri to inherit Rostov and his elder brother Konstantin to succeed him in Vladimir. The latter, however, declared that he would rule both towns or nothing at all. Thereupon Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin and passed the throne to Yuri. under the walls of Vladimir. Vsevolod's death, Konstantin allied himself with Mstislav the Bold and defeated Yuri and his other brothers on the Lipitsa River. Having gained Vladimir, Konstantin sent Yuri to rule Rostov and Yaroslavl. Two years later Konstantin died, and Yuri was allowed to return to Vladimir. his reign in Vladimir, Yuri waged several wars against Volga Bulgaria and founded the fortress of Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga River to secure the area from Bulgarian attacks. He installed his younger brother Yaroslav in Novgorod. When the Mongols first approached Russia in 1223, he sent a small unit against them, but it arrived too late to take part in the disastrous Battle of the Kalka River. the Mongols returned in 1237, Yuri treated their envoys with disdain. Likewise, he did not help Ryazan when Batu Khan laid siege to that city. His own capital, however, was the next in line. Yuri's sons were soundly defeated near Kolomna, and Yuri himself could barely escape to Yaroslavl. His wife Agatha (Mikhail of Kiev's sister) and all his family died in Vladimir when a church where they had sought refuge from the fire collapsed. himself was killed on 4 March 1238, in the Battle of the Sit River, whereby vast Mongol hordes defeated the army of Vladimir-Suzdal. The relics of the prince are in Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir. Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Vladimir, 1212-1238, George the Great Prince of Vladimir, son of Big Nest, 1237 Horde of Batu, died at Sita River
Russia, Vladimir, 1209-1238, George the Great Prince of Vladimir, son of Big Nest, 1212 throne, military valor and piety, 1237 Horde of Batu, died at Sita River 1238; Vladimir-Suzdal; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Great Prince George was a son of Great Prince Vsevolod, nicknamed “Big Nest.” He was born in the year 1189, and he assumed the great princely throne of Vladimir in 1212. He was distinguished for his military valor and his piety. the year 1237 the Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu descended upon the Russian land. Saint George was compelled to leave the capital city in charge of his sons, and went north to meet up with the other princes. March 4, 1238 the Battle at the River Sita was fought, in which the Tatars destroyed the small but valiant company of the Great Prince. The saint himself fell in this fight, and Bishop Cyril buried his body at the Rostov cathedral. Two years later, it was transferred to Vladimir’s Dormition cathedral with great solemnity. Church glorification of the saint occurred in 1645.

Russia, Vladimir, 1216-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, Grand Prince of Vladimir, disinherited by Big Nest
Russia, Rostov, 1208-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, Grand Prince of Vladimir; Vsevolodovich (May 18, 1186 in Rostov - February 2, 1218) was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna. 1206 and 1207, he was the prince of Novgorod. In 1207, his father sent him to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl. In consequence of one domestic squabble, Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin on his deathbed and bequeathed his capital Vladimir to a younger son, Yuri II. In the Battle of Lipitsa (1216), Konstantin and his ally Mstislav of Novgorod soundly defeated Yuri and occupied Vladimir. Konstantin's death in 1218, Yuri returned to the throne. Konstantin's descendants, meanwhile, retained the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl, where they would reign until the late 15th century. Thus, numerous princely families of Russia issue from this prince. Konstantin is also remembered for building the new Assumption Cathedral in Rostov and three brick cathedrals in Yaroslavl. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint’s great-grandfather was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III “Big-Nestâ€ (+ 1212), brother to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who had been heir to and continuer of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky’s work. From Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod Big-Nest single-handedly set the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The Lay of Igor’s Campaign says that he could splash the Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets. oldest grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, Saint Basil was born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince. He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to rule himself. valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of justice and the heeding of one’s elders, all these are traditional features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were present in Basil. The saint’s father, Great-prince Constantine, died on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great Prince Saint Yuri of Vladimir (February 4). twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in relations with the nobles: Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another prince. the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. Saint Yuri was then held hostage at Nizhni Novgorod. 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, “an unknown peopleâ€, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. Saint Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov. 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil’s uncle, Saint Yuri, had previously married Saint Michael’s sister [i.e. Basil’s uncle Yuri had married Maria’s aunt]. In 1231 Basil’s oldest son Boris was born. storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, “the earth shook during Liturgyâ€, and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in 1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land. 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. “A glorious fight,â€ said the prince, “is better than a shameful peace.â€ The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri’s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Yuri and his faithful companion Saint Basil were determined to fight “for the Orthodox Christian Faithâ€ against the “godlessly vile Tatars.â€ Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu. him were his nephews, Saint Basil of Rostov and his company, and his brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces. Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri’s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered “before the eyes of the Khanâ€. (In several of the old collections of Saints’ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to him, “he lamented in a loud voice with tears.â€ He said it would be better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world, since he alone survived. Saint Basil, arriving with the Rostov company, encouraged him to continue with the military effort. March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its victory. Saint Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded Basil was brought to Batu’s headquarters. Tatars demanded that he “follow their vile customs, be subject to their will and fight for them.â€ The holy prince angrily refused to betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. You cannot take the Christian Faith from me said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian confessors. They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in the Shernsk woods. Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God, resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Saint Basil was not even thirty years of age. Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri (they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The body of Saint Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest’s son and was taken to Rostov. There the prince’s wife, his children, Bishop Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of the cathedral church. the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: The multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful, and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr’s blood his transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away.â€ people regarded it as a sign of God’s mercy that the two princely comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral church: Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies together. (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral). Church venerates Saints Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence with the blessing of Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole. Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Saint Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. The city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. Besides this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. He suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. He did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his brother, but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. In 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. In the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Vladimir, 1219, Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars
Scythia, 1219, Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Vladimir, 1223, Battle of Kalka River, at Mariupol, Mongol Victory
Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol; Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223-1241; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1225-1246, Saint Michael of Chernigov, promoted trade, t routes K and Vohl, f Oleg Martyr
Novgorod, 1225-1246, Saint Michael of Chernigov; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20 ; St Oleg the Prince of Briansk, Commemorated on September 20 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1228-1238, Basil, Vasilko Konstantinovich, Rostov, heeded elders, war hero, k by Batu after Sita
Russia, Rostov, 1216-1238, Prince Basil, Vasilko Konstantinovich; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint’s great-grandfather was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III “Big-Nestâ€ (+ 1212), brother to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who had been heir to and continuer of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky’s work. From Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod Big-Nest single-handedly set the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The Lay of Igor’s Campaign says that he could splash the Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets. oldest grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, Saint Basil was born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince. He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to rule himself. valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of justice and the heeding of one’s elders, all these are traditional features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were present in Basil. The saint’s father, Great-prince Constantine, died on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great Prince Saint Yuri of Vladimir (February 4). twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in relations with the nobles: Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another prince. the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. Saint Yuri was then held hostage at Nizhni Novgorod. 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, “an unknown peopleâ€, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. Saint Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov. 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil’s uncle, Saint Yuri, had previously married Saint Michael’s sister [i.e. Basil’s uncle Yuri had married Maria’s aunt]. In 1231 Basil’s oldest son Boris was born. storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, “the earth shook during Liturgyâ€, and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in 1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land. 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. “A glorious fight,â€ said the prince, “is better than a shameful peace.â€ The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri’s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Yuri and his faithful companion Saint Basil were determined to fight “for the Orthodox Christian Faithâ€ against the “godlessly vile Tatars.â€ Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu. him were his nephews, Saint Basil of Rostov and his company, and his brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces. Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri’s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered “before the eyes of the Khanâ€. (In several of the old collections of Saints’ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to him, “he lamented in a loud voice with tears.â€ He said it would be better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world, since he alone survived. Saint Basil, arriving with the Rostov company, encouraged him to continue with the military effort. March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its victory. Saint Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded Basil was brought to Batu’s headquarters. Tatars demanded that he “follow their vile customs, be subject to their will and fight for them.â€ The holy prince angrily refused to betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. You cannot take the Christian Faith from me said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian confessors. They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in the Shernsk woods. Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God, resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Saint Basil was not even thirty years of age. Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri (they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The body of Saint Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest’s son and was taken to Rostov. There the prince’s wife, his children, Bishop Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of the cathedral church. the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: The multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful, and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr’s blood his transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away.â€ people regarded it as a sign of God’s mercy that the two princely comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral church: Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies together. (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral). Church venerates Saints Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence with the blessing of Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole.

Russia, Vladimir, 1231-1243, Eupraxia, Pskov Princess, h left for Livonia, piety, abbess of her monastery, k by h stepson
Russia, Pskov, 1231-1243, Saint Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov; St Eupraxia's Monastery for John the Forerunner; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, in the world Euphrosyne, was the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod Borisovich, and an aunt to the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20). was the wife of the Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Yaroslav fled from Pskov to Livonia and there married a German. with the Teutonic knights he made incursions several times upon the Russian lands, and in 1231 he seized Izborsk. the departure of her husband, Euphrosyne turned to deeds of piety. In the year 1243, she built a monastery on the banks of the River Velika named for Saint John the Forerunner, and became its abbess. to Livonia for a meeting with her former husband in the city of Odenpa (Bear’s Head), she was murdered (May 8, 1243) by a stepson, more accurately, the son of Yaroslav by his German wife. was buried at the cathedral of the monastery she founded. days after the death of Saint Eupraxia, a miracle occurred over her grave, when myrrh issued from an icon of the Savior. icon was called “The myrrh-bearing Savior”. countenance of the righteous princess was preserved on two icons. On the one she is depicted at prayer with Saint John the Forerunner and the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The other icon with her likeness is beside the wonderworking icon of the Savior.

Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Battle of the Sit (Sita) River
Battle of the Sit (Sita) River;

Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Smolensk Icon leads Mercurius into Batu's Camp near Sita River
Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Smolensk Icon leads Mercurius into Batu's Camp; the year 1238, at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercurius went by night into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in whose number was their most powerful warrior. Having accepted a martyr’s death in battle, he was included by the Church in the ranks of the Saints (November 24). Appearance of the Smolensk Directress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Battle of the Sit (Sita) River;

Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army (1238)
On Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri'™s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered œbefore the eyes of the KhanÂ. (In several of the old collections of Saints™ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Battle of Sit (Sita) River
Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Battle of Sit River; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1238-1246, G Prince, Theodore Vsevolodovich (Yaroslav II), Nevsky's f, poisened by Kh's mother
Vladimir Great Prince, 1238-1246, Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (Yaroslav II of Vladimir) ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; Icon of the Mother of God Elets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Vladimir, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, Luke's, would not move, not burn many times, war hero
Russia, Vladimir, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, found near Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 8.8), painted by Luke, found by T's brother George, would not move, Theodore monastery built there, 1238 Batu's invasion icon did not burn, 1260 Tartars Kostroma Basil following Andrew Bogolyubsky took icon to war, holy lake dazzling rays of light panicked Ts, 3rd Kostroma Cathedral fire icon saved floating in air, not leaving it settled middle of city square, 1613 Tsar Michael Romanov from Kostroma, Impatiev m, 2 Moscow MOG icons to Kostroma, Michael h mother refuse crown, first she gave in to MOG then he, copy to Moscow, 1636 M restored it, unsleeping candle, molebens, cross processions, d restoraton sanctification Moses in crowd recieved instant healing scabs and falling disease, 1834 Ilovaysky freed by icon from highlanders, took copy to Moscow to get gold covering, processions twice yearly ; Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; ascribes a very ancient origin to this famous Icon. is regarded as one of the icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke. is not known by whom or when the Icon was brought to Russia, but at the beginning of the XII century it was kept in an old wooden chapel near the city of Kitezh. Icon got its name from the Great Prince Yaroslav (+ 1246), who in Holy Baptism was named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), found the Icon in the wooden chapel near Gorodets. he attempted to take the Icon from the chapel it could not be moved. that the Mother of God wanted her Icon to remain there, Prince George built the Monastery of Saint Theodore on the site. Batu Khan's invasion in 1238, the Gorodets Monastery and other Russian monasteries were burnt and left in ruins. the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of the Khan, they did not have time to take the Icon with them. though objects made of stone and iron were destroyed, the wooden Icon was preserved and later revealed. August 16, 1239, Saint Alexander Nevsky's younger brother, Prince Basil of Kostroma, later the Great Prince of Vladimir, lost in the woods while chasing a wild animal. He saw an Icon in a pine1 tree, when the Prince tried to remove the Icon from the tree, it suddenly rose up into the air. by this miracle, Prince Basil returned to the city and told the clergy and the people about his vision. the people went into the forest and there they found the Icon where Prince Basil said it was. Everyone fell to their knees and prayed to the Mother of God. the priests were able to remove the Icon and take it to the cathedral church. people flocked to the newly-revealed Icon from the Kostroma region. residents said that when the Prince was hunting in the forest, some sort of soldier, who was dressed in rich clothing, walked through the city, carrying an Icon in his hands. warrior resembled the icon of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates (February 8), whom the Kostroma cathedral was dedicated. the Icon was known as the Saint Theodore Icon. the site of its appearance, on the banks of the Zaprudnya River the Prince founded a monastery dedicated to the Icon of Christ not made by hands, which is commemorated on August 16, very day of the Saint Theodore Icon's appearance. the Kostroma Cathedral burned down, the Saint Theodore Icon was found in the ashes three days later, completely unharmed. 1260, the Tatars approached Kostroma, and the city was threatened with complete ruin. the hopes of the inhabitants and the Prince rested upon the Mother of God, and they prayed that she would save the city. the battle, Prince Basil remembered that when Great Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky fought against the Kama Bulgarians, he took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon with him by the gracious help of the Mother of God, the enemy was completely routed. Saint Andrew's example, Prince Basil of Kostroma took the Saint Theodore Icon from the cathedral and carried it with his army. the battle began, the Icon was moved behind the army, and the priests served Molebens. two enemy armies converged, and a great miracle occurred. rays of light, brighter and hotter than the rays of the sun, shone from the Virgin's face, and scorching the Tatars, who panicked and fled in a disorderly retreat. Basil set up a Cross where the Icon had stood during the battle, in remembrance of this miracle. place itself, the people, and the nearby lake were called "holy." a village sprang up by the lake, and it too was called "Holy Lake." long afterward, the Kostroma cathedral caught fire again. When they rushed to save the wonderworking Icon, they saw it hovering in the air above the flames. thought that the Mother of God wanted the Icon to be taken from the city because of the sins of its inhabitants. Crying out, they implored the Mother of God not to leave the city. the Icon descended and settled on the ground in the middle of the square. Soon a small wooden church was built to house the Icon, which was later replaced by a stone church. name of the Saint Theodore Icon is also associated with the accession of Tsar Michael Romanov to the throne in 1613. were sent from Moscow to Kostroma, consisting of clergy, boyars, and persons of every rank. brought the Vladimir Icon with them, and also an icon of the Moscow wonderworkers. Kostroma, the delegation was met by a host of clergy with the Saint Theodore Icon, everyone went to Ipatiev Monastery, where young Michael lived with his aged mother, Schematic-nun Martha. the cathedral church, Michael was "implored" to accept the crown. Michael refused to accept this heavy yoke, and his mother didn't want to let him go. She remained adamant despite their pleas. the former head of the delegation, Archbishop Theodoret of Ryazan, took the Vladimir Icon in his hands, Abraham Palitsyn, the cellarer of Holy Trinity Monastery, took the icon of the Holy Moscow wonderworkers firmly said to her: "Why have we brought these Icons of the Most Holy Sovereign Lady and of the Moscow wonderworkers with us on such a long journey? you refuse to obey us, then consent for the sake of the Mother of God and the great Saints, and do not anger the Lord God." was unable to maintain her opposition, and she prostrated herself before the Saint Theodore Icon saying, "Your will be done, O Sovereign Lady! Into your hands I surrender my son; guide him on the true path, for his benefit and for that of our land!" begged his mother not to give in, but finally she did, and he had to accept. He was proclaimed as Tsar right away. remembrance of this event, an annual celebration was appointed for March 14. Tsar Michael brought a copy of the Icon with him to Moscow and placed it in the court church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, which is on the Seni. greatly revered the Saint Theodore Icon, so in 1636 he restored and adorned it. Kostroma Cathedral he bestowed great gifts; ordered that seven pounds of wax be provided from Kostroma's customs revenues for an unsleeping candle to burn before the Icon. ordered the Kostroma clergy to serve Molebens before the Icon, and the voivodes to take part in Cross Processions, dressed as archers and gunners. May 4, 1636, during the sanctification of the Icon which was restored by the Tsar, a young man named Moses, who suffered from a falling disease, and whose body was swollen and covered with scabs, was standing in the crowd and received instant healing. 1834, Lieutenant-General Ilovaysky was in Kostroma to venerate the Saint Theodore Icon and spoke of a miracle that his grandfather, a Cossack ataman, had experienced. grandfather was taken prisoner by the highlanders. As he languished in captivity, was revealed to him in a dream that he would be delivered by the grace of the Saint Theodore Icon. was ordered to run without any fear, and he did manage to escape unnoticed. a while, he hid from his pursuers in an oak tree, he walked 600 versts, and lived on fruits and roots. this time he read the Troparion to the Saint Theodore Icon. At last, he came to his own city of Cherkassk. he walked to Kostroma on a pilgrimage to the Saint Theodore Icon, he removed the copy of the Icon from the church and brought it on foot to Moscow. he had the Icon covered with a gold riza and he returned home with it. Saint Theodore Icon is kept in Kostroma's Dormition Cathedral. year processions are made with it: the Feast of Pentecost at Ipatiev Monastery; on August 16 in the Spaso-Zaprudenskaya church, at the place where it was found. Icon is commemorated twice a year: at the Dormition Cathedral on March 14, in remembrance of the end of the Time of Troubles in Russia, and on August 16, the day of the Icon's appearance. 1Various accounts say the tree was either pine, fir, or spruce.

Russia, Vladimir, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pius, fought giant & others w angels & radiant woman
Russia, Kiev, 1239, Mercurius of Smolensk, Slav from Moravia, pios, fought giant and others w aid of angels and radiant woman, killed by giant's son; Smolensk; Mercurius of Smolensk; Holy Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk was a Slav by birth, probably from Moravia, the descendant of a princely line. Brought up in Orthodoxy, Saint Mercurius in zeal for the true Faith left his own native land for Russia, where he served in the army of the Prince of Smolensk. The saintly soldier secretly led an ascetic life. He was strict in fasting, he was chaste, spending his nights at prayer, and spiritually preparing himself to suffer for Christ. In the year 1239 a horde of Tatars [Mongols], already having laid waste to many Russian cities, appeared in the vicinity of Smolensk and set up camp 25 versts away at Dolgomost, threatening to destroy the city and its holy places. church warden, praying by night in the Smolensk cathedral before a wonderworking icon of the Theotokos, heard the voice of the Queen of Heaven commanding him to find the holy warrior and say to him: “Mercurius, go forth into battle, for the Sovereign Lady summons you.” The soldier went himself to the cathedral and heard the voice of the All-Pure Virgin, sending him to fight the enemy and promising him heavenly assistance. warrior of Christ set off that very night to the Tatar camp at Dolgomost. He fought there with the leader of the Tatar army, a giant possessed of immense strength. He killed him and entered into single-combat with the enemy host. Invoking the name of the Lord and of the All-Pure Theotokos, the holy warrior destroyed many of the enemy. The Tatar warriors watched with terror as lightning-bearing men and a radiant Woman aided Saint Mercurius in the fight. Unable to stand against the warrior of Christ, they retreated in flight. Saint Mercurius was himself killed in the battle by the son of the Tatar giant he had killed. inhabitants of Smolensk, saved through the miraculous intervention of the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos, reverently buried the body of the soldier-martyr in the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Soon after his death, Saint Mercurius appeared in a vision to the church warden and ordered that his armor be hung over his grave, promising the Smolensk people constant help and intervention in every sorrow and struggle. Even today the sandals of the holy Martyr Mercurius are still preserved in the Smolensk cathedral church. His Feast was established at the end of the sixteenth century, and in 1509 the inhabitants of Smolensk were already calling him their special patron.

Russia, Vladimir, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, he d Europe & G Horde by submition, GH Orthodoxy & lands to t Pacific
Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, extremely important, he defeated Europe by Converting Mongol Horde, Orthodoxy then covering Ghengis Khan's lands to the Pacific; Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, Yaroslav II son, Big Nest's gson, Yuri's bro, Saint Simon of Suzdal, to Novgorod w dad by Yuri, Michael of Chernigov, back to P, back to N, Euphrosvne, fought Germans in Estonia, Y to Kiev, A to rule in N, married Polotsian Alexandra, Theodore icon, troublesome time, mongols, teutonic knights, cross bearers, Batu, Swedes, Neva, Birger, haughty, prayer, c of Saint Sophia, hasten towards enemy, m omen, B and G boat, emboldened, fight valiantly, Angel, slain opposite bank, lightning quick captured rus fort Kopore from knights, but they captured Pskov, winter campaign, l pskov, spring, battle of the Ice, famous world wide, to the Horde w his father, meekness and wisdom, alliance w Batu, Batu wishing to break w G Horde, Mongolia, Y poisoned, only 10 days after Michael, w support from Alex, Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan , Batu took over Mongol Horde with Christian Monke Khan, but other Russian princes sought support from Europe against Mongols, M of Cherginov, D of Galich, brother A of V sought help from Pope, 1252 bro Andrew rose up against Mongols, A to the Horde once more, Andrew defeated fled to Swedes, whom A had defeated, AN then became ruler of all Rus, repelled new Pskov G invasion, treaty w norway, converted Finland, 1256 Batu died, Sartak poisoned 3rd trip to new Khan Berke, a moslem, who needed Rus, 1261 Cyril and AN established diocese at Sarai, Great christianization of East, 1262 Tartar Tribute and conscription stopped by decree w no reprisal, 4th trip, another channel, Berke independent GH, shield for Russia from East, uniting Rus w GH against Mongolia and Europe, Russian Church now to Pacific Ocean, all Ghengis Khan's lands Yaroslavich Nevsky[1] (13 May 1221[2] - 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–63) during some of the most difficult times in Kievan Rus' history. regarded as a key figure of medieval Rus', Alexander was a grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest and rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders. He preserved Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolite Macarius canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.[3] Pereslavl-Zalessky; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His father Yaroslav II, Theodore in Baptism (+1246), “a gentle, kindly and genial prince”, was the younger son of Vsevolod III Large Nest (+ 1212), brother of the Holy Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (February 4). Saint Alexander’s mother, Theodosia Igorevna, a Ryazan princess, was Yaroslav’s third wife. Their older son was the Holy Prince Theodore (June 5), who departed to the Lord at age fifteen. Saint Alexander was their second son. childhood was spent at Pereslavl-Zalessk, where his father was prince. princely tonsure of the lad Alexander (a ceremony of initiation to be soldier) was done in the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (May 10), one of the compilers of the Kiev Caves Paterikon (Lives of the Fathers). this Elder-hierarch, Saint Alexander received his first blessing for military service in the name of God, to defend the Russian Church and the Russian Land. 1227 Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the people of Novgorod, was sent by his brother Yuri, the Great Prince of Vladimir, to rule as prince in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander. Dissatisfied with the Vladimir princes, the people of Novgorod soon invited Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20), and in February 1229 Yaroslav with his sons departed to Pereslavl. The matter ended peacefully: in 1230 Yaroslav with his sons returned to Novgorod, and Saint Michael’s daughter Theodosia was betrothed to Saint Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. After the death of the bridegroom in 1233 the young princess went to a monastery and became famous in monastic exploits as the nun Saint Euphrosynē of Suzdal (September 25). his early years Saint Alexander went along on his father’s campaigns. In 1235 he participated in a battle at the River Emajogi (in present-day Estonia), where the forces of Yaroslav totally routed the Germans. In the following year Yaroslav went to Kiev, “settling” his son, Saint Alexander, to rule independently as prince at Novgorod. In 1239 Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as wife the daughter of the Polotsian prince Briacheslav. Some histories relate that the day the princess was baptized was the Name Day of her saintly spouse, and she was named Alexandra. His father, Yaroslav, blessed them at betrothal with the holy wonderworking icon of the Theodore Mother of God (the father was named Theodore in Baptism). Afterwards, Saint Alexander constantly prayed before this icon. Later, it was taken from the Gorodetsk Monastery, where he died, by his brother Basil of Kostroma (+1276), and transferred to Kostroma. very troublesome time had begun in Russian history: from the East came the Mongol Horde destroying everything in their path; from the West came the forces of the Teutonic Knights, which blasphemously and with the blessing of the Roman Pope, called itself “Cross-bearers” by wearing the Cross of the Lord. In this terrible hour the Providence of God raised up for the salvation of Russia holy Prince Alexander, a great warrior, man of prayer, ascetic and upholder of the Land of Russia. “Without the command of God there would not have been his prince.” by the invasion of Batu, by the ruin of Russian cities, by the dismay and grief of the nation, by the destruction of its finest sons and leaders, a horde of crusaders made incursions into the borders of Russia. First were the Swedes. “A king of Roman faith from the midnight land,” Sweden, in 1240 gathered a great armed force and sent them to the Neva on many ships under the command of his son-in-law, Yarl (Prince) Birger. The haughty Swede sent his messengers to Novgorod to say to Saint Alexander: “Fight me if you have the courage, for I am already here and I am taking your land captive.” Alexander, then not yet twenty years old, prayed a long time in the church of Saint Sophia, the Wisdom of God. He recited the Psalm of David, saying: “Judge, O Lord, those who injure me, fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me” (Ps. 34/35). Archbishop Spyridon blessed the holy prince and his army for the battle. Leaving the church, Saint Alexander exhorted his troops with words of faith: “The power of God is not in numbers, but in truth.” With a smaller force, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hastened towards the enemy to await help from his father, not knowing whether the enemy would attack, nor when. there was a miraculous omen: at dawn on July 15 the warrior Pelgui, in Baptism Philip, saw a boat, and on it were the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb, in royal purple attire. Boris said: “Brother Gleb, let us help our kinsman Alexander.” When Pelgui reported the vision to the prince, Saint Alexander commanded that no one should speak about the miracle. Emboldened by this, he urged the army to fight valiantly against the Swedes. “There was a great slaughter of the Latins, and a countless multitude was killed, and their leader was left with a mark upon his face from a sharp spear.” An angel of God invisibly helped the Orthodox army: when morning came, on the opposite bank of the River Izhora, where the army of Saint Alexander was unable to proceed, was a multitude of the slain enemy. Because of this victory at the River Neva on July 15, 1240, the nation called the saint Alexander Nevsky. Teutonic Knights remained a dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 Saint Alexander recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov. The enemy boasted of “subjecting all the Slavic nation.” Saint Alexander, setting forth in a winter campaign, liberated Pskov, that ancient home of the Holy Trinity, and in spring of the year 1242 fought a decisive battle against the Teutonic Order. On the ice of Lake Chud both armies clashed on April 5, 1242. Raising his hands towards the heavens, Saint Alexander prayed: “Judge me, O God, and judge my strife with a boastful nation and grant help to me, O God, as to Moses of old against Amalek, and to my great-grandfather Yaroslav the Wise against accursed Svyatopolk.” his prayer, by the help of God, and by military might the Crusaders were completely destroyed. There was a terrible slaughter, and there was such a crashing of striking spears and swords that it seemed as though the frozen lake were in motion and not solid ice, since it was covered with blood. When they turned to flee, the enemy was pursued and slashed by Alexander’s army “as if they sped through the air, and there was nowhere for the enemy to flee.” Later, they led a multitude of captives behind the holy prince, marching in disgrace. clearly understood the universal historical significance of the Great Battle of the Ice, and the name of Saint Alexander was celebrated throughout Holy Russia, “through all the lands, from the Egyptian Sea to Mount Ararat, from both sides of the Varangian Sea to Great Rome.” western boundaries of the Russian land were safely secured, and it was time to guard Russia from the East. In 1242 Saint Alexander Nevsky and his father Yaroslav journeyed to the Horde. Metropolitan Cyril blessed them for this new service of many hardships: it was necessary to turn the Tatars from enemies and plunderers into honorable allies, and this required “the meekness of an angel and the wisdom of a snake.” Lord crowned the holy mission of the defenders of the Russian land with success, but this required years of hardship and sacrifice. Having made an alliance with Khan Batu, Prince Yaroslav was required to travel to faraway Mongolia, to the capital of all the nomadic empire. The situation of Batu himself being precarious, he sought the support of the Russian princes, wishing to break with his own Golden Horde from faraway Mongolia. And there in turn, they trusted neither Batu nor the Russians. Yaroslav was poisoned. He died in agony, surviving the Holy Martyr Michael of Chernigov, whose relative he nearly became, by only ten days. his father bequeathed him an alliance with the Golden Horde, it was necessary for Saint Alexander Nevsky to hold fast to it in order to avert a new devastation of Russia. the son of Batu, had accepted Christianity, and was in charge of Russian affairs with the Horde. became his friend, and like a brother to him. his support, Saint Alexander allowed Batu to launch a campaign against Mongolia, to become the chief power in all the Great Steppes, and to raise up the Tatar Christian leader, Khan Munke (most of his Tatar Christians were Nestorians) on the throne in Mongolia. all the Russian princes possessed the wisdom of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Many hoped for European help in the struggle against the Mongol Yoke. Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniel of Galich, and Andrew, Saint Alexander’s brother, conducted negotiations with the Roman Pope. Saint Alexander well knew the fate of Constantinople, seized and devastated by Crusaders in the year 1204. His own personal experience taught him not to trust the West. The alliance of Daniel of Galich with the Pope, giving him nothing in return, was a betrayal of Orthodoxy, a unia with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this to happen to his Church. ambassadors of the Roman Pope appeared in 1248 to seduce him also, he wrote in answer that the Russians were faithful to the Church of Christ and to the belief of the Seven Ecumenical Councils: “These we know very well, but we do not accept your teaching.” was unsuitable for the Russian Church, and a unia signified a rejection of Orthodoxy, a rejection of the source of spiritual life, a rejection of the historical future foreordained by God, and the dooming of itself to spiritual death. the year 1252 many Russian cities rose up against the Tatar Yoke, supporting Andrew Yaroslavich. The situation was very risky. Again there arose a threat to the very existence of Russia. Alexander had to journey to the Horde once more, in order to prevent a punitive Tatar incursion on the Russian lands. Defeated, Andrew fled to the Swedes seeking the help of those very robbers whom his great brother had crushed with the help of God at the Neva. Alexander became the ruling Great Prince of All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod. great responsibility before God and history lay upon his shoulders. 1253, he repelled a new German incursion against Pskov; 1254 he made a treaty with Norway concerning peacetime borders; in 1256 he went on a campaign to the Finnish land. The chronicler called it “the dark campaign,” because the Russian army went along through the polar night, “going to impassable places, unable to see either day or night”. Into the darkness of paganism Saint Alexander brought the light of Gospel preaching and Orthodox culture. All the coastal region was enlightened and opened up by the Russians. 1256 Khan Batu died, and soon his son Sartak was poisoned, the one who was like a brother to Alexander Nevsky. holy prince journeyed a third time to Sarai in order to confirm peaceful relations of Rus and the Horde with the new Khan, Berke. Although the successor to Batu had accepted Islam, he needed the alliance with Orthodox Rus. 1261, by the diligent efforts of Saint Alexander and Metropolitan Cyril, a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established at Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. followed an epoch of great Christianization of the pagan East, and Saint Alexander Nevsky prophetically speculated about the historical vocation of Rus. The holy prince used every possibility to uplift his native land and the ease its allotted cross. 1262 by his decree in many of the cities the Tatar collectors of tribute and the conscription of soldiers were stopped. They waited for a Tatar reprisal. But the great intercessor of the nation again journeyed to the Horde and he wisely directed the event into quite another channel. been dismissed for the uprising of the Russians, Khan Berke ceased to send tribute to Mongolia and proclaimed the Golden Horde an independent entity, making it a veritable shield for Russia from the East. this great uniting of the Russian and Tatar lands and peoples the future multi-national Russian State was matured and strengthened. within the bounds of the Russian Church, was encompassed nearly the entire legacy of Ghenghis Khan to the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. diplomatic journey of Saint Alexander Nevsky to Sarai was his fourth and last. The future of Rus was rescued, his duty before God was fulfilled. But his power was wholly devoted, and his life put to the service of the Russian Church. On the return journey from the Horde Saint Alexander fell deathly ill. Unable to reach Vladimir, in a monastery at Gorodets the prince-ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, completing his difficult earthly path by receiving the monastic schema with the name of Alexis. Cyril, the spiritual Father and companion of the holy prince, said in the funeral eulogy: “Know, my child, that already the sun has set for the land of Suzdal. There will be no greater prince in the Russian land.” They took his holy body to Vladimir, the journey lasted nine days, and the body remained undecayed. November 23, before his burial at the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, there was manifest by God “a wondrous miracle and worthy of memory.” When the body of Saint Alexander was placed in the crypt, the steward Sebastian and Metropolitan Cyril wanted to take his hand, in order to put in it the spiritual gramota (document of absolution). The holy prince, as though alive, reached out his hand and took the document from the hand of the Metropolitan. “Because of their terror, and they were barely able to stumble from his tomb. Who would not be astonished at this, since he was dead and the body was brought from far away in the winter time.” did God glorify the saintly Soldier-Prince Alexander Nevsky. The universal Church glorification of Saint Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Cathedral in 1547. The Canon to the saint was compiled at that time by the monk Michael of Vladimir.

Russia, Vladimir, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves
Russia, Kiev, 1243, Hieromartyr Lucien oKiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, martyred by Batu, nothing else known, relics in Far Caves; Kiev Caves; Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 15; Lucian the Presbyter lived in the XIII century, and suffered martyrdom under Batu around 1243. else is known about him. Lucian's relics are in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios, his Feast Day is on October 15, because of his Patron Saint, Hieromartyr Lucian, the Presbyter of Antioch. He is also commemorated on August 28 (Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosios); and again on the second Sunday of Great Lent (Synaxis of all the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Monastery).

Russia, Vladimir, 1244,1578&1770, 6 Translations otRelics otMartyr's Prince Michael & Boyer Theodore, killed by Batu 1244

Russia, Vladimir, 1249-1252, Yaroslavich, Alexander Nevsky's b, Andrey II, rose up, but fled to the Swedes
Russia, Vladimir, 1249-1252, Alexander Nevsky's Brother Andrew, Andrey II of Vladimir , he fled to the Swedes for help ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Vladimir, 1252-1263, G Prince, Alexander Nevsky, battles Neva and Ice, submitted to GH, greatest russian
Vladimir Great Prince, 1252-1263, Alexander Nevsky of Vladimir-Suzdal; Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (13 May 1221[1] -“ 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236-“40, 1241-“56 and 1258-1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (Kyiv, 1236-“52) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252-63) during some of the most difficult times in Kievan Rus' history. regarded as a key figure of medieval Ru', Alexander (a grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest) rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders. He preserved Russian statehood and Russian Orthodoxy, agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. Metropolite Macarius canonized Alexander Nevsky as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547.[2] and youth[edit] Tales of the Life and Courage of the Pious and Great Prince Alexander found in the Second Pskovian Chronicle, circa 1260--“1280, comes one of the first known references to the Great Prince: the will of God, prince Alexander was born from the charitable, people-loving, and meek the Great Prince Yaroslav, and his mother was Theodosia. As it was told by the prophet Isaiah: 'Thus sayeth the Lord: I appoint the princes because they are sacred and I direct them."... was taller than others and his voice reached the people as a trumpet, and his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian Pharaoh placed as next to the king after him of Egypt. power was a part of the power of Samson and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon ... this Prince Alexander: he used to defeat but was never defeated ..."[3 in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexander was the second son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Feodosia Igorevna of Ryazan. His maternal grandfather was Igor Glebovich, the second son of Gleb Rostislavich, Prince of Ryazan (d. 1178). His maternal grandmother was Agrafena of Kiev, daughter of Rostislav I of Kiev. seemed to have no chance of claiming the throne of Vladimir. In 1236, however, the Novgorodians summoned him to become knyaz (or prince) of Novgorod and, as their military leader, to defend their northwest lands from Swedish and German invaders. to the Novgorod Chronicle written in the 14th century (more than a century after the events it recorded), the Swedish army had landed at the confluence of the rivers Izhora and Neva, Alexander and his small army suddenly attacked the Swedes on 15 July 1240 and defeated them. of the Neva saved Novgorod from a full-scale invasion from the West. of this battle, 19-year-old Alexander gained the sobriquet "Nevsky" (which means of Neva). victory, coming just three years after the disastrous Mongol invasion of the Rus' lands of the North West, strengthened Alexander's political influence, at the same time it worsened his relations with the boyars. He would soon have to leave Novgorod because of this conflict. non-Russian contemporary source mentions this supposed battle. The Chronicle identifies the alleged Swedish commander as "Spiridon" ( while names after Saint Spyridon appear in both West and East, it is by far much more common in Orthodox lands than Scandinavia. Furthermore, Sweden had stood on the brink of war with Norway ever since the Norwegians' infamous Varmland expedition in 1225.[4] Relations improved only after the Treaty of Lase in 1249, which was forged by the new Swedish strongman Birger Jarl.[5] Before the treaty, Norway remained an ally of the Folkungs, giving them refuge and providing men and arms. In this situation, it seems unlikely that Sweden could have been able to organize a major expedition against Novgorod. Swedes are not known to have carried out any other military campaigns between 1222 and 1249, making the claims about their forceful appearance at the Neva with Norwegians as their allies in 1240 seem questionable.) the Germans and Estonians invaded Pskov, the Novgorod authorities sent for Alexander. spring of 1241 he returned from exile, gathered an army, and drove out the invaders. Alexander and his men faced the Livonian heavy cavalry led by the bishop of Dorpat (Hermann, brother of Albert of Buxhoeveden). The Rus force met the enemy on the ice of Lake Peipus and defeated the German knights and the Estonian infantry during the Battle of the Ice on 5 April 1242. victory marked a significant event in the history of Russia. Foot soldiers of Novgorod had surrounded and defeated an army of knights, mounted on horseback and clad in thick armour. Nevsky's great victory against the Livonian Order apparently involved only a few knights killed rather than the hundreds claimed by the Russian chroniclers; decisive medieval and early-modern battles were won and lost by smaller margins than those seen in contemporary mass conflicts. the Livonian invasion, Nevsky continued to strengthen Russia's Northwest. He sent his envoys to Norway and, as a result, they signed a first peace treaty between Russia and Norway in 1251. Alexander led his army to Finland and successfully routed the Swedes, who had made another attempt to block the Baltic Sea from the Russians in 1256.[6] envoys of the Roman Pope attend Alexander Nevsky proved to be a cautious and far-sighted politician. He dismissed the Roman Curia's attempts to cause war between Russia and the Golden Horde, because he understood the uselessness of such war with the Tatars at a time when they were still a powerful force. seem to be unsure about Alexander's behavior when it came to his relations with Mongols. He may have thought that Catholicism presented a more tangible threat to Russian national identity than paying a tribute to the Khan, who had little interest in Slav religion and culture. is also argued that he intentionally kept the North Slav principalities and city states as vassals to the Mongols in order to preserve his own status and counted on the befriended Horde in case someone challenged his authority (he forced the citizens of Novgorod to pay tribute). tried to strengthen his authority at the expense of the boyars and at the same time suppress any anti-Mongol uprisings in the country (Novgorod Uprising of 1259). Orthodox Church also emphasizes tolerating present civil authority of any kind more than heterodox churches (see Romans 13), which in this case would include accepting Mongol vassalage as divine judgement. to one interpretation, Alexander's intentions were to protect scattered principalities of what would become Muscovy from repeated invasions by the Mongol army. is known to have gone to the Horde himself and achieved success in exempting Russians from fighting beside the Tatar army in its wars with other peoples. historians see Alexander's choice of subordination to the Golden Horde and refusal of cooperation with western countries and church as an important reaffirmation of East Slavs' Orthodox orientation (begun under Duke Vladimir of Kiev and his mother Olga).[7] Prince of Vladimir[edit] the conquest of the Principality of Vladimir by the Mongols in 1238, its reigning Prince, Yuri II Vsevolodovich, was killed in the Battle of the Sit River; his younger brother, Yaroslav II Vsevolodovich, requested from, and received from, the Mongol khan installation as the new Prince. Prince, he assigned the duchy of Novgorod to his son Alexander. However, while traveling in 1245 to the Mongol capital Karakorum in Central Asia, Yaroslav died. in 1248 Alexander and his older brother Andrey II Yaroslavich also traveled to Karakorum to attend upon the Great Khan, Andrei returned with the award of the Grand Principality of Vladimir and Alexander the nominal lordship of Kiev. Mongke became the new Great Khan in 1251, all the Russian princes were obliged to travel to Sarai on the Volga, the capital of the Golden Horde, to be affirmed in their duchies, but Andrei refused to go. to his friendship with Sartaq Khan, the subsequent invasion by the Mongol Golden Horde saw Andrei exiled to Sweden and Alexander installed as the Grand Prince of Vladimir (i.e., the supreme Russian ruler) in 1252.[8] faithfully supported Mongol rule within his domains. In 1259 he led an army to the city of Novgorod and forced it to pay tribute it had previously refused to the Golden Horde.[9] Returning in 1263 from one of his frequent visits to the Horde, Alexander died in the town of Gorodets-on-the-Volga on his way back from Sarai. Prior to his death, he took monastic vows and was given the religious name of Alexis. of Alexander Nevsky the Second Pskovian Chronicle: from the Golden Horde, the Great Prince Alexander, reached the city of Nizhny Novgorod, and remained there for several days in good health, but when he reached the city of Gorodets he fell ill ... Prince Alexander, who was always firm in his faith in God, gave up this worldly kingdom ... And then he gave up his soul to God and died in peace on 12 November [1263], on the day when the Holy Apostle Philip is remembered ... At this burial Metropolitan Archbishop Cyril said, 'My children, you should know that the sun of the Suzdalian land has set. There will never be another prince like him in the Suzdalian land.' the priests and deacons and monks, the poor and the wealthy, and all the people said: 'It is our end.' "[3] he died in Gorodets, Alexander was laid to rest in the city of Vladimir, in the Great Abbey at The Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God. and children[edit] According to the Novgorod First Chronicle, Alexander married first a daughter of Bryacheslav Vasilkovich, Prince of Polatsk and Vitebsk, in 1239. Her name is not given in the chronicle. Genealogies name her as Paraskeviya or Alexandra (possibly birth and marital names respectively). They had five children: Alexandrovich, Prince of Novgorod (c. 1239-“1271). He was betrothed to Princess Kristina of Norway in 1251. The marriage contract was broken. Kristina went on to marry Felipe of Castile, a son of Ferdinand III of Castile and Elisabeth of Hohenstaufen. Alexandrovna. Married Konstantin Rostislavich, Prince of Smolensk. of Pereslavl (c. 1250-1294). of Gorodets (c. 1255 -“ 27 July 1304). married a second wife named Vasilisa or Vassa[10] shortly before his death. They had one son. of Moscow (1261-“ 4 March/5 March 1303).[11] regarded as a key figure of medieval Rus, Alexander (“ the grandson of Vsevolod the Big Nest)“ rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over German and Swedish invaders while agreeing to pay tribute to the powerful Golden Horde. He was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church by Metropolite Macarius in 1547.[12] was buried in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin monastery in Vladimir. Veneration began almost immediately after a miracle at his burial, when he supposedly extended his hand for the prayer of absolution.[13] remains of the prince were uncovered in response to a vision, before the Battle of Kulikovo in the year 1380, and found to be incorrupt. relics were then placed in a shrine in the church. was glorified (canonized) by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1547. new wooden reliquary was made in Moscow in 1695 and the relics placed in it in 1697. order of Peter the Great the relics were then removed from Vladimir on 11 August 1723 and transported to Shlisselburg (at the head of the Neva, near St Petersburg), arriving there on 20 September.[13] There they were kept until 1724, when they were brought to Saint Petersburg and installed in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra on 30 August.[13] In 1753 a large silver shrine [ru] for the relics, made with 90 pounds of silver, was donated by Empress Elizabeth of Russia. With the completion of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in 1790, the shrine and relics were transferred there at its consecration on 30 August, one of the saint's feast days.[13] May 1922, during the general confiscation of Russian Orthodox Church property, the shrine was opened.[14] The elaborate silver shrine was transferred to the Hermitage Museum, where it remains.[14] The relics were put into storage at the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism, before being returned to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1989.[14] His principal feast day is 23 November. A second feast day was instituted on 30 August in commemoration of the placing of his relics in the Annunciation Church. He is also commemorated in common with other saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl on 23 May. order of Alexander Nevsky of Alexander's policies on the Western border were continued by his grandson-in-law, Daumantas of Pskov, who was also beatified in the 16th century. the late 13th century, a chronicle was compiled called the Life of Alexander Nevsky, in which he is depicted as an ideal prince-soldier and defender of Russia. 21 May 1725, the empress Catherine I introduced the Imperial Order of St. Alexander Nevsky as one of the highest decorations in the land. the Great Patriotic War, on 29 July 1942, the Soviet authorities introduced an Order of Alexander Nevsky to revive the memory of Alexander's struggle with the Germans. was also an earlier Bulgarian Order dedicated to Saint Alexander which was founded on 25 December 1881, which ceased to exist when the People's Republic was declared on 16 September 1946. 1938, Sergei Eisenstein made one of his most acclaimed films, Alexander Nevsky, on Alexander's victory over the Teutonic Knights. The soundtrack for the film was written by Sergei Prokofiev, who also reworked the score into a concert cantata. Today the film is renowned for its extraordinary battle on ice sequence, which has served as inspiration for countless other films. In the picture, Nevsky used a number of Russian proverbs, tying Nevsky firmly to Russian tradition.[15] famous proverbial phrase (paraphrasing Matthew 26:52), "Whoever will come to us with a sword, from a sword will perish," that is often attributed to Alexander Nevsky, was not in fact pronounced by him, but comes from the Eisenstein's film, where it was said by an actor Nikolai Cherkasov. Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia is a long tradition of Russian naval vessels bearing Nevsky's name, such as the 19th-century propellor frigate Alexander Nevsky and a strategic ballistic missile nuclear submarine recently built for the Russian Navy.[16] Nevsky's fame has spread beyond the borders of Russia, and numerous cathedrals and churches are dedicated to him, including the Patriarchal Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria; the Cathedral church in Tallinn, Estonia; the Cathedral church in Poland. 24 September 2008, Alexander Nevsky was declared the main hero of Russia's history by popular vote, as reported by the Kommersant newspaper. In December 2008, he was voted the greatest Russian in the Name of Russia television poll.[17 Icon of the Mother of God of Ustiuzhena, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Saint Theodore, Commemorated on March 14 Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke and resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, the icon was found by his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodetsk Theodorov monastery was built on this spot. Prince Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. In the year 1239, he solemnly transferred the relics of his brother from Rostov to the Vladimir Dormition cathedral. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. is renowned in Russian history. He continued with the glorious traditions of his uncle Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), and of his father Vsevolod III Big-Nest, and he was connected to almost all of the significant events in the history of Rus in the first half of the thirteenth century. was burned and torn apart by the Mongols in 1237-1238. He raised it up from the ashes, rebuilt and embellished the cities, the holy monasteries and the churches. He restored cities along the Volga devastated by the enemy: Kashin, Uglich, Yaroslavl’, Kostroma, Gorodets. founded he church of Theodore Stratelates at Kostroma and the Theodorov monastery near Gorodets in honor of his patron saint. For eight years he ruled as Great Prince, but he had to guide the land through a singularly difficult path, maintaining a military-political balance with the Golden Horde to the East, while mounting an active opposition to Catholic Europe in the West. His closest companion was his son, Saint Alexander Nevsky, who also continued his policies. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. Yaroslavich was the youngest (eighth) son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1246 after the death of his father (Prince Yaroslav was poisoned in the capital city of Mongolia, Karakorum when he was only five years old) Basil became prince of the Kostroma appanage-holding, the least important of his father’s domains. In the year 1272, he became Great Prince of Vladimir. four years as Great Prince (1272-1276) were filled with fratricidal princely quarrels. For several years he waged war against Novgorod with an unruly nephew Demetrius. In becoming Great Prince, however, Basil did not journey to Vladimir, but remained under the protection of the wonderworking icon at Kostroma, regarding this place as safer in case of new outbreaks of strife. had occasion also to defend Rus against external enemies. In 1272, during a Tatar incursion, a Russian army came forth from Kostroma to engage them. Following the example of his grandfather, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (who took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God with him on military campaigns), Prince Basil went into battle with the wonderworking Theodore Icon. A blinding light came forth from the holy image, and the Tatars dispersed and fled from the Russian land. Chronicles say that the Great Prince Basil had a special love for the Church and the clergy. After the martyric death of Bishop Metrophanes of Vladimir during the storming of Vladimir by Tatars on February 4, 1238, the Vladimir diocese had remained widowed for many years. This grieved Great Prince Basil. With his help, a large cathedral was constructed in Vladimir in 1274. This was apparently in connection with the consecration of Saint Serapion (July 12) as Bishop of Vladimir. He was an igumen from the Monastery of the Caves. Cyril III (+ 1282) presided over a council of Russian hierarchs. This was the first council in the Russian Church since the time of the Mongol invasion. Many problems and disorders had arisen in Church life, but the Russian Church was just barely beginning to recover from the woe that had befallen it. One of its main tasks was to recover a Russian churchly literacy, and the restoration of the tradition of the ancient Russian “princely order.â€ books the Church’s salvific activity would be almost impossible. Books were needed for church services, and for preaching, for the monastic cell rule, and for believers to read at home. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Cyril and the Russian bishops and monastic scholars, this important task was begun. The council approved new editions of essential books which formed the canonical basis of Orthodox church life. 1276, Prince Basil completed his life’s journey. Most of the important events in his life occured with the blessing of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. He died at Kostroma, and there he also found his final resting place. Since that time, the holy icon has been in the Kostroma cathedral of Saint Theodore Stratelates. interest in the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God and the spread of its veneration throughout all Russia is connected with events of the beginning of the seventeenth century, and the end of the Time of Troubles. In the year 1613, the wonderworking Theodore Icon from the Kostroma cathedral was used at the proclamation of Michael Romanov as the new Tsar. In memory of this historic event, March 14 was designated for the commemoration of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God. copies were made from the Kostroma Theodore Icon, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. the year 1670 the hierodeacon Longinus from the Kostroma Hypatiev monastery wrote the “Narrative concerning the Manifestations and Miracles of the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God in Kostroma.â€ Not all the things contained in it agree with things previously stated. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskeva on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on August 16. Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Vladimir, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk&Tver, b Lithuanian attacks moved him tHome oG Prince, concern fNeedy
Russia, Belarus, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6), and Tver, descended fPolotsk Princes, hostile Lithuanian attacks, moved cathedra to Tver, because Russian Great Prince Yaroslav chose Tver his ruling city, Simeon well-disposed ( having a good disposition especially : disposed to be friendly, favorable, or sympathetic), kind, attentive to monks&priests, zealous truth defender, knowledgeable about medicine, well versed scriptue, teacher, virtuous, concerned for needy, widows, orphans, down-trodden, oppressed, Princes' court story: Jesting about his court, Constantine asked where shall courts be in that world? With the princes. because if Prince good he is responsible to pick good court, if not, efil court, ; Polotsk (Dvina River) ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Simeon, Bishop of Tver was descended from the Polotsk princes. was the seventh bishop of Polotsk and the first bishop of the Tver diocese. saint’s cathedra was first at Polotsk, hostile attacks and conflicts with the Lithuanian princes, and the murder of the Polotsk prince (his relative) in 1263, him to move to Tver Yaroslav Yaroslavich had become Great Prince of Russia, and he chose Tver as his ruling city). Simeon was well-disposed and kind to the down-trodden and destitute, attentive to the monastic and priestly orders, and a zealous defender of truth. Nikonov Chronicle relates that this holy bishop was “knowledgeable about medicine, well versed in the books of Holy Scripture; was a teacher, a virtuous man, concerned for the needy, widows and orphans, a defender of the down-trodden and deliverer of the oppressed.” preserves for us a conversation of Saint Simeon with Prince Constantine of Polotsk who, wishing to make a jest about his court, asked the saint at supper: “Where shall the courts be in that world?” Simeon answered, “Those courts shall also be where the prince is.” prince did not care for this, and he said, “A court might judge unjustly, and take bribes, or torture people, and is it I who do the harm?” bishop explained to him, “If a prince is good and God-fearing, and is concerned for the people, and loves truth and he appoints good, God-fearing, intelligent and truth-loving men to his council, that prince shall be in Paradise and his court with him. If, however, a prince is without the fear of God, and is not concerned for Christians and does not think of orphans and widows, and if he appoints wicked counselors who lack integrity in order to bring him money, that prince shall be in Hell and his court with him.” Simeon died on February 3, 1289.

Vladimir, 1255-1285, Roman oUglich, govenor a26, poor house, more churches, fasting, incorrpt rlcs, miracles, Poles
Rostov, 1255-1285, Roman oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), son oVladimir&Photina oUglich, nephew oBasil oRostov, father died 1248, brother died 1261, Roman became govenor Uglich at 26, became father tHis subjects, poor house, took in destitute that came from everywhere, built 15 more churches, present every devine service, often conversed wMonks, devoted fasting, prayer, righteous works, built Romanov (Tutaev) on high bank oVolga, died peacefully 1285, 1486 incorrupt relics found, miracles, witnessed by Met Heremogenes 1595, sainthood, 1609 relics burned by Poles; Uglich; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, of Prince Vladimir and Princess Photina of Uglich, nephew of Saint Basil (Basilko) of Rostov (March 4), born on October 1, 1235. the death of his father (in 1248) and his older brother Andrew (in 1261), Saint Roman, at the age of twenty-six, took upon himself the governance of Uglich and became a father to his subjects. established a poor-house and took in the destitute, who came to him from everywhere. the principality he built fifteen more churches. Roman was present every day at the divine services, and he often conversed with pious monks. the death of his wife in 1280, he devoted himself entirely to ascetic exploits of fasting, prayer and works of righteousness. built the city Romanov (now Tutaev) on the high bank of the Volga. holy prince died peacefully on February 3, 1285 and was buried in the Church of the Transfiguration in Uglich. 1486, the relics of Saint Roman were found to be incorrupt were transferred into the new cathedral Church of the Transfiguration. the year 1595 with the blessing of Patriarch Job in consequence of the fame concerning miracles relics were witnessed to by the Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Saint Hermogenes (February 17), Saint Roman was numbered among the saints. 1609, the holy relics were burned along with the church during an invasion by the Poles.

Russia, Vladimir, 1259, Kursk-Root Icon, icon found on root face down, tried to move to Ryla, events there
Russia, Kiev, 1259, Icon the Sign, Kursk-Root, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths), icon found on rood face down, chapel there, tried to move to Ryla, back to chapel, imporant events there 1612 Swede Pol Lith incursion, 1812 Napolian incursion; Kursk; Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign”, the “Kursk-Root”, Commemorated on September 8 ; Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. inhabitants of the city of Ryl’a heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryl’a and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryl’a repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, the 1812 Fatherland war. the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified. Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-Root, Commemorated on November 27 ; Story Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. In the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all the Russian realm was put to the extremest tribulation, the city of Kursk, ravaged by the Horde of Batu, fell into desolation. day in the environs of the city a hunter noticed the ancient icon, lying on a root face downwards to the ground. The hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. With the appearance of this icon immediately there appeared its first miracle. Just as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, right then, at that place where the icon lay, gushed up strongly a spring of pure water. This occurred on September 8, 1259. The hunter decided not to leave the icon in the forest and settled on as a resting place an ancient small chapel, in which he put the newly-appeared image of the Theotokos. Soon inhabitants of the city of Ryla heard about this, and being in location not far away, they began to visit the place of the appearance for venerating the new holy image. transferred the icon to Ryla and put it in a new church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon did not long remain there. It disappeared and returned to its former place of appearance. The inhabitants of Ryla repeatedly took it and carried it to the city, but the icon incomprehensibly returned to its former place. Everyone then realized, that the Theotokos preferred the place of appearance of Her Icon. The special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is bound up with important events in Russian history: with the war of liberation of the Russian nation during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, and the 1812 Fatherland war. From the icon several copies were made, which also were glorified.

Russia, Vladimir, 1261, Kholm Icon, by Luke, w many icons for V, Icon damaged, Tartars punished
Russia, Novgorod, 1261, Icon of Kholm, Novgorod ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3), transmitted through James the Emaciated, by Luke, brought to Rus w many icons from C for Vladimir, 1261 Kolm pillaged, icon damaged, 1361 Kolm Cathedral, 2 gashes, 1261 Tartars punished sight and faces, other miraculous; Kholm ( Kunya River Mouth at Lovat River 3); Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Kholm Icon of the Mother of God, by a tradition transmitted through Bishop James the Emaciated, painted by the Evangelist Luke. was brought from Greece to Russia in the time of Saint Vladimir, who after Baptism received many icons as a gift from Constantinople. Kholm image of the Mother of God is rendered on a board of cypress wood. the year 1261 at the time of an invasion of the Tatar (Mongol) Horde, the city of Kholm was pillaged, and the icon of the Theotokos also suffered: the jeweled frame was taken, the painting damaged and the icon itself thrown down. an hundred years the holy icon was relocated and solemnly placed in the Kholm cathedral. the icon there remain two deep gashes: one on the left shoulder of the Theotokos, the other on Her right hand. is a tradition that the invading Tatars were punished after they plundered and damaged the holy icon. They lost their sight, and their faces became distorted. of the miraculous signs worked by the Kholm Icon of the Mother of God, are recorded in a book by Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) entitled THE NEW HEAVEN.

Russia, Vladimir, 1263-1271, Y Yaroslavich (Yaroslav III of Tver), Neversky's b, G Prince, with n made Tver great
Vladimir Great Prince, 1263-1271, Yaroslav Yaroslavich (Yaroslav III of Tver); Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11;

Russia, Vladimir, 1271-1276, Vasily of Kostroma, Basil, G Prince, Alexander Nevsky's b, stayed there
Vladimir Great Prince, 1271-1276, Vasily of Kostroma, Basil; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Vladimir, 1276-1293, Dmitry, Pereslavl, Nevsky's 2nd, young f Novg, welcmd back, K Fort, w Nogai, Andrey's Horde
Vladimir Great Prince, 1276-1293, Dmitry of Pereslavl ; Alexandrovich (ca. 1250-“1294) was Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1276 until 1281 and then from 1283 until 1293. was the second son of Alexander Nevsky. When his elder brother Vasily died young, Dmitry remained the chief heir to his illustrious father. As early as 1259, he was left by Alexander in charge of Novgorod. Upon Alexander's death in 1264, however, the Novgorodians expelled Dmitry to his native Pereslavl-Zalessky, citing his youth as a pretext. years later, when Dmitry had turned 18, he was welcomed back to Novgorod and ” together with his future son-in-law, Daumantas of Pskov ” led a local militia against Livonian Knights in the Battle of Rakvere. During the following decade, he struggled for control of Novgorod against his uncles, Yaroslav III and Vasily of Kostroma. In 1276, when his elders died, he finally ascended the coveted thrones of Vladimir and Novgorod. Two years later, he founded a great fortress of Koporye, which he intended to rule himself. The Novgorodians revolted, forcing Dmitry to leave Koporye and Novgorod altogether. Dmitry was preoccupied with pacifying Novgorod, Andrey of Gorodets (Alexander, Dmitry's younger brother) went to the Golden Horde and received from the khan permission to replace Dmitry as the Grand Prince. In 1281, Andrey returned to Russia, joined his forces with princes of Rostov and Yaroslavl and, after much devastation to Dmitry's lands, seized his capital Pereslavl. Dmitry fled to Koporye but, failing to win support of Novgorodians, had to retreat further northward, probably to Scandinavia. years later, Dmitry returned to Russia, only to find his lands ravaged by the Mongols and his brother Andrey. Thereupon he went to the Black Sea and met Nogai Khan, who was the greatest enemy of the Golden Horde at that time. Wishing to increase his authority in Russia, Nogai vowed to support Dmitry in his struggle for the grand ducal throne. On hearing about this, Andrey renounced his claims to Vladimir and Novgorod and returned to Gorodets. 1285 Andrey again brought Mongol hordes to Russia, but these were expelled by Dmitry and his allies. Finally, in 1293 Andrey managed to unite the Mongols and Russian princes in opposition to Dmitry. Reluctant to renew fratricidal hostilities, Dmitry took monastic vows in 1293 and died the next year. He was buried in the Saviour Cathedral of Pereslavl-Zalessky. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1280-1320, Silvanus oKiev Far Caves, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, Wonderworking
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1320, Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, pure soul&body, subdued flesh wFasting&virgils, cleansed soul wPrayer&meditation, abundant spiritual gifts, boldness tGod, constant joy itLord, Clairvoyance, wonderworking; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 10; Holy Schemamonk Silvanus (Silouan) of the Kiev Caves, zealously preserved the purity of both soul and body, subdued his flesh with fasting and vigils, and he cleansed his soul with prayer and meditation on God. Lord granted him an abundance of spiritual gifts: a prayerful boldness towards God, constant joy in the Lord, clairvoyance and wonderworking. monk lived at the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. His relics rest in the Caves.

Russia, Vladimir, 1280-1326, Patriarch Peter, wonderworker, unifier, moved See fKiev, tVladimir 1308 to Moscow in 1325

Russia, Vladimir, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness
Russia, Kiev, 1280-1340, Macarius tDeacon & Wonderworker otKiev Far Caves, 13th 14th Centuries, lack oCovetousness, fervor for Temple, scripture reading, fasting, frequently ill as a child so parents viwed give him monastery if healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Macarius the Deacon lived in the Far Caves of Kiev, is commemorated on January 19 because of his namesake, Saint Macarius of Egypt. Macarius lived during the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, was distinguished by his lack of covetousness. He possessed great fervor for the temple of God he continuously labored in reading Holy Scripture and in fasting. to Tradition, he was frequently ill as a child, his parents vowed that they would offer their son to the Monastery of the Caves if he were made healthy. his mildness and humility he earned the love of the brethren, taught him to read and to write. of his piety of life he was ordained as a deacon. Lord also granted him the gift of wonderworking. Macarius of the Far Caves is also commemorated on August 28. is a general commemoration of all the wonderworkers of the Kiev Caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1283-1303, P Daniel of Moscow, Nevsky's youngest, Churches Ms, first victory, humble, united rus
Russia, Moscow, 1283-1303, Prince Daniel of Moscow; father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] Aleksandrovich (1261-“ 4 March 1303) was the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky and forefather of all the Grand Dukes of father died when he was only two years old. Of his father's patrimonies, he received the least valuable, Moscow.[1] When he was a child, the tiny principality was being governed by tiuns (deputies), appointed by his paternal uncle, Grand Prince Yaroslav has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, namely the Lord's Epiphany, and The Danilov Monestery (Saint Daniel Monestery): named in his honor, situated on the right bank of the Moskva River at a distance of 5 miles from the Moscow Kremlin, and founded, by Daniel, as the first monastery wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite no later than also built the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin in the 1280s, dedicated to the Great Martyr took part in his brothers (”Dmitri of Pereslavl and Andrey of Gorodets) ”struggle for the right to govern Vladimir and Novgorod, respectively. After Dmitry's death in 1294, Daniel made an alliance with Mikhail of Tver and Ivan of Pereslavl against Andrey of Gorodets of Novgorod. participation in the struggle for Novgorod in 1296 indicated Moscow's increasing political influence. Constantine, the prince of Ryazan, tried to capture the Moscow lands with the help of a Mongol force. Prince Daniel defeated it near Pereslavl. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom.[2] 1300, he went to Ryazan with an army and imprisoned the ruler of the Ryazan Principality "by some ruse", as the chronicle says, and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. To secure his release, the prisoner ceded to Daniel his fortress of Kolomna. It was an important acquisition, as now Daniel controlled all the length of the Moskva River. 1302 his childless nephew and ally, Ivan of Pereslavl, bequeathed to Daniel all his lands, including Pereslavl-Zalessky.[2] the Mongol occupation and internecine wars among the Rus' princes, Daniel created peace in Moscow without bloodshed. 30 years of ruling Daniel participated in battles only once.[1] According to legend, Daniel was popular and respected by his subjects for his meekness, humility and peacefulness. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Vladimir, 1283-1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story; Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom: His memory is celebrated by the Church on June 10 and July 3 (the day of his death in 1295). On June 10, 1609 the holy relics of Bishop Basil at Ryazan were uncovered and transferred to the Dormition cathedral church. Basil I, Wonderworker of Ryazan, is mentioned in the Lavrentian Chronicles. In the ancient list of Ryazan hierarchs, he is mentioned as the fourth. (Basil II was consecrated as bishop in 1356 by Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow,). older tradition connects with Saint Basil the transfer to Ryazan of the wonderworking Murom Icon of the Mother of God (April 12). Saint Basil was at first bishop of Murom. But by the slander of the spirit of evil, the citizens rose up against him, unjustly accusing him of transgressions unbecoming an archpastor. Then the saint, after prolonged prayer, left for the River Oka, and spreading out on the water his bishop’s mantiya he stood upon it, holding in his hands the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Murom. A strong wind carried him against the current and after several hours he reached Ryazan, where he was received with reverence by the prince and people of Ryazan. during his lifetime Saint Basil was regarded a righteous and pious man. Long before his relics were uncovered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ryazan people cherished his memory and called him “their constant intercessor, helper in sorrows and travail.â€ To him most often they turned before setting out on journeys: seeking his help against problems on dry land, and to protect them from drowning in the water. about the year 1540 the monk Erazm Ermolaev wrote “An Account of Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Muromâ€. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1283-1305, Maximus, Met all Rus, throne north, MOG stay Vladimir, need Yuri D peace Michael of T, & go Horde

Russia, Vladimir, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine, from Kiev Caves to Sven, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of C
Russia, Kiev, 1288, Sven Icon, Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1288 from Kiev Caves M to Sven M, in tree other side Desna, healed blind Roman of Chernigov at B, monastery on spot, 1812 delivered B from Napoleon; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the repose of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War. Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Sven Caves Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Saint Alypius of the Caves (August 17). the icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon a throne, and with the Divine Infant on Her knees. Saint Theodosius is on the right side of the throne, and Saint Anthony of the Caves on the left. the year 1288 it was in the Kiev Caves monastery, where it was glorified by miracles. In 1288 it was transferred to the Briansk-Svensk monastery, which is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Roman of Chernigov, then at Briansk, became blind. Hearing about the miracles worked by the icon of Saint Alypius, the prince sent a courier to the monastery requesting that the icon be sent to him at Briansk. They sent a priest with the icon along the River Desna. the voyage the boat landed on the right bank of the River Svena. lodging for the night they went to the boat to pray before the icon, but they did not find it there. saw it on a hill on the opposite bank, resting in the branches of an oak tree. News of this reached Prince Roman, and they led him to the icon on foot. prince prayed fervently before the icon and vowed to build a monastery on that spot, donating all the land which could be seen from the hill. After the prayer the prince regained his sight. First he saw the footpath, then nearby objects, and finally all the surroundings. making a shrine for the icon, the prince had a Molieben served, and then they laid the foundations for a wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. tree on which the icon rested was cut up and used as wood for other icons. Feast day of the Sven Icon of the Mother of God was set for May 3. It is also commemorated on August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius the Iconographer). The icon was glorified by healings of the blind and of the possessed, and has long been regarded as a protector from enemies.

Russia, Vladimir, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ
Russia, Moscow, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ; Ustiug Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God The “Ustiug Annunciationâ€ is a venerable icon, before which Saint Procopius, Fool-for-Christ (+ 1303) prayed with intense fervor on June 25, 1290 for the salvation of the city of Ustiug from the wrath of God. icon was painted by a Novgorod iconographer when the holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11) ruled in the city. In 1567, under Metropolitan Philip (January 9), the holy icon was transferred from Great Ustiug to Moscow and placed in the Dormition cathedral. At the present time it is located in the state Tretyakov gallery.

Russia, Vladimir, 1290-1307, Theoctistus, Archbishop, built churches, renovated Valaam, silence, relics healing
Russia, Novgorid, 1290-1307, Theoctistus, Archbishop, built churches, renovated Valaam, silence, relics healing; Veliky Novgorod; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, prior to becoming a bishop, was igumen of the Annunciation monastery near Novgorod. the death of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop, and Metropolitan Maximus with the bishops Simeon of Rostov and Andrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoctistus as Archbishop of Novgorod. of Saint Theoctistus’ concerns was the renovation and building of churches. He consecrated cathedrals in the name of Saints Boris and Gleb, and in the name of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. The monastery of Valaam was set in good order during his time. the year 1307, because of poor health, the saint withdrew to the Annunciation monastery, where he lived until his death, devoting himself to the ascetic deed of silence. Theoctistus was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings at his relics. In 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Vladimir, 1292-1318, Mikhail oTver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai
Russia, Moscow, 1292-1318, Mikhail of Tver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai, born after monk father's death going to Horde, raised w love fGod by his mother, educated by Novgorod Archbishop, Tver Prince after bro Svyatoslav, 1285 built stone church, 1305 tHorde&appointed Great Prince, but Yuri oMoscow sought title, Yuri often aHorde&married Khan Uzbek's daughter& given GPrince title, Yuri began Civil war wTver, Tartar detachment wKavgadi heading, sent by Uzbek, but Tver wMichael defeated Yuri 1317, m captives incl K and Yuri's wife, wife dies, Yuri slandered M before Khan, Khan demands Michael appear Sarai and give account, M does knowing he will be killed, M farewell family&Tver, receives blessing, guilty unjust trial, death sentence, heavy wooden stocks, read Psalter wBoy turning pages, blessed Lord for allowing him to suffer for him, not deprived Christian solace, Orthodox priests, confession, Holy Mysteries, but Yuri&Kavgadi want revenge for defeat, sent assassins, tortured and cut out heart, Tartars & Orthodox see radiant clouds over body, wild animals no touch, everyone said M a saint unjustly murdered, bod to Moscow Kremlin, but wife Anna not aware, 1319 Yuri returns wMichaels yarlyk (trial edict) Tver boyars&Prince Constantine, 1319 Tver learns about M&hisMoscow burial, Anna asks Yuri permission cary M to Tver, Boyers sent, miracles arriving Moscow, incorrupt relics, Anna&sons went out toward Volga to meet wTears, relics transferred tTver 1320, local veneration soon after, 1606 M helped Russia riding out on white horse wSword forcing Poles Lithuanians to flee; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, the brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23). his journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured as a monk with the name Athanasios, then he reposed. ’s mother, Xenia, raised her son with fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of an Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 Michael built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration to replace of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and was appointed as Great Prince by right of seniority. Yurii of Moscow would not submit to this, however, because he sought the princely title for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had converted to Mohammedanism, and was known for his cruelty and fanaticism. Yurii knew how to please the Khan, so he married the Khan's sister Konchaka and was given the title of Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began a civil war with Tver. Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, led by Prince Michael, defeated Yurii on December 22, 1317. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow Prince Yurii's wife Konchaka, who died unexpectedly at Tver. Yurii slandered Prince Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael went humbly to the Horde, knowing that this meant certain death for him. bade farewell to his family and the people of Tver, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his Spiritual Father Igoumen John. “Father,” said Michael, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but because of my sins, I was not able to stop this civil war. give me your blessing, so that if my blood is shed for them, they might have some respite, and so the Lord may forgive my sins.” unjust trial was held at the Horde, which found the Saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. removed him under guard and put him in heavy wooden stocks. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison blessed the Lord for allowing him to suffer for Him. asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stocks, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. suggested that he flee, but the Saint replied, “Never in my life have I fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that for me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the Igoumens Alexander and Mark. week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who wanted revenge on Michael for their defeat, were sent into the encampment where the captive was held. November 22, 1318, they beat the Martyr severely and kicked him, then one of them stabbed Prince Michael with a knife and cut out his heart. royal Martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. Two guards were posted to watch the body that night, but fear overcame them and they fled. the morning, the body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but Tatars as well, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the Martyr's body lay. many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them touched him. the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a Saint, and was unjustly murdered." the body of the martyred Prince was brought to Moscow and buried in the Kremlin's Monastery of the Savior in the Transfiguration church. Anna was not yet aware of her husband's martyrdom. year later, Prince Yurii returned from the Khan with Michael's yarlyk.1 He brought with him the Tver boyars and Prince Constantine from the Horde. year later, in 1319, the people of Tver learned the fate of their Prince, his death, and his burial in Moscow. Anna and her children asked Prince Yurii of Moscow for permission to carry the holy relics to Tver, and he barely gave his consent. boyars from Tver were sent to Moscow to bring Saint Michael's body back to Tver. they arrived in Moscow they witnessed a remarkable miracle by which the Lord was pleased to glorify His Saint: his body showed no signs of decay. boyars took the coffin with the Holy Prince's relics and carried them to Tver with much honor. the procession approached the city, Princess Anna and her sons Dēmḗtrios, Alexander and Basil went toward the Volga, and Bishop Barsanuphios, with all the priests of the cathedral and countless people, met the holy relics on the shore. was much sobbing, so loud that the choir could not be heard, and Princess Anna wept bitter tears. the request of his wife, Saint Anna of Kashin (October 2), and the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, on September 6, 1320 they were placed in the church he had built in honor of the Lord's Transfiguration. veneration of the Holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, his Church-wide glorification took place at the Council of 1549. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. martyred Prince has often helped the Russian land. 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw an unknown horseman ride out from the city on a white horse, with sword in hand, forcing them to flee. when they saw an icon of Saint Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoktistos of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael. 1 ярлык: An emblem of Saint Michael's office as Great Prince. Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1293, Suzdal joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Vladimir, 1293,Suzdal joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Vladimir, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. Murom; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Vladimir, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Kolomna; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Vladimir, 1293-1304, Alexndr(Andrey) of Gorodets, Nevsky's 3rd, Joined Mongols, took V f b, lost V to Dan
Vladimir Great Prince, 1293-1304, Andrey of Gorodets of Vladimir-Suzdal; III Alexandrovich (ca. 1255 -27 July 1304), a Russian prince, son of Alexander Nevsky, received from his father the town of Gorodets on the Volga. In 1276 he added Kostroma to his possessions and joined the struggle for the Grand Duchy of Vladimir-Suzdal. 1281 Andrey, joining the Mongol army, expelled his elder brother Dmitri from Vladimir. After some feasting with Mongols in Vladimir, Andrey went to Novgorod, where the populace made him heartily welcome. Meanwhile, his brother allied himself with the powerful Nogai Khan, who reinstated Dmitry as Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1283. the following decade, Andrey thrice brought the Mongols to Russia in order to wrest Vladimir from his brother. In the campaign of 1293 they pillaged 14 Russian towns, finally forcing Dmitry to abdicate. Even when elevated to the grand-ducal throne of Vladimir, Andrey continued to live in Gorodets. During the last decade of his reign he struggled with a league formed by Daniel of Moscow, Mikhail of Tver, and Ivan of Pereslavl [ru]. In 1301 he drove the Swedes from Landskrona near present-day Saint Petersburg.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18;

Russia, Vladimir, 1299, Appearance of Maximas Icon, Patriarch Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus
Icon of the Mother of God of St. Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles. Vladimir, 1285-1305, Patriarch Maximus, Metropolitan of all Rus; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Russia, Vladimir, 1299, MOG Icon painted by Maximus 1299, from vision, transfer See to Vladimir from Kiev, many miracles
Russia, Vladimir, 1299, Vladimir (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5), painted by Maximus 1299, from vision, omophorion (identifies bishop), transfer See to Vladimir from Kiev, golden coffer (strongbox), many miracles; Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and gave him an omophorion saying, "My servant Maximus, it is good that you have come to visit my city. Take this omophorion and shepherd the rational flock of my city." he awoke, he found he was holding an omophorion. The appearance of the Mother of God was regarded as a sign of approval for the transfer of the metropolitan See from Kiev to Vladimir. description of this vision was inscribed on the left side of his crypt. The Mother of God is shown in full stature, holding the Divine Child on her left arm. With her right hand, she offers the omophorion to Saint Maximus, who is standing on a pillar. The contrast in the size of their figures is meant to show the difference in their spiritual states. A variant Icon depicts Saint Maximus kneeling at the feet of the Theotokos. a golden coffer was made, and the omophorion was placed inside. This omophorion was kept in the Vladimir cathedral as a relic for 112 years. It was hidden by the cathedral’s doorkeeper Patrick in 1412 during an invasion by the Tartars, Patrick was killed when he refused to show them where the cathedral's treasures were hidden. The coffer has not yet been found. Icon, which measures five feet by two and a half feet, has been glorified by many miracles.

Russia, Vladimir, 1299, Joasaph oSnetogorsk&Basil oMirozh, Burned by Germans, but prayer for fighting men defeated Germans 1299
Russia, Pskov, 1299, Joasaph oSnetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself), Joasaph of Snetogorsk and Basil of Mirozh, two of the most ancient Pskov M's, they martyred by the Germans, Mirozh founded 1156 by Niphon oNovgorod and Abraham oMirozh, Joasaph founded M on Mt Snatna probably in 1299, Strict Cenobitic rule of Joasaph, life filled wPrayer, abstinence, and work, both M's outside city walls, no defences, Germans burned the churches, monks incl. J and B endured agonizing death, much suffering for women and children, but through prayers of monk martyrs, Lord preserved fighting men, Prince Timothy Dovmont defeated Germans on banks of Pskova, Joasaph and Basil buried in thei churches, at Snetogorsk Dovmont built stone church from his inheritance, and restored monastic life at both; Snetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself); Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Holy Hieromartyrs Joasaph of Snetogorsk and Basil of Mirozh suffered under the Germans at two of the most ancient of the Pskov monasteries during the thirteenth century. Basil directed the Savior-Transfiguration Mirozh monastery, founded in the year 1156 by Saint Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod (April 8), and by Saint Abraham of Mirozh (September 24). Joasaph was igumen (and according also to some Pskov Saints’ Lives, the founder) of the monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on Mount Snatna. ascetics devoted much labor and concern to both the outer and inner welfare of the monasteries. accord with the strict rule of cenobitic monastic life, introduced into his monastery by Saint Joasaph, the life of the monks was filled with prayer, abstinence and work. ninety years after the death of Saint Joasaph, his monastic Rule was reintroduced in the new monastic Rule of the Snetogorsk monastery by Archbishop Dionysius of Suzdal). Snetogorsk monastery traced its origins from the efforts of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov (May 15) and Saint Savva of Krypetsk (August 28). these monasteries were outside the city walls and did not have any defenses. March 4, 1299, the Germans fell upon Pskov and burned the Mirozh and Snetogorsk monasteries. the burning of the churches, Saints Basil and Joasaph and the other monks endured an agonizing death. was at that time much suffering in the city, and for the monks of other monasteries, and also for the women and children, “through the prayers of the holy monk martyrs, the Lord preserved the fighting men.” the lead of the Pskov prince, Saint Dovmont-Timothy (May 20), they came out against the enemy and near the church of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, they defeated the invaders at the banks of the Pskova River. Basil and Joasaph were buried with their fellow ascetics beneath crypts at the churches of their monasteries. venerable head and part of the relics of Saint Joasaph were preserved in the open in a special reliquary in the church of the Snetogorsk monastery. Prince Dovmont “out of his rightful inheritance” built a stone church at the Snetogorsk monastery in place of the one that had burned, he facilitated the restoration of monastic life at the ruined monasteries. after the martyric death of Saints Basil and Joasaph their churchly glorification took place at Pskov. the manuscript Pskov Prologue of the fourteenth-fifteenth centuries, they are listed on March 5. in the Pskov Chronicle and old Pskov Synodikons (Saint lists), the day of the blessed death of the holy monk martyrs is given as March 4, and at present, this is the day of their commemoration. Chronicle mentions the presbyter Joseph, and the Prologue mentions the presbyter Constantine as their fellow sufferers.

Russia, Vladimir, 1300-1331, 14th Century, Great Prince Ivan of Moscow, Moscow more protected

Russia, Vladimir, 1301-1307, Theoctistius, Archbishop oNovgorod, church Building, retired to silence, miracles at his relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1300-1307, Theoctistius, Archbishop oNovgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen)), Novgorod Annunciation monastery Igumen, church renovation&Building, 2 Cathedrals, Valaam Monastery, retired to silence until death, miracles at his relics, relics transferred tYuriev Theoctistus Chapel; Veliky Novgorod; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, to becoming a bishop, was igumen of the Annunciation monastery near Novgorod. the death of Archbishop Clement in the year 1300, the people of Novgorod chose him as their Archbishop, Metropolitan Maximus with the bishops Simeon of Rostov and Andrew of Tver consecrated Saint Theoctistus as Archbishop of Novgorod. of Saint Theoctistus’ concerns was the renovation and building of churches. consecrated cathedrals in the name of Saints Boris and Gleb, and in the name of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. monastery of Valaam was set in good order during his time. the year 1307, because of poor health, the saint withdrew to the Annunciation monastery, where he lived until his death, devoting himself to the ascetic deed of silence. Theoctistus was glorified in 1664, because of the miraculous healings at his relics. 1786, the relics of the saint were transferred to Yuriev, where Archimandrite Photius built a chapel in his honor at the local cathedral.

Russia, Vladimir, 1301, 14th Century, Saint Aquila, Great Fasting Deacon, otKiev Caves
Russia, Kiev, 1300, 14th Century, Saint Aquila, Great Fasting Deacon, otKiev Caves, Those thirsting deliverance from passions ot stomach, and those wishing temperance turn tHim; Saint Aquila, Deacon, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 4; Aquila the Deacon of the Kiev Caves (14th Century), became famous as a great faster, having spent a long while as a hermit. He ate neither vareny (pirogi) nor sweet food, he ate vegetables seldom and only in small quantities. During fasting periods, he ate only a single prosphoron. thirsting for deliverance from “the enslavement of the passions of the stomach,” and those wishing to learn temperance turn to Saint Aquila entreating his help (Third Ode of the Canon to the monks venerated in the Far Caves). Aquila the Deacon is also commemorated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1303-1325, Yuri D, Son of Dan, elevated to supreme p by the GH Khan
Moscow Prince, 1303-1325, Yuri of Moscow ; Danilovich, also known as Georgiy Danilovich (1281-21 November 1325) was Prince of Moscow (1303-1325) and Grand Prince of Vladimir (from 1318). was the oldest son of Daniel, the first prince of Moscow. His first official action was to defend Pereslavl-Zalessky against Grand Duke Andrew III. Upon Andrew's death the next year, Yury had to contend the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir with Mikhail of Tver. While the Tverian army besieged Pereslavl and Moscow itself, Mikhail went to the Golden Horde, where the Khan elevated him to the supreme position among Russian princes. the meantime, Yury arranged the murder of Prince Konstantin of Ryazan. This unlucky ruler had been captured by Yury's father back in 1302 and had been incarcerated in Moscow since then. While Ryazan was shocked by such a barbarity, Yury annexed the key Ryazanian fortress of Kolomna to Moscow Duchy. He also captured Mozhaisk, which formerly belonged to the princes of Smolensk. By 1314, Yury secured backing from the Metropolitan Peter and formed an alliance with Novgorod against Tver. Now, he felt strong enough to challenge Mikhail of Tver in the Horde. 1315 Yury went to the Golden Horde and, after spending two years there, constructed an alliance with Uzbeg Khan. Upon Yury's marriage to the khan's sister Konchaka, Uzbeg Khan deposed Mikhail and nominated Yury as the Grand Duke of Vladimir. in Russia with a large force of Mongols, Yury approached Tver. However, Yuri's army was defeated and his brother Boris and his wife were taken prisoners. Thereupon he fled to Novgorod and sued for peace. that time his wife, still held in Tver as a hostage, died unexpectedly. Yury availed himself of the confusion that followed and announced to the khan that she had been poisoned on Mikhail's order. The khan summoned both princes to Sarai and, after a trial, had Mikhail executed. returned to Russia, hated by other princes and populace alike, in 1319. He was now entrusted with the task of gathering all-Russian tribute to the Horde. Mikhail's son and successor, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, still opposed him. In 1322, Dmitry, seeking revenge for his father's murder, went to Sarai and persuaded the khan that Yury had appropriated a large portion of the tribute due to the Horde. was summoned to the Horde for a trial but, before any formal investigation, was killed by Dmitry. Eight months later, Dmitry was also executed in the Horde.[1 ] before his death, Yury led the army of Novgorod to fight the Swedes and founded a fort in the mouth of the Neva River. Upon signing the Treaty of Orekhovo in 1323, Yury continued eastward and conquered Velikiy Ustyug the same year. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on January 18; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1304-1318, Mikhail of T, Nervsky's n, lost GP to Yury D, Novgorod, Khan's sister, k by Horde, incorrupt relics
Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Yaroslavich (1271 - 22 November 1318), also known as Michael of Tver, was a Prince of Tver (from 1285) who ruled as Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1304 until 1314 and again from 1315–1318. was canonized and counted among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. Yaroslavich was the second son of Yaroslav III (Yaroslav Yaroslavich), the younger brother of Aleksandr Nevsky; he succeeded his elder brother Yaroslav as Prince of Tver in 1285. mother Xenia was the second spouse to Yaroslav III and is known as the saint Xenia of Tarusa. the death of Andrei Aleksandrovich (Aleksandr Nevsky's son and Yaroslav's nephew), Mikhail became the Grand Prince of Vladimir in 1304, as was consistent with the rota system of collateral succession that had been practised in Rus since the time of Yaroslav the Wise. He was confirmed in office by Tokhta, Khan of the Golden Horde.[1] as Grand Prince and Rivalry with Moscow[edit] he seemed secure in the throne, being the legitimate heir and having been confirmed by the Khan in Sarai, Grand Prince Mikhail suffered a series of setbacks as grand prince which led to him losing the grand princely office for both himself and, in some ways, ultimately for his descendants. He was, like most Grand Princes of Vladimir, accepted as Prince of Novgorod the Great in 1309,[2] but fought with Novgorod, going so far as to withdraw his lieutenants (namestniki) and cut off grain shipments into the city in 1312. Last Words, by Pimen Orlov he was on decent terms with Tokhta Khan, and initially with his successor, Uzbeg Khan (Mikhail paid homage on Uzbeg's accession to the throne in 1313 and remained in Sarai until 1315), he eventually lost influence to Yury of Moscow, who gained influence in Novgorod while the grand prince was away in Sarai. Mikhail did manage to finally take control of the city in 1316 with Mongol aid, but the following year Uzbeg Khan gave the yarlik or patent of office of the Grand Prince of Vladimir to Yury, who also married Uzbeg's sister.[3] granting Yury the iarlyk or patent of office, the Khan sent his army under the Mongol general Kavgadii to help Yuri in his struggle with Mikhail Yaroslavich. On 22 December 1317 Mikhail defeated Yuri at a village called Bortenevo (40 km from Tver). Mikhail captured Yuri's wife, who was the Khan's sister. When she died in Mikhail's custody, he was blamed for her death, although it seems unlikely that he would have killed her knowing how much it would hurt him politically for such little gain. He released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on 22 November 1318.[4] and the Church[edit] also alienated the Church, particularly Metropolitan Petr (ruled 1308-1326). When Metropolitan Maksim died in 1305, Mikhail nominated another candidate, but Petr was consecrated by the Patriarch of Constantinople. Petr sided with Moscow and opposed Mikhail on several occasions. In 1309, he appointed David as Archbishop of Novgorod and David was instrumental in the argument that led Mikhail to withdraw his lieutenants and cut the grain supplies to the city. In 1314, Novgorod called on Yury to be named grand prince and for Mikhail to be deposed. Thus the support of the Church aided Yury to Mikhail's detriment.[5] his having been unfavored by the Russian Orthodox Church during his lifetime, the Church later declared Mikhail a saint because of his piousness during his summons by the Khan which he knew was to certain death and because his relics, when transported to his hometown, were discovered to be incorrupt.[6] and children[edit] In 1294 Mikhail married Princess Anna of Rostov, daughter of Dimitry of Rostov. They had five children: Prince Dmitry of Tver (1299–1326) Prince Alexander of Tver (1301–1339) Prince Konstantin of Tver (1306–1346) Prince Vasily of Kashin (d. after 1368) Feodora of Tver Mikhail's sons and successors Dmitry the Terrible Eyes and Alexander were both also loved in the Horde, as was Alexander's elder son, Mikhail. Both Aleksandr Mikhailovich, and Mikhail Aleksandrovich briefly held the Grand Princely office (in 1326-1327 and 1371-1372 respectively)[7] but Mikhail's failure to defeat Yury of Moscow, followed by Aleksandr's role (real or perceived) in the Tver Uprising of 1327, led the Tver branch to lose the favor of the Khans, and the Danilovich - the Muscovite princes, held the title for all but two years after 1317. wife took the veil in Kashin's nunnery and died there on 2 October 1368. She is commemorated as Anna of Kashin by the Russian Orthodox Church and was canonized in 1677. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1305-1368, Anna, Mike of T's wife, righteou sons, miracles at her grave, old Believers, 2nd glorification
Moscow, 1305-1368, Saint Anna of Kashin; Anna of Kashin (1280 -“ 2 October 1368) was a Russian princess from the Rurik Dynasty, who was canonized in 1650. was a daughter of Prince Dmitry Borisovich of Rostov and a great-granddaughter of Prince Vasily of Rostov. From her earliest years, Anna was brought up strictly Christian. She was taught the virtues of humility and obedience. Her teacher was Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Rostov (died 1288), who was noted for strict selflessness and pacifism. Like all royal daughters of her time, Anna learned different kinds of needlework. When the princess grew up, Princess Xenia of Tver, second wife of Grand Prince Yaroslav of Tver sent ambassadors to Rostov with a request to marry Anna to her son Mikhail. The embassy was successful, and Anna became the wife of Prince Mikhail. Anna's marriage to Prince Mikhail took place on 8 November 1294 in the Preobrazhensky cathedral of Tver. In celebration of this event, dwellers in the city of Kashin built the Saint Michael Church and the triumphal gates from the local Kremlin to the Tver road, naming the gates also "Mikhaylovsky." In the Kashin Uspensky cathedral a special Feast was established and celebrated annually on 8 November. Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, a daughter of the Rostov prince Demetrius Borisovich, in 1294 became the wife of the holy Great Prince Michael Yaroslavich of Tver, who was murdered by the Mongol-Tatars of the Horde in 1318, (November 22). After the death of her husband, Anna withdrew into Tver’s Sophia monastery and accepted tonsure with the name Euphrosyne. Later, she transferred to the Kashin Dormition monastery, and became a schemanun with the name Anna. She fell asleep in the Lord on October 2, 1338. Anna’s sons also imitated their father’s steadfast confession of faith in Christ. Demetrius Mikhailovich (“Dread Eyesâ€) was murdered at the Horde on September 15, 1325; and later, Alexander Mikhailovich, Prince of Tver, was murdered together with his son Theodore on October 29, 1339. at Saint Anna’s grave began in 1611, during the siege of Kashin by Polish and Lithuanian forces. There was also a great fire in the city which died down without doing much damage. The saint, dressed in the monastic schema, appeared to Gerasimus, a gravely ill warden of the Dormition cathedral. She promised that he would recover, but complained, “People show no respect for my tomb. They ignore it and my memory! Do you not know that I am supplicating the Lord and His Mother to deliver the city from the foe, and that you be spared many hardships and evils?â€ She ordered him to tell the clergy to look after her tomb, and to light a candle there before the icon of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands. the Council of 1649 it was decided to uncover her relics for general veneration and to glorify the holy Princess Anna as a saint. But in 1677 Patriarch Joachim proposed to the Moscow Council that her veneration throughout Russia should be discontinued because of the Old Believers Schism, which made use of the name of Saint Anna of Kashin for its own purposes. When she was buried her hand had been positioned to make the Sign of the Cross with two fingers, rather than three. However, the memory of Saint Anna, who had received a crown of glory from Christ, could not be erased by decree. People continued to love and venerate her, and many miracles took place at her tomb. June 12, 1909 her second glorification took place, and her universally observed Feast day was established. Her Life describes her as a model of spiritual beauty and chastity, and an example to future generations.

Russia, Vladimir, 1308-1325, Patriarch Peter, moved See to Moscow in 1325
Vladimir Patriarch, 1308-1325, Peter of Moscow; Peter, Metropolitan of Kiev[1] and all Russia (c. 1260- 20 December 1326) was the Russian metropolitan who moved his see from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325. Later he was proclaimed a patron saint of Moscow. In spite of the move, the office remained officially entitled "Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'" until the autocephalous election of Saint Jonah of Moscow in 1448. Life[edit] Peter was born in Volhynia[1] (part of the Kingdom of Russia). His parents were Theodore and Eupraxia. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery where he learned iconography. The igumen of the monastery had St Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place.[2] He built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of St Peterâ€Â was so called because it was painted by St Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratne[3] monastery by St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', Peter gave him the icon as a gift.[4] In 1308 king Boleslaw-Yuri II of Galicia nominated and the Patriarch of Constantinople appointed Peter to the vacant see of Kiev and all Rus'.[2] Mikhail Yaroslavich, Grand Prince of Vladimir and Tver, wanted to advance his own candidate for this position. Peter's nomination caused prolonged animosity between Mikhail and Peter to the point that the latter had to ask for protection from the Prince of Moscow in 1325. Peter travelled to Constantinople where Patriarch Athanasius consecrated him as Metropolitan of Russia and bestowed on him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon. Upon his return to Rus' in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. During this time of Tatar (Mongol) authority Russia was in turmoil, and Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence.[2] Peter transferred his metropolitan duties from depopulated Kiev to Vladimir. In 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great prince Ivan Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan cathedra-chair from Vladimir to Moscow.[5] The move strengthened the political position of Moscow and established it as the spiritual capital of fragmented Russia. After Peter's move to Moscow, the Cathedral of the Dormition and several other stone churches were built by Ivan Kalita in the Moscow Kremlin. The foundation of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery in Moscow is ascribed to Peter. He also authored a few sermons and epistles. Peter died on 21 December 1326.[5] After his canonization by Metropolitan Alexis, his veneration was propagated all over Moscovy. Accordingly, many churches were dedicated to Peter the Metropolitan in Moscow and other cities of Russia. His feast day is celebrated on 24 August (the translation of his relics to the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow) and 5 October (in common with Metropolitans Jonah and Alexis) Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Vladimir, 1314, Tolga Icon, across from river Tolga, fiery column and bridge leading to it, Icon in air, Prayer, staff
Russia, Rostov, 1314, Tolga Icon stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. At midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. The next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop'™s staff. The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Russia, Vladimir, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov, nobility but devout
Russia,Rostov, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, nobility but devout, every virtue, child cried in womb, people astonished, Maria frightened, but later believed become vessel divine grace, they agreed dedicate him, soon civil strife, so move tRadonezh, later S requests monk, but they say wait till we die, because brothers responsibilities, S obeyed because always did, later they decided monk themselves, died 1337, so S gave tBrother&Became monk; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Cyril and his wife Maria were the parents of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25). belonged to the nobility, more importantly, they were devout and faithful Christians who were adorned with every virtue. the child in Maria’s womb cried out three times in church during Liturgy, people were astonished. frightened at first, Maria came to see this event as a sign from God that her child would become a chosen vessel of divine grace. and her husband agreed that if the child was a boy, they would bring him to church and dedicate him to God. child, the second of their three sons, was born around 1314. was named Bartholomew at his baptism. of civil strife, Saint Cyril moved his family from Rostov to Radonezh when Bartholomew was still a boy. when their son expressed a desire to enter the monastic life, Cyril and Maria asked him to wait and take care of them until they passed away, his brothers Stephen and Peter were both married and had their own family responsibilities. young Bartholomew obeyed his parents, did everything he could to please them. later decided to retire to separate monasteries, and departed to the Lord after a few It is believed that Saints Cyril and Maria both reposed in 1337. days after burying his parents, settled their estate, giving his share to his brother Peter. then went to the monastery when he was twenty-three years old, was tonsured on October 7 with the name Sergius (in honor of the martyr Saint Segius who is commemorated on that day). everyone knows, Saint Sergius of Radonezh became one of Russia’s greatest and most revered saints. Cyril and Maria were glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. are also commemorated on September 28, and July 6 (Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh).

Russia, Vladimir, 1317, Moscow Civil War with Tver, Yuri D defeated by Michael T, Yuri's wife d, slander, k, radiant clouds
Tver, 1317, Moscow Intercene (Civil) War with Tver , Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, after the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, a brother of holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23). On the journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured a monk with the name Athanasius, then died. Michael’s mother, Xenia, raised her son in fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of the Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. He took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 he built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration in place of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and received the grant to the great princely throne by right of seniority. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow would not submit to this, because he sought the princely rule for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism. Prince Yurii knew how to please the Khan, and he married his sister Konchaka and became Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began an internecine war with Tver. In Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. But the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow prince’s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. Yurii slandered Saint Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. The Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. Not wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael humbly went to the Horde, knowing that this meant death for him. He bid his his family and the Tver people farewell, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his spiritual Father Igumen John. “Father,” said the saint, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but through my sins, I was not able to stop internecine war. Now give me your blessing, so that if my blood is spilled for them, they might have some respite, and that the Lord will forgive my sins.” the Horde an unjust trial was held, which found the saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. They removed him under guard and put him in a heavy wooden stock. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison and blessed the Lord for granting him to suffer for Him. He asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. Since the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stock, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. The holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. They suggested that he flee, but the saint bravely answered, “In all my life I never fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that to me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the igumens Alexander and Mark. Each week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. At the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who took revenge on the holy prince for their defeat, assassins rushed into the encampment where the captive was held. They fiercely beat the martyr and kicked him with their feet, then one of them stabbed Saint Michael with a knife. holy martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. By night two guards were set to watch the body, but fear seized them and they fled. In the morning, his body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but also Tatars, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the body of the martyr lay. Although many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them had touched him. In the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a saint, and was innocently murdered.” From the Horde the body of the prince was transferred to Moscow, where they buried him in the church of the Savior-Wood in the Kremlin. a year later, in 1318, the people of Tver learned the fate of their prince. At the wish of his wife, the right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin (October 2), and at the request of the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, and on September 6, 1320 were placed in the church he built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Local veneration of the holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, and the general Church glorification of the saint took place at a 1549 Council. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. The holy Prince has often helped the Russian land. In 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw a wondrous horseman ride out from the city upon a white horse with sword in hand, turning them to flight. Later, when they saw an icon of holy Prince Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoctistus of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael himself. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow; Yuri was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism.; Yuri'™s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom St Michael released, and the Moscow prince'™s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on November 22, 1318.

Russia, Vladimir, 1325-1340, G Prince Ivan I of Moscow, Kalita, John D, rise of Moscow for protection
Vladimir Great Prince, 1325-1340, Ivan I of Moscow; I Daniilovich Kalita (1 November 1288 - 31 March 1340 or 1341[1]) was Grand Duke of Moscow from 1325 and Vladimir from 1332.[2] was the son of the Prince of Moscow Daniil Aleksandrovich. the death of his elder brother Yury, Ivan inherited the Principality of Moscow. Ivan participated in the struggle to get the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir which could be obtained with the approval of a khan of the Golden Horde. The main rivals of the princes of Moscow in this struggle were the princes of Tver – Mikhail, Dmitry the Terrible Eyes, and Alexander II, all of whom obtained the title of Grand Duke of Vladimir and were deprived of it. All of them were murdered in the Golden Horde. In 1328 Ivan Kalita received the approval of khan Muhammad Ozbeg to become the Grand Duke of Vladimir with the right to collect taxes from all Russian lands. to the Russian historian Kluchevsky, the rise of Moscow under Ivan I Kalita was determined by three factors. The first one was that the Moscow principality was situated in the middle of other Russian principalities; thus, it was protected from any invasions from the East and from the West. Compared to its neighbors, Ryazan principality and Tver principality, Moscow was less often devastated. The relative safety of the Moscow region resulted in the second factor of the rise of Moscow – an influx of working and tax-paying people who were tired of constant raids and who actively relocated to Moscow from other Russian regions. The third factor was a trade route from Novgorod to the Volga river. to Baumer[3] Beg Khan took a fateful decision when he abandoned the former policy of divide and rule by making the new grand prince responsible for collecting and passing on all the tribute and taxes from all the Russian cities. delivered these exactions punctually, so further strengthening his position of privilege. In this way he laid the foundations for Moscow's future as a regional great power. Kalita intentionally pursued the policy of relocation of people to his principality by an invitation of people from other places and by purchase of Russian people captured by Mongols during their raids. He managed to eliminate all the thieves in his lands, thus ensuring the safety of traveling merchants. peace and order together with the absence of Mongolian raids to the Moscow principality was mentioned in Russian chronicles as œgreat peace, silence, and relief of Russian land. made Moscow very wealthy by maintaining his loyalty to the Horde (hence, the nickname Kalita, or the Moneybag[4]). He used this wealth to give loans to neighbouring Russian principalities. These cities gradually fell deeper and deeper into debt, a condition that would allow Ivan's successors to annex them. The people called Ivan the ‘gatherer of the Russian lands’. He bought lands around Moscow, and very often the poor owners sold their lands willingly. Some of them kept the right to rule in their lands on behalf of Ivan Kalita. In one way or another a number of cities and villages joined the Moscow principality – Uglich in 1323, the principality of Belozero in 1328–1338, the principality of Galich in 1340. Ivan's greatest success, however, was convincing the Khan in Sarai that his son, Simeon The Proud, should succeed him as the Grand Duke of Vladimir; from then on, the important position almost always belonged to the ruling house of Moscow. The Head of the Russian Church – Metropolitan Peter, whose authority was extremely high, moved from Vladimir to Moscow to Prince Ivan Kalita.Princess Elena died on March 1, 1331 . A year later, Kalita married again, and only the name is known about his second wife - Ulyana . There is a hypothesis according to which it was the daughter of Fyodor Davydovich Galitsky with half of her father's principality as a dowry . According to A. V. Eksemplyarsky, in his second marriage, Ivan Danilovich had one daughter . VA Kuchkin suggested that there were two daughters, Maria and Theodosia, who appear in the prince's will as "smaller children". One of them was alive in 1359; nothing more is known about the other . Ulyana survived her husband and died between 1366 and 1372 . a Lithuanian raid on the town of Torzhok in 1335 (as part of the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars), Ivan retaliated by burning the towns of Osechen and Riasna.[5] died in Moscow, 31 March 1340 or 1341.[1] He was buried 1 April in the Church of the Archangel Michael.[1] Ivan had built the church and was also the first person to be buried there.[6] Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1330, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed by Novatians after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia
Armenia, 325, St Hypatius of Gangra, Paphlagonia, killed by Novatians coming back from 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia; Gangra; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was bishop of the city of Gangra in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). In the year 325 he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, at which the heresy of Arius was anathematized. Saint Hypatius was returning in 326 from Constantinople to Gangra, followers of the schismatics Novatus and Felicissimus fell upon him in a desolate place. The heretics ran him through with swords and spears, and threw him into a swamp. Like the Protomartyr Stephen, Saint Hypatius prayed for his murderers. Arian woman struck the saint on the head with a stone, killing him. The murderers hid his body in a cave, where a Christian who kept straw there found his body. Recognizing the bishop’s body, he hastened to the city to report this, and the inhabitants of Gangra piously buried their beloved archpastor. his death, the relics of Saint Hypatius were famous for numerous miracles, particularly for casting out demons and for healing the sick. of old the hieromartyr Hypatius was particularly venerated in the Russian land. Thus in the year 1330 the Ipatiev monastery was built at Kostroma, on the place where the Mother of God appeared with the Pre-eternal Christ Child, the Apostle Philip, and the hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra. monastery later occupied a significant place in the spiritual and social life of the nation, particularly during the Time of Troubles. ancient copies of the Life of the hieromartyr Hypatius were widely distributed in Russian literature, and one of these was incorporated into The Reading Menaion of Metropolitan Macarius (1542-1564). In this Life there is an account of the appearance of the Savior to Saint Hypatius on the eve of the martyr’s death. entry for the saint’s Feast consists of his Life, some prayers, and words of praise and instruction. The pious veneration of Saint Hypatius was also expressed in Russian liturgical compositions. During the nineteenth century a new service was written for the hieromartyr Hypatius, distinct from the services written by Saint Joseph the Studite, contained in the March Menaion.

Russia, Vladimir, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud
Russia, Vologda, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud People, fWhite Lake city, fAnthony tRoman's m, tKargopolsk 52yrs, high command tChelma Hill, Chud people come, his preaching many baptisms, end oLife monastery&church, died a82; Kargopol; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Cyril of Chelma Hill, Enlightener of the Chudian People, born in the city of White Lake. was tonsured at the monastery of Saint Anthony the Roman, where for six years he passed through various obediences. after wandering through the wilderness for three years, he settled in a wild region of Kargopolsk. here, by a command from on high, he chose Chelma Hill for his constant abode. of the afflicted from the Chud people came to see Saint Cyril, whose luminous ascetic life and kindly preaching moved many to accept holy Baptism. the end of his life, Saint Cyril established a monastery and church in honor of the Theophany of the Lord. monk dwelt upon Chelma Hill for fifty-two years, and died at the advanced age of 82.

Russia, Vladimir, 1331-Present, Folder, Moscow Time

Russia, Vladimir, 1340-1353, Simeon of Moscow and Vladimir, standoffs w Novgorod Republic and Lithuania, died in Black Death
Vladimir Great Prince, 1340-1353, Simeon of Moscow ; Ivanovich Gordiy (the Proud) (7 November 1316 - 27 April 1353) was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of Vladimir. Simeon continued his father's policies aimed to increase the power and prestige of his state. Simeon's rule was marked by regular military and political standoffs against the Novgorod Republic and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His relationships with neighboring Russian principalities remained peaceful if not passive: Simeon stayed aside from conflicts between subordinate princes.[1] He had recourse to war only when war was unavoidable.[2] A relatively quiet period for Moscow was ended by the Black Death that claimed the lives of Simeon and his sons in 1353. St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves, his food wUncooked grass, served grass and sick were healed
Russia, Kiev, 1350, 14th C, Gregory tRecluse oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, relics lie Cave oTheodosius, uncooked grass was his food all his life, served grass tThose coming to him & sick were healed; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Gregory, Hermit of the Caves, lived during the fourteenth century. the “Lives of the Saints Whose Relics lie in the Cave of Saint Theodosius,” it says that uncooked grass served as Saint Gregory’s food all his life. gave this grass to those coming to him, and the sick were healed. is also commemorated on August 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1350, 14th C, Zeno the Faster, oKiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, resplendent iFasting
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno the Faster and Lover of Labor of the Far Caves of Kiev lived in the fourteenth century. the Third Ode of the Canon to the Monks of the Far Caves, he is described as “resplendent in fasting.” memory is also celebrated on August 28 and the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Russia, Vladimir, 1350-1370 , St John, B Suzdal&Nizhegorod, attending angel, lower taxes, poor houses, hospices, Mordovians
Russia, Vladimir, 1350- , Saint John, Bishop of Suzdal; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; John, Bishop of Suzdal, entered one of the monasteries of Suzdal while a youth. his virtuous and humble life, the saint was made the first Bishop of Suzdal and Nizhegorod in 1350. John merited a great mercy of God: Prince Boris of Suzdal saw how an angel of God attended the saint during the Divine Liturgy. John was known for his love towards the destitute and the sick; he interceded for the poor before the princes to lower their taxes. He also built poor houses and hospices for the sick. saint was very concerned about enlightening the pagan Mordvians with the Christian Faith. the annexation of Suzdal to the Moscow Diocese, Saint John took the monastic schema and withdrew to the Bogoliub monastery. He lived there in seclusion and died in peace. Numerous miracles took place at his grave.

Russia, Vladimir, 1353-1359, Great Prince, Ivan II of Moscow, Donskoy's Father
Vladimir Great Prince, 1353-1359, Ivan II of Moscow; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on October 15; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Vladimir, 1359-1362, Demetrius Constantovich, Eudoxia's f, Donskoy's f in law, GH Grand Duke, Vladimir
Russia, Vladimir, 1359-1362, Demetrius Constantovich, Dmitry of Suzdal ; Konstantinovich of Suzdal (1324 - 5 June 1383) (the one-eyed) was a powerful Prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod who dominated Russian politics during the minority of his son-in-law, Dmitri Donskoi. The famous Shuisky family descends from his eldest son, Vasily Kirdyapa. senior descendant of Vsevolod the Big Nest and also of Yaroslav II of Vladimir (Dmitry was great-grandson of Yaroslav II's third son Andrey), he inherited Suzdal in 1359 and Nizhny Novgorod in 1365. His policy towards Tatars was conciliatory for the most part, as his eastern lands were continuously exposed to their attacks. After some rivalry with Dmitri of Moscow, he was installed by the Khan of the Golden Horde as the Grand Duke of Vladimir in 1360. During his reign, he repeatedly quarreled with the Novgorod Republic over the raids of Novgorodian pirates who looted his own capital and Tatar markets along the Volga River. years later he was dethroned and had to make peace with Dmitri by marrying him to his daughter, Eudoxia. Joining his army with Dmitri's, he led an allied assault on Volga Bulgars and Mordovia. In 1377, the allied armies were defeated by the Tatars on the Pyana River, because (as the chronicler put it) they were too drunk to fight. However, in 1382 Dmitry Konstantinovich took the side of Khan Tokhtamysh in taking over Moscow and sent his sons to serve in the Tatar army. St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Vladimir, 1362-1389, Great Prince Dimitri of the Don, marriage united Moscow and Suzdal
Vladimir, 1362-1389, Great Prince Dimitri of the Don; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Vladimir, 1397, part of The Robe was transferred from C to Rus by St Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1445, Battle of Kamenka River or Suzdal 1445
Battle of Kamenka River or Suzdal 1445; Russo-Kazan Wars, Wars of Vasily II;

Russia, Vladimir, 1445, Russo-Kazan Wars of Vasily II
Battle of Kamenka River or Suzdal 1445; Russo-Kazan Wars, Wars of Vasily II;

Russia, Vladimir, 1505-1542, Sophia 0Suzdal, chosen f500 bride Prince Basil, Time oTroubles succession crisis, wworkng Nun
Russia, Vladimir, 1505-1542, Sophia oSuzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), mother died, raised by Aunt Eudokia, 1505 chosen f500 bride Prince Basil, son oIvanIII, married aDormition C Moscow Kremlin, first boyer family princess, unable tConceive, brothers wInherit so Basil imprisoned them, extinction Rurikid dynasty & Time oTroubles succession crisis, despite her radiant beauty, exemplary morals, mild character Basil divorced her, then married daughter Lithuanian Prince, condemned by Patriarchs, P oJerusalem predicted Cruel Child be born, Ivan tTerrible born 1530, best Russian people stood fSophia, Met Maximos removed imprisoned, a first, S forced tbNun, aNativity monastery Moscow, tProtection m Suzdal, 17yrs ascetic, died 1542, rumors oHoliness, called Monastic martyr, wonderworker, graveside miracle cures, 1609 Pole invasion Suzdal saved she appeared frightful form scaring Lisovsky, healings 1610 blind woman, 1646 paralyzed girl, amnesia woman, 1647 blind Nun, & deaf woman, 1648 paralized woman, 1649 blind woman, 1650 local venoration, her wonderworking icon, 1916 Orthodox ven, 2007 Church-wide ven, relics uncovered 1995; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; Sophia (in the world Great Princess Solomonia Yurievna) was born around 1490, daughter of the noble Yuri Saburov. mother died when she was young, and she was raised by her aunt Eudokia (her father's sister). the year 1505 she was chosen as the bride of the heir to the throne, the future Great Prince Basil III. was selected from among 500 girls from all over the country, who were presented at court for this purpose. wedding of Prince Basil and Solomonia took place on September 4, 1505, in the presence of the groom's father, Ivan III. Simon blessed the couple at the Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. she married Basil, her father was raised to the rank of boyar. the first time in Moscow's history, a Great Prince took neither a foreign princess nor a Russian princess as his wife, a bride who came from a boyar family. twenty years, it became apparent that Solomonia was unable to conceive a child. understood perfectly that if he died childless his brothers would inherit the throne. order to preclude that possibility, they were imprisoned or forbidden to marry until his own son was born. the end, this led to the extinction of the Rurikid dynasty, to the succession crisis known as the Time of Troubles. her radiant beauty, exemplary morals, and mild character, Solomonia's failure to produce an heir must have weighed upon Basil's relations with his wife, who turned to foreign doctors for help. 1525, the Great Prince decided to divorce Solomonia, with the approval of Metropolitan Daniel and the boyars, other Church authorities declared the divorce was unlawful. order to obtain an heir, Great Prince Basil decided to marry Elena Glinska, the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Basil Glinsky. action of the Great Prince Basil was condemned by all the Patriarchs, Patriarch Mark of Jerusalem even predicted that of this second marriage a "cruel child" would be born, who would fill Russia with blood and horrors. the Terrible was born in 1530, and Basil's second son, Yuri, was feeble-minded. the best Russian people of that time stood up for the blameless and miserable Great Princess: Metropolitan Barlaam, Saint Maximos the Greek (January 21) and others. all their protests were in vain. the first time in Russian history, a Great Prince removed a Metropolitan from office and imprisoned him in a monastery. Maximos was not allowed to serve, and others were persecuted as well. Andrew Kurbsky called Princess Solomonia "innocent and holy." November 25, 1525 Basil ordered Solomonia to become a nun. tonsured with the name Sophia, she was sent under guard to the Nativity Monastery in Moscow. she was moved to the Protection Monastery in Suzdal, one of the many churches established by Basil and his wife, where prayers were offered for the birth of an heir. her ascetical struggles, Saint Sophia banished all worldly thoughts from her heart, and dedicated herself entirely to God. reposed on December 18, 1542, after living as a nun for seventeen years. concerning Sophia's holiness quickly spread throughout Russia. a letter to Tsar Ivan, Prince Andrew Kurbsky calls the Right-believing Princess “a Monastic Martyr.” a manuscript of the Lives of the Saints she is called “Holy Venerable Princess Sophia the Nun, the Wonderworker, who dwelt in the Protection Monastery.” the reign of Tsar Theodore (the son of Ivan the Terrible) she was revered as a Saint. Irene sent to Suzdal, “to the Great Princess Solomonia, also called Sophia, a velvet veil depicting the Savior and other Saints.” Joseph wrote to Archbishop Serapion of Suzdal instructing him to have Panikhidas and Molebens served for the Nun Sophia. sacristan Ananias of Suzdal speaks of several miraculous cures at her grave. 1609, during an invasion by the Poles, she saved Suzdal from destruction, appearing in a frightful form to the Polish military commander Lisovsky. with fear, he swore to spare the city and monastery. 1610 a peasant woman named Theodosia was healed after being afflicted with blindness for a year and a half. 1646 a girl, Irene Popova, was healed after being paralyzed for several years. same summer a woman named Juliana was cured of amnesia. Nun Theodora was healed in 1647 after being blind for two and a half months. same year Julitta Ivanova, a resident of the village of Kideksha, was healed after being deaf for two years. of Suzdal was healed of paralysis in 1648 after several years. 1649 the Nun Alexandra (Trusov) of the Protection Monastery was healed after losing her sight. other miracles took place, and continue to take place, through the intercession of Saint Sophia. 1650, Patriarch Joseph told the Archbishop of Suzdal to permit her local veneration as a Saint. the middle of the XVIII century, the question of her canonization arose. icon, painted in the XVII century, has survived to this day and is considered a wonderworking icon. with the blessing of the Holy Synod, her name was included in the Orthodox Church Calendar in 1916. 2007, her Church-wide veneration took place, and her Service was included in the Menaion. Sophia's tomb in the Protection Monastery was highly revered. August 14, 1995, the solemn uncovering of her relics took place. On that day, a Moleben was served at her tomb. With the blessing of Metropolitan Eulogios, the Church Archaeological Commission made excavations, and the Saint's relics were found and transferred to the Protection Cathedral. Sophia is also commemorated on June 23, the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir.

Russia, Vladimir, 1529, John of Kazan, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, tKazan, slave tKhan's relative, killed
Mongol, Perm, 1529, John of Kazan, Perm, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, brought to Kazan, slave to Khan's relative, killed, at time of GP Basil, Tartars attacked Nizhni, Novgorod, inhabitants tCaptivity in Kazan incl fearless John, who was given to Khan relative, served master by day, but night without sleep prayed, enduring insults, abuse, master resolved force him tBecome Moslem, but J worshiped Jesus as God, in winter led tRussian Cemetery, mortally wounded him, left him in snow, but that night J t door of Christians asked for Priest, got Holy Mysteries, prayed all night, died next morning ; Kazan ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Martyr John of Kazan suffered for Christ in the city of Kazan on January 24, 1529. During the reign of Great Prince Basil the Tatars swooped down upon Nizhni Novgorod. Many of the inhabitants were taken into captivity and brought to Kazan. Also among their number was the fearless John. the captives were distributed to their new owners, he was given to Alei-Shnura, who was related to the Khan. By day John honestly served his master, but at night he went without sleep and prayed, patiently enduring insults and abuse. The master resolved to force his servant to become a Moslem, but John firmly declared that he worshiped Jesus Christ as God. the winter the Tatars tied him up and led him to a Russian cemetery, mortally wounded him with swords, and threw him into the snow. That night, Saint John reached the door of some Russians living in Kazan, and he asked them to summon a priest. He received the Holy Mysteries and prayed all night, then died the following morning.

Russia, Vladimir, 1612, Nizhni Novogorod, Militia of Minin (Cleared Moscow Kremlin of Polish Forces)
Russia, Vladimir, Nizhni Novogorod, 1612, Militia of Minin (Cleared Moscow Kremlin of Polish Forces); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Vladimir, 1641, Passions Icon of the MOG, go to Nizhni-Novgorod and buy my Icon from Gregory
Russia, Vladimir, 1641,The Passion Icon, Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9), Katherine's seisures after marriage, prayed, vowed,, long time remembered v, go buy icon at N-N, healing, miracles, transferred to Moscow 1641; Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka); Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on August 13; The Icon of the Mother of God Of the Passion icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese. Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. After recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese. Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1641,The Passions Icon, Nizhni-Novgorod, Katherine's seisures after marriage, icon transferred to Moscow 1641
Russia, Vladimir, 1641,The Passion Icon, Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9), Katherine's seisures after marriage, prayed, vowed,, long time remembered v, go buy icon at N-N, healing, miracles, transferred to Moscow 1641; Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka); Icon of the Mother of God œof the Passion, Commemorated on August 13; The Icon of the Mother of God Of the Passion icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other “Passion” icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese.

Russia, Vladimir, 1651-1707, Hilarion, Met Suzdal, tears b MOG Icon grace over passions, robbers, church construction, give tPoor
Russia, Moscow, 1651-1707, Hilarion, Met oSuzdal&Yuriev, Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5), famed priest father, monk a22, founded built Philorischev wilderness monastery a25 1655, near Gorokhovetsa, fleshly passions, down before Vladimir icon, MOG shielded him grace power&calmed hSpirit, once Robbers set H on fire, turned to Icon, if injured no longer glorify Son&you, Robbers heard shouts fled, once heard voice passing church, I will glorify thee...all the land, only Icon there, tears, unworthiness before Icon, Later when constricting stone church sad disagreements distracting him from prayer, tears to MOG not abandon, fell asleep, MOG dream transfer my Vladimir Icon from this hot church to new stone church, and I will help you there, solem transfer from portico tTemple, all night virgil, construction soon completed, under me, a sinner, no one possessed anything.... assigned to fire possessions which would destrom cenobitic community, 1681 Archbishop Suzdal & Yuriev, 1682 Met till 1705, 1707 d peacefully, unceasing concern for Poor; Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev (in the world John), born November 13, 1631 into the family of the lower city priest Ananias. father, famed for his piety and reading, was one of three candidates for the Patriarchal throne, together with the future Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658). entered a monastery in 1653. 1655, he became founder and builder of the Phlorischev wilderness monastery not far from the city of Gorokhovetsa. his monastic struggles, the saint wrestled with fleshly passions. he fell down in exhaustion before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God beseeching Her help, the Mother of God shielded him with gracious power and calmed his spirit. when Saint Hilarion was serving Vespers together with a hierodeacon, robbers burst into the church. killed the deacon and started to set Saint Hilarion on fire, asking him where the monastery treasure was hid. did not believe that there was no gold in the monastery. by the pain, Saint Hilarion turned to the wonderworking icon and said, “O All-Pure Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ! If they injure me with the fire, I shall no longer have the ability to glorify Thy Son and Thee.” the robbers heard the shouts of people searching for them, and they fled. time, Saint Hilarion in passing by the church heard a voice: “I shall glorify thee throughout all the land.” trembled, and going into the vestibule, he found no people there. the portico he found only the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The ascetic fell down before the image with tears and confessed his unworthiness. on, when the saint had begun the construction of a stone church, he was very sad that concerns about the construction and disagreements among the workers were distracting him from prayer. serving in church with the brethren, he was preoccupied by these thoughts and began to regret undertaking the work. With tears he besought the Mother of God not to abandon him and to deliver him from these worries. he finished his prayer, Saint Hilarion remained alone in church and began again to think about the construction. so he fell asleep. a dream the Mother of God appeared to him and said, “Transfer My icon, named the Vladimir, from this hot church and put it in the newly-built stone church, and I shall be your Helper there”. Hilarion awoke and ordered the large bell to be rung. monks immediately assembled. All went to the hot church and, having prayed before the icon, solemnly transferred it from the portico into the temple. serving the all night Vigil, Divine Liturgy and a Molieben, the saint told the brethren of his vision. in procession they transferred the icon to the church under construction, where they set it in the midst of the woods. that time the construction went successfully and was soon completed. saint wanted to dedicate the temple in honor of the icon, but he it was revealed to him in a vision that the temple was to be consecrated in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. the wilderness monastery he maintained a very strict community rule. 1694, the saint sent a letter to the Phlorischev monastery in which he reminisced about his own monastic Rule at this monastery: “Under me, a sinner, no one possessed anything of his own, but all was shared in common. Many of you may remember that former cenobitic community. And you also remember that I consigned to the fire those possessions which would destroy that cenobitic community.” December 11, 1681, the saint was consecrated as Archbishop of Suzdal and Yuriev, in 1682 he was elevated to the dignity of Metropolitan and remained on the Suzda’ cathedra until February 1705. saint died peacefully on December 14, 1707 and was buried in the Suzdal cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. saint was known for his unceasing concern for the poor. his death they found only three coins. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir-Phlorischev (August 26) had been painted by the renowned iconographer John Chirov in 1464 at Nizhni Novgorod in fulfillment of a vow of John Vetoshnikov.

Russia, Vladimir, 1654-1655, Ozerianka Icon, of Shuiu-Smolensk, copy, painted in response to pestinence
Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5); Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, where an unrelenting pestilence raged. Trusting in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, an icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. When the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. From that time the pestilence began to ease, at first in the area of the Resurrection parish, and then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. The icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Mongol, China, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan, Yuan Dynasty, China, Mongolia, Korea, Buddist, M Polo.kmz

Mongol, China, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan, Yuan Dynasty, China, Mongolia, Korea, Buddist, M Polo
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan ; (/ËˆkuËblaÉª/; Mongolian: Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹, romanized: Hubilai; Chinese: å¿½å¿…çƒˆ; pinyin: Hūbìliè; 23 September  1215 – 18 February 1294), also known as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan, was the fifth khagan-emperor[note 1] of the Mongol Empire (Ikh Mongol Uls), reigning from 1260 to 1294 (although after the division of the empire this was a nominal position). He also founded the Yuan dynasty in China as a conquest dynasty in 1271, and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death in 1294. was the fourth son of Tolui (his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki) and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He succeeded his older brother Möngke as Khagan in 1260, but had to defeat his younger brother Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War lasting until 1264. This episode marked the beginning of disunity in the empire.[2] Kublai's real power was limited to China and Mongolia, though as Khagan he still had influence in the Ilkhanate and, to a significantly lesser degree, in the Golden Horde.[3][4][5] If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, his realm reached from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, from Siberia to what is now Afghanistan.[6] 1271, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty, which ruled over present-day China, Mongolia, Korea, and some adjacent areas; he also amassed influence in the Middle East and Europe as a Khagan. He assumed the role of Emperor of China. By 1279, the Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty was completed and Kublai became the first non-Han emperor to unite all of China proper. imperial portrait of Kublai was part of an album of the portraits of Yuan emperors and empresses, now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. White, the color of the royal costume of Kublai, was the imperial color of the Yuan dynasty.[7] 1 Early years 2 Victory in North China 3 Enthronement and civil war 4 Reign 4.1 Great Khan of the Mongols 4.2 Emperor of the Yuan dynasty 4.2.1 Scientific developments and relations with minorities 4.2.2 Continuation of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices 5 Warfare and foreign relations 5.1 Tibet and Xinjiang 5.2 Kublai's annexation of Goryeo 5.3 Further naval expansion 5.4 Invasions of Japan 5.5 Invasions of Vietnam 5.6 Southeast Asia and South Seas 5.7 Europe 5.8 Africa 6 Capital City 6.1 Xanadu 7 Nayan's rebellion 8 Later years 9 Family 9.1 Wives and sons 9.2 Daughters 10 Poetry 11 Legacy 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 15.1 Citations 15.2 Sources 16 Further reading 17 External links years[edit] Khan was the fourth son of Tolui, and his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki. As his grandfather Genghis Khan advised, Sorghaghtani chose a Buddhist Tangut woman as her son's nurse, whom Kublai later honored highly. On his way home after the Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, Genghis Khan performed a ceremony on his grandsons Möngke and Kublai after their first hunt in 1224 near the Ili River.[8] Kublai was nine years old and with his eldest brother killed a rabbit and an antelope. After his grandfather smeared fat from killed animals onto Kublai's middle finger in accordance with a Mongol tradition, he said "The words of this boy Kublai are full of wisdom, heed them well – heed them all of you." The elderly Khagan (Mongol emperor) Genghis Khan would die three years after this event in 1227, when Kublai was 12. Kublai's father Tolui would serve as regent for two years until Genghis' successor, Kublai's third uncle Ogedei, was enthroned as Khagan in 1229.[citation needed] the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty, in 1236, Ogedei gave Hebei (attached with 80,000 households) to the family of Tolui, who died in 1232. Kublai received an estate of his own, which included 10,000 households. Because he was inexperienced, Kublai allowed local officials free rein. Corruption amongst his officials and aggressive taxation caused large numbers of Chinese peasants to flee, which led to a decline in tax revenues. quickly came to his appanage in Hebei and ordered reforms. Sorghaghtani sent new officials to help him and tax laws were revised. Thanks to those efforts, many of the people who fled returned.[citation needed] most prominent, and arguably most influential, component of Kublai Khan's early life was his study and a strong attraction to contemporary Chinese culture. Kublai invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China, to his ordo in Mongolia. When he met Haiyun in Karakorum in 1242, Kublai asked him about the philosophy of Buddhism. Haiyun named Kublai's son, who was born in 1243, Zhenjin (Chinese: True Gold).[9] Haiyun also introduced Kublai to the formerly Daoist (Taoist), and at the time Buddhist monk, Liu Bingzhong. Liu was a painter, calligrapher, poet, and mathematician, and he became Kublai's advisor when Haiyun returned to his temple in modern Beijing.[10] Kublai soon added the Shanxi scholar Zhao Bi to his entourage. Kublai employed people of other nationalities as well, for he was keen to balance local and imperial interests, Mongol and Turkic.[11] in North China[edit] of young Kublai by Anige, a Nepali artist in Kublai's court 1251, Kublai's eldest brother Möngke became Khan of the Mongol Empire, and Khwarizmian Mahmud Yalavach and Kublai were sent to China. received the viceroyalty over North China and moved his ordo to central Inner Mongolia. During his years as viceroy, Kublai managed his territory well, boosted the agricultural output of Henan, and increased social welfare spendings after receiving Xi'an. acts received great acclaim from the Chinese warlords and were essential to the building of the Yuan Dynasty. 1252, Kublai criticized Mahmud Yalavach, who was never highly valued by his Chinese associates, over his cavalier execution of suspects during a judicial review, and Zhao Bi attacked him for his presumptuous attitude toward the throne. Möngke dismissed Mahmud Yalavach, which met with resistance from Chinese Confucian-trained officials.[12] 1253, Kublai was ordered to attack Yunnan and he asked the Dali Kingdom to submit. The ruling Gao family resisted and killed Mongol envoys. The Mongols divided their forces into three. One wing rode eastward into the Sichuan basin. The second column under Subutai's son Uryankhadai took a difficult route into the mountains of western Sichuan.[13] Kublai went south over the grasslands and met up with the first column. While Uryankhadai travelled along the lakeside from the north, Kublai took the capital city of Dali and spared the residents despite the slaying of his ambassadors. The Dali King Duan Xingzhi (æ®µèˆˆæ™º) himself defected to the Mongols, who used his troops to conquer the rest of Yunnan. Duan Xingzhi, the last king of Dali, was appointed by Möngke Khan as the first tusi or local ruler; Duan accepted the stationing of a pacification commissioner there.[14] Kublai's departure, unrest broke out among certain factions. In 1255 and 1256, Duan Xingzhi was presented at court, where he offered Möngke Khan maps of Yunnan and counsels about the vanquishing of the tribes who had not yet surrendered. Duan then led a considerable army to serve as guides and vanguards for the Mongolian army. By the end of 1256, Uryankhadai had completely pacified Yunnan.[15] was attracted by the abilities of Tibetan monks as healers. In 1253 he made Drogön Chögyal Phagpa of the Sakya school, a member of his entourage. Phagpa bestowed on Kublai and his wife, Chabi (Chabui), an empowerment (initiation ritual). Kublai appointed Lian Xixian of the Kingdom of Qocho (1231–1280) the head of his pacification commission in 1254. Some officials, who were jealous of Kublai's success, said that he was getting above himself and dreaming of having his own empire by competing with Möngke's capital Karakorum. Möngke Khan sent two tax inspectors, Alamdar (Ariq Böke's close friend and governor in North China) and Liu Taiping, to audit Kublai's officials in 1257. They found fault, listed 142 breaches of regulations, accused Chinese officials and executed some of them, and Kublai's new pacification commission was abolished.[16] Kublai sent a two-man embassy with his wives and then appealed in person to Möngke, who publicly forgave his younger brother and reconciled with him.[citation needed] Daoists had obtained their wealth and status by seizing Buddhist temples. Möngke repeatedly demanded that the Daoists cease their denigration of Buddhism and ordered Kublai to end the clerical strife between the Daoists and Buddhists in his territory.[17] Kublai called a conference of Daoist and Buddhist leaders in early 1258. At the conference, the Daoist claim was officially refuted, and Kublai forcibly converted 237 Daoist temples to Buddhism and destroyed all copies of the Daoist texts.[18][19][20][21] Kublai Khan and the Yuan dynasty clearly favored Buddhism, while his counterparts in the Chagatai Khanate, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate later converted to Islam at various times in history – Berke of the Golden Horde being the only Muslim during Kublai's era (his successor did not convert to Islam).[citation needed] “The Emperor Kublai Khan in a tower carried by four elephants on the day of the battle“ French Engraving, 18th century. 1258, Möngke put Kublai in command of the Eastern Army and summoned him to assist with an attack on Sichuan. As he was suffering from gout, Kublai was allowed to stay home, but he moved to assist Möngke anyway. Before Kublai arrived in 1259, word reached him that Möngke had died. Kublai decided to keep the death of his brother secret and continued the attack on Wuhan, near the Yangtze. While Kublai's force besieged Wuchang, Uryankhadai joined him.[citation needed] The Song minister Jia Sidao secretly approached Kublai to propose terms. He offered an annual tribute of 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk, in exchange for Mongol agreement to the Yangtze as the frontier between the states.[22] Kublai declined at first but later reached a peace agreement with Jia Sidao. and civil war[edit] article: Toluid Civil War received a message from his wife that his younger brother Ariq Böke had been raising troops, so he returned north to the Mongolian plains.[23] he reached Mongolia, he learned that Ariq Böke had held a kurultai (Mongol great council) at the capital Karakorum, which had named him Great Khan with the support of most of Genghis Khan's descendants. and the fourth brother, the Il-Khan Hulagu, opposed this. Kublai's Chinese staff encouraged Kublai to ascend the throne, and almost all the senior princes in North China and Manchuria supported his candidacy.[24] returning to his own territories, Kublai summoned his own kurultai. Fewer members of the royal family supported Kublai's claims to the title, though the small number of attendees included representatives of all the Borjigin lines except that of Jochi. This kurultai proclaimed Kublai Great Khan, on April 15, 1260, despite Ariq Böke's apparently legal claim to become khan.[citation needed] Khan was chosen by his many supporters to become the next Great Khan at the Grand Kurultai in the year 1260. Kublai Khan and His Empress Enthroned, from a Jami al-Twarikh (or Chingiznama). Mughal dynasty, Reign of Akbar, 1596. Mughal Court. Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. India. Freer Gallery of Art. F1954.31 [1] led to warfare between Kublai and Ariq Böke, which resulted in the destruction of the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. In Shaanxi and Sichuan, Möngke's army supported Ariq Böke. Kublai dispatched Lian Xixian to Shaanxi and Sichuan, where they executed Ariq Böke's civil administrator Liu Taiping and won over several wavering generals.[25] To secure the southern front, Kublai attempted a diplomatic resolution and sent envoys to Hangzhou, but Jia broke his promise and arrested them.[26] Kublai sent Abishqa as new khan to the Chagatai Khanate. Ariq Böke captured Abishqa, two other princes, and 100 men, and he had his own man, Alghu, crowned khan of Chagatai's territory. the first armed clash between Ariq Böke and Kublai, Ariq Böke lost and his commander Alamdar was killed at the battle. In revenge, Ariq Böke had Abishqa executed. cut off supplies of food to Karakorum with the support of his cousin Kadan, son of Ögedei Khan. Karakorum quickly fell to Kublai's large army, but following Kublai's departure it was temporarily re-taken by Ariq Böke in 1261. Yizhou governor Li Tan revolted against Mongol rule in February 1262, and Kublai ordered his Chancellor Shi Tianze and Shi Shu to attack Li Tan. The two armies crushed Li Tan's revolt in just a few months and Li Tan was executed. armies also executed Wang Wentong, Li Tan's father-in-law, who had been appointed the Chief Administrator of the Central Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng) early in Kublai's reign and became one of Kublai's most trusted Han Chinese officials. incident instilled in Kublai a distrust of ethnic Hans. After becoming emperor, Kublai banned granting the titles of and tithes to Han Chinese warlords.[citation needed] Khan Alghu, who had been appointed by Ariq Böke, declared his allegiance to Kublai and defeated a punitive expedition sent by Ariq Böke in 1262. The Ilkhan Hulagu also sided with Kublai and criticized Ariq Böke. Böke surrendered to Kublai at Xanadu on August 21, 1264. The rulers of the western khanates acknowledged Kublai's victory and rule in Mongolia.[27] When Kublai summoned them to a new kurultai, Alghu Khan demanded recognition of his illegal position from Kublai in return. Despite tensions between them, both Hulagu and Berke, khan of the Golden Horde, at first accepted Kublai's invitation.[28][29] However, they soon declined to attend the kurultai. Kublai pardoned Ariq Böke, although he executed Ariq Böke's chief supporters. Khan of the Mongols[edit] invasions and conquests mysterious deaths of three Jochid princes in Hulagu's service, the Siege of Baghdad (1258), and unequal distribution of war spoils strained the Ilkhanate's relations with the Golden Horde. 1262, Hulagu's complete purge of the Jochid troops and support for Kublai in his conflict with Ariq Böke brought open war with the Golden Horde. Kublai reinforced Hulagu with 30,000 young Mongols in order to stabilize the political crises in the western regions of the Mongol Empire.[30] Hulagu died on February 8, 1264, Berke marched to cross near Tbilisi to conquer the Ilkhanate but died on the way. Within a few months of these deaths, Alghu Khan of the Chagatai Khanate also died. In the new official version of his family's history, Kublai refused to write Berke's name as the khan of the Golden Horde because of Berke's support for Ariq Böke and wars with Hulagu; however, Jochi's family was fully recognized as legitimate family members.[31] Khan named Abaqa as the new Ilkhan (obedient khan) and nominated Batu's grandson Mentemu for the throne of Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde.[32][33] The Kublaids in the east retained suzerainty over the Ilkhans until the end of their regime.[24][34] also sent his protege Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq to overthrow the court of the Oirat Orghana, the empress of the Chagatai Khanate, who put her young son Mubarak Shah on the throne in 1265, without Kublai's permission after her husband's death. Kaidu of the House of Ögedei declined to personally attend the court of Kublai. Kublai instigated Baraq to attack Kaidu. Baraq began to expand his realm northward; he seized power in 1266 and fought Kaidu and the Golden Horde. He also pushed out Great Khan's overseer from the Tarim Basin. When Kaidu and Mentemu together defeated Kublai, Baraq joined an alliance with the House of Ögedei and the Golden Horde against Kublai in the east and Abagha in the west. Meanwhile, Mentemu avoided any direct military expedition against Kublai's realm. The Golden Horde promised Kublai their assistance to defeat Kaidu whom Mentemu called the rebel.[35] This was apparently due to the conflict between Kaidu and Mentemu over the agreement they made at the Talas kurultai. The armies of Mongol Persia defeated Baraq's invading forces in 1269. When Baraq died the next year, Kaidu took control of the Chagatai Khanate and recovered his alliance with Mentemu.[citation needed] Kublai tried to stabilize his control over the Korean Peninsula by mobilizing another Mongol invasion after he enthroned Wonjong of Goryeo (r. 1260–1274) in 1259 on Ganghwado. Kublai also forced two rulers of the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate to call a truce with each other in 1270 despite the Golden Horde's interests in the Middle East and the Caucasus.[36] 1260, Kublai sent one of his advisors, Hao Ching, to the court of Emperor Lizong of Song to say that if Lizong submitted to Kublai and surrender his dynasty, he would be granted some autonomy.[37] Emperor Lizong refused to meet Kublai's demands and imprisoned Hao Ching and when Kublai sent a delegation to release Hao Ching, Emperor Lizong sent them back.[37] called two Iraqi siege engineers from the Ilkhanate in order to destroy the fortresses of Song China. After the fall of Xiangyang in 1273, Kublai's commanders, Aju and Liu Zheng, proposed a final campaign against the Song Dynasty, and Kublai made Bayan of the Baarin the supreme commander.[38] Kublai ordered Möngke Temür to revise the second census of the Golden Horde to provide resources and men for his conquest of China.[39] The census took place in all parts of the Golden Horde, including Smolensk and Vitebsk in 1274–75. The Khans also sent Nogai Khan to the Balkans to strengthen Mongol influence there.[40] renamed the Mongol regime in China Dai Yuan in 1271, and sought to sinicize his image as Emperor of China in order to win control of millions of Han Chinese people. he moved his headquarters to Khanbaliq, also called Dadu, at modern-day Beijing, there was an uprising in the old capital Karakorum that he barely contained. Kublai's actions were condemned by traditionalists and his critics still accused him of being too closely tied to Han Chinese culture. They sent a message to him: "The old customs of our Empire are not those of the Han Chinese laws ... What will happen to the old customs?"[41][42] Kaidu attracted the other elites of Mongol Khanates, declaring himself to be a legitimate heir to the throne instead of Kublai, who had turned away from the ways of Genghis Khan.[43][44] Defections from Kublai's Dynasty swelled the Ögedeids' forces. of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by Han Chinese court artist Liu Guandao, c. 1280. Song imperial family surrendered to the Yuan in 1276, making the Mongols the first non-Han Chinese peoples to conquer all of China. Three years later, Yuan marines crushed the last of the Song loyalists. The Song Empress Dowager and her grandson, Emperor Gong of Song, were then settled in Khanbaliq where they were given tax-free property, and Kublai's wife Chabi took a personal interest in their well-being. However, Kublai later had Emperor Gong sent away to become a monk to Zhangye.[citation needed] succeeded in building a powerful empire, created an academy, offices, trade ports and canals and sponsored science and the arts. The record of the Mongols lists 20,166 public schools created during Kublai's reign.[43] Having achieved real or nominal dominion over much of Eurasia, and having successfully conquered China, Kublai was in a position to look beyond China.[45] However, Kublai's costly invasions of Vietnam (1258), Sakhalin (1264), Burma (1277), Champa (1282), and Vietnam again (1285) secured only the vassal status of those countries. Mongol invasions of Japan (1274 and 1280), the third invasion of Vietnam (1287–8), and the invasion of Java (1293) failed. the same time, Kublai's nephew Ilkhan Abagha tried to form a grand alliance of the Mongols and the Western European powers to defeat the Mamluks in Syria and North Africa that constantly invaded the Mongol dominions. Abagha and Kublai focused mostly on foreign alliances, and opened trade routes. Khagan Kublai dined with a large court every day, and met with many ambassadors and foreign merchants.[citation needed] son Nomukhan and his generals occupied Almaliq from 1266 to 1276. In 1277, a group of Genghisid princes under Möngke's son Shiregi rebelled, kidnapped Kublai's two sons and his general Antong and handed them over to Kaidu and Möngke Temür. The latter was still allied with Kaidu who fashioned an alliance with him in 1269, although Möngke Temür had promised Kublai his military support to protect Kublai from the Ögedeids.[43] Kublai's armies suppressed the rebellion and strengthened the Yuan garrisons in Mongolia and the Ili River basin. However, Kaidu took control over Almaliq. of the letter of Arghun to Philip IV of France, in the Mongolian script, dated 1289. French National Archives. In 1279–80, Kublai decreed death for those who performed slaughtering of cattle according to the legal codes of Islam (dhabihah) or Judaism (kashrut), which offended Mongolian custom.[46] Tekuder seized the throne of the Ilkhanate in 1282, attempting to make peace with the Mamluks, Abaqa's old Mongols under prince Arghun appealed to Kublai. After the execution of Ahmad Fanakati, Kublai confirmed Arghun's coronation and awarded his commander in chief Buqa the title of chancellor.[citation needed] niece, Kelmish, who married a Khongirad general of the Golden Horde, was powerful enough to have Kublai's sons Nomuqan and Kokhchu returned. Three leaders of the Jochids, Tode Mongke, Köchü, and Nogai, agreed to release two princes.[47] The court of the Golden Horde returned the princes as a peace overture to the Yuan Dynasty in 1282 and induced Kaidu to release Kublai's general. Konchi, khan of the White Horde, established friendly relations with the Yuan and the Ilkhanate, and as a reward received luxury gifts and grain from Kublai.[48] Despite political disagreement between contending branches of the family over the office of Khagan, the economic and commercial system continued.[49][50][51][52] of the Yuan dynasty[edit] also: Timeline of the Yuan dynasty Yuan Dynasty of China, c. 1294 Khan considered China his main base, realizing within a decade of his enthronement as Great Khan that he needed to concentrate on governing there.[53] From the beginning of his reign, he adopted Chinese political and cultural models and worked to minimize the influences of regional lords, who had held immense power before and during the Song Dynasty. heavily relied on his Chinese advisers until about 1276. He had many Han Chinese advisers, such as Liu Bingzhong and Xu Heng, and employed many Buddhist Uyghurs, some of whom were resident commissioners running Chinese districts.[54] also appointed the Sakya lama Drogön Chögyal Phagpa ("the Phags pa Lama") his Imperial Preceptor, giving him power over all the empire's Buddhist monks. 1270, after the Phags pa Lama created the 'Phags-pa script, he was promoted to imperial preceptor. Kublai established the Supreme Control Commission under the Phags pa Lama to administer affairs of Tibetan and Chinese monks. During Phagspa's absence in Tibet, the Tibetan monk Sangha rose to high office and had the office renamed the Commission for Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs.[55][56] In 1286, Sangha became the dynasty's chief fiscal officer. However, their[whose?] corruption later embittered Kublai, and he later relied wholly on younger Mongol aristocrats. Antong of the Jalairs and Bayan of the Baarin served as grand councillors from 1265, and Oz-temur of the Arulad headed the censorate. Borokhula's descendant, Ochicher, headed a kheshig (Mongolian imperial guard) and the palace provision commission.[citation needed] the eighth year of Zhiyuan (1271), Kublai officially created the Yuan dynasty and proclaimed the capital as Dadu (Chinese: å¤§éƒ½; Wade–Giles: Ta-tu; lit. 'Grand Capital', known as Khanbaliq or Daidu to the Mongols, at modern-day Beijing) the following year. His summer capital was in Shangdu (Chinese: ä¸Šéƒ½; lit. 'Upper Capital', also called Xanadu, near what today is Dolon Nor). unify China,[57] Kublai began a massive offensive against the remnants of the Southern Song in 1274 and finally destroyed the Song in 1279, unifying the country at last at the Battle of Yamen where the last Song Emperor Zhao Bing committed suicide by jumping into the sea and ending the Song dynasty.[58] opera flourished during Yuan China. of the Yuan domains were administered as provinces, also translated as the "Branch Secretariat", each with a governor and vice-governor.[59] This included China proper, Manchuria, Mongolia, and a special Zhendong branch Secretariat that extended into the Korean Peninsula.[60][61] The Central Region (Chinese: è…¹è£) was separate from the rest, consisting of much of present-day North China. It was considered the most important region of the dynasty and was directly governed by the Zhongshu Sheng at Dadu. Tibet was governed by another top-level administrative department called the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs. promoted economic growth by rebuilding the Grand Canal, repairing public buildings, and extending highways. However, his domestic policy included some aspects of the old Mongol living traditions, and as his reign continued, these traditions would clash increasingly frequently with traditional Chinese economic and social culture. decreed that partner merchants of the Mongols should be subject to taxes in 1262 and set up the Office of Market Taxes to supervise them in 1268.[62] the Mongol conquest of the Song, the Muslim, Uighur and Chinese merchants expanded their operations to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.[62] In 1286, maritime trade was put under the Office of Market Taxes. The main source of revenue of the government was the monopoly of salt production.[63] Mongol administration had issued paper currencies from 1227 on.[64][65] In August 1260, Kublai created the first unified paper currency called Jiaochao; bills were circulated throughout the Yuan domain with no expiration date. To guard against devaluation, the currency was convertible with silver and gold, and the government accepted tax payments in paper currency. In 1273, Kublai issued a new series of state sponsored bills to finance his conquest of the Song, although eventually a lack of fiscal discipline and inflation turned this move into an economic disaster. was required to pay only in the form of paper money. To ensure its use, Kublai's government confiscated gold and silver from private citizens and foreign merchants, but traders received government-issued notes in exchange. Kublai Khan is considered to be the first fiat money maker. The paper bills made collecting taxes and administering the empire much easier and reduced the cost of transporting coins.[66] In 1287, Kublai's minister Sangha created a new currency, Zhiyuan Chao, to deal with a budget shortfall.[67] It was non-convertible and denominated in copper cash. Later Gaykhatu of the Ilkhanate attempted to adopt the system in Iran and the Middle East, which was a complete failure, and shortly afterwards he was assassinated.[citation needed] Sangha was a Tibetan.[68] A rich merchant from the Madurai Sultanate, Abu Ali, was associated closely with its royal family. After falling out with them, he moved to Yuan China and received a Korean woman as his wife and a job from the Mongol Emperor, the woman was formerly Sangha's wife and her father held the title of Chaesongnyeon during the reign of Chungnyeol of Goryeo according to the Dongguk Tonggam, Goryeosa and Liu Mengyan's ZhÅng'ÄnjÃ.[69][70] encouraged Asian arts and demonstrated religious tolerance. Despite his anti-Daoist edicts, Kublai respected the Daoist master and appointed Zhang Liushan as the patriarch of the Daoist Xuánjià, (Mysterious Order).[71] Under Zhang's advice, Daoist temples were put under the Academy of Scholarly Worthies. Europeans visited the empire, notably Marco Polo in the 1270s, who may have seen the summer capital Shangdu.[citation needed] the Southern Song, the descendant of Confucius at Qufu, Duke Yansheng Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to Quzhou, while the newly established Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng. From that time up until the Yuan dynasty, there were two Duke Yanshengs, once in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation, so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng.[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] The southern branch still remained in Quzhou where they lived to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000.[80] developments and relations with minorities[edit] "Muslim trebuchet" (or Huihui Pao) used to breach the walls of Fancheng and Xiangyang. Muslims served as high officials in the court of Kublai Khan. Eight of the dynasty's twelve administrative districts had Muslim governors appointed by Kublai Khan.[81] Among the Muslim governors was Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, who became administrator of Yunnan. He was a well learned man in the Confucian and Daoist traditions and is believed to have propagated Islam in China. Other administrators were Nasr al-Din (Yunnan) and Mahmud Yalavach (mayor of the Yuan capitol). Khan patronized Muslim scholars and scientists, and Muslim astronomers contributed to the construction of the observatory in Shaanxi.[82] Astronomers such as Jamal ad-Din introduced 7 new instruments and concepts that allowed the correction of the Chinese calendar. cartographers made accurate maps of all the nations along the Silk Road and greatly influenced the knowledge of Yuan dynasty rulers and merchants.[citation needed] physicians organized hospitals and had their own institutes of Medicine in Beijing and Shangdu. In Beijing was the renown Guang Hui Si "Department of extensive mercy", where Hui medicine and surgery were taught. Avicenna's works were also published in China during that period.[83] mathematicians introduced Euclidean Geometry, Spherical trigonometry and Arabic numerals in China.[84] brought siege engineers Ismail and Al al-Din to China, and together they invented the Muslim trebuchet (or Huihui Pao), which was utilized by Kublai Khan during the Battle of Xiangyang.[85] of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices[edit] Emperors like Kublai Khan forbade practices such as butchering according to Jewish (kashrut) or Muslim (dhabihah) legal codes and other restrictive decrees continued. Circumcision was also strictly forbidden.[86][87][88] and foreign relations[edit] also: Kublai Khan's campaigns, Mongol military tactics and organization, and Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty Yuan dynasty hand cannon Kublai restricted the functions of the kheshig, he created a new imperial bodyguard, at first entirely Chinese in composition but later strengthened with Kipchak, Alan (Asud), and Russian units.[89][90][91] Once his own kheshig was organized in 1263, Kublai put three of the original kheshigs under the charge of the descendants of Genghis Khan's assistants, Borokhula, Boorchu, and Muqali. Kublai began the practice of having the four great aristocrats in his kheshig sign jarligs (decrees), a practice that spread to all other Mongol khanates.[92] Mongol and Chinese units were organized using the same decimal organization that Genghis Khan used. The Mongols eagerly adopted new artillery and technologies. Kublai and his generals adopted an elaborate, moderate style of military campaigns in South China. Effective assimilation of Chinese naval techniques allowed the Yuan army to quickly conquer the Song.[citation needed] and Xinjiang[edit] 1285 the Drikung Kagyu sect revolted, attacking Sakya monasteries. The Chagatayid khan, Duwa, helped the rebels, laying siege to Gaochang and defeating Kublai's garrisons in the Tarim Basin.[93] Kaidu destroyed an army at Beshbalik and occupied the city the following year. Many Uyghurs abandoned Kashgar for safer bases back in the eastern part of the Yuan dynasty. After Kublai's grandson Buqa-Temür crushed the resistance of the Drikung Kagyu, killing 10,000 Tibetans in 1291, Tibet was fully pacified.[citation needed] annexation of Goryeo[edit] also: Korea under Yuan rule and Mongol invasions of Korea dragons chasing a flaming pearl was a symbol associated with Goryeo Sumiyabaatar/ Ð‘. Ð¡ÑƒÐ¼ÑŒÑÐ°Ð±Ð°Ð°Ñ‚Ð°Ñ€, "Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹ Ð˜Ñ… Ð¥Ð°Ð°Ð½Ñ‹ Ò¯ÐµÐ¸Ð¹Ð½ ÐœÐ¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾Ð» – Ð¡Ð¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾ÑÑ‹Ð½ Ñ…Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ð»Ñ†Ð°Ð°", "Relationship between Mongolia and Korea during Kubilai Khan rule", 439p, 2015, ISBN 978-99973-302-5-3 Kublai Khan invaded Goryeo (the state on the Korean Peninsula) and made it a tributary vassal state in 1260. After another Mongol intervention in 1273, Goryeo came under even tighter control of the Yuan.[94][95][96][97][98] Goryeo became a Mongol military base, and several myriarchy commands were established there. The court of the Goryeo supplied Korean troops and an ocean-going naval force for the Mongol campaigns.[citation needed] naval expansion[edit] Gangnido reflects the Chinese geographical knowledge during the Mongol Empire about countries in the West.[99] Despite the opposition of some of his Confucian-trained advisers, Kublai decided to invade Japan, Burma, Vietnam, and Java, following the suggestions of some of his Mongol officials. He also attempted to subjugate peripheral lands such as Sakhalin, where its indigenous people eventually submitted to the Mongols by 1308, after Kublai's death. These costly invasions and conquests and the introduction of paper currency caused inflation. From 1273 to 1276, war against the Song Dynasty and Japan made the issue of paper currency expand from 110,000 ding to 1,420,000 ding.[100] of Japan[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Japan Japanese samurai Suenaga facing Mongol arrows and bombs. MÅko ShÅ«rai Ekotoba (è’™å¤è¥²æ¥çµµè©ž), circa 1293. Kublai's court his most trusted governors and advisers appointed by meritocracy with the essence of multiculturalism were Mongols, Semu, Koreans, Hui and Chinese people.[81][101] Because the Wokou extended support to the crumbling Song dynasty, Kublai Khan initiated invasions of Japan. Khan twice attempted to invade Japan. It is believed that both attempts were partly thwarted by bad weather or a flaw in the design of ships that were based on river boats without keels, and his fleets were destroyed. The first attempt took place in 1274, with a fleet of 900 ships.[102] second invasion occurred in 1281 when Mongols sent two separate forces: 900 ships containing 40,000 Korean, Chinese, and Mongol troops were sent from Masan, while a force of 100,000 sailed from southern China in 3,500 ships, each close to 240 feet (73 m) long. The fleet was hastily assembled and ill-equipped to cope with maritime conditions. In November, they sailed into the treacherous waters that separate Korea and Japan by 180 kilometres (110 miles). The Mongols easily took over Tsushima Island about halfway across the strait and then Iki Island closer to Kyushu. The Korean fleet reached Hakata Bay on June 23, 1281 and landed its troops and animals, but the ships from China were nowhere to be seen. Mongolian landing forces were subsequently defeated at the Battle of Akasaka and the Battle of Torikai-Gata. Takezaki Suenaga's samurai attacked the Mongolian army and fought them, as reinforcements led by Shiraishi Michiyasu arrived and defeated the Mongolians, who suffered around 3500 dead.[103] samurai warriors, following their custom, rode out against the Mongol forces for individual combat but the Mongols held their formation. The Mongols fought as a united force, not as individuals, and bombarded the samurai with exploding missiles and showered them with arrows. Eventually, the remaining Japanese withdrew from the coastal zone inland to a fortress. The Mongol forces did not chase the fleeing Japanese into an area about which they lacked reliable intelligence. In a number of individual skirmishes, known collectively as the KÅan Campaign (å¼˜å®‰ã®å½¹) or the "Second Battle of Hakata Bay", the Mongol forces were driven back to their ships by the Samurai. The Japanese army was heavily outnumbered, but had fortified the coastal line with two-meter high walls, and was easily able to repulse the Mongolian forces that were launched against it.[citation needed] samurai boarding Yuan ships in 1281. archaeologist Kenzo Hayashida led the investigation that discovered the wreckage of the second invasion fleet off the western coast of Takashima District, Shiga. His team's findings strongly indicate that Kublai rushed to invade Japan and attempted to construct his enormous fleet in one year, a task that should have taken up to five years. This forced the Chinese to use any available ships, including river boats. Most importantly, the Chinese, under Kublai's control, built many ships quickly in order to contribute to the fleets in both of the invasions. theorizes that, had Kublai used standard, well-constructed ocean-going ships with curved keels to prevent capsizing, his navy might have survived the journey to and from Japan and might have conquered it as intended. October 2011, a wreck, possibly one of Kublai's invasion craft, was found off the coast of Nagasaki.[104] David Nicolle wrote in The Mongol Warlords, "Huge losses had also been suffered in terms of casualties and sheer expense, while the myth of Mongol invincibility had been shattered throughout eastern Asia." He also wrote that Kublai was determined to mount a third invasion, despite the horrendous cost to the economy and to his and Mongol prestige of the first two defeats, and only his death and the unanimous agreement of his advisers not to invade prevented a third attempt.[105] soldiers, second version ships, second version of a 14th-century prized Yuan dynasty junk of Vietnam[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Vietnam Khan invaded Äáº¡i Viá»‡t (now Vietnam) three times, each repelled by the ruling Tráº§n dynasty. The ancestors of the Tráº§n clan originated from the province of Fujian and migrated to Äáº¡i Viá»‡t under Tráº§n Kinh é™³äº¬ (Chén JÄ«ng),[106] where their mixed-blooded descendants later established the Tráº§n dynasty and came to rule Äáº¡i Viá»‡t; despite many intermarriages between the Tráº§n and several royal members of the Lý dynasty alongside members of their royal court as in the case of Tráº§n Lý[107][108] and Tráº§n Thá»«a,[109] some of the mixed-blood descendants of the clan could still speak Chinese, as evidenced when a Yuan dynasty envoy had a meeting with the Chinese-speaking Tráº§n prince Tráº§n Quá»‘c Tuáº¥n (later Supreme Commander Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o) in 1282.[110][111][112][113][114] first incursion was in 1257, but the Tráº§n dynasty was able to repel the invasion and ultimately re-established the peace treaty between the Mongols and Äáº¡i Viá»‡t in the twelfth lunar month of 1257. When Kublai became the Great Khan in 1260, the Tráº§n dynasty sent tribute every three years and received a darughachi.[115][116] However, their kings soon declined to attend the Mongol court in person. The Great Khan sent his envoys to order the Tráº§n king to open his land to allow the Yuan army to pass through to invade the kingdom of Champa, but the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t court refused. Kublai sent another envoy to the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t to demand that the Tráº§n king surrender his land and his kingship. The Tráº§n king assembled all his citizens, allowing all to vote on whether to surrender to the Yuan or to stand and fight for their homeland. The vote was a unanimous decision to stand and fight the invaders.[citation needed] his first failure, Kublai wanted to install Nhân Tông's brother Tráº§n Ãch Táº¯c – who had defected to the Mongols – as king of Annam (Äáº¡i Viá»‡t?), but hardship in the Yuan's supply base in Hunan and Kaidu's invasion forced Kublai to abandon his plans.[citation needed] second Mongol invasion of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t began late in 1284, when the Mongol Yuan forces under the command of Toghan, the prince of Kublai Khan, crossed the border and quickly occupied ThÄƒng Long (now Hanoi) in January 1285, after the victorious battle of Omar in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p (north east of Hanoi). At the same time Sogetu, second in command of the Yuan army, moved from Champa northward and rapidly marched to Nghe An in the north central region of Vietnam, where the army of the Tráº§n dynasty under general Tráº§n Kien was defeated and surrendered to him. However, the Tráº§n king and the commander-in-chief Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o changed their tactics from defence to attack and struck against the Mongols. In April, General Tráº§n Quang Kháº£i defeated Sogetu in ChÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng and the Tráº§n king won a battle in Tây Káº¿t, where Sogetu died. Soon after, general Tráº§n Nháºt Duáºt also won a battle in Hàm Tá» (now HÆ°ng Yên) and Toghan was defeated by General Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o. Thus Kublai failed in his first attempt to invade Äáº¡i Viá»‡t. Toghan hid himself inside a bronze pipe to avoid being killed by the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t archers; this act brought humiliation upon the Mongol Empire and Toghan himself.[citation needed] third Mongol invasion began in 1287. It was better organized than the previous effort; a large fleet and plentiful stocks of food were used. The Mongol Yuan forces, under the command of Toghan, moved to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p from the north west and met the infantry and cavalry of Kublai's Kipchak commander Omar (coming by another way along the Red River) and quickly won the battle. The naval fleet rapidly attained victory in Vân Äá»“n near Háº¡ Long Bay. However, the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t General Tráº§n Khánh DÆ° managed to intercept and captured the heavy, fully stocked cargo ships, filled with food and supplies for Toghan's army. As a result, the Mongolian army in ThÄƒng Long suffered an acute shortage of food. With no news about the supply fleet, Toghan ordered his army to retreat to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. The Äáº¡i Viá»‡t army began their general offensive and recaptured a number of locations occupied by the Mongols. Groups of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t infantry were ordered to attack the Mongols in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. Toghan had to split his army into two and retreated in 1288.[citation needed] early April 1288 the naval fleet, led by Omar and escorted by infantry, fled home along the Báº¡ch Äáº±ng river. As bridges and roads were destroyed and attacks were launched by Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops, the Mongols reached Báº¡ch Äáº±ng without an infantry escort. Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's small flotilla engaged in battle and pretended to retreat. The Mongols eagerly pursued the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops only to fall into their pre-arranged battlefield. Thousands of small Äáº¡i Viá»‡t boats quickly appeared from both banks, launched a fierce attack that broke the Mongols' combat formation. The Mongols, meeting such a sudden and strong attack, in panic tried to withdraw to the sea. The Mongols' boats were halted, and many were damaged and sank. At that time, a number of fire rafts quickly rushed toward the Mongols, who were frightened and jumped down to reach the banks where they were dealt a heavy blow by an army led by the Tráº§n king and Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o.[citation needed] Mongol naval fleet was totally destroyed and Omar was captured. At the same time, Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's army continuously attacked and smashed to pieces Toghan's army on its withdrawal through Láº¡ng SÆ¡n. Toghan risked his life to take a shortcut through thick forest in order to flee home. The crown prince was banished to Yangzhou for life by his father, Kublai Khan. Nevertheless, the Tráº§n king accepted Kublai Khan's supremacy as the Great Khan in order to avoid more conflicts. In 1292, Temür Khan, Kublai Khan's successor, returned all detained envoys and settled for a tributary relationship with the Tráº§n king, which continued to the end of the Yuan dynasty.[116][117] Asia and South Seas[edit] articles: First Mongol invasion of Burma and Mongol invasion of Java expeditions against Burma, in 1277, 1283, and 1287, brought the Mongol forces to the Irrawaddy Delta, whereupon they captured Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom and established their government.[118] Kublai had to be content with establishing a formal suzerainty, but Pagan finally became a tributary state, sending tributes to the Yuan court until the Mongols were expelled from China in the 1360s.[119] Mongol interests in these areas were commercial and tributary relationships.[citation needed] Khan maintained close relations with Siam, in particular with prince Mangrai of Chiangmai and king Ram Khamheng of Sukhothai.[120] In fact, Kublai encouraged them to attack the Khmers after the Thais were being pushed southwards from Nanchao.[120][121][122] This happened after king Jayavarman VIII of the Khmer Empire refused to pay tribute to the Mongols.[120][123][124] Jayavarman VIII was so insistent on not having to pay tribute to Kublai that he had Mongol envoys imprisoned.[120][124][122] These attacks from the Siamese eventually weakened the Khmer Empire. The Mongols then decided to venture south into Cambodia in 1283 by land from Champa.[125] They were able to conquer Cambodia by 1284.[126] Cambodia effectively became a vassal state by 1285 when Jayavarman VIII was finally forced to pay tribute to Kublai.[125][127][128] the last years of his reign, Kublai launched a naval punitive expedition of 20–30,000 men against Singhasari on Java (1293), but the invading Mongol forces were forced to withdraw by Majapahit after considerable losses of more than 3000 troops. Nevertheless, by 1294, the year that Kublai died, the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Chiang Mai had become vassal states of the Yuan dynasty.[118] articles: Marco Polo and Rabban Bar Sauma information: Europeans in Medieval China gives financial support to the Polo family. Kublai, direct contact between East Asia and Europe was established, made possible by Mongol control of the central Asian trade routes and facilitated by the presence of efficient postal services. In the beginning of the 13th century, Europeans and Central Asians – merchants, travelers, and missionaries of different orders – made their way to China. The presence of Mongol power allowed large numbers of Chinese, intent on warfare or trade, to travel to other parts of the Mongol Empire, all the way to Rus, Persia, and Mesopotamia.[citation needed] Bar Sauma, ambassador of Great Khan Kublai and Ilkhan Arghun, travelled from Dadu to Rome, Tuscany, Genoa, Paris, and Bordeaux to meet with European rulers in 1287–88. the 13th century, the Sultanate of Mogadishu through its trade with medieval China had acquired enough of a reputation in Asia to attract the attention of Kublai Khan.[129] According to Marco Polo, the Mongol Emperor sent an envoy to Mogadishu to spy out the Sultanate but the delegation was captured and imprisoned. Kublai Khan then sent another envoy to treat for the release of the earlier Mongol delegation sent to Africa.[130] City[edit] White Stupa of Dadu (or Khanbaliq; now Beijing) Kublai Khan was proclaimed Khagan at his residence in Xanadu on May 5, 1260, he began to organize the country. Zhang Wenqian, a central government official, was sent by Kublai in 1260 to Daming where unrest had been reported in the local population. A friend of Zhang's, Guo Shoujing, accompanied him on this mission. Guo was interested in engineering, was an expert astronomer and skilled instrument maker, and he understood that good astronomical observations depended on expertly made instruments. Guo began to construct astronomical instruments, including water clocks for accurate timing and armillary spheres that represented the celestial globe. Turkestani architect Ikhtiyar al-Din, also known as "Igder", designed the buildings of the city of the Khagan, Khanbaliq (Chinese Dadu).[131] Kublai also employed foreign artists to build his new capital; one of them, a Newar named Araniko, built the White Stupa that was the largest structure in Khanbaliq/Dadu.[132] advised Kublai that Guo was a leading expert in hydraulic engineering. Kublai knew the importance of water management for irrigation, transport of grain, and flood control, and he asked Guo to look at these aspects in the area between Dadu (now Beijing) and the Yellow River. To provide Dadu with a new supply of water, Guo found the Baifu spring in Mount Shen and had a 30 km (19 mi) channel built to move water to Dadu. He proposed connecting the water supply across different river basins, built new canals with sluices to control the water level, and achieved great success with the improvements he made. This pleased Kublai and Guo was asked to undertake similar projects in other parts of the country. In 1264 he was asked to go to Gansu to repair the damage that had been caused to the irrigation systems by the years of war during the Mongol advance through the region. Guo travelled extensively along with his friend Zhang taking notes of the work needed to be done to unblock damaged parts of the system and to make improvements to its efficiency. He sent his report directly to Kublai Khan.[citation needed] rebellion[edit] the conquest of the Jin, Genghis Khan's younger brothers received large appanages in Manchuria.[133] Their descendants strongly supported Kublai's coronation in 1260, but the younger generation desired more independence. Kublai enforced Ögedei Khan's regulations that the Mongol noblemen could appoint overseers and the Great Khan's special officials, in their appanages, but otherwise respected appanage rights. Kublai's son Manggala established direct control over Chang'an and Shanxi in 1272. In 1274, Kublai appointed Lian Xixian to investigate abuses of power by Mongol appanage holders in Manchuria.[134] The region called Lia-tung was immediately brought under the Khagan's control, in 1284, eliminating autonomy of the Mongol nobles there.[135] Yuan dynasty jade belt plaque featuring carved designs of the Azure Dragon, highly regarded as a symbol of Yuan dynasty China's maritime strength. by the advance of Kublai's bureaucratization, Nayan, a fourth-generation descendant of one of Genghis Khan's brothers, either Temüge or Belgutei, instigated a revolt in 1287. (More than one prince named Nayan existed and their identity is confused.[136]) Nayan tried to join forces with Kublai's competitor Kaidu in Central Asia.[137] Manchuria's native Jurchens and Water Tatars, who had suffered a famine, supported Nayan. Virtually all the fraternal lines under Hadaan, a descendant of Hachiun, and Shihtur, a grandson of Qasar, joined Nayan's rebellion,[138] and because Nayan was a popular prince, Ebugen, a grandson of Genghis Khan's son Khulgen, and the family of Khuden, a younger brother of Güyük Khan, contributed troops for this rebellion.[139] rebellion was crippled by early detection and timid leadership. Kublai sent Bayan to keep Nayan and Kaidu apart by occupying Karakorum, while Kublai led another army against the rebels in Manchuria. Kublai's commander Oz Temür's Mongol force attacked Nayan's 60,000 inexperienced soldiers on June 14, while Chinese and Alan guards under Li Ting protected Kublai. The army of Chungnyeol of Goryeo assisted Kublai in battle. After a hard fight, Nayan's troops withdrew behind their carts, and Li Ting began bombardment and attacked Nayan's camp that night. Kublai's force pursued Nayan, who was eventually captured and executed without bloodshed, by being smothered under felt carpets, a traditional way of executing princes.[139] Meanwhile, the rebel prince Shikqtur invaded the Chinese district of Liaoning but was defeated within a month. Kaidu withdrew westward to avoid a battle. However, Kaidu defeated a major Yuan army in the Khangai Mountains and briefly occupied Karakorum in 1289. Kaidu had ridden away before Kublai could mobilize a larger army.[38] but uncoordinated uprisings of Nayan's supporters continued until 1289; these were ruthlessly repressed. The rebel princes' troops were taken from them and redistributed among the imperial family.[140] Kublai harshly punished the darughachi appointed by the rebels in Mongolia and Manchuria.[141] This rebellion forced Kublai to approve the creation of the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat on December 4, 1287, while rewarding loyal fraternal princes.[citation needed] years[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Ilkhanate Persia, Ghazan converted to Islam and recognized Kublai Khan as his suzerain. Khan dispatched his grandson Gammala to Burkhan Khaldun in 1291 to ensure his claim to Ikh Khorig, where Genghis was buried, a sacred place strongly protected by the Kublaids. Bayan was in control of Karakorum and was re-establishing control over surrounding areas in 1293, so Kublai's rival Kaidu did not attempt any large-scale military action for the next three years. From 1293 on, Kublai's army cleared Kaidu's forces from the Central Siberian Plateau.[citation needed] his wife Chabi died in 1281, Kublai began to withdraw from direct contact with his advisers, and he issued instructions through one of his other queens, Nambui. Only two of Kublai's daughters are known by name; he may have had others. Unlike the formidable women of his grandfather's day, Kublai's wives and daughters were an almost invisible presence. Kublai's original choice of successor was his son Zhenjin, who became the head of the Zhongshu Sheng and actively administered the dynasty according to Confucian fashion. Nomukhan, after returning from captivity in the Golden Horde, expressed resentment that Zhenjin had been made heir apparent, but he was banished to the north. An official proposed that Kublai should abdicate in favor of Zhenjin in 1285, a suggestion that angered Kublai, who refused to see Zhenjin. Zhenjin died soon afterwards in 1286, eight years before his father. Kublai regretted this and remained very close to his wife, Bairam (also known as Kokejin).[citation needed] became increasingly despondent after the deaths of his favorite wife and his chosen heir Zhenjin. The failure of the military campaigns in Vietnam and Japan also haunted him. Kublai turned to food and drink for comfort, became grossly overweight, and suffered gout and diabetes. The emperor overindulged in alcohol and the traditional meat-rich Mongol diet, which may have contributed to his gout. Kublai sank into depression due to the loss of his family, his poor health and advancing age. Kublai tried every medical treatment available, from Korean shamans to Vietnamese doctors, and remedies and medicines, but to no avail. At the end of 1293, the emperor refused to participate in the traditional New Years' ceremony. Before his death, Kublai passed the seal of Crown Prince to Zhenjin's son Temür, who would become the next Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the second ruler of the Yuan dynasty. Seeking an old companion to comfort him in his final illness, the palace staff could choose only Bayan, more than 30 years his junior. Kublai weakened steadily, and on February 18, 1294, he died at the age of 78. Two days later, the funeral cortège took his body to the burial place of the khans in Mongolia.[citation needed] Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Vladimir, Merchants Road Folder (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and the Volga River)

The Merchant's Road 1 - Moscow

The Merchants Road 2 - Vladimir

The Merchants Road 3 - Nizhny Novgorod

Russia, Vladimir, Merchants Road, Klyazma River Folder

Klyazma River 1 (Ucha River Mouth at Shchyolkovo)

Vladimir (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5)
Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated August 24 ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30 ; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir of Seligersk, Commemorated December 7 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5)
Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5); Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, where an unrelenting pestilence raged. Trusting in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, an icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. When the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. From that time the pestilence began to ease, at first in the area of the Resurrection parish, and then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. The icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5) 1158
Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Burial of St Andrew, Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5) 1158
Bogoliub monastery; monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Cathedral Church of Nativity Monastery, Vladimir, 1155
Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo; Translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Konstantine and Helen Monastery, Proyezd, 8, Vladimir 600031 Russia
Konstantino-Yeleninskiy Proyezd, 8, Vladimir 600031 Russia; Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12;

Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo, 1155
Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo; Translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Temple of the Protection at Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Temple of the Protection on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 12th Century; Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ; Temple of the Protection on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ;

Nerl, Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Nerl River (Klyzma); Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ; Temple of the Protection on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ;

Nerl, Temple of the Protection at Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Nerl, Temple of the Protection on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 12th Century; Temple of the Protection on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ; Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ;

Kopyrsk monastery, Vladimir-Suzdal (Nerl (Uktoma) mouth, Klyzma River 5) 1165
Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. Temple of the Protection on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ;

Assumption Cathedral, Vladimir, 1158 & 1408
Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10;

Vladimir-Suzdal Cathedral
Vladimir-Suzdal Cathedral; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated August 24 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Nativity Monastery, Vladimir
Nativity Monastery, Vladimir; Monastery in Vladimir in 1192 by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky's successor, Prince Vsevolod III, this monastery was for a while considered the heart of the Russian church; indeed, the consecrated remains of 13th-century prince Alexander Nevsky were interred here for 450 years, until Peter the Great ordered them moved to Nevsky Monastery in St Petersburg. Soviet times the monastery building was used for government offices, but in 1992 it was reopened for its 800th anniversary and its religious functions resumed. Venerable Pachomius, Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15;

Bogolub (God-lover), Vladimir
The monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place,Â and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover. St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir, 1158
Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

White Bluff Monastery and Florischev Hermitage in the Vladimir Province
Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ;

Russia, Vladimir, Merchants Road, Klyazma River 5, Ukhtoma River Folder, Suzdal or Southern Valley

Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5)
Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 25 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352
Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352; Suzdal; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4:

Suzdal Protection Monastery Convent, Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352
Suzdal Protection Monastery Convent, Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352; Suzdal; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4:

Suzdal Fortress (Suzdal Kremlin) 1100
Suzdal Fortress (Suzdal Kremlin) ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ;

Vladimir Nativity monastery, 1200
Vladimir Nativity monastery; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15;

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Uktoma (Nerl) Mouth, Klyzma River 5) 1165
Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ;

Russia, Vladimir, Klyazma River 5.2, Sudogda River Folder

Sudogda River

Sudogda Source, Lazarevka Village

Sudogda River 1

Sudogda River 2

Sudogda River Mouth (Klyazma River 5 at village of Spas-Kupalische)

Klyazma River 7 (Teza River Mouth, near Serapion Hermitage)

Russia, Vladimir, Klyazma River 7, Teza River Folder

Teza River

Teza River Source (Ivanovoskaya)

Teza River 1 (Shuya)

Shui (Shuya), Vladimir-Suzdal (Teza River 1)
Shui; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ;

Teza River Mouth (Klyazma River 7, near Serapion Hermitage)

Serapion Hermitage, Vladimir region, Vyaznikovsky district, near the village of Porzamka
Serapion Hermitage, Vladimir region, Vyaznikovsky district, near the village of Porzamka; Saint Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 16;

Russia, Vladimir, Klyazma River 8, Lukh River Folder

Lukh River

Lukh River Source (above Yurievets, Kostroma)

Lukh, Vladimir (Lukh River Source above Yurievets, Kostroma)
Lukh (Lukh River); Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16;

Lukh River Mouth (Klyazma River 8)

Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9)
Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ;

Phlorischev wilderness monastery, not far from Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) 1655
Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ;

Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9) 1221
Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr John of Kazan; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Monastery of the Caves, Nizhny Novgorod, 1328, St Dionysius
Monastery of the Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1;

Pechersk (Caves) Monestary, Nizhny Novgorod, 1328, St Dionysius
Pechersk Monestary; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1;

Annunciation Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod, 1221
Annunciation Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod; Repose of Saint Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12;

Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 8.8)
Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Gorodtsa on the Volga
Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 8.8); Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Pereyaslavl (Lake Pereyaslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky)
Pereslavl-Zalessky; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut MountÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich, Commemorated on June 6; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Church of John Chrysostom, Godenovo, Pereslavl-Zalessky
Church of John Chrysostom, Godenovo; Saint Euthymius, Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11;

Russia, Pereyaslavl Zalesk History Folder

Russia, Pereyaslavl, 1152-1186, Nikita tStylite, Pereyaslavl, repentent tax collector, pillar-well, myrrh, d light, incrrpt r
Russia, Pereyaslavl, 1152-1186, Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl (Lake Pereyaslavl, Pereslavl-Zalessky), tax collector, cost building new city&stone church, more taxes, N overcharged, many years, led tRepent, Wash &Make yourself clean, led tR again, pot blood hHeads, hands, feet rising to top, monastery igumen repentence test, stand gates 3days, confessing sins tPassersby, found lying swamp, covered mosquitos midges, bleeding, tonsured monk, day night prayer, chanting Psalms, r saints lives, hair shirt, heavy chains, 2 deep wells, deep round pit wStanding stone, stylite in his pillar-well, underground passage to church, martyr death, relatives saw glitter on chains, murdured, fragrand body, iron chains cross glorified b devine light over Volga, incorrupt relics; Pereslavl-Zalessky; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Nikḗtas the Stylite of Pereyaslavl was a native of the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, he was in charge of collecting taxes. 1152, Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy founded the city of Pereyaslavl and built a stone church dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior in that new place. of the cost of building the city and the church, more taxes had to be collected from the residents of the city. mercilessly overcharged people, keeping a large portion of the money for himself. This went on for many years. But the merciful Lord, Who desires that all sinners might be saved, led Niketas to repentance. day, he went to church and heard the words of the Prophet Isaiah: "Wash, and make yourselves clean, remove the iniquities from your souls before my eyes; cease your wickedness, learn to do good; diligently seek judgment; deliver those who suffer wrongs; defend the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16-17). was shaken, as if by thunder, by these words which penetrated into the depths of his heart. Niketas did not sleep all night, remembering the words: "Wash, and make yourselves clean." In the morning, however, he decided to invite some friends to his home for some cheerful conversation, and to forget the horrors of the previous night. again, the Lord called Niketas to repentance. While his wife was preparing a meal for their guests, suddenly she saw some things rising to the surface in the boiling pot: blood, human heads, hands, and feet. Horrified, she called out to her husband, and Niketas saw the same thing. his sleeping conscience was awakened, and he realized that by overcharging people he was acting like a robber and a murderer. "Alas," he cried, "I have sinned much! O God, lead me on Your path!" With these words, he ran out of the house. versts from Pereyaslavl there was a monastery dedicated to the Great Martyr Niketas (September 15) where Niketas went, shaken by the terrible vision. With tears he fell at the feet of the Igoumen saying: "Save a perishing soul. the Igoumen decided to test the sincerity of his repentance, giving him his first obedience: stand at the monastery gates for three days, confessing his sins to everyone who passed. With profound humility, Niketas fulfilled his first obedience. days later, the Igoumen remembered him and sent a monk to see what he was doing at the monastery gates. the monk did not find Niketas there. He found him lying in a swamp, covered with mosquitoes and midges, and he was bleeding from their bites. the Igoumen came to the sufferer and said, "My son! what are you doing to yourself?" Save a perishing soul," Niketas replied. Igoumen clothed Niketas in a hair shirt, received him into the monastery, and tonsured him as a monk. the monastic vows with all his heart, Niketas spent his days and nights in prayer, chanting Psalms, and reading the Lives of the holy ascetics. the Igoumen's blessing, he wore heavy chains, and there in the place of his monastic struggles, he dug two deep wells. he increased his struggles. He dug a deep round pit and there he placed a stone upon which he stood, becoming a man of ardent prayer, like the ancient stylites. the blue sky and the night stars saw him at the bottom of his pillar-well, but there was a narrow underground passage beneath the wall of the church, and through it Niketas went to church for the Services. by struggling well in the monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas, the Venerable Niketas also ended his life with a martyr's death. night, some of the Saint's relatives came to him for his blessing, and were attracted by the glitter of his chains and crosses. mistook them for silver, and decided to steal them. On the night of May 24, 1186, they removed part of the roof, killed the ascetic, took his crosses and chains, wrapped them in a rough canvas, and then ran away. Matins, the sacristan, who came to Saint Niketas for the blessing, found the damaged roof and reported it to the Igoumen. The Igoumen and the brethren hurried to the Venerable Stylite and saw that he had been murdered, and his body was fragrant. the killers stopped on the banks of the Volga River, and decided to divide their loot, but they were astonished to see that it was not made of silver but of iron, and threw the chains into the Volga. Lord glorified these visible signs of the Saint's hidden struggles and works. night Simeon, a pious Elder of the Yaroslavl Monastery of Saints Peter and Paul, saw three bright rays of light over the Volga. informed the Igoumen of the Monastery and the city officials. The assembled priests and numerous townspeople, who had come down to the river, saw three crosses and chains floating in the waters of the Volga. reverence and prayers they were brought to the Monastery of the Great Martyr Niketas and laid on the grave of Saint Niketas. the same time, there were miracles of healing. 1420 - 1425, Saint Photios, the Metropolitan of Kiev (July 2), gave his blessing to uncover the relics of Saint Niketas. Igoumen of the Monastery served a Moleben with the brethren, and then he opened the coffin, in which was an incorrupt body. Suddenly, the grave filled up with earth, and the relics remained in the ground. 1511-1522 a chapel was built in honor of the Monastic Martyr Niketas, and in the XIX century Archpriest A. Svirelin composed an Akathist to the Saint.

Russia, Pereslavl, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky, he d Europe & G Horde by submition, GH Orthodoxy & lands to t Pacific

Russia, Pereyaslavl Zalesk, 1302, Prince John, bequeathed P to uncle Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Pereyaslavl Zalesk, 1302, Prince John, bequeathed P to uncle Daniel of Moscow; John of Pereslavl-Zalessk, Daniel’s nephew, was gentle and pious and benevolent towards the poor, and he esteemed and loved his uncle. Dying childless in 1302, he bequeathed his principality to Saint Daniel. The Pereslavl lands together with Dmitrov, had the most inhabitants after Rostov, with the corresponding fortification befitting a major city. Pereslavl-Zalessk was well protected on all sides. But the holy prince remained faithful to Moscow and did not transfer the capital of his princedom to the stronger and more significant seat of Pereslavl. This annexation allowed Moscow to be considered as the most significant principality. Here the principle of the unification of the Russian Land into a single powerful realm was set in place. the ages God’s providence concerning Russia and its destiny was clearly manifest! for the constant blessings of the HodÄ“gá¸—tria (She who leads the Way) both in his personal life, and also in the life of the Russian realm, Saint Daniel’s father, Saint Alexander Nevsky said, 'God is not in might, but in right!'

Russia, Pereyaslavl Zalesk, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, copied spiritual books, founded 2Monasteries, wonderwrkr, relics glrfd
Russia, Rostov, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), founded 2Monasteries, wonderworker, Igumen, fKashin, Tver, tUncle Macarius oKalyazin a11, obedience fasting prayer, copying soul-saving books, famed teacher, 1464 founded cenobitic Protection m for Prince Andrew, 1489 founded organized N G m, lived old age died 1504, relics glorified bMiracles; Uglich; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Paisius of Uglich was igumen of the Protection monastery, near Uglich. was born in the Tver district near the city of Kashin, he was a nephew of Saint Macarius of Kalyazin (March 17). Paisius entered his uncle’s monastery after the death of his parents, when he was just an eleven-year-old child. his uncle’s guidance, Saint Paisius led a monastic life of obedience, fasting and prayer, he was put to work copying soul-saving books. “A man wondrous of spirit, famed teacher of holiness and most astounding wonderworker, founded (in 1464) the cenobitic Protection monastery three versts from Uglich the wish of Prince Andrew, he was chosen igumen.” Paisius was also “founder and organizer of the holy Nikolsky Grekhozaruchnya monastery in 1489.” at the Protection monastery, Saint Paisius lived into old age and died on June 6, 1504. relics, glorified by miracles, rest beneath a crypt in the Protection monastery.

Russia, Pereyaslavl Z, 1649, Finding Anna'a Incorrupt Relics, Kashin, healing miracles, Old Believers hand position
Russia, Pereyaslavl, , Finding Anna'a Relics, Kashin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6), tomb opened 1649, incorrupt relics discovered, healing miracles then, relics examined, 1650 church council sainthood, transfer to stone cathedral, 1677 veneration discontinuation proposed, Old Believers Cross Sign Hand position, but veneration miracles continued, relics moved several times, 1909 veneration restored, 1993 relics returned Kashin Cathedral; Kashin; The Finding of the honored relics of the Venerable right-believing Great Princess and Nun Anna of Kashin, Wonderworker, Commemorated on July 21; Holy right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin (Euphrosynē in monasticism) reposed on October 2, 1368. July 21, 1649, Archbishop Jonah of Kazan and some of the local clergy opened Saint Anna's tomb, and noticed that her relics were incorrupt. miracles of healing occurred at that time. clergy and citizens of Kashin petitioned Tsar Alexei (reigned 1645-1676) to order an examination of Princess Anna's relics. 1650, a Council of the Russian Church met and decided to number Princess Anna among the Saints, ordering a Church Service to be composed for her, and that she be venerated throughout Russia. solemn transfer of her relics from the wooden Dormition Cathedral to the stone Resurrection Cathedral took place on June 12, 1650. 1677 Patriarch Joachim proposed to the Moscow Council that Saint Anna's veneration throughout Russia should be discontinued because of the Old Believer Schism, which made use of her name for its own purposes. she was buried, her hand was positioned to make the Sign of the Cross with two fingers, rather than three. Therefore, only her local veneration was permitted. the memory of Saint Anna, whom God had glorified, could not be erased by a decree. People continued to love and venerate her, and many miracles took place at her tomb. the Church-wide veneration of Saint Anna was restored on June 12, 1909. the Soviet period, however, the relics of Saint Anna were taken from the Cathedral and moved several times. on June 25, 1993, her relics were returned to Kashin's Resurrection Cathedral.

Russia, Pereyaslavl, Trubezha River Folder, Into Lake Pereyaslavl

Trubezha River

Trubezha River Source (along the border)

Trubezh River Mouth (Lake Pereyaslavl)
Trubezha River, City set up on Trubezha River - One of a line of defensive points against nomadic peoples, the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœnotched boundaryÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ. ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Pereslav-Zalessk, Pereyaslavl (Trubezha River Mouth into Lake Pereyaslavl)
Pereslavl-Zalessky; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut MountÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich, Commemorated on June 6; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Zalesye Region - The Golden Ring
Zalesye Region - The Golden Ring; Golden Ring - Zalesye Region ; Pereslavl-Zalessky; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Uncut MountÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereyaslavl, Zalesski, Commemorated on May 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich, Commemorated on June 6; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Goritsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky) 1335
Goritsky Monastery (Pereslavl-Zalessky); Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Pereyaslavl, Nerl River (Volga) Folder, out of Lake Pereyaslavl

Nerl River (Volga)

Nerl River Source (Lake Pereyaslavl)

Nerl River Mouth (Kalyazim, Volga River 6)

Russia, Pereyaslavl, Kashinka River Folder, across the Volga from Pereyaslavl

Kashinka River

Kashin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6)
Kashin; The Finding of the honored relics of the Venerable right-believing Great Princess and Nun Anna of Kashin, Wonderworker, Commemorated on July 21; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated September 24; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated October 1 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated October 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Transfer of the relics of the Right-Believing Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Kalyazin monastery (18 versts from Kashn, across the Volga) 1450
Kalyazin monastery or Nikolaev Klobukov monastery at Kalyazin. Saint Macarius of Kalyazin found a suitable place between two lakes, eighteen versts from Kashin. Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 26; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ;

Saint Macarius of Kalyazin Solitary Wilderness Monestary, 1450
Saint Macarius of Kalyazin found a suitable place between two lakes, eighteen versts from Kashin. Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17;

Kalyazin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6)
Kalyazin; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Uncut Mount"Â, Commemorated on March 24 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich, Commemorated on June 6;

Kalyazin monastery, Pereyaslavl, 1450
Kalyazin monastery; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ;

Kashinka River Source (Valdai Hills)

Kashinka River Mouth (Kashin, Volga River 6)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier Folder (surrounding Muravsky Trail)

Ryazan Frontier including Kaluga, its Area

Ryazan frontier (Oka River 1-13, surrounding Muravsky Trail)
Ryazan frontier; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Ryazan History Folder

Russia, Ryazan, 1000, 11th C Folder, Yelets Icon, wMOG scared Tamerlane

Russia, Ryazan, 1060, Yelets Icon, 1060 Yelets-Chernigov I, 1395 Yelets I when MOG scared Tamerlane, s day Vladimir I in Moscow
Russia, Ryazan, 1060, Yelets (Elets) Icon, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4), same year as Yelets-Chernigov Icon, could be a copy, 1395 another Yelets Icon when MOG and Saints scared Tamerlane, same day residents prayed to Luke's Vladimir Icon in Moscow; Elets; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; only thing we known about this Icon is that it was located in the city of Yelts, Orlov Gubernia. addition, the annals record the year of its appearance - 1060, which is the same as that of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon (February 5). Researchers believe that the Yelets Icon is a late copy of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon. addition to the belt image of the Mother of God, there is another kind of Yelets Icon which depicts the appearance of the Queen of Heaven to Tamerlane in 1395 in the city of Yelets, before his march on Moscow. Holy Virgin appeared with a multitude of Saints, in a threatening vision to Tamerlane as he was resting in his tent on Mount Argamach. the same day (August 26) the residents of Moscow met the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, praying before it for deliverance from the terrible invasion. by the vision, Tamerlane exclaimed, "So, we shall not defeat the land of Russia!" and then he retreated with his horde. Yelets Icon is commemorated on January 11, and also on August 26, in remembrance of Tamerlane's retreat. The Elets-Chernigov (or Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated On February 5. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Russia, Ryazan, 1100, 12th C Folder, Constantine oMurom, Ryazan Icon stops&bowed crowd

Russia, Ryazan, 1105-1129, Saint, Constantine of Murom and his sons Michael and Fyodor (Theodore) Ryazan Icon story
Russia, Ryzan Frontier, 1105-1129, Saint, Constantine of Murom and his sons Michael and Fyodor (Theodore); of Murom (11th century - 1129) known as Saint Constantine the Blessed was a direct descendant of Vladimir I of Kiev and the son of Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov. 1 Life 2 Mother of God, "The Star Most Bright" 3 Canonization 4 References 5 Sources Constantine's request, his father assigned him to rule the city of Murom, which at the time was inhabited by pagans, that he might spread Christianity in that region. According to the traditional account of his life, Constantine first sent his son Michael to Murom as his emissary, but the inhabitants threw him from the walls, so Constantine was obliged to take the city by force.[1] However, he made no headway in converting them to Christianity and at one point they became so angry that a mob made their way to his fortress intending to storm the place. to legend, when he appeared before them bearing what is now known as the Murom-Ryazan icon of the Theotokos, they quieted down and bowed reverently before the holy image.[2] son Fyodor, with his support, continued the missionary work in the surrounding countryside. the place of the murder of his son Michael, the wooden church of the Annunciation was reportedly founded by Prince Constantine in 1205.[3] A new cathedral was built on the site in 1553. It became a monastery under Ivan the Terrible and was ruined by the Poles during the Time of Troubles. In 1664 it was rebuilt by wealthy merchant and arts patron Tarasy Tsvetnov. The monastery features the relics of Constantin and his sons Mikhail and Fyodor. According to a legend recorded by local aristocrat and amateur historian Alexander Yepanchin, each midnight the monastery's gates disappear, and Constantine, Mikhail and Fyodor, clad in regal attire, ride out in a gilded carriage and head to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Mary, where they are met by Pyotr and Fevronia. After praying there, they guard and patrol the city.[4] of God, "The Star Most Bright"[edit] the Most Bright Star icon shows a full-length representation of the Mother of God with a star sending forth rays of light in the background. The origin of its name is connected with the poetic hymns in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Standing on Her right hand is the Infant Jesus. At Her feet are Murom saints: Sts. Constantine, Mikhail and Fyodor arrayed in princely robes and Sts. Peter, Fevronia and Uliania clad in monastic habits. In the bottom part of the icon is the following inscription: 'This Marvelous Image Is the Star Most Bright of the Most Holy Lady Mother of God Queen of Heaven."[5] 1547 Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow canonized Saint Constantine as a saint in the Cathedral of Makaryevsky, He is commemorated in the Russian Orthodox Church on May 21.[6] His wife Irene is also venerated at Murom.[1] Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Holy Princes Constantine and his sons Michael and Theodore of Murom lived during the eleventh-twelfth centuries. Constantine, a descendant of Saint Vladimir, asked his father, Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov, to give him the city of Murom, which was inhabited by pagans, so he might enlighten this land with the light of the Christian Faith. prince sent his son Michael as emissary to the Murom people, but the pagans murdered him. When Prince Constantine arrived in the city with his retinue, the people quieted down and accepted him, but for a long time they would not give up paganism. they went to the prince’s home, intending to kill him, but the prince came out to the crowd holding the Murom Icon of the Mother of God. The mutinous people unexpectedly quieted down and agreed to accept holy Baptism at the River Oka. the place of the murder of his son Michael, Saint Constantine built a church in honor of the Annunciation, and later on another church named for the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. Prince Constantine zealously assisted his son, Prince Theodore in spreading the Christian Faith among the people of Murom. Constantine died in 1129, and was buried in the church of the Annunciation beside his sons, Saints Michael and Theodore.

Russia, Ryazan, 1200, 13th C Folder, 1237 Fall to Mongol Batu, 1293 Murom saved by Nevsky's son Daniel, Basil's Mantia Story

Russia, Ryazan, 1237, Fall of Ryazan to Batu's Mongol-Tartars December 1237
In 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Ryazan, 1237, - Old Ryazan, Staraya Ryazan, Seige of Ryazan
Siege of Ryazan, Old Ryazan; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Russia, Ryazan, 1283-1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1295, Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Murom Icon and Mantia Story; Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom: His memory is celebrated by the Church on June 10 and July 3 (the day of his death in 1295). On June 10, 1609 the holy relics of Bishop Basil at Ryazan were uncovered and transferred to the Dormition cathedral church. Basil I, Wonderworker of Ryazan, is mentioned in the Lavrentian Chronicles. In the ancient list of Ryazan hierarchs, he is mentioned as the fourth. (Basil II was consecrated as bishop in 1356 by Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow,). older tradition connects with Saint Basil the transfer to Ryazan of the wonderworking Murom Icon of the Mother of God (April 12). Saint Basil was at first bishop of Murom. But by the slander of the spirit of evil, the citizens rose up against him, unjustly accusing him of transgressions unbecoming an archpastor. Then the saint, after prolonged prayer, left for the River Oka, and spreading out on the water his bishop’s mantiya he stood upon it, holding in his hands the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Murom. A strong wind carried him against the current and after several hours he reached Ryazan, where he was received with reverence by the prince and people of Ryazan. during his lifetime Saint Basil was regarded a righteous and pious man. Long before his relics were uncovered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ryazan people cherished his memory and called him “their constant intercessor, helper in sorrows and travail.â€ To him most often they turned before setting out on journeys: seeking his help against problems on dry land, and to protect them from drowning in the water. about the year 1540 the monk Erazm Ermolaev wrote “An Account of Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Muromâ€. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, Ryazan, 1283-1303, P Daniel of Moscow, Nevsky's youngest, Churches Ms, first victory, humble, united rus

Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Murom joined to and saved by Moscow by Daniel; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. Murom; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Ryazan, 1293, Kolomna joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Kolomna; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Ryazan, 1299-1301, Konstantin Romanovich of Ryazan, allied with the Tartars
Russia, Ryazan, 1299-1301, Konstantin Romanovich of Ryazan, allied with the Tartars; Romanovich of Ryazan, Prince of Pronsk, Grand Prince of Ryazan, was born 1260 to Roman Olgovich of Ryazan (1237-1270) and Anastasya NN and died 1306 in Moscow, Russia of Murder. ancestors include Charlemagne (747-814), Alfred the Great (849-899). Ancestors are from Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Byzantine Empire, Belarus. Romanovich (c1360-1306, Moscow ) - Grand Prince of Ryazan (1299 - 1301), the son of Roman Olgovich. the 1300/1301 Daniil Aleksandrovich of Moscow (1261-1303) marched against Konstantin, probably in order to take Kolomna. the Tatars also participated in the battle on the side of the Principality of Ryazan, Konstantin lost the battle being betrayed by his boyars. was taken to Moscow as a prisoner, where he was kept in "honor", and Daniil promised to set him free and to allow him to return to Ryazan. But, for some reason, the matter dragged on and in 1303 Daniil died in 1303 while Konstantin was still in captivity. In 1306, Daniil's son and successor, Yuri Danilovich, ordered him to be killed. Konstantin's murder, the town of Kolomna had been part of Ryazan was taken over by Moscow and the throne of Ryazan was ascended by one of Konstantin's sons - Vasily [1][2] or Yaroslav [3]. Family Father : Roman Olgovich - Grand Prince of Ryazan (1258-1270), an Orthodox saint. Mother : Anastasya - came from the family of the Grand Prince of Kiev and was distinguished by sincere faith and charity. Brothers : Fyodor (c1255-1294) - Grand Prince of Ryazan (1270-1294). Yaroslav (c1260-1308), Prince of Pronsk (1270-1294), Grand Prince of Ryazan (1294-1299) Wife : Feodosya (Fyodora) NN Children : Vasili - Grand Prince of Ryazan (1301-1308). Yaroslav . Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; 1300, when the Ryazan prince Constantine was making secret preparations for a sudden assault on the Moscow principality, Prince Daniel went to Ryazan with an army. He defeated the enemy, took Constantine captive,and destroyed a multitude of Tatars. This was a first victory over the Tatars, though not a tremendous victory, but it was noteworthy as a first push towards freedom. he had beaten the Ryazan prince and scattered his confederates the Tatars, Prince Daniel did not take advantage of his victory to seize foreign lands or take booty, as was the accepted custom during these times. Instead, he displayed an example of true non-covetousness, love and fraternity. The holy prince never resorted to arms to seize the lands of others, nor did he ever take away the property of other princes either by force or by treachery. And so the Lord saw fit to expand the boundaries of his princely realm.

Russia, Ryazan, 1300, 14th C Folder, 1378 Battle Vozha River Rus over Mongols

Russia, Ryazan, 1378, Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde
Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde, 1378; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26;

Russia, Ryazan, 1500, 16th C Folder, Macarius oZhabyn

Russia, Ryazan, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r
Russia, Ryazan, 1559-1623, Macarius oZhabyn's Monastery, Belev, Rayazan, born 1539, Tonsured Onuphrius, founded Z monastery 1585 near Belev, 1615 Z destroyed by Lisovski's Poles, M restored it, Stone church this time, with gates bell-tower, lifetime severe monk struggles, cold heat hunger thirst , prayed tGod solitude deep into forest, once heard lost moaning polish enemy, probably destroyed monastery, asked for drink, love surged forth, prayer, plunged staff, spring gushed forth, gave man a drink, when monastery life restored, M withdrew took Schema name Macarius, forgotten about until incorrupt relics found in 1818, then Igumen Jonah fOptina near Zhabyn became head oZhabyn and reestablished Feast oSaint Macarius 1888; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Macarius of Zhabyn, Wonderworker of Belev, was born in the year 1539. his early years he was tonsured with the name Onuphrius, in the year 1585 he founded Zhabyn’s Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple near the River Oka, not far from the city of Belev. 1615 the monastery was completely destroyed by Polish soldiers under the command of Lisovski. to the charred remains, the monk began to restore the monastery. He again gathered the brethren, in place of the wooden church a stone church was built in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21), a bell-tower at the gates. saint spent his life in austere monastic struggles, cold, heat, hunger and thirst, as the monastery accounts relate. often went deep into the forest, where he prayed to God in solitude. when he was following a path in the forest, he heard a faint moaning. looked around and saw a weary Polish man reclining against a tree trunk, with his sabre beside him. had strayed from his regiment and had become lost in the forest. In a barely audible voice this enemy, might have been one of the destroyers of the monastery, for a drink of water. and sympathy surged up within the monk. With a prayer to the Lord, he plunged his staff into the ground. At once, a fresh spring of water gushed forth, and he gave the dying man a drink. both the external and internal life of the monastery had been restored, Onuphrius withdrew from the general monastic life, having entrusted the guidance of the brethren to one of his disciples, took the schema with the name Macarius. the place of his solitude, he chose a spot along the upper tributary of the River Zhabynka. one verst separated the mouth of the tributary and the banks of the River Oka. ascetical struggles of Saint Macarius were concealed not only from the world, but also from his beloved brethren. died in 1623 at the age of eighty-four, at the hour when the roosters start to crow. He was buried opposite the gates of the monastery on January 22, the commemoration of Saint Timothy, where a church was later built and named for him. Iconographic Originals has preserved a description of Saint Macarius in his last years: had gray hair with a small beard, and over his monastic riassa he wore the schema. of Saint Macarius was established at the end of the seventeenth century, or the beginning of the eighteenth. to Tradition, his relics remained uncovered, but by 1721 they were interred in a crypt. the eighteenth century the monastery became deserted. memory of his deeds and miracles was so completely forgotten, when the incorrupt relics of the monastery’s founder were uncovered during the construction of the church of Saint Nicholas in 1816, a general panikhida was served over them. restoration of the liturgical commemoration of Saint Macarius of Belev is credited to Igumen Jonah, was born on January 22 (the Feast of Saint Macarius), who began his own monastic journey at the Optina monastery not far from the Zhabyn monastery. 1875 Igumen Jonah became head of the Zhabyn monastery. request to re-establish the Feast of Saint Macarius strengthened by the petition of the people of Belev, through the centuries had preserved their faith in the saint. January 22, 1888, the annual commemoration of Saint Macarius of Zhabyn was resumed. 1889, a church dedicated to Saint Macarius was built at his tomb. Jonah who lived at the monastery and actually participated in the construction, that in addition to the building project, the holy relics of Saint Macarius would also be uncovered. everything was on the point of readiness, Macarius appeared to the participants and sternly warned them that they should not proceed with their intention, or they would be punished. memory of this appearance was reverently preserved among the monks of the monastery. Macarius of Zhabynsk is also commemorated on September 22.

Russia, Ryazan, 1600, 17th C Folder, Juliana's patienct giving Myrrh relics, 1615 Lisowski oPoland destroys Zhabyn m

Russia, Ryazan, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Murom; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Russia, Ryazan, 1615, Lisowski of Poland Destroys Zhabyn Monastery
Aleksander Jozef Lisowski; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22 ;

Russia, Ryazan, 1700, 18th C Folder, 1784 miraculous Assuage My Sorrows Icon

Russia, Ryazan, 1784, Assuage My Sorrows Icon
Orlov District; Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 9 ; we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January 25) which is treasured in the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel Diocese, Karachev district. 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in honor of the Assuage My Sorrows Icon as part of the Saint Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the monastery. wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.

Russia, Ryazan, 1800, 19th C Folder, S missionary Bishop Meletios, alcoholic's Chalice Icon, paralized girl becomes Fool FC

Russia, Ryazan, 1855-1900, Meletios, Siberian Missionary Bishop, Translator, Muslim converter gRelics, Great Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1855-1900, Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan (Oka River 9), 35 yrs missionary in Eastern Siberia before Ryazan, Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts, 1896 Bishop Ryazan, c missionary w, from Viatka D, b 1835, PKid, father died, destitute, but top student, but attracted to solitude, wanted acceptance as monk (tonsure) but appointed teacher, 1858 Kazan Academy, 1859 finally tonsured as Melitos, 1859 Deacon, 1862 tPosolsk M at Baikal by Synod directive, Baptism of many natives, building of churches, establishing villages (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic), 1862 Priesthood, 1873 friend Archbishop Benjamin t Irkutsk mission, 1874 tArchimandrite otNilov Hermitage itSayansk Mountains, important translation work at Kazan till 1875, 1888-1896 Bishop of Ikursk &Misionary territories East LBaikal, 1896 Bisho oRyazan, Writer, Converted Moslems Ryazan; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14; Meletios, one of the last preachers of the Holy Gospel to the people of Siberia with all the self-denial of a true missionary, reposed on January 14, 1900. spent nearly thirty-five years of ascetic labors in eastern Siberia, spreading the light of Christ among the native Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts. 1896, he was consecrated as Bishop of Ryazan, where he continued his missionary work until the last days of his truly ascetical life. Meletios (Michael Koz’mich Yakimov in the world) was from the Viatka Diocese, and he was born on October 29, 1835, the son of a village priest. His father died when Michael was just a year old, leaving his wife to take care of the children in great poverty. the family’s destitution and Michael’s poor health, he successfully completed his primary and secondary schooling, and as one of the best students in the seminary, he was able to continue his education at the Academy. then, his soul was attracted to solitude. graduating from seminary, Michael spoke to the rector, Archimandrite Ambrose, the Igoumen of the Dormition Monastery, asking to be accepted into the monastery, and to be tonsured. request was not fully granted, however. He was received into the monastery, but was not tonsured. Here, he fulfilled the obediences of preaching and working in the library. Later, he was appointed as a teacher of Church History and Church singing in the primary school in Viatka. later, he was asked to supervise the students who lived in the monastery. He remained in the humble position of a young novice for a year. August of 1858 he entered the Kazan Academy, and on February 1, 1859 he was tonsured with the name Meletios in honor of Saint Meletios of Antioch (February 12). On March 16, he was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Νikόdēmos. a Synodal ukaz, he was sent to the Posol’sk Monastery of the Savior at Lake Baikal in the Diocese of Irkutsk (southeastern Siberia). arrived at the monastery on June 23, 1862 and began his beneficial work among the Buryats at once. resulted in the Baptism of many natives, the building of churches, and establishing villages for the newly-baptized (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic). In December of that same year, Deacon Meletios was ordained to the holy priesthood. this time Father Meletios became the close friend of Vicar Bishop Benjamin of Selengin (later Archbishop of Irkutsk), and this friendship endured for the rest of their lives. Meletios’s work took him from place to place on the very borders of Mongolia. did not remain there long, however. On August 30, 1873 Archbishop Benjamin placed him in charge of the Irkutsk mission, on February 2, 1874 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite of the Nilov Hermitage in the Sayansk Mountains. that time, his missionary work expanded a great deal, and even more so when he went to Kazan to learn the methods for translating Christian books into the native languages. his stay outside the mission, he visited his family in Viatka Province, visiting his mother and his brother, who was a priest in the village of Verkhovskoy, Nolinsky district, and made a pilgrimage in Moscow and Kiev. lived in Kazan until May 1875. his relationship with Professor Nicholas I. Il’minsky (1822-1891) and his assistants had great significance for the Saint’s future missionary work. the work of translating Christian teachings into spoken Buryat, Father Meletios was helped by the Buryat Jacob Chistokhin, his cell attendant (later a missionary of the Tunkinsky Territory). first book in the Buryat language was published at Kazan: “Teaching the newly-baptized about the Holy Christian Faith” (Поучение к новокрещёным о святой христианской вере). was a very important step, which led to the success of the work of evangelizing the natives during the five years that Archimandrite Meletios was in charge of the mission, and 11,000 natives were baptized. labors increased after his consecration as Vicar Bishop of the Irkutsk Diocese (1888-1896), and he was appointed to oversee the missionary territory east of Lake Baikal. regional city of Chita (Чита) became the center from which the missionary bishop went all around Lake Baikal, in 1881 (which was the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Trans-Baikal mission by the missionaries Theodosios and Makarios). went around preaching the Word of God throughout Trans-Baikal, enlightening his flock and shaping the churchly and secular lives of the newly- baptized in order to integrate them into the permanent Russian population. Meletios founded the Church Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodios, and of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk in Chita, in order to reinforce the spread of Christianity in his flock. did everything possible to strengthen his spiritual children by starting church schools. result of these measures while he was the head of the Eastern Baikal Mission was the conversion of some 4000 natives to Christianity from shamanism, and Lamaites.1 July 5, 1889 he was appointed Bishop of Yakutsk and arrived there on September 16. Diocese of Yakutsk previously had a worthy missionary bishop named Dionysios, who later became Bishop of Ufa. He may certainly be called the Apostle to the Yakuts. the first year in his new Diocese, Saint Meletios employed the methods he had learned from experience in his new territory. year he would inspect different sections of his vast Diocese. Although there were no roads, he covered tens of thousands of miles in one trip. built churches, and found generous donors for this purpose. his journeys he consecrated many of these churches himself, and organized church schools for them. the end of 1889, there were 77 churches in his Diocese, and 118 chapels. 1895, there were nine stone churches, 214 wooden churches, chapels, and houses of prayer. Later, the number of churches and schools increased. looking for ways to support the schools, Bishop Meletios requested and obtained an annual allowance of 6000 rubles, paid to him by the Department of Revenue. 1892, he organized the Church Brotherhood of Christ the Savior. was another aspect to his missionary work at Yakutsk, he was the first person to reduce and help to eradicate leprosy among his flock. 1890 there was an article in the Yakutsk Diocesan Journal # 17, entitled “Leprosy in the Vilyusk Region.” The following year, Miss Marsden, who was an English nurse, came to the region, and worked very hard to help those who were sick. Meletios was so energetic in his efforts to help her that he received a letter of thanks from the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. to say, his flock was most grateful to him for this. Therefore, when he left to go to the Diocese of Riazan, his farewell was exceptionally warm. Seldom has a bishop received such a farewell. October 14, 1896 he was named Bishop of Ryazan and Zaraysk. On November 27, he left Yakutsk and arrived in Ryazan on February 17, 1897. was no wonder that his flock at Riazan awaited their new Archpastor with great enthusiasm and expectation, since they knew of his past life of asceticism and missionary activity, and they were not disappointed in their expectations. This kindly hierarch, who demanded much of himself, yet was condescending to the weakness of others, was an excellent preacher and a true missionary. He left behind a vast legacy of good deeds which caused him to be remembered by the people of Ryazan. Also in 1897, he was made an honorary member of the Kazan Theological Academy. missionary activities in Siberia had a profound influence on his labors in his new Diocese. In the Diocese of Ryazan there were many Old Ritualists, and even Moslems. Bishop Meletios revived the mission to the Mohammedans, he also wrote a great deal. He published many of his sermons, missionary notes, and reports about the Eastern Baikal and Irkutsk missions. He also contributed many historical articles to various Orthodox journals, all for the sake of his missionary work, and not for personal gain. All of his articles came from his apostolic spirit and his character, which were revealed in all the places where he labored for the glory of God. his thirty-five years of missionary work, he was known as the “Apostle to the Yakuts, and Enlightener of the Gentiles in Siberia and Asia.” Meletios reposed on January 14, 1900, and was buried in the Cathedral of the Ryazan Kremlin. Saint Meletios was included in the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints in 1983. Lord Himself decided to glorify the relics of His saint: almost a hundred years after his repose his holy relics were found on June 18, 1998 in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of the Ryazan Kremlin, on the eve of the celebration of the Synaxis of the Ryazan Saints and the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints, and the eve of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Ryazan Diocese. On September 18, 1998, his relics were transferred to Ryazan’s Trinity Monastery. the course of 35 years of work in this field, he was called “The Apostle of the Yakuts and the Enlightener of the Pagans in Siberia and Asia.“ These were natives from southeastern Siberia, in the area near Tibet, who acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Dalai Lama.

Russia, Ryazan, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, MTrail, invalid ignores 2vision, then goes 3rd, icon found, alcoholics c
Russia, Kaluga, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7), retired soldier, pension on alcohol, broke, poor health, no walk, continued to drink, Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared and told him to go to Serpukhov M for IChalice Molieben, ignored twice, crawled, got better on the way, woman rubbed legs, hard to remember icon, restored health, alcoholism cured, news spread, many alcoholics cured, annual Molieben wAkathist; Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5; “Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was revealed in Russia in 1878. retired soldier from Tula had spent his pension on alcohol, ruining his health. Though he was no longer able to walk, he continued to drink. night the holy Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared to him in a dream and told him to go to the Serpukhov Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple. “Have a Molieben served before her Icon ‘The Inexhaustible Chalice.’” he had no money and could not walk, the man paid no attention to the dream. the Elder appeared a second and third time, speaking to him with increasing severity. on all fours, the man reached the next village and stayed in the home of an old woman. She rubbed his legs, and he began to feel better. The next day, he resumed his journey with two canes, then with one, until he arrived at the monastery. described his dreams to the monks, but none of them had ever heard of “The Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon. Finally, one of them remembered an icon on which a chalice was depicted. On the back of the icon was an inscription, “The Inexhaustible Chalice.” the Molieben, the peasant returned home restored to health, and cured of his alcoholism. of the miracle spread, and many alcoholics and their families came to pray before the Icon. Many of them came back to thank the Mother of God for answering their prayers. Sunday in the Serpukhov-Vyotsk monastery a Molieben with an Akathist is served before the Icon for those who are addicted to alcohol.

Russia, Ryazan, 1880-1921, Liuba Semyonova Sukhanovskaya, Ryazan, Paralyzed then Fool For Christ, Clairvoyant, Much More
Russia, Ryazan, 1880-1921, Liuba Semyonova Sukhanovskaya, Ryazan (Oka River 9), raised in God fearing poverty, paralyzed 15yrs, prayer warrior, ST Nic's Icon, Nic appeared and said get up and play the fool, mother wonders, priest encourages fool role, God' will, enclosed in wall 3yrs standing at Pronsk, then to Ryazan to mix with the people playing the fool, ; Ryazan; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8; Semyonova Sukhanovskaya was born in 1860 in the Ryazan region, in the city of Pronsk, into the family of Semyon and Maria Sukhanovsky, humble and God-fearing people. Later, her younger sister Olga was born. 1874, the Sukhanovskys moved to Ryazan and settled in a house on the corner of Vladimir and Resurrection Streets, becoming parishioners of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem church. Lord took special notice of this pious family. The Sukhanovskys lived in poverty, and also had a heavy sorrow. beloved daughter Liubushka was paralyzed for fifteen years, and could neither walk nor stand on her own two feet. parents taught her to pray and how to read, Liuba prayed a great deal and read spiritual books, drawing on these for comfort. particular, she loved to pray before the family icon of Saint Nicholas. pure prayer, and her uncomplaining patience in her illness, were accepted by the Lord, revealed His will for Liubushka. day, when she was alone in the house, the God-pleaser Saint Nicholas appeared before her and said, "Get up, Liuba, go and play the fool!" stood up, which was a great joy for her mother when she returned home. then her mother realized that the feat of foolishness was very difficult, and she went to the priest for advice. listened to her and said, "This is God's will! Do not detain your daughter, let her go, let her play the fool! The steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord (Psalm 36/37:23). that time, Liubushka embarked on that very difficult path. residents of Ryazan know her as an ascetic who enclosed herself in a wall between the stove and a wall in her house. She stood there for three years, like an ancient stylite, immersed in prayer and in the knowledge of God. humility before God's Providence, her patience and heavenly grace helped her to accomplish this unprecedented feat. Lord prepared her for her contest by her fifteen years of paralysis, just as He did for Saint Elias of Murom (December 19). years later, Blessed Liubov, strengthened from above by divine love, left her "torture-chamber" and went out among the people, bearing this love. living in Ryazan away from her relatives, she became a constant intercessor in all the city churches, and above all other monasteries, she loved visiting the Kazan Monastery, where she lived for a long time with some sisters, especially with the Superior, Igoumeness Katherine, who consoled with her sublime discourses. was often seen on the street, in the shops of merchants, or in the homes of friends. And her conversations always had some spiritual purpose. Blessed one prayed for people, giving them good and wise advice, and warning them of dangers. waited for her impatiently, honorable people understood that the Lord Himself spoke through Liubushka, had granted her both clairvoyance and the gift of love. with all fools for Christ, her actions were not quite ordinary. example, the Blessed one would go into the shop of a wealthy merchant and take whatever she needed without asking. merchant was only too happy about this, for he knew that he would do good business that day. time, Liubushka would pass by the shop without stopping, even if she were invited. she was tired, the Blessed one would sit on someone's porch and be given food. She would accept it from some, but to others she said: "You don't have very much." she did accept food, she gave it to the needy she met along the way. Poor people and beggars loved her very much. clairvoyant, the Blessed one addressed even strangers by name, and would reply to unspoken questions. often than not, Liubushka clothed her clairvoyance in a mysterious form, revealing things by means of paper figures. where her hostess kept scissors and paper, she took them, cut the figures out, and gave them to those for whom they were intended. someone was about to travel, she would make a horse or a train. If a person was to be married, she would fashion a crown. If someone was about to die, she would cut out a tombstone. people feared her predictions and hid the scissors, but the Blessed one just tore the paper with her fingers and still gave the appropriate figures to those for whom they were meant. made these figures with great skill, and silently she handed them to that person and then left. of her predictions came true. people, however, did not believe Liubushka, and laughed at her. She endured everything very complacently and patiently, and the smile never left her face. She dressed in very plain clothes, and on her head she wore a kerchief - sometimes blue, or pink. a child, Liubushka loved the color pink, and she even asked that her coffin be lined with pink cloth when she died. Blessed one made predictions not only with paper figures, but also by other means. example, they mention the following incident. During the Nativity Fast, Liubushka visited the Sh. family, where their grandmother was pouring tea for everyone at 4:00 P.M. At that time, Liubushka came in with a piece of velvet and said: "I was walking past the funeral parlor, where a coffin was being lined, and I took a piece of velvet. Here, take it!" The grandmother was perplexed, but soon they received news that their relative had died, and the velvet was for her coffin. This is how the Blessed one prepared everyone for the sad event. another occasion, Blessed Liubushka foretold the fate of two little girls through the icons that she gave them. received an icon of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and later she married a man named Alexander, and they lived by the Alexander Nevsky train station. other girl was given an icon of Saint Anna of Kashin, and like that Saint, she too was left as a widow with two children. Blessed one foresaw many things at her beloved Kazan Monastery. Once she cut out an entire monastery with scissors. The paper monastery had a fence, a church, and a choir in it. in this way, she answered a question posed by the sister of a certain novice, who wondered whether she should be a nun. the time came, this girl did enter the Monastery and, as one who possessed a rare voice (a female bass), she was placed in the choir to chant and read. After the Monastery was closed, she sang in the church until she was quite old. Blessed one returned to her home. At that time her grandfather was still alive. day she arrived when her grandfather's kum1 was in the house, and he decided to joke with her and asked: "Tell us, Liubov Semyonovna, to whom will your house go when you die?" She smiled and replied, "To the soldiers." laughed at such an unexpected answer. one could imagine that one day the house would be demolished, and in its place a military warehouse would be built to store equipment. sister did not take her seriously either, and only after her death did she realize her mistake, seeing how many people came to accompany Blessed Liuba on her final journey, calling her the holy intercessor of Ryazan. the abdication of the Tsar in 1917, the Blessed one walked through the streets and repeated: "The walls of Jericho are falling, the walls of Jericho are falling." Only later did people realize what that meant. weeks before her death, Liubuska warned her good friend Elizabeth M. about it: "Lizon'ka, I am going to die soon, and you must pray to God for me. Go to my grave and take dirt from it, and line my coffin with pink cloth." Liubov reposed on February 8, 1921. was in ruins, the stores were empty, and Elizabeth decided to go to the pharmacy for some gauze at least. And O, the wonder! She was given some pink cloth. coffin was beautifully decorated, and even ruffles and bows were made. So, to everyone's joy, Liubushka's wish was miraculously fulfilled. the Blessed one was carried on her final journey, the streets around the funeral procession resembled a living wall of weeping people. abandoned their businesses in order to bid farewell to the marvelous God-pleaser. over Blessed Liubov's grave, a monument was put up by the efforts of a resident of Ryazan, a Deacon, and others who admired her. the years passed, God was gradually displaced from the life and consciousness of formerly devout people who forgot their covenants and their own ancestors. were being closed and destroyed, and priests were tortured and killed. Soon there was only one functioning church in Ryazan - a church dedicated to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon of the Mother of God. And there was a cemetery. But then few persons visited the cemetery, and Liubushka's grave became overgrown. day a certain soldier appeared at the cemetery and began to ask where Blessed Liubushka was buried. He wanted to put up a cross and a metal fence around her grave. This soldier happened to be very sick, but the doctors could not help him. Saint Liubov appeared to him in a dream and said: "Do not grieve or worry, but go to Ryazan, find the grave of Liubov Semyonovna Sukhanovskaya in the cemetery, and enclose it with a fence, and then you shall be healthy and happy." did as the Blessed one commanded him to do, and he was healed. He visited her grave every year and had a Panikhida served for her. Thus Saint Liubov came forth once more to the people who had forgotten her, in order to demonstrate that "love never fails" (I Corinthians 13:8). other miracles were performed, and are still being performed, by prayers offered to Blessed Liubov of Ryazan. In 1992, by the diligence of the brethren of Saint John the Theologian Monastery, a chapel was built over her grave, and on June 10/23, 1998, Blessed Liubov was numbered with the Saints of Ryazan (June 23) and her holy relics were transferred to the Saint Nicholas-Yamsk church in Ryazan. 1 Kum = A godparent, or those who hold the crowns at an Orthodox wedding (from the Greek word κουμπάρος).

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River Folder (Oka River 1-13)

Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin, Kaluga and Ryazan
Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Muravsky Trail Folder

Muravsky Trail 6 (Livny, Elets)

Elets (Yelets), Ryazan, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4)
Elets; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Yelets (Elets), Ryazan, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4)
Elets; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Muravsky Trail 9 (Serpukhov, crossing at Oka River 6)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Murav is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Orlov District, Ryazan (Oka River 1, Kaluga)
Orlov District; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Saint Theophan the Recluse, Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners, Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 9 ; we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January 25) which is treasured in the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel Diocese, Karachev district. 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in honor of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon as part of the Saint Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the monastery. wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.

Bolkhov, Orlov, Ryazan (Oka River 1)
Bolkhov; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ;

Belev, Ryazan (Oka River 1)
Belev (Oka River 1) ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Belev Convent of the Exaltation of the Cross, 1839
Belev Convent of the Exaltation of the Cross ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Zhabyn's Monastery, Belev, Ryazan, 1585
Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 2, Upa River Folder, Tula

Upa River

Upa River Source (near Novomoskovsk)

Upa River 1 (Tula)

Tula, Ryazan, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); œChernigov-GethsemaneÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5;

Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy, Ryazan Frontier, near Tula, Kaluga
Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy; Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Upa River 2

Upa River Mouth (Oka River 2)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 6, Besputa River Folder

Besputa River

Besputa River Source

Besputa River Mouth (Oka River 6)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 6.9, Oayotr River Folder

Osyotr River

Osyotr River Source (along the border)

Osyotr River 1

Osyotr River 2 (Zaraysk)

Zaraysk Nicholas Cathedral, Ryazan Frontier, Osyotr River 2, Oka River 7, 1681
Zaraysk Nicholas Cathedral ; Zaraysk; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10;

Osyotr River Mouth (Oka River 6.9)

Kolomna, Ryazan Frontier (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomna; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 8, Vozha River Folder

Vozha River

Vozha River Source (along the border)

River Vozha Mouth (Ryazan, Oka River 8)

Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde, 1378
Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde, 1378; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 9 Folder, Ryazan (aka old name Pereslavl)

Ryazan (Oka River 9)
Ryazan; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated July 3; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Ryazan Kremlin
Ryazan Kremlin; Finding of the relics of Saint Basil, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10;

Ryazan Theological Seminary
Ryazan Theological Seminary (Oka River 9); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

Ryazem (Ryazan, Oka River 9)
Ryazem (Ryazan); Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; VDemetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica ; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Pereslavl (Old Name of Ryazan) Oka River 9
Pereslavl, old name of Ryazan; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 9.8, Pronya River Folder

Pronya River

Pronya River Source (along the border)

Pronya River 1

City of Pronsk, Ryazan (Ponya River 1.6)
City of Pronsk, Ryazan; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8;

Pronya River 2

Pronya River Mouth (Oka River 9.8)

Ryazan - Old Ryazan, Staraya Ryazan
Siege of Ryazan, Old Ryazan; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Oka River 9.8 (Pronya and Para River Mouths)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 10, Para River Folder

Para River

Para River Source (along the border)

Kazan monastery in Ryazan, Para River 1
Kazan monastery in Ryazan, 391842, Ryazan region, Skopinsky district, Zarechny settlement, c. Dmitrievo; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8 ;

Para River Mouth (Oka River 10)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 11, Pra River Folder

Pra River

Pra River Source (along the Border)

Pra River Mouth (Oka River 11)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 11, Gus River Folder

Gus River

Gus River 1 (Gus-Khrustalny)

Gus River 2

Gus River 3 (Gus-Zhelezny)

Gus River Mouth (Oka River 11)

Zheleznoborov, Ryazan (Gus-Zhelezny River, Oka River 11)
Zheleznoborov (Gus-Zhelezny); Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11 ;

Russia, Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 13, Tyosha River Folder, Murom

Tyosha River

Toysha River Source (Boldino Heights)

Murom, Ryazan (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13)
Murom; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Vydropussk near Murom, Ryazan (Oka River 13) conflagration, Vydropussk icon undamaged, stolen, returned by wind
Murom; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Vydropussk Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God in the fifteenth century was in the church of the Great Martyr George in the village of Vydropussk, Novgorod governia. During the time of a conflagration of the church, this holy icon remained undamaged. After the taking of Novgorod by the Moscow Great Prince Ivan III, his army returned to Moscow. One of the soldiers, a Murom native, having gone into the church took from it the icon of the Mother of God, and going to his own estate put it in a church of Saint Nicholas. they served the first service of thanksgiving before the stolen holy icon, after the reading of the words of the Gospel: “...and returned to Her own house” (Luke. 1:56) suddenly a whirlwind flew, the canopy of the temple opened, the Icon of the Mother of God was raised up in the air and miraculously transported to the church of the village of Vydropussk. guilty thief of the holy icon repented and came on foot to Vydropussk, beseeching the Mother of God to forgive him. In the sixteenth century this holy icon was taken to Moscow, and from it an exact copy was made for the church of the village of Vydropussk, and the original was put in the temple of the Transfiguration in the city of Torzhek.

Oka River Mouth (Nizhny Novgorod, Volga River 9)

Russia, Rostov Folder, Yaroslav, and its vicinity

Rostov-Yaroslavl
Rostov-Yaroslavl; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23;

Rostov the Great
Rostov the Great; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9;

Russia, Rostov History Folder

Russia, Rostov, 0900, 10th C Folder, Theodore, first Bishop Rostov&Suzdal

Russia, Rostov, 991-1023, Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Pagan Rostov and Suzdal, fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal
Russia, Rostov, 991-1023, Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Pagan Rostov and Suzdal, fGreece, Bishop 991, successful in Suzdal; Rustov; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; great wonderworker Saint Theodore, who was a Greek by birth, was the first Bishop of Rostov. was consecrated as a bishop in the year 991 or 992. that time, most of the Rostov territory was still pagan, and Saint Theodore worked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel to the people of that area. inhabitants subjected the hierarch to many insults, and they even drove him away on one occasion. Saint Theodore moved to Suzdal, where he brought many souls to Christ. fell asleep in the Lord at Suzdal in 1023, resting from his fruitful apostolic labors. His holy relics are in Suzdal's Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos Cathedral. of his holy relics are also kept in two other churches at Suzdal: that of the Kazan Icon, and that of Saints Constantine and Helen. Theodore is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23), and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23). saint should not be confused with Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28), who reposed in 1395, and was the nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25).

Russia, Rostov, 1000, 11th C Folder, Abraham destroyed Idol, Ephraim's Relics Transfr, Bishop Isaiah tWonderworker

Russia, Rostov, 1001-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov, destroyed Idol Velas
Russia, Rostov, 1000-1077, Abraham or Abramius of Rostov; Abraham of Rostov, Archimandrite of Rostov, in the world Abercius, was born in tenth century in Chuhloma, which is in Kostroma region near Galich, Russia.[1] Contents 1 Life of the Saint 2 His death and veneration 3 Years of life and activity 4 References 5 Sources 6 External links Life of the Saint[edit] Born Abercius, he was very ill as a child. He converted to Christianity in his youth after being cured from illness through prayer.[2] He decided to become a monk at Valaam and with the new name Abramius (Abraham) settled at Rostov on the shore of Lake Nero.[3] Not far from his hut was a temple where the local tribes worshiped the stone idol of Veles, a source of superstitious fright in the whole neighborhood. His legend recounts a miraculous vision of Saint John the Evangelist, who gave him a staff, crowned with a cross, to destroy the idol. In commemoration of this, at the site of the temple, Abraham erected a monastery in honor of the Theophany. He also built a church dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, and preached the Gospel in his area. Convinced by his preaching, many pagans were baptized.[3] At the petition of the Rostov princes Avraham was ordained to the rank of archimandrite of the monastery of the Theophany.[4] His death and veneration[edit] Abraham Reposed in old age and was buried in the church of the Theophany by his disciples.[5] His relics were found during the time of Grand Prince Vsevolod Georgievich (1176-1212).[6] According to Golubinsky the general church canonization of the Monk Abraham was held already by the time of the Makaryev Sobors of 1547-1549.[7] The divine service devoted to Abraham of Rostov, compiled in the imitation of the like to the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, was first mentioned in the manuscript collection of the 15th century.[8] In 1551 Ivan the Terrible, during his military campaign against Khanate of Kazan, made a pilgrimage to the Abraham Monastery before the battles. He took the staff of the saint and upon successful defeat of Kazan khans he returned it back and ordered construction of the stone Cathedral of the Theophany in 1553- 1555.[9][6] His feast days are: October 29 (November 11) (new style) - finding relics - in the Synaxis of the Kostroma saints, May 23 - in the Synaxis of Rostov-Yaroslavski Saints and in the Synaxis of the Karelian Saints - May 21 (dates are given according to the Julian calendar).[8] Years of life and activity[edit] The legend of the saint indicates 1010 as the date of his death, but most historians recognize this date to be wrong.[1] Nikolay Karamzin indicated, that Abraham was acting in Rostov during or after Andrey Bogolyubsky (c. 1111-“ 1174). The activity of Abraham in Rostov dates from 1073-“1077 years according to Vasily Klyuchevsky; Macarius Bulgakov refers it to (?)-1045 years, Andrei Titov - the end of the XI - the beginning of the XII century, Filaret (Gumilevsky) - the beginning of the XII century.[10] Evgeny Golubinsky was skeptical about the very fact of the existence of Abraham, apparently considering him a single person with Abraham Galitzki and referring his activity to the last quarter of the fourteenth century (according to the legend, the latter lived the same years as Yury Dmitrievich, born in 1374). Arseny Kadlubovsky does not consider Abraham to be the founder of the Theophany Monastery, and also relates his life to the fourteenth century. [10][1] Venerable Abramius, Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Rostov, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Fool fChrist aVyzama then founding monk aB&G Monastery aNovtorsk under Ephraim
Russia, Rostov, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), from rich pious merchant family iVyazama, free from world early age, Rus earliest Fool FC, copied early Greek fools Symeon&Andrew, fools not anxious fLife, eats, drink, clothes, life more tFood, body more tClothing, Paul wFool FC, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted, no home, work wHands, bless wReviled, endure wPersecuted, entreat wMaligned, refise otWorld, offscouring oAll things, Fool by day, Prayer aNight, concealed angelic life, people mocked appearance simplicity kindness &Ignorance oNecesities, people discovered his prayer, noted radiant face, tears, so not madman, advise always good, predictions happened, preferred silence, spoke rarely, broom before any Cross Procession, so purity required before feast, Ephraim stopped iVyzama because heard about Arcadius, A becomes disciple, E helps him avoid pride from Foolishness, so A strengthened self by spiritual struggles, tNovotorsk aEphraim, schema, founding church&B&Gmonastery, monk there, appeared iDreams aVyazma, departed peacefully 1077 ; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary ; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Arcadius was born at the beginning of the XI century in the city of Vyazma, was a member of the Syreishchikov family of merchants, were distinguished for their fervent piety. a young age, and loving the Lord with all his heart and soul, he resolved to devote his entire life to His service, and to free his soul from worldly attachments. was one of the earliest fools for the sake of Christ in Russia, may have been inspired by reading the Lives of Greek fools such as Saint Symeon of Emesa (July 21) and Saint Andrew of Constantinople (October 2). holy fools for Christ tried to live according to the words of Christ: “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). holy fools were also mindful of Saint Paul’s words: “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are dishonored. Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst; we are naked and buffeted, and have no fixed abode; we labor with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure. When we are maligned, we entreat. We have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now” (I Corinthians 4:10-13). the day, Saint Arcadius concealed his exalted angelic life by foolish behavior, people mocked his appearance, as well as his child-like simplicity, kindness, and ignorance of the necessities of life. made him seem strange and incomprehensible to worldly individuals, and his conduct became more unusual with every passing day. night, however, he devoted his time to prayer, standing atop a stone on a hill in the forest outside of town. the venerable one’s love of solitude helped him to remain unknown for a time, people soon became aware of the Saint’s virtuous life. noticed that when he prayed in church, his very appearance seemed to change. face became radiant, and his attention was completely focused on the prayers. he would weep, shedding tears of compunction and repentance. never occurred to anyone who observed him at such times that he might be a madman. his advice always seemed to be good, and his predictions always came to pass. He spoke only rarely, however, preferring to remain silent. there was a Cross Procession, Saint Arcadius would take a broom, and for two days ahead of time he swept the streets, starting from the cathedral to the church. this way he demonstrated that one must have inner purity and keep God’s commandments, especially when preparing for a Church Feast. that time, Saint Ephraim of Novotorsk (January 28) would often travel to Kiev to visit the more experienced Elders. on the way from Kiev, he stopped at Vyazma, where he heard about Arcadius. that moment, the young ascetic became the disciple of Elder Ephraim, who helped him to avoid the spiritual dangers inherent in the difficult and unusual exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Ephraim taught him that being despised by others could lead the mind away from God, because knowing that one was suffering unjustly often leads to pride. such a way of life could also darken one’s mind and heart, instead of leading one to enlightenment and the renewal of the inner man (2 Corinthians 4:16). time Arcadius strengthened himself by constant spiritual struggles. joined his Spiritual Father in Novotorsk, where Saint Ephraim tonsured him into the angelic Schema. this the people of Vyazma witnessed several miracles which were accomplished through the prayers of Blessed Arcadius, he fled from worldly glory and went to a place along the upper Tvertsa River. Arcadius also participated in founding a church and monastery dedicated to the royal Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb (May 2). moving into the new monastery, Saint Arcadius cut off his own will and obeyed his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim, in all things. Arcadius never missed a service; he and his spiritual guide were always the first to come to church for Matins. his Elder’s repose, the Venerable Arcadius continued to labor according to his precepts, living a life of prayer, fasting and quietude. he had lived in the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb for several years, he departed peacefully to the Lord on December 13, 1077. body was buried next to his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim. inhabitants of Torzhok and the surrounding areas frequently experienced the power of the grace-filled actions of the Venerable Arcadius, and clearly saw in them a sign of God’s favor. they turned to him with faith and prayer, they always received relief from their illnesses and deliverance from their sorrows through his intercession. holy monk often appeared to the inhabitants of the city of Vyazma in dreams and visions and delivered them from troubles and sorrows. In their minds there was no doubt concerning his holiness. canonization of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk for local veneration apparently took place around 1584-1587. Vyazma’s church of the All-Merciful Savior (built in 1594), and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Arcadius was built soon after his glorification. combined celebration of Saints Arcadius and Ephraim was established by Metropolitan Dionysius sometime around 1584-1587. relics of Saint Arcadius, glorified by miracles of healing, were uncovered on June 11, 1572. July 11, 1677, with the blessing of Metropolitan Cornelius of Novgorod and Velikiy Luki, Archimandrite Eustathios of Novotorsk monastery solemnly recovered the incorrupt relics of the Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk and transferred them to a crypt in Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral at Novotorsk (New Market); in 1841, the left side chapel of Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church was dedicated to Saint Arcadius. August 14, 1798 the Saint’s holy relics were placed in a stone coffin, which had served as the resting place of Saint Ephraim until 1572. solemn celebration of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of the holy relics of Saint Arcadius to the cathedral of Saints Boris and Gleb in 1677 took place in the city of Novotorsk in July of 1977. July 21, 2019, a portion of the relics of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk were presented to the Cathedral church of Saints Boris and Gleb Monastery by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Arcadius is also commemorated on August 14 (the day of his blessed repose), July 11 (the transfer of his relics in 1677), and June 11 (the discovery of his relics).

Russia, Rostov, 1053, Transfer Ephraim's Relics, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1)
Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11; of the Relics of Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg (+ January 28, 1053) took place in the year 1572 under Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod. The Feast day was established under Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow (1584-1587).

Russia, Rostov, 1065 -1090, Isaiah tWonderworker, Bishop oRostov, Strength fResolute Intention, huge Diocese, successful t
Russia, Rostov, 1065 -1090, Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, fKiev, Kiev Caves Monastery, strength from resolute intention, Prince Iziaslav wanted Isaiah fhMonastery, 1078 apostolic ministry Bishop oRostov, Large territory, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, Moscow, Tver, &Olonets, Rostov Cathedral, traveled large area, teaching & destroying idols, P Vladimir Monomakh money fC, W Icon ; Rustov; Saint Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on May 15; Isaiah was born near Kiev to pious parents who raised him in the Orthodox Faith. his youth, he forsook worldly vanity and entered the Kiev Caves Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Theodosios († May 3, 1074). with love for the Savior, the young monk engaged in the difficult struggles of fasting and prayer. the same time, he was meek, humble, obedient, non-acquisitive, fraternal, and he mortified the carnal passions through abstinence and patience, as well as the virtues of wisdom, spiritual courage, and chastity. recalled the words of an ancient Elder: "A man's strength does not depend upon human nature, which is subject to change, but upon resolute intention." by God's help, he constantly ascended in spirit to the heavenly Jerusalem.1 of the young monk Isaiah's ascetical struggles soon spread beyond the Monastery. when Barlaam, the first Igoumen of the Monastery reposed, a Monastery was built in the courtyard of the Great Prince Iziaslav of Kiev, and dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. 1065, Prince Iziaslav asked Saint Theodosios to elevate Father Isaiah to the rank of Igoumen of that Monastery because of his virtuous life. Theodosios gave his blessing, and Father Isaiah became the Igoumen. receiving this high office, the blessed one was a good mentor for the brethren and a good shepherd of Christ's rational flock. As Igoumen, he always thought of the Lord, and continued to abide in humility and in spiritual and corporeal labors. such a holy man in his Monastery, Prince Iziaslav rejoiced in spirit, thanking the Lord and Saint Theodosios for granting his desire. 1078, Saint Isaiah, who was proficient in piety and filled with divine grace, took part in the joint prayer of the Elders of the Caves for the ascetic Nikḗtas (January 31), who had been deceived by a demon (later he became the Bishop of Novgorod). the podvig2 of monastic life for three years, and then serving as Igoumen for ten years, Saint Isaiah was called to exercise an apostolic ministry. 1078, Saint Isaiah was consecrated as Bishop of Rostov, where there were still many pagans at that time. Diocese of Rostov encompassed a vast territory which included Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda, and part of Moscow, Tver, and Olonets. pagan inhabitants of the region clung to many superstitions, bloody customs, divination, and sorcery. good shepherd Saint Leontius of Rostov († May 23, 1073) labored hard for the enlightenment of the Rostov region, but still more pagans were to be found there by his valiant successor. Isaiah worked zealously, planting the seeds of Orthodoxy among the inhabitants of his large Diocese, also built a cathedral in Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. to his ancient Life, Saint Isaiah "found the newly-illumined people, who had not yet been firmly established in the Faith," and so he began to instruct them. travelled around with apostolic zeal, preaching about Christ in the Diocese of Rostov, persuading them of the folly of idolatry, and destroying the pagan idols. Isaiah begged his flock to remain strong in their faith, and to imitate Christ in their life. He repeated his message everywhere he went: "As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). a stikheron from his Church Service, the spirit of Saint Isaiah's ministry is perfectly expressed: "What shall we call you O Hierarch? Angel, for you lived on earth as one incorporeal; Apostle, for you taught the true Faith to the ends of Russia; Martyr, because for the sake of Christ you fought until death, turning people from the darkness of wickedness and bringing them to the pasture of godly reason." was a great consolation to Saint Isaiah to have the Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh participate in his ministry. The Great Prince gave money to build a cathedral at Rostov in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, in which there was a wonderworking icon painted by Saint Alypios of the Kiev Caves (August 17). Christ's Hierarch Isaiah treated the poor, the unfortunate, and all those in need with love. Lord glorified His servant by working many signs and miracles through him. In 1089, "borne on a cloud like the Apostles of old,"3 Bishop Isaiah was able to be present at the consecration of the "heavenly" church of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Kiev Caves Monastery. it was time for the consecration of the Dormition cathedral at the Kiev Caves Lavra, Metropolitan John of Kiev did not have time to invite the God-loving Bishops from distant lands to attend the Service. his pious wish was granted by an Angel of God who appeared to Bishop Isaiah and told him to attend the ceremony. Then, miraculously, the Angel brought him to the Kiev Caves Lavra, and he was able to participate in the consecration. himself, marveling at his wondrous journey, told Metropolitan John about it, saying that he did not dare to disobey his order by not coming to the consecration of the temple. First Hierarch of Russia was amazed by what he heard, for there was no time to invite the Bishops. This miraculous journey was the fruit of Saint Isaiah's obedience and zeal for the church of God. bishops, Isaiah of Rostov, Luke of Belgorod, and John of Chernigov, served with Metropolitan John at the consecration of the church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 14, 1089, and then Bishop Isaiah returned to his flock, which welcomed him with great joy. that, Saint Isaiah shepherded his flock of Rostov for less than a year. He departed from this world in the summer after the Nativity of Christ (on May 15, 1090) after thirteen years as a Bishop. same Angel who bore him to Kiev for the consecration of the church, also carried his soul to dwell in the heavenly abodes for eternity. relics of Saint Isaiah were first found together with the relics of Saint Leontius on May 23, 1164. Holy Right-believing Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky (July 4) laid the foundation for a new stone church in Rostov to replace the wooden one damaged by a fire in 1160. While excavating the foundation under the southern wall, the relics of Saint Isaiah were found. According to ancient Tradition and the Chronicle: "The coffin of blessed Isaiah was found, and when they opened it, they saw the Saint's vestments and body were incorrupt, and they glorified God, Who was pleased to glorify His servant not only in life, but also in death. Though many years had passed, the Hierarch's vestments and his body remained untouched by decay." Saint's relics were placed in the church of Saint John, and since the stone church collapsed as soon as it was completed, the relics were moved to the cathedral in 1231 and placed in the narthex, on the right side. the years, however, the memory of Saint Isaiah's miracles was forgotten, so that not even a lamp was lit over his tomb, nor did any priest come with incense to serve a Panikhida for him, because the narthex was always closed. was not fitting, however, for such a great lamp to remain hidden under a bushel (Matthew 5:15). According to the manuscript Life, "The Archbishop, seeing that the icon of Saint Isaiah was venerated by all, and also his coffin (in the narthex of the cathedral), he summoned the priests on May 17 and opened the coffin of this most wondrous Father. He took him from there in 1474 and placed him in a new coffin with honor, near the southern doors, where he still works miracles of healing." first Archbishop of Rostov was Theodore in 1390, and the ecclesiastical veneration of Saint Isaiah began in 1474, at the time of the transfer of his relics to the church. The first written Life of Saint Isaiah also belongs to that same time. In 1722 the relics were moved to a silver casket. April 25, 1920, by the decision of the Tenth Rostov District Congress of Soviets, despite the protests of believers, the relics of Saint Isaiah, and the relics of Saints Ignatius and Dēmḗtrios (Tuptalo), Venerable Abraham of Rostov, and Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk were exhibited naked in the center of the Dormition Cathedral. week later, the shrines with the relics of the Saints were returned to their places. Subsequently, the relics of Saint Isaiah were placed in a closed wooden shrine in the Dormition Cathedral. the end of the 1980s, some of the relics were brought to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, some were given to Archbishop Platon (Udovenko) of Yaroslavl and Rostov. the honorable head of Saint Isaiah is kept in the Serapion tent in the Lavra, and a portion of the relics is in Rostov's Dormition Cathedral, in an ark handed over on June 5, 1999 to the diocesan administrator of Yaroslavl and Rostov, Archbishop Micah (Kharkharov). the "Iconographer's Manual" a description of the Saint's external appearance is given: "Our Father among the Saints Bishop Isaiah of Rostov, the wonderworker, a pointed beard like that of Saint Blaise. The Saint's phelonion is red, with a green lining, a white omophorion, a white knobuk on his head, and he holds a Gospel in his hands." Isaiah is also commemorated on May 23, the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov - Yaroslavl. 1 Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2, 21:10) 2 Podvig = ascetical effort, spiritual struggle. 3 See the Feast of the Dormition on August 15.

Russia, Rostov, 1200, 13th C Folder, Konstantin oR GP oVladimir, Basil&Constantine incorrupt relics, Fall oYaroslavl tGolder Horde

Russia, Rostov, 1208-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, Grand Prince of Vladimir
Russia, Rostov, 1208-1218, Konstantin of Rostov, Grand Prince of Vladimir; Vsevolodovich (May 18, 1186 in Rostov - February 2, 1218) was the eldest son of Vsevolod the Big Nest and Maria Shvarnovna. 1206 and 1207, he was the prince of Novgorod. In 1207, his father sent him to rule the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl. In consequence of one domestic squabble, Vsevolod disinherited Konstantin on his deathbed and bequeathed his capital Vladimir to a younger son, Yuri II. In the Battle of Lipitsa (1216), Konstantin and his ally Mstislav of Novgorod soundly defeated Yuri and occupied Vladimir. Konstantin's death in 1218, Yuri returned to the throne. Konstantin's descendants, meanwhile, retained the towns of Rostov and Yaroslavl, where they would reign until the late 15th century. Thus, numerous princely families of Russia issue from this prince. Konstantin is also remembered for building the new Assumption Cathedral in Rostov and three brick cathedrals in Yaroslavl. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint’s great-grandfather was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III “Big-Nestâ€ (+ 1212), brother to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who had been heir to and continuer of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky’s work. From Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod Big-Nest single-handedly set the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The Lay of Igor’s Campaign says that he could splash the Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets. oldest grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, Saint Basil was born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince. He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to rule himself. valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of justice and the heeding of one’s elders, all these are traditional features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were present in Basil. The saint’s father, Great-prince Constantine, died on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great Prince Saint Yuri of Vladimir (February 4). twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in relations with the nobles: Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another prince. the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. Saint Yuri was then held hostage at Nizhni Novgorod. 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, “an unknown peopleâ€, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. Saint Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov. 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil’s uncle, Saint Yuri, had previously married Saint Michael’s sister [i.e. Basil’s uncle Yuri had married Maria’s aunt]. In 1231 Basil’s oldest son Boris was born. storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, “the earth shook during Liturgyâ€, and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in 1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land. 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. “A glorious fight,â€ said the prince, “is better than a shameful peace.â€ The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri’s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Yuri and his faithful companion Saint Basil were determined to fight “for the Orthodox Christian Faithâ€ against the “godlessly vile Tatars.â€ Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu. him were his nephews, Saint Basil of Rostov and his company, and his brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces. Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri’s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered “before the eyes of the Khanâ€. (In several of the old collections of Saints’ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to him, “he lamented in a loud voice with tears.â€ He said it would be better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world, since he alone survived. Saint Basil, arriving with the Rostov company, encouraged him to continue with the military effort. March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its victory. Saint Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded Basil was brought to Batu’s headquarters. Tatars demanded that he “follow their vile customs, be subject to their will and fight for them.â€ The holy prince angrily refused to betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. You cannot take the Christian Faith from me said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian confessors. They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in the Shernsk woods. Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God, resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Saint Basil was not even thirty years of age. Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri (they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The body of Saint Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest’s son and was taken to Rostov. There the prince’s wife, his children, Bishop Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of the cathedral church. the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: The multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful, and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr’s blood his transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away.â€ people regarded it as a sign of God’s mercy that the two princely comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral church: Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies together. (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral). Church venerates Saints Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence with the blessing of Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole. Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Saint Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. The city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. Besides this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. He suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. He did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his brother, but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. In 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. In the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Rostov, 1228-1238, P Basil, Vasilko Konstantinovich, Suzdal Monomashich, heded elders, k by Batu after Sita
Russia, Rostov, 1216-1238, Prince Basil, Vasilko Konstantinovich; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Prince Basil of Rostov belonged in lineage to the Suzdal Monomashichi, famed in Russian history. The saint’s great-grandfather was Yuri Dolgoruky, and his grandfather was Great Prince Vsevolod III “Big-Nestâ€ (+ 1212), brother to Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4), who had been heir to and continuer of Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky’s work. From Vladimir-on-Klyazma, which became the capital of the old Rostovo-Suzdal principality, Vsevolod Big-Nest single-handedly set the course of affairs of the whole of Great Rus. The Lay of Igor’s Campaign says that he could splash the Volga with oars, and bail out the Don with helmets. oldest grandson of Vsevolod from his oldest son Constantine, Saint Basil was born on December 7, 1208 in Rostov, where his father ruled as prince. He spent his childhood there, and in 1216, when Constantine Vsevolodovich became Great Prince of Vladimir, Rostov was apportioned to Basil (he was then eight years old) as his princely appanage to rule himself. valor, sacred duty of service to country, the sense of justice and the heeding of one’s elders, all these are traditional features of a Russian princely defender of the land, and all were present in Basil. The saint’s father, Great-prince Constantine, died on February 2, 1218, when Basil was not yet ten years of age. The guide of the young Rostov prince then became his uncle, the Great Prince Saint Yuri of Vladimir (February 4). twenty years Prince Yuri ruled Vladimir, and for all these years Basil was his closest friend and confidant. The chronicles take note of the vibrantly handsome figure of Basil, his bright and majestic glance, his daring in trapping wild game, his beneficence, his mind and deep studiousness, together with his mildness and good-nature in relations with the nobles: Whoever served him, whoever ate his bread and drank the cup with him, could never be the servant of another prince. the year 1219 Basil participated in a campaign of the Vladimir-Suzdal forces against the Volga Bulgars, and in 1221 in a campaign to the mouth of the River Oka. Saint Yuri was then held hostage at Nizhni Novgorod. 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, “an unknown peopleâ€, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. Saint Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov. 1227 (or 1228) Basil married, taking Maria, daughter of Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) as his wife. Basil’s uncle, Saint Yuri, had previously married Saint Michael’s sister [i.e. Basil’s uncle Yuri had married Maria’s aunt]. In 1231 Basil’s oldest son Boris was born. storm clouds thickened over Russia. On May 3, 1230, “the earth shook during Liturgyâ€, and famine and pestilence came upon Rus that year. In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Life took its course, and Prince Yuri in 1236 married off his sons Vladimir and Mstislav, and Basil rejoiced at their weddings. All of them, however, had little more than a year to live, for the Tatars had already taken the Volga-Bulgarian land. 1237 the Tatar whirlwind broke upon Rus. In December Ryazan fell under Batu. Prince Yuri had decided not to send his forces over to provide assistance, since he was faced with the difficult defense of Vladimir. The Tatars offered him peace, and he was prepared to negotiate. But the conditions of the peace, tribute and vassal servitude under the Khan, were unacceptable. “A glorious fight,â€ said the prince, “is better than a shameful peace.â€ The first battle with the Tatars was at Kolomna, and Vsevolod Yurievich commanded the troops, but they were cut to pieces. The enemy turned then towards Moscow, which they captured and burned. Yuri’s other son, Vladimir, was captured while leading the defense of Moscow. Yuri and his faithful companion Saint Basil were determined to fight “for the Orthodox Christian Faithâ€ against the “godlessly vile Tatars.â€ Having organized his defenses and leaving his sons Vsevolod and Mstislav at Vladimir, Prince Yuri went beyond the Volga to gather new troops to replace those annihilated by Batu. him were his nephews, Saint Basil of Rostov and his company, and his brothers, Vsevolod and Vladimir. The Great Prince awaited the arrival of his brothers Yaroslav and Svyatoslav and their forces. Meatfare Saturday, February 3, 1238, quickly and without hindrance upon the wintry roads, the Tatar army approached Vladimir. Despite heroic defense, the fate of the city was sealed. Bishop Metrophanes for spiritual strength tonsured all the princes and princesses remaining in the city into the angelic schema. The city fell on February 7. final outpost of the Vladimirites was the Dormition cathedral, repository of the most holy object in Russia: the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Tatars piled wood and kindling around the cathedral and made a tremendous fire. Bishop Metrophanes died in the fire and smoke, together with a thousand defenseless women and children, and Prince Yuri’s entire family: his wife Agathia, daughter Theodora, daughters-in-law Maria and Christina, and the infant grandson Demetrius. His sons Vsevolod and Mstislav, together with the previously captured Vladimir, were subjected to tortures and then slaughtered “before the eyes of the Khanâ€. (In several of the old collections of Saints’ Lives, all of them are listed as saints). Yuri had been with his forces near Yaroslavl. Learning of the destruction of the capital and the death of those near and dear to him, “he lamented in a loud voice with tears.â€ He said it would be better for him to die rather than continue to live in this world, since he alone survived. Saint Basil, arriving with the Rostov company, encouraged him to continue with the military effort. March 4, 1238 the decisive battle took place at the River Sita. The Tatars unexpectedly managed to encircle the Russian army, and a slaughter ensued. Few Russian warriors remained alive after this terrible battle, but the enemy paid an expensive price for its victory. Saint Yuri was cut down in distinguished combat, and the wounded Basil was brought to Batu’s headquarters. Tatars demanded that he “follow their vile customs, be subject to their will and fight for them.â€ The holy prince angrily refused to betray his homeland or Holy Orthodoxy. You cannot take the Christian Faith from me said the holy prince, like one of the ancient Christian confessors. They tortured him a great deal, and then killed him in the Shernsk woods. Thus did holy Prince Basil commit his soul to God, resembling in death the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24), the first of the Rostov princes, whom he had imitated in life. Like Saint Boris, Saint Basil was not even thirty years of age. Cyril of Rostov, going out on the field of carnage, buried the fallen Orthodox warriors, and he sought the body of holy Prince Yuri (they did not find his cut-off head in the mass of broken bodies). He brought his holy relics to Rostov, to the Dormition cathedral. The body of Saint Basil was found in the Shernsk woods by a priest’s son and was taken to Rostov. There the prince’s wife, his children, Bishop Cyril and all the inhabitants of Rostov met the body of their beloved prince with bitter wailing, and they buried him beneath the arches of the cathedral church. the burial of Prince Basil, the chronicler said: The multitude of Orthodox people wept bitterly, when they saw the departed father and nourisher of orphans, the great comforter of the sorrowful, and... the setting of a luminous star.... By his martyr’s blood his transgressions and those of his brethren were washed away.â€ people regarded it as a sign of God’s mercy that the two princely comrades-in-arms were buried side by side in the Rostov cathedral church: Behold the wonder, in death God has placed their bodies together. (Later on, the relics of holy Prince Yuri were transferred to the restored Vladimir Dormition cathedral). Church venerates Saints Basil and Yuri as Passion-Bearers, and heroic defenders of the Russian Land. Their holy example has inspired Russian soldiers in the fight against hostile invaders. The most detailed account of the life and deeds of holy Princes Basil and Yuri is preserved in the Lavrentiev Chronicle, written by the monk Laurence with the blessing of Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal, in the year 1377, three years before the Battle of Kulikovo Pole.

Russia, Rostov, 1230 & 1501, Basil & Constantine Relics, Yaroslavl, Rostov, both ruled like Christians, both incorrupt r
Russia, Rostov, 1230 and 1501, Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8), both ruled like a Christian in 1230, under and to the Horde, both incorrupt relics in 1501; Yaroslav; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Rostov, 1255-1285, Roman oUglich, govenor a26, poor house, more churches, fasting, incorrpt rlcs, miracles, Poles

Russia, Rostov, 1257, Fall of Yaroslavl, to Mongke Khan, Golden Horde
Fall of Yaroslavl, 1257, to Mongke Khan, Golden Horde; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Rostov, 1300, 14th C Folder, Tolga Icon in air wFiery column&bridge, Theodore mDisciples, Wworker James Mantiya boat

Russia, Rostov, 1314, Tolga Icon, across from river Tolga, fiery column and bridge leading to it, Icon in air, Prayer, staff
Russia, Rostov, 1314, Tolga Icon stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. At midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. The next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop'™s staff. The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Russia, Rostov, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov tGreat, nobility but devout
Russia,Rostov, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, nobility but devout, every virtue, child cried in womb, people astonished, Maria frightened, but later believed become vessel divine grace, they agreed dedicate him, soon civil strife, so move tRadonezh, later S requests monk, but they say wait till we die, because brothers responsibilities, S obeyed because always did, later they decided monk themselves, died 1337, so S gave tBrother&Became monk; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Cyril and his wife Maria were the parents of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25). belonged to the nobility, more importantly, they were devout and faithful Christians who were adorned with every virtue. the child in Maria’s womb cried out three times in church during Liturgy, people were astonished. frightened at first, Maria came to see this event as a sign from God that her child would become a chosen vessel of divine grace. and her husband agreed that if the child was a boy, they would bring him to church and dedicate him to God. child, the second of their three sons, was born around 1314. was named Bartholomew at his baptism. of civil strife, Saint Cyril moved his family from Rostov to Radonezh when Bartholomew was still a boy. when their son expressed a desire to enter the monastic life, Cyril and Maria asked him to wait and take care of them until they passed away, his brothers Stephen and Peter were both married and had their own family responsibilities. young Bartholomew obeyed his parents, did everything he could to please them. later decided to retire to separate monasteries, and departed to the Lord after a few It is believed that Saints Cyril and Maria both reposed in 1337. days after burying his parents, settled their estate, giving his share to his brother Peter. then went to the monastery when he was twenty-three years old, was tonsured on October 7 with the name Sergius (in honor of the martyr Saint Segius who is commemorated on that day). everyone knows, Saint Sergius of Radonezh became one of Russia’s greatest and most revered saints. Cyril and Maria were glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. are also commemorated on September 28, and July 6 (Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh).

Russia, Rostov, 1334-1392, Saint Sergius of Radonezh
Moscow, 1334-1392, Saint Sergius of Radonezh; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on January 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Russia, Rostov, 1363-1394, Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, founded 3 monasteries, many great ascetic disciples, iconographer
Russia, Rostov, 1363-1394, Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, founded Old & New Simonovo Monastery near Kremlin 1379, Dimitri o Don confessor, 1387 bishop of Rostov, many great ascetic disciples, iconographer, founded Rostov monastery; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, in the world John, the son of Stephen (brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh), who occupied an important post under Prince Andrew of Radonezh. a widower, Stephen became a monk, and together with his twelve-year-old son, went to the monastery to Saint Sergius, who foreseeing the ascetic life of the child John, tonsured him with the name Theodore on the Feast of Saint Theodore the Hair-Shirt Wearer (April 20). Theodore attained an appropriate age, he was given a blessing to be ordained to the priesthood. the blessing of Saint Sergius, Saint Theodore built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and founded a monastery on the banks of the River Moskva, at the place called Simonovo. the monastery began to attract a throng of people. Saint Theodore built a cell five versts from the Moscow Kremlin, and pursued new ascetical labors, and here disciples gathered around him. Sergius, visiting this place, blessed the founding of a monastery, and Metropolitan Alexis blessed the construction of a church in the name of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at Novoe Simonovo, which also had its foundations laid in 1379. The old Simonov monastery remained the burial place of monks. of his virtuous life and strict asceticism, Saint Theodore became known in Moscow. Metropolitan Saint Alexis elevated him to the rank of igumen, and Great Prince Demetrius of the Don chose him as his father confessor. Theodore journeyed to Constantinople several times on church matters for the Russian Metropolitan. his first journey in 1384, Patriarch Nilus made him an archimandrite. Simonov monastery was put directly under the Patriarch, thus becoming stavropegial. 1387, he was consecrated archbishop and occupied the See of Rostov. the igumen, and then the archimandrite of the Simonov monastery, and despite being occupied with churchly matters, Theodore stalwartly guided those in the monastic life and counted many great and famous ascetics among his disciples. Cyril (June 9) and Therapon (May 27), the future founders of two famous White Lake monasteries, were tonsured at the Simonov monastery. Theodore occupied himself with iconography, and he adorned with icons of his own painting both the Simonov monastery, and many Moscow churches. Rostov, Archbishop Theodore founded the Nativity of the Virgin monastery. blessed death of the saint occurred on November 28, 1394. His relics are in the Rostov Dormition cathedral. Theodore is also commemorated on May 23. Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22: Paul and Theodore of Rostov founded a monastery at the River Ust, not far from Rostov, in honor of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb (May 2). Theodore (November 28) first came to the site of the future monastery from the Novgorod region. Paul came three years later for ascetic struggles. Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5) came to Rostov, his native region, in 1363. of this, Saints Theodore and Paul went to the great ascetic for spiritual counsel. Sergius visited their wilderness monastery and blessed them to build a church there named for the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. during the construction of this first church, monks began gathering around the ascetics. igumen, Saint Theodore, joyfully accepted all who came. Soon a second temple was built in honor of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. the Borisoglebsk monastery in order, Saint Theodore entrusted its direction to Saint Paul. he himself took several disciples and withdrew into the Vologda forest. at White Lake, near to the confluence of the River Kouzha into it, he founded a monastery and lived an ascetic life for several years. He built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, set the monastery in order, and appointed an igumen for it. receiving a revelation about his impending death, he returned to the Boris and Gleb monastery, where he died on October 22, 1409. Saint Paul directed the two monasteries for a certain time, then he also died at the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb.

Russia, Rostov, 1385-1392, James t Wonderworker of Rostov, condmnd woman story, thrown out, Lake Nero Mantiya boat s
Russia, Rostov, 1385-1392, James the Wonderworker of Rostov, tonsured at Kopyrsk monastery, Vladimir-Suzdal (Nerl (Uktoma) mouth, Klyzma River 5), Rostov bishop 1385, condemned woman story, thrown out, Lake Nero Mantiya boat story, to site of Conception-St James monastery, Rostov repented, forgiven but never returned; Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama. St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated November 27 ; to a local tradition, Saint James received monastic tonsure at Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers from Rostov. For a long time he was igumen of this monastery, in the year 1385 he was made Bishop of Rostov when Pimen was Metropolitan and Demetrius of the Don was Great Prince. defending a woman condemned to execution, the saint followed the example of the Savior, inviting whoever considered himself to be without sin to cast the first stone at her (John 8:7), and he then sent the woman forth to repentance. Prince and the Rostov nobles, disgruntled over the bishop’s judgment, threw Saint James out of Rostov. the city, the saint proceeded to Lake Nero, spread his bishop’s mantiya on the water, and having signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, he sailed off on it as if on a boat, guided by the grace of God. one and a half versts from the city, Saint James emerged on shore at the site of his future monastery. prince and the people, repenting their actions, besought the saint’s forgiveness. The gentle bishop forgave them, but he did not return again. the shore of Lake Nero he made himself a cell and built a small church in honor of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna, marking the beginning of the Conception-Saint James monastery. James died there on November 27, 1392. is a story that Saint James fought against the Iconoclast heresy of a certain fellow named Markian, who appeared in Rostov toward the end of the fourteenth century. more ancient Lives of our saint do not mention this, and even the great hagiographer Saint Demetrius of Rostov was unaware of it. More recent hagiographers were wont to draw material from the Service to Saint James of Rostov. But the Service itself, preserved in copies from the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries, was compiled by borrowing from the Service to Saint Bucolus (February 6), who struggled against the first century heretic Marcian, and from the Service to Saint Stephen of Surozh (December 15), who contended against the emperor Constantine Kopronymos (741-775). James is also commemorated on May 23.

Russia, Rostov, 1400, 15th C Folder, Mongol Khan Edigei invasion oRussia, Cassian tGreek miraculous vision Martinian tbMonk

Russia, Rostov, 1408, Khan Edigei invasion of Russia
Khan Edigei invasion of Russia 1408, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ;

Russia, Rostov, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, aTherapon wJoasaph, vision oMartinian tbMonk, left fUchma, guide mPeople
Russia, Rostov, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Mangupa Princes descendent, tMoscow fBizantium wSophia Paleologa, for GP Ivan III, Monk at Therapon wJoasaph, miraculous vision oMartinian, urged him tbMonk, left for Volga Uchma confluence, monastery guide mPeople; Uglich; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Cassian the Greek of Uglich, in the world Constantine, was a descendant of the Greek Mangupa princes. arrived in Moscow as part of the delegation to Great Prince Ivan III, together with the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, Sophia Paleologa. decided to devote his life to the service of God, the saint declined the offer to remain at the court of the Great Prince, and he resettled near Bishop Joasaph of Rostov. the bishop withdrew to the Therapon monastery for solitude, Constantine followed him, and he led a strict ascetic life. accepted monasticism after a miraculous vision by night of Saint Martinian, urging him to take monastic tonsure. a certain period of time, Saint Cassian left the monastery going not far from the city of Uglich, near the confluence of the Volga and Uchma Rivers, he founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. of the monk spread widely, and many people began to come to receive his blessing, to see the wilderness habitation and converse with him. Saint Cassian accepted everyone with love, guiding them on the way to salvation with quiet words. monk died in great old age on October 2, 1504. In the Uglich Chronicles many miracles of the saint were recorded, in particular the protection of his monastery from Polish soldiers in the years 1609-1611 by his prayers. memory of Saint Cassian of Uglich is celebrated also on May 21, the day he shares with his namesake, the holy Emperor Constantine the Great. Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; we commemorate the namesake of Saint Cassian (in the world Constantine). commemoration of Saint Cassian is in honor of Emperor Constantine, his patron Saint at Baptism. When he became a monk, he was tonsured with the new name Cassian, in honor of St. John Cassian (Feb. 28), (Feb. 29 in Leap Year). October 2, the date of his repose, for Saint Cassian's life account.

Russia, Rostov, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, copied spiritual books, founded 2Monasteries, wonderwrkr, relics glorified bMiracles
Russia, Rostov, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), founded 2Monasteries, wonderworker, Igumen, fKashin, Tver, tUncle Macarius oKalyazin a11, obedience fasting prayer, copying soul-saving books, famed teacher, 1464 founded cenobitic Protection m for Prince Andrew, 1489 founded organized N G m, lived old age died 1504, relics glorified bMiracles; Uglich; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Paisius of Uglich was igumen of the Protection monastery, near Uglich. was born in the Tver district near the city of Kashin, he was a nephew of Saint Macarius of Kalyazin (March 17). Paisius entered his uncle’s monastery after the death of his parents, when he was just an eleven-year-old child. his uncle’s guidance, Saint Paisius led a monastic life of obedience, fasting and prayer, he was put to work copying soul-saving books. “A man wondrous of spirit, famed teacher of holiness and most astounding wonderworker, founded (in 1464) the cenobitic Protection monastery three versts from Uglich the wish of Prince Andrew, he was chosen igumen.” Paisius was also “founder and organizer of the holy Nikolsky Grekhozaruchnya monastery in 1489.” at the Protection monastery, Saint Paisius lived into old age and died on June 6, 1504. relics, glorified by miracles, rest beneath a crypt in the Protection monastery.

Russia, Rostov, 1459-1509, Bassian oUglich, Paisios' disciple, P's m at 33, 20yrs then sought silence but monastery prophecied
Russia, Rostov, 1459-1509, Bassian oUglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Paisios' disciple, from Bezhetsky, like Theodore oSmolensk from Shestikhinsky Princes, 1472 entered P's Protection m at 33, endured obediences&great abstinence, on Volga banks discovered protection icon 1482, 1492 allowed leave PM for silence, remote place 30 V south oUglich, ascetical contests, but people found him for guidance, 1492 built wooden chrch, soon monks gathered there, Holy trinity m, died 1509, deliverance at his grave for Gerasimos, paralysis healing there for Valerian, 1548 his uncorrupt relics discovered while building stone church, 1764 monastery restored, became parish church, Venerable Vassion oRyabov Hermitage in description oRussian saints; Uglich; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Bassian of Úglich was a disciple of the Saint Paisios of Uglich (+ June 6, 1504). was born in the village of Rozhalov, located in the Kesovsk volost of the city of Bezhetsky Verkh,1 he was descended from the family of the Shestikhinsky Princes (their ancestor is the right-believing Prince Theodore of Smolensk (+ September 19, 1299). Bassian entered the Protection Monastery when he was 33 years old, soon he was tonsured by Saint Paisios. went through his obediences without murmuring and lived in great abstinence. 1482, Saint Bassian discovered the Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on the banks of the Volga. spending 20 years in the monastery of SaintPaisios, Bassian asked his blessing to live a life of silence. instructor blessed him, saying, "Go, child desired by Christ, with His easy yoke (Matthew 11:30), and please the Lord. Soon you will form your own monastery and gather a monastic flock for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity." the year 1492 Saint Bassian left the Monastery and, after spending some time at the Saint Nicholas-Uleim Monastery,2 he went to a remote place 30 versts south of Uglich and began a solitary life of ascetical contests. soon people found his secluded dwelling, and began coming to him for advice and guidance. 1492 the Saint built a wooden church dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity, and soon those who wished to receive the monastic tonsure gathered there. Saint did not sever his contact with his instructor until his death, at which time he was with other disciples. he had lived for 17 years at Holy Trinity Monastery, Saint Bassian reposed on February 12, 1509. years later, a certain Gerasimos was freed from an unclean spirit at the Saint's grave, and a man named Valerian was healed of his paralysis. 1548, during the construction of a stone church to replace the ancient wooden one, the Saint's incorrupt relics were found,over which a stone vault was built. Monastery was restored in 1764, and Holy Trinity church became a parish church.The church has not survived to this day, and the Saint's burial place has been lost. The memory of "Venerable Vassian, theSuperior of Ryabov Hermitage" is noted in the "Description of the Russian Saints" (end of the XVII–XVIII centuries). Local veneration was tacitly approved by the inclusion of his name in the Synaxis of Rostov-Yaroslavl Saints (May 23). 1 Bezhetsky Verkh is located 20 versts from the town of Bezhetsk, Tver region. in the territory between the Mota River and the tributaries of the Volga, became part of the Moscow state, together with Novgorod. 2 The Pritection-Saint Nicholas Monastery, in which Saint Vassian was tonsured, is located three versts from the city of Uglich, on the left bank of the Volga. 3 The Saint Nicholas-Uleima Monastery is located 10 versts from Uglich at the confluence of the Uleyma and Vorzhekhoti rivers. The Saint's ascetical life was spent on the territory of the present day Yaroslavl Region (Yaroslavl Diocese).

Russia, Rostov, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda, founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov
Russia, Vologda, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda (Sogozha River 3), founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov (now Tutaef) in Yaroslav district, his monks cultivated soil and ate work of own hands, he taught by example and guidance, died 1500, Transfiguration monastery on Sokhota later annexed by Cherepoveta Assension monastery; Poshekhonye; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, at the River Sokhota, versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on December 18.

Russia, Rostov, 1462-1468, Tryphon, Bishop oRostov, Great Prince Basil the Dark'd confessor at Moscow at Novospassky Monastery
Russia, Rostov, 1462-1468, Tryphon, Bishop oRostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, was igumen Moscow's Novospassky (New Savior) Monastery and Great Prince Basil the Dark's confessor, 1462 Bishop of Rostov, Retired 1466 tYaroslavl Monastery, died 1468; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov was head of Moscow’s Novospassky (New Savior) monastery and was confessor to Great Prince Basil the Dark. May 23, 1462 he was consecrated as Bishop of Rostov by Metropolitan Theodosius of Moscow. 1466, he retired to the Savior monastery in Yaroslavl, where he died on December 30, 1468 (certain local documents indicate the year 1466). commemoration was transferred to February 1, it seems, so that he would be honored with his namesake Saint Tryphon of Lampsacus. Prochorus was also buried at this monastery, as the schemamonk Tryphon, also a Bishop of Rostov, who died in 1328 (September 7).

Russia, Rostov, 1486, Roman oUglich, incorrupt relics, many miracles, 1595 witnessed by Met, sainthood, Poles burned relics 1609

Russia, Rostov, 1500, 16th C Folder, Basil&Constantine incorrupt relics, John oMoscow FFC, John tHairy FFC, Ephraim's relics

Russia, Rostov, 1501 & 1230, Basil & Constantine Relics, Yaroslavl, Rostov, both ruled like Christians, both incorrupt r
Russia, Rostov, 1230 and 1501, Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8), both ruled like a Christian in 1230, under and to the Horde, both incorrupt relics in 1501; Yaroslav; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; holy Princes Basil and Constantine Vsevolodovich of Yaroslavl. their youth they lost their father, Vsevolod, who fell in battle with the Tatars (Mongols). Basil, the elder brother, succeeded to the throne. As prince, he had to face a multitude of concerns, tasks and sorrows. city and the villages were devastated from the invasion of the Tatars, many households remained without shelter and food, and he had to concern himself about everything and about everyone. this, it was necessary to gain the good will of the Tatar Khan, and the holy prince more than once journeyed for this reason to the Horde. suffered also a family misfortune, the loss of his only son. his tribulations the holy prince suffered without complaint, and he ruled the princedom, like a true Christian. did not enter into disputes with other princes, he concerned himself with the unfortunate among his subjects, and he built churches. But soon his life, filled with many sorrows, exhausted the strength of the prince, and he took sick and died in the year 1249. him holy Prince Constantine succeeded to the throne. He strove to imitate his but to his great dismay, everywhere he saw pillage and murdering done by the Tatars. 1257 the Tatars fell upon Yaroslavl itself. The prince came out to fight the enemy, but here in this battle he gave up his life for his country. the year 1501 the incorrupt relics of the holy princes were uncovered and now rest in the Yaroslav cathedral.

Russia, Rostov, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow, from Vologda, to Rostov (became fool for Christ), to Moscow
Russia, Moscow, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3) from Vologda, to Rostov, to Moscow, strict fasting & Prayer, hard work, foolishness, spoke truth, even to Boris Godunov, foretold time of troubles; Vologda; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; John, Fool-for-Christ, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born on the outskirts of Vologda. his youth he toiled at a saltworks, where he was a water-carrier. The saint combined strict fasting and prayer with his heavy work. he moved on to Rostov, where he began his exploit of holy foolishness for the sake of Christ. wore chains with heavy iron crosses, and on his head was a heavy iron cap, for which they called him “John Big-Cap”. Moscow he went barefoot and almost naked in even the most severe frost, and he foretold the great misfortunes for Russia, the Time of Troubles and the incursion of the Poles, saying that “in Moscow will be many visible and invisible devils.” spoke the truth to everyone fearlessly, regardless of what position they might occupy. Even to Tsar Boris Godunov, he often said: “Clever mind, sort out the things of God. God waits for a long time. Yes, it hurts.” his death Saint John indicated the place where he wanted to be buried: at the Protection church on Rva, which was later known as the cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed (August 2). himself for burial, he removed the chains he had worn under his clothing and poured water over himself three times. before his repose (? 1589), the blessed one received the gift of healing. Moscow, he was venerated as a great wonderworker and seer. On June 12, 1672, the relics of the blessed one were found resting under a crypt in one of the chapels of the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. Service and Life were preserved in Lists of the seventeenth century.

Russia, Rostov, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov, out in cold grew abundant hair, patience&unceasing prayer
Russia, Rostov, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov, out in the cold grew abundant hair, patience&unceasing prayer, aka J the Merciful, no permanent residence, lived wPriest orAged Widows, spiritually nourished many incl Irenarchus oRostov; Russia, Rostov, 1550-1580, John the Hairy, Fool for Christ, Rostov; John the Hairy (also known as John the Merciful of Rostov) was a holy fool, of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 16th century. He endured a great many trials in his lifetime.[1] "He did not have a permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one of the aged widows." to Orthodox Church in America sources, Blessed John, Living in humility, patience and unceasing prayer... spiritually nourished many people, among them St Irenarchus, Hermit of Rostov (January 13). a long life of pursuing asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to his final wishes, beside the church of Saint Blaise beyond the altar.[1] He had "hair upon his head abundantly," therefore he was called "Hairy." The title "Merciful" was given to Blessed John because of the many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose name he shared.[1] John the Hairy is commemorated on November 12 in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[1] relics of the saint are in Rostov in the church in honor of Theotokos of Tolga, next to sanctuary are psalms and cupressus the cross belonging to the saint. Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; John the Merciful of Rostov (also known as the Hairy) struggled at Rostov in the exploit of holy foolishness, enduring much deprivation and sorrow. did not have a permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one of the aged widows. in humility, patience and unceasing prayer, he spiritually nourished many people, among them Saint Irenarchus, Hermit of Rostov (January 13). After a long life of pursuing asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to his final wishes, beside the church of Saint Blaise beyond the altar. had hair upon his head abundantly,therefore he was called Hairy. title Merciful was given to Blessed John because of the many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose name he shared.

Russia, Rostov, 1572, Uncovering Ephraim's relics, E's brother George k wBoris, E founded Rostov B&Gleb M, G's head connection
Russia, Rostov, 1572, Uncovering relics oEphraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), Hungarian E's brother George killed wBoris, E founded G&Gleb M in Rostov, wanderer's home there, E burried wGeorge's head with instructions to uncover later, B&G sons of Vladimir, killed by brother Sviatopolk both without resisting and praying for him, other son Yaroslav kills S, Yaroslav's grandsons develop peculiar worship oB&G, transfer in 1115, relics separated, from then on B protected Monomashichi, and G protected Ol’govichi and the Davidovich, names Boris&Gleb akaRoman&David stayed within their protection, monasteries in specific places connected wThe murders, this one connected wGeorge's head; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11; of the Relics of Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg (+ January 28, 1053) took place in the year 1572 under Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod. The Feast day was established under Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow (1584-1587). Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. with his brothers, Saint Moses the Hungarian (July 26) and Saint George (in Hungarian “Sandor,” pronounced “Shandor”), he quit his native land, possibly because he was Orthodox. come to Russia, all three brothers entered into the service of the Rostov prince Saint Boris, son of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Ephraim’s brother George also perished in the year 1015 at the River Alta, with holy Prince Boris. murderers cut off his head, and took the gold medallion which he had received from Saint Boris. Moses managed to save himself by flight, and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. Ephraim, evidently in Rostov at this time, and arriving at the place of the murder, found the head of his brother and took it with him. service at the princely court, Saint Ephraim withdrew to the River Tvertsa in order to lead a solitary monastic life. several other monks settled near him, he founded a monastery in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb in the year 1038. The brethren chose him to lead them. the monastery, not far from a merchant’s road to Novgorod, a wanderer’s home was built, where the poor and travelers stayed for free. Ephraim died in old age. His body was buried at the monastery he founded. head of his brother, Saint George was also placed in the grave, in accordance with his last wishes. relics of Saint Ephraim were uncovered in the year 1572. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Boris and Gleb were sons of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Boris was named Romanus and Saint Gleb was named David at their Baptism. their father’s death the eldest son Sviatopolk planned to kill his brothers Boris, Gleb, and Yaroslav in order to seize power. sent a message to Boris, pretending that he wished to live in peace with him, and to increase Boris’s land holdings inherited from their father. of Vladimir’s advisers told Boris that he should take the army and establish himelf as ruler of Kiev. Boris, however, said that he could never lift his hand against his own brother. Sviatopolk was not so scrupulous. came to the town of Vyshegorod to ask its leaders if they were loyal to him. They assured him that they were ready to die for him. sent assassins to the Alta to kill Boris, who already knew that his brother wanted him dead. they arrived they heard him chanting psalms and praying before an icon of Christ. He asked the Lord to strengthen him for the suffering he was about to endure. He also prayed for Sviatopolk, asking God not to count this against him as sin. he lay down upon his couch, and the assassins stabbed him with their lances, and also killed some of Boris’s servants. Boris in a cloth, they threw him onto a wagon and drove off with him. Sviatopolk saw that he was still breathing, he sent some men to finish him off with swords. Sviatopolk had killed Boris, he wondered, “Now how can I kill Gleb?” sent him a message saying that their father was ill and wished to see him. As he was on his way, he received word from Yaroslav that their father had died and that Sviatopolk had murdered Boris. Gleb wept for his father and brother, and was lamenting them when the assassins arrived. seized his boat and drew their weapons, but it was Gleb’s cook Torchin who stabbed him with a knife. martyr’s body was thrown onto the shore between two trees. Later, he was buried beside Saint Boris in the church of Saint Basil. Boris and Gleb received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. became known as Passion-Bearers, since they did not resist evil with violence. holy martyrs Princes Boris and Gleb are also commemorated on May 2. Translation of the Relics of the Holy Passionbearers Boris and Gleb (in Baptism Roman and David—1072 and 1115), Commemorated on May 2; Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb. Saint Boris (July 24) was a brother of the Great Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise (1019-1054), and was baptized with the name Roman. The murdered Prince Boris was buried at the church of Saint Basil the Great at Vyshgorod near Kiev. John I of Kiev (1008-1035) and his clergy solemnly met the incorrupt relics of the holy passion-bearer Gleb and placed them in the church where the relics of Saint Boris rested. the burial place was glorified by miracles. the relics of the holy brothers Boris and Gleb were removed from the ground and placed in a specially constructed chapel. July 24, 1026 a church of five cupolas built by Yaroslav the Wise was consecrated in honor of the holy martyrs. later years, the Vyshgorod Saints Boris and Gleb church containing the relics of the holy Passion-Bearers became the family church of the Yaroslavichi, sanctuary of brotherly love and service to the nation. symbol of their unity was the celebration of the Transfer of the Relics of Boris and Gleb, observed on May 2. history of the establishing of this Feast is bound up with the preceding events of Russian history. May 2, 1069 the Great Prince Izyaslav, who had been expelled from the princedom for seven months (i.e. from September 1068) because of an uprising of the Kievan people, entered into Kiev. gratitude for God’s help in establishing peace in the Russian land, the prince built a new church to replace an older structure. Two Metropolitans, George of Kiev and Neophytus of Chernigov, participated in its consecration with other bishops, igumens, and clergy. transfer of the relics, in which all three of the Yaroslavichi (Izyaslav, Svyatoslav, Vsevolod) participated, was set for May 2, and it was designated as an annual celebration. Yaroslavich, Prince of Kiev during 1073-1076, made an effort to transform the Saints Boris and Gleb temple into a stone church, but he was able to build the walls only eight cubits high. Vsevolod (+ 1093) finished the church construction, but it collapsed by night. veneration of Saints Boris and Gleb developed during the time of Yaroslav’s grandsons, often producing a peculiar pious competition among them. ’s son Svyatopolk (+ 1113), built silver reliquaries for the saints. 1102 Vsevolod’s son Vladimir Monomakh (+ 1125), sent master craftsmen by night and secretly adorned the silver reliquaries with gold leaf. ’s son Oleg (+ 1115) outdid them. He was called “Gorislavich”, and was mentioned in the “Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” He “intended to raise up the collapsed stone (church) and hired some builders.” He provided everything that was necessary. church was ready in the year 1111, and Oleg “pressured and besought Svyatopolk to transfer the holy relics into it.” Svyatopolk did not want to do this, “because he did not build this church.” death of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich (+ 1113) brought a new insurrection to Kiev, which nearly killed Vladimir Monomakh, who had become Great Prince of that city. decided to cultivate friendship with the Svyatoslavichi through the solemn transfer of the relics into the Oleg church. “Vladimir gathered his sons, and David and Oleg with their sons. all arrived at Vyshgorod. All the hierarchs, igumens, monks and priests came, filling all the town and there was no space left for the citizenry along the walls.” the morning of May 2, 1115, the Sunday of the Myrhhbearing Women, they began to sing Matins at both churches, old and new, and the transfer of relics began. three were separated. “First they brought Saint Boris in a cart, and with him went Metropolitan Vladimir and his clergy.” other carts went Saint Gleb “and David with bishops and clergy.” (Oleg waited for them in the church). separation was adhered to in future generations. Boris was considered a heavenly protector of the Monomashichi; Gleb, of the Ol’govichi and the Davidovichi. Vladimir Monomakh speaks about Boris in his “Testament”, he does not mention Gleb. the Ol’govichi line, none of the princes received the name Boris. general the names Boris and Gleb, and so also Roman and David, were esteemed by many generations of Russian princes. brothers of Oleg Gorislavich were named Roman (+ 1079), Gleb (+ 1078), David (+ 1123), and one of his sons was named Gleb (+ 1138). Monomakh were the sons Roman and Gleb; Yuri Dolgoruky, Boris and Gleb; Saint Rostislav of Smolensk, Boris and Gleb; Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, Saint Gleb (+ 1174); Vsevolod Big Nest, Boris and Gleb. the sons of Vseslav of Polotsk (+ 1101) was the full range of “Saints Boris and Gleb” names: Roman, Gleb, David, Boris. Vyshgorod sanctuaries were not the only centers for the liturgical veneration of Saints Boris and Gleb. It was spread throughout the Russian land. of all, there were churches and monasteries in specific places connected with the martyrdom of the saints, and their miraculous help for people; temple of Boris and Gleb at Dorogozhich on the road to Vyshgorod, where Saint Boris died; Saints Boris and Gleb monastery at Tmo near Tver where Gleb’s horse injured its leg; monastery of the same name at Smyadyno at the place of Gleb’s murder; at the River Tvertsa near Torzhok (founded in 1030), where the head of Saint George the Hungarian was preserved note: the beloved servant of Saint Boris was beheaded in order to steal the gold medallion given him by Saint Boris]. dedicated to Saints Boris and Gleb were built at the Alta in memory of the victory of Yaroslav the Wise over Svyatopolk the Accursed on July 24, 1019; also at Gzena near Novgorod where Gleb Svyatoslavich defeated a sorcerer. Ol’govichi and the Monomashichi vied with each other in building churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. himself, in addition to the Vyshgorod church, built the Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral in Old Ryazan in 1115 (therefore, the diocese was later called Saints Boris and Gleb). brother David also built at Chernigov (in 1120). the year 1132 Yuri Dolgoruky built a church of Boris and Gleb at Kideksh at the River Nerla, “where the encampment of Saint Boris had been.” 1145, Saint Rostislav of Smolensk “put a stone church at Smyadyno,” at Smolensk. the following year the first (wooden) Saints Boris and Gleb church was built in Novgorod. 1167 a stone foundation replaced the wood, and it was completed and consecrated in the year 1173. The Novgorod Chronicles name the legendary Sotko Sytinich as the builder of the church. holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb were the first Russian saints glorified by the Russian and Byzantine Churches. service to them was composed soon after their death, and its author was Saint John I, Metropolitan of Kiev (1008-1035), which a MENAION of the twelfth century corroborates. innumerable copies of their Life, the accounts of the relics, the miracles and eulogies in the manuscripts and printed books of the twelfth-fourteenth centuries bear witness to the special veneration of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb in Russia. note: Neither this account nor those of the individual feastdays give the details of their martyrdom. Perhaps it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the story, or perhaps it is too painful to recount. The saints chose not to take up arms to defend themselves, or flee to safety. In their final prayers, they refer to the Lord’s voluntary suffering and death, as recorded by the chroniclers. Since they meekly accepted an unjust death for the sake of Christ, they are known as “Passion-Bearers.”]

Russia, Rostov, 1600, 17th C Folder, MOG transfr Y-S Icon, Isaakov Icon iTree comes back, Demetry oR incorr rlcs&Saints histry

Russia, Rostov, 1606-1612, Irenarchus tRecluse oRostov, Grt ascetic deeds, barefeet, heavy chains, tears, war warnings&encourage
Russia, Rostov, 1606-1612, Irenarchus tRecluse oRostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great, Boris&Gleb monk a30, slept on ground, gave vagrant his boots, then barefoot in snow, igumen no like, endured humiliation wPatience, still barefoot iSnow, igumen no change, transfer tAbramiev m, chosen steward, zeal but grieved brothers wasted property, Abraham comforted him, blessed him dsitribute tAll wOut trouble, sobbed loudly because knew mother died, transferred tRostov Lazarus m, solitary 3yrs privation hunger, visited bJohn tFool, tBig Simpleton, encouraged each other, desire back to Boris&Gleb, accepted back in love bStrict Balaam, greater deeds, chained to chair, heavy chains crosses, endured bro's sneers, John tFool visits &predicts Lithuanian invasion Moscow, 25years shackled in chains crosses&arduous tasks, deeds silent reproach tCareless living, they lied about him, igumen believed slander, banished, tLazarus m 1yr, igumen calls him back, blamed himself for no righteous works, continued heavy chains, slept only 1or2hr, prayed and beat body wIron rod, Lithuania invasion vision wChurches destroyed, wept bittherly, igumen sent him tMoscow tWarn Tsar Basil Shuisky, returned tPray fervently mercy Russia, Enemies appeared Moscow, 2 False Demetries sought Russia fPolish King, B&G also overun, they amazed by his words predicting catastrophy fThem, Polish noble Sapega wanted tSee Elder iChains, amazed aHis exploit, he boldly told him he prayed for Russian Tsar, Sapega said Grandfather speaks truly, Irenarchus urged S leave Russia or death for him, then he followed tWar and blessed Demetrius Pozharsky, told him come to Moscow tSee Glory oGod, handed him his cross, Russians vanquishe Lithuanians, Pozharsky took Kremlin, Peace returns, time oDeath revealed, chains Crosses heal; Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Hermit of Rostov, was born into a peasant family in the village of Kondakovo in the Rostov district. Baptism he received the name Elias. his thirtieth year, he was tonsured a monk at the Rostov Saints Boris and Gleb monastery. he began fervently to labor at monastic tasks, he attended church services, and by night he prayed and slept on the ground. taking pity on a vagrant who did not have shoes, Saint Irenarchus gave him his own boots, from that time he began to go barefoot through the snow. igumen did not care for such behavior, and he began to humiliate him, compelling him to stand for an hour or nearly two in the snow opposite his cell, or to ring the bells for a long time. saint endured everything with patience but he did not change his conduct. igumen continued to be hard-hearted, the monk was obliged to transfer to the Abramiev Theophany monastery, he was accepted into the number of the brethren and he was soon chosen as steward. saint fulfilled his monastic obediences with zeal, grieved that the brethren and servants did not look after the property of the monastery, but imprudently wasted it. in a dream he saw Saint Abraham of Rostov (October 29), who comforted him and blessed him to distribute necessities to all without trouble. Saint Irenarchus sobbed loudly during the singing of the Cherubimic hymn. The archimandrite asked him why he wept, and he answered, “My mother has died!” Abramiev monastery, Saint Irenarchus transferred to the Rostov monastery of Saint Lazarus, into a solitary cell and lived for three years in privation and hunger. he was visited by Blessed John the Fool, nicknamed “the Big Simpleton.” saints encouraged each other by spiritual conversation. Elder, however, had a desire to return to the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery. was accepted back with love by the strict Barlaam, and he began to pursue even greater ascetic deeds at the monastery. withdrawn into solitude, Saint Irenarchus chained himself to a wooden chair, and he placed on himself heavy chains and crosses. For this he endured the mockery and sneers of the brethren. this time he was visited by his old friend, Blessed John the Fool, who predicted the Lithuanian invasion of Moscow. Irenarchus spent twenty-five years shackled in chains and in arduous tasks. ascetic deeds were a silent reproach to those living carelessly at the monastery, they lied to the igumen about him. said that the Elder taught that they should not do monastic work, but rather pursue asceticism as he did. igumen believed the slander and he banished the holy Elder from the monastery. submitting, Saint Irenarchus again went to Rostov and lived in the monastery of Saint Lazarus for one year. the igumen of Saints Boris and Gleb regretted his conduct and sent monks after Saint Irenarchus. returned, blaming himself that he did not live like the brethren who engaged in righteous works, in which he was lacking. monk continued to bear his own heavy fetters. He made clothes for the needy, and he knitted hairshirts and klobuks. He slept at night for only an hour or two, the rest of the time he prayed and beat his body with an iron rod. Irenarchus had a vision that Lithuania would invade Moscow, that churches there would be destroyed. began to weep bitterly about the impending disaster, the igumen ordered him to go to Moscow and warn Tsar Basil Shuisky (1606-1610) about the terrible misfortune. Irenarchus carried out the order. He refused the gifts offered him when he returned, he began to pray fervently that the Lord would show mercy on the Russian land. appeared against Russia, they began the conquest of the city, beat the inhabitants, and robbed churches and monasteries. False Demetrius and a second Pretender sought to conquer Russia for the Polish king. Boris and Gleb monastery was also overrun by the enemy, came to the holy hermit and were amazed at the direct and bold words of the Elder, predicting catastrophe for them. remaining at the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery, wanted to see the Elder sitting in chains, and he was amazed at such an ascetic exploit. the Polish nobles with Sapega told him that the Elder prayed for Shuisky, the monk boldly said, “I am born and baptized in Russia, and I pray to God for the Russian Tsar.” answered, “Grandfather speaks truly; in whatever land one lives, there one also serves.” this Saint Irenarchus began to urge Sapega to leave Russia, predicting death for him if he did not do so. Irenarchus followed the course of the war and sent his blessings and a prosphora to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky. told him to come to Moscow, predicting, “You shall see the glory of God.” assist Pozharsky and Minin, the saint handed over his cross. the help of God the Russians vanquished the Lithuanians, Pozharsky took possession of the Kremlin, and peace gradually began to return to the Russian land. Irenarchus incessantly prayed God with tears for the deliverance of Russia from enemies with the power to work miracles, he healed the sick and demoniacs. day of his death was revealed to him, and summoning his disciples Alexander and Cornelius, he them his final instructions. taking leave of all he quietly fell asleep in the Lord. holy Elder left behind 142 copper crosses, seven shoulder chains, other chains which he wore on his neck, iron foot shackles, eighteen hand fetters, heavy “bonds” which he wore on his belt, and iron rods with which he thrashed his body to drive away demons. these works, as the Elder called them, he spent thirty-eight years, and having lived in the world for thirty years, he died in his sixty-eighth year. the death of Saint Irenarchus, many miracles took place at his grave, the healing of the sick and the demoniacs by laying the holy ascetic’s crosses and chains upon them.

Rostov, 1609, Roman oUglich, Relics burned by Poles

Russia, Rostov, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, transfered from Radonezh by MOG for new MOG monastery
Russia, Rostov, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, transfered from Radonezh for new MOG monastery; October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodegetria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area. Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was the cell icon of the archimandrite of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Anthony. October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodegetria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area.

Russia, Rostov, 1659-1758, Isaakov Icon, appeared in tree, divine light, moved to church, came back, built church w skete
Russia, Rostov, 1659-1758, Isaakov Icon, near Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8), appeared in tree, divine light, moved to church, came back, built chapel w skete, wooden church 1662, stone church 1758; Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Isaakov Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in the year 1659, far from the village of Isaakievo. peasants wanted to take the icon to their own village, but they were not able. then turned to the priest, and he got vested, and in the company of choir and people with church banners, went to the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God. the branches of a willow tree was the icon, radiating an extraordinary light like the sun. the singing of a Molieben the priest reverently took the icon with the tree branch and carried it to the Isaakievo village into the parish church. the following day the icon was not in the church. It was at the place where it was first found. this place of the appearance of the wonderworking icon they built a chapel, around which a skete was formed. the blessing of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl and Rostov, at the place of the chapel there was built in 1662 a wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the year 1758 a stone church was built in place of the wooden, into which they transferred this icon.

Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Cossack Hierarch, Dimitry, Demetrius of Rostov
Rostov Hierarch, 1671-1709, Dimitry ; Saint Dimitry of Rostov (sometimes Latinized as Demetrius, sometimes referred to simply as Dmitri Rostovsky, (11 December 1651 -“ 28 October 1709) a leading opponent of the Caesaropapist reform of the Russian Orthodox church promoted by Feofan Prokopovich. is representative of the strong Cossack Baroque influence upon the Russian Orthodox Church at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. is sometimes credited as composer or compiler of the first Russian opera, the lengthy Rostov Mysteries of 1705, though the exact nature of this work, as well as its place in history, is open to debate.[2] is the author of several written works, out of which the most famous is The Lives of Saints.[3] Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, incor r, ascetic preacher writer, organized saints history which inspired theolgns
Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, quick uncorrupt r, many miracles, K-Mogilyansk College, ascetic preacher writer Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Kiev Caves, organized MENAION lives saints, igumen several monasteries, Metro of Tobolsk, Met Rostov, strengthened church after Old Believers S, history of saints inspired theologians; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; 1702, Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov, arrived at the Rostov cathedral and also visited the monastery of Saint James, Bishop of Rostov (November 27 and May 23). served the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he indicated to those present the site of his future burial on the right side of the temple. “Behold my resting place,” he said, “here I will settle for eternity.” Saint Demetrios reposed on October 28, 1709. to the Saint's wishes, which he had expressed in his will, the clergy and people of Rostov asked the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Stephen Yavorsky of Ryazan, who had come for the funeral, to conduct the burial at the city's cathedral church. Stephen insisted on burying the body of his deceased friend beside Saint Joasaph, who was Saint Demetrios's predecessor. However, a grave was not prepared until the arrival of Metropolitan Stephen, even though about a month had passed since the Saint's death. to the urgent departure of Metropolitan Stephen from Rostov, a hastily constructed wooden frame was placed into the grave, in which the body of the Saint was buried on November 25. This circumstance, foreseen by the Providence of God, led to a quick uncovering of the relics. 1752 repairs were being made in the cathedral church of the monastery, and on September 21, the incorrupt body of Saint Demetrios was discovered. The place of burial had been affected by dampness, the oaken coffin and the writing on it were decayed, but the body of the Saint, and even his omophorion, sakkos, mitre and silken prayer rope were preserved undamaged. the discovery of his relics, Saint Demetrios began to heal many illnesses, and performed many miracles. When the Holy Synod was informed of these facts, it sent a Commitee: Metropolitan Sylvester of Suzdal and Archimandrite Gabriel of Simonov Monastery, to examine the relics of Bishop Demetrios and to verify the miraculous cures. the Committee's recommendation, a decree was issued by the Holy Synod on April 29, 1757 numbering Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov among the saints, and designating the dates of his commemoration as October 28 (the day of his repose) and September 21 (the uncovering of his relics). Church of Russia also commemorates the Hierarchs Demetrios of Rostov, Metrophanes and Tikhon of Voronezh on July 19. St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (in the world Daniel Savvich Tuptalo), was born in December 1651 in the locale of Makarovo, not far from Kiev. He was born into a pious family and grew up a deeply believing Christian. 1662, soon after his parents resettled to Kiev, Daniel was sent to the Kiev-Mogilyansk college, where the gifts and remarkable abilities of the youth were first discovered. successfully learned the Greek and Latin languages and the entire series of classical sciences. On July 9,1668 Daniel accepted monastic tonsure with the name Demetrius, in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Prior to the spring of 1675 he progressed through the monastic obediences at Kiev’s Kirillov monastery, where he began his literary and preaching activity. Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained Demetrius as hieromonk on May 23, 1675. For several years Hieromonk Demetrius lived as an ascetic and preached the Word of God at various monasteries and churches in the Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. 1684, while he was Igumen of the Maximov monastery (later the Baturinsk Nikol’sk monastery), he was summoned to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Superior of the Lavra, Archimandrite Barlaam (Yasinsky), knowing the high spiritual disposition of his former disciple, his education, his proclivity for scientific work, and also his undoubted literary talent, entrusted the hieromonk Demetrius with organizing the MENAION, the Lives of the Saints for the whole year. this time, all the rest of Saint Demetrius’s life was devoted to the fulfilling of this ascetic work, all-encompassing in its scope. The work demanded an enormous exertion of strength, since it necessitated the gathering and analyzing of a multitude of various sources and their exposition in a fluent language, worthy of the lofty subject of exposition and at the same time accessible to all believers. Divine assistance did not abandon the saint for his twenty-year labor. to the testimony of Saint Demetrius himself, his soul was filled with impressions of the saints, which strengthened him both in spirit and body, and they encouraged faith in the felicitous completion of his noble task. At this time, the venerable Demetrius was head of several monasteries (in succession). works of the ascetic brought him to the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In 1701, by decree of Tsar Peter I, Archimandrite Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23 at the Dormition cathedral of the Kremlin he was consecrated as Metropolitan of the Siberian city of Tobolsk. But after a certain while, because of the importance of his scientific work and the frailty of his health, the saint received a new appointment to Rostov-Yaroslavl, and on March 1, 1702 assumed his duties as Metropolitan of Rostov. as before, he continued to be concerned about the strengthening of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened by the “Old Believers” schism. his inspired works and preachings many generations of Russian theologians drew spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. He remains an example of a saintly, ascetic, non-covetous life for all Orthodox Christians. Upon his death on October 28, 1709, it was discovered that he had few possessions, except for books and manuscripts. glorification of Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, took place on April 22, 1757. He is also remembered on September 21, the day of the uncovering of his holy relics. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ;

Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Unexpected joy icon, MOG spoke to boy going out to sin, joy of forgiveness, could be Dimirty
Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Russia, Rostov, 1671-1709, Demetry of Rostov, quick uncorrupt r, many miracles, K-Mogilyansk College, ascetic preacher writer Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Kiev Caves, organized MENAION lives saints, igumen several monasteries, Metro of Tobolsk, Met Rostov, strengthened church after Old Believers S, history of saints inspired theologians; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; 1702, Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov, arrived at the Rostov cathedral and also visited the monastery of Saint James, Bishop of Rostov (November 27 and May 23). served the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he indicated to those present the site of his future burial on the right side of the temple. “Behold my resting place,” he said, “here I will settle for eternity.” Saint Demetrios reposed on October 28, 1709. to the Saint's wishes, which he had expressed in his will, the clergy and people of Rostov asked the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Stephen Yavorsky of Ryazan, who had come for the funeral, to conduct the burial at the city's cathedral church. Stephen insisted on burying the body of his deceased friend beside Saint Joasaph, who was Saint Demetrios's predecessor. However, a grave was not prepared until the arrival of Metropolitan Stephen, even though about a month had passed since the Saint's death. to the urgent departure of Metropolitan Stephen from Rostov, a hastily constructed wooden frame was placed into the grave, in which the body of the Saint was buried on November 25. This circumstance, foreseen by the Providence of God, led to a quick uncovering of the relics. 1752 repairs were being made in the cathedral church of the monastery, and on September 21, the incorrupt body of Saint Demetrios was discovered. The place of burial had been affected by dampness, the oaken coffin and the writing on it were decayed, but the body of the Saint, and even his omophorion, sakkos, mitre and silken prayer rope were preserved undamaged. the discovery of his relics, Saint Demetrios began to heal many illnesses, and performed many miracles. When the Holy Synod was informed of these facts, it sent a Commitee: Metropolitan Sylvester of Suzdal and Archimandrite Gabriel of Simonov Monastery, to examine the relics of Bishop Demetrios and to verify the miraculous cures. the Committee's recommendation, a decree was issued by the Holy Synod on April 29, 1757 numbering Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov among the saints, and designating the dates of his commemoration as October 28 (the day of his repose) and September 21 (the uncovering of his relics). Church of Russia also commemorates the Hierarchs Demetrios of Rostov, Metrophanes and Tikhon of Voronezh on July 19. St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (in the world Daniel Savvich Tuptalo), was born in December 1651 in the locale of Makarovo, not far from Kiev. He was born into a pious family and grew up a deeply believing Christian. 1662, soon after his parents resettled to Kiev, Daniel was sent to the Kiev-Mogilyansk college, where the gifts and remarkable abilities of the youth were first discovered. successfully learned the Greek and Latin languages and the entire series of classical sciences. On July 9,1668 Daniel accepted monastic tonsure with the name Demetrius, in honor of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. Prior to the spring of 1675 he progressed through the monastic obediences at Kiev’s Kirillov monastery, where he began his literary and preaching activity. Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar (Baranovich) ordained Demetrius as hieromonk on May 23, 1675. For several years Hieromonk Demetrius lived as an ascetic and preached the Word of God at various monasteries and churches in the Ukraine, Lithuania and Belarus. 1684, while he was Igumen of the Maximov monastery (later the Baturinsk Nikol’sk monastery), he was summoned to the Kiev Caves Lavra. Superior of the Lavra, Archimandrite Barlaam (Yasinsky), knowing the high spiritual disposition of his former disciple, his education, his proclivity for scientific work, and also his undoubted literary talent, entrusted the hieromonk Demetrius with organizing the MENAION, the Lives of the Saints for the whole year. this time, all the rest of Saint Demetrius’s life was devoted to the fulfilling of this ascetic work, all-encompassing in its scope. The work demanded an enormous exertion of strength, since it necessitated the gathering and analyzing of a multitude of various sources and their exposition in a fluent language, worthy of the lofty subject of exposition and at the same time accessible to all believers. Divine assistance did not abandon the saint for his twenty-year labor. to the testimony of Saint Demetrius himself, his soul was filled with impressions of the saints, which strengthened him both in spirit and body, and they encouraged faith in the felicitous completion of his noble task. At this time, the venerable Demetrius was head of several monasteries (in succession). works of the ascetic brought him to the attention of Patriarch Adrian. In 1701, by decree of Tsar Peter I, Archimandrite Demetrius was summoned to Moscow, where on March 23 at the Dormition cathedral of the Kremlin he was consecrated as Metropolitan of the Siberian city of Tobolsk. But after a certain while, because of the importance of his scientific work and the frailty of his health, the saint received a new appointment to Rostov-Yaroslavl, and on March 1, 1702 assumed his duties as Metropolitan of Rostov. as before, he continued to be concerned about the strengthening of the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church, weakened by the “Old Believers” schism. his inspired works and preachings many generations of Russian theologians drew spiritual strength for creativity and prayer. He remains an example of a saintly, ascetic, non-covetous life for all Orthodox Christians. Upon his death on October 28, 1709, it was discovered that he had few possessions, except for books and manuscripts. glorification of Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, took place on April 22, 1757. He is also remembered on September 21, the day of the uncovering of his holy relics.

Russia, Rostov, 1700, 18th C Folder, Unexpected Joy Icon, MOG speaks to Boy going out to sin

Russia, Rostov, 1702, Unexpected Joy Icon, Rostov, youth praying before sinning, wounds and blood, finally unexpected joy
Russia, Rostov, 1702, Unexpected Joy Icon, Rostov-Yaroslavl, sinful youth, devoted to MOG, praying before sinning, wounds and blood, who has done this, you and other sinners, prayed for forgiveness, finally recieved unexptected joy; Rostov-Yaroslavl; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unexpected joy, Commemorated on December 9 ; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Icon of the Mother of God The Unexpected Joy, Commemorated on January 25; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1.

Russia, Rostov, 1800, 19th C Folder, Gatekeeper Icon, in dream MOG tells St Pete Merchant go tIcon aUglich, Wworking since

Russia, Rostov, 1894, Uglich Gatekeeper Icon, Rostov, sick St Pete merchant dream, MOG told him go to icon aUglich, Wworking s
Russia, Rostov, 1894, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), sick St Petersburg merchant, dream vision, MOG told him go to icon at Uglich pray before it tbHealed, Igumen ordered search, found &Moved to Dorm Church, merchant healed, wonderworking since, Alekseev Womens M; Uglich; Úglich Portaίtissa (Gatekeeper) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 23; Most Holy Theotokos first appeared to Igoumen Evangelos, who was the Superior of the Monastery from 1864-1872. late XIX century researcher I. Vinogradov dates the Icon's presence in the Monastery to that period. he was correct in thinking that the Icon was painted during that time, then it was lost for almost thirty years. Icon was found in the Monastery storeroom in 1894. June 23 of that year, a sick merchant from St. Petersburg arrived alone at the Monastery. Speaking to the Igoumen, he told him in detail about his illness, and of the vision he had in a dream. The Mother of God told the merchant to go to Úglich, where her Icon was located, and to pray before it, promising that he would be healed. Igoumen ordered that a search be made for the Icon. This was done, and the Icon was moved into the Monastery's Dormition church in great triumph. When the sick merchant prayed before the Icon, he soon recovered. In gratitude for the healing he had received, he covered the Icon with a silver gilded riza. that time, the wonderworking Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Theotokos has granted healing and consolation to those who resort to the Queen of Heaven with faith in her intercession before God. this Icon the Mother of God is depicted as a nun with a staff and a prayer rope in her left hand, and a candle in her right hand. This image is located in the Alekseev Women's Monastery in Úglich, Yaroslavl Province, and it is also known as the "Inextinguishable Candle." Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Mother of God bears a striking resemblance to the Igoumeness of Mount Athos Icon, which is commemorated on the second Sunday after Pentecost, along with All Saints of Mount Athos.

Russia, Rostov, 9999, Unknown C Folder, Enlightener oMinds Icon, MOG intercedes, especially mind enlightenment

Rostov, 9999, Icon Enlightener oMinds, MOG intercede power, especially mind enlightenment, so parents pray MOG I for strong M
Rostov, 9999, Icon Enlightener of Minds, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl province, wrapped in phelonion (like poncho), side angels wCandles, foot&head cherubim wOutstretched wings, MOG power to intercede for temporal and spiritual blessings, especially enlightenment of mind &Heart through Divine Truth, so parents pray MOG intercede for wisdom &knowledge, praying minds be strengthened to retain, also to overcome delusion ; Rybinsk, Yaroslavl province; Enlightener of Minds Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 15; unusual icon comes from the Russian town of Rybinsk, in Yaroslavl province. Mother of God and the Divine Child are wrapped in what appears to be a priest’s phelonion, Angels are depicted on either side, holding lighted candles. the Virgin’s feet and on her head Cherubim are depicted with outstretched model for this Icon is a statue in the town of Loreto in Italy, which is wrapped in a similar covering. “Enlightener of minds” Icon reflects the deep faith of Orthodox Christians in the power of the All Holy Virgin to intercede before God and His Son to bestow both temporal and spiritual blessings. among these is enlightenment of the mind and heart through Divine Truth. this reason, parents whose children are slow learners, either in matters of the Faith or in secular knowledge, often turn to the Most Holy Theotokos and her Divine Child, Who is the fount of the loftiest wisdom and knowledge, for their children’s minds be strengthened and that they may retain what they are taught. also entreat the Mother of God to help them overcome delusion and mental illness. Enlightener of Minds icon is commemorated on August 15.

Russia, Rostov, Lake Nero Folder, Rostov

Lake Nera (Nero)
Lake Nera; Blessed John œthe HairyÂ and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30;

Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great
Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated July 3 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Leonid of Ustnedumsk, Commemorated on July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress" Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on August 22; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21 ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated September 25 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Unexpected joy"Â, Commemorated on December 9 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unexpected Joy", Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16 ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Unexpected Joy"Â from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Saint Isaiah the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Saint Theodore, first Bishop of Rostov and Suzdal, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Sarsk, Rostov (Sarskoye Gorodishche)
Sarsk, Rostov (Sarskoye Gorodishche); Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Theophany-Abramiev, Abraham's monastery of the Theophany, Rostov, 1030 or so
monastery of the Theophany; Venerable Abramius, Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Church of St. Gregory the Theologian, Rostov Kremlin, Rostov, Russia
Church of St. Gregory the Theologian, Rostov Kremlin, Rostov, Russia; Saint Stephen, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Conception-Saint James, Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery of Dimitri, 1389
Conception-Saint James monastery, Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery of St. Dimitri, 1389 ; Saint James the Wonderworker, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27;

Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1)
Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11;

Novtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1)
Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary. ; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11;

Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg, Rostov, 1363 or so
Boris and Gleb monastery; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the Pereyaslavl monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh]. Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that they commanded him. holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at Saint Cornelius as foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer. the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from within. Three months Saint Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. Saint Cornelius was the sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the garden. As if to bless the saint’s labors, excellent apples grew in the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors. body of Saint Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the brethren. For thirty years Saint Cornelius lived in complete silence, being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on July 22, 1693, Saint Cornelius made his confession to the monastery priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the schema. was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of Saint Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11;

Borisoglebsk monastery (Ust River 1) 1363 or so
Borisoglebsk monastery; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Novy Torg, Commemorated on June 11;

Russia, Rostov, Yaroslavl Folder, Kotorosi Mouth at Volga River

Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8)
Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Unexpected joy"Â, Commemorated on December 9 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda. Commemorated on December 18 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Makov Nobility (Yaroslavl, Rostov)
Makov Nobility (Yaroslavl, Rostov): Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7;

Fyodorovskaya Church, Fyodorovskaya Icon, Theodore's Icon, 1682
Fyodorovskaya Church; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Ascension Church, Yaroslavl, 1584-1682
Ascension Church, Yaroslav l; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Cherepovets Ascension monastery, Yaroslav, Rostov, 1584-1682
Cherepovets Ascension monastery is probably at the Ascension Church; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda. Commemorated on December 18 ;

Votkha River ?

Adrian's Poshekhonye Monalstery?, River Votkha?
Adrian's Poshekhonye Monalstery?, River Votkha?, This is the only other river in the area. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl,Commemorated on March 5;

Rybinsk, Yaroslavl province (Volga River 7, three rivers (Mologa, Sheksna, Sogozha))
Rybinsk, Yaroslavl province; Enlightener of Minds Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 15;

Russia, Rostov, Gridenka River Folder, Downriver Right Side

River Gridenka

Nerekhta, Yaroslav, Rostov, Kostroma (River Gridenka, near Volga River 8.4)
Nerekhta; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15;

Russia, Rostov, Tolga River Folder, Upriver Left Side

Tolga River

Tolga River Source

Tolga River 1

Tolga River Mouth (Volga River 8)
Tolga: The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga.

Romanov, Rostov (now Tutaev, Tolga River, Volga River 8)
Romanov (now Tutaev), Rostov (Volga River 8) ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda. Commemorated on December 18 ; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26;

Tolga monastery, Nativity monastery on the Volga, 1314
Tolga monastery, Nativity monastery on the Volga, 1314; The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Nativity monastery on the Volga, Tolga monastery, 1314
Tolga monastery, Nativity monastery on the Volga, 1314; The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Tolga, Rostov (Tolga River Mouth, Volga River 8) bright light, fiery column, bridge, suspended icon, in tree with staff
Tolga: The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8;

Russia, Rostov, Uchma River Folder, Way Upriver Left Side

Uchma River

Uchma River Source

Uchma River Mouth (Uglich, Volga River 7)

Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7)
Uglich; Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich ; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated August 22 ; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; They were singing an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. Suddenly, throughout all the monastery there shone an extraordinary light, and the monks heard a voice calling them to come out of the cell. The ascetics came out in fear and in confusion, and an angel showed them the Mother of God, sitting on an airy throne and holding the Divine Infant in Her arms. The ascetics fell frightened to the ground, but the angel raised them up and related to Saint Paisius the command of the Mother of God to build on this place a church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The vision ended, and the monks spent the whole night in vigil and praise. Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Úglich Portaίtissa (Gatekeeper) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 23;

Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich , Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7)
Uglich; Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich ; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated August 22 ; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; They were singing an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. Suddenly, throughout all the monastery there shone an extraordinary light, and the monks heard a voice calling them to come out of the cell. The ascetics came out in fear and in confusion, and an angel showed them the Mother of God, sitting on an airy throne and holding the Divine Infant in Her arms. The ascetics fell frightened to the ground, but the angel raised them up and related to Saint Paisius the command of the Mother of God to build on this place a church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The vision ended, and the monks spent the whole night in vigil and praise. Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Úglich Portaίtissa (Gatekeeper) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 23;

Dormition of the Mother of God Monestary (Uglich) 1464
Dormition of the Mother of God Monestary; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ;

Protection monastery, Ugich, Rostov, 1464
Protection monastery, Ugich, Rostov; Uglich; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; St. Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Alexeyevsky Monestary, Ugich, Rostov, 1464
Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich; Uglich; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Russia, Radonezh Folder, and vicinity

Makovets, 12 Versts or Kilometers from Radonezh

Russia, Radonezh History Folder

Russia, Radonezh, 1200, 13th C Folder, Dmitrov joined to Moscow

Russia, Radonezh, 1293, Dmitrov joined to Moscow by Daniel
Dmitrov; Russia, Radonezh, Dmitrov, 1293, Dmitrov joined to Moscow by Daniel this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Radonezh, 1300, 14th C Folder, Sergius, Rublev, Sava

Russia, Rasonezh, 1314-1337, Schemamonk Cyril&Schemanun Maria, Sergius' parents, f (Lake Nero), Rostov tGreat, nobility but devout

Russia, Radonezh, 1334-1392, St Sergius of Radonezh, spiritual leadr, monastic reformr, mst venerated
Radonezh Saint, 1334-1392, St Sergius of Radonezh; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Russia, Radonezh, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava
Russia, Tver, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava ; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Radonezh, 1375-1426, Nikon t Abbot of Radonezh, not accepted, persistance, obedience zealot, not grieve, builder, icongr
Russia, Radonezh, 1375-1426, Nikon t Abbot of Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3), Disciple & successor of Sergius, at first not accepted, persistance, zealot of obedience, w sergius in cell, time each day for silence, Edigei invasion, appearance hierarch saints, do not grieve destruction, will flourish all the more, builder, S incorrupt relics, finest iconogrophers, time of death and resting place ; Radonezh; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; Nikon, Abbot of Radonezh, a disciple and successor of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), was born at Yuriev-Polsk. heard of the angelic life of the Radonezh Wonderworker, the young man came to Saint Sergius and requested to be tonsured into the angelic schema. Sergius did not accept Nikon, whether because of his youth or for some other reason. he sent him to his disciple Saint Athanasius (September 12) at Serpukhov. Saint Athanasius would not accept him right away. Only after seeing the young man’s persistence did he tonsure him into the monastic schema. Nikon struggled in prayer, studied Holy Scripture and persevered in virtue and purity. of his humility and the way he fulfilled each task assigned him without argument, Saint Nikon was called a “zealot of obedience.” he reached the age of thirty, he was ordained to the priesthood. a certain while, Saint Athanasius blessed him to go see Saint Sergius. Saint Sergius, catching sight of him, said, “It is good that you have come, my child Nikon,” and happily received him. first, he gave orders for Saint Nikon to serve the brethren. The disciple passed whole days in monastic matters, and his nights in prayerful conversation with God. Saint Sergius was comforted by his virtuous life. received a special insight concerning him, Saint Sergius bade his disciple to dwell with him in his own cell, so that he might share in spiritual attainment. instructed him in every monastic virtue, and explained much about the essence of spiritual life. Saint Sergius assigned Saint Nikon to the duty of assisting him, six months before his repose, he appointed his disciple as his successor. Then Saint Sergius withdrew into seclusion. the death of Saint Sergius (September 25, 1392), Nikon carried out his duties exactly as he was instructed by the founder of the monastery. had the habit of attending all the monastic services, and never did he forsake common tasks, working on a equal footing with all the brethren. the burden of being the igumen of the monastery weighed upon Saint Nikon. Recalling his quiet life in the Serpukhov Vysotsk monastery with Saint Athanasius, and later with Saint Sergius, he gave up his position and retired to his own cell. six years the monastery was guided by Saint Savva of Storozhevsk (December 3). the year 1400 Saint Savva founded his own monastery near Zvenigorod, and the brethren entreated Saint Nikon to again take over its direction. consented, but allotted himself a certain time each day for silence, so as to stand alone before God. reports began to spread about an invasion of the Russian land by Khan Edigei (1408), Saint Nikon zealously prayed to God to spare the monastery. a dream the Moscow hierarchs Peter (December 21) and Alexis (February 12) together with Saint Sergius appeared to him and said that he should not grieve over the destruction of the monastery, since it would not become desolate, but would flourish all the more. monks left the monastery, taking with them relics, books, and consecrated vessels. When they returned, they saw that their beloved place had been reduced to ashes. But Saint Nikon did not despair, and the brethren began to restore the monastery. of all a wooden church was built in honor of the Most Holy Trinity. It was consecrated on September 25, 1411, the anniversary of the repose of Saint Sergius. monastery was restored, and Saint Nikon began construction of a stone church over the grave of his spiritual Father, Saint Sergius. work crew digging the foundations uncovered the incorrupt relics of Saint Sergius on July 5, 1422. universal rejoicing they placed the relics in a new reliquary and at the new site a wooden church was built (now the church in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit is at this place). Nikon later built a new stone church in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. In honor and memory of his spiritual Father, he transferred the holy relics into this newly built church. Nikon brought in the finest iconographers, Saints Andrew Rublev (July 4) and Daniel Cherny (June 13) for the adornment of the temple. Then Saint Andrew painted the Icon of the Most Holy Trinity (Hospitality of Abraham), embodying what was revealed to Saint Sergius. Saint Nikon was occupied with the construction of the Trinity church until the end of his life. Nikon’s final resting place was revealed to him in a vision before his death. He summoned the brethren and gave them instructions. After receiving the All-Pure Body of Christ and His Precious Blood, Saint Nikon gave the brethren a last blessing and said, “Go forth, my soul, with joy to the place where repose is prepared for you. Christ is calling you.” made the Sign of the Cross, Saint Nikon died on November 27, 1426. He was buried near the reliquary of Saint Sergius. the hierarch Jonah (1448-1461), the hieromonk Pachomius the Logothete wrote the Service and Life of Saint Nikon. In the year 1547 a generally observed celebration to him was established. In the year 1548 a church named for him was built over the grave of Saint Nikon. In 1623 a new one was constructed in its place, in which the relics of Saint Nikon rest in a crypt. The 500 year anniversary of the repose of Saint Nikon was solemnly observed in 1976 at the Trinity-Sergeev Lavra. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Moscow, 1380-1430, Saint, Andrei Rublev, artist, iconographer
Russia, Radonezh, 1380-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, greatest i, highest asceticism, lived iTrinity-Sergius m Radonezh, first work 1405 icons frescoes Moscow Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral, 1408 painted Assumption Cathredal Vladimir, 1425-27 painted Trinity-Sergiev Cathedral, most famous icon Hospitaity oAbraham; Radonezh Saint, 1380-1430, Andrei Rublev; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4;

Russia, Radonezh, 1380-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, greatest i, highest asceticism
Russia, Radonezh, 1380-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, greatest i, highest asceticism, lived iTrinity-Sergius m Radonezh, first work 1405 icons frescoes Moscow Kremlin Annunciation Cathedral, 1408 painted Assumption Cathredal Vladimir, 1425-27 painted Trinity-Sergiev Cathedral, most famous icon Hospitaity oAbraham; Russia, Radonezh, 1385-1430, ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh), the greatest iconographer, highest asceticism; Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Rublev, born in the 1360s, died btween 1427 and 1430, is considered to be the greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes. is little information about his life. It is not known where he was born. Andrei Rublev probably lived in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra monastery near Moscow. first mention of Rublev is in 1405 when he decorated icons and frescos for the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Moscow Kremlin in company with Theophanes the Greek and Prokhor of Gorodets. His name was the last of the list of masters as the junior both by rank and by age. Theophanes was an important Byzantine master who moved to Russia, and is considered to have trained Rublev. tell us that in 1408 he painted (together with Daniil Cherni) the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and in 1425–1427 the Cathedral of St. Trinity in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. After Daniil's death Andrei came to Moscow's Andronikov Monastery where he painted his last work, the frescoes of the Savior Cathedral. is also believed to have painted at least one of the miniatures in the Khitrovo Gospels. Rublev's famous icon of the Trinity. only work authenticated as entirely his is the icon of the Trinity, ca. 1410, currently in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. It is based upon an earlier icon known as the "Hospitality of Abraham" (illustrating Genesis 18). Rublev removed the figures of Abraham and Sarah from the scene, and through a subtle use of composition and symbolism changed the subject to focus on the Mystery of the Trinity. Rublev's art, two traditions are combined: the highest asceticism and the classic harmony of Byzantine mannerism. The characters of his paintings are always peaceful and calm. After some time his art came to be perceived as the ideal of Church painting and of Orthodox iconography. died at Andronikov Monastery on between 1427 and 1430 (the traditional date is January 29, 1430). He was canonized a saint in 1988 by the Russian Orthodox Church. The church celebrates his feast day on January 29 and July 4. 1959 the Andrei Rublev Museum has been open at the Andronnikov Monastery, displaying the art of his works and his epoch. 1966, Andrei Tarkovsky made his celebrated film, Andrei Rublev loosely based on the artist's life, which shows him as "a world-historic figure" and "Christianity as an axiom of Russia's historical identity" during a turbulent period in the history of Russia. from Wikipedia Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Andrew Rublev, Russia’s greatest iconographer, was born near Moscow sometime between 1360 and 1370. While still very young, he went to the Holy Trinity Monastery, and was profoundly impressed by Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25). the death of Saint Sergius in 1392, Saint Nikon (November 17) succeeded him as igumen. Saint Andrew became a novice in the monastery under Saint Nikon. Sometime before 1405 he moved to the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery founded by Saint Andronicus (June 13), with the blessing of Saint Nikon.There Saint Andrew received monastic tonsure and was taught iconography by Theophanes the Greek and the monk Daniel, Saint Andrew’s friend and fellow-ascetic. Andrew is first mentioned in the Chronicles in 1405, when he, Theophanes, and Prochorus painted the cathedral of the Annunciation. His next important project, which he undertook with the monk Daniel, was to paint the frescoes in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir in 1408. Nikon of Radonezh asked Saint Andrew and Daniel to paint the new church in the reconstructed monastery of the Holy Trinity, which had been destroyed by the Tatars in 1408. At this time Saint Andrew painted his most famous icon: the Holy Trinity (actually, the Hospitality of Abraham). Andrew fell asleep in the Lord between 1427-1430, and was buried in the Andronikov Monastery. He was over seventy years old at the time of his death. The monk Daniel, who died before Saint Andrew, appeared to his friend and urged him to join him in eternal blessedness.

Russia, Radonezh, 1385, Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, habitation shall prosper, even after depart
Russia, Radonezh, 1385, Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3), late at night, be alert for visitation, all pure one approaches, MOG Peter & John, fear not chosen one, your prayer heard, habitation shall prosper, even after departure to God, supplying and protecting your monastery, invisible, trinity monastery; Radonezh; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to Saint Sergius of Radonezh: late at night, Saint Sergius (1314-1392) was reading an Akathist to the Mother of God. finished his habitual rule, he sat down to rest a bit, but suddenly he said to his disciple, Saint Micah (May 6): “Be alert, my child, for we shall have a wondrous visitation.” Scarcely had he uttered these words than a voice was heard: “The All-Pure One approaches!” Sergius rushed from the cell to the entrance, and suddenly it was illumined by a bright light, brighter than the sun. beheld nearby in imperishable glory the Mother of God, accompanied by the Apostles Peter and John. to bear such a vision, Saint Sergius reverently prostrated himself before the Mother of God. She said to him, “Fear not, My chosen one! I have come to visit you. prayer for your disciples and your monastery has been heard. not be troubled, for your habitation shall prosper, not only in your lifetime, but also after your departure to God. will be with your monastery, supplying its needs abundantly, and protecting it.” said this, the Mother of God became invisible. a long time Saint Sergius was in an inexpressible rapture, and having come to himself, he raised up Saint Micah. “Tell me, Father,” he asked, “what is the meaning of this miraculous vision? My soul nearly left my body from terror!” Saint Sergius was silent, and only his luminous face spoke of the spiritual joy which he had experienced. “Wait a bit,” he said finally to his disciple, “my soul also trembles because of this wondrous vision.” a while Saint Sergius summoned two of his disciples, Saints Isaac and Simon, and shared with them the vision and the promise of the Theotokos. all sang a Molieben to the Mother of God. Sergius spent the remaining part of the night without sleep, calling to mind the divine vision. appearance of the Mother of God at the cell of Saint Sergius, at the present place of the Serapionov chamber, was on one of the Fridays of the Nativity Fast in the year 1385. commemoration of the visit of the Mother of God to the Trinity monastery and of Her promise was reverently kept by the disciples of Saint Sergius. July 5, 1422 the holy relics of Saint Sergius were uncovered, and soon after an icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God was placed on the grave of Saint Sergius. The icon was honored with great reverence. the year 1446 Great Prince Basil (1425-1462) was besieged at the Trinity monastery by the armies of Princes Demetrius Shemyaka and John of Mozhaisk. He barricaded himself into the Trinity cathedral, and when he heard that he was being sought, he took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God and with it met Prince John at the southern church doors, saying: “Brother, we kissed the Life-Creating Cross and this icon in this church of the Life-Creating Trinity at this grave of the Wonderworker Sergius, that we would neither intend nor wish any evil to any of our brethren among ourselves. Now I do not know what will happen to me here.” Trinity monk Ambrose reproduced the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God to Saint Sergius, carved in wood (mid-fourteenth century). Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). The most famous icon, painted in the year 1588, was by the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra, Eustathius Golovkin on a board from the wooden reliquary of Saint Sergius, which was taken apart in the year 1585 when the relics of Saint Sergius were placed in a silver reliquary (August 14). this icon, the Mother of God repeatedly protected the Russian army. Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich (1645-1676) took it on the Polish campaign in 1657. In the year 1703, the icon took part in all the military campaigns against the Swedish king Charles XII, and in 1812 Metropolitan Platon sent it to the Moscow military levy. The icon was carried in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, and during World War I it was at the quarters of the supreme commander-in-chief in 1914. church was built over the grave of Saint Micah and at its consecration on December 10, 1734 was named in honor of the Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos and the holy Apostles to Saint Sergius of Radonezh. September 27, 1841 the church was restored and consecrated by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who said: “By the grace of the All-Holy and All-Sacred Spirit the restoration of this temple is now accomplished, fashioned before us in honor and memory of the Appearance of our Lady the Most Holy Theotokos to our holy God-bearing Father Sergius, to which Saint Micah was also an eyewitness.” commemoration of this grace-bearing event is rightly marked by the consecration of a church, however, this whole monastery is a memorial of that miraculous visit. Therefore, its purpose in the continuing centuries was the fulfillment of the promise of the heavenly Visitor: “This place shall endure.” memory of the visit of the Mother of God at the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos is sung on Fridays, and a special service in honor of the appearance of the Mother of God is celebrated at the monastery on August 24, on the second day of the leave-taking of the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Russia, Radonezh, 1400, 15th C Folder, icon healing, Moscow Civil War Seige o1446

Russia, Radonezh, 1442-1492, Cosmas oYakhrom, servant tBoyer healed by Icon iTree fMOG, seek Joy otRighteous, build monastery
Russia, Radonezh, 1442-1492, Cosmas oYakhrom, Radonezh (Yakhroma River Mouth, Volga Canal 3), sick Boyer's servant, whom he comforted by reading books, traveling town tTown, stopped Yakhrom river, exhausted, sound sleep, Cosmos awakened suddenly by vision oExtraordinary Light, Icon ot Dormition in a tree, mysterious voice said: Pay attention C, &Understand the words oLife, Lead God-pleasing life, seek tJoy of tRighteous, so you may receive eternal blessings, The voice also commanded him to become a monk and build a monestary. He reverently brought Icon to sick Master, as soon as placed on him it healed him, Cosmos went to Kiev Caves as soon as his servitude term expired, after giving Icon, he was tonsured, astonished many experienced monks by his asceticism, contested there many years, then he had another vision, an Angel told him leave and take Icon, he left to place found Icon, there built temple dedicated to Dormition, he remained there, self imposed monastic struggles, disciples gathered, Monaster established, Cosmos chosen Igumen, Great Prince heard of his great struggles, reposed 1492, advanced age, buried in monastery he founded; Yakhroma (Yakhroma River); Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Cosmas of Yakhrom was the servant of a certain Boyar, whom he comforted during his long illness by reading to him from books. so, travelling from town to town, they happened to stop at the Yakhrom River. by their long journey, they fell into a sound sleep. Cosmas was awakened by a vision of extraordinary light. a tree, Cosmas saw an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, he heard a mysterious voice say: "Pay attention, Cosmas, and understand the words of life. a God-pleasing life and seek the joy of the righteous, so that you may receive eternal blessings.” voice also commanded him to become a monk and to build a monastery. he took the Icon of the Mother of God and brought it to his sick master. soon as it was placed on the old man, he was healed of his infirmity. his term of servitude expired, Cosmas went to the Kiev Caves Lavra. giving the Icon to the brethren, he was tonsured in that Monastery. he was tonsured, he astonished even experienced monks by his asceticism. Saint contested there for many years, then he had a vision of an Angel telling him to leave the Lavra and to take with him the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. asked the monks for the Icon, and left Kiev, at the place where the wonderworking Icon had appeared to him. with the help of some pious donors, he built a temple dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God. remained at the church, engaging in various monastic struggles which he had imposed on himself. began to gather around the Saint, a Monastery was established, and Saint Cosmas was chosen as its Igoumen. this time, word of his ascetic struggles even reached the ears of the Great Prince. Cosmas reposed at an advanced age on February 18, 1492, was buried in the Monastery which he founded. is also commemorated on October 14, the Feast of the Yakhrom Icon of the Mother of God.1 1 Many sources indicate that it was an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos which appeared to Saint Cosmas, but only a reputed copy of the Icon has been preserved, which depicts the Mother of God according to the "Tenderness" category of Russian icons.

Russia, Radonezh, 1446, Muscovite Civil War Seige of 1446
Muscovite Civil War Seige of 1446 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24 ;

Russia, Radonezh, 1500, 16th C Folder, Maximus tPsalms tSlavonic, suffered gracefully, incorrupt r, TOT hospice, 3 Icon appears

Russia, Radonezh, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, Translated Psalms into Slavonic, suffered unjust persecution patiently, grave grace
Greece, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, fArta, Epirus, Greece (Arta Bridge, Arachthos River 3), rich dignatary's son, studied languages sciences iEurope, Paris Florence Venice, tAthos Vatopedi m, there studied ancient manuscripts left there by Emperors Monks Andronicus Paleologos&John Kantakuzenos, Moscow GP Basil III translator tSlavic, Anotated Psalms first, some imperfections but Met liked his work, New Met things changed, Met Daniel wanted Max to translate history containing Arius' letters, Max refused, rift between them, Max continued Russia spiritual enlightenment, letters against moslems, Roman Catholics, and Pagans, translated Chrysostom's Matthew&John commentaries, +Own works, GP wanted divorce but Max sent him advice not to yield bestial passions, Prince never forgave Max, locked in prison, much suffering, translation mistakes regarded deliberate, difficult but Max granted the great mercy of God, Angel appeared, endure father, temporary pain for eternal torments deliverance, wrote present cannon on prison wall, as manna from heaven, fill my soul with Holy Spirit, that through HS I may serve thee always, after 6yrs sent tTver, wrote patience suffering unjustly, after 20 yrs aTver excommunication removed, tTrinity Sergiev for rest of life, reposed 1556, buried there, many grace manifistations, on Radonezh Saints Icon Arta, Greece (Arachthos River 3) Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Maximus the Greek was the son of a rich Greek dignitary in the city of Arta (Epiros), he received a splendid education. his youth he travelled widely and he studied languages and sciences (i.e. intellectual disciplines) in Europe, spending time in Paris, Florence, and Venice. returning to his native land, he went to Athos and became a monk at the Vatopedi monastery. And with enthusiasm he studied ancient manuscripts left on Athos by the Byzantine Emperors Andronicus Paleologos and John Kantakuzenos (who became monks). this period the Moscow Great Prince Basil III (1505-1533) wanted to make an inventory of the Greek manuscripts and books of his mother, Sophia Paleologina, he asked the Protos of the Holy Mountain, Igumen Simeon, to send him a translator. Maximus was chosen to go to Moscow, he had been brought up on secular and ecclesiastical books from his youth. his arrival, he was asked to translate patristic and liturgical books into Slavonic, with the Annotated Psalter. Maximus tried to fulfill his task, but since Slavonic was not his native language, there were certain imprecisions in the translations. Barlaam of Moscow highly valued the work of Saint Maximus, when the See of Moscow was occupied by Metropolitan Daniel, the situation changed. new Metropolitan ordered Saint Maximus to translate the Church History of Theodoritus of Cyrrhus into Slavonic. Maximus absolutely refused this commission, out that “in this history are included letters of the heretic Arius, and this might present danger for the semi-literate.” refusal caused a rift between Maximus and the Metropolitan. their differences, Saint Maximus continued to labor for the spiritual enlightenment of Rus. wrote letters against Moslems, Roman Catholics, and pagans. translated Saint John Chrysostom’s Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, he also wrote several works of his own. the Great Prince wished to divorce his wife Solomonia because of her infertility, dauntless confessor Maximus sent the Prince his “Instructive Chapters on Initiating Right Belief,” which he persuasively demonstrated that the Prince was obliged not to yield to bestial passions. Prince never forgave Maximus for his audacity, and locked Saint Maximus in prison. that moment a new period began in the life of the monk, filled with much suffering. in his translations were regarded as deliberate and intentional corruptions of the text by Saint Maximus. was difficult for him in prison, in his sufferings the saint also gained the great mercy of God. angel appeared to him and said, “Endure, Abba! Through this temporary pain you will be delivered from eternal torments.” prison the Elder wrote a Canon to the Holy Spirit in charcoal upon a wall, even at present is read in the Church: “Just as Israel was nourished with manna in the wilderness of old, so Master, fill my soul with the All-Holy Spirit, that through Him I may serve Thee always....” six years, Saint Maximus was set free from prison and sent to Tver. he lived under the supervision of the good-natured Bishop Acacius, who dealt kindly with guiltless sufferer. saint then wrote in his autobiography: “While I was locked in prison and grieving, I consoled and strengthened myself with patience. ” Here are some more words from this vivid text: “Neither grieve, nor be sad, beloved soul, that you have suffered unjustly, for it behooves you to accept all for your benefit.” after twenty years at Tver did they decide to let Maximus live freely, and remove the church excommunication. Maximus, now about seventy years of age, spent the final years of his life at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. and work took their toil on his health, his spirit remained vigorous, he continued with his work. with his cell-attendant and disciple Nilus, the saint translated the Psalter from Greek into Slavonic. Maximus reposed on January 21, 1556. was buried at the northwest wall of the Holy Spirit church of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. manifestations of grace took place at the grave of Saint Maximus, a Troparion and Kontakion were composed in his honor. Maximus is depicted on the icon of the Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh (July 6).

Russia, Radonezh, 1590-1633, Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, Time of Troubles, hospice, translations, imprisoned
Radonezh, 1590-1633, Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, Time of Troubles; Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow. 1611, Saint Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow. monastic training helped Saint Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it. “Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,â€ said Saint Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.â€ can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled Saint Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him. such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 Saint Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions. their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused Saint Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618. from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of Saint Dionysius when he was correcting the service books. Saint Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

Russia, Radonezh, 1594, Icon of Lukianov, appeared 3times 1594, looted during Polish invasion 1612, 1640 2Wonderworking Icons
Russia, Radonezh, 1594, Icon of Lukianov Monastery (Yakhroma River 1), 1594 it appeared 3times, church moved there, looted during Polish invasion 1612, 1640 2Wonderworking Icons discovered neglected, New church built; Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast; Icon of the Mother of God of Lukianov, Commemorated on September 8; Lukianov Icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos is from a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Ignatiev. 1594, it appeared three times in the wilderness area of Pokovitino-Ramen’e, not far from the village. priest Gregory, after he consulted with his parishioners, petitioned the blessing of Patriarch Job to transfer the church to the place of the appearance of the icon. The priest was also resettled with the transferred church. a Polish-Lithuanian invasion the church was looted. the year 1640, the Monk Lukian arrived in Ramen’e from an Uglich monastery and found in the neglected church two icons which remained unharmed: the temple icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and an Altar icon: the Smolensk Mother of God. new church was built at the Lukianov monastery in honor of the appearance of the two wonderworking icons.

Russia, Radonezh, 1600, 17th C Folder, Deulino treaty 1618, Smolensk icon sent to Yaroslavl new MOG Monastery

Russia, Radonezh, 1618, Truce of Deulino (1618)
Truce of Deulino; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Radonezh, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, Go, go to Yaroslavl, to new MOG monastery
Russia, Radonezh, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, Go, go to Yaroslavl, to new MOG monastery; go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name. Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. From this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was the cell icon of the archimandrite of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Anthony. October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodēgḗtria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area.

Russia, Radonezh, 1700, 18th C Folder, cantor received healing fSmolensk Icon appearance

Russia, Radonezh, 1730, Smolensk Icon, From this icon in 1730 there a cantor received healing
Russia, Radonezh, 1730, Smolensk Icon, From this icon in 1730 there a cantor received healing; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. From this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Russia, Radonezh, 1642, Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon, Go, go to Yaroslavl, to new MOG monastery; go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name. Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. From this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Yaroslav-Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God was the cell icon of the archimandrite of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Anthony. October 12, 1642 while he was praying, he heard a voice from the Smolensk Hodēgḗtria (Directress) icon saying, “Go, go to the limits of the city of Yaroslavl, to a newly-made monastery in My name.” Archimandrite Anthony sent this icon with the Venerable Gersaim to the indicated monastery, being built in the forest, not far from Yaroslavl. The wonderworking icon was set in the monastery church in the altar area.

Russia, Radonezh, 1730, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius Icon, Appearance of Mother of God to heal cantor
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius ™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Russia, Radonezh, 1800, 19th C Folder, Icon Healings, Complete cripple Thekla of Tula healing, first of many

Russia, Radonezh, 1869, Sept 1, first of many Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon Healings, Complete cripple Thekla Adrianova of Tula
Gethsemane skete; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount Boldina, and where in the eleventh century Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves struggled in asceticism. Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: “The end of the booklet, but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count them?” The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its copies. Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity Sergiev Lavra.) the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May 1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church named for Saint Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was consecrated on October 27, 1851 by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the Gethsemane skete. this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of Saint Anthony of the Caves, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Saints Cyril and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God. is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova, was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years. at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the celebration of the Repose of Saint Sergius (September 25), Thekla recovered completely. Saint Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October 6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast of Saint Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 Saint Innocent arrived at the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears. September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing, people from every class of society came with firm faith to the wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them. the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+ April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon. initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of Saint Sergius, in the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral, painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness monastery.

Russia, Radonezh, 1900, 20th C Folder, finding Maximus' incorrupt fragrant relics

Russia, Radonezh, 1996, Finding Maximus Relics at Trinity, found incorrupt &fragrant on preserved wood per old plans
Russia, Radonezh, 1996, Finding Maximus tGreek's Relics at Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh), in 1988 Milenial Celebration of 988 Baptism otRus council celebrated M but could not find his relics, he was holy man, wonderworker, ascetic, but falsely accused by his enemies, prison many years, but remained firm confession w humility, leaned man, author defending apostles traditions, glorified by this council in 1988, after repose 1556 miracles at his tomb, later icons of him, local saint veneration, but council not find relics, buried by northwestern wall Holy Spirit church, but no indication of tomb there, archaeological excevation 1996, after Moleben, foundations for 1745 church unearthed, work concetrated there, sweet fragrance southern part several days, head discovered, burial on 15 cm high wooden slab completely preserved, body where 1745 plan indicated, Archeologists agreed remains w M, special shrine prepared there; Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Finding of the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek (July 4, 1996), Commemorated on July 4 ; 1988, during the Millennial Celebration of the Baptism of Russia, the Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church met at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and glorified several saints. these was Venerable Maximus the Greek (January 21), whom the Council described as "a holy man, a wonderworker, a venerable ascetic, and a master of the monastic life." because of the baseless slander of his enemies, he was thrown into prison for many years. Even so, he remained firm in his confession of the Orthodox Faith, and in his humility. was a learned man, and the author of many edifying works, defending Orthodox dogmas, and the traditions of the Holy Fathers. glorification by the Council marked the end of centuries of unsuccessful attempts to exonerate him, and to prove that the accusations made against him during his lifetime were false. the Saint's final years, he lived at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, where he was treated with respect and honor. his repose in 1556, several miracles occurred at his tomb, for those who sought his intercession. Troparion and Kontakion were composed, as well as a Church Service. Later, iconographic representations of Saint Maximus began to appear. the end of the sixteenth century, Saint Maximus the Greek was being venerated as a local saint. remained just one important question for the Jubilee Council of 1988: the whereabouts of the holy relics of Saint Maximus. Acts of the Council state: "His honorable relics are buried by the northwestern wall of the Church of the Holy Spirit at Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra." from the moment the Council decided upon his canonization, until the start of the excavation of his grave site eight years later, there were no indications of any tomb on the surface of the ground. by the end of the sixteenth century the first chapel had been built over the grave, which was frequently rebuilt and enlarged. It survived, in its altered form, until the 1930s. there was no discernible burial site for Saint Maximus the Greek, or for several other newly-glorified saints, the Jubilee Council of 1988 restricted itself to the adoption of the following formula: "Their honorable remains, wherever they may be, are to be considered holy relics." only the approximate location of Saint Maximus' grave was known, it was necessary to conduct archaeological excavations. Alexei II, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave his blessing for this. the excavations began, on June 24,1996, a Moleben (Service of Prayer) to Saint Maximus was served in the Church of the Holy Spirit at the Lavra. Service was performed by Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), the Spiritual Father of the Lavra, and the monks of the Lavra. Students of the Moscow Ecclesiastical schools, and the archaeologists also participated. the excavations began. Since part of the area had been paved with a sidewalk, the pavement had to be removed first. Then the site was prepared. To avoid any mistakes, a large area was excavated; about ten meters on the east-west axis, and six meters on the north-south axis. the excavation, the foundations of several structures were uncovered, most of them from the nineteenth century: a chapel and a representation church, built in 1867, along with a church dedicated to St. Philaretos the Merciful (December 1) on the south side of the church of the Holy Spirit. discovery was made by the northwest corner of the church of the Holy Spirit. Here the foundations of the first, or one of the first chapels erected over Maximus' grave, was uncovered. site of these foundations, in relation to the church of the Holy Spirit, its dimensions and the corresponding area they enclosed, corresponded exactly to the chapel over the grave as indicated in the plan of 1745. soon as these foundations were unearthed, work was concentrated in that area. noon on June 30, a sweet fragrance was noticed, coming from the southern part of the excavation, and it lasted for several days. some time, the head of Saint Maximus became visible. continued that night until almost 2:00 A.M. was determined that the burial was on a wooden slab, which was completely preserved (about 15 cm. high), and that the holy remains were on the spot where, according to the plan of 1745, the grave was located. for the holy remains within the foundations of the chapel, there were no other bodies. this, it became clear that the sacred remains which had been discovered belonged to Saint Maximus the Greek. July 1, a detailed report about the results of the work that had been conducted, and concerning the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek, was made to the Patriarch. was noted that the historical and archaeological evidence, as well as the distinct fragrance, bore witness to the fact that the remains were those of Saint Maximus. Partiarch gave his blessing for an anthropological examination of the preserved remains. was done on July 2, by the chief anthropologists of the Russian Academy of Science. A written affidavit states that (1) the remains were those of one person; (2) this person was male; (3) he died around the age of 80. A comparison of the head with old depictions of Saint Maximus made by the anthropologists showed similarities. expert opinion of the anthropologists confirmed the previous conclusion that the remains were those of Saint Maximus the Greek. that same day, the findings of the anthropologists were presented to Patriarch Alexei. He gave his blessing to remove the honorable relics on the following day, July 3, 1996. this, the work continued literally uninterrupted until the Patriarch arrived. There was only a short break from five to eight A.M. was decided that not the slightest part of the sacred relics would remain in the earth, and that they would be removed as a single piece; that is, along with the slab and a layer of soil. this it was necessary to dig out the soil under the slab, but the gray clay broke up very poorly, and for a long time this prevented the relics from being removed as a single item. by two in the afternoon, the relics of Saint Maximus were transferred to a temporary casket, prepared for removal, and they were covered with a monastic Schema. The casket remained on the site where the grave was found. the sound of the bells announced the arrival of the Archimandrite of Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and of Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia. usual, the Patriarch began his visit at the Lavra by venerating the holy relics of Saint Sergius in Holy Trinity church. leaving Holy Trinity church, he went to the church of the Holy Spirit to be vested. There the Archimandrite spoke with the superior and other residents of the Lavra, and learned about the progress of the excavations. 4:00 P. M. the Patriarch, with Bishop Alexis of Orekhovo-Zueva, Father Theognostos, the Superior of the Lavra, and other priests, among whom was Hieromonk Theoktistos, the Dean of the representation church of the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, proceeded to the cathedral square. Moleben to Saint Maximus the Greek was begun. After the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Patriarch and the priests approached the excavation, and the Service continued over the sacred relics of Saint Maximus. the end of the Moleben, which was read by the Patriarch, the Lavra choir under the direction of Archimandrite Matthew Mormyl, and the numerous pilgrims who attended the ceremony, began to sing the Magnification: "We magnify you, our Father Saint Maximus." the Magnification, all the diggers lifted the casket containing the relics and placed it at the edge of the excavation, where the brethren of the Lavra and the residents of the Moscow representation church of Saint Panteleimon of Mount Athos took it. the singing continued, the casket was borne into the church of the Holy Spirit, where it was placed in a spot prepared in the center of the church. year 1996 marked the 440th anniversary of the death of Saint Maximus the Greek. Maximus came to the Lavra of Saint Sergius as a humble monk. His glorification, and the discovery of his relics were a fitting recompense for the many sufferings he endured during his earthly life. discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek was a joyous event for both the Russian Orthodox Church and for all of Orthodoxy. Saint Maximus is honored by both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Church of Greece. recently, the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek were kept in the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra. April 9, 2013, with the blessing of Patriarch Kyrill, their return to the church of the Holy Spirit occurred. special shrine had been prepared for them, and so the Saint's relics were placed in the northern corner of the church. Maximus the Greek is also commemorated on January 21.

Russia, Radonezh, Moscow Volga Canal Folder, Yakhroma River

Actual Moscow Volga Canal

Moscow Volga Canal, 1932

Moscow Volga Canal 1 (Volga River 5)
Moscow Canal;

Tushino, Radonezh, near Moscow Volga Canal, False Dimitri II
Tushino; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Moscow Volga Canal 2

Moscow Volga Canal 3 (Yakhroma River)

Russia, Radonezh, Moscow Volga Canal 3, Yakhroma River Folder

Yakhroma River

Yakhroma River Source (along the border)

Yakhroma River 1 (Alexandrov)

Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast (Yakhroma River 1)
Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast; Icon of the Mother of God of Lukianov, Commemorated on September 8;

Yakhroma River 2 (Sergiyev, Radonezh)

Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3)
Radonezh; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated September 25; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril the Father of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated September 28 ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); Venerable Sergius the Abbot of Nurma and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Vologda, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Athanasius, œthe Iron StaffÂ and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on November 26 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated December 5 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh) 1337
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on September 15; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius ™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Finding of the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek (July 4, 1996), Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Church of the Holy Spirit (Radonezh) 1476
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœIlyin ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Moscow Theological Academy, 1687, Radonezh, 1814, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius
Moscow Theological Academy, Radonezh, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, 1687, moved to Radonezh in 1814; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10;

Makovets, Radonezh (deep forest at Makovets hill)
Makovets (deep forest at Makovets hill); Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Troitzka (Trinity) Abbey, Radonezh, 1337
Troitzka (Trinity) Abbey, Radonezh, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Sergiev monastery of St Sergius of Radonezh, 1337
monastery of St Sergius of Radonezh; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated December 5 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Gethsemane skete (Chernigovsky skete, Radonezh)
Gethsemane skete; Icon of the Mother of God œChernigov-Gethsemane, Commemorated on September 1; Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the famed Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God (April 16), which was to be found at the Trinity-Ilyin monastery near Chernigov on Mount Boldina, and where in the eleventh century Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves struggled in asceticism. Demetrius of Rostov described the miracles of this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. He wrote in conclusion: “The end of the booklet, but not of the miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos, for who can count them?” The grace-bearing power of this icon is manifest also in its copies. Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the mid-eighteenth century and was passed on to the Trinity Sergiev Lavra in 1852 by Alexandra Grigorievna Philippova, who piously kept it for a quarter century. (This icon was given to her by the priest John Alekseev, who received it in turn from one of the monks of the Trinity Sergiev Lavra.) the advice of the head of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony (+ May 1, 1877), the icon was placed in the newly-consecrated cave church named for Saint Michael, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts, which was consecrated on October 27, 1851 by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (November 19), who assumed an active role in the building of the Gethsemane skete. this manner, the icon took in the currents of grace of all the history of the Russian Church, it acquired the blessing of Saint Anthony of the Caves, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh and of his parents Saints Cyril and Maria (September 28), and finally, of the ascetics of the nineteenth century. These spiritual connections providentially come forth through the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon of the Mother of God. is remarkable that the first miracle of this icon was witnessed on the day of the Church New Year, September 1, 1869, when the twenty-eight-year-old peasant of Tula governance, Thekla Adrianova, was healed, after being completely crippled for nine years. at the hostel by the caves, and then at the Lavra during the celebration of the Repose of Saint Sergius (September 25), Thekla recovered completely. Saint Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow (October 6 and March 31), learned of the miracle from his daughter the nun Polyxeni, treasurer of the Borisov wilderness monastery. On the feast of Saint Sergius, he himself met with Thekla and asked her about the details of the healing. On September 26, 1869 Saint Innocent arrived at the Gethsemane skete and gave the blessing for a Molieben to be served before the glorified icon, while he himself prayed with tears. September 26 three healings had occurred already, and a whole series of miracles in November of that same year. The fame of the icon of the Mother of God spread with unusual swiftness. Exhausted by suffering and sickness, thirsting for bodily and spiritual healing, people from every class of society came with firm faith to the wonderworking icon, and the mercy of God did not forsake them. the beginning of the twentieth century, more than 100 miracles had been recorded. By its great esteem the icon benefited the ascetics of the Gethsemane skete: the schemamonk Philip (+ May 18, 1868), the founder of the cave monastery, and his three sons, the hieroschemamonks Ignatius (+ 1900), Porphyrius (+ 1905 ?) and Basil (+ April 1, 1915). They preserved accounts of the deep love, which the hieromonk Elder Isidore (+ February 3, 1908) displayed for the Chernigov-Gethsemane Icon. initial celebration of the icon was established on April 16, on the day when Ilyin-Cherigov icon was celebrated. Later, it was transferred to September 1, the day of its glorification. At the present time there are copies of the Chernigov-Gethsemane icon at Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. They are found in the temple of Saint Sergius, in the monastery trapeza, and in the portico of the Trinity cathedral, painted by Elders of the Gethsemane skete and the Zosimov wilderness monastery.

Peshnosha monastery, Radonezh, Yakhroma River Mouth, Moscow Canal
Dmitrov; Peshnosha monastery; Venerable Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 4; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14;

Peshnosha
Peshnosha is in a marshy place beyond the Yakhroma River from St Sergius Trintiy Monestary near Radonezh.

Yakhroma River 3 (Dmitrov on Moscow Canal)

Dmitrov, Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3, Moscow Volga Canal 2.5) 1154
Dmitrov; Burial of St Andrew the Prince ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Yakhroma River 4 (Yakhroma on Moscow Canal)

Yakhroma, Radonezh (Yakhroma River Mouth, Volga Canal 3)
Yakhroma (Yakhroma River); Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; St Methodius the Abbot of Peshnosha, Commemorated on June 14;

Moscow Volga Canal 4

church of the Dormition at Mogiltsy (east of Moscow Volga Canal 4, on Trans Siberian RWY)
church of the Dormition at Mogiltsy, Moscow Oblast, Russia, 141273; The "Unfading Flower" Icon depicts the Theotokos holding her Divine Son on her right arm, and in her left hand is a bouquet of white lilies. The lilies symbolize the unfading flower of virginity and purity of the Mother of God, to whom the Church sings: “You are the root of virginity and the Unfading Flower of purity.â€ In Moscow there are two churches with Icons with this name: the church of the Dormition at Mogil'tsy (December 31), and the Alexeyev Monastery. Other icons of this name are in Kungur (Perm Gubernia); in the former town of Kadome of Tambov Province, namely, in the Merciful Theotokos womens' monastery; and in the Nativity of the Theotokos church of Voronezh.

Moscow Volga Canal 5

Dmitrovsky district of Moscow (along Moscow-Volga Canal & Yakhroma River, Demitrov, Radonezh)
Dmitrovsky district of Moscow ;

Makhra, 17K south of Alexandrov
Makhra, 17K south of Alexandrov Venerable Cyril, Igoumen of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Russia, Siberia Folder and its rivers

Siberia
Siberia; Siberia Federal District; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye; Siberia; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Zosimas of Tuman, Commemorated August 8 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Rescuer of the DrowningÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30;

Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia
Ural Mountains; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Central Siberian Plateau
Central Siberian Plateau;

Vogul aka Mansi People, Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia
Vogul aka Mansi People, Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia; Ural Mountains; Mansi aka Vogul People; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Samoyedic people, Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia
Samoyedic people, Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia ; Vogul aka Mansi People, Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia; Ural Mountains; Mansi aka Vogul People; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Russia, Siberia 1370-2000's History Folder

Russia, Siberia, 1300, 14th C, Timurid Empire & Tamurlane

Russia, Siberia, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Siberia, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Siberia, 1382, Tokhtamysh Invasions of Russia
Invasions of Russia 1382 by Tokhtamysh , ally and foe of Tammerlane (Timur) ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Russia, Siberia, 1400, 15th C Folder, Gerasimus, 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians

Russia, Siberia, 1416-1441, Gerasimus 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians, respected aMoscow councils, Raids Vogulians oNovgorod
Mongol, Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oGreat Perm (Kama River Basin)& Ust-Vymsk (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3, Centered in Aykino) Regions, 3rd Bishop oNewly enlightened Zyryani people, successor to Steven, Perm enlightener, elevated a1416, aMoscow Councils far fPerm, 1438 condemning Florence union & Met Isadore oKiev, another 1441 declared Russian Mets chosen bRussian bishops council, so his contemporaries valued his opinion, great authority, interceding fFlock before GP Basil II, requesting assistance, Raids by Novgorodians, especially pagan Vogulians, went into V camps, murdered by V servant 1441, strangled by omophorion (bishop's stole), buried cathedral church first Perm Hierarchs (top of system oArrangement oPeople); Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; Gerasimos (Gerásimos), Bishop of Great Perm and Ust-Vymsk, the third Bishop of the newly-enlightened Zyryani people, a worthy successor to Saint Stephen, the Enlightener of Perm (April 26). was elevated to the See of Perm after 1416. he lived far from the capital city, Gerásimos participated in the Moscow Councils: in 1438, which condemned the Union of Florence, as well as its proponent, Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev (1437–1441); another in 1441, which decreed that the Metropolitans of All Russia would be chosen by a Council of Russian bishops. indicates that his contemporaries valued his opinion, and that he possessed great authority. a doubt, at these Councils the Hierarch interceded for his flock before the Great Prince Basil II (1425–1462), assistance and benefits for them. new flock had suffered from raids by the Novgorodians, from the pagan Vogulians. went to their camps urging them to stop pillaging the villages of the defenseless Christians of Perm. Gerásimos was murdered by a Vogulian servant during one of his journeys through Perm in 1441 to Tradition, he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the cathedral church of the First Hierarchs of Perm, later became the Annunciation church in the village of Ust-Vyma, of the city of Yarenga, the Vychegda River. Feast Day was established in 1607. January 29 there is a joint commemoration of the three Perm Hierarchs: Gerasimos, Pitirim, and Jonah.

Russia, Siberia, 1600, 17th C, Khabarov, Frontier Leader, Simeon oV Kazakhstan appearances, Rus-China Amur Region War

Russia, Siberia, 1603-1671, Hierotheus Khabarov, Frontier Leader 1603-1671
Hierotheus Khabarov 1603-1671; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh , Commemorated on March 9;

Russia, Siberia, 1627-1642, , Simeon of Verkhoturye, Kazakhstan, Siberia, nobleman, beggar, appearances miracles after death
Russia, Siberia,1627-1642, , Simeon of Verkhoturye, Kazakhstan, Siberia, nobleman, beggar, sewed clothes, failed to sew something, appearances miracles after death; Verkhoturye (Tura River) ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; Simeon of Verkhoturye was a nobleman, but he concealed his origin and led the life of a beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats and other clothes, primarily for the poor. While doing this he deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for which he endured abuse from his customers. ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the outskirts of Perm). Saint Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. In his free time, the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, guiding the local people in the true Faith. His conversations were a seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially revered. Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel Michael. September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of Saint Simeon were transferred from the church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of Saint Nicholas. Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the saint’s appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he also gave instruction and guidance for the soul. memory of Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on December 18, on the day of his glorification (1694). Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; Simeon of Verkhoturye was a nobleman, he concealed his origin and led the life of a beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats and other clothes, primarily for the poor. doing this he deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for which he endured abuse from his customers. ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the outskirts of Perm). Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. his free time, the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued, guiding the local people in the true Faith. conversations were a seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially revered. Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel Michael. September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of Tobolsk, the holy relics of Saint Simeon were transferred from the church of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of Saint Nicholas. Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the saint’s appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he also gave instruction and guidance for the soul. memory of Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on September 12, on the day of the translation of his relics (1704).

Russia, Siberia, 1637, Abalaka Icon, Kazakhstan, Siberia, MOG appeared wSt Nic&Mary oEgypt, Icon healed Paraliyed Euthymius
Russia, Siberia, 1637, Abalaka Icon, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River 1), MOG appeared wSt Nic&Mary oEgypt tWidow Maria, Sign Icon healed Euthymius oParalysis so he remodeled temple, like Novgorod sign Icon but with Nic&Mary plus Basil oMangazeya; Abalaka, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated on November 27 ; =--The Abalaka Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” painted by Matthew, a protodeacon of the Tobolsk cathedral, in honor of Sophia (the Wisdom of God), fulfillment of a vow by a paralytic peasant Euthymius to rebuild the church at the Abalaka monastery of the Mother of God “of the Sign.” church was built in 1637 after the Mother of God, accompanied by Saint Nicholas and Saint Mary of Egypt, appeared to the pious widow Maria. the temple’s Icon “of the Sign” was painted, the paralytic Euthymius was completely healed. healings took place during the solemn transfer of the icon to the Abalaka church. general appearance, the Abalaka Icon resembles the Novgorod Icon of the Sign, but with this distinction: on the Abalaka Icon, Saint Nicholas and Saint Mary of Egypt stand before the Most Holy Theotokos. Basil of Mangazeya (March 23) is also depicted on this icon. wonderworking copies of the Abalaka Icon are venerated throughout Siberia. Abalaka Icon “Of the Sign” is also commemorated on July 20.

Russia, Siberia, 1652-1695, Russia China War of the Amur Region
Siberia, Russia China War of the Amur Region (1652-1695) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh, Commemorated on March 9;

Russia, Siberia, 1671-1727, Philotheos oTobolsk, enlightener oSiberia, great admin &successful apostle, 400,000 conversions
Russia, Siberia, 1671-1727, Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11), enlightener oSiberia, 1702 Met oS, more extensive tToday, 1st centures example Spiritual Council, pastoral rules&instructions, more churches&pastors wBetter living conditions, widespread education, he funded Slavic-Russian school at Bishoprick, progenitor all Tobolsk schools, fOnly 160C t448 Churches&37Monasteries, renovations fBeauty, stopped supporting congregational Churches, cathedral choir fExiled Little Russians, pastoral success after he quit Met job & focused apostolic, began fKamchatka 1705, mObstacles, 1707 Ostyaks oBerezovsky, then Mongolia high priest Buddhists aKhalkhas, successful among Ostyaks, Voguls, other Siberian aliens, constant journeys among savages, teaching Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, far north churches Kyrgyz iAltai, Siberian outskirts Laplanders&Chukchi, baptized 400k foreigners, churches, parishes, cornerstones, not easy, traveling difficulties, muslim resistance, missionaries fled, Met P left alone on shore, bullet through clothing without touching, & danger at Konda, deceived Vogulsky Prince Satyga intended to kill Met P, warmly received S envoys who revealid plot, he sailed to S's camp, some fled but remaining baptized, other benefits to converts-protection, freedom, no head tax, no cart obligation, yasak payment benefits, no insults, Bread &Money distriution, so they loved him, 1711 illness, retired to Tyumen HT Monastery, received schema, as Theodore, even more difficult missionary feats nort of Siberia-1712 tBerezovsky T along Irtysh Ob &Sosve Rivers, supplied by Met John employees, by Prince Gagarin ship, rowers, interpreters, guard, 2000 Rubles, &gifts fNewly-baptized, Peter 1 wanted to destroy idols, proving them worthless, but Met P convinced Ostyaks to do it. 1715 replaced Tobolsk Siberian Met, attention to overseas Beijing Mission from 1714, sent Bishop to Beijing, retured second time 1726, visited Nizovsky T &Obdorsk, retired 1720 and 1726, died 1726, incorrupt relics Tobolsk; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Most Reverend hierarch, the renowned Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk, was from a noble, but poor family and received a theological degree at the then famous Kiev Theological Academy. the end of the course, he was ordained as a priest for one of the rural churches, but he was soon widowed. He was tonsured as a monk with the name Philotheos, and joined the brotherhood of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Siberia Christianity began to spread among the native pagans and Mohammedans from the very conquest of this country by the Russian state (in 1581), conversions of the Siberian non-Russians to faith in Christ were generally insignificant and mostly individual. newly-baptized aliens left their former places of residence and their compatriots and, settling in Russian cities and villages, they entered into the Russian population, their conversion did not influence the masses, who still remained solid pagans or Mohammedans. this was known to the great converter of Russia, Tsar Peter I, who decided to take measures to enlighten the Siberian aliens with the light of Christianity with them their neighbors, the Mongols and Chinese. implement this wise plan, by a decree of June 18, 1700, the Sovereign commanded Metropolitan Barlaam Yasinsky of Kiev to “find” in the Russian cities and monasteries Archimandrites, Igumens, and other monks to occupy the cathedra of Tobolsk, which had remained vacant after Metropolitan Ignatius. He wanted “Pastors who are not only good and adorned with a blameless life, but also scholars who would take with them to Siberia any educated monks who were capable of learning the local languages. God’s help, and with their help, the Metropolitan of Tobolsk could gradually lead the blind inhabitants of Siberia, Mongolia and China, who were stagnating in idolatry, to the knowledge of the true God. ” Barlaam’s choice fell on the Novgorod-Seversk Archimandrite Demetrios Tuptalo, later Saint Demetrios, the wonderworker of Rostov, who was summoned to Moscow in early 1700. On March 23, at the age of 50, he was consecrated as the Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk. Saint Demetrios ruled his Siberian flock for only nine months, but he did not live in Siberia. Saint Demetrios of Rostov was appointed to the Siberian Diocese, primarily for missionary purposes, he refused to go to Siberia for good and was transferred to the cathedra of Rostov. Archimandrite Philotheos Leschinsky was appointed as someone who was well-known for his pious life, high education and energy. He was consecrated as Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk on January 4, 1702. Diocese of Tobolsk and Siberia is extensive today; but in the 17th and early 18th centuries it was incomparably more extensive; borders were then in the north - the Arctic Sea, in the east - the Pacific Ocean, in the south - lands under the Chinese emperor, i.e. Dauria and so on, and the Kirghiz-kaysati steppe, in the west - the Urals and even part of European Russia, to the fortress of Beerskaya and Achitskaya. general, the diocese occupied more than 300,000 square miles, a space in which there are currently more than nine independent dioceses with several vicariates. difficulty of administering such a huge diocese was increased by its complete lack of organization. the new bishop of Siberia, Metropolitan Philotheos, energetically set to work. the very first year of his stay in Siberia he followed the example of the pastors of the first centuries of Christianity, decided to assemble a spiritual council from representatives of the Siberian clergy for the improvement of the Siberian Church. a council took place in Tobolsk in December 1702. It developed a number of rules and instructions to the clergy regarding the streamlining of their pastoral work. the new Metropolitan of Siberia occupied himself with the Tobolsk episcopal residence, multiplying churches in Siberia, increasing the number of clergy, improving their condition, etc. They paid great attention to widespread education, and he first set an example by teaching foreign children in the religious schools he established. order to provide the diocese with good pastors, Metropolitan Philotheos started a “Slavic-Russian” school in the episcopal residence, and paid for it with his own money. became the progenitor of all educational institutions in the city of Tobolsk. also got several learned monks from Kiev as teachers for the school. Metropolitan Philotheos took over the administration of the Tobolsk diocese, there were only 160 churches throughout its vast area. The saint made tremendous efforts to multiply of the churches of God in Siberia, and the Lord blessed these works with success. By the time he left the diocese there were already up to 448 churches and 37 monasteries. new churches, he also took care of maintaining their well-being and beauty: asked the government for permission to renovate some of the monasteries; stopped issuing “wax, incense, and red wine” to the congregational and unpaid churches. the cathedral, permission was given to form a choir of singers from the exiled Little Russians. missionary activity of Metropolitan Philotheos among the Siberian pagans was the main subject of his cares and labors and was crowned with good success, which the archpastor achieved, not during his administration of the diocese, but after his release from it, when he devoted himself entirely to the apostolic ministry. hierarch began his educational activity from Kamchatka, where in 1705 he sent a missionary, Archimandrite Martinian, and after him the missionary monk Ignatius Kozyrevsky, but the preaching of these missionaries was not particularly successful, since the missionaries had to experience many obstacles. hierarch’s second mission was sent in 1707 to the Ostyaks of the Berezovsky Territory, the third to Mongolia, to the Kutuhta (high priest) of the Buddhists, to the town of Khalkhas. preaching of the Tobolsk Metropolitan among the Ostyaks, Voguls and other Siberian aliens was particularly successful. by an insignificant retinue, with the then impossible ways of communication, the ever-memorable missionary spent most of his archpastoral ministry in Siberia in c,onstant journeys among savages, the Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, building churches in the far north, in the Kyrgyz territory in the Altai, then enlightening the distant sons of the outskirts of Siberia, Laplanders and Chukchi, helping them spiritually and materially. all the time of his archpastoral ministry, he enlightened and baptized up to 400,000 foreigners, to mention how many churches this great architect built across Siberia, how many parishes he founded, how many cornerstones he laid, so to speak, for the spread of Christianity among the pagans. It was not easy for Metropolitan Philotheos. Not to mention the incredible difficulties traveling along the wild outskirts, across steppes and marshes, taiga and northern tundra; not to mention all sorts of hardships associated with traveling under such conditions; the very life of the Metropolitan was repeatedly endangered. he came to the Ostyaks of Burinsky. Those who were invited to be baptized that they were Muslims and no one had the right to baptize them. left him and locked themselves in one large yurt.1 His Eminence nevertheless remained in their territory and from time to time he sent them missionaries who were with him to summon the Ostyaks. same savages, in order to put an end to the matter all at once, according to the suggestion of the Tatar preacher hiding from them, seized their weapons, and fiercely rushed at the Orthodox missionaries. of them was wounded in the head with an arrow, the other in the shoulder, and the third was punctured through and through by their hands. fright, the unarmed Russians all fled from the shore onto the ships. Metropolitan, who was then praying for the restraint of his enemies, was left alone on the shore. the Ostyak foreman Uman fired a rifle at the Metropolitan, but God preserved His Apostle-Preacher. The bullet passed through his clothing without touching his body. another occasion, the Metropolitan was threatened with danger in Konda. he stayed in the Katyshev yurts to rest, a messenger came to him from Vogulsky Prince Satyga inviting him to hasten to the nomad camp because a lot of people had gathered there, desiring to be baptized. fact, as it turned out, Satyga was deceived by a Tatar from Tobolsk, as though the Tsar himself wanted the Metropolitan’s death, and that there would be no punishment for the murderers. intended to kill Philotheos and all those with him. But for now, the Metropolitan avoided danger. ’s envoys were received kindly by the Metropolitan, and after receiving generous gifts, they informed Philotheos of the danger that threatened him. overtook the missionaries, and many advised him to flee to Tobolsk. Some, however, argued that such cowardice would impair the future work of preaching the Word of God. Metropolitan agreed with those who wished to stay, and it was decided to sail down to the nomad camp. was frightened when he learned that his plans were known to the Metropolitan. The intruders fled into the forest, and the remaining Voguls were willingly baptized. Philotheos not only cared about the spiritual enlightenment of the pagans who converted, but he also tried to deliver those or other benefits to the converts in civil matters. his request, those who were persecuted by the unbaptized were protected from being chased by guards; slaves were given their freedom, those who were included in the head tax were exempted from it. was relieved of the obligation to supply carts, received benefits in the payment of the yasak, they were protected from insults and harassment by the Cossacks and minor officials. Metropolitan distributed a significant amount of bread and money to the newly-baptized poor, and, in general, he helped as much as he could, anyway. newly-baptized loved the Metropolitan as a father. When he visited them, they immediately went out to meet him and greeted him with cordiality and pleasure clearly written on their faces; willingly they heeded his instructions, and gave a firm promise to put his advice into practice. general, they accepted the Metropolitan as their benefactor and their protector, as a man sent from God. memory of Metropolitan Philotheos still lives among the aliens who were enlightened by him. For example, the Ostyaks, when they were asked about him, usually said: “He was a kindly old man; the people did not give offense; he loved the Ostyaks very, very much.... ” 1711, Metropolitan Philotheos was relieved of the administration of the diocese “due to illness,” and retired to the Tyumen Holy Trinity Monastery, he received the schema and the name Theodore. Metropolitan did not give up his archiepiscopal cathedra for rest and peace, now that he was burdened with age and illnesses, but for even more difficult feats of missionary work in the harsh north of Siberia. June 1712, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore, the blessing of the then Siberian archpastor, Metropolitan John Maximovitch (June 10), by his own desire and inclination, and at the suggestion of Prince M. Gagarin, who was then the governor of Siberia, who fulfilled the command of Peter I to begin preaching the Gospel among Siberians, and entered into this apostolic spiritual exploit. that year, the hierarch made his first missionary journey to Berezovsky territory along the rivers Irtysh, Ob and Sosve. John, who ruled the diocese, gave him capable employees, Prince Gagarin supplied him from the treasury with a vessel for sailing, rowers, interpreters of the native languages, a guard for preserving the mission, the sum of 2000 rubles, and various gifts for newly-baptized. to the ukaz of Peter the Great, the evangelizer of Siberia wished to prepare the ground of this field on his previous journey; is, to destroy the pagan places of worship with their idols, and to show the pagans how powerless their imaginary gods are to protect even themselves. the help of God, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore managed to convince the Ostyaks, who lived near Samarov and in the yurts of Sherkal, to destroy the idols which were especially honored in those districts. June 10, 1715, Metropolitan John Maximovich of Tobolsk reposed, and the aged Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore was again entrusted with the administration of the Siberian Diocese, he did not stop his favorite missionary activity. Schema-monk Theodore was so fond of the enlightened Ostyaks that, a year before his death, being retired and ill for the second time, the patient visited Nizovsky territory again in 1726 and even reached far off Obdorsk. this was to be the last journey of the ever-memorable hierarch. his second administration of the diocese, Metropolitan Theodore paid attention to the overseas Beijing mission, which from 1714 was headed by Archimandrite Hilarion of Lezhaysk, who was sent to the capital of China by imperial command, under Metropolitan John Maximovich. the death of this Archimandrite, his successor Anthony Platkovsky was appointed head of the mission, and returned to Russia in 1721, according to the suggestion of the Most Reverend Theodore and the Siberian governor, as well as the highest levels of government, it was decided to send a bishop to Beijing. during his first administration of the Tobolsk diocese, he had a vicar bishop, Barlaam Kossovsky, the Bishop of Irkutsk from 1706. He lived in Irkutsk until 1714, when he returned to Moscow, and he was soon appointed to the archiepiscopal cathedra of Tver. Theodore’s second tenure in the Siberian Diocese lasted for five years. 1720, at his own request, Tsar Peter I sent him a letter granting him retirement, in which he gave thanks to the holy hierarch of God for his zealous pastoral service, especially for his tireless and successful work in the missionary field. addition, the archpastor received a retirement pension: 200 rubles in cash, 50 quarters of bread (3000 bushels of grain) per year. exhausted hierarch settled in the Tyumen monastery which he himself had built. May 31, 1727, he reposed at the age of 76, among the brethren and children of the newly-baptized. by his portraits, Metropolitan Philotheos was tall, lean, with a long nose, and gray hair. to his character, in the words of the Siberian Chronicle of Cherepanov, “he was quiet, very indulgent to all, and had very little vanity.” life was most active and simple; in the summertime, he often used to go on foot to Tobolsk to the Ivanov monastery and fished there in the Shantalyne River. alone, he taught the children of the newly-baptized to read, write, and sing in his leisure hours. of them lived in his cell. he composed Church hymns; example - the Troparion and Kontakion of the wonderworker Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye (December 18), a Canon to the martyr Basil of Mangazea (March 23),2 and others, as well as poems of religious content. his own hand, he wrote many of the documents which he issued, especially those concerning the newly-baptized, or pertaining to the episcopal estates. only the residents of Tyumen, but also those from other places in Siberia, visit the grave of the pious archpastor with reverence and offer memorial services for him.3 the Russian Revolution, his relics were secretly reburied. On October 21, 2006, the incorrupt relics of Saint Philotheos were found in Tyumen in the Ascension-Saint George Church. Philotheos is commemorated on May 31, and also on June 10, the Synaxis of Siberian saints. 1 A yurt was a sort of tepee made from animal skins. 2 See Orthodox Life # 2, 1972. 3 Source: The Russian Pilgrim, 1900 (Русский Паломник, 1900 г.)

Russia, Siberia, 1684-1686, Chinese Invasions of Albazin and Amur River
Siberia, Chinese Invasions of Albazin (1684-1686) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh, Commemorated on March 9; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, 1685-1686, Defense of Albazin
Defense of Albazin (1685-1686); Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, 1700, 18th C, Innocent oIrkutsk deprivations, Sophronius oIrkutsk wonderworker

Russia, Siberia, 1701-1731, Innocent oIrkutsk, deprivations fStrength, successfully produced 2Schools no funding, incorrupt rlcs
Mongol, China, 1701-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk, oNoble Descent, Kulchitsky family, Kiev Spiritual Academy, monk i1710, instructor Moscow Slav-Greek-Latin Academy, theology professor,t Petersburg Nevsky Lavra 1719, chief naval chaplain, 1720 vice-regent, 1721 Bishop oPereyaslavl & Peking Spiritual Mission, refused entry by China because spiritual, 3yrs aSelingin, deprivation&Grief, diplomat blunders, intrgues oIrkutsk archmandrite, other named China Archmandrite, Anthony named Irkutsk&Nerchinsk, location close to china, size, sparse population, many nationalities, unenlightened christians, lack roads, poverty, Plus no pay oFunding, but his monastery still maintained 2Schools (Mongol&Russian), toiled tirelesly, sermons Letters directives, deprivations provided strength, humility, insight, 1728 Baikal drought, grain famine 1727, weekly moliebens, saturday Akathist sunday M, to St Elias feast, the day drought ended, new stone church, expanded boundaries, robust health but died 1731, 1764 incorrupt, 1804 sainthood, relics moved tAnti-religious Yaroslav museum, moved again 1939, remains unknown man, 1990 Tolga Monastery Yaroslav, 1990 back to Irkutsk; Moscow, 1700-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk, (in the world John) was descended from the noble Kulchitsky family. parents moved from Volhynia to the Chernigov region in the mid-seventeenth century. saint was born in about the year 1680, educated at the Kiev Spiritual Academy. accepted monastic tonsure in 1710 was appointed an instructor at the Moscow Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy as prefect and professor of theology. 1719 Saint Innocent transferred to the Saint Peterburg Alexander Nevsky Lavra, was appointed chief naval chaplain. 1720 he served as vice-regent of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. February 14, 1721, hieromonk Innocent was consecrated as Bishop of Pereyaslavl appointed to the Peking Spiritual Mission in China. the Chinese government refused to allow him to enter the country, the Senate Commission on External Affairs had indiscretely characterized him as “a spiritual personage, a great lord.” saint was compelled to spend three years at Selingin on the Chinese border, suffering much deprivation because of the uncertainty of his position, and grief from the disarray of the civil government in Siberia. blunders of the Russian Mission in China by Graf Raguzinsky, intrigues by the Irkutsk archimandrite Anthony Platkovsky led to the appointment of Archimandrite Anthony in China. decree of the Most Holy Synod Saint Innocent was named in 1727 to be Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk. so he entered into the governance of the newly-formed dioceses. proximity of the Chinese border, the expanse and sparsely-settled dioceses, the great number of diverse nationalities (Buryat, Mongol, and others), mostly unenlightened by the Christian Faith, the lack of roads and the poverty—all this made Saint Innocent’s pastoral work burdensome and his life full of deprivations. a strange oversight of the Senate, he did not receive any money until the time of his death, and he endured extreme want. these difficult conditions of scant funds, the Irkutsk Ascension monastery still maintained two schools opened under him, one Mongol and the other Russian. constant concern of the saint was directed towards the schools: the selection of worthy teachers, and providing the necessary books, clothing and other provisions for students. saint toiled tirelessly at organizing the diocese, and strengthening its spiritual life. many sermons, pastoral letters and directives bear witness to this. his work and deprivations Saint Innocent found spiritual strength, humility, and insight. the spring of 1728, the Baikal region began to suffer a drought. Famine from a poor grain harvest had threatened the diocese already back in 1727. the blessing of the holy hierarch, in May within the churches of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region they began to include a Molieben for an end to the drought at each Liturgy. Saturdays they sang an Akathist to the Mother of God, on Sundays they served a Molieben. “The supplications,” said the saint, “should end on the Feast of Saint Elias” (July 20). on that very day a storm raged at Irkutsk with such strong rains, that in the streets of the city water stood up to people’s knees, and thus the drought ended. the efforts of Saint Innocent, construction was started on a stone church to replace the wooden one at the Ascension monastery, the boundaries of the diocese were expanded to include not only Selingin, but also the Yakutsk and Ilimsk surroundings. saint, not noted for robust health, and under the influence of the severe climate and his afflictions, departed to the Lord at a rather young age (51). He reposed on the morning of November 27, 1731. the year 1764, the body of the saint was discovered incorrupt during restoration work on the monastery’s Tikhvin church. miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer. moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify the saint in the year 1800. the year 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout all Russia on November 26, the Sign Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27). Saint Innocent is also remembered on February 9. 1921, the relics of Saint Innocent were taken from their shrine and placed in a Soviet anti-religious museum. were moved to another museum in Yaroslav in 1939, and were exhibited as “mummified remains of an unknown man.” In 1990, they were brought to the newly-reopened Tolga Monastery in the Yaroslav diocese. September of 1990, the holy relics arrived in Irkutsk and were placed in the cathedral, to the joy of all the faithful. Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9;

Russia, Siberia, 1724-1771, Sophronius, Irkutsk, Siberian Wonderworker, trustworthy workers from Ukraine. stable S culture
Russia, Siberia, 1724-1771, Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and Wonderworker of all Siberia, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14), from Little Russia aka Ukraine, Pereyaslavl, U, Kiev T A, Krasnogorsk M, heard voice, build All Saints Church, Bishop of Irkutsk but back to Kiev to get trustworthy workers, developed stable local culture ; Irkutsk; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and Wonderworker of all Siberia, whose family name was Kristalevsky, was born in Malorussia in the Chernigov region in 1704. His father, Nazarius, was “a common man in his affairs,” and the saint was named Stephen, in honor of the protomartyr Saint Stephen. He had two brothers and a sister, Pelagia. The name of one brother was Paul. The name of the other older brother is unknown, but it is said that he was head of the Krasnogorsk Zolotonosh monastery. ’s childhood years were spent in the settlement of Berezan in the Pereyaslavl district of the Poltava governance, where the family settled after the father was discharged from service. he came of age, Stephen entered the Kiev Theological Academy, where two other future hierarchs were studying: Joasaph, future Bishop of Belgorod (September 4 and December 10), and Paul, future Metropolitan of Tobolsk (June 10 and November 4). completing his religious education, Stephen entered the Krasnogorsk Transfiguration monastery [later renamed the Protection monastery. In 1789, it was transformed into a women’s monastery], where his elder brother already labored in asceticism. On April 23, 1730 he received monastic tonsure with the name of Sophronius, in honor of Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (March 11). the night after his monastic tonsure, Saint Sophronius heard a Voice in the Protection church predicting his future service: “When you become bishop, build a church dedicated to All Saints.” 1732, he was summoned to Kiev. There he was ordained hierodeacon, and then hieromonk in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom. After Saint Sophronius had been a monk for two years, he became treasurer of the Zolotonosh monastery for two years, and then His Grace Bishop Arsenius (Berlov) of the Pereyaslavl diocese sent him into the house of his archbishop, where he was steward for eight years. facts testify to the connections of the saint with his original Protection monastery. During his obedience under the presiding hierarch at Pereyaslavl, he often visited his monastery, spending the day in quiet contemplation and work, serving as an example to the brethren. Hieromonk Sophronius traveled to the Holy Synod on behalf of his bishop, they paid close attention to him. In January 1742, the future saint was transferred to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Peterburg, the foremost monastery of the capital. A year later he was appointed treasurer of the monastery, and in 1746 he was appointed as Superior of the monastery. summoned his fellow countryman, the hieromonk Sinesios (Ivanoff), a native of the city of Priluki, and made him igumen of the Saint Sergius Hermitage, a dependancy of Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra. From this time the friendship of the two ascetics, hieromonk Sophronius and hieromonk Sinesios, was strengthened by their joint pastoral effort, and they were inseparable until they died in Siberia. these years Saint Sophronius worked hard at managing the monastery and improvement of teaching at the seminary located nearby. He and Archbishop Theodosius made it their task to acquire more books for the monastic library. Sophronius built a two storey church: the upper church was dedicated to Saint Theodore, the older brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky; and the lower to Saint John Chrysostom. Innocent II (Nerunovich) of Irkutsk died in 1747. For six years afterwards, the Irkutsk diocese remained without a spiritual head. on February 23, 1753, the empress Elizabeth (1741-1761) recommended the pious Igumen Sophronius of the Alexander Nevsky monastery to the Holy Synod as “a person, not only worthy of episcopal rank, but also someone completely able to fulfill the wishes and the hopes of the state and the Synod, and take up the burden of episcopal service on the far frontier and satisfy the needs of his flock in that harsh land, among wild primitives and lawless people.” April 18, 1753, Thomas Sunday, Hieromonk Sophronius was consecrated Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk in the Dormition cathedral. difficult service on the distant Siberian frontier, the new bishop did not immediately travel to the Irkutsk eparchy, but rather began to gather educated and spiritually experienced co-workers. During this period Saint Sophronius visited at his original Krasnogorsk monastery. At the holy places of Kiev, he also sought the blessings of the Kiev Caves Saints for his service. The constant companion of the saint, as had been before, was the hieromonk Sinesios, sharing in his friend’s work. Moscow, Archbishop Platon of Moscow and Sevsk provided him with further assistance. He gave him fatherly advice for his task, since he was quite familiar with the peculiarities of the Siberian religious life. He forewarned him about the self-willed local authorities, and advised him to surround himself with trustworthy helpers. March 20, 1754 the saint arrived at Irkutsk. He went first to the Ascension monastery, his predecessor’s residence, and prayed at the grave of Bishop Innocent (Kulchitz), asking his blessing as he took up his assignment. himself with the state of affairs in the diocese, the saint began the reorganization of the Spiritual consistory, monasteries and parishes, and appealed to the Holy Synod to send worthy men to the Irkutsk eparchy for priestly service. the arrival of Saint Sophronius, the Irkutsk monasteries had already a century-old history. The founders of these monasteries were motivated by a fervent desire for monastic life. The wise hierarch appointed people of piety, wisdom, virtue, and with great experience both of life and spiritual matters as heads of the monastic communities. In 1754, Bishop Sophronius elevated his friend and companion Hieromonk Sinesios to be Archimandrite of Ascension monastery. He served the monastery for thirty-three years until his blessed repose. September 1754, the bishop issued a decree in which he expressed concern for the education and upbringing of the children of the clergy. He wanted them to learn the HOROLOGION, the PSALTER, singing and letters, and this instruction “ought to be conducted with all industriousness and the utmost diligence, so that the children might be able to fulfill the responsibilities of sacristan and deacon.” both people and circumstances, the bishop in his sermons and conversations exhorted all to a higher moral ideal. He devoted particular attention to the reverent and correct performance of the divine services and the Holy Mysteries, and he also looked after the moral purity of laymen. He was concerned about the position of women in the family, and defended them against their unjust inequality. The bishop attempted to set straight the Rule of divine services, and so he summoned priests, deacons, subdeacons and sacristans, and those who sang in the choir during services. about the diocese, the saint noticed that censing and the ringing of bells were not being done properly in all places, and therefore he issued a decree restoring the proper way of censing and bell-ringing. to apostolic service in this frontier region, Saint Sophronius realized that his duty was to enlighten the Christians of the area, and also to convert the idol-worshippers, who were very numerous in Siberia. was difficult to bring pagans to the Church of Christ, especially because sometimes there was no one to serve in the churches, and to borrow priests for missionary activity only made matters worse. Knowing that the Church services would have a salutary effect on non-Russians, the saint not only served with reverence himself, but also required it of all his clergy. Sophronius also contributed to the development of a stable culture among the local people. He offered them monastic lands for settlements and in every way he endeavored to isolate them from the influence of paganism. A constant throng of visitors came from faraway places for his blessing. with his many cares, he did not forget his own spiritual life and eternity. He also led an ascetical life. His cell-attendant said that the saint “used simple food in small quantities. He served often, spent the greater part of the night at prayer, sleeping on the floor under a sheepskin or a fur, a deerskin or bear hide, and a small simple pillow.” spirit of his ascetic life fit in with the general uplifting of the Christian spirit in Russia after the glorification of Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21), Theodosius of Chernigov (September 9), and the uncovering of the incorrupt relics of his predecessor, Saint Innocent of Irkutsk (February 9). This event inspired Saint Sophronius to greater efforts and encouraged him to ask for the help of Saint Innocent in his task of building up the diocese. the end of his days Saint Sophronius kept his love for the Krasnogor Zolotonosh monastery, which had nurtured him in the days of his youth. He constantly contributed support for its upkeep, sending the necessary means for this. a deterioration in his health, Saint Sophronius petitioned the Holy Synod to let him retire. The answer from Peterburg did not come right away, since it was difficult to choose a worthy successor. final days of Saint Sophronius’s life were spent in asceticism and prayer. light, which shone on the good deeds of Saint Sophronius, continues to the present time to testify to the glory of the Heavenly Father, “Who mercifully strengthens His saints.” Now the holy memory of Saint Sophronius is reverently preserved not only in Siberia at the place of his final deeds, but also at the place of his first deeds. Sophronius is also commemorated on June 30 (his glorification in 1918).

Russia, Siberia, 1800, 19th C, Innocent oIrkutsk's relics, Innocent tAmerica, Meletios All Siberia, Domna oTomsk FFC, Rasputin

Russia, Siberia, 1804-1840, Meletius oKharkov, interest in Iinstitutions of spiritual learning &clergy education &Siberia
Mongol, Scythia, 1804-1840, Meletius, Archbishop Kharkov, Scythia (High Point, Source of 3 Rivers, Seversky Donets River1), from Poltava, 1808 top student in Ekaterinoslav Seminary, to Nevsky Spiritual Academy, 1814 Greek Professor, 1817 Sec Academy Building Committee and transferred to Kiev Religious Seminary, inspector, Greek & C History P, 1819 Kiev Spiritual Academy first inspector, 1820 tonsured Monk Meletios, deacon, Hiermnk, 1821 rector Mogilevsk Seminary & head Khutynsk Orshansk M & Archimandrite. 1823 rector Pskov Seminary, 1824 rector Kiev S Academy, 1826 Bishop oChigrinsk, vicar Kiev Diocese, & head Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. True ascetic, 1828 Perm Cathedral, strict, Ordinand's Catechism, 1831 Archbishop oIrkutsk, all over Siberia, tTungus, tBuryats, tKamchadali, tKurile&Aleutian Islands, 1835 health transfer to Kharkov, 1840 repose; Kharkov governance; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk (in the world Michael Ivanovich Leontovich), was born on November 6, 1784 in the village of Stara Stanzhara in the Poltava district. 1808 Michael Leontovich successfully completed the Ekaterinoslav religious Seminary. Since he was the best student, Archbishop Platon of Ekterinoslav sent him to Peterburg, to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy.1 Graduating in 1814 with a Master's Degree, he was appointed as adjunct professor of Greek. March 11, 1817 they appointed Michael Leontovich as Secretary of the Academy Building Committee. July 30, 1817 he was transferred to the Kiev religious Seminary, serving in the position of Inspector, as well as Professor of Church History and Greek. When the Kiev Spiritual Academy opened on September 28, 1819, Michael became its first Inspector. February 11, 1820, on the eve of the Feast of Saint Meletios of Antioch, he was tonsured as a monk with the name Meletios, in the kathoikon of the Kiev-Bratsk Monastery, tonsure was done by Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitnikov). of Kiev. On February 22, 1820 the Monk Meletios was ordained to the diaconate by Metropolitan Eugene, and then as a Hieromonk on February 25. August 9, 1821 Hieromonk Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Mogilevsk religious Seminary and head of the Khutynsk Orshansk Monastery, and raised to the dignity of Archimandrite. August 1823 he was appointed as Rector of the Pskov religious Seminary. January 24,1824 Archimandrite Meletios was appointed as Rector of the Kiev Spiritual Academy. October 1826 the Holy Synod decided to name Archimandrite Meletios as Bishop of Chigirinsk, a vicar of the Kiev Diocese, and head of the Zlatoverkh Mikhailov Monastery. October 19, 1826 he was elected as bishop, and on October 21, 1826 his consecration took place at Kiev's Holy Wisdom cathedral. paternal love, the Saint concerned himself with young foster-children, raising them in a spirit of devotion to the Church of Christ. paid particular attention to the needy, widows, and orphans. often visited those in prison and provided them the consolation of Divine Services in the prison churches. was also concerned about the spiritual nourishment of the brethren of the Mikhailov Monastery. his edifying discourses and personal example, he inspired the monks with the spirit of true asceticism. Meletios said: "Humility is a protective sword, by which we pass over earth and Hades, to reach Heaven." April 1828 Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral in Perm. with himself, the Saint was also strict with others. To prepare candidates for accepting of the dignity of the priesthood, Saint Meletios himself wrote the so‑called "Ordinand's Catechism". 1831 Vladika was transferred to the See of Irkutsk, and elevated to the rank of Archbishop. Meletios devoted much attention to the enlightenment of the lesser nations of Russia with the light of the Gospel. founded churches in the north of Kamchatka, in the northeast parts of the Irkutsk Diocese and along the Aldan River, on the tract from Yakutsk to Okhotsk. often reviewed his wide-spread Diocese, going to the shores of the Okhotsk and Arctic Seas, to the boundaries of North America, where Father John Veniaminov, the reknowned Apostle of Siberia (later known as Saint Innocent), the Apostle to America was.2 through Siberia and along the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Saint Meletios frequently interacted with the native peoples who professed Lamaism. Gently, he urged them to abandon their errors, and explained the Gospel truths to these pagan peoples: Tungus, the Buryats, the Kamchadali, and also the inhabitants of the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. of his tireless labors, Vladika's health began to deteriorate, and they transferred him to the Slobodsk-Ukraine See (later the See of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk) in 1835. Meletios showed great interest in the institutions of spiritual learning, concerning himself with the life and education of the clergy. Archbishop raised questions about reopening the monasteries and spiritual schools which Empress Catherine II had closed. He also devoted much labor to the struggle with the schismatics. July 2, 1839 Saint Meletios led the service in the city of Akhtyrsk for the tenth anniversary of the appearance of the wonderworking Akhtyrsk Icon of the Mother of God. Saint's blessed repose occurred on the night of February 29, 1840. After receiving Holy Communion, he made the Sign of the Cross, and then he turned to everyone to say, "Forgive me." With those words, he departed to the Lord. March 4, 1840 Saint Meletios was buried by Bishop Iliodore of Kursk, in a crypt beneath the Church of the Cross at the Protection Monastery. after his death, believers had great faith in the powerful intercession of Saint Meletios with God, and they received healing in sicknesses, comfort in sorrows, and deliverance from difficult circumstances. Believers in Khar'kov placed their trust in Saint Meletios during the terrible days of World War II. With miraculous advice, the Saint foretold the impending deliverance of the city from the enemy. 1948, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexei, the coffin with the relics of Saint Meletios was transferred to the cathedral of the Annunciation. February 21, 1978, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church "approved and blessed a Church Service and an Akathist to Saint Meletios, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk," for use in all churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Service and Akathist to the holy Archpastor was composed by Archbishop Νikόdēmos of Khar'kov (later Metropolitan of Leningrad). shrine containing the Saint's relics, from which believers receive grace-filled help, the healing of ailments of the soul and body is located in the left (northern) aisle of the cathedral. Meletios is commemorated on February 12 (his Name Day) and on February 29 (the day of his repose).3

Russia, Siberia, 1805, Innocent Incorrupt Relics, Irkutsk, Siberia, body discovered 1764, many miracles, glorified 1800
Russia, Siberia, 1805, Innocent Incorrupt Relics, Irkutsk, Siberia, incorrupt body discovered 1764, many miracles, glorified 1800, uncovered 1805; Irkutsk; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; 1764, the body of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk was discovered incorrupt during restoration work on the Ascension monastery’s Tikhvin church. Many miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer. This moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify the saint in the year 1800. 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout all Russia on November 26, since the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign” is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27). Today we commemorate the uncovering of his relics in 1805.

Russia, Siberia, 1817-1879, St Innocent, Moscow Metropolitan of Moscow& Aleut Enlightener, Apostle to t Americas, m more
Russia, Siberia, 1817-1879, St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Irkutsk, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14), early age mastery studies, from 1823 45 yrs missionary, 10,000 baptized, endless travels, geography, ethnography, linguistics, Aleut alphabet & grammar for catechism, Gospel & prayers, indication of way into heaven, 1840 became monk Innocent and Bishop, 1850 archbishop, 1868 Metropolitan of Moscow, organized missionary service, 1870 Japanese Spiritual Mission, Moscow Spiritual Academy; Irkutsk; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America (in the world John Popov-Veniaminov), born on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk diocese, into the family of a sacristan. boy mastered his studies at an early age and by age seven, he was reading the Epistle in church. 1806 they sent him to the Irkutsk seminary. 1814, the new rector thought it proper to change the surnames of some of the students. John Popov received the surname Veniaminov in honor of the deceased Archbishop Benjamin of Irkutsk (+ July 8, 1814). May 13, 1817 he was ordained deacon for the Irkutsk Annunciation church, and on May 18, 1821, he was ordained priest. missionary service of the future Apostle of America and Siberia began with the year 1823. John spent 45 years laboring for the enlightenment of the peoples of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, North America, Yakutsk, the Khabarov frontier, his apostolic exploit in severe conditions and at great risks to life. Innocent baptized ten thousand people, and built churches, beside which he founded schools and he himself taught the fundamentals of the Christian life. knowledge of various crafts and arts aided him in his work. John was a remarkable preacher. During the celebration of the Liturgy, memorial services and the all-night Vigil, he incessantly guided his flock. his time of endless travels, Father John studied the languages, customs and habits of the peoples, among whom he preached. work in geography, ethnography and linguistics received worldwide acclaim. composed an alphabet and grammar for the Aleut language and translated the Catechism, the Gospel and many prayers into that language. of the finest of his works was the Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven (1833), translated into the various languages of the peoples of Siberia and appearing in more than 40 editions. to the toil of Father John, the Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language. November 29, 1840, after the death of his wife, Father John was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow, in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. December 15, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. April 21, 1850 Bishop Innocent was elevated to the rank of archbishop. the Providence of God on January 5, 1868, Saint Innocent succeeded Metropolitan Philaret on the Moscow cathedra. the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Innocent consolidated the secular missionary efforts of the Russian Church (already in 1839 he had proposed a project for improving the organization of missionary service). the care of Metropolitan Innocent a Missionary Society was created, the Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work. 1870 the Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission headed by Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin [afterwards Saint Nicholas of Japan, (February 3)] was set up, with whom Saint Innocent had shared much of his own spiritual experience. guidance by Saint Innocent of the Moscow diocese was also fruitful, his efforts, the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built up into the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Innocent fell asleep in the Lord on March 31, 1879, on Holy Saturday, was buried at the Holy Spirit Church of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. October 6, 1977, Saint Innocent was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. memory is celebrated three times during the year: on March 31, the day of his blessed repose, on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs), and on October 6, the day of his glorification.

Russia, Siberia, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk, fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance
Russia, Siberia, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk (Tom River Mouth, Ob River 5), fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance; Tomsk; Saint Domna of Tomsk, Commemorated on October 16; holy fool Saint Domna (Karpovna) was born into a noble family the central Ukraine around the beginning of the nineteenth century. at an early age, Saint Domna grew up in her aunt’s house. received an excellent education, and was able to speak several languages. was a beautiful girl, and therefore she had many suitors who hoped to marry her. righteous one, however, desired to preserve her virginity for the Lord’s sake. she discovered that her relatives wished to force her to be married, she left the house in secret, dressed in plain clothing, and she went on pilgrimage to the holy places. Since she had no documents to prove her identity, she was arrested and exiled to Siberia, where she settled in the city of Tomsk. There she undertook the exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Domna had no permanent home, and she often spent her days and nights in the open air. Her clothes consisted of various items in different sizes, which hung from her almost naked body. Bags of all sorts hung from her body, filled with bits of glass, incense, bread, sugar, shoes, ropes, stones, and other things. Saint Domna often counted them instead of the knots on a prayer rope, thereby concealing her unceasing prayer from human sight. When compassionate people gave her coats during the severe winters, she accepted them with gratitude, but a few hours later she would give them to some other beggar, while she continued to suffer from the cold. about the difficult stay of the prisoners in the Tomsk police station, Domna began to walk among them and sing spiritual songs, for which she herself was detained. learning of this, the Tomsk merchants, who revered Domna, carried her loads of cakes, bliny, tea and sugar, which she meted out to the distressed prisoners. the words of Holy Scripture: “A righteous man pities the lives of his animals” (Proverbs 12:10, Septuagint), the saint also took care of stray animals and watchdogs. She often fed them, and she was fond of the dogs, about whom the owners did not care, turning them loose at will. Animals also loved the righteous one and by night a multitude of them surrounded her. But even among dumb animals Domna Karpovna did not forget about God. The residents of Tomsk, amid the howling of dogs, often heard her prayer in the darkness: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” blessed one prayed intensely and fervently in the temple, but only when there were just a few people present. One eyewitness described her prayer: “Once I glanced into the side chapel of the church, and there I saw Domna Karpovna, kneeling, and praying. Oh, how she prayed! And the tears, the tears! They flowed from her eyes in two streams.” But as soon as she noticed someone was looking at her, she began to behave like a fool again, moving from place to place, talking, and extinguishing candles. her exploit of foolishness Saint Domna preserved her virginity, voluntarily enduring poverty, suffering from the heat and cold, and putting the sinful passions to death. At the end of her life she received the gift of clairvoyance from the Lord, which served for the spiritual benefit of others. She surrendered her soul to God on October 16, 1872, and she was buried in the convent of Saint John the Baptist in Tomsk. Church of Russia glorified Saint Domna in 1984. She is also commemorated on June 10, the Synaxis of All Saints of Siberia. Some sources give December 16 as the day of her repose. Today, not far from Saint Domna’s burial place, a chapel was built and dedicated to her.

Russia, Siberia, 1855-1900, Meletios, Siberian Missionary Bishop, Translator, Muslim converter gRelics, Great Story
Russia, Ryazan, 1855-1900, Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan (Oka River 9), 35 yrs missionary in Eastern Siberia before Ryazan, Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts, 1896 Bishop Ryazan, c missionary w, from Viatka D, b 1835, PKid, father died, destitute, but top student, but attracted to solitude, wanted acceptance as monk (tonsure) but appointed teacher, 1858 Kazan Academy, 1859 finally tonsured as Melitos, 1859 Deacon, 1862 tPosolsk M at Baikal by Synod directive, Baptism of many natives, building of churches, establishing villages (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic), 1862 Priesthood, 1873 friend Archbishop Benjamin t Irkutsk mission, 1874 tArchimandrite otNilov Hermitage itSayansk Mountains, important translation work at Kazan till 1875, 1888-1896 Bishop of Ikursk &Misionary territories East LBaikal, 1896 Bisho oRyazan, Writer, Converted Moslems Ryazan; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14; Meletios, one of the last preachers of the Holy Gospel to the people of Siberia with all the self-denial of a true missionary, reposed on January 14, 1900. spent nearly thirty-five years of ascetic labors in eastern Siberia, spreading the light of Christ among the native Buryats, Tungus, and Yakuts. 1896, he was consecrated as Bishop of Ryazan, where he continued his missionary work until the last days of his truly ascetical life. Meletios (Michael Koz’mich Yakimov in the world) was from the Viatka Diocese, and he was born on October 29, 1835, the son of a village priest. His father died when Michael was just a year old, leaving his wife to take care of the children in great poverty. the family’s destitution and Michael’s poor health, he successfully completed his primary and secondary schooling, and as one of the best students in the seminary, he was able to continue his education at the Academy. then, his soul was attracted to solitude. graduating from seminary, Michael spoke to the rector, Archimandrite Ambrose, the Igoumen of the Dormition Monastery, asking to be accepted into the monastery, and to be tonsured. request was not fully granted, however. He was received into the monastery, but was not tonsured. Here, he fulfilled the obediences of preaching and working in the library. Later, he was appointed as a teacher of Church History and Church singing in the primary school in Viatka. later, he was asked to supervise the students who lived in the monastery. He remained in the humble position of a young novice for a year. August of 1858 he entered the Kazan Academy, and on February 1, 1859 he was tonsured with the name Meletios in honor of Saint Meletios of Antioch (February 12). On March 16, he was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Νikόdēmos. a Synodal ukaz, he was sent to the Posol’sk Monastery of the Savior at Lake Baikal in the Diocese of Irkutsk (southeastern Siberia). arrived at the monastery on June 23, 1862 and began his beneficial work among the Buryats at once. resulted in the Baptism of many natives, the building of churches, and establishing villages for the newly-baptized (most of them were nomadic or semi-nomadic). In December of that same year, Deacon Meletios was ordained to the holy priesthood. this time Father Meletios became the close friend of Vicar Bishop Benjamin of Selengin (later Archbishop of Irkutsk), and this friendship endured for the rest of their lives. Meletios’s work took him from place to place on the very borders of Mongolia. did not remain there long, however. On August 30, 1873 Archbishop Benjamin placed him in charge of the Irkutsk mission, on February 2, 1874 he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite of the Nilov Hermitage in the Sayansk Mountains. that time, his missionary work expanded a great deal, and even more so when he went to Kazan to learn the methods for translating Christian books into the native languages. his stay outside the mission, he visited his family in Viatka Province, visiting his mother and his brother, who was a priest in the village of Verkhovskoy, Nolinsky district, and made a pilgrimage in Moscow and Kiev. lived in Kazan until May 1875. his relationship with Professor Nicholas I. Il’minsky (1822-1891) and his assistants had great significance for the Saint’s future missionary work. the work of translating Christian teachings into spoken Buryat, Father Meletios was helped by the Buryat Jacob Chistokhin, his cell attendant (later a missionary of the Tunkinsky Territory). first book in the Buryat language was published at Kazan: “Teaching the newly-baptized about the Holy Christian Faith” (Поучение к новокрещёным о святой христианской вере). was a very important step, which led to the success of the work of evangelizing the natives during the five years that Archimandrite Meletios was in charge of the mission, and 11,000 natives were baptized. labors increased after his consecration as Vicar Bishop of the Irkutsk Diocese (1888-1896), and he was appointed to oversee the missionary territory east of Lake Baikal. regional city of Chita (Чита) became the center from which the missionary bishop went all around Lake Baikal, in 1881 (which was the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Trans-Baikal mission by the missionaries Theodosios and Makarios). went around preaching the Word of God throughout Trans-Baikal, enlightening his flock and shaping the churchly and secular lives of the newly- baptized in order to integrate them into the permanent Russian population. Meletios founded the Church Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodios, and of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk in Chita, in order to reinforce the spread of Christianity in his flock. did everything possible to strengthen his spiritual children by starting church schools. result of these measures while he was the head of the Eastern Baikal Mission was the conversion of some 4000 natives to Christianity from shamanism, and Lamaites.1 July 5, 1889 he was appointed Bishop of Yakutsk and arrived there on September 16. Diocese of Yakutsk previously had a worthy missionary bishop named Dionysios, who later became Bishop of Ufa. He may certainly be called the Apostle to the Yakuts. the first year in his new Diocese, Saint Meletios employed the methods he had learned from experience in his new territory. year he would inspect different sections of his vast Diocese. Although there were no roads, he covered tens of thousands of miles in one trip. built churches, and found generous donors for this purpose. his journeys he consecrated many of these churches himself, and organized church schools for them. the end of 1889, there were 77 churches in his Diocese, and 118 chapels. 1895, there were nine stone churches, 214 wooden churches, chapels, and houses of prayer. Later, the number of churches and schools increased. looking for ways to support the schools, Bishop Meletios requested and obtained an annual allowance of 6000 rubles, paid to him by the Department of Revenue. 1892, he organized the Church Brotherhood of Christ the Savior. was another aspect to his missionary work at Yakutsk, he was the first person to reduce and help to eradicate leprosy among his flock. 1890 there was an article in the Yakutsk Diocesan Journal # 17, entitled “Leprosy in the Vilyusk Region.” The following year, Miss Marsden, who was an English nurse, came to the region, and worked very hard to help those who were sick. Meletios was so energetic in his efforts to help her that he received a letter of thanks from the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. to say, his flock was most grateful to him for this. Therefore, when he left to go to the Diocese of Riazan, his farewell was exceptionally warm. Seldom has a bishop received such a farewell. October 14, 1896 he was named Bishop of Ryazan and Zaraysk. On November 27, he left Yakutsk and arrived in Ryazan on February 17, 1897. was no wonder that his flock at Riazan awaited their new Archpastor with great enthusiasm and expectation, since they knew of his past life of asceticism and missionary activity, and they were not disappointed in their expectations. This kindly hierarch, who demanded much of himself, yet was condescending to the weakness of others, was an excellent preacher and a true missionary. He left behind a vast legacy of good deeds which caused him to be remembered by the people of Ryazan. Also in 1897, he was made an honorary member of the Kazan Theological Academy. missionary activities in Siberia had a profound influence on his labors in his new Diocese. In the Diocese of Ryazan there were many Old Ritualists, and even Moslems. Bishop Meletios revived the mission to the Mohammedans, he also wrote a great deal. He published many of his sermons, missionary notes, and reports about the Eastern Baikal and Irkutsk missions. He also contributed many historical articles to various Orthodox journals, all for the sake of his missionary work, and not for personal gain. All of his articles came from his apostolic spirit and his character, which were revealed in all the places where he labored for the glory of God. his thirty-five years of missionary work, he was known as the “Apostle to the Yakuts, and Enlightener of the Gentiles in Siberia and Asia.” Meletios reposed on January 14, 1900, and was buried in the Cathedral of the Ryazan Kremlin. Saint Meletios was included in the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints in 1983. Lord Himself decided to glorify the relics of His saint: almost a hundred years after his repose his holy relics were found on June 18, 1998 in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of the Ryazan Kremlin, on the eve of the celebration of the Synaxis of the Ryazan Saints and the Synaxis of the Siberian Saints, and the eve of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Ryazan Diocese. On September 18, 1998, his relics were transferred to Ryazan’s Trinity Monastery. the course of 35 years of work in this field, he was called “The Apostle of the Yakuts and the Enlightener of the Pagans in Siberia and Asia.“ These were natives from southeastern Siberia, in the area near Tibet, who acknowledged the spiritual authority of the Dalai Lama.

Russia, Siberia, 1889-1916, Grigori Rasputin
Russia, Moscow, 1889-1916, Grigori Rasputin; St. Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25;

Russia, Siberia, 1900, 20th C, Rus-Japan War over Port Arthur

Russia, Siberia, 1904, 1905, Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905
Siberia, Russo-Japanese war in 1904, 1905; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Siberia, 1904-1905, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905
Siberia, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905; Port Arthur (Lushunkou District) ; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan Folder

Kazakhastan (Polovetsia)
Kazakhastan; Kazakh Steppe; Polovets, first encounter with the Mongol-Tartan Horde; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Zosimas of Tuman, Commemorated August 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; In 1223 the first Tatars (Mongols) appeared on the southern steppes, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœan unknown peopleÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, coming out of Asia. Their first victims were the Polovetsians allied with Rus. The Russian princes, with the Polovetsian khans (many of whom had accepted Holy Baptism), decided to resist the plunderers of the steppes before they reached the Russian Land. St Basil headed an auxiliary detachment, sent by Great Prince Yuri to participate in the Russian steppe campaign. The enemy showed up sooner than they expected. And the centuries-old division of appenage principalities proved incapable of effective action in a large scale war. The detachment of Basil was not in time for the decisive battle, and from Chernigov came the sad news of the destruction of the Russian forces at the River Kalka on June 16, 1223. This was a bad omen, and the storm loomed on the east. Basil and his company returned to Rostov.; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Kazak Steppe
Kazak Steppe; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Kazakhastan, Land of the Seljuk Turks (Kazakhstan)
Land of the Seljuk Turks ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12;

Russia, Siberia, Kazakhastan History

Mongol Horde, 1225-1241 (Mongol Origins of the Golden Horde)
Mongol Horde, 1225-1241 (Mongol Origins of the Golden Horde); Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Tokhtamysh Invasions of Russia 1382
Invasions of Russia 1382 by Tokhtamysh , ally and foe of Tammerlane (Timur) ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Russia, Siberia, Kazakhastan, 1671-1727, Philotheos oTobolsk, enlightener oSiberia, great admin &successful apostle, 400,000 C
Russia, Siberia, 1671-1727, Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11), enlightener oSiberia, 1702 Met oS, more extensive tToday, 1st centures example Spiritual Council, pastoral rules&instructions, more churches&pastors wBetter living conditions, widespread education, he funded Slavic-Russian school at Bishoprick, progenitor all Tobolsk schools, fOnly 160C t448 Churches&37Monasteries, renovations fBeauty, stopped supporting congregational Churches, cathedral choir fExiled Little Russians, pastoral success after he quit Met job & focused apostolic, began fKamchatka 1705, mObstacles, 1707 Ostyaks oBerezovsky, then Mongolia high priest Buddhists aKhalkhas, successful among Ostyaks, Voguls, other Siberian aliens, constant journeys among savages, teaching Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, far north churches Kyrgyz iAltai, Siberian outskirts Laplanders&Chukchi, baptized 400k foreigners, churches, parishes, cornerstones, not easy, traveling difficulties, muslim resistance, missionaries fled, Met P left alone on shore, bullet through clothing without touching, & danger at Konda, deceived Vogulsky Prince Satyga intended to kill Met P, warmly received S envoys who revealid plot, he sailed to S's camp, some fled but remaining baptized, other benefits to converts-protection, freedom, no head tax, no cart obligation, yasak payment benefits, no insults, Bread &Money distriution, so they loved him, 1711 illness, retired to Tyumen HT Monastery, received schema, as Theodore, even more difficult missionary feats nort of Siberia-1712 tBerezovsky T along Irtysh Ob &Sosve Rivers, supplied by Met John employees, by Prince Gagarin ship, rowers, interpreters, guard, 2000 Rubles, &gifts fNewly-baptized, Peter 1 wanted to destroy idols, proving them worthless, but Met P convinced Ostyaks to do it. 1715 replaced Tobolsk Siberian Met, attention to overseas Beijing Mission from 1714, sent Bishop to Beijing, retured second time 1726, visited Nizovsky T &Obdorsk, retired 1720 and 1726, died 1726, incorrupt relics Tobolsk; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Most Reverend hierarch, the renowned Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk, was from a noble, but poor family and received a theological degree at the then famous Kiev Theological Academy. the end of the course, he was ordained as a priest for one of the rural churches, but he was soon widowed. He was tonsured as a monk with the name Philotheos, and joined the brotherhood of the Kiev Caves Lavra. Siberia Christianity began to spread among the native pagans and Mohammedans from the very conquest of this country by the Russian state (in 1581), conversions of the Siberian non-Russians to faith in Christ were generally insignificant and mostly individual. newly-baptized aliens left their former places of residence and their compatriots and, settling in Russian cities and villages, they entered into the Russian population, their conversion did not influence the masses, who still remained solid pagans or Mohammedans. this was known to the great converter of Russia, Tsar Peter I, who decided to take measures to enlighten the Siberian aliens with the light of Christianity with them their neighbors, the Mongols and Chinese. implement this wise plan, by a decree of June 18, 1700, the Sovereign commanded Metropolitan Barlaam Yasinsky of Kiev to “find” in the Russian cities and monasteries Archimandrites, Igumens, and other monks to occupy the cathedra of Tobolsk, which had remained vacant after Metropolitan Ignatius. He wanted “Pastors who are not only good and adorned with a blameless life, but also scholars who would take with them to Siberia any educated monks who were capable of learning the local languages. God’s help, and with their help, the Metropolitan of Tobolsk could gradually lead the blind inhabitants of Siberia, Mongolia and China, who were stagnating in idolatry, to the knowledge of the true God. ” Barlaam’s choice fell on the Novgorod-Seversk Archimandrite Demetrios Tuptalo, later Saint Demetrios, the wonderworker of Rostov, who was summoned to Moscow in early 1700. On March 23, at the age of 50, he was consecrated as the Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk. Saint Demetrios ruled his Siberian flock for only nine months, but he did not live in Siberia. Saint Demetrios of Rostov was appointed to the Siberian Diocese, primarily for missionary purposes, he refused to go to Siberia for good and was transferred to the cathedra of Rostov. Archimandrite Philotheos Leschinsky was appointed as someone who was well-known for his pious life, high education and energy. He was consecrated as Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk on January 4, 1702. Diocese of Tobolsk and Siberia is extensive today; but in the 17th and early 18th centuries it was incomparably more extensive; borders were then in the north - the Arctic Sea, in the east - the Pacific Ocean, in the south - lands under the Chinese emperor, i.e. Dauria and so on, and the Kirghiz-kaysati steppe, in the west - the Urals and even part of European Russia, to the fortress of Beerskaya and Achitskaya. general, the diocese occupied more than 300,000 square miles, a space in which there are currently more than nine independent dioceses with several vicariates. difficulty of administering such a huge diocese was increased by its complete lack of organization. the new bishop of Siberia, Metropolitan Philotheos, energetically set to work. the very first year of his stay in Siberia he followed the example of the pastors of the first centuries of Christianity, decided to assemble a spiritual council from representatives of the Siberian clergy for the improvement of the Siberian Church. a council took place in Tobolsk in December 1702. It developed a number of rules and instructions to the clergy regarding the streamlining of their pastoral work. the new Metropolitan of Siberia occupied himself with the Tobolsk episcopal residence, multiplying churches in Siberia, increasing the number of clergy, improving their condition, etc. They paid great attention to widespread education, and he first set an example by teaching foreign children in the religious schools he established. order to provide the diocese with good pastors, Metropolitan Philotheos started a “Slavic-Russian” school in the episcopal residence, and paid for it with his own money. became the progenitor of all educational institutions in the city of Tobolsk. also got several learned monks from Kiev as teachers for the school. Metropolitan Philotheos took over the administration of the Tobolsk diocese, there were only 160 churches throughout its vast area. The saint made tremendous efforts to multiply of the churches of God in Siberia, and the Lord blessed these works with success. By the time he left the diocese there were already up to 448 churches and 37 monasteries. new churches, he also took care of maintaining their well-being and beauty: asked the government for permission to renovate some of the monasteries; stopped issuing “wax, incense, and red wine” to the congregational and unpaid churches. the cathedral, permission was given to form a choir of singers from the exiled Little Russians. missionary activity of Metropolitan Philotheos among the Siberian pagans was the main subject of his cares and labors and was crowned with good success, which the archpastor achieved, not during his administration of the diocese, but after his release from it, when he devoted himself entirely to the apostolic ministry. hierarch began his educational activity from Kamchatka, where in 1705 he sent a missionary, Archimandrite Martinian, and after him the missionary monk Ignatius Kozyrevsky, but the preaching of these missionaries was not particularly successful, since the missionaries had to experience many obstacles. hierarch’s second mission was sent in 1707 to the Ostyaks of the Berezovsky Territory, the third to Mongolia, to the Kutuhta (high priest) of the Buddhists, to the town of Khalkhas. preaching of the Tobolsk Metropolitan among the Ostyaks, Voguls and other Siberian aliens was particularly successful. by an insignificant retinue, with the then impossible ways of communication, the ever-memorable missionary spent most of his archpastoral ministry in Siberia in c,onstant journeys among savages, the Samoyeds, Voguls, Ostyaks, building churches in the far north, in the Kyrgyz territory in the Altai, then enlightening the distant sons of the outskirts of Siberia, Laplanders and Chukchi, helping them spiritually and materially. all the time of his archpastoral ministry, he enlightened and baptized up to 400,000 foreigners, to mention how many churches this great architect built across Siberia, how many parishes he founded, how many cornerstones he laid, so to speak, for the spread of Christianity among the pagans. It was not easy for Metropolitan Philotheos. Not to mention the incredible difficulties traveling along the wild outskirts, across steppes and marshes, taiga and northern tundra; not to mention all sorts of hardships associated with traveling under such conditions; the very life of the Metropolitan was repeatedly endangered. he came to the Ostyaks of Burinsky. Those who were invited to be baptized that they were Muslims and no one had the right to baptize them. left him and locked themselves in one large yurt.1 His Eminence nevertheless remained in their territory and from time to time he sent them missionaries who were with him to summon the Ostyaks. same savages, in order to put an end to the matter all at once, according to the suggestion of the Tatar preacher hiding from them, seized their weapons, and fiercely rushed at the Orthodox missionaries. of them was wounded in the head with an arrow, the other in the shoulder, and the third was punctured through and through by their hands. fright, the unarmed Russians all fled from the shore onto the ships. Metropolitan, who was then praying for the restraint of his enemies, was left alone on the shore. the Ostyak foreman Uman fired a rifle at the Metropolitan, but God preserved His Apostle-Preacher. The bullet passed through his clothing without touching his body. another occasion, the Metropolitan was threatened with danger in Konda. he stayed in the Katyshev yurts to rest, a messenger came to him from Vogulsky Prince Satyga inviting him to hasten to the nomad camp because a lot of people had gathered there, desiring to be baptized. fact, as it turned out, Satyga was deceived by a Tatar from Tobolsk, as though the Tsar himself wanted the Metropolitan’s death, and that there would be no punishment for the murderers. intended to kill Philotheos and all those with him. But for now, the Metropolitan avoided danger. ’s envoys were received kindly by the Metropolitan, and after receiving generous gifts, they informed Philotheos of the danger that threatened him. overtook the missionaries, and many advised him to flee to Tobolsk. Some, however, argued that such cowardice would impair the future work of preaching the Word of God. Metropolitan agreed with those who wished to stay, and it was decided to sail down to the nomad camp. was frightened when he learned that his plans were known to the Metropolitan. The intruders fled into the forest, and the remaining Voguls were willingly baptized. Philotheos not only cared about the spiritual enlightenment of the pagans who converted, but he also tried to deliver those or other benefits to the converts in civil matters. his request, those who were persecuted by the unbaptized were protected from being chased by guards; slaves were given their freedom, those who were included in the head tax were exempted from it. was relieved of the obligation to supply carts, received benefits in the payment of the yasak, they were protected from insults and harassment by the Cossacks and minor officials. Metropolitan distributed a significant amount of bread and money to the newly-baptized poor, and, in general, he helped as much as he could, anyway. newly-baptized loved the Metropolitan as a father. When he visited them, they immediately went out to meet him and greeted him with cordiality and pleasure clearly written on their faces; willingly they heeded his instructions, and gave a firm promise to put his advice into practice. general, they accepted the Metropolitan as their benefactor and their protector, as a man sent from God. memory of Metropolitan Philotheos still lives among the aliens who were enlightened by him. For example, the Ostyaks, when they were asked about him, usually said: “He was a kindly old man; the people did not give offense; he loved the Ostyaks very, very much.... ” 1711, Metropolitan Philotheos was relieved of the administration of the diocese “due to illness,” and retired to the Tyumen Holy Trinity Monastery, he received the schema and the name Theodore. Metropolitan did not give up his archiepiscopal cathedra for rest and peace, now that he was burdened with age and illnesses, but for even more difficult feats of missionary work in the harsh north of Siberia. June 1712, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore, the blessing of the then Siberian archpastor, Metropolitan John Maximovitch (June 10), by his own desire and inclination, and at the suggestion of Prince M. Gagarin, who was then the governor of Siberia, who fulfilled the command of Peter I to begin preaching the Gospel among Siberians, and entered into this apostolic spiritual exploit. that year, the hierarch made his first missionary journey to Berezovsky territory along the rivers Irtysh, Ob and Sosve. John, who ruled the diocese, gave him capable employees, Prince Gagarin supplied him from the treasury with a vessel for sailing, rowers, interpreters of the native languages, a guard for preserving the mission, the sum of 2000 rubles, and various gifts for newly-baptized. to the ukaz of Peter the Great, the evangelizer of Siberia wished to prepare the ground of this field on his previous journey; is, to destroy the pagan places of worship with their idols, and to show the pagans how powerless their imaginary gods are to protect even themselves. the help of God, Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore managed to convince the Ostyaks, who lived near Samarov and in the yurts of Sherkal, to destroy the idols which were especially honored in those districts. June 10, 1715, Metropolitan John Maximovich of Tobolsk reposed, and the aged Metropolitan Schema-monk Theodore was again entrusted with the administration of the Siberian Diocese, he did not stop his favorite missionary activity. Schema-monk Theodore was so fond of the enlightened Ostyaks that, a year before his death, being retired and ill for the second time, the patient visited Nizovsky territory again in 1726 and even reached far off Obdorsk. this was to be the last journey of the ever-memorable hierarch. his second administration of the diocese, Metropolitan Theodore paid attention to the overseas Beijing mission, which from 1714 was headed by Archimandrite Hilarion of Lezhaysk, who was sent to the capital of China by imperial command, under Metropolitan John Maximovich. the death of this Archimandrite, his successor Anthony Platkovsky was appointed head of the mission, and returned to Russia in 1721, according to the suggestion of the Most Reverend Theodore and the Siberian governor, as well as the highest levels of government, it was decided to send a bishop to Beijing. during his first administration of the Tobolsk diocese, he had a vicar bishop, Barlaam Kossovsky, the Bishop of Irkutsk from 1706. He lived in Irkutsk until 1714, when he returned to Moscow, and he was soon appointed to the archiepiscopal cathedra of Tver. Theodore’s second tenure in the Siberian Diocese lasted for five years. 1720, at his own request, Tsar Peter I sent him a letter granting him retirement, in which he gave thanks to the holy hierarch of God for his zealous pastoral service, especially for his tireless and successful work in the missionary field. addition, the archpastor received a retirement pension: 200 rubles in cash, 50 quarters of bread (3000 bushels of grain) per year. exhausted hierarch settled in the Tyumen monastery which he himself had built. May 31, 1727, he reposed at the age of 76, among the brethren and children of the newly-baptized. by his portraits, Metropolitan Philotheos was tall, lean, with a long nose, and gray hair. to his character, in the words of the Siberian Chronicle of Cherepanov, “he was quiet, very indulgent to all, and had very little vanity.” life was most active and simple; in the summertime, he often used to go on foot to Tobolsk to the Ivanov monastery and fished there in the Shantalyne River. alone, he taught the children of the newly-baptized to read, write, and sing in his leisure hours. of them lived in his cell. he composed Church hymns; example - the Troparion and Kontakion of the wonderworker Saint Simeon of Verkhoturye (December 18), a Canon to the martyr Basil of Mangazea (March 23),2 and others, as well as poems of religious content. his own hand, he wrote many of the documents which he issued, especially those concerning the newly-baptized, or pertaining to the episcopal estates. only the residents of Tyumen, but also those from other places in Siberia, visit the grave of the pious archpastor with reverence and offer memorial services for him.3 the Russian Revolution, his relics were secretly reburied. On October 21, 2006, the incorrupt relics of Saint Philotheos were found in Tyumen in the Ascension-Saint George Church. Philotheos is commemorated on May 31, and also on June 10, the Synaxis of Siberian saints. 1 A yurt was a sort of tepee made from animal skins. 2 See Orthodox Life # 2, 1972. 3 Source: The Russian Pilgrim, 1900 (Русский Паломник, 1900 г.)

Russia, Siberia, Kazakhastan, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk, fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance
Russia, Siberia, 1820-1872, Domna oTomsk (Tom River Mouth, Ob River 5), fool fC, tears, continuous prayer, poverty, heat&cold, clairvoyance; Tomsk; Saint Domna of Tomsk, Commemorated on October 16; holy fool Saint Domna (Karpovna) was born into a noble family the central Ukraine around the beginning of the nineteenth century. at an early age, Saint Domna grew up in her aunt’s house. received an excellent education, and was able to speak several languages. was a beautiful girl, and therefore she had many suitors who hoped to marry her. righteous one, however, desired to preserve her virginity for the Lord’s sake. she discovered that her relatives wished to force her to be married, she left the house in secret, dressed in plain clothing, and she went on pilgrimage to the holy places. Since she had no documents to prove her identity, she was arrested and exiled to Siberia, where she settled in the city of Tomsk. There she undertook the exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Domna had no permanent home, and she often spent her days and nights in the open air. Her clothes consisted of various items in different sizes, which hung from her almost naked body. Bags of all sorts hung from her body, filled with bits of glass, incense, bread, sugar, shoes, ropes, stones, and other things. Saint Domna often counted them instead of the knots on a prayer rope, thereby concealing her unceasing prayer from human sight. When compassionate people gave her coats during the severe winters, she accepted them with gratitude, but a few hours later she would give them to some other beggar, while she continued to suffer from the cold. about the difficult stay of the prisoners in the Tomsk police station, Domna began to walk among them and sing spiritual songs, for which she herself was detained. learning of this, the Tomsk merchants, who revered Domna, carried her loads of cakes, bliny, tea and sugar, which she meted out to the distressed prisoners. the words of Holy Scripture: “A righteous man pities the lives of his animals” (Proverbs 12:10, Septuagint), the saint also took care of stray animals and watchdogs. She often fed them, and she was fond of the dogs, about whom the owners did not care, turning them loose at will. Animals also loved the righteous one and by night a multitude of them surrounded her. But even among dumb animals Domna Karpovna did not forget about God. The residents of Tomsk, amid the howling of dogs, often heard her prayer in the darkness: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” blessed one prayed intensely and fervently in the temple, but only when there were just a few people present. One eyewitness described her prayer: “Once I glanced into the side chapel of the church, and there I saw Domna Karpovna, kneeling, and praying. Oh, how she prayed! And the tears, the tears! They flowed from her eyes in two streams.” But as soon as she noticed someone was looking at her, she began to behave like a fool again, moving from place to place, talking, and extinguishing candles. her exploit of foolishness Saint Domna preserved her virginity, voluntarily enduring poverty, suffering from the heat and cold, and putting the sinful passions to death. At the end of her life she received the gift of clairvoyance from the Lord, which served for the spiritual benefit of others. She surrendered her soul to God on October 16, 1872, and she was buried in the convent of Saint John the Baptist in Tomsk. Church of Russia glorified Saint Domna in 1984. She is also commemorated on June 10, the Synaxis of All Saints of Siberia. Some sources give December 16 as the day of her repose. Today, not far from Saint Domna’s burial place, a chapel was built and dedicated to her.

Russia, Siberia, 1885-1918, Hieromartyr Basil, Dalmatovo, Dalmation Monastery, Western Siberia (Iset River 1)
Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1); Hieromartyr Basil, Commemorated on June 28; Hieromartyr Basil (Sitnikov) was a deacon of the Dalmatov - Saint Nicholas Church in the province of Perm. graduated from the three classes of the religious school, and beginning in 1885, he served as a Reader. 1898, he was ordained as a deacon, first at Saint John the Baptist Church in the village of Izyeduga in the Shadrinsk district of the Yekaterinburg diocese. he served in the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the village of Baklanskoye in that same district. November 5, 1913, he was transferred to the Saint Nicholas Church in the city of Dalmatov, he was put to death by the atheists who had come to power. 1918, after the priests Vladimir Sergeiev and Alexander Sidorov were arrested, Deacon Basil began to reproach the atheists for plundering the property of these arrested shepherds. took note of this and got their revenge. Basil Sitnikov was killed on the day after the priests with whom he served, on June 28, 1918.

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River Folder

Irtysh River

Irtysh River Source (Altay mountains in Xinjiang, China)
From its origins as the Kara-Irtysh (Black Irtysh) in the Mongolian Altay mountains in Xinjiang, China; Irtysh River;

Irtysh River 1 (Lake Zaysan)

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Zyryan Folder (Upper Eastside Irtysh River)

Zyryan, Kazakhastan (Upper Irtysh River)
Zyryan; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Zosimas of Tuman, Commemorated August 8 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated October 12 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Zyryan District (East Kazakhastan)
Zyryan District; Komi-Zyrani People from the rivers: Vychegda, Pechora, and Kama; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Zyryani people, Komi-Zyrians, Komi People (Upper Eastside Irtysh River, Kazakhastan)
Zyryani people, Komi-Zyrians, Komi People; St. Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St. Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24;

Irtysh River 2

Irtysh River 3

Maiuma District Kazakhstan, Westside of Irtysh River
Maiuma is May May District, Kazakhstan; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma

Irtysh River 4

Irtysh River 6 (Omsk, Trans-Siberian Road)

Omsk (Irtysh River 6)
Omsk;

Liubimsk District, Kazakhstan
Liubimsk District; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ;

Irtysh River 11 (Tobolsk, Tobol River Mouth)

Abalak, Siberia (Irtysh River 11, Tobol River Mouth)
Abalak, Siberia (Irtysh River 11, Tobol River Mouth); Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10;

Raphael (Tobolsk)
Raphael (Tobolsk);

Ostyak Khanty People, Irtysh River 11, Tobolsk, Kazakhastan, Siberia
Ostyak Khanty People, Irtysh River 11, Tobolsk, Kazakhastan, Siberia ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River Folder

Tobol (Iset) River

Tobol (Iset) River Source (along the border)

Tobol River 1 (Lisakovsk)

Tobol River 2 (Rudniy)

Tobol River 3 (Kostanay)

Tobol River 4

Uy River Mouth (Tobol River 4)

Ubagan River Mouth (Tobol River 4)

Tobal River 5 (Kurgan)

Tobol River 6 (Yalutorovsk)

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 6, Iset River Folder

Iset River

Iset River Source (Ekaterinburg, Western Siberia)

Ekaterinburg, Western Siberia (Iset River Source)
Ekaterinburg; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Iset River 1 (Dalmatovo)

Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1)
Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1); Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Basil, Commemorated on June 28;

Dalmatovo, Dalmation Monastery, Western Siberia (Iset River 1)
Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1); Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Basil, Commemorated on June 28;

Iset River Mouth (Tobol River 6)

Tobol River 7 (Tura and Tavada Rivers)

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tavada River Folder

Tavda River

Tavda River Source (Ural Mountains, Sosve River)

Lozva River

Lozva River Source

Lozva River Mouth

Sosve River (Northern Urals, Tavda River Source)
Sosve River (Northern Urals); Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Sosve River

Tavada River 1

Tavada River Mouth (Tobol River 7)

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tura River Folder

Tura River

Tura River Source (Ural Mountains)

Tura River 1 (Verkhoturye)

Verkhoturye, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Tura River 1)
Verkhoturye (Tura River) ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ;

Tura River 2

Tura River 3

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tura River 3, Nevya River Folder

Nevya River

Neyva River Source (Ural Mountains)

Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk diocese (Neyva River Source)
St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan;

Nevya River 1 (Abalaka)

Abalaka, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River 1)
Abalaka, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Alopaevsk River Mouth, Neyva River) ; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated on November 27 ;

Alapaikha River Mouth (Alopaevsk, Neyva River 1)

Tura River 4 (Tuman)

Tuman, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Tyumen, Tiumen.Tura River 4)
Tuman, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Tiumen.Tura River 4) ; Venerable Zosimas of Tuman, Commemorated August 8 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Tura River 5

Tura River Mouth (Tobol River 7)

Tobol River Mouth (Tobolsk, Irtysh River 11)

Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11)
Tobolsk; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Irtysh River 14 (Overview)

Kondia People, Konda River (Irtysh River 14.5) a Mansi People
Kondia People, Konda River (Irtysh River 14.5) Mansi People; Konda River (Irtysh River 14.5); Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31

Irtysh River Mouth (Ob River 13)
Irtysh River, land of the Polovetsians first to be attacked by the Asians (Mongols or Tartars); The Irtysh is actually longer than the Ob at their confluence, so seeing the two rivers together is a better view of the Irtysh: Ob River; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Ural River Folder

Orenburg, Kazakhstan (Ural River 4)
Orenburg ; Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Kholmogor, Kzakhstan, Siberia, 52ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 43' 0" North, 55ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 46' 0" East (Ural River 3, near Orenburg)
Kholmogor, Kzakhstan, Siberia 52ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 43' 0" North, 55ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 46' 0" East; Saint Metrophanes (in schema Macarius), Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23;

Ural River Source (Southern Ural Mountains)

Ural River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Lake Balkhash Folder

Kazakhastan, Capital of the White Horde - Lake Balkhash
Capital of the White Horde - Lake Balkhash; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Ili River

Ili Rive Source

Alma-Atu, Silk Road North 7, Turkestan, Kazakistan
Alma-Atu, Silk Road North 7, Turkestan, Kazakistan; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15;

Ili River Mouth (Lake Balkhash)

Karatal River

Karatal River Mouth (Lake Balkhash)

Asku River

Aksu River Mouth (Lake Balkhash)

Qapal River

Lepsi River

Lepsi River Mouth (Lake Balkhash)

Alakol River

Dzungarian Gate (a pass for invasion)
Dzungarian Gate (a pass for invasion);

Dzungarian Basin
Dzungarian Basin;

Dzungarian Alatau Mountains
Dzungarian Alatau Mountains;

Alakol River Mouth (Lake Balkhash)

Lake Balkhash, sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin.
Lake Balkhash, sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin. ;

Russia, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Turkestan Folder

Turkestan, Kazakhstan
Turkestan literally means land of the Turks; Turks; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Polovets, Kazakhstan (Polotsians)
Polovetsian ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 27 ;

Syr Darya River

Syr Darya Source ( confluence of Naryn and Kara Darya Rivers)

Syr Darya River Mouth (Aral Sea)

Russia, Siberia, Southwestern Siberia, Uzbekistan Folder

Uzbekistan (from Syr Darya River to Oxus River)
Uzbekistan ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Uzbekistan History Folder

Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Siberia, Uzbekistan, Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Timurid Emperor, 1370-1405, Tammerlane aka Timur
Timurid Emperor, 1370-1405, Tammerlane aka Timur ; Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, Siberia, Uzbekistan, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat.

Oxus River from Second Source

Oxus River Mouth (South Aral Sea)

Khwarazm Oasis Region
100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols;

Syr Darya Mouth (Aral Sea)

Issyk Kul (Warm Lake) an endorheic saline lake in the western Tianshan Mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan, just south of a dividing range separating Kyrgyzstan from Kazakhstan. It is the eighth-deepest lake in the world, the eleventh-largest lake in the world by volume (though not in surface area), the deepest lake whose deepest point is above sea level (3,080 feet)
Issyk-Kul (Warm Lake);

Naryn River

Naryn River Source (Tian Shan Mountains)

Naryn River Mouth (Syr Darya River Source)

Kara Darya River

Kara Darya River Source (a confluence)

Kara Darya River Mouth (Syr Darya River Source)

Fergana Valley
Fergana Valley; Fergana Range; Tar River (Kyrgystan); Kara Darya River; Naryn River; Syr Darya River;

Tar River

Tar River (Kyrgyzstan) Source (Kegart River)

Tar River (Kyrgyzstan) Mouth (Kara Darya River Source)

Russia, Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River Folder

Ob River

Ob River Source (Biya and Katun River Confluence)

Russia, Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Orb River Source, Katun and Biya Rivers Folder

Katun River

Biya River

Katun River Source (Mt. Belukha Glacier)
Katun River Source (Mt. Belukha Glacier);

Altai Mountains
Altai Mountains;

Biya River Source (Lake Teletskoye )

Katun River Mouth (Ob River Source)

Biya River Mouth (Ob River Source)

Ob River 1 (Altai Krai)

Altai Krai (near Ob River 1)
Altai Krai;

Ob River 2

Ob River 3

Ob River 4 (Novosibirsk and Sibirsk Crossing of the RWY)

Sibirsk (Siberian Federal District, Ob River 4)
Sibirsk (Siberian Federal District); Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Novosibirsk (Ob River 4), Siberia
Novosibirsk; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30;

Ob River 5 (near Tomsk on Tomsk River)

Russia, Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River 5, Tom River Folder

Tom River

Abakan Range

Tom River Source (Abakan Range)

Tom River 1

Tom River 2

Tom River 3

Tom River Mouth (Ob River 5)

Tomsk (Tom River Mouth, Ob River 5)
Tomsk; Saint Domna of Tomsk, Commemorated on October 16;

Ob River 6 (Chulym River)

Russia, Siberia, Westentral Siberia, Ob River 6, Chulym River Folder

Chulym River

Chulym River Source (Abakan Range)

Chulym River 1 (Nazarovo, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Trans-Siberian Road)

Achinsk (Chulym River 1, Ob River)
Achinsk;

Chulym River 2

Chulym River 3 (Asino)

Chulym River 4

Chulym River Mouth (Ob River 6)

Ob River 7

Surgut, Siberia (Ob River 11.5)
Surgut, Siberia; New Hieromartyr Elias (Gromoglasov) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Ob River 12 (Vogul District, near Asyka)

Ob River 13 (Irtysh River Mouth)

Ob River 14 (Vogul District)

Asyka, Vogul District (Ob River 14)
Asyka, Vogul District (Ob River 14); Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yugra or Iuhra (Old Russian ÃƒÂÂÂÂÃ‚Â®ÃƒÂÂÂÂÃ‚Â³ÃƒÂ‘Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂÂÂÂÃ‚Â°, c.f. Byzantine Greek ÃƒÂŽÃ‚ÂŸÃƒÂ¡Ã‚Â½Ã‚Â”ÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â³ÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â³ÃƒÂÂÂÂÃ‚ÂÂÂÂÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â¿ÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â¹[clarification needed]) was the name of the lands between the Pechora River and Northern Urals in the Russian annals of the 12thÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“17th centuries, as well as the name of the Khanty and partly Mansi tribes inhabiting these territories, later known as Voguls. The KhantyÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia is also called Yugra. The name Yugra also gave rise to the modern adjective Ugric.; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ;

Vogul District, Ob River, Siberia (Land of the Vogulians)
Mansi people; Voguls; Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ;

Ob River 16 (Vogul District)

Ob River Mouth (Gulf of Ob, Artic Ocean)
Ob River ;

Khe on the mouth of the Ob
Khe on the mouth of the Ob; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ;

Russia, Siberia, Southern Siberia, Kyrgyzstan Folder, Tarim Basin

Tarim Basin
Tarim Basin;

Kyrgyzstan (Kegart and Toshkan Rivers Drainage)
Kyrgyzstan (Kegart and Toshkan Rivers Drainage); Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Kyrgyz people
Kyrgyz people; Kyrgyzstan (Kegart and Toshkan Rivers Drainage); Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Kalmyks People in Kyrgyzstan, Tarim Basin
Kalmyks People in Kyrgyzstan; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15;

Toshkan River Mouth (Asku River)

Toshkan River

Yarkand River Mouth (Tarim River Source)

Yarkund River

Hotan River (Summer Only)

Hotan River Mouth (Terin River, Summer Only)

Torugart Pass

Chatyrkol Lake
Chatyrkol Lake;

a River to Kashgar Oasis, China

Kegart River Source (southwest slope of Fergana Range)

Kegart River 1

Fergana Range
Fergana Range;

Tian Shan Mountains
Tian Shan Mountains;

Aksu River Source (Tian Shan Mountains)

Asku River 1

Aksu River (Xinjiang) Mouth (Tarim River Source)

Aksu River

Tarim River Source ( a confluence)

Tarim River Mouth (Tarim Lake)

Tarim River

Russia, Siberia, Northcentral Siberia, Taz River Folder

Taz River Region

Ostyaks-Ket People (Taz River between Yenesi and Ob Rivers)
Ostyaks-Ket People;

Taz River

Taz River Source (along the border, high point western siberian plane, Lake Dynda)

Taz River 1

Taz River 2

Taz River 3 (Mangazeya)

Mangazeya, Siberia (Taz River 3)
Mangazea; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated November 26 ; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ;

Taz River 4

Taz River Mouth (Taz Estuary)

Caselka River

Russia, Siberia, Central Siberia, Yenisei River Folder

Yenisei River Region, its Area

Yenisei or Tungus River

Ostyak Ket People (Yenisei River, Siberia)
Ostyak Ket People (Yenisei River, Siberia) ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Yenisei (Tungsa) River Source (Mungaragyin-Gol Ridge, Mongolia)

Yenisei River 1

Kyzyl (Yenisei River 1)
Kyzyl

Shagonar (Yenisei River 2)
Shagonar;

Yenisei River 2

Sayanogorsk (Yenisei River 3)
Sayanogorsk;

Yenisei River 3 (Chernogorsk and Abakan)

Chernogorsk, Siberia (Yenisei River 3)
Chernogorsk (Yenisei River 3) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated on August 22 ;

Chernogorsk monastery in the Arkhangelsk diocese
Chernogorsk monastery in the Arkhangelsk diocese Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Near the dvina (a common word for river) When Stephen returned home in 1629 and showed the icon to George Lytkin, he remembered his vision and he set off to the Dvina outskirts to the Chernogorsk monastery (so called because it was built on a hilly and somber place. From of old it had been named "Black Hill", but afterwards the monastery changed the name to "Pretty Hill".

Black Hill or Pretty Hill, Siberia (Yenisei River 3)
Chernogorsk monastery in the Arkhangelsk diocese Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ;

Abakan (Yenisei River 3)
Abakan;

Yenisei River 4 (Trans-Siberian Road, Krasnoyarsk)

Divnogorsk, Siberia (Yenisei River 4)
Divnogorsk, Siberia (Yenisei River 4) ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Rescuer of the DrowningÂ, Commemorated on February 5;

Krasnoyarsk (Yenisei River 4)
Krasnoyarsk;

Yenisei (Tungus) River 5 (Angora River Mouth)

Russia, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Folder

Angara River

Baikal Region, Lake Baikal, Siberia
Lake Baikal; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 2;

Angara River Source (Lake Baikal)

Posolskiy monastery on Lake Baikal 52°1'3"N 106°10'41"E
Posolskiy monastery on Lake Baikal; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14;

Selengin, Lake Baikal (Selenga River Mouth)
Selengin, Lake Baikal; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14;

Nilov Hermitage, Sayansk Mountains, home Meletios' friend Vicar Bishop Benjamin of Selengin
Nilov Hermitage, Sayansk Mountains; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14;

Russia, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Source, Selenga River Folder

Selenga River

Selenga River Delgermoron or Ider headwaters 2

Selenga River Delgermoron or Ider headwaters 1

Selenga River headwaters Khovsgol River

Selenga River Source (Confluence Delgermoron and Ider Rivers)

Selenga River 1

Selenga River 2

Selenga River 3

Selenga River 10 (Orkhon River Mouth)

Selenga River 30 (Buryatia, Trans-Siberian Road)

Buryatia, Siberia (Selenga River 30)
Buryatia; Buryats; Lake Baikal Region; (Upper and Lower) Angara River St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Buryats, Land of the Buryats
Buryats; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Selenga River Mouth (Lake Baikal, Angara River Source)

Russia, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Source, Barguzin River Folder, Buryatia

Barguzin River

Buryatia, Siberia (Land of the Buryats)
Buryatia; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Daurian peoples, Buryatia, Siberia (Land of the Buryats)
Buryatia; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Barguzin Nature Reserve, Siberia
Barguzin Nature Reserve;

Barguzin River Mouth (Lake Baikal, Angara River Source

Upper Angara River

Upper Angara River 1

Upper Angara River 2 (Novy Uoyan)

Upper Angara River Source (Barguzin, Buryatia)

Upper Angara River Mouth (Lake Baikal)

Angara River 1 (Irkutsk)

Irkutsk, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14)
Irkutsk; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated July 26 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Translation of the relics of St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on June 30; Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and All Siberia, reposed on March 30, 1771, the second day of Holy Pascha. While they awaited a decision of the Holy Synod concerning the burial, his body remained unburied for six months, and during this time it was not subject to decay. Then, in view of this circumstance, and also knowing about the strict ascetic life of Saint Sophronius, the flock began to venerate him as a saint of God. (in 1833, 1854, 1870, 1909) his relics were seen to be incorrupt, and a source of grace-filled miracles. A fire occurring on April 18, 1917 at the Theophany Cathedral at Irkutsk left only the bones of the holy bishop. This did not diminish, but on the contrary, it increased the reverent veneration of the saint by the faithful of the nation. local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in its deliberations of April 10/23, 1918 decided to glorify Bishop Sophronius, numbering him among the holy saints of God. This solemnity of adding Saint Sophronius to the list of the saints was done on June 30. At a second session of this Council under the presidency of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (now Saint Tikhon) a Service to Saint Sophronius was approved, with a Troparion composed by Archbishop John, who at that time guided the Irkutsk diocese, so that all believers would have the possibility of adding prayer to the holy saint into the voice of the Siberian churches, deeply venerating the memory of their illuminator and intercessor. at the present time believers turn for help to Saint Sophronius. Prayers witness to this, having been composed on the day of the 40th year celebration of the glorification of the holy hierarch on July 13,1958, by Metropolitan Nestor (Anisimov), then Metropolitan of Novosibirsk and Barnaulsk, and a solemn feast of the 200 year anniversary of the day of death of Saint Sophronius took place at the Zolotonoshsk Krasnogorsk women’s monastery and in the Irkutsk diocese (Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1971, No. 9), and he is venerated by all believers of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Siberian Ukrainian Baroque Churches, St. Sophronius, 1790's
Siberian Ukrainian Baroque Churches, St. Sophronius, 1790's; St. Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Tungusk, Land of the Tunguska People - Angara River 1, Siberia
The Tunguska Rivers including the Angara are the Eastern tributaries of the north flowing Yenisei River. The people of the Tunguska Language are the people of the land of these Tunguska rivers. The Tunguska settlers were moved down to Zeya River that flows south into the Amur River. Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Angara River 2

Angara River 3

Angara River 4 (Bratsk)

Bratsk, Siberia (Angara River 4)
Bratsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, not Bratsk, Siberia, Commemorated September 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated December 10 ;

Angara River 5

Russia, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River 5, Ilim River Folder

Ilim River

Ilim River Source (Irkutskaya)

Ilimsk, Siberia (flooded 1970 by Ilim River Reservoir)
Ilimsk; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26 ;

Ilim River Mouth (Angara River 5)

Angara River Mouth (Yenisei River 5)

Lesosibirsk (Yenisei River 6)
Lesosibirsk;

Yeniseysk (Yenisei River 6)
Yeniseysk;

Yenisei River 6

Stony Tunguska River Mouth (Yenisei River 8)

Tungus People, Siberia (3 Tunguska Rivers: Angara, Stony and Lower Tanguska (Yenisei River)
Tungus People (3 Tunguska Rivers: Angara, Stony and Lower Tanguska rivers: Tributaries of the Yeniesei in Eastern Siberia) ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Turuhan region, Siberia (Yenisei River 10)
Turuhan region; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Tunguska People - From Right Tributaries of the Yenisei (Tunguska) River to Pacific Ocean
Tunguska People - From Right Tributaries of the Yenisei River to Pacific Ocean; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Lower Tunguska River Mouth (Yenisei River 11)

Igarka (Yenisei River 13)
Igarka;

Dudinka (Yenisei River 14)
Dudinka;

Yenisei (Tungsa) River Mouth (Artic Ocean)

Russia, Siberia, Eastcentral Siberia, Lena River Folder

Lena River

Verkhoyansk Range
Verkhoyansk Range;

Lena River Source (above Lake Baikal)

Lena River 1

Lena River 2 (Kirensk)

Kirensk, Siberia (Lena River 2)
Kirensk Holy Trinity monastery; Kirensk ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Lena River 3

Lena River 4

Lena River 9 (Yakutsk, Aldan River Mouth)

Yakutsk, Siberia (Lena River 9, Tract from Y to Okhotsk)
Yakutsk; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Yakut People
Yakut People; Yakutsk; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ;

Tract from Yakutsk to Okhotsk
St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Lena River 11 (Aldan River Mouth)

Russia, Siberia, Eastcentral Siberia, Lena River 11, Aldan River Folder

Aldan River

Aldan River Source (Stanovoy Range)

Stanovoy Range (seperates Artic from Pacific drainage)
Stanovoy Range;

Aldan River 1 (Aldan, Russia)

Aldan River 2 (Tommot, Russia)

Aldan River 3 (Ust-Maya, Russia)

Aldan River 4 (Eldikan, Russia)

Aldan River 5 (Khandyga, Russia)

Aldan River Mouth (Lena River 11)
Aldan River; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Lena River 12 (Overview)

Vilyuy River Mouth (Lena River 12)

Lena River Mouth (Lena Delta Artic Ocean)

Artic Sea (Artic Ocean)
Artic Sea (Artic Ocean); St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region Folder

Okhotsk (Okhotska River, Sea of Okhotsk, Siberia)
Okhotsk, on the Okhotsa River; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Tungusian peoples, Okhotsk Region
Tungusian peoples, Okhotsk Region; Okhotsk, on the Okhotsa River; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk History Folder

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia,Okhotsk, 1603-1671, Hierotheus Khabarov
Hierotheus Khabarov 1603-1671; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, 1652-1695, China War of the Amur Region
Russia China War of the Amur Region (1652-1695) ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, 1684-1686, Chinese Invasions of Albazin
Chinese Invasions of Albazin (1684-1686) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, 1685-1686, Defense of Albazin
Defense of Albazin (1685-1686); Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905
Siberia, Okhotsk, Russo-Japanese war in 1904, 1905; Liaodong Peninsula; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905
Okhotsk, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905; Port Arthur (Lushunkou District) ; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk River Folder, with Ulya River

Left Okhota River

Left Okhota River Source

Right Okhota River

Right Okhota River Source

Okhaota River

Okhota River Source

Okhota River Mouth (Sea of Okhotsk)

Ulya River

Ulya River Mouth (Sea of Okhotsk)

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region, Amur River Folder

Okhotsk Sea
Sea of Okhotsk; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Chukchei People (Chukchei Penninsula)
Chukchei People (Chukchei Penninsula) ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Koryak People (Kamchatka Penninsula)
Koryak People (Kamchatka Penninsula, Southeast Siberia); Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Amur (Argun) River

Amur River

Amur River Primary Source (Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area)
Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area;

Amur River Second Source (Hentiyn Mountains)
Hentiyn Mountains

Armur River A

Armur River B

Armur River C

Armur River D

Armur River E

Armur River F (Selingin)

Selingin, Okhotsk, Siberia (Armur River F) China border
The saint was compelled to spend three years at Selingin on the Chinese border. Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ;

Armur River G

Armur River H

Argun River (Asia) Mouth (Amur River Source)
Russia China Border;

Amur River 1

Albazin, Okhotsk, Siberia (Amur River 1) 1651, Cossacks, 1655 Chernigovsky the Pole, Jaxa
Albazin; is a village (selo) in Skovorodinsky District of Amur Oblast, Russia, noted as the site of Albazin, the first Russian settlement on the Amur River. the arrival of Russians, Albazino belonged to the Daur people, the Mongolic peoples indigenous to this area. The town was originated by prince Albaz as the capital of Solon Khanate. in the 17th century, the town was center of a petty kingdom known as Yagsi. the late 1640s, a team of Russian Cossacks under Yerofey Khabarov arrived to explore Dauria. They were keen to gain a foothold in the proximity of the Amur River and, after several clashes with the Daurs under Prince Albaza or Albaasi, established a Russian fort of Albazin in 1651. The Russians were defeated here by Qing China in 1686 (see below). By the Treaty of Nerchinsk the area was assigned to China. the Treaty of Aigun in 1858 a new Amur Cossack stanitsa appeared on the site. A municipal museum is sited among the remains of the 17th-century Russian fort. 1 The History of Albazin 1.1 Foundation of Jaxa 1.2 The Russian–Chinese conflict over Albazin 2 See also 3 References 4 External links History of Albazin[edit] also: Sino-Russian border conflicts late 1650 Albazin was built as winter quarters by Yerofei Khabarov on the northernmost part of the Amur River, 125 miles downstream from the junction of the Argun and Shilka. Thereafter it was little used as the Russians concentrated on the richer grain-growing lands downriver. In 1652 the Manchus drove the Russians out of the Amur country and the land was left to outlaws and adventurers. of Jaxa[edit] 1655 Nikifor Chernigovsky, a Pole who had been exiled to Siberia after an unsuccessful attempt to run away from the Russian's custody, murdered the voyevoda of Ilimsk in retaliation for the rape of his daughter, and fled to the Amur where he reoccupied the ruins of Albazin and gathered a band of supporters. Chernigovsky soon gained the support of the local Tungusic population, whom he treated with respect, in contrast to several assaults they had suffered under Russian (Cossack) sovereignty. He made a great stronghold on the ruins of Albazin, giving it the name of Jaxa. the coming years, Siberian governors made several failed attempts to regain control over Albazin; however, Chernigovsky was able to keep his position by playing the Russians against the Chinese, and vice versa. From 1669, the Russian tsar received a tribute from the Jaxa country (Albazin and surrounding villages), which impacted the tsar's decision to formally acknowledge Chernigovsky as the lord of Jaxa in 1674. The Chinese government, for its part, communicated with Chernigovsky using Polish as the main language. In 1675, he raided Chinese lands with the help of the local population. This remains the last recorded reference to Chernigovsky in history.[1][2] Russian–Chinese conflict over Albazin[edit] is on the northern loop of the Amur. Nerchinsk is on the lower Shilka' Qing did little about Albazin because their forces were tied up in southern China and because they were concerned about possible Russian backing for their enemies in Mongolia. With the southern problem nearly solved (Taiwan was conquered in 1683), in the spring of 1682 the Kangxi Emperor made a tour through Manchuria and began preparations to deal with the Amur problem. His plan was to build up such a large force that the Russians would withdraw without fighting, for, as he said "The use of force is not a good thing. We use it only under compulsion." Troops were moved up to Aigun and crops were planted to feed them. An attack was delayed due to disagreements among the planners and the difficulty of moving supplies northward. 1681 there were Qing threats against Albazin, talks were held on the Nun River and minor Russian forts were destroyed along the Zeya. By the end of 1683 all Russian bases except Albazin had been eliminated. Moscow responded by making Ivan Vlasov voyevoda of Nerchinsk and appointing Akeksey Tolbuzin to a new voyevodstvo at Albazin (July 1684). An attempt to move men and supplies east failed due to shortages and inefficiency. The siege began on June 23, 1685. On the 26th there was an indecisive day-long battle. The Qing army thereupon piled dry wood along the fort's wooden walls and when they began to light it, Tolbuzin surrendered (exact date uncertain). The 600 or so defenders were allowed to withdraw to Nerchinsk. About 45 opted to go with the Qing army where they joined the Russian colony in Peking. The Qing army burned the fort and withdrew, but did not destroy the crops. When news of the defeat reached Moscow in November it was decided to abandon the Amur and send an ambassador to Peking. The Qing troops constituted of former Southern Ming marines from Taiwan, renowned for their knowledge of nautical warfare.[3][4][5][6][7][8] One day after leaving Albazin, the retreating Russians met a group of reinforcements who brought word that an even larger group under Baiton had reached Nerchinsk. Since the fort was lost they continued their withdrawal. Some time after July 10, 1685, scouts reported that the Qing were gone and the crops still standing. Vlasov sent 669 well-armed men under Tolbuzin to gather the harvest. The crops were gathered, Albazin was refortified with earthen walls and efforts were made to bring the natives back into subjection. The Qing arrived on July 18, 1686, and began a tight siege and a steady cannonade. On the fifth day of the siege Tolbuzin was killed by a cannon ball and replaced by Afanasii Baiton.[9] The Russians had enough food to last until Easter, but were short of water. The siege continued until early winter. In late October messengers arrived in Peking announcing Moscow's desire to negotiate. An order was issued to relax the siege. At this time less than 66 men, out of an original 826, were left alive (most had died of disease, especially scurvy). On December 25 Baiton sent one of his men to request provisions. A few more than twenty men remained in the fort, all ill and undernourished. When, in August 1687, Kangxi heard (incorrectly) that the Russian ambassador had reached Mongolia, he ordered the Qing troops withdrawn. the treaty of Nerchinsk (1689), Albazin was abandoned and destroyed. Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Albazin Icon of the Mother of God “the Word made Fleshâ€ is of great religious significance in the Amur River region. It received its name from the Russian fortress of Albazin (now the village of Albazino) along the Amur river, founded in the year 1650 by the famous Russian frontier ataman Hierotheus Khabarov on the site of a settlement of the Daurian prince Albaza. hue and cry over the Amur Albazinsk fortress became an object of enmity for the Chinese emperor and his generals, who then already dreamed of expanding their influence over all of Russian Siberia. the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation, on March 24, 1652, the first military clash of the Russians with the Chinese occurred at the Amur. Through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos the pagans were scattered and fled to their own territory. This victory seemed like a portent for the Russians. But the struggle had only just begun. Many sons of Holy Russia died in the struggle for the Amur, and for the triumph of Orthodoxy in the Far East. June of 1658 an Albazin military detachment, 270 Cossacks under the leadership of Onuphrius Stepanov, fell into an ambush and in a heroic fight they were completely annihilated by the Chinese. enemy burned Albazin, overran Russian lands, and carried off the local population into China. They wanted to turn the fertile cultivated area back into wilderness. these difficult years the Most Holy Theotokos showed signs of Her mercy to the land of Amur. In 1665, when Russians returned and rebuilt Albazin, together with a priest there came to the Amur the Elder Hermogenes from the Kirensk Holy Trinity monastery. He carried with him a wonderworking icon of the Mother of God “the Word made Fleshâ€, called the Albazinsk Icon since that time. In 1671 the holy Elder built a small monastery on the boundary mark of the Brusyan Stone (one and a half kilometers from Albazin near the Amur), where the holy icon was later kept. was built up. At two churches in the city, the Ascension of the Lord and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Albazin priests offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. Not far from the city (along the Amur) another monastery was built, the Spassky. The fertile soil produced bread for Eastern Siberia. The local populace adapted itself to Russian Orthodox culture, peacefully entering into the multi-national Russian state, and found Russian protection from the plundering raids of Chinese feudal war-lords. Moscow they did not forget the needs of the far-away Amur frontier. They strengthened military defenses and improved regional government. In 1682 the Albazin Military-Provincial Government was formed. They concerned themselves about the spiritual nourishment of the Amur region peoples. A local Council of the Russian Church in 1681 adopted a resolution to send “archimandrites, igumens, or priests, both learned and good, to enlighten unbelievers with the law of Christ.â€ The Daurian and Tungusian peoples as a whole accepted Holy Baptism. Of great significance was the conversion of the Daurian prince Hantimur (renamed Peter) and his eldest son Katana (renamed Paul) to Orthodoxy. servants of the Chinese emperor planned for a new attack. After several unsuccessful forays, on July 10, 1685, they marched against Albazin with an army of 15,000 and encircled the fortress. In it were 450 Russian soldiers and three cannon. The first assault was repulsed. The Chinese then from all sides piled up firewood and kindling against the wooden walls of the fortress and set it on fire. Further resistance proved impossible. With its military standards and holy things, among which was the wonderworking Albazin Icon, the soldiers abandoned the fortress. Mother of God did not withhold Her intercession from Her chosen city. Scouts soon reported that the Chinese suddenly began to withdraw from Albazin, ignoring the Chinese emperor’s command to destroy the crops in the Russian fields. The miraculous intervention of the Heavenly Protectress not only drove the enemy from Russian territories, but also preserved the grain which sustained the city for the winter months. On August 20, 1685 Russians were in Albazin again. year went by, and the fortress was again besieged by Chinese. There began a five-month defense of Albazin, which occupies a most honored place in Russian military history. Three times, in July, in September, and in October, the forces of the Chinese emperor made an assault on the wooden fortifications. A hail of fiery arrows and red-hot cannon balls fell on the town. Neither the city nor its defenders could be seen in the smoke and fire. And all three times, the Mother of God defended the inhabitants of Albazin from their fierce enemy. December 1686, when the Chinese lifted the siege of Albazin, of the city’s 826 defenders only 150 men remained alive. forces were inadequate to continue the war against the Chinese emperor. In August 1690 the last of the Cossacks departed from Albazin under the leadership of Basil Smirenikov. Neither the fortress, nor its holy things, fell into the hands of the enemy. The fortifications were razed and leveled by the Cossacks, and the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was taken to Sretensk, a city on the river Shilka, which flows into the Amur. even after the destruction of Albazin, God destined its inhabitants to do another service for the good of the Church. By divine Providence the end of the military campaign contributed to the increase of the influence of the grace of Orthodoxy among the peoples of the Far East. During the years of war, a company of about a hundred Russian cossacks and peasants from Albazin and its environs were taken captive and sent to Peking. Chinese emperor even gave orders to give one of the Buddhist temples in the Chinese capital for an Orthodox church dedicated to Sophia, the Wisdom of God. In 1695 Metropolitan Ignatius of Tobolsk sent an antimension, chrism, service books, and church vessels to the Sophia church. In a letter to the captive priest Maximus, 'the Preacher of the Holy Gospel to the Chinese Empire,' Metropolitan Ignatius wrote: 'Be not troubled, nor troubled in soul for yourself and the captives with you, for who is able to oppose the will of God? Your captivity is not without purpose for the Chinese people, so that you may reveal to them the light of Christ’s Orthodox Faith.' preaching of the Gospel in the Chinese Empire soon bore fruit and resulted in the first baptisms of Chinese. The Russian Church zealously looked after the new flock. In 1715 the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Saint Philotheus “the Apostle to Siberiaâ€ (+ May 31, 1727), wrote a letter to the Peking clergy and the faithful living under the Peking Spiritual Mission, who continued with the Christian work of enlightening pagans. years went by, and the new epoch brought the Russian deliverance of the Amur. On August 1, 1850, the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross, Captain G. I. Nevelsky raised up the Russian Andreev flag at the mouth of the Amur River and founded the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Through the efforts of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, N. N. Muraviev-Amursky (+ 1881), and Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kamchatka (March 31), and through the spiritual nourishment which obtained in the Amur and coastal regions, in several years the left bank of the Amur was built up with Russian cities, villages and Cossack settlements. year brought important advances in the development of the liberated territory, its Christian enlightenment and welfare. In the year 1857 on the bank of the Amur fifteen way-stations and settlements were established (the Albazin on the site of the old fortress and the Innokentiev, named in honor of Saint Innocent). In a single year, 1858, there were more than thirty settlements, among which were three cities: Khabarovsk, Blagoveschensk and Sophiisk. May 9, 1858, on the Feast of Saint Nicholas, N. N. Muraviev-Amursky and Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka arrived in the Cossack post at Ust’-Zeisk. Saint Innocent was there to dedicate a temple in honor of the Annunciation of the Mother of God (Blagoveschenie, in Slavonic), the first building in the new city. Because of the name of the temple, the city was also called Blagoveschensk, in memory of the first victory over the Chinese on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1652, and in memory of the Annunciation church at Irkutsk, in which Saint Innocent began his own priestly service. It was also a sign that “from that place proceeded the blessed news of the reintegration of the Amur region territory under Russian sovereignty.â€ New settlers on the way to the Amur, journeying through Sretensk, fervently offered up their prayers to the Holy Protectress of the Amur region before her Wonderworking Albazin Icon. Their prayers were heard: the Aigunsk (1858) and Peking (1860) treaties decisively secured the left bank of the Amur and coastal regions for Russia. 1868 the Bishop of Kamchatka, Benjamin Blagonravov, the successor to Saint Innocent, transferred the holy icon from Sretensk to Blagoveschensk, thereby returning the famous holy icon to the Amur territory. In 1885, a new period began in the veneration of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God and is associated with the name of the Kamchatka bishop Gurias, who established an annual commemoration on March 9 and a weekly Akathist. the summer of 1900, during the “Boxer Rebellionâ€ in China, the waves of insurrection reached all the way to the Russian border. Chinese troops suddenly appeared on the banks of the Amur before Blagoveschensk. For nineteen days the enemy stood before the undefended city, raining artillery fire down upon it, and menacing the Russian bank with invasion. shallows of the Amur afforded passage to the adversary. In the Annunciation church services were celebrated continuously, and Akathists were read before the Wonderworking Albazin Icon. The Protection of the Mother of God was again extended over the city, just as it had been in earlier times. Not daring to cross the Amur, the enemy departed from Blagoveschensk. According to the accounts of the Chinese themselves, they often saw a Radiant Woman over the bank of the Amur, inspiring them with fear and rendering their missiles ineffective. more than 300 years the Wonderworking Albazin Icon of the Mother of God watched over the Amur frontier of Russia. Orthodox people venerate it not only as Protectress of Russian soldiers, but also as a Patroness of mothers. Believers pray for mothers before the icon during their pregnancy and during childbirth, 'so that the Mother of God might bestow the gift of abundant health from the Albazin Icon’s inexhaustible well-spring of holiness.' icon depicts Christ as a child standing in a mandorla before His Mother’s breast. Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 1, Shilka River Folder

Shilka River

Shilka River Source (Chita)

Shilka River 1 (Sretensk and Nerchinsk)

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 1, Shilka River 1, Nercha River Folder

Nercha River

Nercha River Source (Barguzin, Buryatia)

Nercha River Mouth (Nerchinsk, Shilka River 1)

Nerchinsk, Okhotsk, Siberia (Nercha Mouth at Shilka River 1)
Nerchinsk, Siberia (Nercha River Mouth at Shilka River1); Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ; Russia China Border; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ;

Sretensk, Okhotsk, Siberia (Shila River 1)
Sretensk; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Shilka River 2

Shilka River 3

Shilka River Mouth (Amur River 1)
Russia China Border;

Amur River 2

Amur Oblast (Amur River Region)
Amur Oblast (Amur River Region); Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Amur River 3

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 3, Zeya River Folder

Zeya River

Zeya River Source (Tokiysky Stanovik Range)

Zeya River 1

Zeya River 2

Zeya River 3

Zeya River 6 (Zeya)

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 3, Zeya River 6, Gilyuy River Folder

Gilyuy River

Gilyuy River Upper Gilyuy

Gilyuy River (Tynda)

Gilyuy River Mouth (Zeya River 6)

Zeya River 7 (Svobodny)

Zeya, Zea River Valley
Zea River Valley Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Zeya River 8 (Blagoveshchensk)

Zeya River Mouth (Amur River 3)

Blagoveschensk (Ust-Zeisk), Okhotsk (Zeya River Mouth, Amur River 3)
Blagoveschensk (Ust-Zeisk), Okhotsk, Siberia (Zeya River, Aur River 3); Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh, Commemorated on March 9;

Innokentiev (Amur River 3.9)
Innokentiev (Amur River 3.9); Icon of the Mother of God, œAlbazinÂ or œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Amur River 5 (Manchuria, Black Dragon River)

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 5, Black Dragon River Folder, Manchuria

Port Arthur, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905
Siberia, Russo-Japanese War over Port Arthur 1904-1905; Port Arthur (Lushunkou District) ; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Black Dragon River (Heilongjiang or Amur)

Black Dragon River Source (along the border)

Manchuria, Eastern Siberia (Black Dragon River, Amur Region)
Manchuria or Northeast China; Harbin on the railway to Vladivostok. Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24;

Black Diamond River Mouth (Amur River 5)

Amur River 6 (Amur Crossing at Khabarovsk)

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk, Amur River 6, Ussuri River Folder

Ussuri River

Ussuri River Source (near the coast)

Ussuriysk, Siberia (Ussuri River Source, near Vladivostok, Trans-Siberian RWY)
Ussuriysk; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Ussuri River 1

Ussuri River 2

Ussuri River 3

Ussuri River Mouth (Khabarovsk, Amur river 6)

Khabarovsk (Ussuri River Mouth, Amur River 6)
Khabarovsk (Amur River 6) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Khabarov frontier, Okhotsk Sea (Vladivostok, Khabarovsk River, Amur River 6, Trans-Siberian Road 17)
Khabarovsky District; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ;

Amur River 8 (Komsomolsk-on-Amur)

Amur River Mouth (Tartary Strait, Sea of Oskosh)

Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Okhotsk, Siberia
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Lake Orel
Venerable Macarius of Optina;

Strait of Tartary
Strait of Tartary;

Russia, Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region, Kamchatka Penninsula and Kurile Islands Folder

Kurile Islands, Okhotsk Region, Siberia
Kurile Islands; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Kamchatka Penninsula, Okhotsk Sea, Siberia
Kamchatka Penninsula; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Russia, Pskov Folder, its rivers and Pskov lakes

Pskov, its Area

Pskov region (Pskov Lakes)
Pskov region; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ;

Battle of the Ice, Lake Chud, Pskov, 1242
Battle of the Ice, Lake Chud, 1242;

Toropets, on Volga Trade Route, near Volga Source, at Lake Solomeno, touching Pskov, Tver, Novgorod & Belarus
Toropets ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Russia, Pskov History Folder

Russia, Pskov, 800, 9th C Folder, Pskov Principality, Kiev Rus King Olga oKiev

Russia, Pskov, 9th Century, Pskov principality
Pskov principality, the native region of St Olga. St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ;

Russia, Pskov, 945-963, Kiev Rus King, Olga of Kiev
Kiev Rus King, 945-963, Olga of Kiev ; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Pskov, 1100, 12th C Folder, Kiev Rus King Vsevolod oPskov, Mirozh Icon MOG appearance

Russia, Pskov, 1117-1138, Vsevolod oPskov, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavnly Pskov defender, fNovgorod, but exiled, wWorkr
Russia, Kiev, 1117-1138, K Rus King, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel, Mstislav's son, Monomahk' gson, heavenly defender oPskov, fNovgorod, as father's vicar did much for Novgorod, many churches, George's Cathedral at Yuriev m, Forerunner's church at Opokakh, charter oLands&privileges in his Law Code for Holy Wisdom cathedral&others, saved everyone during famine by exhausting entire treasury, valiant warrior vs Yam&Chud, 1132 Mstislav died his brother Yaropolk transferred V tPeresyaslavl then eldest city after Kiev, but Monomakh's younger sons (Yuri D, Andrew D) were apprehensive, did not want V at Kiev as Y's successor, so they attacked nephew V, to avoide intercene strife V returned to Novgorod, but N disaffection, felt should not have left them, 1133 victory over Chud to restore N relations, & annexed Yuriev tNovgorod, but harsh winter campaign against Suzdal unsuccessful, N could not forgive V fDefeat, their chastisement fGod, N turned to hostile Monomakh line oOlgovichi for a Prince, and banished V, suffering exile fOwn people, held by guard till Prince arrived, V went to Kiev and Yaropolk gave him Vyshgorod near Kiev, which was Olga's palace, she preferred Kiev&Pskov tNovgorod, 1137 Olga appeared in defence of Pskov&Kiev from Novgorod, remembering his chud wars Pskov invited V tPskov, Olga's native land, he was chosen by will otPeople, the first, glorious works there (constructed first stone church) but ruled only 1yr, died 1138 at 46, All oPskov gathered, wailing, Novgorod sent priest to take back relics but he did not want to go, coffin would not move, Novgorod people repented, asked for small piece, received fingernail, Pskov put V into Demetrius's temple, armaments arranged as a cross, inscription - I will yield my honor to no one, 1192 relics uncovered transferred to Cathedral to V's chapel, always remained a Pskov wonderworker; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Prince Vsevolod of Pskov, in Baptism Gabriel, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was born at Novgorod, where in the years 1088-1093 and 1095-1117 his father ruled as prince. father was the holy prince Saint Mstislav-Theodore the Great (April 15). the year 1117, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh gave Mstislav Kievan Belgorod as his “udel” (land-holding), practically making him co-ruler, Vsevolod remained as his father’s vicar in the Novgorod principality. Prince Vsevolod did much good for Novgorod. with the Archbishop of Novgorod, Saint Niphon (April 8), raised up many churches, which were the cathedral of the Great Martyr George at the Yuriev monastery, the church of Saint John the Forerunner at Opokakh, built in honor of the “angel” (i.e. patron saint) of his first-born son John, who had died in infancy (+ 1128). his Ustav (Law code) the prince granted a special charter of lands and privileges the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) and other churches. a terrible famine, he exhausted his entire treasury to save people from perishing. Vsevolod was a valiant warrior, he marched victoriously against the Yam and Chud peoples, he never took up the sword for lucre or power. 1132, upon the death of holy Great Prince Mstislav, ’s uncle Prince Yaropolk of Kiev fulfilled the last wishes of his brother transferred Vsevolod to Pereyaslavl, then regarded as the eldest city after Kiev itself. the younger sons of Monomakh, Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrew Dobry, apprehensive lest Yaropolk make Vsevolod his successor at Kiev, so they marched out against their nephew. to avoid internecine strife, Saint Vsevolod returned to Novgorod, was received there with disaffection. Novgorodians felt that the prince had been “raised” by them and should not have left them earlier. “Vsevolod went to Rus, to Pereslavl,” noted the Novgorod chronicler, “and kissed the cross against the Novgorodians, saying, ‘I will kill you.’” to restore good relations with Novgorod, prince undertook a victorious campaign against the Chud people in 1133, he annexed Yuriev to the Novgorod domain. a harsh winter campaign in 1135-1136 against Suzdal was unsuccessful. stubborn people of Novgorod would not heed their chastisement by God, they could not forgive the prince for their defeat. assembly decided to summon a prince from the hostile Monomakh line of the Olgovichi, they condemned Saint Vsevolod to banishment. “You suffered exile at the hands of your own people,” we sing in the troparion to the saint. a month and a half they held the prince and his family under guard at the archbishop’s palace. Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich arrived on July 15, 1136, Vsevolod was released from his captivity. went again to Kiev, and his uncle Yaropolk gave him the Vyshgorod district near Kiev, place where Saint Olga (July 11) had lived in the tenth century during the rule of her son Svyatoslav, “preferring the cities of Kiev and Pskov.” Olga came to the defense of her descendant in 1137 the people of Pskov, recalling the campaigns of the Novgorod-Pskov army led by the prince, invited him to the Pskov principality, the native region of Saint Olga. was the first Pskov prince, chosen by the will of the Pskov people. the glorious works of Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel at Pskov the construction of the first stone church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, a wooden church from the time of Saint Olga. the icons of the saint, he is often depicted holding the church of the Holy Trinity. Vsevolod ruled as prince at Pskov for only a year. died on February 11, 1138 at the age of forty-six. All of Pskov gathered at the funeral of the beloved prince, and the chanting of the choir could scarcely be heard over the people’s wailing. people of Novgorod sent an archpriest from the Sophia cathedral to take his holy relics back to Novgorod. prince, however, did not want his body to rest in Novgorod. would not allow Pskov to be deprived of his relics by the people of Novgorod, had driven him out, the coffin would not move from the spot. Novgorod people wept bitterly and repented in their misfortune. Then they asked to be given just a small piece of his relics “for the protection of their city.” their prayers a fingernail fell from the saint’s hand. Pskov people put Saint Vsevolod into the temple of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. the grave they placed the military armaments of the prince, a shield and sword, in the shape of a cross, with the Latin inscription, “I will yield my honor to no one.” November 27, 1192, the relics of holy Prince Vsevolod were uncovered and transferred into the Trinity cathedral, in which a chapel was consecrated in his honor. deep spiritual bond of the city of Saint Olga with the holy Prince Vsevolod was never broken. always remained a Pskov wonderworker. the siege of Pskov by Stephen Bathory in 1581, when the walls of the fortress were already breached and the Poles were ready to rush into the city, brought the holy relics of Prince Vsevolod from the Trinity cathedral to the place of battle, the enemy withdrew. April 22, 1834, on the first day of Pascha, the saint’s holy relics were solemnly transferred to a new shrine in the main church of the cathedral. the appearance of the wonderworking Pskov-Protection Icon (October 1), Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel stood among the heavenly defenders of Pskov. Kiev Rus King, 1117-1138, Vsevolod of Pskov, Vsevolod-Gabriel ; Mstislavich, the patron saint of the city of Pskov, ruled as Prince of Novgorod in 1117–32, Prince of Pereslavl (1132) and Prince of Pskov in 1137–38. 1 Early life 2 Expulsion from Novgorod 3 Church-building and veneration 4 Marriage and children 5 Succession 6 References 7 External links life[edit] eldest son of Mstislav the Great and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, Vsevolod was born in Novgorod during his father's reign as prince there (1088–1093, 1095–1117) and given the baptismal name Gabriel, or Gavriil. His maternal grandfather was King Inge the Elder of Sweden. The date of his birth is unknown, although the idea has been advanced that the event was commemorated by the Annunciation Church in the Marketplace, founded by Mstislav in 1103.[1] was enthroned as Prince of Novgorod after his father Mstislav Vladimirovich became Grand Prince of Kiev in 1117 and ruled Novgorod, with some interruption, until he was ousted by the Novgorodians in 1136. He was married to a Chernigovian princess in Novgorod in 1123 and his son, Ivan, was born there (he died in 1128).[2] In 1123, Vsevolod led the Novgorodians against the Chud. These campaigns continued in 1130 and over the next several years.[3] Aside from Vladimir Yaroslavich, Vsevolod was the first Novgorodian prince known to have been in conflict with Finns (in 1123).[4] from Novgorod[edit] his father's death in 1132, support for him began to erode in Novgorod. That same year, he was sent by his uncle, Grand Prince Yaropolk, to Pereslavl, to reign there. When he tried to return to Novgorod later that year, the Novgorodians refused to accept him back because they considered his move to Pereslavl as a betrayal (He had sworn an oath to die in Novgorod). That being said, the chronicles indicate that he was back leading a Novgorodian army in 1133. It was during that campaign that Vsevolod captured the city of Yuryev (modern Tartu, Estonia).[5] 1134, Vsevolod led an unsuccessful campaign in Vladimir-Suzdal during which, according to the Novgorodians, he showed indecisiveness, one of the reasons for his dismissal a little over a year later. On 28 May 1136, he was confined in the Archbishop's courtyard (compound) in the Detinets along with his wife and family, guarded by thirty men so as not to escape. In mid-July he was allowed to leave, going to his uncle in Kiev.[6] The following year, he tried to come back to Novgorod at the head of an army but withdrew instead to Pskov, where he died in February 1138.[7] According to his own wishes, he was buried in the Church of St. Demetrius in Pskov. dismissal from Novgorod has traditionally been seen as the end of Kievan power in the north and the beginning of the Republic of Novgorod. After him a number of princes were invited in or dismissed over the next two centuries, although only a few, like Aleksandr Nevsky, could assert themselves in the city for a prolonged period. Church-building and veneration[edit] of Saint Nicholas, constructed by Vsevolod in Novgorod. addition to leading Novgorodian armies on several campaigns, Vsevolod built a number of churches in and around the city: the Church of St. John on Opoki (1127–1130),[8] the Church of St. George in the Market (1133), the Church of The Assumption in the Market (1133; built with Archbishop Nifont),[9] and the Church of St. George in the Yuriev Monastery.[10] It was Vsevolod who granted the charter to Ivan's Hundred, the first Russian merchant guild. In addition, the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yaroslav's Court, while often attributed to his father Mstislav, was mostly built during Vsevolod's tenure in Novgorod. comparatively early death prevented him from claiming the Kievan throne. He was survived by a daughter, Wierzchosława, the wife of Bolesław IV the Curly. The prince was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as Vsevolod-Gavriil. In the Stepennaya Kniga (the "Book of Degrees of Royal Genealogy"), he is listed as a Pskov Wonderworker.[11] His relics were moved from the Church of St. Demetrius to the Trinity Cathedral in the Pskov Kremlin in 1193. The Pskovians attached his name to a German sword with the inscription honorem meum nemini dabo, formerly preserved in the cathedral sacristy, but modern historians date the sword to the 15th century at the earliest.

Russia, Pskov, 1198, Appearance of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God
Russia, Pskov, 1198, Appearance of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God; Mirozh Icon appeared at the Mirozh monastery in the year 1198. But later, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at a time when a plague raged at Pskov, an ancient report tells how tears flowed from both eyes of the icon. Many benefits and healings for man occured from the icon of the Mother of God. Mirozh Icon is an “Orans” (“Praying”) type. On either side of the Most Holy Theotokos stand the Pskov Saints: on the right, the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20); on the left, his wife, the holy nun Martha, in the world named Maria Dimitrievna (November 8, 1300). Tsar Ivan Vasilievich took away the wonderworking icon from Pskov, but at the monastery an exact copy remained: the so-called “Great Panagia” from the Savior-Mirozh monastery. September 24, 1567, on the Feast of Saint Abraham at the Mirozh monastery there occurred a miraculous sign from an ancient icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The celebration of the Mirozh Icon of the Sign was established in that same year, with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod and Pskov. A special service to this icon was composed, and was published in the 1666 MENAION. Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 24; Mirozh Icon appeared at the Mirozh monastery in the year 1198. But later, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at a time when a plague raged at Pskov, an ancient report tells how tears flowed from both eyes of the icon. Many benefits and healings for man occured from the icon of the Mother of God. Mirozh Icon is an “Orans” (“Praying”) type. On either side of the Most Holy Theotokos stand the Pskov Saints: on the right, the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20); on the left, his wife, the holy nun Martha, in the world named Maria Dimitrievna (November 8, 1300). Tsar Ivan Vasilievich took away the wonderworking icon from Pskov, but at the monastery an exact copy remained: the so-called “Great Panagia” from the Savior-Mirozh monastery. September 24, 1567, on the Feast of Saint Abraham at the Mirozh monastery there occurred a miraculous sign from an ancient icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The celebration of the Mirozh Icon of the Sign was established in that same year, with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod and Pskov. A special service to this icon was composed, and was published in the 1666 MENAION.

Russia, Pskov, 1200, 13th C Folder, Bros otSword seized Izborsk, P Euparzia, left bHusband, monastery abbess, N's Battle otIce

Russia, Pskov, 1231-1243, Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, left by h for Livonia, piety, abbess of her monastery, k by h stepson
Russia, Pskov, 1231-1243, Saint Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov; St Eupraxia's Monastery for John the Forerunner; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, in the world Euphrosyne, was the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod Borisovich, and an aunt to the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20). was the wife of the Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Yaroslav fled from Pskov to Livonia and there married a German. with the Teutonic knights he made incursions several times upon the Russian lands, and in 1231 he seized Izborsk. the departure of her husband, Euphrosyne turned to deeds of piety. In the year 1243, she built a monastery on the banks of the River Velika named for Saint John the Forerunner, and became its abbess. to Livonia for a meeting with her former husband in the city of Odenpa (Bear’s Head), she was murdered (May 8, 1243) by a stepson, more accurately, the son of Yaroslav by his German wife. was buried at the cathedral of the monastery she founded. days after the death of Saint Eupraxia, a miracle occurred over her grave, when myrrh issued from an icon of the Savior. icon was called “The myrrh-bearing Savior”. countenance of the righteous princess was preserved on two icons. On the one she is depicted at prayer with Saint John the Forerunner and the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The other icon with her likeness is beside the wonderworking icon of the Savior.

Russia, Pskov, 1231, Lavonian Prince Yaroslav seized Izborsk in 1231
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Teutonic Knights; Prince Yaroslav (ex husband of St Eupraxia) fled from Pskov to Livonia and there married a German. Together with the Teutonic knights he made incursions several times upon the Russian lands, and in 1231 he seized Izborsk. Izborsk; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, in the world Euphrosyne, was the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod Borisovich, and an aunt to the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20). was the wife of the Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Yaroslav fled from Pskov to Livonia and there married a German. with the Teutonic knights he made incursions several times upon the Russian lands, and in 1231 he seized Izborsk. the departure of her husband, Euphrosyne turned to deeds of piety. In the year 1243, she built a monastery on the banks of the River Velika named for Saint John the Forerunner, and became its abbess. to Livonia for a meeting with her former husband in the city of Odenpa (Bear’s Head), she was murdered (May 8, 1243) by a stepson, more accurately, the son of Yaroslav by his German wife. was buried at the cathedral of the monastery she founded. days after the death of Saint Eupraxia, a miracle occurred over her grave, when myrrh issued from an icon of the Savior. icon was called “The myrrh-bearing Savior”. countenance of the righteous princess was preserved on two icons. On the one she is depicted at prayer with Saint John the Forerunner and the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The other icon with her likeness is beside the wonderworking icon of the Savior.

Russia, Pskov, 1233, Izborsk, Pskov Captured by Livonian Brothers of the Sword
Izborsk; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, in the world Euphrosyne, was the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod Borisovich, and an aunt to the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20). was the wife of the Pskov prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. Yaroslav fled from Pskov to Livonia and there married a German. with the Teutonic knights he made incursions several times upon the Russian lands, and in 1231 he seized Izborsk. the departure of her husband, Euphrosyne turned to deeds of piety. In the year 1243, she built a monastery on the banks of the River Velika named for Saint John the Forerunner, and became its abbess. to Livonia for a meeting with her former husband in the city of Odenpa (Bear’s Head), she was murdered (May 8, 1243) by a stepson, more accurately, the son of Yaroslav by his German wife. was buried at the cathedral of the monastery she founded. days after the death of Saint Eupraxia, a miracle occurred over her grave, when myrrh issued from an icon of the Savior. icon was called “The myrrh-bearing Savior”. countenance of the righteous princess was preserved on two icons. On the one she is depicted at prayer with Saint John the Forerunner and the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The other icon with her likeness is beside the wonderworking icon of the Savior. St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Abbot of Malsk, Pskov, Commemorated on June 12; Onuphrius of Mala and Pskov [Izborsk] founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God at Mala, four versts from Izborsk and 56 versts from Pskov. The saint died on June 12, 1592 and was buried in the Nativity church, in a chapel named for him. The memory of Saint Onuphrius is also celebrated on the so-called “Malsk Sunday,” the first Sunday after the Peter and Paul Fast.

Russia, Pskov, 1242, Saint Alexander Nevsky, battles of Neva and Ice
Novgorod Prince, 1252-1263, Alexander Nevsky; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated on January 26; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, Pskov, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Lake Chud, defeat of Teutonic Knights
Pskov, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Lake Chud, defeat of Teutonic Knights; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Pskov, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake, defeated Teutonic Knights
Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Pskov, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov, Pagan in Lithuania, then Saint in Pskov
Lithuania, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov (Utena); or Dovmont[1] (c. 1240? - May 17, 1299), was a Lithuanian prince best remembered as a military leader of the Principality of Pskov between 1266 and 1299. During his term in office, Pskov became de facto independent from Novgorod. is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day observed on May 20.[3] 1 In Lithuania 2 Ruler of Pskov 3 Later years and legacy 4 References Lithuania[edit] 1265, Daumantas[4] was Duke of Nalsia, a northern province of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and was an ally of King Mindaugas. Mindaugas' and Daumantas' wives were sisters. In spite of the family relationship, Daumantas chose to ally himself with Mindaugas' nephew Treniota, who was Duke of Samogitia. Treniota had been steadily increasing his personal power within the kingdom as he tried to spark an all-Balts rebellion against the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. 1263, Daumantas assassinated Mindaugas and two of his sons. It has been suggested that he acted in collusion with Treniota. a result, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania relapsed into paganism for another one hundred and twenty years. Russian chronicles say that Daumantas' motive for the murder was to further his power and get revenge: after Queen Morta's death c. 1262, Mindaugas took Daumantas' wife for himself. When Mindaugas dispatched a large army towards Bryansk, Daumantas participated in the expedition, but suddenly returned and killed Mindaugas and two of his sons. to the Bychowiec Chronicle (a late and not very reliable source), Daumantas received the title of Duke of Utena as his reward. Vaiselga, the eldest son of Mindaugas, entered into an alliance with Shvarn of Halych-Volhynia in 1264, he was able to take revenge for his father's death by killing Treniota. Daumantas and his followers fled to Pskov. of Pskov[edit] on the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod arriving in Pskov, Daumantas was baptized into Eastern Orthodoxy, assumed the Christian name Timotheus and married a daughter of Dmitry of Pereslavl, son of Alexander Nevsky. He led Pskovian armies against the Lithuanians and defeated them on the bank of the Western Dvina, proceeded to devastate the land of Duke Gerdenis, and captured his two sons and wife. Daumantas' daring spirit, his friendly ways, and the success of his military enterprise persuaded the Pskovians to elect him as their knyaz, or military leader. election was never sanctioned by the Novgorod Republic, which had traditionally controlled the Pskovian affairs. Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod planned to punish the Pskovians for their willfulness and oust Daumantas from the city, but the Novgorodians refused to support Yaroslav's campaign and, joining their forces with the Pskovians, invaded Lithuania the following year. Daumantas was again in command and returned to Pskov in triumph. January 1268 the Pskovian-Novgorodian alliance was cemented when they invaded Danish Estonia together. The Pskovians, led by Daumantas, joined their forces with the Novgorodians led by Alexander Nevsky's son Dmitry and looted the Danish Estonian countryside, but were defeated by the combined forces of vassals of the Danish crown, Livonian Knights and local Estonian militia[5] in the Battle of Rakvere (February 18, 1268, near modern-day Rakvere). The following year Master of the Livonian Order, Otto von Lutterberg, led the Livonian forces to the territory of Pskov, burned Izborsk castle and laid siege to Pskov itself, but Daumantas, after receiving support from the Novgorodians, managed to conclude a truce with the Livonians.[6] years and legacy[edit] Town in Pskov. 1270, Yaroslav again attempted to interfere into Pskovian affairs and to replace Daumantas with a puppet ruler. The Pskovians stood up for Daumantas, forcing Yaroslav to abandon his plans. In order to strengthen his position, Daumantas married Dmitry's daughter, Maria. In 1282, when his father-in-law was ousted from Vladimir to Koporye, Daumantas made a sally into Ladoga, where he captured Dmitry's treasury from the Novgorodians and transported it to Koporye. Thereupon his name disappears from the chronicles for some seventeen years. 1299, the Livonian Order unexpectedly invaded north-western Russia and laid siege to Pskov. Having expelled them from the republic, Daumantas abruptly lapsed into illness and died, survived by his alleged son, David of Hrodna. His body was buried in the Trinity Cathedral, where his sword and personal effects would be on exhibit until the 20th century. to Pskovian chronicles, no ruler was loved by the citizens of Pskov more than Daumantas; they particularly praise his military skills and wisdom. After the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him, he came to be regarded as a patron saint of Pskov (on par with Vsevolod Mstislavich). The fortifications erected by Dovmont in Pskov's downtown became known as the "Daumantas Town". A church to the memory of the blessed prince Daumantas-Timofei was consecrated there in 1574. the 1990s, Russian author Sergey Kalitin wrote a novel, Hour of the Wolf, about the life of Daumantas and his transition from a "minor Lithuanian noble" to Prince of Pskov. Utena, Lithuania; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Pskov, 1266-1299, northwest boundaries of the Russian realm
Timothy the Prince of Pskov protected the northwest boundaries of the Russian realm. Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Russia, Pskov, 1268, Battle of Rakovor, in Estonia, loss to Teutonic Knights right before Izborsk captured again
Estonia, Battle of Rakovor 1268 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Russia, Pskov, 1299, Joasaph oSnetogorsk&Basil oMirozh, Burned by Germans, but prayer for fighting men defeated Germans 1299
Russia, Pskov, 1299, Joasaph oSnetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself), Joasaph of Snetogorsk and Basil of Mirozh, two of the most ancient Pskov M's, they martyred by the Germans, Mirozh founded 1156 by Niphon oNovgorod and Abraham oMirozh, Joasaph founded M on Mt Snatna probably in 1299, Strict Cenobitic rule of Joasaph, life filled wPrayer, abstinence, and work, both M's outside city walls, no defences, Germans burned the churches, monks incl. J and B endured agonizing death, much suffering for women and children, but through prayers of monk martyrs, Lord preserved fighting men, Prince Timothy Dovmont defeated Germans on banks of Pskova, Joasaph and Basil buried in thei churches, at Snetogorsk Dovmont built stone church from his inheritance, and restored monastic life at both; Snetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself); Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Holy Hieromartyrs Joasaph of Snetogorsk and Basil of Mirozh suffered under the Germans at two of the most ancient of the Pskov monasteries during the thirteenth century. Basil directed the Savior-Transfiguration Mirozh monastery, founded in the year 1156 by Saint Niphon, Bishop of Novgorod (April 8), and by Saint Abraham of Mirozh (September 24). Joasaph was igumen (and according also to some Pskov Saints’ Lives, the founder) of the monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos on Mount Snatna. ascetics devoted much labor and concern to both the outer and inner welfare of the monasteries. accord with the strict rule of cenobitic monastic life, introduced into his monastery by Saint Joasaph, the life of the monks was filled with prayer, abstinence and work. ninety years after the death of Saint Joasaph, his monastic Rule was reintroduced in the new monastic Rule of the Snetogorsk monastery by Archbishop Dionysius of Suzdal). Snetogorsk monastery traced its origins from the efforts of Saint Euphrosynus of Pskov (May 15) and Saint Savva of Krypetsk (August 28). these monasteries were outside the city walls and did not have any defenses. March 4, 1299, the Germans fell upon Pskov and burned the Mirozh and Snetogorsk monasteries. the burning of the churches, Saints Basil and Joasaph and the other monks endured an agonizing death. was at that time much suffering in the city, and for the monks of other monasteries, and also for the women and children, “through the prayers of the holy monk martyrs, the Lord preserved the fighting men.” the lead of the Pskov prince, Saint Dovmont-Timothy (May 20), they came out against the enemy and near the church of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, they defeated the invaders at the banks of the Pskova River. Basil and Joasaph were buried with their fellow ascetics beneath crypts at the churches of their monasteries. venerable head and part of the relics of Saint Joasaph were preserved in the open in a special reliquary in the church of the Snetogorsk monastery. Prince Dovmont “out of his rightful inheritance” built a stone church at the Snetogorsk monastery in place of the one that had burned, he facilitated the restoration of monastic life at the ruined monasteries. after the martyric death of Saints Basil and Joasaph their churchly glorification took place at Pskov. the manuscript Pskov Prologue of the fourteenth-fifteenth centuries, they are listed on March 5. in the Pskov Chronicle and old Pskov Synodikons (Saint lists), the day of the blessed death of the holy monk martyrs is given as March 4, and at present, this is the day of their commemoration. Chronicle mentions the presbyter Joseph, and the Prologue mentions the presbyter Constantine as their fellow sufferers.

Russia, Pskov, 1300, 14th C Folder, Black Plague, Ignatius oLoma

Russia, Pskov, 1350-1353, Black Plague in Russia, Worldwide 1331-1353
Moscow, 1350-1353, Black Plague in Russia, Worldwide 1331-1353; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated on September 24;

Russia, Pskov, 1371-1400, Ignatius oLoma, started aPriluki a1371, monk aWhite Lake a1390, started Loma M, then silence
Russia, Pskov, 1371 or 1390-1400, Ignatius oLoma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00", Far North Pskov near Gdov River, started at Priluki which started 1371, then monk at White Lake (started 1390), then started Loma Wilderness Monastery, then silence; Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00"; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated on December 28; Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav: circumstances of his life while still in the world are unknown. started his ascetic path at the Priluki monastery of the Savior at Vologda, he received monastic tonsure at the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery. Ignatius then departed to the vicinity of Loma and there founded a wilderness monastery, gradually attracted disciples. he withdrew to a forest skete and pursued asceticism in silence.

Russia, Pskov, 1400, 15th C Folder, tears Chirsk-Pskov Icon, appearance H Support Icon, Serapion's silence vow, unburied corpse

Russia, Pskov, 1420, Chirsk-Pskov Icon, pestilence, tears from Icon, church procession
Russia, Pskov, 1420, Chirsk-Pskov Icon, pestilence, tears from Icon, church procession; Chirsk is somewhere near Pskov Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated July 16 ; Chirsk (Pskov) Icon of the Mother of God was initially in the Chirsk village church of the Pskov diocese. July 16, 1420, during the time of Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich, Archbishop Simeon of Novgorod and Pskov, and Prince Theodore Alexandrovich were present in Pskov. a time of a deadly pestilence, tears flowed from the eyes of the Chirsk Icon of the Mother of God. was reported to authorities in the city of Pskov. and devout men carried the wonderworking icon to Pskov. church procession was formed to meet the icon, which was placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Trinity. the reverse of the icon are depicted the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves.

Russia, Pskov, 1420, Support of the Humble Icon, appeared at Stoney Lake
Russia, Pskov, 1420, Support of the Humble Icon; Icon of the Mother of God, “Support of the Humble”, appeared in 1420 at Stony Lake near Pskov. same year, on September 16, it was transferred to Pskov and placed in the cathedral church. Today’s celebration was established in memory of the transfer of this wonderworking icon. Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ;

Russia, Pskov, 1425-1480, Serapion of Eleazar M, Pskov, silence vow, monk role model, unburied corpse, bones covered by skin
Russia, Pskov, 1425-1480, Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov Lake (Peipus), 1447, joined ascetic monk Euphrosynus 1425, received great schema, silence vow, monk role model, unburied corpse, bore every insult, power communal prayers, bones covered by skin; Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, 1447; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated on September 7; Serapion of Pskov was born at Yuriev (now Tartu), which then was under the rule of Germans, who sought to stamp out Orthodoxy. parents were parishioners of a Russian church in the name of Saint Nicholas. Serapion was well versed in the Holy Scripture, and more than once he entered into the defense of Orthodoxy. they wanted to convert him by force to the foreign faith, he departed to the Tolvsk wilderness, not far from Pskov, where the Pskov ascetic monk Euphrosynus (May 15) began his prayerful work. his nurturing, Saint Serapion began to acquire the wisdom of wilderness life. soon he happened to undergo temptations. a blessing, he wanted to leave his guide and to live an ascetic life in complete solitude. the Lord brought the inexperienced novice to his senses: after he seriously hurt his leg, he repented of his self-will and disobedience and returned to the Elder. he received the Great Schema, he dwelt constantly with Saint Euphrosynus for 55 years, strictly keeping the vow of silence. began gradually to gather around Saint Euphrosynus, for which the Elder built a temple in the name of the Three Hierarchs and gave a skete rule. Serapion zealously fulfilled everything commanded of him and was a role model for the monks. monk so strictly fulfilled the monastic vow of uncovetousness, that a copyist of his life called him “an unburied corpse.” bore every insult with extraordinary humility, always blaming himself alone, and he himself asked forgiveness of his insulter. monk deeply sensed the power of communal prayers he said that “the order of the twelve Psalms” sung alone in the cell cannot equal one “Lord, have mercy” sung in church. Serapion died on September 8, 1480, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the day of repose of Saint Serapion coincides with one of the twelve Great Feasts, his commemoration is on September 7. A Troparion and Kontakion were composed for the saint. Euphrosynus himself committed the body of his disciple to the earth. his fervent deeds he had transformed himself into mere “bones, covered by skin.” Serapion was not separated from his spiritual Father even after death: their holy relics were placed beside each other. common service was composed to Saints Euphrosynus and Serapion (15 May), Saint Serapion is glorified as the first co-ascetic, “companion and friend” of Saint Euphrosynus.

Russia, Pskov, 1448-1532, Cyril of New Lake, Pskov, Novorzhev, Boris Morozov, the royal tutor, kinsman, incorrupt r
Cyril of New Lake; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1448, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of White Lake; of Beloozero (Cyril of Beloezero, 1337 – 1427) was a monk and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who lived in the 15th century. Saint Cyril was a disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. In 1397, he founded the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in Northern Russia, in the present-day Vologda Oblast. was born as Kosma in Moscow in 1337. His origin is not entirely clear, but he was in any case close to the boyar family of Velyaminov. Cyril's parents died when he was a child. Around 1380 he became a monk in the Simonov Monastery and took the name of Cyril (Kirill).[1] In the monastery, he got in contact with Sergius of Radonezh. In 1387, the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery, Feodor, was appointed a bishop of Rostov, and Cyril became his successor. However, he soon realized that the position of archimadrite required too much involvement in public affairs, and first resigned, then moved to a neighboring monastery as an ordinary monk, and then decided to move to a deserted place where he could pray in peace. Together with St. Therapont, previously the monk of the same monastery, Cyril left for Lake Beloye. On arrival, following the advice of Sergius of Radonezh, he first dug a cave, and then built a wooden Assumption chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Therapont, who found the restriction imposed by Cyril too strict, left within a year and founded nearby the Ferapontov Monastery. In what became Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Cyril established a very strict order.[1] monastery grew and later became the largest monastery of Northern Russia. Cyril, as the first hegumen, arranged purchases of large areas of land by the monastery.[1] of White Lake died in the monastery in 1427, at the age of ninety. present there are several churches in Russia bearing the name of Cyril. day is marked by Russian Orthodox Church on June 9.[2][3] Novorzhev, Pskov; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1648, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. They had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. When Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. After a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. On September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. The coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. Mozarov, after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. In October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod).

Russia, Pskov, 1460, Hilarion's Ozersk [Lake] Monastery Founded
monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the River Dubenka; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Russia, Pskov, 1470, Verkneostrov Monastery founded by Dostheus
Verkneostrov, Pskov, aka Pskov Krom or Kremlin; Venerable Dositheus, Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Dositheus, Abbot of Verkhneostrov and Pskov was a disciple of Saint Euphrosynus of Spasoeleazarov and Pskov (May 15). In 1470, he founded the Peter and Paul Verkhneostrov monastery at Lake Pskova, where he was igumen.

Russia, Pskov, 1500, 16th C Folder, Corne's behead bIvan tT, Tenderness Icon painted&glorified, Livonian War Seige Pskov Caves

Russia, Pskov, 1520-1588, Beheading of Cornelius of Pskov-Caves, hospicess etc, chronicles, beheaded by Ivan t T, incorrupt r
Russia, Pskov, 1520-1588, Beheading of Cornelius, Pskov-Caves Monastery (Puisa (Tolva) River 1), Igumen at 28 in 1529, successful, Esti&Saeti people, hospicess, orphan homes, plague services, Livonian War preaching churches storerooms, library, historian, chronicles tradition, beheaded by Ivan t T, incorrupt r; Pskov Caves Monestary ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius of the Pskov Caves was born in the year 1501 at Pskov into the noble family of Stephen and Maria. order to give their son an education, his parents sent him to the Pskov Mirozh monastery, where he worked under the guidance of an Elder. He made candles, chopped wood, studied his letters, transcribed and adorned books, and also painted icons. Having finished his studies, Cornelius returned to his parental home with the resolve to become a monk. the government clerk Misiur Munekhin took Cornelius with him to the Pskov Caves monastery in the woods. The solemnity of services in the cave church produced such a strong impression on Cornelius that he left his parental home forever and received monastic tonsure at the Pskov Caves monastery. 1529, at the age of twenty-eight, Saint Cornelius was made igumen and became head of the monastery. he was igumen, the Pskov Caves monastery reached its prime. The number of brethren increased from 15 to 200 men. This number of monks was not surpassed under any subsequent head of the monastery. activity of Saint Cornelius extended far beyond the bounds of the monastery. spread Orthodoxy among the Esti [Aesti] and Saeti people living around the monastery, he built churches, hospices, homes for orphans and those in need. During a terrible plague in the Pskov region Saint Cornelius walked through the plague-infested villages to give Communion to the living and to sing burial services for the dead. the Livonian war Saint Cornelius preached Christianity in the occupied cities, built churches, and distributed generous aid from the monastery storerooms to the Esti and Livonians suffering from the war. At the monastery he selflessly doctored and fed the injured and the maimed, preserved the dead in the caves, and inscribed their names in the monastery Synodikon for eternal remembrance. the year 1560, on the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Saint Cornelius sent a prosphora and holy water as blessing for the Russian armies besieging the city of Thellin. On that very day the Germans surrendered the city. 1570 when a See was established in Livonian Yuriev, a certain igumen Cornelius was appointed as Bishop of Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin). Some have identified him with Saint Cornelius, but this does not correspond with actual events. Cornelius was a great lover of books, and at the monastery there was quite a collection of books. In 1531 his work entitled, “An Account of the Origin of the Pechersk Monastery” appeared. In the mid-sixteenth century the Pskov Caves monastery took over the tradition of writing chronicles from the Spaso-Eleaszar monastery. the start of the chronicles were accounts of the first two Pskov chronicles from 1547 to 1567. Besides this, Igumen Cornelius left behind a great monastery Synodikon for remembering the deceased brothers and benefactors of the monastery, and from the year 1588 he began to maintain the “Stern Book” [“Kormovaya kniga”: since the rear of a ship is called the stern, the sense of the title is “looking back in remembrance”]. He also compiled a “Description of the Monastery” and a “Description of the Miracles of the Pechersk Icon of the Mother of God.” Cornelius expanded and beautified the monastery, he further enlarged the monastery caves, he moved the wooden church of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste beyond the monastery enclosure to the monastery gate, and on its site he built a church in the name of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the year 1541. In 1559, he constructed a church dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Caves monastery, on the frontier of the Russian state, was not only a beacon of Orthodoxy, but also a bulwark against the external enemies of Russia. 1558-1565, Saint Cornelius built a massive stone wall around the monastery, and over the holy gates, he built a stone church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, entrusting the protection of the monastery to him. In the church was a sculpted wooden icon of “Nicholas the Warrior.” the chronicle compiled by the hierodeacon Pitirim, the martyric death of Saint Cornelius was recorded: “This blessed Igumen Cornelius ... was igumen forty-one years and two months. Not only as a monk, but also by his fasting and holy life, he was an image of salvation ... in these times there was much unrest in the Russian land. Finally, the earthly Tsar (Ivan the Terrible) sent him from this corruptible life to the Heavenly King in the eternal habitations, on February 20, 1570, in his 69th year.” (This information is on a ceramic plate, from the ceramics covering the mouth of the tomb of Saint Cornelius). the ancient manuscripts of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra it was written that Igumen Cornelius came out from the monastery gates with a cross to meet the Tsar. Ivan the Terrible, angered by a false slander, beheaded him with his own hands, but then immediately repented of his deed, and carried the body to the monastery. The pathway made scarlet by the blood of Saint Cornelius, along which the Tsar carried his body to the Dormition church, became known as the “Bloody Path.” Evidence of the Tsar’s repentance was the generous recompense he made to the Pskov Caves monastery after the death of Saint Cornelius. The name of the igumen Cornelius was inscribed in the Tsar’s Synodikon. body of Saint Cornelius was set into the wall of “the cave formed by God,” where it remained for 120 years without corruption. In the year 1690, Metropolitan Marcellus of Pskov and Izborsk, had the relics transferred from the cave to the Dormition cathedral church and placed in a new crypt in the wall. December 17, 1872 the relics of Saint Cornelius were transferred from the former tomb into a copper-silver reliquary. They were placed into a new reliquary in 1892. It is presumed that the service to the martyr was composed for the Uncovering of the Relics in the year 1690.

Russia, Pskov, 1521, Tenderness Icon painted and transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581
Russia, Pskov, 1521, Tenderness Icon transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581; Siege of Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Pskov,1546-1576, Fool FC Nicholas oPskov, Prophet wonderworker, worthless beggar drove off Tsar &His thousand soldiers
Russia, Pskov,1546-1576, Fool FC Nicholas oPskov (South End Pskov Lake, Pskov River Mouth, Velikaya River 4 or Mouth), life of Holy Fool more than 30 yrs, acquired grace oHoly Spirit, wonderworking, prophecy long before repose, residents called him the fool and revered him as a saint, 1570 after devastating campaign against Novgorod, Ivan the Terrible decided attack Pskov, suspecting treason, he came with great ferocity, wanting shed muchj blood, first Sunday of Lent whole city prayed deliverance, hearing bell ring fMatins Tsar's heart was softened, when he read inscription on Liubyatov Tenderness Icon in St Nicholas M, Be merciful, Blunt your swords upon stones, let there be end to the killing, all Pskov came out into streets holding brad and salt to meet Tsar, Nick ran toward Tsar astride stick as if riding horse, Ivan Ivan eat our bread and salt but not the blood of Christians, he still intended to sack the city, attended Moleben at Cathedral, venerated Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel relics, asked to receive blessing of fool Nick, who prophecied Tsar would not have horse to ride when he left, if he hesitate leaving, Tsar did not listen, ordered men remove Cathedral Bell, then Tsar's horse fell dead, Nick invited Tsar visit his cell under the Bell tower, offered water, then raw meat, Tsar said he is Christian and does not eat meat during Lent, but you drink human Blood said Nick, Ivan ordered stop to the looting and fled city, thus did worthless beggar terrify and drive off Tsar and his thousand soldiers, Nick died 1576, burried with Princes and Hierarchs at Cathedral, local vereration only 5yrs later, 1581 when Bathory of Poland beseiging, Nick appeared with MOG and other Pskov saints, praying for the city, his relics still venerated there, he turned Tsar's power from wrath tMercy; Pskov; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 ; Nicholas of Pskov lived the life of a holy fool for more than three decades. before his repose, he acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit and was granted the gifts of wonderworking and of prophecy. his lifetime, the residents of Pskov called him Mikula [Mikola, Nikola] the Fool, and revered him as a Saint, even calling him Saint Mikula. February 1570, after a devastating campaign against Novgorod, Tsar Ivan the Terrible decided to attack Pskov, suspecting the inhabitants of treason. the Pskov Chronicle relates, “the Tsar came ... with great ferocity, like a roaring lion,1 wanting to tear innocent people apart, and to shed much blood.” the first Saturday of Great Lent, the whole city prayed to be delivered from the Tsar’s wrath. the bell ring for Matins in Pskov, the Tsar’s heart was softened when he read the inscription the XV century wonderworking Liubyatov Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God (March 19) the Monastery of Saint Nicholas (the Tsar’s army was at the time). “Be merciful,” he told his soldiers. “Blunt your swords upon the stones, and let there be an end to killing.” the inhabitants of Pskov came out upon the streets, and each family knelt at the doors of their houses, holding bread and salt to meet the Tsar. one of the streets Blessed Nicholas ran toward the Tsar astride a stick as if he were riding a horse, and cried out: “Ivanushko, Ivanushko, eat our bread and salt, but not the blood of Christians." Tsar commanded that the holy fool be apprehended, but he disappeared. he had forbidden his men to kill, Ivan still intended to sack the city. Tsar attended a Moleben at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where he venerated the relics of the right-believing Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). also expressed his wish to receive the blessing of the holy fool Nicholas. Saint taught the Tsar “by many terrible sayings,” to stop the killing and not to plunder God's holy churches. prophesied that when the Tsar left Pskov he would not have a horse to ride. us, you passer-by," the blessed one said in a stern voice, "go quickly from us. If you hesitate, there will be nothing here for you to flee on." Ivan did not listen to him, and he ordered his men to remove the bell from Holy Trinity Cathedral. just as the Saint had predicted, the Tsar’s favorite horse fell dead. Nicholas invited the Tsar to visit his cell under the bell tower. When the Tsar arrived at the Saint's cell Nicholas said, “Come in and accept a drink of water from us, there is no reason why you should shun it.” Then the holy fool offered the Tsar a piece of raw meat. “I am a Christian and I do not eat meat during Lent," Ivan objected. you drink human blood,” Nicholas replied. by the fulfillment of the Saint's prophecy and denounced for his wicked deeds, ordered a stop to the looting and fled from the city. Oprichniki, witnessing this, wrote: “The mighty tyrant ... departed beaten and shamed, driven off as though by an enemy. did a worthless beggar terrify and drive off the Tsar with his multitude of a thousand soldiers.” Nicholas fell asleep in the Lord on February 28, 1576 and was buried at Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city he had saved. Such honors were granted only to the Pskov Princes, and later on, to Hierarchs. local veneration of the Saint began five years after his death. the year 1581, when Pskov was besieged by the soldiers of the Polish king Stephen Bathory, the Mother of God appeared to the blacksmith Dorotheos, together with a number of Pskov Saints, praying for the city. these was Blessed Nicholas, according to an account concerning the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Mother of God (October 1). Holy Trinity cathedral the relics of Blessed Nicholas of Pskov are still venerated, “by feigning foolishness, he was shown as a glorified citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem" (Troparion). also “turned the Tsar’s power from wrath to mercy" (Kontakion). 1 I Peter 5:8

Russia, Pskov, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets M, orphaned at 10, raised by priest who became monk, toiled with him 7yrs, then many experiences with Theotokos thru her icons, many came, built Z Monastery

Russia, Pskov, 1563 & 1569, Sviatogorsk Tenderness Icon appeared in a tree to shephard and fool Timothy
Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Sviatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God is from the Sviatogorsky Monastery in the province of Pskov. In the year 1563, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, in the environs of Pskov a “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to a fifteen-year-old shepherd and fool named Timothy, not far from the stream Lugovitsa. This icon was thereafter situated in the Voronicha parish church of Saint George. The voice from the icon said that after six years the grace of God would shine forth upon this hill. 1569 to this same youth upon the Sinicha hill, there appeared a Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God upon a pine tree. Timothy spent forty days at this place in fasting and prayer. The miraculous voice from the icon commanded that the clergy and the people should come to the Sinicha heights with the Tenderness icon on the Friday following the Sunday of All Saints. the church procession reached the hill and began the Molieben, a light suddenly shone during the reading of the Gospel. The air was filled with fragrance and everyone saw upon the pine tree the Hodegetria icon. Both holy icons, the Hodegetriaa and the Tenderness, were put into the church of the Great Martyr George. From them many miraculous signs and healings took place, about which reports were made to Tsar Ivan IV. Through his decree, upon the Sinicha Hill, called from that time the “Svyataâ€ (“Holyâ€), a chapel was built, into which were transferred the wonderworking icons. But soon, on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, when a church procession with icons went to Holy Hill, the chapel suddenly burned that night. The fire destroyed everything else inside, but the holy things remained unharmed. this sacred spot they built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the altar of which stood on the place where the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon had appeared. Both glorified icons were placed into the lower tier of the iconostas: the Hodegetria on the right side (a chapel in honor of which was built in 1770), and the Tenderness on the left (a chapel was built in 1776). that same year of 1569 on Holy Hill was founded the Sviatogorsk (“Holy Hillâ€) Dormition monastery. year, on the first Friday of the Peter and Paul Fast, the icons are conveyed to the Trinity cathedral of the city of Pskov. On the following Sunday, a procession is made with them along the inner walls of the city. celebration in honor of the Tenderness icon is March 19, and on the ninth Friday after Pascha. The Hodegetria icon is commemorated on July 17, and on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1). Russia, Pskov, 1521, Tenderness Icon transferred to Pskov, glorified in 1524, protector in 1581; Siege of Pskov; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov. Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Sviatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God is from the Sviatogorsky Monastery in the province of Pskov. In the year 1563, during the time of Ivan the Terrible, in the environs of Pskov a “Tendernessâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to a fifteen-year-old shepherd and fool named Timothy, not far from the stream Lugovitsa. This icon was thereafter situated in the Voronicha parish church of Saint George. The voice from the icon said that after six years the grace of God would shine forth upon this hill. 1569 to this same youth upon the Sinicha hill, there appeared a HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon of the Mother of God upon a pine tree. Timothy spent forty days at this place in fasting and prayer. The miraculous voice from the icon commanded that the clergy and the people should come to the Sinicha heights with the Tenderness icon on the Friday following the Sunday of All Saints. the church procession reached the hill and began the Molieben, a light suddenly shone during the reading of the Gospel. The air was filled with fragrance and everyone saw upon the pine tree the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon. Both holy icons, the HodÄ“gá¸—tria and the Tenderness, were put into the church of the Great Martyr George. From them many miraculous signs and healings took place, about which reports were made to Tsar Ivan IV. Through his decree, upon the Sinicha Hill, called from that time the “Svyataâ€ (“Holyâ€), a chapel was built, into which were transferred the wonderworking icons. But soon, on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, when a church procession with icons went to Holy Hill, the chapel suddenly burned that night. The fire destroyed everything else inside, but the holy things remained unharmed. this sacred spot they built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the altar of which stood on the place where the HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon had appeared. Both glorified icons were placed into the lower tier of the iconostas: the HodÄ“gá¸—tria on the right side (a chapel in honor of which was built in 1770), and the Tenderness on the left (a chapel was built in 1776). that same year of 1569 on Holy Hill was founded the Sviatogorsk (“Holy Hillâ€) Dormition monastery. year, on the first Friday of the Peter and Paul Fast, the icons are conveyed to the Trinity cathedral of the city of Pskov. On the following Sunday, a procession is made with them along the inner walls of the city. celebration in honor of the Tenderness icon is March 19, and on the ninth Friday after Pascha. The HodÄ“gá¸—tria icon is commemorated on July 17, and on the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1).

Russia, Pskov, 1567, Miraculous Sign of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God, Tears flowed during Plague
Russia, Pskov, 1567, Miraculous Sign of the Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God; Mirozh Icon appeared at the Mirozh monastery in the year 1198. But later, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at a time when a plague raged at Pskov, an ancient report tells how tears flowed from both eyes of the icon. Many benefits and healings for man occured from the icon of the Mother of God. Mirozh Icon is an “Oransâ€ (“Prayingâ€) type. On either side of the Most Holy Theotokos stand the Pskov Saints: on the right, the holy Prince Dovmont-Timothy (May 20); on the left, his wife, the holy nun Martha, in the world named Maria Dimitrievna (November 8, 1300). Tsar Ivan Vasilievich took away the wonderworking icon from Pskov, but at the monastery an exact copy remained: the so-called “Great Panagiaâ€ from the Savior-Mirozh monastery. September 24, 1567, on the Feast of Saint Abraham at the Mirozh monastery there occurred a miraculous sign from an ancient icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The celebration of the Mirozh Icon of the Sign was established in that same year, with the blessing of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod and Pskov. A special service to this icon was composed, and was published in the 1666 MENAION. Mirozh Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 24;

Russia, Pskov, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582)
Siege of Pskov; Virgin of Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on August 26; Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. The Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov. October 7 commemoration was established in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Pskov from the invading army of Napoleon in 1812. Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe Protection, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes.â€ The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, “Appearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.â€ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTenderness, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; œTenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Pskov, 1581, deliverance of Pskov & Pskov Caves by Tenderness Icon, D's Vision where to defend
Russia, Pskov, 1581, deliverance of Pskov and Pskov Caves by Tenderness Icon; Siege of Pskov; Virgin of Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on August 26; Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. The Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov. October 7 commemoration was established in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Pskov from the invading army of Napoleon in 1812. Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe Protection, Commemorated on October 1; Feast of the Pskov-Protection Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in memory of the miraculous deliverance of Pskov from the invading troops of the Polish king Stephen Bathory in 1581. During the siege, they carried forth the wonderworking Dormition Icon of the Mother of God in procession from the monastery. the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most Holy Virgin appeared to the Elder Dorotheus with various Russian Saints: the holy Great Prince Vladimir and the Pskov Princes Vsevolod-Gabriel and Dovmont-Timothy, Saint Anthony of Kiev Caves, Cornelius of Pskov, Euphrosynus of Spaso-Elazar and Savva of Krypetsk, Blessed Nicholas of Pskov and Saint Niphon, Archbishop of Novgorod, the organizer of the Pskov Spaso-Mirozh monastery. from the Pechor side from the Spaso-Mirozhsk monastery across the River Velika, the Mother of God with the Saints entered the church of the Protection monastery. The Saints besought the All-Pure Virgin to have pity on the sinful citizens of Pskov and save the city “from the imposition of woes. The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. After their deliverance from the enemy, the grateful people of Pskov built a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, œAppearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus. The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of œTenderness, Commemorated on May 21 ; sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The Tenderness Icon is especially honored as the protector of the city when it was besieged by the Polish King Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in the year 1581. Both the Tenderness Icon and the Dormition Icon were glorified at that time. Tenderness Icon is also honored on October 7, the day when Pskov was liberated from Napoleon's invasion in 1812. Other days on which the Tenderness Icon is commemorated are: June 23, August 26, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTenderness of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; œTenderness Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was found in the monastery of the caves in 1521, and was transferred to the city of Pskov by the pious Christians Basil and Theodore. Icon is particularly renowned for the deliverance of Pskov and the Pskov Caves monastery from the army of Stephen Bathory (1533-1586) in 1581. It is commemorated on May 21, June 23, August 26, October 7, and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is of the Eleousa (Umilenie) type, and is regarded as the patroness of the city of Pskov.

Russia, Pskov, 1592, Siege of Pechory, Pskov
Pskov, 1592, Siege of Pechory, Pskov ; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24;

Russia, Pskov, 1600, 17th C Folder, Cyril oNew Lake Incorrupt Relics

Russia, Pskov, 1649, Finding Incorrupt Relics oCyril of New Lake, Tutor Morozov Story
Russia, Pskov, 1649, Finding Relics oCyril of New Lake, Pskov, Novorzhev, incorrupt r, 1648 popular rebellion against Moscow, Boris Morozov, the royal tutor, kinsman, hides in White Lake Monastery, Moved by Cyril New Lake, to his grave, praying wTears, I wll build stone church here, returned White Lake M, then restored as tutor, 1649 built tStoneChurch, found intact coffin wDigging foundation at roots oTree, did not move or open, told Met, Patriarch&B, BtoldTsar+life miracles Cyril New Lake, Pat&Tsar ordered inspetion celebration, incorrupt r &healings Nov7 1649; Novorzhev, Pskov; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1648, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of New Lake; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1448, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod). Cyril of White Lake; of Beloozero (Cyril of Beloezero, 1337 – 1427) was a monk and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who lived in the 15th century. Saint Cyril was a disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. In 1397, he founded the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in Northern Russia, in the present-day Vologda Oblast. was born as Kosma in Moscow in 1337. His origin is not entirely clear, but he was in any case close to the boyar family of Velyaminov. Cyril's parents died when he was a child. Around 1380 he became a monk in the Simonov Monastery and took the name of Cyril (Kirill).[1] In the monastery, he got in contact with Sergius of Radonezh. In 1387, the archimandrite of the Simonov Monastery, Feodor, was appointed a bishop of Rostov, and Cyril became his successor. However, he soon realized that the position of archimadrite required too much involvement in public affairs, and first resigned, then moved to a neighboring monastery as an ordinary monk, and then decided to move to a deserted place where he could pray in peace. Together with St. Therapont, previously the monk of the same monastery, Cyril left for Lake Beloye. On arrival, following the advice of Sergius of Radonezh, he first dug a cave, and then built a wooden Assumption chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Therapont, who found the restriction imposed by Cyril too strict, left within a year and founded nearby the Ferapontov Monastery. In what became Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Cyril established a very strict order.[1] monastery grew and later became the largest monastery of Northern Russia. Cyril, as the first hegumen, arranged purchases of large areas of land by the monastery.[1] of White Lake died in the monastery in 1427, at the age of ninety. present there are several churches in Russia bearing the name of Cyril. day is marked by Russian Orthodox Church on June 9.[2][3]

Russia, Pskov, Southern Pskov, Velikaya River Folder, Pskov

Velikaya River

Velikaya River Source (Bezhanitsy Hills)
Bezhanitsy Hills

Velikaya River 1 (Opochsk)

Opochsk, Pskov (Velikaya River 1)
Opochsk (Velikaya River 1) ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Velikaya River 2 (Sorot River Mouth)
Sorot River Mouth

Russia, Pskov, Southern, Velikaya 2, Sarov River Folder

Sarot River

Sarot River 2

Sarot River Source (Lake Mikhalkinskoye)

Sorot River Mouth (Velikaya River 2)
Sorot River Mouth

Mikhaylovskoye Museum

Novorzhev, Pskov (Possible home of Cyril of New Lake)
Novorzhev, Pskov; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7; Cyril the wonderworker of New Lake reposed on February 4, 1532. May 1648, during the reign of Alexei Mihailovich, a popular rebellion against Moscow broke out among some of those who were members of the Tsar's retinue. Peter Trahanitov, the head of the artillery, the Deacon Eleazar, and many others were killed and robbed. The rebellious crowd proceeded to the Beautiful Porch and demanded the extradition of the boyar Boris Morozov, the royal tutor and kinsman. They had already broken into his house and looted the property. The boyar, with some difficulty, managed to hide from the hands of the angry mob, and soon he took refuge in the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. When Igoumen Amphilokhios and the brethren learned he would be staying with them, he sent the monk Jonah to him with the icon and the Life of Saint Cyril. The boyar graciously accepted the icon and was moved by the Saint's Life. After that, his soul was filled with joy and delight, but then his tormenting fears and grief returned, and he wanted to venerate Saint Cyril's grave. having a Moleben served at the grave and praying to the Saint with tears, the boyar said to the Igoumen and the brotherhood: "Holy Fathers, pray to God and His Most Pure Mother, and the venerable wonderworker Cyril for me. If God is merciful to me, by the prayers of Saint Cyril, and if I return to the royal city, and the great sovereign and his royal council take pity on me and restore me to my former rank, then I will build a stone church here in honor of the glorious Resurrection of Christ and in honor of Saint Cyril." delighted Igoumen and the brotherhood responded with their fervent good wishes. After distributing alms, the boyar returned to the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery. After a short time, after the excitement in Moscow subsided, the boyar was summoned by the Tsar and restored to his former position. The following year, in 1649, Morozov began to fulfill his promise. On September 4, at his orders, the Archimandrite Athanasios of the Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and the Elder Sabbatius Yushkov were at the foundation of the stone temple. In their presence they began to dig ditches, and when they came to the place where Saint Cyril's tomb was, a completely intact coffin was found among the roots of a tree. a patriarchal decree and the blessing of the Metropolitan and the Archimandrite, Elder Sabbatius did not dare to take the coffin from the earth in order to open and to examine It. The coffin was placed on some boards, and the discovery was reported to Metropolitan Barlaam of Rostov, Patriarch Joseph, and the boyar Morozov. Mozarov, after receiving the news, told the Tsar all this and informed him about the Life and miracles of the venerable Cyril. In October, the Patriarch, at the Tsar's suggestion, sent Archbishop Marcellus of Vologda with a Gramota instructing him to go to New Lake and examine the relics of the Saint, and move the relics to a temporary room, arrange a celebration, and report everything to the Tsar and Patriarch. Marcellus arrived at New Lake Monastery with Archimandrite Athanasios of Saint Cyril of White Lake Monastery and, from the same monastery, the cellarer Sabbatius with the Elders of the cathedral. On November 7, Igoumen Amphilokhios ordered them to remove the coffin from the earth, and then open it in order to inspect the Saint's relics and clothing. After the hierarch completed his inspection he placed the relics in a new coffin and moved it into the wooden church of the Resurrection of Christ. the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos Vespers was served at the cathedral in the evening. In the morning, before the Liturgy, a Moleben to the All-Merciful Savior, the Theotokos, and All Saints was served, with the blessing of water. Many sick persons were healed at the celebration. People took pieces of wood from the old coffin and brought them home because they had faith in their healing power. Cyrill is commemorated on November 7 (the discovery of his relics), on January 23 (Synaxis of All Saints of Kostroma), and on the third Sunday after Pentecost (Synaxis of All Saints of Novgorod).

Velikaya River 3 (Ostrov Nicholas Cathedral)

Ostrov Nicholas Cathedral, 1342
Saint Nicholas Cathedral; Ostrov, Ostrovsky District, Pskov Oblast ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6 ;

Velikaya River 3 (Chirsk)

Chirsk (Pskov)
Chirsk is somewhere near Pskov Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated July 16 ; Chirsk (Pskov) Icon of the Mother of God was initially in the Chirsk village church of the Pskov diocese. On July 16, 1420, during the time of Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich, Archbishop Simeon of Novgorod and Pskov, and Prince Theodore Alexandrovich were present in Pskov. In a time of a deadly pestilence, tears flowed from the eyes of the Chirsk Icon of the Mother of God. This was reported to authorities in the city of Pskov. Priests and devout men carried the wonderworking icon to Pskov. A church procession was formed to meet the icon, which was placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Trinity. the reverse of the icon are depicted the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves.

Russia, Pskov, Southern, Velikaya 3.9, Demyanka River Folder

Demyanka River (from Pskov Lakes)

Demyanka River South Source (Pskov Lakes)

Demyanka River North Branch

Demyanka River North Source (along the border)

Demyanka River North 1 (Nikander's Wilderness monastery)
River Demyanka, between Pskov and Porkhov.

Nikander's Wilderness monastery, Demyanka River 1, 1585
Nikandrov's monastery, 182648, Porkov District of Pskov; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on September 24;

Omucha, Pskov (Near Demyanka River North, Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1) 1396
Omucha, Pskov (Omucha River Mouth, Shelon River 1); Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21;

Velikaya River 4 (Pskov)
Velikaya River 4 (Pskov); Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11;

Pskov (South End Pskov Lake, Pskov River Mouth, Velikaya River 4 or Mouth)
Pskov; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Cosmas the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; St Olga St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen; Synaxis of all Saints of Pskov; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated September 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov "the Protection", Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated October 8 ; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16 ; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; Great Battle of the Ice, Novogorodian defeat of Teutonic Knights 1242; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St John the Hermit of Pskov; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Translation of the relics of the Blessed Vsevolod, in Holy Baptism Gabriel, the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on April 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Onuphrius the Abbot of Malsk, Pskov, Commemorated on June 12; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Vybuty, Pskov (Velikaya River 3.5, birthplace of both Olga and Vladimir)
Vybuty, Pskov (birthplace of Olga and Vladimir); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir (in Baptism Basil), Enlightener of the Russian Lands, Commemorated on July 15;

Mirozhsky Monastery, Pskov, Savior-Transfiguration Mirozh monastery, 1156
Mirozhsky Monastery; Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov, Commemorated on September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; St Abraham of Mirozh, Commemorated September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe Protection, Commemorated on October 1; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

St Eupraxia's Monastery for John the Forerunner, 1243
St Eupraxia's Monastery for John the Forerunner; Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov, Commemorated on September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; St Abraham of Mirozh, Commemorated September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe ProtectionÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Snetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself) 1410 approx.
Snetogorsk monastery (on the Snyatni hill, now in Pskov itself); St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Velikaya River Mouth (Lake Peipus, Lake Pskov)

Russia, Pskov, Northern Pskov, Pskova River Folder, Pskov

Pskova River

Pskova River Source

Pskova River 1 (Krypetsk monastery)

Krypetsk monastery (Pskova River 1) 1485
Krypetsky Monastery; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on September 24; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Krypetsk wilderness, 15 versts from the Tolva
Krypetsk wilderness, 15 versts from the Tolva ; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Pskova River 2

Pskova River 3

Pskova River 4

Lyubyatovo, St Nicholas Church and Monastery (Pskova River 4.5)
Lyubyatovo, St Nicholas Church and Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19;

Pskova River Mouth (Pskov, Velikaya River 4)

Pskov (South End Pskov Lake, Pskov River Mouth, Velikaya River 4 or Mouth)
Pskov; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated July 16 ; Chirsk (Pskov) Icon of the Mother of God was initially in the Chirsk village church of the Pskov diocese. On July 16, 1420, during the time of Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich, Archbishop Simeon of Novgorod and Pskov, and Prince Theodore Alexandrovich were present in Pskov. In a time of a deadly pestilence, tears flowed from the eyes of the Chirsk Icon of the Mother of God. This was reported to authorities in the city of Pskov. Priests and devout men carried the wonderworking icon to Pskov. A church procession was formed to meet the icon, which was placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Trinity. the reverse of the icon are depicted the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and Saint Theodosius of the Kiev Caves. Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Constantine the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Cosmas the Abbot of Kosinsk, Pskov, Commemorated on July 29; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; St Olga St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen; Synaxis of all Saints of Pskov; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Support of Humble, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated September 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov "the Protection", Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated October 8 ; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16 ; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; Great Battle of the Ice, Novogorodian defeat of Teutonic Knights 1242; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St John the Hermit of Pskov; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Translation of the relics of the Blessed Vsevolod, in Holy Baptism Gabriel, the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on April 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Onuphrius the Abbot of Malsk, Pskov, Commemorated on June 12; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Trinity Cathedral, Pskov, 1589
Trinity Cathedral in Pskov; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Pskov, Trinity Cathedral, 1589
Trinity Cathedral in Pskov; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Pskov Savior-Transfiguration monastery - Trinity Cathedral, 988
Pskov Savior-Transfiguration monastery ; St Abraham of Mirozh, Commemorated September 24 ;

Dovmontov town, Pskov (Pskova River Mouth, Velikaya River Mouth)
Pskov Kremlin; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Pskov Kremlin
Pskov Kremlin; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Verkneostrov Monastery, Pskov, aka Pskov Kremlin, 1470 (Pskov Lake, River Mouth, and Velikaya Mouth)
Verkneostrov, Pskov, aka Pskov Krom or Kremlin; Venerable Dositheus, Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8;

Russia, Pskov, Far North Pskov, Zelcha Gdov Rivers Folder

Russia, Pskov, Far North, Gdov River Folder

Gdov River

Gdov River Source

Gdov River 1

Gdov River 2 (Gdov)

Gdov, Pskov (Lake Gdov or Pskov)
Gdov Lake Gdov; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Gdovsky District, Pskov
Gdovsky District; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and ; Gdovsk; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00", Far North Pskov near Gdov River
Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00"; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated on December 28;

Gdovka River Mouth (Lake Gdov, or Lake Peipus, or Chud Lake)

Russia, Pskov, Far North, Zhelcha River Folder

Zhelcha River

Zhelcha River Source

Zelcha River 1

Zelcha River 2 (Ozersk)

Ozersk [Lake] Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God, 1460
monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the River Dubenka; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Russia, Pskov, Far North, Zhelcha River 2, Dubenka River Folder

Dubenka River

Dubenka River 1

Dubenka River Mouth (Zelcha River 2)
Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh;

Pskov Monastery Dormition of the Mother of God (Dubenka River Mouth) 1460

Zelcha River 3

Zelcha River 4

Zhelcha River Mouth (Pskov Lake)
Ozersk [Lake] Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake;

Russia, Pskov, Western Pskov, Puisa (Tolva) River Folder, P Caves

Piusa (Tolva) River

Tolva (Piusa) River

Puisa (Tolva) River Source (Lake Plaani Kulajarv)

Piusa (Tolva) River 1 (Pskov Caves and St Euphrosyne Monasteries)

Mount Snetna
Mount Snetna St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ;

River Tolva (Puisa), not far from Pskov

monastery of St Euphrosyne (May 15)
monastery of St Euphrosyne (May 15) St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ;

monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, 1473 and 1581
monastery of the Mother of God near Pskovy; On the eve of the decisive fighting, the pious blind Elder Dorotheus the Smith had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos at the spot where the enemy had prepared to attack, at a corner of the fortress of the monastery in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Most Holy Theotokos, having promised the city Her mercy, gave orders to set up the Pechersk icon at the place of Her appearance. During the battle the Polish tried to breach the fortress wall, but through the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, they were not able to break through into the city. For the temple of the Protection Most Holy Theotokos, the Pskov-Pechersk icon of the Mother of God was painted, which has also been given the name, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœAppearance of the Mother of God to the Elder Dorotheus.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ The appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred on September 7, and celebration of the Pskov-Pechersk Icon was established on October 1. A special service was compiled for the Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe ProtectionÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1;

monastery of the Mother of God near Pskov, 1473
monastery of the Mother of God near Pskovy; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ;

Pechersk Monastery, Pskov-Caves Monastery (Puisa (Tolva) River 1) 1473
Pskov Caves Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated October 7 ; French invasion of Russia 1812 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

Pskov-Caves Monastery (Puisa (Tolva) River 1) 1473
Pskov Caves Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated October 7 ; French invasion of Russia 1812 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Icon of the Mother of God of œTendernessÂ, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

monastery of St Cornelius, Pskov Caves, 1473
monastery of St Cornelius: Pskov-Caves Monastery; St Sava of Pskov, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ;

Izborsk, Pskov
Izborsk; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Abbot of Malsk, Pskov, Commemorated on June 12;

Piusa (Tolva) River Mouth (Lake Peipus)

Tolvsk wilderness, Estonia (Tolva River not far from Pskov)
Tolvsk wilderness, Estonia (Tolva River not far from Pskov) ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Russia, Pskov, Central Pskov, Pskov Lakes Folder

Pskov Lakes, Gdov and Peipus
Pskov Lake; Peter and Paul Verkhneostrov monastery at Lake Pskova; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8 ; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Pskov Lake (Peipus)
Lake Pskov (Peipus) ; Peter and Paul Verkhneostrov monastery at Lake Pskova; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8 ;

Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov Lake (Peipus), 1447
Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, 1447; Eleazar Monastery. Spaso-Eleazarovsky monastery: description, history, interesting facts and reviews. Holy spring in Elizarovo, Pskov region; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated on September 7; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on September 24;

Chud Lake, Pskov
Chud Lake; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people. Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Gudov Lake, Pskov
Lake Gdov; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Lake Peipus

Battle of the Ice, Lake Chud, Pskov, 1242
Battle of the Ice, Lake Chud, 1242; Repose of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Russia, Pskov, Eastern Pskov (Tver, Novgorod) also Pskov Lakes

Toropets, Pskov, Tver or Novgorod (Toropa River mouth at Lake Solomeno, Volga Trade Route)
Toropets ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese
Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Russia, Belarus Folder, White Rus, Southwestern Russia

Belarus (Belorussia, White Russia) Orthodox
Belarus (Belorussia); Belarus lies between latitudes 51° and 57° N, and longitudes 23° and 33° E. is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land.[63] According to a 2005 estimate by the United Nations, 40% of Belarus is covered by forests. Many streams and 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus. Three major rivers run through the country: the Neman, the Pripyat, and the Dnieper. The Neman flows westward towards the Baltic sea and the Pripyat flows eastward to the Dnieper; the Dnieper flows southward towards the Black Sea. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Brest-Litovsk, Commemorated July 20 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Venerable Elisha of Lavreshev, Commemorated October 23 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12; œMyrrh-Bearing Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Kutein Orshansk monastery (somewhere in Belarus)
Kutein Orshansk monastery (somewhere in Belarus); Belarus (Belorussia); Belarus lies between latitudes 51° and 57° N, and longitudes 23° and 33° E. It is landlocked, relatively flat, and contains large tracts of marshy land.[63] According to a 2005 estimate by the United Nations, 40% of Belarus is covered by forests. Many streams and 11,000 lakes are found in Belarus. Three major rivers run through the country: the Neman, the Pripyat, and the Dnieper. The Neman flows westward towards the Baltic sea and the Pripyat flows eastward to the Dnieper; the Dnieper flows southward towards the Black Sea. St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Russia, Belarus History Folder

Russia, Belarus, 1044-1101, Prince, Vseslav of Polotsk (also Grand Prince of Kiev 1068-9)
Russia, Belarus, 1044-1101, Prince, Vseslav of Polotsk (also Grand Prince of Kiev 1068-9); Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Russia, Belarus, 987-1397, Principality of Polotsk, Sviatoslav Vseslavich
Belarus, 987-1397, Principality of Polotsk; Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov, Commemorated on September 24;

Russia, Belarus, 1101-1508, Principality of Vitebsk, Sviatoslav Vseslavich
Belarus, 1101-1508, Principality of Vitebsk, Sviatoslav Vseslavich;

Russia, Belarus, 1130-1173, Saint, Euphrosyne of Polotsk
Russia, Belarus, 1130-1173, Saint, Euphrosyne of Polotsk; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Russia, Belarus, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk&Tver, b Lithuanian attacks moved him tHome oG Prince, concern fNeedy
>Russia, Belarus, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6), and Tver, descended fPolotsk Princes, hostile Lithuanian attacks, moved cathedra to Tver, because Russian Great Prince Yaroslav chose Tver his ruling city, Simeon well-disposed ( having a good disposition especially : disposed to be friendly, favorable, or sympathetic), kind, attentive to monks&priests, zealous truth defender, knowledgeable about medicine, well versed scriptue, teacher, virtuous, concerned for needy, widows, orphans, down-trodden, oppressed, Princes' court story: Jesting about his court, Constantine asked where shall courts be in that world? With the princes. because if Prince good he is responsible to pick good court, if not, efil court, ; Polotsk (Dvina River) ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Simeon, Bishop of Tver was descended from the Polotsk princes. was the seventh bishop of Polotsk and the first bishop of the Tver diocese. saint’s cathedra was first at Polotsk, hostile attacks and conflicts with the Lithuanian princes, and the murder of the Polotsk prince (his relative) in 1263, him to move to Tver Yaroslav Yaroslavich had become Great Prince of Russia, and he chose Tver as his ruling city). Simeon was well-disposed and kind to the down-trodden and destitute, attentive to the monastic and priestly orders, and a zealous defender of truth. Nikonov Chronicle relates that this holy bishop was “knowledgeable about medicine, well versed in the books of Holy Scripture; was a teacher, a virtuous man, concerned for the needy, widows and orphans, a defender of the down-trodden and deliverer of the oppressed.” preserves for us a conversation of Saint Simeon with Prince Constantine of Polotsk who, wishing to make a jest about his court, asked the saint at supper: “Where shall the courts be in that world?” Simeon answered, “Those courts shall also be where the prince is.” prince did not care for this, and he said, “A court might judge unjustly, and take bribes, or torture people, and is it I who do the harm?” bishop explained to him, “If a prince is good and God-fearing, and is concerned for the people, and loves truth and he appoints good, God-fearing, intelligent and truth-loving men to his council, that prince shall be in Paradise and his court with him. If, however, a prince is without the fear of God, and is not concerned for Christians and does not think of orphans and widows, and if he appoints wicked counselors who lack integrity in order to bring him money, that prince shall be in Hell and his court with him.” Simeon died on February 3, 1289.

Russia, Belarus, 1500, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, Icon floats up to Minsk
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Russia, Belarus, 1500, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk
Russia, Crimea, 1500, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk ; Russia, Crimea, 988, Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great; Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Grear Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday. Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Belarus, 1500, Minsk Icon, Belarus, Tartar threw into Dnipr, floated upstream to Minsk, d light, m miracles recorded
Russia, Belarus, 996, Icon of Minsk, Belarus (Svislocha River 1), brought from Korsun by Vladimir to Kiev Tithes, 500 yrs, 1500 Tartar threw into Dnipr, floated upstream to Minsk, d light, Uniate monastery 1616, Orthodox 1839, friday Akathist, many miracles recorded; Minsk, Belarus (White Rus) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Great Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. it was transferred to the cathedral. 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday.

Russia, Belarus, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev, Roman Catholic
Poland, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Belarus, 1657, Polish Campaign in 1657
Russo-Polish War (1654-“1667); Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24 ;

Russia, Belarus, 1687, Appearance of the Rudens Icon
Rudens (Rudzensk), Belarus ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens; Rudens Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1687 in the Rudno locale of Mogilevsk diocese. In 1712 the icon was transferred to the Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev, where now it is located.

Russia, Belarus, 1812 Fatherland War Polotsk (French Invasion of Russia)
1812 Fatherland War Polotsk (French Invasion of Russia); Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Belarus, 1812, Battle of Polotsk 1812
Battle of Polotsk 1812; Saint Tikhon prophesied much about the future including the result of this battle and the victory of Russia over the French in 1812: St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13 ;

Russia, Belarus, 1903-1912, Bolsheviks (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats)
Bolsheviks, 1903-1912, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats); St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Belarus, Western Dvina River Folder

Western Dvina River

Western Dvina River Source (Valdai Hills)

Western Dvina River 1 (Andreapol, Russia)

Western Dvina River 2 (Zapadnaya Dvina)

Western Dvina River 3 (Velizh, Russia)

Western Dvina River 4 (Ruba, Belarus)

Western Dvina River 4 (Vitebsk, Belarus)

Vitebsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 4)
Vitebsk; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Western Dvina River 5 (Beshankovichy, Belarus)

Western Dvina River 6 (Polotsk, Belarus)

Polotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6)
Polotsk (Dvina River) ; Livonian campaign of Stephen Bathory; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated October 9; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; œMyrrh-BearingÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Polotsk Cathedral, Saint Sophia Cathedral, 1044 and 1161
Polotsk Cathedral, Saint Sophia Cathedral, 1044; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Polotsk Cadet Corps
Polotsk Cadet Corps: The Polotsk Cadet Corps In 1835, the Polotsk Cadet Corps was opened in the buildings of the former Jesuit collegiums. The children of officers, military officials and hereditary noblemen have the right to study in the university. Education in the corps lasted 7 years. After the end of the main course, the Polotsk cadets got the right to enter military schools. The Cadets studied the Law of God, Russian, German and French, History, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Natural Science, Drawing, Music, Singing. Considerable attention was paid to drill exercises, swimming, gymnastic exercises, and fencing. Amount the military science there were tactics, artillery, military history and fortification.The Polotsk Cadet Corps worked until September 1914. ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Western Dvina River 7 (Navapolatsk and Polotsk, Belarus)

Western Dvina River 8 (Dzisna, Belarus, Dysna River Mouth)

Western Dvina River 9 (Verkhnyadzvinsk, Belarus)

Western Dvina River 10 (Kraslava, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 11 (Daugavpils, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 12 (Livani, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 13 (Jekabpils, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 14 (Plavinas, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 15 (Aizkraukle, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 16 (Lielvarde, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 17 (Ogre, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 18 (Salaspils, Latvia)

Western Dvina River 19 (Riga, Latvia)

Western Dvina River Mouth (Gulf of Riga, Balti Sea)

Russia, Belarus, Yash and Stenno Lakes Folder

Yash Lake, Belarus
Yash Lake, near Lake Senno; Venerable Jonah the Abbot of Yashezersk, Commemorated September 22 ;

Lake Senno, Belarus
Lake Senno; Venerable Jonah the Abbot of Yashezersk, Commemorated September 22;

Annunciation Monestary of Yashezersk, Belarus, 1580
Yashezersk or Yash Lake, Yash Lake, near Lake Senno; Venerable Jonah the Abbot of Yashezersk, Commemorated September 22;

Russia, Belarus, Sozh River Folder

Sozh River

Sozh River Source (Valdai Hills)

Mstislav, Belarus (high point, Sozh River Source)
Mstislav, Belarus; Mstislav, Belarus; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Sozh River 1 (Krichev)

Krichev, Belarus (Sozh River 1)
Krichev; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Sozh River 2

Propoisk, Belarus (Slawharad, Sozh river 3)
Slawharad; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Sozh River 4

Sozh River Mouth (Dnieper River 4)

Russia, Belarus, Dnieper River Folder

Mogilev, Belarus (Dnieper River 3)
Mogilev, Mogilev Seminary, Kutein Orshansk monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12;

Belynich, Belarus (Dnieper River 3)
Belynich; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12;

Russia, Belarus, Berezina and Svislocha Rivers Folder, Minsk

Berezina River Source (along the border)

Berezina River 1 (Barysaw)
Barysaw;

Borisov wilderness monastery and convent, Belarus
Borisov wilderness monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ;

Borisov, Belarus (Moscow Road to Poland)
Borisov, Belarus ; Venerable Leonid of Optina;

Berezina River 2 (Babruysk)
Babruysk, Belarus;

Berezina River 3 (Svietlaharsk, Belarus, Svislocha River Mouth)
Svietlah, Belarus;

Berezina River Mouth (Dnieper River 5)

Svislocha River Source (along the border)

Olshanski (Halshany) Castle, Belarus (Svislocha River Source)
Olshanski (Halshany) Castle, Belarus; Olshanski Family; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Svislocha River 1 (Minsk)

Minsk, Belarus (Svislocha River 1)
Minsk, Belarus (White Rus) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7;

Bolsheviks (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats), Minsk, Belarus, 1903-1912,
Bolsheviks, 1903-1912, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats); St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Cherven, Belarus (Svislocha River 2 near Minsk)
Cherven, Belarus; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir (in Baptism Basil), Enlightener of the Russian Lands, Commemorated on July 15;

Trinity Hill, Boris and Gleb Church, Ascension Monastery, Minsk, Belarus
Trinity Hill, Boris and Gleb Church, Ascension Monastery;

Minsk Region, Belarus
Minsk Region; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7;

Svislocha River 2 (Rudens)

Rudens, Belarus (Svislocha River 2)
Rudens (Rudzensk), Belarus ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rudens; Rudens Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1687 in the Rudno locale of Mogilevsk diocese. In 1712 the icon was transferred to the Florovsk Ascension monastery in Kiev, where now it is located.

Zhirovits, Belarus (Moscow Road to Poland 7, Svislocha River 2)
Zhyrovichy Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Zhyrovichy Monastery, Russia, Belarus, 1470
Zhyrovichy Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Grodno Governorate, Belarus, Russian Empire
Grodno Governorate; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Grodno, Belarus, Russian Empire
Grodno, Belarus, Russian Empire; Grodno Governorate; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Grodnensk frontier, Grodno, Belarus, Russian Empire
Grodno, Belarus, Russian Empire; Grodno Governorate; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Molcha, Belarus (Moscow Road to Poland 7, Svislocha River 2)
Molcha, Belarus; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24;

Svislocha River Mouth (Svislocha, Belarus, Berezina River 3)

Vasiliev, Belarus (Svislocha River Mouth, Berezina River 3)
Vasiliev; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14;

Russia, Belarus, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania)

Brest, Belarus (Bug and Mukhavets Rivers)
Brest, Belarus (Bug and Mukhavets Rivers) ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Brest-Litovsk, Commemorated July 20 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Uniates ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Union of Brest (1596);

Brest-Litovsk (Belarus, Bug and Mukhavets Rivers)
Brest, Belarus (Bug and Mukhavets Rivers) ; Uniates; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Brest-Litovsk; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ;

St Simeon Monastery, Bretsk
St Simeon Monastery, Bretsk, Karl Marx St 84, 224032; Martyr Athanasius, Abbot of Bretsk, Commemorated on September 5; Hieromartyr Athansius of Bretsk was Belorussian and was born in about the year 1597 into a pious Christian family named Philippovich. He received a serious upbringing, and he knew the theological and historical literature, as is evidenced in the diary of the saint, which has been preserved. his youth, Saint Athanasius for a while was a teacher in the houses of Polish merchants. In the year 1627, he accepted tonsure under Igumen Joseph at the Vilensk monastery of the Holy Spirit. Saint Athanasius was ordained hieromonk in the year 1632, and made head of the Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near Pinsk. Athanasius, with a special blessing of the Theotokos, re-established Orthodoxy within the boundaries of the ancient Russian territories that had been seized by the Polish Reche. Between the years 1638-1648 Saint Athanasius fulfilled his obedience as igumen of the Bretsk-Simeonov monastery. The monk endured much abuse from the Uniates and illegal persecution from the civil authorities. Three times he endured being locked up in prison. saint was sent to the authorities at Kiev to appear before a religious tribunal, but he was acquitted, and returned to his own monastery. For ten years Saint Athanasius, finding himself among persons maliciously disposed towards him, led a constant struggle for Holy Orthodoxy, his faithfulness to which is evidenced by his sufferings. to wear down the spiritual endurance of the saint were to no avail. He again went to trial, after which the monk was sentenced to death by execution, for his cursing of the Unia. Saint Athanasius died as a martyr on the night of September 4-5, 1648 (the Uncovering of Relics was on July 20, 1679).

Bug River (Western Bug River)

Russia, Belarus, Dnieper Bug Canal, Bug (Western Bug) River Folder

Bug River Mouth (Narew River 13, Serock, Poland)
Bug River Mouth (Narew River 13, Serock, Poland);

Big River 7 (Liwiec)
Liwiec (Bug River 7 );

Bug River 6 (Nurzec Mouth)
Nurzec Mouth (Bug River 6);

Bug River5 (Krzna)
Krzna (Bug River 5 );

Bug River 4 (Mukhavets)
Mukhavets (Bug River 4);

Buig River 3 (Wlodawka)
Wlodawka (Bug River 3 );

Bug River 1 (Poltva)
Poltva (Bug River 1 (Poltva);

Bug River 2 (Luha, Ukraine)
Luha, Ukraine (Bug River 2);

Bug River Source (Solokiia, near Verkbhovuvh, Lviv, Ukraine)
Bug River Source (Solokiia, near Verkbhovuvh, Lviv, Ukraine);

Russia, Kirzhach Peksha District Folder, Kirzhach and Peksha Rivers

Kirzhachsky District
Kirzhach River (Kirzhachsky District); St Roman of Kirzhachsk, Commemorated on July 29 ; St Roman of Kirzhachsk, Commemorated on July 29 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Kirzhach River
Kirzhach River;

Kirzhach River Source (along the border)

Kirzhach River 1 (Kirzhach)

Kirzhach (Kirzach River 1)
Kirzhach; St Roman of Kirzhachsk, Commemorated on July 29 ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25;

Kirzhach River 2

Kirzhach River Mouth (Klyazama River 3 at Gorodishchi)

Gorodishchi (Kirzhach Mouth, Klyazama River 3)
Gorodishchi (Kirzhach Mouth, Klyazama River 3); St Roman of Kirzhachsk, Commemorated on July 29 ;

Peksha River

Peksha River Source (along the border)

Peksha River 1 (near Iuriev-Polsk)

Iuriev-Polsk or Yuriev-Polsk, Kirzhachsky, 1152
Iuriev-Polsk or Yuriev-Polsk; Burial of St Andrew the Prince; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Comemorated November 17 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Yuriev-Polsk or Iuriev-Polsk , Kirzhachsky, 1152
Iuriev-Polsk or Yuriev-Polsk; Burial of St Andrew the Prince; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Comemorated November 17 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Peksha River Mouth (Klyazma River 4 at Kostervovo)

Russia, Vologda Folder, Large area North of the Volga and West of the Urals

Russia, Vologda, History Folder

Russia, Vologda, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Gerasimus, First Northern Wonderworker

Russia, Vologda, 1147-1178, Gerasimus of the Vologda, First Northern Wonderworker
Russia, Vologda, 1147-1178, Gerasimus of the Vologda, Trinity Monastery, First Northern Wonderworker; Gerasimus Vologda Trinity Monastery; Vologda; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Gerasimus, First Vologda Wonderworker, accepted monastic tonsure on March 4 (at that time it was customary to give a new monk the name of the saint commemorated on the day of his tonsure) the Kiev Gniloe Dormition monastery, having been attracted to the Caves where Saint Theodosius (May 3) secluded himself during Great Lent. of obedience to the brethren, Saint Gerasimus accepted the rank of hieromonk. imitation of the exploits of the Fathers of old, the monk felt drawn to Northern Rus and he arrived at the River Vologda (August 19, 1147). blessed the emerging settlement on the right bank, “foretelling that here would be a great city.” saint chose the dense virgin forest for his dwelling place, separated from the settlement by the Kaisarova creek. There the monk built a hut, and in the tranquil solitude he devoted himself to the contemplation of God, unceasing prayer and work. built a church in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, and so the first monastery in the north named for the Most Holy Trinity came into being. The monastery served for the spiritual enlightenment of the surrounding peoples. monk peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on March 4, 1178, the day of his monastic tonsure, and the Feast of his namesake Saint Gerasimus of the Jordan.

Russia, Vologda, 1200, 13th Century Folder, 2 War Hero Icons, 1 Fool For Christ

Russia, Vologda, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, Luke's, would not move, not burn many times, war hero
Russia, Vladimir, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, found near Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 8.8), painted by Luke, found by T's brother George, would not move, Theodore monastery built there, 1238 Batu's invasion icon did not burn, 1260 Tartars Kostroma Basil following Andrew Bogolyubsky took icon to war, holy lake dazzling rays of light panicked Ts, 3rd Kostroma Cathedral fire icon saved floating in air, not leaving it settled middle of city square, 1613 Tsar Michael Romanov from Kostroma, Impatiev m, 2 Moscow MOG icons to Kostroma, Michael h mother refuse crown, first she gave in to MOG then he, copy to Moscow, 1636 M restored it, unsleeping candle, molebens, cross processions, d restoraton sanctification Moses in crowd recieved instant healing scabs and falling disease, 1834 Ilovaysky freed by icon from highlanders, took copy to Moscow to get gold covering, processions twice yearly ; Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; ascribes a very ancient origin to this famous Icon. is regarded as one of the icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke. is not known by whom or when the Icon was brought to Russia, but at the beginning of the XII century it was kept in an old wooden chapel near the city of Kitezh. Icon got its name from the Great Prince Yaroslav (+ 1246), who in Holy Baptism was named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), found the Icon in the wooden chapel near Gorodets. he attempted to take the Icon from the chapel it could not be moved. that the Mother of God wanted her Icon to remain there, Prince George built the Monastery of Saint Theodore on the site. Batu Khan's invasion in 1238, the Gorodets Monastery and other Russian monasteries were burnt and left in ruins. the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of the Khan, they did not have time to take the Icon with them. though objects made of stone and iron were destroyed, the wooden Icon was preserved and later revealed. August 16, 1239, Saint Alexander Nevsky's younger brother, Prince Basil of Kostroma, later the Great Prince of Vladimir, lost in the woods while chasing a wild animal. He saw an Icon in a pine1 tree, when the Prince tried to remove the Icon from the tree, it suddenly rose up into the air. by this miracle, Prince Basil returned to the city and told the clergy and the people about his vision. the people went into the forest and there they found the Icon where Prince Basil said it was. Everyone fell to their knees and prayed to the Mother of God. the priests were able to remove the Icon and take it to the cathedral church. people flocked to the newly-revealed Icon from the Kostroma region. residents said that when the Prince was hunting in the forest, some sort of soldier, who was dressed in rich clothing, walked through the city, carrying an Icon in his hands. warrior resembled the icon of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates (February 8), whom the Kostroma cathedral was dedicated. the Icon was known as the Saint Theodore Icon. the site of its appearance, on the banks of the Zaprudnya River the Prince founded a monastery dedicated to the Icon of Christ not made by hands, which is commemorated on August 16, very day of the Saint Theodore Icon's appearance. the Kostroma Cathedral burned down, the Saint Theodore Icon was found in the ashes three days later, completely unharmed. 1260, the Tatars approached Kostroma, and the city was threatened with complete ruin. the hopes of the inhabitants and the Prince rested upon the Mother of God, and they prayed that she would save the city. the battle, Prince Basil remembered that when Great Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky fought against the Kama Bulgarians, he took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon with him by the gracious help of the Mother of God, the enemy was completely routed. Saint Andrew's example, Prince Basil of Kostroma took the Saint Theodore Icon from the cathedral and carried it with his army. the battle began, the Icon was moved behind the army, and the priests served Molebens. two enemy armies converged, and a great miracle occurred. rays of light, brighter and hotter than the rays of the sun, shone from the Virgin's face, and scorching the Tatars, who panicked and fled in a disorderly retreat. Basil set up a Cross where the Icon had stood during the battle, in remembrance of this miracle. place itself, the people, and the nearby lake were called "holy." a village sprang up by the lake, and it too was called "Holy Lake." long afterward, the Kostroma cathedral caught fire again. When they rushed to save the wonderworking Icon, they saw it hovering in the air above the flames. thought that the Mother of God wanted the Icon to be taken from the city because of the sins of its inhabitants. Crying out, they implored the Mother of God not to leave the city. the Icon descended and settled on the ground in the middle of the square. Soon a small wooden church was built to house the Icon, which was later replaced by a stone church. name of the Saint Theodore Icon is also associated with the accession of Tsar Michael Romanov to the throne in 1613. were sent from Moscow to Kostroma, consisting of clergy, boyars, and persons of every rank. brought the Vladimir Icon with them, and also an icon of the Moscow wonderworkers. Kostroma, the delegation was met by a host of clergy with the Saint Theodore Icon, everyone went to Ipatiev Monastery, where young Michael lived with his aged mother, Schematic-nun Martha. the cathedral church, Michael was "implored" to accept the crown. Michael refused to accept this heavy yoke, and his mother didn't want to let him go. She remained adamant despite their pleas. the former head of the delegation, Archbishop Theodoret of Ryazan, took the Vladimir Icon in his hands, Abraham Palitsyn, the cellarer of Holy Trinity Monastery, took the icon of the Holy Moscow wonderworkers firmly said to her: "Why have we brought these Icons of the Most Holy Sovereign Lady and of the Moscow wonderworkers with us on such a long journey? you refuse to obey us, then consent for the sake of the Mother of God and the great Saints, and do not anger the Lord God." was unable to maintain her opposition, and she prostrated herself before the Saint Theodore Icon saying, "Your will be done, O Sovereign Lady! Into your hands I surrender my son; guide him on the true path, for his benefit and for that of our land!" begged his mother not to give in, but finally she did, and he had to accept. He was proclaimed as Tsar right away. remembrance of this event, an annual celebration was appointed for March 14. Tsar Michael brought a copy of the Icon with him to Moscow and placed it in the court church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, which is on the Seni. greatly revered the Saint Theodore Icon, so in 1636 he restored and adorned it. Kostroma Cathedral he bestowed great gifts; ordered that seven pounds of wax be provided from Kostroma's customs revenues for an unsleeping candle to burn before the Icon. ordered the Kostroma clergy to serve Molebens before the Icon, and the voivodes to take part in Cross Processions, dressed as archers and gunners. May 4, 1636, during the sanctification of the Icon which was restored by the Tsar, a young man named Moses, who suffered from a falling disease, and whose body was swollen and covered with scabs, was standing in the crowd and received instant healing. 1834, Lieutenant-General Ilovaysky was in Kostroma to venerate the Saint Theodore Icon and spoke of a miracle that his grandfather, a Cossack ataman, had experienced. grandfather was taken prisoner by the highlanders. As he languished in captivity, was revealed to him in a dream that he would be delivered by the grace of the Saint Theodore Icon. was ordered to run without any fear, and he did manage to escape unnoticed. a while, he hid from his pursuers in an oak tree, he walked 600 versts, and lived on fruits and roots. this time he read the Troparion to the Saint Theodore Icon. At last, he came to his own city of Cherkassk. he walked to Kostroma on a pilgrimage to the Saint Theodore Icon, he removed the copy of the Icon from the church and brought it on foot to Moscow. he had the Icon covered with a gold riza and he returned home with it. Saint Theodore Icon is kept in Kostroma's Dormition Cathedral. year processions are made with it: the Feast of Pentecost at Ipatiev Monastery; on August 16 in the Spaso-Zaprudenskaya church, at the place where it was found. Icon is commemorated twice a year: at the Dormition Cathedral on March 14, in remembrance of the end of the Time of Troubles in Russia, and on August 16, the day of the Icon's appearance. 1Various accounts say the tree was either pine, fir, or spruce.

Russia, Vologda, 1263-1303, Procopius of Ustyug, Fool for Christ
Russia, Vologda, 1263-1303, Procopius of Ustyug; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustya, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Vologda, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ
Russia, Moscow, 1290, Ustiug saved by Annunciation Icon w Procopius, Fool for Christ; Ustiug Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God The “Ustiug Annunciationâ€ is a venerable icon, before which Saint Procopius, Fool-for-Christ (+ 1303) prayed with intense fervor on June 25, 1290 for the salvation of the city of Ustiug from the wrath of God. icon was painted by a Novgorod iconographer when the holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11) ruled in the city. In 1567, under Metropolitan Philip (January 9), the holy icon was transferred from Great Ustiug to Moscow and placed in the Dormition cathedral. At the present time it is located in the state Tretyakov gallery.

Russia, Vologda, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Hypatius&St Nic appeared 1K yrs later, White Lake Ferapontov Cherepovets Kushta m's

Russia, Vologda, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud
Russia, Vologda, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud People, fWhite Lake city, fAnthony tRoman's m, tKargopolsk 52yrs, high command tChelma Hill, Chud people come, his preaching many baptisms, end oLife monastery&church, died a82; Kargopol; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Cyril of Chelma Hill, Enlightener of the Chudian People, born in the city of White Lake. was tonsured at the monastery of Saint Anthony the Roman, where for six years he passed through various obediences. after wandering through the wilderness for three years, he settled in a wild region of Kargopolsk. here, by a command from on high, he chose Chelma Hill for his constant abode. of the afflicted from the Chud people came to see Saint Cyril, whose luminous ascetic life and kindly preaching moved many to accept holy Baptism. the end of his life, Saint Cyril established a monastery and church in honor of the Theophany of the Lord. monk dwelt upon Chelma Hill for fifty-two years, and died at the advanced age of 82.

Russia, Vologda, 1330, Hypasian (Ipatiev) monestary
Hypasian monestary; Hypasians; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated August 22 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16;

Russia, Vologda, 1330, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed by Novatians after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia
Armenia, 325, St Hypatius of Gangra, Paphlagonia, killed by Novatians coming back from 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia; Gangra; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was bishop of the city of Gangra in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor). In the year 325 he participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, at which the heresy of Arius was anathematized. Saint Hypatius was returning in 326 from Constantinople to Gangra, followers of the schismatics Novatus and Felicissimus fell upon him in a desolate place. The heretics ran him through with swords and spears, and threw him into a swamp. Like the Protomartyr Stephen, Saint Hypatius prayed for his murderers. Arian woman struck the saint on the head with a stone, killing him. The murderers hid his body in a cave, where a Christian who kept straw there found his body. Recognizing the bishop’s body, he hastened to the city to report this, and the inhabitants of Gangra piously buried their beloved archpastor. his death, the relics of Saint Hypatius were famous for numerous miracles, particularly for casting out demons and for healing the sick. of old the hieromartyr Hypatius was particularly venerated in the Russian land. Thus in the year 1330 the Ipatiev monastery was built at Kostroma, on the place where the Mother of God appeared with the Pre-eternal Christ Child, the Apostle Philip, and the hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra. monastery later occupied a significant place in the spiritual and social life of the nation, particularly during the Time of Troubles. ancient copies of the Life of the hieromartyr Hypatius were widely distributed in Russian literature, and one of these was incorporated into The Reading Menaion of Metropolitan Macarius (1542-1564). In this Life there is an account of the appearance of the Savior to Saint Hypatius on the eve of the martyr’s death. entry for the saint’s Feast consists of his Life, some prayers, and words of praise and instruction. The pious veneration of Saint Hypatius was also expressed in Russian liturgical compositions. During the nineteenth century a new service was written for the hieromartyr Hypatius, distinct from the services written by Saint Joseph the Studite, contained in the March Menaion.

Russia, Vologda, 1334-1392, Demetrius of Priluki, close tSergius, built church &MFoundation but moved to avoid conflict wLocals
Russia, Vologda, 1334-1392, Demetrius of Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, Wonderworker, wealthy, uncommonly hansome, tonsured aPereyaslav, founded St Nicholas cenobitic m on St Boris &Gleb Hill, lake Plescheevo shore near P, igumen, 1334 met St Sergius oRadonezh, aP, came to see Met Athanasius, became close tSergius, talked frequently, fame, godfather children oDemetrius otDon, Ioannovich, built with him Church resurrection oChrist, prepared foundation fMonastery but locals feared village would be part oM property, demanded monks leave, to be burden to no one they left, tBend oRiver near Vologda, first cenobitic monastery in Russian north, Vologda people helped, land owners trampled down grain field so temple built immediately, 1371 woden cathedral built, brethern gather, many disciples fP, Demetrios combined prayer, strict asceticism &Kindness, fed poor&hungry, took in strangers, conversed with those needing consolation, gave counsel, loved solitude prayer, prosphora&warm water lenten food, no wine&fins oFeastdays, respected those living rearby by accepting countributions cautiously, gift oClairvoyance, old sheepskin coat winter summer, even in old age went out on common tasks, attained high degree spiritual perfection, died advanced age 1392, found as asleep, cell's wonderous fragrance, miracles 1409 and on, 15th C vereration throughout Rus, before 1440 monk Macarius recorder his life, based on disciplt Igumen Pachomius; Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11; Demetrios (Dēmḗtrios) of Priluki, Wonderworker, was born into a rich merchant’s family in Pereyaslavl-Zalessk. his youth the saint was uncommonly handsome. monastic tonsure at one of the Pereyaslavl monasteries, the saint later founded the Saint Nicholas cenobitic monastery on the Saints Boris and Gleb Hill at the shore of Lake Plescheevo near the city, and became its igumen. 1334 Saint Demetrios first met with Saint Sergius of Radonezh, had come to Pereyaslavl to see Metropolitan Athanasius. that time, he frequently conversed with Saint Sergius and became close with him. fame of the Pereyaslavl igumen was so widespread that he became godfather to the children of Great Prince Demetrios Ioannovich. the influence of the Radonezh wonderworker, Saint Demetrios decided to withdraw to a remote place, and went north with his disciple Pachomius. the Vologda forests, at the River Velika, near the Avnezh settlement, built a church of the Resurrection of Christ they prepared to lay the foundations for a monastery. local inhabitants were fearful that if a monastery were built there, their village would become monastery property. demanded that the monks leave their territory, wishing to be a burden to no one, they moved farther away. far from Vologda, at the bend of a river in an isolated spot, Saint Demetrios decided to form the first of the cenobitic monasteries of the Russian North. The people of Vologda and the surrounding gladly consented to help the saint. owners of the land intended for the monastery, Elias and Isidore, even trampled down a grain field, so that a temple might be built immediately. 1371 the wooden Savior cathedral was built, and brethren began to gather. disciples of the monk came there from Pereyaslavl. Demetrios combined prayer and strict asceticism with kindliness. fed the poor and hungry, took in strangers, conversed with those in need of consolation, he gave counsel. loved to pray in solitude. Lenten food consisted of prosphora with warm water. on feastdays, he would not partake of the wine and fish permitted by the Rule. winter and summer he wore an old sheepskin coat, even in his old age he went with the brethren on common tasks. saint accepted contributions to the monastery cautiously, so that the welfare of the monastery would not be detrimental to those living nearby. Lord granted His servant the gift of clairvoyance, he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. Demetrios died at an advanced age on February 11, 1392. brethren approaching found him as though asleep, his cell was filled with a wondrous fragrance. from the relics of Saint Demetrios began in the year 1409, during the fifteenth century his veneration spread throughout all Rus. no later than the year 1440, the Priluki monk Macarius recorded his Life (Great Reading Menaion, February 11) on the narratives of Saint Demetrios’s disciple Igumen Pachomius.

Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, Vologda, disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow, hermit, silence, monastery, 112yrs old
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, Kostroma, Vologda (Obnora River, Kostroma River 3), disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow 1317, youth piety kindness, rich parents, Nativity Tolga Monastery, tSergius Radonezh, several years, hermit separate cell 15yrs, then wandered, like Chukhoma, tKomel Forest, first aGryazovitsa River 3yrs complete silence, no rest for future rest, then Nurma River aObnora River, no food 5days aWeek, then bread water, but people came, never refused guidance, Sergius oNurma visited, also fSergius oR, built Holy Trinity Church 1414, monaster sprung up, wrote strict monk rule, made Alexi igumen, continued as hermit his cell, died 112yrs old; Obnora, Vologda; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547. Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well.

Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, Vologda , hermit, close to Paul oObnora, fSergius oR, joined hermits&hermitages
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hermit, close friend hermit Paul oObnora, Komel Forest Obnora River, met Pauls visit, so met before 1414, M fDanilovo oPisma River LBank, 12K from Pisma Hermitage, Pismensky relative, trained by Sergius aHoly Trinity M, back home solitude near Pisma River, Makariev Hermitage, disciples gathered, small m mile away his cell, wooden church, later burried there, 1414 Paul estab his m, not separate monasteries, Obnora grew, Pisma remained small, bond never broken, Makarios Pisma belonged to Obnora, beginning oMonastic life Komel, 1683 icon proves local veneration fBoth had begun, Makarios' tomb in Paul's Chapel, where miracle dew protecting M's grave in fire, blindness for attempt open tomb; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well. Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547.

Russia, Vologda, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma
Russia, Vologda, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma ; Chukhloma Icon of the Mother of God of Galich appeared in the year 1350 to Saint Abraham of Galich, who came there from the north for ascetical labors with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. On the wild shores of the Galich lake near the large mountain, hidden in the dense forest, he turned with prayer to the Mother of God, asking Her blessing for his endeavors. After completing his prayer the saint sat down to rest, and suddenly a bright light appeared on the nearby mountainside and he heard a voice: “Abraham, come up the mountain, where there is an icon of My Mother.” monk went up the mountain where the light shone, and indeed found an icon of the Mother of God with the Infant on a tree. With tenderness and in gratitude to God, the holy ascetic took the revealed icon and, strengthened by prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, he built a chapel at that place, in which he put the icon. a certain time the Galich prince Demetrius Feodorovich, learned about the Elder’s trip, and asked him to bring the icon. Saint Abraham rowed across the Galich lake in a boat and, accompanied by clergy and a throng of people, he took the wonderworking icon to the cathedral church of the city of Galich. this day a large number of the sick were healed by this icon. When Saint Abraham told about the appearance of the icon, the Prince offered money to build a monastery. a church was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, around which a monastery grew. Saint Abraham founded several more monasteries, the last being founded was the Chukhloma, not far from the city of Chukhloma, from the name of this monastery the ascetic was named “of Chukhloma,” and the wonderworking icon became known as the Chukhloma Icon of Galich. icon is also commemorated on May 28, July 4, and August 15. Galich (Lake Galich); Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated September 30 ; Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Russia, Vologda, 1351-1456, Therapon of Belozersk, Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1351-1456, Therapon of Belozersk, Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery ; Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Vologda, 1357-1427, St Cyril of White Lake monastery
Mologa Saint, 1357-1427, St Cyril of White Lake monastery, Sheksna, Vologda; St Cyril of White Lake monastery; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Vologda, 1362 &1581 &1682, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden

Russia, Vologda, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Mologa, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios
Russia, Vologda, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios, divine light miracle, beautiful view; Cherepovets ; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Athanasios (nicknamed "the Iron Staff") and Theodosios, were disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, they settled in the Novgorod region, on the border of Cherepovets, at the confluence of the Yagorba River and the Sheksna. in the dense, impenetrable forests, they built a church in honor of the Holy Trinity, and a monastery was also established. is known for certain about Saint Theodosios, and almost no information has been preserved about Saint Athanasios, because during the Time of Troubles the Monastery was razed almost to the ground, and the written records were destroyed. do know that the Monastery church built by Saints Athanasios and Theodosios, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as well as to Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh. the basis of this information, it is thought that both Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios were tonsured at Trinity-Sergius Monastery, for the ancient hermits used to build monasteries on the model of those in which they became monks. is written testimony about these Saints in an inscription in a loose-leaf book from 1568 which reads: "This is the book of the Monastery of the Resurrection of Christ and the Life-giving Trinity, and of our Venerable Fathers Theodosios and Athanasios." the the chronicle of the Saints it says: "Venerable Athanasios, called 'Iron Staff,' the disciple of Saint Sergius the Wonderworker; who reposed in the year 1392." Stroganov Manual of Iconography describes the Saint's appearance: "Venerable Athanasios... a grey beard, narrower and shorter than Blaise's." before the arrival of the monks in that region, a chapel was built through the efforts of a merchant. man decided to build a chapel after a miracle occurred. day he was transporting goods in a boat, when suddenly in the middle of the day, it grew dark, and the boat ran aground. The frightened merchant began to pray, and soon the darkness lifted, and a nearby mountain was illumined with a bright light. The man climbed the mountain and was so amazed at the beautiful view that he returned to the area and built a chapel the following year. little information about these Saints has come down to us. We know that Saint Athanasios carried an iron staff, and Saint Theodosios may have been the merchant who built the chapel. 1764, the Resurrection Monastery was abolished, and its church became a parish church. Since 1780 it has been called the Resurrection Cathedral of the city of Cherepovets. under this church, the relics of Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios now rest. The Cherepovets Resurrection Cathedral also has icons of Saints Athanasios and Theodosios. Saints reposed in the year 1388, and were buried in the Monastery’s cathedral church. They are also commemorated on July 5 and September 25.

Russia, Vologda, 1390-1455, Martinian igumen oBeloye (White) Lake &Therapon m Vozha L, obedience, incorrupt relics
Russia, Velogda, Meloga, 1390-1455, Martinian oByeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake), Martinian oWhite Lake (Byeloezersk or Beloye) fBerezniko v near Cyrilov m, tGreat Aacetic St Cyril a13, complete obedience, copied Cyril&books, deacon, hiermonk, aCyril dies tIsland oVozha, monastery, general rule, successful igumen, spiritual support fBasil tGreat, because B's cousin Demitrius Shemyaka lllicitly sought Moscow, truth justice advocate, accepted igumen Radonezh monastery fBasil, 1455 time oDeath back to Therapon m, thrown, not able tWalk, incorrupt relics uncovered 1514; Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Martinian of White Lake, in the world Michael, born in the year 1370 in the village of Berezniko, not far from the Cyrilov monastery. age thirteen he left his parents and went secretly to Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), whom many described as a great ascetic. young Martinian began zealously to imitate his teacher, with whom he dwelt in complete obedience. the monastery he studied reading and writing, and with the blessing of Saint Cyril, he occupied himself with the copying of books. time Martinian was ordained deacon and then hieromonk. the death of Saint Cyril (+ 1427), Martinian withdrew to a deserted island on Lake Vozha. monks gradually gathered around him. Martinian established for them the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and introduced a general Rule for the inhabitants. to the persistent requests of the brethren of Therapon monastery, he consented to become igumen of the monastery and brought it into an improved condition. Martinian gave spiritual support to Great Prince Basil in the difficulties of his time, his first-cousin Demetrius Shemyaka illicitly sought the Moscow throne. was always an advocate of truth and justice. upon the entreaty of the Great Prince, the saint accepted the governance of the monastery of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. 1455, Saint Martinian returned to the Therapon monastery. his last years he was grievously ill and not able to walk, so the brethren carried him to church. He died at age 85. relics were uncovered in the year 1514, and this event is celebrated on October 7.

Russia, Vologda, 1391-1439, Alexander oKushta, left A fQuiet, cross iWater gathered Zealous, h leaves, seen wNicholas aDeath
Russia, Vologda, 1391-1439, Alexander oKushta, Vologda, Archbishop oRostov, obedience, strict fasting, Hiermonk, constant work or prayer, seen as angel oGod, it troubled him, left by night, river Syazhem, austere abstinence, people came, left for Kuben aka Kushta, wEuthymios, exchanged cells, r cross from E, loved quiet, cross in water prayer to gather zealous, elder came f5yrs, built church after 3rd elder came, Rostov Hegoumen blessed temple construction, 5 Tartars story, frozen by cross several hrs, Princess Maria story, offered village, saw insects on his chest, not necessary to see our misery, sick, asked prayer but told preare fEnd oLife. Wheat sack story, thief not able tLift, A admonished him &added more wheat for him, blessed burden easy to lift, A foretold death, ordered grave location, tree grew there, healing leaves, after death A& Nicholas seen praying or censing together at the temple; Savior-Kamen monastery; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9; Alexander, Hegoumen of Kushta Monastery in Vologda, was born about the year 1371, and his name in the world was Alexei. was tonsured at the Savior-Stone (Spaso-Kamen) monastery by Hegoumen Dionysios of the Holy Mountain, who brought the Athonite Rule to the monastery. he became the Archbishop of Rostov. Here Saint Alexander went through all the phases of obedience and strict fasting, and was ordained as a Hieromonk. was constantly at work or at prayer. The brethren looked upon him as upon an angel of God, and this troubled Saint Alexander. left the monastery secretly by night and came to the River Syazhem, where there was a thick forest and lake. Here he built a cell and lived his life in prayer and austere abstinence. Little by little, people started coming to him. Alexander went from this place to the shore of Lake Kuben, at the mouth of the River Kushta. that time Saint Euthymios (April 11) was living there. Saint Alexander offered to exchange cells with him, and Saint Euthymios agreed to this. they parted, he gave Saint Alexander his cross as a blessing. quiet wilderness was very dear to Saint Alexander. to the lake, he immersed the cross in the water and prayed to God, asking that he might gather in this place those who were zealous for the way of the Cross. some time, a certain Elder came to Saint Alexander, with whom he dwelt for five years. a third brother arrived, Saint Alexander decided to build a church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. saint journeyed to Rostov to see his former Hegoumen, Archbishop Dionysios (1418-1425), who blessed the construction of the temple. day, Tatars came when Prince Demetrios of Zaozersk was away, and five of them galloped up to the Kushta monastery. Saint Alexander met them calmly and he blessed them with the cross. The Tatars fell down as if they were dead; and they lay senseless for several hours, after which Saint Alexander roused them from their torpor in the name of the Life-creating Trinity. Prince Demetrios reposed, his widow, Princess Maria, who had great respect for Saint Alexander, offered a village for the support of the monastery in remembrance of her husband. Once she came to the monastery and went into the church, where Saint Alexander was reading the Psalter, while insects attacked his bare chest. The monk was distressed by her visit and said, “It is not necessary, O Princess, for you to observe our misery.” The princess humbly asked for pardon. The monk blessed her, but said, “Feed your poverty at home.” When she reached her home, the princess fell sick and asked him to pray for the recovery of her health. Saint Alexander foresaw her end and said, “Let her prepare for that life.” Princess Maria died twenty days later. was gathered on the floor of the monastery; and a certain peasant decided to steal a sack, but he was not able to lift it. The saint happened upon him and said, “My son, it is in vain that you try to lift what is beyond your strength.” The astounded thief threw himself at the feet of the venerable one, asking his forgiveness, but Saint Alexander ordered him to add more wheat to the sack. After admonishing him not to steal from others in future, he blessed him to take the sack and to go with God. The peasant easily carried the burden which was blessed, and thanked the generous Elder. that the time of his death was near, Saint Alexander said to those dwelling with him, “I am growing weak, but I urge you to endure in this place, preserving humility and mutual love.” On Sunday he served the Divine Liturgy, and partook of the Holy Mysteries. Then he prayed on his knees for himself and for his monastery, and at age of sixty-eight, he peacefully surrendered his soul to the Lord on June 9, 1439. to Saint Alexander’s last instructions in his will, his body was placed at the south side of the altar. A year afterward, a Rowan-berry tree grew up over his grave. Once, on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, a peasant child broke off a branch from this tree and suddenly his hand began to hurt. His parents prayed and brought their son to the saint’s grave, and he was healed. From that time people began to pick berries from this tree for healing purposes. His disciples built a heated church in honor of Saint Nicholas over the saint’s grave and it was dedicated on the anniversary of his repose. Many of the sick who were brought to the church said that they saw Saint Alexander and Saint Nicholas praying together, or censing the temple. Many of the sick received healing at Saint Alexander’s grave.

Russia, Vologda, 1400, 15th Century Folder, divine light Icon, Uchma, Solovki, Krasny Kholm, Rabanga, Keno Lake, Siya

Russia, Vologda, 1410-1462, Barlaam oShenkursk, Vologda, Novgorod mayor, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, monk 12 yrs
Russia, Vologda, 1410-1462, Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6), mayor oNovgorod t1445, then founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, became Pinezhsky, monk i1456 for 12 yrs, buried next to church he built ; Shenkursk (Vaga River) ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, Commemorated on June 19; Varlaam was known as Vasily Stepanovich Svoezemtsev in life, in monasticism he was given the name Varlaam Vazhsky. Stepanovich was born around 1390 into the family of the Novgorod Boyar (his father was Stepan Vasilyevich). baptism he received the name Vasily. was married and had two sons, Ivan and Semyon. According to another version of his life, he had two daughters and eight sons. served as mayor of Novgorod until 1445. He also served as a representative of the Boyar family of Svoezemtsev, Novgorod. 1426, he founded Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, where subsequently the town of Pinezhsky was founded. 1456, Vasily Stepanovich was tonsured a monk and given the name Barlaam Vazhsky by the first Hegumen of St. John Theological Monastery. Varlaam lived as a monastic for six years, and upon his death on June 19, 1462, he was buried next to the church of John the Theologian, which he had built.

Russia, Vologda, 1416-1441, Gerasimus 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians, respected aMoscow councils, Raids Vogulians oNovgorod

Russia, Vologda, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, aTherapon wJoasaph, vision oMartinian tbMonk, left fUchma, guide mPeople
Russia, Rostov, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Mangupa Princes descendent, tMoscow fBizantium wSophia Paleologa, for GP Ivan III, Monk at Therapon wJoasaph, miraculous vision oMartinian, urged him tbMonk, left for Volga Uchma confluence, monastery guide mPeople; Russia, Moscow, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake); Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uglich; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Cassian the Greek of Uglich, in the world Constantine, was a descendant of the Greek Mangupa princes. arrived in Moscow as part of the delegation to Great Prince Ivan III, together with the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, Sophia Paleologa. decided to devote his life to the service of God, the saint declined the offer to remain at the court of the Great Prince, and he resettled near Bishop Joasaph of Rostov. the bishop withdrew to the Therapon monastery for solitude, Constantine followed him, and he led a strict ascetic life. accepted monasticism after a miraculous vision by night of Saint Martinian, urging him to take monastic tonsure. a certain period of time, Saint Cassian left the monastery going not far from the city of Uglich, near the confluence of the Volga and Uchma Rivers, he founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. of the monk spread widely, and many people began to come to receive his blessing, to see the wilderness habitation and converse with him. Saint Cassian accepted everyone with love, guiding them on the way to salvation with quiet words. monk died in great old age on October 2, 1504. In the Uglich Chronicles many miracles of the saint were recorded, in particular the protection of his monastery from Polish soldiers in the years 1609-1611 by his prayers. memory of Saint Cassian of Uglich is celebrated also on May 21, the day he shares with his namesake, the holy Emperor Constantine the Great. Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; we commemorate the namesake of Saint Cassian (in the world Constantine). commemoration of Saint Cassian is in honor of Emperor Constantine, his patron Saint at Baptism. When he became a monk, he was tonsured with the new name Cassian, in honor of St. John Cassian (Feb. 28), (Feb. 29 in Leap Year). October 2, the date of his repose, for Saint Cassian's life account.

Russia, Vologda, 1425-1465, Euthymius oSyanzhemsk, years in solitary cell then started S monastery, igumen, relics
Russia, Vologda, 1425-1465, Euthymius oSyanzhemsk &Savior-Kamen monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, became monk aSavior-Stone monastery, Lake Kuben, solitary cell on Kuben River, gave cell to Alexander oKushta, moved tSyanzhem, founded monastery, igumen, died 1465, after appointing Chariton successor, relics appeared next C, 16th C; Savior-Kamen monastery; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Euthymius of Syanzhemsk and Vologda was born in Vologda, received monastic tonsure at the Savior-Stone monastery at Lake Kuben. some time he lived in a solitary cell on the River Kuben, then gave up the place to Saint Alexander of Kushta (June 9) moved to Syanzhem, where he founded the Ascension monastery and became its igumen. Euthymius died around the year 1465, appointing Saint Chariton (September 28) as his successor. story of the appearance of his relics was recorded in the sixteenth century by Bishop Ioasaph of Vologda, a noted hagiographer of his time.

Russia, Vologda, 1436-1478, Saint, Zosima of Solovki
Russia, Vologda, 1436-1478, Saint, Zosima of Solovki; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Vologda, 1441-1455, Pitrim, Bishop oPerm&Ustiug, martyr, historian, converted Voguli, served vast area
Mongol, Perm, 1441-1455, Pitrim Bishop of Perm & Ustiug, Vologda (Yug and Skukhona Rivers, Northern Dvina Source), succeeded Gerasimus as B oPerm&Ustiug, even during his time Voguli attacked peaceful Zyryanis oPerm, 1447 appealed Great Prince to help Z's, wide territory, often visited flock, danger, privation, converted V's along Pechora river, so murdered by V leader Asyk, Pitrim compiled life of Alexis & Cannon fUncovering his relics, Common commemoration these three saints acknowledges their activity Eastern Russia; Ustiug, Vologda; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Pitirim succeeded Saint Gerasimus as bishop of Great Perm and Ustiug. during his time the Voguli had not ceased attacking the peaceful Zyryani, the settlers of Perm. Pitirim stood up for his flock just as his predecessor had done. 1447 he personally appealed to the Great Prince to help the Zyryani. saint often visited his flock, which was spread out over a wide territory, instructing them in the Word of God and assisting them in their misfortunes. undertook long journeys to enlighten the pagan Voguli, during which his life was frequently in danger, and he had to endure all sorts of privation. saint did not slacken his efforts, he enlightened and instructed people in their homes, in churches, and in the open places. his preaching he converted many of the Voguli who lived along the tributaries of the River Pechora, to Christianity. of this he aroused the terrible wrath of the leader of the Voguli, Asyk, who murdered the saint in a field as he was serving a Molieben. occurred not far from Ust-Vym on August 19, 1455. Pitirim compiled the Life of Saint Alexis and the Canon for the uncovering of his relics. relics of Saint Pitirim rest in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Pitirim is also commemorated on August 19.

Russia, Vologda, 1441-1481, St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda, built & headed church & monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1441-1481, St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 1) White Lake wilderness dweller, discovered St Nicholas Icon, built and headed church and monastery; Krasny Kholm; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated January 17 ; Anthony of Krasny Kholm was initially a wilderness-dweller in the vicinity of White Lake. hieromonk arrived in the region of Tver and settled near “Pretty Hillock” [“Krasny kholm”], at the bank of the River Mologa, building a chapel and cell there. the discovery of an icon of Saint Nicholas, a stone church was built and a monastery founded, headed by the saint, who taught the brethren both by word and by example throughout his life. Saint Anthony died in 1481.

Russia, Vologda, 1442, Makaryev Icon, unknown light, angelic refrain, Icon s by radiance, cell-icon
Russia, Vologda, 1442, Makaryev Icon; Makariev Directress Icon of the Mother of God appeared during the reign of Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462) to Saint Macarius the Wonderworker, who labored in asceticism on the desolate shores of the River Unzha. September 17, 1442 at about the third hour of the morning, when Saint Macarius was finishing his usual morning Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, his cell was illumined suddenly by an unknown light. The monk became confused in spirit and fervently began to pray. the cell walls he heard the angelic refrain: “Hail, Full of Grace, O Virgin Mother!” With fear and astonishment the monk went out from his cell and on the northwest horizon he saw the icon of the Mother of God, surrounded by a luminous radiance. icon approached towards the cell of the ascetic. With joyful trembling the monk fell to the ground and cried out: “Hail, Mother of God! Hail, Ever-Flowing Fountain issuing salvation to all the world and assuring protection and intercession to all the land of Galicia!” reverently took up the icon and placed it in his cell, thus it also came to be named the “Cell-Icon.” Afterwards, the disciples of the monk gave it the title of “Makariev.” On the place of the appearance of the holy icon a monastery was founded, and was also named Makariev. Copies of the Makariev Icon of the Mother of God were made, which became as renowned as the original. Makaryev on the Unzha River; Macarius of the Unza; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Vologda, 1447-1457, Philip of Rabanga, because locals sought monasticism, monastery founder, Dionysius of G disciple
Russia, Vologda, 1447-1457, Philip of Rabanga (Sodima and Rabanga Rivers, Vologda), because locals sought to become monks, monastery founder, disciple of Dionysius' of Glushitsa; Kadnikova (Sodima River); St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15 ; Philip of Rabanga was the founder of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery, near Kadnikov to the northeast of Vologda. spent the beginning of his monastic life in the monastery of Saint Dionysius of Glushitsa (June 1), and was one of his closest disciples. the death of his teacher and spiritual Father, Saint Philip left the Glushitsa monastery and settled in a sparsely populated area at the confluence of the Sukhona and Rabanga Rivers. saint wanted to lead his life in complete solitude. local inhabitants learned about him, and seeking his guidance to become monks, they began to come to him in the wilderness. this as a mandate from above, Saint Philip traveled to Rostov to the holy Archbishop Ephraim (March 27) and asked the saint’s blessing to found a monastery and to build a church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord (the temple was built in 1447). relates that the holy founder of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery was extremely strict with himself, but lenient towards the infirmities of others. Philip died on November 15, 1457 and was buried in the monastery he founded.

Russia, Vologda, 1450 15th Century, Basil of Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben), a monk, full length icon, heavy iron chains & cap
Russia, Vologda, 1450 15th Century, Basil of Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben), a monk, full length icon of B, heavy iron chains, cap of iron strips; Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben) is not defined in wikipedia, but it is probably right here next to the Kubena River at the mouth of Lake Kuben. If not then Kubensk may be another name for Kamenny Monastery. ; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, Commemorated on August 2; Basil of Kubensk lived during the fifteenth century, a monk at the Savior-Kamenny monastery, on an island of Lake Kuben (not far from Vologda). the shrine of his relics, built afterwards in a church in honor of Saint Basil of Moscow, is a full-length icon of Saint Basil of Kubensk, with heavy iron chains and a cap of iron strips.

Russia, Vologda, 1451-1500, Sebastian oSokhota, Poshekhonye District, Mologa, founded monastery, taught ascetics by example
Transfiguration of the Lord monestary, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, founded a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Saint Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, and in 1764 closed down. In the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. The saint is also commemorated on December 18. Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Pshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on February 26.

Russia, Vologda, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm, after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, Idols eradicated, Churches built
Mongol, Perm, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, tribes along Vishera, Kama, Chusova and other rivers, Idols eradicated, Churches built, Experienced pastors sent tSchools aUs-Vym; Perm (Kama River 6); St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Saint Pitirim, Saint Jonah ascended the throne of Perm. He converted to Christianity the remaining part of Great Perm, i.e. the pagan tribes living along the Rivers Vishera, Kama, Chusova and others. his efforts the idols were eradicated and in their place churches were built. pastors were sent to teach the new converts at the church-run schools of Us-Vym. Jonah reposed on June 6, 1470. relics rest together with the relics of Saints Gerasimus and Pitirim in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). commemoration in common of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Jonah is also commemorated on June 6.

Russia, Vologda, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda, founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov
Russia, Vologda, 1460-1500, Sebastian oPoshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda (Sogozha River 3), founded monaster on Sokhota River near Romanov (now Tutaef) in Yaroslav district, his monks cultivated soil and ate work of own hands, he taught by example and guidance, died 1500, Transfiguration monastery on Sokhota later annexed by Cherepoveta Assension monastery; Poshekhonye; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, at the River Sokhota, versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on December 18.

Russia, Vologda, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, g ascetic & clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya
Russia, Vologda, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, Vologda, great ascetic and a clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya; Keno Lake (Lake Kenozero, Kena River); Saint Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Pachomius is commemorated on the Saturday after Theophany. founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord near Lake Keno, and tonsured Saint Anthony of Siya (December 7) as a monk in 1508. did not entrust Saint Anthony to one of the other monks, but he himself took him under his wing and trained him in asceticism and in the spiritual life. Anthony possessed every virtue and resisted every temptation, purified his mind and soul from the passions, and freed himself from worldly attachments. the time came for Saint Anthony to leave the monastery and live in solitude, Saint Pachomius blessed him to follow this path saying, “May the Lord bless you, my child. May the Lord’s will be done.” Pachomius was a great ascetic and a clairvoyant Elder, a good and faithful servant who entered into the joy of his Lord in 1515. Venerable Anthony, Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7 Anthony of Siya, in the world Andrew, was born into a family of rich farmers in the village of Kekhta near the North Dvina river. childhood he received a fine education, read much and learned iconography. the death of his parents, Andrew went to Novgorod, and for five years worked for a boyar [nobleman] there. He later married, but his wife died after a year. Andrew decided to devote himself to monasticism. He distributed his goods to the poor and as a wanderer came to the Pachomiev wilderness monastery at the River Kena. Pachomius tonsured him with the name Anthony. Soon he was ordained a hieromonk, and Anthony, with the blessing of the igumen, celebrated the divine services by himself. went out with the other monks of the monastery to work for the monastery’s needs. of love for solitude Saint Anthony eventually left the Pachomiev wilderness, after choosing two companions from the monastic brethren, and he settled upon Mikhailov Island, on the one side washed by the River Sii, and on the other, by encircling lakes. this harsh frontier within the dense thickets Anthony built a chapel in 1520. to clear the forest required difficult work, and Anthony’s companions began to grumble against him. quite unexpectedly an unknown man furnished them with the means of subsistence, offering money for good measure. Siya monastery became famous, and inhabitants of surrounding villages often visited it. again Saint Anthony, taking one disciple, withdrew to a still more remote place on Lake Palun. There, in a solitary cell, he dwelt for three years. the igumen Theoctistus refused to guide the Siya monastery any longer, the brethren tried to persuade Saint Anthony to return to them. He finally acceded to the request of the monks, again became igumen and piously guided the monastery until his death in the year 1556, when he was seventy-nine years old.

Russia, Vologda, 1475-1532, Cyril oNovoezersk, a15 led bAngel tCornelius, WSaw hGrace, expected wilterness, Lord's Fire there
Russia, Vologda, -1532, Cyril oNovoezersk, Novgorod (nearMurmansk and Kola River in Lapland), cried out fMother's womb, a child fond oSolitude&Prayer, dreamt monk life, left home a15, led by angel to Pskov Caves, Clairvoyant Cornelius saw his grace, emaciated flesh with fasting, even then thought end days wilterness solitude, parents mourned him but C's Elder came to them, told about son's monastic life, mom & dad left inheritance, became monastics, father came to son, Cornelius told son to meet father, asked forgiveness, Cyril instructed his father, Cyril obedient tIgumen&Brethren, Cyril thirsted to be wanderer to find a wilderness place fLife oSilence, tCoastal Regions 20 yrs, outskirts Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, never entered any house, never accepted alms, daily wandering nightly prayer church porches, attended church services, heavenly light directed him where found monastery, at Tikvin m Theotokos appeared and directed him to Eastern White Lake, Lord my son will direct you your place oRest, small island w Pillar oFire, built hut beneath old Spruce, then two cells, one for future brothers, and two small churches, Resurrection church&MOG church, overcame many temptations by brave endurance&constant prayer, brethern gathered, much healing, foresight gift, sensed impending end, gathered b, humility tears instructed one last time, voice quit, long silence, “I go to the Lord unto life eternal, but I entrust you to God the Word and His Grace, bestowing an inheritance and sanctification upon all. May it help you. But I beseech you, do not become lax in fasting and prayers, guard yourself from the snares of the Enemy, and the Lord in His ineffable mercy will not condemn your humility ; Novoezersk, Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4; Cyril of New Lake was born into a pious family. Lord marked him as one of the chosen even before he was born. ’s mother was praying in church during the Divine Liturgy, and the infant in her womb cried out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth!” the time of his childhood the saint was fond of solitude and prayer, he dreamt of monastic life. fifteen years of age Cyril secretly left his parental home, intending to enter the Pskov Caves monastery. did not know the way to the monastery, and took nothing from home for the journey. He went his way, putting all his trust in the Lord and His All-Pure Mother. versts from the city the youth met a magnificent monastic Elder, who led him to the monastery. he left, he blessed him with the words, “May God bless you, my child, and grant you the angelic schema, and may you be a chosen vessel of the Divine Spirit.” said this, the Elder became invisible. boy realized that this had been a messenger from God, and he gave thanks to the Lord. igumen Saint Cornelius (February 20) saw with his clairvoyant eye the grace manifest in the young man. provided him with much guidance and tonsured him into the monastic schema with the name Cyril. fifteen-year-old monk astonished the brethren with his efforts. emaciated the flesh through fasting and prayer, and zealously fulfilled obediences. and night he was ready to study the Word of God. then he thought to end his days in solitude in the wilderness. boy’s parents mourned him as one dead, once an Elder of the monastery of Saint Cornelius came to them and told them about their son and his life at the monastery. joyful news confirmed in Cyril’s mother her love for God. spoke with her husband about leaving to the monastery her portion of the inheritance, then left the world and became a nun with the name Elena (Helen). died in peace a short time later. saint’s father came to the monastery, and Igumen Cornelius told Cyril to meet with him. saint was troubled, but not daring to disobey the igumen, he fell down at his father’s feet, imploring forgiveness for secretly leaving home. father forgave his son, and he himself remained at the monastery. Cornelius tonsured him into monasticism with the name Barsanuphius, gave him to his son for instruction. years later, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. son continued to toil more fervently for the Lord, disdaining his own will, and in was obedient not only to the igumen, but also to the brethren. thirsted to go about all the Russian land, venerating its holy shrines and to find for himself a wilderness place for a life of silence. the blessing of Saint Cornelius, Saint Cyril left the monastery in which he had grown strong spiritually, he went to the coastal regions, roaming through the forests and the wild places, eating tree roots and berries. saint spent about twenty years in this difficult exploit of wanderer, he went to the outskirts of Moscow, Novgorod and Pskov, he never entered any house nor did he accept alms. wandered about during the day, and spent his nights at prayer on church porches, and he attended the church services. while at prayer, Saint Cyril saw a heavenly light indicating the direction where he should found a monastery. set off on his way at once, and having reached the Tikhvin monastery, he spent three days and three nights there in ceaseless prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. Mother of God appeared to him in a dream. Her approval of him, She said, “My servant Cyril, pleaser of the Most Holy Trinity, go to the Eastern region of White Lake, the Lord My Son will show you the place of rest for your old age.” saint proceeded to White Lake, weeping copious tears at the miraculous vision. the lake he saw a small island, from which a pillar of fire rose up to the sky. beneath a centuries-old spruce tree, Saint Cyril built a hut, then set up two cells: one for himself, the other for future brethren. hermit also constructed two small churches, in honor of the Resurrection of Christ the other in honor of the Mother of God Hodēgḗtria. underwent many temptations from invisible enemies, and from idlers roving about, he overcame everything by brave endurance and constant prayer. of his holy life spread everywhere, and brethren gathered around him. were many instances of healing through his prayers, the Lord also granted His saint the gift of foresight. his impending end, Saint Cyril summoned the brethren. tears of humility the saint instructed his spiritual children one last time, until his voice gave out. a long time then he was silent, but suddenly he cried out with loud sobbing, “I go to the Lord unto life eternal, but I entrust you to God the Word and His Grace, bestowing an inheritance and sanctification upon all. May it help you. But I beseech you, do not become lax in fasting and prayers, guard yourself from the snares of the Enemy, and the Lord in His ineffable mercy will not condemn your humility.” said this, the saint gave a final kiss to the brethren, received the Holy Mysteries, signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, and with the words “Glory to God for everything!” he gave up his pure soul to the Lord on February 4, 1532.

Russia, Vologda, 1475-1537, Cornelius of Komel, Kostroma, 3rd monastic Rule, orphanage, Anthony visions, many disciples
Russia, Vologda, 1475-1537, Cornelius of Komel Monastery, Kostroma, heavy chains, copying, White Lake, Rostov, Novgorod, Tver, 3rd monastic Rule, charity, orphanage, Anthony visions, many disciples Venerable Cornelius, Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Komel was descended from the boyar (noble) family Kriukov. His brother Lukian served at the court of the Great Prince of Moscow. When Lukian, who was getting old, decided to go to the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake, he was followed by Cornelius, who longed for the solitary life from a young age. he was tonsured, the young Cornelius began his monastic endeavors with a difficult obedience: he wore heavy chains in the bakery. In his spare time he occupied himself with copying church books. Because of his love for solitude, Saint Cornelius later left the White Lake monastery, and he visited Rostov. Novgorod, Saint Gennadius (December 4) attempted to hold on to him, but the ascetic settled in a desolate spot near Novgorod. When people began to visit here also, he moved to the Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery. Later, in 1497, he settled in the Komel forest, not far from Vologda, where he built a cell. Monks began to gather around the cell of Saint Cornelius. In 1501 he built a wooden church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. In that year Metropolitan Simon ordained him as hieromonk. 1512, when the number of brethren had grown, the saint built a stone church and he compiled a Rule for the brethren, based on the Rules of Saints Joseph of Volokolamsk and Nilus of Sora. This was the third monastic Rule written by Russian saints. Cornelius of Komel was distinguished by his charity toward the unfortunate, and during a famine he built an orphanage in the monastery courtyard. Because of his love for the poor and orphaned, Saint Cornelius was often granted visions of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), for whom he had a special reverence. He constructed a church at his monastery in honor of this great ascetic. saint’s strictness of life provoked some of the brethren to grumbling, and Saint Cornelius was compelled to leave the monastery. He settled at Lake Sursk, 70 versts from his monastery. At times he also lived at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Interceding for the monks of the Korniliev monastery, Great Prince Basil Ivanovich urged the saint to return to his own monastery. The ascetic gave in, and having returned to his own monastery, he transferred its guidance to his disciple Laurence and shut himself in his cell. a Tatar incursion into the Vologda region Saint Cornelius went with the monks to the outskirts of White Lake. The saint died at the age of eighty-two on May 19, 1537. Many disciples of Saint Cornelius were also glorified for their holiness of life: Saints Gennadius of Liubimograd (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonye (March 5), Laurence and Cassian of Komel (May 16). commemoration of Saint Cornelius (May 19) was established on January 25, 1600 by Patriarch Job and a council of bishops. The Life of the saint was written by his disciple Nathaniel in the year 1589. There is a service and an encomium to the saint, and the Rule of Saint Cornelius has been preserved. Cornelius is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda (Third Sunday after Pentecost); and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (the Sunday after June 28). Komel Monastery;

Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony oSiya, White Sea Rgn, rich, gave tPoor, loved solitude, benefactor, 2Wilderness Monasteries
Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony oSiya (Sura), White Sea Region, Vologda, rich farmer, educated, iconographer, wife soon died, giving monk, Pachomiev wilderness monastery under Pachomius, hiermonk, authorized self served divine services, out tWork, but loved solitude, chose 2companions, Mikhailov Island, built chapel 1520, land difficult to clear, grumbling, unknown man gives subsistance&money, Siya M becomes famous, withdrew more remote place Lake Palun, 3yrs solitary cell, requested he come back Siya, died 1556 a79yrs old; Siya; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Anthony of Siya, in the world Andrew, was born into a family of rich farmers in the village of Kekhta near the North Dvina river. childhood he received a fine education, read much and learned iconography. the death of his parents, Andrew went to Novgorod, and for five years worked for a boyar [nobleman] there. later married, but his wife died after a year. Andrew decided to devote himself to monasticism. distributed his goods to the poor and as a wanderer came to the Pachomiev wilderness monastery at the River Kena. Pachomius tonsured him with the name Anthony. he was ordained a hieromonk, Anthony, with the blessing of the igumen, celebrated the divine services by himself. went out with the other monks of the monastery to work for the monastery’s needs. of love for solitude Saint Anthony eventually left the Pachomiev wilderness, choosing two companions from the monastic brethren, he settled upon Mikhailov Island, on the one side washed by the River Sii, and on the other, by encircling lakes. this harsh frontier within the dense thickets Anthony built a chapel in 1520. to clear the forest required difficult work, and Anthony’s companions began to grumble against him. quite unexpectedly an unknown man furnished them with the means of subsistence, offering money for good measure. Siya monastery became famous, and inhabitants of surrounding villages often visited it. again Saint Anthony, taking one disciple, withdrew to a still more remote place on Lake Palun. in a solitary cell, he dwelt for three years. the igumen Theoctistus refused to guide the Siya monastery any longer, the brethren tried to persuade Saint Anthony to return to them. finally acceded to the request of the monks, again became igumen and piously guided the monastery until his death in the year 1556, when he was seventy-nine years old.

Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony of Siya, iconographer, wealth distributed to poor, found Pachomius, famous Siya Chapel 1520
Russia, Vologda, 1477-1556, Anthony of Siya, Novgorod, iconographer, wealthy, distributed wealth to poor, found Pachomius, love for solitude, Mikhallov island, Chapel 1520, unknown benefactor, Siya monastery famous, withdrew to Lake Palun 3 yrs, called back to Siya til death at 70 in 1556; Venerable Anthony, Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7 Anthony of Siya, in the world Andrew, was born into a family of rich farmers in the village of Kekhta near the North Dvina river. childhood he received a fine education, read much and learned iconography. the death of his parents, Andrew went to Novgorod, and for five years worked for a boyar [nobleman] there. He later married, but his wife died after a year. Andrew decided to devote himself to monasticism. He distributed his goods to the poor and as a wanderer came to the Pachomiev wilderness monastery at the River Kena. Pachomius tonsured him with the name Anthony. Soon he was ordained a hieromonk, and Anthony, with the blessing of the igumen, celebrated the divine services by himself. went out with the other monks of the monastery to work for the monastery’s needs. of love for solitude Saint Anthony eventually left the Pachomiev wilderness, after choosing two companions from the monastic brethren, and he settled upon Mikhailov Island, on the one side washed by the River Sii, and on the other, by encircling lakes. this harsh frontier within the dense thickets Anthony built a chapel in 1520. to clear the forest required difficult work, and Anthony’s companions began to grumble against him. quite unexpectedly an unknown man furnished them with the means of subsistence, offering money for good measure. Siya monastery became famous, and inhabitants of surrounding villages often visited it. again Saint Anthony, taking one disciple, withdrew to a still more remote place on Lake Palun. There, in a solitary cell, he dwelt for three years. the igumen Theoctistus refused to guide the Siya monastery any longer, the brethren tried to persuade Saint Anthony to return to them. He finally acceded to the request of the monks, again became igumen and piously guided the monastery until his death in the year 1556, when he was seventy-nine years old. Russia, Vologda, 1470-1515, Pachomius of Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, Vologda, great ascetic and a clairvoyant, trained St Anthony of Siya; Keno Lake (Lake Kenozero, Kena River); Saint Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Pachomius is commemorated on the Saturday after Theophany. founded a monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord near Lake Keno, and tonsured Saint Anthony of Siya (December 7) as a monk in 1508. did not entrust Saint Anthony to one of the other monks, but he himself took him under his wing and trained him in asceticism and in the spiritual life. Anthony possessed every virtue and resisted every temptation, purified his mind and soul from the passions, and freed himself from worldly attachments. the time came for Saint Anthony to leave the monastery and live in solitude, Saint Pachomius blessed him to follow this path saying, “May the Lord bless you, my child. May the Lord’s will be done.” Pachomius was a great ascetic and a clairvoyant Elder, a good and faithful servant who entered into the joy of his Lord in 1515.

Russia,Vologda, 1480-1550, Athanasius oSynadem&Vologda, estab hermitage near Olonets, Svir Disciple&Igumen, incorrupt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1480-1550, Athanasius of Synadem and Vologda, estab Dormition hermitage near Olonets, near St Petersburg (Olonka River, Lake Ladoka), Alex oSvir Disciple, from his monastery tDormition hermitage Karelia, near Olonets, on island oSynadem lake, locals slander, back tSvir, igumen there, back tDormition, died 1550, great old age, buried high point Roschinsk island, incorrupt relics; Olonets; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; a disciple of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the death of his mentor, he established the Dormition hermitage in the forests of Karelia, far from the city of Olonets, an island of Lake Synadem. slander and pettiness of the local inhabitants compelled Saint Athanasius to move back to the Svir monastery, they chose him as igumen. returning to the Dormition hermitage, Athanasius died in about the year 1550 in great old age, was buried on one of the promontories of Roschinsk island. a church was built over his grave, named for Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria. incorrupt relics of Saint Athanasius were placed in this church in 1720.

Russia, Vologda, 1492, Abraham&Corprius, founders Pechenga Wilderness Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, great work
Russia, Vologda, 1492, Abraham&Corprius, founders Pechenga Wilderness Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth ) in Gryazovetsk district, 21 versts from Vologda, took great work to bring monastery necessities and set everything in order, they did not spare themselves, lived in asceticism till death; Pechenga (urban-type settlement), Murmansk Oblast; Venerable Abraham and Coprius, of Pechenga Commemorated on February 4; Abraham and Coprius of Pechenga in 1492 founded the Savior wilderness monastery at the River Pechenga, in Gryazovetsk district, 21 versts from Vologda. required great work to bring in the necessities to the wilderness spot, in order to build the monastery and set everything in proper order. blessed toilers did not spare themselves, zealously living in asceticism until their death.

Russia, Vologda, 1500, 16th Century Folder, angels, chud people, Theo appearances, Olonets Land, prophet ascetic chained to wall

Russia, Vologda, 1501-1540, Loginus oKoryazhma, Vologda, started&built Koryazhma monastery, near Solvychegod, igumen
Russia, Vologda, 1501-1540, Loginus oKoryazhma, Vologda (Koryazhma River Mouth, near Vychegda River Mouth), a monk fObnora&Solvychegod monasteries, tKoryazhema, 10Versts fSolvychegod, cells&chapel first, then aChurch&Monastery, Longinus the igumen, he dug aWell, L died 1540, L buried near enterance, 1556 placed inside, special service, life compiled aLater time; Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ; Koryazhemsk monastery; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ; Longinus of Koryazhemsk first pursued asceticism at the monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora, then lived at the Saints Boris and Gleb Solvychegod monastery. there he settled with his friend Simon near Vychegda, toward the mouth of the Koryazhema river. deep in the countryside, ten versts from Solvychegod, the ascetics built cells and a chapel. brethren gathered around them, they built a church named for Saint Nicholas, and built a monastery in which the saint was igumen. the church there was a well, dug out by Saint Longinus himself. his death in 1540 the saint’s body was buried, in accord with his last wishes, near the entrance to the church. years later, it was placed inside the church. memory of Saint Longinus is celebrated with a special service, and there is a brief Life, compiled at a later time.

Russia, Vologda, 1501-1550, Adrian oPoshekhonye, Jesus (unknown Elder) told him to go and led him to Poshekhonye, vanished
Russia, Moscow, 1500-1550, Saint, Adrian of Poshekhonye, fRostov tGreat, tCornelius' monastery, tonsured a monk there, gifted builders, iconogaphers at C monastery, churches constructed and adorned by saints themselves. 1537 tartars attacked, but did not destroy because of view many soldiers protecting, which were angels protecting, bretheren returned, Cornelius reposed 1537, 1540 Adrian desired found a Theotokos monastery in Wilderness, Lord Helped him, as unknown Elder, striking appearance, called self the lowly one, when asked say something beneficial for the soul, while in Adrian's cell, he said he would show where build church and monastery, so Adrian immediately went to ask igumen lawrence belssing to live in wilderness, because C had ordered that any monks who wished to withdraw to wilderness should be released, Lawrence gave his blessing and sent with him his assistant Elder Leonid, they prayed at C's grave and went, led by mysterious black-robed monk (Jesus), A brought icon of Theotokos which he had painted, arrived at Poshekhonye Forest Sept 1540 (eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord), near Belta, Patrobolsha, Sheishedolsk and Ukhorsk, on banks of river Votkha, there elder leading them became invisible, astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God, portent future fame otMonastery, a place where God would be glorified, they suffered for3 years then went to Moscow for Met Marcarius' blessing to build monastery, blessed in writing, ordained A Priesthood and igumen, the document ordered “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” at Moscow they found generous benefactors who gave abundant offeringsto build church, returned spring 1543, laid church foundations, with a trapeza (refectory, dining room), built manastery after consecrating the church, strict rule of Cornelius, Nothing of own, little being sufficient for everyone, devoted large portion of time to prayer, in church&in cells, no small time to reading scripture, in humble and mild voice, one reads another speaks of what is read, Adrian also painted icons, for complete silence he went to cell he had built 1K from monastery, 1549 Leonid reposed, buried with reverence, number bretheren had increased, built 3 cells as dwellings and 1 for preparing food and baking bread, Adrian began plans for large stone church, gathered money for that purpose, 1550 armed robbers burst into monastery and murdered A after beating him,1626, 76 yrs later his holy relics uncovered, transferred to monastery church, to open crypt by choir, many miracles thereRussia, Moscow, 1500-1550, Saint, Adrian of Poshekhonye, fRostov tGreat, tCornelius' monastery, tonsured a monk there, gifted builders, iconogaphers at C monastery, churches constructed and adorned by saints themselves. 1537 tartars attacked, but did not destroy because of view many soldiers protecting, which were angels protecting, bretheren returned, Cornelius reposed 1537, 1540 Adrian desired found a Theotokos monastery in Wilderness, Lord Helped him, as unknown Elder, striking appearance, called self the lowly one, when asked say something beneficial for the soul, while in Adrian's cell, he said he would show where build church and monastery, so Adrian immediately went to ask igumen lawrence belssing to live in wilderness, because C had ordered that any monks who wished to withdraw to wilderness should be released, Lawrence gave his blessing and sent with him his assistant Elder Leonid, they prayed at C's grave and went, led by mysterious black-robed monk (Jesus), A brought icon of Theotokos which he had painted, arrived at Poshekhonye Forest Sept 1540 (eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord), near Belta, Patrobolsha, Sheishedolsk and Ukhorsk, on banks of river Votkha, there elder leading them became invisible, astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God, portent future fame otMonastery, a place where God would be glorified, they suffered for3 years then went to Moscow for Met Marcarius' blessing to build monastery, blessed in writing, ordained A Priesthood and igumen, the document ordered “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” at Moscow they found generous benefactors who gave abundant offeringsto build church, returned spring 1543, laid church foundations, with a trapeza (refectory, dining room), built manastery after consecrating the church, strict rule of Cornelius, Nothing of own, little being sufficient for everyone, devoted large portion of time to prayer, in church&in cells, no small time to reading scripture, in humble and mild voice, one reads another speaks of what is read, Adrian also painted icons, for complete silence he went to cell he had built 1K from monastery, 1549 Leonid reposed, buried with reverence, number bretheren had increased, built 3 cells as dwellings and 1 for preparing food and baking bread, Adrian began plans for large stone church, gathered money for that purpose, 1550 armed robbers burst into monastery and murdered A after beating him,1626, 76 yrs later his holy relics uncovered, transferred to monastery church, to open crypt by choir, many miracles there; Poshekhonye; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, by the mysterious black-robed monk. Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, he gave them a written document to that effect. ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Vologda, 1505-1583, Trypphon oPechenga&Kola, early age resolve tLapplanders, gradually m converted by kindness meekness
Russia, Vologda, 1505-1583, Trypphon oPechenga and Kola, fNovgorod governia, priestly family, resolved go tLaplanders from early age, fish vendor accounts, heard voice in forest, this not your place, tKola penninsula, Pechenga River, wLapps lived, trading wThem, learned their pagan beliefs, studied Lapp language, they mistrust, hardships, hostility, beatings, gradually through kind meekness, many converted, church built help Novgorod Archbishop, wTheodoretos, 1532 founded Pechenga-Trinity M, Ivan tTerrible helped him, died 1583 a98, 1589 Swedes destroyed m, later m transferred tKola Penninsula, there monastery church named fTryphon, Tryphon's burial place at destroyed P-T m not forgotten, 1708 Sretensky Church there, then 1886 monastery there, church destroyed 1944, monastery restoration 2009-12 new church, miracles by invoking Tryphon with faith, rescued sailors, calmed storms, healed deafness, blindness & paralysis; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Tryphon of Pechenga and Kola (Mētrophánēs in the world), was born in the Novgorod governia into a priestly family. pious parents raised their son in the fear of God. his early years Tryphon had resolved to devote his life to apostolic deeds and to go to the pagan Laplanders to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. had heard of them only through the accounts of fish vendors. while praying in the forest he had heard a voice, “Tryphon, this is not your place. An inhospitable and thirsting land awaits you.” his parental home, the Saint went out to the Kola Peninsula and halted on the banks of the Pechenga River, where the Lapps lived. he began to trade with them. First the Saint acquainted himself with the pagan beliefs of those people and studied their language, then he began to preach the Christian Faith to them. Lapps listened to his words with great mistrust. suffered many hardships, enduring hostility and even beatings. gradually, through his wise and kindly words and meekness, many were converted to Christ. the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Novogord, Tryphon and Saint Theodóretos (August 17) built a church for the new converts. 1532 he founded the Pechenga-Trinity Monastery for those who were zealous for the monastic life, “on the cold sea, on the frontier of Murmansk.” Ivan the Terrible helped him and richly endowed the Monastery. Enlightener of the Lapps went to the Lord in 1583 at the age of 98, after living in Lapland for almost 70 years. veneration of Saint Tryphon began soon after his death. 1589, the Swedes destroyed the Pechenga monastery. by order of Tsar Theodore, the Monastery was transferred to the Kola Peninsula. the site of the restored Monastery a church was built and named for Saint Tryphon. Swedes destroyed Pechenga Monastery in 1589, but the Saint's burial place under the altar was not forgotten. 1708-1709 the Sretensky church was built here, which the Monastery was revived in 1886. church was destroyed again in 1944, but after the restoration of the Monastery in 2009-2012 a new church was built over the Saint's relics. who invoke Saint Tryphon with faith have received his miraculous help. during his lifetime he rescued shipwrecked sailors, calmed storms at sea, and healed those who suffered from deafness, blindness, and paralysis.

Russia, Vologda, 1501-1550, Adrian of Poshekhonye, f Komel, builder, iconog, Tartars, angel s, d Elder, murdered, incorrupt r
Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, built monastery, murdered by robbers, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Vologda, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel
Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel, founder Irap Wilderness Monastery, orphan near Komel Monastery, accepted by Cornelius, monk Philip, priest, withdrew near White Lake, built Irapa River Chapel near Cherepovets, monks flock+Laity, lived there 15 yrs &died 1536, age 45, relics, icon over grave, Kransnoborsk Phillippov Monastery there; Irap near Novgorod, 45 versts from Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda Cherepovets ; Saint Philip, Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, in the world Theophilus, was the founder of the Irap wilderness-monastery. an orphan and not remembering his parents, the twelve-year-old Theophilus wandered about and eventually settled near the Komel monastery and lived on charity. Cornelius (May 19) accepted the pious youth into the monastery and after three years tonsured him a monk with the name Philip. humble and hard-working, at the request of the brethren he was ordained to the priesthood. striving for greater efforts led him to withdraw to the outskirts of White Lake. having the patronage of Prince Andrew Sheleshpansky, who had allotted him land near the River Irapa, 45 versts from Cherepovets, the monk built a chapel in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and a cell for himself. about the holy wilderness-dweller spread throughout all the surrounding area, and monks began to flock to him. laity also went to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Philip would instruct them in the virtues which those living in the world ought to possess. at the place of the chapel a church was built in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity. Philip dwelt in the wilderness for fifteen years and died in 1537 at age 45. relics were placed beneath a crypt in the Trinity temple. Over his grave was an icon, painted by the monk Theodosius. Soon after the death of Saint Philip, the Krasnoborsk Philippov monastery arose on the place of his struggles. celebration of Saint Philip was established at the end of the sixteenth century. The manuscript service to him dates from the end of the sixteenth century. Venerable Cornelius, Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Komel was descended from the boyar (noble) family Kriukov. His brother Lukian served at the court of the Great Prince of Moscow. When Lukian, who was getting old, decided to go to the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake, he was followed by Cornelius, who longed for the solitary life from a young age. he was tonsured, the young Cornelius began his monastic endeavors with a difficult obedience: he wore heavy chains in the bakery. In his spare time he occupied himself with copying church books. Because of his love for solitude, Saint Cornelius later left the White Lake monastery, and he visited Rostov. Novgorod, Saint Gennadius (December 4) attempted to hold on to him, but the ascetic settled in a desolate spot near Novgorod. When people began to visit here also, he moved to the Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery. Later, in 1497, he settled in the Komel forest, not far from Vologda, where he built a cell. Monks began to gather around the cell of Saint Cornelius. In 1501 he built a wooden church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. In that year Metropolitan Simon ordained him as hieromonk. 1512, when the number of brethren had grown, the saint built a stone church and he compiled a Rule for the brethren, based on the Rules of Saints Joseph of Volokolamsk and Nilus of Sora. This was the third monastic Rule written by Russian saints. Cornelius of Komel was distinguished by his charity toward the unfortunate, and during a famine he built an orphanage in the monastery courtyard. Because of his love for the poor and orphaned, Saint Cornelius was often granted visions of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), for whom he had a special reverence. He constructed a church at his monastery in honor of this great ascetic. saint’s strictness of life provoked some of the brethren to grumbling, and Saint Cornelius was compelled to leave the monastery. He settled at Lake Sursk, 70 versts from his monastery. At times he also lived at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Interceding for the monks of the Korniliev monastery, Great Prince Basil Ivanovich urged the saint to return to his own monastery. The ascetic gave in, and having returned to his own monastery, he transferred its guidance to his disciple Laurence and shut himself in his cell. a Tatar incursion into the Vologda region Saint Cornelius went with the monks to the outskirts of White Lake. The saint died at the age of eighty-two on May 19, 1537. Many disciples of Saint Cornelius were also glorified for their holiness of life: Saints Gennadius of Liubimograd (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonye (March 5), Laurence and Cassian of Komel (May 16). commemoration of Saint Cornelius (May 19) was established on January 25, 1600 by Patriarch Job and a council of bishops. The Life of the saint was written by his disciple Nathaniel in the year 1589. There is a service and an encomium to the saint, and the Rule of Saint Cornelius has been preserved. Cornelius is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda (Third Sunday after Pentecost); and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (the Sunday after June 28).

Russia, Vologda, 1510-1557, Nicephorus oVazheozersk, disciple Alex oSvir&Cyril New Lake, estab monastery wGennadius aVazhe Lake
Vologda, 1510-1557, Nicephorus oVazheozersk, Vologda, tAlexander of Svir 1510, 1518 visit tCyril oNew Lake, Cyril came by boat and woke resting N to spend 8days spiritual converse, tKiev Caves relics, returned settled Vazhe Lake, wGennadius, N built Church&Monastery, there till 1557 death; Vazheozersk; Saints Gennadius and Nicephorus of Vazhe Lake in Vologda; his return, and with the blessing of Saint Alexander, he settled at Vazhe Lake, where Saint Gennadius pursued asceticism. Saint Nicephorus built the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived until his own death on February 9, 1557. Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Nicephorus of Vazhe Lake came to Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17) in the year 1510 and was warmly received by him. 1518 he made a visit, with the blessing of his mentor, to Saint Cyril of New Lake (February 4). Nicephorus approached New Lake, he was fatigued by his long journey and lay down in the darkness and fell asleep. Cyril hastened by boat to row across the lake and awoke him. Nicephorus spent eight days in spiritual conversation with the saint. then journeyed to Kiev to venerate the relics of the saints of the Caves. his return, and with the blessing of Saint Alexander, he settled at Vazhe Lake, Saint Gennadius pursued asceticism. Nicephorus built the Church of the Transfiguration and a monastery, where he lived until his own death. the second half of the nineteenth century, in the Zadne-Nikiforov wilderness, a church was built and dedicated to Saints Nicephorus and Gennadius of Vazhe Lake. relics of the saints were put to rest in a hidden place in the monastery they founded.

Russia, Vologda, 1513-1555, Sergius of Malopinyega, converted Chud people, virtuous, schema
Russia, Vologda, 1513-1555, Sergius of Malopinyega, converted Chud people, k soul, p mind, c heart, humility, q strength, l truth, merciful t poor, took the schema; Mouth of the Pinyega, Malopinyega District (Pinyega River and Northern Dvina 5) Malopinyega probably somewhere near here Saint Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off “to the side of the icy sea,” when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III. in the northlands, Markian Stephanovich married Apollinaria, a maiden from a rich and noble family. The pious spouses raised their son Simeon in the fear of God, they gave him a fine education, and inculcated in him the love for “book-learning.” grown old, Markian and Apollinaria by mutual agreement went to monasteries. Markian (in monasticism Matthew) was afterwards igumen of the Resurrection monastery in the city of Keurola. Apollinaria died a schemanun with the name Pelagia. was ordained presbyter at the canonical age of thirty to serve the churches of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Great Martyr George in the Malopinega district. holy presbyter Simeon with love finished his pastoral service at age sixty-two. With apostolic zeal he labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people. The rare personal qualities of the pastor contributed much to the success of his preaching. As the Chronicle notes, he possessed a kindly soul and pure mind, a courageous heart, humility and quiet strength, love for truth, and was merciful to the poor to the point of self-denial. the final year of his life, the monk took the schema with the name Sergius and died on November 16, 1585. Following the saint’s final instructions, they buried him near the altar of the Transfiguration church. Later, a chapel was built over his grave. The old hand-written manuscript tells about the numerous miracles which occurred at the grave of the saint.

Russia, Vologda, 1527-1569, Philip, in court w young Ivan, Solovaki igumen, but Ivan wanted him metro, complex Ivan disctription
Russia, Moscow, 1527-1569, Philip, Metropolitan, a noble, in court w Ivan, snuck away to Onegan and Solovaki, Elder Jonah, fasting, unceasing prayer and heavy hammer, bakery MOG image w Philp, wilderness solitude, Igumen 1546, S history, found Hodegetria icon, stone cross, Psalter, and robe of Zosimus, S spiritual revival, new m rule, majestic temples 1557, he worked as simple laborer building, w John and Longinus of Yarenga and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk, often withdrew to Philippov wilderness, but Ivan remembered him and wanted him as companion metropolitan anti boyer, description of complex Ivan, he imagined Oprichnina as Monastic Brotherhood for triumph of Orthodoxy, Philip saw O unrepentent malice and envy, murderers, profiteers, Philip opposed Ivan, Boyer conspiricy to deliver I to Polish King, P defended the executed, 1568 P refused to bless I his O, openly denounced their acts, Boyer Duma, false witnesses from Solovaki, Public shame during service by O, held in Moscow cellars, stocks and chains 1 yr, put to death in Tver ; ,Moscow; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, in the world Theodore, was descended from the illustrious noble lineage of the Kolichevi, occupying a prominent place in the Boyar duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. was born in the year 1507. His father, Stephen Ivanovich, “a man enlightened and filled with military spirit,” attentively prepared his son for government service. Theodore’s pious mother Barbara, who ended her days as a nun with the name Barsanouphia, implanted in the soul of her son a sincere faith and deep piety. Theodore Kolichev applied himself diligently to the Holy Scripture and to the writings of the holy Fathers. Moscow Great Prince Basil III, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought young Theodore into the court, but he was not attracted to court life. Conscious of its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore all the more deeply immersed himself in the reading of books and visiting the churches of God. Life in Moscow repelled the young ascetic. The young Prince Ivan’s sincere devotion to him, promising him a great future in government service, could not deter him from seeking the Heavenly City. Sunday, June 5, 1537, in church for Divine Liturgy, Theodore felt intensely in his soul the words of the Savior: “No man can serve two masters” (Mt.6:24), which determined his ultimate destiny. Praying fervently to the Moscow wonderworkers, and without bidding farewell to his relatives, he secretly left Moscow in the attire of a peasant, and for a while he hid himself away from the world in the village of Khizna, near Lake Onega, earning his livelihood as a shepherd. thirst for ascetic deeds led him to the renowned Solovki monastery on the White Sea. There he fulfilled very difficult obediences: he chopped firewood, dug the ground, and worked in the mill. After a year and a half of testing, the igumen Alexis tonsured him, giving him the monastic name Philip and entrusting him in obedience to the Elder Jonah Shamina, a converser with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the guidance of experienced elders Philip grew spiritually, and progressed in fasting and prayer. Igumen Alexis sent him to work at the monastery forge, where Saint Philip combined the activity of unceasing prayer with his work with a heavy hammer. was always the first one in church for the services, and was the last to leave. He toiled also in the bakery, where the humble ascetic was comforted with a heavenly sign. In the monastery afterwards they displayed the “Bakery” image of the Mother of God, through which the heavenly Mediatrix bestowed Her blessing upon the humble baker Philip. With the blessing of the igumen, Saint Philip spent a certain while in wilderness solitude, attending to himself and to God. 1546 at Novgorod the Great, Archbishop Theodosius made Philip igumen of the Solovki monastery. The new igumen strove with all his might to exalt the spiritual significance of the monastery and its founders, Saints Sabbatius and Zosimus of Solovki (September 27, April 17). searched for the Hodegetria icon of the Mother of God brought to the island by the first head of Solovki, Saint Sabbatius. located the stone cross which once stood before the saint’s cell. The Psalter belonging to Saint Zosimus (+1478), the first igumen of Solovki, was also found. His robe, in which igumens would vest during the service on the days when Saint Zosimus was commemorated, was also discovered. monastery experienced a spiritual revival. A new monastic Rule was adopted to regulate life at the monastery. Philip built majestic temples: a church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, consecrated in the year 1557, and a church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. igumen himself worked as a simple laborer, helping to build the walls of the Transfiguration church. the north portico he dug himself a grave beside that of his guide, the Elder Jonah. life in these years flourished at the monastery: struggling with the brethren with the disciples of Igumen Philip were Saints John and Longinus of Yarenga (July 3) and Bassian and Jonah of Pertominsk (July 12). Philip often withdrew to a desolate wilderness spot for quiet prayer, two versts from the monastery, which was later known as the Philippov wilderness. the Lord was preparing the saint for other work. In Moscow, Tsar Ivan the Terrible fondly remembered the Solovki hermit from his childhood. Tsar hoped to find in Saint Philip a true companion, confessor and counsellor, who in his exalted monastic life had nothing in common with the sedition of the nobles. Metropolitan of Moscow, in Ivan’s opinion, ought to have a certain spiritual meekness to quell the treachery and malice within the Boyar soul. The choice of Saint Philip as archpastor of the Russian Church seemed to him the best possible. a long time the saint refused to assume the great burden of the primacy of the Russian Church. He did not sense any spiritual affinity with Ivan. He attempted to get the Tsar to abolish the Oprichniki [secret police]. Ivan the Terrible attempted to argue its civil necessity. the dread Tsar and the holy Metropolitan came to an agreement: Saint Philip would not meddle in the affairs of the Oprichniki and the running of the government, he would resign as Metropolitan in case the Tsar could not fulfill his wishes, and that he would be a support and counsellor of the Tsar, just as former Metropolitans supported the Moscow sovereigns. July 25, 1566 Saint Philip was consecrated for the cathedra of Moscow’s hierarch saints, whose number he was soon to join. the Terrible, one of the greatest and most contradictory figures in Russian history, lived an intensely busy life. He was a talented writer and bibliophile , he was involved in compiling the Chronicles (and himself suddenly cut the thread of the Moscow chronicle writing), he examined the intricacies of the monastic Rule, and more than once he thought about abdicating the throne for the monastic life. aspect of governmental service, all the measures undertaken to restructure civil and social life, Ivan the Terrible tried to rationalize as a manifestation of Divine Providence, as God acting in history. beloved spiritual heroes were Saint Michael of Chernigov (September 20) and Saint Theodore the Black (September 19), military men active with complex contradictory destinies, moving toward their ends through whatever the obstacles before them, and fulfilling their duties to the nation and to the Church. more the darkness thickened around Ivan, the more resolutely he demanded cleansing and redemption of his soul. Journeying on pilgrimage to the Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, he declared his wish to become a monk to the igumen and the brethren. The haughty autocrat fell on his knees before the igumen, who blessed his intent. Ivan wrote, “it seems to me, an accursed sinner, that I am already robed in black.” imagined the Oprichnina in the form of a monastic brotherhood, serving God with weapons and military deeds. The Oprichniki were required to dress in monastic garb and attend long and tiring church services, lasting from 4 to 10 o’clock in the morning. “Brethren” not in church at 4 o’clock in the morning, were given a penance by the Tsar. Ivan and his sons fervently wished to pray and sing in the church choir. From church they went to the trapeza, and while the Oprichniki ate, the Tsar stood beside them. The Oprichniki gathered leftover food from the table and distributed it to the poor at the doorway of the trapeza. with tears of repentance and wanting to be an esteemer of the holy ascetics, the teachers of repentance, wanted to wash and burn away his own sins and those of his companions, cherishing the assurance that even his terribly cruel actions would prove to be for the welfare of Russia and the triumph of Orthodoxy. most clearly spiritual action and monastic sobriety of Ivan the Terrible is revealed in his “Synodikon.” before his death, he ordered full lists compiled of the people murdered by him and his Oprichniki. These were then distributed to all the Russian monasteries. Ivan acknowledged all his sins against the nation, and besought the holy monks to pray to God for the forgiveness of his tormented soul. pseudo-monasticism of Ivan the Terrible, a dark most grievous oppression over Russia, tormented Saint Philip, who considered it impossible to mix the earthly and the heavenly, serving the Cross and serving the sword. Philip saw how much unrepentant malice and envy was concealed beneath the black cowls of the Oprichniki. There were outright murderers among them, hardened in lawless bloodletting, and profiteers seeking gain, rooted in sin and transgressions. the sufferance of God, history is often made by the hands of the impious, and Ivan the Terrible wanted to whiten his black brotherhood before God. The blood spilled by its thugs and fanatics cried out to Heaven. Philip decided to oppose Ivan. This was prompted by a new wave of executions in the years 1567-1568. the autumn of 1567, just as the Tsar was setting out on a campaign against Livonia, he learned about a boyar conspiracy. The plotters intended to seize the Tsar and deliver him to the Polish king, who already was on the move with an army towards Russian territory. dealt severely with the conspirators, and again he shed much blood. It was bitter for Saint Philip, and the conscience of the saint compelled him boldly to enter into defense of the executed. final rift occurred in the spring of 1568. On the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, March 2, 1568, when the Tsar with his Oprichniki entered the Dormition cathedral in monastic garb, as was their custom, Saint Philip refused to bless him, and began openly to denounce the lawless acts committed by the Oprichniki. The accusations of the hierarch shattered the harmony of the church service. In a rage Ivan retorted, “Would you oppose us? We shall see your firmness! I have been too soft on you.” Tsar began to show ever greater cruelty in persecuting all those who opposed him. Executions followed one after the other. The fate of the saintly confessor was sealed. But Ivan wanted to preserve a semblance of canonical propriety. The Boyar Duma obediently carried out his decision to place the Primate of the Russian Church on trial. A cathedral court was set up to try Metropolitan Philip in the presence of a diminished Boyar Duma, false witnesses were found. To the deep sorrow of the saint, these were monks the Solovki monastery, his former disciples and novices whom he loved. They accused Saint Philip of a multitude of transgressions, including sorcery. “Like all my ancestors,” the saint declared, “I came into this world prepared to suffer for truth.” Having refuted all the accusations, the holy sufferer attempted to halt the trial by volunteering to resign his office. His resignation was not accepted, however, and new abuse awaited the martyr. after a sentence of life imprisonment had been handed down, they compelled Saint Philip to serve Liturgy in the Dormition cathedral. This was on November 8, 1568. the middle of the service, the Oprichniki burst into the temple, they publicly read the council’s sentence of condemnation, and then abused the saint. Tearing his vestments off, they dressed him in rags, dragged him out of the church and drove him off to the Theophany monastery on a simple peasant’s sledge. a long while they held the martyr in the cellars of the Moscow monasteries. They placed his feet into stocks, they held him in chains, and put a heavy chain around his neck. Finally, they drove him off to the Tver Otroch monastery. And there a year later, on December 23,1569, the saint was put to death at the hands of Maliuta Skuratov. three days before this the saint foresaw the end of his earthly life and received the Holy Mysteries. At first, his relics were committed to earth there at the monastery, beyond the church altar. Later, they were transferred to the Solovki monastery (August 11, 1591) and from there to Moscow (July 3, 1652). the memory of Saint Philip was celebrated by the Russian Church on December 23, the day of his martyric death. In 1660, the celebration was transferred to January 9.

Russia, Vologda, 1529-1565, Gennadius oKostroma, 1529, Gennadiev monastery, igumen, no task slack, Clairvoyance&Wonderworking
Russia, Vologda, 1529-1565, Gennadius oKostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), fMogilev Belarus, wealthy family, early love fThe Church, frequent monastery visits, parents dismay, resolve devote life tGod, secretly left home fMoscow's holy places, not suitable, tNovgorod region, encountered Alex oSvir who sent him tKostroma forest and Cornelius oKomel, tonsured Gennadius, they moved to Kostroma Forest, Lake Sura, 1529, Gennadiev monastery, igumen, but no task slack, and together with the brethren he went out to the monastery tasks: he chopped wood, carried firewood, made candles and baked prosphora. He also wore heavy chains. One of his favorite tasks was the painting of icons, with which he adorned his new monastery, Holylife, received the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. Journeying to Moscow on monastic affairs, at the house of the nobleman Roman Zakharin, the saint predicted to his daughter Anastasia that she would become Tsaritsa. Indeed, Tsar Ivan the Terrible chose her as his wife.The Life of Saint Gennadius included his spiritual testament dictated by Saint Gennadius himself. In it he commands the monks to observe the monastery Rule, to toil constantly, to be at peace witheveryone, and to preserve the books collected at the monastery, while striving to understand their meaning. He said, “Strive towards the light, and shun the darkness.” died on January 23, 1565, and was glorified by the Church on August 19, 1646. ; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Gennadius of Kostroma and Liubimograd, in the world Gregory, born in the city of Mogilev into a rich family. early displayed love for the church, his frequent visits to monasteries evoked the dismay of his parents. however, was firmly resolved to devote himself to God, changing into tattered clothing, he secretly left his parental home and journeyed to Moscow. visited the holy places in Moscow, but he did not find it suitable in spirit so set out to the Novgorod region. destiny of the future ascetic was decided by an encounter with Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). his blessing, Gregory went to the Vologda forest to Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19), was tonsured by him with the name Gennadius. with Saint Cornelius, Gennadius moved on to the Kostroma forest. on the shores of Lake Sura, in about the year 1529, there emerged the monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, called “the Gennadiev monastery”. become igumen, Saint Gennadius did not slacken his monastic efforts, and together with the brethren he went out to the monastery tasks: chopped wood, carried firewood, made candles and baked prosphora. also wore heavy chains. of his favorite tasks was the painting of icons, which he adorned his new monastery. his holy life Saint Gennadius received from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. to Moscow on monastic affairs, at the house of the nobleman Roman Zakharin, the saint predicted to his daughter Anastasia that she would become Tsaritsa. Tsar Ivan the Terrible chose her as his wife. Life of Saint Gennadius was written by his disciple, Iguman Alexis, between the years 1584-1587. it was inserted his spiritual testament, dictated by Saint Gennadius himself. it he commands the monks to observe the monastery Rule, to toil constantly, to be at peace with everyone, and to preserve the books collected at the monastery, while striving to understand their meaning. said, “Strive towards the light, and shun the darkness.” Gennadius died on January 23, 1565, was glorified by the Church on August 19, 1646.

Russia, Vologda, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, V (aka Komel) from V salt works, to Rostov, to Moscow
Russia, Moscow, 1540-1589, Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3) from Vologda, to Rostov, to Moscow, strict fasting & Prayer, hard work, foolishness, spoke truth, even to Boris Godunov, foretold time of troubles; Vologda; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; John, Fool-for-Christ, Wonderworker of Moscow, was born on the outskirts of Vologda. his youth he toiled at a saltworks, where he was a water-carrier. The saint combined strict fasting and prayer with his heavy work. he moved on to Rostov, where he began his exploit of holy foolishness for the sake of Christ. wore chains with heavy iron crosses, and on his head was a heavy iron cap, for which they called him “John Big-Cap”. Moscow he went barefoot and almost naked in even the most severe frost, and he foretold the great misfortunes for Russia, the Time of Troubles and the incursion of the Poles, saying that “in Moscow will be many visible and invisible devils.” spoke the truth to everyone fearlessly, regardless of what position they might occupy. Even to Tsar Boris Godunov, he often said: “Clever mind, sort out the things of God. God waits for a long time. Yes, it hurts.” his death Saint John indicated the place where he wanted to be buried: at the Protection church on Rva, which was later known as the cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed (August 2). himself for burial, he removed the chains he had worn under his clothing and poured water over himself three times. before his repose (? 1589), the blessed one received the gift of healing. Moscow, he was venerated as a great wonderworker and seer. On June 12, 1672, the relics of the blessed one were found resting under a crypt in one of the chapels of the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. Service and Life were preserved in Lists of the seventeenth century.

Russia, Vologda, 1541-1562, Simon of Soyga Monastery, from Komel under Cornelius, w to Koryazhemsk w Longinus, to Sioga in 1541
Russia, Vologda, 1541-1562, Simon of Soyga Monastery, from Komel under Cornelius, w to Koryazhemsk w Longinus, to Sioga River in 1541; Soyga (located approximately half-way between Solvychegodsk and Yarensk Soyga is 60k or Versts from Solvychegodsk; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; Simon of Soiga belonged to the Komel disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. was born at Solvychegodsk, and was tonsured at the Komel monastery under Saint Cornelius (May 19). passed through his obediences with such ascetics and disciples of Cornelius of Komel as Gennadius of Liubimsk (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonsk (March 5), Laurence of Komel (May 16). the death of his mentor Saint Cornelius, Saint Simon was, for a certain time, the companion of Saint Longinus (February 10), the founder of the Koryazhemsk monastery, and went with him to dwell in the wilderness. this he settled at the River Soiga, 60 versts from Koryazhma. There he established a church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, consecrated on May 17, 1541. After founding a monastery by this church, the saint was chosen igumen by the brethren. Simon died on November 24, 1562 and was buried in the monastery he founded, in the church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Catherine, whose Feast is also observed on November 24.

Russia, Vologda, 1542, Icon of Syamsk, 1542 fire, only Syamsk icon saved, Church Rebuilt in 1770 wIcon
Russia, Vologda, , Icon of Syamsk, Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, 1542 fire, only Syamsk icon saved, Church Rebuilt in 1770 wIcon; Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Syamsk, Commemorated on September 8; Syamsk Icon of the Mother of God was found at the Syamsk-Vologda monastery, established in the sixteenth century. the year 1542, during a fire at the monastery, only the wonderworking icon was saved. After the fire, the monastery was rebuilt. the year 1770, a church was built at the monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and in it was placed this wonderworking icon.

Russia, Vologda, 1550-1568, Theodosius oTotma, searching fSalt Works tTotma,but started 2 m's, grave miracles, incorrupt relics
Russia, Vologda, 1550-1568, Theodosius oTotma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5), married for Parents, continued prayer&church, parents &Wife died, tPriluki m near Vologda, various obediences (water ca, firewood ch, flour mi, bread ba), searching fSalt Works tTotma, Ivan's permission start m at T, T appointed Igumen, 1554 taxation free grant, plus Totma Ephraimov Wilderness m, head 2 m, ascetic life continued, chains hair shirt ironcap, many spiritual books fLibrary, died 1568, grave miracles, incorrupt relics; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; Theodosius of Totma was born at Vologda about the year 1530. his youth he was raised in a spirit of Christian piety and the fear of God. the insistence of his parents he married, family life did not turn him away from God. He went fervently to church and prayed at home, particularly at night. the death of his parents and his wife, he withdrew to the Priluki monastery not far from Vologda. the monastery Theodosius passed through the various obediences: he carried water, chopped fire-wood, milled flour and baked bread. went to Totma on the igumen’s orders to search for a salt-works for the monastery. sought the permission of Tsar Ivan Vasilevich and the blessing of Archbishop Nicander to found a monastery at Totma. was appointed head of this newly-formed Totma monastery, which in a grant of 1554 was declared free of taxation. saint founded the Totma Ephraimov wilderness monastery and brought brethren into it. becoming the head of two monasteries, continued to lead an ascetic life. wore down his body by wearing chains and a hairshirt, and beneath his monastic cowl he wore an iron cap. of spiritual reading, he acquired many books for the monastery. Theodosius reposed in the year 1568 was buried in the monastery he founded, miracles occurred at his grave. On September 2, 1796 during the reconstruction of the Ascension church, his relics were found incorrupt, their glorification took place on January 28, 1798, on the day of his repose.

Russia, Vologda, 1550, 16th Century, Saint Barlaam of Keretsk, White Sea Region, posthumous miracles, s from drowning
Russia, Vologda, 1550, 16th Century, Saint Barlaam of Keretsk, Lake Keretsk, Kolsk Penninsula, White Sea Region, for Industrial Workers, posthumous miracles, saving from drowning; Lake Keretsk ; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ; Barlaam of Keretsk served during the sixteenth century as a priest in the Keretsk area of the Kolsk peninsula on the White Sea. was venerated as the patron of White Sea industrial workers and sea-farers. He was glorified by posthumous miracles, saving those in danger of drowning.

Russia, Vologda, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma, Theroponov M n after him, prophet, fMoscow
Russia, Vologda, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake, monk at River Monza, fMoscow tKostroma, tMonza wAdrian&Paphnutius fObnora, asceticism till life end, blessed tWithdraw forest&prayed each day, each night transcribed spiritual useful books, emulated Basil oMoscow, prophecied famine, Theraponov monastery named after him; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12; Therapon of Monza was a monk in the monastery of Saint Adrian (May 5) at the River Monza. monk began his ascetic deeds in Moscow, and then transferred to the city of Kostroma at the Elevation of the Cross monastery, and was tonsured there. pious monks Adrian and Paphnutius, from the monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora (January 10), seeking solitude, moved to the Monza and founded a monastery 25 versts from Galich. Therapon transferred to this monastery, where he labored in asceticism until the end of his life. day, with the blessing of the igumen, he withdrew into a forest thicket and prayed. night he read and transcribed copies of spiritually useful books. his life he emulated Blessed Basil of Moscow (August 2), whom he called his friend, although personally he never saw him. during his life, Saint Therapon was glorified with a gift of wonderworking. his death he predicted a year of famine (1601). surrendered his soul to God in the year 1597. The monastery at the River Monza was called after him the Theraponov.

Russia, Vologda, 1554, Sumorin-Totem Icon, Totma, many appearances to sick w Theodosius holding this icon, numerous healings
Russia, Vologda, 1554, Sumorin-Totem Icon, Totma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5), numerous healings, Ivan the T, received from Priluki, for success in building monastery, many appearances to sick w Theodosius holding this icon; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated January 28 ; Sumorin Totma Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous healings at the Spaso-Sumorin monastery of the city of Totma. the inhabitants of the city turned to Tsar Ivan the Terrible for permission to build a monastery in their city, the Rostov archbishop Nicander in the year 1554 bestowed upon Saint Theodosius the grant for building. The igumen of the Priluki monastery blessed Saint Theodosius with an icon of the Mother of God for success at building the new monastery. icon thereafter received the name Sumorin Totma (Sumorin is the family name of Saint Theodosius, and Totma is a city). After the death of the monk, the wonderworking icon was put in a case in front of the crypt of the saint at the Ascension church of the monastery. Theodosius has appeared to many of the sick, holding this icon in his hands.

Russia, Vologda, 1569, Translation Tikhon oKostroms's relics, healing began at grave, incorrupt
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1569, Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), healing began at grave, incorrupt, igumen struck blind, repented, recovered, 70 posthumous miracles; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 26; the year 1569 the healing of many sick persons began at the tomb of Saint Tikhon of Lukhov, his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. Igumen Constantine, who uncovered the relics, was struck blind. repenting and then recovering his sight, he placed Saint Tikhon’s relics back into the ground. veneration of Saint Tikhon dates from this time. Life with a description of 70 posthumous miracles was compiled in the year 1649. Tikhon of Lukhov is also commemorated on June 16 (his blessed repose in 1503).

Russia, Vologda, 1577, Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, lightning strike, not buried, light over incorrup body
village of Verkola in Pinezhsky; Uyezd in Arkhangelsk Governorate; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, Commemorated October 20; Righteous Artemius of Verkola was born in the village of Dvina Verkhol around the year 1532. son of pious parents, Artemius was a child who was courageous, meek and diligent for every good deed. June 23, 1545 the twelve-year-old Artemius and his father were taken by surprise in a field by a thunderstorm. A clap of thunder broke right over their heads, and the child Artemius fell dead. thought that this was a sign of God’s judgment, therefore they left the body in a pine forest without a funeral, and without burial. years later, the village reader beheld a light over the place where the incorrupt body of the Righteous Artemius lay. to the church of Saint Nicholas in 1577, the holy relics were shown to be a source of numerous healings. this village a monastery was later built, called the Verkhol. 1918, the impious Soviets chopped the holy relics into pieces and threw them into a well. The memory of Saint Artemius is also celebrated on October 20. Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23;

Russia, Vologda, 1583-1590, Jonah, disciple oTrypphon oPechenga, tPechenga-Trinity m after wife daughter death, Killed by Swedes
Russia, Vologda, 1583-1590, Jonah, disciple oTrypphon oPechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth), tPechenga-Trinity m near Kola after wife daughter death, 1583 Tryphon died, tDormition wilderness, Killed by Swedes 1590l Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Jonah of Pechenga and Kola was, as tradition tells us, a priest in the city of Kola. the death of his daughter and wife he went off to the Pechenga-Trinity monastery near Kola, became a disciple of its founder, Saint Tryphon. the death of his teacher, he settled in 1583 at the site of what was to become his grave in the neighboring Dormition wilderness, where he was killed by the Swedes in the year 1590. Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Tryphon of Pechenga and Kola (Mētrophánēs in the world), was born in the Novgorod governia into a priestly family. pious parents raised their son in the fear of God. his early years Tryphon had resolved to devote his life to apostolic deeds and to go to the pagan Laplanders to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. had heard of them only through the accounts of fish vendors. while praying in the forest he had heard a voice, “Tryphon, this is not your place. An inhospitable and thirsting land awaits you.” his parental home, the Saint went out to the Kola Peninsula and halted on the banks of the Pechenga River, where the Lapps lived. he began to trade with them. First the Saint acquainted himself with the pagan beliefs of those people and studied their language, then he began to preach the Christian Faith to them. Lapps listened to his words with great mistrust. suffered many hardships, enduring hostility and even beatings. gradually, through his wise and kindly words and meekness, many were converted to Christ. the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Novogord, Tryphon and Saint Theodóretos (August 17) built a church for the new converts. 1532 he founded the Pechenga-Trinity Monastery for those who were zealous for the monastic life, “on the cold sea, on the frontier of Murmansk.” Ivan the Terrible helped him and richly endowed the Monastery. Enlightener of the Lapps went to the Lord in 1583 at the age of 98, after living in Lapland for almost 70 years. veneration of Saint Tryphon began soon after his death. 1589, the Swedes destroyed the Pechenga monastery. by order of Tsar Theodore, the Monastery was transferred to the Kola Peninsula. the site of the restored Monastery a church was built and named for Saint Tryphon. Swedes destroyed Pechenga Monastery in 1589, but the Saint's burial place under the altar was not forgotten. 1708-1709 the Sretensky church was built here, which the Monastery was revived in 1886. church was destroyed again in 1944, but after the restoration of the Monastery in 2009-2012 a new church was built over the Saint's relics. who invoke Saint Tryphon with faith have received his miraculous help. during his lifetime he rescued shipwrecked sailors, calmed storms at sea, and healed those who suffered from deafness, blindness, and paralysis.

Russia, Vologda, 1583-1589, Priestmonk Jonah oPechenga, martyred w 116 monks&laypersons by Swedes one year before Rus-Swede war
Russia, Vologda, 1589, Priestmonk Jonah oPechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth), martyred w cocelebrant and 115 monks&laypersons by Swedes one year before Rus-Swede war; Priestmonk Jonah the Martyr of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 25; on the Synodikon of the Solovetsk Monastery in northern Russian about 1500 AD -- the exact date is unknown -- the Priestmonk Jonah was born in the Pomeranian village of Varzuga in Russia's northern Murmansk district. serving as a parish priest, he entered the Pechenga Monastery, where he became a close disciple of Saint Tryphon. Jonah was martyred in December 1589 -- one year before the beginning of the Russian-Swedish War -- during an attack on the monastery by Swedish-Finnish invaders. holds that he and his concelebrant, the Priestmonk Herman, were martyred during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, as they were receiving the Eucharist. together with 115 monks and laypersons killed during the invasion, were venerated throughout the Novgorod region. In 2003, they were formally glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church for Church-wide veneration.

Russia, Vologda, 1584, Simon of Yurievets, Kostroma, Fool f C, fasting black skin, mistreaters prayer, clairvoyance
Russia, Kostroma, 1584, Simon of Yurievets District, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6), Fool for Christ, black skin f fasting, prayer for mistreaters, clairvoyance, killed by commander who did not know him, but honored him with funeral; Yurievets District; Volga Region; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4; Simon of Yurievets was born in the city of Yurievets in the Povolzhsk or Volga region. by his parents, the saint took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ. Both winter and summer he went barefoot, dressed only in a shirt, so that his skin became blackened and withered from fasting. people often were cruel to him, sometimes beating him. The holy fool never complained, but prayed for those who mistreated him. Simon was fond of praying on the porches of various churches. ascetic exploit of self-denial cleansed his soul, and he received from God the gift of clairvoyance: foresaw many things and predicted the future. Contemporaries, mentioning his name, beheld various miraculous signs. before his death, the saint went to the house of the military commander Theodore Petelin. not knowing the saint, in a fit of anger gave orders to beat him. Saint Simon fell grievously ill. He summoned a priest, made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and commended his soul to God. The commander later repented of his sin. city gathered for the saint’s funeral, and the body of Blessed Simon was buried in Theophany monastery. This occurred on November 4, 1584. the year 1635, Patriarch Joasaph ordered the Theophany monastery’s Igumen Dionysius to compile an account of the life and miracles of Blessed Simon and gave a blessing to paint his icon. The Feast of Blessed Simon was established in the year 1635.

Russia, Vologda, 1584-1612, Galacteon of Vologda, prince shoemaker ascetic, chained to wall, fed through window, out to prophet
Russia, Vologda, 1584-1612, Galacteon of Vologda, Prince fearing Ivan, to Staritsa, Tver, to Vologda, shoemaker, wife died, pit near river sodima near church, tonsured, earnings split 3ways, advancing spiritually chained to wall, fed bread water through window, powerful words for visitors, special spiritual grace, prayed for rain success, revelation impending woe fVologda, left cell in chains, Poles Lithuanians upon us, fasting prayer for temple for sign icon, so MOG deliver V as Novgorod, challanged by Nechai P, Temple when you die q, Monaster at my place, your church burned, y house laid waste, Demetri's church wb destroyed, prophecy fulfilled, miraculous healings over his burial place; Vologda; Monastic Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24; Galacteon of Vologda: Fearing the wrath of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, kinsmen of the disgraced prince Ivan Ivanovich Belsky secretly brought his seven-year-old son Gabriel to the city of Staritsa. the years of his growing up, and seeing the malice of the Tsar towards his family, the young prince withdrew to Vologda and lived with a shoemaker, from whom he learned the cobbler’s craft. marriage did not last long, for his wife soon died, leaving Prince Gabriel to raise his infant daughter. adversities of his earthly life strengthened in him the intent to devote himself to God. sought out a place at the River Sodima, he dug a pit and made his cell near a church named for the Most Holy Trinity. being tonsured with the name Galacteon, he began to labor in fasting and prayer. ascetic did not give up his cobbler’s trade, and the money which he received from the work was divided into three portions. One part he dedicated to God, another portion he gave to the poor, and the third part he kept for his own needs. in spiritual life, Saint Galacteon secluded himself in his cell, chaining himself to the wall. Christians gave him food through a small window. ascetic rested little, on his knees and holding on to the chain, and he ate only dry bread and water. the cell of Saint Galacteon was nothing but the old matting with which he covered himself. soon began to come to the hermit for spiritual guidance. He received both the rich and the poor, and his words were filled with spiritual power. He consoled the grieving and brought the proud to their senses. prayer Saint Galacteon achieved a special spiritual grace. when the Vologda region had gone a long time without rain, Bishop Anthony came to the church of the Holy Trinity with a church procession and sent a request to the hermit to come and pray with everyone for deliverance from the common woe. Galacteon obediently left his cell and prayed in the church, and the Lord sent abundant rain upon the parched earth. ascetic had a revelation from God about impending misfortunes of Vologda. emerged from his cell in his chains, went to an earthen hut and declared, “Our sins have brought the Poles and Lithuanians upon us. Let there be fasting and prayer, and preparations to build a temple in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign (November 27), so that the Heavenly Queen might deliver Vologda from the wrath of God as She did before Novgorod.” of those present, Nechai Proskurov, said, “He is concerned not for us, but for himself; he only wants to have a church near him. And what will become of the temple when you die, Elder?” Galacteon answered gravely, “Wrath is approaching Vologda. for me, there at my place God is glorified, and there also a monastery will be built.” also said that the Trinity church built by Nechai would be burned and the house of Nechai laid waste. the church dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Priluki (February 11), he said, “The Wonderworker Demetrius has prayed to the Savior for the city, but they insult him. Around his church they set up shops and hawk their wares. This church will be destroyed.” prophecy of the righteous one was soon fulfilled. September 1612 the Polish and Lithuanians stormed into Vologda, and they killed many of the inhabitants. defiled and plundered the churches of God, and they set afire the city and its surroundings. As Saint Galacteon predicted, the house and church built by Nechai were burned, as was also the city church named for Saint Demetrius. Galacteon was murdered by the invaders on September 24, 1612. Christians buried the body of hosiomartyr in his cell. the place of his burial miraculous healings began to occur. the time of Bishop Barlaam (1627-1645), a church was built in honor of the Sign Icon of the Mother of God over the relics of the hosiomartyr Galacteon, and a monastery was founded. the blessing of Archbishop Marcellus (1645-1663), a cathedral church was built at the monastery in honor of the Holy Spirit, and the monastery took its name from this church.

Russia, Vologda, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, fKargopol tOlnets land, founed Novolotsk m 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk
Russia, St Petersburg, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, Petrozavodsk, Lake Onega, St. Petersburg, Svir River side, fKargopol tOlnets land, founded Novolotsk monastery 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk; Petrozavodsk; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Athanasius of Navolotsk went at the end of the sixteenth century from the Kargopol region to the Olonets land, he founded a monastery 78 versts from what later became the city of Petrozavodsk. saint died at a Verkholedsk suburb not far from Shenkursk.

Russia, Vologda, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Fools fC, angels, incorrupt r's, Myrrh MOG icon transfers&war heroes TOT

Russia, Vologda, 1601-1650, Maximus of Totma, Fool fChrist known for miracles at his grave, priest, then 45yrs as FFC
Russia, Vologda, 1601-1650, Maximus of Totma, Vologda, Fool for Christ known for miracles at his grave, son of a priest, priest himself, then 45yrs as FFC, unceasing prayer, fasting, nakedness, completely neglecting his body, distinguished by grace filled gifts during lifetime, reposed 1650, miraculous cures flowed fHis tomb, so his life written, but fire destroyed writing, 1680 new life composed, life writing lost again, miracles continued, grave built over relics and new writing 1715, miracles detailed, 1680 paralized man healed instantly, 1691 bed ridden 9 wks peasant cured, 1703 man paralized 9yrs dreamt old man led him to venerate his grave, woke able to vererate M's grave, 1705 M appeared to woman not in right mind 1mo, in dream, have 2 Panikhidas at tomb and you will be healed, she awoke asked to be taken, perfectly well; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus Makar'ev was a priest in the city of Tot'ma (Vologda Diocese) during the first half of the XVII century, and his father was a priest. Saint Maximus was also ordained to the priesthood, and for 45 years he voluntarily undertook the difficult spiritual exploit of foolishness for Christ's sake, spending his time in unceasing prayer, fasting, and nakedness, completely neglecting to take care of his body. Maximus was already distinguished by grace-filled gifts from God during his lifetime. He reposed at an advanced age on January 16, 1650 and was buried near the Resurrection church of Varnitsa in the city of Tot'ma. His laborious and holy life, and the miraculous cures which flowed from his tomb, served as an incentive to write his Life, but it was destroyed in 1676 during a fire in the church of the Resurrection. A new Life was composed in 1680, and it was lost as well. Meanwhile, the miracles continued at the righteous one's tomb. veneration of the Saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles which occurred at his grave. In that year, the Priest John Rokhletsov and the parishioners of Holy Resurrection church asked Archbishop Joseph of Great Ustyug to allow them to place a sepulcher over the relics of Saint Maximus in the church of Saint Paraskevḗ, which was built over his relics, and to put an Icon of the Saint on the tomb. Vladyka granted their petition and gave his blessing for Molebens to be served for him, as is done for other God-pleasers. At that time, everyone still remembered the miracles which took place at the tomb of Blessed Maximus, and these miracles were depicted on the borders of the icon which adorned the God-pleaser’s tomb. 1680, Boris Tarunin, a resident of Tot'ma, fell ill with a fever and was paralyzed for six months. When he prayed to the righteous Maximus for the help, he was healed right away. 1691, the peasant Aréthas Malevinsky was bed-ridden for nine weeks with a fever. When he began to call upon Saint Maximus for help, his illness completely disappeared. peasant Theodore Mamoshov was paralyzed for nine years. On the night of November 5, 1703, he dreamt that an old man, clad in just a shirt, approached his bedside and said to him, "Theodore, cease your grieving." Taking him by the shoulder, he led him into the church and commanded him to venerate his grave. When he awakened, Theodore felt so well that he was able to walk to the church of the Resurrection in order to venerate the tomb of his healer. 1705, Anna Tataurova had not been in her right mind for a month. One night, Saint Maximus appeared to her in a dream, telling her to have two Panikhidas served at his tomb, promising her that she would recover if she did this. When the sick girl woke up, she asked to be taken to the righteous one's tomb. After the two Panikhidas were served, she felt perfectly well. Maximus is also commemorated on the third Sunday of Pentecost, the Synaxis of the Vologda Saints.

Russia, Vologda, 1601-1650, St Maximus of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, right before Andrew
Russia, Vologda, 1601-1650, Maximus of Totma, Vologda, Fool f Christ, gifts, Fool for Christ known for miracles at his grave, son of a priest, priest himself, then 45yrs as FFC, unceasing prayer, fasting, nakedness, completely neglecting his body, distinguished by grace filled gifts during lifetime, reposed 1650, miraculous cures flowed fHis tomb, so his life written, but fire destroyed writing, 1680 new life composed, life writing lost again, miracles continued, grave built over relics and new writing 1715, miracles detailed, 1680 paralized man healed instantly, 1691 bed ridden 9 wks peasant cured, 1703 man paralized 9yrs dreamt old man led him to venerate his grave, woke able to vererate M's grave, 1705 M appeared to woman not in right mind 1mo, in dream, have 2 Panikhidas at tomb and you will be healed, she awoke asked to be taken, perfectly well; Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus, Priest of Totma, was for a certain time, a priest in the city of Totma in the Vologda diocese. forty years he undertook the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ, constantly in fasting and in prayer. Maximus died in great old age on January 16, 1650 and was buried at the Resurrection church in which he served. The local veneration of the saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles occurring at his grave. Vologda, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ of Totma was a seventeenth century Russian Orthodox Church religious figure. was born in countryside nearby Totma the town and named after Saint Andrew Stratelates. According to the Gospel he left his parents and went to desert places. When he came back his parents was dead. Then he left the Ust-Tolshma and went to the Monastery of Galic. After time in the Monastery of Galic he became a yurodivy and moved to Totma. He was known for prayer and begging his bread. His feast day is celebrated on 10 October.[1] Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Andrew of Totma, the Fool-for-Christ was born in the year 1638 in the village of Ust-Totma and chose to leave the world while still a child. the blessing of Stephen, igumen of the Resurrection monastery in Galich, Andrew took upon himself the arduous calling of fool-for-Christ. He lived at the church of the Resurrection of Christ in the city of Totma on the banks of the River Sukhona. barefoot in both winter and summer, Andrew wore tattered clothing, and ate only bread and water, and that in such a small quantity that it just barely kept him from starving. He prayed both day and night, and if anyone gave him anything, he would give it away to the poor. his efforts and toil the Blessed Andrew acquired the gift of wonderworking. winter a blind man by the name of Azhibokai came to the blessed fool, asking for healing while offering him a large sum of money. But the fool fled away. Azhibokai then washed his eyes with snow from where the saint had stood. In doing so, he was able to see. time of his own death was revealed to the Blessed Andrew. He made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1673. his grave was built the bell-tower church of the holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates (August 19), whose name he bore. Many miracles were witnessed at the grave of the Blessed Andrew.

Russia, Vologda, 1601-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, f Komel, builder, iconog, Tartars, angel s, d Elder, incorrupt r
Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Vologda, 1605, Yug Icon, Mother of God sends Icon from Pskov to Yug River in Volomsk forest
Volomsk forest is 80 versts southwest of Ustiug at Kichmenga River; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Wonderworking Yuga Icon of the Mother of God appeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the Elder Saint Dorotheus, schemamonk of the Pskov Caves monastery. The Mother of God, during an invasion of the Swedes, commanded him to take Her image to a place She specified, and to bring the icon to Yaroslav diocese and to start a monastery there . igumen of the monastery would not agree to give up the Icon of the Mother of God, but She appeared to him in a vision commanding him to fulfill Her will and let Elder Dorotheus take Her icon. Elder Dorotheus came to the place specified in the vision, stopped to rest, and put the holy icon upon a tree. he wanted to continue the journey, then some invisible power prevented him from taking the holy icon from the tree. Saint Dorotheus realized that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place. He then built a small hut and stayed near the holy icon. News of the Elder’s arrival quickly spread through the surrounding villages. Pilgrims came to venerate the holy icon, from which many healings took place. Money was collected by the pious local inhabitants, and construction of a new monastery began. Dorotheus died in the year 1622. Clergy presented accounts of miracles to Patriarch Philaret. They received his blessing to establish a monastery at the River Yuga with church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery became known as the Yuga. In 1654, by the intercession of the Mother of God, a deadly pestilence was halted in that place.

Russia, Vologda, 1605, Ustiuzhena Icon, delivered U from Swedes and Polish by intercession of Queen of Heaven
Ustiuzhena; Icon of the Mother of God of Ustiuzhena, Commemorated July 28 ; Ustiuzhena Icon of the Mother of God (1290), glorified by many miracles, was situated in the city of Ustiuzhna under Novgorod governance (now Vologda district). At the beginning of the seventeenth century the inhabitants of Ustiushna, praying for salvation before this holy icon, were delivered from an invasion of the Swedes and Polish by the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Euphrosynos of Blue Jay Lake, (Ephraim in the world) was born in Karelia near Lake Ladoga in the second half of the XVI century. When he was young he lived near Valaam Monastery, and later he moved to Novgorod the Great. After spending some time there, the Saint then withdrew to a place on the outskirts of Novgorod - the Bezhetsk “pentary” (one fifth of the “Pyatiny Novgorodskiya,” comprising five outlying districts of Novgorod the Great). became a Reader for the Church services in the village of Doloska, twenty versts from the city of Ustiuzhna of Zhelezopolska. He was tonsured at the Tikhvin Dormition Monastery with the name Euphrosynos. After living there for some time, he told the Superior of his desire to go into the wilderness for greater solitude, and a life of fasting and silence. The Superior told him about some of the dangers of the eremetic life, and then gave his blessing. So, in 1600 he began his solitary life in the wild marshlands by the shore of Blue Jay Lake. Here the Saint planted a Cross and dug a cave. He lived here for two years, eating nothing but wild vegetation, berries, and mushrooms. people from neighboring villages found him, and they came to him for instruction, prayer, and spiritual counsel. Several of them remained with him. Soon it became necessary to build a church, where all the brethren could pray together. They cleared the forest, hewed the timber, and built a log church. Since the Elder, out of humility, had not been ordained, the church was consecrated by his fellow ascetic Saint Gurias of Shalatsk (November 15), and dedicated to the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. This was done with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod (1603-1609). Saint Gurias sometimes visited Blue Jay Lake in order to pray with the brethren, converse with them about spiritual matters, and to give them Holy Communion. On one of these visits Saint Euphrosynos was tonsured into the Great Schema by Saint Gurias. 1612, when Polish troops were laying waste to Russia, many people saved their lives by hiding at the Monastery of the Annunciation in the wilderness. On March 19, Saint Euphrosynos revealed to everyone that the Poles were on their way to the monastery, and he advised everyone to flee. brethren and beloved children in Christ, whoever wishes to escape certain death, leave the Monastery of the Mother of God and save yourselves from this great calamity, for it is pleasing to God's righteous judgment that enemies will come soon to this holy place." did not believe him. “Then why don’t you leave this place yourself?” they asked. Elder replied, “I have come here to die for Christ.” who obeyed the Saint and left the monastery were spared, but all those who remained met a horrible death. Jonah was one of the monks at the monastery. Frightened by the Elder's clairvoyant prediction, he wanted to flee with the others, but Saint Euphrosynos held him back, inspiring him with zeal for the house of God. “Brother Jonah,” he said, "why do you allow faint-hearted fear into your soul? When the battle begins, that is the time for courage. For the love of Christ, let us not be afraid of some passing fear. We have vowed to live and die here in the wilderness. We must be faithful to our vow, made before the Lord. It is different for laymen, who are not bound by a vow. They must spare themselves for the sake of their children.” inflamed in spirit, Saint Jonah placed all his hope in God, and decided to die there in the wilderness with his Elder. this Saint Euphrosynos clothed himself in the Great Schema, and spent the entire night in prayer. On the following day, March 20, Polish forces descended upon the monastery. In the garb of a Schema-monk, the Saint emerged from his cell and stood beside the Cross he had planted. The enemy said to him, “Old man, give us all the monastery’s possessions." “All my possessions, and those of this monastery, are in the church of the All-Pure Theotokos,” he replied. was referring to spiritual treasures which cannot be stolen (Matthew 6:19-21). Failing to comprehend this, the Poles rushed to the church. One of them drew a sword and struck Saint Euphrosynos. His neck was cut half way through, and the holy Elder fell to the ground dead. When the Poles returned, angry because they had found nothing in the church, one of them struck the Saint's head with an axe. Saint Jonah perished in the attack along with his Elder, and he is also commemorated today with Saint Euphrosynos. certain pious Christian, Ioann Suma, had also stayed at the monastery with the monks. When the Poles attacked, he was in the Elder's cell. Despite the grievous wounds he received from these ruffians, Ioann remained alive, but unconscious. After the Poles left, he regained his senses and told his son Emilian what had transpired. From them, the nearby inhabitants learned about the destruction of the monastery and the martyric death of Saint Euphrosynos. March 28, the bodies of Saint Euphrosynos, Saint Jonah, and all the others who had perished by the sword, were buried with due reverence by the Cross where they suffered martyrdom. years after the death of the Saint, a new church was built by a man named Moses, and dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. With the blessing of Metropolitan Makarios of Novgorod, the incorrupt relics of Saint Euphrosynos were transferred to a new reliquary beneath the belfry on March 25, 1655. to the Monastery's records, the Monastic Martyr Euphrosynos was of medium height, with wide shoulders and a broad chest. His hair was brown, with traces of gray. His beard was long, and divided in two at the bottom. Euphrosynus was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 29, 1912.

Russia, Vologda, 1605-18, Swede Pole-Moscow War, TOT Civil Wars, famine, boyar false Dimitris, Pole Tzar
Moscow, 1605-1618, Swedisn Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18) ; Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Russia, Vologda, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev, established monastery, incorrupt relics
Russia, St Petersburg, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev? (above Vodla Lake), established monastery, incorrupt relics; Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? This is the location of the only church in the area. Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20; Diodorus of Yuregorsk was born in the village of Turchasovo at the River Onega. parents, Jerothei and Maria, named their son Diomid. a fifteen-year-old youth he went on pilgrimage to the Solovki monastery, and then remained there as a novice. There he received monastic tonsure when he was nineteen under the igumen Anthony. lived with the hermits on desolate islands, and then he settled at Lake Vodla. He spent seven years there with his disciple Prochorus. to found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Trinity on Mount Yurev, the monk went to Moscow, where he received approval from Tsar Michael (1613-1645) also money for the building of the monastery from the Tsar’s mother, the nun and Eldress Martha. before his death, Saint Diodorus was obliged to journey to Kargopol on monastery matters. leave of the brethren, he predicted his impending death. He died on November 27, 1633 and was buried at Kargopol. two years his incorrupt body was transferred to the Trinity monastery and buried at the south wall of the cathedral church. memory of Saint Diodorus is celebrated on November 20 because of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign,” with which his repose coincides.

Russia, Vologda, 1612-1680, Eleazar oAnzersk Island, artful wooden cups brought fishermen success, his prophecy built monastery
Russia, Vologda, 1612-1680, Eleazar oAnzersk Island, Solovki, fKozelsk merchant family, tSolovki m, tonsured bIrenachus, woodcarving art gift, fT Cathedral, 1612 hermit Anzersk Is, carved wooden cups, on Dock message fFood, fishermen left bread&supplies, rewarded great catch, 1616 schemamonk, disciples gathered, skete strict rule following ancient form, together Sat Sun only, Pat Nikon aDisciple, Tsar Michael summoned Eleazar tMoscow, E predicted M Son's birth, M helped build stone church& M, loved books, compiled Flower Gardens, 3 books edifying sayings, wrote commentary Monastic Rule, Died great old age, lived A 40Yrs after some time aSolovki; Anzersk Island, Solovki; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ; Eleazar of Anzersk was born in the city of Kozelsk into the merchant family Severiukov. the blessing of his parents he went off to the Solovki monastery, he received monastic tonsure from the igumen Saint Irenarchus (July 17). the monastery he displayed an astonishing artistic gift: learned woodcarving he took part in the embellishment of the Transfiguration Cathedral. the blessing of the igumen, he went to the island of Anzersk in 1612, he became a hermit, himself to constant prayer and meditation on God. order to obtain subsistence for himself on the island wilderness, Eleazar carved wooden cups, he left at the dock. the cups he wrote a message requesting food. left bread and other supplies for the ascetic, they were rewarded with a great catch of fish. the year 1616 Saint Eleazar was elevated to schemamonk. gathered around the saint wishing to live near him and benefit from his instruction. organized a skete with a strict rule of monastic life following the ancient form. cells were built far away from one another, and the hermits gathered together only for Saturday and Sunday services. the disciples of Saint Eleazar was the hieromonk Niketas (Nikḗtas), future Patriarch Nikon. Michael (1613-1645), learning of the saint’s ascetic life, summoned him to Moscow. Eleazar predicted the birth of a son, in return the Tsar generously gave him help to build a stone church on the island dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and also a monastery. Eleazar loved books. He compiled three books, “Flower Gardens,” collecting edifying sayings and examples from various sources. also wrote a commentary on the Rule for monastic cell life. Eleazar died in great old age, forseeing the time of his death. is not known how old he was, but he lived at Ansersk for forty years, he was at Solovki for some time before that.

Russia, Vologda, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG
Russia, Vologda, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. Archangelsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated on August 22; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. 1654, Hieromonk Makarios of Krasnogorsk Monastery brought the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (which had been brought from Persia) to Moscow for restoration, and to be covered with a new riza. It was placed in the newly-built church, dedicated to the Life-giving Trinity, at Nikitnikov Lane near the Saint Barbara Gate, where the Kremlin masters carried on their iconographic work. Gregory Nikitnikov had built the church on his property at his own expense (1628-1651). In the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint Nikḗtas (September 15). Members of the Nikitnikov family were also entombed there. that time, a plague or pestilence was raging in Moscow. At the request of the master silversmith Gabriel Evdokimov, whose son was near death, a Moleben was served in his house before the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God from Krasnogorsk Monastery. The patient soon recovered. In gratitude for this miraculous healing, a copy of Georgian Icon was made and placed in Holy Trinity church. From that time, the church was also called Georgian. gracious help of the Most Holy Theotokos continued to be conferred by the aforementioned copy of her Icon. During the plague epidemic of 1654, the Moscow merchant Stephanov prayed continuously to the Queen of Heaven. The Most Holy Virgin appeared to him three times in a dream saying: "Pray to the Georgian Theotokos, on the Glinishchi at the mills, and you will be spared." The Holy Trinity church at Nikitniki was also called the church of the Great Martyr Nikḗtas (one of the chapels) on Glinishchi, near the mills. The merchant did not take his family from Moscow as he intended, but began to pray fervently in the Holy Trinity church. The epidemic did not touch him or his family. Churchwide celebration of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was established with the blessing of Patriarch Nikon in 1654. In 1698, the caretaker of the Moscow printing house Theodore Polikarpov compiled a second edition of the Service. the liberation of Moscow from Napoleon's troops, on December 1, 1812 the wonderworking Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, along with other miraculous Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (Vladimir, Iveron, and Assuage my Sorrows) were carried in solemn procession around the Kremlin. 1904, a chapel was built in Holy Trinity church in honor of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Now this Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitnikov (Razin Street). healings were granted by the Most Holy Theotokos through her wonderworking Icon, which were documented and verified at the end of the XIX century. For example, on June 17, 1887, Lydia Tserkovnitskaya, the wife of a priest in the village of Shuysk, Vologda Province, was critically ill. She recovered after praying before the wonderworking Georgian Icon. There is historical evidence of four more Georgian icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which was in Moscow's Alekseevsky Convent, church evidence reports that it is not a copy of the Icons from Krasnogorsk Monastery nor from Holy Trinity church at Nikitnikov, which were brought from Georgia. In the same deadly plague epidemic of 1654, one of the nuns at the Alekseev Convent fell ill. While she addressed long prayers to the Heavenly Healer, the sick woman suddenly remembered the miraculous recovery she had heard about from the Icon of the Mother of God, which is in the church of the Life-giving Trinity by Saint Barbara's Gate. However, there was no one to send there. After some time, an unknown monk came to the Convent. Turning to the sick nun, he said: "Do not be sad that the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God cannot be brought here. You have here exactly the same Icon as the one brought from Georgia. You will find it in the cave, and you shall behold God's mercy." allegorical meaning of these words became clear afterward in the monastery sacristy, which was laid out like caves, when a hitherto unknown Icon of the Mother of God was discovered. After a Moleben, the miraculous Icon was carried to the cells of the nuns who were suffering from the pestilence. All of them were healed. From that time, the epidemic in Moscow began to abate. the prayerful intercession of the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Alekseev Convent, the blind Princess Martha Prozorovskaya received miraculous healing in 1662. She gained her sight by the prayers of her parents, after seven years of serious illness. the northwest of Kazan, 18 versts from the city of Sviyazhsk, in the middle of the XVII century was the Raithu communal Hermitage of the Theotokos, which got its name from one of its churches, which was dedicated to the Venerable Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu (January 14). Tradition states that during the construction of the monastery, Metropolitan Laurence of Kazan, by a revelation from above, sent the best local iconographers to Pinega, to the Krasnogorsk Monastery, which was very far from Kazan, in order to make a faithful copy of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Persia. 1661, a skillfully executed copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was delivered from Arkhangelsk. It became highly revered by the local population. Subsequently, this Icon was placed in the cathedral church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. the XVIII century, the pious peasants of the village of Klyucharev, Korchev county, Tver Province, presented the caretaker of the Moscow Archangel Cathedral with a copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which became highly regarded by the locals, when the rye crop was threatened with destruction in the late 1860s. Vast fields of newly-sprouted crops were being eaten by an unknown worm, and nothing they did was of any use. Then the peasants prayed for help to the Most Holy Theotokos, whose Georgian Icon they revered. After a Cross Procession around the fields with the Icon, a sudden, unprecedented torrential rain fell. Streams of water washed the worms out of the ground, which were eaten by a large flock of birds. See also other revered copies of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God in the Protection church at Vorontsov Field, and in the Holy Cross Church in the city of Tula. Icon disappeared after the closure of the monastery (1920-1922), and later it was returned to the monastery. In his 1946 report to the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Leonty (Smirnov) of Arkhangelsk states that the Georgian Icon was carried in a procession, which took place at Arkhangelsk in 1946. The further fate of the Georgian Icon is unknown. St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Russia, Vologda,1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery; Poshekhonye; Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian. Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Vologda, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda, hunter discovers church, rotten utensils, but unharmed altar icon
Russia, Vologda, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hunter discovers small old church, rotten utensils, but unharmed altar icon, monastery afterwards; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Slovenka Icon of the Mother of God manifested itself on September 23, 1635 at the village of Slovenka, Kostroma district. certain hunter while hunting by chance discovered a small rickety church, overgrown with moss. went inside and saw that all the church utensils had rotted with time, except for the altar icon of the Mother of God, which was perfectly unharmed. monastery was afterwards built at this place.

Russia, Vologda, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of T, found lying on ground, then in tree, miracles, M-B monastery
Russia, Kostroma, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of Tsarevokokshaisk, Kostroma, Vologda (Malaya Kokshaga River 1, near Kazan), lying on ground, became invisible, unseen force holding it in tree, miracles, carried to T, then Moscow, then back, Myrrh-Bearing monastery, MOG depicted w Myrrh-Bearing Women; Tsarevokokshaisk ; œMyrrh-Bearing Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; “Myrrh-Bearing” Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarevokokshaisk (in the province of Kazan) appeared to the peasant Andrew Ivanov on May 1, 1647 near Bolshaya Kuznetsa, fifteen versts from the city of Tsarevokokshaisk in the Kazan region. Working in the field, Andrew noticed an icon lying on the ground and wanted to pick it up, but the icon became invisible. The astonished peasant, looking around, noticed the icon in a tree, supported by an unseen force. He prayed and took the icon home, where it was glorified by miracles. thronged to the icon from all the surrounding villages. They carried the image to the city of Tsarevokokshaisk, and later to Moscow, and after a while, they returned home with it. A monastery was built at the place of its appearance. It is called “Myrrh-Bearing” because the Mother of God is depicted with the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

Russia, Vologda, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, right after St Maximus
Vologda, 1648-1673, Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ of Totma was a seventeenth century Russian Orthodox Church religious figure. was born in countryside nearby Totma the town and named after Saint Andrew Stratelates. According to the Gospel he left his parents and went to desert places. When he came back his parents was dead. Then he left the Ust-Tolshma and went to the Monastery of Galic. After time in the Monastery of Galic he became a yurodivy and moved to Totma. He was known for prayer and begging his bread. His feast day is celebrated on 10 October.[1] Totma (Sukhona River 5); Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Andrew of Totma, the Fool-for-Christ was born in the year 1638 in the village of Ust-Totma and chose to leave the world while still a child. the blessing of Stephen, igumen of the Resurrection monastery in Galich, Andrew took upon himself the arduous calling of fool-for-Christ. He lived at the church of the Resurrection of Christ in the city of Totma on the banks of the River Sukhona. barefoot in both winter and summer, Andrew wore tattered clothing, and ate only bread and water, and that in such a small quantity that it just barely kept him from starving. He prayed both day and night, and if anyone gave him anything, he would give it away to the poor. his efforts and toil the Blessed Andrew acquired the gift of wonderworking. winter a blind man by the name of Azhibokai came to the blessed fool, asking for healing while offering him a large sum of money. But the fool fled away. Azhibokai then washed his eyes with snow from where the saint had stood. In doing so, he was able to see. time of his own death was revealed to the Blessed Andrew. He made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1673. his grave was built the bell-tower church of the holy Martyr Andrew Stratelates (August 19), whose name he bore. Many miracles were witnessed at the grave of the Blessed Andrew. Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Maximus, Priest of Totma, was for a certain time, a priest in the city of Totma in the Vologda diocese. forty years he undertook the difficult exploit of foolishness for Christ, constantly in fasting and in prayer. Maximus died in great old age on January 16, 1650 and was buried at the Resurrection church in which he served. The local veneration of the saint began in 1715, because of the numerous miracles occurring at his grave.

Russia, Vologda, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Exiled by Jealous Superiors, revived 2 Monasteries

Russia, Vologda, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia, exiled bJealous superiors, revived 2 Monasteries
Russia, Mordovia, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, near Volga River 9), fRomanov, Yaroslavl, 1719, Prince's son, enlisted Petersburg Guard regiment, obtained rank sargent, God delivered him from great spiritual danger in Capital, example drinking party one suddenly collapsed and died, affected him greatly, similar to Xenia's hisband's death, Major Andrew Petrov, decided leave and live in wilderness, dedicating self to God, reminded of life luxury by seeing his uncle and servants, abandoned cell in forrests by White Sea, there 3yrs oHardship, Govt regs citizens not permitted allow monks in forrests, beaten by villagers, Ploschansk m south oKiev, said son oPriest, no admit sargent otGuard, legal obsticles, igumen no accept long time, no ID papers, Finally did accept, assigned reader, hearing him read relized probably nobility, ordered J live in forrest, fearing autohority problem, found empty cell, caught by authorities, admitted sargent otGauard, taken to empress Elizabeth, she asked why did you desert, to save his soul, forgave him, did not want former rank, why snuck away not asking discharge, you wouln not have believed my terrible burden, I have been tested in spiritual life and want to return till death, Liz agreed, but stipulated he remain at Alex Nevsky Lavra in St Pete, tonsured at Liz' express command at 29 in 1748, Archbishop Theodosius gave him name Theodore, for Theodore oYaroslavl, people came tAsk him how to please God, tried tell them more experienced monks, he found he could not answer all the questions so he began to read books and Chrysostom, Praying God enlighten him, able to instruct people, this caused jealousy among some older monks, disturbing tranquility, hierarch ordered no visitor requesting Theodore admitted, Theodore asked why, told he presumed instruct people, routine oMonastery disrupted, T said if something unlawful to Eminence, then should question me. it sinful tCause unneccessary sorrow those seeking spiritual profit, furious but archbishop ordered people allowed see T again, jealousy continued 10 yrs, T patiently endured, 1757 he wanted transfer tSarov, when brethern found out they insisted he submit written request to transfer, Fr T left St Pete with many followers male and female, settled his women disciples aSt Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, they soon moved to vacant Alexeyevsky Convent, male disciples went with him to Sarov, 1759 T asked Igumen Ephraim let him have Samaxar M, because disciples had increased, S had been closed after 50 yrs by Peter I, property under Sarov, at Sanaxar began building cells and storerooms, Bishop Tambov appointed T as Superior, and ordained reluctant T as priest in 1762, established rule for reverent unhurried celebration oServices, cell rule, monks continued increase, not all tonsured, number monks allowed regulated by law, 1763 Emperess Catherine II decreed all his monks should be tonsred, 1764 she limited number of monasteries, Sanaxar scheduled closed, but remained open for T's efforts, 1764 T became Igumen, Sanaxar reclassified a monastery 1765, needed larger stone church, foundation, swarm of bees on altar spot, sign oIncrease and abundant grace, Monk named Herman ordered brush bees off, or Gerasimus, Father herman now in America, Theodore may have been one of Herman's early instructors, T once visited Tikhon at Zadonsk, Tikhon also knew suffer offences from superiors and worldly minded monks, and layman, perhaps advised T how endure trials ahead, Royal edict ordered him exiled to Soovki as troublemaker, deprived of rank, igumen and Hiermonk, Solovki superior ordered keep close eye on him, there 9yrs, release by his disciple Archmandrite Theophanes, who was cell attendant to Met Gabriel oSt Pete, who asked Theophanes prepare memo of case facts in detail, resule Met G asked Emperess Catherine II release T and permit return tSanaxar, 1783 return, weakened condition from cold&Stove fumes, took long time get back Sanaxar, arrived Arzamas Oct 1783, greeted by sisters and 2Hiermonks fSanaxar, plus others, monastery superiors, respected nobles, merchants, ordinary men and women, stayed 1Week, instructing nuns each day, Entire Sanaxar brotherhood met him at the ferry on Moksha River, accompanied him walk tSanaxar, few days later renewed persecution, Hierodeacon Hillarion acccused him being heretic and atheist, before Holy Synod, they determined Hillarion at fault, should be punished, Hillarion asked T's forgiveness before whole community, Sanaxar Superior Bennedict jealous of T because otCrowds oVisitors, complained tLocal Bishop, that monastery quiet being disturbed, investigators sent, did not interview anyone favorable to T, so T forbidden receive visitors, once again Theophanes brought T's plight tMet Gabriel, bit more freedom, but only by writing letters, Bennedict became ill, T went to B' cell to ask forgiveness, B turned his face and refused to speak, B suffered a while and died 1778, T again permitted visit nuns Alexxeyevsky Convent aArzamas, delivered moving homily Pslam 136 (by rivers oBabylon), left Arzamas, stopped aSarov, asked forgiveness everyone, rushed back tSanaxar, arrived wed oCheesefare week, spoke tHis disciples around noon, dismissed them tTheir Cells, 2Noble disciples remained behind tAsk advice, Suddenly expression changed and began to weep for 15minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth, then order them to their cells, saying feeling weak, unusual weakness, soon cell attendant knocked, no answer, entered and found him praying on his bed, left and reported, they all came to see him but he would not speak, 5hrs later he surrended his soul to God; Sanaxar; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Theodore was born near the town of Romanov in the province of Yaroslavl in 1719, son of Prince Ignatius Ushakov and his wife Paraskevḗ (or Irene). his Baptism, he was named John. a young man, John Ushakov enlisted in the Preobrazhensky Guard Regiment in Petersburg, attained the rank of sergeant. in the capital was fraught with great spiritual danger for a young person, God delivered John from the wrong path. John was twenty, at a drinking party with his friends, one of them suddenly collapsed and died. They all experienced fear and sadness, but this seemed to affect John more than the others. incident is remarkably similar to the circumstances surrounding the death of Major Andrew Petrov, the husband of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg (January 24), it may be only coincidental. any case, John decided to leave Saint Petersburg and live in the wilderness, dedicating himself to God. walking near the city of Yaroslavl disguised as a laborer, saw his uncle out with his servants. uncle did not recognize him because of his poor clothing, but John was reminded of his former life of luxury and ease. soon banished this thought and resolved to dwell in the wilderness. walking in the forests near the White Sea, came upon an abandoned cell, he decided to remain there in solitude and pray to God. lived there for three years in great hardship and affliction. regulations of the time enjoined citizens not to permit monks to live in the forests. John came to the village for supplies, he was beaten within an inch of his life, and was forced to flee. eventually came to the region south of Kiev, reaching the Ploschansk Monastery. begged the igumen to accept him, saying that he was the son of a priest. could not admit to being a sergeant of the Guard, since legal obstacles would have made it very difficult for him to enter monastic life. igumen would not accept him for a long time, since he did not have the proper identification papers. he did accept John and assigned him to read in church. hearing him read, the igumen realized that John was not from a priestly family, but probably belonged to the nobility. trouble with the authorities, he ordered John to live in the forest near the monastery where other ascetics were living. found an empty cell and received the blessing of these Fathers to remain there. a team of investigators came to the forest looking for monks living there illegally, John was caught. he had no documents and admitted to being a sergeant in the Guard, he was brought to Saint Petersburg and taken to the empress Elizabeth. he was taken to the empress, she asked, “Why did you desert my regiment?” explained that he had done so in order to save his soul. forgave him and was willing to restore him to his former rank, but John said that he did not want his former life or rank. empress then asked why he had snuck away in secret instead of asking to be discharged. replied, “If I had troubled Your Majesty with such a request, you would not have believed that a young man such as I could have borne such a burden. I have now been tested in the spiritual life, and I ask Your Majesty to bless me to continue in it until my death.” agreed to this, but stipulated that he should remain in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. at her express command, John was tonsured in August of 1748 at the age of twenty-nine. Archbishop Theodosius, who then governed the monastery, ordered that he be named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore of Yaroslavl (September 19). Father Theodore was in the Lavra, people would visit and ask him about how to please God while living in the world. tried to tell them that there were older, wiser monks there who would be able to instruct them better than he could. they insisted, so he tried to help them. found, however, that he could not always answer their questions or find solutions to their problems, he began to read patristic books, especially the works of Saint John Chrysostom, God to enlighten him so he could understand the Scriptures and the teachings of the Fathers. learned many things from his reading, and he was able to instruct people for their spiritual profit. caused jealousy among some of the older monks, who complained to the archbishop that this young monk was attracting people to himself and disturbing the tranquility of the monastery. hierarch ordered that no visitor requesting to see Father Theodore should be admitted. Theodore went to the steward of the monastery, asking him why people could not see him. was told that because he presumed to instruct people, attracting many visitors, that the routine of the monastery was disrupted. “If there is something in my teaching which seems unlawful to His Eminence,” Father Theodore responded, “then he should question me. is sinful, however, to cause unnecessary sorrow to those seek spiritual profit.” archbishop was furious, but he ordered that people should be allowed to see Father Theodore again. jealousy and difficulties continued for ten years, and Father Theodore endured his trials with patience. 1757, he wanted to transfer to Sarov Monastery, and when the brethren of the Lavra found out about this, they insisted that he submit a written request for transfer. his release, Father Theodore left Saint Petersburg with many of his disciples, male and female. the way they stopped at Saint Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, where he settled his women disciples. they moved to the vacant Alexeyevsky Convent. male disciples went with him to Sarov. 1759, after two years at Sarov, Father Theodore asked Igumen Ephraim to let him have the Sanaxar Monastery, the number of his disciples had increased. had been founded in 1659, but was closed by Tsar Peter I in the first half of the eighteenth century, and the property was administered by the Sarov Monastery. moving to Sanaxar Hermitage, Father Theodore began the work of building cells and storerooms. Pachomius of Tambov appointed Father Theodore as the Superior. also ordained the reluctant Father Theodore to the holy priesthood on December 13, 1762. Theodore began setting things in order, establishing a Rule for the reverent, unhurried celebration of the services. also set down a cell Rule for the monks to follow. shared in the work (except those who were too old or too sick), including the Superior. number of monks at Sanaxar continued to increase, but not all of them had been tonsured. was necessary to obtain permission to have them tonsured, the number of monks allowed to live in a monastery was regulated by law. April 23, 1763 Empress Catherine II decreed that all of Father Theodore’s monks should be tonsured. following year, she issued a decree limiting the number of monasteries, those not specifically approved would be closed. Hermitage was among the monastic institutions scheduled to be closed, it remained open through Father Theodore’s efforts. Theodore was raised to the rank of igumen in October of 1764, Sanaxar was reclassified as a Monastery on March 7, 1765. of the number of brethren, it became necessary to build a larger stone church to replace the small wooden one. foundation was dug and a Molieben served at the site. a swarm of bees came and settled on the spot where the altar would be. was taken as a sign of an increase in the number of brethren, and an abundance of grace in the monastery. to N. Subbotin’s 1862 book on Archimandrite Theophanes of the Saint Cyril of New Lake Monastery (who was a novice at Sanaxar at the same time that Saint Herman was), Theodore ordered a monk named Herman to brush the bees into a hive. is probable that this was the future Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). another edition of the book, the brother’s name is given as Gerasimus. this account, Subbotin mentions “Father Herman, who is now in America.” discrepency in names may be explained if Saint Herman’s name before his tonsure was Gerasimus. Herman, in one of his letters to Father Nazarius, says that he had friends at Sarov and Sanaxar, Saint Theodore may have been one of Saint Herman’s early instructors. Theodore once visited Saint Tikhon (August 13) at the Zadonsk Monastery. is not known how long the two had known one another, but the retired bishop received him with love. visit was providential, because Saint Tikhon also knew what it was to suffer offenses from superiors, from worldly-minded monks, and from laymen. he even advised Father Theodore on how to endure the trials which lay ahead of him. Father Theodore returned to Sanaxar a royal edict was delivered to him by a courier. ordered him to be sent as an exile to Solovki Monastery as a troublemaker. was deprived of the rank of Igumen and Hieromonk, the Superior of Solovki was ordered to keep a close eye on him. Theodore remained there for nine years (1774-1783). release came about thanks to his disciple Archimandrite Theophanes (Sokolov), who found himself assigned as cell attendant to Metropolitan Gabriel of Saint Petersburg. to help his Elder, Father Theophanes made the Metropolitan aware of Father Theodore’s situation. Eminence asked Father Theophanes to prepare a memorandum setting forth the facts of the case in detail. a result, Metropolitan Gabriel asked Empress Catherine II to release Father Theodore and permit him to return to Sanaxar. April 18, 1783 she issued a decree authorizing his release. of his weakened condition from the cold and fumes from smoky stoves, it took him a long time to make his way back to Sanaxar. arrived at Arzamas Monastery on October 9, 1783 where he was greeted by the sisters, and by two hieromonks from Sanxar. were also on hand to meet the Elder: superiors from other monasteries, respected nobles, merchants, and ordinary men and women. stayed about a week, instructing the nuns each day. he prepared to return to Sanaxar. entire brotherhood came to meet him at the ferry on the Moksha River. receiving his blessing, they accompanied him on the walk to Sanaxar. Theodore thanked the brethren for their continued love, and for completing the church without him. a few days after his return, Father Theodore faced renewed persecution. Hilarion accused him of being “a heretic and an atheist,” placed these accusations before the Holy Synod. determined that Hierodeacon Hilarion was at fault and should be punished. later asked Father Theodore’s forgiveness in front of the whole community. Superior of the Monastery, Father Benedict, was jealous of Father Theodore because of the crowds of visitors who came to see him. complained to the local bishop, saying that the quiet of the monastery was being disturbed by so many people. were sent, but they did not interview anyone who might have said anything favorable to Father Theodore. a result, Father Theodore was forbidden to receive visitors. again, Father Theophanes brought the Elder’s plight to the attention of Metropolitan Gabriel. Eminence sent a note saying that he was well-disposed toward Father Theodore. a result, he was given a bit more freedom, his disciples could only seek his advice by writing letters. Benedict became ill, and Father Theodore went to his cell to ask his forgiveness. Benedict turned his face to the wall and refused to speak to the Elder. suffering for a while, Father Benedict died on December 27, 1778. the Superior’s death, Father Theodore was once again permitted to visit the nuns of the Alexeyevsky Convent at Arzamas. delivering a moving homily on Psalm 136 (“By the rivers of Babylon”) left Arzamas and stopped at the monastery in Sarov. he asked forgiveness of everyone, rushed back to Sanaxar. arrived on Wednesday of Cheesefare Week and spoke to his disciples in his cell around noon. Then he dismissed them to return to their cells. noble disciples of Saint Theodore remained behind to ask his advice. his expression changed and he began to weep for about fifteen minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth. he ordered them to their cells, saying that he was feeling weak. was not rare for the Elder to be ill, but this weakness seemed unusual. two disciples left and returned to their cells. after this, his cell attendant knocked on the door with the customary prayer, but received no reply. entered the cell and found Father Theodore lying on his bed and praying, so he left and told the brethren about this. all came to see him, but he would not speak. five hours later, around nine o’clock on the evening of February 19, 1791, Saint Theodore surrendered his soul to God. Theodore’s relics were uncovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28, 1999. He was glorified for national veneration by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004. Theodore of Sanaxar, who is also commemorated on April 21 (the uncovering of his relics in 1999), should not be confused with his famous relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov), Admiral of the Russian Fleet (October 2).

Russia, Vologda, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Seven Arrows Icon discovered by Cripple's vision

Russia, Vologda, 1830, Seven Arrows Icon, Vologda, discovered by Cripples' vision
Russia, Moscow, 1830, Seven Arrows Icon, Vologda, discovered by Cripples' vision; a long time the icon was located at the belltower stairway entrance of a church in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). Since it was face downwards, they mistook the icon for an ordinary board and walked on it. Then a cripple in the city of Kadnikova had a vision that he would receive healing after praying before this icon. Vologda; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Seven Arrows, Commemorated on August 13 ; Seven Arrows Icon of the Mother of God depicts the Virgin’s heart pierced by seven arrows. For a long time the icon was located at the belltower stairway entrance of a church in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). Since it was face downwards, they mistook the icon for an ordinary board and walked on it. Then a cripple in the city of Kadnikova had a vision that he would receive healing after praying before this icon. They served a Molieben before the newly-discovered icon, after which the sick one became well. The icon was especially glorified in 1830 during a cholera epidemic at Vologda.

Russis, Vologda, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of BelgorodBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. Belgorod;

Russia, Vologda, 9999, No time period

Russia, Vologda, 9999, Synaxis oKostroma Saints, 19 Saints
Russia, Vologda, 9999, Synaxis oKostroma Saints, Abramis oGalich, Adrian oMonza, Alexander oGalich, Barnabus oVerluga, Cyril oNew Lake, Cyril oWhite Lake, Dionysius oSuzdal, Genadius oKostroma, Gregory oPelshme, James oBrileev, James oGalich, James oZheleznoborovsk, Jonah oMoscow, Marcarius oZheltovod&Unzha, Macarius of Pismam, Metrophanes oVoronezh, Pachomius oNerekhta, Paisius oGalich, Paul of Obnora, Therapon oMonza; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23 ; saints of Kostroma include Abramius of Galich, or Chukhloma Lake (July 20) Adrian of Monza (May 5) Alexander of Galich, abbot of Voche (March 27) Barnabas abbot of Verluga (June 11) Cyril of New Lake (February 4, November 7) Cyril of White Lake (June 9) Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26, October 15) Gennadius, abbot of Kostroma (August 19) Gregory, abbot of Pelshme, wonderworker of Vologda (September 30) James of Brileev (April 11) James of Galich Monastery (April 4, May 30) James of Zheleznoborovsk (April 11, May 5) Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow (March 31, May 27, June 15) Macarius, abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha (July 25) Macarius of Pisma Monastery (January 10) Metrophanes, bishop of Voronezh (August 7, September 4, November 23) Pachomius, abbot of Nerekhta (March 21, May 15) Paisius, abbot of Galich (May 23) Paul of Obnora (January 10, October 7) Therapon of Monza (May 27, December 1).

Russia, Vologda, Vologda River Folder (Sukhona River 1) Komel or Vologda

Vologda River

Vologda River Source (Western Vologda District)

Vologda River 1

Vologda River 2

Vologda River 3 (Komel aka Vologda)

Komel, Vologda (AKA Vologda, Vologda River 3)
Komel (Vologda) is what you find when you look up Komel in Wikipedia; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Seven Arrows"Â, Commemorated on August 13 "; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3)
Vologda; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, August 2nd ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Seven ArrowsÂ, Commemorated on August 13 "; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; Monastic Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda; Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated September 24 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated September 30 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16; Malopinega is somewhere in Vologda or on the Vologda River. Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 27 ; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cassian the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Makhrishche, Vologda (Komel, Vologda River 3)
Makhrishche, Vologda Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14;

Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, 1371
Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Syamsk, Commemorated on September 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11;

Vologda River Mouth (Sukhona (Kuben) River 1)

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma Folder (water flows south into Volga)

Kostroma forest
Kostroma forest, much of Kostroma Oblast is forest; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated on July 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; "œMyrrh-Bearing"Â Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Russia, Vologda Kostroma History Folder

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, Luke's, would not move, not burn many times, war hero
Russia, Vladimir, 1238-1636, Theodore Icon, found near Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 8.8), painted by Luke, found by T's brother George, would not move, Theodore monastery built there, 1238 Batu's invasion icon did not burn, 1260 Tartars Kostroma Basil following Andrew Bogolyubsky took icon to war, holy lake dazzling rays of light panicked Ts, 3rd Kostroma Cathedral fire icon saved floating in air, not leaving it settled middle of city square, 1613 Tsar Michael Romanov from Kostroma, Impatiev m, 2 Moscow MOG icons to Kostroma, Michael h mother refuse crown, first she gave in to MOG then he, copy to Moscow, 1636 M restored it, unsleeping candle, molebens, cross processions, d restoraton sanctification Moses in crowd recieved instant healing scabs and falling disease, 1834 Ilovaysky freed by icon from highlanders, took copy to Moscow to get gold covering, processions twice yearly ; Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; ascribes a very ancient origin to this famous Icon. is regarded as one of the icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke. is not known by whom or when the Icon was brought to Russia, but at the beginning of the XII century it was kept in an old wooden chapel near the city of Kitezh. Icon got its name from the Great Prince Yaroslav (+ 1246), who in Holy Baptism was named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), found the Icon in the wooden chapel near Gorodets. he attempted to take the Icon from the chapel it could not be moved. that the Mother of God wanted her Icon to remain there, Prince George built the Monastery of Saint Theodore on the site. Batu Khan's invasion in 1238, the Gorodets Monastery and other Russian monasteries were burnt and left in ruins. the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of the Khan, they did not have time to take the Icon with them. though objects made of stone and iron were destroyed, the wooden Icon was preserved and later revealed. August 16, 1239, Saint Alexander Nevsky's younger brother, Prince Basil of Kostroma, later the Great Prince of Vladimir, lost in the woods while chasing a wild animal. He saw an Icon in a pine1 tree, when the Prince tried to remove the Icon from the tree, it suddenly rose up into the air. by this miracle, Prince Basil returned to the city and told the clergy and the people about his vision. the people went into the forest and there they found the Icon where Prince Basil said it was. Everyone fell to their knees and prayed to the Mother of God. the priests were able to remove the Icon and take it to the cathedral church. people flocked to the newly-revealed Icon from the Kostroma region. residents said that when the Prince was hunting in the forest, some sort of soldier, who was dressed in rich clothing, walked through the city, carrying an Icon in his hands. warrior resembled the icon of the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates (February 8), whom the Kostroma cathedral was dedicated. the Icon was known as the Saint Theodore Icon. the site of its appearance, on the banks of the Zaprudnya River the Prince founded a monastery dedicated to the Icon of Christ not made by hands, which is commemorated on August 16, very day of the Saint Theodore Icon's appearance. the Kostroma Cathedral burned down, the Saint Theodore Icon was found in the ashes three days later, completely unharmed. 1260, the Tatars approached Kostroma, and the city was threatened with complete ruin. the hopes of the inhabitants and the Prince rested upon the Mother of God, and they prayed that she would save the city. the battle, Prince Basil remembered that when Great Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky fought against the Kama Bulgarians, he took the wonderworking Vladimir Icon with him by the gracious help of the Mother of God, the enemy was completely routed. Saint Andrew's example, Prince Basil of Kostroma took the Saint Theodore Icon from the cathedral and carried it with his army. the battle began, the Icon was moved behind the army, and the priests served Molebens. two enemy armies converged, and a great miracle occurred. rays of light, brighter and hotter than the rays of the sun, shone from the Virgin's face, and scorching the Tatars, who panicked and fled in a disorderly retreat. Basil set up a Cross where the Icon had stood during the battle, in remembrance of this miracle. place itself, the people, and the nearby lake were called "holy." a village sprang up by the lake, and it too was called "Holy Lake." long afterward, the Kostroma cathedral caught fire again. When they rushed to save the wonderworking Icon, they saw it hovering in the air above the flames. thought that the Mother of God wanted the Icon to be taken from the city because of the sins of its inhabitants. Crying out, they implored the Mother of God not to leave the city. the Icon descended and settled on the ground in the middle of the square. Soon a small wooden church was built to house the Icon, which was later replaced by a stone church. name of the Saint Theodore Icon is also associated with the accession of Tsar Michael Romanov to the throne in 1613. were sent from Moscow to Kostroma, consisting of clergy, boyars, and persons of every rank. brought the Vladimir Icon with them, and also an icon of the Moscow wonderworkers. Kostroma, the delegation was met by a host of clergy with the Saint Theodore Icon, everyone went to Ipatiev Monastery, where young Michael lived with his aged mother, Schematic-nun Martha. the cathedral church, Michael was "implored" to accept the crown. Michael refused to accept this heavy yoke, and his mother didn't want to let him go. She remained adamant despite their pleas. the former head of the delegation, Archbishop Theodoret of Ryazan, took the Vladimir Icon in his hands, Abraham Palitsyn, the cellarer of Holy Trinity Monastery, took the icon of the Holy Moscow wonderworkers firmly said to her: "Why have we brought these Icons of the Most Holy Sovereign Lady and of the Moscow wonderworkers with us on such a long journey? you refuse to obey us, then consent for the sake of the Mother of God and the great Saints, and do not anger the Lord God." was unable to maintain her opposition, and she prostrated herself before the Saint Theodore Icon saying, "Your will be done, O Sovereign Lady! Into your hands I surrender my son; guide him on the true path, for his benefit and for that of our land!" begged his mother not to give in, but finally she did, and he had to accept. He was proclaimed as Tsar right away. remembrance of this event, an annual celebration was appointed for March 14. Tsar Michael brought a copy of the Icon with him to Moscow and placed it in the court church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, which is on the Seni. greatly revered the Saint Theodore Icon, so in 1636 he restored and adorned it. Kostroma Cathedral he bestowed great gifts; ordered that seven pounds of wax be provided from Kostroma's customs revenues for an unsleeping candle to burn before the Icon. ordered the Kostroma clergy to serve Molebens before the Icon, and the voivodes to take part in Cross Processions, dressed as archers and gunners. May 4, 1636, during the sanctification of the Icon which was restored by the Tsar, a young man named Moses, who suffered from a falling disease, and whose body was swollen and covered with scabs, was standing in the crowd and received instant healing. 1834, Lieutenant-General Ilovaysky was in Kostroma to venerate the Saint Theodore Icon and spoke of a miracle that his grandfather, a Cossack ataman, had experienced. grandfather was taken prisoner by the highlanders. As he languished in captivity, was revealed to him in a dream that he would be delivered by the grace of the Saint Theodore Icon. was ordered to run without any fear, and he did manage to escape unnoticed. a while, he hid from his pursuers in an oak tree, he walked 600 versts, and lived on fruits and roots. this time he read the Troparion to the Saint Theodore Icon. At last, he came to his own city of Cherkassk. he walked to Kostroma on a pilgrimage to the Saint Theodore Icon, he removed the copy of the Icon from the church and brought it on foot to Moscow. he had the Icon covered with a gold riza and he returned home with it. Saint Theodore Icon is kept in Kostroma's Dormition Cathedral. year processions are made with it: the Feast of Pentecost at Ipatiev Monastery; on August 16 in the Spaso-Zaprudenskaya church, at the place where it was found. Icon is commemorated twice a year: at the Dormition Cathedral on March 14, in remembrance of the end of the Time of Troubles in Russia, and on August 16, the day of the Icon's appearance. 1Various accounts say the tree was either pine, fir, or spruce.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1330, Hypasian (Ipatiev) monestary
Hypasian monestary; Hypasians; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated August 22 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1330, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow, hermit, silence, monastery, 112yrs old
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Paul oObnora, Kostroma, Vologda (Obnora River, Kostroma River 3), disciple oSergius oRadonezh, fMoscow 1317, youth piety kindness, rich parents, Nativity Tolga Monastery, tSergius Radonezh, several years, hermit separate cell 15yrs, then wandered, like Chukhoma, tKomel Forest, first aGryazovitsa River 3yrs complete silence, no rest for future rest, then Nurma River aObnora River, no food 5days aWeek, then bread water, but people came, never refused guidance, Sergius oNurma visited, also fSergius oR, built Holy Trinity Church 1414, monaster sprung up, wrote strict monk rule, made Alexi igumen, continued as hermit his cell, died 112yrs old; Obnora, Vologda; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547. Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, hermit, close to Paul oObnora, fSergius oR, joined hermits&hermitages
Russia, Vologda, 1337-1429, Macarius oPisma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hermit, close friend hermit Paul oObnora, Komel Forest Obnora River, met Pauls visit, so met before 1414, M fDanilovo oPisma River LBank, 12K from Pisma Hermitage, Pismensky relative, trained by Sergius aHoly Trinity M, back home solitude near Pisma River, Makariev Hermitage, disciples gathered, small m mile away his cell, wooden church, later burried there, 1414 Paul estab his m, not separate monasteries, Obnora grew, Pisma remained small, bond never broken, Makarios Pisma belonged to Obnora, beginning oMonastic life Komel, 1683 icon proves local veneration fBoth had begun, Makarios' tomb in Paul's Chapel, where miracle dew protecting M's grave in fire, blindness for attempt open tomb; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; January 10, the Feast Day of Saint Paul of Obnora (or Komel), the Church also commemorates one of his friends and companions: Saint Makarios of Pisma. is no information about when the two hermits became acquainted. to ancient tradition, Saint Paul met Saint Makarios when he was visiting various monasteries before he settled in the Komel forest on the Obnora River, that is, before 1414. says that Saint Makarios was born in the village of Danilovo, located on the left bank of the Pisma River, twelve versts from the hermitage, the noble Pismensky family revered Saint Makarios as one of its relatives. Makarios received his first monastic training from Saint Sergius at Holy Trinity Monastery, from there he returned to his homeland and settled in a dense forest near the Pisma River, since he loved solitude. place has retained the name of the old Makariev Hermitage. began to gather around him, and there were many others who wished to live near him, Makarios founded a small monastery a mile away from his secluded cell, and built a wooden church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. the righteous one was buried near this church. establishing his own monastery, Saint Paul did not forget about his friend; for his part, Saint Makarios did not regard the hermitage he had founded in the Pisma wilderness as separate from Saint Paul's Monastery. in their understanding of human life, and the benefits of solitude and silence, both hermits grew closer together; the monasteries they founded were perhaps the beginning of monastic life in the region. the communities of these spiritual friends had different fates: Monastery grew crowded, but Pisma Monastery remained a small hermitage. However, the bond between them was never broken. charters of Tsars Ivan the Terrible (1566) and Michael (1625) describe the Makariev Hermitage by the Shachebal mill as belonging to the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery. an inventory of the Saint Paul of Obnora Monastery dating from 1683, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Paul is mentioned, thus the ascetic's local veneration had already begun at that time. the Monastery itself it is stated in the inventory: "Saint Paul's Monastery is the same as the Monastery of Makariev Hermitage in the Kostroma district, by the Shachebalsky mill on the Pisma River, in the church of the Transfiguration of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ is a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul, the wonderworker of Obnora, with a domed roof. the same chapel the tomb of Saint Makarios is covered with a black cloth, over the middle of which a cross is suspended." following miracle occurred at the grave of Saint Makarios. the end of the XVIII century, the church burnt down, and a wooden structure was set up over the Saint's grave; in the place where this wooden structure was located, not only did they fail to notice the burning wood and coals, but the ashes as well; and the whole area was covered with an extraordinary dew. the fire, a curious person wanted to open the tomb to see what was there, and he was punished with blindness for his temerity. present, the Saint's relics rest beneath the floor. On the tomb is an icon of Saint Makarios, and his staff lies on top of the cloth. A prayer to the Saint, dating from 1750, has been preserved as well. Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Paul of Obnora, a famed disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, was born at Moscow in the year 1317. his youth he distinguished himself by his piety and kindliness towards the poor and suffering. rich parents prepared him for a secular life, but at twenty-two years of age he secretly left his parental home and received tonsure at the Nativity monastery on the Volga (in the Yaroslav diocese). there Paul transferred to the Holy Trinity monastery to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, spending several years with him as his disciple, obeying the holy Elder in all things. the blessing of Saint Sergius, he settled a short distance from the monastery in a separate cell, where he spent fifteen years as a hermit. asked the blessing of Saint Sergius to go off into the wilderness for a quiet and solitary life, Saint Paul wandered about for a long while, seeking a place of solitude. He wandered a great deal in the wilderness. spent time with Saint Abraham of Chukhloma (July 20) finally, he remained in the Komel forest. the Gryazovitsa River, in the hollow of an old linden tree, the monk built a small cell and dwelt there for three years in complete silence, “not giving his body rest, that he might receive future rest.” he moved on to the River Nurma, where he built a hut and dug a well, spending his days in vigil and prayer. days out of the week he went without food, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he partake of some bread and water. news about the hermit spread abroad, and those wishing spiritual guidance began coming to him. his love for the solitary life, Saint Paul never refused anyone spiritual consolation and guidance. was also visited by Saint Sergius of Nurma (October 7), sought solitude with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who also spent his ascetic life in these places. the blessing of Saint Sergius and the agreement of Metropolitan Photius, Saint Paul built the Holy Trinity church in 1414, which a monastery sprang up (later called the Monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora). written a strict monastic Rule for the brethren, Saint Paul entrusted the guidance of the new monastery to his disciple Alexis, while he himself continued as before to live in a solitary cell on a hill. remained a responsive and good counsellor for anyone needing his help. Paul died at 112 years of age. final words were, “Brethren, have love one for another and keep to the rule of the monastic community.” Life of the saint was written in about the year 1546, and his glorification occurred in 1547.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1350-1375, Saint, Abraham of Galich
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1350-1375, Saint, Abraham of Galich Paisiev Monastery of St Abraham, 1350, Chukhloma Icon of Mother of God; Icon of the Mother of God œChukhloma from Galich, Commemorated on July 20; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma
Russia, Vologda, 1350, Chukhoma Icon found in a tree, Jesus, Galich, Kostroma ; Chukhloma Icon of the Mother of God of Galich appeared in the year 1350 to Saint Abraham of Galich, who came there from the north for ascetical labors with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. On the wild shores of the Galich lake near the large mountain, hidden in the dense forest, he turned with prayer to the Mother of God, asking Her blessing for his endeavors. After completing his prayer the saint sat down to rest, and suddenly a bright light appeared on the nearby mountainside and he heard a voice: “Abraham, come up the mountain, where there is an icon of My Mother.” monk went up the mountain where the light shone, and indeed found an icon of the Mother of God with the Infant on a tree. With tenderness and in gratitude to God, the holy ascetic took the revealed icon and, strengthened by prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, he built a chapel at that place, in which he put the icon. a certain time the Galich prince Demetrius Feodorovich, learned about the Elder’s trip, and asked him to bring the icon. Saint Abraham rowed across the Galich lake in a boat and, accompanied by clergy and a throng of people, he took the wonderworking icon to the cathedral church of the city of Galich. this day a large number of the sick were healed by this icon. When Saint Abraham told about the appearance of the icon, the Prince offered money to build a monastery. a church was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, around which a monastery grew. Saint Abraham founded several more monasteries, the last being founded was the Chukhloma, not far from the city of Chukhloma, from the name of this monastery the ascetic was named “of Chukhloma,” and the wonderworking icon became known as the Chukhloma Icon of Galich. icon is also commemorated on May 28, July 4, and August 15. Galich (Lake Galich); Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated September 30 ; Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1369-1444, Saint Macarius of Zheltovod and Unzha
Macarius Monestary at Yellow Lake (Volga River); Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated September 17; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Macarius of Zheltovod and Unzha was born in the year 1349 at Nizhni-Novgorod into a pious family. At twelve years of age he secretly left his parents and accepted monastic tonsure at the Nizhni-Novgorod Caves monastery under Saint Dionysius (June 26). With all the intensity of his youthful soul he gave himself over to the work of salvation. He stood out among the brethren for his extremely strict fasting and precise fulfillment of the monastic rule. parents of Saint Macarius only learned three years later where he had gone. His father went to him and tearfully besought his son merely that he would come forth and show himself. Saint Macarius spoke with his father through a wall, saying that he would see him in the future life. “Extend your hand, at least,” implored the father. The son fulfilled this small request and the father, having kissed his son’s hand, returned home. by fame, the humble Macarius set off for the shores of the River Volga, and here he pursued asceticism near the waters of Yellow Lake. Here by firm determination and patience he overcame the abuse of the Enemy of salvation. Lovers of solitude gathered to Saint Macarius, and in 1435 (at 86?) he organized a monastery for them in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. also he began to preach Christianity to the surrounding Cheremis and Chuvash peoples, and he baptized both Mohammedans and pagans in the lake, which received its name from the saint. When the Kazan Tatars destroyed the monastery in 1439, they took Saint Macarius captive. Out of respect for his piety and charitable love, the Khan released the saint from captivity and freed nearly 400 Christians with him. But in return, Saint Macarius promised not to settle by Yellow Lake. Macarius reverently buried those killed at his monastery, and he went 200 versts to the Galich border. During the time of this resettlement all those on the way were fed in miraculous manner through the prayers of the saint. Having arrived at the city of Unzha, Saint Macarius set up a cross 15 versts from the city, and built a cell on the shores of Lake Unzha. Here he founded a new monastery. During the fifth year of his life at Lake Unzha, Saint Macarius took sick and reposed at age 95. yet alive, Saint Macarius was granted a gift: he healed a blind and demon-afflicted girl. After the death of the monk, many received healing from his relics. The monks built a temple over his grave, and established a cenobitic rule at the monastery. 1522, Tatars fell upon Unzha and wanted to destroy the silver reliquary in the Makariev monastery, but they fell blind. In a panic, they took to flight. Many of them drowned in the Unzha. In 1532, through the prayers of Saint Macarius, the city of Soligalich was saved from the Tatars. In gratitude, the inhabitants built a chapel in the cathedral church in honor of the saint. More than 50 people received healing from grievous infirmities through the prayers of Saint Macarius. This was certified by a commission sent by Patriarch Philaret in 1619. Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1442, Makaryev Icon, unknown light, angelic refrain, Icon s by radiance, cell-icon
Russia, Vologda, 1442, Makaryev Icon; Makariev Directress Icon of the Mother of God appeared during the reign of Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462) to Saint Macarius the Wonderworker, who labored in asceticism on the desolate shores of the River Unzha. September 17, 1442 at about the third hour of the morning, when Saint Macarius was finishing his usual morning Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, his cell was illumined suddenly by an unknown light. The monk became confused in spirit and fervently began to pray. the cell walls he heard the angelic refrain: “Hail, Full of Grace, O Virgin Mother!” With fear and astonishment the monk went out from his cell and on the northwest horizon he saw the icon of the Mother of God, surrounded by a luminous radiance. icon approached towards the cell of the ascetic. With joyful trembling the monk fell to the ground and cried out: “Hail, Mother of God! Hail, Ever-Flowing Fountain issuing salvation to all the world and assuring protection and intercession to all the land of Galicia!” reverently took up the icon and placed it in his cell, thus it also came to be named the “Cell-Icon.” Afterwards, the disciples of the monk gave it the title of “Makariev.” On the place of the appearance of the holy icon a monastery was founded, and was also named Makariev. Copies of the Makariev Icon of the Mother of God were made, which became as renowned as the original. Makaryev on the Unzha River; Macarius of the Unza; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1475-1537, Cornelius of Komel, 3rd monastic Rule, orphanage, Anthony visions, many disciples
Russia, Vologda, 1475-1537, Cornelius of Komel Monastery, Kostroma, heavy chains, copying, White Lake, Rostov, Novgorod, Tver, 3rd monastic Rule, charity, orphanage, Anthony visions, many disciples Venerable Cornelius, Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Komel was descended from the boyar (noble) family Kriukov. His brother Lukian served at the court of the Great Prince of Moscow. When Lukian, who was getting old, decided to go to the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake, he was followed by Cornelius, who longed for the solitary life from a young age. he was tonsured, the young Cornelius began his monastic endeavors with a difficult obedience: he wore heavy chains in the bakery. In his spare time he occupied himself with copying church books. Because of his love for solitude, Saint Cornelius later left the White Lake monastery, and he visited Rostov. Novgorod, Saint Gennadius (December 4) attempted to hold on to him, but the ascetic settled in a desolate spot near Novgorod. When people began to visit here also, he moved to the Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery. Later, in 1497, he settled in the Komel forest, not far from Vologda, where he built a cell. Monks began to gather around the cell of Saint Cornelius. In 1501 he built a wooden church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. In that year Metropolitan Simon ordained him as hieromonk. 1512, when the number of brethren had grown, the saint built a stone church and he compiled a Rule for the brethren, based on the Rules of Saints Joseph of Volokolamsk and Nilus of Sora. This was the third monastic Rule written by Russian saints. Cornelius of Komel was distinguished by his charity toward the unfortunate, and during a famine he built an orphanage in the monastery courtyard. Because of his love for the poor and orphaned, Saint Cornelius was often granted visions of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), for whom he had a special reverence. He constructed a church at his monastery in honor of this great ascetic. saint’s strictness of life provoked some of the brethren to grumbling, and Saint Cornelius was compelled to leave the monastery. He settled at Lake Sursk, 70 versts from his monastery. At times he also lived at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Interceding for the monks of the Korniliev monastery, Great Prince Basil Ivanovich urged the saint to return to his own monastery. The ascetic gave in, and having returned to his own monastery, he transferred its guidance to his disciple Laurence and shut himself in his cell. a Tatar incursion into the Vologda region Saint Cornelius went with the monks to the outskirts of White Lake. The saint died at the age of eighty-two on May 19, 1537. Many disciples of Saint Cornelius were also glorified for their holiness of life: Saints Gennadius of Liubimograd (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonye (March 5), Laurence and Cassian of Komel (May 16). commemoration of Saint Cornelius (May 19) was established on January 25, 1600 by Patriarch Job and a council of bishops. The Life of the saint was written by his disciple Nathaniel in the year 1589. There is a service and an encomium to the saint, and the Rule of Saint Cornelius has been preserved. Cornelius is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda (Third Sunday after Pentecost); and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (the Sunday after June 28). Komel Monastery;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma, Theroponov M n after him, prophet, fMoscow
Russia, Vologda, 1550-1597, Therapon oMonza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake, monk at River Monza, fMoscow tKostroma, tMonza wAdrian&Paphnutius fObnora, asceticism till life end, blessed tWithdraw forest&prayed each day, each night transcribed spiritual useful books, emulated Basil oMoscow, prophecied famine, Theraponov monastery named after him; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12; Therapon of Monza was a monk in the monastery of Saint Adrian (May 5) at the River Monza. monk began his ascetic deeds in Moscow, and then transferred to the city of Kostroma at the Elevation of the Cross monastery, and was tonsured there. pious monks Adrian and Paphnutius, from the monastery of Saint Paul of Obnora (January 10), seeking solitude, moved to the Monza and founded a monastery 25 versts from Galich. Therapon transferred to this monastery, where he labored in asceticism until the end of his life. day, with the blessing of the igumen, he withdrew into a forest thicket and prayed. night he read and transcribed copies of spiritually useful books. his life he emulated Blessed Basil of Moscow (August 2), whom he called his friend, although personally he never saw him. during his life, Saint Therapon was glorified with a gift of wonderworking. his death he predicted a year of famine (1601). surrendered his soul to God in the year 1597. The monastery at the River Monza was called after him the Theraponov.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1551, Theodore Icon, Luke, Gorodets chapel, T Stratelates, in tree, Nevsky, copies
Russia, Vologda, 1551, Theodore Icon; to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), had found the icon in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodets monastery of Saint Theodore was built on this spot. When the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of Khan they did not have time to take the Icon with them. 1239 the residents of Kostroma saw the Icon being carried through their city by a radiant figure who resembed Saint Theodore Stratelates. The next day the Icon was found in a tree by Prince Basil of Kostroma, Saint Alexander Nevsky’s younger brother, while he was hunting in the forest. The Icon was placed in the church of Saint Theodore Stratelates, and many miracles took place before it. Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. - Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; August 16 we commemorate the miraculous finding of the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore. According to Tradition, the Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke, and resembles the famous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. icon received its name from Saint Alexander Nevsky’s father Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), who in holy Baptism was named Theodore in honor of Saint Theodore Stratelates (February 8). to Tradition, his elder brother, Saint George (February 4), had found the icon in an old wooden chapel near the city of Gorodets. Later, the Gorodets monastery of Saint Theodore was built on this spot. When the citizens of Gorodets fled the city at the approach of Khan they did not have time to take the Icon with them. 1239 the residents of Kostroma saw the Icon being carried through their city by a radiant figure who resembed Saint Theodore Stratelates. The next day the Icon was found in a tree by Prince Basil of Kostroma, Saint Alexander Nevsky’s younger brother, while he was hunting in the forest. The Icon was placed in the church of Saint Theodore Stratelates, and many miracles took place before it. Yaroslav-Theodore became the Great Prince of Vladimir after his brother Saint George perished in battle with the Mongols at the Sita River. He gave the icon which he inherited from his brother to his own son, Saint Alexander Nevsky. wonderworking Theodore Icon of the Mother of God was constantly with Saint Alexander, and he often prayed before it. After Saint Alexander Nevsky died on November 14, 1263 at the monastery founded by his father, the icon was taken by his younger brother Basil. copies of the Kostroma Theodore Icon were made, and one of the first was commissioned and brought to Moscow by Tsar Michael’s mother, the nun Martha. From the second half of the seventeenth century, various copies of the Theodore Icon were enlarged with scenes depicting events from the history of the wonderworking icon. Theodore Icon is two-sided. On the reverse side is the image of the holy Great Martyr Paraskevḗ, depicted in the splendid attire of a princess. It is believed that the image of Paraskevḗ on the reverse of the icon is connected with the wife of Saint Alexander Nevsky. first Romanov tsar was acclaimed as sovereign before the Theodore Icon in 1613. The Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Saint Theodore is also commemorated on March 14. Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; "œMyrrh-Bearing" Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1569, Translation Tikhon oKostroms's relics, healing began at grave, incorrupt
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1569, Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), healing began at grave, incorrupt, igumen struck blind, repented, recovered, 70 posthumous miracles; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 26; the year 1569 the healing of many sick persons began at the tomb of Saint Tikhon of Lukhov, his holy relics were found to be incorrupt. Igumen Constantine, who uncovered the relics, was struck blind. repenting and then recovering his sight, he placed Saint Tikhon’s relics back into the ground. veneration of Saint Tikhon dates from this time. Life with a description of 70 posthumous miracles was compiled in the year 1649. Tikhon of Lukhov is also commemorated on June 16 (his blessed repose in 1503).

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1584, Simon of Yurievets, Kostroma, Fool f C, fasting black skin, mistreaters prayer, clairvoyance
Russia, Kostroma, 1584, Simon of Yurievets District, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6), Fool for Christ, black skin f fasting, prayer for mistreaters, clairvoyance, killed by commander who did not know him, but honored him with funeral; Yurievets District; Volga Region; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4; Simon of Yurievets was born in the city of Yurievets in the Povolzhsk or Volga region. by his parents, the saint took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ. Both winter and summer he went barefoot, dressed only in a shirt, so that his skin became blackened and withered from fasting. people often were cruel to him, sometimes beating him. The holy fool never complained, but prayed for those who mistreated him. Simon was fond of praying on the porches of various churches. ascetic exploit of self-denial cleansed his soul, and he received from God the gift of clairvoyance: foresaw many things and predicted the future. Contemporaries, mentioning his name, beheld various miraculous signs. before his death, the saint went to the house of the military commander Theodore Petelin. not knowing the saint, in a fit of anger gave orders to beat him. Saint Simon fell grievously ill. He summoned a priest, made his confession, received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and commended his soul to God. The commander later repented of his sin. city gathered for the saint’s funeral, and the body of Blessed Simon was buried in Theophany monastery. This occurred on November 4, 1584. the year 1635, Patriarch Joasaph ordered the Theophany monastery’s Igumen Dionysius to compile an account of the life and miracles of Blessed Simon and gave a blessing to paint his icon. The Feast of Blessed Simon was established in the year 1635.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1624, Igritsa Icon, left neglected, shone w bright hues, as newly painted
Igritsa, not far from Kostroma, Pesochna River Mouth; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Igritsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1624 in Igritsa at the River Pesochna not far from the city of Kostroma. Local peasants found the icon in an old half-ruined church, for fifty years it was left neglected after a deadly plague. The icon stood in the altar and shone with bright hues, as though newly painted. the first service of thanksgiving served in front of this holy icon, a boyar’s (nobleman’s) blind son Emilian gained his sight. Then four devout Christians stayed to live around the desolate church and took monastic vows. At the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God there afterwards was built a new church and a monastic community emerged.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda, hunter discovers church, rotten utensils, but new icon
Russia, Vologda, 1635, Icon of Slovenka, Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3), hunter discovers small old church, rotten utensils, but unharmed altar icon, monastery afterwards; Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Slovenka Icon of the Mother of God manifested itself on September 23, 1635 at the village of Slovenka, Kostroma district. certain hunter while hunting by chance discovered a small rickety church, overgrown with moss. went inside and saw that all the church utensils had rotted with time, except for the altar icon of the Mother of God, which was perfectly unharmed. monastery was afterwards built at this place.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of T, found lying on ground, then in tree, miracles, M-B monastery
Russia, Kostroma, 1647, Myrrh-Bearing Icon, of Tsarevokokshaisk, Kostroma, Vologda (Malaya Kokshaga River 1, near Kazan), lying on ground, became invisible, unseen force holding it in tree, miracles, carried to T, then Moscow, then back, Myrrh-Bearing monastery, MOG depicted w Myrrh-Bearing Women; Tsarevokokshaisk ; œMyrrh-Bearing Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; “Myrrh-Bearing” Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarevokokshaisk (in the province of Kazan) appeared to the peasant Andrew Ivanov on May 1, 1647 near Bolshaya Kuznetsa, fifteen versts from the city of Tsarevokokshaisk in the Kazan region. Working in the field, Andrew noticed an icon lying on the ground and wanted to pick it up, but the icon became invisible. The astonished peasant, looking around, noticed the icon in a tree, supported by an unseen force. He prayed and took the icon home, where it was glorified by miracles. thronged to the icon from all the surrounding villages. They carried the image to the city of Tsarevokokshaisk, and later to Moscow, and after a while, they returned home with it. A monastery was built at the place of its appearance. It is called “Myrrh-Bearing” because the Mother of God is depicted with the Myrrh-Bearing Women.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, 1779, Kostroma Icon survives fire at Theophany monastery; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Theophany Convent and monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ; Kostroma Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower. Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River Folder, Chukhloma, Vyoksa, Obnora Rivers

Kostroma (Pisma) River

Kostroma (Pisma) River Source (along the border)

Kostroma (Pisma) River 1 (Soligalich)

Soligalich, Kostroma (Kostroma (Pisma) River 1)
Soligalich; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 1, Chukhloma River Folder, Chukhloma Lake

Chukhloma River (drains northwest, aka River Monza thru Chukhloma Lake)

Chukhloma River Source (Chukhloma Lake , Kostroma Forest)

Chukhloma River 1 (Chukhloma Lake)

Chukhloma Lake
Chukhloma Lake; Venerable Therapon, Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27;

Chukhloma, Kostroma (Chukhloma Lake)
Chukhloma (Chukhloma Lake) Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Monza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake
Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12;

Theraponov Monasteery, Monza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake, 1597
Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on December 12;

Chukhloma River Mouth (Kostroma River 1)

Kostroma (Pisma) River 2 (near Galich and Chukhom Lake)

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 2, Vyoksa River Folder, Galich Salt Mining Center

Vyoksa River

Vyoksa River Source (Lake Galich, Kostroma Forest)

Vyoksa River 1 (Galich Lake)

Galich, Kostroma (Salt Mining Center, Vyoksa River 1, Galich Lake) Chukhoma Icon in a tree, Jesus
Galich (Lake Galich); Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Chukhloma Icon of the Mother of God of Galich appeared in the year 1350 to Saint Abraham of Galich, who came there from the north for ascetical labors with the blessing of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. On the wild shores of the Galich lake near the large mountain, hidden in the dense forest, he turned with prayer to the Mother of God, asking Her blessing for his endeavors. After completing his prayer the saint sat down to rest, and suddenly a bright light appeared on the nearby mountainside and he heard a voice: “Abraham, come up the mountain, where there is an icon of My Mother.” monk went up the mountain where the light shone, and indeed found an icon of the Mother of God with the Infant on a tree. With tenderness and in gratitude to God, the holy ascetic took the revealed icon and, strengthened by prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, he built a chapel at that place, in which he put the icon. a certain time the Galich prince Demetrius Feodorovich, learned about the Elder’s trip, and asked him to bring the icon. Saint Abraham rowed across the Galich lake in a boat and, accompanied by clergy and a throng of people, he took the wonderworking icon to the cathedral church of the city of Galich. this day a large number of the sick were healed by this icon. When Saint Abraham told about the appearance of the icon, the Prince offered money to build a monastery. a church was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, around which a monastery grew. Saint Abraham founded several more monasteries, the last being founded was the Chukhloma, not far from the city of Chukhloma, from the name of this monastery the ascetic was named “of Chukhloma,” and the wonderworking icon became known as the Chukhloma Icon of Galich. icon is also commemorated on May 28, July 4, and August 15. Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated September 30 ; Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Galich Lake
Galich Lake; Venerable Therapon, Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27;

Large Mountain with a forest near Galich Lake
Icon of the Mother of God œChukhloma from Galich, Commemorated on July 20 ;

Galich Lake, Kostroma
Galich or Chukhom Lake; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Paisiev Monastery of St Paisiev, 1350, Chukhloma Icon of Mother of God
Paisiev Monastery of St Abraham, 1350, Chukhloma Icon of Mother of God; monastery of St Abraham Galich; Icon of the Mother of God œChukhloma from Galich, Commemorated on July 20; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ;

Abraham Monastery of St Abraham, 1350, Chukhloma Icon of Mother of God
Paisiev Monastery of St Abraham, 1350, Chukhloma Icon of Mother of God; monastery of St Abraham Galich; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœChukhlomaÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from Galich, Commemorated on July 20; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ;

Vyoksa River Mouth (Buy, Kostroma River 2)

Kostroma (Pisma) River 3 (Obnora, Obnora River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 3, Obnora River Folder

Obnora River

Obnora River Source (Komel Forest)
Komel Forest ;

Obnora River 1 (Nurma River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga 8.3, Kostroma 3, Obnora River 1, Nurma River Folder, Commanded Grove

Nurma River

Nurma (Gryazovetsk) River 1

Korniliyevo-Komelsky Monastery ruins (St Arsenius' Komel Monastery) 1530
Korniliyevo-Komelsky Monastery ruins, 1530 (St Arsenius' Komel Monastery); Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24;

Gryazovetsk District, Kostroma
Gryazovetsk District ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4 ;

Gryazovetsky District
Gryazovetsky District;

Nurma (Gryazovetsk) River 2 (Komel Monastery)

Komel Monastery, Kostroma (Nurma River 2), Vologda, 1414
Komel Monastery; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25;

Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery, Kostroma (Nurma River 2) 1414
Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Sergius the Abbot of Nurma and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Vologda, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25;

Commanded Grove, Komel Forest, Kostroma
Commanded Grove is the portion of Komel Forest that Sylvester commanded that it should not be cut down. Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25;

River Eda Mouth (River Nurma 2)
St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19;

Komel Forest, Kostroma, Vologda
Komel Forest, Vologda; Pavlo-Obnorsky Monastery; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Nurma (Gryazovetsk) River Mouth (Obnora River 1)
Nurma River; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7;

Nurma, Kostroma (Nurma River Mouth, Obnora River 1)
Nurma River; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Sergius the Abbot of Nurma and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Vologda, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ;

Obnora River 2 (Obnora)

Obnora, Kostroma, Vologda (Obnora River, Kostroma River 3)
Obnora, Vologda Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Obnora River Mouth (Kostroma River 3)

Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth (Kostroma, Volga River 8.3)

Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3)
Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable James the Abbot of Zhelezny Bor, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; "œMyrrh-Bearing" Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; Translation of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Pisma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3)
Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable James the Abbot of Zhelezny Bor, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; ; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Igritsa (Kostroma River Mouth) icon left neglected after a plague, shone w bright hues, as newly painted
Igritsa, not far from Kostroma, Pesochna River Mouth; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Igritsa Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1624 in Igritsa at the River Pesochna not far from the city of Kostroma. Local peasants found the icon in an old half-ruined church, for fifty years it was left neglected after a deadly plague. The icon stood in the altar and shone with bright hues, as though newly painted. the first service of thanksgiving served in front of this holy icon, a boyar’s (nobleman’s) blind son Emilian gained his sight. Then four devout Christians stayed to live around the desolate church and took monastic vows. At the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God there afterwards was built a new church and a monastic community emerged.

Hypasian monestary, Kostroma, 1330
Hypasian monestary; Hypasians; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated August 22 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16;

Theophany monastery, Kostroma (Volga River 8.3) 1400
Theophany Convent and monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ;

Kostroma, Theodore, or Fyodorovskaya Icon Location
Kostroma, St Theodore, or Fyodorovskaya Icon Location; Theophany Convent and monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated on July 28 ; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Makariev Transfiguration monastery, Kostroma, Pisma, 1330
Makariev Transfiguration monastery, near Kostroma; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; St Hypatius of Gangra; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31;

Ipatiev monastery, near Kostroma, 1330
Ipatiev monastery, near Kostroma; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated November 16 ; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31 ;

Liubimograd and Kostroma
Liubimograd and Kostroma;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.4, Gridenka River Folder, Nerekhta

Nerekhta, Kostroma, Yaroslav, Rostov (River Gridenka, near Volga River 8.4)
Nerekhta; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.6, Unzha River Folder, Unzha and Makaryev

Unzha River

Unzha River Source (along the border)

Unzha River Published Source (a confluence)
Unzha River; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha;

Unzha River 2 (Makaryev)

Makaryev (Macarius), Kostroma (Unzha River 2, Volga River 8.6)
Makaryev on the Unzha River; Macarius of the Unza; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Unzha River Mouth (Yurievets, Volga River 8.6)

Unzha, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6)
Unzha (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 9) Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Yurievets, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6)
Yurievets; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated on November 4 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Yurievets District, Kostroma (Unzha River Mouth, Volga River 8.6)
Yurievets District; Volga Region; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9, Kerzhenets River Folder, Yellow Lake, Zheltovod

Nizhegorod District, Kostroma (Oka, Volga, Kerzhenets, and Vetluga Rivers)
Nizhegorod Oblast; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ;

Kerzhenets River

Kerzhenets River Source (along the border)

Kerzhenets River 1 (Miracle of the Moose)
Miracle of the Moose ; Macarius' Miracle of the Moose is a miracle associated with the name of Venerable Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha (1349-1444), a Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is thought to have occurred in June 1439 in the woodlands of what today is Semyonov District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. account of the miracle in the Life of Venerable Macarius[edit] the invasion of Russia by the Khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan in 1439, Zheltovodsky (Yellow Lake) Monastery of Holy Trinity was destroyed. Venerable Macarius, the founder of the monastery, was taken prisoner along with a few other survivors. After meeting with Macarius, the khan was so impressed by the nonagenarian abbot's piety and love of his neighbor, that he released him and his disciples, on the condition that they leave the Yellow Lake site. Yellow Lake (which was located at the fall of the Kerzhenets into the Volga) being too perilously close to the invasion route taken by the Kazan Khanate armies invading Russian principalities and vice versa, the released survivors decided to relocate a few hundred kilometers to the north, into the fastness of the Galich forests, which are located along the Unzha River in what today is Kostroma Oblast. Taking the easy route along the Volga would not be a safe thing to do in this year of war; so the Saint and his followers choose to travel through the dense woodlands and swamps of the Kerzhenets basin — the land which is even today is almost deserted by people. a few days of travel, the monks ran out of food. One day they somehow managed to capture a moose[1] (some later sources say that the moose had been trapped "at a narrow place", perhaps between trees[2]). The followers of Macarius wanted to slaughter and eat the animal. But as this was the time of the Fast of the Holy Apostles, Venerable Macarius prohibited them to do that. Instead, he told them to cut off the moose's right ear and to release the animal. He told them that they only need to wait for three days, until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and the moose will be theirs. "Don't be aggrieved", said Macarius, " but pray to the Lord. He who fed the people of Israel in the desert with manna for 40 years, can also feed you these days in a manner invisible. Have a strong faith in Him who fed five thousand people, not counting women and children, with five loaves and two fish!" the next three days of the fast the travellers marched along without fatigue. No one died of starvation; no one even felt hunger or thought of food. the Feast day of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Venerable Macarius went away from his companions and praised the Lord, praying to Him that His people may be fed as had been the people of Israel in the desert or the five thousand people in the days of Apostles. When Macarius returned to his brethren, they saw the moose with no right ear approaching them. And this time, the animal was not wild: it behaved as if it was tame. the dinner of bonfire-roasted venison, the travellers praised the Lord for His great kindness. Venerable Macarius told his companions not to worry about food anymore, but rely on God Who will give them food and everything else they need. Life of Venerable Macarius does not tell us whether everyone who had left the Yellow Lake with him reached the Unzha alive. But it is said that God had protected them from hunger and from wild beasts during their travel, delivering moose, deer, and other game into their hands. Commemoration of the miracle[edit] Kontakion of the Hymn for the Feast of Venerable Macarius (July 25 Julian calendar) refers to this miracle when it says of Macarius: "You were revealed as the second Moses, O Venerable One. For he divided the sea with a staff, You have conquered the passions like Amalek, And you passed through the impassable wilderness with an unwavering mind, And in it you performed great wonders through your prayers. You abundantly fed the hungry people."[3] of the Miracle of the Moose in Pechersky Ascension Monastery. Note the clipped left ear of the animal: presumably, the fresco depicts the moment when the moose that had been marked by Macarius in this way returned to the Saint and his party The Miracle of the Moose appears on some of the icons of Venerable Macarius, sometimes as the main topic of the icon, sometimes as one of the episodes. It is also the topic of one of the new frescoes in the Refectory section of the Ascension Cathedral of Pechersky Ascension Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod Skete[edit] Kerzhenets River woodlands, where the Miracle of the Moose purportedly happened, became in the late 17th century one of the main areas of refuge for the Old Believers. According to their legend, the main community of the Kerzhenets Old Believers, known as the Olenevsky Skete (Russian: Оленевский скит) had been founded soon after the Miracle of the Moose by some of the monks expelled from Venerable Macarius' Yellow Waters Monastery, at the site where the animal was captured by the Venerable's prayers. The skete's name comes from the Russian Russian: Олень (olen), which means "deer", thus commemorating the miracle. It is said that during the Raskol two hundred years later the Skete's hermits rejected Nikon's reforms, thus making it the center of attraction for Old Believer refugees from other parts of the country, who then founded numerous other sketes in the area.[4] Skete was one of the centers of the so-called Beglopopovtsy ("those who accepted the fleeing priests"), the school of Old Believers who thought that, since the Old Believers had no bishops of their own who could ordain priest, it was acceptable for them to accept priests who had been ordained by the established church but later left it for the Old Believier sketes. It is reported that the Skete was mostly destroyed during one of the Old Believer suppression campaigns in 1737, but restored after Catherine II's "amnesty" of 1762. It was known as a women's skete, with 49 nuns reported as living there at the time of its official closre in 1854, pursuant to Nicholas I anti-skete executive order of 1853. A number of nuns in fact continued to live at the site long after the official disbandment.[4] former skete is now known as the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, and is located 24 km south-east of the town of Semyonov (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast). It remains the site of pilgrimage for the Old Believers of the area.[4] Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ;

Miracle of the Moose, Macarius prays for food and tame moose walks into camp
Miracle of the Moose ; Macarius' Miracle of the Moose is a miracle associated with the name of Venerable Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha (1349-1444), a Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is thought to have occurred in June 1439 in the woodlands of what today is Semyonov District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. account of the miracle in the Life of Venerable Macarius[edit] the invasion of Russia by the Khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan in 1439, Zheltovodsky (Yellow Lake) Monastery of Holy Trinity was destroyed. Venerable Macarius, the founder of the monastery, was taken prisoner along with a few other survivors. After meeting with Macarius, the khan was so impressed by the nonagenarian abbot's piety and love of his neighbor, that he released him and his disciples, on the condition that they leave the Yellow Lake site. Yellow Lake (which was located at the fall of the Kerzhenets into the Volga) being too perilously close to the invasion route taken by the Kazan Khanate armies invading Russian principalities and vice versa, the released survivors decided to relocate a few hundred kilometers to the north, into the fastness of the Galich forests, which are located along the Unzha River in what today is Kostroma Oblast. Taking the easy route along the Volga would not be a safe thing to do in this year of war; so the Saint and his followers choose to travel through the dense woodlands and swamps of the Kerzhenets basin — the land which is even today is almost deserted by people. a few days of travel, the monks ran out of food. One day they somehow managed to capture a moose[1] (some later sources say that the moose had been trapped "at a narrow place", perhaps between trees[2]). The followers of Macarius wanted to slaughter and eat the animal. But as this was the time of the Fast of the Holy Apostles, Venerable Macarius prohibited them to do that. Instead, he told them to cut off the moose's right ear and to release the animal. He told them that they only need to wait for three days, until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and the moose will be theirs. "Don't be aggrieved", said Macarius, " but pray to the Lord. He who fed the people of Israel in the desert with manna for 40 years, can also feed you these days in a manner invisible. Have a strong faith in Him who fed five thousand people, not counting women and children, with five loaves and two fish!" the next three days of the fast the travellers marched along without fatigue. No one died of starvation; no one even felt hunger or thought of food. the Feast day of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Venerable Macarius went away from his companions and praised the Lord, praying to Him that His people may be fed as had been the people of Israel in the desert or the five thousand people in the days of Apostles. When Macarius returned to his brethren, they saw the moose with no right ear approaching them. And this time, the animal was not wild: it behaved as if it was tame. the dinner of bonfire-roasted venison, the travellers praised the Lord for His great kindness. Venerable Macarius told his companions not to worry about food anymore, but rely on God Who will give them food and everything else they need. Life of Venerable Macarius does not tell us whether everyone who had left the Yellow Lake with him reached the Unzha alive. But it is said that God had protected them from hunger and from wild beasts during their travel, delivering moose, deer, and other game into their hands. Commemoration of the miracle[edit] Kontakion of the Hymn for the Feast of Venerable Macarius (July 25 Julian calendar) refers to this miracle when it says of Macarius: "You were revealed as the second Moses, O Venerable One. For he divided the sea with a staff, You have conquered the passions like Amalek, And you passed through the impassable wilderness with an unwavering mind, And in it you performed great wonders through your prayers. You abundantly fed the hungry people."[3] of the Miracle of the Moose in Pechersky Ascension Monastery. Note the clipped left ear of the animal: presumably, the fresco depicts the moment when the moose that had been marked by Macarius in this way returned to the Saint and his party The Miracle of the Moose appears on some of the icons of Venerable Macarius, sometimes as the main topic of the icon, sometimes as one of the episodes. It is also the topic of one of the new frescoes in the Refectory section of the Ascension Cathedral of Pechersky Ascension Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod Skete[edit] Kerzhenets River woodlands, where the Miracle of the Moose purportedly happened, became in the late 17th century one of the main areas of refuge for the Old Believers. According to their legend, the main community of the Kerzhenets Old Believers, known as the Olenevsky Skete (Russian: Оленевский скит) had been founded soon after the Miracle of the Moose by some of the monks expelled from Venerable Macarius' Yellow Waters Monastery, at the site where the animal was captured by the Venerable's prayers. The skete's name comes from the Russian Russian: Олень (olen), which means "deer", thus commemorating the miracle. It is said that during the Raskol two hundred years later the Skete's hermits rejected Nikon's reforms, thus making it the center of attraction for Old Believer refugees from other parts of the country, who then founded numerous other sketes in the area.[4] Skete was one of the centers of the so-called Beglopopovtsy ("those who accepted the fleeing priests"), the school of Old Believers who thought that, since the Old Believers had no bishops of their own who could ordain priest, it was acceptable for them to accept priests who had been ordained by the established church but later left it for the Old Believier sketes. It is reported that the Skete was mostly destroyed during one of the Old Believer suppression campaigns in 1737, but restored after Catherine II's "amnesty" of 1762. It was known as a women's skete, with 49 nuns reported as living there at the time of its official closre in 1854, pursuant to Nicholas I anti-skete executive order of 1853. A number of nuns in fact continued to live at the site long after the official disbandment.[4] former skete is now known as the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, and is located 24 km south-east of the town of Semyonov (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast). It remains the site of pilgrimage for the Old Believers of the area.[4] Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ;

Kerzhenets River Mouth (Volga River 9)
Kerzhenets River;

Yellow Lake (Kerzhenets River Mouth, Volga River 8.6, see Miracle of the Moose)
Yellow Lake (Kerzhenets River Mouth) the invasion of Russia by the Khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan in 1439, Zheltovodsky (Yellow Lake) Monastery of Holy Trinity was destroyed. Venerable Macarius (Russian: Макарий, Makariy), the founder of the monastery, was taken prisoner along with a few other survivors. After meeting with Macarius, the khan was so impressed by the nonagenarian abbot's piety and love of his neighbor, that he released him and his disciples, on the condition that they leave the Yellow Lake site. Yellow Lake (which was located at the fall of the Kerzhenets into the Volga) being too perilously close to the invasion route taken by the Kazan Khanate armies invading Russian principalities and vice versa, the released survivors decided to relocate a few hundred kilometers to the north, into the fastness of the Galich forests, which are located along the Unzha River in what today is Kostroma Oblast. Taking the easy route along the Volga would not be a safe thing to do in this year of war; so the Saint and his followers choose to travel through the dense woodlands and swamps of the Kerzhenets basin — the land which is even today is almost deserted by people. St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25;

Macarius Monestary at Yellow Lake (Volga River 9) 1435
Macarius Monestary at Yellow Lake (Volga River); Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated September 17; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Zheltovod, Kostroma, Macarius Monestary at Yellow Lake (Volga River 8.6) 1435
Macarius Monestary at Yellow Lake (Volga River); Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated September 17; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Macarius of Zheltovod and Unzha was born in the year 1349 at Nizhni-Novgorod into a pious family. At twelve years of age he secretly left his parents and accepted monastic tonsure at the Nizhni-Novgorod Caves monastery under Saint Dionysius (June 26). With all the intensity of his youthful soul he gave himself over to the work of salvation. He stood out among the brethren for his extremely strict fasting and precise fulfillment of the monastic rule. parents of Saint Macarius only learned three years later where he had gone. His father went to him and tearfully besought his son merely that he would come forth and show himself. Saint Macarius spoke with his father through a wall, saying that he would see him in the future life. “Extend your hand, at least,” implored the father. The son fulfilled this small request and the father, having kissed his son’s hand, returned home. by fame, the humble Macarius set off for the shores of the River Volga, and here he pursued asceticism near the waters of Yellow Lake. Here by firm determination and patience he overcame the abuse of the Enemy of salvation. Lovers of solitude gathered to Saint Macarius, and in 1435 (at 86?) he organized a monastery for them in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. also he began to preach Christianity to the surrounding Cheremis and Chuvash peoples, and he baptized both Mohammedans and pagans in the lake, which received its name from the saint. When the Kazan Tatars destroyed the monastery in 1439, they took Saint Macarius captive. Out of respect for his piety and charitable love, the Khan released the saint from captivity and freed nearly 400 Christians with him. But in return, Saint Macarius promised not to settle by Yellow Lake. Macarius reverently buried those killed at his monastery, and he went 200 versts to the Galich border. During the time of this resettlement all those on the way were fed in miraculous manner through the prayers of the saint. Having arrived at the city of Unzha, Saint Macarius set up a cross 15 versts from the city, and built a cell on the shores of Lake Unzha. Here he founded a new monastery. During the fifth year of his life at Lake Unzha, Saint Macarius took sick and reposed at age 95. yet alive, Saint Macarius was granted a gift: he healed a blind and demon-afflicted girl. After the death of the monk, many received healing from his relics. The monks built a temple over his grave, and established a cenobitic rule at the monastery. 1522, Tatars fell upon Unzha and wanted to destroy the silver reliquary in the Makariev monastery, but they fell blind. In a panic, they took to flight. Many of them drowned in the Unzha. In 1532, through the prayers of Saint Macarius, the city of Soligalich was saved from the Tatars. In gratitude, the inhabitants built a chapel in the cathedral church in honor of the saint. More than 50 people received healing from grievous infirmities through the prayers of Saint Macarius. This was certified by a commission sent by Patriarch Philaret in 1619. Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Makariev (Kerzhenets River Mouth, Volga River9)
Makariev (Volga River 9); Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Lyskov, Kostroma, Vologda (Volga River 9) near Yellow Lake, Okonsk Icon
Lyskov Town; Icon of the Mother of God of Okonsk, Commemorated July 30 ; Okonsk Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was received by the Georgian emperor Vakhtang IV from Jerusalem and initially it was at the Gaenat monastery in Georgia. Georgian emperor’s son George Alexandrovich transferred the holy icon to the cathedral church of the village of Lyskov, Nizhegorod diocese.

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9.3, Vetluga River Folder, Vetluga and Varnavinsk

Vetluga River

Vetluga River Source (along the border)

Vetluga River 1

Vetluga River 2

Vetluga River 3

Vetluga River 5 (Vetluga)

Vetluga (Red Hill, Vetluga River 5)
Vetluga; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Vetluga River 6 (Varnavinsk)

Varnavinsk (Vetluga River 6)
Varnavinsk; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Varnavinsky District
Varnavinsky District;

Vetluga River Mouth (Volga River 9)

Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9.6, Mataya Kokshaga River Folder

Malaya Perm, Kostroma (Lesser Perm, Malaya River Area)
Malaya Perm (Lesser Perm); Saint Stephen, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Malaya Kokshaga River

Land of the Cheremis People - Mari El
Land of the Cheremis People - Mari El;

Bolshaya Kuznetsa, 15 Versts from Tsarevokokshiask
Bolshaya Kuznetsa, 15 Versts from Tsarevokokshiask œMyrrh-BearingÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1;

Tsarevokokshaisk, Kostroma, Vologda (Malaya Kokshaga River 1, near Kazan)
Tsarevokokshaisk ; œMyrrh-BearingÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1;

Malaya Kokshaga River Source (Mari El)

Malaya Kokshaga River 1 (Tsarevokokshaisk)

Malaya Kokshaga River (Volga River 9.6)

Russia, Vologda, Mologa Folder (water flows south into Volga)

Mologa (now under water)
Mologa (now under water), These rivers flow to the Volga, but are sometimes called Vologda with the rivers that flow to the White Sea and Artic Ocean. ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Ustiuzhena, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa History

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1227-1255, Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu Conquest of Russia
Tatar (Mongol) Horde of Batu (Batu Khan 1227-1255) Battle of Sita River ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1238, Battle of Sit River
Mologda, Vologda, 1238, Battle of Sit River ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1314, Tolga Icon and monastery, bright light, fiery column, bridge, suspended icon, in tree with staff
Tolga icon and monastery; The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1330-1392, Cyril oChelma Hilll, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha), Enlightener oChud

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake)
Russia, Moscow, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake); Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1357-1427, Saint Cyril of White Lake monastery, Sheksna, Vologda
Mologa Saint, 1357-1427, St Cyril of White Lake monastery, Sheksna, Vologda; St Cyril of White Lake monastery; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1362, 1581, 1682, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, Lithuanians 1581, Swedes 1682

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios
Russia, Vologda, 1388,St Athanasius t Iron Staff, Sergius' disciple, Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Built monastery w merchant Theodosios, divine light miracle, beautiful view; Cherepovets ; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Athanasios (nicknamed "the Iron Staff") and Theodosios, were disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, they settled in the Novgorod region, on the border of Cherepovets, at the confluence of the Yagorba River and the Sheksna. in the dense, impenetrable forests, they built a church in honor of the Holy Trinity, and a monastery was also established. is known for certain about Saint Theodosios, and almost no information has been preserved about Saint Athanasios, because during the Time of Troubles the Monastery was razed almost to the ground, and the written records were destroyed. do know that the Monastery church built by Saints Athanasios and Theodosios, was dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as well as to Saints Sergius and Nikon of Radonezh. the basis of this information, it is thought that both Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios were tonsured at Trinity-Sergius Monastery, for the ancient hermits used to build monasteries on the model of those in which they became monks. is written testimony about these Saints in an inscription in a loose-leaf book from 1568 which reads: "This is the book of the Monastery of the Resurrection of Christ and the Life-giving Trinity, and of our Venerable Fathers Theodosios and Athanasios." the the chronicle of the Saints it says: "Venerable Athanasios, called 'Iron Staff,' the disciple of Saint Sergius the Wonderworker; who reposed in the year 1392." Stroganov Manual of Iconography describes the Saint's appearance: "Venerable Athanasios... a grey beard, narrower and shorter than Blaise's." before the arrival of the monks in that region, a chapel was built through the efforts of a merchant. man decided to build a chapel after a miracle occurred. day he was transporting goods in a boat, when suddenly in the middle of the day, it grew dark, and the boat ran aground. The frightened merchant began to pray, and soon the darkness lifted, and a nearby mountain was illumined with a bright light. The man climbed the mountain and was so amazed at the beautiful view that he returned to the area and built a chapel the following year. little information about these Saints has come down to us. We know that Saint Athanasios carried an iron staff, and Saint Theodosios may have been the merchant who built the chapel. 1764, the Resurrection Monastery was abolished, and its church became a parish church. Since 1780 it has been called the Resurrection Cathedral of the city of Cherepovets. under this church, the relics of Saint Athanasios and Saint Theodosios now rest. The Cherepovets Resurrection Cathedral also has icons of Saints Athanasios and Theodosios. Saints reposed in the year 1388, and were buried in the Monastery’s cathedral church. They are also commemorated on July 5 and September 25.

Russia, Velogda, Meloga, 1390-1455, Martinian oBeloye (White) Lake &Therapon m Vozha L, obedience, incorrupt relics
Russia, Velogda, Meloga, 1390-1455, Martinian oByeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake), Martinian oWhite Lake (Byeloezersk or Beloye) fBerezniko v near Cyrilov m, tGreat Aacetic St Cyril a13, complete obedience, copied Cyril&books, deacon, hiermonk, aCyril dies tIsland oVozha, monastery, general rule, successful igumen, spiritual support fBasil tGreat, because B's cousin Demitrius Shemyaka lllicitly sought Moscow, truth justice advocate, accepted igumen Radonezh monastery fBasil, 1455 time oDeath back to Therapon m, thrown, not able tWalk, incorrupt relics uncovered 1514; Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Martinian of White Lake, in the world Michael, born in the year 1370 in the village of Berezniko, not far from the Cyrilov monastery. age thirteen he left his parents and went secretly to Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), whom many described as a great ascetic. young Martinian began zealously to imitate his teacher, with whom he dwelt in complete obedience. the monastery he studied reading and writing, and with the blessing of Saint Cyril, he occupied himself with the copying of books. time Martinian was ordained deacon and then hieromonk. the death of Saint Cyril (+ 1427), Martinian withdrew to a deserted island on Lake Vozha. monks gradually gathered around him. Martinian established for them the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and introduced a general Rule for the inhabitants. to the persistent requests of the brethren of Therapon monastery, he consented to become igumen of the monastery and brought it into an improved condition. Martinian gave spiritual support to Great Prince Basil in the difficulties of his time, his first-cousin Demetrius Shemyaka illicitly sought the Moscow throne. was always an advocate of truth and justice. upon the entreaty of the Great Prince, the saint accepted the governance of the monastery of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. 1455, Saint Martinian returned to the Therapon monastery. his last years he was grievously ill and not able to walk, so the brethren carried him to church. He died at age 85. relics were uncovered in the year 1514, and this event is celebrated on October 7.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, aTherapon wJoasaph, vision oMartinian tbMonk, left fUchma, guide mPeople
Russia, Rostov, 1424-1504, Cassian tGreek, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), Mangupa Princes descendent, tMoscow fBizantium wSophia Paleologa, for GP Ivan III, Monk at Therapon wJoasaph, miraculous vision oMartinian, urged him tbMonk, left for Volga Uchma confluence, monastery guide mPeople; Russia, Moscow, 1351-1456, Therapont of Belozersk (White Lake); Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uglich; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; Cassian the Greek of Uglich, in the world Constantine, was a descendant of the Greek Mangupa princes. arrived in Moscow as part of the delegation to Great Prince Ivan III, together with the daughter of the Byzantine emperor, Sophia Paleologa. decided to devote his life to the service of God, the saint declined the offer to remain at the court of the Great Prince, and he resettled near Bishop Joasaph of Rostov. the bishop withdrew to the Therapon monastery for solitude, Constantine followed him, and he led a strict ascetic life. accepted monasticism after a miraculous vision by night of Saint Martinian, urging him to take monastic tonsure. a certain period of time, Saint Cassian left the monastery going not far from the city of Uglich, near the confluence of the Volga and Uchma Rivers, he founded a monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. of the monk spread widely, and many people began to come to receive his blessing, to see the wilderness habitation and converse with him. Saint Cassian accepted everyone with love, guiding them on the way to salvation with quiet words. monk died in great old age on October 2, 1504. In the Uglich Chronicles many miracles of the saint were recorded, in particular the protection of his monastery from Polish soldiers in the years 1609-1611 by his prayers. memory of Saint Cassian of Uglich is celebrated also on May 21, the day he shares with his namesake, the holy Emperor Constantine the Great. Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; we commemorate the namesake of Saint Cassian (in the world Constantine). commemoration of Saint Cassian is in honor of Emperor Constantine, his patron Saint at Baptism. When he became a monk, he was tonsured with the new name Cassian, in honor of St. John Cassian (Feb. 28), (Feb. 29 in Leap Year). October 2, the date of his repose, for Saint Cassian's life account.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1451-1500, Sebastian oSokhota, Poshekhonye District, founded monastery, taught ascetics by example
Transfiguration of the Lord monestary, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, founded a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Saint Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, and in 1764 closed down. In the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. The saint is also commemorated on December 18. Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Sebastian of Sokhota, Pshekhonye, a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, in 1764 closed down. the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. saint is also commemorated on February 26.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1453-1508, Saint, Nilus of Sora
Russia, Moscow, 1453-1508, Saint, Nilus of Sora; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1500-1550, Adrian of Poshekhonye, f Komel, iconog, Tartars, angel s, d Elder, murdered, incorrupt r
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1500-1550, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, built monastery, murdered by robbers, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1510-1537, Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, disciple of Cornelius of Kormel, founder Irap Wilderness Monastery, orphan near Komel Monastery, accepted by Cornelius, monk Philip, priest, withdrew near White Lake, built Irapa River Chapel near Cherepovets, monks flock+Laity, lived there 15 yrs &died 1536, age 45, relics, icon over grave, Kransnoborsk Phillippov Monastery there; Irap near Novgorod, 45 versts from Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda Cherepovets ; Saint Philip, Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, in the world Theophilus, was the founder of the Irap wilderness-monastery. an orphan and not remembering his parents, the twelve-year-old Theophilus wandered about and eventually settled near the Komel monastery and lived on charity. Cornelius (May 19) accepted the pious youth into the monastery and after three years tonsured him a monk with the name Philip. humble and hard-working, at the request of the brethren he was ordained to the priesthood. striving for greater efforts led him to withdraw to the outskirts of White Lake. having the patronage of Prince Andrew Sheleshpansky, who had allotted him land near the River Irapa, 45 versts from Cherepovets, the monk built a chapel in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and a cell for himself. about the holy wilderness-dweller spread throughout all the surrounding area, and monks began to flock to him. laity also went to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Philip would instruct them in the virtues which those living in the world ought to possess. at the place of the chapel a church was built in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity. Philip dwelt in the wilderness for fifteen years and died in 1537 at age 45. relics were placed beneath a crypt in the Trinity temple. Over his grave was an icon, painted by the monk Theodosius. Soon after the death of Saint Philip, the Krasnoborsk Philippov monastery arose on the place of his struggles. celebration of Saint Philip was established at the end of the sixteenth century. The manuscript service to him dates from the end of the sixteenth century. Venerable Cornelius, Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Komel was descended from the boyar (noble) family Kriukov. His brother Lukian served at the court of the Great Prince of Moscow. When Lukian, who was getting old, decided to go to the monastery of Saint Cyril of White Lake, he was followed by Cornelius, who longed for the solitary life from a young age. he was tonsured, the young Cornelius began his monastic endeavors with a difficult obedience: he wore heavy chains in the bakery. In his spare time he occupied himself with copying church books. Because of his love for solitude, Saint Cornelius later left the White Lake monastery, and he visited Rostov. Novgorod, Saint Gennadius (December 4) attempted to hold on to him, but the ascetic settled in a desolate spot near Novgorod. When people began to visit here also, he moved to the Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery. Later, in 1497, he settled in the Komel forest, not far from Vologda, where he built a cell. Monks began to gather around the cell of Saint Cornelius. In 1501 he built a wooden church in honor of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. In that year Metropolitan Simon ordained him as hieromonk. 1512, when the number of brethren had grown, the saint built a stone church and he compiled a Rule for the brethren, based on the Rules of Saints Joseph of Volokolamsk and Nilus of Sora. This was the third monastic Rule written by Russian saints. Cornelius of Komel was distinguished by his charity toward the unfortunate, and during a famine he built an orphanage in the monastery courtyard. Because of his love for the poor and orphaned, Saint Cornelius was often granted visions of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), for whom he had a special reverence. He constructed a church at his monastery in honor of this great ascetic. saint’s strictness of life provoked some of the brethren to grumbling, and Saint Cornelius was compelled to leave the monastery. He settled at Lake Sursk, 70 versts from his monastery. At times he also lived at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Interceding for the monks of the Korniliev monastery, Great Prince Basil Ivanovich urged the saint to return to his own monastery. The ascetic gave in, and having returned to his own monastery, he transferred its guidance to his disciple Laurence and shut himself in his cell. a Tatar incursion into the Vologda region Saint Cornelius went with the monks to the outskirts of White Lake. The saint died at the age of eighty-two on May 19, 1537. Many disciples of Saint Cornelius were also glorified for their holiness of life: Saints Gennadius of Liubimograd (January 23), Cyril of New Lake (February 4), Herodion of Iloezersk (September 28), Adrian of Poshekhonye (March 5), Laurence and Cassian of Komel (May 16). commemoration of Saint Cornelius (May 19) was established on January 25, 1600 by Patriarch Job and a council of bishops. The Life of the saint was written by his disciple Nathaniel in the year 1589. There is a service and an encomium to the saint, and the Rule of Saint Cornelius has been preserved. Cornelius is also commemorated at the Synaxis of the Saints of Vologda (Third Sunday after Pentecost); and at the Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (the Sunday after June 28).

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, f Komel, builder, iconog, Tartars, angel s, d Elder, incorrupt r
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1605, Ustiuzhena Icon, delivered U from Swedes and Polish by intercession of Queen of Heaven
Ustiuzhena; Icon of the Mother of God of Ustiuzhena, Commemorated July 28 ; Ustiuzhena Icon of the Mother of God (1290), glorified by many miracles, was situated in the city of Ustiuzhna under Novgorod governance (now Vologda district). At the beginning of the seventeenth century the inhabitants of Ustiushna, praying for salvation before this holy icon, were delivered from an invasion of the Swedes and Polish by the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Euphrosynos of Blue Jay Lake, (Ephraim in the world) was born in Karelia near Lake Ladoga in the second half of the XVI century. When he was young he lived near Valaam Monastery, and later he moved to Novgorod the Great. After spending some time there, the Saint then withdrew to a place on the outskirts of Novgorod - the Bezhetsk “pentary” (one fifth of the “Pyatiny Novgorodskiya,” comprising five outlying districts of Novgorod the Great). became a Reader for the Church services in the village of Doloska, twenty versts from the city of Ustiuzhna of Zhelezopolska. He was tonsured at the Tikhvin Dormition Monastery with the name Euphrosynos. After living there for some time, he told the Superior of his desire to go into the wilderness for greater solitude, and a life of fasting and silence. The Superior told him about some of the dangers of the eremetic life, and then gave his blessing. So, in 1600 he began his solitary life in the wild marshlands by the shore of Blue Jay Lake. Here the Saint planted a Cross and dug a cave. He lived here for two years, eating nothing but wild vegetation, berries, and mushrooms. people from neighboring villages found him, and they came to him for instruction, prayer, and spiritual counsel. Several of them remained with him. Soon it became necessary to build a church, where all the brethren could pray together. They cleared the forest, hewed the timber, and built a log church. Since the Elder, out of humility, had not been ordained, the church was consecrated by his fellow ascetic Saint Gurias of Shalatsk (November 15), and dedicated to the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. This was done with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod (1603-1609). Saint Gurias sometimes visited Blue Jay Lake in order to pray with the brethren, converse with them about spiritual matters, and to give them Holy Communion. On one of these visits Saint Euphrosynos was tonsured into the Great Schema by Saint Gurias. 1612, when Polish troops were laying waste to Russia, many people saved their lives by hiding at the Monastery of the Annunciation in the wilderness. On March 19, Saint Euphrosynos revealed to everyone that the Poles were on their way to the monastery, and he advised everyone to flee. brethren and beloved children in Christ, whoever wishes to escape certain death, leave the Monastery of the Mother of God and save yourselves from this great calamity, for it is pleasing to God's righteous judgment that enemies will come soon to this holy place." did not believe him. “Then why don’t you leave this place yourself?” they asked. Elder replied, “I have come here to die for Christ.” who obeyed the Saint and left the monastery were spared, but all those who remained met a horrible death. Jonah was one of the monks at the monastery. Frightened by the Elder's clairvoyant prediction, he wanted to flee with the others, but Saint Euphrosynos held him back, inspiring him with zeal for the house of God. “Brother Jonah,” he said, "why do you allow faint-hearted fear into your soul? When the battle begins, that is the time for courage. For the love of Christ, let us not be afraid of some passing fear. We have vowed to live and die here in the wilderness. We must be faithful to our vow, made before the Lord. It is different for laymen, who are not bound by a vow. They must spare themselves for the sake of their children.” inflamed in spirit, Saint Jonah placed all his hope in God, and decided to die there in the wilderness with his Elder. this Saint Euphrosynos clothed himself in the Great Schema, and spent the entire night in prayer. On the following day, March 20, Polish forces descended upon the monastery. In the garb of a Schema-monk, the Saint emerged from his cell and stood beside the Cross he had planted. The enemy said to him, “Old man, give us all the monastery’s possessions." “All my possessions, and those of this monastery, are in the church of the All-Pure Theotokos,” he replied. was referring to spiritual treasures which cannot be stolen (Matthew 6:19-21). Failing to comprehend this, the Poles rushed to the church. One of them drew a sword and struck Saint Euphrosynos. His neck was cut half way through, and the holy Elder fell to the ground dead. When the Poles returned, angry because they had found nothing in the church, one of them struck the Saint's head with an axe. Saint Jonah perished in the attack along with his Elder, and he is also commemorated today with Saint Euphrosynos. certain pious Christian, Ioann Suma, had also stayed at the monastery with the monks. When the Poles attacked, he was in the Elder's cell. Despite the grievous wounds he received from these ruffians, Ioann remained alive, but unconscious. After the Poles left, he regained his senses and told his son Emilian what had transpired. From them, the nearby inhabitants learned about the destruction of the monastery and the martyric death of Saint Euphrosynos. March 28, the bodies of Saint Euphrosynos, Saint Jonah, and all the others who had perished by the sword, were buried with due reverence by the Cross where they suffered martyrdom. years after the death of the Saint, a new church was built by a man named Moses, and dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. With the blessing of Metropolitan Makarios of Novgorod, the incorrupt relics of Saint Euphrosynos were transferred to a new reliquary beneath the belfry on March 25, 1655. to the Monastery's records, the Monastic Martyr Euphrosynos was of medium height, with wide shoulders and a broad chest. His hair was brown, with traces of gray. His beard was long, and divided in two at the bottom. Euphrosynus was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 29, 1912.

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1605-18, Swede Pole-Moscow War, TOT Civil Wars, famine, boyar false Dimitris, Pole Tzar
Moscow, 1605-1618, Swedisn Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18) ; Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery
Russia, Vologda, Mologa, 1625, Finding the Relics of Saint Adrian of Poshekhonye, incorrupt, transferred to his monastery; Poshekhonye; Russia, Vologda, Mologda, 1600-1625, Adrian of Poshekhonye, from Komel, builder, iconographer, Tartars, angel soldiers, disappearing Elder, incorrupt r; Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his death, March 5. Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Adrian of Poshekhonye was born at Rostov the Great at the end of the sixteenth century, of pious parents named Gregory and Irene. Saint Adrian received monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19). the brethren gathered around Saint Cornelius were some capable builders and iconographers, so the monastery churches were constructed and adorned by the saints themselves. the final years of Saint Cornelius’s life, Kazan Tatars invaded the territory around the monastery, and he led all the brethren to the River Ukhtoma. the Tatars did not touch the monastery, being frightened off by the sight of the many soldiers defending it, and they soon withdrew from the Vologda district. Cornelius returned to the monastery with the brethren and reposed there on May 19, 1537. years after the death of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian, then a hierodeacon, greatly desired to go into a wilderness place and found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Lord helped him fulfill his intention. certain unknown Elder of striking appearance came to the Corniliev monastery. Saint Adrian asked him his name, and the Elder referred to himself as “the lowly one.” Saint Adrian invited him to his own cell and asked him to say something beneficial for the soul, the Elder said that he would show Saint Adrian the spot where he should build the church and monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. Adrian immediately went to the Superior, Igumen Laurence, and sought his blessing to live in the wilderness. Recalling Saint Cornelius’s order that any monks who wished to withdraw into the wilderness should be released from the monastery, Igumen Laurence did not hinder Saint Adrian but gave him his blessing. also sent with him his assistant, Elder Leonid. After they prayed at the grave of Saint Cornelius, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid went on their way, led by the mysterious black-robed monk. Saint Adrian carried with him an icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which he also painted. September 13, 1540, the eve of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, Saint Adrian and Elder Leonid arrived in the wild Poshekhonye forest, near the settlements of Belta, Patrabolsha, Shelshedolsk and Ukhorsk. halted at the banks of the River Votkha. There the Elder leading them suddenly became invisible. astonished travelers began to chant the Canon and service of the Feast, with tears of thanks to God. Indeed this was a portent of the future fame of the monastery, a place where God would be glorified. three years Saint Adrian and the Elder Leonid survived in the wilderness solitude, suffering want, overcoming temptations from the devil and the whisperings of wicked folk, and then they began to fulfill their intention. Choosing a suitable moment, the ascetics went to Moscow to ask the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius to establish a monastery and church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God on the Poshekhonye side of the River Votkha. Macarius gave his blessing to the ascetics to build the monastery, and he gave them a written document to that effect. He ordained Adrian to the priesthood and elevated him to the rank of igumen. In the document he had given to Saint Adrian, the hierarch bade “priests, deacons, monks and laymen to listen to him and obey him in everything, as befits a pastor and teacher.” Moscow the Poshekhonye ascetics found generous benefactors who gave the monks abundant offerings to build their church. to their wilderness spot on May 31, 1543, Saint Adrian laid the foundations for the church with a trapeza, in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. embellished and consecrated the new church, Saint Adrian began the construction of the monastery. The strict monastic Rule of Saint Cornelius was introduced at the monastery. Having nothing of their own, a little being sufficient for everyone, the saints devoted a large portion of their time to prayer, both in church and in their cells, and no small time was allotted to the reading of Holy Scripture. This reading was done “not in an elegant voice, nor for effect, but in a humble and mild voice. One reads, and another speaks of what is read.” They also read in private. addition to his duties as igumen, Saint Adrian also occupied himself with painting icons. When his holy soul longed for complete silence, he withdrew into the depths of the forest into the cell and chapel he had built one verst away from the monastery. years after the founding of the monastery, Elder Leonid reposed. Saint Adrian and the brethren buried him with reverence. The number of the brethren had increased during this time. They built three cells as dwellings, and a fourth for preparing food and baking bread. Adrian began to make plans for the construction of a large stone church, and he gathered a sum of money for this purpose. One year after the repose of Elder Leonid, during Great Lent of 1550, on the eve of the commemoration of the 42 Ammoreian Martyrs (March 6), armed robbers burst into the monastery and murdered Saint Adrian after beating him. holy relics of Saint Martyr Adrian were uncovered on December 17, 1626, solemnly transferred into the monastery church and placed in an open crypt by the right kliros (choir). Many miracles occurred at the grave of Saint Adrian. Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River Folder, White Lake

Sheksna River

Sheksna River Source (White Lake)

Eastern Regions of White Lake
Eastern Regions of White Lake; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7;

White Lake, Mologa, Vologda, Sheksna River Source
White Lake; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Herodion the Abbot of Iloezersk, Commemorated on September 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Herodion the Abbot of Iloezersk; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

New Lake, Mologa, Vologda, Sheksna River Source
White Lake; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Herodion the Abbot of Iloezersk, Commemorated on September 28 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Herodion the Abbot of Iloezersk; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Byeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake)
Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

White Lake City, Byeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake)
Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Iloezersk, Mologa (Lake Beloye, White Lake)
Iloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Elias Lake
White Lake, Saint Herodion settled at Elias Lake, 20 kilometers from White Lake ;

Elias Lake Ozadsk monastery, White Lake, Mologda, Vologda, 1537
White Lake, Saint Herodion settled at Elias Lake, 20 kilometers from White Lake, and there on a peninsula he built himself a cell and established a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, marking the beginning of the Elias Lake Ozadsk monastery; Venerable Herodion the Abbot of Iloezersk, Commemorated on September 28 ;

Shug Hill? Shuzhgorsk? (the only hill in the White Lake area)
Shug Hill? Shuzhgorsk? (the only hill in the White Lake area). Turn up the gain by exaggerating Elevation to 3 in Tools Options to see it; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21;

Vorbozomsk monastery, Mologa, Vologda, 1470 approx.
Vorbozomsk monastery, Mologa, Vologda Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Saint Zosimas of Vorbozomsk was the founder of a monastery dedicated to the Annuniciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on an island in Lake Vorbozoma, twenty-three versts south of White Lake.

Lake Vorbozoma
Lake Vorbozoma Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Saint Zosimas of Vorbozomsk was the founder of a monastery dedicated to the Annuniciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on an island in Lake Vorbozoma, twenty-three versts south of White Lake.

White Lake monastery, Mologa (Lake Siverskoye, Sheksna River) 1390
White Lake Monestary; Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sabbatius the Wonderworker of Solovki; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

St Cyril Belozersky (White Lake) Monestary, Mologda, 1390
St Cyril Belozersky Monestary; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Cyrillov (Kirillov) monastery, Mologa Vologda (Sheksna River, White Lake monastery)1390
Kirillov monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Kirillov (Cyrillov) monastery, Mologa Vologda (Sheksna River, White Lake monastery)1390
Kirillov monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on July 28 ; White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of Saint Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it. day, while he was chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to Saint Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin’s head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon. White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8. Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery, Mologda, Vologda, 1398
Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12 ; Venerable Cassian the Greek of Uglich, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Lake Siverskoye, Mologa (Siversk)

Sheksna River 1 (Cherepovets and White Lake Monastery)

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River 1, Yagorba River Folder

Yagorba River

Yagorba River Source (Valdai Hills)

Yagorba River Mouth (Cherepovets, Sheksna River 1)

Cherepovetsk (Black Lake) district of Novgorod governance
Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated July 28 ; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17;

Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362
Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; St Theodosius of Cherepovets, Commemorated, Commemorated January 17 ;

Black Lake (Cherepovets) Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362
Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; St Theodosius of Cherepovets, Commemorated January 17 ;

Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda
Cherepovets ; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated November 13; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; St Theodosius of Cherepovets, Commemorated December 20; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Hieromartyr Philósophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31;

Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, 1363
Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, 1363; Saint Athanasius, œthe Iron Staff and Saint Theodosius of Cherepovets, disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17;

Irap near Novgorod, 45 versts from Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda
Irap near Novgorod, 45 versts from Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda Cherepovets ; Saint Philip, Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14; Philip, Abbot of Irap near Novgorod, in the world Theophilus, was the founder of the Irap wilderness-monastery. As an orphan and not remembering his parents, the twelve-year-old Theophilus wandered about and eventually settled near the Komel monastery and lived on charity. Cornelius (May 19) accepted the pious youth into the monastery and after three years tonsured him a monk with the name Philip. Meek, humble and hard-working, at the request of the brethren he was ordained to the priesthood. His striving for greater efforts led him to withdraw to the outskirts of White Lake. having the patronage of Prince Andrew Sheleshpansky, who had allotted him land near the River Irapa, 45 versts from Cherepovets, the monk built a chapel in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity and a cell for himself. News about the holy wilderness-dweller spread throughout all the surrounding area, and monks began to flock to him. The laity also went to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Philip would instruct them in the virtues which those living in the world ought to possess. at the place of the chapel a church was built in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity. Saint Philip dwelt in the wilderness for fifteen years and died in 1537 at age 45. His relics were placed beneath a crypt in the Trinity temple. Over his grave was an icon, painted by the monk Theodosius. Soon after the death of Saint Philip, the Krasnoborsk Philippov monastery arose on the place of his struggles. celebration of Saint Philip was established at the end of the sixteenth century. The manuscript service to him dates from the end of the sixteenth century.

Sheksna River Mouth (Volga River 7)

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River Mouth, Sogozha (Sokhota) River Folder, Poshekhonsky District

Sogozha River

Sogozha River Source (along the border)

Sogozha River 1

Sogozha River 2 (Transfiguration Monastery)

Sogozha River 3 (Poshekhonye)

Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda (Sogozha River 3)
Poshekhonye; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated February 26 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Transfiguration of the Lord monastary, Poshekhonye District, Mologa
Transfiguration of the Lord monestary, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye Commemorated on February 26 Saint Sebastian of Sokhota, Poshekhonye, founded a monastery in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located at the River Sokhota, 90 versts from the city of Romanov (now Tutaev) in the Yaroslav district. The monks of the monastery themselves cultivated the soil and ate through the work of their own hands. The founder of the monastery taught the ascetics this by his own example and guidance. Saint Sebastian reposed about the year 1500. The Transfiguration monastery on the River Sokhota was later annexed to the Cherepovets Ascension monastery, and in 1764 closed down. In the mid-nineteenth century a stone church was built over the relics of Saint Sebastian. The saint is also commemorated on December 18. . Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on December 18 ;

Sogozha River Mouth (Sheksna River 7, Volga River 7)

Poshekhonsky District, Yaroslavl, Mologa, Vologda (Mouth of the Sogozha)
Poshekhonsky District; Finding of the relics of Monastic Martyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, Mologa River Folder, Glushitsa, Battle of Sita River

Mologa River

Mologa River Source (Valdai Hills)

Mologa River North

Mologa River North Source (along the border)

Mologa River 2 (Bezhetsk)

Bezhetsk, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 2)(one of five Novgorod Districts)
Bezhetsk (Mologa River 1); St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20;

Mologa River 1 (Krasny Kholm)

Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 1)
Krasny Kholm; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated January 17 ;

Mologa River 3 (Pestovo)

Mologa River 4 (Ustiuzhena and Zhelezny Bor)

Zhelezny Bor (Mologa River 4)
Zhelezny Bor (Mologa River 4); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable James the Abbot of Zhelezny Bor, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable James, Abbot of Zheleznoborov Commemorated on April 11 James of Zheleznoborov, a son of the noble Anosov (or Amosov) line, which had their lands at Kostroma Galich, was born in the second half of the fourteenth century. As a youth he went to Saint Sergius of Radonezh, received monastic tonsure from him, and lived at the Trinity monastery for several years. 1392 Saint James settled in a dense forest near iron mines, at a place which was called the Iron Pines, at the banks of the rivulet Tebza. His sanctity of life was already known in his own time. In 1415 the wife of Great Prince Basil (1389-1425), Sophia (in monasticism Syncletica, + 1453) fell seriously ill before childbirth. The Great Prince sent a message to Saint James begging the monk to pray for his wife, and asking whether she would live. The saint told him to pray to the holy Martyr Longinus and foretold the happy birth of a son, Basil. (In 1450, this son, Great Prince Basil (1425-1462), visited the monastery of Saint James and prayed there with gratitude for his victory over Prince Demetrius Shemyaka). grateful Prince Basil generously rewarded Saint James and gave him money to build a monastery with a church in honor of the holy Prophet John the Forerunner. In 1429, the Khazan Tatars laid waste the surroundings of Galich. Saint James hid deep in the forest with his disciples. When they returned, they found the monastery in ruins. Everything had to be rebuilt. saint built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and he dug out ponds with the brethren. On the example of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery a strict cenobitic rule was introduced. Many of the hungry and destitute people, devastated by the Tatars, were fed at the monastery. many years of common ascetical efforts, the monks entreated Saint James to be their igumen. He humbly submitted to their request and journeyed to Moscow, where he was ordained a priest. Saint James died on April 11, 1442 and was buried at the John the Forerunner church of the monastery he founded.

Ustiuzhena, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa 4) delivered from Swedes and Polish by intercession of Queen of Heaven

Blue Jay Lake? (a lake 20 Versts from Ustiuzhena)
Blue Jay Lake? (a lake 20 Versts from Ustiuzhena) Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20;

Mologa River Mouth (Volga River 7)

Glushitsa, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River Mouth, Volga River 7)
Glushitsa, Mologa, Vologda; St. Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushitsa, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1;

Sit River

Sit River Source

Battle of the Sit (Sita) River, 1238
Battle of the Sit (Sita) River; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4;

Sit River Mouth (Mologa River Mouth, Volga River 7)

Russia, Vologda, Mologa, Kouzha River Folder

Kouzha River

Lake Kovzhskoye, Valdai Hills, Kouzha Source, Mologa, Vologda
Lake Kovzhskoye; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9;

Kouzha River Source (Lake Kovzhskoye, Valdai Hills)

Kouzha River 1

Oshevensk - the most beautiful village in Russia
Oshevensk - the most beautiful village in Russia, Museum and Exhibition Complex Oshevensk, 50 miles northwest of Kargopol on the Churyuga River.; Kargopol; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20;

Oshevensk, 50 miles northwest of Kargopol on the Churyuga River.
Oshevensk, 50 miles northwest of Kargopol on the Churyuga River.; Kargopol; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20;

Kouzha River Mouth (White Lake)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea Folder (Water goes to White Sea)

White Sea
White Sea; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Zosimas of Solovki, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14 ; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Arkhangelsk province (the whole White Sea Region)
Arkhangelsk province; Oblast (Russian: Арха́нгельская о́бласть, romanized: Arkhangelskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Arkhangelsk Oblast also has administrative jurisdiction over the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Including the NAO, Arkhangelsk Oblast has an area of 587,400 square kilometres (226,800 sq mi). Its population (including the NAO) was 1,227,626 as of the 2010 Census.[15] city of Arkhangelsk, with a population of 301,199 as of the 2021 Census,[16] is the administrative center of the oblast.[4] The second largest city is the nearby Severodvinsk, home to Sevmash, a major shipyard for the Russian Navy. Among the oldest populated places of the oblast are Kholmogory, Kargopol, and Solvychegodsk; there are a number of Russian Orthodox monasteries, including the Antoniev Siysky Monastery and the World Heritage Site of the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea. Cosmodrome is one of three spaceports in Russia (the other two are Kapustin Yar in Astrakhan Oblast and Yasny in Orenburg Oblast). Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Vyg River Folder, Karelia

Vyg River

Vyg River - Upper Vyg River
Vyg River - Upper Vyg River; St. Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Upper Vyg River, Karelia, White Sea Region, Vologda
Upper Vyg River, White Sea Region, Vologda; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ;

Karelian People (from St Petersburg up to the White Sea)
Karelian People; Karelia; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Karelia, White Sea Region, Vologda, Vyg River
Karelia; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Karelia, Republic of Karelia, White Sea Region, Vologda
Republic of Karelia ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated Decimber 4 ; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ;

Vyg River Mouth (Solovki, Onega Bay, White Sea)
Venerable Sabbatius the Wonderworker of Solovki, Commemorated on September 27;

Suma, Karelia (Sumiskiy Posad) (Suma River near Vyg River Mouth)
Suma, Karelia (Sumiskiy Posad); Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14;

Soroka, Russia, Vyg Mouth, White Sea
Soroka, Russia, Vyg Mouth, White Sea; Venerable Sabbatius, Wonderworker of Solovki, Commemorated on September 27

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Solovki Folder

Solovki Island, White Sea, Vologda
Solovki prison camp and monestary: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki.; Venerable Irenarchus the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Job of Ushchelsk, Commemorated August 5; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God "œO All-Hymned Mother"Â, Commemorated on October 6; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Filomonov Wharf, Solovki, White Sea Area
Filomonov Wharf: at the Solovki Prison Camp and Solovetsky monestary seven versts (kilometers) from Solovki. Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Keretsk, Lake Keretsk, White Sea Region
Lake Keretsk ; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ;

Solovetsky Monastery, White Sea, 1436
Solovetsky Monastery ; Venerable Irenarchus the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow; Venerable Job of Ushchelsk, Commemorated on August 5; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Zosimas of Solovki, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17 ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14; Translation of the relics of Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on July 3 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Solovki Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration) cathedral, Solovki, 1556
Solovki Preobrazhensky (Transfiguration) cathedral, Solovki, 1556; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sabbatius of Solovki, Commemorated on August 8;

Solovki prison camp, White Sea
Solovki prison camp: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki. Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Kemperpunkt camp, Solovki prison camp, White Sea
Solovki prison camp: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki. Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Solovki Islands, White Sea
Solovki Islands; Venerable Irenarchus the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on July 17; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki ; Second Translation of the relics of the Venerable Zosimas of Solovki; Venerable Sabbatius the Wonderworker of Solovki, September 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœO All-Hymned MotherÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 6; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14 ;

Anzersk Island, Solovki
Anzersk Island, Solovki; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Onega River Folder (Onega Bay)

Onega Lake and River, Land of the Chud People (east of St Petersburg)
Chud People; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8;

Onega River

Onega River Source (Lake Lacha, Valdai Hills)
Lake Lacha ;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Onega River Source, Lake Vozha and Sora River Folder

Sovza River (Sora River?)

Sora River Source, Valdai Hills

Sora, Vologda (Sora River Mouth, Vozhe Lake)
Sora? Since the Sora river of Vologda and Lake Kuben is described as this river, the Sora would probably be this location. Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Lake Vozha, Onega Source, White Sea
Lake Vozha; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk;

Vazheozersk, Vologda
Vazheozersk; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9;

Svid River

Svid River from Vozhe to Lacha

Oshevensk is 50 miles NW of Kargopol on Kouzha River

Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha)
Kargopol; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20;

Chelma Hill, Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha)
Kargopol; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ;

Kargopolsky District, White Sea Region, Vologda
Kargopolsky District; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated December 8 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20;

Lake Lacha
Lake Lacha ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Chelma Hill, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9;

Onega River 1

Onega River 2 (Pachomiev Monastery, Kena River)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Onega River 2, Kena River Folder

Kena River

Kena River Source (Lake Kenozero, Valdai Hills)

Keno Lake, Onega River, White Sea, Vologda (Lake Kenozero, Kena River)
Keno Lake (Lake Kenozero, Kena River); St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ;

Kena River 1

Pachomiev wilderness monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, 1493
Pachomiev wilderness monastery somewhere on the short River Kena. Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7; St. Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7;

Ancient church of st. paraskeva. village izmailovskaya .arkhangelsk region, russia
Ancient church of st. paraskeva. village izmailovskaya .arkhangelsk region, russia; St. Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa monastery; Multiplier of Wheat Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 15;

Kena River Mouth (Onega River 2)

Onega River 3

Onega River 4 (near Kozhe Lake)

Onega River 5 (Koza River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Onega River 5, Koza River Folder

Koza River

Koza River 1 (Kozhe Lake)

Kozheozersky Monastery (Onega Basin)
Kozheozersky Monestary; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Kozhe Lake (Lake Kozhozero)
Lake Kozhozero; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Koza River Mouth (Onega River 5)

Koza River Source

Onega River Mouth (Onega Bay, White Sea)
Venerable Sabbatius the Wonderworker of Solovki, Commemorated on September 27; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River Folder

Northern Dvina River

Northern Dvina River Source (Yug and Sukhona (Kuben) Rivers

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Sukhona River Folder, Lake Kuben, Ustiug

Sukhona (Kuben) River

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River Source, Lake Kuben Folder, Kubena,Sora Rivers

Lake Kuben Folder

Lake Kuben
Lake Kuben or Lake Kubenskoye; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21;

Savior-Kamen aka Savior-Stone (Spaso-Kamen) monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, 1260
Savior-Kamen monastery; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, August 2nd ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; +- Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9

Kamenny monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, 1260
Kamenny monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, 1260; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, August 2nd ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; +- Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ;

Zaonikev Monastery (Lake Kuben, Kubensk, Vologda, Kamenny Monastery) 1260
Kamenny Monastery; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ;

Kubena River Folder

Kubena River

Kubena River Source (along the border, to the Volga)

Vologda forest (Vologda Region)
Vologda forest; Vologda Oblast is mostly forest, the saints referred to Vologda Region as the whole drainage to the north and east, and sometimes everything north of the Volga. Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Kubena River Mouth (Lake Kuben)

Kubensk, Vologda (Kuben aka Kushta River, only river source for Lake Kuben)
Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben) is not defined in wikipedia, but it is probably right here next to the Kubena River at the mouth of Lake Kuben. , near Kamenny Monastery. ; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9;

Kushta Monastery (Kuben aka Kushta River, only river source for Lake Kuben)
Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben) is not defined in wikipedia, but it is probably right here next to the Kubena River at the mouth of Lake Kuben, near Kamenny Monastery. ; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9;

Syanzhema aka Syazhem River Folder

Syanzhema River

Syanzhemsk River Source (along the border, to the Volga)

Syanzhema aka Syazhem River Mouth (Kubena River, Vologda)
Syamzhena River; Venerable Chariton of Syanzhemsk, Vologda; Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Kushta, Vologda, Commemorated on June 9;

Syanzhemsk (Sukhona (Kuben) River Source, Syanzhema River Mouth)
Syanzhemsk (Sukhona (Kuben) River Source, Syanzhema River Mouth) Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20;

Sukhona (Kuben) River Source (Lake Kuben)

Sukhona (Kuben) River 1 (Vologda River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 1, Lezha River Folder

Lezha River

Lezha River Source (along the border)

Lezha River Mouth (Sukhona River 1)

Sukhona (Kuben) River 2 (Sodima River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 2, Sodima River Folder

Sodima River

Kadnikova (Sodima and Rabanga Rivers, Vologda)
Kadnikova (Sodima River); Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24 ; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15 ;

Rabanga River

Rabanga (Sodima and Rabanga Rivers, Vologda)
Kadnikova (Sodima River); Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24 ; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15 ;

Sodima River Mouth (Sukhona (Kuben) River 2)

Sukhona river 3 (Dvinista River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 3, Dvinista River Folder

Dvinista River

Dvinista River Source (southeast of the town of Kharovsk, to the Volga)

Dvinista River 1

Dvinista River 2

Dvinista River 3

Dvinitsa River Mouth (Sukhona River 3)

Sukhona River 4

Sukhona River 5 (Totma)

Totma Ephraimov (Spaso-Sumorin) monastery, Vologda, 1554 & 1685
Spaso-Sumorin monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Totma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5)
Totma (Sukhona River 5); Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; Blessed Andrew of Totma the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on October 10 ; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated January 28 ;

Spaso-Sumorin (Totma Ephraimov) monastery, Vologda, 1554 & 1685
Spaso-Sumorin monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Tiksnensk [Totemsk] District (Sukhona River 5)
Totemsk District; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ;

Sukhona River 6

Sukhona River 7

Sukhona (Kuben) River Mouth (Ustiug, Yug River Mouth, Northern Dvina River Source)
St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated August 17 ;

Ustiug, Vologda (Skukhona and Yug Rivers, Northern Dvina Source)
Ustiug, Vologda; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug ; St Cyprian of Ustiug, Commemorated September 29 ; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated October 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated July 28 ; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River Folder, Ustiug

Yug River

Yug River Source (along the border)

Yug River 1 (Sharzhenga River)

Sharzhenga River Mouth (Yug River 1)

Yug River 2 (Volomsk Forest)

Volomsk forest (Yug River 2)
Volomsk forest is 80 versts southwest of Ustiug at Kichmenga River; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28;

Yuga Monastery, Volomsk forest (Yug River 2) 1605
Volomsk forest is 80 versts southwest of Ustiug at Kichmenga River; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Wonderworking Yuga Icon of the Mother of God appeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the Elder Saint Dorotheus, schemamonk of the Pskov Caves monastery. The Mother of God, during an invasion of the Swedes, commanded him to take Her image to a place She specified, and to bring the icon to Yaroslav diocese and to start a monastery there . igumen of the monastery would not agree to give up the Icon of the Mother of God, but She appeared to him in a vision commanding him to fulfill Her will and let Elder Dorotheus take Her icon. Elder Dorotheus came to the place specified in the vision, stopped to rest, and put the holy icon upon a tree. he wanted to continue the journey, then some invisible power prevented him from taking the holy icon from the tree. Saint Dorotheus realized that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place. He then built a small hut and stayed near the holy icon. News of the Elder’s arrival quickly spread through the surrounding villages. Pilgrims came to venerate the holy icon, from which many healings took place. Money was collected by the pious local inhabitants, and construction of a new monastery began. Dorotheus died in the year 1622. Clergy presented accounts of miracles to Patriarch Philaret. They received his blessing to establish a monastery at the River Yuga with church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery became known as the Yuga. In 1654, by the intercession of the Mother of God, a deadly pestilence was halted in that place.

Kichmenga River Mouth (at Yug River 2)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River 3, Luza River Folder

Luza River

Luza River Source (along the border)

Luza River 1

Luza River 2

Luza River 3

Luza River 7 (Lalsk, Lala River Mouth)

Lalsk (Lala River Mouth at Luza River 7)
Lalsk (Lala River Mouth at Luza River 7); Venerable Leonid of Ustnedumsk, Commemorated July 17 ;

Luza River 8 (Luza)

Luza (Luza River 8)
Luza (Luza River 8) ; Venerable Leonid of Ustnedumsk, Commemorated July 17 ;

Luza River Mouth (Yug River 3)

Yug River Mouth (Ustiug, Skukhona (Kuben) River Mouth, Northern Dvina River Source)

Ustiug, Vologda (Yug and Skukhona Rivers, Northern Dvina Source)
Ustiug, Vologda; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17 ; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug ; St Cyprian of Ustiug, Commemorated September 29 ; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated October 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated July 28 ; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda, Commemorated on July 8;

Gledeno, Troitse-Gledensky Monastery, 1492
Troitse-Gledensky Monastery, 1492; St. Cyprian of Ustiug, Commemorated on September 29;

Holy Trinity Monastery at Gledeno, 1212
Holy Trinity Monastery at Gledeno, 1212; St. Cyprian of Ustiug, Commemorated on September 29;

Great Ustiug, Vologda (Veliky Ustiug, Northern Dvina Source)
Veliky Ustiug, Vologda (Great Ustiug), the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug Rivers. and the source of the Northern Dvina River; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug ; St Cyprian of Ustiug; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated October 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13 ; Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustiug, Vologda; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Repose of the Blessed John of Ustiug the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Barnabas the Abbot of Vetluga, Commemorated on June 11;

Northern Dvina River 1 (Solvychegodsk, Vychegda River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River Folder

Vychegda River

Vychegda River Source (Central Timan Ridge, Komi Republic)
Komi Republic;

Timan Ridge, Central
Timan Ridge;

Vychegda River 1

Vychegda River 2

Vychegda River 3 (Sysola, Sysola River)

Sysola (Sysola River Mouth, Vychegda River 3)
Syktyvkar or Sysola;

Sysola River Mouth (Vychegda River 3)

Ust-Sysolsk (Sysola)

Zelenets Transmitter (Komi Republic)
Zelenets, Volkhovsky District, Zelenets Trinity Monastery; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1;

Ust-Vym, Vologda (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3)
Ust-Vym; St. Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Vym River

Vym River Source (Timan Ridge, South)

Timan Ridge, South
Timan Ridge;

Aykino, Ust-Vym, Vologda (Vychegda River 4)
Aykino, Ust-Vym (Vychegda River 4); St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Ust-Vym District, Vologda (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3 Centered in Aykino)
Ust-Vym District; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St. Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Vychegda River 4 (Soyga, Yarenga River Mouth, Ust-Vym)

Soyga, Vologda (Vychegda River 4.5) 1541
Soyga (located approximately half-way between Solvychegodsk and Yarensk Soyga is 60k or Versts from Solvychegodsk; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ;

Soyga Monastery, Vologda (Vychegda River 4.5) 1541
Soyga (located approximately half-way between Solvychegodsk and Yarensk Soyga is 60k or Versts from Solvychegodsk; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River 4, Yarenga River Folder, Vologda

Yarenga River

Yarenga River Source (Komi Republic)

Yarenga River 1

Yarenga, Vologda, Zyryan (Yarenga River 1)
Yarenga; Venerable Longinus of Yarenga; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ;

Yarenga River 2

Yarenga River 3

Yarenga River Mouth (Vychegda River 4)

Yarenga, Vologda, Zyryan (Yarensk, Yarenga River Mouth)
Yarenga (Yarensk) ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ;

Vychegda River Mouth (Northern Dvina River 1)

Zyrian Church No. 1 (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1)
Zyrian Church No. 1 (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1) ; St. Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ;

Vychegda, Vologda (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1) St Christopher icon and Spring
Koryazhemsk monastery, Vychegda, Vologda (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1); Solvychegodsk (Vychegda River 5) ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Christopher, Commemorated July 28 ; 1555, the Icon of the Mother of God “Of Saint Christopher” was put in the church of the monastery founded by Saint Christopher of Solvychegodsk (July 25), a disciple of Saint Longinus of Koryazkemsk (February 10). icon was glorified by many miracles, and near the monastery a spring of healing water flows from the earth. Saint Christopher Icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ;

Solvychegodsk, Vologda (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1) St Christopher Icon and spring
Solvychegodsk (Vychegda River 5) ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Christopher, Commemorated July 28 ; 1555, the Icon of the Mother of God “Of Saint Christopher” was put in the church of the monastery founded by Saint Christopher of Solvychegodsk (July 25), a disciple of Saint Longinus of Koryazkemsk (February 10). icon was glorified by many miracles, and near the monastery a spring of healing water flows from the earth. Saint Christopher Icon is one of the Hodegetria type. Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River Mouth, Koryazhma River Folder

Koryazhma River

Koryazhma River Source (along the border)

Koryazhma River Mouth

Koryazhma, Vologda (Koryazhma River Mouth, near Vychegda River Mouth)
Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ; Koryazhemsk monastery; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10 ;

Koryazhemsk monastery, Vologda, 1535
Koryazhemsk monastery; Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Longinus of Koryazhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated February 10;

Northern Dvina River 2

Northern Dvina River 3 (Vaga River Mouth)

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 3, Vaga River Folder

Vaga River

Vaga River Source (along the border west of Pakhtusovo)
Vaga River;

Verkhovazhye (Vega River 1)
Verkhovazhye (Vega River 1); Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18;

Vaga River 1 (Pezhma River)

Pezhma River Mouth (Vaga River 1)

Vaga River 2 (Kuloy River)

Kuloy River Mouth (Vaga River 2)

Vaga River 3 (Vel River and Arkhangelsk Oblast)

Vel River (Arkhangelsk Oblast) Mouth (Vaga River 3)

Vaga River 4 (Ustya River)

Ustya River Mouth (Vaga River 4)

Vaga River 5 (Shenkursk, Puya River Mouth)

Puya River Mouth (Vaga River 5)

Vaga River 6 (Led River)

Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6)
Shenkursk (Vaga River) ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Barlaam of Shenkursk, Commemorated on June 19;

Led River Mouth (Vaga River 6)

Vaga River Mouth (Northern Dvina River 3)

Northern Dvina River 4

Russia,Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina 4, Mikhailov Folder, Siya Monastery

Archangelsk monastery, White Sea area, Northern Dvina 4, 1520
Archangelsk monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Siya Monastery Arkhangelsk, Mikhailov Peninsula, Northern Dvina River 4, of St Anthony of Siya Pinega 2.5
Siya Monastery of St Anthony of Siya; Venerable Anthony, Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated on December 7;

Mikhailov Island (Northern Dvina River 4)
Mikhailov Island; Antonievo-Siysky Monastery; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ;

Antonievo-Siysky Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda (Northern Dvina 4) 1520
Antonievo-Siysky Monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14 ;

Northern Dvina River 5 (Pinega River Mouth)

Kholmogor, White Sea, Vologda (Piinyega River, Northern Dvina 5)
Kholmogor ; Because it has a church, Kholmogor is a selo. St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 5, Pinega River Folder

Pinega River

Pinyega, Archangelesk (Pinega River 5)
Pinyega, Archangelesk ; Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Pinezhsky District, White Sea, Vologda (Pinega River 4)
Pinezhsky District; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, Commemorated October 20 ; Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery in Pinezhsky (Pinega River 3)
Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, where subsequently the town of Pinezhsky is located;

Pinega River Source (Belaya and Chyornaya Rivers confluence)

Pinega River 1

Pinega River 2

Pinega River 3

Pinega River 4 (Verkola)

Verkola, village in Pinezhsky Uyezd (Pinega River 4)
village of Verkola in Pinezhsky; Uyezd in Arkhangelsk Governorate; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, Commemorated October 20; Righteous Artemius of Verkola was born in the village of Dvina Verkhol around the year 1532. son of pious parents, Artemius was a child who was courageous, meek and diligent for every good deed. June 23, 1545 the twelve-year-old Artemius and his father were taken by surprise in a field by a thunderstorm. A clap of thunder broke right over their heads, and the child Artemius fell dead. thought that this was a sign of God’s judgment, therefore they left the body in a pine forest without a funeral, and without burial. years later, the village reader beheld a light over the place where the incorrupt body of the Righteous Artemius lay. to the church of Saint Nicholas in 1577, the holy relics were shown to be a source of numerous healings. this village a monastery was later built, called the Verkhol. 1918, the impious Soviets chopped the holy relics into pieces and threw them into a well. The memory of Saint Artemius is also celebrated on October 20. Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23;

Pinega River 5 (Pinyega)

Pinega River Mouth (Kholmogor, Northern Dvina River 5)

Malopinyega district (Pinyega River and Northern Dvina 5) Malopinyega d probably somewhere near here
Malopinyega (Pinyega River and Northern Dvina 5) Malopinyega probably somewhere near here Saint Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16

Northern Dvina River Mouth (Archangelsk, Dvina Bay of White Sea)
Dvina River;

Archangelsk, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Northern Dvina Mouth
Archangelsk, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Northern Dvina Mouth; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14;

Archangelsk (Dvina Bay White Sea, Northern Dvina Mouth)
Archangelsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated on August 22; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. 1654, Hieromonk Makarios of Krasnogorsk Monastery brought the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (which had been brought from Persia) to Moscow for restoration, and to be covered with a new riza. It was placed in the newly-built church, dedicated to the Life-giving Trinity, at Nikitnikov Lane near the Saint Barbara Gate, where the Kremlin masters carried on their iconographic work. Gregory Nikitnikov had built the church on his property at his own expense (1628-1651). In the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint Nikḗtas (September 15). Members of the Nikitnikov family were also entombed there. that time, a plague or pestilence was raging in Moscow. At the request of the master silversmith Gabriel Evdokimov, whose son was near death, a Moleben was served in his house before the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God from Krasnogorsk Monastery. The patient soon recovered. In gratitude for this miraculous healing, a copy of Georgian Icon was made and placed in Holy Trinity church. From that time, the church was also called Georgian. gracious help of the Most Holy Theotokos continued to be conferred by the aforementioned copy of her Icon. During the plague epidemic of 1654, the Moscow merchant Stephanov prayed continuously to the Queen of Heaven. The Most Holy Virgin appeared to him three times in a dream saying: "Pray to the Georgian Theotokos, on the Glinishchi at the mills, and you will be spared." The Holy Trinity church at Nikitniki was also called the church of the Great Martyr Nikḗtas (one of the chapels) on Glinishchi, near the mills. The merchant did not take his family from Moscow as he intended, but began to pray fervently in the Holy Trinity church. The epidemic did not touch him or his family. Churchwide celebration of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was established with the blessing of Patriarch Nikon in 1654. In 1698, the caretaker of the Moscow printing house Theodore Polikarpov compiled a second edition of the Service. the liberation of Moscow from Napoleon's troops, on December 1, 1812 the wonderworking Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, along with other miraculous Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (Vladimir, Iveron, and Assuage my Sorrows) were carried in solemn procession around the Kremlin. 1904, a chapel was built in Holy Trinity church in honor of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Now this Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitnikov (Razin Street). healings were granted by the Most Holy Theotokos through her wonderworking Icon, which were documented and verified at the end of the XIX century. For example, on June 17, 1887, Lydia Tserkovnitskaya, the wife of a priest in the village of Shuysk, Vologda Province, was critically ill. She recovered after praying before the wonderworking Georgian Icon. There is historical evidence of four more Georgian icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which was in Moscow's Alekseevsky Convent, church evidence reports that it is not a copy of the Icons from Krasnogorsk Monastery nor from Holy Trinity church at Nikitnikov, which were brought from Georgia. In the same deadly plague epidemic of 1654, one of the nuns at the Alekseev Convent fell ill. While she addressed long prayers to the Heavenly Healer, the sick woman suddenly remembered the miraculous recovery she had heard about from the Icon of the Mother of God, which is in the church of the Life-giving Trinity by Saint Barbara's Gate. However, there was no one to send there. After some time, an unknown monk came to the Convent. Turning to the sick nun, he said: "Do not be sad that the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God cannot be brought here. You have here exactly the same Icon as the one brought from Georgia. You will find it in the cave, and you shall behold God's mercy." allegorical meaning of these words became clear afterward in the monastery sacristy, which was laid out like caves, when a hitherto unknown Icon of the Mother of God was discovered. After a Moleben, the miraculous Icon was carried to the cells of the nuns who were suffering from the pestilence. All of them were healed. From that time, the epidemic in Moscow began to abate. the prayerful intercession of the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Alekseev Convent, the blind Princess Martha Prozorovskaya received miraculous healing in 1662. She gained her sight by the prayers of her parents, after seven years of serious illness. the northwest of Kazan, 18 versts from the city of Sviyazhsk, in the middle of the XVII century was the Raithu communal Hermitage of the Theotokos, which got its name from one of its churches, which was dedicated to the Venerable Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu (January 14). Tradition states that during the construction of the monastery, Metropolitan Laurence of Kazan, by a revelation from above, sent the best local iconographers to Pinega, to the Krasnogorsk Monastery, which was very far from Kazan, in order to make a faithful copy of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Persia. 1661, a skillfully executed copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was delivered from Arkhangelsk. It became highly revered by the local population. Subsequently, this Icon was placed in the cathedral church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. the XVIII century, the pious peasants of the village of Klyucharev, Korchev county, Tver Province, presented the caretaker of the Moscow Archangel Cathedral with a copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which became highly regarded by the locals, when the rye crop was threatened with destruction in the late 1860s. Vast fields of newly-sprouted crops were being eaten by an unknown worm, and nothing they did was of any use. Then the peasants prayed for help to the Most Holy Theotokos, whose Georgian Icon they revered. After a Cross Procession around the fields with the Icon, a sudden, unprecedented torrential rain fell. Streams of water washed the worms out of the ground, which were eaten by a large flock of birds. See also other revered copies of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God in the Protection church at Vorontsov Field, and in the Holy Cross Church in the city of Tula. Icon disappeared after the closure of the monastery (1920-1922), and later it was returned to the monastery. In his 1946 report to the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Leonty (Smirnov) of Arkhangelsk states that the Georgian Icon was carried in a procession, which took place at Arkhangelsk in 1946. The further fate of the Georgian Icon is unknown. St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Nicholas Church, Archangelsk
Nicholas Church, Archangelsk; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14;

Karelian Nikolaev monastery, White Sea Region (Northern Dvina Mouth) 1410
Karelian Nikolaev monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18;

Keurola, Resurrection monastery in the city of Keurola, Probable Location, (Northern Dvina Mouth) 1410
Karelian Nikolaev monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18;

Pertominsk, Arkhanglsk (Northern Dvina River Mouth)
Pertominsk, Arkhanglsk; is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Pertominskoye Rural Settlement of Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. The population was 252 as of 2010.[2] There are 12 streets. concentration camp was the site of a concentration camp established by the Soviet Union in which various political rivals of the Bolsheviks were detained. This was one of the first such camps, established by the Cheka in 1919.[3] Along with the death camp set up by Mikhail Kedrov in Kholmogory it was part of the Northern Camps of Special Designation.[3] Finding of the Relics of Venerable Bassian and Jonah, Monks of , Commemorated on June 5; Bassian and Jonah were monks of the Solovki Transfiguration monastery and disciples of Igumen Philip, who later became Metropolitan of Moscow (January 9). holy monks were glorified by the Lord after their death in 1561. and sailors came to pray in the chapel, built in 1599 over their grave by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery Elder Mamant. There in 1623 the hieromonk James founded a monastery, called Pertominsk.

The side of the Icy Sea
Karelian Nikolaev monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18;

Russia, Vologda, White Sea, Kola Peninsula Folder

Kola Peninsula, White Sea Region, Vologda
Kola Peninsula; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ; St Barlaam of Keretsk, Commemorated January 15 ;

Kola Peninsula - Lapland
Lapland: land of the Sapmi People (Laplanders). Lapland has no capital but Murmansk is its largest city. Above the Artic Circle, it is the northern part of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ;

Lapland - Kola Peninsula
Lapland: land of the Sapmi People (Laplanders). Lapland has no capital but Murmansk is its largest city. Above the Artic Circle, it is the northern part of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ;

Sura Lake, White Sea Region, Vologda
Lake Sura

Kola River

Kola River Source

Kola River Mouth
Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17 ; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola;

Murmansk (Kola River, Lapland)
Murmansk (Kola River) is the largest city in Murmansk Oblast and all of Lapland; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ;

Kola (Murmansk, Kola River, Lapland)
Murmansk (Kola River) is the largest city in Murmansk Oblast and all of Lapland; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ;

Novoezersk, Novgorod (nearMurmansk and Kola River in Lapland)
Novoezersk, Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4;

New Lake, Novoezersk (nearMurmansk and Kola River in Lapland)
Novoezersk, Novgorod; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4;

Pechenga River

Pechenga Bay (Barrents Sea)

Pechenga River Source

Pechenga River 1

Pechenga River 2

Pechenga River 3 (Pechenga)

Pechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth)
Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk); Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Priestmonk Jonah the Martyr of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ;

Pechenga Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, Kola, 1492 or 1533
Pechenga Monastery; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk); Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ; Priestmonk Jonah the Martyr of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ;

Pechenga River Mouth (Kola Penninsula)

Russia, Vologda, Pechora River Folder (Artic Ocean)

Pechora River

Pechora River Source (Pechora, Komi Republic)
Komi Republic;

Pechora River 1 (Yugra Land)

Pechora River 2

Pechora River Mouth (Artic Ocean)

Pechora, Komi Republic ( Pechora River Source)
Pechora, Komi Republic; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Zyryani, Lands of the Zyryani people 1 (Komi Republic, Vologda)
Lands of the Zyryani (Komi) people 1 (Komi Republic, Vologda); St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Yugra Land (Land of the Voguls, Pechora River, Vologda)
Yugra Land; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Russia, Vologda, Mezen River Folder (Mezen Bay, White Sea)

Mezen River

Mezen Bay (Mezen Frontier)
Mezen Bay (Mezen Frontier); Venerable Job of Ushchelsk, Commemorated August 5;

Mezen River Source (North Timan Ridge, Komi Republic)
Komi Republic;

Timan Ridge, North
Timan Ridge;

Mezen River Mouth (Mezen Bay, White Sea)

Ushchelsk, Mezen (Confluence of Ezeg abd Vazhka Rivers)
Ushchelsk (Confluence of Ezeg abd Vazhka Rivers); Venerable Job of Ushchelsk, Commemorated August 5;

Ezeg River

Ezeg River Source (Komi Republic)

Vazhka River

Vazhka River Source (Komi Republic)

Vazhka River Mouth (Ushchelsk, Mezen River)

Russia, Volhynia Folder, Up the Rivers, in Southwestern Russia

Russia, Volhynia Region (western trade route, up rivers, Horyn, Styr, Prypiat, Southern Bug and Western Bug Rivers)
Volhynia (Rivers Horyn, Styr, Prypiat, and Western Bug) ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4 ; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Russia, Volhynia History Folder

Russia, Volhynia, 900, 10th Century Folder, Vladimir tGreat in Volhynia, Baptism of the Rus

Russia, Volhynia, 980-1015, Volhynia Ruler, Vladimir the Great of Kiev, established Volhynia and Vladimir
Kiev Rus King, 980-1015, Vladimir the Great ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; St Procopius, Commemorated on September 16; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Volhynia, 988, Baptism of Rus, August 1st, 988, Vladimir the Great of Kiev
Baptism of Rus, Kiev, August 1st, 988; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 5; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Volhynia, 1000, 11th Century Folder, Yaroslav tWise, Trade wPoland, Princely Feuds

Russia, Volhynia, 1019-1054, Rus King, Yaroslav the Wise, trade, Poland to Cherginov, allied w Sweden
Russia, Volhynia, 1019-1054, Rus King, Yaroslav the Wise; Russia, Volhynia, 1054-1078, Rus King, Iziaslav I of Kiev;

Russia, Volhynia, 1040-1054, Prince of Lutsk, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, St Nicholas, Yaroslavich, Y's son
Kiev Rus King, 1040-1077, Sviatoslav II of Kiev, St Nicholas Sviatoslav ; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2;

Russia, Volhynia, 1054-1078, Rus King, Iziaslav I of Kiev, Y's oldest son, law code, K Caves
Russia, Volhynia, 1054-1078, Rus King, Iziaslav I of Kiev;

Russia, Volhynia, 1070-1087, Yaropolk Izyaslavich, Vladimir, Volhynia, very pious&generous ttChurch, gs Y tWise, ggs Vlad tG
Russia, Volhynia, 1070-1087, Yaropolk Izyaslavich, Vladimir, Volhynia, attempted favor HRE Emperors and Pope, extremely pious and generous to the church, gs Y t wise, ggs Vlad t g; Izyaslavich[2] (died 1087) was a Knyaz (prince) during the eleventh-century in the Kievan Rus' kingdom and was the King of Rus (1076–1078). son of Grand Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich by a Polish princess named Gertruda, he is visible in papal sources by the early 1070s but largely absent in contemporary Rus sources until his father's death in 1078. During his father's exile in the 1070s, Yaropolk can be found acting on his father's behalf in an attempt to gain the favor of the German emperors and the papal court of Pope Gregory VII. His father returned to Kiev in 1077 and Yaropolk followed. his father's death Yaropolk was appointed Prince of Volhynia and Prince of Turov in 1078 by the new Grand Prince, his uncle Vsevolod. 1085 Yaropolk had fallen into a state of enmity with the Grand Prince, and by extension the Grand Prince's son Vladimir Monomakh, forcing him to flee to Poland, his mother's homeland. returned in 1086 and made peace with Monomakh but was murdered the same year on a journey to Zvenyhorod.[3] He was remembered in Rus sources as extremely pious and generous to the church and is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. background[edit] was the son of Izyaslav Yaroslavich (died 1078), over-king of the Rus', and Gertruda, daughter of the Polish Duke-King Mieszko II Lambert (died 1034).[4] the Kievan succession war of 1015–1019, the Polish ruler Boleslaw had taken an interest in Ruthenia (Kievan Rus), hoping to gain control of the land of Red Ruthenia (Czerwien Grody), seized by Vladimir the Great.[5] some initial success, the expedition of Boleslaw to Kiev in 1018 failed to establish Svyatopolk Vladimirovich (Boleslaw's son-in-law), Prince of Turov, on the Kievan throne.[5] Polish ruler did at least gain the Red Ruthenia (Czerwien Grody) very briefly, though that was recovered for the Ruthenians by Grand Prince Yaroslav and Mstislav Vladimirovich, Prince of Chernigov, in 1031.[5] Illumination in the Gertrude Psalter depicting Yaropolk and his wife before the Apostle Peter, with Yaropolk's mother Gertruda at the Apostle's feet.[6] 1042 Grand Prince Yaroslav forced Duke Casimir of Poland to settle for a peaceful deal. Casimir recognised Ruthenian control of Red Ruthenia and returned 800 Ruthenian prisoners who had been in Polish custody since being captured two decades before by Boleslaw.[5] was secured by two marriages. Casimir was married to Yaroslav's sister, while Casimir gave his own sister Gertruda to Yaroslav's son, Izyaslav.[5] turmoil[edit] 1054, Yaropolk became the son of the Grand Prince, as in that year Izyaslav ascended the throne of Kiev.[7] rule and thus Yaropolk's security were however quickly challenged by Izyaslav's brother Svyatoslav and by his cousin Vseslav Briacheslavich. this time among the Rurikids, there were two senior branches that could claim the Grand Princeship through descent from Vladimir the Great; namely, the descendants of Yaroslav Vladimirovich and the descendants of Izyaslav Vladimirovich.[7] 1067, Vseslav rebelled in an attempt to overthrow Izyaslav and become Grand Prince himself, claiming the right as a great-grandson of Vladimir the Great through Izyaslav Vladimirovich. attempt was unsuccessful, and ended in his imprisonment. Troubles for Izyaslav were to continue though. 1068, Izyaslav's alleged negligence to the advances and incursions of the Cuman people (Polovtsy) after the defeat at the Battle of the Alta River led the citizens of Kiev to revolt; was released, and took the Kievan throne while Izyaslav fled to Boleslaw in Poland.[8] Polish assistance Izyaslav returned in May 1069, expelled Vseslav and retook the throne. This victory for Izyaslav secured the Kievan throne for the descendants of Yaroslav Vladimirovich, thereafter the descendants of Izyaslav Vladimirovich confined themselves to Polotsk where they reigned with semi-independent status.[7] and exile to the west[edit] Christ crowning Yaropolk and his mother Gertruda, eleventh-century miniature from the Gertrude Psalter. the successful exclusion of the Polotsk Rurikids, in 1073 Izyaslav was expelled from the Kievan throne by his brothers, Svyatoslav, Prince of Chernigov, and Vsevolod, Prince of Pereyaslavl.[5] Boleslaw was not as willing or able to assist Izyaslav this time around, and probably for this reason Izyaslav traveled further West; at Mainz in early 1075, Izyaslav sought the aid of King Henry IV of Germany, but to no avail.[9] sent Yaropolk to Rome to request aid from Pope Gregory VII.[9] is likely that while there Yaropolk made complaints about Boleslaw and about the money the latter had formerly seized from Izyaslav, as the pope subsequently issued a request that Boleslaw return it.[9] Gregory addressed a letter to Izyaslav, called "Demetrius", "King of the Russians", and to his "queen" Gertruda.[10] The letter noted that Yaropolk, called "Peter", had given his own as well as his father's fidelity to the pope, and that it had been requested that the "kingdom of the Ruthenians" be held of St Peter.[11] Two papal legates were sent to Izyaslav, and Izyaslav was urged to give them his full co-operation.[11] was only after Svyatoslav's death in late 1076 that Izyaslav was able to recover the status of Grand Prince. Vsevolod, who had previously fought against him, was appointed Prince of Chernigov and thus heir to the Kievan throne, explaining perhaps Vsevolod's lack of opposition.[7] Poles were persuaded by the papacy to give Izyaslav assistance recovering his kingdom, and on July 15, 1077, Izyaslav re-entered Kiev.[11] Yaropolk[edit] is found aiding his father and his uncle Vsevolod in 1078, when Oleg Svyatoslavich (and his brother Boris) attempted to gain the throne of Chernigov from Vsevolod. had been allied to the Polovtsy, and with their help defeated Vsevolod in battle. Grand Prince Izyaslav and Yaropolk, as well as Vsevolod's son Vladimir Monomakh, were able to reverse this result, and Oleg was forced to retreat to Tmutorokan. Grand Prince Izyaslav, Yaropolk's father, died as a result of the battle.[7] Primary Chronicle records that in 1078 before the death of Izyaslav, Yaropolk was "ruling in Vyshhorod", a city north of Kiev, while his brother Svyatopolk ruled as Prince of Novgorod, and Vladimir Monomakh ruled as Prince of Smolensk.[12] his uncle Vsevolod had become Grand Prince, Yaropolk was given Vladimir-in-Volhynia and Turov, while Monomakh received Chernigov.[13] is known for the following eight years, but by 1085 Vsevolod and Yaropolk are reported to have become entrenched against each other. The laconic account of these developments in the Primary Chronicle makes the course of events far from transparent. and Vladimir Rostislavich, two Galicia-based princes unhappy with territorial settlement under Vsevolod, were said to have attempted to expel Yaropolk in 1084, Grand Prince Vsevolod's son Vladimir Monomakh drove these Rostislavchi away.[14] this, a gift made by the Grand Prince to Davyd Igorevich, which included land in Volhynia and control of trade with the Byzantine Empire, is said to have made Yaropolk hostile to the Grand Prince. 1085 Vsevolod and Yaropolk are reported to have become entrenched against each other, and Vsevolod ordered his son, Vladimir Monomakh to march against Yaropolk.[15] Lacking confidence in his own resources, Yaropolk fled Volhynia to Poland, leaving his followers (and mother) at Lutsk.[16] Vladimir captured Lutsk and Yaropolk's family, attendants and treasure, and assigned his whole principality to Davyd Igorevich.[17] and legacy[edit] Miniature from the Radzivil Chronicle allegedly depicting the death of Yaropolk.[18] the following year Yaropolk returned and reportedly came to an agreement with Vladimir Monomakh, but nothing specific is known of the terms other than Yaropolk being reinstated. In 1087, Yaropolk was murdered. The circumstances of his murder are not clear, but the Primary Chronicle suggested the complicity of Riurik Rostislavich, Prince of Peremyshl, and his brother Vasilko Rostislavich, Prince of Terebovl.[19] His murderer was a man called Neradets, who put a sword through Yaropolk before fleeing to hide with Riurik in Peremyshl; the date given is November 22, 1087.[20] His body was taken to Kiev and buried in the church of St Peter, the church which Yaropolk himself had endowed.[20] is said to have married to the German noble-woman, Kunigunde, daughter of Otto, Margrave of Meissen.[21] Whether by Kunigunde or not, Yaropolk had several children whose names have come into the record. A daughter Anastasia married her far relative Gleb Vseslavich, Prince of Minsk who was a member of the Polotsk branch of the Riurik's family. The Annalista Saxo records another daughter, and that she married Günther, Count of Schwarzburg, though it does not mention her name.[4] Three sons are known, namely, Yaroslav (died 1102), Viacheslav (died 1104) and Vasilko.[4] The fate of his descendants is as mysterious as his and only has some scarce records left. in the Primary Chronicle is a eulogy to Prince Yaropolk, and among the honors assigned to him, is that he was in the habit of assigning a "tenth part of his wealth to the Mother of God".[22] Probably due to his personal devotion to the papacy and to St Peter, Yaropolk established a new church of St Peter at the monastery of St Demetrios in the city of Kiev.[23] He was said to have left all his wealth to the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev.[24] The Primary Chronicle's eulogy is the first indication of saintly regard, and indeed today he is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with his feast day falling on the reported day of his death, November 22.[25] Vladimir in Volhynia, Vladimir-Volynsk; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22 ; Prince Yaropolk Izyaslavich, in Holy Baptism Peter, was the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, and great-grandson of Saint Vladimir. He shared the sad fate of his father, the Kievan Great Prince Izyaslav, expelled by his brothers from Kiev. journeyed on various missions for his father to the Polish king, the German emperor, and the Bishop of Rome Saint Gregory VII (1073-1085). the death of Great Prince Svyatoslav in 1078, Prince Izyaslav was restored to his principality, and Yaropolk received Vyzhgorod. the death of his father, he was given as his appanage the city of Vladimir-Volynsk, from which the Rostislavichi attempted to displace him. the way from Vladimir to Zvenigorod-Galitsk, Yaropolk was treacherously murdered by Neryadets, one of his retainers (+1086). murderer indeed had been bribed by the Rostislavichi. body of Yaropolk was transferred to Kiev and on December 5 was buried at the monastery of Saint Demetrius in the church of Saint Peter, which he himself had begun to build. Church memorials, beginning with the Chronicle of Saint Nestor, testify that the murdered Prince Yaropolk be venerated in the rank of saints well-pleasing to God.

Russia, Volhynia, 1078-1087, Rus King, Yaropolk Izyaslavich, I's son
Kiev Rus King, 1078-1087, Yaropolk Izyaslavich; Izyaslavich[2] (died 1087) was a Knyaz (prince) during the eleventh-century in the Kievan Rus' kingdom and was the King of Rus (1076–1078). The son of Grand Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich by a Polish princess named Gertruda, he is visible in papal sources by the early 1070s but largely absent in contemporary Rus sources until his father's death in 1078. his father's exile in the 1070s, Yaropolk can be found acting on his father's behalf in an attempt to gain the favor of the German emperors and the papal court of Pope Gregory VII. His father returned to Kiev in 1077 and Yaropolk followed. his father's death Yaropolk was appointed Prince of Volhynia and Prince of Turov in 1078 by the new Grand Prince, his uncle Vsevolod. 1085 Yaropolk had fallen into a state of enmity with the Grand Prince, and by extension the Grand Prince's son Vladimir Monomakh, forcing him to flee to Poland, his mother's homeland. He returned in 1086 and made peace with Monomakh but was murdered the same year on a journey to Zvenyhorod.[3] was remembered in Rus sources as extremely pious and generous to the church and is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 8; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27;

Russia, Volhynia, 1087-“1099, Volhynia Ruler, David Igorevich, Gson oY tWise, P oTmutarakan, Active participant princely feuds
Volhynia Ruler, 1087-“1099, David Igorevich ; Davyd Igorevich of Volhynia (c1075-1112); Igorevich of Volhynia, Prince of Volhynia, Prince of Dorogobuzh, Volhynia, Prince of Busk, born 1055 to Igor Yaroslavich of Volhynia (1036-1060) and Kunigunde of Orlamnde and died 25 March 1112 in Dorohobuzh, Hoshcha Rayon, Rivne Oblast, Ukraine of unspecified causes. Ancestors are from Russia, Ukraine, Sweden. Igorevich (c.1055-May 25, 1112) - Prince of Volhynia, son of Igor Yaroslavich, grandson of the Grand Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise. Prince of Tmutarakan (1081-1082). participant in princely feuds . years Igorevich was born about 1055. Due to his early death, his father was in the position of an outcast and lived in Volhynia at Yaropolk Izyaslavich's court. 1081, along with another outcast, Volodar Rostislavich, he fled to Tmutarakan. drove out the posadnik of Vsevolod I Yaroslavich of Kiev but two years later he was expelled by Oleg Svyatoslavich. his warriors at the mouth of the Dnieper, Davyd blocked the trade route to Byzantium, and, in order to free it, the Grand Prince of Kiev Vsevolod Yaroslavich gave him, in exchange, the town of Dorogobuzh in Volhynia(1084). 1086, after the death of Yaropolk Izyaslavich. Davyd received the Principality of Volhynia. collusion with Svyatopolk Izyaslavich Kiev tried to take the inheritance of Galicia from Volodar and Vasilko Rostislavich. 1097 he participated in the Council of Lyubech (1097), which approved his rule of the Principality of Volhynia. for the western volosts at Uvetichi Russian princes conclude peace in Uvetichi. Painting by Sergei Vasilyevich Ivanov also: The internecine war in Russia (1097-1100) Igorevich was the organizer of the blinding in 1097 of Vasilko Rostislavich. by Volodar Rostislavich he was forced to surrender his advisors to the Rostislaviches to be executed. threatened by the princes, Davyd fled to Poland. soon returned to Vladimir, but when the army of the Grand Prince of Kiev Svyatopolk Izyaslavich besieged the city, Davyd Igorevich was forced to surrender it. to fight for the seat of Volhynia. In 1099, Davyd Igorevich decided to help the Polovtsian Khan Bonyak and with his support, having beaten opponents in the Battle of the Wiar River (1099), received Vladimir and Lutsk. the Council of Uvetichi (1100), for the blinding of Vasilko, he was deorived of this possession and, instead of Volhynia received the towns of Busk, Ostroh, Dubno and Staryi Chortoryisk, and soon thereafter Dorogobuzh. made Busk his capital [1], and also founded the town of David-Gorodok. died on May 25, 1112 in Dorohobuzh. The remains found in a princely tomb, found in 1937 - 1938 during excavations in the town David-Gorodok founded by him, could belong to Davyd Igorevich. Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Russia, Volhynia, 1099, Ruler, Mstislav Sviatopolkovich, no info on M, but Ruler was brother Yaroslav, lost to GH
Volhynia Ruler, 1099, Mstislav I Sviatopolkovich ; Yaroslav Svyatopolkovich of Volhynia (1111-1123); Svyatopolkovich of Volhynia, Prince of Volhynia, born circa 1091 to Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich of Kiev (1050-1113) and Daughter of Bohemia (c1060-c1093) died May 1123 in Vladimir-Volynsky, Volodymyr-Volynskyi Rayon, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine of battle wounds. He married Daughter of Hungary (c1083-c1130) circa 1091 JL . married Sophia of Poland (c1089-c1112) before 1108 JL . married Rogneda Mstislavna of Kiev (c1112-c1159) 1112 JL . ancestors include Charlemagne (747-814). Ancestors are from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, Belgium, the Byzantine Empire, Sweden. Svyatopolkovich (Yaroslavets) (baptized Ioann) [1], (c1072-May 1123) - Prince of Volhynia (1100-1118). son of Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich of Kiev. researchers believe that he was born from a concubine like his brother Mstislav, others that his mother was the legitimate wife of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich [2].. the decision of the Council of Uvetichi to deprive Davyd Igorevich of Principality of Volhynia for the blinding of Vasilko Rostislavich Terebovly in 1100, he became the viceroy of his father, the Grand Prince of Kiev, in Volhynia. 1102, Svyatopolk reached an agreement with Vladimir Monomakh, then Prince of Pereyaslavl, about Yaroslav's transfer to Novgorod, and Vladimir's eldest son Mstislav to Volnynia, the Novgorodians sent the grand prince of Kiev a reply: " If your son has two heads, send him to us ." the Svyatopolk's death and the reign of Vladimir Monomakh (1113) in Kiev, Yaroslav 4 years continued to rule Volhynia, in 1117 Vladimir Monomakh transferred Mstislav Vladimirovich, who had already become a father-in-law of Yaroslav, from Novgorod to Belgorod-Kievsky, which historians see the likely cause of the conflict between Yaroslav and Monomakh, as Yaroslav feared for his hereditary rights to Kiev. sent his wife (daughter of Mstislav, granddaughter of Vladimir Monomakh) to Belgorod and began to prepare for the struggle. 1118, Vladimir Monomakh, in alliance with Rostislavich, expelled Yaroslav from Vladimir-Volynsky, Volhynian prince became Roman Vladimirovich , and after his death (1119 Andrei V. Good.) Yaroslav tried to regain possession with the help of Hungarian and Polish troops, as well as the Rostislavichs who had crossed over to his side, but without success. 1123 he died under the walls of Vladimir-Volynsky from the wounds inflicted on him by two Polish soldiers during the siege. Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Russia, Volhynia, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Wonderworker, Kupyatich Icon, under Horde

Russia, Volhynia, 1106-1142, Nicholas Sviatosha, first Rus Prince monk, Lutsk Vohlynia, Cherginov, wonderworker, silence
Russia, Volhynia, 1106-1142, Nicholas Sviatosha, first Rus Prince monk, Lutsk Vohlynia, Cherginov, wonderworker, silence, peacemaker; Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves, was a great-grandson of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise and son of Prince David Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (+ 1123). was the Prince of Lutsk, and he had a wife and children (his daughter was later married to the Novgorod prince Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). February 17, 1106 the holy prince left his family and was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. Nicholas Sviatosha carried out his obediences with great humility. For three years he worked in the kitchen, for which he chopped wood and carried water. For the next three years, he was gatekeeper at the monastery. The saint had a garden around his cell. Out of his own means he built at the monastery the temple of the Holy Trinity and the infirmary church in the name of Saint Nicholas, his patron saint. Nicholas was the first of the Russian princes to accept monasticism, patiently enduring the reproaches of his brothers for his decision to lead a life of humble obedience. saint’s doctor, Peter, pointed out to the royal ascetic that such exploits of obedience had injured his health. But suddenly the doctor himself fell sick, and was healed only by the prayer of Saint Nicholas. Then Peter himself was tonsured. he had progressed through various obediences, Saint Nicholas took upon himself the vow of silence. When the saint received money, he used it to beautify the church and to procure books (because he loved reading), or he distributed it to the poor. Nicholas was a zealous peacemaker; in 1142 he reconciled the Prince of Chernigov with the Great Prince Vsevolod. after the death of the saint, his brother Prince Izyaslav fell grievously ill. The igumen of the monastery sent the sick man the saint’s hairshirt. Izyaslav put it on and was healed. Lutsk; Russia, Kiev, 1097-1123, Davyd Sviatoslavich, ruler of Murom and Chernigov, father of Nicholas Sviatosha the first prince monk; Sviatoslavich was the ruler of Murom and Chernigov. date of his birth is uncertain. Before his father's death was appointed to the Pereyaslav Principality, however in 1076 he ran to Murom which was located as far away as possible from Kiev. In 1093 Davyd was appointed a prince of Smolensk. During the war of his brother Oleg I of Chernigov against Sviatopolk II of Kiev and Vladimir II Monomakh he went up against the Vladimir's son Izyaslav of Murom. Oleg and Davyd in the united coalition of Sviatoslavichi managed to recover Smolensk and defeated Izyaslav at Murom where the last one perished. the Council of Liubech in 1097 Davyd was appointed to Chernigov, while Oleg was given Novhorod-Siverskyi. Protested against the rule of Sviatopolk who after the council together with Davyd Igorevich took Vasylko Rostyslavich a hostage and blinded him. The last two were in the constant warfare in the western areas of the Grand Duchy. Under pressure from Monomakh and Sviatoslavichi Sviatopolk outcast Davyd Igorevich to Poland. Later supported Sviatopolk in the war against Rostislavichi (one of whom was Vasylko). Davyd sent along his son Sviatoslav, but after an unsuccessful campaign the last one came back to his father and upon the death of his wife became a monk. At the Council of Witchew between the Sviatoslavichi, Monomakh, and Sviatopolk agreed to peace, stop the civil war, and consolidated their forces against the foreign enemies. At the council it was decided to cast Davyd Igorevich away from government duties, yet leaving him with some estates in Volyn. sometimes together with his brother, but more often with Vladimir Monomakh raided the Cuman lands from 1103 to 1111. Among numerous battles the most important one were at the Suteni river and Salnitsa river (March 27, 1111). During that campaign they managed to occupy the Cuman cities of Sharukan which is believed to be located somewhere between Chuhuiv and Zmiiv, and Sugrov. Davyd also greatly assisted Monomakh in the war against Polatsk Prince and Prince of Volyn in 1115–1118, while their sons continued to raid the Cumania. Chernigov; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14; Nicholas Sviatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Near Caves, was a great-grandson of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise and son of Prince David Svyatoslavich of Chernigov (+ 1123). was the Prince of Lutsk, and he had a wife and children (his daughter was later married to the Novgorod prince Saint Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11). February 17, 1106 the holy prince left his family and was tonsured at the Kiev Caves monastery. Nicholas Sviatosha carried out his obediences with great humility. For three years he worked in the kitchen, for which he chopped wood and carried water. For the next three years, he was gatekeeper at the monastery. The saint had a garden around his cell. Out of his own means he built at the monastery the temple of the Holy Trinity and the infirmary church in the name of Saint Nicholas, his patron saint. Nicholas was the first of the Russian princes to accept monasticism, patiently enduring the reproaches of his brothers for his decision to lead a life of humble obedience. The saint’s doctor, Peter, pointed out to the royal ascetic that such exploits of obedience had injured his health. But suddenly the doctor himself fell sick, and was healed only by the prayer of Saint Nicholas. Then Peter himself was tonsured. he had progressed through various obediences, Saint Nicholas took upon himself the vow of silence. When the saint received money, he used it to beautify the church and to procure books (because he loved reading), or he distributed it to the poor. Saint Nicholas was a zealous peacemaker; in 1142 he reconciled the Prince of Chernigov with the Great Prince Vsevolod. after the death of the saint, his brother Prince Izyaslav fell grievously ill. The igumen of the monastery sent the sick man the saint’s hairshirt. Izyaslav put it on and was healed.

Russia, Volhynia, 1150-1182, Saint Cyril of Turov, Belarus and Kiev
Russia, Kiev, 1150-1182, Saint Cyril of Turov; St. Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Russia, Volhynia, 1180-1699, Kupyatich Icon, Kobrin, Volhynia, found on a tree, shone w unusual light, found again after fire

Russia, Volhynia, 1199-1349, Galicia-“Volhynia, Haylch-Volhynia, Kingdom of Rus, under the Horde, Orthodox
Galicia-“Volhynia, Lithuania-Volhynia, Kingdom of Rus; Kingdom or Principality of Galicia-“Volhynia[1] (also known as the Kingdom of Rus from 1253, was a medieval state and vassal of the Golden Horde in the Eastern European regions of Galicia and Volhynia that existed from 1199 to 1349. Its territory was predominantly located in modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. Along with Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, it was one of the three most important powers to emerge from the collapse of Kievan Rus. The main language was Old East Slavic, a predecessor to Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian, and the official religion was Eastern Orthodoxy. Grand Prince of Kyiv, Roman the Great, united the principalities of Halych and Volhynia into a single state at the turn of the 13th century. Following the destruction wreaked by the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus (1239 to 1241), Prince Danylo Romanovych was forced to pledge allegiance to Batu Khan of the Golden Horde in 1246 as other princes of Rus did. He strove to rid his realm of the Mongol yoke, by formally drawing closer to Western Europe, however when Batu Khan ordered him to destroy city walls of his eastern cities he did so.[2] He was crowned "Rex Rusiae" by a papal legate in 1253, becoming officially an Orthodox subject of the Vatican. He also unsuccessfully attempted to establish military alliances with other European rulers.[3] The Polish conquest of the kingdom in 1349 ended its vassalage to the Golden Horde but it also ended its autonomy; the principality of Galicia was fully absorbed by Catholic Poland.[4] Upon annexing it, Polish King Casimir III the Great adopted the title of King of Poland and ruler of Ruthenia, and the territory was transformed into the Province of Ruthenia (Latin: Palatinatus Russiae) in 1434. western Galicia–Volhynia extended between the rivers San and Wieprz in what is now south-eastern Poland, while eastern territories covered the Pripet Marshes (now in Belarus) and the upper reaches of Southern Bug river in modern-day Ukraine. During its time, the kingdom was bordered by Black Rus, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Principality of Turov-Pinsk, the Principality of Kyiv, the Golden Horde, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Poland, the Principality of Moldova and the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights. Lithuania-Volhynia or Galicia-Volhynia Wars (1340-1392) ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12;

Russia, Volhynia, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Elizabeth of Hungary's Halych Ancestors

Russia, Volhynia, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, Halych ancestors, Princess, Thuringa, Marburg Hospital, German Ancestress
Hungary, 1226-1231, Princess, Elizabeth of Hungary; of Hungary (7 July 1207 - 17 November 1231),[6] also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany, and a greatly venerated Catholic saint who was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis, by which she is honored as its patroness.[7] was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20.[8] After her husband's death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death at the age of 24 and was canonized on 25 May 1235. life and marriage[edit] was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania. Her mother's sister was Hedwig of Andechs, wife of Duke Heinrich I of Silesia.[6] ancestry included many notable figures of European royalty, going back as far as Vladimir the Great of the Kievan Rus. According to tradition, she was born in Hungary, possibly in the castle of Sárospatak (discussed below), on 7 July 1207.[9][10][11] sermon printed in 1497 by the Franciscan friar Osvaldus de Lasco, a church official in Hungary, is the first to name Sárospatak as Elizabeth's birthplace, perhaps building on local tradition. The veracity of this account is not without reproach: Osvaldus also translates the miracle of the roses (see below) to Elizabeth's childhood in Sárospatak and has her leave Hungary at the age of five.[12] to a different tradition she was born in Pozsony, Hungary, (present-day Bratislava, Slovakia), where she lived in the Castle of Posonium until the age of four. was brought to the court of the rulers of Thuringia in central Germany, to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia[8] (also known as Ludwig IV), a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families.[a] She was raised by the Thuringian court and would have been familiar with the local language and culture. St. Elizabeth washing a sick man a scene from the main altar of St. Elisabeth Cathedral in Kassa, 15th century 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. inclinations, influences[edit] 1223, Franciscan friars arrived, and the teenage Elizabeth not only learned about the ideals of Francis of Assisi, but started to live them.[14] was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts, believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal reward; he is venerated in Thuringia as a saint, though he was never canonized by the Church.[15] was also about this time that the priest and later inquisitor Konrad von Marburg gained considerable influence over Elizabeth when he was appointed as her confessor. In the spring of 1226, when floods, famine, and plague wrought havoc in Thuringia, Louis, a staunch supporter of the Hohenstaufen Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, represented Frederick II at the Imperial Diet held in Cremona. assumed control of affairs at home and distributed alms in all parts of their territory, even giving away state robes and ornaments to the poor. St. Elizabeth spinning wool for the poor by Marianne Stokes (1895) life changed irrevocably on 11 September 1227 when Louis, en route to join the Sixth Crusade, died of a fever in Otranto, Italy, just a few weeks before the birth of her daughter Gertrude. hearing the news of her husband's death, Elizabeth reportedly said, "He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today."[16] His remains were returned to Elizabeth in 1228 and entombed at the Abbey of Reinhardsbrunn. Louis' death, his brother, Henry Raspe, assumed the regency during the minority of Elizabeth's eldest child, Hermann (1222–1241). bitter arguments over the disposal of her dowry — a conflict in which Konrad was appointed as the official Defender of her case by Pope Gregory IX — Elizabeth left the court at Wartburg and moved to Marburg in Hesse. to 1888 it was believed, on account of the testimony of one of Elizabeth's servants during the canonization process, that Elizabeth was driven from the Wartburg in the winter of 1227 by her brother-in-law, Heinrich Raspe, who acted as regent for her son, then only five years old. 1888 various investigators (Börner, Mielke, Wenck, E. Michael, etc.) asserted that Elizabeth left the Wartburg voluntarily. She was not able at the castle to follow Konrad's command to eat only food obtained in a way that was certainly right and proper.[6] her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad similar to those of a nun. These vows included celibacy, as well as complete obedience to Konrad as her confessor and spiritual director. treatment of Elizabeth was extremely harsh, and he held her to standards of behavior which were almost impossible to meet. the punishments he is alleged to have ordered were physical beatings; he also ordered her to send away her three children. pledge to celibacy proved a hindrance to her family's political ambitions. Elizabeth was more or less held hostage at Pottenstein, the castle of her uncle, Bishop Ekbert of Bamberg, in an effort to force her to remarry. however, held fast to her vow, even threatening to cut off her own nose so that no man would find her attractive enough to marry.[17] second child Sophie of Thuringia (1224–1275) married Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and was the ancestress of the Landgraves of Hesse, since in the War of the Thuringian Succession she won Hesse for her son Heinrich I, called the Child. third child, Gertrude of Altenberg (1227–1297), was born several weeks after the death of her father; she became abbess of the monastery of Altenberg Abbey, Hesse near Wetzlar.[18] built a hospital at Marburg for the poor and the sick with the money from her dowry, where she and her companions cared for them.[19] Miracles[edit] of the Roses[edit] A statue showing the miracle of the roses in the rose garden in front of the neo-Gothic church dedicated to her at Roses' Square (Rózsák tere), Budapest[20] is perhaps best known for her miracle of the roses which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Ludwig on a hunting party, who, in order to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Ludwig that God's protecting hand was at work.[21] husband, according to the vitae, was never troubled by her charity and always supported it. In some versions of this story, it is her brother in law, Heinrich Raspe, who questions her. Hers is one of many miracles that associate Christian saints with roses. in the bed[edit] story told of Elizabeth, also found in Dietrich of Apolda's Vita, relates how she laid the leper Helias of Eisenach in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law, who was horrified, told this immediately to Ludwig on his return. When Ludwig removed the bedclothes in great indignation, at that instant "Almighty God opened the eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed."[21] This story also appears in Franz Liszt's oratorio about Elizabeth.[22] and legacy[edit] Elisabethkirche in Marburg Floorplan of Elisabethkirche Elisabeth church in Grave, The Netherlands 1231, Elizabeth died in Marburg at the age of twenty-four.[23] after death and canonization[edit] soon after the death of Elizabeth, miracles were reported that happened at her grave in the church of the hospital, especially those of healing. On the suggestion of Konrad, and by papal command, examinations were held of those who had been healed between August 1232 and January 1235. The results of those examinations was supplemented by a brief vita of the saint-to-be, and together with the testimony of Elizabeth's handmaidens and companions (bound in a booklet called the Libellus de dictis quatuor ancillarum s. Elizabeth confectus), proved sufficient reason for quick canonization. She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 24 May 1235.[23] shrine became one of the main German centers of pilgrimage of the 14th century and early 15th century. During the course of the 15th century, the popularity of the cult of St Elizabeth slowly faded, though to some extent this was mitigated by an aristocratic devotion to St Elizabeth, since through her daughter Sophia she was an ancestor of many leading aristocratic German families. papal bull declaring her a saint is on display in the Schatzkammer of the Deutschordenskirche in Vienna, Austria. Her body was laid in a magnificent golden shrine—still to be seen today—in the Marburg church bearing her name. But three hundred years after her death, one of Elizabeth's many descendants, the Landgrave Philip I "the Magnanimous" of Hesse, a leader of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important supporters of Martin Luther, raided the church in Marburg and demanded that the Teutonic Order hand over Elizabeth's bones, in order to disperse her relics and thus put an end to the already declining pilgrimages to Marburg.[6] Philip took away the crowned agate chalice in which her head rested, but returned it after being imprisoned by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. reliquary chalice was subsequently plundered by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War and is now on display at The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.[24] Her skull and some of her bones can be seen at the Viennese convent bearing her name. A portion of her relics were kept in the church of the Carmelites at Brussels; another in the magnificent chapel of La Roche-Guyon, upon the Seine, and a considerable part in a precious shrine is in the electoral treasury of Hanover.[25] Another part of her relics were taken to Santafé de Bogotá, then the capital of the Spanish New Kingdom of Granada by friar Luis Zapata de Cárdenas. The relics are today inside a chapel dedicated to the saint in the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá. Elisabethkirche is now a Protestant church, but has spaces set aside for Catholic worship. Marburg became a center of the Teutonic Order, which adopted St. Elizabeth as its secondary patroness. The Order remained in Marburg until its official dissolution by Napoleon in 1803. of Hungary is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 18 November.[26] with the Franciscans[edit] her death, Elizabeth was commonly associated with the Third Order of Saint Francis, the primarily lay branch of the Franciscan Order, which has helped propagate her cult. Whether she ever actually joined the order, only recently founded in 1221, the year when she married Louis at the age of fourteen, is not proven to everyone's satisfaction.[27] must be kept in mind though that the Third Order was such a new development in the Franciscan movement, that no one official ritual had been established at that point. Elizabeth clearly had a ceremony of consecration in which she adopted a Franciscan religious habit in her new way of life, as noted above. her support of the friars sent to Thuringia, she was made known to the founder, St Francis of Assisi, who sent her a personal message of blessing shortly before his death in 1226. Upon her canonization she was declared the patron saint of the Third Order of St Francis, an honor she shares with St Louis IX of France. Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Russia, Volhynia, 1280-1326, Patriarch Peter, wonderworker, unifier, moved See fKiev, tVladimir 1308 to Moscow in 1325

Russia, Volhynia, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Bishopric Icon, Footprint Icon, Czestochowa Icon, Theodore oOstrog

Russia, Volhynia, 1301-1308, Yuri I Galicia, Kng Ruthenia, G P Kiev, Volydymyr-Volhynia, Halych, Lutsk, Dorohochyn
Russia, Volhynia, 1301-1308, Yuri I of Galicia ; I of Galicia was a King of Rus', Prince of Volhynia. His full title was Yuri I, King of Ruthenia, Grand Prince of Kiev, Volydymyr-Volhynia, Halych, Lutsk, Dorohochyn. Modern interpretation of the King seal of Yuri I of Halych 1264-1301 he was a prince of the Duchy of Belz. was a son of Lev Danylovych (Knyaz of Halych, 1269-“1301) and Constance of Hungary, a daughter of King Bela IV and Maria Laskarina. married three times. His first wife was Yaroslavna of Tver (died ca. 1286). His second wife was Euphemia of Kuyavia (died 18 March 1308), daughter of Casimir I of Kuyavia. His third wife is unknown. Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, Ukraine; Repose of Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Russia, Volhynia, 1306, St Peter Icon, given to St Maximus, MOG, bishop rather on one who painted this icon
+Ratne, Volhynia; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of Saint Peter” was so called because it was painted by Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow (+ December 21, 1326) while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratsk monastery by Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia (+ December 6, 1306), Saint Peter gave him this icon as a gift. The Metropolitan took it to Vladimir at Klyazma, where his cathedral was then located. the death of Saint Maximus, the igumen Gerontius, who wished to become the new metropolitan, intended to take this icon to Patriarch Athanasius of Constantinople (October 24). The journey of Igumen Gerontius was delayed, however, by a terrible storm at sea. During this storm, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him and said: “The office of bishop will not be conferred upon you, but rather on the one who painted My Icon.” he came before Patriarch Athanasius, Saint Peter was already in Constantinople and had been consecrated as Metropolitan. The Patriarch gave the icon to Saint Peter with the words: “Take the holy icon of the Mother of God, which you painted with your own hands, for this reason the Ever-Virgin Herself has granted you this gift, and She foretold your path.” Peter took the icon to Vladimir, and when the metropolitan cathedral was transfered to Moscow in the year 1325, the icon was placed in the Dormition Cathedral above the table of oblation. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, was born in Volhynia of pious parents, Theodore and Eupraxia. Even before the birth of her son, the Lord revealed to Eupraxia the preordained blessedness of her son. At the age of twelve, young Peter entered a monastery. He successfully studied the book sciences of those times and eagerly fulfilled his monastic obediences. The future saint devoted much time to an attentive study of the Holy Scriptures, and he also learned iconography. The icons painted by Saint Peter were distributed to the brethren and to Christians who visited the monastery. of his virtuous and ascetic life, the igumen of the monastery had Saint Peter ordained as a hieromonk. After years of ascetic labors at the monastery, the hieromonk Peter, with the blessing of the igumen, left the monastery in search of a solitary place. built a cell at the Rata River and began to pursue asceticism in silence. Afterwards, at the place of his ascetic exploits, a monastery was formed, called the Novodvorsk. A church dedicated to the Savior was built for the monks who came to him. Chosen as igumen, Saint Peter guided his spiritual children, and never became angry with a guilty monk. Instead, he instructed the brethren by word and by example. The virtuous igumen and ascetic became known far beyond the vicinity of the monastery. Prince Yuri of Galicia frequently visited the monastery in order to receive spiritual instruction from the holy ascetic. in his travels through the Russian land, Metropolitan Maximus of Kiev and Vladimir (December 6) visited the monastery with words of instruction and edification. Having received the blessing of Saint Maximus, Saint Peter presented him with an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he had painted. Saint Maximus prayed before the icon for the salvation of the Russian land entrusted to him by God until the end of his days. Metropolitan Maximus died, the See of Vladimir remained for a certain time unoccupied. An abbot named Gerontius, aspiring to become the primate of Russia, went to Constantinople with Saint Peter’s vestments, archpastoral staff, and the icon he had painted. The Great Prince of Vladimir, Saint Michael of Tver (November 22), sent him to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be appointed as Metropolitan of Russia. the suggestion of Prince Yuri of Galicia, Igumen Peter reluctantly went to the Patriarch of Constantinople with a petition that he be consecrated as Metropolitan. God chose Saint Peter to nourish the Russian Church. The Mother of God appeared to Gerontius during a storm on the Black Sea and said, “You labor in vain, for you will never be bishop. The one who painted this icon, the Rata igumen Peter, shall be elevated to the throne of Kiev.” words of the Mother of God were fulfilled. Patriarch Athanasius of Constantinople (1289-1293) elevated Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Russia, bestowing upon him the hierarchal vestments, staff and icon, brought by Gerontius. Upon his return to Russia in 1308, Metropolitan Peter arrived at Kiev after a year, and then proceeded on to Vladimir. chief hierarch was tested by many trials during his first years of guiding the Russian metropolitanate. Suffering beneath the Tatar (Mongol) Yoke the Russian land was in turmoil, and Saint Peter was often obliged to change the place of his residence. During this period the saint’s labors and concerns to affirm the true Faith and morality in the realm were particularly important. On his journeys throughout the diocese, he incessantly instructed the people and clergy on preserving Christian piety. He also brought quarrelsome princes to peace and unity. the year 1312 the saint made a journey to the Horde, where he received a decree from Khan Uzbek, safeguarding the rights of the Russian clergy. 1325 Metropolitan Peter, at the request of Great Prince John Kalita (1328-1340), transferred the metropolitan See from Vladimir to Moscow. This event had very great significance for all the Russian land. Saint Peter prophetically predicted deliverance from the Tatar Yoke and that Moscow would become the foremost city in Russia. his blessing, the foundation of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Moscow Kremlin was laid in August 1326. Peter fell asleep in the Lord on December 21, 1326. The holy relics of the saint were buried in the Dormition cathedral in a stone crypt, which he himself had prepared. Many miracles were accomplished through the saint’s prayers. Many healings were even done secretly, which testifies to his profound humility even after death. veneration of the first hierarch of the Russian Church was affirmed and spread throughout the Russian land. In 1339, under Saint Theognostus (March 14), Saint Peter was numbered among the saints. Princes kissed the cross on the saint’s tomb as a sign of their fidelity to the Great Prince of Moscow. a particularly venerated protector of Moscow, Saint Peter was called on to witness the drawing up of government treaties. The people of Novgorod once had the right of nominating their own bishop in the cathedral of Saint Sophia. After their annexation to Moscow under Ivan III, they swore an oath that henceforth they would only consecrate their archbishops at the grave of Saint Peter the Wonderworker. And it was at the grave of the saint that the first hierarchs of Russia were named and chosen. Russian Chronicles mention him frequently, and no significant state undertaking was initiated without prayers at the grave of Saint Peter. The relics of Saint Peter were transferred in 1472 and 1479. In memory of these events, feastdays were established for October 5 and August 24.

Russia, Volhynia, 1308-1326, Peter, Metropolitan of All Russia, moved See from Kiev to Vladimir i1308, then to Moscow i1325

Russia, Volhynia, 1340, MOG Appearance leaving Footprint&Spring fMonastery, Pochaev, Volhynia (high point, sources 5 rivers)
Russia, Volhynia, 1340, Appearance MOG leaving Footprint and Spring, Pochaev, Volhynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources), 2 Monks in Cave on hill where monastery now located, reading prayer rule, tTop of Hill, beheld Theotokos enveloped in flames, summoned other monk tWitness, shepherd J B also ran there, she left footprint in rock which became healing spring; Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev, Commemorated on April 21; Bright Friday we commemorate the Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev. the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and and suddenly he beheld the Theotokos standing on a rock and enveloped in flames. summoned the other monk, who also witnessed the miracle. third witness of the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. He ran to the hill, and the three of them glorified God. Most Holy Theotokos left the imprint of her right foot on the stone where she had stood, and this filled up with water. Since that time, many people have been healed at this miraculous spring. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Russia, Volhynia, 1340 & 1500's, Pochaev Icon, MOG, flames, foot imprint spring, monk transported, more
Russia, Volynia, 1340, Pochaev Icon, Volynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources), Theotokos standing on rock, top of hill, enveloped in flames, 3 witnesses, foot imprint in rock, healing spring from imprint, 1559 radiant icon, 1597 healing icon given to monk on hill and monastery, monk transported from Tartar captivity, icon most revered Orthodox objects; Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; the year 1340, two monks came and settled in a cave on the hill where the monastery is now located. reading his usual Prayer Rule, one of them went to the top of the hill, and suddenly he beheld the Theotokos standing on a rock and enveloped in flames. summoned the other monk, who also witnessed the miracle. A third witness of the vision was the shepherd John Bosoy. ran to the hill, and the three of them glorified God. Most Holy Theotokos left the imprint of her right foot on the stone where she had stood, and this filled up with water. that time, many people have been healed at this miraculous spring. 1559 Metropolitan Neophytus of Constantinople, on his journey through Volhynia, visited the noblewoman Anna Goiskaya living at the estate of Orlya, not far from Pochaev. a farewell blessing he left Anna an icon of the Mother of God which he brought from Constantinople. began to notice a radiance coming from the icon. 1597 Anna’s brother Philip was healed of an ailment before the eyes of a monk who lived on the hill at Pochaev. then gave the wonderworking image to the monk. The icon was placed in a church which was built in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. monastery was later established there, and Anna Goiskaya provided a large portion of the money needed for construction. following is one of the more famous accounts of help from the Queen of Heaven through her wonderworking Pochaev Icon. monk of Pochaev monastery was taken into captivity by the Tatars. Held as a slave, he thought of the Pochaev monastery, its holy things, the divine services, and the church singing. In particular the monk yearned to be in Pochaev for the approaching Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. He prayed tearfully to the Mother of God for deliverance from captivity, and suddenly, through the prayers of the Holy Virgin, the walls of the dungeon disappeared, and the monk found himself standing before the walls of the Pochaev monastery. Pochaev Icon is also celebrated on Friday of Bright Week and on July 23. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Russia, Volhynia, 1356-1401, Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon
Russia, Volhynia, 1356-1401, Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon Icon of the Mother of God oœCzestochowa, Commemorated on March 6;

Russia, Volhynia, 1386-1483, Theodore, Ostrog Prince, Volynia, built churches, defended Orthodoxy a Papism, incorrupt r
Russia, Volhynia, 1386-1483, Saint Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, Volynia; Ostrog, Ukraine St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, gained fame with the construction of churches and by his defense of Orthodoxy in Volhynia against the enroachment of Papism. was descended from Saint Vladimir (July 15), through a great-grandson Svyatopolk-Michael, prince of Turov (1080-1093) and later Great Prince of Kiev (+1113). first time the name of the holy Prince Theodore is mentioned is in the year 1386, when the Polish king Jagiello and the Lithuanian prince Vitovt affirmed his hereditary possession of the Ostrog district, and they augmented the Zaslavsk and Koretsk surroundings. 1410 Saint Theodore participated in the defeat of the Teutonic Knights of the Catholic Order at the Battle of Gruenwald. In 1422 the holy prince, because of sympathy for the Orthodox in Bohemia, supported the Hussites in their struggle with the German emperor Sigismund. Theodore introduced the Hussite formation (i.e., the Taborite, adopted by the Ukrainian Cossacks) into Russian military strategy. 1432, after winning a series of victories over the Polish forces, Saint Theodore compelled Prince Jagiello to guarantee the freedom of Orthodoxy in Volhynia under the law. Prince Svidrigailo, apprehensive of the strengthening of his ally, locked Saint Theodore into prison, but the people who loved the saint rose up in rebellion, and he was freed. Theodore was reconciled with the offender and went to him for help in the struggle against the Lithuanians and the Poles. In 1438, the holy prince took part in a battle with the Tatars. In 1440, with the accession to the Polish throne of Cazimir, youngest son of Prince Jagiello, Saint Theodore received the rights of administration of the city of Vladimir, Dubno, Ostrog, and he was granted extensive holdings in the best regions of Podolia and Volhynia. Theodore left all this behind, together with princely power and fame. After 1441 he entered the Kiev Caves monastery, where he received the monastic tonsure with the name Theodosius, he struggled there for the salvation of his soul until the time of his blessed repose. year of Saint Theodore’s death is unknown, but it is probable that he died in the second half of the fifteenth century at a great old age (S. M. Soloviev in his History of Russia gives the year of his death as 1483). The saint was buried in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius. His glorification apparently took place at the end of the sixteenth century, since in the year 1638 the hieromonk Athanasius Kal’nophysky testified that “Saint Theodore rests in the Theodosiev Cave, where his body was discovered incorrupt.” Theodore is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Monastic Fathers of the Far Caves on August 28.

Russia, Volhynia, 1400, 15th C Folder, Vilnia Icon by Luke

Russia, Volhynia, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, by Luke, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L
Lithuania, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, transfer from Moscow to V, by Luke, 1472 to Moscow w Sophia m Ivan III, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L, I the Terrible tries to bring it back 1533; Vilnius (Vilno, Vilna), Lithuania; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on February 15; celebration commemorates the transfer of the Icon from Moscow to Vil'na (Vilnius), Lithuania. to local tradition, this Icon (of the Hodegetria type) was painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke, and was brought from Palestine to Constantinople. For many years it belonged to the family of the Byzantine emperors. Later, they sent the Icon to the rulers of Galicia and Chervona Rus'. the fall of the Galician principality, the Icon became the property of the Great Princes of Moscow. It did not stay In Moscow very long, however. In 1495, Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505), blessed his daughter Elena with the Icon before giving her in marriage to the Lithuanian Grand Duke Alexander. Thus, the Icon came with her to the Lithuanian capital of Vil'na, where it remains today. to another legend, which is more credible, this Icon was brought to Moscow by Princess Sophia Palaiologina in 1472 when she married Ivan III. Both legends converge in all other details. Princess Elena died, the holy Icon of the Mother of God was placed above her tomb in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos. the relationship between the courts of Moscow and Lithuania came to an end, Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) tried to bring the wonderworking Icon back to Moscow, offering Grand Duke Sigismund II of Lithuania (1520-1572) fifty noble Lithuanian prisoners in exchange, but Sigismund strongly opposed this, because all the clergy, both the Orthodox and the Uniates, did not want to lose this treasure. Icon remained In the Cathedral of the Mother of God until the XVIII century, Later, it was moved to the church of Saint John the Forerunner. Afterward, the Icon was transferred to Vil'na's Holy Trinity Monastery, which was then in possession of the Uniates, and the Cathedral of the Mother if God was also given to them. in 1839 were Holy Trinity Monastery and the Hodegetria Icon returned to the Orthodox. Since that time, the Icon of the Mother of God has been there with other local icons, and was honored by all the Orthodox. It has replaced her lost Ostro Bram (the Dawn Gates) Icon (which is commemorated on December 26 and April 14). Hodegetria Icon is painted on four boards which have been joined together. Some are made of cypress wood, and the others of birch. It was restored in 1864. a monastery on the outskirts of Vil'na, there is another Vil'na Icon, which appeared in 1341. It is not unlike the Hodegetria Icon. It is a full length depiction of the Mother of God, who stands on a crescent moon, and Holy Angels hold a crown over her pure head. In some variations of this Icon she stands on clouds, surrounded by Angels, and is wearing a crown. Vil'na Icon is also commemorated on April 14.

Russia, Volhynia, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Wonderworker Job oPachaev

Russia, Volhynia, 1545-1608, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky, Konstanty Ostrogski, of Turov and Pinsk
Volhynia, 1545-1608, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky, Konstanty Ostrogski; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Volhynia, 1571-1651, Saint Job of Pochaev
Volhynia, 1571-1651, Saint Job of Pochaev; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Volhynia, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Pestilence&Ozerianka Icon, Turks&Pochaev Icon

Russia, Volhynia, 1622 &1880 &1923 &1924 &1998 &2001, Icon Surety oSinners, Koretsk, Volhynia, transfered tHTConvent 1622
Koretsk Region and Korets; Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners” in Koretsk, Commemorated on June 8; ancient "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets has been kept in the princely castle of Korets from ancient times, and was called "gracious." the death of Samuel, the last of the Orthodox Korets Princes, his brother John offered to let his sister, Igoumeness Seraphima take the Icon from the princely chapel and bring it to Holy Resurrection Maidens' Monastery at Korets. solemn transfer of the holy Icon took place on Thursday of Pentecost Week in 1622. this day, a festal celebration was established in honor of the "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets. August 12, 1880, the Icon was transferred to Holy Trinity Church then returned to the Monastery and was placed in a carved wooden kiosk at the left front column. than once the wonderworking Icon showed gracious help for the suffering - 1923 on the Feast of the Holy Trinity a young man who was possessed by an unclean spirit was healed before the Icon. next year, when during the period from the Ascension of the Lord to the Thursday after Pentecost, there were incessant downpours in Volhynia. Miraculously, after a Cross Procession around the temple with the blessed Icon, the rain began to subside. believers who turn to the Queen of Heaven for help and intercession because of some discord, family troubles, and especially when "anguish of the soul" suggests that after praying before the Icon, they receive spiritual relief and peace, for she is truly the "Surety of Sinners." the Icon, the Mother of God is depicted holding her Child on her left hand, and He holds her right hand with both of His hands. inscription reads: “I am the Surety of Sinners for my Son Who has entrusted me to hear them, and through me, those who bring me the joy of hearing them shall receive everlasting joy." August 17, 1998, the Superior of Holy Trinity Korets women's Monastery, Igoumeness Natalia (Ilchuk) petitioned Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia to add the Korets Icon to the list of wonderworking Icons of the Mother of God on the Patriarchal Church Calendar. With the Patriarch's blessing, the celebration in honor of the Korets Icon was approved. November 2001, an attempt was made to steal the Icon, but the attackers only managed to carry off its valuable riza. People donated money for a new riza to be made, a copy of the the one which was stolen. Icon is kept in the Holy Trinity women's Monastery at Korets.

Russia, Volhynia, 1654-1655, Ozerianka Icon, of Shuiu-Smolensk, painted in response to a pestilence
Ozerianka, Volhynia, Ukraine; Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, where an unrelenting pestilence raged. Trusting in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, an icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. When the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. From that time the pestilence began to ease, at first in the area of the Resurrection parish, and then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. The icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Russia, Volhynia, 1675, Turkish siege Pochaev on July 20-23, 1675
Volynia, Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675; Crimean-Nogai Raids; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Russia, Volhynia, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks
Zbarazhsk Castle; Zbarazhsk War with the Turks 1675; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Russia, Volhynia, 1675, Pochaev Icon saves Pochaev Monastery from Tartars and Turks
Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Russia, Volhynia, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Alexander Hotovitzky to US and back

Russia, Volhynia, 1880 &1622 &1923 &1924 &1998 &2001, Icon Surety oSinners, Koretsk, Volhynia, transfered to HTChurch 1880
Koretsk Region and Korets; Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners” in Koretsk, Commemorated on June 8; ancient "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets has been kept in the princely castle of Korets from ancient times, and was called "gracious." the death of Samuel, the last of the Orthodox Korets Princes, his brother John offered to let his sister, Igoumeness Seraphima take the Icon from the princely chapel and bring it to Holy Resurrection Maidens' Monastery at Korets. solemn transfer of the holy Icon took place on Thursday of Pentecost Week in 1622. this day, a festal celebration was established in honor of the "Surety of Sinners" Icon of the Mother of God of Korets. August 12, 1880, the Icon was transferred to Holy Trinity Church then returned to the Monastery and was placed in a carved wooden kiosk at the left front column. than once the wonderworking Icon showed gracious help for the suffering - 1923 on the Feast of the Holy Trinity a young man who was possessed by an unclean spirit was healed before the Icon. next year, when during the period from the Ascension of the Lord to the Thursday after Pentecost, there were incessant downpours in Volhynia. Miraculously, after a Cross Procession around the temple with the blessed Icon, the rain began to subside. believers who turn to the Queen of Heaven for help and intercession because of some discord, family troubles, and especially when "anguish of the soul" suggests that after praying before the Icon, they receive spiritual relief and peace, for she is truly the "Surety of Sinners." the Icon, the Mother of God is depicted holding her Child on her left hand, and He holds her right hand with both of His hands. inscription reads: “I am the Surety of Sinners for my Son Who has entrusted me to hear them, and through me, those who bring me the joy of hearing them shall receive everlasting joy." August 17, 1998, the Superior of Holy Trinity Korets women's Monastery, Igoumeness Natalia (Ilchuk) petitioned Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia to add the Korets Icon to the list of wonderworking Icons of the Mother of God on the Patriarchal Church Calendar. With the Patriarch's blessing, the celebration in honor of the Korets Icon was approved. November 2001, an attempt was made to steal the Icon, but the attackers only managed to carry off its valuable riza. People donated money for a new riza to be made, a copy of the the one which was stolen. Icon is kept in the Holy Trinity women's Monastery at Korets.

Russia, Volhynia, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia Seminary, New York, San Francisco, Moscow, special spark from God
Russia, Volhynia, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia, son of rector of V T Seminary, educated there and Petersburg T A, New York, San Francisco, special spark from God, preaching, Tikhon, US missionary, Uniates from his home, Philidelphia, Yonkers, Passaic, publisher, mutual aid, St Nik Cathedral, Finland, proselytic Lutherans, Moscow, Tikhon, struggle to save the nation, Civil War, brotherhood, alms for Cathedral, arrests, confiscations, chruch donations for starving, however Church forbad sacred vessels surrender, court cases counter-revolutionary activities, draft resolution guaratee for starving, deemed c-r, executions, acknowleged main organizer, milder verdict 10 yrs, amnesty, interrogation, exile to Turuhan r, return, protopresbyter to Sergius, rector on Donskoy st, light in his eyes, 1937 arrest and martyrdom; Alexander Hotovitzky (or Hotovitsky), hieromartyr of the Bolshevik yoke, Missionary of America, was a Ukrainian who came to the United States in the 1890s as a lay missionary and was ordained to the priesthood while there. was active as a missionary among the emigrated Uniates in the northeastern United States before being ordered back to Europe 1914. was to become vicar of the congregation of the Russian Embassy in Berlin. of the outbreak of the First World War he was instead nominated as vicar of the Orthodox congregation in Helsinki, Finland, then a part of imperial Russia. 1917 he was assigned to Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. the Bolshevik coup he was subjected to many cruelties by the revolutionaries as he defended the Orthodox faith, his people, and church property. to many arrests and exile Father Alexander served his Church as best he could through these tumultuous times until after a final arrest he was executed during the Great Purge on August 19, 1937. glorification is celebrated on December 4. Kremenetz - Kremenetz city of Kremenetz district and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Lavra ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; New Martyr of Russia Alexander Hotovitzky was born on February 11, 1872 in the city of Kremenetz, into the pious family of Archpriest Alexander, who was Rector of the Volhynia Theological Seminary and would later be long remembered in the hearts of the Orthodox inhabitants of Volhynia as a good shepherd. Alexander received a good Christian upbringing from his parents, who instilled in him love for the Orthodox Church and for the people of God. future pastor was educated at the Volhynia Seminary and the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, from which he graduated with a Master’s degree in 1895. graduation from the Academy, he was sent for missionary service to the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America, where he was assigned to the position of reader at the newly-established Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in New York City. his marriage to Maria Scherbuhina, a graduate of the Pavlovsk Institute in Saint Petersburg, the Hieromartyr Alexander was ordained to the diaconate, and soon after, on February 25, 1896, to the priesthood by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians, whom Father Alexander would always later remember with gratitude and love. ordination took place at the diocesan cathedral in San Francisco. In his address to the newly-ordained Father Alexander, Bishop Nicholas explained his selection of the new priest for ordained ministry in these words: “Your special sense of decency, your good upbringing, your noble idealism, and your sincere piety immediately caused me to look favorably upon you and compelled me to single you out among the young people, with whom you used to visit me in Saint Petersburg... could see that you had that special spark from God, which makes any service an action truly done for God’s sake, and without which a vocation becomes soul-less and dead work... first experience in preaching has shown you the power of this kind of inspiration: you saw how the people gathered around you and how attentively they stood and listened at length to your discourses... Why did these people listen to you rather than going to hear other preachers? Clearly the spark which burns within you attracts the hearts of these people like a magnet.” week after his ordination, the young priest returned to New York to assume the pastorate of the parish where he had previously served as reader. From 1898 to 1907, the New Martyr Alexander served as a pastor under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon. Tikhon, who, in the tragic year of 1917, was to be elevated by Divine Providence to the primatial see as Patriarch of Moscow, valued highly Father Alexander’s sincere piety, his gift of pastoral love, and his multifaceted theological erudition. spectrum of his activity in the United States was quite broad and very fruitful. He was successful in missionary service, primarily among Uniates newly-emigrated from Galicia and Carpathian Rus. was also one of the closest collaborators of the Orthodox archpastors in America and represented the Orthodox Church before American religious institutions and meetings. Alexander’s missionary work was not without many temptations and sorrows. later Metropolitan, Platon (Rozhdestvensky) expressed gratitude for the Passion-bearer Alexander’s labors in America in an address delivered at the Divine Liturgy on February 26, 1914. Bidding farewell to Father Alexander, the Archbishop said, “One morning, during the years we worked together, you came to my room and, without saying much, unbuttoned your shirt, revealing a very large, bluish, bloody abrasion on your chest. That wound from a fanatic, who in a fit of rage attacked you wildly with a stick, followed the meeting of Russian people at which you had encouraged your own ethnic brother to renounce the pernicious Unia with Rome... My entire being was shaken to the core and I was profoundly moved, for before me at that moment was a genuine example of witness for Christ.” Father Alexander’s efforts, Orthodox parishes were established in Philadelphia, Yonkers, and Passaic as well as other large and small towns throughout North America. The parishioners of these churches were cradle Orthodox whom fate had brought to the New World, as well as Carpatho-Russians converted from the Unia and former Protestant converts to the Orthodox Church. important contribution to the witness of the truth of Orthodoxy before heterodox American society was made by the American Orthodox Messenger, which was published in English and Russian under Father Alexander’s editorship. Articles by the editor regularly appeared in this journal. New Martyr Alexander actively participated in the establishment of an Orthodox diocesan mutual aid society and at various times, he served as treasurer, first secretary, and president of this organization. The society provided material aid to Austrian Carpatho-Russians, Macedonian Slavs, Russian troops in Manchuria, and to Russian prisoners of war in Japanese camps. Alexander also took upon himself the ascetical burden of constructing the architecturally remarkable and majestic Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York to replace the small parish church. cathedral was to become an adornment of the city. He visited Orthodox communities throughout America soliciting funds for the construction of the Cathedral. 1901, he also traveled to his homeland, Russia, for this purpose. the annals of Saint Nicholas Church, which in 1903 became the diocesan Cathedral, it is recorded that, “This Cathedral was established and constructed in the City of New York in North America, under the supervision and through the efforts and labors of the most honorable Archpriest Father Alexander Hotovitzky in the year of Our Lord 1902.” February 26, 1906, Orthodox America celebrated the tenth anniversary of priestly service of Archpriest Alexander, one of its most remarkable pastors. Bishop Tikhon greeted the jubilarian with these words: “As you remember your ordination as a priest of God at this anniversary, you are doubtless unwillingly contemplating how you have used your God-given talents, and asking yourself if the Grace of God was bestowed on you in vain and how far you have advanced on the path of moral perfection. you judge yourself in this way, you are at the same time the judge and the accused. In order for a judgment to be fair, the testimony of onlookers, the witnesses, must be heard. Now they are speaking before you—listen to them. Thanks be to the Lord! We just heard their eloquent and heartfelt testimony praising you. myself as your superior, I can testify that you have proven to be trustworthy, and have justified the expectations which were hoped for at your ordination.” sacrificial and dedicated pastoral service of the New Martyr Alexander in America was concluded on February 26, 1914, exactly eighteen years after his ordination to the priesthood. his farewell address, Father Alexander said, “Farewell, American Orthodox Rus—my dear Mother, the Holy American Church. I, your ever-grateful son, bow fully to the ground before you. You gave birth to me spiritually, you nurtured me, from your depths you inspired me by your strength. Through the shining witness of your founders, through the enlightened apostolic teachings of your preachers, through the fervor of your faithful flock, you have given me the greatest possible joy—to be your son.” 1914 to 1917, Father Alexander served as a priest in Helsinki, Finland, where the majority of the population was Protestant. Finland was then part of the Russian Empire, the Orthodox clergy there had to exert great efforts to protect the Orthodox Karelians from the proselytic expansionism of the Finnish Lutherans. In Finland, the New Martyr Alexander was a loyal, active, and dedicated assistant to his archpastor—Sergius (Stragorodsky), the future Patriarch. August 1917, Archpriest Alexander was transferred to Moscow and assigned as assistant pastor of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Here he was again under the direct guidance of Saint Tikhon, with whom he had already been closely associated in America. Passion-bearer Alexander participated in the deliberations of the Church Council of 1917-18. When the Council discussed the drafting of a message to the Orthodox flock concerning elections to the State Council, he stated that, as the fate of Russia was at stake, the Church and the Council in particular should not shy away from the struggle to save the nation. about the efforts of the Council to upbuild the Church, he outlined his preliminary plans for order and healing in the internal life of the Church and stated with some bitterness, “It seems as if there were builders who were furiously preparing blueprints, plans and so forth for the construction of an edifice and at the same time were calmly observing the destruction brick by brick of this edifice by enemies.” the difficult years of the Civil War, the New Martyr Alexander collaborated closely with Saint Tikhon in the administration of the Moscow diocese. 1918, under the spiritual leadership of the rector, Father Nicholas Arseniev, and the assistant pastor, Father Alexander, a brotherhood affiliated with Christ the Savior Cathedral was established. As its first activity, the brotherhood issued an appeal to the Orthodox flock, which Father Alexander helped write. document stated, “People of Russia! Christ the Savior Cathedral, the adornment of Moscow, the pride of Russia, the joy of the Orthodox Church has been condemned to slow destruction. This glorious monument to the great exploits of Russian warriors, who gave their lives for their native land and the Holy Orthodox Faith, has been denied state support...People of Russia! Will you really surrender this wonderful church of the Savior to mockery? it really true, as is claimed by the persecutors of the Holy Church, that the people of Russia no longer need holy things—Churches, sacraments, services, because all this is outdated and superstitious? Respond, you faithful! All of you, respond as one! Rise up and protect your holy things! May the generous and well-intentioned donations of the rich be added to the precious pennies of the faithful poor. Moscow, you are the heart of Russia! Preserve your holy shrine—your golden-domed Church of the Savior!...” response to this appeal, Orthodox inhabitants of Moscow joined the brotherhood of Christ the Savior Cathedral, and gave their alms to support the majestic church. service at that time was accompanied by much grief and danger. May 1920 and November 1921 Father Alexander was arrested for brief periods. He was accused of violating the decrees concerning the separation of the Church from the state, and the school from the Church, by holding church school for the children. 1922, the Church was subjected to harsh tribulations when, under the pretext of helping the starving, ecclesiastical treasures including sacred vessels, icons, and other holy things were violently confiscated by the state. the appeal of Her holy primate, the Orthodox Church made generous donations to assist the starving. when Saint Tikhon issued a statement to his flock throughout Russia forbidding the cooperation of the clergy in surrendering sacred vessels for non-ecclesiastical use based on canon law, slanderous campaign against the Church was begun in the press, Her primate was arrested, and a wave of court cases took place throughout Russia, in which servants of the Lord’s altar were accused of counter-revolutionary activity. During these trials many faithful servants of the Church of Christ were sentenced to death and shed their blood as hieromartyrs and martyrs. this difficult time for the Church, Father Alexander was unwaveringly guided by the statements of the Holy Patriarch to his flock and also followed his directives. to assist the starving were collected at Christ the Savior Cathedral. At the same time, measures were undertaken to protect the sacred objects of this church. of the clergy and parishioners of Christ the Savior Cathedral were held at Father Alexander’s apartment in order to draft a resolution of the general parish meeting concerning the state decree. draft of the resolution, prepared by Father Alexander, protested against the violent confiscation of church valuables. general meeting of parishioners was convened on March 23, 1922 at Christ the Savior Cathedral, presided by Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev. Alexander had already been arrested. meeting adopted the final text of the resolution, which demanded guarantees from the state that all donations be used to save the lives of the starving. The participants in the meeting protest the poisonous publications against the Church as well as insults against the hierarchy. The drafting of this document was deemed by the authorities to be criminal counter-revolutionary activity. two court cases against the Church, in Petrograd and Moscow, which resulted in the executions of hieromartyrs and martyrs, a new highly visible trial of clergy and laity began in Moscow on November 27, 1922, during which they were accused of supposedly “attempting to retain in their hands possession of church valuables and, through the resulting starvation, to topple the Soviet regime.” trial in this case were 105 clergy and laity. the main defendants were Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, dean of the second district of forty churches in Prechistenka, Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev, dean of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky, assistant pastor of this Cathedral, Ilya Gromoglasov, priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Lev Evgenievich Anohin, warden of this Cathedral, and Archpriest Simeon Golubev, rector of Saint John the Warrior Church. most significant part of the indictment submitted to the Court concerned the activity of the clergy and laity of Christ the Savior Cathedral. indictment stated, “The main organizers and leaders of this criminal activity were Priest Hotovitzky, chairman of the council of parishes in this area, Priest Arseniev, rector of the Cathedral, Priest Zotikov, Priest Gromoglasov, former lawyer Kayutov, former deputy minister Shchepkin, the merchant Golovkin, and engineer Anohin. the decree of the Supreme Central Executive Committee concerning the confiscation of church valuables was issued, they began their preliminary activities under the leadership of the priest Hotovitzky, who repeated to secretly gather the above named people at his apartment in order to plan with them the measures which they proposed to enact to achieve their criminal intentions.” case was in court for two weeks. After the detailed indictment was read, questioning of the defendants began. Father Alexander remained cool and calm during the questioning as he tried to protect the other defendants. did not admit any guilt, stating, “I consider that it is not counter-revolutionary to ask for a corresponding amount of metal in return for church valuables.” the interrogation of all the defendants and witnesses, at the Court session on December 6, the later infamous, sinister prosecutor Vishinsky delivered the concluding statement for the prosecution. He asked the court for a sentence of capital punishment for thirteen defendants including Archpriests Alexander Hotovitzky, Nicholas Arseniev, Sergius Uspensky, Priest Ilya Gromoglasov, Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya) of the Novodevichii Women’s Monastery and L.E. Anohin. Vishinsky requested that the other defendants be sentenced to prison terms of varying length. December 11, defendants were given an opportunity to say a final word to the court. his comments, Father Alexander attempted, first of all, to obtain the court’s leniency and mercy for his brother clergy, “I direct your attention to those who were at the meeting in my apartment: some of them are old and the others are very young and guilty of nothing. This was a completely ordinary meeting, it was not counter-revolutionary and it cannot by any means be characterized as a shady plot.” lengthiest final comments were delivered by the professor and priest Ilya Gromoglasov. This defendant attempted to gain the favor of the court by expounding on his former opposition to the Holy Synod. Concerning the conclusions of the prosecution, he said that he “knew nothing of the criminal organization headed by Hotovitzky.” December 13, the verdict of the revolutionary tribunal was announced. was milder than the bloodthirsty verdicts delivered at previous trials held in Petrograd and Moscow in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. of the main defendants—Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya), Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, and Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky were sentenced to ten years in prison, the confiscation of their personal property and the deprivation of their civil rights for five years. others were sentenced to lesser terms of imprisonment. Appeals for pardon, made by those who were sentenced to the longest terms of imprisonment, including that of Archpriest Alexander, were rejected by the presidium of the Supreme Central Executive Committee on February 16, 1923. the holy Patriarch Tikhon resumed his administration of the Church and made several statements regarding loyalty to the governmental authorities, many hierarchs, clergy, church leaders and laity, who had previously received sentences from the judiciary in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables, were granted amnesty. Alexander was among those freed in October 1923. Following his liberation, he was not assigned to a parish but served by invitation at various churches in Moscow. remained free for only a short time. Already on September 4, 1924, E. Tuchkov, head of the 6th section of the Department of State Political Management, compiled a list of thirteen clergy and church leaders of Moscow and recommended that they be subjected to administrative exile. New Martyr Alexander, who was included in the list, was characterized as follows in this document, “A priest and preacher with a post-graduate education, very active, zealous and influential among the Tikhonites. His outlook is anti-Soviet.” September 9, 1924, the New Martyr Alexander was subjected to an interrogation. “In my religious convictions,” he said at that time, “I consider myself to be a Tikhonite. My relations with the Patriarch are intimate rather than just strictly administrative, but lately, I have avoided meeting with Patriarch Tikhon, as I felt that this might inconvenience him due to my conviction in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. I have never expressed an opinion concerning the restoration of the former government and such a thought has not even crossed my mind.” a decision of a special meeting of the administration of the Department of State Political Management, the New Martyr Alexander was exiled to the Turuhan region for a period of three years. His already failing health was further weakened by his sojourn in the far north. his return from exile, Father Alexander was raised to the rank of protopresbyter and became one of the closest assistants of the Deputy Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Sergius, who knew him well since the time of his service in Finland. the 1930s, Protopresbyter Alexander served as rector of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe on Donskoy Street. One of the parishioners of this church recalls, “In 1936, Father Alexander did not preach, as he was apparently forbidden to do so. In 1936-7, I was present many times when Father Alexander served. He was a tall, gray-haired priest with gentle facial features, who looked extremely intelligent. Gray, trimmed hair, a small beard, very kind gray eyes, a high-pitched, loud tenor...pronounced exclamations distinctly and with inspiration...His appearance reminded me of many priests who were exiles from the western regions...Father Alexander had many parishioners who greatly revered him...Even today, I remember Father Alexander’s eyes. It seemed as if his glance penetrated your heart and embraced it with affection. I had the same feeling when I saw the holy Patriarch Tikhon...The same light also shining in Father Alexander’s eyes was testimony of his sanctity.” the fall of 1937, the New Martyr Alexander was arrested again. The documentary evidence about him at our disposal ends with this; however, a majority of oral reports testify to his death as a martyr. The Orthodox Church in America, on whose territory Protopresbyter Alexander served as a priest until 1914, venerates him as a passion-bearer, whose life as a confessor ended with sufferings for Christ. The place of his burial is unknown. Church of Russia also commemorates Saint Alexander on August 7, along with the Archpriests Alexei Vorobiev, Michael Plishevsky, John Voronets, the priests Demetrius Milovidov, and Peter Tokarev, the deacon Elisha Sholder, and Igumen Athanasius Egorov. photo gallery of the 1994 Glorification of Saint Alexander may be viewed here.

Russia, Volhynia, Horyn River Folder

Horyn River Source (Ternopil)

Horyn River 1 (Izyaslav)

Izyaslav (Horyn River 1)
Izyaslav (Horyn River 1);

Zaslavsk (Horyn River 1)
Zaslavsk (Horyn River 1); Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Starokostiantyniv Castle, Principality of Turov and Pinsk, (Horyn River 1)
Starokostiantyniv Castle, Principality of Turov and Pinsk; Repose of Venerable Job the Wonderworker, Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Ozerianka, Volhynia, Ukraine, Drevlyany Lands, Turnopol Oblast
Ozerianka, Volhynia, Ukraine; Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, where an unrelenting pestilence raged. Trusting in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, an icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. When the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. From that time the pestilence began to ease, at first in the area of the Resurrection parish, and then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. The icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Zhitomir, Volhynia (Transportation Center, Kiev to Minsk, Kiev to Warsaw, Horyn River 1)
Zhitomir; is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. is the administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion (district). city of Zhytomyr is not a part of Zhytomyr Raion: the city itself is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast; moreover Zhytomyr consists of two so-called "raions in a city": Bohunskyi Raion and Koroliovskyi Raion (named in honour of Sergey Korolyov). Zhytomyr occupies an area of 65 square kilometres (25 square miles). Its population is 261,624 (2022 est.)[2] is a major transport hub. city lies on a historic route linking the city of Kyiv with the west through Brest. Today it links Warsaw with Kyiv, Minsk with Izmail, and several major cities of Ukraine. was also the location of Ozerne airbase, a key Cold War strategic aircraft base 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) southeast of the city. economic activities of Zhytomyr include lumber milling, food processing, granite quarrying, metalworking, and the manufacture of musical instruments.[3] Oblast is the main center of the Polish minority in Ukraine, and in the city itself there is a Latin Catholic cathedral and large Roman Catholic Polish cemetery, founded in 1800. is regarded as the third biggest Polish cemetery outside Poland, after the Lychakivskiy Cemetery in Lviv and Rasos Cemetery in Vilnius. Kyivska (Kyiv) street looking West toward St. Michael's Cathedral. Photo early 1900s. Philharmonia theater and old water tower Sobornyi Maidan - main square of Zhytomyr holds that Zhytomyr was established about 884 by Zhytomyr, prince of a Slavic tribe of Drevlians. date, 884, is cut into a large stone of the ice age times, standing on the hill where Zhytomyr was founded. was one of the prominent cities of Kievan Rus'. The first records of the town date from 1240, when it was sacked by the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan. 1320 Zhytomyr was captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania received Magdeburg rights in 1444. the Union of Lublin (1569) the city was incorporated into the Crown of the Polish Kingdom in 1667, following the Treaty of Andrusovo, it became the capital of the Kiev Voivodeship. the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 it passed to Imperial Russia and became the capital of the Volhynian Governorate. u the Union of Lublin, Zhytomyr became an important center of local administration, seat of the starosta, and capital of Zhytomyr County. sejmiks of Kiev Voivodeship took place. 1572, the town had 142 buildings, a manor house of the starosta and a castle. Following the privilege of King Sigismund III Vasa, Zhytomyr had the right for two fairs a year. Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648) Zhytomyr was incorporated into Cossack Hetmanate state. 1667, Zhytomyr became capital of Kiev Voivodeship, and in 1724, a Jesuit school and monastery were opened here. 1765, Zhytomyr had five churches, including 3 Roman Catholic and 2 Orthodox, and 285 houses. 1793 Zhytomyr was incorporated into the Russian Empire, and in 1804 was named capital of the Volhynian Governorate. a period of Ukrainian independence (1917-1920) in 1918 the city was for a few weeks the national capital of Ukrainian People's Republic. Ukrainian fight for independence failed and Ukrainian People's Republic became occupied by Soviet Union. new Soviet Ukraine state was formed under Soviet rule - Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. From 1920 Zhytomyr was a part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. city suffered from the man-made famine Holodomor of 1932-1933. In 2008, the National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide published the National Book of Memory of the Victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine. Zhytomyr region - Zhytomyr[4]. The book has 1116 pages and consists of three sections. According to historical records, more than 8015 people died during Holodomor in 1932-1933. World War II Zhytomyr and the surrounding territory was, for two and a half years (first from 9 July 1941 to 12 November 1943, and again from 19 November 1943 to 31 December 1943) under Nazi German occupation and was Heinrich Himmler's Ukrainian headquarters. Nazi regime in what they called the "Zhytomyr General District" became what historian Wendy Lower describes as a laboratory for… Himmler's resettlement activists… elimination of the Jews and German colonization of the East—transformed the landscape and devastated the population to an extent that was not experienced in other parts of Nazi-occupied Europe besides Poland. … [u]ltimately, the exigencies of the war effort and mounting partisan warfare behind the lines prevented Nazi leaders from fully developing and realizing their colonial aims in Ukraine… In addition to the immediate destruction of all Jewish communities, Himmler insisted that the Ukrainian civilian population be brought to a 'minimum.'[5] 1942-1949 Zhytomyr region was a territory of mild Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) activity (UPA North), who fought for Independence of Ukraine against Nazi Germany and Soviet Union. Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany, Zhytomyr fell under Soviet rule and became a part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic again. 24 August 1991 Ukrainian parliament announced Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. From 1991, Zhytomyr has been part of the independent and sovereign Ukraine. Russian invasion School in Zhytomyr after a Russian airstrike on 4 March 2022 the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zhytomyr and the surrounding area were subjected to several Russian air and missile strikes, such as the 2 March airstrike which damaged residential buildings, a thermal electricity plant, and two hospitals, killing at least two and injuring more than a dozen.[6][7][8][9]

Horyn River 2 (Slavuta)

Horyn River 3 (Netishyn)

Horyn River 4 (Ostrog)

Ostrog, Volynia, Ukraine (Horyn River 4)
Ostrog, Ukraine St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, gained fame with the construction of churches and by his defense of Orthodoxy in Volhynia against the enroachment of Papism. He was descended from Saint Vladimir (July 15), through a great-grandson Svyatopolk-Michael, prince of Turov (1080-1093) and later Great Prince of Kiev (+1113). first time the name of the holy Prince Theodore is mentioned is in the year 1386, when the Polish king Jagiello and the Lithuanian prince Vitovt affirmed his hereditary possession of the Ostrog district, and they augmented the Zaslavsk and Koretsk surroundings. 1410 Saint Theodore participated in the defeat of the Teutonic Knights of the Catholic Order at the Battle of Gruenwald. In 1422 the holy prince, because of sympathy for the Orthodox in Bohemia, supported the Hussites in their struggle with the German emperor Sigismund. Theodore introduced the Hussite formation (i.e., the Taborite, adopted by the Ukrainian Cossacks) into Russian military strategy. 1432, after winning a series of victories over the Polish forces, Saint Theodore compelled Prince Jagiello to guarantee the freedom of Orthodoxy in Volhynia under the law. Prince Svidrigailo, apprehensive of the strengthening of his ally, locked Saint Theodore into prison, but the people who loved the saint rose up in rebellion, and he was freed. Theodore was reconciled with the offender and went to him for help in the struggle against the Lithuanians and the Poles. In 1438, the holy prince took part in a battle with the Tatars. In 1440, with the accession to the Polish throne of Cazimir, youngest son of Prince Jagiello, Saint Theodore received the rights of administration of the city of Vladimir, Dubno, Ostrog, and he was granted extensive holdings in the best regions of Podolia and Volhynia. Theodore left all this behind, together with princely power and fame. After 1441 he entered the Kiev Caves monastery, where he received the monastic tonsure with the name Theodosius, he struggled there for the salvation of his soul until the time of his blessed repose. year of Saint Theodore’s death is unknown, but it is probable that he died in the second half of the fifteenth century at a great old age (S. M. Soloviev in his History of Russia gives the year of his death as 1483). The saint was buried in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius. His glorification apparently took place at the end of the sixteenth century, since in the year 1638 the hieromonk Athanasius Kal’nophysky testified that “Saint Theodore rests in the Theodosiev Cave, where his body was discovered incorrupt.” Theodore is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Monastic Fathers of the Far Caves on August 28. Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Horyn River 5 (Rivne)

Koretsk Region, Korets and Korets Castle
Koretsk Region and Korets; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners” in Koretsk, Commemorated on June 8;

Korets Holy Trinity Monastery, City Center, 59, Kiyivska St
Korets Holy Trinity Monastery, City Center, 59, Kiyivska St ; Holy Trinity Stauropegion Convent Monastery-Fortress It is an outstanding architectural ensemble of Korets. in the central part of the city. Initially, it was a Franciscan monastery founded in 1620 by Prince Jan-Karol Korecki, a castellan from Volyn. In 1830 the monastery was abolished and the building was transferred to the Orthodox Church. The Holy Trinity Convent Monastery was founded here. The complex includes the Trinity Church, cells with a refectory, a warm church and a bell tower. dominant feature of the complex is the Trinity Church because the monastery buildings are united into a single ensemble around it. The church is a three-nave brick four-storey building with a semicircular apse. The cells look like two-storey corridor-type buildings with a one-sided arrangement of premises. The bell tower is made of brick, three-tiered, decorated with the use of numerous kokoshniks, columns and belts. architecture of the monastery complex reflects the characteristic features of Ukrainian art of the XVII-XVIII centuries and its relationship with Moscow architecture. main building of the monastery was a rectangular basilica church. Four square pillars divide the main volume into three naves. In the 19th century, when the building was transferred to the ownership of the Orthodox Church, the church was also rebuilt. The superimposed lateral naves are disproportionate ""five-headed"". Baroque decoration of facades has been preserved. Characteristic feature of Catholic monastery construction is the location of the L-shaped building, which is adjacent at right angles to the western part of the northern facade of the church. The bell tower is three-tiered, the first two tiers are square and the upper is octagonal. The Church of St. John the Baptist was built near the Orthodox monastery. A small one-story temple attached to the eastern end of the main cell building. The monastery occupied a fairly good strategic place located on top of a small hill and protected from the south by a pond and from the west by a swampy meadow. There was a deep ditch to the north and east which was filled with water from the pond if necessary. A wooden bridge led across the moat to the monastery. There is an earthen embankment now. The stone wall surrounded the perimeter of the monastery. The walls were originally completed with cogs. There was a wooden gallery inside. Separate sections of the wall have been preserved nowadays: the northern part and the southern part, 60 and 50 m respectively, 3-4 m high, 1.5 m thick. The entrance to the monastery was through a five-tiered bell tower. The first tier looked like a rectangle 14x10.4 m, the fourth floor contained 14 shooting ranges, the fifth floor was added much later in the 1840s, and there were bells. In the XV century, the height of the four-tiered tower reached 18 m. (summer) Church of St. John the Baptist in 1890. It is located in the northern part of the monastery merged with the cells. began to build them simultaneously with the monastery. The body of the cells in plan resembles the letter ""L"". Initially, the cells were one-story. In the eighteenth century, a second floor was added above them. Today they are the only ones of all the buildings of the monastery which have hardly changed their original appearance. bell tower above the main monastery entrance gate and the facade faces south. Built in 1905. of the Resurrection Monastery on the right bank of Korchyk River, 300 meters north of the castle ruins. Built in 1764-1767 in the late Baroque style. cells are the only ones left from the Resurrection Monastery, which construction started in 1571 by Prince Yahim Koretskyi. Until 1616 the monastery was Orthodox, then belonged to the Greek Catholic Order of the Basilian Fathers. Only the decor on the eastern facade of the building of the unique architectural features has survived. In the 90s of the twentieth century, the Holy Trinity Monastery undertook the restoration of the remains of the Resurrection Monastery which in Soviet times housed the warehouses of the district consumer union. 5.9 hectares. Stauropean, that is belongs directly to the Patriarch of Moscow. city of Korets is located near the international route M-06 Kyiv - Chop. Distance from Kiev - 252 km. The Holy Trinity Stauropean Convent is 2 km from Kyiv-Chop. You can get to Korets by regular buses and minibuses that go from Kyiv to Rivne, Lutsk, Dubno, Ternopil, Lviv. From the bus stations of Rivne and Novograd-Volynskyi, minibuses to Korets go with an interval from 10 minutes to 30 minutes and stop in front of the monastery. Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners” in Koretsk, Commemorated on June 8;

Horyn River 6 (Sarne)

Horyn River 7

Horyn River 8 (Stolin)

Horyn River Mouth (Turov, Pripyat River 3)

Turov, Volhynia (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2)
Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Volhynia, Stry River Folder

Styr River Source (near Brody)

Pochaev, Volhynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources)
Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Appearance of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Footprint” at Pochaev, Commemorated on April 21;

Pochaev Lavra Dormition Cathedral, Volhynia, 1527
Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks,1675 Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev,Commemorated September 8 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Volynia Sprirtual Academy, Lavra Dormition Cathedral, Volhynia, 1527
Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks,1675 Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev,Commemorated September 8 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Volynia Seminary, Lavra Dormition Cathedral, Volhynia, 1527
Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks,1675 Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev,Commemorated September 8 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Volyn Region (Volynia, Styr, Bug, Horyn River Source)
Volyn Region; Location: West Ukraine, East Poland, Southwest Belarus; it is located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug, to the north of Galicia and Podolia. The region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come from the Proto-Slavic root *vol/vel- 'wet.'; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Styr River 1 (Berestechko)

Styr River 2 (Lutsk, Ikva River Mouth)

Lutsk, Volhynia (Styr River 2)
Lutsk; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Macarius, Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Tarasius of Glushetsa of Glushetsa, October 12 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Glushetsa suburb of Lutsk, Volynia
Glushetsa suburb of Lutsk; Venerable Amphilochius the Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12; St Tarasius of Glushetsa of Glushetsa, October 12 ; St Macarius, Abbot of Glushetsa, Commemorated on October 12 ;

Vladimir-Volhynia Diocese, 988
Volhynia; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated August 24 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; St Stephen, Commemorated October 10 ; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ;

Russia, Volhynia, Styr River 2, Ikva River Folder

Ikva River

Ikva River Source (On the Border)

Ikva River 1 (Kremenetz, Volhynia)

Kremenetz, Volhynia (Ikva River 1)
Kremenetz - Kremenetz city of Kremenetz district and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Lavra ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Ikva River 2 (Dubno, Volhynia)

Dubno, Volynia (Ikva River 2)
Dubno; Rivne Oblast St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev;

Dubensk district of Volhynia, Dubno, Eastern Front WWI, Trade Rte with Poland (Ikva River 2)
Dubno; Rivne Oblast St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev;

Ikva River Mouth (Styr River 2, Lutsk)

Styr River 3 (Kolky)

Styr River 4 (Staryi Chortoryisk)

Styr River 5 (Kuznetsovsk)

Styr River 6 (Zarichne)

Styr River Mouth (Pinsk, Pripyat River 3)

Russia, Volhynia, Pripyat River Folder, Wormwood, Chenoble

Russia, Volhynia, Pripyat River Source, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania)

Pripyat River 1 (Pinsk, Styr River)

Pinsk, Volhynia (Pripyat River 1)
Pinsk; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Pripyat River 2 (Turov and Mazyr, Horn River)

Turov and Pinsk Principality, Volhynia
Principality of Turov and Pinsk; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28;

Turov, Volhynia, Ukraine (Horyn River Mouth, Pripyat River 2)
Turov; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Volhynia, Western Bug River Folder (West to Warsaw Poland)

Russia, Volhynia, Western Bug River 1, Poltva River Folder, Volhynia

Poltva River

Poltva River Source (Lvov, Western Ukraine or Poland, Bug River 1)

Galicia, Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, High up the Rivers, Ukraine
Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, Ukraine; Repose of Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Galicia, Volhynia, Western Ukraine (Russian Carpathians) Poland to Chernigov trade route
Galicia (Eastern Europe), Ukraine; Repose of Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Galich Kingdom, Volhynia (Western Bug River 1 , 2 and 3)
Galich or Kingdom of Galicia, Volhynia; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12;

Galicia Volhynia, Kingdom of (Western Bug River 1 , 2 and 3)
Galich or Kingdom of Galicia,“Volhynia; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12;

Pokutia (around the corner, from Galicia in Volhynia, Cheremosh R. in Moldovia)
Pokutia (around the corner, from Galicia in Volhynia, Cheremosh R. in Moldovia, but still up the rivers); Repose of Venerable Job the Wonderworker, Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Western Bug River Source (Central Ukraine)

Western Bug River 1 (Poltva River)

Western Bug River 2 (Sokal, Volhynia)

Sokal, Volhynia, Ukraine (Western Bug River 2)
Sokal, Volhynia, Ukraine (Western Bug River 1); Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4;

Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk, Western Ukraine, Eastern Poland
Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Belz, Fortress of Belz (Bug River 2), Eastern Poland, Western Ukraine
Belz, Fortress of Belz; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Western Bug River 3 (Vladimir-Volynsk)

Vladimir, Volhynia (Vladimir-Volynsk, Western Bug River 3)
Vladimir in Volhynia, Vladimir-Volynsk; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated August 24 ; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ;

Vladimir Holy Mountain monastery at Vladimir, Volhynia, Zymne M, 1091
Vladimir Holy Mountain monastery at Volhynia, Zymne Monastery, 1000; Venerable Barlaam, Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19; Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; 1078 Saint Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured this meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him. Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. Because of this, Saint Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honor of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery. 1091 Saint Stephen was made Bishop of Vladimir in Volhynia, and he participated in the transfer of the relics of Saint Theodosius from the cave to the monastery (August 14). He also labored to convert the inhabitants of Volhynia to Christianity.

Hrubieszow, Volynia or Poland (Western Bug River 3, Vladimir-Volynsk)
Hrubieszow; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Teratyn, Volynia or Poland (Western Bug River 3, Vladimir-Volynsk)
Teratyn, Poland; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Western Bug River 4 (near Kholm Theological Seminary)

Russia, Volhynia, Western Bug River 4.5, Rata River Folder, Rata Monastery

Rata River

Rata River Source (along the border)

Rata River 1 (Ratne, Novodvorsk Monastery)

Ratne, Volhynia (Rata River 1)
Ratne, Volhynia; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Rata Monastery, Ratne, Volhynia, whose hegumen was Peter of Moscow, 1299 approx.
+Ratne, Volhynia; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of Saint Peter” was so called because it was painted by Saint Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow (+ December 21, 1326) while he was igumen of the Ratsk monastery near Volhynia. During a visit to the Ratsk monastery by Saint Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia (+ December 6, 1306), Saint Peter gave him this icon as a gift. The Metropolitan took it to Vladimir at Klyazma, where his cathedral was then located. the death of Saint Maximus, the igumen Gerontius, who wished to become the new metropolitan, intended to take this icon to Patriarch Athanasius of Constantinople (October 24). The journey of Igumen Gerontius was delayed, however, by a terrible storm at sea. During this storm, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him and said: “The office of bishop will not be conferred upon you, but rather on the one who painted My Icon.” he came before Patriarch Athanasius, Saint Peter was already in Constantinople and had been consecrated as Metropolitan. The Patriarch gave the icon to Saint Peter with the words: “Take the holy icon of the Mother of God, which you painted with your own hands, for this reason the Ever-Virgin Herself has granted you this gift, and She foretold your path.” Peter took the icon to Vladimir, and when the metropolitan cathedral was transfered to Moscow in the year 1325, the icon was placed in the Dormition Cathedral above the table of oblation. Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Novodvorsk Monastery, Ratne, Volhynia, whose hegumen was Peter of Moscow, 1299 approx.
Ratne, Volhynia; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Rata River Mouth (Bug River 4.5)

Western Bug River 5

Western Bug River 6 (Brest)

Russia, Volhynia, Western Bug 6.5, Mukhavets River Folder, part of Dneiper Bug Canal)

Mukhavets River

Mukhavets River Source

Mukhavets River 1 (Kupyatich, Kobrin)

Kupyatich monastery, Kobrin, Volhynia, 1180, Mukhavets River 1, near Brest
Kupyatich monastery, Kobrin, Belarus, Leposovsky monastery today; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatich, Commemorated on November 15;

Mukhavets River Mouth (Brest, Western Bug River 6.5)

Brest-Litovsk (Vohlynia, Western Bug 6.5, Mukhavets River Mouth)
Brest, Belarus (Bug and Mukhavets Rivers) ; Uniates; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Brest-Litovsk; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ;

Western Bug River 7

Western Bug River 8

Western Bug River Mouth (Warsaw, Narew River 13)

Russia, Volhynia, Drevlyany Lands Ukraine Folder

Ovruch, Volhynia, Ukraine (the center of Drevlyany Lands)
Ovrucha; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Volhynia, Southern Bug River Ukraine Folder, Volhynia is the Source

Podolia, Volhynia, area between Southern Bug and Dniester Rivers, North and West of Moldova
Podolia, Southwest Ukraine; Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Russia, Volhynia, Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder (Clean)

Russia, Vohlynia, its Area

Russia, Volhynia, Horyn River Folder (Clean)

Russia, Volhynia, Stry River Folder (Clean)

Russia, Volhynia, Southern Bug River Folder, Volhynia is the Source (Clean)

Podolia, Volhynia, area between Southern Bug and Dniester Rivers, North and West of Moldova
Podolia, Southwest Ukraine;

Russia, Volhynia, Pripyat River Folder, Wormwood, Chenoble (Clean)

Russia, Volhynia, Western Bug River Folder (West to Warsaw Poland) (Clean)

Russia, Volhynia, Drevlyany Lands Ukraine Folder (Clean)

Russia, Crimea Folder

Crimea, Gateway to Russia (through Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route or Muravsky Trail)
Crimea; Crimean Tartars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10 ; Intercession of the œDonÂ Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Crimea, in the Byzantine and Roman Empires until Vladimir in 988, Rus Baptism time
Crimea; Crimean Tartars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10 ; Intercession of the œDonÂ Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Crimea, Russia, taken from the Byzantine Empire for breaking promise to Vladimir in 988
Crimea; Crimean Tartars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10 ; Intercession of the œDonÂ Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Taurida (Taurica, the Crimean Penninsula and surrounding area, including Odessa and Tomis)
Taurida; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Vladimir indulged himself in a wild, sensuous life, he was far from the libertine that they sometimes portray him as being. He “shepherded his land with truth, valor and reasonâ€, as a good and diligent master, of necessity he extended and defended its boundaries by force of arms, and in returning from military campaigns, he made for his companions and for all Kiev liberal and merry feasts. the Lord prepared him for another task. Where sin increases, there, in the words of the Apostle, grace abounds (Rom. 5: 20). “And upon him came visitation of the Most High, and the All-Merciful eye of the Good God gazed upon him, and shone forth the thought in his heart, of understanding the vanity of idolous delusion, and of appealing to the One God, Creator of all things both visible and invisible.â€ The matter of accepting Baptism was facilitated through external circumstances. The Byzantine Empire was in upheaval under the blows of the mutinous regiments of Bardas Skliros and Bardas Phocas, each of whom sought to gain the imperial throne. In these difficult circumstances the emperors, the coregent brothers Basil the Bulgar-Slayer and Constantine, turned for help to Vladimir. unfolded quickly. In August 987 Bardas Phocas proclaimed himself Emperor and moved against Constantinople, and in autumn of that same year the emissaries of Emperor Basil were at Kiev. “And having exhausted his (Basil’s) wealth, it compelled him to enter into an alliance with the Emperor of the Russians. They were his enemies, but he besought their help,â€ writes one of the Arab chronicles of events in the 980s. “And the Emperor of the Russians consented to this, and made common cause with him.â€ a reward for his military help, Vladimir asked for the hand of the emperors’ sister Anna, which for the Byzantines was an unheard of audacity. Princesses of the imperial lineage did not marry “barbarianâ€ rulers, even if they were Christians. At the same time the emperor Otto the Great was seeking the hand of Anna for his son, and he was refused. However, in Vladimir’s case Constantinople was obliged to consent. agreement was concluded, according to which Vladimir had to send the emperors six thousand Varangians, and to accept holy Baptism. Under these conditions he would receive the hand of the imperial daughter Anna. Thus in the strife of human events the will of God directed the entering of Rus into the grace-filled bosom of the Ecumenical Church. Great Prince Vladimir accepted Baptism and sent the military assistance to Byzantium. With the aid of the Russians, the mutineers were destroyed and Bardas Phocas killed. But the Greeks, gladdened by their unexpected deliverance, were in no hurry to fulfill their part of the bargain. at the Greek duplicity, Prince Vladimir “hastened to collect his forcesâ€ and he moved “against Korsun, the Greek city,â€ the ancient Chersonessos. The “impenetrableâ€ rampart of the Byzantine realm on the Black Sea fell. It was one of the vitally important hubs of the economic and mercantile links of the empire. This blow was so much felt, that its echo resounded throughout all the regions of Byzantium. again had the upper hand. His emissaries, the commanders Oleg and Sjbern soon arrived in Constantinople for the imperial daughter. Eight days passed in Anna’s preparation, during which time her brothers consoled her, stressing the significance of the opportunity before her: to enable the enlightening of the Russian realm and its lands, and to make them forever friends of the Byzantine realm. At Taurida Saint Vladimir awaited her, and to his titles there was added a new one: Caesar (Tsar). The haughty rulers of Constantinople had to accede also in this, to bestow upon their new brother-in-law the imperial insignia. In certain of the Greek historians, Saint Vladimir is termed from these times as a “mighty basileios-kingâ€, he coins money in the Byzantine style and is depicted on it with the symbols of imperial might: in imperial attire, and on his head the imperial crown, and in his right hand the sceptre with cross. with the empress Anna, there arrived for the Russian See Metropolitan Michael ordained by holy Patriarch Nicholas II Chrysoberges. He came with his retinue and clergy, and many holy relics and other holy things. In ancient Chersonessos, where each stone brings to mind Saint Andrew the First-Called, there took place the marriage-crowning of Saint Vladimir and Blessed Anna, both reminiscent and likewise affirming the oneness of the Gospel of Christ in Rus and in Byzantium. Korsun, the “empress’s dowryâ€, was returned to Byzantium. In the spring of 988 the Great Prince and his wife set out through the Crimea, Taman and the Azov lands, which had come into the complexion of his vast realm on the return trip to Kiev. Leading the princely cortege with frequent Services of Thanksgiving and incessant priestly singing they carried crosses, icons and holy relics. It seemed, that the Ecumenical Holy Church was moving into the spacious Russian land, and renewed in the font of Baptism, Holy Rus came forth to meet Christ and His Church. followed an unforgettable and quite singular event in Russian history: the morning of the Baptism of the Kievans in the waters of the River Dneipr. On the evening before, Saint Vladimir declared throughout the city: “If anyone does not go into the river tomorrow, be they rich or poor, beggar or slave, that one shall be my enemy.â€ The sacred wish of the holy Prince was fulfilled without a murmur: “all our land glorified Christ with the Father and the Holy Spirit at the same time.â€ is difficult to overestimate the deep spiritual transformation of the Russian people effected by the prayers of Saint Vladimir, in every aspect of its life and world-view. In the pure Kievan waters, as in a “bath of regenerationâ€, there was realized a sacramental transfiguration of the Russian spiritual element, the spiritual birth of the nation, called by God to unforeseen deeds of Christian service to mankind. “Then did the darkness of the idols begin to lift from us, and the dawn of Orthodoxy appear, and the Sun of the Gospel illumined our land.â€ In memory of this sacred event, the regeneration of Rus by water and the Spirit, the Russian Church established the custom of an annual church procession “to the waterâ€ on August 1. Later, the Feast of the Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, which Russia celebrated with the Greek Church, was combined with the Feast of the All-Merciful Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos (established by Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky in the year 1164). In this combination of feasts there is found a precise expression of the Russian theological consciousness, for which both Baptism and the Cross are inseparable. throughout Holy Rus, from the ancient cities to the far outposts, Saint Vladimir gave orders to destroy the pagan sanctuaries, to flog the idols, and in their place to clear land in the hilly woods for churches, in which altars would be consecrated for the Bloodless Sacrifice. Churches of God grew up along the face of the earth, at high elevated places, and at the bends of the rivers, along the ancient trail “from the Variangians to the Greeksâ€ figuratively as road signs and lamps of national holiness. Concerning the famed church-building activity of Saint Vladimir, the Metropolitan of Kiev Saint Hilarion (author of the “Word on Law and Graceâ€) exclaimed: “They demolished the pagan temples, and built up churches, they destroyed the idols and produced holy icons, the demons have fled, and the Cross has sanctified the cities.â€ the early centuries of Christianity it was the custom to raise up churches upon the ruins of pagan sanctuaries or upon the blood of the holy martyrs. Following this practice, Saint Vladimir built the church of Saint Basil the Great upon a hill, where a sanctuary of Perun had been located, and he built the stone church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (Desyatinnaya) on the place of the martyrdom of the holy Varangian Martyrs (July 12). The magnificent temple was intended to become the cathedral for the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, and thus the primal altar of the Russian Church. It was built in five years, and was richly adorned with frescoes, crosses, icons and sacred vessels, brought from Korsun. The day of the consecration of the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, May 12 (in some manuscripts May 11), was ordered by Saint Vladimir to be inserted into the Church calendar as an annual celebration. This event was linked with other events celebrated on May 11, and it provided the new Church a twofold sense of continuity. Under this day in the calendar is noted the churchly Founding of Constantinople “dedicated by the holy emperor Saint Constantine as the new capital of the Roman Empire, the city of Constantine is dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos (330). On this same day of May 11, the church of Sophia, the Wisdom of God was consecrated at Kiev (in the year 960 under Saint Olga). Saint Vladimir, having had the cathedral church consecrated to the Most Holy Theotokos, followed the example of Saint Constantine in dedicating the capital city of the Russian Land (Kiev) to the Queen of Heaven. a tithe or tenth was bestown on the Church; and since this church had become the center of the All-Russian collection of churchly tithes, they called it the Tithe church. The most ancient text of the grant, or church rule by holy Prince Vladimir spoke thus: “For I do bestow on this church of the Holy Mother of God a tenth of all my principality, and also throughout all the Russian Land from all the princely jurisdiction a tithe of squirrel-pelts, and from the merchant, a tithe of the week, and from households each year, a tenth of every herd and every livelihood, to the wondrous Mother of God and the wondrous Savior.â€ The grant also specified “church peopleâ€ as being free from the jurisdictional power of the prince and his “tiuniâ€ (officials) and placed them under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan. chronicle has preserved a prayer of Saint Vladimir, with which he turned to the Almighty at the consecration of the Dormition Tithe church: “O Lord God, look down from Heaven and behold, and visit Your vineyard, which Your right hand has planted. And make this new people, whom You have converted in heart and mind to know You, the True God. And look down upon this Your church, which Your unworthy servant has built in the name of the Mother Who gave birth to Thee, the Ever-Virgin Theotokos. And whoever prays in this church, let his prayer be heard, through the prayers of the All-Pure Mother of God.â€ the Tithe church and Bishop Anastasius, certain historians have made a connection with the beginnings of Russian chronicle writing. At it were compiled the Life of Saint Olga and the account of the Varangian Martyrs in their original form, and likewise the “Account, How in the Taking of Korsun, Vladimir came to be Baptized.â€ Here also originated the early Greek redaction of the Lives of the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb. the time of Saint Vladimir, the Kiev Metropolitan See was occupied successively by the Metropolitan Saint Michael (September 30), Metropolitan Theophylactus, who transferred to Kiev from the See of Armenian Sebaste (991-997), Metropolitan Leontius (997-1008), and Metropolitan John I (1008-1037). Through their efforts the first dioceses of the Russian Church were opened: at Novgorod (its first representative was Saint Joachim of Korsun (+ 1030), compiler of the Joachimov Chronicle), Vladimir-Volyn (opened May 11, 992), Chernigov, Pereslavl, Belgorod, and Rostov. “And thus throughout all the cities and villages there were set up churches and monasteries, and the clergy increased, and the Orthodox Faith blossomed forth and shone like the sun.â€ advance the Faith among the newly enlightened people, learned people and schools were needed to help prepare them. Therefore, Saint Vladimir and the holy Metropolitan Michael “commanded fathers and mothers to take their young children and send them to schools to learn reading and writing.â€ Saint Joachim of Korsun set up such a school at Novgorod, and they did the same in other cities. “And there were a multitude of schools of scholars, and of these were there a multitude of philosophers.â€ a firm hand Saint Vladimir held in check enemies at the frontiers, and he built fortified cities. He was the first in Russian history to set up a “notched boundary,â€ a line of defensive points against nomadic peoples. “Volodimir began to set up cities along the Desna, along the Vystra, along the Trubezha, along the Sula and along the Stugna. And he settled them with the Novgorodians, the Smolyani, the Chuds and the Vyatichi. He made war against the Pechenegs and defeated them.â€ But the real reason for his success was the peaceful Christian preaching among the pagans of the steppes. the Nikol’sk Chronicles under the year 990 was written: “And in that same year there came to Volodimir at Kiev four princes from the Bulgars and they were illumined with Divine Baptism.â€ In the following year “the Pecheneg prince Kuchug came and accepted the Greek faith, and he was baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and served Vladimir with a pure heart.â€ Under the influence of the holy prince several apparent foreigners were also baptized. For example, the Norwegian “koenigâ€ (king) Olaf Trueggvason (+ 1000) who lived several years at Kiev, and also the renowned Torvald the Wanderer, founder of a monastery of Saint John the Forerunner along the Dneipr near Polotsk, among others. In faraway Iceland the poet-skalds called God the “Protector of the Greeks and Russians.â€ addition to the Christian preaching, there were the renowned feasts of Saint Vladimir. After Liturgy on Sundays and Church Feasts there were put out abundant feasting tables for the Kievans, they rang the bells, choirs sang praise, the “transported infirmâ€ sang bylini-ballads and spiritual verses. On May 12, 996, for example, on the occasion of the consecration of the Tithe church, the prince “made a bright feast.â€ He distributed goods “to many of the poor, and destitute and wanderers, and through the churches and the monasteries. To the sick and the needy he delivered through the streets casks and barrels of mead, and bread, and meat, and fish, and cheese, desiring that all might come and eat, glorifying Godâ€. Feasts were likewise celebrated in honor of the victories of Kievan warriors, and the regiments of Vladimir’s retinue: of Dobrynya, Alexander Popovich, Rogda the Bold. the year 1007 Saint Vladimir transferred the relics of Saint Olga to the Tithe church. Four years later, in 1011, his spouse and companion in many of his undertakings, the Blessed Empress Anna, was also buried there. After her death the prince entered into a new marriage with the young daughter of the German Graf Kuno von Enningen, granddaughter of the emperor Otto the Great. era of Saint Vladimir was a crucial period for the formation of Orthodox Rus. The unification of the Slavic lands and the formation of state boundaries under the domain of the Rurikovichi resulted from a strenuous spiritual and political struggle with neighboring tribes and states. The Baptism of Rus by Orthodox Byzantium was a most important step in its self-definition as a state. The chief enemy of Vladimir became Boleslav the Brave, whose plans included the extensive unification of the West Slavic and East Slavic tribes under the aegis of Catholic Poland. This rivalry arose back when Vladimir was still a pagan: “In the year 6489 (981). Volodimir went against the Lakhs and took their cities, Peremyshl, Cherven, and other cities, which be under Rus.â€ The final years of the tenth century are likewise filled with the wars of Vladimir and Boleslav. a brief lull (the first decade of the eleventh century), the “great stand-offâ€ entered into a new phase: in the year 1013 a conspiracy against Saint Vladimir was discovered at Kiev. Svyatopolk the Accursed, who was married to a daughter of Boleslav, yearned for power. The instigator of the conspiracy was Boleslav’s cleric, the Kolobzheg Catholic bishop Reibern. conspiracy of Svyatopolk and Reibern was an all-out threat to the historical existence of the Russian state and the Russian Church. Saint Vladimir took decisive measures. All the three involved were arrested, and Reibern soon died in prison. Vladimir did not take revenge on those that “opposed and hatedâ€ him. Under the pretense of feigned repentance, Svyatopolk was set free. new misfortune erupted in the North, at Novgorod. Yaroslav, not yet “the Wise,â€ as he was later to be known, in the year 1010 having become ruler of Novgorod, decided to defect from his father the Great Prince of Kiev. He formed his own separate army, moving on Kiev to demand the customary tribute and tithe. The unity of the Russian land, for which Saint Vladimir had struggled all his life, was threatened with ruin. In both anger and in sorrow Saint Vladimir gave orders to “secure the dams and set the bridges,â€ and to prepare for a campaign against Novgorod. His powers were on the decline. In the preparations for his final campaign, happily not undertaken, the Baptizer of Rus fell grievously ill and surrendered his soul to the Lord in the village of Spas-Berestov on July 15, 1015. He had ruled the Russian realm for thirty-seven years (978-1015), twenty-eight of these years after his Baptism. for a new struggle for power and hoping for Polish assistance, and to play for time, Svyatopolk attempted to conceal the death of his father. But patriotically inclined Kievan nobles, by night, secretly removed the body of the deceased sovereign from the Berestov court, where Svyatopolk’s people were guarding it, and they conveyed the body to Kiev. At theTithe church the coffin with the relics of Saint Vladimir was met by Kievan clergy with Metropolitan John at the head of the procession. The holy relics were placed in a marble crypt, set within the Saint Clement chapel of the Dormition church beside the marble crypt of Empress Anna. name and deeds of the holy Equal of the Apostles Saint Vladimir, whom the people called the Splendid Sun, is interwoven with all the successive history of the Russian Church. “Through him we too have come to worship and to know Christ, the True Life,â€ testified Saint Hilarion. His deeds were continued by his sons, and grandsons and descendants, rulers of the Russian land for almost six centuries, from Yaroslav the Wise, who took the first steps towards the independent existence of the Russian Church, down to the last of the Rurikovichi, Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, under whom (in 1589) the Russian Orthodox Church became the fifth independent Patriarchate in the dyptichs of Orthodox Autocephalous Churches. festal celebration of the holy Equal of the Apostles Vladimir was established under Saint Alexander Nevsky, in memory of the intercession of Saint Vladimir on May 15, 1240, for his help in gaining the renowned victory by Nevsky over Swedish crusaders. the first veneration of the holy prince began in Rus rather earlier. The Metropolitan of Kiev Saint Hilarion (+ 1053), in his “Word on Law and Grace,â€ spoken on the day of memory of Saint Vladimir at the saint’s crypt in the Tithe church, calls him “an apostolic sovereignâ€, like Saint Constantine, and he compares his apostolic evangelisation of the Russian Land to the evangelisation by the holy Apostles.

Russia, Crimea History Folder

Russia, Crimea, 000, 1st Century History Folder, St Andrew

Russia, Crimea, 030, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle
Crimea, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Crimea, Roman, Crimea, 000, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle
Crimea, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Russia, Crimea, 100-800, 2nd - 9th Century, St Clement

Russia, Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea, Roman Empire
Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ;

Russia, Crimea, 301-1599, Crimean Goths, 4th to 16th Centuries, Cembalo
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Crimea, 301-1599, Crimean Goths, 4th to 16th Centuries
Crimean Goths; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Russia, Crimea, 301-309, Hieromartyr Basil oCherson, about miracles, martyrdom of several C Bishops, Especially Basil&Capiton
Russia, Crimea, 301-309, Hieromartyr Basil oCherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek and Roman Name for Russia's Korsun, founded in later in 1032, this story is about several Bishops of Cherson, Especially Basil and Capiton, but they all caried the gospel to North Black Sea Region in the 4th Century, from the Danube to the Dniper including Crimea, all but one was martyered, Long before 988 Baptism of the Russians by Vladimir, Crimea then called Taurida, a Roman state, Romans banished Christians to Taurida which helped people convert, for example Trajan banished Clement to stone quarry near Cherson, Cherson was a base for Roman Armies passing through helped also, during Diocletian's 4th C persecution, Jeruisalem patriarch sent out many bishops out to preach in various lands, including Ephriam and Basil to Cherson, Ephriam moved on to Roman Road along Danube, martyred, Basil successful in Cherson but arrested beaten expelled, to a mountain cave, prayed for those who had expelled him, to illume with the light of truth, Lord provided miracle, dead child appeared to parents, told them Basil could bring him back, found Basil who said he couldn't but faith in the Lord can, Basil prayed long time, blessed water, sprinkled, restored, many believed because parents were famous, Maximian Galerius' persecution renewed force, martyred Basil, year later 3 Basil's companions came from Hellenspont, martyred, then Emperor Constantine sent Aetjerois from Jerusalem with a decree permitting church services, church built, A to C to thank C but dies coming back, Bishop Capiton sent to replace A by C, Christians met with Joy but Pagans want sign, Capiton placed his hope in the Lord by entering fire to pray for one hour, he also carried red hot coals in his phelonion (poncho like vestament) nothing scorched, many persuaded, miracle reported 325 EC; Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Russian name for Cherson; The Holy Hieromartyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Capito, Eugene, Aetherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capiton carried the Gospel of Christ into the North Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dniper, including the Crimea. were bishops of Cherson at different times during the fourth century, they sealed their apostolic activity with martyrdom. Only Aetherius died in peace. before the Baptism of Rus under Saint Vladimir, the Christian Faith had already spread into the Crimea, in antiquity was called Tauridia was ruled by the Roman Emperor. beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30). Church’s enemies unwittingly contributed to the further spread of Christianity. Roman emperors often banished traitors to this area. During the first three centuries, Christians were regarded as traitors because they would not follow the state religion. the reign of Trajan (98-117), Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome (November 25), was sent to work in a stone quarry near Cherson. There he continued his preaching, and suffered martyrdom. pagans inhabiting the Crimea stubbornly resisted the spread of Christianity. the faith of Christ, through its self-sacrificing preachers, grew strong and was affirmed. Many missionaries gave their lives in this struggle. the beginning of the fourth century a bishop’s See was established at Cherson. was a critical period when Cherson served as a base for the Roman armies which constantly passed through the area. the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the Patriarch of Jerusalem sent many bishops to preach the Gospel in various lands. of them, Ephraim and Basil, arrived in Cherson and planted the Word of God there. on, Saint Ephraim went to the peoples living along the Danube, he underwent many tribulations and sorrows. He was beheaded at the start of the persecution. preaching at Cherson was continued by Saint Basil, Saint Ephraim’s companion. set many idol-worshippers on the path of truth. wayward inhabitants of the city, enraged at his activity, rose up against him. The saint was arrested, mercilessly beaten and expelled from the city. went to a mountain and settled in a cave, where he unceasingly prayed to God for those who had driven him out, that He might illumine them with the light of true knowledge. the Lord provided the unbelievers with a miracle. only son of an important citizen of Cherson died. dead child appeared to his parents in a dream and said that a certain man named Basil could resurrect him from the dead by his prayers. the parents had found the saint and entreated him to work the miracle, Saint Basil replied that he himself was a sinful man and had not the power to raise the dead, the Lord Almighty could fulfill their request if they were to believe in Him. a long time the saint prayed, invoking the Name of the Holy Trinity. he blessed water, and sprinkled it on the dead one, who was restored to life. saint returned to the city with honor, and many believed and were baptized. by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311), the persecution against Christians spread with renewed force. Christ-haters rose up also against Saint Basil. March 7, 309 he was dragged from his house during the night. They tied him up, dragged him along the streets and beat him to death with stones and rods. body of the saint was thrown out of the city to be eaten by dogs and birds, and for many days it was left unburied, but remained untouched. Christians secretly buried the body of the holy martyr in a cave. year after the martyrdom of Saint Basil, three of his companions, Bishops Eugene, Elpidius and Agathodorus, ceased their preaching in the Hellespont, and arrived at Cherson to continue his holy work. endured many hardships for the salvation of human souls. three bishops shared the fate of their predecessor: they were stoned to death by the pagans on March 7, 311. Constantine the Great (May 21) took the throne, Bishop Aetherius was sent by emperor Constantine to Cherson from Jerusalem. first he also encountered hostility on the part of the pagans, the holy emperor would not tolerate acts of violence against the preacher. issued a decree permitting the Christians of Cherson to have church services without hindrance. the efforts of Saint Aetherius a church was built in the city, where the saint peacefully governed his flock. Aetherius journeyed to Constantinople to thank the emperor for protecting the Christians. He fell ill and died on the return trip. holy emperor Constantine then sent Bishop Capiton to Cherson to replace Saint Aetherius. Christians met him with joy, the pagans demanded a sign from the new bishop, so they might believe in the God Whom he preached. all his hope on the Lord, Saint Capiton put on his omophorion and went into a burning furnace. prayed in the fire for about an hour, and emerged from it unharmed. “Shall anyone bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?” Solomon asks (Prov. 6:27). Capiton carried red-hot coals in his phelonion, yet neither his body nor his garments were scorched. of the unbelievers were then persuaded in the power of the Christian God. miracle and the great faith of Saint Capiton were reported to Saint Constantine and the holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325), and they all glorified God. several years Saint Capiton journeyed to Constantinople on business, but the ship encountered a storm at the mouth of the Dniepr River. local people (pagans) seized the ship and drowned all those on board, including Saint Capiton. this occurred on December 21, Saint Capiton is commemorated with the other hieromartyrs of Cherson on March 7.

Crimean Gothic King, 375-383, Jungerich (Athanaric), pagan
Crimean Goths; Gothic King Jungerich (Athanaric) (375-383); Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ;

Russia, Crimea, 680-745, Steven oSurozh, Crimea, 30yrs silent ascetic, humility, iconodule confssr, prison, rlcs convert Bravlin
Russia, Crimea, 680-745, Steven tConfessor, Archbishop oSurozh, Crimea, Russia, fCappadocia, educated iConstantinople, then 30 yrs in wilderness, hearing oHis humility Patriarch Germanus wished to see him, 711 consecrated him Bishop oS, 5yrs all pagans baptized &no heretics, then opposed 716-741 Leo III iconoclasm, imprisoned tortured til Leo died, back tS, Russian Prince Bravlin converted by miracles at his grave; Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Surrentium (Sourozh), a native of Cappadocia and was educated at Constantinople. receiving the monastic tonsure, he withdrew into the wilderness, where he lived for thirty years in ascetic deeds. Germanus of Constantinople (May 12) heard of Stephen’s humility and virtuous life, and wished to meet him. was so impressed with Stephen that he consecrated him bishop of the city of Surrentium (presently the city of Sudak in the Crimea). five years, Saint Stephen’s ministry was so fruitful that no heretics or unbaptized pagans remained in Surrentium or its environs. Stephen opposed the iconoclasm of the emperor Leo III the Isaurian (716-741). he refused to obey the orders of the emperor and the dishonorable Patriarch Anastasius to remove the holy icons from the churches, was brought to Constantinople. he was thrown into prison and tortured. was released after the death of the emperor. quite advanced in years, he returned to his flock in Surrentium, where he died. is an account of how the Russian prince Bravlin accepted Baptism at the beginning of the ninth century during a campaign into the Crimea, influenced by miracles at the saint’s crypt.

Crimean, Goth, 741-791, Saint, John of Gothia
Crimean, Goth, 741-791, Saint, John of Gothia; St. John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Mongol, Crimea, 750-969, Khzaria Border, Northern Half of Crimea
Crimea, Khzaria Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea; St. John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26

Russia, Crimea, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15;

Russia, Crimea, 783-1917, 8th - 20th Century, Christian Crimea

Russia, Crimea, 783, Prince Bravlin, devastated Crimea from Kerch to Sougdai, 783 or so
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15; Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Cherson, Russian Crimea, 783 - Present
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15; Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Korsun, Russian Crimea, 783 - Present
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15; Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia, Crimea, 783-1917, Crimea in the Russian Empire
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15; Crimea, 783-1917, Crimea in the Russian Empire Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on January 26;

Russia, Crimea, 867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea, Roman Empire
Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ;

Russia, Crimea, 900, 10th to 17th Century, Land of the Crimean Tatars, Mongol Crimea, Uzbekistan
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Russia, Crimea, 980, Byzantine Korsun falls to Russia and Vladimir the Great for the hand of Anna
Korsun, 980, Byzantine Cherson falls to Russia and Vladimir the Great for the hand of Anna; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great
Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem, Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Crimea, 988, copy Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great
Russia, Crimea, 988, Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great; Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Grear Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday. Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Crimea, 989-1030, Kiev Rus Bishop, Joachim the Korsunian
Kiev Rus Bishop, 989-1030, Joachim the Korsunian; Kiev Rus Metropolitan, 988-992, Michael I of Kiev; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10; - St. Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10: we commemorate the Synaxis of Novgorod Hierarchs, which is also celebrated on October 4 and on the third Sunday after Pentecost. Joachim of Korsun, first Bishop of Novgorod (988-1030), does not seem to have a separate commemoration. Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Russia, Crimea, 1162, another copy Korsun Icon to Rus from Menignus,Troy by Euphrosyne of Polotsk, one year in Korsun
Russia, Crimea, 988, Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great; Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Grear Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday. Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Korsun Icon of the Mother of God is believed to be one of those painted by the holy Evangelist Luke, and it had been preserved in Ephesus. On October 9, 988, a copy of this icon was transferred from Korsun to Kiev by the holy Great Prince Vladimir (July 15), and it came to be called the Korsun Icon. Later this icon was transferred to Novgorod, and from there to Moscow to the Dormition cathedral in the Kremlin. Another copy of the Korsun Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Greece to Russia by Saint Euphrosynē of Polotsk (May 23) in 1162. Euphrosyne founded the Savior monastery at Polotsk. When she learned that there was an icon painted by Saint Luke at Menignus in Greece, she sent rich presents to the Byzantine Emperor and the Patriarch Chrysovergos asking them to send her this icon. icon was sent to Rus from Ephesus, and passed through Korsun. At the request of the inhabitants of that city it remained there about a year, thus it became known as the Korsun Icon. 1239, Alexandra, the daughter of Prince Bryachislav of Polotsk, brought this icon to the city of Toropets on her way to be married to the holy Great Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23). Korsun Icon is also mentioned in the Life of Saint Dorothy of Kashin (September 24). Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Crimea, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde, Conquered Crimea
Scythia, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde; Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign, the œKursk-Root, Commemorated on September 8; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Crimea, 13th to 17th Centuries, Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray
Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray; Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Crimean Khanate 1478-1774
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Russia, Crimea, 1500, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Russia, Crimea, 1500, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk
Russia, Crimea, 1500, Korsun Icon floats from Kiev up to Minsk ; Russia, Crimea, 988, Korsun Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Kiev by Vladimir the Great; Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13; Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12. the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage1 Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500. Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.2 the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription: Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Grear Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza." Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide. Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support. In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the "Joy of All Who Sorrow" Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday. Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem Commemorated on October 12;

Russia, Crimea, 1529, John of Kazan, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, tKazan, slave tKhan's relative, killed
Mongol, Perm, 1529, John of Kazan, Perm, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, brought to Kazan, slave to Khan's relative, killed, at time of GP Basil, Tartars attacked Nizhni, Novgorod, inhabitants tCaptivity in Kazan incl fearless John, who was given to Khan relative, served master by day, but night without sleep prayed, enduring insults, abuse, master resolved force him tBecome Moslem, but J worshiped Jesus as God, in winter led tRussian Cemetery, mortally wounded him, left him in snow, but that night J t door of Christians asked for Priest, got Holy Mysteries, prayed all night, died next morning ; Kazan ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Martyr John of Kazan suffered for Christ in the city of Kazan on January 24, 1529. During the reign of Great Prince Basil the Tatars swooped down upon Nizhni Novgorod. Many of the inhabitants were taken into captivity and brought to Kazan. Also among their number was the fearless John. the captives were distributed to their new owners, he was given to Alei-Shnura, who was related to the Khan. By day John honestly served his master, but at night he went without sleep and prayed, patiently enduring insults and abuse. The master resolved to force his servant to become a Moslem, but John firmly declared that he worshiped Jesus Christ as God. the winter the Tatars tied him up and led him to a Russian cemetery, mortally wounded him with swords, and threw him into the snow. That night, Saint John reached the door of some Russians living in Kazan, and he asked them to summon a priest. He received the Holy Mysteries and prayed all night, then died the following morning.

Crimean Khan, 1641-1666, Mehmed IV Giray
Crimean Khan, 1641-1666, Mehmed IV Giray; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Crimean Khan, 1666-1671, Adil Giray
Crimean Khan, 1666-1671, Adil Giray ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Russia, Crimea, 1774-1776, Independent Crimea
Crimea, 1774-1776, Independent Crimea; Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Russia, Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire, by choice
Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Russia, Crimea, 1840, Kasperov Icon, Cherson, features became bright, wonderworking, in Crimean War it saved Odessa
Russia, 1840, Kasperov Icon, Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name, Korsun is the Russian Name, features suddenly became bright, many miracles, wonderworking, Crimean War (Russia against Protestants, Catholics and Moslems) in 1853-56 carried through besieged Odessa, city spared, Akathists since; Korsun, Crimea ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Kasperov Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Tradition says that this holy icon had been brought to Cherson from Transylvania by a Serb at the end of the sixteenth century. Passing down from parent and child, the icon had come to a certain Mrs. Kasperova of Cherson in 1809. night in February of 1840 she was praying, seeking consolation in her many sorrows. at the icon of the Virgin, she noticed that the features of the icon, darkened by age, had suddenly become bright. the icon was glorified by many miracles, and people regarded it as wonderworking. the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday. icon is painted with oils on a canvas mounted on wood. The Mother of God holds Her Son on her left arm. The Child is holding a scroll. Saint John the Baptist (Janurary 7) is depicted on one side of the icon, and Saint Tatiana (January 12) on the other. These were probably the patron saints of the original owners of the icon. Kasperov Icon is commemorated on October 1, June 29, and Bright Wednesday.

Russia, Crimea, 1853-1856, Crimean War, Orthodox East v Ottomans and West (Catholics and Protestants)
Crimean War (1853-1856); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Russia, Crimea, 1854, Kasperov Icon becomes war hero
Russia, Crimea, 1840, Kasperov Icon becomes war hero Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; the Crimean War (1853-1856), the icon was carried in procession through the city of Odessa, which was besieged by enemy forces. On Great and Holy Friday, the city was spared. Since that time, an Akathist has been served before the icon in the Dormition Cathedral of Odessa every Friday.

Azov Lands (Sea of Azov)
Sea of Azov; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ;

Alma River Source

Alma River 1

Alma River Mouth (Black Sea)

Alma River

Perekop Isthmus, Crimea (meaning œto dig throughÂ)
Perekop Isthmus; between Crimea and Ukraine; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16 ;

Tmutarakan, Crimea
Tmutarakan peninsula (on the eastern banks of the Kerchensk straits); Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Kerchensk (Kerch) straits
Kerchensk (Kerch) straits; Venerable Nikon, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Tmutarakan (Taman) Peninsula, Crimea
Taman Peninsula; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Taman (Tmutarakan) Peninsula, Crimea
Taman Peninsula; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Surozh, Crimea, Russia
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Russian Crimea
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Akritian, Cherson, Crimea
Akritian (Anti Moslem Frontier) Cherson; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ;

Korsun, Crimea, Russia, Korsun is the Slavic Name
Korsun, Crimea ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name
Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; The Holy Hieromartyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Capito, Eugene, Aetherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Sevastopol, Crimea, the Port at Cherson, in Crimean War
Sevastopol, Crimea, the Port at Cherson; Icon of the Mother of God “Socola”, Commemorated on February 1;

Odessa, Russia (Now Ukraine)
Odessa, Russia (Now Ukraine); Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12;

Mount Ayu-Dag, Crimea
Mount Ayu-Dag; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Alushta, Crimea
Alushta, Crimea; Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), and they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. They preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. They were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. The chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. When the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20;

Russia, Crimea, Cherson, Muravsky Trail Folder

Muravsky Trail 1 (Perekop)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Muravsky is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Muravsky Trail 6 (Livny)

Muravsky Trail 9 (Serpukhov, crossing at Oka River 6)
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Muravsky is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Russia, Crimea, Cherson, Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Dnieper (Varanigan) Trade Route (Varangia to Constantinople)
The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called œthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks.

Russia, Mordovia Folder, and its rivers on the South side of the Oka

Mordovia (Alatyr, Moksha, Tyosha, and Sura Rivers)
Mordovia; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5 ;

Russia, Mordovia, History Folder

Russia, Mordovia, 900, 10th C Folder, Elias oMurom, incorrupt hand position

Russia, Mordavia, 983-1015, , Elias of Murom, Earliest Saint wIincorrupt relics, his hand position supported Greek Tradition
Russia, Kiev, 983-1015, Kiev Rus Saint, Elias of Murom (Ilya Muromets), Probably first Russian Saint with incorrupt relics, his hand position supported Greek Tradition, Old Believers Controversy Summary per Paisii Pace holy incorrupt relics are at the Kiev Caves. Since he was either the first Russian saint with incorrupt relics or the first that could be seen during the Old Believers or Old Ritualists controversy, the way he held his hand with the first three fingers joined and the last two folded to the palm, supported the new position that agreed with the Greek tradition. Murom; Kiev Rus Saint, 980-1015, Elias of Murom (Ilya Muromets); Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 19; Elias Muromets of the Caves, nicknamed “Shoemaker” or “Cobbler,” was from the city of Murom. legend identifies him with the famous warrior hero Elias Muromets, who was the subject of Russian ballads and of Gliere’s Symphony No. 3. Elias died with the fingers of his right hand formed to make the Sign of the Cross in the position accepted even today in the Orthodox Church: first three fingers together, and the two outermost fingers folded onto the palm contrast to the Sign of the Cross used by the “Old Ritualists”]. the struggle with the Old Ritualist Schism (seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), information about the saint served as a powerful proof in favor of the present positioning of the fingers. Ilya Muromets is a major figure in the byliny, Russian epic folklore collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. Ilya in byliny Muromets is a major figure in the byliny, Russian epic folklore collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. is the son of a farmer, was born in a village near Murom (in modern-day Russia). suffered a serious illness in his youth and was unable to walk until the age of 33. could only lie on a Russian stove, until he was miraculously healed by two pilgrims. was then given super-human strength by a dying knight – Svyatogor – and set out to liberate the city of Kiev (Kyiv) from Idolishche to serve Prince Vladimir the Great. the way he single-handedly defended the city of Chernigov (Chernihiv, Ukraine) from nomadic invasion (possibly by the Polovtsi) was offered knighthood by the local ruler, but Ilya declined to stay. the forests of Bryansk (now in Russia) he then killed the forest-dwelling monster Nightingale the Robber (Solovei-Razboinik), murdered travelers with his powerful whistle.[1] Kiev, Ilya was made chief bogatyr by Vladimir he defended Rus' from numerous attacks by the steppe people, including Kalin [ru], (mythical) tsar of the Golden Horde. Summary per Paisii Pace holy incorrupt relics are at the Kiev Caves. Since he was either the first Russian saint with incorrupt relics or the first that could be seen during the Old Believers or Old Ritualists controversy, the way he held his hand with the first three fingers joined and the last two folded to the palm, supported the new position that agreed with the Greek tradition. Old Ritualists (Old Believers); Believers or Old Ritualists[a] are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1652 and 1666. Resisting the accommodation of Russian piety to the contemporary forms of Greek Orthodox worship, these Christians were anathematized, together with their ritual, in a Synod of 1666–67, producing a division in Eastern Europe between the Old Believers and those who followed the state church in its condemnation of the Old Rite. Russian speakers refer to the schism itself as raskol (раскол), etymologically indicating a "cleaving-apart". Part of a series on the History of Christian theology Malmesbury Abbey's 1407 Bible from Belgium Christian theology Diversity in early Christian theology Adoptionism Arianism Docetism Gnosticism Marcionism Montanism Early Christianity Proto-orthodox Christianity Timeline History of Christianity Template:History of Christianity Ecclesiastical polity Trinitarianism Nontrinitarianism Christology Paterology Pneumatology Mariology Biblical canon Deuterocanon Hermeneutics Theological hermeneutics African American Asian American Philosophical theology Christian philosophy Christian apologetics Persecution and tolerance Historical theology Ecumenical Creeds Apostles' Nicene Chalcedonian Athanasian Patristics and Councils Great church ante-Nicene period Church Fathers Apostolic Fathers Cappadocian Fathers Desert Fathers Desert Mothers Augustine Nicaea Ephesus Chalcedon Post-Nicene development Heresy Monophysitism Monothelitism Byzantine Iconoclasm Gregory I Alcuin Photios East–West Schism Scholasticism Aquinas Anselm Palamas Reformation Martin Luther Theology 95 Theses John Calvin Radical Evangelicalism theology Five solae Book of Concord Arminianism English Counter- Trent Jansenism From the Reformation to the World Wars Natural Practical wikipedia Category Pietism John Wesley Great Awakenings Holiness movement Restoration Movement Existentialism Dogmatic theology Fundamental/foundational Liberal Secular Catholic Modernism Anglo-Catholic Critical realism Political the World Wars Vatican II Situational ethics Nouvelle théologie (Ressourcement) Death of God Postliberal • Narrative Continental philosophy Radical orthodoxy Neo-orthodoxy Paleo-orthodoxy Reconciliation Open theism Analytic in Thomism Atheism Theopoetics of religions Ecumenism Digital Transmodernism Constructive Eco- Environmental Public extraterrestrial life Progressive Christianity Moderate Christianity Conservative Christianity Emerging church Confessing Movement Evangelical theology Contextualisation and Inculturation Indigenous church mission theory Sino-Christian Feminist in the broader movement of Feminist theology Asian Womanist New Queer Liberation Black Dalit Latin American Minjung Palestinian Postcolonial icon Christianity portal vte 1652, Nikon of Moscow, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from then until 1658, introduced a number of ritual and textual revisions with the aim of achieving uniformity between the practices of the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches. having noticed discrepancies between Russian and Greek rites and texts, ordered an adjustment of the Russian rites to align with the Greek ones of his time.[11] doing so, according to the Old Believers, Nikon acted without adequate consultation with the clergy and without gathering a council.[11] the implementation of these revisions, the Church anathematized and suppressed—with the support of Muscovite state power—the prior liturgical rite itself, as well as those who were reluctant to pass to the revised rite. who maintained fidelity to the existing rite endured severe persecutions from the end of the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century as "Schismatics" (Russian: раскольники, raskol'niki). became known as "Old Ritualists", a name introduced under the empress Catherine the Great, who reigned from 1762 to 1796.[12] who adopted new liturgical practices started to call themselves pravoslavnye (Православные - those believing rightly).

Russia, Mordovia, 1300, 14th C Folder, Devpeteruv Icon's list of Miracles, Appearance Story

Russia, Mordovia, 1392, 1456, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list Tambov, appearance, Pitrim prayers, false accusation story
Russia, Mordovia, 1392, 1456, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list at Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), once belonged to Pitirim +1456, 1833 false accusation story; Tambov; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Icon appeared on February 29, 1392. of the oldest shrines of the Devpeteruv (Девпетерувская) Icon of the Mother of God is now located in the Nikolaev church of the village of Batyushkova, or Batatkova, Dmitrovsky district of Moscow Province. this image, the child Jesus is shown resting on the Virgin’s right shoulder; His left hand is on His Mother’s left shoulder, and her right hand is on His right shoulder. Tambov's Transfiguration Cathedral, above the tomb of St. Pitirim (July 28), there is another list of the miracles of the Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God. image once belonged to St. Pitirim, and before it, he offered his fervent prayers to the Lord God. Icon became especially famous in 1833 after a miracle took place. certain woman, whose husband was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison, once saw an Elder whom she did not know in a dream. This Elder ordered her to search the cathedral for the Icon from St. Pitirim's cell, and to have a Moleben served before it. He also showed her the Icon itself. The woman found the Saint's Icon and asked for a Moleben to be served before it. Shortly afterward, her husband was acquitted and released from prison.

Russia, Mordovia, 1400, 15th C Folder, Devpeteruv Icon

Russia, Mordovia, 1456, 1392, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, miiracles list Tambov, appearance, Pitrim prayers, false accusation story

Russia, Mordovia, 1600, 17th C Folder, Tambov Icon's tears

Russia, Mordovia, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Murom; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Russia, Mordovia, 1636, 1695, 1850, 1930, Icon of Tambov, Mordovia, abundant tears flowed, miracles improved citizen's character
Russia, Mordovia, 1636, 1695, , Icon of Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), 1636 City began, 1695 abundant tears flowed, moistened cloth beneath, Pitirim healing then, poor citizen morals, two icons city gates, priests allowed bring tMany Private homes, 1850 fancy risa precious stones, 1930 Cathedral closed shrine lost; Tambov; Icon of the Mother of God of Tambov, Commemorated on July 8; Annals of Tambov state that the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Tambov from the first years of the city’s existence (it had been founded in 1636), it was the main shrine in the region of Tambov. to the Annals, “on December 6, 1695, during the All Night Vigil in the wooden cathedral church, tears flowed from the eyes of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.” tears were so abundant that they moistened the cloth beneath the Icon and the analogion, as well. was the Icon’s first miracle. Hieromonk Gabriel, the Treasurer of the bishop’s household, recorded this event. then, many who prayed before the Icon began to receive healing, including Saint Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov (+ July 28, 1698) himself. Pitirim had a difficult time when he was first appointed to that See. The moral character of the citizens was very low, and he had to struggle to correct them, especially those who were recent arrivals. he placed two Icons on the main gates of the city: one of the Crucifixion, and one of the Kazan Mother of God. may have happened soon after the appearance of the tears. people came to venerate the Icon, entreating the Most Holy Theotokos to help them in their afflictions. priests from the Cathedral of the Savior were permitted to bring the Icon from the temple into the private homes of those who were sick so that prayers for their healing could be offered. to one historian of the nineteenth century, the Icon “visited many houses in the city and outside the city, and dried the tears of many unfortunate people.” (Khitrov, G. Historical and Statistical Description of the Tambov Diocese, Tambov, 1861). the middle of the XIX century, the icon was placed under glass in a wooden carved frame and it had a silver and gold-plated riza, which was studded with precious stones: turquoise, amethysts, diamonds and topaz. Cathedral of the Savior was closed in the 1930s, and the shrine was lost. the Icon is of the Kazan type, its date of commemoration is July 8. In the upper church of the cathedral is another Tambov Icon, also known as Utkinskaya, which is an Icon of the Hodēgḗtria type. Its Feast Day is April 16.

Russia, Mordovia, 1700, 18th C Folder, Seraphim oSarov visions, divine light, his Tenderness Icon anointed wOil

Russia, Mordovia, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia, exiled bJealous superiors, revived 2 Monasteries
Russia, Mordovia, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, near Volga River 9), fRomanov, Yaroslavl, 1719, Prince's son, enlisted Petersburg Guard regiment, obtained rank sargent, God delivered him from great spiritual danger in Capital, example drinking party one suddenly collapsed and died, affected him greatly, similar to Xenia's hisband's death, Major Andrew Petrov, decided leave and live in wilderness, dedicating self to God, reminded of life luxury by seeing his uncle and servants, abandoned cell in forrests by White Sea, there 3yrs oHardship, Govt regs citizens not permitted allow monks in forrests, beaten by villagers, Ploschansk m south oKiev, said son oPriest, no admit sargent otGuard, legal obsticles, igumen no accept long time, no ID papers, Finally did accept, assigned reader, hearing him read relized probably nobility, ordered J live in forrest, fearing autohority problem, found empty cell, caught by authorities, admitted sargent otGauard, taken to empress Elizabeth, she asked why did you desert, to save his soul, forgave him, did not want former rank, why snuck away not asking discharge, you wouln not have believed my terrible burden, I have been tested in spiritual life and want to return till death, Liz agreed, but stipulated he remain at Alex Nevsky Lavra in St Pete, tonsured at Liz' express command at 29 in 1748, Archbishop Theodosius gave him name Theodore, for Theodore oYaroslavl, people came tAsk him how to please God, tried tell them more experienced monks, he found he could not answer all the questions so he began to read books and Chrysostom, Praying God enlighten him, able to instruct people, this caused jealousy among some older monks, disturbing tranquility, hierarch ordered no visitor requesting Theodore admitted, Theodore asked why, told he presumed instruct people, routine oMonastery disrupted, T said if something unlawful to Eminence, then should question me. it sinful tCause unneccessary sorrow those seeking spiritual profit, furious but archbishop ordered people allowed see T again, jealousy continued 10 yrs, T patiently endured, 1757 he wanted transfer tSarov, when brethern found out they insisted he submit written request to transfer, Fr T left St Pete with many followers male and female, settled his women disciples aSt Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, they soon moved to vacant Alexeyevsky Convent, male disciples went with him to Sarov, 1759 T asked Igumen Ephraim let him have Samaxar M, because disciples had increased, S had been closed after 50 yrs by Peter I, property under Sarov, at Sanaxar began building cells and storerooms, Bishop Tambov appointed T as Superior, and ordained reluctant T as priest in 1762, established rule for reverent unhurried celebration oServices, cell rule, monks continued increase, not all tonsured, number monks allowed regulated by law, 1763 Emperess Catherine II decreed all his monks should be tonsred, 1764 she limited number of monasteries, Sanaxar scheduled closed, but remained open for T's efforts, 1764 T became Igumen, Sanaxar reclassified a monastery 1765, needed larger stone church, foundation, swarm of bees on altar spot, sign oIncrease and abundant grace, Monk named Herman ordered brush bees off, or Gerasimus, Father herman now in America, Theodore may have been one of Herman's early instructors, T once visited Tikhon at Zadonsk, Tikhon also knew suffer offences from superiors and worldly minded monks, and layman, perhaps advised T how endure trials ahead, Royal edict ordered him exiled to Soovki as troublemaker, deprived of rank, igumen and Hiermonk, Solovki superior ordered keep close eye on him, there 9yrs, release by his disciple Archmandrite Theophanes, who was cell attendant to Met Gabriel oSt Pete, who asked Theophanes prepare memo of case facts in detail, resule Met G asked Emperess Catherine II release T and permit return tSanaxar, 1783 return, weakened condition from cold&Stove fumes, took long time get back Sanaxar, arrived Arzamas Oct 1783, greeted by sisters and 2Hiermonks fSanaxar, plus others, monastery superiors, respected nobles, merchants, ordinary men and women, stayed 1Week, instructing nuns each day, Entire Sanaxar brotherhood met him at the ferry on Moksha River, accompanied him walk tSanaxar, few days later renewed persecution, Hierodeacon Hillarion acccused him being heretic and atheist, before Holy Synod, they determined Hillarion at fault, should be punished, Hillarion asked T's forgiveness before whole community, Sanaxar Superior Bennedict jealous of T because otCrowds oVisitors, complained tLocal Bishop, that monastery quiet being disturbed, investigators sent, did not interview anyone favorable to T, so T forbidden receive visitors, once again Theophanes brought T's plight tMet Gabriel, bit more freedom, but only by writing letters, Bennedict became ill, T went to B' cell to ask forgiveness, B turned his face and refused to speak, B suffered a while and died 1778, T again permitted visit nuns Alexxeyevsky Convent aArzamas, delivered moving homily Pslam 136 (by rivers oBabylon), left Arzamas, stopped aSarov, asked forgiveness everyone, rushed back tSanaxar, arrived wed oCheesefare week, spoke tHis disciples around noon, dismissed them tTheir Cells, 2Noble disciples remained behind tAsk advice, Suddenly expression changed and began to weep for 15minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth, then order them to their cells, saying feeling weak, unusual weakness, soon cell attendant knocked, no answer, entered and found him praying on his bed, left and reported, they all came to see him but he would not speak, 5hrs later he surrended his soul to God; Sanaxar; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Theodore was born near the town of Romanov in the province of Yaroslavl in 1719, son of Prince Ignatius Ushakov and his wife Paraskevḗ (or Irene). his Baptism, he was named John. a young man, John Ushakov enlisted in the Preobrazhensky Guard Regiment in Petersburg, attained the rank of sergeant. in the capital was fraught with great spiritual danger for a young person, God delivered John from the wrong path. John was twenty, at a drinking party with his friends, one of them suddenly collapsed and died. They all experienced fear and sadness, but this seemed to affect John more than the others. incident is remarkably similar to the circumstances surrounding the death of Major Andrew Petrov, the husband of Blessed Xenia of Saint Petersburg (January 24), it may be only coincidental. any case, John decided to leave Saint Petersburg and live in the wilderness, dedicating himself to God. walking near the city of Yaroslavl disguised as a laborer, saw his uncle out with his servants. uncle did not recognize him because of his poor clothing, but John was reminded of his former life of luxury and ease. soon banished this thought and resolved to dwell in the wilderness. walking in the forests near the White Sea, came upon an abandoned cell, he decided to remain there in solitude and pray to God. lived there for three years in great hardship and affliction. regulations of the time enjoined citizens not to permit monks to live in the forests. John came to the village for supplies, he was beaten within an inch of his life, and was forced to flee. eventually came to the region south of Kiev, reaching the Ploschansk Monastery. begged the igumen to accept him, saying that he was the son of a priest. could not admit to being a sergeant of the Guard, since legal obstacles would have made it very difficult for him to enter monastic life. igumen would not accept him for a long time, since he did not have the proper identification papers. he did accept John and assigned him to read in church. hearing him read, the igumen realized that John was not from a priestly family, but probably belonged to the nobility. trouble with the authorities, he ordered John to live in the forest near the monastery where other ascetics were living. found an empty cell and received the blessing of these Fathers to remain there. a team of investigators came to the forest looking for monks living there illegally, John was caught. he had no documents and admitted to being a sergeant in the Guard, he was brought to Saint Petersburg and taken to the empress Elizabeth. he was taken to the empress, she asked, “Why did you desert my regiment?” explained that he had done so in order to save his soul. forgave him and was willing to restore him to his former rank, but John said that he did not want his former life or rank. empress then asked why he had snuck away in secret instead of asking to be discharged. replied, “If I had troubled Your Majesty with such a request, you would not have believed that a young man such as I could have borne such a burden. I have now been tested in the spiritual life, and I ask Your Majesty to bless me to continue in it until my death.” agreed to this, but stipulated that he should remain in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. at her express command, John was tonsured in August of 1748 at the age of twenty-nine. Archbishop Theodosius, who then governed the monastery, ordered that he be named Theodore, in honor of Saint Theodore of Yaroslavl (September 19). Father Theodore was in the Lavra, people would visit and ask him about how to please God while living in the world. tried to tell them that there were older, wiser monks there who would be able to instruct them better than he could. they insisted, so he tried to help them. found, however, that he could not always answer their questions or find solutions to their problems, he began to read patristic books, especially the works of Saint John Chrysostom, God to enlighten him so he could understand the Scriptures and the teachings of the Fathers. learned many things from his reading, and he was able to instruct people for their spiritual profit. caused jealousy among some of the older monks, who complained to the archbishop that this young monk was attracting people to himself and disturbing the tranquility of the monastery. hierarch ordered that no visitor requesting to see Father Theodore should be admitted. Theodore went to the steward of the monastery, asking him why people could not see him. was told that because he presumed to instruct people, attracting many visitors, that the routine of the monastery was disrupted. “If there is something in my teaching which seems unlawful to His Eminence,” Father Theodore responded, “then he should question me. is sinful, however, to cause unnecessary sorrow to those seek spiritual profit.” archbishop was furious, but he ordered that people should be allowed to see Father Theodore again. jealousy and difficulties continued for ten years, and Father Theodore endured his trials with patience. 1757, he wanted to transfer to Sarov Monastery, and when the brethren of the Lavra found out about this, they insisted that he submit a written request for transfer. his release, Father Theodore left Saint Petersburg with many of his disciples, male and female. the way they stopped at Saint Nicholas Convent in Arzamas, where he settled his women disciples. they moved to the vacant Alexeyevsky Convent. male disciples went with him to Sarov. 1759, after two years at Sarov, Father Theodore asked Igumen Ephraim to let him have the Sanaxar Monastery, the number of his disciples had increased. had been founded in 1659, but was closed by Tsar Peter I in the first half of the eighteenth century, and the property was administered by the Sarov Monastery. moving to Sanaxar Hermitage, Father Theodore began the work of building cells and storerooms. Pachomius of Tambov appointed Father Theodore as the Superior. also ordained the reluctant Father Theodore to the holy priesthood on December 13, 1762. Theodore began setting things in order, establishing a Rule for the reverent, unhurried celebration of the services. also set down a cell Rule for the monks to follow. shared in the work (except those who were too old or too sick), including the Superior. number of monks at Sanaxar continued to increase, but not all of them had been tonsured. was necessary to obtain permission to have them tonsured, the number of monks allowed to live in a monastery was regulated by law. April 23, 1763 Empress Catherine II decreed that all of Father Theodore’s monks should be tonsured. following year, she issued a decree limiting the number of monasteries, those not specifically approved would be closed. Hermitage was among the monastic institutions scheduled to be closed, it remained open through Father Theodore’s efforts. Theodore was raised to the rank of igumen in October of 1764, Sanaxar was reclassified as a Monastery on March 7, 1765. of the number of brethren, it became necessary to build a larger stone church to replace the small wooden one. foundation was dug and a Molieben served at the site. a swarm of bees came and settled on the spot where the altar would be. was taken as a sign of an increase in the number of brethren, and an abundance of grace in the monastery. to N. Subbotin’s 1862 book on Archimandrite Theophanes of the Saint Cyril of New Lake Monastery (who was a novice at Sanaxar at the same time that Saint Herman was), Theodore ordered a monk named Herman to brush the bees into a hive. is probable that this was the future Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). another edition of the book, the brother’s name is given as Gerasimus. this account, Subbotin mentions “Father Herman, who is now in America.” discrepency in names may be explained if Saint Herman’s name before his tonsure was Gerasimus. Herman, in one of his letters to Father Nazarius, says that he had friends at Sarov and Sanaxar, Saint Theodore may have been one of Saint Herman’s early instructors. Theodore once visited Saint Tikhon (August 13) at the Zadonsk Monastery. is not known how long the two had known one another, but the retired bishop received him with love. visit was providential, because Saint Tikhon also knew what it was to suffer offenses from superiors, from worldly-minded monks, and from laymen. he even advised Father Theodore on how to endure the trials which lay ahead of him. Father Theodore returned to Sanaxar a royal edict was delivered to him by a courier. ordered him to be sent as an exile to Solovki Monastery as a troublemaker. was deprived of the rank of Igumen and Hieromonk, the Superior of Solovki was ordered to keep a close eye on him. Theodore remained there for nine years (1774-1783). release came about thanks to his disciple Archimandrite Theophanes (Sokolov), who found himself assigned as cell attendant to Metropolitan Gabriel of Saint Petersburg. to help his Elder, Father Theophanes made the Metropolitan aware of Father Theodore’s situation. Eminence asked Father Theophanes to prepare a memorandum setting forth the facts of the case in detail. a result, Metropolitan Gabriel asked Empress Catherine II to release Father Theodore and permit him to return to Sanaxar. April 18, 1783 she issued a decree authorizing his release. of his weakened condition from the cold and fumes from smoky stoves, it took him a long time to make his way back to Sanaxar. arrived at Arzamas Monastery on October 9, 1783 where he was greeted by the sisters, and by two hieromonks from Sanxar. were also on hand to meet the Elder: superiors from other monasteries, respected nobles, merchants, and ordinary men and women. stayed about a week, instructing the nuns each day. he prepared to return to Sanaxar. entire brotherhood came to meet him at the ferry on the Moksha River. receiving his blessing, they accompanied him on the walk to Sanaxar. Theodore thanked the brethren for their continued love, and for completing the church without him. a few days after his return, Father Theodore faced renewed persecution. Hilarion accused him of being “a heretic and an atheist,” placed these accusations before the Holy Synod. determined that Hierodeacon Hilarion was at fault and should be punished. later asked Father Theodore’s forgiveness in front of the whole community. Superior of the Monastery, Father Benedict, was jealous of Father Theodore because of the crowds of visitors who came to see him. complained to the local bishop, saying that the quiet of the monastery was being disturbed by so many people. were sent, but they did not interview anyone who might have said anything favorable to Father Theodore. a result, Father Theodore was forbidden to receive visitors. again, Father Theophanes brought the Elder’s plight to the attention of Metropolitan Gabriel. Eminence sent a note saying that he was well-disposed toward Father Theodore. a result, he was given a bit more freedom, his disciples could only seek his advice by writing letters. Benedict became ill, and Father Theodore went to his cell to ask his forgiveness. Benedict turned his face to the wall and refused to speak to the Elder. suffering for a while, Father Benedict died on December 27, 1778. the Superior’s death, Father Theodore was once again permitted to visit the nuns of the Alexeyevsky Convent at Arzamas. delivering a moving homily on Psalm 136 (“By the rivers of Babylon”) left Arzamas and stopped at the monastery in Sarov. he asked forgiveness of everyone, rushed back to Sanaxar. arrived on Wednesday of Cheesefare Week and spoke to his disciples in his cell around noon. Then he dismissed them to return to their cells. noble disciples of Saint Theodore remained behind to ask his advice. his expression changed and he began to weep for about fifteen minutes, lamenting how he had sinned in his youth. he ordered them to their cells, saying that he was feeling weak. was not rare for the Elder to be ill, but this weakness seemed unusual. two disciples left and returned to their cells. after this, his cell attendant knocked on the door with the customary prayer, but received no reply. entered the cell and found Father Theodore lying on his bed and praying, so he left and told the brethren about this. all came to see him, but he would not speak. five hours later, around nine o’clock on the evening of February 19, 1791, Saint Theodore surrendered his soul to God. Theodore’s relics were uncovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28, 1999. He was glorified for national veneration by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004. Theodore of Sanaxar, who is also commemorated on April 21 (the uncovering of his relics in 1999), should not be confused with his famous relative Saint Theodore (Ushakov), Admiral of the Russian Fleet (October 2).

Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed w oil from icon's lampada, they received healing
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Tenderness Icon of St Seraphim, anointed with oil from the icon's lampada, they received healing Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . holy ascetic reposed while praying before the icon on January 2, 1833. Father Niphon, the Superior of the monastery, gave the holy Tenderness icon to the sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. When the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. Numerous pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Mordovia, visions during services, divine light, Jesus, much more
Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Seraphim of Sarov, Mordovia, from Kursk, Cathedral at K, 7 story fall, unharmed, excellent meomory, greviously ill, MOG promise visit to heal him, Kursk Root Icon procession, copper cross, from K to Kiev Caves, sent to Sarov by elder Dositheus, a woman, Pachomius, Joseph, bread, prosphora and carpentry, no despondency by prayer, fasting, isolation, Jesus prayer, after 2 yrs fell ill w dropsy 3 yrs, no complaint, no want Dr, asked for prayer, molieben, MOG vision, Peter, John, side touched, fluid, chapel at place, Seraphim's altar table for his holy mysteries, served each day, visions during services, divine light, Jesus, bodiless powers of heaven, he couldn't move or speak, 1793 Mt Athos in the forest, Pachomius of the Desert's rule of prayer, silence and solitude, fed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits and wolves, bear would obey him and run errands, new stylite struggle for 1000 days and nights, robbers beat him severly, MOG healed him , 1825 MOG told him to end seclusion and devote to others, Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov, desire to know aim of Christian life, acquisition of Holy Spirit, how recognize H S, your eyes flashing, in the Spirit or you would not see me, MOG et al entrusted D sisters to him, levitation in prayer, when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire ; Sarov; Sarov Monestary 1910; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were inhabitants of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant. Toward the end of his life, he began construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but he died before the completion of the work. His little son Prochorus,the future Seraphim, remained in the care of his widowed mother, who raised her son in piety. the death of her husband, Agathia Moshnina continued with the construction of the cathedral. Once she took the seven-year-old Prochorus there with her, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Prochorus, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. one point Prochorus fell grievously ill, and his life was in danger. In a dream the boy saw the Mother of God, promising to visit and heal him. Soon past the courtyard of the Moshnin home came a church procession with the Kursk Root Icon of the Sign (November 27). His mother carried Prochorus in her arms, and he kissed the holy icon, after which he speedily recovered. still in his youth Prochorus made his plans to devote his life entirely to God and to go to a monastery. His devout mother did not object to this and she blessed him on his monastic path with a copper cross, which he wore on his chest for the rest of his life. Prochorus set off on foot with pilgrims going from Kursk to Kiev to venerate the Saints of the Caves. Elder Dositheus (actually a woman, Daria Tyapkina), whom Prochorus visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov wilderness monastery, and there seek his salvation. Returning briefly to his parental home, Prohkor bid a final farewell to his mother and family. November 20, 1778 he arrived at Sarov, where the monastery then was headed by a wise Elder, Father Pachomius. He accepted him and put him under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Joseph. Under his direction Prochorus passed through many obediences at the monastery: he was the Elder’s cell-attendant, he toiled at making bread and prosphora, and at carpentry. fulfilled all his obediences with zeal and fervor, as though serving the Lord Himself. By constant work he guarded himself against despondency (accidie), this being, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks. is treated by prayer, by abstaining from idle chatter, by strenuous work, by reading the Word of God and by patience, since it is engendered by pettiness of soul, negligence, and idle talk.” the blessing of Igumen Pachomius, Prochorus abstained from all food on Wednesdays and Fridays, and went into the forest, where in complete isolation he practiced the Jesus Prayer. two years as a novice, Prochorus fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he was beset with suffering. His instructor Father Joseph and the other Elders were fond of Prochorus, and they provided him care. The illness dragged on for about three years, and not once did anyone hear from him a word of complaint. The Elders, fearing for his very life, wanted to call a doctor for him, but Prochorus asked that this not be done, saying to Father Pachomius: “I have entrusted myself, holy Father, to the True Physician of soul and body, our Lord Jesus Christ and His All-Pure Mother.” asked that a Molieben be offered for his health. While the others were praying in church, Prochorus had a vision. The Mother of God appeared to him accompanied by the holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing with Her hand towards the sick monk, the Most Holy Virgin said to Saint John, “He is one of our kind.” Then She touched the side of the sick man with Her staff, and immediately the fluid that had swelled up his body began to flow through the incision that She made. After the Molieben, the brethren found that Prochorus had been healed, and only a scar remained as evidence of the miracle. at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God, an infirmary church was built for the sick. One of the side chapels was dedicated to Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki (April 17). With his own hands, Saint Seraphim made an altar table for the chapel out of cypress wood, and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. eight years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prochorus was tonsured with the name Seraphim, a name reflecting his fiery love for the Lord and his zealous desire to serve Him. After a year, Seraphim was ordained as hierodeacon. in spirit, he served in the temple each day, incessantly praying even after the service. The Lord granted him visions during the church services: he often saw holy angels serving with the priests. the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday, which was celebrated by the igumen Father Pachomius and by Father Joseph, Saint Seraphim had another vision. After the Little Entrance with the Gospel, the hierodeacon Seraphim pronounced the words “O Lord, save the God-fearing, and hear us.” Then, he lifted his orarion saying, “And unto ages of ages.” Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright ray of light. up, Saint Seraphim beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Reaching the ambo, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered into His Icon to the right of the royal doors. Saint Seraphim, in spiritual rapture after this miraculous vision, was unable to utter a word, nor to move from the spot. They led him by the hand into the altar, where he just stood for another three hours, his face having changed color from the great grace that shone upon him. the vision the saint intensified his efforts. He toiled at the monastery by day, and he spent his nights praying in his forest cell. 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was ordained to the priesthood, and he served the Divine Liturgy every day. After the death of the igumen Father Pachomius, Saint Seraphim received the blessing of the new Superior Father Isaiah, to live alone in a remote part of the forest three and a half miles from the monastery. He named his new home “Mount Athos,” and devoted himself to solitary prayer. He went to the monastery only on Saturday before the all-night Vigil, and returned to his forest cell after Sunday’s Liturgy, at which he partook of the Divine Mysteries. Seraphim spent his time in ascetical struggles. His cell rule of prayer was based on the rule of Saint Pachomius for the ancient desert He always carried the Holy Gospels with him, reading the entire New Testament in the course of a week. He also read the holy Fathers and the service books. The saint learned many of the Church hymns by heart, and sang them while working in the forest. Around his cell he cultivated a garden and set up a beehive. He kept a very strict fast, eating only once during the entire day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he completely abstained from food. From the first Sunday of the Great Fast he did not partake of food at all until the following Saturday, when he received the Holy Mysteries. holy Elder was sometimes so absorbed by the unceasing prayer of the heart that he remained without stirring, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The schemamonk Mark the Silent and the hierodeacon Alexander, also wilderness-dwellers, would visit him every now and then. Finding the saint immersed in prayer, they would leave quietly, so they would not disturb his contemplation. the heat of summer the righteous one gathered moss from a swamp as fertilizer for his garden. Gnats and mosquitoes bit him relentlessly, but he endured this saying, “The passions are destroyed by suffering and by afflictions.” solitude was often disturbed by visits from monks and laymen, who sought his advice and blessing. With the blessing of the igumen, Father Seraphim prohibited women from visiting him, then receiving a sign that the Lord approved of his desire for complete silence, he banned all visitors. Through the prayers of the saint, the pathway to his wilderness cell was blocked by huge branches blown down from ancient pine trees. Now only the birds and the wild beasts visited him, and he dwelt with them as Adam did in Paradise. They came at midnight and waited for him to complete his Rule of prayer. Then he would feed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and even wolves with bread from his hand. Saint Seraphim also had a bear which would obey him and run errands for him. order to repulse the onslaughts of the Enemy, Saint Seraphim intensified his toil and began a new ascetical struggle in imitation of Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). Each night he climbed up on an immense rock in the forest, or a smaller one in his cell, resting only for short periods. He stood or knelt, praying with upraised hands, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He prayed this way for 1,000 days and nights. robbers in search of money or valuables once came upon him while he was working in his garden. The robbers demanded money from him. Though he had an axe in his hands, and could have put up a fight, he did not want to do this, recalling the words of the Lord: “Those who take up the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26: 52). Dropping his axe to the ground, he said, “Do what you intend.” The robbers beat him severely and left him for dead. They wanted to throw him in the river, but first they searched the cell for money. They tore the place apart, but found nothing but icons and a few potatoes, so they left. The monk, regained consciousness, crawled to his cell, and lay there all night. the morning he reached the monastery with great difficulty. The brethren were horrified, seeing the ascetic with several wounds to his head, chest, ribs and back. For eight days he lay there suffering from his wounds. Doctors called to treat him were amazed that he was still alive after such a beating. Seraphim was not cured by any earthly physician: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a vision with the Apostles Peter and John. Touching the saint’s head, the Most Holy Virgin healed him. However, he was unable to straighten up, and for the rest of his life he had to walk bent over with the aid of a stick or a small axe. Saint Seraphim had to spend about five months at the monastery, and then he returned to the forest. He forgave his abusers and asked that they not be punished. 1807 the abbot, Father Isaiah, fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Seraphim was asked to take his place, but he declined. He lived in silence for three years, completely cut off from the world except for the monk who came once a week to bring him food. If the saint encountered a man in the forest, he fell face down and did not get up until the passerby had moved on. Saint Seraphim acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic once said, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls will be saved around you.” new Superior of the monastery, Father Niphon, and the older brethren of the monastery told Father Seraphim either to come to the monastery on Sundays for divine services as before, or to move back into the monastery. He chose the latter course, since it had become too difficult for him to walk from his forest cell to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after fifteen years of living in the wilderness. his silence, he shut himself up in his cell, occupying himself with prayer and reading. He was also permitted to eat meals and to receive Communion in his cell. There Saint Seraphim attained the height of spiritual purity and was granted special gifts of grace by God: clairvoyance and wonderworking. After five years of solitude, he opened his door and allowed the monks to enter. He continued his silence, however, teaching them only by example. November 25, 1825 the Mother of God, accompanied by the two holy hierarchs commemorated on that day (Hieromartyr Clement of Rome, and Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria), appeared to the Elder in a vision and told him to end his seclusion and to devote himself to others. He received the igumen’s blessing to divide his time between life in the forest, and at the monastery. He did not return to his Far Hermitage, but went to a cell closer to the monastery. This he called his Near Hermitage. At that time, he opened the doors of his cell to pilgrims as well as his fellow-monks. Elder saw into the hearts of people, and as a spiritual physician, he healed their infirmities of soul and body through prayer and by his grace-filled words. Those coming to Saint Seraphim felt his great love and tenderness. No matter what time of the year it was, he would greet everyone with the words, “Christ is Risen, my joy!” He especially loved children. Once, a young girl said to her friends, “Father Seraphim only looks like an old man. He is really a child like us.” Elder was often seen leaning on his stick and carrying a knapsack filled with stones. When asked why he did this, the saint humbly replied, “I am troubling him who troubles me.” the final period of his earthly life Saint Seraphim devoted himself to his spiritual children, the Diveyevo women’s monastery. While still a hierodeacon he had accompanied the late Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to its monastic leader, Mother Alexandra, a great woman ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed Saint Seraphim to care always for the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a genuine father for the sisters, who turned to him with all their spiritual and material difficulties. Seraphim also devoted much effort to the women’s monastic community at Diveyevo. He himself said that he gave them no instructions of his own, but it was the Queen of Heaven who guided him in matters pertaining to the monastery. His disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to feed and nourish the Diveyevo community. Michael V. Manturov, healed by the monk from grievous illness, was one of Diveyvo’s benefactors. On the advice of the Elder he took upon himself the exploit of voluntary poverty. Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, out of obedience to the Elder, voluntarily consented to die in place of her brother, who was still needed in this life. Alexandrovich Motovilov, was also healed by the monk. In 1903, shortly before the glorification of the saint, the remarkable “Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilov” was found and printed. Written by Motovilov after their conversation at the end of November 1831, the manuscript was hidden in an attic in a heap of rubbish for almost seventy years. It was found by the author S. A. Nilus, who was looking for information about Saint Seraphim’s life. This conversation is a very precious contribution to the spiritual literature of the Orthodox Church. It grew out of Nicholas Motovilov’s desire to know the aim of the Christian life. It was revealed to Saint Seraphim that Motovilov had been seeking an answer to this question since childhood, without receiving a satisfactory answer. The holy Elder told him that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and went on to explain the great benefits of prayer and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. asked the saint how we can know if the Holy Spirit is with us or not. Saint Seraphim spoke at length about how people come to be in the Spirit of God, and how we can recognize His presence in us, but Motovilov wanted to understand this better. Then Father Seraphim took him by the shoulders and said, “We are both in the Spirit of God now, my son. Why don’t you look at me?” replied, “I cannot look, Father, for your eyes are flashing like lightning, and your face is brighter than the sun.” Seraphim told him, “Don’t be alarmed, friend of God. Now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You are in the fulness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.” Saint Seraphim promised Motovilov that God would allow him to retain this experience in his memory all his life. “It is not given for you alone to understand,” he said, “but through you it is for the whole world.” knew and esteemed Saint Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his end, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Seraphim was granted to behold the Queen of Heaven once more in the company of Saint John the Baptist, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve Virgin Martyrs (Saints Barbara, Katherine, Thekla, Marina, Irene, Eupraxia, Pelagia, Dorothea, Makrina, Justina, Juliana, and Anysia). The Most Holy Virgin conversed at length with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Concluding the conversation, She said to him: “Soon, My dear one, you shall be with us.” The Diveyevo nun Eupraxia was present during this visit of the Mother of God, because the saint had invited her. the last year of Saint Seraphim’s life, one of those healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade this to be mentioned until after his death. Seraphim became noticeably weaker and he spoke much about his approaching end. During this time they often saw him sitting by his coffin, which he had placed in the ante-room of his cell, and which he had prepared for himself. saint himself had marked the place where finally they would bury him, near the altar of the Dormition cathedral. On January 1, 1833 Father Seraphim came to the church of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius one last time for Liturgy and he received the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and bid them farewell, saying: “Save your souls. Do not be despondent, but watchful. Today crowns are being prepared for us.” January 2, Father Paul, the saint’s cell-attendant, left his own cell at six in the morning to attend the early Liturgy. He noticed the smell of smoke coming from the Elder’s cell. Saint Seraphim would often leave candles burning in his cell, and Father Paul was concerned that they could start a fire. “While I am alive,” he once said, “there will be no fire, but when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire.” When they opened the door, it appeared that books and other things were smoldering. Saint Seraphim was found kneeling before an icon of the Mother of God with his arms crossed on his chest. His pure soul was taken by the angels at the time of prayer, and had flown off to the Throne of the Almighty God, Whose faithful servant Saint Seraphim had been all his life. Seraphim has promised to intercede for those who remember his parents, Isidore and Agathia.

Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov, acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands saved
Russia, Mordovia, 1774-1833, Saint, Seraphim of Sarov ; Seraphim of Sarov (30 July [O.S. 19 July] 1754 (or 1759) - 14 January [O.S. 2 January] 1833), born Prokhor Moshnin, is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerated both in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. is generally considered the greatest of the 19th-century startsy (elders). Seraphim extended the monastic teachings of contemplation, theoria and self-denial to the layperson. He taught that the purpose of the Christian life was to acquire the Holy Spirit. Perhaps his most popular quotation amongst Orthodox believers is "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved." was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1903. Alongside his veneration in the Catholic calendar, Pope John Paul II also referred to him as a Saint.[1] Mordovia; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; of the Relics of Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov: The glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), took place in 1903, seventy years after his repose. July 3, 1903 Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg, assisted by Bishop Nazarius of Nizhni-Novgorod and Bishop Innocent of Tambov, transferred the saint’s relics from their original burial place to the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra provided a new cypress coffin to receive the relics. This cypress coffin was then placed inside an oak coffin and remained in the church until the day of the saint’s glorification. noon on July 16, the first day of the festivities, Metropolitan Anthony offered a Memorial Service for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim in the Dormition Cathedral. Services also took place in the monastery’s other churches. next day Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius served a Memorial Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral. At 5:00 that afternoon, the bells of Sarov began to ring, announcing the arrival of Tsar Nicholas and his family. Metropolitan Anthony greeted them and then led them to the Dormition Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving. royal family attended the early Liturgy on July 18th and received the Holy Mysteries. Later that morning, the final Memorial Service for the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim’s soul was offered in the Cathedral. These would be the last prayers offered for him as a departed servant of God. From that time forward, prayers would be addressed to him as a saint. At 6 P.M. the bells rang for Vigil, the first service with hymns honoring Saint Seraphim, and during which his relics would be exposed for public veneration. the time of the Litia during Vespers, the saint’s coffin was carried from the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius and into the Dormition Cathedral. Several people were healed of various illnesses during this procession. During Matins, as “Praise ye the Name of the Lord” was sung, the coffin was opened. After the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and the other hierarchs kissed the holy relics. They were followed by the royal family, the officiating clergy, and all the people in the cathedral. July 19, the saint’s birthday, the late Liturgy began at 8 o’clock. At the Little Entrance, twelve Archimandrites lifted the coffin from the middle of the church, carried it around the altar, then placed it into a special shrine. The long awaited event was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, who had gathered at Sarov in large numbers. More than 200,000 people came to Sarov from all across Russia. festivities at Sarov came to an end with the dedication of the first two churches to Saint Seraphim. The first church to be consecrated was over his monastic cell in Sarov. The second church was consecrated on July 22 at the Diveyevo convent. 1991, Saint Seraphim’s relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious museum for seventy years. Widely esteemed in his lifetime, Saint Seraphim is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church.

Russia, Mordovia, 1800, 19th C Folder, Tambov&Devpeteruv Icons found wMOG appears, MOG names Martha, Ponetaevka Icon bNuns

Russia, Mordovia, 1801-1917, Tambov Icon, Mordovia, icon forgotten but MOG made them remember her w dream oMiraculous healing
Russia, Mordovia, 1801-1888, Tambov Icon, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), 1686 Pitrim brought copy Ilnsk-Chernigov icon to Tambov, patroness SW territory, placed SW gate, copy came to be called Tambov Icon, wooden church at gate, later stone church there by Utkin, Utkin Church, Icon there forgotten, but Queen of Heaven made them remember her, 1801 Priest from Kaluga leg affliction, Tambov Icon appeared to him in dream, voice told him search for this Icon, pray before it, be healed, found dream icon at Utkino Church, completely healed, widely known, other miraculous cures, 1835 church disrepair right side altar dedicated to Tambov Icon, over time Icon adorned silver risa&gems, too many cases healing time to record, 1888 cross procession April 16 ordered, 1900 church itself named for MOG, Russian Revolution churches ravaged risa removed gems picked out, icon disappeared, but miracle accounts preserved; Tambov; Tambov (Utkino) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 16; 1686, Saint Pitirim (July 28) arrived in Tambov. with other holy objects, he brought a copy of the Il'insk-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God, which was considered to be the patroness of the southwest territory. the copy was placed at the southwestern gate of the city. a while, the Icon was called Tambov, especially since the copy differed slightly from the original Il’insk-Chernigov Icon. either side of the Virgin, Saint Alexis, the man of God, and Saint Eudokia were depicted. It has been suggested that these were the patron saints of Saint Pitirim’s parents, and it is quite possible that he himself painted the images of these Saints. on the site of the southwestern city gates, a small wooden church was built and dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. that church, there was an Icon. the merchant Ivan Utkin built a stone church in honor of the Protomartyr Archdeacon Stephen with his own funds in 1771, the Tambov Icon was transferred here and placed in the altar above the Table of Oblation. began to call the church Utkino, after the builder, and subsequently, the Icon was completely forgotten. Queen of Heaven made them remember her, however. the beginning of the XIX century, a certain provincial priest from Kaluga suffered from an affliction in his leg, and he was unable to walk. was this Icon of the Mother of God which appeared to him in a dream, and a voice told him, “Search for this icon. Pray before it, and you shall be healed.” this, the priest obtained some relief from his illness, so that he was able to walk. away, he began to search for the Icon he had seen in his dream. After visiting several villages and cities, he finally reached Tambov. looked in all the churches until he found the Icon from his dream in the altar of the Utkino church. praying before this Icon, he was completely healed. This incident became widely known in the city, and thereafter several more miraculous cures of the townspeople took place. Tambov Icon became known once again, and in 1835, when the old Utkino church was in a terrible state of disrepair, the townspeople requested that the right side altar be dedicated to the Tambov Icon of the Mother of God. time, the grateful people of Tambov diligently adorned the Icon. A luxurious silver riza was made, studded with many gems. were so many cases of healing before the Icon that there was not enough time to record all of them. 1888, by a decree of the Holy Synod, all the churches of the city were ordered to have a Cross Procession on April 16 in honor of the Tambov Icon. In 1900, the church itself was named for the Theotokos. the Russian Revolution, the churches of Tambov were ravaged, and the wonderworking Icon suffered. They removed the riza and picked out the gems, and the Icon itself disappeared without a trace. city has preserved accounts of the miracles performed by the Icon.

Russia, Mordovia, 1823-1829, S-nun Martha of Diveyevo, pure unceasing prayer, named by MOG for new hermitage
Russia, Mordovia, 1823-1829, Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, Lord's very rare gift of pure and unceasing prayer, most severe ascetic, almost completely silent, of Seraphim's chosen orphans, MOG named 8 sisters to take to new hermitage and where ; Diveyevo women's monastery; Venerable Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Mother Martha (in the world Maria Semenovna Milyukova) was born on February 10, 1810 a peasant family of the Nizhny Novgorod governorate, Ardatovsky district, in the village of Pozhidovo (now Malinovka). Milyukov family, who led a righteous and God-pleasing life, was close to Elder Seraphim of Sarov. addition to Maria, there were two older children - her sister Praskovya Semenovna and her brother Ivan Semenovich. village, along with those adjacent to it, were appanages - they did not belong to the lord-landowner, but to the treasury. land was divided separately, but it was infertile, because the black earth plots were seized by neighboring landlords. peasants lived very poorly, from childhood they had to work a great deal in the fields, and to take care of the livestock. Saint Seraphim's blessing, Praskovya Semenovna entered the community of Mother Alexandra (in the world Agathia Semenovna Belokopytova), the first founder of Diveyevo Monastery, and a nun of exalted spiritual life. Maria was thirteen years old, she and her sister Praskovya came to Father Seraphim for the first time. This occurred on November 21, 1823, the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Praskovya Semenovna told it, Maria "was attached to me," and so both of them came to Sarov. great Elder, seeing that the girl Maria was a chosen vessel of God's grace, he did not allow her to return home, but ordered her to remain in the community. thirteen-year-old Maria Semenovna was numbered with Father Seraphim's chosen orphans, in the community of Matushka Alexandra, of which the Eldress Xenia Mikhailovna Kocheulova was the Superior, whom Father Seraphim called "a pillar of fire from earth to heaven" and a "spiritual rasp" because of her righteous life. extraordinary, hitherto inconspicuous girl Maria cannot be compared with anyone: she was angelic, a child of God, and from an early age she began to lead an ascetical life. the severity of her ascetical contest (podvig) she surpassed even the sisters of the community, who were distinguished for the severity of their life, and even surpassed the Superior Xenia Mikhailovna herself. prayer was her food, and she would reply only to necessary questions with heavenly meekness. She was almost completely silent, Father Seraphim loved her with exceptional tenderness, disclosing to her all his heavenly revelations concerning the Monastery's future glory, and other great spiritual mysteries. ordered her not to speak of these things until that time. She obeyed his instructions, despite the requests and entreaties of the sisters and her relatives. Whenever she returned after seeing Saint Seraphim, she was radiant with inexpressible joy. afterward, Maria entered the community of the Kazan church. Queen of Heaven had blessed the creation of a new community next to that one, which is how the construction of the Monastery, which the Mother of God had promised to Mother Alexandra, began. 1825, Father Seraphim began going to bless first the sisters, and then the virtuous Superior of the Diveyevo community, Xenia Mikhailovna, who, of course, deeply respected and highly revered Father Seraphim, she would not agree to change the Rule of her community, which seemed to be too severe, both to Father Seraphim and all the sisters who had been rescued in the community. number of sisters had increased so much in the community that they needed to enlarge their property, but it was impossible to expand in any direction. Seraphim summoned Xenia Mikhailovna and tried to persuade her that it would be easier to replace the severe Sarov Rule, but she wouldn't hear of it. me, my joy," Father Seraphim said. the uncompromising Eldress finally replied: "No, Batiushka, let it be the old way. We have been content with the Rule which our founder, Father Pakhomios († 1794) has already established for us!" Father Seraphim dismissed the Superior of the Diveyevo community, reassured that what the great Eldress Mother Alexandra had asked him to do no longer weighed on his conscience, or that the time for God's will to be done had not yet come. on November 25 of that year, on the Feast Day of the holy God-pleasers Clement, the Pope of Rome, and Saint Peter of Alexandria, while he was making his way through the thickets of the forest along the bank of the Sarovka River, and going to his Far Hermitage as usual, Seraphim saw the Mother of God and two Apostles standing behind her: Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Queen of Heaven, struck the earth with her staff, so that a spring issued from the ground, a fountain of clear water. She said to him, "Why do you wish to disregard what my servant Agathia, the nun Alexandra, has asked you to do, and to forsake Xenia and her sisters, for this commandment to my servants must not be broken, but strictly observed; for it is by my will that she gave it to you. will show you another place, also in the village of Diveyevo, and there I will establish this, my promised abode. In remembrance of the promise I gave her, take eight sisters from Xenia’s community, the place of my servant’s repose." also told him the names of which girls to take. weeks after this vision of the Queen of Heaven, on December 9, 1825, Maria and another sister, came to Saint Seraphim, and Batiushka told them that they should accompany him to his Far Hermitage. there and going into the dwelling, Father Seraphim gave the sisters two lit wax candles, which they brought with them at his orders, together with oil and breadcrumbs. told Maria to stand on the right side of the cross hanging on the wall, and Praskovia Stepanovna (that was the name of the other sister) on the left. they stood for more than an hour with lit candles, and Father Seraphim stood between them, praying all the while. praying, he stood before the cross and told them to pray as well. before beginning to establish a new community he prayed mystically with the sisters, who had been designated by the Mother of God for special service to her and to the Monastery. four years, Maria struggled, helping Saint Seraphim and the sisters to establish the new community, stored poles and timbers for the mill which the Mother of God blessed them to build on the site where the new community would be built. carried bricks for construction of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos; ground flour fulfilled other obediences, which she never neglected her heartfelt prayers, "silently lifting up her ardent soul to the Lord." wondrous girl was endowed by the Lord with a very rare gift of pure and unceasing prayer. all things she was always guided by Saint Seraphim himself. an example of her unconditional obedience, it was said that when her sister Praskovia Semenovna had a question about a certain Sarov monk, Maria was surprised and like an innocent child she asked: "What kind of monks, Parasha, look like a priest?" in turn by her sister's question, Praskovya Semenovna replied to her: "After all, you go to Sarov, didn't you see what you were asking about?" – "No, Parashenka," Maria Semenovna said humbly, "because I don't see or know anything; Seraphim ordered me never to look at them, and I tie a handkerchief over my face like this, so I can see the road beneath my feet." is how the child-ascetic was. She lived in the Monastery for just six years, and then she went peacefully and quietly to the Lord at the age of nineteen. August 21,1829, Diveyevo Monastery lost its wondrous young girl of holy life, Maria Semenovna Milyukova, Schema-nun Martha. foreseen the hour of her death in the spirit, Saint Seraphim suddenly wept with great sorrow and told Father Paul in the neighboring cell, “Paul! Maria has departed, and it grieves me that, as you see, everyone is crying!” Seraphim wished to make her an oak coffin, rounded and hollowed out. Semenovna went after him with another sister of Diveyevo, Aquilina Vasilyevna. Semenovna was very upset, and Batiushka embraced her in a paternal way, caressing and encouraging her. he joined the hands of Praskovya Semenovna and Aquilina Vasilyevna and told them: you shall be sisters, and I am your father, for I have begotten you in the Spirit! is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her into the Schema. She has everything: the Schema, the mantiya, and my kamilavka, all this is hers. Put it down! Don't be discouraged, Matushka." Father Seraphim turned to Praskovya Semenovna and said, "Her soul is in the Kingdom of Heaven, near the Holy Trinity, at God's Throne, and your entire family shall be saved by her." addition, Batiushka Seraphim donated 25 rubles for the funeral expenses and 25 copper rubles to give to all the sisters and laymen, whoever was at her burial, three kopecks each. He also donated two towels for the altar, a bunch of yellow candles for her to be commemorated for forty days after her repose, so that they would burn in the church day and night for forty days, and at her coffin a yellow one ruble candle, and at the funeral, half a pound of white twenty-kopeck candles. with the blessing of Saint Seraphim, Maria Semenovna, Schema-nun Martha, was laid in a coffin: in two scrolls (shirts), in a paper cassock, belted with a woolen black edge, over this was in a black and white cross-stitched Schema and a long robe. On her head was placed a green velvet embroidered gold cap, and on top of it Batiushka Seraphim's kamilavka, and finally, still tied with a large dradedam a dark blue handkerchief with tassels. In her hands - leather prayer ropes. these things were given to her by Father Seraphim with his own hands, them always to commune of the Holy Mysteries, was exactly what Maria did on each of the Twelve Major Feasts, and during the four fasts. righteous Seraphim sent all those who had just come to him in these days to Diveyevo for the funeral of Maria Semenovna. to the sisters who knew nothing about it, those who worked on Satis (a forest area on the banks of the Satis River), to Barbara Ilyinishna and others, the Elder said: "You are my joys! Come soon to Diveyevo where the great servant of God Maria has departed to the Lord!" sisters could not understand how Maria could die, and they were surprised to find Maria Semenovna in her coffin. Maria Semenovna's brother Ivan, who had also attended his sister's funeral, went to speak to Batiushka Seraphim. the Elder said: "Are you really Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he replied. Batiushka looked at him a second time and asked: "Are you Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he said again. the Elder thought for a long, long time, still staring intently at Ivan, who stood before him. he became so joyful and luminous that the sun's rays seemed to shine from his face, and Ivan had to turn away from Father Seraphim, unable to look at him. Batiushka exclaimed: "Behold, my joy! What mercy she has received from the Lord! She is in the Kingdom of Heaven at the Throne of God, near the Queen of Heaven, with the holy virgins! is an intercessor for your entire family! She is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her. you are at Diveyevo, never pass by her grave without kneeling down and saying: "Our lady and Mother Martha, remember us before God's Throne in the Kingdom of Heaven!" Saint Seraphim repeated this to Ivan Semenovich three times. that, Father Seraphim summoned Sister Xenia Vasilyevna Putkova (later the Nun Capitolina) whom he always assigned to write down various names for commemoration, said to her, "Behold, Matushka, list her as the Nun Maria, but because by her deeds and by the prayers of the wretched Seraphim, she has received the Schema! Pray to her as Schema-nun Martha, you and everyone around her." to the testimony of the sisters and those close to Diveyeo, Maria Semenovna was tall and attractive in appearance; with an oblong, pale, bright face, blue eyes, thick light blonde eyebrows, and hair of the same color. was buried with her hair loose. She rests on the left side of Mother Alexandra, the first founder of the Kazan community. of the stories told by the older nuns about Maria Semenovna have been preserved. Ilarionovna (later the nun Melitina) related the following: "Living in the world and hearing about Father Seraphim from everyone," she said: "I wished to be at Sarov and to receive his blessing. First of all, when I arrived at Sarov, I went to Batiushka in his wilderness; he came out to meet me, blessed me, and said with a smile, 'Matushka, do you know Maria Semenovna?' I said 'I do know her, Batiushka; she lives three yards away from us.' Matushka," the Saint continued, 'I will tell you about her, how zealous she was about her work. a church was being built at Diveyevo in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the girls themselves carried small bricks, one took two, another took three, she, Matushka, could carry five or six bricks, and silently, with a prayer on her lips, she lifted up her ardent soul to the Lord. she developed a stomach ailment and surrendered her soul to God.' to Saint Seraphim, the nineteen-year-old ascetic Schema-nun Martha, who departed to the Lord, was appointed, as the Superior of the Diveyevo "orphans" in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the abode of the Mother of God, which he said to the Eldress Eudokia Ephraimna: "The Lord has twelve Apostles, the Queen of Heaven has twelve virgins, so you twelve are mine. Just as the Lord chose the Great Martyr Katherine as His bride, so from you twelve virgins, I selected Maria as His future bride. There she is above you, she will be the eldest!" brother, Ivan Semenovich, also ended his life as a monk at Sarov Hermitage. the obedience as the gatekeeper at Sarov, he said: "As a layman and a peasant, I often worked for Father Seraphim, he foretold many, many wonderful things to me concerning Diveyevo, he always said: "If anyone offends my orphan girls, he shall be punished severely by the Lord; whoever stands up for them, and defends and helps them when in need, God's great mercy will poured forth on that person from on high. even sighs and pities them in his heart will be rewarded by the Lord. I will tell you, Batiushka, remember this: happy is everyone who stays with the wretched Seraphim at Diveyevo for a day, from morning to morning, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, visits Diveyevo every twenty-four hours!" his commandment to Batiushka he added: "Gatekeeper, I have always said that, and I tell everyone." of his daughters later entered the Diveyevo community. One of them, Elena Ivanovna, married a spiritual man, Saint Seraphim's friend Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov, who was the Monastery's benefactor. She was a "great lady," as Batiushka Seraphim called her when she was just a child, ordering her sister to fall down at the young girl's feet. Elena Ivanovna was the only one present at Father Seraphim's burial in 1833, and the survived until his glorification in 1903. Widowed in the last years of her life she lived at Diveyevo. Elena Ivanovna reposed at an advanced age in 1910. Before her death, she was secretly tonsured as a nun. Stepanovna, an old sister in the community by the mill related how terrible it was to disobey Father Seraphim, recalled that once Batiushka ordered her to come with the young woman Maria Semenovnaya with two horses pulling logs behind them. They were to go straight to Batiushka in the woods, where he would be waiting for them. prepared two thin logs for each horse. Then, lthinking that all four logs could be carried by one horse. The sisters attached the logs to one horse, and to the second horse they attached a large, thick log. as soon as they tried to move from their places, this horse fell, wheezed, and almost died. that they were guilty of acting contrary to what Batiushka had blessed, they immediately fell to their knees in tears and asked for forgiveness, then removed the thick log and attached the other logs as before. horse jumped up and ran so fast that they could hardly catch up with it. words of Schema-nun Martha have come down to us through generations of Diveyevo sisters, recorded by an old woman, Justinia Ivanovna (later the nun Hilaria), from a manuscript page found in the cells of Schema-nun Margarita Lakhtionova. the Monastery was restored, the Lord wondrously celebrated the Feast Day of the Venerable Schema-nun Martha by consecrating the Transfiguration Cathedral. was built in 1917 but was not consecrated. It lay in ruins during the Soviet years and the authorities transferred the cathedral to the restored Monastery in 1991, restoration work went on until 1998, and the Cathedral's consecration just happened to coincide with the day of the Saint's blessed repose. to the memoirs of the nun Seraphima Bulgakova of Diveyevo Monastery, before the Monastery's closure in 1927, there was a portrait of Schema-nun Martha, painted by the sisters immediately after her death. to the testimony of Archpriest Stephen Lyashevsky, in addition to this portrait, another one was painted by his mother (Capitolina Zakharovna Lyashevskaya, later the nun Maria). is a hagiographic image of the Schema-nun Martha with the following scenes around the borders: Martha carrying bricks to the top of the Nativity Church under construction; Seraphim tonsuring her into the schema; Seraphim, Maria, and Praskovya Semenovna pray with lit candles for Diveyevo; soul of Schema-nun Martha ascending to God's Throne; Queen of Heaven and Schema-nun Martha in a vision in the church; three holy graves. present location of Schema-nun Martha's portrait is unknown, but the hagiographic image is believed to have been taken abroad. 2000, Schema-nun Martha was canonized for local veneration as a Saint in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, now her relics rest in the church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery. Martha of Diveyevo is commemorated on August 21 (the day of her repose), June 14 (the Synaxis of the Diveyevo Saints), and on the Synaxis of the Nizhny Novgorod Saints (Movable Feast on the Sunday after August 26).

Russia, Mordovia, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, Husband falsely accused, wife ordered to find icon in dream, Moleben, acquitted
Russia, Mordovia, 1833, Devpeteruv Icon, Husband falsely accused, woman sees Elder in dream, orders her search cathedral for icon fPitrim's cell, and to have a Moleben served. He also showed her the Icon, done, Husband acquitted; Tambov; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Icon appeared on February 29, 1392. of the oldest shrines of the Devpeteruv (Девпетерувская) Icon of the Mother of God is now located in the Nikolaev church of the village of Batyushkova, or Batatkova, Dmitrovsky district of Moscow Province. this image, the child Jesus is shown resting on the Virgin’s right shoulder; His left hand is on His Mother’s left shoulder, and her right hand is on His right shoulder. Tambov's Transfiguration Cathedral, above the tomb of St. Pitirim (July 28), there is another list of the miracles of the Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God. image once belonged to St. Pitirim, and before it, he offered his fervent prayers to the Lord God. Icon became especially famous in 1833 after a miracle took place. certain woman, whose husband was falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison, once saw an Elder whom she did not know in a dream. This Elder ordered her to search the cathedral for the Icon from St. Pitirim's cell, and to have a Moleben served before it. He also showed her the Icon itself. The woman found the Saint's Icon and asked for a Moleben to be served before it. Shortly afterward, her husband was acquitted and released from prison.

Russia, Mordovia, 1835 - 1894, Theophan t Recluse, teaching leading many places, then recluse writer near Vysha m Tambov
Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia, fOrlov District, primary&Military school aLiven, 1837-41 Kiev Theological, monk, rector Kiev's church schools, rector Novgorod seminary, Professor Inspector Petersburg Academy, Russian Mission iJerusalem, Rector Olnets Seminary, chief priest Embassy Church Constantinople, rector Petersburg Academy& supervisor religious schools ed, 1859 Bishop oTambov, school fGirls, loved Vysha Monastery, 1863 tVladimir f3yrs, another school fGirls, but difficult him worldly disputes, could not chastise, had someone else do it,1861 impressed bUncovering Tikhon's relics, childhood friend, 1866 igumen Vysha m, soon resigned, but lived there, celebrate services whenever, pension, 1866 left diocese fReculusion, and writing spiritual books, benefactor fAll Orthodox, worldwide rep, many books no profit, new topics like how Christian life, how overcome sin habits, how avoid despair, how steps perfection, he also translated Philokalia and Simeon tNew sermons, firs 6yrs attended all services, stood still eyes closed, then 1872 cut all relationships wPeople except his confessor, stayed iCell, chapel there, 10yrs served there Sundays&Feast Days, then last 11yrs served every day by himself, sometimes sing sometimes silent, if sent money then distributed tPoor, writing praying carpentry painting icons, answered 20-40 letters aDay, discerned letter spirit condition, eyesight declined, litergy prepared night before, tea after next day, egg milk Lunch a1pm, tea a4pm, weaker but still writing&died 1894, incorrupt 6days, books translated English; Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest. first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy. Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools. May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, he established a diocesan school for girls. his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir. holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral. was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds. 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles. he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, to devote himself to writing spiritual books. these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him. Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, as how to live a Christian life, to overcome sinful habits, how to avoid despair. tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. of his books include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, Path to Salvation, Letters on the Spiritual Life. also translated the Philokalia in five volumes, and The Sermons of Saint Simeon the New Theologian. the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days. in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) no longer left his cell to attend church. built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent. anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books. he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls. eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day. Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord. Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery. of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

Russia, Mordovia, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, first bishop martyred bCommunists, and Ukranian Church
Russia, Mordovia, 1868-1918, Vladimir, Met oKiev&Galich, fTambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1), first bishop tortured slain bCommunists diring Russian Revolution, his priest father also murdered, 1874 graduate Kiev Theological A, taught aTambov Seminary 7yrs, 1881 priesthood, Wife&Son died 1886, entered Tambov's Koslov m, 1888 bishop oStaraya Rus& vicar oNovgorod d, 1891 diocese oSamara, cholera & crop failure, led care for sick, 1892 archbishop Kartalin&Kahetin, 1898 Met Moscow&Kolomna for 15yrs, besides helping poor, widows, orphans he helped alcoholics&Who left church, also education expecially theological schools, 1912 Met oPetrogad till 1915, when he disapproved Rasputin &transferred tKiev byTsar, 1917 Tikhon elected patriarch oMoscow, Ukranian Congress called for automous Ukraine and independent Ukranian Church, Vladimir warned that division would help church enemies, but end 1917 Ukranian dominion formed, searate U church, uncannon group forbade Tikhon commemoration, demanded Vlad leave Kiev, Jan 1918 civil war came to kiev, many churches monasteries damaged, Bolsheviks seized Kiev Caves Lavra, soldiers into churches, monks to courtyard, Jan 25th looking for Met Vlad, Tortured choked demanded money, attendant asked for blessing, enough bowing to blood-drinkers, Good-by Philip, walked calmly wExecutioners, prayed and blessed Executioners, May God forgive you, several rifle shots, morning women to Lavra told where his body, in Moscow All-Russian Church Council Tikhon preformed memorial service, but Revolution halted investigation; Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution. Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky was born in the province of Tambov of pious parents on January 1, 1848. father, a priest, was later murdered. young Basil graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev in 1874, taught in the Tambov seminary for seven years before he was ordained to the holy priesthood. wife died in 1886, and their only child died shortly thereafter. bereaved widower entered the Kozlov monastery in Tambov and was given the name Vladimir. 1888 he was consecrated bishop of Staraya Rus, served as a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese. 1891 he was assigned to the diocese of Samara. those days people of his diocese suffered from a cholera epidemic and a crop failure. Vladimir devoted himself to caring for the sick and suffering, inspiring others to follow his example. 1892 he became Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin, in 1898 he was chosen as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. served fifteen years in this position. Vladimir was distinguished by his compassion for the poor, and for widows and orphans. also tried to help alcoholics and those who had abandoned the Church. Metropolitan was also interested in the education of children in school, especially those who were studying in the theological schools. 1912, after the death of Metropolitan Anthony, he was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd, administering that diocese until 1915. he disapproved of Rasputin, Metropolitan Vladimir fell out of favor with the Tsar, and so he was transferred to Kiev. November 5, 1917 it was he who announced that Saint Tikhon (April 7) had been elected as Patriarch of Moscow. “Ukrainian Congress” was also calling for an autonomous Ukraine and for the creation of a Ukrainian Church independent from the Church of Russia. Vladimir suffered and grieved because of this question, warning that such a division in the Church would allow its enemies to be victorious. at the end of 1917, a Ukrainian Dominion was formed, and also a separate Ukrainian church administration (“rada”) led by the retired Archbishop Alexis Dorodnitzin. uncanonical group forbade the commemoration of Patriarch Tikhon during church services, and demanded that Metropolitan Vladimir leave Kiev. January 1918 the civil war came to Kiev, the two forces vied for control of the city. churches and monasteries were damaged by the cannon fire. Bolsheviks seized the Kiev Caves Lavra on January 23, and soldiers broke into the churches. were taken out into the courtyard to be stripped and beaten. At six thirty on the night of January 25, five armed soldiers and a sailor came looking for Metropolitan Vladimir. seventy-year-old hierarch was tortured and choked in his bedroom with the chain of his cross. ruffians tortured the Metropolitan and demanded money. they emerged, the Metropolitan’s cell attendant approached and asked for a blessing. sailor pushed him aside and told him, “Enough bowing to these blood-drinkers. No more of it.” blessing and kissing him, the Metropolitan said, “Good-bye, Philip.” he walked calmly with his executioners, just as if he were on his way to serve the Liturgy. Vladimir was driven from the monastery to the place of execution. they got out of the car, the holy martyr asked, “Do you intend to shoot me here?” “Why not?” they replied. praying for a short time and asking forgiveness for his sins, Metropolitan Vladimir blessed the executioners, saying, “May God forgive you.” several rifle shots were heard. the morning, some women came to the gates of the Lavra and told the monks where the Metropolitan’s body could be found. was lying on his back, with bullet wounds near his right eye and by his right collarbone. were also several cuts and gashes on the body, including a very deep chest wound. hieromartyr was carried into the Lavra church of Saint Michael, where he had spent his last days at prayer. Moscow, the All-Russian Church Council was in session when word came of Metropolitan Vladimir’s death. Tikhon and his clergy performed a Memorial Service for the New Martyr Vladimir. commission was formed to investigate the circumstances of Metropolitan Vladimir’s murder, it was unable to carry out its duties because of the Revolution. Council decided that January 25, the day of his death, would be set aside for the annual commemoration of all of Russia’s martyrs and confessors killed by the Soviets. holy New Martyr Vladimir of Kiev was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 1992. the Sunday closest to January 25 (the day of Metropolitan Vladimir’s martyrdom) we also observe the Synaxis of Russia’s New Martyrs and Confessors.

Russia, Mordovia, 1879-1885, Icon of MOG œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, numerous miracles, painted by nuns, divine light face
Russia, Mordovia, 1879-1885, Icon of MOG œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, numerous miracles, paiinted by nuns, divine light face when the nuns prayed, pilgrims healed blindness crippling, 70 instances noted; Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Mordovia, 1900, 20th C Folder, Peter oSanaxar's holy relics recovered

Russia, Mordovia, 1999, Recovery Relics oPeter oSanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery, Mordovia, 1659
Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery; The Recovery of the Relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on April 21; Relics of Hieromonk Theodore (Ushakov) the restorer of the Monastery, were recovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28/July 11, 1999. at the celebrations and the rite of canonization, which was performed by the ruling Bishop, His Grace Bishop Barsanuphios of Saransk and Mordovia, the Archimandrite of the Monastery, and ruling bishops from the neighboring dioceses: His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim of Penza and Kuznetsk, and His Eminence Archbishop Proklos of Simbirsk and Melekes. Theodore is commemorated on February 19, (the day of his blessed repose), on April 21/May 21 (the recovery of his holy relics), and on May 23/June 5 (the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl). relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar now rest in the cathedral church of Saint John the Baptist.

Russia, Mordovia, Oka River Folder, Oka 12 and 13, south side of the Oka

Russia, Mordovia, Oka River 12, Moksha River Folder

Moksha River

Moksha River Source

Boldino Heights, Mordovia
Boldino Heights ; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Icon of the Mother of God of œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Moksha River 1

Moksha River 2 (Tsna River)

Russia, Mordovia, Oka River 12, Moksha River 2, Tsna River Folder, Tambov

Tsna River (Moksha Basin)

Tsna River Source (along the border)

Tsna River 1 (Tambov, Studenets River Mouth)

Russia, Mordovia, Oka River 12, Moksha River 2, Tsna River 1, Studenets River Folder, Tambov

Studenets River

Studenets River Source (along the border)

Studenets River 1 (Kozlov)

Kozlov, Mordovia (Studenets River 1)
Kozlov, Mordovia; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ;

Studenets River Mouth (Tambov, Tsna River 1)

Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1)
Tambov; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28; Tambov (Utkino) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Tambov, Commemorated on July 8;

Tambov Theological Seminary at Kazan Monastery, Tambov, 1670
Tambov Theological Seminary at Kazan Monastery, Tambov; Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov); Tambov; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated on October 10;

Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670; St. Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25;

Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Theophan the Recluse, 1835 - 1894;

Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Theophan the Recluse, 1835 - 1894;

Tsna River 2 (Moksha basin)

Tebza River

Iron Pines, Mordovia, Moksha River 2, Tsna River 2, Tebza River
In 1392 Saint James of Zhelezny Bor settled in a dense forest near iron mines, at a place which was called the Iron Pines, at the banks of the rivulet Tebza. Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11;

Tsna River Mouth (Moksha River)

Moksha River Mouth (Oka River 12)
Moksha River Mouth (Oka River 14) ;

Russia, Mordovia. Oka River 13, Tyosha River Folder, Sarov and Sanaxar

Tyosha River 1 (Arzamas)

Arzamas, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, major transit center to the East)
Arzamas; St Nicholas Convent in Arzamas; Icon of the Mother of God "Seraphim-Ponetaevka", Commemorated November 27 ;

Sarov, Mordovia (Tyosah River 1, near Volga River 9)
Sarov; Sarov Monestary 1910; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; of the Relics of Saint Seraphim, Wonderworker of Sarov: The glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2), took place in 1903, seventy years after his repose. On July 3, 1903 Metropolitan Anthony of Saint Petersburg, assisted by Bishop Nazarius of Nizhni-Novgorod and Bishop Innocent of Tambov, transferred the saint’s relics from their original burial place to the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius. Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra provided a new cypress coffin to receive the relics. This cypress coffin was then placed inside an oak coffin and remained in the church until the day of the saint’s glorification. noon on July 16, the first day of the festivities, Metropolitan Anthony offered a Memorial Service for the ever-memorable Hieromonk Seraphim in the Dormition Cathedral. Services also took place in the monastery’s other churches. next day Metropolitan Anthony and Bishop Nazarius served a Memorial Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral. At 5:00 that afternoon, the bells of Sarov began to ring, announcing the arrival of Tsar Nicholas and his family. Metropolitan Anthony greeted them and then led them to the Dormition Cathedral for a Service of Thanksgiving. royal family attended the early Liturgy on July 18th and received the Holy Mysteries. Later that morning, the final Memorial Service for the repose of Hieromonk Seraphim’s soul was offered in the Cathedral. These would be the last prayers offered for him as a departed servant of God. From that time forward, prayers would be addressed to him as a saint. At 6 P.M. the bells rang for Vigil, the first service with hymns honoring Saint Seraphim, and during which his relics would be exposed for public veneration. the time of the Litia during Vespers, the saint’s coffin was carried from the church of Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius and into the Dormition Cathedral. Several people were healed of various illnesses during this procession. During Matins, as “Praise ye the Name of the Lordâ€ was sung, the coffin was opened. After the Gospel, Metropolitan Anthony and the other hierarchs kissed the holy relics. They were followed by the royal family, the officiating clergy, and all the people in the cathedral. July 19, the saint’s birthday, the late Liturgy began at 8 o’clock. At the Little Entrance, twelve Archimandrites lifted the coffin from the middle of the church, carried it around the altar, then placed it into a special shrine. The long awaited event was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, who had gathered at Sarov in large numbers. More than 200,000 people came to Sarov from all across Russia. The festivities at Sarov came to an end with the dedication of the first two churches to Saint Seraphim. The first church to be consecrated was over his monastic cell in Sarov. The second church was consecrated on July 22 at the Diveyevo convent. 1991, Saint Seraphim’s relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious museum for seventy years. Widely esteemed in his lifetime, Saint Seraphim is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church. Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œSeraphim-Ponetaevka"Â, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Seraphim of Sarov, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was born on July 19, 1754. His parents, Isidore and Agathia Moshnin, were inhabitants of Kursk. Isidore was a merchant. Toward the end of his life, he began construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but he died before the completion of the work. His little son Prochorus,the future Seraphim, remained in the care of his widowed mother, who raised her son in piety. the death of her husband, Agathia Moshnina continued with the construction of the cathedral. Once she took the seven-year-old Prochorus there with her, and he fell from the scaffolding around the seven-storey bell tower. He should have been killed, but the Lord preserved the life of the future luminary of the Church. The terrified mother ran to him and found her son unharmed. Prochorus, endowed with an excellent memory, soon mastered reading and writing. From his childhood he loved to attend church services, and to read both the Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints with his fellow students. Most of all, he loved to pray or to read the Holy Gospel in private. one point Prochorus fell grievously ill, and his life was in danger. In a dream the boy saw the Mother of God, promising to visit and heal him. Soon past the courtyard of the Moshnin home came a church procession with the Kursk Root Icon of the Sign (November 27). His mother carried Prochorus in her arms, and he kissed the holy icon, after which he speedily recovered. still in his youth Prochorus made his plans to devote his life entirely to God and to go to a monastery. His devout mother did not object to this and she blessed him on his monastic path with a copper cross, which he wore on his chest for the rest of his life. Prochorus set off on foot with pilgrims going from to Kiev to venerate the Saints of the Caves. The Elder Dositheus (actually a woman, Daria Tyapkina), whom Prochorus visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov wilderness monastery, and there seek his salvation. Returning briefly to his parental home, Prohkor bid a final farewell to his mother and family. On November 20, 1778 he arrived at Sarov, where the monastery then was headed by a wise Elder, Father Pachomius. He accepted him and put him under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Joseph. Under his direction Prochorus passed through many obediences at the monastery: he was the Elder’s cell-attendant, he toiled at making bread and prosphora, and at carpentry. He fulfilled all his obediences with zeal and fervor, as though serving the Lord Himself. By constant work he guarded himself against despondency (accidie), this being, as he later said, “the most dangerous temptation for new monks. It is treated by prayer, by abstaining from idle chatter, by strenuous work, by reading the Word of God and by patience, since it is engendered by pettiness of soul, negligence, and idle talk.â€ the blessing of Igumen Pachomius, Prochorus abstained from all food on Wednesdays and Fridays, and went into the forest, where in complete isolation he practiced the Jesus Prayer. After two years as a novice, Prochorus fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he was beset with suffering. His instructor Father Joseph and the other Elders were fond of Prochorus, and they provided him care. The illness dragged on for about three years, and not once did anyone hear from him a word of complaint. The Elders, fearing for his very life, wanted to call a doctor for him, but Prochorus asked that this not be done, saying to Father Pachomius: “I have entrusted myself, holy Father, to the True Physician of soul and body, our Lord Jesus Christ and His All-Pure Mother.â€ asked that a Molieben be offered for his health. While the others were praying in church, Prochorus had a vision. The Mother of God appeared to him accompanied by the holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing with Her hand towards the sick monk, the Most Holy Virgin said to Saint John, “He is one of our kind.â€ Then She touched the side of the sick man with Her staff, and immediately the fluid that had swelled up his body began to flow through the incision that She made. After the Molieben, the brethren found that Prochorus had been healed, and only a scar remained as evidence of the miracle. at the place of the appearance of the Mother of God, an infirmary church was built for the sick. One of the side chapels was dedicated to Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki (April 17). With his own hands, Saint Seraphim made an altar table for the chapel out of cypress wood, and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. eight years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prochorus was tonsured with the name Seraphim, a name reflecting his fiery love for the Lord and his zealous desire to serve Him. After a year, Seraphim was ordained as hierodeacon. in spirit, he served in the temple each day, incessantly praying even after the service. The Lord granted him visions during the church services: he often saw holy angels serving with the priests. During the Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Thursday, which was celebrated by the igumen Father Pachomius and by Father Joseph, Saint Seraphim had another vision. After the Little Entrance with the Gospel, the hierodeacon Seraphim pronounced the words “O Lord, save the God-fearing, and hear us.â€ Then, he lifted his orarion saying, “And unto ages of ages.â€ Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright ray of light. up, Saint Seraphim beheld the Lord Jesus Christ, coming through the western doors of the temple, surrounded by the Bodiless Powers of Heaven. Reaching the ambo, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered into His Icon to the right of the royal doors. Saint Seraphim, in spiritual rapture after this miraculous vision, was unable to utter a word, nor to move from the spot. They led him by the hand into the altar, where he just stood for another three hours, his face having changed color from the great grace that shone upon him. After the vision the saint intensified his efforts. He toiled at the monastery by day, and he spent his nights praying in his forest cell. 1793, Hierodeacon Seraphim was ordained to the priesthood, and he served the Divine Liturgy every day. After the death of the igumen Father Pachomius, Saint Seraphim received the blessing of the new Superior Father Isaiah, to live alone in a remote part of the forest three and a half miles from the monastery. He named his new home “Mount Athos,â€ and devoted himself to solitary prayer. He went to the monastery only on Saturday before the all-night Vigil, and returned to his forest cell after Sunday’s Liturgy, at which he partook of the Divine Mysteries. Seraphim spent his time in ascetical struggles. His cell rule of prayer was based on the rule of Saint Pachomius for the ancient desert monasteries. He always carried the Holy Gospels with him, reading the entire New Testament in the course of a week. He also read the holy Fathers and the service books. The saint learned many of the Church hymns by heart, and sang them while working in the forest. Around his cell he cultivated a garden and set up a beehive. He kept a very strict fast, eating only once during the entire day, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he completely abstained from food. From the first Sunday of the Great Fast he did not partake of food at all until the following Saturday, when he received the Holy Mysteries. holy Elder was sometimes so absorbed by the unceasing prayer of the heart that he remained without stirring, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The schemamonk Mark the Silent and the hierodeacon Alexander, also wilderness-dwellers, would visit him every now and then. Finding the saint immersed in prayer, they would leave quietly, so they would not disturb his contemplation. the heat of summer the righteous one gathered moss from a swamp as fertilizer for his garden. Gnats and mosquitoes bit him relentlessly, but he endured this saying, “The passions are destroyed by suffering and by afflictions.â€ solitude was often disturbed by visits from monks and laymen, who sought his advice and blessing. With the blessing of the igumen, Father Seraphim prohibited women from visiting him, then receiving a sign that the Lord approved of his desire for complete silence, he banned all visitors. Through the prayers of the saint, the pathway to his wilderness cell was blocked by huge branches blown down from ancient pine trees. Now only the birds and the wild beasts visited him, and he dwelt with them as Adam did in Paradise. They came at midnight and waited for him to complete his Rule of prayer. Then he would feed bears, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, and even wolves with bread from his hand. Saint Seraphim also had a bear which would obey him and run errands for him. order to repulse the onslaughts of the Enemy, Saint Seraphim intensified his toil and began a new ascetical struggle in imitation of Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). Each night he climbed up on an immense rock in the forest, or a smaller one in his cell, resting only for short periods. He stood or knelt, praying with upraised hands, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.â€ He prayed this way for 1,000 days and nights. robbers in search of money or valuables once came upon him while he was working in his garden. The robbers demanded money from him. Though he had an axe in his hands, and could have put up a fight, he did not want to do this, recalling the words of the Lord: “Those who take up the sword will perish by the swordâ€ (Mt. 26: 52). Dropping his axe to the ground, he said, “Do what you intend.â€ The robbers beat him severely and left him for dead. They wanted to throw him in the river, but first they searched the cell for money. They tore the place apart, but found nothing but icons and a few potatoes, so they left. The monk, regained consciousness, crawled to his cell, and lay there all night. the morning he reached the monastery with great difficulty. The brethren were horrified, seeing the ascetic with several wounds to his head, chest, ribs and back. For eight days he lay there suffering from his wounds. Doctors called to treat him were amazed that he was still alive after such a beating. Seraphim was not cured by any earthly physician: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a vision with the Apostles Peter and John. Touching the saint’s head, the Most Holy Virgin healed him. However, he was unable to straighten up, and for the rest of his life he had to walk bent over with the aid of a stick or a small axe. Saint Seraphim had to spend about five months at the monastery, and then he returned to the forest. He forgave his abusers and asked that they not be punished. 1807 the abbot, Father Isaiah, fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Seraphim was asked to take his place, but he declined. He lived in silence for three years, completely cut off from the world except for the monk who came once a week to bring him food. If the saint encountered a man in the forest, he fell face down and did not get up until the passerby had moved on. Saint Seraphim acquired peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic once said, “Acquire the spirit of peace, and a thousand souls will be saved around you.â€ new Superior of the monastery, Father Niphon, and the older brethren of the monastery told Father Seraphim either to come to the monastery on Sundays for divine services as before, or to move back into the monastery. He chose the latter course, since it had become too difficult for him to walk from his forest cell to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after fifteen years of living in the wilderness. his silence, he shut himself up in his cell, occupying himself with prayer and reading. He was also permitted to eat meals and to receive Communion in his cell. There Saint Seraphim attained the height of spiritual purity and was granted special gifts of grace by God: clairvoyance and wonderworking. After five years of solitude, he opened his door and allowed the monks to enter. He continued his silence, however, teaching them only by example. November 25, 1825 the Mother of God, accompanied by the two holy hierarchs commemorated on that day (Hieromartyr Clement of Rome, and Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria), appeared to the Elder in a vision and told him to end his seclusion and to devote himself to others. He received the igumen’s blessing to divide his time between life in the forest, and at the monastery. He did not return to his Far Hermitage, but went to a cell closer to the monastery. This he called his Near Hermitage. At that time, he opened the doors of his cell to pilgrims as well as his fellow-monks. Elder saw into the hearts of people, and as a spiritual physician, he healed their infirmities of soul and body through prayer and by his grace-filled words. Those coming to Saint Seraphim felt his great love and tenderness. No matter what time of the year it was, he would greet everyone with the words, “Christ is Risen, my joy!â€ He especially loved children. Once, a young girl said to her friends, “Father Seraphim only looks like an old man. He is really a child like us.â€ Elder was often seen leaning on his stick and carrying a knapsack filled with stones. When asked why he did this, the saint humbly replied, “I am troubling him who troubles me.â€ the final period of his earthly life Saint Seraphim devoted himself to his spiritual children, the Diveyevo women’s monastery. While still a hierodeacon he had accompanied the late Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to its monastic leader, Mother Alexandra, a great woman ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed Saint Seraphim to care always for the “Diveyevo orphans.â€ He was a genuine father for the sisters, who turned to him with all their spiritual and material difficulties. Seraphim also devoted much effort to the women’s monastic community at Diveyevo. He himself said that he gave them no instructions of his own, but it was the Queen of Heaven who guided him in matters pertaining to the monastery. His disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to feed and nourish the Diveyevo community. Michael V. Manturov, healed by the monk from grievous illness, was one of Diveyvo’s benefactors. On the advice of the Elder he took upon himself the exploit of voluntary poverty. Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, out of obedience to the Elder, voluntarily consented to die in place of her brother, who was still needed in this life. Alexandrovich Motovilov, was also healed by the monk. In 1903, shortly before the glorification of the saint, the remarkable “Conversation of Saint Seraphim of Sarov with N. A. Motovilovâ€ was found and printed. Written by Motovilov after their conversation at the end of November 1831, the manuscript was hidden in an attic in a heap of rubbish for almost seventy years. It was found by the author S. A. Nilus, who was looking for information about Saint Seraphim’s life. This conversation is a very precious contribution to the spiritual literature of the Orthodox Church. It grew out of Nicholas Motovilov’s desire to know the aim of the Christian life. It was revealed to Saint Seraphim that Motovilov had been seeking an answer to this question since childhood, without receiving a satisfactory answer. The holy Elder told him that the aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and went on to explain the great benefits of prayer and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. asked the saint how we can know if the Holy Spirit is with us or not. Saint Seraphim spoke at length about how people come to be in the Spirit of God, and how we can recognize His presence in us, but Motovilov wanted to understand this better. Then Father Seraphim took him by the shoulders and said, “We are both in the Spirit of God now, my son. Why don’t you look at me?â€ replied, “I cannot look, Father, for your eyes are flashing like lightning, and your face is brighter than the sun.â€ Seraphim told him, “Don’t be alarmed, friend of God. Now you yourself have become as bright as I am. You are in the fulness of the Spirit of God yourself, otherwise you would not be able to see me like this.â€ Saint Seraphim promised Motovilov that God would allow him to retain this experience in his memory all his life. “It is not given for you alone to understand,â€ he said, “but through you it is for the whole world.â€ knew and esteemed Saint Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. A year and ten months before his end, on the Feast of the Annunciation, Saint Seraphim was granted to behold the Queen of Heaven once more in the company of Saint John the Baptist, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve Virgin Martyrs (Saints Barbara, Katherine, Thekla, Marina, Irene, Eupraxia, Pelagia, Dorothea, Makrina, Justina, Juliana, and Anysia). The Most Holy Virgin conversed at length with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Concluding the conversation, She said to him: “Soon, My dear one, you shall be with us.â€ The Diveyevo nun Eupraxia was present during this visit of the Mother of God, because the saint had invited her. the last year of Saint Seraphim’s life, one of those healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade this to be mentioned until after his death. Seraphim became noticeably weaker and he spoke much about his approaching end. During this time they often saw him sitting by his coffin, which he had placed in the ante-room of his cell, and which he had prepared for himself. saint himself had marked the place where finally they would bury him, near the altar of the Dormition cathedral. On January 1, 1833 Father Seraphim came to the church of Saints Zosimas and Sabbatius one last time for Liturgy and he received the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and bid them farewell, saying: “Save your souls. Do not be despondent, but watchful. Today crowns are being prepared for us.â€ January 2, Father Paul, the saint’s cell-attendant, left his own cell at six in the morning to attend the early Liturgy. He noticed the smell of smoke coming from the Elder’s cell. Saint Seraphim would often leave candles burning in his cell, and Father Paul was concerned that they could start a fire. “While I am alive,â€ he once said, “there will be no fire, but when I die, my death shall be revealed by a fire.â€ When they opened the door, it appeared that books and other things were smoldering. Saint Seraphim was found kneeling before an icon of the Mother of God with his arms crossed on his chest. His pure soul was taken by the angels at the time of prayer, and had flown off to the Throne of the Almighty God, Whose faithful servant Saint Seraphim had been all his life. Seraphim has promised to intercede for those who remember his parents, Isidore and Agathia. Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Sarov Monastery, Mordovia, 1664
Sarov Monastery, Mordovia, 1664; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7;

Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery, Mordovia, 1659
Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery; Sanaksar Monastery in Mordovia has existed for more than 350 years. For many centuries it is an important center of Orthodoxy in the region. the long decades of desolation and desecration, today the monastery hosts tens of thousands of pilgrims who come there to worship the numerous shrines of the monastery. Sanaksar Monastery in Mordovia was founded in 1659 when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was on the Russian throne. The place for the desert on the left bank of the Moksha River, three versts from the city of Temnikov, was given to her as a scribe by a scribe originating from local nobles, Luka Evsyukov. He also invited her first abbot, Hegumen Theodosius, from the Staro-Kadomsky Monastery. In 1676 the first temple of the monastery was consecrated in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir. HEGUMEN THEODORE 1750 the Sanaxar of the Bogoroditsky monastery, then still having the status of a desert, came to desolation. The reason was the absence of philanthropists, as well as the replacement of deceased members of the brethren. In this regard, it was decided to ascribe the monastery to the Sarov desert, which was in its prime. relic was revived only under the rector of Theodore (in the world Ivan Ushakov). During this period, which lasted more than 10 years (1764-1774), it became the spiritual center of Russia along with Sarov. On March 7, 1765, the highest decree was issued, according to which the Sanaxirs became officially called a monastery. Theodore came from a poor noble family and was the younger brother of the father of the famous Russian naval commander FF Ushakov. He took monastic vows in the presence of Empress Elizabeth in 1748 in the Alexander Nevsky Convent. Since 1754, the monk Theodore lived in Sanaxarakh. In total, he spent 45 years in his service to the Lord and was buried in the temple he built himself. In 2004, Theodore was presented to the reverence of the Holy Bishops' Council of the ROC. JOEL the second half of the 18th century, the monastery had many dignitaries in both capitals, so they received generous donations from them. In 1774, the priest became the priest Hieromonk Joel. He was one of the 11 retired Guards-disciples of the Monk Theodore and managed the monastery for four years. CONSTRUCTION Joel the consecrated warm church and the temple of the Transfiguration of the Lord were consecrated, located under the bell tower. After 2 years the monastery was surrounded by a wall. She had 33 fathoms in length and eight arshins in height. In it, the gate was made, at the corners of the 2 towers. In one of them, located on the bank of the river Moksha, a chapel was built, in the other - 2 cells. THE END OF THE 18TH CENTURY Sanaxar monastery in Mordovia continued to be settled under the reigns of Venedikt and Benjamin. At them the 2-storeyed stone case where the cells were located was built. In one of them, upon the return from Solovki, the first abbot of the monastery, St. Theodore Ushakov, settled. 1784-1785, around the monastery, to strengthen the walls, built an external stone fence, which protected the monastery from the river, the Sanaksar Lake and meadows. the end of the 18th century up to 100 monks and novices lived there permanently. In addition, the monastery was accepted by pilgrims of any rank and for the duration of their stay provided with shelter and food. THE 19TH CENTURY official document, dating back to 1802, contains a description of the Sanaksar monastery, according to which it "is not inferior to the best Russian monasteries". In another note of the same period it is mentioned that the majority of the members of the brotherhood are former military men belonging to the nobility. 1810, near the Sanaksar Monastery, Fyodor Ushakov settled in the Alekseevka village purchased at his own expense. He became his main benefactor and spent large sums to help the brethren and the arrangement of the monastery. Very often, especially during the Great Lent, the famous great Russian naval commander settled in one of the cells and prayed with the brothers throughout the day, sharing a meager meal with her. Even during his lifetime, he bequeathed to bury himself in the Sanaxar monastery. When, on October 2, 1817, Admiral Fyodor Ushakov died, his body residents of Temnikov were carried in their arms to the monastery and buried in its territory. THE BEGINNING OF THE LAST CENTURY Sanaxar monastery (where it is located - see below) was governed in 1895 by the rector Augustin, who took tonsure after his retirement from the army, where he served as a capthenarmus in the Guards Volyn regiment. He did a lot to improve the monastery, and after his death in 1915, the leadership of the brotherhood was entrusted to Alexander Urodov. 1918, revolutionary sentiments penetrated the monastery walls, and the rebellious part of the monks displaced the abbot, and he was taken into custody. Later hegumen became rector of Sviyazhskaya Makaryevskaya, and then governor of Sedmiester desert. the 1920s the commune "New Life" operated in the monastery. For several years, the monastery was ruined and robbed by all who could. As a result, in 1929 it was closed. PERIOD FROM 1930 TO 1991 the closure of Sanaxar (monastery in Mordovia) began to collapse as a result of marauders' raids, and under the influence of natural factors. The first "victim" of marauders was the chapel on the grave of Admiral F. Ushakov. In addition, the monastery cemetery was destroyed and dug up. The Vandals brought down chapters from the temples, mutilated the paintings, arranged a stable in the porch of the cathedral church. the monastery buildings were handed over to the schools of rural machine operators and in some of them garages were organized. This situation continued until the 1970s, when the Soviet authorities decided to restore Sanasara as a monument of architectural value. perestroika marked the beginning of radical changes in the minds of the inhabitants of the former Soviet Union regarding religion and belief in God. Mordovia did not stay aside. The Sanaxar Monastery was given by the believers by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of May 7, 1991. After 2 weeks, at the Holy Trinity, the governor of the monastery made the first Liturgy there. TODAY Today there are several temples in the monastery. Among them : The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin; Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord; The temple of the Vladimir Icon of Our Lady; The Church of the Resurrection of Christ; The shrine-chapel of the schema of Jerome. In the monastery are kept the venerated icons of the Kazan Mother of God, the Monks of Alexander the Confessor and Theodore of Sanaxar, as well as the Most Holy Theotokos. monastery is known for its holy sources. The main one is in the forest, near the road that leads to the monastery. From it, pilgrims can drink or recruit a cool holy water. In addition, there are two fountains for bathing, enclosed in the tower. In the baths there are handrails with steps, which allows them to use the infirm and elderly people. the monastery there is a church shop. It presents a large assortment of church utensils, including icons, crosses, lamps, candles, as well as books, souvenirs, audio and video cassettes of Orthodox themes. TO GET THERE Address of the monastery: Temnikov (431220), Russia, Mordovia, Sanaksar Monastery. You can get there: From Nizhny Novgorod or Arzamas take a bus to Diveevo. Further by bus route Voznesensk - Tengushevo - Temnikov. By rail to the stations of Potma or Zubov Polyana. Then about 100 km by bus to Temnikov. Then walk. From Temnikov take the bus to the village Alekseevka. Walk 2 km on foot. From Temnikov walk on foot through the city to the river Moksha. Cross the bridge on the other bank. Walk 4 km on foot. Depart from Moscow or Saransk by bus, the next to the city of Temnikova. Now you know what is remarkable about the Sanaksar Monastery in Mordovia, where Ushakov is buried. The Recovery of the Relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on April 21; Relics of Hieromonk Theodore (Ushakov) the restorer of the Monastery, were recovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28/July 11, 1999. at the celebrations and the rite of canonization, which was performed by the ruling Bishop, His Grace Bishop Barsanuphios of Saransk and Mordovia, the Archimandrite of the Monastery, and ruling bishops from the neighboring dioceses: His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim of Penza and Kuznetsk, and His Eminence Archbishop Proklos of Simbirsk and Melekes. Theodore is commemorated on February 19, (the day of his blessed repose), on April 21/May 21 (the recovery of his holy relics), and on May 23/June 5 (the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl). relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar now rest in the cathedral church of Saint John the Baptist.

Sanaxar, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, near Volga River 9)
Sanaxar; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Alekseevo, Mordovia (near the Sanaxar Monastery) 1773
Serafimo-Diveyevsky Monastery, Within its immediate vicinity are situated two other cloisters: those of Sarov and Sanaxar ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15 ; Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet, Commemorated October 2 ;

Domition Cathederal, Sarov, 1773
Domition Cathederal, Sarov; Sarov Monestary 1910; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ;

Sanaxar monastery, Mordovia, 1773
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œSeraphim-Ponetaevka"Â, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof Tenderness" from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated on July 28 ;

Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, Mordovia, 1773, anointed with oil from the icon's lampada, they received healing
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness from Seraphim-Diveyevo, Commemorated July 28 ; Seraphim-Diveyevo Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belonged to Saint Seraphim of Sarov, and was the icon he kept in his cell. saint anointed the sick with oil from the lampada burning before this icon, and they received healing . holy ascetic reposed while praying before the icon on January 2, 1833. Father Niphon, the Superior of the monastery, gave the holy Tenderness icon to the sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œSeraphim-Ponetaevka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Seraphim-Ponetaevka Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign was painted in the year 1879 by the nuns of the Seraphim-Ponetaevka women’s monastery, not far from Arzamas, near the village of Ponetaevka. The monastery was named after Saint Seraphim of Sarov by the founder of the monastery, a sister of the Diveyevo community. years after it was painted, the icon became known for its numerous miracles and became the chief holy item of the monastery. When the sisters were praying during the services, they noticed distinct changes in the countenance of the Mother of God: Her All-Pure face became bright and life-like. Numerous pilgrims thronged to the icon, and many were healed from blindness and crippling. In all, about seventy instances of healing were noted. Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Russia, Mordovia, 1823-1829, Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, poor Peasant, close to Seraphim oSarov, 1823 at 13 entered D, rare gift pure unceasing prayer,
Diveyevo women's monastery; Venerable Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Mother Martha (in the world Maria Semenovna Milyukova) was born on February 10, 1810 into a peasant family of the Nizhny Novgorod governorate, Ardatovsky district, in the village of Pozhidovo (now Malinovka). Milyukov family, who led a righteous and God-pleasing life, close to Elder Seraphim of Sarov. addition to Maria, there were two older children - her sister Praskovya Semenovna and her brother Ivan Semenovich. village, along with those adjacent to it, were appanages - they did not belong to the lord-landowner, but to the treasury. land was divided separately, but it was infertile, because the black earth plots were seized by neighboring landlords. peasants lived very poorly, from childhood they had to work a great deal in the fields, and to take care of the livestock. Saint Seraphim's blessing, Praskovya Semenovna entered the community of Mother Alexandra (in the world Agathia Semenovna Belokopytova), the first founder of Diveyevo Monastery, and a nun of exalted spiritual life. Maria was thirteen years old, she and her sister Praskovya came to Father Seraphim for the first time. This occurred on November 21, 1823, the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Praskovya Semenovna told it, Maria "was attached to me," and so both of them came to Sarov. great Elder, seeing that the girl Maria was a chosen vessel of God's grace, he did not allow her to return home, but ordered her to remain in the community. Thus, thirteen-year-old Maria Semenovna was numbered with Father Seraphim's chosen orphans, in the community of Matushka Alexandra, of which the Eldress Xenia Mikhailovna Kocheulova was the Superior, whom Father Seraphim called "a pillar of fire from earth to heaven" and a "spiritual rasp" because of her righteous life. extraordinary, hitherto inconspicuous girl Maria cannot be compared with anyone: she was angelic, a child of God, and from an early age she began to lead an ascetical life. the severity of her ascetical contest (podvig) she surpassed even the sisters of the community, who were distinguished for the severity of their life, and even surpassed the Superior Xenia Mikhailovna herself. prayer was her food, and she would reply only to necessary questions with heavenly meekness. was almost completely silent, and Father Seraphim loved her with exceptional tenderness, to her all his heavenly revelations concerning the Monastery's future glory, and other great spiritual mysteries. ordered her not to speak of these things until that time. obeyed his instructions, despite the requests and entreaties of the sisters and her relatives. she returned after seeing Saint Seraphim, she was radiant with inexpressible joy. afterward, Maria entered the community of the Kazan church. The Queen of Heaven had blessed the creation of a new community next to that one, which is how the construction of the Monastery, which the Mother of God had promised to Mother Alexandra, began. 1825, Father Seraphim began going to bless first the sisters, and then the virtuous Superior of the Diveyevo community, Xenia Mikhailovna, who, of course, deeply respected and highly revered Father Seraphim, she would not agree to change the Rule of her community, which seemed to be too severe, both to Father Seraphim and all the sisters who had been rescued in the community. number of sisters had increased so much in the community that they needed to enlarge their property, but it was impossible to expand in any direction. Batiushka Seraphim summoned Xenia Mikhailovna and tried to persuade her that it would be easier to replace the severe Sarov Rule, but she wouldn't hear of it. me, my joy," Father Seraphim said. the uncompromising Eldress finally replied: Batiushka, let it be the old way. We have been content with the Rule which our founder, Father Pakhomios († 1794) has already established for us!" Father Seraphim dismissed the Superior of the Diveyevo community, reassured that what the great Eldress Mother Alexandra had asked him to do no longer weighed on his conscience, or that the time for God's will to be done had not yet come. on November 25 of that year, on the Feast Day of the holy God-pleasers Clement, the Pope of Rome, and Saint Peter of Alexandria, while he was making his way through the thickets of the forest along the bank of the Sarovka River, and going to his Far Hermitage as usual, Saint Seraphim saw the Mother of God and two Apostles standing behind her: Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Queen of Heaven, struck the earth with her staff, so that a spring issued from the ground, a fountain of clear water. said to him, "Why do you wish to disregard what my servant Agathia, the nun Alexandra, has asked you to do, and to forsake Xenia and her sisters, for this commandment to my servants must not be broken, but strictly observed; for it is by my will that she gave it to you. will show you another place, also in the village of Diveyevo, and there I will establish this, my promised abode. remembrance of the promise I gave her, take eight sisters from Xenia’s community, the place of my servant’s repose." also told him the names of which girls to take. weeks after this vision of the Queen of Heaven, on December 9, 1825, Maria and another sister, came to Saint Seraphim, and Batiushka told them that they should accompany him to his Far Hermitage. there and going into the dwelling, Father Seraphim gave the sisters two lit wax candles, which they brought with them at his orders, together with oil and breadcrumbs. told Maria to stand on the right side of the cross hanging on the wall, and Praskovia Stepanovna (that was the name of the other sister) on the left. they stood for more than an hour with lit candles, and Father Seraphim stood between them, praying all the while. After praying, he stood before the cross and told them to pray as well. before beginning to establish a new community he prayed mystically with the sisters, who had been designated by the Mother of God for special service to her and to the Monastery. four years, Maria struggled, helping Saint Seraphim and the sisters to establish the new community, stored poles and timbers for the mill which the Mother of God blessed them to build on the site where the new community would be built. carried bricks for construction of the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos; ground flour and fulfilled other obediences, which she never neglected her heartfelt prayers, "silently lifting up her ardent soul to the Lord." wondrous girl was endowed by the Lord with a very rare gift of pure and unceasing prayer. all things she was always guided by Saint Seraphim himself. As an example of her unconditional obedience, was said that when her sister Praskovia Semenovna had a question about a certain Sarov monk, Maria was surprised and like an innocent child she asked: "What kind of monks, Parasha, look like a priest?" in turn by her sister's question, Praskovya Semenovna replied to her: "After all, you go to Sarov, didn't you see what you were asking about?" – Parashenka," Maria Semenovna said humbly, "because I don't see or know anything; Father Seraphim ordered me never to look at them, and I tie a handkerchief over my face like this, so I can see the road beneath my feet." is how the child-ascetic was. She lived in the Monastery for just six years, and then she went peacefully and quietly to the Lord at the age of nineteen. August 21,1829, Diveyevo Monastery lost its wondrous young girl of holy life, Maria Semenovna Milyukova, Schema-nun Martha. foreseen the hour of her death in the spirit, Saint Seraphim suddenly wept with great sorrow and told Father Paul in the neighboring cell, “Paul! Maria has departed, and it grieves me that, as you see, everyone is crying!” Seraphim wished to make her an oak coffin, rounded and hollowed out. Semenovna went after him with another sister of Diveyevo, Aquilina Vasilyevna. Praskovya Semenovna was very upset, and Batiushka embraced her in a paternal way, caressing and encouraging her. he joined the hands of Praskovya Semenovna and Aquilina Vasilyevna and told them: "Now you shall be sisters, and I am your father, for I have begotten you in the Spirit! Maria is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her into the Schema. has everything: the Schema, the mantiya, and my kamilavka, all this is hers. it down! Don't be discouraged, Matushka. Father Seraphim turned to Praskovya Semenovna and said, "Her soul is in the Kingdom of Heaven, near the Holy Trinity, at God's Throne, and your entire family shall be saved by her." addition, Batiushka Seraphim donated 25 rubles for the funeral expenses and 25 copper rubles to give to all the sisters and laymen, whoever was at her burial, three kopecks each. also donated two towels for the altar, a bunch of yellow candles for her to be commemorated for forty days after her repose, so that they would burn in the church day and night for forty days, and at her coffin a yellow one ruble candle, and at the funeral, half a pound of white twenty-kopeck candles. with the blessing of Saint Seraphim, Maria Semenovna, Schema-nun Martha, was laid in a coffin: in two scrolls (shirts), in a paper cassock, belted with a woolen black edge, over this was in a black and white cross-stitched Schema and a long robe. On her head was placed a green velvet embroidered gold cap, and on top of it Batiushka Seraphim's kamilavka, and finally, still tied with a large dradedam a dark blue handkerchief with tassels. In her hands - leather prayer ropes. All these things were given to her by Father Seraphim with his own hands, ordering them always to commune of the Holy Mysteries, which was exactly what Maria did on each of the Twelve Major Feasts, and during the four fasts. righteous Seraphim sent all those who had just come to him in these days to Diveyevo for the funeral of Maria Semenovna. So, to the sisters who knew nothing about it, those who worked on Satis (a forest area on the banks of the Satis River), to Barbara Ilyinishna and others, the Elder said: "You are my joys! Come soon to Diveyevo where the great servant of God Maria has departed to the Lord!" The sisters could not understand how Maria could die, and they were surprised to find Maria Semenovna in her coffin. Maria Semenovna's brother Ivan, who had also attended his sister's funeral, went to speak to Batiushka Seraphim. Suddenly the Elder said: "Are you really Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he replied. Batiushka looked at him a second time and asked: "Are you Maria's brother?" – "Yes, Batiushka," he said again. the Elder thought for a long, long time, still staring intently at Ivan, who stood before him. Suddenly he became so joyful and luminous that the sun's rays seemed to shine from his face, and Ivan had to turn away from Father Seraphim, unable to look at him. Batiushka exclaimed: "Behold, my joy! What mercy she has received from the Lord! She is in the Kingdom of Heaven at the Throne of God, near the Queen of Heaven, with the holy virgins! She is an intercessor for your entire family! She is the Schema-nun Martha, I tonsured her. Whenever you are at Diveyevo, never pass by her grave without kneeling down and saying: "Our lady and Mother Martha, remember us before God's Throne in the Kingdom of Heaven!" Saint Seraphim repeated this to Ivan Semenovich three times. that, Father Seraphim summoned Sister Xenia Vasilyevna Putkova (later the Nun Capitolina) whom he always assigned to write down various names for commemoration, and said to her, "Behold, Matushka, list her as the Nun Maria, but because by her deeds and by the prayers of the wretched Seraphim, she has received the Schema! Pray to her as Schema-nun Martha, you and everyone around her." to the testimony of the sisters and those close to Diveyeo, Maria Semenovna was tall and attractive in appearance; with an oblong, pale, bright face, blue eyes, thick light blonde eyebrows, and hair of the same color. She was buried with her hair loose. She rests on the left side of Mother Alexandra, the first founder of the Kazan community. of the stories told by the older nuns about Maria Semenovna have been preserved. Ilarionovna (later the nun Melitina) related the following: in the world and hearing about Father Seraphim from everyone," she said: "I wished to be at Sarov and to receive his blessing. First of all, when I arrived at Sarov, I went to Batiushka in his wilderness; he came out to meet me, blessed me, and said with a smile, 'Matushka, do you know Maria Semenovna?' I said 'I do know her, Batiushka; she lives three yards away from us.' Matushka," the Saint continued, 'I will tell you about her, how zealous she was about her work. a church was being built at Diveyevo in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the girls themselves carried small bricks, one took two, another took three, she, Matushka, could carry five or six bricks, and silently, with a prayer on her lips, she lifted up her ardent soul to the Lord. she developed a stomach ailment and surrendered her soul to God.' to Saint Seraphim, the nineteen-year-old ascetic Schema-nun Martha, who departed to the Lord, was appointed, as the Superior of the Diveyevo "orphans" in the Kingdom of Heaven, in the abode of the Mother of God, concerning which he said to the Eldress Eudokia Ephraimna: Lord has twelve Apostles, the Queen of Heaven has twelve virgins, so you twelve are mine. as the Lord chose the Great Martyr Katherine as His bride, so from you twelve virgins, I selected Maria as His future bride. There she is above you, she will be the eldest!" brother, Ivan Semenovich, also ended his life as a monk at Sarov Hermitage. the obedience as the gatekeeper at Sarov, he said: "As a layman and a peasant, I often worked for Father Seraphim, and he foretold many, many wonderful things to me concerning Diveyevo, he always said: "If anyone offends my orphan girls, he shall be punished severely by the Lord; whoever stands up for them, and defends and helps them when in need, God's great mercy will poured forth on that person from on high. even sighs and pities them in his heart will be rewarded by the Lord. I will tell you, Batiushka, remember this: happy is everyone who stays with the wretched Seraphim at Diveyevo for a day, from morning to morning, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, visits Diveyevo every twenty-four hours!" his commandment to Batiushka he added: "Gatekeeper, I have always said that, and I tell everyone." of his daughters later entered the Diveyevo community. of them, Elena Ivanovna, married a spiritual man, Saint Seraphim's friend Nicholas Alexandrovich Motovilov, who was the Monastery's benefactor. She was a "great lady," as Batiushka Seraphim called her when she was just a child, ordering her sister to fall down at the young girl's feet. Ivanovna was the only one present at Father Seraphim's burial in 1833, the survived until his glorification in 1903. in the last years of her life she lived at Diveyevo. Elena Ivanovna reposed at an advanced age in 1910. her death, she was secretly tonsured as a nun. Stepanovna, an old sister in the community by the mill related how terrible it was to disobey Father Seraphim, recalled that once Batiushka ordered her to come with the young woman Maria Semenovnaya with two horses pulling logs behind them. They were to go straight to Batiushka in the woods, where he would be waiting for them. prepared two thin logs for each horse. Then, lthinking that all four logs could be carried by one horse. The sisters attached the logs to one horse, and to the second horse they attached a large, thick log. as soon as they tried to move from their places, this horse fell, wheezed, and almost died. that they were guilty of acting contrary to what Batiushka had blessed, they immediately fell to their knees in tears and asked for forgiveness, then removed the thick log and attached the other logs as before. horse jumped up and ran so fast that they could hardly catch up with it. words of Schema-nun Martha have come down to us through generations of Diveyevo sisters, recorded by an old woman, Justinia Ivanovna (later the nun Hilaria), from a manuscript page found in the cells of Schema-nun Margarita Lakhtionova. the Monastery was restored, the Lord wondrously celebrated the Feast Day of the Venerable Schema-nun Martha by consecrating the Transfiguration Cathedral. was built in 1917 but was not consecrated. It lay in ruins during the Soviet years and the authorities transferred the cathedral to the restored Monastery in 1991, The restoration work went on until 1998, and the Cathedral's consecration just happened to coincide with the day of the Saint's blessed repose. to the memoirs of the nun Seraphima Bulgakova of Diveyevo Monastery, before the Monastery's closure in 1927, was a portrait of Schema-nun Martha, painted by the sisters immediately after her death. According to the testimony of Archpriest Stephen Lyashevsky, addition to this portrait, another one was painted by his mother (Capitolina Zakharovna Lyashevskaya, later the nun Maria). is a hagiographic image of the Schema-nun Martha with the following scenes around the borders: Martha carrying bricks to the top of the Nativity Church under construction; Seraphim tonsuring her into the schema; Seraphim, Maria, and Praskovya Semenovna pray with lit candles for Diveyevo; soul of Schema-nun Martha ascending to God's Throne; Queen of Heaven and Schema-nun Martha in a vision in the church; three holy graves. present location of Schema-nun Martha's portrait is unknown, but the hagiographic image is believed to have been taken abroad. 2000, Schema-nun Martha was canonized for local veneration as a Saint in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, now her relics rest in the church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery. Martha of Diveyevo is commemorated on August 21 (the day of her repose), June 14 (the Synaxis of the Diveyevo Saints), and on the Synaxis of the Nizhny Novgorod Saints (Movable Feast on the Sunday after August 26).

Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, 1773
Diveyevo women's monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo, Commemorated on August 21; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ;

St Seraphim's Diveyevo Convent, Mordovia, 1773
St Seraphim's Diveyevo Convent; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ;

Murom, Mordovia (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13)
Murom; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Russia, St Petersburg Folder, its roads and rivers

St Petersburg, Russia (Peterburg or Petrograd)
St Petersburg; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joy of All who sorrow"Â (with coins) in St Petersburg, Commemorated on July 23; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Converser"Â, Commemorated on August 14; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow", Commemorated October 24 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated January 3 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œTikhvin"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 17 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œCzestochowa"Â, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Icon of the Mother of God"œStaro Rus"Â Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Hieromartyr Philosophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, "œIt Is Truly Meet..."Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God"œOur Lady of Sitka"Â, Commemorated on July 8 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Petrograd (Peterburg, St Petersburg, Neva River)
Petrograd: St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ;

Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland;

Russia, St Petersburg History Folder

Russia, St Petersburg, 1100, 12th C Folder, Anthony oDymsk, solitude, mFounder, incorrupt relics

Russia, St Petersburg, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk, monk at Barlaam's Khutyn m, left fSolitude, struggled&founded D m, incrpt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1177-1224, Anthony oDymsk fNovgorod, heard Christ's words, if come after me, deny, take up cross, follow me, so became monk at Barlaam's Khutyn monastery, appointed igumen b Dying Barlaam, Anthony had gone to Constantinople, returned day of B's death, but left for solitude tShores oLake Dyma near Tikhvin, struggled &founded monastery there, incorrupt relics glorified by many miracles; Tikhvin, Dymsk on Lake Dyma on the outskirts of Tikhvin; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod in about the year 1157. in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery. he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life. to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, from that time they were glorified by many miracles.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1200, 13th C Folder, Battle otNeva, Alex Nevsky's Neva&Ice

Russia, St Petersburg, 1240, Battle of the Neva, over Catholic Swedes, Norwegians and Finns
St Petersburg, 1240, Battle of the Neva; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1240-1263, Saint, Alexander Nevsky, battles of Neva and Ice
St Petersburg Saint, 1240-1263, Alexander Nevsky; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated on October 5; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5 ;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1300, 14th C Folder, Herman&Sergius oValaam, Cornelius oSvir River, Converser Icon wGeorge, Tihkvin Icon
Russia, St Petersburg, 1300, 14th C Folder, Herman&Sergius oValaam, Cornelius oSvir River&Lake Onega, Converser Icon wGeorge&Nick, Tihkvin Icon Fisherman LOnega

Russia, St Petersburg, 1329-1353, Saint, Herman of Valaam
Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga); Venerable Herman the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1329-1353, Saint, Sergius of Valaam
Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga); Venerable Herman the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1370-1420, St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets Svir River, and Pali Island, Lake Onega
Russia, St Petersburg, 1370-1420, St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets Svir River, and Pali Island, Lake Onega; Paleostrov and Olonets, Karelia, Russia ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated August 21 ; Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, born at Pskov, was the founder of monastic life on Pali island in Lake Onega at the end of the fourteenth century. Despite the desolation of the island, brethren soon gathered near him. He built for them a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a trapeza church in honor of the holy Prophet Elias. saint spent the final years of his life in a cave half a verst from the monastery, in unceasing prayer. The ascetic added the wearing of heavy chains to his struggles. saint’s blessed repose occurred around the year 1420. His relics were transferred to the monastery church by his disciple, Saint Abramius of Paleostrov (August 21), who was also glorified by his ascetical life, and was buried in the Paleostrov monastery beside his Elder. St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, born at Pskov, was the founder of monastic life on Pali island in Lake Onega at the end of the fourteenth century. Despite the desolation of the island, brethren soon gathered near him. He built for them a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a trapeza church in honor of the holy Prophet Elias. The saint spent the final years of his life in a cave half a verst from the monastery, in unceasing prayer. The ascetic added the wearing of heavy chains to his struggles. The saint’s blessed repose occurred around the year 1420. His relics were transferred to the monastery church by his disciple, Saint Abramius of Paleostrov (August 21), who was also glorified by his ascetical life, and was buried in the Paleostrov monastery beside his Elder.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Converser Icon, MOG and St Nick converse with S George, to replace metal cross with wood
Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Converser Icon, MOG and St Nick converse with Sacristan George, to replace metal cross with wood; depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. This event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. Icon of the Mother of God the Converse, Commemorated on August 14; “Converser” Icon of the Mother of God is so named since it depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. This event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. the place of this vision a chapel was built in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The chapel burned several times (the first time was in 1390 at the same time as the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). In 1515, a wooden church was built and a monastery founded in honor of this holy icon. Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Lake Ladoga; 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake'™s waters amidst a radiant light. Lake Ladoga; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,â€ the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,â€ adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.â€ Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the Hodegetria model and is similar in style to the ancient Iveron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodegetria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Fisherman, Lake Ladoga
Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Appearance of Tihkvin Icon, Lake Ladoga; 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. Lake Ladoga; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,â€ the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,â€ adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.â€ Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the Hodegetria model and is similar in style to the ancient Iveron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodegetria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, St Petersburg, 1383, Tikhvin Icon, St Petersburg area, by Luke, hovered L Ladoga, radiant light, MOG moved it there
Russia, St Petersburg, , Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2), Painted by Luke, from Jerusalem to Blachernae in 450, in 1383 hovered over Lake Ladoga, radiant light, Theotokos moved it there, survived fires, 1560 Ivan t T built monastery, 1613 seized Novgorod and attempted to destroy t monastery, moscow army appeared, icon copies' miracles, even preserved after Rus Revolution, taken to Pskov&Riga&Bavaria&Chicago then back to Tikvin; Tikhvin; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the “Hodēgḗtria” model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, St Petersburg, 1400, 15th C Folder, Alex oSvir apprncs incrpt r, Johah oKimetzk Onega strm vow command build tree icon m
Russia, St Petersburg, 1400, 15th C Folder, Alex oSvir miracles appearances incorpt r, Johah oKimetzk, Onega, storm vow commanded tBuild monastery tree Icon, Adrian oOndrusov

Russia, St Petersburg, 1468-1533, Alexander, Abbot of Svir, contemplative miracles, appearances, incorruptible relics, myrrh
Russia, St Petersburg, 1468-1533, Alexander, Abbot of Svir; Svirsky or Alexander of Svir (1448–1533) was an Eastern Orthodox saint, monk, and hegumen of the Russian Orthodox Church.[1] (his baptismal name) was born to a peasant family in the Novgorod Republic, east of Ladoga. At the age of 19, he left home for the Valaam Monastery and became a monk and occasional isolation. In 1506, Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod, appointed him Hegumen of the Trinity monastery, which later became known as Alexander-Svirsky Monastery.[2] Alexander became known for his righteous life and contemplative miracles, including the appearances of the Trinity and the Virgin Mary with the Holy Child. His feast day is commemorated on April 17 and August 30,[3] according to the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar. of Saint Alexander were found on April 17 (27), 1641. According to the Vita of the saint, they were found incorruptible.[4] October 22, 1918, the coffin with the relics of Alexander Svirsky was opened. According to Soviet reports, instead of relics, a wax doll was supposedly found.[5][6][7] However, testimony of the monks present, as well as a later Soviet commission under the direction of Grigory Zinoviev, demonstrated that a human body instead of a wax figure was present in the coffin.[8][9][10] Russia, Moscow, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir ; Alexander of Svir died on August 30, 1533. His incorrupt relics were uncovered in 1641 during the reconstruction of the Transfiguration cathedral. April 17, 1641, the relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were found and examined. The discovery was accompanied by special signs; on April 15 and 16 there was extraordinary thunder and lightning, which ran along the ground above the grave of the holy founder of the monastery. Then during the Divine Liturgy on April 17 (the Saturday of the Righteous Lazarus) the workers were digging a hole for the walls of the new stone church of the Transfiguration of the Lord; and in the altar of the old church they found the Saint's coffin. The ground above it was in the shape of a cave, with nothing to support it. the monks came down to see the decayed coffin (only the lower board was well preserved). When Igoumen Abraham removed the top board, a strong fragrance was noticed. The Saint's body was intact, and was clothed in a mantya and the schema. His face was covered, and beneath the schema, part of his beard could be seen; both legs lay as if he were recently deceased, with the right foot upward, and the left foot facing to the side, both feet were in sandals. his body emanated a fragrance like myrrh, or flowers. Metropolitan Aphthonios of Novgorod was present at the uncovering of the relics. With reverence and joy, the relics were placed in a new coffin and were taken to the temple of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in that same Hermitage. monks, who had seen the incorrupt flesh of their heavenly patron, were amazed, and they made a detailed description of the shrine. Particularly surprising was the face, which was so life-like that the Saint seemed asleep. The face matched the icons which had been painted by his contemporaries. The authors of the description also noted the unusual position of the Saint's hands and feet and the amber-yellow color of his skin. Soon the relics were placed in a silver reliquary donated by Tsar Michael, and were moved to the newly rebuilt Transfiguration Cathedral. the same time, the commemoration of Saint Alexander was appointed on two dates: August 30, the day of his blessed repose, and April 17, the day of the uncovering of his relics. incorrupt relics of the saint were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to liquidate the relics of the saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian saints were stolen and subjected to “scientific examination” or displayed in antireligious museums. Some were completely destroyed. to prove that the relics were fakes, the Soviets conducted many tests. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy. There they remained for nearly eighty years. second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were in fact the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before their return to the Svir Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous healings continue to take place before them. August 30 for the Life of Saint Alexander. Svir River; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Alexander of Svir was born on July 15, 1448, on the Feast Day of the Prophet Amos, and was named for him in Baptism. Saint Alexander was a beacon of monasticism in the deep forests of the Russian North, living in asceticism, and so he received remarkable gifts by the All-Holy Spirit. parents, Stephen and Vassa (Vasilisa) were peasants living in the village of Mandera near Lake Ladoga, on the shores of the Oyata River, a tributary of the Svira River. They had adult sons and daughters who had left the home of their parents. Stephen and Vassa longed to have another son, and prayed that God would grant their wish. The couple heard a voice from on high: “Rejoice, good man and wife, you shall bear a son, in whose birth God will give comfort to His Church.” grew up to be an extraordinary child. He was always obedient and gentle, he avoided games, jokes and foul talk; he wore poor clothing and so weakened himself with fasting that it caused his mother much anxiety. When he came of age, he met some monks from Valaam who had come to the Oyata to purchase various necessities, and on other monastery business. this time Valaam was already known as a monastery of great piety and strict ascetic life. After speaking with the monks, the young man was fascinated by their account of Skete life (with two or three monks living together) and the solitary life of the anchorite. Knowing that his parents had arranged a marriage for him, the young man fled secretly to Valaam when he was nineteen. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him the guise of a traveler, and showed him the way to the island. Amos lived at the monastery as a novice for seven years, leading an austere life. He spent his days at work, and his nights in vigil and prayer. Sometimes, he prayed in the forest bare-chested, covered with mosquitoes and gnats, until it was time for Matins. the year 1474, Amos was tonsured with the new name Alexander. After several years, his parents eventually learned where their son had gone from some Karelians visiting Mandera. Following the example of their son, the parents also went to monasteries and were tonsured with the names Sergius and Barbara. After their deaths, Saint Alexander, with the blessing of the Igumen of the monastery, settled on an island, where he built a cell in the crevice of a cliff and continued his spiritual endeavors. fame of his asceticism spread far and wide. Then in 1485, Saint Alexander departed from Valaam and, after receiving instructions from on high, chose a place in the forest by the shores of a beautiful lake, which was later called Holy Lake. Here he built a shack, living in solitude for seven years, eating only what he gathered in the forest.1 this time, Alexander experienced terrible suffering from hunger, frost, sickness and demonic temptations, but the Lord sustained the righteous one's spiritual and bodily strength. Once, he was afflicted with a terrible pain in his stomach. Not only was he unable to get up off the ground, but he couldn't even lift his head. He just lay there and chanted Psalms. Then an Angel appeared to him. Placing his hand on the sore spot, he made the Sign of the Cross over the Saint and healed him. 1493 while hunting for deer, a nearby landowner named Andrew Zavalishin happened to discover the Saint's cell. Andrew told him of a fiery pillar he had seen over this place, and begged him to tell him about his life. The Saint was deeply saddened by this, because he had not able to hide himself from men. After making the other promise not to tell anyone about him until after his death, Saint Alexander spoke to him about his life in the wilderness, where he had lived for seven years without seeing anyone, how he had subsisted on plants alone, and how he had been healed of a pain in his stomach by an Angel. After that, Andrew began to visit Saint Alexander often. Finally, following the Saint's advice, he went to Valaam, where he was tonsured with the name Adrian. Saint Adrian founded the Ondrusov monastery, and led a holy life (Saint Andrew is commemorated on August 26 and May 17). Zavalishin was unable to remain silent about the holy ascetic, despite the promise he had given. News of the righteous one began to spread widely, and soon monks gathered around him. Therefore, Saint Alexander withdrew from the brethren and built a cell 130 sazhen from the monastery. There he encountered a multitude of temptations. The demons assumed the forms of wild animals. Hissing like snakes, they ordered him to leave. Saint Alexander's prayers scorched and scattered the demons like a fiery flame. 1508, twenty-three years after he came to this secluded spot, the Life-Creating Trinity appeared to Saint Alexander. One night he was praying in his cell. Suddenly, there was a dazzling light, and he saw three Angels in resplendent white garments approaching him. They shone with a pure brightness greater than the sun. Each held a staff in His hand. Saint Alexander fell down in terror, and after recovering his senses, he prostrated himself upon the ground. Raising him by the hand, the Angels said: “Have faith, blessed one, and do not be afraid.” Saint was told to build a church and a monastery. He fell to his knees, protesting his own unworthiness, but the Lord raised him up and ordered him to carry out the instructions he had been given. Saint Alexander asked to whom the church ought to be dedicated. The Lord said: "Beloved, as you see us speaking with you in Three Persons, so build the church in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity. Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.” Saint Alexander beheld the Lord with outstretched wings, moving along the ground until He became invisible. appearance is acknowledged as unique in history of the Russian Orthodox Church After this vision, the Saint began thinking of where to build the church. Once, as he was praying to God, he heard a voice. Gazing up to the heavens, he saw an Angel of the Lord clothed in a mantiya and klobuk, such as Saint Pachomios (May 15) had seen. Angel, standing in the air with outstretched wings and upraised hands, proclaimed: “One is Holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen.” Then he turned to Saint Alexander saying, “Build a church here in honor of the Lord Who has appeared to you in Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Undivided Trinity.” making the Sign of the Cross over the place three times, the Angel became invisible. that same year he built a wooden church in honor of the Life-Creating Trinity (a stone church was built here in 1526). At the same time as the church was built, the brethren urged Saint Alexander to be ordained to the holy priesthood. For a long time he refused, considering himself unworthy. Then the brethren implored Saint Serapion, the Archbishop of Novgorod (March 16), to convince him to accept this office. So that very year Saint Alexander went to Novgorod and was ordained by the holy Archbishop. Soon afterward, the brethren also asked the Saint to be their Superior. Igumen, Saint Alexander became even more humble than before. He wore tattered clothes, and he slept on the bare ground. He himself prepared food, kneaded dough and baked bread. On one occasion, there was not enough firewood, so the steward asked the Saint to send any unoccupied monks to gather firewood. Saint Alexander replied, "I am not busy." Then he began to chop firewood. Another time, he carried water. all were asleep, the saint was often busy grinding wheat with hand-stones to make more bread. Every night, he went around to all the cells, and if he heard vain conversations, he tapped softly on the door and left. In the morning, if the brother readily acknowledged his guilt and repented, he was forgiven. On the other hand, if the brother tried to justify himself, he was admonished and given a penance. the end of his life, Saint Alexander decided to build a stone church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. One evening, after chanting an Akathist to the Mother of God, he settled down to rest in his cell. Suddenly, he said to his cell attendant Athanasios, “Child, be sober and alert, because at this very hour we shall have a wondrous and astounding visitation." a voice like thunder said, “Behold, the Lord and His Mother are coming.” Alexander hastened to the entrance to the cell, which it was illumined by a great light shining throughout the monastery, brighter than the rays of the sun. The Saint beheld the Most Pure Mother of God upon the foundation of the Protection church, and sitting where the altar would be, like a Queen upon a throne. She held the Infant Christ in her arms, and a multitude of Angels stood before her, with shining with indescribable radiance. fell down to the ground, unable to endure the great light. The Most Holy Theotokos said, “Arise, chosen one of my Son and God. I have come here to visit you, my dear one, and to see the foundation of my church. Since you have prayed for your disciples and for your monastery, henceforth they shall have all that they need; not only during your lifetime, but also after your death. I shall be with your monastery always, providing an abundance of what is required. Behold, and note carefully how many are the monks who have come into your flock. You must guide them on the path of salvation in the name of the Holy Trinity.” Saint arose and saw a multitude of monks carrying stones and bricks for the foundation. Again the Mother of God said: “My dear one, if someone brings even one brick for the building of my church, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Son and God, he shall not lose his reward.” saying this, she became invisible. year before his death, Saint Alexander foresaw the time of his departure from this life. He summoned the brethren and gave them his final instructions, commending them to the Mother of God. The brethren wept at the thought of being separated from their beloved Father. When they asked where he wished to be buried he said, "Bind my sinful body by the legs and drop it into a the marsh then, after covering it with moss, trample on it with your feet." brethren replied, "No, Father, we cannot do this.” the holy ascetic said that if they would not do as he asked, then they should bury him near the church of the Transfiguration. Saint Alexander departed to the heavenly Kingdom on August 30, 1533 at the age of 85. miracles of healing took place at his grave for those who came there with faith. 1545, his disciple and successor, Igumen Herodion, compiled his Life. In 1547 local veneration of the Saint began and a Service was composed for him. On April 17,1641, during the rebuilding of the Transfiguration church, the incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were uncovered, and his universal veneration was established on two dates: the day of his repose, August 30, and on April 17, the day of his glorification (and the uncovering of his relics). Alexander of Svir instructed a multitude of disciples, just as the Mother of God had promised him. These Include Ignatius of Ostrov, Leonid of Ostrov, Cornelius of Ostrov, Dionysios of Ostrov, Athanasios of Ostrov, Theodore of Ostrov, and Therapon of Ostrov. addition to these saints, there are disciples and conversers with Saint Alexander of Svir, who have separate days of commemoration: Saint Athanasios of Syandem (January 18), Saint Gennadios of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Makarios of Orodezh (August 9), Saint Adrian of Ondrosov (May 17), Saint Nikephoros of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Gennadios of Kostroma and Liubimograd (January 23). these saints (except Saint Gennadios of Kostroma) are depicted on the Icon of the monastic Fathers who shone forth in the land of Karelia (the icon is in the church at the Seminary in Kuopio, Finland). The Synaxis of the Saints who have shone forth in Karelia is celebrated by the Finnish Orthodox Church on the Saturday which falls between October 31 and November 6. incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to destroy the relics of the Saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian Saints were stolen and subjected to "scientific examination” or displayed in anti-religious museums. Some of them were completely destroyed.2 second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December of 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were truly the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before they were returned to the Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics, they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous cures continue to take place before them. Later at this place, Holy Lake, 36 versts from the future city of Olonets and 6 versts from the River Svira, Saint Alexander founded the monastery of the Life-Creating Trinity, and 130 sazhen (i.e. 910 feet) from it, at Lake Roschina, he built a cell on the future site of the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery. The Soviets conducted many tests, hoping to prove that the relics were fakes. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy, where they remained for almost eighty years. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1480-1550, Athanasius oSynadem&Vologda, estab hermitage near Olonets, Svir Disciple&Igumen, incorrupt r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1480-1550, Athanasius of Synadem and Vologda, estab Dormition hermitage near Olonets, near St Petersburg (Olonka River, Lake Ladoka), Alex oSvir Disciple, from his monastery tDormition hermitage Karelia, near Olonets, on island oSynadem lake, locals slander, back tSvir, igumen there, back tDormition, died 1550, great old age, buried high point Roschinsk island, incorrupt relics; Olonets; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; a disciple of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). the death of his mentor, he established the Dormition hermitage in the forests of Karelia, far from the city of Olonets, an island of Lake Synadem. slander and pettiness of the local inhabitants compelled Saint Athanasius to move back to the Svir monastery, they chose him as igumen. returning to the Dormition hermitage, Athanasius died in about the year 1550 in great old age, was buried on one of the promontories of Roschinsk island. a church was built over his grave, named for Saints Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria. incorrupt relics of Saint Athanasius were placed in this church in 1720.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1490-1534, Johah oKlimetzk, Lake Onega, caught bStorm mVow, Lord said fMonastery, tree icon, bM&2churches
Russia, St Petersburg, 1490-1534, Johah oKlimetzk, Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega, caught by storm made vow, boat to sandbar, Lord commanded to found monastery for Trinity, Icon in tree, bM&2churches, simple monk there, plus church over relics; Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega; Venerable Jonah, Abbot of Klimetzk, Commemorated on June 6 ; Jonah of Klimetzk, in the world John, became a monk, and founded the Klimetzk Trinity Monastery in fulfillment of a vow. 1490 he had been caught by a storm on Lake Onega. When there was no hope for survival, John cried out to the Lord, entreating Him to preserve his life so he might repent and serve God. The boat was thrown onto a sandbar by the waves. There he heard the voice of the Lord commanding him to found a monastery in honor of the Life-Creating Trinity. miraculously discovered a holy icon on a juniper tree. The saint fulfilled the will of the Lord and built a monastery with two churches, one dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity and the other in honor of Saint Nicholas, protector of those who sail and those who travel. the rank of igumen, Saint Jonah remained a simple monk at the monastery. He died on June 6, 1534. A church was built over his relics, and was dedicated to Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1493-1549, Saint, Adrian of Ondrusov, aka Andrew Zavalushin
Russia, Moscow, 1493-1549, Saint, Adrian of Ondrusov, aka Andrew Zavalushin; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Adrian of Ondrusov (in the world the nobleman Andrew Zavalushin), was the owner of a rich estate (Andreevschina), 9 versts from the monastery of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). accidentally encountered Saint Alexander of Svir during a stag hunt in 1493, and after this he went often to him for guidance, and supplied bread for the ascetics. his estate, he took monastic tonsure at the Valaamo monastery with the name Adrian. years later, with the blessing of Saint Alexander of Svir, Saint Adrian settled in a solitary place on the peninsula of Lake Ladoga. he built a church in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. the settlement of monks in the deep forest was an island, Sala (the Thicket), where there was a gang of robbers under the leadership of Ondrusa as their ataman. the monks, the ataman demanded that they get off his land. Adrian, knowing that he did not have money to buy the place, promised the ataman to intercede for him before God. robber laughed at the monk, but he entreated him so long and so humbly, that the ataman softened and said, “Live.” ataman was soon taken captive by another gang, hidden not far from the stoney Cape of Storozhev. hapless fellow knew that after suffering, torture and death awaited him, and he bitterly repented of his former life. he saw Saint Adrian before him. He said, “You are freed through the mercy of the Lord, for Whose sake you were asked to show mercy to the wilderness brethren,” and he vanished. ataman saw himself without fetters at the shore, and with no one around. he rushed to the monastery of Saint Adrian and found all the ascetics chanting Psalms. seemed that Saint Adrian had not left the monastery. robber fell at the knees of the saint and begged to be accepted as one of the brethren. finished his life in repentance at the monastery. robber of another gang also repented. Through the prayers of Saint Adrian, he was tonsured with the name Cyprian. Afterwards, at the place of a tributary, he built a monastery and was glorified by miracles. monastery of Saint Adrian received an endowment from Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584). August 1549, Saint Adrian was godfather for Anna, daughter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. the saint was returning from Moscow to the monastery, robbers killed him near the village of Obzha, hoping to find money. brethren waited for a long time for their Superior, two years later, he appeared one night in a vision to a few Elders and told them of his death. On another day, May 17, the brethren found his incorrupt body in a swamp and committed it to burial in the wall of his church in honor of Saint Nicholas. memory of Saint Adrian, having received the martyr’s crown, has come to be celebrated twice: on the day of the finding and transfer of his relics (May 17), and on the day of his repose, which he shares with his namesake, the holy Martyr Adrian. Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17; the manuscript of the Olonets Trebnik under May 17 it is noted: "Today is the transfer of the relics of Venerable Father Adrian, Igoumen of Saint Nicholas Monastery on Lake Ladoga, on Ondrus Island, in the Olonets district, the new wonderworker. His memory is also celebrated on August 26."

Russia, St Petersburg, 1500, 16th C Folder, Martyrius oZelenets MOG Fiery Column&Icon, Adrian oOndrusov' Relics Trns tStNic's
Russia, St Petersburg, 1500, 16th C Folder, Martyrius oZelenets MOG Fiery Column&healing Icon, Adrian oOndrusov' Relics Trns tStNic's, robbers stories, swamp death relics story

Russia, St Petersburg, 1540-1603, Martyrius oZelenets, MOG Fiery column&healing Icon, MOG where fSilence, cross over Church
Russia, St Petersburg, 1540-1603, Martyrius oZelenets (Green Island), Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, born Veliki Luki, mentor Boris became monk Bogolep, M joined him, work&prayer, treasurer, altar server, MOG showed tM, wFiery Tikhvin Icon and column, still hot when he kissed it, heat on forehead upon wake, sent ill monk tIcon, M filled wintense faith, pMOG show him where go for silence, 60K away, demons put to shame, asked Bogolep permission, advised return, tSmolensk&MOG Icon+relcs, Abramius&Ephraim appeared, reassured him, tTikhvin, monk told him secret place wRadiant cross stars, This time Boog approved Zelenets, harsh life there, no shake resolve, small chapel, another icon in dream, on sea, Gabriel told him venerate, M into water tV, but icon sinks, wilderness sanctified by M life, monks come, shining cross over church, visible grace on M, discernment&healing, funds fNovgorod, new heated church, MOG appeared on bench near icons, 1570 ordained priest, igumen before 1582, then wealthier benefactor, 1595 benefactor son's ressurection, his 2icons on dead boy's chest, 1595 Tsar Theodore gives land, sensing death M told brothers tTrust MOG as he had, passed wJoy 1603; Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, Zelenets (Green Island); Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrius of Zelenets, in the world Menas, was born in the city of Veliki Luki (Great Meadow) in the sixteenth century. His parents, Cosmas and Stephanida, died when he was just ten years old. was raised by his spiritual Father, a priest of the city’s Annunciation church, and the child’s soul cleaved to God. widowed priest Boris became a monk with the name Bogolep at the Trinity-Sergius monastery in Veliki Luki. often visited him at the monastery, and later on he himself received monastic tonsure there taking the name Martyrius. seven years both teacher and disciple toiled for the Lord unrelentingly in a single cell, encouraging each other in deeds of work and prayer. Saint Martyrius had the obediences of “kellarios” [cellarer], treasurer, and “ponomar” [or altar server]. was at this time that the Mother of God first showed Her special solicitude for Saint Martyrius. mid-day he dozed off in the bell tower and beheld the Tikhvin (Hodēgḗtria) icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in a fiery column. The monk venerated it, and it was still hot from the fiery column. When he awoke, he still felt this heat on his forehead. the spiritual advice of Saint Martyrius, the grievously ill monk Abramius went to venerate the wonderworking Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, and he received healing. Martyrius was filled with intense faith in the intercession of the Mother of God. began to pray that the Heavenly Queen would show him where he might go for the ascetic feat of complete silence, for which his soul yearned. monk secretly withdrew into a desolate place situated 60 versts from Veliki Luki. As he himself writes, “in this wilderness I received fearful visitations from demons, but I prayed to God, and the demons were put to shame.” a letter to Elder Bogolep, Saint Martyrius asked his blessing to dwell in the wilderness, but the spiritual father advised him to return to the cenobitic life where he would be of use to the brethren. daring to disobey his experienced Elder, and not knowing how to proceed, Saint Martyrius went to Smolensk to venerate the wonderworking Hodēgḗtria [She who leads the way] Icon of the Mother of God and the relics of Saints Abramius and Ephraim (August 21). saints appeared to Saint Martyrius in a dream, and they reassured him that he would be permitted to live in the wilderness, “wherever God will bless and the Most Holy Theotokos will guide you.” Martyrius then went to the Tikhvin monastery, hoping that the Mother of God would resolve his dilemma. monk Abramius, who remained at this monastery in gratitude to the Mother of God for his healing, told Saint Martyrius about a secret place, over which he had seen a radiant Cross of stars. time he received the blessing of the Elder. Martyrius took with him two small icons: one of the Life-Creating Trinity, and the other of the Tikhvin Mother of God. He then settled in Zelents (the green island), which was a beautiful island in a forested swamp. and painful was the life of the monk in the wilderness, but neither cold, nor deprivation, nor wild beasts, nor the wiles of the enemy were able to shake his resolve. built a small chapel for the glorification of, and in gratitude to, the Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos. was again deemed worthy to see an icon of the Mother of God in a dream. This time it was floating on the sea. To the right of the icon he saw the Archangel Gabriel who told him to venerate the icon. Martyrius went into the water, and the icon began to sink in the sea. The saint then cried out, and a wave carried him to shore. With that, the icon vanished. wilderness was sanctified by the life of the hermit, and many began to arrive, not only to be instructed by the word and example of the monk, but also to settle there with him. increased number of disciples prompted the monk to build a church dedicated to the Life-Creating Trinity, where he placed his own icons of the Trinity and of the Tikhvin Mother of God. As a sign of the grace of God resting upon the monastery of Saint Martyrius, his disciple Saint Gurias was permitted to see a Cross in the heavens, shining over the cross on top of the church. was the beginning of the Trinity Zelenets monastery, “the green wilderness monastery of Martyrius.” The Lord blessed his labors, and the grace of God shone visibly upon him. fame of his discernment and gift of healing became known to many. Many eminent people of Novgorod began to send gifts to the monastery. With funds provided by the pious boyar Theodore Syrkov, a heated church was built and consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the first church at Veliki Luki, from which the saint had begun his path to God. Martyrius continued to receive help from the Mother of God. She appeared to him on a bench in the corner where the icons stood. saint recalled: “I looked upon Her without lowering my eyes... I gazed upon Her holy face, at her eyes filled with tears, ready to trickle down Her all-pure face. awoke from the dream and was afraid. I lit a candle from the lampada, in order to see whether or not the Most Pure Virgin sat at the place where I saw Her in the dream. I went up to the icon of the Hodēgḗtria and was convinced that in truth the Mother of God had appeared to me as She is depicted on my icon.” after this (about the year 1570) Saint Martyrius was ordained priest at Novgorod by the archbishop (Alexander or Leonid). He was already an igumen in 1582. the Lord granted the Zelenets wilderness monastery an even wealthier benefactor. 1595 at Tver Saint Martyrius resurrected the son of the former Kasimov ruler Simeon Bekbulatovich, praying in front of his own icons of the Life-Creating Trinity and the Tikhvin Mother of God. He placed both icons upon the chest of the dead child, and he awoke as if from sleep. gratitude Simeon built a church in honor of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God and of Saint John Chrysostom, the Heavenly patron saint of the ruler’s son John. 1595 Tsar Theodore endowed the monastery with a sufficient quantity of land for its support. reached a great old age and preparing for death, Saint Martyrius dug a grave for himself, and near it he placed a coffin fashioned by his own hands. often came there to weep. his imminent departure, the monk assembled the brethren and told his children in the Lord to have steadfast hope in the Most Holy Trinity and to trust the Mother of God, as he himself had always trusted in Her. receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he gave the brethren his blessing with the words: “Peace to all the Orthodox.” With spiritual joy he fell asleep in the Lord on March 1, 1603. saint was buried in the grave he dug near the church of the Mother of God. Later, his holy relics rested beneath a crypt in the church of the Most Holy Trinity, beneath the lower temple in honor of Saint John the Theologian. Cornelius, a former monk of the Zelenets monastery, and later Metropolitan of Kazan and Novgorod (+ 1698), compiled a service and wrote the Life of Saint Martyrius, making use of personal notes and the saint’s testament. memory of Saint Martyrius of Zelenets and Veliki Luki is celebrated also on November 11. Venerable Martyrius, Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11; Martyrius was a monk in the Veliki Luki (Great Meadows) Monastery, and shared a cell with Elder Bogolep. These holy ascetics ate only once a day. After the services in church, they would fulfill the rule of prayer in their cell, then they would work during the night milling corn. Saint Martyrius went to live at Zelenets (Green Island), and founded a monastery in the midst of the swamps. By 1582, he was already the igumen of the monastery, which had twelve monks. Several benefactors donated to the monastery, including Theodore Syrkov, Simeon Bekbulatov (the ruler of Kasim), and Tsar Theodore, who donated land. Martyrius fell asleep in the Lord in 1603. He is also commemorated on March 1.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1551, Adrian of Ondrusov's Relics Trnsfr tSt Nic's, Adrian&robbers stories, A's swamp death relics story
Russia, St Petersburg, 1551, Adrian of Ondrusov's Relics Transfer to St Nicholas Monastery at Ladoga Fortress, Adrian's story & robbers release and conversion stories, A's swamp death relics story; St Nicholas Monastery &Fortress, Lake Ladoga ; Ladoga Fortress; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Adrian of Ondrusov (in the world the nobleman Andrew Zavalushin), was the owner of a rich estate (Andreevschina), 9 versts from the monastery of Saint Alexander of Svir (August 30). accidentally encountered Saint Alexander of Svir during a stag hunt in 1493, and after this he went often to him for guidance, and supplied bread for the ascetics. his estate, he took monastic tonsure at the Valaamo monastery with the name Adrian. years later, with the blessing of Saint Alexander of Svir, Saint Adrian settled in a solitary place on the peninsula of Lake Ladoga. he built a church in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. the settlement of monks in the deep forest was an island, Sala (the Thicket), where there was a gang of robbers under the leadership of Ondrusa as their ataman. the monks, the ataman demanded that they get off his land. Adrian, knowing that he did not have money to buy the place, promised the ataman to intercede for him before God. robber laughed at the monk, but he entreated him so long and so humbly, that the ataman softened and said, “Live.” ataman was soon taken captive by another gang, hidden not far from the stoney Cape of Storozhev. hapless fellow knew that after suffering, torture and death awaited him, and he bitterly repented of his former life. he saw Saint Adrian before him. He said, “You are freed through the mercy of the Lord, for Whose sake you were asked to show mercy to the wilderness brethren,” and he vanished. ataman saw himself without fetters at the shore, and with no one around. he rushed to the monastery of Saint Adrian and found all the ascetics chanting Psalms. seemed that Saint Adrian had not left the monastery. robber fell at the knees of the saint and begged to be accepted as one of the brethren. finished his life in repentance at the monastery. robber of another gang also repented. Through the prayers of Saint Adrian, he was tonsured with the name Cyprian. Afterwards, at the place of a tributary, he built a monastery and was glorified by miracles. monastery of Saint Adrian received an endowment from Tsar Ivan the Terrible (1533-1584). August 1549, Saint Adrian was godfather for Anna, daughter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. the saint was returning from Moscow to the monastery, robbers killed him near the village of Obzha, hoping to find money. brethren waited for a long time for their Superior, two years later, he appeared one night in a vision to a few Elders and told them of his death. On another day, May 17, the brethren found his incorrupt body in a swamp and committed it to burial in the wall of his church in honor of Saint Nicholas. memory of Saint Adrian, having received the martyr’s crown, has come to be celebrated twice: on the day of the finding and transfer of his relics (May 17), and on the day of his repose, which he shares with his namesake, the holy Martyr Adrian. Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17; the manuscript of the Olonets Trebnik under May 17 it is noted: "Today is the transfer of the relics of Venerable Father Adrian, Igoumen of Saint Nicholas Monastery on Lake Ladoga, on Ondrus Island, in the Olonets district, the new wonderworker. His memory is also celebrated on August 26."

Russia, St Petersburg, 1552-1603, Martyrius of Zelenets M, orphaned at 10, raised by priest who became monk, toiled with him 7yrs, then many experiences with Theotokos thru her icons, many came, built Z Monastery

Russia, St Petersburg, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, fKargopol tOlnets land, founded Novolotsk m 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk
Russia, St Petersburg, 1590-1630, Athanasius oNovolotsk, Petrozavodsk, Lake Onega, St. Petersburg, Svir River side, fKargopol tOlnets land, founded Novolotsk monastery 78 Versts fPetrozavodsk; Petrozavodsk; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Athanasius of Navolotsk went at the end of the sixteenth century from the Kargopol region to the Olonets land, he founded a monastery 78 versts from what later became the city of Petrozavodsk. saint died at a Verkholedsk suburb not far from Shenkursk.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1600, 17th C Folder, incrrpt relics, Stockholm Icon LArmy appear, Trty wTikvin Icon&LArmy appear
Russia, St Petersburg, 1600, 17th C Folder, Diodoros oYuregorsk estab m incorrupt relics, Stockholm Icon iTikhvin LArmy appearance, Incorrupt relcs Alex oSvir, Treaty oStolbovo ending Sweden war wTikvin Icon&LArmy apprnc

Russia, St Petersburg, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev, established monastery, incorrupt relics
Russia, St Petersburg, 1606-1633, Diodorus t Abbot of Yuregorsk Monastery, Mt Yurev? (above Vodla Lake), established monastery, incorrupt relics Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? This is the location of the only church in the area. Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20; Diodorus of Yuregorsk was born in the village of Turchasovo at the River Onega. parents, Jerothei and Maria, named their son Diomid. a fifteen-year-old youth he went on pilgrimage to the Solovki monastery, and then remained there as a novice. There he received monastic tonsure when he was nineteen under the igumen Anthony. lived with the hermits on desolate islands, and then he settled at Lake Vodla. He spent seven years there with his disciple Prochorus. to found a monastery in honor of the Most Holy Trinity on Mount Yurev, the monk went to Moscow, where he received approval from Tsar Michael (1613-1645) also money for the building of the monastery from the Tsar’s mother, the nun and Eldress Martha. before his death, Saint Diodorus was obliged to journey to Kargopol on monastery matters. leave of the brethren, he predicted his impending death. He died on November 27, 1633 and was buried at Kargopol. two years his incorrupt body was transferred to the Trinity monastery and buried at the south wall of the cathedral church. memory of Saint Diodorus is celebrated on November 20 because of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign,” with which his repose coincides.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1613, Stockholm Icon in Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2) large army appeared
Russia, St Petersburg, 1613, Stockholm Icon in Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2), connected to 1383 Tikhvin Icon, 300 yrs later Stockholm Icon appeared in Tikhvin in 1613. Sweden occupied Ivangorod, Yam, Koporje and Ladoga. Novgorod then fell, Tikhvin battleground at Dormition Monastery. large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. Tikhvin; Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 13; history of the Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God is closely connected with the sacred symbol of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) which appeared in Russia in 1383, on the banks of the Tikhvinka River. The appearance of the Stockholm Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred during the XVI-XVII centuries, which was a time of great strife between Russia and the Kingdom of Sweden. of their collusion with the opponents of the Orthodox Faith, and for many other sins, the wrath of God fell upon the Russian people. Swedish troops occupied the fortresses of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporje, and Ladoga. After a long siege, Novgorod fell into the hands of the enemy. In 1613, Tikhvin became a battleground. The Swedish general Jakob Delagardi brought his troops to the Dormition Monastery and ordered them to destroy it. Three times the Swedes besieged the holy habitation, but the Queen of Heaven did not withdraw her mercy from the monks, striking fear into their enemies, who had been edging forward on every side. September 13, 1613, the eve of the Feast of the Elevation of the Honorable and Life-creating Cross of the Lord, the Swedish regiments retreated when a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. News of this miracle marked the beginning of the liberation of the entire Novgorod region from foreign troops. Soon the Stolbov Peace Treaty was signed between Russia and Sweden in the presence of the Tikhvin Icon. Thus, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God has been the protector and patron of the Orthodox in their relations with the Swedes. this Treaty many cities were annexed by Sweden, but the Russian population had to remain in those places. The Orthodox, however, could not accept these terms and, after a short time, a mass exodus of people began from the annexed lands to the territory of Russia. Attempts by the Swedish authorities to keep people in their places by promising to reduce fees and duties did not produce the desired results. The Russian landowners and peasants, who did not wish to live in Sweden, a Lutheran country, left the region because they longed for their homes. Among them were citizens of Tikhvin. They could not forget their city with the golden cupolas of its churches, the ringing of bells, and the icons of the saints, so dear to their hearts. exodus of the Orthodox from the lands conquered by the Swedes continued in the reign of the most devout Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676), called "peace-loving" by the people because of his kindness. During his reign Russia acquired the Stockholm Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. day, when the Tikhvin merchants came to the Swedish merchant Phoka in order to purchase some supplies, they saw a familiar Icon, an Icon of the Theotokos which resembled the Tikhvin Icon, only smaller. They prayed fervently, gazing at the expensive Icon, and from that time they came often to Phoka. passed, and a rumor reached Tikhvin that the Swedes in Stockholm had found a Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. The soul of every man from Tikhvin was sorrowful at seeing this holy object in the hands of foreigners. They grieved to see their Patroness, the Most Holy Theotokos, in a foreign land. So the merchants decided to redeem the Icon. wasn't easy to persuade Phoka, but in the end, afraid of losing his profitable trade connections, he agreed to sell the Icon, asking for 100 gold coins. The matter was settled, and in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of the pious Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, the Tikhvin merchants started back again with the newly found holy object in the autumn of 1671. They carried with them the copy of the Tikhvin Icon, adorned with pearls and gemstones. which they had purchased in Stockholm. Lake Ladoga, they were caught in a terrible storm. For several days large waves tossed the ship from side to side. The water was covered with ice, and it was snowing. Just when it seemed that there was no hope, everyone on the ship fell to their knees before the Icon of the Theotokos and began to pray. Suddenly the helmsman shouted, "The Monastery! It is the Monastery of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker." The Stockholm Icon followed the same route as the original Tikhvin Icon three hundred years before, along the rivers Svir and Oyat, and then it was brought to Tikhvin by a shipping route. miraculous rescue of the merchants, and the fact that the Icon had traveled the same route as the Tikhvin Icon, was regarded as a sign of the wonderworking power of the Stockholm Icon. On November 13, it was placed in Tikhvin's Dormition Cathedral for veneration. In the city, the Icon was greeted by a Cross Procession, and all the churches rang their bells. Together with all the people, the Superior of the Great Monastery of the Dormition knelt before the Icon and exclaimed: "The Sovereign Lady has come! She has come, not to a foreign country, but to her own place, to great and glorious Russia, to this holy monastery, where the Angels brought her ancient Icon to dwell." Stockholm Icon of the Queen of Heaven has a beautiful pearl riza, with an embossed crown, and was placed to the left of the Royal Doors, in the main row of the iconostasis of the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral, which was built on the site of the wooden church established during the reign of Tsar Peter Alekseevich (1696-1725). the reign of Tsar Alexander II (1855-1881) the Icon was transferred to a heated cathedral, built in 1870-1872. year on November 13, there is a service in honor of the Stockholm Icon with a Cross Procession. last reliable information concerning the Icon dates back to 1928. It comes from a description of the items confiscated by the Soviet government. Since then, all traces of the Stockholm Icon have disappeared. say that the wonderworking Icon was moved to the Russian Museum in the 1930s, but it is no longer there. It is now in the church of Saint Sergius in Stockholm. This church was founded by a group of Russian Orthodox people in the late 1980s, at that time many immigrants from the former Soviet Union were living in Stockholm, but there was not a single church associated with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Savior-Transfiguration Church in Stockholm is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. icons in the altar were painted in Russia, among them is an icon of Saint Sergius, the heavenly patron of the parish. On the walls are icons, both new and old, which were brought to Sweden with the first wave of Russian emigration. Among them there is a particularly revered Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1617, Treaty of Stolbovo, ended Russia's war with Sweden, Luke's Tikvin Icon, appearance large army
Stolbovo (Treaty of Stolbovo) which ended Russia's war with Sweden. Stolbovo is south of Lake Ladgoda and 33 Miles from Tikhvin ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose. 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. According to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire. after its miraculous appearance, the icon was discovered in several neighboring towns, including the village of Motchenitsy on the bank of the Tikhvinka River, before it finally appeared near the town of Tikhvin. A wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos was built on the site of the icon’s final resting place. Miraculously, the icon survived a number of fires. the early sixteenth century, through the zeal of Great Prince Basil Ivanovich, a stone church was built to replace the original wooden structure. In 1560, by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a men’s monastery was established near the church and enclosed with a stone wall. 1613-1614, the Swedish army, having seized Novgorod, made several attempts to destroy the monastery. The countless prayers offered to the Theotokos before the icon were heard, and the monastery was spared. On one occasion, after monks had been alerted to the approaching Swedish army, they decided to flee and to take the icon with them. But the monks soon discovered that they could not remove the icon from its shrine. Seeing this as a sign of the Theotokos’ protection, the monks decided not to abandon the monastery, begging the Theotokos to spare them and their beloved spiritual home. To their amazement, a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. the Swedes encountered the army, they retreated immediately. Word of this miracle spread rapidly, and imperial emissaries soon visited the monastery. Accompanied by a copy of the wonderworking icon, they set off for the village of Stolbovo, 33 miles from Tikhvin, where they concluded a peace treaty with the Swedes on February 10, 1617. Afterwards, the copy of the icon was taken to Moscow and enshrined in the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral. Later, the same icon was placed in the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) cathedral in Novgorod at the request of the city’s faithful, who also found themselves under attack by the Swedes. Once again, through the intercession of the Theotokos, the city was spared. the centuries, the icon’s fame spread far and wide. Copies of the wonderworking icon began to adorn churches throughout the land. Some of these copies also proved to be sources of miracles, and it was not uncommon to find the faithful praying before the icon to seek healing for children who were ill. fewer than 24 processions with the icon were celebrated each year at the Tikhvin Monastery, where the icon was enshrined. A decorative cover, or “riza,” adorned the icon, exposing only the faces and hands of the Holy Virgin and Christ child. Numerous precious stones studded the riza, and many of the faithful, desiring to express thanksgiving for prayers answered through the Theotokos’ intercession, affixed precious jewelry to the riza. miraculous is the fact that the icon was preserved from destruction or sale after the Russian Revolution, which ushered in a 74-year persecution of the Church. During the 1920s, the communist government demanded that the Russian Orthodox Church turn over countless icons and other precious liturgical items, which through the nationalization of private property were considered the property of “the people.” Many of these sacred items were sold, allegedly to raise money to feed the Russian and Ukrainian population which was afflicted by famine. the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. After his retirement in the late 1970s and death on Palm Sunday in 1982, Archpriest Sergei Garklavs, Bishop John’s adopted son, became the caretaker of the icon. In 2003, over a decade after the fall of communism and the resurrection of the Russian Orthodox Church, the decision was made to return the precious icon to its original home. icon began its year-long journey to Russia at the 99th annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, Pennsylvania, May 23-26, 2003. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, together with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops and guest hierarchs, greeted the icon, which was available for veneration by the faithful. icon follows the “Hodēgḗtria” model and is similar in style to the ancient Ivḗron icon of Our Lady. It differs in that the Christ child’s legs are crossed, while the sole of His foot is turned to the viewer. Several historic sources note that several other Hodēgḗtria icons of the Theotokos had been brought to Russia in the 1380s, during the rule of the saintly prince Demetrius Donskoy. -- Archpriest John Matusiak

Russia, St Petersburg, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir
Russia, Moscow, 1641, Finding incorrupt relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir ; Alexander of Svir died on August 30, 1533. His incorrupt relics were uncovered in 1641 during the reconstruction of the Transfiguration cathedral. April 17, 1641, the relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were found and examined. The discovery was accompanied by special signs; on April 15 and 16 there was extraordinary thunder and lightning, which ran along the ground above the grave of the holy founder of the monastery. Then during the Divine Liturgy on April 17 (the Saturday of the Righteous Lazarus) the workers were digging a hole for the walls of the new stone church of the Transfiguration of the Lord; and in the altar of the old church they found the Saint's coffin. The ground above it was in the shape of a cave, with nothing to support it. the monks came down to see the decayed coffin (only the lower board was well preserved). When Igoumen Abraham removed the top board, a strong fragrance was noticed. The Saint's body was intact, and was clothed in a mantya and the schema. His face was covered, and beneath the schema, part of his beard could be seen; both legs lay as if he were recently deceased, with the right foot upward, and the left foot facing to the side, both feet were in sandals. his body emanated a fragrance like myrrh, or flowers. Metropolitan Aphthonios of Novgorod was present at the uncovering of the relics. With reverence and joy, the relics were placed in a new coffin and were taken to the temple of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in that same Hermitage. monks, who had seen the incorrupt flesh of their heavenly patron, were amazed, and they made a detailed description of the shrine. Particularly surprising was the face, which was so life-like that the Saint seemed asleep. The face matched the icons which had been painted by his contemporaries. The authors of the description also noted the unusual position of the Saint's hands and feet and the amber-yellow color of his skin. Soon the relics were placed in a silver reliquary donated by Tsar Michael, and were moved to the newly rebuilt Transfiguration Cathedral. the same time, the commemoration of Saint Alexander was appointed on two dates: August 30, the day of his blessed repose, and April 17, the day of the uncovering of his relics. incorrupt relics of the saint were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to liquidate the relics of the saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian saints were stolen and subjected to “scientific examination” or displayed in antireligious museums. Some were completely destroyed. to prove that the relics were fakes, the Soviets conducted many tests. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy. There they remained for nearly eighty years. second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were in fact the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before their return to the Svir Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous healings continue to take place before them. August 30 for the Life of Saint Alexander. Svir River; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Alexander of Svir was born on July 15, 1448, on the Feast Day of the Prophet Amos, and was named for him in Baptism. Saint Alexander was a beacon of monasticism in the deep forests of the Russian North, living in asceticism, and so he received remarkable gifts by the All-Holy Spirit. parents, Stephen and Vassa (Vasilisa) were peasants living in the village of Mandera near Lake Ladoga, on the shores of the Oyata River, a tributary of the Svira River. They had adult sons and daughters who had left the home of their parents. Stephen and Vassa longed to have another son, and prayed that God would grant their wish. The couple heard a voice from on high: “Rejoice, good man and wife, you shall bear a son, in whose birth God will give comfort to His Church.” grew up to be an extraordinary child. He was always obedient and gentle, he avoided games, jokes and foul talk; he wore poor clothing and so weakened himself with fasting that it caused his mother much anxiety. When he came of age, he met some monks from Valaam who had come to the Oyata to purchase various necessities, and on other monastery business. this time Valaam was already known as a monastery of great piety and strict ascetic life. After speaking with the monks, the young man was fascinated by their account of Skete life (with two or three monks living together) and the solitary life of the anchorite. Knowing that his parents had arranged a marriage for him, the young man fled secretly to Valaam when he was nineteen. An Angel of the Lord appeared to him the guise of a traveler, and showed him the way to the island. Amos lived at the monastery as a novice for seven years, leading an austere life. He spent his days at work, and his nights in vigil and prayer. Sometimes, he prayed in the forest bare-chested, covered with mosquitoes and gnats, until it was time for Matins. the year 1474, Amos was tonsured with the new name Alexander. After several years, his parents eventually learned where their son had gone from some Karelians visiting Mandera. Following the example of their son, the parents also went to monasteries and were tonsured with the names Sergius and Barbara. After their deaths, Saint Alexander, with the blessing of the Igumen of the monastery, settled on an island, where he built a cell in the crevice of a cliff and continued his spiritual endeavors. fame of his asceticism spread far and wide. Then in 1485, Saint Alexander departed from Valaam and, after receiving instructions from on high, chose a place in the forest by the shores of a beautiful lake, which was later called Holy Lake. Here he built a shack, living in solitude for seven years, eating only what he gathered in the forest.1 this time, Alexander experienced terrible suffering from hunger, frost, sickness and demonic temptations, but the Lord sustained the righteous one's spiritual and bodily strength. Once, he was afflicted with a terrible pain in his stomach. Not only was he unable to get up off the ground, but he couldn't even lift his head. He just lay there and chanted Psalms. Then an Angel appeared to him. Placing his hand on the sore spot, he made the Sign of the Cross over the Saint and healed him. 1493 while hunting for deer, a nearby landowner named Andrew Zavalishin happened to discover the Saint's cell. Andrew told him of a fiery pillar he had seen over this place, and begged him to tell him about his life. The Saint was deeply saddened by this, because he had not able to hide himself from men. After making the other promise not to tell anyone about him until after his death, Saint Alexander spoke to him about his life in the wilderness, where he had lived for seven years without seeing anyone, how he had subsisted on plants alone, and how he had been healed of a pain in his stomach by an Angel. After that, Andrew began to visit Saint Alexander often. Finally, following the Saint's advice, he went to Valaam, where he was tonsured with the name Adrian. Saint Adrian founded the Ondrusov monastery, and led a holy life (Saint Andrew is commemorated on August 26 and May 17). Zavalishin was unable to remain silent about the holy ascetic, despite the promise he had given. News of the righteous one began to spread widely, and soon monks gathered around him. Therefore, Saint Alexander withdrew from the brethren and built a cell 130 sazhen from the monastery. There he encountered a multitude of temptations. The demons assumed the forms of wild animals. Hissing like snakes, they ordered him to leave. Saint Alexander's prayers scorched and scattered the demons like a fiery flame. 1508, twenty-three years after he came to this secluded spot, the Life-Creating Trinity appeared to Saint Alexander. One night he was praying in his cell. Suddenly, there was a dazzling light, and he saw three Angels in resplendent white garments approaching him. They shone with a pure brightness greater than the sun. Each held a staff in His hand. Saint Alexander fell down in terror, and after recovering his senses, he prostrated himself upon the ground. Raising him by the hand, the Angels said: “Have faith, blessed one, and do not be afraid.” Saint was told to build a church and a monastery. He fell to his knees, protesting his own unworthiness, but the Lord raised him up and ordered him to carry out the instructions he had been given. Saint Alexander asked to whom the church ought to be dedicated. The Lord said: "Beloved, as you see us speaking with you in Three Persons, so build the church in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial Trinity. Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.” Saint Alexander beheld the Lord with outstretched wings, moving along the ground until He became invisible. appearance is acknowledged as unique in history of the Russian Orthodox Church After this vision, the Saint began thinking of where to build the church. Once, as he was praying to God, he heard a voice. Gazing up to the heavens, he saw an Angel of the Lord clothed in a mantiya and klobuk, such as Saint Pachomios (May 15) had seen. Angel, standing in the air with outstretched wings and upraised hands, proclaimed: “One is Holy, One is the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen.” Then he turned to Saint Alexander saying, “Build a church here in honor of the Lord Who has appeared to you in Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Undivided Trinity.” making the Sign of the Cross over the place three times, the Angel became invisible. that same year he built a wooden church in honor of the Life-Creating Trinity (a stone church was built here in 1526). At the same time as the church was built, the brethren urged Saint Alexander to be ordained to the holy priesthood. For a long time he refused, considering himself unworthy. Then the brethren implored Saint Serapion, the Archbishop of Novgorod (March 16), to convince him to accept this office. So that very year Saint Alexander went to Novgorod and was ordained by the holy Archbishop. Soon afterward, the brethren also asked the Saint to be their Superior. Igumen, Saint Alexander became even more humble than before. He wore tattered clothes, and he slept on the bare ground. He himself prepared food, kneaded dough and baked bread. On one occasion, there was not enough firewood, so the steward asked the Saint to send any unoccupied monks to gather firewood. Saint Alexander replied, "I am not busy." Then he began to chop firewood. Another time, he carried water. all were asleep, the saint was often busy grinding wheat with hand-stones to make more bread. Every night, he went around to all the cells, and if he heard vain conversations, he tapped softly on the door and left. In the morning, if the brother readily acknowledged his guilt and repented, he was forgiven. On the other hand, if the brother tried to justify himself, he was admonished and given a penance. the end of his life, Saint Alexander decided to build a stone church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. One evening, after chanting an Akathist to the Mother of God, he settled down to rest in his cell. Suddenly, he said to his cell attendant Athanasios, “Child, be sober and alert, because at this very hour we shall have a wondrous and astounding visitation." a voice like thunder said, “Behold, the Lord and His Mother are coming.” Alexander hastened to the entrance to the cell, which it was illumined by a great light shining throughout the monastery, brighter than the rays of the sun. The Saint beheld the Most Pure Mother of God upon the foundation of the Protection church, and sitting where the altar would be, like a Queen upon a throne. She held the Infant Christ in her arms, and a multitude of Angels stood before her, with shining with indescribable radiance. fell down to the ground, unable to endure the great light. The Most Holy Theotokos said, “Arise, chosen one of my Son and God. I have come here to visit you, my dear one, and to see the foundation of my church. Since you have prayed for your disciples and for your monastery, henceforth they shall have all that they need; not only during your lifetime, but also after your death. I shall be with your monastery always, providing an abundance of what is required. Behold, and note carefully how many are the monks who have come into your flock. You must guide them on the path of salvation in the name of the Holy Trinity.” Saint arose and saw a multitude of monks carrying stones and bricks for the foundation. Again the Mother of God said: “My dear one, if someone brings even one brick for the building of my church, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Son and God, he shall not lose his reward.” saying this, she became invisible. year before his death, Saint Alexander foresaw the time of his departure from this life. He summoned the brethren and gave them his final instructions, commending them to the Mother of God. The brethren wept at the thought of being separated from their beloved Father. When they asked where he wished to be buried he said, "Bind my sinful body by the legs and drop it into a the marsh then, after covering it with moss, trample on it with your feet." brethren replied, "No, Father, we cannot do this.” the holy ascetic said that if they would not do as he asked, then they should bury him near the church of the Transfiguration. Saint Alexander departed to the heavenly Kingdom on August 30, 1533 at the age of 85. miracles of healing took place at his grave for those who came there with faith. 1545, his disciple and successor, Igumen Herodion, compiled his Life. In 1547 local veneration of the Saint began and a Service was composed for him. On April 17,1641, during the rebuilding of the Transfiguration church, the incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander of Svir were uncovered, and his universal veneration was established on two dates: the day of his repose, August 30, and on April 17, the day of his glorification (and the uncovering of his relics). Alexander of Svir instructed a multitude of disciples, just as the Mother of God had promised him. These Include Ignatius of Ostrov, Leonid of Ostrov, Cornelius of Ostrov, Dionysios of Ostrov, Athanasios of Ostrov, Theodore of Ostrov, and Therapon of Ostrov. addition to these saints, there are disciples and conversers with Saint Alexander of Svir, who have separate days of commemoration: Saint Athanasios of Syandem (January 18), Saint Gennadios of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Makarios of Orodezh (August 9), Saint Adrian of Ondrosov (May 17), Saint Nikephoros of Vasheozersk (February 9), Saint Gennadios of Kostroma and Liubimograd (January 23). these saints (except Saint Gennadios of Kostroma) are depicted on the Icon of the monastic Fathers who shone forth in the land of Karelia (the icon is in the church at the Seminary in Kuopio, Finland). The Synaxis of the Saints who have shone forth in Karelia is celebrated by the Finnish Orthodox Church on the Saturday which falls between October 31 and November 6. incorrupt relics of Saint Alexander were removed from the Svir Monastery by the Bolsheviks on December 20, 1918 after several unsuccessful attempts to confiscate them. There was an infamous campaign to destroy the relics of the Saints which continued from 1919 to 1922. Many relics of Russsian Saints were stolen and subjected to "scientific examination” or displayed in anti-religious museums. Some of them were completely destroyed.2 second uncovering of Saint Alexander’s relics took place in December of 1997. relics were found to be incorrupt, just as they were when they were confiscated. The saint’s appearance matched the description in the records from 1641. Once it was determined that these were truly the relics of Saint Alexander, Metropolitan Vladimir of Saint Petersburg permitted them to be taken to the church of Saint Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love (September 17) for four months before they were returned to the Monastery. As people venerated Saint Alexander’s relics, they noticed a fragrant myrrh flowing from them. holy relics were taken to the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery in November 1998, and miraculous cures continue to take place before them. Later at this place, Holy Lake, 36 versts from the future city of Olonets and 6 versts from the River Svira, Saint Alexander founded the monastery of the Life-Creating Trinity, and 130 sazhen (i.e. 910 feet) from it, at Lake Roschina, he built a cell on the future site of the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery. The Soviets conducted many tests, hoping to prove that the relics were fakes. However, the tests only confirmed that the relics were genuine. Finally, the holy relics were sent to Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy, where they remained for almost eighty years. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1700, 18th C Folder, Rus Empire, Xenia Fool FC, TS wndrwrk Icon, Free Mason Iconog, Herman NVlm wndrwrkr
Russia, St Petersburg, 1700, 18th C Folder, Nishtad Peace T, Russian Empire, Xenia oStPete Fool FC, Tsarskoye Selo Icon wonderworking, Free Mason Iconogropher, Herman New Valaam wonderworker

Russia, St Petersburg, 1721, Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721
Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721; Great Northern War 1700-1721; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1721-1917 , Russian Empire (capital normally St Petersburg)
Russian Empire, Capital St Petersburg except for two years in Moscow of the 200 years of the Empire 1721-1917 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1739-1803, Xenia of St Petersburg, when her husband died drinking, she became a Fool for Christ
Russia, St Petersburg, 1739-1803, 18th Century, Xenia of St Petersburg, she was 26 when her husband died a colonel, she became a Fool for Christ for 45 years, wandering the S P streets wearing husband's uniform; St Petersburg; Xenia of Saint Petersburg; Grigoryevna Petrova, also known as Saint Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg ( c. 1719–1730 – c. 1803) is a patron saint of St. Petersburg, who according to tradition, gave all her possessions to the poor after her husband died. husband had been Colonel Andrey Fyodorovich Petrov, a chanter at the Saint Andrew Cathedral. his death, Xenia became a "fool-for-Christ" and for 45 years wandered around the streets of St. Petersburg, usually wearing her late husband's military uniform. grave is in the Smolensky Cemetery of St. Petersburg. It has been marked by an ornate chapel since 1902. was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia on September 24, 1978 (O. S. September 11, 1978) in Synodal Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in New York, USA and by Russian Orthodox Church on June 6, 1988 during Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. Her feast day in the O.S. is January 24, which is February 6 in the New Calendar. In July 2020, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church also resolved to include Xenia of St. Petersburg in its calendar on January 24.[1] a saint, she is noted for her intercessions in helping those with employment, marriage, the homeless, for fires, for missing children, and for a spouse.[2] She is venerated in several countries. There are about 40 churches and chapels built in her name.[3] Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; Xenia lived during the eighteenth century, but little is known of her life or of her family. She passed most of her life in Petersburg during the reigns of the empresses Elizabeth and Catherine II. Grigorievna Petrova was the wife of an army officer, Major Andrew Petrov. After the wedding, the couple lived in Saint Petersburg. Saint Xenia became a widow at the age of twenty-six when her husband suddenly died at a party. She grieved for the loss of her husband, and especially because he died without Confession or Holy Communion. her earthly happiness ended, she did not look for it again. From that time forward, Xenia lost interest in the things of this world, and followed the difficult path of foolishness for the sake of Christ. The basis for this strange way of life is to be found in the first Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:18-24, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Cor. 3:18-19). The Lord strengthened her and helped her to bear sorrow and misfortune patiently for the next forty-five years. started wearing her husband’s clothing, and insisted that she be addressed as “Andrew Feodorovich.” She told people that it was she, and not her husband, who had died. In a certain sense, this was perfectly true. She abandoned her former way of life and experienced a spiritual rebirth. When she gave away her house and possessions to the poor, her relatives complained to the authorities. After speaking to Xenia, the officials were conviced that she was in her right mind and was entitled to dispose of her property as she saw fit. Soon she had nothing left for herself, so she wandered through the poor section of Petersburg with no place to lay her head. She refused all assistance from her relatives, happy to be free of worldly attachments. her late husband’s red and green uniform wore out, she clothed herself in rags of those colors. After a while, Xenia left Petersburg for eight years. It is believed that she visited holy Elders and ascetics throughout Russia seeking instruction in the spiritual life. She may have visited Saint Theodore of Sanaxar (February 19), who had been a military man himself. His life changed dramatically when a young officer died at a drinking party. Perhaps this officer was Saint Xenia’s husband. In any case, she knew Saint Theodore and profited from his instructions. Xenia eventually returned to the poor section of Petersburg, where she was mocked and insulted because of her strange behavior. When she did accept money from people it was only small amounts, which she used to help the poor. She spent her nights praying without sleep in a field outside the city. Prayer strengthened her, and in her heart’s conversation with the Lord she found the support she needed on her difficult path. a new church was being built in the Smolensk cemetery, Saint Xenia brought bricks to the site. She did this in secret, during the night, so that no one would know. her great virtue and spiritual gifts began to be noticed. She prophesied future events affecting the citizens of Petersburg, and even the royal family. Against her will, she became known as someone pleasing to God, and nearly everyone loved her.They said, “Xenia does not belong to this world, she belongs to God.” People regarded her visits to their homes or shops as a great blessing. Saint Xenia loved children, and mothers rejoiced when the childless widow would stand and pray over a baby’s crib, or kiss a child. They believed that the blessed one’s kiss would bring that child good fortune. Xenia lived about forty-five years after the death of her husband, and departed to the Lord at the age of seventy-one. The exact date and circumstances of her death are not known, but it probably took place at the end of the eighteenth century. She was buried in the Smolensk cemetery. the 1820s, people flocked to her grave to pray for her soul, and to ask her to intercede with God for them. So many visitors took earth from her grave that it had to be replaced every year. Later, a chapel was built over her grave. who turn to Saint Xenia in prayer receive healing from illness, and deliverance from their afflictions. She is also known for helping people who seek jobs.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia, exiled bJealous superiors, revived 2 Monasteries

Russia, St Petersburg, 1747,Tsarskoye Selo Icon, St Petersburg, ancient, wonderworking, Plague, cholera, fires, shipwrecks
Russia, St Petersburg, 1747,Tsarskoye Selo Icon, St Petersburg, ancient, wonderworking, Peter I, Church, Plague 1771, cholera 1831, epidemics, fires, shipwrecks; Tsarskoye Selo; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated November 27 ; Tsarskoe Selo Sign Icon of the Mother of God an ancient wonderworking icon, brought by way of a present to Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich by one of the Eastern Patriarchs, supposedly by Saint Athanasius of Constantinople (October 28). Peter I transferred the icon, together with other sacred items from Moscow, to his new capital city. the year 1747, a church was built for the icon at Tsarskoe Selo. Moliebens were served before it during times of national catastrophe, for example, during a plague in 1771, and of cholera in 1831. the intercession of the Mother of God, the terrible epidemics only barely touched Tsarskoe Selo. before the Tsarskoe Selo Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “of the Sign,” were also offered entreating the Mother of God’s help during fires and shipwrecks. the icon, Cherubim shade the head of the Mother of God. More recent copies of the icon depict the Apostle Peter, Saints Zachariah, Alexis the Man of God, and Righteous Elizabeth.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1757-1825, Iconographer, Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky, Free Mason
St Petersburg Iconographer, 1757-1825, Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky; Lukich Borovikovsky (July 24 O.S. (August 4, N.S.) 1757, Mirgorod - April 6 O.S. (April 18, N.S.) 1825, St. Petersburg) was a prominent Russian artist of Ukrainian background,[2] who served at the court of Catherine the Great and dominated portraiture in the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th century. Borovikovsky was born in Mirgorod,[3][4] Cossack Hetmanate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) on July 24, 1757 in a family with Ukrainian Cossack background.[5] His father, Luka Borovik, was an icon-painter.[6] According to the family tradition, all four of Borovik's sons served as Cossacks in Mirgorod regiment, but Vladimir retired early at the rank of poruchik and devoted his life to art — mostly icon painting for local churches. lived in Mirgorod until 1788, where he painted icons and portraits in the Cossack Baroque tradition.[7] His friend Vasily Kapnist was preparing an accommodation for Empress Catherine II in Kremenchuk during her travel to newly conquered Crimea. Kapnist asked Borovikovsky to paint two allegoric paintings (Peter I of Russia and Catherine II as peasants sowing seeds and Catherine II as a Minerva) for her rooms. The paintings so pleased the Empress that she requested that the painter move to Saint Petersburg. September 1788 Borovikovsky lived in Saint Petersburg where he changed his surname from the Cossack Borovyk to the more aristocratic-sounding Borovikovsky. For his first ten years in Saint Petersburg, he lived in the house of the poet, architect, musician and art theorist, Prince Nikolay Lvov, whose ideas strongly influenced Borovikovsky's art. At the age of 30 years, he was too old to attend St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts, so he took private lessons from Dmitry Levitzky and later from Austrian painter Johann Baptist Lampi. 1795 he was appointed an academician. He became a popular portrait painter and created about 500 portraits during his lifetime, 400 of which survived to the 21st century. He had his own studio, and often relied on assistants to paint the less important parts of a portrait. His sitters included members of the imperial family, courtiers, generals, many aristocrats, and figures from the Russian artistic and literary worlds. Most of his portraits are intimate in style. most notable are: Portrait of Catherine II, Empress of Russia (1794) Portrait of E. N. Arsenyeva (1796) Portrait of M. I. Lopukhina (1797) Portrait of F. A. Borovsky (1799) Portrait of Paul I, Emperor of Russia (1800) Portrait of Prince A. B. Kurakin (1801–1802) Portrait of Princess A. G. Gagarina and Princess V. G. Gagarina (1802). Portrait of Serbian Prince Karadjordje' 1816 never taught in the Imperial Academy of Art but pupils lived in his home. Among them were Alexey Venetsianov and Bugaevsky-Blagodarny (who painted the only survived portrait of Vladimir Borovikovsky). 1819 Borovikovsky became a Freemason, member of a lodge Dying Sphinx. At that time he mostly painted icons, including Iconostasis of the Smolensky Cemetery church and some icons for Kazan Cathedral in Saint-Petersburg. April 6, 1825 he died suddenly of a heart attack and was interred in the Lazarevskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Icon of the Mother of God œOur Lady of SitkaÂ, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1776-1837, Herman, Wonderworker, N Valaam Spruce Is Alaska, what do you love, 40 years & can't completely
Russia, St Petersburg, 1776-1837, Herman, Serpukhov merchants, Trinity-Sergius St Petersburg, Sarov, Nazarius, Sanaxar, Sergius Hermitage, Valaam on Lake Ladoga, Innocent, Serdobol marble q, Herman's wilderness, Aleutian Is, chain Kamchatka to N America, natives, 10 men selected, holy zeal several thousand accepted, school, church, Phoenix, The New Valaam — Spruce Island, his home, clothes, bed, blanket, pillow, food, fertilizer, visits, reestablish understandng in families, children, Epedemic, admonished fear, spiritual teacher, school, chapel near cell, powerful sermons w students singing, Sophia Vlasova lived there, Yanovsky, naval captain and educated men lost for an answer before him, one general question, what do you love above all, certainly we love god, but I have been trying 40 yrs, and can't love him completely, always remember him, try to please him, he talked of eternity, salvation, our destinies under God, lives of Saints, Prologue, nothing frivolous, description- short, pale, sparkly grey-blue eyes, few grey hairs, pleasant voice, Peter's martyrdom, Spanish Jesuit torture, saved by Monterey order, Supernatural gifts, icon stopping flood, moss fire break, epedemic unites the aleuts, I will not be forgotten, 30 yrs from now you will be old when I will be remembered, death prophecies; Valaam Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793 with volunteers from the monks of the Valaam Monastery. were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who had come under the sovereignty of Russia only ten years before. Saint Herman was one of the members of this mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow diocese. name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. There is a possibility, however, that his baptismal name was Gerasimus. had a great zeal for piety from his youth, and he entered monastic life at sixteen. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. also spent time at at Sarov, where he first met Father Nazarius, who became his Elder at Valaam. Later, Saint Herman followed him to Sanaxar where Saint Theodore (February 19) was their igumen. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward everything’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff), the Hieromonks, Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan and Nectarius, Hierodeacons, Nectarius and Stephen, and the monks Joasaph, and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman, himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself, “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors in behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. face was pale and covered with wrinkles. eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, on his head there were a few gray hairs. voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Herman. for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us!

Russia, St Petersburg, 1800, 19th C Folder, JoKronstadt wconvict exiles, m preachr Philosophos, hstorn Nick oBelgrd, Gatekpr Icn

Russia, St Petersburg, 1836-1882, Antipas oValaam monastery, fMoldavia Romania, tValaam 1865, clairvoyant hermit
Russia, St Petersburg, 1836-1882, Antipas oValaam monastery (Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga), father deacon mother became schemanun, fMoldavia Romania, tValaam 1865, clairvoyant hermit, fell asleep 1882; Valaam Monastery ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Antipas was born in Moldavia, Romania in 1816. father was a deacon in the village church, and his mother ended her life in a women’s monastery as a schemanun. Antipas came to Valaam Monastery from Mt Athos on November 6, 1865. spent the rest of his life in the skete at Valaam, living like a hermit. with the gift of clairvoyance, Saint Antipas fell asleep in the Lord on January 10, 1882.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1855-1908, John of Kronstadt, convict exiles, t gospel purposel, joy of living C values, m miracles t Nick
Russia, St Petersburg, 1855-1908, John of Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg, poor, difficult time to keep up in studies, prayer, veil lifted, remembered clearly, first in class, forgiveness, meekness, love, center of C, one path, C death and resurrection, m to china, m girl f Kronstadt, deacon 1855, account for deeds of his flock, daily devine services, murders etc exiled to K, hovels, stay for hours, material needs, Brotherhood for Charity, taught purpose of Gospel, joy of living C values, more miracles than Nick; Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.” After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.” John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.” conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.” He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.” appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with bov 1`redom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.” To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.” John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1880-1918, Philosophos oSt Pete, Jo Kronstadt protege&kin, moral preacher, almshouses, c builder, more
Russia, St Petersburg, 1880-1918, Philosophos oSt Petersburg, Russia (Peterburg or Petrograd), St Kronstadt protege&kin, moral education, city council, shelters, orphanages, almshouses, church builder, modest lifestyle, but handled millions, large family, needed give private lessons, mag editor&censor, friend of Tikhon&Kazansky, rector Kazan Cathedral St Pete, gave apt for infirmary WWI, support tFront Lines, preached anti communism, our intellectuals must become russian, 1918 defense oShrines, arrested, impassive&calm, Chekists broke promise, prophecy perishing like dogs Russia to be Russia again, shot, body floated in Bay near Oranienbaum; St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Philosophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31; Hieromartyr Archpriest Philosophos N. Ornatsky was born on May 21, 1860 in the churchyard of Novaya Yerga, Cherepovets County, Novgorod Governorate,1 the family of a village priest. of his brothers was married to the niece of Saint John of Kronstadt. studied first in Kirillov Theological School, and then in the Novgorod Theological Seminary. 1885 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy with the degree of Candidate. the summer of 1885, Philosophos married Elena Zaozerskaya, the daughter of the former subdeacon of Metropolitan Isidore, and soon he was ordained to the priesthood. the young priest served as rector in the church of the orphanage of the Prince of Oldenburg, where he had once taught the Law of God (catechism). 1892 to 1912, he served as the rector of the church at the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers. twenty-six years he was the chairman of the Society for the Dissemination of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church, successfully counteracting anti-church movements. 1893, Father Ornatsky was elected as a member of the St. Petersburg City Duma from the clergy and held this office until 1917. took part in the establishment of shelters in the city: orphanages and almshouses. Through his efforts in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area, twelve churches were built, the largest of which was the church of the Resurrection of Christ at the Varshavsky railway station. addition, we should also mention the churches of Daints Peter and Paul in Lesnoy, Saint Sergius of Radonezh on Novosivkovskaya Street, Saint Seraphim of Sarov behind the Narva outpost, the church of the Forerunner on the Vyborg side, Saint Gerasimos church, and Saint Isidore of Yuriev church. Saint lived quite modestly, though his was a large family (he had ten children). The whole array of public titles and offices which he held for the glory of God, did not bring in any means of subsistence. Chairman of the Temple Building Committees, large sums of money passed through his hands, yet he was obliged to give private lessons in order to feed his family. Ornatsky was also the editor and censor of such metropolitan spiritual magazines as "St. Petersburg Spiritual Herald" (published from 1894), "The Christian's Rest" (1901), and "Orthodox-Russian Word" (1902). Philosophos was one of the closest companions of the Hieromartyr Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazansky), of Petrograd and Gdovsk, when he was a student of the Theological Academy, was actively engaged in preaching activities in the working neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. of spiritual friendship also sprang up between him and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. almost twenty years, Father Philosophos was the spiritual son of Saint John of Kronstadt, who often visited him at home and blessed all his undertakings for the good of the Church. holy pastor entrusted Father Philosophos with being an intermediary in his correspondence with Saint Theophanes, the Recluse of Vysha. 1913, the Archpriest was appointed to the post of rector of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. the First World War, Father Philosophos gave up his apartment to be used as an infirmary for wounded soldiers, and he and his family moved to a small state-owned room. he went to the areas of hostilities, accompanying the transports with needed supplies for the soldiers, and trying with all his might to inspire and support the defenders of Russia. son Nicholas (born in 1886) was a military doctor who was part of the Ninth Russian Army; another son, Boris (born in 1887), was a staff captain of the 23rd Artillery Brigade, who graduated from the Konstantinov Artillery School, and fought heroically on the Austro-Hungarian front. Ornatsky's gift of preaching attracted those who were seeking the words of life, and he repeatedly urged his flock not to accept the corrupting ideas of Bolshevism. that Orthodoxy is at the heart of Russian life, Batiushka urged the intelligentsia to realize this. He never tired of repeating: "Our intellectuals have to become Russian." the Revolution, he saw his wife's sister's husband, Peter Skipetrov (+ January 20) shot before his eyes. the funeral service, Father Philosophos gave a sermon, fearlessly denouncing the Bolsheviks. He repeatedly called upon his flock to surround the churches and to protect the shrines of their land. January 1918, when Father Peter Skipetrov was killed at the Lavra, Father Philosophos organized a defense of the shrines of Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra, organizing Cross Processions to it from all the churches of the capital. August 9, 1918, he was arrested, along with his two eldest sons, Nicholas and Boris. the time of his arrest he was absolutely impassive and calm. gathered by the thousands and walked along Nevsky Prospekt, demanding the release of their shepherd. Chekists received the delegation of believers, promising to do what they asked. on the same night (July 20, 1918), Father Philósophos was transported to prison in the city of Kronstadt. October 30, 1918, thirty-two men were brought from different prisons, all officers of the Imperial Army, who were being taken to be shot. Some were young, and others were older. said he was a Colonel of the Guards. He told their escorts, "You will all perish, perhaps in twenty years, but you will perish like dogs. will be Russia again, but you will perish." Their escorts said nothing. they were being led to the place of execution, Father Philosophos read aloud the prayer for the departure of the soul over his two sons and the rest of the convicts. say the place of execution was in Kronstadt, while others say it was not far from the Gulf of Finland, between Ligovo and Oranienbaum. bodies of those who were shot were dumped into the bay. Ornatsky's body did not sink, but was tossed onto the shore by the waves near Oranienbaum. There it was buried secretly by the inhabitants. Saints were canonized as New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia at the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000 for general Church veneration. Philosophos is also commemorated on July 20, and on the Third Sunday after Pentecost (Movable Feast: Synaxis of the Saints of St. Petersburg. 1 Now the Cherepovetsky District of Vologda Oblast.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1891-1918, Hiermrtr Nikodemos, Bishop of BelgorodBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. Belgorod;

Russia, St Petersburg, 1894, Gatekeeper Icon, sick St Petersburg merchant dream, MOG told him go tIcon aUglich, healed, Wwork
Russia, Rostov, 1894, Gatekeeper Icon, Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7), sick St Petersburg merchant, dream vision, MOG told him go to icon at Uglich pray before it tbHealed, Igumen ordered search, found &Moved to Dorm Church, merchant healed, wonderworking since, Alekseev Womens M; Uglich; Úglich Portaίtissa (Gatekeeper) Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 23; Most Holy Theotokos first appeared to Igoumen Evangelos, who was the Superior of the Monastery from 1864-1872. late XIX century researcher I. Vinogradov dates the Icon's presence in the Monastery to that period. he was correct in thinking that the Icon was painted during that time, then it was lost for almost thirty years. Icon was found in the Monastery storeroom in 1894. June 23 of that year, a sick merchant from St. Petersburg arrived alone at the Monastery. Speaking to the Igoumen, he told him in detail about his illness, and of the vision he had in a dream. The Mother of God told the merchant to go to Úglich, where her Icon was located, and to pray before it, promising that he would be healed. Igoumen ordered that a search be made for the Icon. This was done, and the Icon was moved into the Monastery's Dormition church in great triumph. When the sick merchant prayed before the Icon, he soon recovered. In gratitude for the healing he had received, he covered the Icon with a silver gilded riza. that time, the wonderworking Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Theotokos has granted healing and consolation to those who resort to the Queen of Heaven with faith in her intercession before God. this Icon the Mother of God is depicted as a nun with a staff and a prayer rope in her left hand, and a candle in her right hand. This image is located in the Alekseev Women's Monastery in Úglich, Yaroslavl Province, and it is also known as the "Inextinguishable Candle." Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Mother of God bears a striking resemblance to the Igoumeness of Mount Athos Icon, which is commemorated on the second Sunday after Pentecost, along with All Saints of Mount Athos.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1900, 20th C Folder, Maria Skbtsv Orthdx socl wrk, Ben oPetrgrd nresistConfictns& ko Lvng Ch, Kilarn's r
Russia, St Petersburg, 1900, 20th C Folder, Maria Skbtsv Orthdx social wrk, Ben oPetrgrd nresistConfiscations& ko Lvng Chrch, Kilarn's rlcs

Russia, St Petersburg, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, Orthodox Social Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews, several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Russia, St Petersburg, 1917-1922, Benjamin of Petrograd, not resist confiscations, kicked L Church out, trial, shot
Russia, St Petersburg, 1917-1922, Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, 1922 Communists confiscating Church treasurers, for food for starving, he did not resist, wanted it to be voluntary, comission agreed but Moscow not, 12 living church priests called for unconditional surrender valuables, B met with authorities, substituted other property, L Church tried control from Tikhon, L Church outside C until repent, Soviets enraged, B ordered to rescind, did not, trial, false witnesses, shot; Petrograd: St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; New Hieromartyr Benjamin (Kazansky) was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd in the summer of 1917. those tumultuous times, he was one of the few people in Russia with no interest in politics. He was more concerned with caring for his diocese and his flock. 1922, the Communists began confiscating Church treasures. They professed that they wanted to sell them in order to buy food for the starving population. the people protested, there were bloody reprisals. Benjamin did not resist turning over the Church’s valuables, for he believed it was his duty to help save people’s lives. wanted this sacrifice to be voluntary, however, and not a plundering of church property by the government. March 6, 1922 Metropolitan Benjamin met with a commission which had been formed to help the starving. They agreed to his request that the dispersal of funds from voluntary contributions should be controlled by the parishes. Newspapers of that time praised the Metropolitan and his clergy for their charitable spirit. leaders in Moscow did not approve of the decision made by the Communists of Petrograd allowing voluntary contributions to be administered by the parishes, and declared that the confiscation of Church property would continue. gathered in Petrograd, shouting and throwing stones at those who were stealing from the churches. March 24, 1922 “Pravda” printed a letter from twelve priests who broke ranks with the other clergy, referring to them as “counter-revolutionaries” and blaming them for the famine. of these twelve would later be active in the “Living Church.” They called for unconditional surrender of all Church valuables to the Soviets. clergy of Petrograd were outraged by the letter from the twelve. Benjamin, hoping to avoid confrontations between the people and the Communists, tried to calm his priests. also asked for a meeting with the authorities. and Boyarsky, two of the twelve, were delegated to talk with Soviet leaders, and came to an agreement. Parishes would be permitted to keep their sacred vessels if they substituted other property of equal value. This program seemed to work well for a time. Boyarsky, and others tried to wrest control of the Church from Patriarch Tikhon and the bishops. informed Metropolitan Benjamin of the new state of affairs, declaring that Vvedensky had been appointed as the Petrograd representative of the new Church administration. Metropolitan could not accept this threat to Church order, so he proclaimed that Vvedensky would be regarded as being outside the Church until he repented of his error. decree was published in the newspapers, and served to enrage the Soviets. and the Petrograd commandant Bakaev went to see the Metropolitan and ordered him to rescind his decree. If he did not, they told him, he and others close to him would be placed on trial. They warned Metropolitan Benjamin that he and others would be put to death if he made the wrong choice. He refused to submit. courageous archpastor began meeting with his friends in order to say farewell. He also gave instructions for the administration of the diocese. A few days later, the Metropolitan was placed under house arrest. Not long after that, he was taken to prison. his trial began, the Metropolitan entered the courtroom with Bishop Benedict and other clergy. When everyone stood up for him, Metropolitan Benjamin blessed them. judges tried to get the Metropolitan to renounce the idea of the parishes voluntarily contributing church valuables in order to feed the hungry, or to provide the names of those who had conceived this idea. It would suit their purposes very well if he could be made to “repent” or back away from his previous statements and submit to the authorities. other clergy and civilians on trial with Metropolitan Benjamin did not try to ingratiate themselves with the court, and did not accuse others in order to win leniency for themselves. the trial, Archimandrite Sergius (Shein) explained that as a monk he had renounced the world in order to dedicate himself to God. Only the flimsiest of threads still connected him with the outside world, he asserted. “Does this tribunal imagine,” he said, “that severing this thread which connects me with life could frighten me? Do your deed. I pity you, and I pray for you.” trial lasted for two weeks, and the prosecutors presented witnesses who had been hired to bring false accusations against the defendants. witnesses were called, and their testimony seemed to support Metropolitan Benjamin and to weaken the government’s case against him. certain professor of the Technological Institute named Egorov angered the court by his testimony. He was accused of being a follower of the Metropolitan, so he was arrested on the spot. spite of all the evidence, the defendants were found guilty. Government supporters and members of the Red Army in the court broke into applause. defense attorney addressed the court, saying that he knew that any pleas he might offer would be useless. “Political considerations come first with you, and all verdicts must favor your policy,” he declared. though everyone understood that the trial was a farce, the Soviet government could not afford to make a martyr out of Metropolitan Benjamin. The example of history, he pointed out, should warn them against such a course. the defense attorney had finished, there was loud clapping. The judges tried to restore order, but found that many Communists in the audience had also joined in the applause. defendants were given a chance to speak, and the Metropolitan stood to address the court. He said it grieved him to be called an enemy of the people, for he had always loved the people and dedicated his life to them. The rest of his comments were a defense of the others on trial with him. the presiding judge asked him to say something about himself, he said that no matter what sentence the court decreed he would thank God by saying, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee for all things.” 9:00 P.M. on July 5, the chairman of the tribunal announced that ten defendants, including the Metropolitan, were to be shot. Benjamin and those with him (Archimandrite Sergius, George, and John of Petrograd) were executed on July 31, 1922. had been shaved and dressed in rags so that the firing squad would not know that they were shooting members of the clergy. saints are also commemorated at the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (January 25 or the Sunday after the 25th).

Russia, St Petersburg, 1990, Glorification oSt John oKronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 14; John of Kronstadt was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990. He is also commemorated on December 20.

Russia, St Petersvurg, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Rlcs, Vereiya, Kaluga, a 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey
Russia, Kaluga, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga (Protva River 1), after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11; New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) fell asleep in the Lord on December 15, 1929 after spending six years in labor camps. Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) of Leningrad obtained permission from the authorities to take Saint Hilarion's body from the prison hospital for burial, he vested him in white vestments and a mitre, and then brought him to the church at Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. the Saint's relatives saw his body, they barely recognized him. His years in the labor camps had changed his appearance from that of a man of forty-four into a grey-haired old man. Seraphim presided at the funeral service and burial, assisted by Archbishop Alexei (Simansky), the future Patriarch of Moscow, and five other hierarchs. Saint Hilarion was buried in the cemetery of Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. relics of Saint Hilarion were found on July 11, 1998. May 10, 1999, Saint Hilarion, the Archbishop of Verey, was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. On the eve of his canonization, the Holy Hieromartyr’s relics were uncovered and transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow and were placed in the church of the Sretensky Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, St Petersburg, North Side Folder, Karelian Isthmus, Sestra River

Sestra River

Sestra River Source (Karelian Istmus)
The Sestra River is the natural boundary between both Russia and Sweden, and Russia and Finland.

Karelian Isthmus, North Side St Petersburg
Karelian Isthmus; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18;

Vysotsk, North St Petersburg, Russia
Vysotsk; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12

Kakisalmi, Russia (Karelian Isthmus)
Kakisalmi; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7;

Sestra River 1

Sestra River Mouth (Gulf of Finland)

Peter and Paul cathedral, northside St Petersberg, 1712
Peter and Paul Cathedral St. Petersburg; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy
Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russian Thebaid of the North, Saint Petersburg
Russian Thebaid of the North; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1;

Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Saint Andrew's Cathedral, Kronstadt Island, North St Petersburg
Saint Andrew's Cathedral, Kronstadt; Repose of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on December 20; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 14;

Russia, St Petersburg, Volkhov River Folder

Volkhov River 3 (Oskuya Mouth)

Volkhov River 4 (Tigoda Mouth)

Volkhov River 5 (Volkhov)

Volkhov, St Petersburg (Volkhov River 5)
Volkhov; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, commemorated August 3;

Zelenets (Green Island), Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, St Petersburg, 1582
Zelenets, Trinity Zelenets Monestary, Volkhov District, Zelenets (Green Island); Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1;

Staraya Ladoga
Staraya Ladoga; St Nicholas Monastery &Fortress, Lake Ladoga ; Ladoga Fortress; a rural locality (a selo) in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) north of the town of Volkhov, the administrative center of the district. used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was dominated by Scandinavians who were called by the name of Rus'. For that reason, it is sometimes called the first capital of Russia.[7] Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17;

Volkhov River Mouth (St Petersburg, South Central Lake Ladoga)

St Nicholas Monastery &Fortress, Lake Ladoga
St Nicholas Monastery &Fortress, Lake Ladoga ; Ladoga Fortress; a rural locality (a selo) in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) north of the town of Volkhov, the administrative center of the district. used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was dominated by Scandinavians who were called by the name of Rus'. For that reason, it is sometimes called the first capital of Russia.[7] Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17;

Ladoga Fortress (Volkhov River 5.5)
Ladoga Fortress; a rural locality (a selo) in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River near Lake Ladoga, 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) north of the town of Volkhov, the administrative center of the district. used to be a prosperous trading outpost in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was dominated by Scandinavians who were called by the name of Rus'. For that reason, it is sometimes called the first capital of Russia.[7] Transfer of the relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Ondrusov, Wonderworker, Commemorated on May 17;

Russia, St Petersburg, Syas River Folder

Syas River

Syas River Source (Valdai Hills)

Syas River 1

Syas River 2 (Overview)

Syas River 3

Syas River 4

Syas River 6 (Tikhvinka River)

Russia, St Petersburg, Syas River 6, Tikhvin River Folder

Tikhvinka River

Tikhvinka River Source (Lake Yeglino)

Tikhvinka River 1

Dymsk, Novgorod (near Tikhvin, St. Petersburg)
Dymsk on Lake Dyma on the outskirts of Tikhvin; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Dyma Lake, Tikhvin, St Petersburg
but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24;

Tikhvinka River 2 (Tikhvin)

Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2)
Tikhvin; Icon of the Mother of God œthe ConverserÂ, Commemorated on August 14; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated January 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œTikhvinÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 17 ; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Tikhvin Assumption Monastery, 1560
Tikhvin Assumption Monastery; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ;

Tikhvinka River Mouth (Syas River 6)

Syas River Mouth (Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg)

Russia, St Petersburg, South Side Folder, Winter Palace, Spiritual Academy, Gatchina Road

Izhora River

Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage (near St Petersburg) 1734
St Sergius Hermitage; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Sergius Coastal Monastery of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in Petrograd, 1734
Sergius Coastal Monastery of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in Petrograd The poustinia was founded in 1734 as a branch of the great Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in the immediate vicinity of the new Russian capital, St. Petersburg. Catherine Ivanovna, Peter the Great's niece, owned a manor on the bank of the Gulf of Finland. After her death Empress Anna presented the land to her confessor Varlaam, who was also in charge of the Trinity Lavra. katholikon, as photographed by Count von Nostitz in the 1860s earliest buildings of the monastery, including the pentacupolar cathedral, the outer wall and the towers, were designed by Pietro Antonio Trezzini. They were Baroque in character. It was not until 1764 that Strelna Monastery was designated a separate poustinia. Many monks from Strelna entered the Navy to serve as ship chaplains. Saint Herman of Alaska was one of those monks. golden age of the monastery is associated with Saint Ignatius Bryanchaninov who was in charge of the poustinia between 1834 and 1857. Bryanchaninov had the monastery transformed by Aleksey Gornostayev into a showcase for the Russian Revival style. The new Ascension Cathedral was built to a Neo-Byzantine design. the Russian Revolution the Soviets suppressed the monastery (1931), destroyed the cemetery and adapted the grounds to serve as a labor camp, or a work farm. The buildings sustained further damage during World War II. After the property was occupied by a police school in the early 1960s, Trezzini's cathedral and several other churches were blown up. The remaining buildings were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1993. Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd; - Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated on July 31 Sergius (Shein) was executed along with Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd on July 31, 1922. During his trial, he explained that as a monk he had renounced the world in order to dedicate himself to God. Only the flimsiest of threads still connected him with the outside world, he asserted. “Does this tribunal imagine,” he said, “that severing this thread which connects me with life could frighten me? Do your deed. I pity you, and I pray for you.” a short deliberation, the chairman of the tribunal announced that Metropolitan Benjamin and ten others were to be shot. The prisoners were taken from jail and executed a few miles from Petrograd.

Oranienbaum, Russian Royal Residence, St Petersburg
Oranienbaum, Russian Royal Residence, St Petersburg; (Russian: Ораниенба́ум) is a Russian royal residence, located on the Gulf of Finland west of St. Petersburg. The Palace ensemble and the city centre are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 1707, four years after Peter the Great founded Saint Petersburg, he gave the grounds near the seaside to his right-hand man, Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov. commissioned the architects Giovanni Maria Fontana and Gottfried Schädel, who built his residence, the Grand Menshikov Palace from 1710 to 1727 (not to be confused with Menshikov Palace in Saint Petersburg, built by the same architects around the same time). central part of the Palace is connected by two galleries with two domed Japanese and Church Pavilions. The Lower Garden, decorated with fountains and sculptures, and the Upper Garden were laid out at the same time. The Palace is located near the Lower Park, whose composite axis is a channel leading to the sea. This channel is an imitation of one designed by Peter himself at his nearby residence of Peterhof Palace. was deposed shortly after Peter's death, and died in exile, and the palace passed out of his family. 1743, Oranienbaum became the summer residence of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch, the heir of Empress Elizabeth (the future Emperor Peter III). the last ten years of Elizabeth's reign, Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli reconstructed the Grand Palace, adding beauty to its decor. 1756 to 1762, the architect Antonio Rinaldi built the Peterstadt Fortress ensemble on the bank of the Karost River for Grand Duke Peter Fedorovitch. 1762, Empress Catherine II ordered the construction of the suburb residence called "My Own Countryside House". that purpose Rinaldi built the Chinese Palace (1762–1768), a mix of Baroque architecture, Classicism and Chinese motifs, the Katalnaya Gorka (roller coaster) Pavilion (1762–1774), a cupola pavilion, and the Gates of Honor with the tower crowned by a spire. Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum the outside, the Chinese palace is a relatively simple building, single-storey except for the small central pavilion, painted in a mellow combination of ochre and yellow. seventeen rooms inside, decorated by Rinaldi and other leading artists and craftsmen of the day, feature pink, blue and green scagliola, painted silks, and intricate stucco work. Rinaldi's parquet floors are wonderfully ornate, using several types of rare Russian and imported wood. the highlights of the Chinese Palace interiors are the Glass Beaded Salon, the walls of which are hung with 12 panels of richly coloured tapestries depicting exotic birds and fauna. fine white glass beads that form the backdrop of the tapestries give the whole room a diaphanous, shimmering quality that was designed to be particularly effective in the glowing twighlight of the White Nights. full influence of Chinoiserie is in evidence in the Large Chinese Salon, where the walls are covered with marquetry paneling of wood and walrus ivory depicting oriental landscapes, and large Chinese lanterns hanging in the corners. The room also contains an English-made billiard table with superb wood carving. Upper Park was laid out from 1750 to 1770. palace was the site of two opera premieres to libretti by Metastasio in the middle of the eighteenth century, Amor prigioniero (one act, composed by Francesco Araia, 1755), and Semiramide riconosciuta (three acts, composed by Vincenzo Manfredini, 1760).[1] the 19th century Oranienbaum became a noble manor. World War II, Oranienbaum suffered to a much lesser extent than other suburbs of St. Petersburg, since defense was deployed here on the so-called “Oranienbaum Bridgehead”. the ensemble became desolate in the post-war period, and its serious restoration began only in the late 1990s. Restoration Of Oranienbaum has been a slow process. Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof restorations were given higher priority, and that is one reason Oranienbaum is a less-visited attraction. the city which grew up around the palace see Lomonosov, Russia. Hieromartyr Philosophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31;

Kopore Fortress (relative high point, southwest of St Petersburg)
Kopore; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23, The Teutonic Knights remained a dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 St Alexander recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov.;

Orlov (Gatchina Palace)
Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Gatchina Palace, 1766
Gatchina Palace; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ;

Gatchina (Road St Petersburg to Pskov)
Gatchina (Road St Petersburg to Pskov); Gatchina Palace; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Pavlovsk Institute - Pavlovsk Palace, St Petersburg, 1777
Pavlovsk Institute - Pavlovsk Palace; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4

Sophia Cathedral, Pushkin, St Petersburg
Sophia Cathedral, in Sophia, near Pushkin and St. Petersburg ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23;

Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg
Tsarskoye Selo; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated November 27 ;

Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg
Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

St. Petersburg University, 1724
St. Petersburg University; St Euthymius (Takaishvili);

Moscow Triumphal Gate, St Petersburg, 1834, for 1829 victory over Turks
Moscow Triumphal Gate; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Metropolitan Philaret was asked to dedicate the new Triumphal Gate in Moscow, and Tsar Nicholas I was also present. Seeing statues of pagan gods on the Gate, the Metropolitan refused to bless it. The Tsar became angry, and many people criticized the saint™s refusal to participate. He felt that he had followed his conscience in this matter, but still felt disturbed by it, and so he prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep. He was awakened around 5 A.M. by the sound of someone opening the door which he usually kept locked. The Metropolitan sat up and saw Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) leaning over his bed. œDon'™t worry,Â he said, It will all pass.Then he disappeared.

Resurrection-New Divyevo Monastery, Moskovskiy Ave., 100, St. Petersburg 196084
Resurrection-New Divyevo Monastery, Moskovskiy Ave., 100, St. Petersburg 196084; Moscow Triumphal Gate; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Metropolitan Philaret was asked to dedicate the new Triumphal Gate in Moscow, and Tsar Nicholas I was also present. Seeing statues of pagan gods on the Gate, the Metropolitan refused to bless it. The Tsar became angry, and many people criticized the saint™s refusal to participate. He felt that he had followed his conscience in this matter, but still felt disturbed by it, and so he prayed until he finally dropped off to sleep. He was awakened around 5 A.M. by the sound of someone opening the door which he usually kept locked. The Metropolitan sat up and saw Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25) leaning over his bed. œDon'™t worry,Â he said, It will all pass.Then he disappeared. Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21;

St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1797
St Petersburg Theological Academy; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 3; Saint Theophan the Recluse, Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ;

St Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy, St Petersburg, 1797
St Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ;

St Petersburg Naval Academy, 1701
St Petersburg Naval Academy; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg, 1801, western, enlightened, modeled on Peter's Basilica Rome
Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg; Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor , also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, one of the most venerated icons in Russia. of the cathedral started in 1801 and continued for ten years under the supervision of Alexander Sergeyevich Stroganov.[2] its completion in 1811, the new temple replaced the Church of Nativity of the Theotokos, which was disassembled when the Kazan Cathedral was consecrated. architect Andrey Voronikhin[3] modelled the building on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.[2] Some art historians assert that Emperor Paul (reigned 1796–1801) intended to build a similar church on the other side of Nevsky Prospect that would mirror the Kazan Cathedral, but such plans failed to materialize.[citation needed] Although the Russian Orthodox Church strongly disapproved of the plans to create a replica of a Catholic basilica in Russia's then capital, several courtiers supported Voronikhin's Empire Style design. Napoleon invaded Russia (1812) and the commander-in-chief General Mikhail Kutuzov asked Our Lady of Kazan for help, the church's purpose altered. The Patriotic War over, Russians saw the cathedral primarily as a memorial to their victory over Napoleon.[3] Kutuzov himself was interred in the cathedral in 1813; and Alexander Pushkin wrote celebrated lines meditating over his sepulchre. In 1815 keys to seventeen cities and eight fortresses were brought by the victorious Russian army from Europe and placed in the cathedral's sacristy. In 1837, Boris Orlovsky designed two bronze statues of Kutuzov and of Barclay de Tolly which stand in front of the cathedral. 1896 Photochrom print 1876 the Kazan demonstration, the first political demonstration in Russia, took place in front of the church. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the authorities closed the cathedral (January 1932). In November 1932 it reopened as the pro-Marxist "Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism".[4] or, as one contemporary writer put it more baldly, "Leningrad's largest antireligious museum", complete with Spanish Inquisition waxworks.[5] Services resumed in 1992, and four years later the cathedral was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. As of 2017 it functions as the mother cathedral of the metropolis of St. Petersburg. cathedral's interior, with its numerous columns, echoes the exterior colonnade and is reminiscent of a palatial hall, being 69 metres in length and 62 metres in height. The interior features numerous sculptures and icons created by the best Russian artists of the day. A wrought-iron grille separating the cathedral from a small square behind it is sometimes cited as one of the finest ever constructed.[6][7] cathedral's huge bronze doors are one of four copies of the original doors of the Baptistery in Florence, Italy (the other three are at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, United States, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, United States, and at the Florence Baptistery itself). Kazan Cathedral is considered to be the model for the neoclassical style of Helsinki Cathedral, one of the most iconic landmarks of Helsinki, Finland.[8] Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Alexandrovsky (Shuvalov) Palace
Alexandrovsky Shuvalov Palace; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

Alexander Nevsky Lavra, St Petersburg, 1710
Alexander Nevsky Lavra ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925);

Trinity Cathedral, Alexander Nevsky Lavra, St Petersburg, 1778
Alexander Nevsky Lavra ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925);

Smolensk cemetery, St Petersburg
Smolensk cemetery; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ;

Vasili Island, St Petersburg
Vasili Island; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7;

Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers"™ School
Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers™ School or Imperial Military Aademy in Saint Petersberg; Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Imperial Military Academy
Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers' School or Imperial Military Aademy in Saint Petersberg; Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Academy of Arts in St Petersburg, Russia
Academy of Arts in St Petersburg, Russia; Icon of the Mother of God "œOur Lady of Sitka"Â, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Saint Petersburg State University, 1724
Saint Petersburg State University; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20;

Winter Palace Cathedral, southside St Petersburg, 1763
Winter Palace Cathedral; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Winter Palace, southside St. Petersburg, 1732
Winter Palace; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Izhora Plateau
Izhora Plateau;

Izhora River Source (Skvoritsy springs, Izhora Plateau)

Izhora River 1

Izhora River 2

Izhora River Mouth (Neva River)
Izhora River;

Gatchina Road (Pskov to St Petersburg by Gotchina Palace)

Gatchina Road 1 - Pskov

Gatchina Road 2, Batesky, high point between Pakov, Novgorod and St Petersburg, many lakes, Basin. source of rivers

Gatchina Road 3, Oredezhsk

Gatchina Road 4, high point source of Oredezh River

Gatchina Road 5, Gatchina Palace

Gatchina Road 6, St Petersburg University

Gatchina Road 7, St Petersburg

Russia, St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda Folder

Lake Onega, Eastern St Petersburg area
Lake Onega; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Jonah, Abbot of Klimetzk, Commemorated on June 6;

Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg area
Lake Ladoga; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Macarius of Oredezhsk, Commemorated August 9; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga near St Petersburg) settled 1329
Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga); Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Shlisselburg Fortress, 1323, Lake Ladoga
Shlisselburg Fortress; Translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Valaamo monastery (Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga) 1329
Valaam Monastery ; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

an island, Sala (the Thicket)
Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26;

The Peninsula of Lake Ladoga
Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26;

Serdobol (near St Petersburg) marble quarry, Father Herman of Alaska
Serdobol at the north end of Lake Ladoga. Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ;

Konevits Island, , Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg
Konevits; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; Konevits Icon of the Mother of God: It was with this icon of Greek origin that John, igumen of one of the Athonite monasteries, blessed Saint Arsenius, founder of the Konevits monastery (June 12). The holy icon was glorified by many miracles. the year 1610, during an invasion of the Swedes into the Novgorod territory, the icon was transferred from the Konevits monastery to the Novgorod Derevianits monastery with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod. Each year on July 10 a festal celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos took place at this monastery in honor of Her holy icon. In the year 1799, with the blessing of the Metropolitan Gabriel of Petersburg and Novgorod (+ January 26, 1801), the wonderworking icon was returned to the Konevits monastery. The return of the icon to the Konevits Monastery is celebrated on September 3. Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Konevits Monestary, Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg, 1393
Konevits Monestary; Konevits; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; Konevits Icon of the Mother of God: It was with this icon of Greek origin that John, igumen of one of the Athonite monasteries, blessed Saint Arsenius, founder of the Konevits monastery (June 12). The holy icon was glorified by many miracles. the year 1610, during an invasion of the Swedes into the Novgorod territory, the icon was transferred from the Konevits monastery to the Novgorod Derevianits monastery with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod. Each year on July 10 a festal celebration of the Most Holy Theotokos took place at this monastery in honor of Her holy icon. In the year 1799, with the blessing of the Metropolitan Gabriel of Petersburg and Novgorod (+ January 26, 1801), the wonderworking icon was returned to the Konevits monastery. The return of the icon to the Konevits Monastery is celebrated on September 3. Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12;

Russia, St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Svir River Folder

Chud People, Land of the Chud People (east of St Petersburg)
Chud People; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8;

Kizhi Island in Lake Onega, St Petersburg area
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega
Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega; Venerable Jonah, Abbot of Klimetzk, Commemorated on June 6 ;

Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega, St Petersburg area
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Murom monastery, Church of the Ressurection of Lararus, 1360
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8;

Kizhi Pogost, 1360 & 1690
Kizhi Pogost, 1690; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8;

Pali island in Lake Onega
Pali island in Lake Onega; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Petrozavodsk, Lake Onega, St. Petersburg, Svir River side
Petrozavodsk; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5;

Svir River

Svir River Source (Lake Onega)

Obonezh Pyatina, division of Novgorod Northeast of Novgorod to White Sea, Svir River
Pyatina; Obonezhskaya Pyatina; Obonezhskaya Pyatina was located to the northeast of Novgorod, on the right bank of the Volkhov. This pyatina continued north to Lake Onega and further to the White Sea. In terms of the current administrative division, it included parts of Novgorod, Leningrad, Vologda, and Arkhangelsk Oblasts, and the Republic of Karelia.

Khavronin on the River Svira, St Petersburg
Khavronin on the River Svira; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30;

Svir River 1 (Holy Lakes, Svir)

Holy Lakes
Holy Lakes ; Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ; Alexander-Svirsky Monastery was founded in 1487, when a monk of the Valaam Monastery, named Alexander, settled between Roschinsky and Holy lakes, 20 km to the east from Lake Ladoga and 6 km from the Svir River. Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Alexander-Svirsky Monastery of the Holy Trinity, St Petersburg area, 1487
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ; This monastery was orignally the rich estate Andreevschina of Saint Adrian of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Svir (Siya), St Petersburg area (Lake Ladoga, Svir River 1)
Svir River; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; St Macarius of Oredezhsk, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on September 24; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Andreevschina Estate
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ; This monastery was orignally the rich estate Andreevschina of Saint Adrian of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Svir River Mouth (Lake Ladoga)

Mandera (River Oyata Mouth at Svir River near Lake Ladoga)
Mandera (River Oyata Mouth at Svir River near Lake Ladoga); Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated August 30 ;

Olonka River

Olonets Land (Northwestern Imperial Russia, Finland to White Sea)
Olonets Land; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Olonets, near St Petersburg (Olonka River, Lake Ladoka)
Olonets; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated on August 21; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Paleostrov and Olonets, Karelia, Russia
Paleostrov and Olonets, Karelia, Russia ; St Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, Commemorated August 21 ; Cornelius of Paleostrov and Olonets, born at Pskov, was the founder of monastic life on Pali island in Lake Onega at the end of the fourteenth century. Despite the desolation of the island, brethren soon gathered near him. He built for them a church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and a trapeza church in honor of the holy Prophet Elias. saint spent the final years of his life in a cave half a verst from the monastery, in unceasing prayer. The ascetic added the wearing of heavy chains to his struggles. saint’s blessed repose occurred around the year 1420. His relics were transferred to the monastery church by his disciple, Saint Abramius of Paleostrov (August 21), who was also glorified by his ascetical life, and was buried in the Paleostrov monastery beside his Elder. St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Russia, St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Neva River Folder

Neva River

Neva River Source (Lake Ladoga)

Shlisselburg, Neva River Source, Lake Ladoga
Shlisselburg; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30;

Neva River Mouth (Neva Bay, Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea)

Battle of the Neva, 1240, Orthodox over Catholic Swedes, Norwegians and Finns, and Teutonic Knights
St Petersburg, 1240, Battle of the Neva; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Russia, St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Volda Lake Folder

Ileksa River

Ileksa River Source, Above Vodla Lake

Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? (above Vodla Lake)
Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? This is the location of the only church in the area. Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated on November 20;

Ileksa River Mouth (Vodla Lake)
Ileksa River;

Vodla River

Vodla River Source (Vodla Lake)

Vodla Lake, St Petersburg drainage
Lake Vodla or Lake Vodlozero; Venerable Diodorus the Abbot of Yuregorsk, Commemorated November 20 ;

Vodla River Mouth (Lake Onega)
Vodla River;

Russia, St Petersburg, Luga River Folder

Luga River

Luga River Second Source

Luga River Source (high point Pskov Novgorod - St Petersburg divide, along the border)

Luga River 1 (Oredezh, Oredezh River Mouth)

Russia, St Petersburg, Luga River 1, Oredezh River Folder

Oredezh River

Oredezh Source, Lake Kyurlevsky Karyer high point

Oredezh River 1

Oredezh River 2 (Vyritsa)

Vyritsa, South of St Petersburg (Oredezh River 2)
Vyritsa; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21;

Oredezh River 3

Oredezh River Mouth (Luga River 2)

Oredezhsk (O River Mouth, Luga River 1)
Oredezhsk; St Macarius of Oredezhsk, Commemorated on August 9 ;

Luga River 3

Luga River 4 Yam

Yam, Russia (Luga River 4)
Yam, Russia; is an ancient town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the Luga River 138 kilometers (86 mi) southwest of St. Petersburg, 20 kilometers (12 mi) east of Narva, and 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of the Gulf of Finland.

Luga River Mouth (Gulf of Finland)

Batetsky District (basin of Rivers Verenda and Sheldon)
Batetsky District (basin of Rivers Verenda (southeast) and Sheldon (southwest));

Russia, St Petersburg, St Petersburg Roads Folder

Volga Trade Route 1 (Ladoga, Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg)

Volga Trade Route (St Petersberg, Lake Ladoga to the Caspian Sea)

Moscow to St Petersburg 12 (St Petersburg)

Amber Road 20 (St Petersberg)

Amber Road (Mediterranean Sea to Baltic Sea)

Gatchina Road from Peskov at 1, by Gatchina Palace at 5, to St Petersburg at 7

Russia, Kaluga Folder, and its rivers, North side of the Oka, along M Trail

Kaluga district (East European Plain)
Kaluga Oblast ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Kaluga governance
Kaluga governance; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ;

Russia, Kaluga History Folder

Russia, Kaluga, 800, 9th C Folder, Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin

Russia, Kaluga, 800, Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin
Vyatichi, 9th - 12th Century, Slavic People of the Oka Basin; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27;

Russia, Kaluga, 1300, 14th C Folder, Battle of Kulikovo Field, Prince Vladimir tBold wDimitri Donskoi

Russia, Kaluga, 1373-1410, Vladimir the Bold, Prince with Dimitri Donskoi
Kaluga, 1373-1410, Vladimir the Bold, Prince with Dimitri Donskoi, aka Serpukhov prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12;

Russia, Kaluga, 1380, Battle of Kulikovo Field
Battle of Kulikovo; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius;

Russia, Kaluga, 1400, 15th C Folder, Great Stand otUgra River 1480

Russia, Kaluga, 1480, Great stand on the Ugra river
Kaluga, Great stand on the Ugra river, 1480 ; Great Stand on the Ugra River was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy in 1480 on the banks of the Ugra River, which ended when the Tatars departed without conflict. It is seen in Russian historiography as the end of Tatar/Mongol rule over Moscow.[1] 1 Background 2 Campaign 3 Reasons for Akhmed's withdrawal 4 Results 5 See also 6 Sources and footnotes 7 Further reading main Russian defense line ran along the Oka River from Kaluga east toward Nizhny Novgorod. At Kaluga the Oka bends sharply from north to east and the defense line was extended westward along the Ugra River. The land west and south of Kaluga was claimed by Lithuania. At this time Ivan III was uniting the lands north of the Oka. At the same time the Golden Horde was breaking up and the steppe remnant came to be called the Great Horde. IV Jagiellon of Poland-Lithuania was allied with the Great Horde, while Russia was allied with Crimea against the Horde. 1472 Akhmed of the Great Horde raided the Oka at Aleksin but was driven off. 1476 Russia officially stopped paying tribute to the Tatars. late 1479 Ivan quarreled with his brothers, Andrey Bolshoy and Boris of Volotsk, who began intriguing with Casimir. This internal conflict may have influenced Akhmed's decision to attack. Stand on the Ugra River is located in Central Federal DistrictNizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod Ugra River. Yellow and Red: Oka River. red squares are military centers during the war. X's are Ivan's bases at Kremenskoye and Borovsk. base at Vorotynsk was just south of the Ugra-Oka junction late May news of the pending invasion reached Moscow. Nesin[2] says it was the largest Tatar army in the fifteenth century. One faction wanted to flee north, but was overruled. In June Ivan sent troops south to the Oka: to Serpukhov under his son Ivan the Young, to Tarusa under his brother Andrey the Less and Ivan himself to Kolomna. Tatar scouting parties soon appeared south of the Oka. Russian outposts reported that Akhmed was tending northwest so Russian troops were moved west toward Kaluga. Forces from Tver moved toward the Ugra. Around 30 September (date uncertain) Ivan returned to Moscow to meet with his bishops and boyars and major decisions were made. The quarrel with his brothers was settled and their troops began moving toward the Oka. The state treasury and royal family were moved north to Beloozero and some cities were evacuated. Vasily Nozdrovaty and the exiled Crimean khan Nur Devlet were sent east down the Oka and Volga to attack Akhmed in the rear.[3] Meanwhile, Akhmed had moved northward between the upper Don and Oka and at an uncertain date made camp at Vorotynsk just south of the Ugra-Oka junction on the west side of the Oka. Here he waited for Casimir, who never came. Casimir was tied down fighting the Crimeans in Podolia, but he may have had other reasons. On 3 October Ivan moved to Kremenskoye (then called 'Kremenets' [4]) to watch the front. Nesin[5] gives the Russian front as 60 versts (kilometers), but does not specify its start and end points. 6–8 October Akhmed moved his troops up to the Ugra. Fighting began at one o'clock on the eighth and continued for almost four days. All attempts to cross the river failed, largely because of Russian firearms and because the river was wide enough to make Tatar arrows ineffective. The battlefield extended five kilometers along the Ugra from its mouth westward. Akhmed withdrew two versts (kilometers) south to a place called Luza (location?). He then tried to secretly move his troops to a place called 'Opakhov', but his movement was detected and the crossing blocked. Ivan began negotiations with Akhmed which led nowhere but gave Ivan time to bring up more troops. Both sides spent the next month watching each other across the river, this being the standoff proper. was getting late in the season and both sides knew that once the river froze solid it would no longer be a barrier. Akhmed could concentrate his forces and break the thin Russian line at any point. Ivan's best plan was to pull back and concentrate his force. On 26 October Ivan began moving troops from the Ugra northeast to Kremenskoye and then east to Borovsk. Here he had a good defensive position to protect Moscow and could strike in any direction if Akhmed chose to advance. Instead of advancing, on 8 November Akhmed began to withdraw. News of the retreat reached Ivan on 11 November. On his retreat, Akhmed raided 12 Lithuanian towns, including Mtsensk. His son Murtaza raided some villages south of the Oka until the Russians drove him off. On 28 November Ivan returned to Moscow. In January 1481 Akhmed was killed by Ibak Khan. for Akhmed's withdrawal[edit] wrote "It should have been an odd image: two armies ran away from each other, not pursued by anyone", but it is now clear that the two withdrawals were independent. motive is clear, but Akhmed's motives are a matter of guesswork.[6] Casimir's failure to appear is clearly important. Nesin thinks that a major factor was the end of Ivan's quarrel with his brothers and the resulting additional troops. The impending Russian winter was a consideration. The longer the standoff lasted the more troops Ivan could bring up while Akhmed's reserves were few and far away. The Tatar horses, and the sheep they drove with them for food, gradually consumed the local fodder. There are reports of disease in his army. Akhmed may have thought Ivan's withdrawal was a ruse to draw him into an ambush, a common steppe tactic. Even if there were no ambush, he would have to fight an army in a prepared position, or try to bypass it. The Tatars preferred hit-and-run raids and Akhmed may not have wished to attack a concentrated army. The sources do not explain why he did not try to outflank the Russian line by moving west. His wise, but seemingly cowardly, withdrawal probably contributed to his death a few months later. January 6, 1481, Akhmat Khan was killed in a clash with the Nogais under Ibak Khan, a princeling from the Khanate of Sibir. In 1502, Crimea destroyed the Great Horde as an organization thereby removing the buffer between Russia and Crimea and leading to a series of Russo-Crimean wars that lasted until 1784. national history, the Ugra Standoff is taken as the end of the so-called "Tatar Yoke". Modern writers are more skeptical and see it as an important landmark in the gradual expansion of Russia and the gradual decline of the Mongol Empire. the most important result of the Russo-Crimean alliance was its effect on Lithuania. In 1480–1515, Muscovy (Russia) expanded out of its Oka-Volga cradle west to Smolensk and southwest across the Ugra and down the west side of the Oka as far as Novgorod-Seversky. Russo-Kazan Wars 1438-1552; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23;

Russia, Kaluga, 1500, 16th C Folder, Crimean Tartar War, Laurence Fool FC inspired soldiers, David oSerpukhov's Wilderness M

Russia, Kaluga, 1512-1515, Laurence, Fool f Christ, Kaluga, sharp axe, suddenly board prince's ship, inspired soldiers
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Kaluga, 1512, Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga, Laurence, Fool for Christ
Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Russia, Kaluga, 1515, David oSerpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6), built Davidov Wilderness Monastery
Russia, Kaluga, 1515, David oSerpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6), built Davidov Wilderness Monastery; Serpukhov; Saint David of Serpukhov, Commemorated on October 18; David of Serpukhov, a disciple of Saint Paphnutius of Borov (May 1), lived as a hermit at the River Lopasna, 23 versts from Serpukhov. In 1515, on the right bank of the river, he built a church dedicated to the Ascension, and laid the foundations of the Davidov wilderness monastery.

Russia, Kaluga, 1700, 18th C Folder, Kaluga Icon War Hero & Plague stopper, Wonderworker Herman oAlaska from Serpukhov

Russia, Kaluga, 1740-1800, Barsanuphius tGreat&His disciple John tProphet, both wonderworking, raised the dead etc, humble
Palestine, 483-565 or 600, Barsanuphius tGreat &John tProphet, Abba Seridus Monastery, Gaza, Palestine (Way of the Sea 5), time oJustinian I, B fEgypt, ascetic from youth, built small cell, solitude, later his disciple John lived same cell 18yrs till death, J aClairvoyant prophet, B built another cell near monastery, which sent him 3 loaves bread per week, 50 years work&Ascetic deeds, Pat Eustochios oJerusalem heard &Wanted see for self, tried dig under wall tEnter Cell, flames burst forth, devoted to prayer, high degree spiritual perfection, manuscript accounts oB&J, accounts translated Moldavian&Slavonic languages, Paisius Velichkovsk lifetime 1740's-90's, publication 1800's by Optina Elders, B attained heights oHumility, reasoning, and fiery love, Lord gave him gifts oDiscernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking, he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses, things he blessed received divine power and grace, (for exampe: a weed took away monk's headache), even his name, when invoked mentally, gave help when called upon it, rain from his prayers, his predictions always came true, he got these gifts after many yrs patiently enduring great temptations and illness, following B's instructions, J became like B in all things, but out oHumility J sent questions to B, ; Abba Seridus is at Gaza, but that is all Wikipedia knows about it.; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6; Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet lived during the sixth century during the reign of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). lived in asceticism at the monastery of Abba Seridus in Palestine, near the city of Gaza. Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is unknown). his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life. Arriving at the cenobitic monastery of Abba Seridus, built a small cell outside the monastery. Here he lived in solitude. Saint John, disciple of Saint Barsanuphius, lived in this cell for eighteen years until his death. John imitated his teacher in silence, ascetic deeds and in virtue. Because of his gift of clairvoyance, he was known as “the Prophet.” a certain time, Saint Barsanuphius built another cell near the monastery. the beginning of his solitude, the monastery sent him only three loaves of bread per week. He dwelt for fifty years in work and ascetic deeds. Patriarch Eustochios of Jerusalem heard about the ascetical life of Saint Barsanuphius, it seemed unbelievable to him. wanted to see Barsanuphius for himself, he and his companions tried to dig under the wall, and to enter the monk’s cell from beneath. attempting to enter were almost burned by flames suddenly bursting forth from the cell. his hermitage Saint Barsanuphius devoted himeself entirely to prayer, and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. have manuscript accounts about the life, the deeds and talents of Saints Barsanuphius and John. the lifetime of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), they were translated into the Moldavian and Slavonic languages. publication of these manuscripts, and also their translation into the Russian language, was done in the nineteenth century by the Elders of Optina’s Entry of the Theotokos Monastery. precepts of Saints Barsanuphius and John clearly show the degree of their moral perfection, and their love for people, contain scant facts about their lives. do not know exactly when Saint Barsanuphius died. Some sources say the year of his death was 563, others say more cautiously before the year 600. spending a long time in seclusion, Saint Barsanuphius thereafter and until the death of Saint John the Prophet began to serve others by instructing them on the path to salvation, as Abba Dorotheus (June 5) testifies. Barsanuphius replied to questioners through Saint John, sometimes instructing him to give the answers, or even through Abba Seridus (August 13), who wrote down the saint’s answers. the answers of Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, who were guides in the spiritual life not only for their contemporaries, but also for succeeding generations, it is clearly possible to see the monks’ gradual spiritual ascent “from strength to strength.” deeds of fasting, silence, guarding the heart, and unceasing prayer, Barsanuphius attained the heights of humility, reasoning and fiery love. Lord gave him the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking. the power of his prayers, he was able to free the souls of people from sins. Sometimes, he took the sins of others upon himself. venerable one knew the dispositions of hearts, therefore he gave advice according to the spiritual state of each person. the Name of the Lord he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses. that he blessed received divine power and grace (for example, kukol or furrow-weed took away a monk’s headache). the name of Abba Barsanuphius, when invoked mentally, gave help to those who called upon it. the prayers of Saint Barsanuphius, God sent rain upon the earth, withdrawing His wrath from the multitudes of the people. saint’s predictions always came true. he predicted that a certain monk, the Elder Euthymius the Silent, would be placed with him in a single grave, which indeed came to pass. Barsanuphius acquired these gifts after many years of patiently enduring great temptations and illness. the Orthodox ascetic Barsanuphius the Great, there was another Barsanuphius, a Monophysite heretic. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, anathematized him in his “Confession of Faith,” sent to the Sixth Ecumenical Council). do not know when Saint Barsanuphius arrived at the monastery of Abba Seridus, nor anything about the home and family of Saint John the Prophet. the instructions of Saint Barsanuphius, John attained the heights of perfection, and became like his teacher in all things. of humility, he sent those who came to him with questions to Abba Barsanuphius. John foresaw and predicted many things, even his own death a week after the death of Abba Seridus. Elian, the young igumen of this monastery, begged John to remain with him for two more weeks, in order to teach him the Rule and how to govern the monastery. John fulfilled his request and died after two weeks. Barsanuphius the Great survived his disciple and friend, but after St. John's death embraced complete silence and refused to give answers to anyone. two ascetics have left the soul-profiting book, GUIDANCE TOWARD SPIRITUAL LIFE: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF DISCIPLES by the Holy Monastic Fathers Barsanuphius and John as their spiritual legacy. book was known to many saints who lived at a later time, as evidenced by the wrings of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26), the hieromonk Nikon Chernogorets (+ 1060), Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and other Orthodox ascetics and writers.

Russia, Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of Kaluga Icon, She spit on it & bad things happened t her, Molieben, healings, 1812 war hero
Russia, Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of Kaluga Icon, She spit on it and bad things happened to her, Molieben, then many healings, War hero in 1812; Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast. Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeve Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, 1750, 1770, 1812, 1835, Seeker oPerishing Icon, many copies, Theotokos' mercy at brink of death
Russia, Kaluga, , Seeker oPerishing Icon, Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District (Protva River 2.5), title refers to both dying & spiritual death, no origin accounts, several wonderworking icons this name, Theotokos showed her mercy at brink of death, 1750 example peasant Theodotos fBor lost in blizzard on Feast Lord's Baptism, horse exhausted impassable ravine edge, no hope laid down in his Sleigh, began to freeze, prayed Heaven's Queen help, vowed donate copy Seeker oPerishing icon to his Church, She heard & helped him by telling nearby peasant "Take Him", Peasant went out and saw Obukhov in his sleigh, O recpvered. commissioned copy from Volkhov, thereafter Bor Seeker oPerishing icon glorified by many manifestations oGrace&Miracles, many other SOP Icons, 1770 Malizhino Krakhov village, delivered fCholera 3 times, another Krasnoe Chernigov village, another Voronezh&Kozlov Tambov, 1835 SOP Church at Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage, another particular interest because owner widowed verge complete poverty, praying for his daughters he gave SOP Icon to his church, Icon arranged matters for daughters, 1812 his church pillaged by French, icon found in 3 pieces, numerous miracles from those 3 pieces, Icon has several names, people come for drunkenness, poverty, illness, turn to SOP icon as to a Mother with her perishing children; Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District; Icon of the Mother of God “the Seeker of the Lost”, Commemorated on February 5; time immemorial the Russian people, with faith in the all-powerful help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the title “Seeker of the Perishing” to refer not only to those who are dying, but to those whose souls are in danger of spiritual death. are no reliable accounts of the origin of the “Seeker of the Perishing" Icon. are, however, several wonderworking icons of this name, which the Theotokos showed her mercy to persons at the very brink of death. the mid-eighteenth century, in the village of Bor (Kaluga Gubernia), the pious peasant Theodotos Obukhov lost his way in a blizzard on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. horse became exhausted and paused on the edge of an impassable ravine. Seeing no way to save himself, Obukhov lay down in his sleigh, where he began to freeze. these terrible moments, he prayed with all his being, asking the Queen of Heaven for help, he vowed that if he were rescued he would have a copy of the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon painted and donate it to his parish church. heard his prayer and helped him in a marvelous way. certain peasant in the nearby village heard a voice outside his window saying, “Take him.” went out and saw the half-frozen Obukhov on his sleigh. he recovered his health, Obukhov fulfilled his vow and commissioned a copy of the Icon from the Saint George church in the city of Volkhov (Orlov Gubernia). that time the Bor “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon was glorified by many manifestations of grace and miracles. are other “Seeker of the Perishing” Icons: manifested itself in 1770 in the village of Malizhino (Kharkov Gubernia), and delivered the people from cholera three times. was another in the village of Krasnoe (Chernigov Gubernia), another from Voronezh and Kozlov (Tambov Gubernia). the year 1835, at the Moscow Alexandrov Orphanage Institute, a church was dedicated to the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon. particular interest is the “Seeker of the Perishing” Icon in the Church of the Glorious Resurrection in Moscow. Icon had been transferred from the church of the Nativity of Christ to the Palashev alley. final owner had become widowed and was on the verge of complete poverty. prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos saved him from despair and arranged matters for his daughters. man felt that he was not worthy to have this wonderworking Icon in his house, so he gave it to the church. 1812 the Palashev church was pillaged by the French. desecrated Icon was found among the rubble, broken into three pieces. the Icon was found, numerous miracles of healing took place. entering into marriage pray before this Icon so that their marriage might be a happy one. come to it, overwhelmed by drunkenness, perishing in poverty, or suffering from illness, they turn to the Icon in prayer as to a Mother with her perishing children. Icon has several names. In Slavonic it is called (Recovery of the Perishing, Seeker of the Perishing, Seeker of the Lost). In Greek it is known as (Seeker of the Perishing).

Russia, Kaluga, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague
Russia, Kaluga, 1771, Kaluga Icon (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4), responsible for deliverance from 1771 Plague; Kaluga; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Russia, Kaluga, 1776-1837, Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, from Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Russia, Kaluga, 1776-1837, Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, from Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6); Serpukhov; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. This wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. With the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff); the hieromonks Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan, and Nectarius; hierodeacons Nectarius and Stephen; and the monks Joasaph and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself: “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. He wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors on behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” The Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘Is it not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, an d how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). We who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Saint Herman.) for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; of Alaska (born 1756 or 1760 in Serpukhov, Russia – December 13 or November 15, 1837 on Spruce Island, Alaska) one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas. was born in the town of Serpukhov near Moscow around 1756. Herman is his name in monasticism; his birth name is unknown. 16, he entered the Russian Orthodox monastic life at the Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood. request was made for a mission into the Alaskan territory. Herman was selected to go, along with seven other monks. and the other monks arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia. eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood. died on November 15, 1837, but was not buried on Spruce Island until December 13 because a priest could not come to serve the funeral, and was forgotten until the first investigation of his life in 1867 by Bishop Peter of Alaska. was named a saint by the Orthodox Church in America on 9 August 1970. (more at Wikipedia)

Russia, Kaluga, 1800, 19th C Folder, Kaluga Icon seen bFrench, Inexhaustible Chalice Icn Tula, Optima Wheat Multiplier Icn, More

Russia, Kaluga, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina, elders w spiritual life, published ascetical lives, prepare soul for temptations
Russia, Kaluga, 1808-1860, Macarius of Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) always looking for elders w lofty spiritual life. in cell w Father Athanasius to help bad leg 10 yrs till 1825, read & published copies of ascetical lives, Glinsk Hdeacon Samuel mental prayer, at Optina Fr Leonid had struggled spiritual foes, preparing soul for temptations; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; future Saint Macarius was born in 1788 into the noble Ivanov family, and was baptized with the name Michael in honor of Saint Michael of Tver (November 22). parents Nicholas and Elizabeth had an estate in the village of Shepyatino in the Dimitrov district in the Orel province. also owned property in other provinces, including the village of Zhelezniki in Orel Province where they lived. Ivanovs moved to Moscow in 1794 so Elizabeth could receive medical treatment for tuberculosis. ’s beloved mother died on January 21, 1797, and was buried in the Saint Andronicus monastery. nine-year-old Michael moved to the village of Karachev to live with his sister Daria and her husband Simeon Peredelsky, who had been elected to the District Court of Karachev. Michael received his primary education there in the local parish school. 1801, Michael and his two brothers moved into the house of his aunt Anna M. Verevkina, where they were educated along with her own son. 1802, when he was fourteen, Michael and his brother Alexis were hired as assistant bookkeepers in the District Treasury of Lgov. the job was difficult, Michael carried out his duties with precision and care that he attracted the attention of the provincial authorities. 1805 Michael was appointed as head of the Financial Board (Treasury) in Kursk. he was not working, he liked to spend his time reading or playing the violin. Michael’s father died on March 17, 1806 after a long illness, and was buried near the parish church at Turischev. visited the Ploschansk Hermitage, twenty-four miles from his family’s estate in Schepyatino, in October of 1810. there he wrote to his brothers saying that he was leaving the estate to them, for he intended to remain at the hermitage. His only condition was that they donate 1000 rubles to build a stone church at Turischev where their father was buried. closest to Michael never knew whether his visit to Ploschansk was accidental or premeditated. He did seem inclined to the monastic life, but perhaps he did not make a final decision to become a monk until he had observed the monastic life at Ploschansk. entered the Ploschansk Hermitage of the Theotokos at the age of twenty-two. It had no large buildings, no great wealth, and was far from populated areas. Perhaps he was attracted by the unpretentiously humble circumstances of the place. There were fifty monks at the Hermitage, led by Hieromonk Joannicus. was enrolled as a novice a month after arriving at Ploschansk, and was tonsured as a rassophore on December 24, 1810 with the name Melchizedek. did not mind the privation and hard work at the Hermitage, but there were no Elders there capable of offering spiritual guidance. that Elders of lofty spiritual life were living in the forests of Bryansk, and in the monasteries of the Orel and Kursk dioceses, Father Melchizedek longed to meet them and profit from their teaching. However, the opportunity did not arise for some time. 1814, he went on pilgrimage to Kiev, where he venerated the relics of various saints. the way back, he met some experienced Elders and was able to converse with them. Paul, who came from a family of Rostov merchants, and who was tonsured on Mount Athos, became the new Superior of Ploschansk in 1815. noticed Father Melchizedek’s zeal for the monastic life, and for fulfilling his obediences. March 7, 1815 Father Paul tonsured him as a monk with the new name Macarius. A few days later, on March 12, Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk ordained Father Macarius as a hierodeacon. Athanasius (Zakharov), a disciple of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15) was visiting Ploschansk in 1815. He had lived at White Bluff Monastery and Florischev Hermitage in the Vladimir Province. at Ploschansk, Father Athanasius fell off a bench and dislocated a joint in his leg. He went to Cholnsk Monastery in 1816 and partially recovered, but he could no longer walk without a crutch. 1817 he returned to Ploschansk, and Father Macarius moved to his cell to take care of him. Athanasius had a great influence on the spiritual development of Father Macarius, who revered him as his Father and teacher. seven years he had lived in the Neamts Monastery, where he was tonsured by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky. Athanasius finished the course of his earthly life on October 17, 1825, and died in the arms of Father Macarius. He had lived at Ploschansk for ten years, and Father Macarius derived much benefit from his Elder’s example. Athanasius had copies of the translations of the ascetical Fathers made by Saint Paisius, he himself had translated the Life of Saint Gregory of Sinai, the Catechetical Homilies of Saint Theodore the Studite, the homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, and many other profitable writings. only did Father Macarius read and copy these translations and absorb the wisdom contained in them, he later published them for the benefit of others. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Dositheus of Orel and Sevsk on May 27, 1817. Igumen Paul retired to the bishop’s residence at Kaluga in 1818, he was replaced by Hieromonk Seraphim, a disciple of Father Basil (Kishkin), the Superior of White Bluff Hermitage. Seraphim brought good order to Ploschansk, instructing the monks in the spiritual life. Father Seraphim’s blessing, Father Macarius made a pilgrimage to Kiev in 1819 with Hierodeacon Palladius. they met Archimandrite Anthony, who later became Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk. On the way back to Ploschansk, the two visited Glinsk Hermitage. Macarius became acquainted with Hierodeacon Samuel, who was experienced in mental prayer. Father Athanasius had never spoken to him of this activity, Father Macarius was gratified to meet someone who could speak about it from personal experience. 1824, Father Macarius went to Rostov to venerate the relics of Saint Demetrius (September 21 and October 28). that same trip he visited Optina Monastery and its new Skete for the first time. of Father Macarius’s spiritual guides passed away within a short time: Elder Athanasius in 1825, and Igumen Seraphim in 1826. Marcellinus was appointed as Superior of Ploschansk in addition to his duties as Bishop Gabriel’s steward. He continued to live at Orel for two years, while the Ploschansk Hermitage was administered by Father Anatole, the treasurer. Macarius was made dean of the Hermitage on June 10, 1826. January of 1827, he was assigned as confessor at the Holy Trinity Convent of Sevsk. began his period of spiritual direction and spiritual correspondence which lasted until his death. He did not assume such a role on his own, but only in obedience to the will of the bishop. 1828 Father Leonid (Nagolkin) came to Ploschansk from the Saint Alexander of Svir Monastery with several disciples. Macarius thought that the arrival of Father Leonid was the answer to his prayers, for Father Leonid was a man of great spiritual wisdom. This holy Elder, who had struggled against many visible and invisible foes, was able to give useful advice to those who were experiencing temptations. understood from personal experience that those who wish to serve the Lord must prepare their souls for temptation (Sirach 2:1). agreed to Father Macarius’s repeated requests to accept him as a spiritual son and disciple. When Father Leonid moved to Optina in 1829, Father Macarius kept in touch with him through letters. Macarius visited Optina and Father Leonid in 1831 on his way to Petersburg, where Bishop Νikodemos of Orel was serving his term in the Holy Synod. appointed Father Macarius as treasurer and steward, much to the latter’s chagrin. Father Macarius did not care for the bustle of the city, and longed to return to the tranquility of the monastery, yet he remained in his position out of obedience to the bishop. serving for almost a year in Petersburg, Father Macarius returned to Ploschansk Hermitage. On the way back, he visited Father Leonid again at Optina. He also submitted a request to Father Moses to be admitted to the Skete at Optina as soon as this might be arranged. The desired transfer from Ploschansk to Optina did not take place until January 14, 1834. Macarius had lived at Ploschansk for twenty-three years, and always retained a certain fondness for the place for the rest of his life. Father Macarius finally arrived at Optina on February 5, 1834. the age of forty-six, Father Macarius placed himself at the feet of Father Leonid, humbling himself and demonstrating complete obedience. At first, he helped the Elder with his correspondence, but later his responsibilities increased. In October of 1836 he was appointed as confessor for the monastery. After Father Anthony was assigned to Saint Nicholas Monastery in Maloyaroslavets as abbot, Father Macarius succeeded him as Superior of the Skete on December 1, 1839. Father Macarius’s relationship with Father Leonid did not change because of his new position. He never did anything without consulting Father Leonid, and always attributed any success he achieved to the blessing and prayers of his Elder. Macarius remained humble and obedient to Father Leonid until the Elder’s death on October 11, 1841. Even when Father Leonid was transferred from the Skete to the Monastery in 1836, Father Macarius visited him every day to ask his advice on various matters. his final illness, Father Leonid told his spiritual children to go to Father Macarius for spiritual counsel. Seeing in Father Macarius the same spiritual gifts possessed by Father Leonid, people recommended him to their friends and acquaintances. As a result, the number of Father Macarius’s disciples grew larger every year. He was also assigned as instructor of the new novices, and of those who were about to be tonsured. Macarius received visitors from morning until night, and also kept up an extensive spiritual correspondence. Sometimes he was exhausted by the crowds of people, and by the number of letters he had to write. His humility and love for people who were afflicted in body and in spirit would not permit him to curtail his activities, however. Macarius had always loved reading and studying patristic literature. At Ploschansk, he had copied many translations done by Saint Paisius Velichkovsky which were in the possession of Schemamonk Athanasius. His knowledge and understanding of the Fathers increased at Optina under the guidance of Father Leonid, a disciple of Father Theodore of Svir, who was himself a disciple of Saint Paisius. Father Anthony, abbot of the Skete and Father Moses, abbot of the Monastery, both encouraged the study of patristic books. Conditions for the publication of these manuscripts, translated and corrected by Saint Paisius, were quite favorable, for Optina possessed the best copies of these writings. 1845, Ivan V. Kireyevsky, the editor of The Muscovite, asked Father Macarius to write a biography of Saint Paisius for his magazine. In 1846, Father Macarius was visiting the Kireyevskys at their estate, and the discussion turned to the lack of spiritual books offering instruction in the Christian life. Natalia Kireyevsky, the spiritual daughter of Father Macarius since 1838, happened to have some manuscripts of ascetical literature. They both asked Father Macarius, “What prevents us from offering these spiritual treasures to the world?” the beginning of 1847 a biography of Father Pasius Velichkovsky, with extracts from his writings, was published. Over the course of time, sixteen books of patristic literature were published under the Elder’s supervision, including works by Saint Nilus of Sora, Saints Barsanuphius and John, Saint Simeon the New Theologian, and Saint Isaac of Syria. 1853, Father Macarius resigned as Superior of the Skete of Saint John the Baptist, and was succeeded by Father Paphnutius. This took place on November 30, exactly fourteen years from the time Father Macarius had first assumed the office. 1859, one of Father Macarius’s spiritual daughters, was at the point of death. Maria asked Father Macarius to pray that God would spare her life so that she could see her son again. The Elder told her that she would recover, and that they would both die around the same time. The old woman told her friends of this prediction, saying, “Beware my death, for it is connected with the Elder’s death.” Maria died on August 23, 1860 in the presence of Father Macarius and Father Leonid Kavelin. August 26, the Elder became ill with ischuria. A doctor who happened to be at Optina saw him and treated him with drugs. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and so they sent for a certain nobleman’s personal physician. That doctor was not available, so Father Kavelin went to another doctor to ask for advice. Father Macarius showed no improvement, so he received Holy Unction and the life-giving Mysteries of Christ. On September 2, he received two gifts which delighted him. One was an enamel icon of the Vladimir Mother of God from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, which he wore on his breast. The other was a cross containing a relic of the Cross of Christ. Elder felt weaker on September 4, and received Holy Communion after Vespers. During his illness the brethren who cared for him read the daily rule of prayer for him at the proper times. He also asked them to read certain portions of the writings of the holy Fathers. September 5, Father Macarius was moved from his small bedroom into the larger reception room where the air was fresher. During the night the ninety-year-old Schemamonk Hilarion reposed, and the church bell was rung three times according to the custom of the Monastery, indicating that one of the brethren had departed. Many of Father Macarius’s disciples and some visitors in the guesthouse thought that the bell tolled for him. They became alarmed until it was announced that Father Hilarion had passed away. Elder experienced shortness of breath on September 6. He received Communion, and was visited by two doctors, but there was nothing they could do for him. Father Macarius felt worse that evening, and received Holy Communion a second time around 8:00 P.M. Around midnight he talked with his confessor for about half an hour, receiving absolution and forgiveness of his sins. Macarius asked to have the prayer for the dying read, which he heard while sitting in a chair. The Canon and Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos were also read, and the Canon to the Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ was read during Matins. During these readings it appeared that the Elder’s sufferings were alleviated. the night Father Macarius asked to be moved several times from the bed to the chair. He was calm and peaceful, and thanked those around him for caring for him. At 6:00 the next morning he received Holy Communion for the last time. 7:00 on the morning of September 7, 1860, Father Macarius departed to the Lord while the Ninth Ode of the Canon for the Departure of the Soul from the Body was being read. Two years before his death, he was secretly tonsured into the Great Schema. Therefore, a schema which had been blessed on the Lord’s Sepulchre was placed on his body. Several Panikhidas were offered for his soul throughout the day. Macarius was laid to rest on September 10, in a grave prepared for him opposite the altar of the Saint Nicholas chapel in the main church. He was buried to the right of the grave of Father Leonid, his friend and fellow ascetic. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.
Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina, ascetic-builder, 32yrs headed OM, Optina Spirit, his example developed future elders
Russia, Kaluga, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), ascetic-builder, 32yrs headed OM, Optina Spirit, his example developed future elders, Optina's best time; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Isaac I of Optina, Commemorated on August 22; Isaac (Antimonov) fell asleep in the Lord on August 22, 1894. The Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Russia, Kaluga, 1830-1895, Isaac I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) ; OF SAINT ISAAC THE ELDER OF OPTINA (1810-1895) Isaac, in the assembly of Optina elders, represents a type of ascetic-builder. For 32 years he headed Optina Monastery, devoting himself entirely to the monastery, taking care of the brethren, continuing to create that particular “Optina” spirit that his predecessors planted. He took over the management of the monastery after the death of Archimandrite Moses and was abbot during the flourishing of the monastery—during the time of the Elder Ambrose, and his successors in eldership, Father Hilarion and Father Anatoly (the Elder). Under his leadership the future Elders Joseph, Barsanuphy, and Anatoly (the Younger) grew and developed. Archimandrite Moses revived Optina Monastery after a period of desolation, and Father Isaac continued his work, consolidating the state of the monastery, while not sparing himself from hard labor for its improvement. Elders Macarius and Ambrose blessed him in the difficult obedience of superior, seeing the high spiritual qualities, prayerfulness, simplicity, and humility of Father Isaac, and from these the ability to take care of the organization of the monastery—both external and internal. may seem that the Elder Isaac, who carried the cross of superiorship, dwells, as it were, in the shadow of the elders who spiritually nurtured the monks and pilgrims of the monastery—Ambrose, Hilarion, and Anatoly. Little of his teachings and statements were saved, so that there are not such detailed memories of him. But this is his special achievement—by carrying the heavy burden of economic affairs of the monastery, he served the brethren and pilgrims, revealing an amazing height of humility. Behind his simplicity is an amazing depth, integrity, and strength of spirit. The period of his superiorship was the best time in the life of Optina. Family Ivanovich Antimonov (the name of Saint Isaac in the world) was born on May 31, 1810, and was descended from an eminent, wealthy merchant family of the city of Kursk. The Antimonovs had the title of honorary citizens. The patriarchal spirit reigned in the house of the Antimonovs; the way of life was built strictly in accordance with Church rules, and only respect towards elders and obedience to them were accepted. Thus, the skills of piety and obedience, which are so important for a monk, the future ascetic received in his own home. head of the house was Ivan's grandfather—Vasily Vasilyevich Antimonov. He was particularly zealous to attend divine services. His eldest son Ivan Vasilyevich had thirteen children from three marriages. Ivan Jr. was the last, fifth child from his first marriage with Anna Puzanov. Little Ivan was a favorite of his grandfather, who often took his grandson with him to the church. Vasily Vasilyevich visited the church every day—he went without fail to the Matins and Vespers services. Vasilyevich inherited his father’s piety and love for the Church, according to his upbringing; his simplicity and good disposition towards people produced a favorable impression on everyone. A family story is preserved about Saint Isaac’s father’s journey to Kiev in 1809 to the elder, Hieromonk Parfeny, who greeted Ivan Vasilyevich with the words: “Blessed be the womb that gave birth to a monk.” In raising the young Ivan and other children, he adhered to strict rules but never allowed himself to be rude to the children. He did not raise his hands at them—although at that time this was common in merchant families. The children, while behaving respectfully towards their father, loved him at the same time. Antimonov family enjoyed universal respect in the city for impeccable honesty, true piety, and wide charity—they were generous donors for Church needs and helped the needy. In the house there was even a certain day of the week appointed in which alms were given to the poor. was in such an atmosphere that Ivan Ivanovich’s years of childhood and youth passed. Details about this period of his life do not survive, but it is known that he was distinguished by modesty and was fond of silence. At the same time, despite his reserved nature, Ivan was endowed with natural gaiety and wit; his presence always enlivened family gatherings. in the World reaching mature age, Ivan Ivanovich began to help his father in trade affairs. He constantly had to deal with people, give orders, and conduct financial calculations. He knew how to find an approach to a man, and he won people over by his heartfelt kindness and sense of justice. He had the most beneficial influence on his subordinates; he forced them to end any habit of fraud, any attempts to act deceitfully. Immaculate honesty in business earned Ivan Ivanovich universal respect. strict in his requirements, the venerable one never took offense. Such a case is known: one of his workers, a man of obstinate nature, because of the constant punishments that Ivan Ivanovich gave him for carelessness and audacity, decided in his mind to kill him. When this became known to him, Ivan Ivanovich forgave the worker and released him, not handing him over to the hands of justice. the life of Ivan Ivanovich there were events that clearly revealed to him the action of the providence of God, which repeatedly protected him from mortal danger. A compilation he himself made of the descriptions of such significant cases has even been preserved. Once, on a feast day, Ivan Ivanovich was obliged to work, weighing goods. Suddenly, the crossbar on which the scales were supported collapsed. Ivan Ivanovich was threatened with death, but, marvelously, the heavy iron rocker weighing 550 pounds did not even touch him. Since then, he vowed not to work on feast days. On another occasion of God’s providential protection, he was leading a horse to a watering place, which creature almost kicked him in the stomach—he managed to block it with his hand, receiving a heavy wound. One incident happened to him in childhood. They sent Ivan, together with the clerk, to escort a herd of bulls, which was a difficult task for the boy. Suddenly, two bulls rushed off to the side; Ivan tried to get them back and rushed after them on a horse. Suddenly the horse stopped at the edge of a deep ditch; he even involuntarily exclaimed, “Ack, Lord, what on earth is this?” After these words, the ditch disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and the horse brought him to the herd in utter exhaustion. Another time, on the Black Sea coast where the Antimonovs were fishing, somehow Ivan Ivanovich almost maimed himself, and again salvation came in a miraculous way. All his life he was grateful to God and did not consider deliverance from these misfortunes an accident. These events may also have played a role in the determination of his future path. idea of entering the monastery matured in Ivan Ivanovich's soul gradually. While still living in the world, he voluntarily took upon himself the fulfillment of certain feats in the name of the Lord. There is a story passed down that every day during prayer he offered a thousand bows. Even on non-fasting days, he did not eat meat, although this was not noticed by his family members. The love of the Church and divine services, instilled in him by his pious grandfather, awakened an interest in Church singing. Ivan sang on the kliros, gathered chanters at his home on feast days, arranged rehearsals, and studied music notes, some of which he later took with him to the monastery. of the obstacles for deciding to leave the world was the fact that it was Ivan Ivanovich himself whom his father saw as his successor. He was gradually handing over to him the management of all the affairs of the Antimonovs. He would not agree to let go of his son, upon whom he placed so many hopes. Meanwhile, one of his eldest sons, Mikhail Ivanovich, entered monasticism in Optina Monastery. Ivan Ivanovich often visited Optina to see his brother. His example had a great influence on Ivan. One time he turned to his brother with a request to give him advice about joining the monastery. Mikhail decisively refused to give such advice, believing that in this matter one should make his own choice. this time, Ivan had repeatedly appealed for help from the Optina elders and was convinced of the spiritual strength of their counsels. Ivan Ivanovich’s memory of his first meeting with Elder Leonid was preserved: “Being a worldly man, I came for the first time to Optina Monastery and wished to receive the blessing of Father Leonid. I came to the elder early in the morning. He did not have any people yet. Only some woman was kneeling before him. The cell attendant reported about me: "Ivan Ivanovich Antimonov has come." “Let him wait,” the elder said loudly. I sat in the front on the bench. Having released the woman, the elder loudly called out, “Vanyushka!” By no means did I think that this word was directed at me, so I sat quietly. And the cell attendant, smiling, said, "The batyushka is calling you." To me, who carried myself in such an official manner, such a fatherly address seemed very unexpected. But I was not offended by this at all. On the contrary, such a simple appeal of the great elder appealed to my heart and for some reason very much comforted me; and I still remember this with spiritual delight. “Vanyushka! Come over here,” the elder continued to call me to himself, “I am calling you!...” I went to the elder, took a blessing from him and, standing on my knees, explained to him my circumstances which worried me. The elder, having listened to everything with fatherly love, comforted me very much with his conversation and, as he was letting me go, foretold to me that in time, I also would live in monasticism. And after seven years, the prediction was fulfilled.” Interestingly, the elder referred to Ivan in the same way as his beloved grandfather had once called him. After the death of the Elder Leonid, Ivan Ivanovich, still frequenting Optina, resorted to the advice of the Elder Macarius. 1842, Ivan had already decided to leave secretly for Optina, but halfway there, due to his own hesitation and judging that he was going without the blessing of Elder Macarius, he returned to Kursk. A letter he received later from Father Macarius, with a blessing to enter Optina, confirmed his resolution. 36 years old, Ivan Ivanovich finally clearly revealed his intention to leave for the monastery. The family tried to dissuade him through yet another unsuccessful matchmaking attempt. His father repeatedly offered someone for him to marry, but each time, for one reason or another, attempts to settle him into a family life failed. 1847, his father sent Ivan on trade business to Ukraine. Having fulfilled the assignment, he decided to carry out his long-standing intention and go to Optina Monastery without returning home. Having written a letter to his father in which he announced his decision, Ivan at last went to Optina. It was as if thunder struck Ivan Vasilyevich with the news of his son leaving for the monastery. According to recollection, upon learning of what had happened, the forlorn father exclaimed: “He, the barbarian, has slain me!” Ivan Vasilyevich could not compose himself for a long time, shedding tears over his beloved son. The hardest thing for the one who decides to leave the world is to part with his relatives, to escape from the typical, conventional way of life. After all, the Elder Ambrose, who for a long time did not carry out his decision to leave the world, in the end went to the monastery secretly, without announcing it either to those close to him or the authorities—fearing that, being led by worldly thinking, and out of the best of intentions, they would interfere in bringing his decision to fulfillment. In these situations, the meaning of the words of the Savior, which may seem too “tough,” especially to modern people, becomes obvious: “A man’s enemies shall be those of his own household” (Mt. 11:36). on his way to the monastery, Ivan Ivanovich had to struggle with the desire to turn back. The desire was especially strong at the last station, but he overcame the temptation and arrived happily at Optina Monastery. the Monastery Ivanovich entered the monastery in 1847, under the Hegumen Moses and the Elder Macarius. At that time, his brother had already been transferred to the Kaluga Tikhonov Monastery as the Hieromonk Meletios and later transferred to the Kiev-Pechersky Lavra. But the brothers maintained amicable relations, and the younger one often turned to the elder for advice; he appreciated his spiritual wisdom. Ivanovich was immediately appointed to reside at the Saint John the Baptist Skete. As is the custom, his first obediences were those that especially contributed to the building up of humility and patience in a novice. At first he labored in the kitchen—he baked bread, and later he became a cook. He also performed general brotherly obediences such as haymaking, harvesting potatoes, and other heavy work. He was distinguished by robust health and powerful strength—he could lift weights up to 550 pounds. Although he was of medium height, he was stocky, with fine-looking features, and he stood out among the brethren. He always had a concentrated look that reflected his inner state. Elder Macarius favored the novice, whom he knew well before his admission to the monastery. He foresaw the future ascetic in him. Father Macarius particularly appreciated the simplicity inherent in Ivan—a very important quality for a monk. The elder trained the novice towards monastic life. In turn, Ivan Ivanovich devoted himself wholeheartedly to the leadership of the elder. The progress of a monk is not easy—the struggle with passions is accompanied by sorrows "to bloody sweat." The ascetic said that the primordial enemy of the human race strongly disturbed his soul with thoughts of leaving the monastery: “While disturbed by such thoughts, I was walking one time on a path along the skete's fence. ‘Ey! leap over the fence,’—the thought flashed before me. But having reflected a bit, I thought: ‘Yes, if I simply wanted to leave, the gate isn’t even shut.’ Such a contradictory statement to the thought, although unintentional, together with the invocation of help from God, eased the battle.” Elder Macarius humbled his disciple, cultivating in him the main monastic virtue—unquestioning obedience. Once his spiritual son carelessly spoke about the customs of the monastery. Father Macarius would not accept him for several days. One time he confessed to the elder about vain thoughts about his strong, beautiful voice, and Father Macarius humbled him, citing as an example a bull, who, possessing a much louder bass, does not pride itself in it. to recollections, the Elder Macarius repeatedly predicted to close people that the novice Ivan would become the abbot. He treated him with particular attention, carefully fostering the future instructor of monks. Ivanovich showed zeal in everything—he punctiliously attended divine services, coming to the church first and leaving last, not allowing himself any conversations during the time of the service. He also strictly followed the cell rule. Without even having a school education, the lack of which was compensated for by a natural intellect, rich in life experience, novice Ivan engaged himself much in reading the works of the holy fathers, which allowed him to deeply comprehend the science of “inner work.” But the chief guide for him was the elder's advice. ascending gradually along the stairs of spiritual virtues, Ivan Ivanovich passed successively through the stages of monastic life. In 1851, he was tonsured as a rassaphor; on October 5, 1854—into the mantia with the name of Isaac. A year later, Father Isaac was ordained a deacon, and in 1858 he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk. left the worldly life without a parental blessing, while still a novice, Ivan painfully endured this rift with his father. Therefore, having lived in the skete for about a year, he, along with the Elder Macarius, went to Kursk to be reconciled with his father. Through the prayers of the elder and with his assistance, peaceful relations were restored. Before his death, 85-year-old Ivan Vasilyevich was even tonsured by Father Isaac in private into the mantia. Receiving the parting blessing of the Mysteries of the holy Church, he peacefully reposed in the Lord. 1860, Elder Macarius died. Father Isaac then began to turn to Father Ambrose for advice. And he lived under his guidance until the death of that elder (1891). In 1862, the Abbot of Optina Monastery, Archimandrite Moses, died. It is known that in 1860, foreseeing his end approaching and knowing of the morbid state of Archimandrite Moses, the Elder Macarius had made a trip to Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, who always especially favored Optina. Being warmly received by the metropolitan, Father Macarius expressed to him his desire that after the death of Archimandrite Moses, the position of superior of Optina Monastery would be taken up by the skete Hieromonk Isaac. Vladyka fully endorsed the opinion of Father Macarius, and since then, the election of Father Isaac as superior was already decided. As soon as the rumor of this reached the humble Father Isaac, he immediately went to the elder asking his advice in this matter and trying to reject this appointment. But Father Macarius answered him: “Well, so what, so what? If the will of God is in this and he will elect you, do not refuse. Just do not become proud! Go!” when the time came to elect a new superior, most of the brethren voted for the monastery’s superior to be Father Paphnutius. In the minority, the ones who voted for Father Isaac, were actually the oldest and the most revered members of the brethren, however. Vladyka Gerasim, Vicar of the Kaluga Diocese, who was present at the elections, was puzzled by this result. He turned to Father Ambrose and learned that the reposed Elder Macarius had intended Father Isaac as superior. Father Ambrose himself was of the same opinion. The elder did not participate in the elections, in so far as he already promised it to Father Isaac, who did not want to take upon himself the superiorship. Then, by his own decision, Vladyka approved in the appointment to the post of superior—Father Isaac. the Head of the Monastery Isaac took charge of the monastery in 1862, at the age of 52, having lived there 16 years until now. The beginning of the activities of the new superior was complicated by the fact that his election took place against the will of the majority of the brethren. Indeed, and even Father Isaac himself did not strive for this calling. It turns out that shortly after taking the superiorship, Father Isaac, while alone with Vladyka Gregory, the Bishop of Kaluga, expressed his grief to him regarding his election as superior, pinned upon him against his will: “I would rather, Your Eminence, have agreed to go to the bakery than to be the superior.” “Well, so what,” said Vladyka, “if you wish, bake some bread.” “And who will be the abbot?” “You will be the abbot.” To these words of His Eminence, Father Isaac could not find anything to say. Isaac carried out the management of the monastery in accordance with the Optina spirit, with which he was thoroughly infused during the years of his life in the monastery under the guidance of the elders. He did nothing without the advice of Elder Ambrose; this was his main principle. Deep spiritual love and full confidence tied the elder with the ascetic-superior. At the beginning of his activity, taking up the work with zeal, Father Isaac wanted to increase the severity of the life of the brethren, but Father Ambrose stopped him, understanding that the desire for spiritual feats should not exceed the strength of the monks, especially the new ones. Father Isaac obeyed without retorting and did not make any changes to the rule. every possible way, Father Isaac took careful watch of the preservation of peace among the brothers. He instructed the quarrelsome, inclining them towards reconciliation. “Oh, brothers! Please end in peace,” he appealed to the stubborn ones, and these simple words had an impact. In all the difficult cases, he sent monks to Elder Ambrose, who maintained the spiritual life of the monks at the same height as it was under his predecessors. The grace-filled force that emanated from the elder often compelled a person to submit to his instructions, even against his own will. upon the elder the spiritual nourishment of the brethren, Abbot Isaac did not abandon his own concern for the upbringing of the monks in the Christian virtues. His instructions were simple, but edifying and effective, because they were the result of life experience and came from a loving heart and a sincere desire for good towards his spiritual children. “Well, look brother, I’m forewarning you, and now see to it for yourself, so that I won’t answer for you before God,” he often said, deeply aware of the responsibility of the abbot before God’s judgment seat for each brother. Tonsures and ordinations were done after proper testing, and the superior was sure to carefully examine each monk and gauge his spiritual condition. He explained to the brethren that tonsure into a ryassophore or mantia is not a promotion to a rank, like secular ranks, but an image of humility. Hegumen Isaac paid special attention to the attendance of brethren at the divine services. If he noticed that someone rarely went to the services, then during the trapeza he would give an admonition to the whole brotherhood: “Holy fathers! You all forget the church. We need to know why we came to the monastery. After all, we have to answer for this before God. I plead with all of you not to forget the temple of God.” of the penalties was deprivation of a monthly portion of tea. Almost until his death, Father Isaac himself distributed tea and sugar to the brethren at the beginning of each month, thus being able to talk with everyone, encouraging one and scolding another. If someone expressed displeasure and grumbled at the monastic order, Father Isaac usually answered: “Brother! Take my keys and be the superior, and I will go to fulfill your obedience.” One day, to a monk who was trying to evade his obedience, he said, “Now look! If you do not want to, then you already know how it goes.” With these simple words, the abbot touched him so much that he, throwing himself at his feet, asked for forgiveness and immediately agreed to everything. Then Father Isaac gladly blessed him and said, “This is how it will be better—to obey and reject your own will. You will walk this way, and in all things you will continue to be well and joyful.” personal insults, he never punished, trying whenever possible to reason with the offender. One monk, distinguished by his heavy temper, having come to the abbot once, accused him of insolence and even wanted to hit him in the face. But the father hegumen calmly said to the exasperated monk: “Go ahead.” Struck by such humility, the monk turned around and quickly left. The following episode was also remembered: a novice from the well-educated, having left Optina Monastery, wandered for a long time to different places and after a while again appeared to Hegumen Isaac, accused him of being dictatorial and finished with the words: “You are an hegumen, but not smart.” [Note: “smart” in Russian is oomen, like the end of hegumen.] After quietly listening to this reproach, Father Isaac, grinning, replied: “And lo! you are smart, but not an hegumen.” of the Monastery Isaac used to say, “I received a monastery with a single dime.” This was said in no wise figuratively. Indeed, after the death of Archimandrite Moses, only one dime turned up in the money bag, and that only because it had fallen somewhere in a crack. In addition, there was a great debt against the monastery. Father Isaac was very distressed about how he could manage the monastery with such a debt and lack of funds. But right at the beginning of his superiorship, there followed the unmistakable help of God, which Father Isaac interpreted as an admonition and a blessing for further work. A long-time benefactor of the monastery paid off the debt, and another donor contributed a large amount to the maintenance of the monastery. Afterwards, Father Isaac never ceased to rely on the providence of God, repenting of his faint-heartedness. When the material needs of the monastery were so quickly resolved, he exclaimed: “Lord! I, the ungrateful one, not having hope in Thee, began to complain, and lo, already help is sent by Thee.” The economic life of the monastery always went well with him. Here, fully useful was his rich experience in doing business, acquired in the world. Isaac completed the construction of the church dedicated to All Saints in the new cemetery. The iconostases were renewed in Vvedensky [Entrance of the Theotokos] Cathedral, wall paintings were restored, stone floors were replaced by wooden ones. Later, work was carried out to expand the Kazan Church. the expansion of the monastery, the monastic elderly home demanded rebuilding. Elder Ambrose had long wanted to build a church in the name of his patrons, Saint Ambrose of Milan, in honor of whom he was named in monasticism, and the pious Prince Alexander Nevsky—the patron saint of the elder in Holy Baptism. At the expense of admirers of Ambrose's father, the old ruined building in 1885 was rebuilt with a church and two chapels in honor of the patron saints of the elder, as well as a new two-story building for the elderly. 1874 a new hospital was built with two floors, with a church in the name of Saint Hilarion the Great—the initiator in this case was the skete superior, Father Hilarion, who in his old age suffered from a difficult prolonged illness. Abbot Isaac also set up a bookstore—it was transferred from an inconvenient room in the gatehouse to a more suitable place and expanded. abbot did not tire of taking care of all the needs of the monastery. They acquired forest land—and thereby solved the problem of firewood for heating and wood for construction—completed the construction of an aqueduct, bought some marshland and, through drainage works, turned it into floodplain meadows, and also built a candle factory. Good wax for making candles, at low prices or sometimes donated, was supplied to the monastery by the nephew of the superior, with good-willed reverence towards the monastery. chief assistants to the superior were the treasurer Father Flavian and the clerk, Hieromonk Makarius (Strukov), who spared no effort in working for the benefit of the monastery. Father Isaac encouraged the desire of Flavian’s father to plant gardens and vegetable gardens in the monastery. The places, which used to be filled up with garbage before, were carefully cleared, fertilized and planted with fruit trees and assembled seedbeds. the activity of the hegumen concerned not only the needs of the monastery and the brethren; in his presence the pilgrims in the monastery met true fatherly care. By order of Father Isaac, a new guesthouse was constructed and the old guesthouses were improved at the holy gates. For the nuns, who came to the Elder Ambrose for advice, a separate building was constructed where they could stay for free. All visitors to the bookstore were given little icons for free and inexpensive soul-enriching literature as a memento of their visits to the monastery. monastery supported the needy, both with alms and various kinds of help. For the wanderers, poor, and needy Father Isaac built a special house of hospitality where, according to his order, about 300 people were fed every Saturday, while giving alms from 10 to 15 rubles to everyone in need. In addition, every day after the brethren’s trapeza, a free-of-charge trapeza was offered to visitors. After acquiring new land at the monastery, the timber forest was more than sufficient for the needs of the brotherhood, so the abbot offered lumber to poor peasant families to build houses free of charge. Father Ambrose was engaged in the arrangement of the Shamordino Convent, he began to leave the monastery often, and then moved entirely to Shamordino. For Father Isaac, who was accustomed to having the beloved elder always nearby and being able to quickly turn to him on any issue, it was hard to be separated from his spiritual father. But following the lead of Father Ambrose, he began to treat Shamordino as his precious child; after the death of the elder he defended the sisters and supported them in everything. Even when Vladyka Vitaly, who did not favor the Shamordino Convent, tried to hinder the help that Optina rendered to the young convent, Abbot Isaac, without fear of Vladyka’s dissatisfaction, continued to assist the sisters of the convent—he sent spiritual fathers there to nourish the sisters, and inquired of all their needs. long-term activity of Abbot Isaac for the benefit of the monastery did not go unnoticed. Repeatedly, he was recognized with various Church awards. But his unhypocritical humility and modesty never allowed him to be exalted by any distinctions. When in 1872 he was chosen to be elevated to the rank of archimandrite, he evaded this “promotion,” and only in 1885, without asking his consent, was Father Isaac made an archimandrite. the end of his life he also had to bear unjust reproach. Denunciations began to arrive to His Grace Vitaly, making it seem as if the Optina abbot, Father Isaac, because of his age, was incapable of administering the monastery. After inquiry and the unanimous confirmation of all the brethren that “their superior is exemplary and they wish to remain under his leadership until his very death,” Bishop Vitaly showed Father Isaac those written denunciations of him, promising to strictly punish those responsible. But he, with tears, asked Vladyka not to punish anyone. Spiritual Character of Archimandrite Isaac Isaac, according to recollections, gave the impression of a stern monk. He was silent, and his eyes were usually lowered in public. At first glance, those who saw the abbot were even initially afraid of his strict appearance. But his main characteristic was amazing simplicity in everything. In his daily life, he did not stand out among the brethren. He dressed like everyone else—he wore an old, worn cassock. He went to trapeza together with the brethren and never had food cooked for him separately. The furnishings of his life were ascetical. Father Isaac occupied two rooms in the superior’s apartment: one served as a bedroom, the other—a prayer room. In the bedroom there was a simple bed with a hard mattress and a desk, at which he engaged in business. It had a clock, inherited from Archimandrite Moses, with the inscription "Do not waste time." Isaac chose the best way to educate and edify the monks—by his own example. His severity towards himself amazed everyone. Father Isaac rose at midnight, fulfilled the cell rule given in the monastery and then went to Matins. The monk in charge of waking him up never found him asleep. To the early vigil he went constantly, commemorating all his relatives and the benefactors of the monastery during the Proskomedia. During the late service and after a short afternoon rest, he received visitors, was engaged in the affairs of the monastery, and at the first ring of the bell for Vespers he hurried back to the church again. He observed fasts with all rigor. On the first week of the Great Fast, even in old age, he always read the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. He especially liked the services of the Great Fast. Until his last days, he retained a beautiful, deep, low voice; his reading in the church was always clear and imbued the service with prayerfulness. moved involuntarily to the monastery from the skete, Father Isaac reminisced with sadness about the solitary life. When one of the novices came to him, asking him to appoint him to the skete, the superior, praising his intention, said, “This is good. God help you! The skete is a quiet haven. I myself lived in it for 16 years and would go there again and leave my superiorship; blessed are the days that I spent in the skete.” occupying the highest position in the monastery, Father Isaac could never allow himself the thought of making any decision without the blessing of his spiritual father, Elder Ambrose. It was on this foundation that the special Optina spirit was built, which made an indelible impression on all visitors to the monastery. The subordination of all the brethren—from the superior to the last novice—to an elder is the submission to God's will, revealed through the elder. Human reasoning, thoughts, and considerations in resolving issues of monastic life are thus eliminated. Father Isaac reached gracious humility can be seen from his words to the monk who asked how to conquer pride: “How does one conquer? For this, struggle and self-compulsion to humility are necessary. It does not come suddenly but with time. This is the same as shedding blood. Ask God. Gradually you will be acquainted with humility, and then it will turn into a skill.” Bright episodes have survived, of which it was manifest that the humility in the soul of Father Isaac had indeed turned into a “skill.” Once there was a burial at the monastery. Father Isaac did not reach the grave in time and made his way through the thick crowd of brethren to bid farewell to the dead. Taking one of them by the sleeve, Father Isaac wanted his help to climb on the earth piled at the grave, but he, not noticing the abbot, pushed him away strongly, so that Father Isaac almost fell down. But he was not at all disturbed. He walked away and humbly began to wait his turn. When the visitors who watched this expressed their surprise, some of the brethren remarked, “Truly, we have never seen him ever blame anyone for such actions; by occupation he is our boss, but he behaves like a brother.” Father Isaac never singled out any of the brethren, so as not to embarrass the others, but he was able to, imperceptibly for others, show attention to the weak, sick, or elderly monks, rendering them help with condescension. Isaac happened to be managing the monastery when free-thinking and disobedience to the authorities began to spread like a plague in Russian society. Those who came to the monastery were often already infected with this spiritual illness of their time. Father Isaac tried to impress upon the novices the need for a Christian to be humble and obedient. If a guilty brother sincerely repented, the abbot never remembered his guilt. But if the novice showed stubbornness, boldness, or disobedience, the abbot, without hesitating, expelled him from the community, so as not to disturb the established order or scandalize the newcomers. brethren loved their abbot very much, and this was manifested in the fact that among themselves the inmates called Father Isaac “grandfather.” Numerous testimonies of the prayerful assistance of the abbot towards his disciples have survived. Many recognized the strength and effectiveness of his words. Often the monks, coming in frustrated with him, left the “grandfather” forgetting all their sorrows. “What are our sorrows?” Father Isaac said. “We do not have sorrows, but little sorrowshkies. This is the world of sorrow: a wife, children, cares about everything. But what about us? Come on! God is provoked to wrath. It is necessary only to thank Him; we live provided with everything.” If he addressed a person with instruction, it was always deep, wise, and useful to the soul. One of the educated visitors after a conversation with Father Isaac asked, "Father, which university did you attend?" Surprised by such an unexpected question, Father Isaac told her that he had not graduated from any educational institutions. When Father Isaac told the elder about this, they both laughed heartily at this scene. Last Days and the Death of Archimandrite Isaac state of Father Isaac, even in his advanced years, heretofore distinguished by good health and good spirits, was seriously affected first by the departure of the Elder Ambrose to Shamordino and then by his death. All the years of his superiorship, he was “by the elder,” guided by his help and counsels. These events also influenced the affairs of the monastery; after the death of the Elder Ambrose there were fewer pilgrims, and the donations were reduced. Maintaining the economy of a large monastery was no longer simple. to these circumstances, the first blow of illness struck Archimandrite Isaac; it was light, though, and the sick one soon recovered. But his health thereafter deteriorated. He wished to take the tonsure into the great schema in private, which was fulfilled by his brotherly confessor, the skete abbot, Father Anatoly. In June 1895, the superior-ascetic was afflicted with a mortal disease—dysentery, and he began to noticeably weaken and prepare for the end. The brethren, seeing the state of the hegumen, were seriously worried about his illness, and the inhabitants began to come in to receive their last instructions and parting words. The elder blessed each with an icon and spoke a profitable word. When asked to indicate his successor, he answered: "The Mother of God herself will indicate to you the abbot." During the whole time of his illness, he listened to the cell rule, and two weeks before his death he began to receive daily the Communion of the holy Mysteries of Christ. He did not resort to medical means, although at the beginning of his illness, at the insistence of the brethren, he once invited a doctor from Kozelsk. was a hot summer. It was too stuffy for the sick one to lie in a cell, and he wished to be in the open air. His bed was placed in the courtyard of the his apartment, under the shade of a large tree. Both brethren and visitors flocked here to bid farewell to him. It was moving to see an ascetic surrounded by a crowd of people who each waited with a sinking heart, waiting to approach for a blessing and receive spiritual edification. His last admonition to all was the following: "Live according to your conscience and ask for help from the Queen of heaven, and everything will be fine." Many of them saying goodbye to him wept. August 20th, another blow followed, after which Father Isaac could no longer speak. He was transferred to his abbot's chambers, and the dying man expressed a desire to partake of the holy Mysteries of Christ, which was done. In this position, Father Isaac spent two more days without losing consciousness and constantly praying with a prayer rope. On August 22nd, at 8pm, he peacefully reposed in the Lord at the age of 85. next day, the body of the deceased abbot was solemnly transferred to the church. On August 24, after the celebration of Divine Liturgy, the rite of burial was performed. The body of the newly departed Archimandrite Isaac was interred in Kazan Cathedral, by the right wall behind the choir. us conclude the life of Elder Isaac with the words of Hieromonk Tryphon, pronounced in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Monastery at the Panikhida service on the ninth day after the death of Archimandrite Isaac: “Behold, his life of asceticism has ended, finished is the difficult battle with the passions and desires, cleansed is the heart, the season of examinations has passed,…and now, we trust that he has flown into the heavenly abodes of light, leaving as a legacy those beginnings by which the purity of the heart and the vision of God are achieved—the cutting off of one's own will and the killing of passions by asceticism. And as long as they are firm among monks, Optina Monastery will be firm. And in their memory let them be established and strengthened in it forever. And this will be his best reward, for we believe and hope that from the height of heaven he will look at the children of his abode and rejoice and be gladdened in their spiritual progress and their search for salvation.”

Russia, Kaluga, 1832-1891, Saint, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk
Russia, Kaluga, 1832-1891, Saint, Ambrose of Optina, starets and hiroschemamonk; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus. Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Kaluga, 1835 - 1894, Theophan t Recluse, teaching leading many places, then recluse writer near Vysha m Tambov, Inc Rlcs
Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia, fOrlov District, primary&Military school aLiven, 1837-41 Kiev Theological, monk, rector Kiev's church schools, rector Novgorod seminary, Professor Inspector Petersburg Academy, Russian Mission iJerusalem, Rector Olnets Seminary, chief priest Embassy Church Constantinople, rector Petersburg Academy& supervisor religious schools ed, 1859 Bishop oTambov, school fGirls, loved Vysha Monastery, 1863 tVladimir f3yrs, another school fGirls, but difficult him worldly disputes, could not chastise, had someone else do it,1861 impressed bUncovering Tikhon's relics, childhood friend, 1866 igumen Vysha m, soon resigned, but lived there, celebrate services whenever, pension, 1866 left diocese fReculusion, and writing spiritual books, benefactor fAll Orthodox, worldwide rep, many books no profit, new topics like how Christian life, how overcome sin habits, how avoid despair, how steps perfection, he also translated Philokalia and Simeon tNew sermons, firs 6yrs attended all services, stood still eyes closed, then 1872 cut all relationships wPeople except his confessor, stayed iCell, chapel there, 10yrs served there Sundays&Feast Days, then last 11yrs served every day by himself, sometimes sing sometimes silent, if sent money then distributed tPoor, writing praying carpentry painting icons, answered 20-40 letters aDay, discerned letter spirit condition, eyesight declined, litergy prepared night before, tea after next day, egg milk Lunch a1pm, tea a4pm, weaker but still writing&died 1894, incorrupt 6days, books translated English; Russia, Moscow, 1835 - 1894, Saint Theophan the Recluse, Tambov, Mordovia; Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, assumed to be in or near Tambov based on Saint Theophan's story.; St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Govorov, the future Saint Theophan, was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk in the Orlov province where his father was a priest. first, George attended a primary school at Liven, then a military school. 1837-1841 he studied at the Kiev Theological Academy, and probably visited the Monastery of the Caves several times. these surroundings, it was not surprising that he received the monastic tonsure while he was still a student. graduation Hieromonk Theophan was appointed rector of Kiev’s church schools, later became rector of the seminary in Novgorod. he retired from teaching, Father Theophan served as a professor and Assistant Inspector at the Petersburg Academy. Theophan was not completely happy with academic work, so he asked to be relieved of his duties. was assigned to be a member of the Russian Mission in Jerusalem. being raised to the rank of Archimandrite, he became Rector of Olnets Seminary. he was assigned as the chief priest of the embassy church in Constantinople. Theophan was eventually recalled to Russia to become rector of the Petersburg Academy, and supervisor of religious education in the capital’s secular schools. May 9, 1859 Saint Theophan was consecrated as Bishop of Tambov, he established a diocesan school for girls. his time in Tambov he came to love the secluded Vysha Monastery in his diocese. 1863 he was transferred to Vladimir and remained there for three years. also established a diocesan school for girls at Vladimir. holy bishop visited parishes throughout his diocese serving, preaching, restoring churches, and sharing the joys and sorrows of his flock. was very difficult for Bishop Theophan to live in the world and become involved with vain worldly disputes. abused his trust, but he could not bring himself to chastise anyone. he left such unpleasant tasks to the Archpriest of his cathedral. was present at the uncovering of the relics of Saint Tikhon of in 1861, and this made a tremendous impression on him, for he had much in common with that saint. had loved Saint Tikhon from early childhood, and always spoke about him with great enthusiasm. Saint Tikhon was glorified as a saint on August 13, Bishop Theophan’s joy knew no bounds. 1866 his request to be relieved of his duties as Bishop of Vladimir was granted. He was appointed as Superior of the Vysha Monastery, but soon resigned from that position. was permitted to live there and to celebrate services whenever he wished. He also received a pension of 1000 rubles. he prepared to leave his diocese, he wished to focus on his own salvation, and to concentrate on undisturbed communion with God. July 24, 1866 he bade his diocese farewell, leaving the world for a life of reclusion, to devote himself to writing spiritual books. these books, Saint Theophan has become the spiritual benefector of all Orthodox Christians. he sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33), a reputation as a writer of great significance for the whole world was also added to him. Theophan wrote many books, but received no profits from their sale. He tried to keep them as inexpensive as possible, and they quickly sold out. wrote about topics which others before him had not fully treated, as how to live a Christian life, to overcome sinful habits, how to avoid despair. tried to explain the steps of spiritual perfection systematically, as one who had himself gone through these various steps. of his books include The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to It, Path to Salvation, Letters on the Spiritual Life. also translated the Philokalia in five volumes, and The Sermons of Saint Simeon the New Theologian. the first six years in the monastery, Bishop Theophan attended all the services, including the early Liturgy. stood still in church with his eyes closed so that he would not be distracted. often celebrated Liturgy on Sundays and Feast Days. in 1872, he cut off all relationships with people (except for his confessor) no longer left his cell to attend church. built a small chapel in his quarters and dedicated it to the Lord’s Baptism. ten years he served there on Sundays and Feast Days. the last eleven years of his life he served every day by himself. Sometimes he would sing, and sometimes he kept completely silent. anyone visited him on business, Bishop Theophan would reply with as few words as possible, then immerse himself in prayer. anyone sent him money, he would distribute it to the poor, keeping only a small portion to purchase books. he was not occupied with writing or praying, the reclusive bishop worked at carpentry or painting icons. received from twenty to forty letters each day, and he answered all of them. was able to discern each writer’s spiritual condition, then give detailed answers to the questions of those who were struggling for the salvation of their souls. eyesight deteriorated in his latter years, but he did not curtail his work because of it. the evening, his cell attendant would prepare everything for the bishop to serve Liturgy the next morning. finishing the Liturgy, Bishop Theophan would knock on the wall to signal the cell attendant to serve him tea. days when there was no fasting, he would eat lunch at 1:00 P.M. This consisted of one egg and a glass of milk. At four o’clock he would have some tea, and then no more food that day. Theophan began to get weaker at the beginning of 1894. He was still writing on the afternoon of January 6, but when the cell attendant came to check on him at 4:30 he found that the bishop had departed to the Lord. Theophan’s body lay in the small church in his cell for three days, then three more days in the cathedral. There was no trace of corruption, however. He was laid to rest in the Kazan church of the Vysha Monastery. of Saint Theophan’s books have been translated into English, and are reliable spiritual guides for Orthodox Christians of today. Saint Theophan’s gift was the ability to present the wisdom of the Fathers in terms which modern people can understand. Since he lived close to our own time, many readers find his books “more approachable” than the earlier patristic literature. He treats the life of the soul and the life of the body as a unified whole, not as two separate elements, and reveals to people the path of salvation.

Russia, Kaluga, 1844-1894, Anatole I oOptina, under Marcarius,Ambrose&Anthony, unceasing prayr, clairvoyant prophet, archmndrite
Russia, Kaluga, 1844-1894, Anatole I oOptina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), devout parents hoped children monastics, read at 5, studied Boris Theological Seminary, later Kaluga Seminary, fever a14, missed school 1yr, wanted to be monk, thunderstorm kept him from Rosilav forests hermits, sign fGod, back tM, named Anatole, healed oTuberculosis, tOptima m wMother, Marcarius praised her for Anatole's path, A under M wing, taught Jesus prayer, principles Spiritual life, blessed to seek Ambrose&Anthony, kitchen obediences, slept oWood Pile, frequently transferred cell tCell, sorrows trials taught patience&humility, Ignatius Brianchaninov visited, referred to Deacon A, impressed by A, told Marcarius, who beat him with his staff, because it is easy to be proud, after M reposed 1860, A became very close to Ambrose, Amb noticed Ana mature enough to guide, he began to train A to Guide, 1870 priesthood, 1871 Superior of Spassy-Orlov m, soArcmandriteRank, did not leave Orlov, appointed assistant tAmbrose, 1874 Superior otSkete, continued respect obey Ambrose, doors otSkete to the right Ambrose, to the left Anatole, visitors often see both, Ana also corresponded with many for his advise, because ill, Amb relied Ana lead Shamordino Convent, told nuns rarely visited bConfidence iAna, Amb called him great Jesus prayer, receiving gift unceasing prayer, so one in 1K, clairvoyant prophet, 1891 Amb reposed, anti Amb bishop not let Ana tShamordino, deep sorrow health affected, tSt Petersburg&John oKronstadt, served together, doctors found heart lungs not good, 1893 worse health, tonsured Great Schema, fell asleep end Jan 1894, burried near Macarius&Ambrose, 1996 Optima Elders, 1998 relics uncovered; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Anatole (Zertsalov) was born with the name Alexis in the village of Bobolya on March 24, 1824. father, Moses Kopev, was a deacon, and his mother’s name was Anna. parents were exceptionally devout Christians who hoped that their children would enter the monastic life. only son Alexis was taught to read from the age of five. studied at the Saint Boris Theological Seminary, later he entered the seminary at Kaluga. he was fourteen, Alexis was stricken with a fever which kept him out of school for a year. a very early age, Alexis wanted to become a monk. even thought about going to the Roslavl forests to live with the hermits at that place. plans were not fulfilled, however, because a thunderstorm prevented him from continuing on his way. decided to turn back, regarding the storm as a sign that God did not wish him to proceed on his journey. young man returned to seminary, where he was renamed Anatole M. Zertsalov. students at Russian seminaries were given new names, as was the case with Saint Innocent Veniaminov (March 31). being healed of tuberculosis, he arrived at Optina Monastery with his mother. Macarius (September 7) praised her for setting her son on such a good path. Elder took Anatole under his wing, instructing him in the Jesus Prayer, and in the principles of the spiritual life. Father Macarius was too busy, he blessed Anatole to seek advice from Father Ambrose or Father Anthony. fulfilled various obediences in the monastery, beginning in the kitchen. did not get much sleep, and then only on the wood pile. was frequently transferred from cell to cell, and he experienced many sorrows and trials. These difficulties taught him the virtues of humility and patience. Ignatius Brianchaninov (April 30) once visited Optina hoping to meet and converse with monks experienced in the spiritual life, and was referred to Father Anatole, who was then a deacon. bishop was impressed with Father Anatole, and related the details of their conversation to Father Macarius. Elder began to beat him with his staff, and ordered him out of the room. When someone asked why he had been so harsh, Father Macarius said, “Why shouldn’t I scold him? It’s easy to become proud.” Father Macarius reposed in 1860, Father Anatole became very close to Father Ambrose. Father Ambrose noticed that Father Anatole was mature enough to guide others, he began to train him for this service, just as Father Macarius had trained him. Anatole was ordained to the priesthood in 1870. August 3, 1871 he was assigned as Superior of the Spassky-Orlov Monastery, and raised to the rank of archimandrite. Father Anatole did not wish to leave Optina, and Father Ambrose made a formal request to have him assigned as his assistant, and so the appointment was made. Anatole was made Superior of the Skete in 1874, at the urging of Father Ambrose. Anatole accepted these duties out of obedience to his Elder, and fulfilled them to the best of his ability. in his new position, Father Anatole continued to respect and obey Father Ambrose. Ambrose’s cell was to the right of the doors to the Skete, while that of Father Anatole was to the left. to one often went to see the other, as well. addition to receiving visitors, Father Anatole maintained a correspondence with many people who relied on his advice. Ambrose, because of his illness, relied greatly on Father Anatole in ordering life at the Shamordino Convent. told the nuns that he rarely visited them because of his confidence in Father Anatole. Ambrose called him a great practicioner of the Jesus Prayer, who had received grace and the gift of unceasing prayer. one in a thousand received such grace, he informed the nuns. the end of his life, Father Anatole had atained the same spiritual wisdom, discernment, and clairvoyance possessed by Father Macarius and Father Ambrose. saw the secrets of the human soul, and was able to foretell future events. Father Ambrose’s repose in 1891, the bishop (who did not approve of Father Ambrose) forbade Father Anatole to visit Shamordino. caused him deep sorrow, which affected his health. He traveled to Saint Petersburg in 1892 and met with Saint John of Kronstadt (December 20). On October 10, the anniversary of Father Ambrose’s death, they served together. Doctors in the capital examined him and found that his heart and lungs were not good. Anatole’s health grew worse during 1893, and on October 10, he was secretly tonsured into the Great Schema. Anatole fell asleep in the Lord on January 25, 1894, and was buried near his beloved instructors Saint Ambrose and Saint Macarius. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy, admired Rouseau
Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Kaluga, 1857-1911, St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, Ambrose' assistant, also head of Shamordino C and Optima M
Kaluga's St Joseph (Litovkin) of Optina, 1857-1911; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Joseph of Optina was born on November 2, 1837 in the village of Gorodishcha in the province of Kharkov. His name in the world was John Litovkin, and his parents Euthymius and Maria were simple but pious people. They were generous to the poor, and often lent money to those in need even when there seemed little chance that it would be repaid. Euthymius also loved to receive monks who came to his door collecting alms for their monasteries. Invariably, he would give each one five rubles for the needs of the monastery. Litovkins had six children, and they often read to them from spiritual books, especially from the Lives of the Saints. The second of their three sons (the future Saint Joseph) was baptized with the name John in honor of Saint John the Merciful (November 12). Instead of providing them with earthly wealth, the couple endowed their children with heavenly treasures, raising them in piety, obedience, and in the fear of God. learned to read even before he started school, taught by his older sister Alexandra at home. He was a sickly child, nearsighted and hard of hearing in one ear. He also met with various accidents. Once he was knocked down by another child and bit off the tip of his own tongue. Another time he was scalded with boiling water. In spite of all this, he was a happy and affectionate child. His father knew there was something special about John, and others also believed that God’s special favor was upon the boy. he was only four, John’s beloved father died, and his mother had to raise the children herself. he was eight, John was playing with some friends, and suddenly froze on the spot. He raised his arms and his head toward the sky, then fell down unconscious. They carried him home and put him to bed. When he awoke, they asked him what had happened. He told them that he had seen the Queen of Heaven in the air. “What makes you think you saw the Queen?” they asked. “Because she had a crown with a cross,” he replied. that time on, the boy became more quiet and thoughtful, and started to avoid children’s games. Soon after this, the family moved into a new home. There was a great fire in the village, and John prayed that the Mother of God would protect their house from the flames. The Livotkin home was spared, even though everything around it was burned. 1848, their mother died during an outbreak of cholera. John was only eleven at the time. His older brother Simeon and his sister Anna were both married before their mother passed away, and his sister Alexandra had gone to the Borisovsk monastery in Kursk Province to become a nun. Simeon became the head of the family, although his drinking problem made him rather unreliable. Simeon took care of John for a while, and their younger brother Peter went to live with Anna. Simeon decided to leave home, and so John was placed in the care of various people, including a tavern keeper and a grocer. to endure conditions in the homes of such people, John went to live with a cousin who was a deacon in Novocherkassk. He ate nothing on his journey, for he was ashamed to beg, and people did not offer him any food on their own. When he arrived at the church where his cousin served, John sat down outside and waited for the Liturgy to end. Two women with rolls passed by and took pity upon him. One of them gave him a warm roll, which the boy regarded as manna from heaven. stayed with his cousin for a brief time, then moved on to other places, taking various jobs to support himself. Later in life he was asked whether he had ever had a girlfriend when he was living in the world. He shook his head and said, “Since I was nearsighted, I couldn’t really see anyone at a distance, and I was too shy to approach anyone up close.” living in the world John was often unhappy, and he found consolation in prayer and in church services. One day he received a letter from his sister, Mother Leonida, suggesting that he enter the skete at Optina, which was blessed with experienced Elders. Then the desire to leave the world and embrace the monastic life began to grow within him. that John was planning to make a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves, the man for whom he was working offered him his daughter in marriage. Years later Father Joseph would say, “It’s always that way. As soon as one begins to think of following the path to salvation, obstacles and temptations begin to appear.” his employer’s permission, John started out for Kiev. On the way, he stopped to visit his parents’ graves and the place where he had spent a happy childhood. He stayed briefly at the Dormition Monastery in Kharkov’s Holy Mountains, but he did not wish to remain there. Finally he went to the Borisovsk Women’s Hermitage to visit his sister, Mother Leonida. She had spoken to Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) of her concern for John. He told her not to worry, because John would become a monk. Leonida’s Eldress, Schemanun Alypia, overheard some of their conversation and said to John, “Forget about Kiev. Go to the Elders at Optina.” Mother Leonida gave him a look indicating that John should obey. traveled to Optina with some nuns of the women’s monastery at Belev, driving the cart for them. Saint Macarius had already departed to the Lord in 1860, and was succeeded as Elder by his disciple, Saint Ambrose (October 10). Knowing of John’s monastic inclinations, the nuns jokingly introduced him as “Brother John.” Saint Ambrose replied solemnly, “This Brother John will prove useful to us, and to you.” March 1, 1861 John found himself standing before the Elder Ambrose, telling him of his life, and asking for a blessing to go to Kiev. Father Ambrose told him to remain at Optina, forseeing the blessings he would bring to Optina, and to the women’s monasteries which were under the guidance of the Optina Elders. Taking Saint Ambrose’s words as an indication of God’s will, John murmured, “May it be blessed.” like all new novices, was given an obedience in the kitchen. He was assigned to help the cook in the skete. From the very start, John demonstrated perfect obedience and humility. Life in the monastery was everything he had hoped it would be, and he was glad to leave the tumult of the world behind. June the Superior of the Skete, Father Paphnutius, asked John if he would like to move in with the Elder Ambrose as his cell-attendant. The next day he moved to the Elder’s quarters, where he remained for the next fifty years. As happy as he was to be near the Elder, he was disturbed by the constant flow of visitors. He felt that there was no time to pray or go to church, and began to have misgivings. He was tempted by the thought that perhaps he would be better off in Kiev or on Mount Athos, and did not notice that Father Ambrose had entered the cell. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard the Elder say, “Brother John, it’s better here than it is on Athos. Stay with us.” realized that his thoughts had been sent by the Enemy of our salvation, and he fell down at Father Ambrose’s feet in repentance. April 15, 1872 he was tonsured as a rassophore (wearer of the rassa), then on June 16, 1872 he was tonsured as a monk, receiving the name Joseph in honor of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). He was unexpectedly ordained as a deacon in 1877 in a way which demonstrated that God was directing the course of his life. December 7 (Father Ambrose’s nameday), Igumen Isaac served Liturgy in the skete church. Later, he visited Father Ambrose to offer his congratulations, and the cell-attendants Father Joseph and Father Michael served them tea. The Superior asked Father Ambrose about a monk whom he proposed to recommend for ordination to the diaconate. The Elder said that the time was not right for that particular monk, recommending someone else instead. Noticing Father Joseph standing nearby with a tray, Father Isaac smiled and said, “Well Father, you don’t want my candidate, and I don’t want yours. Let’s ordain Father Joseph.” it was that Father Joseph was sent to Kaluga, where he was ordained by Bishop Gregory on December 9. It was customary at Optina that a newly-ordained deacon or priest would serve every day for forty days. Father Joseph’s health did not permit him to fulfill the forty days, however. He developed an inflammation on his right side, and he nearly died. Joseph’s life continued as it had before, but with more responsibilities. He had no cell of his own, but continued to sleep in the reception room, which the Elder used each day until almost 11 P.M. Father Ambrose frequently tested his cell-attendant in order to give him the opportunity to acquire patience and humility, following the instructions of Saint John of the Ladder (Book 4, paragraphs 27 and 28). Ambrose built the Shamordino Convent about eight miles from Optina, and on October 1, 1884 Bishop Vladimir of Kaluga came for its opening. At the Liturgy that day, Father Joseph was ordained as a priest and from that day forward the nuns regarded him as their priest, and he became the spiritual director of the convent after the repose of Father Ambrose. Joseph now became the Elder’s senior cell-attendant, and tried to protect him and also to placate the visitors who grumbled about having to wait for so long to see Father Ambrose. In spite of his duties, Father Joseph found time to read spiritual books. He particularly loved the PHILOKALIA and the writings of the Fathers. In these books he found spiritual wisdom, which he shared with those who came to him for advice. Joseph’s inner life was known only to God, but his advice to others indicates that he practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. Forseeing that Father Joseph would serve as Elder after him, Father Ambrose blessed some people to start going to Father Joseph for their spiritual needs. Joseph attended Saint Ambrose for thirty years, until the Elder’s death on October 10, 1891. Father Ambrose prepared Father Joseph for eldership, teaching him by word and by example. He would also refer some visitors to Father Joseph for advice. There was such oneness of mind between them that when people would ask Father Joseph about something and then ask Father Ambrose about the same thing, they would receive the very same answer. Joseph’s health was not good, and he was susceptible to colds in winter. In February 1888 he became very ill and took to his bed, and he received the Mystey of Holy Unction. The doctor recommended that he be moved to the infirmary for treatment, but Father Joseph did not wish to leave Father Ambrose. The Superior of the skete insisted on the transfer, however. The ride to the monastery in a sleigh during cold weather only made his illness worse. Joseph was tonsured into the schema (the highest level of monasticism) during the Liturgy on February 14. The next day, prayers for the Departure of the Soul were read for him, and people came to bid him farewell. A novice, sitting behind a screen, heard Father Joseph praying aloud. Peering through a slit in the screen, he saw Father Joseph gazing at an icon of Christ and lifting up his hands. This novice went to the infirmary later and heard someone behind the screen say, “Be patient, my dear one, only a little remains.” He looked behind the screen, but saw no one there except Father Joseph. Later, Father Ambrose told people that Father Joseph had seen the Mother of God during his illness. Though he had been quite near death, he got well. his recovery, Father Joseph began to hear confessions on a regular basis, since this was becoming too difficult for Father Ambrose. He blessed people to go to Father Joseph “not just once, but always.” the summer of 1888, Father Ambrose blessed Father Joseph to go on a pilgrimage to Kiev. After nearly thirty years, he was able to fulfill his desire to visit the holy places of Kiev. On his way back to Optina, he stopped to visit his sister Mother Leonida at Borisovsk. Ambrose usually spent three weeks during the summer at the Shamordino Convent, accompanied by Father Joseph. In June of 1890 Father Joseph began to prepare for the journey, but Father Ambrose said, “I’m not taking you this time, you’re needed here.” He ordered Father Joseph to move into his cell and to transfer a large “Surety of Sinners” Icon (March 7 and May 29) into the reception room. Father Joseph had a premonition that Father Ambrose would never return. he missed the Elder, Father Joseph resigned himself to the situation. He did go to Shamordino once a month to visit Father Ambrose, however. In the absence of Father Ambrose, many monks who confessed to him began to go to Father Joseph. During the Nativity Fast Father Ambrose started sending his spiritual children at Shamordino to confess to Father Joseph as well. This was difficult for the nuns, who were used to Father Ambrose. Even when he heard a nun’s confession himself, Father Ambrose would send her to Father Joseph for the prayers of absolution. In this manner, he indicated that he was entrusting his spiritual children to no one but Father Joseph. September 1891 Father Ambrose became ill, but no one thought it was serious. On October 8, he was so critical that they sent for Father Joseph. That evening the service of Holy Unction was performed, and the next morning Father Joseph gave Father Ambrose Communion for the last time. Saint Ambrose reposed on the morning of October 10, and no one grieved more than Father Joseph. Even in his sorrow, however, he comforted and consoled others. any outside influence or pressure, the monks of Optina began coming to Father Joseph just as they had come to Father Ambrose. When the nuns of Shamordino asked to whom they should go for spiritual direction, Father Isaac told them, “At Optina all we have Father Joseph as our common Elder, and he must be yours as well.” the next twenty years, Saint Joseph received visitors, gave spiritual counsel to those who asked for his advice, and even performed miracles of healing for the afflicted. Out of humility, Father Joseph never said anything on his own authority, but quoted the words of Father Ambrose, or gave examples from his life. He spoke very little, and then only to answer a question which had been put to him. Some laymen, and even some of the monks, were annoyed with him because he did not say more. monk had the thought that since Father Joseph was filled with spiritual wisdom and was so familiar with the writings of the Fathers, he could have said many beneficial things to people. The Elder explained this to him, quoting Saint Peter of Damascus, who said that one should not say anything helpful unless asked by the brethren, because then the resulting benefit would come from their free choice. Even concerning something which might be useful for salvation, the ancient Fathers would not speak without being asked, considering unsolicited advice as idle talk (Vol. 3 of the English PHILOKALIA, p. 186). greatest care was for the Shamordino Convent, which remained unfinished, and for the spiritual welfare of its nuns. The Superior of the convent now turned to Father Joseph to consult him about everything related to the life of the convent, and would do nothing without his blessing. He went there twice a year, during the Apostles’ Fast, and during the Dormition Fast, to hear the confessions of the sisters. In the winter, they would visit him at Optina for Confession. Soon he was obliged to give up traveling to Shamordino because of his health. Joseph was officially appointed as confessor for the Optina brotherhood near the end of 1893 when Father Anatole became ill and could not fulfill this duty. Many of the monks had already been confessing to Father Joseph, but now they all came to him. January 25, 1894 Saint Anatole, the head of the skete, fell asleep in the Lord. Archimandrite Isaac and the bretheren unanimously chose Father Joseph to succeed Father Anatole as Superior of the skete. Although he never sought this honor, Father Joseph accepted his election with all humility. He discharged his duties, not by issuing orders, but with paternal love and humility. Superior, he could have chosen to serve only on major Feast Days when the priests concelebrated, and designated one of the priests of the skete to serve on other days. He often served as a simple monk, however, with only one deacon to assist him. the last years of his life, Father Joseph grew weaker and was often ill. In May of 1905 he felt that he lacked the strength to carry out his duties, and he asked to retire as Superior of the skete. He also had to give up hearing the confessions of visitors, since this exhausted him. His spiritual children were saddened by his decision, but the monks and nuns continued to come to him with their spiritual wounds and afflictions. 1911 Father Joseph was weak and ill, but began to feel somewhat better during Great Lent. He was unusually joyful during Holy Week, which led some to believe that he had had some sort of vision. On April 11, the third day of Pascha, Father Joseph developed a fever and stopped seeing visitors. The following week, a doctor diagnosed him with maleria, declaring that there was no hope for recovery. April 20 the wonderworking Icon “of the Sign” was brought to his cell and a molieben was served. In the afternoon, the Kazan Icon and the rassa of Saint Seraphim were brought to him. Two days later, he requested that the skete brotherhood be permitted to come to him so that he could bid them farewell and ask their forgiveness. Then he asked that the Shamordino nuns also be allowed to come. Joseph stopped taking food from April 28 on, nourishing himself only with the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Up until the time of his death, he was conscious and lucid, answering questions and dictating replies to letters. On May 8 he felt a little better, then became weak again. On the morning of May 9 he received Holy Communion, then at four in the afternoon he received some people for a final blessing. evening the Elder lay resting on his bed with his eyes closed, and his face shone with an unearthly radiance. At 10:45 he drew his last breath and departed to the Lord with a smile on his face. the body was prepared for burial, panikhidas were served one after another for the departed Elder. The saint appeared to some of the brethren in dreams both that night and on subsequent days. body was placed in a coffin at six o’clock the next morning and was carried to the skete church. Following the Liturgy, a panikhida was served, then the casket was brought to the monastery church of Saint Mary of Egypt. The monks began taking turns serving panikhidas for Father Joseph until his burial. miracles took place on the day Saint Joseph was laid to rest at the feet of Father Ambrose. Even today, he continues to intercede with God and to work miracles for those who entreat him with faith. Joseph became a great Elder because first he had been a great disciple. He was obedient to his Elder Father Ambrose in all things, and never contradicted him. Because he renounced his own will, refrained from judging others, and reproached himself for his own sins, Father Joseph acquired humility and the grace of God. He also obtained from the Lord the discernment to recognize every sort of spiritual illness, and how to treat it. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, MTrail, invalid ignores 2vision, then goes 3rd, icon found, alcoholics c
Russia, Kaluga, 1878, Inexhaustible Chalice Icon, Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7), retired soldier, pension on alcohol, broke, poor health, no walk, continued to drink, Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared and told him to go to Serpukhov M for IChalice Molieben, ignored twice, crawled, got better on the way, woman rubbed legs, hard to remember icon, restored health, alcoholism cured, news spread, many alcoholics cured, annual Molieben wAkathist; Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5; “Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was revealed in Russia in 1878. retired soldier from Tula had spent his pension on alcohol, ruining his health. Though he was no longer able to walk, he continued to drink. night the holy Elder Barlaam of Serpukhov appeared to him in a dream and told him to go to the Serpukhov Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple. “Have a Molieben served before her Icon ‘The Inexhaustible Chalice.’” he had no money and could not walk, the man paid no attention to the dream. the Elder appeared a second and third time, speaking to him with increasing severity. on all fours, the man reached the next village and stayed in the home of an old woman. She rubbed his legs, and he began to feel better. The next day, he resumed his journey with two canes, then with one, until he arrived at the monastery. described his dreams to the monks, but none of them had ever heard of “The Inexhaustible Chalice” Icon. Finally, one of them remembered an icon on which a chalice was depicted. On the back of the icon was an inscription, “The Inexhaustible Chalice.” the Molieben, the peasant returned home restored to health, and cured of his alcoholism. of the miracle spread, and many alcoholics and their families came to pray before the Icon. Many of them came back to thank the Mother of God for answering their prayers. Sunday in the Serpukhov-Vyotsk monastery a Molieben with an Akathist is served before the Icon for those who are addicted to alcohol.

Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, MOG, St Ambrose, crop failure famines, but rain w icon
Russia, Kaluga, 1892, Multiplier of Wheat Icon; Optina Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat”, was painted at the blessing of the Elder Ambrose (October 10) of the Visitation Optina wilderness monastery. Ambrose, a great Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, was ardent with a childlike faith towards the Mother of God. In particular, he revered all the Feastdays of the Mother of God, and on these days he redoubled his prayer. the icon, “Multiplier of Wheat,” Saint Ambrose blessed the Shamordino women’s monastery established in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he had founded not far from the Optina monastery. this icon, the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, and Her hands are extended in blessing. Beneath her is a compressed field, and on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. Ambrose himself decreed the day of celebration, October 15, and called the icon “Multiplier of Wheat”, indicating by this, that the Most Holy Theotokos “is a Helper for people in their labors for the acquiring of their daily bread.” his blessed repose, Saint Ambrose ordered many copies of this icon and sent them to his spiritual children. the Akathist to this icon, the Elder composed a particular response, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Grant unto us unworthy ones the dew of Your grace and the showing forth of Your mercy!” Ambrose’s burial took place on October 15, the Feastday of the icon. first miracle from the holy icon was witnessed in 1891, when throughout Russia there was a famine because of crop failure. In the Kaluga district and on the fields of the Shamordino monastery, however, grain was produced. 1892, already after the death of Saint Ambrose, his attendant John Cherepanov sent a copy of the icon to the Pyatnitsa women’s monastery in Voronezh district. In this locale there was a threat of drought and famine, but soon after a Molieben was celebrated before the icon “The Multiplier of Wheat”, rain fell and ended the drought. Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus.

Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1891, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, Kaluga, sheaves of rye, reversed crop failures
Russia, Kaluga, 1884-1891, Multiplier of Wheat Icon, Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1), sheaves of rye, reversed crop failures; Shamordino Women's Monastery, 1884; Optina Monestary ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the “Multiplier of Wheat”, was painted at the blessing of the Elder Ambrose (October 10) of the Visitation Optina wilderness monastery. Ambrose, a great Russian ascetic of the nineteenth century, ardent with a childlike faith towards the Mother of God. particular, he revered all the Feastdays of the Mother of God, on these days he redoubled his prayer. the icon, “Multiplier of Wheat,” Saint Ambrose blessed the Shamordino women’s monastery established in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, which he had founded not far from the Optina monastery. this icon, the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon the clouds, Her hands are extended in blessing. her is a compressed field, on it amidst the grass and flowers stand and lay sheaves of rye. Ambrose himself decreed the day of celebration, October 15, and called the icon “Multiplier of Wheat”, by this, that the Most Holy Theotokos “is a Helper for people in their labors for the acquiring of their daily bread.” his blessed repose, Saint Ambrose ordered many copies of this icon and sent them to his spiritual children. the Akathist to this icon, the Elder composed a particular response, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Grant unto us unworthy ones the dew of Your grace and the showing forth of Your mercy!” Ambrose’s burial took place on October 15, the Feastday of the icon. first miracle from the holy icon was witnessed in 1891, when throughout Russia there was a famine because of crop failure. the Kaluga district and on the fields of the Shamordino monastery, however, grain was produced. 1892, already after the death of Saint Ambrose, his attendant John Cherepanov sent a copy of the icon to the Pyatnitsa women’s monastery in Voronezh district. this locale there was a threat of drought and famine, but soon after a Molieben was celebrated before the icon “The Multiplier of Wheat”, rain fell and ended the drought. Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Ambrose of Optina Michailovich Grenkov was born Nov. 23, 1812 in the Russian province of Tambov. His parents raised him strictly and with fervent piety. Since he was of a priestly family, it was no surprise when he entered the Tambov theological seminary in 1830. He did well in his studies and was ranked among the top students. a year before graduation Alexander became seriously ill. He promised that if God healed him, he would become a monk. Although his prayer was answered, Alexander seemed to forget his promise. graduation from the seminary he took a position as tutor to the children of a certain landowner and remained with this family for a year and a half. After this he became a teacher at the local parochial school. day in 1839 Alexander and a friend visited the famous hermit Father Hilarion to ask him what they should do with their lives. Alexander was surprised when he was told to go to the monastery of Optina Pustin, where they had great need of him. In September of that same year, however, he seemed to be prepared to continue with his teaching career. night he was invited to spend a pleasant evening with some friends. His conversation was witty and brilliant, and all his jokes and puns were on the mark. Although his hosts were amused and impressed by him, Alexander was disgusted by his own frivolity. Perhaps his unfulfilled promise to become a monk weighed on his conscience. next morning he quit his job and arrived at Optina in October of 1839. After a trial period he decided to remain in the monastery and dedicate his life to God. He received the monastic tonsure in 1842, and was given the name Ambrose in honor of Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). Ambrose knew the famous spiritual directors Elder Leonid and Elder Macarius. He was the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, who undoubtedly influenced the young monk’s spiritual development. as a priest in 1845, Father Ambrose’s reverence and piety in celebrating the divine services were noticed by the other monks. His health began to decline shortly afterward, and he had to ask to be relieved of all duties. In 1846 he was so ill that the Mystery of Holy Unction was administered to him. He bore his illness without complaint and slowly regained his strength. By 1848 he was able to walk with the aid of a cane. Ambrose began to help Elder Macarius with his correspondence and in preparing the Russian edition of Saint John Climacus’s LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, which was published by the monastery. Father Macarius had to go to Moscow in 1852, he designated Father Ambrose to take his place until his return. Father Ambrose never gave his personal opinions when he was asked for advice, but always referred people to the writings of the Fathers. If someone did not understand the text he was given to read, Father Ambrose would explain it in simple terms. Macarius died in 1860 without naming anyone to succeed him as Elder. By divine providence, all the other possible candidates either died or were appointed as abbots of other monasteries. This left Father Ambrose as the undisputed spiritual director of the monastery. In his role as Elder, Father Ambrose had to receive many people each day to hear confessions and give advice. He used to say, “The Lord has arranged it so that I would have to talk to people all my life. Now I would be happy to remain silent, but I cannot.” average day in Saint Ambrose’s life began at 4 A.M. when his cell attendant came into his cell to read the morning Rule of prayer for him. After this he would wash and have some tea, then he would dictate replies to the many letters he received every day. Visitors would be lining up even as he was having breakfast. Sometimes he would take a break after two hours, but more often he would continue seeing people until noon when he had his lunch. lunch he would go out into the next room and greet more visitors. People would call out questions and he would give an appropriate response. He took a short rest at 3 P.M. then talked to people until the evening. At 8 P.M. he had dinner then received more visitors until 11 P.M. At that hour the evening Rule of prayer was read, and Father Ambrose begged forgiveness of the brethren whom he may have offended by thought, word, or deed. After three or four hours of sleep it would all begin again. This routine would fatigue a strong man. It is remarkable that Saint Ambrose, who was often in poor health, was able to keep it up for so many years. all over Russia, people flocked to the venerable Elder. The writer Tolstoy visited him on at least three occasions, and left impressed by the wisdom of the holy monk. Fyodor Dostoevsky came to Optina in 1878 after the death of his son Alyosha and was profoundly affected by his meeting with Saint Ambrose. The novelist used Father Ambrose as a model for Starets Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. saint founded Shamordino convent in 1884. This convent, which was near Optina, opened its doors to women who were poor, sickly, or even blind. Most convents were very poor and had to rely on the incomes of women who had a certain personal wealth in order to remain open. Saint Ambrose made it possible for any woman who wished to become a nun to follow this path of salvation. began to decline after the death of the first abbess, Mother Sophia. Saint Ambrose went there in June 1890 to straighten out the convent’s affairs. He was unable to return to Optina due to illness, then winter made it impossible for him to travel. Father Ambrose continued to see visitors at Shamordino, even though his health continued to deteriorate in 1891. September, it was clear that he had not long to live. He fell asleep in the Lord at 11:30 A.M. on the morning of October 10 1891. Throngs of people attended his funeral and also his burial at Optina. Fathers Joseph, Anthony, Benedict, and Anatole succeeded him as Elder until the monastery was closed after the Russian Revolution. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Ambrose was glorified in 1988 by the Patriarchate of Moscow as part of the Millennium celebration of the Baptism of Rus.

Russia, Kaluga, 1891-1918, Hiermrtr Nikodemos, Bishop oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian, incorrupt relics
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28.

Russia, Kaluga, 1900, 20th C Folder, theologian Hilarion wIncorrupt relics, Isaac II & Nikon oOptima

Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom
Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom, wrote about The Unity otChurch, An Outline otHistory otChurch's Dogma, called for restoration Moscow Patriarchate, disolved bPerter I, Tikhon Patriarch, Hilarion Bishop 1920, so great lumiinary on the lampstand, only 6mos wTikhon, 1922 arrested, tArchangelisk 1yr, then 6yrs Solvoki labor camp, there aFilomonov Wharf catching fish mending nets, formerly fishermen became theologians now the reverse, popular inmate, tall robust brown hair, always gave, remained cheerful, 1925 Yaroslav prison, treated lenient, books plesant conversations wWarden, 1926 back tSolvoki, 1929 exiled Alma-Atu, robbed on the way, ill wParasites, dressed iRags, knew time oDeath, 1929; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; holy New Martyr Archbishop Hilarion (Vladimir Alexievich Troitsky in the world), outstanding theologian, an eloquent preacher, and a fearless defender of Christ’s holy Church, was born around 1885. Hilarion wrote many books and articles on various topics, including “The Unity of the Church.” His Master’s thesis, “An Outline of the History of the Church’s Dogma,” was over five hundred pages long, and was a well-documented analysis of the subject. the Council of 1917 he delivered a brilliant address calling for the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate, had been dissolved by Tsar Peter I in the eighteenth century. Saint Tikhon (April 7) was chosen as Patriarch, Saint Hilarion became his fervent supporter. Hilarion was consecrated as bishop on May 20, 1920, so the great luminary was placed upon the lampstand (Luke 11:33). that time, he was to know less than two years of freedom. He spent only six months working with Patriarch Tikhon. was arrested and exiled in Archangelsk for a year, he spent six years (1923-1929) in a labor camp seven versts from Solovki. at the Filomonov Wharf he and at least two other bishops were employed in catching fish and mending nets. the hymns of Pentecost, Archbishop Hilarion remarked, “Formerly, the fishermen became theologians. Now the theologians have become fishermen.” Hilarion was one of the most popular inmates of the labor camp. is remembered as tall, robust, and with brownish hair. possessions meant nothing to him, so he always gave his things away to anyone who asked for them. never showed annoyance when people disturbed him or insulted him, but remained cheerful. the summer of 1925, Vladika was taken from the camp and placed in the Yaroslav prison. he was treated more leniently, and received certain privileges. example, he was allowed to receive religious books, and he had pleasant conversations with the warden in his office. Hilarion regarded his time at the Yaroslav Isolated Detention Center as the best part of his imprisonment. following spring he was back at Solovki. 1929 the Communists decided to exile Archbishop Hilarion to Alma-Atu in central Asia. his trip southward from the far north, Saint Hilarion was robbed and endured many privations. he arrived in Petrograd, he was ill with typhus, infested with parasites and dressed in rags. informed that he would have to be shaved, he replied, “You may now do with me whatever you wish.” wrote from the prison hospital, “My fate will be decided on Saturday, December 15. I doubt I will survive.” Hilarion died at the age of forty-four in the hospital of a Petrograd prison on December 15, 1929. body was placed in a coffin hastily made from some boards, and then was released to his family. once tall and robust Archbishop Hilarion had been transformed by his sufferings into a pitiful white-haired old man. One female relative fainted when she saw the body. Seraphim (Chichagov) provided a set of white vestments for the late Archbishop. He was also placed in a better coffin. Seraphim presided at the funeral of Saint Hilarion, assisted by six bishops and several priests. The saint was buried at Novodevichii Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); and on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina
Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Nikon was born on September 26, 1888, the son of Metrophanes and Vera Belyaev, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. His parents, who were both very devout, belonged to one of Moscow’s merchant families. Belyaev family received a visit from Saint John of Kronstadt when Nicholas was in his first year. He blessed Vera and gave her a signed photograph of himself. Nicholas and his brother John loved going to church and reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual books. When John and Nicholas decided to embrace monasticism, they cut up a list of Russia’s monasteries from an old book, and Nicholas was asked to pick one of the strips after praying to God. The strip he selected read, “The Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Kozelsk.â€ Until that moment, neither of them had ever heard of this monastery. brothers traveled to Optina on February 24, 1907 with their mother’s blessing, and were accepted into the monastery on December 9, the commemoration of the “Unexpected Joyâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. was assigned as secretary to Father Barsanuphius, the Superior of the Skete, in October 1908. Except for reading and serving in church, this became his chief monastic obedience for the rest of his life. Saint Barsanuphius (April 1) foresaw that he would become an excellent monk as well as a worthy disciple. Nicholas was devoted to the Elder, and followed his will in all matters. Father Barsanuphius gave him the benefit of his knowledge and experience, guiding him to ascend the spiritual ladder of virtues. was tonsured into the Lesser Schema on May 24, 1915 with the new name Nikon in honor of the martyr Saint Nikon (September 28). He was ordained as a deacon on April 30, 1916, and as a priest on November 3, 1917. Father Nikon could not help but remember the prophecy of Father Barsanuphius made several years before the Russian Revolution. Saint Barsanuphius foresaw times of difficulty for monasteries when Christians would be persecuted and suffer martyrdom. He predicted that he himself would be dead before this happened, and that Father Nikon would live through those terrible times. Nikon was arrested and jailed on September 18, 1919 without the benefit of a trial, just because he was a monk. He was later released and permitted to return to Optina, where the monks had formed a farming cooperative. Soviets closed the cooperative in 1923, and the monastery was turned into a museum. Two monks were allowed to stay and work in the museum, while the others were expelled and told to go wherever they wished. Father Nikon was blessed by Father Isaac to serve in the church dedicated to the Kazan Icon and to receive visitors. When people came to him for advice, he always quoted the words of the Optina Elders. last church at Optina was closed early in 1924, and Father Nikon was obliged to leave in June. He went to live at Kozelsk with Father Cyril Zlenko. There he continued to receive visitors and offer spiritual counsel, sharing money and food with those who were too old, or too sick to work. Father Nikon was a wise spiritual Father, who was able to help people overcome their shame and reveal the sins which had troubled them for a long time. People would leave Father Nikon feeling cleansed and renewed. Nikon, Father Cyril, and Father Agapitus Taub were arrested and thrown into prison in June of 1927. Father Nikon and Father Agapitus were sent to the “Kemperpunktâ€ camp, where Father Nikon was assigned the duty of guarding the storehouses. Nikon wrote to his spiritual children from the camp with cheerful words of encouragement. Although he accepted his imprisonment as God’s will, it was nevertheless difficult for him to endure. When their prison term ended, the two monks were sent into exile at Archangelsk. Before leaving the camp, Father Nikon was examined and found to have tuberculosis. The doctors advised him to request that his place of exile be changed to a place with a more suitable climate. asked the advice of Father Agapitus, who told him not to make such a request. At Archangels, Father Nikon lodged in the home of an elderly woman who gave him little rest or peace. Every week he had to travel three kilometers to present himself before the authorities in the city of Pinyega. shoveling snow at the beginning of Great Lent, Father Nikon’s leg began to hemorrhage, and he developed a high fever. His landlady did not feel any pity for him, but told him that he must leave her house so that the others would not become infected with tuberculosis. Father Nikon was visited by Father Peter, who had once lived at Optina. He begged Father Peter to take him in, which he did. Father Peter cared for the Elder to the best of his ability. For the last two months of his life, Father Nikon received Holy Communion almost every day, and his sufferings seemed to grow less severe. He often dictated letters to his spiritual children to Father Peter. One day, Father Nikon saw Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) in a vision and told Sister Irene to pull up a chair for him. She was slow to obey him so he said, “Forgive her, Father, for she is not very experienced.â€ June 25, 1931 Father Nikon was so weak that he could not speak. Archimandrite Niká¸—tas was called to bring him Communion, and to read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul. That night the Elder fell asleep in the Lord at the age of forty-three. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Unexpected Joy Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?â€ The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.â€ Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joyâ€ icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1.

Russia, Kaluga, 1938, Isaac II, Optina M, Kaluga, died as a martyr, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally&2000 universally
Russia, Kaluga, 1938, Saint Isaac II (Bobrikov), Optina Monastery, Kaluga, died as a martyr, Dec 26, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally and 2000 universally; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Isaac II of Optina, Commemorated on December 26; Isaac II (Bobrikov) died as a martyr on December 26, 1938. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Kaluga, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga, after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey
Russia, Kaluga, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga (Protva River 1), after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11; New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) fell asleep in the Lord on December 15, 1929 after spending six years in labor camps. Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) of Leningrad obtained permission from the authorities to take Saint Hilarion's body from the prison hospital for burial, he vested him in white vestments and a mitre, and then brought him to the church at Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. the Saint's relatives saw his body, they barely recognized him. His years in the labor camps had changed his appearance from that of a man of forty-four into a grey-haired old man. Seraphim presided at the funeral service and burial, assisted by Archbishop Alexei (Simansky), the future Patriarch of Moscow, and five other hierarchs. Saint Hilarion was buried in the cemetery of Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. relics of Saint Hilarion were found on July 11, 1998. May 10, 1999, Saint Hilarion, the Archbishop of Verey, was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. On the eve of his canonization, the Holy Hieromartyr’s relics were uncovered and transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow and were placed in the church of the Sretensky Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Kaluga, 2000, 21st C Folder, Uncovering Nicodemos oBelgorod's incorrupt relics

Russia, Kaluga, 2012, Uncovering of Nikodemos' incorrupt Relics, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Belgorod; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; Belogorod, an event of great spiritual significance occurred: the recovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos of Belgorod. in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior at Belgorod, the relics of two Belgorod Saints are buried. shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod (December 10) is under a canopy on the south side of the altar, and on the north side is a wooden chest with the newly-discovered relics of Bishop Νikόdēmos. incorrupt relics were recovered from his burial place on October 20/November 2, 2012. the first week of Lent there were solemn services in the Transfiguration Cathedral, which were led by Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol. While the Magnification was being sung for the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, his revered relics were taken from the altar and placed on the kathedra, after which Vladyka knelt and read prayers before them. He also read the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia: “At the anniversary Bishops' Council in 2000 Bishop Νikόdēmos (Kononov) of Belgorod was numbered among the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church." identifying the remains, Patriarch Kirill determined: “Having recognized these remains as the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), Bishop of Belgorod, let the Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyr Νikόdēmos be included in the Menaion of the Russian Orthodox Church.” the crypt was opened, the Hierarch's episcopal vestments were intact, but his miter and the Gospel were missing. Saint Νikόdēmos is also commemorated on December 28. Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos.

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 1, Orlov Folder

Russia, Kaluga, Muravsky Trail Folder, M Trail 6-9 from Livny and Tula to Serpukhov Crossing at Oka 6

Polovetsians (Cumans) Chuhuiv, Muravsky Trail 3
Polovetsians (Cumans) Chuhuiv, Muravsky Trail 3; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20;

Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5;

Oryol, Kaluga (Orel, Oka River 1)
Oryol (Orel, Oka River 1) ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My SorrowsÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29;

Orel Diocese, Kaluga
Orel Diocese; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My Sorrows, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Saint Nikḗtas of the Roslavl Forests, Commemorated on March 29;

Orlov District, Kaluga (Oka River 1, Ryazan)
Orlov District; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Saint Theophan the Recluse, Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners, Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 9 ; we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January 25) which is treasured in the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel Diocese, Karachev district. 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in honor of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon as part of the Saint Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the monastery. wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 2, Upa River Folder, Tula

Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); œChernigov-GethsemaneÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy, near Tula, Kaluga
Yasnaya Polyana, home of Writer Leo Tolstoy; Russia, Moscow, 1848-1910, Writer Leo Tolstoy; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 3, Zhizdra River Folder, Optima and Shamordino

Zhizdra River

Zhizdra River Source (Lower Valdai Hills)

Zhizdra River 1 (Kozelsk and Optina Monestary)

Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) 1821
Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Isaac I of Optina, Commemorated on August 22 Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Kozelsk, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1, near Optima Monastery)
Kozelsk; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Dolgomost, near Smolensk, referred to, Seige of Kozelsk, 1239
Dolgomost and Kozelsk near Smolensk, Seige of Kozelsk, 1239; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Background[edit] Taking the city of Torzhok on 5 March 1238 after a two-week siege, the Mongols continued to Novgorod. However, they failed to reach the city, mainly because they had difficulties moving in the woods, and after advancing around 100 kilometers at the unknown place designated in the chronicles as the Ignach Cross, they abandoned the plans to conquer Novgorod, turned south, and divided into two groups. Some of the forces led by Kadan and Storms passed over the Eastern route through the Ryazan land. The main forces led by Batu Khan passed through Dolgomost 30 km east of Smolensk, then entered the Chernigov Principality on the upper Gums, burned Vshchizh, but then abruptly turned to the northeast, bypassing the Bryansk and Karachev, at the end of March 1238 went to the Kozelsk on the Zhizdra River.

Zhizdra River 2 (Shamordino Monastery and Convent)

Shamordino monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 2) 1884
Shamordino Manastery ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1;

Shamordino Convent, Kaluga, 1884
Shamordino Convent; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Zhizdra River Mouth (Oka River 3)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 4, Ugra River Folder, City of Kaluga

Ugra River

Ugra River Source (Valdai Hills)

Batyushkova, Valdai Hills, Uga River Source, Kaluga 55°11'48" N , 35°0'36" E
Batyushkova 55°11'48" N , 35°0'36" E; Devpeteruv Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on February 28;

Ugra River Mouth (Oka River 4)

Kaluga (Ugra River Mouth, Oka River 4)
Kaluga; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated August 10 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Home of the Kaluga Icon
Kaluga Cathedral of the Holy Trinity; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on September 2; Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 in the village of Tinkova, near Kaluga, at the home of the landowner Basil Kondratevich Khitrov. Two servants of Khitrov were cleaning out junk from the attic of his home. One of them, Eudokia, noted for her temper, was given to rough and even indecorous language. Her companion was modest and serious. discovered a large package covered in a linen cloth. Undoing it, the girl saw the picture of a woman in dark garments with a book in her hands. Considering it to be the portrait of a woman monastic and wanting to bring Eudokia to her senses, she accused her of being disrespectful to the abbess. jeered at the scolding words of her companion, and becoming increasingly angry, she spit on the picture. Immediately, she became convulsed and fell down senseless. She also became blind and mute. Her frightened companion reported what had happened to the household. next night, the Queen of Heaven appeared to Eudokia’s parents and told them that their daughter had behaved impertinently toward Her and She ordered them to serve a Molieben before the insulted icon, then sprinkle the invalid with holy water at the Molieben. the Molieben Eudokia recovered, and Khitrov took the wonderworking icon into his own home, where it granted healing to those approaching it with faith. Later, the icon was placed in the parish temple of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kaluga. At the present time it is located in the cathedral church of Kaluga. this icon the Mother of God has repeatedly manifest Her protection of the Russian land during difficult times. The celebration of the Kaluga Icon on September 2 was established in remembrance of the deliverance from a plague in 1771. A second celebration was established October 12, in memory of the preservation of Kaluga from the French invasion of 1812. In 1898, a celebration was established on July 18 in gratitude to the Mother of God for protection against cholera. The icon is also commemorated on the first Sunday of the Apostles’ Fast.

Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of the Kaluga Icon in Kaluga
Kaluga, 1748, Appearance of the Kaluga Icon in Kaluga; Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.
Russia, Kaluga, 1812, Appearances of the Kaluga Icon, seen by French invaders.; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated on October 12; The Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1748 (September 2). In 1812 many Russian and French soldiers beheld the Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, standing in the air. Thus also it was around Kaluga and Maloyaroslavl. During such appearances the Russian armies were always victorious. This vision was also granted to the peasant Paraskeva Alekseeva.

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 5, Protva River Folder, Vereiya and Borovsk

Protva River

Protva River Source (Valdai Hills)

Vereiya, Kaluga (Protva River 1)
Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Vereya, Naro-Fominsky District, Moscow Oblast
Vereya, Naro-Fominsky District, Moscow Oblast; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11;

Protva River 1 (Vereya)

Borovsk, Kaluga (Protva River 1.5)
Borovsk; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1;

Protva River 2 (Borovsk and Maloyaroslavl)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 5, Protva River 2, Luzha River Folder

Luzha (Vepreika) River

Luza River Source (Valdai Hills, Kaluga)

Luzha (Vepreika) River Mouth (Maloyaroslavl, Protva River 2)

Maloyaroslavl, Kaluga (near Luzha River Mouth)
Maloyaroslavl; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Medin (a district of Kaluga)
Medin (a district of Kaluga); Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky
Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District (Protva River 2.5)
Bor of Kaluga in Zhukovsky District; Icon of the Mother of God “the Seeker of the Lostâ€, Commemorated on February 5;

Protva River 3 (Protvino)

Protva River Mouth (Oka River 5)

Russia, Kaluga, Oka River 6, Nara River Folder, Serpukhov

Nara River

Nara River Source

Nara River 1

Nara River Mouth (Oka River 6, Serpukhov)

Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Serpukhov; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Saint David of Serpukhov, Commemorated on October 18; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Serpukhov monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ; Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice, Commemorated on May 5;

Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff, Kaluga, 1373
Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ;

monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ; Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ;

Russia, Tver Folder, and its Volga rivers

Russia, Tver History Folder

Russia, Tver, 900, 10th C Folder, Wonderworker Ephraim oNovy Torg

Russia, Tver, 990-1075, Ephraim oNovy Torg, wonderworker, founder oBoris&Gleb Monastery iNovy Torg, Tver, Arcadius' Elder
Russia, Tver, 990-1075, Ephraim oNovy Torg, Tver (Tvertsa River 2), wonderworker, founder oBoris&Gleb Monastery iNovy Torg, wBrothers George&Moses left Hungary fRostov Russia, Served Prince Boris, Vladimir's son, George died wBoris 1015 River Alta, Moses tKiev Caves Monastery, Ephraim found George's head, took it to Tversta River fSolitary monk life, founded B&G m 1038, wWanderers home on Merchant's Road tNovgorod, Died old age, George's head buried wHim, relics found 1572; Novy Torg, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, a native of Hungary. with his brothers, Saint Moses the Hungarian (July 26) and Saint George (in Hungarian “Sandor,” pronounced “Shandor”), he quit his native land, because he was Orthodox. come to Russia, all three brothers entered into the service of the Rostov prince Saint Boris, son of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Ephraim’s brother George also perished in the year 1015 at the River Alta, with holy Prince Boris. murderers cut off his head, and took the gold medallion which he had received from Saint Boris. managed to save himself by flight, and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. Ephraim, evidently in Rostov at this time, and arriving at the place of the murder, found the head of his brother and took it with him. service at the princely court, Saint Ephraim withdrew to the River Tvertsa in order to lead a solitary monastic life. several other monks settled near him, he founded a monastery in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb in the year 1038. brethren chose him to lead them. the monastery, not far from a merchant’s road to Novgorod, a wanderer’s home was built, where the poor and travelers stayed for free. Ephraim died in old age. His body was buried at the monastery he founded. head of his brother, Saint George was also placed in the grave, in accordance with his last wishes. relics of Saint Ephraim were uncovered in the year 1572. Russia, Rostov, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), from rich pious merchant family iVyazama, free from world early age, Rus earliest Fool FC, copied early Greek fools Symeon&Andrew, fools not anxious fLife, eats, drink, clothes, life more tFood, body more tClothing, Paul wFool FC, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted, no home, work wHands, bless wReviled, endure wPersecuted, entreat wMaligned, refise otWorld, offscouring oAll things, Fool by day, Prayer aNight, concealed angelic life, people mocked appearance simplicity kindness &Ignorance oNecesities, people discovered his prayer, noted radiant face, tears, so not madman, advise always good, predictions happened, preferred silence, spoke rarely, broom before any Cross Procession, so purity required before feast, Ephraim stopped iVyzama because heard about Arcadius, A becomes disciple, E helps him avoid pride from Foolishness, so A strengthened self by spiritual struggles, tNovotorsk aEphraim, schema, founding church&B&Gmonastery, monk there, appeared iDreams aVyazma, departed peacefully 1077 ; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary ; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Arcadius was born at the beginning of the XI century in the city of Vyazma, was a member of the Syreishchikov family of merchants, were distinguished for their fervent piety. a young age, and loving the Lord with all his heart and soul, he resolved to devote his entire life to His service, and to free his soul from worldly attachments. was one of the earliest fools for the sake of Christ in Russia, may have been inspired by reading the Lives of Greek fools such as Saint Symeon of Emesa (July 21) and Saint Andrew of Constantinople (October 2). holy fools for Christ tried to live according to the words of Christ: “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). holy fools were also mindful of Saint Paul’s words: “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are dishonored. Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst; we are naked and buffeted, and have no fixed abode; we labor with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure. When we are maligned, we entreat. We have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now” (I Corinthians 4:10-13). the day, Saint Arcadius concealed his exalted angelic life by foolish behavior, people mocked his appearance, as well as his child-like simplicity, kindness, and ignorance of the necessities of life. made him seem strange and incomprehensible to worldly individuals, and his conduct became more unusual with every passing day. night, however, he devoted his time to prayer, standing atop a stone on a hill in the forest outside of town. the venerable one’s love of solitude helped him to remain unknown for a time, people soon became aware of the Saint’s virtuous life. noticed that when he prayed in church, his very appearance seemed to change. face became radiant, and his attention was completely focused on the prayers. he would weep, shedding tears of compunction and repentance. never occurred to anyone who observed him at such times that he might be a madman. his advice always seemed to be good, and his predictions always came to pass. He spoke only rarely, however, preferring to remain silent. there was a Cross Procession, Saint Arcadius would take a broom, and for two days ahead of time he swept the streets, starting from the cathedral to the church. this way he demonstrated that one must have inner purity and keep God’s commandments, especially when preparing for a Church Feast. that time, Saint Ephraim of Novotorsk (January 28) would often travel to Kiev to visit the more experienced Elders. on the way from Kiev, he stopped at Vyazma, where he heard about Arcadius. that moment, the young ascetic became the disciple of Elder Ephraim, who helped him to avoid the spiritual dangers inherent in the difficult and unusual exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Ephraim taught him that being despised by others could lead the mind away from God, because knowing that one was suffering unjustly often leads to pride. such a way of life could also darken one’s mind and heart, instead of leading one to enlightenment and the renewal of the inner man (2 Corinthians 4:16). time Arcadius strengthened himself by constant spiritual struggles. joined his Spiritual Father in Novotorsk, where Saint Ephraim tonsured him into the angelic Schema. this the people of Vyazma witnessed several miracles which were accomplished through the prayers of Blessed Arcadius, he fled from worldly glory and went to a place along the upper Tvertsa River. Arcadius also participated in founding a church and monastery dedicated to the royal Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb (May 2). moving into the new monastery, Saint Arcadius cut off his own will and obeyed his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim, in all things. Arcadius never missed a service; he and his spiritual guide were always the first to come to church for Matins. his Elder’s repose, the Venerable Arcadius continued to labor according to his precepts, living a life of prayer, fasting and quietude. he had lived in the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb for several years, he departed peacefully to the Lord on December 13, 1077. body was buried next to his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim. inhabitants of Torzhok and the surrounding areas frequently experienced the power of the grace-filled actions of the Venerable Arcadius, and clearly saw in them a sign of God’s favor. they turned to him with faith and prayer, they always received relief from their illnesses and deliverance from their sorrows through his intercession. holy monk often appeared to the inhabitants of the city of Vyazma in dreams and visions and delivered them from troubles and sorrows. In their minds there was no doubt concerning his holiness. canonization of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk for local veneration apparently took place around 1584-1587. Vyazma’s church of the All-Merciful Savior (built in 1594), and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Arcadius was built soon after his glorification. combined celebration of Saints Arcadius and Ephraim was established by Metropolitan Dionysius sometime around 1584-1587. relics of Saint Arcadius, glorified by miracles of healing, were uncovered on June 11, 1572. July 11, 1677, with the blessing of Metropolitan Cornelius of Novgorod and Velikiy Luki, Archimandrite Eustathios of Novotorsk monastery solemnly recovered the incorrupt relics of the Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk and transferred them to a crypt in Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral at Novotorsk (New Market); in 1841, the left side chapel of Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church was dedicated to Saint Arcadius. August 14, 1798 the Saint’s holy relics were placed in a stone coffin, which had served as the resting place of Saint Ephraim until 1572. solemn celebration of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of the holy relics of Saint Arcadius to the cathedral of Saints Boris and Gleb in 1677 took place in the city of Novotorsk in July of 1977. July 21, 2019, a portion of the relics of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk were presented to the Cathedral church of Saints Boris and Gleb Monastery by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Arcadius is also commemorated on August 14 (the day of his blessed repose), July 11 (the transfer of his relics in 1677), and June 11 (the discovery of his relics).

Russia, Tver, 1000, 11th C Folder, Fool for Christ Arcadius oNovy Torg

Russia, Tver, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovy Torg, Fool fChrist aVyzama then founding monk aB&G Monastery aNovtorsk under Ephraim
Russia, Rostov, 1020-1077, Arcadius oNovtorsk, Novy Torg, Rostov (Ust River 1), from rich pious merchant family iVyazama, free from world early age, Rus earliest Fool FC, copied early Greek fools Symeon&Andrew, fools not anxious fLife, eats, drink, clothes, life more tFood, body more tClothing, Paul wFool FC, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted, no home, work wHands, bless wReviled, endure wPersecuted, entreat wMaligned, refise otWorld, offscouring oAll things, Fool by day, Prayer aNight, concealed angelic life, people mocked appearance simplicity kindness &Ignorance oNecesities, people discovered his prayer, noted radiant face, tears, so not madman, advise always good, predictions happened, preferred silence, spoke rarely, broom before any Cross Procession, so purity required before feast, Ephraim stopped iVyzama because heard about Arcadius, A becomes disciple, E helps him avoid pride from Foolishness, so A strengthened self by spiritual struggles, tNovotorsk aEphraim, schema, founding church&B&Gmonastery, monk there, appeared iDreams aVyazma, departed peacefully 1077 ; Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg. Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Sts Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, was a native of Hungary ; Boris and Gleb monastery; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on December 13; Venerable Arcadius was born at the beginning of the XI century in the city of Vyazma, was a member of the Syreishchikov family of merchants, were distinguished for their fervent piety. a young age, and loving the Lord with all his heart and soul, he resolved to devote his entire life to His service, and to free his soul from worldly attachments. was one of the earliest fools for the sake of Christ in Russia, may have been inspired by reading the Lives of Greek fools such as Saint Symeon of Emesa (July 21) and Saint Andrew of Constantinople (October 2). holy fools for Christ tried to live according to the words of Christ: “Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). holy fools were also mindful of Saint Paul’s words: “We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ. are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are dishonored. Until the present hour we both hunger and thirst; we are naked and buffeted, and have no fixed abode; we labor with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure. When we are maligned, we entreat. We have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things, until now” (I Corinthians 4:10-13). the day, Saint Arcadius concealed his exalted angelic life by foolish behavior, people mocked his appearance, as well as his child-like simplicity, kindness, and ignorance of the necessities of life. made him seem strange and incomprehensible to worldly individuals, and his conduct became more unusual with every passing day. night, however, he devoted his time to prayer, standing atop a stone on a hill in the forest outside of town. the venerable one’s love of solitude helped him to remain unknown for a time, people soon became aware of the Saint’s virtuous life. noticed that when he prayed in church, his very appearance seemed to change. face became radiant, and his attention was completely focused on the prayers. he would weep, shedding tears of compunction and repentance. never occurred to anyone who observed him at such times that he might be a madman. his advice always seemed to be good, and his predictions always came to pass. He spoke only rarely, however, preferring to remain silent. there was a Cross Procession, Saint Arcadius would take a broom, and for two days ahead of time he swept the streets, starting from the cathedral to the church. this way he demonstrated that one must have inner purity and keep God’s commandments, especially when preparing for a Church Feast. that time, Saint Ephraim of Novotorsk (January 28) would often travel to Kiev to visit the more experienced Elders. on the way from Kiev, he stopped at Vyazma, where he heard about Arcadius. that moment, the young ascetic became the disciple of Elder Ephraim, who helped him to avoid the spiritual dangers inherent in the difficult and unusual exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Ephraim taught him that being despised by others could lead the mind away from God, because knowing that one was suffering unjustly often leads to pride. such a way of life could also darken one’s mind and heart, instead of leading one to enlightenment and the renewal of the inner man (2 Corinthians 4:16). time Arcadius strengthened himself by constant spiritual struggles. joined his Spiritual Father in Novotorsk, where Saint Ephraim tonsured him into the angelic Schema. this the people of Vyazma witnessed several miracles which were accomplished through the prayers of Blessed Arcadius, he fled from worldly glory and went to a place along the upper Tvertsa River. Arcadius also participated in founding a church and monastery dedicated to the royal Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb (May 2). moving into the new monastery, Saint Arcadius cut off his own will and obeyed his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim, in all things. Arcadius never missed a service; he and his spiritual guide were always the first to come to church for Matins. his Elder’s repose, the Venerable Arcadius continued to labor according to his precepts, living a life of prayer, fasting and quietude. he had lived in the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb for several years, he departed peacefully to the Lord on December 13, 1077. body was buried next to his Spiritual Father, Saint Ephraim. inhabitants of Torzhok and the surrounding areas frequently experienced the power of the grace-filled actions of the Venerable Arcadius, and clearly saw in them a sign of God’s favor. they turned to him with faith and prayer, they always received relief from their illnesses and deliverance from their sorrows through his intercession. holy monk often appeared to the inhabitants of the city of Vyazma in dreams and visions and delivered them from troubles and sorrows. In their minds there was no doubt concerning his holiness. canonization of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk for local veneration apparently took place around 1584-1587. Vyazma’s church of the All-Merciful Savior (built in 1594), and a side chapel dedicated to Saint Arcadius was built soon after his glorification. combined celebration of Saints Arcadius and Ephraim was established by Metropolitan Dionysius sometime around 1584-1587. relics of Saint Arcadius, glorified by miracles of healing, were uncovered on June 11, 1572. July 11, 1677, with the blessing of Metropolitan Cornelius of Novgorod and Velikiy Luki, Archimandrite Eustathios of Novotorsk monastery solemnly recovered the incorrupt relics of the Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk and transferred them to a crypt in Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral at Novotorsk (New Market); in 1841, the left side chapel of Saints Boris and Gleb cathedral church was dedicated to Saint Arcadius. August 14, 1798 the Saint’s holy relics were placed in a stone coffin, which had served as the resting place of Saint Ephraim until 1572. solemn celebration of the 300th anniversary of the transfer of the holy relics of Saint Arcadius to the cathedral of Saints Boris and Gleb in 1677 took place in the city of Novotorsk in July of 1977. July 21, 2019, a portion of the relics of Saint Arcadius of Novotorsk were presented to the Cathedral church of Saints Boris and Gleb Monastery by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Arcadius is also commemorated on August 14 (the day of his blessed repose), July 11 (the transfer of his relics in 1677), and June 11 (the discovery of his relics). Russia, Tver, 990-1075, Ephraim oNovy Torg, Tver (Tvertsa River 2), wonderworker, founder oBoris&Gleb Monastery iNovy Torg, wBrothers George&Moses left Hungary fRostov Russia, Served Prince Boris, Vladimir's son, George died wBoris 1015 River Alta, Moses tKiev Caves Monastery, Ephraim found George's head, took it to Tversta River fSolitary monk life, founded B&G m 1038, wWanderers home on Merchant's Road tNovgorod, Died old age, George's head buried wHim, relics found 1572; Novy Torg, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; Ephraim of Novy Torg, founder of the Saints Boris and Gleb monastery in the city of Novy Torg, a native of Hungary. with his brothers, Saint Moses the Hungarian (July 26) and Saint George (in Hungarian “Sandor,” pronounced “Shandor”), he quit his native land, because he was Orthodox. come to Russia, all three brothers entered into the service of the Rostov prince Saint Boris, son of Saint Vladimir (July 15). Ephraim’s brother George also perished in the year 1015 at the River Alta, with holy Prince Boris. murderers cut off his head, and took the gold medallion which he had received from Saint Boris. managed to save himself by flight, and became a monk at the Kiev Caves monastery. Ephraim, evidently in Rostov at this time, and arriving at the place of the murder, found the head of his brother and took it with him. service at the princely court, Saint Ephraim withdrew to the River Tvertsa in order to lead a solitary monastic life. several other monks settled near him, he founded a monastery in honor of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb in the year 1038. brethren chose him to lead them. the monastery, not far from a merchant’s road to Novgorod, a wanderer’s home was built, where the poor and travelers stayed for free. Ephraim died in old age. His body was buried at the monastery he founded. head of his brother, Saint George was also placed in the grave, in accordance with his last wishes. relics of Saint Ephraim were uncovered in the year 1572.

Russia, Tver, 1200, 13th C Folder, GP Yaroslav III, Maximus Met all Russia, GP Mikhail lost to Yury oM, Tver saved by Daniel oM

Russia, Tver, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk&Tver, b Lithuanian attacks moved him tHome oG Prince, concern fNeedy
Russia, Belarus, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6), and Tver, descended fPolotsk Princes, hostile Lithuanian attacks, moved cathedra to Tver, because Russian Great Prince Yaroslav chose Tver his ruling city, Simeon well-disposed ( having a good disposition especially : disposed to be friendly, favorable, or sympathetic), kind, attentive to monks&priests, zealous truth defender, knowledgeable about medicine, well versed scriptue, teacher, virtuous, concerned for needy, widows, orphans, down-trodden, oppressed, Princes' court story: Jesting about his court, Constantine asked where shall courts be in that world? With the princes. because if Prince good he is responsible to pick good court, if not, efil court, ; Polotsk (Dvina River) ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Simeon, Bishop of Tver was descended from the Polotsk princes. was the seventh bishop of Polotsk and the first bishop of the Tver diocese. saint’s cathedra was first at Polotsk, hostile attacks and conflicts with the Lithuanian princes, and the murder of the Polotsk prince (his relative) in 1263, him to move to Tver Yaroslav Yaroslavich had become Great Prince of Russia, and he chose Tver as his ruling city). Simeon was well-disposed and kind to the down-trodden and destitute, attentive to the monastic and priestly orders, and a zealous defender of truth. Nikonov Chronicle relates that this holy bishop was “knowledgeable about medicine, well versed in the books of Holy Scripture; was a teacher, a virtuous man, concerned for the needy, widows and orphans, a defender of the down-trodden and deliverer of the oppressed.” preserves for us a conversation of Saint Simeon with Prince Constantine of Polotsk who, wishing to make a jest about his court, asked the saint at supper: “Where shall the courts be in that world?” Simeon answered, “Those courts shall also be where the prince is.” prince did not care for this, and he said, “A court might judge unjustly, and take bribes, or torture people, and is it I who do the harm?” bishop explained to him, “If a prince is good and God-fearing, and is concerned for the people, and loves truth and he appoints good, God-fearing, intelligent and truth-loving men to his council, that prince shall be in Paradise and his court with him. If, however, a prince is without the fear of God, and is not concerned for Christians and does not think of orphans and widows, and if he appoints wicked counselors who lack integrity in order to bring him money, that prince shall be in Hell and his court with him.” Simeon died on February 3, 1289.

Russia, Tver, 1263-1271, Great Prince, Yaroslav Yaroslavich (Yaroslav III of Tver) made Tver great power
Vladimir Great Prince, 1263-1271, Yaroslav Yaroslavich (Yaroslav III of Tver); III Yaroslavich (1230-“1271) was the first Prince of Tver and the tenth Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1264 to 1271. Yaroslav and his son Mikhail Yaroslavich presided over Tver's transformation from a sleepy village into one of the greatest centres of power in medieval Russia. All the later dukes of Tver descended from Yaroslav Yaroslavich. was a son of Yaroslav II and younger brother of Alexander Nevsky. In 1247, while still a minor, he received from his uncle the town of Tver. 1252, Yaroslav and his brother Andrey seized Alexander's capital, Pereslavl-Zalessky. Reinforced by Tatar units, Alexander presently fought it back, taking prisoner Yaroslav's children and leaving his wife as a casualty on the field of battle. Yaroslav fled to Ladoga whence he was summoned by Novgorodians to succeed Alexander as their military commander. In 1258 he visited the khan's capital in Sarai, and two years later led the Novgorod army against the Teutonic Knights. Alexander's death in 1263, Yaroslav quarrelled with Andrey as to who should become Grand Duke next. They went to the Golden Horde for arbitration, which was in favour of Yaroslav. The latter, however, settled in Novgorod and married a daughter of one local boyar. Various Novgorodian factions still conspired against him and sought to place his brother Vasily of Kostroma or Alexander's son Dmitri of Pereslavl on the throne. 1270, the armies of three princes stood for a week near the town of Staraya Russa, ready for battle. The metropolitan, however, managed to reconcile them. Yaroslav, on surrendering Novgorod to his nephew, accompanied him to Sarai. He died on his way back to Tver on 9 September 1271 and was succeeded in Tver by his eldest son Svyatoslav and then by a more famous one, Mikhail Yaroslavich. Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11;

Russia, Tver, 1283-1305, Maximus, Met of all Rus, throne north, MOG stay Vladimir, need Yuri D peace Michael of T, & go Horde

Russia, Tver, 1292-1318, Mikhail oTver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai
Russia, Moscow, 1292-1318, Mikhail of Tver, G Prince, Nervsky's b, lost to Yury of M, while M was in Sarai, born after monk father's death going to Horde, raised w love fGod by his mother, educated by Novgorod Archbishop, Tver Prince after bro Svyatoslav, 1285 built stone church, 1305 tHorde&appointed Great Prince, but Yuri oMoscow sought title, Yuri often aHorde&married Khan Uzbek's daughter& given GPrince title, Yuri began Civil war wTver, Tartar detachment wKavgadi heading, sent by Uzbek, but Tver wMichael defeated Yuri 1317, m captives incl K and Yuri's wife, wife dies, Yuri slandered M before Khan, Khan demands Michael appear Sarai and give account, M does knowing he will be killed, M farewell family&Tver, receives blessing, guilty unjust trial, death sentence, heavy wooden stocks, read Psalter wBoy turning pages, blessed Lord for allowing him to suffer for him, not deprived Christian solace, Orthodox priests, confession, Holy Mysteries, but Yuri&Kavgadi want revenge for defeat, sent assassins, tortured and cut out heart, Tartars & Orthodox see radiant clouds over body, wild animals no touch, everyone said M a saint unjustly murdered, bod to Moscow Kremlin, but wife Anna not aware, 1319 Yuri returns wMichaels yarlyk (trial edict) Tver boyars&Prince Constantine, 1319 Tver learns about M&hisMoscow burial, Anna asks Yuri permission cary M to Tver, Boyers sent, miracles arriving Moscow, incorrupt relics, Anna&sons went out toward Volga to meet wTears, relics transferred tTver 1320, local veneration soon after, 1606 M helped Russia riding out on white horse wSword forcing Poles Lithuanians to flee; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, the brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23). his journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured as a monk with the name Athanasios, then he reposed. ’s mother, Xenia, raised her son with fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of an Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 Michael built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration to replace of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and was appointed as Great Prince by right of seniority. Yurii of Moscow would not submit to this, however, because he sought the princely title for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had converted to Mohammedanism, and was known for his cruelty and fanaticism. Yurii knew how to please the Khan, so he married the Khan's sister Konchaka and was given the title of Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began a civil war with Tver. Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, led by Prince Michael, defeated Yurii on December 22, 1317. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow Prince Yurii's wife Konchaka, who died unexpectedly at Tver. Yurii slandered Prince Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael went humbly to the Horde, knowing that this meant certain death for him. bade farewell to his family and the people of Tver, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his Spiritual Father Igoumen John. “Father,” said Michael, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but because of my sins, I was not able to stop this civil war. give me your blessing, so that if my blood is shed for them, they might have some respite, and so the Lord may forgive my sins.” unjust trial was held at the Horde, which found the Saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. removed him under guard and put him in heavy wooden stocks. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison blessed the Lord for allowing him to suffer for Him. asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stocks, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. suggested that he flee, but the Saint replied, “Never in my life have I fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that for me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the Igoumens Alexander and Mark. week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who wanted revenge on Michael for their defeat, were sent into the encampment where the captive was held. November 22, 1318, they beat the Martyr severely and kicked him, then one of them stabbed Prince Michael with a knife and cut out his heart. royal Martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. Two guards were posted to watch the body that night, but fear overcame them and they fled. the morning, the body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but Tatars as well, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the Martyr's body lay. many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them touched him. the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a Saint, and was unjustly murdered." the body of the martyred Prince was brought to Moscow and buried in the Kremlin's Monastery of the Savior in the Transfiguration church. Anna was not yet aware of her husband's martyrdom. year later, Prince Yurii returned from the Khan with Michael's yarlyk.1 He brought with him the Tver boyars and Prince Constantine from the Horde. year later, in 1319, the people of Tver learned the fate of their Prince, his death, and his burial in Moscow. Anna and her children asked Prince Yurii of Moscow for permission to carry the holy relics to Tver, and he barely gave his consent. boyars from Tver were sent to Moscow to bring Saint Michael's body back to Tver. they arrived in Moscow they witnessed a remarkable miracle by which the Lord was pleased to glorify His Saint: his body showed no signs of decay. boyars took the coffin with the Holy Prince's relics and carried them to Tver with much honor. the procession approached the city, Princess Anna and her sons Dēmḗtrios, Alexander and Basil went toward the Volga, and Bishop Barsanuphios, with all the priests of the cathedral and countless people, met the holy relics on the shore. was much sobbing, so loud that the choir could not be heard, and Princess Anna wept bitter tears. the request of his wife, Saint Anna of Kashin (October 2), and the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, on September 6, 1320 they were placed in the church he had built in honor of the Lord's Transfiguration. veneration of the Holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, his Church-wide glorification took place at the Council of 1549. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. martyred Prince has often helped the Russian land. 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw an unknown horseman ride out from the city on a white horse, with sword in hand, forcing them to flee. when they saw an icon of Saint Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoktistos of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael. 1 ярлык: An emblem of Saint Michael's office as Great Prince. Tver, 1304-1318, Vladimir Great Prince, Mikhail of Tver; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8;

Russia, Tver, 1293, Mozhaisk and Tver joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow
Russia, Tver, 1293, Mozhaisk and Tver joined to and saved by Daniel of Moscow; 1272, Prince Daniel received as his allotted portion the city of Moscow and its adjacent lands. The holy prince built a church (and a monastery beside it) in honor of his patron saint, Saint Daniel the Stylite (December 11) on the banks of the River Moskva. this period, the Moscow principality was small and unobtrusive. While growing up, Prince Daniel strengthened and expanded it, not in unjust or coercive ways, but peacefully and with benevolence. It was a time of unrest. Fratricidal strife among the appanage princes was rife. Often bloodshed was averted, thanks to Prince Daniel and his incessant striving for unity and peace in the Russian Land. 1293 his brother, the Great Prince Alexander, with Tatars summoned from the Horde and headed by Diuden (“the Diudenev Hostâ€), laid waste to Russian cities: Murom, Suzdal, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Mozhaisk, and Tver. Prince Daniel decided to join them to Moscow to save their people from perishing, for they were not strong enough to resist. prince braced himself for terrible destruction and pillaging. Standing up for his rights, Saint Daniel was compelled to come out against his brother near a place called Yurievo Tolchische (“Yurievo Threshing-Millâ€), but his desire for peace prevailed, and bloodshed was averted. Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4;

Russia, Tver, 1300, 14th C Folder, Mikhail oT lost GP tYury D, Mike's wife Anna, Civil War wMoscow, St Sava, Yuri oS, Yuri oZ

Russia, Tver, 1304-1318, Mikhail of T, Nervsky's n, lost GP to Yury D, Novgorod, Khan's sister, k by Horde, incorrupt relics

Russia, Tver, 1305-1368, Anna, Mike of T's wife, righteous sons, miracles at her grave, old Believers, 2nd glorification
Moscow, 1305-1368, Saint Anna of Kashin; Anna of Kashin (Russian: Ð¡Ð²ÑÑ‚Ð°Ñ [Ð±Ð»Ð°Ð³Ð¾Ð²ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð°Ñ Ð²ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ°Ñ ÐºÐ½ÑÐ³Ð¸Ð½Ñ - Ð¸Ð½Ð¾ÐºÐ¸Ð½Ñ] ÐÐ½Ð½Ð° ÐšÐ°ÑˆÐ¸Ð½ÑÐºÐ°Ñ) (1280 – 2 October 1368) was a Russian princess from the Rurik Dynasty, who was canonized in 1650. was a daughter of Prince Dmitry Borisovich of Rostov and a great-granddaughter of Prince Vasily of Rostov. From her earliest years, Anna was brought up strictly Christian. She was taught the virtues of humility and obedience. Her teacher was Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Rostov (died 1288), who was noted for strict selflessness and pacifism. Like all royal daughters of her time, Anna learned different kinds of needlework. When the princess grew up, Princess Xenia of Tver, second wife of Grand Prince Yaroslav of Tver sent ambassadors to Rostov with a request to marry Anna to her son Mikhail. The embassy was successful, and Anna became the wife of Prince Mikhail. Anna's marriage to Prince Mikhail took place on 8 November 1294 in the Preobrazhensky cathedral of Tver. In celebration of this event, dwellers in the city of Kashin built the Saint Michael Church and the triumphal gates from the local Kremlin to the Tver road, naming the gates also "Mikhaylovsky." In the Kashin Uspensky cathedral a special Feast was established and celebrated annually on 8 November. Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, a daughter of the Rostov prince Demetrius Borisovich, in 1294 became the wife of the holy Great Prince Michael Yaroslavich of Tver, who was murdered by the Mongol-Tatars of the Horde in 1318, (November 22). After the death of her husband, Anna withdrew into Tver’s Sophia monastery and accepted tonsure with the name Euphrosyne. Later, she transferred to the Kashin Dormition monastery, and became a schemanun with the name Anna. She fell asleep in the Lord on October 2, 1338. Anna’s sons also imitated their father’s steadfast confession of faith in Christ. Demetrius Mikhailovich (“Dread Eyesâ€) was murdered at the Horde on September 15, 1325; and later, Alexander Mikhailovich, Prince of Tver, was murdered together with his son Theodore on October 29, 1339. at Saint Anna’s grave began in 1611, during the siege of Kashin by Polish and Lithuanian forces. There was also a great fire in the city which died down without doing much damage. The saint, dressed in the monastic schema, appeared to Gerasimus, a gravely ill warden of the Dormition cathedral. She promised that he would recover, but complained, “People show no respect for my tomb. They ignore it and my memory! Do you not know that I am supplicating the Lord and His Mother to deliver the city from the foe, and that you be spared many hardships and evils?â€ She ordered him to tell the clergy to look after her tomb, and to light a candle there before the icon of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands. the Council of 1649 it was decided to uncover her relics for general veneration and to glorify the holy Princess Anna as a saint. But in 1677 Patriarch Joachim proposed to the Moscow Council that her veneration throughout Russia should be discontinued because of the Old Believers Schism, which made use of the name of Saint Anna of Kashin for its own purposes. When she was buried her hand had been positioned to make the Sign of the Cross with two fingers, rather than three. However, the memory of Saint Anna, who had received a crown of glory from Christ, could not be erased by decree. People continued to love and venerate her, and many miracles took place at her tomb. June 12, 1909 her second glorification took place, and her universally observed Feast day was established. Her Life describes her as a model of spiritual beauty and chastity, and an example to future generations.

Russia, Tver, 1317, Moscow Civil War with Tver, Yuri D defeated by Michael T, Yuri's wife d, slander, k, radiant clouds
Tver, 1317, Moscow Intercene (Civil) War with Tver , Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Right-Believing Prince Michael of Tver was born in the year 1272, after the death of his father Great Prince Yaroslav Yaroslavich, a brother of holy Prince Alexander Nevsky (November 23). On the journey to the Horde, Prince Yaroslav fell ill, and was tonsured a monk with the name Athanasius, then died. Michael’s mother, Xenia, raised her son in fervent love for God. Michael was educated and studied under the guidance of the Archbishop (probably Clement) of Novgorod. He took the place of his older brother Svyatoslav in the principality of Tver. 1285 he built a stone church in honor of the Savior’s Transfiguration in place of the wooden church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. the death of Great Prince Andrew Alexandrovich (+1305), Michael went to the Horde and received the grant to the great princely throne by right of seniority. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow would not submit to this, because he sought the princely rule for himself. He was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism. Prince Yurii knew how to please the Khan, and he married his sister Konchaka and became Great Prince. then he did not calm down, but instead began an internecine war with Tver. In Yurii’s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. But the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. Many captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom Saint Michael released, and the Moscow prince’s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. Yurii slandered Saint Michael before the Khan, accusing him of poisoning Konchaka. The Khan became enraged, threatening to destroy Saint Michael’s princely holding, and demanded that he appear to give an account. Not wishing to spill Russian blood in an unequal struggle with the Khan, Saint Michael humbly went to the Horde, knowing that this meant death for him. He bid his his family and the Tver people farewell, and received a blessing for his exploit of martyrdom from his spiritual Father Igumen John. “Father,” said the saint, “I was much concerned for the peace of Christians, but through my sins, I was not able to stop internecine war. Now give me your blessing, so that if my blood is spilled for them, they might have some respite, and that the Lord will forgive my sins.” the Horde an unjust trial was held, which found the saint guilty of disobedience to the Khan, and sentenced him to death. They removed him under guard and put him in a heavy wooden stock. As was his habit, Saint Michael constantly read the Psalter in prison and blessed the Lord for granting him to suffer for Him. He asked not to be abandoned in his present torments. Since the hands of the holy sufferer were secured in the stock, a boy sat before him and turned the pages of the Psalter. The holy captive languished at the Horde for a long time, enduring beatings and ridicule. They suggested that he flee, but the saint bravely answered, “In all my life I never fled from an enemy. If I save myself and my people remain in peril, what glory is that to me? No, let it be as the Lord wills.” the mercy of God, he was not deprived of Christian solace: Orthodox priests attended to him, the igumens Alexander and Mark. Each week he made his Confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, thus receiving a Christian preparation for his death. At the instigation of Prince Yurii and Kavgadi, who took revenge on the holy prince for their defeat, assassins rushed into the encampment where the captive was held. They fiercely beat the martyr and kicked him with their feet, then one of them stabbed Saint Michael with a knife. holy martyr’s naked body was exposed for abuse, and later they covered him with a cloth and placed him on a large board attached to a cart. By night two guards were set to watch the body, but fear seized them and they fled. In the morning, his body was not on the board. the previous night many, not only Orthodox but also Tatars, had seen two radiant clouds shining over the place where the body of the martyr lay. Although many wild animals roamed the steppes, not one of them had touched him. In the morning everyone said, “Prince Michael is a saint, and was innocently murdered.” From the Horde the body of the prince was transferred to Moscow, where they buried him in the church of the Savior-Wood in the Kremlin. a year later, in 1318, the people of Tver learned the fate of their prince. At the wish of his wife, the right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin (October 2), and at the request of the people of Tver, the relics of Saint Michael were transferred to his native city, and on September 6, 1320 were placed in the church he built in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Local veneration of the holy Prince began soon after the transfer of his relics to Tver, and the general Church glorification of the saint took place at a 1549 Council. November 24, 1632 the incorrupt relics of Saint Michael were uncovered. The holy Prince has often helped the Russian land. In 1606 the Polish and Lithuanians besieging Tver repeatedly saw a wondrous horseman ride out from the city upon a white horse with sword in hand, turning them to flight. Later, when they saw an icon of holy Prince Michael, they affirmed with an oath to Archbishop Theoctistus of Tver that the horseman was indeed Saint Michael himself. Prince Yurii Danilovich of Moscow; Yuri was often at the Golden Horde of the new Khan Uzbek, who had accepted Mohammedanism and was distinguished by his cruelty and fanaticism.; Yuri'™s army was a detachment of Tatars sent by Uzbek, with Kavgadi at the head. the men of Tver, with holy Prince Michael at the head, on December 22, 1317 defeated Yurii. captives were taken, including Kavgadi, whom St Michael released, and the Moscow prince'™s wife Konchaka, who unexpectedly died at Tver. released Kavgadii, who returned to Sarai and accused Mikhail of murdering the Khan's sister, withholding tribute, and warring against his Mongol overlord. As a result, Mikhail was summoned to the Horde by the Khan and executed on November 22, 1318.

Russia, Tver, 1325-1362, Moses, 1325 Archbishop oNovogrod, first bishop by Moscow, built many N churches&M, incorrupt relics
Russia, Novgorod, 1325-1362, Moses tArchbishop oNovgorod & Archmandrite oYuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1), fNovgorod, ran away tTver's Otroch m, became monk &hieromonk (priestmonk), later archimandrite(important m abbot) oYuriev m, his parents found him, transferred to N, then Archbishop oNovgorod i1325, the first bishop consecration in Moscow, quarrels, factions, conflagrations, misfortunes, so he sought monastic solitude, 4yrs retired to asceticism, suceeded by Basil, 1330 tKolmov m tranquility, soon found desolate Derevyuanitsa, built stone church, 20 yrs monastic deeds, returned N after Basils death, defended downtrodden, protected destitute widows, employed copyists, many books written, confirmed many, 1354 permission wear many crosses, sent him a set, permission deal directly with Constantinople Patriarch, hierarch till 1361, built many churches in N, 1352 stone church aVolotva, 1355 m & stone church iSkovordka, 1357 churches for 3 m (Radogovitsa near Volotov, Holy S m, woman's m founded by Moses), 1359 sick withdrew tSkovorodsk founded bM, died 1362, incorrupt relics uncovered 1686 Yuriev Monastery; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod (1325-1330, 1352-1359), in the world Metrophanes, was born at Novgorod. his youth he secretly left his home and entered Tver’s Otroch monastery, where he became a monk. parents found him, and at their insistence he transferred to a monastery near Novgorod. this monastery he was ordained as a hieromonk, later he was appointed archimandrite of the Yuriev monastery. the death of Archbishop David of Novgorod, Saint Peter (December 21) consecrated Moses as Archbishop of Novgorod in 1325. was the first episcopal consecration to be performed in Moscow. Moses did not guide his Novgorod flock for long, however. quarrels and contentious factions, the conflagrations and other misfortunes weighed heavily on his soul, which sought monastic solitude. four years, he petitioned to be allowed to retire and live in asceticism. He was succeeded by Saint Basil. 1330 the saint withdrew to the Kolmov monastery for tranquillity. did not remain here very long, either. found a desolate spot at Derevyanitsa, where he built the stone church of the Resurrection of Christ. this place the monk spent more than twenty years at monastic deeds. Basil’s death, Saint Moses yielded to the requests of the Novgorod people to be their archpastor once again. ancient chronicler describes Saint Moses in this way: “He shepherded his flock as a good pastor; defended the downtrodden, and protected destitute widows; employed a company of copyists, and because of him many books were written, he confirmed many in piety by his guidance.” the year 1354 Patriarch Philotheus of Constantinople (1354-1355, 1364-1376), as a token of his deep respect for Saint Moses gave him permission to wear polystavrion vestments (“many crosses”), and even sent him a set. also permitted Saint Moses to deal directly with the Patriarch of Constantinople without intermediaries. Moses continued as hierarch for seven years, period marked by the building of many churches in Novgorod and its environs. 1352 the saint built a stone church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at Volotova; 1355 a monastery was built in a place named Skovorodka, with a stone church in honor of the holy Archangel Michael. 1357, churches were also built at three monasteries: Radogovitsa near the Volotov Dormition church, the Holy Spirit monastery, at a women’s monastery. churches were named for Saint John the Theologian (the first and third of these monasteries were founded by Saint Moses). 1359, feeling weak and sick, the saint withdrew into the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Skovorodsk which he had founded. Moses labored here in asceticism until his death on January 25, 1362. was buried at the cathedral church. Feast of Saint Moses on April 19 commemorates the uncovering of his incorrupt relics in 1686.

Russia, Tver, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava
Russia, Tver, 1337-1407, Sabbas of Storozhi and Radonezh, Saint Sava ; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Zvenigorod, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of humility, confessor tAll, incorrupt r
Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Zvenigorod, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of humility, confessor to all, incorrupt relics, tonsured bSergius oRadonezh, his mentor, loved solitude, avoided conversation, constant toil, lamenting his soul's poverty, trembling God's judgement, model oSimplicity humility, attained spiritual wisdom, Radonezh confessor, excedingly learned, became igumen aDemetry otDon's Dubenka River monastery, ate plants, wore coarse clothing, slept oGround, 1392 igumen Trinity-Sergius, built well, Yuri oZ, Sergius' godson, chose Savva spiritual father, come bless my whole family, begged to stay, prayed before icon, accepted, new Storozhi monastery 1399, dug well, carried water, wooden palisade circling m, hollow cell above it, 1399 blessed Yuri campaign, speedy victory, stone church, died 1406, appointed Savva II igumen, miraculous curative power from his grave, numerous appearances, divine light illuminating all, 1539 called wonderworker, 1480 appeared t4th igumen, I am Savva tFounder othis place, dream verified by one who knew him, obeyed command paint Icon oSavva, incorrupt relics 1652; Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Tver, Moscow River 3, Trinity-Sergiev Lavra 1345, solitude, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of simplicity and humility, father confessor to all, Donskoy's Dubenka River monastery 1380, 1392 Trinity monastery, Yuri of Z's monastery 1399 , Opening incorrupt relics 1652; Cape of Storozhev (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 2), Steep Banks of the Moscova River; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; we commemorate opening of the incorrupt relics of Saint Savva of Storozhev and Zvenigorod on January 19, 1652. Savva is also also commemorated on December 3, as determined by the Moscow Council of 1547. Venerable Savva, Igoumen of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Savva of Zvenigorod forsook the world in his early youth, and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), and was his disciple and fellow-ascetic. Savva loved solitude, and avoided conversing with people. He lived in constant toil, lamenting the poverty of his soul, and trembling before the judgment of God. He was a model of simplicity and humility, and he attained such a depth of spiritual wisdom that “in the monastery of Saint Sergius he was the Father Confessor to all the brethren, a venerable and exceedingly learned Elder.” Great Prince Demetrios of the Don built the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Dubenka River, in gratitude for the victory over Mamai, Savva became the Igoumen, with the blessing of Saint Sergius. Maintaining the simple manner of his life of asceticism, he ate plants, wore coarse clothing and slept on the ground. the departure of their Igoumen Saint Nikon (November 17) into the wilderness in 1392, the brethren of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra asked Saint Savva to become the Igoumen of the monastery. Here he “shepherded the flock entrusted to him well, to the best of his ability, helped by the prayers of his Spiritual Father, Saint Sergius.” According to Tradition, the well outside the Lavra walls was built while he was Igoumen. Yuri of Zvenigorod, a godson of Saint Sergius, regarded Saint Savva with much love and esteem. He chose Saint Savva as his Spiritual Father and begged him to come and bestow his blessing upon his entire household. The Saint had hoped to return to his monastery, but the Prince begged him to stay and establish a new monastery, “in his fatherland, near Zvenigorod, at a place called Storozhi.” Savva acceded to the request of Prince Yuri, and praying tearfully before an icon of the Mother of God, he entreated her protection for that site in the wilderness. On Storozhi Hill, he built a small wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and nearby a small cell for himself. Here he established a monastery in 1399, with paternal love he accepted all who came seeking a life of quietude and seclusion. Savva worked very hard to build up the monastery. He dug a well at the foot of the hill, from which he carried water on his own shoulders. He encircled the monastery with a wooden palisade, and in a hollow above it, he dug out a cell where he could live in solitude. 1399 Saint Savva blessed his spiritual son, Prince Yuri, to go on a military campaign, predicting that the enemy would be defeated. Through the prayers of the holy Elder, the forces of the Prince won a speedy victory. Through the efforts of Saint Savva, a stone church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was built to replace the old wooden one. Savva went to the Lord at an advanced age on December 3, 1406. He appointed his disciple, who was also named Savva, as his successor. of the holy God-pleaser by the local people began immediately after his death. The miraculous curative power issuing from the Saint's grave, and his numerous appearances, convinced everyone that Igoumen Savva was "truly an unsetting sun of divine light, illumining all with its miraculous rays.” In a letter of 1539 Saint Savva was called a wonderworker. Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich had a special veneration for him, repeatedly visiting the monastery of Saint Savva on foot. Tradition has preserved for us a remarkable account of how Saint Savva was saved from a ferocious bear. Life of Saint Savva, compiled in the XVI century, relates how at the end of the XV century (1480-1490), the Saint appeared to Father Dionysios, the fourth Igoumen of Saint Savva Monastery and said: “Dionysios! Wake up and paint my icon.” When Father Dionysios asked who he was, he replied, “I am Savva, the founder of this place.” Father Dionysios had not known the Saint personally, so he summoned Elder Habakkuk, who had known Saint Savva in his youth, hoping to convince himself that his dream was not a delusion. He described the Saint's outward appearance, and Father Habakkuk assured him that the Saint looked exactly as the Igoumen had seen him in the dream. Then Father Dionysios obeyed the command and painted an icon of Saint Savva. Feast Day of Saint Savva was established at the Moscow Council of 1547. His incorrupt relics were recovered on January 19, 1652.

Russia, Tver, 1380-1409, Arsenius Bishop oTver, fTver and Kiev Caves, Tver unrest in Church, A brought to Tver to take over, refused until threatened suspension, successful ending dischord with prayer and peacemaker, compiled russian lit in Arsenian Redaction
Russia, Tver, 1380-1409, Arsenius Bishop oTver, born aTver, monk at Kiev Caves M, distinguished for their piety, Arsenius noted for saintly life, strictly keeping monastic vows, knowledge oTypikon (divine liturgy directives), study oHoly Scriptures, and love for work, Metropolitan's archdeacon who governed Met when he was absent, July 3 1390 to Tver wMetropolitan Cyprian at Prince's request, to Council for judgement against Bishop Euthymius oTver, no peace in Tver Church so E was deposed and sent to Chedov M in Moscow, Arsenius appointed to Tver cathedra but afraid and returned to Moscow with Cyprian, then Prince requested Met consecrate A Bishop oTver, A also refused, until threatened wSuspension, Bishop oTver Aug 15 1390, ended much of the discord with prayer and peacemaker, cathedrals built and restored between 1390-1409, compiled list (Arseniev Redaction) of Russian Literature, to assure his monks be edified by asceticism of Fathers ot Caves, A died Mar 2, 1409, buried Zheltikov M he founded, 1483 his relics found incorrupt and that year Theodosius composed his life story, 1547 A commemorated throughout the Church; Tver; Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, was born at Tver, and in his early years received monastic tonsure in the Kiev Caves monastery. among the monks of this ancient monastery, distinguished for their piety, was noted for his saintly life as well as for his strictness in keeping his monastic vows, his knowledge of the Church typikon, his study of Holy Scripture, and his love for work. Metropolitan Cyprian of Kiev (1380-1382) he served as archdeacon, and when the Metropolitan was absent, he governed the administration of the Kiev metropolitanate. July 3, 1390 he went with Metropolitan Cyprian to Tver, where at the request of Prince Micjae of Tver, a Council of Russian and Greek hierarchs had been convened to pass judgment upon Bishop Euthymius of Tver. prince and the bishop were involved in a lengthy dispute, and many of the people of Tver made serious accusations against the bishop. unsuccessful attempts to restore peace to the Tver church, Metropolitan Cyprian deposed Euthymius as bishop and sent him off to Moscow to the Chudov monastery. Arsenius was appointed to the Tver cathedra, he was both troubled and afraid to accept this position, in view of the great enmity and spite in that place. the return of Metropolitan Cyprian and archdeacon Arsenius to Moscow, the Prince sent his nobles to the Metropolitan with a petition to consecrate Arsenius as Bishop of Tver. time Arsenius also refused. In the words of the chronicle for the year 1390 “even at the Metropolitan’s entreaty, Archdeacon Arsenius would not go to Tver.” threatening Arsenius with suspension, the Metropolitan and the Prince finally got him to agree to accept episcopal consecration, which took place on August 15, 1390. the bishops taking part in the laying on of hands was Saint Stephen, Bishop of Perm (April 26). Arsenius, as a man of great prayer and peacemaker, was able to end much of the discord in the Tver principality. his episcopacy, from 1390 to 1409, cathedrals were built consecrated in honor of the Archangel Michael at Staritsa and Mikulina, and the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral was restored with the construction of a cathedral belltower. saint founded the Zheltikov monastery on the river Tmaka near Tver, where a church was built in honor of Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Kiev Caves (1394), and a stone Dormition cathedral. that the monks of this new monastery would always be edified by the asceticism of the Fathers of the Caves, Arsenius gave orders to compile a list from the Kiev Caves Paterikon, using the most ancient manuscripts of this precious memorial of Russian literature. compilation was known as the Arseniev Redaction. saint died on March 2, 1409, and was buried in the Zheltikov monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he founded. 1483 his relics were found incorrupt and were placed in the monastery cathedral. the same year hieromonk Theodosius composed a Life and a Canon in honor of the holy bishop. a Council of 1547 Saint Arsenius’ commemoration was established throughout all the Church.

Russia, Tver, 1386-1408, Prince Yury of Smolensk, Killed Juliana
Tver, 1386-1408, Prince Yury of Smolensk; St. Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21;

Russia, Tver, 1394-1434, Prince Yury of Zvenigorod
Tver, 1394-1434, Prince Yury of Zvenigorod; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3;

Russia, Tver, 1400, 15th C Folder, Sabbatius oTver, Joseph oVolokolamsk

Russia, Tver, 1401-1434, Sabbatius oTver, wArsenitus, estab monastery, taught famous ascetics, strict, holy, chains, silence
Russia, Tver, 1401-1434, Sabbatius oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), wArsenitus, estab monastery 15V away, taught famous ascetics, strict, holy, chains, silence; Tver; Saint Sabbatius of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Sabbatius of Tver pursued asceticism with the blessing of Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, at a distance 15 versts from Tver. Sabbatius established a monastery there, known for the strictness and holiness of its rule. ascetics as Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9) and Saint Cornelius of Komel (May 19) went there to be instructed in monasticism. chains found in the cave where Saint Sabbatius practiced silence testify to his ascetic deeds. died no later than the year 1434.

Russia, Tver, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, virtues&chastity, wYuri fled Vitovt over hill tTver, adultry, J wounded Y, Y killed J
Russia, Kiev, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, Ukraine (Vyazna River 1) &Novy Torg Tver close by across the hill in Vladai Hills, Princess oVyazma&Novy Torg, Maximus Danilov daughter, known virtues&chastity, Husband Prince Simeon oV wPrince Yuri oSmolensk fled because Lithuanian P Vitovt had seized their lands, then Basil oMoscow gave Torzhok Tver tThem, Yuri wanted adultry wJ, but J faithful, Yuri killed husband Simeon, tried to rape, but J wounded him wKnife, J ordered her hands feet cut off and body thrown into Tversta River, Yuri fled tTartars, no peace, tRyazan wilderness; Vyazma; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Juliana, Princess of Vyazma and Novy Torg, daughter of the noble Maximus Danilov, known for her virtues and her chastity. spouse, Prince Simeon of Vyazma, and also Prince Yuri of Smolensk, were compelled to flee their native lands, which the Lithuanian prince Vitovt had seized. Prince Basil of Moscow bestowed the Tver city of Torzhok upon the exiled princes. Yuri became captivated by Juliana’s beauty and tried in every way to persuade her to commit adultery, Juliana remained faithful to her husband. a feast, Prince Yuri killed Juliana’s husband, in the hope of taking her by force. Juliana resisted the ravisher, wounding him with a knife. enraged Prince Yuri ordered that her hands and feet be cut off, and that her body be thrown into the Tvertsa River. by his conscience and censured by everyone, Prince Yuri fled to the Tatars, even there he did not find peace. settled in the Ryazan wilderness where he died in 1408. martyrdom of Saint Juliana occurred in the winter of 1406. the spring of 1407, they saw the body of Princess Juliana floating in the river. A certain peasant heard a voice from above, commanding that the body of Saint Juliana be buried in the Torzhok cathedral on the right side by the south doors. tomb for her body was afterwards built at the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral, where many received healing from her. connection with the glorification of Saint Juliana on June 2, 1819 a chapel was built on the right-hand side, and dedicated to her. the cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, where earlier there had been a chapel over the grave of the saint, a church was built and also dedicated to Saint Juliana in 1906.

Russia, Tver, 1444-1504, Paisius oUglich, copied spiritual books, founded 2Monasteries, wonderwrkr, relics glorified bMiracles

Russia, Tver, 1460-1515, Saint and Author, Joseph of Volokolamsk
Russia, Tver, 1460-1515, Saint and Author, Joseph of Volokolamsk; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18;

Russia, Tver, 1500, 16th C Folder, Nilus oStolbensk Lake, Volokolamsk Icon

Russia, Tver, 1504-1554, Nilus oStolbensk Lake, strict fasting, stillness, never lie down, aroused enemy, woods fire, blind robbers
Russia, Tver, 1504-1554, Nilus oStolbensk Lake, Tver (Volga River Source), 1505 Savva oKrypetsk monk, Pskov, 10yrs, River Sereml&Ostashkova, 13yrs, incl devil as reptiles wild beasts, people came so led by voice tLake Seliger&Stolobnoye island, dense forest, dug cave from small hill, built hut, 26 yrs, strict fasting, stillness, never lie down, enemy aroused, fire to woods, flames out miraculously, robbers to Icon treasure in corner, blinded, repentence tears, many other miracles, refused gifts from impure, prepared his own grave, ltime of death ast Holy mysteries, censed icons and died; Stolbensk Lake; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Nilus of Stolobnoye was born into a peasant family in a small village of the Novgorod diocese. the year 1505 he was tonsured at the monastery of Saint Savva of Krypetsk (August 28) near Pskov. ten years in ascetic life at the monastery he set out to the River Sereml, on the side of the city of Ostashkova; for thirteen years he led a strict ascetic life in incessant struggle against the snares of the devil, who took on the appearance of reptiles and wild beasts. of the inhabitants of the surrounding area started coming to the monk for instruction, but this became burdensome for him and he prayed God to show him a place for deeds of quietude. after long prayer he heard a voice saying, “Nilus! Go to Lake Seliger. upon the island of Stolobnoye you can be saved!” Saint Nilus learned the location of this island from people who visited him. When he arrived there, he was astonished by its beauty. island, in the middle of the lake, was covered over by dense forest. Nilus found a small hill and dug out a cave, after a while he built a hut, in which he lived for twenty-six years. his exploits of strict fasting and stillness [ie. hesychia] added another —he never lay down to sleep, but permitted himself only a light nap, leaning on a prop set into the wall of the cell. pious life of the monk frequently roused the envy of the Enemy of mankind, evidenced itself through the spiteful action of the local inhabitants. time someone set fire to the woods on the island where stood the saint’s hut, the flames went out in miraculous manner upon reaching the hill. time robbers forced their way into the hut. The monk said to them: “All my treasure is in the corner of the cell.” In this corner stood an icon of the Mother of God, but the robbers began to search there for money and became blinded. Then with tears of repentance they begged for forgiveness. Nilus performed many other miracles. He would refuse gifts if the conscience of the one offering it to him was impure, or if they were in bodily impurity. of his approaching end, Saint Nilus prepared a grave for himself. the time of his death, an igumen from one of the nearby monasteries came to the island and communed him with the Holy Mysteries. the igumen’s departure, Saint Nilus prayed for the last time, censing around the holy icons and the cell, and surrendered his soul to the Lord on December 7, 1554. translation of his holy relics (now venerated at the church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Sign” in the city of Ostashkova) took place in the year 1667, with feastdays established both on the day of his death, and on May 27.

Russia, Tver, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, Translated Psalms into Slavonic, suffered unjust persecution patiently, grave grace
Greece, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, fArta, Epirus, Greece (Arta Bridge, Arachthos River 3), rich dignatary's son, studied languages sciences iEurope, Paris Florence Venice, tAthos Vatopedi m, there studied ancient manuscripts left there by Emperors Monks Andronicus Paleologos&John Kantakuzenos, Moscow GP Basil III translator tSlavic, Anotated Psalms first, some imperfections but Met liked his work, New Met things changed, Met Daniel wanted Max to translate history containing Arius' letters, Max refused, rift between them, Max continued Russia spiritual enlightenment, letters against moslems, Roman Catholics, and Pagans, translated Chrysostom's Matthew&John commentaries, +Own works, GP wanted divorce but Max sent him advice not to yield bestial passions, Prince never forgave Max, locked in prison, much suffering, translation mistakes regarded deliberate, difficult but Max granted the great mercy of God, Angel appeared, endure father, temporary pain for eternal torments deliverance, wrote present cannon on prison wall, as manna from heaven, fill my soul with Holy Spirit, that through HS I may serve thee always, after 6yrs sent tTver, wrote patience suffering unjustly, after 20 yrs aTver excommunication removed, tTrinity Sergiev for rest of life, reposed 1556, buried there, many grace manifistations, on Radonezh Saints Icon Arta, Greece (Arachthos River 3) Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Maximus the Greek was the son of a rich Greek dignitary in the city of Arta (Epiros), he received a splendid education. his youth he travelled widely and he studied languages and sciences (i.e. intellectual disciplines) in Europe, spending time in Paris, Florence, and Venice. returning to his native land, he went to Athos and became a monk at the Vatopedi monastery. And with enthusiasm he studied ancient manuscripts left on Athos by the Byzantine Emperors Andronicus Paleologos and John Kantakuzenos (who became monks). this period the Moscow Great Prince Basil III (1505-1533) wanted to make an inventory of the Greek manuscripts and books of his mother, Sophia Paleologina, he asked the Protos of the Holy Mountain, Igumen Simeon, to send him a translator. Maximus was chosen to go to Moscow, he had been brought up on secular and ecclesiastical books from his youth. his arrival, he was asked to translate patristic and liturgical books into Slavonic, with the Annotated Psalter. Maximus tried to fulfill his task, but since Slavonic was not his native language, there were certain imprecisions in the translations. Barlaam of Moscow highly valued the work of Saint Maximus, when the See of Moscow was occupied by Metropolitan Daniel, the situation changed. new Metropolitan ordered Saint Maximus to translate the Church History of Theodoritus of Cyrrhus into Slavonic. Maximus absolutely refused this commission, out that “in this history are included letters of the heretic Arius, and this might present danger for the semi-literate.” refusal caused a rift between Maximus and the Metropolitan. their differences, Saint Maximus continued to labor for the spiritual enlightenment of Rus. wrote letters against Moslems, Roman Catholics, and pagans. translated Saint John Chrysostom’s Commentaries on the Gospels of Matthew and John, he also wrote several works of his own. the Great Prince wished to divorce his wife Solomonia because of her infertility, dauntless confessor Maximus sent the Prince his “Instructive Chapters on Initiating Right Belief,” which he persuasively demonstrated that the Prince was obliged not to yield to bestial passions. Prince never forgave Maximus for his audacity, and locked Saint Maximus in prison. that moment a new period began in the life of the monk, filled with much suffering. in his translations were regarded as deliberate and intentional corruptions of the text by Saint Maximus. was difficult for him in prison, in his sufferings the saint also gained the great mercy of God. angel appeared to him and said, “Endure, Abba! Through this temporary pain you will be delivered from eternal torments.” prison the Elder wrote a Canon to the Holy Spirit in charcoal upon a wall, even at present is read in the Church: “Just as Israel was nourished with manna in the wilderness of old, so Master, fill my soul with the All-Holy Spirit, that through Him I may serve Thee always....” six years, Saint Maximus was set free from prison and sent to Tver. he lived under the supervision of the good-natured Bishop Acacius, who dealt kindly with guiltless sufferer. saint then wrote in his autobiography: “While I was locked in prison and grieving, I consoled and strengthened myself with patience. ” Here are some more words from this vivid text: “Neither grieve, nor be sad, beloved soul, that you have suffered unjustly, for it behooves you to accept all for your benefit.” after twenty years at Tver did they decide to let Maximus live freely, and remove the church excommunication. Maximus, now about seventy years of age, spent the final years of his life at the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. and work took their toil on his health, his spirit remained vigorous, he continued with his work. with his cell-attendant and disciple Nilus, the saint translated the Psalter from Greek into Slavonic. Maximus reposed on January 21, 1556. was buried at the northwest wall of the Holy Spirit church of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. manifestations of grace took place at the grave of Saint Maximus, a Troparion and Kontakion were composed in his honor. Maximus is depicted on the icon of the Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh (July 6).

Russia, Tver, 1572-1588, Volokolamsk Icon, V Tver (Lama River Source), a copy of Vladimir Icon in Moscow Dormition Cathedral
Russia, Tver, 1572-1588, Volokolamsk monastery, Tver (Lama River Source), a copy of Vladimir Icon in Moscow Dormition Cathedral which was brought from Constantinople to Moscow in 1395; Volokolamsk monastery, Volokolamsk-Exaltation of the Cross monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God is a copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The icon was brought from Zvenigorod to the Dormition monastery of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk on March 2, 1572, during the second week of Great Lent and was solemnly met by Igumen Leonid (1563-1566; 1568-1573) and all the monastic brethren. is distinguished by its particular depiction on the margins of Saint Cyprian (right) and Saint Gerontius (left), Metropolitans of Moscow. name of Metropolitan Cyprian is associated with the first arrival of the ancient Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to Moscow in the year 1395, and under Metropolitan Gerontius in 1480 the Vladimir Icon came finally to Moscow. the year 1588 the Volokolamsk Icon was dedicated atop the gate in the church at the south gates of the Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (August 26). the end of the seventeenth century, when a church of the same name was built in Moscow at Staraya Basmanna, the church atop the gate of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk was rededicated in honor of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Volokolamsk Icon was transferred to its proper place on the iconostasis of the new cathedral Dormition church of the monastery of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk. 1578, the icon was recognized as wonderworking.

Russia, Tver, 1600, 17th C Folder, Lithuann invasion oM, Battle oKlushino, Seige oTver iPolish-Moscow War, incorrpt Sava oZ

Russia, Tver, 1605-1618, Lithuanian invasion of Moscow
Lithuanian invasion of Moscow ; Battle of Klushino; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Tver, 1610, Battle of Klushino, Tver
Lithuanian invasion of Moscow; Battle of Klushino; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18), Time of Troubles; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Tver, 1632-1634, Polish-Muscovite War (1632-1634), Seige of Tver
Polish-Muscovite War (1632-1634), the Smolensk War; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Russia, Tver, 1652, uncovering incorrupt relics of Sava of Zvenigorod
Russia, Tver, 1345-1406, Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Tver, Moscow River 3, Trinity-Sergiev Lavra 1345, solitude, constant toil, lamenting, trembling, model of simplicity and humility, father confessor to all, Donskoy's Dubenka River monastery 1380, 1392 Trinity monastery, Yuri of Z's monastery 1399 , Opening incorrupt relics 1652; Cape of Storozhev (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 2), Steep Banks of the Moscova River; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; we commemorate opening of the incorrupt relics of Saint Savva of Storozhev and Zvenigorod on January 19, 1652. Savva is also also commemorated on December 3, as determined by the Moscow Council of 1547. Venerable Savva, Abbot of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Savva of Zvenigorod forsook the world in his early youth, and received the monastic tonsure from Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), and was his disciple and fellow-ascetic. Savva loved solitude, and avoided conversing with people. He lived in constant toil, lamenting the poverty of his soul, and trembling before the judgment of God. He was a model of simplicity and humility, and he attained such a depth of spiritual wisdom that “in the monastery of Saint Sergius he was the Father Confessor to all the brethren, a venerable and exceedingly learned Elder.” Great Prince Demetrios of the Don built the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the Dubenka River, in gratitude for the victory over Mamai, Savva became the Igoumen, with the blessing of Saint Sergius. Maintaining the simple manner of his life of asceticism, he ate plants, wore coarse clothing and slept on the ground. the departure of their Igoumen Saint Nikon (November 17) into the wilderness in 1392, the brethren of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra asked Saint Savva to become the Igoumen of the monastery. Here he “shepherded the flock entrusted to him well, to the best of his ability, helped by the prayers of his Spiritual Father, Saint Sergius.” According to Tradition, the well outside the Lavra walls was built while he was Igoumen. Yuri of Zvenigorod, a godson of Saint Sergius, regarded Saint Savva with much love and esteem. He chose Saint Savva as his Spiritual Father and begged him to come and bestow his blessing upon his entire household. The Saint had hoped to return to his monastery, but the Prince begged him to stay and establish a new monastery, “in his fatherland, near Zvenigorod, at a place called Storozhi.” Savva acceded to the request of Prince Yuri, and praying tearfully before an icon of the Mother of God, he entreated her protection for that site in the wilderness. On Storozhi Hill, he built a small wooden church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, and nearby a small cell for himself. Here he established a monastery in 1399, with paternal love he accepted all who came seeking a life of quietude and seclusion. Savva worked very hard to build up the monastery. He dug a well at the foot of the hill, from which he carried water on his own shoulders. He encircled the monastery with a wooden palisade, and in a hollow above it, he dug out a cell where he could live in solitude. 1399 Saint Savva blessed his spiritual son, Prince Yuri, to go on a military campaign, predicting that the enemy would be defeated. Through the prayers of the holy Elder, the forces of the Prince won a speedy victory. Through the efforts of Saint Savva, a stone church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was built to replace the old wooden one. Savva went to the Lord at an advanced age on December 3, 1406. He appointed his disciple, who was also named Savva, as his successor. of the holy God-pleaser by the local people began immediately after his death. The miraculous curative power issuing from the Saint's grave, and his numerous appearances, convinced everyone that Igoumen Savva was "truly an unsetting sun of divine light, illumining all with its miraculous rays.” In a letter of 1539 Saint Savva was called a wonderworker. Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich had a special veneration for him, repeatedly visiting the monastery of Saint Savva on foot. Tradition has preserved for us a remarkable account of how Saint Savva was saved from a ferocious bear. Life of Saint Savva, compiled in the XVI century, relates how at the end of the XV century (1480-1490), the Saint appeared to Father Dionysios, the fourth Igoumen of Saint Savva Monastery and said: “Dionysios! Wake up and paint my icon.” When Father Dionysios asked who he was, he replied, “I am Savva, the founder of this place.” Father Dionysios had not known the Saint personally, so he summoned Elder Habakkuk, who had known Saint Savva in his youth, hoping to convince himself that his dream was not a delusion. He described the Saint's outward appearance, and Father Habakkuk assured him that the Saint looked exactly as the Igoumen had seen him in the dream. Then Father Dionysios obeyed the command and painted an icon of Saint Savva. Feast Day of Saint Savva was established at the Moscow Council of 1547. His incorrupt relics were recovered on January 19, 1652.

Russia, Tver, 1700, 18th C Folder, Uncut Mount Icon

Russia, Tver, 1720-1863, Uncut Mount Icon, Tver, pray to Clouded Mt icon, f icon in attic, lived in peace, t to Smolensk Icon t
Russia, Tver, 1720, Uncut Mount Icon, Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), pray to MOG Clouded Mt icon, f icon in attic, lived in peace, t to Smolensk Icon t; Tver; Icon of the Mother of God of the Uncut Mount, Commemorated on March 24; Uncut, or Clouded Mountain Icon of the Mother of God: 250-300 years ago this icon was in one of the men’s monasteries of Tver was presented by the Superior to Cosmas Volchaninov in gratitude for his fine work in the monastery church. This icon was passed on from generation to generation, but a certain impious grandson of Cosmas removed it and placed the icon in an attic. bride endured many insults from her husband and his relatives. In despair over her marriage she resolved to commit suicide in a deserted bath-house. On the way there a monk appeared to her and said, “Where are you going, unhappy one? Go back, pray to the Theotokos of The Clouded Mountain, and you will live in peace.” agitated young wife returned home and revealed everything, not concealing her interrupted intention. They searched for the monk, but they did not find him, and no one had seen him but her. This took place on the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. found the icon in the attic, cleaned off the dirt and set it up in the house in a place of honor. In the evening, the parish priest served the all-night Vigil before the icon. From that time, Vigil was served in the house every year on this day. more than 150 years the icon was in the Volchaninov family. Katherine, daughter of Basil, the last of the Volchaninov line, married George Ivanovich Konyaev, taking with her the icon of the Mother of God as a precious inheritance. Moliebens and all-night vigils were served in the Konyaev house on March 24 and November 7 (perhaps this was the day when the icon was transferred from the monastery to the house of Cosmas Volchaninov). 1863 near a cemetery church of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God it was decided to build a chapel in honor of Saint Tikhon and Saint Macarius of Kalyazin. The then owner of the icon, George Konyaev (who died in 1868 at the age of 97) wanted to donate the icon of the Theotokos to the church. He asked the clergy to build another chapel for the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God of the “Clouded Mountain.” also said, “I feel the very best place for it is the temple of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, since the place on which the church was built, in former times was called a Mount, since it was the highest place in the city. The inhabitants took their possessions to the Mount and saved themselves from ruin during a flood. Let the icon, “The Clouded Mountain”, remain on this mountain with your blessing, and let all who are buried here be veiled with Her mercy.” On July 15, 1866 the icon was transferred into the new chapel, which was consecrated by Bishop Anthony of Staritsk the following day. the icon the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted standing on a semi-circular elevation, a mountain; on Her left arm, the Divine Infant blesses with His right hand. Upon the head of the Mother of God is a crown, and in Her hand a mountain, on which are seen above churches with cupolas and crosses.

Russia, Tver, 1800, 19th C Folder, Adronicus Icon, New Hieromartyr Elias

Russia, Tver, 1839-1877, Andronicus Icon placed in Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, Tver
Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, not in Wikipedia. Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Andronicus Icon of the Mother of God was a family icon of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III. In 1347 he gave the icon to the Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos. From here the image was sent to Russia in 1839. In 1877 the holy icon was placed in a temple of the Kazan women’s monastery near Vyshnii Volochek. Other Feast days of this icon are May 1 and July 8.

Russia, Tver, 1889-1937, New Hieromrtr Elias, CLaw, Theology, Old Believers author, martyr w Alexis
Russia, Tver, 1889-1937, New Hieromrtr Elias, opposed Living Church in Communist Russia, martyr w Alexis, Cannon Law. Theology, Old Believers, etc. expert, teacher, author, e 1920s arrested b opposed Church Property confiscation, 1925 exiled tSurgut, Siberia, kicked out oMoscow, returned to Tver, 1937 Martyred wAlexis; New Hieromartyr Elias (Gromoglasov) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; in 1869, the New Martyr Elias Gromoglasov was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. was well educated in canon law, theology and other disciplines, had taught for many years, and had authored numerous pieces on a variety of topics ranging from canon law to the Old Believer Schism. the early 1920s he was arrested in Moscow due to his opposition to the confiscation of Church property by the Soviet regime, but was soon released. 1925 he was again arrested and sentenced to three years of exile in Surgut, Siberia. of the right to reside in Moscow after his release, he relocated to Tver. December 4, 1937, he was again arrested with his coworker, Saint Alexis Benemanskii, with whom he was martyred on the following day. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, resisted Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943, strongly opposed Living Church, arrested exiled 4times, Martyred wElias; New Hieromartyr Alexis (Benemanskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; January 6, 1881 in the Tver region, the New Martyr Alexis Constantinovich Benemanskii was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. widely opposed the Living Church, which had been set up in the 1920s by the Soviet state to challenge the legitimacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow and, initially, Saint Tikhon himself. was tenacious in defending the canonical Church against the "renovationists," as proponents of the Living Church were called, and was unwilling to sacrifice his principles. the years, he had been arrested four times and imprisoned or exiled. December 4/November 21, 1937, he was arrested again, together with his coworker Archpriest Elias Gromoglasov, and martyred the following day, been accused of taking part in fictitious counter-revolutionary activities allegedly organized by the New Martyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, who was arrested three days later and subsequently martyred. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Tver, 1900, 20th C Folder, New Hieromrtr Alexis, Demetrius M Benevolenskii, New Hieromrtr Thaddeus

Russia, Tver, 1903-1937, Demetrius M Benevolenskii, Tver priest i1911, imprisond s times fPastoral duties, shot i1937
Russia, Tver, 1903-1937, Demetrius Mikhailovich Benevolenskii oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4) priest in 1911, tOstrovno V, tPanoshino [today Udomlya V, tSinev V, imprisoned several times for pastoral duties, then shot in 1937; Tver; New Hieromartyr Demetrius (Benevolenskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 14; Mikhailovich Benevolenskii was born on October 10, 1883 in Vishny Volochyok, Tver province. his ordination to the priesthood in 1911, he was assigned to the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius in the village of Ostrovno in 1919, to the Church of All the Afflicted in the village of Panoshino [today Udomlya]. later served at the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Sinev in the Dubrovo Sonkovskii District of the Tver region. a result of his intense dedication to his pastoral duties, he had been arrested and imprisoned several times by the communist regime. his final arrest, he was shot on November 27, 1937. September 19, 1999, he was numbered among the new martyrs and confessors of Russia.

Russia, Tver, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, opposed Living Church in Communist Russia, martyr w Elias
Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, resisted Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943, strongly opposed Living Church, arrested exiled 4times, Martyred wElias; New Hieromartyr Alexis (Benemanskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; January 6, 1881 in the Tver region, the New Martyr Alexis Constantinovich Benemanskii was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. widely opposed the Living Church, which had been set up in the 1920s by the Soviet state to challenge the legitimacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow and, initially, Saint Tikhon himself. was tenacious in defending the canonical Church against the "renovationists," as proponents of the Living Church were called, and was unwilling to sacrifice his principles. the years, he had been arrested four times and imprisoned or exiled. December 4/November 21, 1937, he was arrested again, together with his coworker Archpriest Elias Gromoglasov, and martyred the following day, been accused of taking part in fictitious counter-revolutionary activities allegedly organized by the New Martyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, who was arrested three days later and subsequently martyred. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Tver, 1937, New Hieromartyr Thaddeus oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), executed in 1937
Tver; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; New Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) was the Archbishop of Tver. He was executed in 1937.

Russia, Tver, 9999, Century Unknown, Vladimir Icon oSelinger Is

Russia, Tver, Tversta River Folder

Tversta River

Tvertsa River Source (Vyshny Volochyok Reservoir)

Vyshny Volochyok, Tver (Tversta River Source)
Vyshny Volochyok, Tver; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, Tver
Kazan women's monastery near Vyshnii Volochek, not in Wikipedia. Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated October 22 ;

Upper Tvertsa River, Tver (Valdai Hills)
Upper Tvertsa River; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Arcadius of Novy Torg, Commemorated December 13 ;

Tversta River 1

Tvertsa River 2 (Torzhok)

Torzhok cathedral
Torzhok cathedral Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Juliana, Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2

Torzhok Monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb
Torzhok Monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb,; Translation of the Relics of the Holy Passionbearers Boris and Gleb (in Baptism Roman and David—1072 and 1115) Commemorated on May 2;

Boris and Gleb Monastery, Novy Torg, Tver (Tvertsa River 2) 1038
Boris and Gleb Monastery (Tvertsa River 2) 1038; Novy Torg, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2;

Novy Torg, Tver (Tvertsa River 2)
Novy Torg, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2;

Torzhok (Novy Torg), Tver (Tvertsa River 2)
Torzhok, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2;

Novotorsk (Novy Torg), Tver (Tvertsa River 2)
Novotorsk, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod; Venerable Arcadius of Novotorsk, Commemorated July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vydropussk, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated on January 28; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2;

Tversta River Mouth (Tver, Volga River 4)

Savior-Transfiguration monastery - Tver
Savior-Transfiguration monastery - Tver is not described by Wikipedia, but it was most likely the monastery from which St Gurias' relics were translated. Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20;

Tver Otroch monastery, 1275 or so, (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver Otroch monastery site; Tver Otroch monastery; Hieromartyr Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9; Saint Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Otroch Uspensky Monastery, site of the Tver River Terminal (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver River Terminal, The construction began in 1935, near the site of the demolished Otroch Uspensky Monastery; Saint Moses, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; St. Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; Saint Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Saint Sabbatius of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2;

Russia, Tver, 307, Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), 17yr old,
Tver; Virgin Martyr Theodora of Tyre, Commemorated on April 2; Theodora came from Tyre in Phoenicia. she was seventeen years of age, she was brought before Urban, the ruler of Palestine, who asked her if she really believed in Christ. remarkable courage, the holy virgin confessed that she truly believed. Then they flayed her sides and her breasts. Afterward, they threw her into the sea, where she surrendered her soul to God, thereby receiving a martyr's crown. Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain thought it very likely that this Saint is the same as Saint Theodosia (May 29), because their Lives are almost identical. Holy Virgin Martyr Theodosίa of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Theodosίa of Tyre lived during the III and IV centuries. during a persecution against Christians, which had already lasted for five years, the seventeen-year-old Theodosίa visited some condemned Christian prisoners in the Praetorium at Caesarea in Palestine. was the day of Holy Pascha, and the Martyrs were speaking about the Kingdom of God. Saint Theodosίa asked them to remember her when they appeared before the Lord. the soldiers saw that the girl had bowed to the prisoners, they seized her and led her before the governor, Urban. governor urged the Saint to offer sacrifice to the idols, but she refused, professing her faith in Christ. Then she was subjected to cruel tortures; her sides and breasts were raked with iron claws until her bones were exposed. endured this in silence with astonishing courage. Again Urban told her to sacrifice, but she mocked him saying: “Foolish man, why do you persist? Can you not see that I have received everything I prayed for, and that I am honored to share the fate of these Martyrs for Christ?" saying this, she was tormented even more severely than before. holy virgin was cast into the sea with a stone tied around her neck, but Angels rescued her from the depths. they tossed her into the arena to be eaten by wild animals. Seeing that the beasts would not touch her, the soldiers beheaded her. night Saint Theodosίa appeared to her parents, who had tried to persuade their daughter not to let herself be tortured. wore radiant garments, a crown upon her head, and held a luminous gold cross in her hand. She said to them, “Behold the great glory of which you wished to deprive me!” Holy Virgin Martyr Theodosίa of Tyre suffered for Christ on April 3 in the year 307 or 308. She is also commemorated on May 29 (the transfer of her relics to Constantinople, and later to Venice).

Russia, Tver, Volga River Tver Folder

Lake Seliger, Tver (near Volga River Source)
Lake Seliger; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir of Seligersk, Commemorated December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27;

Seliger, Lake Seliger, Tver (near Volga River Source)
Lake Seliger; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir of Seligersk, Commemorated December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27;

Stolbensk Lake, Tver (Volga River Source)
Stolbensk Lake; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27;

Stolobnoye Island, Stolbensk Lake, Tver
Stolobnoye Island; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27;

Nilov Monastery, Stolbensk Lake, Tver, 1594
Stolobnoye Island; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27;

Toropets, Tver, Pskov or Novgorod (Toropa River mouth at Lake Solomeno, Volga Trade Route, Valdai Hills)
Toropets ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Sereml River

Sig Lake

Sereml River Mouth

Ostashkova, Tver (Stolbensk Lake)
Ostashkova, Tver ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Selizharovo, Tver (Intersection, Volga and Varangian Trade Routes, Volga River 2) 1504
Selizharovo (Trinity Selizharov Monastery); St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ;

Trinity Selizharov Monastery, Selizharovo, Tver (Volga River 2) 1504
Selizharovo (Trinity Selizharov Monastery); St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ;

Rzhev, Tver (Volga River 3)
Rzhev; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Rzhevsk (or Okovetsk) Icon of the Mother of God is from the Rzhevets Monastery in Poltava. On May 26, 1539, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost), in Tver diocese, in Vyryshensk town situated in a virgin forest on the bank of the rivulet Vyryshna in the Okovetsk district, not far from the city of Rzhev, at a crossroads for people from four surrounding villages, the monk Stephen made a discovery: fastened to a pine tree was a large iron cross and on another tree an old painted icon depicting the Mother of God with Child, and also Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra. the discovery of the holy cross and the icon there shone an extraordinary light and healings occurred. From the Day of the Holy Spirit to the start of the Apostles’ Fast, 27 healings occurred. monk Stephen, and right after him the Rzhevsk priest Gregory Onisiphorov, journeyed to Moscow with reports of the appearance of the holy icon and cross and the healing that occurred. The then head of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Joasaph (1539-1541) of Moscow, gave thanks to the Lord, and after verifying the miracles of that place, gave blessing to erect there two churches: one dedicated to the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord, and the other in honor of the HodÄ“gá¸—tria Mother of God, having in it a chapel named for Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. At the consecration of the churches a priest and deacon were sent from Moscow, together with church utensils, icons, vestments, books and bells. January 1541 the Rzhevsk icon was solemnly transferred to Moscow for the consecration of a church in honor of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God. After the consecration of the temple, the icon and cross were transferred to the Dormition cathedral, where they remained until July 11. On this day the Rzhevsk icon and cross were returned to the place of their miraculous appearance. The metropolitan together with all the assembled clergy of the capital, and with the young Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, and all the people, accompanied the icon from the Dormition cathedral to the church of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God, where a copy of this venerable icon was placed. In memory of this celebration the Feast of the Rzhevsk Icon of the Mother of God was established on July 11. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Staritsa, Tver (Volga River 3)
Staritsa; Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19;

Vladimir of Staritsa, Tver (Volga River 3)
Vladimir of Staritsa, Tver (Volga River 3); Staritsa; Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated on September 24 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19;

Russia, Tver, Lake Vladayskoye Folder

Valday Iveron Monastery, Tver, 1653
Valday Iversky Monastery; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated October 23 ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Tikhvin Assumption Monastery, Tver, 1560
Tikhvin Assumption Monastery; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ;

Valdai, Tver (Lake Valdayskoye, high point)
Valdai, Tver (Lake Valdayskoye) ; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated October 23; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Valdai Hills (high points of East European Plain, Volga and Other Rivers Source)
Valdai Hills; East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills) only 1,138 ft ; The western boundary of the East European Plain is described well by the Eastern Front of WW1. Its eastern boundaries are the Ural Mountains or the Ural and Kama River Basins. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills)
East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills) only 1,138 ft. The western boundary of the East European Plain is described well by the Eastern Front of WW1. Its eastern boundaries are the Ural Mountains or the Ural and Kama River Basins. ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Russia, Tver, Lama River Folder

Lama River

Lama River Source, Vladlai Hils, Tver, Drag of the Lama portage, Volga to Moskova waterway

Lama River 1 (Volokolamsk)

Volokolamsk monastery, Tver (Lama River Source) 1479
Volokolamsk monastery, Volokolamsk-Exaltation of the Cross monastery; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14;

Volokolamsk, Tver (portage, Lama River 1)
Volokolamsk; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Volomsk, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14 ; Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated August 17 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9; Venerable Chariton of Syanzhemsk, Vologda; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27;

Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery, Tver, 1479
Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Lama River Mouth (Volga River 3, at Rzhev)

Russia, Tver, Moscow River Folder

Koloch, Tver (Mozhaisk, Moscova River 1, Protva River Source)
Koloch (Mozhaisk, Moscova River 1, Protva River Source); Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ;

Mozhaisk, Tver, Moscow area (Valdai Hills Crossroad, Moscova River 1)
Mozhaisk; Mozhaisk is on the historic road leading to Smolensk and then to Poland. the year 1446 Great Prince Basil (1425-1462) was besieged at the Trinity monastery by the armies of Princes Demetrius Shemyaka and John of Mozhaisk. He barricaded himself into the Trinity cathedral, when he heard that he was being sought, he took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God and with it met Prince John at the southern church doors, saying: œBrother, we kissed the Life-Creating Cross and this icon in this church of the Life-Creating Trinity at this grave of the Wonderworker Sergius, that we would neither intend nor wish any evil to any of our brethren among ourselves. Now I do not know no what will happen to me here. Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6 ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Luzhetsky Monastery, Mozhaisk, Tver, 1408
Luzhetsky Monastery, Mozhaisk, Tver, 1408; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27;

Borodino, Battle of Borodino, 1812, near Mozhaisk, Tver, French victory before Moscow fell
Russia, Moscow, 1812, Battle of Borodino; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; new copy took on the power of the old image, and when the Russian armies left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this icon through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to great deeds. The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodēgḗtria, taken to the Dormition cathedral on the day of the Battle of Borodino went in procession with the Ivḗron and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, and then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. After leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl. were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God defended Russia through Her icons. After the victory over the enemy forces the Hodēgḗtria Icon was returned to Smolensk together with its glorified copy.

Mozhaisk Nicholas Cathedral, 1802
Mozhaisk Nicholas Cathedral; Mozhaisk; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ;

Moscova River 2 (Ruza Mouth, Staraya Ruza)

Russia, Tver, Moscova River 2, Ruza River Folder

Ruza River

Ruza River Source (Valdai Hills)

Saint Leucius Dormition Monastery on the Ruza, approximate location, 1480
Saint Leucius Dormition Monastery on the Ruza, approximate location; St. Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17

Ruza River Mouth (Moscova River 2, Staraya Ruza)
Ruza River Mouth (Moscova River 2); St. Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17;

Moscova River 3 (Zvenigorod)

Zvenigorod, Tver (Svenigorod, Moscova River 3) 1338
Zvenigorod; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 17 ; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; Venerable Savva, Igoumen of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ;

Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver (Moscow River 3) 1398
Tver Savvin monastery; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Tver Sabbatiev wilderness monastery Monastery, Tver (Moscow River 3) 1398
Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver (Moscow River 3) 1398
Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, Tver; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Tver Savvin monastery (Moscow River 3, Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery) 1398
Tver Savvin monastery; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Zvenigorod monastery and convent (Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery) 1398
Tver Savvin monastery; Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18 ; Venerable Savva, Igoumen of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Storozhev, Cape of Storozhev, Tver (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 3)
Cape of Storozhev (Zvenigorod, Moscova River 2), Steep Banks of the Moscova River; Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Opening of the Relics of the Venerable Sava of Storozhev, or Zvenigorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Tver, Dubna and Sestra Rivers Folder

Dubna River

Dubna River Mouth (Volga River 5)

Sestra River Source (Sennezh Lake)

Boldino Heights, Tver, Sestra River Source
Boldino Heights; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5;

Eletsk Chernigov Monastery, Boldino Heights, Tver, 1060
Boldino Heights; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5;

Sestra River 1, Eletsk Chernigov Monastery, Boldino Heights, Tver, 1060

Sestra River 2 (Klin)

Sestra River Mouth (Dubna River Volga Basin) at 3

Russia, Chuvash Folder (Sura and Sviyazhsk Rivers)

Chuvash Republic - Land of the Chuvash People
Chuvash Republic - Land of the Chuvash People ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Venerable Cassian the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Cheboksarsky District, Chuvash Republic
Chuvash Republic, The Chuvash Republic is located in the center of the European part of Russia, in the heart of the Volga-Vyatka region, midway between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan ;

Chuvash History Folder

Russia, Chuvash, 1524, Voronisk icon appeared in 1524
Voroninsk (Sura River Mouth, Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; Holy Icon of the Voroninsk Mother of God was situated in the Voroninsk Dormition of the Mother of God hermitage in the Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance. Its appearance occurred in 1524.

Russia, Chuvash, 1551, fortress of Sviyazhsk
fortress of Sviyazhsk (1551) ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia, Chuvash, Sura River Folder

Sura River, Chuvash

Sura River Source (Volga Upland, along the border)
Volga Upland;

Volga Upland
Volga Upland;

Sura River 1

Sura River 2 (Alatyr River)

Russia, Chuvash, Sura River 2, Alatyr River Folder

Alatyr River

Alatyr River Source (Boldino Heights)

Alatyr River (Ardatov)

Alatyr River Mouth (Alatyr, Chuvash Republic, Sura River 2)

Sura River 3

Sura River 4

Sura River Mouth (Chuvash, Volga River 9)

Voroninsk, Chuvash (Sura River Mouth, Volga River 9) V icon appeared in 1524
Voroninsk (Sura River Mouth, Volga River 9); Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; Holy Icon of the Voroninsk Mother of God was situated in the Voroninsk Dormition of the Mother of God hermitage in the Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance. Its appearance occurred in 1524.

Russia, Chuvash, Sviyazhsk River Folder (across Volga from Kazan)

Sviyazhsk River, Chuvash

Sviyazhsk, Chuvash (Sviyazhsk River Mouth (Volga River 10, across from Kazan)
Sviyazhsk; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on September 25 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ;

Sviyazhsk Fortress, across the Volga from Kazan, 1551
fortress of Sviyazhsk (1551) ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Russia (Clean) or Rus, Geography Fldr (Varangia, Novgorod, Kiev, Vladimir, then Moscow, Scythia, Perm&Siberia)

Russia, 1 - its Area

Russia, 5 - Original, Natural Russia its Area, Dnieper, Dniester Drainages, and Crimea requred for defense

Russia, 6 - Siberia, its Area, after 1600

Russia, 7 - Alaska, its Area, till 1867, plus San Francisco Bay Area earlier (till 1800's)

Russia, 8 - Varangia, 10 Varangian Cities in Russia, Middle Ages after Cold, its Area
Varangia, 10 Varangian Cities in Russia, Middle Ages after Cold

Russia, 8 - From Sweden, Varangia Folder, Varanger Peninsula and 10 Russian Varantian Cities

Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians)
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians); 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Blessed Olga (in Baptism Helen), Princess of Russia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Rostov
land of the Varangians - Rostov; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30;

Russia (Clean), Vladimir Folder, Vladimir-Suzdal, Southern Valley

Russia (Clean), Vladimir Suzdal, its Area
Russia, Vladimir Suzdal, its Area

Russia, Moscow, its Area

Russia, Moscow, City of Moscow, its Area
Moscow, its Area

Russia (Clean), Smolensk, its Area

Russia (Clean), Greater Kiev, Kiev Rus, Original, Natural Russia its Area
Russia, 5 - Original, Natural Russia its Area, Dnieper, Dniester Drainages, and Crimea requred for defense

Vladimir-Suzdal 1094
Vladimir-Suzdal;

Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5)
Suzdal (Southern Valley) ;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Suzdal
land of the Varangians - Suzdal; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea.

Russia, Vladimir, 1157 - 1331, Vladimir was the capital of Rus
Before Moscow, Vladimir was the original capital of the Orthodox Rus' (region);

Russia, Vladimir, Suzdal - land of the Suzdal (southern valley)
Suzdal;

Rostovo-Suzdal Principality
Rostovo-Suzdal Principality;

Suzdal Monomashichi
Suzdal Monomashichi; Rostovo-Suzdal Principality;

Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir, 1158
Dormition Cathedral, Vladimir;

Iuriev-Polsk or Yuriev-Polsk, Kirzhachsky, 1152
Iuriev-Polsk or Yuriev-Polsk;

Russia (Clean), Vladimir, Merchants Road Folder (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and the Volga River)

Vladimir (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5)
Vladimir (Klyazma River 5);

Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5)
Shuiu City, Vladimir Oblast (somewhere in VO) (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5);

Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5) 1158
Bogoliub monastery;

Bogolub (God-lover), Vladimir
The monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place, and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover.

Russia, Vladimir, 1174, Burial of St Andrew, Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5) 1158
Bogoliub monastery;

Cathedral Church of Nativity Monastery, Vladimir, 1155
Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo;

Konstantine and Helen Monastery, Proyezd, 8, Vladimir 600031 Russia
Konstantino-Yeleninskiy Proyezd, 8, Vladimir 600031 Russia;

Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo, 1155
Vladimir Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Bogolubovo;

Temple of the Protection at Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Temple of the Protection on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 12th Century; Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama.

Nerl, Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Nerl River (Klyzma); Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama.

Nerl, Temple of the Protection at Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 1165
Nerl, Temple of the Protection on the Nerl (Klyzma River 5) 12th Century;

Kopyrsk monastery, Vladimir-Suzdal (Nerl (Uktoma) mouth, Klyzma River 5) 1165
Kopyrsk monastery on the River Ukhtoma, 80 kilometers (120 Kilometers) from Rostov. River Ukhtoma (River Nerl) is the major tributary of the Klyzama.

Assumption Cathedral, Vladimir, 1158 & 1408
Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir;

Vladimir-Suzdal Cathedral
Vladimir-Suzdal Cathedral;

Nativity Monastery, Vladimir
Nativity Monastery, Vladimir;

Bogolub (God-lover), Vladimir
The monastery, and the city which formed around the monastery, was named Bogolub by St Andrew, because in his own words, œthe Mother of God loves this place,Â and the prince himself came to be called Bogolub or œGod-lover.

Russia (Clean), Vladimir, Merchants Road, Klyazma River 5, Ukhtoma River Folder, Suzdal or Southern Valley

Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352
Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352;

Suzdal Protection Monastery Convent, Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352
Suzdal Protection Monastery Convent, Savior-St Euthymius Monastery at Suzdal, 1352;

Suzdal Fortress (Suzdal Kremlin) 1100
Suzdal Fortress (Suzdal Kremlin) ;

Vladimir Nativity monastery, 1200
Vladimir Nativity monastery;

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (Uktoma (Nerl) Mouth, Klyzma River 5) 1165
Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Commemorated March 5 ;

Shui (Shuya), Vladimir-Suzdal (Teza River 1)
Shui;

Serapion Hermitage, Vladimir region, Vyaznikovsky district, near the village of Porzamka
Serapion Hermitage, Vladimir region, Vyaznikovsky district, near the village of Porzamka;

Lukh, Vladimir (Lukh River Source above Yurievets, Kostroma)
Lukh (Lukh River);

Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9)
Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) ;

Phlorischev wilderness monastery, not far from Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) 1655
Gorokhovetsa, Vladimir-Suzdal (Klyazma River 9) ;

Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9) 1221
Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka);

Monastery of the Caves, Nizhny Novgorod, 1328, St Dionysius
Monastery of the Caves;

Pechersk (Caves) Monestary, Nizhny Novgorod, 1328, St Dionysius
Pechersk Monestary;

Annunciation Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod, 1221
Annunciation Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod;

Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 8.8)
Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 9);

Gorodtsa on the Volga
Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Volga River 8.8);

Russia (Clean), Vologda Folder, Large area North of the Volga and West of the Urals

Russia (Clean), Vologda, its Area, except Volga watters, Kostroma and Mologa
Russia, Vologda, its Area, except Volga watters, Kostroma and Mologa

Vladai Hills Folder, 1K ft high source of many huge rivers in Scythian Russia

Russia (Clean), Vladai Hills, its Area, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers. highest point only 1136
Vladai Hills, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers. highest point only 1136 ft. But lots of water and we all learned from my close Bonners Ferry friend that water goes up through soil, by surface tension, till it runs out of soil and then springs out and down. Vladai Hills, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers

Vladai Hills, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers
Vladai Hills, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers. highest point only 1136 ft. But lots of water and we all learned from my close Bonners Ferry friend, Dr Jimmy Richardson, that water goes up through soil, by surface tension, till it runs out of soil and then springs out and down. This is why Russia has such good transportation on those rivers (remember Dr Z's sled flying over the Ice in the winter), but a very messy maze of drainages in Sythian Russia. Vladai Hills, Russian Upland, low but source of many huge rivers;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Vologda River Folder (Sukhona River 1) Komel or Vologda

Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3)
Vologda;

Komel, Vologda (AKA Vologda, Vologda River 3)
Komel (Vologda) is what you find when you look up Komel in Wikipedia;

Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, 1371
Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma Folder (water flows south into Volga)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, its Area (Volga waters)
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, its Area (Volga waters)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River Folder, Chukhloma, Vyoksa, Obnora Rivers

Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3)
Kostroma, and Kostroma Region;

Russia (Clean), Moscow, its Area
Russia, Moscow, its Area

Theophany monastery, Kostroma (Volga River 8.3) 1400
Theophany Convent and monastery;

Ipatiev monastery, near Kostroma, 1330
Ipatiev monastery, near Kostroma;

Hypasian monestary, Kostroma, 1330
Hypasian monestary;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 1, Chukhloma River Folder, Chukhloma Lake

Chukhloma River (drains northwest, aka River Monza thru Chukhloma Lake)
Chukhloma River (drains northwest, aka River Monza, thru Chukhloma Lake)

Chukhloma Lake
Chukhloma Lake;

Monza, Kostroma 25 Versts from Galich, at Chukhloma Lake

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 2, Vyoksa River Folder, Galich Salt Mining Center

Galich, Kostroma (Salt Mining Center, Vyoksa River 1, Galich Lake)
Galich (Lake Galich);

Galich Lake
Galich Lake;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.3, Kostroma River 3, Obnora River Folder

Obnora, Kostroma, Vologda (Obnora River, Kostroma River 3)
Obnora, Vologda

Komel Monastery, Kostroma, Vologda, 1414
Komel Monastery;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.4, Gridenka River Folder, Nerekhta

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 8.6, Unzha River Folder, Unzha and Makaryev

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9, Kerzhenets River Folder, Yellow Lake, Zheltovod

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9.3, Vetluga River Folder, Vetluga and Varnavinsk

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Kostroma, Volga River 9.6, Mataya Kokshaga River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa Folder (water flows south into Volga)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, its Area, Volga watters
Mologa, its Area

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River Folder, White Lake

White Lake

White Lake monastery, Mologa (Lake Siverskoye, Sheksna River) 1390
White Lake Monestary; Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery;

Cyrillov (Kirillov) monastery, Mologa Vologda (Sheksna River, White Lake monastery)1390
Kirillov monastery ;

Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda
Cherepovets ;

Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery, Mologda, Vologda, 1398
Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery;

Byeloezersk, Mologa (South side, Lake Beloye, White Lake)
Byeloezersk (Lake Beloye, White Lake);

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River 1, Yagorba River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, Sheksna River Mouth, Sogozha (Sokhota) River Folder, Poshekhonsky District

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, Mologa River Folder, Glushitsa, Battle of Sita River

Krasny Kholm, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 1)
Krasny Kholm;

Bezhetsk, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 1)
Bezhetsk (Mologa River 1);

Bezhetsk, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River 2)(one of five Novgorod Districts)
Bezhetsk (Mologa River 1);

Zhelezny Bor (Mologa River 4)
Zhelezny Bor (Mologa River 4);

Ustiuzhena, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa 4) delivered from Swedes and Polish by intercession of Queen of Heaven
Ustiuzhena;

Blue Jay Lake? (a lake 20 Versts from Ustiuzhena)

Glushitsa, Mologa, Vologda (Mologa River Mouth, Volga River 7)
Glushitsa, Mologa, Vologda;

Sit River Source, on the border

Battle of the Sit (Sita) River, 1238
Battle of the Sit (Sita) River;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mologa, Kouzha River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea Folder (Water goes to White Sea)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, its Area, Waters that go to the White Sea

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Vyg River Folder, Karelia

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Solovki Folder

Solovki Island, White Sea, Vologda
Solovki prison camp and monestary: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki.;

Anzersk Island, Solovki
Anzersk Island, Solovki;

Solovki Islands, White Sea
Solovki Islands;

Kemperpunkt camp, Solovki prison camp, White Sea
Solovki prison camp: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki.

Solovetsky Monastery, White Sea, 1436
Solovetsky Monastery ;

Pertominsk, Arkhanglsk (Northern Dvina River Mouth)
Pertominsk, Arkhanglsk; is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Pertominskoye Rural Settlement of Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. The population was 252 as of 2010.[2] There are 12 streets. concentration camp was the site of a concentration camp established by the Soviet Union in which various political rivals of the Bolsheviks were detained. This was one of the first such camps, established by the Cheka in 1919.[3] Along with the death camp set up by Mikhail Kedrov in Kholmogory it was part of the Northern Camps of Special Designation.[3]

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Onega River Folder (Onega Bay)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Onega River Source, Lake Vozha and Sora River Folder

Lake Vozha, Onega Source, White Sea
Lake Vozha;

Kargopol, White Sea, Vologda (Onega River Source, Lake Lacha)
Kargopol;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Onega River 2, Kena River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Onega River 5, Koza River Folder

Kozhe Lake (Lake Kozhozero)
Lake Kozhozero;

Kozheozersky Monastery (Onega Basin)
Kozheozersky Monestary;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River Folder

Archangelsk (Dvina Bay White Sea, Northern Dvina Mouth)
Archangelsk;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea (Clean), ND Source, Sukhona River Folder, Lake Kuben, Ustiug

Ustiug, Vologda (Yug, Luza, and Skukhona Rivers, Northern Dvina Source)
Ustiug, Vologda;

Totma, Vologda (Sukhona River 5)
Totma (Sukhona River 5);

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River Source, Lake Kuben Folder, Kubena,Sora Rivers

Sora, Vologda, Lake Kuben
Sora? Since the Sora river of Vologda and Lake Kuben is described as this river, the Sora would probably be this location.

Lake Kuben
Lake Kuben or Lake Kubenskoye;

Syanzhemsk (Sukhona (Kuben) River Source, Syanzhema River Mouth)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 1, Lezha River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 2, Sodima River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 3, Dvinista River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River Folder, Ustiug

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River 3, Luza River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River Folder

Ust-Sysolsk (Sysola) (Vychegda 3)
Ust-Sysolsk (Sysola)

Koryazhemsk monastery, Vologda, 1535
Koryazhemsk monastery; Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ;

Koryazhma, Vologda (Koryazhma River Mouth, near Vychegda River Mouth)
Koryazhma (near Vychegda River Mouth), ; Koryazhemsk monastery;

Solvychegodsk, Vologda (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1)
Solvychegodsk (Vychegda River 5) ;

Ust-Vym, Vologda (Vym River Mouth, Vychegda River 3)
Ust-Vym;

Yarenga, Zyryan (Yarensk, Yarenga River Mouth, Vechegda 4)
Yarenga (Yarensk) ;

Zyrian Church No. 1 (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1)
Zyrian Church No. 1 (Vychegda River Mouth, Northern Dvina 1) ;

Russia, (Clean) Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 3, Vaga River Folder

Verkhovazhye (Vega River 1)
Verkhovazhye (Vega River 1);

Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6)
Shenkursk (Vaga River) ;

Russia (Clean),Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina 4, Mikhailov Folder, Siya Monastery

Archangelsk monastery, White Sea area, Northern Dvina 4, 1520
Archangelsk monastery;

Mikhailov Island (Northern Dvina River 4)
Mikhailov Island;

Antonievo-Siysky Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda (Northern Dvina 4) 1520
Antonievo-Siysky Monastery;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 5, Pinega River Folder

Pinyega, Archangelesk (Pinega River 5)
Pinyega, Archangelesk ;

Pinezhsky District, White Sea, Vologda (Pinega River)
Pinezhsky District;

Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery in Pinezhsky
Varlaamiev Vazhsky Monastery, where subsequently the town of Pinezhsky is located;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, White Sea, Kola Peninsula Folder

Pechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth)
Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk);

Pechenga Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, Kola, 1492 or 1533
Pechenga Monastery;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Pechora River Folder (Artic Ocean)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Mezen River Folder (Mezen Bay, White Sea)

Russia (Clean), Moscow, Kremlin Area Folder

Russia (Clean), Moscow, Kremlin, its Area
Moscow Kremlin, its Area

Moscow, Russia (Moscova River 4) 1147
Moscow;

Moscow Kremlin, 1331
Moscow Kremlin;

Chudov (Archangel Michael) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1365
Chudov Monastery ;

Kremlin, Moscow Kremlin, 1331, White Stoned Walls, these walls and the Myhrrgusher saved Russia
Moscow Kremlin;

Christ the Savior Cathedral (Kremlin Savior Gates, Moscow, 1883)
Christ the Savior Cathedral;

Kremlin Savior Gates (Christ the Savior Cathedral, Moscow, 1883)
Christ the Savior Cathedral;

Archangel cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, 1333, 1505
Archangel cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin ;

Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow Kremlin, 1405 & 1489
Cathedral of the Annunciation;

Annunciation Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin, 1405 & 1489
Cathedral of the Annunciation;

Throne Hall, Grand Kremlin Palace, 1837, after western enlightenment
Throne Room, Grand Kremlin Palace;

Demetrius' Temple, 1280, honoring Demetrius the Myhrrgusher of Thessalonica
Demetrius' Temple, 1280; Dormition Cathedral, Moscow, 1479;

Dormition Cathedral, Kremlin, Moscow, 1479
Dormition Cathedral, Moscow;

Theophany (Epiphany) monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1296
Theophany (Epiphany) monastery;

Stromyn Village, now Church of the Domition, Moscow, Kremlin, 1841
Moscow, 1841, Stromyn village, now Church of the Domition;

Chudov (Archangel Michael, Passions) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1365
Chudov Monastery ;

Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church, Moscow, 1389
Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church;

Ascension Convent, Moscow, 1389
Ascension monastery's Tikhvin church;

Ascension women's monastery at Moscow Kremlin, founded 1387
Ascension monastery;

Antiochian Representation Church in Moscow, 1848

Church of St Basil the Great, Moscow Kremlin, 1561, fool for christ, barefoot cobbler
Saint Basil's Cathedral;

St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow Kremlin, 1561, fool for christ, barefoot cobbler
Saint Basil's Cathedral;

Moscow Cathedral, St Basil's, Moscow Kremlin, 1561
Saint Basil's Cathedral;

Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, St Basil's, 1561
Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Saint Basil's Cathedral;

Moscow Spiritual Academy
Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas; Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, Saint Basil's Cathedral;

Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work
Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work;

Patriarchal Theophany (Epiphany) monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1296
Theophany (Epiphany) monastery;

Moscow Theological Seminary, Slavic Greek Latin Academy, 1682
Moscow Theological Seminary, Slavic Greek Latin Academy;

Danilov Hotel and Bolshoi Theater
Danilov Hotel and Bolshoi Theater;

Arbat Gate (Arbatskaya Square, Moscow, Church of Saint Tikhon)
Arbat Gate (Arbatskaya Square, Moscow) ;

Strastna monastery in Strastna Square (Passion Monastery) 1654
Strastna monastery in Strastna Square;

Passions Monastery (Pushkinskaya Square, Moscow, 1654)
Passions Monastery (Pushkinskaya Square);

St Tryphon's Church at Naprudnoe, 38, Moskva, 129272
St Tryphon's Church at Naprudnoe, 38, Moskva, 129272;

Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649
Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street Malaya Dmitrovka street;

Moscow'™s Dormition churchi on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649
Moscow'™s Dormition churchi on Malaya Dmitrovka street, 1649, The only church on the short street. Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Putinki on Malaya Dmitrovka street

Lubianka prison, 1897 (just outside Kremlin Area)
Lubianka prison ;

Sretensky Monastery (Just outside Kremlin Area)
Sretensky Monastery;

Kulishki, Church of All Saints at Kulishki, Moscow, Slavyanskava Square
Kulishki, Church of All Saints at Kulishki, Moscow;

Russia (Clean), Crimea Folder

Crimea, Gateway to Russia (through Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route or Muravsky Trail)
Crimea; Crimean Tartars;

Taurida (Taurica, the Crimean Penninsula and surrounding area, including Odessa and Tomis)
Taurida;

Azov Lands (Sea of Azov)
Sea of Azov;

Perekop Isthmus, Crimea (meaning œto dig throughÂ)
Perekop Isthmus; between Crimea and Ukraine;

Tmutarakan, Crimea
Tmutarakan peninsula (on the eastern banks of the Kerchensk straits);

Kerchensk (Kerch) straits
Kerchensk (Kerch) straits;

Tmutarakan (Taman) Peninsula, Crimea
Taman Peninsula;

Taman (Tmutarakan) Peninsula, Crimea
Taman Peninsula;

Surozh, Crimea, Russia
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;;

Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Russian Crimea
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;

Akritian, Cherson, Crimea
Akritian (Anti Moslem Frontier) Cherson;

Korsun, Crimea, Russia, Korsun is the Slavic Name
Korsun, Crimea ;

Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name
Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson;

Sevastopol, Crimea, the Port at Cherson, in Crimean War
Sevastopol, Crimea, the Port at Cherson;

Odessa, Russia (Now Ukraine)
Odessa, Russia (Now Ukraine);

Mount Ayu-Dag, Crimea
Mount Ayu-Dag;

Alushta, Crimea
Alushta, Crimea;

Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Murav is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Kiev Caves Folder

Russia (Clean), Kiev Caves, its Area
Russia, Kiev Caves, its Area

Kiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, Far Caves, 1032
Kiev Caves;

Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, Near Caves, 1057
Kiev Near Caves;

Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 1032, 1073
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ;

Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Caves Lavra of Theodosis) 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ;

Dimitriev monastery, founded by Isaslav aka Dimitrius, for Theodosius, 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ;

Kiev Pechersk (Caves), Kiev Neighborhood
Pechersk, Kiev;

Kiev Caves monastery, 1051
Kiev Caves monastery;

Kiev Caves, Great (Gate) Church of the Caves
Great Church of the Caves;

Berestovo Village, Kiev Far Caves - St Anthony's first Location, 1030
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ;

Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073, Icon of the Domition Story, 4 Architects
Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073 ;

Kiev Caves Caverns
Kiev Caves Caverns; Near Caves;

Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057
Near Caves of St Anthony ;

Russia, Kiev, , Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057
Near Caves of St Anthony ;

Sven Caves, Near Caves of Saint Anthony, 1057
Sven Caves, Near Caves of Saint Anthony;

Russia (Clean), Alaska Folder

Russia, Alaska, its Area, plus San Francisco Bay Area

Alaska
Alaska;

Alaska, North Slope Folder, North AK, Brooks Range (Clean)

Brooks Range, Alaska
Brooks Range;

Alaskan Intuit Eskimo Lands (coastal, north and west)
Alaskan Intuit Eskimo Lands; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Point Hope, Alaska (North Slope Brooks Range)
Point Hope, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Alaska, Alcan Hwy Folder, Northeast AK (Clean)

ALCAN Hwy

Alaska, Norton Sound Folder, Northwest AK (Clean)

St. Michael, Alaska (Norton Sound)
St. Michael, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Nome, Alaska (Seward Peninsula, Norton Sound, Bering Sea)
Nome, Alaska (Seward Peninsula, Norton Sound, Bering Sea); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Alaska, Yukon River Folder, North Central AK (Clean)

Yukon River

Yukon River Route

Yukon River A (Teslin Lake Arm)

Yukon River B (Atlin Lake Arm)

Yukon River C (Tagish Lake Arm)

Yukon River D (Marsh Lake Arm)

Yukon River E (Lake Laberge Arm)

Yukon River F (Kasawa Lake Arm)

Yukon River G (Kluane Lake Arm)

Yukon River H (Bennett Lake Arm)

Alaska, Yukon River 12, Porcupine River Folder

Porcupine River

Fort Yukon, Alaska (Porcupine River Mouth, Yukon River 22)
Fort Yukon, Alaska; Fort Yukon, Alaska; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Stevens Village, Alaska (middle of Yukon Flats, Yukon 13.5)
Stevens Village, Alaska (middle of Yukon Flats); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Yukon Flats
Yukon Flats; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969);

Yukon Flats Area

Alaska, Yukon River 15 Tanana River Folder, Fairbanks

Tanana River

Chisnana River

Nabesna River

Fairbanks, Alaska (Tanana River 10)
Fairbanks, Alaska ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Tanana, Alaska (Yukon River 15, Tanana River Mouth)
Tanana, Alaska (Yukon River 15); HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY (8 January 1969) ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Fort Adams, Alaska (Tanana River, Yukon River 15)
Fort Adams 12 miles downstream from Tanana JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Line Measure Fort Adams was 12 miles downstream from Tanana
Line Measure Fort Adams was 12 miles downstream from Tanana. HUDSON STUCK, PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920;

Wrangell Park, AK
Wrangell Park;

Alaska, Yukon River17, Koyukuk River Folder, Northern Athabascan Lands

Koyukuk River

Northern Athabascan Lands (Interior Alaska)
Northern Athabascan Lands (Interior Alaska); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Anvik, Alaska (Yukon River 18)
Anvik (Yukon River 18); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Ingalit People (Deg Hit'an people, along the Arvik and Innoko Rivers)

Alaska, Yukon River 19, Innoko River Folder

Innoko River

Holy Cross, Alaska (Innoko River Mouth, Yukon River 19)
Holy Cross, Alaska; HUDSON STUCK, PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920;

Russian Mission (Yukon River 20)
Russian Mission (Yukon River 20); Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Kvikhpak (Yukon) Mission (Russian Mission, Yukon River 20)
Kvikhpak (Yukon) Mission, Russian Mission (Yukon River 20) ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Alaska, Anchorage, Kenai Bay and Kenai Peninsula Folder, South Central AK (Clean)

Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Kenai Peninsula
Kenai Peninsula ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ;

Diocese of Alaska, Anchorage (Orthodox)
Diocese of Alaska (Orthodox); Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

Tanaina, Alaska (Wasilla, AK)
Tanaina, Alaska; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Valdez, Alaska (Prince William Sound, Gulf of Alaska)
Valdez, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Chugach Mountains
Chugach Mountains ;

Chugatchi People of Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound
Chugatchi People of Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ;

Susitna River

Matanuska River

Topper River

Christochina River

Copper River

Alaska, Kodiak Island Folder, South Central AK (Clean)

Kodiak Island, Alaska
Kodiak Island ;

Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Peter the Aleut, Commemorated September 24 ; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Afognak, Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska
Afognak, Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Spruce Island, Kodiac Archipelago, Alaska, St Herman's Hermitage
Spruce Island, Alaska;

New Valaam, Alaska (Spruce Island), St Herman's Hermitage
New Valaam, Alaska (Spruce Island);

Father Herman's Small Brook
Spruce Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here.

Woody Island, Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska
Woody Island, Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Alaska, Southeast Alaska Folder (Clean)

Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Icon of the Mother of God œOur Lady of SitkaÂ, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Wrangell, Southeast Alaska
Wrangell, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Metlakatla, Southeast Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Annette Island, Southeast Alaska
Annette Island; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Haida People, Land of the Haida People (Queen Charlotte Islands), Southeast Alaska
Land of the Haida People (Queen Charlotte Islands) and Southeast Alaska; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Kolosh (Tlingit) People (Alexander Archipelago and Southeast Alaska)
Kolosh (Tlingit) People; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Tlingit (Kolosh) People (Alexander Archipelago and Southeast Alaska)
Kolosh (Tlingit) People; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Alexander Archipelago (Land of the Tinglit or Kolosh People)
Alexander Archipelago (Land of the Tinglit or Kolosh People); Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Sitka Island
Sitka Island; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Icon of the Mother of God œOur Lady of SitkaÂ, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Sitka, Southeast Alaska
Sitka, Alaska ; Icon of the Mother of God "Our Lady of Sitka", Commemorated July 8 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œOur Lady of SitkaÂ, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Cathedral of St Michael the Archangel in Sitka, Alaska, 1848
Cathedral of St Michael the Archangel in Sitka, Alaska; Icon of the Mother of God œOur Lady of SitkaÂ; Commemorated on July 8 ;

Chichagov Island
Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim of Chichagov;

Stikine River

Juneau, Southeast Alaska
Juneau, Alaska; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Haines, Southeast Alaska (Lynn Canal)
Haines, Alaska (Lynn Canal); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Mt Fairweather (15K ft Rise in 8 miles)

Sea Level to 15K ft in 7 miles

Lynn Canal, Southeast Alaska
Lynn Canal ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Yakutan, Southeast Alaska
Yakutan; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Skagway, Southeast Alaska
Skagway, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Alaska, Kuskokwim River Folder, West AK (Clean)

Kuskokwim River

Kuskokwim River North Fork

Alaska Range
Alaska Range ;

Mount McKinley (Denali), Alaska
Mount McKinley (Denali); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Kuskokwim River East Fork

Kolchan People (Upper Kuskokwim River)
Kolchan People (Upper Kuskokwim River); Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Kalskag (Kuskokwim River 8)
Kalskag (Kuskokwim River 8) ; Father Netsvetov leads a shaman to conversion; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Yupik People (Kuskokwim River 8)
Yupik People (Kuskokwim River 8); Kalskag (Kuskokwim River 8) ; Father Netsvetov leads a shaman to conversion; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Kuskokwim River Mouth (Quinahgak, AK)
Quinahgak; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Quinahgak, Alaska (Kuskokwim River Mouth)
Quinahgak; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Alaska, Nushagak River Folder, West AK (Clean)

Nushagak River

Nushagak Trading Post
Nushek; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24;

Nushek, Alaska (Nushek River Mouth)
Nushek; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24;

Iliamna Lake
Iliamna Lake; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24;

Alaska, Aleutian Islands Folder, Southwest AK (Clean)

Aleutian Islands, Southwest Alaska
Aleutian Islands; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Aleut People, Southwest Alaska
Aleut People, Southwest Alaska; Aleutian Islands; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Unangan (Aleut) People
Unangan (Aleut) People; Aleutian Islands; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Creole People in Alaska
Creole People in Alaska ; Creole People; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Russian American Company, 1799-1867
Russian American Company, 1799-1867; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Southwest Coast of Alaska
Southwest Coast of Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Bering Island, Soutwest Alaska
Bering Island; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Copper Island, Southwest Alaska
Copper Island ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Attu Island, Southwest Alaska
Attu Island; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Chichagov Harbour, Attu Island
Hieromartyr Metropolitan Seraphim of Chichagov;

Amchitka Island, Southwest Alaska
Amchitka Island, Alaska; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Atka Island, Southwest Alaska
Atka Island, Alaska ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska;

Amlia Island, Southwest Alaska
Amlia Island; Exorcism Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Nabedrennik, Kamilavka, and Gold Cross
Nabedrennik, Kamilavka, and Gold Cross ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ;

Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska, Alaska; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Unimak Pass (between Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean)
Unimak Pass; HUDSON STUCK, PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920;

Russia (Clean), Radonezh Folder, and vicinity

Russia (Clean), Radonezh, its Area
Radonezh, its Area

Russia (Clean), Radonezh, Moscow Volga Canal Folder, Yakhroma River

Tushino, Radonezh, near Moscow Volga Canal, False Dimitri II
Tushino;

Russia (Clean), Radonezh, Moscow Volga Canal 3, Yakhroma River Folder

Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast (Yakhroma River 1)
Lukianov Monastery, Lukyantsevo, Q4423240, Alexandrovsky District, Vladimir Oblast;

Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3)
Radonezh;

Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh) 1337
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius;

Church of the Holy Spirit (Radonezh) 1476
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius;

Moscow Theological Academy, 1687, Radonezh, 1814, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius
Moscow Theological Academy, Radonezh, Trinity Lavra of St Sergius, 1687, moved to Radonezh in 1814;

Makovets, Radonezh (deep forest at Makovets hill)
Makovets (deep forest at Makovets hill); Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1;

Troitzka (Trinity) Abbey, Radonezh, 1337
Troitzka (Trinity) Abbey, Radonezh, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius;

Sergiev monastery of St Sergius of Radonezh, 1337
monastery of St Sergius of Radonezh;

Gethsemane skete (Chernigovsky skete, Radonezh)
Gethsemane skete;

Peshnosha monastery, Radonezh, Yakhroma River Mouth, Moscow Canal
Dmitrov;

Dmitrov, Radonezh (Yakhroma River 3, Moscow Volga Canal 2.5) 1154
Dmitrov;

Yakhroma, Radonezh (Yakhroma River Mouth, Volga Canal 3)
Yakhroma (Yakhroma River);

Makhra, 17K south of Alexandrov

Makhra 17 K south of Alexandrov

church of the Dormition at Mogiltsy (east of Moscow Volga Canal 4, on Trans Siberian RWY)
church of the Dormition at Mogiltsy, Moscow Oblast, Russia, 141273;

Russia (Clean), Kirzhach Peksha District Folder, Kirzhach and Peksha Rivers

Russia (Clean), Chuvash Folder (Sura and Sviyazhsk Rivers)

Russia (Clean), Chuvash Republic, its Area, Sura and Sviyazhsk River

Russia (Clean), Perm (after 1247) Folder, and its rivers, Tartarstan

Russia (Clean), Perm, its Area
Russia, Perm, its Area

Perm, Land of the Voguls
Voguls; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Vogulani, Voguls, Perm, Land of the Voguls, Kama Basin
Voguls;

Russia (Clean), Perm,Trans-Siberian Railway (RWY)

Perm, Great Perm Region (Kama River Basin)
Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Saint Gerasimus, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Kazan Region (Perm)
Kazan Region; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin Chernigov, Commemorated on April 16 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27;

Perm, Land of the Zyrian (Komi) People 2 (Kama River Basin)
Land of the Zyrian (Komi) People 2 (Kama River Basin, Perm Region); St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Perm, Gubernia,
Gubernia - a division of the Russian Empire
Perm Gubernia - Perm in the Russian Empire

Tartarstan (Perm)
Tartarstan is a federal subject of Russia (a republic) located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan; Tatars; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 24 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21 ; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Bashkortostan, south of Perm (between Volga River and Ural Mts)
Bashkortostan, located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa; Tatars; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31;

Trans-Siberian RWY 6 - Perm
Trans-Siberian RWY 6 - Perm;

Russia, Perm, Kazan Tartars 1241-1552
Kazan Tartars;

Russia (Clean), Perm (after 1247), Kama River Folder

Perm, Great Perm Region (Kama River Basin including Chusovaya, Vishera, and Kolva Rivers)
Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ;

Kama River

Veslyana River

Chyornaya River

Malaya Sol River

Malaya, Perm (Lesser Perm, Malya Sol River, Kama River 2)
Malaya, Perm ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26 ;

Russia (Clean), Perm, Kama River 4, Vishera and Kolva Rivers Folder

Ural Mountains, Russia, Perm, Mongol Lands (before 1248)
Ural Mountains; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye;

Vishera River

Kolva River

Perm or Great Perm City (Kolva River Mouth, Vishera River 5)
Great Perm; Cherdyn; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8;

Perm, Land of the Perm-Komi-Zyrians (Kolva Vishera Rivers, Greater Perm)
Komi-Zyrians; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Visherka River

Chusovskoye Lake, Source of the Visherka River
Chusovskoye Lake ;

Vishersk (Visherka River, Perm)
Vishersk (Visherka River); Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 1;

Vishero, Perm (Kama River 4, Vishera River)
Vishero; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26;

Russia (Clean), Perm, Chusovaya River Folder

Chusovaya River

Sylva River

Ordinsky District, Perm (Iren River Valley)
Ordinsky District; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Ordinsk, Perm (Iren River Valley)
Ordinsk; Ordinsky District; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Iren River

Perm, Ostyak People near Perm
Perm, Ostyak People near Perm ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Ostyak People near Perm
Perm, Ostyak People near Perm ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Perm, Voguli (Mansi) People near Perm
Perm, Voguli (Mansi) People near Perm; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Voguli (Mansi) People near Perm
Perm, Voguli (Mansi) People near Perm; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8;

Mulyanka River

Perm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6)
Perm (Kama River 6);

Merkushinsk, Perm (Mulyanka River 1)
Village of Merkushinsk (Mulyanka) not far from Verkhoturye on the outskirts of Perm on the Mulyanka River; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated December 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Motoviliha city district of Perm
Motoviliha; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4;

Naberezhnye Chelny, Perm (Kama River 7)
Naberezhnye Chelny ;

Russia (Clean), Perm, Kama River 8, Vyatka River Folder

Vyatka River

Slobodsky near Kirov and Vyatka in Perm now Russia

Vyatka, Perm (Kirov, Kama River 8, Vyatka River 1) Trans-Siberian RWY 5 Kirov
Vyatka (Kirov); Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8 ; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ;

Khlynov, Perm (Vyatka, Kama River 8, Vyatka River 1) Trans-Siberian RWY 5
Khlynov, Perm (Vyatka, Vyatka River 1) ; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ;

Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2)
Orlov;

Russia (Clean), Perm (after 1247), Kazanka River Folder, Kazan

Kazanka River

Kazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10)
Kazan ;

Seven Lakes Monastery of the Mother of God, Kazan, Perm,1615, All Rus Pestilance in 1650, 48k d in Kazan
The Seven Lakes Hermitage of the Mother of God, 420099 Republic of Tatarstan; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 28; Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. This holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. Originally, seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, founder of the Seven Lakes monastery. He placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. There 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city. certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: a radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast and go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance. monk told the authorities about the vision. The Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. After circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. After an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, the icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. After seven days of prayer and processions, the deadly pestilence began to abate. the monks asked to have their icon returned, it was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, then to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. A heavy snow storm came up, however, which prevented them from leaving the church. This was repeated three times, so it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan for a time. It was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655. ’s Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. Orthodox inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God. Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26. Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 13; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, founder of the Seven Lakes Mother of God monastery. He blessed the place of the future monastery with this icon. of the Seven Lakes Icon were established in memory of its transfer from Ustiug, in memory of the deliverance of Kazan from a plague epidemic in 1654 and 1655 (June 26), and again from pestilence in 1771 (July 28).

Kazan Military District (the Eastern Volga Region)
Kazan Military District; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Kazan Transfiguration Monastery, 1565 approx.
Kazan Transfiguration Monastery, 1553; Saints Jonah and Nectarius of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Gurias, first Archbishop of Kazan, and Saint Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on October 4; St. Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Kazan Theological Academy, 1718
Kazan Theological Academy; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16;

Kazan diocese
Kazan diocese; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ;

St Nicholas Church, Privolzhskaya, 32, Kazan 420078 Russia
St Nicholas Church, Privolzhskaya, 32, Kazan 420078 Russia; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Russia (Clean}, Perm (after 1247), Volga River Folder

Tsilibinsk, Perm (Tsilninsky District, Volga River 11, Ulyanovsk)
Tsilibinsk, Perm (Tsilninsky District) ; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Tetyakov, Perm (Volga River 11)
Tetyushi; In 1277, the allied forces of the Russian princes, in union with the Tatar forces, took part in a campaign in the Osetian land and in the taking of "its famed city Tetyakov."; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ;

Tartar Winter Camp (1232, Bolghar, Capital of Islamic Volga Bulgars)
In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars.

Bolghar (1232, Tartar Winter Camp, Capital of Islamic Volga Bulgars)
In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars.

Chelno-Vershinsky District, Scythia, just south of Perm (Volga River 11)
Chelno-Vershinsky District ; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ;

Russia (Clean), Perm (after 1247), Roman Roads or Mongol Roads or Major Rivers

Russia, (Clean) St Petersburg Folder, its roads and rivers

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, its Area
Russia, St Petersburg, its Area

St Petersburg, Russia (Peterburg or Petrograd)
St Petersburg;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, North Side Folder, Karelian Isthmus, Sestra River

Petrograd'™s Military Medical Academy
Petrograd’s Military Medical Academy; Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Alexander, Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg);

Saint Andrew's Cathedral, Kronstadt Island, North St Petersburg
Saint Andrew's Cathedral, Kronstadt;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Volkhov River Folder

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Syas River Folder

Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2)
Tikhvin;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, South Side Folder, Winter Palace, Spiritual Academy, Gatchina Road

Gatchina Palace, 1766
Gatchina Palace;

Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg
Tsarskoye Selo;

Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg
Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg;

St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1797
St Petersburg Theological Academy;

Alexander Nevsky Lavra, St Petersburg, 1710
Alexander Nevsky Lavra ;

Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers™ School
Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers™ School or Imperial Military Aademy in Saint Petersberg; Orenburg Cossacks;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda Folder

Lake Onega, Eastern St Petersburg area
Lake Onega;

Lake Ladoga, St Petersburg area
Lake Ladoga;

Karelian Isthmus, North Side St Petersburg, west of lake Ladoga
Karelian Isthmus;

Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga near St Petersburg) settled 1329
Valaam Island (Lake Ladoga);

Valaamo monastery (Valaam Island, Lake Ladoga) 1329
Valaam Monastery ;

Sala Island (the Thicket)
Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated on August 26;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Svir River Folder

Chud People, Land of the Chud People (east of St Petersburg)
Chud People;

Kizhi Island in Lake Onega, St Petersburg area
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega;

Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega
Kizhi Island and Monastery, Lake Onega;

Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega, St Petersburg area
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega;

Murom monastery, Church of the Ressurection of Lararus, 1360
Mucha (Murom) Island in Lake Onega;

Kizhi Pogost, 1360 & 1690
Kizhi Pogost, 1690;

Pali island in Lake Onega
Pali island in Lake Onega;

Petrozavodsk, Lake Onega, St. Petersburg, Svir River side
Petrozavodsk;

Khavronin on the River Svira, St Petersburg
Khavronin on the River Svira;

Holy Lakes
Holy Lakes ; Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ; Alexander-Svirsky Monastery was founded in 1487, when a monk of the Valaam Monastery, named Alexander, settled between Roschinsky and Holy lakes, 20 km to the east from Lake Ladoga and 6 km from the Svir River.

Alexander-Svirsky Monastery of the Holy Trinity, St Petersburg area, 1487
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ;

Svir (Siya), St Petersburg area (Lake Ladoga, Svir River 1)
Svir River;

Andreevschina Estate
Alexander-Svirsky Monastery ;

Mandera (River Oyata Mouth at Svir River near Lake Ladoga)
Mandera (River Oyata Mouth at Svir River near Lake Ladoga);

Olonets Land (Northwestern Imperial Russia, Finland to White Sea)
Olonets Land;

Olonets, near St Petersburg (Olonka River, Lake Ladoka)
Olonets;

Paleostrov and Olonets, Karelia, Russia
Paleostrov and Olonets, Karelia, Russia ;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Neva River Folder

Shlisselburg, Neva River Source, Lake Ladoga
Shlisselburg;

Battle of the Neva, 1240, Orthodox over Catholic Swedes, Norwegians and Finns, and Teutonic Knights
St Petersburg, 1240, Battle of the Neva;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Lakes Onega and Lagoda, Volda Lake Folder

Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? (above Vodla Lake)
Yuregorsk Monastery?, Mt Yurev? This is the location of the only church in the area.

Vodla Lake, St Petersburg drainage
Lake Vodla or Lake Vodlozero;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Luga River Folder

Vyritsa, South of St Petersburg (Oredezh River 2)
Vyritsa;

Oredezhsk (O River Mouth, Luga River 1)
Oredezhsk;

Yam, Russia (Luga River 4)
Yam, Russia;

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, St Petersburg Roads Folder

Russia (Clean), Kaluga Folder, North side of the Oka, along M Trail, includes Moscow

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, in the Ryazan Frontier, its Area, north side of Oka River, includes Moscow
Russia, Kaluga, in the Ryazan Frontier, its Area, north side of Oka River, includes Moscow

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, nex to Areas Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, its Area, Oka 1-13 and tributariea

Russia (Clean), Don River Folder, its Area

Belarus, Northern Belarus, its Area, Western Dvina River
Western Dvina River, Belarus, its Area

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, its Area
Novgorod, its Area

Russia (Clean), Tver, its Area
Tver, its Area

Russia (Clean), Southern Volga River, its Area

Georgia (Clean), its Area, including Dagestan and Azerbaizan

Armenia (Clean), its Area, Greater Armenia Area till 461, Buffer State for Western Roman Empire
Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire, also includes Pontine and Cappadocia as revealed in many Saints' stories;

Russia, Kaluga, in the Ryazan Frontier, its Area, north side of Oka River
Russia, Kaluga, its Area

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 1, Orlov Folder

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Muravsky Trail Folder, M Trail 6-9 from Livny and Tula to Serpukhov Crxng at Oka 6

Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Murava' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 2, Upa River Folder, Tula

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 3, Zhizdra River Folder, Optima and Shamordino

Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) 1821
Optina Monestary ;

Kozelsk, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1, near Optima Monastery)
Kozelsk;

Shamordino monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 2) 1884
Shamordino Manastery ;

Shamordino Convent, Kaluga, 1884
Shamordino Convent;

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 4, Ugra River Folder, City of Kaluga

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 5, Protva River Folder, Vereiya and Borovsk

Borovsk, Kaluga (Protva River 1.5)
Borovsk;

Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky
Baryatinsky District, Kaluga - Prince Daniel Baryatinsky; Icon of the Mother of God Elets-Chernigov , Commemorated on February 5 ;

Russia (Clean), Kaluga, Oka River 6, Nara River Folder, Serpukhov

Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Serpukhov;

Serpukhov monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ;

Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff, Kaluga, 1373
Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff;

Golutvinsky Monastery, near Kolomna (Moscova River Mouth)
Golutvinsky Monastery is in or near Kolomna.

Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomna;

Russia (Clean), Scythia, after1248 Nevsky Submitted to Mongols then given control of Scythia including Russia

Russia, 2 - Area after 1248, within Mongol Scythia, Defined the Ortoodox Russian Empire, Before Siberia, 1600

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine Folder, Western and Soutwestern Russia (Clean)

Korsun, Ukraine (Ros River 5)
Korsun (Ros River 5); Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God -œJerusalem Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15;

Boldino Hill, southeast of Smolensk (Desna River Source)
Boldino Museum, southeast of Smolensk ;

Roslavl, Smolensk, Kiev area (Desna River 1), Forests
Roslavl;

Borisovsk, Kaluga (somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District)
Borisovsk, Kaluga (somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District) plus there are many other small towns named Borisovsk;

Malorussia, Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia;

Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia;

Akhtyr, Ukraine (Sula (Vorskla) River 1)
Akhtyr ;

Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monestary, Udai River Mouth, Sula River, Ukraine, 1619
Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery;

Mgarsk monestary, Udai River Mouth, Sula River, Ukraine, 1619
Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery;

Chigirinsk, Ukraine (Across from Sula River Mouth, Dnieper River 5)
Chigirinsk;

Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol (1223)
Battle of Kalka River at Mariupol; Mongol Tartar Invasion 1223-1241; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Sign, the œKursk-Root , Commemorated on September 8;

Russia, Rostov Folder, Yaroslav, and its vicinity (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Lake Nero Folder, Rostov (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Ust and Kotorosi River Folder, In and Out of Nero (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Yaroslavl Folder, Kotorosi Mouth at Volga River (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Gridenka River Folder, Downriver Right Side (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Tolga River Folder, Upriver Left Side (Clean)

Russia, Rostov, Uchma River Folder, Way Upriver Left Side (Clean)

Russia, Volhynia Folder, Up the Rivers, in Southwestern Russia (Clean)

Russia, Ryazan Frontier Folder (Clean)

Kolomna, Ryazan Frontier (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomna;

Ryazan aka Pereslavl (Oka River 9)
Ryazan; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Saint Meletios, Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Blessed Liubov (Sukhanovskaya) of Ryazan, Fool for Christ, Commemorated on February 8; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated July 3; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Murom, Ryazan (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13)
Murom;

Vydropussk near Murom, Ryazan (Oka River 13) conflagration, Vydropussk icon undamaged, stolen, returned by wind
Murom;

Russia, Perm, Roads and Rivers Folder (Clean)

Russia, Perm, Kama River Folder (Clean)

Mongol, Perm, Kama River 4, Vishera and Kolva Rivers Folder

Chusovaya River Folder

Mongol, Perm, Kama River 8, Vyatka River Folder

Russia, Perm, Kazanka River Folder, Kazan (Clean)

Kazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10)
Kazan ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Bulgars and Tartars of Kazan; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ofSeven Lakes, Commemorated July 28 ; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; a and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on September 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated October 13 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Icon "œNot Made by Hands" from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Russia, Perm, Volga River Folder (Clean)

Russia, Perm, Roman Roads or Mongol Roads and Rivers (Clean)

Kashin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6)
Kashin;

monastery of Saint Savva of Vishersk
monastery of Saint Savva of Vishersk; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot of Perekop, Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26;

Russia, Natural Russia, Dnieper River Drainage & Crimea

Russia, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden, Ros People, the name Russia
Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden ; Vikings from Roslagen in other names section;

Sweden, Land of the Russians, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden
Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden ; Vikings from Roslagen in other names section; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden, Ros People, the name Russia
Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden ; Vikings from Roslagen in other names section;

Russia, Scythia, Don River, Muravsky Trail Folder

Chudov (Archangel Michael) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1365
Chudov Monastery ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Russia, Moscow to St Petersburg Route Folder

Russia, Moscow Volga Canal Folder

Astrakhan, Scythia (Volga River Mouth, North Caspian Sea)
Astrakhan (Volga River Mouth);

Tver
Tver Oblast, Russia

Russia, Volga Trade Route Folder

White Lake monastery, Mologa (Lake Siverskoye, Sheksna River) 1390
White Lake Monestary;

Russia, Muravsky Trail Folder

Russia (Clean), Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea) (Clean)

Kuchkov, Kulikovo Field (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ;

Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8)
Voronezh;

Seversky Donets River
Verona River

Vladimir (Nerl River Mouth, Klyazma River 5)
Vladimir (Klyazma River 5); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God €œof the Passion€, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated August 24 ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30 ; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir of Seligersk, Commemorated December 7 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius’ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; Icon of the Mother of God “the God Lovingâ€, Commemorated on June 18; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Russia, Merchants Road Folder (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod)

Russia, Moscow Road to Poland Folder

Russia, Amber Road Folder

Tver Otroch monastery, 1275 or so
Tver Otroch monastery site; Tver Otroch monastery;

Russia, Clean Tver Folder, and its Volga rivers

Russia, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania) 1775

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine Folder, Western and Soutwestern Russia

Russia (Clean), Kiev, its Area
Russia, Kiev, its Area

monastery of St Nicholas at Askhold's Grave
monastery of St Nicholas at Askhold's Grave;

Russia (Clean), Kiev, Southern Belarus, its Area, south flowing rivers
Belarus, Southern Belarus, its Area

Russia (Clean), Desna River of Kiev, its Area, Chernigov, Briansk, Kursk

Russia (Clean), Belarus, Berezina and Svislocha Rivers Folder, Minsk

Kiev, Russia - land of the Varangians
land of the Varangians - Kiev;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Folder

Moscow Road to Poland, Smolensk, Belarus and Mozhiask, Poland, 1200

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Source, Vyazama River Folder

Vyazma, Ukraine (Vyazna River 1, in Smolensk area)
Vyazma;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 2, Smolensk Folder, to Poland or Volga

Smolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2, Varangian Trade Route, Moscow Road to Poland from Volga)
Smolensk;

Andrusov, Smolensk, Ukraine
Andrusov, Smolensk, Ukraine Treaty of Andrusov ;

Russia (Clean), Belarus Folder, White Rus, Southwestern Russia

Belarus, Southern Belarus, its Area, south flowing rivers
Belarus, Southern Belarus, its Area

Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4)
Kiev;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Stugna River Folder, Kiev area

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Many Kiev Locations Folder

Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4)
Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine;

Vladimir Cathedral, Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral, 1859
Kiev's St Vladimir cathedral;

Demetrius's Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s
Demetrius's Monastery and Church in the Uppertown of Kiev near Saint Sophia Cathedral in the 1050s, Later called Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh ;

Demetrius's Monastery, Kiev, 1070
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev, Towards the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded,;

Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, Kiev (Dneiper River 4) 1595
Brotherhood monatery;

Tithe Church, Kiev (Desyatina (Tithe) church) 989
Church of the Tithes (Desyatina (Tithe) church);

Kiev Theological Seminary (Dnieper River 4) 1615
Kiev Theological Seminary;

Castle and Residents of Kievan Rus Monarchs, 946
Vyshgorod (the name literally translates as "the town upstream") dates from as early as 946, when it was described as the favourite residence of Saint Olga. Also mentioned in De Administrando Imperio, Vyshgorod served as the fortified castle and residence of the monarchs of Kievan Rus on the Dnieper from that time until 1240, when the Mongols sacked it. At Vyshhorod Vladimir the Great (reigned 980 to 1015);

Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4) residence of kievan rulers
Vyshgorod near Kiev;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Ros River Folder, Kiev

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Desna River, Kiev, Chernigov, Briansk, Kursk

Borisovsk, Kaluga (Desna River 1, somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District)
Borisovsk, Kaluga (somewhere in Kuybyshevsky District) plus there are many other small towns named Borisovsk;

Chernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5)
Chernigov;

Kursk, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths)
Kursk;

Glinsk Hermitage (between Seym and Desna Rivers) 1648
Glinsk Hermitage ;

Chernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland
Chernigov;

Chernihiv (Schekovitsa)
Chernihiv (Schekovitsa) ;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Pripyat River Folder, Wormwood, Chenoble

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 4, Pereyaslavl Folder (Alta River, Trubizh River)

Yahotyn River
Yahotyn River Yahotyn River, Perevaslavl ;

Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, (the Principality, Alta River, Trubizh River, Dnieper River 4)
Pereyaslavl;

Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, (Trubizh River Mouth, Dnieper River 4)
Pereyaslavl;

Pereyaslavl, Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl
Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl;

Russia (Clean), Poltava Governate, Sula, Psel, & Vorskla Rivers, across from Little Russia (Ukraine) Dnieper River 5

Russia (Clean) Poltava Governate, its Area, Sula, Psel, & Vorskla Rivers
Poltava Governate, its Area

Russia (Clean), Malorussia, Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia;

Russia (Clean), Little Russia (Ukraine), 1764 (Right Bank Dnieper River 5)
Little Russia; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 5, Ukraine, Sula River Folder

Nizhyn, Ukraine (Udai River Source, Sula River)
Nizhyn;

Priluki, Pereyaslavl, Poltava, Ukraine (Udai River 1)
Priluki city (Udai River);

Lubno (Lubensk, Lubny), Ukraine (Udai River Mouth, Sula River2)
Lubno (Lubensk);

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 5, Ukraine, Psel River Folder

Sumy (Psel River 2)
Sumy (Psel River 2);

village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance (Psel River mouth, Dnieper River 5.5)
village of Kozelschina, Poltava governance;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 6, Ukraine, Vorskla River Folder

Kharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River)
Kharkov;

Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6)
Poltava;

Poltava Governorate, Kiev or Ukraine, Sula, Psel, & Vorskla Rivers
Poltava Governorate;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River Mouth, Ukraine, Southern Bug River Folder

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Drevlyany Lands Folder, Ovruch

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dniester River Folder

Russia, Gallich (Ukraine or Little Rus)
Ukraine;

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Molchna and Kalka Riverr Folder, above Cirmea

Russia (Clean), Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Kiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, 1032
Kiev Caves;

Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 1057
Kiev Near Caves;

Dimitriev Monasthery, founded by Isaslav aka Dimitrius, for Theodosius, 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ;

Russia (Clean), Rostov Folder, Yaroslav, and its vicinity

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Rostov-Yaroslav, its Area
Rostov-Yaroslav, its Area

Rostov-Yaroslavl, Rostov Veliky
Rostov-Yaroslavl;

Rostov the Great, Rostov Veliky
Rostov the Great;

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Lake Nero Folder, Rostov

Lake Nera (Nero)
Lake Nera;

Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great
Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral;

Sarsk, Rostov (Sarskoye Gorodishche), south end of Lake Nero
Sarsk, Rostov (Sarskoye Gorodishche), south end of Lake Nero;

Theophany-Abramiev, Abraham's monastery of the Theophany, Rostov, 1030 or so
monastery of the Theophany;

Abraham's monastery of the Theophany,Theophany-Abramiev, Rostov, 1030 or so
monastery of the Theophany;

Church of St. Gregory the Theologian, Rostov Kremlin, Rostov, Russia
Church of St. Gregory the Theologian, Rostov Kremlin, Rostov, Russia;

Conception-Saint James, Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery of Dimitri, 1389
Conception-Saint James monastery, Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery of St. Dimitri, 1389 ;

Rostov-Yaroslavl
Rostov-Yaroslavl;

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Ust and Kotorosi River Folder, In and Out of Nero

Boris and Gleb monastery, Novy Torg, Rostov, 1363 or so
Boris and Gleb monastery;

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Yaroslavl Folder, Kotorosi Mouth at Volga River 8

Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8)
Yaroslav;

Protection monastery, Ugich, Rostov
Protection monastery, Ugich, Rostov;

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Gridenka River Folder, Downriver Right Side

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Tolga River Folder, Upriver Left Side

Russia (Clean), Rostov, Uchma River Folder, Way Upriver Left Side Kotorosi River

Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River Mouth, Volga River 7)
Uglich;

Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich , Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7)
Uglich; Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich ;

St Bassion's Monastery 30 Versts South of Uglich

Trinity Monastery of St Bassian (Kotorosl River Source) 1492
Trinity Monastery of St Bassian, 30 Versts South of Uglich ;

Russia (Clean), Volhynia Folder, Up the Rivers, in Southwestern Russia

Russia (Clean), Vohlynia, its Area

Russia (Clean), Volhynia Rivers Folder

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Horyn River Folder

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Stry River Folder

Volynia Sprirtual Academy, Lavra Dormition Cathedral, Volhynia, 1527
Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia;

Dubensk district of Volhynia, Dubno, Eastern Front WWI, Trade Rte with Poland (Ikva River 2)
Dubno;

Kremenetz, Volhynia (Ikva River 1)
Kremenetz - Kremenetz city of Kremenetz district and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Lavra ;

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Pripyat River Folder, Wormwood, Chenoble

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Western Bug River Folder (West to Warsaw Poland)

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Western Bug River 1, Poltva River Folder, Volhynia

Galicia, Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, High up the Rivers, Ukraine
Principality of Galicia-Volynia, Kingdom of Rus, Ukraine;

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Western Bug River 4.5, Rata River Folder, Rata Monastery

Novodvorsk Monastery, Ratne, Volhynia, whose hegumen was Peter of Moscow, 1299 approx.
Ratne, Volhynia;

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Western Bug 6.5, Mukhavets River Folder, part of Dneiper Bug Canal)

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Drevlyany Lands Ukraine Folder

Russia (Clean), Volhynia, Southern Bug River Ukraine Folder, Volhynia is the Source

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier Folder, includes Moscow and Mordovia

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River Folder (Oka River 1-13)

Orlov District, Kaluga (Oka River 1, in Ryazan Frontier)
Orlov District;

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Muravsky Trail Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 2, Upa River Folder, Tula

Tula, Ryazan, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1);

Belev, Ryazan (Oka River 2)
Belev (Oka River 1) ;

Belev Convent of the Exaltation of the Cross, 1839
Belev Convent of the Exaltation of the Cross ;

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 6, Besputa and Nara Rivers Folder, Serpukhov Crossing

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 7, Moscova River Folder

Kolomensk Royal Estate, Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7)
Kolomensk Royal Estate, Kolomna, Moscow area (Moscova River Mouth at Oka River 7);

Zaraysk Nicholas Cathedral, Ryazan Frontier, Osyotr River 2, Oka River 7, 1681
Zaraysk Nicholas Cathedral ;

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 6.9, Oayotr River Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 8, Vozha River Folder

Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde, 1378
Battle of Vozha River, Russia over Mongol Horde, 1378;

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 9 Folder, Ryazan (aka old name Pereslavl)

Ryazan aka Pereslavl (Oka River 9)
Ryazan;

Ryazan Kremlin, a high point, Cathedral of the Assumption and Bell Tower
Ryazan Kremlin;

Ryazan Theological Seminary
Ryazan Theological Seminary (Oka River 9);

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 9.8, Pronya River Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 10, Para River Folder

Kazan monastery in Ryazan, Para River 1
Kazan monastery in Ryazan, 391842, Ryazan region, Skopinsky district, Zarechny settlement, c. Dmitrievo;

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 11, Pra River Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 11, Gus River Folder

Russia (Clean), Ryazan Frontier, Oka River 13, Tyosha River Folder, Murom

Sarov Monastery, Mordovia, 1664
Sarov Monastery, Mordovia, 1664;

Sanaxar, Mordovia (Moksha River 1)
Sanaxar;

Russia (Clean), Perm, Roads and Rivers Folder

Russia (Clean), Perm, Kama River Folder

Vishero, Perm (Kama River 4, Vishera River)
Vishero;

Russia (Clean), Perm, Kazanka River Folder, Kazan

Russia (Clean), Perm, Volga River Folder

Russia (Clean), Perm, Roman Roads or Mongol Roads and Rivers

Russia (Clean), Pereyaslavl Lake Folder, Pereslavl-Zalessky

Pereslavl Lake (Clean), its Area, crosses Volga, Pereslavl-Zalessky
Pereslavl Lake, its Area, crosses Volga, Pereslavl-Zalessky

Pereslav-Zalessk, Pereyaslavl (Lake Pereyaslavl)
Pereslavl-Zalessky;

Zalesye Region - The Golden Ring
Zalesye Region - The Golden Ring; Golden Ring - Zalesye Region ;

Russia (Clean), Pereyaslavl, Trubezha River Folder, Into Lake Pereyaslavl

Russia (Clean), Pereyaslavl, Nerl River (Volga) Folder, out of Lake Pereyaslavl

Russia (Clean), Pereyaslavl, Kashinka River Folder, across the Volga from Pereyaslavl

Kalyazin monastery (18 versts from Kashin, across the Volga) 1450
Kalyazin monastery or Nikolaev Klobukov monastery at Kalyazin.

Russia (Clean), Mordovia Folder, and its rivers on the South side of the Oka

Russia (Clean), Mordovia, its Area, Oka River 12 to 13
Mordovia, its Area, Oka River 12 to 13

Russia (Clean), Mordovia, Oka River Folder, Oka 12 and 13, south side of the Oka

Russia (Clean), Mordovia, Oka River 12, Moksha River Folder

Boldino Heights, Mordovia
Boldino Heights ;

Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1)
Tambov;

Tambov Theological Seminary at Kazan Monastery, Tambov, 1670
Tambov Theological Seminary at Kazan Monastery, Tambov; Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov); Tambov;

Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670;

Kazan Church of the Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670;

Vysha Monastery, Tambov, Mordovia, 1670
Kozlov, Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan (Tambov) 1670;

Iron Pines, Mordovia, Moksha River 2, Tsna River 2, Tebza River
In 1392 Saint James of Zhelezny Bor settled in a dense forest near iron mines, at a place which was called the Iron Pines, at the banks of the rivulet Tebza.

Russia (Clean), Mordovia. Oka River 13, Tyosha River Folder, Murom, Sarov and Sanaxar

Arzamas, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, major transit center to the East)
Arzamas;

Sarov, Mordovia (Tyosah River 1, near Volga River 9)
Sarov;

Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery, Mordovia, 1659
Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery;

Sanaxar, Mordovia (Tyosha River 1, near Volga River 9)
Sanaxar;

Alekseevo, Mordovia (near the Sanaxar Monastery) 1773
Serafimo-Diveyevsky Monastery, Within its immediate vicinity are situated two other cloisters: those of Sarov and Sanaxar ;

Domition Cathederal, Sarov, 1773
Domition Cathederal, Sarov; Sarov Monestary 1910;

Sanaxar monastery, Mordovia, 1773
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery;

Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, Mordovia, 1773, anointed with oil from the icon's lampada, they received healing
Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery;

Russia, Mordovia, 1823-1829, Schema-nun Martha of Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, poor Peasant, close to Seraphim oSarov, 1823 at 13 entered D, rare gift pure unceasing prayer,
Diveyevo women's monastery;

Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, 1773
Diveyevo women's monastery;

St Seraphim's Diveyevo Convent, Mordovia, 1773
St Seraphim's Diveyevo Convent;

Murom, Mordovia (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13)
Murom;

Russia (Clean), Siberia Folder and its rivers

Russia (Clean) - Siberia, its Area, after 1600
Russia, 6 - Siberia, its Area, after 1600

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Trans-Siberian Railway (RWY)

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan Folder

Russia (Clean), Kazakhastan, its Area, includes Uzbekhastan, Tarin Basin, Upper Orb River from Urals

Zyryan District (East Kazakhastan)
Zyryan District;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River Folder

Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11)
Tobolsk;

Lozva River
Tavda River

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Ural River Folder

Russia (Clean), Orenburg Oblast, Scythia and Kazakhastan, Siberia, its Area
Russia, Orenburg Oblast, its Area

Orenburg, Scythia (Ural River 4)
Orenburg ; Orenburg Cossacks;

Orenburg Cossacks, Russia, 1734-1916
Russia, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Lake Balkhash Folder

Lake Balkhash, sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin.
Lake Balkhash, sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin. Lake Balkhash, sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic (closed) basin. ;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Turkestan Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Southwestern Siberia, Uzbekistan Folder

Russia (Clean), Uzbekistan, its Area

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River Folder

Russia (Clean), Ob River Region, its Area
Ob River Region, its Area

Novonikita (Ob River 4), Siberia
Novosibirsk;

Sibirsk (Siberian Federal District, Ob River 4)
Sibirsk (Siberian Federal District);

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Orb River Source, Katun and Biya Rivers Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River 5, Tom River Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Westentral Siberia, Ob River 6, Chulym River Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Southern Siberia, Kyrgyzstan Folder, Tarim Basin

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Northcentral Siberia, Taz River Folder

Russia (Clean), Taz River Region, Siberia, its Area
Taz River Region, its Area

Mangazeya, Siberia (Taz River 3)
Mangazea;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Central Siberia, Yenisei River Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Folder

Irkutsk, Siberia (Angara River 1, Lake Baikal, Trans-Siberian Road 14)
Irkutsk;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastcentral Siberia, Lena River Folder

Russia (Clean), Amur River Region, its AreaLena River Region, its Area

Okhotsk (Okhotska River, Sea of Okhotsk, Siberia)
Okhotsk, on the Okhotsa River;

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastcentral Siberia, Lena River 11, Aldan River Folder

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region Folder

Russia (Clean), Amur River Region, its Area, Siberia, Oskosh Sea Region, its Area
Russia, Siberia, Oskosh Sea Region, its Area

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk River Folder, with Ulya River

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region, Amur River Folder

Russia (Clean), Amur River Region, its Area

Khabarov frontier, Okhotsk Sea (Amur River 6, Trans-Siberian Road 17)
Khabarovsky District; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ;

Nerchinsk, Okhotsk, Siberia (Nercha Mouth at Shilka River 1)
Nerchinsk, Siberia (Nercha River Mouth at Shilka River1);

Russia (Clean), Siberia, Eastern Siberia, Okhotsk Sea Region, Kamchatka Penninsula and Kurile Islands Folder

Kamchatka Penninsula, Okhotsk Sea, Siberia
Kamchatka Penninsula;

Russia (Clean), Novgorod Folder, its rivers and roads

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, its Area

Russia (Clean), Greater Novgorod, its Area, All North of the Volga, Novgorod, St Petersburg and Vologda

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Volkhov River Folder

Novgorod, Russia (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen))
Veliky Novgorod;

Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Novgorod Fair, Torgovaja Storona
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod;

Hansiatic League Trading Colony, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Novgorod Fair, Torgovaja Storona
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Hansa League Trading Colony, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties;

Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod
Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod; Torgovaja Storona, Novgorod Fair, Norwegian Quarter of Novgorod, Early Foreign Ties;

Meniugi, Trinity church in Meniugi village, Norwegian Quarter, Novgorod
Trinity church in Meniugi village, Novgorod;

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Volkhov River 2, Roeika River Folder

Yuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) 1030
Yuriev Monastery;

Cathedral of St George, Yuriev Monastery, Novgorod, 1030
Yuriev Monastery;

Saint George's Mens Monastery, Novgorod, Jurievo village, Novgorod district, Novgorod region
Saint George's Mens Monastery, Novgorod, Jurievo village, Novgorod district, Novgorod region;

Yaroslav's Cathedral - Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod, 1113
Yaroslav's Cathedral - Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Novgorod;

Khutyn Monastery, Novgorod, (Robeika River Mouth, Volkhov River 2) 1192, wonderworker Barlaam
Khutyn Monastery;

Saint (Hagia) Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod, 1045
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ;

Saint Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod, 1045
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ;

Savior-Transfiguration church on Ilyina Street, Novgorod, 1169
Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street;

Church of the Apostle Philip, Novgorod, 1527
Church of the Apostle Philip, Novgorod, 1527, 58°30'55"N 31°17'37"E;

Novgorod Theological Seminary
Novgorod Theological Seminary;

Novgorod the Great, aka Novgorod Republic
Novgorod the Great, aka Novgorod Republic;

Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, 1117
Antoniev monastery;

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Vishera River Folder

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Verenda River Folder

Perekop Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River)
Perekop Monastery (Island at mouth of Verenda River) Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26;

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Shelon River Folder

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Lovat River Folder

Veliki Luki, Novgorod (Great Meadow, Lovat River 1, Volga Trade Rte 7)
Veliki Luki (Great Meadows) Monastery;

Russia (Clean), Novgorod, Msta River Folder

Russia (Clean), Greater Novgorod, St Petersburg, its Area

Russia (Clean), St Petersburg, Greater Novgorod, its Area
Russia, St Petersburg, its Area

Russia (Clean), Greater Novgorod, Vologda, its Area, including Volga watters, Kostroma and Mologa

Russia (Clean), Vologda Greater Novgorod, its Area, including Volga watters, Kostroma and Mologa
Russia, Vologda, its Area, except Volga watters, Kostroma and Mologa

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Kostroma, its Area (Volga waters)
Russia, Vologda, Kostroma, its Area (Volga waters)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Mologa, its Area, Volga watters
Mologa, its Area

Russia, Vologda Greater Novgorod, Mologa, Sheksna River Folder, White Lake

Russia, Vologda Greater Novgorod, Mologa, Sheksna River 1, Yagorba River Folder

Russia, Vologda Greater Novgorod, Mologa, Sheksna River Mouth, Sogozha (Sokhota) River Folder, Poshekhonsky District

Russia, Vologda Greater Novgorod, Mologa, Mologa River Folder, Glushitsa, Battle of Sita River

Sit River
Sit River, Battle of the Sit River 1238

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Mologa, Kouzha River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea Folder (Water goes to White Sea)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Vyg River Folder, Karelia

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Solovki Folder

Solovki Island, White Sea, Vologda, Greater Novgorod
Solovki prison camp and monestary: seven versts (Kilometers) from Solovki.;

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Onega River Folder (Onega Bay)

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Onega River Source, Lake Vozha and Sora River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Onega River 2, Kena River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Onega River 5, Koza River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River Folder

Archangelsk, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Northern Dvina Mouth
Archangelsk, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Northern Dvina Mouth;

Nicholas Church, Archangelsk
Nicholas Church, Archangelsk;

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Sukhona River Folder, Lake Kuben, Ustiug

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River Source, Lake Kuben Folder, Kubena,Sora Rivers

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 1, Lezha River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 2, Sodima River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina, Sukhona River 3, Dvinista River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River Folder, Ustiug

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina Source, Yug River 3, Luza River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River 4, Yarenga River Folder, Vologda

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 1, Vychegda River Mouth, Koryazhma River Folder

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 3, Vaga River Folder

Russia,Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina 4, Mikhailov Folder, Siya Monastery

Russia, Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Northern Dvina River 5, Pinega River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, White Sea, Kola Peninsula Folder

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Pechora River Folder (Artic Ocean)

Russia (Clean), Vologda, Greater Novgorod, Mezen River Folder (Mezen Bay, White Sea)

Russia (Clean) Belarus, its Area, North and South

Russia (Clean), Northern Belarus, its Area, Western Dvina River and Polotsk
Western Dvina River, Belarus, its Area

Russia (Clean) Southern Belarus, its Area, south flowing rivers
Belarus, Southern Belarus, its Area

Polotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6)
Polotsk (Dvina River) ;

Western Dvina River, Belarus, its Area

Russia (Clean), Pskov Folder, its rivers and Pskov lakes

Russia, Pskov (Clean), its Area
Pskov, its Area

Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese, Eastern Pskov
Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese;

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Southern Pskov, Velikaya River Folder, Pskov

Izborsk, Pskov
Izborsk;

Ostrov Nicholas Cathedral, 1342
Saint Nicholas Cathedral;

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Northern Pskov, Pskova River Folder, Pskov

Pskov (South End Pskov Lake, Pskov River Mouth, Velikaya River 4 or Mouth)
Pskov;

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Far North Pskov, Zelcha Gdov Rivers Folder

Gdov, Pskov (Lake Gdov or Pskov)
Gdov Lake Gdov;

Ozersk [Lake] Monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God, 1460
monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at the River Dubenka;

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Western Pskov, Puisa (Tolva) River Folder, P Caves

Pskov-Caves Monastery (Puisa (Tolva) River 1) 1473
Pskov Caves Monestary ;

Tolvsk wilderness, Estonia (Tolva River not far from Pskov)
Tolvsk wilderness, Estonia (Tolva River not far from Pskov) ;

Embach River (aka Emajogi)

Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin);

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Central Pskov, Pskov Lakes Folder

Russia (Clean), Pskov, Eastern Pskov (Tver, Novgorod) also Pskov Lakes

Russia (Clean), Natural Russia, Dnieper River Drainage & Crimea

Kharkov, Ukraine (Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River)
Kharkov;

Russia (Clean), Land of the Varangians Folder

Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians)
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians);

Gardarika, Varangia (the land of cities north of the Black Sea)
Gardarika (the land of cities): Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (five) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski with the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians. Gardarika (the land of cities) Along the Volkhov River;

Russia - Land of the Varangians - Nine Cities
Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Lyubsha
Lyubsha - earliest fort of the Varangians; Ladoga - Staraya Ladoga - a fort of the Varangians;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Ladoga
Lyubsha - earliest fort of the Varangians; Ladoga - Staraya Ladoga - a fort of the Varangians;

Russia - land of the Varangians - Novgorod
land of the Varangians - Novgorod : Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Kiev
land of the Varangians - Kiev; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Polotsk, Belarus
land of the Varangians - Polotsk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Smolensk
land of the Varangians - Smolensk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Suzdal
land of the Varangians - Suzdal; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Murom
land of the Varangians - Murom; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Russia - land of the Varangians - Rostov the Great, Lake Nero
land of the Varangians - Rostov; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Russia (Clean), Moscow, Moscova River Area Folder

Russia (Clean), Moscow, City of Moscow, its Area
Moscow, its Area

Moscow Trans-Siberian Railway (RWY)

Moscow Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Murav is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Mozhaisk Nicholas Cathedral, 1802
Mozhaisk Nicholas Cathedral;

Mozhaisk, Tver, Moscow area (Valdai Hills Crossroad, Moscova River 1)
Mozhaisk;

Tretyakov Gallery
Tretyakov Gallery;

Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast (St Petersburg Trade Route)
Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast;

Simonov Monestary (Yauza River Area, Moscova River 5) 1370
Simonov Monestary;

Novodevichy Convent and Monestary, Khamovniki Bend Area, Moscow, 1524
Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow;

Church of St. Nicholas, Khamovniki, Moscow, 1682
Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki;

Khamovniki District, Moscow
Khamovniki District, Moscow ;

Andronikov Monastery, Moscow (Yauza River 2) 1357
Andronikov Monastery;

Novospassky Monastery, Yauza River Area, Moscow, early 1300's
Novospassky Monastery ;

Russia (Clean), Moscow to St Petersburg Route Folder

Russia (Clean), Moscow Volga Canal Folder

Russia (Clean), Volga River Folder

Russia (Clean), Oka River Folder

Russia (Clean), Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Russia (Clean), Volga Trade Route Folder

Toropets, on Volga Trade Route, near Volga Source, at Lake Solomeno, touching Pskov, Tver, Novgorod & Belarus
Toropets ;

Lake Ladoga, its Area

Caspian Sea, its Area

Russia (Clean), Muravsky Trail Folder

Russia (Clean), Trans-Siberian Railway and Road Folder

Russia (Clean), Scythia, Roman type Roads, after Russia submitted to the Mongols

Russia (Clean) Scythia after 1248, its Area, from Urals to Dniester Rivers
Russia (Clean) Scythia after 1248, this Area, from Urals to Dniester River, defined Russia for 600 Years

Russia (Clean) Lesser Scythia, its Area, Left Side and End of Danube River

Russia, Scythia, Don River Drainage, including Don Bass in Scythia, its Area
Don River Drainage, including Don Bass in Scythia, its Area

Russia (Clean), Scythia, next to Areas Folder

Battle of Kulikovo Field, 1380, Russia over Mongol Golden Horde, Don River 1
Battle of Kulikovo;

Divnogorsk, Scythia (Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna)
Divnogorsk, Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna;

Korotoyak, Voronezh Oblast, Don River
Korotoyak, Voronezh Oblast;

Livny (Liven), Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1, in the Donbas)
Livny, Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1);

Samara, Scythia (Volga River 13)
Samara, Russia;

Sarai (city), Scythia (Golden Horde Capital)
Sarai (city);

Russia (Clean), Don River Folder, Scythia (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Battle of Kulikovo Field, 1380, Russia over Mongol Golden Horde, Don River 1, Muravsky Trail 7
Battle of Kulikovo;

Zadonsk, Sythia, Mongol Lands (Don River 5)
Zadonsk;Zadonsk Monestary;

Novocherkassk, Scythia (Don River 14)
Novocherkassk;

Sochi, Russia (Northwestern Georgia, Alania, and Don River, Russia)
Sochi;

Russia (Clean), Suzdal, Southern Valley, Klyazma & Ukhtoma (Nerl) Rivers Folder

Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Klyazma River Mouth, Volga River 9)
Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka);

Russia (Clean), Suzdal, Southern Valley, Klyazma River 5, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vladimir, Klyazma River 5.2, Sudogda River Folder

Sudogda River
Ukhtoma (Nerl Klyazma) River

Russia (Clean), Vladimir, Klyazma River 7, Teza River Folder

Russia (Clean), Vladimir, Klyazma River 8, Lukh River Folder

Russia (Clean), Merchants Road Folder (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod)

Nizhni-Novgorod, Suzdal (Oka River Mouth, Volga River 9)
Nizhni-Novgorod (Volga River at Oka);

Russia (Clean), Moscow Road to Poland Folder

Russia (Clean), Tver Folder, and its Volga rivers

Russia (Clean), Tver, nex to Areas Folder

Russia (Clean), Tver, Tversta River Folder

Torzhok cathedral

Torzhok Monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb
Torzhok Monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb,;

Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver;

Otroch Uspensky Monastery, site of the Tver River Terminal (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver River Terminal, The construction began in 1935, near the site of the demolished Otroch Uspensky Monastery;

Tver Otroch monastery, 1275 or so, (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver Otroch monastery site; Tver Otroch monastery;

Torzhok (Novy Torg), Tver (Tvertsa River 2)
Torzhok, an important post on the Moscow to St Petersburg Highway, and key to the source of grain for Novgorod;

Russia (Clean), Tver, Volga River Tver Folder

Staritsa, Tver (Volga River 3)
Staritsa;

Russia (Clean), Tver, Lake Vladayskoye Folder

Valdai Hills (high points of East European Plain, Volga and Other Rivers Source)
Valdai Hills; East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills) only 1,138 ft ; The western boundary of the East European Plain is described well by the Eastern Front of WW1. Its eastern boundaries are the Ural Mountains or the Ural and Kama River Basins.

Valdai, Tver (Lake Valdayskoye, high point)
Valdai, Tver (Lake Valdayskoye) ;

East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills)
East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills) only 1,138 ft. The western boundary of the East European Plain is described well by the Eastern Front of WW1. Its eastern boundaries are the Ural Mountains or the Ural and Kama River Basins. ;

Russia (Clean), Tver, Lama River Folder

Volokolamsk monastery, Tver (Lama River Source) 1479
Volokolamsk monastery, Volokolamsk-Exaltation of the Cross monastery;

Russia (Clean), Tver, Moscow River Folder

Russia (Clean), Tver, Dubna and Sestra Rivers Folder

Russia (Clean), Amber Road Folder

Russia (Clean), Eastern Front WW1 Folder

Eastern Front WWI (about 1,000 Miles)
The Eastern front of WWI (and many other wars). Eastern Front WWI (about 1,000 Miles), basically where the mountains and Great European Plain come together.

Russia (Clean), Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania) 1775

Untitled Placemark

Russia (Clean), Don River, Scythia, Muravsky Trail Folder

Russia (Clean), Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Ordinsk, Rostov on Don, Orlovsky
Ordinsk, Rostov, Orlovsky;

Rome Folder, Central Italy, its Roman Roads and Tiber rivers

Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5)
Rome; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Martyr Serapion, Commemorated on July 13; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Parasceva of Rome, Commemorated on July 26; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Hieromartyr Stephen the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 2 ; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Pontius, Commemorated on August 5 ; LAURENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR (10 AUGUST 258); Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Martyr Concordia of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Hippolytus of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7 ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430); CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome, Commemorated on September 17; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia the Roman, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30 ; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15 ; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Justus at Rome ; Martyr Diomedes who suffered with Hyacinthus ; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13 ; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome ; Martyr Lucy at Rome, Commemorated December 13 ; Martyr Parasceva of Rome ; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch; Hieromartyr Stephen the Pope of Rome; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome; Martyr Pontius; LAURENCE; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome; Martyr Hippolytus of Rome; Martyr Concordia of Rome; St Macarius the Roman; Martyr Hermes of Rome; St Liberius the Pope of Rome; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy; Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome, Commemorated on September 17 ; Greatmartyr Eustathius (Eustace) Placidas with his wife and children of Rome, Commemorated September 20 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26 ; Martyr Epicharis of Rome, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Nazarius of Milan; Martyr Anastasia the Roman; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; LEO THE GREAT BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461) ; Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated December 8 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Synetus of Rome, Commemorated December 12 ; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated December 15; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated December 16 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "œDeliverer from Potions", Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "œDeliverer from Potions"Â, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated December 22 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated January 12 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250) ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated January 21 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Xenia of Rome, and her two female slaves, Commemorated January 24 ; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304) ; Martyr Felicitas of Rome, and Seven Sons, Commemorated January 25 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated January 29 ; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, Commemorated February 7; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro ("œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated February 18; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; St Agathon the Pope of Rome, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Nestor, Commemorated on March 1 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2 ; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; St Emilian of Rome, Commemorated on March 7; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604); Icon "œNot Made by Hands"Â from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 16; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Chrysanthus and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on March 19; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Drosis the Daughter of the Emperor Trajan, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Martyr Basilissa of Rome the Disciple of Apostles Peter and Paul, Commemorated on April 15 ; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Anthony at Rome, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Martyr Sava Stratelates "œthe General"Â of Rome, Commemorated on April 24; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT); Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14 ; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20 ; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); Martyr Chariton with his wife and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963; Martyr Concordius of Spoleto, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or "œthe Roman"Â, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); Holy Wonderworking Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian at Rome, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Italy
Italy; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome, Commemorated on September 17; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; St Emilian of Rome, Commemorated on March 7; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 509 BC - 27 BC, Roman Republic
Rome, 509 BC - 27 BC, Roman Republic ;

Rome, 27 BC - 476 AD, Roman Empire (BC 27 - 476AD)
Roman Empire; MATTHEW; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated on January 15; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250) ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21

Rome, 285-476, Western Roman Empire
Rome, 285-476, Western Roman Empire;

Rome, 291-568, Goths, Ostrogoths in Italy (absorbed by Lombards)
Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Totila the Goth; Battle of Taginae; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ;

Rome, 410, Sack of Rome by Alric the Visgoth
Rome, 410, Sack of Rome by Alric the Visgoth; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Rome, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great (Po River 3.5)
Mincio, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461);

Rome, 455, Vandal Sack of Rome
North Africa, 455, Vandal Sack of Rome; St. Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23;

Rome, 476, Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Fall of the Western Roman Empire, 476; Rome, Gothic king, 475-526, Theodoric the Great ; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23;

Rome, 476-800, Dark Ages, Fall of Western Empire to Holy Roman Empire
Rome, 476-800, Dark Ages, Fall of Western Empire to Holy Roman Empire; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597);

Rome, 493-553, Ostrogothic Kingdom
Rome, 493-553, Ostrogothic Kingdom; Rome, Gothic king, 475-526, Theodoric the Great ;

Rome, 568-774, Lombard Kingdom, 571 in Rome to Frankish Invasion 774
Rome, Lombard Kingdom, 568-774, 571 in Rome to Frankish Invasion 774 ;

Rome, 800-1806, Holy Roman Empire, Revived in 2009, Centered in Belgium
Rome, 800-1806, Holy Roman Empire, Revived in 2009, Centered in Belgium; Charlemagne, a Frank, first Holy Roman Emperor (800-814); Charlemagne Building; European Union Constitution, Nov 3, 2009;

Rome, 1303, Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope
Rome, 1303, Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope France, 1285-1314, King, Philip the Fair; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

Rome, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, Italy a Client State of First French Empire
France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

Rome, 1815-1861, Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy and Nice)
Rome, 1815-1861, Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy and Nice); Rome, 1815-1861, Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy and Nice); Rome, 1815-1861, Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy and Nice); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Rome, 1861-1946, Kingdom of Italy
Rome, 1861-1946, Kingdom of Italy; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Rome, Land of the Latins (Central Italy)
the original latin tribe of central Italy; The meaning of the term latins was later expanded to include all the Roman Catholics like Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, Lithuania, and South America. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Latium (Latin) Region (Rome, Italy)
Latium Region; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, Central Italy, Roman History Folder

Rome, 509-1BC, Folder, Roman Republic and Roman Empire

Rome, 509 BC - 27 BC, Roman Republic
Roman Republic, BC 509- BC 27;

Rome, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Antiocus IV at Antioch, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother s faithful, inspired Judas M
Jerusalem, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, at Antioch, Antiocus IV Epiphanes desecrated Temple, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother stayed faithful, tongue cut out, hands feet off, caldron, frying pan, these inspired Judas Maccabeus lead revolt and purify temple; Temple in Jerusalem; ,, Commemorated on August 1; seven holy Maccabee martyrs Abim, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar in the year 166 before Christ under the impious Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. foolish ruler loved pagan and Hellenistic customs, and held Jewish customs in contempt. He did everything possible to turn people from the Law of Moses and from their covenant with God. desecrated the Temple of the Lord, placed a statue of the pagan god Zeus there, and forced the Jews to worship it. people abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but there were also those who continued to believe that the Savior would come. ninety-year-old elder, the scribe and teacher Eleazar, was brought to trial for his faithfulness to the Mosaic Law. He suffered tortures and died at Jerusalem. disciples of Saint Eleazar, the seven Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomonia, also displayed great courage. were brought to trial in Antioch by King Antiochus Epiphanes. They fearlessly acknowledged themselves as followers of the True God, and refused to eat pig’s flesh, which was forbidden by the Law. eldest brother acted as spokesmen for the rest, saying that they preferred to die rather than break the Law. He was subjected to fierce tortures in sight of his brothers and their mother. tongue was cut out, he was scalped, and his hands and feet were cut off. a cauldron and a large frying pan were heated, and the first brother was thrown into the frying pan, and he died. next five brothers were tortured one after the other. seventh and youngest brother was the last one left alive. Antiochus suggested to Saint Solomonia to persuade the boy to obey him, so that her last son at least would be spared. the brave mother told him to imitate the courage of his brothers. child upbraided the king and was tortured even more cruelly than his brothers had been. all her seven children had died, Saint Solomonia, stood over their bodies, raised up her hands in prayer to God and died. martyric death of the Maccabee brothers inspired Judas Maccabeus, and he led a revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes. God’s help, he gained the victory, and then purified the Temple at Jerusalem. He also threw down the altars which the pagans had set up in the streets. All these events are related in the Second Book of Maccabees (Ch. 8-10). Fathers of the Church preached sermons on the seven Maccabees, including Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint Gregory Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom.

Rome, 106 BC - 43 BC, Cicero, famous retorecian and politician, latin writer, championed return to republican govt
Rome, 106 BC - 43 BC, Cicero, famous retorecian and politician; Tullius Cicero[a] (3 January 106 - 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher and Academic Skeptic,[3] who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the establishment of the Roman Empire.[4] His extensive writings include treatises on rhetoric, philosophy and politics, and he is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.[5][6] He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and served as consul in 63 BC. influence on the Latin language was immense. He wrote more than three-quarters of surviving Latin literature from the period of his adult life, and it has been said that subsequent prose was either a reaction against or a return to his style, not only in Latin but in European languages up to the 19th century.[7][8][9] Cicero introduced into Latin the arguments of the chief schools of Hellenistic philosophy and created a Latin philosophical vocabulary with neologisms such as evidentia,[10] humanitas, qualitas, quantitas, and essentia,[11] distinguishing himself as a translator and philosopher. he was an accomplished orator and successful lawyer, Cicero believed his political career was his most important achievement. It was during his consulship that the second Catilinarian conspiracy attempted to overthrow the government through an attack on the city by outside forces, and Cicero suppressed the revolt by summarily and controversially executing five conspirators. During the chaotic middle period of the 1st century BC, marked by civil wars and the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, Cicero championed a return to the traditional republican government. Following Caesar's death, Cicero became an enemy of Mark Antony in the ensuing power struggle, attacking him in a series of speeches. He was proscribed as an enemy of the state by the Second Triumvirate and consequently executed by soldiers operating on their behalf in 43 BC after having been intercepted during an attempted flight from the Italian peninsula. His severed hands and head were then, as a final revenge of Mark Antony, displayed on the Rostra. rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited for initiating the 14th-century Renaissance in public affairs, humanism, and classical Roman culture.[12] According to Polish historian Tadeusz Zieliński, "the Renaissance was above all things a revival of Cicero, and only after him and through him of the rest of Classical antiquity."[13] The peak of Cicero's authority and prestige came during the 18th-century Enlightenment,[14] and his impact on leading Enlightenment thinkers and political theorists such as John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu and Edmund Burke was substantial.[15] His works rank among the most influential in European culture, and today still constitute one of the most important bodies of primary material for the writing and revision of Roman history, especially the last days of the Roman Republic.[16]

Rome, 63 BC - 1 BC, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God, Galilee
Jerusalem, 60 BC - 12 BC, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God; Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him. during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary. Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband. Saints Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children. Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Rome, 49 BC-44 BC, Julius Caesar, Roman Republic Dictator
Roman Republic Dictator, BC 49-44 BC, Julius Caesar; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT);

Rome, 44 BC-31 BC, Mark Anthony (triumvir), Roman Republic Dictator
Roman Republic Dictator, BC 44-31 BC, Mark Anthony; Second Triumvirate ; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT);

Rome, 44 BC-33 BC, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir), Roman Republic Dictator
Roman Republic Dictator, BC 44-33 BC, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir); Second Triumvirate ; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT);

Rome, 44 BC-27 BC, Gaius Octavius (Augustus) (triumvirate), Roman Republic Dictator
Roman Republic Dictator, BC 44-27 BC, Gaius Octavius (Augustus) (triumvirate); Second Triumvirate ; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT);

Rome, 37 BC - 4 BCE, King, Herod the Great, Galilee
Galilee, 37 BCE - 4 BCE, King, Herod the Great;

Rome, 30BC-63AD, Apostle James, Lord's step, Nazarene, 1st Bishop of J, c many Jews, so thrown down f Temple top
If Joseph was 70 at Jesus' birth, then James was probably around 50, so he would have been 20 in 30BC. Jerusalem, 30BC-63AD, Apostle James, brother of the Lord, a Nazarene, became apostle in 30-33, 1st Bishop of J, council J in 51, converted many Jews, so thrown down from top of Temple; Jerusalem; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Rome, 27 BC-476AD, Italy, Roman Empire
Italy, 27BC-476AD, Roman Empire; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Rome, 27 BC - 476AD, Great Rome, Imperial Rome, Lands of the Roman Empire
Great Rome, 27BC - 476AD, Imperial Rome, Lands of the Roman Empire; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Rome, 27 BC-14 AD, Agustus (Octavian), 1st Emperor, effective leader, peace, Pax Romana for 2 centuries
Rome, 27 BC-14 AD, Agustus (Octavian), first Roman Emperor, effective leader, began relative peace, Pax Romana for 2 centuries, Julius Caesar's adopted son; Augustus[1][2] (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor, reigning from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.[a] status as the founder of the Roman Principate (the first phase of the Roman Empire) has consolidated a legacy as one of the most effective leaders in human The reign of Augustus initiated an era of relative peace known as the Pax Romana. The Roman world was largely free from large-scale conflict for more than two centuries, despite continuous wars of imperial expansion on the Empire's frontiers and the year-long civil war known as the "Year of the Four Emperors" over the imperial succession. named Gaius Octavius, he was born into an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebeian gens Octavia. His maternal great-uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and Octavius was named in Caesar's will as his adopted son and heir; as a result, he inherited Caesar's name, estate, and the loyalty of his legions. He, Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate to defeat the assassins of Caesar. Following their victory at the Battle of Philippi (42 BC), the Triumvirate divided the Roman Republic among themselves and ruled as de facto dictators. The Triumvirate was eventually torn apart by the competing ambitions of its members; Lepidus was exiled in 36 BC and Antony was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. the demise of the Second Triumvirate, Augustus restored the outward façade of the free Republic, with governmental power vested in the Roman Senate, the executive magistrates and the legislative assemblies, yet maintained autocratic authority by having the Senate grant him lifetime tenure as supreme military command, tribune and censor. A similar ambiguity is seen in his chosen names, the implied rejection of monarchical titles whereby he called himself Princeps Civitatis (First Citizen) juxtaposed with his adoption of the ancient title Augustus. dramatically enlarged the Empire, annexing Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Noricum and Raetia, expanding possessions in Africa, and completing the conquest of Hispania, but suffered a major setback in Germania. Beyond the frontiers, he secured the Empire with a buffer region of client states and made peace with the Parthian Empire through diplomacy. He reformed the Roman system of taxation, developed networks of roads with an official courier system, established a standing army, established the Praetorian Guard, official police and fire-fighting services for Rome, and rebuilt much of the city during his reign. Augustus died in AD 14 at the age of 75, probably from natural causes. Persistent rumors, substantiated somewhat by deaths in the imperial family, have claimed his wife Livia poisoned him. He was succeeded as emperor by his adopted son Tiberius, Livia's son and also former husband of Augustus' only biological daughter Julia. Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord, Commemorated on December 25; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Icon of the Mother of God of œVilnaÂ, Commemorated on December 26; Joseph of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; James of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 2 ; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January); Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 1; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2); The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated on February 3; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT); THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY);

Rome, 27 BC-34 AD, heir, Herod II, Galilee
Jerusalem heir, 27BC-34AD, Herod II ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Rome, 16 BC, The Conception oMOG aJerusalem, took 20 yrs much prayer & Angel announcement, daughter tBless human race
Jerusalem, 16 BC, The Conception oMOG aJerusalem, Anna fBethlehem, Judea (south of Jerusalem 6 miles), Joachim fGalilee, C took 20 yrs, after much prayer A&J, Anna priests daughter Nathan, Levite, Joachim probably oIssachar, Angel announced daughter tA&J, blessing human race, Orthodox teaching MOG like everyone else, not exempt fAncestral sin consequences, death corruption sin etc, but she committed no personal sins, otherwise not truly himan &Christ's nature same &our salvation in doubt, conception tramples serpent, J&A in prayer eyes up tMOG standing iAir, serpent orb under foot, because s strives conquer universe, also other icons A holding MOG left arm, face oReverence, large ancient icon iRussia, Dubensk, Volhynia, painted oCanvas, Russian Pregnant Women venerate this feast; Bethlehem; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. married Saint Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee. a long time Saint Anna was childless, after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, would bring blessings to the whole human race. Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death, corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of Her Son. Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless, as Saint Ambrose of Milan teaches in Chapter Two of his Commentary on Luke. Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her mortality, and in being subject to temptation, although She committed no personal sins. was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity. If this were the case, She would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been truly human either. Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibility of our salvation is in doubt. Conception of the Virgin Mary by Saint Anna took place at Jerusalem. many icons depicting the Conception by Saint Anna show the Most Holy Theotokos trampling the serpent underfoot. “In the icon Saints Joachim and Anna are usually depicted with hands folded in prayer; their eyes are also directed upward and they contemplate the Mother of God, Who stands in the air with outstretched hands; under Her feet is an orb encircled by a serpent (symbolizing the devil), which strives to conquer all the universe by its power.” are also icons in which Saint Anna holds the Most Holy Virgin on her left arm as an infant. Saint Anna’s face is a look of reverence. large ancient icon, painted on canvas, is located in the village of Minkovetsa in the Dubensk district of Volhynia diocese. ancient times this Feast was especially venerated by pregnant women in Russia.

Rome, 15BC-63, Dot 9, Apostle James, Lord's step, Nazarene, 1st Bishop of J, c many Jews, so thrown down f Temple top
If Joseph was 70 at Jesus' birth, then James was probably around 50, so he would have been 20 in 30BC. Jerusalem, 30BC-63AD, Apostle James, brother of the Lord, a Nazarene, became apostle in 30-33, 1st Bishop of J, council J in 51, converted many Jews, so thrown down from top of Temple; Jerusalem; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Rome, 15BC-63, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee, approx 20yrs older than MOG, first bishop oJerusalem
Galilee, 15BC-40, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee (Kishon River drainage), approx 20yrs older than MOG, Solomonia's Son, flight to Egypt, probably to Bethlem Nativity also, thrown from roof of Temple Nazareth; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26; Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage with Solomonia. Apostle James is remembered after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ together with his father Joseph and the Prophet-King David, since he accompanied his family on the Flight into Egypt and lived there with the Infant Jesus, the Mother of God and Joseph. Later, he returned to Israel with them. the Ascension of the Lord, Saint James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, gaining the great esteem not only of Christians, but also of Jews. He was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple because he had publicly preached to the people about the God-Manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle James is also commemorated on October 23.

Rome, 15BC-107, Simeon, Lord's Cousin, James' age, Joseph's brother Cleopas' son, otSeventy, age 120+, 2nd Bishop oJ
Jerusalem, 15BC-107, Simeon, Lord's older Cousin, James' age, Joseph's brother Cleopas' son, witnessed Jesus' miracles, believed, otSeventy, Suceeded James as Bishop oJ, executed as decentent of David at more than age 120, endured several days torture; Jerusalem; Hieromartyr Simeon, kinsman of the Lord, second Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 27; Holy Apostle and Hieromartyr Simeon, a kinsman of the Lord, the son of Cleopas, who was the younger brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. Thus, Saint Simeon is Joseph's nephew, and a cousin of the Lord. an adult, he witnessed the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, believed in Him, and became one of the 70 Apostles. Simeon proclaimed the teachings of Christ, was instructed in the truths of the holy Faith, and denounced idol worship. the murder of the Holy Apostle James (October 23), the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Christians chose the Apostle Simeon to succeed him. Emperors Vespasian and Domitian had ordered that all descendants of King David be put to death. Emperor Trajan (98-117) renewed that decree, and certain heretics and some others denounced Saint Simeon as a descendant of King David, as well as a Christian. pagans arrested Saint Simeon, who at that time was more than one hundred and twenty years old. He astonished the judge and his attendants by enduring several days of torture, and then he was crucified in the year 107, during Trajan's reign, when Atticus was consul. Parisian Codices contain a Service in honor of Saint Simeon, the poem of the hymnographer Theophanēs. (Some Synaxaristes also commemorate him on September 18).

Rome, 12 BC, Theotokos Temple entry, age 3, virgin excort, 15 Steps, ran up s, High Priest led into Holy of Holies
Jerusalem, 12 BC, Theotokos entry to the Temple - Jerusalem, dedicated, age 3, virgin excort, High Priest, 15 Steps, psalms of ascent, strengthened by power of God, ran up steps, High Priest then led her into Holy of Holies, astonishment, remained in virgin quarters; Temple in Jerusalem; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21; to Holy Tradition, the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple took place in the following manner. The parents of the Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anna, praying for an end to their childlessness, vowed that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate it to the service of God. the Most Holy Virgin reached the age of three, the holy parents decided to fulfill their vow. gathered together their relatives and acquaintances, and dressed the All-Pure Virgin in Her finest clothes. Singing sacred songs and with lighted candles in their hands, virgins escorted Her to the Temple (Ps. 44/45:14-15). the High Priest and several priests met the handmaiden of God. In the Temple, fifteen high steps led to the sanctuary, which only the priests and High Priest could enter. (Because they recited a Psalm on each step, Psalms 119/120-133/134 are called “Psalms of Ascent.”) child Mary, so it seemed, could not make it up this stairway. But just as they placed Her on the first step, strengthened by the power of God, She quickly went up the remaining steps and ascended to the highest one. the High Priest, through inspiration from above, led the Most Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest entered once a year to offer a purifying sacrifice of blood. Therefore, all those present in the Temple were astonished at this most unusual occurrence. entrusting their child to the Heavenly Father, Joachim and Anna returned home. All-Holy Virgin remained in the quarters for virgins near the Temple. to the testimony of Holy Scripture (Exodus 38; 1 Kings 1: 28; Luke 2: 37), and also the historian Josephus Flavius, there were many living quarters around the Temple, in which those who were dedicated to the service of God dwelt. earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos from Her infancy until She was taken up to Heaven is shrouded in deep mystery. life at the Jerusalem Temple was also a secret. “If anyone were to ask me,” said Saint Jerome, “how the Most Holy Virgin spent the time of Her youth, I would answer that that is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her constant guardian.” there are accounts in Church Tradition, that during the All-Pure Virgin’s stay at the Temple, She grew up in a community of pious virgins, diligently read the Holy Scripture, occupied Herself with handicrafts, prayed constantly, and grew in love for God. From ancient times, the Church has celebrated the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Indications that the Feast was observed in the first centuries of Christianity are found in the traditions of Palestinian Christians, which say that the holy Empress Helen (May 21) built a church in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Gregory of Nyssa, in the fourth century, also mentions this Feast. In the eighth century Saints Germanus and Tarasius, Patriarchs of Constantinople, delivered sermons on the Feast of the Entry. Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple foretells God’s blessing for the human race, the preaching of salvation, the promise of the coming of Christ.

Rome, 4 BC -6 AD, Direct Roman Rule in Jerusalem
Galilee, 37 BCE - 18 AD, King, Herod Archelas; 9 years of direct Roman Rule during Jesus' early years 4BC-6AD Archelaus (Ancient Greek: 23 BC-AD 18) was ethnarch[1][2] of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years[3] (4 BC to AD 6). was removed by Roman Emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, and was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod II. (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father.

Rome, 4 BC-6 AD, Ethnarch, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom) Killed the Innocents
Jerusalem Ethnarch, 4BC-6AD, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom); Archelaus (Ancient Greek: ; 23 BC -AD 18) was ethnarch[1][2] of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea (biblical Edom), including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years[3] (c. 4 BC to AD 6). Archelaus was removed by Roman Emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, and was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod II. Archelaus (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father. A map depicting the domain of Herod Archelaus as was given to him by Augustus after the death of King Herod the Great. Josephus writes that Herod the Great (father of Archelaus) was in Jericho at the time of his death.[4] Just prior to his final trip to Jericho, he was deeply involved in a religious conflagration. Herod had placed a golden eagle over the Temple entrance which was perceived as blasphemous.[5] The eagle was chopped down with axes. Two teachers and approximately 40 other youths were arrested for this act and immolated. Herod defended his works and offered an attack on his predecessors, the dynastic Hasmoneans. Herod killed all male lineal successors of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees had long attacked the Hasmoneans as well, as having parentage from Greeks while under bondage. This racial slur was repeated by the Pharisees through the rule of Alexander Jannaeus and Queen Salome.[6] With this explicit background given, Josephus began an exposition of the days of Archelaus' reign before Passover of 4 BC. Archelaus dressed in white and ascended a golden throne and appeared to be kind to the populace in Jerusalem in order to appease their desires for lower taxes and an end to the (political) imprisonment of Herod's enemies. The demeanor of the questioning appeared to turn at some point, and the crowd began to call for the punishment of those of Herod's people who ordered the death of the two teachers and the 40 youths. They also demanded the replacement of the High Priest, from the appointed High Priest of Herod's to a High Priest, "of greater piety and purity".[7] Josephus does not tell who would be "of greater piety and purity". To this request, however, Archelaus acceded, although he was becoming angry at the presumptions of the crowds. Archelaus asked for moderation and told the crowds that all would be well if they would put aside their animosities and wait until he was confirmed as King by Caesar Augustus. Archelaus then left to feast with his friends. It was evening and as the darkness settled, a mourning and wailing begin over the city. Archelaus began to worry as people begin streaming into the Temple area and those who wailed for loss of the teachers continued their very loud mourning. The people were escalating in their threatening behavior. Henry St. John Thackeray's translation of Josephus here states it thus: "The promoters of the mourning for the doctors stood in the body of the temple, procuring recruits for their faction".[8] Josephus does not tell us who these "promoters of the mourning", who recruit from within a body inside the Temple, could be. Archelaus then sent a general, some other people and finally a "tribune in Command of a Cohort" to reason with these "Seditionists", to stop their "innovations" and wait until Archelaus could return from Rome and Caesar. Those who came from Archelaus were stoned, with many killed. After the stoning, those who stoned the soldiers returned to their sacrifices, as if nothing had happened. Josephus does not tell who performed the sacrifices in the Temple. It was after midnight, and Archelaus suddenly ordered the entire army into the city to the Temple. Josephus records the death toll at 3000. Archelaus sent heralds around the city announcing the cancellation of Passover. Archelaus quickly sailed to Caesar and faced a group of enemies – his own family. Antipas, the younger brother of Archelaus who was deposed from Herod's will days earlier, argued that Archelaus merely feigned grief for his father, crying during the day and involved with great "merriment" during the nights. The threats carried out by Archelaus ending in the death of 3000 in the Temple were not just threats to the worshipers in Jerusalem at Passover, but also amounted to a threat to Caesar himself, since Archelaus acted in every manner a King, before such title had been given by Caesar. At this point, Nicolaus of Damascus argued to Caesar that Archelaus acted appropriately and that Herod's will, supposedly written a few weeks prior (yielding the kingship to Archelaus and against Antipater), should be seen as valid. The change of this will in favor of Archelaus is given as Herod's true choice and, it is argued, occurred with Herod being in his right mind since he left the final decision to Caesar. The change of the will appears as one of Herod's last acts and it is attested from Jericho by one "Ptolemy", keeper of Herod's Seal. Nicholaus of Damascus had been Herod's confidant for years. He was loyal to Rome. Ptolemy was Nicholaus of Damascus' brother. Archelaus, at the conclusion of the arguments, fell at Caesar's feet. Caesar raised him up and stated that Archelaus "was worthy to succeed his father".[9] Caesar gave Archelaus the title of Ethnarch and divided the kingdom. Rome would consolidate its power later. Thus, Archelaus received the Tetrarchy of Judea through the last will of his father, though a previous will had bequeathed it to his brother Antipas. He was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Caesar Augustus in Rome. In Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the Jews, who feared his cruelty, based on the murder of 3000; but in 4 BC Augustus allotted to him the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea) with the title of ethnarch (a ruler of an ethnic group).[10][11] The first wife of Archelaus is given by Josephus simply as Mariamne,[12] perhaps Mariamne III, daughter of Aristobulus IV, whom he divorced to marry Glaphyra. She was the widow of Archelaus' brother Alexander, though her second husband, Juba, king of Mauretania, was alive. This violation of the Mosaic law, along with Archelaus' continued cruelty, roused the ire of the Jews, who complained to Augustus. Archelaus fell into disrepute and was deposed in his 10th year of reign as ethnarch, being banished to Vienna (today Vienne) in Gaul.[13][10] Samaria, Judea proper, and Idumea became the Roman province of Iudaea.[14] Biblical references[edit] Herod Archelaus from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (16th century depiction) Archelaus is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 2 verse 13–23). An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up and take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to avoid the Massacre of the Innocents. When Herod the Great died, Joseph was told by an angel in a dream to return to the land of Israel (presumably to Bethlehem). However, upon hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father as ruler of Judaea he "was afraid to go there" (Matthew 2:22), and was again warned in a dream by God "and turned aside to the region of" Galilee. This is Matthew's explanation of why Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea but grew up in Nazareth. The beginning and conclusion of Jesus' parable of the minas in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, may refer to Archelaus' journey to Rome. Some interpreters conclude from this that Jesus' parables and preaching made use of events familiar to the people as examples for bringing his spiritual lessons to life. Others read the allusion as arising from later adaptations of Jesus' parables in the oral tradition, before the parables were recorded in the gospels. A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return ... But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." ... "But as for these enemies of mine," [said the nobleman,] "who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me." (Luke 19:12, 19:14, 19:27) Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Rome, 1 BC, Dormition of Anna, Her incorrupt relics in many places like Deutera, mother of MOG, Priest's d, d 79 before A
Jerusalem, 1 BC, Dormition of Anna, Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople) St Anne, mother of Theotokos, Priest's daughter, died at 79 before Annunciation, incorrupt r at Athos, Stavronikita, Anna's Skete, Koutloumousiou; Anna's monastery Lygaria, Lamia, Sourota, Crusaders saints relics, Church St Paul outside Rome; Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Rome, 1 BC, ANNUNCIATION, Nazareth, good tidings, salvation's beginning, mystery revealed, son of God became son of man, more
Galilee, 1 BC, ANNUNCIATION, Nazareth, Galilee, good tidings, salvation beginning, mystery revealed, son of God became son of man, the message & the response, Genesis promise, God sent back to earth, Angel Gabriel announcement, Holy Ghost upon thee, Son of God, Elizabeth old age 6mos pregnant, OK, our salvation of her free will and God's, A icons, Mar 25 9 mos b birth, beginning new year middle of month, selection by God not search for God, great things impossible to describe; Nazareth; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 692 says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent. Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as “good tidings.” This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery,” for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man. are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God’s promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.” The Fathers of the Church understand “her seed” to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled. see this echoed in the Liturgy of Saint Basil, as well: “When man disobeyed Thee, the only true God who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself.” Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to Saint Joseph: “Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel’s message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature. said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). “And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1: 35-38) his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, Saint Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that “the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world.” He explains that salvation is not merely an act of God’s will, but also involves the Virgin’s free will. She could have refused, but she accepted God’s will and chose to cooperate without complaint or further questions. icon of the Feast shows the Archangel with a staff in his left hand, indicating his role as a messenger. Sometimes one wing is upraised, as if to show his swift descent from heaven. His right hand is stretched toward the holy Virgin as he delivers his message. Virgin is depicted either standing or sitting, usually holding yarn in her left hand. Sometimes she is shown holding a scroll. Her right hand may be raised to indicate her surprise at the message she is hearing. Her head is bowed, showing her consent and obedience. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon her is depicted by a ray of light issuing from a small sphere at the top of the icon, which symbolizes heaven. In a famous icon from Sinai, a white dove is shown in the ray of light. are several famous icons of the Annunciation. One is in the Moscow Kremlin in the church of the Annunciation. This icon appeared in connection with the rescue of a prisoner by the Mother of God during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Another is to be found in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow (July 8). It was originally located in Ustiug, and was the icon before which Saint Procopius the fool (July 8) prayed to save the city from destruction in 1290. One of the most highly revered icons in Greece is the Tinos icon of the Annunciation (January 30). Annunciation falls during Lent, but it is always celebrated with great joy. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or Saint John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent. It is one of the two days of Great Lent on which the fast is relaxed and fish is permitted (Palm Sunday is the other). THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; the first chapter of Luke we read how the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Christ, and how Mary answered, "Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me as you have said." is reasonable to suppose that Our Lord was conceived immediately after this. Accordingly, since we celebrate His birth on 25 December, we celebrate the Annunciation nine months earlier, on 25 March. The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico many centuries most European countries took 25 March, not 1 January, as the day when the number of the year changed, so that 24 March 1201 was followed by 25 March 1202. If you had asked a Christian of that time why the calendar year changed so awkwardly partway through a month, he would have answered: "Today we begin a new year of the Christian era, the era which began X years ago today when God was made man, when He took upon Himself a fleshly body and human nature in the womb of the Virgin." following paragraph is from Chapter 14 of the book MIRACLES, by C S Lewis. of those features of the Christian story which is repulsive to the modern mind. To be quite frank, we do not at all like the idea of a "chosen people". Democrats by birth and education, we should prefer to think that all nations and individuals start level in the search for God, or even that all religions are equally true. It must be admitted at once that Christianity makes no concessions to this point of view. It does not tell of a human search for God at all, but of something done by God for, to, and about Man. And the way in which it is done is selective, undemocratic, to the highest degree. After the knowledge of God had been universally lost or obscured, one man from the whole earth (Abraham) is picked out. He is separated (miserably enough, we may suppose) from his natural surroundings, sent into a strange country, and made the ancestor of a nation who are to carry the knowledge of the true God. Within this nation there is further selection: some die in the desert, some remain behind in Babylon. There is further selection still. The process grows narrower and narrower, sharpens at last into one small bright point like the head of a spear. It is a Jewish girl at her prayers. All humanity (so far as concerns its redemption) has narrowed to that. following quotation is from Martin Luther's sermon "On the MAGNIFICAT" (the Song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55). He that is mighty hath done great things for me, and Holy is His Name." (Luke 1:49) "great things" are nothing less than that she became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed upon her as pass man's understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among whom she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in Heaven, and such a child. She herself is unable to find a name for this work, it is too exceedingly great; all she can do is break out in the fervent cry: "They are great things," impossible to describe or define. Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her or to her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea. It needs to be pondered in the heart, what it means to be the Mother of God. Luther's Works, Vol. 21, p. 326, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan, Concordia Publishing House, 1956. by James Kiefer

Rome, 1 BC, Angel Gabriel, Annunciation, Jesus' birth
The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 692 says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent. Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as “good tidings.â€ This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery,â€ for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man. are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God’s promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.â€ The Fathers of the Church understand “her seedâ€ to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled. see this echoed in the Liturgy of Saint Basil, as well: “When man disobeyed Thee, the only true God who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself.â€ Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to Saint Joseph: “Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.â€ contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel’s message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature. said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?â€ (Luke 1:34). “And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.â€ (Luke 1: 35-38) his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, Saint Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that “the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world.â€ He explains that salvation is not merely an act of God’s will, but also involves the Virgin’s free will. She could have refused, but she accepted God’s will and chose to cooperate without complaint or further questions. icon of the Feast shows the Archangel with a staff in his left hand, indicating his role as a messenger. Sometimes one wing is upraised, as if to show his swift descent from heaven. His right hand is stretched toward the holy Virgin as he delivers his message. Virgin is depicted either standing or sitting, usually holding yarn in her left hand. Sometimes she is shown holding a scroll. Her right hand may be raised to indicate her surprise at the message she is hearing. Her head is bowed, showing her consent and obedience. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon her is depicted by a ray of light issuing from a small sphere at the top of the icon, which symbolizes heaven. In a famous icon from Sinai, a white dove is shown in the ray of light. are several famous icons of the Annunciation. One is in the Moscow Kremlin in the church of the Annunciation. This icon appeared in connection with the rescue of a prisoner by the Mother of God during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Another is to be found in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow (July 8). It was originally located in Ustiug, and was the icon before which Saint Procopius the fool (July 8) prayed to save the city from destruction in 1290. One of the most highly revered icons in Greece is the Tinos icon of the Annunciation (January 30). Annunciation falls during Lent, but it is always celebrated with great joy. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or Saint John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent. It is one of the two days of Great Lent on which the fast is relaxed and fish is permitted (Palm Sunday is the other). Galilee, 1 BCE, Angel Gabriel, Annunciation, Jesus' birth; Annunciation (from Latin annuntiatio), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady,[1] or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Christian Messiah and Son of God, marking His Incarnation.[2] Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "YHWH is salvation".[3] to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist.[4] Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March,[2] an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. The Annunciation is a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, having been especially prominent during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A work of art depicting the Annunciation is sometimes itself called an Annunciation.

Rome, 000, 1st Century, Folder, Roman Empire, Jesus

Rome, 0000, FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY
Jerusalem, 0000, FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) at Jerusalem Temple, 40 days after Christmas, end of Mary's seclusion, buy back Jesus as first born male, met by 360 yr old Simeon, I will search Jerusalem with candels, Candlemas; Temple in Jerusalem; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; events commemorated today are recorded in Luke 2:22-39. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple forward from December 25 as Day One, we find that Day Forty is February 2. Jewish woman is in semi-seclusion for 40 days after giving birth to a son, accordingly it is on February 2 that we celebrate the coming of Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to offer sacrifice on behalf of Mary to mark the end of her seclusion (see Le 12:1-8), (2) to ransom or redeem (buy back) Jesus as a first-born male (see Ex 13:11-13; 22:29; Nu 18:15-16; Dt 15:19). they did so, they were greeted by the aged Simeon. a Sunday-School pageant, I once saw, the narrator said, now Simeon bursts into a spontaneous song of praise, assisted by the Temple Choir." song, called the Nunc Dimittis, has always had a prominent role in Christian worship. It has often been rendered in verse. append one example. Lord God, thou now hast set thy servant free, G-GGAGceddc-- to part in peace according to thy word. eefgGcBAAG-- Mine eyes have seen the Saviour, Christ the Lord ddef--cccfed-- prepared by thee for all the worlds to see; dpdBGceddc-- to shine on nations lost in darkest night, cfgaadggrg-- the glory of thy people, and their light. Gcdedfeddc-- The Presentation, by Fra Angelico(The versification is by Rae E Whitney, found in the Episcopal Hymnal 1982. The melody shown at the right is SONG 1 by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). Note that: We denote two octaves of white keys by CDEFGABcdefgab. We denote black keys (beginning with c sharp) by pqrst. We use a dash to continue the previous note for another beat.) an old reading for this festival contains the line (Zephaniah 1:12), will search Jerusalem with candles," day is also known as Candlemas, and sometimes observed with a candle-lit procession. the other hand, Groundhog Day ("If the groundhog (or woodchuck, a kind of marmot, which burrows and hibernates) sees his shadow on 2 February, there will be six more weeks of winter.") is strictly a secular holiday, brought to the United States and Canada by German immigrants. The Presentation, by Le BrunFIRST READING: Malachi 3:1-4 ("Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.") PSALM 84:1-6 ("O how amiable are thy dwellings, thou LORD of hosts!") EPISTLE: Hebrew 2:14-18 ("Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy the power of death.") THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 2:22-40 ("And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.") by James Kiefer

Rome, 0000, Meeting of our Lord and Savior in Jerusalem Temple, described in Luke 2, 40 days after His birth
Jerusaslem, 0000, Meeting of our Lord and Savior in Jerusalem Temple, described in Luke 2, 40 days after His birth, presented to the Lord, after MOG's purification, she offering young lamb, 2Turtledoves to the Lord, out of humility, requirements otLaw, same time divinely inspired 360 yr old Simeon came from Jerusalem, could not die till he received Messiah, he Septuagent writer, Lord not let me depart in peace, Virgin behold this child will fall and rise again, with many, for a sign, sword will pierce him and your own heart also, 84 yr old Anna also there, prophetess, daughter of saint Phanuel, this child has established heaven and earth, Righteous have awaited his coming by faith, Righteous S&A last OT righteous deemed worthy to meet him itTemple, this feast celebrated from the beginning, but really celebrated after Antioch earthquake 528, then plague 541, feast adorned with hymns icons MOG pierced wSwords from Simeon's prophecy ; Temple in Jerusalem; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Meeting of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is described in the third Gospel (Luke 2:22-40). days after His birth the Divine Child was brought to the Temple at Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord. to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple for forty days. the end of the time of her purification, the mother went to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb, two turtledoves, or pigeons to the Lord as a sacrifice. Most Holy Virgin had no need of purification, since she had given birth to the Source of purity and sanctity. of humility, however, she fulfilled the requirements of the Law. this time the righteous Elder Simeon (February 3) was living in Jerusalem. had been revealed to him that he would not die until he beheld the promised Messiah. divine inspiration, Saint Simeon went to the Temple at the very moment when the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Joseph had brought the Child Jesus to fulfill the Law. Simeon received the divine Child in his arms,1 giving thanks to God, he spoke the words repeated by the Church each evening at Vespers: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). Simeon said to the Most Holy Virgin: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). the Temple was an 84-year-old widow, Saint Anna the Prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel (February 3), “who did not leave the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day." arrived just when Saint Simeon met the Divine Child. also gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who were looking for redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). the icon of the Feast she holds a scroll which reads: “This Child has established Heaven and earth.” Christ was born, the righteous men and women lived by faith in the promised Messiah, and awaited His coming. Righteous Simeon and the Prophetess Anna, the last righteous persons of the Old Testament, were deemed worthy to meet Him in the Temple. Feast of the Meeting of the Lord is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. have sermons by the holy bishops Methodios of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilokhios of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), and John Chrysostom (+ 407). its early origin, this Feast was not celebrated so splendidly until the VI century. 528, during the reign of Justinian, an earthquake killed many people in Antioch. misfortunes followed this one. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, carrying off several thousand people each day. this time of widespread suffering, a solemn prayer service (Litia) for deliverence from evils was celebrated on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the plague ceased. thanks to God, the Church established a more solemn celebration of this Feast. hymnographers have adorned this Feast with their hymns: Andrew of Crete in the VII century; Cosmas Bishop of Maium, Saint John of Damascus, and Saint Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in the VIII century; Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessaloniki in the IX century. we also commemorate the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos known as “the Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy. ” The Mother of God is depicted without her Child, and seven swords piercing her breast: three from the left side, three from the right, and one from below. similar Icon, “Of the Seven Swords” (August 13) shows three swords on the left side and four from the right. "Softening of Evil Hearts” Is also commemorated on August 13. Icon “Simeon’s Prophecy” symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous Elder Simeon: “a sword shall pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35). Constantinople, the Emperors would celebrate the Feast Day at the Blakhernae church during the All-Night Vigil. custom continued until the Fall of the Byzantine Empire. 1 For this reason, he is known as the God-Receiver (Θεοδόχος).

Rome, 1-31, John tBaptist, tForerunner, he baptized Christ, called greatest prophet bJesus, bright morning star
Jerusalem, 1-31, Saint, John the Baptist, John the Forerunner, he baptized Christ, called greatest prophet bJesus, born 6mos bc, prepared in desert, fasting, prayer, sympathy fGod' people, preaching repentence a30, bright morning star, announcing dawn day oGrace, killed bHerod fSalome, body buried Sebaste, right hand given to Luke, which baptized Jesus, hand tAntioch wLuke, hand tChalcedon wMoslems seize A, tConstan 956 Theophany, 1200 Dobrynya or Anthony oNovgorod saw hand imperial palace there, 1263 Crusader capture oC one bone tCistercian Abby iFrance, 1453 locked up by Turks iImperial Treasury, 1484 given to Kinghts oRhodes bSultan's son, t their HQ aMalta, Napoleonic Threat 1799 transferred tRussia, Gatchina then Winter Palace, Forerunner celebrated on 6days; Jerusalem Saint, 1-31, John the Baptist, John the Forerunner; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, the history of the Old Testament opens the era of the New Testament. holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism. holy Prophet John, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth, was related to the Lord on His mother’s side. holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before Christ. Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him. the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people. the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. appeared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. church hymnology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ. baptized the sinless Lamb of God, Saint John soon died a martyr’s death, beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. (On Saint John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34, 3:22-26). Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios: body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. holy Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch. the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. special service was composed for this Feast. the Synaxis of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: 23, his Conception; 24, his Nativity; 29, his Beheading; 24, the First and Second Finding of his Head; 25, the Third Finding of his Head; 12, the Transfer of his Right Hand from Malta to Gatchina (1799).

Rome, 1-33, Lord Jesus Christ
Jerusalem, 1AD-33 AD, Lord Jesus Christ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Rome, 1 AD, Three Shepherds, Bethlehem, Judea, Angel Gabriel, great joy to all people, they first to offer worship
Rome, 1 AD, Three Shepherds, Bethlehem, Judea, Angel Gabriel, great joy to all people, they first to offer worship; Bethlehem; Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. The Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). In the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, the Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea.

Rome, 1 AD, The Nativity, Judea, Agustus' census, born today, Lords' Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star
Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Bethlehem, Judea, Agustus' census, King David's house in Bethlehem, cave used as a stable, birth without travail, swaddling clothes, Manger, midnight, Gabriel announced to shepherds, great joy, all people, born today, Savior, the Lord, Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star; Bethlehem; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind.

Rome, 1 AD, The Magi, from Persia to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, because Savior, Lord, Nativity revealed by wonderous star
Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Bethlehem, Judea, Agustus' census, King David's house in Bethlehem, cave used as a stable, birth without travail, swaddling clothes, Manger, midnight, Gabriel announced to shepherds, great joy, all people, born today, Savior, the Lord, Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star; Bethlehem; The Adoration of the Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar, Commemorated on December 25; Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). names of the three Wise Men (Magi) do not appear in the Gospels. The tradition that there were three visitors from the east is very ancient, but their names are only mentioned in the Middle Ages. reputed to be the relics of the three kings have been in the cathedral at Cologne, Germany since 1164. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind.

Rome, 1 AD (360BC-1AD), Simeon the God Receiver, Septuagint translator 360 BC, promised to see the Messiah before death
Jerusalem, 1 AD (360BC-1AD), Simeon the God Receiver, Sanhedrin wise man, Septuagint translator 360 BC, promised he would see the Messiah before death, a virgin will conceive; Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver ; Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver; Jerusalem King, 358 BC- 338 BC, Artaxerxes III; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3; Simeon the God-Receiver was, according to the testimony of the holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). promised him that he would not die until the promised Messiah, Christ the Lord, came into the world. historians tell us that the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.) wished to include texts of Holy Scripture in the famous Library at Alexandria. He invited scholars from Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin sent their wise men. The Righteous Simeon was one of the seventy scholars who came to Alexandria to translate the Holy Scriptures into Greek. The completed work was called “The Septuagint,” and is the version of the Old Testament used by the Orthodox Church. Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet Isaiah, and read the words: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son” (Is 7:14). He thought that “virgin” was inaccurate, and he wanted to correct the text to read “woman.” At that moment an angel appeared to him and held back his hand saying, “You shall see these words fulfilled. You shall not die until you behold Christ the Lord born of a pure and spotless Virgin.” this day, Saint Simeon lived in expectation of the Promised Messiah. One day, the righteous Elder received a revelation from the Holy Spirit, and came to the Temple. It was on the very day (the fortieth after the Birth of Christ) when the All-Pure Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph had come to the Temple in order to perform the ritual prescribed by Jewish Law. Saint Simeon beheld their arrival, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the divine Child held by the All-Pure Virgin Mary was the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Elder took the Child in his arms and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). is a Christian epigram (Number 46) in “The Greek Anthology” which is addressed to Saint Simeon. It tells the righteous Elder to receive the Child Who was born before Adam, and Who will deliver Simeon from this life and bring him to eternal life. A similar idea is expressed in the Aposticha (Slavic use) for the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord (December 24). There the Mother of God refers to her Son as “older than ancient Adam.” blessed the All-Pure Virgin and Saint Joseph, and turning to the Mother of God he said, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). holy Evangelist continues: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38). holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver died at a great age (Tradition says he was 360). His holy relics were transferred to Constantinople in the sixth century. His grave was seen by the Russian pilgrim Saint Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod (October 8) in 1200. Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated on February 3;

Rome, 1 AD, Anna the Prophetess, Jerusalem Temple, widow 84 yrs in the Temple, at the presentation she prophesied of Jesus
Jerusalem, 1 AD, Anna the Prophetess, Jerusalem Temple, widow 84 yrs in the Temple, coming at the presentation gave thanks and prophesied of Jesus to those who looked for redemption; Temple in Jerusalem; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; to Saint Luke’s Gospel, “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. was of a great age, and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Rome, 1AD, Circumcision oJesus&Naming, remind NewCovenant, OT Law sign Old C, Gabriel gave MOG tName, means Savior
Jerusalem, 1AD, Circumcision oJesus, Bethlehem, Judea (high point, south of Jerusalem 6 miles), 8th day, Old Testament Law, sign God's covenant wAbraham's descendants, given name Jesus (Savior) per Archangel Gabriel told Theotokos aAnnunciation, Lord's (creator otLaw) example how faithfully follow divine ordanances, also so no one doubt his human flesh, which heratics taught as illusion, in New Testament circumcision replaced by Baptism, C prefigured B, Cannon Circumcision Feast written by Steven oSavva, Name Jesus indicated his work oSalvation otWorld, C &Naming remind New Covenant wGod; Bethlehem; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. male infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God’s Covenant with the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants [Genesis 17:10-14, Leviticus 12:3]. this ritual, the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos [Luke 1:31-33, 2:21]. Fathers of the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of how faithfully the divine ordinances ought to be fulfilled. Lord was circumcised so that later no one would doubt that He had truly assumed human flesh, that His Incarnation was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics had taught. the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured [Colossians 2:11-12]. of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord continue in the Eastern Church right up through the fourth century. Canon of the Feast was written by Saint Stephen of the Saint Savva Monastery. addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a sign of God’s Covenant with mankind, also received the Name Jesus [Savior] on the eighth day after His Nativity an indication of His service, the work of the salvation of the world [Matthew 1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Philippians 2:9-10]. two events -- the Lord’s Circumcision and Naming -- Christians that they have entered into a New Covenant with God “are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh the circumcision of Christ” [Colossians 2:11]. very name “Christian” is a sign of mankind’s entrance into a New Covenant with God. THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; January 1st, we celebrate the Circumcision of Christ. we are more squeamish than our ancestors, modern calendars often list it as the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, the other emphasis is the older. Jewish boy was circumcised (and formally named) on the eighth day of his life, so, one week after Christmas, we celebrate the occasion when Our Lord first shed His blood for us. is a fit close for a week of martyrs, and reminds us that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Him. FOR ALL YEARS FIRST READING: Exodus 34:1-8 (When the Israelites had broken the Law, God proclaimed His Name before Moses and renewed the Law.) PSALM 8 (O LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Thou hast crowned [the son of man] with glory, and put all things under his feet.) EPISTLE: Romans 1:1-7 (Jesus was Son of David by the rules of flesh, but was the Son of God by the power of the Spirit.) ALTERNATE EPISTLE (YEAR A ONLY): Philippians 2:9-13 ("at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow") THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 2:15-21 (The visit of the shepherds to the manger; the circumcision) by James Kiefer

Rome, 2, The 14K Holy Innocents, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed
Jerusalem, 2, The 14K Holy Innocents, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed, at Incarnation Magi from Parthia Persia came tJerusalem &Bethlehem following an expected star that foretold the birth of a Judean King, they brought gifts for that king, all part of their religion, which included Astrology, the star took them tJerusalem, and Herod, he asked them to come back his way, then the star took them to Bethlehem, they worshiped Jesus, gave him his gifts, but did not return to Herod, but went home to Parthia, being warned by God in a dream, Herod realized his scheme to kill Jesus failed, so he ordered all male children 2yrs&younger near Bethlehem be killed, Jesus' parents sent tEgypd by God, those murdered infants first Martyrs fChrist, Herod gets horid disease eaten by worms, so Rage oHeod, killed Simeon God-receiver, and Zach who would not expose his son John tBaptist, killed chief priests&scribes, k his brother, sister, her husband, his own wife, his 3Sons, 70 wise men oSanhedrin, all so no one would rejoice at his death, relics otInnocents in Constantinople, Jerusalem, Mt Athos; Jerusalem, 002, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, Judea, when Magi did not return to him, Herod ordered all Bethlehem male children 2 and younger killed; Bethlehem; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. They journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. worshipped the divine Infant, they did not return to Jerusalem to Herod, as he had ordered them, but being warned by God in a dream, they went back to their country by another way. finally realized that his scheme to find the Child would not be successful, and he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger at Bethlehem and its surroundings be killed. He thought that the divine Infant, Whom he considered a rival, would be among the dead children. murdered infants thus became the first martyrs for Christ. The rage of Herod fell also on Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3), who declared before everyone in the Temple that the Messiah had been born. When the holy Elder died, Herod would not give permission for him to be properly buried. On the orders of King Herod, the holy prophet and priest Zachariah was also killed. He was murdered in Jerusalem between the Temple and the altar (Mt. 23:35) because he would not tell the whereabouts of his son John, the future Baptist of the Lord Jesus Christ. wrath of God soon fell upon Herod himself: a horrid condition struck him down and he died, eaten by worms while still alive. Before his death, the impious king murdered the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, and also his brother, and his sister and her husband, and also his own wife Mariam, and three of his sons, and seventy men of wisdom who were members of the Sanhedrin. He initiated this bloodbath so that the day of his death would not be one of rejoicing, but one of mourning. Christian Church very rightly proclaimed these murdered children as Saints, because they died at an innocent age, and were, in some way, the first martyrs of Christianity. They may not have been baptized in water, but they were baptized in the blessed blood of their martyrdom. but not least, the relics (or perhaps some) of the Holy Infants are found in Constantinople, in the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, which was built by Emperor Justin. Most of their Holy Relics are at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Portions of their Holy Relics are also to be found in the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos. THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; read in Matthew 2 that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel -- "martyrs in fact though not in will." Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." a discussion of the historical background of the episode, consult the Web page (NOTE: Ignore what the file says about the Assumption of Moses.) by James Kiefer Slaughter of the Innocents, by Fra Angelico

Rome, 2, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed
Jerusalem, 002, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, Judea, when Magi did not return to him, Herod ordered all Bethlehem male children 2 and younger killed; Bethlehem; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. They journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. worshipped the divine Infant, they did not return to Jerusalem to Herod, as he had ordered them, but being warned by God in a dream, they went back to their country by another way. finally realized that his scheme to find the Child would not be successful, and he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger at Bethlehem and its surroundings be killed. He thought that the divine Infant, Whom he considered a rival, would be among the dead children. murdered infants thus became the first martyrs for Christ. The rage of Herod fell also on Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3), who declared before everyone in the Temple that the Messiah had been born. When the holy Elder died, Herod would not give permission for him to be properly buried. On the orders of King Herod, the holy prophet and priest Zachariah was also killed. He was murdered in Jerusalem between the Temple and the altar (Mt. 23:35) because he would not tell the whereabouts of his son John, the future Baptist of the Lord Jesus Christ. wrath of God soon fell upon Herod himself: a horrid condition struck him down and he died, eaten by worms while still alive. Before his death, the impious king murdered the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, and also his brother, and his sister and her husband, and also his own wife Mariam, and three of his sons, and seventy men of wisdom who were members of the Sanhedrin. He initiated this bloodbath so that the day of his death would not be one of rejoicing, but one of mourning. Christian Church very rightly proclaimed these murdered children as Saints, because they died at an innocent age, and were, in some way, the first martyrs of Christianity. They may not have been baptized in water, but they were baptized in the blessed blood of their martyrdom. but not least, the relics (or perhaps some) of the Holy Infants are found in Constantinople, in the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, which was built by Emperor Justin. Most of their Holy Relics are at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Portions of their Holy Relics are also to be found in the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos. THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; read in Matthew 2 that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel -- "martyrs in fact though not in will." Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." a discussion of the historical background of the episode, consult the Web page (NOTE: Ignore what the file says about the Assumption of Moses.) by James Kiefer Slaughter of the Innocents, by Fra Angelico

Rome, 10-66, Evodius, Syrian Saint, Bishop, writer, mary birth at 15, died under Nero in 66
Syrian Saint, 10-66, Evodius; Evodius or Euodias (died circa 69) was an Early Christian bishop of Antioch, succeeding Saint Peter. He is regarded as one of the first identifiable Christians, and venerated as a saint. is known of the life of Evodius. the time, Antioch was an opulent and cosmopolitan city where both Hellenized Jews and pagans were influenced by monotheism. According to the Book of Acts, one of the first evangelised communities were these Jews and pagans of Antioch. It was there that the term "Christian" was coined for these Gentiles, mainly Syrian and Greek converts.[citation needed] Peter became the bishop of Antioch and led the church there. Evodius is said to have been one of the pagans converted to Christianity due to the apostolic work of Saint Peter.[citation needed] eventually succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch when Peter left for Rome.[1] Evodius was bishop of Antioch until 66 AD, and was succeeded by Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Catholic tradition says it is likely that Saint Evodius died of natural causes, however, the Eastern Orthodox tradition holds that he was martyred under Emperor Nero in 66 AD.[2] As one of the first pagans to come to the new church, he is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church as well as in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in Oriental Orthodoxy including the Assyrian Church of the East. His feast day is 6 May in the Catholic Church and 7 September in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Holy Apostle Evodius of the Seventy was, after the holy Apostle Peter, the first bishop in Syrian Antioch. His successor, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: “Remember your blessed father Evodus, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles.” Evodius served as bishop for 27 years and died as a martyr under the emperor Nero (54-68). Saint Evodus wrote several compositions. In one of them he writes that the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world at the age of fifteen. writings of the saint have not survived. A book entitled THE STAR is mentioned by the fourteenth century church historian Nikēphóros Callistus. Saint Evodus received the crown of martyrdom in the year 66. Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Rome, 20-100, JOHN, t theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, Jesus' friend, MOG care 34yrs, much more
Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; the Evangelist is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, or John the Presbyter,[2] although this has been disputed by most modern scholars.[3] Mount Tabor; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart. the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him. Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder, the youth actually did repent and turn his life around. John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ, as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ;

Rome, 14-37, Emperor, Tiberius, red egg of resurrection from M Magdelen, red egg blood of new life
Roman Emperor, 14-37, Tiberius; Luke 3:1-14, The Proclamation of John the Baptist; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; Apostle Archippus the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord, Commemorated on December 25; Icon of the Mother of God of œVilna, Commemorated on December 26; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Joseph of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on December 27; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; James of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 28; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 30 ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1; THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN); Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Agabus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Asyncritus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Olympas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Fortunatus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January) ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT); Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4; Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Rome, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate
Jerusalem, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate; Pilate[b] was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from the year 26/27 to 36/37 AD. is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and later ordered his crucifixion. Pilate's importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. to the Gospels' portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as a martyr and saint, a belief historically shared by the Coptic Church.[7] Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources on his rule have survived. He appears to have belonged to the well-attested Pontii family of Samnite origin, but nothing is known for certain about his life before he became governor of Judaea, nor of the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship.[8] single inscription from Pilate's governorship has survived, the so-called Pilate stone, as have coins that he minted. Jewish historian Josephus, philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate's administration. Many of these involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus later also recorded this information. to Josephus, Pilate's removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this before Tiberius, though the emperor died before Pilate arrived. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this. the basis of a mention in the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.[9] historians have differing assessments of Pilate as an effective ruler; while some believe he was a particularly brutal and ineffective governor, others argue that his long time in office means he must have been reasonably competent. to one prominent post-war theory, Pilate was motivated by antisemitism in his treatment of the Jews, but this theory has been mostly abandoned.[10] Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Pilate became the focus of a large group of New Testament apocrypha expanding on his role in the Gospels. In many of these, particularly the earlier texts from the Eastern Roman Empire, Pilate was portrayed as a positive figure. In some, he became a Christian martyr. later, particularly Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain, with traditions surrounding his death by suicide featuring prominently. Pilate was also the focus of numerous medieval legends, which invented a complete biography for him and portrayed him as villainous and cowardly. Many of these legends connected Pilate's place of birth or death to particular locations around Western Europe. has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. Medieval art frequently portrayed scenes of Pilate and Jesus, often in the scene where he washes his hands of guilt for Jesus's death. the art of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Pilate is often depicted as a Jew. nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. He plays an important role in medieval passion plays, where he is often a more prominent character than Jesus. His characterization in these plays varies greatly, from weak-willed and coerced into crucifying Jesus to being an evil person who demands Jesus's crucifixion. authors who feature Pilate prominently in their works include Anatole France, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Chingiz Aitmatov, with a majority of modern treatments of Pilate dating to after the Second World War. Pilate has also frequently been portrayed in film. THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ;

Rome, 26-46 AD, Claudia Procula, Pontius Pilate's wife, Christian Martyr, prophetic dream
Rome, 26-46 AD, Claudia Procula, Pontius Pilate's wife, Christian Martyr and Saint, Prophetic Dream; Saint Claudia Procula, Commemorated on October 27; Matthew is the only Evangelist to mention Pilate’s wife, who told him “Have nothing to do with that just man, because I have suffered many things in a dream today because of him” (Matthew 27:19). is not identified by name, but the author of the apocryphal Acts of Paul says that she received Baptism from the Apostle of the Gentiles. the apocryphal Gospel of Νikόdēmos she is called Procla, or Procula. in the late fourth, or early fifth century, she is known as Claudia Procula. Pilate would not free Christ, because he was afraid of the Jews, her husband’s death, Claudia Procula is said to have embraced Christianity. living her life in the utmost goodness and piety, she surrendered her soul in peace. There are other accounts, however, which say that she was a martyr. Jerusalem, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate; Pilate[b] was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from the year 26/27 to 36/37 AD. is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and later ordered his crucifixion. Pilate's importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. to the Gospels' portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as a martyr and saint, a belief historically shared by the Coptic Church.[7] Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources on his rule have survived. He appears to have belonged to the well-attested Pontii family of Samnite origin, but nothing is known for certain about his life before he became governor of Judaea, nor of the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship.[8] single inscription from Pilate's governorship has survived, the so-called Pilate stone, as have coins that he minted. Jewish historian Josephus, philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate's administration. Many of these involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus later also recorded this information. to Josephus, Pilate's removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this before Tiberius, though the emperor died before Pilate arrived. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this. the basis of a mention in the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.[9] historians have differing assessments of Pilate as an effective ruler; while some believe he was a particularly brutal and ineffective governor, others argue that his long time in office means he must have been reasonably competent. to one prominent post-war theory, Pilate was motivated by antisemitism in his treatment of the Jews, but this theory has been mostly abandoned.[10] Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Pilate became the focus of a large group of New Testament apocrypha expanding on his role in the Gospels. In many of these, particularly the earlier texts from the Eastern Roman Empire, Pilate was portrayed as a positive figure. In some, he became a Christian martyr. later, particularly Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain, with traditions surrounding his death by suicide featuring prominently. Pilate was also the focus of numerous medieval legends, which invented a complete biography for him and portrayed him as villainous and cowardly. Many of these legends connected Pilate's place of birth or death to particular locations around Western Europe. has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. Medieval art frequently portrayed scenes of Pilate and Jesus, often in the scene where he washes his hands of guilt for Jesus's death. the art of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Pilate is often depicted as a Jew. nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. He plays an important role in medieval passion plays, where he is often a more prominent character than Jesus. His characterization in these plays varies greatly, from weak-willed and coerced into crucifying Jesus to being an evil person who demands Jesus's crucifixion. authors who feature Pilate prominently in their works include Anatole France, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Chingiz Aitmatov, with a majority of modern treatments of Pilate dating to after the Second World War. Pilate has also frequently been portrayed in film.

Rome, 30, Theophany aka EPIPHANY, Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan, Kings Highway 13)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); (Arabic: meaning "baptism" or "immersion") is the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.[1] place has also been referred to as Bethany (Beyond the Jordan) and Bethabara. The name is currently used primarily for the eastern side of the site, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River. western side of the ancient site is currently known as Qasr el-Yahud. This article deals primarily with the eastern section, located in Jordan. includes two principal archaeological areas: the remnants of a monastery on a mound known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah's Hill) and an area close to the river with remains of churches, baptism ponds and pilgrim and hermit dwellings.[3] The two areas are connected by a stream called Wadi Kharrar.[4][5] strategic location between Jerusalem and the King's Highway is already evident from the Book of Joshua report about the Israelites crossing the Jordan there. Mar-Elias is traditionally identified as the site of the ascension of the prophet Elijah to heaven.[6] complete area was abandoned after the 1967 Six-Day War, when both banks of the Jordan became part of the frontline. The area was heavily mined then.[7] the signing of the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994, de-mining of area soon took place after an initiative of Jordanian royalty, namely Prince Ghazi.[8] site has then seen several archaeological digs, four papal visits and state visits, and attracts tourists and pilgrimage activity.[9] In 2015, the site was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, excluding the western side of the river. Approximately 81,000 people visited the site in 2016, mostly European, American, and Arab tourists.[10] Thousands flock to the site on January 6 to mark Epiphany.[9] Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; first day of the Forefeast of Theophany falls on January 2. Like the hymns for the Nativity, many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns of Holy Week. One of the hymns at Matins today says that the coming Feast of Theophany will be “even more radiant” than the Feast of the Nativity. Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Troparion — Tone 4 Prepare, O Zebulon, / and adorn yourself, O Naphtali; / river Jordan, cease flowing / and receive with joy the Master coming to be baptized. / Adam, rejoice with our First Mother / and do not hide yourself as you did of old in Paradise; / for having seen you naked, / He has appeared to clothe you with the first garment. / Christ has appeared to renew all creation. Kontakion — Tone 4 Today the Lord enters the Jordan and cries out to John: / “Do not be afraid to baptize me. / For I have come to save Adam, the first-formed man.” Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by Saint John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in the region of the shadow of death” (Mt.4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace. the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind. origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times, and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13). From the second century we have the testimony of Saint Clement of Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and the night vigil before this Feast. is a third century dialogue about the services for Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and Saint Gregory the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany. monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at Orthodox services even today. Saint John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but “to bury human sin by water,” to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify “the nature of water” and to offer us the form and example of Baptism. the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Undivided. It exposes and overthrows the errors of ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms. Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean this priceless garb, for “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). the day of Theophany, all foods are permitted, even if the Feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday. THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January), Commemorated January 6; ON THE READINGS: The readings from Isaiah and the Psalms, as given above, speak of kings bringing tribute. It is perhaps worth noting, that Matthew does not say that they were kings, or even that they were Gentiles, and, contrary to his usual practice in his Infancy Narrative, does not refer to these passages from the Jewish Scriptures. ON THE FEAST: "Epiphany" is a word of Greek origin, related to such English words as "theophany," "phenotype," and "phenomenon." It means an appearance, a displaying, a showing forth, a making clear or public or obvious. On this day, Christians have traditionally celebrated the making known of Jesus Christ to the world. The Visit of the Three Kings, by Roger van der Weyden events have been thought of as special instances of the making known of Our Lord, such as: His birth; the coming of the Magi; His Baptism; His first miracle at Cana. Current majority usage, at least in the West, celebrates His birth on 25 December, the coming of the Magi on 6 January, and His Baptism on the next Sunday. On the following Sundays up to the beginning of Lent, we remember Our Lord's public preaching of the kingdom, particularly the earlier stages of that preaching when opposition had not yet crystallized. On the Last Sunday after Epiphany (the Sunday before Lent), we commemorate the Transfiguration, the climax of this first phase of our Lord's public ministry. then, we commemorate the visit of the Magi, a token of the day when all the peoples of the earth will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, God, and Savior. The visit of the Magi is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew. Magi (magoi), the Latin (Greek) plural of magus (magos), referred originally to the priests of Parsiism, the monotheistic religion preached in Persia by Zoroaster in about the sixth century BC. In later years it came to mean magicians, priests, physicians, scribes, scholars, or learned men. From it we derive our word "magic." The KJV Bible translates the word as "wise men." Matthew tells us how they came to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem, and gave gifts to the infant Jesus. (For a discussion of whether this is a historical event, look for the document of that name on the Web page See also parts 2,3, and 4. Ignore the references to the Assumption of Moses. These are based on what turned out to be a bad translation.) In poem and picture, the wise men came to be thought of as three kings, and in many countries (particularly Spanish-speaking ones), children receive gifts, not on 25 December, but on 6 January in memory of the gifts that the wise men brought to the Holy Child. Christian writers have interpreted the gold as a sign that Jesus is King, the Frankincense as a sign that He is God, and the myrrh (used in embalming) as a sign that He is by His death and Resurrection the Savior of the world. This imagery is found in the song, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." The three gifts are also understood a a sign of three responses that we ought to make to Christ. See the following hymn: THE BLESSED BIRTH The Epiphany, by Hieronymous BoschThat so thy Blessed Birth, O Christ, might through the world be spread about, the star appeared in the East, whereby the Gentiles found thee out; and offered thee Myrrh, Incense, Gold, thy three-fold office to unfold. Tears that from true repentance drop, instead of Myrrh present will we: for Incense we will offer up our prayers and praises unto thee; and bring for Gold each pious deed, which doth from saving faith proceed. And as those wise men never went to visit Herod any more, so, finding thee, we will repent our courses followed heretofore; and that we homeward may retire the way by thee we will enquire. George Wither (1588-1667) in his HYMNES AND SONGS OF THE CHURCH, 1623 There is a musical setting by H. Walford Davies (1869-1941) FOR THE EPIPHANY SEASON Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise, manifested by the star to the sages from afar; Branch of royal David's stem in thy birth at Bethlehem; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest at Jordan's stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; and at Cana, wedding guest, in thy Godhead manifest; manifest in power divine, changing water into wine; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest in making whole palsied limbs and fainting soul; manifest in valiant fight, quelling all the devil's might; manifest in gracious will, ever bringing good from ill; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest on mountain height, shining in resplendent light, where disciples filled with awe thy transfigured glory saw. When from thence thou leddest them steadfast to Jerusalem, cross and Easter day attest God in man made manifest. Grant us grace to see thee, Lord, mirrored in thy holy word; may we imitate thee now, and be pure, as pure art thou; that we like to thee may be at thy great epiphany; and may praise thee, ever blest, God in man made manifest. Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885) Stanza Four by F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984) by James Kiefer Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, whom the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, concludes the history of the Old Testament and opens the era of the New Testament. The holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. Saint John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism. holy Prophet John, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth, was related to the Lord on His mother’s side. The holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him. the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. Saint John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people. the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He appeared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. In church hymnology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ. baptized the sinless Lamb of God, Saint John soon died a martyr’s death, beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. (On Saint John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34, 3:22-26). Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios: body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. The holy Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch. the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. From the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. the Synaxis of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: September 23, his Conception; June 24, his Nativity; August 29, his Beheading; February 24, the First and Second Finding of his Head; May 25, the Third Finding of his Head; October 12, the Transfer of his Right Hand from Malta to Gatchina (1799). Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; sixth day of the Afterfeast of Theophany falls on January 12. Divine grace shines forth so that we might be freed from the power of the devil, and cleansed of our sins in Baptism. “He who once assumed the appearance of a malignant serpent and implanted death in the creation, is now cast into darkness by Christ’s coming in the flesh....” (Ode 3, second Canon at Matins). “Through the Spirit and by the grace that comes through water, He grants a new birth to all who acknowledge His divinity, delivering them from their faults” (Ode 6, first Canon at Matins). Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ;

Rome, 30, Synaxis ot70 Apostles, they established churches&Bishops throughout 100% otWorlds Population based Navigation&Trade
Rome, 30, Synaxis ot70 Apostles, they established churches&Bishops throughout 100% of the Worlds Population (We know this because trade is required for population, trade needs roads and navagatible rivers, we know the Worlds navigatible rivers or drainages flowing into Oceans and Seas, for example China only has three of unnavigatable rivers and they were covered, Brazil only has one un-navitable and little trade, Same for Mexico, US and Canada, little trade), this Synaxis established to honor each equally, they sent two by two before Christ tCities he would visit, Descent otHoly Spirit they preached in various lands, some accompanied t12, many martyred, 100% otWorld, see below for their commemoration dates during the year; Rome; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (July 28); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8 ); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10 ); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10 ); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus, the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ.

Rome, 30-, Apostles Folder

Rome, 30-34, STEVEN, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl S, Sanhedrin speach, stoned, forgive them
Jerusalem, 30-34, STEVEN, apostles can't both preach and administer, people chose 7 deacons incl S, spirit filled, sound judgement, hands laid, S eloquent fiery speaker, against temple service or defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate, fiery speach before Sanhedrin , stoned to d, forgive them, Paul there; Jerusalem; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; that we know about Stephen the Protomartyr (that is, the first martyr of the Christian Church) is found in chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts. early Christian congregations, like the Jewish synagogues, had a program of assistance for needy widows, and some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the Jerusalem congregation complained that their widows were being neglected. apostles replied: "We cannot both preach and administer financial matters. Choose seven men from among yourselves, respected, Spirit-filled, and of sound judgement, and let them be in charge of the accounts, and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." The people accordingly chose seven men, including Stephen, and the apostles laid their hands on them. are traditionally considered to be the first deacons, although the Scriptures do not use the word to describe them. Scriptures do refer to officials called deacons in the local congregations, without being very specific about their duties; and a century or more later, we find the organized charities of each local congregation in the hands of its deacons.) was an eloquent and fiery speaker, and a provocative one. readers have speculated that some of his fellow Christians wanted to put him in charge of alms in the hope that he would administer more and talk less.) blunt declarations that the Temple service was no longer the means by which penitent sinners should seek reconciliation with God enraged the Temple leaders, who caused him to be stoned to death. he died, he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." One of those who saw the stoning and approved of it was Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, who took an active part in the general persecution of Christians that followed the death of Stephen, but who was later led to become a Christian himself. remember Stephen on December 26, the day after Christmas. Hence the song Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen, an action of the king on the day after Christmas Day. The tune used with this song is older than the words and was previously used with a hymn often sung on the feasts of Stephen and other martyrs. It begins: Christian friends, your voices raise. Wake the day with gladness. God himself to joy and praise turns our human sadness: Joy that martyrs won their crown, opened heaven's bright portal, when they laid the mortal down for the life immortal. by James Kiefer Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen was the eldest of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called “archdeacon.” was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ when he was about thirty. In the words of Asterias, he was “the starting point of the martyrs, the instructor of suffering for Christ, the foundation of righteous confession, since Stephen was the first to shed his blood for the Gospel.” with the Holy Spirit, Saint Stephen preached Christianity and defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate. The Jews maligned Saint Stephen, saying that he had uttered blasphemy against God and against Moses. Saint Stephen came before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest to answer these charges. He gave a fiery speech, in which he recounted the history of the Jewish nation, and denounced the Jews for persecuting the prophets, and also for executing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts ch. 7). his speech, Saint Stephen suddenly saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God. The Jews shouted and covered their ears, and rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him, but the holy martyr prayed for his murderers. Far off on the heights stood the Mother of God with the holy Apostle John the Theologian, and She prayed fervently for the martyr. Before his death Saint Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Then he joyfully gave up his pure soul to Christ. body of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, left to be eaten by beasts, was secretly taken up by the Jewish teacher Gamaliel and his son Habib, who buried Stephen on his estate. They both believed in Christ, and later received holy Baptism. Saint Stephen is also commemorated on August 2 (Translation of his relics) and on September 15 (Uncovering of his relics in the year 415).

Rome, 30-34, Steven, 1st Martyr&Archdeacon because oldest ot7, tInstructor fSuffering fChrist & righteous confession
Jerusalem, 30-34, Steven, 1st Martyr &Archdeacon because oldest ot7deacons chosen, age 30 when martyred, tInstructor fSuffering fChrist, tFoundation oRighteous Confession, preached Christianity defeating Jews in debate, they charged him wBlasphemy against God, fiery speach before Sanhedrin&High Priest, history Jews persecuting prophets & executing Messiah, sudden vision Jesus iHeaven right hand oGod, they stoned him, but he prayed fThem, on a hill John &MOG prayed fStephen, he joyfully gave his pure soul tChrist, his body taken bGamaliel&Son, buried on his estate, relics uncovered wG&Son in 415; Jerusalem, 30-34, STEVEN, apostles can't both preach and administer, people chose 7 deacons incl S, spirit filled, sound judgement, hands laid, S eloquent fiery speaker, against temple service or defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate, fiery speach before Sanhedrin , stoned to d, forgive them, Paul there; Jerusalem; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; that we know about Stephen the Protomartyr (that is, the first martyr of the Christian Church) is found in chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts. early Christian congregations, like the Jewish synagogues, had a program of assistance for needy widows, and some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the Jerusalem congregation complained that their widows were being neglected. apostles replied: "We cannot both preach and administer financial matters. Choose seven men from among yourselves, respected, Spirit-filled, and of sound judgement, and let them be in charge of the accounts, and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." The people accordingly chose seven men, including Stephen, and the apostles laid their hands on them. are traditionally considered to be the first deacons, although the Scriptures do not use the word to describe them. Scriptures do refer to officials called deacons in the local congregations, without being very specific about their duties; and a century or more later, we find the organized charities of each local congregation in the hands of its deacons.) was an eloquent and fiery speaker, and a provocative one. readers have speculated that some of his fellow Christians wanted to put him in charge of alms in the hope that he would administer more and talk less.) blunt declarations that the Temple service was no longer the means by which penitent sinners should seek reconciliation with God enraged the Temple leaders, who caused him to be stoned to death. he died, he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." One of those who saw the stoning and approved of it was Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, who took an active part in the general persecution of Christians that followed the death of Stephen, but who was later led to become a Christian himself. remember Stephen on December 26, the day after Christmas. Hence the song Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen, an action of the king on the day after Christmas Day. The tune used with this song is older than the words and was previously used with a hymn often sung on the feasts of Stephen and other martyrs. It begins: Christian friends, your voices raise. Wake the day with gladness. God himself to joy and praise turns our human sadness: Joy that martyrs won their crown, opened heaven's bright portal, when they laid the mortal down for the life immortal. by James Kiefer Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen was the eldest of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called “archdeacon.” was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ when he was about thirty. In the words of Asterias, he was “the starting point of the martyrs, the instructor of suffering for Christ, the foundation of righteous confession, since Stephen was the first to shed his blood for the Gospel.” with the Holy Spirit, Saint Stephen preached Christianity and defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate. Jews maligned Saint Stephen, saying that he had uttered blasphemy against God and against Moses. Stephen came before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest to answer these charges. gave a fiery speech, in which he recounted the history of the Jewish nation, and denounced the Jews for persecuting the prophets, and also for executing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts ch. 7). his speech, Saint Stephen suddenly saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God. Jews shouted and covered their ears, and rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him, the holy martyr prayed for his murderers. off on the heights stood the Mother of God with the holy Apostle John the Theologian, She prayed fervently for the martyr. his death Saint Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Then he joyfully gave up his pure soul to Christ. body of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, left to be eaten by beasts, was secretly taken up by the Jewish teacher Gamaliel and his son Habib, who buried Stephen on his estate. They both believed in Christ, and later received holy Baptism. Saint Stephen is also commemorated on August 2 (Translation of his relics) and on September 15 (Uncovering of his relics in the year 415).

Rome, 30-34, Nicanor, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl N, who died by stoning with Stephen
Jerusalem, 30-34, Nicanor, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl N, who died by stoning with Stephen; Jerusalem; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 28; Nicanor, Apostle of the Seventy was among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6: 1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and established them to serve as deacons. Holy Church celebrates their memory together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. Nicanor suffered on that day when the holy Protomartyr Stephen and many other Christians were killed by stoning.

Rome, 30-60, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna, first called, Peter's b, Scythia, Black Sea and Kiev
Rome, 30-60, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna; Mongol, Scythia, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20;

Rome, 30-60, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saints Inna, Pinna and Rimma
Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), and they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. They preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. They were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. The chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. When the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20; transfer of the relics of Saints Inna, Pinna, and Rimma to Alushta took place during the first-second centuries. These holy martyrs are also commemorated on January 20.

Rome, 30-44, Apostle Thaddeus of 70 from Edessa, Armenia, converted Armenian King Agbar in Edessa, estab churches E&Beirut
Armenia, 30-44, Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy from Edessa, Armenia (abundant water), baptized by John, sent out by Jesus, home to convert Agbar, estab churches in E and Beirut; Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50).

Rome, 30-60, Apostle Chephas, Bishop oColophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, Goksu River 1)
Colophon, Pamphylia; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; was Bishop of Colophon, Pamphylia, Lykaonia

Rome, 30-61, Apostle Epaphroditus of the 70, Bishop oAdriaca, (Adige River 9.5), one of Paul's closest assistants
Northern Italy, 35-61, Apostle Epaphroditus of the 70, Adriaca, (Adige River 9.5); Epaphroditus (Greek: Ἐπαφρόδιτος) is a New Testament figure appearing as an envoy of the Philippian church to assist the Apostle Paul (Philippians 2:25-30). He is regarded as a saint of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, first Bishop of Philippi, and of Andriaca (there are at least two ancient towns called Andriaca, one in Thrace and one in Asia Minor), and first Bishop of Terracina, Italy. There is little evidence that these were all the same man. Adriaca; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Epaphroditus, one of the Apostle Paul’s closest assistants and companions, was bishop of the Thracian city of Adriaca. Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Rome, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified in Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis
Egypt, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified at Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis, proclaiming Gospel, healing, converting; Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle James the son of Alphaeus one of the Twelve Apostles, the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30), missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, Eleutheropolis, the Gospel, healing all sorts of sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. James finished his apostolic work In the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where he was crucified by the pagans.

Rome, 30-63, Apostle James, Lord's brother, Nazarene, f bishop, Council p, conversions, off roof, stoning, litergy, book
Jerusalem, 30-63, Apostle James, brother of the Lord ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. He was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Rome, 30-63, Apostle James, Lord's step-brother, approx 25 yrs older than MOG, probably at Jesus' birth because Joseph was 80
Jerusalem, 30-63, Apostle James, brother of the Lord ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. He was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Rome, 30-62, Apostle Barnabus, first to preach in Rome
Rome, 30-62, Apostle Barnabus, first to preach in Rome; born Joseph, was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Named an apostle in Acts 14:14, he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They traveled together making more converts (c. 45-47), and participated in the Council of Jerusalem (c. 50). Barnabas and Paul successfully evangelized among the "God-fearing" Gentiles who attended synagogues in various Hellenized cities of Anatolia. story appears in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Tertullian named him as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, but this and other attributions are conjecture. Clement of Alexandria and some scholars have ascribed the Epistle of Barnabas to him, but his authorship is disputed. the date, place, and circumstances of his death are historically unverifiable, Christian tradition holds that Barnabas was martyred at Salamis, Cyprus. He is traditionally identified as the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The feast day of Barnabas is celebrated on June 11. is usually identified as the cousin of Mark the Evangelist on the basis of the term "anepsios" used in Colossians 4, which carries the connotation of "cousin." Orthodox tradition holds that Aristobulus of Britannia, one of the Seventy Disciples, was the brother of Barnabas.[1] 11:24 describes Barnabas as "a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith". Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy was born on the island of Cyprus into the family of the tribe of Levi, and he was named Joseph. He received his education at Jerusalem, being raised with his friend and fellow student Saul (the future Apostle Paul) under the renowned teacher of the Law, Gamaliel. Joseph was pious, he frequented the Temple, he strictly observed the fasts and avoided youthful distractions. During this time period our Lord Jesus Christ began His public ministry. Seeing the Lord and hearing His Divine Words, Joseph believed in Him as the Messiah. Filled with ardent love for the Savior, he followed Him. The Lord chose him to be one of His Seventy Apostles. The other Apostles called him Barnabas, which means “son of consolation.â€ After the Ascension of the Lord to Heaven, Barnabas sold land belonging to him near Jerusalem and he brought the money to the feet of the Apostles, leaving nothing for himself (Acts 4:36-37). Saul arrived in Jerusalem after his conversion and sought to join the followers of Christ, everyone there was afraid of him since he had persecuted the Church only a short while before. Barnabas, however, came with him to the Apostles and reported how the Lord had appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:26-28). Barnabas went to Antioch to encourage the believers, “Having come and having seen the grace of God, he rejoiced and he urged all to cleave to the Lord with sincerity of heartâ€ (Acts 11:23). Then he went to Tarsus, and brought the Apostle Paul to Antioch, where for about a year they taught the people. It was here that the disciples first began to be called Christians (Acts 11:26). With the onset of famine, and taking along generous alms, Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem. When King Herod killed Saint James the son of Zebedee, and had the Apostle Peter put under guard in prison to please the Jews, Saints Barnabas and Paul and Peter were led out of the prison by an angel of the Lord. hid out at the house of Barnabas’ aunt Maria. Later, when the persecution had quieted down, they returned to Antioch, taking with them Maria’s son John, surnamed Mark. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophets and teachers there imposed hands upon Barnabas and Paul, and sent them off to do the work to which the Lord had called them (Acts 13:2-3). Arriving in Seleucia, they sailed off to Cyprus and in the city of Salamis they preached the Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. Paphos they came across a sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was close with the proconsul Sergius. Wishing to hear the Word of God, the proconsul invited the saints to come to him. The sorcerer attempted to sway the proconsul from the Faith, but the Apostle Paul denounced the sorcerer, who through his words suddenly fell blind. The proconsul believed in Christ (Acts 13:6-12). Paphos Barnabas and Paul set sail for Pergamum of Pamphylia, and then they preached to the Jews and the Gentiles at Pisidian Antioch and throughout all that region. The Jews rioted and expelled Paul and Barnabas. The saints arrived in Iconium, but learning that the Jews wanted to stone them, they withdrew to Lystra and Derben. There the Apostle Paul healed a man, crippled in the legs from birth. The people assumed them to be the gods Zeus and Hermes and wanted to offer them sacrifice. The saints just barely persuaded them not to do this (Acts 14:8-18). the question arose whether those converted from the Gentiles should accept circumcision, Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem. There they were warmly received by the Apostles and elders. The preachers related “what God had wrought with them and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentilesâ€ (Acts 14:27). long deliberations the Apostles collectively resolved not to impose any sort of burden upon Gentile Christians except what was necessary: to refrain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:19-20). Letters were sent with Barnabas and Paul, and they again preached at Antioch, and after a certain while they decided to visit the other cities where they had visited earlier. Saint Barnabas wanted to take Mark along with him, but Saint Paul did not want to, since earlier he had left them. A quarrel arose, and they separated. Paul took Silas with him and went to Syria and Cilicia, while Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus (Acts 15:36-41). multiplied the number of believers, Saint Barnabas traveled to Rome, where he was perhaps the first to preach Christ. Barnabas founded the episcopal see at Mediolanum (now Milan), and upon his return to Cyprus he continued to preach about Christ the Savior. Then the enraged Jews incited the pagans against Barnabas, and they led him out beyond the city and stoned him, and then built a fire to burn the body. Later on, having come upon this spot, Mark took up the unharmed body of Saint Barnabas and buried it in a cave, placing upon the saint’s bosom, in accord with his final wishes, the Gospel of Matthew which he had copied in his own hand. Barnabas died in about the year 62, at age seventy-six. In time, the burial spot was forgotten, but numerous signs took place at this spot. In the year 448, during the time of the emperor Zeno, Saint Barnabas appeared three times in a dream to Archbishop Anthimus of Cyprus and indicated the place where his relics were buried. Starting to dig at the indicated spot, Christians found the incorrupt body of the saint, and upon his chest was the Holy Gospel. was during this time that the Church of Cyprus began to be regarded as Apostolic in origin, and received the right of choosing its head. Thus Saint Barnabas defended Cyprus against the pretensions of the opponent of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the heretic surnamed Knapheios, who had usurped the patriarchal throne at Antioch and tried to gain dominion over the Church of Cyprus. Rome, 30-67, Apostle Paul Rome, 30-68, Apostle Peter ;

Rome, 30-66, Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Antioch, Syria, for 27 yrs, writer, wrote MOG birth at 15
Syria, 30-66, Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), for 27 yrs, writer, wrote MOG birth at 15; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Evodius of the Seventy was, after the holy Apostle Peter, the first bishop in Syrian Antioch. successor, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: “Remember your blessed father Evodus, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles.” Evodius served as bishop for 27 years and died as a martyr under the emperor Nero (54-68). Evodus wrote several compositions. In one of them he writes that the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world at the age of fifteen. writings of the saint have not survived. A book entitled THE STAR is mentioned by the fourteenth century church historian Nikēphóros Callistus. Saint Evodus received the crown of martyrdom in the year 66.

Rome, 30-67, Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Damascus bishop, h Paul's eyes& baptized h, healed m, prayed f stoners
Syria, 30-67, Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, bishop of Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), restored Paul's eyes & baptized him, went to Eleutheropolis, healed many, tortured, stoned, prayed for stoners; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Holy Apostle Ananias of the Seventy (October 1), the first Bishop of Damascus. Lord ordered him to restore the sight of Saul, the former persecutor of Christians, then baptize him (Acts 9:10-19, 22:12). became the great preacher and Apostle Paul. Ananias boldly and openly confessed Christianity before the Jews and the pagans, despite the danger. Damascus he went to preach at Eleutheropolis, he healed many of their infirmities. the prefect of the city, tried to persuade the holy one to offer sacrifice to idols. Because of Ananias’ staunch and solid confession of Christ, Lucian ordered that he be tortured. Harsh torments did not sway the witness of Truth. the torturers led him out beyond the city, where they stoned him. The saint prayed for those who put him to death. His relics were later transferred to Constantinople.

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Paul, formerly the enemy of the church, road to Damascus, Apostle leader, citizen, m Rome in 68
Rome, 30-68, Apostle Paul; hymns for their Feast speak of Saints Peter and Paul as the leaders (koryphaioi), and chiefs of the Apostles. They are, without a doubt, the foremost in the ranks of the Apostles. koryphaioi were leaders of the chorus in ancient Greek tragedy. They set the pattern for the singing, and also for the dance movements and gestures of the chorus. Before Sophocles, there were twelve members of the chorus, and Saints Peter and Paul were the leaders of the twelve Apostles. Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and lived in Tarsus in Cilicia. He once described himself as a Hebrew, an Israelite of the seed of Abraham (2 Cor. 11:22). He was also a Pharisee and a tent-maker (Acts 18:3) who had studied the Law with Gamaliel at Jerusalem. first, he was called Saul, and had persecuted the Church. He was present at the stoning of Saint Stephen (Acts 7: 58). Then, on the road to Damascus, he was converted when Christ appeared to him. Blinded by the vision, he was healed when Ananias laid his hands on him. After his cure, he was baptized (Acts 9:18). Paul preached the Gospel in Greece, Asia Minor, and in Rome, and wrote fourteen Epistles. Tradition says that he was martyred in Rome about the year 68. The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; the Holy Church piously remembers the sufferings of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul. Peter, the fervent follower of Jesus Christ, for the profound confession of His Divinity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” was deemed worthy by the Savior to hear in answer, “Blessed art thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this stone [petra] I build My Church” (Mt.16:16-18). On “this stone” [petra], is on that which thou sayest: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” it is on this thy confession I build My Church. Wherefore the “thou art Peter”: it is from the “stone” [petra] that Peter [Petrus] is, and not from Peter [Petrus] that the “stone” [petra] is, just as the Christian is from Christ, and not Christ from the Christian. Do you want to know, from what sort of “rock” [petra] the Apostle Peter [Petrus] was named? Hear the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I do not want ye to be ignorant,” says the Apostle of Christ, “how all our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor.10: 1-4).... Lord Jesus Christ, in the final days of His earthly life, in the days of His mission to the race of man, chose from among the disciples His twelve Apostles to preach the Word of God. Among them, the Apostle Peter for his fiery ardor was vouchsafed to occupy the first place (Mt.10:2) and to be as it were the representative person for all the Church. Therefore it is said to him, preferentially, after the confession: “I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in the heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth: shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt.16: 19). Therefore it was not one man, but rather the One Universal Church, that received these “keys” and the right “to bind and loosen.” And that it was actually the Church that received this right, and not exclusively a single person, turn your attention to another place of the Scriptures, where the same Lord says to all His Apostles, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit” and further after this, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, are retained” (John 20: 22-23); or: “whatsoever ye bind upon the earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosened in heaven” (Mt.18:18). Thus, it is the Church that binds, the Church that loosens; the Church, built upon the foundational cornerstone, Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:20), doth bind and loosen. Let both the binding and the loosening be feared: the loosening, in order not to fall under this again; the binding, in order not to remain forever in this condition. Therefore “Iniquities ensnare a man, and everyone is bound in the chains of his own sins,” says Wisdom (Prov 5:22); and except for Holy Church nowhere is it possible to receive the loosening. His Resurrection the Lord entrusted the Apostle Peter to shepherd His spiritual flock not because, that among the disciples only Peter alone was pre-deserved to shepherd the flock of Christ, but Christ addresses Himself chiefly to Peter because, that Peter was first among the Apostles and as such the representative of the Church; besides which, having turned in this instance to Peter alone, as to the top Apostle, Christ by this confirms the unity of the Church. “Simon of John” -- says the Lord to Peter -- “lovest thou Me?” -- and the Apostle answered: “Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee”; and a second time it was thus asked, and a second time he thus answered; being asked a third time, seeing that as it were not believed, he was saddened. But how is it possible for him not to believe That One, Who knew his heart? And wherefore then Peter answered: “Lord, Thou knowest all; Thou knowest that I love Thee.” “And sayeth Jesus to him” all three times “Feed My sheep” (John 20:15-17). this, the triple appealing of the Savior to Peter and the triple confession of Peter before the Lord had a particular beneficial purpose for the Apostle. That one, to whom was given “the keys of the kingdom” and the right “to bind and to loose,” bound himself thrice by fear and cowardice (Mt.26:69-75), and the Lord thrice loosens him by His appeal and in turn by his confession of strong love. And to shepherd literally the flock of Christ was acquired by all the Apostles and their successors. “Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,” the Apostle Paul urges church presbyters, “over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28); and the Apostle Peter to the elders: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when is appeared the Prince of pastors, ye will receive unfading crowns of glory” (1 Pet. 5:2-4). is remarkable that Christ, having said to Peter: “Feed My sheep,” did not say: “Feed thy sheep,” but rather to feed, good servant, the sheep of the Lord. “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor.1:13). “Feed My sheep”. Wherefore “wolfish robbers, wolfish oppressors, deceitful teachers and mercenaries, not being concerned about the flock” (Mt.7:15; Acts 20:29; 2 Pet 2:1; John 10:12), having plundered a strange flock and making of the spoils as though it be of their own particular gain, they think that they feed their flock. Such are not good pastors, as pastors of the Lord. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), entrusted to Him by the chief Shepherd Himself (1 Pet 5:4). And the Apostle Peter, true to his calling, gave his soul for the very flock of Christ, having sealed his apostleship by a martyr’s death, is now glorified throughout all the world. Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, was changed from a robbing wolf into a meek lamb. Formerly he was an enemy of the Church, then is manifest as an Apostle. Formerly he stalked it, then preached it. Having received from the high priests the authority at large to throw all Christians in chains for execution, he was already on the way, he breathed out “threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), he thirsted for blood, but “He that dwells in the Heavens shall laugh him to scorn” (Ps 2:4). When he, “having persecuted and vexed” in such manner “the Church of God” (1Cor.15:9; Acts 8:5), he came near Damascus, and the Lord from Heaven called to him: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” and I am here, and I am there, I am everywhere: here is My head; there is My body. There becomes nothing of a surprise in this; we ourselves are members of the Body of Christ. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me; it is hard for thee to kick against the goad” (Acts 9:4-5). Saul, however, “trembling and frightened”, cried out: “Who art Thou, Lord?” The Lord answered him, “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest.” Saul suddenly undergoes a change: “What wantest Thou me to do?” -- he cries out. And suddenly for him there is the Voice: “Arise, and go to the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). Here the Lord sends Ananias: “Arise and go into the street” to a man, “by the name of Saul,” and baptize him, “for this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9: 11, 15, 18). This vessel must be filled with My Grace. “Ananias, however, answered: Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy Name” (Acts 9:13-14). But the Lord urgently commands Ananias: “Search for and fetch him, for this vessel is chosen by Me: for I shall show him what great things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:11, 15-16). actually the Lord did show the Apostle Paul what things he had to suffer for His Name. He instructed him the deeds; He did not stop at the chains, the fetters, the prisons and shipwrecks; He Himself felt for him in his sufferings, He Himself guided him towards this day. On a single day the memory of the sufferings of both these Apostles is celebrated, though they suffered on separate days, but by the spirit and the closeness of their suffering they constitute one. Peter went first, and Paul followed soon after him. Formerly called Saul, and then Paul, having transformed his pride into humility. His very name (Paulus), meaning “small, little, less,” demonstrates this. What is the Apostle Paul after this? Ask him, and he himself gives answer to this: “I am,” says he, “the least of the Apostles... but I have labored more abundantly than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me” (1 Cor.15:9-10). so, brethren, celebrating now the memory of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, remembering their venerable sufferings, we esteem their true faith and holy life, we esteem the innocence of their sufferings and pure confession. Loving in them the sublime quality and imitating them by great exploits, “in which to be likened to them” (2 Thess 3: 5-9), and we shall attain to that eternal bliss which is prepared for all the saints. The path of our life before was more grievous, thornier, harder, but “we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12: 1), having passed by along it, made now for us easier, and lighter, and more readily passable. First there passed along it “the author and finisher of our faith,” our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 12: 2); His daring Apostles followed after Him; then the martyrs, children, women, virgins and a great multitude of witnesses. Who acted in them and helped them on this path? He Who said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15: 5). Rome, 30-68, Apostle Peter ; Roman Pope, 66-99, Clement I ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25;

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Peter, Apostle leader, fiery ardor, fisherman, crucified in Rome under Nero
Rome, 30-68, Apostle Peter ; Peter[5] (died between AD 64 and 68[1]), also known as Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon (/ˈsaɪmən/ (About this soundlisten)), Cephas (/ˈsiːfəs/[6]), or Peter the Apostle, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and one of the first leaders of the early Church. to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero. He is traditionally counted as the first bishop of Rome‍—‌or pope‍—‌and also by Eastern Christian tradition as the first patriarch of Antioch. The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and as the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Diocese of Rome,[1] but differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his successors. According to Catholic teaching, Jesus promised Peter a special position in the Church.[7] the New Testament, Peter appears repeatedly and prominently in all four gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. He is the brother of Saint Andrew, and both brothers were fishermen. The Gospel of Mark in particular was traditionally thought to show the influence of Peter's preaching and eyewitness memories. He is also mentioned, under either the name Peter or Cephas, in Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians and the Epistle to the Galatians. The New Testament also includes two general epistles, First Peter and Second Peter, that are traditionally attributed to him, but modern scholarship generally rejects the Petrine authorship of both.[8] of the New Testament, several apocryphal books were later attributed to him, in particular the Acts of Peter, Gospel of Peter, Preaching of Peter, Apocalypse of Peter, and Judgment of Peter, although scholars believe these works to be pseudoepigrapha.[9][10][11] Roman Pope, 66-99, Clement I ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; the Holy Church piously remembers the sufferings of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul. Peter, the fervent follower of Jesus Christ, for the profound confession of His Divinity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” was deemed worthy by the Savior to hear in answer, “Blessed art thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this stone [petra] I build My Church” (Mt.16:16-18). On “this stone” [petra], is on that which thou sayest: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” it is on this thy confession I build My Church. Wherefore the “thou art Peter”: it is from the “stone” [petra] that Peter [Petrus] is, and not from Peter [Petrus] that the “stone” [petra] is, just as the Christian is from Christ, and not Christ from the Christian. Do you want to know, from what sort of “rock” [petra] the Apostle Peter [Petrus] was named? Hear the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I do not want ye to be ignorant,” says the Apostle of Christ, “how all our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor.10: 1-4).... Lord Jesus Christ, in the final days of His earthly life, in the days of His mission to the race of man, chose from among the disciples His twelve Apostles to preach the Word of God. Among them, the Apostle Peter for his fiery ardor was vouchsafed to occupy the first place (Mt.10:2) and to be as it were the representative person for all the Church. Therefore it is said to him, preferentially, after the confession: “I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in the heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth: shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt.16: 19). Therefore it was not one man, but rather the One Universal Church, that received these “keys” and the right “to bind and loosen.” And that it was actually the Church that received this right, and not exclusively a single person, turn your attention to another place of the Scriptures, where the same Lord says to all His Apostles, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit” and further after this, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, are retained” (John 20: 22-23); or: “whatsoever ye bind upon the earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosened in heaven” (Mt.18:18). Thus, it is the Church that binds, the Church that loosens; the Church, built upon the foundational cornerstone, Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:20), doth bind and loosen. Let both the binding and the loosening be feared: the loosening, in order not to fall under this again; the binding, in order not to remain forever in this condition. Therefore “Iniquities ensnare a man, and everyone is bound in the chains of his own sins,” says Wisdom (Prov 5:22); and except for Holy Church nowhere is it possible to receive the loosening. His Resurrection the Lord entrusted the Apostle Peter to shepherd His spiritual flock not because, that among the disciples only Peter alone was pre-deserved to shepherd the flock of Christ, but Christ addresses Himself chiefly to Peter because, that Peter was first among the Apostles and as such the representative of the Church; besides which, having turned in this instance to Peter alone, as to the top Apostle, Christ by this confirms the unity of the Church. “Simon of John” -- says the Lord to Peter -- “lovest thou Me?” -- and the Apostle answered: “Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee”; and a second time it was thus asked, and a second time he thus answered; being asked a third time, seeing that as it were not believed, he was saddened. But how is it possible for him not to believe That One, Who knew his heart? And wherefore then Peter answered: “Lord, Thou knowest all; Thou knowest that I love Thee.” “And sayeth Jesus to him” all three times “Feed My sheep” (John 20:15-17). this, the triple appealing of the Savior to Peter and the triple confession of Peter before the Lord had a particular beneficial purpose for the Apostle. That one, to whom was given “the keys of the kingdom” and the right “to bind and to loose,” bound himself thrice by fear and cowardice (Mt.26:69-75), and the Lord thrice loosens him by His appeal and in turn by his confession of strong love. And to shepherd literally the flock of Christ was acquired by all the Apostles and their successors. “Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,” the Apostle Paul urges church presbyters, “over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28); and the Apostle Peter to the elders: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when is appeared the Prince of pastors, ye will receive unfading crowns of glory” (1 Pet. 5:2-4). is remarkable that Christ, having said to Peter: “Feed My sheep,” did not say: “Feed thy sheep,” but rather to feed, good servant, the sheep of the Lord. “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor.1:13). “Feed My sheep”. Wherefore “wolfish robbers, wolfish oppressors, deceitful teachers and mercenaries, not being concerned about the flock” (Mt.7:15; Acts 20:29; 2 Pet 2:1; John 10:12), having plundered a strange flock and making of the spoils as though it be of their own particular gain, they think that they feed their flock. Such are not good pastors, as pastors of the Lord. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), entrusted to Him by the chief Shepherd Himself (1 Pet 5:4). And the Apostle Peter, true to his calling, gave his soul for the very flock of Christ, having sealed his apostleship by a martyr’s death, is now glorified throughout all the world. Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, was changed from a robbing wolf into a meek lamb. Formerly he was an enemy of the Church, then is manifest as an Apostle. Formerly he stalked it, then preached it. Having received from the high priests the authority at large to throw all Christians in chains for execution, he was already on the way, he breathed out “threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), he thirsted for blood, but “He that dwells in the Heavens shall laugh him to scorn” (Ps 2:4). When he, “having persecuted and vexed” in such manner “the Church of God” (1Cor.15:9; Acts 8:5), he came near Damascus, and the Lord from Heaven called to him: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” and I am here, and I am there, I am everywhere: here is My head; there is My body. There becomes nothing of a surprise in this; we ourselves are members of the Body of Christ. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me; it is hard for thee to kick against the goad” (Acts 9:4-5). Saul, however, “trembling and frightened”, cried out: “Who art Thou, Lord?” The Lord answered him, “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest.” Saul suddenly undergoes a change: “What wantest Thou me to do?” -- he cries out. And suddenly for him there is the Voice: “Arise, and go to the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). Here the Lord sends Ananias: “Arise and go into the street” to a man, “by the name of Saul,” and baptize him, “for this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9: 11, 15, 18). This vessel must be filled with My Grace. “Ananias, however, answered: Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy Name” (Acts 9:13-14). But the Lord urgently commands Ananias: “Search for and fetch him, for this vessel is chosen by Me: for I shall show him what great things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:11, 15-16). actually the Lord did show the Apostle Paul what things he had to suffer for His Name. He instructed him the deeds; He did not stop at the chains, the fetters, the prisons and shipwrecks; He Himself felt for him in his sufferings, He Himself guided him towards this day. On a single day the memory of the sufferings of both these Apostles is celebrated, though they suffered on separate days, but by the spirit and the closeness of their suffering they constitute one. Peter went first, and Paul followed soon after him. Formerly called Saul, and then Paul, having transformed his pride into humility. His very name (Paulus), meaning “small, little, less,” demonstrates this. What is the Apostle Paul after this? Ask him, and he himself gives answer to this: “I am,” says he, “the least of the Apostles... but I have labored more abundantly than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me” (1 Cor.15:9-10). so, brethren, celebrating now the memory of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, remembering their venerable sufferings, we esteem their true faith and holy life, we esteem the innocence of their sufferings and pure confession. Loving in them the sublime quality and imitating them by great exploits, “in which to be likened to them” (2 Thess 3: 5-9), and we shall attain to that eternal bliss which is prepared for all the saints. The path of our life before was more grievous, thornier, harder, but “we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12: 1), having passed by along it, made now for us easier, and lighter, and more readily passable. First there passed along it “the author and finisher of our faith,” our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 12: 2); His daring Apostles followed after Him; then the martyrs, children, women, virgins and a great multitude of witnesses. Who acted in them and helped them on this path? He Who said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15: 5).

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Philemon&w Apphia, Colossae, Phyrgia, Church in home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Philemon and wife Apphia, Colossae, Phyrgia, Church in their home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Rome, 30-68, Philemon, Apphia and Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, P Bishop of P, Gaza Archpastor, Wife Apphia, Archippus C b
Phrygia, 30-68, Philemon, Apphia and Archippus of the Seventy, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), Prominent Phrygia citizen, church in his home, evangelist preacher, Bishop of P, Archpastor of Gaza, Wife Apphia coworker, Archippus bishop of Colossae, P; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; See below Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. Later on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Saint Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Saint Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. After torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22.

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon&Apphia & their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed w knives
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon and wife Apphia and their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed with knives; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Rome, 30-68, Rodion or Herodion, Apostle of the Seventy, Bishop of Patra, K in Rome with Peter
Greece, 30-68, Rodion or Herodion, Apostle of the Seventy, Bishop of Patra, K in Rome with Peter of Patras (also Herodian or Rodion) was a relative of Saint Paul whom Paul greets in Romans 16:11. to tradition, he was numbered among the Seventy Disciples and became bishop of Patras, where he suffered greatly. beating, stoning, and stabbing him, they left him for dead, but St. Herodion arose and continued to serve the Apostles. was beheaded with Olympas in Rome while they were serving Saint Peter on the same day that St. Peter was crucified. His feast days are celebrated on January 4 among the Seventy, April 8, and November 10. Patras; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Apollonia, John Mark, the Evangelist, Barnabas' cousin
Albania, 30-68, Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Mark is named in the Acts of the Apostles as an assistant accompanying Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys. Traditionally he is regarded as identical with Mark the Evangelist, the traditional writer of the Gospel of Mark. account 6th-century Syriac inscription at the Monastery of St. Mark on Zion, beginning, "This is the house of Mary, mother of John Mark." Lion of St Mark outside Bishop's Palace -- Galveston, Texas times the Acts of the Apostles mentions a certain "John, who was also called Mark" or simply "John": And when [Peter] had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.Acts 12:12 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.Acts 12:25 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had John to their minister.[Acts 13:5] Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.[Acts 13:13] And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whise surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabus took Mark, and sailed unto Cypress; And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the Grace of God. [Acts 15:37–40] these passages it may be gathered that John's mother Mary had a large house in Jerusalem to which Peter fled after escaping prison; that John assisted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Cyprus and as far as Perga in Pamphylia, but then returned to Jerusalem; and that later controversy over receiving John Mark back led to Paul and Barnabas parting ways, with Barnabas taking Mark back to Cyprus and both thereafter disappearing from the narrative of Acts. The reasons for John Mark's departure to Jerusalem and the subsequent disagreement between Paul and Barnabas have been subject to much speculation. Matthew Henry, for example, suggested that John Mark had departed "without [Barnabas and Paul's] knowledge, or without their consent".[2] However, there is simply too little data to regard any explanation with confidence.[3] scholars have argued that John Mark's negative portrayal in Acts is a polemic against the presumptive author of the Gospel of Mark, Luke's primary source for his own Gospel. Adela Collins suggests, "Since the author of Acts also wrote the Gospel according to Luke, it could be that this critical portrait was intended to undercut the authority of the second Gospel."[4] Michael Kok notes that "Mark's Gospel was a bit of an embarrassment to the refined literary and theological tastes of an educated Christian like Luke."[5] was common for Jews of the period to bear both a Semitic name such as John (Hebrew: Yochanon) and a Greco-Roman name such as Mark.[6] But since John was one of the most common names among Palestinian Jews,[7] and Mark was the most common in the Roman world,[8] caution is warranted in identifying John Mark with any other John or Mark. sources in fact consistently distinguish John Mark from the other Marks of the New Testament and style him Bishop of Byblos.[1][9][10][11] Nor was John Mark identified in antiquity with any other John, apart from rare and explicit speculation.[10][12][13] sources, on the other hand, increasingly regarded all New Testament references to Mark as Mark the Evangelist, and many modern scholars have agreed in seeing a single Mark.[14] The very fact that various writings could refer simply to Mark without further qualification has been seen as pointing to a single Mark.[15] there is Mark the cousin of Barnabas, mentioned by Paul as a "fellow worker" in the closings of three Pauline epistles.[16] In antiquity he was regarded as a distinct Mark, Bishop of Apollonia.[11] If, on the other hand, these two Marks are to be identified, the fact that these epistles were written after the departure of John Mark with Barnabas in Acts must suppose some later reconciliation. But a majority of scholars, noting the close association of both Marks with Paul and Barnabas, indeed regard them as likely the same person. Biblical scholars Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles Augustus Briggs identified Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, with John Mark,[17] as do John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington.[18] the Evangelist, however, is known only from the patristic tradition, which associates him only with Peter and makes no mention of Paul.[19] Jerome alone suggests that the Mark of whom Paul speaks may be the Evangelist.[20][21] But modern scholars have noted that as Peter fled to the house of John Mark's mother, the two men may have had a longstanding association.[22] minority of modern scholars have argued, on the other hand, for identifying John the Evangelist or John the Elder with John Mark.[23] sources Acts of Barnabas, apparently an apocryphal work of the 5th century,[24] purport to be written by John Mark and to detail the missionary journey and martyrdom of Barnabas in Cyprus, thus picking up where the account of Acts leaves off.[25] Encomium of the Apostle St. Barnabas, written by Alexander the Monk in the 6th century, also gives an extensive account of the activity of Barnabas and John Mark in Cyprus. After the death of Barnabas, John Mark leaves for Ephesus, and the account then continues by identifying him with Mark the Evangelist.[10] Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Mark, also called John, (Acts 12:12), was a nephew of Saint Barnabas, and was Bishop of Apollonia (Col. 4:10). It was in the house of his mother Maria that the persecuted disciples found shelter after the Ascension of the Lord. Mark the Evangelist; the Evangelist is the traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark. Mark is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria, one of the most important episcopal sees of early Christianity. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion.[3] identity[edit] See also: Four Evangelists Mark the Evangelist's symbol is the winged lion, the Lion of Saint Mark. Inscription: PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS ("peace be upon you, Mark, my evangelist"). The same lion is also symbol of Venice (on illustration) to William Lane (1974), an "unbroken tradition" identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark,[4] and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas.[5] Hippolytus of Rome in On the Seventy Apostles distinguishes Mark the Evangelist (2 Tim 4:11), John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10; Phlm 1:24).[6] to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the "Seventy Disciples" who were sent out by Jesus to disseminate the gospel (Luke 10:1ff.) in Judea. to Eusebius of Caesarea (Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1–4), Herod Agrippa I, in his first year of reign over the whole of Judea (AD 41), killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter, planning to kill him after the Passover. Peter was saved miraculously by angels, and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1–19). went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, as mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1), and arrived in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius (AD 42; Eusebius, Eccl, Hist. 2.14.6). on the way, Peter encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15–16), before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (AD 43).[7] to the Acts 15:39, Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem. to tradition, in AD 49, about 19 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark travelled to Alexandria and founded the Church of Alexandria – today, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church trace their origins to this original community.[8] Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself.[9] He became the first bishop of Alexandria and he is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa.[10] to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 2.24.1), Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68.[1][11][12][13][14] modern Bible scholars argue the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author, rather than direct witnesses to the reported events.[15][16][17][18][19] Biblical and traditional information[edit] St Mark in the Nuremberg Chronicle for Mark the Evangelist's authorship of the Gospel that bears his name originates with Papias.[20][21] Scholars of the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are "almost certain" that Papias is referencing John Mark.[22] Modern mainstream Bible scholars discard Papias's information as unreliable.[23] Eusebius had a "low esteem of Papias' intellect".[24] Mark the Evangelist with John Mark also led to identifying him as the man who carried water to the house where the Last Supper took place (Mark 14:13),[25] or as the young man who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51–52).[26] Coptic Church accords with identifying Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, as well as that he was one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Christ (Luke 10:1), as Hippolytus confirmed.[27] tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in his house after Jesus's death, that the resurrected Jesus Christ came to Mark's house (John 20), and that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost in the same house.[27] Mark is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine (John 2:1–11).[27] to the Coptic tradition, Mark was born in Cyrene, a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa (now Libya). tradition adds that Mark returned to Pentapolis later in life, after being sent by Paul to Colossae (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24. however, think these actually refer to Mark the Cousin of Barnabas), and serving with him in Rome (2 Tim 4:11); from Pentapolis he made his way to Alexandria.[28][29] Mark returned to Alexandria, the pagans of the city resented his efforts to turn the Alexandrians away from the worship of their traditional gods.[citation needed] In AD 68, they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead.[30] Festa del bocoło (rosebud festival) in St Mark's Square, Venice (Italy) Feast of St Mark is observed on April 25 by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. For those Churches still using the Julian Calendar, April 25 according to it aligns with May 8 on the Gregorian Calendar until the year 2099. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes the Feast of St Mark on Parmouti 30 according to the Coptic Calendar which always aligns with April 25 on the Julian Calendar or May 8 on the Gregorian Calendar. John Mark is distinguished from Mark the Evangelist, John Mark is celebrated on September 27 (as in the Roman Martyrology) and Mark the Evangelist on April 25. is remembered in the Church of England and in much of the Anglican Communion, with a Festival on 25 April.[31] of Saint Mark[edit] mosaic of St Marks body welcomed into Venice, at St Mark's Basilica, Venice. Saint Mark, 1411–1413, by Donatello (Orsanmichele, Florence). 828, relics believed to be the body of Saint Mark were taken from Alexandria (at the time controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate) by two Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks and taken to Venice.[32] mosaic in St Mark's Basilica depicts sailors covering the relics with a layer of pork and cabbage leaves. Since Muslims are not permitted to eat pork, this was done to prevent the guards from inspecting the ship's cargo too closely.[33] Nicol explained this act as "motivated as much by politics as by piety", and "a calculated stab at the pretensions of the Patriarchate of Aquileia." Instead of being used to adorn the church of Grado, which claimed to possess the throne of Saint Mark, it was kept secretly by Doge Giustiniano Participazio in his modest palace. Possession of Saint Mark's remains was, in Nicol's words, "the symbol not of the Patriarchate of Grado, nor of the bishopric of Olivolo, but of the city of Venice." In his will, Doge Giustiniano asked his widow to build a basilica dedicated to Saint Mark, which was erected between the palace and the chapel of Saint Theodore Stratelates, who until then had been patron saint of Venice.[34] 1063, during the construction of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Saint Mark's relics could not be found. However, according to tradition, in 1094, the saint himself revealed the location of his remains by extending an arm from a pillar.[35] The newfound remains were placed in a sarcophagus in the basilica.[36] believe that the head of Saint Mark remains in a church named after him in Alexandria, and parts of his relics are in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo. The rest of his relics are in Venice.[1] Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Paopi, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of Saint Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria.[37] June 1968, Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria sent an official delegation to Rome to receive a relic of Saint Mark from Pope Paul VI. The delegation consisted of ten metropolitans and bishops, seven of whom were Coptic and three Ethiopian, and three prominent Coptic lay leaders. relic was said to be a small piece of bone that had been given to the Roman pope by Giovanni Cardinal Urbani, Patriarch of Venice. Pope Paul, in an address to the delegation, said that the rest of the relics of the saint remained in Venice. delegation received the relic on June 22, 1968. The next day, the delegation celebrated a pontifical liturgy in the Church of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in Rome. The metropolitans, bishops, and priests of the delegation all served in the liturgy. Members of the Roman papal delegation, Copts who lived in Rome, newspaper and news agency reporters, and many foreign dignitaries attended the liturgy.

Rome, 30-68, Onesiphorus of the Seventy, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia, and Corinth, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium
Cilicia, 30-68, Onesiphorus of the Seventy Apostles, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth), and later Corinth, Greece, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium on the Hellespont; Colophon, Cilicia ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Rome, 30-68, Onesiphorus of the Seventy, visited Paul in 68, died in 68 in Parium, Hellespont
Rome, 30-68, Onesiphorus of the Seventy; (meaning "bringing profit" or "useful") was a Christian referred to in the New Testament letter of Second Timothy (2 Tim 1:16–18 and 2 Tim 4:19). According to the letter sent by St. Paul, Onesiphorus sought out Paul who was imprisoned at the time in Rome. Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Cæsar, and Onesiphorus, from the Menologion of Basil II. to Orthodox tradition, Saint Onesiphorus was one of the seventy disciples chosen and sent by Jesus to preach. They were chosen some time after the selection of the Twelve Apostles (Luke 10:1-24).[1] St Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. Both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches hold that he died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont.[2] 2 Timothy persecution of Christians during Nero’s reign made Rome a dangerous city for Christians. Paul praises Onesiphorus for his hospitality, kindness, and courage.[3][4] Onesiphorus is contrasted with the other Christians in Asia who have deserted Paul at this time. 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Paul sends a greeting to the man’s household in Ephesus and refers to the help he showed Paul earlier in Ephesus. Timothy, who led the Ephesian church is familiar with these acts.[5] Paul's praise of Onesiphorus is significant because it was written shortly before Paul's death as a final encouragement to Timothy. now, at the time of correspondence, only "Luke alone is with (Paul)" (4:11). Because Paul speaks of Onesiphorus only in the past tense, wishes blessings upon his house (family), and mercy for him "in that day", some scholars believe that Onesiphorus had at this point died.[5] the end of the same letter, in 2 Timothy 4:19, Paul sends greetings to "Priscilla and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus", again apparently distinguishing the situation of Onesiphorus from that of the still-living Priscilla and Aquila. reference to Onesiphorus, along with 2 Maccabees 12:40–46, is cited by Catholics as one of the early examples of prayer for the dead,[6] while some Protestants opposing this practice reject such an interpretation.[7] is commemorated on September 6 in Roman Catholic Church,[8] and September 7 in Orthodox Church.[9] should not be confused with the Onesiphorus of Ephesus who was martyred with Porphyrius during the Diocletian persecution, and is commemorated on November 9. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Rome, 30-68, Apostle Justus, replaced Judas, Jesus step b, Bishop & martyred at Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads)
Jerusalem, 30-68, Apostle Justus martyred at Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads); Eleutheropolis (a crossroads); Eleutheropolis (Greek, "City of the Free") was a Roman city in Israel, some 53 km southwest of Jerusalem. Its remains still straddle the ancient road to Gaza. Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis. Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Justus, called Barsaba, a son of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, was chosen with Matthias to replace Judas. He was a bishop and died a martyr’s death at Eleutheropolis. Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; info and now deleted

Rome, 30-97, Titus, oTIMOTHY & TITUS, Bishop oCrete, Companion oPaul, coworker, subject Paul's NT letter to Titus
Crete, 30-97, Titus, oTIMOTHY & TITUS, Bishop oCrete, Companion oPaul, coworker, subject Paul's NT letter to Titus, T appears in 2Cor, Galatians, 2Tim, Pastoral Letters 1Tim, 2Tim, Titus, Pauline Authorship questioned,because not written to congregations; Crete; Titus of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT) and Titus appear in the New Testament writings as missionary companions of, and co-workers with, the Apostle Paul. is mentioned as a companion of Paul in some of his epistles (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18; Gal 2:1-3; 2 Tim 4:10). is mentioned in Acts 16-20, and appears in 9 epistles either as joining in Paul's greetings or as a messenger. addition, Timothy has two New Testament letters addressed to him, and Titus one. these three letters (called the Pastoral Epistles), it appears that Paul had commissioned Timothy to oversee the Christian community in Ephesus and vicinity, and Titus to oversee that in Crete. The Pauline authorship of these three letters has been disputed by many scholars who accept as genuine most or all of the other New Testament letters attributed to Paul. this connection, we may note: It would be difficult to forge a letter from Paul to an early Christian community. you did it during Paul's lifetime, the congregation would be likely to reply, thanking Paul for his letter, and he would write back, saying, "What letter?" If you forged a letter from Paul to (say) the Corinthians after his death, sooner or later the Corinthians would hear of the letter, and say, "If Paul wrote that letter to us in his lifetime, why has no one here ever heard of it?" difficulties are less when one forges, say, a letter from Paul to Timothy, waiting until after the death of both to do so. There are significant differences in manner between the Pastorals and the other letters. his letters to churches, Paul routinely presents arguments for the positions he takes. the Pastorals, he simply states his position and expects that to end the matter. it is a matter of common observation that a man may have one style when lecturing to a classroom and another when explaining something to a member of his family. the saying: Never teach a family member--or let a family member teach you--how to drive a car. The lesson is bound to lead to a shouting match.) The subjects Paul deals with in the Pastorals are different from those in the other letters, and imply a much more formal church organization. it may be noted that Paul normally writes letters dealing with the questions that the recipient has asked, or needs to have answered. writes to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming because some of them have gotten the idea that it is just around the corner, and so there is no reason to plant the crops. writes to the Corinthians about the Lord's Supper, because of reports that some of them are behaving irreverently at celebrations thereof. the Corinthians had observed proper decorum at the Lord's Table, there would now be scholars who argued that Paul had never heard of the Eucharist, since he never mentions it.) is not surprising that, having set Timothy and Titus to organize the church in certain areas, he writes to them about church organization. The preceding remarks are not intended to settle the question of Pauline authorship, or even to present all the arguments on either side. They are merely there to get the reader started. by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia, relatives of Paul, and preached other lands
Serbia, Pannonia, 30-68, Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, bishop of Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia), relatives of Paul, and preached other lands; Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, Commemorated on May 17; Andronicus Apostle of the Seventy and Saint Junia were relatives of the holy Apostle Paul. They labored much, preaching the Gospel to pagans. Saint Paul mentions them in his Epistle to the Romans: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Romans 16:7). Andronicus was made Bishop of Pannonia, but his preaching also took him and Saint Junia to other lands, far from the boundaries of his diocese. the efforts of Saints Andronicus and Junia the Church of Christ was strengthened, pagans were converted to the knowledge of God, many pagan temples closed, and in their place Christian churches were built. The service in honor of these saints states that they suffered martyrdom for Christ. the fifth century, during the reign of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, their holy relics were uncovered on the outskirts of Constantinople together with the relics of other martyrs at the gate of Eugenius (February 22). was revealed to the pious cleric Nicholas Kalligraphos that among the relics of these seventeen martyrs were the relics of the holy Apostle Andronicus. Afterwards, a magnificent church was built on this spot.

Armenia, 30-68, Apostle Aquila of the 70, from Pontus, Armenia, tentmaker w paul, taught Apollos baptisim of Spirit
Armenia, 30-68, Apostle Aquila of the 70, from City of Pontus, Armenia (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis River 3, Kelkit River 3), jews k out Rome, tentmaker w paul in Corinth, became zealous disciples, w Paul to Ephesus, there taught Apollos baptisim of Spirit, returned to Rome time of Claudius' death, bishop in Asia Achaia Heraklia, martyred; Eupatoria (Pontus); Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14; Aquila, Apostle of the 70: is possible that he was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, a native of Pontus and a Jew, in the city of Rome with his wife Priscilla (they are commemorated on February 13 on the Greek Calendar) the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-54) all the Jews were banished from Rome, so Saint Aquilla and his wife were compelled to leave. settled in Corinth. short while later, the holy Apostle Paul arrived there from Athens preaching the Gospel. made the acquaintance of Aquila, he began to live at his house and labored together with him, making tents. received Baptism from the Apostle Paul, Aquila and Priscilla bacame his devoted and zealous disciples. accompanied the apostle to Ephesus. Apostle Paul instructed them to continue the preaching of the Gospel at Ephesus, and he himself went to Jerusalem, in order to be present for the feast of Pentecost. Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard the bold preaching of a newcomer from Alexandria, the Jew Apollos. He had been instructed in the fundamentals of the Faith, but knew only the baptism of John the Forerunner. They called him over and explained more precisely about the way of the Lord. the death of the emperor Claudius, Jews were permitted to return to Italy, and Aquila and Priscilla then returned to Rome. Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans recalls his faithful disciples, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who put forth their heads for my soul, whom I do not alone thank, but also all the Church of the Gentiles and the church of their household” (Rom. 16: 3-4). Aquila did not long dwell in Rome: the Apostle Paul made him a bishop in Asia. Saint Aquila zealously labored at preaching the Gospel in Asia, Achaia and Heraklia. converted pagans to Christ, he confirmed newly-converted Christians in the faith, he established presbyters and destroyed idols. Priscilla constantly assisted him in the apostolic work. Saint Aquila ended his life a martyr: pagans murdered him. According to the Tradition of the Church, Saint Priscilla was killed together with him.

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Bishop at Ephesus after Timothy
Ephesus, 30-70, Apostle Gaius of the Seventy; Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Seventy Apostles; Apelles of Heraklion;

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Bishop of Philippopolis on the Roman Road Via Militarius
Bulgaria, 30-70, Apostle Hermes of the Seventy; Holy Apostle Hermas of the Seventy was bishop at Philippopolis, and died a martyr in the first century. In the Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul commands the Romans to greet Hermas (Rom 16:14) (Rom 16:14). Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Saints Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; no longer there at OCA Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; Hermes is mentioned by the Holy Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (16:14). According to Tradition, he was the Bishop of Dalmatia and reposed in peace. In the Synaxarion of Hippolyte Delehaye (1902) he is called Ermylos. In the Paris Codex 13 f. 296 he is listed on April 8 along with with Herodion, Asynkritos (Bishop of Hyrkania in Asia), Phlegon (Bishop of Marathon), Rufus and his mother (whom Saint Paul refers to as his mother, as well), Epaphras, and Agabos. Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Holy Apostle Hermas was a bishop in Philippopolis, Thrace. He was a Greek, but he spent some time in Rome. The holy Apostle Paul greets him in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom 16:14). The Apostle Hermas endured much grief from the pagans for preaching the Gospel, but he died in peace. to Tradition, Saint Hermas is the author of The Shepherd, an instructive book based on revelations from angels.

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Puteoli and Naples Bishop
Naples, 30-70, Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy; Puteoli; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15;

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Sinope, Pathlegonia, Armenia
Philologus of Sinope; Armenia, 30-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26;

Rome, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, Bishop, Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly
Greece, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, Bishop, Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly; Heraclea, Trachis; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apelles Apelles was an important figure in the early Church, who labored diligently to spread the message of the Gospel. His zeal led him to Rome, where he became a support for the faithful. He knew the Apostle Paul, who mentioned him in the Epistle to the Romans (16:10): "Greet Apelles, who is approved (or "has been tested") in Christ." Apelles is said to have died at Smyrna as a good soldier of Christ, laboring until his last breath to make firm the Gospel. Some say he was the Bishop of Heraklion in Trakhis. Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; Apelles, one of the Seventy Apostles, was bishop at Heraclion in Trachis.

Rome, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, died at Smyrna as a good soldier of Christ
Greece, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, Bishop, Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly; Heraclea, Trachis; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apelles Apelles was an important figure in the early Church, who labored diligently to spread the message of the Gospel. His zeal led him to Rome, where he became a support for the faithful. He knew the Apostle Paul, who mentioned him in the Epistle to the Romans (16:10): "Greet Apelles, who is approved (or "has been tested") in Christ." Apelles is said to have died at Smyrna as a good soldier of Christ, laboring until his last breath to make firm the Gospel. Some say he was the Bishop of Heraklion in Trakhis. Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; Apelles, one of the Seventy Apostles, was bishop at Heraclion in Trachis.

Rome, 30-70, Apelles of Seventy, zeal led him to Rome, where he became a support for the faithful
Greece, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, Bishop, Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly; Heraclea, Trachis; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apelles Apelles was an important figure in the early Church, who labored diligently to spread the message of the Gospel. His zeal led him to Rome, where he became a support for the faithful. He knew the Apostle Paul, who mentioned him in the Epistle to the Romans (16:10): "Greet Apelles, who is approved (or "has been tested") in Christ." Apelles is said to have died at Smyrna as a good soldier of Christ, laboring until his last breath to make firm the Gospel. Some say he was the Bishop of Heraklion in Trakhis. Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; Apelles, one of the Seventy Apostles, was bishop at Heraclion in Trachis.

Rome, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, first to proclaim resurrection, A daring woman, w r meomory, she preached in Rome
Galilee, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan); Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. woman whose name has entered forever into the Gospel account was born and grew up in Magdala. The Gospel tells us nothing of Mary’s younger years, but Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2). From the moment of her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the Savior. Gospel relates that Mary followed after the Lord, when He went with the Apostles through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God. Together with the pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other women. The Evangelist Luke, evidently, has her in view together with the other women, stating that at the moment of the Procession of Christ onto Golgotha, when after the Scourging He took on Himself the heavy Cross, collapsing under its weight, the women followed after Him weeping and wailing, but He consoled them. The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord’s Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the Cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Evangelists also list among those standing at the Cross the mother of the Apostle James, and Salome, and other women followers of the Lord from Galilee, but all mention Mary Magdalene first. Saint John, in addition to the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This indicates how much she stood out from all the women who gathered around the Lord. was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, she was present at the Burial of the Lord. Before her eyes Joseph and Νikόdēmos went out to the tomb with His lifeless Body. She watched as they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, entombing the Source of Life. to the Law in which she was raised, Mary together with the other women spent the following day at rest, because it was the great day of the Sabbath, coinciding with the Feast of Passover. But all the rest of the peaceful day the women gathered spices to go to the Grave of the Lord at dawn on Sunday and anoint His Body according to the custom of the Jews. is necessary to mention that, having agreed to go on the first day of the week to the Tomb early in the morning, the holy women had no possibility of meeting with one another on Saturday. They went separately on Friday evening to their own homes. They went out only at dawn the following day to go to the Sepulchre, not all together, but each from her own house. Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the grave at dawn, or as the Evangelist Mark expresses, extremely early before the rising of the sun. The Evangelist John, elaborating upon these, says that Mary came to the grave so early that it was still dark. Obviously, she waited impatiently for the end of night, but it was not yet daybreak. She ran to the place where the Lord’s Body lay. went to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone pushed away from the cave, she ran away in fear to tell the close Apostles of Christ, Peter and John. Hearing the strange message that the Lord was gone from the tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the shroud and winding cloths, they were amazed. They went and said nothing to anyone, but Mary returned to the tomb and stood about the entrance to the tomb and wept. Here in this dark tomb so recently lay her lifeless Lord. proof that the tomb really was empty, she went down to it and saw a strange sight. She saw two angels in white garments, one sitting at the head, the other at the foot, where the Body of Jesus had been placed. They asked her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She answered them with the words which she had said to the Apostles, “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” At that moment, she turned around and saw the Risen Jesus standing near the grave, but she did not recognize Him. asked Mary, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?” She answered thinking that she was seeing the gardener, “Sir, if thou hast taken him, tell where thou hast put Him, and I will take Him away.” she recognized the Lord’s voice. This was the voice she heard in those days and years, when she followed the Lord through all the cities and places where He preached. He spoke her name, and she gave a joyful shout, “Rabbi” (Teacher). and love, fondness and deep veneration, a feeling of thankfulness and recognition at His Splendor as great Teacher, all came together in this single outcry. She was able to say nothing more and she threw herself down at the feet of her Teacher to wash them with tears of joy. But the Lord said to her: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: ‘I ascend to My Father, and your Father; to My God and to your God.’” came to herself and again ran to the Apostles, to do the will of Him sending her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the Apostles still remained in dismay, and proclaimed to them the joyous message, “I have seen the Lord!” This was the first preaching in the world about the Resurrection. Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves. Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection of Christ, but it is impossible to doubt, that if in the terrifying minutes of Christ’s Crucifixion she was at the foot of His Cross with His All-Pure Mother and Saint John, she must have stayed with them during the happier time after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Thus in the Acts of the Apostles Saint Luke writes that all the Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brethren. Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: “I have seen the Lord!” With this message she went all over Italy. relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ’s Resurrection. According to Tradition, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate. repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the vanity of life not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by the precious Blood of Christ. to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world. In one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of Saint Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: “Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering.” Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses “has bestowed much labor on us.” Evidently, she extensively served the Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching. to Church Tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, Saint Mary Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where the holy Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried. holy relics were transferred in the ninth century to Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of Saint Lazarus. In the era of the Crusader campaigns they were transferred to Italy and placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid church is built in her honor. Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of Saint Mary Magdalene, the woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. immersed in sin and having received healing, she sincerely and irrevocably began a new life and never wavered from that path. Mary loved the Lord Who called her to a new life. She was faithful to Him not only when He was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds and winning recognition as a miracle-worker, but also when all the disciples deserted Him in fear and He, humiliated and crucified, hung in torment upon the Cross. This is why the Lord, knowing her faithfulness, appeared to her first, and esteemed her worthy to be first to proclaim His Resurrection. Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan, between Capharnum and Tiberias); Matthew 15:29-39, Jesus Cures Many People, and Feeding the Four Thousand They returned to Magadan.; The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT);

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Zacchaeus, Jericho, Benjamin, rich tax collector, Short, climbed Sycamore tree to see Jesus
Jerusalem, 30-70, Apostle Zacchaeus, Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem), rich tax collector, Short, climbed Sycamore tree to see Jesus, Accompanied Peter, Caesarea Palestine Bishop Jericho; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; holy Apostle Zacchaeus was a rich publican at Jericho. Since he was short of stature, he climbed a sycamore tree in order to see the Savior passing by. After the Ascension of the Lord, Saint Zacchaeus accompanied Saint Peter on his travels. Tradition says he became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, where he died in peace. Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) describing Zacchaeus’ encounter with Christ is read on the Sunday before the Triodion begins.

Rome, 30-70, Apostle Onesiphorus ot70, Bishop oColophon&Corinth, martyred at Parium
Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Corinth; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Rome, 30-72, Apostle Thomas, all outside Roman Empire, Arabia, India, Ethiopia, not fearing
East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

India, 30-72, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances
India, 38-72, Apostle Thomas, Madras, absent when Jesus appeared on Easter Day, refused tBelieve resurrection, until he saw him and said My Lord..., Doubting Thomas, but previously proven loyal, let us also go..., at last supper said we don't know where you go, How do we know the way, Jesus said I am the way, preached in india, Kerla district, Madras, still Christians there connected to Thomas, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, ; East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada was a fisherman. the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6). THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Apostle Thomas (Hebrew or Aramaic for "twin") was also called "Didymus" (Greek for "twin"). was absent when the Risen Lord appeared to the other apostles on the evening of Easter Day, refused to believe that Christ had indeed risen until he had seen him for himself, when he had seen Him, he said to Him, "My Lord and My God." (John 20:19-29) of this episode, he has been known ever since as "Doubting Thomas." we ought also to remember his earlier words, when Jesus announced His intention of going to the Jerusalem area, aside the protests of His disciples that His life was in danger there, at which Thomas said to the others: us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:7,8,16) Thomas was pessimistic, he was also sturdily loyal. the Last Supper, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you.... And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." replied: "Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?" this Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:1-6) Thomas is mentioned again (John 21) as one of the seven disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) when the Risen Lord appeared to them. from this he appears in the New Testament only as a name on lists of the Apostles. couple of centuries later a story was circulating in the Mediterranean world that he had gone to preach in India; there is a Christian community in India (the Kerala district) that claims descent from Christians converted by the the preaching of Thomas. tradition among Christians in India is that Thomas was speared to death near Madras, accordingly he is often pictured holding a spear. Paintings of martyrs often show them holding or accompanied by the instruments with which they were put to death. recently discovered work called the Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus. I know of no scholarly support for the notion that it is the work of the Apostle Thomas, but some scholars think that some of the sayings in it may be authentic sayings of Jesus. POEM These things did Thomas hold for real: the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, the grain of wood, the heft of stone, the last frail twitch of blood and bone. His brittle certainties denied that one could live when one had died, until his fingers read like Braille the markings of the spear and nail. May we, O God, by grace believe and, in believing, still receive the Christ who held His raw palms out and beckoned Thomas from his doubt. (Thomas Troeger, 1984, Psalter/Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church) by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-73, Apostle Philip the Deacon and Evangelist, Bishop of Tralles til old age
Ephesus, 33-73, Apostle Philip the Deacon, Bishop of Tralles; Tralles (Meander River 5); Trallians (Illyrian Tribe); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be confused with Saint Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons, they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. The eldest among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. the persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr Stephen. Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13) the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). holy disciple Philip tirelessly preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining Palestine. Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. Saint Philip died in old age. PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT), Commemorated October 11; the sixth chapter of Acts, we read that the Apostles commissioned seven men in the congregation at Jerusalem to supervise the church's ministry to the needs of its widows and other poor. is generally considered to be the beginning of the office of Deacon in the Church, although the Scriptures do not use this term in referring to the original seven men.) of these have gained lasting fame. One was Stephen, who became the Church's first martyr. The other was Philip, whose story we find in Acts 8:5-40; 21:8-9. the death of Stephen, there was a general persecution of the Church at Jerusalem, and many Christians fled to escape it. fled to Samaria, where he preached the Gospel to the Samaritans, a group who had split off from the Jewish people about six centuries earlier, had intermarried with other peoples, and were considered outsiders by most Jews. received the message with eagerness, and soon Peter and John came to Samaria to bless the new converts. this, Philip was sent by God to walk along the road from Jerusalem southwest to Gaza, he met a eunuch (a term meaning literally a castrated man, but also used to mean simply an official of a royal court) of the Queen of Ethiopia (probably meaning Nubia -- what we now call the Sudan), returning home after worshipping in Jerusalem. The man was reading from Isaiah 53 ("He was wounded for our transgressions"), and Philip told him about Jesus, and persuaded him that the words were a prophecy of the saving work of Jesus. man was baptized, and went on his way rejoicing, Philip went north to Caesarea, the major seaport of Israel, and its secular capital. Paul (accompanied by Luke) was going up to Jerusalem for the last time, he paused at Caesarea and spent several days with Philip. may be the source of some of the information Luke used in writing the early chapters of Acts.) are told that Philip had four daughters who prophesied. is relevant to discussions of the role of women in the Church.) Philip the Deacon the same person as Philip the Apostle (see 1 May)? they were different. There were Twelve Apostles, and they said, "Our work is to preach the Gospel, not to administer the budget. Choose seven men to administer the budget." Obviously they meant seven men other than themselves. Moreover, when Philip went to Samaria, and preached and made converts, he baptized them, but none of them received the Holy Spirit. It was not until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them that they received the Spirit. Surely this means that Philip was not an Apostle--not one of the Twelve. they were the same person. have ancient testimony identifying them. Papias of Hierapolis, a second-century writer who had spoken with some of the apostles, speaks of the Philip of Acts 21 as one of the Apostles. Polycrates, a second-century bishop of Ephesus, says that Philip, "one of the Twelve", was buried at Hierapolis along with two aged virgin daughters of his, and that a third daughter, a prophetess, was buried at Ephesus. It seems unlikely that two Philips would both have unmarried daughters of whom at least one was known as a prophetess. If eleven of the Twelve Apostles refused the work of administering the church's welfare program, but one, for special reasons, accepted it, it is not clear that Luke would have felt bound to point this out. The Jerusalem community may have thought it desirable to have one man serve both as one of the Twelve and one of the Seven, so as to provide a link, a liason, between the two groups. Philip, who specifically named in John's account of the feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6:5), is likely to have had special abilities in organizing the feeding of the hungry, and related matters. Moreover, the Seven were originally appointed because the Greek-speaking Jews complained that their widows were being neglected. Philip had a Greek name ("lover of horses"), which at least suggests some kind of Hellenistic element in his background. Even more to the point, we note that earlier, when a group of Greek-speaking Jews wanted a chance to speak with Jesus, they went first to Philip (Jn 12:20f). Clearly Philip was a good choice for dealing with Hellenists. for the objection that Philip's Samaritan converts receive the laying on of hands, not from Philip, but from Peter and John, it must be noted that Peter and John were there specifically as representatives of the Apostles gathered at Jerusalem. It may very well be that Philip wanted to make sure that the receiving of a group of Samaritans into the Church, a gesture certain to stir up violent emotions in some Christians, had the official support of the College of Apostles. by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-73 or 107, Apostle Simon the Zealot, Cana, Galilee, the bridegroom, went many places from Britain to Black Sea
Galilee, 30-73, Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) the bridegroom at Jesus' first miracle, so became zealous for Christ, went many places from Britain to Black Sea, Crucified; Cana in Galilee; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; Simon was from Cana in Galilee, and was known to the Lord and His Mother. says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. witnessing the miracle of the water which had been turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, he is known as Saint Simon the Zealot. Simon was one of the twelve Apostles, and received the Holy Spirit with the others on Pentecost. traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. After winning many pagans to the Lord, Saint Simon suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Demetrius of Rostov says that this Saint Simon is to be distinguished from the Apostle Simon Peter, and from the Lord’s relative Simon (Mt.13:55), who was the second Bishop of Jerusalem. Simon is also commemorated on June 30 with the other Apostles.

Rome, 30-76, Apostle Linus of the Seventy, successor to Apostle Peter at Rome
Rome, 30-76, Apostle Linus of the Seventy; Rome, 67-76, Roman Pope, Linus; Rome, 30-68, Apostle Peter ; Roman Pope, 66-99, Clement I ; Apostles Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Apostles Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5;

Rome, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles
Galilee, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles, greece, parthia, Azotus, Syrian Hieropolis, Lydia, Emessa, sister Mariamne, Bartholomew, Phrygian Hieropolis, k serpent, healed wife, arrested, o crucified, earthquake, prayed for those, they believed, he died on cross, M&B to Armenia, M to Lykaonia; Galilee, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. Bethsaida; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy. ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); PHILIP ;

Rome, 30-80, Apostle Philip, Athens, from Galilee to Greece to preach to Jews, Jews struck blind
Greece, 1st Century, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. He had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. The Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Rome, 30-80, Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, went m places, c on Mt Ararat, Armenia, Epistle of J, truth in a few words
Armenia, 30-80, Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, crucified on Mount Ararat, Armenia (south of Aras River 7), Joseph's first wife's son, did not believe until Jesus' ministry, other names, went to Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Idumaia, Arabia, Syria, Messopotamia, Edessa, Persia, Epistle of J, truth in a few words ; Mount Ararat; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,” offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows.

Rome, 30-80, Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Bishop of Lystra, Lyconia (high point), He died in peace
Lykaonia, 30-80, Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Bishop of Lystra, Lyconia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5), He died in peace ; Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated October 30 ; Artemas was bishop of Lystra, Lycia. He died in peace.

Rome, 30-84 , Apostle Luke, f Antioch S Dr, Emmaus, w Paul, Achaia, Libya, Egypt, Thebaid, Icons, Gospel & Acts, 80+ icons
Syria, 30-84 , Apostle Luke of the Seventy; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18 ; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Saint Luke is also commemorated on April 22. LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. He was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. The role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings. the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine guidance. We see how the early Christians at first preached only to Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and fellowship of Christ. Luke, from an old Book of Common PrayerLuke makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and noteworthy precision. To mention just one example, he refers to two centurions by name, Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (Sergius Paulus in Acts 13;7) or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when speaking of civilian officials. It is a distinction that would have been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had largely died out by, say, 70 AD. His preserving it shows either that (1) he wrote fairly close to the events he described, or (2) he was describing persons and events on which he had good information, or (3) he was an expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding detail. is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. His writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. On the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. His Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. Similarly, the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem. writer wrote more pages of the New Testament than anyone else? If you say Paul, try again. In my pocket Bible, Acts and the Gospel of Luke occupy a total of sixty pages, while all the letters traditionally attributed to Paul (not counting Hebrews) total fifty-six. writer of the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts does not give his name in his writings. (Except for Nehemiah, no Biblical writer of a narrative book does.) He does claim to be a traveling companion of Paul, and his interests and vocabulary suggest that he is a physician. Since Paul tells us that he had a companion named Luke who was a physician, the conclusion that Luke is the writer we are looking for is reasonable. the two-volume work Luke-Acts in fact written by a companion of Paul? Scholars are not agreed on the answer. By and large, most German writers favor a negative answer. Their reasons are that (1) the chronology of Paul's life found in the Book of Acts presents certain apparent conflicts with that found in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and that (2) the writer seems unfamiliar with the geography of Israel. On the other hand, most English scholars favor an affirmative answer. Their reasons are that the "We" sections in Acts (the sections in which the author explicitly claims to have been present at the events he describes) contain a wealth of circumstantial detail that make invention extremely unlikely. (Thus, for example, Mr. James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS, having sailed a vessel over the same route described in Acts 27-28, argues in his book, The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, that the account must have been written by someone who had sailed that route. It used to be a popular theory that the writer had somehow gotten his hands on a travel diary of the real "Luke" and incorporated it into his work. However, a detailed analysis of the writing style of various sections of the work shows none of the differences that would be expected on this theory. Scholars on the affirmative side generally answer the negative objections mentioned above by supposing that (1) the conferences mentioned in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 are not the same conference, and that (2) Luke uses the word "Judea" sometimes to mean the southern portion of the land of Israel, and sometimes to mean the whole land. For some comments on the historical reliability of the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke, go to the following URLs: by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-84, Luke t Evangelist&Apostle, f Antioch, a salvation preaching f Christ, Luke&Acts, icons h Jesus' Grace& MOG mercy
Syria, 30-84, Luke the Evangelist and Apostle, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), hearing about Christ accepted salvation preaching from Christ, Luke and Acts, Paul's companion, physician, iconographer, MOG said his icons have Jesus' grace and MOG mercy, chronologica order L and A, council of Jerusalem in 51, Acts focus on Holy Spirit ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Luke is also commemorated on April 22. LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings. the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine guidance. see how the early Christians at first preached only to Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and fellowship of Christ. St. Luke, from an old Book of Common Prayer makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and noteworthy precision. mention just one example, he refers to two centurions by name, Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (Sergius Paulus in Acts 13;7) or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when speaking of civilian officials. is a distinction that would have been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had largely died out by, say, 70 AD. preserving it shows either that (1) he wrote fairly close to the events he described, or (2) he was describing persons and events on which he had good information, or (3) he was an expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding detail. is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem. ***** ***** ***** ***** writer wrote more pages of the New Testament than anyone else? If you say Paul, try again. In my pocket Bible, Acts and the Gospel of Luke occupy a total of sixty pages, while all the letters traditionally attributed to Paul (not counting Hebrews) total fifty-six. writer of the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts does not give his name in his writings. (Except for Nehemiah, no Biblical writer of a narrative book does.) does claim to be a traveling companion of Paul, and his interests and vocabulary suggest that he is a physician. Since Paul tells us that he had a companion named Luke who was a physician, the conclusion that Luke is the writer we are looking for is reasonable. the two-volume work Luke-Acts in fact written by a companion of Paul? Scholars are not agreed on the answer. and large, most German writers favor a negative answer. reasons are that (1) the chronology of Paul's life found in the Book of Acts presents certain apparent conflicts with that found in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and that (2) the writer seems unfamiliar with the geography of Israel. the other hand, most English scholars favor an affirmative answer. reasons are that the "We" sections in Acts (the sections in which the author explicitly claims to have been present at the events he describes) contain a wealth of circumstantial detail that make invention extremely unlikely. (Thus, for example, Mr. James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS, having sailed a vessel over the same route described in Acts 27-28, argues in his book, The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, that the account must have been written by someone who had sailed that route. It used to be a popular theory that the writer had somehow gotten his hands on a travel diary of the real "Luke" and incorporated it into his work. However, a detailed analysis of the writing style of various sections of the work shows none of the differences that would be expected on this theory. on the affirmative side generally answer the negative objections mentioned above by supposing that (1) the conferences mentioned in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 are not the same conference, and that (2) Luke uses the word "Judea" sometimes to mean the southern portion of the land of Israel, and sometimes to mean the whole land. some comments on the historical reliability of the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke, go to the following URLs: by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-90, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, tax c, Gospel early in 50 at J, many lands, Ethiopia, Fulvian-Matthew story
Galilee, 30-90, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee; the Apostle,[a] also known as Saint Matthew and possibly as Levi, was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, a claim rejected by the majority of modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."[3] New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus, and was one of the witnesses of the Ascension of Jesus. Later Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries. Capernaum; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed Him, and became one of His twelve apostles. (See M 9:9-13 = P 2:13-17 = L 5:27-32) Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them. (Jesus numbered among his disciples persons of widely different backgrounds. They included not only Matthew, a former agent of the Roman government, but Simon the Zealot (not to be confused with Simon Peter). Josephus tells us that the Zealots were fanatical nationalists, determined to drive out the Romans by guerrilla tactics, ambushes, assassinations, terrorist methods, or whatever worked. Their motto was, "No king but Messiah, no tax but the Temple, no friend but the Zealot." It is not clear that Simon was, or had been, a member of the group that Josephus describes, but it seems clear that he would have regarded himself as at the opposite end of the political spectrum from Matthew.) The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. (It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.) Of Matthew's life after Pentecost the Scriptures tell us nothing. Later accounts of his life vary, some reporting that he was martyred, others that he died a natural death. The Christian community since early times has commemorated him as a martyr. the Apostle Matthew is also the Evangelist Matthew -- that is, whether the Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel that bears his name -- is disputed. The Gospel itself does not say who wrote it, but the designation "according to Matthew" is very old. In favor of his authorship it may be noted that (1) while Mark and Luke give the fourth pair of Apostles as "Matthew and Thomas," the Gospel of Matthew gives them as "Thomas and Matthew"; and (2) while Luke 5:29 explicitly states, and Mark 2:15 suggests, that Matthew gave a banquet for Jesus, Matthew 9:10 in describing the same banquet does not indicate who the host was. Both of these variations would be routine touches of modesty if Matthew was the author. On the other hand, the gospel (1) does not have the manner of an eyewitness, and (2) is thought by many scholars to contain material borrowed from Mark, whereas one would not expect someone who had been an eyewitness to borrow from someone who had not. (NOTE: The view that Mark is an older Gospel than Matthew is widespread and not long ago many scholars regarded the matter as settled. However, there is respectable opinion holding that Matthew is the earliest Gospel after all. See, for example, the comments in the Matthew volume of The Anchor Bible.) the Gospel was written by some early Christian, not an apostle, whose name was Matthew, and about whom nothing else is known. Early Christian readers, hearing the Gospel ascribed to "Matthew," would naturally associate it with the Apostle of that name, and so the ascribing of the work to the Apostle Matthew becomes common at an early date, by a perfectly natural misunderstanding. of Hierapolis, writing in the late first or early second century, says that Matthew compiled the sayings (Logia) of Jesus in Hebrew. Now the material common to Matthew and Luke, but not to Mark, includes sayings of Jesus but almost no narrative. It has therefore been conjectured that there was once a document (usually called Q), now lost, that is basically a collection of speeches by Jesus, and that Matthew (the evangelist) and Luke, had access to it while Mark did not. It has been suggested that Matthew (the apostle) is the author of this document Q, which may well have been first written in Hebrew (or Aramaic). Scripture readings associated with the day bear the themes of Matthew as a Gospel-writer (hence readings that speak of the Scriptures), Matthew as an Apostle, and Matthew as a sinner called by God's grace. by James Kiefer Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Rome, 30-91, Nathaniel ot70, aka Bartholomew ot12, Cana, Galilee, great story, many places GArmenia, India, Syria, Asia Minor
Galilee, 30-91, Nathaniel otSeventy, aka Bartholomew otTwelve, Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) His first miracle, Gift oGod, brought by Philip to Jesus, called true Israelite, one who sees God, amazed seen under Fig t, more to be seen, heavens opened, angels a&d on Son oMan, Barts's story, after Pentecost his lot tSyria&AsiaMinor wPhilip&sisMariamnne, stoned prison, wJohn theologian tPhrygia, Hieropolis blind man 40yrs Stachys received sight, news spread, many healed baptized, city perfect, magic in clothes, orderd strip, but Mariamne became torch, Philip crusified upsidedown, earthquake swallowed perfect and priests, Bart&M freed, M tLykaonia, BtIndia, tranlated Gospel M, converted many, tGreater Armenia, Healed Kings daughter, deliverance, King Polymios baptized & 10 Cities followed example, but Bart beheaded by Kings brother, relics tMany places, Dara Mesopotamia, Black Sea Armenia, coffin floats tLipari Is, tBeneventum, Neopolitan Italy, tRome, Joseph tHymnographer blessed by Bart in person to write hymns for whole world, 300 Canons in all; Cana in Galilee; Apostle Nathaniel of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22; Nathanael, whose name means "the gift of God," from Cana of Galilee (John 21:2). was brought to the Savior by Phillip, as described in the Fourth Gospel (John 1:45-51). calls him a true Israelite, which means "one who sees God." was amazed when Christ says that He had seen him under the fig tree. He says that Nathanael will see even greater things; he will the heavens opened, and "the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanios of Cyprus and other Fathers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew (the son of Tholomai) as the same person as Nathanael. his name would be Nathanael, and his patronymic would be Bartholomew. to The Jerome Biblical Commentary (page 796), Nathanael was thought to be the same person as Bartholomew, because the latter's name followed Philip's in three lists of the Apostles (Matthew 10:2-5; Mark 3:14-19; and Luke 6:14-16). The Synoptic Gospels mention Bartholomew as one of the Twelve Apostles, but they do not mention Nathanael. On the other hand, Saint John's Gospel makes mention of Nathanael, but not of Bartholomew. the Life of Saint Bartholomew, see June 11. Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.” from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

Rome, 30-97, Apostle Titus, Paul's closest, Preoccupied by Sciences, Isaiah 47, Bishop, 65 Epistle Rome, 68 Lycia Crete
Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun. Lycia, 68-100, Hieromartyrs of Myra, Bishop Nicander, Presbyter Hermas; Myra, Lycia; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4 ; Hieromartyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra, and Hermas the Presbyter, were disciples of the holy Apostle Paul’s follower and fellow ascetic, the holy Apostle Titus of the Seventy (August 25), and they were ordained by him to the priesthood. the ascetic life amid incessant pastoral works, the saints converted many pagans to Christ. For this they were arrested and brought before the city prefect, Libanius. Neither flattery nor threats swayed the holy martyrs to renounce Christ. Then Libanius gave orders that they be tortured. saints endured fierce and inhuman torments: they were tied to horses and dragged over stones, their bodies were raked with iron hooks, and they were cast into a hot oven. The Lord helped them endure things that a mere man by his own strength could not endure. Towards the end, iron nails were hammered into their heads and hearts. They were thrown into a pit, then covered over with earth. enduring such a cruel death, now they live forever in the joy of the Lord (Mt. 25:21). Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun. Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun.

Rome, 30-96, Titus, of t Seventy, heard voice, read Isaiah, uncle sent him to see Jesus, accompanied st paul, bishop of Crete
Crete, 30-96, Saint Titus of the Seventy; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. Preoccupied by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. The first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun.

Rome, 30-97, Timothy oTIMOTHY&TITUS, Bishop oEphesus, companion&co-worker wPaul, subject 2Pauline Pastoral letters
Ephesus, 30-97, Timothy oTIMOTHY&TITUS, Bishop of Ephesus (Agean Seport and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), companion&co-worker wPaul, subject 2Pauline Pastoral letters wDisputed Pauline authorship, because written 1on1; Ephesus; Timothy of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, Commemorated January 26; and Titus appear in the New Testament writings as missionary companions of, and co-workers with, the Apostle Paul. is mentioned as a companion of Paul in some of his epistles (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18; Gal 2:1-3; 2 Tim 4:10). is mentioned in Acts 16-20, and appears in 9 epistles either as joining in Paul's greetings or as a messenger. addition, Timothy has two New Testament letters addressed to him, and Titus one. these three letters (called the Pastoral Epistles), it appears that Paul had commissioned Timothy to oversee the Christian community in Ephesus and vicinity, and Titus to oversee that in Crete. The Pauline authorship of these three letters has been disputed by many scholars who accept as genuine most or all of the other New Testament letters attributed to Paul. this connection, we may note: It would be difficult to forge a letter from Paul to an early Christian community. you did it during Paul's lifetime, the congregation would be likely to reply, thanking Paul for his letter, and he would write back, saying, "What letter?" If you forged a letter from Paul to (say) the Corinthians after his death, sooner or later the Corinthians would hear of the letter, and say, "If Paul wrote that letter to us in his lifetime, why has no one here ever heard of it?" difficulties are less when one forges, say, a letter from Paul to Timothy, waiting until after the death of both to do so. There are significant differences in manner between the Pastorals and the other letters. his letters to churches, Paul routinely presents arguments for the positions he takes. the Pastorals, he simply states his position and expects that to end the matter. it is a matter of common observation that a man may have one style when lecturing to a classroom and another when explaining something to a member of his family. the saying: Never teach a family member--or let a family member teach you--how to drive a car. The lesson is bound to lead to a shouting match.) The subjects Paul deals with in the Pastorals are different from those in the other letters, and imply a much more formal church organization. it may be noted that Paul normally writes letters dealing with the questions that the recipient has asked, or needs to have answered. writes to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming because some of them have gotten the idea that it is just around the corner, and so there is no reason to plant the crops. writes to the Corinthians about the Lord's Supper, because of reports that some of them are behaving irreverently at celebrations thereof. the Corinthians had observed proper decorum at the Lord's Table, there would now be scholars who argued that Paul had never heard of the Eucharist, since he never mentions it.) is not surprising that, having set Timothy and Titus to organize the church in certain areas, he writes to them about church organization. The preceding remarks are not intended to settle the question of Pauline authorship, or even to present all the arguments on either side. They are merely there to get the reader started. by James Kiefer

Rome, 30-100, Mariamne, Philip's sis, successfully preached with P&Bart iHerapolis, Phrygia, tLykaonia
Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Lycus River 2), Apostolic Virgin, Philip's sister, companion oPhilip&Bartholomew, successful preaching iHieropolis, arrested there, Philip died on a cross, Mariamne buried him and preached in Lykaonia, Bart went to India, she died in peace ; Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Mariamne “The Apostolic Virgin” and sister of the holy Apostle Philip (November 14), a vow of virginity became the companion of her brother Philip and the holy Apostle Bartholomew (June 11), actively assisting them in their apostolic work. Church historian Nikēphóros Callistus describes their successful preaching in the Phrygian city of Hieropolis, they were arrested and locked up in prison. put the Apostle Philip to death on a cross, Saint Mariamne and Saint Bartholomew were set free. Bartholomew went to preach the Gospel in India. Mariamne, after burying the body of Saint Philip, preached the Gospel at Lykaonia (Asia Minor). died there in peace.

Rome, 30-109, Onesimus from Colossae, of the 70 in his youth, became Philemon's runaway slave, prison serving Paul, Ephesus B
Phrygia, 30-109, Onesimus of t Seventy from Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), of the 70 in his youth, then became slave of Philemon, runaway, prison serving Paul, sent to his master w P letter, back to rome, served apostles there, then preached Spain, Carpetania, Colossae, Patras, bishop of Ephesus, met Ignatius, long life, stoned and beheaded ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Onesimus, Apostle of the Seventy in his youth a servant of Philemon, a Christian of distinguished lineage, living in the city of Colossae, Phrygia. of an offense against his master and fearing punishment, Saint Onesimus fled to Rome, as a runaway slave he wound up in prison. prison he encountered the Apostle Paul, was enlightened by him, and was baptized. prison Saint Onesimus served the Apostle Paul like a son. Paul was personally acquainted with Philemon, and wrote him a letter filled with love, asking him to forgive the runaway slave and to accept him like a brother. sent Saint Onesimus with this letter to his master, depriving himself of help, of which he was very much in need. he received the letter, Saint Philemon not only forgave Onesimus, but also sent him back to Rome to the apostle. Philemon (January 4, February 19, and November 22) was afterwards consecrated bishop of the city of Gaza. the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Onesimus served the apostles until their end, and he was made a bishop. the death of the holy apostles he preached the Gospel in many lands and cities: in Spain, Carpetania, Colossae, Patras. his old age, Saint Onesimus occupied the bishop’s throne at Ephesus, after the Apostle Timothy. When they took Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20) to Rome for execution, Bishop Onesimus came to meet with him with other Christians, as Saint Ignatius mentions in his Epistle to the Ephesians. the reign of the emperor Trajan (89-117), Saint Onesimus was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch Tertillus. held the saint in prison for eighteen days, and then sent him to prison in the city of Puteoli. a certain while, the eparch sent for the prisoner and, convincing himself that Saint Onesimus maintained his faith in Christ, had him stoned, after which they beheaded the saint with a sword. certain illustrious woman took the body of the martyr and placed it in a silver coffin. This took place in the year 109.

Rome, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia, then in 63 went to Corfu, Epirus
Lyconia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia ; is a person mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as Sopater mentioned in Acts 20:4. church tradition, he is known as Sosipater of Iconium, and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Sosipater's feast days are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St. Jason; 10 with saints Erastus, Olympas, Herodian, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St Paul the Apostle died on the 25th of June in Beroea. was born in Achaea. According to legend, he was Bishop in Iconium[1] (prior to the Apostle Tertius) by his relative the Apostle Paul. the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. governor's daughter, the virgin Cercyra [uk], having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were baptized upon seeing this miracle. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. Iconium; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Andronicus of 70, Bishop of Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Paul's kin
Hungary, 30 - 1st Century, Apostle Andronicus, Bishop of Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Paul's kin; Hungary, Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Pannonia was located over the territory of the present-day western Hungary, eastern Austria, northern Croatia, north-western Serbia, northern Slovenia, western Slovakia and northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Andronicus was a disciple of the Savior. Apostle Andronicus is mentioned by Saint Paul: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, ... who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Rom. 16:7). holy Apostle Andronicus was bishop in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary). Andronicus and Junia are also commemorated on May 17.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Adronicus, Paul's kin, Pannonia (Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia)
Serbia, 40-60 approx, Adronicus and Junia, Paul's kin, in Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia); Andronicus Apostle of the Seventy and Saint Junia were relatives of the holy Apostle Paul. They labored much, preaching the Gospel to pagans. Saint Paul mentions them in his Epistle to the Romans: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before meâ€ (Romans 16:7). Andronicus was made Bishop of Pannonia, but his preaching also took him and Saint Junia to other lands, far from the boundaries of his diocese. Through the efforts of Saints Andronicus and Junia the Church of Christ was strengthened, pagans were converted to the knowledge of God, many pagan temples closed, and in their place Christian churches were built. The service in honor of these saints states that they suffered martyrdom for Christ. the fifth century, during the reign of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, their holy relics were uncovered on the outskirts of Constantinople together with the relics of other martyrs at the gate of Eugenius (February 22). was revealed to the pious cleric Nicholas Kalligraphos that among the relics of these seventeen martyrs were the relics of the holy Apostle Andronicus. Afterwards, a magnificent church was built on this spot. Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, Commemorated on May 17

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, Bishop of Beirut, served in Magnesia, born and died in Athens
Lebanon, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, Bishop of Beirut, Lebanon; (Greek: Κούαρτος, romanized: Kouartos) was an early Christian who is mentioned in the Bible. to church tradition, he is known as Quartus of Berytus[1] and is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. Furthermore, he was Bishop of Beirut and suffered for the faith. He converted many to the Christian faith. His feast day is 10 November. was born in the city of Athens, and was one of its wealthy and learned nobles. He believed in the Lord Christ and served him. Having received the grace of the Comforter on the day of Pentecost, he preached the gospel in many countries. He entered the city of Magnis and preached there. The people of the city believed; he baptized them and taught them the commandments. Then he returned to Athens, to preach there also, but they stoned him and tortured him severely. Finally they cast him into the fire; thus, he received the crown of martyrdom. Beirut; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died. Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Rome, 30- 1st century, Timon tDeacon, Bishop oBosra, Syria ot70, ot7deacons, converted many, crucified after red-hot furnace
Syria, 30- 1st century, Timon the Deacon, Bishop of Bosra in Syria (Kings Highway 16) of the Seventy, red hot furnace, ot7 deacons, Bishop oBosra, converted many, crucified after red-hot furnace; Apostle Timon; holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostle Timon of the Seventy was among the first deacons in the Church along with Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Parmenas and Nicholas. they died at various times and in various places, they are commemorated together on July 28. St. Timon is also commemorated on December 30. the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. tradition of the Roman Church says that St. Timon died by crucifixion. Bosra in Syria; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Holy Apostle Timon was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles (Acts 6:5) to minister to destitute Christian widows. he was chosen bishop of the city of Bosra in Syria, where he led many to Christianity. was thrown into a red-hot furnace and received the crown of martyrdom. He is also commemorated on July 28.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Caesar, of the 70, Dirrachium, Albania (Roman Road, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia)
Albania, 30-, Apostle Caesar, Dirrachium, Albania (K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia) Dirrachium, Albania Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Caesar preached at and was bishop of Dyrrhachium, a district of the Peloponnesos in Greece.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Iconium, amanuensis for Paul for E to Romans
Lykaonia, 30-1st Century, Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Iconium; to the New Testament book of Romans, Tertius of Iconium (also Tertios) acted as an amanuensis for Paul the Apostle, writing down his Epistle to the Romans.[1] He is numbered among the Seventy Disciples in a list pseudonymously attributed to Hippolytus of Rome,[2] which is found in the margin of several ancient manuscripts.[3] to tradition, Tertius was Bishop in Iconium[4][5] after the Apostle Sosipater[6] and died a martyr.[citation needed] The Catholic Church marks St. Tertius days on October 30 and November 10. Iconium; Apostles of the Seventy: Tertius, Commemorated on November 10; Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Erastus of Corinth, of the Seventy, steward at Jerusalem, Paneas and C
Erastus of Corinth; of Corinth, also known as Erastus of Paneas, held the political office of steward, in Corinth, according to the Epistle to the Romans 16:23 of the New Testament. office is defined as "the manager of household or of household affairs" or, in this context, "treasurer".[1] King James Version uses the translation "chamberlain", while the New International Version uses "director of public works". person named Erastus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20 and Acts 19:22 is often taken to be the same person. However, whereas the Erastus mentioned in the second letter to Timothy may be the same person, it is unlikely that the Erastus referred to in the Book of Acts is the same Erastus. This Erastus was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul and accompanied him on his third missionary journey. It was on this third expedition that Paul penned the letter to the Roman believers in which he sent greetings from Erastus, the city treasurer. He could not have been the person in Paul's entourage. The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome while he was in Corinth (Romans 14:25-26, 27). to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, Erastus is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. He served as a deacon and steward of the Church at Jerusalem and later of Paneas in Palestine. The Church remembers St. Erastus on January 4 among the Seventy, and on November 10. Corinth;

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens, made by Philip
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens, made by Philip; Athens; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Narcissus, one of the Seventy Apostles, was made Bishop of Athens by the Apostle Philip. Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. They were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (28 July); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. Some accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus,the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. Many of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Bishop of Macedonia, Greece, St Andrew ordained Urban, martyr
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Macedonia, Greece; of Macedonia is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. Along with the Apostles Ampliatus, Stachys, Narcissus of Athens, Apelles of Heraklion and Aristobulus of Britannia (all of these names are mentioned together by St. Paul in Romans 16:8-11, which cannot be casual) he assisted Saint Andrew. St. Andrew ordained Urban bishop in Macedonia. He died a martyr, and his feast day is October 31. is venerated as saint by Eastern Orthodox Church (January 4, October 31), Roman Catholic Church (July 13) and other Christian Churches. Macedonia ancient kingdom; Macedonia Region; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; Urban, one of the Seventy Apostles, was made a bishop by Saint Andrew (November 30), and was active in Macedonia. He was killed by Jews and pagan Greeks because of his zeal in preaching the Gospel.

Rome, 30-1st Century, Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Bishop of Lydda or Diospolis
Apostle Amplias of the Seventy; Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Amplias was a bishop in the city of Diospolis. Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. They were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (28 July); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. Some accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus,the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. Many of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ. Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Rome, 35-61, Apostle Sosthenes, Jew aCorinth then Bishop oCaeserea
Greece, 35, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea ; Sosthenes /ˈsɒsθə.niːz/ (Greek: Σωσθένης, Sōsthénēs, "safe in strength") was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12–17). The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] Some historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother" (Greek: Σωσθένης ὁ ἀδελφός, Sōsthénēs ho adelphos, literally "Sosthenes the brother"), a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1–2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rückert, and de Wette".[2] It has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] He is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Corinth; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Sosthenes, before accepting Christianity, was head of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth. a riot against the Apostle Paul, he too suffered a beating. was converted by Paul to faith in Christ and afterwards became bishop at Caesarea.

Rome, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus, fEphesus orColossae in Asia Minor, delivered Pauls letters to E&C, later Bishop oCaesarea
Phyrgia, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus of the 70, Colossae (Great Road, Lycus River 1); Tychicus /ˈtɪkɪkəs/ was an Asiatic Christian who, with Trophimus, accompanied the Apostle Paul on a part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem. He is also alluded to have been with Paul in Rome, where the apostle sent him to Ephesus, probably for the purpose of building up and encouraging the church there.[1] In the New Testament, he is mentioned five times (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21–22; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:12).[2] Appearance in the Bible[edit] (1) Acts 20:4 states that Tychicus was from the Roman province of Asia. The Western text indicates that he was an Ephesian. (2) In Ephesians 6:21, the author (traditionally identified as Paul) calls Tychicus a "dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord" (NIV), (3) while in Colossians, he says he is "a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord." In both Ephesians and Colossians, the author indicates that he is sending Tychicus to the Christians to whom he is writing, in order to encourage them.[2] (4) The passages in the Epistle to Titus (Titus 3:12) and to Timothy show that Tychicus was again with Paul after the appeal to the emperor had resulted in the apostle regaining his freedom. The passage in Titus evidently refers to the interval between Paul's first and second Roman imprisonments, and while he was again engaged in missionary journeys. The apostle writes to Titus, who was in Crete in charge of the churches there, that he intended to send either Artemas or Tychicus to him, so as to take the oversight of the work of the gospel in that island so that Titus might be free to come to be with the apostle at Nicopolis.[1] (5) The last passage where Tychicus is mentioned occurs in 2 Timothy, which was written in Rome not long before Paul's execution. To the very end Paul was busy as ever in the work of the gospel; and though it would have been a comfort to him to have his friends beside him, yet the interests of the kingdom of Christ are uppermost in his thoughts, and he sends these friends to help the progress of the work. To the last, Tychicus was serviceable as ever: "Tychicus I sent to Ephesus" (2 Timothy 4:12). As Timothy was in charge of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), the coming of Tychicus would set him free, so as to enable him to set off at once to rejoin Paul at Rome, as the apostle desired him (2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21).[1] Additional Detail[edit] The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that different traditions make him out to be the Bishop of Colophon, Chalcedon or Neapolis in Cyprus.[3] Hippolytus of Rome lists Tychicus as one of the seventy disciples. His feast is kept on 29 April.[3] Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Tychicus, a native of Asia Minor, was a disciple and companion of the holy Apostle Paul. During Saint Paul’s first imprisonment, he delivered the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. He replaced Saint Sosthenes on the episcopal throne at Caesarea.

Rome, 32, Beheading of the Forerunner in Galilee, jail because he denounced Herod, Salome danced, Herod gave her John's head
Galilee, 32, Beheading of the Forerunner in Galilee, jail because he denounced Herod for leaving wife and living with brother's wife, Salome danced, Herod gave her what she wanted, John's head ; Lower Galilee; Western Galilee; Upper Galilee; Galilee Region; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ. the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. the death of king Herod the Great, the Romans divided the territory of Palestine into four parts, and put a governor in charge of each part. Herod Antipas received Galilee from the emperor Augustus). prophet of God John openly denounced Herod for having left his lawful wife, the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas, and then instead cohabiting with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip (Luke 3:19-20). his birthday, Herod made a feast for dignitaries, the elders and a thousand chief citizens. the daughter of Herod, danced before the guests and charmed Herod. In gratitude to the girl, he swore to give her whatever she would ask, up to half his kingdom. vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked that she be given the head of John the Baptist on a platter. became apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a prophet, whom earlier he had heeded. He also feared the people, who loved the holy Forerunner. But because of the guests and his careless oath, he gave orders to cut off the head of Saint John and to give it to Salome. to Tradition, the mouth of the dead preacher of repentance once more opened and proclaimed: “Herod, you should not have the wife of your brother Philip.” took the platter with the head of Saint John and gave it to her mother. frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a needle and buried his holy head in a unclean place. the pious Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptist in an earthen vessel on the Mount of Olives, where Herod had a parcel of land. Uncovering of the Venerable Head is celebrated February 24). holy body of John the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried at Sebastia, there where the wicked deed had been done. the murder of Saint John the Baptist, Herod continued to govern for a certain time. Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent Jesus Christ to him, Whom he mocked (Luke 23:7-12). judgment of God came upon Herod, Herodias and Salome, even during their earthly life. crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell through the ice. The ice gave way in such a way that her body was in the water, but her head was trapped above the ice. It was similar to how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but now she flailed helplessly in the icy water. she was trapped until that time when the sharp ice cut through her neck. corpse was not found, but they brought the head to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of Saint John the Baptist. Arab king Aretas, in revenge for the disrespect shown his daughter, made war against Herod. The defeated Herod suffered the wrath of the Roman emperor Caius Caligua (37-41) and was exiled with Herodias first to Gaul, and then to Spain. Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, a Feast day established by the Church, is also a strict fast day because of the grief of Christians at the violent death of the saint. some Orthodox cultures pious people will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat food that is round in shape on this day. the Church makes remembrance of Orthodox soldiers killed on the field of battle, as established in 1769 at the time of Russia’s war with the Turks and the Poles.

Rome, 33, CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Galileee, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ
Galilee, 33, CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), led by God's Grace, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ; Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) , Commemorated January 18; 18 January we remember how the Apostle Peter was led by God's grace to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 16:13-20), we join with Peter, and with all Christians everywhere, in hailing Jesus as our Lord, God, and Savior. by James Kiefer

Rome, 33, TRANSFIGURATION, Tabor, Jesus d light, Peter, James, John, w Moses & Elijah, this my son, Orthodox d light focus
Galilee, 33, FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source), beginning to teach his death and resurrection, revealed himself to Peter, James and John, w Moses and Elijah, Law and Prophets, Father proclaimed this is my son, Listen to him, Orthodox say what light, why 6 days and 8 days, 8 on the mt only 6 visible, it is because mystery of the 8th day in the future, the day of the Church; Mount Tabor; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); we celebrate the occasion (recorded in M 17:1-8 = P 9:2-8 = L 9:28-36) on which Christ, He was beginning to teach His disciples that He must die and rise again, Himself in shining splendor to Peter, James, and John. and Elijah were present, and are taken to signify that the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is the promised Messiah. the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying, "This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him." For a moment the veil is drawn aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God. The Transfiguration, by Giovanno Lanfranco the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the East Orthodox calendar. the West it was observed after the ninth century by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general observance. the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that have been revised in the twentieth century. recent tendency in the West is to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6 August remains to be seen. The Transfiguration, from the Predis Codex FIRST READING: Exodus 34:29-35 (When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, after speaking with the LORD, the skin of his face was so radiant that the Israelites were afraid to look at him. Therefore, he wore a veil.) PSALM 99 or 99:5-9 (The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble.... Moses and Aaron and Samuel cried unto him, and he spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.) EPISTLE: 2 Peter 1:13-21 (Peter, near the end of his life, for his own strengthening and that of his readers, recalls his long-ago experience of seeing the Transfigured Christ.) THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 9:28-36 (Jesus took Peter and James and John up a mountain, and there appeared to them in shining splendor, and with Him appeared Moses and Elijah, who spoke with Him.) by James Kiefer The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? it was to show them something great and mysterious. is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Rome, 33, Holy Transfiguration, Tabor, Orthodox d light focus, Jesus d light, 6days&8, 6people&8, Spiritual 8th day Church
Galilee, 33, Holy Transfiguration, Tabor, Orthodox d light focus, Jesus d light, 6days&8, 6people&8, 8th day Church, Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Father God, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Church of the 8th Day Mount Tabor; The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? it was to show them something great and mysterious. is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); we celebrate the occasion (recorded in M 17:1-8 = P 9:2-8 = L 9:28-36) on which Christ, He was beginning to teach His disciples that He must die and rise again, Himself in shining splendor to Peter, James, and John. and Elijah were present, and are taken to signify that the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is the promised Messiah. the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying, "This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him." For a moment the veil is drawn aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God. The Transfiguration, by Giovanno Lanfranco the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the East Orthodox calendar. the West it was observed after the ninth century by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general observance. the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that have been revised in the twentieth century. recent tendency in the West is to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6 August remains to be seen. The Transfiguration, from the Predis Codex FIRST READING: Exodus 34:29-35 (When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, after speaking with the LORD, the skin of his face was so radiant that the Israelites were afraid to look at him. Therefore, he wore a veil.) PSALM 99 or 99:5-9 (The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble.... Moses and Aaron and Samuel cried unto him, and he spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.) EPISTLE: 2 Peter 1:13-21 (Peter, near the end of his life, for his own strengthening and that of his readers, recalls his long-ago experience of seeing the Transfigured Christ.) THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 9:28-36 (Jesus took Peter and James and John up a mountain, and there appeared to them in shining splendor, and with Him appeared Moses and Elijah, who spoke with Him.) by James Kiefer

Rome, 33-50, Loginius, Centurion at Cross & Sepulchre & then Cappadocia, his head story
Cappadocia, 033-050, Loginius the Centurion at the Cross and then Cappadocia ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ; Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion, a Roman soldier, served in Judea under the command of the Governor, Pontius Pilate. our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified, it was the detachment of soldiers under the command of Longinus which stood watch on Golgotha, at the very foot of the holy Cross. and his soldiers were eyewitnesses of the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord, and of the great and awesome portents that appeared at His death. events shook the centurion’s soul. Longinus believed in Christ and confessed before everyone, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). to Church Tradition, Longinus was the soldier who pierced the side of the Crucified Savior with a spear, and received healing from an eye affliction when blood and water poured forth from the wound. the Crucifixion and Burial of the Savior, Longinus stood watch with his company at the Sepulchre of the Lord. soldiers were present at the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ. The Jews bribed them to lie and say that His disciples had stolen away the Body of Christ, but Longinus and two of his comrades refused to be seduced by the Jewish gold. They also refused to remain silent about the miracle of the Resurrection. come to believe in the Savior, the soldiers received Baptism from the apostles and decided to leave military service. Longinus left Judea to preach about Jesus Christ the Son of God in his native land (Cappadocia), and his two comrades followed him. fiery words of those who had actually participated in the great events in Judea swayed the hearts and minds of the Cappadocians; Christianity began quickly to spread throughout the city and the surrounding villages. they learned of this, the Jewish elders persuaded Pilate to send a company of soldiers to Cappadocia to kill Longinus and his comrades. When the soldiers arrived at Longinus’s village, the former centurion himself came out to meet the soldiers and took them to his home. After a meal, the soldiers revealed the purpose of their visit, not knowing that the master of the house was the very man whom they were seeking. Then Longinus and his friends identified themselves and told the startled soldiers to carry out their duty. soldiers wanted to let the saints go and advised them to flee, but they refused to do this, showing their firm intention to suffer for Christ. holy martyrs were beheaded, and their bodies were buried at the place where the saints were martyred. The head of Saint Longinus, however, was sent to Pilate. gave orders to cast the martyr’s head on a trash-heap outside the city walls. After a while a certain blind widow from Cappadocia arrived in Jerusalem with her son to pray at the holy places, and to ask that her sight be restored. After becoming blind, she had sought the help of physicians to cure her, but all their efforts were in vain. woman’s son became ill shortly after reaching Jerusalem, and he died a few days later. The widow grieved for the loss of her son, who had served as her guide. Longinus appeared to her in a dream and comforted her. He told her that she would see her son in heavenly glory, and also receive her sight. He told her to go outside the city walls and there she would find his head in a great pile of refuse. led the blind woman to the rubbish heap, and she began to dig with her hands. As soon as she touched the martyr’s head, the woman received her sight, and she glorified God and Saint Longinus. up the head, she brought it to the place she was staying and washed it. next night, Saint Longinus appeared to her again, this time with her son. They were surrounded by a bright light, and Saint Longinus said, “Woman, behold the son for whom you grieve. See what glory and honor are his now, and be consoled. God has numbered him with those in His heavenly Kingdom. Now take my head and your son’s body, and bury them in the same casket. Do not weep for your son, for he will rejoice forever in great glory and happiness.” woman carried out the saint’s instructions and returned to her home in Cappadocia. There she buried her son and the head of Saint Longinus. Once, she had been overcome by grief for her son, but her weeping was transformed into joy when she saw him with Saint Longinus. She had sought healing for her eyes, and also received healing of her soul.

Rome, 33, Veronica, Woman wIssue oBlood, home Pansada, Galilee, statue front of her house, healing plant grew there
Galilee, 33, Veronica, Woman wIssue oBlood, home Pansada Village, Galilee, grateful for His healing, 12 yr suffering, spent all, became worse, believed she be healed by touching His garment. who touched Me, disciples puzzled, your faith healed you, statue front of her house, healing plant grew there; Pansada Village, Galilee Saint Veronica (Bernice), the woman with the issue of blood, Commemorated on July 12; account of the woman with an issue of blood, who had the unusual name of Veronica, may be found in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (9:20-22), in Saint Mark's Gospel (5:25-34), and also in Saint Luke's Gospel (8:43-49). Synaxaristes of Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain states that this Saint was from the city of Paneada. the Lord healed her issue of blood, she was very grateful, for twelve years she had "suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and nothing had helped, but instead she became worse" (Mark 5:26). had heard of Christ, and decided to go to Him, believing that she would be healed merely by touching His garment. she did this, the Savior felt that power had gone forth from Him. to the crowd, He asked who had touched His garment. disciples were puzzled by the question, since many people were pressing Him on all sides. Veronica came forward and fell down before Him in fear and trembling, and admitted what she had done. Lord said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction" (Mark 5:34). her gratitude, she made a statue of Him and placed it in front of her house, where everyone could venerate it. A healing plant grew at the base of the statue, which was able to cure various diseases. Saint Veronica became a member of the early Church. After living a life of holiness, she surrendered her soul to God. Catholics venerate a saint named Veronica, who is said to have wiped the Savior's face with her veil as He carried His Cross to Golgotha. She is not the saint who is commemorated by the Orthodox Church. That cloth was called the "Veronica," or true image (from vera and iconica) of Christ's face. Saint Gregory of Tours uses this word (Vita Patrum chapter 12) for an image (see the Greek word εικόνα). This incident, is not mentioned in the Gospels. uninformed iconographers confuse these two women and depict our Saint Veronica holding a cloth with the imprint of Christ's face, which is not in accordance with Orthodox Tradition. On August 16, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Image not made by hands, the cloth which Christ sent to King Abgar with the imprint of His Face.

Rome, 34, Lydda Icon, Diospolis, new church, Peter&John, go there I will be with you, Roman Icon
Palestine, 34, Lydda Icon, Diospolis; Lydda or Lod or Diospolis; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Icon œNot Made by Hands from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; wonderworking Lydda Icon is mentioned in the service for the Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon. to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence. She sent them back to Lydda and said, “Go in peace, and I shall be there with you.” at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. the eighth century, Saint Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of Saint Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. The icon still existed as late as the ninth century. Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26; Story wonderworking Lydda Icon is mentioned in the service for the Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon. to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence. She sent them back to Lydda and said, “Go in peace, and I shall be there with you.” at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. the eighth century, Saint Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of Saint Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. icon still existed as late as the ninth century. The Lydda Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on March 12.

Rome, 34-63,Matthias,replaced Judas,studied u Simeon,many places,Survived poison, invisible, enemies engulfed, crucified
Jerusalem, 34-63, Matthias, Apostle, from Bethlehem, Judea, replaced Judas, studied under Simeon, preached in Jerusalem, Antioch, Tianum, Sinope, Amasea, Edessa, Sebaste, Pontine Ethiopia Georgia, Macedonia, Survived poison, left prison invisible, enemies engulfed by earth, crucified; Bethlehem; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called. Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63.

Rome, 35-101, Clement of Rome, Corinthian Letter, great story, sea moves 3 mi one day, for 700yr, Rus baptism
Rome, 35-101, Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, sermon II Clement, anchor, rich, unsatisfied, heard about christ, went to Alexandria, Barnabas, Palestine, Peter, Bishop of Rome, 424 conversions one day, banishment to Cherson by Trajan, stone quarry, prayed for water, lamb revealed spring, hundreds converted each day, church, ordered drowned with anchor in 101, prayer to see his body, sea drew back 3 miles, marble cave angelic church, each year sea would withdraw on that date, till 805, 50 year hiatis, 855 began again, taken to Rome by Cyril and Methodius, later to Kiev by Vladimir, Baptism of the Rus; Clement I (died 99), also known as Saint Clement of Rome, is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as the fourth bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 AD to his death in 99 AD.[2] He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church, one of the three chief ones together with Polycarp and Ignatius of Antioch.[3] details are known about Clement's life. Clement was said to have been consecrated by Peter the Apostle,[3] and he is known to have been a leading member of the church in Rome in the late 1st century. Early church lists place him as the second or third[2][a] bishop of Rome after Peter. The Liber Pontificalis states that Clement died in Greece in the third year of Emperor Trajan's reign, or 101 AD. only genuine extant writing is his letter to the church at Corinth (1 Clement) in response to a dispute in which certain presbyters of the Corinthian church had been deposed.[2] He asserted the authority of the presbyters as rulers of the church on the ground that the Apostles had appointed such.[2] His letter, which is one of the oldest extant Christian documents outside the New Testament, was read in church, along with other epistles, some of which later became part of the Christian canon. These works were the first to affirm the apostolic authority of the clergy.[2] A second epistle, 2 Clement, was once controversially attributed to Clement, although recent scholarship suggests it to be a homily by another author.[2] In the legendary Clementine literature, Clement is the intermediary through whom the apostles teach the church.[2] to tradition, Clement was imprisoned under the Emperor Trajan; during this time he is recorded to have led a ministry among fellow prisoners. Thereafter he was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea.[2] Clement is recognized as a saint in many Christian churches and is considered a patron saint of mariners. He is commemorated on 23 November in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity his feast is kept on 24 or 25 November. Rome; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; is counted as the third bishop of Rome (after the apostles). predecessors are Linus and Cletus (or Anacletus, or Anencletus), about whom almost nothing is known. They are simply names on a list. is a little more than this, chiefly because he wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which was highly valued by the early church, and has been preserved to the present day. The letter itself does not carry his name, but is merely addressed from the congregation at Rome to the congregation at Corinth. a letter from Corinth to Rome a few decades later refers to "the letter we received from your bishop Clement, which we still read regularly." early writers are unanimous in attributing the letter to Clement. Perhaps because this letter made his name familiar, he has had an early anonymous sermon (commonly called II Clement) attributed to him, and is a character in some early religious romances (e.g. the Clementine Recognitions). story about Clement is that he was put to death by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. Accordingly, he is often depicted with an anchor, and many churches in port towns intended to minister chiefly to mariners are named for him. Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (also called I Clement) can be found in collections of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, such as the Penguin Paperback Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. letter is commonly dated around 96 AD, but an earlier date is suggested by John Robinson in his Redating the New Testament. letter is occasioned by the fact that a group of Christians at Corinth had banded together against their leaders and had deposed them from office. Clement writes to tell them that they have behaved badly, and to remind them of the importance of Christian unity and love. speaks at length of the way in which each kind of official in the church has his own function for the good of the whole. The letter is an important witness to the early Christian understanding of Church government, but an ambiguous witness in that we are never told precisely why the Corinthians had deposed their leaders, and therefore the letter can be read as saying that presbyters ought not to be deposed without reasonable grounds, or as saying that they cannot be deposed on any grounds at all. letter refers only to the presbyters of Corinth, and makes no reference to the bishop of Corinth. Moreover, there is no mention of a bishop at Rome--the letter is sent as from the Church at Rome collectively, and Clement's name does not appear. this, some have inferred that the office of bishop had not yet developed at either Rome or Corinth, and that in both congregations the office of presbyter was the highest office known. probable alternate explanation, however, is that the troubles in Corinth had arisen when the bishop of that congregation had died, and the congregation had split into factions, none containing both a majority of the presbyters and a majority of the congregation. letter makes no apology for intervening in what might be thought an internal affair of the congregation at Corinth. On the contrary, the writer apologizes for the delay in commenting, as if an earlier intervention might have been expected. this, some have inferred that, even at this early date (96 AD or, some think, earlier), when the Apostle John was perhaps still alive, the authority and jurisdiction of the Roman congregation over every other congregation of the Christian Church was already universally conceded. a perfectly reasonable alternative explanation is that the congregation at Corinth, torn by division, had agreed to settle their disputes by inviting another congregation, or the head of another congregation, to act as arbitrator. would be a reasonable thing to do, and the choice of Rome as that congregation was natural, partly because of the prestige of the city, and the prestige of one of the largest congregations in the Church, and because the Corinth of Clement's day had been built as a Roman colony, with a special dependence directly on the city of Rome (a civil relation that might affect the habits of thought of the Corinthians on matters ecclestiastical as well), but also because Rome was far enough away so that it could be assumed to be impartial and not affected by local personalities. Clement's Letter to the Corinthians: the one truly possessed by the love of Christ keep his commandments. Who can express the binding power of divine love? Who can find words for the splendor of its beauty? Beyond all description are the heights to which it lifts us. Love unites us to God; "it cancels innumerable sins," has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms or form cliques, but always acts in harmony with others. By it all God's chosen ones have been sanctified; without it, it is impossible to please him. Out of love the Lord took us to himself; because he loved us and it was God's will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life's blood for us -- he gave his body for our body, his soul for our soul. then, beloved, what a great and wonderful thing love is, and how inexpressible its perfection. Who are worthy to possess it unless God makes them so? To him therefore we must turn, begging of his mercy that there may be found in us a love free from human partiality and beyond reproach. Every generation from Adam's time to ours has passed away; but those who by God's grace were made perfect in love and have a dwelling now among the saints, and when at last the kingdom of Christ appears, they will be revealed. "Take shelter in your rooms for a little while," says Scripture, "until my wrath subsides. Then I will remember the good days, and will raise you from your graves." are we, beloved, if love enables us to live in harmony and in the observance of God's commandments, for then it will also gain for us the remission of our sins. Scripture pronounces "happy those whose transgressions are pardoned, whose sins are forgiven. Happy the one," it says, "to whom the Lord imputes no fault, on whose lips there is no guile." This is the blessing given those whom God has chosen through Jesus Christ our Lord. To him be glory for ever and ever. * * * * us fix our attention on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to God his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world. we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has "offered the opportunity of repentance" to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God's message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God's forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God's people. the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God's grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe himself spoke of repentance with an oath: "As I live," says the Lord, "I do not wish the death of the sinner but the sinner's repentance." He added this evidence of his goodness: "House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell my people: If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to me with your whole heart and say, `Father,' and I will listen to you as to a holy people." other words, God wanted all his beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and he confirmed this desire by his own almighty will. That is why we should obey his sovereign and glorious will and prayerfully entreat his mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before him and turn to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death. should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride, and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: "The wise must not glory in wisdom nor the strong in strength nor the rich in riches. Rather, let the one who glories glory in the Lord, by seeking him and doing what is right and just." Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance. "Be merciful," he said, "so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving will be the measure of your receiving." these commandments and precepts strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: "Whom shall I look upon with favor except the humble, peaceful one who trembles at my words?" then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe, and hold fast to his splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all his blessings. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was born at Rome into a rich and illustrious family. from his parents from childhood by force of circumstances, Clement was raised by strangers. in Rome, the youth received a fine education, he was surrounded by luxury, and had access to the imperial court. But these comforts brought him no joy, and pagan wisdom failed to attract him. He began to ponder the meaning of life. the news of Christ and His teaching began to reach the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and went to the lands where the Apostles were preaching. Alexandria Saint Clement met the holy Apostle Barnabas, listening to his words with deep attention, and perceiving the power and truth of the Word of God. in Palestine, Saint Clement was baptized by the holy Apostle Peter and became his zealous disciple and constant companion, sharing his toil and sufferings with him. Shortly before his own sufferings and death, Saint Peter consecrated Saint Clement as Bishop of Rome. the death of the Apostle Peter, Saint Linus (67-79) was the next Bishop of Rome, succeeded by Saint Anacletus (79-91), and then Saint Clement (92-101). virtuous life, charitable works and prayerful activity of Saint Clement converted many to Christ. He once baptized 424 people on the day of Pascha. Among the baptized were people of all social classes: slaves, officials, and even members of the imperial family. pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, denounced Saint Clement to the emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of insulting the pagan gods. The emperor banished Saint Clement from the capital, sending him to the Crimea, to work at a stone quarry near the city of Cherson. Many of the saint’s disciples followed after him voluntarily, preferring to go into exile rather than live without their spiritual Father. he arrived at the place of exile, Saint Clement found many Christian believers there, sentenced to labor under harsh conditions amidst a scarcity of water. prayed together with the condemned, and the Lord appeared to him in the form of a lamb and revealed the location of a spring, from which gushed forth a veritable river of water. miracle attracted a multitude of people to Saint Clement. Hearing the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans were converted to Christ. Each day 500 or more men were baptized. And there in the stone quarry, a church was built, in which he served as priest. apostolic activity of the saint aroused the wrath of the emperor Trajan, and he ordered that Saint Clement be drowned. They threw the martyr into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck. This occurred in the year 101. saint’s faithful disciples Cornelius and Fibius asked the people to pray that the Lord would permit them to see the martyr’s body. The sea drew back a distance of three miles from the shore and the people walked out on the seabed until they found a marble cave shaped like a church. they found the incorrupt body of their archpastor in this “Angelic Church” formed by God. After this, each year on the anniversary of Saint Clement’s martyric death the sea receded, and for seven days Christians were able to venerate his holy relics. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Nikēphóros (802-811), by divine providence, the sea failed to withdraw, and the relics of Saint Clement became inaccessible for fifty years. the time of the emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Saints Cyril and Methodius visited Cherson. When they learned of the concealed relics of Saint Clement, they asked Bishop George of Cherson to pray that the Lord would show them the relics of the hieromartyr. Cyril and Methodius walked along the shore in procession with the clergy who came with them from Constantinople. Through the fervent prayers of everyone gathered there, the holy relics of Saint Clement miraculously appeared on the surface of the sea at midnight. They solemnly took them to the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. portion of the relics were then brought to Rome by Saints Cyril and Methodius, a large portion of the relics was later brought to Kiev by the holy Prince Vladimir (July 15) and placed in the Desyatin-Tithe church, together with the relics of Saint Fibius, where a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement had been built. hieromartyr Clement is widely venerated in Russia. From ancient times, many churches have been dedicated to him. Clement, who belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, has left to us a spiritual legacy (two Epistles to the Corinthians) the first written examples of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles.

Rome, 37-41, Emperor, Caius Caligua, Pagan, sadist, sex pervert, aquaduct construction, assainated
Rome, 37-41, Roman Emperor, Caius Caligua; (31 August 12 AD – 24 January 41 AD), formally known as Gaius (Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from AD 37 to 41. The son of the popular Roman general Germanicus and Augustus's granddaughter Agrippina the Elder, Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. uncle and adoptive father, Tiberius, succeeded Augustus as emperor of Rome in AD 14. Although Gaius was named after Gaius Julius Caesar, he acquired the nickname "Caligula" (meaning little [soldier's] boot) from his father's soldiers during their campaign in Germania. Germanicus died at Antioch in 19, Agrippina returned with her six children to Rome, where she became entangled in a bitter feud with Tiberius. conflict eventually led to the destruction of her family, with Caligula as the sole male survivor. by the deadly intrigues, Caligula accepted an invitation in 31 to join the emperor on the island of Capri, where Tiberius had withdrawn five years earlier. Following the death of Tiberius, Caligula succeeded his adoptive grandfather as emperor in 37. are few surviving sources about the reign of Caligula, though he is described as a noble and moderate emperor during the first six months of his rule. this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversion, presenting him as an insane tyrant. While the reliability of these sources is questionable, it is known that his brief reign, Caligula worked to increase the unconstrained personal power of the emperor, as opposed to countervailing powers within the principate. directed much of his attention to ambitious construction projects and luxurious dwellings for himself, and initiated the construction of two aqueducts in Rome: the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus. During his reign, the empire annexed the client kingdom of Mauretania as a province. early 41, Caligula was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy by officers of the Praetorian Guard, senators, and courtiers. The conspirators' attempt to use the opportunity to restore the Roman Republic was thwarted, however. On the day of the assassination of Caligula, the Praetorians declared Caligula's uncle, Claudius, the next Roman emperor. Although the Julio-Claudian dynasty continued to rule the empire until the fall of his nephew Nero in 68, Caligula's death marked the official end of the Julii Caesares in the male line. The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29;

Rome, 38-43, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas, 3 circles instead of 3 stars
Arabs, 38-43, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Rome, 38-81, Oraiozele, wApostle Andrew, Byzantium, Virgin Martyr, worshipped idols, learned truths, converted women
Constantinople, 38-81, Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Byzantium (downtown Constantinople), Virgin Martyr, former idol-worshipper, learned truths, instructed women, church oBosporos, converted many pagans, did not feel tortures ; Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Commemorated on July 26; Oraiozele lived in Byzantium during the first century. At first she was an idol-worshipper, but then she became a Christian when she heard the preaching of Saint Andrew, who baptized her. was an educated woman and was able to learn all the truths of the Gospel correctly, Saint Andrew permitted her to instruct other women. was very successful in bringing many of them to Christ. Later, she attached herself to a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael at Revma on the Bosporos. There she converted many pagans. Saint Oraiozele accepted two women who had been idolaters, but came to believe in Christ. They were most eager to emulate the Saint, regarding her as a model of virtue. two disciples wished to follow her example in ascetical struggles, each trying to surpass the other in fasting, vigils, and prayer. This continued for several years, until the reign of Emperor Domitian.1 the Emperor started to persecute Christians, Saint Oraiozele was arrested as well. appeared before him and was charged with the "crime" of refusing to sacrifice to the idols. Domitian was unable to persuade her to return to idolatry, and since she remained steadfast in her love for Christ, he ordered her to be tortured. she was disrobed, and then she was beaten for many hours. who watched were amazed because she did not seem to feel the blows. it was as if someone else was enduring her punishment. Saint Oraiozele was beheaded and her dead body was thrown into the fire. Now she stands before her Bridegroom Christ as one of the choir of the Martyrs. who are unable to conceive will pray to Saint Oraiozele and many of them give birth. women whose breasts do not produce enough milk have been able to nurse their babies after praying to the Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele. 1 Titus Flavius Domitianus (reigned 81 - 96 A.D.)

Rome, 40, CONVERSION oPaul, near Damascus, Syria, , formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tChief Spokesman, had vision oChrist
Cilicia, 40, CONVERSION oPAUL, oTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tbChief Spokesman, questions of authorship oPaul's Letters and Acts: info sources: 1. several NT letters, 2. Luke's account of him in Acts, forger's difficulties, during lifetime, I never wrote anything like that, after death, why didn't we recieve, argument applies only to letters to congregations, or general form letters, so, pastoral letters Timothy&Titus signed by Paul are questioned, Hebrews not signed, Paul first opposed Church, had vision oChrist, converted, devoted rest oLife tSpreading Gospel oChrist, Luke was his companion fPart of his journeys, well established comparison oStyle Acts written by companion oPaul, but chronology differences Acts and Pauls autobiography accts some scholars dispute genuiness oActs; Damascus (Barada River foothills); THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; January 25 we remember how Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, formerly an enemy and persecutor of the early Christian Church, was led by God's grace to become one of its chief spokesmen. detail of the Conversion of Paul, by Peter Bruegel chief sources of information about the Apostle Paul are several of his own letters, preserved for us in the New Testament, and the account of him given by Luke in the book of Acts. One naturally asks whether we can be sure that the letters attributed to Paul are in fact his. partial answer is that a forger would run into difficulty. If he wrote a letter, say, to the church at Corinth during Paul's lifetime, and signed Paul's name, the Corinthians would naturally mention it the next time they sent a message to Paul, and Paul would naturally reply: "What are you talking about? I never wrote anything like that!" a letter supposedly to Corinth were circulated after Paul's death, sooner or later a copy would reach Corinth, and the members of the church there would ask, "If Paul wrote this letter and sent it to us while he lived, how does it happen that no one here has ever heard of it?" it would be difficult to obtain credence for a forged letter to a congregation. argument does not apply to a letter to an individual (such as Timothy or Titus). it arguably does not apply to the Letter to the Ephesians. Although some ancient copies of this letter begin: an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [at Ephesus and] faithful in Christ Jesus: ancient copies read simply "also" instead of the bracketed words. Thus, it is widely supposed that the letter was written as a general form letter to many churches, with the name of the church to be filled in in each particular copy. view is supported by the fact that the letter contains no personal greetings and makes no references to the past history of the congregation addressed. a forger might write such a form letter, circulate it after Paul's death, and escape detection, since no particular congregation could say, "Since we did not hear of this letter before, Paul could not have written it." And accordingly, we find that it is precisely Ephesians and the Pastorals (the letters to Timothy and Titus) that are questioned by some scholars who acknowledge Paul's authorship of all the other letters claiming to be by him. (I am not counting the letter to the Hebrews, which is not signed.) Conversion of Paul, by Caravaggio Our other source of information is the book of Acts, where Paul (at first called Saul) appears in 7:58-8:1; 9:1-30; 11:25-30; 12:25--28:31. we read how Paul at first opposed and persecuted the Church, how he had a vision of Christ and was converted, and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Gospel of Christ. of this account include statements like "we then crossed over to Troas," which are taken to mean that Luke was a companion of Paul for part of Paul's journeys. these accounts, particularly those of the shipwreck on Paul's last voyage, show every sign of being accurate eyewitness accounts (see the book The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, by James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS) and since a comparison of the style of various portions of the book of Acts makes it highly improbable that it is a scissors-and-paste job, with portions of one man's work inserted into a story by someone else, many scholars consider the claim that Acts was written by a companion of Paul to be well established. the other hand, it is not always clear how the chronology of Luke's account of the life of Paul is to be fitted with the autobiographical snippets we find in Paul's own writings, and for this reason some scholars dispute the genuineness of the book of Acts. an old but still worth-while introduction to the subject, and a defense of the conservative position, I refer the reader to A Historical Introduction to the New Testament (the title varies a bit from one edition to another) by George Salmon, FRS. A portion of this book (dealing with the authorship of the Fourth Gospel) can be obtained at READING Acts 26:9-21 (Paul, on trial before Agrippa, recounts the story of his conversion at Damascus) PSALM 67 (God has blest us, and all the ends of the earth shall revere Him) EPISTLE Galatians 1:11-24 (Paul writes of his conversion, and its implications) THE HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 10:16-22 (Christ warns His disciples of persecutions to come, and encourages them to stand firm and trust God) by James Kiefer

Rome, 40, LYDIA, DORCAS & PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, Joppa (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)
Palestine, 40, LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7); was an early disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles[1][2] (Acts 9:36-43, see discussion here). lived in the port city of Joppa, today absorbed by Tel Aviv. Acts describes her as being known for her "good works and acts of mercy", sewing clothes for the poor.[3][4] she died, the widows of her community mourned her and sent urgently for Peter (Acts 9:38), who was in nearby Lydda. As evidence of her charity, they showed him some of the clothes she had sewn, and according to the biblical account he raised her from the dead.[5] Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; (or Tabitha in Aramaic -- both names mean "gazelle") is mentioned in Acts 9:36-42. was a member of the early Christian community in Joppa, a seacoast town of Israel, and noted for her acts of charity, in particular for making garments and giving them to needy widows. she fell ill and died, Peter came to see her, and raised her to life. words to her, "Tabitha, kumi," (Tabitha, arise), are reminiscent of the words of Jesus to the daughter of Jairus, "Talitha, kumi," (little girl, arise) as given in Mark 5:41. this is anything more than coincidence is hard to say. If the Aramaic words of Jesus had been quoted by Luke rather than by Mark, one might suppose that Luke was underscoring a resemblance between the two episodes (the reader is invited to look up both stories, the former in M 9:18-26 = P 5:22-43 = L 41-56 and the latter in A 9:36-42). As it is, I am not sure that Luke (or Peter, presumably Mark's source for his account) intends a connection. by James Kiefer

Rome, 40, Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas ot70, refreshed Paul's spirit, P's first fruits in Akhaia Province
Greece, 40, Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Achaea, West Greece, they refreshed Paul's spirit and the Corinthians, Paul's first fruits in Akhaia Province, devoted to serving tSaints; Achaea; Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Commemorated on June 15; Fortunatus, Akhaikos and Stephanas of the 70 Apostles were coworkers of the Apostle Paul, who, with all their heart and soul, helped to spread the Gospel among the nations. Paul mentions these three men in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (16:17): I rejoice in the presence of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Akhaikos, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Therefore, give recognition to such men." household of Stephanas were among the first fruits of the province of Akhaia ( I Corinthians 16:15), and were baptized by Saint Paul, declares that they devoted themselves to serving the saints. is perhaps the Latin name of Tykhikos (Τυχικός), in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, state that he came from Asia and accompanied Paul, along with others (Acts 20:5). man Tykikos delivered two of Saint Paul's Epistles (see Ephesians 6:21-22; Colossians 4:7). is not certain, however, that Fortunatus and Tykikos are the same individual.

Rome, 40-50, Marcellus, Hieromartyr, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ
Sicily, 40-50, Marcellus, Hieromartyr, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ; Sicily; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyrs Marcellus, Philagrius and Pancratius were disciples of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: Marcellus of Sicily, of Cyprus, Pancratius of Taormina. were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.

Rome, 40-50, Pancratius Hieromartyr of Taormina, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ
Sicily, 40-50, Marcellus, Hieromartyr, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ; Sicily; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyrs Marcellus, Philagrius and Pancratius were disciples of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: Marcellus of Sicily, of Cyprus, Pancratius of Taormina. were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.

Rome, 40-50, Pancratius, disciple of Peter, Antioch native, Pontus cave, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily
Sicily, 40-50, First Century Saint Pancratius, disciple of Peter, Antioch native, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9; Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina, was born when our Lord Jesus Christ yet lived upon the earth. parents of Pancratius were natives of Antioch. Hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, Pancratius’ father took his young son with him and went to Jerusalem in order to see the great Teacher for himself. The miracles astonished him, and when he heard the divine teaching, he then believed in Christ as the Son of God. He became close with the disciples of the Lord, especially with the holy Apostle Peter. It was during this period that young Pancratius got to know the holy Apostle Peter. the Ascension of the Savior, one of the Apostles came to Antioch and baptized the parents of Pancratius together with all their household. When the parents of Pancratius died, he left behind his inherited possessions and went to Pontus and began to live in a cave, spendng his days in prayer and deep spiritual contemplation. The holy Apostle Peter, while passing through those parts, visited Pancratius at Pontus. He took him along to Antioch, and then to Sicily, where the holy Apostle Paul then was. There the holy Apostles Peter and Paul made Saint Pancratius Bishop of Taormina in Sicily. Pancratius toiled zealously for the Christian enlightenment of the people. In a single month he built a church where he celebrated divine services. The number of believers quickly grew, and soon almost all the people of Taormina and the surrounding cities accepted the Christian Faith. Pancratius governed his flock peacefully for many years. However, pagans plotted against the saint, and seizing an appropriate moment, they fell upon him and stoned him. Thus, Saint Pancratius ended his life as a martyr. saint’s relics are in the church named for him in Rome. He is also commemorated on February 9.

Rome, 40-50, Philagrius Hieromartyr of Cyprus, disciple o Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ
Sicily, 40-50, Marcellus, Hieromartyr, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ; Sicily; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyrs Marcellus, Philagrius and Pancratius were disciples of the holy Apostle Peter and were made bishops by him: Marcellus of Sicily, of Cyprus, Pancratius of Taormina. were put to death for spreading the faith of Christ among the pagans.

Rome, 40-75, Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Iraneous' blind son, Tribune's wife, Boniface's speech
Ravenna; Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apollinaris was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, whom he followed from Antioch to Rome sometime during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (41-54). Saint Peter appointed Apollinaris as Bishop of Ravenna. Arriving in Ravenna as a stranger, Saint Apollinaris asked shelter of a local inhabitant, the soldier Irenaeus, and during their conversation he revealed the purpose for which he had come. had a blind son, whom Saint Apollinaris healed, after he had prayed to the Lord. The soldier Irenaeus and his family were the first people in Ravenna to believe in Christ. The saint stayed at the house of Irenaeus and preached about Christ to everyone who wished to hear his words. One of the miracles that Saint Apollinaris performed was the healing of Thekla, the incurably sick wife of the tribune. Through the prayers of the saint, she got up from her bed completely healthy. Not only did she believe in Christ, but so did her husband the tribune. In their house Saint Apollinaris set up a small church, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Saint Apollinaris ordained two presbyters, Aderetus and Calocyrus, and also two deacons for the newly-baptized people of Ravenna. Apollinaris labored with great zeal, preaching the Gospel at Ravenna for twelve years, and the number of Christians steadily increased. Pagan priests complained about the bishop to the governor Saturninus. The hierarch was brought to trial and subjected to grievous tortures. Thinking that he had died, the torturers took him out of the city to the seacoast and threw him into the water. The saint, however, was still alive. A certain pious Christian widow helped him and gave him shelter in her home. Saint Apollinaris stayed with her for six months, and secretly continued to preach about Christ. The saint’s whereabouts became known when he restored the power of speech to an illustrious resident of the city named Boniface, whose wife had requested the saint to help her husband. this miracle many pagans were converted to Christ, and once again Saint Apollinaris was brought to trial and tortured. His bare feet were placed on red-hot coals. They expelled him from the city a second time, but the Lord again kept him alive. The saint did not cease preaching until he left the city. For a certain time Saint Apollinaris found himself elsewhere in Italy, where he continued to preach the Gospel as before. Returning to his flock in Ravenna, Saint Apollinaris went on trial yet again and was sentenced to banishment. heavy fetters, he was placed on a ship bound for Illyrica and the Danube River. Two soldiers were responsible for escorting him to his place of exile. Three of the clergy voluntarily followed their bishop into exile. Along the way the vessel was wrecked and everyone drowned, except for Saint Apollinaris, his clergy and the two soldiers. The soldiers, listening to Saint Apollinaris, believed in the Lord and were baptized. Not finding any shelter, the travelers came to Moisia in Thrace, where Saint Apollinaris healed a certain illustrious inhabitant from leprosy. Both he and his companions were given shelter at the man’s home. In this land Saint Apollinaris preached tirelessly about Christ and he converted many of the pagans to Christianity, for which he was subjected to persecution by the unbelievers. They beat the saint mercilessly, then they sent him back to Italy aboard a ship. a three year absence, Saint Apollinaris returned to Ravenna and was joyfully received by his flock. The pagans, however, entered the church where the saint was serving the Divine Liturgy, scattered those at prayer, and dragged the saint before the idolatrous priests at the pagan temple of Apollo. The idol fell and shattered to pieces just as the saint was brought in. The pagan priests brought Saint Apollinaris to Taurus, the new governor of the district for trial. Apollinaris performed a new miracle, healing the son of the governor, who had been blind from birth. In gratitude for the healing of his son, Taurus tried to protect Saint Apollinaris from the angry crowd. He sent him to his own estate outside the city. Although Taurus’s wife and son were baptized, he feared the anger of the emperor, and did not receive Baptism. However, he was filled with gratitude and love toward his benefactor. Apollinaris lived for five years at Taurus’s estate and preached without hindrance. During this time pagan priests sent letters of denunciation to Emperor Vespasian requesting a sentence of death or exile for the Christian “sorcerer” Apollinaris. But the emperor told the pagan priests that the gods were sufficiently powerful to take revenge for themselves, if they felt insulted. All the wrath of the pagans fell upon Saint Apollinaris: they seized him and beat him fiercely as he was leaving the city for a nearby settlement. Christians found him barely alive and took him to the settlement, where he lived for seven days. During his final illness the saint did not cease to teach his flock. He predicted that after the persecutions ended, Christians would enter upon better times when they could openly and freely confess their faith. After bestowing his archpastoral blessing upon those present, the hieromartyr Apollinaris fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Apollinaris was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-eight years, and he reposed in the year 75.

Rome, 40-75, Hieromartyr Apollinarius of Ravenna, Peter's disciple, Antioch to Rome to, healed many for safe church
Northern Italy, 40-75, Hieromartyr Apollinarius of Ravenna, Northern Italy (Candiano Canal, Reno River Mouth), Peter's disciple, from Antioch to Rome, healed soldier Irenius' blind son, healed incurable Thekla tribune's wife, church in their house, 2 presbyters, 2 deacons, 12yrs, tortured left for dead, saved from water by widow, 6mos, healed Boniface speech, tortured red hot coals, elsewhere in italy, banished from Ravenna again, ship to Illyrica and Danube, shipwreck all drowned except his group, soldiers believed, Thrace healed illustrious of leprosy, shelter in his home, tortured back to Italy, Ravenna after 3yrs, dragged temple, Apollo to pieces, brought to Taurus, healed gov's son, 5yrs his estate, Pagan letters to Vespasian, gods sufficiently powerful, beaten, lived 7 days settlement, predicted end persecutions ; Ravenna; Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apollinaris was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, he followed from Antioch to Rome sometime during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (41-54). Peter appointed Apollinaris as Bishop of Ravenna. in Ravenna as a stranger, Saint Apollinaris asked shelter of a local inhabitant, the soldier Irenaeus, and during their conversation he revealed the purpose for which he had come. had a blind son, whom Saint Apollinaris healed, after he had prayed to the Lord. soldier Irenaeus and his family were the first people in Ravenna to believe in Christ. saint stayed at the house of Irenaeus and preached about Christ to everyone who wished to hear his words. of the miracles that Saint Apollinaris performed was the healing of Thekla, the incurably sick wife of the tribune. Through the prayers of the saint, she got up from her bed completely healthy. only did she believe in Christ, but so did her husband the tribune. their house Saint Apollinaris set up a small church, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Saint Apollinaris ordained two presbyters, Aderetus and Calocyrus, and also two deacons for the newly-baptized people of Ravenna. Apollinaris labored with great zeal, preaching the Gospel at Ravenna for twelve years, and the number of Christians steadily increased. priests complained about the bishop to the governor Saturninus. The hierarch was brought to trial and subjected to grievous tortures. that he had died, the torturers took him out of the city to the seacoast and threw him into the water. saint, however, was still alive. A certain pious Christian widow helped him and gave him shelter in her home. Saint Apollinaris stayed with her for six months, and secretly continued to preach about Christ. saint’s whereabouts became known when he restored the power of speech to an illustrious resident of the city named Boniface, whose wife had requested the saint to help her husband. this miracle many pagans were converted to Christ, and once again Saint Apollinaris was brought to trial and tortured. bare feet were placed on red-hot coals. expelled him from the city a second time, but the Lord again kept him alive. The saint did not cease preaching until he left the city. a certain time Saint Apollinaris found himself elsewhere in Italy, where he continued to preach the Gospel as before. to his flock in Ravenna, Saint Apollinaris went on trial yet again and was sentenced to banishment. heavy fetters, he was placed on a ship bound for Illyrica and the Danube River. Two soldiers were responsible for escorting him to his place of exile. Three of the clergy voluntarily followed their bishop into exile. the way the vessel was wrecked and everyone drowned, except for Saint Apollinaris, his clergy and the two soldiers. The soldiers, listening to Saint Apollinaris, believed in the Lord and were baptized. finding any shelter, the travelers came to Moisia in Thrace, where Saint Apollinaris healed a certain illustrious inhabitant from leprosy. Both he and his companions were given shelter at the man’s home. this land Saint Apollinaris preached tirelessly about Christ and he converted many of the pagans to Christianity, which he was subjected to persecution by the unbelievers. They beat the saint mercilessly, then they sent him back to Italy aboard a ship. a three year absence, Saint Apollinaris returned to Ravenna and was joyfully received by his flock. pagans, however, entered the church where the saint was serving the Divine Liturgy, scattered those at prayer, and dragged the saint before the idolatrous priests at the pagan temple of Apollo. idol fell and shattered to pieces just as the saint was brought in. pagan priests brought Saint Apollinaris to Taurus, the new governor of the district for trial. Apollinaris performed a new miracle, healing the son of the governor, who had been blind from birth. gratitude for the healing of his son, Taurus tried to protect Saint Apollinaris from the angry crowd. He sent him to his own estate outside the city. Although Taurus’s wife and son were baptized, he feared the anger of the emperor, and did not receive Baptism. However, he was filled with gratitude and love toward his benefactor. Apollinaris lived for five years at Taurus’s estate and preached without hindrance. this time pagan priests sent letters of denunciation to Emperor Vespasian requesting a sentence of death or exile for the Christian “sorcerer” Apollinaris. the emperor told the pagan priests that the gods were sufficiently powerful to take revenge for themselves, if they felt insulted. the wrath of the pagans fell upon Saint Apollinaris: they seized him and beat him fiercely as he was leaving the city for a nearby settlement. found him barely alive and took him to the settlement, where he lived for seven days. his final illness the saint did not cease to teach his flock. He predicted that after the persecutions ended, Christians would enter upon better times when they could openly and freely confess their faith. bestowing his archpastoral blessing upon those present, the hieromartyr Apollinaris fell asleep in the Lord. Apollinaris was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-eight years, and he reposed in the year 75.

Rome, 40-90, Cyril, Bishop of Catania, Sicily, Peter's Antioch disciple, wonderworker, sweetened bitter water, old age
Sicily, 40-90, Cyril, Bishop of Catania, Sicily, from Antioch, Peter's disciple, pious, wonderworker, sweetened bitter water, old age; Catania; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Cyril was born in Antioch. was a disciple of the Apostle Peter (June 29, January 16), installed him as Bishop of Catania in Sicily. Cyril wisely guided his flock; he was pious, and the Lord granted him the gift of wonderworking. his prayer the bitter water in a certain spring lost its bitterness and became drinkable. This miracle converted many pagans to Christianity. Cyril died in old age and was buried in Sicily.

Rome, 40-96, Lucian, from rome to Belgium, successful preacher, strict ascetic, killed by E Dometian, picked up head
Belgium, 40-96, Saint, Lucian of Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Hieromartyr Lucian lived in Rome, and his pagan name was Lucius. He was converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, and was baptized. After Saint Pete'™s death, Saint Lucian preached the Gospel in Italy. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), a disciple of Saint Paul, arrived in Rome at this time. At the request of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25), he agreed to preach the Gospel in the West, and gathered companions and helpers for this task. Saint Clement consecrated Saint Lucian a bishop, then sent him off with Saint Dionysius, Saints Marcellinus and Saturninus, the Presbyter Maximian, and the Deacon Julian. holy preachers sailed from Italy to Gaul (modern France). Saint Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Saint Saturninus went to Gaul, and Saint Dionysius and the others went to the region of Paris. From there Saint Lucian went to Belgium with Maximian and Julian. Lucian'™s preaching was very successful. By the power of his words and the example of his life, he converted a large number of pagans to Christianity. Saint Lucian was a strict ascetic, and all day long he ate only a morsel of bread and some water. Towards the converted he was kindly, always joyful and cheerful of face. Soon almost all the settlements of Belgium were converted to Christ. this period, the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96) initiated a second persecution against Christians (after that of Nero, 54-68), and he issued an edict prescribing torture and execution for anyone who refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. officials were sent to Belgium to carry out the edict. The Lord revealed to Saint Lucian the ordeal facing him. He gathered the flock together, urging them not to fear threats, tortures or death, and then he gave thanks to God for granting him the possibility of joining the company of the holy martyrs. After praying, Saint Lucian and the priest Maximian and Deacon Julian withdrew to the summit of a hill, where he continued to teach the people who came with him. the soldiers of the emperor came upon the saints and led them away for trial. Saints Maximian and Julian were urged to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols, but both refused and were beheaded. the judge began to interrogate Saint Lucian, accusing him of sorcery and disobedience to the emperor and Senate. The saint replied that he was not a sorcerer, but rather a servant of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he refused to offer sacrifice to idols made by human hands. saint was subjected to fierce beatings, during which he repeated, œNever will I cease to praise Christ, the Son of God, in my heart, and with my lips. Then the holy martyr was beheaded. A heavenly light shone over his body, and the Voice of the Savior was heard, summoning the valiant sufferer into the heavenly Kingdom to receive the marty'™s crown. By the power of God the saint stood up, picked up his severed head, and crossed over the river. Reaching the burial spot he had chosen, he lay down upon the ground and reposed in peace. of this great miracle about 500 pagans were converted to Christ. Later, a church was built over Saint Lucian'™s grave, to which the relics of the martyrs Maximian and Julian were transferred.

Rome, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian, sent to Gaul, then to Belgium, c all Belgium, heavenly light, picked up head
France, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais, France (Avalon River Mouth, Therain River 4), converted by Peter, preached in Italy, Clement sent him to Gaul, then to Belgium, very successful, by words and life example, strict ascetic, c all Belgium, beheaded, heavenly light, picked up head and carried to his grave; Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Hieromartyr Lucian lived in Rome, and his pagan name was Lucius. was converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, and was baptized. Saint Peter’s death, Saint Lucian preached the Gospel in Italy. Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), a disciple of Saint Paul, arrived in Rome at this time. the request of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25), he agreed to preach the Gospel in the West, and gathered companions and helpers for this task. Clement consecrated Saint Lucian a bishop, then sent him off with Saint Dionysius, Saints Marcellinus and Saturninus, the Presbyter Maximian, and the Deacon Julian. holy preachers sailed from Italy to Gaul (modern France). Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Saturninus went to Gaul, Saint Dionysius and the others went to the region of Paris. there Saint Lucian went to Belgium with Maximian and Julian. Lucian’s preaching was very successful. By the power of his words and the example of his life, he converted a large number of pagans to Christianity. Lucian was a strict ascetic, and all day long he ate only a morsel of bread and some water. the converted he was kindly, always joyful and cheerful of face. almost all the settlements of Belgium were converted to Christ. this period, the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96) initiated a second persecution against Christians (after that of Nero, 54-68), and he issued an edict prescribing torture and execution for anyone who refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. officials were sent to Belgium to carry out the edict. Lord revealed to Saint Lucian the ordeal facing him. He gathered the flock together, urging them not to fear threats, tortures or death, and then he gave thanks to God for granting him the possibility of joining the company of the holy martyrs. After praying, Saint Lucian and the priest Maximian and Deacon Julian withdrew to the summit of a hill, where he continued to teach the people who came with him. the soldiers of the emperor came upon the saints and led them away for trial. Saints Maximian and Julian were urged to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols, but both refused and were beheaded. the judge began to interrogate Saint Lucian, accusing him of sorcery and disobedience to the emperor and Senate. The saint replied that he was not a sorcerer, but rather a servant of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he refused to offer sacrifice to idols made by human hands. saint was subjected to fierce beatings, during which he repeated, “Never will I cease to praise Christ, the Son of God, in my heart, and with my lips.” Then the holy martyr was beheaded. heavenly light shone over his body, and the Voice of the Savior was heard, summoning the valiant sufferer into the heavenly Kingdom to receive the martyr’s crown. the power of God the saint stood up, picked up his severed head, and crossed over the river. Reaching the burial spot he had chosen, he lay down upon the ground and reposed in peace. of this great miracle about 500 pagans were converted to Christ. Later, a church was built over Saint Lucian’s grave, to which the relics of the martyrs Maximian and Julian were transferred.

Rome, 40-105, Bucolus, 1st Bishop of Smyrna, John's disciple, baptized many, fought heresy, died in peace after long life
Ephesus, 40-105, Bucolus the 1st Bishop of Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity), John's disciple, converted baptized many pagans, defended against heresy, gave flock tPolycarp, died in peace after long life; Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, became the first Bishop of Smyrna (Asia Minor). the grace of God, Saint Bucolus converted many of the pagans to Christ and baptized them. a wise and experienced guide, he defended his flock from the darkness of heresy. died in peace between the years 100-105. entrusted his flock to Saint Polycarp (February 23), of the Apostolic Fathers, who was also a disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. the grave of Saint Bucolus grew a myrtle tree, which healed the sick.

Rome, 40-109, Onesimus, Apostle of the 70, Colossae, fled to Rome from Philemon, Paul sent letter, Ph sent him back to Pa
Phyrgia, 40-109, Onesimus, Apostle of the 70, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Lycus River 1), guilty offense against his master Philemon, he fled to Rome, prison as a runaway slave, Baptized by Paul, served him like a son, Knowing P Paul sent him letter carried by O, P forgave O, sent him back to P, O became bishop of Ephesus, stoned and beheaded in 109; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Onesimus, Apostle of the Seventy in his youth was a servant of Philemon, a Christian of distinguished lineage, living in the city of Colossae, Phrygia. of an offense against his master and fearing punishment, Saint Onesimus fled to Rome, but as a runaway slave he wound up in prison. In prison he encountered the Apostle Paul, was enlightened by him, and was baptized. prison Saint Onesimus served the Apostle Paul like a son. Saint Paul was personally acquainted with Philemon, and wrote him a letter filled with love, asking him to forgive the runaway slave and to accept him like a brother. He sent Saint Onesimus with this letter to his master, depriving himself of help, of which he was very much in need. he received the letter, Saint Philemon not only forgave Onesimus, but also sent him back to Rome to the apostle. Saint Philemon (January 4, February 19, and November 22) was afterwards consecrated bishop of the city of Gaza. the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Onesimus served the apostles until their end, and he was made a bishop. the death of the holy apostles he preached the Gospel in many lands and cities: in Spain, Carpetania, Colossae, Patras. In his old age, Saint Onesimus occupied the bishop’s throne at Ephesus, after the Apostle Timothy. When they took Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20) to Rome for execution, Bishop Onesimus came to meet with him with other Christians, as Saint Ignatius mentions in his Epistle to the Ephesians. the reign of the emperor Trajan (89-117), Saint Onesimus was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch Tertillus. He held the saint in prison for eighteen days, and then sent him to prison in the city of Puteoli. After a certain while, the eparch sent for the prisoner and, convincing himself that Saint Onesimus maintained his faith in Christ, had him stoned, after which they beheaded the saint with a sword. A certain illustrious woman took the body of the martyr and placed it in a silver coffin. This took place in the year 109.

Rome, 41-54, Emperor, Claudius, Pagan, banished Jews and Jewish Christians
Roman Emperor, 41-54, Claudius; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated on October 25; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; Apostle Archippus the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; St Onesimus the Disciple of St Paul, Commemorated on November 22; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on December 27; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); James of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 28; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 30 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Agabus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Asyncritus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Olympas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Fortunatus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25); SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT); LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY) ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Rome, 41-54, All the Jews banished from Rome, including christians of course
Rome, 41-54, All the Jews banished from Rome ; Roman Emperor, 41-54, Claudius; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated on October 25; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; Apostle Archippus the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; St Onesimus the Disciple of St Paul, Commemorated on November 22; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on December 27; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); James of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 28; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 30 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Agabus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Asyncritus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Olympas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Fortunatus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25); SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT); LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY) ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Rome, 41-54, CORNELIUS, Centurion, angel appeared while praying, send people to Peter, Peter sheet vision, preach to pagans
Palestine, 41-54, Cornelius the Centurion, Joppa, Palestine, virtuous life, monotheist, piety, good deeds, angel appeared while he praying, send people from Caesarea to Joppa to Peter, Peter at prayer, vision great sheet 3 times lowered to him, all kinds beasts and fowl, eat everything, what God cleansed, not calll common, preach to pagans, C first pagan to receive baptism; Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed. CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); that we know of Cornelius is contained in the Book of Acts (chapters 10 and 11). centurion was a Roman army officer, theoretically in charge of a hundred men. Several centurions are mentioned in the New Testament (Matt 8:5 = Luke 7:2; Matt 27:54 = Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1; 22:25; 23:17,23; 22:23; 27:1), and they are consistently portrayed favorably. Cornelius is called a God-fearer--that is to say, he was a monotheist, a Gentile who worshipped the One God. The Jews traditionally recognized that such Gentiles had a place in the Family of God, and they are mentioned along with the priests (House of Aaron), the Levites (House of Levi), and the Jews or Israelites (House of Israel) in Ps 115:9-13, Ps 118:2-4, and Ps 135:19-20. In New Testament times, an estimated ten per cent of the population of the Roman Empire consisted of God-fearers, Gentiles who recognized that the pagan belief in many gods and goddesses, who according to the myths about them were given to adultery, treachery, intrigue, and the like, was not a religion for a thoughtful and moral worshipper, and who had accordingly embraced an ethical monotheism -- belief in One God, who had created the world, and who was the upholder of the Moral Law. Although only a few of them took the step of formal conversion to Judaism, undergoing circumcision and accepting the obligations of keeping the food laws and ritual laws of Moses and his rabbinical interpreters, most of them attended synagogue services regularly. Cornelius, then, was a Roman centurion, and a God-fearing man. One day, as he was praying, an angel appeared to him and told him to send a messenger to Joppa and ask Peter to come and preach to him. Peter, meanwhile, was given a vision that disposed him to go with the messenger. When Peter had preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on the first Christians at Pentecost (Acts 2), and they began to speak in other tongues. Thus, there was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians who hesitated to believe that it was the will of God that Gentiles should be brought into the Church. Cornelius was the first Gentile converted to Christianity, along with his household, and Luke, recording this event, clearly regards it as an event of the utmost importance in the history of the early Church, the beginning of the Church's decision to admit Gentiles to full and equal fellowship with Jewish Christians. Cornelius lived in Caesarea, the political capital of Judea under Herod and the Romans. (Given that Jerusalem was a holy city to the Jews, it would have been needlessly provocative for the Romans to establish their headquarters there.) Although he is not mentioned again, he and his household presumably formed the nucleus of the Christian community that we find mentioned later (Acts 8:40; 21:18) in this important city. by James Kiefer

Rome, 41-54, Cornelius, Centurion, Peter, sheet, eat everything, salvation, Skepsis, idols, earthquake, wife and c
Palestine Centurion, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The angel commande him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Rome, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Holy Apostle Aristóboulos of the Seventy was born on Cyprus. He and his brother, the Apostle Barnabas (June 11), accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys. Saint Aristóboulos is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10). are several conflicting narratives about the hierarch's life before he went to Britain. Some identify him with Zebedee, the father of the Apostles James and John. Others say that he was the father-in-law of the Apostle Peter. Most of these are unreliable, however. Paul made Aristóboulos a bishop and sent him to preach the Gospel in Britain, Scotland, and Hibernia (Ireland), where he converted many people to Christ. He also had to endure many torments and afflictions from hostile pagans, who beat him and mocked him. Eventually, he won them over and brought them to Christ as well. Aristóboulos reposed peacefully in Britain among the people he had evangelized. Some sources say he suffered a martyr's death in Wales at an advanced age. Aristóboulos is also commemorated on October 31 (with Saints Stachys, Apellēs, Amplias, Urban, and Narcissus), and also on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4). In Greek usage he is commemorated on March 15.

Rome, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart
Syria, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, little boy Jesus hugged, bore God in his heart, prayed unceasingly, antiphonal singing, by angels example, Trajan 107, I came to him, T sent I to Rome for wild beasts to I joy, from Seleucia to Smyrna and Polycarp, to Troas, to Neapolis, to Philippi, visited churches, wrote 7 epistles to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philidelphia, Smyrna, to Polycarp; joy of roman christians meeting, lions tore him to pieces leaving heart w gold JC, Trajan stopped persecution, relics to Antioch then to San Clemente church Rome; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). The saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. As Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Saint Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Saint Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Rome, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Andrew's disciples, baptized many, killed b ice choking neck
Bulgaria, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Northern Scythia or Modern Bulgaria, disciples oAndrew tFirst Called, they preached and baptized many, local chieftain tried to get them to Idol sacrifice, horsecarts on frozen rivers, tied them tLogs on the ice, gradually lowered them into freezing water, ice reaching necks killed them Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20; transfer of the relics of Saints Inna, Pinna, and Rimma to Alushta took place during the first-second centuries. holy martyrs are also commemorated on January 20.

Rome, 48-107, IGNATIUS of Antioch, Syria, arrested, taken to Roman Arena, but saw many along t way, 7 letters
Syria, 48-107, IGNATIUS of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), arrested by Romans, taken to Rome to die in Arena, but visited many spots along the way, wrote 7 letters; Antioch (Orontes River 7); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; the Apostles, Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch in Syria. predecessor, of whom little is known, was named Euodius. he knew any of the Apostles directly is uncertain. is known of his life except for the very end of it. in the second century (perhaps around 107 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan), he was arrested by the Imperial authorities, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to die in the arena. thus dealing with a leader, the rulers hoped to terrify the rank and file. Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage them, to groups of Christians at every town along the way. the prison escort reached the west coast of Asia Minor, it halted before taking ship, and delegations from several Asian churches were able to visit Ignatius, to speak with him at length, to assist him with items for his journey, and to bid him an affectionate farewell and commend him to the grace of God. response he wrote seven letters that have been preserved: to congregations that had greeted him, en masse or by delegates (Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans), to the congregation that would greet him at his destination (Romans), one to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John. letters are available in several modern translations. the most accessible is the Penguin Paperback, Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. themes with which he is chiefly concerned are the importance of maintaining Christian unity in love and sound doctrine (with warnings against factionalism and against the heresy of Docetism -- the belief that Christ was not fully human and did not have a material body or really suffer and die), the role of the clergy as a focus of Christian unity, Christian martyrdom as a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped. writes: am God's wheat, ground fine by the lion's teeth to be made purest bread for Christ. early pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. time for my birth is close at hand. me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. by James Kiefer

Rome, 48-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart
Syria, 48-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, little boy Jesus hugged, bore God in his heart, prayed unceasingly, antiphonal singing, by angels example, Trajan 107, I came to him, T sent I to Rome for wild beasts to I joy, from Seleucia to Smyrna and Polycarp, to Troas, to Neapolis, to Philippi, visited churches, wrote 7 epistles to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philidelphia, Smyrna, to Polycarp; joy of roman christians meeting, lions tore him to pieces leaving heart w gold JC, Trajan stopped persecution, relics to Antioch then to San Clemente church Rome; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). The saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. As Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Saint Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Saint Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Rome, 48-108 , Ignatius, 3rd Bishop of Antioch, God Bearer, gold J C in his heart, to Rome, encouraging letters and preacing
Syria, 107-18 , Ignatius of Antioch; of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD),[3][4][7][8][9] also known as Ignatius Theophorus (the God-bearing), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of a later collection of works known to be authored by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered to be one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Antioch (Orontes River 7); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; the Apostles, Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch in Syria. His predecessor, of whom little is known, was named Euodius. he knew any of the Apostles directly is uncertain. is known of his life except for the very end of it. in the second century (perhaps around 107 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan), he was arrested by the Imperial authorities, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to die in the arena. thus dealing with a leader, the rulers hoped to terrify the rank and file. Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage them, speaking to groups of Christians at every town along the way. the prison escort reached the west coast of Asia Minor, it halted before taking ship, and delegations from several Asian churches were able to visit Ignatius, to speak with him at length, to assist him with items for his journey, and to bid him an affectionate farewell and commend him to the grace of God. response he wrote seven letters that have been preserved: five to congregations that had greeted him, en masse or by delegates (Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans), one to the congregation that would greet him at his destination (Romans), and one to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John. His letters are available in several modern translations. Perhaps the most accessible is the Penguin Paperback, Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. The themes with which he is chiefly concerned are (1) the importance of maintaining Christian unity in love and sound doctrine (with warnings against factionalism and against the heresy of Docetism -- the belief that Christ was not fully human and did not have a material body or really suffer and die), (2) the role of the clergy as a focus of Christian unity, (3) Christian martyrdom as a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped. He writes: I am God's wheat, ground fine by the lion's teeth to be made purest bread for Christ. No early pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Rome, 50, Presbyter Julian & Deacon Caesarius at Terracina, pagan temple collapsed, killing many, bodies floated
Naples, 50, Martyrs Julian the Presbyter and Caesarius the Deacon at Terracina; Caesarius was thrown into prison for insulting the pagan gods. They later took him in bonds to the temple of Apollo, but before they got him near the pagan temple it collapsed, killing the pagan priests and many of the people. the same time the idolaters arrested the Christian priest Julian. At the emperor’s orders, the holy martyrs were cast into the sea, but their bodies floated to the surface, and Christians buried the sufferers. Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter suffered martyrdom for Christ with Saint Caesarius the Deacon at Terracina, Italy in the first century. Caesarius was thrown into prison for insulting the pagan gods. They later took him in bonds to the temple of Apollo, but before they got him near the pagan temple it collapsed, killing the pagan priests and many of the people. the same time the idolaters arrested the Christian priest Julian. At the emperor’s orders, the holy martyrs were cast into the sea, but their bodies floated to the surface, and Christians buried the sufferers. relics of Saint Caesarius are kept in Rome.

Rome, 50, 1st C, CORNELIUS, All we know is contained in Acts, C's Angel, Peter's vision, important early Church history event
Rome, 50, 1st C, CORNELIUS, All that we know about Cornelius is contained in Acts, a Roman officer, 100 men, God fearer, 10% Roman Empire God Fearers, ethical monotheism, most attended Synagogue regularly, one day as C praying Angel appeared, told him send messanger tJoppa, ask Peter come preach tHim, Meanwhile Peter given vision that allowed him go with messanger, Peter preached, Holy Spirit fell on them as on Christians aPentecost, they began speaking iOther tongues, which was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians God's will Gentiles in the Church, Luke regarded this event utmost important early Church history, Cornelius lived in Caesarea, C not mentioned again; Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); that we know of Cornelius is contained in the Book of Acts (chapters 10 and 11). centurion was a Roman army officer, theoretically in charge of a hundred men. Several centurions are mentioned in the New Testament (Matt 8:5 = Luke 7:2; Matt 27:54 = Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1; 22:25; 23:17,23; 22:23; 27:1), and they are consistently portrayed favorably. Cornelius is called a God-fearer--that is to say, he was a monotheist, a Gentile who worshipped the One God. The Jews traditionally recognized that such Gentiles had a place in the Family of God, and they are mentioned along with the priests (House of Aaron), the Levites (House of Levi), and the Jews or Israelites (House of Israel) in Ps 115:9-13, Ps 118:2-4, and Ps 135:19-20. New Testament times, an estimated ten per cent of the population of the Roman Empire consisted of God-fearers, who recognized that the pagan belief in many gods and goddesses, who according to the myths about them were given to adultery, treachery, intrigue, and the like, was not a religion for a thoughtful and moral worshipper, and who had accordingly embraced an ethical monotheism -- belief in One God, who had created the world, and who was the upholder of the Moral Law. only a few of them took the step of formal conversion to Judaism, undergoing circumcision and accepting the obligations of keeping the food laws and ritual laws of Moses and his rabbinical interpreters, of them attended synagogue services regularly. Cornelius, then, was a Roman centurion, and a God-fearing man. day, as he was praying, an angel appeared to him and told him to send a messenger to Joppa and ask Peter to come and preach to him. meanwhile, was given a vision that disposed him to go with the messenger. Peter had preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell on them, on the first Christians at Pentecost (Acts 2), they began to speak in other tongues. there was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians who hesitated to believe that it was the will of God that Gentiles should be brought into the Church. Cornelius was the first Gentile converted to Christianity, along with his household, Luke, recording this event, clearly regards it as an event of the utmost importance in the history of the early Church, beginning of the Church's decision to admit Gentiles to full and equal fellowship with Jewish Christians. Cornelius lived in Caesarea, the political capital of Judea under Herod and the Romans. that Jerusalem was a holy city to the Jews, it would have been needlessly provocative for the Romans to establish their headquarters there.) he is not mentioned again, he and his household presumably formed the nucleus of the Christian community that we find mentioned later (Acts 8:40; 21:18) in this important city. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Rome, 50 1st Century, Hieromartyr Terence, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lycaonia, tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ
Lyconia, 50 1st Century, Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lycaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ ; Iconium; Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Terence was Bishop of Iconium in Lycaonia in the first century. was tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ.

Rome, 50-65, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION oPAUL, Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten, in stocks, freed bPsalms &Earthquake
Syria, 50, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Inner Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten severly, in stocks, Psalms &Earthquake freed them, first mention Silas and Judas Barnabus sent back from Jerusalem to convey council decision on the Law and Gentile converts, Silas replaced John Mark with Paul in Turkey (Pamphylia, Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) into Europe (Phillipi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, riots each place, Silas ended in martytrdom, no details, Bye the Way this story taken off the Episcopal Website sometime after I first found it there. ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; - SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL: is chiefly remembered as the companion of the Apostle Paul who was arrested with him at Philippi (Acts 16:19-40). were beaten severely and confined in the inner prison, with their feet in stocks. they sang hymns in the night, and an earthquake shook the prison, and released them. a result, the jailer and his household became believers. first mention of Silas is earlier. Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey (A 13:1-5), taking with them John Mark, who (for unspecified reasons) parted from them and went home in the middle of the journey (A 13:13). and Barnabas completed their mission and returned to Antioch. had made many Gentile converts on their mission, and the question arose whether a Gentile could become a Christian without also becoming a Jew, being circumcised if male, and undertaking to observe the Law of Moses (A 15:1). congregation at Antioch referred the question to the Apostles at Jerusalem, and Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to present their case. council of apostles and elders at Jerusalem judged that, with a few specified exceptions, the Law of Moses was not to be imposed on Gentile Christians, and they sent two men from Jerusalem back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to convey their reply. men were Judas Barsabbas (not otherwise mentioned) and Silas (A 15:22). Paul and Barnabas undertook to visit again the congregations they had founded on their previous journey, and Barnabas wished to take John Mark with them, but Paul thought this unwise, and so they determined to travel separately, Barnabas taking Mark, and Paul taking Silas (A 15:36-40). so Paul and Silas (joined in progress by Timothy and by Luke) went through part of what is now Turkey and then crossed over into Europe and preached at Philippi (where they made converts and were arrested as described above), and went on to Thessalonica and Berea, being the center of riots in each place (A 17:1-13), after which Paul went on to Athens and thence to Corinth, and was soon joined there by Silas and Timothy (A 18:5). And that is the last we hear of Silas. name "Silas" is a shortened form of "Silvanus", and the Silvanus whom Paul mentions in his writings to the Corinthians (2 C 1:19) and the Thessalonians (1 Th 1:1; 2 Th 1:1) is almost certainly the Silas of Acts, and probably the same as the Silvanus who carried the Apostle Peter's first letter (1 P 5:12) to its scattered recipients. details of the life of Silas are not known, but he is customarily honored as a martyr. by James Kiefer

Rome, 52, Damaris oAthens, Greece, with the few who accepted Christ on Aeropagus in 52, first woman by Paul in Athens
Greece, 52, Damaris oAthens, Greece, with the few who accepted Christ on Aeropagus in52, first woman by Paul in Athens; Athens; Saint Damaris of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Damaris was the first Athenian woman to believe in Christ, the preaching of the Apostle Paul. is mentioned in Acts 17:34: “Some men joined him and believed; among whom were both Dionysios the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” name Damaris (“heifer”) is not Greek, but may be a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Thamar (“palm tree”). The name Thamar appears in both the Old and New Testaments (Genesis 38:6, and Matthew 1:3). her name, it may be inferred that Saint Damaris was not a Greek by nationality, but she may have been a Jewish woman who moved to Athens. Saint Paul left Beroia and visited Athens in the year 52 AD, Saint Damaris had the opportunity to hear him preach Christianity to the Athenians on the Areopagus. a few people accepted Saint Paul’s message, but Saint Damaris was one of them. do not know anything for certain concerning her life beyond that. have speculated that she came from a wealthy Jewish family of social prominence, but there is no documentation of this. is there any concrete evidence for the opinion of some patristic writers, and of Saint Dimitry of Rostov, that she was married to Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, that they were baptized by Saint Paul, together with their two sons, and their entire household.

Rome, 52-90, Hieromartyr Hierotheus, 1st Bishop oAthens, member oAthenian Areopagos, converted bPaul wDionysius tAreopagite
Greece, 52-90, Hieromartyr Hierotheus, 1st Bishop oAthens, member oAthenian Areopagos, converted by Paul with Dionysius tAreopagite, present aTheotokos Dormitian, martyr sometime in 1st C; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 4; Hierotheus, the first Bishop of Athens, a member of the Athenian Areopagos was converted to Christ by the Apostle Paul together with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3). saint was consecrated by the Apostle Paul to the rank of bishop. to Tradition, Bishop Hierotheus was present with Saint Dionysius at the funeral of the Most Holy Theotokos. Hierotheus died a martyr’s death in the first century.

Rome, 52-96, Dionysius the Areopagite, Athens, Saint, important Orthodox writer, purity of heart brings close to God, MOG
Greece, 30-96, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite ; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave.

Rome, 52-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia, Paul's disciple & constant companion, Bishop oEphesus, Martyr, relics
Lykaonia, 52-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5), Paul&Barnabas, Paul healed one crippled from birth, Timothy and family converted, mother Eunice, Gmother Lois, seed oFaith brought abundant fruit, Paul's disciple & constant companion, followed Paul's teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience, Bishop oEphesus, 15yrs, summoned tRome fLast farewell, 93 Martyred in Ephesus stoned Pagan festiva, 4th C relics tConstantinople, included as one ot70 Apostels, in Russia back oPriest's cross says Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity; Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Holy Apostle Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor. Timothy was converted to Christ in the year 52 by the holy Apostle Paul (June 29). the Apostles Paul and Barnabas first visited the cities of Lycaonia, Saint Paul healed one crippled from birth. of the inhabitants of Lystra then believed in Christ, among them was the future Saint Timothy, his mother Eunice and grandmother Loida (Lois) (Acts 14:6-12; 2 Tim. 1:5). seed of faith, planted in Saint Timothy’s soul by the Apostle Paul, brought forth abundant fruit. became Saint Paul’s disciple, and later his constant companion and co-worker in the preaching of the Gospel. Apostle Paul loved Saint Timothy and in his Epistles called him his beloved son, remembering his devotion and fidelity with gratitude. wrote to Timothy: “You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Apostle Paul appointed Saint Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus, where the saint remained for fifteen years. when Saint Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Saint Timothy, for a last farewell (2 Tim. 4:9). Timothy ended his life as a martyr. pagans of Ephesus celebrated a festival in honor of their idols, and used to carry them through the city, accompanied by impious ceremonies and songs. Timothy, zealous for the glory of God, attempted to halt the procession and reason with the spiritually blind idol-worshipping people, by preaching the true faith in Christ. pagans angrily fell upon the holy apostle, they beat him, dragged him along the ground, and finally, they stoned him. Saint Timothy’s martyrdom occurred in the year 93. the fourth century the holy relics of Saint Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of Saint Andrew (November 30) and Saint Luke (October 18). Church honors Saint Timothy as one of the Apostles of the Seventy. Russian practice, the back of a priest’s cross is often inscribed with Saint Paul’s words to Saint Timothy: “Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Rome, 52-102, Auxibius, Bishop oSol, Cyprus, preached iMarketplace, many seeking miracles believed, incl local pagan priest
Cyprus, 52-102, Auxibius, Bishop oSol, Cyprus, fRome, rich, early remarkable talents, easily learned sciences, fled East when parents wanted marriage, at marketplace many seeking miracles believed in Christ, Converted local pagan priest, Auxinios remained wAuxibius, assisted to the end, Auxibius' brother Tempstagoras came from Rome, baaptized became priest served in one otChurches, A guided diocese 50 years, died 102, leaving A bishop ; Soli, Cyprus; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; Auxibius was born at Rome in a rich family. was raised with his brother Tempstagoras, from an early age he displayed remarkable talents. the schools of Rome he easily learned the secular sciences. His parents wanted their son to marry. of this, the youth secretly left Rome and journeyed to the East. upon the island of Cyprus, he settled in the environs of Limnitis, not far from the city of Soli. God’s dispensation, he encountered the holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (September 27, October 30, January 4, April 25), the Word of God at Cyprus. Mark established Auxibius as bishop in the city of Soli, himself went to preach at Alexandria. Auxibius went toward the western gates of the city settled near the pagan temple of Zeus. he converted the local pagan priest and other idol-worshippers to Christianity. Saint Heraklides (September 17) came to Saint Auxibius. had been made a bishop in Cyprus earlier by Saint Mark, he consulted with Saint Auxibius to preach the Gospel of Christ. day, Saint Auxibius arrived at the marketplace began to preach to the people about Christ. seeing the miracles and the signs worked by the saint, believed in Christ. the converted were many people from the surrounding villages. man, by the name of Auxinios, remained with Saint Auxibius and assisted him until the end of his days. a certain while Tempstagoras, brother of Saint Auxibius, came from Rome. was baptized with his wife, became a priest, and served in one of the churches. Auxibius guided his diocese for fifty years and died peacefully in the year 102, leaving his disciple Auxinios upon the cathedra.

Rome, 54-68, Emperor, Nero, Pagan, popular w citizens, but tyranny, extravagance, religious persecution and debauchery
Roman Emperor, 54-68, Nero ; Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (15 December 37 - 9 June 68 AD), originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, was the fifth emperor of Rome, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty line of emperors. was adopted by the Roman emperor Claudius at the age of thirteen, and succeeded him to the throne at the age of seventeen. Nero was popular with the lower-class Roman citizens during his time, but the aristocracy which have monopoly on surviving written tradition tended to associate his reign with unrestricted tyranny, extravagance, religious persecution and debauchery.[2][i][ii] was born in Antium, south of Rome, in AD 37. As biological great great-grandson of Augustus he was member of the innermost circle of the ruling dynasty. When Nero was two years old, his father died of edema, which enabled his mother (Agrippina the Younger) to marry the emperor Claudius and ultimately convince him to adopt and make Nero his heir. Early in his reign Nero was initially heavily guided by his mother Agrippina, his tutor Seneca the Younger, and Roman official Afranius Burrus. However, these early years saw Nero attempting to free himself from all such advisors and become his own man. As time passed, Nero played a more active role in government and foreign policy and came to rely much less on his initial influences. and colorful personality, Nero was at the center of several public and private scandals, some of which continue to live in public imagination even today. He made public appearances as an actor, poet, musician, and charioteer which shocked his aristocratic contemporaries as these occupations were usually seen as the domain of slaves, freedmen and commoners. Power struggle with his mother eventually led to him murdering his foster brother Britannicus and later to matricide. He also banished and later had his wife Claudia Octavia murdered in order to marry Poppaea Sabina, wife of his friend Otho who would later briefly succeed him. Soon afterwards Nero polygamously married freedman Pythagoras, with Nero acting as the bride at the ceremony. After Poppaea's death in unclear circumstances, Nero in short succession married an aristocratic woman Statilia Messalina and another freedman Sporus whom Nero had castrated. government Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy and trade, as well as on the cultural life of the empire. He ordered the construction of amphitheaters and promoted athletic games. A significant event that took place during his reign was the Roman–Parthian War of 58–63, where the prestigious general Corbulo had acted as commander and had successfully negotiated peace with the hostile Parthian Empire as a result of the war. The Roman general Suetonius Paulinus had also quashed a major revolt in Britain led by the Iceni tribal Queen Boudica. The Bosporan Kingdom was briefly annexed to the empire, and the First Jewish–Roman War began. Late in Nero's reign much of the city of Rome was destroyed by the Great Fire of Rome. The massive state expenses, partially related to reconstruction efforts, forced Nero to increase tax burdens and debase currency which put him on the collision course with the empire's elites. His decision to use the freed space in Rome's center for a statue of himself and a massive palace complex shaped public perception that money raised by such measures was being wasted for Nero's personal use. Nero's reign, various plots against his life developed, and Nero had many of those involved in these conspiracies put to death. Nero's increasing paranoia caused by these conspiracies resulted in harsh measures against the upper classes, which in turn increased the number of those desiring to remove him from power. In AD 68, the Roman senator Vindex, who had support from the eventual Roman emperor Galba, rebelled against Nero. Vindex's revolt failed in its immediate aim; however, Nero fled Rome when its discontented civil and military authorities eventually chose Galba as emperor. On 9 June in AD 68, Nero committed suicide, becoming the first Roman Emperor to do so. He made this decision after learning that he had been tried in absentia and condemned to death as a public enemy.[3][4] His death ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty, sparking a brief period of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Roman sources (including the Ancient Roman historians Suetonius and Cassius Dio) offer overwhelmingly negative assessments of his personality and reign. The contemporary historian Tacitus claims the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt. Suetonius tells that many Romans believed that the Great Fire of Rome was instigated by Nero as a way to clear land for his planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea.[5] Also, according to Tacitus, he was said to have seized Christians as scapegoats for the fire, and had them burned alive, seemingly motivated not by public justice but by personal cruelty.[6] Some modern historians question the reliability of the ancient sources on Nero's tyrannical acts[7][8] due to the overwhelming evidence of his popularity among the Roman commoners (especially in the eastern provinces of the Empire, where a popular legend arose that Nero had not died and would return). After his death, at least three leaders of short-lived, failed rebellions presented themselves as "Nero reborn" in order to gain popular support. Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated on October 7; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; Apostle Archippus the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; St Onesimus the Disciple of St Paul, Commemorated on November 22; St Onesimus the Disciple of St Paul, Commemorated on November 22; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); James of Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 27; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 30 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Asyncritus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Olympas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Fortunatus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT); LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY) ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Martyr Basilissa of Rome the Disciple of Apostles Peter and Paul, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Rome, 54-68, Kyriake, sister S well woman Photina, unharmed Nero's torments, N's d Domnina&prison c, d light
Rome, , Kyriake of Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), sister of Samaritan Woman at the well, summoned to Nero, smashed finger joints, unharmed, no pain, Nero's d Domnina, Sorcerer converted, 3 years, devine light, prison converted, crucified, 4 days, healed, blinded servants sight r, converted, cut off breasts, flayed skinblind, 2 bent trees ; Rome; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; - Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20: Saint Kyriake was the sister of the Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman, with whom the Savior conversed at Jacob’s Well (John. 4:5-42). to appear before Nero, the emperor asked the saints whether they truly believed in Christ. All the confessors refused to renounce the Savior. Then the emperor gave orders to smash the martyrs’ finger joints. During the torments, the confessors felt no pain, and their hands remained unharmed. Photina and her five sisters Anatolia, Phota, Photis, Paraskeva and Kyriake were sent to the imperial court under the supervision of Nero’s daughter Domnina. Saint Photina converted both Domnina and all her servants to Christ. She also converted a sorcerer, who had brought her poisoned food to kill her. years passed, and Nero sent to the prison for one of his servants, who had been locked up. The messengers reported to him that Saints Sebastian, Photinus and Joses, who had been blinded, had completely recovered, and that people were visiting them to hear their preaching, and indeed the whole prison had been transformed into a bright and fragrant place where God was glorified. then gave orders to crucify the saints, and to beat their naked bodies with straps. On the fourth day the emperor sent servants to see whether the martyrs were still alive. But, approaching the place of the tortures, the servants fell blind. An angel of the Lord freed the martyrs from their crosses and healed them. The saints took pity on the blinded servants, and restored their sight by their prayers to the Lord. Those who were healed came to believe in Christ and were soon baptized. sisters of Saint Photina also suffered terrible torments. Nero gave orders to cut off their breasts and then to flay their skin. An expert in cruelty, the emperor readied the fiercest execution for Saint Photis: they tied her by the feet to the tops of two bent-over trees. When the ropes were cut the trees sprang upright and tore the martyr apart. The emperor ordered the others beheaded, except for Saint Photina. Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20;

Rome, 61, Epistle of St James, Brother of the Lord
Rome, 61, Epistle of St James, Brother of the Lord; Epistle of James, the Letter of James, or simply James (Ancient Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: Iakōbos), is a General epistle and one of the 21 epistles (didactic letters) in the New Testament. author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad" (James 1:1). The epistle is traditionally attributed to James the brother of Jesus (James the Just),[1][2] and the audience is generally considered to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel.[3][4] his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. He encourages and implores believers to humbly live by godly, rather than worldly wisdom and to pray in all situations. the most part, until the late 20th century, the epistle of James was relegated to benign disregard – though it was shunned by many early theologians and scholars due to its advocacy of Torah observance and good works.[5] Famously, Luther at one time considered the epistle to be among the disputed books, and sidelined it to an appendix,[6] although in his Large Catechism he treated it as the authoritative word of God.[7] epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience.[8] During the last decades, the epistle of James has attracted increasing scholarly interest due to a surge in the quest for the historical James,[9] his role within the Jesus movement, his beliefs, and his relationships and views. This James revival is also associated with an increasing level of awareness of the Jewish grounding of both the epistle and the early Jesus movement.[10] James, Brother of the Lord; the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord, was "a brother of Jesus", according to the New Testament. He was an early leader of the Jerusalem Church of the Apostolic Age. He died as a martyr in AD 62 or 69 after being stoned to death by order of High Priest Ananus ben Ananus. and Eastern Orthodox Christians, as well as some Anglicans and Lutherans, teach that James, along with others named in the New Testament as "brothers"[note 2] of Jesus, were not the biological children of Mary, but were possibly cousins of Jesus,[6] or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph (as related in the Gospel of James).[7][note 3] The Catholic tradition holds that this James is to be identified with James, son of Alphaeus, and James the Less.[11] It is agreed by most that he should not be confused with James, son of Zebedee also known as James the Great.[1] Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. He was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Rome, 61, Epistle of Jude, Brother of the Lord, sometime before Temple Destruction
Rome, 61, Epistle of Jude, Brother of the Lord, sometime before Temple Destruction; Epistle of Jude[a] is the penultimate book of the New Testament as well as the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Jude the Apostle, brother of James the Just, and thus possibly brother of Jesus as well. is a short epistle written in Koine Greek. It condemns in fierce terms certain people the author sees as a threat to the early Christian community, but describes these opponents only vaguely. According to Jude, these opponents are within the Christian community, but are not true Christians: they are scoffers, false teachers, malcontents, given to their lusts, and so on. The epistle reassures its readers that these people will soon be judged by God. It is possible that the group being referred to would have been obvious to the original recipients of the letter, but if a specific group was being referred to, knowledge of the details has since been lost. The one bit of their potential ideology discussed in the letter is that these opponents denigrate angels and their role. If this was indeed a part of the ideology of this group the author opposed, then the epistle is possibly a counterpoint to the Epistle to the Colossians. Colossians condemns those who give angels undue prominence and worship them; this implies the two letters might be part of an early Christian debate on Christian angelology. epistle introduces itself with a simple claim of authorship: "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James" (NRSV). "James" is generally taken to mean James, brother of Jesus, a prominent leader in the early church. Introductions would typically refer to a father in the era, so the use of a brother suggests that this would only be done if the brother was famous within the community. Little is known about Jude himself. As the brother of James, it has traditionally meant Jude was also a brother of Jesus, since James is described as being the brother of Jesus. This is why Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215 AD) wrote in his work "Comments on the Epistle of Jude" that Jude, the author, was a son of Joseph and a brother of Jesus.[3] However, there is a dispute as to whether "brother" means someone who has the same father and mother, or a half-brother, cousin, or more distant familial relationship. This dispute over the true meaning of "brother" grew as the doctrine of the Virgin Birth evolved.[4][5][6] For example, Saint Jerome believed that not only Mary but also Joseph were virgins their entire lives, and thus James and by extension Jude were cousins.[7] the book of Jude, a "Jude" is mentioned five times in the New Testament: three times as Jude the Apostle,[8] and twice as Jude the brother of Jesus[9] (aside from references to Judas Iscariot and Judah (son of Jacob)). Debate continues as to whether the author of the epistle is the apostle, the brother of Jesus, both, or neither. Scholars have argued that since the author of the letter has not identified himself as an apostle and also refers to the apostles as a third party, and thus cannot be identified with Jude the Apostle. Other scholars have drawn the opposite conclusion, which is that, as an apostle, he would not have made a claim of apostleship on his own behalf.[6] reason to doubt that a relative of Jesus wrote the book is that they are unlikely to have been literate.[10] Jesus's family were common laborers from Aramaic-speaking Galilee, and literary composition skills were overwhelmingly concentrated in the elite in antiquity. Few knew how to read, fewer how to write, and fewer still how to write complicated literary treatises. Jesus himself may have been able to read, presumably in Hebrew, but he was also exceptional and the star of the family. Even if somehow Jude had learned a little of how to read Hebrew, the epistle is written in excellent, complicated Koine Greek, with knowledge of common forms of rhetoric and argument of the era, as well as seeming knowledge of the scriptures in Hebrew. All this would be exceptional for a countryside Galilean. Scholars who support the authorship of Jude generally assume that he must have embarked upon extensive travel and missionary work among Hellenized Jews to master Greek as the author did. Ultimately, it is impossible to know more details of Jude's life for sure. One early Christian tradition states that Jude's grandchildren were brought before Emperor Domitian and interrogated; in the story, they defended themselves as not rebels and mere poor laborers eking out what they could from a single patch of land. While the story is clearly apocryphal - Roman Emperors did not generally interrogate Galilean peasants - it does suggest that early Christians remembered Jude's family as lower-class laborers, not literate elites.[11] the Jude writing the letter was not Jude the Apostle mentioned in the gospels, then he was possibly an unknown Christian who happened to share the name and coincidentally also had a brother named James. A final possibility is that the epistle is pseudepigrapha - that the author intentionally hinted to readers that it was from the more famous Jude, but only as a false attribution to give the letter more authority.[11][10] date of composition is not known, but is loosely speculated to be between the years 50 and 110. Among those who favor the authorship of the Jude mentioned in the gospels, the letter is generally placed before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. Among those who favor the authorship of an unknown Christian, it is assumed to be a work of the early second century.[12][13] Scholars who consider the letter a pseudonymous work generally favor the later dates due to the letter's references to the apostles (as if they lived in the past)[14] and to tradition[15] and because of its competent Greek style.[16][17][6] Bo Reicke suggests around 90 AD; Heikki Räisänen concurs and believes that it may have been written at the end of the first century.[10][18] Bart Ehrman suggests an even later date, in the second half of the second century, due to use of certain terminology in ways similar to the pastoral epistles that was uncommon in the first century.[11] urges his readers to "contend for the faith" against "certain intruders [who] have stolen in among you."[19] He warns about false teachers who twist the grace of Christ as a pretext for wantonness. Jude asks the reader to recall how even after the Lord saved his own people out of the land of Egypt, he did not hesitate to destroy those who fell into unbelief, much as he punished the angels who fell from their original exalted status and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.[20] He also paraphrases (verse 9) an incident apparently from the Testament of Moses that has since been lost about Satan and Michael the Archangel quarreling over the body of Moses. the analogy from Israel's history, he says that the false teachers have followed in the way of Cain, have rushed after reward into the error of Balaam, and have perished in the rebellion of Korach. He describes in vivid terms the opponents he warns of, calling them "clouds without rain", "trees without fruit", "foaming waves of the sea", and "wandering stars".[21] He exhorts believers to remember the words spoken by the Apostles, using language similar to the second epistle of Peter to answer concerns that the Lord seemed to tarry: "In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts,"[22] and to keep themselves in God's love,[23] before delivering a doxology to God.[24] quotes directly from 1 Enoch, a widely distributed work among the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, citing a section of 1 Enoch 1:8 that is based on Deuteronomy 33:2.[25][26] and audience[edit] Epistle of Jude is a brief book. It is one of the shortest books of the New Testament, consisting of just 1 chapter of 25 verses, and almost the shortest book in the Bible, with the shortest the Book of Obadiah. It may have been composed as an encyclical letter—that is, one not directed to the members of one church in particular, but intended rather to be circulated and read in all churches. While addressed to the Christian Church as a whole, the reference to the Old Testament figures such as Michael, Cain, and Korah's sons; the Book of Enoch quotation; and the invocation of James, the head of the church of Jerusalem, suggests a Jewish Christian main audience that would be familiar with Enochian literature and revere James.[10] wording and syntax of this epistle in its original Greek demonstrates that the author was capable and fluent. The epistle's style is combative, impassioned, and rushed. Many examples of evildoers and warnings about their fates are given in rapid succession. epistle concludes with a doxology, which is considered by Peter H. Davids to be one of the highest in quality contained in the Bible.[27] status[edit] letter of Jude was one of the disputed books of the biblical canon of the New Testament. Despite some opposition, it seems to have been accepted by most churches around the end of the second century.[28] Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and the Muratorian canon considered the letter canonical. The letter was eventually accepted as part of the canon by later Church Fathers such as Athanasius of Alexandria.[29] The canon list at the Council of Carthage (c. 397) included the epistle of Jude.[30] first historical record of doubts as to authorship are found in the writings of Origen of Alexandria, who spoke of the doubts held by some in the early third century. Eusebius classified it with the "disputed writings, the antilegomena" in the early fourth century. Eusebius doubted its authenticity partially because it was rarely quoted among ancient sources, although he acknowledges it was read in many churches.[31] The links between the Epistle and 2 Peter and its use of the biblical apocrypha raised concern: Saint Jerome wrote in 392 AD that the book was "rejected by many" since it quotes the Book of Enoch.[32] witnesses[edit] See also: Textual variants in the Epistle of Jude Papyrus 78, containing the Epistle of Jude verses 4, 5, 7 and 8; it is dated to the 3rd or 4th century Colophon of the Epistle of Jude in the Codex Alexandrinus manuscripts containing the text of the epistle of Jude include:[33] Papyrus 72 (3rd/4th century) Papyrus 78 (3rd/4th century; extant verses 4–5, 7–8)[34] Codex Vaticanus (B or 03; 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (א or 01; 330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (A or 02; 400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C or 04; c. 450; extant verses 3–25)[35] Identity of the opponents[edit] epistle fiercely condemns the opponents it warns of and declares that God will judge and punish them, despite them being a part of the Christian community. However, the exact nature of these opponents have been a continuing interest for both theologians and historians, as the epistle does not describe them in any more detail than calling them corrupt and ungodly. Several theories have been proposed. The most specific verse describing the opponents is verse 8: the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. — Jude 1:8 (NIV)[36] "authority" (κυριοτητα, kyriotēta; alternate translations include "dominion" or "lordship") could mean several things. The most direct would be rejection of civil or ecclesiastical authority: the opponents were ignoring guidance from leaders. Martin Luther and Jean Calvin agreed with this interpretation, and it is the most common one.[37] Another possibility is that this specifically referred to rejecting the authority of Jesus or God, which would agree with verse 4 and be reinforcing the claim that these opponents are not true Christians.[37] A third possibility is that this is the singular of kyriotētes (Dominions), a class of angels.[37] This would fit with the final part of the sentence of "heap abuse on celestial beings", but it is unusual that the singular is used. Versions of Jude vary, and some manuscripts such as the Codex Sinaiticus indeed use the plural form, though.[38] abuse on celestial beings" is also a relevant statement, as it stands in some tension with the works of Paul the Apostle as well as the Epistle to the Hebrews.[37][39] Paul's undisputed works indicate that believers are already on the same level as angels, that all existing powers are subject to Christ, and believers are the future judges of angels.[11] Later writings attributed to Paul such as Colossians and Ephesians go even farther, with Colossians decrying the alleged worship of angels.[11] A hypothesis is thus that the author may have been attacking forms of Pauline Christianity that were not suitably deferential to angels in their opinion. "Rejecting authority" may be a reference to Paul's preaching that gentiles did not need to comply with Jewish Law. As James was known to be a major figure among Jewish Christians, this might indicate tension between the more Jewish strands of early Christianity represented by James and Jude set against Paul's message to the gentiles.[11] However, the line about "heap abuse on celestial beings" might have essentially been just another insult, in which case this entire line of thought is rendered moot. inherent vagueness of the epistle means that the identities of these opponents may well never be known. to 2 Peter[edit] passages[40] 2 Peter Jude 1:5 3 1:12 5 2:1 4 2:4 6 2:6 7 2:10–11 8–9 2:12 10 2:13–17 11–13 3:2-3 17-18 3:14 24 3:18 25 of Jude is very similar to 2 Peter (mainly 2 Peter chapter 2); so much so that most scholars agree that either one letter used the other directly, or they both drew on a common source.[41] Comparing the Greek text portions of 2 Peter 2:1–3:3 (426 words) to Jude 4–18 (311 words) results in 80 words in common and 7 words of substituted synonyms.[42] this epistle is much shorter than 2 Peter, and due to various stylistic details, some scholars consider Jude the source for the similar passages of 2 Peter.[43] However, other writers, arguing that Jude 18 quotes 2 Peter 3:3 as past tense, consider Jude to have come after 2 Peter.[44] scholars who consider Jude to predate 2 Peter note that the latter appears to quote the former but omits the reference to the non-canonical book of Enoch.[45] to other books[edit] Jude 9 on Codex Sinaiticus (c. 330–360) Epistle of Jude references at least three other books, with two (Book of Zechariah & 2 Peter) being canonical in all churches and the other (Book of Enoch) non-canonical in most churches. 9 refers to a dispute between Michael the Archangel and the devil about the body of Moses. Some interpreters understand this reference to be an allusion to the events described in Zechariah 3:1–2.[46][47] The classical theologian Origen, as well as Clement of Alexandria, Didymus the Blind, and others, attributes this reference to the non-canonical Assumption of Moses.[48] However, no extant copies of the Assumption of Moses contain this story, leading most scholars to conclude the section covering this dispute has been lost - perhaps a lost ending, since a story involving Moses's body would logically occur at the end.[49][50] Some scholars disagree; James Charlesworth argues that the Assumption of Moses never contained any such content, and other ancient Church writers supported a different origin.[51] 14–15 contain a direct quotation of a prophecy from 1 Enoch 1:9. The title "Enoch, the seventh from Adam" is also sourced from 1 En. 60:1.[52] Most commentators assume that this indicates that Jude accepts the antediluvian patriarch Enoch as the author of the Book of Enoch which contains the same quotation. An alternative explanation is that Jude quotes the Book of Enoch aware that verses 14–15 are an expansion of the words of Moses from Deuteronomy 33:2.[53][54] Book of Enoch is not considered canonical by most churches, although it is by the Ethiopian Orthodox church. According to Western scholars, the older sections of the Book of Enoch (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) date from about 300 BC and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably was composed at the end of the 1st century BC.[55] 1 Enoch 1:9, mentioned above, is part of the pseudepigrapha and is among the Dead Sea Scrolls [4Q Enoch (4Q204[4QENAR]) COL I 16–18].[56] It is largely accepted by scholars that the author of the Epistle of Jude was familiar with the Book of Enoch and was influenced by it in thought and diction.[57] epistle also closely mirrors the Epistle of James, with many similar sentences and borrowed phrases.[11]

Rome, 62-63, Gospel of Mark
Rome, 62-63, Gospel of Mark; Gospel of Mark in Wikipedia; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Rome, 62-63, Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts
Rome, 62-63, Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts; Book of Acts; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18;

Rome, 63-110, Apostles Sosipater&Jason, Corfu Island, Epirus, Kerkyra story, J&S boiling tar story, Island converted
Lyconia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia ; is a person mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as Sopater mentioned in Acts 20:4. church tradition, he is known as Sosipater of Iconium, and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Sosipater's feast days are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St. Jason; 10 with saints Erastus, Olympas, Herodian, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St Paul the Apostle died on the 25th of June in Beroea. was born in Achaea. According to legend, he was Bishop in Iconium[1] (prior to the Apostle Tertius) by his relative the Apostle Paul. the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. governor's daughter, the virgin Cercyra [uk], having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were baptized upon seeing this miracle. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. The Apostle Sosipater was a native of Patra, Achaia. He is thought to be the same Sosipater mentioned in Acts 20:4. They both became disciples of Saint Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and Saint Sosipater in Iconium. traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned of this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves: Saturninus, Iakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The Apostles converted them to Christ. For their confession of Christ, the seven prisoners died as martyrs in a cauldron of molten tar, wax and sulfur. prison guard, after witnessing their martyrdom, declared himself a Christian. For this they cut off his left hand, then both feet and finally his head. The governor ordered the Apostles Jason and Sosipater to be whipped and again locked up in prison. the daughter of the governor of Kerkyra (Korfu), the maiden, learned how Christians were suffering for Christ, she declared herself a Christian and gave away all her finery to the poor. The infuriated governor attempted to persuade his daughter to deny Christ, but Saint Kerkyra stood firm against both persuasion and threats. Then the enraged father devised a terrible punishment for his daughter: he gave orders that she be placed in a prison cell with the robber and murderer Murinus, so that he might defile the betrothed of Christ when the robber approached the door of the prison cell, a bear attacked him. Saint Kerkyra heard the noise and she drove off the beast in the name of Christ. Then, by her prayers, she healed the wounds of Murinus. Then Saint Kerkyra enlightened him with the faith of Christ, and Saint Murinus declared himself a Christian and was executed. governor gave orders to burn down the prison, but the holy virgin remained alive. Then on her enraged father’s order, she was suspended upon a tree, choked with bitter smoke and shot with arrows. After her death, the governor decided to execute all the Christians on the island of Kerkyra. The Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis, after being enlightened by Saints Jason and Sosipater, were burned alive. inhabitants of Kerkyra, escaping from the persecution, crossed to an adjoining island. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar. When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, “O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!” been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian. With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching. They lived there until they reached old age. Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Rome, 66-70, Acasius of Apamea, Martyr, brought to 3 governors, Syria, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Phrygia
Syria, 66-70, Martyr Acasius of Apamea, brought to 3 governors, Syria, Greece, Phrygia; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor).

Rome, 67, Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane
Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane; the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies. and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand. in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end. this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world. came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God. began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance. Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; the Crucifixion and Death of the Savior he made bold to go to Pilate and ask him for the Body of the Lord, to Which he gave burial with the help of Righteous Νikόdēmos, who was also a secret disciple of the Lord. took down the Body of the Savior from the Cross, wrapped it in a winding-cloth, and placed it in a new tomb, in which no one had ever been buried, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the presence of the Mother of God and the holy Myrrh-Bearing Women (St Joseph had prepared this tomb for himself). Having rolled a heavy stone before the entrance of the tomb, they departed (John. 19: 37-42; Mt. 27: 57-61; Mark 15: 43-47; Luke. 24: 50-56) The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.

Rome, 67-76, Linus, Pope, was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome
Rome, 67-76, Roman Pope, Linus; Linus (died c. AD 76) was the second bishop of Rome. His pontificate lasted from c. AD 67 to his death. As with all the early popes, he was later canonized. those to have been pope, Peter, Linus, and Clement I are specifically named in the New Testament.[1] Linus is mentioned in the valediction of the Second Epistle to Timothy as being with Paul the Apostle in Rome near the end of Paul's life. Apostle Linus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region).

Rome, 67-96, Dionysius, Areopagite, Important Orthodox writer, spiritual principles&deification, holy mysteries
Greece, 30-96, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite ; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave.

Rome, 68-69, Emperor, Three Emperors, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius
Roman Emperor, 68-69, Three Emperors, Galba; Roman Emperor, 68-69, Three Emperors, Otho; Roman Emperor, 68-69, Three Emperors, Vitellius; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated on October 7; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12; Apostle Archippus the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19;

Rome, 68-100, Hieromartyrs of Myra, Bishop Nicander, Presbyter Hermas, by Titus, converted many, torments but help
Lycia, 68-100, Hieromartyrs of Myra, Bishop Nicander, Presbyter Hermas; Myra, Lycia; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4 ; Hieromartyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra, and Hermas the Presbyter, were disciples of the holy Apostle Paul’s follower and fellow ascetic, the holy Apostle Titus of the Seventy (August 25), and they were ordained by him to the priesthood. the ascetic life amid incessant pastoral works, the saints converted many pagans to Christ. For this they were arrested and brought before the city prefect, Libanius. Neither flattery nor threats swayed the holy martyrs to renounce Christ. Then Libanius gave orders that they be tortured. saints endured fierce and inhuman torments: they were tied to horses and dragged over stones, their bodies were raked with iron hooks, and they were cast into a hot oven. The Lord helped them endure things that a mere man by his own strength could not endure. Towards the end, iron nails were hammered into their heads and hearts. They were thrown into a pit, then covered over with earth. enduring such a cruel death, now they live forever in the joy of the Lord (Mt. 25:21). Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun. Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun.

Rome, 69-79, Emperor, Vespasian, military success, into Britain and Jerusalem
Roman Emperor, 69-79, Vespasian ; (17 November AD 9 - 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The fourth and last in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empire for 27 years. was the first emperor from an equestrian family and only rose into the senatorial rank as the first member of his family later in his lifetime. renown came from his military success; he was legate of Legio II Augusta during the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 and subjugated Judaea during the Jewish rebellion of 66.[4] Vespasian besieged Jerusalem during the Jewish rebellion, emperor Nero committed suicide and plunged Rome into a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. After Galba and Otho perished in quick succession, Vitellius became emperor in April 69. The Roman legions of Roman Egypt and Judaea reacted by declaring Vespasian, their commander, the emperor on 1 July 69.[5] In his bid for imperial power, Vespasian joined forces with Mucianus, the governor of Syria, and Primus, a general in Pannonia, leaving his son Titus to command the besieging forces at Jerusalem. Primus and Mucianus led the Flavian forces against Vitellius, while Vespasian took control of Egypt. On 20 December 69, Vitellius was defeated, and the following day Vespasian was declared emperor by the Senate.[6] information survives about the government during Vespasian's ten-year rule. He reformed the financial system of Rome after the campaign against Judaea ended successfully, and initiated several ambitious construction projects, including the building of the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known today as the Roman Colosseum. Through his general Agricola, Vespasian increased imperial expansion in Britain. After he died in 79, he was succeeded by his eldest son Titus, thus becoming the first Roman emperor to be succeeded by his natural son and establishing the Flavian dynasty. St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated on October 7; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifuÂ, Commemorated on November 12; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Rome, 70 AD, Jerusalem Temple Destruction, Seige of Jerusalem, by the Romans
Jerusalem, 70 AD, Jerusalem Temple Destruction; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ;

Rome, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus, confessed to strengthen weak, tortures, spring for women needing milk
Constantinople, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople) she boldly confessed to strengthen those weak, tortures, firery furnace, tall tree into nails, wild animals, mad bull, spring pure water where her blood shed, for women who did not have milk; Cyzicus Martyr Tryphaina at Cyzicus, Commemorated January 31; Tryphaina was from Kyzikos on the Hellespont and was the daughter of devout parents, Senator Anastasios and his virtuous wife Sokratia. revealed her Christian upbringing and courage during a persecution where, in order to strengthen those who were weak, she boldly confessed her faith in Christ, and in the ultimate triumph of Orthodoxy. As soon as the ruler Caesarius heard these things he became enraged and ordered the Saint's arrest. His order was carried out and the tortures began. Saint Tryphaina was pushed into a fiery furnace, but miraculously, she was saved. Then, she was thrown from a tall tree, onto a bed of iron nails. Afterward, she was given to some wild animals to be devoured by them, but they did not harm her. Finally, she was gored by a mad bull. In this manner, the Saint received the glorious crown of martyrdom in the first century. is said that a spring of pure water welled up at the place where Saint Tryphaίnē's blood was shed. After drinking this water, women who gave birth, but did not have any milk, were able to produce milk to feed their newborn children. Tryphaina is invoked by women who have difficulty in nursing their babies.

Rome, 79-81, Emperor, Titus, commander, pretorian guard, Colosseum, Mt Vesuvius, died of a fever after 2 yrs
Roman Emperor, 79-81, Titus ; Caesar Vespasianus (/ˈtaɪtəs/ TY-təs; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a military commander, serving under his father in Judea during the First Jewish–Roman War. The campaign came to a brief halt with the death of emperor Nero in 68, launching Vespasian's bid for the imperial power during the Year of the Four Emperors. When Vespasian was declared Emperor on 1 July 69, Titus was left in charge of ending the Jewish rebellion. In 70, he besieged and captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the city and the Second Temple. For this achievement Titus was awarded a triumph; the Arch of Titus commemorates his victory to this day. his father's rule, Titus gained notoriety in Rome serving as prefect of the Praetorian Guard, and for carrying on a controversial relationship with the Jewish queen Berenice. Despite concerns over his character, Titus ruled to great acclaim following the death of Vespasian in 79, and was considered a good emperor by Suetonius and other contemporary historians. emperor, Titus is best known for completing the Colosseum and for his generosity in relieving the suffering caused by two disasters, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a fire in Rome in 80. After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81. He was deified by the Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother Domitian. St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Greatmartyr Eustathius (Eustace) Placidas with his wife and children of Rome, Commemorated on September 20; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated on October 7; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19;

Rome, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena, Jesus, wooden rod, spring, Matthew burned at stake, Fulvianus-Matthew
Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa), Jesus, wooden rod, plant it in Mirmena, sprouted immediately, delicious fruit, spring welled up, healing waters, Matthew burned at stake, Fulvianus-Matthew ; Saint Fulvianus (in Baptism Matthew), Prince of Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 16; is believed that after the day of Pentecost, the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew preached the Gospel first in Palestine, and then in Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia and finally, Ethiopia. holds that the Lord appeared to Saint Matthew, giving him a wooden rod and instructing him to plant it in a particular place in Ethiopia. his arrival at the place in Ethiopia described by the Lord, he met a Bishop named Platon. rod was planted, as the Lord had instructed, and almost immediately it sprouted leaves and grew into a beautiful tree, the fruit of which was delicious. spring also welled up nearby, the water of which could heal the sick. Ethiopians were won over to Christ, although the local sovereign Prince, Fulvianus, a dedicated pagan, was violently opposed to this and, by his order, Saint Matthew was arrested and burned at the stake. time, however, Fulvianus came to doubt his action and agonized over his horrific act. His conscience beckoned him towards Christ. Ultimately, he embraced the Christian faith and was baptized, taking the name "Matthew." the elderly Bishop Platon reposed, Saint Fulvianus-Matthew was consecrated to the episcopacy and succeeded him. He spent his remaining years preaching the Gospel and winning his people to the Church.

Rome, 81-96, Emperor, Dometian, Pagan, authority, cut Senate powers, economy, b defense, m building p, wars, k by S
Roman Emperor, 81-96, Dometian ; (24 October 51 - 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. He was the son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, and the last member of the Flavian dynasty. his reign, the authoritarian nature of his rule put him at sharp odds with the Senate, whose powers he drastically curtailed. had a minor and largely ceremonial role during the reigns of his father and brother. After the death of his brother, Domitian was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. 15-year reign was the longest since that of Tiberius.[5] As emperor, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage, expanded the border defenses of the empire, and initiated a massive building program to restore the damaged city of Rome. wars were fought in Britain, where his general Agricola attempted to conquer Caledonia (Scotland), and in Dacia, where Domitian was unable to procure a decisive victory against King Decebalus. Domitian's government exhibited strong authoritarian characteristics. Religious, military, and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality, and by nominating himself perpetual censor, he sought to control public and private morals. a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people and army, but considered a tyrant by members of the Roman Senate. reign came to an end in 96 when he was assassinated by court officials. He was succeeded the same day by his advisor Nerva. After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Senate, while senatorial authors such as Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius propagated the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. revisionists instead have characterized Domitian as a ruthless but efficient autocrat whose cultural, economic, and political programs provided the foundation of the peaceful second century. Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated on October 7; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Rome, 89-96, Dometian's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 81-96, Rusticus and Eleutherius, disciples of Dionysius tAreopagite, martyred iAthens, Greece, by Domitian
Greece, 81-96, Rusticus and Eleutherius, disciples of Dionysius tAreopagite, martyred iAthens, Greece, by Domitian; Athens; Martyrs Rusticus the Presbyter and Eleutherius the Deacon, Commemorated on October 3; Rusticus and Eleutherius were disciples of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. They suffered martyrdom in Athens during the persecution of the emperor Domitian (81-96).

Rome, 89-155, Polycarp, Smyrna Bishop, assisted Theologian, angel widow raised him, flames not touch, stabbed creamated
Ephesus, 89-155, Polycarp, Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity), fruitful in every good work, Jesus time, orphaned, angel had him raised by widow, gave possessions, Chaste life, caring sick, friend of Bishop Bucolus who ordained him and made him bishop, accompanied still alive John Theologian, as bishop Lord Jesus appeared to him, Ignatius wrote to Polycarp the father of all christians, to be burned alive, flames not touch him, stabbed and creamated; Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. He was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. the death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. was very fond of and close to Saint Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February 6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood. holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. Saint Polycarp was especially close to Saint John, and sometimes accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. before his death, Saint Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp be made Bishop of Smyrna. Saint Polycarp was consecrated as a bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. Polycarp guided his flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the clergy. Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him, he wrote to Saint Polycarp, “This age is in need of you if it is to reach God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a port.” emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans demanded that the judge search for Saint Polycarp, “the father of all the Christians” and “the seducer of all Asia.” this time Saint Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock, stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. the soldiers came for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. suffering and death are recorded in the “Epistle of the Christians of the Church of Smyrna to the Other Churches,” one of the most ancient memorials of Christian literature. been brought to trial, Saint Polycarp firmly confessed his faith in Christ, and was condemned to be burned alive. The executioners wanted to nail him to a post, but he declared that God would give him the strength to endure the flames, so they could merely tie him with ropes. flames encircled the saint but did not touch him, coming together over his head in the shape of a vault. Seeing that the fire did him no harm, the pagans stabbed him with a dagger. So much blood flowed from this wound that it extinguished the flames. body of the hieromartyr Polycarp was then cremated. The Christians of Smyrna reverently gathered up what remained of his holy relics, and each year they celebrated the day of his martyrdom. story has been preserved about Saint Polycarp by his disciple, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, which Eusebius cites in his ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (V, 20): “I was still very young when I saw you in Asia Minor at Polycarp’s,” writes Saint Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, “but I would still be able to point out the place where Blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, and be able to depict his walk, his mannerisms in life, his outward appearance, his speaking to people, his companionable wandering with John, and how he himself related, together with other eyewitnesses of the Lord, those things that he remembered from the words of others. He also told what he heard from them about the Lord, His teachings and miracles.... “Through the mercy of God to me, I then already listened attentively to Polycarp and wrote down his words, not on tablets, but in the depths of my heart. I am able to bear witness before God, that if this blessed and apostolic Elder heard something similar to your fallacy, he would immediately stop up his ears and express his indignation with his usual phrase: ‘Good God! That Thou hast permitted me to be alive at such a time!’” his life the holy bishop wrote several Epistles to the flock and letters to various individuals. The only one that has survived to the present day is his Epistle to the Philippians which, Saint Jerome testifies, was read in the churches of Asia Minor at divine services. It was written by the saint in response to the request of the Philippians to send them some letters of the hieromartyr Ignatius (December 20) which Saint Polycarp had in his possession. composer H.I.F. Bibier (1644-1704) has written a Sonata “Scti Polycarpi” for eight trumpets in honor of the holy martyr.

Rome, 89-156, Polycarp, Roman Saint, Smyrna, close to J t theologian and Iraneous, alive in t fire, stabbed, fire out
Rome, 89-156, Roman Saint in Smyrna, Polycarp; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), was born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. the death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. was very fond of and close to Saint Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February 6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood. holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. Saint Polycarp was especially close to Saint John, and sometimes accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. before his death, Saint Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp be made Bishop of Smyrna. When Saint Polycarp was consecrated as a bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. Polycarp guided his flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the clergy. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him, he wrote to Saint Polycarp, “This age is in need of you if it is to reach God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a port.” emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans demanded that the judge search for Saint Polycarp, “the father of all the Christians” and “the seducer of all Asia.” this time Saint Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock, stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. When the soldiers came for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. suffering and death are recorded in the “Epistle of the Christians of the Church of Smyrna to the Other Churches,” one of the most ancient memorials of Christian literature. been brought to trial, Saint Polycarp firmly confessed his faith in Christ, and was condemned to be burned alive. The executioners wanted to nail him to a post, but he declared that God would give him the strength to endure the flames, so they could merely tie him with ropes. flames encircled the saint but did not touch him, coming together over his head in the shape of a vault. Seeing that the fire did him no harm, the pagans stabbed him with a dagger. So much blood flowed from this wound that it extinguished the flames. The body of the hieromartyr Polycarp was then cremated. The Christians of Smyrna reverently gathered up what remained of his holy relics, and each year they celebrated the day of his martyrdom. story has been preserved about Saint Polycarp by his disciple, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, which Eusebius cites in his ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (V, 20): “I was still very young when I saw you in Asia Minor at Polycarp’s,” writes Saint Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, “but I would still be able to point out the place where Blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, and be able to depict his walk, his mannerisms in life, his outward appearance, his speaking to people, his companionable wandering with John, and how he himself related, together with other eyewitnesses of the Lord, those things that he remembered from the words of others. He also told what he heard from them about the Lord, His teachings and miracles.... “Through the mercy of God to me, I then already listened attentively to Polycarp and wrote down his words, not on tablets, but in the depths of my heart. Therefore, I am able to bear witness before God, that if this blessed and apostolic Elder heard something similar to your fallacy, he would immediately stop up his ears and express his indignation with his usual phrase: ‘Good God! That Thou hast permitted me to be alive at such a time!’” his life the holy bishop wrote several Epistles to the flock and letters to various individuals. The only one that has survived to the present day is his Epistle to the Philippians which, Saint Jerome testifies, was read in the churches of Asia Minor at divine services. It was written by the saint in response to the request of the Philippians to send them some letters of the hieromartyr Ignatius (December 20) which Saint Polycarp had in his possession. The composer H.I.F. Bibier (1644-1704) has written a Sonata “Scti Polycarpi” for eight trumpets in honor of the holy martyr. Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11;

Rome, 92-101, 3rd Roman Pope, Clement I, miraculous ebbing of the sea r shrine c his bones, anchor
Roman Pope, 88-99, Clement I ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100); Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated on February 17; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Rome, 96-98, Emperor, Nerva, old, restored liberties, adopted Trajan
Roman Emperor, 96-98, Nerva ; (8 November 30 - 28 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65. Later, as a loyalist to the Flavians, he attained consulships in 71 and 90 during the reigns of Vespasian and Domitian, respectively. 18 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving members of the Praetorian Guard and several of his freedmen. On the same day, Nerva was declared emperor by the Roman Senate, although it is possible they were approving a decision made by the Praetorian Guard, as rare coins show him speaking with this group. the new ruler of the Roman Empire, he vowed to restore liberties which had been curtailed during the autocratic government of Domitian. brief reign was marred by financial difficulties and his inability to assert his authority over the Roman army. revolt by the Praetorian Guard in October 97 essentially forced him to adopt an heir. After some deliberation Nerva adopted Trajan, a young and popular general, as his successor. After barely fifteen months in office, Nerva died of natural causes on 28 January 98. Upon his death he was succeeded and deified by Trajan. much of his life remains obscure, Nerva was considered a wise and moderate emperor by ancient historians. Nerva's greatest success was his ability to ensure a peaceful transition of power after his death by selecting Trajan as his heir, thus founding the Nerva–Antonine dynasty.

Rome, 98-117, Emperor, Trajan, Pagan, best ruler, military expansion, socialist, adopted by Nerva
Roman Emperor, 98-117, Trajan ; (18 September 53 - c. 9 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared by the Senate optimus princeps (best ruler), Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the second-greatest military expansion in Roman history, after Augustus, leading the empire to attain its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing social welfare policies, which earned him his enduring reputation as the second of the Five Good Emperors who presided over an era of peace within the Empire and prosperity in the Mediterranean world. was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in present-day Spain, an Italic settlement in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. Although misleadingly designated by some later writers as a provincial, his Ulpia gens came from Umbria and he was born a Roman citizen.[3] rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in 89 Trajan supported Domitian against a revolt on the Rhine led by Antonius Saturninus. In September 96, Domitian was succeeded by the old and childless Nerva, who proved to be unpopular with the army. After a brief and tumultuous year in power, culminating in a revolt by members of the Praetorian Guard, he decided to adopt the more popular Trajan as his heir and successor. died in 98 and was succeeded by his adopted son without incident. a civilian administrator, Trajan is best known for his extensive public building program, which reshaped the city of Rome and left numerous enduring landmarks such as Trajan's Forum, Trajan's Market and Trajan's Column. in his reign, he annexed the Nabataean Kingdom, creating the province of Arabia Petraea. conquest of Dacia enriched the empire greatly, as the new province possessed many valuable gold mines. war against the Parthian Empire ended with the sack of the capital Ctesiphon and the annexation of Armenia and Mesopotamia. campaigns expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest territorial extent. late 117, while sailing back to Rome, Trajan fell ill and died of a stroke in the city of Selinus. He was deified by the Senate and his ashes were laid to rest under the Trajan's Column. He was succeeded by his cousin Hadrian, whom Trajan supposedly adopted on his deathbed. Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Greatmartyr Eustathius (Eustace) Placidas with his wife and children of Rome, Commemorated on September 20; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated on October 15; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107); St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated on January 29; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR (23 FEB 156); Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Drosis the Daughter of the Emperor Trajan, Commemorated on March 22; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7;

Rome, 98-117, Trajan's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 98-117, Sarbelus, Edessa, converted pagan priest and martyr
Armenia, 98-117, Sarbelus, Edessa, Converted priest and martyr; Edessa, Syria; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Holy Martyr Sarbelus was a pagan priest who lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) He and his sister Bebaia were converted by Saint Barsimaius, the Bishop of Edessa (January 29). They both received the crown of martyrdom. This Saint Sarbelus appears to be the same one who is commemorated on January 29 and October 15.

Rome, 98-117, Hieromartyr Phocas of Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia, bishop, converted many, tortured in hot bath
Armenia, 98-117, Hieromartyr Phocas of Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia (Pontine Capital, near Kizilirmak River Mouth, Black Sea), bishop, converted many, tortured in hot bath; Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Phocas was born in the city of Sinope. youth he led a virtuous Christian life, and in his adult years he became Bishop of Sinope. Phocas converted many pagans to faith in Christ. the time of a persecution against Christians under the emperor Trajan (98-117), the governor demanded that the saint renounce Christ. After fierce torture they enclosed Saint Phocas in a hot bath, where he died a martyr’s death in the year 117. the year 404, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople (July 22). Hieromartyr Phocas is especially venerated as a defender against fires, and also as a helper of the drowning.

Rome, 98-117, Hieromartyr Astius, Dirrachium, (Via Egnatia), suffering dream, leaden rods oxhide whips, honey hornets, cruci
Albania, 98-117, Hieromartyr Astius, Dirrachium, Albania (near Shkumbiin River Mouth, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia), his dream impending and death for Christ, beaten leaden rods, oxhide whips, smeared honey for hornets, crucified ; Dirrachium, Albania Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Astius was bishop of the city of Dyrrachium (Macedonia) during the time of the emperor Trajan (98-117), a persecutor of Christians. saint once had a dream, a foreboding of his impending suffering and death for Christ. He was arrested and beaten fiercely with leaden rods and oxhide whips, but Saint Astius did not renounce Christ. They smeared his body with honey, so as to increase his suffering with the stings of hornets and flies, and crucified him. The martyr’s body was reverently buried by Christians.

Rome, 98-117, Sarbelus & Bebaia oEdessa, Martyred bTrajan, Pagan priest. both converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius
Armenia, 98-117, Sarbelus oEdessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), Martyred with his sister bTrajan, Pagan priest & sister Bebaia converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius; Edessa, Syria; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Holy Martyr Sarbelus was a pagan priest who lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and his sister Bebaia were converted by Barsimaius, the Bishop of Edessa. both received the crown of martyrdom. Saints Sarbelus and Bebaia are also commemorated on October 15.

Rome, 101-117, Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Pagan Priest and his sister
Armenia, 101-117, Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Pagan Priest and his sister; Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Commemorated on October 15; Holy Martyrs Sarbelus and Bebaia (Barbea) of Edessa were brother and sister, suffering in the second century under the emperor Trajan for confessing Christianity. Saint Sarbelus was a priest of the idols at Edessa, but was converted to Christ by a certain bishop, then he and his sister were baptized. Pagans tortured the saints for a long while, and then beheaded them. saints are also commemorated on January 29. Saint Sarbelus may be the same one who is commemorated on September 5.

Rome, 115, Martyr Romulus, Great Armenia, Trajan found 11,000 t christians, sent to Armenia, Romulus reproached & confessed
Armenia, 115, Martyr Romulus & others, Great Armenia, 331 BC-428 AD, buffer state between Roman Empire and Persia, 107&115 Trajan found 11,000 christians in his troups, sent them to Armenia, commander Romulus reproached and confessed, beaten and beheaded; Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Romulus lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and was a confidant of the emperor by virtue of his office of military commander. the time, Trajan was waging war in the East to put down uprisings against the Romans by the Iberians, Sarmatians, and Arabs. the year 107, and again a second time in 115, the emperor conducted a review of the military strength of his army, and found in his troops upwards of 11,000 Christians. immediately sent these Christians into exile in Armenia in disgrace. Romulus, in view of this, reproached the emperor for his impiety and the sheer folly to diminish the army’s strength during a time of war. Romulus, moreover, acknowledged that he himself was a Christian. The enraged Trajan had the holy martyr subjected to a merciless beating, after which Saint Romulus was beheaded. Christian soldiers sent into exile in Armenia were killed by various forms of execution.

Rome, 100, 2nd Century, Folder, Roman Empire, Pagan Rome, Justin Martyr Apologies

Rome, 100, Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there
Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there; Grave of Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Church commemorates Saint John on this day because of the annual pilgrimage to his grave. Saint John was more than one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disciples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. John’s main Feast is on September 26. Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus; Basilica of St. John (Greek: Βασιλική του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου) was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.[1] The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill just below the fortress near the center of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey and about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from Ephesus.[2] Church[edit] is known about the Basilica of St. John, with its only source being from a small description[3] provided by Procopius in one of his works, Buildings, whereupon he writes: chanced to be a certain place before the city of Ephesus, lying on a steep slope hilly and bare of soil and incapable of producing crops, even should one attempt to cultivate them, but altogether hard and rough. On that site the natives had set up a church in early times to the Apostle John; this Apostle has been named “the Theologian,” because the nature of God was described by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man. church, which was small and in a ruined condition because of its great age, the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and replaced by a church so large and beautiful, that, to speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects, and is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the Apostles in the imperial city...[4] of the church began by 548 and was completed by 565.[3] The building of this church was presided over by the bishop, Hypatius of Ephesus. As the leading ecclesiastical theoretician and writer of his day, it was possible that he gained the influence of Justinian and had the tomb of St. John reconstructed, as major construction in the Asia Minor was rare.[5] After its completion, it was regarded as one of the holiest churches of its time and was held in great honor as Procopius makes mention of this in his Secret History: ...to the sanctuary of the Apostle John, which was the most holy one there and held in very high honour...[6] its popularity after the 9th century it was no longer mentioned, possibly due to a new church built in honor of St. John, Church of John the Theologian.[7]

Rome, 101-167, Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols
Ephesus, 150, Saint Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Abercius, Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis lived in the second century in Phrygia. The city of Hieropolis was inhabited by many pagans and very few Christians. The saint prayed to the Lord for the salvation of their souls and that they might be numbered among God’s chosen flock. An angel appeared and bade Saint Abercius to destroy the idols in the pagan temple. He fulfilled the command of God with zeal. Hearing that the idol-worshippers wanted to kill him, the saint went to the place where the people had gathered and openly denounced the failings of the pagans. The pagans tried to seize the saint. this moment three demon-possessed youths in the crowd cried out. The people were dumbfounded, as the saint expelled the devils from them by his prayers. Seeing the youths restored to normal, the people of Hieropolis asked Saint Abercius to instruct them in the Christian Faith, and then they accepted Holy Baptism. this the saint went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. With his preaching he made the rounds of Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, he visited Rome and everywhere he converted multitudes of people to Christ. For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, he confirmed Christians in the Faith, he set the prodigal upon the righteous path, he healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Because of his great works, Saint Abercius is termed “Equal of the Apostles.” Abercius returned home to Hieropolis, where he soon rested from his labors. After his death, many miracles took place at his tomb. He wrote his own epitaph, and it was carved on his tombstone, which is now in the Lateran Museum.

Rome, 101-141, Conon of Isauria, Archangel Michael protection, Anna, lived virginity, wonderworker, served b evil spirits
Lykaonia, 101-141, Conon of Isauria, Lykaonia, special protection Archangel Michael, betrothed Anna, lived virginity, saved father who became martyr, C wonderworker, m pagans converted, evil spirits served him, 2nd century, declining years, tortured Isauria; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Conon of Isauria was born in Bethany, a village near the Asia Minor city of Isauria, whose inhabitants had accepted Christianity from the Apostle Paul. his youth, Saint Conon was accorded the special protection of the “Archistrategos” (“Leader of the Heavenly Hosts”) Michael, who appeared to him and assisted him in many difficult circumstances in life. the insistence of his parents, Conon was betrothed to a maiden named Anna. He persuaded her to live with him in virginity after the wedding. young couple lived as brother and sister, devoting themselves entirely to God. Saint Conon brought also his parents to the Christian Faith. His father, Saint Nestor, received a martyr’s death for denouncing idol-worshippers. burying both his mother and wife, Saint Conon continued his service to God, devoting himself entirely to monastic works, fasting and prayer. his declining years the holy ascetic was glorified with the gift of wonderworking. virtue of his preaching and miracles many pagans were converted to Christ. It is said that even the evil spirits were forced to serve him. a persecution against Christians broke out in Isauria, one of the first to suffer was Saint Conon. He was subjected to fierce torments for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols. When the people of Isauria learned of the tortures to which the saint was being subjected, they came forth bearing arms to defend the martyr. Frightened by the people’s wrath, the torturers fled, and the Isaurians found the martyr wounded and bloodied at the place of torture. Conon wished to endure martyrdom for the Lord, but he lived two more years. Saint Conon died in the second century and was buried beside his parents and wife.

Rome, 107-108 , Ignatius, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, God Bearer, gold J C in his heart, to Rome, incouraging letters and preacing
Syria, 107-18 , Ignatius of Antioch; of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD),[3][4][7][8][9] also known as Ignatius Theophorus (the God-bearing), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of a later collection of works known to be authored by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered to be one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Antioch (Orontes River 7); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; the Apostles, Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch in Syria. His predecessor, of whom little is known, was named Euodius. he knew any of the Apostles directly is uncertain. is known of his life except for the very end of it. in the second century (perhaps around 107 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan), he was arrested by the Imperial authorities, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to die in the arena. thus dealing with a leader, the rulers hoped to terrify the rank and file. Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage them, speaking to groups of Christians at every town along the way. the prison escort reached the west coast of Asia Minor, it halted before taking ship, and delegations from several Asian churches were able to visit Ignatius, to speak with him at length, to assist him with items for his journey, and to bid him an affectionate farewell and commend him to the grace of God. response he wrote seven letters that have been preserved: five to congregations that had greeted him, en masse or by delegates (Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans), one to the congregation that would greet him at his destination (Romans), and one to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John. His letters are available in several modern translations. Perhaps the most accessible is the Penguin Paperback, Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. The themes with which he is chiefly concerned are (1) the importance of maintaining Christian unity in love and sound doctrine (with warnings against factionalism and against the heresy of Docetism -- the belief that Christ was not fully human and did not have a material body or really suffer and die), (2) the role of the clergy as a focus of Christian unity, (3) Christian martyrdom as a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped. He writes: I am God's wheat, ground fine by the lion's teeth to be made purest bread for Christ. No early pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Rome, 107-115, Alexander I, Roman Bishop, Pope, healer, important Roman Catholic role in un-apostolic traditions
Rome, 107-115, Roman Bishop, Pope Alexander I; Alexander I (died c. 115) was the sixth Bishop of Rome from c. 107 to his death c. 115. The Holy See's Annuario Pontificio (2012) identifies him as a Roman who reigned from 108 or 109 to 116 or 119. Some believe he suffered martyrdom under the Roman Emperor Trajan or Hadrian. and legend[edit] According to the Liber Pontificalis, it was Alexander I who inserted the narration of the Last Supper (the Qui pridie) into the liturgy of the Mass. However, the article on Saint Alexander I in the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia, written by Thomas Shahan, judges this tradition to be inaccurate, a view shared by both Catholic and non-Catholic experts.[1] It is viewed as a product of the agenda of Liber Pontificalis—this section of the book was probably written in the late 5th century—to show an ancient pattern of the earliest bishops of Rome ruling the church by papal decree. introduction of the customs of using blessed water mixed with salt for the purification of Christian homes from evil influences, as well as that of mixing water with the sacramental wine, are attributed to Pope Alexander I. Some sources consider these attributions unlikely.[2] is certainly possible, however, that Alexander played an important part in the early development of the Church of Rome's emerging liturgical and administrative traditions.[citation needed] later tradition holds that in the reign of Hadrian, Alexander I converted the Roman governor Hermes by miraculous means, together with his entire household of 1,500 people. Quirinus of Neuss, who was Alexander's supposed jailer, and Quirinus' daughter Balbina of Rome were also among his converts. is said to have seen a vision of the infant Jesus.[3] His remains are said to have been transferred to Freising in Bavaria, Germany in AD 834.[1] identification with a martyr[edit] fresco of Saint Pope Alexander I from Santa Maria Antiqua editions of the Roman Missal identified with Pope Alexander I with the Alexander that they give as commemorated, together with Eventius and Theodulus (who were supposed to be priests of his), on 3 May. See, for instance, the General Roman Calendar of 1954. But nothing is known of these three saints other than their names, together with the fact that they were martyred and were buried at the seventh milestone of the Via Nomentana on 3 May of some year.[4] For this reason, the Pope John XXIII's 1960 revision of the calendar returned to the presentation that was in the 1570 Tridentine Calendar of the three saints as simply "Saints Alexander, Eventius and Theodulus Martyrs" with no suggestion that any of them was a pope. The Roman Martyrology lists them as Eventius, Alexander and Theodulus, the order in which their names are given in historical documents.[5] Hieromartyr Alexander the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 16;

Rome, 108, 438, 540 or 637, Ignatius relics transfer, Rome tAntioch and back, listen to your bishops
Syria, 108, 438, 540 or 637, Ignatius relics transfer, Rome tAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Trajan had him thrown to the lions in 107, Christians gathered his bons at Rome, 108 his relics buried at Gate oDaphne, Antioch, 43i8 transferred tRome because Persians captured A, 540 placed Clement's church Rome, or 637, Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing, he left 7 arcpastoral epistles with instructions faith, love, good works, he also urged preservation unity otFaith, beware heretics, hono&obey bishops, regard as Lord himself, example letter to Polycarp, listen to your bishop ifyou want God to listen to you; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch ; Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer: (See December 20). the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome. in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources). Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, “We should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself.” (To the Ephesians 6) his Letter to Polycarp, Saint Ignatius writes: “Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you... let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armor.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder 4:2)

Rome, 109-202, Haralambos of Magnesia near Ephesus, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, miraculous conversions, great story
Ephesus, 109-202, Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus, successful preacher, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, iron hooks, removed skin, I thank you for restoring my spirit, to pass over, Lucius forearms cut off, spat in face, head twisted around, L asked for mercy, healed, baptized, Emperor Severus ordered more tortures, saint protected, E daughter believed, S blasphemed & boasted, earthquake, imps suspended in air, H let them down, E sentenced H to beheadidng, savior and angels, H asked no famine disease, but peace, prosperity, fruit, grain, wine, and souls saved in that place, Lord promised to fulfill and ascended w H; Magnesia (Meander River); Hieromartyr Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, the Martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus, and three women Martyrs, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia, the martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus and three women martyrs suffered in the year 202. Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia (Asia Minor), successfully spread faith in Christ the Savior, guiding people on the way to salvation. News of his preaching reached Lucian, the governor of the district, and the military commander Lucius. The saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. the bishop’s advanced age (he was 113 years old), he was subjected to monstrous tortures. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. During this the saint turned to his tormentors, “I thank you, brethren, that you have restored my spirit, which longs to pass over to a new and everlasting life!” the Elder’s endurance and his complete lack of malice, two soldiers (Porphyrius and Baptus) openly confessed Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Saint Haralampus also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred. enraged Lucius seized the instruments of torture and began to torture the holy martyr, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately his head was turned around so that he faced backwards. Lucius entreated the saint to show mercy on him, and both torturers were healed through the prayers of Saint Haralampus. During this a multitude of witnesses came to believe in Christ. Among them also was Lucius, who fell at the feet of the holy bishop, asking to be baptized. reported these events to the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211), who was then at Pisidian Antioch (western Asia Minor). The emperor ordered Saint Haralampus to be brought to him in Antioch. Soldiers twisted the saint’s beard into a rope, wound it around his neck, and used it to drag him along. They also drove an iron nail into his body. The emperor then ordered them to torture the bishop more intensely, and they began to burn him with fire, a little at a time. But God protected the saint, and he remained unharmed. miracles were worked through his prayer: he raised a dead youth, and healed a man tormented by devils for thirty-five years, so that many people began to believe in Christ the Savior. Even Galina, the daughter of the emperor, began to believe in Christ, and twice smashed the idols in a pagan temple. On the orders of the emperor they beat the saint about the mouth with stones. They also wanted to set his beard on fire, but the flames burned the torturer. of wickedness, Septimus Severus and an official named Crispus hurled blasphemy at the Lord, mockingly summoning Him to come down to the earth, and boasting of their own power and might. The Lord sent an earthquake, and great fear fell upon all, the impious ones were both suspended in mid-air held by invisible bonds, and only by the prayer of the saint were they put down. The dazed emperor was shaken in his former impiety, but again quickly fell into error and gave orders to torture the saint. finally, the emperor sentenced Saint Haralampus to beheading with a sword. During Saint Haralampus' final prayer, the heavens opened and the saint saw the Savior and a multitude of angels. The holy martyr asked Him to grant that the place where his relics would repose would never suffer famine or disease. He also begged that there would be peace, prosperity, and an abundance of fruit, grain, and wine in that place, and that the souls of these people would be saved. The Lord promised to fulfill his request and ascended to heaven, and the soul of the hieromartyr Haralampus followed after Him. By the mercy of God, the saint died before he could be executed. Galina buried the martyr’s body with great honor. Greek hagiography and iconography Saint Haralampus is regarded as a priest, while Russian sources seem to regard him as a bishop.

Rome, 110-170, St Archippus of Herapolis, plan to flood Chonae church, prayed to Archangel Michael, great miracle at Colossae
Phrygia, 110-170, St Archippus of Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Great Road, Lycus River 2), caretaker from age 10 to 70, ascetic, preacher, plan to flood Chonae church, prayed to Archangel Michael, great miracle at Colossae, died peacefully at 70 ; Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Archippus, son of devout Christians from the city of Hieropolis, age ten went to pray in the church of the holy Chief Commander Michael he remained at this temple to serve as church caretaker. led a strict and ascetic manner of life, constantly at fasting and prayer. persuaded many pagans who came to the holy spring to accept holy Baptism, to forsake pagan impiety, and to turn to the One True God and Savior Jesus Christ. pagans headed by idolous priests repeatedly tried to kill Saint Archippus, but each time the Lord delivered him out of their hands. the pagans devised a plan to destroy the church and at the same time kill also Archippus by flooding the spot where both the church and the curative spring stood. the preparations for this wicked deed, Saint Archippus firmly resolved not to abandon the holy place, he prayed to God and to the Archangel Michael to preserve the church and the spring. Lord heard his prayer, and the saint witnessed the great Miracle of the Chief Commander Michael at Colossae. delivered from death, Saint Archippus lived at the church into his old age, and he died peacefully at the age of 70. buried the saint at Colossae, at the place of his deeds.

Rome, 117-138, Emperor Hadrian, defend and unify, Hadrian's Wall, Temples, k senators, diefied
Roman Emperor, 117-138, Hadrian ; (24 January 76 - 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born into a Roman Italo-Hispanic family that settled in Spain from the Italian city of Atri in Picenum. His father was of senatorial rank and was a first cousin of Emperor Trajan. He married Trajan's grand-niece Vibia Sabina early in his career, before Trajan became emperor and possibly at the behest of Trajan's wife Pompeia Plotina. Plotina and Trajan's close friend and adviser Lucius Licinius Sura were well disposed towards Hadrian. When Trajan died, his widow claimed that he had nominated Hadrian as emperor immediately before his death. military and Senate approved Hadrian's succession, but four leading senators were unlawfully put to death soon after. They had opposed Hadrian or seemed to threaten his succession, and the senate held him responsible for it and never forgave him. He earned further disapproval among the elite by abandoning Trajan's expansionist policies and territorial gains in Mesopotamia, Assyria, Armenia, and parts of Dacia. Hadrian preferred to invest in the development of stable, defensible borders and the unification of the empire's disparate peoples. He is known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Britannia. energetically pursued his own Imperial ideals and personal interests. He visited almost every province of the Empire, accompanied by an Imperial retinue of specialists and administrators. He encouraged military preparedness and discipline, and he fostered, designed, or personally subsidised various civil and religious institutions and building projects. In Rome itself, he rebuilt the Pantheon and constructed the vast Temple of Venus and Roma. In Egypt, he may have rebuilt the Serapeum of Alexandria. He was an ardent admirer of Greece and sought to make Athens the cultural capital of the Empire, so he ordered the construction of many opulent temples there. His intense relationship with Greek youth Antinous and the latter's untimely death led Hadrian to establish a widespread cult late in his reign. He suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt in Judaea, but his reign was otherwise peaceful. last years were marred by chronic illness. He saw the Bar Kokhba revolt as the failure of his panhellenic ideal. He executed two more senators for their alleged plots against him, and this provoked further resentment. His marriage to Vibia Sabina had been unhappy and childless; he adopted Antoninus Pius in 138 and nominated him as a successor, on the condition that Antoninus adopt Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as his own heirs. Hadrian died the same year at Baiae, and Antoninus had him deified, despite opposition from the Senate. Edward Gibbon includes him among the Empire's "Five Good Emperors", a "benevolent dictator"; Hadrian's own senate found him remote and authoritarian. He has been described as enigmatic and contradictory, with a capacity for both great personal generosity and extreme cruelty and driven by insatiable curiosity, self-conceit, and ambition.[2] Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome, Commemorated on September 17; Martyr Ariadne of Phrygia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR (23 FEB 156); Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Hieromartyr Alexander the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 117-138, Hadrian's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother
Illyria, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother, Eparch tortured him then converted; Illyria; Yugoslavia; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, was raised in Christian piety by his mother. virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. Eparch Caribus, who had tortured Saint Eleutherius, also came to believe in Christ and was executed. Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15;

Rome, 117-138, Evanhtia, Eleutherius' Mother, Illyria, pious wife oIllustrious Roman Citizen, tortured beheaded wSon bHadrian
Illyia, 117-138, Evanhtia, Eleutherius' Mother, Illyria, Western Balkans, wife oIllustrious Roman Citizen, pious, son was bishop at 20, Hadrian tortured and beheaded them, torturer Eparch Carbus also came to believe; Illyria; Yugoslavia; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, raised in Christian piety by his mother. virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. Eparch Caribus, who had tortured Saint Eleutherius, also came to believe in Christ and was executed.

Rome, 117-138, Eupsychius of Caesurea, Cappadocia, Armenia, tortured healed by angel released, wealth to poor even enemies
Armenia, 117-138, Eupsychius of Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), tortured healed by angel released, distributed wealth to poor, even his enemies, captured again, hung up & cut w iron hooks, cut off head; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Holy Martyr Eupsychius was born in Caesaria, Cappadocia. one of the Synaxaria he is called the son of a senator Dionysius. a time of a persecution against Christians under Hadrian, he was arrested and tortured. the torture they threw him into prison, where he was healed of his wounds by an angel. they set the martyr free, he distributed all his property to the poor. gave away a certain portion even to his enemies, who had reported him and given him over to torture. a new governor, Saint Eupsychius was again arrested. hung him up and cut his body with iron hooks, and then they cut off his head with a sword. The martyr died under the emperor Hadrian (117-138).

Rome, 120-160, Aristion, Bishop, Lesser Alexandria, Cilician Gates r, boyhood f martyr Anthony, life's purpose theosis
Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor), Alexandria is probably Kitikien of the Ptolemaic Empire, along the Cilician Gates route ; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Anthony, a native of the city of Alexandria, was a Christian. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with iron hooks, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing in the fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for the body but for the soul in aspiring towards God. After the fire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his death is unknown. Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Aristion was the bishop of lesser Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor). He was born in the small town of Aribazo in the eparchy of Apamea, Syria at the beginning of the second century. His parents were pagans, and he spent his early years in an atmosphere of idolatry. do not know what sort of early education Saint Aristion received, nor where he studied, but it did not satisfy his search for the truth. A ten-year-old boy who lived in the same town, the future martyr Anthony, showed him the path which led to the truth. Anthony instructed him in the true Faith, and Aristion increased in piety and zeal for God. is significant that Anthony, despite the constant fear of persecution, exile and even danger to his own life, was not just a member of the local church, but also preached the Faith to others. It is certain that Aristion prayed for his young friend and remembered his courage and strength, for Anthony’s efforts to bring Aristion to the saving Faith had born fruit and were not in vain. Not only did Anthony give himself to the Church through his martyrdom at the age of twenty, he also gave it another saint and martyr: Saint Aristion later, Saint Aristion was consecrated bishop for Isso in Cilicia, which is found in lesser Alexandria. He was a good shepherd to his flock, and cared diligently for their souls. day the ruler of Alexandria had Saint Aristion arrested because he was a Christian. Although he was placed on public trial, the holy bishop was calm and showed no fear. His whole demeanor made the Roman eparch realize that it would not easy to deal with this man who stood before him. He tried to turn Aristion from Christ through flattery and promises of reward, but the saint stood firm. Seeing that his words had no effect on the bishop, he threatened him with fierce tortures. He was not influenced by these threats, however. Aristion stood before the eparch and his counselors, gazing at them with love and concern for their salvation. Even in his weakness, this captive was stronger than his captors, and he refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. a multitude of idolaters, Saint Aristion spoke of the Triune God, by Whom all things were created. He also told them about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was accomplished through God’s saving dispensation. He explained that Christ brings salvation to fallen man, thereby giving him another chance to attain the true purpose of his life—theosis. “How poor these soulless statues of the gods are,” the bishop said, “and how helpless the eparch looks in his radiant apparel.” who heard the saint speak were amazed and asked one another where he got such courage. Aristion invited them to believe in the truth which he was revealing to them. Those who watched understood that this holy man was someone special, and they wanted to hear more about his beliefs. Roman eparch could not find any way to resist Aristion except through violence, so he sentenced him to death. He commanded his soldiers to prepare a large furnace and then throw him into the flames.The saint went to his martyrdom without resistance, remaining brave and strong until the end. The few Christians who were present tried not to weep.They whispered prayers for him, and were saddened because their father was leaving them. They knew, however, that their archpastor would not cease praying for them, especially now that he was going to Christ. They could hear Saint Aristion singing hymns in the fire until his last breath. eparch did not know what a terrible mistake he had made. He did not realize that death is not the end for men, nor for the truth. Nothing could separate Saint Aristion from the Fountain of Life, and so the Lord bestowed upon him an imperishable crown of glory. the flames died down, his spiritual children approached the furnace and collected as many of his bones as they could. With great reverence they put the holy relics in a secret place, which remains unknown to the present day. more detailed biography of the saint has been published (in Greek): THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ARISTION, by John G. Thalassinos (Athens, 2003). This volume also contains the Service to the saint, which was composed by Hieromonk Athanasius of Simonopetra Monastery on Mt. Athos. Martyr Anthony of Alexandria Commemorated on August 9

Rome, 123-165, Saint, JUSTIN MARTYR, apologies
Rome, 120-167, Saint, JUSTIN MARTYR; Roman Debate, 155, First Apology of Justin Martyr with Antonius Pius ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher was born around 114 at Sychem, an ancient city of Samaria. Justin’s parents were pagan Greeks. From his childhood the saint displayed intelligence, love for knowledge and a fervent devotion to the knowledge of Truth. When he came of age he studied the various schools of Greek philosophy: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans, the Platonists, and he concluded that none of these pagan teachings revealed the way to knowledge of the true God. when he was strolling in a solitary place beyond the city and pondering about where to seek the way to the knowledge of Truth, he met an old man. In the ensuing conversation he revealed to Justin the essential nature of the Christian teaching and advised him to seek the answers to all the questions of life in the books of Holy Scripture. “But before anything else,â€ said the holy Elder, “pray diligently to God, so that He might open to you the doors of Light. No one is able to comprehend Truth, unless he is granted understanding from God Himself, Who reveals it to each one who seeks Him in prayer and in love.â€ his thirtieth year, Justin accepted holy Baptism (between the years 133 and 137). From this time Saint Justin devoted his talents and vast philosophical knowledge to preaching the Gospel among the pagans. He began to journey throughout the Roman Empire, sowing the seeds of faith. “Whosoever is able to proclaim Truth and does not proclaim it will be condemned by God,â€ he wrote. opened a school of Christian philosophy. Saint Justin subsequently defended the truth of Christian teaching, persuasively confuting pagan sophistry (in a debate with the Cynic philosopher Crescentius) and heretical distortions of Christianity. He also spoke out against the teachings of the Gnostic Marcian. the year 155, when the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) started a persecution against Christians, Saint Justin personally gave him an Apology in defense of two Christians innocently condemned to execution, Ptolemy and Lucias. The name of the third remains unknown. the Apology he demonstrated the falseness of the slander against Christians accused unjustly for merely having the name of Christians. The Apology had such a favorable effect upon the emperor that he ceased the persecution. Saint Justin journeyed, by decision of the emperor, to Asia Minor where they were persecuting Christians with particular severity. He proclaimed the joyous message of the imperial edict throughout the surrounding cities and countryside. debate of Saint Justin with the Rabbi Trypho took place at Ephesus. The Orthodox philosopher demonstrated the truth of the Christian teaching of faith on the basis of the Old Testament prophetic writings. Saint Justin gave an account of this debate in his work Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. second Apology of Saint Justin was addressed to the Roman Senate. It was written in the year 161, soon after Marcus Aurelius (161-180) ascended the throne. he returned to Italy, Saint Justin, like the Apostles, preached the Gospel everywhere, converting many to the Christian Faith. When the saint arrived at Rome, the envious Crescentius, whom Justin always defeated in debate, brought many false accusations against him before the Roman court. Saint Justin was put under guard, subjected to torture and suffered martyrdom in 165. The relics of Saint Justin the Philosopher rest in Rome. addition to the above-mentioned works, the following are also attributed to the holy martyr Justin the Philosopher: 1) An Address to the Greeks 2) A Hortatory Address to the Greeks 3) On the Sole Government of God John of Damascus preserved a significant part of Saint Justin’s On the Resurrection, which has not survived. The church historian Eusebius asserts that Saint Justin wrote books entitled Singer of all Existing Heresies and Marcian the Russian Church the memory of the martyr is particularly glorified in temples of his name. He is invoked by those who seek help in their studies. holy martyrs Justin, Chariton, Euelpistus, Hierax, Peonus, Valerian, Justus and the martyr Charito suffered with Saint Justin the Philosopher in the year 166. They were brought to Rome and thrown into prison. The saints bravely confessed their faith in Christ before the court of the prefect Rusticus. Rusticus asked Saint Justin, whether he really thought that after undergoing tortures he would go to heaven and receive a reward from God. Saint Justin answered, “Not only do I think this, but I know and am fully assured of it.â€ prefect proposed to all the Christian prisoners that they offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they refused he issued a sentence of death, and the saints were beheaded. JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 135, Roman Emperor Hadrian destroys Holy Places in Jerusalem
Roman Emperor, 117-138, Hadrian ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335) ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14;

Rome, 138-161, Emperor, Antoninus Pius, Ungrateful Pagan, peace, no revolts, Scots Antonine Wall
Roman Emperor, 138-161, Antoninus Pius ; Pius (19 September 86 - 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was one of the Five Good Emperors in the Nerva–Antonine dynasty.[2] into a senatorial family, Antoninus held various offices during the reign of emperor Hadrian, who adopted him as his son and successor shortly before his death. Antoninus acquired the cognomen Pius after his accession to the throne, either because he compelled the Senate to deify his adoptive father,[3] or because he had saved senators sentenced to death by Hadrian in his later years.[4] His reign is notable for the peaceful state of the Empire, with no major revolts or military incursions during this time, and for his governing without ever leaving Italy. successful military campaign in southern Scotland early in his reign resulted in the construction of the Antonine Wall. was an effective administrator, leaving his successors a large surplus in the treasury, expanding free access to drinking water throughout the Empire, encouraging legal conformity, and facilitating the enfranchisement of freed slaves. He died of illness in 161 and was succeeded by his adopted sons Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as co-emperors. Martyr Parasceva of Rome, Commemorated on July 26; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR (23 FEB 156); Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, with his Mother, Commemorated on April 21; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; Martyr Concordius of Spoleto, Commemorated on June 4 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202); St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Rome, 138-161, Antoninus Pius' Marttyrs Folder

Rome, 138-161, Martyr Theodore+ aPerge, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, executed for destroying idols&temples, horrible tortures
Lykaonia, 138-161, Martyr Theodore and those with him at Perge (Perga, Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, executed for destroying pagan idols and temples, horrible tortures, red hot iron grates, dragged by horse, fiery frunace, imprisoned, crucified, wounded by arrows 3 consecutive days, burnt in fire, stabbed wLance iFurnace; Perge Martyr Theodore and those with him, Commemorated on April 19; Holy Martyr Theodore was from Pérgē of Pamphylia and was executed by Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 – 161). of pious zeal, Saint Theodore destroyed the idols and temples of the pagans. was arrested for this, however, and was later subjected to horrible tortures. placed him on red hot iron grates, and then his feet were tied to horses which dragged him along the ground. Then they threw him into a fiery furnace with the soldiers Sokrátēs and Dionysios. pagan priest Dióskoros, after witnessing the Saint's martyrdom, also believed in Christ. Saint Theodore was imprisoned, then they crucified him, and wounded him with arrows for three consecutive days. Thus, Saint Theodore was put to death and received a crown of martyrdom and glory. her son's death on the cross, Saint Theodore's mother, Philippa, confessed Christ as the True God, and was killed with a sword. Holy Martyr Dióskoros was burnt in the fire, and the Martyrs Sokrátēs and Dionysios were executed by being stabbed with a lance in the furnace.

Rome, 138-161, Martyr Hermias at Comana, Armenia, tortured and recovered from many things
Armenia, 138-161, Martyr Hermias at Comana, Armenia (Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley), tortured and recovered from: skin pealed from face, red-hot oven 3 days, strong poison, sharp insturments, boiling oil, gouged out eyes, upside down 3 days, skin flayed again, then beheaded; Comana (Cappadocia); Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31; Martyr Hermias suffered for Christ in the city of Comana during the persecution under the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). governor Sebastian, who was in Cappadocia to arrest Christians, urged the saint to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, promising him honors and mercy from the emperor. old soldier bravely confessed his faith in Christ. After long exhortation, the governor gave orders to torture the saint. They beat him on the face so that the skin peeled from his face, and they threw him into a red-hot oven. When the oven was opened after three days, the martyr Hermias emerged from it unharmed. governor Sebastian ordered the sorcerer Marus to poison Saint Hermias with a potion. The poisonous drink did the saint no harm. A second goblet with even stronger poison also failed to kill the saint. The sorcerer believed in Christ the Savior, and was immediately beheaded. Saint Marus was baptized in his own blood, and received a martyr’s crown. Hermias was subjected to even more terrible tortures. They raked his body with sharp instruments, threw him in boiling oil, and gouged out his eyes, but he gave thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they suspended the martyr head downward. For three days he hung in this position. sent by the governor to verify his death found him alive. Struck by the miracle, they were blinded with fright and began to call out to the saint to help them. The holy martyr ordered the blind to approach him, and healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ. anger the governor ordered the skin flayed from the saint’s body, but he remained alive. Then the crazed Sebastian beheaded him with his own sword. Christians secretly buried the body of the martyr Hermias, whose relics bestowed numerous healings.

Rome, 140-155, Pope Pius I, saint, opposed Valentinians and Gnostics, important for Roman un-apostolic traditions
Roman Bishop, 140-155, Pope Pius I ; Pius I was the tenth bishop of Rome from c. 140 to his death c. 154,[1] according to the Annuario Pontificio. His dates are listed as 142 or 146 to 157 or 161, respectively.[2] is considered to have opposed both the Valentinians and Gnostics during his papacy. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church[3] with a feast day in 11 July, but it is unclear if he died as a martyr. life[edit] is believed to have been born at Aquileia, in Northern Italy, during the late 1st century.[4] His father was an Italian[5] called "Rufinus", who was also a native of Aquileia according to the Liber Pontificalis.[6] to the 2nd-century Muratorian Canon[7] and the Liberian Catalogue,[8] that he was the brother of Hermas, author of the text known as The Shepherd of Hermas. The writer of the later text identifies himself as a former slave. This has led to speculation that both Hermas and Pius were freedmen. However Hermas' statement that he was a slave may just mean that he belonged to a low-ranking plebeian family.[9] to Catholic tradition, Pius I governed the Church in the middle of the 2nd century during the reigns of the Emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius.[4] He is held to be the ninth successor of Saint Peter,[1] who decreed that Easter should only be kept on a Sunday. credited with ordering the publication of the Liber Pontificalis,[4] compilation of that document was not started before the beginning of the 6th century.[10] He is also said to have built one of the oldest churches in Rome, Santa Pudenziana. Justin taught Christian doctrine in Rome during the pontificate of St Pius I but the account of his martyrdom indicates there was no Roman bishop present there, an unsurprising occurrence, considering the brevity of the account.[11] The heretics Valentinus, Cerdon, and Marcion visited Rome during that period. Catholic apologists see this as an argument for the primacy of the Roman See during the 2nd century.[4] Pope Pius I is believed to have opposed the Valentinians and Gnostics under Marcion, whom he excommunicated.[12] is some conjecture that Pius was a martyr in Rome, a conjecture that entered earlier editions of the Roman Breviary. The study that had produced the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar stated that there were no grounds for his consideration as a martyr,[13] and he is not presented as such in the Roman Martyrology.[14] day[edit] I's feast day is 11 July. In the Tridentine Calendar it was given the rank of "Simple" and celebrated as the feast of a martyr. The rank of the feast was reduced to a Commemoration in the 1955 General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII and the General Roman Calendar of 1960. Though no longer mentioned in the General Roman Calendar, Saint Pius I may now, according to the rules in the present-day Roman Missal, be celebrated everywhere on his feast day as a Memorial, unless in some locality an obligatory celebration is assigned to that day.[15] Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Concordius of Spoleto, Commemorated on June 4 ;

Rome, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France, from Smyrna and Polycarp, anti Gnostic writer
Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France ; Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). He received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. He was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). While he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. After the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.” IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; (pronounced ear-a-NAY-us) was probably born around 125. a young man in Smyrna (near Ephesus, in what is now western Turkey) he heard the preaching of Polycarp, who as a young man had heard the preaching of the Apostle John. probably while still a young man, Irenaeus moved west to Lyons in southern France. 177, Pothinus, the bishop of Lyons, sent him on a mission to Rome. During his absence a severe persecution broke out in Lyons, claiming the lives of the bishop and others (see 2 June). Irenaeus returned to Lyons, he was made bishop. He died around 202. He is thus an important link between the apostolic church and later times, and also an important link between Eastern and Western Christianity. principal work is the Refutation of Heresies, a defense of orthodox Christianity against its Gnostic rivals. A shorter work is his Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, a brief summary of Christian teaching, largely concerned with Christ as the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. An interesting bit of trivia about this latter book is that it is, as far as I know, the first Christian writing to refer to the earth as a sphere. of the earliest heresies to arise in the Christian church was Gnosticism, and Irenaeus was one of its chief early opponents. Not all Gnostics believed exactly the same thing, but the general outlines of the belief are fairly clear. were dualists, teaching that there are two great opposing forces: good versus evil, light versus darkness, knowledge versus ignorance, spirit versus matter. Since the world is material, and leaves much room for improvement, they denied that God had made it. "How can the perfect produce the imperfect, the infinite produce the finite, the spiritual produce the material?" they asked. One solution was to say that there were thirty beings called AEons, and that God had made the first AEon, which made the second AEon, which made the third, and so on to the thirtieth AEon, which made the world. (This, Gnostics pointed out to the initiate, was the true inward spiritual meaning of the statement that Jesus was thirty years old when he began to preach.) As Irenaeus pointed out, this did not help at all. Assuming the Gnostic view of the matter, each of the thirty must be either finite or infinite, material or non-material, and somewhere along the line you would have an infinite being producing a finite one, a spiritual being producing a material one. The Gnostics were Docetists (pronounced do-SEE-tists). This word comes from the Greek word meaning "to seem." They taught that Christ did not really have a material body, but only seemed to have one. It was an appearance, so that he could communicate with men, but was not really there. (If holograms had been known then, they would certainly have said that the supposed body of Jesus was a hologram.) They went on to say that Jesus was not really born, and did not really suffer or die, but merely appeared to do so. It was in opposition to early Gnostic teachers that the Apostle John wrote (1 John 4:1-3) that anyone who denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of antiChrist. claimed to be Christians, but Christians with a difference. They said that Jesus had had two doctrines: one a doctrine fit for the common man, and preached to everyone, and the other an advanced teaching, kept secret from the multitudes, fit only for the chosen few, the spiritually elite. They, the Gnostics, were the spiritually elite, and although the doctrines taught in the churches were not exactly wrong, and were in fact as close to the truth as the common man could hope to come, it was to the Gnostics that one must turn for the real truth. They remind me very much of the Rosicrucians. When I mention this, I often get blank stares, but not many years ago many popular science magazines carried their advertisements, with assertions that Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Plato, Archimedes, and so on had all been members of a secret society called the Rosicrucians, and owed their achievements largely to this fact. Was there any evidence of this aside from the traditions of the group itself? Of course not! They were a secret society. Why were they secret? "Because our wisdom would be misunderstood by the common man, and so must be reserved for the tiny handful of mankind in every generation who are spiritually advanced enough to appreciate it. So send us twenty bucks and we'll spill our guts." opposition to this idea, Irenaeus maintained that the Gospel message is for everyone. He was perhaps the first to speak of the Church as "Catholic" (universal). In using this term, he made three contrasts: (1) He contrasted the over-all church with the single local congregation, so that one spoke of the Church in Ephesus, but also of the Catholic Church, of which the Churches in Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Antioch, etc. were local branches or chapters. (2) He contrasted Christianity with Judaism, in that the task of Judaism was to preserve the knowledge of the one God by establishing a solid national base for it among a single people, but the task of Christianity was to set out from that base to preach the Truth to all nations. (3) He contrasted Christianity with Gnosticism, in that the Gnostics claimed to have a message only for the few with the right aptitudes and temperaments, whereas the Christian Gospel was to be proclaimed to all men everywhere. then went on to say: If Jesus did have a special secret teaching, to whom would He entrust it? Clearly, to His disciples, to the Twelve, who were with Him constantly, and to whom he spoke without reservation (Mark 4:34). And was the teaching of the Twelve different from that of Paul? Here the Gnostics, and others since, have tried to drive a wedge between Paul and the original Apostles, but Peter writes of Paul in the highest terms (2 Peter 3:15), as one whose teaching is authentic. Again, we find Paul saying to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:27), that he has declared to them the whole counsel of God. Where, then, do we look for Christ's authentic teaching? In the congregations that were founded by the apostles, who set trustworthy men in charge of them, and charged them to pass on the teaching unchanged to future generations through carefully chosen successors. by James Kiefer

Rome, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons
France, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4), from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons, wrote of Orthodox faith against gnosis; Lyons; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.” IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; (pronounced ear-a-NAY-us) was probably born around 125. a young man in Smyrna (near Ephesus, in what is now western Turkey) he heard the preaching of Polycarp, who as a young man had heard the preaching of the Apostle John. probably while still a young man, Irenaeus moved west to Lyons in southern France. 177, Pothinus, the bishop of Lyons, sent him on a mission to Rome. During his absence a severe persecution broke out in Lyons, claiming the lives of the bishop and others (see 2 June). Irenaeus returned to Lyons, he was made bishop. He died around 202. He is thus an important link between the apostolic church and later times, and also an important link between Eastern and Western Christianity. principal work is the Refutation of Heresies, a defense of orthodox Christianity against its Gnostic rivals. A shorter work is his Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, a brief summary of Christian teaching, largely concerned with Christ as the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. An interesting bit of trivia about this latter book is that it is, as far as I know, the first Christian writing to refer to the earth as a sphere. of the earliest heresies to arise in the Christian church was Gnosticism, and Irenaeus was one of its chief early opponents. Not all Gnostics believed exactly the same thing, but the general outlines of the belief are fairly clear. were dualists, teaching that there are two great opposing forces: good versus evil, light versus darkness, knowledge versus ignorance, spirit versus matter. Since the world is material, and leaves much room for improvement, they denied that God had made it. "How can the perfect produce the imperfect, the infinite produce the finite, the spiritual produce the material?" they asked. One solution was to say that there were thirty beings called AEons, and that God had made the first AEon, which made the second AEon, which made the third, and so on to the thirtieth AEon, which made the world. (This, Gnostics pointed out to the initiate, was the true inward spiritual meaning of the statement that Jesus was thirty years old when he began to preach.) As Irenaeus pointed out, this did not help at all. Assuming the Gnostic view of the matter, each of the thirty must be either finite or infinite, material or non-material, and somewhere along the line you would have an infinite being producing a finite one, a spiritual being producing a material one. The Gnostics were Docetists (pronounced do-SEE-tists). This word comes from the Greek word meaning "to seem." They taught that Christ did not really have a material body, but only seemed to have one. It was an appearance, so that he could communicate with men, but was not really there. (If holograms had been known then, they would certainly have said that the supposed body of Jesus was a hologram.) They went on to say that Jesus was not really born, and did not really suffer or die, but merely appeared to do so. It was in opposition to early Gnostic teachers that the Apostle John wrote (1 John 4:1-3) that anyone who denies that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of antiChrist. claimed to be Christians, but Christians with a difference. They said that Jesus had had two doctrines: one a doctrine fit for the common man, and preached to everyone, and the other an advanced teaching, kept secret from the multitudes, fit only for the chosen few, the spiritually elite. They, the Gnostics, were the spiritually elite, and although the doctrines taught in the churches were not exactly wrong, and were in fact as close to the truth as the common man could hope to come, it was to the Gnostics that one must turn for the real truth. They remind me very much of the Rosicrucians. When I mention this, I often get blank stares, but not many years ago many popular science magazines carried their advertisements, with assertions that Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Plato, Archimedes, and so on had all been members of a secret society called the Rosicrucians, and owed their achievements largely to this fact. Was there any evidence of this aside from the traditions of the group itself? Of course not! They were a secret society. Why were they secret? "Because our wisdom would be misunderstood by the common man, and so must be reserved for the tiny handful of mankind in every generation who are spiritually advanced enough to appreciate it. So send us twenty bucks and we'll spill our guts." opposition to this idea, Irenaeus maintained that the Gospel message is for everyone. He was perhaps the first to speak of the Church as "Catholic" (universal). In using this term, he made three contrasts: (1) He contrasted the over-all church with the single local congregation, so that one spoke of the Church in Ephesus, but also of the Catholic Church, of which the Churches in Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, Antioch, etc. were local branches or chapters. (2) He contrasted Christianity with Judaism, in that the task of Judaism was to preserve the knowledge of the one God by establishing a solid national base for it among a single people, but the task of Christianity was to set out from that base to preach the Truth to all nations. (3) He contrasted Christianity with Gnosticism, in that the Gnostics claimed to have a message only for the few with the right aptitudes and temperaments, whereas the Christian Gospel was to be proclaimed to all men everywhere. then went on to say: If Jesus did have a special secret teaching, to whom would He entrust it? Clearly, to His disciples, to the Twelve, who were with Him constantly, and to whom he spoke without reservation (Mark 4:34). And was the teaching of the Twelve different from that of Paul? Here the Gnostics, and others since, have tried to drive a wedge between Paul and the original Apostles, but Peter writes of Paul in the highest terms (2 Peter 3:15), as one whose teaching is authentic. Again, we find Paul saying to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:27), that he has declared to them the whole counsel of God. Where, then, do we look for Christ's authentic teaching? In the congregations that were founded by the apostles, who set trustworthy men in charge of them, and charged them to pass on the teaching unchanged to future generations through carefully chosen successors. by James Kiefer

Rome, 150, Michael commanded drink spring, Church, pagans healed, p pointed rivers at church, M's blow, c water flow fissure
Phrygia, 150, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), Commander Michael appeared in dream, drink from spring to heal speach, Church of Angel Michael, pagans healed, Archippus 60 years, p made confluence 2 rivers directed at church, A prayed to M, M appeared at C, blow made wide fissure in rock, M commanded water flow there, Chonae plunging; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated on September 6; 90+60=150 Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built over a miraculous spring. church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of Laodicia in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from the water of the spring. girl actually did receive healing and began to speak. this miracle, the father and his daughter and all their family were baptized. fervent gratitude, the father built the church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. only did Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted to the faith in Christ. this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a certain pious man by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many pagans to faith in Christ. the general malice of that time towards Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus. this end they made a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. Archippus prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger. his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. temple remained unharmed. such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror. and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. place where the rivers plunged into the fissure received the name “Chonae”, which means “plunging.” Chudov (“of the Miracle”) monastery in Moscow is named for this Feast.

Rome, 152-153, Crescens the Cynic, Philosopher, attacked Christians, attacked by Justin Martyr
Roman Philosopher, 152-153, Crescens the Cynic; (fl. 2nd century AD) was a Cynic philosopher who attacked the Christians, and was in turn, attacked by Justin Martyr. Eusebius, writing 150 years later, accused him of causing Justin's death. Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 155, Debate with Antonius Pius, First Apology of Justin Martyr
Roman Debate, 155, First Apology of Justin Martyr with Antonius Pius ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 161-180, Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, Pagan, Philosopher
Roman Emperor, 161-180, Marcus Aurelius ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16; Martyr Felicitas of Rome, and Seven Sons, Commemorated on January 25; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR (23 FEB 156); Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ; Martyr Chariton with his wife and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 161-180, Emperor Marcus Aurelius' Martyrs

Rome, 161-180, Stephanida (Corona) of Spain, with Victor, Martyr at Damascus
Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, with Victor, Martyr at Damascus; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Rome, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, wVictor, 15yr old torturers' wife glorified Christ, two palm trees tore her apart
Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, with Victor, 15yr old torturers' wife glorified Christ, two palm trees tore her apart, aka Corona, martyred at Damascus, she witnessed V tortured but unharmed, relics buried aDamascus; Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, with Victor, Martyr at Damascus; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Rome, 161-180, Victor, Soldier and Martyr at Damascus, Syria, w Corona
Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier and Martyr at Damascus, Syria; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Rome, 161-180, Victor, Soldier martyred aDamascus, tortured but unharmed, converted sorcerer wPrayer power, blind healed
Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier martyred aDamascus, Syria, tortured but unharmed, converted sorcerer wPrayer power, blind got sight, Stehpanida witnessed&converted; Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier and Martyr at Damascus, Syria; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Rome, 161-180, Zealot Seusippus oTriplet martyrs, converted by grandmother iGaul, burnt but bodies not destroyed
Gaul, 161-180, Martyr Seusippus, his brothers, grandmother iGaul (France, Western Germany, and Northwest Italy) before the year 486, GM Leonilla baptized old age bPolycarp disciples, converted triplet grandsons, these zealot brothers pulled down idols&reproached pagans, judge ordered Leonilla go prison convert gsons, but she praised them, flogged fire but bodies not destroyed by flames, L beheaded, others witnessed, converted, martyred or recorded story; Gaul and Roman Gaul; Martyred brothers Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and those with them, in Gaul, Commemorated on January 16; Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and their grandmother Leonilla together with Neon, Turbo and Jonilla suffered in Gaul (by another account, in Cappadocia) in the second century, during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius (161-180). received Baptism in her old age from one of the disciples of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, she afterwards converted her three grandsons (who were triplets) to Christ. brothers, in their zeal for the Lord, pulled down idols and reproached the pagans for their folly. judge ordered Leonilla to go to the prison and tell her grandchildren to renounce Christ and worship the idols. she praised them for their bravery and their firm confession of faith. three were hanged on a tree, then flogged. Finally, the martyrs were thrown into a fire, but their bodies were undamaged by the flames. the torture and death of her grandchildren, Saint Leonilla was beheaded with a sword. Jonilla also suffered with her. She saw the steadfast faith of the holy martyrs and said that she too was a Christian. The torturers hung her up by the hair, lacerated her body, then beheaded her. left behind her husband and young son. Neon witnessed the exploits of the holy brothers, and wrote an account of their sufferings. gave his manuscript to Turbo, and openly confessed himself a Christian, for which he was fiercely beaten and died from his beating. Turbo, after he copied out the exploits of the passion-bearers, also ended his life by martyrdom. martyrs are particularly revered in Spain, where many churches are dedicated to them. relics of the holy martyrs were given by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to a French nobleman from the city of Langres, where they now rest.

Rome, 164, Felicitas with her Seven Sons, rich roman, boldly confessed, which insulted the gods, tortured
Rome, 164, Felicitas with her Seven Sons, rich roman, boldly confessed, which insulted the gods, turned over for torture, sons died before her eyes, Felicitas followed; Rome; Martyr Felicitas of Rome, and Seven Sons, Commemorated January 25 ; Holy Martyr Felicitas with her Seven Sons, Januarius, Felix, Philip, Silvanus, Alexander, Vitalius and Marcial. Saint Felicitas was born of a rich Roman family. She boldly confessed before the emperor and civil authorities that she was a Christian. The pagan priests said that she was insulting the gods by spreading Christianity. Saint Felicitas and her sons were turned over to the Prefect Publius for torture. Felicitas witnessed the suffering of her sons, and prayed to God that they would stand firm and enter the heavenly Kingdom before her. All the sons died as martyrs before the eyes of their mother, who was being tortured herself. Felicitas soon followed her sons in martyrdom for Christ. They suffered at Rome about the year 164. Saint Gregory Dialogus mentions her in his Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew (Mt.12:47).

Rome, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Cret, flames no touch, set free, sought & rejoiced martyrdom
Crete, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, 50 yr, refused idol w, flames did not touch, set free, continued preaching, sought & rejoiced martyrdom; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. The governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. Seeing this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. Lucius himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. It was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. Hearing the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). As a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. When a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. Along the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. He was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. He was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Rome, 177, Martyrs of Lyons, France or Gaul, charges that Christians practiced cannibalism and incest
Rome, 177, Martyrs of Lyons, France or Gaul; persecution in Lyon in AD 177 was a persecution of Christians in Lugdunum, Roman Gaul (present-day Lyon, France), during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180). An account of this persecution is a letter preserved in Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History, book 5, chapter 1. Gregory of Tours describes the persecution in De Gloria martyrum. Lyons; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177); Lyons and Vienne, in Gaul, there were missionary centers which had drawn many Christians from Asia and Greece. Persecution began in 177. Martyrs of Lyons, by JL Gerome painting by JL Gérôme first, Christians were excluded from the public baths, the market place, and from social and public life. They were subject to attack when they appeared in public, and many Christian homes were vandalized. At this point the government became involved, and began to take Christians into custody for questioning. Some slaves from Christian households were tortured to obtain confessions, and were induced to say that Christians practiced cannibalism and incest. These charges were used to arouse the whole city against the Christians, particularly against Pothinus, the aged bishop of Lyons; Sanctus, a deacon; Attalus; Maturus, a recent convert; and Blandina, a slave. Pothinus was beaten and then released, to die of his wounds a few days later. Sanctus was tormented with red-hot irons. Blandina, tortured all day long, would say nothing except, "I am a Christian, and nothing vile is done among us." Finally, the survivors were put to death in the public arena.

Rome, 177, BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), slaves tortured for confessions & lies
France, 177, BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4), slaves tortured for confessions and lies of cannibalism and incest, these charges aroused city, put to death in arena; Lyons; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177); Lyons and Vienne, in Gaul, there were missionary centers which had drawn many Christians from Asia and Greece. Persecution began in 177. Martyrs of Lyons, by JL Gerome painting by JL Gérôme first, Christians were excluded from the public baths, the market place, and from social and public life. They were subject to attack when they appeared in public, many Christian homes were vandalized. this point the government became involved, and began to take Christians into custody for questioning. slaves from Christian households were tortured to obtain confessions, and were induced to say that Christians practiced cannibalism and incest. charges were used to arouse the whole city against the Christians, particularly against Pothinus, the aged bishop of Lyons; Sanctus, a deacon; Attalus; Maturus, a recent convert; and Blandina, a slave. was beaten and then released, to die of his wounds a few days later. Sanctus was tormented with red-hot irons. Blandina, tortured all day long, would say nothing except, "I am a Christian, and nothing vile is done among us." Finally, the survivors were put to death in the public arena. by James Kiefer

Rome, 161, Debate with Senate, Second Apology, Martyr Justin
Roman Debate with Senate, 161, Second Apology, Martyr Justin ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; holy martyrs Justin, Chariton, Euelpistus, Hierax, Peonus, Valerian, Justus and the martyr Charito suffered with Saint Justin the Philosopher in the year 166. They were brought to Rome and thrown into prison. The saints bravely confessed their faith in Christ before the court of the prefect Rusticus. Rusticus asked Saint Justin, whether he really thought that after undergoing tortures he would go to heaven and receive a reward from God. Saint Justin answered, “Not only do I think this, but I know and am fully assured of it.â€ Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher was born around 114 at Sychem, an ancient city of Samaria. Justin’s parents were pagan Greeks. From his childhood the saint displayed intelligence, love for knowledge and a fervent devotion to the knowledge of Truth. When he came of age he studied the various schools of Greek philosophy: the Stoics, the Peripatetics, the Pythagoreans, the Platonists, and he concluded that none of these pagan teachings revealed the way to knowledge of the true God. when he was strolling in a solitary place beyond the city and pondering about where to seek the way to the knowledge of Truth, he met an old man. In the ensuing conversation he revealed to Justin the essential nature of the Christian teaching and advised him to seek the answers to all the questions of life in the books of Holy Scripture. “But before anything else,â€ said the holy Elder, “pray diligently to God, so that He might open to you the doors of Light. No one is able to comprehend Truth, unless he is granted understanding from God Himself, Who reveals it to each one who seeks Him in prayer and in love.â€ his thirtieth year, Justin accepted holy Baptism (between the years 133 and 137). From this time Saint Justin devoted his talents and vast philosophical knowledge to preaching the Gospel among the pagans. He began to journey throughout the Roman Empire, sowing the seeds of faith. “Whosoever is able to proclaim Truth and does not proclaim it will be condemned by God,â€ he wrote. opened a school of Christian philosophy. Saint Justin subsequently defended the truth of Christian teaching, persuasively confuting pagan sophistry (in a debate with the Cynic philosopher Crescentius) and heretical distortions of Christianity. He also spoke out against the teachings of the Gnostic Marcian. the year 155, when the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) started a persecution against Christians, Saint Justin personally gave him an Apology in defense of two Christians innocently condemned to execution, Ptolemy and Lucias. The name of the third remains unknown. the Apology he demonstrated the falseness of the slander against Christians accused unjustly for merely having the name of Christians. The Apology had such a favorable effect upon the emperor that he ceased the persecution. Saint Justin journeyed, by decision of the emperor, to Asia Minor where they were persecuting Christians with particular severity. He proclaimed the joyous message of the imperial edict throughout the surrounding cities and countryside. debate of Saint Justin with the Rabbi Trypho took place at Ephesus. The Orthodox philosopher demonstrated the truth of the Christian teaching of faith on the basis of the Old Testament prophetic writings. Saint Justin gave an account of this debate in his work Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. second Apology of Saint Justin was addressed to the Roman Senate. It was written in the year 161, soon after Marcus Aurelius (161-180) ascended the throne. he returned to Italy, Saint Justin, like the Apostles, preached the Gospel everywhere, converting many to the Christian Faith. When the saint arrived at Rome, the envious Crescentius, whom Justin always defeated in debate, brought many false accusations against him before the Roman court. Saint Justin was put under guard, subjected to torture and suffered martyrdom in 165. The relics of Saint Justin the Philosopher rest in Rome. addition to the above-mentioned works, the following are also attributed to the holy martyr Justin the Philosopher: 1) An Address to the Greeks 2) A Hortatory Address to the Greeks 3) On the Sole Government of God John of Damascus preserved a significant part of Saint Justin’s On the Resurrection, which has not survived. The church historian Eusebius asserts that Saint Justin wrote books entitled Singer of all Existing Heresies and Marcian the Russian Church the memory of the martyr is particularly glorified in temples of his name. He is invoked by those who seek help in their studies. holy martyrs Justin, Chariton, Euelpistus, Hierax, Peonus, Valerian, Justus and the martyr Charito suffered with Saint Justin the Philosopher in the year 166. They were brought to Rome and thrown into prison. The saints bravely confessed their faith in Christ before the court of the prefect Rusticus. Rusticus asked Saint Justin, whether he really thought that after undergoing tortures he would go to heaven and receive a reward from God. Saint Justin answered, “Not only do I think this, but I know and am fully assured of it.â€ prefect proposed to all the Christian prisoners that they offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they refused he issued a sentence of death, and the saints were beheaded. JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Rome, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens
Egypt, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not Catholic saint, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens, converted bPantaenus tFounder Catechetical School oAlexandria, succeeded P 180, 20yrs apoligist&catechist otFaithful, Greek science philosophy prep fGospel, so school liberal education, speculative theology scholarly defense, meet scholars own grounds, gave Christianity good rep iLearning world, prepared way fOrigen, tMost eminent Greek theologian; Greece, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not a saint, Cathetical School head about 180, theologian and philosopher, taught Origen and Alex of Jerusalem, influenced by Helenistic philosophy more than others, Plato and the Stoics, Jewish esotericism, Gnosticism, taught Torah a preparation for the Gospel, for sound liberal education; Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - c. 215 AD),[5] was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A convert to Christianity, he was an educated man who was familiar with classical Greek philosophy and literature. his three major works demonstrate, Clement was influenced by Hellenistic philosophy to a greater extent than any other Christian thinker of his time, and in particular, by Plato and the Stoics.[6] secret works, which exist only in fragments, suggest that he was familiar with pre-Christian Jewish esotericism and Gnosticism as well. one of his works he argued that Greek philosophy had its origin among non-Greeks, claiming that both Plato and Pythagoras were taught by Egyptian scholars.[7] is usually regarded as a Church Father. He is venerated as a saint in Coptic Christianity, Eastern Catholicism, Ethiopian Christianity, and Anglicanism. was revered in Western Catholicism until 1586, when his name was removed from the Roman Martyrology by Pope Sixtus V on the advice of Baronius. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially stopped any veneration of Clement of Alexandria in the 10th century. Athens; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; a native of Athens, was converted to Christianity by Pantaenus, founder of the Catechetical School at Alexandria (then the intellectual capital of the Mediterranean world), succeeded his teacher as head of the School about 180. over 20 years he labored effectively as an apologist for the faith and catechist of the faithful. regarded the science and philosophy of the Greeks as being, like the Torah of the Hebrews, a preparation for the Gospel, and the curriculum of his School undertook to give his students both a knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and a sound liberal education. speculative theology, his scholarly defense of the faith and his willingness to meet non-Christian scholars on their own grounds, helped to establish the good reputation of Christianity in the world of learning and prepare the way for his pupil, Origen, the most eminent theologian of Greek Christianity. is not on the present Roman calendar (having been removed by Bellarmine at the time of Galileo, when the Roman See was undergoing a period of wariness about intellectual venturesomeness), but is on the Eastern calendar and many modern revisions of the Anglican calendar. His influence has been considerable. by James Kiefer

Rome, 177-192, Emperor, Commodus, end of the golden period of peace , Pax Romana, Gladiator, assinated
Roman Emperor, 177-192, Commodus ; Commodus (31 August 161 -“ 31 December 192) was Roman emperor jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until his father's death in 180, and solely until 192. His reign is commonly considered to mark the end of the golden period of peace in the history of the Roman Empire known as the Pax Romana. He accompanied his father, Marcus, during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. He was made the youngest consul in Roman history in 177 and elevated to co-augustus with his father, having been given the title imperator in 176. During his solo reign, the Empire enjoyed a period of reduced military conflict compared with the reign of Marcus Aurelius, but intrigues and conspiracies abounded, leading Commodus to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership that culminated in a god-like personality cult, with him performing as a gladiator in the Colosseum. His assassination in 192 marked the end of the Nervaâ€“Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?); Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5;

Rome, 177-190, Eleutherius of Rome, Pope, linked to several legends, Lucius, King of Britain, forgery
Roman Pope, 177-190, Eleutherius of Rome; Eleutherius (died 24 May 189), also known as Eleutherus, was the thirteenth bishop of Rome of the Catholic Church from c. 174 to his death.[1] (The Vatican cites 171 or 177 to 185 or 193.) is linked to a number of legends, one of them credited him with receiving a letter from "Lucius, King of Britain", but which is now generally considered to be a pious forgery. to the Liber Pontificalis, he was a Greek born in Nicopolis in Epirus, Greece.[2][3] His contemporary Hegesippus wrote that he was a deacon of the Roman Church under Pope Anicetus (c. 154–164), and remained so under Pope Soter, whom he succeeded around 174.[a] law[edit] 6th-century recension of Liber Pontificalis ('Book of the Popes') known as the "Felician Catalog"[b] includes additional commentary to the work's earlier entry on Eleutherius. One addition ascribes to Eleutherius the reissuance of a decree:[c][4] "And he again affirmed that no food should be repudiated by Christians strong in their faith, as God created it, [provided] however that it is sensible and edible." Such a decree might have been issued against early continuations of Jewish dietary law and against similar laws practiced by the Gnostics and Montanists. It is also possible, however, that the editor of the passage attributed to Eleutherius a decree similar to another issued around the year 500 in order to give it greater authority. mission[edit] Main article: Lucius of Britain addition credited Eleutherius with receiving a letter from "Lucius, King of Britain" or "King of the Britons", declaring an intention to convert to Christianity.[d] No earlier accounts of this mission have been found. It is now generally considered to be a pious forgery, although there remains disagreement over its original purpose. Haddan, Stubbs, and Wilkins[5] considered the passage "manifestly written in the time and tone" of Prosper of Aquitaine, secretary to Pope Leo the Great in the mid-5th century, and supportive of the missions of Germanus of Auxerre and Palladius.[5] Duchesne dated the entry a little later to the pontificate of Boniface II around 530,[1] and Mommsen to the early 7th century.[1] Only the last would support the conjecture that it aimed to support the Gregorian mission to the Anglo-Saxons led by Augustine of Canterbury, who encountered great difficulty with the native British Christians, as at the Synod of Chester. Indeed, the Celtic Christians invoked the antiquity of their church to generally avoid submission to Canterbury until the Norman conquest, but no arguments invoking the mission to Lucius appear to have been made by either side during the synods among the Welsh and Saxon bishops. first Englishman to mention the story was Bede[6][7] and he seems to have taken it, not from native texts or traditions, but from The Book of the Popes. Subsequently, it appeared in the 9th-century History of the Britons traditionally credited to Nennius: The account relates that a mission from the pope baptised "Lucius, the Britannic king, with all the petty kings of the whole Britannic people".[8] The account, however, dates this baptism to AD 167 (a little before Eleutherius's pontificate) and credits it to Evaristus (reigned c. 99 – c. 107).[8] In the 12th century, more details began to be added to the story. Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical History of the Kings of Britain goes into great detail concerning Lucius and names the pope's envoys to him as Fagan and Duvian.[9] The 12th-century Book of Llandaf placed the court of Lucius in southern Wales and names his emissaries to the pope as Elfan and Medwy.[10] echo of this legend penetrated even to Switzerland. In a homily preached at Chur and preserved in an 8th- or 9th-century manuscript, Timothy is represented as an apostle to Gaul, whence he went into Roman Britain and baptised a king named Lucius, who himself became a missionary to Gaul and finally settled at Chur, where he preached the gospel with great success. In this way Lucius, the early missionary of the Swiss district of Chur, became identified with the alleged British king of the Liber Pontificalis.[11] suggests that in the document which the compiler of the Liber Pontificalis drew his information, the name found was not Britanio, but Britio. Now this is the name (Birtha-, Britium) of the fortress of Edessa.[12] The king in question is, therefore, Lucius Ælius Septimus Megas Abgar IX, of Edessa, a Christian king as is well known. The original statement of the Liber Pontificalis, in this hypothesis, had nothing to do with Britain; the compiler of the Liber Pontificalis changed Britio to Brittanio, and in this way made a British king of the Syrian Lucius. to the Liber Pontificalis, Pope Eleutherius died on 24 May and was buried on the Vatican Hill (in Vaticano) near the body of Peter the Apostle. Later tradition has his body moved to the church of San Giovanni della Pigna, near the pantheon. In 1591, his remains were again moved to the church of Santa Susanna at the request of Camilla Peretti, the sister of Pope Sixtus V. His feast is celebrated on 26 May. Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23;

Rome, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea Sintica & Trajanopolis, Thrace, Great Story wAngels, Lions & Myrrh
Bulgaria, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Trajanopolis, Thrace, orderted to worship Zeus she resolved to suffer, wCross painted on her head, prayer thunder Zeus destroyed, stones not touch G, prison, encouragement fPhilokrates, Angel appeared during torture, again at prison brought food drink, prison sealed many days, alive and well, brought to Heracula, strenghened by Bishop Dometius, red hot furnace, fire extinguished, rip skin from head, into prison over sharp stones, angel healed wounds at night, Jailer Laodicius did not recognize her, L chained wG, told G story, L beheaded, G sentenced eaten wild beasts, went wJoy, but lion lay at feet, G prayed to be taken, voice from heaven, another lioness killed her without tearing, relics glorified wFlow Healing Myrrh; Heraclea Sintica; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian city of Trajanopolis. Glyceria lost both her father and mother at an early age. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true Faith, and she visited the church every day. the prefect of Trajanopolis, received the imperial edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he designated a certain day for the inhabitants of the city to worship the idol Zeus. Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ. She told the Christians of her intention, and she begged them to pray that the Lord would give her the strength to undergo the sufferings. the appointed day Saint Glyceria made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, and went into the pagan temple. saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and removed the veil from her head, showing the holy Cross traced on her forehead. She prayed fervently to God to bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, and the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces. a rage, the prefect Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt Saint Glyceria with stones, but the stones did not touch the saint. They locked Saint Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyr in the struggle before her. the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly an angel appeared in the midst of the torturers, and they fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, Sabinus, who was hardly able to speak, ordered them to throw the saint into prison. shut the door securely and sealed it with the prefect’s own ring, so that no one could get in to her. she was in prison, angels of God brought Saint Glyceria food and drink. Many days afterwards, Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken when he saw her alive and well. off for the city of Heraclea in Thrace, Sabinus gave orders to bring Saint Glyceria there also. The Christians of Heraclea came out to meet her with Bishop Dometius at their head, and he prayed that the Lord would strengthen the saint to endure martyrdom. Heraclea they cast Saint Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire was extinguished at once. Then the prefect, in a mindless fury, gave orders to rip the skin from Saint Glyceria’s head. Then they threw the martyr into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and lay at her feet. the saint prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Dometius and the Christians of Heraclea reverently buried the holy martyr Glyceria. She suffered for Christ around the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of healing myrrh. Glyceria, whose name means “sweetness,” now rejoices in the unending sweetness of the heavenly Kingdom.

Rome, 177, Laodicius tKeeper oGlyceria's Prison, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria, told her story, converted, beheaded
Bulgaria, 177, Laodicius the Keeper of Glyceria's Prison, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9), told her story, converted, beheaded; Heraclea Sintica; Martyr Laodicius the Keeper of the Prison, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria was tortured at Heraclea in Thrace during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus martyr was then thrown into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. Thinking that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. He wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian city of Trajanopolis. Glyceria lost both her father and mother at an early age. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true Faith, and she visited the church every day. Sabinus, the prefect of Trajanopolis, received the imperial edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he designated a certain day for the inhabitants of the city to worship the idol Zeus. Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ. She told the Christians of her intention, and she begged them to pray that the Lord would give her the strength to undergo the sufferings. On the appointed day Saint Glyceria made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, and went into the pagan temple. saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and removed the veil from her head, showing the holy Cross traced on her forehead. She prayed fervently to God to bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, and the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces. a rage, the prefect Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt Saint Glyceria with stones, but the stones did not touch the saint. They locked Saint Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyr in the struggle before her. the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly an angel appeared in the midst of the torturers, and they fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, Sabinus, who was hardly able to speak, ordered them to throw the saint into prison. shut the door securely and sealed it with the prefect’s own ring, so that no one could get in to her. While she was in prison, angels of God brought Saint Glyceria food and drink. Many days afterwards, Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken when he saw her alive and well. off for the city of Heraclea in Thrace, Sabinus gave orders to bring Saint Glyceria there also. The Christians of Heraclea came out to meet her with Bishop Dometius at their head, and he prayed that the Lord would strengthen the saint to endure martyrdom. Heraclea they cast Saint Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire was extinguished at once. Then the prefect, in a mindless fury, gave orders to rip the skin from Saint Glyceria’s head. Then they threw the martyr into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. Thinking that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. He wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. Shaken by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. Laodicius placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Saint Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and lay at her feet. the saint prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. In answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. At that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Bishop Dometius and the Christians of Heraclea reverently buried the holy martyr Glyceria. She suffered for Christ around the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of healing myrrh. Glyceria, whose name means “sweetness,” now rejoices in the unending sweetness of the heavenly Kingdom.

Rome, 180-268, Eugenia, Perfect's d, virginity, Paul's epistles, monastery as monk Eugene, much more
Egypt, 180-268, Alexandria, Perfect's d, fine upbringing, beautiful, g disposition, virginity, Paul's epistles, b by Bishop Elias' vision, monastery as monk Eugene, healing gift, false accusation of a rape, trial before her f, secret revealed, father rejoices w family, they receive baptism, father dismissed, becomes Bishop, new perfect assassins to kill him, back to Rome w mother Claudia and family, monastic life, Claudia built hostel, aided poor, new emperor Galenus' persecution, refuge w C & E, imperial line Basilla requests c teaching, accepts b, B tells fiance who tells emperor, B killed, idol shattered, E dragged to dianna temple which collapses before, E survives stone around neck into river, also s fire, into pit for 10 days, Jesus appears, into kingdom on Christmas by sword, later E appears to her mother for time of death; Alexandria; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Holy Martyr Eugenia, was a Roman by birth. lived at Alexandria, where her father Philip was sent by the emperor Commodus (180-192) to be Prefect of Egypt. received a fine upbringing and was noted for her beauty and good disposition. Many illustrious youths sought her hand, but she did not wish to marry anyone, for she was determined to preserve her virginity. she became acquainted with the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. She yearned with all her soul to become a Christian, but kept this a secret from her parents. At that time, Christians were banished from Alexandria by the command of the emperor. to learn more about Christian teachings, she asked permission to visit one of the family estates outside the city, supposedly to enjoy the countryside. She left in the company of her two servants Protus and Hyacinthus, dressed in men’s clothes. and her companions were baptized at a certain monastery by Bishop Elias (July 14), who learned about her in a vision. He blessed her to pursue asceticism at the monastery disguised as the monk Eugene. her ascetic labors, Saint Eugenia acquired the gift of healing. Once, a rich young woman named Melanthia turned to her for help. Seeing “Eugene,” this woman burned with an impure passion, and when she was spurned, she falsely accused the saint of attempted rape. Eugenia came to trial before the Prefect of Egypt (her father), and she was forced to reveal her secret. Her parents and brothers rejoiced to find the one for whom they had long grieved. a while they all accepted holy Baptism. But Philip, after being denounced by pagans, was dismissed from his post. The Alexandrian Christians chose him as their bishop. The new Prefect, fearing the wrath of the people, did not dare to execute Philip openly, but sent assassins to kill him. They inflicted wounds upon Saint Philip while he was praying, from which he died three days later. Claudia went to Rome with her sons, daughter, and her servants. There Saint Eugenia continued with monastic life, and brought many young women to Christ. Claudia built a wanderers’ hostel and aided the poor. After several peaceful years, the emperor Galienus (260-268) intensified the persecution against Christians, and many of them found refuge with Saints Claudia and Eugenia. an orphaned Roman girl of imperial lineage, heard about the Christians and Saint Eugenia. She sent a trusted servant to the saint asking her to write her a letter explaining Christian teachings. Saint Eugenia sent her friends and co-ascetics, Protus and Hyacinthus, who enlightened Basilla, and she accepted holy Baptism. ’s servant then told her fiancé Pompey that his betrothed had become a Christian. Pompey then complained to the emperor against the Christians for preaching celibacy and denouncing idolatry. Basilla refused to enter into marriage with Pompey, and so they killed her with a sword. dragged Saints Protus and Hyacinthus into a temple to make them sacrifice to the idols, but just as they entered, the idol fell down and was shattered. The holy Martyrs Protus and Hyacinthus were beheaded. They also brought Saint Eugenia to the temple of Diana by force, but she had not even entered it, when the pagan temple collapsed with its idol. threw the holy martyr into the Tiber with a stone about her neck, but the stone became untied and she remained unharmed. She also remained unscathed in the fire. Then they cast her into a pit, where she remained for ten days. this time the Savior Himself appeared to her and said that she would enter into the heavenly Kingdom on the day He was born. this radiant Feast came, the executioner put her to death with a sword. After her death, Saint Eugenia appeared to her mother to tell her beforehand the day of her own death.

Rome, 190-202, Victor I, Roman Pope, he excommunicated over Quartodeciman Controversy, date of passover and easter
Roman Pope, 190-202, Victor I; Victor I (died 199) was the fourteenth bishop of Rome in the late second century (189-199 A.D.). He was of Berber origin.[citation needed] The dates of his tenure are uncertain, but one source states he became pope in 189 and gives the year of his death as 199.[1] He was the first bishop of Rome born in the Roman Province of Africa—probably in Leptis Magna (or Tripolitania). He was later considered a saint. His feast day was celebrated on 28 July as "St Victor I, Pope and Martyr".[2] primary sources vary over the dates assigned to Victor's episcopate, but indicate it included the last decade of the second century. Eusebius puts his accession in the tenth year of Commodus (i.e. A.D. 189), which is accepted by Lipsius as the correct date. Jerome's version of the Chronicle puts his accession in the reign of Pertinax, or the first year of Septimius Severus (i.e. 193), while the Armenian version puts it in the seventh year of Commodus (186). The Liber Pontificalis dates his accession to the consulate of Commodus and Glabrio (i.e. 186), while the Liberian Catalogue, a surviving copy of the source the Liber Pontificalis drew upon for its chronology, is damaged at this point[3] the duration of his episcopate, Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, does not state directly the duration of his episcopate, but the Armenian version of Eusebius' Chronicle gives it as 12 years. The Liberian Catalogue gives his episcopate a length of nine years two months and ten days, while the Liber Pontificalis states it was ten years and the same number of months and days; the Felician Catalogue something over ten. Finally, Eusebius in his History (5.28) states Zephyrinus succeeded him "about the ninth year of Severus", (201), while the Liber Pontificalis dates it to the consulate of Laternus and Rufinus (197). Lipsius, considering Victor in connection with his successors, concludes that he held office between nine and ten years, and therefore gives as his dates 189–198 or 199. to an anonymous writer quoted by Eusebius, Victor excommunicated Theodotus of Byzantium for teaching that Christ was a mere man.[4] However, he is best known for his role in the Quartodeciman controversy. Prior to his elevation, a difference in dating the celebration of the Christian Passover/Easter between Rome and the bishops of Asia Minor had been tolerated by both the Roman and Eastern churches. churches in Asia Minor celebrated Easter on the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan, the day before Jewish Passover, regardless of what day of the week it fell on, as the Crucifixion had occurred on the Friday before Passover, justifying this as the custom they had learned from the apostles; for this the Latins called them Quartodecimans. Synods were held on the subject in various parts—in Judea under Theophilus of Caesarea and Narcissus of Jerusalem, in Pontus under Palmas, in Gaul under Irenaeus, in Corinth under its bishop, Bachillus, at Osrhoene in Mesopotamia, and elsewhere—all of which disapproved of this practice and consequently issued by synodical letters declaring that "on the Lord's Day only the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord from the dead was accomplished, and that on that day only we keep the close of the paschal fast" (Eusebius H. E. v. 23). this disapproval, the general feeling was that this divergent tradition was not sufficient grounds for excommunication. Victor alone was intolerant of this difference, and severed ties with these ancient churches, whose bishops included Polycrates of Ephesus;[5] in response he was rebuked by Irenaeus and others, according to Eusebius. Controversy[edit] the reign of Victor I, bishop of Rome, a universal dispute arose amongst the Christians concerning the feast of the Passover. A synod was convened to discuss the issue, and those in attendance agreed that the paschal fast must end on a Sunday. In response to the ruling of the synod and the command issued by Victor I, the churches of the East, led by Polycrates, wrote a reply that is recorded by Eusebius the historian as such: observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord's coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who fell asleep in Hierapolis; and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus; and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris who fell asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the Eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when he shall rise from the dead? All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives always observed the day when the people put away the leaven. I, therefore, brethren, who have lived sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren throughout the world, and have gone through every Holy Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For those greater than I have said 'We ought to obey God rather than man...I could mention the bishops who were present, whom I summoned at your desire; whose names, should I write them, would constitute a great multitude. And they, beholding my littleness, gave their consent to the letter, knowing that I did not bear my gray hairs in vain, but had always governed my life by the Lord Jesus."[6] events and Victor's response to Polycrates' letter are recorded by Socrates Scholasticus as such: "In Asia Minor most people kept the fourteenth day of the moon, disregarding the sabbath: yet they never separated from those who did otherwise, until Victor, bishop of Rome, influenced by too ardent a zeal, fulminated a sentence of excommunication against the Quartodecimans in Asia."[7] This led to a sharp rebuke by many prominent bishops (including the most well known, Irenaeus). Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23;

Rome, 193-211, Emperor, Septimius Severus, many victories east and west, Hadrian's Wall Britain, Scotland
Roman Emperor, 193-211, Septimius Severus; Septimius Severus ( 9 April 145 – 4 February 211) was a Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors. deposing and killing the incumbent emperor Didius Julianus, Severus fought his rival claimants, the Roman generals Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus. Niger was defeated in 194 at the Battle of Issus in Cilicia. Later that year Severus waged a short punitive campaign beyond the eastern frontier, annexing the Kingdom of Osroene (Edessa) as a new province. Severus defeated Albinus three years later at the Battle of Lugdunum in Gaul. consolidating his rule over the western provinces, Severus waged another brief, more successful war in the east against the Parthian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 197 and expanding the eastern frontier to the Tigris. then enlarged and fortified the Limes Arabicus in Arabia Petraea. In 202, he campaigned in Africa and Mauretania against the Garamantes (Lybia), capturing their capital Garama and expanding the Limes Tripolitanus along the southern desert frontier of the empire. proclaimed as augusti (co-emperors) his elder son Caracalla in 198 and his younger son Geta in 209, both born of his second wife Julia Domna. travelled to Britain in 208, strengthening Hadrian's Wall and reoccupying the Antonine Wall. AD 209 he invaded Caledonia (modern Scotland) with an army of 50,000 men[6] his ambitions were cut short when he fell fatally ill of an infectious disease in late 210. He died in early 211 at Eboracum (today York, England), and was succeeded by his sons, who were advised by their mother and his powerful wife Julia Domna, thus founding the Severan dynasty. It was the last dynasty of the Roman Empire before the Crisis of the Third Century. Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Hermes of Rome, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 12; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated on February 1; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; PERPETUA, FELICITY AND THEIR COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia, Commemorated on June 21; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22;

Rome, 193-211, Emperor Septimius Severus' Martyrs

Rome, 205, Martyr Serapion, Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Confessed, Inhuman Torments, completely healed, burned alive
Rome; Martyr Serapion, Commemorated on July 13; Holy Martyr Serapion, suffered for Christ before the Emperor Severus (193-211). a Christian he was brought to judgment before the governor Achilles. holy martyr firmly proclaimed to the pagans his faith in Christ, and he was subjected to inhuman torments. Afterwards, he was thrown into prison. by the Lord Jesus Christ, he was brought to the judgment place and he presented himself before the judge completely healthy. enraged pagans sentenced the saint to be burned alive. In the midst of the flames, he gave up his soul to God (+ ca. 205).

Rome, 200, 3rd Century, Folder, Roman Empire, Pagans, Goths and Diocletian

Rome, 201-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Governor's son, distributed inheritance, 27yrs iDesert, martyred in Decian persecution
Egypt, 201-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, son oProcounsul (Governor), distributed inheritance, settled desert, 27yrs, Decius persecution 249-251, trial before prefect (senior magistrate) Alexandria, confessed faith and denounced Pagan errors, fiercely beaten wRods &died aMartyr; Alexandria; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Monk Martyr Pansophius, a son of the Alexandrian proconsul Nilus. the death of his father, he distributed his inheritance to the poor and settled in the desert, he lived in asceticism for twenty-seven years. the persecution by Decius (249-251) Saint Pansophius was brought to trial before the prefect of Alexandria. monk boldly confessed his faith in Christ and denounced pagan errors, which he was fiercely beaten with rods. died from these beatings, thereby receiving a martyr’s crown (249-251).

Rome, 202, Haralambos of Magnesia near Ephesus, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, miraculous conversions, great story
Ephesus, 202, Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus, successful preacher, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, iron hooks, removed skin, I thank you for restoring my spirit, to pass over, Lucius forearms cut off, spat in face, head twisted around, L asked for mercy, healed, baptized, Emperor Severus ordered more tortures, saint protected, E daughter believed, S blasphemed & boasted, earthquake, imps suspended in air, H let them down, E sentenced H to beheadidng, savior and angels, H asked no famine disease, but peace, prosperity, fruit, grain, wine, and souls saved in that place, Lord promised to fulfill and ascended w H; Magnesia (Meander River); Hieromartyr Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, the Martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus, and three women Martyrs, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia, the martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus and three women martyrs suffered in the year 202. Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia (Asia Minor), successfully spread faith in Christ the Savior, guiding people on the way to salvation. News of his preaching reached Lucian, the governor of the district, and the military commander Lucius. The saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. the bishop’s advanced age (he was 113 years old), he was subjected to monstrous tortures. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. During this the saint turned to his tormentors, “I thank you, brethren, that you have restored my spirit, which longs to pass over to a new and everlasting life!” the Elder’s endurance and his complete lack of malice, two soldiers (Porphyrius and Baptus) openly confessed Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Saint Haralampus also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred. enraged Lucius seized the instruments of torture and began to torture the holy martyr, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately his head was turned around so that he faced backwards. Lucius entreated the saint to show mercy on him, and both torturers were healed through the prayers of Saint Haralampus. During this a multitude of witnesses came to believe in Christ. Among them also was Lucius, who fell at the feet of the holy bishop, asking to be baptized. reported these events to the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211), who was then at Pisidian Antioch (western Asia Minor). The emperor ordered Saint Haralampus to be brought to him in Antioch. Soldiers twisted the saint’s beard into a rope, wound it around his neck, and used it to drag him along. They also drove an iron nail into his body. The emperor then ordered them to torture the bishop more intensely, and they began to burn him with fire, a little at a time. But God protected the saint, and he remained unharmed. miracles were worked through his prayer: he raised a dead youth, and healed a man tormented by devils for thirty-five years, so that many people began to believe in Christ the Savior. Even Galina, the daughter of the emperor, began to believe in Christ, and twice smashed the idols in a pagan temple. On the orders of the emperor they beat the saint about the mouth with stones. They also wanted to set his beard on fire, but the flames burned the torturer. of wickedness, Septimus Severus and an official named Crispus hurled blasphemy at the Lord, mockingly summoning Him to come down to the earth, and boasting of their own power and might. The Lord sent an earthquake, and great fear fell upon all, the impious ones were both suspended in mid-air held by invisible bonds, and only by the prayer of the saint were they put down. The dazed emperor was shaken in his former impiety, but again quickly fell into error and gave orders to torture the saint. finally, the emperor sentenced Saint Haralampus to beheading with a sword. During Saint Haralampus' final prayer, the heavens opened and the saint saw the Savior and a multitude of angels. The holy martyr asked Him to grant that the place where his relics would repose would never suffer famine or disease. He also begged that there would be peace, prosperity, and an abundance of fruit, grain, and wine in that place, and that the souls of these people would be saved. The Lord promised to fulfill his request and ascended to heaven, and the soul of the hieromartyr Haralampus followed after Him. By the mercy of God, the saint died before he could be executed. Galina buried the martyr’s body with great honor. Greek hagiography and iconography Saint Haralampus is regarded as a priest, while Russian sources seem to regard him as a bishop.

Rome, 203, Perpetua, Carthage, catechumens, baptized after arrest, visions strengthened them, amphitheatre, wild animals
Africa, North Africa, 203, Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis), catechumens, baptized after arrest, visions from God strengthened them, amphitheatre, lion and bear, wild heifer, leopard, she guided his hand to her throat; Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; Holy Martyrs Perpetua, Felicitas and those with them. Vibia Perpetua was from a patrician family, and lived in Carthage. She came to believe in Christ, and was baptized after her arrest as a Christian. A few days later, the twenty-two-year-old woman was taken to prison with her infant son. Arrested with her were her brother Saturus, the servants Felicitas, Revocatus, Saturninus and Secundulus, who were also catechumens. the exhortations of her father, who persistently appealed to her maternal feelings, the widowed Saint Perpetua refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. their execution, Saints Perpetua and Saturus had visions from God, which strengthened their souls. Saint Felicitas, who was eight months pregnant, gave birth to a baby girl while in prison. She rejoiced because now she would be permitted to die with her companions. There was a law forbidding the execution of pregnant women. martyrs were led from the prison into the amphitheatre. Saturninus and Revocatus had to face a leopard and a bear. Saints Perpetua and Felicitas were brought to the arena in nets, and they were pitted against a wild heifer. After being tossed to the ground by the heifer, the two women were led out of the arena. Saturus was bitten by a leopard, but did not die. The martyrs were then led to a certain spot to be killed by the sword. The young gladiator who was to execute Saint Perpetua was inexperienced and did not kill her with the first blow. She herself took his hand and guided it to her throat, and so she received the crown of martyrdom. This occurred in about the year 203. amphitheatre where these saints perished is located a few miles from the city of Tunis. In 1881, a room was discovered opposite the modern entrance into the arena. Some say this was a cell where the victims waited to be brought into the arena.

Rome, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint
Egypt, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17;

Rome, 210-264, Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, t great, m suffering, D&V p, civil war, famine, plague, preachng love charity
Egypt, 210-264, Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, the great, Origen's pupil, Catechetical school head, much suffering, Decian&Valerian persecutions, civil war, famine, plague, tend C and pagans alike, bury dead, preaching love charity; Alexandria; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated October 5 ; Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, was the son of wealthy pagan parents. converted to Christianity at a mature age, and became a pupil of Origen. he was appointed as the head of Alexandria’s Catechetical School, and then became Bishop of Alexandria in the year 247. Dionysius devoted much effort to defend the Church from heresy, and he encouraged his flock in the firm confession of Orthodoxy during the persecution under the emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259). holy bishop endured much suffering in his lifetime. the Decian persecution broke out, Saint Dionysius was forced to flee Alexandria, but returned when the Emperor died. was later exiled to Libya during the reign of Valerian. he was able to resume his duties in Alexandria in 261, Saint Dionysius had to contend with civil war, famine, plague, and other difficulties. saint called upon his flock to tend sick Christians and pagans alike, and to bury the dead. the death of his spiritual children he wrote, “In such a manner the best of our brethren have departed this life. This generation of the dead, a deed of great piety and firm faith, is no less of a martyrdom.” Dionysius illumined his flock through his preaching, and with deeds of love and charity. illness prevented him from attending the Council of Antioch (264- 265), and he fell asleep in the Lord while it was in session. influence of Saint Dionysius extended beyond the limits of his diocese, his writings dealt with practical as well as theological subjects (“On Nature,” “On Temptations,” “On the Promises,” etc.). was also familiar with Greek philosophy. fragments of his writings survive today, of them preserved in Eusebius, who mentions him in his CHURCH HISTORY ( Book 7) and calls him “Dionysius the Great.” complete letters of Saint Dionysius are extant, one addressed to Novatian, and the other to Basilides.

Rome, 210-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, Cathetical School, writer
Egypt, 210-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria; Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, was the son of wealthy pagan parents. He converted to Christianity at a mature age, and became a pupil of Origen. Later, he was appointed as the head of Alexandria’s Catechetical School, and then became Bishop of Alexandria in the year 247. Dionysius devoted much effort to defend the Church from heresy, and he encouraged his flock in the firm confession of Orthodoxy during the persecution under the emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259). holy bishop endured much suffering in his lifetime. When the Decian persecution broke out, Saint Dionysius was forced to flee Alexandria, but returned when the Emperor died. He was later exiled to Libya during the reign of Valerian. he was able to resume his duties in Alexandria in 261, Saint Dionysius had to contend with civil war, famine, plague, and other difficulties. The saint called upon his flock to tend sick Christians and pagans alike, and to bury the dead. Concerning the death of his spiritual children he wrote, “In such a manner the best of our brethren have departed this life. This generation of the dead, a deed of great piety and firm faith, is no less of a martyrdom.” Dionysius illumined his flock through his preaching, and with deeds of love and charity. An illness prevented him from attending the Council of Antioch (264- 265), and he fell asleep in the Lord while it was in session. influence of Saint Dionysius extended beyond the limits of his diocese, and his writings dealt with practical as well as theological subjects (“On Nature,” “On Temptations,” “On the Promises,” etc.). He was also familiar with Greek philosophy. Only fragments of his writings survive today, most of them preserved in Eusebius, who mentions him in his CHURCH HISTORY ( Book 7) and calls him “Dionysius the Great.” complete letters of Saint Dionysius are extant, one addressed to Novatian, and the other to Basilides. St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Rome, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop, first C Library at J, beasts refused to eat him, died in prison
Jerusalem Patriarch, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem (died 251 AD) was a third century bishop who is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. He died during the persecution of Emperor Decius.[1] Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 12 ; Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. At the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. In 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. Following the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God. hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on May 16. St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; story as above--------The Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God in the year 251. The hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on December 12.

Rome, 217-218, Emperor, Macrinus, equestrian class not senatorial, empty coffers, 3 wars, unrest, overthrown, executed
Rome, 217-218, Emperor, Macrinus; Opellius Macrinus (c. 165 - June 218) was Roman Emperor from April 217 to June 218, reigning jointly with his young son Diadumenianus. a member of the equestrian class, he became the first emperor who did not hail from the senatorial class and also the first emperor who never visited Rome during his reign. becoming emperor, Macrinus served under Emperor Caracalla as a praetorian prefect and dealt with Rome's civil affairs. He later conspired against Caracalla and had him murdered in a bid to protect his own life, succeeding him as emperor. was proclaimed emperor of Rome by 11 April 217 while in the eastern provinces of the empire and was subsequently confirmed as such by the Senate; however, for the duration of his reign, he never had the opportunity to return to Rome. predecessor's policies had left Rome's coffers empty and the empire at war with several kingdoms, including Parthia, Armenia and Dacia. As emperor, Macrinus first attempted to enact reform to bring economic and diplomatic stability to Rome. While Macrinus' diplomatic actions brought about peace with each of the individual kingdoms, the additional monetary costs and subsequent fiscal reforms generated unrest in the Roman military. aunt Julia Maesa took advantage of the unrest and instigated a rebellion to have her fourteen-year-old grandson, Elagabalus, recognized as emperor. Macrinus was overthrown at the Battle of Antioch on 8 June 218 and Elagabalus proclaimed himself emperor with support from the rebelling Roman legions. Macrinus fled the battlefield and tried to reach Rome, but was captured in Chalcedon and later executed in Cappadocia. He sent his son to the care of Artabanus IV of Parthia, but Diadumenianus was also captured before he could reach his destination and executed. After Macrinus' death, the Senate declared him and his son enemies of Rome and had their names struck from the records and their images destroyed.

Rome, 217-269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, an antipope 217-235, and martyr in 269, prolific writer
Rome, 217-269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, an antipope 217-235, and martyr in 269, prolific writer; hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome was a priest and an ecclesiastical writer of the third century. He is considered to have been antipope of the Church of Rome from about 217 to 235. He was among the most important Christian theologians of the third century, and a saint. His feast day is January 30. early life of Hippolytus is unknown. He was born about the year 170 and lived in Rome when young. Greek was his native tongue. He is believed to have been a disciple of Irenaeus of Lyons and to have met Origen. From the details of his work, Philosophoumena Hippolytus apparently was in Rome during the time Victor was the bishop of Rome. At the beginning of the third century he was a priest noted for his learning, eloquence, zeal, and moral earnestness. He was also noted to be a bishop of an unspecified city by Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome and by the poet Prudentius as bishop of Portus, a port for Rome. Philosophoumena, that is a part of his larger work "Refutation of All Heresies", shows that he dissented from the compassionate views of Bps. Zephyrinus, whom he considered to be a weak man "unskilled the church's rule", and ‎Callistus I of Rome concerning the reception of backsliders and heretics who had repented. In the "Refutation of All Heresies" Hippolytus set out to refute the doctrines of the Gnostics and condemn heretics by showing that their views were taken from pagan philosophy and oriental theosophy. also came into conflict with the opinions of the bishops of Rome on christological issues of the day to such an extant that came to allow himself to be elected a rival bishop of Rome, the first antipope. the persecutions of emperor Maximinus Thrax Hippolytus was exiled to Sardinia in 235 where he died, reportedly a martyr. His body was returned to Rome and interred in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina. By about 255, he was considered a martyred priest by the Church, indicating that he had been reconciled with the Church and not considered a schismatic. Rome, 217-269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, an antipope 217-235, and martyr in 269, prolific writer; of Rome ( c. 170 - c. 235 AD) was one of the most important second-third century Christian theologians, whose provenance, identity and corpus remain elusive to scholars and historians. communities include Palestine, Egypt, Anatolia, Rome and regions of the mideast. best historians of literature in the ancient church, including Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome, openly confess they cannot name where Hippolytus the biblical commentator and theologian served in leadership. They had read his works but did not possess evidence of his community. I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (cod. 121) as a disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a disciple of Polycarp, and from the context of this passage it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus so styled himself.[1] This assertion is doubtful.[2] older theory asserts he came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival to the bishop of Rome, thus becoming an antipope. In this view, he opposed the Roman Popes who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was reconciled to the Church before he died as a martyr.[2] in the fourth century, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. has also been confused with another martyr of the same name.[2] Pope Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus" who was martyred in the reign of Severus Alexander through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Rome and kept at the Vatican as photographed and published in Bunsen.[3] is known for certain about his community of origin. One Victorian theory suggested that as a presbyter of the church at Rome under Pope Zephyrinus (199–217 AD), Hippolytus was distinguished for his learning and eloquence. It was at this time that Origen, then a young man, heard him preach.[4][1] this view, Hippolytus accused Pope Zephyrinus of modalism, the heresy which held that the names Father and Son are simply different names for the same subject. Hippolytus championed the Logos doctrine of the Greek apologists, most notably Justin Martyr, which distinguished the Father from the Logos ("Word"). An ethical conservative, he was scandalized when Pope Callixtus I (217–222 AD) extended absolution to Christians who had committed grave sins, such as adultery.[5] suggest Hippolytus himself advocated a pronounced rigorism.[6] At this time, he seems to have allowed himself to be elected as a rival Bishop of Rome, and continued to attack Pope Urban I (222–230 AD) and Pope Pontian (230–235 AD).[2] G. Salmon suggests that Hippolytus was the leader of the Greek-speaking Christians of Rome.[7] Allen Brent sees the development of Roman house-churches into something akin to Greek philosophical schools gathered around a compelling teacher.[8] under this view: during the persecution at the time of Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Hippolytus and Pontian were exiled together in 235 to Sardinia,[9] likely dying in the mines.[7] It is quite probable that, before his death there, he was reconciled to the other party at Rome, for, under Pope Fabian (236–250 AD), his body and that of Pontian were brought to Rome. The so-called Chronography of 354 (more precisely, the Liberian Catalogue) reports that on August 13, probably in 236, the two bodies were interred in Rome, that of Hippolytus in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina,[9] his funeral being conducted by Justin the Confessor. This document indicates that, by about 255, Hippolytus was considered a martyr and gives him the rank of a priest, not of a bishop, an indication that before his death the schismatic was received again into the Church.[2][1] name Hippolytus appears in various hagiographical and martyrological sources of the early Church. The facts about the life of the writer Hippolytus, as opposed to other celebrated Christians who bore the name Hippolytus, were eventually lost in the West, perhaps partly because he wrote in Hellenic Greek. Pope Damasus I dedicated to a Hippolytus one of his famous epigrams,[1] referring to a priest of the Novatianist schism, a view later forwarded by Prudentius in the 5th century in his "Passion of St Hippolytus". In the Passionals of the 7th and 8th centuries he is represented as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence, a legend that long survived in the Roman Breviary. He was also confused with a martyr of the same name who was buried in Portus, of which city he was believed to have been a bishop,[2] who was put to death by drowning in a deep well.[9] to Prudentius' account, a martyr Hippolytus was dragged to death by wild horses,[10] a striking parallel to the story of the mythological Hippolytus, who was dragged to death by wild horses at Athens. He described the subterranean tomb of the saint and states that he saw there a picture representing Hippolytus' execution. He also confirms August 13 as the date on which a Hippolytus was celebrated but this again refers to the convert of Lawrence, as preserved in the Menaion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. latter account led to a Hippolytus being considered the patron saint of horses. During the Middle Ages, sick horses were brought to St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire, England, where a church is dedicated to him.[11] -Roman sculpture, maybe of Hippolytus, found in 1551 and used for the attribution of the Apostolic Tradition surrounds the corpus of the writer Hippolytus. In the Victorian Era, scholars claimed his principal work to be the Refutation of all Heresies.[2] Of its ten books, Book I was the most important.[5] It was long known and was printed (with the title Philosophumena) among the works of Origen. Books II and III are lost, and Books IV–X were found, without the name of the author,[1] in a monastery of Mount Athos in 1842. E. Miller published them in 1851 under the title Philosophumena, attributing them to Origen of Alexandria. Recent scholarship prefers to treat the text as the work of an unknown author, perhaps of Roman origin. 1551 a marble statue of a seated figure (originally female, perhaps personifying one of the sciences) was purportedly found in the cemetery of the Via Tiburtina and was heavily restored. On the sides of the seat was carved a paschal cycle, and on the back the titles of numerous writings by Hippolytus.[6][1] Many other works are listed by Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome. The research of Guarducci showed the original statue was a representation of a female figure, reopening the question of its original purpose. Allen Brent analyzed the title list of the statue, questioning Hippolytan authorship of some works. voluminous writings, which for variety of subject can be compared with those of Origen, embrace the spheres of exegesis, homiletics, apologetics and polemic, chronography, and ecclesiastical law. The Apostolic Tradition, if it is the work of Hippolytus, recorded the first liturgical reference to the Virgin Mary, as part of the ordination rite of a bishop.[12] exegetical works attributed to Hippolytus, the best preserved are the Commentary on the Prophet Daniel and the Commentary on the Song of Songs.[2] This is the earliest attested Christian interpretation of the Song, covering only the first three chapters to Song 3:7. commentary on the Song of Songs survives in two Georgian manuscripts, a Greek epitome, a Paleo-Slavonic florilegium, and fragments in Armenian and Syriac as well as in many patristic quotations, especially in Ambrose of Milan's Exposition on Psalm 118 (119). It is generally regarded as an instruction relating to a post-Baptismal rite of anointing with oil as a symbol of receiving the Holy Spirit. The commentary was originally written as part of a mystagogy, an instruction for new Christians. Scholars have usually assumed the Commentary On the Song of Songs was originally composed for use during Passover, a season favored in the West for Baptism.[13] Hippolytus supplied his commentary with a fully developed introduction known as the schema isagogicum, indicating his knowledge of the rhetorical conventions for teachers discussing classical works.[14] He employs a common rhetorical trope, ekphrasis, using images on the walls or floors of Greco-Roman homes, and in the catacombs as paintings or mosaics.[15] Origen felt that the Song should be reserved for the spiritually mature and that studying it might be harmful for the novice. generally ascribe to Hippolytus[16] a work now entitled the Apostolic Tradition, which contains the earliest known ritual of ordination.[9] The influence of Hippolytus was felt chiefly through his works on chronography and ecclesiastical law.[1] His chronicle of the world, a compilation embracing the whole period from the creation of the world up to the year 234, formed a basis for many chronographical works both in the East and West.[17][1] It is from the Apostolic Tradition that the current words of episcopal ordination in the Catholic Church come from, as updated by Pope Paul VI. the great compilations of ecclesiastical law that arose in the East since the 3rd century, the Church Orders many canons were attributed to Hippolytus, for example in the Canons of Hippolytus or the Constitutions through Hippolytus. How much of this material is genuinely his, how much of it worked over, and how much of it wrongly attributed to him, can no longer be determined beyond dispute,[1] however a great deal was incorporated into the Fetha Negest, which once served as the constitutional basis of law in Ethiopia — where he is still remembered as Abulides. During the early 20th century the work known as The Egyptian Church Order was identified as the Apostolic Tradition and attributed to Hippolytus; at present this attribution is hotly contested. in style and theology lead some scholars to conclude that some of the works attributed to Hippolytus actually derive from a second author.[2] small but potentially important works, On the Twelve Apostles of Christ and On the Seventy Apostles of Christ, are often neglected because the manuscripts were lost during most of the church age and then found in Greece in the 19th century. . The two are included in an appendix to the works of Hippolytus in the voluminous collection of Early Church Fathers.[18] The work on the 70 apostles is noteworthy as a (potentially) early source. consensus of scholarship agrees on a core of authentic texts composed by the second-third century writer Hippolytus, regardless of disputes concerning his community, or the exact dates of his biography: these are the biblical commentaries, including On Daniel, On David and Goliath, On the Song of Songs (partially extant), On the Blessings of Isaac and Jacob, and On the Antichrist. These form a sound basis for exploring and understanding his theology and biblical doctrines. is an important figure in the development of Christian eschatology. In his biblical compendium and topical study On Christ and the Antichrist and in his Commentary on the Prophet Daniel Hippolytus gave his interpretation of the second advent of Christ.[19] the onset of persecutions during the reign of Septimius Severus, many early Christian writers treated topics of apocalyptic eschatology. On Christ and the Antichrist is one of the earliest works. It is thought Hippolytus was generally influenced by Irenaeus.[20] However, unlike Irenaeus, Hippolytus focuses on the meaning of prophecy for the Church in his own time. Of the dogmatic works, On Christ and the Antichrist survives in a complete state and was probably written about 202. follows the long-established usage in interpreting Daniel's seventy prophetic weeks to be weeks of literal years. Hippolytus gave an explanation of Daniel's paralleling prophecies of chapters 2 and 7, which he, as with the other fathers, specifically relates to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. His interpretation of events and their significance is Christological.[21] did not subscribe to the belief that the Second Coming was imminent.[22] In his commentary on Daniel he criticizes those who predict the Second Coming in the near future, and then says that six thousand years must pass from Creation before the Second Coming. He also says that Christ was born 5500 years after Adam, so 500 years have to pass from the birth of Christ "to the consummation of the six thousand years, and in this way the end will be".[23] days[edit] the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast day of St Hippolytus falls on August 13, which is also the Apodosis of the Feast of the Transfiguration. Because on the Apodosis the hymns of the Transfiguration are to be repeated, the feast of St. Hippolytus may be transferred to the day before or to some other convenient day. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates the feast of "St Hippolytus Pope of Rome" on January 30, who may or may not be the same individual. Roman Catholic Church celebrates St Hippolytus jointly with St Pontian on August 13. The feast of Saint Hippolytus formerly celebrated on 22 August as one of the companions of Saint Timotheus was a duplicate of his 13 August feast and for that reason was deleted when the General Roman Calendar was revised in 1969.[24] Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology referred to the 22 August Hippolytus as Bishop of Porto. The Catholic Encyclopedia sees this as "connected with the confusion regarding the Roman presbyter resulting from the Acts of the Martyrs of Porto. It has not been ascertained whether the memory of the latter was localized at Porto merely in connection with the legend in Prudentius, without further foundation, or whether a person named Hippolytus was really martyred at Porto, and afterwards confounded in legend with Hippolytus of Rome."[6] This opinion is shared by a Benedictine source.[25] editions of the Roman Martyrology also mentioned on 30 January a Hippolytus venerated at Antioch, but the details were borrowed from the story of Hippolytus of Rome.[26] Modern editions of the Martyrology omit mention of this supposed Saint Hippolytus of Antioch. Rome; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; Hieromartyr Hippolytus, and the Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Chryse the Virgin and 20 others suffered during the third century. Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome, learned of the suffering of the martyrs, he appeared before the governor despite his advanced years and rebuked the torturers for their inhumanity. The enraged governor sentenced the holy bishop to be tortured. After long torments, they tied him hand and foot and threw him into the sea. Censorinus was a high-ranking magistrate during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius II (268-270). He was arrested and thrown into prison for his faith in Christ. By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ he raised up a dead man. As a result, twenty soldiers and prison guards were converted to Christ. They were beheaded with Saint Censorinus. Then the virgin Chryse was brought for interrogation. She bravely confessed herself a Christian and was subjected to torture. They lashed her sides and burned the wounds with candles. Then she was stretched out on the ground and beaten with heavy clubs. Not content with this, they broke her jaw with a rock and her back with leaden balls. Although she was covered with wounds, she confessed her faith as she was dying. So cruel was the brutality of her murderers that they tied a large stone around her neck and threw her into the sea. Chryse was thrown into the deep, but the newly-slain bride emerged from the ocean and entered the heavenly Bridal Chamber. Although her body disappeared into the water, her memory remains eternal and immortal, even more golden than her illustrious name. [FootNote: Chryse means “golden.”] Sabinus was the servant of Saint Chryse. The depraved idolaters beat him mercilessly with heavy leaden balls on his neck, then they hung him up on a tree and burned his entrails. After giving thanks to God, he surrendered his soul to Christ. Saint Chryse suffered the martyrs Ares, Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Stiracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius, Amandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, Maximus the Presbyter, Archelaus the Deacon, and Cyriacus the Bishop. these Roman martyrs suffered in the year 269. The relics of the Hieromartyr Hippolytus were put in the church of the holy Martyrs Laurence and Pope Damasus at Rome. Saint Hippolytus was a disciple of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum (Lyons in France), and he is also renowned as a Christian theologian who wrote many treatises against the heretics. Hyppolitus compiled a Paschal Canon, the famous Apostolic Tradition, “On Christ”, and a “Treatise on the Antichrist.” Saint Hippolytus also wrote many commentaries on Holy Scripture, on the Biblical Books: Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and on the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, and on the Prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, on the Psalms of David and on the Apocalyse. Part of his works are preserved only in fragments. His discourses, devoted to the Theophany and the Prophet Daniel, are preserved in full. His discourses demonstrate his masterful style of preaching. He was one of the last Western Fathers to write in Greek.

Rome, 218-222, Emperor, Elagabalus, extreme eccentricity, decadence, zealotry, and sexual promiscuity, assanated at 18
Rome, 218-222, Emperor, Elagabalus; or Heliogabalus[b] (c. 204 - 11 March 222), officially known as Antoninus, was Roman emperor from 218 to 222, while he was still a teenager. His short reign was conspicuous for sex scandals and religious controversy. A close relative to the Severan dynasty, he came from a prominent Arab family in Emesa (Homs), Syria, where since his early youth he served as head priest of the sun god Elagabal. After the death of his cousin the emperor Caracalla, Elagabalus was raised to the principate at 14 years of age in an army revolt instigated by his grandmother, Julia Maesa, against Caracalla's short-lived successor, Macrinus. As a private citizen, he was probably named Varius Avitus Bassianus. Upon becoming emperor he took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and only posthumously became known by the Latinised name of his god.[c] historians suggest Elagabalus showed a disregard for Roman religious traditions and sexual taboos. He replaced the traditional head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter, with the deity Elagabal, of whom he had been high priest. He forced leading members of Rome's government to participate in religious rites celebrating this deity, presiding over them in person. He married four women, including a Vestal Virgin, and lavished favours on male courtiers thought to have been his lovers.[4][5] He was also reported to have prostituted himself.[6] His behavior estranged the Praetorian Guard, the Senate, and the common people alike. Amidst growing opposition, at just 18 years of age he was assassinated and replaced by his cousin Severus Alexander in March 222. The assassination plot against Elagabalus was devised by his grandmother, Julia Maesa, and carried out by disaffected members of the Praetorian Guard. developed a reputation among his contemporaries for extreme eccentricity, decadence, zealotry, and sexual promiscuity. This tradition has persisted, and among writers of the early modern age he suffered one of the worst reputations among Roman emperors. Edward Gibbon, for example, wrote that Elagabalus "abandoned himself to the grossest pleasures with ungoverned fury".[7] According to Barthold Georg Niebuhr, "the name Elagabalus is branded in history above all others" because of his "unspeakably disgusting life".[8] An example of a modern historian's assessment is Adrian Goldsworthy's: "Elagabalus was not a tyrant, but he was an incompetent, probably the least able emperor Rome had ever had."[9] Despite universal condemnation of his reign, some scholars do write warmly about him, including 6th century Roman chronicler John Malalas, and Warwick Ball, a modern historian who described him as innovative and "a tragic enigma lost behind centuries of prejudice".[10]

Rome, 218-269, Censorinus, Roman Grammarian and Writer
Rome, 218-269, Roman Grammarian and Writer Censorinus; Roman Anti Pope and Saint, 217-235, Hippolytus; Martyr Concordia of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Hippolytus of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 30;

Rome, 219-300, Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, lived over 100 yrs
Rome, 219-300, Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, lived over 100 yrs, learned from elder who lived in cave 75yrs, came down from cave a58yrs to confess, tortured, back to cave 17yrs, could not find location of Mt Diabenos; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, Commemorated on September 9; Theophanes, Confessor and Faster, was born into a family of pagans. his youth Theophanes came to believe in Christ, was baptized secretly left his pagan parents to go to Mount Dabis to an Elder, who had lived there in asceticism for seventy-five years. ascetic taught the young man to read the Scriptures, and instructed him in the rules of monastic life. years later the Elder died, and Saint Theophanes spent the next 58 years in his cave in solitude. he came down from the mountain and began to preach Christ among the pagans, and he converted many to Christianity. order of the Roman emperors Carlus (282-283) and his sons Numerian and Carlinus (283-284), Saint Theophanes was seized and subjected to torture. The holy confessor bravely endured his sufferings and was released alive. returned to the mountain, Saint Theophanes lived there for another seventeen years and died in peace.

Rome, 220-230, Celia of Rome, Angel to guard h chasity, fine clothes, hair shirt, husband's b to see t angel, crowns of roses,
Rome, 220-230, Celia of Rome, Angel to guard her chasity, fine clothes, hair shirt, husband's baptism to see the angel, crowns of roses, hearts pure, hearts desire, brother saved, arrested, outside city, maximus the guard baptized, properth already given away, Celia hot house torture, 3 times to behead her, died 3rd day, patron saint of musicians because she sang to God while dying ; Rome; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God. It was long supposed that she was a noble lady of Rome who, with her husband Valerian, his brother Tiburtius, and a Roman soldier Maximus, suffered martyrdom, c. 230, under the Emperor Alexander research of Giovanni Battista de Rossi, however, appears to confirm the statement of Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers (d. 600), that she perished in Sicily under Emperor Marcus Aurelius between 176 and 180. martyrdom of Cecilia is said to have followed that of her husband and his brother by the prefect Turcius Almachius. officers of the prefect then sought to have Cecilia killed as well. At that time, the officials attempted to kill her by boiling her alive. However, the attempt failed, and she was to be beheaded. The executioner attempted to decapitate her three times unsuccessfully, at which time he fled. survived another three days before succumbing. In the last three days of her life, she opened her eyes, gazed at her family and friends who crowded around her cell, closed them, and never opened them again. The people by her cell knew immediately that she was to become a saint in heaven. more at Wikipedia Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ; Cecilia was born in Rome during the III century to wealthy and illustrious parents, who were idolaters. the Gospel preached, she came to believe in Christ, and vowed to preserve her virginity. her will, however, they betrothed her to a noble pagan named Valerian, and forced her to wear fine clothes and jewelry at all times. these rich garments, she wore a rough hair shirt. with love for her Bridegroom Christ, she entreated Him to prevent the wedding. the day of the marriage arrived, Saint Cecilia wept bitterly and prayed that the Lord would send an Angel to guard her chastity. That night, as they were led to the bridal chamber, she told her husband that an invisible Angel had been sent to defend her virginity. "If you touch me," she said, "he will slay you at once." asked to see this Angel, but she told him, "you cannot see the Angel because you do not know the true God. You will not be able to see the Angel until you are cleansed of the impurity of unbelief." “How may I be cleansed?” he asked. said that if he asked Bishop Urban to baptize him, he would be able to see the Angel. The Saint persuaded her husband to see Bishop Urban, who was hiding from the persecution in a cave along the Appian Way. The wise bishop's instructions filled Valerian's soul with joy, and after his Baptism Bishop Urban sent him home. found Cecilia praying, and saw an Angel of indescribable beauty standing beside her, holding two crowns of red roses and white lilies. Placing the wreaths on their heads he said, "Guard these wreaths by keeping your hearts pure and your bodies undefiled. I have brought them from Paradise, and no one can see them unless they, like you, are lovers of chastity. God sent me to you, Valerian, because you have agreed to preserve your purity. He wants you to have what you desire." said, "No one is dearer to me than my brother Tiburtius. I ask the Lord to deliver him from the worship of idols, and convert him, as he converted me." Angel said that this request was pleasing to God, and would be granted. He also revealed that Valerian and Tiburtius would suffer martyrdom together. Soon after this, Tiburtius came to visit his brother. When he entered the house, he noticed the fragrance of roses and lilies. Valerian told him that he was able to smell the flowers because he had prayed that Tiburtius would come to love God and become worthy of an unfading crown. I dreaming," Tiburtius exclaimed, "or are you really telling me this?" answered, "Until now, we have been living as if in a dream, worshiping false 'gods' and unclean demons. Now we walk in God's truth and grace." receiving instruction, Tiburtius was baptized by Bishop Urban. Then the brothers distributed part of their inheritance to the poor, took care of the sick, and buried the Christians who had been tortured to death by their persecutors. was reported to Almachius, the Eparch of the city, who ordered that the brothers be arrested and brought to trial. He ordered the Saints to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan "gods," but the brothers refused. Then they scourged the brothers without mercy. Saint Valerian urged the Christians not to fear torments, but to stand firm for Christ. order to prevent the brothers from influencing the people, Almachius ordered that the martyrs be taken outside the city and executed there. soldiers accompanying the martyrs to execution were commanded by Maximus. He was amazed at the courage of the Saints, and asked them why they did not fear death. The holy brothers said that they were exchanging this temporal life for everlasting life. Maximus wanted to learn Christian teaching in detail. He took Saints Valerian and Tiburtius to his own house and conversed with them all night. she heard of this, Saint Cecilia went with a priest to Maximus. Then he and his entire family were baptized. next day, when the Martyrs Valerian and Tiburtius were beheaded, Saint Maximus confessed before everyone that he saw their holy souls being taken up to Heaven. Because of this, the holy Martyr Maximus was beaten to death. Eparch wanted to confiscate the property of those who had been executed, but when he was told that Saint Cecilia had already given her remaining wealth to the poor and had converted 400 men, he ordered her execution. three days they tormented her in an overheated bath-house, with the heat and steam, but she was helped by the grace of God. that Saint Cecilia was still alive, they decided to behead her. The executioner struck her three times with a sword, but only wounded her. The holy Martyr lived three more days in full consciousness, encouraging those around her. Finally, she surrendered her soul to God, and her body was buried with reverence. Cecilia is regarded as the patron Saint of Church music. St. John Chrysostom extols the benefits of sacred music, and shows how strongly the fire of divine love is kindled in the soul by devout psalmody. (On Psalm 41). Holy Relics of Saints Valerian and Tiburtius are in the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saints Valerian and Cecilia in Rome.

Rome, 220-258, Cyprian, Saint, writer, true life, apostles faith, virtue foundation of Love
Africa, North Africa, 220-258, Saint, Cyprian; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Saint Cyprian was finally baptized, he wrote in the Treatise To Donatus: “When the water of regeneration cleansed the impurity of my former life, a light from on high shone into my heart... and the Spirit transformed me into a new man by a second birth. Then at once, in a miraculous manner, certainty replaced doubt, mysteries were revealed, and darkness became light.... Then it was possible to acknowledge that what was born of the flesh and lived for sin was earthly, but what the Holy Spirit had vivified began to be of God.... In God and from God is all our strength.... Through Him we, while living upon the earth, have a hint of future bliss.” Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was born in about the year 200 in the city of Carthage (Northern Africa), where all his life and work took place. Thascius Cyprianus was the son of a rich pagan senator, and received a fine secular education becoming a splendid orator, and a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy in the school of Carthage. He often appeared in the courts to defend his fellow citizens. afterwards recalled that for a long time “he remained in a deep dark mist.., far from the light of Truth.” His fortune, received from his parents and from his work, was spent on sumptuous banquets, but they were not able to quench in him the thirst for truth. He became acquainted with the writings of the Apologist Tertullian, and became convinced of the truth of Christianity. The holy bishop later wrote that he thought it was impossible for him to attain to the regeneration promised by the Savior, because of his habits. was helped by his friend and guide, the presbyter Cecilius, who assured him of the power of God’s grace. At 46 years of age the studious pagan was received into the Christian community as a catechumen. Before accepting Baptism, he distributed his property to the poor and moved into the house of the presbyter Cecilius. Saint Cyprian was finally baptized, he wrote in the Treatise To Donatus: “When the water of regeneration cleansed the impurity of my former life, a light from on high shone into my heart... and the Spirit transformed me into a new man by a second birth. Then at once, in a miraculous manner, certainty replaced doubt, mysteries were revealed, and darkness became light.... Then it was possible to acknowledge that what was born of the flesh and lived for sin was earthly, but what the Holy Spirit had vivified began to be of God.... In God and from God is all our strength.... Through Him we, while living upon the earth, have a hint of future bliss.” years after his Baptism, the saint was ordained to the priesthood. When Bishop Donatus of Carthage died, Saint Cyprian was unanimously chosen as bishop. He gave his consent, having complied with his guide’s request, and was consecrated Bishop of Carthage in the year 248. saint first of all concerned himself about the welfare of the Church and the eradication of vices among the clergy and flock. The saintly life of the archpastor evoked in everyone a desire to imitate his piety, humility and wisdom. The fruitful activity of Saint Cyprian became known beyond the bounds of his diocese. Bishops from other sees often turned to him for advice on how to deal with various matters. persecution by the emperor Decius (249-251), revealed to the saint in a vision, forced him to go into hiding. His life was necessary to his flock for the strengthening of faith and courage among the persecuted. Before his departure from his diocese, the saint distributed the church funds among all the clergy for the aid of the needy, and in addition he sent further funds. kept in constant touch with the Carthaginian Christians through his epistles, and he wrote letters to presbyters, confessors and martyrs. Some Christians, broken by torture, offered sacrifice to the pagan gods. These lapsed Christians appealed to the confessors, asking to give them what is called a letter of reconciliation, i.e. a certificate for accepting them back into the Church. Saint Cyprian wrote a general letter to all the Carthaginian Christians, stating that those who lapsed during a time of persecution might be admitted into the Church, but this must be preceded by an investigation of the circumstances under which the falling away came about. It was necessary to determine the sincerity of contrition of the lapsed. To admit them was possible only after penance, and with the permission of the bishop. Some of the lapsed insistently demanded their immediate re-admittance into the Church and caused unrest in the whole community. Saint Cyprian wrote the bishops of other dioceses asking their opinion, and from all he received full approval of his directives. his absence the saint authorized four priests to examine the lives of persons preparing for ordination to the priesthood and the deaconate. This met with resistance from the layman Felicissimus and the presbyter Novatus, roused to indignation against their bishop. Saint Cyprian excommunicated Felicissimus and six of his followers. In his letter to the flock, the saint touchingly admonished all not to separate themselves from the unity of the Church, to be subject to the lawful commands of the bishop and to await his return. This letter kept the majority of Carthaginian Christians faithful to the Church. a short while, Saint Cyprian returned to his flock. The insubordination of Felicissimus was put to an end at a local Council in the year 251. This Council decreed that it was possible to receive the lapsed back into the Church after a penance, and it affirmed the excommunication of Felicissimus. this time there occurred a new schism, led by the Roman presbyter Novatian, and joined by the Carthaginian presbyter Novatus, a former adherent of Felicissimus. Novatian asserted that those who lapsed during a time of persecution could not be readmitted, even if they repented of their sin. Besides this, Novatian with the help of Novatus convinced three Italian bishops during the lifetime of the lawful Roman bishop Celerinus to place another bishop on the Roman cathedra. Against such iniquity, Saint Cyprian wrote a series of encyclicals to the African bishops, and later a whole book, On the Unity of the Church. the discord in the Carthage church began to quiet down, a new calamity began: a pestilential plague flared up. Hundreds of people fled from the city, leaving the sick without help, and the dead without burial. Saint Cyprian, providing an example by his firmness and his courage, tended the sick and buried the dead himself, not only Christians but also pagans. The plague was accompanied by drought and famine. A horde of barbarian Numidians, taking advantage of the misfortune, fell upon the inhabitants, taking many into captivity. Saint Cyprian moved many rich Carthaginians to offer up means for feeding the starving and ransoming captives. a new persecution against Christians spread under the emperor Valerian (253-259), the Carthaginian proconsul Paternus ordered the saint to offer sacrifice to idols. He steadfastly refused to do this. He also refused to give the names and addresses of the presbyters of the church of Carthage. They sent the saint to the city of Curubis, and Deacon Pontus voluntarily followed his bishop into exile. the day the saint arrived at the place of exile he had a vision, predicting for him a quick martyr’s end. While in exile, Saint Cyprian wrote many letters and books. Desiring to suffer at Carthage, he returned there. Taken before the court, he was set at liberty until the following year. Nearly all the Christians of Carthage came to take leave of their bishop and receive his blessing. the trial, Saint Cyprian calmly and firmly refused to offer sacrifice to idols and was sentenced to beheading with a sword. Hearing the sentence, Saint Cyprian said, “Thanks be to God!” All the people cried out with one voice, “Let us also be beheaded with him!” to the place of execution, the saint again gave his blessing to all and arranged to give twenty-five gold coins to the executioner. He then tied a handkerchief over his eyes, and gave his hands to be bound to the presbyter and archdeacon standing near him and lowered his head. Christians put their cloths and napkins in front of him so as to collect the martyr’s blood. Saint Cyprian was executed in the year 258. The body of the saint was taken by night and given burial in a private crypt of the procurator Macrobius Candidianus. say that his holy relics were transferred to France in the time of King Charles the Great (i.e. Charlemagne, 771-814). Cyprian of Carthage left the Church a precious legacy: his writings and 80 letters. The works of Saint Cyprian were accepted by the Church as a model of Orthodox confession and read at two Ecumenical Councils (Ephesus and Chalcedon). the writings of Saint Cyprian the Orthodox teaching about the Church is stated: It has its foundation upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and was proclaimed and built up by the Apostles. The inner unity is expressed in an unity of faith and love, and the outer unity is actualized by the hierarchy and sacraments of the Church. the Church Christ comprises all the fulness of life and salvation. Those having separated themselves from the unity of the Church do not have true life in themselves. Christian love is shown as the bond that holds the Church together. “Love is the foundation of all the virtues, and it continues with us eternally in the Heavenly Kingdom.”

Rome, 220-258, CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, North Africa, rhetorition, bishop, hid Decius persecution, unity essays
Africa, 220-258, CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, North Africa, trial lawyer, rhetoric teacher, bishop, hid Decius persecution, favored lapsed received back after penance, reconizing baptisms, unity essays ; Carthage; Carthagian Empire; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; was born around 200 AD in North Africa, of pagan parents. was a prominent trial lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. 246 he became a Christian, and in 248 was chosen Bishop of Carthage. year later the persecution under the Emperor Decius began, and Cyprian went into hiding. was severely censured for this (unjustly on my view -- see Mt 2:13; 10:23; 24:16). the persecution had died down, it remained to consider how to deal with the lapsed, meaning with those Christians who had denied the faith under duress. held that they ought to be received back into full communion after suitable intervals of probation and penance, adjusted to the gravity of the denial. In this he took a middle course between Novatus, who received apostates with no probation at all, and Novatian, who would not receive them back at all, and who broke communion with the rest of the Church over this issue, forming a dissident group particularly strong in Rome and Antioch. (Novatus, somewhat surprisingly, ended up joining the party of Novatian.) who held the same position as the Bishop of Rome on the treatment of the lapsed, wrote urging the Christians of Rome to stand with their bishop. Later, the question arose whether baptisms performed by heretical groups ought to be recognized as valid by the Church, or whether converts from such groups ought to be rebaptized. favored re-baptism, and Bishop Stephen of Rome did not. The resulting controversy was not resolved during Cyprian's lifetime. the reign of the Emperor Valerian, Carthage suffered a severe plague epidemic. organized a program of medical relief and nursing of the sick, available to all residents, this did not prevent the masses from being convinced that the epidemic resulted from the wrath of the gods at the spread of Christianity. persecution arose, and this time Cyprian did not flee. He was arrested, tried, and finally beheaded on 14 September 258. (Because 14 is Holy Cross Day, he is usually commemorated on a nearby open day.) We have an account of his trial and martyrdom. of his writings have been preserved. essay On the Unity of the Catholic Church stresses the importance of visible, concrete unity among Christians, and the role of the bishops in guaranteeing that unity. It has greatly influenced Christian thought, have his essays and letters on Baptism and the Lord's Supper. has been quoted both for and against the Roman Catholic claims for Papal authority. by James Kiefer

Rome, 220-258, Novatian, Theologian, Navatianism, refused readmission to communion
Roman Theologian, 220-258, Novatian ; (c. 200–258) was a scholar, priest, and theologian. He is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope between 251 and 258.[1] Some Greek authors give his name as Novatus,[2] who was an African presbyter. was a noted theologian and writer, the first Roman theologian who used the Latin language, at a time when there was much debate about how to deal with Christians who had lapsed and wished to return, and the issue of penance. Consecrated as pope by three bishops in 251, he adopted a more rigorous position than the established Pope Cornelius. Novatian was shortly afterwards excommunicated: the schismatic church which he established persisted for several centuries (see Novatianism). Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France
Paris, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop. Commemorated on October 9; Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as the patron saint of France. is believed that Saint Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). A later legend claims that Saint Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as Saint Denis. The abbey of Saint-Denis, where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their martyrdom. identification of this Saint Dionysius with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century writer.

Rome, 222-235, Emperor, Severus Alexander, pagan, prosperous r, rising Persians and Germans, diplomacy killed him
Roman Emperor, 222-235, Severus Alexander; Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 - 19 March 235) was Roman emperor from 222 to 235, and the last from the Severan dynasty. was the heir to his cousin, the 18-year-old Emperor Elagabalus. The latter had been murdered along with his mother Julia Soaemias, by his own guards, who, as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river.[2] and his cousin were both grandsons of Julia Maesa, sister of empress Julia Domna, who had arranged for Elagabalus' acclamation as emperor by the Third Gallic Legion. was the rumor of Alexander's death that triggered the assassination of Elagabalus and his mother.[3] 13-year reign was the longest reign of a sole emperor since Antoninus Pius.[4] He was also the second-youngest ever sole legal Roman emperor during the existence of the united empire, the youngest being Gordian III. peacetime reign was prosperous. Rome was militarily confronted with the rising Sassanid Empire and growing incursions from the tribes of Germania. He managed to check the threat of the Sassanids. But when campaigning against Germanic tribes, Alexander attempted to bring peace by engaging in diplomacy and bribery. alienated many in the Roman Army, leading to a conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of Alexander, his mother Julia Avita Mamaea, and his advisors. ------------------------------------------------After their deaths, the accession of Maximinus Thrax followed. death marked the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century—nearly 50 years of civil wars, foreign invasion, and collapse of the monetary economy. 1 Early reign 2 Domestic achievements 3 Persian War 4 Military discipline 5 Germanic War 6 Death 7 Legacy 8 Personal life 9 Ancestry 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 12.1 Primary 12.2 Secondary 13 External links reign[edit] future emperor Severus Alexander was born on 1 October 208 in Arca Caesarea, Phoenicia.[5] Of his birth name, only two cognomina are known, from literary sources: Bassianus (Greek: Î’Î±ÏƒÏƒÎ¹Î±Î½ÏŒÏ‚) according to the historian Cassius Dio, and Alexianus (Greek: Î‘Î»ÎµÎ¾Î¹Î±Î½ÏŒÏ‚) according to Herodian. It seems likely that Bassianus was his family name, since several of his relatives were also called as such, and Alexianus his actual given name, which was later converted to Alexander.[6] historian Cassius Dio thought Alexianus was the son of Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus, but Icks disputes this, saying the latter could not have married the emperor's mother before 212 and that Alexianus must've been fathered by his mother's first husband, who is of unknown name but of certain existence.[7] Alexander became emperor when he was around 14 years old, making him the youngest emperor in Rome's history, until the ascension of Gordian III. Alexander's grandmother Maesa believed that he had more potential to rule and gain support from the Praetorian Guard than her other grandson, the increasingly unpopular emperor Elagabalus.[8] Thus, to preserve her own position, she had Elagabalus adopt the young Alexander and then arranged for Elagabalus' assassination, securing the throne for Alexander.[9] The Roman army hailed Alexander as emperor on 13 March 222, immediately conferring on him the titles of Augustus, pater patriae and pontifex maximus.[10] his life, Alexander relied heavily on guidance from his grandmother, Maesa, before her death in 224, and mother, Julia Mamaea.[11] As a young, immature, and inexperienced adolescent, Alexander knew little about government, warcraft, or the role of ruling over an empire. In time, however, the army came to admire what Jasper Burns refers to as "his simple virtues and moderate behavior, so different from [Elagabalus]".[12] achievements[edit] of Alexander Severus, Louvre. the influence of his mother, Alexander did much to improve the morals and condition of the people, and to enhance the dignity of the state.[13] He employed noted jurists, such as Ulpian, to oversee the administration of justice.[citation needed] His advisers were men like the senator and historian Cassius Dio, and it is claimed that he created a select board of 16 senators,[14] although this claim is disputed.[15] He also created a municipal council of 14 who assisted the urban prefect in administering the affairs of the 14 districts of Rome.[16] Excessive luxury and extravagance at the imperial court were diminished,[17] and he restored the Baths of Nero in 227 or 229; consequently, they are sometimes also known as the Baths of Alexander after him. his accession he reduced the silver purity of the denarius from 46.5% to 43%—the actual silver weight dropped from 1.41 grams to 1.30 grams; however, in 229 he revalued the denarius, increasing the silver purity and weight to 45% and 1.46 grams. The following year he decreased the amount of base metal in the denarius while adding more silver, raising the silver purity and weight again to 50.5% and 1.50 grams.[18] Additionally, during his reign taxes were lightened; literature, art and science were encouraged;[19] and, for the convenience of the people, loan offices were instituted for lending money at a moderate rate of interest.[20] religious matters, Alexander preserved an open mind. According to the Historia Augusta, he wished to erect a temple to Jesus but was dissuaded by the pagan priests; however, this claim is deemed unreliable due to the book's many untrustworthy information and falsifications.[21][22] He allowed a synagogue to be built in Rome, and he gave as a gift to this synagogue a scroll of the Torah known as the Severus Scroll.[23] legal matters, Alexander did much to aid the rights of his soldiers. He confirmed that soldiers could name anyone as heirs in their will, whereas civilians had strict restrictions over who could become heirs or receive a legacy.[24] He also confirmed that soldiers could free their slaves in their wills,[25] protected the rights of soldiers to their property when they were on campaign,[26] and reasserted that a soldier's property acquired in or because of military service (his castrense peculium) could be claimed by no one else, not even the soldier's father.[27] War[edit] the whole, Alexander's reign was prosperous until the rise of the Sassanids[28] under Ardashir I.[29] In 231 AD, Ardeshir invaded the Roman provinces of the east, overrunning Mesopotamia and penetrating possibly as far as Syria and Cappadocia, forcing from the young Alexander a vigorous response.[30] Of the war that followed there are various accounts. According to the most detailed authority, Herodian, the Roman armies suffered a number of humiliating setbacks and defeats,[31] while according to the Historia Augusta[32] as well as Alexander's own dispatch to the Roman Senate, he gained great victories.[33] Making Antioch his base, he organized in 233 a three-fold invasion of the Sassanian Empire; at the head of the main body he himself advanced to recapture northern Mesopotamia, while another army invaded Media through the mountains of Armenia, and a third advanced from the south in the direction of Babylon. The northernmost army gained some success, fighting in mountainous territory favorable to the Roman infantry, but the southern army was surrounded and destroyed by Ardashir's skilful horse-archers, and Alexander himself retreated after an indecisive campaign, his army wracked by indiscipline and disease.[34][35] Further losses were incurred by the retreating northern army in the inclement cold of Armenia as it retired into winter quarters, due to an incompetent failure to establish adequate supply lines.[36][37] Still, Mesopotamia was retaken, and Ardashir was not thereafter able to extend his conquests, though his son, Shapur, would obtain some success later in the century.[38] the Sassanids were checked for the time,[33] the conduct of the Roman army showed an extraordinary lack of discipline. In 232, there was a mutiny in the Syrian legion, which proclaimed Taurinus emperor.[39] Alexander managed to suppress the uprising, and Taurinus drowned while attempting to flee across the Euphrates.[40] The emperor returned to Rome and celebrated a triumph in 233.[33] discipline[edit] ALEXANDER PIVS AVG. ALEXANDER PIVS AVG. of Severus Alexander reign was also characterized by a significant breakdown of military discipline.[41] In 228, the Praetorian Guard murdered their prefect, Ulpian,[41] in Alexander's presence. Alexander could not openly punish the ringleader of the riot, and instead removed him to nominal post of honor in Egypt and then Crete, where he was "quietly put out of the way" sometime after the excitement had abated.[42] The soldiers then fought a three-day battle against the populace of Rome, and this battle ended after several parts of the city were set on fire.[43] was among those who gave a highly critical account of military discipline during the time, saying that the soldiers would rather just surrender to the enemy.[43] Different reasons are given for this issue; Campbell points to the decline in the prestige of the Severan dynasty, the feeble nature of Alexander himself, who appeared to be no soldier and to be completely dominated by his mother's advice, and lack of real military success at a time during which the empire was coming under increasing pressure."[ 43] on the other hand, was convinced that "the emperor's miserliness (partly the result of his mother's greed) and slowness to bestow donatives" were instrumental in the fall of military discipline under Alexander.[43] War[edit] the Persian war, Alexander returned to Antioch with Origen, one of the Fathers of the Christian Church. Alexander's mother, Julia Mamaea, asked for Origen to tutor Alexander in Christianity.[44] Alexander was being educated in the Christian doctrines, the northern portion of his empire was being invaded by Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. A new and menacing enemy started to emerge directly after Alexander's success in the Persian war. In 234, the barbarians crossed the Rhine and Danube in hordes that caused alarm as far as Rome. The soldiers serving under Alexander, already demoralized after their costly war against the Persians, were further discontented with their emperor when their homes were destroyed by the barbarian invaders.[45] word of the invasion spread, the emperor took the front line and went to battle against the Germanic invaders. The Romans prepared heavily for the war, building a fleet to carry the entire army across. However, at this point in Alexander's career, he still knew little about being a general. Because of this, he hoped the mere threat of his armies would be sufficient to persuade the hostile tribes to surrender.[46] Severus enforced a strict military discipline in his men that sparked a rebellion among his legions.[47] Due to incurring heavy losses against the Persians, and on the advice of his mother, Alexander attempted to buy the Germanic tribes off, so as to gain time.[48] was this decision that resulted in the legionaries looking down upon Alexander. They considered him dishonorable and feared he was unfit to be Emperor. Under these circumstances the army swiftly looked to replace Alexander.[49] Iulius Verus Maximinus was the next best option. He was a soldier from Thrace who had a golden reputation and was working hard to increase his military status.[47] He was also a man with superior personal strength, who rose to his present position from a peasant background. With the Thracian's hailing came the end of the Severan Dynasty,[50] and, with the growing animosity of Severus' army towards him, the path for his assassination was paved. was forced to face his German enemies in the early months of 235. By the time he and his mother arrived, the situation had settled, and so his mother convinced him that to avoid violence, trying to bribe the German army to surrender was the more sensible course of action.[citation needed] According to historians, it was this tactic combined with insubordination from his own men that destroyed his reputation and popularity. Pusillanimity was responsible for the revolt of Alexander's army, resulting in Severus falling victim to the swords of his own men,[51] following the nomination of Maximinus as emperor. was assassinated on 19 March 235, together with his mother, in a mutiny of the Legio XXII Primigenia at Moguntiacum (Mainz) while at a meeting with his generals.[52] These assassinations secured the throne for Maximinus.[13] documents two theories that elaborate on Severus's assassination. The first claims that the disaffection of Mamaea was the main motive behind the homicide. However, Lampridius makes it clear that he is more supportive of an alternative theory, that Alexander was murdered in Sicilia (located in Britain).[53] theory has it that, in an open tent after his lunch, Alexander was consulting with his insubordinate troops, who compared him to his cousin Elagabalus, the divisive and unpopular Emperor whose own assassination paved the way for Alexander's reign. A German servant entered the tent and initiated the call for Alexander's assassination, at which point many of the troops joined in the attack. Alexander's attendants fought against the other troops but could not hold off the combined might of those seeking the Emperor's assassination. Within minutes, Alexander was dead. His mother Julia Mamaea was in the same tent with Alexander and soon fell victim to the same group of assassins.[51] ’s body was buried together with the body of his mother Julia Manaea in a mausoleum in Rome. The actual mausoleum, called Monte di Grano, is the third in size in Rome after the ones of Hadrian and of Augustus. It is still visible in Piazza dei Tribuni, in the Quadraro area in Rome, where it resembles a large earth mound. The large sarcophagus found inside the tomb in the 16th century, and which contained the emperor’s remains, is in the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum in Rome. According to some sources inside the same sarcophagus in 1582 a precious glass urn was found, the Portland Vase, currently on display at the British Museum in London. Martyr Pontius, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated on January 12; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated on January 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 30; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 222-235, Servius Alexander's Saints Folder

Rome, 222-235, Tatiana oRome, disdained riches, virgin, served, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times
Rome, 222-235, Tatoama oRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), father secret wealthy christian, she decided remain virgin, disdaining earthly riches, deaconess, fasting prayer, tending sick needy, time o16yr old Alex Severus, regen Ulpian, she arrested, tApollo temple, her prayer caused earthquake, idol smashed, temple fell on pagans, demon fled screeching, demon shadow, T's eyes torn out, she prayed for tormentors, angels encircled T beating tormentors, heaven voice, 8 men believed&executed, she next day completely healed before judge, she slashed wRazors, wonderous fragrance, beaten so long servants replaced times, invisible power beating torturers, angels turned blows back torturers, 9 fell dead, tPrison, all night praises sang wAngels, next morning completely healthy, even more radient&beautiful, T seemed agreeable sacrifice tDiana, Thunder crash, Lightning struck D&Priests, she hung up scraped wIron claws, that night Angels healed wounds, next day tCircus wHungry Lion licked her feet, then killed torturer, T into fire, no harm, thought a sorceress cut hair locked her up Zeus Temple, Zeus shattered she praising God, she beheaded wHer father, Relics Tatiana iCraiova, Romania 1204 & Tarnovo Bulgaria, then Bucovat m near Craiova, 1393 her head to Nicea, Bythynia, then Holy Apostles Church, Constn, 1453 tCraopvesto and Bistrita m wGregory tDecapolite body, then tCurtea de Arges, 1955 tRamnicu Valcea, today iCraiova wNipon's relics &Sergius&Bacchus relics; Rome; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated January 12 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Tatiana was born into an illustrious Roman family, her father was elected consul three times. was secretly a Christian and raised his daughter to be devoted to God and the Church. she reached the age of maturity, Tatiana decided to remain a virgin, betrothing herself to Christ. earthly riches, she sought instead the imperishable wealth of Heaven. was made a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God in fasting and prayer, tending the sick and helping the needy. Rome was ruled by the sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222-235), power was concentrated in the hands of the regent Ulpian, an evil enemy and persecutor of Christians. blood flowed like water. was also arrested, and they brought her into the temple of Apollo to force her to offer sacrifice to the idol. saint began praying, suddenly there was an earthquake. idol was smashed into pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and fell down on the pagan priests and many pagans. demon inhabiting the idol fled screeching from that place. Those present saw its shadow flying through the air. they tore holy virgin’s eyes out with hooks, but she bravely endured everything, praying for her tormentors that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. the Lord heard the prayer of His servant. executioners saw four angels encircle the saint and beat her tormentors. voice was heard from the heavens speaking to the holy virgin. men believed in Christ and fell on their knees before Saint Tatiana, begging them to forgive them their sin against her. confessing themselves Christians they were tortured and executed, receiving Baptism by blood. next day Saint Tatiana was brought before the wicked judge. her completely healed of all her wounds, they stripped her and beat her, and slashed her body with razors. wondrous fragrance then filled the air. she was stretched out on the ground and beaten for so long that the servants had to be replaced several times. torturers became exhausted and said that an invisible power was beating them with iron rods. the angels warded off the blows directed at her and turned them upon the tormentors, causing nine of them to fall dead. then threw the saint in prison, she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the angels. new morning began, and they took Saint Tatiana to the tribunal once more. torturers beheld with astonishment that after such terrible torments she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. began to urge her to offer sacrifice to the goddess Diana. saint seemed agreeable, and they took her to the heathen temple. Tatiana made the Sign of the Cross and began to pray. there was a crash of deafening thunder, and lightning struck the idol, the sacrificial offerings and the pagan priests. again, the martyr was fiercely tortured. was hung up and scraped with iron claws, her breasts were cut off. night, angels appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds as before. the following day, they took Saint Tatiana to the circus and loosed a hungry lion on her. The beast did not harm the saint, but meekly licked her feet. they were taking the lion back to its cage, it killed one of the torturers. threw Tatiana into a fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to take away her magical powers, then locked her up in the temple of Zeus. the third day, pagan priests came to the temple intending to offer sacrifice to Zeus. beheld the idol on the floor, shattered to pieces, and the holy martyr Tatiana joyously praising the Lord Jesus Christ. The judge then condemned the valiant sufferer to be beheaded with a sword. Her father was also executed with her, because he had raised her to love Christ. Relics of Saint Tatiana in Craiova honorable head of the Holy Martyr Tatiana was first brought to Romania in 1204, members of the ruling family (Asanestan dynasty) placed it in a church in Tarnovo (Bulgaria) then in Bucovat Monastery (near Craiova). however, in 1393, the head of the Saint was taken to a church in the town of Nicaea (where the First Ecumenical Synod met), then to Constantinople, and placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. 1453, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab, the Craioveşti boyars brought the head of the holy Martyr Tatiana to this country, well as the entire body of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20), they placed in the church of Bistriţa Monastery. that monastery, the relics of Saint Tatiana were taken by Saint Neagoe Basarab (September 15) and brought to the royal church at Curtea de Argeș. with the reorganization of the Metropolitan Church of Oltenia (1950-1955), the honorable skull of Saint Tatiana was taken from Curtea de Argeș and brought to the Episcopal Cathedral of Râmnicu Vâlcea in 1955. the honored relics were permanently enshrined in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Craiova. the holy relics of Saint Tatiana are kept, with great honor, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Craiova, the same reliquary with the relics of Saint Niphon of Constantinople (August 11), and the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (October 7).

Rome, 222-235, Serapion tNew, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, devout, did what was beneficial, confessed Christ, burned alive
Egypt, 222-235, Serapion tNew, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, devout, did what was beneficial, confessed Christ, burned alive, incorruptible Crown oMartyrdom; Alexandria; Saint Serapion the New, Commemorated on July 12; Serapion (Σεραπίων) lived in Alexandria the reign of Emperor Severus (222-235). was a devout man who did whatever was beneficial. was arrested by the archon Aquila, and when he was asked what religion he followed, confessed courageously that he believed in Christ and honored Him. archon was furious when he heard the Saint's reply, and he was thrown into a fire and was burnt alive, thereby receiving the incorruptible crown of martyrdom from the Lord.

Rome, 236-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyr, corageous martyrdom example
Rome, 236-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyr, Rome Bishop 14 yrs, organized Rome into parishes, had scribes record saints lives for posterity, set corageous example as first Decius martyr; Rome, 236-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyrs; Fabian was the bishop of Rome from 10 January 236 to his death on 20 January 250,[4] succeeding Anterus. dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope.[5] He was succeeded by Cornelius. of his papacy was characterized by amicable relations with the imperial government, and the schism between the Roman congregations of Pontian and Hippolytus was ended. He divided Rome into diaconates and appointed secretaries to collect the records of the martyrs. He sent out seven "apostles to the Gauls" as missionaries, but probably did not baptize Emperor Philip the Arab as is alleged. He died a martyr at the beginning of the Decian persecution and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.[4][5] FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); was Bishop of Rome for 14 years. organized the city of Rome into parishes appointed scribes to record the lives of the martyrs for posterity. the Emperor Decius began a persecution of Christians, probably the first one to be waged simultaneously in all parts of the Empire, was one of the first to be put to death, setting a courageous example for others. tombstone, with the inscription dimly visible, can still be seen at Rome. by James Kiefer the death of Pope Saint Antherus in 236, a council was convened in Rome to elect his successor. the crowd was Fabian (Fabianus), a layman from another part of Italy (it is not known where). to the historian Eusebius, a dove flew into the building and landed on Fabian's head. people immediately interpreted this to be an omen, and unanimously acclaimed Fabian their new pope. turned out to be an excellent leader. organized the parochial (parish) structure of the Church that is in use to this day. developed the custom and rites of veneration of the martyrs buried in the catacombs, appointed fourteen scholars to record the lives of the martyrs, that they would not be forgotten in future years. 239 the Emperor Decius instituted a persecution of Christians. was the first persecution to be waged throughout the entire Empire instead of just locally. was captured and brutally executed. courage with which he went to his death was an inspiration to thousands who followed him in martyrdom. broken tombstone in Rome still exists, three words on it are still barely legible; "Fabian ... bishop ... martyr." by Fr. Rick Losch

Rome, 227-303, Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, great story, animals speaking and more
Syria, 227-303, Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, animals speaking and prophecising, very old, destroyed pagan temple gods, Patricius healed but thought by witchcraft, Artémon followed by six wild donkeys and two deer by Word of Christ, eagle angels throw P caldron burning pitch; Laodicea in Syria; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Hieromartyr Artémon was born of Christian parents in Laodίkeia, Syria in the III century. his youth, he devoted himself to the service of the Church, and was a Reader for sixteen years. For his zeal, Bishop Sisίnnius ordained him as a Deacon. Saint Artémon also carried out this service with fervor and diligence for twenty-eight years, then he was ordained to the priesthood. In that position, Saint Artémon served the Church of God for another thirty-three years, preaching Christianity among pagans. Emperor Diocletian (reigned 284-305) began his fierce persecution of the Church, issuing an edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, Saint Artémon was already quite old. of the impending arrival of the military commander Patricius at Laodίkeia, Saint Sisίnnius went with the priest Artémon and some other Christians into the temple of the "goddess" Artemis. There they smashed and burned the idols, reducing them all to dust. Saint Sisίnnius and Saint Artémon gathered the flock into the church and fervently exhorted the Christians to remain firm in the Faith, and not to fear the threats of torturers. he arrived in Laodίkeia, Patricius celebrated a five-day festival in honor of the pagan "gods," and then entered the temple of Artemis to offer sacrifice. When he was told who had destroyed the temple, he went with a detachment of soldiers to the church where the Christians were praying. he approached the church, Patricius suddenly felt a chill, and then developed a fever, which left him scarcely alive. He was carried him home and put to bed. “The Christians have put a curse on me, and their God torments me,” he said to those around him. Although Patricius prayed to the idols, they did not relieve his sufferings. sent a messenger to Bishop Sisίnnius, asking for his help, and promised to set up a gold statue of that Hierarch in the middle of the city. The Saint replied, “Keep your gold, but if you believe in Christ, He will heal you.” was afraid of death, so he declared that he believed in Christ, and the affliction left him. But even this miracle did not affect the obdurate pagan's soul. Although he did not raise a hand against Bishop Sisίnnius, he did enforce the imperial edict against other Christians in the city of Caesarea. the way he encountered Saint Artémon, who was followed by six wild donkeys and two deer. Patricius asked how he was able to control these wild beasts, Saint Artémon replied that he held them with the Word of Christ. learned from the idolaters that it was Artémon who had destroyed the pagan temple of Artemis, so he ordered that Artémon be arrested and taken to the city of Caesarea. The Saint went with the soldiers without fear, but he told the animals to go to Saint Sisίnnius. Seeing the animals, Bishop Sisίnnius asked, “Why have these animals come here?” doe received the gift of speech from God and said, “The servant of God Artémon is being held by the impious Patricius, and is being brought to Caesarea in chains. He commanded us to come here to give you this news.” not be astonished that the Lord, Who opened the mouth of Balaam’s ass (Numbers 22:28), also permitted the doe to speak. The Bishop sent Deacon Phileas to Caesarea to verify what he had been told. Caesarea, Patricius brought Saint Artémon to trial and tried to force him to offer sacrifice in the temple of Asclepius. In that pagan temple there were many poisonous vipers. The pagan priest never opened the doors, nor did he place the sacrifice before the idol. Saint Artémon, calling on the Name of Jesus Christ, went into the temple and drove the snakes out. The pagans fled, but the Saint stopped them and killed the snakes by his breath. Vitalius, one of the pagan priests, believed in Christ and asked Saint Artémon to baptize him. thought that Saint Artémon killed the snakes by sorcery, and again he interrogated and tortured him. the doe which had spoken arrived at Caesarea. She lay down at the Martyr's feet, licking his wounds. By God’s command the doe spoke again, denouncing the impious pagans. Addressing Patricius, the doe predicted that he would be seized by two birds of prey, and dropped into a cauldron of burning pitch. was enraged because he had been censured by a wild beast. He commanded his soldiers to shoot the doe with arrows, but she escaped. that the miracles performed by Saint Artémon would attract more people to him, Patricius ordered his execution. enormous cauldron was filled with boiling pitch, and the soldiers intended to throw Saint Artémon into it. But when Patricius rode up to the cauldron on horseback to see if the pitch was indeed boiling, two Angels in the form of eagles seized him and dropped him into the cauldron. His body was consumed so that not a single bone remained, but Saint Artémon survived. this miracle, everyone ran away except Saint Artémon, who blessed and glorified God. When the Saint finished his prayer, a spring of water gushed forth from the ground. Saint Artémon baptized the pagan priest Vitalius and many pagans, who had come to believe in Christ. On the following morning, Saint Artémon communed the newly-baptized with the Holy Mysteries. Many of the baptized were ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood, and Vitalius was made Bishop of Palestine. Bishop of Caesarea came to visit Saint Artémon, noting the place where he had suffered. Subsequently, a church was built on that site. by God's voice, Saint Artémon preached the Gospel in Asia Minor. Then an Angel appeared and transported him to the place which had been revealed to him, and there he converted many to Christ. The pagans arrested the Saint and beheaded him († 303). the Roman Martyrology, Saint Artémon is listed under October 8, while in Greek usage he is commemorated on April 12. Artémon the Presbyter of Laodίkeia should not be confused with Saint Artémon the Bishop of Seleukeia (March 24).

Rome, 229-326,Metrophanes, 1st Patriarch, from Byzantium, lived 117 Yrs, brought Constantine to Byzantium
Constantinople, 229-326,Metrophanes, 1st Patriarch, from Byzantium, lived 117 Yrs, brought Constantine to Byzantium, contemporary of Constantine, nephew of Emperor Probus, his father Dometius rejected falseness of Pagan religion, Believed in Christ, moved to Byzantium to avoid persecution, with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes, father and sons became bishops, Constantine came to Byzantium, delighted by its beauty and comfortable setting, took M back to Rome for his holiness of life, Soon C transferred Capital from Rome to B, brought M there, at 325 Council C had Council Fathers create Patriarch title for 116 year old Metrophanes, thus the first Partiarch and Partiarch of C; Byzantine Patriarch, 306-326, Metrophanes of Byzantium; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century.

Rome, 233-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker of Cappadocia, not the illuminator
Cappadocia, 233-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker ; St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Rome, 233-270, St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, from John the Thelogian, Symbol of Faith Mystery, Foundational
Armenia, 233-270, St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught, demonic woman story, back to N, wilderness, gifts, L willed otherwise, absent ordination, acceptance, heresy, John t T, Symbol of Faith Mystery, Foundational Neocaesarea; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. received a fine education, from his youth he strived for Truth, but the thinkers of antiquity were not able to quench his thirst for knowledge. Truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the youth became a Christian. the continuation of his studies Saint Gregory went to Alexandria, known then as a center for pagan and Christian learning. The youth, eager for knowledge, went to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught. Origen was a famous teacher, possessing a great strength of mind and profound knowledge. Saint Gregory became a student of Origen. Afterwards, the saint wrote about his mentor: “This man received from God a sublime gift, to be an interpreter of the Word of God for people, to apprehend the Word of God, as God Himself did use it, and to explain it to people, insofar as they were able to understand it.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with Origen, and was baptized by him. ascetic life of Saint Gregory, his continence, purity and lack of covetousness aroused envy among his conceited and sin-loving peers, pagans that they were, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. when he was conversing with philosophers and teachers in the city square, a notorious harlot came up to him and demanded payment for the sin he had supposedly committed with her. At first Saint Gregory gently remonstrated with her, saying that she perhaps mistook him for someone else. But the profligate woman would not be quieted. He then asked a friend to give her the money. as the woman took the unjust payment, she immediately fell to the ground in a demonic fit, and the fraud became evident. Saint Gregory said a prayer over her, and the devil left her. This was the beginning of Saint Gregory’s miracles. returned to Neocaesarea, the saint fled from the worldly affairs into which influential townsmen persistently sought to push him. He went into the desert, where by fasting and prayer he attained to high spiritual accomplishment and the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory loved life in the wilderness and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord willed otherwise. bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasea, Thedimos, having learned of Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, decided to have him made Bishop of Neocaesarea. having foreseen in spirit the intent of Bishop Thedimos, the saint hid himself from the messengers of the bishop who were entrusted to find him. Then Bishop Thedimos ordained the absent saint as Bishop of Neocaesarea, beseeching the Lord that He Himself would sanctify the unusual ordination. Gregory perceived the extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and he did not dare to protest. This episode in the life of Saint Gregory was recorded by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). He relates that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the episcopal dignity only after Bishop Thedimos of Amasea performed all the canonical rites over him. this time, the heresy of Sabellius and Paul of Samosata began to spread. They taught falsely concerning the Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory prayed fervently and diligently imploring God and His most pure Mother to reveal to him the true faith. All-Holy Virgin Mary appeared to him, radiant like the sun, and with Her was the Apostle John the Theologian dressed in archepiscopal vestments. the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how to correctly and properly confess the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Gregory wrote down everything that Saint John the Theologian revealed to him. Mystery of the Symbol of the Faith, written down by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great divine revelation in the history of the Church. teaching about the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Theology is based on it. it was used by the holy Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa. Symbol of Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea was later examined and affirmed in the year 325 by the First Ecumenical Council, showing his enduring significance for Orthodoxy. become a bishop, Saint Gregory set off to Neocaesarea. Along the way from Amasea he expelled devils from a pagan temple, the priest of which he converted to Christ. The convert was witness to still another miracle of the saint, at his word a large stone shifted from its place. preaching of the saint was direct, lively and fruitful. He taught and worked miracles in the name of Christ: he healed the sick, he helped the needy, he settled quarrels and complaints. Two brothers sharing an inheritance were not able to agree over the property of their dead father. There was a large lake over which they argued, for each of the brothers wanted the lake for himself. They both gathered their friends together, and were ready to come to blows. Saint Gregory persuaded them to delay their fight until the following day, and he himself prayed all night long at the shore of the lake which sparked the quarrel. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the lake had dried up or gone underground. Through the intense prayer of the saint, now there was only a stream, and its course defined the boundary line. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded a hill to move and make room at the place of the foundation. a persecution against Christians began under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Gregory led his flock to a faraway mountain. A certain pagan, knowing about the hiding place of the Christians, informed the persecutors. Soldiers surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into an open place, raised up his hands to heaven and ordered to his deacon to do the same. The soldiers searched the whole mountain, and they went several times right past those praying, but not seeing them, they gave up and went away. In the city they reported that there was nowhere to hide on the mountain: no one was there, and only two trees stood beside each other. The informer was struck with amazement, he repented of his ways and became a fervent Christian. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea after the end of the persecution. By his blessing church Feasts were established in honor of the martyrs who had suffered for Christ. his saintly life, his effective preaching, working of miracles and graced guiding of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of converts to Christ. When Saint Gregory first ascended his cathedra, there were only seventeen Christians in Neocaesarea. At his death, only seventeen pagans remained in the city.

Rome, 235-238, Emperor, Maximinus Thrax, impious Maximinus, barracs emperor, year of 6 emperors
Roman Emperor, 235-238, Maximinus Thrax; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Pontius, Commemorated on August 5; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated on January 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 235-236, Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, martyr
Roman Pope, 235-236, Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Antherus was elected Bishop of Rome in place of Saint Pontian, and he too soon accepted suffering and death for Christ in the year 236. FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250);

Rome, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, commanded by visions, doors open, idols destroyed, beheaded at 95
Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, in prison heard voice commanding go to Rome, doors open, idols destroyed, vision on road, Philoxenos said two crowns, hierarch and martyr, preached in Rome until persecution, to Jerusalem, vision to crete, bishop at C at age 60, age 95 beheaded; Crete, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, 50 yr, refused idol w, flames did not touch, set free, continued preaching, sought & rejoiced martyrdom; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. The governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. Seeing this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. Lucius himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. It was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. Hearing the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). As a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. When a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. Along the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. He was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. He was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Rome, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril of Gortyna, lived during Decius, Diocletian, & Maximian, m freed from prison, visions, g story
Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, lived during Decius, Diocletian, & Maximian, miraculously freed from prison & sent to Rome, vision two crowns from Philoxenos, preaching success at R, went toward Jerusalem but vision sent him to Crete, bishop Gortyna 35 yrs, martyred at 95; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 6; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Rome, 236-257. Pontious iCimelum City, hiding fDecius, admonished torturers, see power oGod, rack fell, bears, spectators shout
Rome, 236-257. Pontious in Cimelum City, buried martyrs wFabian, distributed substance, converted Emperor Philip, destroyed pagan temple, built church, Decius killed Fabian, Pontious hid iCimelum, cruel torturers sent, Pontious confessed, calmly admonished torturers, see the power of God, rack fell to pieces, torturers fell, bears mauled torturers instead, spectators shout great is Christian God, beheaded ; Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa); Savoy (of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France, Leysse and Albane Rivers); Hieromartyr Fabian, Pope of Rome, and Martyr Pontious, Commemorated on August 5; Fabian, as a presbyter, fearlessly gave burial to the bodies of martyrs. the death of Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Saint Fabian succeeded him as Pope. Fabian loved Saint Pontius as though he were his own son. Pontius distributed with Saint Fabian all his substance on the needs of the poor. the death of the impious Maximian, the new emperor Gordian (238-244) did not persecute Christians. emperor Philip (244-249), together with his son and co-regent Philip, was persuaded by the conversations and preaching of Saint Pontius to believe in Christ and to accept Baptism from Saint Fabian. the permission of the emperors, Saints Pontius and Fabian destroyed the statue of Jupiter in the pagan temple and built a church on this place. four years the Church of Christ dwelt in peace and tranquility. Decius (249-251) ascended the throne, after organizing a rebellion and murdering the emperor Philip and his son. during this time Saint Fabian, Bishop of Rome (+ 250), accepted death for Christ. Pontius left Rome for the city of Cimelum (on the border of Italy and Gaul) and lived there as a stranger. the time of the emperor Valerian (253-259), cruel torturers were sent out with full authority to seek out and kill Christians. Thus Claudius and Anubius arrived in the city of Cimelum for this purpose. Pontius fearlessly confessed himself a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. shackled him in irons and threw him in prison. the very beginning of the torture the saint calmly admonished the torturers, saying that the Lord would bring the torture to naught, and they would see the power of God. soon as the servants attempted to tie Saint Pontius to the rack, it fell to pieces, and the torturers fell on the ground as though dead. “Be convinced, O man of little faith, of the power of my Lord,” said Saint Pontius to Claudius, on the advice of Anubius he gave Saint Pontius over to be eaten by two bears in the circus. wild beasts, while not touching the saint, fell instead upon their keepers and mauled them. spectators began to shout: “The only God is the Christian God, in Whom Pontius believes.” order of the torturers a fire was built, but it burned out and the saint remained alive. Not even his clothes were burnt. crowd shouted all the more strongly: “Great is the God of the Christians!” Pontius then was sentenced to beheading by the sword, and his execution took place in the year 257. body of Saint Pontius was given burial by his friend Valerian.

Rome, 238-244, Emperor, Gordian III, Christian, because Tryphon delivered his daughter
Roman Emperor, 238-244, Gordian III ; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated on January 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28 ;

Rome, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter
Troy, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter, confessed, tortures, clubs, iron hooks, fire, foot nails, no complaints, died right before beheading; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Martyr Tryphon was born in Phrygia, one of the districts of Asia Minor, in the village of Lampsacus. From his early years the Lord granted him the power to cast out demons and to heal various maladies. He once saved the inhabitants of his native city from starvation. Saint Tryphon, by the power of his prayer, turned back a plague of locusts that were devouring the grain and devastating the fields. Tryphon gained particular fame by casting out an evil spirit from the daughter of the Roman emperor Gordian (238-244). Helping everyone in distress, he asked only one thing from them: faith in Jesus Christ, by Whose grace he healed them. the emperor Decius (249-251) assumed the imperial throne, he began a fierce persecution of Christians. Someone reported to the commander Aquilinus that Saint Tryphon was boldly preaching faith in Christ, and that he led many to Baptism. The saint was arrested and subjected to interrogation, during which he fearlessly confessed his faith. was subjected to harsh tortures: they beat him with clubs, raked his body with iron hooks, they scorched his flesh with fire, and led him through the city, after iron nails were hammered into his feet. Saint Tryphon bravely endured all the torments without complaint. he was condemned to beheading with a sword. The holy martyr prayed before his execution, thanking God for strengthening him in his sufferings. He also asked the Lord to bless those who should call upon his name for help. Just as the soldiers raised the sword over the head of the holy martyr, he surrendered his soul into the hands of God. This event occurred in the city of Nicea in the year 250. wrapped the holy body of the martyr in a clean shroud and wanted to bury him in the city of Nicea, where he suffered, but Saint Tryphon in a vision commanded them to take his body to his native land to the village of Lampsacus. Later on, the relics of Saint Tryphon were transferred to Constantinople, and then to Rome. Russia, Saint Tryphon is regarded as the patron saint of birds. There is a story that when Tsar Ivan the Terrible was out hunting, his falconer carelessly allowed the Tsar’s favorite falcon to fly away. The Tsar ordered the falconer Tryphon Patrikeiev to find the bird within three days, or else he would be put to death. Tryphon searched all through the forest, but without luck. the third day, exhausted by long searching, he returned to Moscow to the place called Marinaya Grove. Overcome with weariness, he lay down to rest, fervently praying to his patron saint, the Martyr Tryphon, for help. a dream he saw a youth on a white horse, holding the Tsar’s falcon on his hand. The youth said, “Take the lost bird, go to the Tsar and do not grieve.” When he awakened, the falconer actually spotted the falcon on a pine tree. He took it to the Tsar and told him about the miraculous help he received from the holy Martyr Tryphon. Grateful to Saint Tryphon for saving his life, Tryphon Patrikeiev built a chapel on the spot where the saint appeared. Later on, he also built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Tryphon in Moscow. holy martyr is greatly venerated in the Russian Orthodox Church as the heavenly protector of Moscow. Many Russian icons depict the saint holding a falcon on his arm.

Rome, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians, take Babylon
Rome, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on July 30;

Rome, 244-249, Emperor, Philip the Arab, First Christian E, per historians and tolerance
Roman Emperor, 244-249, Philip the Arab; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated on January 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28 ;

Rome, 244-250, Mercurius of Cappadocia, roman soldier, barbarians, angel, sword, martyr, myrrh
Armenia, 244-250, Mercurius of Cappadocia, roman soldier, barbarians, angel, sword, martyr, myrrh, aScythian, Roman Soldier, Emperors Decius&Valerian decree worship pagan gods or death, Angel gives M sword&says fear not, do not forget God wVictorious, M kills king wins victory, D makes him entire army commander, honors riches, Angel appears again tRemind him& prophecy suffering&heavenly crown, M weeps he hadn't devoted life to God as his father&grandfather, Decius consulted on State Matters then suggested they honor Artemis, M avoids bReturning home, M denounced by nobleman, Emperor not believe, questioned him, M declared&threw down honors received, M again visited by angel in prison, endure, streached between 4 pillars, fire beneath, cut wKnives, blood puts out fire, healed bLords power back in prison, M worthy oVision oJesus promising quick release fSufferings, beheaded aCaesarea, body emitted myrrh&incense, many healed aTomb; Cappadocia, 244-250, Cappadocian Saint, Mercurius; Great Martyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Great Martyr Mercurius, a Scythian by descent, served as a soldier in the Roman army. The impious emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259) issued a decree ordering all Roman citizens to worship the pagan gods, and condemning Christians to torture and death unless they obeyed the decree. that time barbarians attacked the Roman empire, and the emperor Decius went on campaign with a large army. one of the battles an angel of the Lord appeared to Mercurius in the guise of a nobleman and presented him a sword saying, œFear not, Mercurius. Go forth bravely against the enemy, and when you are victorious, do not forget the Lord your God. this sword the holy warrior cut through the ranks of the barbarians. He also killed their king, winning victory for the Romans. grateful Emperor Decius rewarded Saint Mercurius for his bravery, and made him commander of the entire army. angel of the Lord appeared again to the holy warrior, who had received great honors and riches, and reminded him by Whom the victory had been given. also told General Mercurius that he would suffer for Christ, and would receive a crown of victory in His Kingdom. recalled that his father Gordian had also confessed the Christian Faith. Although the saint had been baptized, he felt he had not devoted his life to God as his father and grandfather had done. Thus, he was weeping and lamenting when he was summoned before the emperor. consulted Mercurius on matters of state, then suggested that they offer sacrifice in the temple of Artemis. Not wishing to do this, the saint returned to his home. He was denounced as a Christian by a nobleman, whose name was Catullus. The emperor would not believe this, however, until he himself had questioned the saint. Openly declaring himself a Christian, Mercurius threw down his military belt and cloak at the emperor™s feet, and he repudiated all the honors he had received. The angel of the Lord again appeared to Saint Mercurius in the prison, encouraging him to endure every suffering for Christ. stretched the holy martyr between four pillars and lit a fire beneath him. cut his body with knives, and so much blood flowed from his wounds that it extinguished the fire. they threw him back into the prison nearly dead from his wounds, Saint Mercurius was healed by the Lord, demonstrating the great power of Christ to the impious pagans. to death, the saint was deemed worthy of a vision of the Lord, Who promised him a quick release from his sufferings. Great Martyr Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia. holy body emitted a fragrance like myrrh and incense. Many of the sick were healed at his tomb. after his death the warrior of Christ performed a soldier’s service for the good of the earthly Church. Saint Basil the Great (January 1) once prayed before an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, upon which Saint Mercurius was depicted as a soldier holding a spear. He asked God not to permit the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) to return from his war against the Persians and resume his oppression of Christians. The image of the holy Great Martyr Mercurius, depicted on the icon beside the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, became invisible. It reappeared later with a bloodied spear. this very moment Julian the Apostate, on his Persian campaign, was wounded by the spear of an unknown soldier, who immediately disappeared. The mortally wounded Julian, as he lay dying, cried out, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!â€ Most Holy Theotokos, through the prayers of Saint Basil, had sent Saint Mercurius to defend the Christians from the apostate Julian. May we also be preserved from God’s foes, overcoming them through the prayers and assistance of Saint Mercurius. Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9;

Rome, 244-341, Paul oThebes, 1st Christian hermit, food bRaven 91yrs, Anthony tGreat sent tHim, angels, prophets, apostles
Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes, the first Christian hermit, born 227 iThebaid, orphaned, greedy relative wanted his inheritance, planned turn him in to Decius' persecutors, so Paul fled tThebaid wilderness, into mountain cave for 91 yrs, praying incessantly day night, dates&bread brought by raven, Palm leaves fClothes, Anthony tGreat also in Thebaid desert, revelation fGod concerning Paul, Anthony There is servant more excellent than you, you should go see him, A went to P's cave, prostrating aEntrance asked admittance, introductions, embrace, conversed all night, A told how God led him there, P told how 60 yrs bird brough half loaf bread each day, but today Lord sent double portion, next morning P spoke approaching death, burial instructions, also get cloak received fAthanasius fMonastery, he wished depart when A absent, as he was returning wCloak, A saw P's soul surrounded by angels prophets apostles, shining in the sun and ascending to God, in the cave Paul was on knees arms outstretched, P forgot shovel, 2 Lions came running dug a grave wClaws, A took Palm leaves garment back to his monastery, A wore it twice yr Pascha Pentecost, Paul died 341 113yr old, no monastery but many life imitators who filled desert wMonasteries, 12th C relics transferred Constantinople, later Venice, finally Hungary at Ofa, part his head in Rome; Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Paul of Thebes was born in Egypt around 227 in the Thebaid of Egypt. orphaned, he suffered many things from a greedy relative over his inheritance. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Paul learned of his brother-in-law’s insidious plan to deliver him into the hands of the persecutors, so he fled the city and fled into the wilderness. into a mountain cave, Saint Paul dwelt there for ninety-one years, incessantly to God both day and night. sustained himself on dates and bread, which a raven brought him, he clothed himself with palm leaves. Anthony the Great (January 17), who also lived as an ascetic in the Thebaid desert, had a revelation from God concerning Saint Paul. Anthony thought that there was no other desert dweller such as he. God said to him, “Anthony, there is a servant of God more excellent than you, and you should go and see him.” Anthony went into the desert and came to Saint Paul’s cave. to the ground before the entrance to the cave, he asked to be admitted. Elders introduced themselves, and then embraced one another. conversed through the night, and Saint Anthony revealed how he had been led there by God. Paul disclosed to Saint Anthony that for sixty years a bird had brought him half a loaf of bread each day. the Lord had sent a double portion in honor of Saint Anthony’s visit. next morning, Saint Paul spoke to Anthony of his approaching death, and instructed him to bury him. also asked Saint Anthony to return to his monastery and bring back the cloak he had received from Saint Athanasius. did not really need a garment, but wished to depart from his body while Saint Anthony was absent. he was returning with the cloak, Saint Anthony beheld the soul of Saint Paul surrounded by angels, prophets, and apostles, shining like the sun and ascending to God. entered the cave and found Abba Paul on his knees with his arms outstretched. Anthony mourned for him, and wrapped him in the cloak. He wondered how he would bury the body, for he had not remembered to bring a shovel. lions came running from the wilderness and dug a grave with their claws. Anthony buried the holy Elder, and took his garment of palm leaves, then he returned to his own monastery. Anthony kept this garb as a precious inheritance, and wore it only twice a year, on Pascha and Pentecost. Paul of Thebes died in the year 341, when he was 113 years old. did not establish a single monastery, but soon after his end there were many imitators of his life, and they filled the desert with monasteries. Paul is honored as the first desert-dweller and hermit. the twelfth century Saint Paul’s relics were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the Peribleptos monastery of the Mother of God, on orders of the emperor Manuel (1143-1180). they were taken to Venice, and finally to Hungary, at Ofa. of his head is in Rome. Paul of Thebes, whose Life was written by Saint Jerome, is not to be confused with Saint Paul the Simple (October 4).

Rome, 249-250, Saint Christopher, miracles, strength, vow serve greatest king, served Satan, he feared Christ, sought Christ
Lycia, 249-250, Saint Christopher, miracles, worldwide veneration, Italy, contagious diseases, cannanites or dogheads of thessaly, stature, strength, hansome, Lord gave him uasttractive face, named Reprobate, denounced christian persecution, beaten endured humbly, 200 soldiers assigned to bring him, submitted, along the way dry stick blossomed, loaves of bread multiplied, soldiers astonished, vow to serve greatest king, local king feared devis, served Satan, devil feared Christ, sought Christ, by task best suited, ferryman, child across stream, heavy, sins of world, Christ, 2 profligrate women converted to Christ, martyred, 200 martyred, red hot metal box, unharmed, beheaded, 250, 50,000 pagans converted, relics to spain and france; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, and, with him, the Martyrs Callinika and Aquilina, Commemorated on May 9; Holy Martyr Christopher lived during the third century and suffered about the year 250, during the reign of the emperor Decius (249-251). There are various accounts of his life and miracles, and he is widely venerated throughout the world. Saint Christopher is especially venerated in Italy, where people pray to him in times of contagious diseases. are various suggestions about his descent. Some historians believe that he was descended from the Canaanites, while others say from the “Cynoscephalai” [literally “dog-heads”] of Thessaly. Christopher was a man of great stature and unusual strength. According to tradition, Saint Christopher was very handsome, but wishing to avoid temptation for himself and others, he asked the Lord to give him an unattractive face, which was done. Before Baptism he was named Reprebus [Reprobate] because his disfigured appearance. Even before Baptism, Reprebus confessed his faith in Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. Consequently, a certain Bacchus gave him a beating, which he endured with humility. of his renowned strength, 200 soldiers were assigned to bring him before the emperor Decius. Reprebus submitted without resistance. Several miracles occurred along the way; a dry stick blossomed in the saint’s hand, loaves of bread were multiplied through his prayers, and the travellers had no lack thereof. This is similar to the multiplication of loaves in the wilderness by the Savior. The soldiers surrounding Reprebus were astonished at these miracles. They came to believe in Christ and they were baptized along with Reprebus by Saint Babylus of Antioch (September 4). once made a vow to serve the greatest king in the world, so he first offered to serve the local king. Seeing that the king feared the devil, Christopher thought he would leave the king to serve Satan. Learning that the devil feared Christ, Christopher went in search of Him. Saint Babylas of Antioch told him that he could best serve Christ by doing well the task for which he was best suited. Therefore, he became a ferryman, carrying people across a river on his shoulders. One stormy night, Christopher carried a Child Who insisted on being taken across at that very moment. With every step Christopher took, the Child seemed to become heavier. Halfway across the stream, Christopher felt that his strength would give out, and that he and the Child would be drowned in the river. As they reached the other side, the Child told him that he had just carried all the sins of the world on his shoulders. Then He ordered Christopher to plant his walking stick in the ground. As he did so, the stick grew into a giant tree. Then he recognized Christ, the King Whom he had vowed to serve. Christopher was brought before the emperor, who tried to make him renounce Christ, not by force but by cunning. He summoned two profligate women, Callinika and Aquilina, and commanded them to persuade Christopher to deny Christ, and to offer sacrifice to idols. Instead, the women were converted to Christ by Saint Christopher. When they returned to the emperor, they declared themselves to be Christians. Therefore, they were subjected to fierce beatings, and so they received the crown of martyrdom. also sentenced to execution the soldiers who had been sent after Saint Christopher, but who now believed in Christ. The emperor ordered that the martyr be thrown into a red-hot metal box. Saint Christopher, however, did not experience any suffering and he remained unharmed. After many fierce torments they finally beheaded the martyr with a sword. This occurred in the year 250 in Lycia. By his miracles the holy Martyr Christopher converted as many as 50,000 pagans to Christ, as Saint Ambrose of Milan testifies. The relics of Saint Christopher were later transferred to Toledo (Spain), and still later to the abbey of Saint Denis in France. Greece, many churches place the icon of Saint Christopher at the entrance so that people can see it as they enter and leave the building. There is a rhyming couplet in Greek which says, “When you see Christopher, you can walk in safety.” This reflects the belief that whoever gazes upon the icon of Saint Christopher will not meet with sudden or accidental death that day. name Christopher means “Christ-bearer.” This can refer to the saint carrying the Savior across the river, and it may also refer to Saint Christopher bearing Christ within himself (Galatians 2:20).

Rome, 249-251, Emperor, Decius, Pagan, revered by troups, k by goths
Roman Emperor, 249-251, Decius ; Decius (atin: Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius; c. 201 -June 251) was Roman emperor from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops after putting down a rebellion in Moesia. In 249, he defeated and killed Philip near Verona and was recognized as emperor by the Senate afterwards. During his reign, he attempted to strengthen the Roman state and its religion, leading to the Decian persecution, where a number of prominent Christians (including Pope Fabian) were put to death. In the last year of his reign, Decius co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus, until they were both killed by the Goths in the Battle of Abritus. Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Hippolytus of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Thyrsus at Caesarea, in Bithynia, Commemorated August 17 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Carpus at Pergamum, Commemorated on October 13 ; 7 Holy Youths "œSeven Sleepers"Â of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28; Martyr Anastasia the Roman, Commemorated on October 29; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24; Martyr Paramon in Bithynia, Commemorated on November 29; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 12; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated on December 14; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 21; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated on January 21; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated on January 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated on January 31; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 3; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated on February 5; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated on February 5; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated on February 9; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Nestor, Commemorated on March 1 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2 ; Virginmartyr Euthalia of Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Adrian of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Callinike of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Theodotus of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; Virginmartyr Christina of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ;

Rome, 249-251, Decius' Martyrs Folder

Rome, 249, Apollonia oAlexandria, Aged&Excellent virgin, teeth knocked out, she jumped iFire, double crown Martyrdom&Virginity
Egypt, 249, Apollonia oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, Decius Persecution started in Alexandria, call for total extermination, Aged and excellent virgin Apollonia siezed, teeth knocked out, mob built fire outside city, threatened burning alive she asked let go so she could pray, they did, she jumped in fire and consumed, receiving double crown oMartyrdom&Virginity; Alexandria; Virgin Martyr Apollonia, Commemorated on February 9; Apollonia was an elderly virgin and deaconess of Alexandria, whose martyrdom was described by Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5) in one of his letters. Decius became emperor in 249, he launched the greatest attack upon Christianity up to that time, becoming the first emperor to call for its total extermination. Dionysius says that the persecution started at Alexandria a year before it began in other places, incited by a certain “prophet and poet of evil,” who stirred up the people against the Christians. by the power of the government, the pagans massacred Christians, believing that they were serving their false gods by doing so. “aged and excellent virgin Apollonia” was seized and struck in the face until all her teeth were knocked out. mob built a fire outside the city and threatened to burn her alive unless she agreed to worship the idols and sacrifice to the emperor’s genius. Apollonia asked the pagans to let go of her for a moment so that she could pray. soon as they did, she leaped into the flames and was consumed, a double crown of martyrdom and virginity. of the nature of her torments, she is sometimes depicted with a golden tooth hanging from a necklace, or holding a tooth in a pair of pincers. is invoked by those suffering from toothache.

Rome, 249-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Governor's son, distributed inheritance, 27yrs iDesert, martyred in Decian persecution
Egypt, 201-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, son oProcounsul (Governor), distributed inheritance, settled desert, 27yrs, Decius persecution 249-251, trial before prefect (senior magistrate) Alexandria, confessed faith and denounced Pagan errors, fiercely beaten wRods &died aMartyr; Alexandria; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Monk Martyr Pansophius, a son of the Alexandrian proconsul Nilus. the death of his father, he distributed his inheritance to the poor and settled in the desert, he lived in asceticism for twenty-seven years. the persecution by Decius (249-251) Saint Pansophius was brought to trial before the prefect of Alexandria. monk boldly confessed his faith in Christ and denounced pagan errors, which he was fiercely beaten with rods. died from these beatings, thereby receiving a martyr’s crown (249-251).

Rome, 249-251, Menignus at Parium, simple worker, twice heaven voice, suffer cal, after angel led Cs, confessed & beheaded
Troy, 249-251, Menignus at Parium, Hellespont, Troy, simple worker, special mercy twice voice from heaven, call to suffer, after angel led Cs out of prison, confessed & beheaded; Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Martyr Menignus was a simple worker, a linen-bleacher. Lord granted him His special mercy. in his life, he heard a voice from Heaven calling on him to suffer for Christ. the persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251) a miracle occurred: angel led Christians out of prison. learned of this, Saint Menignus rejoiced and loved the Savior with all his heart. to mind the heavenly summons to suffer for Christ, he tore up the decree of the impious Decius which hung in the city square, and which ordered the persecution of Christians. saint declared himself a follower of Christ. For this he was arrested and after fierce tortures he was beheaded.

Rome, 249-251, 10 Martyrs of Crete, refused to worship idols, with God persevered cruel tortures 30days rejoicing, beheaded
Crete, 249-251, 10 Martyrs of Crete. named, suffered under Decius, from various cities oCrete, confessed Christ, refused to worship idols, with God's help, persevered cruel tortures 30 days glorifying God, beheaded; Crete; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompius, Agathopus, Basilides and Evaristus suffered for Christ during the third century under the emperor Decius (249-251). governor of Crete, also named Decius, fiercely persecuted the Church, and arrested anyone who believed in Christ. Once, ten Christians were brought before him from various cities of Crete, who at the trial steadfastly confessed their faith in Christ and refused to worship idols. thirty days they were subjected to cruel tortures, and with the help of God they all persevered, glorifying God. their death they prayed that the Lord would enlighten their torturers with the light of the true Faith. Since pain did not influence them, the saints were beheaded. Paul of Constantinople (November 6) visited Crete about a hundred years later. He took the relics of the holy martyrs to Constantinople to serve as a protection for the city, and a source of blessings for the faithful.

Rome, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo
Bithynia, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo, suffered under Decius, aCaesarea Bithynia, Leucius reproached tPerfect, Thyrsus eager for martydom refused sac tIdols, plus ridiculed wood&stone worship, arms legs pulled out sockets, eyes plucked, teeth shattered wHammer, taken tHeathen temple, prayers toppled Apollo statue, Perfect Cumbricius enraged increased torments, T endured&died peacefully, Pagan Priest Callinicus saw and converted; Bithynia, 249-251, Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus, Apollonia, Bithynia, ridiculed those who worship wood, toppled Apollo; Apollonia, in Bithynia , a promentory on the northeast shore near Golyazi ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; Holy Martyrs Thyrsus, Leucius and Callinicus suffered for Christ under the emperor Decius (249-251) at Caesarea in Bithynia. Leucius, having reproached the prefect Cumbricius for his unjust persecution of Christians, was executed after being tortured. Thyrsus, who was still a catechumen, was nonetheless eager for martyrdom. He was sentenced to cruel tortures and torments after refusing to offer sacrifice to the idols. Citing the words of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 2:27), he ridiculed those who worshiped wood and stone. saint’s arms and legs were pulled out of their sockets, his eyes were plucked out, and his teeth were shattered with a hammer. was taken to a heathen temple, where, by his prayers, he toppled a statue of Apollo. was enraged by this, and he ordered that greater torments be devised for the athlete of Christ. He endured them all and died peacefully after making the Sign of the Cross. pagan priest Callinicus, seeing the bravery and the miracle involving Saint Thyrsus, believed in Christ and boldly confessed the true Faith, for which he was beheaded.

Rome, 249-251, Myrope of Chios, Myrrhr f Hermione's grave in Ephesus, r Isidore's body, midnight prayer, d light, I w angels
Ephesus, 249-251, Myrope of Chios, Myrrhr f Hermione's grave in Ephesus, r Isidore's body, guards sentenced, her confession, fierce beating, midnight prayer, d light, I w angels, M d, sweet fragrance, guard's report to priest confession and martyrdom; City of Chios; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Holy Martyr Myrope was born in the city of Ephesus at the beginning of the third century. She lost her father at an early age, and her mother raised her in the Christian Faith. Myrope frequently visited the grave of the Martyr Hermione (September 4), daughter of the holy Apostle Philip, took myrrh from her relics, and healed the sick with it. the persecution by Decius (249-251), Myrope went with her mother to the island of Chios, where they spent their time in fasting and prayer. by order of the cruel governor of the island, the soldier Isidore (May 14), a man of deep faith and great piety, was martyred. Saint Myrope secretly removed the body of the martyr and buried it. soldiers, who had been ordered not to allow the Christians to take Isidore’s body, were sentenced to death. Myrope took pity on the condemned, and she told the soldiers and then the governor what she had done. the trial she confessed herself a Christian. For this they gave her a fierce beating and then threw her in prison. midnight, while she was praying, a light shone in the prison. Saint Isidore appeared surrounded by angels, and Saint Myrope surrendered her soul to God. The prison was immediately filled with a sweet fragrance. pagan guard, trembling at the vision, told this to a priest. Later, he accepted Baptism and a martyric death for his confession of Christ.

Rome, 249-251, Monastic Martyr Anastasia, great ascetic, very beautiful, horrible tortures, Angel, animals
Rome, 249-251, Monastic Martyr Anastasia; Roman Emperor, 249-251, Decius ; Martyr Anastasia the Roman, Commemorated on October 29; Monastic Martyr Anastasia the Roman lost her parents when she was three years old, was taken to be raised by the Igoumeness of a women’s monastery, whose name was Sophia, a nun who had attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. She raised Anastasia in fervent faith, in the fear of God, and obedience. After seventeen years, Anastasia became known as a great ascetic, and she was very beautiful. Emperor Decius (249-251) began his persecution of Christians at that time. The city administrator, Probus, following the Emperor's orders, commanded that Anastasia be brought to him. by her Igoumeness to suffer for Christ, the young martyr Anastasia went out to meet the armed soldiers. Seeing her youth and beauty, Probus first tried flattery to make her deny Christ. “Why do you waste your youth deprived of pleasure?" he asked. "What is to be gained by enduring tortures and death for the Crucified? Worship our gods, marry a handsome husband, and live with glory and honor.” Saint Anastasia stood before the ruler, her mind stood before Christ, and with her spiritual eyes, she beheld the comeliness of her Bridegroom. Saint replied, “My spouse, my riches, my life and my happiness are my Lord Jesus Christ, and you cannot turn me away from Him by your deceit!” had her stripped of her clothing, in order to humiliate her. She told him, "You can have me whipped, beaten, and cut to pieces, and then my nakedness will be hidden by my wounds, and my blood will cover my shame." subjected Anastasia to horrible tortures. The holy martyr bravely endured all of them, glorifying and praising God. When she became thirsty she asked for some water, and a Christian named Cyril gave her a drink. She thanked him, but Probus had him beheaded. her tormentors cut off her breasts and ripped out her tongue, while an Angel held her upright. When the people witnessed the inhuman and disgusting treatment the Saint received, they became indignant, and Probus was forced to end the tortures by having her beheaded. In this manner, Saint Anastasia received the unfading crown of martyrdom. Anastasia's body was thrown outside the city limits to be eaten by wild animals, but the Lord did not permit her holy relics to be dishonored. By the instructions of a holy Angel, Igoumeness Sophia found Saint Anastasia’s mutilated body. With the help of two Christians, she buried it in the earth. Anastasia the Roman should not be confused with Saint Anastasia Pharmakolytria, who is commemorated on December 22.

Rome, 249-251, Hieromartyr Babylas of Antioch, blocked Decius, Lord's e not worthy respect, these chains venerable
Syria, 249-251, Hieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), blocked curious Decius f church, fired church, why insult, not worthy respect, Lord's enemy, these chains venerable, suffering desirable, death precious, 3 spiritual children, test them, whipped by age, Decius lied about them, but B not believe, all burned and beheaded ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, and those with him, Commemorated on September 4; Hieromartyr Babylas and with him the three youths Urban, Prilidian, Epolonius and their mother Christodoula died as martyrs under the emperor Decius (249-251). his stay in their city of Antioch, the emperor arranged for a large festival in honor of the pagan gods. the same time, Babylas, the holy and God-fearing Bishop of Antioch, was serving the Divine Liturgy in church. He prayed for his flock and taught them to endure all tribulations for Christ with courage. idolater Decius, curious to witness the Divine Mysteries, decided to enter the church. of this reached the bishop, so he went out to meet Decius and blocked the path to the church, for he was unwilling to permit impiety in the temple of God. the emperor approached the church doors, Saint Babylas refused to let him enter, so the emperor had to abandon his intention. He wanted to take revenge on the saint right away, but when he saw the large throng of Christians, he feared they might riot. next day the angry emperor ordered that the church be set on fire, and for Bishop Babylas to be brought before him. asked why he had insulted the imperial dignity by not allowing the emperor to enter the church, the holy bishop answered, “Anyone who would rise up against God and want to desecrate His sanctuary, is not worthy of respect, but has become the enemy of the Lord.” declared that the holy bishop must worship the idols in order to make up for his lack of respect for the emperor, or else face execution. convincing himself that the martyr would remain steadfast in his faith, he commanded the military commander Victorinus to put him in heavy chains and lead him through the city in disgrace. holy martyr replied, “Emperor, these chains are as venerable for me as your imperial crown is for you. For me, suffering for Christ is as desirable as the imperial power is for you. Death for the Immortal King is as precious to me as your life is to you.” the trial with Bishop Babylas were three young brothers, who did not forsake him even in this most difficult moment. Seeing them, the emperor asked, “Who are these children? “ “These are my spiritual children,” the saint replied, “and I have raised them in piety, I have given them an education, cultivated them with guidance, and here before you in a small body are these great young men and perfect Christians. Test them and see.” emperor tried in all sorts of ways to entice the youths and their mother Christodoula to renounce Christ, but in vain. in a rage, he ordered each of them to be whipped with a number of blows corresponding to their age. The first received twelve blows, the second, ten, and the third, seven. the mother and children, the torturer again summoned the bishop, telling him that the children had renounced Christ. He did not believe the lie, however. he commanded all the martyrs be tied to a tree and burned with fire. Seeing the stoic bravery of the saints, the emperor finally condemned them to be beheaded with the sword.

Rome, 249-251, Martyr Jadorus of Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island, m by Decius w Isidore and Myrope oChios (May 14)
Ephesus, 249-251, Martyr Jadorus of Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island, Martyrdom with Isidore and Myrope oChios (May 14), m by Decius; City of Chios; Martyr Jadorus, Commemorated on February 4; Jadorus suffered martyrdom with Saint Isidore (not Isidore of Pelusium) in the reign of Decius (249-251).

Rome, 249-251, Isidore& Myrope of Chios Island, Whipped, dragged sharp rocks, tongue cOut, still talk, Heavenly light angels
Ephesus, 249-251, Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios Island, discovered as Christian by Admiral Numerius, sacrifice or torture, imprisoned, his father tries then disowned him, whipped, dragged over sharp rocks, tongue cut out, but still could talk, Admiral then could not speak, overjoyed when sentenced, beheaded, thrown into well, but Ammonios and Myrope saved body, guards tbKilled but M acknowledged, she whipped, imprisoned, heavenly light angels St Isadore appeared, she rejoiced&surrendered soul, sweet fragrance filling prison, guard told priest&converted, relics existance affirmed later, currently light from well confirmed, special mastic tree found nowhere else sheds fragrant tears at martyrdom site, and is major product; City of Chios; Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on May 14; Isidore lived during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251) and came from Alexandria in Egypt. was an officer in the Roman Navy when the fleet commanded by Admiral Numerius chanced to be anchored off the Greek island of Chios. Christianity was not persecuted, and perhaps Saint Isidore was not as cautious as he should have been. Somehow, the centurion Julius discovered that Isidore was a Christian, and denounced him to Admiral Numerius. Admiral summoned him in order to determine whether or not the allegation was true. Saint Isidore admitted that he was indeed a Christian, and refused to offer sacrifice to inanimate idols. Numerius urged him to obey the Emperor's decree to offer sacrifice so that he would not be subjected to torture. Isidore replied, "You may be able to kill my body, but you have no power over my soul. The true, living God, Jesus Christ, abides in me; even after my death He shall be with me, and I with Him. I shall abide in Him, and I shall never cease to confess Him while breath still remains in my body." Isidore was led away to be tortured. In the midst of his suffering, he praised Christ God and mocked the pagan idols. Since Saint Isidore still refused to offer the prescribed sacrifice, he was thrown into prison. the Saint's father heard about this, he went to Chios to convince Isidore to deny Christ. was able to persuade Numerius to place Isidore in his custody, saying that he would try to convert him. Saint, however, begged his father to open the eyes of his soul and to learn the truth about Christ. father was most displeased by these words, and he could not accept that his son chose to believe in Christ rather than follow the idolatry of his ancestors. that Saint Isidore would not change his mind, he disowned him and sent him back to Admiral Numerius, asking him to execute his son right away. the Admiral ordered Isidore to be beaten with whips, and then dragged along over rocky ground. After that, his tongue was cut out. without his tongue, Saint Isidore was still able to speak, by the grace of God, and he continued to confess Christ. God punished Numerius by causing him to loose the power of speech. Finally, the Admiral gave the signal to behead Isidore. he heard the sentence the holy martyr was overjoyed. Praising God, he was led to the place of execution, where he was beheaded. the Saint's martyrdom his body was thrown into a well to be devoured by animals, two Christians, Saints Ammonios (September 4) and Myrope (December 2) secretly took his body, and buried it in a secret place, with all due honor. evil Numerius heard that the martyr's body had been stolen and wanted to kill the two guards who had been ordered to prevent the body from being taken. that innocent men would suffer for her good deed, Saint Myrope appeared before the authorities and acknowledged that she had stolen the martyr's body and buried it, but she refused to tell them where. commanded that the holy virgin should be whipped, and finally she was confined in a prison, covered with wounds. the Lord did not leave His martyr without consolation. midnight a heavenly light illumined the prison, and many angels appeared to her with Saint Isidore in their midst. "Peace be with you, Myrope," he said to her. "God has heard your prayer, and soon you shall be with us and shall receive the crown which has been prepared for you." holy martyr rejoiced and surrendered her soul to God at that very moment. sweet fragrance emanated from her body, filling the entire prison. of the guards, seeing all of this and smelling the fragrance, told a priest about the vision. He believed in Christ and was baptized. Soon afterward, he also suffered martyrdom. Later, Saint Ammonios himself was put to death in the city of Kyzikos. Myrope's body was interred beside that of the martyr Isidore, and a chapel was built over the graves. the fifth century, Saint Markian (January 10), the Oikonomos of the Great Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, a chapel by the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace). He also transferred the Saint's skull and a portion of his relics to Constantinople, which he placed in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Peran. the sixth century, the existence of the rest of the Saint's relics on the island of Chios, and the numerous miracles which occurred, is affirmed by Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) in his book Liber in Gloria Martyrum (Book of the Glory of the Martyrs): martyr Isidore is buried on the island of Chios. the Saint's church there is a well into which he is said to have been thrown. drinking from the water of this well, possessed people, those with fevers, and others who are sick, are often cured. is said that believers often see a light there, similar to a burning candle. myself met a priest who insisted that he had often seen this light from the mouth of the well. this island a seed is picked from the mastic trees which, so they say, are not found in other regions." tradition agrees that at the place where Saint Isidore was martyred, the mastic trees shed fragrant tears because of the Holy Martyr's suffering. holds that the mastic, which is a major product of the island of Chios, may be gathered and prepared only from the trees near the site of the Saint's martyrdom.

Rome, 249-251, Agatha oPalermo, wealthy beautiful 15yrold, declined pagan sac, Breasts cutoff, healed bApstl Peter, earthquake
Sicily and Southern Italy, 249-251,Agatha oPalermo, Sicily, wealthy beautiful 15yrold daughter, rich respected christian parents. Catania city perfect Quintianus heard of her, brought her to trial as christian, first put her with woman and five daughters, they tempted her with fine clothes, amusements, entertainment, urged her to sacrifice pagan, she declined resolutely, she prayed for martyrdom, cruel torments, tongs tried remove her breasts, failed so used knives, Apostle Peter appeared and healed her wonds, Quintians astonished, but torture once more, earthquake, many buildings destroyed, people killed, incl 2 Q's advisors, inhabitants terrified, demand tortures stop, she martyred in prison; Palermo; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Agatha was the fifteen-year-old daughter of rich and respected Christian parents from the city of Palermo (formerly Panormos) in Sicily. the persecution under the emperor Decius (249-251), city prefect of Catania, Quintianus, heard about Agatha’s wealth and beauty, his soldiers after her to bring her to trial as a Christian. Catania they housed the saint with a certain rich woman, who had five daughters. all attempted to tempt Saint Agatha with fine clothes, amusements and entertainment, her to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, the saint disdained all these things. The more they tried to move her, the more resolute she became. prayed that she might soon face martyrdom. her interrogation under Quintianus, the holy martyr was swayed neither by the flattery, nor by the threats, she was subjected to cruel torments. also tried to remove her breasts with metal tongs, when this failed, they used knives. holy Apostle Peter appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds. Agatha was led to torture again, and Quintianus was astonished to see her completely healed, with no trace of cutting. the torture began once more. this moment an earthquake took place in the city, and many buildings were destroyed. those killed were two of Quintianus’s advisors. terrified inhabitants rushed to Quintianus, demanding an end to Agatha’s tortures. a revolt by the people, Quintianus sent Saint Agatha back to prison. the martyr, offering thanks to God, peacefully surrendered her soul to the Lord.

Rome, 249-251, Troadius oNeocaesarea, suffered under Decius enduring horrible tortures, Gregory oN foretold and witnessed in a vision, plus, he saw T's soul departing his body
Armenia, 249-251, Troadius oNeocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads), suffered under Decius enduring horrible tortures, Saint Gregory oN foretold and witnessed his martyrdom in a vision, plus he saw T's soul departing his body; Neocaesarea; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; Holy Martyr Troadius suffered for Christ in Neocaesarea, Pontus under the emperor Decius (249-251), enduring horrible tortures. Gregory of Neocaesarea (November 17) foretold his martyrdom and witnessed his sufferings in a vision. also saw the soul of Saint Troadius departing from his body and hastening joyfully to Heaven.

Rome, 249-251, Conon tGardener oPamphylia, confessed faith, nails in feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed & surrendered spirit
Gaillee, 249-251, Conon the Gardener oPamphylia, from Nazareth, Galilee, lived in Mandona, Pamphylia, God Fearing, sincere in heart, without malice, suffered under Decius, confessed faith in Christ at trial, nails into feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed and surrendured his spirit; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Conon the Gardener was born in Nazareth of Galilee, he lived in the city of , where he occupied himself with gardening. was a God-fearing man, sincere in heart, and without malice. saint suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Decius (249-251). they brought him to trial, he unwaveringly and firmly confessed his faith. torturers drove nails into his feet and dragged him behind a chariot until the sufferer collapsed from exhaustion. a prayer, he surrendered his spirit to the Lord.

Rome, 249 & 449, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus , Lord revealed resurection of dead through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay
Ephesus, 249 & 449, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), Lord revealed resurection of dead through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay; Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, in the third century. Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Rome, 249&449, Seven Sleepers, wealthy, m belts, hid in cave, entrance sealed, sleep, owner resurection
Ephesus, 249&449, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Rome, 250-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyr, corageous martyrdom example
Rome, 236-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyr, Rome Bishop 14 yrs, organized Rome into parishes, had scribes record saints lives for posterity, set corageous example as first Decius martyr; Rome, 236-250, Pope and Saint Fabian, chosen by a dove, good choice, first Decius martyrs; Fabian was the bishop of Rome from 10 January 236 to his death on 20 January 250,[4] succeeding Anterus. dove is said to have descended on his head to mark him as the Holy Spirit's unexpected choice to become the next pope.[5] He was succeeded by Cornelius. of his papacy was characterized by amicable relations with the imperial government, and the schism between the Roman congregations of Pontian and Hippolytus was ended. He divided Rome into diaconates and appointed secretaries to collect the records of the martyrs. He sent out seven "apostles to the Gauls" as missionaries, but probably did not baptize Emperor Philip the Arab as is alleged. He died a martyr at the beginning of the Decian persecution and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.[4][5] FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250); was Bishop of Rome for 14 years. organized the city of Rome into parishes appointed scribes to record the lives of the martyrs for posterity. the Emperor Decius began a persecution of Christians, probably the first one to be waged simultaneously in all parts of the Empire, was one of the first to be put to death, setting a courageous example for others. tombstone, with the inscription dimly visible, can still be seen at Rome. by James Kiefer the death of Pope Saint Antherus in 236, a council was convened in Rome to elect his successor. the crowd was Fabian (Fabianus), a layman from another part of Italy (it is not known where). to the historian Eusebius, a dove flew into the building and landed on Fabian's head. people immediately interpreted this to be an omen, and unanimously acclaimed Fabian their new pope. turned out to be an excellent leader. organized the parochial (parish) structure of the Church that is in use to this day. developed the custom and rites of veneration of the martyrs buried in the catacombs, appointed fourteen scholars to record the lives of the martyrs, that they would not be forgotten in future years. 239 the Emperor Decius instituted a persecution of Christians. was the first persecution to be waged throughout the entire Empire instead of just locally. was captured and brutally executed. courage with which he went to his death was an inspiration to thousands who followed him in martyrdom. broken tombstone in Rome still exists, three words on it are still barely legible; "Fabian ... bishop ... martyr." by Fr. Rick Losch

Rome, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, drop of his blood healed woman's eye
Egypt, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria; Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Holy Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria was a native of Egypt. For a long time he lived in seclusion on Mount Peleusium. During a persecution against Christians at Alexandria (about the year 250), Saint Epimachus in his fervent zeal came into the city, destroyed pagan idols, and fearlessly confessed Christ. For this the saint was put to torture. Among the people watching the torture was a woman who was blind in one eye. A drop of blood from the martyr healed her infirmity. fierce tortures, the saint was beheaded by the sword. Epimachus is also commemorated on March 11. Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Rome, 250, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Mt Peleusium, came to city, destroyed idols and confessed
Egypt, 30-1st Century, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria; Alexandria; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Holy Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria was a native of Egypt. For a long time he lived in seclusion on Mount Peleusium. a persecution against Christians at Alexandria (about the year 250), Saint Epimachus in his fervent zeal came into the city, destroyed pagan idols, and fearlessly confessed Christ. this the saint was put to torture. Among the people watching the torture was a woman who was blind in one eye. A drop of blood from the martyr healed her infirmity. fierce tortures, the saint was beheaded by the sword. Epimachus is also commemorated on March 11.

Rome, 250, Cyriacus, Faustus, Abibas, & 11 others at Alexandria, confessed Christians under Valerius under Decius
Egypt, 250, Martyrs Cyriacus, Faustus the Presbyter, (Habib) Abibas the Deacon, and eleven others at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, confessed Christians under Valerius under Decius, beheaded, buried; Alexandria; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyrs Cyriacus, Faustus the Presbyter, (Habib) Abibas the Deacon, and eleven other martyrs suffered martyrdom for Christ at Alexandria under the emperor Decius (249-251). the persecution, they all steadfastly confessed themselves as Christians before the governor Valerius. were beheaded by the sword, about the year 250. Their bodies were buried by Christians in Alexandria.

Rome, 250, Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him, Bithynia, Popenly denounced cruel Gov, and confessed One true God, Jesus
Bithynai, 250, Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him, Bithynia Province (Lower Sakarya River at its center), P openly denounced cruel Gov, and confessed One true God, Jesus; Bithynia Province (southwest coast of the Black Sea); Martyr Paramon and 370 Martyrs in Bithynia, Commemorated on November 29; Holy Martyr Paramon and the 370 Martyrs with him suffered for their faith in Christ in the year 250 during the rule of the emperor Decius (249-251). governor of the Eastern regions, Aquianus, had locked up 370 Christians in prison, urging them to abjure Christ and instead offer sacrifice to idols. subjected the captives to beatings, hoping by torture and the threat of death to persuade them to renounce Christ and worship the pagan gods. of the local inhabitants, Paramon by name, openly denounced the cruel governor and confessed his faith in the One True God, the Lord Jesus Christ. They beheaded Saint Paramon after fierce tortures, together with the other 370 martyrs.

Rome, 250, Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Lykaonia
Lykaonia, 250, Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Saint Papias was martyred with Saints Claudianus and Diodorus at Perge, Pamphylia in 250; Perge Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 3; Papias was martyred with Saints Claudianus and Diodorus at Perge, Pamphylia in 250.

Rome, 250, Nestor tBishop oMagydos, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, arrested after peculiar vision plus heavenly voice with earthquake
Lykaonia, 250, Nestor tBishop oMagydos (Magidum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, arrested while praying at home, after he had peculiar vision, he saw lamb being prepared for sacrifice, sent tPerge for trial, on the way strengthened by voice from heaven followed by earthquake, cruel tortures then crucified; Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Hieromartyr Nestor, Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia. a persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), was arrested while praying in his home. learned of the suffering awaiting him through a peculiar vision. saw a lamb prepared for sacrifice. ruler of the city of Magydos sent him for trial to Perge. the way there Saint Nestor was strengthened in spirit when he heard a Voice from Heaven, which an earthquake occurred. cruel tortures at Perge the hieromartyr was crucified in the year 250.

Rome, 250, Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, Marcellus, & Anthony of Perge, Pamphylia, torture instruments laid out to scare them, tortured, beheaded
They fearlessly preached Christ during Emperor Decius 249-251. Governir send large detachment to arrest & bring them for judgement. Torture instruments laid out to scare them. But they all did not cease glorify Lord. Unshakable after being stripped naked and beaten mercilessly with dry ox sinews, after which they were suspended from a tree and their bodies were flayed until their entrails were exposed. Then beheaded and inherited Kingdom ofHeaven.; Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, and those with them, Commemorated on March 1; The Holy Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, Marcellus, and Anthony of Perge (Pérgē) in Pamphylia (Pamphylίa) lived during the reign of the impious Emperor Decius As Christians, they fearlessly preached Christ, therefore the pagans denounced them to the governor of the region. latter immediately sent a large detachment of soldiers with orders to arrest them and bring him before him for judgement. the Holy Martyrs were brought to trial, the governor commanded that all the instruments of torture should be laid out before them in order to frighten them and force them to renounce their Christian Faith. when they saw them, they cried out with a loud voice: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ" (Romans 8:35), and they did not cease to glorify the Lord. the governor ordered them to be stripped naked and beaten mercilessly with dry ox sinews, after which they were suspended from a tree and their bodies were flayed until their entrails were exposed. convinced that the Saints were unshakable in their faith in Christ, the governor ordered the executioners to take them down from the tree. they gave thanks to God, the Saints were beheaded. Thus these Holy Martyrs were executed and thereby inherited the Kingdom of Heaven. The city of Perge was located in the region of Pamphylia, located in the southern part of Asia Minor on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman Emperor Decius reigned from 249-251, and was a fierce persecutor of Christians.

Rome, 250 3rd Century, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, celibate, confessor, torment, to the bone, miraculously healed, martyr
Lyconia, 250, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium; Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Great Martyr Paraskeva of Iconium, lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. The parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeva. This name, Paraskeva, also means Friday. Paraskeva with all her heart loved purity and the loftiness of the virginal life, and she took a vow of celibacy. She wanted to devote all her life to God and to enlighten pagans with the light of Christ. of her confession of the Orthodox Faith, the pagans in a frenzy seized her and brought her to the city prefect. They demanded that she offer unholy sacrifice to the pagan idols. With a steady heart, and trusting on God, the saint refused this demand. For this she underwent great torments: after stripping her, they tied her to a tree and beat her with rods. Then the torturers raked her pure body with iron claws. Finally, they threw her into prison, exhausted by the torture and lacerated to the bone. But God did not forsake the holy sufferer, and miraculously healed her wounds. Not heeding this divine miracle, the executioners continued with their torture of Saint Paraskevḗ, and finally, they cut off her head. Paraskeva has always enjoyed a special love and veneration among the Orthodox people. Many pious customs and observances are associated with her. In the ancient Russian accounts of the Saints’ Lives, the name of the Great Martyr is inscribed as: Saint Paraskeva, also called Piatnitsa (in Russian: Friday). Churches dedicated to Saint Paraskeva in antiquity were given the name Piatnitsa. Small wayside chapels in Rus received the name Piatnitsa. The simple Russian people called the Martyr Paraskeva variously Piatnitsa, Piatina, Petka. of Saint Paraskeva were especially venerated and embellished by the faithful. Russian iconographers usually depicted the martyr as an austere ascetic, tall of stature, with a radiant crown upon her head. Icons of the saint guard pious and happy households. By Church belief, Saint Paraskevḗ is protectress of fields and cattle. Therefore, on her Feastday it was the custom to bring fruit to church to be blessed. These blessed objects were kept until the following year. Moreover, Saint Paraskeva is invoked for protection of cattle from disease. She is also a healer of people from grievous illness of both body and soul.

Rome, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, B's Bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross miraculously etched
Syria, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, tower, pagan teachers, beauty, first cause questions, idols human hands w, not able to make, desire to know god life' goal, virginity, fame her beauty, refused marriage, warned father of split, permitted freedom, christian maidens, priest disguised merchant, baptism, Barbara's bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross, miraculously etched, footprints too, healing water, many B miracles, father's rage, escape, hill opens up, crevice, shepherds, torture, Jesus, Juliana's sympathetic loud voice, torture, angel c nakedness w robe, beheaded by f and perfect, both killed by lightning; Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon.[1][2] There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology. Despite the legends detailing her story, the earliest references to her supposed 3rd-century life do not appear until the 7th century, and veneration of her was common, especially in the East, from the 9th century.[3] of doubts about the historicity of her legend,[4] she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, though not from the Catholic Church's list of saints.[5] Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times, perhaps best known as the patron saint of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning, and also of mathematicians. A 15th-century French version of her story credits her with thirteen miracles, many of which reflect the security she offered that her devotees would not die before getting to make confession and receiving extreme unction.[3] Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon); Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her from the eyes of strangers. Therefore, he built a tower for Barbara, where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and the meadows covered with a mottled blanket of flowers; by night the harmonious and majestic vault of the heavens twinkled and provided a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. the virgin began to ask herself questions about the First Cause and Creator of so harmonious and splendid a world. she became convinced that the souless idols were merely the work of human hands. her father and teachers offered them worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the surrounding world. desire to know the true God so consumed her soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, to spend her life in virginity. fame of her beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her hand in marriage. But despite the entreaties of her father, she refused all of them. warned her father that his persistence might end tragically and separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that the temperament of his daughter had been affected by her life of seclusion. therefore permitted her to leave the tower and gave her full freedom in her choice of friends and acquaintances. Barbara met young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos. the Providence of God, a priest arrived in Heliopolis from Alexandria disguised as a merchant. After instructing her in the mysteries of the Christian Faith, he baptized Barbara, then returned to his own country. this time a luxurious bathhouse was being built at the house of Dioscorus. By his orders the workers prepared to put two windows on the south side. But Barbara, taking advantage of her father’s absence, asked them to make a third window, thereby forming a Trinity of light. one of the walls of the bath-house Barbara traced a cross with her finger. The cross was deeply etched into the marble, as if by an iron instrument. her footprints were imprinted on the stone steps of the bathhouse. water of the bathhouse had great healing power. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9) compared the bathhouse to the stream of Jordan and the Pool of Siloam, because by God’s power, many miracles took place there. Dioscorus returned and expressed dissatisfaction about the change in his building plans, his daughter told him about how she had come to know the Triune God, about the saving power of the Son of God, and about the futility of worshipping idols. went into a rage, grabbed a sword and was on the point of striking her with it. The holy virgin fled from her father, and he rushed after her in pursuit. His way became blocked by a hill, which opened up and concealed the saint in a crevice. the other side of the crevice was an entrance leading upwards. Saint Barbara managed then to conceal herself in a cave on the opposite slope of the hill. a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. he handed her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat Saint Barbara fiercely: they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night Saint Barbara prayed fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even more frightful torments. the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her. martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of Saint Barbara the Lord sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Saints Barbara and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed Saint Barbara. The wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning. the sixth century the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople. Six hundred years later, they were transferred to Kiev (July 11) by Barbara, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos, Barbara, wife of the Russian prince Michael Izyaslavich. They rest even now at Kiev’s Saint Vladimir cathedral, where an Akathist to the saint is served each Tuesday. pious Orthodox Christians are in the habit of chanting the Troparion of Saint Barbara each day, recalling the Savior’s promise to her that those who remembered her and her sufferings would be preserved from a sudden, unexpected death, and would not depart this life without benefit of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Rome, 250 3rd Century, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died
Sicily, 250, 3rd Century, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died; Sicily; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated January 24 ; Holy Martyrs Babylas of Sicily and his two disciples Timothy and Agapius lived during the third century on the outskirts of Rome. Saint Babylas was born in the city of Reupolium into a rich family, and he was raised by his parents in the Christian Faith. still in his youth he abandoned the world, secretly going from the house of his parents to a mountain, where he spent all his time in fasting, prayer and silence. two disciples, Timothy and Agapius, labored with him. Fleeing a persecution by the pagans, he went with his disciples to the island of Sicily, where they converted many unbelievers to Christ. governor of the island, angered by the missionary activity of Saint Babylas, ordered that he and his disciples be arrested, and he also had them tortured. The saints patiently endured their sufferings, and all three died by the sword. Their bodies were thrown into a fire, but the flames did not harm the warriors of Christ. They were buried on the island of Sicily by local Christians.

Rome, 251, Thermistocles of Myra, Lycia, a shepherd who concealed Dioskorides and went out to persuers. Tortured and Martyed
Lycia, 251, Thermistocles of Myra, Lycia, a shepherd who concealed Dioskorides and went out to persuers. Tortured and Martyed; Myra, Lycia; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 21 ; Holy Martyr Themistocles lived in the city of Myra of Lycia during the reign of the persecutor of Christians, Decius (249-251) was a shepherd. During the persecution he concealed within his home a certain Christian named Dioskorides, while he himself went out to the pursuers. They tortured him cruelly, and he received a martyr’s crown for Christ in the year 251

Rome, 251, Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikephoros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth, Greece
Greece, 251, Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikēphóros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth, Greece, Victor&Nikephoros were tied to a stone mortar &crushed by a huge stone pestle, Claudius died after his hands and feet were cut off, Diodorus was burned, Serapion beheaded, & Papias was drowned; Corinth; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Holy Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikēphóros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth in 251, a persecution under the emperor Decius (249-251). Victorinus, Victor and Nikēphóros were tied to a stone mortar and crushed by a huge stone pestle. Claudius died after his hands and feet were cut off. Diodorus was burned, Serapion beheaded, Saint Papias was drowned in the sea.

Rome, 250, Parasceva of Iconium, name m friday, virgin, light o Christ, many customs, churches chapels, Petka, Icons, healer
Lykaonia, 250 3rd Century, Parasceva of Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), name m friday, virgin life, for light of Christ, refused idol sacrifice, tortured rods, iron claws, healed, beheaded, Orthodox love, many customs, rus churches chapels, Petka, Icons, tall austere ascetic radiant crown, protect fields cattle, healer; Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Great Martyr Paraskeve of Iconium, lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeve. This name, Paraskeve, also means Friday. Paraskeve with all her heart loved purity and the loftiness of the virginal life, and she took a vow of celibacy. She wanted to devote all her life to God and to enlighten pagans with the light of Christ. of her confession of the Orthodox Faith, the pagans in a frenzy seized her and brought her to the city prefect. demanded that she offer unholy sacrifice to the pagan idols. a steady heart, and trusting on God, the saint refused this demand. this she underwent great torments: after stripping her, they tied her to a tree and beat her with rods. Then the torturers raked her pure body with iron claws. Finally, they threw her into prison, exhausted by the torture and lacerated to the bone. God did not forsake the holy sufferer, and miraculously healed her wounds. Not heeding this divine miracle, the executioners continued with their torture of Saint Paraskeve, and finally, they cut off her head. Paraskeve has always enjoyed a special love and veneration among the Orthodox people. pious customs and observances are associated with her. the ancient Russian accounts of the Saints’ Lives, the name of the Great Martyr is inscribed as: Saint Paraskeve, also called Piatnitsa (in Russian: Friday). dedicated to Saint Paraskeve in antiquity were given the name Piatnitsa. wayside chapels in Rus received the name Piatnitsa. simple Russian people called the Martyr Paraskeve variously Piatnitsa, Piatina, Petka. of Saint Paraskeve were especially venerated and embellished by the faithful. iconographers usually depicted the martyr as an austere ascetic, tall of stature, with a radiant crown upon her head. of the saint guard pious and happy households. Church belief, Saint Paraskeve is protectress of fields and cattle. Therefore, on her Feastday it was the custom to bring fruit to church to be blessed. These blessed objects were kept until the following year. Saint Paraskeve is invoked for protection of cattle from disease. is also a healer of people from grievous illness of both body and soul.

Rome, 250, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, celibate, confessor, torment, to the bone, miraculously healed, martyred
Lykaonia, 250, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium; Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Great Martyr Paraskeva of Iconium, lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. The parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeva. This name, Paraskeva, also means Friday. Paraskeva with all her heart loved purity and the loftiness of the virginal life, and she took a vow of celibacy. She wanted to devote all her life to God and to enlighten pagans with the light of Christ. of her confession of the Orthodox Faith, the pagans in a frenzy seized her and brought her to the city prefect. They demanded that she offer unholy sacrifice to the pagan idols. With a steady heart, and trusting on God, the saint refused this demand. For this she underwent great torments: after stripping her, they tied her to a tree and beat her with rods. Then the torturers raked her pure body with iron claws. Finally, they threw her into prison, exhausted by the torture and lacerated to the bone. But God did not forsake the holy sufferer, and miraculously healed her wounds. Not heeding this divine miracle, the executioners continued with their torture of Saint Paraskevḗ, and finally, they cut off her head. Paraskeva has always enjoyed a special love and veneration among the Orthodox people. Many pious customs and observances are associated with her. In the ancient Russian accounts of the Saints’ Lives, the name of the Great Martyr is inscribed as: Saint Paraskeva, also called Piatnitsa (in Russian: Friday). Churches dedicated to Saint Paraskeva in antiquity were given the name Piatnitsa. Small wayside chapels in Rus received the name Piatnitsa. The simple Russian people called the Martyr Paraskeva variously Piatnitsa, Piatina, Petka. of Saint Paraskeva were especially venerated and embellished by the faithful. Russian iconographers usually depicted the martyr as an austere ascetic, tall of stature, with a radiant crown upon her head. Icons of the saint guard pious and happy households. By Church belief, Saint Paraskevḗ is protectress of fields and cattle. Therefore, on her Feastday it was the custom to bring fruit to church to be blessed. These blessed objects were kept until the following year. Moreover, Saint Paraskeva is invoked for protection of cattle from disease. She is also a healer of people from grievous illness of both body and soul.

Rome, 250 3rd C, Christina oTyre, Lebanon, worshipped creator, prayed reveal self, he taught her savior faith, healed fMany t
Lebanon, 250 3rd Century, Christina oTyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth), wealthy, beautiful, pagan princess, gold idols, Incense before them, but wondered who created beautiful world, idols couldn't have, prayed to creator to reveal himself, wFasting, visited bAngel wInstructed true faith, tSavior Christ, called her Bride oChrist, told future suffering, she smashed all idols&out the window, her father's rage, mother's imploring tReturn, tortured iron wheel scorched all sides, prison, angel healed fed her, father drowned her but angel sustained her, father to execute her for sorcery but he died suddenly, more tortures another governor, she converted 300 in prison, new governor locked red hot oven 5days alive unharmed, executed wSword; Tyre; Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Christina lived during the third century. was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. ’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. this end he placed her in a special dwelling where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them. Two servants attended Christina. her solitude, Christina began to wonder who had created this beautiful world. her room she was delighted by the stars of the heavens and she constantly came back to the thought about the Creator of all the world. was convinced, that the voiceless and inanimate idols in her room could not create anything, since they themselves were created by human hands. began to pray to the One God with tears, entreating Him to reveal Himself. Her soul blazed with love for the Unknown God, and she intensified her prayer all the more, and combined it with fasting. time Christina was visited by an angel, who instructed her in the true faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. angel called her a bride of Christ and told her about her future suffering. holy virgin smashed all the idols standing in her room and threw them out the window. visiting his daughter Christina’s father, Urban, asked her where all the idols had disappeared. Christina was silent. Then, having summoned the servants, Urban learned the truth from them. a rage the father began to slap his daughter’s face. At first, the holy virgin remained quiet, but then she told her father about her faith in the One True God, and that she had destroyed the idols with her own hands. gave orders to kill all the servants in attendance upon his daughter, and he gave Christina a fierce beating and threw her in prison. learned about what had happened, Saint Christina’s mother came in tears, imploring her to renounce Christ and to return to her ancestral beliefs. Christina remained unyielding. another day, Urban brought his daughter to trial and urged her to offer worship to the gods, and to ask forgiveness for her misdeeds. Instead, he saw her firm and steadfast confession of faith in Christ. torturers tied her to an iron wheel, beneath which they lit a fire. The body of the martyr, turning round on the wheel, was scorched on all sides. They then threw her into prison. angel of God appeared at night, healing her wounds and strengthening her with food. father, seeing her unharmed, gave orders to drown her in the sea. angel sustained the saint while the stone sank down, and Christina miraculously came out of the water and reappeared before her father. terror, her father imputed this to sorcery and decided to execute her in the morning. night he himself suddenly died. governor, Dion, was sent in his place. He summoned the holy martyr and also tried to persuade her to renounce Christ, but seeing her unyielding firmness, he again subjected her to cruel tortures. holy martyr was for a long while in prison. People began to flock to her, and she converted them to the true faith in Christ. Thus about 300 were converted. place of Dion, a new governor Julian arrived and resumed the torture of the saint. various torments, Julian gave orders to throw her into a red-hot furnace and lock her in it. After five days they opened the furnace and found the martyr alive and unharmed. Seeing this miracle take place, many believed in Christ the Savior, and the torturers executed Saint Christina with a sword.

Rome, 250 3rd C, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died
Sicily, 250, 3rd Century, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died; Sicily; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated January 24 ; Holy Martyrs Babylas of Sicily and his two disciples Timothy and Agapius lived during the third century on the outskirts of Rome. Saint Babylas was born in the city of Reupolium into a rich family, and he was raised by his parents in the Christian Faith. still in his youth he abandoned the world, secretly going from the house of his parents to a mountain, where he spent all his time in fasting, prayer and silence. two disciples, Timothy and Agapius, labored with him. Fleeing a persecution by the pagans, he went with his disciples to the island of Sicily, where they converted many unbelievers to Christ. governor of the island, angered by the missionary activity of Saint Babylas, ordered that he and his disciples be arrested, and he also had them tortured. The saints patiently endured their sufferings, and all three died by the sword. Their bodies were thrown into a fire, but the flames did not harm the warriors of Christ. They were buried on the island of Sicily by local Christians.

Rome, 250, 3rd C, Blaise fCaesurea, a shepherd, caldron boiling water, unharmed, governor jumped in, died, staff became tree
Armenia, 250, 3rd C, Blaise fCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), a shepherd, surrendered to torturers, beat him leather thongs, Lord healed, threw caldron boiling water, unharmed, pagan soldiers saw miracle, converted, governor jumpte in to prove water cold, died, Blaise converted many died peacefully, staff thrown into ground near relics became tree, branches covered church over relics; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Blaise of Caesarea lived in the third century. was from Caesarea in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) and was a shepherd. a persecution against Christians began, Saint Blaise surrendered himself into the hands of the torturers. subjected him to torture, and beat him with leather thongs, the Lord healed his wounds. then threw Blaise into a cauldron of boiling water, but he remained there unharmed. pagan soldiers, seeing this miracle, came to believe in Christ. governor, wishing to show that the martyr remained unharmed because the water had cooled, jumped into the cauldron and died. brought many to faith in Christ, Saint Blaise peacefully surrendered his soul to God. thrust the saint’s shepherd’s staff into the ground, and it grew up into a large tree, which covered with its branches a church built over his relics.

Rome, 250-287, Cosmos&Damian, unmercenary physicians, practiced iAegae, Cilicia & across Gulf in Rossos, Syria
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Aegeae, Cilicia; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; and Damian ( c.  3rd century – c.  287 or 303 AD) two Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs.[3][4] practised their profession in the seaport of Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Syria.[5] and Damian were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practised medicine and surgery without a fee. This led them to being named anargyroi (from the Greek Ἀνάργυροι, 'the silverless' or 'unmercenaries'); by this, they attracted many to the Christian faith.[6] They reputedly cured blindness, fever, paralysis and reportedly expelled a breast serpent. They were arrested by Lysias, governor of Cilicia (modern day Çukurova, Turkey) during the Diocletian persecution because of their faith and fame as healers. Emperor Diocletian was a religious fanatic and favoured the pantheism of the Olympian Gods. He issued a series of edicts that condemned the Christians in his attempt to wipe out Christianity from his empire.[7] Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, by Gerard Seghers, 17th century, Private collection, U.S. Nothing is known of their lives except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. According to Christian traditions, the twin brothers were born in Arabia and became skilled doctors.[8] d'Ascoli, a 15th century Italian physician, claims that the medieval electuary, a pasty mass consisting of a drug mixed with sugar and water or honey suitable for oral administration,[9] known as opopira,[10] a complex compound medicine used to treat diverse maladies including paralysis, was invented by Cosmas and Damian.[11] the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who is otherwise unknown, who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned and shot by arrows and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.[5] and Damian miraculously transplant the black leg of the Ethiopian onto the white body of the patient. (1400/1420) in St. Michael's Church, Munich containing the alleged skulls of Cosmas and Damian. The convent of the Poor Clares in Madrid also has two skulls alleged to be of Cosmas and Damian. Felix IV presents Saints Cosmas and Damian with the basilica he rededicated to them. veneration of Cosmas and Damian quickly spread beyond Constantinople; accounts of their martyrdom were rewritten by various authors such as Andrew of Crete, Peter of Argos, Theodore II Laskaris, and a certain Maximus around 1300. The legends are preserved also in Syriac, Coptic, Georgian, Armenian, and Latin.[12] early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established at Jerusalem, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. Theodoret records the division of their reputed relics. Their relics, deemed miraculous, were buried in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. Churches were built in their honor by Archbishop Proclus and by Emperor Justinian I (527–565), who sumptuously restored the city of Cyrrhus and dedicated it to the twins, but brought their purported relics to Constantinople; there, following his cure, ascribed to the intercession of Cosmas and Damian, Justinian, in gratitude also built and adorned their church at Constantinople,[8] and it became a celebrated place of pilgrimage. At Rome, Pope Felix IV (526–530) rededicated the Library of Peace (Bibliotheca Pacis) as a basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in the Forum of Vespasian in their honour. The church is much rebuilt but still famed for its sixth-century mosaics illustrating the saints. are said to be their skulls are venerated in the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales of the Clares in Madrid, where they have been since 1581, the gift of Maria, daughter of Emperor Charles V. They had previously been removed from Rome to Bremen in the tenth century, and thence to Bamberg. Other skulls said to be theirs were discovered in 1334 by Burchard Grelle, Archbishop of Bremen. He "personally 'miraculously' retrieved the relics of the holy physicians Cosmas and Damian, which were allegedly immured and forgotten in the choir of the Bremen Cathedral.[13] In celebration of the retrieval Archbishop and Chapter arranged a feast at Pentecost 1335, when the relics were translated from the wall to a more dignified place.[14] Grelle claimed the relics were those Archbishop Adaldag brought from Rome in 965. The cathedral master-builder Johann Hemeling made a shrine for the relics, which was finished around 1420. The shrine, made from carved oak wood covered with gilt and rolled silver is considered an important mediaeval gold work.[15] In 1649 Bremen's Chapter, Lutheran by this time, sold the shrine without the heads to Maximilian I of Bavaria. The two heads remained in Bremen and came into the possession of the small Roman Catholic community. They were shown from 1934 to 1968 in the Church of St. Johann and in 1994 they were buried in the crypt.[16] The shrine is now shown in the Jesuit church of St Michael in Munich. At least since 1413 another supposed pair of skulls of the saints has been stored in St Stephens's Cathedral in Vienna. Other relics are claimed by the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian by Fra Angelico (Musée du Louvre, Paris). martyr twins are invoked in the Canon of the Mass[8] in the prayer known as the Communicantes (from the first Latin word of the prayer): "In communion with the whole Church, they venerate above all others the memory of the glorious ever-virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, then of blessed Joseph, husband of the Virgin, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, ...John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints: grant through their merits and prayers that in all things we may be defended by the help of your protection." They are also invoked in the Litany of the Saints, and in the older form of the Roman rite, in the Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, as the station church for this day is Santi Cosma e Damiano. feast day in the General Roman Calendar, which had been on 27 September, was moved in 1969 to 26 September because 27 September is the dies natalis ("day of birth" into Heaven) of Vincent de Paul, now more widely venerated in the Latin Church.[17][original research?] In Canada it has been moved to 25 September (as 26 September is the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs in Canada).[18] Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patrons of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists and are sometimes represented with medical emblems. They are also regarded as the patron saints of twins. and Damian are depicted as supporters of the arms of the guild of barber-surgeons carved into a capital, 15th century, from the Carmes monastery in Trie-sur-Baïse in southwestern France. The inscription reads, "Saints Cosmas and Damian pray for us". Brazil, the twin saints are regarded as protectors of children, and 27 September is commemorated, especially in Rio de Janeiro, by giving children bags of candy with the saints' effigy printed on them and throughout the entire state of Bahia where Catholics and adepts of Candomblé religion offer typical food such as caruru. The ritual consists of first offering the food to seven children that are no older than seven years old and then having them feast while sitting on the floor and eating with their hands. The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, in Igarassu, Pernambuco is Brazil's oldest church, built in 1535. the UK Damian is the dexter side supporter in the coat of arms of the British Dental Association. and Damian are venerated every year in Utica, New York at St. Anthony's Parish during the annual pilgrimage which takes place on the last weekend of September (close to the 27 September feast day). There are thousands of pilgrims who come to honor the saints. Over 80 busloads come from Canada and other destinations. The 2-day festival includes music (La Banda Rosa), much Italian food, masses and processions through the streets of East Utica. It is one of the largest festivals honoring saints in the northeast USA. Christianity[edit] of Saints Cosmas and Damian (17th century, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Cosmas and Damian are venerated as a type of saint known as Unmercenary Physicians (Greek: ἀνάργυροι, anargyroi, "without money"). This classification of saints is unique to the Eastern Church and refers to those who heal purely out of love for God and man, strictly observing the command of Jesus: "Freely have you received, freely give." («Δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε...» Matthew 10:8) While each of the Unmercenaries has his own feast days, all are commemorated together on the first Sunday in November, in a feast known as the Synaxis of the Unmercenary Physicians. Orthodox celebrate no less than three different sets of saints by the name of Cosmas and Damian, each with their own distinct feast day: Saints Cosmas and Damian of Cilicia (Arabia) (17 October) Brothers, according to Christian legend they were beaten and beheaded together with three other Christians: Leontius, Anthimus, and Eutropius. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor — alternately, of Mesopotamia (1 November) Twin sons of Theodota of Philippi. Died peacefully and were buried together at Thereman in Mesopotamia. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (1 July) Brothers, according to Christian tradition they were martyred outside Rome by a jealous pagan physician during the reign of the Roman Emperor Carinus (283–284). Orthodox icons of the saints depict them vested as laymen holding medicine boxes. Often each will also hold a spoon with which to dispense medicine. The handle of the spoon is normally shaped like a cross to indicate the importance of spiritual as well as physical healing, and that all cures come from God. Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Rome, 250-287, Cosmos& Damien, Mom's example, physicians healing gift, for animals, 3eggs story, camel spoke, appeared aDeath
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Rome, 251-253, Emperor, Volusian, Pagan, b died in plague, k by troups w f
Roman Emperor, 251-253, Volusian; Vibius Volusianus (died August 253) was a Roman emperor from November 251 to August 253, ruling with his father Trebonianus Gallus. Emperor Decius and his son and co-ruler Herennius Etruscus died in battle in June 251, Trebonianus Gallus was elected emperor in the field by the legion. raised Hostilian, the younger son of Decius, to augustus (co-emperor) and elevated Volusianus to caesar. After the death of Hostilian in November 251, Volusianus was raised to augustus. short reign of Gallus and Volusianus was notable for the outbreak of a plague, which is said by some to be the reason for Hostilian's death, the invasion of the Sasanian Empire, and the raids of the Goths. was killed alongside his father in August 253 by their own soldiers, who were terrified of the forces of the usurper Aemilian which were marching towards Rome. Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated on January 21; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Rome, 251-253, Volusian's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 253-259, Emperor, Valerian the Elder, Christian suppoter, then Pagan
Roman Emperor, 253-259, Valerian the Elder ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Stephen the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 2 ; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Hippolytus of Rome, Commemorated on August 13; LAURENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR (10 AUGUST 258); Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated on January 21; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Leonidas of Corinth, Commemorated on April 16; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23;

Rome, 251-253, Pope, Cornelius, supported lapsed members return to communion, martyred
Roman Pope, 251-253, Cornelius; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4;

Rome, 253, Galacteon& w Epistemis at Emessa, childless rich family, prayer always granted to faith, crowns vision
Syria, 253, Galacteon and wife Epistemis at Emessa, Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2), childless rich family, prayer always granted to faith, son, educated, marriage but monastic life, radiant king and crowns vision, terrible torments, hands & Legs, tongues, beheaded; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Galacteon and his wife at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5; was a rich and distinguished couple named Kletophon and Leukippe, who lived in the Syrian city of Emesa, and for a long time they were childless. They gave much gold to the pagan priests, but still they remained childless. city of Emesa was governed by a Syrian named Secundus, put there by the Roman Caesars. was a merciless and zealous persecutor of Christians, and to intimidate them he ordered that the instruments of torture be displayed on the streets. slightest suspicion of belonging to “the sect of the Galilean” (as thus Christians were called by the pagans), was enough to get a man arrested and handed over for torture. spite of this, many Christians voluntarily surrendered themselves into the hands of the executioners, in their desire to suffer for Christ. certain old man by the name of Onuphrius concealed his monastic and priestly dignity beneath his beggar’s rags. He walked from house to house in Emesa, begging alms. At the same time, whenever he saw the possibility of turning people away from the pagan error, he preached about Christ. he came to the magnificent house of Leukippe. Accepting alms from her, he sensed that the woman was in sorrow, and he asked what was the cause of this sadness. told the Elder about her familial misfortune. In consoling her, Onuphrius began to tell her about the one true God, about His omnipotence and mercy, and how He always grants the prayer of those turning to Him with faith. filled the soul of Leukippe. She believed and accepted Holy Baptism. after this it was revealed to her in a dream that she would give birth to a son, who would be a true follower of Christ. first, Leukippe concealed her delight from her husband, but after the infant was born, she revealed the secret to her husband and also persuaded him to be baptized. named the baby Galaction and his parents raised him in the Christian Faith and provided him a fine education. could make an illustrious career for himself, but Galaction sought rather an unsullied monastic life in solitude and prayer. Galaction turned twenty-four, his father resolved to marry him off and they found him a bride, a beautiful and illustrious girl by the name of The son did not oppose the will of his father, but by the will of God, the wedding was postponed for a time. his betrothed, Galaction gradually revealed his faith to her. Eventually, he converted her to Christ and he secretly baptized her himself. Episteme he baptized also one of her servants, Eutolmius. newly-illumined decided on the initiative of Galaction, to devote themselves to the monastic life. the city, they hid themselves away on Mount Publion, where there were two monasteries, one for men and the other for women. new monastics had to take with them all the necessities for physical toil, since the inhabitants of both monasteries were both old and infirm. several years the monastics struggled in work, fasting and prayer. Episteme had a vision in her sleep: she and Galaction stood in a wondrous palace before a radiant King, and the King bestowed golden crowns on them. was a prefiguring of their impending martyrdom. pagans became aware of the existence of the monasteries, and a military detachment was sent to apprehend their inhabitants. the monks and the nuns succeeded in hiding themselves in the hills. however, had no desire to flee and so he remained in his cell, reading Holy Scripture. Episteme saw that the soldiers were leading Galaction away in chains, she began to implore the Abbess to permit her to go also, since she wanted to accept torture for Christ together with her fiancé and teacher. The Abbess tearfully blessed Episteme to do so. saints endured terrible torments, while supplicating and glorifying Christ. Their hands and legs were cut off, their tongues were cut out, and then they were beheaded. the former servant of Episteme, and who had become her brother in Christ and fellow ascetic in monastic struggles, secretly buried the bodies of the holy martyrs. He later wrote an account of their virtuous life and their glorious martyrdom, for his contemporaries and for posterity.

Rome, 253-259, Valerian's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 249-259, Polyeuktos1, first Melitene martyr, Armenia, tore up Decius' edict, trampled idols, baptized in his blood
Armenia, 249-259, Polyeuktos1, first Melitene martyr, Armenia, tore up Decius' edict, trampled idols, baptized in his blood, Decius' soldier, martyred bValerian, frined oNearkhos fellow soldier, firm christian, P remained Pagan, N said he would be tortured&separated, P said he saw Christ in dream, dressed him radiant garment, so now prepared to serve Jesus, tCity square, tore Decius' edict requiring idol worship, trampled 12 idols in procession, father-in Law responsible fEdict enforcement told him obey edict, but must obey God rather than men, baptized in own blood, during Constantine's reign church built iMelitene for him, many intercession miracles there incl Euthymios' parents praying fSon i376, and Bishop Akakios ot3rd EC, orthodoxy proponent, patron saint oVows&treaties; Malatya; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Polyeuktos1 was the first to be martyred for Christ in the Armenian city of Melitene. was a soldier during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251), and he later suffered martyrdom in the reign of Valerian (253-259). was a friend of Nearkhos a fellow-soldier and a firm Christian. Polyeuktos, however, although he led a virtuous life, he remained a pagan. the persecution against Christians began, Nearkhos said to Polyeuktos, Friend, soon we shall be separated, for they will take me to torture, and you, alas, will renounce your friendship with me. told him that he had seen Christ in a dream. The Savior took his soiled military cloak from him and dressed him in a radiant garment. Now, he said, I am prepared to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. with zeal, Saint Polyeuktos went to the city square, and tore up the edict of Decius which required everyone to worship the idols. few moments later, he met a procession carrying twelve idols through the streets of the city. Dashing the idols to the ground, he trampled them underfoot. father-in-law, the magistrate Felix, who was responsible for enforcing the imperial edict, was horrified at what Saint Polyeuktos had done and advised him to obey the imperial edict. told him that we must obey God rather than men. declared that Polyeuktos must die for this. Go then, bid farewell to your wife and children, he said. wept and urged her husband to renounce Christ. Felix also wept, but Saint Polyeuktos remained steadfast in his resolve to suffer for Christ. his head beneath the executioner's sword, he was baptized in his own blood. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, when the Church of Christ had triumphed throughout the Roman Empire, a church was built at Melitene in honor of Saint Polyeuktos. miracles were worked through his intercession. that same church, the parents of Saint Euthymios the Great (January 20) prayed fervently for a son. The birth of this great luminary of Orthodoxy occurred in the year 376, through the prayers of the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos. Polyeuktos was also venerated by Saint Akakios, the Bishop of Melitene (March 31), who participated in the Third Ecumenical Council, and was a great proponent of Orthodoxy. the East, as well as in the West, the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos is venerated as the patron Saint of vows and treaties. Polyeucte Overture of French composer Paul Dukas is only one of many pieces of classical music inspired by the Saints. It premiered in January of 1892. The French dramatist Pierre Corneille has also written a play, Polyeucte (1642), based on the Martyr’s life. The name Polyeuktos means much-desired.

Rome, 253-257, Pope, Stephen, anti novatian, converted many, martyrdom destroyed pagan temple
Roman Pope, 253-257, St Stephen of Rome; Hieromartyr Stephen the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 2 ; Hieromartyr Stephen, Pope of Rome, suffered in the year 257 during the reign of the emperor Valerian (253-259). Stephen, occupying the throne (253-257) of the holy First Bishop of Rome, zealously contended against the heresy of Novatus, which taught that it is not proper to receive back those returning from heresy. hiding during a persecution against Christians, Saint Stephen baptized many pagans, including the military tribune Nemesius. He converted to Christ after the saint healed his daughter Lucilla. Nemesius, who was ordained as a deacon, was beheaded along with his daughter. steward Symphronius was brought by the tribune Olympius into the temple of Mars for torture. His prayer shattered the golden idol, after which the tribune with his wife Exuperia and his son Theodolus believed and were baptized. They were all burned alive, and their remains were buried by holy Pope Stephen. twelve of his clergy were beheaded: Bonus, Faustus, Maurus, Primitivus, Calumniosus, John, Exuperantus, Cyril, Theodore, Basil, Castelus, Honoratus and Tertullinus, all converted by Saint Stephen. Finally, Saint Stephen himself was led before the emperor Valerian (253-259) , who condemned him to beheading with a sword in the temple of Mars. the prayers of the saint, a large part of the pagan temple was destroyed, and the soldiers fled. The saint concealed himself in the catacombs (the resting place of Saint Lucina or Lucy), where he was later killed by soldiers while he was teaching Christians. Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10;

Rome, 253-259, Agrippina of Rome, virgin, went bravely before court, tortured, bones broke, chains, angel freed her, d tortures
Rome, 253-259, Agrippina of Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), virgin, went bravely before court, tortured, bones broke, chains, angel freed her, died from tortures; Rome; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23; Holy Martyr Agrippina, was by birth a Roman. did not wish to enter into marriage, and totally dedicated her life to God. the time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Valerian (253-259) the saint went before the court and bravely confessed her faith in Christ, for which she was given over to torture. beat the holy virgin with sticks so severely that her bones broke. Afterwards they put Saint Agrippina in chains, but an angel freed her from her bonds. holy confessor died from the tortures she endured. Christians Bassa, Paula and Agathonike secretly took the body of the holy martyr and transported it to Sicily, many miracles were worked at her grave. the eleventh century the relics of the holy Martyr Agrippina were transferred to Constantinople.

Rome, 253-259, Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, &Chaeremon, oAlexandria, Egypt, deacons & Dionysius' disciple, banished, beheaded
Egypt, 253-259, Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon, of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, deacons and disciples of Dionysius, banished with him, tortured, beheaded during Valerian's time; Alexandria; Martyrs Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon, of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 4; Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon were deacons and disciples of Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5). were arrested and banished from from Alexandria along with with Saint Dionysius. were tortured and beheaded during the persecution of Valerian (253-259).

Rome, 257-258, Pope Sixtus II, martyred by Valerian
Roman Pope, 257-258, Pope Sixtus II; Sixtus II was bishop of Rome from 31 August 257 until his death on 6 August 258. He was martyred along with seven deacons, including Lawrence of Rome, during the persecution of Christians by the Emperor Valerian.[1] Hieromartyr Stephen the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 2 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10;

Rome, 257-258, LAURENCE, Roman DEACON, to bishop Sixtus, take me with you, in 3 days, church treasures, distribute to poor
Rome, 257-258, LAURENCE, Roman DEACON AND MARTYR (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), to bishop Sixtus, take me with you, in 3 days, church treasures, distribute to poor, temple of Mars, prayer, earthquake destroys idols, reveal treasures need 3 days, jailer Hippolytos family baptized, soldier Romanus sees radiant youth and baptised, L on rack, iron whip, hot gridiron, I'm done on that side; Rome; LAURENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR (10 AUGUST 258); (or Lawrence) was chief of the seven deacons of the congregation at Rome, the seven men who, like Stephen and his companions (Acts 6:1-6), were in charge of administering the church budget, particularly with regard to the care of the poor. 257, the emperor Valerian began a persecution aimed chiefly at the clergy and the laity of the upper classes. Church property was confiscated and meetings of Christians were forbidden. bishop of Rome, Sixtus II, and most of his clergy were executed on 7 August 258, and Laurence on the 10th. This much from the near-contemporary records of the Church. The accounts recorded about a century later by Ambrose (see 7 Dec) and the poet Prudentius say that, as Sixtus was being led to his death, Laurence followed him, saying, "Will you go to heaven and leave me behind?" and that the bishop replied, "Be comforted, you will follow me in three days." go on to say that the Roman prefect, knowing that Laurence was the principal financial officer, promised to set him free if he would surrender the wealth of the Church. agreed, but said that it would take him three days to gather it. those three days, he placed all the money at his disposal in the hands of trustworthy stewards, and then assembled the sick, the aged, and the poor, the widows and orphans of the congregation, presented them to the prefect, and said, "These are the treasures of the Church." enraged prefect ordered him to be roasted alive on a gridiron. Laurence bore the torture with great calmness, saying to his executioners at one time, "You may turn me over; I am done on this side." spectacle of his courage made a great impression on the people of Rome, and made many converts, while greatly reducing among pagans the belief that Christianity was a socially undesirable movement that should be stamped out. The details of these later accounts have been disputed, on the grounds that a Roman citizen would have been beheaded. it is not certain that Laurence was a citizen, or that the prefect could be counted on to observe the law if he were. serious objections are these: The detailed accounts of the martyrdom of Laurence confuse the persecution under Decius with the persecution under Valerian, describing the latter, not as an emperor, but as the prefect of Rome under the emperor Decius. We have early testimony that Bishop Sixtus and his deacons were not led away to execution, but were summarily beheaded on the scene of their arrest. St. Laurence these reasons, the Bollandist Pere Delahaye and others believe that Laurence was simply beheaded in 258 with his bishop and fellow deacons. this theory, it remains unexplained how he became so prominent and acquired so elaborate an account of his martyrdom. emblem in art is (naturally) a gridiron. by James Kiefer Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Martyrs Archdeacon Laurence, Pope Sixtus, Deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus, and the soldier Romanus were citizens of Rome, and suffered in the year 258 during the reign of Emperor Valerian (253-260). Sixtus was born in the city of Athens, and at first he was a philosopher, but later he became a follower of Christ. he arrived in Rome, he showed himself to be a wise and devout member of the Church. Over a period of time, he passed through the various ranks of the clergy, and became the Bishop of Rome following the martyric death of Saint Stephen (August 2). Roman Hierarchs preferred to die rather than offer sacrifice to idols. Soon, Saint Sixtus was also arrested and imprisoned together with his deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus. Archdeacon Laurence visited Saint Sixtus in prison, he cried out with tears, "Where are you going, Father, without your son? Where do you hasten without your Archdeacon? Never have you offered the Bloodless Sacrifice without me. Take me with you, so that I may join you in shedding our blood for Christ!” Sixtus teplied, "I am not forsaking you, my son. I am old and I accept the lesser battle, but greater suffering awaits you. You must achieve the greater victory and triumph over your tormentors. Three days after my death, you shall follow after me." he entrusted Archdeacon Laurence with the Church's treasures and sacred vessels, telling him to distribute these to the poor. gathered them up and went around the city on foot, to the clergy and impoverished Christians who were in hiding, helping them according to their needs. he heard that Saint Sixtus had been brought to trial with his deacons, Saint Laurence went there in order to witness the outcome. that the martyrs were obstinate in their refusal to offer sacrifice to the idols, Valerian ordered them to be taken to the temple of Mars outside the city walls, and put to death if they did not offer incense to the idols. he saw the pagan temple, Saint Sixtus prayed for it to be destroyed. There was an earthquake which caused part of the temple to collapse, and the statue of Mars was shattered to pieces. Saint Laurence cried out, “Father, I have fulfilled your command, and have distributed the treasures of the Church which you entrusted to me." hearing about treasure, the soldiers placed him under guard. Saint Sixtus and the other martyrs were beheaded in front of the temple on August 6, 258. the soldiers brought Saint Laurence to the Emperor, informing him that they had heard the Archdeacon mention something about the Church's hidden treasures. Emperor ordered him to reveal where the treasures were, and the Archdeacon asked for three days in order to collect them. Then Saint Laurence gathered all the poor and the needy, and brought them to the Prefect, saying, "Behold the treasures of the Church." ruler became very angry at this and ordered Hippolytos (Iππόλυτος) who was in charge of the prison, to throw the Archdeacon into the dungeon with other prisoners. the Saint restored the sight of a man named Lucillus. was amazed at this, and asked to see the Church's treasures. Saint Laurence told him that if he believed in Christ and was baptized, he would find true wealth and everlasting life. Hippolytos said that if this was true, he would do as he asked. took Saint Laurence to his home, where he instructed and baptized the jailer and all his household, consisting of nineteen persons. afterward, Hippolytos was ordered to bring the Archdeacon to Emperor Valerian. Seeing that the Saint had not agreed to offer sacrifice, he ordered that Saint Laurence be tortured. Still, the Archdeacon refused to sacrifice to the idols. the Martyr endured these torments, a soldier named Romanus cried, "Laurence, I see a radiant youth standing by you, and wiping your wounds. Entreat Christ, Who has sent His Angel to you, not to abandon me." Valerian commanded Hippolytos to return the Saint to prison. brought a pitcher of water and asked the Martyr to baptize him. Immediately after the soldier was baptized, he was seized by other soldiers and taken to the Emperor. Before anyone could question him, Romanus shouted, "I am a Christian." Emperor ordered him to be taken outside the city and beheaded on August 9. next day, Saint Laurence was placed on a rack, scourged with whips with sharp iron points attached to them, and then was stretched out naked on a red-hot iron gridiron with burning coals underneath it. Holy Martyr glanced at the ruler and said, “You have already roasted one side of my body, now turn me over turn over the other side so you may taste what you have roasted." he glorified God, saying, “I thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, that You have found me worthy to enter Your gates." Laurence received the unfading crown of martyrdom on August 10, 258. night, Saint Hippolytos took the Saint's body he wrapped it in a shroud with spices. he and the priest Justin brought the relics to the home of a widow named Kyriake, where it remained until evening. many Christians escorted the Saint's body to a cave on the widow's property. After praying all night, they buried the Martyr there with honor. Then Father Justin served the Divine Liturgy, and everyone partook of the Holy Mysteries. Hippolytos and the other Christians suffered martyrdom three days after the death of Saint Laurence, on August 13. large part of Saint Laurence's relics are located in the church of Saint Laurence "outside the walls" in Rome. Other pieces of the holy relics are to be found in the Monasteries of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, and at Kykkos, Cyprus.

Rome, 257-275, Synetus, Reader, Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Tortured and beheaded for his confession
Rome, 257-275, Synetus, Reader, Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Tortured and beheaded for his confession; Rome; Martyr Synetus of Rome, Commemorated on December 12; Holy Martyr Synetus (the name is derived from the Greek word meaning “man of reason”) was a Roman by birth, and was a reader in the Roman Church under Pope Sixtus (257-258). He was subjected to torture, and was beheaded for his brave confession of faith in the time of the emperor Aurelian (270-275).

Rome, 253-268, Nikephoros of Antioch, friends Sapricius and N b enemies, N a forgiveness, S s no, after apostacy N dies for S
Syria, 253-268, Nikephoros of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7) friends Sapricius and N become enemies, N asks forgiveness, but S says no, N dies for S after S apostacy; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9; Holy Martyr Nikephoros lived in the city of Syrian Antioch. In this city lived also the presbyter Sapricius, with whom Nikephoros was very friendly, so that they were considered as brothers. They quarreled because of some disagreement, and their former love changed into enmity and hate. a certain time Nikephoros came to his senses, repented of his sin and more than once asked Sapricius, through mutual friends, to forgive him. Sapricius, however, did not wish to forgive him. Nikephoros then went to his former friend and fervently asked forgiveness, but Sapricius was adamant. this time the emperors Valerian (253-259) and Gallius (260-268) began to persecute Christians, and one of the first brought before the court was the priest Sapricius. He firmly confessed himself a Christian, underwent tortures for his faith and was condemned to death by beheading with a sword. As they led Sapricius to execution, Nikephoros tearfully implored his forgiveness saying, “O martyr of Christ, forgive me if I have sinned against you in any way.” priest Sapricius remained stubborn, and even as he approached death he refused to forgive his fellow Christian. Seeing the hardness of his heart, the Lord withdrew His blessing from Sapricius, and would not let him receive the crown of martyrdom. At the last moment, he suddenly became afraid of death and agreed to offer sacrifice to idols. In vain did Saint Nikephoros urge Sapricius not to lose his reward through apostasy, since he already stood on the threshold of the heavenly Kingdom. Nikephoros then said to the executioner, “I am a Christian, and I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Execute me in place of Sapricius.” The executioners reported this to the governor. He decided to free Sapricius, and to behead Nikephoros in his place. Thus did Saint Nikephoros inherit the Kingdom and receive a martyr’s crown.

Rome, 253-300, Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Apostle Andrew's disciple, but martyred Diocletian persecution
Romania, 253-300, Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16), Apostle Andrew's disciple, but active end of 3rd C, converted many pagans of Dacia Pontica, martyred Diocletian persecution; Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Evangelicus, a follower of the holy Apostle Andrew (November 30), the first known bishop of the diocese of Tomis (Constanța, pronounced: Constantsa) in Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia, or Dobrogea). was active around the mouths of the Danube toward the end of the third century. Evangelicus converted many pagans of Dacia Pontica to Christianity. is mentioned in the account of the martyrdom of Saints Epictetus and Astion (July 8), where he is described as the founder of churches in the province. parents of these holy martyrs were baptized by Saint Evangelicus after being converted by the priest Bonosus. is believed that Saint Evangelicus suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Diocletian (284-305).

Rome, 259-268, Emperor, Gallienus, C Supporter then Pagan, Third Century Crisis, successions, k in conspiracy
Roman Emperor, 259-268, Gallienus ; ( c. 218 -“ September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 22 October 253 to spring 260 and alone from spring 260 to September 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empire. While he won a number of military victories, he was unable to prevent the secession of important provinces. His 15-year reign was the longest in half a century. into a wealthy and traditional senatorial family, Gallienus was the son of Valerian and Mariniana. Valerian became Emperor on 22 October 253 and had the Roman senate elevate Gallienus to the ranks of Caesar and Augustus. Valerian divided the empire between him and his son, with Valerian ruling the east and his son the west. Gallienus defeated the usurper Ingenuus in 258 and destroyed an Alemanni army at Mediolanum in 259. defeat and capture of Valerian at Edessa in 260 by the Sasanian Empire threw the Roman Empire into the chaos of civil war. Control of the whole empire passed to Gallienus. He defeated the eastern usurpers Macrianus Major and Lucius Mussius Aemilianus in 261-“262 but failed to stop the formation of the breakaway Gallic Empire under general Postumus. Aureolus, another usurper, proclaimed himself emperor in Mediolanum in 268 but was defeated outside the city by Gallienus and besieged inside. While the siege was ongoing, Gallienus was stabbed to death by the officer Cecropius as part of a conspiracy. Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 259-268, Gallienus' Martyrs Folder

Rome, 258-299, Domninus oThessalonica, mocked emperor whle being mutilated, legs cut off at knee, lived 7 days, gave thanks
Greece, 258-299, Domninus oThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), Galerius building palaces, D arrested for preaching & refused idol sacrifice, G ordered D body mutilated, D mocked G while, legs cut off at knee out of city, lived 7days, gave thanks; Thessalonica; Martyr Domninus of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 1 ; Domnίnus was from Thessaloniki and lived at the end of the III century (circa 288). Maximian Galerius (258-311) was building royal palaces in that city, the Saint was arrested as a Christian and for preaching the Word of God. was brought before Emperor Maximian, who demanded to know how Domnίnus dared to confess any God, other than those the Emperor worshipped. advised him to sacrifice to the idols, if he wished to live. Domnίnus refused, and so the Emperor ordered that his body be mutilated. As he was being tortured, Domnίnus mocked the tyrant. Maximian ordered that he be driven out of the city and have his legs cut off at the knee. holy martyr remained alive for seven whole days without eating anything. Then, after giving thanks, he surrendered his holy soul to God.

Rome, 259, Fructuosis oTarragona, Spain, and 2 deacons, tied to stakes, ties burned then arms formed cross
Spain and Portugal, 259, Fructuosis oTarragona, Spain (Elbro River Mouth, Balearic Sea), F arrested with his deacons Augurius&Eulogius, they came at night, but he heard them and went to meet them, procouncil summons you and deacons, thrown into prison, wOther Christians, who comforted him&asked him tRemember them, he baptized Rogatianus iPrison, brought out to hearing, procouncil asked F if he aware emperor's orders, he did not know, said he was Christian, they ordered you worship tGods, F said he worships the one God who made heaven and earth and all in them, p asked if he knew the gods exist, No I do not, You will know later, F raised eyes tHeaven prayed, P said Gods are to be obeyed, feared, adored or Emperors images not adored, p told Augurius not to listen to F, but he replied I worship almighty God, P asked Eulogius don't you also worship F, No, I don't worship him but do worship Him whom he worships, P asked F are you a biship, Yes, you were, ordered them burnid alive, pagans felt sympathy but Christians happy because through martyrdom eternal life, F refused drugged wine because Wednesday fast until sundown, F told crowd he would be replaced soon and Lord's promises not fail them this life or next, F sais they about to witness hour oWeaknes, three tied to 3 posts, fire lit, flames through bonds, extended arms in form oCross, continued pray in fire, several people saw 3 martyrs wearing crowns ascending tHeaven, they said t P see how they glorified but he not worthy to see, that night Christians gathered relics, each one taking portion for self, F appeared admonished them for dividing relics, bring them together ; Tarragona, Spain (Balearic Sea) ; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated January 21 ; Fructuosis lived during the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus in the third century, during the consulship of Amelianus and Bassus. Sunday, January 16, 259 Bishop Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain was arrested with his deacons Augurius and Eulogius. had already retired to his chamber when soldiers of the VII Gemina Legion came for him. them approach, he went to meet them. “Come with us,” they told him, “the proconsul summons you and your deacons.” they arrived, they were thrown into a prison where other Christians were also being held. comforted the bishop and asked him to remember them. next day, Bishop Fructuosis baptized Rogatianus in the prison. Friday, January 21, Bishop Fructuosis and his deacons were brought out for their hearing. the proconsul Aemelianus asked to have the bishop and his deacons brought before him, he was told that they were present. proconsul asked Saint Fructuosis whether he was aware of the emperors’ orders. “I do not know their orders,” he replied, “I am a Christian.” said, “They have ordered that you worship the gods.” Fructuosis answered, “I worship the one God Who made heaven and earth, and all that is in them” (Acts 4:24). the proconsul asked, “Do you know that the gods exist?” “No,” said the bishop, “I do not.” “You will know later.” Fructuosis raised his eyes to heaven and began to pray. proconsul said, “The gods are to be obeyed, feared, and adored. If the gods are not worshiped, then the images of the emperors are not adored.” the proconsul said to Augurius, “Do not listen to the words of Fructuosis.” Augurius replied, “I worship almighty God.” to Deacon Eulogius, the proconsul Aemilianus asked, “Don’t you also worship Fructuosis? “No,” said the deacon, “I do not worship Fructuosis, but I do worship Him Whom he worships.” inquired of Saint Fructuosis, “Are you a bishop?” holy bishop replied, “Yes, I am.” “You were,” said Aemilianus, then he ordered them to be burned alive. Saint Fructuosis and his deacons were being taken to the amphitheatre, many people felt sympathy for them, for the bishop was loved by both Christians and pagans. Christians were not sad, but happy, because they knew that through martyrdom the saints would inherit everlasting life. offered a cup of drugged wine, Saint Fructuosis refused saying, “It is not yet time to break the fast.” those days, Christians did not eat or drink anything on Wednesdays and Fridays until after sundown (Didache 8:1). they entered the amphitheatre, the Reader Augustalis asked the bishop to permit him to remove his sandals. Saint Fructuosis replied, “No, my son. I shall remove my own sandals.” Christian by the name of Felix took the bishop’s hand and asked him to remember him. martyr said that he would remember the entire catholic Church throughout the world from East to West. the time was at hand for the martyrs to receive their crowns of unfading glory. officers who arrested them were standing nearby as Bishop Fructuosis addressed the crowd in a loud voice. told them that they would not remain long without a shepherd, that the Lord’s promises would not fail them in this life or in the next. added that what they were about to witness represented the weakness of a single hour. three martyrs were tied to posts and a fire was lit. When the flames burned through their bonds, they knelt down and extended their arms in the form of a cross. continued to pray in the midst of the fire until their souls were separated from their bodies. people saw the heavens opened and beheld the three martyrs wearing crowns and ascending to heaven. told Aemilianus to see how the martyrs had been glorified, but he was not worthy to behold them. night Christians went to the amphitheatre to put out the fire and gather the relics of the martyrs. one took a portion for himself. Fructuosis later appeared to these Christians and admonished them for dividing their relics, saying that they had not done well. ordered them to bring all of the relics together without delay. holy relics were brought to the church with reverence, and were buried beneath the altar.

Rome, 260, Asterius the Roman Senator, Caesarea Philippi Palestine, expelled deamon, wrapped Martyr's body in his S Garb
Palestine, 260, Asterius the Senator, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), Christian Roman Senator, during C persecutions, expelled deamon, which exposed sacrifice, wrapped martyr's body in senatorial garb, carried to grave, for doing this beheaded ; Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; Martyr Asterius the Senator at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Holy Martyr Asterius the Senator lived during the reign of the pagan emperors Valerian (253-259) and his son Gallienus (260-268). he was a Roman senator, Asterius nonetheless held firmly to the Christian Faith, in spite of the persecutions occurring during those times. while in Palestine, he came to the city of Caesarea Philippi, where by custom a pagan feast was made with the offering of sacrifice to an idol. demon residing in the idol made the sacrifice disappear, and this was looked upon as a great wonder. Asterius expelled the demon by prayer. sacrifice ceased to be invisible, the pagans ceased to celebrate this impious festival. Asterius also happened to be present at the sufferings of the Martyr Marinus (December 16). the execution was over, he took off his senatorial garb, spread it upon the ground and wrapped the head and body of Saint Marinus in it. his own shoulders he carried the martyr’s relics to the grave and reverently consigned them to earth. doing this, he was himself sentenced to death and beheaded in the year 260.

Rome, 260, Marinus of Rome, Martyr, soldier, being promoted to centurion, refused to sacrifice to idols, buried bAsterius
Palestine, 260, Marinus of Rome, Martyr, soldier, being promoted to centurion, refused to sacrifice to idols; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated December 16 ; Martyr Marinus was a soldier who suffered in Caesarea of Palestine in the third century. he was about to be promoted to centurion, he refused to swear the customary oath invoking the pagan gods, or to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Marinus was beheaded after cruel tortures, and buried by Saint Asterius (August 7).

Rome, 268-270, Emperor, Claudius II, Pagan, success against Goths and Alemanni Germans, died from Cyprian Plague
Roman Emperor, 268-270, Claudius Gothicus; Aurelius Claudius 'Gothicus' (10 May 214 -January 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to "pestilence", possibly the Plague of Cyprian that had ravaged the provinces of the Empire. Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated on December 16; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 268-270, Claudius II's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 269, Saint Valentine of Terni, healed child's contorted spine
Roman Saint, 269, Saint Valentine of Terni; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Bishop Valentine and his three disciples, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, and the righteous Abundius lived during the third century. Saint Valentine was a bishop in Umbria (Italy), in the city of Interamna. He received from God the gift of healing various maladies. this time three pagan youths, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, came from Athens to Rome to study.They found a tutor named Craton, and lived in his home. Craton’s son Cherimon fell grievously ill, and his spine was so contorted that his head was bent down to his knees. Craton asked Bishop Valentine to help his sick son. holy bishop went into the sick child’s room and prayed fervently all night. When day came, the happy parents saw their son had been healed. They believed in Christ and were baptized with all their household. ’s students, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius were also baptized and became devoted disciples of Saint Valentine. The bishop’s fame quickly spread, and many were converted to Christ. Among them was the city prefect’s son, Abundius, who openly confessed himself a Christian. This was a bold thing to do, since paganism prevailed in the world, and Christianity was persecuted. wrath of the prefect and other city leaders fell upon Bishop Valentine, the teacher of the youths. They demanded that he renounce Christ and worship the idols. much torture they threw him into prison, where his followers visited him. Learning of this, the prefect gave orders to take Valentine out of the prison and behead him. Saint Valentine’s students Proculus, Ephebus, and Apollonius took the body of their teacher and carried it to the city of Interamnum, where they buried it. believers and pagans were drawn to them, and they converted many idolaters to the true Faith. When the authorities heard about this, they arrested the youths and threw them in prison. Fearing that people might break the sufferers out of prison, the executioners beheaded them by night. learning that his friends had been locked in prison, hastened to see them, but found that they had already been executed. He buried their bodies near the grave of holy Bishop Valentine.

Rome, 269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus, and the Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Chryse the Virgin and 20 others suffered in 269
Rome, 217-269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, an antipope 217-235, and martyr in 269, prolific writer; hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome was a priest and an ecclesiastical writer of the third century. He is considered to have been antipope of the Church of Rome from about 217 to 235. He was among the most important Christian theologians of the third century, and a saint. His feast day is January 30. early life of Hippolytus is unknown. He was born about the year 170 and lived in Rome when young. Greek was his native tongue. He is believed to have been a disciple of Irenaeus of Lyons and to have met Origen. From the details of his work, Philosophoumena Hippolytus apparently was in Rome during the time Victor was the bishop of Rome. At the beginning of the third century he was a priest noted for his learning, eloquence, zeal, and moral earnestness. He was also noted to be a bishop of an unspecified city by Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome and by the poet Prudentius as bishop of Portus, a port for Rome. Philosophoumena, that is a part of his larger work "Refutation of All Heresies", shows that he dissented from the compassionate views of Bps. Zephyrinus, whom he considered to be a weak man "unskilled the church's rule", and ‎Callistus I of Rome concerning the reception of backsliders and heretics who had repented. In the "Refutation of All Heresies" Hippolytus set out to refute the doctrines of the Gnostics and condemn heretics by showing that their views were taken from pagan philosophy and oriental theosophy. also came into conflict with the opinions of the bishops of Rome on christological issues of the day to such an extant that came to allow himself to be elected a rival bishop of Rome, the first antipope. the persecutions of emperor Maximinus Thrax Hippolytus was exiled to Sardinia in 235 where he died, reportedly a martyr. His body was returned to Rome and interred in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina. By about 255, he was considered a martyred priest by the Church, indicating that he had been reconciled with the Church and not considered a schismatic. Rome, 217-269, Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, an antipope 217-235, and martyr in 269, prolific writer; of Rome ( c. 170 - c. 235 AD) was one of the most important second-third century Christian theologians, whose provenance, identity and corpus remain elusive to scholars and historians. communities include Palestine, Egypt, Anatolia, Rome and regions of the mideast. best historians of literature in the ancient church, including Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome, openly confess they cannot name where Hippolytus the biblical commentator and theologian served in leadership. They had read his works but did not possess evidence of his community. I of Constantinople describes him in his Bibliotheca (cod. 121) as a disciple of Irenaeus, who was said to be a disciple of Polycarp, and from the context of this passage it is supposed that he suggested that Hippolytus so styled himself.[1] This assertion is doubtful.[2] older theory asserts he came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival to the bishop of Rome, thus becoming an antipope. In this view, he opposed the Roman Popes who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was reconciled to the Church before he died as a martyr.[2] in the fourth century, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. has also been confused with another martyr of the same name.[2] Pope Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus" who was martyred in the reign of Severus Alexander through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Rome and kept at the Vatican as photographed and published in Bunsen.[3] is known for certain about his community of origin. One Victorian theory suggested that as a presbyter of the church at Rome under Pope Zephyrinus (199–217 AD), Hippolytus was distinguished for his learning and eloquence. It was at this time that Origen, then a young man, heard him preach.[4][1] this view, Hippolytus accused Pope Zephyrinus of modalism, the heresy which held that the names Father and Son are simply different names for the same subject. Hippolytus championed the Logos doctrine of the Greek apologists, most notably Justin Martyr, which distinguished the Father from the Logos ("Word"). An ethical conservative, he was scandalized when Pope Callixtus I (217–222 AD) extended absolution to Christians who had committed grave sins, such as adultery.[5] suggest Hippolytus himself advocated a pronounced rigorism.[6] At this time, he seems to have allowed himself to be elected as a rival Bishop of Rome, and continued to attack Pope Urban I (222–230 AD) and Pope Pontian (230–235 AD).[2] G. Salmon suggests that Hippolytus was the leader of the Greek-speaking Christians of Rome.[7] Allen Brent sees the development of Roman house-churches into something akin to Greek philosophical schools gathered around a compelling teacher.[8] under this view: during the persecution at the time of Emperor Maximinus Thrax, Hippolytus and Pontian were exiled together in 235 to Sardinia,[9] likely dying in the mines.[7] It is quite probable that, before his death there, he was reconciled to the other party at Rome, for, under Pope Fabian (236–250 AD), his body and that of Pontian were brought to Rome. The so-called Chronography of 354 (more precisely, the Liberian Catalogue) reports that on August 13, probably in 236, the two bodies were interred in Rome, that of Hippolytus in a cemetery on the Via Tiburtina,[9] his funeral being conducted by Justin the Confessor. This document indicates that, by about 255, Hippolytus was considered a martyr and gives him the rank of a priest, not of a bishop, an indication that before his death the schismatic was received again into the Church.[2][1] name Hippolytus appears in various hagiographical and martyrological sources of the early Church. The facts about the life of the writer Hippolytus, as opposed to other celebrated Christians who bore the name Hippolytus, were eventually lost in the West, perhaps partly because he wrote in Hellenic Greek. Pope Damasus I dedicated to a Hippolytus one of his famous epigrams,[1] referring to a priest of the Novatianist schism, a view later forwarded by Prudentius in the 5th century in his "Passion of St Hippolytus". In the Passionals of the 7th and 8th centuries he is represented as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence, a legend that long survived in the Roman Breviary. He was also confused with a martyr of the same name who was buried in Portus, of which city he was believed to have been a bishop,[2] who was put to death by drowning in a deep well.[9] to Prudentius' account, a martyr Hippolytus was dragged to death by wild horses,[10] a striking parallel to the story of the mythological Hippolytus, who was dragged to death by wild horses at Athens. He described the subterranean tomb of the saint and states that he saw there a picture representing Hippolytus' execution. He also confirms August 13 as the date on which a Hippolytus was celebrated but this again refers to the convert of Lawrence, as preserved in the Menaion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. latter account led to a Hippolytus being considered the patron saint of horses. During the Middle Ages, sick horses were brought to St Ippolyts, Hertfordshire, England, where a church is dedicated to him.[11] -Roman sculpture, maybe of Hippolytus, found in 1551 and used for the attribution of the Apostolic Tradition surrounds the corpus of the writer Hippolytus. In the Victorian Era, scholars claimed his principal work to be the Refutation of all Heresies.[2] Of its ten books, Book I was the most important.[5] It was long known and was printed (with the title Philosophumena) among the works of Origen. Books II and III are lost, and Books IV–X were found, without the name of the author,[1] in a monastery of Mount Athos in 1842. E. Miller published them in 1851 under the title Philosophumena, attributing them to Origen of Alexandria. Recent scholarship prefers to treat the text as the work of an unknown author, perhaps of Roman origin. 1551 a marble statue of a seated figure (originally female, perhaps personifying one of the sciences) was purportedly found in the cemetery of the Via Tiburtina and was heavily restored. On the sides of the seat was carved a paschal cycle, and on the back the titles of numerous writings by Hippolytus.[6][1] Many other works are listed by Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome. The research of Guarducci showed the original statue was a representation of a female figure, reopening the question of its original purpose. Allen Brent analyzed the title list of the statue, questioning Hippolytan authorship of some works. voluminous writings, which for variety of subject can be compared with those of Origen, embrace the spheres of exegesis, homiletics, apologetics and polemic, chronography, and ecclesiastical law. The Apostolic Tradition, if it is the work of Hippolytus, recorded the first liturgical reference to the Virgin Mary, as part of the ordination rite of a bishop.[12] exegetical works attributed to Hippolytus, the best preserved are the Commentary on the Prophet Daniel and the Commentary on the Song of Songs.[2] This is the earliest attested Christian interpretation of the Song, covering only the first three chapters to Song 3:7. commentary on the Song of Songs survives in two Georgian manuscripts, a Greek epitome, a Paleo-Slavonic florilegium, and fragments in Armenian and Syriac as well as in many patristic quotations, especially in Ambrose of Milan's Exposition on Psalm 118 (119). It is generally regarded as an instruction relating to a post-Baptismal rite of anointing with oil as a symbol of receiving the Holy Spirit. The commentary was originally written as part of a mystagogy, an instruction for new Christians. Scholars have usually assumed the Commentary On the Song of Songs was originally composed for use during Passover, a season favored in the West for Baptism.[13] Hippolytus supplied his commentary with a fully developed introduction known as the schema isagogicum, indicating his knowledge of the rhetorical conventions for teachers discussing classical works.[14] He employs a common rhetorical trope, ekphrasis, using images on the walls or floors of Greco-Roman homes, and in the catacombs as paintings or mosaics.[15] Origen felt that the Song should be reserved for the spiritually mature and that studying it might be harmful for the novice. generally ascribe to Hippolytus[16] a work now entitled the Apostolic Tradition, which contains the earliest known ritual of ordination.[9] The influence of Hippolytus was felt chiefly through his works on chronography and ecclesiastical law.[1] His chronicle of the world, a compilation embracing the whole period from the creation of the world up to the year 234, formed a basis for many chronographical works both in the East and West.[17][1] It is from the Apostolic Tradition that the current words of episcopal ordination in the Catholic Church come from, as updated by Pope Paul VI. the great compilations of ecclesiastical law that arose in the East since the 3rd century, the Church Orders many canons were attributed to Hippolytus, for example in the Canons of Hippolytus or the Constitutions through Hippolytus. How much of this material is genuinely his, how much of it worked over, and how much of it wrongly attributed to him, can no longer be determined beyond dispute,[1] however a great deal was incorporated into the Fetha Negest, which once served as the constitutional basis of law in Ethiopia — where he is still remembered as Abulides. During the early 20th century the work known as The Egyptian Church Order was identified as the Apostolic Tradition and attributed to Hippolytus; at present this attribution is hotly contested. in style and theology lead some scholars to conclude that some of the works attributed to Hippolytus actually derive from a second author.[2] small but potentially important works, On the Twelve Apostles of Christ and On the Seventy Apostles of Christ, are often neglected because the manuscripts were lost during most of the church age and then found in Greece in the 19th century. . The two are included in an appendix to the works of Hippolytus in the voluminous collection of Early Church Fathers.[18] The work on the 70 apostles is noteworthy as a (potentially) early source. consensus of scholarship agrees on a core of authentic texts composed by the second-third century writer Hippolytus, regardless of disputes concerning his community, or the exact dates of his biography: these are the biblical commentaries, including On Daniel, On David and Goliath, On the Song of Songs (partially extant), On the Blessings of Isaac and Jacob, and On the Antichrist. These form a sound basis for exploring and understanding his theology and biblical doctrines. is an important figure in the development of Christian eschatology. In his biblical compendium and topical study On Christ and the Antichrist and in his Commentary on the Prophet Daniel Hippolytus gave his interpretation of the second advent of Christ.[19] the onset of persecutions during the reign of Septimius Severus, many early Christian writers treated topics of apocalyptic eschatology. On Christ and the Antichrist is one of the earliest works. It is thought Hippolytus was generally influenced by Irenaeus.[20] However, unlike Irenaeus, Hippolytus focuses on the meaning of prophecy for the Church in his own time. Of the dogmatic works, On Christ and the Antichrist survives in a complete state and was probably written about 202. follows the long-established usage in interpreting Daniel's seventy prophetic weeks to be weeks of literal years. Hippolytus gave an explanation of Daniel's paralleling prophecies of chapters 2 and 7, which he, as with the other fathers, specifically relates to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. His interpretation of events and their significance is Christological.[21] did not subscribe to the belief that the Second Coming was imminent.[22] In his commentary on Daniel he criticizes those who predict the Second Coming in the near future, and then says that six thousand years must pass from Creation before the Second Coming. He also says that Christ was born 5500 years after Adam, so 500 years have to pass from the birth of Christ "to the consummation of the six thousand years, and in this way the end will be".[23] days[edit] the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast day of St Hippolytus falls on August 13, which is also the Apodosis of the Feast of the Transfiguration. Because on the Apodosis the hymns of the Transfiguration are to be repeated, the feast of St. Hippolytus may be transferred to the day before or to some other convenient day. The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates the feast of "St Hippolytus Pope of Rome" on January 30, who may or may not be the same individual. Roman Catholic Church celebrates St Hippolytus jointly with St Pontian on August 13. The feast of Saint Hippolytus formerly celebrated on 22 August as one of the companions of Saint Timotheus was a duplicate of his 13 August feast and for that reason was deleted when the General Roman Calendar was revised in 1969.[24] Earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology referred to the 22 August Hippolytus as Bishop of Porto. The Catholic Encyclopedia sees this as "connected with the confusion regarding the Roman presbyter resulting from the Acts of the Martyrs of Porto. It has not been ascertained whether the memory of the latter was localized at Porto merely in connection with the legend in Prudentius, without further foundation, or whether a person named Hippolytus was really martyred at Porto, and afterwards confounded in legend with Hippolytus of Rome."[6] This opinion is shared by a Benedictine source.[25] editions of the Roman Martyrology also mentioned on 30 January a Hippolytus venerated at Antioch, but the details were borrowed from the story of Hippolytus of Rome.[26] Modern editions of the Martyrology omit mention of this supposed Saint Hippolytus of Antioch. Rome; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; Hieromartyr Hippolytus, and the Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Chryse the Virgin and 20 others suffered during the third century. Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Rome, learned of the suffering of the martyrs, he appeared before the governor despite his advanced years and rebuked the torturers for their inhumanity. The enraged governor sentenced the holy bishop to be tortured. After long torments, they tied him hand and foot and threw him into the sea. Censorinus was a high-ranking magistrate during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius II (268-270). He was arrested and thrown into prison for his faith in Christ. By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ he raised up a dead man. As a result, twenty soldiers and prison guards were converted to Christ. They were beheaded with Saint Censorinus. Then the virgin Chryse was brought for interrogation. She bravely confessed herself a Christian and was subjected to torture. They lashed her sides and burned the wounds with candles. Then she was stretched out on the ground and beaten with heavy clubs. Not content with this, they broke her jaw with a rock and her back with leaden balls. Although she was covered with wounds, she confessed her faith as she was dying. So cruel was the brutality of her murderers that they tied a large stone around her neck and threw her into the sea. Chryse was thrown into the deep, but the newly-slain bride emerged from the ocean and entered the heavenly Bridal Chamber. Although her body disappeared into the water, her memory remains eternal and immortal, even more golden than her illustrious name. [FootNote: Chryse means “golden.”] Sabinus was the servant of Saint Chryse. The depraved idolaters beat him mercilessly with heavy leaden balls on his neck, then they hung him up on a tree and burned his entrails. After giving thanks to God, he surrendered his soul to Christ. Saint Chryse suffered the martyrs Ares, Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Stiracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius, Amandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, Maximus the Presbyter, Archelaus the Deacon, and Cyriacus the Bishop. these Roman martyrs suffered in the year 269. The relics of the Hieromartyr Hippolytus were put in the church of the holy Martyrs Laurence and Pope Damasus at Rome. Saint Hippolytus was a disciple of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum (Lyons in France), and he is also renowned as a Christian theologian who wrote many treatises against the heretics. Hyppolitus compiled a Paschal Canon, the famous Apostolic Tradition, “On Christ”, and a “Treatise on the Antichrist.” Saint Hippolytus also wrote many commentaries on Holy Scripture, on the Biblical Books: Genesis, Exodus, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and on the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, and on the Prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, on the Psalms of David and on the Apocalyse. Part of his works are preserved only in fragments. His discourses, devoted to the Theophany and the Prophet Daniel, are preserved in full. His discourses demonstrate his masterful style of preaching. He was one of the last Western Fathers to write in Greek.

Rome, 269, Adrian at Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital, Martyrdom under Bishop Firmilian, by sword
Armenia, 269, Adrian at Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), Martyrdom under Bishop Firmilian, by sword; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Adrian at Caesarea, Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 3; Adrian of Baneas of Caesarea in Cappadocia. suffered martyrdom under Governor Firmilianus. was put to death by the sword, but entered into eternal life.

Rome, 270-275, Emperor, Aurelian, unprecedntd series of v, reunited E, Restorer of World
Roman Emperor, 270-275, Aurelian ; Martyr Patroclus of Troyes, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated August 17 ; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19; Martyr Philoumenus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 29; Martyr Synetus of Rome, Commemorated on December 12; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Sava Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ of Rome, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium Commemorated on June 3;

Rome, 270-350, Cheriton tConfessor of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, Robber's Cave Story
Jerusalem, 270-350, Saint Cheriton of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, fIconium, Lycaonia, endured Auirelian's fierce torture there through Thekla's example, released fPrison 275, dedicated life to Lord, grieved he had not martyred, tJerusalem Holy Places, Thieves intended to kill him in a cave, expecting death C prayed, but did not ask for deliverance, just God's will, while out a snake drank and threw up in their wine, which later poisoned tThieves, C thanked God, gave Thieves gold to poor, churches, monasteries, and began his astetic struggles there in the cave, built church&Pharan monastery there, many virtuous disciples, strict rule, fSolitude founded 2 more monasteries, Jerico (Cheriton's monastery) &Souka, brought many Jews and Pagans to the faith, C ended up on hill near Souka but did not cease guidance for all three, died 350, compiled tOffice otMonastic Tonsure, buried aPharan, grace-filled relics aRobber's cave; Souka Monastery of St Cheriton; The Judean Desert "the Land of Monasteries". You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; The Judean Desert " the Land of Monasteries You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Euthimius; Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28; Chariton the Confessor was born at Iconium in the province of Lycaonia, suffered there during a persecution against Christians in the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270-275). example of the holy Protomartyr Thekla (September 24), who was also a native of his city, encouraged him to confess Christ, since he had a great devotion to her. Chariton bravely denounced the pagan gods and staunchly confessed faith in the one True God, Christ the Savior. holy Confessor underwent fierce tortures but, by God's Providence, he survived. persecution ended after Aurelian's death in 275. Chariton was among the many Christians who were released from prison, he resolved to dedicate his entire life to the service of the Lord. he escaped death, he grieved because he had not received the crown of martyrdom. arriving at Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to the holy places, fell into the hands of thieves. tied him up and threw him in a cave, to kill him later. they left to find people to rob, the saint prayed fervently to God expecting to be put to death. did not ask God to deliver him, but instead he entreated Him to do with him as He wished. this time a snake crawled into the cave and began to drink wine from a vessel setting there. it vomited forth its deadly venom, poisoning the wine. they returned to the cave, the evil men drank the poisoned wine and they all perished. their wicked lives came to a fitting end. Chariton gave thanks to God, then he gave away the gold which the malefactors had stolen, it to the poor, to churches, and to monasteries. began his ascetic struggles in the place of his miraculous rescue, there he built a church. time a monastery was established: renowned Pharan Lavra in Palestine. Chariton's fame drew many disciples to him. governed them with paternal affection, he elevated them to the highest degrees of virtue. Chariton compiled a strict Rule for his monastery. for solitude, the monk withdrew farther into the desert in order to avoid the praise of men, he never rejected anyone who sought his spiritual guidance. founded two more monasteries: Jericho (called the Monastery of Saint Chariton) the Souka, which was called “the old Lavra.” also brought many Jews and pagans to the Faith. the end of his life, Saint Chariton struggled in a cave atop a hill near the Souka monastery, he did not cease to provide guidance for all three of the monasteries which he founded. fell asleep in the Lord peacefully and at an advanced age on September 28, 350. to Tradition, Saint Chariton compiled the Office of the Monastic Tonsure. Chariton was buried at the Pharan monastery, accordance with his last wishes. His grace-filled relics were enshrined in the church that had been built on the site of the robbers' cave.

Rome, 270-275, Aurelian's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 270-275, Heliodorus in Magidum, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Martyr, fierce tortures, beheaded
Lykaonia, 270-275, Heliodorus in Magidum, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Martyr, fierce tortures, beheaded, Aurelian' time, city ruler Aetius fierce tortures for his faith; Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Holy Martyr Heliodorus lived during the reign of the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the city of Magidum (Pamphylia). ruler of the city, Aetius, subjected the saint to fierce tortures for his faith in Christ and had him beheaded.

Rome, 270-275, Paul &His Sister Juliana, Paul tortured for crossing self, Juliana complained, tortured
Galilee, 270-275, Paul and his sister Juliana, from Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia, EmperorAurelian happened to be in Ptolemais, Paul met him and made sign of the cross, P thrown in prison, next day boldly confessed Christ, fierce tortures, Juliana denounced emperor, was also tortured, beaten, torn with iron hooks, burned over red hot gates, 3 soldiers torturing them, saw their endurance and believed Christ, immediately executed, Juliana sent to brothel, whoever touched her lost sight, emperor commanded burn bodies again, bystanders murmured loudly, Aurelian ordered beheading both ; Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4; Holy Martyr Paul and his sister Juliana were executed under the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the Phoenician city of Ptolemais. emperor happened to visit Ptolemais, and among those who met him was Paul, who made the Sign of the Cross. They arrested him and threw him in prison. the following day, when they brought him to trial, he openly and boldly confessed his faith in Christ, for which he was subjected to fierce tortures. Juliana, seeing the suffering of her brother, began to denounce the emperor for his injustice and cruelty, for which she was also subjected to torture. beat the martyrs, tore their bodies with iron hooks, burned them over red-hot grates, they were not able to break the wondrous endurance of the Lord’s confessors. soldiers torturing the saints were struck by the courageous spirit of the martyrs, and they in turn believed in Christ. newly chosen of God were named Quadratus, Acacius and Stratonicus, and they were immediately executed. tormentor tried to seduce Saint Juliana with a promise to marry her, if she were to renounce Christ, the saint refused the offer and remained steadfast. order of the emperor they sent her to a brothel to be defiled. Lord also preserved her there, and anyone who tried to touch the saint lost his sight. the enraged emperor commanded that they again burn the bodies of the saints. who saw the suffering of the saints began to murmur loudly, and Aurelian gave orders to behead the martyrs. gladdened face the brother and sister went to execution singing, “For Thou hast saved us from those who afflicted us and hast shamed those who hated us” (Ps. 43/44:7).

Rome, 270-275, Paul &Juliana, Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre), executed under Aurelian, iron hooks, burned, red hot grates
Galilee, 270-275, Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia, executed under Aurelian, iron hooks, burned, hot grates, soldiers believed executed, J preserved at brothel, touch lose sight, to execcution singing ; Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4; Holy Martyr Paul and his sister Juliana were executed under the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the Phoenician city of Ptolemais. emperor happened to visit Ptolemais, and among those who met him was Paul, who made the Sign of the Cross. They arrested him and threw him in prison. the following day, when they brought him to trial, he openly and boldly confessed his faith in Christ, for which he was subjected to fierce tortures. Juliana, seeing the suffering of her brother, began to denounce the emperor for his injustice and cruelty, for which she was also subjected to torture. beat the martyrs, tore their bodies with iron hooks, burned them over red-hot grates, but they were not able to break the wondrous endurance of the Lord’s confessors. Three soldiers torturing the saints were struck by the courageous spirit of the martyrs, and they in turn believed in Christ. These newly chosen of God were named Quadratus, Acacius and Stratonicus, and they were immediately executed. tormentor tried to seduce Saint Juliana with a promise to marry her, if she were to renounce Christ, but the saint refused the offer and remained steadfast. By order of the emperor they sent her to a brothel to be defiled. The Lord also preserved her there, and anyone who tried to touch the saint lost his sight. the enraged emperor commanded that they again burn the bodies of the saints. Those who saw the suffering of the saints began to murmur loudly, and Aurelian gave orders to behead the martyrs. gladdened face the brother and sister went to execution singing, “For Thou hast saved us from those who afflicted us and hast shamed those who hated us” (Ps. 43/44:7).

Rome, 270-275, Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, baptized Anthusa, beheaded by Aurelian
Cilicia, 270-275, Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), baptized Anthusa, beheaded by Aurelian; Tarsus; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22; Hieromartyr Athanasius, bishop of the Cilician city of Tarsus, baptized the holy Nun Anthusa, beheaded by the sword under the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Anthusa, a native of the city of Seleucia (in Syria), was the daughter of illustrious pagans. of the teachings of Christ, she under pretense of visiting her benefactress, journeyed instead to Tarsus to Saint Athanasius and received Baptism from him. parents were enraged at their daughter for becoming a Christian. received monastic tonsure from Saint Athanasius, then settled in the desert, where she spent 33 years at ascetic deeds. died at the end of the third century while she was praying. Martyrs Charisimos and Neophytus, who had been baptized together with the Nun Anthusa, were her servants, they too accepted death for Christ.

Rome, 274, Philoumenus of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia, bread merchant, nails in hands head &feet, then walk, loss of blood
Phrygia, 274, Philoumenus of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), bread merchant, nails in hands head &feet, then walk, loss of blood; Ancyra; Martyr Philoumenus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 29 ; Holy Martyr Philoumenus suffered for Christ in the year 274, during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Philoumenus was a bread merchant in Ancyra. Envious persons reported to the governor Felix that Philoumenus was a Christian, and so he came before a judge. Philoumenus did not renounce Christ. For this they hammered nails into his hands, feet and head, and they forced him to walk. The holy martyr bravely endured the torments and he died from loss of blood, giving up his soul to God.

Rome, 271-356, ANTHONY, the great, father of monasticism, protection of Cross, lived to 105, John Chrys says read his bio
Egypt, 271-356, ANTHONY, father of monasticism, first monastic rule, temptations, eternal punishment, granted a vision, angel, prayer and work, food at sunset, praying till dawn, sleep every 3rd day, monsterous phantoms, protection of the Cross, beaten devil hypocrit, vanquished w prayer, moved into graveyard, shut in tomb, friend deliver bread, devils pounced, as if dead, prepared for burial, regained consciousness, back to tombs, form of ferocious beasts, defeated by trusting, roof opening ray of light, where have you been Jesus? Why? Wanted to see you struggle, now I will always help and make you famous, to Thebaid alone, ignored silver and gold, abandoned fort w water other side of river, friend's bread twice a year, perfect calm after 20 yrs struggle, friends besought his guidance, soon surrounded by several monasteries, don't fear demonic assaults, repel them by Cross, Maximian persecution in 311, A goes to p in Alexandria to suffer, but preserved , back to Thebaid, gifts wonderworking, deliverance, healing, great crowds, deeper into desert but asked to visit monasteries, Manichaean Arian heresies in Alexandria misrepresented him, but he publically denounced them, he lived to 105, John Chrysostom says everyone should read his biography by Athanasius ; Alexandria; ANTONY OF EGYPT, MONASTIC (17 JAN 356), Very weak Western Bio. Go to the next one, the Eastern Bio; the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, back in the days when Christianity was still a persecuted religion, the act of becoming a Christian involved turning one's back on the pursuit of security, of fashionable prestige and popularity, of success as the term is widely understood. the Emperor had changed Christianity from a persecuted religion into a fashionable one, many earnest Christians felt the need to make such a renunciation in the service of Christ, and did not see mere Church membership as any longer enough to constitute such a renunciation. many of them sought Christian commitment by fleeing from society into the desert, and becoming hermits, devoting themselves to solitude, fasting, and prayer. this trend was much accelerated and reinforced by the conversion of Constantine and attendant changes, it had already begun earlier. outstanding early example is Antony of Egypt, often reckoned as the founder of Christian monasticism. of Egypt, the son of Christian parents, inherited a large estate. his way to church one day, he found himself meditating on the text, "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me." he got to church, he heard the preacher speaking on that very text. He took this as a message for him, and, having provided for the care of his sister, he gave his land to the tenants who lived on it, and gave his other wealth to the poor, and became a hermit, living alone for twenty years, praying and reading, and doing manual labor. 305, he gave up his solitude to become the head of a group of monks, living in a cluster of huts or cells, devoting themselves to communal singing and worship, to prayer and study and manual labor under Antony's direction. They did not simply renounce the world, but were diligent in prayer for their fellow Christians, worked with their hands to earn money that they might distribute it as alms, and preached and gave personal counseling to those who sought them out. 321, Christians in Alexandria were being persecuted by the Emperor Maximinus (the rule of Constantine was not yet universal), and Antony visited Alexandria to encourage those facing the possibility of martyrdom. He visited again in 335, when Arianism was strong in the city, and converted many, by his preaching and testimony, and by prayer and the working of miracles. His biography was written by Athanasius, who said of him: "Who ever met him grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?" by James Kiefer Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, the long ascetical sermon in The Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius (Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule. was born in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the year 251. parents were pious Christians of illustrious lineage. was a serious child and was respectful and obedient to his parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to the Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all his life. Saint Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his parents, but he was responsible for the care of his younger sister. to church about six months later, the youth reflected on how the faithful,in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy. he entered the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ speaks to the rich young man: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me” (Mt.19:21). felt that these words applied to him. Therefore, he sold the property that he received after the death of his parents, then distributed the money to the poor, left his sister in the care of pious virgins in a convent. his parental home, Saint Anthony began his ascetical life in a hut not far from his village. working with his hands, he was able to earn his livelihood and also alms for the poor. the holy youth also visited other ascetics living in the area, and from each he sought direction and benefit. turned to one particular ascetic for guidance in the spiritual life. this period of his life Saint Anthony endured terrible temptations from the devil. The Enemy of the race of man troubled the young ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his chosen path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with lewd thoughts and carnal feelings. the saint extinguished that fire by meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment, thereby overcoming the devil. that the devil would undoubtedly attack him in another manner, Saint Anthony prayed and intensified his efforts. prayed that the Lord would show him the path of salvation. he was granted a vision. The ascetic beheld a man, who by turns alternately finished a prayer, and then began to work. was an angel, which the Lord had sent to instruct His chosen one. Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of life. He partook of food only after sunset, he spent all night praying until dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. the devil would not cease his tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the guise of monstrous phantoms. saint however protected himself with the Life-Creating Cross. the Enemy appeared to him in the guise of a frightful looking small dark figure, and hypocritically declaring himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the saint into vanity and pride. saint, however, vanquished the Enemy with prayer. even greater solitude, Saint Anthony moved farther away from the village, into a graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little bread on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb. the devils pounced upon the saint intending to kill him, and inflicted terrible wounds upon him. the providence of the Lord, Anthony’s friend arrived the next day to bring him his food. Seeing him lying on the ground as if dead, he took him back to the village. thought the saint was dead and prepared for his burial. midnight, Saint Anthony regained consciousness and told his friend to carry him back to the tombs. Anthony’s staunchness was greater than the wiles of the Enemy. the form of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force the saint to leave that place, but he defeated them by trusting in the Lord. up, the saint saw the roof opening, as it were, and a ray of light coming down toward him. demons disappeared and he cried out, “Where have You been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn’t You appear from the very beginning to end my pain?” Lord replied, “I was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your struggle. Now, since you have not yielded, I shall always help you and make your name known throughout all the world.” this vision Saint Anthony was healed of his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was then thirty-five years of age. gained spiritual experience in his struggle with the devil, Saint Anthony considered going into the Thebaid desert to serve the Lord. asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for guidance at the beginning of his monastic journey) to go into the desert with him. Elder, while blessing him in the then as yet unheard of exploit of being a hermit, decided not to accompany him because of his age. Anthony went into the desert alone. devil tried to hinder him, by placing a large silver disc in his path, then gold, but the saint ignored it and passed by. found an abandoned fort on the other side of the river and settled there, barricading the entrance with stones. faithful friend brought him bread twice a year, and there was water inside the fort. Anthony spent twenty years in complete isolation and constant struggle with the demons, he finally achieved perfect calm. saint’s friends removed the stones from the entrance , and they went to Saint Anthony and besought him to take them under his guidance. Saint Anthony’s cell was surrounded by several monasteries, the saint acted as a father and guide to their inhabitants, giving spiritual instruction to all who came into the desert seeking salvation. increased the zeal of those who were already monks, and inspired others with a love for the ascetical life. told them to strive to please the Lord, and not to become faint-hearted in their labors. also urged them not to fear demonic assaults, but to repel the Enemy by the power of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord. the year 311 there was a fierce persecution against Christians, in the reign of the emperor Maximian. to suffer with the holy martyrs, Saint Anthony left the desert and went to Alexandria. openly ministered to those in prison, he was present at the trial and interrogations of the confessors, accompanying the martyrs to the place of execution. pleased the Lord to preserve him, however, for the benefit of Christians. the close of the persecution, the saint returned to the desert and continued his exploits. Lord granted the saint the gift of wonderworking, casting out demons and healing the sick by the power of his prayer. great crowds of people coming to him disrupted his solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner desert where he settled atop a high elevation. the brethren of the monasteries sought him out and asked him to visit their communities. time Saint Anthony left the desert and arrived in Alexandria to defend the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaean and Arian heresies. that the name of Saint Anthony was venerated by all the Church, the Arians said that he adhered to their heretical teaching. Saint Anthony publicly denounced Arianism in front of everyone and in the presence of the bishop. his brief stay at Alexandria, he converted a great multitude of pagans to Christ. from all walks of life loved the saint and sought his advice. philosophers once came to Abba Anthony intending to mock him for his lack of education, but by his words he reduced them to silence. Constantine the Great (May 21) and his sons wrote to Saint Anthony and asked him for a reply. praised the emperor for his belief in Christ, and advised him to remember the future judgment, and to know that Christ is the true King. Anthony spent eighty-five years in the solitary desert. before his death, he told the brethren that soon he would be taken from them. instructed them to preserve the Orthodox Faith in its purity, avoid any association with heretics, not to be negligent in their monastic struggles. “Strive to be united first with the Lord, and then with the saints, so that after death they may receive you as familiar friends into the everlasting dwellings.” saint instructed two of his disciples, who had attended him in the final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in the desert and not in Alexandria. left one of his monastic mantles to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (January 18), and the other to Saint Serapion of Thmuis (March 21). Anthony died peacefully in the year 356, at age 105, and he was buried in the desert by his disciples. Life of the famed ascetic Saint Anthony the Great was written by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. This is the first biography of a saint who was not a martyr, and is considered to be one of the finest of Saint Athanasius’ writings. Saint John Chrysostom recommends that this Life be read by every Christian. “These things are insignificant compared with Anthony’s virtues,” writes Saint Athanasius, “but judge from them what the man of God Anthony was like. From his youth until his old age, he kept his zeal for asceticism, he did not give in to the desire for costly foods because of his age, nor did he alter his clothing because of the infirmity of his body. He did not even wash his feet with water. He remained very healthy, and he could see well because his eyes were sound and undimmed. Not one of his teeth fell out, but near the gums they had become worn due to his advanced age. He remained strong in his hands and feet.... He was spoken of everywhere, and was admired by everyone, and was sought even by those who had not seen him, which is evidence of his virtue and of a soul dear to God.” following works of Saint Anthony have come down to us: Twenty Sermons on the virtues, primarily monastic (probably spurious). Seven Letters to various Egyptian monasteries concerning moral perfection, and the monastic life as a spiritual struggle. A Rule for monastics (not regarded as an authentic work of Saint Anthony). the year 544 the relics of Saint Anthony the Great were transferred to Alexandria, and after the conquest of Egypt by the Saracens in the seventh century, they were transferred to Constantinople. The holy relics were transferred from Constantinople in the tenth-eleventh centuries to a diocese outside Vienna. In the fifteenth century they were brought to Arles (in France), to the church of Saint Julian. ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, back in the days when Christianity was still a persecuted religion, the act of becoming a Christian involved turning one's back on the pursuit of security, of fashionable prestige and popularity, of success as the term is widely understood. the Emperor had changed Christianity from a persecuted religion into a fashionable one, many earnest Christians felt the need to make such a renunciation in the service of Christ, and did not see mere Church membership as any longer enough to constitute such a renunciation. Accordingly, many of them sought Christian commitment by fleeing from society into the desert, and becoming hermits, devoting themselves to solitude, fasting, and prayer. this trend was much accelerated and reinforced by the conversion of Constantine and attendant changes, it had already begun earlier. An outstanding early example is Antony of Egypt, often reckoned as the founder of Christian monasticism. of Egypt, the son of Christian parents, inherited a large estate. On his way to church one day, he found himself meditating on the text, "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me." he got to church, he heard the preacher speaking on that very text. He took this as a message for him, and, having provided for the care of his sister, he gave his land to the tenants who lived on it, and gave his other wealth to the poor, and became a hermit, living alone for twenty years, praying and reading, and doing manual labor. 305, he gave up his solitude to become the head of a group of monks, living in a cluster of huts or cells, devoting themselves to communal singing and worship, to prayer and study and manual labor under Antony's direction. They did not simply renounce the world, but were diligent in prayer for their fellow Christians, worked with their hands to earn money that they might distribute it as alms, and preached and gave personal counseling to those who sought them out. 321, Christians in Alexandria were being persecuted by the Emperor Maximinus (the rule of Constantine was not yet universal), and Antony visited Alexandria to encourage those facing the possibility of martyrdom. visited again in 335, when Arianism was strong in the city, and converted many, by his preaching and testimony, and by prayer and the working of miracles. His biography was written by Athanasius, who said of him: "Who ever met him grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?" by James Kiefer Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Rome, 274-327, Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Nish, Serbia, Constantine's Birthplace 274
Rome, 294, Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Nish, Serbia, Constantine's Birthplace (South Morava River 5), she a christian commoner, in 294 her husband Constantius Chlorus Western Roman Caesar (Gaul and Britain) divorced her to marry a noble, father did not persecute christians, Constantine succeeded father in 306, 313 by Sign of Cross he defeated Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West, 313 Edict of Milan made Christianity legal, 323 defeated Licinius to be sole ruler, 330 moved capital to Brizantium, B renamed Constantinople, 326 sent Helen to J to find Cross, 316 rise of Arianism, Donatism, Novatism, 325 first E council at Nicea; Nish, Serbia; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Church calls Saint Constantine (306-337) “the Equal of the Apostles,” and historians call him “the Great.” He was the son of the Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who governed the lands of Gaul and Britain. His mother was Saint Helen, a Christian of humble birth. this time the immense Roman Empire was divided into Western and Eastern halves, governed by two independent emperors and their corulers called “Caesars.” Constantius Chlorus was Caesar in the Western Roman Empire. Saint Constantine was born in 274, possibly at Nish in Serbia. In 294, Constantius divorced Helen in order to further his political ambition by marrying a woman of noble rank. After he became emperor, Constantine showed his mother great honor and respect, granting her the imperial title “Augusta.” the future ruler of all the whole Roman Empire, was raised to respect Christianity. His father did not persecute Christians in the lands he governed. This was at a time when Christians were persecuted throughout the Roman Empire by the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and his corulers Maximian Galerius (305-311) in the East, and the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) in the West. the death of Constantius Chlorus in 306, Constantine was acclaimed by the army at York as emperor of Gaul and Britain. The first act of the new emperor was to grant the freedom to practice Christianity in the lands subject to him. The pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Constantine and they plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine bested them in a series of battles, defeating his opponents with the help of God. He prayed to God to give him a sign which would inspire his army to fight valiantly, and the Lord showed him a radiant Sign of the Cross in the heavens with the inscription “In this Sign, conquer.” Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians. Saint Helen, who was a Christian, may have influenced him in this decision. In 323, when he became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, he extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians could finally practice their faith without fear. paganism, the Emperor did not let his capital remain in ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan realm. He transferred his capital to the East, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople, the city of Constantine (May 11). Constantine was deeply convinced that only Christianity could unify the immense Roman Empire with its diverse peoples. He supported the Church in every way. He recalled Christian confessors from banishment, he built churches, and he showed concern for the clergy. emperor deeply revered the victory-bearing Sign of the Cross of the Lord, and also wanted to find the actual Cross upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose he sent his own mother, the holy Empress Helen, to Jerusalem, granting her both power and money. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and Saint Helen began the search, and through the will of God, the Life-Creating Cross was miraculously discovered in 326. (The account of the finding of the Cross of the Lord is found under the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14). The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Holy Empress Helen on March 6. in Palestine, the holy empress did much of benefit for the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His All-Pure Mother, should be freed of all traces of paganism, and she commanded that churches should be built at these places. emperor Constantine ordered a magnificent church in honor of Christ’s Resurrection to be built over His tomb. Saint Helen gave the Life-Creating Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of the Cross with her for the emperor. After distributing generous alms at Jerusalem and feeding the needy (at times she even served them herself), the holy Empress Helen returned to Constantinople, where she died in the year 327. of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Life-Creating Cross, the empress Helen is called “the Equal of the Apostles.” peaceful state of the Christian Church was disturbed by quarrels, dissensions and heresies which had appeared within the Church. Already at the beginning of Saint Constantine’s reign the heresies of the Donatists and the Novatians had arisen in the West. They demanded a second baptism for those who lapsed during the persecutions against Christians. These heresies, repudiated by two local Church councils, were finally condemned at the Council of Milan in 316. ruinous for the Church was the rise of the Arian heresy in the East, which denied the Divine Nature of the Son of God, and taught that Jesus Christ was a mere creature. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea in 325. bishops attended this Council. Among its participants were confessor-bishops from the period of the persecutions and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. (The account about the Council is found under May 29). The emperor was present at the sessions of the Council. The heresy of Arius was condemned and a Symbol of Faith (Creed) composed, in which was included the term “consubstantial with the Father,” at the insistence of the Emperor, confirming the truth of the divinity of Jesus Christ, Who assumed human nature for the redemption of all the human race. the Council of Nicea, Saint Constantine continued with his active role in the welfare of the Church. He accepted holy Baptism on his deathbed, having prepared for it all his whole life. Saint Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in the year 337 and was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, in a crypt he had prepared for himself.

Rome, 275-362, Dorotheus, Bishop oTyre, Lebanon, martyred at age 107 by Julian tApostate, after hiding from Diocletian, converted many pagans
Lebanon, 275-362, Dorotheus, Bishop oTyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth), Martyred at age 107 in 362 by Julian tApostate, but hid from Diocletian (per the Gospel) in Bulgaria, Tyre Bshop over 50 yrs, Converted many pagans, tortured by Julian in 362, some say author of "The Synopsis"; Tyre; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Dorotheus was bishop of the Phoenician city of Tyre, the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the words of the Gospel (Mt.10:23), the saint withdrew from Tyre and hid from the persecutors. returned to Tyre during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337, May 21), again occupying the bishop’s throne he guided his flock for more than fifty years, converted many of the pagans to Christianity. When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) began openly to persecute Christians, Saint Dorotheus was already over 100 years old. withdrew from Tyre to the Myzean city of Udum (present day Bulgarian Varna). of the emperor arrested him there for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols. began to torture the holy Elder, and under torture he surrendered his soul to the Lord (+ ca. 362) at the age of 107. ascribe to Saint Dorotheus the compilation of a work, “The Synopsis”, a collection of sayings, and including lives of the holy prophets and apostles.

Rome, 276-282, Emperor, Marcus Aurelius Probus, Pagan, successful g, prosperity, Senate facade, d Germans, re fort
Roman Emperor, 276-282, Probus, Marcus Aurelius Probus; Aurelius Probus (19 August 232 -September 282) was Roman emperor from 276 to 282. Probus was an active and successful general as well as a conscientious administrator, and in his reign of six years he secured prosperity for the inner provinces while withstanding repeated invasions of barbarian tribes on almost every sector of the frontier.[6] repelling the foreign enemies of the empire Probus was forced to handle several internal revolts, but demonstrated leniency and moderation to the vanquished wherever possible.[7] In his reign the facade of the constitutional authority of the Roman Senate was fastidiously maintained, and the conqueror, who had carried his army to victory over the Rhine, professed himself dependent on the sanction of the Senate.[8] defeating the Germans, Probus re-erected the ancient fortifications of emperor Hadrian between the Rhine and Danube rivers, protecting the Agri Decumates,[9] and exacted from the vanquished a tribute of manpower to resettle depopulated provinces within the empire and provide for adequate defense of the frontiers.[10] Despite his widespread popularity, Probus was killed in a mutiny of the soldiers while in the middle of preparations for the Persian war, which would be carried out under his successor Carus.[11] St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4;

Rome, 276-282, Marcus Aurelius Probus' Martyrs Folder

Rome, 280-290, Rhipsime or Hripsime, beautiful and modest, wanted by diocledian&tridates, she suffered for virginity
Armenia, 280-290, Rhipsime orHripsime; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Ripsimia suffered martyrdom in the year 292, during the reign of Diocletian (284-304). was very beautiful in terms of her outward appearance, and modest in her In those days, Diocletian sent men throughout the Empire to find a maiden fairer than all others for him to marry. They found Saint Ripsimia, who had consecrated her virginity to Christ, and was living in a community of women in Asia Minor, of which Saint Gaiane was the Superior. The messengers had a portrait of Ripsimia made and sent it to Diocletian. Emperor was captivated by her beauty, and he sent her a letter, asking her to be his wife. Ripsimia, who had Christ as her heavenly Bridegroom, did not want to marry anyone else. Therefore, the nuns decided to take refuge in Arnenia. On the way, they endured hunger, thirst, and many other trials. settled in a vineyard on the slopes of Mount Ararat, and the stronger women would go into the city to work for people in order to earn money to purchase food and other necessities. All the women were willing to endure exile, and to bear every burden and sorrow for the sake of purity. Diocletian was informed that Ripsimia had fled to Armenia, he wrote to his friend King Tiridates saying, "If you find her, send her to me, or, if you wish, marry her yourself." sent his men to search for Ripsimia, and when they found her they surrounded the area so that she could not escape. When he learned how beautiful she was, Tiridates sent her presents and raiment worthy of a queen, so that she might appear before him in a suitable fashion. however, acting in accordance with the instructions of Saint Gaiane, who had raised her from childhood, rejected these gifts and refused to go to the King. Saint Gaiane told the messengers that these virgins were already betrothed to Christ, and that it was impossible for them to enter into an earthly marriage. the messengers told Tiridates what had happened, he became very angry. He sent one of his princes and an army of soldiers to kill all the virgins and to bring Ripsimia to him by force. she saw the soldiers approach the virgins with drawn swords, Saint Ripsimia told the Prince, "Take me to your King, but do not harm these virgins." Ripsimia was taken to the royal bedchamber, weeping and praying that God would preserve her virginity. Recalling how He had helped His servants in the past, how He saved Israel from Pharoah's hands, keeping Jonah in the belly of the whale for three days, and how He protected the Three Holy Youths in the fiery furnace, she believed that He would also rescue her from Tiridates. the King entered the chamber he attempted to rape her, but with God's help she became stronger than Tiridates, and he was not able to harm her. the chamber, the King commanded that Saint Gaiane be brought to him, since he had discovered that she had raised Ripsimia. The King told her to persuade Ripsimia to submit to him, but when the Eldress spoke to her she counseled her to preserve her virginity, which she had dedicated to Christ, and to remember the crown which her Bridegroom had prepared for her. Finally, she said that if the King should put her to death, she would enjoy even greater favor from Christ. that he had accomplished nothing, even though he had struggled with Ripsimia for a long time, the King began to tremble and roll around on the floor. night, Saint Ripsimia escaped and fled from the city. She found the sisters and told them how she had remained undefiled. next morning some soldiers found Ripsimia and arranged a cruel death for her. First they cut out her tongue, stripped her, tied her hands and feet to columns, and burned her with candles. Then they tore her stomach open with a sharp stone, so that her entrails fell out. Finally, they plucked her eyes out and cut off her members. Having completed her contest, she departed to Christ, the bestower of crowns. Eldress Gaiane and two other virgins suffered even greater torments. The pagans drilled through their legs, suspended them upside down, and skinned them alive. Cutting their necks from behind, they pulled their tongues out and cut them off. Next, their stomachs were cut with sharp stones so that their entrails fell to the ground. Finally, they were beheaded. other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say there were thirty-five) suffered horrible tortures, and died by the sword, then their bodies were thrown to the wild animals. addition to these holy women, seventy men who were hiding in that area also suffered martyrdom. St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14;

Rome, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia, pit for 14 years, converted Tridates III, much more
Armenia, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia, pit for 14 years, converted Tridates III, Anak's son, to atone for Anak served Tridates, prince of Goths challanged Emperor, T defeats goth for emperor, T maded king of Armenia, G tortured for refusing to sacrifice, suspended down by neck stone and choked by smoke 3 days, iron sandels w nails, sang psalms, healed in prison, cheerful before T, hot tin snake pit, unharmed, fed by women 14 years, T kills virgins, T seems lose mind, face like wild boars, G from pit washed led to T, G asks T for V relics, people want church, relics into c, G leads T into church to ask relics pray Christ for T, T face healed, T baptized; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. the entire Gothic army was defeated. gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. prison the Lord healed all his wounds. Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaianḗ, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea. Armenia, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia; the Illuminator[1] (c. 257 -331) is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301. thus became the first nation to submit to Christianity as its official religion. was the son[2] of the Armenian Parthian nobles[3] Anak the Parthian and Okohe. His father, Anak, was a Prince said to be related to the Arsacid Kings of Armenia[4] or was from the House of Suren, one of the seven branches of the ruling Arsacid dynasty[5][6][7] of Sakastan.[8] Anak was charged with assassinating Khosrov II, one of the kings of the Arsacid dynasty and was put to death. Gregory narrowly escaped execution with the help of Sopia and Yevtagh, his caretakers. He was taken to Caesarea in Cappadocia where Sopia and Yevtagh hoped to raise him. Gregory was given to the Christian Holy Father Phirmilianos (Euthalius) to be educated and was brought up as a devout Christian.[citation needed] coming of age, Gregory married a woman called Miriam, a devout Christian who was the daughter of a Christian Armenian prince in Cappadocia. From their union, Miriam bore Gregory two children, their sons Vrtanes and Aristaces. Through Vrtanes, Gregory and Miriam would have further descendants and when Gregory died, Aristaces succeeded him. At some point, Miriam and Gregory separated in order that Gregory might take up a monastic life. Gregory left Cappadocia and went to Armenia in the hope of atoning for his father's crime by evangelizing his homeland.[8] that time Tiridates III, son of the late King Khosrov II, reigned. Influenced partly by the fact that Gregory was the son of his father's enemy, he ordered Gregory imprisoned for twelve (some sources indicate fourteen) years in a pit on the Ararat Plain under the present day church of Khor Virap located near the historical city Artashat in Armenia. Gregory was eventually called forth from his pit in c. 297 to restore to sanity Tiridates III, who had lost all reason after he was betrayed by Roman emperor Diocletian. Diocletian invaded and vast amounts of territory from western provinces of Greater Armenia became protectorates of Rome.[citation needed] of Christianity in Armenia[edit] 301 Gregory baptized Tiridates III along with members of the royal court and upper class as Christians. Tiridates III issued a decree by which he granted Gregory full rights to begin carrying out the conversion of the entire nation to the Christian faith. The same year Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.[9] The newly built cathedral, the Mother Church in Etchmiadzin became and remains the spiritual and cultural center of Armenian Christianity and center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Most Armenians were baptized in the Aratsani (upper Euphrates) and Yeraskh (Arax) rivers. Two princes from Ujjain, India had founded a large kingdom in Armenia in 165 BC and they established 22 cities covering most of modern Armenia including two Hindu temples dedicated to Gisane and Demetr. According to the account of Zenob Glak,[10] one of the first disciples of Gregory the Illuminator, the temples were destroyed and the priests killed along with 1038 defenders of the raid that was ordered by Gregory.[citation needed] of the pre-Christian (traditional Indo-European) festivals and celebrations such as Tyarndarach (Trndez, associated with fire worship) and Vardavar or Vadarvar associated with water worship, that dated back thousands of years, were preserved and continued in the form of Christian celebrations and chants. In 302, Gregory received consecration as Patriarch of Armenia from Leontius of Caesarea,[11] his childhood friend.[citation needed] and death[edit] 318, Gregory appointed his second son Aristaces as the next Catholicos[11] in line of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church to stabilize and continue strengthening Christianity not only in Armenia, but also in the Caucasus. Gregory also placed and instructed his grandson Gregory (one of the sons of Vrtanes) in charge of the holy missions to the peoples and tribes of all of the Caucasus and Caucasian Albania; the younger man was martyred by a fanatical mob while preaching in Albania.[citation needed] his later years, Gregory withdrew to a small sanctuary near Mount Sebuh (Mt. Sepuh) in the Daranali province (Manyats Ayr, Upper Armenia) with a small convent of monks, where he remained until his death.[citation needed] and Veneration[edit] his death his corpse was removed to the village of Thodanum (T'ordan, modern Doğanköy, near Erzincan). His relics were scattered near and far in the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno. In the 8th century, the iconoclast decrees in Greece caused a number of religious orders to flee the Byzantine Empire and seek refuge elsewhere. San Gregorio Armeno in Naples was built in that century over the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Ceres, by a group of nuns escaping from the Byzantine Empire with the relics of Gregory,[11] including his skull, a femur bone, his staff, the leather straps used in his torture and the manacles that held the saint.[12] The femur and manacles were returned by Pope John Paul II to Catholicos Karekin II and are now enshrined at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan.[13] The Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos also claims to have the skull.[14] The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon each claim to have the right arm of the saint, in an arm-shaped reliquary, which is used for the blessing the Holy Myron every seven years.[citation needed] 20 February, 1743, Nardò, Italy was hit by a devastating earthquake that destroyed almost the entire city. The only structure to survive in tact after the quake was the city’s statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator. According to the city’s registers, only 350 out of the city’s 10,000 inhabitants died in the earthquake, leading the inhabitants to believe that St. Gregory saved the city. Every year, they mark the anniversary of the earthquake by holding three days of celebrations in his honor. Relics of the saint are kept at Nardò Cathedral.[citation needed] number of prayers, and about thirty of the canonical hymns of the Armenian Church, are ascribed to Gregory the Illuminator. Homilies of his appeared for the first time in a work called Haschacnapadum at Constantinople in 1737; a century afterwards a Greek translation was published at Venice by the Mekhiterists; and they have since been edited in German by J M Schmid (Ratisbon, 1872). The original authorities for Gregory's life are Agathangelos, whose History of Tiridates was published by the Mekhitarists in 1835; Moses of Chorene, Historiae Armenicae; and Symeon the Metaphrast.[citation needed] Life of Gregory by the Vartabed Matthew was published in the Armenian language at Venice in 1749 and was translated into English by Father Malan (1868).[citation needed] the calendar of the Armenian Church, the discovery of the relics of St. Gregory is an important feast and is commemorated on the Saturday before the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.[15] Gregory is commemorated on September 30 by the Orthodox Church, which styles him "Holy Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia." He is listed on September 30 in the Roman Martyrology of the Ordinary Form of the Catholic Church; his feast day is listed as October 1 in the Extraordinary Form. He is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on March 23.[citation needed] Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. the entire Gothic army was defeated. gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. prison the Lord healed all his wounds. Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaianḗ, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); ancient kingdom of Armenia was the first country to become Christian, and it recognizes Gregory as its apostle. was a buffer state between the powerful empires of Rome and Parthia (Persia), and both of them sought to control it. was born about 257. When he was still an infant, his father assassinated the King of Parthia, and friends of the family carried Gregory away for protection to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was reared as a Christian. 280 he returned to Armenia, where he was at first treated severely, but eventually by his preaching and example brought both King Tiridates and a majority of his people to the Christian faith. 300, Gregory was consecrated the first bishop of Armenia. He died about 332. Armenian Christians to this day remember him with honor and gratitude. by James Kiefer were the first people to adopt Christianity as the state religion. Tertullian and Eusebius of Caesaria suggest that Christianity was practiced in Armenia as early as the 2nd century. Eusebius also mentions an exchange of letters between Jesus Christ and the Armenian king of Edessa Abkar V (the Black) (9-46 A.D). Legend claims for Armenian the graves of four apostles: Bartholomew, Simon, Thaddaeus, and Jude. It was sometime between 288 and 301 that St. Gregory the Illuminator (Grigor Loussavorich : ca. 240-332), who had been subjected to cruel tortures and incarcerated in a deep well (Khor Virab) for 13 years for refusing to participate in pagan rites, converted King Tiridates (238-314). In 302, St. Gregory was ordained bishop, and in 303 he founded the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, near Mount Ararat, which, to this day, is the seat of the supreme patriarch or catholicos, the head of the Armenian Church. St. Gregory went on to evangelize several other Caucasian nations and baptized the kings of Iberia (Georgia), Lazes and Albania. Sometime before his death he retired to a solitary life in the wilderness. The patron saint of Armenia, he is now venerated in both the Eastern and Latin Church. from Armenia Online

Rome, 278-312, Clement and Agathangelus, Ancyra, Galatia, revelation 28 yr suffering, many places
Phrygia, 278-312, Clement and Agathangelus, Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), mother predicted martyr's death for him, raised by Sophia, famine, fed, clothed, taught unfortunates, many later martyrs, priest at 18, bishop at 20, 303 Diocletian P, preserved and healed, to rome and D, prison transformed to church, to nicomedia and M, joined by Agathangelus, to Agrippa, pagans stoned torturers, set free, multitudes, sent home to Ancrya, to Amasea, hot lime whole day unharmed, to Tarsus, revelation 28 yrs suffer, A beheaded, C freed, cave church service beheading ; Ancyra; Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra; Clement, Bishop of Ancyra or simply Clement of Ancyra (c. 258-312) (born in Ancyra present-day Turkey) a bishop who served during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian. He was arrested by Roman authorities and tried by Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian attempted to convert Clement to Paganism but Clement refused and withstood tremendous torture. was eventually beheaded by a Roman soldier whilst he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the year 312.[1] He is venerated on 23 January according to the Gregorian calendar and on 5 February according to the Julian calendar in some Eastern Orthodox countries together with his disciple Agathangelus of Rome. relics are in the saint's altar in the basilica of Our Lady of Trapani in Trapani.[2] Saint Clement Church is the only structure survived from the Byzantine era in Ankara.[3] Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, of a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. She predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ. woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. During a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own children, not having the means to feed them. Sophia took in these unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. Saint Clement assisted her in this. He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. Many of them died as martyrs for Christ. Clement was made a reader, and later a deacon. When he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, and at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. Soon afterwards the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out. Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. Dometian, the governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, but Saint Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the tortures. suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. They smashed his mouth with stones, and they turned him on a wheel and burned him over a low fire. The Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his lacerated body. Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. Diocletian, seeing the martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison. of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. People flocked to Saint Clement in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was literally transformed into a church. When word of this reached the emperor, many of these new Christians were executed. struck by the amazing endurance of Saint Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to his co-emperor Maximian. On the ship, the saint was joined by his disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other confessors, and who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop Clement. emperor Maximian in turn sent Saints Clement and Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones. been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to them in multitudes. Arrested again on orders of Maximian, they were sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. Then they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known for his great cruelty. Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot lime. They spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. They flayed them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured sulfur on their bodies. All this failed to harm the saints, and they were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. In the wilderness along the way Saint Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight years for Christ. Then having endured a multitude of tortures, the saints were locked up in prison. Agathangelus was beheaded with the sword on November 5. The Christians of Ancyra freed Saint Clement from prison and took him to a cave church. There, after celebrating Liturgy, the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the persecution and his own martyrdom. On January 23, the holy hierarch was killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. Two deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with him, but no one else was harmed.

Rome, 278-312, Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy
Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy, born 258 Ancyra, Galatia, christian mother, adopted bSophia who fed clothed abandoned children, Clement taught them fBaptism, reader deacon, then priest at 18, Ancyra Bishop a20, then Diocletian Persecution 284, tortured healed in Ancyra, hung on tree raked sharp iron entrals visible, mouth smashed wStones, turned on wheel burned over low fire, sent tDiocletion in Rome who did not believe, more Roman torture, , tPrison, Prison became church, many executed, t Maximian iNicomedia, on ship joined by Agathangelus, Maximian sent them to governor Agrippina, inhuman torments, on-lookers pity, pelted torturers wStones, C&A set free, they healed inhabitant laying on oHands, they baptized&taught throngs, arrested sent home new ruler cyrenius tortured them, tAmasea proconsul Dometius, cruelty, whole day in hot lime, unharmed, flayed, beat iron rods, red-hot beds, sulfur on wounds, healed, sent tTarsus, on the way Clement revelation 28yrs suffer for Christ, there multitude of tortures then tPrison, A beheaded Nov 5, C freed tCave church, announced martyrdom at Liturgy, beheaded while serving Liturgy Jan 23; Ancyra; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ. woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own children, not having the means to feed them. took in these unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. Clement assisted her in this. He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. of them died as martyrs for Christ. Clement was made a reader, and later a deacon. he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. afterwards the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out. Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. the governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, Saint Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the tortures. suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. smashed his mouth with stones, they turned him on a wheel and burned him over a low fire. Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his lacerated body. Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. seeing the martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison. of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. flocked to Saint Clement in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was literally transformed into a church. word of this reached the emperor, many of these new Christians were executed. struck by the amazing endurance of Saint Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to his co-emperor Maximian. the ship, the saint was joined by his disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other confessors, who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop Clement. emperor Maximian in turn sent Saints Clement and Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones. been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to them in multitudes. again on orders of Maximian, they were sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known for his great cruelty. Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot lime. spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. flayed them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured sulfur on their bodies. this failed to harm the saints, they were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. the wilderness along the way Saint Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight years for Christ. having endured a multitude of tortures, the saints were locked up in prison. Agathangelus was beheaded with the sword on November 5. Christians of Ancyra freed Saint Clement from prison and took him to a cave church. after celebrating Liturgy, the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the persecution and his own martyrdom. January 23, the holy hierarch was killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with him, but no one else was harmed. Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra; Clement, Bishop of Ancyra or simply Clement of Ancyra (c. 258-312) (born in Ancyra present-day Turkey) a bishop who served during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian. He was arrested by Roman authorities and tried by Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian attempted to convert Clement to Paganism but Clement refused and withstood tremendous torture. was eventually beheaded by a Roman soldier whilst he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the year 312.[1] He is venerated on 23 January according to the Gregorian calendar and on 5 February according to the Julian calendar in some Eastern Orthodox countries together with his disciple Agathangelus of Rome. relics are in the saint's altar in the basilica of Our Lady of Trapani in Trapani.[2] Saint Clement Church is the only structure survived from the Byzantine era in Ankara.[3]

Rome, 280-350, James oNisibis, great ascetic Armenia Persian border, clairvoyant, 18 Chapters Orthodox Faith, 1st EC defender
Armenia, 280-350, James oNisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3), Prince's son, educated, loved solitude, lived in mts around Nizba, Persian Roman Border, ascetic exploits, open sky, tree fruits greens food, goat skins dress, all time in prayer, 284-305 faith confession courage, 314 chosen bishop, glorified bZeal, miracles, clairvoyance, his prayers saved N fInvasion Persian Sapor, 325 1st EC Orthodox faith defender, teacher iHis public school, Great Armenia bishop Gregory requested he write about Orthodox faith, sent 18 chapters, faith, love, fasting, prayer, spiritual warfare, resurrection, pastor duties, circumcision, food choice, Christ as Son oGod, etc, a persuasive clear composition, died peacefully 350 ; Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; James, Bishop of Nisibis, was the son of prince Gefal (Armenia) and received a fine upbringing. the time of his youth he loved solitude, for a long time he lived in the mountains around about the city of Niziba (on the border of the Persian and Roman Empires), he carried out strict ascetic exploits: lived under the open sky, himself with tree fruits and greens, dressed himself in goat-skins. monk passed all this time in prayerful conversations with God. a persecution by the emperor Maximian (284-305) was glorified by a courageous confession of faith. of his strict and pious life the inhabitants of Nisibis chose him as their bishop (no later than the year 314). James was glorified by his ardent zeal for the Orthodox Faith, great miracles by the gift of clairvoyance. his prayers Nisibis was saved from an invasion by Sapor, the emperor of Persia. James, among the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, one of the prominent defenders of the Orthodox Faith. wise and educated pastor, he constructed a public school at Nisibis, which he himself was an instructor. made a strong impression on the hearts of his listeners by the high morality of his life. Gregory, bishop of great Armenia, turned to him with a request to write about the faith, the Nisibis pastor sent to him by way of reply a detailed Discourse (18 Chapters): the faith, love, warfare, resurrection of the dead, duties of pastors, circumcision (against the Jews), the choice of foods, Christ as the Son of God, and so on. His composition distinguishes itself by its persuasive clear exposition and warmth. James died peacefully in about the year 350.

Rome, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Jacob, Gregory's Kin, Armenia (Tigris River 3)
Armenia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ;

Rome, 282-283, Emperor, Carus, success against Germans and Sarmatians, Lightning strike while against Sassanids
Roman Emperor, 282-283, Carus ; Aurelius Carus (c. 222 – July or August 283) was Roman emperor from 282 to 283, and was 60 at ascension. During his short reign, Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians along the Danube frontier with success. died while campaigning against the Sassanid Empire and is believed to have died of unnatural causes, as it was reported that he had been struck by lightning.[3] He was succeeded by his sons Carinus and Numerian, creating a dynasty which, though short-lived, provided further stability to the resurgent empire. Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, Commemorated on September 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332) ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Rome, 283-284, Emperor, Carinus, Pagan then Christian after healing
Roman Emperor, 282-284, Carinus ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, Commemorated on September 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Holy Wonderworking Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian at Rome, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Rome, 283-284, Emperor, Numerian, died after sharing power with his brother Carinus
Roman Emperor, 283-284, Numerian ; (3] died 20 November 284) was Roman emperor from 283 to 284 with his older brother Carinus. They were sons of Carus, a general raised to the office of praetorian prefect under Emperor Probus in 282.[4] 1 Early life and Carus' reign 1.1 Numerian and Carinus as Augusti 1.2 After Numerian's death 2 Character 3 Family tree 4 Citations 5 References 5.1 Primary sources 5.2 Secondary sources 6 External links life and Carus' reign[edit] was the younger son of Carus.[4] In 282, the legions of the upper Danube in Raetia and Noricum proclaimed as emperor Numerian's father, the praetorian prefect Marcus Aurelius Carus, after a mutiny against the emperor Probus, in which the latter was killed.[5][6] By one account, Carus had himself rebelled against the emperor, and Probus' army, stationed in Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), decided they did not wish to fight Carus and assassinated their emperor instead.[7] According to the Historia Augusta and the view accepted by Gibbon, Carus was not responsible for Probus's death, and inflicted severe punishment upon the murderers.[8] Carus, already sixty, wished to establish a dynasty[9] and immediately elevated Carinus and Numerian to the rank of Caesar.[10] 283, Carus left Carinus in charge of the West and moved with Numerian and his praetorian prefect Arrius Aper to the East to wage war against the Sassanid Empire. The Sassanids had been embroiled in a succession dispute since the death of Shapur and were in no position to oppose Carus' advance.[11][12] to Zonaras, Eutropius, and Festus, Carus won a major victory against the Persians, taking Seleucia and the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon (near modern Al-Mada'in, Iraq), cities on opposite banks of the Tigris.[13] In celebration, Numerian, Carus, and Carinus all took the title Persici maximi.[14] Carus died in July or early August of 283,[4] allegedly due to a strike of lightning.[15] and Carinus as Augusti[edit] death of Carus left Numerian and Carinus as the new Augusti. Carinus quickly made his way to Rome from Gaul, arriving in January 284, while Numerian lingered in the East.[16] The Roman retreat from Persia was orderly and unopposed, for the Persian King, Bahram II, was still struggling to establish his authority.[17] March 284, Numerian had only reached Emesa (Homs) in Syria; by November, only Asia Minor.[18] In Emesa he was apparently still alive and in good health, as he issued the only extant rescript in his name there.[19] Coins were issued in his name in Cyzicus at some time before the end of 284, but it is impossible to know whether he was still in the public eye by that point.[20] Emesa, Numerian's staff, including the prefect Aper, reported that Numerian suffered from an inflammation of the eyes and had to travel in a closed coach.[21] When the army reached Bithynia,[16] or Thrace,[22] some of Numerian's soldiers smelled an odor reminiscent of a decaying corpse emanating from the coach.[17] They opened its curtains and found Numerian dead.[23] Gibbon, however, dismisses with derision the report of the stench of Numerian's decay: "Could no aromatics be found in the Imperial house-hold?"[24] Numerian's death[edit] officially broke the news of Numerian's death in Nicomedia (Ä°zmit) in November 284,[25] though Gibbon represents the occurrence of this event at Heraclea, in Thrace, and the discovery, which the prefect attempted to conceal, as due to the forwardness of the soldiery, who forced open the Imperial tent to investigate for themselves the situation of their invisible monarch.[26] Numerian's generals and tribunes called a council for the succession, which met at Chalcedon across the Bosphorus, where they chose as emperor Diocletian, commander of the cavalry arm of the imperial bodyguard,[27] despite Aper's attempts to garner support.[25] The army of the east unanimously saluted their new Augustus. Diocletian accepted the purple imperial vestments and raised his sword to the light of the sun, swearing an oath denying responsibility for Numerian's death. He asserted that Aper had killed Numerian and concealed the deed. In full view of the army, Diocletian then turned and killed Aper, who had been hauled bound before the assembly.[28][29] to the Historia Augusta, Numerian was a man of considerable literary attainments, remarkably amiable, and known as a great orator and poet. Allegedly, the senate raised him a statue, inscribed To the most powerful of orators.[30] Venerable Theophanes the Confessor and Faster of Mount Diabenos, Commemorated on September 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Chrysanthus and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on March 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Thallelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on May 20; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304); Holy Wonderworking Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian at Rome, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ;

Rome, 284-305, Emperor, Maximian Hercules, Western Half
Roman Emperor, 284-305, Maximian ; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Tation (Tatio) of Claudiopolis, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Epicharis of Rome, Commemorated on September 27; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Sergius in Syria, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 10 ; Martyr Domnina of Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; Martyr Marinus the Elder at Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 18; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Varus, Commemorated on October 19; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Lupus, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Hieromartyr Zenobius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Antoninus of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated on November 19; Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Crispina, Commemorated on December 5; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated on December 13; Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 14; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated on December 22; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Zisimus of Martyrs Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated on January 8; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated on January 12; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 19; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304) ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated on January 21; Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated on January 21; VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304); Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated on January 26; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated on January 29; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated on February 5; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated on February 5; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated on February 5; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 6; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on February 7 ; Martyr Aule, Commemorated on February 7; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Manuel, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Agathopodes the Deacon, and those with him, at Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28 ; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17 ; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ;

Rome, 284-305, Emperor, Diocletian, Eastern Half
Rome, 284-305, Emperor Diocletian ; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Martyr Trophimus and 14 Others in Lycia, Commemorated on July 23; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12 ; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; St Felix of Spain, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Eulalia of Barcelona, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Tation (Tatio) of Claudiopolis, Commemorated on August 24; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Epicharis of Rome, Commemorated on September 27; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Sergius in Syria, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 10 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; Martyr Marinus the Elder at Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 18; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Varus, Commemorated on October 19; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Lupus, Commemorated on October 26; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30; Hieromartyr Zenobius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Antoninus of Casarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated on November 19; Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Crispina, Commemorated on December 5; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated on December 13; Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 14; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated on December 22; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Zisimus of Martyrs Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated on January 8; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated on January 12; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 19; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304) ; Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated on January 21; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated on January 21; VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304); Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated on January 24; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated on January 26; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated on January 29; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated on February 5 ; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated on February 5; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 6; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on February 7 ; Martyr Aule, Commemorated on February 7; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Manuel, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Agathopodes the Deacon, and those with him, at Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; Martyr Crescens of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on April 13; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Anthony at Rome, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28 ; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Virginmartyr Archelais Beheaded at Salerno, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; Martyr Modestus at Lucania, Commemorated on June 15; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304); Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ; Martyr Lucy at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Martyrs at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ;

Rome, 284-305, Diocletian Maximian Persecution Folder

Rome, 284-305, Athanasia&Daughters, fCanopis, Egypt, forced to watch Cyrus&John's torture, still confessed, martyred
Egypt, 284-305, Athanasia&Daughters, fCanopis, Egypt, their story is now only in Cyrus and John's story, Athanasia &daughters Theoctiste 15, Theodota 13, and Eudoxia 11 were arrested, C&J worried they would renounce wTortured, C&J encouraged, C&J arrested, tortured in fron of A&d's, women not freightened, continued confess, flogged beheaded; Canopis, Egypt ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; story now only in the Cyrus and John story below: learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, courageously continued to confess Christ. were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.” Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. In the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. They learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. At the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Saints Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping.

Rome, 284-305, Theodotion converted to Christianity after witnessing his brothers' martyrdom, he also endured many torments
Egypt, 284-305, Theodotion converted to Christianity after witnessing his brothers Pausirius&Paul's martyrdom, he also endured many torments Egypt; Rahab; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; Holy Martyrs and brothers according to the flesh Pausirius, Paul, and Theodotion lived in Egypt during the third century. and Paul confessed their faith in Christ and suffered martyrdom under Diocletian (284-305). converted to Christianity after witnessing their martyrdom. also endured many torments before being put to death.

Rome, 284-305, Carterius oCaesurea, Teacher iCaesarea, Serapis Idol shattered by his prayers tChrist, ordered tortured&beheaded
Armenia, 284-305, Carterius oCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), Diocletian's Reign, Teacher iCaesarea, Serapis Idol shattered by his prayers tChrist, ordered tortured&beheaded, however killed wSpear; Caesurea, Cappadocia; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; Carterius lived during the reign of Diocletian, was a teacher in Caesarea of Cappadocia. stood before a statue of Serapis and prayed to Christ, and the idol shattered to pieces. procurator Urbanus ordered Saint Carterius to be tortured and then beheaded. however, say he was killed with a spear.

Rome, 284-305, Mertius oMauretania, North Africa, soldier, Emperor demanded idol sacrifice, refused, no sound when tortured
Africa, North Africa, 284-305, Mertius oMauretania, North Africa, soldier, Emperor demanded sacrifice tIdols, refused, fierce torments, not making sound, tPrison, died from hunger&wounds; Mauretania; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated January 12 ; Holy Martyr Mertius was a soldier. suffered for Christ in Africa during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). emperor demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, when he refused, gave him over to torture. saint suffered fierce torments, not making a sound. was thrown into prison, where he died from hunger and his wounds.

Rome, 284-305, Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, when told to offer he overturned idols, Angel came forth
Greece, 284-305, Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, when told to offer he overturned idols, Angel came forth, executioner& emperor saw Angel& permitted burial whonor; Thessalonica; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica was arrested by pagans for confessing the Christian Faith. Under the emperor Maximian (284-305) he not only admitted being a Christian, but when told to offer sacrifice to the gods, he overturned the idolatrous sacrifice in indignation. The emperor gave orders to behead the saint. the execution was done, the emperor and the executioner saw how an angel came forth bearing the soul of the holy Martyr Alexander up to the heavens. The emperor permitted Christians to bury the body of the saint with honor in the city of Thessalonica, which they did with joy.

Rome, 284-305, Martyr Eleutherius, Chamberlain at Emperor's Residence, became Christain, Church in his home, beheaded
Constantinople, 284-305, Martyr Eleutherius, Chamberlain at Imperial Palace, Constantinople, Emperor's Residence, became Christain, country estate Church in his home, betrayed by servant, beheaded by Maximian Hercules, relics in city of Theato; Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Holy Martyr Eleutherius served as the cubicularius (chamberlain) at the court of the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305). he accepted Christianity, he then settled on a country estate, and built a church at his home. of the servants reported to the emperor that Eleutherius had become a Christian. emperor ordered the saint to offer pagan sacrifice. The saint refused and for this he was beheaded. relics of Saint Eleutherius were at Constantinople, and afterwards transferred to Italy, to the city of Theato.

Rome, 284-305, Eleutherius, rich Roman Court manager, but thought eternal things , church iHome, Beheaded bMax Hercls
Constantinople, 284-305, Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), illustrious&rich chamberlain, emperor's household manager, but not fooled by worldly possessions & honors, but thought oImperishible&etermal, accepted baptism, daily psalmody&virtuous deeds, settled in country estate, church in his home, but his servant told pagan emperor (Maximian Hercules), who tried turn E from faith, then ordered behead him, throw body tDogs&vultures, but christian buried body; Constantinople; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; Holy Martyr Eleutherius Cubicularius was an illustrious and rich chamberlain [“cubicularius”] at the Byzantine court. all his courtly privileges, Eleutherius was not beguiled by worldly possessions and honors. he thought of imperishable and eternal things. accepted holy Baptism, he began daily to glorify God with psalmody and to adorn his life with virtuous deeds. one of his servants through diabolic promptings, informed against his master to the [then still pagan] emperor. emperor tried to turn Eleutherius from his faith in Christ, after the unsuccessful attempts the emperor gave orders to behead him, and to throw his body to be eaten by dogs and vultures. certain Christian priest took up the saint’s body and buried it. is a second commemoration of the martyr on August 4. Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Holy Martyr Eleutherius served as the cubicularius (chamberlain) at the court of the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305). he accepted Christianity, he then settled on a country estate, and built a church at his home. of the servants reported to the emperor that Eleutherius had become a Christian. emperor ordered the saint to offer pagan sacrifice. saint refused and for this he was beheaded. relics of Saint Eleutherius were at Constantinople, and afterwards transferred to Italy, to the city of Theato.

Rome, 284-305, Orentios, Thrace, Bulgaria, Orentios killed Hun leader, honors, refused w, brothers exiled Georgia, died on trip
Bulgaria, 284-305, Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Militarius, Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8), Orentios killed Scythian (Hun) leader, honors but asked to sac to idols, refused, brothers detained, exiled to Caucasus, all died on trip ; Thrace; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos, and Longinus were brothers, who were known for their courage and served as soldiers in Thrace during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. a battle with the Scythians, Saint Orentios killed their fierce and intrepid leader, Mararon. He received many honors for this achievement, but then he was asked to participate in a sacrifice that was being offered to the idols in thanksgiving for his victory. The Christian hero absolutely refused to do this, declaring that he had defeated his foe by the power of Jesus Christ, whom he worshiped as the one true God. They did not punish him right away, because of his bravery, but he and his brothers were detained. some time, they were questioned. All seven declared, as with one mouth, that they would remain faithful to Christ until their last breath, and that the Savior would judge them on the Last Day. After saying this, they were sentenced to exile in the Caucasus. after another, the seven brothers died on the journey from their hardships and suffering. but they endured their afflictions without complaint. Erotas was the first to depart this life; he perished at Parembol on June 22. Next, Orentios was thrown into the sea with a stone tied around his neck. Pharnakios reposed on July 3 at Kordila. Phirmos and Phirminos received their heavenly crowns on July 7 at Aspara on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Kyriakos went to the Lord on July 14 at Ziganeia, and Longinus gave his soul into God's hands on July 28 while on board a ship. The storm-tossed vessel went aground at Pitinda (Pitsnda), and so the last holy martyr was buried there. pray to these holy martyrs to protect us from our enemies. In Greek usage these saints are commemorated on June 25.

Rome, 284-305, Marina of Antioch, Pisidia, daughter of Pagan Priest, burns, water, divine light, healed, 15,000 martyred
Lykaonia, Pisidai, 284-305, Greatmartyr Marina of Antioch, Pisidia, Turkish Lakes, Major Intersection, daughter of Pagan Priest, Christian nurse, tortured beaten nails tridents, heavenly aid, burns, water of baptism, divine light, dove, golden crown, fetters removed, completely healed, 15,000 martyred; Antioch in Pisidia; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. learning that his daughter had become a Christian, the father angrily disowned her. the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), when she was fifteen years old, Saint Marina was arrested and locked up in prison. firm trust in the will of God and His help, the young prisoner prepared for her impending fate. governor Olymbrios, charmed with the beautiful girl, tried to persuade her to renounce the Christian Faith and become his wife. the saint, unswayed, refused his offers. vexed governor gave the holy martyr over to torture. Having beaten her fiercely, they fastened the saint with nails to a board and tore at her body with tridents. governor himself, unable to bear the horror of these tortures, hid his face in his hands. the holy martyr remained unyielding. for the night into prison, she was granted heavenly aid and healed of her wounds. stripped her and tied her to a tree, then burned the martyr with fire. alive, the martyr prayed: “Lord, You have granted me to go through fire for Your Name, grant me also to go through the water of holy Baptism.” the word “water”, the governor gave orders to drown the saint in a large cauldron. The martyr besought the Lord that this manner of execution should become for her holy Baptism. they plunged her into the water, there suddenly shone a light, and a snow-white dove came down from Heaven, bearing in its beak a golden crown. fetters put upon Saint Marina came apart by themselves. martyr stood up in the fount of Baptism glorifying the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Marina emerged from the fount completely healed, without any trace of burns. at this miracle, the people glorified the True God, and many came to believe. brought the governor into a rage, and he gave orders to kill anyone who might confess the Name of Christ. Christians perished there, and the holy Martyr Marina was beheaded. sufferings of the Great Martyr Marina were described by an eyewitness of the event, named Theotimos. until the taking of Constantinople by Western crusaders in the year 1204, the relics of the Great Martyr Marina were in the Panteponteia monastery. to other sources, they were located in Antioch until the year 908 and from there transferred to Italy. they are in Athens, in a church dedicated to the holy Virgin Martyr. venerable hand was transferred to Mount Athos, to the Batopedi monastery.

Rome, 284-305, Athanasia and her three young daughters, Edessa, Armenia, Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure
Armenia, 284-305, Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven, Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them; Edessa, Syria; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom.

Rome, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Diocletian Persecution, Angels scared excutnrs, unharmed by hot metal bed, in lake in sack
Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), Diocletian Persecution, Angels scared executioners, unharmed by hot metal bed, into lake in sack; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Holy Martyr Antonina suffered at Nicea during a persecution under the emperor Maximian (284-305). After fierce tortures, Saint Antonina was thrown into prison, but Maximian could not force the saint to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. of God appeared to the holy martyr and the executioners took fright. Even when they placed her on a red-hot metal bed, Saint Antonina remained unharmed, by the power of God. Finally, after long torture they sewed the saint into a sack and sank it in a lake.

Rome, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia, survived fire, red hot plate, red hot rods into hands & feet
Bithynia, 284-305, Antonina of Nicea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), survived various tortures, burned, red hot plate, red hot rods bored into hands and feet; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Holy Martyr Antonina suffered during the third century under Diocletian (284-305) in the city of Nicea. tortured her in various ways: they burned her with fire, they put her on a red-hot plate, they bored into her hands and feet with red-hot rods and they threw her in prison, where she languished for two days. torments did not break Saint Antonina’s spirit, and to her very death she confessed her faith in Christ. They threw the holy martyr into the sea.

Rome, 284-305, Boniface, slave, cohabitation, wanted relics from East, grace radiant faces, church on his relics, miracles
Cilicia, 284-305, Boniface, Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), slave of rich roman woman, cohabitation, conscience, wanted relics in home for salvation, relics diminish sin, virtue prevails, bring back relics from east, to Tarsus, christians being tortured,with grace radiant faces, B asked to suffer with them, stripped, hung upside down, beat flesh from body, molten tar down throat, remained unharmed, caldron boiling tar, no harm, bedewed by an angel, tar burned torturers, beheaded, relics back to Rome, Aglaida build church on his relics, miracles there, she distrib wealth and went to monastery, she buried by Boniface; Tarsus; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Holy Martyr Boniface was the slave of a rich young Roman woman named Aglaida (Aglae) and he dwelt with her in an iniquitous cohabitation. But they both felt the sting of conscience and they wanted somehow to be cleansed of their sin. And the Lord granted them the possibility to wash away their sin with their blood and to finish their life in repentance. learned that whoever keeps relics of the holy martyrs in the home and venerates them receives great help in gaining salvation. Under their influence, sin is diminished and virtue prevails. She arranged for Boniface to go to the East, where there was a fierce persecution against Christians, and she asked him to bring back the relics of some martyr, who would become a guide and protector for them. he was leaving, Boniface laughed and asked, “My lady, if I do not find any relics, and if I myself suffer for Christ, will you accept my body with reverence?” Aglaida scolded him, saying that he was setting off on a sacred mission, but he was not taking it seriously. Boniface pondered her words, and during the whole journey he thought that he was unworthy of touching the bodies of the martyrs. at Tarsus in Cilicia, Boniface left his companions at the inn and proceeded to the city square, where they were torturing Christians. Struck by the beastly horrible torments, and seeing the faces of the holy martyrs radiant with the grace of the Lord, Boniface marveled at their courage. He embraced them and kissed their feet, asking them to pray that he might be found worthy to suffer with them. judge asked Boniface who he was. He replied, “I am a Christian,” and then refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They stripped him and hung him upside down, beating him so hard that the flesh fell from his body, exposing the bone. They stuck needles under his nails, and finally they poured molten tin down his throat, but by the power of the Lord he remained unharmed. The people who witnessed this miracle shouted, “Great is the God of the Christians!” Then they began to throw stones at the judge, and then they headed for the pagan temple, in order to cast down the idols. the following morning, when things had quieted down somewhat, the judge directed that the holy martyr be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tar, but this also caused the sufferer no harm. An angel come down from Heaven and bedewed him as he stepped into the cauldron. The tar overflowed the cauldron, splattering and burning the torturers themselves. Saint Boniface was then sentenced to beheading by the sword. Blood and a milky fluid flowed from his wounds. Beholding such a miracle, about 550 men believed in Christ. Boniface’s companions, waiting for two days at the inn for him in vain, began searching for him, thinking that he had gotten drunk somewhere. At first their search was without success, but finally they came across a man who had been an eyewitness to the martyr’s death. The man also led them to the place where the decapitated body lay. Saint Boniface’s companions tearfully begged his forgiveness for their unseemly thoughts about him. After they ransomed the martyr’s remains, they brought them back to Rome. the eve of their arrival an angel appeared to Aglaida in her sleep and told her to prepare herself to receive her former slave, now the brother and fellow-servant of the angels. summoned the clergy, and she received the holy relics with great reverence. Then she built a church on the site of his grave and dedicated it to the holy martyr. There she enshrined his relics, glorified by numerous miracles. distributing all her wealth to the poor, she withdrew to a monastery, where she spent fifteen years in repentance, then fell asleep in the Lord. She was buried beside Saint Boniface. The sins of the one were washed away by his blood, the other was purified by her tears and asceticism. Both were found worthy to appear unsullied before our Lord Jesus Christ, Who desires not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live (Ezek. 33:11). pray to Saint Boniface for deliverance from drunkenness.

Rome, 284-305, Sebastian at Rome, shot with arrows, survived, clubbed to death, thrown into sewer, appeared
Gaul, 284-305, Sebastian at Rome, from Narbonum, Gaul, head imperial guards, brave, wise, honest, secret christian, converted healed many, shot with arrows, survived, clubbed to death, thrown into sewer, appeared to woman to have his body put in catacombs; Narbonum; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated December 18; Holy Martyr Sebastian was born in the city of Narbonum in Gaul (modern France), and he received his education at Mediolanum (now Milan). the co-reigning emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305) he occupied the position of head of the imperial guards. Sebastian was respected for his authority, and was loved by the soldiers and those at court. was a brave man filled with wisdom; his word was honest, his judgment just. He was insightful in advice and faithful in his service and in everything entrusted to him. was a secret Christian, not out of fear, but so that he could provide help to the brethren in a time of persecution. noble Christian brothers Marcellinus and Mark had been locked up in prison, and at first they firmly confessed the true Faith. under the influence of the tearful entreaties of their pagan parents (Tranquillinus and Marcia), and also their own wives and children, they began to waver in their intent to suffer for Christ. Sebastian went to the imperial treasurer, at whose house Marcellinus and Mark were held in confinement, and addressed the brothers who were on the verge of yielding to the entreaties of their family. “O valiant warriors of Christ! Do not cast away your everlasting crowns of victory because of the tears of your relatives. not remove your feet from the necks of your enemies who lie prostrate before you, lest they regain their strength and attack you more fiercely than before. your banner high over every earthly attachment. those whom you see weeping knew that there is another life where there is neither sickness nor death, where there is unceasing gladness and everything is beautiful, then assuredly they would wish to enter it with you. who fears to exchange this brief earthly life for the unending joys of the heavenly Kingdom is foolish indeed. For he who rejects eternity wastes the brief time of his existence, and will be delivered to everlasting torment in Hades.” Saint Sebastian said that if necessary, he would be willing to endure torment and death in order to show them how to give their lives for Christ. Saint Sebastian persuaded the brothers to go through with their act of martyrdom, and his speech stirred everyone present. They saw how his face shone like that of an angel, and they saw how seven angels clothed him in a radiant garment, and heard a fair Youth say, “You shall be with Me always.” the wife of the jailer Nicostratus, had lost her ability to speak six years previously. She fell down at the feet of Saint Sebastian, by her gestures imploring him to heal her. The saint made the Sign of the Cross over the woman, and she immediately began to speak and she glorified the Lord Jesus Christ. said that she had seen an angel holding an open book in which everything Saint Sebastian said was written. Then all who saw the miracle also came to believe in the Savior of the world. Nicostratus removed the chains from Marcellinus and Mark and offered to hide them, but the brothers refused. said, “Let them tear the flesh from our bodies with cruel torments. They can kill the body, but they cannot conquer the soul which contends for the Faith.” Nicostratus and his wife asked for Baptism, and Saint advised Nicostratus to serve Christ rather than the Eparch. He also told him to assemble the prisoners so that those who believed in Christ could be baptized. Nicostratus then requested his clerk Claudius to send all the prisoners to his house. Sebastian spoke to them of Christ, and became convinced that they were all inclined to be baptized. He summoned the priest Polycarp, who prepared them for the Mystery, instructing them to fast in preparation for Baptism that evening. Claudius informed Nicostratus that the Roman eparch Arestius Chromatus wanted to know why the prisoners were gathered at his house. told Claudius about the healing of his wife, and Claudius brought his own sick sons, Symphorian and Felix to Saint Sebastian. the evening the priest Polycarp baptized Tranquillinus with his relatives and friends, and Nicostratus and all his family, Claudius and his sons, and also sixteen condemned prisoners. The newly-baptized numbered 64 in all. before the eparch Chromatus, Nicostratus told him how Saint Sebastian had converted them to Christianity and healed many from sickness. The words of Nicostratus persuaded the eparch. summoned Saint Sebastian and the presbyter Polycarp, and was enlightened by them, and became a believer in Christ. Nicostratus and Chromatus, his son Tiburtius and all his household accepted holy Baptism. The number of the newly-enlightened increased to 1400. Upon becoming a Christian, Chromatus resigned his office of eparch. this time the Bishop of Rome was Saint Gaius (August 11). He blessed Chromatus to go to his estates in southern Italy with the priest Polycarp. Christians unable to endure martyrdom also went with them. Father Polycarp went to strengthen the newly-converted in the Faith. the son of Chromatus, desired to accept martyrdom and he remained in Rome with Saint Sebastian. Of those remaining, Saint Gaius ordained Tranquillinus as a presbyter, and his sons Marcellinus and Mark were ordained deacons. Nicostratus, his wife Zoe and brother Castorius, and Claudius, his son Symphorian and brother Victorinus also remained in Rome. They gathered for divine services at the court of the emperor together with a secret Christian named Castulus, but soon the time came for them to suffer for the Faith. pagans arrested Saint Zoe first, praying at the grave of the Apostle Peter. At the trial she bravely confessed her faith in Christ. She died, hung by her hair over the foul smoke from a great fire of dung. Her body then was thrown into the River Tiber. Appearing in a vision to Saint Sebastian, she told him about her death. priest Tranquillinus was the next to suffer: pagans pelted him with stones at the grave of the holy Apostle Peter, and his body was also thrown into the Tiber. Nicostratus, Castorius, Claudius, Victorinus, and Symphorian were seized at the riverbank, when they were searching for the bodies of the martyrs. They were led to the eparch, and the saints refused his command to offer sacrifice to idols. They tied stones to the necks of the martyrs and then drowned them in the sea. false Christian Torquatus betrayed Saint Tiburtius. When the saint refused to sacrifice to the idols, the judge ordered Tiburtius to walk barefoot on red-hot coals, but the Lord preserved him. Tiburtius walked through the burning coals without feeling the heat. The torturers then beheaded Saint Tiburtius, and his body was buried by unknown Christians. also betrayed the holy Deacons Marcellinus and Mark, and Saint Castulus (March 26). After torture, they threw Castulus into a pit and buried him alive, but Marcellinus and Mark had their feet nailed to the same tree stump. They stood all night in prayer, and in the morning they were stabbed with spears. Sebastian was the last one to be tortured. The emperor Diocletian personally interrogated him, and seeing the determination of the holy martyr, he ordered him taken out of the city, tied to a tree and shot with arrows. Irene, the wife of Saint Castulus, went at night in order to bury Saint Sebastian, but found him alive and took him to her home. Sebastian soon recovered from his wounds. Christians urged him to leave Rome, but he refused. Coming near a pagan temple, the saint saw the emperors approaching and he publicly denounced them for their impiety. ordered the holy martyr to be taken to the Circus Maximus to be executed. They clubbed Saint Sebastian to death, and cast his body into the sewer. holy martyr appeared to a pious woman named Lucina in a vision, and told her to take his body and bury it in the catacombs. This she did with the help of her slaves. Today his basilica stands on the site of his tomb.

Rome, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth
Lykaonia, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth; Isauria; MLykaonia, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth, they had been sent to arrest A, A commanded them to obey authority and bring him to the Eparch, he beheaded all including his wife and daughter; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated November 19 ; Holy Martyr Azes and with him 150 Soldiers suffered at Isauria, in Asia Minor, under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). his confession of the Christian Faith, the saint was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch, Aquilinus. hundred and fifty soldiers had been sent to arrest the saint, but they were converted to the path of salvation and they accepted holy Baptism with water that sprang forth through the prayer of Saint Azes. martyr persuaded them to fulfill the commandment to obey those in authority, and therefore to bring him before the eparch. soldiers and the saint confessed their Christian faith before Aquilinus, and for this they were all beheaded. With them the eparch executed his own wife and daughter, who had come to believe in Christ, seeing the steadfastness of Saint Azes under torture.

Rome, 284-305, Eustratius at Sebaste, Armenia, Commander, historian, openly confessed, iron nail sandals, forced march
Armenia, 284-305, Eustratius at Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1) Auxentius of Arabia, Commander Eustratius witnessed, historian, openly confessed, iron nail sandals, forced march, Mardarius, holes drilled in ankles, ropes, upside down, heated nails hammered, third hour prayer, Eugene, ripped out tongue, off hands & feet, beheaded, Orestes, red hot bead, frightened, encouraged, sign of cross, got in, died, Eustratius, burned alive, prayer for Sat. Midnight Office; Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes (the Five Companions) suffered for Christ under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) at Sebaste, in Armenia. the first Christians imprisoned and undergoing torture at that time was Saint Auxentius, a presbyter of the Arabian Church. of those who witnessed the steadfastness of the Christians was the noble military commander Saint Eusthoratius, the city prefect of Satalios, and archivist of the province. He was secretly a Christian, and when he openly confessed his faith, he was subjected to torture. They beat him, and put iron sandals studded with sharp nails on his feet, then forced him to march to the city of Arabrak. the arrival of Saint Eustratius in Arabrak, one of the common people, Saint Mardarius, confessed that he was also a Christian like Saint Eustratius. He was arrested and cast into prison. Holes were drilled in his ankles, and ropes were passed them. He was suspended upside down, then heated nails were hammered into his body. He died a short time later. To him is attributed the prayer “O Master Lord God, Father Almighty ...” (which is read at the end of the Third Hour). for Saint Eugene, they ripped out his tongue, they cut off his hands and feet, and then they beheaded him with a sword. Saint Auxentius was also arrested and beheaded. The young soldier Saint Orestes confessed himself a Christian and stood trial for this “crime.” He was sentenced to be stretched out upon a red-hot iron bed, and became frightened when he approached it. Encouraged by Saint Eustratius, he made the Sign of the Cross and got onto the heated bed, where he surrendered his soul to God. Eustratius was sentenced to be burned alive on December 13. As he was being led to his death, he prayed aloud (“I magnify Thee exceedingly, O Lord, for Thou hast regarded my lowliness...”). This prayer is still read at the Saturday Midnight Office.

Rome, 284-305, Zacchaeus of Caesarea, Palestine, tortured with Alphaeus, Diocletian Persecution, deacon oGadara
Palestine, 284-305, Zacchaeus of Caesarea, Palestine, tortured with Alphaeus, Diocletian Persecution, deacon oGadara, shackled wAlphaeus, prayed all night; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ; Holy Martyrs Zacchaeus, Deacon of Gadara, and Alphaeus, Reader of Caesarea, suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). those arrested during the most fierce persecution against Christians was Saint Zacchaeus, a deacon of the Gadara church, who openly confessed his faith and did not renounce Christ under torture. Diocletian persecution was so fierce that many did not endure, and frightened of the tortures, they agreed to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Alphaeus, a reader of the church of Caesarea, zealous for the glory of God, approached a crowd of those fallen away from Christ on their way to offer pagan sacrifice. He urged them not to defile themselves with the impious sacrifices. arrested Saint Alphaeus and after tortures and torments they shackled him together with Saint Zacchaeus. They threw the martyrs into prison for the night, where they prayed continually, supporting one another in their resolve to endure all the sufferings for the name of Christ and thereby gain eternal life. The next morning, the holy Martyrs Zacchaeus and Alphaeus were beheaded for confessing Christ. The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Rome, 284-305, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius, Martyrs during Diocletian Persecution, beat, burned, horses dragged over stones
Ephesus, 284-305, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius, Martyrs during Diocletian Persecution, beat, burned, dragged over stones by wild horses; Ephesus; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus suffered during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). They beat them and burned them. After this, they tied the saints to wild horses, which dragged them over the stones, after which the Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius died. Believers gathered the remains of the saints and reverently buried them.

Rome, 284-305, Hieron, M Melitene, pious, conscripted, physical strength, dexterity, resist, not r, beheaded, incorrupt r
Armenia, 284-305, Hieron and Martyrs of Melitene, Armenia; Malatya; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; holy martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tiana in great Cappadocia. Raised by a pious mother, he was a kindly and good Christian. co-ruling emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305) sent a large military detachment headed by Lysias to Cappadocia to eradicate Christianity there, and also to conscript healthy and strong men into the imperial army. Among those pressed into service, Lysias also ordered his men to draft Hieron, who was distinguished by his great physical strength and dexterity. But Hieron refused to servebe emperors who persecuted Christians. When they attempted to seize him by force and bring him to Lysias, he took a stick and started beating the soldiers who had been sent to bring him. The soldiers scattered, ashamed of being defeated by a single man. Hieron then hid himself in a cave with eighteen other Christians. Lysias would not risk losing his soldiers by storming the cave. the advice of Cyriacus, one of Hieron’s friends, Lysias lifted the siege of the cave and withdrew his detachment. Then Cyriacus persuaded Hieron not to offer resistance to the authorities. He and the other new conscripts and accompanying soldiers were sent to the nearby city of Melitene. Hieron had a vision in his sleep, in which his impending martyrdom was foretold. Lysias told the soldiers gathered at Melitene to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Hieron and another thirty-two soldiers refused to do this, and openly confessed their faith in Christ. Then the persecutor gave orders to beat the martyrs, and to cut off Hieron’s arm at the elbow. After cruel tortures they threw the martyrs into prison barely alive, and they beheaded them four days later. certain rich and illustrious Christian by the name of Chrysanthus ransomed Hieron’s head from Lysias. When the persecutions finally ceased, he built a church on the place where they executed the holy martyrs, and he placed the venerable head in it. The bodies of all the executed saints were secretly buried by Christians. In reign of the emperor Justinian, during the construction of the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace), the venerable relics were uncovered and found incorrupt. other martyrs are: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodoulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus.

Rome, 284-305, 33 Martyrs of Melitene, Armenia, Hieron's strength&d, drafted, resist, no r, vision, b, incorrupt r
Armenia, 284-305, Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2), Hieron's strength and dexterity, drafted, resisted seizure, persuaded no resist, martyrdom vision, arm cut off, beheaded, incorrupt relics; Malatya; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; holy martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tiana in great Cappadocia. Raised by a pious mother, he was a kindly and good Christian. co-ruling emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305) sent a large military detachment headed by Lysias to Cappadocia to eradicate Christianity there, and also to conscript healthy and strong men into the imperial army. those pressed into service, Lysias also ordered his men to draft Hieron, who was distinguished by his great physical strength and dexterity. Hieron refused to serve emperors who persecuted Christians. they attempted to seize him by force and bring him to Lysias, he took a stick and started beating the soldiers who had been sent to bring him. The soldiers scattered, ashamed of being defeated by a single man. then hid himself in a cave with eighteen other Christians. would not risk losing his soldiers by storming the cave. the advice of Cyriacus, one of Hieron’s friends, Lysias lifted the siege of the cave and withdrew his detachment. Cyriacus persuaded Hieron not to offer resistance to the authorities. and the other new conscripts and accompanying soldiers were sent to the nearby city of Melitene. Hieron had a vision in his sleep, in which his impending martyrdom was foretold. told the soldiers gathered at Melitene to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Hieron and another thirty-two soldiers refused to do this, and openly confessed their faith in Christ. the persecutor gave orders to beat the martyrs, and to cut off Hieron’s arm at the elbow. After cruel tortures they threw the martyrs into prison barely alive, and they beheaded them four days later. certain rich and illustrious Christian by the name of Chrysanthus ransomed Hieron’s head from Lysias. the persecutions finally ceased, he built a church on the place where they executed the holy martyrs, and he placed the venerable head in it. bodies of all the executed saints were secretly buried by Christians. reign of the emperor Justinian, during the construction of the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace), the venerable relics were uncovered and found incorrupt. other martyrs are: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodoulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus.

Rome, 284-305, 33 Martyrs of Melitene, Armenia, Hieron's strength&d, drafted, resisted, no r, vision, arm off, b, incorrupt r
Armenia, 284-305, Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2), Hieron's strength and dexterity, drafted, resisted seizure, persuaded no resist, martyrdom vision, arm cut off, beheaded, incorrupt relics; Malatya; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; holy martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tiana in great Cappadocia. Raised by a pious mother, he was a kindly and good Christian. co-ruling emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305) sent a large military detachment headed by Lysias to Cappadocia to eradicate Christianity there, and also to conscript healthy and strong men into the imperial army. those pressed into service, Lysias also ordered his men to draft Hieron, who was distinguished by his great physical strength and dexterity. Hieron refused to serve emperors who persecuted Christians. they attempted to seize him by force and bring him to Lysias, he took a stick and started beating the soldiers who had been sent to bring him. The soldiers scattered, ashamed of being defeated by a single man. then hid himself in a cave with eighteen other Christians. would not risk losing his soldiers by storming the cave. the advice of Cyriacus, one of Hieron’s friends, Lysias lifted the siege of the cave and withdrew his detachment. Cyriacus persuaded Hieron not to offer resistance to the authorities. and the other new conscripts and accompanying soldiers were sent to the nearby city of Melitene. Hieron had a vision in his sleep, in which his impending martyrdom was foretold. told the soldiers gathered at Melitene to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Hieron and another thirty-two soldiers refused to do this, and openly confessed their faith in Christ. the persecutor gave orders to beat the martyrs, and to cut off Hieron’s arm at the elbow. After cruel tortures they threw the martyrs into prison barely alive, and they beheaded them four days later. certain rich and illustrious Christian by the name of Chrysanthus ransomed Hieron’s head from Lysias. the persecutions finally ceased, he built a church on the place where they executed the holy martyrs, and he placed the venerable head in it. bodies of all the executed saints were secretly buried by Christians. reign of the emperor Justinian, during the construction of the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace), the venerable relics were uncovered and found incorrupt. other martyrs are: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodoulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus.

Rome, 284-305, Pelagia of Tarsus, beautiful, holy, virgin, Problem w Diocletian&son, visions, 3crowns, Myhrr, Lions
Cilicia, 284-305, Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus; Tarsus; Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus, Commemorated October 7 ; Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord. Diocletian’s heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia, was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage. ’s reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy bishop told her to be baptized. Saint Pelagia traveled in a chariot to visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole retinue of servants, as her mother wished. the way Saint Pelagia, by the grace of God, met Bishop Linus. Pelagia immediately recognized the bishop who had appeared to her in the dream. She fell at his feet, requesting Baptism. At the bishop’s prayer a spring of water flowed from the ground. Linus made the Sign of the Cross over Saint Pelagia, and during the Mystery of Baptism, angels appeared and covered the chosen one of God with a bright mantle. After giving the pious virgin Holy Communion, Bishop Linus offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord with her, and then sent her to continue her journey. She then exchanged her expensive clothing for a simple white garment, and distributed her possessions to the poor. Returning to her servants, Saint Pelagia told them about Christ, and many of them were converted and believed. tried to convert her own mother to Christ, but the obdurate woman sent a message to Diocletian’s son that Pelagia was a Christian and did not wish to be his wife. The youth realized that Pelagia was lost to him, and he fell upon his sword in his despair. Pelagia’s mother feared the emperor’s wrath, so she tied her daughter up and led her to Diocletian’s court as a Christian who was also responsible for the death of the heir to the throne. The emperor was captivated by the unusual beauty of the virgin and tried to turn her from her faith in Christ, promising her every earthly blessing if she would become his wife. holy virgin refused the emperor’s offer with contempt and said, “You are insane, Emperor, saying such things to me. I will not do your bidding, and I loathe your vile marriage, since I have Christ, the King of Heaven, as my Bridegroom. I do not desire your worldly crowns which last only a short while. The Lord in His heavenly Kingdom has prepared three imperishable crowns for me. The first is for faith, since I have believed in the true God with all my heart; the second is for purity, because I have dedicated my virginity to Him; the third is for martyrdom, since I want to accept every suffering for Him and offer up my soul because of my love for Him.” sentenced Pelagia to be burned in a red-hot bronze bull. Not permitting the executioners to touch her body, the holy martyr signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and went into the brazen bull and her flesh melted like myrrh, filling the whole city with fragrance. Saint Pelagia’s bones remained unharmed and were removed by the pagans to a place outside the city. Four lions then came out of the wilderness and sat around the bones letting neither bird nor wild beast get at them. The lions protected the relics of the saint until Bishop Linus came to that place. He gathered them up and buried them with honor. Later, a church was built over her holy relics. Service to the holy Virgin Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus says that she was “deemed worthy of most strange and divine visions.” She is also commemorated on May 4. Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; story as Oct 7th

Rome, 284-305 , Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, boldly confessed Christ, even painted Cross on door
Croatia, 284-305 , Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia; Salona in Dalmatia; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Saint Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on December 5. Definition of Fuller; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; Story

Rome, 284-305, Hieromartyr Emilian, from Armenia to Spoleto, preached Gospel, to Trebium, showed Maximian power of prayer
Rome, 284-305, Hieromartyr Emilian, from Armenia to Spoleto (Nera River 4, foothills Apennine Mountains), preached Gospel to pagans, to Trebium, showed Maximian power of prayer, crippled man, pagan priests appealed to idols, E prayed and commanded, M convinced but Priests say magic, fierce tortures, Lord encouraged, wheel, hot tin, dunked, wild beasts, unharmed, 1000 believed, all martyred, beasts killed, brothers beheaded, E outside city, sword soft wax, prayed for soldiers, asked martyr's death, milky liquid from wounds ; Spoleto; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Emilian the Bishop, and with him Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus were born and lived in Armenia. the death of their parents, the hieromartyrs Emilian, Dionysius, and Hermippus (they were brothers), and their teacher Hilarion left their native land and arrived in Italy, in the city of Spoleto. Emilian began to preach the Gospel to the pagans. won the deep respect of the Christian community because of his strict and virtuous life, and he was chosen bishop of the city of Trebium. was consecrated by Marcellinus, the Bishop of Rome. moving to Trebium, Saint Emilian converted many pagans to Christ, for which he was brought to trial before the emperor Maximian (284-305). saint suggested that the emperor see for himself the power of prayer to Christ. man who had been crippled for a long time was brought before him. much the pagan priests tried to heal him by appealing to the idols, they accomplished nothing. Saint Emilian prayed to the Lord and commanded the crippled man, in the name of Jesus Christ, to get up. man stood up healthy and went home rejoicing. miracle was so convincing that the emperor was inclined to admit the truth about Christ, the pagan priests told him that the saint had worked magic. was subjected to fierce tortures, in which the Lord encouraged him, saying: “Fear not, Emilian, I am with you.” tied him to a wheel, threw him on hot tin, dunked him in a river, and put him in the arena to be eaten by wild beasts, but he remained unharmed. view of all these miracles the people began to shout: “Great is the Christian God! Free His servant!” this day 1000 men believed in Christ, and all received the crown of martyrdom. a rage, the governor ordered that the beasts be killed since they did not attack the saint. martyr gave thanks to the Lord because even the wild beasts accepted death for Christ. locked Saint Emilian in prison together with his brothers and teacher, and after fierce tortures the hieromartyrs Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus were beheaded with the sword. Emilian was executed outside the city. the executioner struck the martyr on the neck with a sword, it became soft like wax, and did not wound the saint. fell on their knees to him asking forgiveness and confessing Christ as the True God. saint prayed on his knees for them and asked the Lord to grant him a martyr’s death. His prayer was heard, and another executioner cut off the saint’s head. a milky liquid flowing from his wounds, many of the pagans believed in Christ and they buried the martyr’s body with honor.

Rome, 284-305, Dasius oDorostolum, chosen to imitate&die as Saturn, he rejected indulgence, &confessed Christ
Bulgaria, 284-305, Dasius oDorostolum, chosen to imitate & die as Saturn, he rejected indulgence, and confessed Christ, custom choose hansome youth, dress fine clothing, royal honors, in public, 30days, wicked deeds immoral pleasures, then put to the sword, sacrifice to Saturn, Dasius most hansome, but he rejected the indulgence & immoral pleasures confessing Christ converting many; Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated November 20 ; Holy Martyr Dasius lived during the third century in the city of Dorostorum on the Danube River. inhabitants of the city were preparing for a festival in honor of the pagan god Saturn. custom, thirty days before the celebration they selected a handsome youth, dressed him in fine clothing, accorded him royal honors, and he would go forth in public made up like Saturn. thirty days, he would indulge in wicked deeds and immoral pleasures. On the day of the feast he was brought before the idols and put to the sword as a sacrifice to Saturn. choice of his compatriots fell upon Saint Dasius, since in the city there was not a more handsome youth. of this, the saint said, “If I am fated to die, then it’s better to die for Christ as a Christian.” He openly confessed his faith in Christ before his fellow citizens and refused to take part in the shameful ritual. He denounced the impiety and error of the idolaters and converted many of them to Christ. on the orders of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311), he was beheaded after cruel tortures.

Rome, 284-305, Zosimus tHermit&Athanasius tCommentarius, Confessors oCilicia, Z preserved torture, A saw tMiracle, baptized
Cilicia, 284-305, Zosimus tHermit&Athanasius tCommentarius, Confessors oCilicia Region of Asia Minor, Z seized tortured but preserved, A beheld tMiracle, baptized, both went to wilderness after Z released; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia was an inhabitant of the wilderness. a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Rome, 284-305, Theodula in Cilicia, great story includes Helladius, Macarius and Evagrius, Theodula, breath destroyed idol
Cilicia, 284-305, Theodula in Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, great story includes Helladius, Macarius and Evagrius, Theodula fAnazarbus, Cilicia, A city perfect Pelagius was a cruel man, sent his servants out to bring Christians to trial, they brought Theodula, she was afraid of being defiled, but not of tortures for Christ, they rejected her much gold offer and brought her before perfect, asked her name, & to idol worship order she said she was Christian, her name meant servant of God, I worship true god not a stone, furious peladius ordered torture, Lord helped, she felt no pain, P said the gods helped her, T said where are your gods that spared me? taken to deified Hadrian's temple, T merely blew breath at the idol and it crumbled to dust, Pelagius feared he would be blamed so asked T to restore it and promised to convert, she did but he recanted and resumed torture, Helladius took over but was converted, martyred, into sea, T stretched out on metal plate, poured boiling tar wax & oil on her, but plate shattered many pieces scorching people incl Pelagius who died of fright, T unharmed, many believed, incl respected Macarius&Evagrius, T,M, &E thrown into heated oven ; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy martyr Theodula lived in the city of Anazarbus (Asia Minor) during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). prefect of the city, Pelagius, was a very cruel man. servants sought out Christians throughout the entire region and brought them to trial, which the imperial edict was read to them, and they were ordered to worship idols. day they brought to him a Christian woman named Theodula. was afraid, so much of the tortures, but that she might be defiled by the pagans, so she had offered them much gold. the servants would not accept the gold, and they brought her before the prefect. asked her name and he ordered her to worship the pagan gods. threatened her with cruel tortures if she refused. Theodula replied, “I am a Christian. very name means ‘servant of God,’ and so people call me Theodula. worship the One True God and will not worship a mere stone.” became furious and he gave orders to begin the tortures. Lord granted Theodula His help, and she did not feel any pain. however, said this was done by the gods, who had spared Theodula in the hope that she would turn to them. Theodula said to the prefect, “Where are your gods, who spare me? Show them to me, that I might show honor to them.” brought her into the temple of the “deified” Roman emperor Hadrian, whom they regarded as a mighty god. saint however, in praying to the One True God, merely blew a breath at the idol, and it crumbled into dust. this, Pelagius trembled with fright. the idol’s destruction was reported to the emperor, he himself would be thrown to the wild beasts. fell down at the feet of Saint Theodula, begging her to restore the idol, and promised to accept Christianity. saint prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the idol again stood in its place, whole and intact. prefect Pelagius, however, not only did not keep his promise to become a Christian, instead he began to torture the martyr with an even greater fury. these torments a certain fellow named Helladius came up to the prefect, and looking at the captives, he asked to be given the maiden Theodula, promising to make her worship the pagan gods, doing this because he wanted to ingratiate himself with the city prefect and to receive honors. subjected Saint Theodula to harsh torments, exceeding Pelagius in cruelty. saint prayed that God would grant her the ability to persevere. immediately received help from God and was healed. tormentor was awestruck, and Saint Theodula admonished him. “Become a Christian,” she said, “and attain eternal honors in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge both the living and the dead and render to each man according to his deeds.” her prayers and her words, Saint Theodula led Helladius to the knowledge of truth. believed in Christ and confessed the True God before the prefect. also received the crown of martyrdom. cut off his head with a sword, and threw his body into the sea. Theodula was thrown into a blazing oven, but she remained unharmed. this, they stretched her out on a metal plate. They poured boiling tar, wax and oil on her, the red-hot plate shattered into pieces, and the fire scorched many people, including the city prefect Pelagius, indeed died of fright, but Saint Theodula remained unharmed. such a miracle, many people believed in Christ, among whom were the respected citizens Macarius and Evagrius. pagans continued to torture Christians. heated an oven and threw Saint Theodula, Macarius, Evagrius and many others who believed in Christ into it. all suffered martyrdom, and were translated into life immortal.

Rome, 284-305, Helladius in Cilicia, great story includes Theodula, while torturing T, become Christian for eternal honors
Cilicia, 284-305, Helladius in Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, great story includes Theodula, Macarius and Evagrius, H fAnazarbus, Cilicia, To impress the A Perfect, Helladius steped in to torture Theodula, his tortures Pelagius', but after prayer God helped her endure and she was healed, Helladius in awe, T admonished him "become a christian and obtain eternal honors", so he believed in Christ and confessed True God before the Perfect, martyred; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy martyr Theodula lived in the city of Anazarbus (Asia Minor) during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). prefect of the city, Pelagius, was a very cruel man. servants sought out Christians throughout the entire region and brought them to trial, which the imperial edict was read to them, and they were ordered to worship idols. day they brought to him a Christian woman named Theodula. was afraid, so much of the tortures, but that she might be defiled by the pagans, so she had offered them much gold. the servants would not accept the gold, and they brought her before the prefect. asked her name and he ordered her to worship the pagan gods. threatened her with cruel tortures if she refused. Theodula replied, “I am a Christian. very name means ‘servant of God,’ and so people call me Theodula. worship the One True God and will not worship a mere stone.” became furious and he gave orders to begin the tortures. Lord granted Theodula His help, and she did not feel any pain. however, said this was done by the gods, who had spared Theodula in the hope that she would turn to them. Theodula said to the prefect, “Where are your gods, who spare me? Show them to me, that I might show honor to them.” brought her into the temple of the “deified” Roman emperor Hadrian, whom they regarded as a mighty god. saint however, in praying to the One True God, merely blew a breath at the idol, and it crumbled into dust. this, Pelagius trembled with fright. the idol’s destruction was reported to the emperor, he himself would be thrown to the wild beasts. fell down at the feet of Saint Theodula, begging her to restore the idol, and promised to accept Christianity. saint prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the idol again stood in its place, whole and intact. prefect Pelagius, however, not only did not keep his promise to become a Christian, instead he began to torture the martyr with an even greater fury. these torments a certain fellow named Helladius came up to the prefect, and looking at the captives, he asked to be given the maiden Theodula, promising to make her worship the pagan gods, doing this because he wanted to ingratiate himself with the city prefect and to receive honors. subjected Saint Theodula to harsh torments, exceeding Pelagius in cruelty. saint prayed that God would grant her the ability to persevere. immediately received help from God and was healed. tormentor was awestruck, and Saint Theodula admonished him. “Become a Christian,” she said, “and attain eternal honors in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge both the living and the dead and render to each man according to his deeds.” her prayers and her words, Saint Theodula led Helladius to the knowledge of truth. believed in Christ and confessed the True God before the prefect. also received the crown of martyrdom. cut off his head with a sword, and threw his body into the sea. Theodula was thrown into a blazing oven, but she remained unharmed. this, they stretched her out on a metal plate. They poured boiling tar, wax and oil on her, the red-hot plate shattered into pieces, and the fire scorched many people, including the city prefect Pelagius, indeed died of fright, but Saint Theodula remained unharmed. such a miracle, many people believed in Christ, among whom were the respected citizens Macarius and Evagrius. pagans continued to torture Christians. heated an oven and threw Saint Theodula, Macarius, Evagrius and many others who believed in Christ into it. all suffered martyrdom, and were translated into life immortal.

Rome, 284-305, Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Pontine, Armenia, confessed she was Christian, but lead others from deception
Armenia, 284-305, Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea), Orphaned but lived as daughter of Roman Christian Claudius, very pretty, sensible, kind, she imparted her love for Christ to others, saving many, meek, humble, obedient, silent, Christian aHeart but not yet baptized, she studied God's Law day& nitht, she vowed virginity, Pagan Roman Governor under Diocletian heard of her and wrote Cladius ordering him send C to him for questioning, Claudius knew what would happen, put on sackcloth, wept bitter tears, but Christina comforted him, rejoice, I am to be acceptable sacrifice for my sins and yours, Claudius replied, remember me when you stand before heavenly King with tMartyrs, judge asked her if true you are Christian and delude others, she said yes and no, I am C but I lead others from deception to truth, bringing them to Christ, then her hair cut off but grew right back by God's power, longer than before, then burning coals on her head, vinegar over scorched flesh, increasing pain, plus flaming sticks through her breasts & sides burnt wCandels, finally stone tied around her neck & thrown into sea, she cried this is my baptism, suddenly stone fell &God delivered her from the sea, unharmed, judge ordered her stripped naked for wheel over burning coals, an angel stopped tWheel, unharmed again, finger and toe nails torn out, teeth broken, then dissolute men to rape her, but she prayed God receive her soul before they take her virginity, as she prayed her soul surrendered tGod, body tSack of stones, into sea, body to shore 3days later, and Claudius found it, buried her wReverence, relics fragments found in Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus and Jerusalem Monastery oBoeotia, Greece; Amisus; Martyr Charitina of Amisos, Commemorated on October 5; Charitina (Charitίnē) was from Amisos (Amisós) in Pontus and lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). at a young age, she became the servant of a noble Roman Christian named Claudianus, or Claudius, brought her up as his own daughter. young girl was very pretty, sensible, and kind. She imparted her love for Christ to others, and brought many to the path of salvation. Charitina was meek, humble, obedient and silent. she was not yet baptized, she was a Christian at heart. studied the Law of God day and night, and vowed to preserve her virginity as a true bride of Christ. Saint Charitina brought many others to the Christian Faith, Dometius, one of Emperor Diocletian's governors, came to hear of her and sent a letter to Claudius, ordering him to send Charitina to him so that he might question her. had no doubts about the result of this interrogation. at the prospect of losing her, he put on sackcloth and wept bitter tears. comforted him, saying: "Do not grieve, my Master, but rejoice, for I am to become an acceptable sacrifice to God, for my sins and for yours." replied: "O Servant of God, remember me when you stand before the heavenly King in the ranks of the Holy Martyrs." Saint was brought before a judge at the tribunal. asked her: "Is it true that you are a Christian, and that you delude others by bringing them to your impious faith?" replied: "It is true that I am a Christian, but it is a lie that I delude others. the contrary, I lead them from deception to the path of truth, bringing them to my Christ." the judge ordered her hair to be cut off, but by the power of God, her hair grew back even longer than before. burning coals were placed on her head, and vinegar was poured over her scorched flesh, increasing her pain. drove flaming sticks through her breasts, and burnt her sides with candles. they tied a stone around her neck and threw her into the sea. cried out: "This is my Baptism." Suddenly, the stone was loosened and sank, and God delivered her from the sea unharmed. the judge saw her on the shore, he ordered his men to seize her and strip her naked, then tie her to a wheel which turned over burning coals, an Angel of God stopped the wheel and once again Saint Charitina remained unharmed. judge became furious and ordered that the nails of her hands and her feet be torn out, and that all her teeth be broken. the wicked judge sent many dissolute men to rape her. this dishonor, Saint Charitina prayed that God would receive her soul before these vile men could defile her virginal body; so, as she prayed, she surrendered her pure soul to God. the judge saw that she was dead, he had her body placed in a sack weighted with stones, and tossed it into the sea. Divine Providence, her body was brought to the shore three days later. master Claudius found her body and buried her with appropriate honor and reverence. of Saint Charitina's Holy Relics are found in the Monasteries of Kykkos, Cyprus, and Jerusalem of Boeotia.

Rome, 284-304, Saints, Cyprian and Justina, Pagan Priest Magician, Virgin bridegroom of Christ
Bithynia, 284-304, Saints, Cyprian and Justina; Cyprian and Justina are honored in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy as Christians of Antioch, who in 304, during the persecution of Diocletian, suffered martyrdom at Nicomedia (modern-day İzmit, Turkey) on September 26. According to Roman Catholic sources, no Bishop of Antioch bore the name of Cyprian.[1] story must have arisen as early as the 4th century, as it is mentioned by both St. Gregory Nazianzen and Prudentius; both, nevertheless, have conflated Cyprian with St. Cyprian of Carthage, a mistake often repeated. The attempt has been made to find in Cyprian a mystical prototype of the Faustian legend. The legend is given in Greek and Latin in Acta SS. September, VII. Ancient Syriac and Ethiopic versions of it have been published.[1] Their story is told in the Golden Legend. outline of the legend or allegory is found with diffuse descriptions and dialogues in the unreliable "Symeon Metaphrastes" and was made the subject of a poem by Empress Aelia Eudocia.[1] Saint Cyprian and the demon, 14th-century manuscript of the Golden Legend. known by the title of "the Magician", to distinguish him from Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, received a liberal education in his youth, and particularly applied himself to astrology; after which he traveled for improvement through Greece, Egypt, India, etc.[2] Cyprian was a magician in Antioch and dealt in sorcery. is known for converting Cyprian,[3] and is said to have been a young woman who took private vows of chastity. She was killed during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian in the year 304 AD. would-be suitor sought the aid of Cyprian's magic to induce Justina into marrying him. The charms and spells had no effect on Justina, who spent her time in prayer and fasting. Brought to despair, Cyprian made the Sign of the cross himself and in this way was freed from the toils of Satan. He was received into the Church, was made pre-eminent by miraculous gifts, and became in succession deacon, priest and, finally, bishop, while Justina became abbess of a convent.[4] the Diocletian Persecution, both were seized and taken to Damascus, where they were tortured. As their faith never wavered, they were brought before Diocletian at Nicomedia, where at his command they were beheaded[4] on the bank of the Gallus River, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The same fate befell a man named Theoctistus, who upon observing Cyprian's faith, declared himself a Christian.[4] After the bodies of the saints had lain unburied for six days, they were taken by Christian sailors to Rome, where they were interred on the estate of a noble lady named Rufina and later entombed in Constantine's basilica. is mentioned in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. It was under the 10th Persecution in 303 AD while Diocletian was Emperor of Rome. It says: " In the course of time he [Cyprian] became acquainted with Justina, a young lady of Antioch, whose birth, beauty, and accomplishments, rendered her the admiration of all who knew her. A pagan gentleman applied to Cyprian, to promote his suit with the beautiful Justina; this he undertook, but soon himself converted, burnt his books of astrology and magic, received baptism, and felt animated with a powerful spirit of grace. The conversion of Cyprian had a great effect on the pagan gentleman who paid his addresses to Justina, and he in a short time embraced Christianity. During the persecutions of Diocletian, Cyprian and Justina were seized upon as Christians, the former was torn with pincers, and the latter chastised; and, after suffering other torments, both were beheaded."[citation needed] and liturgical celebration feast day appeared in the General Roman Calendar of Roman Rite from the thirteenth century until it was deleted in 1969 because of the lack of historical evidence of their existence.[5] Their names were also removed from the 2001 revision of the Roman Martyrology, the official but professedly incomplete list of saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology, however, includes five other saints called Cyprian and two named Justina. Some traditionalist Catholics continue to observe their feast based on pre-1970 versions of the Roman Calendar. popular culture Spanish author, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, took the story as the basis of a drama: El mágico prodigioso. In 2005, American author Tono Rondone published a novel, The Martyrs, which is a continuation of this tradition. [6] Great Book of Saint Cyprian is full of prayers and spells, and is widely sold in the Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking world. is a popular name for a grimoire in Scandinavian folklore. Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina, and Martyr Theoctistus, of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2; Cyprian was a pagan and a native of Antioch. From his early childhood his misguided parents dedicated him to the service of the pagan gods. From the age seven until he was thirty, Cyprian studied at the leading centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus; in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis; in the Egyptian city of Memphis; and at Babylon. Once he attained eminent wisdom in pagan philosophy and the sorcerer’s craft, he was initiated into the pagan priesthood on Mount Olympus. Having discovered great power by summoning unclean spirits, he beheld the Prince of Darkness himself, speaking with him and receiving from him a host of demons to serve him. returning to Antioch, Cyprian was revered by the pagans as a prominent pagan priest, amazing people with his ability to cast spells, to summon pestilence and plagues, and to conjure up the dead. He brought many people to ruin, teaching them to serve the demons, and how to cast magic spells. holy virgin Justina lived in Antioch. After turning her own father and mother away from the error of paganism and leading them to faith in Christ, she dedicated herself to the Heavenly Bridegroom and spent her time in fasting and prayer. When the young man Aglaidas proposed marriage to her, the saint refused, for she wished to remain a virgin. sought Cyprian’s help. He said that he would arrange for Justina's heart to become filled with lust for the young man. No matter what Cyprian tried, he accomplished nothing, since the Saint overcame all the wiles of the devil by prayer and fasting. sent an unclean spirit to attack the holy virgin, and to arouse carnal passions in her, but she overcame them by the power of the Sign of the Cross, and by fervent prayer to the Lord. though one of the demons, and Cyprian himself, assumed various guises by the power of sorcery, they were unable to influence Saint Justina, who was guarded by her firm faith in Christ. All the spells were dissipated, and the demons fled at the mention of Justina's name. in his rage, sent down pestilence and plague upon Justina’s family and upon the entire city, but this was thwarted by her prayer. The sorcerer brought tribulation not only upon Justina and her family, but upon the entire city as well. Rumors spread that the city was being punished because Justina would not wed Aglaias. Several people went to her and demanded that she marry Aglaias so that Cyprian would not punish them with more afflictions. Justina calmed them and assured them that soon the misfortunes which Cyprian caused with the help of the demons would end. Saint Justina prayed to God, the power of the demons was destroyed, and everyone was healed of their illnesses and afflictions. began to praise Christ, and to mock Cyprian and his sorcery. Convinced that the devil was powerless against the Sign of the Cross, and trembled at the name of Christ, Cyprian came to his senses and realized that he had been corrupted by becoming a sorcerer, and participating in every sort of wickedness, doing harm to others and deceiving them. He killed many with his spells and potions, and he murdered many men and women as sacrificial offerings to the demons. He was already a partaker of the portion of the demons, and if he had died at that moment, he would have been cast into the depths of Hell. The Lord, however, in His infinite compassion, saved him from the abyss. Cyprian saw that the devil whom he served was afraid of Christ. The Evil One admitted that he was unable to conquer the maiden because he was afraid of "a certain sign" upon her. “If you take fright at even the mere shadow of the Cross and if the mere name of Christ makes you tremble,” said Cyprian, “then what will you do when Christ Himself stands before you?” devil then threw himself upon the pagan priest and attempted to beat and strangle him. For the first time, Saint Cyrian tested the power of the Sign of the Cross and the name of Christ, guarding himself from the fury of the Enemy. Afterward, he went to the local bishop Anthimos in profound repentance, and threw all of his books into the flames. The very next day, he went into the church, and did not want to leave it, even though he had not yet been baptized. his efforts to follow after righteousness, Saint Cyprian understood the great power of faith in Christ, making up for more than thirty years of service to Satan. Seven days after his Baptism he was tonsured as a reader, on the twelfth day, subdeacon, on the thirtieth, deacon. After a year, he was ordained as a priest. Shortly after this, Saint Cyprian was elevated to the rank of bishop. Cyprian converted so many pagans to Christ that in his diocese no one was left to offer sacrifice to idols, and the pagan temples fell into disuse. Saint Justina withdrew to a monastery and was chosen as its Superior. the persecution against Christians under Enperor Diocletian, Bishop Cyprian and Saint Justina were arrested and brought to Nicomedia, where after horrible tortures they were beheaded with the sword. Saint Cyprian, fearful that the holy virgin’s courage might falter if she saw him put to death, asked for time to pray. Saint Justina inclined her neck and was beheaded first. seeing the torments of Saint Justina, a soldier named Theoktistos fell at Cyprian’s feet and declared himself a Christian, and he was beheaded with them. Hieromartyr Cyprian, the Virgin Martyr Justina, and the Martyr Theoktistos suffered for Christ at Nicomedia in the year 304. relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina are to be found in various places around the world. One of Saint Cyprian's feet is at Iviron Monastery on Mount Athos. A piece of Saint Cyprian's skull is in the church named for these Saints at Menikos Nicosia. A small piece of Saint Justina's skull is there as well. Fragments of the Holy Relics of Saints Cyprian and Justina are in the Monastery which is dedicated to them at Phylḗ, Attica. The head of Saint Justina is located in the Monastery of Panagia Panachrantou (the All-Holy Theotokos) on the Greek island if Andros. Part of the hand of Saint Cyprian is located in the Zlătari church (Calea Victoriei 14, Bucharest Romania)

Rome, 284-314, Empress, Alexandra, Prisca, Christian Saint, killed w daughter Valeria by Licinius
Rome, 284-314, Emperess Alexandra, Prisca Rome, 284-305, Emperor Diocletian ; Martyr Alexandra the Empress, wife of Diocletian, Commemorated on April 23; Holy Empress Alexandra was the wife of Diocletian (284-305). Her supposed death was described in the Martyrdom of Saint George, which was written immediately after his death. The empress, however, received the crown of martyrdom several years later, in 314. events occurred during these years. In 305 the emperor Diocletian resigned the throne and power passed to his co-ruler Maximian Galerius (305-311), a fanatic pagan, as well as a coarse and fierce soldier. His wife was Saint Valeria, the daughter of the holy Empress Alexandra, whom Diocletian had given in marriage against her will. Alexandra raised her daughter in Christian piety. When Galerius died, the emperor Maximinus sought her hand in marriage. When he was refused, he banished Saint Valeria to Syria, where she lived with her mother. the death of Maximinus in 311 the mother and daughter arrived in Nicomedia, trusting in the mercy of the emperor Licinius (311-324). Together with Saint Constantine, he had subscribed to the Edict of Milan, which gave Christians the freedom of religion, but secretly he remained an enemy of Christianity. Licinius gave orders to execute the holy Empress Alexandra and her daughter Valeria. They were beheaded, and their bodies thrown into the sea. Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24;

Rome, 286-305, Anysia, Virginmartyr oThessalonica, gave wealth, resisted gently, grabbed, then spit in soldiers face
Greece, 286-305, Anysia, Virginmartyr oThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads) under Roman Co-Emperor Maximian, gave wealth tPoor, fasting&prayer, vigil (awake at night), Max allowed anyone kill christians, many bodies, pagan soldier demanded she go festival otSun, she resisted gently, soldier grabbed her, she spit in his face, said Jesus forbids you, he killed her wSword, people complained against emperor, she buried near city gates, chapel over grave; Thessalonica; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Anysia lived in the city of Thessalonica the reign of the the co-Emperor Maximian (286-305). the death of her parents, who had raised her in Christian piety, Anysia sold everything she owned, distributing her riches to the poor, she began to lead a strict life of fasting, vigil, and prayer. his persecution against Christians, Maximian issued an edict stating that anyone had the right to kill Christians with no fear of punishment. there were many bodies to be found in cities, towns, and by the roadside. when Saint Anysia was on her way to church, a pagan soldier stopped her and demanded that she come along to the festival of the sun to offer sacrifice. Anysia gently pulled herself away from him. the soldier boldly grabbed her and attempted to tear the veil from her head, she shoved him, spit in his face and said, “My Lord Jesus Christ forbids you!” anger, the soldier ran her through with his sword. gathering over her body wept and loudly complained against the cruel emperor for issuing an edict that resulted in the death of many innocent people. buried the martyr near the city gates, and a chapel was built over her grave.

Rome, 286-305, Antonius of Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus and Nikephoros
Palestine, 286-305, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus and Nikephoros ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Antoninus of Casarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Nikephoros, Antoninus, and Germanus were beheaded in Caesarea of Palestine during the reign of Maximian by the ruler Firmilian.

Rome, 286-305, Manetha o Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), Paraded naked before beheading
Palestine, 286-305, Manetha o Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), Paraded naked before beheading; Martyr Manetha of Cæsarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13; Manetha was captured along with Saints Antoninus, Nikēphóros and Germanus. She suffered many tortures. She was led naked through the city, was mocked, and received the crown of martyrdom when she was burned alive. Palestine, 286-305, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus and Nikephoros ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Antoninus of Casarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Nikephoros, Antoninus, and Germanus were beheaded in Caesarea of Palestine during the reign of Maximian by the ruler Firmilian.

Rome, 284-305, 9 Martyrs oPerge, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, decided martyrdom, hungry beasts no eat them
Lykaonia, 284-305, 9 Martyrs oPerge (Perga, Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, ond day they all decided to suffer Martyrdom, destroyed all idols in a pagan temple, questioned, tortured, scraped flesh wIron claws, stabbed in eyes wTorches, into prison, no food orWater, tCage w Wild beasts, miraculously hungry animals not eat them; Perge Nine Martyrs of Perge in Pamphilia, Commemorated on August 1; the reign of Diocletian (284-305) nine holy Martyrs, Leontios, Attos, Alexander, Kindeos, Mnesitheos, Kyriakos, Mineon and Eukles were put to death at Perge in Pamphilia. of them were farmers by profession, but Mineon was a carpenter. were Christians from their early childhood, and they remained so after reaching adulthood. evening, they all decided to suffer martyrdom for Christ, so they went to the pagan temple of Artemis and destroyed all the idols. this they were arrested by the pagans, who questioned them and then tortured them. they burned their sides, and then they scraped their flesh with iron claws. they took torches and stabbed them in the eyes. they were thrown into prison without any food or water. a while, they were taken out and thrown into a cage of wild beasts in order to be devoured by them. the animals had not been fed, they sat calmly and did not approach the Saints. who saw this miraculous event were astonished and shouted: "Great is the God of the Christians." a miracle occurred. there was the sound of thunder, lightning flashed, and rain began to fall. the same time a voice was heard, inviting the Saints to heaven. soon as the Saints heard this voice, they rejoiced. this, the tyrant became so angry that he ordered soldiers to behead them. this manner the suffering of the nine Saints came to an end, and they entered into the eternal Kingdom.

Rome, 288 or 300, Dorothy aCaesurea, Cappadocia, Armenia, tortures, joy fHeaven, saved 2apostate girls, Apples fHeaven saved man
Armenia, 288 or 300, Holy Martyr Dorothy aCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), with Martyrs Christina, Callista aTheophilus, pius christian maiden D, great beauty, humility, prudence, wisdom fGod tAstonished many, arrested confessed Christ tortures, endured, sent t2 women who had renounced Christ, ordered get D sacrifice tGods, but reverse happened, 2 returned tChrist, all 3 tied back to back & burned iVat oTar, sisters crowns of glory, but D survived, tortured again, endured, death sentence, D cried wJoy, thanking C for call tParadise and Heavenly bridal chamber, while led tExecution Theophilus laughed, said send me an Apple&Roses fParadise oYour Bridegroom, D said "I shall do that", aExecution place D requested time to pray, then angel appeared before her, iForm oHansome child presenting 3 apples& 3 roses on pure linen cloth, D requested they be given to Theophilus, then D beheaded, T confessed Christ true God, his friends wondered hJoking, not joking because it was February and Winter, Cappadocia covered ice frost, what do you think?, from where do they come? T beheaded, D's relics in her Rome church, Her head MOG's church in Rome; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Holy Martyr Dorothy, the Martyrs Christina, Callista and the Martyr Theophilus lived in Caesarea of Cappadocia and suffered under the emperor Diocletian in either the year 288 or 300. Dorothy was a pious Christian maiden, distinguished by her great beauty, humility, prudence, and God-given wisdom, which astonished many. upon orders of the governor Sapricius, she steadfastly confessed her faith in Christ and was subjected to tortures. to break the will of the saint, the governor sent to her two women, the sisters Christina and Callista, who once were Christians, but fearing torture, they renounced Christ and began to lead impious lives. ordered them to get Saint Dorothy to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, just the reverse happened. Saint Dorothy convinced them that the mercy of God is granted to all who repent, so they corrected themselves and returned to Christ. tormentors tied them back to back and burned them in a vat of tar. martyrdom, Christina and Callista atoned for their sin of apostasy, receiving from God not only forgiveness, but crowns of victory. Dorothy was again subjected to tortures, she gladly endured them and accepted the death sentence. cried out with joy, thanking Christ for calling her to Paradise and to the heavenly bridal chamber. they led the saint to execution Theophilus, one of the governor’s counselors, laughed and said to her, “Bride of Christ, send me an apple and some roses from the Paradise of your Bridegroom.” martyr nodded and said, “I shall do that.” the place of execution, the saint requested a little time to pray. she finished the prayer, an angel appeared before her the form of a handsome child presenting her three apples and three roses on a pure linen cloth. saint requested that these be given to Theophilus, which she was beheaded by the sword. received the gracious gift, the recent mocker of Christians was shaken, and he confessed Christ as the true God. friends were astonished, and wondered whether he were joking, or perhaps mad. assured them he was not joking. Then they asked the reason for this sudden change. asked what month it was. “February,” they replied. “In the winter, Cappadocia is covered with ice and frost, and the trees are bare of leaves. What do you think? where do these apples and flowers come?” being subjected to cruel tortures, Saint Theophilus was beheaded with a sword. relics of Saint Dorothy are in Rome in the church dedicated to her, her head is also at Rome, in a church of the Mother of God at Trastevero.

Rome, 290-304, Martyr Sozon, in Cilicia, shepherd, martyrdom vision, distributed statues' gold, idol a helpless god
Cilicia, 290-304, Martyr Sozon, Pompeiopolis, Cilicia (near Seyhan River Mouth), shepherd inferior to sheep in meekness, martyrdom vision at spring, broke hand off golden statue, to pieces, distributed to poor, innocent people arrested, turned himself in, explained idol helpless god, tortured to death, large fire, thunder lightning rain hail, divine light, incorrupt relics; Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Sozon lived in the late III century. was from Lykaonia in Cilicia, and originally his name was Tarasios. he became a Christian, he was baptized and received the name Sozon. shepherd by profession, he tried to imitate the meekness of the sheep, at which he marveled. “I am ashamed,” he said, “that I am inferior to sheep.” studied the Holy Scriptures attentively, and he also guided Christ‘s rational sheep to good pastures. day, while watering his flock at a spring, Sozon fell asleep under an oak tree, where he had a vision which foretold his impending martyrdom for Christ. was also informed that the spring would become a source of blessing and of healing for many, since it would be sanctified by God‘s grace. he awakened, he entrusted his flock to another shepherd and journeyed to Pompeiopolis in Cilicia. Seeing what impiety there was in that city, his heart was profoundly grieved. one of the temples of the idolaters, he beheld a golden statue representing a pagan “god.” Then, with great courage, he broke off the statue‘s right hand with his shepherd‘s crook and smashed it into tiny pieces, which he distributed to the poor. caused a great uproar in the city. the governor of Cilicia, became very angry, and a search was made to find the culprit. Many innocent people were arrested and tortured in an attempt to force a confession from them. Saint Sozon heard about this, he could not permit others to suffer for something he had done. Therefore, he presented himself before the governor and responded to his threats in a calm manner, saying that the statue was not doing anyone much good inside the temple, and so he used the gold for the benefit of the poor. asked the Saint how he dared to dishonor their “god” in such a way. replied, “I did this so that you might know that your ‘god’ is powerless. When I struck off his hand, he did not protest or make any attempt to stop me, nor did he cry out with pain. How could he? Your idol is deaf and dumb and without breath. It cannot see, hear, speak, or defend itself. If your ‘god’ was real, I would not have been permitted to break it.” Maximian heard these words, he ordered that Saint Sozon be tortured without mercy. He was suspended and his body was raked with iron claws. Then iron boots were nailed to the soles of his feet, and he was paraded through the city. his torments, he never ceased to glorify the Savior Christ. again he was suspended from a tree and beaten with iron rods, so that his body was mangled and his bones were broken. Amid such torture, the Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 304. that he was dead, the soldiers took him down from the tree and built a large fire to burn his body so that the Christians would not be able to claim it and venerate it. there was thunder and lightning, rain and hail, which put out the fire. The pagans fled in fear, and the holy relics were not damaged. faithful came at midnight, when it was very dark. They were troubled because they could not find the relics, a light from Heaven shone upon Christ‘s holy martyr to guide them. Gathering the Saint‘s relics, the Christians gave them an honorable burial. miracles took place at the tomb, and also at the spring where the Saint had his vision under the oak tree. a church was built by the spring, and was dedicated to Saint Sozon. that holy place praise was offered to the one true God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory throughout all the ages. Amen.

Rome, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin, Wonderworker, imperial guard commander, spoke Truth
Armenia, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin, Victory Bearer, Wonderworker, Diocletian' imperial guard commander, spoke Truth (Jesus Christ) in the Senate, pushing spears became soft, you will grow tired before I will, intense tortures, wheel sharp iron, assumed dead, dark thunder, Lord's voice fear not, youthful angel, rejoice, healed, pagan temple w emperor, many believed, incl Emperess Alexandra, more tortures deep pit w lime, unharmed and cheerful, red hot iron sandals w nails, ox thongs, concluded magic, poisoned unharmed, not human understanding but power of God, believers no regard for tortures, do things Christ did, D asks what C did, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.”, D had him raise a dead man, Sorcerer confessed, beheaded w raised man, to prison, healings, Glycerius ox to life, G beheaded, Court of Apollo, deamons confessed, idols destroyed, George beheaded, Dragon slaying story, Many saints named george or yuri; Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family. His father was martyred for Christ when George was still a child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, moved there with her son and raised him in strict piety. he became a man, Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian (284-305) and joined the imperial guard with the rank of comites, or military commander. pagan emperor, who did much for the restoration of Roman might, was clearly concerned with the danger presented to pagan civilization by the triumph of the Crucified Savior, and intensified his persecution against the Christians in the final years of his reign. the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all his governors full freedom in their court proceedings against Christians, and he promised them his full support. George, when he heard the decision of the emperor, distributed all his wealth to the poor, freed his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. brave soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor’s designs. He confessed himself a Christian, and appealed to all to acknowledge Christ: “I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting in Him, I have come among you voluntarily, to bear witness concerning the Truth.” “What is Truth?” one of the dignitaries asked, echoing the question of Pontius Pilate. The saint replied, “Christ Himself, Whom you persecuted, is Truth.” by the bold speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who had loved and promoted George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and honors, but rather to offer sacrifice to the gods as was the Roman custom. The confessor replied, “Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God.” by order of the enraged emperor the armed guards began to push Saint George out of the assembly hall with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. the deadly steel became soft and it bent, just as the spears touched the saint’s body, and it caused him no harm. In prison they put the martyr’s feet in stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. next day at the interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor, “You will grow tired of tormenting me sooner than I will tire of being tormented by you.” Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to some very intense tortures. They tied the Great Martyr to a wheel, beneath which were boards pierced with sharp pieces of iron. As the wheel turned, the sharp edges slashed the saint’s naked body. first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted down, and did not utter even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and then went to a pagan temple to offer thanks. this very moment it got dark, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: “Fear not, George, for I am with you.” Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a radiant youth. He placed his hand upon the martyr, saying to him, “Rejoice!” Saint George stood up healed. the soldiers led him to the pagan temple where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought that he saw before him some other man or even a ghost. confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced that a miracle had occurred. Many then came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ. Immediately, without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. present in the pagan temple was Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she also knew the truth. She was on the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her and led her off to the palace. emperor became even more furious. He had not lost all hope of influencing Saint George, so he gave him over to new and fiercesome torments. After throwing him into a deep pit, they covered it over with lime. days later they dug him out, but found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and then drove him back to the prison with whips. the morning, they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healed feet, and the emperor asked if he liked his shoes. The saint said that the sandals had been just his size. Then they beat him with ox thongs until pieces of his flesh came off and his blood soaked the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding. emperor concluded that the saint was being helped by magic, so he summoned the sorcerer Athanasius to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets containing drugs. One of them would have quieted him, and the other would kill him. The drugs had no effect, and the saint continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify God as before. the emperor asked what sort of power was helping him, Saint George said, “Do not imagine that it is any human learning which keeps me from being harmed by these torments. I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. believes in Him has no regard for tortures and is able to do the things that Christ did” (John 14:12). asked what sort of things Christ had done. Martyr replied, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.” that they had never been able to resurrect the dead through sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, and wanting to test the saint, the emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person before his eyes. The saint retorted, “You wish to tempt me, but my God will work this sign for the salvation of the people who shall see the power of Christ.” they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out, “O Lord! Show to those here present, that You are the only God in all the world. Let them know You as the Almighty Lord.” Then the earth quaked, a grave opened, the dead one emerged from it alive. Having seen with their own eyes the Power of Christ, the people wept and glorified the true God. sorcerer Athanasius, falling down at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and asked forgiveness for his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his impiety thought otherwise. In a rage, he commanded both Athanasius and the man raised from the dead to be beheaded, and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. people, weighed down with their infirmities, began to visit the prison and they there received healing and help from the saint. A certain farmer named Glycerius, whose ox had collapsed, also visited him. The saint consoled him and assured him that God would restore his ox to life. When he saw the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerius was arrested and beheaded. exploits and the miracles of the Great Martyr George had increased the number of the Christians, therefore Diocletian made a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and as he slept, he saw the Lord, Who raised him up with His hand, and embraced him. The Savior placed a crown on Saint George’s head and said, “Fear not, but have courage, and you will soon come to Me and receive what has been prepared for you.” the morning, the emperor offered to make Saint George his co-administrator, second only to himself. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, “Caesar, you should have shown me this mercy from the very beginning, instead of torturing me. Let us go now to the temple and see the gods you worship.” believed that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed him to the pagan temple with his retinue and all the people. Everyone was certain that Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint went up to the idol, made the Sign of the Cross and addressed it as if it were alive: “Are you the one who wants to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?” demon inhabiting the idol cried out, “I am not a god and none of those like me is a god, either. The only God is He Whom you preach. We are fallen angels, and we deceive people because we are jealous.” George cried out, “How dare you remain here, when I, the servant of the true God, have entered?” Then noises and wailing were heard from the idols, and they fell to the ground and were shattered. was general confusion. In a frenzy, pagan priests and many of the crowd seized the holy martyr, tied him up, and began to beat him. They also called for his immediate execution. holy empress Alexandra tried to reach him. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out, “O God of George, help me, for You Alone are All-Powerful.” At the feet of the Great Martyr the holy empress confessed Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those who worshipped them. immediately pronounced the death sentence on the Great Martyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who followed Saint George to execution without resisting. Along the way she felt faint and slumped against a wall. There she surrendered her soul to God. George gave thanks to God and prayed that he would also end his life in a worthy manner. At the place of execution the saint prayed that the Lord would forgive the torturers who acted in ignorance, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy Great Martyr George bent his neck beneath the sword, receiving the crown of martyrdom on April 23, 303. pagan era was coming to an end, and Christianity was about to triumph. Within ten years, Saint Constantine (May 21) would issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to Christians. the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air. the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash. people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George. George went on to become a talented officer and to amaze the world by his military exploits. He died before he was thirty years old. He is known as Victory Bearer, not only for his military achievements, but for successfully enduring martyrdom. As we know, the martyrs are commemorated in the dismissal at the end of Church services as “the holy, right victorious martyr....” George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.” name of Saint George was also borne by the founder of Moscow, Yurii Dolgoruky (+ 1157), who was the builder of many churches dedicated to Saint George, and the builder of the city of Yuriev-Polsk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation against the Mongol Horde was led by the Great Prince Yurii (George) Vsevolodovich of Vladimir (February 4), who fell at the Battle at the Sita River. His memory, like that of Igor the Brave, and defender of his land, was celebrated in Russian spiritual poems and ballads. first Great Prince of Moscow, when Moscow had become the center of the Russian Land, was Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325), the son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory Bearer, depicted as a horseman slaying the serpent, appeared on Moscow’s coat of arms, and became an emblem of the Russian state. This has strengthened Russia’s connections with Christian nations, and especially with Iberia (Georgia, the Land of Saint George). GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; is a soldier and martyr who suffered around 303 at Lydda (Diospolis) in Palestine. The earliest surviving record of him is a church inscription in Syria, dated about 346. Commemorations of him are numerous, early, and widespread. However, no details of his life are known. In 495 his name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God." The best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. It should be noted that this story is unknown before the appearance in 1265 of a romance called the Golden Legend (Legendum Aureum), translated into English in 1483. the soldiers of the First Crusade were besieging Antioch in 1098, they had a vision of George and Demetrius (a deacon of Sirmium in Serbia, martyred under Maximian, and referred to as a "soldier of Christ," from which he was often understood to be a literal soldier) encouraging them to maintain the siege, which ultimately proved successful. I ("the Lion-Heart") of England, who fought in the Holy Land in 1191-1192, placed himself and his army under George's protection, and with the return home of the Crusaders, the popularity of George in England increased greatly. III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 under his patronage, his banner (a red cross on a white field) began to be used as the English national flag in 1284, and in 1415 Henry V spoke of him to rally the troops before the battle of Agincourt ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead. ... cry God for Harry, England, and St George!"), in the years following George was regarded as the special patron of England, of soldiers, and of the Boy Scouts, as well as of Venice, Genoa, Portugal, and Catalonia. is also remembered with enthusiasm in many parts of the East Orthodox Church. is a principal character in Edmund Spenser's allegorical poem The Faerie Queene, written in the late 1500's. — by James Kiefer

Rome, 295, Ananias tPresbyter's prayers destroyed temple&idols after hammers, fire, salt in burns, guard conversions
Palestine, 295, Ananias tPresbyter, Peter tPrison Guard, &7Soldiers suffered in Phoenicia, Palestine (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza), during Diocletian Persecution 284-305, A arrested fPreaching Christ, refusing worship idols, He was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on his scorched body, after that His prayers destroyed temple wIdols, Peter&his 7soldiers witnessed, believed, drowned after torture; Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Holy Martyrs Ananias the Presbyter, Peter the prison guard, and seven soldiers suffered in Phoenicia in the year 295. a persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), Saint Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of Phoenicia. He had been arrested for confessing Christ and refusal to worship idols. was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on his scorched body. his terrible sufferings, a temple and the idols standing in it were destroyed through the prayers of Saint Ananias. and seven other soldiers who were stationed to guard Ananias and witnessed his suffering came to believe in Christ. They were drowned in the sea after lengthy torture.

Rome, 297, Armenian Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian &Parigoreas, denounced senseless idol worship
Armenia, 297, Holy Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian and Parigoreas suffered in the year 297, during the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), denounced senseless idol worship, Their bodies were scraped with iron, heavy iron fetters were hung around their necks, and they were locked up in prison. Finally, nails were driven into their heads while they were suspended on crosses Samosata; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; Holy Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian and Parigoreas suffered in the year 297, during the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Samosata (in Syria on the River Euphrates). bravely denounced the senseless worship of idols, for which they were arrested and given over to various terrible tortures. bodies were scraped with iron, heavy iron fetters were hung around their necks, and they were locked up in prison. Finally, nails were driven into their heads while they were suspended on crosses.

Rome, 284-323, Philogonius, Bishop oAntioch, Syria, Lawyer fPoor, profound theological knowledge, anti Arian confessor
Syria, 284-323, Philogonius, Bishop oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), lawyer defending poor, widowed, orphaed before selected bishop, selected bishop after wife died, profound theological knowledge, fought Arian heresy, prevented church unrest, confessor, John Chrysostom wrote his eulogy i386; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; becoming a bishop, Saint Philogonius was a laywer who defended the poor, the widowed and the orphaned. his wife died, he was chosen as Bishop of Antioch. by profound theological knowledge, Saint Philogonius successfully defended Orthodoxy against the Arian heresy and by this prevented unrest in the Church. the persecution against Christians under the emperors Maximian (284-305)and Licinius (311-324), Philogonius proved himself a confessor of the Orthodox Faith. He died peacefully in about the year 323. Saint John Chrysostom wrote a eulogy for Saint Philogonius in 386.

Rome, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia, Wonderworker, Healer, Salvation fMany
Phrygia, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), fCappadocia, pious God-Loving Parents, tSynnada Monastery while young, monk, loved bIgumen for Virtue, taught read write, received fGod gift working miracles, more than 100, killed great dragon by prayer, recruited bLicinus tArmy, there he saw martyrs Victor +many being tortured fChrist, wanted join them, but was preserved wounded by spear, so he could lead many tSalvation, Constantine heard A could heal by prayer, cured sick servant, asked C only return to Synnada M, devoted study Holy Gospel, ordained Priest, succeeded as Bishop, reposed in peace; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. By his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. Though they were perfected in Christ by the sword, was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace.

Rome, 284-335, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia, gift of miracles, p killed dragon, recruited military, Consantine discharged him
Phrygia, 285-323, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), young monk from Cappadocia, Armenia, gift of working miracles, over 100, prayers killed dragon, recruited military, wanted to join martyrs but preserved for saving souls, Consantine discharged him, priesthood, bishop ; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia and was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, where he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life and so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. There he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. Right away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. they were perfected in Christ by the sword, he was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. His life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. The emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, but he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. His request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, and the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. After the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace

Rome, 286-287, Apollonius of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, change clothes with me, but he confessed, arrow destroys eye, healed
Egypt, 286-287, Apollonius of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, change clothes with me, but he confessed, arrow destroys eye, healed, aAntinoe, under Diocletian, Arrian first persecuted Chriatians, Apollonius first feared, asked pagan musician Philemon change clothes&sacrifice for him, but unexpectedly P confessed, A repented&confessed, both tortured&executed, P's body hung olive tree, arrows, one ruined perfect Arianus' eye, eye healed by dirt Philemon's grave, perfect's family baptized & martyred, P&A d 286, A&T d287; Alexandria; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Holy Martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, Arianus and Theotychus suffered for the Faith in Egypt, the city of Antinoe, the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Arrian up until his conversion to Christ was a persecutor of Christians, among whom were the martyrs Apollonius and Philemon. Apollonius, at first fearing to face the sufferings, asked the pagan musician Philemon to change clothes with him and offer sacrifice to the idols for him. unexpectedly Saint Philemon confessed himself a Christian in front of the pagans. Apollonius repented and also confessed Christ. torture, both martyrs were executed. Philemon’s body was hung upon an olive tree, arrows were shot at him. struck prefect Arianus in the eye, destroying it. ’ injured eye was healed by when he applied dirt taken from Philemon’s grave. repented and was converted to the Christian Faith and baptized together with all his household and bodyguards. of love for Christ they voluntarily went to torture and were sentenced to death. Martyr Theotychus was the eldest of the guards, and is remembered with the other saints. Martyrs Philemon and Apollonius died on March 16, 286, and the Martyrs Arrian and Theotychus on March 4, 287.

Rome, 290-350, Syncletica oAlexandria, beautiful, virginity, giving, left city tCrypt, girls came, death revealed bVision
Egypt, 290-350, Syncletica oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, wealthy parents, beautiful, loved purity&virginity, fasting&prayer, distributed wealth tPoor, left city tCrypt, girls came, instructed bWord&Deed, illness a80, Christian endurance, time oDeath revealed bVision, died 350; Alexandria; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Syncletica was a native of Alexandria, daughter of wealthy parents. was very beautiful, from a young age she thought only about the things which are pleasing to God. the purity of virginity, she refused to marry anyone, spent all her time in fasting and prayer. the death of her parents, Syncletica distributed her inheritance to the poor. left the city with her younger sister, and lived in a crypt for the rest of her life. of her ascetic deeds quickly spread throughout the region, many devout women and girls came to live under her guidance. the course of her ascetical life the Saint zealously instructed the sisters by word and by deed. her eightieth year Saint Syncletica was stricken with an intense and grievous illness. bore her ordeal with true Christian endurance, the day of her death was revealed to her in a vision. giving final instructions to her nuns, she surrendered her soul to God around the year 350.

Rome, 293-343, Nicholas, St Nick, Lycian Saint, Bishop of Myra, Wonderworker
Lycian Saint, 293-343, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe ConverserÂ, Commemorated on August 14;

Rome, 293-343, NICHOLAS of Myra, childless parents dedicate, d light early, d inheritance, saved 3 daughters, myrrh relics
Lycia, 293-343, NICHOLAS of Myra, Bishop, from Patara, wealthy childless parents dedicate him, d light revealed in youth, mother healed, stood 3 hours, fasting from birth, r scripptures, d inheritance to poor, saved daughters from prostitution w 3 sacks of gold, to holy land, saw devil on ship, calmed the waves, restored sailor from mast fall, divine voice to return, monastery, divine voice return to world, chosen bishop by God, at 1st E council, slapped Arius, under guard, restored by same vision to several Fathers, angel face, face relieves opression, grabbed executioners sword for 3 men unjustly condemned by Gov, who repented, appeared to merchant to bring grain for 3 gold pieces, myrrh from his relics; Saint Nicholas of Myra[a] (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343),[3][4][b] also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor during the time of the Roman Empire.[7][8] of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.[c] Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. reputation evolved among the pious, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick") through Sinterklaas. little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and contain many legendary elaborations. He is said to have been born in the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor to wealthy Christian parents.[9] In one of the earliest attested and most famous incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of them. early stories tell of him calming a storm at sea, saving three innocent soldiers from wrongful execution, and chopping down a tree possessed by a demon. his youth, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine. after his return, he became Bishop of Myra. He was later cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, but was released after the accession of Constantine. early list makes him an attendee at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, but he is never mentioned in any writings by people who were actually at the council. unsubstantiated legends claim that he was temporarily defrocked and imprisoned during the council for slapping the heretic Arius. famous late legend tells how he resurrected three children, who had been murdered and pickled in brine by a butcher planning to sell them as pork during a famine. than 200 years after Nicholas's death, the St. Nicholas Church was built in Myra under the orders of Theodosius II over the site of the church where he had served as bishop, and his remains were moved to a sarcophagus in that church. In 1087, while the Greek Christian inhabitants of the region were subjugated by the newly arrived Muslim Seljuk Turks, and soon after their church was declared to be in schism by the Catholic church, a group of merchants from the Italian city of Bari removed the major bones of Nicholas's skeleton from his sarcophagus in the church without authorization and brought them to their hometown, where they are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. remaining bone fragments from the sarcophagus were later removed by Venetian sailors and taken to Venice during the First Crusade. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Converser, Commemorated on August 14; Converser Icon of the Mother of God is so named since it depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. the place of this vision a chapel was built in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The chapel burned several times (the first time was in 1390 at the same time as the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). In 1515, a wooden church was built and a monastery founded in honor of this holy icon. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia is famed as a great saint pleasing unto God. was born in the city of Patara in the region of Lycia (on the south coast of the Asia Minor peninsula), and was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who had vowed to dedicate him to God. the fruit of the prayer of his childless parents, the infant Nicholas from the very day of his birth revealed to people the light of his future glory as a wonderworker. mother, Nonna, after giving birth was immediately healed from illness. The newborn infant, while still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet three hours, without support from anyone, thereby honoring the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas from his infancy began a life of fasting, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he would not accept milk from his mother until after his parents had finished their evening prayers. his childhood Nicholas thrived on the study of Divine Scripture; by day he would not leave church, and by night he prayed and read books, making himself a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Nicholas of Patara rejoiced at the spiritual success and deep piety of his nephew. He ordained him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the priesthood, making him his assistant and entrusting him to instruct the flock. serving the Lord the youth was fervent of spirit, and in his proficiency with questions of faith he was like an Elder, who aroused the wonder and deep respect of believers. Constantly at work and vivacious, in unceasing prayer, the priest Nicholas displayed great kind-heartedness towards the flock, and towards the afflicted who came to him for help, and he distributed all his inheritance to the poor. was a certain formerly rich inhabitant of Patara, whom Saint Nicholas saved from great sin. The man had three grown daughters, and in desperation he planned to sell their bodies so they would have money for food. The saint, learning of the man'™s poverty and of his wicked intention, secretly visited him one night and threw a sack of gold through the window. With the money the man arranged an honorable marriage for his daughter. Saint Nicholas also provided gold for the other daughters, thereby saving the family from falling into spiritual destruction. In bestowing charity, Saint Nicholas always strove to do this secretly and to conceal his good deeds. Bishop of Patara decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy places at Jerusalem, and entrusted the guidance of his flock to Saint Nicholas, who fulfilled this obedience carefully and with love. the bishop returned, Nicholas asked his blessing for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Along the way the saint predicted a storm would arise and threaten the ship. Saint Nicholas saw the devil get on the ship, intending to sink it and kill all the passengers. At the entreaty of the despairing pilgrims, he calmed the waves of the sea by his prayers. his prayer a certain sailor of the ship, who had fallen from the mast and was mortally injured, was also restored to health. he reached the ancient city of Jerusalem and came to Golgotha, Saint Nicholas gave thanks to the Savior. He went to all the holy places, worshiping at each one. One night on Mount Sion, the closed doors of the church opened by themselves for the great pilgrim. Going round the holy places connected with the earthly service of the Son of God, Saint Nicholas decided to withdraw into the desert, but he was stopped by a divine voice urging him to return to his native country. returned to Lycia, and yearning for a life of quietude, the saint entered into the brotherhood of a monastery named Holy Sion, which had been founded by his uncle. But the Lord again indicated another path for him, œNicholas, this is not the vineyard where you shall bear fruit for Me. Return to the world, and glorify My Name there. So he left Patara and went to Myra in Lycia. Upon the death of Archbishop John, Nicholas was chosen as Bishop of Myra after one of the bishops of the Council said that a new archbishop should be revealed by God, not chosen by men. of the elder bishops had a vision of a radiant Man, Who told him that the one who came to the church that night and was first to enter should be made archbishop. He would be named Nicholas. The bishop went to the church at night to await Nicholas. The saint, always the first to arrive at church, was stopped by the bishop. œWhat is your name, child? he asked. God'™s chosen one replied, œMy name is Nicholas, Master, and I am your servant. his consecration as archbishop, Saint Nicholas remained a great ascetic, appearing to his flock as an image of gentleness, kindness and love for people. was particularly precious for the Lycian Church during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Nicholas, locked up in prison together with other Christians for refusing to worship idols, sustained them and exhorted them to endure the fetters, punishment and torture. The Lord preserved him unharmed. Upon the accession of Saint Constantine (May 21) as emperor, Saint Nicholas was restored to his flock, which joyfully received their guide and intercessor. his great gentleness of spirit and purity of heart, Saint Nicholas was a zealous and ardent warrior of the Church of Christ. Fighting evil spirits, the saint made the rounds of the pagan temples and shrines in the city of Myra and its surroundings, shattering the idols and turning the temples to dust. the year 325 Saint Nicholas was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. This Council proclaimed the Nicean Symbol of Faith, and he stood up against the heretic Arius with the likes of Saints Sylvester the Bishop of Rome (January 2), Alexander of Alexandria (May 29), Spyridon of Trimythontos (December 12) and other Fathers of the Council. Nicholas, fired with zeal for the Lord, assailed the heretic Arius with his words, and also struck him upon the face. For this reason, he was deprived of the emblems of his episcopal rank and placed under guard. But several of the holy Fathers had the same vision, seeing the Lord Himself and the Mother of God returning to him the Gospel and omophorion. The Fathers of the Council agreed that the audacity of the saint was pleasing to God, and restored the saint to the office of bishop. returned to his own diocese, the saint brought it peace and blessings, sowing the word of Truth, uprooting heresy, nourishing his flock with sound doctrine, and also providing food for their bodies. face of Saint Nicholas resembled that of an Angel, resplendent with divine grace. A brilliant ray shone from his face, like that which shone from the face of Moses (Exodus 34:29), so that those who looked at him were astonished. was oppressed by some affliction or passion of the soul had only to behold the Saint, and his sorrow was eased at once. for those who conversed with him, they soon found themselves advancing on the path of virtue. Not only were the faithful moved to compassion, but unbelievers as well, and they directed their steps on the path of salvation when they heard him speak. The evil of unbelief which had been implanted in their hearts since childhood was uprooted, and in its place, the word of truth was sown. during his life the saint worked many miracles. One of the greatest was the deliverance from death of three men unjustly condemned by the Governor, who had been bribed. saint boldly went up to the executioner and took his sword, already suspended over the heads of the condemned. The Governor, denounced by Saint Nicholas for his wrong doing, repented and begged for forgiveness. this remarkable event were three military officers, who were sent to Phrygia by the emperor Constantine to put down a rebellion. They did not suspect that soon they would also be compelled to seek the intercession of Saint Nicholas. Evil men slandered them before the emperor, and the officers were sentenced to death. Appearing to Saint Constantine in a dream, Saint Nicholas called on him to overturn the unjust sentence of the military officers. worked many other miracles, and struggled many long years at his labor. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Myra was rescued from a terrible famine. He appeared to a certain Italian merchant and left him three gold pieces as a pledge of payment. He requested him to sail to Myra and deliver grain there. More than once, the saint saved those drowning in the sea, and provided release from captivity and imprisonment. reached old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. His venerable relics were preserved incorrupt in the local cathedral church and flowed with curative myrrh, from which many received healing. In the year 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of Bari, where they rest even now (See May 9). name of the great saint of God, the hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas, a speedy helper and suppliant for all hastening to him, is famed in every corner of the earth, in many lands and among many peoples. In Russia there are a multitude of cathedrals, monasteries and churches consecrated in his name. There is, perhaps, not a single city without a church dedicated to him. first Russian Christian prince Askold (+ 882) was baptized in 866 by Patriarch Photius (February 6) with the name Nicholas. Over the grave of Askold, Saint Olga (July 11) built the first temple of Saint Nicholas in the Russian Church at Kiev. Primary cathedrals were dedicated to Saint Nicholas at Izborsk, Ostrov, Mozhaisk, and Zaraisk. At Novgorod the Great, one of the main churches of the city, the Nikolo-Dvorischensk church, later became a cathedral. and venerable churches and monasteries dedicated to Saint Nicholas are found at Kiev, Smolensk, Pskov, Toropetsa, Galich, Archangelsk, Great Ustiug, Tobolsk. Moscow had dozens of churches named for the saint, and also three monasteries in the Moscow diocese: the Nikolo-Greek (Staryi) in the Chinese-quarter, the Nikolo-Perervinsk and the Nikolo-Ugreshsk. One of the chief towers of the Kremlin was named the Nikolsk. of the churches devoted to the saint were those established at market squares by Russian merchants, sea-farers and those who traveled by land, venerating the wonderworker Nicholas as a protector of all those journeying on dry land and sea. They sometimes received the name among the people of “Nicholas soaked.â€ village churches in Russia were dedicated to the wonderworker Nicholas, venerated by peasants as a merciful intercessor before the Lord for all the people in their work. And in the Russian land Saint Nicholas did not cease his intercession. Ancient Kiev preserves the memory about the miraculous rescue of a drowning infant by the saint. The great wonderworker, hearing the grief-filled prayers of the parents for the loss of their only child, took the infant from the waters, revived him and placed him in the choir-loft of the church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) before his wonderworking icon. In the morning the infant was found safe by his thrilled parents, praising Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. wonderworking icons of Saint Nicholas appeared in Russia and came also from other lands. There is the ancient Byzantine embroidered image of the saint, brought to Moscow from Novgorod, and the large icon painted in the thirteenth century by a Novgorod master. depictions of the wonderworker are especially numerous in the Russian Church: Saint Nicholas of Zaraisk, portrayed in full-length, with his right hand raised in blessing and with a Gospel (this image was brought to Ryazan in 1225 by the future wife of Prince Theodore, the Byzantine Princess Eupraxia, who perished in 1237 with her husband and infant son during the incursion of Batu); and Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk, also in full stature, with a sword in his right hand and a city in his left. This recalls the miraculous rescue of the city of Mozhaisk from an invasion of enemies, through the prayers of the saint. It is impossible to list all the grace-filled icons of Saint Nicholas, or to enumerate all his miracles. Nicholas is the patron of travelers, and we pray to him for deliverance from floods, poverty, or any misfortunes. He has promised to help those who remember his parents, Theophanes and Nonna. Nicholas is also commemorated on May 9 (The transfer of his relics) and on July 29 (his nativity). Italy, the relics of Saint Nicholas are in the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari; and his left arm is in Saint Nicholas Roman Catholic Church of Rimini. Russia, relics of Saint Nicholas are to be found in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, and in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. right hand of Saint Nicholas is in the church of Saint George the New in Bucharest, Romania. Greece, portions of the Saint's relics are in the Monasteries of Saint Nicholas Apo Bathia in Euboia, and PhaneromenÄ“ in Salaminos. A piece of the Saint's left arm is in the Metropolitan church of Volos. One of the Saint's teeth is at Kalabryta Monastery in the PeloponnÄ“sos. NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) , Commemorated December 6; story of St. Nicholas offers a possible way of dealing with the "Santa Claus" problem, to parents who do not want to lie to their children, even in fun, but do not want to say simply: "Bah, humbug! There is no such thing as Santa. Forget about him." was a native of the western part of what is now Asiatic Turkey. He became Bishop of Myra in the fourth century, and there are many stories of his love for God and for his neighbor. best-known story involves a man with three unmarried daughters, and not enough money to provide them with suitable dowries. This meant that they could not marry, and were likely to end up as prostitutes. Nicholas walked by the man's house on three successive nights, and each time threw a bag of gold in through a window (or, when the story came to be told in colder climates, down the chimney). Thus, the daughters were saved from a life of shame, and all got married and lived happily ever after. of this and similar stories, Nicholas became a symbol of anonymous gift-giving. Hence, if we give a gift to someone today without saying whom it is from, it can be called "a present from Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus)." Some parents explain this to their children and invite the child to join them in wrapping a toy (either something purchased for that purpose, at least partly with the child's allowance, or else a toy that the child has outgrown but that is still serviceable) or an outgrown but not shabby item of the child's clothing, or a package of food, and then going along to donate it to a suitable shelter that will give it to someone who will welcome it. This gift is then called "a present from Santa," so that the child understands that this is another name for an anonymous gift given to someone whom we do not know, but whom we love anyway because God does. (Presents within the family can be "From Santa" or "From Santa and...") fresco of St. NicholasPictures of Nicholas often show three bags of gold next to him, and often these bags have become simply three disks or balls. Nicholas became the patron of an Italian city (I think Bari, which is where his body is now buried) that was a center of the pawnbroking business, and hence a pawnbroking shop traditionally advertises by displaying three gold balls over its front. It is thought that some persons looking at pictures of Nicholas confused the three round objects with human heads. Hence there is a story of a wicked innkeeper who murdered three boys and salted their bodies to serve to his guests, to save on the butcher's bill. Nicholas visited the inn and confronted the innkeeper, who confessed his crime, whereupon Nicholas prayed over the brine-tub and the three boys leaped out unharmed. Other stories have him saving the lives of three innocent men who had been condemned to death. Still other stories have him coming to the rescue of drowning sailors (could this be related to the brine-tub incident?). Nicholas has always been popular with children, mariners, pawnbrokers, the Dutch, the Russians, and recently, the department-store owners. (American readers may remember the story of the brine-tub through reading it as children in the book The Dutch Twins, by Lucy Fitch Perkins, author of The Spanish Twins, The Italian Twins, and many similar books, all children's favorites in the middle of this century. They may now be banned as politically incorrect -- I have no idea. If your children know the brine-tub story, from this book or elsewhere, they may be interested to know how it may have originated.) many countries, Nicholas visits children on his feast day, 6 December, and brings them gifts then. In these countries, there is usually no exchange of Christmas presents, but there may be gifts again on January 6, the feast of the coming of the Wise Men, who brought gifts to the Holy Child of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In America, it may be thought necessary to yield to outside pressure and let Nicholas distribute gifts on December 25. you want to show your children (or yourself) how Nicholas is remembered by Christians with a background different from your own (unless, of course, this IS your background), you might want to attend an East Orthodox service at this time. Many Eastern Orthodox congregations have services on the evening before 6 December that feature "visits from Saint Nicholas." He appears as a bishop, with no red suit. The faithful leave their shoes outside the church door, and find in them afterwards gold coins (actually chocolate wrapped in gold foil) representing the gold dowries of the three daughters. To find a service and inquire what it is likely to be like, look up CHURCHES, ORTHODOX in the Yellow Pages. For an English-language service, "Orthodox Church in America" or "Antiochan Orthodox" parishes are likely choices, but do not overlook other possibilities. are told, but it is uncertain, that Nicholas was imprisoned for his faith before the accession of Constantine, and that he was present at the Council of Nicea in 325. We may note in passing that the picture of him as roly-poly is a late development. Early stories indicate that he was generous to others, but not given to self-indulgence. Indeed, even as an unweaned infant, he fasted regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays. by James Kiefer

Rome, 293-306, Emperor, Constantius Chlorus, Caesar in 293 then Emperor in 305, Constantine's father
Roman Emperor, 293-306, Constantius Chlorus; Valerius Constantius "Chlorus" (c. 250 - 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was a Roman emperor as one of the four original members the "Tetrarchy" established by Diocletian in 293. He was a junior-ranking emperor, or Caesar, from 293 to 305, and senior emperor, Augustus, from 305 to 306. Constantius was also the father of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of Rome. The nickname Chlorus (Greek: Î§Î»Ï‰ÏÏŒÏ‚, lit. "the Green") was first popularized by Byzantine-era historians and was not used during the emperor's lifetime.[2] Illyrian and probably humble origin, Constantius had a distinguished military career and rose to the top ranks of the army. Around 289 he set aside Helena, Constantine's mother, to marry a daughter of Emperor Maximian, and in 293 was added to the imperial college by Maximian's colleague, Diocletian. Assigned to rule Gaul, Constantius defeated the usurper Carausius there and his successor Allectus in Britain, and campaigned extensively along the Rhine frontier, defeating the Alamanni and Franks. When the Diocletianic Persecution was announced in 303, Constantius ordered the demolition of churches but did not actively hunt down Christians in his domain.[2] Upon becoming senior emperor in May 305, Constantius launched a successful punitive campaign against the Picts beyond the Antonine Wall.[3] He died suddenly at Eboracum (York) in July the following year. Constantius's death, the army, perhaps at his own instigation, immediately acclaimed his son Constantine as emperor. This act contributed to the collapse of the Diocletianic tetrarchy, sparking a series civil wars which only ended when Constantine finally united the whole Roman Empire under his rule in 324. According to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, "Constantinian propaganda bedevils assessment of Constantius, yet he appears to have been an able general and a generous ruler".[4] His descendants, the Constantinian dynasty, ruled the Empire until the death of his grandson Julian in 363. Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Varus, Commemorated on October 19; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22; St Crispina, Commemorated on December 5; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 19; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304) ; Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated on January 21; VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304); Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated on January 26; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated on January 21; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Manuel, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18 ;

Rome, 293-306, Constantius Chlorus, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Father of Constantine the Great
England, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Rome, 296-304, Pope Marcellinus, cowardice, humbled himself, repented, martyred
Roman Pope, 296-304, Pope Marcellinus; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Marcellinus was Pope of Rome during the height of the persecution against Christians under Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), when 17,000 men were martyred a single month. During this time Saint Marcellinus was also arrested. Afraid of the fierce tortures, he burned incense and offered sacrifice to idols. The emperor called him his friend and clothed him in splendid robes. Although he had encouraged others to undergo torture for Christ, he gave in to cowardice. He wept bitterly, filled with remorse. this time, a Synod of 180 bishops and presbyters met at the city of Sinuessa (in Campania). Saint Marcellinus appeared at the assembly in penitential sackcloth, his head sprinkled with ashes. He confessed his sin before the delegates and asked them to judge him. The Fathers of the Council said, “Judge yourself! From your lips this sin came forth, from your lips let judgment be pronounced. We know that even Saint Peter denied Christ out of fear, but he wept bitterly for his sin, and received forgiveness from the Lord.â€ Marcellinus pronounced sentence upon himself, “I strip myself of the priestly dignity, of which I am unworthy. After death, do not bury my body, but instead throw it to the dogs. Cursed be the one who dares to bury it.â€ his return to Rome Marcellinus went to the emperor, threw down the fine clothing given him, and said that he regretted his renunciation of Christ. The enraged emperor had him tortured, and sentenced him to death. Marcellinus prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who mercifully receives sinners who repent, then willingly placed his head beneath the sword. The holy martyrs Claudius, Cyrinus and Antoninus were beheaded with him. body of Saint Marcellinus lay for thirty-six days along the wayside. Appearing in a vision to the new bishop Marcellus, the holy Apostle Peter said, “Why have you not buried the body of Marcellinus?â€ “I fear his curse,â€ replied Saint Marcellus. “Perhaps you do not remember,â€ said the Apostle Peter, “that it is written: ‘He that humbles himself shall be exalted.’ Therefore, go bury his body with reverence.â€ the command of the Apostle Peter, Saint Marcellus buried the body of Saint Marcellinus in a crypt, built for the burial of the bodies of martyrs by the illustrious Priscilla, along the Via Salaria. Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7;

Rome, 300, 4th Century, Folder, R. Empire, Diocletian then Constantine and Legal Christianity

Rome, 301, James t Solitary of Syria, chains, evening food o, constant prayer, spiritual p, deliverance, healing, raising dead
Syria, 300, James the Solitary of Syria, Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), chains, evening food only, constant prayer, high spiritual perfection, deliverance, healing, raising dead; Cyrrhus; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated November 26 ; James the Solitary (Hermit) was the disciple of Saint Maron (February 14). lived in asceticism on a mountain not far from the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. suffered grievous ills, but he always wore chains, ate food only in the evening, and prayed constantly. such efforts he attained to high spiritual perfection, from the Lord power over demons, the gift of healing and even of raising the dead. James peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Rome, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia, ministered in prison, confessed w 7 courageous women, fire water, beheaded
Armenia, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), ministered to martyrs in prison, marveled at women courage, by divine grace confessed Christ, fire water trials, beheaded w 7 women; Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Holy Martyr Irenarchus was from Sebaste, Armenia, and lived during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). he was young, he would minister to the martyrs in prison after they were tortured. once saw seven women being tortured for Christ, who bravely endured their torments. Saint Irenarchus marveled at this because they showed great courage in standing up to the tyrant, even though they were weak by nature. by divine grace, Saint Irenarchus confessed Christ. he endured trials by fire and water, then he was beheaded with the seven holy women in the year 303.

Rome, 301-306, Gurias of Edessa, Armenia, Confessors, Samonas prayer, Habibus burned, unharmed body, Goth Soldier story
301-306, Gurias of Edessa, Armenia, Confessors, Martyrs, Samonas prayer, then years, Licinius, Habibus burned, unharmed body, Goth Soldier and pious virgin Euphemia, deception witness, slavery, miraculous return; Edessa, Syria; Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus, of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15; Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas and Habibus: during the persecution against Christians under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). The two friends Gurias and Samonas, preachers of the Word of God, were arrested in the city of Edessa. saints refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, and boldly confessed their faith in Christ. For this they were subjected to cruel tortures: they were beaten, hung up by their hands, heavy weights were tied to their feet, and they were cast into a stifling prison. martyrs endured everything with firmness and Samonas uttered a prayer to the Lord, which one of the witnesses to their death wrote down: “O Lord my God, against Whose will not a single sparrow falls into the snare. It was You Who made room for David in his sorrow (Ps. 4:1), Who proved the Prophet David stronger than lions (Dan. 6:16-24), and granted a child of Abraham to be victor over torture and flames (Dan. ch. 3, ch. 14). You know also, Lord, the infirmity of our nature, You see the struggle set before us. Our foe strives to snatch us, the work of Your right hand, away from You and to deprive us of the glory which is in You. With Your compassionate eye watching over us, preserve in us the inextinguishable light of Your Commandments. Guide our steps by Your light, and make us worthy of Your Kingdom, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.” night, they took the martyrs out beyond the city and beheaded them (+ 299-306). Christians buried their holy bodies with reverence. some years, the last pagan emperor, Licinius (311-324), began a persecution against Christians. a deacon of the Church of Edessa whom the emperor ordered to be arrested for his zealous spreading of the true Faith, presented himself before the executioners when he learned they were searching for him. The saint confessed his faith in Christ and was sentenced to be burned alive. The martyr went willingly into the fire and with a prayer surrendered his soul to the Lord. When the fire went out, the mother and relatives of the saint found his body unharmed. They buried the martyr next to Saints Gurias and Samonas. the death of the saints, numerous miracles were wrought by them for those who entreated their help with faith and love. a certain Gothic soldier, sent to serve at Edessa, took the pious virgin Euphemia as his wife. Before this the barbarian vowed to her mother Sophia at the graves of the Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus that he would do his spouse no harm, and would never insult her, but would always love and cherish her. the completion of his service in Edessa, he took Euphemia with him back to his native land. It turned out that he had deceived her, for he already had a wife at home, and Euphemia became her slave. Her evil husband threatened to kill her if she revealed to anyone that they were married. Euphemia suffered much abuse and humiliation. When she gave birth to a son, the jealous Gothic woman poisoned him. Euphemia turned with prayer to the holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus, the witnesses to the perjurer’s oath, and the Lord delivered Euphemia from her suffering and miraculously returned her to Edessa, where she was welcomed by her mother. a certain while the Goth was again sent to serve in Edessa. The whole city learned of his misdeeds after he was denounced by Sophia. The Goth was executed by order of the prefect of the city. an Akathist, the Holy Church addresses the martyrs: “Rejoice, Gurias, Samonas and Habibus, Heavenly Patrons of honorable marriage.” We pray to them for deliverance from family turmoil, and from marital difficulties, especially where one spouse hates the other without cause.

Rome, 301-316, Blaise, Sebaste, Armenia , blessed&healed wild beasts, wolf returns small pig, walked on lake, 68 died trying
Armenia, 300-316, Blaise, Bishop o Sebaste, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 1, Iris River Source), righteous life, Diocletian and Licinius persecution, hid on mt in cave, wild beasts to him, blessed and healed them,looking for wild beasts to torture, they arested him, along the way he worked miracles, wolf returns small pig, he called gods devils, 7 holy women threw idols to deep lake, ordered to be thrown in lake he walked on it, 68 died trying it with gods help; Sebaste, Cappadocia, Armenia; Hieromartyr Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Hieromartyr Blaise (Blasius), Bishop of Sebaste, was known for his righteous and devout life. chosen by the people, he was consecrated Bishop of Sebaste. occurred during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Licinius (307-324), fierce persecutors of Christians. Blaise encouraged his flock, visited the imprisoned, and gave support to the martyrs. hid themselves from the persecutors by going off to desolate and solitary places. Saint Blaise also hid himself away on Mount Argeos, where he lived in a cave. Wild beasts came up to him and meekly waited until the saint finished his prayer and blessed them. The saint also healed sick animals by laying his hands upon them. refuge of the saint was discovered by servants of the governor Agrilaus, who had come to capture wild beasts to loose on the Christian martyrs. servants reported to their master that Christians were hiding on the mountain, and he gave orders to arrest them. But those sent out found there only the Bishop of Sebaste. Glorifying God Who had summoned him to this exploit, Saint Blaise followed the soldiers. the way the saint healed the sick and worked other miracles. a destitute widow complained to him of her misfortune. A wolf had carried off a small pig, her only possession. The bishop smiled and said to her, “Do not weep, your pig will be returned to you...” To the astonishment of everyone, the wolf came running back and returned his prey unharmed. greeting the bishop with words of deceit, called him a companion of the gods. The saint answer6ed the greeting, but he called the gods devils. Then they beat him and led him off to prison. the next day, they subjected the saint to tortures again. When they led him back to the prison, seven women followed behind and gathered up the drops of blood. They arrested them and tried to compel them to worship the idols. The women pretended to consent to this and said that first they needed to wash the idols in the waters of a lake. They took the idols and threw them in a very deep part of the lake, and after this the Christians were fiercely tortured. The saints stoically endured the torments, strengthened by the grace of God, their bodies were transformed and became white as snow. One of the women had two young sons, who implored their mother to help them attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and she entrusted them to the care of Saint Blaise. The seven holy women were beheaded. Blaise was again brought before Agrilaus, and again he unflinchingly confessed his faith in Christ. The governor ordered that the martyr be thrown into a lake. The saint, going down to the water, signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, and he walked on it as though on dry land. the pagans standing about on shore, he challenged them to come to him while calling on the help of their gods. Sixty-eight men of the governor’s retinue entered the water, and immediately drowned. The saint, however, heeding the angel who had appeared to him, returned to shore. was in a rage over losing his finest servants, and he gave orders to behead Saint Blaise, and the two sons of the woman martyr entrusted to him. Before his death, the martyr prayed for the whole world, and especially for those honoring his memory. This occurred in about the year 316. relics of the Hieromartyr Blaise were brought to the West during the time of the Crusades, and portions of the relics are preserved in many of the lands of Europe [and his memory traditionally honored there on February 3]. pray to Saint Blaise for the health of domestic animals, and for protection from wild beasts.

Rome, 301-320, Arkadios oArsinoe, Wonderworker Bishop, ascetic struggles, great virtues
Cyprus, , Arkadios oArsinoe, Wonderworker Bishop, ascetic struggles, great virtues; Arsinoe, Cyprus; Saint Arkadios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Arsinoe, Cyprus, Commemorated on August 29; Arkadios was born in Arsinoe, Cyprus and lived in the late third century until the early fourth century. was the son of pious and wealthy parents, Michael and Anna. Saint Arkadios went to be educated in Constantinople, and then he returned home to Arsinoe. became known for his ascetic struggles and for his great virtues. Saint Nikon died, Arkadios was chosen as his successor on the episcopal throne of Arsinoe. shepherding his flock in a God-pleasing manner, he reposed peacefully on August 29th. also had a brother, Saint Theosebios the God-bearer of Arsinoe (October 12).

Rome, 301-305, Catherine, beautiful smart daughter of gov, m only one who surpasses me, no, baptism, yes and ring
Egypt, 305, Saint, Catherine of Alexandria; Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Great Martyr Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian Egypt during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Catherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ™s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. listening to Catherine, the Elder said that he knew of a Youth who surpassed her in everything. œHis countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled. description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. œIf you do as I tell you, said the monk, œyou will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man. parting, the Elder handed Catherine an icon of the Theotokos with the divine Child Jesus on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and She would hear Catherine and grant her heart'™s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said Her Divine Son, œBehold Thy handmaiden Catherine, how fair and virtuous she is; But the Child turned His face away from her saying, œNo, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety. returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of holy Baptism from him. Saint Catherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time the emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, those who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. saint’s love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings compelled Catherine to speak to the pagan priest and to the emperor Maximian. herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom exposed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. order to convince her and to show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Catherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burned alive by order of the emperor. no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Receiving an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The empress was impressed by the strong spirit of Saint Catherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian teaching to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels; but an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrius with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. again tried to entice the holy martyr, proposing marriage to her, and again he was refused. Saint Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Catherine were taken by the angels to Mount Sinai. In the sixth century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Catherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mt Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit.

Rome, 301-350, Akepsimas &Aithalas, Arbel, Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession
Galilee, 301-350, Arbel (Arbela), Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession; Arbel; Roman and Byzantine "Arbel" or "Arbela"[edit] In 161 BCE "Arbela" in the Arbel Valley was the site of a battle between the supporters of the Maccabees and Seleucid general Bacchides, who defeated and killed his opponents (1 Macc. 9:2).[3][4][5] the second half of the second century BCE, the village of Arbel was the home of the sage Nittai of Arbela.[citation needed] 38 BCE, Jewish partisans of Antigonus who were opposing Herod in his conquest of the land with the help of Roman, sought refuge from his troops in the caves dotting the steep northern cliffs of Mount Arbel, but couldn't escape death.[6][4][5] Their story is told by Josephus, who himself fortified the cave-village as a storage base at the beginning of the First Jewish–Roman War against Rome in 66 CE.[4][5] ancient town of Arbel is thought by some to have been located at the site of Khirbet Wadi Hamam ("Ruins [in the] Valley of the Doves"; Hurvat Vradim being the modern Hebrew name), on the other side of Arbel Valley, on the eastern slopes of Mount Nitay and close to the stream bed; if that was the case, the village only moved to the site of Khirbet Irbid, close to where the modern moshav stands now, during the Middle Ages.[5] The Jewish scholar Ishtori Haparchi, writing in 1322, thought to identify ancient Arbel with the Arab village itself, in its location on Mount Arbel, 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Tiberias.[7] from the late Roman and Byzantine periods have been found.[8][dubious – discuss] Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyrs Akepsimas and Aithalas were from Persia. Akepsimas was a pagan priest in the city of Arbel. Having received healing through the prayers of a Christian bishop, he was converted to the faith in Christ and boldly confessed it. For this they threw Saint Akepsimas into prison. after, Saint Aithalas, a deacon of the Arbel Church, was imprisoned with him. They brought the martyrs before the ruler, where they again confessed their faith and were beheaded.

Rome, 301-325, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid Hermits, Great Story
Egypt, 301-325, John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid to Timothy, Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, &Others, then to Onuphrius tGreat, then to these four, beautiful oasis w spring&fruit bearing trees, several days fOxyrhynchus, radiant man wHeavenly glory (Angel) led them to desert Elder, struggled separately till common prayer Saturday Sunday, Angel appeared then wHoly Mysteries, Angel's words Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, P wanted to stay but Angel led another path to tell about tHermits; Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and are mentioned in the life of Saint Onuphrius. he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory had met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus are also commemorated on June 12 with Saint Onuphrius. Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Timothy prepared food and water for him. related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. it was Saturday, they had gathered together. eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Venerable John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, Commemorated on June 12; story as Dec 2 St John of Egypt. See it above Andrew, John, Heraclemon, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and is mentioned in the Life of Saint Onuphrius. After he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. A man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). The youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Saint Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. Having bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Saint John is also commemorated on December 2

Rome, 301-370, Serapion, Bishop oThmuis, Egypt, example f All Monks, salvation stories, Anthony Letter, Athanasius, Lit Texts
Egypt, 301-370, Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, Egypt (Goshen or Lower Egypt), Sindonite for rough linen clothing (sindona), lived like birds of air, no shelter, no money, gave sindon, half naked, tSketis, saved bandit story, Manichean heretic Lakedaimon story, Greek philosopher's gold coin story, sold himself to slavery story, not pay for ship to Rome story, house to house in Rome story, Later Bishop of T, Letter on Death of St Anthony, supporter friend oAthanasius, w Liturgical Texts, deep old age, example all monks; Thmuis; Saint Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt, Commemorated on March 21; Serapion lived in Egypt during the fourth century. is known as “the Sindonite” because wore only rough linen clothing (sindona). the time of his youth he lived like the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26). He had no shelter, and for several days at a timehou he would eat no food, because he did not have money to buy bread. he saw a beggar shivering from the cold, he gave him his sindon, and was left half-naked. He proved to be a prime example of philanthropy and mercy, distributing his own wealth, and whatever his faithful visitors gave him for himself, to the poor. he became a monk and lived in the desert of Sketis. was dedicated to spreading the Word of God in many different ways. he fell into the hands of a bandit, and by his powers of persuasion he managed to turn the tables on him, and made this robber a servant of God. also managed to convert the Manichean heretic Lakedaimon to Orthodoxy. certain Greek philosopher, who wanted to test the monk’s honesty, gave him a gold coin and began to watch him. Saint went to a bread merchant, took one loaf and gave the gold coin to the merchant, walking away with no idea of the coin’s value. Serapion led many people to the path of salvation in special ways. he sold himself into slavery to a Greek actor who wanted to convert to Christ. The actor was astonished by the righteous one’s holy life, and so he believed and was baptized with his family. He implored Saint Serapion to remain with him, not as a slave, but as a mentor and friend. The monk left, however, without taking the money that was offered to him. for Rome, Saint Serapion boarded a ship, but did not pay the sailors anything for his passage. At first, they began to reproach him for this, but when they saw that the Elder did not eat anything for five days, they began to feed him for the sake of God, and thereby fulfilled the commandment of the Lord. Rome, the monk continued to travel, going from house to house, having nothing, gathering only spiritual riches for himself and for his neighbor. he was made Bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt. had been a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), and later he wrote A Letter on the Death of Saint Anthony. was also a friend and supporter of Saint Athanasios of Alexandria (January 18 & May 2). the end of the nineteenth century a collection of liturgical texts, ascribed to Saint Serapion, was discovered. the end he returned to his beloved desert, where he reposed peacefully in deep old age in the year 370, an example for all the monks.

Rome, 301-351, Paul oNeocaesarea, suffered under Licinius, hunger, red-hot iron on hands, 3EC, Constantine kissed hands
Armenia, 301-351, Paul, Bishop oNeocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3), suffered under Licinius, hunger, red-hot iron on hands, prison, after L executed i324 Constantine sole ruler, Christians freed, returned tNeocaesarea, tFirst EC, emperor kissed burned hand, lived long time; Neocaesarea; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Paul, Bishop of Neocaesarea, under the emperor Licinius (311-324). his trial he firmly confessed his faith, and was subjected to beatings. They tortured him also with hunger, but he remained steadfast. Then they scorched his hands with red-hot iron and locked him in a prison at the banks of the Euphrates. Licinius was executed in the year 324, Saint Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, Christians in prison received their freedom, Paul returned to his flock. was a participant at the First Ecmenical Council at Nicea, convened in the year 325, at which the Arian heresy was condemned and the Symbol of Faith adopted. the end of the Council, the Emperor Constantine solemnly received the Council participants and kissed Saint Paul’s burned hand. long years of guiding his flock, Saint Paul peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Rome, 303-313, Diocletian Persecution, recinding Christians' rights, d idol worship, Copper Mines
Roman Diocletian Persecution, 303, copper mines at Phaeno in Palestine and Cilicia in Asia Minor ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ;

Rome, 303-313, Roman Diocletian Persecution, Copper Mines in Phaeno, Palestine
Roman Diocletian Persecution, 303-313, copper mines at Phaeno in Palestine and Cilicia in Asia Minor ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ;

Rome, 303-313 Diocletian Persecution Folder

Rome, 303, Martyrdom oSaint George, intessor all Christians, appeared Georgian battles, tortured on wheel
Georgia, 303, Martyrdom oSaint George, Nino's Kin in Cappadocian, Armenia, slain by Diocletian, intessor all Christians, Georgian protector celebrated every day there, appeared Georgian battles, majority Georgian church names, tortured on wheel Nov 10, day established bNino as special protector; Georgia, 295-303, Saint George ; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; by the whole Christian world, Great-martyr George was slain by Emperor Diocletian in the year 303. holy martyr is appropriately considered the intercessor for all Christians and the patron saint of many. is regarded with special reverence among the Georgian people, since he is believed to be the special protector of their nation. accounts often describe how Saint George appeared among the Georgian soldiers in the midst of battles. majority of Georgian churches (in villages especially) were built in his honor and, a result, every day there is a feast of the great-martyr George somewhere in Georgia. The various daily commemorations are connected to one of the churches erected in his name or an icon or a particular miracle he performed. 10 marks the day on which Saint George was tortured on the wheel. to tradition, this day of commemoration was established by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, the Enlightener of Georgia. Nino was a relative of Saint George the Trophy-bearer. revered him deeply and directed the people she had converted to Christianity to cherish him as their special protector.

Rome, 303, Aboudimos of Tenedos Island, Troy, Early Diocletian Persecution Martyr, Relics seen by Daniel tTraveler
Tenedos Island, Troy; Martyr Aboudimos of the Isle of Tenedos, Commemorated on July 15; courageous soldier of Christ was from the island of Tenedos, which lies opposite the renowned city of Troy, he was one of the first Christians to be put to death during the persecution of the Church under Diocletian in the early IV century. Saint Aboudimos would not agree to worship idols, or to eat any food which had been sacrificed to them, he was bound and severely beaten. All the while he kept shouting, “I am a Christian.” Then they broke his ribs with iron nails; and when he continued to confess Christ, they beheaded him. Saint’s holy relics were seen on the island of Tenedos at the beginning of the XII century by the Russian pilgrim Daniel.

Rome, 303, Eugene +3 aTrebizond, unharmed fOx Thong whippin, iron claw scraping, fire burning, red hot oven, So beheaded
Armenia, 303, Eugene +3 aTrebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River) &Harsit Hills, unharmed fOx Thong whippin, iron claw scraping, fire burning, salt&vinegar in wounds, red hot oven, So then beheaded; Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila, at Trebizond, Commemorated on January 21; Holy Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian and Aquila suffered for their faith in Christ during the reign of Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311), under the regimental commander Lycius. Candidus and Aquila had hidden themselves in the hills near Trebizond, preferring life among the wild beasts to living with the pagans. were soon found, however, and brought to Trebizond. their bold and steadfast confession of faith in Christ the holy martyrs were whipped with ox thongs, scraped with iron claws, then were burned with fire. days later Saint Eugene was also arrested, and subjected to the same tortures. they poured vinegar laced with salt into his wounds. these torments, they threw the four martyrs into a red-hot oven. they emerged from it unharmed, they were beheaded, receiving their incorruptible crowns from God.

Rome, 303, Euphrasia oNicomedia, Bithynia, beautiful, proposed protective herb tBarbarian, had him strike one on her neck
Bithynia, 303, Euphrasia oNicomedia, Bithynia (Lower Sakarya), illustrious family, beautiful christian, Maximian persecution, refused idol sacrifice, beaaten, given tBarbarian to be violated, prayed tLord fPreserve virginity, answered, she suggested special herb to protect him in battle, put one on her neck, asked him to strike the herb to prove its value for him, so God protected her when her head fell off; Nicomedia; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Euphrasia was born at Nicomedia into an illustrious family. was a Christian, and was noted for her beauty. the persecution of Christians by Maximian, the pagans tried to compel Euphrasia to offer sacrifice to idols. she refused, she was beaten, and then given to a certain barbarian to be violated. saint prayed tearfully to the Lord that He would preserve her virginity, and God heard her prayer. Euphrasia suggested to the barbarian that if he would not defile her, she would give him a special herb which would protect him from enemy weapons and death. this herb, she explained, held its power only when received from a virgin and not from a woman. soldier believed Saint Euphrasia and went with her into the garden. holy virgin picked the herb, then offered to demonstrate its power. placed the herb on her neck and told the man to strike her with his sword. a mighty blow, he cut off her head. her prayer was answered, and the wise virgin offered her soul to God in 303, safeguarding her bodily purity.

Rome, 303, 1003 Martyrs aNicomedia, servants followed masters example, not swayed by promises, men, women children cut down
Bithynia, 303, 1003 Martyrs at Nicomedia, Bithynia, servants decided to follow masters example, not swayed by promises of rewards, surrounded by tight circle oSoldiers, cut down 1003 men women children; Nicomedia; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Martyrs at Nicomedia, were servants of the four dignitaries Bassos, Eusebius, Eutychius and Basilides, suffered for Christ with their wives (January 5) in the year 303 during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the martyric death of their masters, the servants decided to follow their example, they also confessed themselves Christians before Diocletian. neither by persuasion nor promises nor rewards, men, women, and small children were cut down by soldiers who formed a tight circle around them so that none of them remained alive.

Rome, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Senators & Martyrs, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever
Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Senators & Martyrs, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever, eager for martyrdom, removed belts, symbols of rank, submitted tSevere tortures, Bassos buried tWaist, upper body cut tPieces, Eusebios suspended head down, limbs cut off, Eutychios tied to 4 poles hands and feet and pulled apart, Basileides stabbed in he stomach w/knifer; Martyrs Bassus, Eusebius, Euthychius, and Basileides, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), suffered martyrdom in 303. were wealthy and members of the Senate. came to believe in Christ and were baptized after witnessing the martyrdom of Bishop Theopemptos of Nicomedia (January 5), endured with spiritual bravery the horrible tortures to which the pagans had had subjected him. idolaters denounced these men as Christians and brought them before the emperor because they refused to worship the gods of the pagans. Saints showed no fear whatsoever, boldly proclaimed their faith in Christ and their eagerness to follow the path which would lead to martyrdom. the Synaxarion it is stated that the martyrs removed their belts, the symbols of their rank, and then each of them submitted to severe tortures. Bassos was buried in the ground up to his waist, and his upper body was cut to pieces. Eusebios was suspended head downwards, and his limbs were cut off with axes. Eutychios was tied to four poles by his hands and feet, and he was pulled apart. Basileides was stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

Rome, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia, ministered in prison, confessed w 7 courageous women, fire water, beheaded
Armenia, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), ministered to martyrs in prison, marveled at women courage, by divine grace confessed Christ, fire water trials, beheaded w 7 women Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Holy Martyr Irenarchus was from Sebaste, Armenia, and lived during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). he was young, he would minister to the martyrs in prison after they were tortured. once saw seven women being tortured for Christ, who bravely endured their torments. Saint Irenarchus marveled at this because they showed great courage in standing up to the tyrant, even though they were weak by nature. by divine grace, Saint Irenarchus confessed Christ. he endured trials by fire and water, then he was beheaded with the seven holy women in the year 303.

Rome, 301-305, Augusta, Porphyrius tGeneral, 50 philosophers &200 Soldiers martyred w Katherine
In Alexandria, Augusta, Porphyrius the General, the 50 philosophers and the 200 Soldiers martyred with the Great Martyr Katherine, 50 Philosophers and Rhetoricians dispute w her, converted, burned alive, Agusta wanted to see her, her face radiant wDivine Grace, Commander Prophyrius 200 soldeirs w her converted, K threatened wWheel but approached it herself, but angel smashed wheel, Maximian offered marriage, rejected, all beheaded; Empress Augusta, Porphyrius the General, the 50 philosophers and the 200 Soldiers martyred with the Great Martyr Katherine, Commemorated on November 24; we read in the life of Saint Katherine, the Emperor Maximian ordered 50 of the Empire's most learned philosophers and rhetoricians to dispute with Great Martyr. a result of her eloquent testimony, however, they embraced the Christian faith and were summarily burned alive by Maximian's order, after Saint Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over them. the Empress Augusta, who had heard much about Katherine, wanted to see her. prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. Empress was deeply impressed by the tenacious faith displayed by Saint Katherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. After she had explained the Christian teaching to them, they too embraced the Christian faith. next day, Katherine was again brought to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels, an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces. beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta, Porphyrius and the detachment of 200 soldiers publicly confessed their faith in Christ. Maximian again tried to entice Katherine to renounce her faith, proposing marriage to her, but again she refused his offer and firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ. offering a prayer to Him, she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword and was beheaded, as was the Empress Augusta, Porphyrius and the 200 soldiers.

Rome, 303, Martyrs Anatolius &Protoleon, ilustrious officials converted by witnessing the martyrdom of Saint George
Rome; Martyrs Anatolius and Protoleon, soldiers converted by witnessing the martyrdom of Saint George, Commemorated on April 23; illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ after seeing Saint George tortured, then miraculously healed of his wounds. and without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. Armenia, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin, Victory Bearer, Wonderworker, Diocletian' imperial guard commander, spoke Truth (Jesus Christ) in the Senate, pushing spears became soft, you will grow tired before I will, intense tortures, wheel sharp iron, assumed dead, dark thunder, Lord's voice fear not, youthful angel, rejoice, healed, pagan temple w emperor, many believed, incl Emperess Alexandra, more tortures deep pit w lime, unharmed and cheerful, red hot iron sandals w nails, ox thongs, concluded magic, poisoned unharmed, not human understanding but power of God, believers no regard for tortures, do things Christ did, D asks what C did, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.”, D had him raise a dead man, Sorcerer confessed, beheaded w raised man, to prison, healings, Glycerius ox to life, G beheaded, Court of Apollo, deamons confessed, idols destroyed, George beheaded, Dragon slaying story, Many saints named george or yuri; Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family. His father was martyred for Christ when George was still a child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, moved there with her son and raised him in strict piety. he became a man, Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian (284-305) and joined the imperial guard with the rank of comites, or military commander. pagan emperor, who did much for the restoration of Roman might, was clearly concerned with the danger presented to pagan civilization by the triumph of the Crucified Savior, and intensified his persecution against the Christians in the final years of his reign. the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all his governors full freedom in their court proceedings against Christians, and he promised them his full support. George, when he heard the decision of the emperor, distributed all his wealth to the poor, freed his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. brave soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor’s designs. He confessed himself a Christian, and appealed to all to acknowledge Christ: “I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting in Him, I have come among you voluntarily, to bear witness concerning the Truth.” “What is Truth?” one of the dignitaries asked, echoing the question of Pontius Pilate. The saint replied, “Christ Himself, Whom you persecuted, is Truth.” by the bold speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who had loved and promoted George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and honors, but rather to offer sacrifice to the gods as was the Roman custom. The confessor replied, “Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God.” by order of the enraged emperor the armed guards began to push Saint George out of the assembly hall with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. the deadly steel became soft and it bent, just as the spears touched the saint’s body, and it caused him no harm. In prison they put the martyr’s feet in stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. next day at the interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor, “You will grow tired of tormenting me sooner than I will tire of being tormented by you.” Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to some very intense tortures. They tied the Great Martyr to a wheel, beneath which were boards pierced with sharp pieces of iron. As the wheel turned, the sharp edges slashed the saint’s naked body. first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted down, and did not utter even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and then went to a pagan temple to offer thanks. this very moment it got dark, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: “Fear not, George, for I am with you.” Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a radiant youth. He placed his hand upon the martyr, saying to him, “Rejoice!” Saint George stood up healed. the soldiers led him to the pagan temple where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought that he saw before him some other man or even a ghost. confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced that a miracle had occurred. Many then came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ. Immediately, without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. present in the pagan temple was Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she also knew the truth. She was on the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her and led her off to the palace. emperor became even more furious. He had not lost all hope of influencing Saint George, so he gave him over to new and fiercesome torments. After throwing him into a deep pit, they covered it over with lime. days later they dug him out, but found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and then drove him back to the prison with whips. the morning, they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healed feet, and the emperor asked if he liked his shoes. The saint said that the sandals had been just his size. Then they beat him with ox thongs until pieces of his flesh came off and his blood soaked the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding. emperor concluded that the saint was being helped by magic, so he summoned the sorcerer Athanasius to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets containing drugs. One of them would have quieted him, and the other would kill him. The drugs had no effect, and the saint continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify God as before. the emperor asked what sort of power was helping him, Saint George said, “Do not imagine that it is any human learning which keeps me from being harmed by these torments. I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. believes in Him has no regard for tortures and is able to do the things that Christ did” (John 14:12). asked what sort of things Christ had done. Martyr replied, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.” that they had never been able to resurrect the dead through sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, and wanting to test the saint, the emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person before his eyes. The saint retorted, “You wish to tempt me, but my God will work this sign for the salvation of the people who shall see the power of Christ.” they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out, “O Lord! Show to those here present, that You are the only God in all the world. Let them know You as the Almighty Lord.” Then the earth quaked, a grave opened, the dead one emerged from it alive. Having seen with their own eyes the Power of Christ, the people wept and glorified the true God. sorcerer Athanasius, falling down at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and asked forgiveness for his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his impiety thought otherwise. In a rage, he commanded both Athanasius and the man raised from the dead to be beheaded, and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. people, weighed down with their infirmities, began to visit the prison and they there received healing and help from the saint. A certain farmer named Glycerius, whose ox had collapsed, also visited him. The saint consoled him and assured him that God would restore his ox to life. When he saw the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerius was arrested and beheaded. exploits and the miracles of the Great Martyr George had increased the number of the Christians, therefore Diocletian made a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and as he slept, he saw the Lord, Who raised him up with His hand, and embraced him. The Savior placed a crown on Saint George’s head and said, “Fear not, but have courage, and you will soon come to Me and receive what has been prepared for you.” the morning, the emperor offered to make Saint George his co-administrator, second only to himself. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, “Caesar, you should have shown me this mercy from the very beginning, instead of torturing me. Let us go now to the temple and see the gods you worship.” believed that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed him to the pagan temple with his retinue and all the people. Everyone was certain that Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint went up to the idol, made the Sign of the Cross and addressed it as if it were alive: “Are you the one who wants to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?” demon inhabiting the idol cried out, “I am not a god and none of those like me is a god, either. The only God is He Whom you preach. We are fallen angels, and we deceive people because we are jealous.” George cried out, “How dare you remain here, when I, the servant of the true God, have entered?” Then noises and wailing were heard from the idols, and they fell to the ground and were shattered. was general confusion. In a frenzy, pagan priests and many of the crowd seized the holy martyr, tied him up, and began to beat him. They also called for his immediate execution. holy empress Alexandra tried to reach him. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out, “O God of George, help me, for You Alone are All-Powerful.” At the feet of the Great Martyr the holy empress confessed Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those who worshipped them. immediately pronounced the death sentence on the Great Martyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who followed Saint George to execution without resisting. Along the way she felt faint and slumped against a wall. There she surrendered her soul to God. George gave thanks to God and prayed that he would also end his life in a worthy manner. At the place of execution the saint prayed that the Lord would forgive the torturers who acted in ignorance, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy Great Martyr George bent his neck beneath the sword, receiving the crown of martyrdom on April 23, 303. pagan era was coming to an end, and Christianity was about to triumph. Within ten years, Saint Constantine (May 21) would issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to Christians. the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air. the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash. people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George. George went on to become a talented officer and to amaze the world by his military exploits. He died before he was thirty years old. He is known as Victory Bearer, not only for his military achievements, but for successfully enduring martyrdom. As we know, the martyrs are commemorated in the dismissal at the end of Church services as “the holy, right victorious martyr....” George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.” name of Saint George was also borne by the founder of Moscow, Yurii Dolgoruky (+ 1157), who was the builder of many churches dedicated to Saint George, and the builder of the city of Yuriev-Polsk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation against the Mongol Horde was led by the Great Prince Yurii (George) Vsevolodovich of Vladimir (February 4), who fell at the Battle at the Sita River. His memory, like that of Igor the Brave, and defender of his land, was celebrated in Russian spiritual poems and ballads. first Great Prince of Moscow, when Moscow had become the center of the Russian Land, was Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325), the son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory Bearer, depicted as a horseman slaying the serpent, appeared on Moscow’s coat of arms, and became an emblem of the Russian state. This has strengthened Russia’s connections with Christian nations, and especially with Iberia (Georgia, the Land of Saint George). GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; is a soldier and martyr who suffered around 303 at Lydda (Diospolis) in Palestine. The earliest surviving record of him is a church inscription in Syria, dated about 346. Commemorations of him are numerous, early, and widespread. However, no details of his life are known. In 495 his name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God." The best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. It should be noted that this story is unknown before the appearance in 1265 of a romance called the Golden Legend (Legendum Aureum), translated into English in 1483. the soldiers of the First Crusade were besieging Antioch in 1098, they had a vision of George and Demetrius (a deacon of Sirmium in Serbia, martyred under Maximian, and referred to as a "soldier of Christ," from which he was often understood to be a literal soldier) encouraging them to maintain the siege, which ultimately proved successful. I ("the Lion-Heart") of England, who fought in the Holy Land in 1191-1192, placed himself and his army under George's protection, and with the return home of the Crusaders, the popularity of George in England increased greatly. III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 under his patronage, his banner (a red cross on a white field) began to be used as the English national flag in 1284, and in 1415 Henry V spoke of him to rally the troops before the battle of Agincourt ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead. ... cry God for Harry, England, and St George!"), in the years following George was regarded as the special patron of England, of soldiers, and of the Boy Scouts, as well as of Venice, Genoa, Portugal, and Catalonia. is also remembered with enthusiasm in many parts of the East Orthodox Church. is a principal character in Edmund Spenser's allegorical poem The Faerie Queene, written in the late 1500's. — by James Kiefer

Rome, 303, Autonomus, Italian and Bithynian Saint , chruch builder, martyr, incorrupt relics
Bithynia, 284-303, Italian and Bithynian Saint Autonomus; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Hieromartyr Autonomus was a bishop in Italy. During the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), Autonomus left his own country and resettled in Bithynia, in the locality of Soreus with a man named Cornelius. Saint Autonomus did his apostolic duty with zeal and converted to Christ so many pagans, that a large Church was formed, for which he consecrated a temple in the name of the Archangel Michael. For this church, the saint at first ordained Cornelius as deacon, and then presbyter. Preaching about Christ, Saint Autonomus visited also Lykaonia and Isauria. emperor Diocletian gave orders to arrest Saint Autonomus, but the saint withdrew to Claudiopolis on the Black Sea. In returning to Soreus, he had the priest Cornelius ordained bishop. Saint Autonomus then went to Asia, and when he had returned from there, he began to preach in the vicinity of Limna, near Soreus. the newly-converted destroyed a pagan temple. The pagans decided to take revenge on the Christians. Seizing their chance, the pagans rushed upon the church of the Archangel Michael when Saint Autonomus was serving Divine Liturgy there. After torturing Saint Autonomus they killed him, reddening the altar of the church with his martyr’s blood. The deaconess Maria removed the body of the holy martyr from beneath a pile of stones and buried it. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, a church was built over the tomb of the saint. In the year 430, a certain priest had the old church pulled down. Not realizing that the martyr’s body had been buried beneath the church, he rebuilt the church in a new spot. But after another 60 years the relics of the saint were found incorrupt, and a church was then built in the name of the Hieromartyr Autonomus.

Rome, 303, Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, & Zoticus at Nicomedia, Bithynia, Martyred b t destroyed pagan temple, neck stones d
Bithynia, 303, Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya), Martyred because they destroyed pagan temple, many tortures, neck stones drowned; Nicomedia; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; Martyrs Gaius, Dasius, and Zoticus of Nicomedia suffered martyrdom in the year 303, the emperor Diocletian (284-305), they destroyed a pagan temple. enduring many tortures, had stones tied around their necks, and were drowned in the sea.

Rome, 303, Martyrs Dada, Maximus, and Quinctilian, at Dorostolum, Bulgaria, devil, angel, Lord commanded us to endure
Bulgaria, , Martyrs Dada, Maximus, and Quinctilian, at Dorostolum, Bulgaria (Silistra, Danube River 14.5, Southeast of Bucharest), pagan feast, withdrew, caught at prayer, confessed, salvation of their souls, devil appeared, angel appeared, Lord commanded us to endure, tortured several days, beheaded; Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28; Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), who issued a decree requiring everyone to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods during the public festivals, and to put Christians to death. and Gabinius, the emperor’s representatives in Dorostolum, made a sumptuous feast, attended not only by the inhabitants of the city, but also people from the surrounding villages. the festivities, someone reported to the emperor that three brothers, Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian, did not obey the imperial decree and withdrew themselves into the Ozovia forest. Soldiers were sent after them, who caught the holy brothers at prayer and led them forth for trial. governors interrogated the brothers, who confessed themselves Christians. Tarquinius offered to make Saint Maximus a pagan priest of Zeus, but the saint called Zeus a foul adulterer and again confessed the True God. attempted to reason with Saints Dada and Quinctilian. They said that their brother was well versed in the Holy Scripture and they would follow him in everything. They threw the martyrs into prison, but they thought only of the salvation of their souls. At midnight when the saints were asleep, the devil appeared to them. When the martyrs woke, they beheld an angel who said, “Fear not, for God your hope brings you to Himself. He is not far from you and will sustain you.” the morning, Tarquinius told the brothers that the gods had revealed their will to him in a dream: they were to be put to death if they did not offer sacrifice. The martyrs answered that the Lord had commanded them to endure torments for His sake. tortures and interrogations continued for several days from morning to evening. Finally, they sentenced the martyrs to death, led them out under guard to their forest and beheaded them with a sword.

Rome, 303, Aule, Martyr,London, England, Aule suffered martyrdom in London during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians
Aule suffered martyrdom in London during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians; London; Martyr Aule, Commemorated February 7; Aule suffered martyrdom in London during Diocletian’s persecution of Christians.

Rome, 303, Bishop Theopemptus and sorcerer Theonas, Nicomedia, red hot furnace, no food or drink 22 days, T poison failed
Bithynia, 303,Theopemptus and Theonas, Nicomedia, Bithynia, red hot furnace, preserved, no food or drink 22 days, sorcerer Theonas baptized after poison, no harm; Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Holy Martyrs Theopemptus and Theonas suffered in Nicomedia in the year 303. Saint Theopemptus was bishop in Nicomedia in the time of Diocletian. Speaking out against idolatry, he defended the faith in Christ. Because of this, he became one of the first victims of the Diocletian persecution. saint refused to obey the emperor’s order to worship an idol of Apollo. Saint Theopemptus was thrown into a red-hot furnace, but by the power of God he remained alive. The emperor came to the furnace by night with a detachment of soldiers, and there he saw the saint alive and praying to God. Ascribing the miracle to magic, Diocletian thought to exhaust Saint Theopemptus by depriving him of food and drink for twenty-two days, but the martyr was preserved by the will of God. emperor brought the famous sorcerer Theonas to overcome Bishop Theopemptus’ supposed magical power. Theonas prepared a poison for Saint Theopemptus, put it into a little cake, and offered it to him to eat. The poison did no harm at all to Saint Theopemptus. Then Theonas tried an even stronger poison on the martyr. Seeing that Saint Theopemptus remained unharmed, he came to believe in Christ. They threw him into prison together with the holy bishop, who taught and baptized him, giving him the name Synesios (which means “full of understanding”). dawn Diocletian summoned Saint Theopemptus, and again tried to turn him to pagan impiety. Seeing that the bishop remained firm in his faith, he subjected him to many grievous tortures, after which the saint was beheaded. The holy martyr Theonas refused to offer sacrifice to idols, so he was buried alive in a deep ditch. This occurred at Nicomedia in the year 303.

Rome, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios & Basileides, Nicomedian Senators, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever
Bithynia, 303, Bassos, Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides, Senators & Martyrs at Nicomedia, witnessed Theopemptos martyrdom, no fear whatsoever; Martyrs Bassus, Eusebius, Euthychius, and Basileides, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on January 20; Eusebios, Eutychios and Basileides lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), and suffered martyrdom in 303. They were wealthy and members of the Senate. They came to believe in Christ and were baptized after witnessing the martyrdom of Bishop Theopemptos of Nicomedia (January 5), who endured with spiritual bravery the horrible tortures to which the pagans had had subjected him. idolaters denounced these men as Christians and brought them before the emperor because they refused to worship the gods of the pagans. The Saints showed no fear whatsoever, but boldly proclaimed their faith in Christ and their eagerness to follow the path which would lead to martyrdom. the Synaxarion it is stated that the martyrs removed their belts, the symbols of their rank, and then each of them submitted to severe tortures. Bassos was buried in the ground up to his waist, and his upper body was cut to pieces. Saint Eusebios was suspended head downwards, and his limbs were cut off with axes. Saint Eutychios was tied to four poles by his hands and feet, and he was pulled apart. Saint Basileides was stabbed in the stomach with a knife.

Rome, 303, Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, falsely accused, copper mines, beheaded
Palestine, 303, Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, soldier, priest, falsely accused, copper mines, beheaded w 40 other Christians; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14 ; Holy Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza was a native of the city of Gaza. was first a soldier, then a priest. was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to labor in the copper mines. spite of many tribulations, the saint did not renounce Christ. his old age, he was beheaded together with forty other Christians.

Rome, 303, 1003 Martyrs at Nicomedia, Bithynia, servants decided to follow masters example
Nicomedia; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Martyrs at Nicomedia, were servants of the four dignitaries Bassos, Eusebius, Eutychius and Basilides, who suffered for Christ with their wives (January 5) in the year 303 during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the martyric death of their masters, the servants decided to follow their example, and they also confessed themselves Christians before Diocletian. Swayed neither by persuasion nor promises nor rewards, 1003 men, women, and small children were cut down by soldiers who formed a tight circle around them so that none of them remained alive.

Rome, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children
Bithynia, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; Holy Martyrs Eustathius, Thespesius and Anatolius, natives of the city of Gangra, were the children of a rich merchant. They were baptized by Bishop Anthimus of Nicomedia (September 3). They died as martyrs at Nicea, after suffering fierce tortures.

Rome, 303, 20,000 Martyrs oNicomedia Church Fire, Great Story wAngels, earthquakes, thunderstorms, Christian never renounce
Rome, 303, 20,000 Martyrs oNicomedia Church Fire, Emperor Maximian ordered destroy Christian churches, burn service books, deprive citizenship, Nicomedia Bishop Cyril converted many members of his court there, Pagan Priestess Domna there read Book oActs &Epistles, wanted more info, went tCyril's successor Anthimus, baptized wIndes her eunuch servant, D&E helped poor, gave valuables&food from M's kitchen, Chief eunuch noted D&I not eating, beat them, remained silent, another eunuch ratted, locked iPrison woFood, Angel fed them, D feigned insanity, left court, then tMonastery wAbbess Agatha dressed her as a man & sent her away, Emperor returned fBattle ordered search fD, monastery destroyed, nuns tPrison, tortured but not defiled, Theophila sent tBrothell but Angel saved hVirginity, led her tCathredral, E prepared city square fPagan sacrifice, sprinkling crowd wBlood, christians began leave, Emperor enraged, great thunderstorm, people&Emperor fled, later Emperor tChurch, offered escape or burn church wPeople, presby Clycerius told him C's never renounce, hiding anger E left church, later arrested G, tortured him, ordered burned, later feast oNativity 20K Christians assembled Nicomedia Cathedral, soldiers surrounded building, offered escape, everybody refused idol worship, as fire prepared Bishop Anthimus baptized, all 20K died in fire, incl Agatha&Theophlia previously miraculously saved fDefilement ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Nicomedia; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor became enraged, in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. he promised to burn the church and those in it. Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. emperor wondered how to deal with them. his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. left her the bodies of the martyrs. reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna. Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 26; Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305). They lived in remote places and did not cease to preach Christianity to the pagans. young pagan named Pantoleon (Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, July 27) often passed by the house in which Saint Hermolaus had concealed himself. Once Saint Hermolaus chanced to meet the youth and asked him to stop by his house. In their conversation Saint Hermolaus began to explain to his guest the falseness, impiety and vanity of worshipping the pagan gods. From that day on, Pantoleon began to visit Saint Hermolaus daily and received holy Baptism from him. the trial of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was being held, Saints Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, were also arrested. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Hermolaus one evening and revealed to him that on the following day he would suffer for Him and receive a martyr’s crown. Hermippus and Hermocrates were arrested and brought to trial after Saint Hermolaus. All three were given the chance to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. But they resolutely refused, confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were prepared gladly to die for Him. pagans began to threaten the holy priests with torture and death. Suddenly, a strong earthquake occurred, and the idols and pagan temple collapsed and shattered. This was reported to the emperor. The enraged Maximian gave the holy martyrs over to torture and pronounced upon them a sentence of death. Bravely enduring all the torments, the holy Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were beheaded in about the year 305. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest.

Rome, 303, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Cyril had converted many, Anthimus baptized 20,000 who died in church fire, and more
Bithynia, 303, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Cyril had converted many incl court, incl pagan priestess Domna w eunuch indes, Domna saved to take care of the bodies w incense and oils, Anthimus baptized 20,000 who died in church fire, more christians in town, Theophila virginity preserved in whore house, blood sprinkled on square, christians leave, enraged emperor stopped by thunderstorm, Glycerius did not fold, regimental commander Zeno and Indes did not fold, Euthymius executed w Domna; Nicomedia; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. Providentially, she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. Her heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. He had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. He locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, but they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. Then she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. The angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. this, the emperor became enraged, but in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. Otherwise, he promised to burn the church and those in it. Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Anyone who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. All 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Bishop Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. He soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. emperor wondered how to deal with them. At his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. They jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. One of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. The holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. Then they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. When she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. They left her the bodies of the martyrs. With reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, especially over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna.

Rome, 303-305, 3 Hieromartyrs oNicomedia, a20K Fire, back preaching iRemote places, Lord Jesus prep them, earthquake
Bithynia, 303-305, Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305)., They went back to work preaching to pagans in remote places, baptizing St Pantoleon, They were arrested at Pantoleon's trial, Lord Jesus appeared to Hermolaus and prepared him for his next day martyrdom, threatened with death by pagans suddenly strong earthquake Idols&Temple shattered, Enraged Emperor Maximian ordered torture&death, all 3 beheaded i305; Bithynia, 303, Church Fire in Nicomedia, Survivors, Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates; Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 26; Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305). lived in remote places and did not cease to preach Christianity to the pagans. young pagan named Pantoleon (Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, July 27) often passed by the house in which Saint Hermolaus had concealed himself. Saint Hermolaus chanced to meet the youth and asked him to stop by his house. In their conversation Saint Hermolaus began to explain to his guest the falseness, impiety and vanity of worshipping the pagan gods. From that day on, Pantoleon began to visit Saint Hermolaus daily and received holy Baptism from him. the trial of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was being held, Saints Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, were also arrested. Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Hermolaus one evening and revealed to him that on the following day he would suffer for Him and receive a martyr’s crown. Hermippus and Hermocrates were arrested and brought to trial after Saint Hermolaus. three were given the chance to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. they resolutely refused, confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were prepared gladly to die for Him. pagans began to threaten the holy priests with torture and death. a strong earthquake occurred, and the idols and pagan temple collapsed and shattered. was reported to the emperor. The enraged Maximian gave the holy martyrs over to torture and pronounced upon them a sentence of death. enduring all the torments, the holy Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were beheaded in about the year 305. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. At this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. Providentially, she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. Her heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. With the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. The chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. He had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. Another eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. He locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, but they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Saint Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. Then she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. The soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. The sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. Sent to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. The angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor became enraged, but in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. Otherwise, he promised to burn the church and those in it. The Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. Hiding his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Anyone who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. All 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Bishop Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. He soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. The emperor wondered how to deal with them. At his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. They jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Bishop Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. One of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. The holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. Then they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. When she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. That night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. They left her the bodies of the martyrs. With reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, especially over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna.

Rome, 303-304, Hieromartyr Marcellinus, Pope, afraid of tortures worshiped idols, repented, St Peter commanded he be buried
Rome, 303-304, Hieromartyr Marcellinus, Pope, confessed at Sinuessa (on the Appian Way), afraid of tortures he sacrificed to idols, confessed sackcloth and ashes at the synod, sentenced himself to no burial, St Peter in a vision commanded he be buried as martyr ; Sinuessa (in Campania); was a city on the line of the Via Appia, and was the last place where that great highroad touched on the sea-coast. Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Marcellinus was Pope of Rome during the height of the persecution against Christians under Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), 17,000 men were martyred a single month. this time Saint Marcellinus was also arrested. Afraid of the fierce tortures, he burned incense and offered sacrifice to idols. The emperor called him his friend and clothed him in splendid robes. he had encouraged others to undergo torture for Christ, he gave in to cowardice. He wept bitterly, filled with remorse. this time, a Synod of 180 bishops and presbyters met at the city of Sinuessa (in Campania). Marcellinus appeared at the assembly in penitential sackcloth, his head sprinkled with ashes. He confessed his sin before the delegates and asked them to judge him. Fathers of the Council said, “Judge yourself! From your lips this sin came forth, from your lips let judgment be pronounced. know that even Saint Peter denied Christ out of fear, but he wept bitterly for his sin, and received forgiveness from the Lord.” Marcellinus pronounced sentence upon himself, “I strip myself of the priestly dignity, of which I am unworthy. After death, do not bury my body, but instead throw it to the dogs. Cursed be the one who dares to bury it.” his return to Rome Marcellinus went to the emperor, threw down the fine clothing given him, and said that he regretted his renunciation of Christ. The enraged emperor had him tortured, and sentenced him to death. Marcellinus prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who mercifully receives sinners who repent, then willingly placed his head beneath the sword. The holy martyrs Claudius, Cyrinus and Antoninus were beheaded with him. body of Saint Marcellinus lay for thirty-six days along the wayside. Appearing in a vision to the new bishop Marcellus, the holy Apostle Peter said, “Why have you not buried the body of Marcellinus?” “I fear his curse,” replied Saint Marcellus. “Perhaps you do not remember,” said the Apostle Peter, “that it is written: ‘He that humbles himself shall be exalted.’ Therefore, go bury his body with reverence.” the command of the Apostle Peter, Saint Marcellus buried the body of Saint Marcellinus in a crypt, built for the burial of the bodies of martyrs by the illustrious Priscilla, along the Via Salaria.

Rome, 303-304, LUCY OF ROME, Syracuse, Sicily, virginity, rejected suitor, denounced, to be defiled, not burned, cut throat
Sicily, 303-304, LUCY OF ROME, Syracuse, Sicily, virginity vow, rejected suitor, who denounced her as a christian, sentenced to be defiled, saved from that, attempted to burn her, not harmed, killed by sword to the throat, light, aflictions of eyes, blinded tradition, eyesight restored ; of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia or Saint Lucy, a Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches. is one of eight women (including Saint Mary) explicitly commemorated by Roman Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. traditional feast day, known in Europe as Saint Lucy's Day, is observed by Western Christians on 13 December. of Syracuse was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England.[3] Syracuse, Sicily Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13 ; Lucy was born in Syracuse, Sicily during the reign of Diocletian. distributed her wealth to the poor, and made a vow of virginity. Since she refused to marry him, a rejected suitor denounced her to the prefect Paschasius as a Christian, and she was arrested. She was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, but with God’s help she preserved her purity. the pagans attempted to burn her alive, but she was not harmed by the fire. Finally, she was killed by a sword thrust to the throat. name Lucy (Lucia) is derived for the Latin word for light (lux), and so she is often invoked for afflictions of the eyes. There is a tradition that she was blinded by her torturers, and the church of San Giovanni Maggiore in Naples even claims to possess her eyes. ’s saint should not be confused with Saint Lucy of Campania (July 6). LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13 ; early Roman lists of martyrs commemorate Lucy, virgin and martyr, on 13 December, and her name, with that of Agatha, appears in the Roman Liturgy as an example of those who have gone before us, in whose company we join in giving thanks and praise to God. from this, little is known of her, except that she lived in Syracuse in Sicily, and probably died around 304. name, which means "light," probably accounts for the story that her eyes were put out and her eyesight miraculously restored, may be connected with the fact that her feast occurs near the time when (in the Northern Hemisphere) the nights are longest. Sweden and elsewhere, the day is observed by having one of the daughters of the house dress in a white robe with a crown of lighted candles and go singing from room to room (presumably followed by an adult with a fire extinguisher) early in the morning when it is still dark to awaken the other family members and to offer them St. Lucy's Cakes and hot coffee. Wednesday (of the winter season) is defined as the Wednesday after Lucy's Day. (An equivalent definition would be: the Wednesday preceding the last Sunday before Christmas.) by James Kiefer

Rome, 303-304, Saint Zoilus, recovered Chrysognus' relics from sea, Martyred in Cordoba Spain by Diocletian
Roman Saint, 303-304, Saint Zoilus; Zoilus (died 304 AD) is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Christian tradition states that he was a young man martyred with nineteen others at Córdoba, Spain under Diocletian. name is mentioned by Prudentius and his name appears in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum as well as the Roman Martyrology. relics were enshrined at the abbey named after him: the Benedictine abbey of San Zoilo de Carrión at Carrión de los Condes, in the Province of Palencia. There was also a monastery near Córdoba dedicated to him. Some of the subsequent Martyrs of Córdoba were associated with this monastery. feast was also celebrated at Chester;[3] he was anciently and incorrectly considered to have reigned by the city's inhabitants. Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated on December 22;

Rome, 303-304, Neophytus oNicaea, child wonderworker, led to lion's cave at age 9 till 15, unharmed by torturers
Bithynia, 303-304, Neophytus oNicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), child wonderworker, water from aRock, white dove answering mother's prayer, led to lion's cave Mt Olympus at age 9 till 15, distributed inheritance tPoor, back tNicea tPreach Faith tDiocletian persecution, unharmed suspended from tree whipped ox thongs scraped iron claws, red hot oven 3 days, So, killed at age 16; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Holy Martyr Neophytus, a native of the city of Nicea in Bithynia, raised by his parents in strict Christian piety. his virtue, temperance and unceasing prayer, it pleased God to glorify Saint Neophytus with the gift of wonderworking, the saint was still just a child! Moses, the holy youth brought forth water from a stone of the city wall and gave this water to those who were thirsty. answer to the prayer of Saint Neophytus’ mother, asking that God’s will concerning her son might be revealed to her, white dove miraculously appeared and told of the path he would follow. saint was led forth from his parental home by this dove and brought to a cave on Mt. Olympus, served as a lion’s den. is said that he chased the lion from the cave so that he could live there himself. saint remained there from the age of nine until he was fifteen, it only once to bury his parents and distribute their substance to the poor. the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), he went to Nicea and boldly began to denounce the impiety of the pagan faith. enraged persecutors suspended the saint from a tree, they whipped him with ox thongs, and scraped his body with iron claws. they threw him into a red-hot oven, the holy martyr remained unharmed, three days and three nights in it. torturers, not knowing what else to do with him, decided to kill him. of the pagans ran him through with a sword (some say it was a spear), departed to the Lord at the age of sixteen.

Rome, 303-305, Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop, Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19), Diocletian persecution, torture, long prison, beheaded
Serbia, 303-305, Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop, Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19), Diocletian persecution, torture, long prison, beheaded; Sirmium; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Irenaeus suffered during the persecution against Christians under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305). was a presbyter, and he and his wife raised their children in Christian piety. Saint Irenaeus was greatly respected for his education and strict manner of life. was later made Bishop of Sirmium in Pannonia. Because of his fervent preaching of the Gospel he was arrested and brought before an official named Probus. Refusing to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, the saint was handed over for torture. Witnessing his torments were the saint’s parents, relatives and friends, who attempted to persuade him to submit, but the martyr remained steadfast. cruel tortures, the holy confessor spent a long time in prison. Probus tried to persuade the martyr, urging him to spare his life for the sake of his sons. Saint Irenaeus replied, “My sons believe in God, Who will care for them. As for me, nothing will force me to renounce my Christ.” governor ordered the saint to be thrown into a river. They led the martyr on the bridge crossing the River Savva, where he knelt and prayed to the Lord for his flock. Then they beheaded the Hieromartyr Irenaeus, and threw his body into the river.

Rome, 303-311, Barlaam of Caesarea, Cappadocia and Antioch, Syria, held on to the red hot censer, until hand fell off
Armenia, 303-311, Barlaam of Caesarea, Cappadocia and Antioch, Syria, held on to the red hot censer, until hand fell off, fAntioch Syria, Diocletian Persecution time 303-311, Aged, arrested, confessed, red-hot cencer over pagan altar, hand fell off then died; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; Holy Martyr Barlaam lived in Antioch of Syria. During Diocletian’s persecution against Christians, the aged Saint Barlaam was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed himself a Christian. judge, wanting to compel the saint to renounce Christ, ordered that Saint Barlaam be brought to the pagan altar. His right hand was placed over it, and a red-hot censer burning with incense was put into his hand. The torturer thought that a physically weak old man could not endure the pain and would drop it on the altar. In this way he would involuntarily be offering sacrifice to the idol. However, the saint held on to the censer until his hand fell off. After this, the holy Martyr Barlaam surrendered his soul to the Lord.

Rome, 303-305, Anastasia, visited prisons, fed, clothed, ransomed, A beaten by h, be patient, accept lords will, much more
Rome, 303-305, Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Rome, teacher Chrysogonus, given in marriage to a pagan, feigned illness, visited prisons clothed as a beggar, fed, clothed, ransomed, betrayed by servant to husband, beaten, C said be patient, cleave cross, accept lords will, also prophet h sea death, then she distributed, Diocletian, c prisoners endured torturers stoicly, kill them all order, she followed C to Aquileia, C beheaded, into sea, waves carried head and b back, presby Zolius concealed, C appeared to Z, informed about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Rome, 303-305, Chrysogonus, Anastasia's teach, prophet, beheaded & thrown into sea, Zolius found them, he appeared
Roman Saint, 303-305, Saint Chrysogonus ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. Her father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Saint Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. After the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. When her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Saint Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. He also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. After a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. After the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. The body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. There by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Saint Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. Because of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Meanwhile, Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. This occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Saint Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. Charmed by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. Before long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. She remained in prison without food for sixty days. Saint Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. Seeing that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. All were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Rome, 303-305, Hieromartyrs of Cherson, Diocletian Persecution
Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD; Bosporan Kingdom of the Roman Empire; Hieromartyrs of Cherson, 303-305 Diocletian Persecution; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7;

Rome, 303-305, Martyr Paphnutius & 546 companions, appeared not brought to torture, preserved, strengthened christian confess
Egypt, 303-305, Martyr Paphnutius and 546 companions, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, appeared not brought to torture, preserved, converted prisoners, set free, strengthened christians to confess, 546 in all, into river w stone, but floated, crucifiec on date tree; Alexandria; Martyr Paphnutius and 546 companions in Egypt, Commemorated on September 25; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree.

Rome, 303-313, Catherine of Alexandria, educated beauty, a only one who surpassed, icon, rejected by J, baptism, accepted
Egypt, 303-313, Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, educated, beautiful, accept only someone who surpassed her, Theotokos icon, prayer, rejected by Jesus, baptism, accepted by Jesus ; of Alexandria, or Katherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine, is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of 18. than 1,100 years after Catherine's martyrdom, Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her.[3] Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November, depending on the regional tradition. In Catholicism, Catherine is traditionally revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and she is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November.[4] feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar[5] in 1969, but restored in 2002 as an optional memorial. modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the virgin Saint Dorothea of Alexandria and the Greek philosopher Hypatia, with reversed role of a Christian and Neo-Platonist in the case of the latter.[6][7][8] Alexandria; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24 ; Holy Great Martyr Katherine was the daughter of Konstos, the governor of Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Katherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own Spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. listening to Katherine, the Elder said that he knew of someone who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.” description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced an ardent desire in the soul of the holy maiden to see Him. "If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder gave Katherine an icon of the Theotokos with the Divine Child on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and she would hear Katherine and grant her heart’s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said her Divine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Katherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” But the Child turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.” returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of Holy Baptism from him. Again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with her Child. Now the Lord looked at her tenderly and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time Emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blaze of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. Katherine's love for the Christian martyrs, and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings, compelled her to speak to the pagan priest and to Emperor Maximian. herself, the Saint confessed her faith in the One True God, and exposed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the Emperor. In order to convince her of the superiority of pagan wisdom, the Emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Saint Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt alive by order of the Emperor. to persuade the Saint, Maximian tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Hearing her angry refusal, the Emperor ordered his men to subject the Saint to terrible tortures, and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the Saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrios to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The Empress was impressed by Katherine's strong spirit, and her face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian Faith to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day, they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and to offer sacrifice to the "gods." The Saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she was taken to be tortured on four wheels with sharp iron spikes, but an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. seeing this miracle, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrios and 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ before everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian tried again to entice the holy martyr, offering to marry her, and again he was refused. Saint Katherine remained faithful to her heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and after praying to Him, she laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Katherine were taken by the Angels to Mount Sinai. In the VI century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to the newly-constructed church of the Monastery on Mount Sinai, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Katherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mount Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit. Saint Katherine is commemorated on November 25 in Slavic usage.

Rome, 303-313, Anastasia, visited prisons, fed, clothed, ransomed, A beaten by h, be patient, accept lords will, much more
Rome, 303-313, Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Rome, teacher Chrysogonus, given in marriage to a pagan, feigned illness, visited prisons clothed as a beggar, fed, clothed, ransomed, betrayed by servant to husband, beaten, C said be patient, cleave cross, accept lords will, also prophet h sea death, then she distributed, Diocletian, c prisoners endured torturers stoicly, kill them all order, she followed C to Aquileia, C beheaded, into sea, waves carried head and b back, presby Zolius concealed, C appeared to Z, informed about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Rome, 303-313, Anastasia's mentor Chrysogonus, foretold A's husband death at sea, C tortured, behead iAquileia, appears&informs
Rome, 303-313, Anastasia's teacher Chrysogonus, A beaten by h, C said be patient, accept lords will, cleave cross, C foretold h's death at sea, Diocletian kill them all order, C tortured sent tAquileia, A followed C tA, C beheaded, thrown into sea, waves carried head body back, presby Zolius concealed, C appears to Z, informs about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Rome, 304, VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, 1st Spanish Martyr, spoke for his speech impaired Bishop who was only exiled
Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis, deacon who spoke and preached for his Bishop, disciple wise pastor Valerian, A now Saragossa, Dacian tValencia, denounced bPeople, dragged bHorses from AtV, prison, tortured, no food water, eloquent speech, nailed to cross, whipped burned redhot rods, climbed back on cross joyfully, tortured again, back to prison, singing psalms, radiant light, gridiron; Saragossa (Ebro River 6); Vincent of Saragossa; of Saragossa (also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon), Protomartyr of Spain, a deacon of the Church of Saragossa. is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. feast day is 22 January in the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Church, an additional commemoration on 11 November in the Orthodox Church. was born at Huesca and martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around the year 304. earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius,[1] wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs. He was born at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain sometime during the latter part of the 3rd century; is believed his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca (Huesca).[2] spent most of his life in the city of Saragossa, where he was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, commissioned Vincent to preach throughout the diocese.[2] Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman. the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians in Spain, both were brought before the Roman governor, Dacian, in Valencia. and his bishop Valerius were confined to the prison of Valencia. he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused. on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.[3] outspoken manner so angered the governor that he had every sort of torture inflicted on Vincent. was stretched on the rack and his flesh torn with iron hooks. his wounds were rubbed with salt he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron. he was cast into prison and laid on a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he died. his martyrdom he preserved such peace and tranquillity that it astonished his jailer, repented from his sins and was converted. dead body was thrown into the sea in a sack, but was later recovered by the Christians and his veneration immediately spread throughout the church.[3] aged bishop Valerius was exiled. VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ; title line above states almost all that is certainly known about Vincent, earliest Spanish martyr whose name is known to us. is said that he was brought to trial along with his bishop Valerius, that since Valerius had a speech impediment, spoke for both, and that his fearless manner so angered the governor that Vincent was tortured and killed, his aged bishop was only exiled. by James Kiefer Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Vincent of Spain from his childhood was the disciple of a wise pastor Valerian, the bishop of the city of Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain). he reached mature age, the virtuous, educated and eloquent Vincent was ordained deacon by Bishop Valerian. Since the bishop himself was not adept in speech, he gave a blessing to his deacon, an eloquent orator, to preach in church and among the people. (284-305) sent the governor Dacian to the city of Valencia, Spain with full authority to find and execute Christians. People denounced the wise bishop and his deacon to the governor, who arrested them. soldiers, mounted on horses, dragged the Elder and his disciple behind them in chains from Augustopolis to Valencia, and there they cast them iento prison beaten and tortured, giving them neither food nor water. subjected the bishop to the first interrogation. The Elder spoke quietly, but seemed tongue-tied and uncertain. Then Saint Vincent came forward and made the most eloquent speech of his life before the judges and assembled people. After he sent the bishop back to prison, the persecutor gave orders to torture the holy deacon. martyr underwent many torments: while nailed to a cross, he was whipped and burned with red-hot rods. When he was removed from the cross, he then himself joyfully climbed back upon it, saying that the executioners were lazy and had not fulfilled their master’s orders. They became angry and tortured him again, until they were all exhausted. the tortures they threw the martyr back into prison. That night the astonished guard heard him singing Psalms, and saw an unearthly radiant light in the prison. The next morning the holy martyr was condemned to be burned on a gridiron. Christians took the saint’s body and buried it with reverence. This occurred in the year 304.

Rome, 304, Juliana oNicomedia, Bithynia, Virginmrtr, refused marriage, 630 witnessed hSteadfastness&Healing, baptized iBlood
Bithynia, 304, Juliana oNicomedia, Bithynia, Virginmartyr, do IPagan Africanus, refused marriage tbethrothed, beaten by f&b long&hard, healing &new strength after each b, seen by many people, 500 men 130 women confessed a witnessing courage and healings. They were b&baptized iOwnBlood; Virgin Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia, and 500 men and 130 women with her, Commemorated on December 21; Holy Virgin Martyr Juliana, daughter of an illustrious pagan named Africanus, was born in the city of As a child, she was betrothed to a certain Elusius, one of the emperor’s advisors. Juliana was endowed with a profound intellect and goodness of soul. saw through the delusion and deception of the pagan faith, and secretly accepted holy Baptism. the time of her wedding approached, Juliana refused to be married. Her father urged her not to break her engagement, but when she refused to obey him, he began to beat her viciously. Then Africanus handed his daughter over to the Eparch, who happened to be Elusius, Juliana’s former fiancé. fervently asked Juliana to marry him, promising not to require her to abandon her faith. Saint Juliana refused and said that she’d rather be put to death. beat the saint both long and harshly, but after each beating she received healing and new strength from God. Her punishment took place before a large number of people. Of these, 500 men and 130 women came to confess Christ after witnessing the steadfastness and courage of the holy virgin miraculously healed from her wounds. They were all beheaded, and were baptized in their own blood. of the futility of attempting to separate the holy virgin from her heavenly Bridegroom, Eleusius sentenced Juliana to death. accepted the sentence with joy and glorified the Lord for permitting her to receive a martyr’s crown. The holy Martyr Juliana was executed in the year 304. Juliana is the subject of an Anglo-Saxon poem, believed to have been written by Cynewulf in the eighth century. Nicomedia;

Rome, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis, dedicated to God, survived torture, crucified
Cilicia, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis , Cilicia and (near Seyhan River Mouth) and Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia, Armenia, dedicated to God, survived iron rods, iron wheel, roasted, encouraged by mother, crucified upside down, buried w mother ; Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7; Holy Martyr Calliopius was born in Perge, Pamphylia of the pious woman Theoklia, wife of a renowned senator. Theoklia was childless for a long time. She fervently prayed for a son, vowing to dedicate him to God. after the birth of her son Theoklia was widowed. When Saint Calliopius reached adolescence, a fierce persecution against Christians began. Theoklia, learning that her son would be denounced as a Christian, sent him to Cilicia in Asia Minor. the saint arrived at Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia there was a celebration in honor of the pagan gods. They invited the youth to take part in the proceedings, but he said he was a Christian and refused. They reported this to the prefect of the city Maximus. Saint Calliopius was brought before him to be tried. At first, he attempted to persuade Calliopius to worship the gods, promising to give him his own daughter in marriage. After the youth rejected this offer, Maximus subjected him to terrible tortures. He ordered the martyr to be beaten on the back with iron rods, and on the stomach with ox-hide thongs. Finally, the prefect had him tied to an iron wheel, and he was roasted over a slow fire. After these tortures, they threw the martyr Calliopius into prison. Theoklia heard about the sufferings of her son, she wrote her last will, freed her slaves, distributed her riches to the poor, and hastened to Saint Calliopius. The brave mother gave money to the guard and got into the prison to see her son. There she encouraged him to endure suffering to the end for Christ. on the following day the saint refused to renounce Christ, Maximus gave orders to crucify the martyr. The day of execution happened to be Great Thursday, when the Savior’s last meal with His disciples is commemorated. begged the guard to crucify her son head downward, since she considered it unworthy for him to be crucified like the Lord. Her wish was granted. The holy martyr hung on the cross overnight and died on Great Friday in the year 304. the holy martyr was removed from the cross, Theoklia gave glory to the Savior. She embraced the lifeless body of her son and gave up her own spirit to God. Christians buried their bodies in a single grave.

Rome, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, deacon who spoke& preached for hBishop, great Story, back on cross joyfully, divine light
Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis, deacon who spoke and preached for his Bishop, disciple wise pastor Valerian, A now Saragossa, Dacian tValencia, denounced bPeople, dragged bHorses from AtV, prison, tortured, no food water, eloquent speech, nailed to cross, whipped burned redhot rods, climbed back on cross joyfully, tortured again, back to prison, singing psalms, radiant light, gridiron; Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis; Vincent of Saragossa (also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon), the Protomartyr of Spain, was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa. is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. feast day is 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and 11 November in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was born at Huesca and martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around the year 304. earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius,[1] who wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs. was born at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain sometime during the latter part of the 3rd century; it is believed his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca.[2] spent most of his life in the city of Saragossa, where he was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, who commissioned Vincent to preach throughout the diocese.[2] Because Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman. the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians in Spain, both were brought before the Roman governor, Dacian, in Valencia. Vincent and his bishop Valerius were confined to the prison of Valencia. Though he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused. Speaking on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.[3] outspoken manner so angered the governor that he had every sort of torture inflicted on Vincent. He was stretched on the rack and his flesh torn with iron hooks. Then his wounds were rubbed with salt and he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron. Finally, he was cast into prison and laid on a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he died. his martyrdom he preserved such peace and tranquillity that it astonished his jailer, who repented from his sins and was converted. dead body was thrown into the sea in a sack, but was later recovered by the Christians and his veneration immediately spread throughout the Church.[3] The aged bishop Valerius was exiled. St. Vincent of Saragossa (Menologion of Basil II, 10th century) Crest of Lisboa.png story that Vincent was tortured on a gridiron is perhaps adapted from the martyrdom of another son of Huesca, Saint Lawrence— Vincent, like many early martyrs in the early hagiographic literature, succeeded in converting his jailer. to legend, after being martyred, ravens protected St. Vincent's body from being devoured by vultures, until his followers could recover the body. body was taken to what is now known as Cape St. Vincent; a shrine was erected over his grave, which continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens. the time of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula, the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi noted this constant guard by ravens, for which the place was named by him Kanīsah al-Ghurāb (Church of the Raven). Afonso I of Portugal (1139–1185) had the body of the saint exhumed in 1173 and brought it by ship to the Lisbon Cathedral. This transfer of the relics is depicted on the coat of arms of Lisbon.[4] and veneration San Vicente Mártir thrown into the dunghill. Three elaborated hagiographies, all based ultimately on a lost 5th-century Passion, circulated in the Middle Ages. His "Acts" have been "rather freely colored by the imagination of their compiler".[5] Vincent's tomb in Valencia became the earliest center of his cult, he was also honoured at his birthplace and his reputation spread from Saragossa. The city of Oviedo in Asturias grew about the church dedicated to Vincent. Beyond the Pyrenees, he was venerated first in the vicinity of Béziers, and at Narbonne. Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela when the relics of Vincent were transferred to its new abbey-church dedicated to Saint Benedict from Saragossa in 863, under the patronage of Salomon, count of Cerdanya. mosaic in the Cathedral of Braga depicting the translation of St. Vincent's arm. church was built in honour of Vincent, by the Catholic bishops of Visigothic Iberia, when they succeeded in converting King Reccared and his nobles to Trinitarian Christianity. When the Moors came in 711, the church was razed, and its materials incorporated in the Mezquita, the "Great Mosque" of Cordova.[6] Cape Verde island of São Vicente, a former Portuguese colony, was named in his honour because it was discovered on 22 January, St. Vincent's feast day, in 1462.[7] island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, now a part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was named by Christopher Columbus after Vincent of Saragossa, as the island was discovered by Europeans on 22 January, St. Vincent's feast day. 15th century Portuguese artist Nuno Gonçalves depicted him in his Saint Vincent Panels. A small fresco cycle of stories of St. Vincent is in the apse of the Basilica di San Vincenzo near Cantù, in northern Italy. San Vicente Mártir arrojado al muladar. Escultura en alabastro. Documentado 1533 - Diego de Tredia - Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia. Vincent's left arm is on display as a relic in Valencia Cathedral,[8] located near the extensive Carrer de Sant Vicent Mártir (Saint Vincent the Martyr Street). is also the small town of São Vicente on the Portuguese island of Madeira, and the city of São Vicente, São Paulo in Brazil named after this saint. is remembered in the Anglican Communion with a commemoration on 22 January.[9][10] Vincent is the patron of the Order of the Deacons of the Catholic Diocese of Bergamo (Italy). He is honoured as patron in Valencia, Saragossa, Portugal, etc., and is invoked by vintners, vinegar-makers, brickmakers, and sailors.[1] of Saragossa is represented wearing the dalmatic of a deacon.[1] Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain); Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Vincent of Spain from his childhood was the disciple of a wise pastor Valerian, the bishop of the city of Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain). he reached mature age, the virtuous, educated and eloquent Vincent was ordained deacon by Bishop Valerian. Since the bishop himself was not adept in speech, he gave a blessing to his deacon, an eloquent orator, to preach in church and among the people. (284-305) sent the governor Dacian to the city of Valencia, Spain with full authority to find and execute Christians. People denounced the wise bishop and his deacon to the governor, who arrested them. soldiers, mounted on horses, dragged the Elder and his disciple behind them in chains from Augustopolis to Valencia, and there they cast them iento prison beaten and tortured, giving them neither food nor water. subjected the bishop to the first interrogation. The Elder spoke quietly, but seemed tongue-tied and uncertain. Then Saint Vincent came forward and made the most eloquent speech of his life before the judges and assembled people. After he sent the bishop back to prison, the persecutor gave orders to torture the holy deacon. martyr underwent many torments: while nailed to a cross, he was whipped and burned with red-hot rods. When he was removed from the cross, he then himself joyfully climbed back upon it, saying that the executioners were lazy and had not fulfilled their master’s orders. They became angry and tortured him again, until they were all exhausted. the tortures they threw the martyr back into prison. That night the astonished guard heard him singing Psalms, and saw an unearthly radiant light in the prison. The next morning the holy martyr was condemned to be burned on a gridiron. Christians took the saint’s body and buried it with reverence. This occurred in the year 304.

Rome, 304, Anastasius the Fuller, Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia, martyred for cross on door
Croatia, , Anastasius the Fuller, Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia; Anastasius the Fuller (died 304) is a Christian saint of the pre-schism Christian Church. Anastasius was a fuller at Aquileia who subsequently moved his business to Solin (some sources say Split). was martyred by being drowned after he had proclaimed his Christian faith openly by painting a cross on his door. is the patron saint of fullers and weavers. His feast day is September 7 (formerly August 26).[1] Salona in Dalmatia; Definition of Fuller; who fulls cloth - definition of fulls cloth it to make it more absorbant, more full, more luxurious, fuller brush man Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Saint Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Saint Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on December 5. Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Saint Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Saint Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on October 25.

Rome, 304, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia, fTyana, soldier, tortured, Establish sign wMe to shame them, earthquake, 1685 vision arms&legs
Armenia, 304, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), fTyana, soldier, devoted tChrist, refused pagan worship, Maximinus tTyana stamp out C, O refused riches, flogged naked, jail 7days, tPagan Temple, willing subject earthly matters but no king but true God, lashes, rods, rawhide, fire, Establish wMe aSign fGood, to shame who hate me, earthquake idols smashed Temple collapsed, prison 7days nFoodoDrink, resume torture 20 nails into legs, tied wild horse, dragged tDeath, 1685 vision Orestes says also both arms and both legs cut off; Cappadocia; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Orestes the Physician lived in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-311). was an illustrious and capable soldier, from his childhood he had been a devoted servant of Christ, a sacrifice of praise to God with a pure heart, and refusing to worship the demons which the pagans call "gods." the Emperor's command, the military officer Maximinus was sent to Tyana to stamp out Christianity, by then had spread throughout Cappadocia. was among the first brought to trial before Maximinus. Courageously, he confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. prosecutor offered the Saint riches, honors and fame if he would become an idolater, but Saint Orestes would not agree to this. tried in many ways, to force him to deny Christ. Even with the pressures they exerted upon him, they were unable to convince him to worship the idols. they stripped him naked, beat him up, and flogged him as a punishment. Afterward, he was put in jail for seven days. the end of the seventh day he was taken to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice and worship to the idols. asked him, "Do you still refuse to convert to the worship which is offered with such reverence by our august emperors?" replied that he was a willing subject when it came to political and earthly matters. Apart from that, however, he would not recognize any king except the one true God. ordered that Orestes be taken to a pagan temple and once again, demanded that he worship the idols. he refused, forty soldiers took turns, one after the other, beating the holy martyr with lashes, with rods, with rawhide, and then they tormented him with fire. Orestes cried out to the Lord, “Establish with me a sign for good, let those who hate me see it and be put to shame” (Psalm 85/86:17). Lord heard the prayer of His faithful servant. The earth began to tremble, and the idols toppled and were smashed. Everyone rushed out of the temple, and when Saint Orestes came out, the entire temple collapsed. Maximinus ordered the holy martyr to be locked up in prison for seven days giving him neither food nor drink, and to resume the torture on the eighth day. hammered twenty nails into the martyr’s legs, and then tied him to a wild horse. over the stones, the holy martyr departed to the Lord in the year 304, and his relics were thrown into the sea. 1685, when Saint Dēmḗtrios, later the Bishop of Rostov, (October 28) had just finished writing the Life of Saint Orestes to be printed by the Kiev Caves Lavra, he became tired and fell asleep. Orestes appeared to him one night in a dream, during the Nativity Fast, just before Matins. With a joyful countenance, he said, "I suffered more torments for Christ than these." the Martyr bared his chest and showed Saint Dēmḗtrios the deep wound in his left side. "Here," he said, "they pierced me with a spear." Saint Orestes showed him his right elbow and said, "Here they cut off my arm." he showed him his left arm with a similar wound, saying "They cut off this arm here." this he bent over and showed him one leg, and then the other, with wounds behind the knee. He said, "My legs were cut off with a scythe." this the Martyr stood up and looked the writer in the face, and declared, "Now you see that I suffered more torments for Christ than you have described.” humble monk wondered whether this was Saint Orestes, one of the Five Martyrs of Sebaste (December 13). if in answer to his thoughts the Martyr said, “I am not that Orestes, but him whose Life you have just finished writing.” then, the bells rang for Matins, and the vision ended.

Rome, 304, Crispina, Thacora Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, interesting back and forth with Judge
Africa, North Africa, 304, Crispina, Thacora Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, again and again I am ready to endure, fThacora (Tagora), arrested professing Christ, trial aTheveste (Tebessa) 304, judge asked her if aware required sac tGods fEmperors' welfare, did not know but faith not allow sac false gods, turn away but she knew no other God, torture threatened but she gladly endure this fChrist, stop & obey edict, I will obey Christ's edict, but entire province has obeyed edict, but never sac to demons, may those gods who did not make heaven earth perish, I am looking out for my safety, let your gods speak and I will believe, I order her executed, thanks be to God who has freed me from your hands; Africa, North Africa, 304, Crispina, Thacora (Tagora) Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, again and again I am ready to endure, head shaved, beheaded; Crispina (died December 5, 304) was a martyr of Africa who suffered during the Diocletian persecution. She was born at Thagara, a town in the Roman province of Numidia, located in Taoura, Algeria. (The Tabula Peutingeriana calls it Thacora) in North Africa.) She died by beheading at Theveste, in Numidia. belonged to a distinguished family and was a wealthy matron with children. At the time of the persecution she was brought before the proconsul Annius Anullinus; on being ordered to sacrifice to the gods she declared she honored only one God. When threatened with death, Crispina replied: “I care not for the present life, and am only anxious for the life of my soul. I fear eternal torments only.” [1] head was shaved at the command of the judge, and she was exposed to public mockery, but she remained steadfast in her faith and was not moved even by the tears of her children. When condemned to death, she thanked God and offered her head with joy for execution.[2] Acts of her martyrdom, written not long after the event, form a valuable historical document of the period of the persecution. The day of St. Crispina's death was observed in the time of Augustine of Hippo; in his sermons Augustine repeatedly mentions her name, as well known in Africa and worthy to be held in the same veneration as the names of Saint Agnes and St. Thecla.[3] In his Sermon on Psalm 120, Augustine says: "The persecutors turned their rage against Crispina, whose birthday we celebrate today. They unleashed their savagery against a rich woman delicately nurtured; but she was strong, because the Lord was for her a better defense than the hand of her right hand, and He was guarding her. Is there anyone in Africa who does not know about these events, brothers and sisters? Scarcely, for she was extremely famous, of noble stock and very wealthy."[4]: 510  Ruinart in his collection of the Acts of the martyrs gives the account of her examination.[2] Alphonsus Liguori provided a version of these acts in his Victories of the Martyrs. Thacora (Tagora) in Africa; Numidia; St Crispina; Crispina lived at Thacora (Tagora) in Africa, and was arrested for professing Christianity. The proconsul Annius Anullinus presided at her trial at Theveste (or Tebessa) in December of 304. asked her if she was aware that she was required by law to offer sacrifice to the gods for the welfare of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. said that she did not know of this decree, and that her Christian faith would not allow her to offer sacrifice to false gods. “Turn away from this superstition,” Anullinus said, “and submit to the sacred rites of the Roman gods.” Crispina replied that she knew no other god but the God worshiped by Christians. The proconsul threatened her with torture, and the saint said that she would gladly endure this for the sake of Christ. told her to stop being stubborn and to obey the edict. Crispina answered, “I will obey the edict given me by my Lord Jesus Christ.” proconsul repeated his threat of torture, saying that she would be forced to obey the edict. He also pointed out that the entire province of Africa had offered sacrifice, but Saint Crispina remained firm in her faith, saying that she would never offer sacrifice to demons. that she would not accept the pagan gods, Anullinus said that she would be forced to bow before the idols and to offer incense. The courageous woman retorted that she would never do so as long as she lived. the proconsul sought to persuade her that it would not be a sacrilege to offer sacrifice to the gods as required by law. She said, “May those gods, who have not made heaven and earth, perish.” urged Crispina to respect the Roman religion, but she said, “I have told you again and again that I am ready to endure any tortures rather than worship the idols which are the work of men’s hands.” told her that she spoke blasphemy and was not acting in a way which would ensure her safety. He then tried to humiliate her by ordering her head to be shaved. The holy martyr replied, “If I were not seeking my own well-being, I would not be on trial before you now. Let your gods speak, then I shall believe.” proconsul told her she could either live a long life, or die in agony before being beheaded. Saint Crispina told him, “I would thank my God if I obtained this. I would gladly lose my head for the Lord’s sake, for I refuse to offer sacrifice to those ridiculous deaf and dumb statues.” lost patience with her and ordered that the minutes of the trial be read back before he pronounced sentence. “Since Crispina persists in her superstition and refuses to offer sacrifice to the gods in accordance with our law, I order her to be executed by the sword.” Crispina said, “Thanks be to God, Who has deigned to free me from your hands.” She made the Sign of the Cross and stretched forth her neck to the executioner. Crispina was beheaded on December 5, 304 in accordance with the fourth edict of Diocletian. Saint Augustine mentions her in Sermons 286 and 354.

Rome, 304, Martyrs Victor &Sosthenes at Chalcedon, stop by angels fBurning E, divine voice, wild beasts
Bithynia, 304, Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes at Chalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait), prevented throwing Euphemia into furnace by angels, placed in shackles, others burned by throwing but E unharmed, refused idols, divine voice surrendered souls, wild beasts not eat, buried by christians; Chalcedon; Martyrs Victor and Sosthenes at Chalcedon, Commemorated on September 16; Victor and Sosthenes are mentioned in the Life of the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia (Ευφημία). Proconsul Priscus ordered the soldiers Victor and Sosthenes to throw the Saint into a red-hot furnace. the flames, however, they saw angels who prevented them from touching the Saint. they refused to carry out the order, they were placed in shackles. soldiers, who threw Saint Euphēmia into the fire, were burnt by the flames escaping from the furnace, but inside the furnace, the martyr remained unharmed. Proconsul tried to make Victor and Sosthenes bow down to the idols, but they replied that they had come to know the true God. they were led to the wild beasts, they begged the Lord to forgive the sins they had committed in their pagan delusion. a Divine voice came from Heaven, calling them to their rest, and they surrendered their souls to the Lord. animals did not touch their bodies. Later, the two martyrs were buried secretly by some Christians. some calendars, such as the Roman Martyrology, the Saints' day of commemoration is listed as September 10.

Rome, 304, AGNES of Rome, Martyr, Her execution shocked Romans because contrary to Roman Law
Rome, 304, AGNES of Rome, Martyr, Her execution shocked Romans because contrary to Roman Law; mausoleum of St Agnes at Rome; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304); is a Christian martyr who died at Rome around 304 in the persecution of Diocletian: the last and fiercest of the persecutions of Christianity by the Roman emperors. The anniversary of her martyrdom is observed on 21 January. name means “pure” in Greek and “lamb” in Latin. She is said to have been only about twelve or thirteen when she died, and the remains preserved in St Agnes' Church in Rome are in agreement with this. is said that her execution shocked many Romans and helped bring an end to the persecutions. Some said, “It is contrary to Roman law to put a virgin to death. Our leaders say that it is necessary to kill Christians in order to preserve the old Roman ways: but they are themselves scorning those ways in the process.” Others said, “Do young girls constitute such a threat to Rome that it is necessary to kill them?” Others said, “If this religion can enable a twelve-year-old girl to meet death without fear, it is worth checking out.” is a narrative poem by Keats, called “The Eve of Saint Agnes.” It is a romantic poem with a mediaeval setting, about an elopement the night before St Agnes' Day. The only tie-in with Agnes is that (presumably because she died as a young virgin), Agnes is regarded as the patron of young unmarried girls, and there is a folk-belief that a girl who goes to bed supperless on the eve of St Agnes's Day will dream that night about her husband-to-be. by James Kiefer

Rome, 304, Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea, Ephesus, diocletian p, tortured red-hot irons, died red-hot oven
Ephesus, 304, Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea, Ephesus, diocletian p, tortured red-hot irons, died red-hot oven; Anaea, Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth); Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Albian was bishop of the city of Aneium in the Aseian district, suffered for Christ about the year 304 in a persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian and his co-ruler Maximian. Albian was ordered to offer sacrifice to idols under the threat of death, but he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to serve idols. They tortured him with red-hot irons and beat him mercilessly, but he remained unyielding. tortured his disciple with him, and he also remained faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Both holy martyrs were sentenced to death and thrown into a red-hot oven, in which they died, receiving the crowns of martyrdom.

Rome, 304, Neaniskos oAlexandria, Egypt, hansom athlete, on way to execution, gave ring tSlave girl, who turned him in
Egypt, 304, Neaniskos oAlexandria, Egypt, Diocletian Persecution, hansom athlete, on way to execution he gave slave his ring to girl who turned him in; Alexandria; Saint Neaniskos the Martyr, Commemorated on June 10; Neaniskos lived in the time of Maximius, the ruler of Alexandria. During the persecution of the Church by Emperor Diocletian (284-304), female slave denounced the most wise and handsome athlete of Christ. ruler tortured him for seven days in various ways, trying to make him deny Christ. When the tyrant saw that he was unable to do so, he ordered him to be put to death. he was led to the place of execution, he noticed the slave girl who betrayed him in the crowd that had followed him. Saint Neaniskos made signs for her to approach him, when she came near he gave her his gold ring as a token of his gratitude; by her complaint he would now draw near to Christ, Whom he had desired for so long, and he would inherit everlasting life. they arrived at the place of execution, he prayed for a time, and then they beheaded him.

Rome, 304, Seven Martyred Brothers, exiled tCaucasus Region Georgia, fThrace Region, Bulgaria, all tortured &died along tWay
Bulgaria, 304, Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, exiled to Caucasus Region Georgia, from Thrace Region, Bulgaria, all tortured and died several places along the way; Thrace Region, Bulgaria; The Seven Brothers of Lazia; Saints Day Place of Martyrdom Saint Heros 22 June Parembol Saint Orentius 24 June Riza (Rize) Saint Pharnacius 3 July Kordila (Sivri Kale) Saint Firmus 7 July Apsaros (Gonio) Saint Firminus 7 July Apsaros Saint Cyriacus 24 July Zigania (Anaklia) Saint Longinus 28 July Pityus (Bichvinta) Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos, and Longinus were brothers, who were known for their courage and served as soldiers in Thrace during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. a battle with the Scythians, Saint Orentios killed their fierce and intrepid leader, Mararon. He received many honors for this achievement, but then he was asked to participate in a sacrifice that was being offered to the idols in thanksgiving for his victory. The Christian hero absolutely refused to do this, declaring that he had defeated his foe by the power of Jesus Christ, whom he worshiped as the one true God. They did not punish him right away, because of his bravery, but he and his brothers were detained. some time, they were questioned. All seven declared, as with one mouth, that they would remain faithful to Christ until their last breath, and that the Savior would judge them on the Last Day. After saying this, they were sentenced to exile in the Caucasus. after another, the seven brothers died on the journey from their hardships and suffering. but they endured their afflictions without complaint. Erotas was the first to depart this life; he perished at Parembol on June 22. Next, Orentios was thrown into the sea with a stone tied around his neck. Pharnakios reposed on July 3 at Kordila. Phirmos and Phirminos received their heavenly crowns on July 7 at Aspara on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Kyriakos went to the Lord on July 14 at Ziganeia, and Longinus gave his soul into God's hands on July 28 while on board a ship. The storm-tossed vessel went aground at Pitinda (Pitsnda), and so the last holy martyr was buried there. pray to these holy martyrs to protect us from our enemies. In Greek usage these saints are commemorated on June 25.

Rome, 304, Capitolina &Eroteis oCappadocia, Armenia, C rich, but no regard, E threw rock, both beheaded fConfessing Christ
Armenia, 304, Capitolina and Eroteis of Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), C rich, but no regard, E threw rock, both beheaded for confessing Christ; Cappadocia; Martyrs Capitolina and Eroteis of Cappadocia, Commemorated on October 27; Capitolina (Καπιτωλίνη) and Eroteis (Ερωτηίς) lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, when Zilikinthios (Ζιλικίνθιος) was the magistrate of Cappadocia (ca. 304). was a noble and wealthy lady, she had no regard for riches. she divided all of her property among the poor, and freed her slaves. she was arrested as a Christian and appeared before Zilikinthios, she confessed her faith in Christ. ordered her to be thrown into a nearby prison, and she was beheaded the next day. who was Capitolina’s servant, picked up some stones and threw them at the magistrate. he commanded his guards to beat her mercilessly with sticks. the grace of Christ, however, the Saint remained unharmed. he ordered them to behead her with a sword. this manner, both of these Saints, the lady and her servant, died by the sword, thereby winning imperishable crowns of glory from Christ.

Rome, 304, Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Martyrs, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia, from Asia, holy relics brought to Thasos
Greece, 304, Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Martyrs, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia, from Asia, holy relics brought to Thasos; Isle of Thasos; Martyrs Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Commemorated on October 27; Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine were from Asia. were arrested by the idolaters in the year 304 because they were Christians. enduring many tortures, they were dragged over sharp stones until they were dead. their holy relics were brought to the island of Thasos, which lies between Thrace and the Athonite peninsula. holy martyrs are commemorated on October 24 in Greek usage.

Rome, 304, Athenodorus oSyrian Mesopotamia, near Edessa, arrested as Christian, Fierce tortures, miracles, many pagans converted
Mesopotamia, 304, Athenodorus oHaran, Upper Mesopotamia, near Edessa, Syrian Mesopotamia, Assryia, monk fYouth, as Christian arrested condemned tFierce tortures, miracles accompanied martyrtom which converted many pagans i304; Haran, Upper Messopotamia; (Arabic: حران, romanized: Ḥarrān), also known as Carrhae (Greek: Kάρραι, romanized: Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border crossing with Syria at Akçakale. was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. It was made a religiously and politically influential city through its association with the moon-god Sin; many prominent Mesopotamian rulers consulted with and renovated the moon-temple of Ekhulkhul in Harran. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 612–609 BC. city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University)[3][a] and the oldest mosque in Anatolia[b] (the Harran Grand Mosque [tr]).[5] Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate 744–750 and later under the Numayrid Emirate 990–1081. city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran retransitioned into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. Harran was a Turkish district until 1946, after when it was downgraded to a sub-district of the Akçakale district. It regained its status as a district in 1987.[6] Today, it is a major local tourist spot. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times. Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Holy Martyr Athenodorus, from Syrian Mesopotamia, led a monastic life from his youth. as a Christian, he was arrested and condemned to fierce tortures by the governor of the land, Eleusius. accompanied the martyrdom of the saint, converted many of the pagans to the Christian Faith. was beheaded in the year 304.

Rome, 304-305, Philetairus oNicomedia, 2 Emperors failed, red-hot oven, wild beasts, hands stopped, exile, temple&idols destryd
Rome, 304-305, Philetairus, Nicomedia, Bithynia, suffered twice, tall and handsome, Emperor insulted Lord, he replied let E's mouth be shut, red-hot oven, unharmed, set free, 2nd Emperor brought him to trial, confessed,whippings, wild beasts unharmed, 2 servants unable kill him wSword, their hands ceased tFunction, they both believed &beheaded, but P was exiled tProkonnesos iSea oMarmora, on tWay he many miracles&Destroyed Temple wIdols, 6Soldiers1Commander believed, Eubiotus came to see him, stayed E's cell 7days, P&the Soldiers died there; Nicomedia; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Holy Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia twice suffered torture for Christ: under the co-Emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (286-305). Diocletian arrived in Nicomedia, Saint Philetairus, who was tall and handsome, was put on trial. him, the emperor compared him to one of the pagan gods. questioned about his social rank and family the martyr answered, “I am the son of an eparch, I am a Christian, and I live with Christians.” emperor spoke insultingly of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the saint replied, “Let the mouth of anyone who dares to insult my Christ be silenced, whether he is the emperor or anyone else.” these words the martyr was thrown into a red-hot oven, but he emerged from it unharmed. Diocletian, witnessing the miracle, and taking into account the saint’s illustrious rank and handsome appearance, set him free. the emperor Maximian was informed that Philetairus was a Christian. Brought to trial before the emperor, the holy martyr again confessed his faith in Christ. this they subjected him to whippings. they threw him to be eaten by wild beasts, but he remained unharmed. they sentenced him to beheading by the sword, the two servants who were entrusted the execution were unable to kill him. as they raised the sword over the head of the martyr, their hands ceased to function. that the Lord invisibly was guarding the holy martyr, both executioners believed in Christ they themselves were beheaded by the sword. holy Martyr Philetairus was sentenced to exile on Prokonnesos, one of the islands of the Sea of Marmora. the journey, he performed many miracles and destroyed a heathen temple with its idols. soldiers and their commander, who accompanied the saint to his exile, came to believe in Christ. the way Saint Eubiotus (December 18), who had also undergone many sufferings for Christ, came to see him. saints joyfully embraced, and they stayed at the cell of Saint Eubiotus for seven days, together with the soldiers and their commander. Philetairus died there and was buried by Saint Eubiotus. The soldiers and their commander also died there eleven days later, and were buried beside Saint Philetairus.

Rome, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker, angels, marytr crowns, angel, relics, camels not moving
Rome, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker, angels, marytr crowns, angel, relics, camels not moving, egyptian military officer, serving in Kotyaeion region, Phrygia, removed belt, withdrew tMountain, ascetic life, city pagan festival, preached, confessed faith, to denounce impious, arrested, offered restoration if, cruel tortures, beheaded, relics, miracles, healing, deliverance, protector, finding lost objects; Egypt, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker; of Egypt (also Mina, Minas, Mena, Meena; 285 - c. 309), a martyr and wonder-worker, is one of the most well-known Coptic saints in the East and the West, due to the many miracles that are attributed to his intercession and prayers. Menas was a Coptic soldier in the Roman army martyred because he refused to recant his Christian faith. The common date of his commemoration is November 11, which occurs 13 days later (November 24) on the Julian calendar. feast day is celebrated every year on 15 Hathor in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which corresponds to November 24 on the Gregorian Calendar. In Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the old style or Julian calendar, it is likewise celebrated on November 24. In the Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the new style or Revised Julian calendar, as well as in the Catholic Church, it is celebrated on November 11. of his name was his original name, according to the story his mother called him Mena because she heard a voice saying Amen. Minas is how he is known in Greek and Armenian, while in Coptic he is known as Mīna). Life and martyrdom St. Menas and boatman on a Makurian manuscript from c. 1000 There are many sources written in different languages (Koine Greek, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ge'ez, Latin, Syriac, Armenian) relating to Menas.[3] was born in Egypt in 285 in the city of Nikiou,[4] which lay in the vicinity of Memphis. parents were ascetic Christians but did not have any children for a long time. father's name was Eudoxios and his mother's name was Euphemia. On the feast of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, Euphemia was praying with tears before an icon of the Virgin for God to give her a son. sound came from the icon saying "Amen". A few months later, Euphemia gave birth to a boy and named him Menas.[5] a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was fourteen years old. the age of fifteen Menas joined the Roman army and was given a high rank due to his father's reputation. sources state that he served in Cotyaeus in Phrygia,[6] although some say his appointment was in Algeria.[5] years later he left the army, longing to devote his whole life to Christ, and headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life. spending five years as a hermit, Menas saw in a revelation the angels crowning the martyrs with glorious crowns, and longed to join those martyrs. he was thinking about it, he heard a voice saying: "Blessed are you Menas because you have been called to the pious life from your childhood. You shall be granted three immortal crowns: one for your celibacy, another for your asceticism, and a third for your martyrdom." Menas subsequently hurried to the ruler, declaring his Christian faith.[7] soldiers who executed Menas set his body on fire for three days but the body remained unharmed. Menas' sister then bribed the soldiers and managed to carry the body away. She embarked on a ship heading to Alexandria, where she placed his body in a church. the time of persecution ended, during the papacy of Athanasius of Alexandria the pope had a vision of an angel appearing to him and ordering him to load Menas' body on a camel and head towards the Libyan Desert. a certain spot near a water well at the end of Lake Mariout, not far from Alexandria, the camel stopped and wouldn't move. The Christians took this a sign from God and buried Menas' body there. Berbers of Pentapolis rose against the cities around Alexandria. the people were getting ready to face them, the Roman governor decided to secretly take the body of Menas with him to be his deliverer and his strong protector. Menas' blessings, the governor overcame the Berbers and returned victorious. he decided not to return the body to its original place and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, as they passed by Lake Mariout at the same spot where the body was originally buried, the camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move. moved the body to another camel, but the second camel would not move either.[8] The governor finally realized that this was God's command. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. Terracotta pilgrim's Menas flask impressed with Saint Mina between two camels, Byzantine, probably made at Abu Mina, Egypt, c. 6th–7th century. (Louvre Museum) versions of the story state that the location of the tomb was then forgotten until its miraculous rediscovery by a local shepherd. A shepherd was feeding his sheep in that location, and a sick lamb fell on the ground. As it struggled to get on its feet again, its scab was cured. The story spread quickly and the sick who came to this spot recovered from whatever illnesses they had just by lying on the ground. Ethiopian Synaxarium describes Constantine I sending his sick daughter to the shepherd to be cured, and credits her with finding Menas' body, after which Constantine ordered the construction of a church at the site. versions of the story replace Constantine with the late-5th century emperor Zeno, but archaeologists have dated the original foundation to the late 4th century.[9] to the Zeno version, his daughter was leprous and his advisors suggested that she should try that place, and she did. At night Menas appeared to the girl and informed her that his body was buried in that place. The following morning, Zeno's daughter was cured and she related her vision about the saint to her servants. Zeno immediately ordered Mina's body to be dug out and a cathedral to be built there. his martyrdom in the early fourth century, Menas acquired a reputation for miraculous healing powers. The cult of Saint Menas was centered on Abu Mena near Alexandria.[10] Sick people from all over the Christian world used to visit that city and were healed through the intercessions of Menas, who became known as the Wonders' Maker. numerous little clay Menas flasks, or bottles for holy water or oil on which the saint's name and picture are stamped, are found by archeologists in diverse countries around the Mediterranean world, such as Heidelberg in Germany, Milan in Italy, Dalmatia in Croatia, Marseille in France, Dongola in Sudan, Meols (Cheshire) in England, and the holy city of Jerusalem, as well as modern Turkey and Eritrea. Pilgrims would buy these bottles and take them back to their relatives.[5] St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Holy Great Martyr Menas of Egypt, an Egyptian by birth, was a military officer and served in the Kotyaeion region of Phrygia under the centurion Firmilian during the reign of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). When the emperors began the fiercest persecution against Christians in history, the saint refused to serve these persecutors. He removed his soldier’s belt (a sign of military rank) and withdrew to a mountain, where he lived an ascetic life of fasting and prayer. he happened to arrive in the city during a pagan festival. At the climax of the games the saint’s accusing voice rang out, preaching faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. At his trial before the prefect Pyrrhus, the saint bravely confessed his faith, saying that he had come to denounce the impious. The prefect was angered, and had Menas arrested. offered to restore the saint’s former rank if he would offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When he refused, he was put to cruel tortures, then he was beheaded. occurred in the year 304. gathered up the martyr’s relics by night and hid them until the end of the persecution. they were brought to Egypt and placed in a church dedicated to Saint Menas southwest of Alexandria. saint received grace from God to work miracles, and to help those in need. Saint Menas is noted for healing various illnesses, delivering people from possession by demons, and as a protector, especially during times of war. We also ask his help in finding lost objects.

Rome, 304 & 451, Euphemia the all Praised, Chalcedon, stood alone, incorrupt relics, angel help, animals, then confessor in 451
Bithynia, 304, Euphemia the all Praised, Chalcedon, stood alone, incorrupt relics; Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia was the daughter of Christian parents, the senator Philophronos and his wife Theodosia. She suffered for Christ in the year 304 in the city of Chalcedon, on the Bosphorus opposite Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. the Proconsul of Chalcedon, issued a decree which required all the inhabitants of Chalcedon and the surrounding area to attend a pagan festival, in order to worship and offer sacrifice to the idol of Ares. He threatened grave torments for anyone who failed to appear. During this impious festival, 49 Christians were hidden in one house, where they worshiped the true God in secret. The young virgin Euphēmia was among those who prayed there. their hiding place was discovered, and they were brought before Priscus to answer the charges against them. For nineteen days the martyrs were subjected to various torments, but none of them wavered in their faith, nor did they consent to offer sacrifice to the idol. The governor, beside himself with rage and not knowing any other way of forcing the Christians to abandon their faith, sent them to Emperor Diocletian for trial. He kept the youngest, the virgin Euphēmia, hoping that she would not persevere if she were left all alone. from her fellow-Christians, Saint Euphēmia fervently prayed that the Lord Jesus Christ would strengthen her for her impending ordeal. Priscus urged the Saint to offer sacrifice to the idol, promising her many rewards. When she refused, he ordered that she be tortured. martyr was tied to a wheel with sharp knives attached to it, which slashed her body. The Saint prayed aloud, and miraculously, the wheel stopped by itself and would not move despite all the efforts of the executioners. An angel of the Lord, came down from Heaven, removed Euphēmia from the wheel, and healed her of her wounds, and the Saint gave thanks to God. did not notice the miracle which had taken place, so he ordered the soldiers Victor and Sosthenes to take the Saint to a red-hot furnace. the soldiers, seeing two Angels in the midst of the flames, refused to carry out the Proconsul's order and declared that they believed in the God Whom Euphēmia worshipped. Boldly proclaiming that they were Christians, Victor and Sosthenes awaited punishment. They were sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts. In the arena, they begged God to forgive the sins they had committed, asking the Lord to receive them into the Heavenly Kingdom. A Divine voice was heard, and the two soldiers entered into eternal life. The beasts, however, did not harm their bodies. Euphēmia, cast into the fire by other soldiers, did not suffer. With God's help she emerged unscathed after many other torments. Ascribing these things to sorcery, Priscus ordered a pit to be dug. Filling it with knives, he had it covered over with earth and grass, so that the martyr would not notice this trap. again, Saint Euphēmia remained safe, walking over the pit. Finally, she was sentenced to be devoured by wild beasts in the arena. Before her execution the Saint prayed that the Lord would deem her worthy of martyrdom. But none of the bears or lions attacked her, but only licked her feet. Finally, one she-bear wounded her foot, which bled slightly, and the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia died right away. As her soul departed, there was an earthquake. The city was shaken, the walls fell down, and the pagan temples crumbled. As Saint Euphēmia lay dead in the sand, the guards and spectators fled in terror, so that the Saint's parents were able to take her body and bury it near Chalcedon. a majestic church was built over the grave of the Great Martyr Euphēmia. The sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council took place there in the year 451. At that time, the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmia confirmed the Orthodox confession of faith in a miraculous way, exposing the Monophysite heresy. That miracle is commemorated on July 11. the Persians captured Chalcedon in the year 617, the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphēmia were transferred to Constantinople (around the year 620). During the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary containing Saint Euphēmia's relics seems to have been thrown into the sea, but pious sailors recovered them. They were brought to the island of Lemnos, and they were returned to Constantinople in 796. incorrupt body of Saint Euphēmia is in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George at the Phanar in Constantinople. Portions of her relics are to be found in Kykkos Monastery on Cyprus, and in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra at Saint Petersburg. Chalcedon; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physis” meaning “one nature”], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Rome, 305, Virgin Fausta aCyzikus, F's miracles convert her torturers Pagan Priest Evilansius & Governor Maximus
Constantinople, 305, Virginmartyr Fausta aCyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople), Pagan priest Evilasius ordered to turn Fausta away fChrist, he tortured her, no pain felt, locked in wooden trunk, E could not burn it or saw it, guarded bDevine power (light?), shaken E believed Power oGod, confessed himself Christian, eparch (governor) Maximus sent to investigate by Emperor Diocletian, M began torture E, E asked F pray, E endures, F thrown tVultures, they refuse touch F, F pierced wNails tHead&Other parts, F thrown boiling calsron wE, F&E pray for their torturers, Maximus sees their faith, converted, &prays fForgiveness, M thrown into Caldron with E&F; Cyzicus Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; - Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated on February 6: Holy Martyrs Fausta, Evilasius and Maximus, suffered during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian in the city of Cyzicus [Mezium], between 305-311. Fausta was raised by Christian parents. at a young age, she led a strict and virtuous life. that she was a Christian reached the governor, and the saint was sent to the eighty-year-old pagan priest Evilasius, who was ordered to turn the saint away from Christ. girl bravely confessed her faith and was subjected to many cruel tortures. by the Lord, she did not feel the pain. locked her up in a wooden trunk, the torturers got tired of trying to saw it and burn it in the fire. holy martyr, and even the trunk, remained unharmed, guarded by divine power. pagan priest Evilasius was shaken by the evident and manifest power of God, believed in the Savior and confessed himself a Christian. eparch Maximus was sent to investigate the matter for the emperor, he began to torture the old man who had come to believe in Christ. turned to Saint Fausta and asked her to pray for him, which he bravely endured the tortures. threw Saint Fausta to be eaten by vultures, the creatures would not touch her. thirteen-year-old girl was pierced with nails driven into her head and other parts of her body. they threw her into a boiling cauldron with Saint Evilasius. this time the martyrs prayed for their torturers. the faith and endurance of the saints, the eparch Maximus also was converted to Christ, prayed to God for the forgiveness of his sins. into the same cauldron in which Saints Fausta and Evilasius suffered, he shared with them the crown of martyrdom.

Rome, 305, 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia, Bithynia, voluntarily presented selves for martyrdom to Diocletian
Bithynia, 305, 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya), voluntarily presented selves for martyrdom to Diocletian, beheaded and bodies burned; Nicomedia; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia suffered under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). were Christians who had come from Alexandria. had come to believe in Christ following the martyrdom of Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria (November 25). their wives and children with them, they arrived in Nicomedia and voluntarily presented themselves for martyrdom, exclaiming, “We are Christians.” first, Diocletian tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, seeing their resolve, he ordered them all to be beheaded, and for their bodies to be thrown into a fiery pit. years later, the relics of the holy martyrs were discovered through various manifestations of grace.

Rome, 305, Callistratus&49, tortured f praying, dolphin, bolstered p spirits, bonds in lake, equake breaks idol
Africa, North Africa, 305, Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis), Chriatian ancestors from Jesus' time, tortured for praying, dolphin freed him from drowning, bolstered prisoners spirits, bonds broke in lake, idol broken by earthquake, cut to pieces; Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Commemorated on September 27; Callistratus was a native of Carthage. ancestor of Saint Callistratus, Neochorus, had served under the emperor Tiberius in Palestine, under the command of Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea, and was a witness to the suffering on the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, His voluntary death and glorious Resurrection. saint’s father was a Christian, and he raised his son in faith and piety. Also like his father, Saint Callistratus became a soldier and excelled among his pagan military comrades by his good conduct and gentle disposition. night when everyone slept, he usually stayed up at prayer. a soldier sleeping nearby heard Saint Callistratus invoking the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he reported this to the military commander, who in turn summoned Callistratus, interrogated him and wanted to make him offer sacrifice to idols. saint resolutely refused to do this, so the military commander ordered that the saint be beaten. Then, covered with wounds, the saint was dragged over sharp stones. The beating and the torments did not sway the firm will and brave endurance of the sufferer. saint was sewn up in a leather sack and drowned in the sea. God’s mercy, however, the sack struck a sharp rock and was torn open. Saint Callistratus came to dry land unharmed, carried by dolphins. such a miracle, forty-nine soldiers came to believe in Christ. the military commander threw Saint Callistratus and the believing soldiers into prison. Before this, all of them were subjected to innumerable floggings. jail Saint Callistatus continued to preach the Word of God to the soldiers and he bolstered their spirits for martyrdom. again before the military commander, the sufferers firmly confessed their faith in Christ, after which they were bound hand and foot and thrown into the depths of a great lake behind a dam. there their bonds broke, and with bright faces the holy martyrs stood in the water, rejoicing in their Baptism, which coincided with the act of martyrdom. bright crowns appeared over their heads, and all heard a voice: “Be brave, Callistratus, with your company, and come rest in the eternal habitations.” the same time, the earth shuddered and an idol standing nearby fell down and smashed. this, another 135 soldiers also believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. military commander, fearing a mutiny in the army, did not put them on trial, but again imprisoned Saint Callistratus with his 49 companions, where they fervently prayed and gave thanks to the Creator for giving them power to endure such sufferings. night the martyrs were cut to pieces with swords by order of the military commander. holy relics were buried by the 135 soldiers who remained alive. Later, a church was built on the spot of their sufferings, as Saint Callistatus had foretold.

Rome, 307, Varus, commander, secret christian, assistance, fiercely beaten to d, holy relics in Galilee
Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19; Varus lived in Egypt during the period of several persecutions against Christians (late third to early fourth century). (Ouaros) was a military commander and secretly a Christian. He gave assistance to many of the persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and he visited the prisoners at night. He also brought food to the prisoners, dressed their wounds, and gave them encouragement. Varus spent a whole night talking with seven imprisoned monks. These men were Christian teachers who had been beaten and starved. Varus marched with the teachers when they were led to their execution. judge, seeing Varus’ strong faith, had him fiercely beaten. Varus died during the beating. After his death, the monks were beheaded.

Rome, 307-327, Cleopatra, Mt Tabor, C prays to d Varus, divine light vision comforts, then built church distributed wealth
Galilee, 307, Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source), John dies, C prays to d friend Varus to raise him, divine light vision of V and J in heaven comforted her, then built church distributed wealth & spent time prayer&fasting ; Mount Tabor; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Cleopatra and her son John came from the village of Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine. was a contemporary of the holy Martyr Varus and witnessed his voluntary suffering. the execution, Saint Cleopatra brought the body of the holy martyr to her own country and buried him with reverence. had one beloved son, John, who had attained the honorable rank of officer. To the great sorrow of his mother, John suddenly died. Cleopatra with tears of grief turned to the relics of the holy Martyr Varus, begging him for the return of her son. and her son appeared to Cleopatra in a dream, radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads. She realized that the Lord had received her son into the heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted. this vision blessed Cleopatra started to live by a church she built over the relics of the holy martyr Varus and her son John, and performed many good deeds. distributed her property to the poor and spent her time in prayer and fasting. After seven years she fell asleep in the Lord.

Rome, 313, Julian&wife Basilissa aAntinoe, virginal aMarriage, wealthy, 2Monasteries, converted torturer's son&wife, &dead man
Egypt, 313, Julian&wife Basilissa aAntinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15), Balissa wRich, remained virginal aMarriage, built 2Monastereis, led by them, Diocletian Persecution, converted son oHis torturer and his mother, resurrected&converted dead pagan, also 20 soldiers&7youths, all beheaded; Antinoe or Antinopolis; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; Holy Martyr Julian was born in the Egyptian city of Antinoe, to satisfy his parents he entered into marriage with the noble and rich maiden, Basilissa. married, the spouses remained virginal. the death of their parents they built two monasteries: one for men, and one for women. themselves became monastics and headed these monasteries. the year 313, during the reign of Diocletian, Saint Julian suffered cruelly for his faith in Christ. his bravery he converted Celsius, the son of his torturer the hegemon Marcian, and his wife, Marionilla. resurrected a dead pagan, the saint also converted him. converts received Baptism from the priest Anthony. Baptism the pagan was named Anastasius (i.e. “Resurrected”). being locked in prison, they all received the crown of martyrdom, won through beheading by the sword. with them were twenty soldiers and seven youths.

Rome, 303-353, Zosimus, Cilicia Wilderness, tortured, unharmed, prison warden believed, they back to wilderness
Cilicia, 303-353, Zosimus, Wilderness, Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, tortured, preserved unharmed, prison warden Athanasius believed, they retired back to wilderness; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia and was an inhabitant of the wilderness. During a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Saints Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Rome, 303-353, Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites
Cilicia, 303-363, Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, Diocletian Persecution, The Cilicia Wilderness, fierce torture, preserved unharmed, prison warden A believed, they went to Cilicia W, lived in crevice until death; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia and was an inhabitant of the wilderness. a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Saints Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Rome, 303-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Egypt ruler, advanced C in E, torture, prophecy, Julian recompnsd
Egypt, 303-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch ; (died 362[1]), known as Challita in the Maronite tradition, was a general of the Roman Empire, dux Aegypti (imperial prefect of Roman Egypt). He is considered a saint by the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, with the name of Artemius of Antioch. details are known of the life and death of Artemius, and many of those details are contradictory, or at least inconsistent, between Christian and pagan early sources. place or year of birth are not indicated in any historical sources, although at least one tradition quoted in a contemporary source indicates that Artemius was an Egyptian by birth.[2] to the 8th century compilation, Artemii Passio,[3] he was a Senator and “a notable participant in the highest affairs of [Constantine]”.[4] the author of the Passio attributes this information to Eusebius, who does not in fact mention Artemius in any of his writings, and this information cannot be confirmed by any other known historical records. stories that place Artemius with Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge[5] would make Artemius at least eighty years old when martyred by Julian, which would seem doubtful given his activity at the time.[6][7] assertion that Artemius was a friend and companion of Constantius II seems reliable.[8][9] Given the fact that Artemius held the position of dux Aegypti in the final years of Constantinus’ reign, as is asserted by a number of early sources, both pagan and Christian, it is clear that it is Constantius who must have awarded Artemius this position.[10][11][12][13] 360 CE, he was listed in a minute of the Oxyrhyncian Senate, under the name of Flavius Artemius, as holding the rank of dux Aegypti.[14] Artemii Passio attributes Artemius’ ascension to this high position to his successful completion of Constantius’ orders to recover the relics of the Apostles Andrew, Luke and Timothy.[15] to this narrative, Constantius sent Artemius to Achaea to claim the body of Andrew from Patras and the body of Luke from Boeotia.[16] is also credited there with translating the relics of Timothy from Ionian Ephesus to Constantinople.[17] Apparently in return for these tasks, Constantius awarded Artemius with the administration of Roman Egypt.[18] However, this attribution is not certain, given that other Christian sources that refer to the translation of St. Andrew's remains, including the Chronicon Paschale, written a century earlier, do not refer to Artemius in this regard.[19] serving as the military governor of Egypt, Artemius supported the Arian bishop of Alexandria, George the Cappadocian, and took part in the latter's campaign against both the pagan and Orthodox Christian populations. Documented examples of this support include the sacking of the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria,[20][21] as well as the pursuit of the former, Orthodox, bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius.[22][23] 361 CE, Constantius was succeeded by his cousin Julian, who, on becoming Emperor, broke with his Christian upbringing and took up traditional Roman pagan pantheism. thereafter, Artemius met his death, in circumstances that are not entirely clear. The Artemii Passio places his death at the hands of Julian, in Antioch, because upon being summoned by Julian from Alexandria, he supported Eugenius and Macarius, two Christian priests from Antioch, against the tortures to which they were subjected by Julian. Artemius is further accused by Julian of murdering Julian's half-brother, Gallus.[24] Despite Artemius' denials, Julian proceeds to have Artemius tortured in various fashions while exhorting Artemius to renounce his Christianity. Artemius repeatedly confirms his faith, and ultimately has his head cut off.[25] According to the Chronicon Paschale, Artemius dies in Alexandria.[26] Ammianus describes Artemius’ death as occurring after Artemius is no longer dux Aegypti, when he is executed for the crimes he was accused of committing against the people of Alexandria.[27] Julian himself provides a similar reason.[28] While Ammianus does not provide the location of Artemius’ death, his language indicates that it was not at Alexandria,[29] thus perhaps strengthening the contention that it was indeed at Antioch.[30] is considered a martyr and Saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, despite his apparent adherence to Arianism during his life. His acceptance as a martyr is based on the tradition found in Christian sources that he was tortured and executed by Julian for speaking on behalf of Christianity in the face of the apostate Emperor Julian, and his unwillingness to renounce his Christianity despite Julian's promises to allow him to live and restore him to his offices.[31] canonization as St. Artemios is based on the anonymous late 7th century compilation of 45 miracles with which he is attributed.[32] As described in the 45 miracles attributed to him, St. Artemios specializes in miracles dealing with medicine and healing, and in particular with hernias, and testicular and genital maladies in men. One miracle dealing with the healing of a woman is attributed to St. Artemios through his sending St. Febronia, who occupies a parallel construct for women.[33] feast day was set as 20 October.[34] His cult site was the Church of Saint John the Forerunning (St John the Baptist) in Constantinople.[35] St. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.[36] Antioch (Orontes River 7); Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). received many awards for distinguished service and courage. was appointed viceroy of Egypt. In this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt. Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, and the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, to Constantinople. The holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. At Antioch he ordered the torture of two bishops unwilling to forsake the Christian Faith. this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. The enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Artemius was praying, Christ, surrounded by angels, appeared to him and said, “Take courage, Artemius! I am with you and will preserve you from every hurt which is inflicted upon you, and I already have prepared your crown of glory. Since you have confessed Me before the people on earth, so shall I confess you before My Heavenly Father. Therefore, take courage and rejoice, you shall be with Me in My Kingdom.” Hearing this, Artemius rejoiced and offered up glory and thanksgiving to Him. the following day, Julian demanded that Saint Artemius honor the pagan gods. Meeting with steadfast refusal, the emperor resorted to further tortures. The saint endured all without a single moan. The saint told Julian that he would be justly recompensed for his persecution of Christians. Julian became furious and resorted to even more savage tortures, but they did not break the will of the saint. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. relics were buried by Christians. After the death of Saint Artemius, his prophecy about Julian the Apostate’s impending death came true. left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. retribution caught up with Julian the Apostate. During the battle he was mortally wounded by an unseen hand and an unseen weapon. Julian groaned deeply said, “You have conquered, Galilean!” After the death of the apostate emperor, the relics of the Great Martyr Artemius were transferred with honor from Antioch to Constantinople. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.

Rome, 303-320, 9yr old Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, tortured, her firmness converted Gov Alex
Nicomedia; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia suffered for her faith in Christ under the emperor Diocletian. The Nicomedia governor Alexander gave orders to arrest the nine-year-old Basilissa and force her to renounce Christ. But the young maiden displayed unshakable firmness in fidelity to her Lord, and so she was subjected to protracted and intense torture. the grace of God, the holy martyr remained alive and unharmed. This was evident to all those present as a manifestation of the power of God, and it so upset the governor Alexander, that he also came to believe in Christ and confessed himself a Christian. later by Bishop Anthimus, he lived for a short while in deep repentance, and then departed peacefully to the Lord, as did Saint Basilissa some while after him. Her death was peaceful and accompanied by miraculous signs of God’s mercy.

Rome, 304-305, Zenaida oCaesarea, Palestine, little info other than birth date 284, charism oMiracles & Martyr
Palestine, 304-305, Zenaida oCaesarea, Palestine(Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), little info other than birth date 284, charism oMiracles & Martyr; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; is very little information about Saint Zenaida, except that she was born in 284, in Caesarea of Palestine, that she was found worthy of the charism of working miracles. ended the course of her life with a martyric death. Byzantine Synaxarion mentions that Saint Zenaida's veneration was widespread in Constantinople, where her Synaxis took place on June 6, at a church dedicated to her in the Basilisk district. are a number of hagiographic sources which mention the name of Saint Zenaida. Among them, a Neapolitan calendar of the IX century (June 7); a printed Greek Menaion (Venice, 1591; and the Synaxaristes of Saint Νikodemos of the Holy Mountain. the Roman Martyrology of Cardinal Caesar Baronius, Zenaida is mistakenly listed under June 5 with the martyrs Valeria, Kyriake

Rome, 305-311, Emperor, Maximian Galerius, Fanatic Pagan, horrible disease, ended D Persecution
Rome, 305-311, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; Galerius, Sophia, Castle of Roman emperor Galerius; Galerius Valerius Maximianus (c. 258 - May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. life[edit] was born near Serdica,[14] in Dacia Ripensis, later named Dacia Mediterranea, though some modern scholars consider the strategic site where he later built his palace named after his mother – Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad) – his birth and funeral place.[12] father was a Thracian and his mother Romula had left Roman Dacia because of the Carpians' attacks.[15][16]: 19  He originally followed his father's occupation, that of a herdsman, where he was nicknamed Armentarius, herdsman. Galerius' father-in-law and senior emperor served with distinction as a soldier under Emperors Aurelian and Probus, and in 293 at the establishment of the Tetrarchy, was designated Caesar along with Constantius Chlorus, receiving in marriage Diocletian's daughter Valeria (later known as Galeria Valeria), and at the same time being entrusted with the care of the Illyrian provinces. a few years campaigning against Sarmatians and Goths on the Danube, he received command of the legions on the eastern imperial limits. Soon after his appointment, Galerius was dispatched to Egypt to fight the rebellious cities Busiris and Coptos.[17] with Persia[edit] See also: Roman relations with the Parthians and Sassanids and Roman–Persian Wars counterinvasion[edit] 294, Narseh, a son of Shapur I, who had been passed over for the Sassanid succession, came into power in Persia. Narseh probably moved to eliminate Bahram III, a young man installed by a noble named Vahunam in the wake of Bahram II's death in 293.[18]: 292 [19]: 69  In early 294, Narseh sent Diocletian the customary package of gifts, but within Persia, he was destroying every trace of his immediate predecessors, erasing their names from public monuments. He sought to identify himself with the warlike reigns of Ardashir (r. 226–41) and Shapur (r. 241–72), who had sacked Roman Antioch and captured Emperor Valerian.[19]: 69–70  295 or 296, Narseh declared war on Rome. He appears to have first invaded western Armenia, retaking the lands delivered to Tiridates in the peace of 287. He occupied the lands there until the following year.[18][20]: 149 [21]: 292 [22] historian Ammianus Marcellinus, circa 320–395, is the only source detailing the initial invasion of Armenia.[23] Southern (1999, 149) dates the invasion to 295; Barnes (1982, 17, 293) mentions an earlier, unsuccessful invasion by Narseh based on the fact that the title Persici Maximi was given to all four emperors; Odahl (2004, 59) concurs with Barnes and suggests that Saracen princes in the Syrian desert collaborated with Narseh's invasion. then moved south into Roman Mesopotamia, where he inflicted a severe defeat on Galerius, then commander of the eastern forces, in the region between Carrhae (Harran, Turkey) and Callinicum (Raqqa, Syria).[21] may or may not have been present at the battle,[18]: 652  but presented himself soon afterwards at Antioch, where the official version of events was made clear: Galerius was to take all the blame for the affair. Antioch, Diocletian forced Galerius to walk a mile in advance of his imperial cart while still clad in the purple robes of an emperor.[18][21]: 292–3  The message conveyed was clear; the loss at Carrhae was not due to the failings of the empire's soldiers, but due to the failings of their commander, and Galerius' failures would not be accepted.[24] Galerius' position at the head of the caravan possibly was merely the conventional organization of an imperial progression, designed to show a Caesar's deference to his Augustus.[25] of Galerius attacking Narseh on the Arch of Galerius at Thessaloniki, Greece, the city where Galerius carried out most of his administrative actions.[20]: 151  army was reinforced probably in the spring of 298 by new contingents collected from the empire's Danubian holdings.[26] did not advance from Armenia and Mesopotamia leaving Galerius to lead the offensive in 298 with an attack on northern Mesopotamia via Armenia.[24] may or may not have been present to assist the campaign.[27] retreated to Armenia to fight Galerius' force, to Narseh's disadvantage; the rugged Armenian terrain was favorable to Roman infantry, but not to Sassanid cavalry. Local aid gave Galerius the advantage of surprise over the Persian forces, and, in two successive battles, Galerius secured victories over Narseh.[24][26] the second encounter, the Battle of Satala in 298, Roman forces seized Narseh's camp, his treasury, his harem, and his wife.[24][26] Narseh's wife would live out the remainder of the war in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, serving as a constant reminder to the Persians of the Roman victory.[24] advanced into Media and Adiabene, winning continuous victories, most prominently near Theodosiopolis (Erzurum),[20]: 151  securing Nisibis (Nusaybin) before 1 October 298. He moved down the Tigris, taking Ctesiphon, and gazing onwards to the ruins of Babylon before returning to Roman territory via the Euphrates.[26] source ever specifically claims that Ctesiphon was sacked, but it is assumed to have been, primarily due to the seizure of Narseh's wife and harem.[20]: 150  negotiations[edit] had previously sent an ambassador to Galerius to plead for the return of his wife and children, but Galerius had dismissed this ambassador, reminding him of how Shapur had treated Valerian.[26] Romans, in any case, treated Narseh's captured family well perhaps seeking to evoke comparisons to Alexander and his beneficent conduct towards the family of Darius III.[24] negotiations began in the spring of 299, with both Diocletian and Galerius presiding. Their magister memoriae (secretary) Sicorius Probus was sent to Narseh to present terms.[26] conditions of the Peace of Nisibis were heavy:[24] Persia would give up territory to Rome, making the Tigris the boundary between the two empires. terms specified that Armenia was returned to Roman domination with the fort of Ziatha as its border; Caucasian Iberia would pay allegiance to Rome under a Roman appointee; now under Roman rule, would become the sole conduit for trade between Persia and Rome; and Rome would exercise control over the five satrapies between the Tigris and Armenia: Ingilene, Sophanene (Sophene), Arzanene (Aghdznik), Corduene, and Zabdicene (near modern Hakkâri, Turkey). regions included the passage of the Tigris through the Anti-Taurus range; the Bitlis pass, the quickest southerly route into Persian Armenia; and access to the Tur Abdin plateau. these territories, Rome would have an advance station north of Ctesiphon, and would be able to slow any future advance of Persian forces through the region.[28] the terms of the peace, Tiridates would regain both his throne and the entirety of his ancestral claim, and Rome would secure a wide zone of cultural influence in the region.[26] Because the empire was able to sustain such constant warfare on so many fronts, it has been taken as a sign of the essential efficacy of the Diocletianic system and the goodwill of the army towards the tetrarchic enterprise.[20]: 150  as Augustus[edit] of Galerius the elevation of Constantius I and Galerius to the rank of Augustus, two new Caesars were required to take their place. The two persons whom Galerius promoted to the rank of Caesar were very much his creatures, and he hoped to enhance his authority throughout the empire with their elevation.[29] was Maximinus Daza, whose mother was Galerius' sister. An inexperienced youth with little formal education, he was invested with the purple, exalted to the dignity of Caesar, and assigned the command of Egypt and Syria. Second was Severus, Galerius' comrade in arms; he was sent to Milan to receive the possession of Italy and Africa. According to the forms of the constitution, Severus acknowledged the supremacy of the western emperor, but he was absolutely devoted to the commands of his benefactor Galerius, who, reserving to himself the intermediate countries from the confines of Italy to those of Syria, firmly established his power over three-quarters of the empire.[29] hopes were dashed when his colleague Constantius died at York in 306 and the legions elevated his son Constantine to the position of Augustus. Galerius only discovered this when he received a letter from Constantine, who informed him of his father's death, modestly asserted his natural claim to the succession, and respectfully lamented that the enthusiastic violence of his troops had not allowed him to obtain the imperial purple in the regular and constitutional manner. The first emotions of Galerius were those of surprise, disappointment, and rage, and as he could seldom restrain his passions, he threatened to burn both the letter and the messenger.[30][31][32][33] however, when he had time to reconsider his position, he inevitably saw that his chances of winning a war against Constantine were doubtful at best. Galerius was well aware of Constantine's strengths – Constantine had been his guest for some time at Nicomedia – and knew that Constantius' legions were wildly devoted to his son.[29] Therefore, without either condemning or ratifying the choice of the Roman army, Galerius accepted the son of his deceased colleague as the ruler of the provinces beyond the Alps; but he gave him only the title of Caesar, and the fourth rank among the Roman princes, whilst he conferred the vacant place of Augustus on his favourite Severus. ambitious spirit of Galerius was only just over this disappointment when he beheld the unexpected loss of Italy to Maxentius, who was married to his daughter Valeria Maximilla.[34] Galerius’ need for additional revenue had persuaded him to make a very strict and rigorous examination of the property of his subjects for the purpose of a general taxation. A very minute survey was taken of their real estates and, wherever there was the slightest suspicion of concealment, torture was used to obtain a sincere declaration of their personal wealth. Italy had traditionally been exempt from any form of taxation, but Galerius ignored this precedent, and the officers of the revenue already began to number the Roman people, and to settle the proportion of the new taxes. Italy began to murmur against this indignity and Maxentius used this sentiment to declare himself emperor in Italy, to the fury of Galerius. Therefore, Galerius ordered his colleague Severus to immediately march to Rome, in the full confidence that, by his unexpected arrival, he would easily suppress the rebellion.[29] Severus was captured after his troops deserted to their old commander Maximian, who had once again been elevated to the rank of co-emperor, this time by his son Maxentius. Severus was later executed. Palace of Galerius in Zaječar, Serbia, today an UNESO World Heritage Site importance of the occasion needed the presence and abilities of Galerius. At the head of a powerful army collected from Illyricum and the East, he entered Italy, determined to avenge Severus and to punish the rebellious Romans.[citation needed] But due to the skill of Maximian, Galerius found every place hostile, fortified, and inaccessible; and though he forced his way as far as Narni, within sixty miles of Rome, his control in Italy was confined to the narrow limits of his camp. that he was facing ever-greater difficulties, Galerius made the first advances towards reconciliation, and dispatched two officers to tempt the Romans by the offer of a conference, and the declaration of his paternal regard for Maxentius, reminding them that they would obtain much more from his willing generosity than anything that might have been obtained through a military campaign. The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness, his friendship refused, and it was not long before he discovered that, unless he retreated, he would share Severus' fate. It was not a moment too soon; large monetary gifts from Maxentius to his soldiers had corrupted the fidelity of the Illyrian legions. When Galerius finally began his withdrawal from Italy, it was only with great difficulty that he managed to stop his veterans deserting him.[29] frustration, Galerius allowed his legions to ravage the countryside as they passed northwards. Maxentius declined to make a general engagement. so many emperors now in existence, in 308 Galerius, together with the retired emperor Diocletian and the now active Maximian, called an imperial 'conference' at Carnuntum on the River Danube to rectify the situation and bring some order back into the imperial government.[citation needed] Here it was agreed that Galerius’ long-time friend and military companion Licinius, who had been entrusted by Galerius with the defense of the Danube while Galerius was in Italy, would become Augustus in the West, with Constantine as his Caesar. In the East, Galerius remained Augustus and Maximinus remained his Caesar. Maximian was to retire, and Maxentius was declared a usurper. ’ plan soon failed. The news of Licinius’ promotion was no sooner carried into the East, than Maximinus, who governed the provinces of Egypt and Syria, rejected his position as Caesar, and, notwithstanding the prayers as well as arguments of Galerius, exacted the equal title of Augustus.[29] For the first, and indeed for the last time, six emperors administered the Roman world. Though the opposition of interest, and the memory of a recent war, divided the empire into two great hostile powers, their mutual fears and the fading authority of Galerius produced an apparent tranquility in the imperial government. last years of Galerius saw him relinquishing his aspirations towards being the supreme ruler of the empire, though he managed to retain the position of first among equals. He spent the remainder of his years enjoying himself and ordering some important public works, such as discharging into the Danube the superfluous waters of Lake Pelso, and cutting down the immense forests that encompassed it.[29] of Christians[edit] Main article: Diocletian Persecution of the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki. had lived pleasantly during most of the rule of Diocletian. The persecutions that began with an edict of February 24, 303, were credited by Christians to Galerius' work, as he was a fierce advocate of the old ways and old gods. Christian houses of assembly were destroyed, for fear of sedition in secret gatherings.[citation needed] was not anti-Christian during the first part of his reign, and historians have claimed that Galerius decided to prod him into persecuting them by secretly burning the Imperial Palace and blaming it on Christian saboteurs. Regardless of who was at fault for the fire, Diocletian's rage was aroused and he began one of the last and greatest Christian persecutions in the history of the Roman Empire.[citation needed] was at the insistence of Galerius that the last edicts of persecution against the Christians were published, beginning on February 24, 303, and this policy of repression was maintained by him until the appearance of the general edict of toleration, issued from Nicomedia in April 311, apparently during his last bout of illness (see Edict of Toleration by Galerius). Galerius's last request was that Christians should pray for him as he suffered with a painful and fatal illness; he died six days later.[35] one of the leading figures in the persecutions, Galerius later admitted that the policy of trying to eradicate Christianity had failed, saying: "wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes." Lactantius gives the text of the edict in his moralized chronicle of the bad ends to which all the persecutors came, De Mortibus Persecutorum.[36] This marked the end of official persecution of Christians. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire two years later in 313 by Constantine and Licinius in the Edict of Milan.[citation needed] died in late April or early May 311[37] from a horribly gruesome disease described by Eusebius[38] and Lactantius,[39] possibly some form of bowel cancer, gangrene or Fournier gangrene. was buried in his mausoleum at Gamzigrad-Romuliana, which was part of the palace he built at his birthplace, today's Zaječar in Serbia. Several lumps composed of corroded iron ring mail (lorica hamata) have been found at the site. This mail armour may have been worn by the wax ﬁgure of the emperor that was burned during the imperial funeral and apotheosis ceremony.[40] The entire site has been inscribed into the World Heritage List in June 2007. accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro ("œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Rome, 305-313, Empress, Galeria Valeria, Christian, Diocletian's daughter, k w mother Alexandra by Licinius
Rome, 305-313, Empeess Agusta, Galeria Valeria ; Valeria (died 315) was the daughter of Roman Emperor Diocletian and wife of his co-emperor Galerius. as Valeria to Diocletian and Prisca, she married Galerius in 293, when her father elevated him to the position of Caesar. This marriage was clearly organized to strengthen the bonds between the two emperors. was raised to the title of Augusta and Mater Castrorum in November 308. Since Galerius fathered no child with her, Valeria adopted her husband's illegitimate son, Candidianus, as her own. In her honor, Galerius renamed the province of Upper Pannonia Valeria, which he had improved by draining marshes and removing forests.[1] Galerius died, in 311, Licinius was entrusted with the care of Valeria and her mother Prisca. The two women, however, fled from Licinius to Maximinus Daia, whose daughter was betrothed to Candidianus. After a short time, Valeria refused the marriage proposal of Maximinus, who arrested and confined her in Syria and confiscated her properties. At the death of Maximinus, Licinius ordered the death of both women. Valeria and Prisca fled, hiding for a year, until they were recognized by residents in Thessaloniki. She and her mother were captured by Licinius' soldiers, beheaded in the central square of the city, and their bodies thrown in the sea.[2] Valeria was sympathetic towards Christians, while Galerius persecuted them. She was canonized as a Christian saint with her mother (see Saint Alexandra). Roman Emperor, 305-313, Maximian Galerius Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24;

Rome, 305-311, Maximian's Martyrs of Diocletian Persecution Folder

Rome, 301-306, Nestor, Macedonian of Thessaloniki, Demetrios' protege, defeated giant Lyaios
Macedonian Saint, 306, Nestor of Thessaloniki; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; holy Martyr Nestor was very young in age, handsome in appearance, and he was known to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios (October 26), for he had instructed Nestor in the faith. Emperor was visiting Thessaloniki, and he built a high platform in the midst of the city so that a gigantic barbarian named Lyaios could wrestle there and be seen by everyone. Beneath the platform many spears and other sharp weapons were placed pointing upward. When Lyaios defeated his opponents, he threw them down onto the spears and they died. Many Christians were forced to fight Lyaios, and were killed. When Nestor saw how Emperor Maximian rejoiced over the victories of his champion, he disdained his pride. Seeing the miracles of Saint Demetrios, however, he took courage and went to the prison where the holy Martyr was confined, and fell at his feet. “Pray for me, O Servant of God Demetrios,” he said, “that by your prayers, God may help me to beat Lyaios, and put an end to him who brings reproach upon the Christians.” Saint, after sealing Nestor with the Sign of the Cross, told him that he would prevail over Lyaios, and then suffer for Christ. Nestor mounted the platform without fear and exclaimed: “Help me, O God of Demetrios.” After he defeated Lyaios, he hurled him down onto the spears, where he gave up his wretched soul. became enraged and ordered that both Nestor and Demetrios should be put to death. Saint Demetrios was stabbed with spears, and Saint Nestor was beheaded. Thus, by his example Saint Nestor teaches us that in every human challenge we must say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me.” (Psalm 117/118:6, Hebrews 13:6).

Rome, 301-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki, myrrh-gusher, secret christian appointed to kill c, converted many
Macedonian Saint, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki; (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, Hágios Dēmḗtrios tēs Thessaloníkēs[a]), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer';[b] 3rd century – 306), was a Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with George of Lydda. His feast day is 26 October for Eastern Orthodox Christians, which falls on 8 November [NS] for those following the old calendar. In the Roman Catholic church he is most commonly called "Demetrius of Sermium" and his memorial falls on 8 October. Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Rome, 301-307, Lupus, slave of Demetrius of T, soaked with D's blood, took ring, worked miracles, destroyed idols
Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Rome, 301-311, Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Crimea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD, North Black Sea Region from Danube to Dniper rivers
Rome, 301-311, Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Crimea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD, North Black Sea Region from Danube to Dniper rivers, ruled by Roman Empire, The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capiton carried the Gospel of Christ into the North Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dniper, including the Crimea. were bishops of Cherson at different times during the fourth century, and they sealed their apostolic activity with martyrdom. Only Aetherius died in peace. before the Baptism of Rus under Saint Vladimir, the Christian Faith had already spread into the Crimea, which in antiquity was called Tauridia and was ruled by the Roman Emperor. The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30). Church’s enemies unwillingly contributed to the further spread of Christianity. The Roman emperors often banished traitors to this area. During the first three centuries, Christians were regarded as traitors because they would not follow the state religion. In the reign of Trajan (98-117), Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome (November 25), was sent to work in a stone quarry near Cherson. There he continued his preaching, and suffered martyrdom. pagans inhabiting the Crimea stubbornly resisted the spread of Christianity. But the faith of Christ, through its self-sacrificing preachers, grew strong and was affirmed. Many missionaries gave their lives in this struggle. the beginning of the fourth century a bishop’s See was established at Cherson. This was a critical period when Cherson served as a base for the Roman armies which constantly passed through the area. During the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the Patriarch of Jerusalem sent many bishops to preach the Gospel in various lands. Two of them, Ephraim and Basil, arrived in Cherson and planted the Word of God there. on, Saint Ephraim went to the peoples living along the Danube, where he underwent many tribulations and sorrows. He was beheaded at the start of the persecution. The preaching at Cherson was continued by Saint Basil, Saint Ephraim’s companion. He set many idol-worshippers on the path of truth. Other wayward inhabitants of the city, enraged at his activity, rose up against him. The saint was arrested, mercilessly beaten and expelled from the city. went to a mountain and settled in a cave, where he unceasingly prayed to God for those who had driven him out, asking that He might illumine them with the light of true knowledge. And the Lord provided the unbelievers with a miracle. The only son of an important citizen of Cherson died. The dead child appeared to his parents in a dream and said that a certain man named Basil could resurrect him from the dead by his prayers. the parents had found the saint and entreated him to work the miracle, Saint Basil replied that he himself was a sinful man and had not the power to raise the dead, but the Lord Almighty could fulfill their request if they were to believe in Him. For a long time the saint prayed, invoking the Name of the Holy Trinity. Then he blessed water, and sprinkled it on the dead one, who was restored to life. The saint returned to the city with honor, and many believed and were baptized. by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311), the persecution against Christians spread with renewed force. The Christ-haters rose up also against Saint Basil. On March 7, 309 he was dragged from his house during the night. They tied him up, dragged him along the streets and beat him to death with stones and rods. The body of the saint was thrown out of the city to be eaten by dogs and birds, and for many days it was left unburied, but remained untouched. Then Christians secretly buried the body of the holy martyr in a cave. year after the martyrdom of Saint Basil, three of his companions, Bishops Eugene, Elpidius and Agathodorus, ceased their preaching in the Hellespont, and arrived at Cherson to continue his holy work. They endured many hardships for the salvation of human souls. All three bishops shared the fate of their predecessor: they were stoned to death by the pagans on March 7, 311. Constantine the Great (May 21) took the throne, Bishop Aetherius was sent by emperor Constantine to Cherson from Jerusalem. At first he also encountered hostility on the part of the pagans, but the holy emperor would not tolerate acts of violence against the preacher. He issued a decree permitting the Christians of Cherson to have church services without hindrance. Through the efforts of Saint Aetherius a church was built in the city, where the saint peacefully governed his flock. Aetherius journeyed to Constantinople to thank the emperor for protecting the Christians. He fell ill and died on the return trip. holy emperor Constantine then sent Bishop Capiton to Cherson to replace Saint Aetherius. The Christians met him with joy, but the pagans demanded a sign from the new bishop, so they might believe in the God Whom he preached. Placing all his hope on the Lord, Saint Capiton put on his omophorion and went into a burning furnace. He prayed in the fire for about an hour, and emerged from it unharmed. “Shall anyone bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?” Solomon asks (Prov. 6:27). Saint Capiton carried red-hot coals in his phelonion, yet neither his body nor his garments were scorched. Many of the unbelievers were then persuaded in the power of the Christian God. miracle and the great faith of Saint Capiton were reported to Saint Constantine and the holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325), and they all glorified God. several years Saint Capiton journeyed to Constantinople on business, but the ship encountered a storm at the mouth of the Dniepr River. The local people (pagans) seized the ship and drowned all those on board, including Saint Capiton. Although this occurred on December 21, Saint Capiton is commemorated with the other hieromartyrs of Cherson on March 7.

Rome, 305, Peter Apselamus oAneia, Persecution oMaximian, said sparing self because those sacrificing tIdols will perish
Palestine, 305, Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River), Diocletian Persecution oMaximian, said sparing self because those sacrificing tIdols will perish ; Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; Holy Martyr Peter Apselamus was a native of the village of Aneia in Palestine. the fourth century persecution against Christians he was arrested and brought to Severus, the governor of Palestine. vain did the judge and the people urge him to escape torture by sacrificing to the pagan gods. “I will spare myself by remaining faithful to the truth and refusing to offer sacrifice to lifeless idols,” the saint replied. “Whoever offers sacrifice to false gods will perish.” was enraged, and ordered the holy martyr to be tortured without mercy. he was crucified during the reign of Maximian, our Lord Jesus Christ was reigning unto the ages of ages. some Lives of the Saints he is listed twice: on January 12 as the martyr Peter Apselamus, and on January 13 as Peter of Aneia, it was mistakenly assumed that they were different persons.

Rome, 305, Maurice oApamea, Syria, military commander, martyred with his son and 70 of his men, horible tortures
Syria, 305, Maurice oApamea, Syria (Orontes River 5), military commander oApamea, under Maximian Galerius, martyred with Son and his 70 soldiers, pagan priests reported him tEmperor that he was spreading the faith, they all firmly confessed faith, did not yield to treats or threats, beaten without mercy, burned, raked wIron hooks, son beheaded in front of father, but father happy son got the martyr's crown, then more subtle tortures, swampy place full oMosquitos, wasps, gnats, tied to trees, smeared wHoney, bites, weakened by hunger&thirst, endured 10 days, praying glorifying God, Lord ended sufferings, beheaded, no burial, but Christians at night buried them right there ; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Maurice, a military commander of Syrian Apamea, in the year 305 under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311) together with his son Photinus and seventy soldiers under his command two of the soldiers’ names are known, Theodore and Philip). a persecution, pagan priests reported to the emperor that Saint Maurice was spreading the faith in Christ. to trial, Saint Maurice, his son and his soldiers firmly confessed their faith they yielded neither to entreaties nor to threats. were then beaten without mercy, burned with fire and raked with iron hooks. Photinus, having endured the tortures, was beheaded by the sword before the very eyes of his father. this cruel torment did not break Saint Maurice, who was happy that his son had been vouchsafed the martyr’s crown. then devised even more subtle tortures for the martyrs: led them to a swampy place full of mosquitoes, wasps and gnats, they tied them to trees, smeared their bodies with honey. insects fiercely stung and bit the martyrs, were weakened by hunger and thirst. saints endured these torments for ten days, they did not cease praying and glorifying God finally the Lord put an end to their sufferings. wicked torturer gave orders to behead them and leave their bodies exposed without burial, Christians secretly buried the venerable relics of the holy martyrs by night the place of their horrible execution. Slavic usage Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion are commemorated on February 22; but on December 27 in Greek usage.

Rome, 305-311, Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora, Bithynia, special piety, healings, martyrdom, fire, rain
Bithynia, 300-311, Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora; Great Martyr George, died in Nicomedia, 303; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Virgins Menodora, Nymphodora, and Metrodora (305-311), were sisters from Bithynia (Asia Minor). Distinguished for their special piety, they wanted to preserve their virginity and avoid worldly associations. They chose a solitary place for themselves in the wilderness and spent their lives in deeds of fasting and prayer. of the holy life of the virgins soon spread, since healings of the sick began to occur through their prayers. The Bithynia region was governed at that time by a man named Frontonus, who ordered that the sisters be arrested and brought before him. first he tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, promising great honors and rewards. But the holy sisters steadfastly confessed their faith before him, rejecting all his suggestions. They told him that they did not value the temporal things of this world, and that they were prepared to die for their Heavenly Bridegroom, for death would be their gateway to eternal life. into a rage, the governor took out his wrath on Saint Menodora, the eldest sister. She was stripped of her clothes and beaten by four men, while a herald urged her to offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint bravely endured the torments and cried out, “Sacrifice? Can’t you see that I am offering myself as a sacrifice to my God?” Then they renewed their torments with even greater severity. Then the martyr cried out, “ Lord Jesus Christ, joy of my heart, my hope, receive my soul in peace.” With these words she gave up her soul to God, and went to her Heavenly Bridegroom. days later, they brought the two younger sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora to the court. They showed them the battered body of their older sister to frighten them. The virgins wept over her, but remained steadfast. Saint Metrodora was tortured. She died, crying out to her beloved Lord Jesus Christ with her last breath. Then they turned to the third sister, Nymphodora. Before her lay the bruised bodies of her sisters. Frontonus hoped that this sight would intimidate the young virgin. that he was charmed by her youth and beauty, he urged her to worship the pagan gods, promising great rewards and honors. Saint Nymphodora scoffed at his words, and shared the fate of her older sisters. She was tortured and beaten to death with iron rods. bodies of the holy martyrs were to be burned in a fire, but a heavy rain extinguished the blazing fire, and lightning struck down Frontonus and his servant. Christians took up the bodies of the holy sisters and reverently buried them at the so-called Warm Springs at Pythias (Bithynia). of the relics of the holy martyrs are preserved on Mt. Athos in the Protection cathedral of the Saint Panteleimon Russian monastery, and the hand of Saint Metrodora is on the Holy Mountain in the monastery of the Pantocrator. St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22 ;

Rome, 305-311, 156 Martyrs in Palestine, eyes gouged out, foot tendons cut, beheaded or burned
Palestine, 305-311, 156 Martyrs in Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River), eyes gouged out, foot tendons cut, beheaded or burned; Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Holy Martyrs Peleus and Nilus, Bishops of Egypt, Presbyter Zeno, Patermuthius, Elias and another 151 Martyrs suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). majority of them were Egyptians, but there were also some Palestinians among them. the governor of Palestine, arrested 156 Christians. gouged out the eyes of the holy martyrs, cut the tendons of their feet, and subjected them to all manner of tortures. beheaded 100 of the martyrs, and burned the rest.

Rome, 305-311, Cyrenia &Juliana, Charity, orphans, sick fFree, c pagans, Confess Christ, C walked naked, C&J burnt alive
Cilicia, 305-311, Cyrenia fTarsus, Cilicia &Juliana fRoso, Syria, Charity, Philanthropy, orphans, poor widows, sick fFree, poverty, injustice support, converted pagans, arrested bMarcian oCilicia, refused deny Christ, C walked naked Tarsus, C&J burnt alive iRosso; Tarsus; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Holy Martyr Kyriaina aka Cyrenia (Κυριαίνα) was from Tarsus in Cilicia, and Saint Juliana was from the city of Roso. virtuous women devoted themselves to works of charity and Christian philanthropy during the reign of Emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). cared for orphans, comforted poor widows and treated the sick without charging any fee. knew how to read and write somewhat, but they were very eager and always found a way to support the faith of those who suffered from poverty, injustice, or other trials. times they succeeded in bringing pagans to the light of Christ through the Gospel, and by their own patience and goodness. Saints were arrested by Marcian, the governor of Cilicia, who tried to make them to deny Christ, but they refused to do this. Marcian had Kyriaina's hair and eyebrows shaved, and forced her to walk naked through the streets of Tarsus. she and Juliana were taken to the city of Roso, where they were burnt alive. endured this horrible death with admirable steadfastness and self-denial, thereby obtaining the incorruptible crown of martyrdom from Christ.

Rome, 305-311, Maximus oAdrianopolis, Bulgaria, torn wIron hooks, not eaten bWild beasts, beheaded
Bulgaria, , Maximus oAdrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Road, Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9), Maximus, Theodotus, Hesychius and Asclepiodota suffered during Maximian 305-311, first tied to tree&Toren them with iron hooks, After this, they led them from city to city, and then gave them to be eaten by wild beasts, unharmed, stones thrown at Asdepodota tied to tree, all then beheaded; Adrianople; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Holy Martyrs Maximus, Theodotus, Hesychius and Asclepiodota suffered for the Faith at Adrianopolis, the persecution under the emperor Maximian (305-311). holy martyrs endured many sufferings. first they tied them to a tree and tore them with iron hooks. this, they led them from city to city, and then gave them to be eaten by wild beasts. safe by the grace of God, the holy martyrs remained unharmed. they received a martyr’s death at the hands of the torturers. Asclepiodota was thrown to the ground and beaten, and then they tied her to a tree and threw stones at her. she was beheaded.

Rome, 305-313, Menas, sent to supress riots in 313, but preached, relics revealed in 867 in dream
Egypt, 305-309, Egyptian Saint, Menas; Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus suffered for their faith in Christ under the emperor Maximian (305-313). Menas was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to suppress the riots that had arisen between the Christians and the pagans. Distinguished for his gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly began to preach the Christian Faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. Learning of this, Maximian sent Hermogenes to Alexandria to place the saints on trial. Moreover, he gave orders to purge the city of Christians. Martyr Hermogenes although he was a pagan, was distinguished by his reverent bearing. And struck by the endurance of Saint Menas under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, he also came to believe in Christ. Maximian himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the astonishing stoic endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes under torture, nor even the miracles manifested by God in this city, mollified the emperor. Instead, they vexed him all the more. The emperor personally stabbed Saint Eugraphus, the secretary of Saint Menas, who had declared himself a Christian upon witnessing the endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes; and then gave orders to behead the holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes. Martyr Eugraphus relics of the holy martyrs, cast into the sea in an iron chest, were afterwards found (see February 17) and transferred to Constantinople in the ninth century. The emperor Justinian built a church in the name of the holy Martyr Menas of Alexandria. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) composed a Canon in honor of these holy martyrs. Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Holy Martyr Menas Kallikelados (Well Speaking), an Athenian, died as a martyr with Saints Hermogenes and Eugraphus in about the year 313 (December 10). During the reign of Emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886), the military commander Marcian discovered the saint’s relics after Saint Menas appeared to a certain pious man in a dream to reveal where they were.

Rome, 305-313, Menas oAlexandria, sent tAlexandria by Emperor against Christians, but converts pagans, complete healings cH&E
Egypt, 305-313, Menas, Hermogenes&Eugraphus oAlexandria, Egypt, Emperor Maximian sent Menas fAthens tAlexandria tSupress riots between Christians&Pagans, instead he used eloquence gift to preach&convert pagans, then M sent Hermogenes to place saints on trial&purge Alexandria oChristians, Menas' endurance&Miraculous healing aTorture converted H, Emperor came, not mullified by miracles, personall stabbed Eugraphus, Menas's secretary, beheaded M&H, cast into sea in Iron Chest later found by Christians; Alexandria; Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, of Alexandria Commemorated on December 10; Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus suffered for their faith in Christ under the emperor Maximian (305-313). Menas was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to suppress the riots that had arisen between the Christians and the pagans. for his gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly began to preach the Christian Faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. of this, Maximian sent Hermogenes to Alexandria to place the saints on trial. Moreover, he gave orders to purge the city of Christians. hermogenes Martyr Hermogenes although he was a pagan, was distinguished by his reverent bearing. And struck by the endurance of Saint Menas under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, he also came to believe in Christ. himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the astonishing stoic endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes under torture, nor even the miracles manifested by God in this city, mollified the emperor. Instead, they vexed him all the more. emperor personally stabbed Saint Eugraphus, the secretary of Saint Menas, who had declared himself a Christian upon witnessing the endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes; and then gave orders to behead the holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes. eugraphos Martyr Eugraphus relics of the holy martyrs, cast into the sea in an iron chest, were afterwards found (see February 17) and transferred to Constantinople in the ninth century. emperor Justinian built a church in the name of the holy Martyr Menas of Alexandria. Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) composed a Canon in honor of these holy martyrs.

Rome, 306, Theodore the Recruit, confessed Christ, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body not burned, 363 Kolva instead
Armenia, 306, Theodore the Recruit, Alasium, Pontine, Armenia, soldier, commanded to idol sacrifice, loudly confessed Christ, temple fire, starvation sentence, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body not burned, 363 T appeared to warn of blood on food, Kolva instead; Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro "œthe Recruit"), Commemorated on February 17; Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (Tyro) was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time Saint Theodore prayed. charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, Saint Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer gave up his holy soul to God. occurred in about the year 306 under the Roman emperor Galerius (305-311). by the fire, the body of Saint Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto. on, fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. Saint Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by Saint John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). Troparion to Saint Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to Saint Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). pray to Saint Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.

Rome, 306, Martyrs Aristocles, Demetrian, and Athanasius, of Cyprus, Lord commanded Ar return&suffer, fire did not work on D&At
Cyprus, 306, Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, terrified, Lord commanded Ar return&suffer, picked D&At on the way, fire did not work for D&At, all beheaded Cyprus; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Holy Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian, and Athanasius suffered for the Christian Faith during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). The presbyter Aristocles, a native of the Cypriot city of Tamasa, served in the cathedral church during the time of the persecution against Christians. He became terrified of the tortures, and he left the city and hid in a mountain cave. Once during prayer a light shone upon him, and he heard a command from the Lord to return to the island of Cyprus and suffer for Christ. Saint Aristocles obediently set out to return, and on the way he visited the church of the holy Apostle Barnabas (June 11), where he met Deacon Demetrian and Athanasius the Reader. He told them of his vision, and Saints Demetrian and Athanasius decided to endure martyrdom together with him. Having arrived in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. The pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead Saint Aristocles, and to burn Saints Demetrian and Athanasius. But even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306. In Greek usage, these saints are commemorated on June 23. Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Holy Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian, and Athanasius suffered for the Christian Faith during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). presbyter Aristocles, a native of the Cypriot city of Tamasa, served in the cathedral church during the time of the persecution against Christians. became terrified of the tortures, and he left the city and hid in a mountain cave. Once during prayer a light shone upon him, and he heard a command from the Lord to return to the island of Cyprus and suffer for Christ. Aristocles obediently set out to return, and on the way he visited the church of the holy Apostle Barnabas (June 11), where he met Deacon Demetrian and Athanasius the Reader. told them of his vision, and Saints Demetrian and Athanasius decided to endure martyrdom together with him. arrived in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead Saint Aristocles, and to burn Saints Demetrian and Athanasius. even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306. Greek usage, these saints are commemorated on June 23.

Rome, 307, Demetrios of Thrace,Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) a Slav, tortured fChrist, beheaded
Bulgaria, 307, Demetrios of Thrace,Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) a Slav fVillage near Amapasos, tortured fChrist, beheaded; Thrace; Martyr Demetrios of Thrace, Commemorated on November 15 Demetrios was a Slav from the village of Davoudio (Dabuda) in Thrace, which was near the town of Amapasos. He was arrested in the time of Emperor Maximian and the Archon Publius, about the year 298 (some sources say 307). After suffering many tortures for Christ, he was finally beheaded.

Rome, 308, Elias, Probus, and Ares, Cilicia, heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison, Martyred
Cilicia, 308, Elias, Probus, and Ares, Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison, during Maximian, tortured and Killed; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyrs Elias, Probus, and Ares, natives of Egypt, and heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison during the persecution of Maximian (305-313). For this they were arrested, subjected to torture and given over to death (+308). Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Rome, 308-309, Pope Marcellus I, renounced in cowardice, then repentented and martyred
Roman Pope, 308-309, Pope Marcellus I; Marcellinus was the bishop of Rome from 30 June 296 to his death in 304. He may have renounced Christianity during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians before repenting afterwards, which would explain why he is omitted from lists of martyrs. He is today venerated as a saint in Catholic and Serbian Orthodox Church. St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Marcellinus was Pope of Rome during the height of the persecution against Christians under Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), when 17,000 men were martyred a single month. During this time Saint Marcellinus was also arrested. Afraid of the fierce tortures, he burned incense and offered sacrifice to idols. The emperor called him his friend and clothed him in splendid robes. Although he had encouraged others to undergo torture for Christ, he gave in to cowardice. He wept bitterly, filled with remorse. this time, a Synod of 180 bishops and presbyters met at the city of Sinuessa (in Campania). Saint Marcellinus appeared at the assembly in penitential sackcloth, his head sprinkled with ashes. He confessed his sin before the delegates and asked them to judge him. The Fathers of the Council said, “Judge yourself! From your lips this sin came forth, from your lips let judgment be pronounced. We know that even Saint Peter denied Christ out of fear, but he wept bitterly for his sin, and received forgiveness from the Lord.” Marcellinus pronounced sentence upon himself, “I strip myself of the priestly dignity, of which I am unworthy. After death, do not bury my body, but instead throw it to the dogs. Cursed be the one who dares to bury it.” his return to Rome Marcellinus went to the emperor, threw down the fine clothing given him, and said that he regretted his renunciation of Christ. The enraged emperor had him tortured, and sentenced him to death. Marcellinus prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who mercifully receives sinners who repent, then willingly placed his head beneath the sword. The holy martyrs Claudius, Cyrinus and Antoninus were beheaded with him. body of Saint Marcellinus lay for thirty-six days along the wayside. Appearing in a vision to the new bishop Marcellus, the holy Apostle Peter said, “Why have you not buried the body of Marcellinus?” “I fear his curse,” replied Saint Marcellus. “Perhaps you do not remember,” said the Apostle Peter, “that it is written: ‘He that humbles himself shall be exalted.’ Therefore, go bury his body with reverence.” the command of the Apostle Peter, Saint Marcellus buried the body of Saint Marcellinus in a crypt, built for the burial of the bodies of martyrs by the illustrious Priscilla, along the Via Salaria.

Rome, 308-309, Pamphilius, Valens, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, persecution, initiated by Diocletian
Palestine, 308-309, Pamphilius the Presbyter, Valens the Deacon, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, Samuel, Elias, Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah suffered during the persecution against Christians, initiated by the emperor Diocletian in the years 308-309 at Caesarea in Palestine; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Holy Martyrs Pamphilius the Presbyter, Valens the Deacon, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, Samuel, Elias, Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah suffered during the persecution against Christians, initiated by the emperor Diocletian in the years 308-309 at Caesarea in Palestine. holy martyr Pamphilius, a native of the city of Beirut, was educated at Alexandria, after which he was made a priest at Caesarea. He devoted much labor to collating manuscripts and correcting copyist errors in the texts of the New Testament. The corrected texts of Saint Pamphilius were copied and distributed to anyone who wanted them. Many pagans were converted to Christ through them. works were collected into the extensive library of spiritual books available for the enlightening of Christians. Saint Jerome (4th-5th century) deeply respected Saint Pamphilius and considered himself fortunate to have located and acquired several of his manuscripts. assisting Saint Pamphilius in proclaiming the faith in Christ were Saint Valens, deacon of the church at Eleia, a man stooped with age and well-versed in the Holy Scriptures, and Saint Paul, ardent in faith and love for Christ the Savior. All three were imprisoned for two years by Urban, the governor of Palestinian Caesarea. the rule of his successor Firmilian, 130 Christians were sentenced in Egypt and sent to Cilicia (Asia Minor) to work in the gold mines. Five young brothers accompanied them to the place of exile. On their return to Egypt they were detained at Caesarea and thrown into prison for confessing Christ. youths appeared before Firmilian, together with those imprisoned earlier: Saints Pamphilius, Valens and Paul. The five Egyptian youths took the names of Old Testament prophets, Elias, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Samuel and Daniel. Asked where they were from, the youths said that they were citizens of Jerusalem, meaning the heavenly Jerusalem. Firmilian knew nothing of such a city, since Jerusalem had been razed to the ground by the emperor Titus in the year 70. The emperor Hadrian (117-138) built a new city on the site, which was called Aelia Capitolina. tortured the youths for a long time. He sought to learn the location of the unknown city, and he sought to persuade the youths to apostatize. But nothing was accomplished, and the governor ordered them to be beheaded by the sword with Pamphilius, Valens and Paul. this occurred, a servant of Pamphilius endured suffering. This was the eighteen-year-old youth Porphyrius, meek and humble. He had heard the sentence of death for the condemned martyrs, and asked the governor’s permission to bury the bodies after their execution. For this he was sentenced to death, and thrown into a fire. witness of this execution, the pious Christian Seleucius, a former soldier, in saluting the deeds of the sufferers, went to Pamphilius and told him about the martyric death of Saint Porphyrius. He was seized by soldiers and, on Firmilian’s orders, was beheaded by the sword together with the condemned. of the governor’s servants, Theodulus, a man of venerable age and a secret Christian, met the martyrs being led to execution, embraced them and asked them to pray for him. He was taken by soldiers to Firmilian, on whose orders he was crucified. young Julian, a native of Cappadocia who had come to Caesarea, saw the bodies of the saints which had been thrown to wild beasts without burial. Julian went down on his knees and venerated the bodies of the sufferers. Soldiers standing by at the wall seized him and took him to the governor, who condemned him to burning. The bodies of all twelve martyrs remained unburied for four days, but neither beasts nor birds would touch them. Embarrassed by this situation, the pagans permitted Christians to take the bodies of the martyrs and bury them.

Rome, 305-312, Emperor, Maximinus II Daia, in the East, pagan, defeated by Licinius
Roman Emperor, 305-312, Maximinus II Daia; Valerius Maximinus, also known as Daza[i] (c. 270 – c. July 313), was Roman emperor from 310 to 313. He became embroiled in the Civil wars of the Tetrarchy between rival claimants for control of the empire, in which he was defeated by Licinius. A committed pagan, he engaged in one of the last persecutions of Christians, before issuing an edict of tolerance near his death. ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ;

Rome, 305-312, Maximinus II Daia's Martyrs Folder

Rome, 301-311, Peter of Alexandria, Archbishop, A School, lenient to fallen c, but excommunicated Arius, unusual martyrdom
Egypt, 300-311, Peter of Alexandria, Archbishop, School of Alexandria, lenient to fallen c, but excommunicated Arius, unusual martyrdom, avoided the crowd, voice from heaven, vision of Jesus as a child, Arius warning from J, profound theologian; Peter I of Alexandria (Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ ⲁ̅, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ ⲓⲉⲣⲟⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲁⲣⲭⲏⲉⲣⲉⲩⲥ[1]) was the 17th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. He is revered as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church.[2] was born and raised in Alexandria. Coptic Orthodox Church believes that Peter was given by his parents to Theonas to be brought up as a priest, similarly to the story of Samuel in the Old Testament. rose through the ranks of holy orders, first becoming a reader, then a deacon, then a priest. Highly educated, Peter became head of the school of Alexandria.[3] early 300, while on his death bed, Theonas advised the church leaders to choose Peter as his successor, which they did. time as bishop included the Diocletianic Persecution, which began in 303, and continued intermittently over the next ten years. into exile from the city during the anti-Christian persecutions, Peter traveled through many lands, encouraging his flock by letter, before returning to his city to guide the Alexandrian Church personally during this period. He secretly visited those imprisoned, assisted widows and orphans, and conducted clandestine services.[3] of Peter's position during the persecution vary,[4] but one states that he was imprisoned for a time with bishop Meletius of Lycopolis and they fell into an argument over the treatment of Christians who had either offered pagan sacrifice or surrendered scriptures to the authorities to save their lives during the persecution. urged leniency while Meletius held firmly that the lapsed had abandoned their faith and needed to be rebaptised. Their argument became heated, and was ended when Peter hung a curtain between him and Meletius. of Meletius' followers was a priest named Arius (modern scholarship differs on whether this was the same Arius as became involved with the Arian controversy a few years later).[5][6] According to Severus of Ashmumeen, Arius tried in vain to receive absolution from the Patriarch before Peter was executed, and before dying Peter anathematized Arius as a heretic and excommunicated him.[3] execution of the patriarch Peter of Alexandria under the emperor Maximinus Daia, depicted in the Menologion of Basil II, an illuminated manuscript prepared for the emperor Basil II in c. 1000. tenth-century historian Severus of Ashmumeen gives us an account of how during the Diocletianic Persecution the Patriarch was seized and thrown in prison. When the emperor was informed about this, he ordered Peter to be beheaded. This was hindered by a large number of Christians who gathered at the prison willing to die for their Patriarch. The soldiers delayed the execution because they neither wanted to massacre the crowd nor create a riot. Patriarch, fearing for the life of his people, advised the soldiers with a plan to smuggle him out of jail by breaking a hole in a certain wall which he would point out. He could then be smuggled out and receive his sentence. of Ashmumeen describes the moment when the Patriarch was martyred: he took off his omophorion, and bared his neck, which was pure before the Lord, and said to them: «Do as you have been commanded». the soldiers feared that trouble would befall them because of him. So they looked one at another, and not one of them dared to cut off his head, because of the dread which had fallen upon them. they took counsel together and said: «To him that cuts off his head each one of us will give five denarii». Now they were six persons; and one of them had some money; so he took out five and twenty denarii from among the coins and said : «He that will go up to him, and cut off his head, shall receive this money from me and from the four others». So one of the men went forward, and summoned up his courage, and cut off the head of the holy martyr and patriarch Peter; that day being the 29th of Hatur.[6] is a month in the Coptic calendar, corresponding roughly to November. Saint Peter's martyrdom occurred in the year AD 311. day[edit] in Christianity, the day of a saint's death is the day on which his feast day is celebrated. 29 Hatur corresponds to 25 November in the Julian calendar (to 26 November if the following Julian year is a leap year). Thus 29 Hatur corresponds at present to the Gregorian Calendar 8 December or 9 December (see Old Style and New Style dates). Alexandria; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25 ; Holy Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born and raised at Alexandria. He was a highly educated man, and was head of the school of Alexandria. In the year 300 he became the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church, succeeding his teacher and spiritual guide, the holy Bishop Theonas. into exile from the city during the anti-Christian persecutions under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, Saint Peter traveled through many lands, encouraging his flock by letter. Again returned to his city, in order to guide the Alexandrian Church personally during this dangerous period. The saint secretly visited Christians locked up in prison, encouraging them to be steadfast in faith, assisting the widows and orphans, preaching the Word of God, constantly praying and officiating at the divine services. And the Lord kept him safe from the hands of the persecutors. this time of unrest the iniquitous heretic Arius, who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, sowed the tares of his impious teaching. When Arius refused to be corrected and submit to the truth, Saint Peter anathematized the heretic and excommunicated him from the Church. Arius then sent two of Saint Peter’s priests to beg the saint to lift the excommunication from him, pretending that he had repented and given up his false teachings. This was not true, for Arius hoped to succeed Saint Peter as Archbishop of Alexandria. Saint Peter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, saw through the wickedness and deceit of Arius, and so he instructed his flock not to believe Arius nor to accept him into communion. the wise nurturing of Saint Peter the Church of Alexandria strengthened and grew in spite of the persecutions. But finally, on orders from the emperor Maximian (305-311), the saint was arrested and sentenced to death. A multitude of people gathered at the entrance of the prison, expressing their outrage. to avoid bloodshed and a riot by the people, the saint sent a message to the authorities, in which he suggested that they make an opening in the back wall of the prison, so that he might be taken away secretly to execution. the dark of the night Saint Peter went with the executioners, who took him beyond the city walls and beheaded him at the same spot where formerly Saint Mark had been executed. night a certain pious virgin heard a Voice from heaven saying, “Peter was first among the Apostles; Peter is the last of the Alexandrian Martyrs.” took place in the year 311. the morning, when people learned of the death of their bishop, a crowd gathered at the place of execution. They took up the body and head of the martyr and went to the church, dressing him in his bishop’s vestments, they sat him in his throne at the high place in the altar. During his life Saint Peter never sat on it, but sat on a footstool instead. saint once explained that whenever he approached his throne he beheld a heavenly light shining on it, and he sensed the presence of a divine power. Therefore, he didn’t dare to sit there. Lord Jesus Christ once appeared to Saint Peter as a twelve-year-old child wearing a robe that was torn from top to bottom. Saint Peter asked the Savior who had torn his garment, He replied, “That madman Arius has torn it by dividing the people whom I have redeemed by My blood. Do not receive him into Communion with the Church, for he has worked evil against Me and My flock.” Peter, a great champion of Orthodoxy, is known also as a profound theologian. Passages from his book, “On the Divinity (of Jesus Christ)”, were consulted at the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. Of all his works, the most widely known and highly esteemed by the Church are his “Penitential Canons”.

Rome, 312, Julian of Emesa, Phoenecia Segunda, skilled physician, converted many,encouraged martyrs, martyred w long nails
Syria, 312, Julian of Emesa, Syria or Phoenecia Segunda (Homs, Orontes River 2), skilled physician, converted many,encouraged martyrs, martyred w long nails; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; Holy Martyr Julian was a native of the Phoenician city of Emesa, and he suffered in the year 312 under the emperor Maximian. was a skilled physician, and healed illnesses not only of the body but also of the soul, and he converted many people to faith in Christ the Savior. they led away the holy Martyrs Bishop Silvanus, Deacon Luke and the Reader Mocius (February 29) to be eaten by wild beasts, Julian encouraged them and urged them not to fear death for the Lord. was also arrested and put to death. His head, hands and feet were pierced with long nails.

Rome, 312, Emesa Bishop Silvanus & his deacon & reader thrown tWild beasts after tortures exhaustion hunger, untouched bAnimals
Syria, 312, Silvanus the bishop suffered in the city of Phoenician Emesa Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2) in 312 along with Saint Luke the deacon and Mocius the Reader, thrown tWild Beasts after tortures, prison, exhaustion, hunger, untouched by animals, died praying, Julian encouraged them not to fear death; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; - Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29: Silvanus the bishop suffered in the city of Phoenician Emesa (Homs) in 312 along with Saint Luke the deacon and Mocius the Reader. tortures, imprisonment and exhaustion by hunger, they were thrown to the wild beasts. holy martyrs died praying, untouched by the animals. took up the bodies of the holy martyrs by night and buried them with reverence. Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; Holy Martyr Julian was a native of the Phoenician city of Emesa, and he suffered in the year 312 under the emperor Maximian. was a skilled physician, and healed illnesses not only of the body but also of the soul, and he converted many people to faith in Christ the Savior. they led away the holy Martyrs Bishop Silvanus, Deacon Luke and the Reader Mocius (February 29) to be eaten by wild beasts, encouraged them and urged them not to fear death for the Lord. was also arrested and put to death. His head, hands and feet were pierced with long nails.

Rome, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated f martyr, survived being drug behind horse, died 20 yrs later 325
Constantinople, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated for martyrdom, survived being drug behind a horse, died 20 yrs later in 325; Cyzicus Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Confessor Sisinius was Bishop of Cyzicus in what is now Turkey. During the persecution of Diocletian he was slated for martyrdom, having been tied behind a horse in an effort to drag him through the streets until death. Sisinius survived, however, and died in the year 325 AD.

Rome, 305-337, Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis), George's relics, many miracles
Palestine, 305-337, Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis), during Constantine's reign, George's relics, many miracles; Palestine, , Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lo or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1), George's relics, many miracles; Lydda or Lod; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydda, Commemorated on November 3; Christians built a new church in honor of Saint George at Lydda during the reign of Saint Constantine (305-337). the church was consecrated, the relics of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23) were transferred there, and many miracles took place before them.

Rome, 305-395, Marcarius oAlexandria, in trade till 40, tAscetic 60yrs, Caves Igumen, Wonderworker, clairvoyance, saw m visions
Egypt, 305-395, Marcarius oAlexandria, friend Marcarius tGreat, in trade till 40, then 60 yrs iDesert, priest, igumen M otCells, South otNitria, hermits there lived silently separately itCell, Slete, south otCells, Nitria, all way to Nile, great monk, igumen, many miracles, tried match other monks feats, less than 1lb bread a day, stayed up many days, to shorten his sleep stayed twenty days under open sky, cold aNight hot bDay, grape story gave but came back to him, proud thought go Rome heal sick, carried sack sand into desert until exhausted, by ascetic life acquired gift oWonderworking, clairvoyance, saw many visions, example saw ascetuc Mark receive eucharist from hands oAngels, saw careless receiving burning coals from deamons instead oBody oChrist, he wrote Discourse on Origin otSoul, in the Annotated Psalter, died age 100, 385; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius of Alexandria was a contemporary and friend of Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). was born in the year 295 and until the age of forty he was occupied in trade. he was baptized and withdrew into the desert, he spent more than sixty years. several years of ascetic life he was ordained to the holy priesthood made head of the monastery the Cells in the desert between Nitria and Skete, hermits silently lived in asceticism, separately in his own cell. were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile. Macarius of Alexandria, like Macarius of Egypt, was a great ascetic and monastic head, he worked many miracles. about some monk’s ascetic feat, he attempted to imitate it. when he heard that someone ate only one pound of bread a day, he would eat only that much or even less. to shorten his sleep, he stayed for twenty whole days under the open sky, enduring heat by day and cold by night. Macarius once received a bunch of newly-picked grapes. very much wanted to eat them, he conquered this desire in himself and gave the grapes to another monk who was sick. monk, wanting to preserve his abstinence, gave the grapes to another, and he gave them to a third and so forth. the end the bunch of grapes returned to Saint Macarius. ascetic was astonished at the abstinence of his disciples and gave thanks to God. a proud thought came to the saint to go to Rome and heal the sick. with the temptation, the saint filled up a sack of sand, loaded it on himself and walked into the desert until he exhausted his body. proud thought then left him. his ascetic life, fasting, and renunciation of earthly things, Macarius acquired the gifts of wonderworking of discerning the inner thoughts of people, he also saw many visions. once saw how one of the ascetics of the holy monastery, Saint Mark, received the Holy Mysteries from the hands of angels, how during Communion the careless brethren received burning coals from the demons instead of the Body of Christ. Macarius was glorified by many miracles of healing the sick and casting out devils. Macarius of Alexandria died in about 394-395 at age of one hundred. wrote a Discourse on the Origin of the Soul included in the text of the Annotated Psalter.

Rome, 306-312, Emperor, Maxentius, in Rome, civil war against Licinius and Constantine, drowned in Tiber
Roman Emperor, 306-312, Maxentius ; (Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius; c. 276 - 28 October 312) was Roman emperor from 306 to 312. He was the son of former Emperor Maximian and the son-in-law of Emperor Galerius. latter part of his reign was preoccupied with civil war, allying with Maximinus II against Licinius and Constantine. The latter defeated him at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312, where Maxentius, with his army in flight, purportedly perished by drowning in the Tiber river. Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20;

Rome, 306-337, Emperor, Constantine the Great, declared emperor at York, Roman Britain
Roman Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; St Myron the Wonderworker and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 8 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20;

Rome, 306-337, Zoticus tKeeper oOrphans, Hospital funded bConstantine fLeprosy, Arian Son drug Z oStones, Spring there
Constantinople, 306-337, Zoticus tKeeper oOrphans, illustrious rich Roman wConstantine, 324 tConstantinople wC, ordained priest, in home destitute&Orphaned, funds fConstantine built hospital fSick&Homeless, saved leperors fSoldiers wDrowned them, Arian Constantius suceeded father C, thought Z bought jewels wThe money, shown tHospital angry had wild mules drag Z over stones, Pure water Spring there; Constantinople; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Hieromartyr Zoticus, Protector of Orphans, illustrious and rich Roman, in the service of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). the emperor transferred the capital from Rome to Constantinople, Zoticus also moved there. however, spurning worldly honors, Zoticus was ordained to the holy priesthood, and he began to provide for the destitute and orphaned in his own home. receiving funds from Saint Constantine, he built a place of treatment for the sick, a shelter for the homeless, where he took in those afflicted with leprosy, rescuing them from the soldiers who had been ordered to drown them in the sea. Saint Constantine’s son, Constantius (337-361), an adherent of the Arian heresy, succeeded his father, Zoticus was accused of receiving a large sum of money from the deceased emperor. asked about this, Zoticus showed the emperor the homeless and sick home he had built. became angry, for he thought that Zoticus had purchased jewels with the money received from his father, and he wanted them back. ordered Saint Zoticus to be tied to wild mules, which dragged the saint over the stones. His whole body was lacerated, and the saint gave up his soul to God. stream of pure water sprang forth at the place of his death, from which many received healing.

Rome, 306-337, Spyridon oTremithus, a Shepherd, giving much, so wondrwrkng gift, converted Arian Philosopher at 1st EC, much+
Cyprus, 306-337, Spyridon Wonderworker Bishop oTremithus, Cyprus, a Shepherd, giving tNeighbors&homeless, so wonderworking gift, healing deliverance, bishop aWife dies, continued giving, attended 325 EC, converted Greek Arian philosopher with his powerful not reasonable word, remarkable trinity display, squezed brick into water, fire&dust, for flock stopped drought &incessent rains, demons cast out, restored woman's dead son, she died restored her, hindered on way to saving falsely accused friend he stopped flood stream, judge heard and freed friend, heavenly choir in empty church attracts neighborhood, singing stopped when they entered, like Abraham iHospitality, received stranger at start 40 day fast, promised tDine, but no food, served salted ham, stranger refused eat, corrected stranger, unto pure all things pure, distributed his harvest tDestitute&Debtors all they needed pay back later without accounting records, robbers planned steal his sheep, at night, tied by invisible power, prayed released them in morning, advised they leave iniquity for respectable work, gave them sheep for their trouble, called by council to shatter last idol, idol shattered when his feet touched down on land, relics on Corfu, hand in Rome; Tremithus; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; Spyridon of Tremithus was born towards the end of the third century on the island of Cyprus. was a shepherd, and had a wife and children. used all his substance for the needs of his neighbors and the homeless, which the Lord rewarded him with a gift of wonderworking. healed those who were incurably sick, and cast out demons. the death of his wife, during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337), he was made Bishop of Tremithus, Cyprus. a bishop, the saint did not alter his manner of life, but combined pastoral service with deeds of charity. to the witness of Church historians, Saint Spyridon participated in the sessions of the First Ecumenical Council in the year 325. the Council, the saint entered into a dispute with a Greek philosopher who was defending the Arian heresy. power of Saint Spyridon’s plain, direct speech showed everyone the importance of God’s wisdom before human wisdom: “Listen, philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the earth on account of our sins. He was born of a Virgin, He lived among men, and suffered and died for our salvation, and then He arose from the dead, and He has resurrected the human race with Him. We believe that He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human reason.” a result of their discussion, the opponent of Christianity became the saint’s zealous defender and later received holy Baptism. his conversation with Saint Spyridon, the philosopher turned to his companions and said, “Listen! Until now my rivals have presented their arguments, and I was able to refute their proofs with other proofs. instead of proofs from reason, the words of this Elder are filled with some sort of special power, and no one can refute them, since it is impossible for man to oppose God. any of you thinks as I do now, let him believe in Christ and join me in following this man, for God Himself speaks through his lips.” this Council, Saint Spyridon displayed the unity of the Holy Trinity in a remarkable way. took a brick in his hand and squeezed it. At that instant fire shot up from it, water dripped on the ground, and only dust remained in the hands of the wonderworker. “There was only one brick,” Saint Spyridon said, “but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.” saint cared for his flock with great love. his prayers, drought was replaced by abundant rains, and incessant rains were replaced by fair weather. Through his prayers the sick were healed and demons cast out. woman once came up to him with a dead child in her arms, imploring the intercession of the saint. prayed, and the infant was restored to life. mother, overcome with joy, collapsed lifeless. Through the prayers of the saint of God, the mother was restored to life. time, hastening to save his friend, who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death, the saint was hindered on his way by the unanticipated flooding of a stream. saint commanded the water: “Halt! For the Lord of all the world commands that you permit me to cross so that a man may be saved.” The will of the saint was fulfilled, and he crossed over happily to the other shore. judge, apprised of the miracle that had occurred, received Saint Spyridon with esteem and set his friend free. instances are known from the life of the saint. he went into an empty church, and ordered that the lampadas and candles be lit, and then he began the service. When he said, “Peace be unto all,” both he and the deacon heard from above the resounding of a great multitude of voices saying, “And with thy spirit.” choir was majestic and more sweetly melodious than any human choir. To each petition of the litanies, the invisible choir sang, “Lord, have mercy.” by the church singing, the people who lived nearby hastened towards it. As they got closer and closer to the church, the wondrous singing filled their ears and gladdened their hearts. when they entered into the church, they saw no one but the bishop and several church servers, and they no longer heard the singing which had greatly astonished them. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), the author of his Life, likened Saint Spyridon to the Patriarch Abraham in his hospitality. in his Church History, offers an amazing example from the life of the saint of how he received strangers. time, at the start of the Forty-day Fast, a stranger knocked at his door. Seeing that the traveller was very exhausted, Saint Spyridon said to his daughter, “Wash the feet of this man, so he may recline to dine.” since it was Lent there were none of the necessary provisions, for the saint “partook of food only on certain days, and on other days he went without food.” daughter replied that there was no bread or flour in the house. Then Saint Spyridon, apologizing to his guest, ordered his daughter to cook a salted ham from their larder. seating the stranger at table, he began to eat, urging that man to do the same. the latter refused, calling himself a Christian, the saint rejoined, “It is not proper to refuse this, for the Word of God proclaims, ‘Unto the pure all things are pure’” (Titus 1:15). historical detail reported by Sozomen, was characteristic of the saint. It was his custom to distribute one part of the gathered harvest to the destitute, and another portion to those having need while in debt. He did not take a portion for himself, but simply showed them the entrance to his storeroom, where each could take as much as was needed, and could later pay it back in the same way, without records or accountings. is also the tale by Socrates Scholasticus about how robbers planned to steal the sheep of Saint Spyridon. broke into the sheepfold at night, but here they found themselves all tied up by some invisible power. morning came the saint went to his flock, and seeing the tied-up robbers, he prayed and released them. a long while he advised them to leave their path of iniquity and earn their livelihood by respectable work. he made them a gift of a sheep and sending them off, the saint said kindly, “Take this for your trouble, so that you did not spend a sleepless night in vain.” the Lives of the saint speak of the amazing simplicity and the gift of wonderworking granted him by God. a word of the saint the dead were awakened, the elements of nature tamed, the idols smashed. one point, a Council had been convened at Alexandria by the Patriarch to discuss what to do about the idols and pagan temples there. the prayers of the Fathers of the Council all the idols fell down except one, which was very much revered. was revealed to the Patriarch in a vision that this idol had to be shattered by Saint Spyridon of Tremithus. by the Council, the saint set sail on a ship, and at the moment the ship touched shore and the saint stepped out on land, the idol in Alexandria with all its offerings turned to dust, which then was reported to the Patriarch and all the bishops. Spyridon lived his earthly life in righteousness and sanctity, and prayerfully surrendered his soul to the Lord. relics repose on the island of Corfu (Kerkyra), in a church named after him (His right hand, however, is located in Rome). memory is also celebrated on Cheesefare Saturday.

Rome, 308-324, Emperor, Licinius, West and East, Fake Christian then Last Pagan
Roman Emperor, 308-324, Licinius ; Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 - 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire. was finally defeated at the Battle of Chrysopolis (AD 324), and was later executed on the orders of Constantine I. reign[edit] to a Dacian[1][2] peasant family in Moesia Superior, Licinius accompanied his close childhood friend, the future emperor Galerius, on the Persian expedition in 298.[1] was trusted enough by Galerius that in 307 he was sent as an envoy to Maxentius in Italy to attempt to reach some agreement about the latter's illegitimate political position.[1] then trusted the eastern provinces to Licinius when he went to deal with Maxentius personally after the death of Flavius Valerius Severus.[3] his return to the east Galerius elevated Licinius to the rank of Augustus in the West on 11 November 308, and under his immediate command were the Balkan provinces of Illyricum, Thrace and Pannonia.[2] 310 he took command of the war against the Sarmatians, inflicting a severe defeat on them.[4] the death of Galerius in May 311,[5] Licinius entered into an agreement with Maximinus Daza to share the eastern provinces between them. this point, not only was Licinius the official Augustus of the west but he also possessed part of the eastern provinces as well, as the Hellespont and the Bosporus became the dividing line, with Licinius taking the European provinces and Maximinus taking the Asian.[2] alliance between Maximinus and Maxentius forced the two remaining emperors to enter into a formal agreement with each other.[3] So in March 313 Licinius married Flavia Julia Constantia, half-sister of Constantine I,[citation needed] at Mediolanum (now Milan); they had a son, Licinius the Younger, in 315. marriage was the occasion for the jointly-issued "Edict of Milan" that reissued Galerius' previous edict allowing Christianity (and any religion one might choose) to be professed in the Empire,[2] with additional dispositions that restored confiscated properties to Christian congregations and exempted Christian clergy from municipal civic duties.[6] The redaction of the edict as reproduced by Lactantius - who follows the text affixed by Licinius in Nicomedia on 14 June 313, after Maximinus' defeat - uses neutral language, expressing a will to propitiate "any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens".[7] Brown coin depicting man with diadem facing right of Licinius in the meantime decided to attack Licinius. Leaving Syria with 70,000 men, he reached Bithynia, although harsh weather he encountered along the way had gravely weakened his army. In April 313, he crossed the Bosporus and went to Byzantium, which was held by Licinius' troops. Undeterred, he took the town after an eleven-day siege. He moved to Heraclea, which he captured after a short siege, before moving his forces to the first posting station. a much smaller body of men, possibly around 30,000,[8] Licinius arrived at Adrianople while Daza was still besieging Heraclea. the decisive engagement, Licinius allegedly had a vision in which an angel recited him a generic prayer that could be adopted by all cults and which Licinius then repeated to his soldiers.[9] 30 April 313, the two armies clashed at the Battle of Tzirallum, and in the ensuing battle Daza's forces were crushed. himself of the imperial purple and dressing like a slave, Daza fled to Nicomedia.[3] he still had a chance to come out victorious, Daza attempted to stop the advance of Licinius at the Cilician Gates by establishing fortifications there. Unfortunately for Daza, Licinius' army succeeded in breaking through, forcing Daza to retreat to Tarsus where Licinius continued to press him on land and sea. The war between them ended only with Daza's death in August 313.[2] that Constantine had already crushed his rival Maxentius in 312, the two men decided to divide the Roman world between them. As a result of this settlement, the Tetrarchy was replaced by a system of two emperors, called Augusti: Licinius became Augustus of the East, while his brother-in-law, Constantine, became Augustus of the West.[5] making the pact, Licinius rushed immediately to the East to deal with another threat, an invasion by the Persian Sassanid Empire.[3] with Constantine I[edit] Sculptural portraits of Licinius (left) and his rival Constantine I (right). 314, a civil war erupted between Licinius and Constantine, in which Constantine used the pretext that Licinius was harbouring Senecio, whom Constantine accused of plotting to overthrow him.[3] Constantine prevailed at the Battle of Cibalae in Pannonia (8 October 314).[2] the situation was temporarily settled, with both men sharing the consulship in 315, it was but a lull in the storm. next year a new war erupted, when Licinius named Valerius Valens co-emperor, only for Licinius to suffer a humiliating defeat on the plains in the Battle of Mardia (also known as the Battle of Campus Ardiensis) in Thrace. emperors were reconciled after these two battles and Licinius had his co-emperor Valens killed.[2] the next ten years, the two imperial colleagues maintained an uneasy truce.[3] Licinius kept himself busy with a campaign against the Sarmatians in 318,[2] temperatures rose again in 321 when Constantine pursued some Sarmatians, who had been ravaging some territory in his realm, across the Danube into what was technically Licinius's territory.[2] When he repeated this with another invasion, this time by the Goths who were pillaging Thrace under their leader Rausimod, Licinius complained that Constantine had broken the treaty between them. wasted no time going on the offensive. Licinius's fleet of 350 ships was defeated by Constantine's fleet in 323. Then in 324, Constantine, tempted by the "advanced age and unpopular vices"[5][3] of his colleague, again declared war against him and having defeated his army of 165,000 men[10] at the Battle of Adrianople (3 July 324), succeeded in shutting him up within the walls of Byzantium.[5][2] defeat of the superior fleet of Licinius in the Battle of the Hellespont by Crispus, Constantine's eldest son and Caesar, compelled his withdrawal to Bithynia, where a last stand was made; the Battle of Chrysopolis, near Chalcedon (18 September),[5] resulted in Licinius' final submission.[3] this conflict Licinius was supported by the Gothic prince Alica. Due to the intervention of Flavia Julia Constantia, Constantine's sister and also Licinius' wife, both Licinius and his co-emperor Martinian were initially spared, Licinius being imprisoned in Thessalonica, Martinian in Cappadocia; however, both former emperors were subsequently executed. his defeat, Licinius attempted to regain power with Gothic support, but his plans were exposed, and he was sentenced to death. While attempting to flee to the Goths, Licinius was apprehended at Thessalonica. Constantine had him hanged, accusing him of conspiring to raise troops among the barbarians.[3][11] and legacy[edit] One of a hoard of 5 or 6 identical silver plates celebrating Licinius's 10th anniversary as Emperor, discovered in Niš, Serbia and now in the British Museum in London[12] Another plate from the same hoard in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna defeating Daza, Licinius had put to death Flavius Severianus, the son of the emperor Severus, as well as Candidianus, the son of Galerius.[3] He also ordered the execution of the wife and daughter of the Emperor Diocletian, who had fled from the court of Licinius before being discovered at Thessalonica.[3] part of Constantine's attempts to decrease Licinius's popularity, he actively portrayed his brother-in-law as a pagan supporter. This may not have been the case; contemporary evidence tends to suggest that he was at least a committed supporter of Christians at one point.[citation needed] He co-authored the Edict of Milan which ended the Great Persecution, and re-affirmed the rights of Christians in his half of the empire. He also added the Christian symbol to his armies, and attempted to regulate the affairs of the Church hierarchy just as Constantine and his successors were to do. His wife was a devout Christian.[13] It is even a possibility that he converted.[14] Eusebius of Caesarea, writing under the rule of Constantine, charges him with expelling Christians from the Palace and ordering military sacrifices to pagan gods, as well as interfering with the Church's internal procedures and organization.[15] It has been theorized that he originally supported Christians along with Constantine, but later in his life turned against them and to paganism.[14] on Licinius's death, his memory was branded with infamy; his statues were thrown down; and by edict, all his laws and judicial proceedings during his reign were abolished.[3] Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "œthe General"Â, Commemorated on February 8; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Rome, 308-324, Licinius' Martyrs Folder

Rome, 308, Ennatha, Valentina, &Paula oPalestine, they all beheaded after resistance and torture
Palestine, 308, Ennatha, Valentina, &Paula oPalestine, E fGaza, V&P fCaesarea, E tFirst bravely confessed Christ, beat, suspended fPillar & scourged, V bravely hurled stone aSacrifice, turned back on it, beaten, sentenced tBeheaded wE, P tormented, endured wPatience Courage, thanked God for strengthening, bowed to Christians, bent head beneath sword; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Virgin Martyrs Ennatha, Valentina and Paula suffered in the year 308 under the emperor Maximian II Galerius (305-311). Ennatha came from the city of Gaza (in the south of Palestine), Saint Valentina was a native of Palestinian Caesarea, and Saint Paula was from the region of Caesarea. Ennatha was the first to be brought to trial before the governor Firmilian, bravely declaring herself a Christian. beat her, and then they suspended her from a pillar and scourged her. Valentina, accused of not worshipping the gods, was led to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice, she bravely hurled a stone at the sacrifice and turned her back on it. beat her mercilessly and sentenced her to be beheaded along with Saint Ennatha. of all, Saint Paula was brought, and they subjected her to many torments. the help of God, however, she endured them with great patience and courage. her death Paula gave thanks to the Lord for strengthening her. Bowing to the Christians present, she bent her neck beneath the sword.

Rome, 308, Eutropius, Cleon & Basil brought pagans in prison to Christ, prayers to Jesus for endurance, tortured torurers
Armenia, 308, Eutropius oAmasya, Pontica, Armenia (Yesil (Iris) River 2), Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308, Basiliscus was Theodore tRecruit's nephew, they were comrades, in prison after T's death, their preaching brought pagans in prison to christian faith, T's torturer Governor Pubilus brought down by divine wrath, new gov Asclepiodotus more inhumane, brought to him, confessed Christ, mercilessly beaten, but Eutropius prayed loudly to Jesus, help us endure for martyrdom crown as you helped T, J himself appeared with his angels and T, angels said behold Savior come to help you, that you know life eternal, soldiers and many people saw Jesus, they urged A to stop tortures, to keep many from believing true God, A commanded they be taken away, A invited E to supper, urged public sacrifice while remain christian in soul, but E refused, next day comrads brought to pagan temple for forced sacrifice, E entreated Jesus: Lord be with us, destroy raging otPagans, grant on this place Bloodless sacrifice be offered to you, true God, right then earthquake began, temple walls collapsed, Artemis' statue smashed to bits, everyone fled temple, voice heard from on high in noise of earthquake: your prayer heard, house of Christaian prayer shall be built, when earthquake ended A ordered high wooden stakes, tie martyrs to them, pour boiling tar over them. martyrs prayed, E cried out: may Lord turn your deed against you, So, Tar flowed like water over marble, scorching torturers, those who saw this fled, but A ordered iron hooks rake bodies, sting wounds with mustard seed, salt and vinegar, saints endured wRemarkable firmness, before execution spending night in prayer, Jesus again appeared and strengthened them, Eutropius&Cleonicus crucified, but B returned to prison, then beheaded, thru body in river, but relics found, buried in ploughed field, later Komana church dedicated to Basilicus; Amasea; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; Holy Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308. brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, and Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (February 17), were comrades. the martyric death of Saint Theodore, they wound up in prison and by their preaching brought many of the pagans in prison with them to the Christian Faith. he tortured Saint Theodore, the governor Publius perished shamefully, struck down by divine wrath. was chosen as ruler of Amasea, and was more inhumane than his predecessor. the comrades of Saint Theodore the Recruit were all in prison, the governor commanded that they be brought to him. Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus thus firmly confessed their faith in Christ before this new governor. were mercilessly beaten, so that their bodies were entirely bruised. he was being tortured Saint Eutropius prayed loudly to the Savior, “Grant us, O Lord, to endure these wounds for the sake of the crown of martyrdom, and help us, as You helped Your servant Theodore.” answer to the saint’s prayer, the Lord Himself appeared to the martyrs with His angels and the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, to them: “Behold, the Savior has come to help you, that you may know life eternal.” and many of the people standing nearby were also granted to behold the Savior. urged Asclepiodotus to halt the tortures. that the people were distraught and ready to believe in the true God, governor commanded the martyrs to be taken away. governor then invited Saint Eutropius to supper and urged him to offer public sacrifice to the pagan gods, yet remain a Christian in soul. refused this offer. the following day they brought the martyrs to a pagan temple, to force them to offer sacrifice. entreated the Savior: “Lord, be with us, and destroy the raging of the pagans. Grant that on this place the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Christians be offered to You, the true God.” sooner had these last words been spoken, than an earthquake began. walls of the temple collapsed, and the statue of the goddess Artemis was smashed to bits. fled from the temple to avoid being crushed among the rubble. the noise of the earthquake a voice was heard from on high: “Your prayer has been heard, and on this place a house of Christian prayer shall be built.” the earthquake ended, the governor Asclepiodotus, barely recovered from his fright, gave orders to drive high wooden stakes into the ground, tie the martyrs to them and pour boiling tar over them. saints began to pray to God, and Eutropius cried out turning to the torturers: “May the Lord turn your deed against you!” tar began to flow beside the bodies of the martyrs, like water over marble, scorching the torturers. seeing this fled in terror, the governor in his bitterness gave orders to rake their bodies with iron hooks and to sting their wounds with mustard mixed with salt and vinegar. saints endured these torments with remarkable firmness. night before their execution the saints spent their time at prayer, again the Lord appeared to them and strengthened them. the morning of March 3, Saints Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified, Basiliscus was left in prison. Basiliscus was executed on May 22 in the city of Komana. beheaded him, and threw his body into a river, Christians found his relics and buried them in a ploughed field. at Komana a church was built and dedicated to Saint Basiliscus. account of the life of the holy martyr is found under May 22.

Rome, 308, Heraclea Sintica, Bulgaria, no idol sacrifice, tortured y Licinius, beheaded, burned, metal balls in mouth, stab
Bulgaria, 308, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9), not sacrifice to idols, Tortured by Licinius, beheaded, burned, metal balls in mouth, stabbed; Heraclea Sintica; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; 40 Holy Virgins and Saint Ammoun the Deacon, were from Adrianopolis in Macedonia. Deacon Ammoun was their guide in Christian Faith. were captured by Baudos the governor, and were tortured because they would not offer sacrifice to idols. holy martyrs endured many cruel torments, which were intended to force them to renounce Christ and worship idols. they were sent to Heraclea in Thrace to appear before the tyrant Licinius. The valiant martyrs remained unshakeable, however. Ammoun and eight of the virgins were beheaded, ten virgins were burned, six of them died after heated metal balls were put into their mouths, six were stabbed with knives, and the rest were struck in the mouth and stabbed in the heart with swords.

Rome, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ
Ephesus, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ; Hierapolis; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated January 13 ; Peter was slain at Hieropolis between 309—320 for confessing Christ.

Rome, 311-320, Theogenes, Bishop oParium, Hellespont, Troy, divine light when he prayed before execution
Troy, 311-320, Theogenes, Bishop of Parium, Hellespont, Troy, divine light when he prayed before execution, fake christian emperor Licinius martyr, refused renounce Christ, beaten wRods, prison woFood, sentenced tDrown, prayer, divine light, sailors&Some soldiers converted, healings at his city walls grave; Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated January 2 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes was bishop of the Asia Minor city of Parion the beginning of the fourth century. the reign of the emperor Licinius (311-324), coruler with Constantine the Great, tribune Zalinkinthius demanded that he give up the priesthood, to renounce Christ and to enlist in military service. he refused, Saint Theogenes was mercilessly beaten with rods and thrown into prison, where he was not allowed any food. they sentenced him to be drowned in the sea. his execution, the saint requested time to pray. he prayed, an extraordinary light shone on him. sailors and some of the soldiers who were ordered to drown the saint were struck by the light and were converted to Christ. soldiers hastened to cast him into the sea. Theogenes received the unfading crown of martyrdom around the year 320. body was later taken from the water by Christians and buried at the city walls. this spot, numerous healings occurred.

Rome, 311-324, Hermylus&Stratonicus of Belgrade, Slavs, H mocked pagan gods, p Licinius' wounds, voice, 3 days suffer
Serbia, 311-324, Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade, Serbia (Sava Mouth and Danube River 9), Slavs, H mocked pagan gods, predicted Licinius' wounds, voice heard, 3 days suffering, S cried, H&S drowned in net; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus, Slavs by origin, lived at the beginning of the fourth century during a persecution against Christians by the emperor Licinius (311-324). Saint Hermylus served as deacon in the city of Singidunum (Belgrade). Condemned by Licinius to imprisonment, he was long and cruelly tortured for Christ, but he remained unyielding. mocked the pagan gods, calling them deaf, dumb, and blind idols. In anger Licinius ordered more severe torments for him, saying that he could avoid them if he would offer sacrifice. The holy martyr predicted that Licinius would suffer terrible wounds himself because he worshiped idols instead of the Creator. His words came true, for Licinius was killed in 324. three days Hermylus was brought before the tribunal again and asked whether he would avoid more torture by offering sacrifice. The saint replied that he would offer worship and sacrifice only to the true God. Hermylus prayed that the Lord would give him strength to endure his torments and triumph over the pagans. A voice was heard saying, “Hermylus, you will be delivered from your suffering in three days, and will receive a great reward.” The torturers fell to the ground in fear, and took the saint back to prison. Stratonicus was one of the prison guards and a secret Christian. Seeing the agonizing torments of his friend, he was unable to keep from weeping, and he revealed that he was a Christian. They also subjected him to punishment. the torture, they put both martyrs into a net and threw them into the Danube. On the third day, the bodies of the saints were found by Christians on the bank of the river and buried near Singidunum. Their venerable heads were in the Church of Hagia Sophia, where the Russian pilgrim Anthony saw them in the year 1200. Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus, Slavs by origin, lived at the beginning of the fourth century during a persecution against Christians by the emperor Licinius (311-324). Saint Hermylus served as deacon in the city of Singidunum (Belgrade). Condemned by Licinius to imprisonment, he was long and cruelly tortured for Christ, but he remained unyielding. mocked the pagan gods, calling them deaf, dumb, and blind idols. In anger Licinius ordered more severe torments for him, saying that he could avoid them if he would offer sacrifice. The holy martyr predicted that Licinius would suffer terrible wounds himself because he worshiped idols instead of the Creator. His words came true, for Licinius was killed in 324. three days Hermylus was brought before the tribunal again and asked whether he would avoid more torture by offering sacrifice. The saint replied that he would offer worship and sacrifice only to the true God. Hermylus prayed that the Lord would give him strength to endure his torments and triumph over the pagans. A voice was heard saying, “Hermylus, you will be delivered from your suffering in three days, and will receive a great reward.” The torturers fell to the ground in fear, and took the saint back to prison. Stratonicus was one of the prison guards and a secret Christian. Seeing the agonizing torments of his friend, he was unable to keep from weeping, and he revealed that he was a Christian. They also subjected him to punishment. the torture, they put both martyrs into a net and threw them into the Danube. On the third day, the bodies of the saints were found by Christians on the bank of the river and buried near Singidunum. Their venerable heads were in the Church of Hagia Sophia, where the Russian pilgrim Anthony saw them in the year 1200.

Rome, 311-326, Theodotus Bishop oCyrenia in Cyprus, Openly preached Christ under Licinius' persecution, when being brought to trial he came on his own to preach, tortured, resisted, seeing his endurance people came to Christ
Cyprus, 311-326, Theodotus Bishop oCyrenia in Cyprus, under emperor Licinius (311-324), Theododus openly preached Christ, Governor of Cyprus had T arrested and brought to trial, T did not wait but went to Gov saying I am here, to preach Christ my God, Gov ordered beaten w/o mercy, susptended from tree, raked with sharp things, &taken to prison. 5 days later he still preached. they put him under iron grate, lit fire, hammered nails into his feet, and let him go. many witnessed and inspired by his endurance, believed in Christ, so Gov stopped the torture and put him in prison, T was set free when Constantine came to power, returned to Cyrenia, fell asleep after 2 years in 326; Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Hieromartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was Bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus. a time of persecution against Christians under the impious emperor Licinius (311-324), Saint Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling on the pagans to abandon idolatry and turn to the true God. the governor of Cyprus, ordered that Bishop Theodotus be arrested and brought to trial. he heard about this order, the saint did not wait for the soldiers to be sent after him, but immediately went to the governor saying, “I, whom you seek, am here. I have shown myself in order to preach Christ my God.” governor ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy, suspended from a tree, raked with sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. days later Saint Theodotus was brought to the governor, who presumed that after his tortures the bishop would prefer to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. Saint Theodotus did not cease to preach about Christ. first they put the saint on an iron grate, under which they lit a fire, and then hammered nails into his feet and let him go. witnessed the sufferings of the martyr. Astonished at the saint’s endurance and his divinely-inspired speech, they came to believe in Christ. of this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and throw the saint into prison. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), the freedom to confess their faith was given to all Christians, and among those set free from prison was Saint Theodotus. saint returned to Cyrenia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in about the year 326.

Rome, 318, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs
Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs, 318-1967, asked Fr George Nsis, NYC to paint her Icon holding a cross, research found young woman blond blue eyes, since then many miracles, Kalamata church built 1993; Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa was born in Kalamata in 291 to devout and God-loving parents, Nicholas and Despina, were from the eastern part of Italy. Because of the persecution of Christians at that time, they fled to Kalamata in the Peloponnesos, where they had a farm outside the city, because her father was a farmer. a young age Saint Xenίa adorned her soul with fasting, temperance, silence, unceasing prayer, tears, vigils, and charity. Dometian, the eparch of that region, happened to meet the Saint, he was dazzled by her beauty and wanted to make her his wife. Xenίa absolutely refused to change her faith, or to become the wife of an idolater. Dometian had her arrested. The Saint was tortured mercilessly and then beheaded in 318. Thus, she entered into the joy of her Lord and received an unfading crown of glory from Christ God. George Nasis, the rector of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City from 1942-1967 praying one day when a beautiful woman appeared to him. She said her name was Xenίa, martyr who had been forgotten for almost 1700 years. She asked him to paint an icon, depicting her holding a cross. first Father George did not mention this to anyone, thinking that perhaps people would mock him. Then he decided to inform the Archbishop. Researchers tried to find references to Saint Xenίa of Kalamata, but they were not successful. they found her name in a list of Saints, where she is described as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. God's grace, the Saint has worked many miracles after her death. 1993, a new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in the western part of Kalamata, which has a chapel dedicated to Saint Xenia.

Rome, 320, Gordius, fArmenia, Valiant skilled Christian Centurion, tSinai tPrepare tConfess aPagan Games, tortured, beheaded
Armenia, 320, Gordius, Caesurea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Centurion, to Sinai, identified self as christian, tormented, beheaded, born christian family, entered military, valor skill, centurion, left world Diocletian Persecution, tSinai desert, tPrepare tBe Confessor, 320 appeared before city perfect somewhere, where Pagan Games being held, Confessed as a Christian, arrested, tortured, beheaded ; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; Martyr Gordius was born at the end of the third century in the city of Caesarea of Cappadocia into a Christian family. he came of age, he entered military service. of his valor and military skill, he was made a centurion. the persecution of Christians at the beginning of the fourth century, left the world and settled in the Sinai desert to prepare himself for the good deed of confessing the Name of Christ the Savior. the year 320, Gordius openly appeared before the prefect of a city where pagan games were being held, and identified himself as a Christian. was arrested, suffered terrible torments, then was beheaded.

Rome, 312, Indiction, Sept 1, Church New Year, C's Cross vision, Promised Land entry, Christ's mission announcement
Byzantium, 312, Indiction, Constantine's vision of the Cross, somewhere, Church New Year; first day of the Church New Year is also called the beginning of the Indiction. The term Indiction comes from a Latin word meaning, “to impose.” It was originally applied to the imposition of taxes in Egypt. The first worldwide Indiction was in 312 when the Emperor Constantine (May 21) saw a miraculous vision of the Cross in the sky. Before the introduction of the Julian calendar, Rome began the New Year on September 1. to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). says that the Hebrews entered the Promised Land in September. Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ;

Rome, 313 and 323, Edict of Milan, freedom of religion
Edict of Milan, 313 Western Roman Empire and 323 extended to the Eastern Roman Empire; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Rome, 313, 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, Christian Soldiers banned to prison, psalmody, persevere voice, stones came back, More
Armenia, 313, 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1) Constantine recognizes Christianity, Co-Ruler Pagan Licinius bans Christian Soldiers, 40 distinguished Christian Soldiers to prison, prayer and psalmody, voice to persevere, stones came back, invisible power, voice live for imperishible crowns, into lake in winter, divine light warm water, radiant crowns martyrs heads, 39 crowns b dash for warm b house, guard Aggias becomes Christian, 40th crown, 40 still alive morning, fire, bones in water, bishop Peter commanded to bury relics, 40 skylarks; Sebaste, Armenia ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; the year 313 Saint Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius prepared his army to fight Constantine, he decided to remove Christians from his army, fearing mutiny. of the military commanders of that time in the Armenian city of Sebaste was Agricola, a zealous champion of idolatry. Under his command was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Agricola locked them up in prison. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, “Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.” the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor. days later, the renowned judge Licius arrived at Sebaste and put the soldiers on trial. The saints steadfastly answered, “Take not only our military insignia, but also our lives, since nothing is more precious to us than Christ God.” Licius then ordered his servants to stone the holy martyrs. But the stones missed the saints and returned to strike those who had thrown them. One stone thrown by Licius hit Agricola in the face, smashing his teeth. The torturers realized that the saints were guarded by some invisible power. In prison, the soldiers spent the night in prayer and again they heard the voice of the Lord comforting them: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Be brave and fear not, for you shall obtain imperishable crowns.” the following day the judge repeated the interrogation in front of the torturer, but the soldiers remained unyielding. was winter, and there was a severe frost. They lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, then he fell down dead. the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown. then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head. the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and broke their legs. During this horrible execution the mother of the youngest of the soldiers, Meliton, pleaded with her son to persevere until death. put the bodies of the martyrs on a cart and committed them to fire. Young Meliton was still breathing, and they left him on the ground. His mother then picked up her son, and on her own shoulders she carried him behind the cart. When Meliton drew his last breath, his mother put him on the cart with the bodies of his fellow sufferers. The bodies of the saints were tossed in the fire, and their charred bones were thrown into the water, so that Christians would not gather them up. days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to Saint Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop together with several clergy gathered up the relics of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor. is a pious custom of baking “skylarks” (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty “skylarks” are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs. names of the forty martyrs are: Cyrion (or Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunocius (Or Eunicus), Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthius, Helianus, Sisinius, Aggias, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontuis, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton.

Rome, 314-335, Roman Pope Sylvester I, famous debate converted 120 Jews, large churches, P supremacy Legend bFriend oConstantine
Rome, 314-335, Roman Pope Sylvester I, famous debate converted 120 Jews, large churches, P supremacy Legend because close friend oConstantine, raised by mother, ed by presbyter, served strangers, incl persecuted bishop who converted many, buried him, prison for that, saved from execution bEmperor dying, converted many pagans, at 30 deacon&presbyter 296-304, Pope Bishop i314, built many churches, defeated 120 Rabbis in debate, Constantine&Helen there, stopped Zambres' sorcery, Z converted, died 335; Roman Pope, 314-335, Pope Sylvester I ; I (also Silvester, died 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 314 until his death. He was the 33rd pope of the Catholic Church.[2] filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, yet very little is known of him.[3] accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century Liber Pontificalis contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by Constantine I,[4] although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.[5] feast is celebrated as Saint Sylvester's Day in Western Christianity on 31 December, while Eastern Christianity commemorates it on 2 January.[6] churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, including Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Old St. Peter's Basilica and several churches built over the graves of martyrs.[5][7] did not attend the First Council of Nicaea in 325, where the Nicene Creed was formulated, but he was represented by two legates, Vitus and Vincentius, and he approved the council's decision. of the Symmachian forgeries, the Vita beati Silvestri (c. 501–508), which has been preserved in Greek and Syriac (and in Latin in the Constitutum Silvestri), is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, including legends of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in the Donation of Constantine.[5] after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the later Gelasian doctrine of papal supremacy, papal auctoritas (authority) guiding imperial potestas (power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forged Donation of Constantine of the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-century Symmachean forgeries emanating from the curia of Pope Symmachus (died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured of leprosy by the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.[8] Sylvester I and Constantine in a 1247 fresco Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed the bishop of Rome as the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence in Constantinople. doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one," Norman F. Cantor observes: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". Such a useful legend quickly gained wide circulation; Gregory of Tours referred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.[9] Sylvester II, himself a close associate of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, chose the name Sylvester in imitation of Sylvester I. of Saint Sylvester in the Abbey of Saint Sylvester in Nonantola the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in the Catacomb of Priscilla.[5] This is the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them, New Year's Eve is known as Silvester. In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to as Saint Sylvester's Day or the Feast of Saint Sylvester.[10] In São Paulo, Brazil, a long-distance running event called the Saint Silvester Road Race occurs every year on 31 December.[11] Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, a fresco by Maso di Banco The Donation of Constantine is a document fabricated in the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.[12] Santu Papa Silvestru", a story in Giuseppe Pitrè's collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.[13] legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.[14][15] St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Sylvester, Bishop of Rome (314-335) was born at Rome of Christian parents named Rufinus and Justa. father soon died, and the saint remained in the care of his mother. ’s teacher, the presbyter Quirinus, gave him a fine education and raised him as a true Christian. he was an adult, Sylvester fulfilled the Lord’s command to love one’s neighbor. often received strangers and travelers, serving them like a slave in his own home. a persecution against Christians, Sylvester did not hesitate to take in the holy confessor Bishop Timothy of Antioch, who dwelt with him for more than a year, and who converted many to Christ by his preaching. Timothy was arrested and executed on orders of the Prefect Tarquinius. secretly took the body of the saint and buried it. came to the attention of Tarquinius, and the saint was arrested and brought to trial. Tarquinius demanded that he renounce Christ, threatening him with torture and death. Sylvester was however not intimidated, and he remained steadfast in his confession of faith, was then thrown into prison. Tarquinius suddenly died after the trial, the saint was set free fearlessly he evangelized the pagans, converting many to Christianity. thirty years of age Saint Sylvester was ordained as a deacon, and then presbyter, by Bishop Marcellinus (296-304). the death of Bishop Militiades (or Melchiades, 311-314), Saint Sylvester was chosen Bishop of Rome. encouraged his flock to live in a righteous manner, and he insisted that priests strictly fulfill their duty, not be involved with secular businesses. Sylvester became renowned as an expert on Holy Scripture and as a staunch defender of the Christian Faith. the reign of the emperor Saint Constantine the Great, the period of persecution had ended for the Church, Jews arranged a public debate to determine which faith was true. Constantine and his mother, the holy Empress Helen, were present together with a large crowd. Sylvester spoke for the Christians, the Jews had one hundred and twenty learned rabbis led by Zambres, a magician and sorcerer. Quoting the sacred books of the Old Testament, Sylvester convincingly demonstrated that all the prophets foretold the birth of Jesus Christ from the all-pure Virgin, also His voluntary suffering and death for the redemption of the fallen race of mankind, His glorious Resurrection. saint was declared the victor in the debate. Zambres tried to resort to sorcery, the saint obstructed the evil by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. and the other Jews came to believe in Jesus Christ, and they asked to be baptized. Sylvester guided the Roman Church for more than twenty years, earning the esteem of his flock. died peacefully in old age in the year 335.

Rome, 316-361, Saint Nino of Cappadocia, Armenia&Jerusalem, wanted kiss tRobe in Georgia, but MOG sent her tConvert Georgia
Armenia, 316-361, Armenian Saint, Nino, George's Kin, to Georgia for the Robe, virgin, fCappadocia, then Jerusalem a12, J Patriarch Junival's neice, father mother became monastics, raised by old woman who told her about Christ's robe ending up in Pagan Georgia, so Nino prayed MOG blessing travel tG tKiss Robe she had woven, MOG appeared in dream, Go that country assigned me by lot, Preach Gospel, he will send his grace, I will protect you, But Nino overwhelmed bResponsibility, How can I do it, How can I believe this vision, MOG gave her grapevine cross, receive this cross as a shield visible invisible enemies, Nino woke holding cross, rejoiced, told uncle J, he prayed for her to get to go preach Resurrection, guided by Lord, refuge, spiritual Father, Enlighten her like Apostles, with wisdom tProclaim glad tidings, Lord sent Nino tRome, she met&baptized princess Rhipsimia&hNurse, christian persecuter emperor Diocletian wanted marry R, but Nino, Rhipsima, nurse Gaiana & 50 other virgins escaped to Armenia, D sent soldiers after and warned A King Tridates, T found them and like D wanted marry R, But R refused so T had her tortured tDeath wG&50 other virgins, Nino, however, greater task, escaped hiding rose bushes, tGeorgia, greeted by Mtskhetan shepherds Lake Paravani, she received blessing preach Lake P Pagans, tUrbnisi, 1Month, tMtskheta wGeorgians going there tKiss pagan Idol, sad that people trembled before idol, she prayed Lord send mercy this nation that all nations glorify thee alone, suddenly violent wind&hail shattered pagan statues, worshipers fled across city, Nino made home beneath bramble bush Kings garden, wChildless Royal Gardener's family, through Nino's prayers God granted child, couple rejoice converted, followed Nino, many converted bNino's preaching, even terminally ill Queen Nana healed after her conversion, King Mirian not pleased, decided kill all Christians including wife, but while hunting it became very dark, greatly afraid prayed to Pagan gods, unanswered, lost hope, miraculously turned to Christ, illume this night, guide my footsteps, and I will declare your Name, erect a cross, and kiss it, and construct a temple, I vow obedient to Nino and faith Roman People, Suddenly sun shone radiantly and King Mirian thanked Creator, he returned city immediately told Nino his decision, So by equal tApostles Nino's labors Georgia established solidly as Christian nation, N reposed in Bodbe, eastern Georgia, Mirian erected church there; Armenian Saint, 316-340, Nino; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; virgin Nino of Cappadocia a relative of Great-martyr George the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, her mother, Sosana, the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. after, Nino’s father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan. Sosana had been separated from her husband, Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His suffering on earth. was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.” the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility answered, “How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, how can I believe that this vision is real?” response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines proclaimed, “Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies!” she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.) related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings.” Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but Saint Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard. Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry her. But Saint Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. Saint Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes. she finally arrived in Georgia, Saint Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region. the help of her acquaintances Saint Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. remained there a month, traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi. she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, the family of the royal gardener. gardener and his wife were childless, through Saint Nino’s prayers God granted them a child. couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, became disciples of Saint Nino. Saint Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana she declared Christ to be the True God. Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression Saint Nino’s preaching had made on the Georgian nation. day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ. to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope miraculously, he turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, I will declare Thy Holy Name. will erect a cross venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!” the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. he returned to the city, he immediately informed Saint Nino of his decision. a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. Mirian later erected a church in honor of Saint George over her grave.

Rome, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world, his 5 exiles
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world, his 5 exiles, A&C joint feast, their dogmatic writings correctly interpret scripture, censure heretics' delusions, A a young deacon at 1st EC, surpassed everyone, for orthodoxy, consubstantial (homoousios), not creature, enemies plotting, also May 2, childhood bishop story, real baptism, Patriarch Alexander looked after him, took him to Nicea 325, where Athan refuted Arius, Nicene Creed accepted but Arians hated him for it, wanted to kill him, read May 2 and Western stories below; Egyptian Patriarch, 318-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; St. Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics). St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, a great Father of the Church and a pillar of Orthodoxy. was born around the year 297 in the city of Alexandria into a family of pious Christians. received a fine secular education, he acquired more knowledge by diligent study of the Holy Scripture. his childhood, the future hierarch Athanasius became known to Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Alexandria (May 29). group of children, which included Athanasius, were playing at the seashore. The Christian children decided to baptize their pagan playmates. young Athanasius, whom the children designated as “bishop”, performed the Baptism, precisely repeating the words he heard in church during this sacrament. Alexander observed all this from a window. then commanded that the children and their parents be brought to him. conversed with them for a long while, and determined that the Baptism performed by the children was done according to the Church order. acknowledged the Baptism as real and sealed it with the sacrament of Chrismation. this moment, the Patriarch looked after the spiritual upbringing of Athanasius and in time brought him into the clergy, at first as a reader, and then he ordained him as a deacon. was as a deacon that Saint Athanasius accompanied Patriarch Alexander to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. the Council, Saint Athanasius refuted of the heresy of Arius. speech met with the approval of the Orthodox Fathers of the Council, the Arians, those openly and those secretly so, came to hate Athanasius and persecuted him for the rest of his life. the death of holy Patriarch Alexander, Saint Athanasius was unanimously chosen as his successor in the See of Alexandria. refused, accounting himself unworthy, at the insistence of all the Orthodox populace that it was in agreement, he was consecrated bishop when he was twenty-eight, installed as the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church. Athanasius guided the Church for forty-seven years, during this time he endured persecution and grief from his antagonists. times he was expelled from Alexandria and hid himself from the Arians in desolate places, they repeatedly tried to kill him. Athanasius spent more than twenty years in exile, to his flock, and then was banished again. was a time when he remained as the only Orthodox bishop in the area, moment when all the other bishops had fallen into heresy. the false councils of Arian bishops he was deposed as bishop. being persecuted for many years, the saint continued to defend the purity of the Orthodox Faith, he wrote countless letters and tracts against the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate (361-363) began a persecution against Christians, his wrath first fell upon Saint Athanasius, whom he considered a great pillar of Orthodoxy. intended to kill the saint in order to strike Christianity a grievous blow, but he soon perished himself. wounded by an arrow during a battle, he cried out with despair: “You have conquered, O Galilean.” Julian’s death, Saint Athanasius guided the Alexandrian Church for seven years and died in 373, at the age of seventy-six. works of Saint Athanasius have been preserved; Orations against the Arian heresy; an Epistle to Epictetus, bishop of the Church of Corinth, on the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ; Epistles to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, about the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son, directed against the heresy of Macedonius. apologetic works of the Saint in defense of Orthodoxy have been preserved, which is the Letter to the Emperor Constantius. Athanasius wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture, books of a moral and didactic character, well as a biography of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), with whom Saint Athanasius was very close. John Chrysostom advised every Orthodox Christian to read this Life. memory of Saint Athanasius is celebrated also on January 18 with Saint Cyril of Alexandria. ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. was born around AD 298, and lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the chief center of learning of the Roman Empire. St. Athanasius 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. six years later, a presbyter (elder, priest) Arius of Alexandria began to teach concerning the Word of God (John 1:1) that "God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist." was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, and a member of his household. reply to Arius was that the begetting, or uttering, of the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event. was condemned by the bishops of Egypt (with the exceptions of Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of Marmorica), went to Nicomedia, which he wrote letters to bishops throughout the world, stating his position. Emperor Constantine undertook to resolve the dispute by calling a council of bishops from all over the Christian world. council met in Nicea, just across the straits from what is now Istanbul, in the year 325, consisted of 317 bishops. accompanied his bishop to the council, and became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. party of Athanasius was overwhelmingly in the majority. western, or Latin, half of the Empire was very sparsely represented, but it was solidly Athanasian, so that if its bishops had attended in force, the vote would have been still more lopsided.) remained to formulate a creedal statement to express the consensus. initial effort was to find a formula from Holy Scripture that would express the full deity of the Son, equally with the Father. the Arians cheerfully agreed to all such formulations, having interpreted them already to fit their own views. of you who have conversed with members of the Watchtower Society, who consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Arius, will know how this works.) the Greek word "homo-ousios" "of the same substance, or nature, or essence") introduced, chiefly because it was one word that could not be understood to mean what the Arians meant. of the bishops present, although in complete disagreement with Arius, were reluctant to use a term not found in the Scriptures, eventually saw that the alternative was a creed that both sides would sign, each understanding it in its own way, that the Church could not afford to leave the question of whether the Son is truly God Arians said "a god") undecided. the result was that the Council adopted a creed which is a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, the Son to be "of one substance with the Father." the end, there were only two holdouts, the aforesaid Secundus and Theonas. a dramatic but historically accurate account of the Council of Nicea, see the play, The Emperor Constantine, by Dorothy L Sayers, available in book form.) sooner was the council over than its consensus began to fall apart. had expected that the result would be unity, found that the Arians would not accept the decision, that many of the orthodox bishops were prepared to look for a wording a little softer than that of Nicea, that sounded orthodox, but that the Arians would accept. sorts of compromise formulas were worked out, all shades of variation from the formula of Nicea. 328, Alexander died, and Athanasius succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria. refused to participate in these negotiations, (correctly as it turned out) that once the orthodox party showed a willingness to make reaching an agreement their highest priority, they would end up giving away the store. defended the full deity of Christ against emperors, magistrates, bishops, and theologians. this, he was regarded as a trouble-maker by Constantine and his successors, was banished from Alexandria a total of five times by various emperors. the expression "Athanasius contra mundum," or, "Athanasius against the world.") Christians who believed in the Deity of Christ came to see that once they were prepared to abandon the Nicene formulation, were on a slippery slope that led to regarding the Logos as simply a high-ranking angel. more they experimented with other formulations, clearer it became that only the Nicene formulation would preserve the Christian faith in any meaningful sense, so they re-affirmed the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, final triumph that Athanasius did not live to see. was a final triumph as far as councils of bishops were concerned, the situation was complicated by the fact that after Constantine there were several Arian emperors counting the Emperor Julian, who was a pagan, but correctly saw that the most effective way to fight Christianity was to throw all his weight on the side of the Arians). one of them Arian missionaries were sent to convert the Goths, became the backbone of the Roman Army composed chiefly of foreign mercenaries) the result that for many years Arianism was considered the mark of a good Army man. conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks, in 496, to orthodox Christianity gave the Athanasian party the military power to crush Arianism denied the Arian Goths the military supremacy that would have enabled them to crush Athanasian Christianity, on your point of view. Alexandria had the best astronomers, was the duty of the Bishop of Alexandria to write to the other bishops every year and tell them the correct date for Easter. his annual letter on this topic contained other material as well. Easter Letter (or Paschal Letter) of Athanasius is well known for giving a list of the books that ought to be considered part of the canonical Scriptures, a supplementary list of books suitable for devotional reading. the New Testament, he lists the 27 books that are recognized today. you will look at your list of New Testament books, you may note that Matthew through 2 Thessalonians were never in dispute, the next four were subject to relatively little dispute, that the remaining books had more trouble being accepted. were also a few books that looked as if they might make the list, but eventually did not, most conspicuous being the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas.) the Old Testament, his list is like that used by most Protestants, that he omits Esther, and includes Baruch, with the letter of Jeremiah. supplementary list is Wisdom, Sirach, Tobias, Judith, and Esther. He does not mention Maccabees. quotations from the writings of Athanasius follow: were made "in the likeness of God." in course of time that image has become obscured, like a face on a very old portrait, dimmed with dust and dirt. a portrait is spoiled, the only way to renew it is for the subject to come back to the studio and sit for the artist all over again. is why Christ came--to make it possible for the divine image in man to be recreated. were made in God's likeness; we are remade in the likeness of his Son. bring about this re-creation, Christ still comes to men and lives among them. a special way he comes to his Church, his "body", to show us what the "image of God" is really like. a responsibility the Church has, to be Christ's "body," showing him to those who are unwilling or unable to see him in providence, or in creation! the Word of God lived out in the Body of Christ they can come to the Father, and themselves be made again "in the likeness of God." If... it is by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ that death is trampled underfoot, it is clear that it is Christ Himself and none other Who is the Archvictor over death and has robbed it of its power. used to be strong and terrible, but now, since the sojourn of the Savior and the death and resurrection of His body, it is despised; and obviously it is by the very Christ Who mounted on the cross that it has been destroyed and vanquished finally. the sun rises after the night and the whole world is lit up by it, nobody doubts that it is the sun which has thus shed its light everywhere and driven away the dark. clear is it, this utter scorning and trampling down of death has ensued upon the Savior's manifestation in the body and His death on the cross, it is He Himself Who brought death to nought and daily raises monuments to His victory in His own disciples. can you think otherwise, you see men naturally weak hastening to death, at the prospect of corruption, fearless of the descent into Hades, even indeed with eager soul provoking it, not shrinking from tortures, but preferring thus to rush on death for Christ's sake, rather than to remain in this present life? you see with your own eyes men and women and children, even, thus welcoming death for the sake of Christ's religion, can you be so utterly silly and incredulous and maimed in your mind as not to realize that Christ, Whom these all bear witness, gives the victory to each, death completely powerless for those who hold His faith and bear the sign of the cross? one in his senses doubts that a snake is dead when he sees it trampled underfoot, especially when he knows how savage it used to be; if he sees boys making fun of a lion, does he doubt that the brute is either dead or completely bereft of strength. things can be seen with our own eyes, and it is the same with the conquest of death. no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, by Christ death was destroyed, the corruption that goes with it resolved and brought to end. by James Kiefer Note: Further information on Athanasius may also be found at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Rome, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith; Alexandria; Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Rome, 323-337, Emperor, Constantine the Great sole ruler of the Roman Empire
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Kaesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Rome, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, Great long story otPower oHumility, For Example-why we say Lord Have Mercy
Egypt, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, fPtinapor, widowed, forsook worldly life, long life but death memory stayed with him, impelling prayer&Penitence, began frequent church&Holy scripture, but no leave aged parents, spent everything tHelp them, prayed for a salvation guide, experienced elder sent, who guided watchfulness, fasting, prayer, who taught basket weaving, Elder built separate cell near his own, setteled M in it, Bishop arrived aPtinapor & ordained him deacon, against his will, so M went another place, Devil attacked him, shaking his cell, suggesting terrible thoughts, M's sign otCross & Prayer repelled D, Evil Slander accusing seduction oNeighbor, M endured temptation, he sent his weaving money for her support, Innocence manifested when Woman suffered many days, not able give birth, so she confessed, revealed real father's name, E shunned praise by leaving before Parents could ask forgiveness, settled Mt Nitria iPharan Desert, so human wickedness again prospered righteous, after 3yrs tAnthony tGreat, Egyptian Monasticism Father, longed see him still alive, A received him, M became devoted disciple long time, then A advised him go tSkete monastery, there he came to be called Young Elder, not quite 30yr old, there survived many demon attacks, M Carrying palm branches, devil attackes him wSickle, repelled bPrayer& Sign otCross, D said you surpass me only in humility, at age 40 M ordained priest made head Sketis monk, M often visited A, spiritual conversations, present A's death, received A's staff and double portion A's spiritual power, like Elisha from Elijah, and mantle from fiery chariot like staff, so M worked m healings, people thronged, unsettled quiet, dug deeper cave under his cell, hid there, his prayers Lord raised dead, continued humility, caught thief stealing his things, helped him load them to his (M's) donkey, we don't bring anythin in tWorld, we don't take anything out, Skull Story -saw skull along road, who are you, I am chief pagan priest, when you pray for those in hell we receive mitigation from torments, what torments, we sit great fire, can't see each other, you pray we begin see each other, M wept asked more torments, skull answered -down below us are those who knew God but spurned him and did not keep commandments, they worse torments, Once while praying M heard a voice, two women in city have more perfect virtue than you, M found them, Women received him, we live w husbands, no such virtues, but M insisted, we married brothers, live together one house, 15 yrs, never quarrel, no malicious words, husbands denied request women's monastery, we vowed no worldly word till death, M glorifed God and said n truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself, He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved, during Valen's time Macarius tG& M oA persecuited by Arians, put them on ship going tPagan island, all inhabitants baptized, so they were returned tTheir monasteries, M lived to 90, Anthony & Pachomius appreared tHim shortly before death, announced death in 9days, f9days instructed disciples preserve monastic rule and Traditions otFathers, departed sayin Into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” Egyptian Saint, 320-391, Marcarius the Great; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Great of Egypt was born in the early fourth century the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.” Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. began to visit the church of God more frequently to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents. his parents died, Saint Macarius used his remaining substance to help them he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it. local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor knowing of the saint’s virtuous life, him to the diaconate against his will. Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his silence, so he went secretly to another place. Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and suggesting sinful thoughts. Macarius repelled the attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the Sign of the Cross. people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing a woman from a nearby village. dragged him out of his cell and jeered at him. Saint Macarius endured the temptation with great humility. a murmur, he sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support of the pregnant woman. innocence of Saint Macarius was manifested when the woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not able to give birth. confessed that she had slandered the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Saint Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the praise of men. fled from that place by night and settled on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert. human wickedness contributed to the prospering of the righteous. dwelt in the desert for three years, he went to Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the world, and he longed to see him. Anthony received him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple and follower. Macarius lived with him for a long time and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a young Elder,” he had distinguished himself as an experienced and mature monk, though he was not quite thirty years old. Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him. he was carrying palm branches for weaving baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to strike him with a sickle, he was not able to do this. said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do. You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.” the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living in the desert of Skete. these years, Saint Macarius often visited with Saint Anthony the Great, receiving guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of Saint Anthony and he received his staff. also received a double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he dropped from the fiery chariot. Macarius worked many healings. -- People thronged to him from various places for help and for advice, asking his holy prayers. this unsettled the quietude of the saint. therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and hid there for prayer and meditation. Macarius attained such boldness before God that, through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to preserve his unusual humility. time the holy abba caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near the cell. revealing that he was the owner of these things, the monk began to help tie up the load. removed himself from the world, the monk told himself, “We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord for all things!” Saint Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” skull answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you, Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.” monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not see one another. you pray, we begin to see each other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.” heard such words, the saint began to weep and asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His commandments. endure even more grievous torments.” while he was praying, Saint Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius, you have not yet attained such perfection in virtue as two women who live in the city.” humble ascetic went to the city, found the house where the women lived, and knocked. women received him with joy, and he said, “I have come from the desert seeking you in order to learn of your good deeds. Tell me about them, and conceal nothing.” women answered with surprise, “We live with our husbands, and we have not such virtues.” the saint continued to insist, and the women then told him, “We married two brothers. living together in one house for fifteen years, we have not uttered a single malicious nor shameful word, and we never quarrel among ourselves. asked our husbands to allow us to enter a women’s monastery, but they would not agree. vowed not to utter a single worldly word until our death.” Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.” the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens (364-378), Saint Macarius the Great and Saint Macarius of Alexandria were subjected to persecution by the followers of the Arian bishop Lucius. seized both Elders and put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only pagans lived. the prayers of the saints, the daughter of a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. this, the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were baptized. he heard what had happened, the Arian bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to return to their monasteries. meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” monk lived until the age of ninety. before his death, Saints Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him, bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in nine days. instructing his disciples to preserve the monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, blessed them and began to prepare for death. Saint Macarius departed to the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being dead to the world. spent most of his time in conversation with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. he never ceased to weep, to repent and to work. saint’s profound theological writings are based on his own personal experience. Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual wisdom. prayers composed by Saint Macarius the Great are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and also in the Morning Prayers. ’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with God, is a primary principle in the works of Saint Macarius. the methods for attaining mystical communion, the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. way to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with God is revealed to each believer’s heart. life, according to Saint Macarius, has only a relative significance: prepare the soul, to make it capable of perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland. “For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into another, divine nature, to be fashioned anew by the power of the Holy Spirit.” is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God and have observed all His holy commandments. one betrothed to Christ at Baptism not seek and receive the divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of darkness on the left side. does not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil and his angels” (Homily 30:6). the teaching of Saint Macarius, the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love. of us acquires salvation through grace and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, to attain a perfect measure of virtue, is necessary for the soul’s assimilation of this divine gift, possible only “by faith and by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by truth.” is a divine-human action, and we attain complete spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” the other hand, is not just within “the measure of freedom and purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, is not without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” participation of man determines the actual condition of his soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for great faith and for prayer, does not strive for the oneness of divine communion, it is unfit for the heavenly kingdom.” miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, his Life was compiled by Saint Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt), of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth century. holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.

Rome, 323-337, Eustathius, Archbishop oAntioch, First EC president, Estemed by Basil, Chrysostom, Athanasius, falsely condemned
Syria, 323-337, Eustathius, Archbishop oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), fSide in324, Bishop oBoreoa (Aleppo) 320, people loved him, sent him to first EC 325 (as a one year old?), learned theologian, broad knowledge secular sciences, Bishop oAntioch 325, Arianism spreading in the East, Eustathius presided over First EC 325 at Nicea, Nicene Creed, the Orthodox confession oFaith, Arius refused renounce errors, excommunicated with others, some bishops signed to avoid ex, after council his enemies convened local Antioch council bribed woman to accuse him of fathering her child, deposed, only one witness, two required, without trial, exile iThrace, lie soon unmasked, woman sick repented tMany people, Constantine;s arian son took over in 337, Eustathius struggled in exile, died 337, 2nd EC 381 confirmed Nicene Creed, vigorously defended by E, 482 E's relics transfered from Philippi to Antioch, E estemed by: Basil, Chrysostom, Athanasius, Epiphanius oCyprus, Anastasius oSinai, and other bishops in struggle fOrthodoxy ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Eustathius, Archbishop of Antioch (323-331) born in Side, Pamphylia in 324. was Bishop of Beroea (modern Aleppo), enjoyed the love and esteem of the people, at the request of his flock he was elevated by the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325) to the See of Antioch. Eustathius was a learned theologian, was also distinguished by his broad knowledge in secular sciences. the heresy of Arius began to spread in the East (Arianism denied the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father), Eustathius struggled zealously for the purity of the Orthodox Faith through his words and his writings. First Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 325 by the holy God-crowned Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337). first to preside over this Council was Saint Eustathius. Council condemned the heretical teachings of Arius and incorporated the Orthodox confession into the Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed). the mad Arius, as Saint Eustathius called him, refused to renounce his errors. and those who shared his opinion were excommunicated from the Church by the Council. the bishops who signed the Nicene Symbol of Faith were some who sympathized with the heresy of Arius, but signed the Acts of the Council through fear of excommunication. the Council, his enemies plotted against Saint Eustathius. great cunning they gained his consent to convene a local Council at Antioch. bribed a certain profligate woman, they persuaded her to appear at the Council with an infant at her breast, and falsely declare that Saint Eustathius was the father of the infant. Arians declared Saint Eustathius deposed, violating the Apostolic Rule that accusations against the clergy must be substantiated by two witnesses. a trial he was sent off into exile in Thrace. the lie was soon unmasked: the woman repented after falling grievously ill. She summoned the clergy, and in the presence of many people, she confessed her sin. Constantine the Great died around this time, his son Constantius (337-361), who shared the heretical views of Arius and favored the Arian bishops, succeeded his father on the throne. in exile, Saint Eustathius struggled for Orthodoxy with the same zeal. He died in exile, in the city of Philippi or Trajanopolis, in the year 337. in the year 381 at Constaninople, the Second Ecumenical Council confirmed the Orthodox Symbol of Faith, which Saint Eustathius had so vigorously defended. The Arian heresy was once again anthematized. the year 482 the relics of Saint Eustathius were reverently transferred from Philippi to Antioch, to the great joy of the people of Antioch, who had not ceased to honor and love their patriarch. Eustathius was esteemed by the great hierarchs of the fourth century: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Athanasius of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus, Anastasius of Sinai, and Jerome of Stridonia. renowned church historian Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus calls Saint Eustathius a pillar of the Church and a man of piety, of equal stature with Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and the other bishops at the forefront of the struggle for Orthodoxy. Eustathius of Antioch, Wikipedia of Antioch, sometimes surnamed the Great, was a Christian bishop and archbishop of Antioch in the 4th century. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is February 21. Life He was a native of Side in Pamphylia. About 320 he was bishop of Beroea, and he became patriarch of Antioch shortly before the Council of Nicaea in 325. In that assembly he distinguished himself zealously against the Arians,[1] though the Allocutio ad Imperatorem with which he has been credited is probably not by him.[2] At Nicaea, he and Marcellus joined forces with Alexander.[3][4] In this way, they were able to significantly influence the formulation of the Nicene Creed.[5] His anti-Arian polemic against Eusebius of Nicomedia made him unpopular among his fellow bishops in the East, and a synod convened at Antioch in 330 deposed him for Sabellianism,[6] which was confirmed by the emperor.[2] After Nicaea, the conflict at Nicaea between the Eusebians and the pro-Nicenes continued. “Within ten years of the Council of Nicaea all the leading supporters of the creed of that Council had been deposed or disgraced or exiled," including Eustathius.[7] Arius and his theology were now no longer the focus of the Controversy.[8] The focus of the controversy was now the term homoousios: The Eusebians, led by Eusebius of Caesarea, argued that this term implies Sabellianism, in which the Logos is part of the Father and has no real distinct existence. Eustathius accused Eusebius, an admirer of Origen, for deviating from the Nicene Creed: “The fifth-century ecclesiastical historian Sozomen reports a dispute immediately after the council, focused not on Arius, but … concerning the precise meaning of the term homoousios. Some thought this term … implied the non-existence of the Son of God; and that it involved the error of Montanus and Sabellius. … Eustathius accused Eusebius [of Caesarea] of altering the doctrines ratified by the council of Nicaea, while the latter declared that he approved of all the Nicaean doctrines, and reproached Eustathius for cleaving to the heresy of Sabellius.”[9] Eustathius was accused, condemned, and deposed at a synod in Antioch.[10] His supporters at Antioch rebelled against the decision of this synod and were ready to take up arms in his defence.[11] But Eustathius kept them in check, exhorted them to remain true to their faith and humbly left for his place of exile, accompanied by a large body of his clergy. Eustathius was banished to Trajanopolis in Thrace, where he died, probably about 337, though possibly not until 370.[12] The Eusebians proposed Eusebius as the new bishop, but he declined. Eustathius' adherents in Antioch formed a separate community by the name of "Eustathians" and refused to acknowledge the bishops set over them by the Eusebians. Eustathius asserted one hypostasis in God.[13] This means that he did not recognize the Logos as a hypostasis; a distinct existence.[14] For Him, Jesus Christ was not the Logos but a mere man.[15] For him, the Logos existed as an energy in the man Jesus.[16] When, after the death of Eustathius, Meletius became Bishop of Antioch in 360, the Eustathians would not recognize him, even after his election was approved by the Synod of Alexandria in 362. Their intransigent attitude gave rise to two factions among the orthodox, the so-called Meletian Schism, which lasted till the second decade of the fifth century.[17] "The schism at Antioch, between the Eustathians, or old Catholic party, under their Bishop Paulinus … and the new Catholic party under S. Meletius, had troubled both the East and West. The holiest Bishops in the East, such as S. Basil and S. Eusebius of Samosata, sided with Meletius. S. Damasus and the Western Bishops communicated with Paulinus. Meletius asserted Three Hypostases in the HOLY TRINITY, Paulinus One: S. Damasus would not allow the former, for fear of being considered an Arian, nor S. Basil the latter, lest he should be imagined a Sabellian.… Peter served as a kind of connection between the two conflicting parties, though his sentiments inclined to those of Damasus. S. Basil addressed a letter to him while at Rome, on the subject, in which he complains in very strong language, that the Western Bishops, who could not be so well acquainted with the actual state of affairs, should presume to class Meletius and Eusebius among the Arians."[18] The only complete work by Eustathius is the De Engastrimytho contra Origenem.[19] The Commentary on the Hexameron attributed to him in the manuscripts is too late to be authentic.

Rome, 324-330, Constantinople Founding, closer Eastern Provinces, direct communication West, boundaries, when he stops
Constantinople, 324-330, Founding of Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), closer to Eastern Provinces, with direct communication to the West, tracing boundaries w spear, how long?, when he stops, divine power, pagan monuments, Christian Capital for 1000 yrs; Constantinople; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11; 324 the holy Emperor Constantine (May 21) decided that the imperial capital had to be closer to the Eastern provinces, and yet have direct communication with the West. The city of Byzantium fulfilled these requirements, and on November 8, 324 the site of the new capital was consecrated. tells us that the Emperor was tracing the boundaries of the city with a spear, when his courtiers became astonished by the magnitude of the new dimensions of the capital. “Lord,” they asked, “how long will you keep going?” replied, “I shall keep going until the one who walks ahead of me stops.” they understood that the emperor was being guided by some divine power. There is an iconographic sketch by Rallis Kopsides showing an angel of the Lord going before Saint Constantine as he traces the new boundaries of the city. of the main buildings was begun in 325, and pagan monuments from Rome, Athens, and other cities were used to beautify the new capital. The need for the new city is partially explained by the changing requirements of government, the Germanic invasion of the West, and commercial benefits, but the new city was also to be a Christian capital. For this, a new foundation was required. 330, the work had progressed to the point where it was possible for Constantine to dedicate the new capital. The dedication took place on May 11, followed by forty days of joyous celebration. Christian Constantinople was placed under the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, and overshadowed pagan Byzantium. Saint Constantine was the first Emperor to submit voluntarily to Christ, and Constantinople became the symbol of a Christian Empire which lasted for a thousand years.

Rome, 325, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed by Novatians after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia

Rome, 325-330, Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Thessaly, denounced Arius at first council, deliverance
Greece, Thessaly, 325-330, Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth), denounced Arius at first council, deliverance ; Larissa; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15; Achilles, Bishop of Larissa, lived during the fourth century, during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Glorified for his holiness of life and erudition, he was made Bishop of Larissa in Thessaly. Achilles participated in the First Ecumenical Council, where he boldly denounced the heretic Arius. In his city he strove to promote Christianity, destroyed idolatrous pagan temples, and he built and adorned churches. Achilles had the gift of healing sickness, especially demonic possession, and he worked many miracles. The saint died peacefully in about the year 330. His relics have remained in Prespa, in today's Republic of Macedonia, since 978.

Rome, 325-373, EPHREM OF NISIBIS, Armenia, defended Nicean faith 325, Hymnographer, by songs, commentaries, sermons
Armenia, 325-373, EPHREM OF NISIBIS, Armenia (Tigris River 3) defended Nicean faith 325, Hymnographer, by songs to spread faith, commentaries, sermons; Nisibis (Mesopotamia); EPHREM OF NISIBIS, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); (or Ephren or Ephraim or Ephrain) of Edessa [or Nisibis] was a teacher, poet, orator, and defender of the Faith. English-speakers, the most familiar form of his name will be "Ephraim." It is the name of the younger son of Joseph, son of Jacob (see Genesis 41:52), and is thus the name of one of the largest of the twelve tribes of Israel.) (now Urfa), a city in modern Turkey about 100 kilometers from Antioch (now Antakya), was a an early center for the spread of Christian teaching in the East. is said that in 325 he accompanied his bishop, James of Nisibis, to the Council of Nicea. his writings are an eloquent defense of the Nicene faith in the Deity of Jesus Christ. countered the Gnostics' practice of spreading their message through popular songs by composing Christian songs and hymns of his own, with great effect. He is known to the Syrian church as "the harp of the Holy Spirit." retired to a cave outside Edessa, where he lived in great simplicity and devoted himself to writing. He frequently went into the city to preach. During a famine in 372-3 he worked distributing food to the hungry, and organizing a sort of ambulance service for the sick. He worked long hours at this, and became exhausted and sick, and so died. Of his writings there remain 72 hymns, commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, and numerous sermons. Several hymns are available at: http://www.voskrese.info/spl/XefremSyria.html Orthodox he is best known for a fasting prayer: THE PRAYER OF ST EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN O Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk. (prostration) Instead, grace me, Your servant, with the spirit of modesty, humility, patience, and love. (prostration) Indeed, my Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults, and not condemn my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (prostration) (Twelve deep bows, saying each time: O God, be gracious to me, a sinner.) [Translation by Fr James Silver, Drew University; posted on the Orthodox list] by James Kiefer

Rome, 328-388, Nophon, oCyprus, sinful youth, black face, radiant face, passion struggles, St Paul appearance, bishop
Cyprus, 328-388, Nophon, Bishop oCyprus, Constantia, Cyprus, fPaphlagonia, ed iConstantinople, gentle kind child but wild sinful youth, came to senses but believed lost, friend stared at his black face, realized how far fallen, cried to MOG, ling time, then saw MOG's face radiant, started praying MOG incessantly, sin caused her face turn away, tears oRepentence caused her face turn back, finally turned life around, illnes healed, holy mysteries, tonsured monk, exhausting struggle wPassions, several years, demon attacks, gift o discerning defeat spirits, see soul departures, Bishop as old man, by St Paul's appearance, consecrate someone who looks like me, even if he resists, quickly made deacon, priest&bishop, governed short time, foresaw death 3days, visited bAthanasios tG, Angels, various Saints, &MOG; Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Niphon (Nḗphon), the Bishop of Constantia on the island of Cyprus, born in Paphlagonia in the IV century, was educated in Constantinople. a child, he was gentle and kind, and he often attended Church Services. in in his youth, he began to lead a wild and sinful life. when he came to his senses, he was horrified at the extent of his fall, believing that he was lost and could not be forgiven, he continued his wicked life. day he met a friend who gazed at his face for a long time in astonishment. Niphon asked why he was staring, the friend replied, “I have never seen your face like this before. It is black, like that of an Ethiopian.” words made Niphon realize how far he had fallen, he began to cry out to the Mother of God, asking for her intercession. praying for a long time, he saw that the face of the Mother of God on the Icon had become radiant, and she smiled. that time, Niphon prayed incessantly to the Queen of Heaven. he fell into sin, the face of the Mother of God turned away from him, but after he prayed with fervent tears of repentance, she seemed to show mercy and she looked at him again. Niphon completely turned his life around, and he began to spend his time in prayer and repentance. an illness, from which he was healed by the Mother of God, he partook of the Holy Mysteries. he was tonsured as a monk and intensified his ascetical labors, exhausting his body in his struggle with the passions. struggle lasted several years, and Saint Niphon was attacked many times by demons, but with God's help he was able to overcome them. he received from the Lord the gift of discerning the machinations of evil spirits, and how to defeat them. was even able to see the departure of souls after death. he was already an old man, he journeyed to Alexandria. that time a delegation from Constantia was in the city to ask Patriarch Alexander (May 29) to consecrate a new Bishop for them, because their Bishop Christopher had reposed. night Saint Paul appeared to Saint Alexander in a vision and told him to go to the church the next day with his clergy. Apostle said, "When you see someone who resembles me (except for being bald), consecrate him as the Bishop of Christ's flock, even if he does not wish it." the morning Patriarch Alexander told Niphon that he must not refuse to do what the Lord had appointed for him. protested that he was not worthy to be a Hierarch, yet he did not dare to oppose God's will. were made and Niphon was ordained as a deacon, then shortly afterward he was ordained to the priesthood; and finally, he was consecrated as a Bishop. days later, he set out for his diocese. governing his flock for a short time, Saint Niphon foresaw that he would die in three days. his repose he was visited by Saint Athanasios the Great. his deathbed, he was accounted worthy to behold the Holy Angels and various Saints: Martyrs, Prophets, Priests, Monks, and the Most Holy Theotokos. his flock learned of their Bishop's death there was weeping and lamentation throughout the city. Patriarch asked them to give thanks to God instead, for letting them have such a holy man as their Bishop. the funeral, Saint Niphon was laid to rest in the church of the Holy Apostles, and then everyone glorified God, Who is wondrous in His Saints.

Rome, 330-1453 Bryzantine Empire, Constantinople
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Justinian the Emperor; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable John Calabytes "œthe Hut-Dweller"Â, Commemorated on January 15; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on February 23; Byzantium Emperor Marcian (450-457); Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

Rome, 335-395, Apollo otThebaid, divine revelation tDestroy Babel Wise Men's wisdom&false knowledge, Heliopolis M, great story
Egypt, 335-395, Apollonios (Apollo) otEgyptian Thebaid (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13), desert a15 f14yrs, divine revelation tDestroy wisdom oEgyptian Wise Men, remove their not true knowledge, plus Wise Men of Egyptian Babel, and remove service to devils, go quickly tNear Desert close to Hermopolis, soon multitude oMiracles&Monastery, ate little once a day, vanity o-Chains, Rags, Long hair, prison frefusing Military Service, Angel otLord freed them, as witness pagan ritual froze idolaters, became christians, soon no pagans left near monastery, prevented bloodshead between C's & pagan village by converting instagator, on another similar occasion by terrible death tLeader, A's History- Jerome had visited A, Abba Paul's journey ffAntinoe tEMonasteries, Jacobite Synaxarion; Thebaid; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Apollonios was the son of the pious parents, Aisi and Amani. According to one version, he had an elder brother, a monk, who died before his birth, who appeared to him in a dream. According to other sources, his parents were childless before the birth of Apollonios. the age of fifteen, the Saint retired to the inner desert of the Thebaïd (in Lower Egypt), along with his kinsman Abib. fourteen years of the solitary life, Saint Apollonios was granted a Divine Revelation. Voice said: “Apollonios, by your hands I will destroy the wisdom of the wise men of Egypt, I will remove their knowledge, which is not true knowledge. will also overthrow those who are reputed to be the wise men of Babel (the Babylon of Egypt), and all their service to devils (idolatry). go quickly to the desert, to the region which is near the habitations of men. There you shall beget for me a holy people, who will be exalted by their good works.” he became known for the multitude of miracles which he performed. He was the head of many monks; and he directed them profitably by his spiritual instructions. the reign of Julian the Apostate, God commanded the Saint to go to the near desert. a spot close to Hermopolis he founded a monastery in which about five hundred monks would gather in the future. brethren of the Monastery partook of the Holy Mysteries in the morning, and then in the afternoon they studied the Holy Scriptures. after sunset did they eat a little food, and then they went off into the desert alone, “in the darkness of the night, devoting themselves to the contemplation of God and His Holy Word,” while some of the monks remained in the monastery. monks would eat food just once a day. condemned those who adhered to the harsher forms of austerity - these did not cut their hair and wore chains - regarding such things as a sign of vanity. the same time, Apollonios himself was a strict faster, he ate boiled food on Sundays, and on other days he ate only wild plants. one of the monks was forcibly recruited for military service and was locked up in a prison for refusing to serve. and some other monks visited him in the prison. They comforted him and advised him to remain steadfast. the centurion heard about this, he became very angry and locked Apollonios and his companions in prison, posting many guards. an angel of the Lord appeared at midnight, to open the doors of the prison, and the monks left unhindered. the monastery were ten pagan settlements. Apollonios was once a witness to a pagan ritual: priests of the idols, accompanied by a crowd, carried an idol around to the villages, “raging like bacchants.” the Saint’s prayers, the idolaters were halted and could not continue the procession. learning of the cause of the incident, many of them followed Apollonios, and the idol was destroyed. After this miracle, many pagans became Christians, and some of them even remained in the monastery. Soon there were almost no pagans left in the vicinity of the monastery. there was strife between two villages near the monastery, Apollonios managed to convert a robber (who may have been the instigator of the quarrel) to Christ, and so peace was restored. another occasion, Apollonios was able to prevent bloodshed between the Christian and pagan villages, punishing the leader of the pagans with a terrible death. famine occurred at the Thebaid, Apollonios supplied the inhabitants with food. Apollonios reposed in peace around the year 395, at very advanced age. of the information about Saint Apollonios was recorded in chapter 9 of Saint Jerome’s History of the Monks of Egypt. The author had visited Apollonios shortly before the latter’s repose, along with his companions. They lived in his monastery for about a week. also provides some details about Apollonios in Book VI, chapter 29 of his Church History, citing Timothy, the primate of the Church of Alexandria, as the source for what we know about Saint Apollonios’s personal discipline as well as his “divine and marvelous deeds.” Coptic Church has also preserved an ancient testimony of Saint Apollonios in a description of Abba Paul’s journey from Antinoe through the monasteries of Egypt, another account from a Jacobite Synaxarion (in Arabic). This Synaxarion under 5 Amshire (January 30) calls Apollonios “an Equal of the angels.” The Coptic Church commemorates Saint Apollonios on 25 Papo (October 22).

Rome, 335, Commem Resurrection Church F, after rebuilding Jerusalem, a Aelia Capitolinna, C of Tyre attends
Jerusalem, 335, Commemoration Resurrection Church Founding; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. When the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). It was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, he constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. Before the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. He did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, and Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples and reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. She was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. There they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. When the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. The holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: "Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). The Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Therefore, at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. Hierarchs of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. The bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. On this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Rome, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul, the Athanasius of the West, exiled, wrote essays, sent back, persuaded Arian bishop
Gaul, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul (Clain River 3) the Athanasius of the West. He was bishop of Poitiers, exiled to Phrygia 357, wrote essays, sent back to Gaul, to Milan persuaded Arian bishop ; Poitiers; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. When the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Saint Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. Because of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. There he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. His holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." He was bishop of Poitiers, when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. His exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. Finally the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. In 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways.

Rome, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Rome, 337-340, Emperor, Constantine II, Orthodox, Gaul, died invading Italy
Roman Emperor, 337-340, Constantine II (emperor); II (Latin: Flavius Claudius Constantinus; February 316 – 340) was Roman emperor from 337 to 340. Son of Constantine the Great and co-emperor alongside his brothers, his attempt to exert his perceived rights of primogeniture led to his death in a failed invasion of Italy in 340. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 337-350, Emperor, Constans, Orthodox, Italy, Illyricum, Africa, then Gaul, u by M
Roman Emperor,;337-350, Constans; Julius Constans (c. 320 – 350) was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of caesar from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was made augustus alongside his brothers in September 337. Constans was given the administration of the praetorian prefectures of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa.[3] He defeated the Sarmatians in a campaign shortly afterwards.[3] In the civil war that followed, in 340 he defeated his eldest brother and co-emperor Constantine II's invasion of Italy, who was killed in battle with Constans's forces near Aquileia.[3] Constans gained from him the praetorian prefecture of Gaul.[3] Thereafter there were tensions with his remaining younger brother and co-augustus Constantius II (r. 337–361), including over the exiled bishop Athanasius of Alexandria.[3] In the following years he campaigned against the Franks and in 343 visited Roman Britain.[3] In January 350, Magnentius (r. 350–353) the commander of the Jovians and Herculians, a corps in the Roman army, was acclaimed augustus at Augustodunum (Autun) with the support of Marcellinus, the comes rei privatae.[4] Magnentius overthrew and killed Constans.[3][4] Surviving sources, possibly influenced by the propaganda of Magnentius's faction, accuse Constans of misrule and of homosexuality.[3] St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 337-361, Emperor, Constantius II, Greece, Thrace, Asia, Egypt, Orthodox then Arian
Roman Emperor, 324-361, Constantius II, Son of Constantine the Great ; Julius Constantius (Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î¬Î½Ï„Î¹Î¿Ï‚; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361), known as Constantius II, was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civil wars, court intrigues and usurpations. His religious policies inflamed domestic conflicts that would continue after his death. Constantius was a son of Constantine the Great, who elevated him to the imperial rank of caesar on 8 November 324 and after whose death Constantius became augustus together with his brothers, Constantine II and Constans on 9 September 337. He promptly oversaw the massacre of his father-in-law, an uncle and several cousins, consolidating his hold on power. The brothers divided the empire among themselves, with Constantius receiving Greece, Thrace, the Asian provinces and Egypt in the east. For the following decade a costly and inconclusive war against Persia took most of Constantius's time and attention. In the meantime, his brothers Constantine and Constans warred over the western provinces of the empire, leaving the former dead in 340 and the latter as sole ruler of the west. The two remaining brothers maintained an uneasy peace with each other until, in 350, Constans was overthrown and assassinated by the usurper Magnentius. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. Magnentius committed suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire. In 351, Constantius elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to the subordinate rank of caesar to rule in the east, but had him executed three years later after receiving scathing reports of his violent and corrupt nature. Shortly thereafter, in 355, Constantius promoted his last surviving cousin, Gallus' younger half-brother Julian, to the rank of caesar. As emperor, Constantius promoted Arian Christianity, persecuted pagans by banning sacrifices and closing pagan temples and issued laws discriminating against Jews. His military campaigns against Germanic tribes were successful: he defeated the Alamanni in 354 and campaigned across the Danube against the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357. The war against the Sasanians, which had been in a lull since 350, erupted with renewed intensity in 359 and Constantius traveled to the east in 360 to restore stability after the loss of several border fortresses. However, Julian claimed the rank of augustus in 360, leading to war between the two after Constantius' attempts to persuade Julian to back down failed. No battle was fought, as Constantius became ill and died of fever on 3 November 361 in Mopsuestia, naming Julian as his rightful successor before his death. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 350-399, Karion &Son Zachariia, Scetis, K leaves family, raises Z aSkete, grumbling, Z's welts like angel, much more
Egypt, 350-399, Karion (Cyrion) &Son Zachariia, Scetis, Egyptian Desert, K became monk left wife children behind iWorld, Famine, w&c tMonasatery complain, K took son Zacharia in Monastery, dauther wMother, Z raised aSkete, brethern grumble, tThebaid, complaints there, Z tNitria, immersed foul water 1hr, face&body welts, like leper, Holy Communion fIsadore, last sunday as man, today as angel, K dies, Z struggles wMoses tBlack, Moses asks Z what to be saved, Z supprised why ask me, M because saw HS come down on you, Z tramples head cowl, man must be willing trampled this way tbMonk, Moses asks Z at Z's death, what do you see, Isn't better tKeep silent, Yes, Z dies, when soul leaving body Isadore said Rejoice heaven gates are open tYou, Z buried Skete 399 or so; Scetis ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Karion lived in Scetis in Egypt during the fourth century. became a monk and left his wife and two children behind in the world. a famine struck Egypt, Saint Karion’s wife brought the children to the monastery and complained of their poverty and difficulties. saint took his son, Zachariah, and the daughter remained with the mother. raised his son at the skete, and everyone knew that Zachariah was his son. the lad grew up, the brethren began to grumble. father and his son then went into the Thebaid, but complaints about them arose there, too. Saint Zachariah went to Lake Nitria, immersing himself in the foul-smelling water up to his nostrils and he stayed there for an hour. His face and his body were covered with welts, and he looked like a leper. Even his own father hardly recognized him. next time Saint Zachariah came for Holy Communion, it was revealed to the Saint Isidore the Presbyter what Zachariah had done. holy priest said to him, “Child, last Sunday you communed as a man, but now you receive as an angel.” the death of his father, Saint Zachariah began to struggle together with Saint Moses the Black (August 28). “What must I do, to be saved?” asked Saint Moses. this, Saint Zachariah fell to his knees and said: “Why do you ask this of me, Father?” “Believe me, my child, Zachariah,” Saint Moses continued, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down upon you, and that is why I ask you.” Zachariah then took the koukoulion (cowl) from his head, trampling it under his feet. putting it on again he said, “If a man is not willing to be treated this way, he cannot be a monk.” Moses asked Zachariah just before his death, “What do you see, brother?” “Isn’t it better if I keep silent, Father?” Saint Zachariah replied. “Yes, child, remain silent”, agreed Saint Moses. the soul of Saint Zachariah was leaving his body, Abba Isidore lifted his gaze toward the heavens and said, “Rejoice, Zachariah my child, for the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven are opened to you.” Zachariah died towards the end of the fourth century and was buried in Skete with the Fathers. Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Story - Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5: Zachariah was the son of Saint Karion. Saint Karion lived in Scetis in Egypt during the fourth century. became a monk and left his wife and two children behind in the world. When a famine struck Egypt, Saint Karion’s wife brought the children to the monastery and complained of their poverty and difficulties. The saint took his son, and the daughter remained with the mother. raised his son at the skete, and everyone knew that Zachariah was his son. When the lad grew up, the brethren began to grumble. The father and his son then went into the Thebaid, but complaints about them arose there, too. Then Saint Zachariah went to Lake Nitria, immersing himself in the foul-smelling water up to his nostrils and he stayed there for an hour. His face and his body were covered with welts, and he looked like a leper. Even his own father hardly recognized him. next time Saint Zachariah came for Holy Communion, it was revealed to the Saint Isidore the Presbyter what Zachariah had done. The holy priest said to him, “Child, last Sunday you communed as a man, but now you receive as an angel.” the death of his father, Saint Zachariah began to struggle together with Saint Moses the Black (August 28). “What must I do, to be saved?” asked Saint Moses. Hearing this, Saint Zachariah fell to his knees and said: “Why do you ask this of me, Father?” “Believe me, my child, Zachariah,” Saint Moses continued, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down upon you, and that is why I ask you.” Zachariah then took the koukoulion (cowl) from his head, trampling it under his feet. After putting it on again he said, “If a man is not willing to be treated this way, he cannot be a monk.” Moses asked Zachariah just before his death, “What do you see, brother?” “Isn’t it better if I keep silent, Father?” Saint Zachariah replied. “Yes, child, remain silent”, agreed Saint Moses. the soul of Saint Zachariah was leaving his body, Abba Isidore lifted his gaze toward the heavens and said, “Rejoice, Zachariah my child, for the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven are opened to you.” Zachariah died towards the end of the fourth century and was buried in Skete with the Fathers.

Rome, 352-366, Pope, St Liberius, Orthodox against Arianism, defended Athanasius
Roman Pope, 352-366 , St Liberius ; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; Liberius the Confessor, Bishop of Rome, became Bishop of Rome in the year 352, after the death of Pope Julius. Liberius was a fervent proponent of Orthodoxy against the Arian heresy and a defender of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (May 2). The emperor Constantius (337-361) was inclined to side with the Arians, but was not able to compel Saint Liberius to condemn Saint Athanasius. For such intransigence he was sent off to prison in Beroea (Thrace), but was soon returned to his see on the insistent petitions of the Roman people. his return, they summoned Saint Liberius to the Semi-Arian Council of Sirmium, where they forced him to sign the acts of the Council. Saint Liberius deeply repented of this later, and labored much at Rome on behalf of Orthodoxy. He died peacefully in the year 366.

Rome, 360-397, Roman Saint, Ambrose, against Arianism
Rome, 360-397, Roman Saint, Ambrose; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. 1 Life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Bishop of Milan 1.3 Arianism 1.4 Imperial relations 1.5 Attitude towards Jews 1.6 Attitude towards pagans 1.7 Later years and death 1.8 Character 2 Theology 2.1 Giving to the poor 2.2 Mariology 3 Writings 4 Church music 5 Augustine 5.1 Reading 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Citations 8.3 Works cited 9 External links life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H
Northern Italy, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. 1 Life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Bishop of Milan 1.3 Arianism 1.4 Imperial relations 1.5 Attitude towards Jews 1.6 Attitude towards pagans 1.7 Later years and death 1.8 Character 2 Theology 2.1 Giving to the poor 2.2 Mariology 3 Writings 4 Church music 5 Augustine 5.1 Reading 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Citations 8.3 Works cited 9 External links life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Saint Bassian, Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Rome, 360-397, Anthusa oRome, Roman official's wife, baptized bAmbrose, refused Arian baptizm, committed tFire martyrdom
Rome, 360-397, Anthusa oRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Roman official's wife, baptized bAmbrose oMilan, perfect's wife suggested Arian baptizm, refused, committed tFire martyrdom; Rome; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8 ; Holy Martyr Anthusa, wife of a Roman official, baptized by Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). the city prefect’s wife Sunilda suggested that Saint Anthusa be baptized by an Arian, she refused. she was committed to the fire, and received the crown of martyrdom.

Rome, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia, weeping, entreatd God, well dressed Angel Gabriel, great sin but g repentence
Mesopotamis, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia (Land of the Rivers), Senator's son, betrothed against will, fled pious widow, 7days weeping entreating God, Tobias' guide well dressed Angel Gabriel led him to a cave, beautiful girl decieved him, first time carnal desire, she disappeared, devil rejoiced, he wept bitterly, Gabe kept him from leaving, severe ascetic many years, great sin but great repentence, presence angels&saints; Mesopotamia; Saint Macarius the Roman of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 23 ; day, the cave where holy ascetic Makarios lived was found by three monks the Monastery of Saint Asclepius in Mesopotamia. Hyginos and Theophilos had left the monastery in order to wander through the world, seeking a sign from God which would be beneficial for their salvation. as they approached the cave, they noticed a marvelous fragrance issuing forth from it. they saw an old man walking toward them, covered only by his hair and a beard which reached his knees. threw himself to the ground and remained there for several minutes, until he was sure the three strangers were not really demons. When he was satisfied that he was not experiencing some sort of delusion, he invited them into his cave. oldest monk asked him to relate his story, which he did. Makarios told them that he was born in Rome was the son of a wealthy Senator named John. he was old enough to be married, his parents betrothed him against his will. There was a celebration following the wedding, instead of entering the bridal chamber, he fled to the home of a pious widow, he spent seven days secretly weeping and entreating God to help him. he left her house, Makarios met a well-dressed old man of noble demeanor. This man ordered Makarios to accompany him. Makarios did follow him for three years, until one day they came to a cave, and then the old man vanished. appeared to Makarios in a dream soon afterward and revealed that he was the Archangel Raphael, who had guided Tobias in his travels. he vanished, the Archangel entrusted him to God’s mercy. after he first moved into the cave, Makarios saw a most beautiful young woman standing before him, who said that she also had fled from an unwanted marriage in Rome. spite of his caution, Saint Makarios did not have sufficient discernment to escape the devil’s snare, and so he allowed the girl to spend the night in his cave. the first time in his life, he was assaulted by the fiery darts of carnal desire, and he sinned with the girl. Suddenly she disappeared, and the devil rejoiced because he had tempted the ascetic to sin. that moment Saint Makarios realized the seriousness of his fall. bitterly, he decided to leave the cave and find another place where he might do penance. the way, the Archangel Raphael appeared to him once again and urged him to return. told him that God would hear his prayers if he remained in the cave. So he went back and subjected his flesh to severe fasting, vigils and absolute self-denial for many years, so that he might recover the purity of his soul in order to contemplate God. he had edified the three brethren with the story of his struggles, Saint Makarios sent them on their way in peace. sin was very great, but so was his repentance; therefore, he fell asleep in the Lord in the presence of the angels and the saints. precise date of the saint’s repose is not known, but it was probably at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth.

Rome, 361-363, Emperor Julian the Apostate, Constantinople, C's step brother
Roman Emperor, 361-363, Julian the Apostate, Constantinople; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Icon œNot Made by Hands from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 364-378, Emperor, Valentian I in the West, Orthodox, last great western emperor
Roman Emperor, 364-378, Valentian I in the West ; Valentinian I (Latin: Flavius Valentinianus; 3 July 321 -“ 17 November 375), also known as Valentinian the Great,[2][3][4][5] was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces while Valentinian retained the west. his reign, Valentinian fought successfully against the Alamanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians. Most notable was his victory over the Alamanni in 367 at the Battle of Solicinium. His brilliant general Count Theodosius defeated a revolt in Africa and the Great Conspiracy, a coordinated assault on Roman Britain by Picts, Scots, and Saxons. Valentinian was also the last emperor to conduct campaigns across both the Rhine and Danube rivers. Valentinian rebuilt and improved the fortifications along the frontiers, even building fortresses in enemy territory. to the successful nature of his reign and the rapid decline of the empire after his death, he is often considered to be the "last great western emperor". He founded the Valentinianic dynasty, with his sons Gratian and Valentinian II succeeding him in the western half of the empire. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 364-378, Emperor, Valens in the East, Arian, died and lost to Goths at Adrianople, bad g, good a
Roman Emperor, 364-375, Valens in the East ; Valens (328 -“ 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. He was the younger brother of the emperor Valentinian I, who gave Valens the eastern half of the Roman Empire to rule. Before 364, Valens had a largely unremarkable military career. In 378, Valens was defeated and killed at the Battle of Adrianople against the invading Goths, which astonished contemporaries and marked the beginning of barbarian encroachment into Roman territory. emperor Valens continually faced threats both internal and external.[6] He defeated, after some dithering, the usurper Procopius in 366, and campaigned against the Goths across the Danube in 367 and 369. In the following years, Valens focused on the eastern frontier, where he faced the perennial threat of Persia, particularly in Armenia, as well as additional conflicts with the Saracens and Isaurians. Domestically, he inaugurated the Aqueduct of Valens in Constantinople, which was longer than all the aqueducts of Rome. In 376-77, the Gothic War broke out, following a mismanaged attempt to settle the Goths in the Balkans. Valens returned from the east to fight the Goths in person, but lack of coordination with his nephew, the western emperor Gratian (Valentinian I's son), as well as poor battle tactics, led to Valens and much of the eastern Roman army dying at a battle near Adrianople in 378. Valens is described as indecisive, impressionable, a mediocre general and overall "utterly undistinguished", he was also a conscientious and capable administrator,[7] and a notable achievement of his was to significantly relieve the burden of taxation on the population.[8] At the same time, his suspicious and fearful disposition, and excessive concern for personal safety, resulted in numerous treason trials and executions, which heavily stained his reputation. Valens was a Arian Christian “ (the last Roman emperor to profess this denomination)“ and unenthusiastically persecuted eastern Catholics while interfering little in the affairs of the pagans.[8][9] AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 367-420, Roman Saint, Jerome, scholar, translator, theologian
Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); was the foremost biblical scholar of the ancient Church. His translation of the Bible, along with his commentaries and homilies on the biblical books, have made him a major intellectual force in the Western Church. was born in about 347, and was converted and baptized during his student days in Rome. a visit to Trier, he found himself attracted to the monastic life, which he tested in a brief but unhappy experience as a hermit in the deserts of Syria. Antioch, he continued his studies in Hebrew and Greek. In 379, he went to Constantinople where he studied under Gregory of Nazianzus. 382 to 384 he was secretary to Pope Damasus I, and spiritual director of many noble Roman ladies who were becoming interested in the monastic life. It was Damasus who set him the task of making a new translation of the Bible into Latin -- into the popular form of the language, hence the name of the translation: the Vulgate. the death of Damasus, Jerome returned to the East, and established a monastery at Bethlehem, where he lived and worked until his death on 30 September 420. is best known as the translator of the Bible into Latin. A previous version (now called the Old Latin) existed, but Jerome's version far surpassed it in scholarship and in literary quality. was well versed in classical Latin (as well as Greek and Hebrew), but deliberately translated the Bible into the style of Latin that was actually spoken and written by the majority of persons in his own time. This kind of Latin is known as Vulgate Latin (meaning the Latin of the common people), and accordingly Jerome's translation is called the Vulgate. Vulgate Latin is classical Latin in the first stages of evolving into such modern languages as Spanish, French, and Italian. It has begun the process of changing from an inflected language (in which words have various endings, or inflections, which are used to show the relation of the word to other words in the sentence) to a separate-word language like English (in which additional words, such as prepositions, are used, along with word order, to show the function of the word). Thus, in classical Latin, "He spoke to me," is dix it mihi or mihi dixit, but in Vulgate Latin it is dixit ad me. In the second century BC, Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, had translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Tradition had it that this translation was the work of 70 (or 72) scholars, and accordingly the result was known as the Septuagint (often written as LXX). The LXX contains six or more books (there is some leeway here) not found in the standard Hebrew text, known as the Masoretic Text (or MT), and sometimes reads differently from the MT in particular verses. New Testament writers, except for Matthew, when they are quoting the Old Testament, usually quote from the LXX. The differences in readings between the MT and the LXX were formerly explained by assuming that the LXX translators were sometimes not very good translators. very ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible, recently found at Qumran and elsewhere, often agree with the LXX against the MT. Accordingly, it is now generally supposed that the LXX is a fairly accurate translation of Hebrew manuscripts available at the time, and that sometimes the manuscripts that the LXX translators worked from differed from the manuscripts that became the basis for the standardized Hebrew text that we know today. The early Christians, most of whom knew Greek but not Hebrew, were accustomed to use the LXX as their version of the Old Testament Scriptures. (So, for that matter, did most Jews living in the Roman Empire outside of the land of Israel itself.) Old Latin translation had been made from the Greek. But Jerome was determined to make his translation from the Hebrew, partly because he considered it to be more accurate, and partly because he wanted a text that he could use as a basis for argument with Jewish opponents, without having them object, "But that is not what the Hebrew text says." a translation from the Hebrew, he ran into a difficulty with the Psalms. They were used regularly in public and private worship, and many Christians knew them well enough to notice and resent any radical changes from the wording they had always used. So Jerome translated the Psalms from the Greek, and salved his scholarly feelings by publishing a translation of the Psalms from the Hebrew in an Appendix. The history of the Psalms in English is in some ways similar. 1611, the King James Version of the Bible was published, and generally accepted by English-speakers. However, the Psalms in English were already an established part of public worship in the Coverdale translation of 1536 or thereabouts. For roughly 75 years worshippers in England had been reading, saying, singing, or chanting the Psalms in the Coverdale translation (also called the Prayer Book Version). Their response to the Psalms in the King James Version was: "What is this nonsense! Take away this new-fangled modern translation, and leave me to recite the Psalms in the good old-fashioned version that I learned at the knee of my dear old silver-haired mother, the most magnificent version that the pen of man has ever written, the version that has comforted and sustained me all the days of my life." So, when you attend an Anglican funeral, and you hear the choir chanting, The LORD is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in a green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. are hearing the Coverdale Psalter. And for some of us, at least, it is a great tree, deeply rooted in the soil of English Christianity, and full of complex associations that make reading it a deeply moving experience. (I have heard rumors that there are versions of the Psalter used in some circles, that are even more modern and trendy than the King James. Hmmph!) was intemperate in controversy, and any correspondence with him tended to degenerate into a flame war. (His friendship with Augustine, conducted by letter, nearly ended before it began. Fortunately Augustine sized him up correctly, soothed his feelings, and was extremely tactful thereafter.) His hot temper, pride of learning, and extravagant promotion of asceticism involved him in many bitter controversies over questions of theology and of Bible interpretation. However, he was candid at times in admitting his failings, and was never ambitious for either worldly or churchly honors. He was a militant champion of orthodoxy, a tireless worker, and a scholar of rare gifts. by James Kiefer Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Jerome of Stridon was born into a Christian family in the city of Stridon located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. full name is Eusebius Hieronymos Sophronius. His parents sent him to Rome, where he studied the secular sciences. At the beginning of his life in the capital, the youth was captivated by worldly vanities and fell into temptation. At the end of his time in Rome, Jerome resolved to change his life and to live in goodness and purity. the youth was about 20 years old, he accepted holy Baptism. After this he visited in Gaul (France). Then Saint Jerome decided to dedicate himself totally to God, and to become a monk. about the year 372 Saint Jerome returned to his native city, but his parents had already departed this life. On him fell the responsibility of raising his younger sisters and his brother Paulinian. These cares forced him to put aside his plans to enter a monastery, at least for a time. made arrangements for the care of his siblings, he journeyed to the East with several of his friends. 374, he decided to dwell in the desert of Chalcis southeast of Antioch. There he remained for about 5 years, combining work on the Holy Scriptures with austere ascetic deeds. Besides this, Saint Jerome mastered the Hebrew and Chaldean languages. this period he began his correspondence with numerous persons upon a variety of questions. About 120 letters, considered as authentically written by Saint Jerome, have been preserved. the beginning of the 360s there arose a controversy between the proponents of bishops Meletius, Paulinos and Vitalis. The controversy also reached the monastery where Saint Jerome toiled. In consequence, the disputes caused him to leave the monastery and go to Antioch. Here Bishop Paulinos ordained him to the priesthood. Saint Jerome visited Constantinople and conversed with the holy hierarchs Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa the year 381 he set off for Rome. At Rome he continued his studies. The holy Pope Damasus I (366-384), who also devoted much of his time to the study of Holy Scripture, made Jerome his secretary. because the saint denounced the morals of the contemporary Christian society, a whole party of those bearing malice towards the saint came forward to spread slanders about him. a three year stay at Rome, Saint Jerome felt compelled to abandon this city for good. Together with his brother Paulinian and friends, Saint Jerome visited the Holy Land, and also the monks of the Nitria wilderness monastery. the year 386 he settled into a cave at Bethlehem near the cave where Christ was born, and there he began a life of austere asceticism. was the period of blossoming of his creative activity. Attending to the studies of his time, Saint Jerome left to the Church a rich written legacy: collections of dogmatic-polemic works, moral-ascetic works, commentaries on Scripture, and historical works. the most important of his works was a new translation the books of the Old and New Testaments into the Latin language. This Latin translation is called the “Vulgate,” and it passed into general use throughout the Western Church. Jerome lived through the fall of his beloved city Rome, which was sacked by the Goths in the year 410. In the year 411 a new ordeal beset the saint, Bethlehem was invaded by wild Bedouin Arabs. Only through the mercy of God was the community of the aged ascetic saved from complete destruction. He finished his life at the cave in Bethlehem. Saint Jerome is believed to have reposed in 420. relics were transferred from Bethlehem to Rome in 642, but their present location is unknown. His hand is enshrined in a church near Rome’s Piazza Farnese.

Rome, 366-384, Pope, Damasus I, presided over canon of scripture, encouraged Vulgate and martyr veneration
Pope, 366-384, Pope Damasus I; I (c. 305 - 11 December 384) was the bishop of Rome from October 366 to his death. presided over the Council of Rome of 382 that determined the canon or official list of sacred scripture.[1] He spoke out against major heresies in the church (including Apollinarianism and Macedonianism) and encouraged production of the Vulgate Bible with his support for Jerome. He helped reconcile the relations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Antioch, and encouraged the veneration of martyrs. well as various prose letters and other pieces Damasus was the author of Latin verse. Alan Cameron describes his epitaph for a young girl called Projecta (of great interest to scholars as the Projecta Casket in the British Museum may have been made for her) as "a tissue of tags and clichés shakily strung together and barely squeezed into the meter".[2] Damasus has been described as "the first society Pope",[3] and was possibly a member of a group of Spanish Christians, largely related to each other, who were close to the Spaniard Theodosius I.[4] number of images of "DAMAS" in gold glass cups probably represent him and seem to be the first contemporary images of a pope to survive, though there is no real attempt at a likeness. "Damas" appears with other figures, including a Florus who may be Projecta's father. It has been suggested that Damasus or another of the group commissioned and distributed these to friends or supporters, as part of a programme "insistently inserting his episcopal presence in the Christian landscape".[5] is recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church; his feast day is 11 December.[6] In the Eastern Orthodox Church his feast day is 13 November.[7] JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra) Deliverance&Clairvoyance
Gaul, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra), fDistinquished Roman Family, pilgrimage Greece&Rome, then Hermit Ise oLerins, Joined by 3 Saints&Others, Sts Lupus oTroyes, Eucherius oLyons, Hilary oArles, depleted youthful vigor wFasting&asceticism, so body made way for spirit, same as those younger&stronger, visitng sick when sicker, treated spiritual diseases, freeing vice enslavement, clairvoyant insight into character, for appropriate remedies, consecrated bishop and died 429; Arles (Rhone River 8); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Honoratus was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, came from a distinguished Roman family. a pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, he became a hermit on the isle of Lerins, he was joined by Saints Lupus of Troyes (July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (November 16), and Hilary of Arles (May 5), among others. saint depleted his youthful vigor through fasting and asceticism, so “the powers of the body made way for the power of the spirit.” in poor health, he managed to follow the same rule of fasting and keeping vigil as those who were younger and stronger than he. would visit the sick when he was even sicker than they were, offering consolation for body and soul. fearing he had not done enough for them, he would review each case in his mind to determine how he could ease their suffering. with virtues, Saint Honoratus treated a variety of spiritual diseases, many from their enslavement to vice. insight into each person’s character him to apply the appropriate remedies for restoring souls to spiritual health. Honoratus died in 429 after being consecrated as Bishop of Arles. Hilary, his relative and successor, delivered a eulogy which still survives.

Rome, 373-431, Paulinus oNola, young Roman Senator, Baptized a25, gave all, adopted orphans, ransomed Vandal captives, poet
Naples, 373-431, Paulinus tMerciful oNola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines), fBordeaux, France, Roman Senator a20, counsul, Governor oCampagna, Italy, Baptized wWife at 25, changed life, gave property, scorn fServants&friends, adopted poor orphans, raised them tFear God, secluded tBarcelona, ascetic, soon tNola, elected Bishop, ransomed Vandal Italian captives, fAfrica, all but one poor son of a widow, Paulinus replaced him, served Vandal King aGardener, idenity revealed tKing in a dream, sent back home tCamania with all captives, also known as Church builder and Poet, 32 poems 51 letters survive, Relics iRome; Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola, descended from an aristocratic and wealthy family of Bordeaux (France). virtue of his extensive education and upbringing, twenty-year-old youth was chosen to become a Roman senator, he became consul finally, governor of the region of Campagna in Italy. twenty-five years of age, he and his wife were converted to Christ and were baptized. this he completely changed his manner of life. disposed of all his property, distributed the money to the needy, which he endured the scorn of his friends and servants. having children of their own, the pious couple adopted poor orphans and raised them in the fear of God. his searchings for a secluded life, Saint Paulinus went to the Spanish city of Barcelona. of his ascetic life spread about, and in 393 they asked him to be ordained as a priest. he left Spain and went on to the city of Nola in Italy, where he was elected bishop. the Vandal barbarians invaded Italy and carried off many people to Africa in captivity, Saint Paulinus used church funds to ransom the captives. he did not have enough money to ransom the son of a certain poor widow from slavery in the household of the Prince of the Vandals. he volunteered to take his place. Dressed as a slave, Saint Paulinus began to serve the Vandal prince as a gardener. his identity was revealed to the ruler, King Riga, in a dream. only did he receive his own freedom, he also won the release of all the other prisoners from Campania, and returned home with them. Paulinus is known both as a builder of churches and as a Christian poet. his many virtues, his love for mankind and his compassion for the poor and needy deserve special mention. died at seventy-eight years of age on June 22, 431. of his poems and fifty-one of his letters survive. contain various moral discourses filled with deep piety. relics are in Rome, in the church of the holy Apostle Bartholomew.

Rome, 374-430, Saint Augustine, Hippo, Rome, Milan, western theologian, Mani, Gnostic, reason vs authority, Ambrose
Rome, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo; (Aurelius Augustinus) was one of the greatest theologians of Western Christianity. (In his day the Mediterranean world consisted of an Eastern, Greek-speaking half and a Western, Latin-speaking half, with different ways of looking at things, and different habits of thought.) was born 13 November 354 in North Africa, about 45 miles south of the Mediterranean, in the town of Tagaste in Numidia (now Souk-Ahras in Algeria), near ancient Carthage (modern Tunis). mother, Monnica, was a Christian (see 4 May), and his father for many years a pagan (although he became a Christian before his death). mother undertook to bring him up as a Christian, and on one level he always found something attractive about Christ, but in the short run he was more interested in the attractions of sex, fame, and pride in his own cleverness. a moderate amount of running around as a teen-ager, he took a mistress, who bore him a son when he was about eighteen. Theirs was a long-term relationship, apparently with faithfulness on both sides, and the modern reader is left wondering why he did not simply marry the girl. He never tells us this (and in fact never tells us her name), so that we can only guess. It seems likely that she was a freedwoman, and the laws forbade marriage between a free-born Roman citizen and a slave, or an ex-slave. he was 19 and a student at Carthage, he read a treatise by Cicero that opened his eyes to the delights of philosophy. He was from the beginning a brilliant student, with an eager intellectual curiosity, but he never mastered Greek -- he tells us that his first Greek teacher was a brutal man who constantly beat his students, and Augustine rebelled and vowed never to learn Greek. By the time he realized that he really needed to know Greek, it was too late; and although he acquired a smattering of the language, he was never really at home in it. However, his mastery of Latin was another matter. He became an expert both in the eloquent use of the language and in the use of clever arguments to make his points. became a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, but was dissatisfied. It was the custom for students to pay their fees to the professor on the last day of the term, and many students attended faithfully all term, and then did not pay. In his late twenties, Augustine decided to leave Africa and seek his fortune in Rome. Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli a long time Augustine was attracted by the teachings of Manicheeism, named for Mani, a Persian who had preached kind of synthesis of Christianity with Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia. Zoroaster had taught the existence of a power of light, God, the supreme Creator, and of a dark and evil power that opposed him. On the Zoroastrian (Parsi) view, the dark power was a rebel against his creator, and doomed to ultimate defeat. Mani, on the other hand, was a thoroughgoing dualist, who taught that there are two gods of equal power and eternity, and that the universe is the scene of an unending battle between light and darkness, good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, soul and body, etc. Manichees as they moved west into the Roman Empire adopted many traits of what is generically called Gnosticism. In particular, they advertised themselves as being not an alternative to Christianity but as the advanced version of Christianity, as the faith for the spiritually mature, the intellectually gifted. They claimed that their beliefs were based on reason rather than authority, and that they had answers for everything, at least as soon as the learner was sufficiently advanced to comprehend them. differed from the classical Gnostics by not contrasting spirit with matter. On their view, everything was composed of material particles, but these were either light or dark. Since the mind was composed of light particles, imprisoned in the body, a cage made of dark particles, something like the Gnostic contrast between spirit and matter was there. Members were divided into an inner circle, the "elect," who were expected to be celibate and vegetarian, so as to avoid all those dark particles, and the "learners," of whom considerably less was expected. Augustine signed up as a learner. He was at first completely captivated, but then met with a series of disappointments. The rank and file of the movement did not seem to be very clear thinkers. He met the leaders, who were advertised as the Towering Intellects of the Ages, and was not impressed. prospered in Rome, and was eventually appointed chief professor of rhetoric for the city of Milan, at that time the capital city of the Empire in the West. It should be noted that this was an extremely prestigious appointment. In classical times, when laws were often made and issues voted on by huge public assemblies, when even juries typically had several hundred members, and when a man's public influence, or even on occasion his life, depended on his ability to sway large audiences, rhetoric -- the art of manipulating an audience -- was a skill that few men thought they could afford to neglect. (Socrates was one of the few, and we know what happened to him!) The art, at first intensely practical, had by Augustine's day become a display form admired for its own sake. However, the admiration was there. Every lawyer, arguing a case, was expected to give an eloquent speech, full of classical allusions and standard rhetorical flourishes. And Augustine was at the top of the field. St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli Milan Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, and was startled to find in him a reasonableness of mind and belief, a keenness of thought, and an integrity of character far in excess of what he had found elsewhere. For the first time, Augustine saw Christianity as a religion fit for a philosopher. Soon after his arrival in Milan, Augustine was plunged into two crises. First, his mother arrived from Africa, and persuaded him that he ought to give up his mistress and get married. He agreed to a betrothal to a suitable young lady; but his betrothed was too young for immediate marriage, and so the actual wedding was postponed for two years. Meanwhile the mistress had been sent back to Africa. Augustine, not ready for two years of sexual abstinence, lapsed back into promiscuity. The second crisis was that Augustine became a neo-Platonist. Plato, as interpreted by his later spokesmen, in particular by Plotinus, taught that only God is fully real, and that all other things are degenerations in varying degrees from the One--things are progressively less good, less spiritual, and less real as one goes rung by rung down the cosmic ladder. By contemplating spiritual realities, directing one's attention first to one's own mind and then moving up the ladder rung by one to the contemplation of God, one acquires true wisdom, true self-fulfilment, true spirituality, and union with God, or the One. Augustine undertook this approach, and believed that he had in fact had an experience of the presence of God, but found that this only made him more aware of the gulf between what he was and what he realized that he ought to be. he continued to hear Bishop Ambrose. And finally, partly because Ambrose had answers for his questions, partly because he admired Ambrose personally, and chiefly (or so he believed) because God touched his heart, he was converted to Christianity in 386 and was baptised by Ambrose at Easter of 387. About 12 years later he wrote an account of his life up to a time shortly after his conversion, a book called the Confessions, a highly readable work available in English. Ostensibly an autobiography, it is more an outpouring of penitence and thanksgiving. "Take and Read", by Gozzoli "Take and Read", by Gozzoli a well-known chapter, Augustine describes his conversion. His intellectual objections had lost their force, and he was at a point where the difficulty was that he seemed unable to make a commitment to living chastely, or unable to make a commitment, period. He heard of a group of young men, Christians, one of whom decided to become a desert hermit, whereupon the others, one at a time, made the same commitment, encouraged and inspired by the examples of those in the group who had already done so. (In many circles at that time, becoming a desert hermit had the same overtones as joining the Peace Corps did for many young persons in the 1960's, or joining the armed forces for many in the weeks immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.) Augustine went aside to ponder the question, "How is it that these young men can make so drastic a commitment, and I cannot take even the first step of declaring myself a Christian?" He heard what seemed to be a child's voice coming from next door, saying over and over, "Tolle, lege; tolle, lege," or, "Pick up and read; pick up and read." Since he could not think of any reason why a child would be saying that, he took it as an omen, and picked up a copy of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. As he opened it, his eye fell on the end of the thirteenth chapter: The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. he read, he experienced this as God speaking directly to him, convicting him of his past sins, and offering him forgiveness; calling him to amend his life, and promising him the grace and power to do it. He burst into tears, and surrendered. Later, he wrote: Late have I loved Thee, O Lord; and behold, Thou wast within and I without, and there I sought Thee. Thou was with me when I was not with Thee. Thou didst call, and cry, and burst my deafness. Thou didst gleam, and glow, and dispell my blindness. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace. For Thyself Thou hast made us, and restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease. Late have I loved Thee, Thou Beauty ever old and ever new. Thou hast burst my bonds asunder; unto Thee will I offer up an offering of praise. written as an account of his life, the Confessions keeps digressing into speculations about the nature of time, the nature of causality, the nature of free will, the motives of human action, etc. Louis deWohl has written a novel about Augustine, based mostly on the Confessions, called The Restless Flame. It is an excellent introduction to the man. his conversion, Augustine went back to his native Africa in 387, where he was ordained a priest in 391 and consecrated bishop of Hippo in 396. It was not his intention to become a priest. He was visiting the town of Hippo (or Hippo Regius, now Annaba, 36:55 N 7:47 E), was in church hearing a sermon, and the bishop, without warning, said, "This congregation is in need of more priests, and I believe that the ordination of Augustine would be to the glory of God." Willing hands dragged Augustine forward, and the bishop together with his council of priests laid hands on Augustine and ordained him to the priesthood. (The experience may have colored Augustine's perception of such questions as, "Does a man come to God because he has chosen to do so, or because God has chosen him, and drawn him to Himself?") A few years later, when the Bishop of Hippo died, Augustine was chosen to succeed him. was a diligent shepherd of his flock, but he also found time to write extensively. He was an admirer of Jerome, and wrote him a letter hoping to establish a friendship, but the letter went astray. (In those days there was no public post office, and if you wanted to send a letter to a friend in Athens, you entrusted it to someone you knew who was travelling to Athens, or at least in that general direction, with instructions to deliver it or pass it on to someone else who would oblige.) Jerome did not get the letter, and the contents became public knowledge before he heard of it. Augustine, in addition to saying how much he admired Jerome, had offered some criticisms of something Jerome had written. Jerome was furious, and came close to writing Augustine off altogether. However, Augustine wrote him a second letter, apologizing and explaining what had happened, and Jerome was mollified. They had a long and intellectually substantial correspondence. written output was vast, and largely responsible for the fact that the entry for him in the index of the Encyc. Brit. is more than a column long. His surviving works (and it is assumed that the majority did not survive) include 113 books and treatises, over 200 letters, and over 500 sermons. His work greatly influenced Luther and Calvin, to the point where for a while Roman Catholic speakers and writers were wary of quoting him lest they be suspected of Protestant tendencies. have already mentioned his Confessions. A second great work of his is the book, De Civitatae Dei (The City of God). This was written after Rome had been sacked by invaders led by Alaric the Visigoth. It is a reply to those who said that the Roman Empire was falling apart because the Christians had taken over; he discusses the work of God in history, and the relation between the Christian as citizen of an earthly commonwealth and the Christian as citizen of Heaven. third great work is his De Trinitate (On the Trinity). Here, he discusses the doctrine of the Trinity by undertaking to compare the mind of man with the mind of God, since man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Augustine begins by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of knowing something. He continues by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of self-awareness. He concludes by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of religious contemplation by which man sees himself as made in the image of God. Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); was one of the greatest theologians of Western Christianity. (In his day the Mediterranean world consisted of an Eastern, Greek-speaking half and a Western, Latin-speaking half, with different ways of looking at things, and different habits of thought.) He was born 13 November 354 in North Africa, about 45 miles south of the Mediterranean, in the town of Tagaste in Numidia (now Souk-Ahras in Algeria), near ancient Carthage (modern Tunis). His mother, Monnica, was a Christian (see 4 May), and his father for many years a pagan (although he became a Christian before his death). His mother undertook to bring him up as a Christian, and on one level he always found something attractive about Christ, but in the short run he was more interested in the attractions of sex, fame, and pride in his own cleverness. After a moderate amount of running around as a teen-ager, he took a mistress, who bore him a son when he was about eighteen. Theirs was a long-term relationship, apparently with faithfulness on both sides, and the modern reader is left wondering why he did not simply marry the girl. He never tells us this (and in fact never tells us her name), so that we can only guess. It seems likely that she was a freedwoman, and the laws forbade marriage between a free-born Roman citizen and a slave, or an ex-slave. he was 19 and a student at Carthage, he read a treatise by Cicero that opened his eyes to the delights of philosophy. He was from the beginning a brilliant student, with an eager intellectual curiosity, but he never mastered Greek -- he tells us that his first Greek teacher was a brutal man who constantly beat his students, and Augustine rebelled and vowed never to learn Greek. By the time he realized that he really needed to know Greek, it was too late; and although he acquired a smattering of the language, he was never really at home in it. However, his mastery of Latin was another matter. He became an expert both in the eloquent use of the language and in the use of clever arguments to make his points. He became a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, but was dissatisfied. It was the custom for students to pay their fees to the professor on the last day of the term, and many students attended faithfully all term, and then did not pay. In his late twenties, Augustine decided to leave Africa and seek his fortune in Rome. Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli a long time Augustine was attracted by the teachings of Manicheeism, named for Mani, a Persian who had preached kind of synthesis of Christianity with Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia. Zoroaster had taught the existence of a power of light, God, the supreme Creator, and of a dark and evil power that opposed him. On the Zoroastrian (Parsi) view, the dark power was a rebel against his creator, and doomed to ultimate defeat. Mani, on the other hand, was a thoroughgoing dualist, who taught that there are two gods of equal power and eternity, and that the universe is the scene of an unending battle between light and darkness, good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, soul and body, etc. The Manichees as they moved west into the Roman Empire adopted many traits of what is generically called Gnosticism. In particular, they advertised themselves as being not an alternative to Christianity but as the advanced version of Christianity, as the faith for the spiritually mature, the intellectually gifted. They claimed that their beliefs were based on reason rather than authority, and that they had answers for everything, at least as soon as the learner was sufficiently advanced to comprehend them. They differed from the classical Gnostics by not contrasting spirit with matter. On their view, everything was composed of material particles, but these were either light or dark. Since the mind was composed of light particles, imprisoned in the body, a cage made of dark particles, something like the Gnostic contrast between spirit and matter was there. Members were divided into an inner circle, the "elect," who were expected to be celibate and vegetarian, so as to avoid all those dark particles, and the "learners," of whom considerably less was expected. Augustine signed up as a learner. He was at first completely captivated, but then met with a series of disappointments. The rank and file of the movement did not seem to be very clear thinkers. He met the leaders, who were advertised as the Towering Intellects of the Ages, and was not impressed. prospered in Rome, and was eventually appointed chief professor of rhetoric for the city of Milan, at that time the capital city of the Empire in the West. It should be noted that this was an extremely prestigious appointment. In classical times, when laws were often made and issues voted on by huge public assemblies, when even juries typically had several hundred members, and when a man's public influence, or even on occasion his life, depended on his ability to sway large audiences, rhetoric -- the art of manipulating an audience -- was a skill that few men thought they could afford to neglect. (Socrates was one of the few, and we know what happened to him!) The art, at first intensely practical, had by Augustine's day become a display form admired for its own sake. However, the admiration was there. Every lawyer, arguing a case, was expected to give an eloquent speech, full of classical allusions and standard rhetorical flourishes. And Augustine was at the top of the field. St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli Milan Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, and was startled to find in him a reasonableness of mind and belief, a keenness of thought, and an integrity of character far in excess of what he had found elsewhere. For the first time, Augustine saw Christianity as a religion fit for a philosopher. Soon after his arrival in Milan, Augustine was plunged into two crises. First, his mother arrived from Africa, and persuaded him that he ought to give up his mistress and get married. He agreed to a betrothal to a suitable young lady; but his betrothed was too young for immediate marriage, and so the actual wedding was postponed for two years. Meanwhile the mistress had been sent back to Africa. Augustine, not ready for two years of sexual abstinence, lapsed back into promiscuity. The second crisis was that Augustine became a neo-Platonist. Plato, as interpreted by his later spokesmen, in particular by Plotinus, taught that only God is fully real, and that all other things are degenerations in varying degrees from the One--things are progressively less good, less spiritual, and less real as one goes rung by rung down the cosmic ladder. By contemplating spiritual realities, directing one's attention first to one's own mind and then moving up the ladder rung by one to the contemplation of God, one acquires true wisdom, true self-fulfilment, true spirituality, and union with God, or the One. Augustine undertook this approach, and believed that he had in fact had an experience of the presence of God, but found that this only made him more aware of the gulf between what he was and what he realized that he ought to be. he continued to hear Bishop Ambrose. And finally, partly because Ambrose had answers for his questions, partly because he admired Ambrose personally, and chiefly (or so he believed) because God touched his heart, he was converted to Christianity in 386 and was baptised by Ambrose at Easter of 387. About 12 years later he wrote an account of his life up to a time shortly after his conversion, a book called the Confessions, a highly readable work available in English. Ostensibly an autobiography, it is more an outpouring of penitence and thanksgiving. "Take and Read", by Gozzoli "Take and Read", by Gozzoli a well-known chapter, Augustine describes his conversion. His intellectual objections had lost their force, and he was at a point where the difficulty was that he seemed unable to make a commitment to living chastely, or unable to make a commitment, period. He heard of a group of young men, Christians, one of whom decided to become a desert hermit, whereupon the others, one at a time, made the same commitment, encouraged and inspired by the examples of those in the group who had already done so. (In many circles at that time, becoming a desert hermit had the same overtones as joining the Peace Corps did for many young persons in the 1960's, or joining the armed forces for many in the weeks immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.) Augustine went aside to ponder the question, "How is it that these young men can make so drastic a commitment, and I cannot take even the first step of declaring myself a Christian?" He heard what seemed to be a child's voice coming from next door, saying over and over, "Tolle, lege; tolle, lege," or, "Pick up and read; pick up and read." Since he could not think of any reason why a child would be saying that, he took it as an omen, and picked up a copy of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. As he opened it, his eye fell on the end of the thirteenth chapter: The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. he read, he experienced this as God speaking directly to him, convicting him of his past sins, and offering him forgiveness; calling him to amend his life, and promising him the grace and power to do it. He burst into tears, and surrendered. Later, he wrote: Late have I loved Thee, O Lord; and behold, Thou wast within and I without, and there I sought Thee. Thou was with me when I was not with Thee. Thou didst call, and cry, and burst my deafness. Thou didst gleam, and glow, and dispell my blindness. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace. For Thyself Thou hast made us, and restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease. Late have I loved Thee, Thou Beauty ever old and ever new. Thou hast burst my bonds asunder; unto Thee will I offer up an offering of praise. written as an account of his life, the Confessions keeps digressing into speculations about the nature of time, the nature of causality, the nature of free will, the motives of human action, etc. deWohl has written a novel about Augustine, based mostly on the Confessions, called The Restless Flame. It is an excellent introduction to the man. his conversion, Augustine went back to his native Africa in 387, where he was ordained a priest in 391 and consecrated bishop of Hippo in 396. It was not his intention to become a priest. He was visiting the town of Hippo (or Hippo Regius, now Annaba, 36:55 N 7:47 E), was in church hearing a sermon, and the bishop, without warning, said, "This congregation is in need of more priests, and I believe that the ordination of Augustine would be to the glory of God." Willing hands dragged Augustine forward, and the bishop together with his council of priests laid hands on Augustine and ordained him to the priesthood. (The experience may have colored Augustine's perception of such questions as, "Does a man come to God because he has chosen to do so, or because God has chosen him, and drawn him to Himself?") A few years later, when the Bishop of Hippo died, Augustine was chosen to succeed him. was a diligent shepherd of his flock, but he also found time to write extensively. He was an admirer of Jerome, and wrote him a letter hoping to establish a friendship, but the letter went astray. (In those days there was no public post office, and if you wanted to send a letter to a friend in Athens, you entrusted it to someone you knew who was travelling to Athens, or at least in that general direction, with instructions to deliver it or pass it on to someone else who would oblige.) Jerome did not get the letter, and the contents became public knowledge before he heard of it. Augustine, in addition to saying how much he admired Jerome, had offered some criticisms of something Jerome had written. Jerome was furious, and came close to writing Augustine off altogether. However, Augustine wrote him a second letter, apologizing and explaining what had happened, and Jerome was mollified. They had a long and intellectually substantial correspondence. written output was vast, and largely responsible for the fact that the entry for him in the index of the Encyc. Brit. is more than a column long. His surviving works (and it is assumed that the majority did not survive) include 113 books and treatises, over 200 letters, and over 500 sermons. His work greatly influenced Luther and Calvin, to the point where for a while Roman Catholic speakers and writers were wary of quoting him lest they be suspected of Protestant tendencies. have already mentioned his Confessions. A second great work of his is the book, De Civitatae Dei (The City of God). This was written after Rome had been sacked by invaders led by Alaric the Visigoth. It is a reply to those who said that the Roman Empire was falling apart because the Christians had taken over; he discusses the work of God in history, and the relation between the Christian as citizen of an earthly commonwealth and the Christian as citizen of Heaven. third great work is his De Trinitate (On the Trinity). Here, he discusses the doctrine of the Trinity by undertaking to compare the mind of man with the mind of God, since man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Augustine begins by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of knowing something. He continues by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of self-awareness. He concludes by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of religious contemplation by which man sees himself as made in the image of God. AND THE DONATISTS Almost a century before Augustine was born, the Church in Africa had been torn apart by the Donatist controversy. For a brief account of this controversy (and the Pelagian and other controversies of the day), but a longer one than I am prepared to give here, I refer the reader to the relevant section of the book, Sketches of Church History, by Canon Robertson. the persecution of the Church by the Emperor Decius, some Christian clergymen in Africa, or so it was alleged, had stood firm against threat of torture, imprisonment and death more consistently and nobly than others. The Donatists maintained that their clergy derived their ordinations from clergy with very good records of constancy under persecution, and that they were the Church of the Martyrs, as opposed to the Church of the Sell-outs, which was everybody else. They further held that sacraments received at the hands of unworthy ministers were of no value. Or at least it seems that they held this. Augustine had a long correspondence and controversy with them, and at one point they apparently replied that they did not hold this, to which Augustine replied, "In that case, will you kindly tell me what the controversy is all about, and what you and I have been debating for the last eighteen months, and what your bishops and ours have been out of fellowship with each other about for the last century?" The controversy dragged on, with part of the dispute historical (whether Bishop so-and-so, now seventy years dead, had really done what he was accused of doing), and part theological. It seems clear that the Donatists, at least most of the time, argued that the holiness of the Church depended on the holiness of its members, especially its clergy. Against them, Augustine maintained that the holiness of the Church is not derived from the average level of virtue of its individual members, but is derived from the Holiness of its Head, who is Christ. AND THE PELAGIANS In Augustine's day, a man from Britain named Morgan, or in Latin Pelagius (means "islander" -- consider the words "pelagic" and "archipelago"), began to preach, denouncing what he saw as a slackening of moral standards. He saw professed Christians living less than exemplary lives, and offering human frailty as an excuse. His reply was: "Nonsense. God has given you free will. You can choose to follow the example of Adam, or you can choose to follow the example of Christ. God has given everyone the grace he needs to be good. If you are not good, you simply need to try harder." Augustine asked him about original sin, and he replied that there is no such thing. Augustine asked him why, in that case, it was the universal custom to baptize infants, and he had no answer. Augustine saw the teaching of Pelagius as totally undermining the doctrine that God is the ultimate source of all good, and encouraging the virtuous and well-behaved Christian to feel that he had earned God's approval by his own efforts. Pelagius was condemned by Pope Innocent I, and then re-instated by Pope Zosimus. Augustine refused to accept the judgement of Zosimus, and ultimately won the day. the end of his life, the Vandals, a barbarian people with a reputation for wanton destructiveness (hence our modern term "vandal"), who had earlier invaded Spain from the north and settled down there (hence the province of Spain called "Andalusia"), became involved in a civil war in Northern Africa, and their troops invaded Africa in huge numbers. The leader of the losing side took refuge in the town of Hippo, and the Vandals were besieging the town (which they ultimately captured) when Augustine, bishop of Hippo, died 28 August 430, aged 75. by James Kiefer JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 374-450, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great, educated, hide from people, silence, tears
Egypt, 370-445, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. studied rhetoric and philosophy, and mastered the Latin and Greek languages. Saint Arsenius gave up philosophy and the vanity of worldly life, seeking instead the true wisdom praised by Saint James “pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas. 3:17). He entered the ranks of the clergy as a deacon in one of the Roman churches, dedicating himself to the service of God. emperor Theodosius (379-395), who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, heard about his erudition and piety, and he wished to entrust Arsenius with the education of his sons Arcadius and Honorius. however, protested that he had given up secular studies in order to serve God. Against his will, but in obedience to the will of Pope Damasus (December 11), Saint Arsenius agreed to teach the imperial children, hoping to teach them Christian piety as well. he arrived at Constantinople, Arsenius was received with great honor by the emperor Theodosius, who charged him to educate his sons not only in wisdom, but also in piety, guarding them from the temptations of youth. “Forget that they are the emperor’s sons,” said Theodosius, “for I want them to submit to you in all things, as to their father and teacher.” fervor the saint devoted himself to the education of the youths, but the high esteem in which he was held troubled his spirit, which yearned for the quietude of monastic life. Saint Arsenius entreated the Lord to show him the way to salvation. The Lord heard his prayer and one time he heard a voice telling him, “Arsenius, flee from men, and you shall be saved.” And then, removing his rich clothing and replacing it with old and tattered garments, he secretly left the palace, boarded a ship for Alexandria, and he made his way to Sketis, a monastery in the midst of the desert. at the church, he asked the priests to accept him into the monastic brotherhood, calling himself a wretched wanderer, though his very manner betrayed him as a cultivated man. The brethren led him to Abba John the Dwarf (November 9), famed for his holiness of life. He, wishing to test the newcomer’s humility, did not seat Arsenius with the monks for the trapeza meal. He threw him a piece of dry bread saying, “Eat if you wish.” Saint Arsenius got down on his hands and knees, and picked up the bread with his mouth. Then he crawled off into a corner and ate it. Seeing this, Elder John said, “He will be a great ascetic!” Then accepting Arsenius with love, he tonsured him into monasticism. Arsenius zealously passed through his obediences and soon he surpassed many of the desert Fathers in asceticism. The saint again heard the Voice while he was praying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue.” From that moment Saint Arsenius settled in a solitary cell deep in the desert. taken on the struggle of silence he seldom left his seclusion. He came to church only on Sundays and Feast days, observing complete silence and conversing with no one. When Abba Moses asked him why he hid himself from people, Saint Arsenius replied, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot remain with God and with men at the same time. The Heavenly Powers all have one will and praise God together. On earth, however, there are many human wills, and each man has his own thoughts. I cannot leave God in order to live with people.” absorbed in constant prayer, the saint did not refuse visiting monks with his counsel and guidance, giving short, but perceptive answers to their questions. Once, a monk from Sketis saw the great Elder through a window standing at prayer, surrounded by a flame. handicraft of Saint Arsenius was to weave baskets, for which he used the fronds of date palms soaked in water. For a whole year Saint Arsenius did not change the water in the container, but merely added a little water to it from time to time. This caused his cell to be permeated with a foul stench. When asked why he did this, the saint replied that it was fitting for him to humble himself in this way, because in the world he had used incense and fragrant oils. He prayed that after death he would not experience the stench of hell. fame of the great ascetic spread far, and many wanted to see him, and they disturbed his tranquility. As a result, the saint was forced to move around from place to place. But those thirsting to receive his guidance and blessing still found him. Arsenius taught that many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance, fasting, and vigil, but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride, greed, jealousy, hatred of one’s brother, remembrance of wrongs, and judgment. In this they resemble graves which are decorated outwardly, but filled with stinking bones. certain monk once asked Saint Arsenius what he should do when he read the Holy Scriptures and did not comprehend their meaning. The Elder answered, “My child, you must study and learn the Holy Scriptures constantly, even if you do not understand their power... For when we have the words of the Holy Scriptures on our lips, the demons hear them and are terrified. Then they flee from us, unable to bear the words of the Holy Spirit Who speaks through His apostles and prophets.” monks heard how the saint often urged himself on in his efforts with the words, “Rouse yourself, Arsenius, work! Do not remain idle! You have not come here to rest, but to labor.” He also said, “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” great ascetic and keeper of silence was given the gift of tears with which his eyes were constantly filled. He spent fifty-five years at monastic labors and struggles. He spent forty years at Sketis, and ten years on the mountain of Troe near Memphis. Then he spent three years at Canopus, and two more years at Troe, where he fell asleep in the Lord. holy, God-bearing Father Arsenius reposed when he was nearly one hundred years old, in the year 449 or 450. only disciples seem to have been Alexander, Zoilos, and Daniel (June 7).

Rome, 375-392, Emperor, Valentian II, figurehead, 4 year old Agustus, set up by south western generals
Roman Emperor, 375-392, Valentian II ; II (371- 15 May 392) was Roman emperor from AD 375 to 392. 1 Early life and accession (371-375) 2 Reign from Milan (375-“387) 3 Reign from Vienne (388-“392) 4 Significance 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links life and accession (371-375)[edit] Valentinianus was born to Emperor Valentinian I and his second wife, Justina. He was the half-brother of Valentinian's other son, Gratian, who had shared the imperial title with his father since 367. He had three sisters: Galla, Grata and Justa. The elder Valentinian died on campaign in Pannonia in 375. Neither Gratian (then in Trier) nor his uncle Valens (emperor for the East) were consulted by the army commanders on the scene. Instead of merely acknowledging Gratian as his father's successor, Valentinian I's generals acclaimed the four-year-old Valentinian augustus on 22 November 375. The army, and its Frankish general Merobaudes, may have been uneasy about Gratian's lack of military ability, and so raised a boy who would not immediately aspire to military command.[2][3] from Milan (375-“387)[edit] of Valentinian II forced to accommodate the generals who supported his half-brother, governed the trans-alpine provinces (including Gaul, Hispania, and Britain), while Italy, part of Illyricum, and North Africa were under the rule of Valentinian. 378, their uncle, the Emperor Valens, was killed in battle with the Goths at Adrianople, and Gratian invited the general Theodosius to be emperor in the East. a child, Valentinian II was under the influence of his Arian mother, the Empress Justina, and the imperial court at Milan, an influence contested by the Nicene bishop of Milan, Ambrose.[4] used her influence over her young son to oppose the Nicean party which was championed by Ambrose. 385 Ambrose refused an imperial request to hand over the Portian basilica for the celebration of Easter by the Imperial court.[5] When he was summoned to be punished to the Imperial palace, the orthodox populace rioted, and Justina's Gothic troops were prevented by the arch-bishop himself, standing in the doorway, from entering the Basilica. Justina was forced to back down.[6] Afterwards, Justina ordered legislation to rescind the penalties enacted by Gratian and Valentinian against heresy, proclaiming universal toleration.[7] Ambrose was found, as no doubt she had intended, to have determinedly infracted the new laws, Justina again tried to have him banished, and Ambrose was forced to barricade himself, with the enthusiastic backing of the people, within the walls of the Basilica. The Imperial troops besieged him, but Ambrose held on, reinforcing the resolution of his followers by allegedly unearthing, beneath the foundations of the church, the bodies of two ancient martyrs.[8] the orthodox emperor of the east, interceded, forcing Justina to again relent.[9] Magnus Maximus was to use the emperor's heterodoxy against him. also tried to restrain the despoiling of pagan temples in Rome. Buoyed by this instruction, the pagan senators, led by Aurelius Symmachus, the Prefect of Rome, petitioned in 384 for the restoration of the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, which had been removed by Gratian in 382. Valentinian, at the insistence of Ambrose, refused the request and, in so doing, rejected the traditions and rituals of pagan Rome to which Symmachus had appealed. 383, Magnus Maximus, commander of the armies in Britain, declared himself Emperor and established himself in Gaul and Hispania. Gratian died while fleeing him. For a time the court of Valentinian, through the mediation of Ambrose, came to an accommodation with the usurper, and Theodosius recognized Maximus as co-emperor of the West. In 386 or 387, Maximus crossed the Alps into the Po valley and threatened Milan. Valentinian II and Justina fled to Theodosius in Thessalonica. The latter came to an agreement, cemented by his marriage to Valentinian's sister Galla, to restore the young emperor in the West.[4] In 388, Theodosius marched west and defeated Maximus. Although he was to appoint both of his sons emperor (Arcadius in 383, Honorius in 393), Theodosius remained loyal to the dynasty of Valentinian I. from Vienne (388-“392)[edit] solidus minted by Valentinian II. On the reverse, both Valentinian and Theodosius I are celebrated as victorious. the defeat of Maximus, Theodosius remained in Milan until 391. Valentinian took no part in Theodosius's triumphal celebrations over Maximus. Valentinian and his court were installed at Vienne in Gaul, while Theodosius appointed key administrators in the West and had coins minted, which implied his guardianship over the 17-year-old.[10] had already died, and Vienne was far away from the influence of Ambrose. Theodosius's trusted general, the Frank Arbogast, was appointed magister militum for the Western provinces (bar Africa) and guardian of Valentinian. Acting in the name of Valentinian, Arbogast was actually subordinate only to Theodosius.[11] While the general campaigned successfully on the Rhine, the young emperor remained at Vienne, in contrast to his warrior father and his older brother, who had campaigned at his age. Arbogast's domination over the emperor was considerable, and the general even murdered Harmonius, a friend of Valentinian suspected of taking bribes, in the emperor's presence.[12] crisis reached a peak when Arbogast prohibited the emperor from leading the Gallic armies into Italy to oppose a barbarian threat. Valentinian, in response, formally dismissed Arbogast. The latter ignored the order, publicly tearing it up and arguing that Valentinian had not appointed him in the first place. The reality of where the power lay was openly displayed. Valentinian wrote to Theodosius and Ambrose complaining of his subordination to his general. In explicit rejection of his earlier Arianism, he invited Ambrose to come to Vienne to baptize him. 15 May 392, Valentinian was found hanged in his residence in Vienne. Arbogast maintained that the emperor's death was suicide. Most sources agree, however, that Arbogast murdered him with his own hands, or paid the Praetorians. Zosimus writing in the early sixth century from Constantinople, states that Arbogast had Valentinian murdered;[13] ancient authorities being divided in their opinion.[14][page needed] Ambrose's eulogy is the only contemporary Western source for Valentinian's death.[15] It is ambiguous on the question of the emperor's death, which is not surprising, as Ambrose represents him as a model of Christian virtue. Suicide, not murder, would make the bishop dissemble on this key question.[16] young man's body was conveyed in ceremony to Milan for burial by Ambrose, mourned by his sisters Justa and Grata. He was laid in a porphyry sarcophagus next to his brother Gratian, most probably in the Chapel of Sant'Aquilino attached to San Lorenzo.[a] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[18] first Arbogast recognized Theodosius's son Arcadius as emperor in the West, seemingly surprised by his charge's death.[19] After three months, during which he had no communication from Theodosius, Arbogast selected an imperial official, Eugenius, as emperor. Theodosius initially tolerated this regime but, in January 393, elevated the eight-year-old Honorius as augustus to succeed Valentinian II. Civil war ensued and, in 394, Theodosius defeated Eugenius and Arbogast at the Battle of Frigidus River. himself seems to have exercised no real authority, and was a figurehead for various powerful interests: his mother, his co-emperors, and powerful generals. the Crisis of the Third Century the empire had been ruled by powerful generals, a situation formalised by Diocletian and his collegiate system which collapsed a year after his abdication in 305. Constantine I and his sons, strong military figures, re-established the practice of hereditary succession adopted by Valentinian I.[contradictory] The obvious flaw in these two competing requirements came in the reign of Valentinian II, a child.[20] His reign was a harbinger of the fifth century, when children or nonentities, reigning as emperors, were controlled by powerful generals and officials in the West and in the East until mid-century. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 375-383, Emperor, Gratian in the North West, moved seat from Trier to Milan, Orthodox
Roman Emperor, 375-383, Gratian in the West ; Gratian (18 April 359 - 25 August 383) was Roman emperor from 367 to 383. The eldest son of Valentinian I, Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers and was raised to the rank of augustus in 367. Upon the death of Valentinian in 375, Gratian took over government of the west while his half-brother Valentinian II was also acclaimed emperor in Pannonia. Gratian governed the western provinces of the empire, while his uncle Valens was already the emperor over the east. Gratian subsequently led a campaign across the Rhine, attacked the Lentienses, and forced the tribe to surrender. That same year, the eastern emperor Valens was killed fighting the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople, which led to Gratian elevating Theodosius to replace him in 379. Gratian favoured Nicene Christianity over traditional Roman religion, issuing the Edict of Thessalonica, refusing the office of pontifex maximus, and removing the Altar of Victory from the Roman Senate's Curia Julia. The city of Cularo on the Isure river in Roman Gaul was renamed after him, becoming Grenoble from Latin: Gratianopolis. In 383, faced with rebellion by the usurper Magnus Maximus, Gratian marched his army towards Lutetia (Paris). His army deserted him, he fled to Lyons, and was later murdered. Contents 1 Early life 2 Reign 2.1 Junior augustus 2.2 Senior augustus 3 Death and burial 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Sources 8 External links Early life[edit] According to the Chronicle of Jerome and the Chronicon Paschale, Valentinian's eldest son Gratian was born on 18 April 359 at Sirmium, now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia, the capital of Pannonia Secunda, to Valentinian's first wife Marina Severa.[2][3][4][5] Gratian was his parents' only son together.[4][5] At the time of his birth Gratian's father was living in exile.[6] Gratian was named after his grandfather Gratian the Elder, who was a tribune and later comes of Britannia for Constantine the Great (r. 306-“337).[7] Following the death of the emperor Jovian (r. 363-“364), on 26 February 364, Valentinian was proclaimed augustus (emperor).[8] Within a month, motivated by senior officers, he proclaimed his brother Valens, Gratian's uncle, augustus of the Eastern empire.[8] Gratian was appointed consul in 366 and was entitled nobilissimus puer by his father.[a][2][9] Gratian was seven when entitled nobilissimus puer, which indicated he was to be proclaimed augustus.[9] Gratian's tutor was the rhetor Ausonius, who mentioned the relationship in his epigrams and a poem.[2] Reign[edit] In summer 367, Valentinian became ill at Civitas Ambianensium (Amiens), raising questions about his succession. On recovery, he presented his then eight-year-old son to his troops on 27 August, as his co-augustus (r. 367 to “383), passing over the customary initial step of caesar.[3][2][10][11] Solidus of Valentinian I showing Valentinian and Gratian on the reverse, marked: victores augusti ("the Victors Augusti"). A palm bough is between them and Victory crowns each with a wreath Junior augustus[edit] On 24 August 367[contradictory] Gratian received from his father Valentinian the title of augustus.[9] Valentinian, concerned with Gratian's age and inexperience, stated his son would assist commanders with upcoming campaigns.[12] The magister peditum Merobaudes, together with the comes rei militaris Sebastianus, was sent by Valentinian to campaign against the Quadi.[13] Around 370, Gratian's mother Marina Severa died and was interred in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[10] Valentinian married again, wedding Justina.[10] On the 9 April 370, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana and the Chronicon Paschale, the Church of the Holy Apostles adjoining the Mausoleum of Constantine in Constantinople was inaugurated.[14] In autumn 371, Gratian's half brother, called Valentinian, was born to Justina, possibly at Augusta Treverorum (Trier).[15][16] Gratian, who was then 15, was married in 374 to Constantius II's 13 year-old posthumous daughter Flavia Maxima Constantia at Trier.[2][3][17][18][19] This marriage consolidated the dynastic link to Constantinian dynasty, as had his Valentinian I's second marriage to Justina, with her family connections.[20] When a party of Alamanni visited Valentinian's headquarters to receive the customary gifts towards the end of 364, Ursatius, the magister officiorum made them an offering they considered inferior to that of his predecessor. Angered by Ursatius' attitude, they vowed revenge and crossed over the Rhine into Roman Germania and Gaul in January 365, overwhelming the Roman defences.[21][22] Although at first unsuccessful, eventually Jovinus, the magister equitum in Gaul inflicted heavy losses on the enemy at Scarpona (Dieulouard) and at Catalauni (ChÃ¢lons-sur-Marne), forcing them to retire.[22] An opportunity to further weaken the Alamanni occurred in the summer of 368, when king Vithicabius was murdered in a coup, and Valentinian and his son Gratian crossed the river Moenus (the Main) laying waste to Alamannic territories.[3][23] Gratian was awarded the victory titles of Germanicus Maximus and Alamannicus Maximus, and Francicus Maximus and Gothicus Maximus in 369.[3] Valentinian fortified the frontier from Raetia in the east to the Belgic channel, but the construction was attacked by Alamanni at Mount Pirus (the Spitzberg, Rottenburg am Neckar). In 369 (or 370) Valentinian then sought to enlist the help of the Burgundians, who were involved in a dispute with the Alamanni, but a communication failure led to them returning to their lands without joining forces with the Romans.[21] It was then that the magister equitum, Theodosius the Elder and his son Theodosius (the Theodosi) attacked the Alamanni through Raetia, taking many prisoners and resettling them in the Po Valley in Italy.[24][21][10] Valentinian made one attempt to capture Macrianus in 372, but eventually made peace with him in 374.[21] The necessity to make peace was the increasing threat from other peoples, the Quadi and the Sarmatians. Valentinian's decision to establish garrisons across the Danube had angered them, and the situation escalated after the Quadi king, Gabinus, was killed during negotiations with the Romans in 374. Consequently, in the autumn, the Quadi crossed the Danube plundering Pannonia and the provinces to the south.[10] The situation deteriorated further once the Sarmatians made common cause inflicting heavy losses on the Pannonica and Moesiaca legions.[10] However on encountering Theodosius' forces on the borders of Moesia in the eastern Balkans, which had previously defeated one of their armies in 373,[24] they sued for peace. Valentinian mounted a further offensive against the Quadi in August 375, this time using a pincer movement, one force attacking from the northwest, while Valentinian himself headed to Aquincum (Budapest), crossed the Danube and attacked from the southeast. This campaign resulted in heavy losses to the enemy, following which he returned to Aquincum and from there to Brigetio (Szany, Hungary) where he died suddenly in November.[25] When his father died on 17 November 375, Gratian inherited the administration of the western empire.[26] Days later, Gratian's half-brother Valentinian was acclaimed augustus by troops in Pannonia.[27] Despite Valentinian being given nominal authority over the praetorian prefectures of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa, Gratian ruled the western Roman empire himself.[28] Following his death, Valentinian's body was prepared for burial and started its journey to Constantinople, where it arrived the following year,[20] on 28 December 376, but was not yet buried.[10] He was deified, as was the custom, becoming known in Latin: Divus Valentinianus Senior, lit. 'the Divine Valentinian the Elder'.[10][26] Detail of drawing of obverse of medal of Valens showing the three reigning emperors: Valens (C), Gratian (R), and Valentinian II (L) and marked: pietas d augustorum[b] Location of the battle of Argentovaria in 378. With the death of Valentinian I, in the east Valens became the senior augustus[10] and the 16 year old Gratian was the only augustus in the western empire. To complicate matters further for Gratian, certain among Valentinian's generals then promoted his four-year-old second son Valentinian II (Gratian's half brother), the army on the Danube acclaiming him augustus in a palatine coup[26] at Aquincum (Budapest) on 22 November 375, despite Gratian's existing prerogatives.[2][16] The young Valentinian II was essentially the subject of the influence of his courtiers and mother, the Arian Christian Justina.[16] Gratian's tutor, Ausonius, became his quaestor, and together with the magister militum, Merobaudes, the power behind the throne.[26] Negotiations eventually left Gratian as the senior western emperor.[26] Valens and Valentinian II were consuls for the year 376, Valens's fifth consulship.[14] Neither Gratian or Valentinian travelled much, which was thought to be due to not wanting the populace to realise how young they were. Gratian is said to have visited Rome in 376, possibly to celebrate his decennalia on 24 August,[3] but whether the visit actually took place is disputed.[26] Under the tutorage of Ausonius, Gratian issued an edict of tolerance at Sirmium in 378.[29] The edict restored bishops exiled by Valens and ensured religious freedoms to all religions.[29] Gratian's uncle Valens, returning from a campaign against the Sasanian Empire, had sent a request to Gratian for reinforcements against the Goths.[30] According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Valens also requested that Sebastianus be sent to him for the war, though according to Zosimus Sebastianus went to Constantinople of his own accord as a result of intrigues by eunuchs at the western court.[13] Once Gratian had put down the invasions in the west in early 378, he notified Valens that he was returning to Thrace to assist him in his struggle against the Goths. Late in July, Valens was informed that the Goths were advancing on Adrianople (Edirne) and Nice, and started to move his forces into the area. However, Gratian's arrival was delayed by an encounter with Alans at Castra Martis, in Dacia in the western Balkans. Advised of the wisdom of awaiting the western army, Valens decided to ignore this advice because he was sure of victory and unwilling to share the glory.[31][2] The forces Gratian sent never reached Valens due to its commander feigning illness.[32] Weeks later, Gratian had arrived in Castra Martis with a few thousand men, by which time Valens was at Adrianople (Latin: Hadrianopolis; Turkish: Edirne).[33] Aware that Gratian's forces were not going to arrive, Valens attacked the Gothic army and as a result thousands[c] of Romans died in the Battle of Adrianople along with Sebastianus and the emperor himself.[32][34][13] After his death, Valens was deified by consecratio as Latin: Divus Valens, lit. 'the Divine Valens'.[14] Marble portrait head of Gratian (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier) Solidus of Theodosius I showing Theodosius and Gratian on the reverse, marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") Senior augustus[edit] Following the battle of Adrianople, the Goths raided from Thrace in 378 to Illyricum the following year.[36][37] Convinced that one emperor alone was incapable of repelling the inundation of foes on several different fronts, Gratian, now senior augustus following Valens's death,[38] appointed Theodosius I augustus on 19 January 379 to govern the east.[39][40] Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[24] On 3 August that year, Gratian issued an edict against heresy.[3] In 380, Gratian was made consul for the fifth time and Theodosius for the first. In September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[3][24] The same year, Gratian won a victory, possibly over the Alamanni, that was announced officially at Constantinople.[3] In the autumn of 378 Gratian issued an edict of religious toleration.[3] By 380, the Greuthungi tribe of Goths moved into Pannonia, only to be defeated by Gratian.[36] Consequently, the Vandals and Alemanni were threatening to cross the Rhine, now that Gratian had departed from the region.[41] With the collapse of the Danube frontier[d] under the incursions of the Huns and Goths, Gratian moved his seat from Augusta Treverorum (Trier) to Mediolanum (Milan) in 381,[42] and was increasingly aligned with the city's bishop, Ambrose (374 to 397), and the Roman Senate, shifting the balance of power within the factions of the western empire.[2][20][43] Under the influence of Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), took active steps against pagan worship.[44] On 27 February 380, Gratian, Valentinian II, and Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica.[45] This edict made Nicene Christianity the only legal form of Christianity and outlawed all other forms of religion.[45] This brought to an end a period of widespread religious tolerance that had existed since the death of Julian.[46] Gratian was then forthright in his promotion of Nicene Christianity. He ordered the removal of the Altar of Victory from the Roman Senate's Curia Julia in the winter of 383/383.[3][2] State endowments for pagan cults were cancelled.[2] According to the late 5th/early 6th-century Greek historian Zosimus, Gratian refused the robe of office of the pontifex maximus, though this story is not creditable, because no such garment was associated with the priesthood.[2] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian's father's remains were eventually interred in the Mausoleum of Constantine, to which the Church of the Holy Apostles was attached, on 21 February 382, beside those of his first wife and the mother of Gratian, Marina Severa.[10] In 382, Gratian issued edicts that removed the statue of the winged goddess Victory from the Senate floor,[47] removed the privileges of Vestal Virgins,[48] and confiscated money designated for sacrifices and ceremonies.[49] Gratian declared that all of the pagan temples and shrines were to be confiscated by the government and that their revenues were to be joined to the property of the treasury.[50] This resulted in protests from the Roman Senate led by Symmachus, which in turn was counter-protested by Christian senators led by Pope Damasus.[51] Sometime in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[3] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[2] Gratian wife Constantia died in early 383.[18][19] He subsequently married Laeta.[52] Both marriages remained childless.[53] In the summer of 383 Gratian was again at war with the Alamanni in Raetia.[3] Gratian alienated the army by his favouritism towards his Alan deserters whom he made his body-guard and to whom he gave military commands. This favouritism of former enemies and the paganism of the Alans angered his Christian army. By 383 the Roman general Magnus Maximus had raised the standard of revolt in Britain and invaded Gaul with a large army.[54] when a rebellion broke out in Britain under Magnus Maximus (r. 383 to “388), the commander of the Roman troops there. Magnus Maximus, who had served under the comes Theodosius and had won a victory over the Picts in 382, was proclaimed augustus and crossed the channel, encamping near Paris. There, his forces encountered Gratian, but much of the latter's army defected to this usurper, forcing Gratian to flee.[55][3][56][54][57] Reverse of a solidus of Gratian marked: victoria augustorum ("the Victory of the augusti") Death and burial[edit] He was pursued by Andragathius, Maximus' magister equitum and killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) on 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana.[55][3][56][54][57] Maximus then established his court at the former imperial residence in Trier.[58] On the death of Gratian in 383, the 12 year old Valentinian II (r. 375 to “392) became the sole legitimate augustus in the west. The body of Constantia, Gratian's first wife, who had died earlier that year, arrived in Constantinople on 12 September 383 and was buried in the complex of the Church of the Holy Apostles (Apostoleion) on 1 December, the resting place of a number of members of the imperial family, starting with Constantine in 337, under the direction of Theodosius, who had embarked on making the site a dynastic symbol. This was the last occasion that a member of the western imperial family was buried in the east, as a new mausoleum being built at St Peter's Basilica in Rome.[20][3] According to Augustine of Hippo's The City of God and Theodoret's Historia Ecclesiastica, Gratian and Constantia had had a son, who died in infancy before 383 but had been born before 379.[3] It would not be until 387, possibly even after the death of Magnus Maximus, that Gratian's remains were interred at Mediolanum in the imperial mausoleum.[59] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[3][60] AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 375-392, Emperor, Theodosius I of the East, son of Elder, Orthodox, accelerated c, persecuted p
Roman Emperor, 375-392, Theodosius I of the East ; I (11 January 347-“ 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395, during Late Antiquity. reign accelerated the Christianization of the Roman Empire, achieved military successes when the frontiers of the empire were threatened by the wars of the Migration Period, and defeated two rival emperors in successive civil wars. He was the first emperor of the Theodosian dynasty (r. 379--“457), and married into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty (r. 364-“455). His decrees made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire and punished Roman paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. his capital Constantinople he commissioned the honorific Column of Theodosius, the Theodosian Walls, and the Golden Gate, among the greatest works of ancient Roman architecture. a military career and a governorship under his father Theodosius the Elder he became magister equitum and was then elevated to the imperial rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367-“383). He replaced the latter's uncle and senior augustus Valens (r. 364-“378), who had been killed in the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius married Gratian's half-sister Galla, daughter of Valentinian the Great (r. 364-“375), and defeated the rebellion of Magnus Maximus (r. 383-“388) on behalf of his new brother-in-law, Valentinian II (r. 375-“392). When Valentinian II died, Theodosius became the senior emperor, having already made his eldest son Arcadius his co-augustus. Theodosius then defeated the usurper Eugenius (r. 392-“394). accepting his elevation, he campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. His resources were not sufficient to destroy them or drive them out, which had been Roman policy for centuries in dealing with invaders. By treaty, which followed his indecisive victory at the end of the Gothic War, they were established as foederati, autonomous allies of the Empire, south of the Danube, in Illyricum, within the Empire's borders. They were given lands and allowed to remain under their own leaders, not assimilated as had been normal Roman practice. issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, including the Edict of Thessalonica.[4][5] neither prevented nor punished the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity, including the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Serapeum in Alexandria. He dissolved the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome's Temple of Vesta. In 393, he banned the pagan rituals of the Olympic Games. his death, Theodosius's young and incapable sons were the two augusti. Arcadius (r. 383-“408) inherited the eastern empire and ruled from Constantinople and Honorius (r. 393-“423) the western empire, an administrative division that endured until the fall of the western Roman empire in the late 5th century. fought two destructive civil wars, successively defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus in 387-“388 and Eugenius in 394, at great cost to the power of the Empire. His management of the empire was marked by heavy tax exactions, by the compulsory establishment of Christianity, and by a court in which according to Peter Brown "everything was for sale".[6] is considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and his feast day is on January 17.[7] life[edit] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius the Great was born on 11 January 347 or 346.[8] The epitome de Caesaribus places his birthplace at Cauca (Coca, Segovia) in Hispania.[8] According to the traditional texts of the chronicle of Hydatius and Zosimus, he was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia".[9][10][11] These texts are probably corrupted with interpolations, as Cauca was in fact not part of the province of Gallaecia, while according to Themistius, Claudius Claudianus, and Marcellinus Comes, he was born at Italica in Hispania Baetica.[11] These claims were probably fictitious and intended to connect Theodosius with the lineage of his distant predecessor Trajan (r. 98-“117), who had came from Italica.[8] father was Theodosius the Elder and his mother was Thermantia.[8] had a brother named Honorius, a sister referred to in Aurelius Victor's De caesaribus but whose name is unknown, and a niece, Serena.[8] career[edit] accompanied his father, the comes rei militaris, on his 368-“369 campaign against the Franks, Scots, and Saxons to restore order and the rule of the emperors Valentinian I (r. 364-“375) and Valens (r. 364-“378) in Roman Britain, which had been threatened in 367 by the Great Conspiracy.[12][13][8] They also defeated the usurpation in Britain by Valentinus.[13] Previous to this in 366, Theodosius the Elder attacked and defeated the Alamanni in Roman Gaul; the defeated prisoners had been resettled in the Po Valley.[14][15] the Elder was made magister equitum in 369, and retained the post until 375.[8] Theodosius and his father son campaigned against the Alamanni 370.[8] The two Theodosi campaigned against Sarmatians in 372/373.[8] The emperors' rule in Roman Africa was disrupted by the revolt of Firmus in 373.[16] Theodosius the Elder moved to defeat the usurpation.[16] about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] the death of his uncle Valens (r. 364-“378), Gratian, now the senior augustus, sought a candidate to nominate as Valens's successor. On 19 January 379, Theodosius I was made augustus over the eastern provinces at Sirmium.[8][21] His wife, Aelia Flaccilla, was accordingly raised to augusta.[8] The new augustus's territory spanned the Roman praetorian prefecture of the East, including the Roman diocese of Thrace, and the additional dioceses of Dacia and of Macedonia. Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[8] administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I. of Valentinian II showing Valentinian and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa reign: 379-“383[edit] October 379 the Council of Antioch was convened.[8] On 27 February 380 Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire.[8] In 380, Theodosius was made Roman consul for the first time and Gratian for the fifth; in September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[21][8] In autumn Theodosius fell ill, and was baptized.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople and staged an adventus, a ritual entry to the capital, on 24 November 380.[8] issued a decree against Christians deemed heretics on 10 January 381.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, on the 11 January, Athanaric, king of the Gothic Thervingi arrived in Constantinople; he died and was buried in Constantinople on 25 January.[8] 8 May 381, Theodosius issued an edict against Manichaeism.[8] In mid-May, Theodosius convened the First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council after Constantine's First Council of Nicaea in 325; the Constantinopolitan council ended on 9 July.[8] According to Zosimus, Theodosius won a victory over the Carpi and the Scirii in summer 381.[8] On 21 December, Theodosius decreed the prohibition of sacrifices with the intent of divining the future.[8] 21 February 382, the body of Theodosius's father in law Valentinian the Great was finally laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] Another Council of Constantinople was held in summer 382.[8] to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a treaty of foedus was reached with the Goths, and they were settled between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains.[8] settlement of the Gothic Wars[edit] Goths and their allies (Vandals, Taifals, Bastarnae and the native Carpians) entrenched in the provinces of Dacia and eastern Pannonia Inferior consumed Theodosius's attention. Gothic crisis was so dire that his co-Emperor Gratian relinquished control of the Illyrian provinces and retired to Trier in Gaul to let Theodosius operate without hindrance. major weakness in the Roman position after the defeat at Adrianople was the recruiting of barbarians to fight against other barbarians. In order to reconstruct the Roman Army of the East, Theodosius needed to find able bodied soldiers and so he turned to the most capable men readily at hand: the barbarians recently settled in the Empire. This caused many difficulties in the battle against barbarians since the newly recruited fighters had little or no loyalty to Theodosius. It did not help that Theodosius himself was dangerously ill during many months after his elevation, being confined to his bed in Thessalonica during much of 379.[22] suppressed the incursions into dioceses of Illyria (Pannonia and Dalmatia) by Alathaeus and Saphrax in 380.[23] He succeeded in convincing both to agree to a treaty and be settled in Pannonia.[24] was able finally to enter Constantinople in November 380, after two seasons in the field, having ultimately prevailed by offering highly favorable terms to the Gothic chiefs.[23] His task was rendered much easier when Athanaric, an aged and cautious leader, accepted Theodosius's invitation to a conference in the capital, Constantinople, and the splendor of the imperial city reportedly awed him and his fellow-chiefs into accepting Theodosius' offers.[25] himself died soon after, but his followers were impressed by the honorable funeral arranged for him by Theodosius, and agreed to defending the border of the empire.[25] The final treaties with the remaining Gothic forces, signed 3 October 382, permitted large contingents of barbarians, primarily Thervingian Goths, to settle in Thrace south of the Danube frontier.[26] The Goths now settled within the Empire would largely fight for the Romans as a national contingent, as opposed to being fully integrated into the Roman forces.[26] provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier civil war: 383-“384[edit] of Theodosius, showing both he and his co-augustus Valentinian II (r. 375-“392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") to the Chronicon Paschale, Theodosius celebrated his quinquennalia on 19 January 383 at Constantinople; on this occasion he raised his eldest son Arcadius to co-augustus.[8] Early 383 saw the acclamation of Magnus Maximus as augustus in Britain and the appointment of Themistius as praefectus urbi in Constantinople.[8] On 25 July, Theodosius issued a new edict against gatherings of Christians deemed heretics.[8] unable to do much about Maximus due to his still inadequate military capability, opened negotiations with the Persian emperor Shapur III (r. 383-“388) of the Sasanian Empire.[27] In an attempt to curb Maximus's ambitions, Theodosius appointed Flavius Neoterius as praetorian prefect of Italy.[28] in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[21] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[29] On the 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian was killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) by Andragathius, the magister equitum of the rebel augustus during the rebellion of Magnus Maximus .[21] Constantia's body arrived in Constantinople on 12 September that year and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 1 December.[21] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[21] 21 January 384 all those deemed heretics were expelled from Constantinople.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius received in Constantinople an embassy from the Sasanian Empire in 384.[8] In summer 384, Theodosius met his co-augustus Valentinian II in northern Italy.[30][8] Theodosius brokered a peace agreement between Valentinian and Magnus Maximus which endured for several years.[31] of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain reign: 384-“387[edit] second son Honorius was born on 9 December 384 and titled nobilissimus puer (or nobilissimus iuvenis).[8] The death of Aelia Flaccilla, Theodosius's first wife and the mother of Arcadius, Honorius, and Pulcheria, occurred by 386.[8] She died at Scotumis in Thrace and was buried at Constantinople, her funeral oration delivered by Gregory of Nyssa.[8][32] A statue of her was dedicated in the Byzantine Senate.[32] In 384 or 385, Theodosius's niece Serena was married to the magister militum, Stilicho.[8] On 25 May 385, Theodosius repeated the ban on sacrifices that were done in order to predict the future.[8] the beginning of 386, Theodosius's daughter Pulcheria also died.[8] That summer more Goths were defeated, and many were settled in Phrygia.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a Roman triumph over the Gothic Greuthungi was then celebrated at Constantinople.[8] The same year, work began on the great triumphal column in the Forum of Theodosius in Constantinople, the Column of Theodosius.[8] On 19 January 387, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arcadius celebrated his quinquennalia in Constantinople.[8] By the end of the month, there was an uprising or riot in Antioch (Antakya).[8] With a peace agreement with Persia in the Roman-“Persian Wars came a division of Armenia.[8] civil war: 387-“388[edit] peace with Magnus Maximus was broken in 387, and Valentinian escaped the west with Justina, reaching Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in summer or autumn 387 and appealing to Theodosius for aid; Valentinian II's sister Galla was then married to the eastern augustus at Thessalonica in late autumn.[30][8] Theodosius may still have been in Thessalonica when he celebrated his decennalia on 19 January 388.[8] Theodosius was consul for the second time in 388.[8] Galla and Theodosius's first child, a son named Gratian, was born in 388 or 389.[8] 10 March 388, Christians deemed heretics were forbidden from residing in cities.[8] On 14 March, Theodosius banned the intermarriage of Jews and Christians.[8] In summer 388, Theodosius recovered Italy from Magnus Maximus for Valentinian, and in June, the meeting of Christians deemed heretics was banned by Valentinian.[30][8] armies of Theodosius and Maximus fought at the Battle of Poetovio in 388, which saw Maximus defeated. On 28 August 388 Maximus was executed.[33] Now the de facto ruler of the Western empire as well, Theodosius celebrated his victory in Rome on June 13, 389 and stayed in Milan until 391, installing his own loyalists in senior positions including the new magister militum of the West, the Frankish general Arbogast.[33] July, Magnus Maximus was defeated by Theodosius at the Battle of Save; on 28 August, Magnus Maximus was executed by Theodosius.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arbogast killed Flavius Victor (r. 384-“388), Magnus Maximus's young son and co-augustus, in Gaul in August/September that year. Damnatio memoriae was pronounced against them, and inscriptions naming them were erased.[8] affairs: 388-“391[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral, Anthony van Dyck, c. 1620 came into conflict with Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), in October 388 over the persecution of Jews at Callincium-on-the-Euphrates (Raqqa).[8] As mentioned in the Panegyrici Latini and in a panegyric of Claudian's on the sixth consulship of Honorius, Theodosius then received another embassy from the Persians in 389.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius staged an adventus on entering Rome on 13 June 389.[8] On 17 June, he issued a decree against Manichaeism.[8] Theodosiushad left Valentinian under the protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389.[31][30] 390 the population of Thessalonica rioted in complaint against the presence of the local Gothic garrison. The garrison commander was killed in the violence, so Theodosius ordered the Goths to kill all the spectators in the circus as retaliation, an event known as the Massacre of Thessalonica; Theodoret, a contemporary witness to these events, reports: the anger of the Emperor rose to the highest pitch, and he gratified his vindictive desire for vengeance by unsheathing the sword most unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thousand perished without any forms of law, and without even having judicial sentence passed upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the time of harvest, they were alike cut down.[34] was excommunicated by the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, for the massacre.[35] Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt; Ambrose readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance.[citation needed] spring 390, possibly in April, the Massacre of Thessalonica was perpetrated by Theodosius's army, leading to a confrontation with Ambrose.[8] Ambrose demanded that the emperor do penance for the massacre.[8] According to the 5th-century church historian Theodoret, on 25 December 390 (Christmas), Ambrose received Theodosius back into the Christian Church in his bishopric of Mediolanum.[8] According to the Chronicon Paschale, on 18 February 391, the head of John the Baptist was translated to Constantinople.[8] On the 24 February, attendance at pagan sacrifices and temples was forbidden by law.[8] In early summer 391, an uprising in Alexandria was suppressed, and the Serapeum of Alexandria was destroyed.[8] On 16 June, pagan worship was prohibited by law.[8] In 391, a delegation from the Roman Senate was snubbed in Gaul because of the reappearance of the Altar of Victory in the Curia Julia.[30] to Zosimus, Theodosius then campaigned against marauding barbarian bandits in Macedonia in autumn 391.[8] Eventually, he came to Constantinople, where according to Socrates Scholasticus's Historia Ecclesiastica he held an adventus, entering the city on 10 November 391.[8] of Eugenius (r. 392-“394), showing both he and Theodosius enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb. Marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") of the Theodosian emperors from the Hoxne Hoard: portraits of Theodosius I (top), Arcadius (left), and Honorius (right) civil war: 392-“394[edit] 15 May 392, Valentinian II died at Vienna in Gaul (Vienne), either by suicide or as part of a plot by the magister militum Arbogast.[30] Valentinian had quarrelled publicly with Arbogast, and was found hanged in his room.[36] Arbogast announced that this had been a suicide.[36] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[30] was then sole adult emperor, reigning with his son Arcadius. Arbogast was unable to assume the role of emperor because of his non-Roman background.[36] Instead, on 22 August at the behest of Arbogast, a magister scrinii and vir clarissimus, Eugenius, was acclaimed augustus at Lugdunum.[8] Eugenius made some limited concessions to the Roman religion; like Maximus he sought Theodosius's recognition in vain.[36] On 8 November 392, all cult worship of the gods was forbidden by Theodosius.[8] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius raised his second son Honorius to augustus on 23 January 393.[8] He cited Eugenius's illegitimacy.[36] 393 was the year of Theodosius's third consulship.[8] On 29 September 393, Theodosius issued a decree for the protection of Jews.[8] According to Zosimus, at the end of April 394, Theodosius's wife Galla died.[8] On 1 August, a colossal statue of Theodosius was dedicated in Constantinople's Forum of Theodosius, an event recorded in the Chronicon Paschale.[8] the last years of Theodosius's reign, one of the emerging leaders of the Goths, named Alaric, participated in Theodosius's campaign against Eugenius in 394, only to resume his rebellious behavior against Theodosius's son and eastern successor, Arcadius, shortly after Theodosius' death. had gathered a large army, including the Goths whom he had settled in the eastern empire as foederati, as well as Caucasian and Saracen auxiliaries, and marched against Eugenius.[37] According to Socrates Scholasticus, Theodosius defeated Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus (the Vipava) on 6 September 394.[8] battle began on 5 September 394, with Theodosius' full frontal assault on Eugenius's forces.[citation needed] Theodosius was repulsed on the first day, and Eugenius thought the battle to be all but over.[citation needed] In Theodosius's camp, the loss of the day decreased morale.[citation needed] It is said[by whom?] that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage.[citation needed] The next day, the battle began again and Theodosius's forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora, which produces cyclonic winds.[38] The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line.[citation needed] Eugenius's camp was stormed; Eugenius was captured and soon after executed.[38] On 8 September, Arbogast killed himself.[8] to Socrates, on 1 January 395, Honorius arrived in Mediolanum and a victory celebration was held there.[8] suffered from a disease involving severe edema, in Milan.[39] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius died in Mediolanum on 17 January 395.[8] His funeral was held there on 25 February.[8] Ambrose delivered a panegyric titled De obitu Theodosii in the presence Stilicho and Honorius in which Ambrose praised the suppression of paganism by Theodosius.[39] body transferred to Constantinople, where according to the Chronicon Paschale he was buried on 8 November 395 in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] He was deified as: Divus Theodosius, lit. 'the Divine Theodosius'.[8] He was interred in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work De Ceremoniis.[40] offers a laurel wreath to the victor, on the marble base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. patronage[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) oversaw the removal in 390 of an Egyptian obelisk from Alexandria to Constantinople.[41] It is now known as the obelisk of Theodosius and still stands in the Hippodrome of Constantinople,[41] the long Roman circus that was the centre of Constantinople's public life and scene of political turmoil. Re-erecting the monolith was a challenge for the technology that had been honed in the construction of siege engines. The obelisk, still recognizably a solar symbol, had been moved from Karnak to Alexandria with what is now the Lateran obelisk by Constantius II. Lateran obelisk was shipped to Rome soon afterwards, but the other one then spent a generation lying at the docks due to the difficulty involved in attempting to ship it to Constantinople. Eventually, the obelisk was cracked in transit. The white marble base is entirely covered with bas-reliefs documenting the imperial household and the engineering feat of removing it to Constantinople. Theodosius and the imperial family are separated from the nobles among the spectators in the imperial box, with a cover over them as a mark of their status. The naturalism of traditional Roman art in such scenes gave way in these reliefs to conceptual art: the idea of order, decorum and respective ranking, expressed in serried ranks of faces. This is seen as evidence of formal themes beginning to oust the transitory details of mundane life, celebrated in Roman portraiture. Forum Tauri in Constantinople was renamed and redecorated as the Forum of Theodosius, including a column and a triumphal arch in his honour.[42] of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius in a miniature from the Paris Gregory, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the Homilies of Gregory policy[edit] 325, Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, which affirmed the doctrine that Jesus, the Son, was equal to God the Father and "of one substance" with the Father (homoousios in Greek). The Council condemned the teachings of Arius, who believed Jesus to be inferior to the Father. the council's ruling, controversy continued for decades, with several christological alternatives to the Nicene Creed being brought forth. Theologians attempted to bypass the Christological debate by saying that Jesus was merely like (homoios in Greek) God the father, without speaking of substance (ousia). These non-Nicenes were frequently labelled as Arians (i.e., followers of Arius) by their opponents, though not all would necessarily have identified themselves as such.[43] Emperor Valens had favored the group who used the homoios formula; this theology was prominent in much of the East and had under Constantius II gained a foothold in the West, being ratified by the Council of Ariminum, though it was later abjured by a majority of the western bishops (after Constantius II's death in 361). The death of Valens damaged the standing of the Homoian faction, especially since his successor Theodosius steadfastly held to the Nicene Creed which was the interpretation that predominated in the West and was held by the important Alexandrian church. of orthodoxy[edit] Barocci, Saint Ambrose forces Emperor Theodosius I to make penance for the Thessaloniki massacre (1603), left-side nave, Saint Ambrose Altar, Milan Cathedral. 27 February 380, together with Gratian and Valentinian II, Theodosius issued the decree "Cunctos populos", the so-called Edict of Thessalonica, recorded in the Codex Theodosianus xvi.1.2. This declared the Nicene Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion and the only one entitled to call itself Catholic; non-Christian religions or those who did not support the Trinity, he described as "foolish madmen".[44] He also ended official state support for the traditional polytheist religions and customs.[45] 26 November 380, two days after he had arrived in Constantinople, Theodosius expelled the Homoian bishop, Demophilus of Constantinople, and appointed Meletius patriarch of Antioch, and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers from Cappadocia (today in Turkey), patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius had just been baptized, by bishop Ascholius of Thessalonica, during a severe illness.[citation needed] May 381, Theodosius summoned a new ecumenical council at Constantinople to repair the schism between East and West on the basis of Nicene orthodoxy.[46] The council went on to define orthodoxy, including the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as equal to the Father and 'proceeding' from Him, whereas the Son was 'begotten' of Him.[47] The council also "condemned the Apollonarian and Macedonian heresies, clarified jurisdictions of the bishops according to the civil boundaries of dioceses and ruled that Constantinople was second in precedence to Rome."[47] of pagan religion[edit] article: Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I persecution of pagans under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on some practices of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, decreed magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism were subject to criminal prosecution, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples. 391 and 392 Theodosius promulgated three laws restricting pagan religious practices. The first, issued in June 391 and addressed to the urban prefect of Rome, banned ritual sacrifice and access to temples, with heavy fines for infractors. A similar measure was addressed to Alexandria in June 392. These two laws were apparently aimed at public officials specifically and not binding on the population at large.[48] The third and more extreme law, issued in November 392, prohibited pagan worship in every form, including animal sacrifice and offerings of incense and wine, again threatening offenders with confiscation of property.[49] This measure was addressed specifically to the praetorian prefect of the East, the staunchly Christian Rufinus, and there is seemingly no evidence of its application in the West, where Theodosius himself appointed several pagans to high office to mollify them.[50] He turned pagan holidays into workdays, closed temples, confiscated Temple endowments and disbanded the Vestal Virgins.[51] The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.[52]:115 392 until his death in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration,[53][54] he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the empire.[55][56][57][58][59] 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs,[60] and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans.[61] He is likely to have discontinued the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.[62]

Rome, 379-395, Emperor, Theodosius I, Moved to Viminacium, Moecia Prima, Illuricum, on R R Militarica
Roman Emperor, 379-395, Theodosius I, Moved from Rome to Illuricum ; about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Rome, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman
Rome, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St. Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Rome, 395-423, Emperor, Honorius in the West, Rome sacked, his general Stilicho preserved stability until executed
Roman Emperor, 395-423, Honorius ; Flavius Honorius (9 September 384 -“ 15 August 423) was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of Arcadius, who ruled the eastern half of the empire from 395, when their father died, until his death in 408. In 410, during Honorius's reign over the western Roman Empire, Rome was sacked for the first time in almost 800 years.[2] Even by the standards of the rapidly declining Western Empire, Honorius's reign was precarious and chaotic. His reign was supported by his principal general, Stilicho, who was successively Honorius's guardian (during his childhood) and his father-in-law (after the emperor became an adult). Stilicho's generalship helped preserve some level of stability, but with his execution in 408, the western Roman Empire moved closer to collapse. St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Rome, 395-410, Roman Visgoth, Alaric the Visgoth, Sack of Rome in 410
Roman Visgoth, 395-410, Alaric the Visgoth, Sack of Rome in 410; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Rome, 400, 5th - 8th Century, Folder, Fall of Rome, Gothic Empire, Primacy of Roman Pope

Rome, 400-499, 5th Century Folder, Fall of Rome, Ostrogoth Kingdom, Defeat by Byzantines 552

Rome, 401-417, Archbishop, Innocent I, energetic, gifted, defended Chrysostom
Roman Archbishop, 401-417, Innocent ; Innocent I was the bishop of Rome from 401 to his death on 12 March 417. He may have been the son of his predecessor, Anastasius I. the beginning of his papacy, he was seen as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. He confirmed the prerogatives of the Archbishop of Thessalonica, and issued a decretal on disciplinary matters referred to him by the Bishop of Rouen. defended the exiled John Chrysostom and consulted with the bishops of Africa concerning the Pelagian controversy, confirming the decisions of the African synods. Catholic priest-scholar Johann Peter Kirsch, 1500 years later, described Innocent as a very energetic and highly gifted individual "...who fulfilled admirably the duties of his office".[2] Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17 ; St. Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17;

Rome, 403-439, Melania the Younger, wealth, chasity, visited prisoners and mine convicts, helped monasteries, much more
Rome, 403-439, Melania the Younger of Rome, wealth, chasity, children died, new life dedicated to God, visited sick , debtors prison, and mine convicts, sold estates italy and spain, helped monasteries in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia and Palestine, to Africa, storm, ransom for city on the way, 7 yrs in Carthage, Cyril and Nestorius, to Jerusalem, distributed rest of gold, poverty and prayer, short egypt visit, desert fathers, Melania's cell on mt of olives, later founded monastery, 90 virgins, husband Apinianus died, 4 more yrs fasting and p, benefactor sent for Mount of the Assension Chapel; Melania the Younger (born in Rome c. 383, died in Jerusalem on 31 December 439) is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder. Feast of Melania the Younger is held on 31 December (the Julian calendar's 31 December falls on 13 January on the Gregorian calendar). In Ukraine, by Orthodox Christians, Malanka ("Melania's Day") is celebrated on 13 January, and on 31 December by other Christians. Mount of the Assension, Chapel of the Assension; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Melania was born in Rome into a devout Christian family. Her parents, people of property and wealth, hoped that their daughter would marry and have children who would inherit their wealth. fourteen years of age Melania was married to the illustrious youth Apinianus. From the very beginning of their married life, Saint Melania asked her husband to live with her in chastity or else release her from the marriage. Apinianus answered, “I cannot agree to this right now. When we have two children to inherit the property, then we shall both renounce the world.” Melania gave birth to a daughter, whom the young parents dedicated to God. Continuing to live together in marriage, Melania secretly wore a hair shirt and spent her nights in prayer. The second child, a boy, was premature and had severe complications. They baptized him, and he departed to the Lord. the suffering of his wife, Apinianus asked the Lord to preserve Saint Melania’s life, and he vowed to spend the rest of their life together in chastity. Recovering, Saint Melania stopped wearing her beautiful clothing and jewelry. Soon their daughter also died. The parents of Saint Melania did not support the young couple’s desire to devote themselves to God. It was only when Saint Melania’s father became deathly ill, that he asked their forgiveness and permitted them to follow their chosen path, asking them to pray for him. saints then left the city of Rome, and began a new life completely dedicated to the service of God. Apinianus at this time was twenty-four years of age, and Melania twenty. They began to visit the sick, to take in wanderers, and to help the indigent. They visited those who were exiled, and mine-convicts, and the destitute, there in debtor’s prison. After selling their estates in Italy and Spain, they generously helped monasteries, hospitals, widows and orphans in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia, and Palestine. churches and hospitals were built with their assistance. Churches of both West and East benefited from them. Leaving their native land, they set sail for Africa, and a strong storm arose while they were at sea. The sailors said that this was because of the wrath of God, but Saint Melania said that it was not God’s will that they should go directly to their destination. waves carried the ship to an island on which barbarians had landed. The besiegers demanded a ransom from the inhabitants, or else they threatened to lay waste the city. The saints supplied the necessary ransom, and thus saved the city and its people from destruction. their voyage, they landed in Africa and helped all the needy there. With the blessing of the local bishops, they made offerings to churches and monasteries. During this time Saint Melania continued to humble her flesh by strict fasting, and she fortified her soul by constantly reading the Word of God, making copies of the sacred books and distributing them to those who lacked them. She sewed a hairshirt for herself, put it on, and continued to wear it. saints spent seven years in Carthage, and then decided to visit Jerusalem. At Alexandria, they were welcomed by the bishop, Saint Cyril, and they met in church with the holy Elder Nestorius, who was possessed of the gift of prophecy and healing. The Elder turned to them and told them to have courage and patience in expectation of the Glory of Heaven. Jerusalem, the saints distributed their remaining gold to the destitute and then spent their days in poverty and prayer. After a short visit to Egypt, where the saints visited many of the desert Fathers, Saint Melania secluded herself in a cell on the Mount of Olives. Only occasionally did she see Saint Apinianus. she founded a monastery, where eventually ninety virgins lived in obedience to Saint Melania. Out of humility, she would not consent to be abbess, and lived and prayed in solitude as before. In her instructions, Saint Melania urged the sisters to be vigilant and to pray, to disdain their own opinions and cultivate first of all love for God and for one another, to keep the holy Orthodox Faith, and to guard their purity of soul and of body. particular, she exhorted them to be obedient to the will of God. Calling to mind the words of the Apostle Paul, she counselled them to keep the fasts “not with wailing, nor from compulsion, but in virtuous disposition with love for God”. her efforts an oratory and altar were built in the monastery, where they enshrined the relics of saints: the Prophet Zachariah, the holy Protomartyr Stephen, and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. About this time Saint Apinianus fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Melania buried his relics and there spent another four years in fasting and unceasing prayer. Melania wanted to build a men’s monastery on the Mount of the Ascension of the Lord. The Lord blessed her intent by sending a benefactor who provided the means for the monastery. Joyfully accepting it, Saint Melania finished the great work in a single year. In this monastery, saintly men began to lift up unceasing prayer in the church of the Ascension of Christ. completed her tasks, the saint left Jerusalem for Constantinople, hoping to save the soul of her pagan uncle Volusianus who had traveled there from Rome. Along the way she prayed at the relics of Saint Laurence (August 10), at the place of his martyrdom, and received auspicious signs. Arriving in Constantinople, the saint found her uncle had fallen ill. Her demeanor and her inspired discourses had a profound influence on the sick man. He gave up pagan impiety and died a Christian. this time many inhabitants of the capital were deceived by the heretical teaching of Nestorius. Saint Melania accepted anyone who turned to her for proper explanation, converting many of them to Orthodoxy. Many miracles were worked through the prayers of the saint. to her own monastery, the saint sensed the approach of death, and told this to the priest and the sisters. They listened to her final instructions with deep sorrow and with tears. Having asked their prayers and commanding them to preserve themselves in purity, she received the Holy Mysteries with joy. Saint Melania peacefully gave up her soul to the Lord in the year 439.

Rome, 404-456, Vincent oLerins, Soldier, Monk, Author, true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos
France, 404-456, Vincent of Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) Soldier, Monk, Author, Commonitorium (anti heresy), follow true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos; Lerins monestary; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24; in the late fourth century in Toulouse in Gaul, Vincent initially served in the military, later left the world to become a monk at the renowned Lérins Monastery, he was ordained to the priesthood. is widely known for his work, Commonitorium, which he wrote around the year 434 AD, which he differentiated between the Church's teachings and the heresies of his time. is remembered for writing that Christians must follow the true faith that has been held “everywhere, always, and by all.” also defended the term “Theotokos” with regard to the Mother of God in opposition to the teachings of Nestorius that were condemned at the Third Ecumenical Council. Vincent died peacefully in 456 AD. His relics are preserved at Lérins.

Rome, 410-455, Prosper oAquitaine, Heresies Eradicator, renowned lay theolog, writings echoed Augustine, science joined virtue
France, 410-455, Prosper of Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7), Eradicator of Heresies, renowned lay theologian, many his writings echoed Augustine on grace, science joined virtue, math, astronomy, chronology, one soul wHis wife, convinced her Num, entered monastery ; Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7); Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Commemorated on July 7; Prosper (Prosper Tiro), Eradicator of Heresies," as Saint Photios (February 6) calls him, born in the Aquitaine around the year 390. was a renowned lay theologian, although few details of his life are known. know Saint Prosper chiefly from his writings. A contemporary writer described him as "a holy and venerable man. Many of Saint Prosper's writings echo the teaching of Saint Augustine (June 15) on grace. Saint Augustine, Saint Prosper was also an opponent of the Pelagian heresy. This wise man seems to have spent his life embroiled in controversies with heretics. For the semi-Pelagians in particular, Prosper was one of their most fearsome adversaries. Saint Prosper, science was joined to virtue. It is evident that he applied himself to literature, and especially to acquiring knowledge of Holy Scripture. He was no less an expert in human sciences than he was in theology. He excelled particularly in mathematics, astronomy, and chronology. His great learning and holiness made him well known throughout the entire Church. Prosper has sometimes been identified, mistakenly, with Saint Paulinus of Reggio (June 25), who was a bishop. Everything we know about him leads us to believe that Saint Prosper was not a bishop, nor even a priest. a poem to his wife he wrote: "Lift me up again if I fall; correct yourself if I point out some fault. Let it never be sufficient for us to be one body, let us also be one soul." 428, Saint Prosper persuaded his wife to become a nun, and he entered a monastery at Marseilles. Saint Leo the Great was chosen as the Bishop of Rome in 440, he sent for Prosper to become his secretary. Many historians believe that the admirable treatise "On the Incarnation of the Word," which is ascribed to Saint Leo, is actually the work of Saint Prosper. is possible, however, that Saint Leo may have reworked it in his own style. Prosper reposed in Rome, sometime after 455. icon of Saint Prosper depicts him holding a scroll which reads: "The Orthodox Faith subdues the monster of heresy."

Rome, 418-422, Pope, Boniface I, praise from Augustine of Hippo
Roman Pope, 418-422, Pope Boniface I; Boniface I was the bishop of Rome from 28 December 418 to his death on 4 September 422. His election was disputed by the supporters of Eulalius until the dispute was settled by Emperor Honorius. was active in maintaining church discipline, and he restored certain privileges to the metropolitical sees of Narbonne and Vienne, exempting them from any subjection to the primacy of Arles. was a contemporary of Augustine of Hippo, who dedicated to him some of his works. St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8;

Rome, 420-450, Xenia oRome, tAvoid marriage, sailed tMilas, Roman senator's daughter, she bought land, built church&monastery
Ephesus, 420-450, Xenia oRome, avoiding marriage, sailed tMilas, Caria, Near Ephesus, Roman senator's daughter, met Milas Monastery head on ship, through God, he took her and her 2 servants there, she bought land, built church, founded woman's monastery, Milas Bishop made her Deaconess, helped everyone, for destitute a benefactress, forgrief-stricken a comforter, for sinners a guide to repentence, She deeply humble, she reported self most sinfull of all, Guided by Euthymius oPalestine, many souls tChrist, died 450 wPraying; Milas, Caria, Near Ephesus; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24; Xenia of Rome, in the world Eusebia, was the only daughter of an eminent Roman senator. her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid the marriage arranged for her. secretly left her parental home with two servants devoted to her, and set sail upon a ship. the Providence of God she met the head of the monastery of the holy Apostle Andrew in Milassa, a town of Caria (Asia Minor). besought him to take her and her companions to Milassa. also changed her name, calling herself Xenia [which means “stranger” or “foreigner” in Greek]. Milassa she bought land, built a church dedicated to Saint Stephen, and founded a woman’s monastery. after this, Bishop Paul of Milassa made Xenia a deaconess, because of her virtuous life. saint helped everyone: the destitute, she was a benefactress; the grief-stricken, a comforter; sinners, a guide to repentance. possessed a deep humility, accounting herself the worst and most sinful of all. her ascetic deeds she was guided by the counsels of the Palestinian ascetic, Saint Euthymius. sublime life of Saint Xenia drew many souls to Christ. holy virgin died in 450 while she was praying. her funeral, a luminous wreath of stars surrounding a radiant cross appeared over the monastery in the heavens. sign accompanied the body of the saint when it was carried into the city, remained until the saint’s burial. of the sick received healing after touching the relics of the saint. the death of Saint Xenia, first one of her former servants died, then the other. were buried at the saint’s feet.

Rome, 422-432, Roman Pope, Celestine I, condemned Nestorius, Pelagians, and Novatians
Roman Pope, 422-432, Celestine I ; Celestine I (Latin: Caelestinus I) was the bishop of Rome from 10 September 422 to his death on 1 August 432. Celestine's tenure was largely spent combatting various ideologies deemed heretical. He supported the mission of the Gallic bishops that sent Germanus of Auxerre in 429, to Britain to address Pelagianism, and later commissioned Palladius as bishop to the Scots of Ireland and northern Britain. In 430, he held a synod in Rome which condemned the apparent views of Nestorius. 1 Early life and family 2 Pontificate 3 Death and legacy 4 See also 5 References 6 External links life and family[edit] I was a Roman from the region of Campania.[2] Nothing is known of his early history except that his father's name was Priscus. to John Gilmary Shea, Celestine was a relative of the emperor Valentinian.[1] is said to have lived for a time at Milan with St. Ambrose. The first known record of him is in a document of Pope Innocent I from the year 416, where he is spoken of as "Celestine the Deacon".[3] to the Liber Pontificalis, the start of his papacy was 3 November.[2] However, Tillemont places the date at 10 September.[4] portions of the liturgy are attributed to Celestine I, but without any certainty on the subject. 430, he held a synod in Rome, at which the teachings of Nestorius were condemned. The following year, he sent delegates to the First Council of Ephesus, which addressed the same issue.[1] Four letters written by him on that occasion, all dated 15 March 431, together with a few others, to the African bishops, to those of Illyria, of Thessalonica, and of Narbonne, are extant in re-translations from the Greek; the Latin originals having been lost. actively condemned the Pelagians and was zealous for Roman orthodoxy. To this end he was involved in the initiative of the Gallic bishops to send Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes travelling to Britain in 429 to confront bishops reportedly holding Pelagian views. sent Palladius to Ireland to serve as a bishop in 431. Bishop Patrick continued this missionary work. Celestine strongly opposed the Novatians in Rome; as Socrates Scholasticus writes, "this Celestinus took away the churches from the Novatians at Rome also, and obliged Rusticula their bishop to hold his meetings secretly in private houses."[5] The Novationists refused absolution to the lapsi, but Celestine argued that reconciliation should never be refused to any dying sinner who sincerely asked it.[1] He was zealous in refusing to tolerate the smallest innovation on the constitutions of his predecessors. As St. Vincent of Lerins reported in 434: Pope Celestine also expresses himself in like manner and to the same effect. For in the Epistle which he wrote to the priests of Gaul, charging them with connivance with error, in that by their silence they failed in their duty to the ancient faith, and allowed profane novelties to spring up, he says: "We are deservedly to blame if we encourage error by silence. Therefore rebuke these people. Restrain their liberty of preaching."[6] a letter to certain bishops of Gaul, dated 428, Celestine rebukes the adoption of special clerical garb by the clergy. He wrote: "We [the bishops and clergy] should be distinguished from the common people [plebe] by our learning, not by our clothes; by our conduct, not by our dress; by cleanness of mind, not by the care we spend upon our person" [3] and legacy[edit] died on 26 July 432. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Priscilla in the Via Salaria, but his body, subsequently moved, now lies in the Basilica di Santa Prassede. In art, Saint Celestine is portrayed as a pope with a dove, dragon, and flame, and is recognized by Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic Churches as a saint. LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Rome, 423-455, Emperor, Valentinian III, weak, Primacy of the Roman Pope
Roman Emperor, 423-455, Valentinian III; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ;

Rome, 423-455, Emperess, Honoraria, V III's sister, promiscuous, gave love to Attila, so he proclaimed western empire rule
Rome, 423-455, Emperess, Honoraria; Grata Honoria, commonly referred to during her lifetime as Honoria,[1] was the older sister of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. She is famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, which led to his proclamation of his claim to rule the Western Roman Empire. Coins attest that she was granted the title of Augusta not long after the accession of her brother in 426.[2] Roman Emperor, 423-455, Valentinian III; St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Rome, 425-474, Marcian tPresbyter, built, renovated, embellished Churches, meek silence, wonderworking, deliverance
Rome, -474, Marcian tPresbyter iConstantinople, fRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), ed aC, built, renovated, embellishment oChurches, fInheritance, moral purity strict asceticism resented, but meekness silence won the day, tPatriarch attention, named presbyter, appointed treasurer Constantinople Church, distributed generous alms, non-covetous, denying self, only one set clothes, gift oWonderworking, deliverance, died 474, buried Forerunner's Monastery iC; Rome; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Marcian, Presbyter of the Great Church, born at Rome in his youth he received a first-rate education in Constantinople. the death of his parents, Saint Marcian used his inheritance on the building, renovation and embellishment of churches. he built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Anastasia (December 22), richly adorned it, and had the holy relics of the saint transferred to it. also built a church of the Great Martyr Irene (May 5), the church of Saint Isidore. moral purity and strict asceticism were resented by those who were slothful and avaricious, for they regarded his life as an unspoken criticism of their own lack of virtue. his meekness and silence overcame their slanders and brought him to the attention of the Patriarch, ordained Saint Marcian a presbyter appointed him treasurer of the Church of Constantinople. his wealth Saint Marcian distributed generous alms, and distinguished himself by non-covetousness, denying himself in everything. accord with the command of the Savior, he did not even have an extra set of clothes, which he might need should he be caught in inclement weather. received a gift of wonderworking, Saint Marcian healed the sick and cast out devils. Marcian died between 472-474 was buried at the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner at Constantinople.

Rome, 432-440, Pope Sixtus III, Holy Pope Sixtus
Pope, 432-440, Pope Sixtus III; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Saint Leo the Great, Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18;

Rome, 438, Ignatius relics transfer, back to Rome from Syria because Persia took Antioch
Syria, 108, 438, 540 or 637, Ignatius relics transfer, Rome tAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Trajan had him thrown to the lions in 107, Christians gathered his bons at Rome, 108 his relics buried at Gate oDaphne, Antioch, 43i8 transferred tRome because Persians captured A, 540 placed Clement's church Rome, or 637, Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing, he left 7 arcpastoral epistles with instructions faith, love, good works, he also urged preservation unity otFaith, beware heretics, hono&obey bishops, regard as Lord himself, example letter to Polycarp, listen to your bishop ifyou want God to listen to you; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch ; Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer: (See December 20). the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome. in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources). Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, “We should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself.” (To the Ephesians 6) his Letter to Polycarp, Saint Ignatius writes: “Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you... let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armor.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder 4:2)

Rome, 440-461, Roman Pope, Pope Leo I, LEO THE GREAT, met Attila the Hun in 452, Tone of Leo Council Document
Rome, 440-461, Roman Pope, Pope Leo I, LEO THE GREAT, met Attila the Hun in 452, Tone of Leo, fine education, possible worldly career, however chose spiritual life, archdeacon under Pope Sixtus III, whom he followed in 440, difficult times, heretics assulted Orthodoxy, basic defender against Eutyches&Dioscorus heresies, only 1 nature, also heresy oNestorius, letters to emperors Theodosius II and Marcian promoted convening of 4th EC Chalcedon 451, condemned Monophysite heresy, 630 Bishops present, His Tome letter to deseased Flavian, P oConstantinople was read, Flavian had suffered fOrthodoxy under Robber Council oEphesus in 449, Tome was the Orthodox Teaching about 2 natures in Jesus, all 630 agreed, Eutyches and Dioscorus excommunicated, Leo also protected Rome from barbarians, 452 he stopped Attila the Hun with his words, 455 Vandal leader Henzerich persuaded not to pillage Rome, burn buildings, nor spill blood, he knew time oDeath beforehand, so prepared 40 days wFasting&Prayer to pass from world to eternity; Roman Pope, 440-461, Pope Leo I; I (c. 400 – 10 November 461), known as Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history."[1] was a Roman aristocrat, was the first pope to have been called "the Great". is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 allegedly persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy. is also a Doctor of the Church, remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, document which was a major foundation to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, dealt primarily with Christology, elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ's being as the hypostatic union of two natures, divine and human, in one person, "with neither confusion nor division". was followed by a major schism associated with Monophysitism, Miaphysitism and Dyophysitism.[2] LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); I (440-461) and Gregory I (590-604) are the only two bishops of Rome commonly called "the Great." at a time when the capital of the Empire had been moved to Constantinople, the government even in Italy no longer had its headquarters at Rome, the most important official in the city. him fell such prosaic tasks as supervising the distribution of grain imports reorganizing the municipal fire department. Attila and the Huns invaded Italy in 452, he negotiated their withdrawal, when Gaiseric (or Genseric) the Vandal captured Rome three years later, was Leo who prevented the total destruction of the city. is perhaps not surprising that the theory of papal supremacy gained much ground in his day. his day there were disgreements about the correct way to state the truth that Jesus Christ is both God and man. 449 Leo wrote a letter (known as the Tome of Leo) Bishop Flavian of Constantinople, which he affirmed that Christ has two Natures in one Person. letter was read in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon (the fourth Ecumenical Council), judged by them to be sound doctrine. contributed much to the creedal statements of that council. influence on church government will naturally get mixed reviews. for his defense of the belief that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, all Christians may thank God. a sermon by Leo the Great: Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, as the Apostle says: we are all one in Christ. . . For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. what is more king-like that to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one's heart? James Kiefer St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Leo I the Great, Pope of Rome (440-461), a fine and diverse education, opened for him the possibility of an excellent worldly career. yearned for the spiritual life, however, so he chose the path of becoming an archdeacon under holy Pope Sixtus III (432-440), whose death Saint Leo was chosen as Bishop of Rome in September 440. were difficult times for the Church, when heretics assaulted Orthodoxy with their false teachings. Leo combined pastoral solicitude and goodness with an unshakable firmness in the confession of the Faith. was in particular one of the basic defenders of Orthodoxy against the heresies of Eutyches and Dioscorus, taught that there was only one nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. was also a defender against the heresy of Nestorius. exerted all his influence to put an end to the unrest by the heretics in the Church, by his letters to the holy emperors Theodosius II (408-450) and Marcian (450-457), actively promoted the convening of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, at Chalcedon in 451, condemn the heresy of the Monophysites. the Council at Chalcedon, at which 630 bishops were present, letter of Saint Leo to the deceased Saint Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople (447-449) was read. Flavian had suffered for Orthodoxy under the “Robber Council” of Ephesus in the year 449. the letter of Saint Leo the Orthodox teaching about the two natures [the divine and the human] in the Lord Jesus Christ was set forth. the bishops present at the Council were in agreement with this teaching, so the heretics Eutyches and Dioscorus were excommunicated from the Church. Leo was also a defender of his country against the incursions of barbarians. 452, by the persuasive power of his words, he stopped Attila the Hun from pillaging Italy. in the year 455, when the leader of the Vandals [a Germanic tribe], Henzerich, turned towards Rome, persuaded him not to pillage the city, burn buildings, nor to spill blood. knew the time of his death beforehand, he prepared himself, with forty days of fasting and prayer, to pass from this world into eternity. He died in the year 461 and was buried at Rome. His literary and theological legacy is comprised of 96 sermons and 143 letters, of which the best known is his Epistle to Saint Flavian.

Rome, 439&42, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration Jan 16 iRome&Constantinople, Kept 300 for Jerusalem healings
Jerusalem, 42 & 439, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration, opened by Angel otLord, saved by christians, precious keepsakes, kept iJerusalem 300yrs, where they healed when approached in faith, 439 presented tEudokia by Patriarch Juvenal who transfered them tConstantinople, E send one chain tDaughter Eudoxia, Valerian's wife, in Rome, V built church on Esquiline hill, chain placed there with other of Peter's Roman chains, all Peter's chains venerated January 16; Jerusalem; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Veneration of the Honorable Chains of the Holy and All-Praised Apostle Peter: about the year 42, on the orders of Herod Agrippa, the Apostle Peter was thrown into prison for preaching about Christ the Savior. prison he was held secure by two iron chains. the night before his trial, an angel of the Lord removed these chains from the Apostle Peter led him out from the prison (Acts 12:1-11). who learned of the miracle took the chains and kept them as precious keepsakes. three centuries the chains were kept in Jerusalem, and those who were afflicted with illness and approached them with faith received healing. Juvenal (July 2) presented the chains to Eudokia, wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger, she in turn transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople in either the year 437 or 439. sent one chain to Rome to her daughter Eudoxia (the wife of Valentinian), built a church on the Esquiline hill dedicated to the Apostle Peter and placed the chain in it. were other chains in Rome, with which the Apostle Peter was shackled before his martyrdom under the emperor Nero. were also placed in the church. January 16, the chains of Saint Peter are brought out for public veneration.

Rome, 450, St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, established several religious houses
England, 450, St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, established several religious houses; Anglesey Island, Northwest Wales, Ynys Mon; St. Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; is known of Saint Elian. While some accounts hold that he came by sea from Rome and landed in Anglesey at Porth yr Yehen in Northern Wales, where he established a church around 450 AD, claim that he was of Cornish or Breton roots and lived during the sixth century. was said to have been related to Saint Ismael, the sixth century Welsh Bishop of Rhos. He is remembered for his missionary efforts in Cornwall, England and for establishing several religious houses.

Rome, 455, Sack of Rome by Vandal Genseric
North Africa, 455, Vandal Sack of Rome; St. Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23;

Rome, 455-455, Emperor, Petronius Maximus, killed V III, forced marriages, cancelled Genseric's marriage, who sacked Rome
Roman Emperor, 455-455, Petronius Maximus; Maximus (c. 397 - 31 May 455) was Roman emperor of the West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman magister militum, Aëtius, and the Western Roman emperor, Valentinian III. secured the throne the day after Valentinian's death by ensuring the backing of the senate and by bribing the palace officials. He strengthened his position by forcing Valentinian's widow to marry him and forcing Valentinian's daughter to marry his son. He cancelled the betrothal of his new wife's daughter to the son of the Vandal king Genseric. This infuriated both his stepdaughter and Genseric, who sent a fleet to Rome. Maximus failed to obtain troops from the Visigoths and he fled as the Vandals arrived, became detached from his retinue and bodyguard in the confusion, and was killed. The Vandals thoroughly sacked Rome. LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Rome, 455-456, Emperor, Avitus, opposed Italy alone, added Gallic senators, Theodoric's friend, deposed by r generals
Roman Emperor, 455-456, Avitus; Avitus[i] (c. 390 - 457) was Roman emperor of the West from July 455 to October 456. He was a senator of Gallic extraction and a high-ranking officer both in the civil and military administration, as well as Bishop of Piacenza. opposed the reduction of the Western Roman Empire to Italy alone, both politically and from an administrative point of view. this reason, as Emperor he introduced several Gallic senators in the Imperial administration; this policy, however, was opposed by the Senatorial aristocracy and by the people of Rome, who had suffered from the sack of the city by the Vandals in 455. had a good relationship with the Visigoths, in particular with their king Theodoric II, who was a friend of his and who acclaimed Avitus Emperor. possibility of a strong and useful alliance between the Visigoths and Romans faded, however, when Theodoric invaded Hispania at Avitus' behest, which rendered him unable to help Avitus against the rebel Roman generals who deposed him. LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Rome, 457-461, Emperor, Majorian, deposed A, fought Visigoths, reformer killed by aristocrats' general
Roman Emperor, 457-461, Majorian; (c. 420 - 7 August 461) was the western Roman emperor from 457 to 461. prominent general of the Roman army, Majorian deposed Emperor Avitus in 457 and succeeded him. Majorian was the last emperor to make a concerted effort to restore the Western Roman Empire with its own forces. Possessing little more than Italy, Dalmatia, and some territory in northern Gaul, Majorian campaigned rigorously for three years against the Empire's enemies. His successors until the fall of the Empire, in 476/480, were actually instruments of their barbarian generals, or emperors chosen and controlled by the Eastern Roman court. defeating a Vandal attack on Italy, Majorian launched a campaign against the Visigothic Kingdom in southern Gaul. Defeating king Theodoric II at the Battle of Arelate, Majorian forced the Goths to abandon their possessions in Septimania and Hispania and return to federate status immediately. Majorian then attacked the Burgundian Kingdom, defeating them at the Siege of Lugdunum, expelling them from the Rhone valley and reducing them to federate status. 460, Majorian left Gaul to consolidate his hold on Hispania. His generals launched a campaign against the Suebic Kingdom in northwest Hispania, defeating them at the battles of Lucus Augusti and Scallabis and reducing them to federate status as well. His fleet for his planned campaign to recover Africa from the Vandals was destroyed due to treachery. sought to reform the imperial administration in order to make it more efficient and just. The powerful general Ricimer deposed and killed Majorian, who had become unpopular with the senatorial aristocracy because of his reforms. historian Edward Gibbon, Majorian "presents the welcome discovery of a great and heroic character, such as sometimes arise, in a degenerate age, to vindicate the honour of the human species".[1] LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Rome, 461-465, Emperor, Libius Severus, christian but figurhead to general Ricimer
Roman Emperor, 461-465, Libius Severus; Severus (died 465), sometimes enumerated as Severus III,[3][4][5][6][7] was Roman emperor of the West from 461 to his death in 465. Roman senator from Lucania[8] Severus was one of the last Western emperors, emptied of any effective power (the real power was in the hands of the magister militum Ricimer), and unable to solve the many problems affecting the empire; the sources describe him as a pious Christian.[9] LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Rome, 465-472, Emperor, Anthemius, last capable western emperor, killed by general Ricimer
Roman Emperor, 465-472, Anthemius ; Anthemius (/ænˈθɛmiəs/; c. 420 – 11 July 472) was western Roman emperor from 467 to 472. the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: the resurgent Visigoths, under Euric, whose domain straddled the Pyrenees; and the unvanquished Vandals, under Geiseric, in undisputed control of North Africa. Anthemius was killed by Ricimer, his own general of Gothic descent, who contested power with him. Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Rome, 470-530, Samson tHospitable, clinic from his Roman estate, to Constantinople fAsceticism but clinic needed, gift fMiracles
Rome, 470-530, Samson tHospitable oConstantinople, transformed Roman estate ionto clinic fSick, donated all wealth to clinic, lived in poverty, to Constantinople for asceticism in monastery but saw need for another clinic, bought modest home for clinic, received grace for miracles, healed sick by medicine and miracles, Patriarch Menas ordained him Priest, P Menas told Emperor Justinian about Samson when his physicians had failed to heal him, J offered gold and silver for healing but S refused because already gave wealth away, instead asked J build hospice for travelers, reposed 530, ripe old age, approx 470-530 if 80, miracles at his grave plus he continued watch over hospice, fire raged C but heavy rain over his hospice, ; Rome; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Sampson (Σαμψών) was born in Rome, the son of wealthy, but devout and virtuous parents. received an excellent education, studying philosophy and medicine, among other subjects. his earliest childhood, he lived an exemplary Christian life. the death of his parents he transformed the family estate into a clinic for the sick. of his healing skills spread, and so many people came to him that he had to hire a staff to care for the increasing numbers of people who sought his help. he had an adequate staff, he donated all of his wealth to the clinic, and was content to live in poverty (Luke 12:33-34). Sampson went to Constantinople, where he hoped to spend the rest of his life in asceticism. found, however, that there was just as much need for his skill in Constantinople as there had been in Rome. bought a modest home and began to treat the sick. blessed Saint Sampson's work and gave him the grace of working miracles. healed the sick not only by his medical skill, but also as one filled with the grace of God. of Saint Sampson spread rapidly throughout the Queen of Cities. piety and love for his neighbor brought him to the attention of Patriarch Menas of Constantinople (August 25), who ordained him to the holy priesthood. Emperor Justinian became ill, and his physicians were unable to provide any relief for him, Patriarch Menas suggested that he send for Sampson, who healed the Emperor. offered him gold and silver to show his gratitude, but the saint refused, saying that he had already given all his wealth away. he asked Justinian to build a hospice for travelers. Life was written by Saint Symeon Metaphrastes. historian Procopius, however, implies that Sampson lived before the sixth century, and that the hospice had existed before his own time (Buildings, I, 2, 14). Sampson's hospice (xenon) was burnt and destroyed in 532, Justinian rebuilt it and endowed it with a generous annual income. was intended for the destitute, and those who suffered from serious illnesses, as well as those who had lost their property or their health. Sampson reposed quietly, following a brief illness, in the year 530 at a ripe old age. was buried in the church of Saint Mokios (Μώκιος), which was built by Saint Constantine the Great. miracles of healing took place at the tomb of Saint Sampson. after his death, the Saint continued to watch over his hospice. he appeared to a lazy worker, and chastised him for his negligence. the hospice became a church, and a new building for the homeless was constructed beside it. terrible fire once raged in Constantinople, but did not damage the church or the new building. the prayers of Saint Sampson, a heavy rain extinguished the flames. appointed Scriptural readings for his Feast are from Galatians 5:23-6:2 and from Luke 12:32-40. the prayers of Saint Sampson, may we also find the treasure which does not fail, in Heaven.

Rome, 472-472, Emperor, Olybrius, not recognized by Leo I, puppet raised by Ricimer
Roman Emperor, 472-472, Olybrius ; Olybrius[1] (died 22 October or 2 November 472) was Roman emperor from July 472 until his death later that same year; rule as augustus in the western Roman Empire was not recognised as legitimate by the ruling augustus in the eastern Roman Empire, Leo I (r. 457–474). He was in reality a puppet ruler raised to power by Ricimer, the magister militum of Germanic descent, and was mainly interested in religion, while the actual power was held by Ricimer and his nephew Gundobad.

Rome, 473-474, Emperor, Glycerius, commander of palace guard, not recognized by Leo I in the east, forced to abdicate
Roman Emperor, 473-474, Glycerius ; (fl. 470s) was Roman emperor of the West from 473 to 474. He served as comes domesticorum (commander of the palace guard) during the reign of Olybrius, until Olybrius died in November 472. a four-month interregnum, Glycerius was proclaimed Western Emperor in March 473 by the magister militum (master of soldiers) and power behind the throne Gundobad. Very few of the events of his reign are known other than that during his reign an attempted invasion of Italy by the Visigoths was repelled, diverting them to Gaul. Glycerius also prevented an invasion by the Ostrogoths through gifts. was not recognized by the Eastern Roman emperor Leo I, who instead nominated Julius Nepos as Emperor and sent him with an army to invade the Western Empire. Glycerius was without allies, because Gundobad had left to rule the Burgundians, and therefore was forced to abdicate on 24 June 474. He was appointed Bishop of Salona, which position he held until his death. He died some time after 474, possibly 480. He may have had a role in the assassination of Julius Nepos in 480.

Rome, 474-475, Emperor, Julius Nepos, Ruling from Italy, supported by Zeno in the East
Roman Emperor, 474-475, Julius Nepos, Ruling from Italy; Julius Nepos (c. AD 430 â€“ 480) was de jure and de facto Roman emperor of the West from 474 to 475 and then only de jure until his death in 480. Born to a distinguished family, he succeeded his uncle, Marcellinus, as military governor of the province of Dalmatia in 468. With support of the Eastern Empire, Nepos overthrew his predecessor Glycerius without a fight and proclaimed himself western emperor in June 474. Orestes, the Magister Militum, turned his forces on Nepos in August 475, forcing him to flee by ship to Dalmatia.[1] Orestes crowned his son Romulus as Emperor in Nepos's absence, but neither the Eastern Emperor Zeno nor many Western provinces recognized Romulus, regarding him as a usurper.[2][3] Nepos never relinquished his imperial title and sought a compromise with the barbarian king Odoacer who deposed Romulus. Odoacer ambiguously recognized his claim but refused him any role in government outside of Dalmatia.[4] Nepos was assassinated in 480 while plotting his own restoration, and Zeno formally abolished the Western division of the Empire.

Rome, 474-475, 476-491, Emperor in the East, Zeno, allied with Goth Theodoric and Nepos in the West
Rome, 474-475, 476-491, Emperor in the East, Zeno; Zeno (c. 425-“ 9 April 491) was Eastern Roman emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues. His reign saw the end of the Western Roman Empire following the deposition of Romulus Augustus and the death of Julius Nepos, but he contributed much to stabilising the Eastern Empire. In ecclesiastical history, Zeno is associated with the Henotikon or "instrument of union", promulgated by him and signed by all the Eastern bishops, with the design of solving the monophysite controversy. 1 Biography 1.1 Rise to power 1.1.1 Early life 1.1.2 Son-in-law of Leo I 1.2 Reign 1.2.1 First reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476) 1.2.2 End of the Western Empire 1.2.3 Revolt of Marcian (479) 1.2.4 Revolt of Illus (484-“488) 1.2.5 Affairs with the Goths (474-“487) 1.2.6 Promulgation of the Henotikon (482) 1.2.7 Suppressing the Samaritan revolt (484) 1.3 Death and succession 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 Notes 5 Bibliography 5.1 Primary sources 5.2 Secondary sources 6 External links Biography[edit] Rise to power[edit] Early life[edit] detail of the Missorium of Aspar, depicting the powerful magister militum Aspar and his elder son Ardabur (434 circa). Zeno caused Ardabur's fall, producing treacherous letters that linked him to the Sassanid King; Ardabur later bribed some of Zeno's soldiers into trying to kill him. original name was Tarasis, and more accurately Tarasikodissa in his native Isaurian language (Latin: Trascalissaeus).[2] Tarasis was born in Isauria, at Rusumblada, later renamed Zenopolis in Zeno's honour.[3] His father was called Kodisa (as attested by his patronymic "Tarasicodissa"), his mother Lallis, his brother Longinus. Tarasis had a wife, Arcadia, whose name indicates a relationship with the Constantinopolitan aristocracy, and whose statue was erected near the Baths of Arcadius, along the steps that led to Topoi.[4] Near Eastern and other Christian traditions maintain that Zeno had two daughters, Hilaria and Theopiste, who followed a religious life,[5] but historical sources attest the existence of only one son by Arcadia, called Zenon.[6] According to ancient sources, Zeno's prestigious career”he had fought against Attila in 447 to defend Constantinople and been consul the following year ”was the reason why another Isaurian officer, Tarasis, chose the Greek name Zeno when he married into the Imperial family, thus being known as Zeno when he rose to the throne.[7] Some modern historians suggest that the Isaurian general Zeno was the father of the emperor,[8] but there is no consensus about this, and other sources suggest that Tarasis was a member of Zeno's entourage. Isaurians were a people who lived inland from the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, in the core of the Taurus Mountains (generally what is now the Konya/Bozkir area of Turkey). Like most borderland tribes, they were looked upon as barbarians by the Romans even though they had been Roman subjects for more than five centuries. However, being Orthodox Christians rather than Arians, as the Goths and other Germanic tribes were, they were not formally barred from the throne.[3] to some scholars, in the mid-460s, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Leo I, wanted to balance the weight of the Germanic component of the army, whose leader was the Alan magister militum Aspar. He thought that Tarasis and his Isaurians could be that counterweight, and called him, with many Isaurians, to Constantinople. This interpretation, however, has been contested.[9] By the mid-460s, Arcadia and Zeno had been living at Constantinople for some time,[4] where Lallis and Longinus also lived, the latter married to a Valeria, possibly a woman of aristocrat rank.[9] to ancient sources, the earliest reference to Tarasis dates back to 464, when he put his hands on some letters written by Aspar's son, Ardabur, which proved that the son of the magister militum had incited the Sassanid King to invade Roman territory, promising to support the invasion. Through these letters, which Tarasis gave to Leo, the Emperor could dismiss Ardabur, who at the time was magister militum per Orientem and patricius, thus reducing Aspar's influence and ambition. As reward for his loyalty, which Leo praised to Daniel the Stylite,[10] Tarasis was appointed comes domesticorum, an office of great influence and prestige.[4] This appointment could mean that Tarasis had been a protector domesticus, either at Leo's court in Constantinople, or attached at Ardabur's staff in Antioch.[9] 465, Leo and Aspar quarrelled about the appointment of consuls for the following year; it was on this occasion that Tarasis' position was strengthened, as he became friend and ally of the Emperor.[11] of Leo I[edit] of Ariadne, elder daughter of Emperor Leo I and wife of Zeno. make himself more acceptable to the Roman hierarchy and the population of Constantinople, Tarasis adopted the Greek name of Zeno and used it for the rest of his life. In mid-late 466, Zeno married Ariadne, elder daughter of Leo I and Verina; there is no reference to him divorcing Arcadia who evidently died prior to this. The next year their son was born, and Zeno became father of the heir apparent to the throne, as the only son of Leo I had died in his infancy; to stress his claim to the throne, the boy was called Leo.[12] Zeno, however, was not present at the birth of his son, as in 467, he participated in a military campaign against the Goths.[9][13] I, father-in-law of Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor from 457 to 474. as a member of the protectores domestici, did not take part in the disastrous expedition against the Vandals, led in 468 by Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. The following year, during which he held the honour of the consulate, he was appointed magister militum per Thracias and led an expedition in Thrace. The sources do not clearly state what enemy he fought there, and historians had proposed either Goths or Huns, or the rebels of Anagastes. Either way, before leaving, Leo and Zeno asked for Daniel the Stylite's opinion about the campaign, and Daniel answered that Zeno would be the target of a conspiracy but would escape unharmed. Indeed, Leo sent some of his personal soldiers with Zeno to protect him, but they were bribed by Aspar to capture him instead. Zeno was informed of their intention and fled to Serdica, and, because of this episode, Leo grew even more suspicious of Aspar.[14] the attack, Zeno did not return to Constantinople, where Aspar and Ardabur were, still with considerable power. Instead, he moved to the "Long Wall" (the Long Wall of the Thracian Chersonese or, less probably, the Anastasian Wall), then to Pylai and from there to Chalcedon. While waiting here for an opportunity to return to the capital, he was appointed magister militum per Orientem. He took the monk Peter the Fuller with him and left for Antioch, his office's see, passing through Isauria, where he put down the rebellion of Indacus. Zeno stayed at Antioch for two years.[15] living in Antioch with his family, Zeno sympathised with the Monophysite views of Peter the Fuller, and supported him against his opponent, the Chalcedonian bishop Martyrius. Zeno allowed the arrival in Antioch of monks from nearby monasteries who increased the number of Peter's followers, and did not effectively repress their violence. Martyrius went to Constantinople to ask Leo for help, but, on returning to Antioch, he was informed that Peter had been elected bishop, and resigned (470). Leo reacted by ordering Peter into exile and addressing to Zeno a law that forbade the monks from leaving their monasteries or fomenting rebellion (1 June 471).[16] In 470/471, Zeno had also to deal with an invasion of Tzanni, who attacked Roman Armenia.[17] Zeno far from Constantinople, Aspar had increased his influence by having his son Patricius appointed Caesar and married to Leo I's younger daughter, Leontia (470). Sources are contradictory on the causes, but clearly state that in 471, Leo I had Aspar and Ardabur treacherously killed. This certainly occurred with Zeno's and Basiliscus' approval, as, on the eve of the murders, the two generals had moved closer to Constantinople (Zeno was at Chalcedon). Thereafter, Zeno returned to Constantinople and was appointed magister militum praesentalis.[18] reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476)[edit] of Leo II, minted in the name of "Leo and Zeno perpetual Augusti"; it belongs to the period when both Zeno and his son were joint emperors, between 9 February and 17 November 474. 25 October 473, Leo I appointed as Caesar his grandson Leo II, the son of Zeno and Ariadne. On 18 January 474, Leo I died; if Leo II had not already been proclaimed co-emperor by his grandfather, he would have become Augustus on that occasion. Since Leo II was seven years old (too young to rule himself) Ariadne and her mother Verina prevailed upon him to crown Zeno, his father, as co-emperor, which he did on 9 February 474. When Leo II became ill and died, Zeno became sole emperor. Zeno had to settle matters with the Vandal King, Genseric, who was conducting raids against the Empire's coastal cities, threatening key commercial sea routes. Zeno sent Genseric a high-ranking officer as ambassador, Severus, who succeeded in stipulating an "eternal" peace between the Vandals and the Empire, which allowed the Romans to pay ransoms for the prisoners in Vandal hands and which ended the Vandal persecution of Orthodox Christians in their territory.[19] this success, Zeno continued to be unpopular with the people and Senate because of his barbarian origins; his right to the throne was limited to his marriage with Ariadne and his relationship to Verina, the dowager Empress. Therefore, he chose to draw support from the Isaurian component of the army, in particular, the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes, both brothers. However, Verina decided to overthrow her son-in-law Zeno and replace him with her lover, the ex-magister officiorum Patricius, with the help of her brother Basiliscus. The conspirators fomented riots in the capital against the Isaurian emperor; Basiliscus succeeded also in convincing Illus, Trocundes and the Ostrogothic general Theodoric Strabo to join the plot.[19] of Basiliscus, who revolted against Zeno in January 475 and held power until Zeno's return in August 476. Basiliscus was Verina's brother; he took power after having Zeno flee from Constantinople, but alienated the people of Constantinople and was captured and put to death by Zeno. January 475, Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople to Isauria with his wife and mother,[20] some Isaurian fellows and the Imperial treasure. Illus and Trocundes were sent to chase him, and Zeno was compelled to shut himself up in a fortress, where Illus besieged him, capturing also Zeno's brother, Longinus and keeping him as an hostage.[19] the conspirators quickly fell in conflict with each other. Basiliscus took the throne for himself, putting to death Verina's lover and candidate, Patricius. He also allowed the mob to kill all of the Isaurians left in Constantinople, an episode that damaged relations with the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes. Basiliscus appointed his nephew Armatus magister militum, thus alienating Theodoric Strabo. Since Zeno had left no money, Basiliscus was forced to levy heavy taxes. Finally, he alienated the Church by supporting the Monophysites. The people of Constantinople also put the blame on him for a great fire that burned several parts of the city. With the secret support of the Senate, and bribes paid by Zeno, Illus agreed to switch sides and united his army with Zeno's, marching on Constantinople. Basiliscus tried to recover popular support and sent another army against Zeno, under his nephew Armatus' command. Zeno succeeded in bribing Armatus too, promising to confirm his rank of magister militum praesentalis for life and promoting his son (also called Basiliscus) to the rank of Caesar; Armatus' army failed to intercept Zeno's troops during their march on Constantinople.[19] August 476, Zeno besieged Constantinople. The Senate opened the gates of the city to the Isaurian, allowing the deposed emperor to resume the throne. Basiliscus fled with his family to the baptistery of Hagia Sophia.[21][22] Betrayed by the Patriarch Acacius, he surrendered himself and his family after extracting a solemn promise from Zeno not to shed their blood. Basiliscus and his family were sent to a fortress in Cappadocia, where Zeno had them enclosed in a dry cistern, to die from exposure.[21][23][24] his restoration, Zeno fulfilled his promises, letting Armatus keep his title of magister militum praesentalis (possibly even raising him to the rank of patricius) and appointing his son Basiliscus Caesar in Nicaea.[25] 477, however, Zeno changed his mind, probably at Illus' instigation, as the latter stood to gain from the fall of Armatus, and ordered Armatus' death. Zeno confiscated all of Armatus' properties, deposed his son Basiliscus, and had him ordained as a priest.[26][27][28] of the Western Empire[edit] solidus was minted by Odoacer in the name of Zeno. Odoacer ruled Italy under the formal patronage of the Eastern Emperor. western emperor Olybrius died in the autumn of 472. Gundobad, the western magister militum then proclaimed Glycerius, the comes domesticorum (commander of the Imperial guard) as western emperor in Ravenna. Leo I refused to endorse Glycerius and elevated his nephew Julius Nepos to co-emperor for the west in 473. Expecting resistance, Nepos was forced by bad winter weather to delay his voyage until the next year; it was therefore left to Zeno, as Leo's successor, to support Julius Nepos' installation in Ravenna. Nepos arrived in Italy, quickly deposed Glycerius who offered no resistance, and was proclaimed emperor by the Roman Senate in June 474. Julius was on good terms with Zeno, and he even minted coins in the names of Zeno, Leo II and himself.[29] and the Mediterranean Basin at the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 August 475, during Basiliscus' reign, while Zeno was in Isauria blocked by Illus' army, Orestes, the western magister militum, revolted, forcing Nepos to flee Italy for Dalmatia; Orestes proclaimed his own son Romulus Augustus emperor, but was unable to gain the allegiance of the remnants of the Western Empire outside of Italy.[29] One year later, while Zeno was entering Constantinople to end Basiliscus' brief usurpation, Romulus and Orestes were overthrown by the Chieftain Odoacer. With the support of Odoacer, the Roman Senate sent an envoy to present the imperial insignia to the restored Zeno. They asked Zeno to dissolve the separation of the empire and rule as sole Emperor; also, to appoint Odoacer both patricius and official imperial governor of Italy. At the same time, Zeno received another embassy, sent by Julius Nepos, who asked Zeno to give him the money and the army he needed to resume his control of Italy. Zeno answered that the Roman Senate should welcome back Julius Nepos, their rightful emperor, and that Odoacer should properly receive the patriciate from Nepos, although he allowed that he would also grant it.[30] Odoacer was officially recognised and left in possession of Italy, while Nepos kept his title and the other fragments of the empire's western holdings, but no army. in deference to Zeno, Odoacer recognised Nepos' de jure reign in Italy until his death, ruling and even minting coins in his name, but he never allowed his return. After Nepos' assassination in 480, Odoacer invaded Dalmatia to pursue and punish the assassins (and also to take Dalmatia for himself). Zeno legitimised Odoacer's authority in Dalmatia; Odoacer recognised Zeno as sole emperor of the again unitary Empire, but increasingly started using the title of king for himself.[31] of Marcian (479)[edit] was the son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius (467-“472) and a grandson of Emperor Marcian (450-“457). He had married Ariadne's sister Leontia, and was therefore Zeno's brother-in-law; he was twice consul, in 467 and 472. 479 Marcian tried to overthrow Zeno and claim the throne for himself. With the help of his brothers Procopius Anthemius and Romulus, he gathered in Constantinople troops composed of both citizens and foreigners in the house of a Caesarius, south of the Forum of Theodosius, and from there they marched at the same time on the imperial palace and on the house of Illus, who was a supporter of Zeno. The emperor almost fell into the hands of the rebels, who, during the day, overwhelmed the imperial troops, who were also attacked by citizens from the roofs of their houses. During the night, however, Illus moved an Isaurian unit, quartered in nearby Chalcedonia, into Constantinople and also corrupted Marcian's soldiers, who allowed Zeno to flee. The following morning, Marcian, understanding that his situation was desperate and that reinforcements from Theodoric Strabo would not arrive in time, took refuge in the church of the Holy Apostles, but was arrested with his brothers.[32] sent Marcian and his brothers to Caesarea in Cappadocia. They tried to flee, but Marcian was captured and obliged to become a monk in Tarsus (Cilicia),[33] or imprisoned in Isauria, in the fortress of Papurius. He tried to escape a second time, and this time he succeeded, but, after gathering new troops and attacking Ancyra, he was defeated and captured by Trocundus, Illus' brother.[32] of Illus (484-“488)[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) commanding position and popular favour of Illus rendered him an object of suspicion, and Zeno in various ways sought to rid himself of him. Also Verina, the dowager Empress, plotted against his life. Verina's attempt was unsuccessful, and Zeno, equally jealous of her and of Illus, banished her at the suggestion of the latter, confining her in the fort of Papurius. There is some doubt as to the timing of these events. Candidus of Isauria places the banishment of Verina before the revolt of Marcian, and Theodore Lector assigns as the cause of it her share in the revolt of Basiliscus. It is not unlikely, indeed, that this turbulent woman was twice banished, once before Marcian's revolt, for her connection with Basiliscus, and again after Marcian's revolt, for her plot against Illus. her prison she managed to persuade her daughter Ariadne, the wife of Zeno, to attempt to obtain her release, first from Zeno, and then from Illus, to whom the Emperor referred her. Illus refused her request. Ariadne, like her mother, attempted to assassinate Illus. Jordanes ascribes her hatred to another cause: he says that Illus had infused jealous suspicions into Zeno's mind which had led Zeno to attempt to end her life, and that her knowledge of these things stimulated her to revenge. The assassin whom she employed only wounded Illus; the assassin was taken prisoner and Zeno, who appears to have been privy to the affair, was unable to prevent his execution. with his friend Pamprepius, Leontius and his brother Trocundus,“ now retired from court. They first went to Nicaea and then, on pretence of change of air and of procuring a cure for his wound, into the East where he was made magister militum. Having traversed Asia Minor, they raised the standard of revolt in 484, when Illus declared Leontius Emperor. Zeno sent an army to fight them, but Illus won, obtained possession of Papurius, released Verina, and induced her to crown Leontius at Tarsus. 485 Zeno sent against the rebels a fresh army, said to consist of Macedonians and Scythians (Tillemont conjectures, not unreasonably, that these were Ostrogoths) under John the Hunchback, or, more probably, John the Scythian, and Theoderic the Amal, who was at this time consul. John defeated the rebels near Seleucia and drove them into the fort of Papurius where he blockaded them. After a few months Trocundus died; the fort was taken only after four years of siege, by the treachery of Trocundus's brother-in-law, who had been sent for the purpose from Constantinople by Zeno. Illus and Leontius were beheaded (488) and their heads sent to the Emperor.[34] with the Goths (474-“487)[edit] weight with the name of Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy. Theoderic served under Zeno, fighting against his opponent Theodoric Strabo (476-481), and then was the leader of the army that besieged the fort of Papurius and captured and killed Illus' brother, Trocundus (484). aggressions of the two Ostrogothic leaders, Theoderic the Amal (Theoderic the Great), the son of Theodemir and leader of the Moesian Ostrogoths, and Theodoric Strabo, the leader of the Thracian Ostrogoths, had been a constant source of danger since 472. Although Zeno at times contrived to play them off against each other, they in turn were able to profit by his dynastic rivalries. It was only by offering them pay and high command that he kept them from attacking Constantinople itself. the death of Leo II, Theodoric Strabo rebelled against Zeno. His support was instrumental in overthrowing Zeno and raising Basiliscus to the Byzantine throne (475), but Theodoric and Basiliscus had a falling-out, so when Zeno returned to Constantinople in 476 and defeated Basiliscus, Strabo was reported to have not defended the city.[35][36] 476/477, Zeno allied himself with Strabo's rival, Theoderic the Amal, and ordered him to attack Strabo. The leader of the Thracian Goths sent an embassy to the Emperor, offering peace and blaming the Moesian Theodoric. Zeno understood that this offering was hiding further conspiracies, and convinced the Senate and army to declare Strabo a public enemy.[28] plan was to have the two Theoderics attack each other. He sent the Amal against Strabo, who supported the revolt of Marcian, with the promise of a huge Roman force as reinforcement (478). When Theoderic the Amal arrived through the mountains at Mount Soundis, he did not find the Roman reinforcement army he expected, but instead Theodoric Strabo's army, in a strongly fortified camp. The two Theoderics agreed to put forward a joint request to the Emperor, in order to extend to the south the settlement territory of the Ostrogoths in Moesia.[37] tried to divide the two Theoderics by bribing the Amal, but he refused the bribe. The Imperial army obtained some initial successes, but Zeno did not press his advantage, and allowed the Amal to move westward in Thrace, plundering territories as he went. With the Amal far away, Strabo accepted an agreement with Zeno: Strabo was to be given back his wealth, money to pay 13,000 soldiers, the command of two palatinae units, and the title once more of magister militum.[37] However, the army of Theodoric Strabo, 30,000-men strong was still a menace for Zeno, who convinced the Bulgars to attack the Thracian Goths in their own base. Strabo defeated the Bulgars in 480/481, and moved towards Constantinople, but he had to deal with problems with his own men, so he could not capitalise upon his victory and was forced to return to Greece. On his way back, he died in an accident.[37] Theodoric Strabo died in 481, the future Theoderic the Great became king of the entire Ostrogoth nation and continued to be a source of trouble in the Balkan peninsula. Zeno allied to Theoderic, whom he appointed magister militum praesentalis and even consul for the year 484, the first time a barbarian who was not a citizen of the Empire reached such a high distinction. Zeno had Theoderic fight against Illus and the usurper Leontius, besieging them at Papurius in 484-“488. However, in 486 Theoderic revolted again and attacked Constantinople, severing the city's water supply. Zeno bought a peace and agreed with Theoderic that the Ostrogoths should have gone to invade Italy to fight Odoacer, who had allegedly supported Leontius, and to establish his new kingdom there (487). This all but eliminated the Germanic presence in the east.[38] of the Henotikon (482)[edit] religious matters, Zeno is famous for his Henotikon, or "Act of Union", issued in 482 to mediate between Chalcedonian and Miaphysite views about the nature of Christ. The Chalcedonians recognised two natures (physis) in Christ, the Miaphysites only one; the Council of Chalcedon (451) had issued the Chalcedonian Creed and condemned the Miaphysite position, but the Miaphysites were still strong, especially in the Eastern provinces of the Empire, and the Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter Mongus, was a Miaphysite. Supporting the Miaphysites was one of the mistakes made by Basiliscus, as the people of Constantinople were Chalcedonian, but Zeno needed the support of the Miaphysite provinces: ”Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor; also, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius, was interested in reducing the distance between the two positions. in 482 Zeno issued the Henotikon, a document he had developed with the support of Acacius and addressed to the factions in Egypt. The edict affirmed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (i.e., the Creed of Nicaea completed at Constantinople) as affording a common, final and united symbol or expression of faith. All other symbola or mathemata were excluded; Eutyches and Nestorius were unmistakably condemned in an anathema, while the twelve chapters of Cyril of Alexandria were accepted. The teaching of Chalcedon was not so much repudiated as passed over in silence; Jesus Christ was described as the "only-begotten Son of God [...] one and not two" and there was no explicit reference to the two natures.[39] bishop of Rome, Pope Felix III, refused to accept the document and excommunicated Acacius (484), thus beginning the Acacian schism, which lasted until 519.[40] 488 the patriarch of Antioch, Peter the Fuller, came to Constantinople to have his right to the Church of Cyprus confirmed. Zeno called the bishop of Cyprus, Anthemius, to answer the accusations. The bishop claimed that before his departure, he had had a vision of St. Barnabas, in which the position of the tomb of the apostle had been revealed to him. In the tomb, Anthemius had found the relics of the apostle and a copy of the Gospel of Matthew written in Hebrew by Barnabas himself. Zeno received the relics and the manuscript, and in exchange he proclaimed the autonomy of the Church of Cyprus.[41] 489 Zeno closed the Persian school of Edessa, Mesopotamia, by request of bishop Cyrus II of Edessa, because it promoted Nestorian teachings, and built a church in its place. The school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis, and leading to a wave of Nestorian immigration into Persia.[42] the Samaritan revolt (484)[edit] Gerizim, where Samaritan sources have Zeno buried. to Samaritan sources, Zeno (whom the sources call "Zait the King of Edom") persecuted the Samaritans. The Emperor went to Sichem (Neapolis), gathered the elders and asked them to convert; when they refused, Zeno had many Samaritans killed, and converted the synagogue to a church. Zeno then took for himself Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans worshipped God, and built several edifices, among which a tomb for his recently deceased son, on which he put a cross, so that the Samaritans, worshipping God, would prostrate in front of the tomb. According to these same sources, Zeno was buried on Mount Gerizim. in 484, the Samaritans revolted. The rebels attacked Sichem, burnt five churches built on Samaritan holy places and cut off the fingers of bishop Terebinthus, who was officiating the ceremony of Whitsun. They elected Justa (or Justasa/Justasus) as their king and moved to Caesarea, where a significant Samaritan community lived. Here several Christians were killed and the church of St. Sebastian was destroyed. Justa celebrated the victory with games in the circus. According to John Malalas, the dux Palestinae Asclepiades, whose troops were reinforced by the Caesarea-based Arcadiani of Rheges, defeated Justa, killed him and sent his head to Zeno.[43] According to Procopius of Caesarea, Terebinthus went to Zeno to ask for revenge; the Emperor personally went to Samaria to quell the rebellion.[44] historians believe that the order of the facts preserved by Samaritan sources should be inverted, as the persecution of Zeno was a consequence of the rebellion rather than its cause, and should have happened after 484, around 489. Zeno rebuilt the church of St. Procopius in Neapolis (Sichem) and the Samaritans were banned from Mount Gerizim, on whose top a signalling tower was built to alert in case of civil unrest.[45] and succession[edit] Zeno died on 9 April 491,[46] of dysentery[47] or of epilepsy,[48] after ruling for 17 years and 2 months. No sons were to succeed him: Leo had died in 474, Zenon, the first son, in his youth, while living at court.[6] Ariadne then chose a favoured member of the Imperial court, Anastasius, to succeed Zeno, whose brother Longinus revolted, starting the Isaurian War. to a popular legend recorded by two 11th century and 12th century writers, Zeno was buried alive after becoming insensible due to drinking or an illness.[49] For three days cries of "have pity on me!" could be heard from within his verd antique sarcophagus, but because of the hatred of his wife and subjects, Ariadne refused to open the tomb.[50] This tale is not likely, as earlier and contemporary sources do not mention it, even though they too were hostile to his memory.[50] Rome, 474, Emperor, Leo II, infant son of Zeno; Rome, 451-474, Emperor in the East, Leo I the Thracian; Rome, 450-457, Emperor in the East, Marcian;

Rome, 475-480, Emperor, Julius Nepos, Ruling from Dalmatia, supported by Zeno in the East
Roman Emperor, 475-480, Julius Nepos, Ruling from Dalmatia ; Julius Nepos (c. AD 430 â€“ 480) was de jure and de facto Roman emperor of the West from 474 to 475 and then only de jure until his death in 480. Born to a distinguished family, he succeeded his uncle, Marcellinus, as military governor of the province of Dalmatia in 468. With support of the Eastern Empire, Nepos overthrew his predecessor Glycerius without a fight and proclaimed himself western emperor in June 474. Orestes, the Magister Militum, turned his forces on Nepos in August 475, forcing him to flee by ship to Dalmatia.[1] Orestes crowned his son Romulus as Emperor in Nepos's absence, but neither the Eastern Emperor Zeno nor many Western provinces recognized Romulus, regarding him as a usurper.[2][3] Nepos never relinquished his imperial title and sought a compromise with the barbarian king Odoacer who deposed Romulus. Odoacer ambiguously recognized his claim but refused him any role in government outside of Dalmatia.[4] Nepos was assassinated in 480 while plotting his own restoration, and Zeno formally abolished the Western division of the Empire.

Rome, 475-526, Gothic king, Theodoric the G, lived in Constantinople, allied with Zeno and Nepos
Rome, Gothic king, 475-526, Theodoric the Great ; ----------------------------------------- Theodoric the Great (454 -“ 30 August 526), also spelled Theoderic or called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (471-“526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493-“526,[3] regent of the Visigoths (511-“526), and a patrician of the East Roman Empire. As ruler of the combined Gothic realms, Theodoric controlled an empire stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Adriatic Sea. As a young child of an Ostrogothic nobleman, Theodoric was taken as a hostage in Constantinople, where he spent his formative years and received an east Roman education. Theodoric returned to Pannonia around 470, and throughout the 470s he campaigned against the Sarmatians and competed for influence among the Goths of the Roman Balkans. The emperor Zeno made him a commander of the Eastern Roman forces in 483, and in 484 he was named consul. Nevertheless, Theodoric remained in constant hostilities with the emperor and frequently raided East Roman lands. At the behest of Zeno, Theodoric attacked Odoacer in 489, emerging victorious in 493. As the new ruler of Italy, he upheld a Roman legal administration and scholarly culture and promoted a major building program across Italy.[4] In 505 he expanded into the Balkans, and by 511 he had brought the Visigothic Kingdom under his direct control and established hegemony over the Burgundian and Vandal kingdoms. Theodoric died in 526 and was buried in a grand mausoleum in Ravenna. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; St Severus the Presbyter of Interocrea in Italy, Commemorated on June 27;

Rome, 476, Fall of the Western Roman Empire, to Theodoric allied with Zeno in the East
Fall of the Western Roman Empire, 476; Rome, Gothic king, 475-526, Theodoric the Great ; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23;

Rome, 500-599, 6th Century Folder, after Byzantine victory, Lombard Kingdom

Rome, 501-547, Benedict of Nursia, founded 12 monasteries, his Rule, f of western monasticism, windmills&waterwheels
Roman Saint, 500-547, Benedict of Nursia; of Nursia (c. 2 March 480 - c. 21 March 547 AD) is a Christian saint venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion and Old Catholic Churches.[3] He is a patron saint of Europe.[4] founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, Lazio, Italy (about 65 kilometres (40 mi) to the east of Rome), before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. The Order of Saint Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous congregations.[5] main achievement, his "Rule of Saint Benedict", contains a set of rules for his monks to follow. Heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, it shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master, but it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness, which persuaded most Christian religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, his Rule became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of Western Christian monasticism.[6] BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14;

Rome, 501-547, BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM, Monte Cassino, B's rule prayer reading labor eating sleep
Rome, 501-547, BENEDICT of Nursia (Nera River 1), Northeast of Rome, repelled by dissolute life, to Subiaco, asked to be abbot but too strict, again and 12 communities, Monte Cassino, impacted Totila, B's rule prayer reading labor eating sleep, vows of obedience stability conversion of life, preserved scriptures, windmills, waterwheels, crop rotation, dignity of labor, importance of order and planning; Nursia; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); was born at Nursia (Norcia) in Umbria, Italy, around 480 AD. was sent to Rome for his studies, but was repelled by the dissolute life of most of the populace, and withdrew to a solitary life at Subiaco. group of monks asked him to be their abbot, but some of them found his rule too strict, and he returned alone to Subiaco. other monks called him to be their abbot, and he agreed, founding twelve communities over an interval of some years. chief founding was Monte Cassino, an abbey which stands to this day as the mother house of the world-wide Benedictine order. of Monte CassinoTotila the Goth visited Benedict, and was so awed by his presence that he fell on his face before him. Benedict raised him from the ground and rebuked him for his cruelty, telling him that it was time that his iniquities should cease. Totila asked Benedict to remember him in his prayers and departed, to exhibit from that time an astonishing clemency and chivalry in his treatment of conquered peoples. drew up a rule of life for monastics, a rule which he calls "a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to order nothing harsh or rigorous." Rule gives instructions for how the monastic community is to be organized, and how the monks are to spend their time. average day includes about four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer (called the Divinum Officium -- the Divine Office), five hours in spiritual reading and study, six hours of labor, one hour for eating, and about eight hours for sleep. The Book of Psalms is to be recited in its entirety every week as a part of the Office. Benedictine monk takes vows of "obedience, stability, and conversion of life. That is, he vows to live in accordance with the Benedictine Rule, not to leave his community without grave cause, and to seek to follow the teaching and example of Christ in all things. procedure today for a prospective monk is to spend a week or more at the monastery as a visitor. He then applies as a postulant, and agrees not to leave for six months without the consent of the Abbot. that time, he may suspect that he has made a mistake, and the abbot may say, "Yes, I think you have. Go in peace." Alternately, he may say, "It is normal to have jitters at this stage. I urge you to stick it out a while longer and see whether they go away." Many postulants leave before the six months are up.) six months, he may leave or become a novice, with vows for one year. the year, he may leave or take vows for three more years. three years, he may leave, take life vows, or take vows for a second three years. After that, a third three years. After that, he must leave or take life vows (fish or cut bait). he takes life vows after four and a half to ten and a half years in the monastery. At any point in the proceedings at which he has the option of leaving, the community has the option of dismissing him. St. Benedict, by Fra Angelico effect of the monastic movement, both of the Benedictine order and of similar orders that grew out of it, has been enormous. owe the preservation of the Holy Scriptures and other ancient writings in large measure to the patience and diligence of monastic scribes. purely secular terms, their contribution was considerable. Benedict's time, the chief source of power was muscle, whether human or animal. Ancient scholars apparently did not worry about labor-saving devices. The labor could always be done by oxen or slaves. monks were both scholars and workers. A monk, after spending a few hours doing some laborious task by hand, was likely to think, "There must be a better way of doing this." result was the systematic development of windmills and water wheels for grinding grain, sawing wood, pumping water, and so on. The rotation of crops (including legumes) and other agricultural advances were also originated or promoted by monastic farms. monks, by their example, taught the dignity of labor and the importance of order and planning. details, see The Mediaeval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Age, by Jean Gimpel, (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1976; Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0-14-00-4514-7). by James Kiefer Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14; Benedict, founder of Western monasticism, was born in the Italian city of Nursia in the year 480. he was fourteen years of age, the saint’s parents sent him to Rome to study. by the immorality around him, he decided to devote himself to a different sort of life. first Saint Benedict settled near the church of the holy Apostle Peter in the village of Effedum, news of his ascetic life compelled him to go farther into the mountains. he encountered the hermit Romanus, who tonsured him into monasticism and directed him to live in a remote cave at Subiaco. From time to time, the hermit would bring him food. three years the saint waged a harsh struggle with temptations and conquered them. soon began to gather to him, thirsting to live under his guidance. number of disciples grew so much, that the saint divided them into twelve communities. community was comprised of twelve monks and was a separate skete. The saint gave each skete an igumen from among his experienced and only the novice monks remained with Saint Benedict for instruction. strict monastic Rule Saint Benedict established for the monks was not accepted by everyone, and more than once he was criticized and abused by dissenters. he settled in Campagna and on Mount Cassino he founded the Monte Cassino monastery, for a long time was a center of theological education for the Western Church. monastery possessed a remarkable library. Benedict wrote his Rule, based on the experience of life of the Eastern desert-dwellers and the precepts of Saint John Cassian the Roman (February 29). Rule of Saint Benedict dominated Western monasticism for centuries (by the year 1595 it had appeared in more than 100 editions). Rule prescribed the renunciation of personal possessions, as well as unconditional obedience, and constant work. was considered the duty of older monks to teach the younger and to copy ancient manuscripts. This helped to preserve many memorable writings from the first centuries of Christianity. new monk was required to live as a novice for a year, to learn the monastic Rule and to become acclimated to monastic life. deed required a blessing. head of this cenobitic monastery is the igumen. He discerns, teaches, and explains. The igumen solicits the advice of the older, experienced brethren, but he makes the final decisions. the monastic Rule was strictly binding for everyone and was regarded as an important step on the way to perfection. Benedict was granted by the Lord the gift of foresight and wonderworking. He healed many by his prayers. The monk foretold the day of his death in 547. The main source for his Life is the second Dialogue of Saint Gregory. Benedict’s sister, Saint Scholastica (February 10), also became famous for her strict ascetic life and was numbered among the saints.

Rome, 527-565, Emperor, Justinian 1, the Great, Restore of E, over Vandals&OGoths,Persia
Rome, Byzantine Emperor, 553-568, Justinian I; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 526-534, Goth King, Athalaric, regency by his m, heavy drinker
Rome, Goth King, 526-534, Athalaric ; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 534-536, Goth King, Theodahad, imprisoned the regent Amalafrida, B intervened
Rome, Goth King, 534-536, Theodahad; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 535-536, Pope Agapetus I, deposed Byzantine Patriarch Anthimus, consecrated Menas and Jewish child oven story
Rome, 535-536, Pope Agapetus I; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople (536-552), was at first a presbyter at Constantinople and supervisor there of the Home of Saint Sampson the Hospitable for the poor and needy during the reign of Saint Justinian I (527-565). After the removal of the heretic Anthimus (535-536), the holy presbyter Menas was raised to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople as one worthy to be bishop, because of his profound virtue and firm confession of Orthodoxy. Agapitus, the Bishop of Rome (535-536), participated in the consecration of Saint Menas. He had come to Constantinople in order to depose the heretic Anthimus. During the patriarchate of Saint Menas a miracle occurred at Constantinople, which was known to the whole city. certain Jewish child went with other children to church and he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. At home, he told his father about this. In a terrible rage, he seized the child and threw him into a red-hot oven (the father was a glass-blower). He said nothing to his wife. For three days, the mother tearfully searched for her son, calling loudly for him. On the third day, he emerged from the red-hot oven. When she pulled the child out, she found that he was unharmed. boy said that a most radiant Lady had come to him, cooling the fire and bringing him water and food. This incident became known to Saint Menas and the emperor Justinian I. The boy and his mother received Baptism, but the father of the child was obdurate and did not wish to repent, in spite of the great miracle that he had seen. Then the emperor ordered that the father be tried as a child-killer, and sentenced him to death. holy Patriarch Menas ruled the Church of Constantinople for sixteen years. During his patriarchate at Constantinople, the famous church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated. The saint died peacefully in the year 552. St. Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ;

Rome, 536-540, Goth King, Vitiges, married queen Amalaswintha's daughter Matasuntha, K Theodahad
Rome, Goth King, 536-540, Vitiges; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 537-555, Pope Vigilius, first Pope of the Byzantine Papacy
Rome, 537-555, Pope Vigilius; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Rome, 540-541, Goth King, Ildibad, lost teritories to B E & Justinian I, after wife taken to C, end of Ostrogoths
Rome, Goth King, 540-541, Ildibad; (sometimes rendered Hildebad or Heldebadus) (died 541) was a king of the Ostrogoths in Italy in 540–541. was a nephew of Theudis, an Ostrogoth king of the Visigoths in Spain. This relationship led Peter Heather to suggest that both belonged to a powerful, non-royal clan.[1] In the 540, the Ostrogothic king Witiges was taken prisoner by Belisarius in Ravenna. Ildibad's children were also taken prisoner.[2] Ildibad was one of the Goths north of the Po river who still refused to surrender to Roman authority. Following Witiges' capture, however, Ildibad had attempted to negotiate terms of surrender with Belisarius, perhaps because of the fate of his children.[2] Witiges's capture, the leading candidate for the Ostrogothic throne became Uraias, who was Witiges' nephew, a skilled military commander and in charge of Ticinum (Pavia). Uraias, however, declined because his family lacked "royal fortune", and instead suggested Ildibad, who was at that time in charge of Verona.[2] These were the only cities still held by the Ostrogoths at this time.[3] After being elected king in 540, Ildibad moved his capital to Pavia. Ildibad again attempted to negotiate a surrender, but after Belisarius sailed to Constantinople along with Witiges and Ildibad's family, the war resumed.[2] The Gothic territory at this time consisted only of a narrow strip of land between Pavia and Verona, while the army consisted of barely 1,000 men, although this number was growing.[2] lack of coordination among the remaining Byzantine commanders enabled Ildibad to extend his authority throughout Liguria and Venetia.[3] In 541 AD he was engaged outside the heavily defended city of Treviso by its military commander Vitalius and a sizable body of Herules.[2] The battle was a decisive victory for the Goths, with Vitalius barely escaping while the Heruli leader was killed.[3] His nephew Totila then became military commander of Treviso.[2] Ildibad was subsequently able to extend his authority across the entire Po Valley. The victory gave him increased support among the Goths, while the ruinous Roman taxation of the provinces and lack of coordination among generals enabled him to acquire many Roman deserters.[2] 541, Ildibad had Uraias murdered.[3] According to Procopius, Uraias's murder had been instigated by Ildibad's wife, who felt insulted by the lavish lifestyle of Uraias' wife.[3] Herwig Wolfram suggests that this is an invention by Procopius to "personalize" the causes of political events, and that the real reason for Uraias' murder was that the Witiges clan had allied with non-Gothic barbarians, including the Rugii and probably Gepids, to conspire against Ildibad's rule.[2] In any case, in May 541, Ildibad was murdered at a royal banquet by his Gepid bodyguard Velas whose Gothic lover was married off to someone else by Ildibad while Velas was away.[4][3] The lack of a suitable Gothic successor enabled the Rugians to make their chief Eraric king of the Goths.[2] Eraric, however, betrayed the Goths and secretly offered to surrender the Gothic kingdom to the Byzantines in return for money.[3] As a result, the Goths at Pavia offered Ildibad's nephew Totila the throne.[2] Totila was at that point himself negotiating with the imperial commander at Ravenna, and demanded the killing of Eraric if he was to accept the throne.[2] After Eraric was killed in October 541, Totila became king of the Ostrogoths, a title he held for more than ten years.[2] Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 541-541, Goth King, Eraric, made peace with Justinian
Rome, Goth King, 541-541, Eraric; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 541-552, Goth King, Totila the Goth, recovered then lost again in, Battle of Taginae, 552
Rome, Goth King, 541-552, Totila the Goth, Battle of Taginae, 552 ; Battle of Taginae, 552 ; Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ;

Rome, 541-597, Colomba, excommunicated but recognized by dLight&angels, w12 missions fTheir Iona Monastery 30yrs+4, Much more
Ireland, 541-597, Saint, Colomba of Iona, noble birth, powerful Ui Néill clan, priest foster father, preached Ireland, Derry&Downs Monasteries, 100 churches, Battle oCul Dremhne 561, because Vulgate copy dispute, Pagan King decided against him, stirred relatives, caused christian deaths, remorse, decided gain as many souls, excommunicated aSynod oTeltown 562, Brendan kissing him approaching, Synod criticozed B, W k excommunicated, because God glorifies him, saw bright column light before him &holy angels, Synod dropped charges, 563 left Ireland w12, pilgrim fChrist, Island Iona, prayed for 30yrs there, then call tHeavenly Kingdom, cells&chapel then missionary activity, gospel converts churches, other islands&inland, Iona important for Northern England&Scotland, by 574 Hinba Is dependency, C maintained ties wIrish churches&others, 574 anointed Dalraida King first time European history, historian Adomnan pattern I prophetic II miracles III angels, Angels came for his soul a30yrs, joy&gladness, then sorrow moment later, 2Monks witnessed &asked him, No do not ask, begged him, b I love you must promise as long as I am alive, that day 30th yr, joy seeing angels come to get, then sorrow they returned b prayers mChurches, April 597 fulfilled prophecy remain 4yrs longer, after Pascal Joy till May, Angel sent recover loan watching blessing them in service, will take his soul between Sat eve&Sun morn, bless barn on Sat, yrs bread in case I go somewhere, tells servant Diarmait not to tell, I go tLord wHe calls me middle of night, Lord himself rThis, stop on way back halfway cross&milestone, White horse story Lord revealed brute his master going away, C went to copy psalms to Rich hBecome poor&hungry but those who seek diligently shall not want any good thing, here I must stop, Vespers then bead of stone stone pillow, last instructions to D Love one another follow Holy Fathers, God will help you I will intercede for you, 12th hr bell midnight office, D saw church filled Angelic light around C, at door light vanished, where are you, with head on D''s lap he saw Angels there to carry his soul away, D held up his hand to help bless monks then soul departed, two men far off separate visions soul departing by angels, one in the spirit the other while fishing, after repose Matins hymns&body tLodging, 3days&nights Funeral, 634 Miracle fOswald over Cadwallon, told him to march at night for C's deliverance into O's hands, O reported this himself; Ireland, Saint, 541-597, Colomba of Iona ; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Columba (or Colum Cille, "the dove of the Church") was of noble birth, a member of the powerful Ui Néill clan, which traced its descent to Niall of the Nine Hostages, who died around the year 450. parents were Fedelmid mac Ferguso and Eithne. Although it is difficult to determine the date of Saint Columba's birth with any degree of certainty, is believed that he was born in County Donegal on December 7, 521. parents may have been pagans, and named their son Crimthann. was brought up by a foster-father, according to the custom of that time, a priest named Cruithnechan. do not know what happened in Saint Columba's life from the time he completed his studies until his departure from Ireland in 563. may have been baptized with the name Colum, which later became Columba (dove). sources state that after being ordained as a priest, Saint Columba preached in Ireland, and established monasteries at Derry and Durrow. It is said that he also founded one hundred churches. says (I: 7) that the Saint left Ireland two years after the Battle of Cúl Dreimhne (561), supposedly for causing the deaths of so many men. Adomnan does not explain why the Saint blamed himself. in a different Life of Saint Columba it is stated that there was a dispute between Saints Columba and Finnian of Moville (September 10), concerning the ownership of a copy of Saint Jerome’s Latin Vulgate version of the Bible (some sources say it was a Psalter). dispute involved the ownership of the copy. Finnian claimed that the copy was his, since he owned the original manuscript. Saint Columba maintained that the copy was his, since he had copied the original. High King Diarmait mac Cerbaill, who was a pagan, decided in favor of Finnian. He said, "To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy." Saint is said to have been so angry that he stirred up his relatives of the Uí Néill clan to make war against the High King. Battle of Cúl Dreimhne led to the loss of many Christian lives. In his remorse, Saint Columba decided that he must gain as many souls for Christ as had been slain on the battlefield. also mentions the Synod of Teltown in County Meath (III:3) which met in 562, one year after the battle, and one year before Saint Columba left Ireland. declares that "Saint Columba was excommunicated for some trivial and quite excusable offenses by a Synod which, as eventually became known, had acted wrongly. The Saint himself came to the assembly that had been convoked against him." Saint Brendan of Birr (November 29) saw Saint Columba approaching at a distance, after the Synod had excommunicated him in absentia, he ran out to meet him, kissing him with reverence. the members of the Synod saw this they criticized him, saying, "Why did you get up to kiss a man who has been excommunicated?” Brendan replied, “If you had seen what the Lord has deigned to reveal to me today, concerning this chosen one whom you refuse to honor, you would never have excommunicated him. God does not excommunicate in accordance with your erroneous judgement, but instead, He glorifies him more and more." they became incensed and said that they should like to know just how God had glorified Saint Columba, whom they had excommunicated, as they asserted, with good reason. Brendan replied, "I saw a very bright column of light going before the man of God, whom you despise, and holy angels as his companions traveling over the plain." hearing this, the Synod dropped the charges and honored Saint Columba with much reverence. 563, Saint Columba left Ireland, saying that he wished to be a pilgrim for Christ. twelve companions with him, the Saint settled on the island of Iona, off the southwestern coast of Mull. prayed that God would permit him to live there for thirty years more, and then call him to the heavenly Kingdom. is not known whether the island was inhabited when they arrived, but there is archaeological evidence of prehistoric occupation. building cells and a chapel, the monks began a period of missionary activity, proclaiming the Gospel, making converts, and founding churches. sailed to other islands, and even went inland in their labors to bring people to Christ. a result, Iona became an important center of Christianity for northern England and Scotland. 574, Abbot Columba had at least one dependency on the island of Hinba. There were others on the various islands, all under the authority of Iona. Columba also maintained ties with his churches in Ireland and people in other places. is an account of Saint Columba anointing Aedan mac Gabrain in 574 to succeed King Conall as the King of Dalriada, just as King Saul and King David had been anointed by Samuel. regard this as the first time in European history that Christian ritual was used to consecrate a King. There is much debate on the significance of this event, although Saint Columba did have a special relationship with the ruling dynasty of Dalriada. has not written a Saint's Life according to the traditional pattern. Rather than presenting a continuous narrative from birth to death, he describes Saint Columba's prophetic revelations in Book I; his miracles of power in Book II; and his visions of angels in Book III. Book III:22, Adomnan relates how Saint Columba beheld the angels who had come to receive his soul in the thirtieth year after his arrival on Iona. he raised his eyes to Heaven, and he was filled with great joy and gladness. a moment later, his joy had turned to sorrow. monks stood outside his hut when this occurred, and they asked him about it. told them to go in peace, and not to ask him to tell them the cause of his gladness, nor of his sorrow. fell to the ground with profuse tears and begged him to reveal what he had been told. their distress, the holy Elder said, "Because I love you, I do not wish to grieve you. First, you must promise not to betray to anyone, as long as I am alive, the mystery that you seek to know." they had given their word, Saint Columba said that day was exactly thirty years since he had begun to live "in pilgrimage in Britain." He had asked God to call him to Heaven at the end of thirty years. That is why he seemed so glad. He had seen the angels who had been sent to separate his soul from his body, now they seemed to be delayed. They were waiting on a rock across the Sound from Iona. It was as if they wished to accomplish their task, but they were not permitted to come any closer. Soon they would return to Heaven. though he desired to go with them, the prayers of many churches had caused this change in plans. "Even though I do not wish it, I must remain in this flesh four years longer. This sorrowful delay is the cause of my great distress today." the holy Abbot predicted that at the end of four years, he would die suddenly, and without pain, when the angels would come for him again, and he would depart to the Lord. is precisely what happened. April of 597, on the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection, Saint Columba was longing to depart from this life in order to be with Him. God would have granted his wish right then, but he did not want to turn the paschal joy of his disciples into sorrow, and so his death was delayed for the sake of the monks. May, as the brethren were working on the western side of Iona, Saint Columba was taken there in a cart, for he was then an old man of seventy-five. began to speak to them of his approaching death, so that they would be prepared. When he told them how his death had been merely postponed in April, they became very sorrowful. The Saint tried to console them as much as he could. Then he looked toward the east and blessed the island, and those who dwelt there. few days later, during the Sunday liturgy, Saint Columba looked up and his face became suffused with joy and exultation. he could see the angel hovering over them inside the church. Then the angel passed right through the roof of the church, leaving no trace of his passing. the monks noticed the Elder looking upward they asked him why he seemed so happy. told them that an angel had been sent to recover a loan, and had been watching and blessing them during the service. of the monks understood what sort of loan the angel had been sent to recover, but Saint Columba was referring to his soul, which the angel would take sometime between the following Saturday evening and Sunday morning. the end of the week, on Saturday, Saint Columba and his servant Diarmait went to bless the nearest barn. The venerable Elder said that he was glad to know that the monks would have enough bread to last for a year, in case he had to "go away somewhere." Diarmait was saddened by his words and said, "Father, this year you have made us sad too often by speaking frequently about your passing." Columba said that he would speak more plainly about his departure if Diarmait promised not to tell anyone until after he had reposed. When Diarmait had given his word, the Saint explained that the Sabbath is a day of rest, and on this Saturday he would go the way of his fathers. "I shall go to the Lord when He calls me, in the middle of this night. The Lord Himself has revealed this to me." these words, Diarmait began to weep. Then they started back to the monastery, but Saint Columba had to stop and rest when they reached the halfway point. a cross was set up on that spot and set in a millstone. a white horse, which used to carry pails of milk to the monastery, came and placed its head on the Saint's bosom. Tears fell from its eyes, and the horse mourned like a person. Diarmait would have driven the horse away, but the Elder stopped him saying, "Leave him alone! Let him who loves us pour out the tears of bitterest mourning here at my breast. though you have a man's rational soul, you would not know of my departure if I hadn't told you just now. to His will, the Creator has revealed to this brute and unreasoning animal that his master is going away." Then he blessed the horse as it turned away. he returned to the monastery, Saint Columba went to his hut to copy some Psalms. copied as far as Psalm 33/34:10: "The rich have become poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord diligently shall not want any good thing." he said, "Here at the end of the page I must stop. Let Baithene write what follows." he finished writing, Saint Columba went to church for Vespers, and then he returned to his lodging and rested on his bed. of a bed of straw, he always slept upon bare rock, with a stone for his pillow. he gave his last instructions to Diarmait, commanding the brethren to love one another, and to follow the example of the Holy Fathers. continued, "God, Who strengthens the good, will help you, and I, dwelling with Him, shall intercede for you." the bell rang for the Midnight Office, Saint Columba hastened to the church before the others, and then he knelt before the altar in prayer. following at a distance, saw the church filled with angelic light around the Saint. he reached the door, the light vanished, although some of the brethren had seen it as well. entered the church and called out in a tearful voice, "Father, where are you?" lamps carried by the brethren had not yet been brought into the church. his way in the dark, Diarmait found the Elder lying before the altar. Raising him a little, he sat by his side and cradled his head on his bosom. other monks related that before Saint Cuthbert's soul had left his body, he opened his eyes and looked about with joy and gladness upon his face, for he saw angels coming to meet him. held up the Saint's right hand to bless the monks. The venerable Father, as much as he could, also moved his hand to bless the brethren, though he was unable to speak. Then at once his soul departed. men had separate visions of the Saint's soul being carried to Heaven by angels. mac Tailchain, "a just man and a sage," told a man named Fergnae of his vision. Although Lugaid had never been to Iona, he saw it, in the Spirit, bathed in a bright light. He beheld the radiance of countless angels who had been sent to carry the Saint's soul to Heaven, accompanied by the sweetest songs of the angelic hosts. soldier of Christ, Ernene moccu Fir Roide had a vision at the same hour. When he was an old man, he related it to Adomnan, who was then a young man. Ernene and some other men were fishing in the River Finn, when suddenly, the entire sky lit up. Looking toward the east, they saw a fiery pillar rising upwards and lighting the area like the summer sun at Noon. When the pillar passed out of sight, the darkness returned once more. Saint Columba's blessed repose, the Matins hymns were chanted, and his body was carried from the church to his lodging. three days and nights, the funeral rites were performed in a manner befitting one of his honor and rank. holy relics were wrapped in linen and placed in the grave with due reverence, from which he shall rise in bright, and everlasting light. following miracle is mentioned in Book I:1. In the year 634, at Heavenfield in Northumbria, on the eve of a battle, Saint Columba appeared to Saint Oswald (August 5), revealing his name to the King. He promised to help Saint Oswald, ordering him to march on his enemy Cadwallon that night. He said that the enemy would be put to flight, and that Cadwallon would be delivered into King Oswald's hands. Abbot Failbe, Adomnan's predecessor, told him of this vision, swearing that he had the story from the lips of Saint Oswald himself.

Rome, 542-618, Kevin oGlendalough, Kathleen story lPotiphar's wife, but repentd, assisted bAngels&Animals, incorrupt r
Ireland, 542-618, St Kevin oGlendalough, Kevin's Monastery (between coast and Barrow River 3), noble family, kings oLeinster, taught by Petroc a7, a12 under 3Elders, Kathleen Story like Potiphar's W but with repentence, Kath became Nun, imitating Egyptian desert dwellers&Gaul monks Celtic monks longed tbHermits, Elders not let him go, people came, left in secret, Angel led him tGlendalough (Vale otTwo Lakes), hollow oaTree upper lake shore, wild herbs and water, discovered in tree by cow licking his clothes gives more milk, trees bend down, K blesses forest, 3 Elders come to bring him back, but blessed him to leave monastery, nothing more to teach him, Bishop Lugidus ordained K as Priest, sent him start Cluainduach church, returned Glendalough, Angel led oWicklow Mts establish monastery two rivers, then returned upper valley 4-7yrs, wild animals come, blackbird lays egg in his hand, still till it hatched, cave known as Kevin's bed, Angel told him rock about to fall, stayed till Pascha, left, then fell, finding space fMonastery angel suggested flattening mountains but K declined to protect tAnimals, chosen spot rocky ground cleared by Angel & cleared of thistles by local Chieftain ; Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery; Saint Kevin of Glendalough, Commemorated on June 3; Kevin (Coemgen) was born in Leinster in the early decades of the sixth century, age of Saints Columba (June 9), Columbanus of Luxeuil (November 21), Comgall of Bangor (May 10), Finnian of Clonard (December 12), Kieran of Clonmacnoise (September 9), and many other great saints. holy ascetic belonged to a noble family which had included several Kings of Leinster. himself, however, was a model of humility and self-denial. There are several miraculous stories connected with his birth and childhood, but most are unreliable. holy youth was baptized by a priest named Cronan and was named Kevin, which means "fair-begotten." There are so many saints named Cronan that it is not clear which one baptized Saint Kevin. he was seven years old, his parents sent him to be taught by Saint Petroc (June 4), who happened to be visiting Ireland at the time. a boy of twelve, Saint Kevin was placed in the charge of three holy Elders: Eogoin of Ardstraw (August 23), Lochan, and Enna. is known of these teachers or where their establishment was located. secular studies were certainly enhanced by spiritual instruction. He learned to read the Holy Scriptures, and to profit from the example of the virtuous men and women of the Old and New Testaments. Kevin was so handsome that a young girl named Kathleen became inflamed with desire for him, the holy youth resisted all her allurements. She pestered him so much with her attentions that he fled from her, just as Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:12). Kathleen followed him and found him alone in a field, so she approached him and threw her arms around him. Arming himself with the Sign of the Cross, and filled with the Holy Spirit, Saint Kevin broke away from her and ran into the woods. She soon discovered him hiding in a bed of nettles. Grabbing a bunch of nettles, the saint struck her about the face, hands and feet. Wounded by the nettles, the girl's passion quickly cooled. She fell on her knees in repentance, begged forgiveness from God and from Saint Kevin, and promised to become a nun. successfully resisting the temptations of the flesh, Saint Kevin continued to devote himself to his studies, and longed to live the monastic life as a hermit. was a common practice in the Celtic Church, which was influenced by the lives of the Egyptian desert dwellers, and by monks who had come from Gaul. Kevin was anxious to leave the monastery, but his three Elders would not let him go. he had acquired a reputation for holiness, and people from the surrounding area came to seek his advice. to flee from such unwelcome attention, he left the monastery in secret and went into the wilderness. is said that an angel led him to Glendalough (the Vale of the Two Lakes) where he lived in the hollow of a tree somewhere by the shores of the Upper Lake. ascetic remained in this place for several days, living on wild herbs and water. A cow wandered off and came to the tree where the Saint was living, and began to lick his clothing. After some time had passed, the cow showed an unusual increase in its milk, so her owner told his herdsman follow the animal. She led him to Glendalough, and there the herdsman discovered Saint Kevin, weak with hunger, and hiding in the tree. herdsman had to remove Saint Kevin on a litter by force, since the holy ascetic did not wish to leave. As he was being carried off, the trees bent down to make way for them. Saint Kevin then bestowed his blessing on the forest. of Saint Kevin reached his three Elders, who came to bring him back to their monastery. Recognizing the holiness of his life, they understood that they had nothing more to teach him, so they blessed him to leave the monastery. certain Bishop Lugidus ordained Saint Kevin to the priesthood, and sent him and a few other monks to found a new church. He spent a little time converting people at Cluainduach, but later moved back to Glendalough. by an angel, Saint Kevin crossed the Wicklow Mountains and established a monastery in the lower part of the valley where two rivers flow together. Once the monastery was organized, he appointed one of the monks as abbot, and then he retired to the upper valley a mile away to resume his life of solitude. He built a small dwelling on a narrow place between the mountain and the lake, where there were dense woods and clear rivulets. Some sources say that Saint Kevin lived there for four years, while others say seven years. this period of his life, wild animals would come to drink water out of his hands. Once during Lent, Saint Kevin stood praying in his hut with his hand sticking out of the window. Just then a blackbird nested in his hand and laid an egg. So gentle and compassionate was the Saint that he remained in this position until the eggs hatched and the fledglings were able to fly away. is a small cave above the Upper Lake known as Saint Kevin's Bed. One year he retired there for Lent, and an angel came and told him he would have to move because a rock was about to fall on that spot. Saint Kevin told the angel he could not interrupt his Lenten struggles or leave that place. On the eve of Pascha the angel returned to take him away. The venerable one protested that he would like to remain there for the rest of his life. He was persuaded to go, however, by the angel's promise that great benefits would follow for all who would come there in the future, both to live in the monastic city and to be buried there. Just as he was leaving with the angel, the rock came tumbling down and landed on the very spot where he had been standing. over the lake, they discussed the problem of finding sufficient space for so many people. The angel said that if Saint Kevin wished, God could transform the four mountains surrounding the valley to level fields, fruitful and easy to work. The holy ascetic replied that he would not want God's creatures to perish on his account. All of the animals of those mountains were tame and humble toward him, and they would be saddened by this proposal. they arrived at the chosen spot, Saint Kevin saw that the ground was rocky and unsuitable for burial. The angel fixed that by clearing all the stones away. The site is to the east of the smaller (Lower) lake. Saint Kevin told the local chieftain Dimma and his sons to cut away the thorns and thistles, and to make this a beautiful spot. is not certain just where in the valley Saint Kevin fell asleep in the Lord. It was not at the hermitage, however, because he sent a party of monks there to pray for him. Local tradition says that Saint Kevin is buried in the church of the Mother of God in that vicinity. Kevin was succeeded as abbot by his nephew Molibba (Jan. 8), who seems to have been the first bishop there. According to the Annals of Ulster, the holy abbot and confessor Kevin departed to Christ on June 3, 618.

Rome, 546-630, Gregory o Agrigentum, Sicily, 553 council, Pope chosen b, harlot lies, prison, gifts fame, delivers h for truth
Sicily, 546-630, Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Sicily, gifted, message angel to Jerusalem, Mt Olives monastic 1 yr, desert elder 4 yrs, 553 council, Rome, Pope chosen bishop of A, did well but harlot lies, frenzied rage, sorcery charge, pope prison, prayer and wonderworking gifts became known, heals Marcian at prison, delivers harlot, she tells truth; Agrigentum; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, was born on the island of Sicily, in the village of Pretorium, not far from the city of Agrigentum, of the pious parents Chariton and Theodota. infant Gregory was baptized by the bishop of Agrigentum, Pataimonus. ten years of age the studious boy mastered writing and was able to read, and to sing church hymns. twelve years of age Saint Gregory was given to the clergy, and he was put under the spiritual guidance of the archdeacon Donatus. Gregory spent the next ten years in the Agrigentum church. however, an angel of the Lord appeared to the holy youth, who had a fervent desire to visit Jerusalem, and said that God had blessed his intention. Jerusalem Saint Gregory was presented to Patriarch Macarius (563-574), who retained the pious youth for service in his own cathedral church, ordaining him deacon. soul of Saint Gregory thirsted for monastic labors, and the Patriarch gave his blessing, allowing him go to a monastery on the Mount of Olives. a year Saint Gregory departed this monastery for a desert Elder, who for four years taught him spiritual wisdom, humility and the principles of monastic life. ascetic, foreseeing in Saint Gregory a future great luminary of the Church, gave him a blessing to forsake the solitary life. left the Elder, Saint Gregory dwelt for a certain time at Jerusalem, and then went to Constantinople, where he was received with love by the brethren of the monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. ascetic efforts of Saint Gregory were noticed by Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople (552-565), at whose insistence the saint participated in the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). the completion of the Council Saint Gregory set off for Rome, to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. this time the bishop of Agrigentum died. The elder clergy and illustrious citizens of Agrigentum journeyed to Rome with a request for the Pope to determine a successor for their late hierarch from among a list of candidates they were presenting. Pope, however, declined their proposal through divine inspiration, and instead summoned Saint Gregory to serve them as bishop. a few years Saint Gregory peacefully guided the flock entrusted to him by God. He was a defender of the down-trodden, a wise preacher, and miraculous healer. archbishop, Saint Gregory led the life of an ascetic monk, fervently observing monastic vows. The flock loved their hierarch and trusted in him. there were also malicious people who had resolved to slander him. Saint Gregory was in church, these vicious people secretly led a bribed harlot into his chambers, and then in front of the crowd which accompanied the bishop to the doors of his house after services, they led her out and accused Saint Gregory of the deadly sin of fornication. placed the holy bishop under guard. The people attempted to defend their bishop, but were unsuccessful. the trial the harlot gave false testimony against Saint Gregory. Just as she pronounced the words of slander, she went into a fit of frenzied rage. judges accused the saint of sorcery. Saint Gregory was sent for judgment to the Roman bishop together with a report about his “crimes.” Pope, after reading the charges, did not want to see the accused, and gave orders to remand him to prison. The saint endured his humiliation humbly, dwelling in constant prayer. prayerful effort and wonderworking gifts quickly became known through the city and the surrounding region. Pious Romans began to gather at the prison, whom the imprisoned saint taught about the righteous life, and he implored the Lord to heal the sick. two years, a clairvoyant Elder named Mark, who had known Saint Gregory since youth, came to the Pope. The Elder did not believe the charges and he persuaded the Pope to convene a Council to decide Gregory’s case. the invitation of the Pope, many clergy from the city of Agrigentum came to the Council, together with all those making accusations against the saint, including the harlot. Constantinople three bishops and the imperial dignitary Marcian came to Rome. the way Marcian had fallen grievously ill. On the advice of many people who had received healing through the prayers of Saint Gregory, servants carried the dying man to the prison where the wonderworking saint languished. Through the prayers of Saint Gregory the Lord granted healing to Marcian. the Council the slanderers attempted to renew their accusations, and as their chief proof they presented the deranged harlot to the judge, declaring that Gregory had bewitched her. the saint prayed over her and cast out the devil. woman came to her senses and told the Council the whole truth. The slanderers were brought to shame and judged. Marcian even wanted to execute them, but Saint Gregory implored forgiveness for them. Gregory returned in honor to his own cathedral, and surrounded by the love of his flock, he guided the Church until his own peaceful demise.

Rome, 550, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead, no f, how possible obedient to die
Egypt, 550, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead? No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?; Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Acacius of Sinai lived during the sixth century and was a novice at a certain monastery in Asia. humble monk distinguished himself by his patient and unquestioning obedience to his Elder, a harsh and dissolute man. He forced his disciple to toil excessively, starved him with hunger, and beat him without mercy. such treatment, Saint Acacius meekly endured the affliction and thanked God for everything. Saint Acacius died after suffering these torments for nine years. days after Acacius was buried, his Elder told another Elder about the death of his disciple. second Elder did not believe that the young monk was dead. They went to the grave of Acacius and the second Elder called out: “Brother Acacius, are you dead?” From the grave a voice replied, “No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?” The startled Elder of Saint Acacius fell down with tears before the grave, asking forgiveness of his disciple. this he repented, constantly saying to the Fathers, “I have committed murder.” He lived in a cell near the grave of Saint Acacius, and he ended his life in prayer and in meekness. Saint John Climacus (March 30) mentions Saint Acacius in The Ladder (Step 4:110) as an example of endurance and obedience, and of the rewards for these virtues. Saint Acacius is also commemorated on July 7.

Rome, 550, 6th C, Pardus tCamel Teamster Hermit, Jericho, boy killed, becomes monk, guilt, pokes lion, forgiveness
Jerusalem, 550, 6th C, Pardus tTeamster Hermit, Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem), a Camel Teamster, boy killed bHis Camels, becomes monk Mt Arion, thinking guilty murder, enters lion den, pokes lion, ignored, takes off clothes, lies lion's path, jumped over, realizes forgiveness, returned mt fasting prayer; Jericho; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Pardus the Hermit, a Roman, involved in his youth with the teamster’s craft. when he traveled to Jericho, a boy accidentally fell under the legs of his camels. The camels trampled the boy to death. Shaken by this occurrence, Pardus became a monk and withdrew to Mount Arion. himself as a murderer, and deserving of death, Saint Pardus entered the den of a lion. poked the wild beast and prodded it with a spear so that the lion would tear him apart, but the creature would not touch the hermit. Pardus then took off his clothes and lay down upon the path that the lion would take for water. But even here, the lion merely leaped over the hermit. the Elder then understood that he had been forgiven by the Lord. to his mountain, Saint Pardus dwelt there in fasting and prayer until the end of his days. He died in the sixth century.

Rome, 552, Battle of Taginae, Byzantines over Ostrogoths in Italy
Rome, 552, Battle of Taginae, Byzantines over Ostrogoths in Italy; Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Totila the Goth; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 552-553, Goth King, Teia, killed senators, fell during battle at Vesuvius, Ostrogothic k ended
Rome, Goth King, 552-553, Teia; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 555-561, Pope Pelagius I, Emperor' candidate, opposed then adopted Justinian's position
Rome, 555-561, Pope Pelagius I; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Rome, 560, Blessed Child Musa of Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Theotokos dream, do nothing silly for 30 days, I am coming
Rome, 460, Blessed Child Musa of Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Theotokos dream, do nothing silly for 30 days, I am coming, 6th century because Gregory knew her brother; Rome; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Musa lived during the fifth (6th) century. She was distinguished for her pure life. Gregory Dialogus included her story in his Dialogues, saying that he had heard these things from Musa’s brother Probus. Most Holy Theotokos once appeared to Musa in a dream, surrounded by girls dressed in white. She asked her, “Do you wish to live together with these maidens in my court?” “Yes, I do,” the girl replied. “Do not do anything silly, as little girls often do. Avoid frivolity and joking. In thirty days I shall come for you and you will be with us.” that moment, Musa’s character was changed. She began to pray earnestly and lived a strict life. In answer to the questions of her astonished parents, Saint Musa told them about the vision. the twenty-fifth day the maiden developed a fever, and on the thirtieth day she again saw the Mother of God coming to her with the same girls as before. The blessed child reposed with the words, “I am coming, I am coming to you, my Lady!” Musa departed this earthly life and was gathered into the heavenly Kingdom, where she glorifies the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit unto ages of ages.

Rome, 561-574, Pope John III, Lombard invasion of Italy
Rome, 561-574, Pope John III; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Rome, 568-571, Byzantine Emperor, Justin II, Justinian's nephew
Rome, Byzantine Emperor, 568-571, Justin II; II or Justin the Younger (c. 520 -“ 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 to 574. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of the Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. His reign was marked by war with the Sassanid Empire, and the loss of the greater part of Italy. He presented the Cross of Justin II to Saint Peter's, Rome. GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 568-572, Lombard, Alboin, crossed Alps in 68, took Milan, blocked by Pavia and Tuscany, coup by wife
Rome, Lombard King, 568-572, Alboin; (530s – 28 June 572) was king of the Lombards from about 560 until 572. During his reign the Lombards ended their migrations by settling in Italy, the northern part of which Alboin conquered between 569 and 572. He had a lasting effect on Italy and the Pannonian Basin; in the former his invasion marked the beginning of centuries of Lombard rule, and in the latter his defeat of the Gepids and his departure from Pannonia ended the dominance there of the Germanic peoples. The period of Alboin's reign as king in Pannonia following the death of his father, Audoin, was one of confrontation and conflict between the Lombards and their main neighbors, the Gepids. The Gepids initially gained the upper hand, but in 567, thanks to his alliance with the Avars, Alboin inflicted a decisive defeat on his enemies, whose lands the Avars subsequently occupied. The increasing power of his new neighbours caused Alboin some unease however, and he therefore decided to leave Pannonia for Italy, hoping to take advantage of the Byzantine Empire's reduced ability to defend its territory in the wake of the Gothic War. gathering a large coalition of peoples, Alboin crossed the Julian Alps in 568, entering an almost undefended Italy. He rapidly took control of most of Venetia and Liguria. In 569, unopposed, he took northern Italy's main city, Milan. Pavia offered stiff resistance however, and was taken only after a siege lasting three years. During that time Alboin turned his attention to Tuscany, but signs of factionalism among his supporters and Alboin's diminishing control over his army increasingly began to manifest themselves. was assassinated on 28 June 572, in a coup d'état instigated by the Byzantines. It was organized by the king's foster brother, Helmichis, with the support of Alboin's wife, Rosamund, daughter of the Gepid king whom Alboin had killed some years earlier. The coup failed in the face of opposition from a majority of the Lombards, who elected Cleph as Alboin's successor, forcing Helmichis and Rosamund to flee to Ravenna under imperial protection. Alboin's death deprived the Lombards of the only leader who could have kept the newborn Germanic entity together, the last in the line of hero-kings who had led the Lombards through their migrations from the vale of the Elbe to Italy. For many centuries following his death Alboin's heroism and his success in battle were celebrated in Saxon and Bavarian epic poetry. GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 572-574, Lombard, Cleph, violent&terrifying to Romans&Byzantns, finished dominate N Italy, assinated, Dukes Rule
Rome, Lombard King, 572-574, Cleph; (also Clef, Clepho, or Kleph) was king of the Lombards from 572 to 574. succeeded Alboin, to whom he was not related by blood. was a violent and terrifying figure to the Romans and Byzantines struggling to maintain control of the Italian Peninsula. extended Lombard dominion over all of Northern Italy, finishing the conquest of Tuscany and bringing Lombard authority to the gates of Ravenna. was assassinated after an 18-month reign by a young guard, a slave whom he had mistreated. death was followed by a 10-year interregnum, known as the Rule of the Dukes because the territorial dukes were supreme. son, Authari, eventually took the throne in 585.[2] GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 574-584, Rule of the Lombard Dukes, Lombard Interregnum
Rome, Rule of the Dukes, 574-584, Lombard Dukes, Lombard Interregnum; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 584-590, Lombard, Authari, adopted roman-ness, wars w Franks, Byzantns, Lombard rebels, m burgundy
Rome, Lombard King, 584-590, Authari; (c. 540 – 5 September 590) was king of the Lombards from 584 to his death. He was considered as the first Lombard king to have adopted some level of "Roman-ness" and introduced policies that led to drastic changes particularly in the treatment of the Romans and Christianity.[1] was the son of Cleph, King of the Lombards. When the latter died in 574, the Lombard nobility refused to appoint a successor, resulting in a ten-years-long interregnum known as the Rule of the Dukes. 574 and 575 the Lombards invaded Provence, then part of the kingdom of Burgundy of the Merovingian Guntram. The latter, in alliance with his nephew, the king of Austrasia Childebert II, replied by invading Northern Italy. The Austrasian army descended the valley of the Adige and took Trent. The Byzantine emperor, Tiberius II, began to negotiate an alliance with the Franks, and so the Lombards, fearful of a pincer movement, elected another king. 584, they elected Duke Authari and ceded him the capital of Pavia as well as half of their ducal domains as a demesne. spent his entire reign in wars with the Franks, the Byzantines, and Lombard rebels. His first major test was the quashing of the rebel duke Droctulf of Brescello, who had allied with the Romans and was ruling the Po valley. Having expelled him, he spent most of the rest of his six years on the throne fighting the exarch of Ravenna, Smaragdus, or the Merovingian kings. and Childebert were still not satisfied with their successes in Italy and they many times threatened invasion, following through on their threats twice. The memory of Theudebert I of Austrasia's campaigns in Italy, the urging of Childebert's warlike mother Brunhilda and the Byzantine emperor and exarch, as well as the wrongs done Guntram in the past undoubtedly fueled their quarrelsomeness. In 588, Authari defeated them handily, but in 590, the uncle and nephew led two armies across the Alps, respectively over Mont Cenis and the Brenner to Milan and Verona. Though Authari shut himself up in Pavia, the Franks accomplished little as the exarch's army did not meet them and they could not even join up with each other. Pestilence and the Breach at Cucca flood turned them around and they left the Lombards much chastened, but hardly defeated. when not controlled by foreign armies, expanded the Lombard dominion at the expense of Byzantium. He took the fortress of Comacchio and cut off communication between Padua and Ravenna. Faroald, duke of Spoleto, captured the Ravennan seaport of Classis and utterly devastated it. Authari swept through the peninsula all the way to Reggio, vowing to take Calabria — a vow never to be kept by any Lombard. married Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I, on 15 May 589 at Verona. A Catholic, she had great influence among the Lombards for her virtue. A detailed account of the courtship by the eighth-century historian Paul the Deacon revealed that the marriage was also a political alliance designed to provide additional sanction to Authari's royal position.[2] In addition, Theodelinda was also chosen due to the long-standing ties between the Lombards and the Bavarians as well as their mutual hostility toward the Franks.[3] She also claimed descent from the ancient Lombard royal line.[3] Authari died in Pavia in 590, possibly by poison, he was succeeded as king by Agilulf, duke of Turin, on the advice, sought by the dukes, of Theodelinda, who married the new king.[4] GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 590-604, Pope Gregory I (Dialogus), first Monastic p, Gregorian mission to Britain, Dialogues, presanctified gifts litergy
Rome, 590-604, Pope Gregory I (Dialogus), first Monastic p, Gregorian mission to Britain, Dialogues, litergy of presanctified gifts; Gregory I (c. 540 - 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death.[1][a] is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.[2] is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.[3] epithet Saint Gregory the Dialogist has been attached to him in Eastern Christianity because of his Dialogues. translations of Eastern texts sometimes list him as Gregory "Dialogos", or the Anglo-Latinate equivalent "Dialogus".[4] Roman senator's son and himself the prefect of Rome at 30, Gregory lived in a monastery he established on his family estate before becoming a papal ambassador and then pope. Although he was the first pope from a monastic background, his prior political experiences may have helped him to be a talented administrator. During his papacy, his administration greatly surpassed that of the emperors in improving the welfare of the people of Rome, and he challenged the theological views of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople before the emperor Tiberius II. Gregory regained papal authority in Spain and France and sent missionaries to England, including Augustine of Canterbury and Paulinus of York. The realignment of barbarian allegiance to Rome from their Arian Christian alliances shaped medieval Europe. Gregory saw Franks, Lombards, and Visigoths align with Rome in religion. He also combated the Donatist heresy, popular particularly in North Africa at the time.[4] the Middle Ages, he was known as "the Father of Christian Worship" because of his exceptional efforts in revising the Roman worship of his day.[5] His contributions to the development of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, still in use in the Byzantine Rite, were so significant that he is generally recognized as its de facto author. is one of the Latin Fathers and a Doctor of the Church.[6] He is considered a saint in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, various Lutheran denominations, and other Protestant denominations. Immediately after his death, Gregory was canonized by popular acclaim.[7] The Protestant reformer John Calvin admired Gregory greatly and declared in his Institutes that Gregory was the last good Pope.[8][9] He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.[10] St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome, was born in Rome around the year 540. His grandfather was Pope Felix, and his mother Sylvia (November 4) and aunts Tarsilla and Emiliana were also numbered among the saints by the Roman Church. Having received a most excellent secular education, he attained high government positions. a God-pleasing life, he yearned for monasticism with all his soul. After the death of his father, Saint Gregory used his inheritance to establish six monasteries. At Rome he founded a monastery dedicated to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where he received monastic tonsure. Later, on a commission of Pope Pelagius II, Saint Gregory lived for a while in Constantinople. There he wrote his Commentary on the Book of Job. the death of Pope Pelagius, Saint Gregory was chosen to the Roman See. For seven months he would not consent to accept this service, considering himself unworthy. He finally accepted consecration only after the persistent entreaties of the clergy and flock. leading the Church, Saint Gregory worked tirelessly in propagating the Word of God. Saint Gregory compiled the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Latin language, which before him was known only in the verbal tradition. Affirmed by the Sixth Ecumenical Council, this liturgical service was accepted by all the Orthodox Church. zealously struggled against the Donatist heresy; he also converted the inhabitants of Brittany, pagans and Goths, who had been adhering to the Arian heresy, to the True Faith. Gregory has left behind numerous written works. After the appearance of his book, DIALOGUES CONCERNING THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THE ITALIAN FATHERS (DIALOGI DE VITA ET MIRACULIS PATRUM ITALIORUM), the saint was called “Dialogus.” His PASTORAL RULE (or LIBER REGULAE PASTORALIS) was well-known. In this work, Saint Gregory describes the model of the true pastor. His letters (848), dealing with moral guidance, have also survived. Gregory headed the Church for thirteen years, ministering to all the needs of his flock. He was characterized by an extraordinary love of poverty, for which he was granted a vision of the Lord Himself. Saint Gregory the Great, as he is known, died in the year 604, and his relics rest in the cathedral of the holy Apostle Peter in the Vatican.

Rome, 590-604, Pope, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, the Great, monolingual during his time
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Gregory I (c. 540 - 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death.[1][a] is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian Mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.[2] is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope.[3] epithet Saint Gregory the Dialogist has been attached to him in Eastern Christianity because of his Dialogues. translations of Eastern texts sometimes list him as Gregory "Dialogos", or the Anglo-Latinate equivalent "Dialogus".[4] Roman senator's son and himself the prefect of Rome at 30, Gregory lived in a monastery he established on his family estate before becoming a papal ambassador and then pope. Although he was the first pope from a monastic background, his prior political experiences may have helped him to be a talented administrator. During his papacy, his administration greatly surpassed that of the emperors in improving the welfare of the people of Rome, and he challenged the theological views of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople before the emperor Tiberius II. Gregory regained papal authority in Spain and France and sent missionaries to England, including Augustine of Canterbury and Paulinus of York. The realignment of barbarian allegiance to Rome from their Arian Christian alliances shaped medieval Europe. Gregory saw Franks, Lombards, and Visigoths align with Rome in religion. He also combated the Donatist heresy, popular particularly in North Africa at the time.[4] the Middle Ages, he was known as "the Father of Christian Worship" because of his exceptional efforts in revising the Roman worship of his day.[5] His contributions to the development of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, still in use in the Byzantine Rite, were so significant that he is generally recognized as its de facto author. is one of the Latin Fathers and a Doctor of the Church.[6] He is considered a saint in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, various Lutheran denominations, and other Protestant denominations. Immediately after his death, Gregory was canonized by popular acclaim.[7] The Protestant reformer John Calvin admired Gregory greatly and declared in his Institutes that Gregory was the last good Pope.[8][9] He is the patron saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.[10] Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome, was born in Rome around the year 540. His grandfather was Pope Felix, and his mother Sylvia (November 4) and aunts Tarsilla and Emiliana were also numbered among the saints by the Roman Church. Having received a most excellent secular education, he attained high government positions. a God-pleasing life, he yearned for monasticism with all his soul. After the death of his father, Saint Gregory used his inheritance to establish six monasteries. At Rome he founded a monastery dedicated to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, where he received monastic tonsure. Later, on a commission of Pope Pelagius II, Saint Gregory lived for a while in Constantinople. There he wrote his Commentary on the Book of Job. the death of Pope Pelagius, Saint Gregory was chosen to the Roman See. For seven months he would not consent to accept this service, considering himself unworthy. He finally accepted consecration only after the persistent entreaties of the clergy and flock. leading the Church, Saint Gregory worked tirelessly in propagating the Word of God. Saint Gregory compiled the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in the Latin language, which before him was known only in the verbal tradition. Affirmed by the Sixth Ecumenical Council, this liturgical service was accepted by all the Orthodox Church. zealously struggled against the Donatist heresy; he also converted the inhabitants of Brittany, pagans and Goths, who had been adhering to the Arian heresy, to the True Faith. Gregory has left behind numerous written works. After the appearance of his book, DIALOGUES CONCERNING THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THE ITALIAN FATHERS (DIALOGI DE VITA ET MIRACULIS PATRUM ITALIORUM), the saint was called “Dialogus.” His PASTORAL RULE (or LIBER REGULAE PASTORALIS) was well-known. In this work, Saint Gregory describes the model of the true pastor. His letters (848), dealing with moral guidance, have also survived. Gregory headed the Church for thirteen years, ministering to all the needs of his flock. He was characterized by an extraordinary love of poverty, for which he was granted a vision of the Lord Himself. Saint Gregory the Great, as he is known, died in the year 604, and his relics rest in the cathedral of the holy Apostle Peter in the Vatican. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Rome, 590-604, Gregory the Great declared oecumenical (exclusive) popes the Antichrist
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Rome, 590-616, Lombard King, Agilulf, Baptised Arian for his wife, then Catholic
Rome, Lombard King, 590-616, Agilulf; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12;

Rome, 595-606, Patriarch, Cyriacus II of Constantinople, used term oecumenical bishop, meaning universal or exclusive
Constantinople Patriarch, 595-606, Cyriacus II of Constantinople; (? – 29 October 606) was the thirtieth Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (595–606). He was previously presbyter and steward, oikonomos, of the great church at Constantinople (Chronicon Paschale, p. 378). Gregory the Great received the legates bearing the synodal letters which announced his consecration, partly from a desire not to disturb the peace of the church, and partly from the personal respect which he entertained for Cyriac; but in his reply he warned him against the sin of causing divisions in the church, clearly alluding to the use of the term oecumenical bishop, which Gregory interpreted as meaning "universal" or even "exclusive" bishop (Gregory, Ep. lib. vii. 4, Patrologia Latina lxxvii. 853). The personal feelings of Gregory towards Cyriac appear most friendly. did not attend to Gregory's entreaties that he abstain from using the title, for Gregory wrote afterwards both to him and to the emperor Maurice, declaring that he could not allow his legates to remain in communion with Cyriac as long as he retained it. In the latter of these letters he compares the assumption of the title to the sin of Antichrist, since both exhibit a spirit of lawless pride. "Quisquis se universalem sacerdotem vocat, vel vocari desiderat, in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit" (whosoever calls himself universal priest, or desires to be called so, is the forerunner of the Antichrist) (Gregory Ep. 28, 30). In a letter to Anastasius I of Antioch, who had written to him to remonstrate against disturbing the peace of the church, Gregory defends his conduct on the ground of the injury which Cyriac had done to all other patriarchs by the assumption of the title, and reminds Anastasius that not only heretics but heresiarchs had before this been patriarchs of Constantinople. He also deprecates the use of the term on more general grounds (Ep. 24). In spite of all this Cyriacus was firm in his retention of the title, and appears to have summoned, or to have meditated summoning, a council to authorize its use. For in 599 Gregory wrote to Eusebius of Thessalonica and some other bishops, stating that he had heard they were about to be summoned to a council at Constantinople, and most urgently entreating them to yield neither to force nor to persuasion, but to be steadfast in their refusal to recognize the offensive title (ib. lib. ix. 68 in Patr. Lat.). appears to have shared in that unpopularity of the emperor Maurice which caused his deposition and death (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 40; Theophylact. Hist. viii. 9). still, however, had influence enough to exact from Phocas at his coronation a confession of the orthodox faith and a pledge not to disturb the church (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094). also nobly resisted the attempt of Phocas to drag the empress Constantina and her daughters from their sanctuary in a church of Constantinople (ibid., A.M. 6098). some resentment at this opposition to his will may have induced Phocas to accede more readily to the claims of Pope Boniface III that Rome should be considered to be the head of all the church, in exclusion of the claims of Constantinople to the oecumenical bishopric (Vita Bonifacii III, in Labbe, Acta Concil. t. v. 1615). died in 606, and was interred in the church of the Holy Apostles (Chronicon Paschale, p. 381). He appears to have been a man of remarkable piety and earnestness, able to win the esteem of all parties. He built a church dedicated to the theotokos in a street of Constantinople called Diaconissa (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6090; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 42). St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Rome, 596, Gregorian Mission to Kent, England
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

Rome, 599, Miraculous Transfer Bartholomew's Relics Trebizond, Armenia, Black Sea to Lipari Island, Sicily
Lipari, Italy ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Rome, 600-699, 7th Century Folder, Lombard Kingdom, all Italy from Lombardy near Milan

Rome, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave
Bithynia, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, excellent ed, Heraclius first secretary but he Monothelite, resigned, went west because M rapid spread in East, fConstantinople tChrysopolis, Bithynia, simple monk Igumen, 638 edict Exposition oFaith, everyone must accept One will in two natures, Max successfully defended Orthodoxy tPeople, invisible attraction tHim, refuge in West, where Monothelitism rejected, Africa visit, 4th EC had condemned Monophysite's only one nature (divine), MThelite only one divine will &Energy, another path tMPhysite heresy, Armenia, Syria, Egypt heretics in East, fanned by Nationalism, unity threat, MTheites controlled Eastern Patriarchal thrones, Sergius iConstantinople, Athanasius iAntioch, Cyrus iAlexandria, Max tCrete tPreach, clashed w Nestorian & Severus Bishop, tAlexandria 6yrs, till 641 new Monothelite Emperor and Patriarch, intensified assaults tOrthodox, tCarthage preach 5yrs, Constantinople Patriarch Pyrrhus excaped there, debated Max, became Orthodox, wrote book, traveled Rome wMax, Pope Theodore received them, 647 Max returned Carthage, there Council condemned MTheletism as heracy, 648 new edict rrom Constans & Partiarch Paul, Pattern otFaith, forbid will debates, Max asked new Pope convene Latern Council, 649 150 Western & 37 Eastern reps, L council condemned Mthelitsm & Typos (faith pattern), false teachings anathematized, So Constans II arested Max and new Pope Mrtin, 654 Prison, 656 sent tTrace, later back to C Prison, Max & disciples tounge cut out Right hand cut off, exiled tSkemarum, Scythia, time of death revealed 662, 3 miracle candels burned over grave, many healings there; Chrysopolis; Chrysopolis Monastery Chrysopolis in Macedonia? Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 raised in a pious Christian family. received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. was well-read in the authors of antiquity he also mastered philosophy and theology. Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life. Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, was spreading rapidly through the East. resigned from his duties at court, went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), he received monastic tonsure. of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. in this position, he remained a simple monk. 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith),” decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life. Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, decided to leave his monastery and seek refuge in the West, Monothelitism had been completely rejected. the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics. Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, which falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). by this erroneous opinion, Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) only one divine energy (“energia”). of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, Egypt. heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: by Sergius, by Athanasius, Alexandria by Cyrus. Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Sergius died at the end of 638, the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” He even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople. the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. 648, a new edict was issued, commissioned by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, among them Saint Maximus the Confessor. Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized. Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison. saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. Each one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. Many healings occurred at his tomb. the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus to Constantinople, but it could also be the date of the saint’s death. may be that his memory is celebrated on January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Saint Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. His exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). Among the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”). The dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. In them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature. “Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. It is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22). Saint Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). He deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. Among his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Saint Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian. The theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, was continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14).

Rome, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, Constantinople monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation, including laypeople
Rome, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, Constantinople monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation, including laypeople; Rome; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Eustolia, a native of Rome, had come to Constantinople and entered one of the women’s monasteries. virtuous and strict monastic life of the saint gained her the love and respect of the sisters. Not only monastics, but also many laypeople came to her for advice and consolation. Eustolia died in the year 610.

Rome, 616-626, Lombard King, Adaloald
Rome, Lombard King, 616-626, Adaloald; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30;

Rome, 626-636, Lombard King, Arioald
Rome, Lombard King, 626-636, Arioald; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30;

Rome, 636-652, Lombard King, Rothari
Rome, Lombard King, 636-652, Rothari; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Rome, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia l, transered to Greek Tre Fontane Monastery, Rome
Persia, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol, 10 yrs after his martyrdom, uncovered when transferred to Rome's Greek Monastery Tre Fountains. ; Ctesiphon; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. There are three traditions regarding his relics. to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) and deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, and of Greek descent (see May 18). third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 when the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. They survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, and later they were moved to Constantinople. His head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Rome, 641-649, Roman Pope, Theodore, Syrian, from Jerusalem, struggle against Monotheism, planned Lateran Council
Roman Pope, 641-649, Theodore ; Theodore I (Latin: Theodorus I; died 14 May 649) was the bishop of Rome from 24 November 642 to his death. His pontificate was dominated by the struggle with Monothelitism. 1 Early career 2 Pontificate 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links career[edit] to the Liber Pontificalis, Theodore was a Greek man from Jerusalem whose father, Theodore, had been a bishop in the city.[2] He was among the many Syrian clergy who fled to Rome following the Muslim conquest of the Levant.[3] He was made a cardinal deacon possibly around 640 and a full cardinal by Pope John IV. I's election was supported by the exarch of Ravenna, who governed Italy in the name of the emperor in Constantinople. He was installed on 24 November 642, succeeding John IV. [4] The main focus of his pontificate was the continued struggle against the heretical Monothelites. He refused to recognize Paul II as the patriarch of Constantinople because Paul's predecessor, Pyrrhus I, had not been correctly replaced. He pressed Emperor Constans II to withdraw the Ecthesis of Heraclius. While his efforts made little impression on Constantinople, it increased the opposition to the teaching in the West; Pyrrhus even briefly recanted Monothelitism in 645, but was excommunicated in 648. Paul was excommunicated in 649. In response, Paul destroyed the Roman altar in the palace of Placidia and exiled or imprisoned the papal apocrisiarius. He also sought to end the issue with the emperor by promulgating the Type of Constans, ordering that the Ecthesis be taken down and seeking to end discussion on the doctrine.[5] planned the Lateran Council of 649 to condemn the Ecthesis, but died before he could convene it. His successor, Martin I, did so instead. Theodore was buried in St. Peter's Basilica. [5] His feast day in the Orthodox Church is on 18 May.[6] Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30 ;

Rome, 649-655, Roman Pope, Pope Martin I
Roman Pope, 649-655, Pope Martin I; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Rome, 649, Lateran Council of 649, condemned Emperor's Monotheism, in Eastern Tradition
Rome, 649, Lateran Council of 649 ; Lateran Council of 649 was a synod held in the Basilica of St. John Lateran to condemn Monothelitism, a Christology espoused by many Eastern Christians. The Council did not achieve ecumenical status in either East or West, but represented the first attempt of a pope to convene an ecumenical council independent of the Roman emperor. to Andrew Ekonomou, the irony of the council was that the denunciation of the theology of Constantinople came from the "collaboration of a Greco-Palestinian pope and a Constantinopolitan monk employing a style of theological discourse whose tradition was purely Eastern."[1] Although Pope Martin I and Maximus the Confessor were abducted by Constans II and tried in Constantinople for their role in the council (Martin I being replaced as pope before dying in exile), their position was ultimately endorsed by the Third Council of Constantinople in 680. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ;

Rome, 652-653, Lombard King, Rodoald
Rome, Lombard King, 652-653, Rodoald; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30;

Rome, 653-661, Lombard King, Aripert I
Rome, Lombard King, 653-661, Aripert I; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30;

Rome, 661-688, Lombard King, Perctarit
Rome, Lombard King, 661-688, Perctarit; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30;

Rome, 678-681, Pope, Agathon, Pope Agatho, heard Wilfrid of York, 6th Ecumenical Council, Monothelitism, two wills
St Agathon the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 20 ; Agathon, Pope of Rome, was the son of pious Christian parents, who provided him an excellent education. their death, Saint Agathon distributed his inheritance to the poor and became a monk. virtuous life could not remain concealed from people. 679, he was elected as the Bishop of Rome, he remained in this position until his death in 682. Pope, 678-681, Agathon, Pope Agatho; Agatho (died January 681) served as the bishop of Rome from 27 June 678 until his death.[2] heard the appeal of Wilfrid of York, who had been displaced from his See by the division of the Archdiocese ordered by Theodore of Canterbury. Agatho's tenure, the Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened which dealt with the monothelitism controversy. He is venerated as a saint by both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Rome, 700-799, 8th Century Folder, Lombards till 774, then Franks and HRE

Rome, 708-716, Pope Gregory II
Pope, 708-716, Pope Gregory II; Translation of the Image ""Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16;

Pope731-741, Pope Gregory III, Iconoclasm, Lombards
Pope731-741, Pope Gregory III; Gregory III (Latin: Gregorius III; died 28 November 741) was the bishop of Rome from 11 February 731 to his death. pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by Byzantine iconoclasm and the advance of the Lombards, in which he invoked the intervention of Charles Martel, although ultimately in vain. He was the last pope to seek the consent of the Byzantine exarch of Ravenna for his election.

Rome, 774, Siege of Pavia (773–74), Frankish Invasion, Ended Lombard Kingdom
Rome, 774, Siege of Pavia (773–74); Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Rome, 774, Lombards flee to Ligura, to eventually form Republic of Genoa, 774-1797
Lombards flee to Ligura, to eventually form Republic of Genoa; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Rome, 795-816, Roman Pope, Leo III, Crowned Charlemagne HRE Emperor, but could not help the Iconodules
Roman Pope, 795-816, Leo III ; Leo III (Latin: Leo; fl. 12 June 816) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position by crowning him emperor. The coronation was not approved in Constantinople, although the Byzantines, occupied with their own defenses, were in no position to offer much opposition. Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4 ; Gregory and Joseph fearlessly defended the veneration of holy icons. They preached in the city squares and visited in the homes of the Orthodox, encouraging them against the heretics. The Church of Constantinople was in a most grievous position. Not only the emperor, but also the patriarch were iconoclast heretics. that time the Roman bishops were in communion with the Eastern Church, and Pope Leo III, who was not under the dominion of the Byzantine Emperor, was able to render great help to the Orthodox. The Orthodox monks chose Saint Joseph as a steadfast and eloquent messenger to the Pope. Saint Gregory blessed him to journey to Rome and to report on the plight of the Church of Constantinople, the atrocities of the iconoclasts, and the dangers threatening Orthodoxy. HE DID NOT MAKE IT TO ROME the journey, Saint Joseph was captured by Arab brigands who had been bribed by the iconoclasts. They took him to the island of Crete, where they handed him over to the iconoclasts, who locked him up in prison. enduring all the deprivations, he encouraged the other prisoners. By his prayers, a certain Orthodox bishop who had begun to waver was strengthened in spirit and courageously accepted martyrdom. Joseph spent six years in prison. On the night of the Nativity of Christ in 820 he was granted a vision of Saint Nicholas of Myra, who told him about the death of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian, and the end of the persecution. Nicholas gave him a paper scroll and said, “Take this scroll and eat it.â€ On the scroll was written: “Hasten, O Gracious One, and come to our aid if possible and as You will, for You are the Merciful One.â€ The monk read the scroll, ate it and said, “How sweet are Thine oracles to my throatâ€ (Ps 118/119:103). Saint Nicholas bade him to sing these words. this the fetters fell off the saint, the doors of the prison opened, and he emerged from it. He was transported through the air and set down on a large road near Constantinople, leading into the city. he reached Constantinople, Saint Joseph found that Saint Gregory the Dekapolite was no longer among the living, leaving behind his disciple John (April 18), who soon died. Saint Joseph built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas and transferred the relics of Saints Gregory and John there. A monastery was founded near the church. Joseph received a portion of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from a certain virtuous man. He built a church in memory of the holy apostle. He loved and honored Saint Bartholomew, and he was distressed that there was no Canon glorifying the holy Apostle. He desired to adorn the Feast of Saint Bartholomew with hymns, but he did not dare to compose them himself. forty days Saint Joseph prayed with tears, preparing for the Feast of the holy apostle. On the eve of the Feast the Apostle Bartholomew appeared to him in the altar. He pressed the holy Gospel to Joseph’s bosom, and blessed him to write church hymns with the words: “May the right hand of the Almighty God bless you, may your tongue pour forth waters of heavenly wisdom, may your heart be a temple of the Holy Spirit, and may your hymnody delight the entire world.â€ this miraculous appearance, Saint Joseph composed a Canon to the Apostle Bartholomew, and from that time he began to compose hymns and Canons in honor of the Mother of God, of the saints, and in honor of Saint Nicholas, who liberated him from prison. the revival of the iconoclast heresy under the emperor Theophilus (829-842), Saint Joseph suffered a second time from the heretics. He was exiled to Cherson [Chersonessus] for eleven years. The Orthodox veneration of holy icons was restored under the holy empress Theodora (February 11) in 842, and Saint Joseph was made keeper of sacred vessels at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Because of his bold denunciation of the brother of the empress, Bardas, for unlawful cohabitation, the saint was again sent into exile and returned only after Bardas died in 867.

Rome, 800, 9th Century on, Folder, Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom and Republic

Rome, 800, 9th C Folder, Charlemagne tFrank's HRE, Louis tPious HRE, Louis II oItaly HRE

Rome, 800-814, Charlemagne, a Frank, Holy Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor, 800-814, Charlemagne, a Frank, Holy Roman Emperor; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6;

Rome, 814-840, HRE Emperor, Louis the Pious, Aquitaine, v over muslim Barcelona, sons civil war
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 814-840, Louis the Pious; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœIveronÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6;

Rome, 844-875, Louis II of Italy, Holy Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor, 844-875, Louis II of Italy, Holy Roman Emperor ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2;

Rome, 855-858, Pope, Benedict III, elected, schism, imprisoned by emperor, restored
Roman Pope. 855-858, Pope Benedict III; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17 ;

Rome, 858-867, Roman Pope, Pope Nicholas I
Roman Pope. 858-867, Pope Nicholas I; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6;

Rome, 867-872, Pope, Adrian II, received Cyril and Methodius with great honor
Pope, 867-872, Adrian II ; holy brothers were then summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Roman Pope. Pope Adrian received them with great honor, since they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement. Sickly by nature and in poor health, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from his many labors, and after taking the schema, he died in the year 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death, he expressed his wish for his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. Saint Cyril was buried in the Roman church of Saint Clement, whose own relics also rest there, brought to Italy from Cherson by the Enlighteners of the Slavs. Adrian II (792 – 14 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Louis II of Italy, he was placed under surveillance, and his wife and daughters were killed by Louis' supporters. 1 Family 2 Pontificate 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links was a member of a noble Roman family. In his youth, he married a woman named Stephania and had a daughter with her.[2] Adrian was selected to become pope on 14 December 867. He was already at an advanced age, and objected to assuming the papacy.[3] His wife and daughter moved with him to the Lateran Palace.[4] II maintained, but with less energy, the policies of his predecessor, Nicholas I. King Lothair II of Lotharingia, who died in 869, left Adrian to mediate between the Frankish kings with a view to secure the imperial inheritance to Lothair's brother Louis II of Italy.[5] Adrian sought to maintain good relations with Louis, since the latter's campaigns in southern Italy had the potential to free the papacy from the threat posed by the Muslims.[6] Photius I of Constantinople, shortly after the council in which he had pronounced sentence of deposition against Pope Nicholas I, was driven from the patriarchate by a new Byzantine emperor, Basil the Macedonian, who favoured Photius' rival, Ignatius. The Fourth Council of Constantinople was convoked to decide this matter. At this council Adrian was represented by legates who presided at the condemnation of Photius as a heretic, but did not succeed in coming to an understanding with Ignatius on the subject of jurisdiction over the Bulgarian Church.[5] Nicholas I, Adrian was forced to submit in temporal affairs to the interference of Emperor Louis II, who placed him under the surveillance of Bishop Arsenius of Orte, his confidential adviser, and Arsenius' nephew Anastasius the Librarian.[5] In 868, Adrian's wife and daughter were carried off and murdered by Arsenius' son Eleutherius, who had forcibly married the daughter.[7] died on 14 December 872, after exactly five years of pontificate.[5] CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2;

Rome, 872-882, Pope, John VIII, resisted Muslims in S. Italy, supported Methodius for Slavs, assinated
Rome, 872-882, Pope, John VIII; John VIII (Latin: Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century.[1] devoted much of his papacy attempting to halt and reverse the Muslim gains in southern Italy and their march northwards. When his efforts to obtain assistance from either the Franks or the Byzantines failed, John strengthened the defenses of Rome. He supported Methodius of Thessalonica in his mission to the Slavs, defended him against the Carolingian rulers and Bavarian clergy, and authorized the translation of the Bible into Slavonic. John also extended diplomatic recognition to the Duchy of Croatia and resolved the Photian schism. John's pontificate ended with his assassination, and the papacy became significantly weaker in the aftermath. 1 Slavonic liturgy 2 Saracen incursions 3 Constantinople problems 4 Death 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External links liturgy[edit] VIII's letter to Svatopluk I of Moravia Adrian II consecrated Methodius of Thessalonica as archbishop and supported his mission to the Slavs. Unbeknownst to Rome, Methodius was imprisoned in 870 by the Carolingian King Louis the German and Bavarian bishops, who objected to his use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy and his encroachment on their jurisdiction in Moravia.[2] Adrian II died in 872, and John VIII, a Roman native,[3] was selected to succeed him. When Bishop Anno of Freising visited Rome, John inquired about the whereabouts of the missing Methodius, but Anno lied to him. In the summer of 873, John finally learned the truth. Furious, he forbade the celebration of mass in Bavaria until Methodius was released.[4] After his release, Methodius came to Rome and convinced John to allow him to translate the Bible to Slavonic as well as to perform liturgy in Slavonic. John wrote: "He who made three main languages - Hebrew, Greek, and Roman - also made all other languages to sing his praise and glory."[5] incursions[edit] a young man, John witnessed the Arab raid against Rome. Their expansion into Italy was severely affecting the economy of the Papal States.[3] After the raids against Campania and the Sabine Hills, Pope John asked for military aid from Emperor Charles the Bald and later Count Boso of Provence.[6] His efforts failed and he was forced to pay tribute to the Emirate of Sicily.[7] The threatening Muslim military presence (which he believed was God's punishment against "bad Christians"),[8] coupled with alliances they formed with the local Christians, prompted John to promote "a new and uncompromisingly hostile view of the Saracens." This included a ban on forming alliances with the Muslims. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful,[9] partly because Christian leaders viewed his calls for unity as an excuse to assert papal authority in southern Italy.[8] 876 bull of John VIII 876, John VIII traveled throughout Campania in an effort to form an alliance among the cities of Salerno, Capua, Naples, Gaeta and Amalfi against Muslim raids. By 877, all five cities sent delegates to Traietto to formalize an alliance.[10] Pope John VIII urged Charles to come to his defence in Italy. Charles again crossed the Alps, but this expedition was received with little enthusiasm by the nobles, and even by his regent in Lombardy, Boso, and they refused to join his army. At the same time Carloman of Bavaria, son of Louis the German, entered northern Italy. Charles, ill and in great distress, started on his way back to Gaul, but died while crossing the pass of Mont Cenis on 6 October 877.[11] relatively little support from outside sources, John fell back on what resources he could command. He reinforced the walls previously restored by Pope Leo IV. As the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was located outside the Aurelian Walls, and had been damaged in a Saracen raid, the pope fortified the basilica, the monastery, and the nearby dwellings of the peasants. He also founded a papal fleet.[5] problems[edit] 879, John recognised the reinstatement of Photios I as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople. Photius had been condemned in 869 by Adrian II. This was undertaken mainly to appease the Byzantines, since in them he saw the only hope of removing the Arabs from Italy.[12] Some time afterward, John VIII re-confirmed the excommunication of Photius, which eventually enabled Emperor Leo VI to move against Photius.[13] was anxious that the Duchy of Croatia would follow in the steps of Bulgaria, which had recently accepted the spiritual authority of Constantinople rather than that of Rome. After the overthrow of the pro-Byzantine Zdeslav in 879, John thanked the new duke, Branimir, for returning Croatia to papal jurisdiction. In return, John recognized Croatian independence from the Carolingians.[14] VIII was assassinated in 882 by his own clerics; he was first poisoned, and then clubbed to death.[5] The motives may have been his exhaustion of the papal treasury, his lack of support among the Carolingians, his gestures towards the Byzantines, and his failure to stop the Saracen raids.[15] Without the protection of powerful magnates or the Carolingian emperor, the papacy after John VIII's reign became increasingly subject to the machinations and greedy ambition of the rival clans of the local nobility.[5] St. Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869);

Rome, 896-897, Pope Steven VI, Cadaver Synod, which led to his downfall and death, prohibited Slavonic in c
Rome, 896-897, Pope Steven VI; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid, Bishop of Greater Macedonia, and his companions, Commemorated on July 27; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeded Saint Methodius as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian prince Svyatopolk. The struggle centered around the questions of the need for divine services in Slavonic, the Filioque and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church purposes), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodius to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their spiritual Father, Saint Methodius. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the saints and brought them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees escaped along those same paths followed earlier by the saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct divine services in the Slavonic language. The Bulgarian prince Boris sought out such people as the disciples of Saint Methodius, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. The saints immediately began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon died, and Saint Clement received the appointment to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church a worthy man was chosen to be a teacher, someone known for his devout life, and possessed with a gift of words. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, Saint Clement worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Simeon. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and for children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for the clergy amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the saint not to forsake the cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Ochrid, to a monastery he founded. There the saint continued with his translation activities and translated important parts of the Pentecostarion. the saint became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. The saint’s body was placed in a coffin he made with his own hands, and was buried in Ochrid’s Saint Panteleimon monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. He not only continued the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodius, but also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by pious Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid. Saint Clement is also commemorated on November 25.

Rome, 900, 10th C Folder, HRE Louis tBlind

Rome, 901-915, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis the Blind
Roman Emperor, 901-915, Louis the Blind, Holy Roman Emperor; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Rome, 1000, 11th C Folder, 8 Popes, German HRE Henry IV appointed commoners, First Crusade 1096

Rome, 1032-1048, Holy Roman Pope, Benedict IX, Sold the Papacy early, then reconsidered
Rome, 1048-1049, Holy Roman Pope, Damasus II; St. Procopius, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Rome, 1048-1049, Holy Roman Pope, Damasus II
Rome, 1048-1049, Holy Roman Pope, Damasus II; St. Procopius, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Rome, 1049-1055, Holy Roman Pope, Leo IX
Rome, 1049-1055, Holy Roman Pope, Leo IX; St. Procopius, Commemorated on September 16 ;

Rome, 1055-1057, Holy Roman Pope, Victor II
Rome, 1055-1057, Holy Roman Pope, Victor II;

Rome, 1057-1059, Holy Roman Pope, Stephen IX

Rome, 1059-1061, Holy Roman Pope, Nicholas II
Rome, 1059-1061, Holy Roman Pope, Nicholas II;

Rome, 1061-1073, Holy Roman Pope, Alexander II, cardinals only selected him,
Rome, 1061-1073, Holy Roman Pope, Alexander II; Alexander II (1010/1015 - 21 April 1073), born Anselm of Baggio,[1] was the head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1061 to his death in 1073. in Milan, Anselm was deeply involved in the Pataria reform movement. Elected according to the terms of his predecessor's bull, In nomine Domini, Anselm's was the first election by the cardinals without the participation of the people and minor clergy of Rome. life and work[edit] was born in the parish of Cesano Boscone in the town of Corsico some 7km (5mi) from Milan of a noble family. The family took its name from Baggio. a suburb of Milan, where the family held the office of "captain".[2] According to the Liber pontificalis,[3] his father's name was Anselmus or Ardericus. sources do not provide any information where Anselm might have obtained his education.[4] It was traditionally believed that Anselm de Baggio studied under Lanfranc at Bec Abbey. However, modern historiography rejects the assertion.[5] He became a member of the clergy of the cathedral of Milan,[6] and was ordained a priest by Archbishop Wido (Guido) of Milan.[7] was one of the founders of the Pataria,[8] a movement in the Archdiocese of Milan, aimed at reforming the clergy and ecclesiastic government in the province, and supportive of Papal sanctions against simony and clerical marriage.[9] They contested the ancient rights of the cathedral clergy of Milan and supported the Gregorian reforms. Anselm was one of four "upright and honest" priests suggested to succeed Ariberto da Intimiano as prince bishop of Milan.[dubious – discuss] When the Emperor Henry III chose instead the more worldly Guido da Velate, protests followed. In order to silence a vocal critic, Bishop Guido sent Anselm to the Imperial Court.[10] emperor instead, in 1056 or 1057, named Anselm bishop of Lucca.[11] The earliest testimony of his activity as bishop is on 23 March 1057.[12] On 20 August 1057, he was with the imperial court at Trebur, and on 27 December at Pöhlde.[13] As bishop, he was an energetic associate of Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony and enforce clerical celibacy.[14] So bad was the state of things at Milan, that benefices were openly bought and sold, and the clergy publicly married the women with whom they lived. With the increased prestige of his office, he reappeared twice in Milan as legate of the Holy See, in 1057 in the company of Hildebrand, and in 1059 with Peter Damian.[9] Anselm attended the Roman council of Pope Nicholas II in the first half of April 1059, and another synod of uncertain date.[15] He was in Rome again in April 1060, for a synod in the Lateran palace, when he subscribed two papal bulls dated 14 April 1060.[16] as pope[edit] Nicholas II died on 27 July 1061. The cardinals met, and sent a representative, the former monk of Cluny, Cardinal Stephen, to seek permission of the imperial court to conduct an election. After a five-day wait during which he was not received in audience, the Cardinal returned to Italy, without having received the congé d'élire.[17] The cardinal bishops then proceeded to an election, having forced their way into the city of Rome with the aid of Prince Richard I of Capua and his Norman troops. On 1 October 1061, they chose Bishop Anselmo de Baggio of Lucca, one of the leaders of the reform party, who took the name Pope Alexander II.[9] previous papal elections, the assent of the Holy Roman Emperor to the election was not sought,[disputed – discuss][18] and cardinal bishops were the sole electors of the pope for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church; in accordance with Nicholas II's bull, In Nomine Domini.[19] The bull effectively removed the control held by the Roman metropolitan church over the election of the pontiff, unilaterally abrogating the rights of the emperor, the nobles of Rome, the clergy, and the people of Rome. new Pope Alexander II was crowned at nightfall on October 1, 1061 in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, because opposition to the election on the part of the Romans and German sympathizers made a coronation in St. Peter's Basilica impossible.[18] The German court nominated another candidate, Cadalus, bishop of Parma, who was proclaimed Pope at a council held at Basel under the name of Honorius II. He marched to Rome and for a long time threatened his rival's position. length, due to a coup-d-état in the German court which replaced the Empress Agnes with Archbishop Hatto (Atto) of Cologne, Honorius was forsaken by the German court and deposed by a council held at Mantua on 31 May and 1 June 1064.;[14][20] Alexander II's position continued to be challenged by Honorius until the latter's death in 1072. The next sixty years exhibited one schism after another.[21] Normans of south Italy[edit] early as 1063, the Normans. taking advantage of the schism, successfully expanded their empire by attacking and seizing the city of Gaeta, an important port leading into the southern part of the Roman campagna. In 1066, Richard of Capua, who had helped Alexander enter Rome and secure a coronation in October 1061, suddenly changed sides. With the Germans abandoning Cadalo and embracing Alexander, the Normans were no longer the mainstay and support of the papacy, and were faced with a competitor which had designs on the same territories ans the Normans. The barons of the Roman campagna, too, saw an advantage to be gained (or at least revenge to be extracted) by joining the Normans against Alexander and the reform party of Hildebrand, which had robbed them of their rights in papal elections and the civil government of the Church. Moving north, Prince Richard seized Ceprano, devastated Lazio, and encamped outside Rome, from which he demanded the title of Patricius.[22] the meantime, the frantic Cardinal Hildebrand repeatedly called upon Marquis Godfrey of Tuscany, who was with King Henry in Germany, to come to the aid of Rome.[23] In spring 1067, he collected an army, lifed the siege of Rome, and caused Prince Richard to withdraw to Capua. Richard left his son Jordanus in charge of the army in the plain below Aquino, to bar the way of the forces of Godfrey. But it was shortage of supplies, sickness, and bribery on the part of the Normans, that brought Godfrey to negotiate with Jordanus, and finally to return north. A new treaty between the papacy and the Normans was negotiated, and, at the synod held at Melfi by Pope Alexander on 1 August 1067, Prince Richard returned to his allegiance and was confirmed as Duke of Apulia and Calabria.[24] the second half of April 1063, Pope Alexander held a synod at the Lateran Basilica in Rome, attended by more than a hundred bishops. During the synod, he excommunicated Honorius II (Bishop Cadalo). The pope and bishops also decreed: that no mercy was to be shown to simoniacs by preserving their dignity; that those who had been ordained by simoniacs were to be retained in their orders; in the case of a knowing consecration of a simoniac, both simoniac and consecrator were to be deprived of their offices; that a priest who has a wife or mistress should not say Mass; that no cleric should receive a church from a layman whether gratis or for pay; that no priest should hold two churches; that no one should be made a monk on the understanding that he would become abbot; and that a layman who becomes a cleric should change his costume.[25] a letter of 15 May 1063, Pope Alexander ordered the archbishops of Reims, Sens, Tours, Bourges, and Bordeaux to obey his legate Cardinal Peter Damiani, Bishop of Ostia, "who is our own eye and the immoveable foundation of the apostolic see."[26] He also forbade Gervase, Archbishop of Reims, from consecrating Jocelyn as bishop of Soissons, on the grounds that he was a simoniac.[27] 6 May 1065, Pope Alexander held a council in Rome, attended by at least eight cardinals and forty-three bishops. It is known that the privileges of the monastery of Saint Denis in Paris were confirmed, and it was granted the privilege of being exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop of Paris.[28] In 1067, he made a tour of the southern cities of the Papal States and of the Kingdom of Naples, holding a synod in Melfi in October and then later in the year at Siponto.[29] In this council held at Siponto, Pope Alexander deposed Bishop Lando of Nucerino, Landolf of Tortiboli, and Benedict of Biccari, all on accusations of simony.[30] an attempt to curtail simony (the buying and selling of sacred things), Alexander II sent out many legates and archbishops across Europe to enforce reform among local synods. Any clergy suspected of simony were then investigated. Any clergy who was invested in his office by a lay person were required to undergo a new investiture by a papal legate. A well-known victim of these campaigns included the bishop of Constance, who was removed from office for simony.[31] 30 March 1068, Alexander held a synod in Rome, in which he absolved the bishop of Tortosa of a charge of homicide, but deposed the bishop of Florence on the grounds of simony; a charge of simony was laid against the bishop of Chiusi, who begged for absolution. The pope also ordered that churches not be held by lay persons, and that ecclesiastical goods not be transmitted from parents to children as though they were subject to the laws of inheritance.[32] 1071, the future Emperor Henry IV, though only 21 (and still only German King and Roman Patrician), was vigorously at work recovering the powers, privileges and properties which had been allowed to slip away from imperial control during his regencies. crushed a riot in Saxony in 1069, and overcame the rebellion of the Saxon aristocrat Otto of Nordheim in 1071. But in 1071, the reforming activities of Pope Alexander's resulted in an open rupture with the King. Archbishop Guido of Milan recently died so Henry IV appointed Godfrey (Goffredo) de Castiglione as successor to Guido. Alexander II declared this investiture void, and appointed a Milanese priest named Attone (Atto), who had already been elected archbishop on 6 January 1072, in an electoral meeting sanctioned by Pope Alexander.[33] February 1072, he held a synod in Rome, in which he anathematized Goffredo, and confirmed Atto as archbishop. He wrote a letter to Henry IV, informing him of the papal actions.[34] Henry IV sent five men to Rome to discuss the issue, but Alexander rejected and subsequently excommunicated them. This led to increased pressure between Henry IV and the popes.[31] 1 October 1071, Pope Alexander consecrated the high altar of the new basilica dedicated to Saint Benedict at the monastery of Montecassino. He was assisted by Cardinal Hildebrand and other cardinals, by ten archbishops, and forty-four bishops, as well as abbots, clergy, nobles, and people.[35] He had already, perhaps at the beginning of his reign, granted Abbot Desiderius personally the lordship over Terracina.[36] Alexander also reformed the administration of the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome and of the Lateran Basilica, by replacing the monks of the Order of Montecassino with Canons Regular of the Congregation of S. Frediano of Lucca.[37] liturgical matters, Alexander II ended the practice of singing or reciting the "Alleluia" during the Latin Church's observance of Lent.[38] This reform was permanent.[39] on Jews[edit] 1065, Pope Alexander II wrote to Béranger, Viscount of Narbonne, and to Guifred, bishop of the city, praising them for having prevented the massacre of the Jews in their district, and reminding them that God does not approve of the shedding of innocent blood. On 11 June in that same year, he wrote a letter, admonishing Landulf VI of Benevento "that the conversion of Jews is not to be obtained by force."[40] was warm in his praise, however, for Spanish bishops, who protected the Jews against those who came to Spain crusading against the Moors.[41] against the Moors[edit] in the same year, Alexander called for the Crusade of Barbastro against the Moors in Spain.[42][43] Alexander II issued orders to the Bishops of Narbonne, instructing crusaders en route "that you protect the Jews who live among you, so that they may not be killed by those who are setting out for Spain against the Saracens ... for the situation of the Jews is greatly different from that of the Saracens. One may justly fight against those [the Saracens] who persecute Christians and drive them from their towns and their own homes."[44] and William the Conqueror[edit] Bayeux Tapestry: William the Conqueror holds a papal gonfalon with a golden cross, a gift from Pope Alexander II. 1066, Pope Alexander received an embassy from William, Duke of Normandy, after his successful invasion of Brittany. The embassy had been sent to obtain his blessing for William's prospective invasion of Anglo-Saxon England. Alexander gave it, along with a papal ring, the Standard of St. George,[45] and an edict to the autonomous Old English clergy guiding them to submit to the new regime. These favors were instrumental in the submission of the English church following the Battle of Hastings. Count Eustace carried his papal insignia, a gonfanon with three tails charged with a cross, which William of Poitiers says was given to William I to signify the pope's blessing of his invasion to secure a submission to Rome.[46] successes in England brought the native English church into much greater control from Rome. William even agreed to Alexander's request to restore the payment of the Peter's Pence, which had lapsed in the time of Edward the Confessor. At the same time, William requested that the pope send him legates, to carry out a ceremonial crowning of the king. Alexander therefore sent Bishop Ermenfried of Sion (Sitten in Switzerland) and two "clerici cardinales" to England, who, at Eastertide 1070, presided at the coronation at Winchester.[47] archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, however, even though he made his peace with William, was a problem for Pope Alexander. Stigand had helped to drive the legitimate archbishop, Robert of Jumièges, from his see, and usurped the archbishopric for himself; he even dared to wear Archbishop Robert's pallium.[48] additionally, he continued to hold the diocese of Winchester, of which he was the legitimate incumbent, along with the archbishopric of Canterbury.[49] Five successive popes, Leo, Victor, Stephanus, Nicholas, and Alexander himself, had sent legates to England, who excommunicated Stigand. Stigand was therefore not able to crown William king, as was the right of the archbishop of Canterbury.[50] Nonetheless, Stigand and William remained on good terms, until, during a visit of William to the continent in 1067, the Normans in England behaved with particular brutality. Stigand switched sides, and with Edgar the Atheling fled to safety in the camp of refuge in Ely. They were besieged by the Conqueror, and Stigand was captured.[51] Pope Alexander's legates, as instructed, demanded the deposition of Stigand, and at a general council held at Winchester after King William's cooronation, the deposition was duly voted.[52] William determined that he would not have his brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, as his new archbishop, nor would he promote his chaplain and chancellor, Herfast. He assembled a council of bishops, abbots and other notables, in order to discuss a suitable candidate for the vacant archbishopric. After this consultation, William offered the archbishopric to Lanfranc, the Abbot of the royal monastery of St. Stephen at Caen, to whom he had once offered the archbishopric of Rouen, which Lanfranc had refused. When Lanfranc also refused the see of Canterbury, the determined king sent his queen, Matilda, and his son Robert (a former pupil of Lanfranc), accompanied by a contingent of Norman nobles, to persuade him, to no avail. Abbot Herluin of Bec was called upon to exert his influence, again without result. William then ordered the papal legates to go to Normandy, convene a council of bishops, abbots, and nobles, to prevail upon Lanfranc to accept the king's offer. Reluctantly, Lanfranc crossed to England, where he engaged in intense talks with William, who only persuaded him by invoking the recommendation which had been expressed by Pipe Alexander.[53] Lanfranc was finally elected by a council on 15 August 1070, the Feast of the Assumption, and consecrated on 29 August, the Feast of St. John the Baptist.[54] Lanfranc wrote to Pope Alexander and to the Archdeacon Hildebrand that they defend him against the pretensions of the archbishop of York, and that they send him the pallium as his symbol of primacy, Hildebrand wrote a letter in reply, claiming that it was not the custom to send the pallium, but that the recipient come to Rome to have it bestowed; and besides, he and the pope wanted to confer personally with Lanfranc about pressing matters. In 1071, therefore, Lanfranc and Archbishop Thomas of York travelled to Rome to receive their pallia.[55] Pope Alexander wrote to Archbishop Lanfranc, ordering him to see to the state of the monastery of Winchester, and expressing annoyance that he had not yet procured the release of the bishop (Stigand), perhaps out of negligence, perhaps out of disobedience, perhaps fearing punishment by King William.[56] 1068, German King Henry IV attempted to divorce Bertha of Savoy. The Papal legate Peter Damian hinted that any further attempt at a divorce would lead the Pope to refuse to perform his coronation. Henry obeyed, and his wife, who had retired to Lorsch Abbey returned to Court.[9] 1072 Alexander commanded[citation needed] the reluctant Canon of the cathedral of Kraków, Stanislaus of Szczepanów, who had been elected unanimously by the cathedral chapter, to accept appointment as the ninth Bishop of Kraków in succession to Bishop Lampert.[57] Stanislaus became one of the earliest native Polish bishops. This turned out to be a significant decision for the Polish Church. Once appointed, Stanislaus was a highly assertive bishop who got into conflict with Polish king Bolesław II the Bold, pro suis actibus sceleratis ('because of his wicked deeds'). Bolesław and his nobles assassinated Bishop Stanislaus in the church of St. Michael in Rupella on 11 April 1179, and cut up his corpse into seventy-two pieces. Poland was laid under the interdict for four years, and the see of Kraków remained vacant. In 1088, the body of Bishop Stanislaus was transferred to his cathedral in Kraków, and eventually he was venerated as a saint.[58] series of disputes broke out between the bishop Gerhard (Iaromirus, Jaromi) of Prague and the bishop John (Brewnow) of Olmouc in Bohemia. Duke Wratislaus of Bohemia drew this to the attention of Pope Alexander II when he happened to be at the papal court in 1073. Alexander sent nuntii to Prague to sort the matter out, but they were captured, mutilated, and then murdered. Socked at the enormity of the offense, Pope Alexander sent Cardinal Rudolph to Prague. When Gerhard refused to cooperate with the cardinal, he was deposed and Prague was laid under the interdict; when the situation quieted down, he restored the bishop and lifted the interdict, but ordered both bishops to present themselves before the papal court. When they appeared, Pope Alexander confirmed the deposition of the bishop of Prague, though he restored him once again at the pleading of Countess Mathilda of Tuscany.[59] Alexander II died at the Lateran Palace on 21 April 1073, and was buried in the Lateran Basilica.[60]

Rome, 1073-1085, Holy Roman Pope, Gregory VII, reformer, investiture c with Henry IV
Roman Pope, 1073-1085, Gregory VII; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10;

Rome, 1084-1105, Henry IV, HRE Emperor, German, controversial, appointed commoners, walk to C, Inv c
Roman Emperor, 1084-1105, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor; IV (German: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 - 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. was the son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor—the second monarch of the Salian dynasty—and Agnes of Poitou. his father's death on 5 October 1056, Henry was placed under his mother's guardianship. She made grants to German aristocrats to secure their support. Unlike her late husband, she could not control the election of the popes, thus the idea of the "liberty of the Church" strengthened during her rule. Taking advantage of her weakness, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne kidnapped Henry in April 1062. He administered Germany until Henry came of age in 1065. endeavoured to recover the royal estates that had been lost during his minority. He employed low-ranking officials to carry out his new policies, causing discontent in Saxony and Thuringia. Henry crushed a riot in Saxony in 1069 and overcame the rebellion of the Saxon aristocrat Otto of Nordheim in 1071. appointment of commoners to high office offended German aristocrats, and many of them withdrew from Henry's court. insisted on his royal prerogative to appoint bishops and abbots, although the reformist clerics condemned this practice as simony (a forbidden sale of church offices). Pope Alexander II blamed Henry's advisors for his acts and excommunicated them in early 1073. Henry's conflicts with the Holy See and the German dukes weakened his position and the Saxons rose up in open rebellion in the summer of 1074. Taking advantage of a quarrel between the Saxon aristocrats and peasantry, he forced the rebels into submission in October 1075. adopted an active policy in Italy, alarming Pope Alexander II's successor, Gregory VII, who threatened him with excommunication for simony. Henry persuaded most of the German bishops to declare the Pope's election invalid on 24 January 1076. In response, the Pope excommunicated Henry and released his subjects from their allegiance. German aristocrats who were hostile to Henry called for the Pope to hold an assembly in Germany to hear Henry's case. prevent the Pope from sitting in judgement on him, Henry went to Italy as far as Canossa to meet with the Pope. His penitential "Walk to Canossa" was a success and Gregory VII had no choice but to absolve him in January 1077. Henry's German opponents ignored his absolution and elected an antiking, Rudolf of Rheinfelden, on 14 March 1077. Pope was initially neutral in the two kings' conflict, enabling Henry to consolidate his position. Henry continued to appoint high-ranking clerics, for which the Pope again excommunicated him on 7 March 1080. Most German and northern Italian bishops remained loyal to Henry and they elected the antipope Clement III. Rudolf of Rheinfelden was killed in battle and his successor, Hermann of Salm, could only exert royal authority in Saxony. From 1081, Henry launched a series of military campaigns to Italy, and Clement III crowned him emperor in Rome on 1 April 1084. of Salm died and Henry pacified Saxony with the local aristocrats' assistance in 1088. launched an invasion against the pope's principal Italian ally, Matilda of Tuscany, in 1089. She convinced Henry's elder son, Conrad II, to take up arms against his father in 1093. Her alliance with Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, prevented Henry's return to Germany until 1096 when he was reconciled with Welf. After Clement III's death, Henry did not support new antipopes, but did not make peace with Pope Paschal II. proclaimed the first Reichsfriede (imperial peace) which covered the whole territory of Germany in 1103. younger son, Henry V, forced him to abdicate on 31 December 1105. He tried to regain his throne with the assistance of Lotharingian aristocrats, but became ill and died without receiving absolution from his excommunication. preeminent role in the Investiture Controversy, his "Walk to Canossa" and his conflicts with his sons and wife established his controversial reputation, with some regarding him as the stereotype of a tyrant, and others describing him as an exemplary monarch who protected the poor. Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Rome, 1088-1099, Pope Urban II
Rome, 1088-1099, Pope Urban II; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May ;

Rome, 1096, First Crusade, 1096
First Crusade, 1096 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

Rome, 1100, 12th C Folder, Pope controversy bNorth oAlps, Antipope south oAlps, court packing, Northern Crusades, Battle otIce

Rome, 1130-1143, Pope Innocent II, election controversy, he was north of alps, Second Latern council
Rome, 1130-1143, Pope Innocent II; Innocent II (Latin: Innocentius II; died 23 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. election as pope was controversial and the first eight years of his reign were marked by a struggle for recognition against the supporters of Anacletus II. He reached an understanding with King Lothair III of Germany who supported him against Anacletus and whom he crowned as Holy Roman emperor. Innocent went on to preside over the Second Lateran council. Rome, 1130-1138, Antipope Anacletus II; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Rome, 1130-1138, Antipope Anacletus II, roman, south of alps, cardinal court packing
Rome, 1130-1138, Antipope Anacletus II; II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of cardinals was divided over his successor. Unusually, the election was entrusted to eight cardinals, who elected Papareschi (Innocent II). A larger body of cardinals then elected Pierleoni, which led to a major schism in the Roman Catholic Church. Anacletus had the support of most Romans, including the Frangipani family, and Innocent was forced to flee to France. North of the Alps, Innocent gained the crucial support of Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter the Venerable, and the Emperor Lothar III, leaving Anacletus with few patrons. Anacletus, with little remaining support, lived for several years and died with the crisis unresolved. In 1139 the second Lateran Council ended the schism, although opinion remained divided.[1] Rome, 1130-1143, Pope Innocent II; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Rome, 1137-1190, Frederick 1, Rome, HRE
Rome, 1137-1190, Frederick 1, Rome, HRE;

Rome, 1145-1153, Pope Eugene III, Papal States ruler, checked out Hildegard, first Cistercian, Second Crusade to Edessa
Rome, 1145-1153, Pope Eugene III ; Eugene III (c. 1080 - 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli,[2] or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. was the first Cistercian to become pope. response to the fall of Edessa to the Muslims in 1144, Eugene proclaimed the Second Crusade. The crusade failed to recapture Edessa, which was the first of many failures by the Christians in the crusades to recapture lands won in the First Crusade. was beatified in 1872 by Pope Pius IX. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Rome, 1195-1242, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope, Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake
Russia, Novgorod, 1195-1242, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III; Rome, 1191-1198, Pope, Celestine III; Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Rome, 1200, 13th C Folder, Franciscans, Poor Clares, Aquinas, Avignon Papacy, 14 Popes, Athos Orthodox Monks killed by Latins

Rome, 1202-1226, Francis of Assisi, Franciscans, Lady Poverty, no money, no property
Rome, 1202-1226, Francis of Assisi, Franciscans, Lady Poverty, no money, no property; Assisi; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. His early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, "Francis, repair my falling house." He took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. His father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father's wealth--one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. He declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. (It is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) Lepers were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. Francis cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. Since he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. He got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. Soon a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him: me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them.... three years, in 1210, the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ("Friar" means "brother," as in "fraternity", and "minor" means "lesser" or "younger." I take the meaning to be that a Franciscan, meeting another Christian, is to think, "I am your brother in Christ, and your younger brother at that, bound to defer to you and to give you precedence over myself." and his companions took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10): as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff. would have no money, and no property, individually or collectively. Their task was to preach, "using words if necessary," but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ. Francis was partial to a touch of the dramatic (see his parting from his father, for example), and it was probably he who set up the first Christmas manger scene, to bring home the Good News of God made man for our salvation, home to men's hearts and imaginations as well as to their intellects. 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. He was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. Francis proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis's deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. Francis returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands. preaching to the birds, by giottoBack in Italy and neighboring countries, the Order was suffering from its own success. Then, as now, many persons were deeply attracted by Francis and his air of joy, abandonment, and freedom. What is overlooked is that these were made possible only by his willingness to accept total poverty, not picturesque poverty but real dirt, rags, cold, and hunger, and lepers with real pus oozing from their sores and a real danger of infection. Many idealistic young men were joining the Order in a burst of enthusiasm and then finding themselves not so sure that such extremes of poverty were really necessary. When there were only a few friars, they were all known to Francis personally, and the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them. Now that the Order was larger, this was no longer enough. In 1220 Francis resigned as minister-general of the Order, and in 1221 he agreed to a new and modified rule, which he did not approve, but could not resist. He died on 4 October 1226. The Franciscan split into the Conventual Franciscans, who held a limited amount of property in common, and the Spiritual Franciscans, who disavowed all property. They taught that Christ and the twelve apostles had held no property, singly or jointly. This view offended those who held property, and was declared to be heretical (proof text, J 18:10; Jesus said to Peter, "Put up THY sword...."). In 1318, several Spiritual Franciscans were burned at the stake in Marseilles. story is told of the days when the friars first began to have permanent houses. A beggar came by when Brother Juniper was at the gate and asked for a little money. Brother Juniper said, "There is no money in the house. But wait a minute. Last week someone gave us an altar cloth with little silver bells attached. We don't need those. I will cut them off for you. They will be as good as money." And he did. When the sacristan learned what had happened, he complained to the prior, who said, "We are fortunate that he did not give away the cloth itself. But send him to me, and I will scold him." Brother Juniper came, and the prior scolded him until he was hoarse. Brother Juniper noticed that the prior was hoarse, and went to the kitchen and cooked him some mint sauce. He brought it to the prior, who had gone to bed. He said, "Father Prior, get up and eat this mint sauce. It will be good for your throat." The prior said, "I don't want any mint sauce. Go away and let me sleep." Brother Juniper said, "It's good sauce, and will be good for your throat." The prior said, "Go away, I don't want it." Brother Juniper said, "Well, if you won't eat it, how about holding the candle while I eat it?" This was too much for the prior. He got up and they both ate. the first known letter from Francis to all Christians: how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. Thereofore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be sinple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many readers are enthusiastic about St. Francis of Assisi, a biography of Francis by G K Chesterton. A reader of these essays has also recommended The Biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by Englebert by James Kiefer

Rome, 1202-1226, FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Franciscans, wedded Lady Poverty, serving p, preach by word&action love of God in Christ
Rome, 1202-1226, FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR, Umbria, Italy (Tiber River 1), Franciscans, repair my falling house, bale of silk for church of St Damiano, wedded to Lady Poverty, serving poor, leprosy, begged stones, paid in bread, 1210 order of brothers, out to preach, by word and action the love of God in Christ, touch of drama, Christmas manger, 1219 Holy Land Moslems, faith fire story, proposed armistice, sultan agreed, C not, custody shrines, split conventual v spiritual franciscans, s franciscans heretical burned a stake 1318; Assisi; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, "Francis, repair my falling house." took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father's wealth--one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him: me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them.... three years, in 1210, the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ("Friar" means "brother," as in "fraternity", and "minor" means "lesser" or "younger." I take the meaning to be that a Franciscan, meeting another Christian, is to think, "I am your brother in Christ, and your younger brother at that, bound to defer to you and to give you precedence over myself." and his companions took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10): as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff. would have no money, and no property, individually or collectively. task was to preach, "using words if necessary," but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ. was partial to a touch of the dramatic (see his parting from his father, for example), and it was probably he who set up the first Christmas manger scene, to bring home the Good News of God made man for our salvation, home to men's hearts and imaginations as well as to their intellects. 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis's deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands. Francis preaching to the birds, by giotto in Italy and neighboring countries, the Order was suffering from its own success. Then, as now, many persons were deeply attracted by Francis and his air of joy, abandonment, and freedom. What is overlooked is that these were made possible only by his willingness to accept total poverty, not picturesque poverty but real dirt, rags, cold, and hunger, and lepers with real pus oozing from their sores and a real danger of infection. idealistic young men were joining the Order in a burst of enthusiasm and then finding themselves not so sure that such extremes of poverty were really necessary. there were only a few friars, they were all known to Francis personally, and the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them. Now that the Order was larger, this was no longer enough. 1220 Francis resigned as minister-general of the Order, and in 1221 he agreed to a new and modified rule, which he did not approve, but could not resist. died on 4 October 1226. Franciscan split into the Conventual Franciscans, who held a limited amount of property in common, and the Spiritual Franciscans, who disavowed all property. They taught that Christ and the twelve apostles had held no property, singly or jointly. view offended those who held property, and was declared to be heretical (proof text, J 18:10; Jesus said to Peter, "Put up THY sword...."). In 1318, several Spiritual Franciscans were burned at the stake in Marseilles. story is told of the days when the friars first began to have permanent houses. A beggar came by when Brother Juniper was at the gate and asked for a little money. Brother Juniper said, "There is no money in the house. But wait a minute. Last week someone gave us an altar cloth with little silver bells attached. We don't need those. I will cut them off for you. They will be as good as money." And he did. When the sacristan learned what had happened, he complained to the prior, who said, "We are fortunate that he did not give away the cloth itself. But send him to me, and I will scold him." Brother Juniper came, and the prior scolded him until he was hoarse. Brother Juniper noticed that the prior was hoarse, and went to the kitchen and cooked him some mint sauce. He brought it to the prior, who had gone to bed. He said, "Father Prior, get up and eat this mint sauce. It will be good for your throat." The prior said, "I don't want any mint sauce. Go away and let me sleep." Brother Juniper said, "It's good sauce, and will be good for your throat." The prior said, "Go away, I don't want it." Brother Juniper said, "Well, if you won't eat it, how about holding the candle while I eat it?" This was too much for the prior. He got up and they both ate. the first known letter from Francis to all Christians: how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. we must be sinple, humble and pure. should never desire to be over others. we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. readers are enthusiastic about St. Francis of Assisi, a biography of Francis by G K Chesterton. A reader of these essays has also recommended The Biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by Englebert by James Kiefer BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); was born at Nursia (Norcia) in Umbria, Italy, around 480 AD. He was sent to Rome for his studies, but was repelled by the dissolute life of most of the populace, and withdrew to a solitary life at Subiaco. A group of monks asked him to be their abbot, but some of them found his rule too strict, and he returned alone to Subiaco. Again, other monks called him to be their abbot, and he agreed, founding twelve communities over an interval of some years. His chief founding was Monte Cassino, an abbey which stands to this day as the mother house of the world-wide Benedictine order. of Monte CassinoTotila the Goth visited Benedict, and was so awed by his presence that he fell on his face before him. Benedict raised him from the ground and rebuked him for his cruelty, telling him that it was time that his iniquities should cease. Totila asked Benedict to remember him in his prayers and departed, to exhibit from that time an astonishing clemency and chivalry in his treatment of conquered peoples. drew up a rule of life for monastics, a rule which he calls "a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to order nothing harsh or rigorous." The Rule gives instructions for how the monastic community is to be organized, and how the monks are to spend their time. An average day includes about four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer (called the Divinum Officium -- the Divine Office), five hours in spiritual reading and study, six hours of labor, one hour for eating, and about eight hours for sleep. The Book of Psalms is to be recited in its entirety every week as a part of the Office. Benedictine monk takes vows of "obedience, stability, and conversion of life." That is, he vows to live in accordance with the Benedictine Rule, not to leave his community without grave cause, and to seek to follow the teaching and example of Christ in all things. Normal procedure today for a prospective monk is to spend a week or more at the monastery as a visitor. He then applies as a postulant, and agrees not to leave for six months without the consent of the Abbot. (During that time, he may suspect that he has made a mistake, and the abbot may say, "Yes, I think you have. Go in peace." Alternately, he may say, "It is normal to have jitters at this stage. I urge you to stick it out a while longer and see whether they go away." Many postulants leave before the six months are up.) After six months, he may leave or become a novice, with vows for one year. After the year, he may leave or take vows for three more years. After three years, he may leave, take life vows, or take vows for a second three years. After that, a third three years. After that, he must leave or take life vows (fish or cut bait). Thus, he takes life vows after four and a half to ten and a half years in the monastery. At any point in the proceedings at which he has the option of leaving, the community has the option of dismissing him. Benedict, by Fra AngelicoThe effect of the monastic movement, both of the Benedictine order and of similar orders that grew out of it, has been enormous. We owe the preservation of the Holy Scriptures and other ancient writings in large measure to the patience and diligence of monastic scribes. In purely secular terms, their contribution was considerable. In Benedict's time, the chief source of power was muscle, whether human or animal. Ancient scholars apparently did not worry about labor-saving devices. The labor could always be done by oxen or slaves. But monks were both scholars and workers. A monk, after spending a few hours doing some laborious task by hand, was likely to think, "There must be a better way of doing this." The result was the systematic development of windmills and water wheels for grinding grain, sawing wood, pumping water, and so on. The rotation of crops (including legumes) and other agricultural advances were also originated or promoted by monastic farms. The monks, by their example, taught the dignity of labor and the importance of order and planning. For details, see The Mediaeval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Age, by Jean Gimpel, (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1976; Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0-14-00-4514-7). by James Kiefer CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Offreduccio, born in 1194, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Assisi. she was eighteen years old, she heard a sermon by Francis of Assisi, and was moved by it to follow the example of the Franciscan brothers and vow herself to a life of poverty. Her family was horrified, and brought her back home by force; but one night, in a gesture both tactical and symbolic, she slipped out of her house through "the door of the dead" (a small side door that was traditionally opened only to carry out a corpse) and returned to the house of the Franciscans. Francis cut off her hair, and placed her in a nearby convent. Later a house was found for her, and she was eventually joined by two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several members of the wealthy Ubaldini family of Florence. Clare's best friend, Pacifica, could not resist, and joined them, too. sisters of her order came to be known informally as Minoresses (Franciscan brothers are Friars Minor = "lesser brothers") or as Poor Clares. When the order was formed, Francis suggested Clare for the Superior. But she refused the position until she turned twenty-one. They devoted themselves to prayer, nursing the sick, and works of mercy for the poor and neglected. adopted a rule of life of extreme austerity (more so than of any other order of women up to that time) and of absolute poverty, both individually and collectively. They had no beds. They slept on twigs with patched hemp for blankets. Wind and rain seeped through cracks in the ceilings. They ate very little, with no meat at all. Whatever they ate was food they begged for. Clare made sure she fasted more than anyone else. Despite this way of life, or perhaps because of it, the followers of Clare were the most beautiful young girls from the best families of Assisi. community of Poor Clares continues to this day, both in the Roman and in the Anglican communions. by James Kiefer

Rome, 1214-1253, CLARE OF ASSISI, Poor Clares, wealthy, Francis' ex of poverty, begged food, ate little, no meat, most beautiful
Rome, 1214-1253, CLARE OF ASSISI, Umbria, Italy (Tiber River 1), Poor Clares, wealthy Florence Ubaldini daughter, followed Francis' example, of poverty, door of t dead, begged for food, ate little, no meat, most beautiful; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Offreduccio, born in 1194, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Assisi. she was eighteen years old, she heard a sermon by Francis of Assisi, and was moved by it to follow the example of the Franciscan brothers and vow herself to a life of poverty. family was horrified, and brought her back home by force; but one night, in a gesture both tactical and symbolic, she slipped out of her house through "the door of the dead" (a small side door that was traditionally opened only to carry out a corpse) and returned to the house of the Franciscans. cut off her hair, and placed her in a nearby convent. Later a house was found for her, and she was eventually joined by two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several members of the wealthy Ubaldini family of Florence. best friend, Pacifica, could not resist, and joined them, too. sisters of her order came to be known informally as Minoresses (Franciscan brothers are Friars Minor = "lesser brothers") or as Poor Clares. the order was formed, Francis suggested Clare for the Superior. But she refused the position until she turned twenty-one. devoted themselves to prayer, nursing the sick, and works of mercy for the poor and neglected. adopted a rule of life of extreme austerity so than of any other order of women up to that time) of absolute poverty, both individually and collectively. had no beds. They slept on twigs with patched hemp for blankets. and rain seeped through cracks in the ceilings. ate very little, with no meat at all. they ate was food they begged for. made sure she fasted more than anyone else. this way of life, or perhaps because of it, the followers of Clare were the most beautiful young girls from the best families of Assisi. community of Poor Clares continues to this day, both in the Roman and in the Anglican communions. by James Kiefer

Rome, 1243-1254, Pope Innocent IV, conflicts w Fred II, burning Talmuds, then not, Lyon
Rome, 1243-1254, Pope Innocent IV ; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) Commemorated November 17;

Rome, 1245-1274, Holy Roman Saint, Thomas Aquias
Belgium, 1245-1274, Holy Roman Saint, Thomas Aquias; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Rome, 1250-1273, Holy Roman Interregnum, No Emperor, several weak kings, anti kings, Avignon Papacy
Belgium, 1250-1273, Holy Roman Interregnum, No Emperor; There were many imperial interregna in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, when there was no emperor. Interregna in which there was no emperor-elect (king of the Romans) were rarer. Among the longest periods without an emperor were between 924 and 962 (38 years), between 1245 and 1312 (67 years), and between 1378 and 1433 (55 years). The crisis of government of the Holy Roman Empire and the German kingdom thus lasted throughout the late medieval period, and ended only with the rise of the House of Habsburg on the eve of the German Reformation and the Renaissance. The term Great Interregnum is occasionally used for the period between 1250 (death of Frederick II) and 1273 (accession of Rudolf I). Great Interregnum[edit] Or three leopards sable.svg Staufen party Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (Hohenstaufen).svg Frederick II (1245-“50) Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (Hohenstaufen).svg Conrad IV (1245-“54) Royal Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (1284-1390).svg Alfonso X of Castile (1257-“75) Arms of Rudolph I of Germany.svg Rudolf of Habsburg (1273-“75) Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig).svg Welf party Thuringia armor.svg Henry of Thuringia (1246-“47) Wapen graafschap Holland.svg William II of Holland (1247-“56) Richard of Cornwall Arms.svg Richard of Cornwall (1257-“72) Blason Bo Bohame.svg Ottokar II of Bohemia Result: compromise Unanimous election of Rudolf in 1273 Alfonso X of Castile renounced claim in 1275 After the deposition of Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV in 1245, Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia was set up as anti-king to Frederick's son Conrad IV (d. 1254). Henry was killed in 1247 and succeeded as anti-king by William of Holland (died 1256). After 1257, the crown was contested between Richard of Cornwall, who was supported by the Guelph party, and Alfonso X of Castile, who was recognized by the Hohenstaufen party but never set foot on German soil. After Richard's death in 1273, Rudolf I of Germany, a minor pro-Staufen count, was elected. He was the first of the Habsburgs to hold a royal title, but he was never crowned emperor. After Rudolf's death in 1291, Adolf and Albert were two further weak kings who were never crowned emperor. Albert was assassinated in 1308. Almost immediately, King Philip IV of France began aggressively seeking support for his brother, Charles of Valois, to be elected the next King of the Romans.[1] Philip thought he had the backing of the French Pope Clement V (established at Avignon in 1309), and that his prospects of bringing the empire into the orbit of the French royal house were good. He lavishly spread French money in the hope of bribing the German electors.[2] Although Charles of Valois had the backing of Henry, Archbishop of Cologne, a French supporter, many were not keen to see an expansion of French power, least of all Clement V.[2][3] The principal rival to Charles appeared to be Rudolf, the Count Palatine. Instead, Henry VII, of the House of Luxembourg, was elected with six votes at Frankfurt on 27 November 1308.[2] Given his background, although he was a vassal of king Philip,[2] Henry was bound by few national ties, an aspect of his suitability as a compromise candidate among the electors,[4] the great territorial magnates who had lived without a crowned emperor for decades, and who were unhappy with both Charles and Rudolf. Henry of Cologne's brother, Baldwin, Archbishop of Trier, won over a number of the electors, including Henry, in exchange for some substantial concessions.[2] Henry VII was crowned king at Aachen on 6 January 1309, and emperor by Pope Clement V on 29 June 1312 in Rome, ending the interregnum. LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274); Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1254-1261, Pope Alexander IV, a count of Sergni, Cardinal Dean, efforts to reunite Church
Rome, 1254-1261, Pope Alexander IV ; Alexander IV (1199 or c. 1185 – 25 May 1261) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 December 1254 to his death in 1261. 1 Early career 2 Pontificate 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 See also career[edit] was born as Rinaldo di Jenne in Jenne[1] (now in the Province of Rome), he was, on his mother's side, a member of the family de' Conti di Segni, the counts of Segni, like Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX. uncle Gregory IX made him cardinal deacon and Protector of the Order of Franciscans in 1227, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church from 1227 until 1231 and Bishop of Ostia in 1231 (or 1232). became Dean of the College of Cardinals in 1244 (or 1240). On the death of Pope Innocent IV in 1254 he was elected pope at Naples on 12 December 1254. pontificate was signaled by efforts to reunite the Eastern Orthodox churches with the Catholic Church, by the establishment of the Inquisition in France, by favours shown to the mendicant orders, and by an attempt to organize a crusade against the Tatars after the second raid against Poland in 1259. 26 September 1255, Alexander IV canonized Saint Clare of Assisi (Santa Chiara in Italian), founder of the religious order for women called the Poor Clares.[2] On 29 October 1255, in the papal bull Benigna Operatio, Alexander declared "his own knowledge" of the stigmata attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi.[3][4] 1256, Alexander IV condemned theories of Joachim of Fiore,[5] a millenarian prophet who had died in 1202 and whose ideas were taken up by the Fraticelli strand of the Franciscan Order. On the basis on his interpretation of the Book of Revelation, Joachim had postulated that 1260 would see the beginning of a Third Age, an age governed by the Holy Spirit, in which the hierarchy of the Church would become unnecessary - an idea which was obviously unwelcome to the Pope. In the event, 1260 - still in Alexander IV 's lifetime - came and went with no such Third Age materializing, but Joachim's ideas would in later centuries be taken up by the Cult of the Holy Spirit which had a major impact in Portugal and its colonies. pontiff also, on 27 September 1258, declared in the bull Quod super nonnullis that "divination or sorcery" was not to be investigated by Inquisitors of the Church, who were tasked with investigating heresy. Crimes involving magic should be left to local authorities unless they had "knowledge of manifest heresy to be involved", wherein "manifest heresy" included "praying at the altars of idols, to offer sacrifices, to consult demons, [or] to elicit responses from them". At this period in Church history, the use of magic was not seen as inherently heretical, but rather rooted in superstition or erroneous beliefs. [6][7][8] 14 May 1254,[9] shortly before his death, Innocent IV had granted Sicily, a papal fiefdom, to Edmund, second son of King Henry III of England. Alexander confirmed the grant on 9 April 1255,[10] in return for 2000 ounces of gold per annum, the service of 300 knights for three months when required, and 135,541 marks to reimburse the pope for the money he had expended attempting to oust Manfred from Sicily.[11] Henry's unsuccessful attempts to persuade his subjects to pay the taxes required to meet Alexander's demands were one of the factors in the conflict between the king and parliament which culminated in the Second Barons' War.[12] On 12 April 1261, shortly before his death, Alexander issued a papal bull for King Henry that absolved him and the magnates of his realm from the oaths taken in the Provisions of Oxford, which was instrumental in the War.[13] IV succeeded Innocent IV as guardian of Conradin, the last of the Hohenstaufens, promising him protection; but in less than three weeks he conspired against him and bitterly opposed Conradin's uncle Manfred.[14] Alexander IV threatened excommunication and interdict against the party of Manfred without effect. Nor could he enlist the kings of England and Norway in a crusade against the Hohenstaufens. Rome itself became too Ghibelline for the Pope, who withdrew to Viterbo, where he died in 1261. He was buried in Viterbo Cathedral, but his tomb was destroyed during sixteenth-century renovations. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1261-1265, Pope Urban IV, not a Cardinal,Tennhauser Legend, tried to restore Latin Empire
Rome, 1261-1265, Pope Urban IV; Urban IV (Latin: Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon,[1] was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time have not been cardinals, including Gregory X, Urban V and Urban VI. Contents 1 Early career 2 Pontificate 3 Legend of Tannhäuser 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links Early career[edit] Pantaléon was the son of a cobbler of Troyes, France.[1] He studied theology and common law in Paris and was appointed a canon of Laon and later Archdeacon of Liège. At the First Council of Lyon (1245) he attracted the attention of Pope Innocent IV, who sent him on two missions in Germany.[1] One of the missions was to negotiate the Treaty of Christburg between the pagan Prussians and the Teutonic Knights. He became Bishop of Verdun in 1253. In 1255, Pope Alexander IV made him Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.[1] Pantaléon had returned from Jerusalem, which was in dire straits,[1] and was at Viterbo seeking help for the oppressed Christians in the East when Alexander IV died. After a three-month vacancy, Pantaléon was chosen by the eight cardinals of the Sacred College to succeed him in a papal election that concluded on 29 August 1261. He chose the regnal name of Urban IV. Pontificate[edit] fortnight before Urban's election, the Latin Empire of Constantinople, founded during the ill-fated Fourth Crusade against the Byzantines, fell to the Byzantines led by Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. IV endeavoured without success to stir up a crusade to restore the Latin Empire.[citation needed] initiated construction of the Basilica of St. Urbain, Troyes, in 1262.[2] festival of Corpus Christi ("the Body of Christ") was instituted by Urban on 11 August, 1264, with the publication of the papal bull Transiturus.[3][4] asked Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican theologian, to write the texts for the Mass and Office of the feast.[5] This included such famous hymns as the Pange lingua, Tantum ergo, and Panis angelicus. became involved in the affairs of Denmark. Jakob Erlandsen, Archbishop of Lund, wanted to make the Danish Church independent of the Royal power – which put him in direct confrontation with the Dowager Queen Margaret Sambiria, acting as regent for her son, King Eric V of Denmark. Queen imprisoned the Archbishop, who responded by issuing an interdict. Both sides tried to get the Pope's support. The Pope agreed to several items that the Queen wanted – especially, he issued a dispensation to alter the terms of the Danish succession that would permit women to inherit the Danish throne. the main issues remained unsolved by Urban's death, with the case continuing at the papal court in Rome and the exiled Archbishop Erlandsen coming to Italy to pursue it in person. fact, the convoluted affairs of distant Denmark were of only a minor concern to the Pope. It was Italy which commanded Urban's near full attention: the long confrontation with the late Hohenstaufen German Emperor Frederick II had not been pressed during the mild pontificate of Alexander IV, during which it devolved into inter-urban struggles between nominally pro-Imperial Ghibellines and even more nominally pro-papal Guelf factions. Frederick II's heir Manfred was immersed in these struggles. military captain was the condottiere Azzo d'Este, nominally at the head of a loose league of cities that included Mantua and Ferrara. Any Hohenstaufen in Sicily was bound to have claims over the cities of Lombardy, and as a check to Manfred, Urban introduced Charles of Anjou into the equation to place the crown of the Kingdom of Sicily in the hands of a monarch amenable to papal control. Charles was Count of Provence by right of his wife, maintaining a rich base for projecting what would be an expensive Italian war. two years, Urban negotiated with Manfred regarding whether Manfred would aid the Latins in regaining Constantinople in return for papal confirmation of the Hohenstaufen rights in the realm. Meanwhile, the papal pact solidified with Charles a promise of papal ships and men, produced by a crusading tithe, and Charles's promise not to lay claims on Imperial lands in northern Italy, nor in the Papal States. Charles promised to restore the annual census or feudal tribute due the Pope as overlord, some 10,000 ounces of gold being agreed upon, while the Pope would work to block Conradin from election as King of the Germans. the arrival in Italy of his candidate Charles, Urban IV died at Perugia on 2 October 1264. His successor was Pope Clement IV, who immediately took up the papal side of the arrangement. is a story that the pope's death was related to Great Comet of 1264 which he fell sick at sometime near the arrival of the comet and then he died when the comet disappeared. of Tannhäuser[edit] a prominent German Minnesanger and poet, was a contemporary of Urban—the pope died in 1264, and the Minnesanger died shortly after 1265. Two centuries later, the pope became a major character in a legend which grew up about the Minnesanger, which is first attested in 1430 and propagated in ballads from 1450.[6] legendary account makes Tannhäuser a knight and poet who found the Venusberg, the subterranean home of Venus, and spent a year there worshipping the goddess. After leaving the Venusberg, Tannhauser is filled with remorse and travels to Rome to ask Pope Urban IV if it is possible to be absolved of his sins. Urban replies that forgiveness is as impossible as it would be for his papal staff to send forth green leaves. Three days after Tannhauser's departure Urban's staff begins to grow new leaves; messengers are sent to retrieve the knight, but he has already returned to Venusberg, never to be seen again; while the Pope, for refusing a penitent, is damned eternally.[7] There is, however, no historical evidence for the events in the legend. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1265-1271, Pope Clement IV, patron of Thoman Aquinas and Roger Bacon(Optics and scientific method)
Rome, 1265-1271, Pope Clement IV; Clement IV (c. 23 November 1190 - 29 November 1268), also known as Guy the Fat, was bishop of Le Puy (1257–1260), archbishop of Narbonne (1259–1261), cardinal of Sabina (1261–1265), and bishop of Rome from 5 February 1265 until his death. election as pope occurred at a conclave held at Perugia that lasted four months while cardinals argued over whether to call in Charles I of Anjou, the youngest brother of Louis IX of France, to carry on the papal war against the Hohenstaufens. Clement was a patron of Thomas Aquinas and of Roger Bacon, encouraging Bacon in the writing of his Opus Majus, which included important treatises on optics and the scientific method. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1271-1276, Pope Gregory X, a Franciscan, long 3 yr election, new conclave regs, for cardinals, against Italians
Rome, 1271-1276, Pope Gregory X; Gregory X (c. 1210 - 10 January 1276), born Teobaldo Visconti, was Bishop of Rome and hence head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 September 1271 to his death and was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order. He was elected at the conclusion of a papal election that ran from 1268 to 1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Catholic Church. convened the Second Council of Lyon and also made new regulations in regards to the papal conclave. Gregory was beatified by Pope Clement XI in 1713 after the confirmation of his cultus. to Gregory's regulations on the conduct of the conclave, though briefly annulled by Adrian V and John XXI, they remained in force until the 20th century. 1798 Pope Pius VI, in consideration of the occupation of Rome by the French, dispensed the Cardinals from many of the conclave regulations, including those of Gregory X,[1] while in 1878 Pope Pius IX, fearing that the Italians might invade the Vatican on his death and try to prevent or dominate a conclave, gave Cardinals great latitude in the regulating of the next conclave.[2] A radical revision was undertaken by Paul VI. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1276-1276, Pope Innocent V, preacher, UofParis chair, cardinal, brief tenure, facilitated Genoa Sicily peace
Rome, 1276-1276, Pope Innocent V; Innocent V (c. 1225 - 22 June 1276), born Pierre de Tarentaise, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 January to 22 June 1276. member of the Order of Preachers, he acquired a reputation as an effective preacher. held one of the two "Dominican Chairs" at the university of Paris, and was instrumental in helping with drawing up the "program of studies" for the Order. 1269, Peter of Tarentaise was Provincial of the French Province of Dominicans. He was a close collaborator of Pope Gregory X, who named him Bishop of Ostia and raised him to cardinal in 1273. the death of Gregory in 1276, Peter was elected pope, taking the name Innocent V. He died about five months later, but during his brief tenure facilitated a peace between Genoa and King Charles I of Sicily. Peter of Tarentaise was beatified in 1898 by Pope Leo XIII. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1276-1276, Pope Adrian V, one month tenure, envoy to England for baron king disputes, died naturally
Rome, 1276-1276, Pope Adrian V; Adrian V (c. 1210/1220 - 18 August 1276), born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was the head of the Catholic Church from 11 July 1276 to his death on 18 August 1276. was an envoy of Pope Clement IV sent to England in May 1265 who successfully completed his task of resolving disputes between King Henry III of England and his barons. Pope Adrian V was assigned the papal sit following the death of his uncle, Pope Innocent V, but died of natural illness before being ordained to the priesthood. the Divine Comedy, Dante meets Adrian V in the fifth terrace of Purgatorio where Adrian V cleanses for the vice of avarice. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1276-1277, Pope John XXI, Portuguese pope, physician, short tenure
Rome, 1276-1277, Pope John XXI; John XXI (c. 1215 - 20 May 1277), born Peter Juliani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 September 1276 to his death. from Damasus I (from Roman Lusitania), he has been the only Portuguese pope.[1] He is sometimes identified with the logician and herbalist Peter of Spain, which would make him the only pope to have been a physician.[1] Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1277-1281, Pope Nicholas III, roman nobleman, cardinal, Franciscan protector
Rome, 1277-1281, Pope Nicholas III; Nicholas III (c. 1225 - 22 August 1280), born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini,[1] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 November 1277 to his death. was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight popes, been made Cardinal-Deacon of St. Nicola in Carcere Tulliano by Pope Innocent IV (1243–54), protector of the Franciscans by Pope Alexander IV (1254–61), inquisitor-general by Pope Urban IV (1261–64), and succeeded Pope John XXI (1276–77) after a six-month vacancy in the Holy See resolved in the papal election of 1277,[2] largely through family influence. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1281-1285, Pope Martin IV, last french pope in Rome, stalemate, mob stole 2 cardinals, then Martin elected
Rome, 1281-1285, Pope Martin IV ; Martin IV (c. 1210/1220 - 6 March 1285), born Simon de Brion, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1281[1] to his death. was the last French pope to have held court in Rome; all subsequent French popes held court in Avignon (the Avignon Papacy). 1 Early life 2 Cardinal Simon de Brion 3 Three Conclaves of 1276 4 Election of Nicholas III 5 Conclave of 1280–1281 6 Pope Martin IV 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 Bibliography life[edit] de Brion, son of Jean, sieur de Brion, was born at the château of Meinpincien,[2] Île-de-France, France, in the decade following 1210. had a brother named Gilo, who was a knight in diocese of Sens.[3] The seigneurial family of Brion, who took their name from Brion near Joigny, flourished in the Brie français.[4] spent time at the University of Paris,[5] and is said to have then studied law at Padua and Bologna. -------------------------Through papal favour he received a canonry at Saint-Quentin in 1238 and spent the period 1248-1259 as a canon of the cathedral chapter in Rouen, finally as archdeacon.[6] At the same time he was appointed treasurer of the church of St. Martin in Tours by King Louis IX of France,[7] an office he held until he was elected pope in 1281. 1255–1259, King Louis IX founded the French royal convent at Longchamps for the Poor Clares (Minoresses); the King's sister Isabelle was the patroness (though she never entered the cloister herself),[8] and Simon de Brion was the Guardian.[9] In 1259, he was appointed to the council of the king, who made him keeper of the great seal, chancellor of France, one of the great officers in the household of the king. He became Chancellor of Louis IX of France (1260–1261).[10] Simon de Brion[edit] 17 December 1261,[11] the new French Pope, Urban IV (Jacques Pantaléon), made Chancellor de Brion cardinal-priest, with the titulus of the church of St. Cecilia. would have entailed Simon de Brion's residence in Rome, but the affairs of Pope Urban required that he send a representative of the highest level to France to deal personally with King Louis IX and his brother Charles of Anjou and Provence. previous experience at the French Court made him the perfect choice as Legate. Simon therefore returned to France as Papal Legate for Urban IV and also for his successor Pope Clement IV in 1264–1268.[12] 1264, on the eve of S. Bartholomew, he held a general synod at Paris.[13] He was appointed again, by Pope Gregory X on 1 August 1274, and he served continuously in France until 1279. first task was to raise support and money for a Crusade against Manfred, the Hohenstaufen candidate for the Imperial Crown.[14] immediately became deeply involved in the negotiations for papal support for the assumption of the crown of Sicily by Charles of Anjou. As Legate he presided over several synods on reform, and on the raising of funds for Pope Gregory's crusade. The most important of these was held at Bourges on 13 September 1276.[15] Signatures on papal bulls indicate that Cardinal Simon was back in Viterbo by 11 January 1268. In a letter of 14 or 15 January 1268,[16] Pope Clement IV wrote to Cardinal Simon de Brion that he had heard that the Cardinal had fallen from his horse and in the accident had injured his leg. also wrote that Conradin and Ludwig Duke of Bavaria were at Verona, and were pressing for Pavia. A general war was likely. Cardinal Simon's injury must not have been severe, since, on 3 April 1268, the Pope wrote to him with the request (not an order) that he undertake a legation to Germany (Teutonia), if he wished and if it were possible. The Pope needed a prudent and faithful man, who had clean hands and eyes wide open, who could stay centered on the business and let himself stray neither right nor left, who could preserve the Empire, keep the Apostolic See free from scandal, and the neighboring kingdoms free from danger. In vetting names, Simon seemed the most suitable.[17] Clement IV (Guy Foulques) fell ill on the Feast of S. Cecilia (22 November), and died at Viterbo on 29 November 1268. He had governed the Church for three years, nine months, and twenty-four days. The See of Peter was vacant for two years and nine months. Cardinal Simon de Brion came from France to attend the Conclave, which took place in the Episcopal Palace, next to the Cathedral of S. Lorenzo in Viterbo.[18] He was the senior cardinal-priest. Around Pentecost of 1270 (1 June), Cardinal Simon and Cardinal Riccardo Annibaldi of S. Angelo had to leave the Conclave and retire to their residences for the sake of their health. On 22 August 1270, he was one of the signatories to the letter of protest sent by the Cardinals to Raynerius Gatti, Captain of the City of Viterbo, to cease and desist from their harassment of the Cardinals and their suites.[19] He was one of the cardinals who signed the electoral compact on September, 1270, to leave the election of a new pope to a committee of six, promising to accept the committee's decision.[20] He was not, however, one of the six cardinals elected to the Compromise Committee that selected Archdeacon Teobaldo Visconti as pope on 1 September 1270. newly elected pope was not present in Viterbo, but was serving on Crusade with King Edward I of England. He arrived in Italy on 1 January 1271, and travelled to Viterbo, where he arrived early in February. He accepted the election, and chose to be called Gregory X. He and the Curia travelled to Rome, arriving on 13 March. On 19 March he was ordained a priest, and on 27 March he was consecrated bishop, and then crowned by Cardinal Giovanni Gaetano Orsini. Conclaves of 1276[edit] Simon de Brion's appointment as Legate in France, made by Pope Gregory on 1 August 1274[21] continued throughout 1276. He was unable to be present for the Conclave of 1 January 1276,[22] which elected Peter of Tarantaise as Pope Innocent V. Nor was he present for the Conclave of 2–11 July,[23] which elected Ottobono Fieschi as Pope Adrian V. Nor was he present at the September Conclave, which, on 8 September, elected Peter Julian as Pope John XXI.[24] In each case the election was completed before he could have been notified, and before he could have travelled from France to central Italy. This was one of the defects of Gregory X's regulations on the holding of a Conclave. of Nicholas III[edit] John XXI was in contact with Cardinal Simon. He had written to him on 3 March 1277, ordering him to speak with the king of France about matters connected with Alfonso of Castile.[25] But the Pope died rather suddenly, after a reign of only eight months. He was still living in the Episcopal Palace in Viterbo, where Adrian V (Fieschi) had died and where he had been elected. The palace was still under construction, when suddenly the roof of one of the chambers collapsed. The Pope was in the room at the time, and he was severely injured. He died three (or six) days later, on 20 May 1277. Cardinal Simon de Brion was still in France when the Conclave began, but he was unable to predict that the Conclave would last until 25 November, and therefore he was not present. were only seven cardinals in Viterbo, since neither Innocent V, nor Adrian V, nor John XXI had named any new cardinals.[26] They argued on and on, trying to choose a pope.[27] There were three cardinals who favored the Angevin Charles I and his designs. There were three who opposed him. Cardinal Bertrand de Saint Martin, Bishop of Sabina, the only surviving Cardinal Bishop, held a middle course, or perhaps one should say he saw too clearly to be willing to commit to either party.[28] Finally, they chose Cardinal Giovanni Gaetani (Orsini), a native Roman, the Deacon of S. Nicola in Carcere and senior Deacon, and Archpriest of the Vatican Basilica. Nicholas III immediately set out for Rome, where he was ordained a priest on 18 December 1277, and consecrated Bishop of Rome on 19 December. He was crowned on the Feast of S. Stephen, 26 December 1277 at the Vatican Basilica. person, at least, was deeply unhappy about the outcome of this Conclave, King Charles I of Sicily.[29] The new Orsini pope was an enemy of the Angevins, and Charles knew he would have nothing but trouble from Nicholas III. week after the election of Nicholas III, the new pope wrote to Simon, who was still Legate in France, urging him to effect a reconciliation between the King of France, Philip III, and the King of Leon and Castile, Alfonso the Wise.[30] the King of Aragon, Peter III (who was married to Constance of Sicily) was involved in the struggle over Sicily with Charles I, this peace initiative threatened King Charles directly. 22 April 1279, Pope Nicholas wrote to Cardinal Simon about King Philip. The Pope had issued a prohibition on tournaments, and King Philip and his barons were flagrantly violating the prohibition. Cardinal Simon was ordered to excommunicate the King of France.[31] ensure that his victory against the Angevins would stand, Nicholas III decided to go forward with a much needed addition to the Sacred College of Cardinals. At his first opportunity, on 12 March 1278, he created ten cardinals. Five cardinal bishops were named: Latino Frangipani Malabranca, OP, of Rome (Nicholas III's nephew by his sister Mabilia); Erhard de Lessines (Lesigny), of Langres, son of Guillaume, Marshal of Champagne; Bentivenga de Bentivengis, O.Min., of Aquasparta; Robert Kilwardby, OP, Archbishop of Canterbury; and Ordoño (Ordeonio) Ãlvarez, Bishop of Braga. Two cardinal-priests were named: Gerardo Bianchi of Parma, and Girolamo Masci d' Ascoli, O.Min., of Picenum. He also appointed three cardinal-deacons: Giordano Orsini, brother of Pope Nicholas III, of Rome; Giacomo Colonna of Rome; and Gerardo Cupalates, O.Min., of Piacenza.[32] The effect of these creations was to seriously dilute the Angevin influence in the Sacred College, and to considerably increase the monastic element, especially the Franciscan one. It needs to be recalled that Nicholas III was the Governor, Corrector, and Protector of the Franciscans. The Roman influence was also strengthened. The inevitable consequence would be that the next pope too would not be a creature of Charles I of Sicily. though, by 19 October 1279, Pope Nicholas recalled Cardinal Simon de Brion.[33] of 1280–1281[edit] article: Papal election, 1280–81 Cathedral and Episcopal Palace, Viterbo Nicholas III (Giovanni Caetano Orsini) died at Castro Soriano in the diocese of Viterbo on 22 August 1280 of an apoplectic stroke which had left him without speech.[34] story was circulated nonetheless that he had been poisoned. At the time of his death on 22 August 1280, there were thirteen cardinals.[35] This would be the fifth Conclave in five years. Charles had taken the trouble to make friends with the Annibaldi faction, led by Riccardo Annibaldi, who were enemies of the Orsini and who had been driven out of Rome in street fighting following the death of Nicholas III.[36] had taken refuge in Viterbo, and now, by coincidence, they were present and entrenched and ready to make trouble on behalf of Charles I and themselves. Annibaldi led a coup in Viterbo, which drove out the governor of the city, Orso Orsini, the dead pope's nephew. The Angevins thereupon dominated the Conclave, in which the regulations of Gregory X were still in abayence. But the Conclave still required a two-thirds vote to elect a pope, in according with the Constitution of Alexander III, which was still in effect. Neither the Orsini faction nor the French faction had sufficient votes to elect, but each had sufficient votes to block an election. The stalemate continued throughout the winter. On 2 February 1280, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a mob broke into the Episcopal palace, where the Conclave was in progress, and abducted two of the cardinals, Matteo Rosso Orsini and Giordano Orsini (the late pope's brother).[37] Without their opposition, Simon de Brion was unanimously elected to the papacy on 22 February 1281, taking the name Martin IV,[38] the third time in fifteen years Viterbo had hosted a papal conclave. And for the third time there were disorders which had threatened the validity of the election and the lives of the participants. was placed under the ban of excommunication and of the interdict for the imprisonment of the cardinals. It was not possible, therefore, for the Coronation to take place in Viterbo. Rome was not at all inclined to accept a hated Frenchman as Pope. IV sent two cardinals, Latino Orsini and Goffredo da Alatri, to Rome with a letter, proposing that he be crowned in Rome on Quadragesima Sunday.[39] The Romans positively refused to allow the Coronation to take place in Rome. But they did hold a public meeting, and elected Giovanni Caetani Orsini in his purely personal capacity as their Senator, and authorized him to appoint anyone he chose as his substitute. Martin IV was crowned instead at Orvieto on 23 March 1281.[40] He never visited Rome during his Pontificate. Instead he immediately sent his Vicar, Peter of Lavagna, to Rome. But on 30 April 1281, Pope Martin handed the senatorial power over to King Charles for the rest of his reign.[41] Martin IV[edit] bulla of Martin IV on Charles of Anjou in nearly everything, the new Pope quickly appointed him to the position of Senator of Rome.[42] the insistence of Charles, Martin IV excommunicated the Eastern Roman Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus, who stood in the way of Charles's plans to restore the Latin Empire of the East that had been established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. thus broke the tenuous union which had been reached between the Greek and the Latin Churches at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 and further compromise was rendered impossible. 1282, Charles lost control of the island of Sicily in the violent massacre known as the Sicilian Vespers.[43] Sicilians had elected Peter III of Aragon as their king and sought papal confirmation, in vain, though they were willing to reconfirm Sicily as a vassal state of the papacy. IV used all the spiritual and material resources at his command against the Aragonese in order to preserve Sicily for the House of Anjou. ---------------------------He excommunicated Peter III, declared his kingdom of Aragon forfeit, and ordered a crusade against him,[44] but it was all in vain. to the hostility of Raynerius, the Captain of Orvieto, in the repeated struggles between Guelphs and Ghibbelines, Pope Martin was unable to remain at Orvieto.[45] He removed himself and the Papal Curia from Orvieto on 26 June 1284, and arrived in Perugia on 4 October.[46] He died at Perugia on 28 March 1285. cathedral and town of Orvieto the example of Nicholas III, Pope Martin IV created new cardinals at his first opportunity, on the Quattuor Tempora of Lent, 12 April 1281. His new cardinals included: Bernardus de Languissello of Nîmes, the Archbishop of Arles since 1273; Hugh of Evesham, Canon of York and Archdeacon of Worcester; Gervasius de Glincamp of Mans, Archdeacon of Paris; Comes Giusianus, Conte de Casate, of Milan, Auditor of the Rota; Gaufridus (Geoffroy) de Barro or Barbeau, of Burgundy, Dean of the Cathedral of Paris; Johannes Chauleti (Cholet), of the village of Nointre in the diocese of Beauvais, a personal friend of Philip III, Philip IV, and Pope Martin IV; and Benedetto Gaetano of Anagni, who was elected Pope Boniface VIII on 24 December 1295. French influence is strongly in evidence, and only Cardinal Gaetano came from the neighborhood of Rome.[citation needed] Martin IV celebrated a solemn Mass in the Cathedral at Perugia on Easter Sunday, 25 March 1285, which was also the Feast of the Annunciation. After his usual lunch with his chaplains he was stricken with a sudden illness. On the following Wednesday, 28 March, around the fifth hour of the night, he died. He was buried in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Perugia. He had reigned four years and one month. His successor was elected four days later, on 2 April. the Divine Comedy, Dante sees Martin IV in Purgatory, where the reader is reminded of the former pontiff's fondness for Lake Bolsena eels and Vernaccia wine. 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1285-1288, Pope Honorius IV
Rome, 1285-1288, Pope Honorius IV; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1288-1294, Pope Nicholas IV
Rome, 1288-1294, Pope Nicholas IV; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1294-1294, Pope Celestine V
Rome, 1294-1294, Pope Celestine V; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1294-1303, Pope Boniface VIII
Rome, 1294-1303, Pope Boniface VIII; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1300, 14th C Folder, 7 Popes, Philip tFair, French King, captured Rome&Pope, Catherine oSienna, Jesus vision a6, Leopracy

Rome, 1303-1305, Pope Benedict XI
Rome, 1303-1305, Pope Benedict XI; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1305-1316, Pope Clement V
Rome, 1305-1316, Pope Clement V; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Rome, 1316-1334, Pope Benedict XII
Rome, 1316-1334, Pope Benedict XII;

Rome, 1334-1342, Pope Benedict XII
Rome, 1334-1342, Pope Benedict XII;

Rome, 1342-1352, Pope Clement VI
Rome, 1342-1352, Pope Clement VI ; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

Rome, 1367-1380, CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy
Rome, 1367-1380, SCATHERINE OF SIENA, (a Tuscan hill town, irrigation), REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy, persuaded Gregory XI back to R, ambassador to Florence, retired to Sienna, Dialog book visions advice, arrogant Urban VI, new Clement VII at Avigon, papal Schism till 1417; Siena; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); Benincasa, born in 1347, was the youngest (one of my sources says the 23rd) of twenty-five children of a wealthy dyer of Sienna (or Siena). the age of six, she had a vision of Christ in glory, surrounded by His saints. that time on, she spent most of her time in prayer and meditation, over the opposition of her parents, who wanted her to be more like the average girl of her social class. they gave in, and at the age of sixteen she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic (First Order = friars, Second Order = nuns, Third Order = laypersons), where she became a nurse, caring for patients with leprosy and advanced cancer whom other nurses disliked to treat. began to acquire a reputation as a person of insight and sound judgement, and many persons from all walks of life sought her spiritual advice, both in person and by letter. have a book containing about four hundred letters from her to bishops, kings, scholars, merchants, and obscure peasants.) persuaded many priests who were living iacn luxury to give away their goods and to live simply. her day, the popes, officially Bishops of Rome, had been living for about seventy years, not at Rome but at Avignon in France, where they were under the political control of the King of France Avignon Papacy, sometimes called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, began when Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope in 1303). visited Avignon in 1376 and told Pope Gregory XI that he had no business to live away from Rome. He heeded her advice, and moved to Rome. then acted as his ambassador to Florence, and was able to reconcile a quarrel between the Pope and the leaders of that city. She then retired to Sienna, where she wrote a book called the Dialog, an account of her visions and other spiritual experiences, with advice on cultivating a life of prayer. Gregory's death in 1378, the Cardinals, mostly French, elected an Italian Pope, Urban VI, who on attaining office turned out to be arrogant and abrasive and tyrannical, and perhaps to have other faults as well. Cardinals met again elsewhere, declared that the first election had been under duress from the Roman mob and therefore invalid, and elected a new Pope, Clement VII, who established his residence at Avignon. worked tirelessly, both to persuade Urban to mend his ways letters to him are respectful but severe and uncompromising -- as one historian has said, she perfected the art of kissing the Pope's feet while simultaneously twisting his arm), to persuade others that the peace and unity of the Church required the recognition of Urban as lawful Pope. Despite her efforts, the Papal Schism continued until 1417. greatly weakened the prestige of the Bishops of Rome, and thus helped to pave the way for the Protestant Reformation a century later. is known (1) as a mystic, a contemplative who devoted herself to prayer, (2) as a humanitarian, a nurse who undertook to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the sick; (3) as an activist, a renewer of Church and society, who took a strong stand on the issues affecting society in her day, and who never hesitated (in the old Quaker phrase) "to speak truth to power"; (4) as an adviser and counselor, with a wide range of interests, who always made time for troubled and uncertain persons who told her their problems -- large and trivial, religious and secular. by James Kiefer

Rome, 1370-1378, Roman Pope, Gregory XI, the last of the Avignon Popes
Pope, 1370-1378, Gregory XI, the last of the Avignon Popes; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380) ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Rome, 1378-1389, Roman Pope, Pope Urban VI
Roman Pope, 1378-1389, Pope Urban VI; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380) ;

Rome, 1389-1404, Pope Boniface IX
Roman Pope, 1389-1404, Pope Boniface IX; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Rome, 1400, 15th C Folder, Jan Hus, Roman Council oFlorence, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, Italian Wars

Roman Pope, 1404-1406, Pope Innocent VII
Roman Pope, 1404-1406, Pope Innocent VII; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Roman Pope, 1406-1415, Pope Gregory XII
Roman Pope, 1406-1415, Pope Gregory XII ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Rome, 1431-1444, Roman Catholic Council, Council of Florence
Roman Catholic Council, 1431-1444, Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Rome, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy R's, but studied lives otFathers, so God led him N, Igumen by dLlight smoke
Rome, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy Roman family, Protestant Reformation time, but he studied lives otFathers, focused on saving his soul, God led him become Orthodox, left for Russia without money, wearing old garment, tNovgorod, many churches monasteries there, tSvir, there Alex oSvir tonsured him monk, but he longed for solitary life, tIsland in Lezna r, 45 miles fNovgorod, mosquito breeding ground, berries roots herbs, fed&pet bears, discovered bHunters, because divine light, fed them, spoke prayed showed way out of marsh, many people came, chose place further out on Lesna, but pillar fire at night and fragrant smoke at day exposed him, some asked to stay, saw it was Lord's will he blessed them to build cells, 1540 wooden church, ordained as priest by Marcarius oNovgorod& Met All Russia, he example tOthers, clairvoyance wonderworking gifts, returned to solitary island after several yrs, fell asleep 1550, his monastery distinguished by spiritual life, Novgorod monasteries plundered by Sweds 17th C, Hermitage burned 1615, monks put to sword, 18th C dependency Nevsky Lavra St Pete, closed by Catherine 1764 like she closed other m ; Rome; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, he did not desire honors or earthly glory. he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. Astonished by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Saint Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. His disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. In the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Rome, 1494-1559, Italian Wars
Rome, 1494-1559, Italian Wars;

Rome, 1500, 16th C Folder, HRE Charles V fBelgium, Macarius tRoman writings sent tRussia, Jusuits, Spanish domination oItaly

Rome, 1519-1556, Charles V from Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor, 1519-1556, Charles V from Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Rome, 1530-1550, Macarius t Roman, writings sent to Russia, mosquitos, pet bears, divine light, night fire pillar, day cloud, m
Rome, 1530-1550, Macarius the Roman (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), wealthy, educated, to save his soul, protestant reformation, Holy Fathers writings, conflicts within Western Church, God sent him to Russia & Orthodox, Novgorod churches and monasteries, monk at Alexander's River Svir m, solitary life at R Lezna, mosquitos, pet bears, hunters, divine light, many people, move to elevated place, night pillar of fire, day cloud of fragrant smoke, monastery, 1540 church, ordained priest and igumen, clairvoyance&wonderworking, back to island solitary, d 1550; Rome; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Rome, 1534-1549, Pope, Paul III, Jesuits
Pope, 1534-1549, Paul III ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556) ; 1537 the Jesuits (now ten in number) gathered in Venice and (having found that renewed war in Palestine made journeying there impossible) offered their services to Pope Paul III. Ignatius and some of the others were ordained to the priesthood, and they were assigned various tasks. 1540 they became a formal organization, with the usual monastic vows, plus a fourth vow of personal obedience to the Pope. In order to have more time for preaching and study the order abolished the practice (followed by almost all previous orders) of reciting the monastic Hours in community. Its chief goals were: (a) renewal of the Roman Catholic Church through extensive education and the encouragement of frequent use of the sacraments, (b) extensive missionary work in non-Christian countries, and (c) a suitable response to the growing challenge of Protestantism. St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15;

Rome, 1559-1713, Spanish Domination of Italy
Rome, 1559-1713, Spanish Domination of Italy;

Rome, 1592-1605, Pope, Clement VIII
Pope, 1592-1605, Clement VIII; RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600);

Rome, 1600, 17th C Folder,

Rome, 1700, 18th C Folder, Austrian Domination of Italy, then French Domination of Italy

Rome, 1713-1796, Austrian Domination of Italy
Rome, 1713-1796, Austrian Domination of Italy;

Rome, 1796-1814, French Domination of Italy
Rome, 1796-1814, French Domination of Italy;

Rome, 1800, 19th C Folder, Napoleonic Kingdom oItaly, Kingdom oSardinia (Savoy&Nice), John Boscow, Salesians, 1st Vatican Council, 1848 Revolutions Springtime of Nations

Rome, 1805-1814, Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
Rome, 1805-1814, Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic);

Rome, 1835-1888, JOHN BOSCO, Turin, Salesian Society, work w disadvantaged youth, priest, educator, writer
Northern Italy, 1835-1888, JOHN BOSCO, Turin (Po River 1), the Salesian Society, work w disadvantaged youth, priest, educator, writer; Turin (Po River 1); JOHN BOSCO, Commemorated January 31 ; Bosco (16 August 1815 — 31 January 1888), born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, also called Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest and educator, who put into practice the dogma of his religion, employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment. He placed his works under the protection of Francis de Sales, thus his followers styled themselves the Salesian Society. Bosco succeeded in establishing a network of centers to carry on his work. In recognition of his work with disadvantaged youth, he was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. more from Wikipedia Melchior Bosco (16 August 1815,- 1 January 1888),[5][6][7] popularly known as Don Bosco,[8] was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill-effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.[9] follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Francis de Sales, Bosco was an ardent devotee of Mary, mother of Jesus, under the title Mary Help of Christians. He later dedicated his works to de Sales when he founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.[10] Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, now commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls. He taught Dominic Savio, of whom he wrote a biography that helped the young boy be canonized. is one of the pioneers of Mutual Aid Societies that were initiated as collaborative financial support to young migrant Catholic Workers in the city of Turin. In 1850 he drew up regulations to assist apprentices and their companions when any of them was involuntary without work or fell ill.[11] 18 April 1869, one year after the construction of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, Don Bosco established the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) connecting it with commitments easily fulfilled by most common people, to the spirituality and the mission of the Salesian Congregation (CG 24 SDB, 1996, NR. 80). The ADMA was founded to promote the veneration of the Most Holy Sacrament and Mary Help of Christians (Don Bosco, Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, San Benigno Canavese, 1890, page 33).[12] 1875, he began to publish the Salesian Bulletin.[13][14] The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.[13] In 1876, Bosco founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor.[15] established a network of organizations and centres to carry on his work. Following his beatification in 1929, he was canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in 1934. the archives of the Salesian Congregation is a contract of apprenticeship, dated November 1851; another one on stamped paper costing 40 cents, dated 8 February 1852; and others have later dates. They are among the first contracts of apprenticeship to be found in Turin. All of them are signed by the employer, the apprentice, and Don Bosco. In those contracts, Don Bosco touched on many sensitive issues. Some employers customarily made servants and scullery boys of the apprentices. Don Bosco obliged them to agree to employ the boys only in their acknowledged trade. Employers used to beat the boys. Don Bosco required them to agree that corrections be made only verbally. He cared for their health and demanded that they be given rest on feast days and an annual holiday. Despite all the efforts and contracts, however, the situation of the apprentices of the time remained difficult.[30] influential friend was Piedmontese Justice Minister Urbano Rattazzi. He was anticlerical in his politics but saw some value in Bosco's work.[32][33] While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardanian legislature to suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on how to get around the law. He found a religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder's death.[32] Bosco had been thinking about that problem too and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose "Congregation of St. Francis de Sales". He was also training select older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter of the idea to establish a religious order to carry out Bosco's vision was the reigning pope, Pope Pius IX. in 1934.

Rome, 1846-1878, Pius IX, first Vatican Council 1868, lost control Papal States 1870 to Italy, reform champion then concervative
Rome, 1846-1878, Pope, Pius IX; Pius IX (Italian: Pio IX, Pio Nono; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti;[a] 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. was notable for convoking the First Vatican Council in 1868 and for permanently losing control of the Papal States in 1870 to the Kingdom of Italy. Thereafter he refused to leave Vatican City, declaring himself a "prisoner of the Vatican". the time of his election, he was seen as a champion of liberalism and reform, but the Revolutions of 1848 decisively reversed his policies. Upon the assassination of his Prime Minister Rossi, Pius escaped Rome and excommunicated all participants in the short-lived Roman Republic. After its suppression and his return in 1850, his policies and doctrinal pronouncements became increasingly conservative, seeking to stem the revolutionary tide. his encyclical Ubi primum he emphasized Mary's role in salvation.[4] In 1854, he promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, articulating a long-held Catholic belief that Mary, the Mother of God, was conceived without original sin. His 1864 Syllabus of Errors was a strong condemnation against liberalism, modernism, moral relativism, secularization, separation of church and state, and other Enlightenment ideas. Pius definitively reaffirmed Catholic teaching in favor of the establishment of the Catholic faith as the state religion where possible. His appeal for financial support resulted in the successful revival of donations known as Peter's Pence. He centralized power in the church in the Holy See and Roman Curia, while also clearly defining the Pope's doctrinal authority. His chief legacy is the dogma of papal infallibility. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 2000. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Rome, 1848, Revolutions of 1848, Springtime of Nations, 50 Countries, for democracy, free press, Potato Famine, L forced into exile
Rome, 1848, Revolutions of 1848; Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples[2] or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history. revolutions were essentially democratic and liberal in nature, with the aim of removing the old monarchical structures and creating independent nation-states.[citation needed] revolutions spread across Europe after an initial revolution began in France in February. Over 50 countries were affected, but with no significant coordination or cooperation among their respective revolutionaries. of the major contributing factors were widespread dissatisfaction with political leadership, demands for more participation in government and democracy, demands for freedom of the press, other demands made by the working class, the upsurge of nationalism, the regrouping of established government forces,[3] and the European Potato Failure, which triggered mass starvation, migration, and civil unrest.[4] uprisings were led by temporary coalitions of reformers, the middle classes ("the bourgeoisie") and workers.[5] the coalitions did not hold together for long. Many of the revolutions were quickly suppressed; tens of thousands of people were killed, and many more were forced into exile. lasting reforms included the abolition of serfdom in Austria and Hungary, the end of absolute monarchy in Denmark, and the introduction of representative democracy in the Netherlands. The revolutions were most important in France, the Netherlands, Italy, the Austrian Empire, and the states of the German Confederation that would make up the German Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Rome, 1861-1946, Kingdom of Italy
Rome, 1861-1946, Kingdom of Italy; Kingdom of Italy (Italian: Regno d'Italia) was a state which existed from 1861 – when King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy – until 1946, when civil discontent led an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and form the modern Italian Republic. The state was founded as a result of the unification of Italy under the influence of the Savoy-led Kingdom of Sardinia, which can be considered its legal predecessor state. Italy declared war on Austria in alliance with Prussia in 1866 and received the region of Veneto following their victory. Italian troops entered Rome in 1870, thereby ending more than one thousand years of Papal temporal power. Italy entered into a Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1882, following strong disagreements with France about the respective colonial expansions. However, even if relations with Berlin became very friendly, the alliance with Vienna remained purely formal as the Italians were keen to acquire Trentino and Trieste, corners of Austria-Hungary populated by Italians. So during World War I, Italy accepted the British invitation to join the Allied Powers, as the western powers promised territorial compensation (at the expense of Austria-Hungary) for participation that was more generous than Vienna's offer in exchange for Italian neutrality. Victory in the war gave Italy a permanent seat in the Council of the League of Nations. "Fascist Italy" is the era of National Fascist Party government from 1922 to 1943 with Benito Mussolini as head of government. The fascists imposed totalitarian rule and crushed the political and intellectual opposition, while promoting economic modernization, traditional social values and a rapprochement with the Roman Catholic Church. According to Payne (1996), "[the] Fascist government passed through several relatively distinct phases". The first phase (1923–1925) was nominally a continuation of the parliamentary system, albeit with a "legally-organized executive dictatorship". Then came the second phase, "the construction of the Fascist dictatorship proper, from 1925 to 1929". The third phase, with less activism, was 1929 to 1934. The fourth phase, 1935–1940, was characterized by an aggressive foreign policy: war against Ethiopia, launched from Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, which resulted in its annexation;[3] confrontations with the League of Nations, leading to sanctions; growing economic autarky; and the signing of the Pact of Steel. The war itself (1940–1943) was the fifth phase with its disasters and defeats, while the rump Salò Government under German control was the final stage (1943–1945).[4] Italy was an important member of the Axis powers in World War II, battling on several fronts with initial success. However, after the German-Italian defeat in Africa and in the Soviet Union and the subsequent Allied landings in Sicily, King Victor Emmanuel III placed Mussolini under arrest, and the Fascist Party in areas (south of Rome) controlled by the Allied invaders was shut down. The new government signed an armistice in September 1943. German forces immediately occupied northern Italy with Fascists' help, setting up the Italian Social Republic, a collaborationist puppet state still led by Mussolini and his Fascist loyalists. As a consequence, the country descended into civil war, with the Italian Co-belligerent Army and the resistance movement contended the Social Republic's forces and its German allies. Shortly after the war and the liberation of the country, civil discontent led to the institutional referendum on whether Italy would remain a monarchy or become a republic. Italians decided to abandon the monarchy and form the Italian Republic, the present-day Italian state. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26 ;

Rome, 1869-1870, First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council (1869-1870); Second Vatican Council ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ;

Rome, 1878-1903, Pope Leo XIII
Rome, 1878-1903, Pope Leo XIII; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Rome, 1900, 20th C Folder, 2nd Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII, Peace on Earth

Rome, 1958-1963, Roman Pope, Pope John XXIII
Roman Pope, 1958-1963, Pope John XXIII; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 4;

Rome, 1962-1965, Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ;

Rome, 1963, Peace on Earth (Pacem in Terris, 1963)
Pacem in Terris (1963); Vatican City ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ;

Rome, Central Italy, Tiber River Folder

Tiber River

Tiber River Source (Mount Fumaiolo)
Mount Fumaiolo;

Apennine Mountains
Apennine Mountains; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12;

Tiber River 1 (Unbria Region, Assisi)

San Damiano, Assisi Church, 1150 or 12th Century
San Damiano, Assisi ; BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; FRANCIS OF ASSISI;

Umbria Region, Italy (Tiber River 1) Lake Trasimeno, Marmore Falls
Umbria Region; is a region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the River Tiber. The regional capital is Perugia. region is characterized by hills, mountains, valleys and historical towns such as the university centre of Perugia, Assisi, a World Heritage Site associated with St. Francis of Assisi, Terni, Norcia, Citta di Castello, Gubbio, Spoleto, Orvieto, Todi, Castiglione del Lago, Narni, Amelia, Spello and other small cities. Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30 ; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ;

Assisi, Umbria, Italy (Tiber River 1), Franciscans, Francis of Assisi
Assisi; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); was born at Nursia (Norcia) in Umbria, Italy, around 480 AD. He was sent to Rome for his studies, but was repelled by the dissolute life of most of the populace, and withdrew to a solitary life at Subiaco. A group of monks asked him to be their abbot, but some of them found his rule too strict, and he returned alone to Subiaco. Again, other monks called him to be their abbot, and he agreed, founding twelve communities over an interval of some years. His chief founding was Monte Cassino, an abbey which stands to this day as the mother house of the world-wide Benedictine order. of Monte CassinoTotila the Goth visited Benedict, and was so awed by his presence that he fell on his face before him. Benedict raised him from the ground and rebuked him for his cruelty, telling him that it was time that his iniquities should cease. Totila asked Benedict to remember him in his prayers and departed, to exhibit from that time an astonishing clemency and chivalry in his treatment of conquered peoples. drew up a rule of life for monastics, a rule which he calls "a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to order nothing harsh or rigorous." The Rule gives instructions for how the monastic community is to be organized, and how the monks are to spend their time. An average day includes about four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer (called the Divinum Officium -- the Divine Office), five hours in spiritual reading and study, six hours of labor, one hour for eating, and about eight hours for sleep. The Book of Psalms is to be recited in its entirety every week as a part of the Office. Benedictine monk takes vows of "obedience, stability, and conversion of life." That is, he vows to live in accordance with the Benedictine Rule, not to leave his community without grave cause, and to seek to follow the teaching and example of Christ in all things. Normal procedure today for a prospective monk is to spend a week or more at the monastery as a visitor. He then applies as a postulant, and agrees not to leave for six months without the consent of the Abbot. (During that time, he may suspect that he has made a mistake, and the abbot may say, "Yes, I think you have. Go in peace." Alternately, he may say, "It is normal to have jitters at this stage. I urge you to stick it out a while longer and see whether they go away." Many postulants leave before the six months are up.) After six months, he may leave or become a novice, with vows for one year. After the year, he may leave or take vows for three more years. After three years, he may leave, take life vows, or take vows for a second three years. After that, a third three years. After that, he must leave or take life vows (fish or cut bait). Thus, he takes life vows after four and a half to ten and a half years in the monastery. At any point in the proceedings at which he has the option of leaving, the community has the option of dismissing him. Benedict, by Fra AngelicoThe effect of the monastic movement, both of the Benedictine order and of similar orders that grew out of it, has been enormous. We owe the preservation of the Holy Scriptures and other ancient writings in large measure to the patience and diligence of monastic scribes. In purely secular terms, their contribution was considerable. In Benedict's time, the chief source of power was muscle, whether human or animal. Ancient scholars apparently did not worry about labor-saving devices. The labor could always be done by oxen or slaves. But monks were both scholars and workers. A monk, after spending a few hours doing some laborious task by hand, was likely to think, "There must be a better way of doing this." The result was the systematic development of windmills and water wheels for grinding grain, sawing wood, pumping water, and so on. The rotation of crops (including legumes) and other agricultural advances were also originated or promoted by monastic farms. The monks, by their example, taught the dignity of labor and the importance of order and planning. For details, see The Mediaeval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Age, by Jean Gimpel, (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1976; Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0-14-00-4514-7). by James Kiefer CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Offreduccio, born in 1194, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Assisi. she was eighteen years old, she heard a sermon by Francis of Assisi, and was moved by it to follow the example of the Franciscan brothers and vow herself to a life of poverty. Her family was horrified, and brought her back home by force; but one night, in a gesture both tactical and symbolic, she slipped out of her house through "the door of the dead" (a small side door that was traditionally opened only to carry out a corpse) and returned to the house of the Franciscans. Francis cut off her hair, and placed her in a nearby convent. Later a house was found for her, and she was eventually joined by two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several members of the wealthy Ubaldini family of Florence. Clare's best friend, Pacifica, could not resist, and joined them, too. sisters of her order came to be known informally as Minoresses (Franciscan brothers are Friars Minor = "lesser brothers") or as Poor Clares. When the order was formed, Francis suggested Clare for the Superior. But she refused the position until she turned twenty-one. They devoted themselves to prayer, nursing the sick, and works of mercy for the poor and neglected. adopted a rule of life of extreme austerity (more so than of any other order of women up to that time) and of absolute poverty, both individually and collectively. They had no beds. They slept on twigs with patched hemp for blankets. Wind and rain seeped through cracks in the ceilings. They ate very little, with no meat at all. Whatever they ate was food they begged for. Clare made sure she fasted more than anyone else. Despite this way of life, or perhaps because of it, the followers of Clare were the most beautiful young girls from the best families of Assisi. community of Poor Clares continues to this day, both in the Roman and in the Anglican communions. by James Kiefer FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. His early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, "Francis, repair my falling house." He took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. His father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father's wealth--one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. He declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. (It is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) Lepers were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. Francis cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. Since he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. He got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. Soon a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him: me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them.... three years, in 1210, the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ("Friar" means "brother," as in "fraternity", and "minor" means "lesser" or "younger." I take the meaning to be that a Franciscan, meeting another Christian, is to think, "I am your brother in Christ, and your younger brother at that, bound to defer to you and to give you precedence over myself." and his companions took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10): as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff. would have no money, and no property, individually or collectively. Their task was to preach, "using words if necessary," but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ. Francis was partial to a touch of the dramatic (see his parting from his father, for example), and it was probably he who set up the first Christmas manger scene, to bring home the Good News of God made man for our salvation, home to men's hearts and imaginations as well as to their intellects. 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. He was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. Francis proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis's deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. Francis returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands. preaching to the birds, by giottoBack in Italy and neighboring countries, the Order was suffering from its own success. Then, as now, many persons were deeply attracted by Francis and his air of joy, abandonment, and freedom. What is overlooked is that these were made possible only by his willingness to accept total poverty, not picturesque poverty but real dirt, rags, cold, and hunger, and lepers with real pus oozing from their sores and a real danger of infection. Many idealistic young men were joining the Order in a burst of enthusiasm and then finding themselves not so sure that such extremes of poverty were really necessary. When there were only a few friars, they were all known to Francis personally, and the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them. Now that the Order was larger, this was no longer enough. In 1220 Francis resigned as minister-general of the Order, and in 1221 he agreed to a new and modified rule, which he did not approve, but could not resist. He died on 4 October 1226. The Franciscan split into the Conventual Franciscans, who held a limited amount of property in common, and the Spiritual Franciscans, who disavowed all property. They taught that Christ and the twelve apostles had held no property, singly or jointly. This view offended those who held property, and was declared to be heretical (proof text, J 18:10; Jesus said to Peter, "Put up THY sword...."). In 1318, several Spiritual Franciscans were burned at the stake in Marseilles. story is told of the days when the friars first began to have permanent houses. A beggar came by when Brother Juniper was at the gate and asked for a little money. Brother Juniper said, "There is no money in the house. But wait a minute. Last week someone gave us an altar cloth with little silver bells attached. We don't need those. I will cut them off for you. They will be as good as money." And he did. When the sacristan learned what had happened, he complained to the prior, who said, "We are fortunate that he did not give away the cloth itself. But send him to me, and I will scold him." Brother Juniper came, and the prior scolded him until he was hoarse. Brother Juniper noticed that the prior was hoarse, and went to the kitchen and cooked him some mint sauce. He brought it to the prior, who had gone to bed. He said, "Father Prior, get up and eat this mint sauce. It will be good for your throat." The prior said, "I don't want any mint sauce. Go away and let me sleep." Brother Juniper said, "It's good sauce, and will be good for your throat." The prior said, "Go away, I don't want it." Brother Juniper said, "Well, if you won't eat it, how about holding the candle while I eat it?" This was too much for the prior. He got up and they both ate. the first known letter from Francis to all Christians: how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. Thereofore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be sinple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many readers are enthusiastic about St. Francis of Assisi, a biography of Francis by G K Chesterton. A reader of these essays has also recommended The Biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by Englebert by James Kiefer

Monte Subasio
Monte Subasio;

Lake Trasimeno

Tiber River 2 (Spoleto)

Tiber River 3 (Nera River Mouth)

Rome, Central Italy, Tiber River 3, Nera River Folder

Nera River

Sibillini Mountains
Sibillini Mountains;

Nera Rvier Source (Sibillini Mountains)

Nera River 1 (Nurisa)

Nursia (Nera River 1), Northeast of Rome
Nursia; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Benedict of Nursia; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14;

Nera River 2 (Trebium)

Trebium (Nera River 2)
Trebium Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18;

Nera River 3

Nera River 4 (near Spoleto)

Spoleto (Nera River 4, foothills Apennine Mountains)
Spoleto; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Concordius of Spoleto, Commemorated on June 4;

Nera River 5

Nera River 6

Nera River 9 (Nera River Plain)

Terni (Nera River Plain, NR 9)
Terni (Nera River Plain) ; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated July 30

Interamna, Terni, Italy (Nera River 9)
Interamna; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated July 30

Nera River Mouth (Tiber River 3)

Tiber River 4

Tiber River 5 (Rome, Aniene River Mouth)

Rome, Central Italy, Tiber River 5, Aniene River Folder

Aniene River

Aniene River Source (Trevi nel Lazio, Monti Ernici Mountains)
Trevi nel Lazio; Monti Ernici Mountains;

Monti Ernici Mountains
Monti Ernici Mountains;

Ferentino (Monti Ernici Mountains)
Ferentino (Monti Ernici Mountains); St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Aniene River 1

Aniene River 2 (Subiaco)

Subiaco (Aniene River 2), East of Rome
Subiaco, Lazio; BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Benedict of Nursia; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14;

Aniene River 3

Aniene River 4

Aniene River Mouth (Rome, Tiber River 5)

Mausoleum of St Agnes at Rome (Aniene River Mouth area) 306
mausoleum of St Agnes at Rome; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304);

St Agnes Church of Rome (Aniene River Mouth area) 306
mausoleum of St Agnes at Rome; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; AGNES OF ROME, MARTYR (21 JAN 304);

Tiber River 6 (Rome)

Tiber River Mouth (Ostia, Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea)

Ostia (the port city of Rome, Tiber River Mouth)
Ostia (the port city of Rome) ; Virginmartyr Susanna, Commemorated on August 11 ; Martyr Felix Beheaded at Ostia; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ;

Rome, Italy, Vatican Folder

Vatican City
Vatican City ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64);

Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, 1626
Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11 ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64);

Bacilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, 560 Approx
Bacilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT);

Matidia, Temple of Matidia, Rome, 119
Matidia, Temple of Matidia, Rome; Venerable Paraskevi (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14;

Porta San Pancrazio (Via Aurelian Gate, near Vatican)
Porta San Pancrazio; Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

St Boniface Church, P.za di Sant'Alessio, 23, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
St Boniface Church, P.za di Sant'Alessio, 23, 00153 Roma RM, Italy; Saint Gregory, Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19;

Piazza Farnese (Rome, near Vatican)
Piazza Farnese, Saint Jerome's hand is enshrined in a Church near Piazza Farnese; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Uniates - Eastern Catholic Churches
Uniates - Eastern Catholic Churches ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5;

Jesuits, Society of Jesus, Originated in Spain, 1540
Jesuits, Society of Jesus, Originated in Spain; St. Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Rome, Italy, Latern Hill Folder

Lateran hill, Rome
Lateran hill; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

Latern Palace
Latern Palace; Latern Council; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21;

Lateran Cathedral, 324
Lateran Cathedral; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22;

church of the holy Martyrs Laurence and Pope Damasus at Rome, 258
church of the holy Martyrs Laurence and Pope Damasus at Rome; Hieromartyr Hippolytus, and those with him, Commemorated on January 30;

St Clement's Basillica, Lateran Hill
St Clement's Basillica; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Rome, Italy, Coliseum area Folder

Coliseum, Rome
Coliseum; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Mamertine Prison, Rome, 640 BC
Mamertine Prison; Martyr Processus of Rome, Commemorated on April 11;

Roman Senate (Curia Julia)
Roman Senate (Curia Julia); Apostle Pudens of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15;

Basilica (Church) of San Clemente, Rome
Church of San Clemente, Rome; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ;

Church (Basilica) of San Clemente, Rome
Church of San Clemente, Rome; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ;

Saint Sebastian's Basilica (near Rome)
Saint Sebastian's Basilica at the catacombs in Rome; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ;

Tre Fontaine Abby, Rome aka Three Fountains Abby, St Paul's Head Story
Tre Fontaine Abby, Rome aka Three Fountains Abby; Fontane Abbey (English: Three Fountains Abbey; Latin: Abbatia trium fontium ad Aquas Salvias), the Abbey of Saints Vincent and Anastasius, is a Roman Catholic abbey in Rome, held by monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, better known as Trappists. is known for raising the lambs whose wool is used to weave the pallia of new metropolitan archbishops. The Pope blesses the lambs on the Feast of Saint Agnes on January 21. The wool is prepared, and he gives the pallia to the new archbishops on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Holy Apostles. Acque Salvie avenue towards the Tre Fontane Abbey The Arch of Charlemagne at the abbey entrance of the abbey to the monastery are three separate churches. The first, the Church of St. Paul of Three Fountains, was raised on the spot where St. Paul was beheaded by order of the Emperor Nero. Legend accounts for the three springs (fontane) with the assertion that, when severed from Paul's body, his head bounced and struck the earth in three different places, from which fountains sprang up.[1] These still flow and are located in the sanctuary. second church, Santa Maria Scala Coeli, dedicated to Mary under the title "Our Lady of Martyrs", is built over the relics of Saint Zeno and his 10,203 legionaries, who were martyred at the order of Diocletian in 299. In this church is the altar of the scala coeli ("ladder to heaven"), from which the church receives its present name. are the church and monastery dedicated to Saints Vincent and Anastasius, built by Pope Honorius I in 626 and given to the Benedictines. They were to care for the two older sanctuaries, as well as their own church. the middle of the seventh century, the persecutions inflicted on the Eastern monks by the Monothelites obliged many of them to seek shelter in Rome. The pope committed this abbey to them as a refuge. The abbey was richly endowed, particularly by Charlemagne, who bestowed on it the Isola del Giglio off the Tuscan coast, as well as Orbetello and eleven other towns with a considerable territory. Its abbot exercised ordinary jurisdiction (abbatia nullius) over this area. the tenth century, it was given to the Cluniacs. In 1140 Pope Innocent II withdrew the abbey from them, and entrusted it to Bernard of Clairvaux. He assigned a Cistercian colony from Clairvaux to the abbey, with Peter Bernard of Paganelli as their abbot, who five years later became Pope Eugene III. Innocent granted the monastery to the Cistercians, he had the church repaired and the monastic quarters rebuilt according to the usages of the order. Of the fourteen regular abbots who governed the abbey, several besides Eugene III became cardinals, legates, or bishops. Pope Honorius III restored the Church of Saints Vincent and Anastasius and personally consecrated it in 1221. At the same service, seven cardinals consecrated the seven altars within. The square in the front of two churches: Santa Maria Scala Coeli (right) and Santi Anastasio e Vincenzo (left) Branda da Castiglione became the first commendatory abbot in 1419. Subsequently, this office was often filled by a cardinal. The cardinals and future popes Clement VII and Clement VIII held this position. In 1519 Pope Leo X authorized the religious to elect their own regular superior, a claustral prior independent of the commendatory abbot, who from this time forward was always to be a cardinal. 1625, when the abbey was affiliated to the Cistercian Congregation of St. Bernard in Tuscany, until its suppression at the Napoleonic invasion in 1812, the local superior was a regular abbot, but without prejudice to the commendatory abbot. The best known of this series of regular abbots was the second, Dom Ferdinand Ughelli, who was one of the foremost literary men of his age, the author of Italia Sacra and numerous other works. 1812 the sanctuaries were deserted, until Leo XII removed them from the nominal care of the Cistercians in 1826, and transferred them to the Friars Minor of the Strict Observance. The purpose of the pontiff was not accomplished: the surroundings were so malarial that no community could live there. In 1867 Pius IX appointed as commendatory abbot of Tre Fontane his cousin Cardinal Giuseppe Milesi Pironi Ferretti, who worked to improve the physical surroundings. To ensure the sanctuaries were cared for, he committed the monastery to the Cistercians. A community was sent there in 1868 from La Grande Trappe to institute the regular life and to try to improve the healthiness of the lands. From long neglect they had been called the tomba (graveyard) of the Roman Campagna. the Papal States were incorporated at the unification of Italy in 1870, the friars remained at Tre Fontane. They first rented and then purchased the secularized properties from the government in 1886, including an additional tract of 1,234 acres (4.99 km2). They inaugurated modern drainage methods to eliminate conditions that allowed the prevalence of chronic malaria, which had adversely affected local health. They also planted numerous eucalyptus and other trees, an experiment insisted upon by the government in the contract of sale. The trial proved a success, so that the vicinity became nearly as healthful as Rome. May 2015, Tre Fontane became the eleventh Trappist monastery to produce and sell Trappist beer.[2] Lady of Revelation the road from the abbey is the Grotto of the Three Fountains in Rome. It is said that this is where St. Paul was beheaded and his head bounced three times on the ground. 1947, it became a shrine to the Virgin Mary who appeared to Bruno Cornacchiola and his three children. Bruno changed his ways and rejoined the Catholic Church spending the rest of his life as a Catholic. From that moment forward, the dirt in the grotto is said to have miraculous powers.[3] Uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios the Persian, Commemorated on January 24;

Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome; Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna, Commemorated on December 9;

Catacombs of Rome, Catacomb of Callixtus
Catacombs of Rome, Catacomb of Callixtus; Martyr Marinus, his wife Martha, their children, and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Rome, Italy, Appian Way Folder

Appian Way 336 Miles or 540 Kilometers
Appian Way;

Appian Way Route 2

Appian Way (Rome)
Appian Way;

Appian Way (Naples)

Appian Way (Bari)

Appian Way (Brindisi)

Appian Way (Trullo)

Rome, Italy, Via Salaria Folder

Rome (Clean), Salarian Way, Via Salaria
Via Salaria;

Via Nomentana (ancient road from Rome to Nomentana, only 23 K)
Via Nomentana (ancient road from Rome to Nomentana, only 23 K, probably same route as the longer Via Salaria (Salt Road)); Virginmartyr Agnes of Rome, Commemorated January 21 ;

Via Salaria 1 (Porta Salaria Gate, Aurelain Walls)
Porta Salaria Gate, Gardens of Sallust, Aurelian Walls;

Via Salaria 2 (Rieti)
Rieti;

Via Salaria 3 (Asculum, Ascoli Piceno)
Ascoli Piceno;

Via Salaria 4 (Castrum Truentinum, Adriatic Sea)
Castrum Truentinum;

Via Salaria 5 (Ancona)
Ancona;

Rome, Italy, Via Aurelia Folder

Via Aurelia (Roman Road, Pisa to Rome)
Via Aurelia;

Via Aurelia 1 (Pisa)
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome; Pisa;

Via Aurelia 2 (Cosa)
Via Aurelia 2 (Cosa);

Via Aurelia 3 - Alsium

Via Aurelia 4 - Aurelian gate, Porta St Pancrazio
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome - Aurelian gate, Rome aka Porta Pia. The Aurelian gate is known today as the Porta St Pancrazio. Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

Rome, Italy, Corsica and Sardinia Islands Folder

Corsica
Corsica; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated July 16 ;

Sardinia
Sardinia ; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ;

Mount Turri, Sardinia Via Faro Bellavista Sn - 08048 Arbatax (OG)
Mount Turri, Sardinia Via Faro Bellavista Sn - 08048 Arbatax (OG); Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Rome (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Rome (Clean), its Area
Rome, its Area

Subiaco (Aniene River 2), East of Rome
Subiaco, Lazio;

Rome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5)
Rome;

Saint Sebastian's Basilica (near Rome)
Saint Sebastian's Basilica at the catacombs in Rome;

Ostia (the port city of Rome, Tiber River Mouth)
Ostia (the port city of Rome) ;

Nursia (Nera River 1), Northeast of Rome
Nursia;

Spoleto (Nera River 4, foothills Apennine Mountains)
Spoleto;

Vatican City, 1929, but Popes Residence from 14th C
Vatican City ;

Vatican (Clean) City, its Area, 1929, but Pope's Residence from 14th C
Vatican (Clean) City, its Area

Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Rome, 1626
Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican;

Matidia, Temple of Matidia, Rome, 119
Matidia, Temple of Matidia, Rome;

Lateran hill, Rome
Lateran hill;

Latern Palace, Pope's Residence 4th till 14th Century
Latern Palace; Latern Council;

Santa Pudenziana, shrine location of Pope before Latern Palace
Santa Pudenziana, shrine location of Pope before Latern Palace; Venerable Peter of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

St Clement's Basillica, Lateran Hill
St Clement's Basillica;

Coliseum, Rome
Coliseum;

Mamertine Prison, Rome, 640 BC
Mamertine Prison;

Roman Senate (Curia Julia)
Roman Senate (Curia Julia);

Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
Church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome;

St Agnes Church of Rome (Aniene River Mouth area) 306
mausoleum of St Agnes at Rome;

Tre Fontaine Abby, Rome aka Three Fountains Abby, St Paul's Head Story
Tre Fontaine Abby, Rome aka Three Fountains Abby;

Rome, Roman Roads Folder

Salarian Way, Via Salaria
Via Salaria;

Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains, Via Salaria) Severus brings back dead man in 6th C
Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains);

Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium)
Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium) ;

Rome (Clean), Roman Empire, Roman Roads Folder

Roman Empire, its Area

Africa (Clean), Roman Province of Africa
Africa, North Africa, Roman Province of Africa (just along the Mediteranian Sea Coast to Egypt)

Rome (Clean), Crimea, Cherson, Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

Cherson, Crimea in the Roman Empire (Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 2)
Cherson, Crimea;

Troy, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy to Bosphorus of Constantinople

Troy, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople

Spain and Portugal - Roman Road and 5 Major Rivers Folder

Way of St James (Camino Real)

Way of St James (Jaca)

Ebro River

Duero River

Tagus River

Guadiana River

Guadalquivir River

Gaul, Roman Roads Folder and major rivers

Gaul, Roman Roads or Major Rivers

Somme River

Seine River

Liore River

Massif Central (Central France)
Massif Central; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Puy de Dome (dormant lava dome of a volcano)
Puy de Dome (dormant lava dome of a volcano); PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Britany Area

Brittany or Breton Region, France
Brittany; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ; St. Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Normandy Area

Normandy, France (Lower Seine to Cotentin Peninsula)
Normandy; Duchy of Normandy; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, Commemorated January 19 ;

Pitou Region (Poitevan Marsh, Poitiers, Limoge high point, Clain River)

Clain River

Poitou Region, (Poitiers, Limoge high point, Poitevan Marsh, Clain River)
Poitevan Marsh; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Dordogne River

Garonne River

Aude River

Rhone River

Saone River

Maginot Line - French Line between France and Germany
Maginot Line;

Siegfried Line - German Line between Germany and France
Siegfried Line - German Line between Germany and France;

Lourdes, Southwest France (Healing Spring, East of Oloron, France on Way of St James, Spain)
Lourdes; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ;

Way of St James (Oloron)

Way of St James (Ostabat)

Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus
Frontier (Limes) Germanticus;

Gaul, German Frontier, Lower Rhine Frontier Folder

Roman German Frontier - Lower Limes Germanica

Roman German Frontier - Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands
Roman German Frontier - Katwijk;

Roman German Frontier- Valkenburg, South Holland
Valkenburg, South Holland

Roman German Frontier - Leiden, South Holland
Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Alphen aan den Rijn, South Holland
Alphen aan den Rijn;

Roman German Frontier - Zwammerdam
Roman German Frontier - Zwammerdam;

Roman German Frontier - Bodegraven, South Holland

Roman German Frontier - Woerden, Central Netherlands
Woerden, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Vleuten, Central Netherlands
Vleuten, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Utrecht, Central Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Fectio, Central Netherlands
Roman German Frontier - Fectio, Central Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Rijswijk, Gelderland
Rijswijk, Gelderland; Central Eastern Netherlands

Roman German Frontier - Maurik, Gelderland
Maurik, Gelderland, Central Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Kesteren, Gelderland
Kesteren, Gelderland;

Roman German Frontier - Arnhem, Gelderland
Arnhem, Gelderland, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Duiven, Eastern Netherlands
Duiven, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Herwen, Eastern Netherlands
Herwen, Gelderland, Eastern Netherlands;

Roman German Frontier - Kleve, Germany
Kleve, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bedburg-Hau, Germany
Bedburg-Hau, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Kalkar, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Kalkar, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Xanten, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Xanten, Northwest Rineland, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Moers, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Moers, Rhine River 10, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Krefeld, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Krefeld, Rhine River 9.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Neuss, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Neuss, Rhine River 9, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Monheim am Rhein, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Monheim am Rhein, Rhine River 8.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Dormagen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Dormagen, Rhine River 8.5, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Cologne, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Cologne, Rhine River 8, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bonn, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bonn, Rhine River 7, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Remagen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Remagen, Rhine River 6.5, Germany;

Gaul, German Frontier, Upper Rhine Frontier Folder

Roman German Frontier - Upper Limes Germanticus

Roman German Frontier - Rheinbrohl, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Rheinbrohl, Rhineland Palentine, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Ems, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Ems, Rhineland Plaz, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Schwalbach, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Schwalbach, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der HÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¶he, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der HÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¶he, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Wetterau, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Wetterau, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Grobkrotzenburg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Grobkrotzenburg, Hesse, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Miltenberg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Rehberg (Harz) Mountain, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Rehberg (Harz) Mountain, Lower Saxony, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Buchen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Buchen, Badem Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Osterburken, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Osterburken, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Jagsthausen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Jagsthausen, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Welzheim, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Welzheim, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Lorch (Wurttemberg), Germany
Roman German Frontier - Lorch (Wurttemberg), Baden Wurttemburg, Germany:

Gaul, German Frontier, Rhaetian Frontier Folder
Roman Province of Rhaetia; Reschen Pass;

Roman German Frontier - Rhaetian Limes Germaticus

Roman German Frontier - Aalen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Aalen, Baden Wurttemburg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Gunzenhausen, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Gunzenhausen, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Weibenburg in Bayern, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Weibenburg in Bayern, Middle Franconia, Germany;

Roman German Frontier, Kipfenberg, Germany
Roman German Frontier, Kipfenberg, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Regensburg, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany;

Roman German Frontier - Pfunz Roman Fort, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Pfunz Roman Fort, Bavaria, Germany;

Northern Italy, Roman Roads Folder, Amber Road tSt Petersburg

Po River

Northern Italy, 1000, 11th C Folder, Walk to Canossa

Walk to Canossa

Walk to Canossa in 1077 Folder

Walk to Canossa - from Speyer
Walk to Canossa; from Speyer ; to confrontation at Canossa ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Walk to Canossa - Mont Cenis Pass
Mont Cenis Pass;

Walk to Canossa - to Canossa
Walk to Canossa; from Speyer ; to confrontation at Canossa ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Via Aurelia Folder - Pisa to Rome

Via Aurelia (Roman Road - Pisa to Rome)
Via Aurelia;

Via Aurelia 2 (Cosa)

Via Aurelia 3 - Aurelian gate
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome - Aurelian gate, Rome aka Porta Pia. The Aurelian gate is known today as the Porta St Pancrazio. Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

Northern Italy, Amber Road Folder

Amber Road 1 (Venice, Italy)

Venice, Northern Italy (Adige River Mouth, Amber Road)
Venice; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 6 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ;

Amber Road 2 (Aquileia, Italy)

Amber Road 3 (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Amber Road 4 (Ptuj, Slovenia)

Amber Road 4b (Vienna, Austria, Danube River 5)

Amber Road 5 (Brno, Moravia, Czech Republic)

Amber Road 6 (Bouzov Castle, Czech Republic)

Amber Road 7 (Klodzko, Poland)

Amber Road 8 (Wroclaw, Poland)

Amber Road 9 (Milicz Ponds)

Amber Road 10 (Wielkopolska, Poland)

Amber Road 11 (Biskupin, Poland)

Amber Road 12 (Malbork, Poland)

Amber Road 13 (Gdansk, Poland)

Amber Road 14 (Kaliningrad, Prussia)

Amber Road 15 (Yantarny, Prussia)

Amber Road 16 (Nida, Lithuania)

Amber Road 17 (Palanga, Lithuania)

Amber Road 18 (Riga, Latvia)

Amber Road 19 (Tallinn, Estonia)

Mesopotamia, Roman Roads Folder

Tigris River

Euphrates River

Jerusalem, Roman Roads Folder

Judea (West Bank)
Judea;

Samaria (West Bank)
Samaria;

Benjamin, between Roads to Jericho on West Bank
Jericho West Bank;

Road to Gilgal - Galilee to Jericho Road

Egypt, Roman Roads Folder

Nile River Way

Cataracts of the Nile

Kings Highway (Nile River, Egypt to Euphrates River, Syria)

Way of the Sea (Egypt to Syria)

Rome, Roman Roads, Apostles Silk Road Folder (Black Sea to India and China)

Silk Road North 1 Luoyang

Silk Road North 2 Changan

Xi'an, ancient capital of China (Silk Road Starting Point)
Xi'an, ancient capital of China;

Xianyang, China (Silk Road North 2 Changan)
Xianyang; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

Bin County, Shaanxi, China (Includes Xiaozhang)
Bin County, Shaanxi (Includes Xiaozhang), and is part of Xianyang, Shaanxi, China; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ;

Silk Road North 3 Shaanxi Province

Silk Road North 4 Gansu Province

Silk Road North 5a north of Taklimakan Desert

Silk Road North 5b South of Taklimakan Desert

Silk Road North 5c Turpan

Silk Road North 6a Kashgar

Silk Road North 6b Talgar

Silk Road Divider (Tian Shan Mountains)
Tian Shan Mountains;

Silk Road North 7 Amaty

Silk Road North Kokand

Silk Road North Termiz

Silk Road North Balkh

Silk Road North Fergana Valley

Silk Road North Karakum Desert

Silk Road North and South at Merv

Silk Road North and South at Black Sea at Trabzon

Silk Road South Karakoram

Silk Road South Karakoram Highway

Silk Road South Khunjerab Pass

Silk Road South, K Hwy 1, Upal China

Silk Road South, K Hwy 2, Tashkurgan, Xinjiang China

Silk Road South, K Hwy 3, Sost

Silk Road South, K Hwy 4, Passu

Silk Road South, K Hwy 5, Gulmit

Silk Road South, K Hwy 6, Hunza Valley

Silk Road South, K Hwy 7, Nagar Valley

Silk Road South, K Hwy 8, Gilgit

Silk Road South, K Hwy 9, Parri Bangla

Silk Road South, K Hwy 10, Chilas

Silk Road South, K Hwy 11, Kohistan

Silk Road South, K Hwy 12, Besham

Silk Road South over the Hindu Kush Mountains

Silk Road South, Hindu Kush Mountains to Merv

Silk Road South, Kashgar, China to Hindu Kush Mountains (Tea Horse Route)

Silk Road North to Kashgar by north of the Taklimakan Desert route

Silk Road North to Kashgar by south of the Taklimakan Desert route

Silk Road North and North of the Tian Shan Mountains

Silk Road from Kashgar to Fergana Valley to Koland to Merv

Silk Road from Kashgar to Termiz to Balkh to Merv

Silk Road, Trabezon to Merv
Western reaches of the Silk Road

Grand Trunk Road (between South China and Afganistan)

Grand Trunk Road 1 (Chittagong, Bangladesh)

Grand Trunk Road 2 (Dhaka, Bangladesh)

Grand Trunk Road 3 (Serampore Colony, Kolkata, West Bengal, India)

Grand Trunk Road 4 (Howrah, West Bengal, India)

Grand Trunk Road 5 (Murshidabad, West Bengal, India)

Grand Trunk Road 6 (Patna, Bihar, India)

Grand Trunk Road 7 (Banares, India)

Grand Trunk Road 8 (Ilhabad)

Grand Trunk Road 9 (Delhi, India)

Grand Trunk Road 10 (Lahore, Pakistan)

Grand Trunk Road 11 (Peshawar, Pakistan)

Grand Trunk Road 12 (Kabul, Afganistan)

Grand Trunk Road (Southeast Asia to Afganistan)

Southern Silk Road

Southern Silk Road - The Tea Route (Hunnan to Bengal)

Southern Silk Road- the Tea Route (Yunnan)

Southern Silk Road - The Tea Route (Dhaka, Bengal

Terracina (Appian Way, south of Rome)
Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ;

Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains, Via Salaria) Severus brings back dead man in 6th C
Interocrea (Antrodoco, between the mountains); St Severus the Presbyter of Interocrea in Italy, Commemorated on June 27; Severus the Presbyter during the sixth century served in a church of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Interocrea in Central Italy. He was noted for his virtuous and God-pleasing life. One time, when the saint was working in his garden, cutting grapes in the vineyard, they summoned him to administer the Holy Mysteries for the dying. Saint Severus said: “Go back, and I’ll catch up with you soon.â€ remained only but a few more grapes to cut off, and Saint Severus dallied for awhile in the garden to finish the work. When he arrived at the sick person’s home, they told him that the person was already dead. Saint Severus, regarding himself as guilty in the death of a man without absolution, started to tremble and loudly he began to weep. He went into the house where the deceased lay. loud groans and calling himself a murderer, in tears he fell down before the dead person. Suddenly the dead man came alive and related to everyone that the demons wanted to seize his soul, but one of the angels said, “Give him back, since the priest Severus weeps over him, and on account of his tears the Lord has granted him this man.â€ Saint Severus, giving thanks to the Lord, confessed and communed the resurrected man with the Holy Mysteries. That man survived for another seven days, then joyfully went to the Lord.

Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium)
Adrianium, Italy (Hadrianium) ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30;

Theato, Italy
Theato, Italy; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated August 14

England, Roman Roads Folder

The Roman Wall - Hadrian's Wall

Great North Road

Ephesus, Roman Roads Folder

Great Road from Ephesus thru Colossae to the Euphrates at Melitine

Phrygia, Roman Roads Folder

Phrygia - Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya Rivers)

Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya) - Sakarya Mouth

Connecting Rivers Route - Sogut

Connecting River Route - Kotyaeion

Connecting Rivers Route - Synnada

Connecting Rivers Route - Polybotum

Connecting Rivers Route - Antioch, Pisidia

Connecting Rivers Route - Lake Beysehir

Connecting Rivers Route - Seleucia

Connecting Rivers Route - Akarcay River Mouth

Naples, Roman Roads Folder

Naples, Appian Way Folder

Terracina (Appian Way, north of Naples)
Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ;

Gaeta, Naples (Roman Road Appian Way)
Gaeto or Gaeta, Italy; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17;

Formia, Naples (on the Appian Way between Rome and Naples)
Formia, Lazio, bordering Campania, half way between Rome and Naples; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Sinuessa (on the Appian Way)
Sinuessa (in Campania); Sinuessa was a city on the line of the Via Appia, and was the last place where that great highroad touched on the sea-coast. Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7;

Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian
Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian, The Third Servile War 73 BC; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13;

Mount Garganus (north of Appian Way)
Mount Garganus; The Gargano peninsula is partly covered by the remains of an ancient forest, Foresta Umbra, the only remaining part in Italy of the ancient oak and beech forest that once covered much of Central Europe as well as the Apennine deciduous montane forests biome. Horace spoke of the oaks of Garganus in Ode II, ix.; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1;

Gargano, Mount Garganus (Adriatic Sea, east northeast of Naples)
Gargano, Mount Garganus; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1; Holy Martyr Potitus suffered under the emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138-161). Having become familiar with the Christian teaching, the young Potitus believed in the true God and accepted holy Baptism at thirteen years of age. When he learned of this, his pagan father was extremely upset and tried, first by endearments, and then by threats to dissuade his son from his faith in Christ the Savior, but his efforts were in vain. Impressed by the boy’s firmness of faith, the father also came to believe in the Son of God and became a Christian himself. Potitus traveled through many lands preaching about Christ, and by the power of God he worked wondrous miracles. the region of Epiros, lived the illustrious woman Kyriake, the wife of a senator; she was afflicted with leprosy. Hearing of Saint Potitus, she summoned him and asked him to heal her. The saint declared that if she believed in Christ, she would be healed. The woman accepted holy Baptism and was immediately made well. Seeing such a miracle, her husband and all their household believed in Christ and were baptized as well. this, the saint settled on Mount Garganus and lived in solitude, among the animals. He was found there by servants of the emperor Antoninus, whose daughter was possessed by a demon. Through the lips of the maiden, the devil said that he would come out of her only if Potitus should come. They brought the holy youth to the emperor, and through the prayers of Saint Potitus the demon released the girl. But instead of being grateful, the emperor treated the saint with inhuman cruelty. For his firm confession of faith in Christ the Savior, and for his refusal to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, to whom the emperor imputed the healing of his daughter, he ordered that the saint’s tongue be torn out, and that he be blinded. After lengthy torture, Saint Potitus was finally beheaded.

Aecae, Italy (Appian Way)
Aecae, Italy (Appian Way) ; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Brindisi, Italy (Appian Way, K Triangle)
Brindisi; Martyr Cecilia at Rome, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Appian Way (Bari)
Bari, Italy;

Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos DurrÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â«s Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela ÃƒÂ„Ã‚Â°psala Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi (Apros, Apris, AprÃƒÂ„Ã‚Â«) Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereÃƒÂ„Ã‚ÂŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion KÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¼ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¼kÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§ekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Via Egnatia - Bari, Italy
Bari, Italy;

Bari, Italy ( on Appian Way and Via Egnatia, across Adriatic from K Triangle Via)
Bari, Italy; Arab Muslim Conquest of Southern Italy 827; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10: Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Via Egnatia - Dyrrachium
Via Egnatia - Dyrrachium;

Via Egnatia - Claudiana
Via Egnatia - Claudiana ;

Via Egnatia - Bottom of the K Triangle Claudiana to Thessalonica

Via Egnatia - Thessalonica
Via Egnatia - Thessalonica;

Via Egnatia - Pydna
Via Egnatia - Pydna;

Via Egnatia - Pydna to Thessalonica

Via Egnatia - Amphipolis
Via Egnatia - Amphipolis;

Via Egnatia - Philippi
Via Egnatia - Philippi;

Via Egnatia - Neapolis
Via Egnatia - Neapolis;

Via Egnatia - Traianoupolis
Via Egnatia - Traianoupolis;

Via Egnatia - Kypsela
Via Egnatia - Kypsela ;

Via Egnatia - Kypsela to Perinthus

Via Egnatia - Aenus or Enos
Via Egnatia - Aenus or Enos;

Via Egnatia - Enos to Kypsela

Via Egnatia - Apros
Via Egnatia - Apros;

Via Egnatia - Adrianople
Via Egnatia - Adrianople ;

Via Egnatia - Drizipara
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome)
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Via Egnatia - Perinthus or Heraclea Thracia
Via Egnatia - Perinthus or Heraclea;

Via Egnatia - Caenophrurium
Via Egnatia - Caenophrurium;

Via Egnatia - Selymbria
Via Egnatia - Selymbria ;

Via Egnatia - Melantias
Via Egnatia - Melantias;

Via Egnatia - Rhegion
Via Egnatia - Rhegion;

Via Egnatia - Byzantium
Via Egnatia - Byzantium;

Trullo, Appian Way east of Naples
Council in Trullo in 692; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Greece, Macedonia, Roman Roads Folder

Greece, Macedonia, K Triangle area of Macedonia Folder, Kutmichivitsa, Albania, Via Egnatia

Kutmichevitsa, Southwest Macedonia or Albania (K Triangle Area)
Kutmichevitsa, (K Triangle Area), the northwestern part of the region of Macedonia and the southern part of Albania, broadly taken to be the area included in the triangle ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ;

Ochrid, Greater Macedonia and Albania (Roman Roads, largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Gregory of Ochrid; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Neochorion, Greece, on Roman Road Via Egnatia, near Adrianople
Neochorion, Evros; (Greek: Νεοχώρι meaning new village) is a village and a community in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros regional unit in Greece. The community includes the village Patagi. It is situated 7 km west of the centre of Orestiada. Year Neochori village Patagi Community 1981 1,612 - - 1991 1,138 - - 2001 1,159 278 1,437 2011 739 163 902 History[edit] It was annexed to Greece in 1920, prior it was ruled by the Ottomans. It adopted its current name after the annexation, refugees flowed into the village and the Turkish population was displaced eastward. New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17;

Bitolya, Center of K Triangle, Macedonia (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire
Bitolya ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Heraclea Lyncestis, Macedonia (center of K Triangle)
Heraclea Lyncestis;

Galatea Region of West Macedonia
Galatea Region; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Verroia, Macedonia (Beroea, west of Axios River Mouth, K Triangle, Via Egnatia Roman Road)
Verroia; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 26;

Kastoria, K Triangle, Macedonia
Kastoria, Macedonia; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Kastorian Hills, K Triangle, Macedonia, Greece
Kastoria, Macedonia; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Koritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle)
Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Pidna, Macedonia
Pidna; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ;

Mount Peristeros, Macedonia
Mount Peristeros; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15;

Prespa Lakes Region, Macedonia, Greece and Albania
Prespa Lakes (Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15;

Armenia, Roman Roads Folder

Armenia, Kizilirmak River Folder, Great Road from Ephesus to Euphrates, Cappadocia

Kizilirmak River

Kizilirmak River Source (Imranli)
Imranli;

Kizilirmak River 1 (Sivas or Sebastea)

Sebaste, Armenia (high point, Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1)
Sebaste, Cappadocia; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Kizilirmak River 2 (near Charsianon Fortress)

Kizilirmak River 3 (near Pinarbasi, Cappadocia)

Kizilirmak River 4 (Caesurea (Kayseri), Cappadocia)

Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia)
Cappadocia; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Meletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Igantius the Abbot in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 27 ; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4)
Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4;

Maza, temporary name of Caesarea (Kayseri) Armenia, by Julian the Apostate
Maza, temporary name of Caesarea (Kayseri) Armenia, by Julian the Apostate Eupsychius was filled with zeal for the Lord, and he destroyed the temple. He knew that this would inevitably result in his punishment. Saint Eupsychius distributed all his possessions to the poor and prepared himself for martyrdom. enraged emperor Julian loosed his wrath not only upon Saint Eupsychius, but against all the inhabitants of this city. Some of the citizens were executed, while the more respectable were sent into exile. Christian clergy were drafted into military service, and he looted the churches of anything valuable. The city was deprived of its title Caesarea [i.e. “Imperialâ€] and resumed its original name of Maza. He also imposed a severe tax on the inhabitants. The emperor threatened to annihilate the city altogether, if the people did not build a new pagan temple in place of the one destroyed. tried to compel Saint Eupsychius to offer sacrifice to idols. For many days they tormented the saint on a rack, and also with iron claws. But his faith was firm, and the judge sentenced the martyr to be beheaded with a sword. Julian embarked on a campaign against the Persians, marching through Cappadocia and approaching Caesarea. Danger threatened the city, since the emperor intended to raze it to its foundations. But then Saint Basil the Great (January 1), showing Julian the proper respect as sovereign authority, came out to meet him carrying with him three loaves of barley bread, which he ate. The emperor ordered his retainers to take the loaves, and to give Saint Basil a pinch of hay saying, “You have given us barley, cattle fodder. Now receive hay from us in return.â€ saint answered, “O Emperor, we bring you that which we ourselves eat, and you give us cattle feed. You mock us, since you, by your might, are not able to transform hay into bread, the essential food of mankind.â€ angrily retorted, “I’ll shove this hay down your throat when I return here from Persia. I shall raze this city to its very foundations, and plow over this ground and turn it into a field. I know that it was on your advice that the people dared to destroy the statues and temple of Fortuna.â€ this the emperor continued on his way, but soon perished in his campaign against the Persians. He was struck down in the year 363 by the holy Great Martyr Mercurius (November 24). the emperor’s demise, the Christians of the city of Caesarea built a splendid church over the grave of Saint Eupsychius, and from his holy relics they received help and healing. Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Holy Martyr Eupsychius was born in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia and received a Christian upbringing by his illustrious parents. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), Saint Eupsychius entered into a Christian marriage. Caesarea there was a pagan temple to the goddess Fortuna, whom Julian the Apostate revered. As Eupsychius was going to his wedding, the pagans were offering sacrifice to the goddess Fortuna. Eupsychius was filled with zeal for the Lord, and he destroyed the temple. He knew that this would inevitably result in his punishment. Saint Eupsychius distributed all his possessions to the poor and prepared himself for martyrdom. enraged emperor Julian loosed his wrath not only upon Saint Eupsychius, but against all the inhabitants of this city. Some of the citizens were executed, while the more respectable were sent into exile. Christian clergy were drafted into military service, and he looted the churches of anything valuable. The city was deprived of its title Caesarea [i.e. “Imperialâ€] and resumed its original name of Maza. He also imposed a severe tax on the inhabitants. The emperor threatened to annihilate the city altogether, if the people did not build a new pagan temple in place of the one destroyed. tried to compel Saint Eupsychius to offer sacrifice to idols. For many days they tormented the saint on a rack, and also with iron claws. But his faith was firm, and the judge sentenced the martyr to be beheaded with a sword. Julian embarked on a campaign against the Persians, marching through Cappadocia and approaching Caesarea. Danger threatened the city, since the emperor intended to raze it to its foundations. But then Saint Basil the Great (January 1), showing Julian the proper respect as sovereign authority, came out to meet him carrying with him three loaves of barley bread, which he ate. The emperor ordered his retainers to take the loaves, and to give Saint Basil a pinch of hay saying, “You have given us barley, cattle fodder. Now receive hay from us in return.â€ saint answered, “O Emperor, we bring you that which we ourselves eat, and you give us cattle feed. You mock us, since you, by your might, are not able to transform hay into bread, the essential food of mankind.â€ angrily retorted, “I’ll shove this hay down your throat when I return here from Persia. I shall raze this city to its very foundations, and plow over this ground and turn it into a field. I know that it was on your advice that the people dared to destroy the statues and temple of Fortuna.â€ this the emperor continued on his way, but soon perished in his campaign against the Persians. He was struck down in the year 363 by the holy Great Martyr Mercurius (November 24). the emperor’s demise, the Christians of the city of Caesarea built a splendid church over the grave of Saint Eupsychius, and from his holy relics they received help and healing.

Comana, Armenia (Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)
Comana (Cappadocia); Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31;

Mount Argeos, Armenia
Mount Argeos; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated February 11;

Prokopion, Armenia, Asia Minor
Prokopion (renamed Urgup by the Turks) ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Sasima, Armenia
Sasima, St Basil the Great made St Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Nazianzos; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ; Saint Caesarius, brother of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9;

Tyana, Armenia, Cappadocia and Cilicia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Kizilrmak River 5 (Nyssa, Cappadocia)

Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5)
Nyssa, Cappadocia; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated November 17 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Kizilirmak River 6 (Paphlagonia)

Armenia, Euphrates Kizilirmak Rivers Folder, Great Road, Syria

Euphrates River Route

Euphrates River - Western Euphrates

Euphrates River Source (Murat River)

Euphrates River Source

Euphrates River 1

Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia (Euphreates River 1)
Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Euphrates River 2 (Melitene)

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene area Folder, Top Left of the Fertile Crescent

Edessa area of Euphrates River

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River Folder, Great Road

Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene); Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Euphrates River 3 (Samosata and Edessa)

Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50). Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Edessa, Armenia (abundant water)
Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "Not-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Abgar monastery; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Michael "œthe Black-Robed"Â of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Unsleeping Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia, about 400 (Euphrates River 3)
Unsleepinge Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. The saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy Gospel with him. Afterwards, the Lord summoned him to preach to pagans. He converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank of bishop, and for thirty years, he occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the city of Edessa. Saint Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful asceticism and spiritual experience. A monastery of 400 monks eventually sprang up there. the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by night. For three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule. He received an answer by divine revelation. All the monks were divided into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine services were celebrated in church. Hence the name “Monastery of Unsleeping Ones,â€ since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God. Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years. Thereafter, having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on Persia, to preach the Gospel. Having arrived at Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there with his Rule of unceasing praise. The abba died at a great old age after fifty years of monastic struggles. His death occurred in the year 430. Venerable Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Onesâ€, Commemorated on February 23

Hellenopolis, Syria (Edessa area)
Hellenopolis ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Jacob's Ladder, Haran, Edessa, Syria
Jacob's Ladder, Haran ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, Commorated on September 7 ;

Carrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa)
Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ;

Constantina, Armenia and Syria (Kurdish Turkey, NE of Edessa)
Constantina; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Zeugma, Syria (Euphrates River 3.5)
Zeugma, Syria; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ;

Kobane, Syria (Euphrates River 3.5)
Kobane, Syria;

Euphrates River 4 (Hieropolis, Syria)

Armenia, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River 4, Sajur River Folder

Sajur River 1

Sajur River 2

Sajur River 3

Sajur River Source (two streams at Gaziantep)

Sajur River Mouth (Hieropolis and Pethor, Euphrates River 4)

Hieropolis in Syria (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4)
Hieropolis in Syria (Euphrates River 4) 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated November 14 ;

Pethor (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4)
Pethor (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4); Numbers 22:1-21. Balak Summons Balaam (from Pethor) to Curse Israel;

Euphrates River 5 (Kings Highway)

Callinicus, or Callinicum, Armenia or Syria (Euphrates River 5)
Callinicus, or Callinicum; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects.

Euphrates River 6 (Chebar River Mouth)

Euphrates River 7 (Bagdagi)
Euphrates River;

Euphrates River 8 (Faluja)

Euphrates River 9 (Babylon)

Euphrates River 10

Euphrates River 11 (Samara)

Euphrates River 12

Euphrates River 13 (Tigris River)

Euphrates River Mouth (Persian Gulf)

Armenia, Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 1 - Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Sild Road, Great Road Trade Route 2 - Patara (high point, Pontine, Armenia)
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Patara (high point on Trade Route connecting Silk Road Trebazond to Great Road at Mietelene to Yaravan)
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 3 - Satala, Pontine, Armenia (on the road from Trabzon to Samosata and Lake Van)
Satala, Pontine, Armenia; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road to Great Road Trade Route 4 - Kemah Fortress, a high point
Kemah Fortress, a high point ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Silk Road Great Road Trade Route 5 - Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Great Road To Yerevan Trade Route Folder - via Upper Euphrates

Great Road to Yerevan Armenia Trade Route via Upper Euphrates River

Great Road to Yerevan Armenia via Euphrates River Trade Route 1 - Samosata and Edessa, Armenia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 2 - Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 3 - Armenia, 1071, Battle of Manzikert at Lake Van on Upper Euphrates
Armenia, Battle of Manzikert 1071; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 3 - Lake Van, Taron Region
Lake Van; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Taron Region; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Great Road to Yerevan Trade Route 4 - Euphrates River Source (Murat River Source)
Murat River Source, the Major Source of the Euphrates; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Great Road to Yervan Trade Route 5 - Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene); Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Albania, Roman Roads Folder

Albania, K Triangle Folder, Via Egnatia, Western K Triangle

Kutmichevitsa Triangle - K Triangle
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Skopje-Salonik-Vlora
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

K Triangle Vlora-Saloniki-Skopje

Valona, Albania (Aous River Mouth. K Triangle, Via Egnatia)
Valona, Albania; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela kypsala Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of Marmaraere Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion l Turkey Byzantium Turkey

Albania, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle)

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereaŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion Kaekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Bithynia, Roman Roads Folder

Serbia, Roman Roads Folder

Sava River

Drava River

Danube River

Serbia, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Roman Road, Via Militarius

Roman Road, Via Militaris 1, Singidunum (Belgrade)
Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade); Roman Road, Via Militarius;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 2 , Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima) Capitol
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius; Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 3 (Naissus or Nish, Serbia (South Morava River 5)
Roman Road, Via Militaris 3 (Naissus or Nish, Serbia (South Morava River 5) Nish, Serbia; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Hemus Pass
Saturninus and Traianus blocked the Goths near the passes of the Haemus, building a line of fortifications that repulsed the Gothic attacks. The two generals hoped to force the Goths to suffer through the cold winter and the scarcity of food in order to force them into submission; alternatively, the two generals planned to call back the sentinels, luring the Goths of Fritigern into an open-field battle in the plains between the Haemus and the Danube, where they were confident of winning.[2] Fritigern did not accept battle, but enlisted Hunnic and Alan reinforcements. Saturninus realised that he could no longer fight the enemy with his troops, lifted the block on the mountain passes, and retired.[3] magister militum per Thracias, Emperor Theodosius I, who had succeeded Valens after his death in the Battle of Adrianople, entrusted Saturninus to negotiate peace with the Goths: in October 382 he signed a treaty according to which the Goths were to live in the Low Danube as foederati. successful negotiation guaranteed Saturninus the imperial favour, and he was appointed consul for the year 383. Themistius dedicated to him a panegyric. 400 Saturninus was serving under the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, when the magister militum Gainas deposed and exiled him.

Roman Road, Via Militaris 5, Philippopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5)
Philippoplis; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 6, Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria
Adrianople; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St. Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Cilicia, Roman Roads Folder

Roman Road in Cilicia

Roman Road in Cilicia - From the East, Connection to Great Road

Roman Road in Cilicia - From the West, Connection to the Great Road through Cicilian Gates

Roman Road in Cilicia - Connecting Tarsus and Antioch, Cilicia (Adana, Incirlik)

Roman Road in Cilicia - Connecting Comana or Cucusus with Antioch, Cilicia and Syria

Roman Road in Cilicia - Connecting Antioch Cilicia with Comona and Great Road

Roman Road in Cicilia
Roman Road in Cicilia; Roman road in Cilicia (Turkish: Roma yolu) is a part of a Roman road in Mersin Province, Turkey. at the southern end road is thought to be a part of the main road connecting Cilicia to Capadocia during antiquity. northern terminus was likely in the town of Bahçeli, a part of the ancient city of Tyanna in Niğde Province. southern terminus was in Tarsus, a major district center in Mersin Province and an important ancient city. modern highway distance between these two locations is 148 kilometres (92 mi). presently only a small section of the road has been unearthed. unearthed road starts from a hill at about 37°03′N 34°54′E around Sağlıklı village which is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Tarsus, and continues about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the north. average altitude of the road is 300 metres (980 ft) to 400 metres (1,300 ft). the southern end of the unearthed section, where Tarsus is in the view, there is a gate which was either an arch gate or a border check point of Cilicia. is also a very short road in Tarsus urban fabric[1] called Ancient road which has been discovered only recently. But whether the two roads are connected is unclear. road is thought to have been constructed in the 1st century AD by the Roman Empire.[2] But according to a restoration inscription next to the road, it was rebuilt or repaired during the reign of Caracalla in the 3rd century. The original gate, dated to 5th century, was destroyed at some point, and the present gate was reconstructed much later. details[edit] road is stone pavement[3] and there are stone parapets on each side of the road. The width of the road excluding the parapet is about 3 metres (9.8 ft). The outer dimensions of the cut stone gate is 8.8 m. wide x 5.2 m. high ( 28.98 ft high x 17 ft wide).[4][5] The inner width is 4.11 metres (13.5 ft).

Roman Road of Cicilia - Bahcelia, Northern Terminal
Roman Road of Cicilia - Bahcelia, Northern Terminal;

Cicilian Gates

Heraclea Cybistra (Cilician Gates)
Heraclea Cybistra: the entry pont into the hills on the way to Cilicia; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe Genera, Commemorated on February 8 ; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8 ;

Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor, Cilician Gates route)
Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor), Alexandria is probably Kitikien of the Ptolemaic Empire, along the Cilician Gates route ; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Anthony, a native of the city of Alexandria, was a Christian. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with iron hooks, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing in the fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for the body but for the soul in aspiring towards God. After the fire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his death is unknown. Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Aristion was the bishop of lesser Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor). He was born in the small town of Aribazo in the eparchy of Apamea, Syria at the beginning of the second century. His parents were pagans, and he spent his early years in an atmosphere of idolatry. do not know what sort of early education Saint Aristion received, nor where he studied, but it did not satisfy his search for the truth. A ten-year-old boy who lived in the same town, the future martyr Anthony, showed him the path which led to the truth. Anthony instructed him in the true Faith, and Aristion increased in piety and zeal for God. is significant that Anthony, despite the constant fear of persecution, exile and even danger to his own life, was not just a member of the local church, but also preached the Faith to others. It is certain that Aristion prayed for his young friend and remembered his courage and strength, for Anthony’s efforts to bring Aristion to the saving Faith had born fruit and were not in vain. Not only did Anthony give himself to the Church through his martyrdom at the age of twenty, he also gave it another saint and martyr: Saint Aristion later, Saint Aristion was consecrated bishop for Isso in Cilicia, which is found in lesser Alexandria. He was a good shepherd to his flock, and cared diligently for their souls. day the ruler of Alexandria had Saint Aristion arrested because he was a Christian. Although he was placed on public trial, the holy bishop was calm and showed no fear. His whole demeanor made the Roman eparch realize that it would not easy to deal with this man who stood before him. He tried to turn Aristion from Christ through flattery and promises of reward, but the saint stood firm. Seeing that his words had no effect on the bishop, he threatened him with fierce tortures. He was not influenced by these threats, however. Aristion stood before the eparch and his counselors, gazing at them with love and concern for their salvation. Even in his weakness, this captive was stronger than his captors, and he refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. a multitude of idolaters, Saint Aristion spoke of the Triune God, by Whom all things were created. He also told them about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was accomplished through God’s saving dispensation. He explained that Christ brings salvation to fallen man, thereby giving him another chance to attain the true purpose of his life—theosis. “How poor these soulless statues of the gods are,” the bishop said, “and how helpless the eparch looks in his radiant apparel.” who heard the saint speak were amazed and asked one another where he got such courage. Aristion invited them to believe in the truth which he was revealing to them. Those who watched understood that this holy man was someone special, and they wanted to hear more about his beliefs. Roman eparch could not find any way to resist Aristion except through violence, so he sentenced him to death. He commanded his soldiers to prepare a large furnace and then throw him into the flames.The saint went to his martyrdom without resistance, remaining brave and strong until the end. The few Christians who were present tried not to weep.They whispered prayers for him, and were saddened because their father was leaving them. They knew, however, that their archpastor would not cease praying for them, especially now that he was going to Christ. They could hear Saint Aristion singing hymns in the fire until his last breath. eparch did not know what a terrible mistake he had made. He did not realize that death is not the end for men, nor for the truth. Nothing could separate Saint Aristion from the Fountain of Life, and so the Lord bestowed upon him an imperishable crown of glory. the flames died down, his spiritual children approached the furnace and collected as many of his bones as they could. With great reverence they put the holy relics in a secret place, which remains unknown to the present day. more detailed biography of the saint has been published (in Greek): THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ARISTION, by John G. Thalassinos (Athens, 2003). This volume also contains the Service to the saint, which was composed by Hieromonk Athanasius of Simonopetra Monastery on Mt. Athos.

Roman Road of Cicilia - Tarsus, Southern Terminal
Tarsus; /ˈtɑːrsəs/ (Hittite: Tarsa; Greek: Ταρσός Tarsós; Armenian: Տարսոն Tarson; Arabic: طَرسُوس Ṭarsūs) is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km (12 miles) inland from the Mediterranean. It is part of the Adana-Mersin metropolitan area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 3 million people. Tarsus forms an administrative district in the eastern part of the Mersin Province and lies in the core of Çukurova region. a history going back over 6,000 years, Tarsus has long been an important stop for traders and a focal point of many civilizations. the Roman Empire, Tarsus was the capital of the province of Cilicia. was the scene of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and the birthplace of Paul the Apostle. St. Paul well in Tarsus, Cilicia. St. Paul's Church Interior of Saint Paul's Church on the mouth of the Berdan River (Cydnus in antiquity), which empties into the Mediterranean, Tarsus is a junction point of land and sea routes connecting the Cilician plain (today called Çukurova), central Anatolia and the Mediterranean sea. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean region, with very hot summers and chilly, damp winters. has a long history of commerce, and is still a commercial centre today, trading in the produce of the fertile Çukurova plain; also Tarsus is a thriving industrial centre of refining and processing that produces some for export. Industries include agricultural machinery, spare parts, textiles, fruit-processing, brick-making and ceramics. is an important source of income: half the land area in the district is farmland (1,050 km2 [410 sq mi]) and most of the remainder is forest and orchard. The farmland is mostly well-irrigated, fertilised and managed with up-to-date equipment. has also one of the most famous and important highschools of Turkey which is Tarsus American College, known as TAC as well.

Bulgaria, Roman Roads Folder

Bulgaria, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade)
Roman Road, Via Militarius 1, Singidunum (Belgrade); Roman Road, Via Militarius;

Roman Road, Via Militarius 2 , Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima) Capitol
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius; Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Serdica or Sofia, Bulgaria
Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, on Roman Road. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Bulgaria, Roman Roads Triangle Folder, Via Egnatia, Eastern Triangle

Valona, Albania (Aous River Mouth)
Valona, Albania; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle)

India & China, Apostles Silk Road Folder (from Black Sea)

Samaria Folder

Samaria
Samaria; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER); Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Samaria, 931BC - 722BC, Kingdom of Israel
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated October 17 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Israel, 931BC - 722BC, Kingdom of Israel, Samaria
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated October 17 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Samaria History (Israelite Kings) Folder

Samaria, 1146 BC - 869 BC, Israeilite Kings Folder, Samuel - Ahab

Samaria, 1179 – 1154 BC, Gideon of Ophrah on Road to Gilgal, Manasseh Tribe, Commanded by Jesus
Samaria, 1179-1154BC, Gideon of Ophrah on Road to Gilgal, Manasseh Tribe, Commanded by the Angel of God (Jesus) to defeat Midian, gathers army, asks for fleece tests, then led army to victory, then Judge for 40 yrs ; The Righteous Gideon, Commemorated on November 26; Righteous Gideon, whose name means “destroyer,” appears in chapters 6-8 of Judges. was the son of Joash the Abiezrite. day, as he was beating out wheat in the wine press, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and commanded him to deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. gathered an army of men from various towns to fight the Midianites, asked God to give him a sign that he would be able to deliver Israel. he placed a fleece of wool on the floor of the threshing room. Then he said, “If there is dew on the fleece alone, and if the ground is dry, then I shall know that thou wilt deliver Israel by my hand, as thou hast said.” next morning Gideon got up early and squeezed the fleece, wringing out enough water to fill a bowl. he asked God to let the fleece remain dry and to let there be dew on the ground. When Gideon saw that this had been done, the powerful warrior of Manasseh led an army of 300 men to victory over the Midianites. people entreated him to be their ruler, and also his son and grandson, but he would not agree to this, because the Lord was their ruler. However, Gideon was a Judge for forty years, and during that time the land had rest. Righteous Gideon is referenced in Ode 9 of the second Canon for the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Let us all magnify the radiant cloud, in which the Master of all descended, as dew from Heaven upon the fleece” (Judges 6:37). He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:32 with others “who through faith conquered kingdoms.” Ophrah, Gideon's home; Was Gideon? was a young Israelite man living in Ophrah. He was the youngest son of Joash, who was of the family of Abiezer. His family line belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. ’s family was not wealthy. They lived in constant fear because neighboring groups would steal the Israelite’s grain and livestock. The Israelite people had to seek out shelter in caves to protect themselves and what little food they had. we meet Gideon in the Book of Judges, he is threshing wheat in a winepress. This was not the custom but had to be done to protect what grain they could get. Later in his life, Gideon becomes a judge of Israel and dies as an honored man in the history of God’s chosen people.

Samaria, 1146 BC, Shiloh, Ephraim, Samaria, Tabernacle Location
Samaria, 1146BC, Tabernacle Location, Shiloh, Ephriam, Samaria ; to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle, also known as the Tent of the Congregation (also Tent of Meeting, etc.), was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh (the God of Israel) used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instructed at Mount Sinai to construct and transport the tabernacle[1] with the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their subsequent conquest of the Promised Land. After 440 years, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God. main source describing the tabernacle is the biblical Book of Exodus, specifically Exodus 25–31 and 35–40. Those passages describe an inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, created by the veil suspended by four pillars. This sanctuary contained the Ark of the Covenant, with its cherubim-covered mercy seat. An outer sanctuary (the "Holy Place") contained a gold lamp-stand or candlestick. On the north side stood a table, on which lay the showbread. On the south side was the Menorah, holding seven oil lamps to give light. On the west side, just before the veil, was the golden altar of incense.[2] It was constructed of 4 woven layers of curtains and 48 15-foot tall standing wood boards overlaid in gold and held in place by its bars and silver sockets and was richly furnished with valuable materials taken from Egypt at God's command. description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source ("P"),[2] written in the sixth or fifth century BCE. while the first Priestly source takes the form of instructions, the second is largely a repetition of the first in the past tense, i.e., it describes the execution of the instructions.[3] scholars contend that it is of a far later date than the time of Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of Solomon's Temple, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh.[2] scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter.[4] to historical criticism, an earlier, pre-exilic source, the Elohist ("E"), describes the tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.[2] English word tabernacle is derived from the Latin tabernāculum meaning "tent" or "hut", which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure.[5][6][7] The Hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in".[4][8] In Greek, including the Septuagint, it is translated σκηνή (skēnē), itself a Semitic loanword meaning "tent."[9] Mishkan Tent – The desert tabernacle criticism has identified two accounts of the tabernacle in Exodus, a briefer Elohist account and a longer Priestly one. scholars believe the briefer account describes a different structure, perhaps Moses' personal tent.[4] The Hebrew nouns in the two accounts differ, one is most commonly translated as "tent of meeting," while the other is usually translated as "tabernacle." account[edit] 33:7–10 refers to "the tabernacle of the congregation" (in some translations, such as the King James Version) or "the tent of meeting" (in most modern translations),[10] which was set up outside of camp with the "cloudy pillar" visible at its door. The people directed their worship toward this center.[2] Historical criticism attributes this description to the Elohist source (E),[2] which is believed to have been written about 850 BCE or later.[11] account[edit] of the tabernacle with the holy and holy of holies more detailed description of a tabernacle, located in Exodus chapters 25–27 and Exodus chapters 35–40, refers to an inner shrine (the most holy place) housing the ark and an outer chamber (holy place), with a six-branch seven-lamp menorah (lampstand), table for showbread, and altar of incense.[2] An enclosure containing the sacrificial altar and bronze laver for the priests to wash surrounded these chambers.[2] This description is identified by historical criticism as part of the Priestly source (P),[2] written in the 6th or 5th century BCE. scholars believe the description is of a far later date than Moses' time, and that it reflects the structure of the Temple of Solomon; others hold that the passage describes a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh,[2] traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter.[4] This view is based on Exodus 36, 37, 38 and 39 that describe in full detail how the actual construction of the tabernacle took place during the time of Moses.[12] detailed outlines for the tabernacle and its priests are enumerated in the Book of Exodus: Exodus 25: Materials needed: the Ark, the table for 12 showbread, the menorah. Exodus 26: The tabernacle, the bars, partitions. Exodus 27: The copper altar, the enclosure, oil. Exodus 28: Vestments for the priests, ephod garment, ring settings, the breastplate, robe, head-plate, tunic, turban, sashes, pants. Exodus 29: Consecration of priests and altar. Exodus 30: Incense altar, washstand, anointing oil, incense. Tent of the Presence[edit] interpreters assert the Tent of the Presence was a special meeting place outside the camp, unlike the Tabernacle which was placed in the center of the camp.[13][14] According to Exodus 33:7-11, this tent was for communion with Yahweh, to receive oracles and to understand the divine will.[15] people's elders were the subject of a remarkable prophetic event at the site of this tent in Numbers 11:24-30.[16] Builders[edit] The erection of the tabernacle and the Sacred vessels, as in Exodus 40:17–19; from the 1728 Figures de la Bible Exodus 31, the main builder and maker of the priestly vestments is specified as Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, who was assisted by Oholiab and a number of skilled artisans.[3] the Exodus, the wandering in the desert and the conquest of Canaan the Tabernacle was in part a portable tent, and in part a wooden enclosure draped with ten curtains, of indigo, purple, and scarlet fabric. It had a rectangular, perimeter fence of fabric, poles and staked cords. This rectangle was always erected when the Israelite tribes would camp, oriented to the east as the east side had no frames. In the center of this enclosure was a rectangular sanctuary draped with goat-hair curtains, with the roof coverings made from rams' skins.[3] of Holies[edit] this curtain was the cube-shaped inner room, the (Holy of Holies). This area housed the Ark of the Covenant, inside which were the two stone tablets brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses on which were written the Ten Commandments, a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which had budded and borne ripe almonds. (Exodus 16:33–34, Numbers 17:1–11, Deuteronomy 10:1–5; Hebrews 9:2–5) is referred to fifteen times in the Hebrew Bible;[17][18] 13 of these refer to the roof coverings. Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9;

Samaria, 1146 BC, Israelite Judge, Samuel
Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophet Samuel was the fifteenth and last of the Judges of Israel, living more than 1146 years before the Birth of Christ. He was descended from the Tribe of Levi, and was the son of Elkanah from Ramathaim-Zophim of Mount Ephraim. He was born, having been besought from the Lord through the prayers of his mother Hannah (therefore he received the name Samuel, which means “besought from God”). Even before birth, he was dedicated to God. Her song, “My heart exults in the Lord,” is the third Old Testament ode of the Canon (1 Sam/1 Kings 2:1-10). the boy reached the age of three, his mother went with him to Shiloh and in accord with her vow dedicated him to the worship of God. She gave him into the care of the High Priest Eli, who at this time was a judge over Israel. The prophet grew in the fear of God, and at twelve years of age he had a revelation that God would punish the house of the High Priest Eli, because he did not restrain the impiety of his sons. Eli’s whole family was wiped out in a single day. prophecy was fulfilled when the Philistines, having slain in battle 30,000 Israelites (among them Hophni and Phinees, the sons of Eli the High Priest), gained victory and captured the Ark of the Covenant. Hearing this, the High Priest Eli fell backwards from his seat at the gate, and breaking his back, he died. The wife of Phinees, upon hearing what had happened in this very hour, gave birth to a son (Ichabod) and died with the words: “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God is taken away” (1 Sam/1 Kgs 4: 22). the death of Eli, Samuel became the judge of the nation of Israel. The Ark of God was returned by the Philistines on their own initiative. After returning to God, the Israelites returned to all the cities that the Philistines had taken. In his old age, the Prophet Samuel made his sons Joel and Abiah judges over Israel, but they did not follow the integrity and righteous judgment of their father, since they were motivated by greed. the elders of Israel, wanting the nation of God to be “like other nations” (1 Sam/1 Kgs 8: 20), demanded of the Prophet Samuel that they have a king. The Prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king, but saw in this a downfall of the people, whom God Himself had governed until this time, announcing His will through “judges,” His chosen saints. Resigning the position of judge, the Prophet Samuel asked the people if they consented to his continued governance, but no one stepped forward for him. denouncing the first king, Saul, for his disobedience to God, the Prophet Samuel anointed David as king. He had offered David asylum, saving him from the pursuit of King Saul. The Prophet Samuel died in extreme old age. His life is recorded in the Bible (1 Sam/1 Kgs; Sirach 46:13-20). the year 406 A.D. the relics of the Prophet Samuel were transferred from Judea to Constantinople. Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9; Holy Prophetess Hannah dwelt in marriage with Elkanah, but she was childless. Elkanah took to himself another wife, Phennena, who bore him children. Hannah grieved strongly over her misfortune, and every day she prayed for an end to her barrenness, and vowed to dedicate her child to God. as she prayed fervently in the Temple, the priest Heli thought that she was drunk, and he began to reproach her. But the saint poured out her grief, and after she received a blessing, she returned home. After this Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel (which means “Asked from God”). the child reached the age of boyhood, the mother herself presented him to the priest Heli, and Samuel remained with him to serve before the Tabernacle (1 Kings/1 Samuel 2: 1-21).

Samaria, 1146 BC, Hannah, Samuel's mother, Prophetess, barren, prayed loudly, dedicated him
Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9; Holy Prophetess Hannah dwelt in marriage with Elkanah, but she was childless. Elkanah took to himself another wife, Phennena, who bore him children. Hannah grieved strongly over her misfortune, and every day she prayed for an end to her barrenness, and vowed to dedicate her child to God. as she prayed fervently in the Temple, the priest Heli thought that she was drunk, and he began to reproach her. But the saint poured out her grief, and after she received a blessing, she returned home. After this Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel (which means “Asked from God”). the child reached the age of boyhood, the mother herself presented him to the priest Heli, and Samuel remained with him to serve before the Tabernacle (1 Kings/1 Samuel 2: 1-21). Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophet Samuel was the fifteenth and last of the Judges of Israel, living more than 1146 years before the Birth of Christ. He was descended from the Tribe of Levi, and was the son of Elkanah from Ramathaim-Zophim of Mount Ephraim. He was born, having been besought from the Lord through the prayers of his mother Hannah (therefore he received the name Samuel, which means “besought from God”). Even before birth, he was dedicated to God. Her song, “My heart exults in the Lord,” is the third Old Testament ode of the Canon (1 Sam/1 Kings 2:1-10). the boy reached the age of three, his mother went with him to Shiloh and in accord with her vow dedicated him to the worship of God. She gave him into the care of the High Priest Eli, who at this time was a judge over Israel. The prophet grew in the fear of God, and at twelve years of age he had a revelation that God would punish the house of the High Priest Eli, because he did not restrain the impiety of his sons. Eli’s whole family was wiped out in a single day. prophecy was fulfilled when the Philistines, having slain in battle 30,000 Israelites (among them Hophni and Phinees, the sons of Eli the High Priest), gained victory and captured the Ark of the Covenant. Hearing this, the High Priest Eli fell backwards from his seat at the gate, and breaking his back, he died. The wife of Phinees, upon hearing what had happened in this very hour, gave birth to a son (Ichabod) and died with the words: “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God is taken away” (1 Sam/1 Kgs 4: 22). the death of Eli, Samuel became the judge of the nation of Israel. The Ark of God was returned by the Philistines on their own initiative. After returning to God, the Israelites returned to all the cities that the Philistines had taken. In his old age, the Prophet Samuel made his sons Joel and Abiah judges over Israel, but they did not follow the integrity and righteous judgment of their father, since they were motivated by greed. the elders of Israel, wanting the nation of God to be “like other nations” (1 Sam/1 Kgs 8: 20), demanded of the Prophet Samuel that they have a king. The Prophet Samuel anointed Saul as king, but saw in this a downfall of the people, whom God Himself had governed until this time, announcing His will through “judges,” His chosen saints. Resigning the position of judge, the Prophet Samuel asked the people if they consented to his continued governance, but no one stepped forward for him. denouncing the first king, Saul, for his disobedience to God, the Prophet Samuel anointed David as king. He had offered David asylum, saving him from the pursuit of King Saul. The Prophet Samuel died in extreme old age. His life is recorded in the Bible (1 Sam/1 Kgs; Sirach 46:13-20). the year 406 A.D. the relics of the Prophet Samuel were transferred from Judea to Constantinople. Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9; Holy Prophetess Hannah dwelt in marriage with Elkanah, but she was childless. Elkanah took to himself another wife, Phennena, who bore him children. Hannah grieved strongly over her misfortune, and every day she prayed for an end to her barrenness, and vowed to dedicate her child to God. as she prayed fervently in the Temple, the priest Heli thought that she was drunk, and he began to reproach her. But the saint poured out her grief, and after she received a blessing, she returned home. After this Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel (which means “Asked from God”). the child reached the age of boyhood, the mother herself presented him to the priest Heli, and Samuel remained with him to serve before the Tabernacle (1 Kings/1 Samuel 2: 1-21).

Samaria, 1060 BC-1012 BC, Saul, King
Samaria, 1060 BC-1012 BC, King, Saul Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20;

Samaria, 1000BC, Dot 7, Solomon, Known for Wisdom, Proverbs, Song of Songs Psalms, Wealth, and Soloman's Temple
Top 50 People and 50 Places of the Bible Top 50 Bible People; oh mahn) Personal name whose meaning is variously interpreted as "his peace," "(God) is peace," "Salem (a god)," "intact," or "his replacement." Tenth son of David and the second son of Bathsheba, Solomon became the third king of Israel and reigned forty years about 1000 B.C Testament was born to David and Bathsheba after the death of their first son (2 Sam.12:24). Although not the oldest living son of David, he was crowned king after his mother and Nathan the prophet intervened with David and secured David's decision to have Solomon succeed him (1 Kings 1-2). Solomon is remembered most for his wisdom, his building program, and his wealth generated through trade and administrative reorganization. was remembered as having three thousand proverbs and a thousand and five songs in his repertoire (1 Kings 4:32). Thus, it is not surprising that Proverbs and Song of Solomon in the Bible are attributed to Solomon. (Prov. 1:1; Song of Sol. 1:1) as are several apocryphal and pseudepigraphal books. See Apocrypha; Pseudepigrapha. His wisdom is also illustrated in the Bible by the accounts of the two harlots who claimed the single surviving child (1 Kings 3:16) and by the visit of the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). Program Solomon's Temple was the most famous of his building projects (1 Kings 5-8), it was by no means the only one. Solomon fortified a number of cities that helped provide protection to Jerusalem, built "store-cities" for stockpiling the materials required in his kingdom, and established military bases for contingents of charioteers (1 Kings 9:15-19). The Temple complex in Jerusalem was composed of several buildings including Solomon's palace, the "house of the forest of Lebanon," the "hall or porch of pillars," the "hall or porch of the throne," and a palace for one of his wives, the daughter of the pharaoh of Egypt (1 Kings 7). See Archaeology; Gezer; Hazor; Megiddo; Temple. Solomon divided the country into administrative districts that did not correspond to the old tribal boundaries (1 Kings 4:7-19) and had the districts provide provisions for the central government. This system, combined with control of vital north/south trade routes between the Red Sea and what was later known as Asia Minor, made it possible for Solomon to accumulate vast wealth. This wealth was supplemented both from trading in horses and chariots and from trade carried on by a fleet of ships (1 Kings 9:26-28; 10:26-29). See Eloth; Ezion-geber. The Bible clearly notes that Solomon had faults as well as elements of greatness. The "seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines" came from many of the kingdoms with which Solomon had treaties (1 Kings 11:1). He apparently allowed his wives to worship their native gods and even had altars to these gods constructed in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7-8). This kind of compromise indicated to the historian a weakness in Solomon not found in David. Rebellions led by the king of Edom, Rezon of Damascus, and Jeroboam, one of Solomon's own officers, indicates that Solomon's long reign was not without its turmoil. New Testament was an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:6-7) and is mentioned in Jesus' teaching about anxiety (Matt. 6:29; Luke 12:27). Jesus noted that the queen of Sheba came a long way to see Solomon and that "something greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31). Jesus walked in "Solomon's porch," a part of the Temple area (John 10:23; compare Acts 3:11; 5:12). Stephen noted that though David sought to find a place for God, it was Solomon who "built a house for him" (Acts 7:47) Prophet Solomon, Commemorated on December 11; Prophet-King Solomon (ca. 972 - 932 B.C.) was the son of David and Bathsheba. succeeded his father as King and reigned for forty years. built the palace and the Temple at Jerusalem, and was renowned for his wisdom. Old Testament books of Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and the Wisdom of Solomon are attributed to him. He may have written parts of these books, but much of the material was probably transmitted orally before it was written down. the Gospels, Christ mentions Solomon by name, citing his glory and wisdom (Matthew 6:29; 12:42).

Samaria, 1000 BC-960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, fShiloh, wSolomon, predicted Jeroboam&10 Tribes oIsrael away fS, then p fall oI
Samaria, 960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, fShiloh, Samaria, wSolomon, predicted Jeroboam&10 Tribes oIsrael away fSolomon, then p fall oIsrael& end J's line; Samaria, 960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, Shiloh, Samaria; the Shilonite (Aḥiyah[1] Yah is My Brother[2]) was a Levite prophet of Shiloh in the days of Solomon, as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's First Books of Kings. Ahijah foretold to Jeroboam that he would become king (1 Kings 11:29).[3] Hebrew Bible records two of his prophecies. 1 Kings 11:31–39, he announced the separation of the Northern ten tribes from Solomon's United Kingdom of Israel, forming the Northern Kingdom. 1 Kings 14:6–16, Ahijah's prophecy, delivered to the wife of Jeroboam, foretold the death of the king's son, the destruction of the House of Jeroboam, and the fall and captivity of Israel "beyond the River", a stock expression for the land east of the Euphrates.[4] to the Second Book of Chronicles, Ahijah also authored a book, described as the "Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite," which contained information about Solomon's reign.[5] This text, however, has not survived and is one of the non-canonical books referenced in the Bible. In 1 Kings 11:41 it is referred to as the Acts of Solomon. tradition credits Ahijah with having lived a very long life, linking his life-span with that of antediluvian patriarchs such as Methuselah and Adam.[6] Literature the prophet of Shiloh, instigated Jeroboam's secession and predicted the downfall of his kingdom. Midrash, basing itself on the fact that, according to II Chron. ix. 29, Ahijah is described as extremely aged in Jeroboam's time (I Kings, xiv. 4), and with no pedigree, identified him with Ahiah, son of Ahitub, the oracle-giving priest at Shiloh in King Saul's time (I Sam. xiv. 3). is accordingly singled out by rabbinical tradition as one of the seven long-lived saints whose successive lives extend over the whole history of mankind; each having transmitted the sacred lore from his predecessor to the one succeeding him, while shielding the generations of his time by means of his piety. saints are: (1) Adam; (2) Methuselah; (3) Shem (Tanna debe Eliyahu R. xxiv.); (4) Jacob (Gen. R. xciv.); (5) Serah, the daughter of Asher, or, as others have it, Amram, the father of Moses; (6) Ahijah of Shiloh; (7) Elijah the prophet, who lives until the coming of the Messiah (Ab. R. N. version B. xxxviii., Seder 'Olam R. i., and B. B. 121b). the underlying idea, see Ḥag. 12b, and Yoma, 38b, with reference to Prov. x. 25, Heb., "The righteous is the foundation of the world," and Prov. ix. 1, "Wisdom hath hewn seven pillars." to this tradition Ahijah lived over six hundred years, having received his "wisdom" from either Amram, the father of Moses (see Amram), or from Serah, the daughter of Asher (see Serah). from Serah, his age was considerably less, since she was supposed to have lived for more than four hundred years, until the days of David (YalḲ., Sam. § 152). reason why Ahijah was regarded as having attained so unusual an age seems to be that, according to II Chron. ix. 29, the history of Solomon's reign was written by him; and that he was supposed to be identical with Ahijah the Levite, who was placed by King David in charge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated things (I Chron. xxvi. 20; see B. B. 121b, Rashi). ben Yoḥai is reported to have said: "The world must have thirty righteous men to serve as its pillars. and my son are counted among these . . . and if Abraham would carry the past generations by his merit, I will carry the future generations until the advent of the Messiah. if Abraham would not, I would count Ahijah of Shiloh with me, and we together would carry the world by our merits" (Gen. R. xxxv.; see Suk. 45b, in which King Jotham is given in place of Abraham and Ahijah). Ahijah, though one of the pillars of righteousness, should have been sent to Jeroboam with a divine message inducing him to establish his idolatrous kingdom is explained by the rabbis in the following manner: say that he was entrapped by a ruse of Jeroboam's idolatrous friends, who circulated a document requesting Jeroboam to become king and stipulating that, if he were elected, he set up a golden calf at Dan and Beth-El. Ahijah signed this document, believing firmly that Jeroboam would not belie his trust. he was mistaken in his pupil. had shown great wisdom and learning, and appeared to Ahijah "as pure as the new garment" he wore when Ahijah saw him coming out of Jerusalem (I Kings, xi. 29). as he excelled all the rest of the pupils, he had been initiated by Ahijah into the innermost secrets of the Law (Sanh. 101b et seq.). as the words said of Isaac, "his eyes were dim, so that he could not see" (Gen. xxvii. 1), are taken to refer to spiritual blindness, because he favored his wicked son Esau, so the words, "Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age" (I Kings, xiv. 4), spiritual blindness on the part of Ahijah, who favored a wicked pupil and set him up as ruler (Gen. R. lxv.). this reason Ahijah was stricken with the plague (Gen. R. lxv., Yer. Yeb. xvi. 15c and parallels). in his introduction to "Yad ha-ḤazaḲah," says: "Ahijah was a Levite, a disciple of Moses, one of those who went out of Egypt—the tribe of Levi not being included in the divine decree of death in the wilderness [see B. B. 121b], also a disciple of David [Abraham ben David of Posquières, in his notes, corrects this, and says instead, "a member of David's court of justice"]; finally he became the teacher of Elijah before his death."[7] Shiloh; Tabernacle; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12 ; Holy Prophet Ahijah, (cf. 1/3 Kgs 11:29 ff.) was a contemporary of Solomon, and was born in the city of Shiloh. prophet predicted to Jeroboam his kingly rule over the ten Tribes of Israel, which God would grant him, snatching them away from the hands of Solomon. Ahijah predicted to Jeroboam the perishing of all his line. All the predictions of the prophet were fulfilled. The Prophet Ahijah died in old age 960 years before the birth of Christ.

Samaria, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah, under Soloman&Rehoboam, S ordered R not to war against Jeroboam's 10 Tribes, obeyed
Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), under Soloman&Rehoboam, 10Tribes Israel Kingdom itNorth, & 2Tribes Juda itSouth, Juda David's offspring, S ordered R not to war Israel, S means God Hears, S prevented war between Rehoboam&Jeroboam, R had assembled 180K troups, R obeyed, S prophecied punishmnet oR by Shishak oEgypt; Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias) ; was a prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24). is venerated as a saint in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 8. narrative[edit] to 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the intervention of Shemaiah prevented a war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam after the latter had led the northern tribes of Israel to separate from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.[1] Rehoboam had assembled 180,000 troops to forcefully bring back the ten rebellious tribes. was known as a "man of God," and he prophesied in God's words, that "this thing is from Me," and they are not to go up against their brothers, the northern tribes. words were obeyed and the army stood down.[2] Pulpit Commentary calls his intervention "a timely reminder of the unity of the race, notwithstanding the division of the kingdom".[3] Chronicles further states that Shemaiah prophesied the punishment of Rehoboam by Shishak, king of Egypt.[4] Jerusalem King, 932 BC-915 BC, Rehoboam ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia) lived under King Solomon and his son Rehoboam. that time, the kingdom of Israel in the north was divided from the southern kingdom of Juda. was comprised of ten loosely united tribes, and Juda of two tribes. prophet ordered Rehoboam not to make war against the ten tribes of Israel, who had separated themselves from the offspring of David (3/1 Kings 12:22, 2 Chron. 11:2). name means “God hears.” Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, 931BC-910BC, Jereboam, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 931BC-910BC, Jereboam, First King of Israel's Northern Kingdom ; I was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel. The Hebrew Bible describes the reign of Jeroboam to have commenced following a revolt of the ten northern Israelite tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy. reigned for 22 years. William F. Albright has dated his reign from 922 to 901 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele offers the dates 931 to 910 BC.[1] name Jeroboam‎ is commonly held to have been derived signifying "the people contend" or "he pleads the people's cause". It is alternatively translated to mean "his people are many" or "he increases the people", or even "he that opposes the people". In the Septuagint he is called Hieroboam.[2] background[edit] was the son of Nebat, a member of the Tribe of Ephraim of Zereda. His mother,[3] named Zeruah (leprous) was a widow.[4] He had at least two sons, Abijah[5] and Nadab, who succeeded him on the throne. still a young man, King Solomon made him superintendent over his tribesmen in the building of the fortress Millo in Jerusalem and of other public works, and he naturally became conversant with the widespread discontent caused by the extravagances which marked the reign of Solomon.[6] by the words of the prophet Ahijah,[7] he began to form conspiracies with the view of becoming king of the ten northern tribes; these were discovered, and he fled to Egypt, where he remained under the protection of Pharaoh Shishak until the death of Solomon. this event, he returned and participated in a delegation sent to ask the new king Rehoboam to reduce taxes.[8] Rehoboam rejected their petition, ten of the tribes withdrew their allegiance to the house of David and proclaimed Jeroboam their king, forming the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria). only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained to form the new kingdom of Judah, loyal to Rehoboam.[9] rebuilt and fortified Shechem as the capital of the northern kingdom, and fearing that pilgrimages to the temple in Jerusalem prescribed by the Law might be an occasion for his people to go back to their old allegiance, he built two state temples [10] with golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan.[6] criticised for his cultic activities in 1 Kings,[11] calf worship was not new in Israelite ritual, but a reintroduction of earlier ritual. and Dan were already established cultic sites. According to Rabbanic Literature Gehazi possessed a magnet by which he lifted up the idol made by Jeroboam, so that it was seen between heaven and earth; he had "Yhwh" engraved on it, and in consequence the idol (a calf) pronounced the first two words of the Decalogue (ib.).[12] to 1 Kings,[13] while Jeroboam was engaged in offering incense at Bethel, a "man of God" warned him that "a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David", who would destroy the altar (referring to King Josiah of Judah who would rule approximately three hundred years later). to arrest the prophet for his bold words of defiance, Jeroboam's hand was "dried up", and the altar before which he stood was rent asunder. the entreaty of the man of God, his hand was restored to him again, but the miracle made no abiding impression on him.[14] offered hospitality to the man of God but this was declined, not out of contempt but in obedience to the command of God.[15] The prophecy is fulfilled in 2 Kings.[16] man of God who warned Jeroboam has been equated with a seer named Iddo.[17] Gerard Hoet, Ahijah's prophecy to Jeroboam, 1728. wife of Jeroboam is a character in the Hebrew Bible. She is unnamed in the Masoretic Text, but according to the Septuagint, she was an Egyptian princess called Ano: Sousakim gave to Jeroboam Ano the eldest sister of Thekemina his wife, to him as wife; she was great among the king's daughters... [18] 1 Kings,[19] Jeroboam's son Abijah gets sick, and he sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah's message, however, is that Abijah will die, which he does. to the Jewish Encyclopedia the good that Abijah did for which he would be laid in the grave: Literature: The passage, I Kings, xiv. 13, in which there is a reference to "some good thing [found in him] toward the Lord God of Israel," is interpreted (M. Ḳ. 28b) as an allusion to Abijah's courageous and pious act in removing the sentinels placed by his father on the frontier between Israel and Judah to prevent pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Some assert that he himself undertook a pilgrimage."[20] with Judah[edit] Main article: Jeroboam's Revolt to the Hebrew Bible, Jeroboam was in constant war with the house of Judah.[21] While the southern kingdom made no serious effort militarily to regain power over the north, there was a long-lasting boundary dispute, fighting over which lasted during the reigns of several kings on both sides before being finally settled. the eighteenth year of Jeroboam's reign, Abijah (also known as Abijam), Rehoboam's son, became king of Judah.[22] During his short reign of three years, Abijah went to considerable lengths to bring the Kingdom of Israel back under his control. waged a major battle against Jeroboam in the mountains of Ephraim. According to the Book of Chronicles Abijah had a force of 400,000 and Jeroboam 800,000.[23] Biblical sources mention that Abijah addressed the armies of Israel, urging them to submit and to let the Kingdom of Israel be whole again,[24] but his plea fell on deaf ears. then rallied his own troops with a phrase which has since become famous: "God is with us as our leader". biblical account states that his elite warriors fended off a pincer movement to rout Jeroboam's troops, killing 500,000 of them.[25] Jeroboam setting up two golden calves, Bible Historiale, 1372 was crippled by this severe defeat to Abijah and posed little threat to the Kingdom of Judah for the rest of his reign.[26] also lost the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, with their surrounding villages.[27] was an important centre for Jeroboam's Golden Calf cult (which used non-Levites as priests),[28] located on Israel's southern border, which had been allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua, as was Ephron, which is believed to be the Ophrah that was allocated to the Tribe of Benjamin by Joshua.[29] died soon after Abijam. on sources[edit] account of Jeroboam's life, like that of all his successors, ends with the formula "And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel".[30] Chronicles of the Kings of Israel", likely compiled by or derived from these kings' own scribes, is likely the source for the basic facts of Jeroboam's life and reign, though the compiler(s) of the extant Book of Kings clearly made selective use of it and added hostile commentaries. His family was eventually wiped out. prophecies of doom concerning the fall of both the House of Jeroboam and the northern kingdom as a whole ("For the Lord shall smite Israel..., and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river",[31] might have been composed retroactively, after the events described had already come to pass. Alternatively, the prophecy could have been a logical deduction. Judah had just been conquered and turned into a vassal of Egypt, while Israel stood between the Egyptian and Mesopotamian empires. is likely that the story of the golden calf in the wilderness[32] was composed as a polemic against Jeroboam's cultic restoration by claiming that its origins were inconsistent with worship of YHWH.[33] Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, 930 BC - 720 BC, Kingdom of Israel
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias);

Samaria, 930 BC, Joad, Rebuked Jeroboam fTurning people tIdolatry, priests tbBurned, Joad disobeys order, Lion kills him
Samaria, 930 BC, Prophet Joad, fSamaria, sent tBethel fJudea tRebuke Jeroboam fTurning people tIdolatry, where Jeroboam stood aAltar tSacrifice, Joad warned gathering a son oDavid named Josiah, plus priests that altar would be burned on it, J seized J, went tGrab but hand withered, Joad restored hand, invided fGift, refused saying God had ordered no eat no drink return different way, False prophet Emba iBethel found Joad under oak tree, invited him, refused, but Emba lied saying Angel ordered him tHouse, Joad fell for it, at table Emba received Lord's word saying 'Because you have resisted the Lord's word, and did not keep the commandment which the Lord your God gave you, your body shall not be entombed with your fathers, Joad saddled ass left, Lion killed him, ass &Lion stood by body, men saw, told Emba, he recovered body noticing Lion had not devoured it or ass, E told sons bury me next to Joad because Joad's word about Bethel altar& high houses oSamaria will surely come to pass; Jerusalem, 930 BC, Prophet Joad; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Joad lived around the tenth century B.C. and was from Samaria. the third Book of Kings, chapter thirteen, the Saint is simply called "a man of God." Lord sent this Prophet from Judea to Bethel to rebuke King Jeroboam of israel for turning his people to idolatry. arrived at Bethel just as Jeroboam stood at the altar he had built in order to offer a sacrifice. warned those who had gathered before the altar that a son would be born to the house of David, and he would be named Josiah. went on to say that the priests of the high places who offered sacrifice on that altar would be burned upon it. Jeroboam heard this prophecy he ordered that the man of God be seized. Jeroboam himself reached out to grab the Prophet, and the King's hand withered. begged the Prophet to plead with the Lord to heal his hand, and the King's hand was restored to the way it was before. was grateful, and he invited Joad to come into his home and receive a gift. man of God declined, saying that God had ordered him not to eat any bread or drink any water, and not to return home by the way he had come. he left by a different way. Bethel there was a false prophet named Emba, whose sons informed him of what the man of God had done that day, and what he said to the King. told his sons to saddle his ass, and show him which way the man of God had gone. found Joad sitting under an oak tree and inquired, "Are you the man of God who came from Judea?" replied, "I am." the false prophet invited him to come and eat bread with him, the man of God repeated the same words he had spoken to Jeroboam. said, "I am also a prophet such as you are, and an Angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him to your house and let him eat bread and drink water.' that was a lie! the man of God went to Emba's house and there he ate bread and drank water. they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to Emba, declared: "Thus says the Lord: 'Because you have resisted the Lord's word, and did not keep the commandment which the Lord your God gave you, your body shall not be entombed with your fathers.'" the man of God saddled his ass and left. lion found him and killed him, and cast his body aside. ass stood by the body, and so did the lion. men passed by and saw the lion and the ass standing by the carcass. they went to the city where the false prophet lived and told him about seeing the body of the man of God who rebelled against the word of the Lord. went to retrieve the body, and noticed that the lion had not devoured it, nor did the lion attack the ass. the old man took the body and brought it to his own city, and placed it in his tomb. told his sons to bury him next to the man of God when he died; "for the word will surely come to pass, which he spoke against the altar in Bethel, and against the high houses in Samaria." Prophet Joad should not be confused with the Prophet Joel (October 19), who is one of the twelve minor Prophets.

Samaria, 910BC-909BC, Nadab of Israel, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 910BC-909BC, Nadab of Israel ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, 909BC-877BC, Baasha of Israel, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 909BC-877BC, Baasha of Israel ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, angels at birth, idols v God contest, to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in breeze, Elisha double portion
Galilee, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead, angels at his birth, rain stopped 3.5 yrs, cave beyon Jordan, fed by ravens, to Sarephta Sidon widow, gave last bread oil, then not depleted during famine, Mt Carmel idols true God contest, to consume sacrifice with fire, E watered his sacrifice, his fire came, E put Pagan Priests to death, J threatened to kill him, to Judea, Angel c him to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in gentle breeze, 7k faithful servants will be preserved, Elisha double portion; Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God. Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” name Elijah (the Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety. this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land. this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow. the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God. Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth. Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave. Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal. the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit. to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world. life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30). Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor, was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism Saint Olga (July 11) built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the village of Vibuta. iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

Samaria, 877BC-876BC, Elah, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 877BC-876BC, King Elah ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, 876BC, Zimri (king), Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC, Zimri (king) ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, 876BC-869BC, Omri, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC-869BC, Omri; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, 869-786 BC, Israelite Kings Folder, Ahab to Joash (83 years)

Samaria, 869 BC-800 BC, Obadiah, Israelite Prophet, 4th o12 Minor Prophets, fBetharam, nSichem, Ahab's steward
Samaria, 869-800 BC, Israelite Prophet, Obadiah, 4th o12 Minor Prophets, fBetharam, nSichem, Ahab's steward, Israel worshipping Baal, O served Abe's God secretly, Hid prophets from Jezebel, Prophet Elias' prayers heavenly fire consumed 2 detachments, O's detachment spared, O resigned and followed Elias, then received prophecy gift, his book has future Gentile salvation, & savior fSion, buried iSamaria, old grey haired man, (God) shall destroy Idumea wise men; Samaria, 9th Century BC, Israelite Prophet, Obadiah; Prophet Obadiah (Abdia), Commemorated on November 19; holy Prophet Obadiah [or Abdia] is the fourth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, he lived during the ninth century B.C. was from the village of Betharam, near Sichem, he served as steward of the impious Israelite King Ahab. those days the whole of Israel had turned away from the true God and had begun to offer sacrifice to Baal, Obadiah faithfully served the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in secret. Ahab’s wife, the impious and dissolute Jezebel, hunted down all the prophets of the Lord (because of her quarrel with the Prophet Elias), gave them shelter and food (3/1 Kgs 18:3 ff). ’s successor King Okhoziah [Ahaziah] sent three detachments of soldiers to arrest the holy Prophet Elias (July 20). of these detachments was headed by the holy Prophet Obadiah. the prayer of the Prophet Elias, two of the detachments were consumed by heavenly fire, but Obadiah and his detachment were spared by the Lord (4/2 Kgs 1). that moment Obadiah resigned from military service and became a follower of the Prophet Elias. he himself received the gift of prophecy. God-inspired work of the Prophet Obadiah is the fourth of the Books of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Bible, contains predictions about the future salvation of the Gentiles (Vs. 15) that the Savior would come forth from Sion (Vs. 17). holy Prophet Obadiah, whose name means servant (or worshipper) of the Lord, was buried in Samaria. iconography, the Prophet Obadiah is depicted as a grey-haired old man with a rounded beard. scroll reads: “In that day, saith the Lord, I shall destroy the wise men out of Idumea.”(Obadiah 8).

Samaria, 869 BC-850 BC, Ahab, Israelite King
Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, 869-850 BC, Jezebel, Ahab's Wife , Baal and Asherah worship in Israel
Samaria, 869-850 BC, Israelite King, Ahab's Wife Jezebel was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel, according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 16:31).[4] to the Biblical narrative, Jezebel, along with her husband, instituted the worship of Baal and Asherah on a national scale. In addition, she violently purged the prophets of Yahweh from Israel, damaging the reputation of the Omride dynasty.[5][6][7][8] For these offences, the Omride dynasty was annihilated, with Jezebel herself suffering the gruesome death of defenestration. in the Book of Revelation, Jezebel is symbolically associated with false prophets.[9] of name[edit] ezebel is the Anglicized transliteration of the Hebrew. The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible states that the name is "best understood as meaning 'Where is the Prince?'" , a ritual cry from worship ceremonies in honor of Baal during periods of the year when the god was considered to be in the underworld.[10] Alternatively, a feminine Punic name noted by the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, [11] may have been a cognate to the original form of the name, as the Israelites were known to often alter personal names which invoked the names of foreign gods (cf. instances for Baal, Mephibosheth and Ish-bosheth). account[edit] and Ahab (c. 1863) by Frederic Leighton is introduced into the Biblical narrative as a Phoenician princess, the daughter of Ithobaal I, king of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31 says she was "Sidonian", which is a biblical term for Phoenicians in general).[10] According to genealogies given in Josephus and other classical sources, she was the great aunt of Dido, Queen of Carthage.[10] As the daughter of Ithobaal I, she was also the sister of Baal-Eser II. Jezebel eventually married King Ahab of Samaria, the northern kingdom of Israel. wedding ceremony of Ahab and Jezebel is recorded, according to Near Eastern scholar Charles R. Krahmalkov, in Psalm 45.[12] This marriage was the culmination of the friendly relations existing between Israel and Phoenicia during Omri's reign, and possibly cemented important political designs of Ahab. Jezebel, like the foreign wives of Solomon, required facilities for carrying on her form of worship, so Ahab made a Baalist altar in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.[13] Geoffrey Bromiley points out that it was Phoenician practice to install a royal woman as a priestess of Astarte, so thus she would have a more active role in temple and palace relations than was customary in the Hebrew monarchy.[14] illustration of a bearded prophet confronting a luxuriously dressed king and queen and Ahab meeting Elijah, print by Sir Francis Dicksee (1853-“1928) coronation as queen upset the balance of power between Yahwism and Baalism.[15][16] As a worshiper of Baal, Jezebel had significant power and influence, which she used to both support her faith and eliminate its rivals, using methods that the Bible describes in brutal terms.[17][18][19] Obadiah, a pro-Yahwist figure in Ahab's royal court, secretly protected the survivors of these purges in a cave.[13][18] a result, Elijah invited Jezebel's prophets of Baal and Asherah to a challenge at Mount Carmel.[18][20] The challenge was to see which god, Yahweh or Baal, would burn a bull sacrifice on an altar. Jezebel's prophets failed to summon Baal in burning the bull sacrifice, despite their cries and cutting themselves. Elijah, however, succeeded when he summoned Yahweh, impressing the Israelites. He then ordered the people to seize and kill the prophets of Baal and Asherah at the Kishon River. After the prophets were slain, Jezebel swore to have Elijah become like her prophets (i.e. killed), even if it meant embracing divine judgement upon herself if she failed to do so.[21][18][20] Elijah fled for his life to the wilderness, where he mourned the devotion of Israel to Baal and lamented about being the only Yahwist worshiper left.[13][22] an unspecified amount of time had passed, since Ahab was notably rebuked by an unnamed prophet for letting Ben-Hadad survive (Ben-Hadad planned to capture Ahab's "wives", including Jezebel, as plunder after besieging Samaria),[23] he visited Naboth's residence. The residence was located near the royal palace in the city of Jezreel. Wishing to acquire Naboth's vineyard so that he could expand his own gardens, Ahab requested to purchase Naboth's vineyard, in exchange for a better quality vineyard or financial compensation. Naboth declined, which he justified by informing Ahab that his vineyard was ancestral property. Ahab returned to his palace, sullen and depressed by Naboth's response. Jezebel decided to console him by arranging for Naboth to be entrapped and later, executed on the (false) charges of blasphemy against God and the king. After Naboth was executed outside the city, his corpse was licked by stray dogs. Jezebel then informed Ahab that he could successfully seize possession of Naboth's vineyard. Nonetheless, Elijah condemned Ahab for committing theft and murder. As punishment, God decreed Ahab's death and the annihilation of his royal line. Jezebel's death was also decreed, with her corpse to be devoured by dogs.[24] of Jezebel being thrown out of a window to waiting mounted troops and dogs Death of Jezebel by Gustave Doré years later, Ahab died in battle. His son Ahaziah inherited the throne, but died as the result of an accident and Ahaziah was succeeded by his brother, Joram. Elisha, Elijah's successor, commanded one of his disciples to anoint Jehu, commander of Joram's army, as king, to be the agent of divine punishment against Ahab's family.[10] Jehu killed Joram, and his nephew Ahaziah (the king of Judah and son of Athaliah, who was possibly the daughter of Jezebel). He later approached the royal palace in Jezreel to confront Jezebel. that Jehu was coming, Jezebel put on make-up and a formal wig with adornments and looked out of a window, taunting him. Bromiley says that it should be looked at less as an attempt at seduction than the public appearance of the queen mother, invested with the authority of the royal house and cult, confronting a rebellious commander.[14] In his two-volume Guide to the Bible (1967 and 1969), Isaac Asimov describes Jezebel's last act: dressing in all her finery, make-up, and jewelry, as deliberately symbolic, indicating her dignity, royal status, and determination to go out of this life as a queen.[25] later ordered Jezebel's eunuch servants to throw her from the window. Her blood splattered on the wall and horses, and Jehu's horse trampled her corpse. He entered the palace where, after he ate and drank, he ordered Jezebel's body to be taken for burial. His servants discovered only her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands—her flesh had been eaten by stray dogs, just as the prophet Elijah had prophesied.[26][27] Edwin R. Thiele dates Jezebel's death around 850 BCE.[28] of Jezebel's dead body being consumed by dogs as Jehu gestures at her body in triumph Jezebel Being Punished by Jehu, by Andrea Celesti to Israel Finkelstein, the marriage of King Ahab to the daughter of the ruler of the Phoenician empire was a sign of the power and prestige of Ahab and the northern Kingdom of Israel. He termed it a "brilliant stroke of international diplomacy".[29] He says that the inconsistencies and anachronisms in the biblical stories of Jezebel and Ahab mean that they must be considered "more of a historical novel than an accurate historical chronicle".[29] Among these inconsistencies, 1 Kings 20 states that "Ben-Hadad king of Aram" invaded Samaria during Ahab's reign, but this event did not take place until later in the history of Israel.[30] The two books of Kings are part of the Deuteronomistic history, compiled more than two hundred years after the death of Jezebel. Finkelstein states that these accounts are "obviously influenced by the theology of the seventh century BCE writers".[29] The compilers of the biblical accounts of Jezebel and her family were writing in the southern kingdom of Judah centuries after the events and from a perspective of strict monolatry. These writers considered the polytheism of the members of the Omride dynasty to be sinful. In addition, they were hostile to the northern kingdom and its history, as its center of Samaria was a rival to Jerusalem.[29] According to Dr J. Bimson, of Trinity College, Bristol 1 and 2 Kings are not "a straightforward history but a history which contains its own theological commentary". He points to verses like 1 Kings 14:19 that show the author of Kings was drawing on other earlier sources.[31] seal from the 9th century BCE, discovered in 1964, has a partially damaged inscription of "YZBL" which could have once read, "belonging to Jezebel". However, there are some issues with this theory. Whereas on the seal it appears the inscription begins with the letter yodh, Jezebel's name starts with an aleph, which is lacking on the seal; furthermore, the possessive lamedh which would translate to the predicate "belonging to ..." is also missing from the seal. However, it is entirely possible these letters simply could have been located where the seal is now damaged. The seal includes motifs associated with both Egyptian and Israelite royalty, such as the Uraeus cobra which is commonly found on pharaonic artifacts, and symbols such as the winged sun and Ankh, which are found on numerous other Israelite royal seals from the 8th century BCE and onwards. Regardless, scholars do not agree on whether the seal is evidence for the historicity of the biblical character. Some scholars have said that the size and intricacy of the seal could mean it was used by royalty.[32] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin oAhab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred
Samaria, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred, companion oElias; Samaria, 869-850 BC, Israelite Prophet, Micah, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred; to the Hebrew Bible, Micah was a prophet in Judaism and is the author of the Book of Micah. is considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. was from Moresheth-Gath, in southwest Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. messages were directed chiefly toward Jerusalem. He prophesied the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, the destruction and then future restoration of the Judean state, and he rebuked the people of Judah for dishonesty and idolatry. 5:2 is interpreted by Christians as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. narrative[edit] was active in Judah from before the fall of Israel in 722 BC and experienced the devastation brought by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC. He prophesied from approximately 737 to 696 BC.[citation needed] Micah was from Moresheth, also called Moresheth-Gath, a small town in southwest Judah. Micah lived in a rural area, and often rebuked the corruption of city life in Israel and Judah.[1] The subject's father is not given and likely descended from the common people as the target of his message was towards the privileged classes.[2] prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.[3] Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah from 742 to 735 BC. Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz, who reigned over Judah from 735 to 715 BC. Ahaz's son Hezekiah ruled from 715 to 696 BC.[4] Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Jeremiah, who prophesied about thirty years after Micah, recognized Micah as a prophet from Moresheth who prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah.[5] messages were directed mainly towards Jerusalem, and were a mixture of denunciations and prophecies. In his early prophecies, he predicted the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem for their respective sins. The people of Samaria were rebuked for worshipping idols which were bought with the income earned by prostitutes.[6] Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. According to him, the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, which impoverished the city's citizens.[7] He also called to account the prophets of his day, whom he accused of accepting money for their oracles.[8] also anticipated the destruction of the Judean state and promised its restoration more glorious than before.[9] He prophesied an era of universal peace over which the Governor will rule from Jerusalem.[10] Micah also declared that when the glory of Zion and Jacob is restored that the LORD will force the Gentiles to abandon idolatry.[11] also rebuked Israel because of dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government. He warned the people, on behalf of God, of pending destruction if ways and hearts were not changed. He told them what the LORD requires of them: hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?  Micah 6:8 Israel's response to Micah's charges and threats consisted of three parts: an admission of guilt,[12] a warning of adversaries that Israel will rely on the LORD for deliverance and forgiveness,[13] and a prayer for forgiveness and deliverance.[14] prophecy given by Micah details the future destruction of Jerusalem and the plowing of Zion (a part of Jerusalem). This passage (Micah 3:11–12), is stated again in Jeremiah 26:18, Micah's only prophecy repeated in the Old Testament. Since then Jerusalem has been destroyed three times, the first one being the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, about 150 years after Micah gave this prophecy.[15][16] interpretation[edit] Engraving of the Prophet Micah by Gustave Doré. 5:2 is interpreted as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. This passage is recalled in Matthew 2:6, and the fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus is further described in Matthew 2:1–6. thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 10:35–36 Jesus adapts Micah 7:6 to his own situation; I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Micah was referring to the division in Judah and Samaria, the distrust that had arisen between all citizens, even within families.[16] Jesus was using the same words to describe something different. Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace, but to divide households. Men are commanded to love Jesus Christ more than their own family members, and Jesus indicated that this priority would lead to persecution from others and separation within families.[17] Micah 7:20, Micah reminded Judah of God's covenant to be merciful to Jacob and show love to Abraham and his descendants. This is repeated in Luke 1:72–73 in the prophecy Zechariah at the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist. This prophecy concerned the kingdom and salvation through the Messiah. It is a step in the fulfillment of the blessing of the descendants of Abraham.[17] When Micah restated this covenant promise, he was comforting Judah with the promise of God's faithfulness and love.[18] prophecy to King Hezekiah is mentioned in Jeremiah 26:17-19: Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple[a] Like the bare hills of the forest.”’[b] 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.” commemoration[edit] Micah is commemorated with the other eleven minor prophets in the Calendar of Saints (Armenian Apostolic Church) on July 31. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is commemorated twice in the year. The first feast day is January 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, January 5 currently falls on January 18 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). However, since January 5 is also the eve of the Great Feast of Theophany (in the west, Epiphany) and a strict fast day (near total abstinence from food and non-religious activities), his major celebration is on August 14 (the forefeast of the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God).[19] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Holy Prophet Micah was a companion of the holy prophet Elias. prophesied the ruin of King Ahab in a war with the Assyrians, which he was cast into prison. free after the downfall of Ahab (3 Kings 22: 8-22), holy prophet Micah died as a martyr in the ninth century B.C.

Samaria, 869-850 BC approx, Elijah (Elias), Israelite Prophet
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC approx, Elijah; ---------------------Elijah was, according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel[10] during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC). 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection (raising the dead), bringing fire down from the sky, and entering Heaven alive "by fire".[11] is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".[12] his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD",[13] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. to Elijah appear in Ecclesiasticus, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and BahÂ writings. Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah,[14] but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" who was promised to come in Malachi 3:1; 4:5.[15] According to accounts in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus. Islam, Elijah or Ilyas appears in the Quran as a prophet and messenger of God, where his biblical narrative of preaching against the worshipers of Baal is recounted in a concise form.[16] Due to his importance to Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, Elijah has been venerated as the patron saint of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1752.[17] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, 869-800 BC, Elisha, Israelite Prophet
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC, Elisha ; was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic, and Elyesa via Turkish. mentioned in the New Testament and the Quran,[2] Elisha is venerated as a prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and writings of the BahÃ¡Ê¼Ã Faith refer to him by name.[3] the biblical narrative he is a disciple and protégé of Elijah, and after Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire, he gave Elisha a double portion of his power and he was accepted as the leader of the sons of the prophets. Elisha then went on to perform twice as many miracles as Elijah. he settled in Samaria, Elisha passed some time on Mount Carmel.[4] He became noted in Israel, and for six decades (892–832 BC) held the office of "prophet in Israel". He is called a patriot because of his help to soldiers and kings.[5] 1 Bible stories 1.1 Anointing 1.2 Elijah taken in the whirlwind 1.3 Miracles 1.4 Elisha's final days 2 Veneration 3 In Islam 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 6.1 Islamic view 7 External links stories[edit] icon of Elisha (18th century, Kizhi Monastery, Russia). story is related in the Books of Kings (Second Scroll, chapters 2-14) in the Hebrew Bible (part of the Nevi'im). According to this story, he was a prophet and a wonder-worker of the Kingdom of Israel who was active during the reign of Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash (Joash).[5] Elisha was the son of Shaphat, a wealthy land-owner of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and disciple of Elijah.[6] name first occurs in chapter 19 of the Books of Kings in the command given to Elijah to anoint him as his successor.[7] After learning in the cave on Mount Horeb, that Elisha, the son of Shaphat, had been selected by Yahweh as his successor in the prophetic office, Elijah set out to find him. On his way from Mount Horeb to Damascus, Elijah found Elisha "one of them that was plowing with twelve yokes of oxen".[8] Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he boiled with the wood of his plough. Elijah went over to him, threw his mantle over Elisha's shoulders, investing him with the prophetic office.[6] After he had shared this farewell repast with his father, mother, and friends, the newly chosen prophet "went after Elijah, and ministered unto him".[9] Elisha became Elijah's close attendant until Elijah was taken up into heaven. During all these years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection with the closing scenes of Elijah's life. taken in the whirlwind[edit] Spring" (Ain es-Sultan) in Jericho (2012). The fountain is supposed to be the waters which Elisha healed, referred to in 2 Kings 2:19–22. accompanied Elijah to Jericho, where according to 2 Kings 2:3–9, "the sons of the prophets" tell Elishat that the LORD would "will take away thy master from thy head to-day". and Elisha went to the Jordan River. Elijah rolls up his mantle and strikes the water,[10] the waters of which divided so as to permit both to pass over on dry ground. Elisha asks to "inherit a double-portion" of Elijah's spirit. Suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appear and Elijah is lifted up in a whirlwind. As Elijah is lifted up, his mantle falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up. scholars see this as indicative of the property inheritance customs of the time, where the oldest son received twice as much of the father's inheritance as each of the younger sons. In this interpretation Elisha is asking that he may be seen as the "rightful heir" and successor to Elijah.[11] Critics of this view point out that Elisha was already appointed as Elijah's successor earlier in the narrative and that Elisha is described as performing twice as many miracles as Elijah. In this interpretation the "double-portion" isn't merely an allusion to primacy in succession, but is instead a request for greater prophetic power even than Elijah.[12] means of the mantle let fall from Elijah, Elisha miraculously recrossed the Jordan, and Elisha returned to Jericho, where he won the gratitude of the people by purifying the unwholesome waters of their spring and making them drinkable.[13] bears savaging the youths at Elisha's command, while Elijah is borne in the flying chariot (1453 French manuscript). the armies of Judah, Israel and Kingdom of Edom, then allied against Mesha, the Moabite king, were being tortured by drought in the Idumean desert, Elisha consented to intervene. His double prediction regarding relief from drought and victory over the Moabites was fulfilled on the following morning.[6] When a group of boys (or youths[14]) from Bethel taunted the prophet for his baldness, Elisha cursed them in the name of Yahweh and two female bears came out of the forest and tore forty-two of the boys.[4] relieve a prophet's widow importuned by a harsh creditor, Elisha so multiplied a little oil as to enable her, not only to pay her debt but to provide for her family needs.[15] There is a Jewish tradition, or legend, that the woman's husband was Obadiah, the servant of King Ahab, who hid 100 prophets in two caves.[16] To reward the rich lady of Shunem for her hospitality, he obtained for her from Yahweh, at first the birth of a son, and subsequently the resurrection of her child who had died. To nourish the sons of the prophets pressed by famine, Elisha changed a pottage made from poisonous gourds into wholesome food.[13] He fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of new barley, leaving some leftover,[17] in a story which is comparable with the miracles of Jesus in the New Testament.[18] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the focus of this narrative does not dwell "on the increase of the bread by a miracle, and we are left to accept the result as either brought about in that way or by the appetites of the men being satisfied with a small quantity."[19] Refusing the Gifts of Naaman, by Pieter de Grebber 1630 cured the Syrian military commander Naaman of leprosy but punished his own servant Gehazi, who took money from Naaman.[20] Naaman, at first reluctant, obeyed Elisha, and washed seven times in the River Jordan. Finding his flesh "restored like the flesh of a little child", the general was so impressed by this evidence of God's power, and by the disinterestedness of his prophet, as to express his deep conviction that "there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel."[21] Elisha allowed Naaman to continue in the service of the Syrian king and therefore be present in the worship of Rimmon in the Syrian temple. In the Christian tradition, Jesus referred to Naaman's healing when he said, "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian."[22] actions included repeatedly saving King Jehoram of Israel from the ambushes planned by Benhadad,[4] ordering the elders to shut the door against the messenger of Israel's ungrateful king,[23] bewildering with a strange blindness the soldiers of the Syrian king,[24] making iron float to relieve from embarrassment a son of a prophet,[25] confidently predicting the sudden flight of the enemy and the consequent cessation of the famine,[26] and unmasking the treachery of Hazael.[27] Famine in Samaria (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible) miracles Elisha accomplishes include the recovery of an axe fallen into the waters of the Jordan.[13] At the siege of Samaria by the king of Syria, Elisha prophesied about the terrible sufferings of the people of Samaria and their eventual relief.[28] then journeyed to Damascus and prophesied that Hazael would be king over Syria.[27] Elisha directs one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, as king of Israel, and commissions him to cut off the house of Ahab.[29] The death of Jehoram, pierced by an arrow from Jehu's bow, the end of Jezebel,[30] and the slaughter of Ahab's seventy sons, proved how he executed that demand.[31] After predicting to Jehoash his victory over the Syrians at Aphek, as well as three other subsequent victories, "Elisha died, and they buried him."[32] final days[edit] miracle at the grave of Elisha. (Jan Nagel, 1596) Elisha lay on his death-bed in his own house,[33] Jehoash of Israel, the grandson of Jehu, came to mourn over his approaching departure, and uttered the same words as those of Elisha when Elijah was taken away, indicating his value to him: "My father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof".[34] Jehoash assists Elisha to fire an arrow eastwards from the window of his room, predicting as it lands: arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.[35] Elisha predicts three successful battles over the Arameans, but no absolute victory.[36] 2 Kings 13:25 records three victories of Joash whereby cities lost to the Arameans, probably on the west bank of the Jordan, were regained.[37] to the Books of Kings the year after Elisha's death and burial (or, in the following spring) a body was placed in his grave. As soon as the body touched Elisha's remains the man "revived and stood up on his feet".[38] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, 850-849 BC, Israelite King, Ahaziah of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 850BC-849BC, Ahaziah of Israel ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite King, 849BC-842BC, Jehoram of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 849BC-842BC, Jehoram of Israel ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite King, 842BC-815BC, Jehu
Samaria, Israelite King, 842BC-815BC, Jehu; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite King, 815BC-801BC, Jehoahaz of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 815BC-801BC, Jehoahaz of Israel ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite King, 801BC-786BC, Joash or Jehoash of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 801BC-786BC, Joash or Jehoash of Israel ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, 792-686 BC, Israelite Prophet, Hosea
Samaria, Israelite King, Samaria, 9th Century BC, Israelite Prophet, Hosea; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, 786 BC - 753 BC, Israelite Kings Folder, Jeroboam II and The Earthquake -

Samaria, 786BC-753BC, Israelite King, Jeroboam II
Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake; The Earthquake in Amos;

Samaria, 760-755 BC, Prophet, Amos
Samaria, 760-755 BC, Prophet, Amos; Samaria, The Earthquake in Amos, 753 BC; Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake;

Samaria, 753 BC, The Earthquake in Amos
Samaria, The Earthquake in Amos, 753 BC; Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake;

Samaria, Israelite King, 753BC-745BC, Zechariah of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 753BC-745BC, Zechariah of Israel ;

Samaria, Israelite King, 745BC-745BC, Shallum of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 745BC-745BC, Shallum of Israel ;

Samaria, Israelite King, 745BC-735BC, Menahem
Samaria, Israelite King, 745BC-735BC, Menahem ;

Samaria, 740 BC, Israel Assyrian Captivity, Gozan, Syria, Chebar River
Gozan, Syria, Assyrian captivity, 740 BC 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-18, Israel Carried Captive to Assyria;

Samaria, Israelite King, 735BC-733BC, Pekahiah
Samaria, Israelite King, 735BC-733BC, Pekahiah ;

Samaria, Israelite King, 733BC-732BC, Pekah
Samaria, Israelite King, 733BC-732BC, Pekah ;

Samaria, Israelite King, 732BC-721BC, Hoshea
Samaria, Israelite King, 732BC-721BC, Hoshea ;

Samaria, 30-33 AD, The time of Jesus' Ministry

Samaria, 30-33, Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well
Samaria, 30-33, Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well; Jacob's Well; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20;

Samaria, 32,330&452, 2 Findings otHead otForerunner, from his appearances in 330 and 452
Samaria, 330&452, First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Perophe, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, first found in Sebaste, Samaria, first hidden bHerodius in unclean place, Joanna, Herod's steward Chuza 's wife, christian, placed it into a vessel and buried it Herod's property on Mt of Olives, property passed into govt official possession, he became monk Innocent, built church there, discovered vessel and head, recognized the grace eminating from it, thus the first finding, but returend it to place found, 330 Forerunner appeared to two monks and told them where to look, they lost it to a potter who did not know what it was and put it in Camel hair sack, Forerunner appeared again but to the potter, told him flee from careless lazy monks, he preserved it with reverence in his home, gave it to his christian sister, then sucessfully preserved by Christians, until Arian Priest Eustathius posessed it, he hid it in a cave, Pious monks settled in the cave, started monastery there, 452 Forerunner appeared to archmandrite of the monastery Marcellus, told him where it was hidden, This is the second finding, it was transferred to Emesa and later to Constantinople; Sebaste, Samaria; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), took the holy head and placed it into a vessel buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official became a monk with the name of Innocent. built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. occurred the First Finding of the Head. preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, indicated where his head was hidden. became celebrated as the Second Finding. holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Samaria, 33-73, Apostle Philip, one of the seven deacons, the evangelist, Samaria, Ethiopia, Tralles
Samaria, 33-70, Apostle Philip, one of the seven deacons; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be confused with Saint Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons, they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. The eldest among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. the persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr Stephen. Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13) the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). holy disciple Philip tirelessly preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining Palestine. Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. Saint Philip died in old age.

Samaria, Road to Gilgal Folder

Harosheth Haggoyim, Samaria
Harosheth-ha-goiim or Harosheth Haggoyim; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Bethulia above The Passes (near Dothan)
Bethulia and Betomesthaim (area of many springs) near Dothan, ordered to sieze the high places above the passes into the Hill Country and out of Jesreel Valley; Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which faces Esdraelon opposite the plain near Dothan. The area of many springs are between Jenin and Dothan. Esdraelon (Jesreel Valley); Dothan (from the stories of both Joseph and Judith); Judith 4:1-15, Judea on the Alert;

Dothan
Dothan;

Sebastia, Samaria
Sebastia, Samaria; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated August 29 ;

Mt Ebal, Samaria
Mt Ebal; Joshua 8:30-35, Joshua Renews the Covenant; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1;

Nablus, Samaria (Flavia Neapolis , Shechem)
Flavia Neapolis (Nablus, Shechem); JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Flavia Neapolis, Samaria (Nablus, Shechem)
Flavia Neapolis (Nablus, Shechem); JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Jacob's Well, Samaria (near the Road to Gilgal)
Jacob's Well; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Mt Gerizim, Samaria
Mt Gerizim; Joshua 8:30-35, Joshua Renews the Covenant; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1;

Shechem, Samaria
Shechem, Samaria;

Sichem, Samaria (Shechem)
Sychem, Sichem or Shechem ; Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated November 19 ; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167);

Line Measure 6miles SW of Sichem, Gideon's Home at Ophrah on Road to Gilgal

Ophrah, Gideon's home on Road to Gilgal
Ophrah, Gideon's home; Was Gideon? was a young Israelite man living in Ophrah. He was the youngest son of Joash, who was of the family of Abiezer. His family line belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. ’s family was not wealthy. They lived in constant fear because neighboring groups would steal the Israelite’s grain and livestock. The Israelite people had to seek out shelter in caves to protect themselves and what little food they had. we meet Gideon in the Book of Judges, he is threshing wheat in a winepress. This was not the custom but had to be done to protect what grain they could get. Later in his life, Gideon becomes a judge of Israel and dies as an honored man in the history of God’s chosen people.

Mount Ephraim, Samaria
Mount Ephraim, Timnath-heres (among the mountains of Ephraim); Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Marda; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20, He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. ;

Marda, Samaria
Marda; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20, He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Shiloh, Samaria
Shiloh; Tabernacle; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated August 20; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ;

Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Northern Kingdom
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) Northern Kingdom; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27;

Northern Kingdom of Israel, 9th century BC, city of Samaria
Northern Kingdom of Israel, 9th century BC, city of Samaria; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Shiloh, Samaria (W of Adam, SSE of Shechem)
Shiloh (W of Adam, SSE of Shechem)

Temple - Samaria, 1146 BC, Shiloh, Ephraim, Samaria, Tabernacle Location
Samaria, 1146BC, Tabernacle Location, Shiloh, Ephriam, Samaria ; Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9;

Israel, Samaria (at Bethel, Benjamin, 19 Tribes worshipped at Bethel)
Israel (the other 10 tribes) worshipped at Bethel, Benjamin. Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Samaria (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Samaria (Clean), its Area
Samaria, its Area

Samaria
Samaria;

Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Northern Kingdom
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) Northern Kingdom;

Shiloh, Samaria, Kingdom of Israel Capital
Shiloh; Tabernacle;

Northern Kingdom of Israel, 9th century BC, city of Samaria
Northern Kingdom of Israel, 9th century BC, city of Samaria;

Sebaste, Samaria
Sebaste, Samaria;

Sichem, Samaria (Shechem)
Sychem, Sichem or Shechem ;

Flavia Neapolis, Samaria (Nablus, Shechem)
Flavia Neapolis (Nablus, Shechem);

Nablus, Samaria (Flavia Neapolis , Shechem)
Flavia Neapolis (Nablus, Shechem);

Jacob's Well, Samaria (near the Road to Gilgal)
Jacob's Well;

Mt Ebal, Samaria
Mt Ebal;

Mt Gerizim, Samaria
Mt Gerizim;

Mount Ephraim, Samaria
Mount Ephraim, Timnath-heres (among the mountains of Ephraim);

Temple - Samaria, 1146 BC, Shiloh, Ephraim, Samaria, Tabernacle Location
Samaria, 1146BC, Tabernacle Location, Shiloh, Ephriam, Samaria ;

Israel, Samaria (at Bethel, Benjamin, 19 Tribes worshipped at Bethel)
Israel (the other 10 tribes) worshipped at Bethel, Benjamin.

Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent
Zargos Mountains, around the Fertile Crescent;

Romania Folder, its Danube rivers, Southeastern Carpathian Mts, its rivers go south to the Danube

Romania
Romania; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; St John of Prislop, Commomorated September 13 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Sokolsky", Commemorated February 1 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God œSokolsky, Commemorated on February 1; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; St Gregory, Metropolitan of Wallachia, Commemorated on June 22; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Wallachia (Ottoman Romania)
Wallachia; St Constantine Brancoveanu(of Wallachia); St Gabriel I the Patriarch; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; St Gregory, Metropolitan of Wallachia, Commemorated on June 22;

Valakhia aka Wallachia

Romania, 270-900, Romania in the Early Middle Ages
Romania, 270-900, Romania in the Early Middle Ages; Romania, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Romania, 900-1220, Part of Cumania
Romania, 900-1220, Part of Cumania; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Romania, 1220-1330, Part of Second Bulgarian Empire, 1185-1422
Romania, 1220-1330, Part of Second Bulgarian Empire, 1185-1422; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Romania, 1330-1859, Wallachia, Ottoman till 1774, then Russian
Romanian Land (Wallachia), 1330-1859 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Romania, 1330-1859, Vlachia (Wallachia)
Vlachia (Wallachia), 1330-1859, north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15;

Vlachia (Romania, 1330-1859, Vlachia (Wallachia and Moldovia))
Vlachia (Wallachia), 1330-1859, north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15;

Vlahia (Tara Romaneasca, Romania, 1330-1859, Vlachia (Ottoman name for Wallachia and Moldovia))
Vlachia (Wallachia), 1330-1859, north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15;

Romania, 1774-1859, Romania (Wallachia) under Russian Control
Russo-Turkish Wars and the Phanariotes ; Russo-Turkish War (1768-“1774) ;

Romania, 1821, Wallacian Revolution
Romania, 1981, Wallacian Revolution; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1859-1881, United Principalities, Romanian United Principalities, Romania
Romania, 1859-1881, United Principalities, Romanian United Principalities, Romania; Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky"Â, Commemorated on February 1; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1881-1947, Romanian Kingdom
Romania, 1881-1947, Romanian Kingdom; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Wallachian Plain

Carpathian Mountains (Slovakia, Transylvania, Romania, Ukranian Russia)
Carpathian Mountains; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Romanian Lands
Romanian Lands: Danubian Principalities: the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century;

Danube River in Romania

Romania 50-1989. Romania History Folder

Romania, 000-099, Folder, 1st Century, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew

Romania, 50, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna
Mongol, Scythia, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20;

Romania, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew
Romania, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constan›a in Romania, Commemorated on July 7;

Romania, 253-900, Folder, in the Early Middle Ages, Goths, Huns, and Early Slavs

Romania, 253-300, Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Apostle Andrew's disciple, but martyred Diocletian persecution
Romania, 253-300, Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16), Apostle Andrew's disciple, but active end of 3rd C, converted many pagans of Dacia Pontica, martyred Diocletian persecution; Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Evangelicus, a follower of the holy Apostle Andrew (November 30), the first known bishop of the diocese of Tomis (Constanța, pronounced: Constantsa) in Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia, or Dobrogea). was active around the mouths of the Danube toward the end of the third century. Evangelicus converted many pagans of Dacia Pontica to Christianity. is mentioned in the account of the martyrdom of Saints Epictetus and Astion (July 8), where he is described as the founder of churches in the province. parents of these holy martyrs were baptized by Saint Evangelicus after being converted by the priest Bonosus. is believed that Saint Evangelicus suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Diocletian (284-305).

Romania, 253-900, Romania in the Early Middle Ages
Romania, 253-900, Romania in the Early Middle Ages; Romania, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Romania, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia, Buzau River
Romania, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Romania, 360-381, Vetranion of Tomis, Romania & Scythia Minor, stood up to Arian Valens, Famous Letter to Basil tG
Romania, 360-381, Vetranion of Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16), 360 Bishop of all Scythia Minor, fCappadocia, stood up to Arian Valens (on his way to fight Sythian Goths, ), exiled, returned by public outcry, Sent Sava tGoth relics back to Basil the Great with his Famous letter, the Epistle of the Church of God in Gothia to the Church of God in Cappadocia, and to all the local churches of the holy catholic Church, 3rd ECouncil 381 ; Tomis (Constantsa); Saint Vetranion of Tomis, Commemorated on January 25; Vetranion (or Bretanion) lived during the IV century, was the Bishop of Tomis, (now Constanța, Romania) in the Province of Scythia Minor.1 is known about his life except that he came from Cappadocia, and was elected to the See of Tomis about the year 360.2 confessed the Orthodox Faith, and suffered a great deal from the heretical Emperor Valens (364 – 378), an adherent of the Arian heresy, and who persecuted the Church. During his reign, many Orthodox Christians were put to death. Vetranion, who possessed every virtue, was Bishop of all the cities of Scythia. to Sozomen (a Church historian of the V century), the Emperor Valens was campaigning against the Goths of Scythia, he stopped at Tomis and ordered its citizens to become Arians and to reject the Nicene Creed. with divine zeal, the courageous hierarch rebuked Valens for distorting the Faith, and for his unjust persecution of the saints. the Saint repeated the following words of the Prophet-King David: “I spoke of thy testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed” (Psalm 118/119:46).3 a result, Saint Vetranion was sent into exile. Valens was forced by the public outcry against the Bishop's banishment to let him return to his flock. 373 or 374, Saint Basil the Great requested Junius Soranus, the ruler of Scythia Minor, to send him some relics of the Saints from that region. sent the relics of Saint Savva the Goth (April 15) to Saint Basil along with a letter: the Epistle of the Church of God in Gothia to the Church of God in Cappadocia, and to all the local churches of the holy catholic Church. sending of the relics and the writing of the letter have been attributed to Bishop Vetranion. letter, written in Greek, is the oldest known document written on what is now Romanian soil. Bishop Vetranion did represent Tomis at the Third Ecumenical Council in 381; but it could be that his name was confused with that of Bishop Gerontius (or Terentius) of Tomis.

Romania, 370-405, Germanus of Dacia Pontica, fTomis, kin John Cassian, J's spiritual father, friend&teacher, monastic perfection
Romania, 370-405, Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Romania, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus), fTomis, older than kin John Cassian, tonsured, J's spiritual father, friend&teacher, monastic perfection, t Bethlehem 380-385, t Egypt, cenobitic monasteries, tNitria&Sinai, 399 tConstantinople fChrysostom, priesthood, 404 tRome &Innocent, d 405; Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica; Saint Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Germanus the Daco-Roman was born in the mid-fourth century, probably on the borders of Cassian and the Caves in the diocese of Tomis (in what is now Romania), was related to Saint John Cassian (February 29). Germanus, who was older than Saint John, was tonsured at one of the local monasteries when he was still a young man. holy bishop Saint Theotimus I (April 20) may have been his Spiritual Father. turn, Saint Germanus became the Spiritual Father, friend, and teacher of Saint John Cassian, instructing him in monastic perfection. both lived at one of the monasteries of Dacia Pontica for a short time, then worked together in Bethlehem from 380-385. they traveled to Egypt and visited some of its cenobitic monasteries. also visited the hermits of Nitria and Mount Sinai, seeking to benefit from their holy example and wise counsel. Germanus and John went to Constantinople in 399 in order to be near Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), around this time Germanus was deemed worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Chrysostom was deposed and exiled in 404, the two saints journeyed to Rome in order to plead his case before Pope Innocent I. Germanus completed the course of his life in the early fifth century, perhaps at the monastery estabished by Saint John Cassian at Marseilles, or in one of the monasteries of Dacia Pontica. inscription on the saint’s scroll is an abbreviated quotation from Psalm 17/18:1. It reads: The Lord is my strength and deliverer.

Romania, 372, Gothic Saint, Nicetas the Goth, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia
Byzantine Period, Gothic Saint, 372, Nicetas the Goth; is a Christian martyr of the 4th century, venerated particularly in the Russian Orthodox Church. His feastday is 15 September.[1] a Gothic soldier, lived in the Danube region at the margins of the Byzantine Empire.[2] Presumably, he received his Greek name on the occasion of his baptism by the Gothic bishop Theophilus, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths began to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in internecine strife. Nicetas fought in the Gothic civil war between the pagan Athanaric and the Christian Fritigern. the defeat of Athanaric and after the invention of Gothic alphabets by Ulfilas, Nicetas worked intensely among the Goths.[2 He was condemned to the stake in 372. According to his Passio, the devil, shaped as an angel, induced Nicetas to sacrifice to the pagan gods for saving his life; Nicetas, however, put him to flight by means of prayer and assisted by archangel Michael. His body was buried it in Cilicia, and later transferred to Constantinople. Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Cyprus there are several churches and monasteries named after St Nicetas. See Church of Saint Nicetas. Nicetas is prayed to for the preservation of children from birth defects.[2] Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; Holy Great Martyr Nicetas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. The Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Saint Nikḗtas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. The Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Saint Nicetas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. Since he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Nikḗtas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. Filled with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Nicetas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. The cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Nikḗtas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Nicetas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. Although his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. By night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Nicetas, and buried it in Cilicia. Afterward, it was transferred to Constantinople. Part of the relics of the Great Martyr Nicetas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Thus Saint Nicetas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Nicetas for the preservation of children from birth defects. AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Romania, 372, Novoniketa Icon, Dacia, appeared on boy' chest in the night, Niketas baptised right away
Temple of St. Nicetas the Martyr on Shvivaya Hill beyond Yauza; Icon of the Mother of God of Novoniketa, Commemorated on September 15; is one of the most ancient icons of the Mother of God. It appeared to the holy martyr Nikḗtas (+ September 15, 372). Saint Nikḗtas, a former soldier, was a disciple of Bishop Theophilos of the Goths. Even before he was baptized, he saw a Child in a dream, holding a Cross in His hand. When he awakened, he thought about this for a long time, but was unable to understand what this vision signified. A Christian girl named Juliana, who had a special revelation from God, told him to look down at his chest. his unspeakable surprise, Nikḗtas found an Icon of the Mother of God on his chest. She held her divine Child on her lap, and He was holding a Cross in His hand. "This is the same Icon I saw in my dream," the startled Nikḗtas cried. The appearance of the Icon made such an impression on him that he was baptized right away. afterward, the persecution of Christians began, and Saint Nikḗtas received the crown of martyrdom along with many other confessors. When he was being led to the place of execution, he had on his chest, under his clothes, the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. was established that the Novonikḗta Icon of the Mother of God should be commemorated on the day of Saint Nikḗtas's martyrdom. list of miracles from this Icon is in Moscow, in the court cathedral, which is dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior, at the Gate of Saint Nikḗtas.

Romania, 380-435, John Cassian LScythian, years studying Jerusalem&Egypt monasticism, then writings teaching west
Mongol, Scythia, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman, well educated, Tomis Monastery, Germanus' relative, tJerusalem&Bethlehem 5yrs, tThebaid&Sketis f7rrs, CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS i24Chap, back Bethlehem 3yrs, back Egypt til 399, A Theopilus Nile M disturbances, tConstantnople to see Chrysostom, J C accepted John as disciple, o Deadon, in C 5yrs, 404 JC exiled & they went to Rome for Innocent case, priesthood, tGaul, Marselles G, 415 estab 2 Cenobic Monasteries, men&women, Castor of Aptia Julia requests THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE 12 books, 431 final work ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS, criticized Augustine's abstract reasoning, died 435, relics in Marselles; Romania, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; John Cassian the Roman was born around 360, probably in Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica). His pious Christian parents gave him an excellent classical education, and also instructed him in the Holy Scriptures and in the spiritual life. John entered a monastery in the diocese of Tomis, where his friend and relative Saint Germanus labored as an ascetic. 380, desiring to venerate the Holy Places, Saint John went to Jerusalem with his sister and his friend Saint Germanus. The two monks stayed at a Bethlehem monastery, not far from where the Savior was born. five years at the monastery, Saints John and Germanus traveled through the Thebaid and the desert monasteries of Sketis for seven years, drawing upon the spiritual experience of countless ascetics. Egyptian monks taught them many useful things about spiritual struggles, prayer, and humility. Like honeybees they journeyed from place to place, gathering the sweet nectar of spiritual wisdom. notes Saint John made formed the basis of his book called CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS in twenty-four chapters. to Bethlehem for a brief time, the spiritual brothers lived for three years in complete solitude. they went back to Egypt and lived there until 399. of the disturbances caused by Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria to the monasteries along the Nile, they decided to go to Constantinople, after hearing of the virtue and holiness of Saint John Chrysostom. The great hierarch ordained Saint John Cassian as a deacon and accepted him as a disciple. John and Germanus remained with Saint John Chrysostom for five years, learning many profitable things from him. Chrysostom was exiled from Constantinople in 404, Saints John Cassian and Germanus went to Rome to plead his case before Innocent I. was ordained to the holy priesthood in Rome, or perhaps later in Gaul. Chrysostom’s death in 407, Saint John Cassian went to Massilia [Marseilles] in Gaul (now France). There he established two cenobitic monasteries in 415, one for men and another for women, based on the model of Eastern monasticism. the request of Bishop Castor of Aptia Julia (in southern Gaul), Cassian wrote THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE (De Institutis Coenobiorum) in twelve books, describing the life of the Palestinian and Egyptian monks. between 417-419, the volume included four books describing the clothing of the monks of Palestine and Egypt, their schedule of prayer and services, and how new monks were received into the monasteries. last eight books were devoted to the eight deadly sins and how to overcome them. his writings, Saint John Cassian provided Christians of the West with examples of cenobitic monasteries, and acquainted them with the asceticism of the Orthodox East. speaks as a spiritual guide about the purpose of life, about attaining discernment, about renunciation of the world, about the passions of the flesh and spirit, about the hardships faced by the righteous, and about prayer. John Cassian also wrote CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS (Collationes Patrum) in twenty-four books in the form of conversations about the perfection of love, about purity, about God’s help, about understanding Scripture, about the gifts of God, about friendship, about the use of language, about the four levels of monasticism, about the solitary life and cenobitic life, about repentance, about fasting, about nightly meditations, and about spiritual mortification. This last has the explanatory title “I do what I do not want to do.” 1-10 of the CONFERENCES describe Saint John’s conversations with the Fathers of Sketis between 393-399. Books 11-17 relate conversations with the Fathers of Panephysis, and the last seven books are devoted to conversations with monks from the region of Diolkos. 431 Saint John Cassian wrote his final work, ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS (De Incarnationem Domini Contra Nestorium). In seven books he opposed the heresy, citing many Eastern and Western teachers to support his arguments. his works, Saint John Cassian was grounded in the spiritual experience of the ascetics, and criticized the abstract reasoning of Saint Augustine (June 15). John said that “grace is defended less adequately by pompous words and loquacious contention, dialectic syllogisms and the eloquence of Cicero (i.e. Augustine), than by the example of the Egyptian ascetics.” the words of Saint John of the Ladder (March 30), “great Cassian reasons loftily and excellently.” His writings are also praised in the Rule of Saint Benedict. John Cassian lived in the West for many years, but his spiritual homeland was the Orthodox East. He fell asleep in the Lord in the year 435. His holy relics rest in an underground chapel in the Monastery of Saint Victor in Marseilles. His head and right hand are in the main church.

Romania, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman, Germanus' friend&Kin
Romania, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St. Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Romania, 900-1220, Folder, Part of Cumania

Romania, 900-1220, Part of Cumania, of the Golden Horde
Romania, 900-1220, Part of Cumania; name Cumania originated as the Latin exonym for the Cuman–Kipchak confederation, which was a Turkic confederation in the western part of the Eurasian Steppe, between the 10th and 13th centuries. The confederation was dominated by two Turkic nomadic tribes: the Cumans (also known as the Polovtsians or Folban) and the Kipchaks. Cumania was known in Islamic sources as Desht-i Qipchaq, which means "Steppe of the Kipchaks"; or "foreign land sheltering the Kipchaks", in the Turkic languages.[1] Russian sources have referred to Cumania as the "Polovtsian Steppe" (Poloveckaja Step), or the "Polovcian Plain" (Pole Poloveckoe).[2] Golden Horde was also referred to as "Comania" by Armenian chronicler Hethum (Hayton) of Korykos.[3]:38 "Cumania" was also the source of names, or alternate names, for several smaller areas – some of them unconnected geographically to the area of the federation – in which Cumans and/or Kipchaks settled, such as the historic region of Kunság in Hungary, and the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Cumania (in Romania and Hungary). Hethum of Korykos described Cumania as "wholly flat and with no trees".[3]:38 Ibn Battuta said of Cumania, "This wilderness is green and grassy with no trees, nor hills, high or low ... there is no means of travelling in this desert except in wagons." Battuta's contemporary, Hamdallah Mustawfi, elaborated, "This is of the Sixth Clime, its plains bear excellent pasturage ... but there are here few houses or towns or villages. Most of the inhabitants are nomads of the plain ... Most of the lands here are swamps ... The pasturage, however, being excellent, horses and cattle are numerous, and the population for the most part subsists on the produce thereof. The climate is cold, and their water comes from springs and wells."[3]:40 Tamga of Kypchak tribe the 11th and 12th centuries, the nomadic confederacy of the Cumans and (Eastern) Kipchaks (who were a distinct tribe with whom the Cumans created a confederacy) were the dominant force over the vast territories stretching from the present-day Kazakhstan, southern Russia, Ukraine, to southern Moldavia and eastern Wallachia. Considering the nomadic way of life of these peoples, these frontiers can be regarded only as approximate; hence there were various definitions over what Cumania meant over the course of time. Depending on their region and their time, different sources each used their own vision to denote different sections of the vast Cuman territory: in Byzantine, Russian, Georgian, Armenian, Persian and Muslim sources, Cumania meant the Pontic steppe, that is the steppelands to the north of the Black Sea and on its eastern side as far as the Caspian Sea, where the lowlands between the Dnieper, the Volga, the Ural and the Irtysh rivers were favorable to the nomadic lifestyle of the Cumans. Later, for a short time period, in Western sources Cumania also referred to the area in eastern Wallachia and southern Ukraine (centered on the lowlands of Budjak and the Bărăgan Plain), referring to the area where the first contact between the Cumans and the Western Christians took place, and where, later, the Cumans of the region would accept Roman Catholicism. the traditional Turkic assignment of colours to the cardinal points, White Cumania used to be located to the west and may have denoted eastern Wallachia, while Black Cumania was located to its north and may have denoted Moldavia. in the case of many other large nomadic Eurasian confederacies, the ethnonym "Cuman" (referring to the inhabitants of Cumania) denoted different ethnic realities. While the main component was probably the Turkic-speaking tribes, the confederacy included other ethnic components as well. Cumania was primarily a political name, referring to the leading, integrating tribe or clan of the confederacy or state. The Cumans, when they first appear in written sources, are members of a confederacy irrespective of their tribal origin. Former tribal names disappeared when the tribe in question became part of a political unit. For instance, when we hear of an incursion of Cumans, it means that certain tribes of the Cuman confederacy took part in a military enterprise. In his "History of the Mongols", the Persian historian Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, referred to Cumania around 1236–1237, during the Mongol invasion of Möngke, the future Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Among others, he mentions the Kipchaks, the Turkophone Asi (probably the same as the later Jassic tribe) and the "Karaulaghi" (Black, i.e. "from the north", Vlachs).[4] statue, 12th century, Luhansk vast territory of this Cuman-Kipchak realm, consisting of loosely connected tribal units who were the military dominating force, was never politically united by a strong central power. Cumania was neither a state nor an empire, but different groups under independent rulers, or khans, who acted on their own initiative, meddling in the political life of the surrounding states: the Russian principalities, Bulgaria, Byzantium and the Wallachian states in the Balkans, Armenia and Georgia (see Kipchaks in Georgia) in the Caucasus, and Khwarezm, having reached as far as to create a powerful caste of warriors, the Mamluks, serving the Muslim Arab and Turkish Caliphs and Sultans. the Balkans, we find the Cumans in contact with all of the statal entities of that time, fighting with the Kingdom of Hungary, allied with the Bulgarians and Vlachs against the Byzantine Empire For example, Thocomerius, by name apparently a Cuman warlord (also known as Tihomir, he might have been a Bulgarian noble), was possibly the first one to unite the Bulgarian states, north from the Danube, from the west and the east of the Olt River, and his son Basarab I is considered the first ruler of the united and independent Wallachia. This interpretation corresponds with the general view of the situation of the Romanian lands in the 11th century, with the natives living in collections of village communities, united in various small confederacies, with more or less powerful chiefs trying to create little kingdoms, some paying tribute to the various militarily dominant nomadic tribes (see Romania in the Middle Ages). pontic Cumania, (and the rest of the Cumanias to the east), ended its existence in the middle of the 13th century, with the Great Mongol Invasion of Europe. In 1223, Genghis Khan defeated the Cumans and their Rus' allies at the Battle of Kalka (in modern Ukraine), and the final blow came in 1241, when the Cuman confederacy ceased to exist as a political entity, with the remaining Cuman tribes being dispersed, either becoming subjects of the Mongol conquerors as part of what was to be known as the Golden Horde, or fleeing to the west, to the Byzantine Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary. ág and the Catholic Diocese of Cumania[edit] Main articles: Kunság and Diocese of Cumania of Arms of early modern Kunság the Great Hungarian Plain, Cuman settlers gave their name to two regions known as Kunság, the Hungarian word for Cumania: Greater Cumania (Nagykunság) and Little Cumania (Kiskunság), located on the Great Hungarian Plain. Here, the Cumans maintained their language and some ethnic customs well into the modern era. name was also preserved as part of the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical structure with a "Diocese of Cumania" existing until 1523 in what is now Romania, long after the Cumans ceased to be a distinct group in the area. At Milcovul, years earlier, in 1227, the Cuman warlord Bortz accepted Catholic Christianity from missionary Dominican friars. Pope Gregory IX heard about the mass conversion of the Cumans, and on 1 July 1227 empowered Robert, Archbishop of Esztergom, to represent him to Cumania and in neighbouring Land of the Brodnici. Teodoric, the bishop of this new diocese, became the guardian of the Dominican Order in the Kingdom of Hungary.[5] Cumania diocese became part of the superior archbishopric of Esztergom, determining King Béla IV of Hungary to add "Rex Cumaniae" (King of Cumania)[6] to his titles in 1228, and later to grant asylum to the Cumans in face of the Mongol invasion. The Diocese of Cumania, or of Milcovul, had subordinated in Transylvania the abbacy of Sibiu, the dioceses of Burzenland, Brasso and Orbai, and over the Carpathians, in the lands of the "infidel" Orthodox Vlachs (in partibus infidelium), all the Christian Catholics, irrespective of their ethnicity, despite the fact that many believers fell under the influence of the Romanian Orthodox "pseudo" bishops (episcopo Cumanorum, qui loci diocesanus existit, sed a quibusdam pseudoepiscopis Graecorum ritum tenentibus).[7] at that moment, Hungarian and Papal documents use the name Cumania to refer to the land between the eastern border of the lands of Seneslau and the land of the Brodnici (Buzău, southern Vrancea and southern Galați): that is Cumania meant, more or less, Muntenia. At that time, the use of the name Cumania should not to be understood as asserting the existence of a Cuman state, nor even a land inhabited by Cuman tribes (as the bulk of them had either fled, or were destroyed by the Mongols, and the rest had been absorbed) but rather to the Diocese of Cumania. From the military point of view, the land comprising the Diocese of Cumania was held either by the Teutonic Order (as early as 1222), or by the Vlachs (Brodnics or the Vlachs of Seneslau). The term Cumania had come to mean any Catholic subordinated to the Milcovul Diocese, so much so that in some cases, the terms Cuman and Wallach (more precisely, Roman Catholic Wallach, as the Orthodox Christians were considered schismatic, and the Pope did not officially recognise them) were interchangeable,[8] a charter from 1247, parts of this earlier Cumania were granted to the Knights Hospitaller, as were the Banate of Severin and the Romanian cnezats of Ioan and Lupu (a fluvio Olth et Alpibus Ultrasylvanis totam Cumaniam …excepta terra Szeneslai Woiavode Olacorum).[9] These, from a juridical point of view, had an inferior status than the states of Seneslau (east of the Olt River) and Litovoi (west of the Olt River), cnezats which continued to belong to the Romanians (quam Olacis relinquimus prout iidem hactenus tenuerant), "like they held them so far". St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Romania, 1204, 1453, 1955, Tatiana's relics, gave riches, virgin, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times
Rome, 222-235, Tatoama oRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), father secret wealthy christian, she decided remain virgin, disdaining earthly riches, deaconess, fasting prayer, tending sick needy, time o16yr old Alex Severus, regen Ulpian, she arrested, tApollo temple, her prayer caused earthquake, idol smashed, temple fell on pagans, demon fled screeching, demon shadow, T's eyes torn out, she prayed for tormentors, angels encircled T beating tormentors, heaven voice, 8 men believed&executed, she next day completely healed before judge, she slashed wRazors, wonderous fragrance, beaten so long servants replaced times, invisible power beating torturers, angels turned blows back torturers, 9 fell dead, tPrison, all night praises sang wAngels, next morning completely healthy, even more radient&beautiful, T seemed agreeable sacrifice tDiana, Thunder crash, Lightning struck D&Priests, she hung up scraped wIron claws, that night Angels healed wounds, next day tCircus wHungry Lion licked her feet, then killed torturer, T into fire, no harm, thought a sorceress cut hair locked her up Zeus Temple, Zeus shattered she praising God, she beheaded wHer father, Relics Tatiana iCraiova, Romania 1204 & Tarnovo Bulgaria, then Bucovat m near Craiova, 1393 her head to Nicea, Bythynia, then Holy Apostles Church, Constn, 1453 tCraopvesto and Bistrita m wGregory tDecapolite body, then tCurtea de Arges, 1955 tRamnicu Valcea, today iCraiova wNipon's relics &Sergius&Bacchus relics; Rome; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated January 12 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Tatiana was born into an illustrious Roman family, her father was elected consul three times. was secretly a Christian and raised his daughter to be devoted to God and the Church. she reached the age of maturity, Tatiana decided to remain a virgin, betrothing herself to Christ. earthly riches, she sought instead the imperishable wealth of Heaven. was made a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God in fasting and prayer, tending the sick and helping the needy. Rome was ruled by the sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222-235), power was concentrated in the hands of the regent Ulpian, an evil enemy and persecutor of Christians. blood flowed like water. was also arrested, and they brought her into the temple of Apollo to force her to offer sacrifice to the idol. saint began praying, suddenly there was an earthquake. idol was smashed into pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and fell down on the pagan priests and many pagans. demon inhabiting the idol fled screeching from that place. Those present saw its shadow flying through the air. they tore holy virgin’s eyes out with hooks, but she bravely endured everything, praying for her tormentors that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. the Lord heard the prayer of His servant. executioners saw four angels encircle the saint and beat her tormentors. voice was heard from the heavens speaking to the holy virgin. men believed in Christ and fell on their knees before Saint Tatiana, begging them to forgive them their sin against her. confessing themselves Christians they were tortured and executed, receiving Baptism by blood. next day Saint Tatiana was brought before the wicked judge. her completely healed of all her wounds, they stripped her and beat her, and slashed her body with razors. wondrous fragrance then filled the air. she was stretched out on the ground and beaten for so long that the servants had to be replaced several times. torturers became exhausted and said that an invisible power was beating them with iron rods. the angels warded off the blows directed at her and turned them upon the tormentors, causing nine of them to fall dead. then threw the saint in prison, she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the angels. new morning began, and they took Saint Tatiana to the tribunal once more. torturers beheld with astonishment that after such terrible torments she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. began to urge her to offer sacrifice to the goddess Diana. saint seemed agreeable, and they took her to the heathen temple. Tatiana made the Sign of the Cross and began to pray. there was a crash of deafening thunder, and lightning struck the idol, the sacrificial offerings and the pagan priests. again, the martyr was fiercely tortured. was hung up and scraped with iron claws, her breasts were cut off. night, angels appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds as before. the following day, they took Saint Tatiana to the circus and loosed a hungry lion on her. The beast did not harm the saint, but meekly licked her feet. they were taking the lion back to its cage, it killed one of the torturers. threw Tatiana into a fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to take away her magical powers, then locked her up in the temple of Zeus. the third day, pagan priests came to the temple intending to offer sacrifice to Zeus. beheld the idol on the floor, shattered to pieces, and the holy martyr Tatiana joyously praising the Lord Jesus Christ. The judge then condemned the valiant sufferer to be beheaded with a sword. Her father was also executed with her, because he had raised her to love Christ. Relics of Saint Tatiana in Craiova honorable head of the Holy Martyr Tatiana was first brought to Romania in 1204, members of the ruling family (Asanestan dynasty) placed it in a church in Tarnovo (Bulgaria) then in Bucovat Monastery (near Craiova). however, in 1393, the head of the Saint was taken to a church in the town of Nicaea (where the First Ecumenical Synod met), then to Constantinople, and placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. 1453, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab, the Craioveşti boyars brought the head of the holy Martyr Tatiana to this country, well as the entire body of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20), they placed in the church of Bistriţa Monastery. that monastery, the relics of Saint Tatiana were taken by Saint Neagoe Basarab (September 15) and brought to the royal church at Curtea de Argeș. with the reorganization of the Metropolitan Church of Oltenia (1950-1955), the honorable skull of Saint Tatiana was taken from Curtea de Argeș and brought to the Episcopal Cathedral of Râmnicu Vâlcea in 1955. the honored relics were permanently enshrined in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Craiova. the holy relics of Saint Tatiana are kept, with great honor, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Craiova, the same reliquary with the relics of Saint Niphon of Constantinople (August 11), and the Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (October 7).

Romania, 1218, Philothea oRomania&Bulgaria, Killed by father fGiving, relics wanted move Curtea de Argesh Romania
Bulgaria, 1218, Philothea oArgesh, Romania, born Trnovo (capital city), Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), farmer, mother fWallacia, died, fRemarried, she punished bStepMom, for giving, killed b Father's axe fGiving his food to poor children, remorse, couldn't lift body, ran tArchbishop tConfess&explain, Abishop couldn't lift it, asked her which monastery, lifted it after mentioning Curtea de Argesh in Romania, body transferred there, relics many miracles, yearly festal pilgrimage, relics carried around courtyard, prayers for sick, venerated Bulgaria, Romania, &Orthodox world; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; Philothea (Philofthea) of Argesh was born in Trnovo, the old capital of Bulgaria, around 1206. father was a farmer, and her mother was from Wallachia. died when Philothea was still a child, and her father remarried. child was often punished by her stepmother, who accused her of being disobedient, and of giving their possesions away to the poor. father chastised her for this, but Philothea continued to attend church services and to do good to others, just as her mother had taught her. she grew older, she was adorned with the virtues of prayer, virginity, and almsgiving. Philothea used to bring food to her father, who was out working in the fields. all of the food reached him, however, because the girl would give some of it to the poor children begging in the street. he complained to his wife that she did not prepare enough food for him, she replied, “I send you plenty of food. Ask your daughter what she does with it.” angry with Philothea, her father decided to spy on her to see what happened to the food. From a place of concealment, he saw her giving food to the poor children who came to her. a violent rage, he took the axe from his belt and threw it at the twelve-year-old girl, hitting her in the leg. The wound was mortal, and she soon gave her pure soul into God’s hands. man was filled with fear and remorse, and tried to lift his daughter’s body from the ground, but it became as heavy as a rock. the wretch ran to the Archbishop of Trnovo to confess his sin and explain what had happened. Archbishop and his clergy went with candles and incense to take up the martyr’s body and bring it to the cathedral, but even they were unable to lift it. Archbishop realized that Saint Philothea did not wish to remain in her native land, so he began to name various monasteries, churches, and cathedrals to see where she wished to go. until he named the Monastery of Curtea de Argesh in Romania were they able to lift her holy relics and place them in a coffin. Archbishop wrote to the Romanian Voievode Radu Negru, asking him to accept the saint’s relics. Archbishop and his clergy carried the holy relics in procession as far as the Danube, they were met by Romanian clergy, monastics, and the faithful. Then they were carried to the Curtea de Argesh Monastery. people have been healed at the tomb of Saint Philothea in a small chapel in the belltower behind the monastery church, those who entreat her intercession receive help from her. year on December 7 there is a festal pilgrimage to the Monastery, and people come from all over Romania. relics of Saint Philothea are carried around the courtyard in procession, and there are prayers for the sick. holy Virgin Martyr Philothea is venerated in Romania, Bulgaria, and throughout the Orthodox world.

Romania, 1220-1330, Folder, Part of Second Bulgarian Empire

Romania, 1220-1330, Part of Second Bulgarian Empire, 1185-1422
Romania, 1220-1330, Part of Second Bulgarian Empire, 1185-1422; 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power in the Balkans, defeating the Byzantine Empire in several major battles. 1205 Emperor Kaloyan defeated the newly established Latin Empire in the Battle of Adrianople. nephew Ivan Asen II defeated the Despotate of Epiros and made Bulgaria a regional power again. During his reign, Bulgaria spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and the economy flourished. Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian[5][6] state that existed between 1185 and 1396.[7] A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire,[8][9][10][11] it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th century. 1256, the Second Bulgarian Empire was the dominant power in the Balkans, defeating the Byzantine Empire in several major battles. 1205 Emperor Kaloyan defeated the newly established Latin Empire in the Battle of Adrianople. nephew Ivan Asen II defeated the Despotate of Epiros and made Bulgaria a regional power again. During his reign, Bulgaria spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and the economy flourished. the late 13th century, however, the Empire declined under constant invasions by Mongols, Byzantines, Hungarians, and Serbs, as well as internal unrest and revolts. The 14th century saw a temporary recovery and stability, but also the peak of Balkan feudalism as central authorities gradually lost power in many regions. Bulgaria was divided into three parts on the eve of the Ottoman invasion. strong Byzantine influence, Bulgarian artists and architects created their own distinctive style. In the 14th century, during the period known as the Second Golden Age of Bulgarian culture, literature, art and architecture flourished.[12] The capital city Tarnovo, which was considered a "New Constantinople", became the country's main cultural hub and the centre of the Eastern Orthodox world for contemporary Bulgarians.[13] After the Ottoman conquest, many Bulgarian clerics and scholars emigrated to Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Russian principalities, where they introduced Bulgarian culture, books, and hesychastic ideas.[14] St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Romania, 1330-1774, Folder, in the Ottoman Empire

Romania, 1331-1399, 14th Century Folder, Wallacia, Vlachia, Nikodemos, Mircea, Vlad tUsurper

Romania, 1330-1859, Wallacia, Ottoman till 1774, then Russian
Romanian Land (Wallachia), 1330-1859 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Romania, 1330-1859, Wallachia (Romania)
Wallachia (Romania), 1330-1859; St Constantine Brancoveanu(of Wallachia); St Gabriel I the Patriarch; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; St Gregory, Metropolitan of Wallachia, Commemorated on June 22;

Romania, 1340-1406, Nikodemos oTismana, Romania, f mMmonasteries, mMonks, good works, mMiracles, myrr graced relics, appearances
Romania, 1340-1406, Nikodemos tSanctified oTismana, Romania, from Prilep, in southern Serbia at that time, now and after Northwester Macedonia, Greece, , aMonastic Schema wandered mPlaces, Athos&Constantinople, tRomania, f several monasteries, cenobric rule, then Tismana Monastery, many monks, good works, many miracles, deliverance, healings, walked on fire, clothes not burned, lived 92yrs, myrr graced relics, Nik appeared to keep relics in Tismana.; Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26; most holy and venerable Father Νικόdēmos the Sanctified was from Prilep, in southern Serbia. was born in 1320, and his parents raised him in the Orthodox Faith. receiving the holy and angelic monastic Schema and the grace of the priesthood, he wandered through many places, including Mount Athos and Constantinople, acquiring virtues through his love of labor. he came to the Romanian Principalities (Țara Românească, or Valakhia), enduring many trials and spiritual struggles, praying unceasingly in the mountains. Νικόdēmos founded several monasteries; first by the water of Motru, then the Monastery of Vodiţa, which is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). he established the cenobitic Rule for the many Fathers and brethren, and he lived in that monastery for a long time. prompted by divine revelation, he settled in a place called Tismana. God’s will, he founded a monastery and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Later, a great multitude of monks gathered where Saint Νικόdēmos lived with his brothers in Christ. He himself was an example of good works as he led them on the path of salvation. grace from God to perform miracles, and to have power over unclean spirits, he worked many miracles during his lifetime. cast out demons and healed all manner of sicknesses and infirmities. is said that he even walked into a fire and remained unharmed. The fire touched neither his clothing nor the hairs of his head. Νικόdēmos also performed other miracles by the power of Christ. a life of holiness, he reached an advanced age, passing from this temporal life to the heavenly and immortal life on December 26, 1406. relics and other holy objects were buried at Tismana Monastery, where he had performed the services. God had glorified his relics with the fragrance of myrrh, and the grace of working miracles, they were removed from the tomb and placed in the church, along with the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20) in the holy Monastery of Bistriţa. many years, a certain ruler of the country wanted to take the relics of Saint Νικόdēmos from Tismana Monastery and keep them in Bucharest. was not the Saint's will, however, that his relics should be removed from his monastery. It was a miracle that the man gave up his idea. Νικόdēmos appeared in a vision to one of the monks, commanding him to tell the Igoumen to hide his relics, and to take only a finger from his hand, and to prevent the man from carrying out his intention. Νικόdēmos also appeared in the same way to the Igoumen and told him the same things. A finger was taken from the Saint's hand and some myrrh from his relics, which were entrusted to the care of the Igoumen. finger and the holy myrrh were placed in a tin vessel, together with a cross made of lead which the Saint had worn around his neck, and they are kept in the holy monastery to this day as precious spiritual treasures. one is permitted to take any of the holy myrrh. It is permissible to kiss the vessel, however, fills everything with an indescribable spiritual fragrance. Saint's relics were hidden to prevent them from being removed from the monastery, and that place is known only to the Igoumen and one other monk. aforementioned sacred items suffice for the consolation of the monks and the other Christian inhabitants. still perform countless miracles. spirits are cast out by calling on the name of the Saint; healing of many kinds of illnesses is given to those who have recourse to the Saint with faith. world and the country are protected by the prayers of Saint Νικόdēmos; the holy Tismana Monastery, which preserves these treasures, is always defended from the attacks of visible and invisible enemies. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the first Service in honor of Saint Νικόdēmos took place in the Metropolitan cathedral of Oltenia in Craiova on October 28, 1955. His annual Feast Day is December 26.

Romania, 1364-1377, Vladislav 1 oWallacia, father oVlad 1, Father In-Law oStevem Uros V oSerbia
Vladislav 1 of Wallacia; Saint Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2;

Romania, 1386-1418, Mircea I of Wallachia, The Elder, Romanian Vivode (Governor, Commander) controlled largest area
Romania, 1386-1418, Romanian Vivode (Governor, Commander), Mircea I of Wallachia, The Elder, The Great; the Elder (c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited the throne. the reign of Mircea the Elder, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history, gaining Dobruja in 1388, the Banate of Severin in 1388/9 and Podunavia (which is suspected to be the Timok Valley). In addition, he was also granted the fiefdoms of Amlaș (Omlás) and Făgăraș (Fogaras) in Transylvania. byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II ("Mircea the Younger"), although some historians believe the epithet was given to him as a sign of respect by later generations.[2] He is considered the most important Wallachian ruler during the Middle Ages and one of the great rulers of his era,[2] and starting in the 19th century Romanian historiography has also referred to him as Mircea the Great (Mircea cel Mare).[3] Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia. Commemorated on October 14;

Romania, 1394-1397, Wallacian Prince, Vlad I of Wallachia, Vlad the Usurper
Wallacian Prince, 1394-1397, Vlad I of Wallachia, Vlad the Usurper; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2;

Romania, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Vlad II Dracul, Vlad III Dracula tImpaler hero Orthodox

Romania, 1426-1496, Daniel tHesychast, wise clairvoyant wonderworker&monk instructor
Moldovia, 1426-1496, Daniel tHesychast, oSt Nicholas m at Radauti (Suceava River 5), wise clairvoyant wonderworker&monk instructor, under Leontius, priest, St Laurence m Civoul de Sus, obediences bDay, vigil, prayer, baskets bNight, Great Schema, solitude, 1450 by Neamts m 14yrs, discovered, chapel&carved cave nPutna creek, where spiritual child Steven tG bPutna m, tVoronets m, cell cave carved fFalcon Cliff f20yrs, gift oHealing, 1488 over 80yr old , back tVoronets m, igumen, died a96yr; monestary of St Nicholas at Radauti; Bogdana Monastery, 1359; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; Daniel the Hesychast, the great wonderworker and instructor of monastics, born in Moldavia at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was baptized with the name Dumitru. he was sixteen, he became a monk of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Radauti and received the name David. spiritual Father was Saint Leontius of Radauti (July 1). many years of ascetical struggles, he became a chosen vessel of the Spirit and was ordained to the holy priesthood. lived for some years at the monastery of Saint Laurence in the Civoul de Sus district. he fulfilled his obediences during the day, and at night he kept vigil, prayed, and wove baskets. received the Great Schema and the new name Daniel. obtained the igumen’s blessing to live in the wilderness in solitude, where he devoted himself to spiritual struggles. 1450, he lived near the Neamts Monastery by Secu creek for fourteen years. time, people discovered where he lived and came to visit him. for solitude, he moved to northern Moldavia and chiseled out a cell for himself in the face of a cliff near Putna creek. Next to it, he carved out a small chapel for prayer. his spiritual child Saint Stephen the Great (July 2) built the Putna Monastery, which was consecrated in 1470, Saint Daniel moved near the Voronets Monastery. too, he carved a small cell out of the rock under Soim (Falcon) Cliff and lived a God-pleasing life for the next twenty years. guided many disciples in the principles of the spiritual life, and he also had the gift of healing the sick of their physical infirmities. 1488, when he was over eighty years old, Saint Daniel went to live at the Voronets Monastery, where he was chosen to be the igumen. Daniel was a great ascetic and wonderworker, wise and clairvoyant. from near and far visited him seeking his spiritual advice, or to confess their sins. died in 1496 and was buried at the Voronets Monastery, where people continue to venerate his tomb. Daniel was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992.

Romania, 1426-1496, Daniel the Hesychast, prophet for and friend of Stephen the Great
Moldovia, 1426-1496, Saint, Daniel the Hesychast; Sihastrul (Romanian for "Daniel the Hesychast"; was a renowned Romanian Orthodox spiritual guide, advisor of Stephen the Great, and hegumen of VoroneÈ› Monastery. Canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992, he is commemorated on December 18.[1] contemporary of Stephen the Great (1457-1504), Daniil Sihastrul was born near the beginning of the 15th century in a village near Radauti, with the baptismal name Dumitru. At 16 he was tonsured a monk with the name of David at Bogdana Monastery in Radauti. time later, he retreated to the Sfantul Laurentiu Monastery near the village of Vicovu de Sus. Feeling the need for greater solitude, he took upon himself the Great Schema, taking the schematic name of Daniil, and retreating into a densely forested area of the Vitau valley near modern-day Putna. There he found a rock into which he carved a chapel. To this day one can see the narthex, naos, and altar, as well as an underground room, also carved out of the rock, in which the saint dwelled. Stephen the Great came here in 1451, after the assassination of his father Bogdan II, at Reuseni. Daniil prophesied that Stephen would return and would become the ruler of Moldavia, which did occur in 1457. the urging of Daniil Sihastrul, Stephen the Great built Putna Monastery in 1466. After its consecration in 1470, Daniil withdrew to VoroneÈ›, on the banks of the VoroneÈ› river, by Soimului rock, where he continued his monastic life. VoroneÈ› he was again visited by Stephen the Great, after the Battle of Valea Alba in 1476, seeking advice. Daniil Sihastrul advised him to continue battling the Turks, foreseeing that he would triumph. To commemorate this victory in 1488 the ruler commissioned the VoroneÈ› Monastery. its consecration, Daniil moved from his hermitage to the monastery. He spent the latter part of his life here, being elected as hegumen. He died in 1496 and was buried in the church at the VoroneÈ› Monastery. On his tomb stone, carved according to the wishes of Stephen the Great, it is written: This is the tomb of our father David, the schema-monk Daniil. Moldovian Prince, 1457-1504, Stephen III of Moldavia (the Great); III of Moldavia, most commonly known as Stephen the Great ( died on 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 in a conspiracy organized by his brother and Stephen's uncle Peter III Aaron who took the throne. Stephen fled to Hungary, and later to Wallachia, but with the support of Vlad III Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia, he returned to Moldavia, forcing Aaron to seek refuge in Poland in the summer of 1457. I, Metropolitan of Moldavia, anointed Stephen prince. He attacked Poland and prevented Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, from supporting Peter Aaron, but eventually acknowledged Casimir's suzerainty in 1459. Stephen decided to recapture Chilia (now Kiliya in Ukraine), an important port on the Danube, which brought him into conflict with Hungary and Wallachia. besieged the town during the Ottoman invasion of Wallachia in 1462, but was seriously wounded during the siege. years later, he captured the town. promised support to the leaders of the Three Nations of Transylvania against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in 1467. invaded Moldavia, but Stephen defeated him in the Battle of Baia. Aaron attacked Moldavia with Hungarian support in December 1470, but was also defeated by Stephen and executed, along with the Moldavian boyars who still endorsed him. restored old fortresses and built new ones, which improved Moldavia's defence system as well as strengthened central administration. Ottoman expansion threatened Moldavian ports in the region of the Black Sea. In 1473, Stephen stopped paying tribute to the Ottoman sultan and launched a series of campaigns against Wallachia in order to replace its rulers who had accepted Ottoman suzerainty with his protage. However, each prince who seized the throne with Stephen's support was soon forced to pay homage to the sultan. eventually defeated a large Ottoman army in the Battle of Vaslui in 1475. Stephen was referred to as Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") by Pope Sixtus IV, even though Moldavia's hopes for military support went unfulfilled. following year, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II routed Stephen in the Battle of Valeac, but the lack of provisions and the outbreak of a plague forced him to withdraw from Moldavia. advantage of a truce with Matthias Corvinus, the Ottomans captured Chilia, their Crimean Tatar allies Cetatea Alba (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine) in 1484. Corvinus granted two Transylvanian estates to Stephen, the Moldavian prince paid homage to Casimir, who promised to support him to regain Chilia and Cetatea Alba. Stephen's efforts to capture the two ports ended in failure. 1486, he again paid a yearly tribute to the Ottomans. the following years, dozens of stone churches and monasteries were built in Moldavia, which contributed to the development of a specific Moldavian architecture. IV's successor, John I Albert, wanted to grant Moldavia to his younger brother, Sigismund, but Stephen's diplomacy prevented him from invading Moldavia for years. Albert attacked Moldavia in 1497, but Stephen and his Hungarian and Ottoman allies routed the Polish army in the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. again tried to recapture Chilia and Cetatea Alba, but had to acknowledge the loss of the two ports to the Ottomans in 1503. his last years, his son and co-ruler Bogdan III played an active role in government. Stephen's long rule represented a period of stability in the history of Moldavia. the 16th century onwards both his subjects and foreigners remembered him as a great ruler. Romanians regard him as one of their greatest national heroes, although he also endures as a cult figure in Moldovenism. After the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him in 1992, he is venerated as "Stephen the Great and Holy". Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; Daniel the Hesychast, the great wonderworker and instructor of monastics, was born in Moldavia at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was baptized with the name Dumitru. When he was sixteen, he became a monk of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Radauti and received the name David. His spiritual Father was Saint Leontius of Radauti (July 1). After many years of ascetical struggles, he became a chosen vessel of the Spirit and was ordained to the holy priesthood. lived for some years at the monastery of Saint Laurence in the Civoul de Sus district. There he fulfilled his obediences during the day, and at night he kept vigil, prayed, and wove baskets. He received the Great Schema and the new name Daniel. He obtained the igumen’s blessing to live in the wilderness in solitude, where he devoted himself to spiritual struggles. Around 1450, he lived near the Neamts Monastery by Secu creek for fourteen years. In time, people discovered where he lived and came to visit him. Longing for solitude, he moved to northern Moldavia and chiseled out a cell for himself in the face of a cliff near Putna creek. Next to it, he carved out a small chapel for prayer. his spiritual child Saint Stephen the Great (July 2) built the Putna Monastery, which was consecrated in 1470, Saint Daniel moved near the Voronets Monastery. Here too, he carved a small cell out of the rock under Soim (Falcon) Cliff and lived a God-pleasing life for the next twenty years. He guided many disciples in the principles of the spiritual life, and he also had the gift of healing the sick of their physical infirmities. 1488, when he was over eighty years old, Saint Daniel went to live at the Voronets Monastery, where he was chosen to be the igumen. Daniel was a great ascetic and wonderworker, wise and clairvoyant. People from near and far visited him seeking his spiritual advice, or to confess their sins. He died in 1496 and was buried at the Voronets Monastery, where people continue to venerate his tomb. Daniel was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2; Stephen succeeded his father, Prince Bogdan II, as Prince of Moldavia on April 12, 1457 soon after the latter was murdered. He defended his country against the Turks, and he also built many churches and monasteries. Stephen the Great was a spiritual son of Saint Daniel the Hesychast (December 18), who told him that if he built a church after every battle he would be victorious in all his wars. Following Saint Daniel’s counsel, Saint Stephen won forty-seven battles and built forty-eight churches or monasteries. He also built the Putna Dormition Monastery in northern Moldavia in 1466 when Saint Daniel urged him to do so. 1476, Saint Stephen lost the battle of Razboieni to the Turks. He went to visit Saint Daniel at the Voronets Monastery to ask whether or not he should surrender the country to the Moslems. Saint Daniel told him not to surrender, because he would soon win a decisive victory. Saint Daniel also told him that after he had saved the nation, Stephen should build a monastery in honor of Saint George at that place. Having faith in Saint Daniel’s prophecy, Stephen went forth with his army and drove the Turks from the country. Stephen fell asleep in the Lord on July 2, 1504, and was buried at the Putna Monastery. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Romania, 1436-1447, Wallacian Prince, Vlad II Dracul, impaler or dracula's father
Wallacian Prince, 1436-1447, Vlad II Dracul; Vlad II (Romanian: Vlad al II-lea), also known as Vlad Dracul (Vlad al II-lea Dracul) or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395 -“ November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Born an illegitimate son of Mircea I of Wallachia, he spent his youth at the court of Sigismund of Luxembourg, who made him a member of the Order of the Dragon in 1431 (hence his sobriquet). Sigismund also recognized him as the lawful voivode of Wallachia, allowing him to settle in the nearby Transylvania. Vlad could not assert his claim during the life of his half-brother, Alexander I Aldea, who acknowledged the suzerainty of the Ottoman Sultan, Murad II. After Alexander Aldea died in 1436, Vlad seized Wallachia with Hungarian support. Following the death of Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1437, Hungary's position weakened, causing Vlad to pay homage to Murad II, which included participating in Murad II's invasion of Transylvania in the summer of 1438. John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, came to Wallachia to convince Vlad to join a crusade against the Ottomans in 1441. After Hunyadi routed an Ottoman army in Transylvania, the sultan ordered Vlad to come to Edirne where he was captured in 1442. Hunyadi invaded Wallachia and made Vlad's cousin, Basarab II, voivode. Vlad was released before the end of the year but was forced to leave his two young sons as hostages in the Ottoman court. He was restored in Wallachia with Ottoman support in 1443. He remained neutral during Hunyadi's "Long Campaign" against the Ottoman Empire between October 1443 and January 1444, but he sent 4,000 horsemen to fight against the Ottomans during the Crusade of Varna. With the support of a Burgundian fleet, he captured the important Ottoman fortress at Giurgiu in 1445. He made peace with the Ottoman Empire in 1446 or 1447, which contributed to the deterioration of his relationship with Hunyadi. Hunyadi invaded Wallachia, forcing Vlad to flee from TÃ¢rgoviÈ™te in late November, where he was killed at a nearby village.

Romania, 1447-1456,Wallacian Prince, Vladislav II of Wallachia
Wallacian Prince, 1447-1456, Vladislav II of Wallachia; Vlad II (Romanian: Vlad al II-lea), also known as Vlad Dracul (Vlad al II-lea Dracul) or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395“ November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Born an illegitimate son of Mircea I of Wallachia, he spent his youth at the court of Sigismund of Luxembourg, who made him a member of the Order of the Dragon in 1431 (hence his sobriquet). Sigismund also recognized him as the lawful voivode of Wallachia, allowing him to settle in the nearby Transylvania. Vlad could not assert his claim during the life of his half-brother, Alexander I Aldea, who acknowledged the suzerainty of the Ottoman Sultan, Murad II. After Alexander Aldea died in 1436, Vlad seized Wallachia with Hungarian support. Following the death of Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1437, Hungary's position weakened, causing Vlad to pay homage to Murad II, which included participating in Murad II's invasion of Transylvania in the summer of 1438. John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, came to Wallachia to convince Vlad to join a crusade against the Ottomans in 1441. After Hunyadi routed an Ottoman army in Transylvania, the sultan ordered Vlad to come to Edirne where he was captured in 1442. Hunyadi invaded Wallachia and made Vlad's cousin, Basarab II, voivode. Vlad was released before the end of the year but was forced to leave his two young sons as hostages in the Ottoman court. He was restored in Wallachia with Ottoman support in 1443. He remained neutral during Hunyadi's "Long Campaign" against the Ottoman Empire between October 1443 and January 1444, but he sent 4,000 horsemen to fight against the Ottomans during the Crusade of Varna. With the support of a Burgundian fleet, he captured the important Ottoman fortress at Giurgiu in 1445. He made peace with the Ottoman Empire in 1446 or 1447, which contributed to the deterioration of his relationship with Hunyadi. Hunyadi invaded Wallachia, forcing Vlad to flee from Targovin™te in late November, where he was killed at a nearby village.

Romania, 1453, 1204, 1955, Tatiana's relics, gave riches, virgin, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times

Romania, 1456-1477, Wallacian Prince, Vladislav III Dracul, Impaler or Dracula, hero, died fighting Ms, Orthodox
Wallacian Prince, 1456-1477, Vladislav III Dreacul, Vlad the Impaler; Vlad III, most commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (1428/31 -1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania.[4] was the second son of Vlad Dracul, who became the ruler of Wallachia in 1436. Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father's loyalty. Vlad's father and eldest brother, Mircea, were murdered after John Hunyadi, regent-governor of Hungary, invaded Wallachia in 1447. Hunyadi installed Vlad's second cousin, Vladislav II, as the new voivode. Hunyadi launched a military campaign against the Ottomans in the autumn of 1448, and Vladislav accompanied him. Vlad broke into Wallachia with Ottoman support in October, but Vladislav returned and Vlad sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire before the end of the year. Vlad went to Moldavia in 1449 or 1450, and later to Hungary. between Hungary and Vladislav later deteriorated, and in 1456 Vlad invaded Wallachia with Hungarian support. Vladislav died fighting against him. Vlad began a purge among the Wallachian boyars to strengthen his position. He came into conflict with the Transylvanian Saxons, who supported his opponents, Dan and Basarab Laiota (who were Vladislav's brothers), and Vlad's illegitimate half-brother, Vlad the Monk. Vlad plundered the Saxon villages, taking the captured people to Wallachia where he had them impaled (which inspired his cognomen). Peace was restored in 1460. Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, ordered Vlad to pay homage to him personally, but Vlad had the Sultan's two envoys captured and impaled. In February 1462, he attacked Ottoman territory, massacring tens of thousands of Turks and Mehmed launched a campaign against Wallachia to replace Vlad with Vlad's younger brother, Radu. Vlad attempted to capture the sultan at Targovia™te during the night of 16-“17 June 1462. The sultan and the main Ottoman army left Wallachia, but more and more Wallachians deserted to Radu. Vlad went to Transylvania to seek assistance from Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in late 1462, but Corvinus had him imprisoned. was held in captivity in Visegra¡d from 1463 to 1475. this period, anecdotes about his cruelty started to spread in Germany and Italy. He was released at the request of Stephen III of Moldavia in the summer of 1475. He fought in Corvinus's army against the Ottomans in Bosnia in early 1476. Hungarian and Moldavian troops helped him to force Basarab Laiota (who had dethroned Vlad's brother, Radu) to flee from Wallachia in November. Basarab returned with Ottoman support before the end of the year. Vlad was killed in battle before 10 January 1477. describing Vlad's cruel acts were among the first bestsellers in the German-speaking territories. Russia, popular stories suggested that Vlad was able to strengthen central government only through applying brutal punishments, and a similar view was adopted by most Romanian historians in the 19th century. reputation for cruelty and his patronymic inspired the name of the vampire Count Dracula. St. Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18;

Romania, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, Stephen B's son, monk aManasija, 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, fled tRomania, became Met
Serbia, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, son oKing Stephen Brancovich, monk aManasija monastery, Serbia (Great Morava River 1), 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, he fled to Romania where became Met oWallachia; Manasija monastery; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; Maximus the New was the son of King Stephen of Serbia (December 10). became a monk at Manasija, had to flee into a mountainous region of Romania because of the Moslems. was consecrated as Metropolitan of Wallachia. a life of great spiritual endeavors, he fell asleep in the Lord on January 18, 1516 in a monastery he had founded.

Romania, 1477-1482, Wallacian Prince, Basarab Tepelus cel Tanar
Wallacian Prince, 1477-1482, Basarab Tepelus cel Tanar;

Romania, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, exalted experience, founded community, tried to move but MOG said my garden is here
Moldovia, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, Moldovia, went to Lords Tomb in J, tJordan Valley Wilderness, exalted spirit experience, founded community, Arabs invaded, back tRomania, Bistrita M, rule otSleepless, Turks came, tMt Athos but MOG, back my garden is here in Moldovia Bistritsa Monastery; Saint Joseph of Bisericani Monastery (late XV century), Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Father was the first known hermit on Mount Bisericani, and the founder of a Monastery with the same name. was born in a village in Neamț county and, being inclined toward the monastic life from a young age, he entered Bistrița Monastery. he was trained in monasticism and learned about the spiritual life from the older Fathers, also taught him about fasting and unceasing prayer. Venerable Joseph, seeing that he did not have much peace at Bistrița Monastery, he left with the Igoumen's blessing went to worship at the Lord's tomb in Jerusalem. then retired to the wilderness of the Jordan Valley, and within a few years after his arrival, he was a famous hermit. lived in a cave, alone at first, then with a few disciples, enduring many temptations from the devil. a life of exalted spiritual experience, he gathered seventeen monks around him, and founded the first Romanian spiritual community in the Holy Land. when Arabs invaded the Holy Places, causing great turmoil, Saint Joseph took his disciples and went to Bistrița Monastery in Moldavia. Saint Joseph's hermitage moved from the Jordan Valley to Moldavia, on Mount Bisericani. the number of disciples increased, he built a small church dedicated to the Annunciation, and built cells around it. the monastic life here, he established the Rule of the sleepless, after the model of the Stoudion Monastery in Constantinople, which involved unceasing prayer in church and in the cells, fasting, prostrations, singing psalms, listening, and love. the Turks came and set fire to their church, they decided to go to Holy Mount Athos. On the way, however, they saw Most Holy Mother of God in an oak tree, who asked them, "Where are you going?" At this wondrous sight they replied, "We are going to your garden;"1 and the Mother of God then said to them, "Return, for my garden is here." remembrance of this miracle, they placed an icon of the Mother of God there. the Hermitage of the Venerable Joseph was called "Bisericani Skete." that is, "of the godly," because the monks prayed here with tears, and many were cured of their diseases through Saint Joseph's prayers and blessings. 1 Mount Athos is known as the Garden of the Theotokos.

Romania, 1482-1495, Wallacian Prince, Vlad Calugarul
Wallacian Prince, 1482-1495, Vlad Calugarul;

Romania, 1486-1496, Despot, George Brancovich, aka Maximus tNew, relinquished, monk, krusedol monastery, Romanian envoy
Serbian Prince, 1486-1496, George Brancovich ; as George; also known as Saint Maksim; b. 1461 “ d. 1516) was the last male member of the Brankovic dynasty, and titular Despot of Serbia from 1486 to 1497. The title was granted to him by Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. From 1493, he shared the title with his brother Jovan. In 1497, he relinquished all titles and possessions to his brother, and decided to take monastic vows, adopting the name Maksim. built the Kruskedol monastery, and served as diplomatic envoy for prince Radu IV the Great of Wallachia (1507). 1513, he became Metropolitan of Belgrade. After his death (1516), he was venerated as saint, and canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1][2] Son of Serbian Prince, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Romania, 1495-1508, Wallacian Prince, Radu IV the Great, impaler's brother
Wallacian Prince, 1495-1508, Radu IV the Great; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20;

Romania, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Battle oCecora, Transylvania over Moslem Crimean Tartars

Romania, 1595, Battle of Cecora, not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Hungarian Transylvania Pol-Lith over Ottoman Crimean Tartars
Poland, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595); Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) took place on October 19–20, 1595, during an expedition of Jan Zamoyski, of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Moldavia, as part of the Moldavian Magnate Wars. Hetman Jan Zamoyski, painting by Jan Styka. Khan Gazi II Girej. early 1595 Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, convinced Ștefan Răzvan, a commander of Hungarian mercenaries in the service of the then Hospodar Aaron the Tyrant to rebel. Ștefan captured Aaron and sent him to Transylvania, then proclaimed himself as the new Hospodar and a vassal of Sigismund. response the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, who had been Aaron's protector and sovereign, decided to put an end to the ongoing power struggles in Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania between various magnates. Wallachia was to receive a new Turkish sponsored ruler, Moldavia was to be simply incorporated into the Ottoman Empire as a province. Ottoman intervention aroused alarms in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which sought to reestablish its influence in the region, having lost sovereignty over Moldavia some hundred years earlier after the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. the summer of 1595 the crown army of the Kingdom of Poland, numbering around 5000 cavalry, 2300 infantry, and a few artillery pieces, led by the Crown Hetman Jan Zamoyski entered into the territory of the Principality of Moldavia and on the 27th of August took Chocim and shortly after, on September 3, the capital of the principality, Iași. then installed Ieremia Movilă, who was amicably disposed towards the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as Hospodar (Prince) of Moldavia.[1] Zamoyski's intent was to create a buffer zone of friendly states around the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, consisting of Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia, in order to protect it from Ottoman Turkey. Ottomans reacted swiftly, although at the time Sultan Mehmed III was engaged in a war against Michael the Brave, the Prince of Wallachia. The Sultan sent the Crimean Tatars, under Khan Ğazı II Girej, supported by regular Ottoman troops, altogether numbering around 25,000 soldiers, to meet the Polish army. hearing that the Tatars were approaching, Zamoyski crossed the Prut river and on September 6 had his troops erect a fortified camp, which was protected on both flanks by the river. The front of the camp in turn was defended by a rampart studded with thirteen bastions. The rampart also possessed four sally ports which could be used for sorties. Khan's army arrived on the 18th of September. That day minor fighting took place among individual skirmishers, during which Prince Kirill Różyński wounded the khan's nephew with a bow. main fighting took place the following day when the khan's troops tried to storm the Polish camp. because the Tatars had few infantry the attempt was unsuccessful, and the attackers were constantly harried by Polish sallies issuing from the camp. After the struggle went no better for the Tartars on the 20th, Ğazı came to the conclusion that he did not have the means to take the camp and agreed to peace talks. October 21 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Tatars recognized Movilă as Hospodar in Moldavia, and assented to Polish troops being permanently stationed in the Principality. Two days later the Tatar army began its withdrawal.

Romania, 1600, 17th Century Folder, CoBisericani, KoTazlau, BoCecora 2, MBasarab, ToSihla, CSerban, CBrincoveanu, AtHesy

Romania, 1601-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, one of romania's greatest ascetics, naked, covered w hair
Romania, 1600-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, Transylvania, one of romania's greatest ascetics, 1600-1660, naked summer and winter, covered w hair, unceasing prayer, grace, relics still in cave near Voivodal Church of Bisericani; This location chosen because: This is the only Bisericani Commune in the mountains. Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Kyriakos of Bisericani is one of Romania’s greatest ascetics, and in his life he resembled the great Fathers of the Egyptian desert. lived in Bisericani Monastery at the beginning of the XVII century, which then had more than a hundred monks. Longing for a life of solitude, Saint Kyriakos retreated into the wilderness, to a cave on Simon's Mountain, where he remained for sixty years. Saint Onuphrios (June 12), Saint Kyriakos went about naked both in summer and in winter, and his body became covered with hair. He glorified God by his unceasing prayer and ascetical struggles. Therefore, Christ gave him the grace to overcome the forces of nature, and the demons which assailed him. great holiness and perfecting himself in virtue, Saint Kyriakos fell asleep in the Lord in 1660. His relics were buried in his cave, where there is now a small chapel dedicated to him. Later, because of unsettled conditions in the land, the faithful took portions of his relics away and hid them in order to prevent them from being desecrated. holy Hierarch Dositheos, Metropolitan of Moldova (December 13), knew Saint Kyriakos during his lifetime. After the latter's repose, Saint Dositheos venerated his holy relics. Kyriakos is one of the great hesychasts of the Carpathians. His life was one of complete self-denial, humility, and unceasing prayer. He gave his soul to Christ, and is numbered with the Saints who are honored by the people. His relics were placed in the cave where he lived, a cave which may still be seen today, and where a Paraklesis is chanted in his honor. cave of Saint Kyriakos is located near the Voivodal Church of Bisericani, which is now on the property of a sanatorium. Over the centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage for the faithful. Kyriakos of Bisericani is commemorated on December 31, the day of his repose, and on October 1, the day of his glorification in 2008.

Romania, 1601-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), Divine light, tears, prophecy, deliverance
Romania, 1600-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), exceptional holiness, Divine light, tears, prophecy, deliverance, from his youth, like a fool for Christ; Tazlau (Tazlau Mare River); Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; few people who honor the Saints are familiar with Saint Kyriakos (Chiriac) of Tazlau, his was a life of exceptional holiness. Believers from the surrounding area have maintained their respect for this chosen vessel, passing his name down from father to son. Saint Kyriakos was born into a peasant family, and became a monk at the Tazlau Monastery when Dositheos was the Igoumen. He was from the nearby village of Mastacan, a village which today belongs to the community of Borlesti. Kyriakos of Tazlau lived on a knoll in front of the monastery, remaining in permanent communion with divine grace, which first entered his soul at Holy Baptism. He was so pure that he had attained the measure of perfect manhood (Ephesians 4:13). He did not choose such a life when he was an old man, after tasting the sweetness of this fleeting life, but embraced it from his youth, like a fool for the sake of Christ. Since he surpassed the other monks in humility, prayer, and virtue, he was found worthy of the grace of the priesthood. to attain further perfection, Saint Kyriakos withdrew to a mountain called Magura Tazlaului, where he lived for fifty years. There he struggled in a manner similar to the great hesychasts of old, sustaining himself with dried bread and fruits, keeping all-night vigils and shedding copious tears. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he was able to forsee future events, and to cast out evil spirits. solitary prayer in his cell, Saint Kyriakos uprooted the thorns of the passions from his body, and acquired the opposite virtues. The joy of Christ's Resurrection assuaged the sorrows of his soul, and his face shone with the uncreated light of Tabor. He did not experience any discouragement in his struggle with temptations and with evil spirits. time, many disciples flocked to him seeking his spiritual counsel. These, in turn, became hesychasts and lived in the mountains of Tazlau, Nichitu, and Tarcau. reaching an advanced age, Saint Kyriakos surrendered his soul to God on December 31, 1660. His disciples buried him in a cave on Magura Tazlaului, and many miracles took place through his holy relics. the end of the seventeenth century Moldavia was threatened by great dangers, and many people took refuge in the forests. The relics of Saint Kyriakos were divided among the faithful so that they would not be desecrated by infidels. Thus, the mountain cave on Magura Tazlaului was deprived of its great treasure.

Romania, 1620, Battle of Cecora, not 1595, Iassi or Jiassi, Pol-Lith w Moldov V Ottomans w Nogali Tartars, Moldov switch sides
Moldovia, 1620, Battle of Cecora (1620) not 1595; Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) was a battle during the Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (aided by rebel Moldavian troops) and Ottoman forces (backed by Nogais),[3]:344 fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.[5]:568 of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of Busza by both sides (as Cossacks and Tatars continued their raids across the borders), relations between the Ottomans and the Commonwealth rapidly deteriorated in early 1620. Both sides began preparing for war, as neither was quite ready for it at the time. The Ottomans declared war against Poland in 1620 and planned to attack in the spring of 1621.[3]:341 The Commonwealth Sejm denied most funds the hetmans had asked for. The Senate's secret council finally decided, convinced by the Habsburgs' representative, to contribute the Commonwealth forces in 1620—even though many members of the Sejm thought that Polish–Lithuanian forces were neither sufficient nor fully prepared. Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who was by then over 70 years old (as Commonwealth policy didn't allow for a possibility of forced retirement from government offices such as that of hetman), foresaw the coming confrontation with the Ottoman Empire and decided to meet Ottoman troops on foreign soil, Moldavia being the obvious choice.[6] However, the sultan sent Iskender Pasha to Moldavia to remove Hospodar Gaspar Graziani, who had allied himself with Poland.[3]:341 Zółkiewski and Koniecpolski led the army to Țuțora (Cecora in Polish sources), a commune in Iaşi county, Romania), to fight the Horde of Khan Temir (Kantymir). The army numbered between 5,000[3]:342 to 9,000 (2,000 infantry but only about 1600 Cossack cavalry[3]:344), with many regiments being made up of the private forces of magnates Koreckis, Zasławskis, Kazanowskis, Kalinowskis and Potockis. The army entered Moldavia in September. The Moldavian ruler, hospodar Gaspar Graziani, nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, decided to rebel and support the Commonwealth against the Ottomans. Graziani killed the janissaries in Iaşi, imprisoned envoys of Sultan Osman II (who had ordered his removal from power and his transport to Istanbul) and then prepared to flee, but was forced by Żółkiewski to attach his troops to the Polish–Lithuanian camp.[3]:344 However, many of the Moldavian boyars left the camp in order to defend their own estates against pillaging by undisciplined Commonwealth magnates' troops, others decided to wait and see what the outcome appeared to be so they could join the winning side, and others joined the Turks.[3]:344 Consequently, only about 600–1000 rebel Moldavian troops appeared in the Commonwealth camp. Żółkiewski ordered the army to proceed to the fortified camp (standing from previous wars) at Cecora. warriors of the Crimean Khanate during the Battle of Cecora (1620). 10 September, near Ţuţora (close to Iasi, Romania), the Commonwealth army encountered the Tatar and Ottoman forces, with Wallachian contingents (13,000–22,000) under the command of Iskender Pasha, the beylerbey of Ochakiv (Ozi). The Ottoman Sultan's force included Gabriel Bethlen's army.[3]:342 The Tatar forces surprised the Commonwealth defenders, taking many prisoners. During the first day of fighting (the 18th), most of the rebel Moldavians decided to switch sides and quickly attacked the Polish–Lithuanian flank. Mercenaries, private troops and their magnate leaders were lacking in discipline and morale. Stanisław Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces during the ensuing battle. On 19 September it had become clear that the Polish–Lithuanian forces were defeated, although they still managed to hold their positions; Koniecpolski prevented the army from disintegrating on 20/21 September. On 29 September Commonwealth troops had broken through Ottoman ranks with tabor wagon trains and started their retreat. However, after Graziani bribed some magnates, units of private troops begun to flee and some mercenary cavalry panicked and also ran. This was a prelude of things to come. Consecutive attacks during the retreat (including a particularly violent one on 3 October) were repelled, but troop units started disintegrating as soon as soldiers caught sight of the Dniester and the Polish–Lithuanian border. another heavy assault on 6 October, most of the magnates and nobles broke and fled north,[3]:344 leaving infantry and camp, thus sealing the fate of the whole expedition: most of the Polish–Lithuanian troops were killed or captured. In the ensuing battle Żólkiewski died[7] and Koniecpolski[3]:344 and many others (Samuel Korecki, Mikolaj Struś, Mikołaj Potocki, Jan Żółkiewski, Łukasz Żołkiewski), Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki and Bohdan Khmelnytsky were taken captive. Before his death he received the blessing of his confessor, Father Szymon Wybierski (Wybierek) of the Society of Jesus, who stood by his side (7 October).[8] Żółkiewski's head was mounted on a pike and sent to the sultan; Duke Korecki, having often meddled in Moldavian territories, was executed in the Constantinople prison.[citation needed] the face of such an important victory, advised by grand vizier Ali Pasha and Gabriel Bethlen, Osman II decided that he could reinforce his rule or even extend it. Alexandru Iliaş was appointed as the ruler of Moldavia, the rebel Graziani having been killed during his flight on 29 September. between 1,000 and 1,500 of Commonwealth men survived the battles, while the Tatars moved into Podolia, Wołyń and eastern Lesser Poland.[3]:344 1621 an army of 200,000–250,000 Ottoman veterans, led by Osman II, advanced from Edirne towards the Polish frontier. The Ottomans, following their victory in the Battle of Cecora, had high hopes of conquering southern part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Polish commander Jan Karol Chodkiewicz crossed the Dniester in September with approximately 35,000 Polish troops and Cossack supporters and entrenched himself at the Chocim Fortress, blocking the path of the slow Ottoman march. At Khotyn, for more than a month (2 September – 9 October), the Commonwealth hetman held the sultan at bay until the first autumn snow (Battle of Khotyn). The lateness of the season and the loss of approximately 40,000 men in battle compelled Osman II to initiate negotiations. A few days before the siege was to be lifted, the aged grand hetman died of exhaustion in the fortress (24 September). The battle was a stalemate and the resulting Treaty of Khotyn reflected it, providing some concessions to the Commonwealth but meeting some Ottoman demands. II blamed the stalemate of war on the lack of zeal and the "degeneracy" of the Janissaries. His efforts at modernizing the Ottoman army were not well received by the Janissaries and the conservative "learned" class. A revolt led by Janissaries and the students of the madrases erupted on 18 May 1622 and Osman II was deposed; two days later he was killed by the rebels who deposed him. Battle of Cecora is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "CECORA 18 - 29 IX 1620".

Romania, 1632-1654, Matei Basarab, Prince, enlightened, Print Press, law code, only a boyer, planned Turk rule end & moldovian d
Romanian Prince, 1632-1654, Matei Basarab; Basarab; 1588, Brancoveni, Olt – 9 April 1654, Bucharest) was a Wallachian Voivode (Prince) between 1632 and 1654. of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637, 1639, and 1653 – see Battle of Finta. was an enlightened ruler, and is noted for introducing the printing press to Wallachia (1634) and creating the first Wallachian code of laws as well as patronizing art and religion (founder of the first upper school in his Principality). He built more than 45 churches and monasteries, being compared to Stephen the Great, the famous ruler of Moldavia. election in 1632 signified the first official exception to a rule set by custom. Basarab was merely a boyar (of the Craiovesti family) and one not related to previous Princes (although it seems that a simslar point can be made about such rulers as Michael the Brave). The reason for this choice has been explained as a reaction of indigenous boyars against competition from newly infiltrated Greeks and Levantines. It may also be because of these special circumstances that Matei used the surname Basarab – associated as it is with a fabricated legitimate lineage. Matei Basarab with his son (left) and his wife (right) Basarab's rule also coincides with the last stage in the decay of the lesser nobility, the result of political pressure from boyars and drastic economical changes (the revolt of the seimeni military under Constantin Serban probably has this as its main cause). seems that the Prince was planning emancipation from Ottoman rule, as well as domination over Moldavia. He maintained a close relationship with the Transylvanian ruler George II Rakoczi, an ambitious, stronger, and more autonomous subject of the Turks. He was married to Elena Năsturel. and reforms[edit] Basarab and his contemporary, the Moldavian Prince Vasile Lupu are credited with introducing the first written laws of the two Principalities. However, these two virtually identical sets of laws do not go against tradition, being merely the Romanian translation of Byzantine customs (pravile), alluded to in documents of the previous decades. The two collections under Matei Basarab are Pravila de la Govora ("The Govora Code") in 1640 and Pravila lui Matei Basarab ("Matei Basarab's Code"; also known as Îndreptarea Legii – "The Re-shaping of Laws") in 1652. Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Romania, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Abandoned World, birds feed her, spiritual p, radiant light, levitation, incorrupt relics
Moldovia, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Sihastria Monastery, born approx 1620, died approx 1710, great early trial, thought tAbandon world, parents married her, they entered monasteries, iBuzau valley, Skete of Poiana Marului, he Priest, she grace of unceasing prayer otHeart, she many temptations endured, she fled to mts fTurks, tNeramt mts, Neamts Icon, Sihastria Skete, under FrPaul, live wilderness 1yr, if endure remain until die, beneath clifs of Sihla, clairvoyant elder, Theodora remain in my cell, Fr Paul left her there 30 yrs, visiting time to time wSpotless Mysteries&supplies, asceticism progress, able arms in air virgil all night, break fast herbs, Theodora's rainwater spring, Paul's repose, God's care, Turks attack villages, nuns discover her cell, remain my cell I go to cave, rest on flagstones, Turks discover cave, Lord deliver me, cave wall opens up escape to woods, she grows old forgotten alone no one to care for her, placed all hope in God, great heights spiritual perfection, radiant light, levitation, mouth prayer flame, rags for clothes, birds bring food from Sihastria, monks follow them to her, bright light at night from her, levitating, she clairvoyantly knew their names and sent them to bring named priest for her final rites, how, guided by light before them, repose, burried in her cave, people came to venerate, incorrupt relics, healing and consolation, husband came, stayed there 10 yrs, buried hermit's cemetery Skete John tBaptist built over his grave, her relics taken to Kiev Caves 1828-34. Sihastria Monastery; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Theodora of Sihla, who is one of the greatest of Romania’s women ascetics, was born in the village of Vânatori in Neamts County in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was one of the two daughters of Stephen Joldea and his wife. her youth, Saint Theodora experienced a great trial in her family. Her sister, Marghiolitsa, died in a tragic way. This event deeply affected the saint. At this time, the thought of abandoning the world blossomed in her heart. She wished to do penance for her parents, for her sister, and for herself. Her grieving parents, however, did not agree with her decision, because now Theodora was their only child. They pleaded with her, and, at the proper time, they married her to a young man who was working in their vicinity, and who went frequently to venerate the holy sites. After entering into a lawful marriage, they lived together in her husband’s house. Saint Theodora and her husband did not have any children, they both decided to enter monasteries in the Buzau valley. Her husband went to the Skete of Poiana Mărului, where he was tonsured with the name Eleutherios. He was also found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Saint Theodora also received the monastic tonsure in the Skete of Poiana Mărului. In just a few short years, she advanced in obedience, prayer, and asceticism, acquiring the grace of unceasing prayer of the heart. She also had to endure many temptations from the Enemy. the Buzau valley was invaded by the Turks, Saint Theodora fled to the mountains with her Spiritual Mother, Schema-nun Paisia. They lived for several years in fasting, vigil and prayer, enduring cold, hunger, and other trials from the devil. When her Spiritual Mother fell asleep in the Lord (sometime between 1670 - 1675), Saint Theodora was led by God to the mountains of Neamț. After venerating the wonderworking Neamts Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) at the monastery, she was told to seek the advice of Hieromonk Barsanuphios of Sihăstria Skete. Seeing her desire for the eremetical life, and recognizing her great virtues, he gave her Holy Communion and assigned Hieromonk Paul as her Father Confessor and spiritual guide. Barsanuphios advised Mother Theodora to go and live alone in the wilderness for a year. “If, by the grace of Christ, you are able to endure the difficulties and trials of the wilderness, then remain there until you die. If you cannot endure, however, then go to a women’s monastery, and struggle there in humility for the salvation of your soul.” Paul searched in vain for an abandoned hermitage where the saint might live. Then they met an old hermit living beneath the cliffs of Sihla. This clairvoyant Elder greeted them and said, “Mother Theodora, remain in my cell, because I am moving to another hermitage.” Paul left the nun on Mount Sihla, blessing her before he returned to the Sihăstria Skete. Saint Theodora lived in that cell for thirty years, glorifying God. Strengthened with power from on high, she vanquished all the attacks of the Enemy through patience and humility. She never left the mountain, and never saw another person except for Father Paul, who visited her from time to time to bring her the Spotless Mysteries of Christ and the supplies she needed in order to survive. Theodora made such progress in asceticism that she was able to keep vigil all night long with her arms lifted up toward heaven. When the morning sun touched her face, she would eat some herbs and other vegetation to break her fast. She drank the rain water which she collected from a channel cut into the cliff, which is still known as Saint Theodora’s spring. After Father Paul’s repose, she remained solely in God’s care. Turks attacked the villages and monasteries around Neamts, the woods became filled with people from nearby villages and refugees from the monasteries. Some nuns discovered Saint Theodora’s cell and she told them, “Remain here in my cell, for I have another place of refuge.” Then she moved into a nearby cave, living there completely alone. At night she would rest a little on the flagstones, which still can be seen to this day. An army of Turks discovered the cave, and were about to kill the saint. Lifting up her hands, she cried out, “O Lord, deliver me from the hands of these murderers.” The wall of the cave opened up, and she was able to escape into the woods. Saint Theodora grew old, she was completely forgotten and there was no one to care for her. Placing all her hope in God, she continued her spiritual struggles, and reached great heights of perfection. When she prayed her mind was raised up to Heaven, and her body was lifted up off the ground. Like the great saints of earlier times, her face shone with a radiant light, and a flame came forth from her mouth when she prayed. her clothes became mere rags, and when her food ran out, she was fed by birds just as the Prophet Elias (July 20) was. The bread that they brought to her came from the Sihăstria Skete. Seeing the birds come to the Skete and then fly away with pieces of bread in their beaks, the Hegumen sent two monks to follow them, thinking that some ascetic was living there and that God was providing food for him. Night fell as they walked toward Sihla, and they lost their way in the woods. They decided to wait for daylight, and so they began to pray. One of them climbed a tree and looked for a place where someone might be living. Suddenly, they saw a bright light rising up into the sky, and went to investigate. As they approached, they saw a woman shining with light and levitating above the ground while she prayed. their presence, Saint Theodora said, “Brethren, do not be afraid, for I am a humble handmaiden of Christ. Throw me something to wear, for I am naked.’ The monks were amazed when she addressed them by name. Then she prayed: “I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast heard me.” She said to the monks, “Brothers, I have lived for many years in these parts, and, behold, it has been forty days since I prayed for God to send me a Confessor to come and impart unto me the Holy Mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is almost time for me to depart from this life. So, please, go straight to the Skete and ask Father Hegumen to send Father Anthony and Hierodeacon Laurence to me tomorrow morning with Holy Communion.” asked her how they could find their way to the Skete at night, for they did not know the way. She said that they would be guided to the Skete by a light which would go before them. next day at dawn, Father Anthony went to Sihla with the deacon and two other monks. When they found Saint Theodora, she was praying by a fir tree in front of her cave. She made a Confession of her entire life to Father Anthony, and then she received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and gave her soul to God. Her last words were, “Glory to God for all things.’ The monks buried Saint Theodora in her cave with great reverence sometime during the first decade of the eighteenth century. of her death spread quickly, and people came from all over to venerate her tomb. Her holy relics remained incorrupt, and many miracles took place before them. Some kissed the relics; others touched the reliquary, while others washed in her spring. All who entreated Saint Theodora’s intercession received healing and consolation. Theodore’s former husband, Hieromonk Eleutherios, heard that she had been living at Sihla, and decided to go there. He found her cave shortly after her death and burial. Grieving for his beloved wife, Eleutherios did not return to his monastery, but made a small cell for himself below the cliffs of Sihla. He remained close to her cave, fasting, praying, and serving the Divine Liturgy. He lived there for about ten years before his blessed repose. He was buried in the hermits’ cemetery and the Skete of Saint John the Baptist was built over his grave. Theodora’s relics were taken to the Kiev Caves Monastery between 1828 and 1834. There she is known as Saint Theodora of the Carpathians. Our Venerable Mother Theodora was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church on June 20, 1992. inscription of Saint Theodora’s scroll reads: “Life is blessed for those in the wilderness as they fly upon the wings of Divine love” (Sunday Matins, Hymn of Degrees, first Antiphon).

Romania, 1654-1658, Constantin Serban, Romanian Prince, 1655 mercenaries rebellion, a w Rakoczi of Transylvania
Romanian Prince, 1654-1658, Constantin Serban; II Serban (? – 1682) was Prince of Wallachia between 1654 and 1658, illegitimate son to Radu Serban. According to custom, being born out of wedlock did not disqualify Constantin from becoming prince. rule saw the rebellion of the seimeni mercenaries (1655). In order to deal with the issue, Constantin Serban allied himself with the Transylvanian Prince George II Rakoczi, including himself in the latter's plans for emancipation from Ottoman rule. 1657, the Porte deposed him; Constantin Serban went on to fight alongside Rakoczi, managing to upset Ottoman presence in Moldavia and briefly occupying the throne in Iasi, at two different moments (in 1659 and 1661). Paul of Aleppo documents the derelict state of Wallachia during the Ottoman intervention, including an account of the rural population fleeing for the Transylvanian Alps ("where the Wallachians were accustomed to take refuge in time of need"). 1656, the Prince ordered the building of the Bucharest Metropolitan Cathedral, partly modeled on the Curtea de Arges Monastery – but larger and more austere. In his honour, the church was given the patronage of Eastern Orthodox Saints Constantine (his namesake) and Helena. In 1658, he set fire to the city, trying to prevent his adversary Mihnea III from making use of its facilities. St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Romania, 1688-1714, Constantine Brincoveanu, Prince, inherited L fortune, stolen by Turks, almost w Rus, Martyr
Romanian Prince, 1688-1714, Constantine Brincoveanu; Brâncoveanu (1654 - August 15, 1714) was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. descendant of the Craiovești boyar family and heir through his grandfather Preda of a considerable part of Matei Basarab′s fortune, Brâncoveanu was born on the estate of Brâncoveni and raised in the house of his uncle, stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino. rose to the throne after the death of his uncle, prince Şerban Cantacuzino. was initially supported by his maternal uncles Constantin and Mihai Cantacuzino, but grew increasingly independent from them in the course of his reign. Constantin Cantacuzino retreated to one of his estates and began advocating his son Ștefan's candidacy to the throne. prince took steps in negotiating anti-Ottoman alliances first with the Habsburg Monarchy, and then with Peter the Great's Russia (see Russo-Turkish War, 1710-1711): upon the 1710 Russian intervention in Moldavia, the prince contacted Tsar Peter and accepted gifts from the latter, while his rivalry with the Moldavian Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (the main regional ally of the Russians) prevented a more decisive political move. Brâncoveanu gathered Wallachian troops in Urlați, near the Moldavian border, awaiting for Russian troops to storm into his country and offer his services to the tsar, while also readying to join the Ottoman counter-offensive in the event of a change in fortunes. When several of his boyars fled to the Russian camp, the prince saw himself forced to decide in favor of the Ottomans or risk becoming an enemy of his Ottoman suzerain, and swiftly returned the gifts he had received from the Russians. and execution[edit] policies were eventually denounced to the Porte. Brâncoveanu was deposed from his throne by Sultan Ahmed III, and brought under arrest to Istanbul, where he was imprisoned in 1714 at the fortress of Yedikule (the Seven Towers). Brâncoveanu's statue in Bucharest he was tortured by the Ottomans, who hoped to locate the immense fortune he had supposedly amassed. He and his four sons were beheaded on the same day in August, together with Prince Constantin's faithful friend, grand treasurer Enache Văcărescu. to his secretary, Anton Maria Del Chiaro, their heads were then carried on poles through the streets of Istanbul, an episode which caused a great unrest in the city. Fearing a rebellion, including from that of the Muslim population which was outraged by the injustice done to the Prince, his sons and his close friend, he ordered for the bodies to be thrown into the Bosporus. Christian fishermen took the bodies from the water, and buried them at the Halchi Monastery, in the city's vicinity.[2] and sanctification in Eastern Orthodoxy[edit] circumstances and facts of Constantin's death are recorded in history, and his sanctification is recognized by all The Eastern Orthodox Churches. 15 August 1714, the Feast of the Dormition, when Constantin Brâncoveanu was also celebrating his 60th birthday, he and his four sons and boyar Ianache Văcărescu were brought before Sultan Ahmed III of Turkey. representatives of Austria, Russia, France and England were also present. all of his fortune has been seized, in exchange for the life of his family he was asked to renounce the Orthodox Christian faith. He reportedly said: "Behold, all my fortunes and all I had, I have lost! Let us not lose our souls. Be brave and manly, my beloved! Ignore death. Look at how much Christ, our Savior, has endured for us and with what shameful death he died. Firmly believe in this and do not move, nor leave your faith for this life and this world." this, his four sons, Constantin, Ștefan, Radu and Matei and advisor Ianache were beheaded in front of their father.[3] also that the smallest child, Matei (12 years old) was so frightened after seeing the bloodbath and the heads of his three brothers that he started crying and asking his father to let him renounce Christianity and convert to Islam. that moment, Constantin Brâncoveanu said: "Of our kind none have lost their faith. It is better to die a thousand times than to leave your ancient faith just to live few more years on earth." Matei listened and offered his head. After Brâncoveanu himself was decapitated, their heads were impaled on javelins and displayed in a procession. Their bodies were left before the gate and later on thrown into the waters of the Bosphorus.[4] contribution[edit] âncoveanu was a great patron of culture, his achievements being part of the Romanian and world cultural heritage. Under his reign, many Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Arabic, Turkish, and Georgian texts were printed after a printing press was established in Bucharest - an institution overseen by Anthim the Iberian. In 1694, he founded the Royal Academy of Bucharest. his religious and laic constructions, Brâncoveanu harmoniously combined in architecture the mural and sculptural painting, the local tradition, the Neo-Byzantine style and the innovative ideas of the Italian Renaissance, giving rise to Brâncovenesc style.[5] most accomplished and the best preserved example of Brâncovenesc style architecture is Hurezi monastery, inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites, where Brâncoveanu intended to have his tomb. buildings built by him are Mogoşoaia Palace complex, Potlogi Palace, Brâncoveanu monastery. Such cultural ventures relied on increased taxation, which was also determined by the mounting fiscal pressure of the Ottomans (adding in turn to Brâncoveanu's determination to strip Wallachia of Turkish rule). âncoveanu left to the secular Romanian spirituality a few fundamental books, printed for the first time in Wallachia; among them, Aristotle's Ethics, the Flower of the Gifts and the Philosophical Examples, the last two being translated and printed by Antim Ivireanul. neo-Romanian style was born from the style of the monasteries, of the houses and of the palaces of Brâncoveanu and it became, through Ion Mincu and his school, the national style at the time of the affirmation of the cultural identities of the nations of Europe in the beginning of the 20th century. architectural Brâncovenesc style is found in the churches of the Monasteries of Hurezi, Râmnicu Sarat, Doicesti and Saint George's New Church in Bucharest. Among secular buildings, the style can be found in Mogosoaia palace and the reworked Old Court.[6] The Brâncovenesc style was revived in the 20th century in form of the Romanian Revival style, also called "Neo-Brâncovenesc". Constantin Brâncoveanu University is located in Pitești, but it also has subsidiaries in Brăila and Râmnicu Vâlcea. June 1992, the Sinode of the Romanian Orthodox Church decreed the sanctification of Constantin Brâncoveanu, his sons Constantin, Radu, Ștefan and Matei, and vornic Ianache Văcărescu. March 7, 2018, the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church added these saints to the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.[1] 16 August 2020, Romania celebrated for the first time the day of remembrance of the persecution of Christians in the world. Although Brâncoveanu died on 15 August, his death was also remembered for having refused to convert to Islam.[7] Mogoșoaia palace Horezu monastery Brâncoveanu's tomb at St. George New Church intrigue marking Constantin's ascension and reign is reflected in chronicles of the time, which are ideologically divided: Letopisețul Cantacuzinesc gives a bleak account of Șerban's rule, as does Cronica Bălenilor; Radu Greceanu's is an official account of Brâncoveanu's rule, and Radu Popescu is adverse to Cantacuzino rulers. âncoveni Monastery Constantin Brâncoveanu - litografie de A. Bielz.jpg Religion Affiliation Eastern Orthodox Ecclesiastical or organizational status Monastery Status active Location Location Brâncoveni, Olt County, Romania Architecture Architect(s) Patroness Celea (1570–83) Matei Basarab and Preda Brâncoveanu (1634–40) Constantin and Ștefan Brâncoveanu (1699–1704) Theodosius of Trebizond (1842) Type Church Style Brâncovenesc Groundbreaking 1570 Completed 1842[8] Direction of façade West Website [2] Cantemir's Historia Hieroglyphica is centered on the clash, and reflects Cantemir's preference for Constantin Cantacuzino, who was also related to Dimitrie through marriage (despite the fact that Cantemir and Brâncoveanu have taken the same side in the conflict with the Porte). Ștefan Cantacuzino's brief rule saw in turn the downfall of the Cantacuzinos; he and his father were executed by the Ottomans, who saw the solution to the risk of Wallacho-Russian alliances in imposing the rigid system of Phanariote rule (inaugurated in Wallachia by Nicholas Mavrocordato, who, through his previous rule in Moldavia, is also considered the first Phanariote in that country). his death, Constantin Brâncoveanu became the hero of a series Romanian folk ballads, as well as being depicted on some of Romania's official coinage. to the Romanian Orthodox Church, the reason for his and his sons' execution was their refusal to give up their Christian faith and convert to Islam. 1992 the Church declared him, his sons, and Enache saints and martyrs (Sfinții Martiri Binecredinciosul Voievod Constantin Brâncoveanu, împreună cu fiii săi Constantin, Ștefan, Radu, Matei și sfetnicul Ianache - "The Martyr Saints the Right-Believing Voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu, together with his sons Constantin, Ștefan, Radu, Matei, and the counselor [Enache]"). Their feast day is August 16. țul Cantacuzinesc on Constantin Brâncoveanu's relations with the Habsburgs and Ottomans early in his reign (1690, during the latter stages of the Great Turkish War): Then Costandin-vodă [old rendition of his name] as well, arriving to his seat in Bucharest, catching news of the Austrians having entered his country and having reached Târgoviște, immediately left his seat [...] went forth towards Pitariului Bridge, setting camp in the river meadow of Plătăreşti, leaving behind the ispravnic [...] with orders that, when the Austrians were to arrive in Bucharest, he was to provide them with all supplies they would need. [the Austrian General], upon understanding this [action], immediately sent a letter to Costandin-vodă, inviting him to return to his seat and join [the Austrians] in harassing the Turk. Costandin-vodă, upon understanding this, called as soon as he could the Metropolitan Theodosie, as well as all his lower and higher boyars, summoning a great council on what was to be done, whereupon some of the boyars vigorously showed themselves to favor Costandin-vodă's rejection of the Turks and his joining the Austrians; while another bunch of boyars, foremost Costandin [Constantin] Cantacuzino, who has been great stolnic, and Mihai Cantacuzino, the great spătar, believed this not to constitute good advice, as, where such a thing to happen, the nearby Tatars [who were Ottoman allies] would immediately arrive with a mighty force in order to enslave and plunder the country, and the Austrians would prove of no help. And immediately they moved spot and went to the village of Ruși, where the princely fish ponds are located. [the Austrian General] came to Drăgănești, inviting Costandin-vodă to leave Ruși and meet him in Drăgănești, showing himself a great friend towards Costandin-vodă, asking him, in all good faith, to teach him what he should do next. And he told all the truth about how his and his troops' arrival had been brought about by the lies of [a high boyar], and how [the boyar] had boasted that, were [they] to enter the country, all boyars and all country would pay allegiance to [them], but that this had not in fact happened. Costandin-vodă told him the whole truth, about how the Tatars wished to enter his country, and [he] threw a major banquet in his honor and then returned to Bucharest in great fear. And the Tatars, aware of the Austrian presence, wasted no time in raising troops for the Sultan and sent forth messengers to Costandin-vodă, telling him that they were to come in the country to fight the Austrians. Costandin-vodă, upon hearing news of this, became very saddened, most of all considering the plight of the poor country, and immediately lifted camp and left for Buzău. And when he arrived there, he sent his Lady and all her ladies-in-waiting to the convent [...], and he rode with a few of his men to meet the Sultan, paying him high allegiance and offering him many gifts. is then that the Sultan saw that Costandin-vodă was not being rebellious, but rather [his] honest servant, and gave him assurance that his country would not be enslaved, and that [the Ottomans] were instead to meet the Austrians, who were their enemies. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Constantin Brâncoveanu. âncoveanu and his wife Marica had seven daughters and four sons. Although all of his sons were murdered, many of his daughters had issue. Brâncoveanu's first born, Constantin II, also had a son who survived exile and rose to be a mare ban (foremost state function in Wallachian political hierarchy, except for the ruler). The male line of the Brâncoveanu family became extinguished in 1832, when Grigore Brâncoveanu died without having any children of his own. Yet he adopted a relative (who was also a descendant of Constantin Brâncoveanu) and thus passed the family name on. to a genealogical study, roughly 250 of his bloodline were alive at the middle of the 19th century. Amongst them Gheorghe Bibescu and Barbu Știrbei (rulers of Wallachia and Moldova), famous revolutionary Alexandru Ipsilanti, Romanian Prime ministers Barbu Catargiu, Nicolae Kretzulescu, George Manu and Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino "Nababul" and historians Dan and Mihnea Berindei. St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Romania, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony t Hesychast, solitary, cave, deamon struggles, chapel church w angels, Oltenia revival
Romania, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony the Hesychast, Vilcea county (Olt River 14), solitary found cave for cell, struggled against deamons, day work night virgil, fasting prostrations, & chapel church w angels for prayer & services, long fasts, battles w unseen, heart tears, 2-3 hrs sleep, bread crumbs & vegetables, Jesus prayer, psalms, visitors for spiritual advice & consolation, genuine Oltenia spiritual revival; Vilcea county ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23, Saint Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vilcea county in Romania; Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vâlcea county in Romania, and he loved Christ from his early childhood. visited many of the monasteries and sketes in that area, conversing with several hesychasts who sought quietude in the mountains. had a profound effect upon his life, and in time, he entered the monastic life at Iezeru Skete in the beautiful wilderness of Vâlcea. 1690, after he had acquired experience in the ascetical life, the Igoumen blessed him to live as a solitary a few kilometers above Iezeru Skete on the mountain of the same name. walked from place to place searching for a stone cave for his cell and a chapel. he found a small cave, where he glorified God and struggled against the demons. true hesychasts know what great temptations and trials face those who wish to live as solitaries. Anthony labored for three years, digging a chapel out of the cliffside with only a hammer and chisel. He worked during the day, and kept vigil by night. cave was a shelter for his body, exhausted by his fasting and prostrations. his soul was not at rest because there was no church nearby, where he could lift up his heart and hands in prayer day and night. From time to time, a hieromonk from the Skete would come to serve the Divine Liturgy on Feast Days and during the fasts. praying to the Mother of God, he began to hollow out a space for a small chapel. When it was finished, it was consecrated by Bishop Hilarion of Râmnicu Vâlcea. this little chapel, the blessed one prayed unceasingly, together with the Angels in heaven, reading the daily services, and making hundreds of prostrations. can describe his long fasts for three days and more, his all-night vigils, his battles with unseen enemies who cannot abide the humility and hardships of the saints, his fervent prayer and incessant tears from his heart? never slept for more than two or three hours a night, nor did he eat anything but breadcrumbs soaked in water and salt, with a few vegetables that he grew in his little garden. repeated the Jesus Prayer unceasingly from his heart, and he read the Psalms with many tears of humility. Anthony’s holy life became known throughout the area, and many of the clergy and laity flocked to him for spiritual advice or consolation in their sorrows. received them with love, gave them the help they needed, and then sent them home in peace. Through his influence, a genuine spiritual revival took place in sub-Carpathian Oltenia. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord in 1714 after twenty-five years of spiritual struggles. disciples mourned him, and buried him beside his small chapel. The faithful still go there to light candles and to pray, asking for his blessing and assistance. Anthony the Hesychast was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992. inscription on St. Anthony's scroll reads “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

Romania, 1690, Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Orthodox over HRE
Romania, Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Romania 1690; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Romania, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Basil oPoiana, SCantacuzino, Phanorite Rulers, Velichk, Moses tConfes, Rus-Turk war

Romania, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului skete, Romania, hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania
Romania, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) skete, Romania (Olt River 8), hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania; Poiana Marului ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Basil, the Elder of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), was born toward the end of the seventeenth century. He received monastic tonsure at Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete in 1705 or 1706, laboring in asceticism with great fervor. Basil was ordained to the holy priesthood, and became igumen of Dalhautsi in 1715. He remained in that position for twenty years, and was a wise instructor of monks, teaching them obedience, humility, and the art of the Jesus Prayer. fame of this great spiritual Father began to spread, so that even Prince Constantine Mavrocordat heard of him. Saint Basil’s community became known as a spiritual school of hesychasm, based on the wisdom of the Holy Fathers. When the number of his disciples increased until there was no longer room for all of them at Dalhautsi, they settled in other Sketes in the area. In this way, his influence and teaching spread to other places, inspiring a spiritual renewal of Romanian monastic life in the eighteenth century. Basil renovated the Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) Skete near the city of Romni-Sarat between 1730-1733, then moved there with twelve disciples. In addition to his duties as Igumen of Poiana Marului, Saint Basil was the spiritual guide of all the Sketes in the Buzau Mountains. One of his most famous disciples was Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, whom he tonsured on Mount Athos in 1750. holy Elder Basil also wrote introductions to the writings of Saints Gregory of Sinai, Nilus of Sora, and others who wrote about the spiritual life, guarding the mind, and on the Jesus Prayer. He taught that the Holy Scriptures are a “saving medicine” for the soul, and recommended reading the Holy Fathers in order to obtain a correct understanding of Scripture, and to avoid being led astray through misunderstanding. Saint Basil also warned against any inclination to excuse ourselves and our sins, for this hinders true repentance. Basil fell asleep in the Lord on April 25, 1767, leaving behind many disciples. His influence has been felt in other Orthodox countries beyond the borders of Romania.

Romania, 1714-1716, Stefan Cantacuzino, last prince of Wallacia, exposed CB to the Turks, then Phanorite rule
Romanian Prince, 1714-1716, Stefan Cantacuzino, last prince of Wallacia; Ștefan Cantacuzino, (c. 1675 - 7 June 1716) was a Prince of Wallachia between April 1714 and January 21, 1716, the son of stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino. He was married to Păuna Greceanu-Cantacuzino. Ștefan was involved in his father's intrigue against Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, denouncing him to the Ottoman Empire (Wallachia's overlord), and surrendering Brâncoveanu's secret correspondence with the Habsburg Monarchy, enemies of the Porte in the Great Turkish War. After obtaining the Prince's deposition, he took the throne in Bucharest as an Ottoman appointee. rule coincided with the Habsburg attack led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, during which the Cantacuzinos shook off Ottoman tutelage, informing Stephan Graf Stainville on the Porte's war preparations. A kapucu was sent to depose Prince Ștefan in January 1716, and arrested him together with his father and uncle (the spătar Mihai Cantacuzino). The three of them were executed in Constantinople. Ștefan Cantacuzino's death, the Phanariote rule in Wallachia was established as a way to ensure a tighter Ottoman control over Wallachia. Romanian Prince, 1688-1714, Constantine Brincoveanu; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Romania, 1715-1730, Phanaroite Rulers, Nicholas and John Mavrocordatos, greeks from Phanar section of Constantinople
Phanariote Rulers; Phanariotes, or Fanariots were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar[1],[2] the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, traditionally occupied four important positions in the Ottoman Empire: Voivode of Moldavia, Voivode of Wallachia, Grand Dragoman, and Grand Dragoman of the Fleet. their cosmopolitanism and often-Western education, the Phanariots were aware of their Greek ancestry and culture; according to Nicholas Mavrocordatos' Philotheou Parerga, "We are a race completely Hellenic".[3] emerged as a class of wealthy Greek merchants (of mostly noble Byzantine descent) during the second half of the 16th century, and were influential in the administration of the Ottoman Empire's Balkan domains in the 18th century.[1] Phanariots usually built their houses in the Phanar quarter to be near the court of the Patriarch, who (under the Ottoman millet system) was recognized as the spiritual and secular head (millet-bashi) of the Orthodox subjects—the Rum Millet, or "Roman nation" of the empire, except those under the spiritual care of the Patriarchs of Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Ohrid and Peć—often acting as archontes of the Ecumenical See. dominated the administration of the patriarchate, often intervening in the selection of hierarchs (including the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople). Romania, 1715-1730, Phanaroite Rulers, Nicholas and John Mavrocordatos ; Mavrocordatos ( May 3, 1670 - September 3, 1730) was a Greek member of the Mavrocordatos family, Grand Dragoman to the Divan (1697),[1] and consequently the first Phanariote Hospodar of the Danubian Principalities, Prince of Moldavia, and Prince of Wallachia (both on two occasions). He was succeeded as Grand Dragoman (1709) by his brother John Mavrocordato (Ioan), who was for a short while hospodar in both Wallachia and Moldavia.[1] Saint Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; the day of his consecration, Metropolitan Anthimus fought tirelessly for the liberation of Wallachia from foreign oppressors. On the day he was ordained he addressed his flock: “You have defended the Christian Faith in purity and without fault. Nevertheless, you are surrounded and tightly bound by the violence of other nations. You endure countless deprivations and tribulations from those who dominate this world.... Though I am unworthy and am indeed younger than many of you—like David, I am the youngest among my brothers— the Lord God has anointed me to be your shepherd. Thus I will share in your future trials and griefs and partake in the lot that God has appointed for you.â€ words were prophetic: In 1714 the Turks executed the Wallachian prince Constantine Brincoveanu, and in 1716 they executed Stefan Cantacuzino (1714-1716), the last prince of Wallachia. his place they appointed the Phanariote (a member of one of the principal Greek families of the Phanar, the Greek quarter of Constantinople, who, as administrators in the civil bureaucracy, exercised great influence in the Ottoman Empire after the Turkish conquest) Nicholas Mavrokordatos, who concerned himself only with the interests of the Ottoman Empire. this difficult time, Anthimus of Iberia gathered around him a group of loyal boyar patriots determined to liberate their country from Turkish and Phanariote domination. But Nicholas Mavrokordatos became suspicious, and he ordered Anthimus to resign as metropolitan. When Anthimus failed to do so, he filed a complaint with Patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople. a council of bishops, which did not include a single Romanian clergyman, condemned the “conspirator and instigator of revolutionary activityâ€ to anathema and excommunication and declared him unworthy to be called a monk. But Nicholas Mavrokordatos was still unsatisfied and claimed that to deny Anthimus the title of Metropolitan of Hungro-Wallachia was insufficient punishment. He ordered Anthimus to be exiled far from Wallachia, to Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai. Metropolitan Anthimus, beloved of the Romanian people, was escorted out of the city at night since the conspirators feared the reaction of the people. Metropolitan Anthimus never reached Mt. Sinai. On September 14, 1716, a band of Turkish soldiers stabbed Saint Anthimus to death on the bank of the Tundzha (Tunca) River where it flows through Adrianople, not far from Gallipoli, and cast his butchered remains into the river. ended the earthly life of one more Georgian saint—a man who had dedicated all of his strength, talent, and knowledge to the revival of Christian culture and the strengthening of the Wallachian people in the Orthodox Faith. In 1992 the Romanian Church canonized Anthimus of Iberia and proclaimed his commemoration day to be September 14, the day of his repose. The Georgian Church commemorates him on June 13.

Romania, 1731-1769, Constantine Mavrocordatos, Phanaroite, acting prince of Wallacia, laws, taxes, emancipation
Romania, 1731-1769, Constantine Mavrocordatos, Phanaroite, acting prince of Wallacia; Constantine Mavrocordatos (February 27, 1711 -November 23, 1769) was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several intervals between 1730 and 1769. As a ruler he issued reforms in the laws of each of the two Danubian Principalities, ensuring a more adequate taxation and a series of measures amounting to the emancipation of serfs and a more humane treatment of slaves. St. Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Romania, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupt relics
Russia, Kiev, 1742-1794, Paisius Velichkovsky, Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6), could not find elder but became one, large monastery, incorrupt relics; Poltava; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Paϊsios Velichkovsky was born in Poltava in Little Russia on December 21, 1722, and was the eleventh of twelve children. father John was a priest, who named him Peter at his Baptism, in honor of Saint Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow, on whose Feast he was born. the children’s father died, their mother Irene raised them in piety. Peter was sent to study at the Moghila Academy in Kiev in 1735. After four years, Peter decided to leave the world and become a monk. the age of seventeen, he went in search of a monastery and a good Spiritual Father. For seven years Peter visited various monasteries, including the Kiev Caves Lavra, but he did not feel drawn to any of the monasteries of Ukraine. being made a rassophore monk (one blessed to wear the rasson, but not yet tonsured “into the mantya”) at the Saint Nicholas Medvedevsky Monastery with the name Platon, he found that there was no experienced Elder there who could teach him obedience, or give him spiritual direction. Not wishing to begin his monastic life without such guidance, he left the monastery a week afterward with the blessing of his Elder. first, he went to Kiev, where he happened to meet his sister-in-law, the widow of his older brother Archpriest John. She informed him of his mother’s sorrow when he left Kiev, and her mind seemed to be affected by her grief. one day an Angel appeared to her and told her that instead of loving the Creator with all her heart and soul, she loved His creation (her son) more. Because of this excessive love, the Angel continued, she was thinking of starving herself to death, which would result in her eternal condemnation. Angel said that by God’s grace, her son would become a monk, and that she should also renounce the world and become a nun. this, she became calm and accepted God’s will. She entered a convent and was tonsured with the name Juliana. After ten years or so, she departed to the Lord. at Kiev, Father Platon met two monks from Romania who were about to return to their country. After crossing the border into Moldavia, they came to Vlachia and the Skete of Saint Nicholas, which is called Traisteni, around 1745. The Elder of the Skete, Hieroschema-monk Michael, was away on business in Ukraine, so Father Platon and his companions were welcomed by the Superior, Father Demetrios. Father Platon was placed under a general obedience and was given a cell near the Skete, from which the church was visible. he was sleeping one night, the semantron was sounded calling the monks to Sunday Matins, but Father Platon did not hear it. woke up and ran to the church, only to find that the Gospel had already been read, and the Canon was being sung. In his grief and shame, he did not enter the church, but returned to his cell, weeping bitter tears. the Liturgy, when it was time for the meal, the Superior and the Elder were surprised that Father Platon had not been seen at the Services. The Elder ordered that the meal be delayed while he sent Father Athanasios to find out what had happened to the absent monk.. Athanasios found him and asked why he was weeping. With difficulty, Father Platon was able to tell him the reason for his sorrow. Father Athanasios tried to console him and urged him to come to the Skete, where the others were waiting for him. Finally, he was persuaded to go. the brethren at table but not eating, Father Platon fell down before them weeping and asking their forgiveness. The Elder and the Superior lraised him up and heard from Father Athanasios the reason for his sorrow. The Elder told Father Platon not to grieve so over something that had happened involuntarily, and did his best to console him. that time, however, the Saint would not sleep lying down in bed, but sitting up on a bench. day the Elder Onuphrios of Kyrkoul visited the Skete and spoke about his Skete at Kyrkoul. Platon longed to see Kyrkoul, and so he returned there with Father Onuphrios. He remained there for a time, conversing with Father Onuphrius about overcoming the passions, the struggle with demons, unceasing prayer, and other soul-profiting topics. This seed fell on good ground, and later produced spiritual fruit a hundredfold (Luke 8:8). time came when Father Platon was filled with longing to visit Mount Athos. He asked the brethren of the Skete, and those of other Sketes, for their forgiveness and blessing for the journey. He also thanked them for their kindness and their paternal instruction. They blessed him and let him go in peace. At that time, he was just twenty-four years old. Platon went to Mount Athos in 1746, arriving at the Greatest Lavra on July 4, the eve of the Feast of Saint Athanasios of Athos. traveling companion, Hieromonk Tryphon fell ill and reposed after four days. Father Platon would have died from the same illness, if not for the care of the Russian monks. recovered and lived in solitude in a cell called Kaparis near the Pantokrator Monastery. went around visiting many ascetics and solitaries, seeking a Spiritual Father, but was unable to find anyone suitable. 1750 Saint Basil of Poiana Marului (April 15) visited the Holy Mountain and spent some time with Father Platon, who asked him for monastic tonsure. Basil granted his request, giving him the name Paϊsios. Father Basil returned to his Skete at Vlachia. About three months later, a young monk named Bessarion came to the Holy Mountain from Vlachia. He went around to the monasteries searching for an instructor, but did not find one. He also came to Father Paϊsios and asked him to tell him something about saving his soul. Paϊsios sighed and told him that he himself had been looking for an instructor without success. Yet, feeling compassion for Father Bessarion, he talked to him a little about the qualifications necessary for a true instructor, and about the Jesus Prayer. hearing him, Father Bessarion said, “Why should I seek any further?" He fell down at the feet of Father Paϊsios, entreating him to be his Elder. Father Paϊsios did not wish to be anyone’s Elder, preferring to be one under the authority of an Elder. Bessarion wept for three days until Father Paϊsios finally agreed to accept him as a friend, but not as a disciple. They lived together for about four years, fulfilling God’s commandments, cutting off their own will, and obeying one another as equals. disciples began to join them, and their number continued to increase. Since they needed a priest and a confessor, they pleaded with Father Paϊsios to accept ordination. He did not want to hear of this, and repeatedly refused to consent. They did not give up, however. They asked him how he could expect to teach the brethren obedience and cutting off their own will, when he disobeyed the tearful entreaties of those who wished him to accept. Finally, he said, “May God's will be done.” 1754 Father Paϊsios was ordained to the holy priesthood and was given the Skete of the Prophet Elias, where he began to accept even more disciples. Saint Paϊsios remained on Mount Athos for seventeen years, copying Greek patristic books and translating them into Slavonic. 1763 Father Paϊsios went to Moldavia with sixty-four disciples, and was given the Dragomίrna Monastery near the city of Sochava, on the border between Bukovina and Moldavia. Here he remained for twelve years, and the number of monks increased to three hundred and fifty. friend Hieromonk Alexius came to visit him from Vlachia, and Father Paϊsios asked to be tonsured into the Schema. Father Alexius did so, but without changing his name. at Dragomίrna, Elder Paϊsios corrected the Slavonic translations of patristic books by comparing them to the Greek manuscripts he had copied on Mount Athos. Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1768, and Moldavia and Vlachia saw many battles. Dragomίrna and the forests around it became filled with refugees from the villages near the battlegrounds. catastrophe followed in 1771 with an outbreak of the plague. Dragomίrna and Bukovina came under the control of Austrian Catholics, so Saint Paϊsios and his flock fled to Moldavia. October of 1775, the Holy Elder and many of his monks went to Secu Monastery, which is dedicated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. was too small for the number of brethren, who were crowded with three to five monks in a cell. the spring, more brethren were due to arrive from Dragomίrna, so new cells had to be built. three years of labor one hundred cells were completed, and everyone had a place. Still, the numbers continued to increase, and they had to look for a larger monastery. Constantine Muruz wrote to the Elder saying that there was no larger monastery than Neamţ, about two hours from Secu. August 14, 1779, Saint Paϊsios moved to Neamţ Monastery, where he spent the last fifteen years of his life translating the writings of the Holy Fathers. also introduced the the Typikon (Rule) of Mount Athos in that community. He gathered about a thousand monks in the monastery, instructing them in the unceasing prayer of the heart. Ambrose visited Saint Paϊsios at Neamţ in 1790, remaining for two days to converse with the Elder. the Sunday Liturgy, he raised Saint Paϊsios to the rank of Archimandrite. He stayed for two more days, then departed after blessing everyone. Paϊsios fell asleep in the Lord on November 15, 1794 when he was almost seventy-two. is possible that God revealed the time of his death to him beforehand, for he stopped translating books. He merely reviewed and corrected what had already been translated. was ill for four days, but felt well enough to attend the Liturgy on Sunday. After the service, he asked everyone to come and receive his blessing. Bidding farewell to them all, he returned to his cell and would not receive anyone. A few days later, on November 15, he received the Holy Mysteries once more, and surrendered his soul to God. His funeral was conducted by Bishop Benjamin of Tuma, and was attended by multitudes of priests, monks, laymen, nobles and ordinary people. holy relics of Saint Paϊsios were uncovered in 1846, 1853, 1861 and 1872, and were found to be incorrupt. Paϊsios has had an enormous influence, not only in Romania, but throughout the Orthodox world. His disciples traveled to Russia, sparking the spiritual revival of the XIX century with Slavonic translations of the Philokalia and the tradition of eldership which they had learned from Saint Paϊsios. His influence has been felt even in America, through Saint Herman of Alaska (December 13). Saint Herman had been taught by Elders whose spiritual formation was guided by Saint Paϊsios. he was still in Russia, Saint Herman met Saint Nazarius (February 23), who became his Elder at Valaam, at Sarov, then followed him to Sanaxar Monastery when Saint Theodore (February 19) was the Igoumen. One of the books that Saint Herman brought with him to America was the Slavonic Philokalia, printed in 1794. Not only did he absorb the spiritual wisdom that it contained, he also imparted it to others.

Romania, 1746, Martyr Moses the Confessor, received by Maria Theresa, thrown to Kufstein prison
Romania, 1746, Martyr Moses the Confessor, received by Maria Theresa, thrown to Kufstein prison; Bucharest; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ; Moses Macinic was ordained to the holy priesthood in Bucharest around 1746, and worked to oppose the Unia. Because of his activities he was arrested and jailed in Sibiu for seventeen months. Ultimately, he was released with the understanding that he would cease to function as a priest, and live as an ordinary peasant. 1752 he was chosen to go to Vienna with Saint Oprea Nicholas of Salistie to deliver a petition to Empress Maria Theresa. The petition asked her to recognize the rights of the Orthodox Church in Transylvania. She received them, but she had them thrown into the Kufstein Prison in the Tyrolean Mountains. representatives from Transylvania repeatedly asked the Hapsburg rulers to free the two saints, they denied all knowledge of them. Moses Macinic was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Romania, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Ms, renewer Athos&Paisian hesyc tradts
Romania, 1750-1806, George oCernica (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania), fSaliste, Sibiu, inclined monastic fyouth, but Catholic Austrian Rulers oTransylvania supressed Orthodoxy, esp monasticism, to unify, so 1749 he went tWallacia tGreek Met Rosca aBucharest, spiritual father, tConstan&Mt Athos wRosca, Vatopaidi M, monk then deacon, Rosca dies so Paisios Velichkovsky elder, Prophet Elias Skete, 1752 Great Schema, 1754 Hieroschema monk fRomanians aSt Elias Skete, 1764 w64&P tDragomirna M iMoldovia, Hierschemamonk, Confessor, steward 12 yrs, wBukovina fell tAustria 1775, they moved to Secu M, 1779 wP tNeamt M 2yrs, 1781 P blessed him to return Mt Athos, on way iBucharest he met Met Gregory II oWallacia (P's disciple) & old friend Hiermonk Makarios, they persuaded him with vision oSt Nick to undertake revival oCernica M, dedicated to St Nic, in ruins 30 yrs, task cenobitic rule similar Athonite & Paisan Ms, help fWallacian ruler Nick Mavrogenes began restore church&cells, he perfected monks spiritual life, daily services, scripture &Holy fathers reading, work including manuscript copying, he revived spiritual life, grew to 103 in 5yrs, 1785 gravely ill, his will prescribed monastic order, but he recovered, 1793 Met Philaret II assigned him to Caldarusani M also, 1794 on lived both Ms, Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, worship 7times day frequent confession obedience constant prayer common meal, died 1806, buried Cernica Lazarus font, venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition, many disciples incl Kalinikos&Makarios, 2005 Romanian sainthood, 2007 Russian sainthood; Cernica; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; George was born in 1730 to pious Orthodox parents in the town of Sălişte, near Sibiu in Romania. his youth he was inclined toward the monastic life. at that time the Roman Catholic Austrian rulers of Transylvania tried to suppress Orthodoxy, especially Orthodox monasticism, in order to make the faithful unite with them. at the age of nineteen, the young man went to Wallachia and came to the Greek Metropolitan Rosca, who was in Bucharest at that time. He became George's Spiritual Father. thereafter, in 1750, he accompanied his Spiritual Father to Constantinople, and then to Mount Athos. he settled at Vatopaidi Monastery, and was tonsured as a monk, and later he was ordained as a deacon. the repose of his Elder, he became a disciple of Saint Paϊsios Velichkovsky at the Prophet Elias Skete. in 1752, Saint Paϊsios tonsured Father George into the Great Schema. years later he was ordained as a Hieroschema-monk for the Romanian community at Saint Elias Skete. his stay on Mount Athos he advanced with great zeal and much spiritual benefit, on the ladder of spiritual perfection, 1763, together with sixty-four other disciples, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Dragomirna Monastery in Moldavia. the next twelve years, he served this Monastery as a Hieromonk, Confessor, and steward. Bukovina fell under the power of Roman Catholic Austria in 1775, the Dragomirna brethren, led by Elder Paϊsios, moved to Secu Monastery. 1779, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Neamț Monastery, where he lived for another two years. 1781, with the blessing of his Elder he went to Mount Athos again. his return to Bucharest, he met Metropolitan Gregory II of Wallachia, who was a disciple of Saint Paϊsios, and his old friend Hieromonk Makarios. their persistent persuasion, followed by prayer and fasting, and a vision of Saint Nicholas, he agreed to undertake the revival of monastic life at Cernίca Monastery, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and which had been in ruins for more than thirty years. task was to establish a monastery in this region of Wallachia with a cenobitic Rule, similar to the Athonite and Paisian monasteries. the help of the Wallachian ruler Nicholas Mavrogenes and other Christians, Father George began to restore the main church and the cells. devoted a lot of time to perfecting the spiritual life of the monks. the monastery the Services were performed every day, along with reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church, and work which was carried out in numerous obediences: including copying manuscripts and physical labor. his sacrificial and gifted shepherding, he revived the spiritual life at Cernίca Monastery. After just five years, the community grew to 103 monks. 1785, Saint George became gravely ill and, expecting his imminent demise, made his will in which he prescribed the proper order of life of the monastic community. However, he soon recovered and continued his pastoral labors. view of his successes, in 1793, Metropolitan Philaret II of Wallachia also assigned him to Căldărușani Monastery. April 1794, Father George lived in both monasteries alternately, appointing Igoumens in them, especially during his absence. both monasteries he introduced the Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, which included worship seven times a day, frequent Confession, obedience, constant prayer, and a common meal. George continued to manage both monasteries until the very end of his earthly life. reposed on December 3, 1806, lamented by the numerous brethren of the two monasteries. was buried at Cernica Monastery, in front of the church of Saint Lazarus. Saint George's repose, he was venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition. Elder had many disciples and followers, such as Saint Kallinikos of Cernίca, Hieromonk Makarios and others. the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on October 20-21, 2005, Elder George was glorified and numbered among the Saints. formal announcement of his canonization took place at Cernίca Monastery on the day of his commemoration December 3, 2005, with Patriarch Theoktistos of Romania presiding at the Service. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of August 21, 2007, Saint George's name was included in the Synaxarion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Romania, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War, Moldovia, Ochakov, Crimea, Black and Azov Seas
Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74) ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2;

Romania, 1774-1859, Folder, under Russian Control, Callinicus of Cernica

Romania, 1774-1859, Romania (Wallachia) under Russian Control
Russo-Turkish Wars and the Phanariotes ; Russo-Turkish War (1768-“1774) ;

Romania, 1800-1821, Tudor Vladimirescu, Romanian Revolutionary, believed russian support, anti Phanorite
Romanian Revolutionary, 1800-1821, Tudor Vladimirescu; Vladimirescu (c. 1780 - 7 June [O.S. 26 May] 1821) was a Romanian revolutionary hero, the leader of the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and of the Pandur militia. He is also known as Tudor din Vladimiri (Tudor from Vladimiri) or, occasionally, as Domnul Tudor (Voivode Tudor). was born in Vladimiri, Gorj County (in the region of Oltenia) in a family of landed peasants (mazili); his birth year is usually given as 1780, but this is still debated. At the age of 12, he was sent to Craiova, in service to boyar Ioan Glogoveanu, where he would later learn rhetoric, grammar and the Greek language. He became administrator of the boyar's estate and, in 1806, was named vÄƒtaf (leader of the local militias) at CloÈ™ani. Tudor's experience as a servant made him familiar with customs, habits and objectives of landowners; this insight helped him walk the fine line between conflicting interests of boyars and peasants in the first months of the uprising against the Phanariotes. While leader of a mainly peasant movement, Tudor did his best not to antagonize the elite, punishing any destruction of property.[1] enrolled in the Russian army and took part in the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812. Consequently, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree and given Russian protection and immunity from prosecution under both Wallachian and Ottoman legislation (see SudiÈ›i). This contributed to Tudor's decisions throughout the uprising, alongside his belief that Russia was backing his actions. After the war, Tudor returned to Oltenia. He traveled briefly to Vienna, in 1814, in order to attend a lawsuit involving Glogoveanu's wife's patrimony. The trip coincided with the Peace Congress, and it is believed that Vladimirescu followed the treaties' outcome. in the country in 1815, Tudor learned that Ada Kaleh Ottoman garrison, who roamed MehedinÈ›i and Gorj, had also destroyed his household from CerneÈ›i. 1812 to 1821, Vladimirescu slowly built a follower base. The Pandurs respected his military skills, and many sources point out his charisma and outstanding negotiating abilities. He would also have been familiarised with the outcomes of the First and Second Serbian Uprising. Alexandros Soutzos' death in January 1821 led to the forming of a temporary Comitet de Ocârmuire ("Governing Committee"), three regents - all of them members of the most representative indigenous boyar families, of which the most prominent was Caimacam Grigore Brâncoveanu. The Comitet, motivated against competition and denied Phanariote rulers' favours, decided to quickly manoeuver anti-boyar and anti-Phanariote sentiment in Wallachia (and especially in Oltenia), acting before the newly appointed Scarlat Callimachi could claim his throne. Therefore, an agreement between it and the Pandurs was reached on the 15th: Dimitrie Macedonski was awarded the post of lieutenant to Tudor. very same day, Vladimirescu sent a letter to the Ottoman Court of Mahmud II, stating that his objective was not the rejection of Ottoman rule, but that of the Phanariote regime, and showing his willingness for preservation of the traditional institutions. The statements were meant to buy Tudor time against Ottoman response, as he was already in negotiations with the Greek Anti-Ottoman revolutionary society PhilikÃ EtaireÃa (having probably been in contact with it from around 1819). Together, they produced a plan for insurrection, with the two Etairist representatives (Giorgakis Olympios and Iannis Pharmakis) assuring the Wallachians of Russian support for the common cause. It is apparent that Tudor was not himself a member of the EtaireÃa: the rigid command structure of the Brotherhood would have excluded the need for any negotiations. fortifying monasteries in Oltenia (Tismana, Strehaia) that were to serve him in the event of Ottoman intervention, Tudor travelled to PadeÈ™ where he issued his first proclamation (23 January). It included references to Enlightenment principles (notably, the right to resist oppression), but was also an almost millenarianist appeal to peasants, promising a "spring" to follow "winter". February the demands were detailed by more documents. They included: the elimination of purchased offices in the administration, with the introduction of meritocratic promotion, the suppression of certain taxes and taxing criteria, the reduction of the main tax, the founding of a Wallachian Army, and an end to internal custom duties. In line with these, Tudor asked for the banishment of some Phanariote families and forbidding future Princes to hold a retinue that would compete with local boyars for offices. Calls by boyars in the Divan for Tudor to cease such activities (expressed by envoy Nicolae VÄƒcÄƒrescu) were met with a virulent refusal. EtaireÃa and Ottomans fighting in Bucharest (August 1821). army, swelled up in numbers as it advanced, occupied Bucharest on 21 March - here, Tudor issued another important proclamation, one that expressed yet again his commitment to peace with the Ottomans. Previously, the PhilikÃ EtaireÃa under Alexander Ypsilanti had emerged in Moldavia, proclaiming a liberation from Ottoman rule that was backed by the then Moldavian Prince Michael Soutzos (see Greek War of Independence). However, this coincided with Russian reaction against Greek rebellion, with the Russian army entering Moldavia and enforcing Holy Alliance policies. Ypsilanti's army headed south, reaching Pandur-occupied Bucharest. actions in the meanwhile had destroyed his alliance to local boyars. He had started wearing the kalpak (a tall, cylindrical, black leather hat; see Ottoman Clothing) reserved for the Prince, and demanded to be addressed as Domn ("Master", "Prince"; cf. Domnitor) - moving away from subordination to the landowners' cause. meeting between Ypsilanti and Tudor brought a new compromise. Tudor considered himself liberated from the provisions of the January agreement, as Russia was now an enemy of the EtaireÃa; Ypsilanti tried to persuade him that Russian support was still possible. The country was divided into a Greek administration and a Wallachian one, with Tudor's declaring itself neutral in the face of large Ottoman armies preparing to cross the north of the Danube. Ottoman actions had been prompted by Russian threat of intervention in Wallachia. army retreated towards in Oltenia in May, as the Ottomans occupied Bucharest without meeting resistance. Tudor was no longer capable of maintaining the discipline and cohesion of his own troops, some of whom had resorted to robbery. In an attempt to ensure discipline, he imposed hangings of those found guilty. In the meantime, EtaireÃa members, led by Alexander Ypsilantis developed a plot to remove Tudor. Following treason, Tudor was arrested in GoleÈ™ti [ro] on 21 May. On the night of 27 to 28 May, following accusations of collaboration with the Ottomans against EtaireÃa, he was tortured and killed by EtaireÃa in Târgoviște, his mutilated body being thrown into a cesspit. Tudor's collaboration with the Ottomans was never confirmed.[2] The EtaireÃa did not succeed in its goal to assume command of Vladimirescu's army: most of it disbanded on the spot. rebellion ensured that Wallachia would stay under military occupation. Although the situation was stabilized by August, Ottoman troops remained present until 1826. However, as they could no longer trust Phanariote rule in the face of its infiltration by Greek nationalism (Ypsilanti himself came from a Phanariote family - see Alexander Ypsilanti, his grandfather, and Constantine Ypsilanti, his father), the Ottomans returned the two Principalities to rule by and through locals (in 1822): Grigore IV Ghica in Wallachia, Ioan Sturdza (IoniÅ£Äƒ Sandu Sturdza) in Moldavia. The changes in the situation were to be confirmed by the Treaty of Adrianople and Russian occupation (at the end of the Russo-Turkish War). the scope of his movement appealed to generations of Romanian nationalists, Tudor Vladimirescu's most favorable treatment came with the official ideology of the Romanian People's Republic (the first period of Communist Romania, lasting from 1948 to 1965). He was considered progressive, and it also contributed that he viewed himself as an ally to the Russian cause—almost as a precursor of the Soviet alliance. The Romanian film Tudor[3] (1962) narrated his life from the return home in 1812 to his death. Tudor, portrayed by Emanoil PetruÅ£, falls from his horse after being shot in the back, claiming to return "as the grass of spring" - a far easier death than what Vladimirescu had endured in reality. division bearing his name (Divizia Tudor Vladimirescu) was formed by the Red Army with Romanian prisoners of war who had fought on the Eastern Front. They were called on to fight the Ion Antonescu pro-Nazi Germany regime, and were absorbed into the Romanian Army after 1944. The division had its precedent in an artillery battery of the same name, grouping Romanian volunteers in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.[4] An Order of Tudor Vladmirescu was also created. There are multiple streets and structures in Romania bearing his name, including a metro station in Bucharest. day Vladimirescu entered Bucharest, 21 March, is now celebrated in Oltenia as the Oltenia Day, which was promulgated on 13 April 2017 by the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis.[5] St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War, France w Turks, Moldovia and Wallacia, Russian V.
Moscow, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War (1806-“12) ; crossed the Caucasus and annexed Georgia for Orthodoxy Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Romania, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War, Turks w Frnch, attack, Russia v, Dardnlles, Bucharest, Moldovia
Moscow, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War (1806-“12); Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Romania, 1821, Wallacian Uprising (against Ottomans) Tudor Vladimirescu
Romania, 1981, Wallacian Uprising; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1821, Greek War of Independence
Romania, 1821, Greek War of Independence Romania, 1981, Wallacian Uprising; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1821, Ottoman Phanorites
Romania, 1821, Ottoman Phanorites; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1843-1892, Bishop Melchizedek, Moldovian
Romania, 1843-1892, Bishop Melchizedek; Icon of the Mother of God œSokolsky, Commemorated on February 1;

Romania, 1843-1848, Gheorghe Bibescu, Romanian Prince
Romania, 1843-1848, Romanian Prince, Gheorghe Bibescu; Romania, 1848-1856, Romanian Prince, Barbu Dimitrie Stirbei; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1848-1856, Barbu Dimitrie Stirbei, Romanian Prince
Romania, 1848-1856, Romanian Prince, Barbu Dimitrie Stirbei; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1853-1856, Russo-Turkish War of 1853-56, Crimean War
Moscow, 1853-1856, Russo-Turkish War of 1853-56, Crimean War; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Romania, 1853-1856, Crimean War, Orthodox East v Ottomans and West, Russia lost
Crimean War (1853-1856); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky"Â, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Romania, 1854, Socola Icon, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, remarkable miracle of shedding tears, many people saw it
Romania, 1854, Socola Icon, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, remarkable miracle of shedding tears, many people saw it, Crimean War Moldovia occupied by Austrian troups, verified tears, to Russia and War and Peace, forcasted difficult times for Church, Socola destroyed, moved to Iasi; Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562; Icon of the Mother of God “Socola”, Commemorated on February 1; Socola Icon of the Mother of God was in the church of the Transfiguration in the Orthodox Theological Seminary at the Socola Monastery in Romania. In February 1854, it became famous for the remarkable miracle of shedding tears. the Divine Liturgy on February 1, 1854, a frightened member of the clerical staff went to Hieromonk Isaiah, the ecclesiarch, and said that he had seen tears on the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Several of those serving ran to the church. There they all witnessed tears running down from the eyes of the Mother of God. Bishop Philaret Skriban, the rector of the seminary, removed the Icon of the Mother of God from its frame, and carefully examined it. Believing that it may have been sprinkled with holy water for the Feast of Saint Tryphon, the bishop wiped away the tears with a towel, and put the Icon back in its place. Then, after ordering everyone to leave the church, he looked all around the church, and then locked it. hours later, the seminary professors and students went into the church with the rector for Vespers, and all were amazed to see the same miraculous flow of tears from the eyes of the Theotokos depicted on the Icon. Bishop Philaret served a Moleben and Akathist to the Mother of God. Soon, all of Romania learned of this miraculous event, and people from all parts of the country began to arrive at the Socola Monastery to venerate the newly-revealed Weeping Icon of the Theotokos. tears sometimes flowed every day; and sometimes they appeared two, three, or four days apart. As a result, many people were able to see the actual miracle of weeping first hand, and bear witness to it. who did not see the actual miracle were convinced that a genuine miracle had taken place because they observed traces of the dried tears on the surface of the Icon. the Crimean War (1854-1856), the Principality of Moldavia was occupied by Austrian troops. Paar, the commanding officer of the Austrian army, heard about the Socola Icon and ordered a staff officer to investigate the reported miracle and to give a report of his results. The Colonel went to the monastery and examined the Icon, which was not weeping at the time. Finding nothing unusual, he returned the Icon to its frame. Taking a lighted candle, he looked carefully at the face of the Virgin. Suddenly, two small shining tears formed in the eyes of the Mother of God, and the tears began to flow. The officer recoiled in terror, and exclaimed, “It is weeping! This is a great miracle! Fathers, pray unto God!” Colonel reported what had transpired to his commanding officer. His description of the miraculous flow of tears from the Icon is of unquestionable importance, for he had come to Socola Monastery with no faith that such a miracle was possible. When he left, however, he was convinced that it was an indisputable fact. His was not the only evidence that a true miracle had taken place. There were many other eyewitness accounts, including accounts by individuals whose sincerity there would be no reason to question. of the weeping Socola Icon also spread to Russia, and some people believe that the weeping icon mentioned in Tolstoy’s “War and Peace“ (Book 5, Ch. 11) may have been based on this Icon. account provided by Bishop Melchizedek Stefanescu of Romania deserves particular attention. He was one of the first to witness this miracle, when he was a professor in the seminary at Socola Monastery. Reminiscing 35 years later about seeing tears flow from the eyes of the Mother of God, the Elder recalled how he had speculated about the reason for its tears. He knew that in times past there had also been such Icons, which wept from time to time, and that such events always presaged difficult trials for Christ’s Church and for the homeland. supported the Elder’s conclusion. Soon after the miraculous appearance of the tears, the Moldavian Principalities were subjected to severe trials. Socola Monastery also suffered great hardship. It was as important to Romanians as St. Sergius Lavra is to the Russian people. ’s great religious and educational center was destroyed. The seminary was moved to Iași, and the local instructors and monastics were dispersed. Thus, where the glorious historical seminary had stood, serving for almost a century as a center of religious education, there remained only a small elementary school. When the Seminary moved from Socola to Iași in 1886, the icon was transferred to the new Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași. name Socola probably came from a Slavic source, from the word socola, or “hawk” (perhaps because there were many hawks near the monastery).

Romania, 1859-1881, Folder, as the United Principalities

Romania, 1859-1881, United Principalities, Romanian United Principalities, Walachia and Moldovia
Romania, 1859-1881, United Principalities, Romanian United Principalities, Romania; Icon of the Mother of God œSokolskyÂ, Commemorated on February 1;

Romania, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia Capital, paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, Many miracles
Moldavia, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8), paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, kept in Theophany Skete near Great Lavra, MA, Many miracles, thorns in eyes, unconscious child died recovered, Jews healed, Icon not move teachers house, icon in woman's vision, mocking painter fierce expression on MOG's face, became zealous admirer, sick monk at P Skete departs peacefully, many more miracles to this day; Jassy (Iasi), Romania ; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Icon is kept in the Moldavian Theophany (now Prodromou)1 Skete on Mount Athos, about an hour's walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios. 1863, Igoumen Niphon, accompanied by several monks, went to Moldavia on the Monastery's business. Arriving at Iasi, the capital of Moldavia, the Athonite monks decided to order an icon of the Mother of God for their Monastery, and began to look for a master, who would not only know his craft well, but at the same time he would lead a good life, have the fear of God, and who would be adorned with Christian piety. Soon they managed to find such a man at Iasi, the aged painter, George Nikolaev (Iordache Nicolau), with whom they agreed that he should paint the icon only while fasting, before eating any food, and by himself, without the participation and assistance of others. old man, having agreed to these conditions, zealously set about his work. The work progressed quickly to its end: it remained only to paint the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child. when the painter started to execute the last part of the work, he suffered a setback: he couldn't paint the faces correctly, despite all his efforts. He was upset and told the monks of his failure, and he even began to doubt himself, whether he had forgotten his art in his old age. painter increased his fasting and prayed with tears. one morning, after intensified fasting and fervent prayer, he entered his workroom to finish the task that had caused him so much grief and anxiety. Approaching the Icon and looking at it, he suddenly stopped, struck with amazement: from the canvas of the Icon the faces of the Mother of God and the Child looked at him, painted by an invisible hand and radiant with heavenly beauty and artistic expression. painter was awestruck: the more he considered these faces, the more clearly he understood that a great and incomprehensible miracle of the Queen of Heaven had occurred, and that she had heard his humble and fervent prayers. with amazement, the artist did not dare to touch this Icon with his brush, but only covered it with varnish. of this miracle quickly spread throughout the city, and many people gathered in the artist's home, so that the Athonite monks had great difficulty in moving the Icon from his house to their apartment. miraculous event that had occurred was also made known to the local Metropolitan, His Grace Callinic (Miclescu), who at that time held the office of Metropolitan. examined the Icon carefully and recognized the truth of the miracle. After that, a Moleben was served before the Icon, and only then were the people allowed to venerate the image of the Mother of God, which from that time began to be glorified by many miraculous signs. certain man had a large thorn in his eyes, and he could not see anything. He was brought in to venerate the Icon of the Mother of God was given some Holy Water to drink, and to wash with it. He took some of it with him to his house. days later he received perfect sight, so that without the help of others he was able to come to give thanks to the Mother of God before her miraculous Icon for his healing. nobleman had a child who was unconscious for three days without any movement, so that only by the child's barely perceptible breath could one determine that a faint spark of life still remained. of saving his child from death by conventional medical means, the father turned to the Mother of God for help, praying fervently before her Icon. some Holy Water to his house, he sprinkled the dying child and poured a few drops into his mouth. And a miracle occurred: the child had already died, but then he recovered. other patients afflicted with various ailments received healing by praying before the Icon of the Mother of God. view of the numerous miracles performed by the power of the Theotokos through her Holy Icon, not only did Orthodox Christians come to venerate her, but also schismatics, Armenians, and even Jews, for there was the case of a Jewish woman who received her gracious help, which was why she and her entire household were baptized. return of the Athonite monks with the Icon, from Iași to their Monastery on Athos, was also accompanied by many miracles. the monks arrived with the Icon in the city of Byrlad, the people's teacher in that city wished to receive the Holy Icon in his house, and for this purpose he sent people for it. The monks advised him to come to them if he wished to venerate the Icon, instead of bringing it to his home. But the teacher insisted on having his way. monks decided to grant his wish. When two of them tried to lift the Icon, despite all their efforts, they could not do so. It took four monks to lift the icon, but only with great effort. When the Icon was brought to the carriage in order to put it in, a loud noise was heard, frightening everyone, both people and the horses. It turned out that the kiot containing the Icon had cracked. everyone knew that the Mother of God did not want to have her Icon brought to the teacher's house, and it was decided not to carry it to the teacher's home. a strange thing occurred: this time, two monks were able to lift the Icon without any difficulty. pious woman who lived outside the city of Byrlad beheld a vision in a dream telling her to go into the city to venerate the Icon. When she arrived, she recognized the very Icon that she had seen in the vision. the monks came to Galați there was a painter who, seeing a multitude of people flocking to venerate the Icon, began to mock it, urging people not to believe the miracle of how the faces had not been painted by any earthly artist. But when he gazed at the Icon of the Mother of God, the exression on her face seemed so fierce to him that he was struck with great horror. Then he became a zealous admirer of the wonderworking Icon. the time the monks arrived at their Skete on the Holy Mountain, there was a sick monk, who had not eaten any food for three weeks, nor did he speak. He was so weak that he did not move at all. Only by his breathing could anyone tell that he was still alive. When the monks arrived at the Skete, the patient seemed to awaken from a deep sleep and asked to be taken to venerate the Holy Icon. Presenting himself before the Icon, he turned to the Mother of God with this plea: "O Mother of God! You know my heart and you know my fate. If it would be good for me to live, then give me health. If, after I am healed of my illness, I do not behave better, then let me die: end my life here on earth, so that I do not suffer or endure torments there, in the grave." After praying this way, he returned to his cell, put on clean linen and his full monastic garb, and asked to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He seemed to have a clear premonition of his approaching death. And, indeed, less than an hour after receiving Communion, he departed peacefully and quietly to the Lord. this Skete there were even more cases of healings by the Icon of the Mother of God. The monk Sergius was healed from weakness in all his members, and from deafness, and one of the masters who worked in the same Skete was subjected to torments by an unclean spirit; as soon as he was brought to the Icon of the Mother of God, he was freed from the excruciating power of the Enemy. addition to the recorded accounts, many other wonderful signs took place on Mount Athos from the Moldavian Icon of the Mother of God, which continues to work miracles up to the present day. 1 The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner on Mount Athos.

Romania, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78) Turks lost
Moscow, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, 1881-1947, Folder, as the Romanian Kingdom

Romania, 1881-1947, Romanian Kingdom
Romania, 1881-1947, Romanian Kingdom;

Romania, 1914-1918, World War I
Romania, 1914-1918, World War I; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romanian President, 1944-1965, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Romanian President, 1944-1965, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej ; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5;

Romania, 1947-1989, Folder, Socialist Romania, Communist Party Controlled

Romania, 1955, 1453, 1204, Tatiana's relics, gave riches, virgin, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times

Romanian President, 1965-1989, Nicolae Ceausescu
Romanian President, 1965-1989, Nicolae Ceausescu; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5;

Romania, Western Moldovia Folder, after 1859, Part of Romania

Romania, Moldovia (Western M, Siret and Prut Rivers) Romania, Russia after 1859, United Principalities
Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky", Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Barlaam of Khutin, Commemorated on June 24; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Moldovia (Siret, Prut and Dneister Rivers)
Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œSokolskyÂ, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Barlaam of Khutin, Commemorated on June 24; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Valachia (Wallachia or Moldovia)
Valachia; Venerable Gregory the Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20;

Wallachia (Valachia or Moldovia)
Valachia; Venerable Gregory the Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20;

Romania and Moldovia, Siret River Folder (Western Moldovia)

Carpatian Mountains - Outer Eastern Carpatian Mountains
Outer Eastern Carpatian Mountains;

Siret River Source (Outer Eastern Carpathians)
Outer Eastern Carpathians;

Siret River 1

Siret River 2

Storozhi, Moldovia (Siret River 2)
Storozhi; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ;

Siret River 3

Bukovina, Moldovia (Siret River 3)
Bukovina, Bukovina is between Siret and Suceava rivers that come together near Suceava; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ;

Siret River 5 (Dragomina Monastery)

Dragomirna Monastery, Moldovia (Siret River 5) 1602
Dragomirna Monastery; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable George of Cernica, Commemorated on December 3;

Siret River 6 (Suceava River)

Moldovia, Siret River 6, Suceava River Folder

Suceava River

Suceava River Source (along the border, Prislop Pass)

Suceava River 1 (along the border)

Suceava River 3 (Putna Monastery)

Putna Monastery, Moldovia (Suceava River 3) 1466
Putna Monastery; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Suceava River 5 (Radauti)

Radauti, Moldovia (Saccava River 5) Bogdana Monastery
Radauti; Bogdana Monastery, 1359; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

monastery of St Laurence, Radauti, Moldovia (Suceava River 5) 1359
monastery of St Laurence, Moldovia (Suceava River 5) in the Civoul de Sus district of Radauti; Bogdana Monastery, 1359; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

monestary of St Nicholas at Radauti (Suceava River 5) 1359
monestary of St Nicholas at Radauti; Bogdana Monastery, 1359; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

Suceava River 6

Succava River 7 (Bukovina)

Sochava, Bukovina, Romania (Suceava River 7)
Sochava, Bukovina, Romania (Suceava River7); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ;

Bukovina, Moldovia (Succava River 7)
Bukovina, Moldovia; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15;

Suceava River 8

Suceava River Mouth (Siret River 6)

Siret River 10 (Moldova River)

Romania and Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River Folder

Moldova River

Moldova River Source (along the border, Prislop Pass)

Prislop Pass, Moldova, Romania and Transylvania (Moldova River Source)
Prislop Pass, Transylvania, Romania and Moldova; St John of Prislop, Commomorated September 13 ;

Moldova River 1 (Moldovila)

Bukovina, Southern Bokovina, Suceava County (Moldova River 1.7)
Bukovina, Austrian Empire 1804, Austria Hungary 1867 Southern Bokovina, Suceava County;

Moldova River 2 (Voronets Monastery)

Voronets Monastery, Moldovia (Moldova River 2) 1488
Voronets Monastery; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ;

Moldova River 3 (Neamt River)

Romania and Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River 3, Neamt River Folder

Neamt River

Neamt River Source (along the border)

Neamt River 1 (Neamts monestary)

Romania and Moldovia, Nemtisor River Folder

Nemtisor River Source (several tributaries)

Nemtisor River

Neamts monestary, Romania and Moldovia (Nemtisor River 1, Neamts River 1 of Moldova & Siret Rivers) 1497
Neamts monestary; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18 Icon of the Mother of God œNeamts, Commemorated on June 26;

Sihastria Monastery
Sihastria Monastery; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7;

Targu Neamt
Targu Neamt; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7;

Stanioara Pass 47°16'27"N, 25°53'7"E; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7;

Vanatori-Neamt Village (Theodora of Sihla's birthplace, near Neamts Monastery)
Vanatori-Neamt Village; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7

Nemtisor River Mouth (Neamt River 2)

Neamt River 2

Neamt River Mouth (Moldova River 3)

Moldova River Mouth (Siret River 10)

Siret River 11 (Bistrita River)

Romania and Moldovia, Siret River 11, Bistrita River Folder

Bistrita River

Bistrita River Source (along the border)

Bistrita River 1 (Tarcau)

Tarcau, Neamnts, Moldovia or Romania (Bistrita River 1)
Tarcau; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ;

Bistrita River 2 (Bistritsa Monastery)

Bistritsa Monastery, Moldovia, 1402
Bistritsa Monastery; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God œNeamts, Commemorated on June 26; Saint Joseph of Bisericani Monastery (late XV century), Commemorated on October 1;

Neamnts Monastery, Moldovia (Bistritsa River 2), 1402
Bistritsa Monastery; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God œNeamts, Commemorated on June 26; Saint Joseph of Bisericani Monastery (late XV century), Commemorated on October 1;

Bistrita River Mouth (Siret River 11)

Barlad, Moldovia (on railroad between Prut River 10 and Siret River 12)
Barlad, Moldovia (between Prut River 10 and Siret River 12) Saint Zita was a teacher 10 miles south of Barlad in Tutova

Line Measure 10 miles south of Barlad to Tutova

Siret River 12 (Trotus River)

Romania and Moldovia, Siret River 12, Trotus River Folder

Trotus River

Trotus River Source (along the border)

Trotus River 1 (Comanesti)

Trotus River 2 (Tazlau River)

Moldovia, Siret River 12, Trotus River 2, Tazlau River Folder

Tazlau River

Tazlau Mountain
Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlau, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Tazlau River Source (Tazlau Mare and Tazlau Saret Rivers)

Tazlau River 1

Tazlau River Mouth (Trotus River 2)

Tazlau Saret River

Tazlau Saret River Source (along the border)
Tazlau Saret River;

Tazlau Saret River Mouth (Tazlau River Source)

Tazlau Mare River

Tazlau Mare River Source (along the border)
Tazlau Mare River;

Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1)
Tazlau (Tazlau Mare River); Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ;

Tazlau Mare River 1 (Tazlau)

Tazlau Mare River Mouth (Tazlau River Source)

Trotus River Mouth (Siret River 12)

Siret River 13 (Putna and Milcov Rivers in Romania)

Siret River 14 (Buzau River in Romania)

Siret River Mouth (near Danube River Mouth)

Galats, Moldovia (Siret River Mouth, Danube River 16)
Galats; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Romania and Moldovia, Prut River Folder (Central Moldovia)

Prut River

Prut River Source (Eastern Slopes Mt. Hoverla)

Mt Hoverla
Mt Hoverla;

Prut River 1

Prut River 2

Prut River 3 (Cheremosh River)

Moldovia, Prut River 3, Cheremosh River Folder

Cheremosh River

Cheremosh River Source (Carpathian Mountains, Prislop Pass)

Cheremosh River 1 (Protukia Rigion, Galicia)

Pokutia Region (Cheremosh River, Prislop Pass)
Pokutia; The name comes from the town of Kuty (around the corner). Porkutia (around the corner, from Galicia in Volhynia, Cheremosh R. in Moldovia, Prislop Pass, in Principality of Galicia); Repose of Venerable Job the Wonderworker, Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Cheremosh River Mouth (Prut River 3)

Bukovina, Northern Bukovina, Chernivtsi Oblast Ukraine (Prut River 4.3)
Bukovina, Austrian Empire 1804, Austria-Hungary 1867; Northern Bukovina, Chernivtsi Oblast Ukraine (Prut River 4.3;

Prut River 4

Prut River 8 (Jassy)

Jassy (Iasi), Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8)
Jassy (Iasi), Romania ; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Iasi, Moldovia, New Metropolitan Cathedral 1886, Prut River 8
Iasi, Romania, New Metropolitan Cathedral; Icon of the Mother of God “Socola”, Commemorated on February 1;

Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562, moved here from Bulgaria or Romania
Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562; Icon of the Mother of God “Socolaâ€, Commemorated on February 1;

monastery of the Three Hierarchs at Jassy in Rumania
monastery of the Three Hierarchs at Jassy in Rumania; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14;

All Saints Monastery, Iasi (Jassy, Prut River 8)
Bucium Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12;

Horodistea, Moldovia (Between Prut and Siret Rivers)
Horodistea, Moldovia; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5;

Prut River 9 (Hushi)

Hushi, Moldovia (vineyards, Prut River 9)
Hushi; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Prut River Mouth (Danube River Mouth)

Romania, Transylvania Folder, after WWI and II, Part of Romania

Transylvania (Hungro-Wallacia)
Transylvania; Transylvania Proper; Athanaric's "own country"; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania ; St John of Galesh; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ; Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Transylvania (over and between the mountains, Romania after WWI and then again WWII)
Transylvania; Ardeal; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Ardeal (Transylvania) (between the mountains)
Ardeal, Transylvania (between the mountains); St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Dacia (Transylvania)
Dacia; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Dacians (non romantic speaking people in Wallacia, Valachs, Hungarians, Transylvania)
Dacia; Dacians; Valachs; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Valachs (non romantic speaking people in Wallacia, Dacians, Hungarians, Transylvania)
Dacia; Dacians; Valachs; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Thergundian Goth Athanaric's Homeland, Dacia, Transylvania and Romania
Athanaric's Homeland, Dacia, Transylvania and Romania; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15;

Maramures depression 1 (Kurst, Ukraine)
Maramures; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Maramures depression 2 (Prislop Pass, Romania)
Maramures; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungro-Wallachia (Transylvania)
Hungro-Wallachia (Transylvania) all these transylvanian waters end up in today's Hungary). Transylvania Proper; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Carpathians - Southern Carpathians, between Transylvania and Romania
Southern Carpathians;

Hungary, Transylvania History Folder

Hungary, Transylvania, 1500-1699, Protestant

Hungary, Transylvania, 1500-1546, German Clergyman and Scholar, Martin Luther
German Clergyman and Scholar, 1500-1546, Martin Luther; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant
Germany, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant; Germany, 1503-1546, Martin Luther, Protestant ; Wittenberg, Germany ; Lutherhaus; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1526, Battle of Mohacs, Turks over Hungary, Turks take Transylvania
Hungary, 1526, Battle of Mohacs, Turks over Hungary, Turks take Transylvania;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1533-1601, Lithuanian and Polish King, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba
Polish King, 1533-1586, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe ProtectionÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœVirgin of TendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1586-1601, Transylvanian, Wallacian Prince, Sigismund Bathory
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1586-1601, Sigismund Bathory; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1601-1605, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1601-1605, Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor ; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1605-1606, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, Stephen Bocskay, Calvinist
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1605-1606, Stephen Bocskay, Calvinist; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1607-1608, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, Sigismund Rakoczi, Calvinist Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1607-1608, Sigismund Rakoczi, Calvinist Protestant; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1608-1613, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, Gabriel Bathory, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1608-1613, Gabriel Bathory, Protestant ; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1613-1629, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, Gabriel Bethlen, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1613-1629, Gabriel Bethlen, Protestant ; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1629-1648, Wallacian Prince, George I Rakoczi, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1629-1648, George I Rakoczi, Protestant; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1648-1660, Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, George II Rakoczi, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1648-1660, George II Rakoczi, Protestant; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1661-1662,Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, John Kemeny, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1661-1662, John Kemeny ; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1662-1690, Wallacian Prince, Michael I Apafi, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1662-1690, Michael I Apafi; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1682-1690, Imre Thokoly, Prince of Transylvania (upper Hungary)
Imre Thokoly, Prince of Transylvania (upper Hungary), 1682-1690, Anti-Hapsburg; Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Romania 1690; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1690-1699, Wallacian Prince, Michael II Apafi, Protestant
Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1690-1699, Michael II Apafi, Protestant; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1700-1867, Catholic Austrian Rule

Hungary, Transylvania, 1699, Austrian Rule, Catholic
Transylvania, 1699, Austrian Rule; Transylvanian and Wallacian Prince, 1690-1699, Michael II Apafi; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures River Folder

Mures River

Partos, Romania, Transylvania
Partos, Transylvania, Romania; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ;

Mures River Source (Gurghiu Mountains)

Mures River 1 (Tirgu Mures)

Tirgu Mures, Transylvania (Mures River 1)
Tirgu Mures, Transylvania (Mures River 1);

Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Hungary, now Romania (between Mures River 1 and Tarnava Mica River 1)
Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Romania; is a commune in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: Adrianu Mare / Nagyadorján Adrianu Mic / Kisadorján Bedeni / Bede Gălești Maiad / Nyomát Sânvăsii / Nyárádszentlászló (established 2004) Troița / Szentháromság commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 2,940 of which 93.61% or 2,752 are Hungarian.[citation needed] Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; John of Galesh was a priest who was consecrated bishop at Bucharest, since there was no bishop for Transylvania. resisted the plans of the Hapsburg authorities to persuade Orthodox Christians to convert to Catholicism. was arrested and thrown into prison at Sibiu in 1756, then Empress Maria Theresa ordered him confined in the prison of Deva Castle until he died. John was transferred to a prison in Graz, Austria at the end of 1757. Later, he was brought to the notorious Kufstein Prison, where many Orthodox from Transylvania ended their lives. 1780, Gennady Vassie, a Serb who was incarcerated there, was able to send a letter to Empress Catherine II of Russia asking her to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox prisoners. In his letter he mentioned a Romanian priest named John, who had been kept there for twenty-four years because of his Orthodox faith. John of Galesh died in prison, and was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures River 1, Aries River Folder

Aries River

Bihor Mountains, Transylvania
Bihor Mountains, Transylvania ;

Aries River Source (Bihor Mountains)

Aries River 1 (Ariesul Mare River)

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures 1, Aries River 1, Ariesul Mare River Folder, Laze and Neagra Rivers, Arad

Ariesul Mare River

Ariesul Mare River Source, Bihor Mountains

Ariesul Mare River 1 (Arieseni)

Areisul Mare River 2 (Albae)

Ariesul Mare River 3 (Lazes and Neagra Rivers)

Neagra River

Neagra River Source (Bihor Mountains

Laze River

Laze River Source (Bihor Mountains)

Laze River Mouth (Neagra River Mouth, Ariesul Mare River 3 )

Lazes, near Arad, Transylvania
Lazes could mean the region of the Lazes River in Romania, but it probably is Laze in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or it could be neither; however, they are both on the way from Armenia to Albania. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Ariesul Mare River Mouth (Aries River 1)

Aries River 2 (Salciuade Jos)

Aries River 3 (Rimetea River)

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures 1, Aries River 3, Rimetea River Folder, Rimet Monastery

Rimetea River

Rimetea River Source

Rimetea,Transylvania (Rimet Monastery, Rimet Creek, Rimetea River Source)
Rimetea; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Rimetea River Mouth (Buru, Aries River 3)

Aries River 4 (Turda)

Aries River Mouth (Mures River 1)

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures River 2, Tarnava River Folder

Tarnava River

Tarnava River Source (Tarnava Mare and Tarnava Mica)
Tarnava River;

Blaj Castle prison, Transylvania
Blaj Castle prison, Transylvania ; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Tarnava River Mouth (Mures River 2)

Tarnava Mica River

Gurghiu Mountains, Transylvania

Tarnava Mica River Source (Gurghiu Mountains)
Tarnava Mica River

Tarnava Mica River 1 (Sovata)
Sovata

Tarnava Mare River

Tarnava Mare River Source (Gurghiu Mountains)
Tarnava Mare River;

Tarnava Mare River 1 (Bisericani Monestary)

Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, Transylvania
This location chosen because: This is the only Bisericani Commune in the mountains. Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ;

Tarnava Mare River 2 (Sighisoara)
Sighisoara;

Mures River 2 (Alba, Tarnava River)

Alba Iulia, Romania (capital of Principality of Transylvania, Mures River 2)
Alba Iulia, Romania (capital of Principality of Transylvania) ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Alba county, Transylvania (Mures River 2)
Alba county, Transylvania; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Salishtea, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 2)
Salishtea of Sibiu; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Orashtie, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 2)
Orashtie, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 2) ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania, Romania (Salishtea, Mures River 2)
Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania (Salishtea, near Mures River) ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Ciorara, Transylvania, Romania (Salishtea, Mures River 2)
Sofronie of Cioara; Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania (Salishtea, near Mures River) ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Mures River 3 (Deva)

Prislop Monastery, Transylvania (Western Romania, Mures River 3) 16th Century
Prislop Monastery in Southwest Romania ; St John of Prislop, Commemorated September 13 ;

Deva, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 3)
Deva, Transylvania (Mures River 3) ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St John of Galesh, Commemorated October 21 ;

Deva Castle, prison of Deva Castle, Transylvania, after 1242
Fortress of Deva; St John of Galesh, Commemorated October 21 ;

Mures River 4 (Arad)

Lipova, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 4)
Lipova in Arad County ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Arad, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 4)
Arad ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Mures River Mouth (Szeged, Hungary, Tisza River 12)

Neagra River Mouth (Ariesul River )

Hungary, Transylvania, Somes River Folder

Somes River

Apuseni Mountains, Transylvania
Apuseni Mountains; Western border of Transylvania; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania;

Somes River Source 2 (Apuseni Mountains)

Ardeal (Cluj, aka Transylvania, Somes River Source 2)
Transylvania; Ardeal; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12;

Ardeal, Transylvania (between the mountains)
Ardeal, Transylvania (between the mountains); St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Somesul Mic River (Somes River from Cluj to Dej)

Somes River 1 (Dej)

Hungary, Transylvania, Somes River 1, Somesul Mare River Folder, from Rodna to Dej

Somesul Mare River (Somes River from Rodna to Dej)

Rodna Mountains, Transylvania
Rodna Mountains, Transylvania ;

Somes River Source 1 (Rodna Mountains, Prislop Pass)

Prislop Pass, Transylvania, Romania and Moldova, Source of Somes and Viseu Rivers
Prislop Pass, Transylvania, Romania and Moldova; St John of Prislop, Commomorated September 13 ;

Somesul Mare River (Somes Riveer from Rodna to Dej)

Somes River 2

Somes River 3 (Jibou)

Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Eastern Hungary
Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Eastern Hungary ; Polish King Stephen Bathory 1579 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ; Commemorated on February 5;

Somes River 4

Somes River 5

Hungary, Transylvania, Somes River 5, Lapus River Folder

Lapus River

Lapus Mountains, Transylvania
Lapus Mountains, Transylvania;

Maramures County, Transylvania (Lapus River)
Maramures County; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Maramures Mountains Natural Park
Maramures Mountains Natural Park; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Lapus River Source (Lapus Mountains)
Lapus Mountains;

Lapus River 1

Lapus River 2

Lapus River 3 (Lapus)

Lapus River 4 (Inau)

Inau, Transylvania (Lapus River 4)
Inau or Targu Lapus ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Lapus River 5 (Razoare)

Lapus River 6 (Prislop)

Prislop, Transylvania (Lapus River 6)
Prislop, Transylvania (Lapus River 6) ; St John of Prislop, Commemorated September 13 ;

Lapus River 7

Lapus River 8 (Remecioara)

Lapus River 9 (Coruia, Baia Mare)

Lapus River 10 (Lapusel, Baia Mare)

Baia Mare, Transylvania (Lapus River 10)
Baia Mare, Maramures County; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31 ;

Lapus River Mouth (Somes River 5)

Somes River 6 (Satu Mare)

Somes River Mouth (Tisza River 6)

Hungary, Transylvania, Latorica River Folder

Latorica River

Latorica River Source (Ukrainian Carpathians)
Latorica River;

Latorica River 1

Latorica River 2 (Mukachev)

Mukachev Castle, Romania, Transylvania, Hungary (Latorica River 2)
Mukachev Castle; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ;

Mukachev, Hungary (Transylvania, Latorica River 2, or Western Ukraine)
Mukachev; Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev; contains a venerated copy of Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ;

Saint Nicholas Monastery (Latorica River 2, Hungary) 1090's
Saint Nicholas Monastery (Mukacheve); Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœAssuage My SorrowsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 9 ;

Latorica River 3

Latorica River Mouth (Bodrog River)

Hungary, Transylvania, Banat and Bega River Folder, Timisoara

Poiana Rusca Mountains, Source of the Bega River and Canal

Bega River and Canal in the Banat

Bega Poieni River

Caransebes River in the Banat

Caransebes River in the Banat Source

Caransebes River Mouth (Bega Canal 1)

Bega River Mouth (Tisza River Mouth, Danube River 9) from Timisoara

Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14)
Lazarevo, Serbia; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ;

Banat region, Romania, Transylvania (Timishoara, Bega River and Canal)
Banat region; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Timishoara, Banat Region, Romania, Transylvania, Art Capital of EU
Timishoara, Romania; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Bega Luncanilor

Orsova River in the Banat

Orsovo River Source

Orsovo River Mouth (Danube River 10.7)

Bela Crkva River in the Banat

Bela Crkva River in the Banat Source

Bela Crkva River in the Banat Mouth (Danube River 10)

Pancevo River in the Banat

Pancevo River in the Banat Source

Secul, Transylvania, Romania, (Pancevo River 1)
Secul; Secu (and Secu Creek?, and Secu (ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœBeheadingÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ) Monastery); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast;

Pancevo River in the Banat Mouth (Belgrade, Danube River 9, From Timisoara)

Romania, Danube River 12, Jui River Folder

Jui River

Jui River Source (along the border)

Lainici Monastery, Valley of the Jui River (Juii River Source) 1817
Lainici Monastery; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Jui River 1 (Bumbesti Jui)

Jui River 2 (Targu Jui)

Tismana, RomaniaTismana, Romania (High Point west of Jui River 2)
Tismana, Romania; is a town in Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It administers ten villages: Celei, Costeni, Gornovița, Isvarna, Pocruia, Racoți, Sohodol, Topești, Vâlcele and Vânăta. the Byzantine period, Tismana was a major center of hesychasm when Nicodemus of Tismana built a monastery in Tismana during the 1300s.[3] Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26;

Romania, 1340-1406, Nikodemos tSanctified oTismana, Romania
Tismana, Romania; is a town in Gorj County, Oltenia, Romania. It administers ten villages: Celei, Costeni, Gornovița, Isvarna, Pocruia, Racoți, Sohodol, Topești, Vâlcele and Vânăta. the Byzantine period, Tismana was a major center of hesychasm when Nicodemus of Tismana built a monastery in Tismana during the 1300s.[3] Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26; most holy and venerable Father Νικόdēmos the Sanctified was from Prilep, in southern Serbia. was born in 1320, and his parents raised him in the Orthodox Faith. receiving the holy and angelic monastic Schema and the grace of the priesthood, he wandered through many places, including Mount Athos and Constantinople, acquiring virtues through his love of labor. he came to the Romanian Principalities (Țara Românească, or Valakhia), enduring many trials and spiritual struggles, praying unceasingly in the mountains. Νικόdēmos founded several monasteries; first by the water of Motru, then the Monastery of Vodiţa, which is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). he established the cenobitic Rule for the many Fathers and brethren, and he lived in that monastery for a long time. prompted by divine revelation, he settled in a place called Tismana. God’s will, he founded a monastery and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Later, a great multitude of monks gathered where Saint Νικόdēmos lived with his brothers in Christ. He himself was an example of good works as he led them on the path of salvation. grace from God to perform miracles, and to have power over unclean spirits, he worked many miracles during his lifetime. cast out demons and healed all manner of sicknesses and infirmities. is said that he even walked into a fire and remained unharmed. The fire touched neither his clothing nor the hairs of his head. Νικόdēmos also performed other miracles by the power of Christ. a life of holiness, he reached an advanced age, passing from this temporal life to the heavenly and immortal life on December 26, 1406. relics and other holy objects were buried at Tismana Monastery, where he had performed the services. God had glorified his relics with the fragrance of myrrh, and the grace of working miracles, they were removed from the tomb and placed in the church, along with the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20) in the holy Monastery of Bistriţa. many years, a certain ruler of the country wanted to take the relics of Saint Νικόdēmos from Tismana Monastery and keep them in Bucharest. was not the Saint's will, however, that his relics should be removed from his monastery. It was a miracle that the man gave up his idea. Νικόdēmos appeared in a vision to one of the monks, commanding him to tell the Igoumen to hide his relics, and to take only a finger from his hand, and to prevent the man from carrying out his intention. Νικόdēmos also appeared in the same way to the Igoumen and told him the same things. A finger was taken from the Saint's hand and some myrrh from his relics, which were entrusted to the care of the Igoumen. finger and the holy myrrh were placed in a tin vessel, together with a cross made of lead which the Saint had worn around his neck, and they are kept in the holy monastery to this day as precious spiritual treasures. one is permitted to take any of the holy myrrh. It is permissible to kiss the vessel, however, fills everything with an indescribable spiritual fragrance. Saint's relics were hidden to prevent them from being removed from the monastery, and that place is known only to the Igoumen and one other monk. aforementioned sacred items suffice for the consolation of the monks and the other Christian inhabitants. still perform countless miracles. spirits are cast out by calling on the name of the Saint; healing of many kinds of illnesses is given to those who have recourse to the Saint with faith. world and the country are protected by the prayers of Saint Νικόdēmos; the holy Tismana Monastery, which preserves these treasures, is always defended from the attacks of visible and invisible enemies. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the first Service in honor of Saint Νικόdēmos took place in the Metropolitan cathedral of Oltenia in Craiova on October 28, 1955. His annual Feast Day is December 26.

Jui River 3 (Rovinari)

Jui River 4 (Filasi, Secu)

Secu, Romania (Jui River 4)
Secu (and Secu Creek?, and Secu "œBeheading" Monastery); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ;

Jui River 5 (Ramnicu Valcea)

Ramnicu Valcea, Oltenia, Romania (Craiova, Jui River 5)
Ramnicu Valcea, Oltenia, Romania (Craiova, Jui River 5); St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Craiova, Oltenia, Romania (Ramnicu Valcea, Jur River 5, close to Olt River 16)
Craiova, Oltenia, Romania (Ramnicu Valcea, Jur River 5); Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated on January 12; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Bucovat Monastery (Jiu River 5.5, built next to Craiova) 1483
Bucovat Monastery (Jiu River 5.5, built next to Craiova) 1483 ; Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her, Commemorated on January 12;

Jui River Mouth (Kozloduy, Bulgaria, Danube River 12)

Romania, Danube River 13, Olt River Folder

Olt River (Olt River 14)

Oltenia, Romania (Land of the Olt River)
Oltenia, Land of the Olt River ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23 ; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12;

Oltenia, Romania (Along Olt River below sub-Carpatians)
Oltenia (Along Olt River below sub-Carpatians); Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Olt River Source (Hasmas Mountains, Inner Eastern Carpathians)
Hasmas Mountains, Inner Eastern Carpathians;

Hasmas Mountains
Hasmas Mountains;

Olt River 1

Olt River 2

Olt River 3

Olt River 8 (Poiana Marului)

Poiana Marului, Romania (Olt River 8)
Poiana Marului ; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Skete of Poiana Marului, Romania (Olt River 8)
Poiana Marului ; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Olt River 13 (Sibiu, Cibin River, Canyon through Carpathians)

Romania, Danube River 13, Olt River 13, Cibin River Folder

Cibin River

Cibin River 2nd Source

Salistie, Romania, south Transylvania Plateau (Cibin River Source)
Salistie, The town is situated at the edge of the Cindrel Mountains, on a series of river valleys which flow into the Cibin River in the South part of the Transylvanian Plateau ; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable George of Cernica, Commemorated on December 3;

Cibin River Source (Cindrel Mountains)
Cindrel Mountains ;

Cibin River 1 (Sibiu)

Sibiu, Romania (Cibin River 1)
Sibiu (Cibin River) Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ;

Cibin River Mouth (Olt River 13)

Olt River 14 (Rimnicu Vilcea and Muereasca Valcea)

Vilcea county (Olt River 14)
Vilcea county ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23, Saint Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vilcea county in Romania;

Cozia Monastery (Olt River 14) 1388
Cozia Monastery;

Muereasca-Valcea (Olt River 14)
Muereasca-Valcea; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Frasinei Skete, Muereasca-Valcea (Olt River 14)
Frasinei Skete, Muereasca-Valcea (Olt River 14); Muereasca-Valcea; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania (Olt River 14)
Rimnicu Vilcea; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Olt River 16 (Oltenia)

Olt River Mouth (Oltenia, Danube River 13)

Romania, Danube River 13.5, Vedea River Folder

Vedea River

Vedea River Source (Cotmeana Plateau)
Vedea River Source (Cotmeana Plateau);

Vedea River 1 (Poiana Lacului)

Vedea River 2 (Rosiori de Vede)

Rosioride de Vede
Rosioride de Vede;

Vedea River 3 (Alexandria, Romania)

Alexandria, Romania (Vedea River 3)

Tiganesti, Teleorman, Romania (Teleorman River Mouth, Vedea River 4)
Teleorman; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Vedea River 4 (Teleorman River Mouth, Tiganesti)

Teleorman River

Vedea (river) Mouth

Romania, Danube River 14, Arges River Folder (Bucharest)

Arges River

Arges River Source (Fagaras Mountains)

Moldoveanu Peak, Fagaras Mountains
Moldoveanu Peak; Fagaras Mountains;

Argus River 1

Argesh County, Romania (Arges River 1)
Argesh County; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ;

Curtea de Argesh Monastery (Arges River 1) 1218, 1340
Monastery of Curtea de Argesh ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 , 1218;

Romania, Danube River 14, Argus River 1, Raul Doamnei River Folder

Raul Doamnei River

Raul Doamnei River Source

Raul Doamnei River Mouth (Argus River 1)

Raul Targului River

Raul Targului River Source

Raul Targului River Mouth

Izerul River

Izerul River Source

Mt Iezerul Skete of St Anthony
Mt Iezerul and Iezerul River is up from the Headwaters of Raul Targului River; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Mt Iezerul
Mt Iezerul and Iezerul River is up from the Headwaters of Raul Targului River; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Izerul River Mouth (Raul Targului or Batrana River)
Izerul River;

Argus River 2

Giurgiu, Romania
Giurgiu, Romania; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Argus River 3 (Bucharest)

Comana Monastery, Romania (Arges River 3) 1461
Comana Monastery; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Argus River Mouth (Danube River 14 at Oltenita)

Romania, Danube River 14, Arges River 4, Dambovita River Folder

Dambovita River

Dambovita River Source (Fagaras Mountains)

Dambovita River 1

Dambovita River 2

Dambovita River 3

Dambovita River 10 (Bucharest and Pasarea)

Bucharest, Romania (Argus River 3, Dambovita River 10, Sabar River 10)
Bucharest; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ; St John of Galesh, Commemorated October 21 ; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable George of Cernica, Commemorated on December 3; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Pasarea, Romania (Dambovita River 10)
Pasarea; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Cernica (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania)
Cernica; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Saint George's Island (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania)
Saint George's Island (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania); St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

All Saints Monastery, Bucharest, 1705
All Saints Monastery, Bucharest, All Saints Monestary in the center of Bucharest; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14;

Dambovita River Mouth (Budesti, Arges River 4)

Romania, Danube River 14, Arges River 4, Sabar River Folder

Sabar River

Sabar River Source (Ludesti Village)

Sabar River 1

Saber River 2

Sabar River 3

Sabar River 4

Sabar River 9 (near Ciorogarla)

Romania, Danube River 14, Arges River 4, Sabar River 9, Ciorogarla River Folder

Ciorogarla River

Ciorogarla River 1

Ciorogarla River 2

Ciorogarla River 3 (Ciorogarla)

Ciorogarla, Romania (Sabar River 8, Ciorogarla River 3)
Ciorogarla; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Ciorogarla River Mouth (Sabar River 9)

Sabar River 10 (Bucharest)

Bucharest, Romania (Argus River 3, Dambovita River 10, Sabar River 10)
Bucharest; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27 ; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ; St John of Galesh, Commemorated October 21 ; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Sabar River 14 (Overview)

Sabar River Mouth (Obedeni, Arges River 4)

Romania, Danube River 16, Lalomita River Folder

Lalomita River

Lalomita River Source (Bucegi Mountains)

Bucegi Mountains, Romania
Bucegi Mountains; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Lalomita River 1 (Targoviste)

Tirgovishte, Romania (Lalomita River 1)
Tirgovishte, Romania (Lalomita River 1); Saint Nḗphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 11; St. Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Lalomita River 2 (Prahova River)

Ghenoaia, Romania (Lalomita River1.5)
Ghenoaia, Romania (Prahova River2); St. Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Romania, Danube River 16, Lalomita River 2, Prahova River Folder

Prahova River

Prahova River Source (Predeal)
Prahova River;

Prahova River 1 (Sita (Azuga) River)

Romania, Danube River 16, Lalomita River 2, Prahova River 1, Sita River Folder

Sita (Azuga) River

Sita (Azuga) River Source (Baiu Mountains)

Sita River 1

Sita River 2

Sita River 3

Sita (Azuga) River Mouth (Prahove River1 at Azuga)

Prahova River 2 (Campina)

Campina, Romania (on the main Transylvania - Wallachai road, Prahova River 2)
Campina; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Prahova River Mouth (Lalomita River2 at Dridu)

Snagov Monastery, Romania (Prahova River Mouth, Lalomita River2)
Snagov Monastery; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14 ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Romania, Danube River 16, Lamolita River 2, Istau Stream Folder

Istau Stream

Istau Stream Source (Tohani Vineyards)

Tohani Buzaului (Vineyards, Istau Stream Source)
Tohani Buzaului (Ciolanu River, Buzau River 10); St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Istau Stream 1 (Mizil)

Istau Stream 2 (Caldarushni)

Caldarushani, Romania (Istau Stream 2)
Caldarushani, Romania (Prahova River Mouth, Lalomita River 1); St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ;

Istau Stream Mouth (Lamolita River 2.5 at Urziceni)

Baragan Plain (Eastern Wallacian Plain)
Baragan Plain ;

Lalomita River 3 (Buesti, Baragan Plain)

Buesti, Romania (Baragan Plain, Lalomita River 3)
Baragan Plain; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Lalomita River Mouth (Danube River 16)

Dobruja Region, Romania (near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Dobruja, Romania; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Tomis, Romania, Dobruja Region, (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated September 13 ; Saint Vetranion of Tomis, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Constantsa, Romania, Dobruja Region (Tomis, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Constantsa, Romania (Tomis, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side) Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated September 13 ; Saint Vetranion of Tomis, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Dacia Pontica (Romania, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus)
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Romania, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 14, Buzau River Folder

Buzau River

Buzau River Source (south-eastern Carpathian Mountains)
Its source is in the south-eastern Carpathian Mountains, east of BrazŸov.

Buzau Mountains (Buzau River Area)
Buzau Mountains (Buzau River Area); St. Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 25;

Buzau River 1

Buzau River 2

Buzau River 3

Buzau River 4 (Casoca)

Basca Rozilier River

Basca Rozilier River Source (Buzeu Mountains)

Buzau River 8 (Balaneasa River)

Buzau River 9 (Ratesti Monastery)

Ratesti Monastery, Romania (Buzau River 9)
Ratesti Monastery; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Buzau River 10 (Slanic and Ciolanu Rivers)

Romania, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 14, Buzau River 10, Ciolanu River Folder

Ciolanu River

Ciolanu River Source (high point in Tohani Buzaului (Vineyards, also Istau Stream Source)

Tohani Buzaului (Vineyards, Ciolanu River Source, Istau Stream Source)
Tohani Buzaului (Ciolanu River, Buzau River 10); St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Ciolanu Monastery, 1570
Ciolanu Monastery;

Romania, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 14, Buzau River 10, Slanic River Folder

Slanic River

Slanic River 1

Slanic River 2

Slanic River 3 (Caldarusani)

Caldarusani, Romania (Slanic River 3)
Caldarusani; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Slanic River Mouth (Buzau River 10)

Buzau River 11 (Buzau)

Buzau, Romania (Buzau River 11)
Buzau, Romania; Martyr Sabbas the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Buzau Valley (near Danube River Mouth)
Buzau, Romania; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Sabbas the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Buzau River Mouth (Seret River 14 at Patinu)

Buzau Mountains
Buzau Mountains; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Basca Roziliei River Mouth (Buzau River 4)

Balaneasa River Mouth (Buzau River 8)

Romania, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 13.5, Rimnicu Sarat River Folder

Rimnicu Sarat River

Rimnicu Sarat River Source (Bazau Mountains)

Rimnicu River 1 (Jitia)

Rimnicu River 2 (Chiojdeni)

Rimnicu Sarat River 3 (Rimnicu Sarat)

Valea Ramnicului (Rimnicu River 3)
Valea Ramnicului; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Rimnicu Sarat, Valea Ramnicului ((Rimnicu River 3)
Valea Ramnicului; Rimnicu Sarat; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St. Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Rimnicu Sarat River Mouth (Sarat 13.3 at Nanesti)

Romania, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 13, Putna and Milcov Rivers Folder

Putna River

Vrancea Mountains
Vrancea Mountains;

Putna River Source (Vrancea Mountains)

Putna River Mouth (Siret River 13 at Vulturu, Vrancea)

Milcov River

Milcov River Source (Vrancea Mountains)

Milcov River 1

Milcov River 2 (Reghiu River)

Reghiu River Mouth (Milcov River 2)

Arva River Mouth (Milcov River 3)

Milcov River 3 (Mera River)

Mera River (Milcov River 3)

Milcov River 4

Milcov River 5 (Focsani)

Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete, Romania (Milcov River 5)
Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete is probably near or in Foscani or along the Milcov River in the Foscani region. St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Milcov River Mouth (Putna River (Siret River 14))

Danube River Mouth

Saint Georges Island, Danube River Mouth, Romania 45.116667,29.366667
Saint Georges Island, Romania 45.116667,29.366667; Saint Callinicus of Cernica, Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; of the Turks and Saint George's Island Another Pasha came to the monastery of Pasarea in the village of Panteleimon, and kidnapped one of the nuns. Saint Callinicus moved the rest of the nuns from Pasarea to the monastery of Snagov for their safety. He then wrote a letter of protest to the governor, who ordered the Pasha to release the nun. The Pasha swore that he would destroy the monastery of Cernica and take revenge upon Saint Callinicus. Once again, the saint learned of the Pasha’s intentions, and he prayed all night long with his clergy for the monastery to be spared. midnight, the Pasha was prepared to attack the monastery, but first he asked for a cup of coffee. A servant handed him the coffee, and as he did so, he shot the Pasha. The bullet struck the bag of gold coins which he wore under his shirt, and so he was not killed. In gratitude for his deliverance, he sent the gold to Saint Callinicus saying that it should be used to build a well for the monastery. some sort of trickery, the saint told the Turks, “If you wish, and if you are telling the truth, then you yourselves should build the well next to the bridge.â€ Workmen built the well on the north shore of Saint George’s Island, and it is known as the Well of the Turk, to this very day. another occasion, the monastery cook told Saint Callinicus that they had no more flour. He replied, “Let us place our hope in the Mother of God and in Saint Nicholas, and we shall want for nothing.â€ The saint went to his cell to pray before the holy icons, asking Saint Nicholas to help them. miracle took place that evening after Vespers. A cart with two drivers came to the monastery with a load of flour. They asked Father Charalampus, the ecclesiarch, where to unload the flour which their master had sent as a gift. When the monk asked for the name of their master, they said that he wished to remain anonymous. Saint Callinicus served a Molieben of Thanksgiving to Saint Nicholas, and then went to bless the flour, which was used to bake bread for the consolation of the brethren. 1827, a certain man came to the monastery when Saint Callinicus was speaking to his Spiritual Father, Pimen. The man asked if he might borrow fifty lei (Romanian currency). An hour after this man had left; a young man came to Saint Callinicus and kissed his hand saying, “Holy Father, my father has died. Before his death he told me to give one thousand lei to the monastery. I do not have the full amount now, but here are five hundred lei, and later on I will bring you another five hundred lei.â€ Callinicus realized that the person who had requested the loan of fifty lei had been sent by God to test his mercy and his love, and so he received ten times that amount in return. Father Pimen asked him, “What were you thinking, Father Callinicus, when you gave alms to that man?â€ saint replied, “I wanted to give one hundred lei, but I did not have that much. I gave him fifty and received five hundred. As the Gospel says, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Matt. 5:7).â€ Matins one morning in July of 1829, Saint Callinicus was in his cell reading the Life of Saint Nicholas. When he got to the sixth chapter, he fell asleep from weariness after the all-night Vigil. Suddenly, Saint George appeared in his armor and Saint Nicholas in the vestments of a bishop. Behind them was Father George, the late igumen of Cernica. “Arise,â€ said Saint Nicholas, “and on this island build a church dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr George.â€ Saint George told him, “We will send you everything that you require.â€ Then Igumen George said, “Do not doubt in your heart.â€ They departed after saying these things. he woke up, Father Callinicus continued reading the Life of Saint Nicholas until he reached the end. Then he went out to visit his Spiritual Father Pimen on the small island of Saint George in order to ask him whether this vision might have been some sort of temptation from the Devil. “No, my child,â€ Father Pimen replied, “this is not demonic, but is really something from God. These same three individuals also appeared to me three times tonight, ordering the work to begin at once. I have just finished getting dressed so that I could pass on their instructions to you.â€ that time there were only a few cells on Saint George’s Island, among them was the cell of the late Igumen George, where Father Pimen had now taken up his residence. There was also a small church dedicated to Saint George, a gift from Bratovian. Next to this, Saint Callinicus built a large and beautiful church.

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, and interesting places Folder

Romania, its Area, after WWI when it got Transylvania from World Government
Romania, its Area, after WWI when it got Transylvania

Romania (Clean), Dobruja Region, its Area (Right side of the Danube)

Romania (Clean), Caucaland Area, Vrancea County, Romania, Eastern Carpatians, Athanaric's Country
Caucaland Area, Vrancea County, Romania, Eastern Carpatians;

Romania (Clean), Romanian Land aka Wallacia, its Area
Romanian Land aka Wallacia; Venerable Paraskevi (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14;

Romania, Transylvania, its Area
Transylvania, its Area

Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, right side Danube River 16)
Tomis (Constantsa);

Prut River, Moldavia

Siret River, Romania and Moldavia

Tisza River, Hungary, Transylvania

Romania (Clean) and Moldovia, Prut River Folder (Central Moldovia)

Moldovia, Western and Central Moldovia, its Area, part of Romania

Pokutia Region (Cheremosh River, Prislop Pass)
Pokutia; The name comes from the town of Kuty (around the corner). Porkutia (around the corner, from Galicia in Volhynia, Cheremosh R. in Moldovia, Prislop Pass, in Principality of Galicia);

Jassy (Iasi), Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8)
Jassy (Iasi), Romania ;

Iasi, Moldovia, New Metropolitan Cathedral 1886, Prut River 8
Iasi, Romania, New Metropolitan Cathedral;

Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562, moved here from Bulgaria or Romania
Socola Monastery, Jassy, Moldovia, Romania, 1562;

monastery of the Three Hierarchs at Jassy in Rumania
monastery of the Three Hierarchs at Jassy in Rumania;

All Saints Monastery, Iasi (Jassy, Prut River 8)
Bucium Monastery;

Horodistea, Moldovia (Between Prut and Siret Rivers)
Horodistea, Moldovia;

Hushi, Moldovia (vineyards, Prut River 9)
Hushi;

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Western Moldovia Folder, after 1859, Part of Romania

Romania, Western and Central Moldovia, its Area, part of Romania

Valachia (Wallachia or Moldovia)
Valachia;

Wallachia (Valachia or Moldovia)
Valachia;

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers,, Western Moldovia, Siret River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers,, Western Moldovia, Siret River 6, Suceava River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers,, Western Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers, Western Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River 3, Neamt River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers, Western Moldovia, Nemtisor River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers, Western Moldovia, Siret River 11, Bistrita River Folder

Bistritsa Monastery, Moldovia, 1402
Bistritsa Monastery;

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers, Western Moldovia, Siret River 12, Trotus River Folder

Romania, Roman Roads, Rivers, Western Moldovia, Siret River 12, Trotus River 2, Tazlau River Folder

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River 12, Jui River Folder

Craiova, Oltenia, Romania (Ramnicu Valcea, Jur River 5, close to Olt River 16)
Craiova, Oltenia, Romania (Ramnicu Valcea, Jur River 5);

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River 13, Olt River Folder

Olt River

Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania (Olt River 14)
Rimnicu Vilcea;

Oltenia, Romania (Land of the Olt River)
Oltenia, Land of the Olt River ;

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River 14, Arges River Folder (Bucharest)

Curtea de Argesh Monastery (Arges River 1) 1218, 1340
Monastery of Curtea de Argesh ;

Comana Monastery, Romania (Arges River 3) 1461
Comana Monastery;

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River 13.5, Vedea River Folder

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River 16, Lalomita River Folder

Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Romania 1690
Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Romania 1690;

Tirgovishte, Romania (Lalomita River 1)
Tirgovishte, Romania (Lalomita River 1);

Dobruja Region, Romania (near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Dobruja, Romania;

Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, Dobruja Region, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Tomis (Constantsa);

Constantsa, Romania (Tomis, Dobruja Region, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side)
Constantsa, Romania (Tomis, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16, right side) Tomis (Constantsa);

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 14, Buzau River Folder

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 13.5, Rimnicu Sarat River Folder

Romania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Danube River Mouth, Siret River 13, Putna and Milcov Rivers Folder

Caucaland, Eastern Carpatians, Athanaric' own country
Caucaland, Eastern Carpatians, Vrancea County

Caucaland Area, Vrancea County, Romania, Eastern Carpatians, Athanaric's Country
Caucaland Area, Vrancea County, Romania, Eastern Carpatians;

Persia Folder, its roads, and rivers

Persia (Iran)
Persia (Iran); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated July 12 ; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated on August 4; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Aithalas of Persia ; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia; Martyr Dada of Persia, Commemorated September 29 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated October 5 ; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia, Commemorated October 13 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2 ; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia,Commemorated on October 28; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 24 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; Prophet Malachi, Commemorated January 3 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; Prophet Daniel; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping Ones, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Christina of Persia, Commemorated on March 13; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyred brothers Barachisius and Jonah, and those with them, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Persia, 2400, 25th Century BC- 612 BC, Assryia (Assur) Assyrian Kingdom
Assryia (Assyrian Kingdom); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Persia, 730 BC, 8th Century BC, Prophet, Jonah
Jerusalem Prophet, 8th Century BC, Jonah; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22;

Persia, 612 BC, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, to Babylonians and Medes
Persia, 612 BC, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, Persia ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Persia, 550 BC - 330 BC, Achaemenid Empire, Babylon
Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Babylon; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Persian Emperor, 522-486 BC, Darius I, Achaemenid Empire; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian;

Persia, 312 BC - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia
Messopotamia Babylon History, 312 BC - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia; Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Persia, 247BC-224AD, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, Zoroastrian, Fire Worshipers
Persian Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 247BC - 224AD, Parsiism - Kings of Epiphany - Parthian Empire of Persia
Parsiism, Perianism, Zorastrainism ; Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD ; Ctesiphon, Persia; EPIPHANY - Kings of Epiphany, Commemorated January 6 ;

Persia, 224-651, Sasanian Empire, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian (Fire Worshipers)
Persian Sasanian Empire, 224AD-651AD, Ctesiphon, 226-637, Zoroastrian; Overthrown by Umar I, 2nd caliph of Rashidun Caliphate, in Medina, 634-644 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 632-661, Rashidun Caliphate, Sunni
Persia, 632-661, Rashidun Caliphate, Sunni;

Persia, 634-644, Persian Sasanian Empire overthrown by Uamr 1, Rashidun Caliph
Persia, 634-644, Persian Sasanian Empire overthrown by Uamr 1, Rashidun Caliph; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11;

Persia, 661-750, Umayyad Caliphate, Sunni
Persia, 661-750, Umayyad Caliphate, Sunni;

Persia, 1077-1307, Persian-Turk, Seljuk Empire, Sultanate of Rum (Rome), Sunni
Persia, 1077-1307, Persian-Turk, Seljuk Empire, Sultanate of Rum (Rome), Sunni; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1077-1256, Persian, Khwarezmid Empire, Sunni
Persia, 1077-1256, Persian, Khwarezmid Empire, Sunni; Sultan Jalal al-Din ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, Buddist then Sunni
Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Persia, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Persia, 1501-1736, Safavid dynasty, at Isfahan, Shia Muslim
Persia, 1501-1736, Safavid dynasty, at Isfahan, Shia Muslim; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persia, 1736-1796, Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad, Sunni
Persia, 1736-1796, Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad, Sunni; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1796-1925, Qajar dynasty, at Tehran, Shia
Persia, 1796-1925, Qajar dynasty, at Tehran, Shia; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Caspian Sea, north of Persia
Caspian Sea; Caspian expeditions of the Rus 864-1041; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Persian Gulf, southwest of Persia
Persian Gulf;

Parthia (Northern Rivers and Tehran Regions, Namek Sink, Northeastern Iran or Persia)
Parthia; Parthis Map Ochus River Map; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated November 16 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Gulf of Oman, south of Persia
Gulf of Oman;

Persian History Folder

Persia, 3000BC -2000BC, Noah and the Flood to Abraham

Persia, 3000BC-2000BC, Dots 3-5, Noah's Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations
Noah's Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations;

Persia, 3000BC-2000BC, Dots 3-5, Noah, Garden of Eden (Tigres River 7-8) & Ararat Mts
Garden of Eden (Tigres River 7-8) & Ararat Mts; Walked with God Because Noah walked with God and stood blameless among the people of that time, God gave him specific instructions for building the ark by which Noah and his family would survive the coming flood. Location - Eden? Building the Ark Noah followed the building instructions down to every detail. Then a week before the flood (Gen. 7:4), Noah led his family and all of the animals into the ark just as God directed Location - Eden? and The Flood After seven days, the rain began and lasted for 40 days. As he sought to know whether it was safe to leave the ark, he sent out first a raven and then a dove. When the dove returned with an olive leaf, Noah knew the water had receded. Location - Mt Ararat, Ararat Mts. - Eden? Lord’s covenant with Noah Once out of the ark, Noah built an altar and sacrificed clean animals as burnt offerings on the altar. Then the Lord promised never again to destroy living creatures as He had done in the flood and established a covenant with Noah and his sons and sealed that covenant with a rainbow. See Covenant Location - Mt Ararat, Ararat Mts ’s sin exposed The sinful nature of humanity is one thing that remained preserved on the ark. Once on dry ground, Noah planted a vineyard, drank of its wine, became drunk, and exposed himself in his tent. Ham informed Shem and Japheth about their father's nakedness. The latter two showed respect for their father and covered him. As a result, they received rich blessings for their descendants from Noah. Ham in turn received a curse for his descendant: Canaan. Noah lived another 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950 years Location - Eden area? Righteous Noah, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Noah is mentioned in the Book of Genesis (chapters 5-9). the wicked deeds of men, God decided to destroy man from the earth, and even cattle, reptiles, and birds. But Noah found favor with the Lord, Who spared him, his sons and their wives. Therefore, God commanded Noah to build an ark and take two pairs of every creature into it. Then it rained for forty days and nights, and men and animals perished in the flood. The water remained on the earth for 150 days, then God blessed Noah and his sons, telling them to increase and multiply (Genesis 9:7). Noah's sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, the earth was repopulated, and God promised not to destroy the world by water again. Noah reposed at the age of 950 (Genesis 9:29). The ark is a figure of the Church, which is called the Ark of Salvation. speaking about the end of the world, the Savior told His disciples: "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man" (Matthew 24:37-39).

Persia, 25th Century BC - 612 BC, Assyrian Kingdom and Empire History Folder

Persia, 2400 BC, 25th Century BC Folder, Assryian Kingdom

Persia, 2400 BC, 25th Century BC- 612 BC, Assryia (Assur) Assyrian Kingdom
Assryia (Assyrian Kingdom); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Persia, 1250 BC - 612 BC, 13th - 7th Century BC Folder, Assryian Empire

Persia, 1250 BC - 612 BC, Assryian Empire
Assryia (Assyrian Empire); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Persia, 800 BC, 9th Century BC, Prophet Hanani, Syrian King Ben-Hadad

Persia, 885-865 BC Assyrian King Ben-Hadad, contemporary oBaasha oIsrael and Asa oJudah, took towns on Trade Route
Persia, 885-865 BC Assyrian King Ben-Hadad; I, son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion, was king of Aram-Damascus between 885 BC and 865 BC. I was reportedly a contemporary of kings Baasha of the Kingdom of Israel and Asa of the Kingdom of Judah. to the biblical book of Kings, Asa called on Ben-Hadad I to aid him in attacking northern Israel while Baasha restricted access to Jerusalem through border fortifications. took the towns of "Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maachah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali" (1 Kings 15:20). acquisition gave Aram-Damascus control of the trade route to southern Phoenicia. the time of the reign of Ahab, the area was back in Israelite hands.[1]

Persia, 873-865 BC, Prophet Hanani, Kingdom of Judah, Asa treaty wSyria, it not pleasing to God, b trust Syria not God, So wars
Jerusalem, 873-865 BC, Prophet Hanani, Kingdom of Judah (Judah, after Solomon, Capital Jerusalem, 930BC-587BC), 36th yr KoJ, fRehoboam, War Asa oJ&Baasha oIsrael, when B fortified Ramah isolating Judah, A made treaty wSyria Ben-hadad, Temple silver gold tB-H, Bribe tBreak S-I treaty, it worked, Army against I, J built Geba&Mizpah wSupplies fRamah, However Treaty w Syria not pleasing to God, because trust Syria not God, therefore Syria escapaped, you acted foolishly, therefore wars shall arise against you; Kingdom of Judah; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27; Prophet Hanani (Ananias) lived during the thirty-sixth year of the Kingdom of Judah, counting from the start of Rehoboam's reign. He is mentioned in 2 Chronicles (Paraleipomenon) 16: 7-10. was an ongoing war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel (ninth century B.C.). King Baasha of Israel fortified Ramah, thereby isolating the territory of Judah, Asa made a treaty with the Syrian King Ben-Hadad I (ruled circa 900–860 B.C.). took all the silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and from the king's house and sent his servants to deliver it to Ben Hadad. was a bribe to make the Syrian King break his treaty with King Baasha, and ally himself with King Asa (3 Kings 15:16-21). Hadad sent an army against Israel, and the forces of Judah took the supplies from Ramah and built up Geba and Mizpah. treaty, however, was not pleasing to God (1/3 Kings 15:16–22; 2 Chronicles/Paraleipomenon 16:1–10). Prophet Hanani went before King Asa and rebuked him harshly for this, saying, you put your trust in the King of Syria, and not in the Lord your God, therefore the army of Syria has escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans more numerous in chariots and in horsemen, and an exceedingly great multitude? Yet, because you trusted in the Lord, did He not deliver them into your hand? For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in Him. But you have acted foolishly, therefore from this time wars shall arise against you." by these words, King Asa ordered that Hanani be thrown into prison. Later, the Prophet reposed in peace. name Hanani means "God has gratified me," or "God is gracious."

Persia, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin oAhab, into prison, freed aRuin, martyred
Samaria, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred, companion oElias; Samaria, 869-850 BC, Israelite Prophet, Micah, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred; to the Hebrew Bible, Micah was a prophet in Judaism and is the author of the Book of Micah. is considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. was from Moresheth-Gath, in southwest Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. messages were directed chiefly toward Jerusalem. He prophesied the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, the destruction and then future restoration of the Judean state, and he rebuked the people of Judah for dishonesty and idolatry. 5:2 is interpreted by Christians as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. narrative[edit] was active in Judah from before the fall of Israel in 722 BC and experienced the devastation brought by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC. He prophesied from approximately 737 to 696 BC.[citation needed] Micah was from Moresheth, also called Moresheth-Gath, a small town in southwest Judah. Micah lived in a rural area, and often rebuked the corruption of city life in Israel and Judah.[1] The subject's father is not given and likely descended from the common people as the target of his message was towards the privileged classes.[2] prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.[3] Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah from 742 to 735 BC. Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz, who reigned over Judah from 735 to 715 BC. Ahaz's son Hezekiah ruled from 715 to 696 BC.[4] Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Jeremiah, who prophesied about thirty years after Micah, recognized Micah as a prophet from Moresheth who prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah.[5] messages were directed mainly towards Jerusalem, and were a mixture of denunciations and prophecies. In his early prophecies, he predicted the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem for their respective sins. The people of Samaria were rebuked for worshipping idols which were bought with the income earned by prostitutes.[6] Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. According to him, the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, which impoverished the city's citizens.[7] He also called to account the prophets of his day, whom he accused of accepting money for their oracles.[8] also anticipated the destruction of the Judean state and promised its restoration more glorious than before.[9] He prophesied an era of universal peace over which the Governor will rule from Jerusalem.[10] Micah also declared that when the glory of Zion and Jacob is restored that the LORD will force the Gentiles to abandon idolatry.[11] also rebuked Israel because of dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government. He warned the people, on behalf of God, of pending destruction if ways and hearts were not changed. He told them what the LORD requires of them: hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?  Micah 6:8 Israel's response to Micah's charges and threats consisted of three parts: an admission of guilt,[12] a warning of adversaries that Israel will rely on the LORD for deliverance and forgiveness,[13] and a prayer for forgiveness and deliverance.[14] prophecy given by Micah details the future destruction of Jerusalem and the plowing of Zion (a part of Jerusalem). This passage (Micah 3:11–12), is stated again in Jeremiah 26:18, Micah's only prophecy repeated in the Old Testament. Since then Jerusalem has been destroyed three times, the first one being the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, about 150 years after Micah gave this prophecy.[15][16] interpretation[edit] Engraving of the Prophet Micah by Gustave Doré. 5:2 is interpreted as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. This passage is recalled in Matthew 2:6, and the fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus is further described in Matthew 2:1–6. thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 10:35–36 Jesus adapts Micah 7:6 to his own situation; I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Micah was referring to the division in Judah and Samaria, the distrust that had arisen between all citizens, even within families.[16] Jesus was using the same words to describe something different. Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace, but to divide households. Men are commanded to love Jesus Christ more than their own family members, and Jesus indicated that this priority would lead to persecution from others and separation within families.[17] Micah 7:20, Micah reminded Judah of God's covenant to be merciful to Jacob and show love to Abraham and his descendants. This is repeated in Luke 1:72–73 in the prophecy Zechariah at the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist. This prophecy concerned the kingdom and salvation through the Messiah. It is a step in the fulfillment of the blessing of the descendants of Abraham.[17] When Micah restated this covenant promise, he was comforting Judah with the promise of God's faithfulness and love.[18] prophecy to King Hezekiah is mentioned in Jeremiah 26:17-19: Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple[a] Like the bare hills of the forest.”’[b] 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.” commemoration[edit] Micah is commemorated with the other eleven minor prophets in the Calendar of Saints (Armenian Apostolic Church) on July 31. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is commemorated twice in the year. The first feast day is January 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, January 5 currently falls on January 18 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). However, since January 5 is also the eve of the Great Feast of Theophany (in the west, Epiphany) and a strict fast day (near total abstinence from food and non-religious activities), his major celebration is on August 14 (the forefeast of the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God).[19] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Holy Prophet Micah was a companion of the holy prophet Elias. prophesied the ruin of King Ahab in a war with the Assyrians, which he was cast into prison. free after the downfall of Ahab (3 Kings 22: 8-22), holy prophet Micah died as a martyr in the ninth century B.C.

Persia, 700 BC, 8th Century BC Folder, Prophet Jonah

Persia, 727 - 722 BC Assyrian King Shalmaneser V, Conquered Israel, Northern Kingdom
Persia, 717 - 722 BC Assyrian King Shalmaneser V, Conquered Israel; Tobit TOBIT 1This book tells the story of Tobit son of Tobiel son of Hananiel son of Aduel son of Gabael son of Raphael of the descendants* of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali, 2who in the days of King Shalmaneser* of the Assyrians was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Asher towards the west, and north of Phogor. ;

Persia, 712 BC (before 612 BC, Before S.), Conversion of Nineveh (Mosul)
Nineveh; Jonah 3:1-10,4:1-11, Conversion of Nineveh ; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Persia, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib, Assyrian Emperor, Levant campaign, d Babylon, d Nineva
Persia, Assyrian Emperor, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib ; Sennacherib [6] was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father Sargon II in 705 BC to his own death in 681 BC. The second king of the Sargonid dynasty, Sennacherib is one of the most famous Assyrian kings for the role he played in the Old Testament of the Bible, which describes his campaign in the Levant.[7] Other events of his reign include his destruction of the city of Babylon in 689 BC and his construction of the last great Assyrian capital, Nineveh. Although Sennacherib was one of the most powerful and wide-ranging Assyrian kings,[8] he faced considerable difficulty in controlling Babylonia, which formed the southern portion of his empire. Many of Sennacherib's Babylonian troubles stemmed from the Chaldean[9] tribal chief Marduk-apla-iddina II, who had been Babylon's king until Sennacherib's father defeated him. Shortly after Sennacherib inherited the throne in 705 BC, Marduk-apla-iddina retook Babylon and allied with the Elamites. Though Sennacherib reclaimed the south in 700 BC, Marduk-apla-iddina continued to trouble him, probably instigating Assyrian vassals in the Levant to rebel, leading to the Levantine War of 701 BC, and successfully convincing Sennacherib's vassal king in Babylonia, Bel-ibni, to throw off Sennacherib's rule. After the Babylonians and Elamites captured and executed Sennacherib's eldest son Ashur-nadin-shumi, who Sennacherib had proclaimed as his new vassal king in Babylon, Sennacherib campaigned in both regions, successfully subduing Elam. Because Babylon, well within his own territory, had been the target of most of his military campaigns and had caused the death of his son, Sennacherib destroyed the city in 689 BC. The Levantine War of 701 BC was made necessary because several Assyrian vassals in the region had rebelled, either because Marduk-apla-iddina encouraged them or because of the ill omens associated with the battlefield death of Sennacherib's father. Though the northern Levant was subdued relatively quickly, the states in the southern Levant, especially the Kingdom of Judah under King Hezekiah, did not submit as easily. The Assyrians thus invaded Judaea, a campaign recorded not only in Sennacherib's own accounts, but also in the Second Book of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. Though the biblical narrative holds that divine intervention by an angel ended Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem by destroying the Assyrian army, an outright Assyrian defeat is unlikely as Hezekiah submitted to Sennacherib at the end of the campaign.[10] Contemporary records, even those written by Assyria's enemies, do not mention the Assyrians being defeated at Jerusalem.[11] Sennacherib transferred the capital of Assyria to Nineveh, where he had spent most of his time as crown prince. To transform Nineveh into a capital worthy of his empire, he launched one of the most ambitious building projects in ancient history. He expanded the size of the city, constructed great city walls, numerous temples and a royal garden. His most famous work in the city is the Southwest Palace, which Sennacherib named his "Palace without Rival". After the death of his eldest son and crown prince, Ashur-nadin-shumi, Sennacherib originally designated his second son Arda-Mulissu heir. He later replaced him with a younger son, Esarhaddon, in 684 BC, for unknown reasons. Sennacherib ignored Arda-Mulissu's repeated appeals to be reinstated as heir, and in 681 BC, Arda-Mulissu and another son murdered Sennacherib, hoping to seize power for themselves. Babylonia and the Levant welcomed his death as divine punishment, while the Assyrian heartland probably reacted with resentment and horror. Arda-Mulissu's coronation was postponed, and Esarhaddon raised an army and seized Nineveh, installing himself as king as intended by Sennacherib. Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated on August 28; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Persia, 600 BC, 7th Century BC Folder, Prophet Nahum

Persia, 700-675 BC, 7th Century BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel
Galilee, 675 BC, 7th Century BC, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel, fElkosh Galilee, prophesies Nineva end, Israel end, Sennacherib blasphemy, A empire crumbles 632-612BC, Nineveh fell 612, Nahum no call tRepentence&no denounce Israel infidelity, died age 45, 7th o12 minor prophets; Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum; was a minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Tanakh, also called the Hebrew Bible and The Old Testament. book comes in chronological order between Micah and Habakkuk in the Bible.[1] wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh, in a vivid poetic style.[2] was a very nationalistic Hebrew, and lived amongst the Elkoshites in peace. called "the Elkoshite", is the seventh in order of the minor prophets. Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Holy Prophet Nahum, whose name means “God consoles,” was from the village of Elkosh (Galilee). lived during the seventh century B.C. Prophet Nahum prophesies the ruin of the Assyrian city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, destruction of the Israelite kingdom, the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his empire began to crumble. fell in 612 B.C. differs from most of the prophets in as much as he does not issue any call to repentance, nor does he denounce Israel for infidelity to God. of the prophet’s life are unknown. died at the age of forty-five, and was buried in his native region. is the seventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Prophet Nahum and Saint Nahum of Ochrid (December 23) are invoked for people with mental disorders.

Persia, 612 BC - 550 BC, Babylonian Empire History Folder

Persia, 600 BC, 7th Century BC Folder, Babylonian Empire

Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon, Conquered Egypt, largest Empire ever
Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon; Tobit Chapter 1: Sennacharib's sons kill him and Esarhaddon becomes King 21 But not forty* days passed before two of Sennacherib™s* sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon* reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar, the son of my brother Hanael* over all the accounts of his kingdom, and he had authority over the entire administration. 22Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to Nineveh. Now Ahikar was chief cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts under King Sennacherib of Assyria; so Esar-haddon* reappointed him. He was my nephew and so a close relative. ; Esarhaddon, also spelled Essarhaddon,[5] Assarhaddon[6] and Ashurhaddon[7] (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: Rassam cylinder Ansharpapash.jpg, also Esarhaddon (variation).jpg «a-iddina,[8][9] meaning "Ashur has given me a brother"),[5] was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father Sennacherib in 681 BC to his own death in 669. The third king of the Sargonid dynasty, Esarhaddon is most famous for his conquest of Egypt in 671,[5] which made his empire the largest the world had ever seen, and for his reconstruction of Babylon, which had been destroyed by his father.[10] After Sennacherib's eldest son and heir Ashur-nadin-shumi had been captured and presumably executed in 694, the new heir had originally been the second eldest son, Arda-Mulissu, but in 684, Esarhaddon, a younger son, was appointed instead. Angered by this decision, Arda-Mulissu and another brother, Nabu-shar-usur, murdered their father in 681 and planned to seize the Assyrian throne. The murder, and Arda-Mulissu's aspirations of becoming king himself, made Esarhaddon's rise to the throne difficult and he first had to defeat his brothers in a six-week long civil war. His brothers' attempted coup had been unexpected and troublesome for Esarhaddon and he would be plagued by paranoia and mistrust for his officials, governors and male family members until the end of his reign. As a result of this paranoia, most of the palaces used by Esarhaddon were high-security fortifications located outside of the major population centers of the cities. Also perhaps resulting from his mistrust for his male relatives, Esarhaddon's female relatives, such as his mother Naqi'a and his daughter Serua-eterat, were allowed to wield considerably more influence and political power during his reign than women had been allowed in any previous period of Assyrian history. Despite a relatively short and difficult reign, and being plagued by paranoia, depression and constant illness, Esarhaddon remains recognized as one of the greatest and most successful Assyrian kings. He quickly defeated his brothers in 681, completed ambitious and large-scale building projects in both Assyria and Babylonia, successfully campaigned in Media, the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Caucasus, and the Levant, defeated and conquered Egypt, and ensured a peaceful transition of power to his two heirs Ashurbanipal and Shamash-shum-ukin after his death.

Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes
Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes; Cyaxares ( r. 625-“585 BC) was the third and most capable king of Media, according to Herodotus, with a far greater military reputation than his father Phraortes or grandfather Deioces. He was the first to divide his troops into separate sections of spearmen, archers, and horsemen.[7] By uniting most of the Iranian tribes of ancient Iran and conquering neighbouring territories, Cyaxares transformed the Median Empire into a regional power.[8] He facilitated the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and according to Herodotus repelled the Scythians from Media.[9] Tobit 14, Tobit™s Final Counsel, and Death of Tobit and Anna;

Persia, 550 BC - 330 BC, Achaemenid Empire History Folder

Persia, 500 BC, 6th Century BC Folder, Archaemenid Cyrus the Great

Persia, 550 BC - 330 BC, Achaemenid Empire, Babylon and Persia, Media
Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Babylon; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Persian Emperor, 522-486 BC, Darius I, Achaemenid Empire; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian;

Persia, 559-530 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Cyrus the Great
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great ; II of Persia (Old Persian: ÂÂ¡;[5][6] New Persian: ; c. 600 --“ 530 BC)[7] commonly known as Cyrus the Great,[8] and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian Empire.[9] his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East,[9] expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Western Asia and much of Central Asia. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.[10] Under his successors, the empire eventually stretched at its maximum extent from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Paeonia and Thrace-Macedonia) and Eastern Europe proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. reign of Cyrus the Great lasted about thirty years. Cyrus built his empire by first conquering the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire, and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He led an expedition into Central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception."[11] Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, and was alleged to have died in battle, fighting the Massagetae along the Syr Darya in December 530 BC.[12][13] but Xenophon said Cyrus did not die in battle and he returned to the capital again.[14] He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to conquer Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule. Cyrus the Great respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered.[15] This became a very successful model for centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects.[9] In fact, the administration of the empire through satraps and the vital principle of forming a government at Pasargadae were the works of Cyrus.[16] What is sometimes referred to as the Edict of Restoration (actually two edicts) described in the Bible as being made by Cyrus the Great left a lasting legacy on the Jewish religion. According to Isaiah 45:1 of the Hebrew Bible,[17] God anointed Cyrus for this task, even referring to him as a messiah (lit. 'anointed one') and he is the only non-Jewish figure in the Bible to be called so.[18] the Great is also well recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy, as well as his influence on both Eastern and Western civilizations. Having originated from Persis, roughly corresponding to the modern Iranian province of Fars, Cyrus has played a crucial role in defining the national identity of modern Iran.[19][20][21] The Achaemenid influence in the ancient world eventually would extend as far as Athens, where upper-class Athenians adopted aspects of the culture of the ruling class of Achaemenid Persia as their own.[22] is a cult figure amongst modern Iranians, with his tomb serving as a spot of reverence for millions of people.[23] In the 1970s, the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi identified his famous proclamation inscribed onto the Cyrus Cylinder as the oldest known declaration of human rights,[24] and the Cylinder has since been popularized as such.[25][26][27] This view has been criticized by some historians[28] as a misunderstanding[29] of the Cylinder's generic nature as a traditional statement that new monarchs make at the beginning of their reign.[26][27][30] Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 522-486 BC, Darius I, Achaemenid Empire; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9;

Persia, 559BC-486BC, Pasargadae, Daniel, Malachi and Haggai Lived Here
Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs, Major Prophet, 4th, Babylonian Captivity 597 BC, Hansom 4 Daniel, Ananias, Azarias &Misael, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Chaldean Language fine dress, 3yr order food kings table, but they refused his food&wine, they bread&water, they Lord's wisdom + Daniel granted insight dream interpretation, D trusted God' help, D surpassed C astrologers sorcerers wisdom so made Kings' confidant, King's strange dream, refused tell dream, ordered them executed for not knowing the dream, Daniel knew the dream & its meaning, revealed to him in vision, D elevated tRuler, &chief wise men, King's statue &order to worship it, 3 holy youths refused & thrown into furnace, flames killed Chaldeans standing near, but three unharmed singing psalms&prayer, Lord's Angel (Jesus) appeared cooled flames, Prophet Daniel identifies Angel as Jesus, emperor N converted, King Baltasar handwriting on wall interpreted by Daniel, downfall Babylonian empire, slandared D thrown tDen oHungry lions, but no touch, Mede Emperor Darius rejoices and ordered people serve D's God, D grieved fHis people, because they suffered B Captivity &Jerusalem destroyed for their sins, while Neb's dream Prophecied Kingdom oLord JC, the 70 weeks, 1st&2nd coming, connected t 70 wks; King Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae - Daniel Lived Here ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Daniel is the fourth of the major prophets. the years following 600 B.C. Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed, and many of the Israelite people were led away into the Babylonian Captivity. the captives were also the illustrious youths Daniel, Ananias, Azarias and Misael. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered that they be instructed in the Chaldean language and wisdom, and dressed them in finery. children of princely lineage were often chosen to serve as pages in the palace. three years, they would be fed from food from the king’s table. this they would be allowed to stand before his throne. was renamed Baltasar, was called Shadrach, was called Mishach, Azarias was known as Abednego. they, cleaving to their faith, disdained the extravagance of court, refusing to defile themselves by eating from the king’s table and drinking his wine. they lived on vegetables and water. Lord granted them wisdom, and to Saint Daniel the gift of insight and the interpretation of dreams. holy Prophet Daniel preserved his faith in the one God and trusted in His almighty help. surpassed all the Chaldean astrologers and sorcerers in his wisdom, and was made a confidant to King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream which terrified him (Daniel 2:1-6). summoned magicians, sorcerers, and Chaldeans before him to interpret the dream. When they asked him what he had dreamt, the king refused to tell them. He said, “If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.” Babylonian wise men protested that no magician or sorcerer could be expected to do this. Only the gods could reveal the dream and its meaning, they told him. king ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be executed. they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death, Daniel asked that the king’s sentence not be carried out. said that he could tell the king what he dreamt, for it had been revealed to him in a vision. was brought before the king and was able to reveal not only the content of the dream, but also its prophetic significance. this, the king elevated Daniel to be ruler of the whole province of Babylon, and the chief of all the wise men. these times King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a huge statue to be made in his likeness. was decreed that when people heard the sound of trumpets and other instruments, they should fall down and worship the golden idol. they refused to do this, the three holy youths Ananias, Azarias and Misael were cast into a fiery furnace. flames shot out over the furnace forty-nine cubits, felling the Chaldeans standing about, the holy youths walked in the midst of the flames, offering prayer and psalmody to the Lord (Daniel 3:26-90). Angel of the Lord appeared in the furnace and cooled the flames, and the young men remained unharmed. “Angel of Great Counsel,” as he is called in iconography, is identified with the Son of God (Daniel 3:25, Isaiah 9:6). the first Canon for the Nativity of the Lord (Ode 5), the Church sings: “Thou hast sent us Thine Angel of Great Counsel.” emperor, upon seeing this, commanded them to come out, and was converted to the true God. King Baltasar, Saint Daniel interpreted a mysterious inscription (“Mane, Thekel, Phares”), which had appeared on the wall of the palace during a banquet (Daniel 5:1-31), the downfall of the Babylonian kingdom. Under the Persian emperor Darius, Daniel was slandered by his enemies, and was thrown into a den with hungry lions, but they did not touch him, and he was not harmed. emperor Darius then rejoiced over Daniel ordered people throughout his realm to worship the God of Daniel, “since He is the living and eternal God, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His dominion is forever” (Daniel 6:26). holy Prophet Daniel grieved deeply for his people, who then were undergoing righteous chastisement for a multitude of sins and offenses, transgressing the laws of God, resulting in the grievous Babylonian Captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem: “My God, incline Thine ear and hearken; open Thine eyes and look upon our desolation and that of Thy city, in which Thy Name is spoken; for we do not make our supplication before Thee because of our own righteousness, but because of Thy great mercy” (Dan 9:18). of Daniel’s righteous life and his prayers for the people’s iniquity, the destiny of the nation of Israel the fate of all the world was revealed to the holy prophet. interpreting the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, the holy, glorious Prophet Daniel spoke of a great and final kingdom, the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dan 2:44). prophetic vision about the seventy weeks (Dan 9:24-27) speaks about the signs of the First and the Second Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is connected with those events (Daniel 12:1-12). Daniel interceded for his people before King Cyrus, who esteemed him highly, and who decreed freedom for the Israelite people. himself and his fellows Ananias, Azarias and Misael, all survived into old age, died in captivity. to the testimony of Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9), Saints Ananias, Azarias and Misael were beheaded on orders of the Persian emperor Chambyses. Daniel and the three holy youths are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, and on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before the Nativity).

Persia, 559BC-516BC, Pasargadae, Three Holy Youths, thrown tFiery Furnace, preserved by AoLord, Jesus
Persia, 586 BC - 516 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, Three Holy Youthsl, thrown tFiery Furnace, preserved by AoLord, Jesus, Ananias (God is Gracious) became Shadrach (royal) in chaldean, Azarias (who God helps) became Abednego (servant oNego), and Misael (Who is what God is) became Meshack (guest), all from Judah, chosen serve iKings palace wDaniel, they were thrown into fiery furnace for refusing worship idol, preserved by angel otLord (Jesus), 7th 8th Odes ot9Biblical Odes at back of Orthodox Septagint Psalter; The Three Holy Youths: Ananias, Azarias and Misael, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Youths Ananias (“God is gracious”), Azarias (“whom God helps”), and Misael (“Who is what God is?”) were companions of the Holy Prophet Daniel. were chosen to serve in the king’s palace with Daniel (Daniel 1:6) and were all from the tribe of Judah. gave Ananias the Chaldean name Shadrach (“royal”), Azarias the Chaldean name Abednego (“servant of Nego”), and Misael the Chaldean name Meshach (“guest”). were thrown into a fiery furnace when they refused to worship the golden idol set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, but the angel of the Lord preserved them (Daniel 3:25). Seventh and Eighth Odes of the nine Biblical Odes at the back of the Psalter are taken from The Song of the Three Holy Youths (found in the Septuagint text of the Old Testament used by the Orthodox Church). Three Holy Youths and the Prophet Daniel are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers.

Persia, 530BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Cambyses II
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 530BC-522 BC, Cambyses II; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17;

Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya, Legitimate Ruler overthrown by Darius with a lie
Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya; (Old Persian: [1] Bardiya),[2] also known as Smerdis among the Greeks[3] (possibly died 522 BC), was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life. Bardiya either ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BC, or was impersonated by a magus called Gaum), until he was toppled by Darius the Great.[4][5]

Persia, 522BC-486BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great) Lied, Marathon, Organizer
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 522BC-486 BC, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great); I , commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of West Asia, parts of the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans (Thrace-Macedonia, and Paeonia), most of the Black Sea coastal regions, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east and portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt (Mudrya), eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.[2][3] Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the legitimate Achaemenid monarch Bardiya, whom he later fabricated to be an imposter named Gaumata. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens and Eretria for their aid in the Ionian Revolt and subjugate Greece. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades and the island of Naxos and the sacking of the city of Eretria. Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized Achaemenid coinage as a new uniform monetary system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He also put the empire in better standing by building roads and introducing standard weights and measures. Through these changes, the empire was centralized and unified.[4] Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on Susa, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Babylon, and Egypt. He had the cliff-face Behistun Inscription carved to record his conquests, an important testimony of the Old Persian language. Darius is mentioned in the biblical books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezraâ€“Nehemiah. Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persia, 516 BC - 420 BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Malachi, 420BC for the book
Jerusalem, 516 BC - 420 BC, Malachi, Prophet, Right after the 70 Yrs, last of OT prophets, the seal, coming of Jesus and Forerunner, Last Judgement; Jerusalem, 516 BC, Prophet Malachi, During the 70 Yrs; is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, but simply means "messenger".[1] editors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia implied that he prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah and speculated that he delivered his prophecies about 420 BC, after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia,[2] or possibly before his return. No allusion is made to him by Ezra, however, and he does not directly mention the restoration of the Second Temple. Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the Birth of Christ, at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. was the last of the Old Testament prophets, therefore the holy Fathers call him “the seal of the prophets.” himself an image of spiritual goodness and piety, he astounded the nation and was called Malachi, i.e., an angel. prophetic book is included in the Canon of the Old Testament. In it he upbraids the Jews, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and His Forerunner, and also the Last Judgment (Mal 3:1-5; 4:1-6).

Persia, 516 BC - 420 BC, Dot 8, Malach, last OT prophet, Right after t 70 Yrs, coming oJesus, Forerunner, Last Judgement
Jerusalem, 516 BC - 420 BC, Malachi, Prophet, Right after the 70 Yrs, last of OT prophets, the seal, coming of Jesus and Forerunner, Last Judgement; Jerusalem, 516 BC, Prophet Malachi, During the 70 Yrs; is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, but simply means "messenger".[1] editors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia implied that he prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah and speculated that he delivered his prophecies about 420 BC, after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia,[2] or possibly before his return. No allusion is made to him by Ezra, however, and he does not directly mention the restoration of the Second Temple. Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the Birth of Christ, at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. was the last of the Old Testament prophets, therefore the holy Fathers call him “the seal of the prophets.” himself an image of spiritual goodness and piety, he astounded the nation and was called Malachi, i.e., an angel. prophetic book is included in the Canon of the Old Testament. In it he upbraids the Jews, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and His Forerunner, and also the Last Judgment (Mal 3:1-5; 4:1-6).

Persia, 400 BC, 5th Century BC Folder, Achaemenid E., Ester and Malachi

Persia, 486 BC-465 BC, Ahasuerus, Archaemenid Emperor, aka Xerxes I
Persia, 486 BC-465 BC, Ahasuerus, Archaemenid Emperor, aka Xerxes I ; Esther 1:1-4,10-19, King Ahasuerus Deposes Queen Vashti;

Persia, 465BC-424 BC, Achaemenid Emperor, Artaxerxes I of Persia
Persian Achaemenid Emperor, 465BC-424 BC, Artaxerxes I of Persia; Ezra 7:1-26, The Coming and Work of Ezra, The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persia, 445 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nehemiah, Left Bablylon captivity f Persia fJerusalem
Mesopotamia, 445 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nehemiah, Left Bablylon captivity from Persia for Jerusalem ; Prophet Nehemiah, Commemorated on December 11; Old Testament book of Nehemiah tells of how he returned from the Captivity in Babylon in the twentieth year of the Persian King Artaxerxes (445/444 B.C.) to rebuild Jerusalem and to govern the province. and Ezra purified the Jewish people by making known the Law of Moses, and forcing the men to divorce their pagan wives. Babylon

Persia, 445 BC Dot 7, Nehemiah&Ezra purified tpeople wMoses' Law &forcing divorce tpagan wives
Mesopotamia, 445 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nehemiah, Left Bablylon captivity from Persia for Jerusalem ; Prophet Nehemiah, Commemorated on December 11; Old Testament book of Nehemiah tells of how he returned from the Captivity in Babylon in the twentieth year of the Persian King Artaxerxes (445/444 B.C.) to rebuild Jerusalem and to govern the province. and Ezra purified the Jewish people by making known the Law of Moses, and forcing the men to divorce their pagan wives. Babylon

Persia, 312 BC - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire History Folder, Helenist

Persia, 300 BC, 4th Century BC Folder, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia

Persia, 247 BC - 224 AD, Parthian Empire of Persia History Folder

Persia, 200 BC, 3rd Century BC Folder, Parthian Empire, Kings of Epiphany

Persia, 247BC-224AD, Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian
Persian Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 247BC-651AD, Persian Capital, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7)
Persian Capital, 247BC-651AD, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7); Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 000, 1st Century BC Folder, Parthian Empire, Kings of Epiphany

Persia, 5BC-41, Emperor, Artabanus II of Media and Parthia, Jesus time caalled Artabanus III
Persia, 10-40, Emperor, Artabanus II of Media and Parthia, Jesus time caalled Artabanus III; II incorrectly known in older scholarship as Artabanus III,[1] was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 12 to 38/41, with a one-year interruption. He was the nephew and successor of Vonones I (r. 8–12). His father was a Dahae prince, whilst his mother was a daughter of the Parthian King of Kings Phraates IV (r. 37–2 BC) his ascension to the Parthian crown, Artabanus had ruled as king of Media Atropatene, which later served as his base of attacks against the Roman-supported Parthian king Vonones I. Artabanus eventually defeated Vonones I, who fled to Armenia and became its king. Artabanus' efforts to replace Vonones I with his son were blocked by the Romans, who eventually reached an agreement with the Parthians to appoint Artaxias III the new king of Armenia and renounce their support of Vonones I. and kingship of Media Atropatene was not from the ruling branch of the Arsacid royal family; his father was a Dahae prince, who was most likely descended from the former Parthian monarch Mithridates II (r. 124-88 BC),[3][4] whilst his mother was a daughter of the incumbent Parthian King of Kings Phraates IV (r. 37-2 BC).[4] between 30–25 BC, Artabanus was raised amongst the Dahae in Central Asia.[5] When he reached adulthood, he became the ruler of Media Atropatene, which occurred sometime during the late reign of Phraates IV or during the reign of the latters son and successor Phraates V (r. 4 BC -2 AD).[5] factor behind Artabanus' rise to kingship of Media Atropatene is unclear.[5] The kingdom served as Artabanus' headquarters of his attacks against the Parthian king Vonones I (r. 8-12 AD), with whom he fought against over the crown.[5] I, who had originally resided in Rome, had been placed on the Parthian throne by a faction led by the Karin and Suren clans.[6][7] His rule was supported by the Romans.[1] However, the Parthian nobility was quickly alienated by Vonones I, who had become Romanized during his stay in Rome.[7][1] increased Artabanus' odds—after years of fighting—to finally defeat Vonones I, who fled to Armenia and became its king.[7] now the monarch of the Parthian Empire, attempted to depose Vonones I from the Armenian throne and appoint his own son instead.[7] This attempt was instantly opposed by the Romans, who regarded this as posing a danger to their interests.[7] As a result, the Roman emperor Tiberius (r. 14–37 AD) sent his stepson Germanicus to prevent this from happening.[7] However, the Roman general met no resistance from the Parthians. Instead, Germanicus reached an agreement with Artabanus to appoint Artaxias III the new king of Armenia and renounce their support of Vonones I.[7][8] The Romans thus acknowledged Artabanus as the legitimate Parthian ruler.[8] In order to ratify the friendly relationship between the two empires, Artabanus and Germanicus met on an island in the Euphrates in 18 AD.[7] in Greek of the Parthian king Artabanus II to the inhabitants of Susa in the 1st century CE, requesting the appointment of Hecataeus as treasurer. Louvre Museum.[9] Romans moved Vonones I to Cilicia, where he was killed the following year after attempting to flee.[1] His death and the now unchallenged dominance of Artabanus split the Parthian nobility, since not all of them supported a new branch of the Arsacid family taking over the empire.[3] In 19/20 AD, the Parthian satrap of Sakastan, Drangiana and Arachosia, named Gondophares, declared independence from Artabanus and founded the Indo-Parthian Kingdom.[10][3] He assumed the titles of "Great King of Kings" and "Autokrator", demonstrating his new-found independence.[3] Nevertheless, Artabanus and Gondophares most likely reached an agreement that the Indo-Parthians would not intervene in the affairs of the Arsacids.[10] spent the following years increasing his authority.[1] To the north-east, he was victorious in his efforts to have a new dynasty established in Khwarazm, thus starting a new era in the history of the country.[11] Artabanus most likely operated in western Bactria as well, which had been part of the Parthian domains for centuries.[10] 35 AD, Artabanus tried again to conquer Armenia and to establish his son Arsaces I as Armenia's king. A war with Rome seemed inevitable. The faction among the Parthian magnates which was hostile to Artabanus II applied to Tiberius for a king who was a descendant of Phraates IV. Tiberius sent Phraates IV's grandson, Tiridates III, and ordered Lucius Vitellius the Elder (the father of the Roman emperor Vitellius) to restore Roman authority in the East. By very dexterous military and diplomatic operations Vitellius succeeded completely. Artabanus II was deserted by his followers and fled to the East. III, who was proclaimed King, could not keep control of the Parthian throne, because he appeared to his subjects to be a vassal of the Romans. In the meantime, Artabanus II returned from Hyrcania with a strong army of Scythian (Dahae) auxiliaries and was again acknowledged by the Parthians. Tiridates III left Seleucia and fled to Syria. Artabanus II wasn’t strong enough for a war with Rome. He therefore concluded a treaty with Vitellius in 37 AD, in which he gave up all further pretensions towards Armenia. A short time afterwards Artabanus II was deposed again, and Cinnamus was proclaimed king. Artabanus II took refuge with his vassal, the King Izates bar Monobaz. Izates, by negotiations and the promise of a complete pardon, persuaded the Parthians to restore Artabanus II once more to the throne. Shortly afterwards Artabanus II died and was succeeded by his son, Vardanes I, whose reign was still more turbulent than that of his father. II had four sons: Arsaces I, Orodes, Artabanus, Vardanes I and an adopted son named Gotarzes II. Persia, 10-40, Emperor, Jesus' Time, Artabanus III of Parthia ; III, incorrectly known in older scholarship as Artabanus IV,[1] was a Parthian prince who competed against his brother Pacorus II (r. 78-110) for the Parthian crown from 79/80 to 81.[1] III's claim to the throne seems to have little support in the Parthian Empire, with the exception of Babylonia.[1] III's most notable action was to give refuge to a Pseudo-Nero named Terentius Maximus.[2][1] Artabanus III initially agreed to lend military aid to Terentius Maximus to capture Rome, until he found about the real identity of the impostor.[2] mints of Artabanus III disappear after 81, which suggests that Pacorus II had defeated him.[1] Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 2 BC - 4 AD, Parthian Emperor, Phraates V, son of slave girl Musa, peace over A and M, fled to Rome
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Phraates V; V (Parthian: , also known by the diminutive version of his name, Phraataces (also spelled Phraatakes), was the King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. He was the younger son of Phraates IV (r. 37 BC -2 BC) and Musa, who ruled with him. Under Phraates V, a war threatened to break out between the Parthian and Roman empires over the control of Armenia and Mesopotamia. Although Augustus (r. 27 BC -“ 14 AD) had sent his adopted son Gaius Caesar to invade Iran, in 1 AD the two sides agreed a peace treaty, by which once again Armenia was recognized as being in the Roman sphere. Phraates V was in return acknowledged as the rightful Parthian king, which was of high importance to him, due to his insecure position in the country. In 4 AD, Phraates V and his mother fled to Rome after being expelled by the Parthian nobility, who crowned Orodes III as king. Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 2 BC - 4 AD, Parthian Emperor, Musa of Parthia (Empress), Roman Slave, Killed husband
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Musa of Parthia (Empress); (also spelled Mousa), also known as Thea Musa, was queen of the Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. Originally an Italian slave-girl, she was given as a gift to the Parthian monarch Phraates IV (r. 37 BC -2 BC) by the Roman Emperor Augustus (r. 27 BC -“ 14 AD). She quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V). In 2 BC, she had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself, along with Phraates V, the co-rulers of the empire. Their reign was shortlived; they were forced to flee to Rome after being deposed by the Parthian nobility, who crowned Orodes III as king. Musa is the first of only three women to rule in Iranian history, the others being the two 7th-century Sasanian sisters Boran (r. 630-“630, 631-“632) and Azarmidokht (r. 630-“631). Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 000, 1st Century AD Folder, Parthia, Kings of E., and Assyrian Empire

Persia, 1 AD, The Magi, from Persia to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, because Savior, Lord, Nativity revealed by wonderous star
Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Bethlehem, Judea, Agustus' census, King David's house in Bethlehem, cave used as a stable, birth without travail, swaddling clothes, Manger, midnight, Gabriel announced to shepherds, great joy, all people, born today, Savior, the Lord, Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star; Bethlehem; The Adoration of the Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar, Commemorated on December 25; Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). names of the three Wise Men (Magi) do not appear in the Gospels. The tradition that there were three visitors from the east is very ancient, but their names are only mentioned in the Middle Ages. reputed to be the relics of the three kings have been in the cathedral at Cologne, Germany since 1164. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind.

Persia, 4-6, Parthian Emperor, Orodes III of Parthia, info lacking, killed after 2 yrs
Persian Parthian Emperor, 4-6, Orodes III of Parthia; III was king of the Parthian Empire from 4 to 6.[1] Albeit he was an Arsacid, his lineage is unknown.[2] He was raised to the throne by the nobility two years after the death of the previous co-rulers, Phraates V and Musa (r. 2 BC - 4 AD).[1] Information regarding the brief reign of Orodes III is lacking.[3] He was killed after a reign of 2 years.[1] He was succeeded by Vonones I.[1] Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 8-12, Parthian Emperor, Vonones I, King of Armenia 12-18, Roman Stooge in 8, d by Artabanus II, Media, in 12
Persian Parthian Emperor, 8-12, Vonones I ; I was an Arsacid prince, who ruled as King of Kings of Parthian Empire from 8 to 12, and then subsequently as king of Armenia from 12 to 18. He was the eldest son of Phraates IV (r. 37–2 BC) and was sent to Rome as a hostage in 10/9 BC in order to prevent conflict over the succession of Phraates IV's youngest son, Phraataces. and early life[edit] was the eldest son of Phraates IV.[1] According to the classical Roman historian Tacitus, Vonones was related to the Scythian king.[2] IV had previously in his reign been aided by the Scythians to retake his throne from the usurper Tiridates in c. 30 BC, and thus Vonones could possibly be the result of a marriage alliance between Phraates IV and a Scythian tribal chief, who agreed to help him in return.[3] was along with three of his brothers (Phraates, Seraspandes and Rhodaspes) sent to Rome in 10/9 BC, in order to prevent conflict over the succession of Phraates IV's youngest son, Phraataces.[4] Roman emperor Augustus used this as propaganda depicting the submission of Parthia to Rome, listing it as a great accomplishment in his Res Gestae Divi Augusti.[5] the assassination of Orodes III in about 6 AD, the Parthians applied to Augustus for a new king from the house of Arsaces.[6] sent them Vonones I, but he could not maintain himself as king; he had been educated as a Roman, and was despised by the Parthian nobility as a Roman stooge.[6][7] member of the Arsacid house, Artabanus II, who ruled Media Atropatene, was invited to the throne. In a civil war he defeated and expelled Vonones I.[7] I fled into Armenia and became king there in 12.[8] Artabanus II, now the monarch of the Parthian Empire, attempted to depose Vonones I from the Armenian throne and appoint his own son instead.[9] This was opposed by the Romans, who regarded this as posing a danger to their interests.[9] As a result, the Roman emperor Tiberius (r. 14–37) sent his stepson Germanicus to prevent this from happening.[9] However, the Roman general was met with no resistance by the Parthians, and reached an agreement with Artabanus II to appoint Artaxias III the new King of Armenia and renounce their support of Vonones I.[9][10] The Romans thus acknowledged Artabanus II as the legitimate Parthian ruler.[10] In order to ratify the friendly relationship between the two empires, Artabanus and Germanicus met on an island in the Euphrates in 18.[9] The Romans moved Vonones I into Syria, where he was kept in custody, though in a kingly style.[11] Later he was moved to Cilicia,[12] and when he tried to escape in about 19, he was killed by his guards.[13][7] death and the now unchallenged dominance of Artabanus II split the Parthian nobility, since not all of them supported a new branch of the Arsacid family taking over the empire.[14] The Parthian satrap of Sakastan, Drangiana and Arachosia, named Gondophares, declared independence from Artabanus II and founded the Indo-Parthian Kingdom.[15][14] He assumed the titles of "Great King of Kings" and "Autokrator", demonstrating his new-found independence.[14] Nevertheless, Artabanus and Gondophares most likely reached an agreement that the Indo-Parthians would not intervene in the affairs of the Arsacids.[15] Vonones was survived by his son Meherdates, who attempted to take the Parthian throne in 49–51.[16] Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 15-116, Adiabene Kingdom, northwestern Assyria, or northern Mesopotamia, inside crecent of the Zargos mts
Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom, 15-116 ; was an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia, corresponding to the northwestern part of ancient Assyria.[5] The size of the kingdom varied over time; initially encompassing an area between the Zab Rivers, it eventually gained control of Nineveh, and starting at least with the rule of Monobazos I (late 1st-century BC), Gordyene became an Adiabenian dependency.[6] It reached its zenith under Izates II, who was granted the district of Nisibis by the Parthian king Artabanus II (r. 12–40) as a reward for helping him regain his throne.[7][8] Adiabene's eastern borders stopped at the Zagros Mountains, adjacent to the region of Media.[9] Arbela served as the capital of Adiabene.[10] formation of the kingdom is obscure. The first instance of a recorded Adiabenian ruler is in 69 BC, when an unnamed king of Adiabene participated in the battle of Tigranocerta as an ally of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great (r. 95–55 BC).[11] However, coinage implies the establishment of a kingdom in Adiabene around 164 BC, following the disintegration of Greek Seleucid rule in the Near East.[12][13] Adiabene was conquered by the Parthian king Mithridates I (r. 171–132 BC) in ca. 145–141 BC, and by at least from the reign of Mithridates II (r. 124–91 BC) served as an integral part of the Parthian realm.[14] rulers converted to Judaism from paganism in the 1st century AD.[15] Queen Helena of Adiabene (known in Jewish sources as Heleni HaMalka, meaning Helene the Queen) moved to Jerusalem, where she built palaces for herself and her sons, Izates bar Monobaz and Monobaz II at the northern part of the city of David, south of the Temple Mount, and aided the Jews in their war with Rome.[16] According to the Talmud, both Helena and Monobaz donated large funds for the Temple of Jerusalem. After 115 CE, there are no historic traces of Jewish royalty in Adiabene. Parthians were overthrown by the Sasanian Empire in 224, who by the time of Shapur I (r. 240–270) had established their rule in Adiabene.[7] Ardashir II is the last figure to be recorded as king of Adiabene, which implies that the kingdom was after his tenure in c. 379 transformed into a province (shahr), governed by a non-royal delegate (marzban or shahrab) of the Sasanian king.[17] Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Parthia, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances
India, 38-72, Apostle Thomas, Madras, absent when Jesus appeared on Easter Day, refused tBelieve resurrection, until he saw him and said My Lord..., Doubting Thomas, but previously proven loyal, let us also go..., at last supper said we don't know where you go, How do we know the way, Jesus said I am the way, preached in india, Kerla district, Madras, still Christians there connected to Thomas, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, ; East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada was a fisherman. the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6). THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Apostle Thomas (Hebrew or Aramaic for "twin") was also called "Didymus" (Greek for "twin"). was absent when the Risen Lord appeared to the other apostles on the evening of Easter Day, refused to believe that Christ had indeed risen until he had seen him for himself, when he had seen Him, he said to Him, "My Lord and My God." (John 20:19-29) of this episode, he has been known ever since as "Doubting Thomas." we ought also to remember his earlier words, when Jesus announced His intention of going to the Jerusalem area, aside the protests of His disciples that His life was in danger there, at which Thomas said to the others: us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:7,8,16) Thomas was pessimistic, he was also sturdily loyal. the Last Supper, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you.... And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." replied: "Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?" this Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:1-6) Thomas is mentioned again (John 21) as one of the seven disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) when the Risen Lord appeared to them. from this he appears in the New Testament only as a name on lists of the Apostles. couple of centuries later a story was circulating in the Mediterranean world that he had gone to preach in India; there is a Christian community in India (the Kerala district) that claims descent from Christians converted by the the preaching of Thomas. tradition among Christians in India is that Thomas was speared to death near Madras, accordingly he is often pictured holding a spear. Paintings of martyrs often show them holding or accompanied by the instruments with which they were put to death. recently discovered work called the Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus. I know of no scholarly support for the notion that it is the work of the Apostle Thomas, but some scholars think that some of the sayings in it may be authentic sayings of Jesus. POEM These things did Thomas hold for real: the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, the grain of wood, the heft of stone, the last frail twitch of blood and bone. His brittle certainties denied that one could live when one had died, until his fingers read like Braille the markings of the spear and nail. May we, O God, by grace believe and, in believing, still receive the Christ who held His raw palms out and beckoned Thomas from his doubt. (Thomas Troeger, 1984, Psalter/Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church) by James Kiefer

Persia, 30-70, Lucius of the Seventy, Apostle, Laodicia, Syria, which belonged to Parthia for Med China Trade
Laodicea in Syria; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Saint Luke (or Loukias) Luke, or Loukias (not the Evangelist), lived during the first century. Some lists of these Saints identify him as the Evangelist Luke, who was also one of the 70 Apostles, but Greek sources say he was someone other than the Evangelist Luke. However, Saint Demetrios of Rostov, and Slavic Tradition say that he was the Evangelist Luke (See his Life on October 18). Saint was consecrated as the Bishop of Laodikeia in Syria, and completed the course of his life spreading the Gospel and caring for his flock, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; ----------- Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Persia, 30-54, Adiabene Emperor, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II), convert, son of Edessa Queen
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, 31-55, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II); II (ca. 1-54 CE) was king of the Parthian client kingdom of Adiabene from approximately 30 to 54.[1] is notable for converting to Judaism. He was the son of Queen Helena of Adiabene and Monobaz I of Adiabene. Queen Helena was also said to be the wife of King Abgarus of Edessa and thus the queen of Edessa too.[2] his youth Izates was sent by his father to the court of King Abinergaos I of Characene in Charax Spasinu. in Charax Izates became acquainted with a Jewish merchant named Ananias, who familiarized him with the tenets of the Jewish religion, in which he became deeply interested. married King Abinergaos' daughter Symacho who had been converted to Judaism through the efforts of Ananias. His mother had been previously won over to Judaism without his knowledge. On returning home and ascending the throne on the death of his father (c. 31 CE), Izates discovered the conversion of his mother; and he himself intended to adopt Judaism, and even to submit to circumcision. was, however, dissuaded from this step both by his teacher Ananias and by his mother, but was ultimately persuaded thereto by another Jew, Eleazar.[3][4] some time Izates enjoyed peace; and he was so highly respected that he was chosen as arbitrator between the Parthian king Artabanus II and his rebellious nobles (c. 39 CE). when several of Izates' relatives openly acknowledged their conversion to Judaism, some of the nobles of Adiabene secretly induced Abia, an Arab king, to declare war against him. defeated his enemy, who in despair committed suicide. The nobles then conspired with Vologases, King of Parthia, but the latter was at the last moment prevented from carrying out his plans, and Izates continued to reign undisturbed for a total of twenty-four years. died around 54 CE. His mother Helena survived him for only a short time. He left twenty-four sons and twenty-four daughters. Izates was succeeded by his older brother Monobaz II, who sent Izates' remains and those of Queen Helena to Jerusalem for burial. Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, 31-44, Apostle Thaddeus of the seventy, from Edessa, Abgar wrote of him to Nerses
Persia, 31-55, Adiabene Emperor, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II) ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50).

Persia, 35, Parthia, Apostle Thomas, founded Christian churches in Parthia
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” Some icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Persia, 35, Parthia, Apostle Philip, went to Azotus (Ashdod), then in Parthia on Med
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; From Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. He had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. The Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). From Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Persia, 35, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE, went together to Persia (Parthia), martyred there
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE; ancient Christian writers say that Simon and Jude went together as missionaries to Persia, and were martyred there. If this is true, it explains, to some extent, our lack of historical information on them and also why they are usually put together. SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28);

Persia, 40-51, Emperor Gotarzes II of Parthia, seized throne from b Vardanes I
Persia, 40-51, Emperor Gotarzes II of Parthia ; II was king of the Parthian Empire from 40 to 51. He was an adopted son of Artabanus II. When his father died in 40, his brother Vardanes I was to succeed to the throne. However, the throne was seized by Gotarzes II. Gotarzes II eventually was able to gain control of most of Parthia forcing Vardanes to flee to Bactria. With the death of Vardanes in c. 46, Gotarzes II ruled the Parthian Empire until his death. Gotarzes II was succeeded by his uncle Vonones II. Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 51-78, Emperor Vologases I, Parthia, for long trade route to the Med from India and China, b Tridates, Armenia in 53
Persia, 51-78, Emperor Vologases I of Parthia ; I was the King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 51 to 78. He was the son and successor of Vonones II (r. 51). He was succeeded by his younger son Pacorus II, who continued his policies. was a son of Vonones II, a Parthian prince who ruled the northern Iranian kingdom of Media Atropatene, and possibly subsequently the whole Parthian Empire for a few months.[2] Vologases' mother was a Greek concubine of the Parthian harem.[3] The name of the Arsacid branch established by Vologases I has been coined by the modern historian Marek Jan Olbrycht as the "Vologasids" or the "House of Vologases I", which ruled the Parthian Empire from 51 till its fall in 224.[4] of Armenia[edit] of Parthian–Roman borders became the new Parthian king in 51.[2] He sought to continue the policies of the prominent former Parthian king Artabanus II (r. 12-38/41), thus, one of his first objectives was to strengthen and bolster the Parthian position in strategically and politically unstable regions which had served for decades as the source of war with the Romans.[5][6] gave the kingship of Media Atropatene to his elder brother Pacorus, while the even more politically important kingship of Armenia was given to Vologases' younger brother Tiridates after a Parthian invasion of the country in 53.[7] felt his invasion was justified due to the recent usurpation of the Armenian throne by the Iberian prince Rhadamistus, which he saw as a violation of the former settlement made between the Parthians and Romans regarding Armenia.[2] of resources and a winter epidemic forced Vologases to withdraw his troops from Armenia, allowing Rhadamistus to come back and punish locals as traitors; they shortly revolted and helped Tiridates restore his authority.[8] himself returned to Iberia and was soon put to death by his father Pharasmanes I for having plotted against the royal power in order to prove his loyalty to Rome.[9] with the Romans[edit] Further information: Roman–Parthian War of 58–63 during the first two years of the war: Corbulo's invasion and conquest of Armenia with the Parthian reconquest of Armenia, in 54 the newly ascended Roman emperor Nero sent his general, Corbulo to restore Roman authority in the country.[10] was unable to aid his brother, due to the rebellion of his son Vardanes II and subsequently a revolt in the eastern Parthian province of Hyrcania.[11] by Vologases, Tiridates sent flying columns to raid the Romans far and wide in 58.[10][12] responded by using the same tactics.[10] He also emboldened the Roman client-kings Antiochus IV of Commagene, Pharasmanes I, and the Moschi tribes to attack outlying areas of Armenia.[10] loyalty of the Armenian population was split up between the Parthians and Romans, although overall they preferred Parthian rule, due to it being more tolerant, and also due to the similarity between Parthian and Armenian culture.[10] conquered the Armenian capital of Artaxata, which he had destroyed.[13][14] The following year (59) he conquered Tigranocerta in southern Armenia, where he wintered.[15] took advantage of this situation to return to northern Armenia from Atropatene. However, by the spring of 60, he was forced to withdraw by the Roman forces once more.[15] during the final years of the war: the raids of Tigranes into Parthian territory provoked a Parthian counterattack, which culminated in the surrender of the Roman army of Pateus Nero appointed a Cappadocian prince named Tigranes on the Armenian throne.[15] The new ruler, protected by a strong Roman force, became bold and started in 61 attacking the border areas of Adiabene, a vassal kingdom of the Parthians.[15][16] Adiabenian king, Monobazos, including Tiridates, protested in front of the entire Parthian court, complaining that Vologases did not do enough to protect his subjects.[17] situation was important and endangered the relations between Vologases and his subjects.[17] a public feast, Vologases supported Tiridates' appeals, and placed the royal diadem on his head.[13] He also appointed a certain nobleman named Monaeses as the commander of a Parthian force that included contingents from Adiabene.[18] Monaeses was sent into Armenia, where he besieged Tigranocerta in 62.[15][16] The city was strongly fortified, and had been further reinforced by two legions. The Parthians attempts to scale the city proved fruitless, with the Adiabenian contingents suffering heavy losses.[15] this point, Corbulo sent an envoy to Vologases, who had encamped with his court at Nisibis, near Tigranocerta and the Roman–Parthian border. The failed siege and a shortage of fodder for his cavalry forced Vologases to agree to withdraw Monaeses from Armenia.[19] the same time, however, the Romans also left Armenia, which, according to the contemporary Roman historian Tacitus, raised suspicions as to Corbulo's motives: some whispered that he had reached an agreement of mutual withdrawal with the Parthians, and that he was unwilling to risk his reputation by renewing hostilities against them.[20] At any rate, a truce was arranged and a Parthian embassy was dispatched to Rome. The negotiations failed to reach an agreement, and war was resumed in the spring of 62.[21] Roman government then sent Lucius Caesennius Paetus, governor of Cappadocia, to settle the question by bringing Armenia under direct Roman administration.[22][23] Paetus was an incapable commander and suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Rhandeia in 62, losing the legions of XII Fulminata commanded by Calvisius Sabinus and IIII Scythica commanded by Lucius Funisulanus Vettonianus. The command of the troops was returned to Corbulo, who, the following year, led a strong army into Melitene and beyond into Armenia, eliminating all of the regional governors he suspected were pro-Parthian. Finally in Rhandeia, Corbulo and Tiridates I met to make a peace agreement. The location of Rhandeia suited both Tiridates I and Corbulo. It appealed to Tiridates I because that is where his army had beaten the Romans and sent them away under a capitulation; on the other hand, it appealed to Corbulo because he was about to wipe out the ill repute earned before in the same location. When Tiridates I arrived at the Roman camp he took off his royal diadem and placed it on the ground near a statue of Nero, agreeing to receive it back only from Nero in Rome.[24] Tiridates I was recognized as the vassal king of Armenia; a Roman garrison would remain in the country permanently, in Sophene while Artaxata would be reconstructed. Corbulo left his son-in-law Lucius Annius Vinicianus to accompany Tiridates I to Rome in order to attest his own fidelity to Nero.[22] Tiridates' visit in Rome, Nero summoned Vologases I to Rome several times, but when the invitations became burdensome to Vologases I, he sent back a dispatch to this effect: "It is far easier for you than for me to traverse so great a body of water. Therefore, if you will come to Asia, we can then arrange to meet each other."[25] life and death[edit] Vologases I was still satisfied with this result and honored the memory of Nero,[26] though he stood in good relations with Vespasian also, to whom he offered an army of 40,000 horse archers during the Jewish Revolt.[27] Soon afterwards the Alans, a great nomadic tribe beyond the Caucasus, invaded Atropatene and Armenia; Vologases I applied in vain for help to Vespasian, but did not achieve any decisive result.[28] The Alans quickly withdrew with a lot of booty after plundering Armenia and Media Atropatene.[29] Vologases I later died in 78, and was succeeded by his son Pacorus II. sought to accomplish the goal of Artabanus II, by attempting to establish a long and structured trade-route that spanned through East Asia, India and the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.[33] This planned long trade-route would greatly improve the economy of the Parthian Empire.[33] In order to accomplish this, Vologases strengthened relations with other powers whom he was able to establish long-distance trade with, most notably Han China.[34] Vologases sought to impose his authority over the trade revenue of Seleucia, and was unrelenting against the Greek elites who questioned his rule.[35] Vologases founded the town of Valashabad in the neighborhood of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, with the intention of breaking the Greek monopoly on trade.[36] is an important figure in Zoroastrianism. According to the 10th-century Middle Persian Zoroastrian document Denkard ("Acts of Religion"), Vologases ordered his subjects to safeguard variants of the Avestan books and schooling, which had been scattered due to raids and plundering by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great (r. 336–323 BC) in the 4th-century BC.[30] Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 55-116, Adiabene Emperor, Meharaspes, defeated by Trajan in 116, creating Roman Messopotamia
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, -116, Meharaspes; was the Parthian client king of Adiabene in the early 2nd century CE. He was defeated by Trajan in 116; Adiabene was incorporated into the short-lived Roman province of Mesopotamia. Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4;

Persia, 70, Parthia, Apostle Jude, later in Syria (Parthia, Persia at that time) , finally in Edessa
Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude; the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, neither did his brethren believe in Him (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ'™s earthly ministry, Joseph'™s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called œThe Brother of God, offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord'™s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him œLebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude'™s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows. Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 79-81, Emperor, Artabanus III of Parthia, gave refuge to a Pseudo-Nero (imposter) named Terentius Maximus
Persia, 10-40, Emperor, Jesus' Time, Artabanus III of Parthia ; III, incorrectly known in older scholarship as Artabanus IV,[1] was a Parthian prince who competed against his brother Pacorus II (r. 78-110) for the Parthian crown from 79/80 to 81.[1] III's claim to the throne seems to have little support in the Parthian Empire, with the exception of Babylonia.[1] III's most notable action was to give refuge to a Pseudo-Nero named Terentius Maximus.[2][1] Artabanus III initially agreed to lend military aid to Terentius Maximus to capture Rome, until he found about the real identity of the impostor.[2] mints of Artabanus III disappear after 81, which suggests that Pacorus II had defeated him.[1] Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 80AD,

Persia, 200-224, 3rd Century AD Folder, Parthian Empire, Anak the Parthian

Persia, 201-252, Anak the Parthian, Armenian Parthian Prince, Illuminatory Gregory's father, but killed Tridates father
Armenian Parthian Prince, 3rd Century-252, Anak the Parthian; the Parthian,[1] also known as Anak Pahlavi[2] (flourished 3rd century, died 258[3]), was a Parthian noble who lived during the time of Arsacid Armenia.[4] was an Armenian Parthian nobleman,[5] who was a prince[6] said to be related to the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia[7] or was from the House of Suren,[8][9] one of the seven branches of the ruling Arsacid dynasty[10] of Sakastan.[11] is known of the life of Anak. He married a Parthian noblewoman called Okohe, who bore him sons. Among their children was Gregory.[12] I and his son, Shapur I, incited Anak[13] to murder King Khosrov II of Armenia, promising to return his own domain as a reward.[14] Ardashir I was alarmed by the military victories that Khosrov II with his late father, Tiridates II of Armenia had won against him,[15] as he wanted to expand the Sassanid Empire and to annex Armenia. had won the trust of Khosrov II and had travelled to Vagharshapat.[16] When Anak arrived in Vagharshapat he pretended to take refuge in the Armenian dominions from the persecution of Ardashir I.[17] Anak was hospitably received in Vagharshapat by Khosrov II and then stabbed the king in the heart, also killing Khosrov's wife. Anak was furiously pursued by Armenian soldiers, until he drowned in the Aras River.[18] Armenian army and nobles were outraged by the death of the reigning King and in turn wreaked their vengeance on the family of Anak.[19][20] The only child to survive from Anak’s family was his infant son Gregory,[21] who was taken to Cappadocia by his former caretakers Sopia and Yevtagh, who had escaped the slaughter of Anak’s family. I took possession of Armenia for himself and it became a part of his empire.[22] Troops loyal to Khosrov II, had his son, Tiridates III, taken to Rome for protection[23] where Tiridates III was raised and his daughter Khosrovidkuht was taken to be raised in Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia.[24] The foster parents of Khosrovidukht were Awtay, a nobleman from the family of the Amatuni, and Awtay’s wife, a noblewoman whose name is unknown, who was from the family of the Slkunik.[25] Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. Anak, the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. In his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. Before he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. The murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. There was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. As for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. Gregory married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. Gregory raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. Tiridates, who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Saint Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, so he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. Then the entire Gothic army was defeated. In gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. When Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. In prison the Lord healed all his wounds. When Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Saint Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. They then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. The Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. A holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. During this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaiane, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. Tiridates, who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. Beset by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. Then he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. First, the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, and then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. The people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. Then he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Saint Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. His son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea.

Persia, 224-651, Sasanian Empire History Folder, Zoroastrianism, Fire Worshipers

Persia, 224-299, 3rd Century Folder, Sasanian Empire, first capital Estakhr, Parthian Manichaeus, Shapur I

Persia, 224-226, Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr or Istakhr
Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Sasanian first Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Persia, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor; Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

Persia, 224-242, Sedekias or Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor
Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. Persian Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor; Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

Persia, 236-274, Manichaeus, Mani,, Parthian Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism
Egypt, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism; (c. April AD 216-2 March AD 274 or 26 February AD 277), of Iranian origin,[3][4][5][6] the prophet and the founder of Manichaeism, a religion of late antiquity strongly influenced by Gnosticism which was once widespread but is no longer prevalent by name. was born in or near Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Babylonia,[1] at the time still part of the Parthian Empire. Seven of his major works were written in Syriac, and the eighth, dedicated to the Sasanian emperor Shapur I, was written in Middle Persian.[7] He died in Gundeshapur. exact meaning of the name is a question still unsolved.[8] It may have derived from Babylonian-Aramaic Mânâ [luminescence]. Mandaeans used the term, mânâ rabba meaning the "Enlightened Lord/King.".[9] Ancient Greek interpretations were skeuos and homilia,[clarification needed] same slightly contemptuous "a certain" (Manes quidam) also appears in Hegemonius' Acta Archelai (4th century), however, Hegemonius contributes a detailed description of Mani's looks. Mani’s names became the object of uplifting transformation (Greek, Coptic Mannichaios, Latin Mannichaeus, i.e., Mannam fundens "pouring out Manna".[10][11] 1969 in Upper Egypt a Greek parchment codex dating to c. AD 400 was discovered. It is now designated Codex Manichaicus Coloniensis because it is conserved at the University of Cologne. Combining a hagiographic account of Mani's career and spiritual development with information about Mani's religious teachings, and containing fragments of his writings, it is now considered the most reliable source of information about the historical Mani. other medieval and pre-medieval accounts of his life are either legendary or hagiographical, such as the account in Fihrist by Ibn al-Nadim, purportedly by al-Biruni, or were anti-Manichaean polemics, such as the 4th-century Acta Archelai. Among these medieval accounts, Ibn al-Nadim's account of Mani's life and teachings is generally speaking the most reliable and exhaustive. Notably, the (in other accounts prominent) image of the "Third Ambassador" is only represented through a brief mention of the name bašīr, "messenger of good news", and the topos of "Mani the Painter" (which in other Islamic accounts almost completely replaces that of "the founder of a religion") is completely absent.[12] Parents, a 14th/15th-century silk painting depicts Mani's parents sitting in a palatial building. of Mani's Birth, showing the newborn emerged from the chest of his mother. execution of Mani as depicted in a 14th century illustration of the Shahnameh work and other evidence discovered in the 20th century establishes Mani as a historical individual.[13] life was born near Seleucia-Ctesiphon, perhaps in the town Mardinu in the Babylonian district of Nahr Kutha; according to other accounts in the town Abrumya. Mani's father Pātik (Middle Persian Pattūg;[14] Koinē Greek: Παττικιος, Arabic: Futtuq‎), a native of Ecbatana[15] (now Hamadan, Iran), was a member of the Jewish Christian sect of the Elcesaites. His mother was of Parthian descent[16][17] (from "the Armenian Arsacid family of Kamsarakan"[18]); her name is reported variously, among others Maryam. was raised in a heterodox environment in Babylon. The Elcesaite community was ostensibly Jewish Christian, though with some Gnostic features due to their Ebionite heritage, such as the belief in recurring incarnations of heavenly apostles, one of whom was a docetic Christ. At ages 12 and 24 Mani had visionary experiences of a "heavenly twin" of his (syzygos), calling him to leave his father's sect and preach the true message of Jesus in a new gospel.[19][20] to India then travelled to India (Sakas in present day Afghanistan), where he studied Hinduism and its various extant philosophies, including Buddhism.[5] Al-Biruni says Mani only traveled to India after being banished from Persia,[21] but this might be an error or a second journey.[5] It is believed that his Christian roots might have been influenced by Marcion and Bardaisan.[22] from India in 242, Mani presented himself to Shapur I, to whom he dedicated his only work written in Persian, known as the Shabuhragan. Shapur was not converted to Manichaeism and remained Zoroastrian, but he favored Mani's teachings, which mixed Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and took him into his court.[5][23] Mani is said to have performed miracles, including levitation, teleporting and healing, which helped him to gain converts in the Iranian elite. He was also famed as a painter.[5] and martyrdom successor Hormizd I, who reigned only for one year, continued to patronize Mani, but his successor Bahram I, a follower of the intolerant Zoroastrian reformer Kartir, began to persecute the Manichaeans. He incarcerated Mani, who died in prison within a month, in 274.[24] According to sources, he passed his last days comforting his visiting disciples, teaching that his death would have no other consequence than the return of his soul to the realm of light.[5] followers depicted Mani's death as a crucifixion in a conscious analogy to the crucifixion of Jesus; al-Biruni says that Bahram ordered the execution of Mani. There is a story which claims that he was flayed, and his corpse suspended over the main gate of the great city of Gundeshapur;[25] however, there is no historical basis for this account.[26] It is more plausible that his body was mutilated via post-mortem decapitation, and his head put on display, which may be the original source of the embellishment.[27] canon of Mani included six works originally written in Syriac, and one in Persian, the Shapuragan. While none of his books have survived in complete form, there are numerous fragments and quotations of them, including a long Syriac quotation from one of his works, as well as a large amount of material in Middle Persian, Coptic, and numerous other languages. Examples of surviving portions of his works include: the Shabuhragan (Middle Persian), the Book of Giants (numerous fragments in many languages), the Fundamental Epistle (quoted in length by Saint Augustine), a number of fragments of his Living Gospel (or Great Gospel), a Syriac excerpt quoted by Theodore Bar Konai, and his Letter to Edessa contained in the Cologne Mani-Codex. Mani also wrote the book Arzhang, a holy book of Manichaeism unique in that it contained many drawings and paintings to express and explain the Manichaeist creation and history of the world. Main article: Manichaeism Detail of Mani's Community Established, depicting seven lay people bring offerings to shrine with statue of Mani and three elects. teaching was intended to succeed and surpass the teachings of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. It is based on a rigid dualism of good and evil, locked in eternal struggle. his mid-twenties, Mani decided that salvation was possible through education, self-denial, fasting and chastity. According to Al-Biruni, a 10th-century Iranian scholar, Mani claimed to be the Paraclete promised in the New Testament, and the Last Prophet.[28] However according to Lodewijk J. R. Ort, the term last prophet may "in all probability derived from the Quran by Al-Buruni in order to formulate Mani's pretensions and religious claims".[29] Therefore Lodewijk J. R. Ort concludes that a definitive pronouncement about the final character of Mani's appearance is not mentioned in Manichaeistic scriptures.[30] his religion was not strictly a movement of Christian Gnosticism in the earlier mode, Mani did declare himself to be an "apostle of Jesus Christ", and extant Manichaean poetry frequently extols Jesus and his mother, Mary, with the highest reverence. Manichaean tradition is also noted to have claimed that Mani was the reincarnation of different religious figures including Zoroaster, the historical Buddha, as well as Jesus. followers were organized in a church structure, divided into a class of "elects" (electi) and "auditors" (auditores). Only the electi are required to follow the laws strictly, while the auditores care for them, hoping to become electi in their turn after reincarnation. and Islamic tradition Late Antique Christian accounts in the West section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Western Christian tradition of Mani is based on Socrates of Constantinople, a historian writing in the 5th century. According to this account, one Scythianos, a Saracen, husband of an Egyptian woman, "introduced the doctrine of Empedocles and Pythagoras into Christianity"; that he had a disciple, "Buddas, formerly named Terebinthus," who travelled in Persia, where he alleged that he had been born of a virgin, and afterwards wrote four books, one of Mysteries, a second The Gospel, a third The Treasure, and a fourth Heads. While performing some mystic rites, he was hurled down a precipice by a daimon, and killed. A woman at whose house he lodged buried him, took over his property, and bought a boy of seven, named Cubricus. This boy she freed and educated, leaving him the property and books of Buddas-Terebinthus. Cubricus then travelled into Persia, where he took the name of Manes and gave forth the doctrines of Buddas Terebinthus as his own. The king of Persia, hearing that he worked miracles, sent for him to heal his sick son, and on the child's dying put Manes in prison. Thence he escaped, flying into Mesopotamia, but was traced, captured, and flayed alive by the Persian king's orders, the skin being then stuffed with chaff and hung up before the gate of the city. to Jerome, Archelaus wrote his account of his disputation with "Manichæus" in Syriac, whence it was translated into Greek. The Greek is lost, and the work, apart from extracts, subsists only in a Latin translation from the Greek, of doubtful age and fidelity, probably made after the 5th century. By Photius it is stated that Heraclean, bishop of Chalcedon, in his book against the Manichæans, said the Disputation of Archelaus was written by one Hegemonius, an author not otherwise traceable, and of unknown date. the Latin narrative, "Manes" is said to have come, after his flight from court, from Arabion, a frontier fortress, to Caschar or Carchar, a town said to be in Roman Mesopotamia, in the hope of converting an eminent Christian there, named Marcellus, to whom he had sent a letter beginning: "Manichæus apostle of Jesus Christ, and all the saints and virgins with me, send peace to Marcellus." In his train he brought twenty-two (or twelve) youths and virgins. At the request of Marcellus, he debated on religion with bishop Archelaus, by whom he was vanquished; whereupon he set out to return to Persia. On his way he proposed to debate with a priest at the town of Diodorides; but Archelaus came to take the priest's place, and again defeated him; whereupon, fearing to be given up to the Persians by the Christians, he returned to Arabion. this stage Archelaus introduces in a discourse to the people his history of "this Manes," very much to the effect of the recapitulation in Socrates. Among the further details are these: that Scythianus lived "in the time of the Apostles"; that Terebinthus said the name of Buddas had been imposed on him; that in the mountains he had been brought up by an angel; that he had been convicted of imposture by a Persian prophet named Parcus, and by Labdacus, son of Mithra; that in the disputation he taught concerning the sphere, the two luminaries, the transmigration of souls, and the war of the Principia against God; that "Corbicius" or Corbicus, about the age of sixty, translated the books of Terebinthus; that he made three chief disciples, Thomas, Addas, and Hermas, of whom he sent the first to Egypt, and the second to Scythia, keeping the third with him; that the two former returned when he was in prison, and that he sent them to procure for him the books of the Christians, which he then studied. According to the Latin narrative, finally, Manes on his return to Arabion was seized and taken to the Persian king, by whose orders he was flayed, his body being left to the birds, and his skin, filled with air, hung at the city gate.[31] Islamic accounts Painter Mani presenting king Bukhram-Gur (Bahram) with his drawing. 16th-century painting by Ali-Shir Nava'i, Shakrukhia (Tashkent). is described as a painter who set up a sectarian movement in opposition to Zoroastrianism. He was persecuted by Shapur I and fled to Central Asia, where he made disciples and embellished with paintings a Tchighil (or picturarum domus Chinensis) and another temple called Ghalbita. Provisioning in advance a cave which had a spring, he told his disciples he was going to heaven, and would not return for a year, after which time they were to seek him in the cave in question. They then came back there after a year and found him, whereupon he showed them an illustrated book, called Ergenk, or Estenk Arzhang, which he said he had brought from heaven: whereafter he had many followers, with whom he returned to Persia at the death of Shapur. The new king, Hormisdas, joined and protected the sect; and built Mani a castle. The next king, Bahram or Varanes, at first favoured Mani; but, after getting him to debate with certain Zoroastrian teachers, caused him to be flayed alive, and the skin to be stuffed and hung up. Thereupon most of his followers fled to India and China.[31] Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Persia, 240-270, Shapur I, Sasanian Emperor, refused power of God, k by Lightning
Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. Persian Sasanian Emperor, 240-270, Shapur I; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on October 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Persia, 240-270, Martyrs Dadas, Gabdelas, and Kazdoa of Ctesiphon, Persia, Saphor's steward & children, great story of miracles
Persia, 240-270, Martyrs Dadas, Gabdelas, and Kazdoa of Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol, Saphor's steward & children, Cross sign put out fire, G believed, tortured, preserved, angel, sorcerer martyred, arrows bounced back from cross, K saved, Oil & water from cloud; Ctesiphon; Martyrs Dadas, Gabdelas, and Kazdoa of Persia, Commemorated on September 29; Martyrs Dadas, Gabdelas and Kazdoa (Kasdoe) accepted death for Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. was chief steward under Sapor, and Saints Gabdelas and Kazdoa were the cruel emperor’s own children. knowing that Saint Dadas was a Christian, the emperor appointed him as governor of one of the Persian districts. it was discovered, he was stripped of all honors, sent to the court of the cruel torturer Andromelik and was condemned to be burned. the stake, Saint Dadas shielded himself with the Sign of the Cross, and the fire went out. this miracle, the emperor’s stunned son Gabdelas believed in Christ and in the hearing of all, confessed his faith. judge reported this to the emperor, and he commanded Saint Gabdelas to be fiercely tortured. in all the sufferings divine strength preserved the saint. angel of the Lord comforted him, and each time the Lord restored health and strength to him. the miraculous healing of the holy martyr, many prisoners in the prison with him became Christians, even the sorcerer Gargal, and thus accepted martyrdom. emperor’s daughter Kazdoa, sister of the Martyr Gabdelas, secretly visited him in prison and brought him water. time Kazdoa saw her brother when the torturers tortured him anew. The holy martyr was hung on a cross, and a volley of arrows shot at him, but the arrows bounced off and struck the archers. his sister, he prevailed upon her to believe in Christ. Saint Kazdoa confessed herself a Christian, and by the command of her father the emperor Sapor, she was cruelly beaten and thrown into prison where her brother languished. from her wounds, Saint Kazdoa asked her brother to pray for her. Saint Gabdelas, having said the prayer, assured his sister that she would suffer no more. the following day during new tortures Saint Gabdelas, saw two presbyters Dadias and Abdi, asked them to bring oil and water, since he deeply wanted to receive holy Baptism. this moment a cloud overshadowed the martyr, from which poured out water and oil, and a voice was heard: “Servant of God, you have already received Baptism.” face of the martyr became radiant, in the air was the fragrance of perfume. torturer commanded the saint to be pierced with spears, and after several hours he died with prayer on his lips. body was cut into three parts, but the priests Dadias, Abdi and the deacon Armazates took the holy relics and buried them reverently. body of the holy Martyr Dadas, whom they also tortured for a long time and cut in parts, was also secretly buried by Christians. midnight the Martyr Gabdelas appeared to the priest Dadias, gave him a vessel with oil and sent him to the martyr Kazdoa to anoint her with oil and give her the Holy Mysteries. priest did this and, at the very last, said to the holy martyr: “Sleep, sister, until the coming of the Lord,” and Saint Kazdoa departed to the Lord. The mother of the holy martyr prepared her for burial and with joy buried her with the Martyr Gabdelas.

Persia, 240-270, Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas, windstorm, lightning k guard, healing tree
Persia, 240-270, Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas, Church leaders iNaesson, ascetic, Saphor orderd Clergy killed, 80yr old A arested, tArabela, tPagan Priest Judge, 3 arrested, windstorm, lightning k guard, bodies disappeared, A tPatrias, stoned, healing tree over grave; Arbela in Assyria; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalás the Deacon of Persia were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson. His flock devotedly loved their hierarch for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral work. emperor Sapor ordered his men to seek out and kill Christian clergy. Akepsimas also was arrested, even though he was already an eighty-year-old man. took him to the city of Arbela, where he came before the judge Ardarkh, a pagan priest of the sun god. holy Elder refused to offer sacrifice to the Persian gods. For this he was fiercely beaten and thrown into prison, on the following day the seventy-year-old priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalás were severely beaten and thrown into jail with him. three years the saints were held in confinement, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Sapor came to the temple of the god of fire, located not far from Arbela, wanted to take a look at the three holy martyrs. and covered with festering wounds, the saints were brought before the emperor. When he asked them to worship the pagan gods they firmly refused, confessing their faith in Christ instead. holy bishop was beheaded, but the presbyter and deacon were taken into the city to be stoned. execution of the presbyter Joseph was prolonged for several hours. guard was placed near the place of execution, so that Christians would not take the body of the holy martyr. the fourth night a strong windstorm raged near the city, killed the guard, the wind tossed stones about, the body of Saint Joseph disappeared. Aeithalás was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was stoned. secretly buried his body. tree grew on the saint’s grave, and its fruit brought healings.

Persia, 240-270, Snandulia, tended to Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas
Persia, 240-270, SNandulia, tended to Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas; Saint Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; Snandulia of Persia is mentioned in the account of the martyrdom of Saints Joseph the priest and Aethalas the deacon. The historian Sozomen also describes their sufferings in his Church History (Book 2, ch. 13). was a devout Christian of the city of Arbela who visited those who suffered in prison for the sake of Christ. When she learned that Saints Joseph and Aethalas were in the prison, she went with her servants by night and bribed the guards with gold. They allowed her to take the saints to her home until daybreak. They were barely alive and unable to speak. She took them home and put them to bed, tending their wounds, and kissing their shattered hands and feet. Joseph recovered consciousness and saw Snandulia weeping. He told her that the compassion she had shown for him and for Aethalas was pleasing to God, but he thought that her bitter lamentations were contrary to Christian hope. replied, “When one is moved by compassion, it is natural to weep.” “Nevertheless,” Saint Joseph said, “you should not weep for us, for tortures borne for the sake of Christ are followed by eternal joy.” two saints were returned to prison the next morning, as promised. After six months their wounds had healed to some extent. They could stand and walk a little, but Aethalas’s hands hung at his side limp and useless. was appointed as a judge, and he entered the city offering sacrifice to the gods in the various temples. Some of the priests told him about Saints Joseph and Aethalas, who had been tortured on the orders of Prince Ardasabor, the head of all the Magi of Persia. They explained to Zerothus that their execution was being delayed until they recovered from their wounds. he heard this, Zerothus ordered that the martyrs be brought before him. He used flattery and then threats in an attempt to persuade them to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When this proved unsuccessful, the judge had them beaten for a long time. they were brought before the judge again, Zerothus tried to get the saints to eat food which had been offered to the idols, but they refused. Then the judge had them beaten again, and ordered other Christians to stone them. Soldiers went to the homes of the Christians to force them to come to the judgment hall. They dug a hole and placed Saint Joseph in it, then put stones in the hands of the Christians and compelled them to stone him. Snandulia was among these Christians, but she refused to throw stones at the aged priest. Then they gave her a lance and told her to kill Saint Joseph. She said that she would rather drive the lance into her own heart than to wound the saint with it. Joseph was eventually killed by all the stones that were thrown at him, and the holy deacon Aethalas was also stoned in the same way. Snandulia stretched forth her arms to needful works and opened her hands to the needy (Proverbs 31:19-20), but she refused to lift her hands to do evil against Saint Joseph. Persia, 240-270, Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalas the Deacon, Arbela, Persia ; Arbela in Assyria; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalás the Deacon of Persia were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson. His flock devotedly loved their hierarch for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral work. emperor Sapor ordered his men to seek out and kill Christian clergy. Saint Akepsimas also was arrested, even though he was already an eighty-year-old man. They took him to the city of Arbela, where he came before the judge Ardarkh, a pagan priest of the sun god. The holy Elder refused to offer sacrifice to the Persian gods. For this he was fiercely beaten and thrown into prison, where on the following day the seventy-year-old priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalás were severely beaten and thrown into jail with him. For three years the saints were held in confinement, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Sapor came to the temple of the god of fire, located not far from Arbela, and wanted to take a look at the three holy martyrs. Exhausted and covered with festering wounds, the saints were brought before the emperor. When he asked them to worship the pagan gods they firmly refused, confessing their faith in Christ instead. holy bishop was beheaded, but the presbyter and deacon were taken into the city to be stoned. execution of the presbyter Joseph was prolonged for several hours. A guard was placed near the place of execution, so that Christians would not take the body of the holy martyr. On the fourth night a strong windstorm raged near the city, lightning killed the guard, the wind tossed stones about, and the body of Saint Joseph disappeared. Aeithalás was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was stoned. Christians secretly buried his body. A tree grew on the saint’s grave, and its fruit brought healings.

Persia, 240-270, Snandulia, bitter lamentations contrary Christian Hope, because tortures followed by eternal joy
Persia, 240-270, Snandulia, tended to Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas, oArbela, visited prisoners, bitter lamentations contrary Christian Hope, because tortures followed by eternal joy; Persia, 240-270, SNandulia, tended to Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas; Saint Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; Snandulia of Persia is mentioned in the account of the martyrdom of Saints Joseph the priest and Aethalas the deacon. The historian Sozomen also describes their sufferings in his Church History (Book 2, ch. 13). was a devout Christian of the city of Arbela who visited those who suffered in prison for the sake of Christ. When she learned that Saints Joseph and Aethalas were in the prison, she went with her servants by night and bribed the guards with gold. allowed her to take the saints to her home until daybreak. They were barely alive and unable to speak. She took them home and put them to bed, tending their wounds, and kissing their shattered hands and feet. Joseph recovered consciousness and saw Snandulia weeping. He told her that the compassion she had shown for him and for Aethalas was pleasing to God, he thought that her bitter lamentations were contrary to Christian hope. replied, “When one is moved by compassion, it is natural to weep.” “Nevertheless,” Saint Joseph said, “you should not weep for us, for tortures borne for the sake of Christ are followed by eternal joy.” two saints were returned to prison the next morning, as promised. six months their wounds had healed to some extent. They could stand and walk a little, but Aethalas’s hands hung at his side limp and useless. was appointed as a judge, and he entered the city offering sacrifice to the gods in the various temples. Some of the priests told him about Saints Joseph and Aethalas, who had been tortured on the orders of Prince Ardasabor, the head of all the Magi of Persia. They explained to Zerothus that their execution was being delayed until they recovered from their wounds. he heard this, Zerothus ordered that the martyrs be brought before him. He used flattery and then threats in an attempt to persuade them to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When this proved unsuccessful, the judge had them beaten for a long time. they were brought before the judge again, Zerothus tried to get the saints to eat food which had been offered to the idols, but they refused. Then the judge had them beaten again, and ordered other Christians to stone them. Soldiers went to the homes of the Christians to force them to come to the judgment hall. They dug a hole and placed Saint Joseph in it, then put stones in the hands of the Christians and compelled them to stone him. Snandulia was among these Christians, but she refused to throw stones at the aged priest. Then they gave her a lance and told her to kill Saint Joseph. She said that she would rather drive the lance into her own heart than to wound the saint with it. Joseph was eventually killed by all the stones that were thrown at him, and the holy deacon Aethalas was also stoned in the same way. Snandulia stretched forth her arms to needful works and opened her hands to the needy (Proverbs 31:19-20), but she refused to lift her hands to do evil against Saint Joseph. Persia, 240-270, Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalas the Deacon, Arbela, Persia ; Arbela in Assyria; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalás the Deacon of Persia were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson. His flock devotedly loved their hierarch for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral work. emperor Sapor ordered his men to seek out and kill Christian clergy. Saint Akepsimas also was arrested, even though he was already an eighty-year-old man. They took him to the city of Arbela, where he came before the judge Ardarkh, a pagan priest of the sun god. The holy Elder refused to offer sacrifice to the Persian gods. For this he was fiercely beaten and thrown into prison, where on the following day the seventy-year-old priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalás were severely beaten and thrown into jail with him. For three years the saints were held in confinement, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Sapor came to the temple of the god of fire, located not far from Arbela, and wanted to take a look at the three holy martyrs. Exhausted and covered with festering wounds, the saints were brought before the emperor. When he asked them to worship the pagan gods they firmly refused, confessing their faith in Christ instead. holy bishop was beheaded, but the presbyter and deacon were taken into the city to be stoned. execution of the presbyter Joseph was prolonged for several hours. A guard was placed near the place of execution, so that Christians would not take the body of the holy martyr. On the fourth night a strong windstorm raged near the city, lightning killed the guard, the wind tossed stones about, and the body of Saint Joseph disappeared. Aeithalás was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was stoned. Christians secretly buried his body. A tree grew on the saint’s grave, and its fruit brought healings.

Persia, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians, take Babylon
Persia, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on July 30;

Persia, 243-330, Great Martyr Irene, Magedon, Persia, wealthy, beautiful, high tower isolation, many miracles, much more
Persia, 243, Great Martyr Irene, Magedon, Persia (near Shiraz), wealthy, beautiful, high tower isolation from Christianity, 13 maidens w her, old C tutor Apellian, savior, faith, virtues , vision dove (superior education), olive branch (grace of God), eagle flowers, raven snake (suffering and sorrow), Lord wishes to betroth her, baptized Irene (peace), motionless horse hooves, horses remove fathers hand, she heals him, she preacher, Sedekias orders idol s, pit w vipers 10 days, unharmed, angel p and food, son Sapor, entire army blinded, healed, refused, lightning killed S, she converted 5,000, to Callinicus Syria, tortured 3 bronze oxen, 3rd ox walks, split, she emerged thousands c, to Constantina near Edessa, Armenia, beheaded buried by Saphor II in 330, raised by Angel, to Mesembria, king and subjects baptized, to Ephesus, received time of death, to cave; Magedon, Persia ; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; ---------------------The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of Licinius, the pagan ruler of a certain small kingdom, and his wife Licinia, and at birth her parents named her Penelope. was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. old tutor by the name of Apellian was appointed to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her about the Christian Faith and Christian virtues. Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. One night Penelope beheld the following vision: a dove entered the tower with an olive branch in its beak, depositing it on the table. An eagle also flew in carrying a wreath of flowers, and left it on the table. Then a raven flew in through another window and dropped a snake on the table. In the morning Penelope woke up and wondered about the meaning of the things she had seen. She related them to her tutor Apellian and he explained that the dove symbolized her superior education, and that the olive branch represented the grace of God which is received in Baptism. The eagle and the olive branch indicated success in her future life. The snake signified that she would experience suffering and sorrow. the end of the conversation Apellian said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and he named her Irene (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly after being baptized, she smashed all her father’s idols to pieces. Saint Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but the horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him to death. This caused a great deal of confusion among the people there but Irene consoled them with the words of Christ: “All things are possible to the one who believes” (Mark 9: 23). And indeed, with wondrous faith, she prayed and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of many eyewitnesses with his hand intact. Then, Licinius and his wife were baptized as Christians, along with almost 3000 others who turned away from the worship of inanimate idols. Licinius abandoned his domain and lived in the tower he had built for his daughter. There he spent the rest of his life in repentance. Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to preach Christ among the pagans, leading them to the path of salvation. Sedekias (Yesdegerd), the new prefect of the city, heard of the miracles performed by the saint, he summoned Apellian and questioned him about Irene’s manner of life. Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians, lived in strict temperance, devoting herself to constant prayer and reading holy books. summoned the saint to him and urged her to stop preaching about Christ. He also attempted to force her to sacrifice to the idols. Saint Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the prefect, not fearing his wrath, and prepared to undergo suffering for Christ. order of Sedekias she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed, for an angel of the Lord protected her and brought her food. Sedekias ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected Saint Irene to many other tortures, but she remained unharmed. Under the influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ, and turned away from the worship of inanimate idols. was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Persia, 274-293, Bahram II, rebellions, brother, cousin, 283 Roman invasion, lightning, R withdrew, Georgia control
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 274-293, Bahram II ; II (also spelled Wahram II or Warahran II was the fifth Sasanian King of Kings of Iran, from 274 to 293. He was the son and successor of Bahram I (r. 271–274). Bahram II, while still in his teens, ascended the throne with the aid of the powerful Zoroastrian priest Kartir, just like his father had done. was met with considerable challenges during his reign, facing a rebellion in the east led by his brother, the Kushano-Sasanian dynast Hormizd I Kushanshah, who also assumed the title of King of Kings and possibly laid claims to the Sasanian throne. rebellion, led by Bahram II's cousin Hormizd of Sakastan in Sakastan, also occurred around this period. Khuzestan, a Zoroastrian factional revolt led by a high-priest (mowbed) occurred. Roman emperor Carus exploited the turbulent situation of Iran by lanching a campaign into its holdings in Mesopotamia in 283. Bahram II, who was in the east, was unable to mount an effective coordinated defense at the time, possibly losing his capital of Ctesiphon to the Roman emperor. Carus died soon afterwards, reportedly being struck by lightning. As a result, the Roman army withdrew, and Mesopotamia was reclaimed by the Sasanians. the end of his reign, Bahram II had made peace with the Roman emperor Diocletian and put an end to the disturbances in Khuzestan and the east. the Caucasus, Bahram II strengthened Sasanian authority by securing the Iberian throne for Mirian III, an Iranian nobleman from the House of Mihran. II has been suggested by scholars to be the first Sasanian ruler to have coins minted of his family. He also ordered the carving of several rock reliefs that unambiguously emphasize distinguished representations of his family and members of the high nobility. was succeeded by his son Bahram III, who after only four months of reign, was overthrown by Narseh, a son of the second Sasanian ruler, Shapur I (r. 240–270). Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 280-350, James oNisibis, great ascetic Armenia Persian border, clairvoyant, 18 Chapters Orthodox Faith, 1st EC defender
Armenia, 280-350, James oNisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3), Prince's son, educated, loved solitude, lived in mts around Nizba, Persian Roman Border, ascetic exploits, open sky, tree fruits greens food, goat skins dress, all time in prayer, 284-305 faith confession courage, 314 chosen bishop, glorified bZeal, miracles, clairvoyance, his prayers saved N fInvasion Persian Sapor, 325 1st EC Orthodox faith defender, teacher iHis public school, Great Armenia bishop Gregory requested he write about Orthodox faith, sent 18 chapters, faith, love, fasting, prayer, spiritual warfare, resurrection, pastor duties, circumcision, food choice, Christ as Son oGod, etc, a persuasive clear composition, died peacefully 350 ; Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; James, Bishop of Nisibis, was the son of prince Gefal (Armenia) and received a fine upbringing. the time of his youth he loved solitude, for a long time he lived in the mountains around about the city of Niziba (on the border of the Persian and Roman Empires), he carried out strict ascetic exploits: lived under the open sky, himself with tree fruits and greens, dressed himself in goat-skins. monk passed all this time in prayerful conversations with God. a persecution by the emperor Maximian (284-305) was glorified by a courageous confession of faith. of his strict and pious life the inhabitants of Nisibis chose him as their bishop (no later than the year 314). James was glorified by his ardent zeal for the Orthodox Faith, great miracles by the gift of clairvoyance. his prayers Nisibis was saved from an invasion by Sapor, the emperor of Persia. James, among the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, one of the prominent defenders of the Orthodox Faith. wise and educated pastor, he constructed a public school at Nisibis, which he himself was an instructor. made a strong impression on the hearts of his listeners by the high morality of his life. Gregory, bishop of great Armenia, turned to him with a request to write about the faith, the Nisibis pastor sent to him by way of reply a detailed Discourse (18 Chapters): the faith, love, warfare, resurrection of the dead, duties of pastors, circumcision (against the Jews), the choice of foods, Christ as the Son of God, and so on. His composition distinguishes itself by its persuasive clear exposition and warmth. James died peacefully in about the year 350.

Persia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Jacob, Gregory's Kin, Armenia (Tigris River 3)
Armenia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ;

Persia, 293, Bahram III, Sasanian Emperor, very short reign, overthrown by son of Shapur I, to be over Armenia
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293, Bahram III; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 293-302, Narseh, Sasanian Emperor, son of Shapur I, lost to Romans, religious tolerance
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh; (also spelled Narses or Narseus) was the seventh Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 293 to 303. youngest son of Shapur I (r. 240–270), Narseh served as the governor of Sakastan, Hind and Turan under his father. Shapur I was eventually succeeded by his son Hormizd I (r. 270–271), who died after a reign of one year. I's eldest son Bahram I, who had never been considered as a candidate for succession to the throne by his father, ascended the throne with the aid of the powerful Zoroastrian priest Kartir. then made a settlement with Narseh to give up his entitlement to the throne in return for the governorship of the important frontier province of Armenia, which was a persistent cause for war between the Roman and Sasanian Empires. Narseh held the title of Vazurg sah Arminān ("Great King of Armenia"), which was used by the heir to the throne in the early Sasanian times. Nevertheless, Narseh most likely still viewed Bahram I as a usurper. succession of Bahram I's son, Bahram II (r. 274–293) seemingly occurred without any issues. However, after Bahram II's death in 293, the noble Wahnam had the latters son Bahram III unwillingly crowned. The nobility did not support Bahram III's kingship, and asked Narseh to rule instead. Ultimately, Bahram III abdicated as shah, while Wahnam was executed. Narseh's accession to the throne makes him the first Sasanian shah to not ascend the throne as a crown prince. The circumstances of Narseh's rise to power are detailed in the Paikuli inscription, which he made as his own Res Gestae Divi Augusti and to legitimize his rule.[1] years after his accession, war erupted between the Sasanians and Romans once again. In the spring of 297, Narseh's forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the forces of Galerius. The following year, however, Narseh was to suffer a heavy defeat at Satala; his wives, children, and many Iranian nobles were taken as prisoners of war. Due to this ignominious defeat, Narseh was forced to accept a peace treaty prescribed by the Romans, ceding them several areas at the Sasanian-Roman border. is notable for returning to the religious tolerance policy of his father.[2] Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 300, 4th Century Folder, Sasanian Empire, Saphor II, Julian's Death

Persia, 301-350, Akepsimas &Aithalas, Arbel, Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession
Galilee, 301-350, Arbel (Arbela), Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession; Arbel; Roman and Byzantine "Arbel" or "Arbela"[edit] In 161 BCE "Arbela" in the Arbel Valley was the site of a battle between the supporters of the Maccabees and Seleucid general Bacchides, who defeated and killed his opponents (1 Macc. 9:2).[3][4][5] the second half of the second century BCE, the village of Arbel was the home of the sage Nittai of Arbela.[citation needed] 38 BCE, Jewish partisans of Antigonus who were opposing Herod in his conquest of the land with the help of Roman, sought refuge from his troops in the caves dotting the steep northern cliffs of Mount Arbel, but couldn't escape death.[6][4][5] Their story is told by Josephus, who himself fortified the cave-village as a storage base at the beginning of the First Jewish–Roman War against Rome in 66 CE.[4][5] ancient town of Arbel is thought by some to have been located at the site of Khirbet Wadi Hamam ("Ruins [in the] Valley of the Doves"; Hurvat Vradim being the modern Hebrew name), on the other side of Arbel Valley, on the eastern slopes of Mount Nitay and close to the stream bed; if that was the case, the village only moved to the site of Khirbet Irbid, close to where the modern moshav stands now, during the Middle Ages.[5] The Jewish scholar Ishtori Haparchi, writing in 1322, thought to identify ancient Arbel with the Arab village itself, in its location on Mount Arbel, 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Tiberias.[7] from the late Roman and Byzantine periods have been found.[8][dubious – discuss] Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyrs Akepsimas and Aithalas were from Persia. Akepsimas was a pagan priest in the city of Arbel. Having received healing through the prayers of a Christian bishop, he was converted to the faith in Christ and boldly confessed it. For this they threw Saint Akepsimas into prison. after, Saint Aithalas, a deacon of the Arbel Church, was imprisoned with him. They brought the martyrs before the ruler, where they again confessed their faith and were beheaded.

Persia, 302-309, Hormizd II, Sasanian Emperor, Bishapur, nobility intrigues, k, son k, n installed infant son Shapur II
Persia, 302-309, Hormizd II, Sasanian Emperor, Bishapur, Armenia Christian, internal turmoil, d and K Ghassanid king in Syria, nobility intrigues, k, son k, n installed infant son Shapur II; II (also spelled Hormozd II or Ohrmazd II‎) was king (shah) of the Sasanian Empire. He ruled for seven years and five months, from 303 to 309. He was a son and successor of Narseh (r. 293–303). his reign, the Kingdom of Armenia had recently declared Christianity as its official religion, thus leaving its ancient Zoroastrian heritage that it shared with Sasanian Iran. II's reign was also marked by internal turmoil, which he successfully managed to deal with it. Hormizd II was also successful in his efforts in the west, defeating and killing the Ghassanid king in Syria. His reign was, however, cut short by the intrigues of the Iranian nobility, that killed him in a secluded place. was succeeded by his son Adur Narseh, who after a few months of reigning was also killed by the nobility. They instead installed Hormizd II's infant son Shapur II on the throne. Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Sasanian Emperor, Alamundar, Bishapur, infant king, 70 yr reign, military resurgence
Persia, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Sasanian Emperor, Alamundar, Bishapur, infant king, 70 yr reign, military resurgence, expansion, persecuted christians, jews prospered, controlled Armenia ; II (309 – 379), also known as Shapur the Great, was the tenth Sasanian King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Iran. The longest-reigning monarch in Iranian history, he reigned for the entirety of his 70-year life, from 309 to 379. He was the son of Hormizd II (r. 302–309). reign saw the military resurgence of the country, and the expansion of its territory, which marked the start of the first Sasanian golden era. He is thus along with Shapur I, Kavad I and Khosrow I, regarded as one of the most illustrious Sasanian kings. His three direct successors, on the other hand, were less successful. At the age of 16, he launched enormously successful military campaigns against Arab insurrections and tribes who knew him as (he who pierces shoulders). II pursued a harsh religious policy. Under his reign, the collection of the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, was completed, heresy and apostasy were punished, and Christians were persecuted. The latter was a reaction against the Christianization of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. Shapur II, like Shapur I, was amicable towards Jews, who lived in relative freedom and gained many advantages in his period (see also Rava). At the time of Shapur's death, the Sasanian Empire was stronger than ever, with its enemies to the east pacified and Armenia under Sasanian control. Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia was, before her conversion to the Christian Faith, a pagan priestess of the goddess Artemis. saint’s sister convinced her to accept Baptism. When the pagans saw Memelchtha in her white baptismal robe, they stoned her. The saint suffered in the year 344. Later, a church was dedicated to her on the site of the temple of Artemis. Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10; Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Ananias the Presbyter in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 309-379, Abramius, Bishop of Arbela, Assyria, under Sapor II, tortured, Lord, do not count this sin against them
Persia, 309-379, Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria (Tigris River 4) suffered under Sapor II, tortured, Lord, do not count this sin against them; Arbela in Assyria; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Hieromartyr Abramius, Bishop of Arbela, suffered during a persecution against Christians in Persia under the emperor Sapor II. When they demanded that the saint renounce Christ and worship the sun, he answered, “How foolish to forsake the Creator and instead worship creatures! Isn’t the sun just a creation of my God?” this, they fiercely beat and tortured him. Saint Abramius prayed during torture, echoing the words of the Savior: “Lord, do not count this sin against them, for they know not what they do!” The hieromartyr was beheaded by the sword in the village of Felman.

Persia, 309-379, Sadok&128 Martyrs,Bishapur, Saphur II, dreamed his death, Simeon in dream atop ladder, ascend to me
Persia, 309-379, Sadok, Bishop, of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him, Bishapur, South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun) Saphur II, after Simeon, dreamed his death, Simeon in dream atop ladder, ascend to me today, they all beheaded after 5 months ; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Sadoc, Bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him suffered in Persia under Sapor II. Sadoc was successor of the hieromartyr Simeon (April 17). once had a dream, in which Saint Simeon told him of his own impending martyric death. Standing in great glory atop a ladder reaching up to Heaven, Saint Simeon said, “Ascend to me, Sadoc, and be not afraid. Yesterday I ascended, and today you will ascend.” the emperor Sapor, renewing the persecution against Christians, ordered that Saint Sadoc be arrested with his clergy and flock. In all, 128 people were arrested, including nine virgins. They were thrown into prison, where they were cruelly tortured for five months. They were told to renounce the Christian Faith and instead to worship the sun and fire. The holy martyrs bravely answered, “We are Christians and worship the One God.” They were sentenced to beheading by the sword.

Persia, 310-331, Martyred brothers Barachisius &Jonah +, in Persia, tPrison tEncourage, no worship sun,fire&water, many tortures
Persia, 310-331, Martyred brothers Barachisius &Jonah +, in Persia, went to the prison where christians being held, encouraged, arrested, worship sun,fire&water, no, tortured Jonah, beat long time, dragged over ice, cut off fingers toes, cut out tongue, pealed skin from head, sawed in half, threw into ditch, tortured Barachisius, molten tin in nose, ears, mouth, raked w sharp instruments, tied to turning wheel, boiling tar in mouth; Persia (Iran); Martyred brothers Barachisius and Jonah, and those with them, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Barachisius was the brother of Saint Jonah. They were Christians who lived in the village of Yasa in Persia during the time of the emperor Sapor (310-331), a fierce persecutor of Christians. that Christians were being tortured in the city of Baravokh, they went there to the prison where Saints Zanithas, Lazarus, Maruthas, Narses, Elias, Marinus, Habib, Sembeeth (Sivsithina), and Savva were being held. encouraged them to adhere to the Christian Faith until the very end. The holy brothers were arrested and brought to trial before the Persian princes Masdrath, Siroth and Marmis, who urged them to worship the sun, fire, and water. The holy martyrs firmly confessed their faith in Christ and would not agree to the demands of the pagans. Therefore, they were subjected to fierce torments and death. Jonah suffered first. They tied the holy martyr to a tree and beat him for a long time, then they dragged him across the ice of a frozen lake. They also cut off his fingers and toes, and cut out his tongue. Then they peeled the skin from his head, and finally sawed his body in half and threw it in a ditch. placed red-hot shackles on the wrists of Saint Barachisius, poured molten tin in his nose, ears and mouth, and they raked him with sharp instruments, after they tied him to a turning wheel. The holy martyr surrendered his soul to God after they poured boiling tar in his mouth. bodies of the holy martyrs Jonah, Barachisius and the other martyrs were buried by a pious Christian named Habdisotes.

Persia, 330, 5 Nuns beheaded, virgins gave wealth to priest, he accepted Zism, persians killed p after he killed them
Persia, 330, 5 Nuns beheaded, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol, Wealthy priest, virgins gave wealth to him, he accepted Zoroism to save his wealth, they did not, he killed them, persians killed him next day; Ctesiphon; Five Nuns beheaded in Persia: Martyrs Thecla, Mariamne, Martha, Mary, and Ennatha Commemorated on June 9; the time of the Persian king Saphor II (ca. 330 A.D.), a priest by the name of Paul was living near the village of Aza. was wealthy and a lover of money, he had with him five women who had consecrated their virginity to God. Saints Thekla, Mariamne, Martha, Maria, and Ennatha were adorned with the splendor of virtues. were wealthy, and they entrusted their Spiritual Father with all their money. greedy man prayed and chanted the Psalms with them, but he kept their money for himself. they learned that the priest Paul was rich, the Persians threatened to kill him and the five virgins if he did not deny Christ and give them some of his treasure. he preferred earthly riches, he accepted the Persian religion. holy virgins said that they would rather suffer torture and death than deny Christ. beheaded the women with a sword when they refused to follow his treacherous example. He did not enjoy his wealth for very long, however. The Persians drowned him the following evening in order to obtain all of the money. The holy virgins received their incorruptible crowns of glory from Christ in the year 346. five Virgin Martyrs are also commemorated on September 26.

Persia, 332or343, Hieromartyr PresbyterJames(t zealot) & Bishop John, s preachers, beheaded, unfading martyrdom crowns
Persia, 332 or 343, Hieromartyr James the Presbyter (the zealot) and John the Bishop, Bishapur, South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun), successful preachers, beheaded, unfading crowns of martyrdom; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyrs John the Bishop and James the Presbyter (known as "the zealot"), during the reign of the Persian King Shapur II1 and preached the true Faith, and many devout persons were attracted to it. Saints were arrested by Shapur and, after being subjected to cruel torments, they were beheaded in the year 332 (or 343). Thus, they received unfading crowns of martyrdom from Christ. Shapur II, known as the Great, was a Persian king, who reigned from 310 to 381, and persecuted Christians. Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; Story

Persia, 332or343, 7k Martyrs, in Persia, including Sapor II's mother, whipped, massacred, fired but not burned
Persia, 332or343, 0 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, including Sapor II's mother, whipped, massacred, fired but not burned; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Acindynus suffered martyrdom in Persia along with Saints Pegasias, Aphthonius, Elpidephorus, Anempodistus, and 7,000 other Christians at the time of King Sapor II (310-381). saints were Sapor’s courtiers, and were secret Christians. the king began his persecution against Christians, envious pagans denounced them to him. Summoned to Sapor’s presence for trial, the holy martyrs fearlessly confessed their faith in the Holy Trinity. The king ordered them to be beaten with whips. told the people that Saints Acindynus, Pegasias, Anempodistus and Elpidephorus would have their heads cut off, and that he would not permit the Christians to bury their bodies. tremendous crowd accompanied these saints as they were led outside the city walls for execution, glorifying Christ. Sapor’s orders, soldiers massacred all the Christians in the procession (about 7,000), including Saint Elpidephorus. Pegasias, and Anempodistus were burned on the following day with the mother of the emperor. came secretly by night to the place of execution, found the bodies of the holy martyrs unharmed by the fire, and they buried them with reverence. Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Story

Persia, 332or343, Acindynus, martyr, in Persia, including Sapor II's mother, whipped, massacred, fired but not burned
Persia, 332or343, 0 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, including Sapor II's mother, whipped, massacred, fired but not burned; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Acindynus suffered martyrdom in Persia along with Saints Pegasias, Aphthonius, Elpidephorus, Anempodistus, and 7,000 other Christians at the time of King Sapor II (310-381). saints were Sapor’s courtiers, and were secret Christians. the king began his persecution against Christians, envious pagans denounced them to him. Summoned to Sapor’s presence for trial, the holy martyrs fearlessly confessed their faith in the Holy Trinity. The king ordered them to be beaten with whips. told the people that Saints Acindynus, Pegasias, Anempodistus and Elpidephorus would have their heads cut off, and that he would not permit the Christians to bury their bodies. tremendous crowd accompanied these saints as they were led outside the city walls for execution, glorifying Christ. Sapor’s orders, soldiers massacred all the Christians in the procession (about 7,000), including Saint Elpidephorus. Pegasias, and Anempodistus were burned on the following day with the mother of the emperor. came secretly by night to the place of execution, found the bodies of the holy martyrs unharmed by the fire, and they buried them with reverence. Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Story

Persia, 341, Hieromartyr Milus, Bishop oTelepolis oSuza, fGeneral, devout ascetic so prophecy healing gifts
Persia, 341, Hieromartyr Milus, Bishop oTelepolis oSuza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South), former General, devout ascetic so prophecy healing gifts, ordained bBo Geddegoupolis, pagans expelled M from Susa, tJerusalem, tAlexandria, met Anthony tG, 2yrs, back tPersia, arrested, death bSword, disciples bWooden clubs&stones; Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Persian Martyr Mίlos was once a General. he was chosen as the Bishop of Telepolis (Susa, or Shushan in Syriac), where the Prophet Daniel saw visions.1 of his devout ascetical life, Saint Mίlos received from God the gifts of prophecy and healing. was ordained by Bishop Bēthlapát of Geddēgoupólis. the pagans expelled him from the city of Susa, his episcopal See, he fled to Jerusalem. there, he went to Alexandria, where he met Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). two years the Hierarch returned to Persia, where he and his disciples were arrested by the ruler Basiliskos. Mίlos was put to death by the sword. disciples2 Ebórēs, Papas, and the Deacon Senóei (or Sebórēs), were killed with wooden clubs and stones. they all received the immortal crown of martyrdom in the year 341. Daniel 8:2 (LXX). Some sources say there were two disciples: Abrosim and Sinon. Others list three disciples: Ebórēs, Papas, and the Deacon Senóei (or Sebórēs). The difference in the names might be explained by alternate transcriptions of the Persian names into other languages. Papas may be a proper name, or it may be that Ebórēs was a priest. If that is the case, however, one would expect to see the title πρεσβύτερος.

Persia, 343, Hieromartyr Nerses and those with him, Bishapur, bishops and martyrs, beheaded, stoned, strangled, tortured
Persia, 343, Hieromartyr Nerses and those with him, Bishapur, bishops and martyrs, beheaded, stoned, strangled, tortured, under Saphor II, disciple Joseph, Bishops John Saverius Isaac Hypatius, martyr Azades the Eunuch, Savorius, Thekla, Anna and many others; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Nerses the bishop suffered for Christ in Persia with his disciple Joseph; Bishops John, Saverius, Isaac and Hypatius; the Martyrs Azades the Eunuch, Savonius, Thekla, Anna and many other men and women. They were executed in 343 during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Sapor II. Nerses and his disciple Joseph were beheaded; Saint John was stoned. This fate befell also Saints Isaac and Hypatius. Saint Saverius died in prison, and after death they cut off his head. A certain apostate presbyter strangled the Martyr Azades the Eunuch. The Martyrs Savonius, Thekla, Anna and many other men and women also underwent torture, suffering and death for Christ in 343.

Persia, 343, Martyr Ananias, while tortured said I see a ladder leading to heaven, radiant men calling me, to city of light
Persia, 343, Martyr Ananias, while being tortured, he said I see a ladder leading to heaven, and radiant men calling me to a marvelous city of light; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; Saint Ananias was being tortured for his belief in Christ, he said, “I see a ladder leading to heaven, and radiant men calling me to a marvelous city of light.” Persia, 343, Hieromartyr Nerses and those with him, Bishapur, bishops and martyrs, beheaded, stoned, strangled, tortured; Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Nerses the bishop suffered for Christ in Persia with his disciple Joseph; Bishops John, Saverius, Isaac and Hypatius; the Martyrs Azades the Eunuch, Savonius, Thekla, Anna and many other men and women. They were executed in 343 during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Sapor II. Nerses and his disciple Joseph were beheaded; Saint John was stoned. This fate befell also Saints Isaac and Hypatius. Saint Saverius died in prison, and after death they cut off his head. A certain apostate presbyter strangled the Martyr Azades the Eunuch. The Martyrs Savonius, Thekla, Anna and many other men and women also underwent torture, suffering and death for Christ in 343.

Persia, 344, Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop in Persia, Ctesiphon, Sassanian Capitol Saphor II's time, heavy tax on c, 1150 martyred
Persia, 344, Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop in Persia, and those with him, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol Saphor II's time, heavy tax on c, eunuch Usphazanes embarrased, then repents and executed, 1150 martyred; Ctesiphon; Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop in Persia, and those with him, Commemorated on April 17; Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia, suffered during a persecution against Christians under the Persian emperor Sapor II (310-381). They accused the saint of collaborating with the Roman Empire and of subversive activities against the Persian emperor. the year 344, the emperor issued an edict which imposed a heavy tax upon Christians. When some of them refused to pay it, this was regarded as an act of rebellion, so the emperor began a fierce persecution against Christians. Simeon was brought to trial in iron fetters as a supposed enemy of the Persian realm, together with the two hieromartyrs Habdelai and Ananias. The holy bishop would not even bow to the emperor, who asked why he would not show him the proper respect. The saint answered, “Formerly, I bowed because of your rank, but now, when you ask me to renounce my God and abandon my faith, it is not proper for me to bow to you.” emperor urged him to worship the sun, and he threatened to eradicate Christianity in his land if he refused. But neither urgings nor threats could shake the steadfast saint, and they led him off to prison. Along the way the eunuch Usphazanes, a counsellor of the emperor, saw the saint. He stood up and bowed to the bishop, but the saint turned away from him because he, a former Christian, out of fear of the emperor, now worshipped the sun. eunuch repented with all his heart, he exchanged his fine attire for coarse garb, and sitting at the doors of the court, he cried out bitterly, “Woe to me, when I stand before my God, from Whom I am cut off. Here was Simeon, and he has turned his back on me!” emperor Sapor learned about the grief of his beloved tutor and asked him what had happened. He told the emperor that he bitterly regretted his apostasy and would no more worship the sun, but only the one true God. The emperor was surprised at the old man’s sudden decision, and he urged him not to abjure the gods whom their fathers had reverenced. But Usphazanes was unyielding, and they condemned him to death. Saint Usphazanes asked that the city heralds report that he died not for crimes against the emperor, but for being a Christian. The emperor granted his request. Simeon also learned about the death of Usphazanes, and he gave thanks to the Lord. When they brought him before the emperor a second time, Saint Simeon again refused to worship the pagan gods and confessed his faith in Christ. The enraged emperor gave orders to behead all the Christians in the prison before the saint’s eyes. fear the Christians went to execution, blessed by the holy hierarch, and they bent their heads beneath the sword. Saint Simeon’s companion, the Priest Habdelai, was also beheaded. When they came to the Priest Ananias, he suddenly trembled. Then one of the dignitaries, Saint Phusicus (Pusicius), a secret Christian, was afraid that Ananias would renounce Christ, and he cried out, “Do not fear the sword, Elder, and you will see the divine light of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Phusicus betrayed himself by this outburst. The emperor gave orders to pluck out his tongue and to flay the skin off him. Along with Saint Phusicus, his daughter Askitrea was also martyred. Saint Simeon was the last to go before the executioner, and he placed his head on the chopping-block (April 13, 344). Executions continued all during Bright Week until April 23. Azates the Eunuch, a close official to the emperor, also received the crown of martyrdom, along with Saints Abdechalas, Usthazanes, and Azades. The sources indicate that 1,150 Martyrs perished because they refused to accept the Persian religion.

Persia, 344, Martyr Memelchtha, Pagan Priestess, Bishapur
Persia, 344, Martyr Memelchtha, Pagan Priestess of Persia, Bishapur; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia was, before her conversion to the Christian Faith, a pagan priestess of the goddess Artemis. saint’s sister convinced her to accept Baptism. When the pagans saw Memelchtha in her white baptismal robe, they stoned her. The saint suffered in the year 344. Later, a church was dedicated to her on the site of the temple of Artemis.

Persia, 344-347, 120 Martyrs of Persia, Kerman (high point, home of Shapur II the Great), consigned to the flames, 10 virgins
Persia, 344-347, 120 Martyrs of Persia, Kerman (high point, home of Shapur II the Great), consigned to the flames, 10 virgins; Shapur II the Great; Kerman, Persia (high point, home of Shapur II the Great); 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Holy 120 Martyrs suffered under the Persian emperor Sapor. were taken into captivity during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantios (337-361). were consigned to the flames after firmly confessing their faith (c.344-347). Shandulios (November 3) concealed their relics from desecration by the pagans. the holy martyrs were ten virgins, who had dedicated themselves to the service of God.

Persia, 346, 5 nuns beheaded in Persia, actually Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Saphor II's time (309-379), killed by corrupt Priest
Georgia, 346, Five nuns beheaded in Persia, actually Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, during Saphor II's time (309-379), Priest Paul in Aza village, wealthy lover oMoney, had with him 5 women saints consecrated to God, adorned with virtues, also wealthy, entrusted their money to Paul, their spiritual father, he prayed and chanted Psalms with them, but kept money for himself, Persians threatened kill them for the money, if they not deny Christ, and give them some, Paul said Ok and became fire worshippers, virgins said no, Paul beheaded virgins, Persians drowned Paul next evening, virgins received incorruptble crowns oGlory from Christ in 346; Aza, Azerbaijan; Five Nuns beheaded in Persia: Martyrs Thecla, Mariamne, Martha, Mary, and Ennatha, Commemorated on June 9; the time of the Persian king Saphor II (ca. 330 A.D.), a priest by the name of Paul was living near the village of Aza. was wealthy and a lover of money, and he had with him five women who had consecrated their virginity to God. Saints Mariamne, Martha, Maria, and Ennatha were adorned with the splendor of virtues. were wealthy, and they entrusted their Spiritual Father with all their money. greedy man prayed and chanted the Psalms with them, but he kept their money for himself. they learned that the priest Paul was rich, the Persians threatened to kill him and the five virgins if he did not deny Christ and give them some of his treasure. he preferred earthly riches, he accepted the Persian religion. holy virgins said that they would rather suffer torture and death than deny Christ. beheaded the women with a sword when they refused to follow his treacherous example. did not enjoy his wealth for very long, however. Persians drowned him the following evening in order to obtain all of the money. holy virgins received their incorruptible crowns of glory from Christ in the year 346. The five Virgin Martyrs are also commemorated on September 26.

Persia, 363, Battle of Samarra, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian'™s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian'™s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 363, Helladius the Bishop, Artaz Region, high point, Armenia, not harmed by fire, healed by Jesus
Armenia, 363, Helladius the Bishop in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, Artaz Region, high point, Armenia, not harmed by fire, healed by Jesus; Eastern part of the Roman Empire ; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop was thrown into fire because of his faith in Christ, but he remained unharmed. He died as a martyr from the terrible beating inflicted upon him. the Service to Saint Helladius it is said that the Lord Jesus Christ visited him in prison and healed him of his wounds. According to certain sources, Saint Helladius suffered under the Persians during their invasion into the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

Persia, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached
Armenia, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached word of God to them, died 370; Edessa, Syria; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Aphraates, a Persian who came to believe in Christ, disavowed his illustrious lineage and left his pagan countrymen by going to Edessa, and then to Antioch. attracted many by his holy life, and preached the Word of God to them. He died in the year 370.

Persia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, tPersian Shah twice, persuaded favorable Christian disposition, much more
Mesopotamia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Armenia (Tigris River 2), Bishop oTagrith (Martyropolis), city he founded, between Byzantine Empire and Persia, knowledge&piety fame, wrote about martyrs, suffered under Sapor, Syrian Language Commentary otGospel, Verses oMaruthas, 73 Cannons ot 325 EC at Nicea, Acts otCouncil, 381 2nd EC participant aConstantinople, against Macedonius, 383 attended Council oAntioch against Messalians, 403-404 off to Constantinople, plead Arcadius protect Persian Christians, two times sent by Theodosius tYounger to Shah in Izdegerd to secure peace, 414 persuaded Shah favorable disposition tChristians, for freedom Christians iPersia, located Persian saints relics, transferred them tMartyropolis, rebuilt Churches razed by Sapor, died iPersia 422, relics trans tEgypt, skete Monastery otMOG; Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Maruthas was Bishop of Tagrith (Martyropolis), city which he founded between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. was famed for his knowledge and his piety, wrote about the martyrs, he suffered for his faith in Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. also left behind other works in the Syrian language, which the most famous are: “Commentary on the Gospel,” “Verses of Maruthas,” “Liturgy of Maruthas” “The 73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council at Nicea” (325) with an account of the acts of the Council. the year 381 Saint Maruthas participated in the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, against the heresy of Macedonius. 383, he attended the Council of Antioch against the Messalians. the years 403-404 Saint Maruthas set off to Constantinople plead with the emperor Arcadius to protect Persian Christians. was twice sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the Shah Izdegerd to secure the peace between the Empire and Persia. the year 414 Saint Maruthas, having done his duty as envoy to the court of Izdegerd, the Shah to a favorable disposition towards Christians, and he assisted greatly in the freedom of Christians in Persia. rebuilt Christian churches razed during the persecution by the Persian ruler Sapor. also located relics of saints who had suffered martyrdom and transferred them to Martyropolis. died there in 422. relics of Saint Maruthas were later transferred to Egypt placed in a skete monastery of the Mother of God.

Persia, 380, James the Presbyter and the deacons Azadanes and Abdikius, Tortured under Sapor II
Persia, 380, James the Presbyter and the deacons Azadanes and Abdikius, Bishapur, South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun), Died under Sapor II, mustard and vinegar in nostrils, stripped, all night in cold, beheaded Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Holy Martyrs James the Presbyter and the deacons Azadanes and Abdikius died in Persia under the emperor Sapor in about the year 380. were arrested together with Bishop Akepsimas (November 3). Weak from hunger, the sufferers had mustard and vinegar inserted into their nostrils. Then they were stripped and led out to stand all night in the cold. the morning, after new torments, the martyrs were returned to prison and beheaded.

Persia, 380-383, Sasanian Emperor, Ardashir II, S II's brother, appointed to rule till Saphor III
Persia, 380-383, Sasanian Emperor, Ardashir II, brother, appointed to rule till Saphor III Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyrs Heliodorus and Dosa suffered for Christ in Persia under the emperor Sapor II, in the year 380.

Persia, 399-438, Persian Court of emperors Izdegerd (399-420) and Barakhranes (420-438)
Court of emperors Izdegerd (399-420) and Barakhranes (420-438) in Ctesiphon, Persia; Ctesiphon; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 399-420, Persian Sasanian Emperor, Izdegerd I, friend to Jews and Christians, Zoros Nobles killed him
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 399-420, Izdegerd I ; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 399-420, James the Persian, emperors court position, idol sacrifice, repented, confessed, torture, thanksgiving, behead
Persia, 399-420, Bushehr, position in court of the emperors, offered idol sacrifice, repented, discovered, confessed, prolonged torture, fingers and toes, arms and legs, one by oone, thanksgiving prayers, finally beheaded; Bushehr, Persia; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Holy Great Martyr James the Persian (the Sawn-Asunder) was born in the fourth century into a pious Christian family, both wealthy and illustrious. His wife was also a Christian, and the couple raised their children in piety, inspiring in them a love for prayer and the Holy Scriptures. occupied a high position at the court of the Persian emperor Izdegerd (399-420) and his successor Barakhranes (420-438). But on one of the military campaigns James, seduced by the emperor’s beneficence, was afraid to acknowledge himself a Christian, and so he offered sacrifice to idols with the emperor. of this, James’ mother and wife wrote him a letter, in which they rebuked him and urged him to repent. Receiving the letter, James realized the gravity of his sin. Faced with the horror of being cut off not only from his family, but also from God Himself, he began to weep loudly, imploring the Lord for forgiveness. fellow-soldiers, hearing him pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, reported this to the emperor. Under interrogation, Saint James bravely confessed his faith in the one True God. No amount of urging by the emperor could make him renounce Christ. The emperor then ordered the saint to be put to death. began to cut off his fingers and his toes one by one, then his hands and his feet, and then his arms and legs. During the prolonged torture Saint James offered prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord, Who had granted him the possibility of redemption from his sins by enduring these terrible torments. Finally, the martyr was beheaded. Christians gathered up the pieces of his body and buried them with great reverence. Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31;

Persia, 400, 5th Century Folder, Sasanian Empire, Sapor IV

Persia, 418-420, Sapor IV, King of Persian Armenia, Sasanian
Persian Emperor, 420, Sapor IV, Sasanian; IV, was king of Persian Armenia from 415 to 420, who briefly ruled the Sasanian Empire in 420. IV was the son of Yazdegerd I and Shushandukht, and had two brothers named Bahram V and Narse. At the death of the Arsacid Armenian king Khosrov IV, Yazdegerd I decided to give the royal crown of Armenia to his eldest son Shapur IV, instead of giving it to Khosrov's nephew, Artaxias IV. During Shapur's reign in Armenia, he concentrated on reconciliation and established friendly relations with the nobles. He made every effort to convert the Christian Armenians to Zoroastrianism, but was largely unsuccessful.[1] 420, Yazdegerd I was murdered by the Sasanian nobles at Hyrcania,[2] which made Shapur quickly leave Armenia and arrive at Ctesiphon to claim the Sasanian throne. However, he only managed to reign during a short time, until he was murdered by the nobles and the clergy, who sought to expel all the sons of Yazdegerd I.[3] After the murder of Shapur, the nobles elected another Sasanian prince, Khosrau, the son of Bahram IV, as king of the Sasanian Empire. Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 420-438, Bahram V, Emperor, Barakhranes, raised by eastern Arabs, Lakhmid kings
Persian Emperor, 420-438, Bahram V; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 438, Ignatius relics transfer, back to Rome from Syria because Persia took Antioch
Syria, 108, 438, 540 or 637, Ignatius relics transfer, Rome tAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Trajan had him thrown to the lions in 107, Christians gathered his bons at Rome, 108 his relics buried at Gate oDaphne, Antioch, 43i8 transferred tRome because Persians captured A, 540 placed Clement's church Rome, or 637, Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing, he left 7 arcpastoral epistles with instructions faith, love, good works, he also urged preservation unity otFaith, beware heretics, hono&obey bishops, regard as Lord himself, example letter to Polycarp, listen to your bishop ifyou want God to listen to you; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch ; Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer: (See December 20). the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome. in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources). Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, “We should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself.” (To the Ephesians 6) his Letter to Polycarp, Saint Ignatius writes: “Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you... let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armor.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder 4:2)

Persia, 457-459, Hormizd III, Emperor, killed by younger brother Peroz
Persian Emperor, 457-459, Hormizd III, Sasanian; III ( was the seventeenth king (shah) of the Sasanian Empire, ruling briefly from 457 to 459. He was the son and successor of Yazdegerd II (r. 438-457). reign was marked by the rebellion of his younger brother Peroz I, who with the aid of one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran, the House of Mihran, and the eastern neighbours of the Sasanians, the Hephthalites, had him captured and executed. Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9;

Persia, 450 5th Century, Martyr Benjamin the Deacon, Converted many to Christianity
Persia, 450, Martyr Benjamin the Deacon; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia, Commemorated on October 13; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia converted many pagan Persians to Christianity, and for his zeal and evangelic preaching he suffered in Persia during the fifth century.

Persia, 459-494, Peroz I, Emperor, Sasanian, killed brother, war, famine, foolish war w allies, Nestorian
Persia, 459-494, Emperor, Peroz I, Sasanian ; I was the Sasanian King of Kings (shahanshah) of Iran from 459 to 484. A son of Yazdegerd II (r. 438-457), he disputed the rule of his elder brother and incumbent king Hormizd III (r. 457-459), eventually seizing the throne after a two-year struggle. reign was marked by war and famine. Early in his reign, he successfully quelled a rebellion in Caucasian Albania in the west, and put an end to the Kidarites in the east, briefly expanding Sasanian rule into Tokharistan, where he issued gold coins with his likeness at Balkh. Simultaneously, Iran was suffering from a seven-year famine. soon clashed with the former subjects of the Kidarites, the Hephthalites, who possibly had previously helped him to gain his throne. He was defeated and captured twice by the Hephthalites and lost his recently acquired possessions. 482, revolts broke out in the western provinces of Armenia and Iberia, led by Vahan Mamikonian and Vakhtang I respectively. Peroz could quell the unrest there, he was defeated and killed in his third war with the Hephthalites in 484, who seized the main Sasanian cities of the eastern region of Khorasan-Nishapur, Herat and Marw. advantage of the weakened Sasanian authority in the east, the Nezak Huns subsequently seized the region of Zabulistan. was the last shahanshah to mint unique gold coins in the Indian region of Sindh, which indicates that the region was lost around the same period. a devout Zoroastrian, Peroz supported the newly established Christian sect of Nestorianism, and just before his death, it was declared the official doctrine of the Iranian church. wars against the Hephthalites have been described as "foolhardy" in both contemporary and modern historiography. defeat and death introduced a period of political, social and religious tumult. The empire reached its lowest ebb; the shahanshah was now a client of the Hephthalites and was compelled to pay tribute, while the nobility and clergy exerted great influence and authority over the nation, being able to act as king-makers. magnates—most notably Sukhra and Shapur Mihran—elected Peroz's brother, Balash, as the new shahanshah. Order would first be restored under Peroz's son Kavad I (r. 488-496, 498/9-531), who reformed the empire and defeated the Hephthalites, reconquering Khorasan. By 560, Peroz had been avenged by his grandson Khosrow I (r. 531-579), who in collaboration with the First Turkic Khaganate, destroyed the Hephthalites. Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Persia, 470-482, Varsken, Viceroy, Christian, then fire worshiper, Shushanik's husband, killed by Vakhtang
Persian Viceroy, 470-482, Varsken, Sasanian, Zoroastrian fire worshiper; (Middle Persian: VazgÄ“n) was an Iranian prince from the Mihranid family of Gugark, who served as the bidaxsh (margrave) of the region from 470 to 482. He was the son and successor of Arshusha II. the death of his father, Varsken went to the Sasanian capital of Ctesiphon and was received by the shahanshah Peroz I (r. 459-484), converting to the family's former religion, Zoroastrianism. As a reward for his conversion, he was given the viceroyalty of Caucasian Albania and a daughter of Peroz in marriage. his pro-Iranian position, Varsken attempted to force his family to convert to Zoroastrianism, including his first wife Shushanik, which eventually resulted in her martyrdom, dying from the violence inflicted by her husband. policies were unacceptable to the Iberian king Vakhtang I (r. 447/49-502/22), who had him killed and then revolted against Iran in 482. Varsken was succeeded by Arshusha III. Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28;

Persia, 488-531, Kavadh I, Emperor, Successful, Chosroes Father, BEwar&peace
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 488-531, Kavadh I ; I (473 - 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (r. 459-484), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular uncle Balash (r. 484-488). a declining empire where the authority and status of the Sasanian kings had largely ended, Kavad tried to reorganize his empire by introducing many reforms whose implementation was completed by his son and successor Khosrow I. They were made possible by Kavad's use of the Mazdakite preacher Mazdak leading to a social revolution that weakened the authority of the nobility and the clergy. Because of this, and the execution of the powerful king-maker Sukhra, Kavad was imprisoned in the Castle of Oblivion ending his reign. He was replaced by his brother Jamasp. However, with the aid of his sister and an officer named Siyawush, Kavad and some of his followers fled east to the territory of the Hephthalite king who provided him with an army. This enabled Kavad to restore himself to the throne in 498/9. by this hiatus, Kavad applied for subsidies from the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I. The Byzantines had originally paid the Iranians voluntarily to maintain the defense of the Caucasus against attacks from the north. refused the subsidies, which led Kavad to invade his domains, thus starting the Anastasian War. Kavad first seized Theodosiopolis and Martyropolis respectively, and then Amida after holding the city under siege for three months. two empires made peace in 506, with the Byzantines agreeing to pay subsidies to Kavad for the maintenance of the fortifications on the Caucasus in return for Amida. Around this time, Kavad also fought a lengthy war against his former allies, the Hephthalites; by 513 he had re-taken the region of Khorasan from them. 528, war between the Sasanians and Byzantines erupted again, because of the Byzantines refusal to acknowledge Khosrow as Kavad's heir, and a dispute over Lazica. Although Kavad's forces suffered two notable losses at Dara and Satala, the war was largely indecisive, with both sides suffering heavy losses. 531, while the Iranian army was besieging Martyropolis, Kavad died from an illness. He was succeeded by Khosrow I, who inherited a reinvigorated and mighty empire that equaled that of the Byzantines. of the many challenges and issues Kavad successfully overcame, he is considered one of the most effective and successful kings to rule the Sasanian Empire. In the words of the Iranologist Nikolaus Schindel, he was "a genius in his own right, even if of a somewhat Machiavellian type."[1] Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Persia, 500, 6th Century Folder, Sasanian E Failing, Chosroes 1 war with Byzantium after Antioch Earthquake

Persia, 502, War with Georgia, Vakhtang I killed, 7ft10in
Georgia, 502, War with Iran, Vakhtang I killed; Peter accompanied Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali to war with the Persians in 502. It is written that œthe fatally wounded king Vakhtang summoned the catholicos, the queen, his sons and all the nobility.Saint Peter heard the king'™s last confession, granted the remission of his sins, presided at his funeral service, and blessed the prince Dachi (502-514) to succeed him as king of Kartli. with Iran[edit] of Ujarma, once an Iberian stronghold under Vakhtang espousing pro-Roman policy, Vakhtang further alienated his nobles, who sought Iranian support against the king's encroachments on their autonomy. In 482, Vakhtang put to death his most influential vassal, Varsken, vitaxa of Gogarene, a convert to Zoroastrianism and a champion of Iran's influence in the Caucasus, who had executed his Christian wife, Shushanik, daughter of the Armenian Mamikonid prince Vardan II and a hero of the earliest surviving piece of Georgian literature. By this act, Vakhtang placed himself in open confrontation with his Iranian suzerain. Vakhtang called on the Armenian princes and the Huns for co-operation. After some hesitation, the Armenians under Vardan's nephew Vahan Mamikonian, joined forces with Vakhtang. The allies were routed and Iberia was ravaged by Iranian punitive expeditions in 483 and 484, forcing Vakhtang into flight to Roman-controlled Lazica (modern western Georgia). After Peroz's death in the war with the Hephthalites in 484, his successor Balash reestablished peace in the Caucasus. Vakhtang was able to resume his reign in Iberia, but did not betray his pro-Roman line.[9][10] the Hundred Years Peace between Iran and Rome collapsed, Kavadh I of the Sassanids summoned Vakhtang as a vassal to join in a new campaign against Rome. Vakhtang refused, provoking an Iranian invasion of his kingdom. Then about 60, he had to spend the last years of his life in war and exile, fruitlessly appealing for the Roman aid. The chronology of this period is confused, but by 518 an Iranian viceroy had been installed at the Iberian town of Tiflis, founded (”according to Georgian tradition)”by Vakhtang and designated as the country's future capital. According to the LVG, Vakhtang died fighting an Iranian invading army at the hands of his renegade slave who shot him through an armpit defect of his armor. The wounded king was transported to his castle at Ujarma where he died and was interred at the cathedral in Mtskheta. Javakhishvili puts Vakhtang's death at c. 502. Georgia, 449-502, Georgian King, Vakhtang I of Iberia; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Persia, 531-579, Chosroes I the Elder, Emperor, allied with Italian Ostrogoths, violated peace
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 531-579, Chosroes I the Elder; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the Image Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Persia, 540's, Abibus, Nekressi Bishop, of 13 Fathers, Dagestani's also, watered fire god, Jesus sign, incorrupt r
Georgia, 540's, Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi , Georgia (Alazani River 2), of t 13 Armenian Fathers, converted Dagestani's also, Persian rule, fire altars everywhere, water on the fire, Stylite Simeon sign from Jesus, strengthened, declined escape, shattered skull, wild beasts, body guard, but Christian burial, incorrupt relics, relic miracles; Nekressi ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Abibus of Nekresi was one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who arrived in Georgia in the 6th century under the leadership of Saint John of Zedazeni. the blessing of his instructor, Saint Abibus began his apostolic activity in Nekresi, a village set among the hills in the eastern region of Kakheti. his virtuous deeds, Saint Abibus was soon consecrated bishop of his diocese. to the chronicle Life of Kartli, Saint Abibus converted not only Georgians but also most of the mountain tribes—including the Dagestani/Didoians—to the Christian Faith. with apostolic zeal, Saint Abibus journeyed throughout the villages of his diocese, preaching the Truth and calling upon all to strengthen the true Faith. time that Saint Abibus was serving as bishop coincided with a dark period of Persian rule in eastern Georgia. Persians exerted every effort to implant their faith—the worship of fire—and everywhere erected altars where the fire burned without ceasing. in the village of Rekhi the holy hierarch, finding a group of fire-worshipers forcing the Georgian faithful to worship the flame, poured water on their fire to extinguish it. enraged pagan priests bound Saint Abibus, beat him cruelly, locked him up, and reported the incident to the marzban. The marzban ordered that the bishop be brought to him at once. Abibus was a friend of the holy wonderworker Simeon the Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain. Simeon received a sign from God of the imminent martyrdom of Saint Abibus and, in order to console him, sent him a letter, an evlogia (a blessing—probably a piece of prosphoron or some other holy object) and a staff. Abibus was being escorted to the marzban, in the village of Ialdo he met a messenger from Antioch who presented him with Saint Simeon’s gifts. letter and gifts gladdened the holy hierarch and strengthened him for his martyrdom. Saint Abibus was approached by a group of Christians who offered to help him escape, but he graciously declined. arrived in Mtskheta, the saint prayed at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, requested that the guards permit him to meet with Saint Shio of Mgvime. Persians granted his request, and the spiritual brothers greeted one another with love and prayed together to the Lord. Abibus was brought before the dread marzban and asked how he could dare raise his hand against the Persian god. replied with complete composure, saying, “I did not kill any god; rather I extinguished a fire. Fire is not a god, but a part of nature, which is created by God. Your fire was burning wood, and a little water was enough to extinguish it. The water turned out to be stronger. Your fury amazes me. Isn’t it humiliating to call something a god which has no soul?” at this response, the marzban ordered the holy hierarch’s execution. executioners mercilessly beat the blessed Abibus and shattered his skull with stones. Then they dragged his body through the city, cast it to the beasts, and assigned a guard to ensure that the Christians did not come to steal it. that night the priests and monks of Rekhi came, took the body of the holy martyr, and buried it with great honor at Samtavisi Monastery (located midway between Mtskheta and Gori). miraculous healings have taken place over the grave of Saint Abibus. the rule of Prince Stepanoz of Kartli, the incorrupt relics of Saint Abibus were translated from Samtavisi to Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta, according to the decree of Catholicos Tabori. They were buried under the holy altar at Samtavro Church.

Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake, bathed in Med
Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Persia, 550 6th Century, St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, If no submit to Gospel commandments, then what can I do
Persia, 550 6th Century, St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh (Mosul), Assyria, Persia (Tigris River 4), give debtor more time, Leave your Gospel out of this! Saint Isaac replied, If you will not submit to Lord’s commandments in the Gospel, then what remains for me to do here?; Nineveh; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Ninevah, lived during the sixth century. and his brother entered the monastery of Mar Matthew near Ninevah and received the monastic tonsure. His learning, virtue, and ascetic manner of life attracted the notice of the brethren, and they proposed that he head the monastery. Saint Issac did not want this burden, preferring a life of silence, so he left the monastery to live alone in the desert. brother urged him more than once to return to the monastery, but he would not agree. However, when the fame of Saint Isaac’s holy life had spread, he was made Bishop of Ninevah. the crude manners and disobedience of the inhabitants of the city, the saint felt that it was beyond his ability to guide them, and moreover, he yearned for solitude. two Christians came to him, asking him to settle a dispute. One man acknowledged that he owed money to the other, but asked for a short extension. The lender threatened to bring his debtor to court to force him to pay. Isaac, citing the Gospel, asked him to be merciful and give the debtor more time to pay. The man said, “Leave your Gospel out of this!” Saint Isaac replied, “If you will not submit to Lord’s commandments in the Gospel, then what remains for me to do here?” only five months as bishop, Saint Isaac resigned his office and went into the mountains to live with the hermits. Later, he went to the monastery of Rabban Shabur, where he lived until his death, attaining a high degree of spiritual perfection. the early eighth century until the beginning of the eighteenth century, nothing was known about Saint Isaac of Syria in Europe except for his name and works. Only in 1719 was a biography of the saint published at Rome, compiled by an anonymous Arab author. In 1896, more information on Saint Isaac came to light. The learned French soteriologist Abbot Chabot published some eighth century works on Syrian history by Iezudena, bishop of Barsa, where the account of Saint Isaac the Syrian was found.

Persia, 550 6th Century, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, pagans no Church until baptism, 9 p children b, then stoned by parents
Georgia, 550 6th Century, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, (Kura River Source) pagans not allowed in Church until baptism, 9 p children baptized, then stoned by their parents ; Kola; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; centuries ago, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River. There Christians and pagans dwelt together as neighbors. Christian and pagan children would play together, but when the Christian children heard church bells ringing, they recognized the call to prayer and dropped their games. pagan children—Guram, Adarnerse, Baqar, Vache, Bardzim, Dachi, Juansher, Ramaz, and Parsman—would follow the Christian children to church. the Christians always stopped them near the gates of the church and reprimanded them, saying, “You are children of pagans. You cannot enter God’s holy house.” They would return sorry and dejected. day the nine pagan children tried to enter the church forcibly, but they were cast out and scolded. “If you want to enter the church, you must believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” they were told. “You must receive Holy Communion and join the community of Christian believers.” great joy the youths promised the Christians that they would receive Holy Baptism. When the Christians of Kola related to their priest the good news of the pagan boys’ desire, he recalled the words of the Gospel: He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that takes not his cross, and follows after Me, is not worthy of Me. (Matt. 10:37-38). was not afraid of the anger that would follow from the pagan community, but rather took the boys on a cold winter night and baptized them in the icy river. A miracle occurred while the Holy Sacrament was being celebrated: the water became warm and angelic hosts appeared to the youths. Greatly encouraged in their faith, the children decided to remain in the Christian community rather than return to their parents. their parents learned that they had been baptized in the Christian Faith, they dragged their children away from the church, abusing and beating them into submission all the way home. The heroic children endured the abuses and, though they went hungry and thirsty for seven days, repeated again and again, “We are Christians and will not eat or drink anything that was prepared for idols!” gentle flattery, nor costly clothing, nor promises of good things to come could tempt the God-fearing youths. Rather they asserted, “We are Christians and want nothing from you but to leave us alone and allow us to join the Christian community!” enraged parents went and reported to the prince everything that had happened. But the prince was of no help—he simply told them, “They are your children, do with them as you wish.” obstinate pagans asked the prince permission to stone the children. So a large pit was dug where the youths had been baptized, and the children were thrown inside. “We are Christians, and we will die for Him into Whom we have been baptized!” proclaimed the holy martyrs, the Nine Children of Kola, before offering up their souls to God. godless parents took up stones, and then others joined in, until the entire pit had been filled. They beat the priest to death, robbed him, and divided the spoils among themselves. martyric contest of the Nine Righteous Children of Kola occurred in the 6th century, in the historical region of Tao in southern Georgia.

Persia, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop, his story important tTie history of Cross, Persian, Byzantine, & Arab control oJ
Armenia, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop oJerusalem, fSebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), his story important for history, tonsured Mt Sinai, Superior Theodosios tG m Judea, Locum tenens Gov Jerusalem Church 614, because Persians devastated Jerusalem, took The Cross, 90,000 C's killed, Patriarch Zacharias captured, M restored C shrines, incl Lord's tomb, buried Sava's monks, Z returned wCross 630, M permanent partiarch aZ, M dies a97yr old; Sebaste, Armenia ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Modestos (Módestos) was born into a Christian family at Sebásteia in Cappadocia (Asia Minor). toward a strict monastic life from his youth, the Saint was tonsured on Mount Sinai. he became the Superior of the Monastery of Saint Theodosios the Great in Palestine. the year 614, Syria and Palestine were attacked by the the army of the Persian king Chosroes. Christians were killed, and many Christian churches were destroyed. Zachariah of Jerusalem and a multitude of Christians were taken into captivity, with the Cross of the Lord. Modestos was appointed to govern the Jerusalem Church temporarily as locum tenens of the patriarchal kathedra. the help of Patriarch John the Merciful of Alexandria (November 12), Saint Modestos restored the devastated Christian shrines, which was the Lord's Tomb. also buried the murdered monks from the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified. fourteen years, Patriarch Zacharias returned from captivity with the Lord's Cross, after his death, Saint Modestos became the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Modestos reposed at the age of 97 in the year 634. head of Saint Modestós is located in the Athonite Monastery of Simonopetra.

Persia, 579-590, Hormizd IV, Sasanian Emperor, constant warfare west and east
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 579-590, Hormizd IV ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29;

Persia, 590-628, Chosroes II home, Ctesiphon - last King of Sasanian Empire
Chosroes home, Ctesiphon 590-628 - last King of Sasanian Empire Persia, In the year 614 military forces of the Persian ruler Chosroes fell upon Syria and Palestine, killing ninety thousand Christians and destroying Christian churches; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 590-628, Khosrau (Chosroes) II, Sasanian Emperor, Cross in J, def by M, then a with M
Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 590-628, Khosrau (Chosroes) II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 600, 7th Century Folder, Sasanian Empire Ends, Jersulam ravaged, Cross carried to Persia

Persia, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-628
Persia, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-628 ; Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Persia, 614, Chosroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Byzantine-“Sasanian War of 602-“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Saint Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 21;

Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia, Stole the Cross, Became a Monk
Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Monk Martyr Anastasius the Persian was the son of a Persian sorcerer named Bavi. a pagan, he had the name Magundates and served in the armies of the Persian emperor Chozroes II, in 614 ravaged the city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord to Persia. miracles occurred from the Cross of the Lord, and the Persians were astonished. heart of young Magundates was inflamed with the desire to learn more about this sacred object. everyone about the Holy Cross, the youth learned that upon it the Lord Himself was crucified for the salvation of mankind. became acquainted with the truths of the Christian Faith in the city of Chalcedon, where the army of Chozroes was for a certain while. was baptized with the name Anastasius, and then became a monk and spent seven years in one of the Jerusalem monasteries, living an ascetical life. the Lives of the holy martyrs, Saint Anastasius was inspired with the desire to imitate them. mysterious dream, which he had on Great and Holy Saturday, the day before the Resurrection of Christ, urged him to do this. fallen asleep after his daily tasks, he beheld a radiant man giving him a golden chalice filled with wine, who said to him, “Take this and drink.” Draining the chalice, he felt an ineffable delight. Anastasius then realized that this vision was his call to martyrdom. went secretly from the monastery to Palestinian Caesarea. he was arrested for being a Christian, and was brought to trial. governor tried in every way to force Saint Anastasius to renounce Christ, threatening him with tortures and death, and promising him earthly honors and blessings. saint, however, remained unyielding. Then they subjected him to torture: they beat him with rods, they lacerated his knees, they hung him up by the hands and tied a heavy stone to his feet, they exhausted him with confinement, and then wore him down with heavy work in the stone quarry with other prisoners. the governor summoned Saint Anastasius and promised him his freedom if he would only say, “I am not a Christian.” holy martyr replied, “I will never deny my Lord before you or anyone else, neither openly nor even while asleep. No one can compel me to do this while I am in my right mind.” Then by order of the emperor Chozroes, Saint Anastasius was strangled, then beheaded. the death of Chozroes, the relics of the Monk Martyr Anastasius were transferred to Palestine, to the Anastasius monastery. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Persia, 622, Caesarea, Maritima, Where Anastacios sought martyrdom 7 or 8 years after he helped Chozroes steal The Cross
Caesarea, Palestine ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Monk Martyr Anastasius the Persian was the son of a Persian sorcerer named Bavi. a pagan, he had the name Magundates and served in the armies of the Persian emperor Chozroes II, in 614 ravaged the city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord to Persia. miracles occurred from the Cross of the Lord, and the Persians were astonished. heart of young Magundates was inflamed with the desire to learn more about this sacred object. everyone about the Holy Cross, the youth learned that upon it the Lord Himself was crucified for the salvation of mankind. became acquainted with the truths of the Christian Faith in the city of Chalcedon, where the army of Chozroes was for a certain while. was baptized with the name Anastasius, and then became a monk and spent seven years in one of the Jerusalem monasteries, living an ascetical life. the Lives of the holy martyrs, Saint Anastasius was inspired with the desire to imitate them. mysterious dream, which he had on Great and Holy Saturday, the day before the Resurrection of Christ, urged him to do this. fallen asleep after his daily tasks, he beheld a radiant man giving him a golden chalice filled with wine, who said to him, “Take this and drink.” Draining the chalice, he felt an ineffable delight. Anastasius then realized that this vision was his call to martyrdom. went secretly from the monastery to Palestinian Caesarea. he was arrested for being a Christian, and was brought to trial. governor tried in every way to force Saint Anastasius to renounce Christ, threatening him with tortures and death, and promising him earthly honors and blessings. saint, however, remained unyielding. Then they subjected him to torture: they beat him with rods, they lacerated his knees, they hung him up by the hands and tied a heavy stone to his feet, they exhausted him with confinement, and then wore him down with heavy work in the stone quarry with other prisoners. the governor summoned Saint Anastasius and promised him his freedom if he would only say, “I am not a Christian.” holy martyr replied, “I will never deny my Lord before you or anyone else, neither openly nor even while asleep. No one can compel me to do this while I am in my right mind.” Then by order of the emperor Chozroes, Saint Anastasius was strangled, then beheaded. the death of Chozroes, the relics of the Monk Martyr Anastasius were transferred to Palestine, to the Anastasius monastery. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Persia, 627, Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Victory then Arab Caliphate, Cross Returned
Persia, 627, Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Victory then Arab Caliphate; Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ;

Persia, 632-651, Sasanian Emperor, Yazdegerd III
Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 632-651, Yazdegerd III ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24;

Persia, 638, Anastasios Relics uncovered, 3 traditions, head iRome, body iConstantinople, Stole Cross, Became aMonk, sght martyr
Persia, 638, Anastasios tPersian's Relics uncovered, 3 tradotopms, now head in Rome, body in Constantinople, Stole tCross, Became a Monk, 1 Relics tRome under Flavius Heraclius 610-645, tGreek monastery Three Fountains, Tre Fontain. 2. transfer tConstantinople under Heraculus and Pope Theodore I, Greek fJerusalem, 3. relics trans tVenice fConstantinople in 1204, Doge Henry Dandolos, Church Holy Francis iVenice, headless body, later moved to Constantinople, his head isin Rome; Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Anastasius of Persia, also known by his native name Magundat, was a Zoroastrian soldier in the Sasanian army later became a convert to Christianity and was martyred in 628. was born in the city of Ray. He was the son of a magus named Bau. He had a brother whose name is unknown. was a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II (r. 590–628) participated in the capture of the True Cross in Jerusalem, was carried to the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon. occasion prompted him to ask for information about the Christian religion. then experienced a conversion of faith, left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk at the monastery of Saint Savvas (Mar Saba) in Jerusalem[dubious – discuss]. He was baptized by Modestus, receiving the Christian name Anastasius to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Anástasis" in Greek). seven years of monastic observance, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Sasanians. he interrupted and ridiculed the Zoroastrian priests for their religion, was as a result arrested by the local marzban,[1] taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were continued while at the same time the highest honors in the service of King Khosrow II as a magus were promised him if he would renounce Christianity. after refusing to abjure, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated on January 22, 628. body, which was thrown to the dogs left untouched by them, carried from the place of his martyrdom to Palestine, then to Constantinople, and finally to Rome where the relics were venerated at the Tre Fontane Abbey. Passio [2] written in Greek was devoted to the saint. adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticized the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[3] feast day is 22 January. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Persia, 650, Urbnisi, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Persian, Omar, vision St Shio w angels, converted, stoned
Georgia, 650, Urbnisi, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin; Urbnisi; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; holy hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi descended from a line of Persian fire-worshippers. the 7th century, by order of the Saracen emir Mumni, the military leader Ahmad attacked Georgia with an enormous army. After overrunning the central part of Shida (Inner) Kartli, Ahmad dispatched two of his commanders, Omar and Burul, to the capital city of Mtskheta. At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, across from the village of Tsikhedidi in the rocky Sarkineti region, the invaders discovered a group of caves and plotted to occupy them. They tried to cross the Mtkvari but were unable. suffered a setback, the enemies asked their captives what was located in those caves. They were told that this was the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, where dwelt God’s chosen, who had deprived themselves of every earthly blessing. at this reply, the commanders decided to pass this information on to Ahmad. Then, as though it were commonplace, Ahmad sent Omar to the monastery to ask the monks to pray for him and remember him at the grave of their abbot, Saint Shio. “Pray for me, O slaves of God, and accept these gifts of aloe and incense. Offer these as a sacrifice to your abbot,” he told them. the monastery caves, Omar sent a messenger to inform the monks that he was coming to them in peace and bearing gifts. Drawing near to the monastery gates, the commander saw an army of incorporeal hosts descending from the heavens and among them an elder, radiant with a great light. meek and modest behavior of the monks left a great impression on Omar. He soon understood that the strange armies he had seen on the steps of the monastery were angels of God and that the elder was Saint Shio of Mgvime, abbot of the monastery. He related his vision to the monks and vowed to return to them, receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, be tonsured a monk, and remain there to join in their holy labors. Omar abandoned all his possessions, his military rank, and his wealth and was baptized in the Christian Faith at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery as he had promised. of his slaves were baptized with him as well. Omar received the new name Neophytus (Newly Planted / From the Greek word neophytos, which in I Tim. 3:6 refers to a new convert), and his slaves became Christodoulus (Christ’s Slave) and Christopher (Christ-bearer). to God’s will, Saint Neophytus was consecrated bishop of Urbnisi, and all were amazed at his wisdom and steadfastness. He was a true father to his flock: “He strengthened the weak, healed the sick, raised the fallen, cleansed the possessed, directed the lost and sought out those who were perishing, protecting them, and forbidding them to wander off again.” the enemy could not tolerate the native Persian’s apostolic activity, and he convinced the fire-worshippers to kill the Christian shepherd. So the unbelievers devised an ambush and attacked Neophytus’ isolated cell, then tied him up and began to mock, curse, and revile him. They knew that Saint Neophytus longed to become like the holy protomartyr Stephen, and they plotted to stone him to death. his time to depart this world had arrived, Saint Neophytus turned to his persecutors with a tender voice, saying, “Sweet is death to me, O unbelievers! Sweet it is to me. I desire to sunder the link between my mortal and immortal nature.... With my own blood I will confirm the Holy Church, which is founded upon the Precious Blood of the Son and Word of God, Whom I preach. May that which was foreordained for me by the Providence of God be fulfilled, for He has called me to His light from the depths of ungodliness!” furious pagans stoned the saint to death. With his last breath Holy Hieromartyr Neophytus cried out, “Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul!”

Persia, 632 - Present, History Folder, Muslim Persia

Persia, 632-661, History Folder, Rashdun Caliphate, Sunni and Shia, Ali the Shia

Persia, 634-644, Persian Sasanian Empire overthrown by Uamr 1, Rashidun Caliph, Sunni and Shia
Persia, 634-644, Persian Sasanian Empire overthrown by Uamr 1, Rashidun Caliph; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11;

Persia, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol
Persia, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol, 10 yrs after his martyrdom, uncovered when transferred to Rome's Greek Monastery Tre Fountains. ; Ctesiphon; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. There are three traditions regarding his relics. to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) and deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, and of Greek descent (see May 18). third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 when the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. They survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, and later they were moved to Constantinople. His head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Persia, 642-709, Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 642-709
Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665; Muslim conquest of the Maghreb continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of Northern Africa. In a series of three stages, the conquest of the Maghreb commenced in 647 and concluded in 709 with the Byzantine Empire losing its last remaining strongholds to the then-Umayyad Caliphate under Caliph Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān. 642 AD, under Caliph Umar, Arab Muslim forces had laid control of Mesopotamia (638 AD), Syria (641 AD), Egypt (642 AD), and had invaded Armenia (642 AD), all territories previously split between the warring Byzantine and Sasanian empires, and were concluding their conquest of the Persian Empire with their defeat of the Persian army at the Battle of Nahāvand. It was at this point that Arab military expeditions into North African regions west of Egypt were first launched, continuing for years and furthering the spread of Islam. 644 at Medina, Umar was succeeded by Uthman, during whose twelve-year rule Armenia, Cyprus, and all of modern-day Iran, would be added to the expanding Rashidun Caliphate. With Afghanistan and North Africa being targets of major invasions and Muslim sea raids ranging from Rhodes to the southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, the Byzantine navy was defeated in the eastern Mediterranean. Battle of Nahavand;

Persia, 644-656, Rashidun Caliph, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph, Sunni and Shia
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 644-656, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph; ibn Affan, also spelled by the Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the third of the Rāshidun, or "Rightly Guided Caliphs". into a prominent Meccan clan, Banu Umayya of the Quraysh tribe, he played a major role in early Islamic history, and is known for having ordered the compilation of the standard version of the Quran.[6] Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab died in office aged 59/60 years, Uthman, aged 64/65 years, succeeded him and was the second-oldest to rule as Caliph. Uthman's leadership, the Islamic empire expanded into Fars (present-day Iran) in 650, and some areas of Khorāsān (present-day Afghanistan) in 651. The conquest of Armenia had begun by the 640s.[7] His reign also saw widespread protests and unrest that eventually led to armed revolt and his assassination. was married to Ruqayyah, and upon her death, married Umm Kulthum. Both his wives having been elder daughters of Muhammad and Khadija earned him the honorific title Dhū al-Nurayn ("The Possessor of Two Lights").[8] Thus, he was also brother-in-law of the fourth Rāshidun Caliph Ali whose own wife, Fātimah, was Muhammad's youngest daughter. Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Persia, 650, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Persian, Omar, vision St Shio w angels, converted, stoned
Georgia, 650, Urbnisi, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin; Urbnisi; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; holy hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi descended from a line of Persian fire-worshippers. the 7th century, by order of the Saracen emir Mumni, the military leader Ahmad attacked Georgia with an enormous army. After overrunning the central part of Shida (Inner) Kartli, Ahmad dispatched two of his commanders, Omar and Burul, to the capital city of Mtskheta. At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, across from the village of Tsikhedidi in the rocky Sarkineti region, the invaders discovered a group of caves and plotted to occupy them. They tried to cross the Mtkvari but were unable. suffered a setback, the enemies asked their captives what was located in those caves. They were told that this was the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, where dwelt God’s chosen, who had deprived themselves of every earthly blessing. at this reply, the commanders decided to pass this information on to Ahmad. Then, as though it were commonplace, Ahmad sent Omar to the monastery to ask the monks to pray for him and remember him at the grave of their abbot, Saint Shio. “Pray for me, O slaves of God, and accept these gifts of aloe and incense. Offer these as a sacrifice to your abbot,” he told them. the monastery caves, Omar sent a messenger to inform the monks that he was coming to them in peace and bearing gifts. Drawing near to the monastery gates, the commander saw an army of incorporeal hosts descending from the heavens and among them an elder, radiant with a great light. meek and modest behavior of the monks left a great impression on Omar. He soon understood that the strange armies he had seen on the steps of the monastery were angels of God and that the elder was Saint Shio of Mgvime, abbot of the monastery. He related his vision to the monks and vowed to return to them, receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, be tonsured a monk, and remain there to join in their holy labors. Omar abandoned all his possessions, his military rank, and his wealth and was baptized in the Christian Faith at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery as he had promised. of his slaves were baptized with him as well. Omar received the new name Neophytus (Newly Planted / From the Greek word neophytos, which in I Tim. 3:6 refers to a new convert), and his slaves became Christodoulus (Christ’s Slave) and Christopher (Christ-bearer). to God’s will, Saint Neophytus was consecrated bishop of Urbnisi, and all were amazed at his wisdom and steadfastness. He was a true father to his flock: “He strengthened the weak, healed the sick, raised the fallen, cleansed the possessed, directed the lost and sought out those who were perishing, protecting them, and forbidding them to wander off again.” the enemy could not tolerate the native Persian’s apostolic activity, and he convinced the fire-worshippers to kill the Christian shepherd. So the unbelievers devised an ambush and attacked Neophytus’ isolated cell, then tied him up and began to mock, curse, and revile him. They knew that Saint Neophytus longed to become like the holy protomartyr Stephen, and they plotted to stone him to death. his time to depart this world had arrived, Saint Neophytus turned to his persecutors with a tender voice, saying, “Sweet is death to me, O unbelievers! Sweet it is to me. I desire to sunder the link between my mortal and immortal nature.... With my own blood I will confirm the Holy Church, which is founded upon the Precious Blood of the Son and Word of God, Whom I preach. May that which was foreordained for me by the Providence of God be fulfilled, for He has called me to His light from the depths of ungodliness!” furious pagans stoned the saint to death. With his last breath Holy Hieromartyr Neophytus cried out, “Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul!”

Persia, 656-661, Rashidun Caliph, Ali, 4rd Rashidun Caliph, first civil wars, Shia
Persia, 656-661, Rashidun Caliph, Ali, 4rd Rashidun Caliph, Shia; ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (c. 600 - c. 28 January 661)[2][1][3] was a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. ruled as the fourth rightly guided caliph from 656 until his assassination in 661. is also one of the central figures in Shia Islam, being regarded as the rightful immediate successor to Muhammad and the first Imam by all branches of Shia Muslims.[1] is the son of Abu Talib and Fatimah bint Asad, the husband of Fatima, and the father of Hasan, Husayn and Zaynab.[2] a child, Muhammad took care of him. After Muhammad's invitation of his close relatives, Ali became one of the first believers in Islam at the age of about 9 to 11.[3] He then publicly accepted his invitation on Yawm al-Inzar[4] and Muhammad called him his brother, guardian and successor.[3] helped Muhammad emigrate on the night of Laylat al-Mabit, by sleeping in his place.[3] migrating to Medina and establishing a brotherhood pact between the Muslims, Muhammad chose him as his brother.[2] In Medina, he was the flag bearer in most of the wars and became famous for his bravery.[3] issue of his right in the post-Muhammad caliphate caused a major rift between Muslims and divided them into Shia and Sunni groups.[1] his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, at Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad uttered the phrase, "Whoever I am his Mawla, this Ali is his Mawla." But the meaning of Mawla was disputed by Shias and Sunnis. On this basis, the Shias believe in the establishment of the Imamate and caliphate regarding Ali, and the Sunnis interpret the word as friendship and love.[1][5] Ali was preparing Muhammad's body for burial, a group of Muslims met at Saqifah and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr.[6] Ali pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr, after six months, but did not take part in the wars[7] and political activity, except for the election of the third caliph. However, he advised the three caliphs whenever they wanted, in religious, judicial, and political matters.[1] Uthman was killed, he was elected as the next Caliph, which was coincided with the first civil wars between Muslims. faced two separate opposition forces: a group led by Aisha, Talha, and Zubayr in Mecca, who wanted to convene a council to determine the caliphate; and another group led by Mu'awiya in the Levant, who demanded revenge for Uthman's blood. defeated the first group in the Battle of the Camel; but in the end, Battle of Siffin with Mu'awiya was militarily ineffective, and led to an arbitration which ended politically against him. in the year 38 AH, he fought with the Kharijites - who considered Ali's acceptance of arbitration as heresy, and revolted against him - in Nahrawan and defeated them.[3] was eventually killed in the mosque of Kufa by the sword of one of the Kharijites, Ibn Muljam Moradi, and was buried outside the city of Kufa. Later his shrine and the city of Najaf were built around his tomb.[3] the impact of religious differences on Muslim historiography, sources agree that Ali strictly observed religious duties and avoided worldly possessions. writers accused him of lack of political skill and flexibility.[2] According to Wilferd Madelung, Ali did not want to involve himself in the game of political deception which although deprived him of success in life, but, in the eyes of his admirers, he became an example of the piety of the primary un-corrupted Islam, as well as the chivalry of pre-Islamic Arabia.[8] Several books are dedicated to the hadiths, sermons, and prayers narrated by him, the most famous of which is Nahj al-Balagha.

Persia, 661-750, History Folder, Umayyad Caliphate, Sunni, Bashdun Battle of Nahavand in Persia over Sasanians

Persia, 661-709, Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa continued from 642-709
Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665; Muslim conquest of the Maghreb continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of Northern Africa. In a series of three stages, the conquest of the Maghreb commenced in 647 and concluded in 709 with the Byzantine Empire losing its last remaining strongholds to the then-Umayyad Caliphate under Caliph Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān. 642 AD, under Caliph Umar, Arab Muslim forces had laid control of Mesopotamia (638 AD), Syria (641 AD), Egypt (642 AD), and had invaded Armenia (642 AD), all territories previously split between the warring Byzantine and Sasanian empires, and were concluding their conquest of the Persian Empire with their defeat of the Persian army at the Battle of Nahāvand. It was at this point that Arab military expeditions into North African regions west of Egypt were first launched, continuing for years and furthering the spread of Islam. 644 at Medina, Umar was succeeded by Uthman, during whose twelve-year rule Armenia, Cyprus, and all of modern-day Iran, would be added to the expanding Rashidun Caliphate. With Afghanistan and North Africa being targets of major invasions and Muslim sea raids ranging from Rhodes to the southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, the Byzantine navy was defeated in the eastern Mediterranean. Battle of Nahavand;

Persia, 665, Battle of Nahavand, Rashidun Arabs take North Africa
Persia, 665, Battle of Nahavand, Rashidun Arabs take North Africa; Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665;

Persia, 665, Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665
Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665; Battle of Nahavand;

Persia, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful, rich man loved poor, giving all, always rewarded, wife&children eventually learn a90 yrs
Armenia, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful oAmnia, Paphlagonia, Armenia, Rich&Illustrious, but did not hoard wealth, famed for love oPoor, Ishmaelites (Arabs) attached, little left fHim but continued to give, rich wife Theoseba complained, jeers oChildren, he said riches hidden away enough 100 yrs wOut working, his gifts would multiply for recipient, knowing this man asks for calf, cow missed calf, wife complains, but P praises her and gives cow tMan, famine came so p took donkey to borrow 6bushels wheat, poor man asks for some wheat, P tells T give him 1bushel, T says give 4bushels to family, P gives man last 2bushels, T says give half the load, P given him 1 more bushel fHalf tLoad, T says give him the bag too, T says to spite me give him all, P givel all 6, man can't lift 6B so T tells P give him donkey, T &Children hungry, wept, Lord rewarded P friends gave him 40 bushels, T kept most, P gave his share, when eating P went to T&Children for food, T grumbled how long treasure hidden, Empress Irene seeking bride for her son, envoys in Amneia, P happy, T sad because not enough food, P tells T light fire decorate, Neighbors bring everything required, Envoys impressed, select granddaughter Maria, marries Constantine, became Emperess, Emperor C rewards P, P alms&feast fPoor, P&family serve poor aFeast, P orders servant fill 3 bags, 1Gold, 1Silver, 1 copper coins, reach in give as God wills, P refused fine clothes, no imperial rank, just call me grandfather oEmperess, 90 yrs knew death coming, tJudgement Monastery, gave gold, asked buried there, i10days, 10th day exhorted family love poor fSalvation, died 792, miracle after death, T restores monasteries churches a barbarian invasion; Amnia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River); Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised in piety and the fear of God. lived during the eighth century in the village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian district of Asia Minor. wife, Theoseba, was from a rich and illustrious family, they had three children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia. was a rich and illustrious dignitary, he did not hoard his wealth. that many people suffered from poverty, he remembered the words of the Savior about the dread Last Judgment and about “these least ones” (Mt. 25:40); Apostle Paul’s reminder that we will take nothing with us from this world (1 Tim 6:7); the assertion of King David that the righteous would not be forsaken (Ps 36/37:25). whose name means “lover of virtue,” was famed for his love for the poor. day Ishmaelites [Arabs] attacked Paphlagonia, devastating the land and plundering the estate of Philaret. remained only two oxen, a donkey, a cow with her calf, some beehives, and the house. he also shared them with the poor. wife reproached him for being heartless and unconcerned for his own family. yet firmly he endured the reproaches of his wife and the jeers of his children. “I have hidden away riches and treasure,” he told his family, “so much that it would be enough for you to feed and clothe yourselves, even if you lived a hundred years without working.” saint’s gifts always brought good to the recipient. received anything from him found that the gift would multiply, and that person would become rich. this, a certain man came to Saint Philaret asking for a calf so that he could start a herd. cow missed its calf and began to bellow. Theoseba said to her husband, “You have no pity on us, you merciless man, but don’t you feel sorry for the cow? You have separated her from her calf.” saint praised his wife, and agreed that it was not right to separate the cow and the calf. he called the poor man to whom he had given the calf and told him to take the cow as well. year there was a famine, so Saint Philaret took the donkey and went to borrow six bushels of wheat from a friend of his. he returned home, a poor man asked him for a little wheat, so he told his wife to give the man a bushel. said, “First you must give a bushel to each of us in the family, then you can give away the rest as you choose.” then gave the man two bushels of wheat. Theoseba said sarcastically, “Give him half the load so you can share it.” saint measured out a third bushel and gave it to the man. Theoseba said, “Why don’t you give him the bag, too, so he can carry it?” gave him the bag. The exasperated wife said, “Just to spite me, why not give him all the wheat.” Saint Philaret did so. the man was unable to lift the six bushels of wheat, so Theoseba told her husband to give him the donkey so he could carry the wheat home. Blessing his wife, Philaret gave the donkey to the man, who went home rejoicing. and the children wept because they were hungry. Lord rewarded Philaret for his generosity: the last measure of wheat was given away, an old friend sent him forty bushels. kept most of the wheat for herself and the children, the saint gave away his share to the poor and had nothing left. his wife and children were eating, he would go to them and they gave him some food. grumbled saying, “How long are you going to keep that treasure of yours hidden? Take it out so we can buy food with it.” this time the Byzantine empress Irene (797-802) was seeking a bride for her son, the future emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797). emissaries were sent throughout all the Empire to find a suitable girl, and the envoys came to Amneia. Philaret and Theoseba learned that these most illustrious guests were to visit their house, was very happy, but Theoseba was sad, for they did not have enough food. Philaret told his wife to light the fire and to decorate their home. neighbors, knowing that imperial envoys were expected, brought everything required for a rich feast. envoys were impressed by the saint’s daughters and granddaughters. Seeing their beauty, their deportment, their clothing, and their admirable qualities, the envoys agreed that Philaret’s granddaughter, Maria was exactly what they were looking for. Maria exceeded all her rivals in quality and modesty and indeed became Constantine’s wife, and the emperor rewarded Philaret. fame and riches returned to Philaret. just as before, this holy lover of the poor generously distributed alms and provided a feast for the poor. and his family served them at the meal. Everyone was astonished at his humility and said: “This is a man of God, a true disciple of Christ.” ordered a servant to take three bags and fill one with gold, one with silver, and one with copper coins. a beggar approached, Philaret ordered his servant to bring forth one of the bags, whichever God’s providence would ordain. he would reach into the bag and give to each person, as much as God willed. Philaret refused to wear fine clothes, nor would he accept any imperial rank. said it was enough for him to be called the grandfather of the Empress. saint reached ninety years of age and knew his end was approaching. went to the Rodolpheia (“The Judgment”) monastery in Constantinople. gave some gold to the Abbess and asked her to allow him to be buried there, saying that he would depart this life in ten days. returned home and became ill. On the tenth day he summoned his family, he exhorted them to imitate his love for the poor if they desired salvation. Then he fell asleep in the Lord. He died in the year 792 and was buried in the Rodolpheia Judgment monastery in Constantinople. appearance of a miracle after his death confirmed the sainthood of Righteous Philaret. they bore the body of the saint to the cemetery, a certain man, possessed by the devil, followed the funeral procession and tried to overturn the coffin. they reached the grave, the devil threw the man down on the ground and went out of him. other miracles and healings also took place at the grave of the saint. the death of the righteous Philaret, his wife Theoseba worked at restoring monasteries and churches devastated during a barbarian invasion.

Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf), fought all across Georgia East to West
Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf); ibn Muhammad's invasion of Georgia took place from 735 to 737. It was initiated by the Umayyad Caliphate. The goals of the campaign are disputed among historians. The Georgian historiography insists its main purpose was to finally break the stiff Georgian resistance against Arab rule,[1] however, the western historians such as Cyril Toumanoff,[2] and Ronald Suny,[3] view it as a general campaign directed at both the Byzantine Empire, who exerted dominion over Western Georgia, and the Khazars, whose repeated raids affected not only Iberia (Eastern Georgia) and the whole Caucasus, but had in 730 reached Arab lands all the way to Mosul. invasion[edit] invasion was led by Marwan ibn Muhammad, who later became the last Umayyad caliph Marwan II. He first campaigned in Kartli, after which he led his armies to the west and besieged the fortress of Anakopia, where Archil of Kakheti and his brother Mihr, who were assisted by Leon I of Abkhazia, were stationed. The Arabs failed to take the fortress and were forced to retreat. Fearing an onslaught, large numbers of Georgians fled to the mountainous regions. Marwan later invaded Samtskhe, encamped in Odzrkhe and led his forces against the princes of Argveti, Constantine and David, from whom, upon their capture, he demanded unconditional conversion to Islam, which both refused. He tortured and then killed them for their refusal. After that, Marwan took Tshkumi (modern Sukhumi) and Tsikhegoji and again turned to Anakopia. The Georgians fought fiercely and the Arabs were powerless to take the fortress, especially after heavy rains and floods began. The Arabs retreated with heavy losses. cruelty and ruthlessness was epitomized by the Georgians by naming him Murvan Qru ("Marwan the Deaf"). After his campaign, most major settlements were utterly ruined and people faced starvation. If Georgian historiography insists that Kartli was devastated by the invasion, Toumanoff, relying on local and Arab sources, claims that most of the damage in the Eastern part of the country was actually the result of the previous Khazar raids, and that the local Georgian prince, Guaram III of Iberia, actually sided with the Arabs in order to repeal them beyond the Caucasian range.[4] In any case, the Arab intervention gave them more power over Iberia than they had managed to attain in almost a century of previous conquests. They established the Emirate of Tbilisi to exert direct control over Iberia, even though the Principate of Iberia was not abolished, and local nobility retained most of their power. Because civil instability and foreign enemies were plaguing the caliphate, it was unable to launch another invasion and until 786 settled upon receiving irregular tributes from the Georgian local princes. Arab general Marwan the Deaf; ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (691 - 6 August 750), usually known simply as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until he was killed in 750. of his reign was dominated by a civil war, and he was the last Umayyad ruler to rule the united Caliphate before the Abbasid Revolution toppled the Umayyad dynasty. and background[edit] ibn Muhammad was a member of the Marwanid household of the Umayyad Caliphate. His grandmother, named Zaynab. Marwan's father, Muhammad ibn Marwan, who was the son of the fourth Umayyad Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685), and hence half-brother to fifth Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. 685–705).[1][2] mother was a woman who's mostly unnamed, however sometimes is called Rayya or Tarubah, and is likely of non-Arab origin (a Kurd according to some accounts). Some have referenced that his mother was already pregnant with Marwan before his legal father, Muhammad, bed her, thus making the child not his.[3] A couple sources report that Muhammad had taken her captive during the suppression of Ibn al-Zubayr's revolt.[4] There is much doubt and dispute on his mother's name but she was most commonly known as Umm Marwan (meaning "Mother of Marwan"). life[edit] 732–733 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia. In 735–736 Marwan invaded Georgia, devastated it and then took three fortresses of the Alans and made peace with Tumanshah. In 739-740 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. 744-745, on hearing news of the plot to overthrow al-Walid II, Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging this. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well-being of the Umayyad house. Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death (Yazid named his brother Ibrahim as his successor. Yazid fell ill of a brain tumour[5]), Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim, and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah. Old map of western Eurasia and northern Africa showing the expansion of the Caliphate from Arabia to cover most of the Middle East, with the Byzantine Empire outlined in green The expansion of the Muslim Caliphate until 750, from William R. Shepherd's Historical Atlas. Muslim state at the death of Muhammad Expansion under the Rashidun Caliphate Expansion under the Umayyad Caliphate Byzantine Empire named his two sons Ubaydallah and Abdullah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, the anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran and Iraq. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together. took Emesa (Homs) after a bitter ten-month siege. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated the Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's center and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell into fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then, reinforced, the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India. Khurasan there was internal discord, with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition, Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervor and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan of 747 (16 May – 14 June), the Abbasids unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken, and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back. continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on 9 November 748 at the age of eighty-five. campaigned in Egypt in 749 to quell the Bashmuric Revolt and secure his rear, but his campaign was a failure.[6] The Abbasids, meanwhile, achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Great Zab, called Battle of the Zab. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt, where he was caught and killed on 6 August 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to modern Eritrea. Abdallah died in fighting there. death signaled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East and was followed by the mass killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the prince Abd ar-Rahman who escaped to Spain and founded an Umayyad dynasty there. In Egypt, Marwan's tongue was fed to a cat.[7] Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; 8th century was extremely difficult for the Georgian people. Marwan bin Muhammad (called “the Deaf” by the Georgians and “the Blind” by the Armenians), the Persian ruler and military leader for the Arab caliph, invaded eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire, then Armenia and Georgia. fire and the sword he fought his way across Georgia from the east to the city of Tskhumi (now Sokhumi) in the region of Abkhazeti. The princes David and Constantine Mkheidze of Argveti were faithful Christians and skilled military leaders. When they heard about the enemy’s invasion, the brothers prayed to God for protection, assembled their armies, and urged their people to pray fervently for God’s help. Persian warriors approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked the Georgians on Persati Mountain. The Georgian army won the battle, with David and Constantine leading the resistance against the fearsome conquerors. before long the enraged Marwan the Deaf gathered an enormous army and marched toward Argveti to take revenge. This time the enemy routed the Georgian army. Many were killed and those who survived were forced to flee to the forests. The commanders David and Constantine were taken captive. Persian soldiers bound David and Constantine and brought them before Marwan the Deaf, who began to mock them. But they reacted with complete composure, saying, “Your laughter and boasting are in vain, since earthly glory is fleeting and soon fades away. It is not your valor that has captured us, but our own sins. For the atonement of these sins have we fallen into the hands of the godless enemy!” furious Marwan ordered that the brothers be beaten without mercy, but they steadfastly endured the suffering. Stunned by the brothers’ resolve, Marwan decided to win them over with flattery instead. Promising him great honors and command of the armies, he turned to the older brother, David, saying, “I have heard of your valor, and I advise you to abandon your erroneous faith and submit yourself to the faith of Muhammad!” David crossed himself and answered, “Let not this disgrace come upon us, that we would depart from the light and draw nearer to the darkness!” Then he condemned the error of the Islamic faith: “Muhammad converted you from the worship of fire, but he could not instill in you the knowledge of the True God. Therefore it appears as though you suffered a shipwreck and saved yourselves from the depths of the sea, but drowned in the shallow waters of the coast.” at this reply, Marwan turned to the younger brother, Constantine, hoping to win him over to his side. But Constantine was also unbending, and he fearlessly glorified the Most Holy Trinity: “My brother David and I believe and follow the one Faith and one doctrine in which we have been instructed. Our faith is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we will die for the sake of the One True God!” ordered that the brothers be starved to death. After they had suffered for ten days, Marwan sent sorcerers and charmers to arouse in them a desire to convert to Islam, but their efforts were in vain. Finally the holy brothers David and Constantine were led to the riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There they were brutally beaten and bound. Heavy rocks were hung from their necks, and they were drowned in the river. night three beams of light descended from the heavens and lit up the place where the brothers had been drowned. According to God’s holy will, the ropes binding the holy martyrs were loosed, and their bodies floated to the surface. A group of faithful Christians carried them out of the river and buried them on the bank of the Tsqaltsitela River, in a church that Marwan the Deaf had devastated. place of their burial remained concealed until the beginning of the 12th century, during the reign of King Bagrat the Great (1072-1117). Then, in fulfillment of King Bagrat’s decree, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Motsameta) was built over that place, and the incorrupt relics of the Great Martyrs are still preserved there. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Persia, 864-1041, History Folder, Caspian Expeditions of the Rus

Persia, 864-1041, Caspian Expeditions of the Rus 864-1041
Caspian expeditions of the Rus 864-1041; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ;

Persia, 888-929, Sajid dynasty Folder, Sunni, Persia into Geogria

Persia, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims
Georgia, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims; Zedazeni Monastery. This location is only approximate. Zedazeni Monestary is located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. ; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated December 12 ; life of the holy martyr John, Abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, has not been preserved, but the list recalling “the names of the holy fathers who reposed at Zedazeni Monastery after John of Zedazeni,” which was compiled by Catholicos Arsenius II, tells us that Abbot John was “murdered at Zedazeni by Muslims.” Saint John was martyred in the 9th century.

Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria
Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria; Sajid dynasty, was an Iranian Muslim dynasty that ruled from 889-890 until 929. The Sajids ruled Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia first from Maragha and Barda and then from Ardabil.[a][1] The Sajids originated from the Central Asian province of Ushrusana and were of Iranian (Sogdian)[2][3][b] descent. Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj Diwdad the son of Diwdad, the first Sajid ruler of Azerbaijan, was appointed as its ruler in 889 or 890. Muhammad's father Abu'l-Saj Devdad had fought under the Ushrusanan prince Afshin Khaydar during the latter's final campaign against the rebel Babak Khorramdin in Azerbaijan, and later served the caliphs. Toward the end of the 9th century, as the central authority of the Abbasid Caliphate weakened, Muhammad was able to form a virtually independent state. Much of the Sajids' energies were spent in attempting to take control of neighboring Armenia. The dynasty ended with the death of Abu'l-Musafir al-Fath in 929. Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Persia, 889-901, Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj, first Sajid Ruler
Persia, 889-901, Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj, first Sajid Ruler; ibn Abi'l-Saj also known as Muhammad al-Afshin (died 901), an Iranian[1] appointed general of al-Mu'tadid, was the first Sajid amir of Azerbaijan, from 889 or 890 until his death. He was the son of Abi'l-Saj Devdad. Early career Like their father, Muhammad and his brother Yusuf had long and active careers. In 879 Muhammad was appointed by the Saffarid Amr ibn al-Layth as his representative in Mecca, and was later appointed by the Abbasids as the governor of Anbar and Rahba. When the amir of Egypt Ahmad ibn Tulun died in 884, Muhammad was presented an opportunity to capture some of his territories in Syria from his inexperienced son and heir, Khumarawayh. He allied himself with another Abbasid general, Ishaq ibn Kundaj, who had received authorization and some troops from al-Muwaffaq.[2][3][4] Ishaq clashed with the Tulunid governor of Raqqa in April 884,[5] and soon after, the Tulunid governor of Damascus defected, bringing with him Antioch, Aleppo and Hims.[4] Khumarawayh responded by sending troops to Syria, who soon succeeded in recovering the lost cities, before both sides settled into winter quarters.[4] In the spring, al-Muwaffaq's son, Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad (the future Caliph al-Mu'tadid), arrived to take control. Ahmad and Ishaq defeated the Tulunids, who were driven back to Palestine, but Ahmad quarrelled with Ishaq and Muhammad, who departed with their troops, and at the Battle of the Mills on 6 April Khumarawayh's general Sa'd al-Aysar routed the Abbasid army.[2][4][6] This signalled the end of the alliance between Muhammad and Ishaq: Muhammad now turned to Khumarawayh, and persuaded him to invade the Jazira. With Egyptian aid, Muhammad crossed the Euphrates, defeated Ishaq's forces in a number of battles in 886â€“887, and forced him to recognize Tulunid control.[2][7][8] The entire Jazira now became a Tulunid province, a fact recognized by the Abbasid government in a treaty in December 886 that confirmed Khumarawayh in his old and new possessions.[7][9] Ishaq remained as governor of Mosul under Tulunid authority. In 887/8 he tried to rebel but was defeated. Although he re-acknowledged Tulunid suzerainty, he was now stripped of Mosul in favor of Muhammad. Ishaq now concentrated his attentions on defeating Muhammad, and soon managed to secure the favor and support of Khumarawayh: in 888â€“889 Ishaq defeated Muhammad at Damascus, who then fled to al-Muwaffaq.[2][10] In 889 or 890 Caliph al-Mu'tamid's brother and regent, al-Muwaffaq, appointed Muhammad as governor of Azerbaijan. His first challenge came in the form of 'Abd-Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hamdani, a rebel who had taken control of Maragha. Muhammad convinced him to surrender in 893 by promising his safety, but once 'Abd-Allah did so he was executed by the Sajid. Maragha was afterwards made Muhammad's capital, though he usually resided in Bardaa.[11] Conflict over Armenia When the Bagratid Smbat I came to the throne of Armenia in 890, Muhammad had sent him a crown and presents in the name of the caliph, asserting his own authority over Smbat in the process. When Smbat sent envoys to the Byzantine emperor in 892, Muhammad threatened to attack him, but Smbat managed to convince the Sajid not to carry out his threat through diplomatic means. Three years later, however, the Bagratid invaded Georgia and Albania. In response Muhammad seized Nakhchivan and Dvin, but was then defeated and decided to make peace.[12] At some point in his career Muhammad decided to assert his independence from the caliph, probably by refusing to send the revenue due to Baghdad. In 898 he assumed the title al-Afshin, the title previously used by the rulers of Ushrusana in Transoxiana (Muhammad's family was originally from that province). Soon afterwards he decided to restore his loyalty to the caliph, and was confirmed as governor of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Muhammad launched another campaign against Smbat, taking Kars and capturing Smbat's wife and part of his treasury. Dvin was furthermore brought under control. In 899 Muhammad exchanged Smbat's wife for his son Ashot. Shortly after this he forced the Artsrunid ruler of Vaspurakan, Ashot-Sargis Artsruni, to submit to his authority. In the meantime his loyalty to the caliph again became uncertain. In 900 he invaded Vaspurakan again after Ashot-Sargis's brother, whom Muhammad had taken as a hostage the last time he had invaded, escaped. He left a garrison in Vaspurakan after Ashot-Sargis fled and returned to Bardaa. While preparing another campaign against Smbat, he died of an epidemic in 901.[11] He was succeeded by his son Devdad. Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria; Sajid dynasty (Persian: Ø³Ø§Ø¬ÛŒØ§Ù†â€Ž), was an Iranian Muslim dynasty that ruled from 889-890 until 929. The Sajids ruled Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia first from Maragha and Barda and then from Ardabil.[a][1] The Sajids originated from the Central Asian province of Ushrusana and were of Iranian (Sogdian)[2][3][b] descent. Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj Diwdad the son of Diwdad, the first Sajid ruler of Azerbaijan, was appointed as its ruler in 889 or 890. Muhammad's father Abu'l-Saj Devdad had fought under the Ushrusanan prince Afshin Khaydar during the latter's final campaign against the rebel Babak Khorramdin in Azerbaijan, and later served the caliphs. Toward the end of the 9th century, as the central authority of the Abbasid Caliphate weakened, Muhammad was able to form a virtually independent state. Much of the Sajids' energies were spent in attempting to take control of neighboring Armenia. The dynasty ended with the death of Abu'l-Musafir al-Fath in 929. Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Persia, 889-901, Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran;

Persia, 901-929, Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran;

Persia, 914, Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia and Kvelistsikhe Fortress
Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Persia, 1072-1307, History Folder, Persian-Turk Seljuk Khwarezmid Empire, Sunni

Persia, 1000, 11th Century Folder, Persian-Turk Sultanate of Rome

Persia, 1073-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I, established order in Georgia, poisoned
Persia, 1072-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I; I son of Alp Arslan ------Jalal al-Dawla Muizz al-Dunya Wal-Din Abu'l-Fath ibn Alp Arslan (8 August 1055 – 19 November 1092, better known by his regnal name of Malik-Shah I, was sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092. his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, along with the latter's vizier Nizam al-Mulk. During one of such campaigns in 1072, Alp Arslan was fatally wounded and died only a few days later. After that, Malik-Shah was crowned as the new sultan of the empire, but the succession was contested by his uncle Qavurt. Although Malik-Shah was the nominal head of the Seljuk state, Nizam al-Mulk held near absolute power during his reign.[4] Malik-Shah spent the rest of his reign waging war against the Karakhanids on the eastern side, and establishing order in the Caucasus. death to this day remains under dispute; according to some scholars, he was poisoned by Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi, while others say that he was poisoned by the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk. Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1077-1307, Persian-Turk, Seljuk Empire, Sultanate of Rum (Rome), Sunni
Persia, 1077-1307, Persian-Turk, Seljuk Empire, Sultanate of Rum (Rome), Sunni; Sultanate of Rum[a] or Rum Seljuk Sultanate was a Turko-Persian[7][8][9][10] Sunni Muslim ruled state, established over major cities and territories of Anatolia conquered from the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire by the Seljuk Turks following the Battle of Manzikert (1071) and a subsequent temporary collapse of Byzantine power. The name Rûm was a synonym for the Byzantine Empire and its peoples, as it remains in modern Turkish. It derives from the Arabic name for ancient Rome, itself a loan from Koine Greek, "Romans, citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire".[11] Sultanate of Rum seceded from the Great Seljuk Empire under Suleiman ibn Qutalmish in 1077, just six years after the Byzantine provinces of central Anatolia were conquered at the Battle of Manzikert (1071). It had its capital first at İznik and then at Konya. It reached the height of its power during the late 12th and early 13th century, when it succeeded in taking key Byzantine ports on the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. In the east, the sultanate reached Lake Van. Trade through Anatolia from Iran and Central Asia was developed by a system of caravanserai. Especially strong trade ties with the Genoese formed during this period. The increased wealth allowed the sultanate to absorb other Turkish states that had been established following the conquest of Byzantine Anatolia: Danishmendids, House of Mengüjek, Saltukids, Artuqids. Seljuk sultans bore the brunt of the Crusades and eventually succumbed to the Mongol invasion at the 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ. For the remainder of the 13th century, the Seljuks acted as vassals of the Ilkhanate.[12] Their power disintegrated during the second half of the 13th century. The last of the Seljuk vassal sultans of the Ilkhanate, Mesud II, was murdered in 1308. The dissolution of the Seljuk state left behind many small Anatolian beyliks (Turkish principalities), among them that of the Ottoman dynasty, which eventually conquered the rest and reunited Anatolia to become the Ottoman Empire. St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder
Georgia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder, 16 yr old King, welfare of the Church responsibility, Church over feudal lords, vital role of Faith, repatriation, began in Kakheti, traitorous feudal lords, David's army God's hands, David himself fought, Turks eliminated, Mehmed I 100,000, 1,500 G to Trialeti, same time 1115 advisor Giorgi recaptured Rustavi Ravine, David's son Demetre, permanent standing army 45,000, Kipchaks recruited, his wife's father Atrak, Mahmud II coalition Muslim countries 600,000, Soldier's of Christ we will defeat Devil himself, greatest weapon covenant w God to die for his love, block retreat w branches, tactics and miracles terrified the enemy at Didgori, recaptured Tiblisi 1122 after 400 yrs, Gelati Monastery 1106; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; the end of the 11th century the Georgian Church underwent a trial of physically and spiritually catastrophic proportions. Seljuk sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah (1073-1092), captured the village of Samshvilde, imprisoned its leader, Ioane Orbeliani, son of Liparit, ravaged Kvemo (Lower) Kartli, and finally captured all of Georgia, despite the isolated victories of King Giorgi II (1072-1089). The fearful Georgians fled their homes to hide in the mountains and forests. and deeply distressed by the difficult times, the nation that had once vowed its unconditional love for Christ began to fall into sin and corruption. People of all ages and temperaments sinned against God and turned to the path of perdition. God manifested His wrath toward the Georgian people by sending a terrible earthquake that devastated their Paschal celebrations. the year 1089, during this period of devastation and despair, King Giorgi II abdicated, designating his sixteen-year-old only son, David (later known as “the Restorer”), heir to the throne. It is written that the Heavenly Father said: I have found David My servant, with My holy oil have I annointed him (Ps. 88:19). newly crowned King David took upon himself enormous responsibility for the welfare of the Church. He supported the efforts of the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi to restore and reinforce the authority of the Georgian Church and suppress the conceited feudal lords and unworthy clergymen. During King David’s reign, the government’s most significant activities were carried out for the benefit of the Church. At the same time, the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi reasserted the vital role of the Orthodox Faith in rescuing the Georgian people from the godless mire into which they had sunk. among King David’s goals at the beginning of his reign was the repatriation of those who had fled Georgia during the Turkish rule. The king summoned his noblemen and began to reunify the nation. The king’s efforts to reunify Georgia began in the eastern region of Kakheti-Hereti, but the Turks and traitorous feudal lords were unwilling to surrender the power they had gained in the area. Nevertheless, King David’s army was in God’s hands, and the Georgians fought valiantly against the massive Turkish army. King David himself fought like any other soldier: three of his horses were killed, but he mounted a fourth to finish the fight with a fantastic victory. The Turkish presence was eliminated from his country. however, the uncompromising Seljuk sultan Mehmed (Muhammad) I of Baghdad (1105-1118) ordered an army of one hundred thousand soldiers to march on Georgia. When King David heard of the enemy’s approach, he immediately assembled a force of fifteen hundred men and led them towards Trialeti. A battle began in the early morning, and with God’s help the enemy was defeated. the king’s adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, recaptured the town of Rustavi in 1115, as the Georgian army recovered the ravine of the Mtkvari River. of Chqondidi was King David’s teacher and closest adviser. He held the post of chancellor-procurator. At the council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, King David introduced a new law, combining the office of chancellor-procurator with the archbishopric of Chqondidi, the most influential episcopate in Georgia.) year later, the Turks, who had been encamped between the towns of Karnipori and Basiani, were banished from the country. The “Great Wars” continued, and the holy king was crowned with new victories. ’s son Demetre (later the venerable Damiane), a young man distinguished in “wisdom, holiness, appearance and courage,” was a great asset to his father. The prince led a war on Shirvan, captured Kaladzori, and returned to his father with slaves and great riches, the spoils of war in those days. One year later, the villages of Lore and Agarani were rejoined to Georgia. spite of his victories, King David knew that it would be difficult for his meager army to protect the recovered cities and fortresses, while continuing to serve as a permanent military force. Thus it became necessary to establish a separate, permanent standing army. The wise king planned to draft men from among the Qipchaks, a northern Caucasian tribe, to form this army. He was well acquainted with the character of these people, and confident that they were brave and seasoned in war. Furthermore, David’s wife, Queen Gurandukhti, was a daughter of Atrak, the Qipchaks’ ruler. Atrak joyfully agreed to the request of his son-in-law, the king. a true diplomat seeking to maintain peaceful relations with the Qipchaks, King David took his adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, and traveled to the region of Ossetia in the northern Caucasus. There Giorgi of Chqondidi, an “adviser to his master and participant in his great works and victories,” reposed in the Lord. Following this, the dispirited King David declared that his kingdom would grieve for forty days. But he accomplished what he had set out to do, and selected forty thousand Qipchaks to add to the five thousand Georgian soldiers he had already enlisted. From that point on King David had a standing army of forty-five thousand men. king’s enormous army finally uprooted the Turkish presence in and around Georgia permanently. The defeated Turks returned in shame to their sultan in Baghdad, draped in black as a sign of grief and defeat. Nevertheless, the unyielding sultan Mahmud II (1118-1131) rallied a coalition of Muslim countries to attack Georgia. The sultan summoned the Arab leader Durbays bin Sadaka, commanded his own son Malik (1152-1153) to serve him, gathered an army of six hundred thousand men, and marched once more towards Georgia. was August of 1121. Before heading off to battle, King David inspired his army with these words: “Soldiers of Christ! If we fight bravely for our Faith, we will defeat not only the devil’s servants, but the devil himself. will gain the greatest weapon of spiritual warfare when we make a covenant with the Almighty God and vow that we would rather die for His love than escape from the enemy. And if any one of us should wish to retreat, let us take branches and block the entrance to the gorge to prevent this. When the enemy approaches, let us attack fiercely!” of the soldiers thought of retreating. The king’s stunning battle tactics and the miracles of God terrified the enemy. As it is written, “The hand of God empowered him, and the Great-martyr George visibly led him in battle. The king annihilated the godless enemy with his powerful right hand.” battle at Didgori enfeebled the enemy for many years. The following year, in 1122, King David recaptured the capital city of Tbilisi, which had borne the yoke of slavery for four hundred years. The king returned the city to its mother country. In 1123 King David declared the village of Dmanisi a Georgian possession, and thus, at last, unification of the country was complete. victory followed another, as the Lord defended the king who glorified his Creator. 1106 King David had begun construction of Gelati Monastery in western Georgia, and throughout his life this sacred complex was the focus of his efforts on behalf of the revival of the Georgian Church. Gelati Monastery was the most glorious of all the existing temples to God. To beautify the building, King David offered many of the great treasures he had acquired as spoils of war. Then he gathered all the wise, upright, generous, and pious people from among his kinsmen and from abroad and established the Gelati Theological Academy. King David helped many people in Georgian churches both inside and outside his kingdom. The benevolent king constructed a primitive ambulance for the sick and provided everything necessary for their recovery. He visited the infirm, encouraging them and caring for them like a father. The king always took with him a small pouch in which he carried alms for the poor. intelligent and well-lettered king spent his free time reading the Holy Scriptures and studying the sciences. He even carried his books with him to war, soliciting the help of donkeys and camels to transport his library. When he tired of reading, King David had others read to him, while he listened attentively. One of the king’s biographers recalls, “Each time David finished reading the Epistles, he put a mark on the last page. At the end of one year, we counted that he had read them twenty-four times.” David was also an exemplary writer. His “Hymns of Repentance” are equal in merit to the works of the greatest writers of the Church. most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the Almighty God for forgiveness. David completed his will in 1125, and in the same year he abdicated and designated his son Demetre to be his successor. He entrusted his son with a sword, blessed his future, and wished him many years in good health and service to the Lord. The king reposed peacefully at the age of fifty-three. David the Restorer was buried at the entrance to Gelati Monastery. His final wish was carved in the stone of his grave: This is My rest for ever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen her (Ps. 131:15). St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Persia, 1092-1105, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq
Persia, 1092-1105, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Persia-Turks, Shamkori, Azerbaijan Georgia Battle over Persia

Persia, 1105-1105, Malik-Shah II, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, deposed and killed by his uncle
Persia, 1105-1105, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Malik-Shah II; II or Mu'izz ad-Din Malik Shah II Seljuq Sultan in Baghdad during 1105. was the grandson of Malik Shah I, and was theoretically the head of the dynasty, although his relative Ahmad Sanjar in Khorasan probably held more effective power. was deposed and killed by his uncle Muhammed Tapar. Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1105-1118, Muhammad I, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, k nephew, theoretical power only, given Armenia & Azerbaijan
Persia, 1105-1118, Muhammad I, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, k nephew, theoretical power only, d sultan Rum 1107, d brother, given Armenia & Azerbaijan, 1106 c Ismali fortress of Shahdiz, d Iraq king of Arabs ; Persia 1105-1118, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mehmed I of Bagdad ; Shuja Ghiyath al-Dunya wa'l-Din Muhammad ibn Malik-Shah (1082 – 1118), better known as Muhammad I Tapar, the sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1105 to 1118. was a son of Malik-Shah I (r. 1072-1092) and Taj al-Din Khatun Safariya.[1] Turkish, Tapar means "he who obtains, finds". was born in January 1082.[2] succeeded his nephew, Malik Shah II, as Seljuq Sultan in Baghdad, and thus was theoretically the head of the dynasty, his brother Ahmad Sanjar in Khorasan held more practical power. I probably allied himself with Radwan of Aleppo in the battle of the Khabur River against Kilij Arslan I, the sultan of Rüm, in 1107, in which the latter was defeated and killed.[3] the internecine conflict with his half brother, Barkiyaruq, he was given the title of malik and the provinces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. by this he revolted again, but had to flee back to Armenia. 1104, Barkiyaruq, ill and tired of war, agreed to divide the sultanate with Muhammad.[4] became sole sultan following the death of Barkiyaruq in 1105. 1106, Muhammad conquered the Ismaili fortress of Shahdiz, and ordered the Bavandid ruler Shahriyar IV to participate in his campaign against the Ismailis. greatly angered by the message Muhammad sent him, refused to aid him against the Ismailis.[5] after, Muhammad sent an army headed by Amir Chavli, who tried to capture Sari but was unexpectedly defeated by an army under Shahriyar and his son Qarin III. then sent a letter, which requested Shahriyar to send one of his sons to the Seljuq court in Isfahan.[6] sent his son Ali I, who impressed Muhammad so much that he offered him his daughter in marriage, but Ali refused and told him to grant the honor to his brother and heir of the Bavand dynasty, Qarin III. III then went to the Isfahan court and married her. 1106/1107, Ahmad ibn Nizam al-Mulk, the son of the famous vizier Nizam al-Mulk, went to the court of Muhammad I to file a complaint against the rais (head) of Hamadan. Ahmad arrived to the court, Muhammad I appointed him as his vizier, replacing Sa'd al-Mulk Abu'l-Mahasen Abi, who had been recently executed on suspicion of heresy. appointment was due mainly to the reputation of Ahmad's father. He was then given various titles which his father held (Qewam al-din, Sadr al-Islam and Nizam al-Mulk). I, along with his vizier Ahmad, later campaigned in Iraq, where they defeated and killed the Mazyadid ruler Sayf al-dawla Sadaqa ibn Mansur, who bore the title "king of the Arabs". 1109, Muhammad I sent Ahmad and Chavli Saqavu to capture the Ismaili fortresses of Alamut and Ostavand, but they failed to achieve any decisive result and withdrew.[7] was shortly replaced by Khatir al-Mulk Abu Mansur Maybudi as vizier of the Sejluq Empire. to Ali ibn al-Athir (a historian who lived about a hundred years later), Ahmad then retired to a private life in Baghdad, but, according to the contemporary biographer, Anushirvan ibn Khalid, Muhammad I had Ahmad imprisoned for ten years.[8] I died in 1118 and was succeeded by Mahmud II, although after Muhammad I's death Sanjar was clearly the chief power in the Seljuq realms. Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1118-1152, Mahmud II, Persian-Turk Seljuk of Bagdad, r I & P, d by A Sanjar, Khorasan, m Ahmad's d, heir, gave N Persia
Persia, 1118-1152, Mahmud II of Great Seljuq, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan of Bagdad, ruled Iraq and Persia, defeated by Ahmad Sanjar in Khorasan & 5 kings incl Garsharp II in persia, married uncle Ahmad's daughter, became heir, gave up northern Persia; Persia, 1118-1152, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, Mahmud II of Great Seljuq; II (c. 1105 – 1131) was the Seljuk sultan of Baghdad from 1118–1131 following the death of his father Muhammad I Tapar.[1] the time Mahmud was fourteen, and ruled over Iraq and Persia. Mahmud's early reign, his vassal king Garshasp II, who was a favorite of his father Muhammad I, fell into disgrace. about him spread to the court that made him lose confidence, and made Mahmud send a military force to Yazd where Garshasp was arrested and jailed in Jibal, while Yazd was granted to the royal cupbearer. however, escaped and returned to Yazd, where he requested protection from Mahmud's rival Ahmad Sanjar (Garshasp's wife was the sister of Ahmad). urged Ahmad to invade the domains of Mahmud in Central Persia, and gave him information on how to march to Central Persia, and the ways to combat Mahmud. accepted and advanced with an army to the west in 1119, where he together with five kings defeated Mahmud at Saveh.[1] The kings who aided Ahmad during the battle were Garshasp II himself, the emirs of Sistan and of Khwarazm,[1] and two other unnamed kings. being victorious, Ahmad then restored the domains of Garshasp II.[2] then proceeded as far as Baghdad, whereupon Mahmud was married to one of Sanjar's daughters, made his uncle's heir, and forced to give up strategic territories in northern Persia.[1] younger brother Mas'ud revolted against him in 1120, but the civil war ended the following year due to the intervention of the atabeg of Mosul, Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, and Mas'ud was pardoned. 1126, al-Bursuqi was murdered by Assassins, believed have been under orders from Mahmud. 1127, he appointed Anushirvan ibn Khalid as his vizier, but had him removed from the office the following year. 1129 Mahmud officially recognized the authority of Zengi, who had supported him against a revolt led by al-Mustarshid, caliph of Baghdad, in Syria and northern Iraq. then aged 26, died in 1131. His death was followed by a civil war between his son Dawud, and his brothers Mas'ud, Suleiman-Shah, and Toghrul II. other son Alp Arslan ibn Mahmud was ruler of Mosul with atabeg Zengi. Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1116-1156, Mesud I, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman, turned on help, Alaeddin Mosque, defeated 2 Crusader Armies
Persia, 1116-1156, Mesud I, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, lost throne, got it back w help, turned on help, Alaeddin Mosque, defeated 2 Crusader Armies 1147 1148; Persia, 1116-1156, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mesud I; al-Dīn Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan or Mesud I the sultan of the Sultanate of Rûm from 1116 until his death in 1156. the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan fighting against Ridwan of Aleppo at the battle of Khabur river in 1107,[1] lost the throne in favor of his brother Malik Shah. the help of the Danishmends, Mesud captured Konya and defeated Malik Shah in 1116, later blinding and eventually murdering him. would later turn on the Danishmends and conquer some of their lands. 1130, he started construction of the Alaeddin Mosque in Konya, which was later completed in 1221.[2] towards the end of his reign, fought against the armies of the Second Crusade. led by emperor Conrad III of Germany and the other led by king Louis VII of France. defeated both of them; the first at the battle of Dorylaeum near modern Eskişehir in 1147[3] and the second army in Laodicea near modern Denizli in 1148. he died, Mesud was succeeded by his son Kilij Arslan II. one of Mesud's daughters married John Tzelepes Komnenos, a member of the royal house of Komnenos who had converted to Islam.[4] St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1152-1153, Malik-Shah III, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, deposed by his brother, son rival claimant, 600K men to Georgia
Persia, 1152-1153, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan,Malik-Shah III; III (died 1160[1]) ruled as Sultan of Great Seljuq from 1152–53. was the son of Mahmud II of Great Seljuq. 1153, he was deposed and was succeeded by his brother, Muhammad. his death in 1160, his son Mahmud was held in Istakhr by the Salghurids as a rival claimant to the Seljuq throne.[2] Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Persia, 1156-1192, Kilij Arslan II, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan of Rum, great road at Konya, fought B, Crusaders and sons there
Persia, 1156-1192, Kilij Arslan II, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, related to germans, 1159 attacked Manuel I on great road at Iconium, 1161 d by M's nephew, 1173 against Mosul, 1175 B peace ended, 1176 d invading B, 1179 Henry I held for ransom paid by B, 1180 S coast of Anatolia, 1182 Cotyaeum f B, 1185 peace w B, but 1186 11 sons power, turned on Saladin to allow 3rd Crusade through, but sons fought C, oldest son back to Konya, Kilij refuge in Cappadocia, 1192 w son c Konya, died besieging Aksaray, promised son Kaykhusraw but brothers fight; Persia, 1156-1192, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kilij Arslan II; Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rum from 1156 until his death in 1192. Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172. they met near Tarsus, the sultan embraced and kissed the German duke, reminding him that they were blood cousins ('amplexans et deosculans eum, dicens, eum consanguineum suum esse'). the duke asked for details of this relationship, Kilij Arslan informed him that 'a noble lady from the land of Germans married a king of Russia who had a daughter by her; this daughter's daughter arrived to our land, and I descend from her.' 1159, Kilij Arslan attacked Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus as he marched past Iconium (Konya, capital of Rüm), as Manuel returned from negotiating with Nur ad-Din Zengi in Syria. 1161 Manuel's nephew John Contostephanus defeated Kilij Arslan, and the sultan travelled to Constantinople in a show of submission.[1] 1173, Kilij Arslan, now at peace with the Byzantines, allied with Nur ad-Din against Mosul. The Tomb of Kilij Arslan II in the courtyard of Alâeddin Mosque, Konya peace treaty with the Byzantines lasted until 1175, when Kilij Arslan refused to hand over to Manuel the territory conquered from the Danishmends, although both sides had for some time been building up their fortifications and armies in preparation for a renewed war. Arslan tried to negotiate, but Manuel invaded the sultanate in 1176, intending to capture Iconium itself. Arslan was able to defeat Emperor Manuel I Komnenos's army at the Battle of Myriokephalon,[2] the Sultan forced the emperor to negotiate a fragile peace. 1179, Kilij Arslan captured and held to ransom Henry I, the renowned count of Champagne, who was returning overland from a visit to Jerusalem.[3] The ransom was paid by the Byzantine Emperor and Henry was released, but died soon afterwards. 1180, the sultan took advantage of the instability in the Byzantine Empire after Manuel's death to secure most of the southern coast of Anatolia, and sent his vizier Ikhtiyar al-Din to conclude an alliance with Saladin, Nur ad-Din's successor, that same year. in 1182, he succeeded in capturing the city of Cotyaeum from the Byzantines. 1185, he made peace with Emperor Isaac II Angelus, the next year he transferred power to his eleven sons, who immediately fought each other for control. Kilij Arslan's alliance with Saladin, he promised the armies of the Third Crusade, led by Frederick Barbarossa to freely pass through his territories; his sons who were local chieftains disagreed and fought against the Crusaders at the Battle of Philomelion and Battle of Iconium.[4] the Crusaders departure, his eldest son Qutb al-Din who led the Turks in the latter battle then fled afterwards, came back to control Konya; Kilij Arslan II escaped and took refuge in Kayseri. on, Qutb al-Din declared himself to be the new Sultan, but his father and his brother Kaykhusraw I drove him out of Konya in 1192, then chased him to Aksaray, and besieged the city. Arslan II died during the siege of Aksaray in August 1192, aged 77, after promising Kaykhusraw I the succession.[5] he was buried in the Alaeddin Kosku in Konya.[a] I's brothers continued to fight for control of the other parts of the sultanate.[7]

Persia, 1192-1196, Kaykhusraw I, Persian-Turk Seljuk, B mother, K on great road, fled to C, baptized, back to K, seized M port
Persia, 1192-1196 & 1205-1211, Kaykhusraw I, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Byzantine mother, Konya on great road, 1197-1203 fled to C from bro, baptized in C, back to K in 1203 over father Kilji, 1207 seized M port Antalya & f mosque there Persia, 1192-1196, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kaykhusraw I; I, the eleventh and youngest son of Kilij Arslan II, was Seljuk Sultan of Rum. succeeded his father in 1192, but had to fight his brothers for control of the Sultanate, losing to his brother Suleiman II in 1196.[1] He ruled it 1192–1196 and 1205–1211. name "Kaykhusraw" is based on the name of the legendary Shahnameh hero Kay Khosrow.[2] date of birth is unknown. He was the eleventh and youngest son of Kilij Arslan II (r. 1156–1192). mother was of Byzantine ancestry. received a good education during his upbringing, learning other languages besides his native Turkish, which was Persian, Arabic, and Greek.[3] married a daughter of Manuel Maurozomes.[4] Manuel Maurozomes would hold the castles of Chonae and Laodicea as a vassal of Kaykhusraw.[5] 1192/93, Kaykhusraw returned the Byzantine nobleman, Theodore Mangaphas, to Emperor Isaac II after receiving assurances of Mangaphas treatment (a pardon).[6] his brother, Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah, quickly advancing towards Konya, Kaykhusraw fled to Constantinople in 1196.[7] lived in Constantinople from 1197–1203, possibly even being baptised.[8] A mathnawi written by Kaykhusraw himself compares his destiny during that period to that of the legendary Iranian hero Jam (Jamshid), who had to go into exile after losing his divine fortune (farr).[9] Suleiman's death and Kilij Arslan's ascension to the sultanate, Kaykhusraw forced his way into Konya, removed Kilij from power and was enthroned for a second time.[10] seized Antalya in 1207 from its Niceaen garrison which furnished the Seljuk sultanate with a port on the Mediterranean.[11] was during this year, Kaykhusraw founded a mosque in Antalya.[12] was killed at the Battle of Antioch on the Meander in 1211.[13] son Kayqubad I, by Manuel Maurozomes' daughter, ruled the Sultanate from 1220 to 1237, and his grandson, Kaykhusraw II, ruled from 1237 to 1246.[14] body was taken to Konya, where it was buried in the ancestral tomb of his family.[15] to Rustam Shukurov, Kaykhusraw I "had dual Christian and Muslim identity, an identity which was further complicated by dual Turkic/Persian and Greek ethnic identity".[16] Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Persia, 1195, battle near Shamkori, Georgia over Azerbaijan Persia
Georgia, 1195, battle near Shamkori, Azerbaijan, Georgia over Persia; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 1196-1204, Rukn al-Din, Persian-Turk Seljuk of Rum, aka Suleiman II, overthrew bro, expanded sultanate, defeated by Georgians, suceeded by Kilij III
Persia, 1196-1204, Rukn al-Din, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan of Rum, aka Suleiman II, overthrew bro, expanded sultanate, 1201 c Erzurum, wars over Byzantines, defeated by Georgians 1203, suceeded by Kilij III 1204-05, who lost to Kaykhusraw I; Persa, 1196-1204, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Rukn al-Din; II, also known as Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah, was the Seljuk Sultan of Rum between 1196 and 1204.[1] of Kilij Arslan II, he overthrew his brother, Sultan Kaykhusraw I, and became sultan in 1196.[2] fought neighbouring rulers and expanded the territories of the Sultanate. In 1201, he conquered Erzurum, giving it as a fief to Mughith al-Din Tugrulshah in 1202.[3] Successful in the wars with the Byzantines, he was routed by the Georgians in the Battle of Basian of 1203.[4] was succeeded by his son Kilij Arslan III in 1204–1205,[5] after which Kaykhusraw I forced his way into Konya, removed Kilij from power and was enthroned for a second time.[5] St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1200-1256, 13th Century Folder, Khwarazms, battles with Georgia, Sunni

Persia, 1203, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum, Georgia over Persian Turk Sultan Rukn al-Din
Georgia, 1202, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum; St. Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Persia, 1220-1231, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, fought Mongols, d by Genghis Khan, then a warlord
Persia, 1220-1231, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Sunni, able general, son of concubine, challanged as successor, fought Mongols, gathered army, dispute over spoils, defeated by Genghis Khan, then a warlord, no political ability, warlord army after his death ; Persia, 1220-1231, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu ; al-Din Mangburni (c.1199 - August 1231), the last Khwarazmshah of the Anushtegin dynasty. eldest son and successor of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II of the Khwarazmian Empire, al-Din was brought up at Gurganj, the wealthy capital of the Khwarezmid homeland. able general, he served as second-in-command to his father in at least one battle; however, since he was the son of a concubine, he was challenged as successor by a younger brother, whose cause was supported by the powerful Queen Mother, Turken Khatun. after the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire led to his father's flight and death on an island in the Caspian Sea, Jalal-al Din gained the loyalty of the majority of Khwarazmian loyalists. new Shah moved to Gurganj, but departed eastwards after Terken Khatun moved against him; Mongol patrols, he gathered a substantial army at Ghazni. managed to inflict an excellent defeat on Shigi Qutuqu at the Battle of Parwan, soon lost a good portion of his army in a dispute over spoils. was defeated by a vengeful Genghis Khan at the Battle of the Indus, and fled across the river. essentially a warlord, Jalal al-Din managed to establish a succession of short-lived states: in the Punjab, from 1222-4, then in northwest Iran Georgia, after 1225. politics, Jalal al-Din did not have the ability which underpinned his martial exploits, and he was forced to combat several large revolts and increasing pressure from Mongol forces. he was killed by a Kurd in August 1231. army he had gathered would continue to terrorize the Levant as the mercenary Khwarazmiyya until its final defeat in 1246. St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din, Sunni
Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia ; Sultan Jalal al-Din ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Persia, 1227, 100K Martyrs, Tbilisi, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazm, repelled but inside m traitors opened gates at night
Georgia, 1227, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm, Turkmenistan attacked, Georgia repelled but inside moslem traitors opened the gates at night; Tbilisi; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia. the first day of the battle the Georgian army valorously warded off the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. night, however, a group of Persians who were living in Tbilisi secretly opened the gates and summoned the enemy army into the city. to one manuscript in which this most terrible day in Georgian history was described: “Words are powerless to convey the destruction that the enemy wrought: tearing infants from their mothers’ breasts, they beat their heads against the bridge, watching as their eyes dropped from their skulls....” river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children’s lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death. sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded. hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.

Persia, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God
Jerusalem, 1277, Luke & Fathers of Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 3 trees of the Cross, Luke followed his mother to Jerusalem, became monk there, became abbot, monks ousted, Luke confronted, beheaded, then severed head turned East and thanked God ; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Fathers & Luke Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; holy martyr Luka of Jerusalem lived in the 13th century. He was born to an honorable, pious Georgian family by the name of Mukhaisdze. After the repose of Luka’s father, his mother left her children and went to labor at a monastery in Jerusalem. Luka reached the age of twenty, he traveled to Jerusalem to visit his mother and venerate the holy places. After spending some time there he decided to remain and be tonsured a monk. was later ordained a deacon and became fluent in Arabic. Soon the brothers of the monastery recognized his wisdom and asked him to guide them as abbot. For three years Luka directed the monastery in an exemplary manner. the devil was envious of the holy father and provoked a certain Shekh-Khidar, an influential Persian at the court of Sultan Penducht, (Probably Sultan Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar of Egypt (1260-1277)) to take up arms against Saint Luka. Penducht then transferred possession of theHoly CrossMonastery to Shekh-Khidar, who “treated the Georgian monks in a beastly manner and finally ousted them from the monastery altogether.” his God-given duty, the blessed Luka insisted on personally confronting Shekh-Khidar in defense of his brotherhood. ’s Christian brothers and sisters warned him, saying, “Shekh-Khidar is threatening you.... Flee and hide fromhim!” But Luka paid no heed to their admonitions, certain that it was more fitting to die for Christ than to live for the world. As he had insisted, he himself approached and asked for the release of the imprisoned fathers. told him that he was prepared to accept any demands. The wicked Persian leader demanded nothing from Luka except that he convert to Islam, promising to make him emir if he consented. When he refused, the furious Shekh-Khidar ordered Saint Luka’s beheading. the terrible deed had been performed, Saint Luka’s severed head turned toward the east and gave thanks to God with an expression of pure peace. Soon after, his precious body was set on fire at the command of the bewildered Shekh-Khidar. This occurred in 1277. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; story as above

Persia, 1256-1353, History Folder, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, Buddist then Sunni

Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353, Tabriz
Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1257-1300, 13th Century Folder, Ilkhanate Empire, 1256- , Georgia under these Mongols

Persia, 1257-1265, Ilkhan Emperor, Hulagu, civil wars, over m of western asia, Genghis gs
Persia, 1256-1265, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Hulagu Khan; Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu (c. 1215 - 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. Son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ariq Böke, Möngke Khan, and Kublai Khan. army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia, a precursor to the eventual Safavid dynasty, and then the modern state of Iran. Under Hulagu's leadership, the siege of Baghdad (1258) destroyed Baghdad's standing in the Islamic Golden Age and weakened Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo and ended the Abbasid Dynasty. St. Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Persia, 1265-1282, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan, civil wars with Mongol Empire, invaded Syria unsuccessfully
Persia, 1265-1282, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan ; Khan (February 1234 - 4 April 1282, paternal uncle, also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (Ilkhan) of the Ilkhanate. son of Hulagu Khan and Lady Yesünčin. He was the grandson of Tolui and reigned from 1265 to 1282 and was succeeded by his brother Ahmed Tekuder.[1] of Abaqa's reign was consumed with civil wars in the Mongol Empire, such as those between the Ilkhanate and the northern khanate of the Golden Horde. Abaqa also engaged in unsuccessful attempts at military invasion of Syria, including the Second Battle of Homs. was born in Mongolia[1] in February 1234, son of Ilkhanate founder Hulagu Khan. Abaqa was a Buddhist. A favoured son of Hulagu, he was made governor of Turkestan.[2] died from illness in 1265. Before his death, he had been negotiating with the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to add a daughter of the Byzantine imperial family to Hulagu's number of wives. VIII had selected his illegitimate daughter Maria Palaiologina, who was dispatched in 1265, escorted by the abbot of Pantokrator monastery, Theodosius de Villehardouin.[3] Historian Steven Runciman relates how she was accompanied by the Patriarch Euthymius of Antioch.[2] Hulagu died before she arrived, she was instead married to Hulagu's son, Abaqa. He received her hand in marriage when he was installed as Ilkhan. When Hulagu's wife Doquz Khatun also died in 1265, the role of spiritual leader transferred to Maria, who was called "Despina Khatun" by the Mongols. was Abaqa who decided on the permanent location for the Ilkhanate capital, Tabriz, which was in the northwestern grasslands that the Mongols preferred.[4] took power four months after the death of his father, and then spent the next several months redistributing fiefs and governorships.[2] of the coins from Abaqa's era display the Christian cross, and bear in Arabic the Christian inscription "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, only one God".[5] campaigns[edit] Horde[edit] Dinar of Abaqa Khan, Isfahan Mint. dirham of Abaqa Khan, struck at the Tiflis (Tbilisi) mint, dated 1265 Hulagu's reign, the Mongols of the Ilkhanate had been at war with the Mongols of the Golden Horde. This continued into Abaqa's reign, and the Golden Horde invaded the Ilkhanate in the Spring after his accession. The invasion was partly due to an alliance between the Golden Horde and the Egyptian Mamluks. As part of this alliance, the Golden Horde would attempt to distract Abaqa through an attack on his territories to keep him from invading Mamluk-held Syria.[2] hostilities continued until the death of the Golden Horde's khan Berke, in 1267. The Great Khan Kublai attempted to intervene to stop the civil war, and due to his influence, the Golden Horde's khan, Möngke Temür did not launch a major invasion into Abaqa's territory.[6] Möngke Temür still established an alliance with the Egyptian Mamluk sultan Baibars promising that he would attack Abaqa and share any conquered territories.[7] However, at the same time, Möngke Temür sent envoys to congratulate Abaqa when the Ilkhan defeated Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq.[8] In 1270, he allowed Mengu-Timur to collect his revenues from workshops in Iran.[9] Ögedei's grandson Kaidu, Batu's grandson Mengu-Timur and Baraq of the Chagatai Khanate formed an alliance against Kublai Khan and Abaqa in Talas. They appointed Kaidu a ruler of Central Asia. The Kaidu–Kublai war lasted for a few decades. 1270, Baraq Khan of the Chagataids tried to annex Iran, which started a new war against Abaqa in the city of Herat, though Abaqa was able to launch a successful defence and, also, defeated Baraq's relative Teguder in Georgia. In the following year, he retaliated by sending an army against the Chagatai Khanate. They plundered Bukhara and surrounding areas. There were small conflicts between Abaqha and Qara'unas under Chagatayd noyans until 1280. Ismailis[edit] Main articles: Mongol campaign against the Nizaris and Gerdkuh of Syria[edit] See also: Mongol invasions of Syria relations with Christians[edit] was one in a long line of Mongol rulers who attempted to secure Western co-operation against the Muslim Mamluks. He corresponded with Pope Clement IV during 1267-1268, and reportedly sent a Mongol ambassador in 1268, trying to form a Franco-Mongol alliance between his forces, those of the West, and those of his father-in-law Michael VIII. He received responses from Rome and from James I of Aragon, though it is unclear if this was what led to James's unsuccessful expedition to Acre in 1269.[10] Abaqa is recorded as having written to the Aragonese king, saying that he was going to send his brother, Aghai, to join the Aragonese when they arrived in Cilicia. Abaqa also sent embassies to Edward I of England, and in 1274 sent a Mongol delegation to Pope Gregory X at the Second Council of Lyons, where Abaqa's secretary Rychaldus read a report to the assembly, reminding them of Hulagu's friendliness towards Christians, and assuring them that Abaqa planned to drive the Muslims from Syria.[11] But neither this diplomatic mission, nor two further embassies to Europe in 1276 and 1277, brought any tangible results. during the Ninth Crusade (1271)[edit] operations (red) under Abaqa's general Samagar during the Ninth Crusade in 1271 also: Ninth Crusade VI of Antioch, under the influence of his father-in-law Hetoum I of Armenia, had voluntarily submitted to Mongol authority in 1260,[12] while Abaqa's father Hulagu was in power, making Antioch and Tripoli vassal states of the Ilkhanate. In 1268, the Mamluk leader Baibars captured Antioch,[13] and Bohemond obtained a truce with Baibars in order to avoid losing Tripoli.[14][15] response to the fall of Antioch, Edward I of England arrived in Acre in 1271, trying to lead a new Crusade. It was ultimately considered a military failure, but Edward was able to eventually secure a truce with the Mamluks before he had to return to England. Edward arrived in Acre, he had sent an embassy to Abaqa, led by Reginald Rossel, Godefroi of Waus and John of Parker, requesting military assistance from the Mongols.[16] Abaqa was occupied by other conflicts in Turkestan but responded positively to Edward's request, sending 10,000 Mongol horsemen under general Samagar from the occupation army in Seljuk Anatolia to Syria: talking over the matter, we have on our account resolved to send to your aid Cemakar (Samagar) at the head of a mighty force; thus, when you discuss among yourselves the other plans involving the aforementioned Cemakar be sure to make explicit arrangements as to the exact month and day on which you will engage the enemy." — Letter from Abaqa to Edward I, 4 September 1271.[17] Mongols, including some auxiliary Seljukid troops, ravaged the land from Aleppo southward. Though the force was relatively small, they triggered an exodus of the Muslim population (who remembered the previous campaigns of the Mongol general Kitbuqa) as far south as Cairo.[18] Edward, for his part, was never able to muster his own forces to coordinate actions with the Mongols or even achieve any military victories, so Abaqa's forces eventually withdrew. When Baibars mounted a counter-offensive from Egypt on 12 November, the Mongols had already retreated beyond the Euphrates. of 1280–1281[edit] Mamluk leader Baibars died in 1277. In 1280–1281, Abaqa promoted new attacks against Syria. In September 1280, the Mongols occupied Baghras and Darbsak, and took Aleppo on October 20. The Mongols sent envoys to Acre to request military support for their campaign, but the Crusaders were still in a 10-year truce with the Mamluks. The Vicar of the Patriarch declined Abaqa's request, saying that the city was suffering from hunger, and that the king of Jerusalem was embroiled in another war. The King of Cyprus Hugues III and Bohemond VII also mobilized their armies, but could not intervene because the Mamluks had already positioned themselves between them and the Mongols.[19] and Leo III urged the Franks to start a new Crusade, but only the Hospitallers and Edward I (who could not come for lack of funds) responded favourably.[20] The Hospitallers of Marqab made combined raids into the Buqaia, and won several engagements against the Sultan,[21] raiding as far as the Krak des Chevaliers in October 1280, and defeating the Mamluk army of the Krak in February 1281.[19] Mongols finally retreated, pledging to come back for the winter of 1281. They informed the Franks that they would bring 50,000 Mongol horsemen and 50,000 Mongol infantry, but the request apparently remained without a response.[21] of Autumn 1281[edit] of the Mongols (left) at the 1281 Battle of Homs. Egyptian Muslims had respected a 10-year truce with the Crusaders which began in 1271. On 3 May 1281, the new Muslim sultan Qalawun signed a new 10-year truce with the Barons of Acre and a second 10-year truce with Bohemond VII of Tripoli, on 16 July 1281.[22] announced Mongol invasion started in September 1281. They were joined by the Armenians under Leo III, and by about 200 Hospitalier knights from the fortress of Marqab,[23][24] who considered they were not bound by the truce with the Mamluks.[25] 30 October 1281, 50,000 Mongol troops, together with 30,000 Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and the Hospitalier Knights of Marqab fought against the Muslim leader Qalawun at the Second Battle of Homs, but were beaten back.[25] and succession[edit] died at Hamadan on 4 April 1282, probably in a state of delirium tremens. This illness was probably caused by too much consumption of alcohol, a habit common to many Mongol leaders. However, in 1285, his minister of finance Shams ad-Din Juvayni was accused of having had him poisoned.[26] Abaqa's death, his widow Maria fled back to Constantinople where her father, apparently wishing to spare his capital the fate that befell Baghdad, tried to marry her off again to another Mongol khan. Maria would not accept the offer, became a nun, and founded the church of Panagia Mouchliotissa around 1285. was succeeded by his brother Tekuder, who despite his earlier conflicts with the Egyptian Mamluks, had converted to Islam. Tekuder reversed Abaqa's pro-Christian policies and proposed an alliance with the Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, who resumed attacks on Frankish territory, capturing the northern fortress of Margat in 1285, Lattakia in 1287, and Tripoli in 1289.[27] In 1284, Abaqa's son Arghun led a successful revolt, backed by Kublai. Arghun had his uncle Tekuder executed and took power himself, returning to the pro-Christian policies of Abaqa. younger son, Gaykhatu, assumed the throne in 1291.[28][29][30] Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20; little information has come down to us about the holy martyr Salome of Jerusalem and Kartli, who lived in the XIII century at a women’s monastery in Jerusalem. She was arrested by the Persian Moslems because of her outspoken defense of Christ. Synaxarion of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, where she was martyred, tells us that at first, she gave in to the threats of the Persians and denied Christ. Later, however, she repented and publicly confessed Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Salome was tortured by the Persians because of her faith in Christ. Finally, she was beheaded and her holy relics were thrown into the fire. is believed that she was executed after the martyrdom of Saint Luka of Jerusalem, which occurred on February 12, 1277. St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1282-1284, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Tekuder
Persia, 1282-1284, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Tekuder; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1284-1291, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arghun
Persia, 1284-1291, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arghun; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1291-1295, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Gaykhatu
Persia, 1291-1295, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Gaykhatu;

Persia, 1295-1295, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Baydu, Sodomite
Persia, 1295-1295, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Baydu;

Persia, 1295-1304, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Ghazan, Sunni Islam
Persia, 1295-1304, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Ghazan;

Persia, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Ilkhanate Empire, -1353, Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Damascus

Persia, 1304-1316, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Oljeitu, Sunni Islam
Persia, 1304-1316, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Oljeitu, Sunni Islam; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Persia, 1316-1335, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan, Sunni Islam
Persia, 1316-1335, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan, Sunni Islam;

Persia, 1335-1336, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arpa Ke'un, Sunni Islam
Persia, 1335-1336, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arpa Ke'un, Sunni Islam;

Persia, 1336-1337, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Musa (Ilkhanid dynasty)
Persia, 1335-1336, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arpa Ke'un, Sunni Islam;

Persia, 1337-1338, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Muhammad Khan (Ilkhan)
Persia, 1337-1338, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Muhammad Khan (Ilkhan);

Persia, 1338-1340, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Jahan Temur
Persia, 1338-1340, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Jahan Temur;

Persia, 1340-1357, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Anushirwan
Persia, 1340-1357, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Anushirwan;

Persia, 1370-1507, History Folder, Timurid Empire, Tammerlane's Dynasty, Sunni Muslim

Persia, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Timurid Empire

Persia, 1370-1405, Timurid Emperor, Tammerlane aka Timur
Persia, 1370-1405, Timurid Emperor, Tammerlane aka Timur ; Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Sunni, Persia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afganistan ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Persia, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat.

Persia, 1395, Feast of the Dormition, Vladimir Icon sent to Moscow, same hour of meeting at Kuchkov, T's dream

Persia, 1395, Luke's Vladimir Icon, Grace of Jesus and MOG shall be with this Icon

Persia, 1501-1736, History Folder, Persain Safarid Dynasty, Shia Muslim

Persia, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Safarvids in Isfahan and Tabriz, Luther's 95 Theses

Persia, 1501-1736, Persian Safavid dynasty, at Isfahan, Shia Muslim
Persia, 1501-1736, Persian Safavid dynasty, at Isfahan, Shia Muslim; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persia, 1501-1736, Persian Safavid Dynasty, at Tabriz, Shia Muslim
Persia, 1501-1736, Persian Safavid Dynasty, at Tabriz, Shia Muslim; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1;

Persia, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Persia, 1588-1629, Abbas 1, Isfahan, Shia, Great b ghilman system, rid deep state, r lost provinces, Kakheti deportations
Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas 1, Isfahan; the Great or Abbas I of Persia (27 January 1571 - 19 January 1629) was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran, and is generally considered as one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda.[3] Abbas would preside over the apex of Iran's military, political and economic power, he came to the throne during a troubled time for the Safavid Empire. his weak-willed father, the country was riven with discord between the different factions of the Qizilbash army, who killed Abbas' mother and elder brother. Meanwhile, Iran's enemies, the Ottoman Empire (its archrival) and the Uzbeks, exploited this political chaos to seize territory for themselves. 1588, one of the Qizilbash leaders, Murshid Qoli Khan, overthrew Shah Mohammed in a coup and placed the 16-year-old Abbas on the throne. However, Abbas soon seized power for himself. his leadership, Iran developed the ghilman system where thousands of Circassian, Georgian, and Armenian slave-soldiers joined the civil administration and the military. With the help of these newly created layers in Iranian society (initiated by his predecessors but significantly expanded during his rule), Abbas managed to eclipse the power of the Qizilbash in the civil administration, the royal house, and the military. These actions, as well as his reforms of the Iranian army, enabled him to fight the Ottomans and Uzbeks and reconquer Iran's lost provinces, including Kakheti whose people he subjected to widescale massacres and deportations. the end of the 1603–1618 Ottoman War, Abbas had regained possession over Transcaucasia and Dagestan, as well as swaths of Eastern Anatolia and Mesopotamia. He also took back land from the Portuguese and the Mughals and expanded Iranian rule and influence in the North Caucasus, beyond the traditional territories of Dagestan. was a great builder and moved his kingdom's capital from Qazvin to Isfahan, making the city the pinnacle of Safavid architecture. In his later years, following a court intrigue involving several leading Circassians, Abbas became suspicious of his own sons and had them killed or blinded. The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and G war 1616 Shah Abbas 1 ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1589-1613, Persian Iman, Allahverdi Khan, ghilman syatem military slave from Georgia
Persia, 1589-1613, Persian Iman, Allahverdi Khan from Georgia Khan (c. 1560 - June 3, 1613) was an Iranian general and statesman of Georgian origin who, initially a gholÄm ("military slave"), rose to high office in the Safavid state. Beg Munshi, the Safavid court historian at the time, describes him as "one of the most powerful statesman to hold office under this dynasty", and a "man of great forbearance, modest and chaste.â€[1] Abbas I demonstrated his genuine respect and affection for him by personally supervising the funeral arrangements, and by going to his house the day after his death to offer his personal condolences to his family.[1] Persian Iman, 1610-1633, Imam-Quli Khan from Georgia ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18;

Persia, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Sarafids Capture Tbilisi, Gareji Fathers Martyred by Dagestani

Persia, 1605-1639, George III of Georgia, challanged by Levan II, alligned with Teimuraz by a m, defeated by Levan
Georgia, 1605-1639, King George III of Imereti; III (died 1639), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1605 to 1639. was a natural half-brother of Rostom of Imereti on whose death he succeeded in 1605, but his authority was seriously challenged by the energetic prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, whose increasing influence over the western Georgian polities George tried to restrict without any success. In 1623, Levan, with a combined Mingrelian-Abkhaziann army, inflicted a heavy defeat upon the royal troops. his quest for allies, George established close ties with the influential eastern Georgian noble Giorgi Saakadze who employed an Imeretian force in his struggle against King Teimuraz I of Kakheti. Saakadze's defeat in 1626, George made an alliance with Teimuraz and arranged a marriage between his son, Alexander (III), and Teimuraz's daughter Darejan (1629). This, however, failed to bring the feudal anarchy in Imereti to an end and the unrest continued. in his reign, George III once again campaigned against Levan Dadiani, but was defeated and taken captive. He was ransomed by his son Alexander, but George did not live long and died in 1639. III of Imereti was married to the certain Tamar (died 1639). He had four sons and one daughter: Alexander III (1609–1 March 1660), King of Imereti; Rostom (fl. 1619–1639); Mamuka (died 1654), military commander; Beri, Archbishop of Gelati as Svimeon Genateli (fl. 1639); Khvaramze (fl. 1619–1626), married to Avtandil Saakadze (died 1629), son of Giorgi Saakadze. Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1610-1632, Imam-Quli Khan, Georgian, Shia, son of ghilman system military slave
Persia, 1610-1632, Imam-Quli Khan, Georgian, Shia; Khan (died 1632) was an Iranian military and political leader of Georgian origin who served as a governor of Fars, Lar and Bahrain for the shahs Abbas I and Safi. Shiraz; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1614-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, 1614 Tabriz, Persia, had to return Shio's r
Persia, 1614-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, 1614 Tabriz, Persia, had to return Shio's r; during one of the Persian invasions, the soldiers of Shah Abbas uncovered the holy father’s relics and carried them back to Persia. In the same year Persia was ravaged by a terrible plague, and the frightened invaders returned the holy relics to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery. Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, Tabriz, Persia, 1614 ; Safavid dynasty ; Tabriz, Persia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St Kaikhosro the Georgian, Commemorated on June 16;

Persia, 1616, Capture of Tbilisi and Gokce war, Resetlement of Georgians to mainland Persia
Shah Abbas 1; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and Gokce war 1616 Shah Abbas 1; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ;

Persia, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja, Georgia, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, myrrh to this day
Georgia, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), while, Celebrating Resurrection with lights, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, only 2 fled, rose bush in dry soil, bones stream myrrh to this day; David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; 1616 the Persian shah Abbas I led his enormous army in an attack on Georgia. quenched his thirst for the blood of the Christians, he arranged a hunt in the valley of Gare (Outer) Kakheti. He encamped with his escorts in the mountains of Gareji and spent the night in that place. midnight the shah’s attention was drawn to a flaming column of lights advancing up the mountain. At first he took it to be an apparition. He was soon informed, however, that a famous monastery was situated in that place and on that night the monks were circling their church three times with lighted candles in celebration of Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Immediately the shah commanded his army to march to the monastery and destroy all those found celebrating. same night an angel of the Lord appeared to Abbot Arsenius of David-Gareji and told him, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling the brothers to His Heavenly Kingdom. On this night great suffering awaits you—you will be killed by the sword. He who desires to prolong his earthly life, let him flee, but he who thirsts to purify his soul for eternity, let him perish by the sword, and the Lord God will adorn him with the crown of immortality. Tell this to all who dwell in the monastery, and let each man choose for himself!” abbot informed the monks about his vision, and they began to prepare for their imminent sufferings. Only two young monks feared death and fled to a mountain not far from the monastery. the chanting of the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the Paschal Liturgy, the monastery was completely surrounded by Persian warriors. Abbot Arsenius stepped out of the church and approached their leader to request that the monks be given a bit more time to finish the service and for all the brothers to receive Holy Communion. Persians consulted among themselves and agreed to honor this request. The fathers partook of the Holy Gifts, encouraged one another, and presented themselves clad in festive garments before the unbelievers. the Persians beheaded Abbot Arsenius; then they massacred his brothers in Christ without mercy. the Persians finished killing the monks, they were organized into several regiments and made their way towards the other monasteries of the Gareji Wilderness. Halfway between the Chichkhituri and Saint John the Baptist Monasteries the Muslims captured the two young monks who had earlier fled and demanded that they convert to Islam. monks refused to abandon the Christian Faith and for this they were killed. A rose bush grew up in the place where they were killed and continued to fragrantly blossom through the 19th century, despite the dry and rocky soil. the end of the 17th century, King Archil gathered the bones of the martyrs with great reverence and buried them in a large stone reliquary to the left of the altar in the Transfiguration Church of David-Gareji Monastery. Their holy relics continue to stream myrrh to this day. brothers of the Monasteries of Saint David of Gareji and Saint John the Baptist received a blessing from Catholicos Anton I to compose a commemorative service for the martyrs and to designate their feast day as Bright Tuesday, or the third day of Holy Pascha.

Persia, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG
Russia, Vologda, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. Archangelsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated on August 22; 1622, the Persian Shah Abbas I, after the devastating invasion of Orthodox Georgia, took part of the Robe of the Lord, and some especially revered icons. Three years later, when the Russian clerk Stephen Lazarev, who was in Persia to do some trading, a certain person from the Shah's retinue offered to let him purchase one of the stolen Georgian icons: an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at Yaroslavl, the merchant Gregory Lytkin, by whom Stephen was employed, had a revelation of his clerk's imminent arrival with the precious acquisition. had been instructed by a voice from above to take the Icon from Yaroslavl to Arkhangelsk, near the Pinega River. Here, 16 versts from Kholmogorsk, was the Black Mountain monastery (which took its name from the mountain, on which a church was built in 1603.) Later, it was called Krasnogorsk (Beautiful Mountain). the merchant delivered the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1629, during the reign of Tsar Michael. On August 22, with a large contingent of the faithful, the Icon was reverently placed in the monastery. At the same time, the miraculous healing of the blind and deaf monk Pitirim took place. The subsequent manifestations of the Icon's miraculous power prompted Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod (later the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) to investigate. Afterward, from 1650, the annual celebration of this Icon took place on August 22, the day of its arrival at Krasnogorsk Monastery. that time, the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was brought to Arkhangelsk each year with honors. The revered Icon was left for a certain time in the main cathedral of the city, for the sanctification of the city and of the Christ-loving people. During the reign of Tsar Alexei (1645-1676), the miraculous Icon was taken to Vologda, Great Ustyug, Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, and Siberia. 1654, Hieromonk Makarios of Krasnogorsk Monastery brought the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (which had been brought from Persia) to Moscow for restoration, and to be covered with a new riza. It was placed in the newly-built church, dedicated to the Life-giving Trinity, at Nikitnikov Lane near the Saint Barbara Gate, where the Kremlin masters carried on their iconographic work. Gregory Nikitnikov had built the church on his property at his own expense (1628-1651). In the church was a chapel dedicated to Saint Nikḗtas (September 15). Members of the Nikitnikov family were also entombed there. that time, a plague or pestilence was raging in Moscow. At the request of the master silversmith Gabriel Evdokimov, whose son was near death, a Moleben was served in his house before the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God from Krasnogorsk Monastery. The patient soon recovered. In gratitude for this miraculous healing, a copy of Georgian Icon was made and placed in Holy Trinity church. From that time, the church was also called Georgian. gracious help of the Most Holy Theotokos continued to be conferred by the aforementioned copy of her Icon. During the plague epidemic of 1654, the Moscow merchant Stephanov prayed continuously to the Queen of Heaven. The Most Holy Virgin appeared to him three times in a dream saying: "Pray to the Georgian Theotokos, on the Glinishchi at the mills, and you will be spared." The Holy Trinity church at Nikitniki was also called the church of the Great Martyr Nikḗtas (one of the chapels) on Glinishchi, near the mills. The merchant did not take his family from Moscow as he intended, but began to pray fervently in the Holy Trinity church. The epidemic did not touch him or his family. Churchwide celebration of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was established with the blessing of Patriarch Nikon in 1654. In 1698, the caretaker of the Moscow printing house Theodore Polikarpov compiled a second edition of the Service. the liberation of Moscow from Napoleon's troops, on December 1, 1812 the wonderworking Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, along with other miraculous Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (Vladimir, Iveron, and Assuage my Sorrows) were carried in solemn procession around the Kremlin. 1904, a chapel was built in Holy Trinity church in honor of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Now this Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitnikov (Razin Street). healings were granted by the Most Holy Theotokos through her wonderworking Icon, which were documented and verified at the end of the XIX century. For example, on June 17, 1887, Lydia Tserkovnitskaya, the wife of a priest in the village of Shuysk, Vologda Province, was critically ill. She recovered after praying before the wonderworking Georgian Icon. There is historical evidence of four more Georgian icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which was in Moscow's Alekseevsky Convent, church evidence reports that it is not a copy of the Icons from Krasnogorsk Monastery nor from Holy Trinity church at Nikitnikov, which were brought from Georgia. In the same deadly plague epidemic of 1654, one of the nuns at the Alekseev Convent fell ill. While she addressed long prayers to the Heavenly Healer, the sick woman suddenly remembered the miraculous recovery she had heard about from the Icon of the Mother of God, which is in the church of the Life-giving Trinity by Saint Barbara's Gate. However, there was no one to send there. After some time, an unknown monk came to the Convent. Turning to the sick nun, he said: "Do not be sad that the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God cannot be brought here. You have here exactly the same Icon as the one brought from Georgia. You will find it in the cave, and you shall behold God's mercy." allegorical meaning of these words became clear afterward in the monastery sacristy, which was laid out like caves, when a hitherto unknown Icon of the Mother of God was discovered. After a Moleben, the miraculous Icon was carried to the cells of the nuns who were suffering from the pestilence. All of them were healed. From that time, the epidemic in Moscow began to abate. the prayerful intercession of the Georgian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Alekseev Convent, the blind Princess Martha Prozorovskaya received miraculous healing in 1662. She gained her sight by the prayers of her parents, after seven years of serious illness. the northwest of Kazan, 18 versts from the city of Sviyazhsk, in the middle of the XVII century was the Raithu communal Hermitage of the Theotokos, which got its name from one of its churches, which was dedicated to the Venerable Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu (January 14). Tradition states that during the construction of the monastery, Metropolitan Laurence of Kazan, by a revelation from above, sent the best local iconographers to Pinega, to the Krasnogorsk Monastery, which was very far from Kazan, in order to make a faithful copy of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Persia. 1661, a skillfully executed copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God was delivered from Arkhangelsk. It became highly revered by the local population. Subsequently, this Icon was placed in the cathedral church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. the XVIII century, the pious peasants of the village of Klyucharev, Korchev county, Tver Province, presented the caretaker of the Moscow Archangel Cathedral with a copy of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God, which became highly regarded by the locals, when the rye crop was threatened with destruction in the late 1860s. Vast fields of newly-sprouted crops were being eaten by an unknown worm, and nothing they did was of any use. Then the peasants prayed for help to the Most Holy Theotokos, whose Georgian Icon they revered. After a Cross Procession around the fields with the Icon, a sudden, unprecedented torrential rain fell. Streams of water washed the worms out of the ground, which were eaten by a large flock of birds. See also other revered copies of the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God in the Protection church at Vorontsov Field, and in the Holy Cross Church in the city of Tula. Icon disappeared after the closure of the monastery (1920-1922), and later it was returned to the monastery. In his 1946 report to the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Leonty (Smirnov) of Arkhangelsk states that the Georgian Icon was carried in a procession, which took place at Arkhangelsk in 1946. The further fate of the Georgian Icon is unknown. St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Persia, 1625, Battle of Martkopi, Georgia defeats Persia
Martkopi, Georgia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda. St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Persia, 1625, Battle of Marabda, Persia defeats Georgia
Georgia, 1625, Battle of Marabda, Persia defeats Georgia Marabda; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda.

Persia, 1629-1642, Safi, Safavid Shah, at 18 executed all his foes, uneducated, wine and opium, drinking contest death
Persia, 1629-1642, Persian Safavid Shah, Safi of Persia; Mirza (1611 - 12 May 1642), better known by his dynastic name of Shah Safi, was the sixth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1629 to 1642. life[edit] was given the name Sam Mirza when he was born. He was the son of Mohammad Baqer Mirza, the eldest son of Shah Abbas I, and Dilaram Khanum, a Georgian wife.[1] In 1615, Abbas had Mohammed Baqer killed, fearing he was plotting against his life. Over the next few years, the suspicious Abbas killed or blinded his other sons, leaving his grandson Safi heir to the throne. (also known as Rustam Khan), viceroy of Kartli, eastern Georgia, from 1633 to 1658. was crowned on 28 January 1629 at the age of eighteen.[citation needed] He ruthlessly eliminated anyone he regarded as a threat to his power, executing almost all the Safavid royal princes as well as leading courtiers and generals. He paid little attention to the business of government and had no cultural or intellectual interests (he had never learned to read or write properly), preferring to spend his time drinking wine or indulging in his addiction to opium. Supposedly, however, he abhorred tobacco smoke as much as his grandfather did, going as far as to have those caught smoking tobacco in public killed by pouring molten lead in their mouths.[citation needed] dominant political figure of Safi's reign was Saru Taqi, appointed grand vizier in 1634. Saru Taqi was incorruptible and highly efficient at raising revenues for the state, but he could also be autocratic and arrogant. foreign enemies took the opportunity to exploit Safi's perceived weakness. Despite firm initial Safavid successes and humiliating defeats in the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639) by Safi's grandfather and predecessor Shah Abbas the Great, the Ottomans, having had their economy and military stabilized and reorganized under Sultan Murad IV made incursions in the west in one year following Safi's ascension to the throne. In 1634 they briefly occupied Yerevan and Tabriz and in 1638 they finally succeeded in recapturing Baghdad Reconquest of Baghdad (1638) and other parts of Mesopotamia (Iraq) which, despite being taken again several times later on in history by the Persians and most notably by Nader Shah, it would all remain in their hands until the aftermath of World War I. Nevertheless, the Treaty of Zuhab which ensued in 1639 put an end to all further wars between the Safavids and the Ottomans. Apart from the Ottoman wars, Iran was troubled by the Uzbeks and Turkmens in the east and briefly lost Kandahar in their easternmost territories to the Mughals in 1638, due to what seems as an act of revenge by their own governor over the region, Ali Mardan Khan, after being dismissed from office.[2] 1636 he received a trade delegation from Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, which included Adam Olearius. Olearius wrote a book about this visit in 1647, which was widely published in Europe. In 1639, Safi sent a return delegation to Holstein-Gottorp, bestowing gifts on the Duke.[3] However, the Duke did not succeed in his ultimate aim - starting a regular trading relationship with Iran (and Russia) and making the Duke's newly founded town of Friedrichstadt into a European trade terminus. died on 12 May 1642 and was buried in Qom. He was succeeded by his son Abbas II. His death was related to heavy drinking. According to one account, found in Archangelo Lamberti's Relation de la Colchide ou Mengrellie (1654), Safi died in a drinking contest with a certain Scedan Cilaze (Chiladze), a renowned Georgian drinking champion invited to Isfahan from Mingrelia.[4] Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Persia, 1630, Dagestani Raid on David Gareja Monastery
Dagestani Raid on David Gareja Monastery 1630 Abbas I of Persia attack on Georgia (1616) ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26;

Persia, 1642-1666, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas II of Persia, capable and energetic
Persia, 1642-1666, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas II of Persia; Abbas II (30 August 1632 – 26 October 1666), was the seventh Safavid king (shah) of Iran, ruling from 1642 to 1666. Born Soltan Mohammad Mirza, he was the eldest son of Safi I with his Circassian wife, Anna Khanum. II was undoubtedly the most capable and energetic Safavid shah after his great-grandfather Shah Abbas I the Great (r. 1588-1629), whom he in many aspects bore resemblance to. Albeit Abbas II ascended the throne at the age of merely 9 years old, he showed considerable toughness and resolve—in 1645, no longer than three years after his succession, the grand vizier Saru Taqi was murdered by a faction of the Qizilbash led by the qurchi-bashi Jani Beg Khan Shamlu, one of the most influential administrators of the country; in the ensuing days, Abbas II had all the perpetrators put to death. to Abbas I, Abbas II possessed a strong dedication for fairness, and objections of misconduct and injustice by civil servants were promptly taken care of, whilst the responsible individuals were strictly penalized. II was also a poet with the pen name Thani, writing in Azerbaijani Turkish.[1] Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Persia, 1666-1694, Persian Safavid Shah, Suleiman I of Persia, language Azerbaijani, raised in harem, raised by eunuchs, refused to attack Ottomans, George XI rebellion 1688
Persia, 1666-1694, Persian Safavid Shah, Suleiman I of Persia; Mirza, later known by his first dynastic name of Safi II, and thereafter known by his more famous second dynastic name of Suleiman I, was the eighth Safavid shah (king) of Iran, ruling from 1 November 1666 to 29 July 1694. youth and accession[edit] Mirza was born in February 1648 (or March); he was the elder son of the previous shah Abbas II and Circassian slave Nakihat Khanum.[1] Sam Mirza had a younger brother named Hamza Mirza, as well as two other brothers named Ismail Mirza and Mirza Ali Naqi. He also had two unnamed sisters. Sam Mirza grew up isolated in the royal harem, where he was cared for by Agha Nazira, a eunuch. Because of this, Sam Mirza's first language was Azerbaijani; it is still not clearly known how much Persian he was able to speak.[2] Furthermore, due to the way Sam Mirza was raised, he was much less experienced and less energetic than his father,[3] which had significant consequences for his reign.[2] II died in Mazandaran on 25 September 1666, without revealing his successor. Five days later, the news spread to Isfahan. The eunuchs, who took care of the palace, now got to name the successor;. Most of them preferred the seven year-old Hamza Mirza, who they could easily control. However, the matter was decided when Hamza Mirza's tutor made a statement in the court supporting Sam Mirza to assume the throne.[2] after first coronation; 1666-1668[edit] of Suleiman I's first coronation in 1666. day later, on 1 October 1666, Sam Mirza was crowned as Safi II.[citation needed] The ceremony took place in the afternoon and was managed by Mohammad-Baqer Sabzavari, the shaykh al-Islam of Isfahan. Safi II was given the heads of some dead Uzbeks, and in turn rewarded those who had given him the heads with money.[2] He also gave money to 300 exiles from the Ottoman Empire who sought refuge in Iran to avoid being enrolled into the Ottoman army. All administrative positions were reconfirmed that same day. The name "Abbas II" was removed from royal stamps, and new coins were minted in Safi II's name. Demonstrating the sleekness of the changeover, the city of Isfahan remained peaceful; "the shops stayed open, and life went on as if nothing had happened, causing foreign residents who, fearing disturbances and looting, had kept their houses locked, to emerge before the day was out."[2] first year of his reign was markedly unsuccessful. A series of natural disasters such as earthquakes (1667 Shamakhi earthquake) in Shirvan, spread of deadly diseases around Iran, combined with devastating raids by the Cossack Stenka Razin on the coast of the Caspian Sea, convinced court astrologers that the coronation had taken place at the wrong time, and the ceremony was repeated on March 20, 1668. The shah took the new name Suleiman I. He had little interest in the business of government, preferring retreat to the harem. after second coronation; 1668-1694[edit] left political decision-making to his grand viziers or to a council of harem eunuchs, whose power increased during the shah's reign. Corruption became widespread in Persia and discipline in the army was dangerously lax. At the same time revenues increased by the imposition of new taxes and higher taxes. This affected the country's economy and spread poverty, which resulted in many rebellions even in Suleiman's capital Isfahan. In 1672, shah Suleiman offered the former vizier Mohammad Beg to become vizier once again, which he agreed to, but while on his way to Isfahan, he died. According to the French traveler Jean Chardin, Mohammad Beg had been poisoned by Suleiman's vizier Shaykh Ali Khan Zangana.[4] In 1676, Suleiman appointed the Georgian prince George XI as the ruler of Kartli. the 1670s, Georgians came to make up an even larger part of the actual Safavid fighting forces, reaching a contested number of 40,000.[5][note 1] made no attempt to exploit the weakness of Safavid Persia's traditional rival, the Ottoman Empire, after the Ottomans suffered a serious defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. He even refused the proposals from the European states to form a coalition against the Ottoman Empire. Persia also suffered raids by the Uzbeks and Kalmyks on the eastern and northern (North Caucasus) borders of the empire respectively. 1688, George XI rebelled against Suleiman, and tried to urge the Ottomans to aid him. However, his request for help was fruitless, and Suleiman appointed another Georgian prince named Heraclius I as the ruler of Kartli, and forced George XI to flee from Kartli. To secure Iranian control over Kartli, he appointed Abbas-Quli Khan as the viceroy of the region. Qizilbash remained an important part of the Safavid executive apparatus, even though ethnic Caucasians had come to largely replace them. For example, even in the 1690s, when ethnic Georgians formed the mainstay of the Safavid military, the Qizilbash still played a significant role in the army.[6] activity[edit] activity had already started decreasing since the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1587–1629), but it decreased even more under Suleiman. Although Suleiman had requested King William III of England for adept artisans in 1668/69, he is not known to have been involved in an operating foreign diplomacy.[2]

Persia, 1690-1716, Anthimus tGeorgian, Turk slave, Romanian Metroplitn, author, printer, woodcarver, builder, R spirit L
Georgia, 1690-1716, Anthimus the Georgian, Georgia (Iberia, the land of St George), Orthodox, captured by Turks invading Georgia, slave in Constantinople, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, skilled woodcarving, embroidery, painting, Escaped tEcumenical Patriarchate, invited to Wallachia by Constantine Brancoveanu for his talents, became monk 1691, later priest, royal print shop iBucharest, printing house iSnagov Monastery, printed 63 books iRomanian, Greek, Arabic, Georgian, author 38 oThem, Igumen 1696, Bishop Rimnicu-Vilcea 1705, Metropolitan Wallachia 1708, schools, churches, monasteries, spiritual legacy Romanian Church, arrested by Turks 1716, tSt Catherines Mt Sinai, killed along the way; Georgia (country) ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; Anthimus was born in Georgia, and his parents were called John and Mary. The child received the name Andrew in Baptism, and his parents raised him as an Orthodox Christian. was captured by Turks who invaded Georgia when he was young, he was one of many who were made slaves in Constantinople. he learned to speak Greek, Arabic, and Turkish, and also became skilled in woodcarving, embroidery, and painting. a few years as a slave, Andrew escaped and fled to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for refuge. 1690, Andrew was invited to Wallachia by Prince Constantine Brancoveanu (August 16), who had heard of his talents. a year or so, he became a monk and received the name Anthimus. he was ordained to the holy priesthood. was placed in charge of the royal print shop in Bucharest, and later set up a printing house in the Snagov Monastery. monastery printed sixty-three books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and Georgian. Anthimus was the author of thirty-eight of them. He was chosen to be the igumen of Snagov in 1696. saint was consecrated as Bishop of Rimnicu-Vilcea in 1705, three years later he was made Metropolitan of Wallachia. Metropolitan, he established schools for poor children, and built churches and monasteries. Since he was a woodcarver, he used his talent to beautify many churches. Anthimus was a zealous pastor who satisfied his flock’s hunger for spiritual knowledge. in the Romanian language, he taught them the saving truths of Orthodoxy, and offered words of encouragement and consolation. His edifying books and sermons are part of the spiritual legacy of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Anthimus was arrested by the Turks in 1716 and sentenced to be exiled at Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, but he never arrived at his destination. September 27, 1716, he was killed by the soldiers who were escorting him. cut his body into little pieces and threw them into the Tungia River, south of the Danube. Thus, the faithful servant of Christ received the crown of martyrdom. Anthimus was a true shepherd of his flock, and a father to his clergy. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Persia, 1694-1722, Safavid Shah, Sultan Husayn, Isfahan, Persia, end of Safavid d
Persia, 1694-1722, Safavid Shah, Sultan Husayn, Isfahan, Persia; Husayn (also known as Soltan Hosayn and Soltan Hosein), (October 1668 - November 1726) reigned 1694–1722; was a Safavid Shah of Iran (Persia). ruled from 1694 until he was overthrown in 1722 by rebellious marauder Mahmud Hotaki, an Afghan of Pashtun ethnic background.[1] reign saw the downfall of the Safavid dynasty, which had ruled Persia since the beginning of the 16th century. Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persia, 1736-1796, History Folder, Persian Afsharid Dynasty, Sunni Muslim

Persia, 1736-1796, 18th Century Folder, Afsharids, Sunni

Persia, 1736-1796, Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad in Northeast, Nadir and Shahrukh, Sunni
Persia, 1736-1796, Persian Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad, Sunni; Afsharid dynasty was an Iranian[7] dynasty that originated from the Turkoman[8][9] Afshar tribe in Iran's north-eastern province of Khorasan, ruling Iran (Persia) in the mid-eighteenth century. dynasty was founded in 1736 by the brilliant military[10] commander Nader Shah, who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself as the Shah of Iran. Nader's reign, Iran reached its greatest extent since the Sasanian Empire. At its height it controlled modern-day Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan Republic, parts of the North Caucasus (Dagestan), Afghanistan, Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, and parts of Iraq, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Oman. his death, most of his empire was divided between the Zands, Durranis, Georgians, and the Caucasian khanates, while Afsharid rule was confined to a small local state in Khorasan. the Afsharid dynasty was overthrown by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1796, who would establish a new native Iranian empire and restore Iranian suzerainty over several of the aforementioned regions. dynasty was named after the Turcoman Afshar tribe from Khorasan in north-east Iran, to which Nader belonged.[11] The Afshars had originally migrated from Turkestan to Azerbaijan (Iranian Azerbaijan) in the 13th century. In the early 17th century, Abbas the Great moved many Afshars from Azerbaijan to Khorasan to defend the north-eastern borders of his state against the Uzbeks, after which the Afshars settled in those regions. Nader belonged to the Qereqlu branch of the Afshars.[12] Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1736-1747, Nadir, Persian Afsharid Shah, Sunni, Napoleon of Persia, destroyed Shio's relics
Persia, 1736-1747, Persian Afsharid Shah, Nadir, Sunni ; Shah Afshar (August 1688[5] - 19 June 1747) was one of the most powerful Iranian[13] rulers in Iranian history, ruling as Shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747 when he was assassinated during a rebellion. of his military genius[14] as evidenced in his numerous campaigns throughout Middle East, Caucasus, Central and South Asia, such as the battles of Herat, Mihmandust, Murche-Khort, Kirkuk, Yeghevard, Khyber Pass, Karnal and Kars, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia, Sword of Persia,[15] or the Second Alexander. belonged to the Turkoman[16] Afshar tribe, a semi-nomadic tribe settled in Khorasan in northeastern Iran,[17] which had supplied military power to the Safavid dynasty since the time of Shah Ismail I.[18] rose to power during a period of chaos in Iran after a rebellion by the Hotaki Pashtuns had overthrown the weak Shah Sultan Husayn, the arch-enemy of the Safavids, the Ottomans, as well as the Russians had seized Iranian territory for themselves. reunited the Iranian realm and removed the invaders. He became so powerful that he decided to depose the last members of the Safavid dynasty, which had ruled Iran for over 200 years, and become Shah himself in 1736. numerous campaigns created a great empire that, at its greatest extent, briefly encompassed what is now part of or includes Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the North Caucasus, Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Pakistan, Oman and the Persian Gulf, his military spending had a ruinous effect on the Iranian economy.[19] idolized Genghis Khan and Timur, the previous conquerors from Central Asia. imitated their military prowess and—especially later in his reign—their cruelty. victories during his campaigns briefly made him West Asia's most powerful sovereign, ruling over what was arguably the most powerful empire in the world,[20] his empire and the Afsharid dynasty he founded quickly disintegrated after he was assassinated in 1747.[21] turning point in his military career started from his second and third campaigns against the by then revolting Lezgians, as well as other ethnic groups of Dagestan in the northwestern parts of his domain. Nader Shah has been described as "the last great Asiatic military conqueror".[22] Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Persia, 1748-1796, Shahrukh, Persian Afsharid Shah, Sunni, Nader's GSon, not massachred, installed by Kurds
Persia, 1748-1796, Persian Afsharid Shah, Shahrukh Afshar, Sunni; Mirza, better known by his dynastic title of Shahrokh Shah was the Afsharid king (shah) of the western part of Khorasan (corresponding to the present-day Khorasan Province)[1] from 1750 to 1796, with a two-month interruption. grandson of the Iranian conqueror Nader Shah (r. 1736–1747), Shahrokh was the son of Reza Qoli Mirza Afshar and his Safavid wife Fatemeh Soltan Begom, who was the sister of Tahmasp II, the penultimate Safavid shah of Iran. half-Safavid descent made him stand out amongst his Afsharid relatives, and was used to bolster the legitimacy of his grandfather. the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747, his nephew Ali-qoli Khan (who assumed the regnal name Adel Shah), ascended the throne in Mashhad and had all of Nader Shah's descendants in fortress of Kalat massacred. Shahrokh was spared in case his Safavid lineage would come to use, and was instead kept in the fortress as a prisoner. Adel Shah was battling his rebellious younger brother Ebrahim Mirza, a party of Turkic, Kurdish and Arab tribal leaders took advantage of his absence and installed Shahrokh on the throne. Adel Shah and Ebrahim were eventually defeated and killed, but Shahrokh was not long afterwards overthrown by a party of dissident tribal leaders, who installed the Safavid pretender Mir Sayyed Mohammad (who assumed the regnal name of Suleiman II) on the throne. was soon blinded at the instigation of Mir Alam Khan Khuzayma and other leading nobles, much against Suleiman II's will. group of conspirators lead by the Turkic tribal leader Yusuf Ali Khan Jalayir eventually deposed Suleiman II and restored Shahrokh to the throne. St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ;

Persia, 1795-1797, Aga Mohammad, Cruel rapacious Persian Qajar, d Georgia, Battle of Kitsanisi
Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Mohammad Khan Qajar (14 March 1742 - 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah, was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as king (shah). chieftain of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a young adult upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is also noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during the re-subjugation of Georgia. He sacked the capital Tbilisi, massacred many of its inhabitants, and moved some 15,000 Georgian captives back to mainland Iran. Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1796-1925, History Folder, Persian Qajar Dynasty, Shia Muslim

Persia, 1796-1799, 18th Century Folder, Qajars, Shia

Persia, 1789-1797, Aga Mohammad, Persian Qajar Shah, eunuch, dynasty f, Tehran
Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Mohammad Khan Qajar (14 March 1742 - 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah, was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1789 to 1797 as king (shah). chieftain of the Qoyunlu branch of the Qajar tribe, Agha Mohammad Khan was enthroned as the king of Iran in 1789, but was not officially crowned until March 1796, having deposed Lotf Ali Khan of the Zand dynasty in 1794. Mohammad Khan Qajar was famously the eunuch Monarch, being castrated as a young adult upon his capture by Adel Shah Afshar, and hence was childless. He was assassinated on 17 June 1797, and was succeeded by his nephew, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. Mohammad Khan's reign is noted for the return of a centralized and unified Iran and for relocating the capital to Tehran, where it still stands today. He is also noted for his cruel and rapacious behavior, particularly during the re-subjugation of Georgia. He sacked the capital Tbilisi, massacred many of its inhabitants, and moved some 15,000 Georgian captives back to mainland Iran. Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1795, Persian Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, Muslim Traitors
Persia, 1795, Persian Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, Muslim Traitors inside the gates ; Persian Qajar Shah, 1789-1797, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1796-1925, Persian Qajar dynasty, in Tehran, Shia Islam
Persia, 1796-1925, Persian Qajar dynasty, in Tehran, Shia Islam; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, Isfahan, Crossroads at Isfahan Folder, Central PER

Isfahan, Persia (Crossroads NS and EW)
Isfahan, Persia (Crossroads NS and EW); Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persia, Isfahan,Zayanderud River Folder

Zayanderud River

Zayanderud River Mouth (Gavkhouni Sink)

Gavkhouni Basin (a sink)

Isfahan Crossroads NS Tehran to Suza and Persian Gulf

Persian Capital - Pasargadae (Daniel Lived Here 559BC-486BC)
Persian Capital - Pasargadae ; Darius Hystaspis (Darius I, Darias the Great) ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ;

Pasargadae,Persia, 559BC-486BC, Daniel, Malachi and Haggai Lived Here
King Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae - Daniel Lived Here ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Isfahan Crossroads EW Elimais to Merv

Isfahan Crossroads EW Bagdad to Merv

Susa, Persia (Tigris River 10)
Susa, Persia, from Nehemiah Chapter 1; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ;

Elymais (Susa, Persia)
Elymais (Susa), 1 Maccavees Ch 6; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ;

Capital of Persian emperor Darius - Daniel Lived Here
Persian emperor Darius - Susa - Capital of Persia during Darius; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ;

Persia, Tigris River Folder, Western PER, Assyria

Assyria, Assyrian Empire, 911BC - 609 BC
Assryia (Assyrian Empire); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Tigris River Route

Tigris River Source (Lake Hazar)

Aninas Monastery (where the Euphrates separates Syria from Persia)
Aninas Monastery (where the Euphrates separates Syria from Persia) Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18;

Tigris River 1

Tigris River 2 (Martyropolis, Turkey)

Tigris River 3 (Mosul Dam Lake)

Tigris River 4 (Nineveh, Mosul, Arabela, Persia)

Assyria, Assyrian Empire
Assryia (Assyrian Empire); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Nineveh (Mosul), Assyria, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Nineveh; Jonah 3:1-10,4:1-11, Conversion of Nineveh ; Tobit'™s Youth and Virtuous Life, 3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life. I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people who had gone with me in exile to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians. 4When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali deserted the house of David and Jerusalem. This city had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes of Israel should offer sacrifice and where the temple, the dwelling of God, had been consecrated and established for all generations for ever. Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Kaserin, across from Nineveh
Kaserin, across from Nineveh, Tobit Chapter 11: Homeward Journey 11When they came near to Kaserin, which is opposite Nineveh, Raphael said: "˜You are aware of how we left your father. 3Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house while they are still on the way." As they went on together Raphael* said to him: "˜Have the gall ready?™ And the dog went along behind them. 5 Meanwhile, Anna sat looking intently down the road by which her son would come. 6When she caught sight of him coming, she said to his father, "˜Look, your son is coming, and the man who went with him" Tobit'™s Sight Restored 7 Raphael said to Tobias, before he had approached his father, " know that his eyes will be opened. 8Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes; the medicine will make the white films shrink and peel off from his eyes, and your father will regain his sight and see the light." 9 Then Anna ran up to her son and threw her arms around him, saying, "˜Now that I have seen you, my child, I am ready to die."™ And she wept. 10Then Tobit got up and came stumbling out through the courtyard door. Tobias went up to him, 11with the gall of the fish in his hand, and holding him firmly, he blew into his eyes, saying, "˜Take courage, father."™ With this he applied the medicine on his eyes, 12and it made them smart.* 13Next, with both his hands he peeled off the white films from the corners of his eyes. Then Tobit* saw his son and* threw his arms around him, 14and he wept and said to him,"˜I see you, my son, the light of my eyes!"™ Then he said, "˜Blessed be God, and blessed be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be blessed* throughout all the ages. 15 Though he afflicted me, he has had mercy upon me.* Now I see my son Tobias!"™ So Tobit went in rejoicing and praising God at the top of his voice. Tobias reported to his father that his journey had been successful, that he had brought the money, that he had married Raguel'™s daughter Sarah, and that she was, indeed, on her way there, very near to the gate of Nineveh. 16 Then Tobit, rejoicing and praising God, went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh saw him coming, walking along in full vigour and with no one leading him, they were amazed. 17Before them all, Tobit acknowledged that God had been merciful to him and had restored his sight. When Tobit met Sarah the wife of his son Tobias, he blessed her saying, "˜Come in, my daughter, and welcome. Blessed be your God who has brought you to us, my daughter. Blessed be your father and your mother, blessed be my son Tobias, and blessed be you, my daughter. Come in now to your home, and welcome, with blessing and joy. Come in, my daughter."™ So on that day there was rejoicing among all the Jews who were in Nineveh. 18Ahikar and his nephew Nadab were also present to share Tobit'™s joy. With merriment they celebrated Tobias'™s wedding feast for seven days, and many gifts were given to him.* ;

Arbela, Persia and Assyria (Tigris River 4)
Arbela, Persia; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ;

Persia, , Hieromartyrs Akepsimas, Bishop in Persia, Presbyter Joseph, and Deacon Aeithalas, Arbela, Assyria, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Arbela in Assyria; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ;

Tigris River 5 (Assur, Persia)

Tigris River 6 (Samarra, Persia)

Samarra, Persia (Tigris River 6)
Samarra (Tigris River 6); Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Karmanite wilderness, Persia and Mesopotamia (Battle of Samarra, Tigris River 6)
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide JulianÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, JulianÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Tigris River 7 (Bagdad, Babylon, Persia)

Garden of Eden (Tigres River 7-8)
Garden of Eden (Tigres River 7-8); Walked with God Because Noah walked with God and stood blameless among the people of that time, God gave him specific instructions for building the ark by which Noah and his family would survive the coming flood. Location - Eden?

Seleucia, Persia, Syria and Messopotamia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol
Ctesiphon; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Martyrs Dadas, Gabdelas, and Kazdoa of Persia, Commemorated on September 29; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop in Persia, and those with him, Commemorated on April 17; Five Nuns beheaded in Persia: Martyrs Thecla, Mariamne, Martha, Mary, and Ennatha Commemorated on June 9;

Ctesiphon, Persian Capital, Parthian and Sassanian Empires
Ctesiphon;

Tirgis River 8

Tigris River 9

Tigris River 10 (Elymais, Persia)

Tigris River 11

Tigris River Mouth (Kwait, Euphrates River 13)

Persia, Bahu Kalat River Folder, Gulf of Oman, Southeastern PER

Bahu Kalat River

Bahu Kalat River Mouth (Gwadar Bay, Gulf of Oman)

Dashtiari River

Dashtiari River, Iran

Dasht River

Dasht River, Iran

Persia, Kurdustan and Azerbaijan Folder, Tabriz, Northwestern PER

Persian Azerbaijan - Northwest Persia, Tabriz and Lake Urmia Sink
Persian Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan in Northwest Persia ; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Kurdistan Province, Persia (Zargos Mts)
Kurdistan Province, Persia;

Tabriz, Northwest Persia, Azerbaijan
Tabriz, Northwest Persia, Azerbaijan; Persian Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan in Northwest Persia ; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Zarrine River (River of Kurdustan)

Gadar River

Gadar River Source (Iran, Turkey and Iraq border)
Zagros Mountains ;

Gadar River (Hajji Firuz Tepe)

Gadar River (Teppe Hasanlu)

Barandouz River 1

Barandouz River 2

Barandouz River, Iran
Barandouz River;

Zarrine River (Miandoab)

Aji Chay River

Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran;

Quri Chay River

Quri Chay River, Iran

Quri Chay River (Tabriz)

Persia, Artaz Region Folder, Northwestern PER, Zangmar River

Zangmar River

Artaz region, Persia (Mardistan, Armenia)
Mardistan, Armenia; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Kelissa Monestary, Artaz Region, Persia, AD 68, Saint Jude
Kelissa Monestary or Qara Kelissa or Saint Thaddeus Monastery; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Zangmar River (Maku)

Zangmar River Mouth (Aras River 9)

Persia, Northern Iran, Northern Rivers Folder, North Central PER

Persia, Northern Iran, Northern Rivers, Atrek River Folder, Parthia

Atrek River

Atrek River Source

Atrek River 1 (Sumbar River)

Safid River

Safid River Source

Talysh Hills of Alborz Range
Talysh Hills of the main Alborz Range ;

Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran;

Safid River (Manjil Dam)

Abhar River

Safid River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Shah Rud River

Shah Rud River Source

Alborz (Elburz) Mountains (Manjil Gap)
Alborz (Elburz) Mountains;

Kojoor River

Kojoor River Source

Chalus, Persia (Kojoor River Mouth, Caspian Sea)
Chalus, Persia (Kojoor River Mouth;

Azad Kuh River

Azad Kuh River Source

Elburz Mountains (over 18,600 ft.)
Elburz Mountains ;

Haraz River

Haraz River Source (Mount Damavand)
Mount Damavand ;

Haraz River (Amol City)

Hyrcania, Persia (South of Caspian Sea)
Hyrcania ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Mazandaran, Persia, provincial capital of Sari
Mazandaran; Sari; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ;

Persia, Namak Lake (sink) Folder, Tehran ( Rey or Rages, Media), North Central PER

Namak Lake (a sink)
Namak Lake;

Parthia (northeastern Iran or Persia, Tehran Region, Namek Sink, Isfahan Crossroad)
Parthia; Parthis Map Ochus River Map; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated November 16 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Nisa, first Capital of Parthia
Nisa, first Capital of Parthia; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16;

Khorasan Region
Persia (Clean), Khorasan Region; Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Parsiism - Kings of Epiphany - Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD
Parsiism, Perianism, Zorastrainism ; Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD ; Ctesiphon, Persia; EPIPHANY - Kings of Epiphany, Commemorated January 6 ;

Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran, Plain oRagau)
Rages, Media, Persia; Tobit; Tobit 4 Tobit Gives Instructions to His Son 4That same day Tobit remembered the money that he had left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media, 2and he said to himself, ˜Now I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobias and explain to him about the money before I die? Then he called his son Tobias, and when he came to him he said, ˜My son, when I die,* give me a proper burial. Honour your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her life. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her in anything. 4Remember her, my son, because she faced many dangers for you while you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave. 5 ˜Revere the Lord all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing; 6for those who act in accordance with truth will prosper in all their activities. To all those who practise righteousness* 7give alms from your possessions, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. 8If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. 10For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. 11Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practise it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High. 12 ˜Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father'™s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. 13So now, my son, love your kindred, and in your heart do not disdain your kindred, the sons and daughters of your people, by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion. And in idleness there is loss and dire poverty, because idleness is the mother of famine. 14 ˜Do not keep over until the next day the wages of those who work for you, but pay them at once. If you serve God you will receive payment. Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and discipline yourself in all your conduct. 15And what you hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. 16Give some of your food to the hungry, and some of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus as alms, and do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms. 17Place your bread on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. 18Seek advice from every wise person and do not despise any useful counsel. 19At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding, but the Lord himself will give them good counsel; but if he chooses otherwise, he casts down to deepest Hades. So now, my child, remember these commandments, and do not let them be erased from your heart. Money Left in Trust with Gabael 20 ˜And now, my son, let me explain to you that I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael son of Gabrias, at Rages in Media. 21Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and flee from every sin and do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God.™

Tehran (Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran, Plain oRagau)
Rages, Media, Persia; Tobit; Tobit 4 Tobit Gives Instructions to His Son 4That same day Tobit remembered the money that he had left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media, 2and he said to himself, ˜Now I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobias and explain to him about the money before I die? Then he called his son Tobias, and when he came to him he said, ˜My son, when I die,* give me a proper burial. Honour your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her life. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her in anything. 4Remember her, my son, because she faced many dangers for you while you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave. 5 ˜Revere the Lord all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing; 6for those who act in accordance with truth will prosper in all their activities. To all those who practise righteousness* 7give alms from your possessions, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. 8If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. 10For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. 11Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practise it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High. 12 ˜Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father'™s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. 13So now, my son, love your kindred, and in your heart do not disdain your kindred, the sons and daughters of your people, by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion. And in idleness there is loss and dire poverty, because idleness is the mother of famine. 14 ˜Do not keep over until the next day the wages of those who work for you, but pay them at once. If you serve God you will receive payment. Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and discipline yourself in all your conduct. 15And what you hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. 16Give some of your food to the hungry, and some of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus as alms, and do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms. 17Place your bread on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. 18Seek advice from every wise person and do not despise any useful counsel. 19At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding, but the Lord himself will give them good counsel; but if he chooses otherwise, he casts down to deepest Hades. So now, my child, remember these commandments, and do not let them be erased from your heart. Money Left in Trust with Gabael 20 ˜And now, my son, let me explain to you that I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael son of Gabrias, at Rages in Media. 21Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and flee from every sin and do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God.™

Qom River

Qom (River)

Karaj River

Karaj River (Tehran)

Karaj River Mouth (Namak Sink)

Jajrood River

Persia, Halil River Folder (Kerman) South Southeast PER

Halil River

Kerman, Persia (high point, home of Shapur II the Great)
Shapur II the Great; Kerman, Persia; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6;

Kuh-e Shah or King Mountail
Kuh-e Shah Mountain;

Hazaran Mountains (of Zargos Mts)
Hazaran Mountains ;

Halil River (Jiroft Dam)

Halil River (Jiroft)
Jiroft ;

Jaz Murian Basin ( a sink)

Persia, Shiraz Folder, Southwest PER

Shiraz, Persia
Shiraz; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Magedon, Persia (near Shiraz)
Magedon, Persia ; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning.

Elam, Shiraz, Persia
Elam, Shiraz, Persia; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Istakhr or Estakhr, Persia, Near Shiraz, Sasanian Empire First Capital
Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Sasanian first Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning.

Bakhtegan Lake (a sink)

Roodkhaneye Khoshk (Dry river) Mouth

Persia, Suza and Persian Gulf Folder, South Southwest PER

Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South)
Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31;

Telepolis (Susa, or Shushan in Syriac), where the Prophet Daniel saw visions
Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31;

Mond River

Mond River Mouth (Persian Gulf)
Mond River;

Bushehr River

Bushehr River 2

Bishapur, South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun) Saphur II
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10; Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Ananias the Presbyter in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Bushehr, Persia (Bushehr River Mouth)
Bushehr, Persia; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31;

Baravokh (Bishapur), South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun)
Baravokh (Bishapur), South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun) Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ;

Persia, Media Region of Persia Folder, West Central PER

Media region of Persia, Northwest of Isfahan Crossroads, Ecbatana
Media or Median Empire; Taken Captive to Nineveh: Tobit Chapter 1:10 After I was carried away captive to Assyria and came as a captive to Nineveh, everyone of my kindred and my people ate the food of the Gentiles, 11but I kept myself from eating the food of the Gentiles. 12Because I was mindful of God with all my heart, 13the Most High gave me favour and good standing with Shalmaneser,* and I used to buy everything he needed. 14Until his death I used to go into Media, and buy for him there. While in the country of Media I left bags of silver worth ten talents in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri. 15But when Shalmaneser* died, and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place, the highways into Media became unsafe and I could no longer go there. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16 ;

Diyala River

Diyala River Source (near Sananda)

Diyala River Mouth (Tigris River 7)

Zagros Mountains
Zagros Mountains ;

Karkeheh River (Gihon River)

Ecbatana in Media, Persia, the capital
Ecbatana in Media, Persia ; Tobit; Tobit Chapter 3: Sarah Falsely Accused in Ecbatana 7 On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by one of her father'™s maids. 8For she had been married to seven husbands, and the wicked demon Asmodeus had killed each of them before they had been with her as is customary for wives. So the maid said to her, ˜You are the one who kills* your husbands! See, you have already been married to seven husbands and have not borne the name of* a single one of them. 9Why do you beat us? Because your husbands are dead? Go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours! ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Hamedan, Media, Persia
Hamedan, Iran or Persia; Battle of Nahavand 665; Arab Muslim Conquest of North Africa 665;

Persia, Karum River Folder (Chaldeans) West Southwest PER

Karum River

Land of the Chaldeans (far southeastern Messopotamia)
Land of the Chaldeans ; Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on Job's Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Karun River Source (Zard-Kuh)
Zard-Kuh;

Karun River (Ahvas)
Ahvas;

Karun River (Koohran River Mouth)

Karun River Mouth (Euphrates River Mouth)

Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf)
Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf); Tobit Chapter 2, Tobit back in Nineva, again burying the dead, becomes blind from sparrow droppings, protected by Ahikar his nephew before Ahikar goes to Elymais 7 When the sun had set, I went and dug a grave and buried him. 8And my neighbours laughed and said, ˜Is he still not afraid? He has already been hunted down to be put to death for doing this, and he ran away; yet here he is again burying the dead!That same night I washed myself and went into my courtyard and slept by the wall of the courtyard; and my face was uncovered because of the heat. 10I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall; their fresh droppings fell into my eyes and produced white films. I went to physicians to be healed, but the more they treated me with ointments the more my vision was obscured by the white films, until I became completely blind. For four years I remained unable to see. All my kindred were sorry for me, and Ahikar took care of me for two years before he went to Elymais. ;

Persia (Clean), 00, Roads, Rivers, places, and mountains Folder

Persia (Clean), 01, its Area

Persia (Clean), 02, Parthia, its Area (approximate at Jesus' time, all of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkistan earlier)
Parthia (Northern Rivers and Tehran Regions, Namek Sink, Northeastern Iran or Persia)

Persia (Clean), 03, Tehran (Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran, Plain oRagau)
Persia (Clean) 03, Tehran (Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran, Plain oRagau) Rages, Media, Persia;

Persia (Clean), 04, Media, its Area, original territory of the Medes

Persia (Clean), 05, Assyrian Empire headquarters, its Area

Persia (Clean), 06, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent
Persia (Clean), 06, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent Zargos Mountains, around the Fertile Crescent;

Persia (Clean), 07, Tigris River

Persia (Clean), 08, Euphrates River, not in Persia but close to Ctesiphon the capitol

Persia (Clean), 09, Isfahan Crossroads NS Tehran to Suza and Persian Gulf

Persia (Clean), 10, Isfahan Crossroads EW Bagdad to Merv

Persia (Clean), 11. Isfahan Crossroads EW Elimais to Merv

Persia (Clean), 12. Ctesiphon, Persian Capital, Parthian and Sassanian Empires, at Bagdad area
Persia (Clean), 12. Ctesiphon, Persian Capital, Parthian and Sassanian Empires, at Bagdad area Ctesiphon;

Persia (Clean), 13. Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf)
Persia (Clean), 13. Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf) Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf);

Persia (Clean), 14. Silk Road North and South at Merv

Persia (Clean), 15. Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South)
Persia (Clean), 15. Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South) Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf);

Persia (Clean), 16, Khorasan Region Folder, Ochus River passes through Eastern Persia

Persia (Clean), Khorasan, its Area, Passes through Eastern P, includes Ochus River and Afghanistan in Turkmenistan
Khorasan, its Area

Persia (Clean), 16, Khorasan Region, Ochus River & Afghanistan of Turkmenistan

Ochus River

Silk Road, Trabezon to Merv

Armenia (Clean), Silk Road Great Road Trade Route, Trebizond to Melitene

Parsiism - Kings of Epiphany - Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD
Parsiism, Perianism, Zorastrainism ; Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD ; Ctesiphon, Persia;

Persia (Clean), Khorasan Region
Persia (Clean), Khorasan Region;

Nisa, first Capital of Parthia
Nisa, first Capital of Parthia;

Ecbatana in Media, Persia, the Capital
Ecbatana in Media, Persia, the capital ;

Assyria, Assyrian Empire, 911BC - 609 BC
Assryia (Assyrian Empire); Assur;

Parthia (Northern Rivers and Tehran Regions, Namek Sink, Northeastern Iran or Persia)
Parthia;

Persia, 224-651, Sasanian Empire, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian (Fire Worshipers)
Persian Sasanian Empire, 224AD-651AD, Ctesiphon, 226-637, Zoroastrian;

Persian Capital - Pasargadae (Daniel Lived Here 559BC-486BC)
Persian Capital - Pasargadae ;

Pasargadae,Persia, 559BC-486BC, Capital, Daniel, Malachi and Haggai Lived Here
King Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae - Daniel Lived Here ;

Istakhr or Estakhr, Persia, Near Shiraz, Sasanian Empire First Capital
Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Sasanian first Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I;

Nineveh (Mosul), Assyria, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Nineveh;

Arbela, Persia and Assyria (Tigris River 4)
Arbela, Persia;

Seleucia, Persia, Syria and Messopotamia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia;

Karmanite wilderness, Persia and Mesopotamia (Battle of Samarra, Tigris River 6)
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ;

Samarra, Persia (Tigris River 6)
Samarra (Tigris River 6);

Tabriz, Northwest Persia, Azerbaijan
Tabriz, Northwest Persia, Azerbaijan;

Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South)
Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ;

Bushehr, Persia (Bushehr River Mouth)
Bushehr, Persia;

Bishapur, South Southwest Persia (Bushehr River near Kazerun) Saphur II
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ;

Poland Folder, and its rivers

Poland (between Oder, Vistula and Narew rivers)
Poland; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated October 24 ; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Childmartyr Gabriel of Bialystok, Commemorated on April 20; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 ;

Teutonic Order 1st State Capital (Malbork, Amber Rd, Poland, 1308-1454) sometimes called Germans
State of the Teutonic Order; Teutonic Knights; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Uniates, Land of the Uniates (Eastern Europe including Poland and Lithuania) Unia began 1596
Uniates or Eastern Catholics under the Pope of Rome (Eastern Europe, North Afria, Middle East, and India); Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12, says After the emergence of the Unia (1596) the icon passed into the hands of the Catholics and was placed in a church of the Belynich Catholic monastery; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

Poland, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Poland, 1523-1654, House of Vasa ruling Sweden, Poland and Russia, Protestant
Poland, 1523-1654, House of Vasa ruling Sweden, Poland and Russia, Protestant;

Poland, 1569-1648, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Uniates)
Poland, 1569-1648, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Uniates), Union of Lublin ; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Poland, 1610-1613, Tsar, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish or Lithuanian King
Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Poland, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War
Poland, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War ;

Poland, 1795, Third Partition of Poland Lithuania
Poland, 1795, Third Partition of Poland Lithuania;

Poland History Folder

Poland, 960-999, History Folder, Poland Established, Catholic, Boleslaw the Brave

Poland, 960-992, Mieszko I of Poland, Christian, Establishment of Poland
Poland, 960-992, Mieszko I of Poland, Christian, Establishment of Poland;

Poland, 992-1025, Boleslaw I the Brave, First King of Poland
Poland, 992-1025, Boleslaw I the Brave; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 26;

Poland, 1000-1099, History Folder, Separated from HRE, Boleslaw Captured Kiev

Poland, 1000, Boleslaw I the Brave, Separated from Holy Roman Empire
Poland, 992-1025, Boleslaw I the Brave; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 26;

Poland, 1018, Boleslaw I the Brave, Captured Kiev

Poland, 1025-1031, Mieszko II Lambert
Poland, 1025-1031, Mieszko II Lambert;

Poland, 1031-1032, Bezprym
Poland, 1031-1032, Bezprym;

Poland, 1032-1034, Mieszko II Lambert
Poland, 1032-1034, Mieszko II Lambert;

Poland, 1034-1039, Boleslaw the Forgotten
Poland, 1034-1039, Boleslaw the Forgotten ;

Poland, 1039-1058, Casimir I the Restorer
Poland, 1039-1058, Casimir I the Restorer;

Poland, 1058-1079, Boleslaw II the Generous, The Bold, The Cruel, s by allies, against HRE, deposed
Poland, 1058-1079, Boleslaw II the Generous, The Bold; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Poland, 1079-1102, Wladyslaw I Herman, gravitated to HRE by marriage, Bohemia
Poland, 1079-1102, Wladyslaw I Herman; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Poland, 1100-1199, History Folder, Feudal Fragmentation

Poland, 1102-1107, Zbigniew of Poland
Poland, 1102-1107, Zbigniew of Poland;

Poland, 1107-1138, Boleslaw III Wrymouth
Poland, 1107-1138, Boleslaw III Wrymouth;

Poland, 1138-1146, Wladyslaw II the Exile
Poland, 1138-1146, Wladyslaw II the Exile;

Poland, 1146-1173, Boleslaw IV the Curly
Poland, 1146-1173, Boleslaw IV the Curly;

Poland, 1173-1227, Mieszko III the Old
Poland, 1173-1227, Mieszko III the Old ;

Poland, 1200-1299, History Folder, Feudal Fragmentation

Poland, 1227-1229, Wladyslaw III Spindleshanks
Poland, 1227-1229, Wladyslaw III Spindleshanks;

Poland, 1229-1232, Konrad I of Masovia
Poland, 1229-1232, Konrad I of Masovia;

Poland, 1232-1238 Henry the Bearded
Poland, 1232-1238 Henry the Bearded;

Poland, 1241-1241, Boleslaw II Rogatka
Poland, 1241-1241, Boleslaw II Rogatka;

Poland, 1241-1243, Konrad I of Masovia, Prussian Crusade, for security, gave Chelmno border lands (between P and his M) to Teutonic Knights
Poland, 1241-1243, Konrad I of Masovia; I of Masovia (ca. 1187/88[1] – 31 August 1247), from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia and Kuyavia from 1194 until his death as well as High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232 and again from 1241 to 1243. Contents Life[edit] Konrad was the youngest son of High Duke Casimir II the Just of Poland and Helen of Znojmo,[2] daughter of the Přemyslid duke Conrad II of Znojmo (ruler of the Znojmo Appanage in southern Moravia, part of Duchy of Bohemia). His maternal grandmother was Maria of Serbia, apparently a daughter of the pre-Nemanjić župan Uroš I of Rascia. After his father's death in 1194, Konrad was brought up by his mother, who acted as regent of Masovia. In 1199, he received Masovia and in 1205 the adjacent lands of Kuyavia as well. In 1205, he and his brother, Duke Leszek I the White of Sandomierz, had their greatest military victory at Battle of Zawichost against Prince Roman the Great of Galicia–Volhynia.[3] The Ruthenian army was crushed and Roman was killed in battle.[3] The Rurik princess Agafia of Rus became his wife. Attempted conquests of Prussia[edit] Prussian tribes (coloured areas) in the 13th century with Chełmno Land (Kulmerland), white, in the southwest already under control of the Teutonic Order See also: Prussian Crusade an effort to enlarge his dominions, Konrad unsuccessfully attempted to conquer the adjacent pagan lands of Chełmno in Prussia during a 1209 crusade with the consent of Pope Innocent III. In 1215, the monk Christian of Oliva was appointed a missionary bishop among the Old Prussians, his residence at Chełmno however was devastated by Prussian forces the next year. Several further campaigns in 1219, 1222[4] failed, instead Konrad picked a long-term border quarrel with the Prussian tribes. duke's ongoing attempts on Prussia were answered by incursions across the borders of his Masovian lands, while Prussians were in the process of gaining back control over the disputed Chełmno Land[5] and even threatened Konrad's residence at Płock Castle. Subjected to constant Prussian raids and counter-raids, Konrad now wanted to stabilize the north of his Duchy of Masovia in this fight over the border area of Chełmno. Order[edit] in 1226, Konrad, having difficulty with constant raids over his territory, invited the religious military order of the Teutonic Knights to fight the Prussians,[6] as they already had supported the Kingdom of Hungary against the Cuman people in the Transylavanian Burzenland from 1211 to 1225. they notified Hungary that the Order was, firstly, responsible to the pope, the Knights were expelled by the Hungarian King Andrew II though. in turn for the Order's service, Grand Master Herman of Salza wanted to have its rights documented beforehand, by a deal with Konrad that was to be confirmed by the Holy Roman Emperor and the Roman Curia. Frederick II issued in March 1226 the Golden Bull of Rimini, stating that: trusty Brother Herman, the worthy Master of the Sacred House of the Hospital of St. Mary of the Germans in Jerusalem [i.e., the Teutonic Order] has explained ... that our devoted Konrad (Chünradus), Duke of Masovia and of Kuyavia (Cuiaviae), has promised and undertaken to provide to him and to his brethren from that land, which is called the Chelmło Land (terra quae vocatur Culmen), and in that other land, that is to say, between his borderland (marchiam) and the territories of the Prussians (confinia Prutenorum), that they may thus indeed take up the task and readily embark upon the invasion and obtaining of the land of Prussia (terram Prusciae) for the honor and glory of the true God.[7] therefore... especially because the land itself is held under the sole rule of the Empire (sub monarchia imperii), trusting also in the judgment (prudentia) of the same Master, because he is a man mighty both in deed and word and through his own and his brethren’s perseverance is mightily undertaking and manfully carrying out the conquest of that land... even though many, vainly besought with numerous exertions in this business, gave up (defecerunt) just when they seemed about to set forth, grant the land of Prussia to the same Master along with the forces of his order and with all those who think to invade [it]..."[7] far, the Knights were not convinced to take the trouble of fighting the Prussians. the advice of the first Prussian bishop, Christian of Oliva, Konrad instead founded the Loyal Order of Dobrzyń in 1228. then called for another Prussian Crusade, and was again defeated. view of an imminent Prussian invasion, Konrad supposedly signed the Treaty of Kruszwica in 1230, according to which he granted Chełmno Land to the Teutonic Knights and the Order of Dobrzyń. this donation disclaiming any enfeoffment, Konrad established the nucleus of the State of the Teutonic Order. However the document does not exist and it is believed that it was never signed and that the Order most likely forged it.[8][9] Knights under the command of Hermann Balk crossed the Vistula river and conquered Chełmno Land, erecting the castle of Toruń (Thorn) in 1231. 1234, Pope Gregory IX issued the Golden Bull of Rieti, confirming the prior deals with the Teutonic Knights, stating that the land of the Order was only subject to the Pope, not a fief of anyone.[10] 1237, the Order's lands were confiscated by Konrad and forced to invest the town of Dobryczin.[6] Duke[edit] was also entangled in the conflict over the Polish Seniorate Province with his Piast cousin Duke Władysław III Spindleshanks of Greater Poland and assumed the title of a Polish High Duke in 1229. their Silesian relative Duke Henry I the Bearded finally prevailed as High Duke at Kraków in 1232 and confined Konrad's rule again to Masovia. Henry's son and heir, High Duke Henry II the Pious was killed at the 1241 Battle of Legnica, once again assumed the senioral title, but had to yield to the claims raised by his nephew Bolesław V the Chaste, son of his elder brother Leszek, two years later. and children[edit] Chalice and paten of Konrad I, showing him and his family Around 1208/1209 Konrad married Agafia of Rus,[2] daughter of Prince Svyatoslav III Igorevich. They had ten children: Bolesław I (c. 1210 – 17 April 1248), Duke of Masovia Casimir I (c. 1210/13 – 14 December 1267), Duke of Kuyavia[2] Siemowit I (c. 1215 – 24 June 1262),[2] succeeded eldest brother as Duke of Masovia. Eudoxia (b. c. 1215-1225), married Count Dietrich I of Brehna and Wettin Ludmila, probably a norbertine nun at Płock. Ziemomysł (c. 1220 – 10 July/18 September 1241). Salomea (c. 1220/1225 – aft. 30 August 1268?), probably a clare nun at Skała. Judith (c. 1222/27 – 4 December 1257/63), married firstly to Duke Mieszko II the Fat of Opole, secondly to Duke Henry III the White of Wrocław. Dubrawka (b. c. 1230, d. 1265). Mieszko (bef. 1236 – bef. 1238), died in infancy[11] legacy[edit] is considered by Poles to be responsible for Teutonic Knights' control of most of the Baltic coastline, undermining Polish authority in the area. King Casimir III of Poland had to accept the rule of the Order in Thorn and Kulm by the 1343 Treaty of Kalisz. After the Thirteen Years' War in the 1466 Second Peace of Thorn, the Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon gained control over the Chełmno Land as part of Royal Prussia.

Poland, 1243-1279, Boleslaw V the Chaste, Christian, adopted Leszek the Black, vows of chasity, he and his wife
Poland, 1243-1279, Boleslaw V the Chaste; ław V the Chaste (Polish: Bolesław Wstydliwy; 21 June 1226 – 7 December 1279) was Duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland from 1232 and High Duke of Poland from 1243 until his death, as the last male representative of the Lesser Polish branch of Piasts. and nickname[edit] ław V was born on 21 June 1226 at Stary Korczyn,[1] as the third child and only son of Leszek I the White by his wife Grzymisława, a Rurikid princess of disputed parentage. after his great-grandfather Bolesław Wrymouth, the numeral V was assigned to him in the Poczet krolow Polskich.[2] nickname of "Chaste" (Latin: Pudicus[3]), appeared relatively early and was already mentioned in the Rocznik franciszkański krakowski.[4] It was given to him by his subjects because of the vows of chastity that Bolesław V and his wife Kinga of Hungary had jointly taken; for this reason, their marriage was never consummated. The marital chastity and lack of mistresses by the Prince resulted from his exceptional devotion and mortification, and was evidently influenced by his closest female relatives.

Poland, 1279-1288, Leszek II the Black
Poland, 1279-1288, Leszek II the Black;

Poland, 1288-1290, Henryk IV Probus
Poland, 1288-1290, Henryk IV Probus;

Poland, 1290-1296, Przemysl II
Poland, 1290-1296, Przemysl II;

Poland, 1300-1399, History Folder, Teutonic Knights

Poland, 1301-1305, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, Duke of Cracow, King of Poland
Poland, 1300-1305, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia; II Přemyslid (27 September[2] 1271 - 21 June 1305) was King of Bohemia (1278-1305), Duke of Cracow (1291-1305), and King of Poland (1300-1305). was the only son of King Ottokar II of Bohemia and Ottokar's second wife Kunigunda.[3] He was born in 1271, ten years after the marriage of his parents. Kunigunda was the daughter of Rostislav Mikhailovich, lord of Slavonia, son of a Grand Prince of Kiev, and Anna of Hungary, daughter of Béla IV of Hungary. His great-grandfather was the German king Philip of Swabia. Wenceslaus II was the grandfather of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV. He was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty.

Poland, 1305-1306, Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, nominal King of Hungary, K of Poland
Poland, 1305-1306, Wenceslaus III of Bohemia; III (6 October 1289 - 4 August 1306) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1301 and 1305, and King of Bohemia and Poland from 1305. He was the son of Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia, who was later also crowned king of Poland, and Judith of Habsburg. a child, Wenceslaus was betrothed to Elizabeth, the sole daughter of Andrew III of Hungary. After Andrew III's death in early 1301, the majority of the Hungarian lords and prelates elected Wenceslaus king, although Pope Boniface VIII supported another claimant, Charles Robert, a member of the royal house of the Kingdom of Naples. was crowned king of Hungary on 27 August 1301. He signed his charters under the name Ladislaus in Hungary. His rule was only nominal, because a dozen powerful lords held sway over large territories in the kingdom. His father realized that Wenceslaus's position could not be strengthened and took him back from Hungary to Bohemia in August 1304. succeeded his father in Bohemia and Poland on 21 June 1305. He abandoned his claim to Hungary in favor of Otto III of Bavaria on 9 October. granted large parcels of the royal domains to his young friends in Bohemia. A local claimant to the Polish throne, Władysław the Elbow-high, who had started conquering Polish territories during the rule of Wenceslaus's father, captured Cracow in early 1306. Wenceslaus decided to invade his rival's territories in Poland, but he was murdered before starting his campaign. He was the last of the male Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia.

Poland, 1308-1454, Teutonic Order 1st State Capital (Malbork, Poland)
State of the Teutonic Order; Teutonic Knights; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Poland, 1320-1333, Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high, King of Poland
Poland, 1320-1333, Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high; ładysław I Łokietek, in English known as the "Elbow-high" or Ladislaus the Short (c. 1260/1 - 2 March 1333) was King of Poland from 1320 to 1333, and duke of several of the provinces and principalities in the preceding years. He was a member of the royal Piast dynasty, the son of Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia, and great-grandson of High-Duke Casimir II the Just. ładysław I inherited a small portion of his father's domain, but his dominion grew as some of his brothers died young. He unsuccessfully tried to incorporate the Duchy of Krakow (the Seniorate Province) in 1289, following the death of his half-brother Leszek II the Black and the withdrawal from contention of his ally Bolesław II of Masovia. After a period in exile during the rule of Wenceslaus II, Władysław regained several duchies and then Krakow in 1306 when Wenceslaus III was murdered. He temporarily took control of part of Greater Poland after the death of his ally Przemysł II, lost it, and then subsequently regained it. ładysław was a skilled military leader, but also an administrator; he conquered Gdańsk Pomerania, and left it to familial governors. For the defense of this territory, he turned to the Teutonic Knights, who then demanded an exorbitant sum or the land itself as an alternative. This led to an extended battle with the Knights, which was not resolved after either a papal trial or Władysław's own death. Perhaps his greatest achievement was gaining papal permission to be crowned king of Poland in 1320, which occurred for the first time at Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. Władysław died in 1333 and was succeeded by his son, Casimir III the Great.

Poland, 1356-1401, Polish Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon
Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places. Czech Land, 1356-1401, Czech Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon; II of Opole (ca. 1332 --“ 18 May 1401) was a Duke of Opole from 1356 (as a Bohemian vassal), Count palatine of Hungary during 1367-“1372, ruler over Lubliniec since 1368, Duke of Wielua during 1370-“1392, ruler over Bolesawiec from 1370 (only for his life), Governor of Galicia-“Volhynia during 1372-“1378, ruler over Pszczyna during 1375-“1396, Count palatine of Poland in 1378, Duke of Dobrzy and Kujawy during 1378-“1392 (as a Polish vassal), ruler over Gaogawek from 1383 and ruler over Krnov during 1385-“1392. was the eldest son of Duke Bolko II of Opole by his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Duke Bernard of Ašwidnica. years[edit] was a descendant of the House of Piast.[1] Little is known about his youth. As a young prince, in order to gain more political experience, he went to Hungary around 1353, where he probably remained until the death of his father (1356). There he also got married. of Opole[edit] Duke Bolko II's death, Vladislaus and his brothers Bolko III and Henry inherited Duchy of Opole (then fiefdom of the Bohemian Crown) as co-rulers; however, the strong personality of Vladislaus soon dominated the whole government and encourage his brothers to accept a modest part of their inheritance. Bolko III and Henry remained as co-Dukes of Opole, but only formally. with King Louis I the Great of Hungary[edit] political career of Vladislaus began in the mid 1360s in the Hungarian court of King Louis I. Already in 1364 he took part in the famous Congress of Cracow as part of the Hungarian suite. However, the most important mission of Vladislaus on behalf of King Louis took place two years later (in 1366), when he negotiated conditions of the planned marriage between a niece of Hungarian ruler and Wenceslaus, son of Emperor Charles IV. faithful service to the Hungarian House of Anjou resulted in the appointment of Vladislaus as Count palatine, which made him most important man after the King in the country. functions of this post were primarily broad judicial powers, who could be had only with the King. In this office, Vladislaus showed great commitment and capability; he created the rule of four Congregatio generalis, which handled court cases. Despite his huge income, his new post in the Hungarian affected Vladislaus' finances. of Casimir III the Great. Homage to the Kingdom of Poland[edit] his time as count palatine, Vladislaus didn't stop to participate in the foreign politics; the example of this was, among other things, his trip to Bulgaria in 1368. In 1370, after the death of Casimir III the Great, the Duke of Opole actively participated in preparing the succession of King Louis I of Hungary in the Polish throne. As a reward, King Louis give him the towns of Wielua and Cze™stochowa. that time, Vladislaus' brother Bolko III inherited Strzelce Opolskie from their uncle Albert and with this, the Duke of Opole could maintain the sole government over his domains (the youngest brother, Henry, died in 1365 without issue). 1371 Vladislaus led an armed expedition against the Crown of Bohemia (this assault caused a terrible devastation of Moravia); however, next year Vladislaus was the head of a mediation mission to resolve dispute between the Emperor (also Bohemian King) Charles IV and King Louis I. Lord and Heir[edit] seal Ladislaus Dei Gracia Dux Opoliensis Wieloniensis et Terre Russie Domin et Heres (ca. 1387) October 1372 Vladislaus was unexpectedly deprived from the office of Count palatine. Although he retained most of his castles and goods in Hungary, his political influence was significantly decreased. As a compensation, was made Governor of Hungarian-ruled part of the Kingdom of Galicia-“Volhynia. In this new position, the Duke of Opole successfully contributing to the economic development of the territories entrusted to him. mainly resided in Lviv, but at the end of his rule he spent more time in Halych. The only serious conflict during his time as Governor was related to his approaching to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which caused the angry of the local boyars, who were strongly Catholics. following Vladislaus's advice, in 1374 King Louis I published a provincial privilege for the Polish nobility (szlachta) in Koe¡ice, which ensured the succession of the King's daughters after his death. palatine of Poland and ruler of Kujawy[edit] 1378 the departure of Queen Elisabeth from Poland to Hungary, forced King Louis to release Vladislaus from his post of Governor and appointed him with the empty position of Polish Count palatine. But almost immediately Vladislaus had to face the strong resistance of the Polish nobility, dissatisfied with the decision of King Louis to named heirs to his daughters, and soon was forced to resign. compensation for his resignation, the Duke of Opole received from the Hungarian ruler the towns of Dobrzy- Land and part of Kujawy (with towns Bydgoszcz, Inowrocaw and Gniewkowo). These territories were on the border of the Teutonic Order lands, which soon shortly Vladislaus established close contacts, who included allowed the prosecution of criminals by Teutonic knights in his domains. Kujawy, Vladislaus entered in a dispute over finances with the Bishop of Paock, Dobiesaw Sawka, resulting in the excommunication of the Duke, who was repealed a year later by the Archbishop of Gniezno. As a gesture of reconciliation with the Church, Vladislaus founded the Pauline monastery of Our Lady at Jasna Ga Cze™stochowa; also, the Duke brought the famous Black Madonna of Cze™stochowa, who according to oldest documents, travelled from Jerusalem, via Constantinople and Beaz, to finally reach Cze™stochowa in August 1382. deaths of his brother Bolko III (21 October 1382), leaving four minor sons, and one month later (14 September) of the Duke Henry of Niemodlin without issue, made it possible to Vladislaus extend his influence on Upper Silesia, as a rule over Strzelce and Niemodlin (although only as a regent of his nephews) and Geogawek (granted to him one year later, in 1383). The Duke of Opole also supported the Church career of the eldest son of Bolko III, Jan Kropideo trying to obtain for him, despite his young age, the dignity of the Bishop of Poznas„. of Louis I and relations with Vladislaus II Jagiego[edit] (Kingdom of Russia) Coins of Opolczy (1389) 10 September 1382 King Louis I of Hungary, Vladislaus' protector, died. Despite the earlier support given to him to late King's daughters, Vladislaus put his own nomination to the royal crown. However, he wasn't popular among the Polish nobility, who decanted (in connection with the broken engagement between Queen Hedwig and William of Habsburg) for Duke Siemowit IV of Paock. to the old historiography, the Duke of Opole supported the new Polish King Wadyslaw II Jagieglo during the first period of his reign. Some historians accept the fact that in 1386 Vladislaus stood as the King's godfather when he converted to the Catholic faith. the cooperation between the Duke of Opole and the King was short-lived: in 1388, after the King dispossessed him from Bydgoszcz, the Duke lead a coup who planned to capture the King and Wawel Castle. Defeated and captured by the Starosta (provincial governor) Sa™dziwa Paluka, Vladislaus was forced to capitulate and resign from any claim to the Polish throne. King Waladyslaw II Jagieglo also blocked the nomination of Jan Kropidlo for the post of Archbishop of Gniezno. with the Teutonic Order. ambitions and war with Poland. Death[edit] frictions with the King of Poland took place in May 1391, when Vladislaus pledged the land of Zal to the Teutonic Order. Aware of the danger that the Teutonic Order too close to his bordes, the King ordained the deprivation of Vladislaus from his fiefs in Polish territory. Against the Royal power, the Duke of Opole capitulated, and in 1392 transferred the disputed territories to Poland (with the exception of Boleslawiec, which, completely loyal to Waladyslaw, only accepted the annexation to the Polish Kingdom after the death of the Duke of Opole). the attitude of Vladislaus was not changed and in 1393 he sold his rights over Dobrzyla to the Teutonic Order. Has also tried to encourage the Great master of the Teutonic Order, Konrad von Wallenrode, to attack the Kingdom with the combination of the troops of Teutonic knights in Poland, Hungary and Bohemia, but the conflict ended unexpectedly. The war, which began successfully (for example, with the siege to Nowy Korczyn on 26 July 1393), finally ended in 1396, when the royal army decided to attack the Silesian lands of Vladislaus. the Polish troops took control over Strzelce, on 6 August of that year, Vladislaus' nephews decided to make peace with the King of Poland. Since then, the government of the Duchy of Opole was virtually taken over by the sons of Bolko III, and Vladislaus was relegated to a second status. because of his ambitions failed disastrously, Vladislaus died on 18 May 1401 in Opole, and was buried in the local Franciscan monastery. and issue[edit] 1355 and during his stay in Hungary, Vladislaus married firstly Elisabeth (b. 1340 - c. 1369), daughter of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab, Voivode of Wallachia.[2][3][4][5] They had three daughters: Kinga (b. 1355/57 -“ d. after 1369), a nun at Alt-Buda. Elisabeth [Agnes] (b. 1360 -“ d. by 9 September 1411), married in 1372 to Margrave Jobst of Moravia, King of the Romans. Katharina (b. c. 26 March 1367 -“ d. 6 June 1420), married in 1382 to Duke Henry VIII of lagašcinawa. By 1369, Vladislaus married secondly Euphemia (b. c. 1352 - d. by 9 December 1424), daughter of Duke Siemowit III of Masovia. They had two daughters: Hedwig (b. 1376/78 -“ d. after 13 May 1390), married before 25 January 1390 to Duke Vygantas-Alexander of Kernava—. Euphemia (d. young, before 30 March 1408). he died without male heirs, Vladislaus' nephews Bolko IV and Bernard inherited the whole Duchy except Gaoglawek, who was given by the Duke to his wife, Euphemia, as her dower.

Poland, 1386-1434, Polish King, Vladislav (Wladyslaw II Jagiello), king Lithuania, V over Teutonic Ks
Polish King, 1386-1434, Vladislav (Wladyslaw II Jagiello) ; (About this soundJogaila), later WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o (c. 1352/1362 – 1 June 1434) Grand Duke of Lithuania (1377-1434) and then King of Poland (1386-1434), first alongside his wife Jadwiga until 1399, and then sole ruler of Poland. ruled in Lithuania from 1377. Born a pagan, in 1386 he converted to Catholicism and was baptized as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw in Kraków, married the young Queen Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o.[1] 1387 he converted Lithuania to Christianity. His own reign in Poland started in 1399, upon the death of Queen Jadwiga, lasted a further thirty-five years, and laid the foundation for the centuries-long Polish–Lithuanian union. He was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland that bears his name and was previously also known as the Gediminid dynasty in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. dynasty ruled both states until 1572,[nb 2] and became one of the most influential dynasties in late medieval and early modern Europe.[2] his reign, the Polish-Lithuanian state was the largest state in the Christian world.[3] was the last pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania. After he became King of Poland, as a result of the Union of Krewo, the newly formed Polish-Lithuanian union confronted the growing power of the Teutonic Knights. The allied victory at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, followed by the Peace of Thorn, secured the Polish and Lithuanian borders and marked the emergence of the Polish–Lithuanian alliance as a significant force in Europe. reign of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o extended Polish frontiers and is often considered the beginning of Poland's Golden Age. St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Poland, 1389, Czestochowa Icon, by Luke, Vladislav's dream, top city walls, blood dripping, dark haze, Tartar retreat
Jerusalem, 66 AD, Czestochowa Icon taken from Jerusalem when Romans took the city in 66; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places. Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 6;

Poland, 1400-1454, Polish History Folder, Teutonic Knights

Poland, 1409-1411, Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War, Prussian Catholics v new Christians
Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War, 1409-1411 ; Battle of Gruenwald; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Poland, 1410, Battle of Gruenwald, PL overTeutonic Knights
Poland, 1410, Battle of Gruenwald ; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ;

Poland, 1440-1492, Grand Duke, Casimir IV Jagiellon, King Poland, Roman Catholic
Lithuanian Grand Duke, 1440-1492, Casimir IV Jagiellon, King Poland; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14 ; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16;

Poland, 1454-1525, Teutonic Order 2nd State Capital (Kaliningrad, Prussia)
State of the Teutonic Order; Teutonic Knights; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Poland, 1454-1523, Polish History Folder, Hapsburgs, Holy Roman Empire

Poland, 1454-1492, Polish Queen, Elizabeth Hapsburg of Hungary, Elizabeth of Austria
Polish Queen, 1454-1492, Elizabeth Hapsburg of Hungary, Elizabeth of Austria; Polish King, 1501-1506, Alexander Jagiellon; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Poland, 1493-1543, Polish Renaissance Man, Nicolaus Copernicus
Polish Renaissance Man, 1493-1543, Nicolaus Copernicus; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Poland, 1501-1506, Polish King, Alexander Jagiellon
Polish King, 1501-1506, Alexander Jagiellon; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Poland, 1501, Suprasl Icon miracles, Orthodox and Catholics, Suprasl, Poland (Narew River 6)
Suprasl; Suprasl monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type.

Poland, 1517-1795, Polish History Folder, House of Vasa, Protestant, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland

Poland, 1500-1599, 16th Century Folder, 95 Theses, House of Vasa, Bathoy, Brest Union

Poland, 1533-1586, King Stephen Bathory, of Transylvania, Protestant
Poland, 1533-1586, King Stephen Bathory, of Transylvania, Protestant, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

Poland, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r
Russia, Ryazan, 1559-1623, Macarius oZhabyn's Monastery, Belev, Rayazan, born 1539, Tonsured Onuphrius, founded Z monastery 1585 near Belev, 1615 Z destroyed by Lisovski's Poles, M restored it, Stone church this time, with gates bell-tower, lifetime severe monk struggles, cold heat hunger thirst , prayed tGod solitude deep into forest, once heard lost moaning polish enemy, probably destroyed monastery, asked for drink, love surged forth, prayer, plunged staff, spring gushed forth, gave man a drink, when monastery life restored, M withdrew took Schema name Macarius, forgotten about until incorrupt relics found in 1818, then Igumen Jonah fOptina near Zhabyn became head oZhabyn and reestablished Feast oSaint Macarius 1888; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev; Zhabyn's Monastery was on the Oka River not far from Belev ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Macarius of Zhabyn, Wonderworker of Belev, was born in the year 1539. his early years he was tonsured with the name Onuphrius, in the year 1585 he founded Zhabyn’s Monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple near the River Oka, not far from the city of Belev. 1615 the monastery was completely destroyed by Polish soldiers under the command of Lisovski. to the charred remains, the monk began to restore the monastery. He again gathered the brethren, in place of the wooden church a stone church was built in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21), a bell-tower at the gates. saint spent his life in austere monastic struggles, cold, heat, hunger and thirst, as the monastery accounts relate. often went deep into the forest, where he prayed to God in solitude. when he was following a path in the forest, he heard a faint moaning. looked around and saw a weary Polish man reclining against a tree trunk, with his sabre beside him. had strayed from his regiment and had become lost in the forest. In a barely audible voice this enemy, might have been one of the destroyers of the monastery, for a drink of water. and sympathy surged up within the monk. With a prayer to the Lord, he plunged his staff into the ground. At once, a fresh spring of water gushed forth, and he gave the dying man a drink. both the external and internal life of the monastery had been restored, Onuphrius withdrew from the general monastic life, having entrusted the guidance of the brethren to one of his disciples, took the schema with the name Macarius. the place of his solitude, he chose a spot along the upper tributary of the River Zhabynka. one verst separated the mouth of the tributary and the banks of the River Oka. ascetical struggles of Saint Macarius were concealed not only from the world, but also from his beloved brethren. died in 1623 at the age of eighty-four, at the hour when the roosters start to crow. He was buried opposite the gates of the monastery on January 22, the commemoration of Saint Timothy, where a church was later built and named for him. Iconographic Originals has preserved a description of Saint Macarius in his last years: had gray hair with a small beard, and over his monastic riassa he wore the schema. of Saint Macarius was established at the end of the seventeenth century, or the beginning of the eighteenth. to Tradition, his relics remained uncovered, but by 1721 they were interred in a crypt. the eighteenth century the monastery became deserted. memory of his deeds and miracles was so completely forgotten, when the incorrupt relics of the monastery’s founder were uncovered during the construction of the church of Saint Nicholas in 1816, a general panikhida was served over them. restoration of the liturgical commemoration of Saint Macarius of Belev is credited to Igumen Jonah, was born on January 22 (the Feast of Saint Macarius), who began his own monastic journey at the Optina monastery not far from the Zhabyn monastery. 1875 Igumen Jonah became head of the Zhabyn monastery. request to re-establish the Feast of Saint Macarius strengthened by the petition of the people of Belev, through the centuries had preserved their faith in the saint. January 22, 1888, the annual commemoration of Saint Macarius of Zhabyn was resumed. 1889, a church dedicated to Saint Macarius was built at his tomb. Jonah who lived at the monastery and actually participated in the construction, that in addition to the building project, the holy relics of Saint Macarius would also be uncovered. everything was on the point of readiness, Macarius appeared to the participants and sternly warned them that they should not proceed with their intention, or they would be punished. memory of this appearance was reverently preserved among the monks of the monastery. Macarius of Zhabynsk is also commemorated on September 22.

Poland, 1574-1658, Proposed Polish-“Lithuanian-“Muscovite Commonwealth
Poland, 1574-1658, Proposed Polish-“Lithuanian-“Muscovite Commonwealth;

Poland, 1576-1586, Polish King, Stephen Bathory, Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Protestant
Polish King, 1579, Stephen Bathory, Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania ; Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István; Polish: Stefan Batory; Lithuanian: About this soundSteponas Batoras; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586). son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Hungarian Báthory noble family, Báthory was a ruler of Transylvania in the 1570s, defeating another challenger for that title, Gáspár Bekes. 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen Anna Jagiellon and the third elected king of Poland. He worked closely with chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The first years of his reign were focused on establishing power, defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, most notably, the Danzig rebellion. reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful kings in Polish history, particularly in the realm of military history. signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia against Russia in the middle part of his reign, in which he repulsed a Russian invasion of Commonwealth borderlands and secured a highly favorable treaty of peace (the Peace of Jam Zapolski). 1 Youth 2 Elected king 3 Establishing power 4 Policies 5 War with Muscovy 6 Final years 7 Remembrance 8 Notes 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External links Báthory was born on 27 September 1533 in the castle at Somlyó, also known as Szilágysomlyó (today's È˜imleu Silvaniei).[1] He was the son of Stephen VIII Báthory (d. 1534) of the noble Hungarian Báthory family and his wife Catherine Telegdi.[1] He had at least five siblings: two brothers and three sisters.[1] is known about his childhood. Around 1549–1550, he briefly visited Italy and probably spent a few months attending lectures at the Padua University.[1] Upon his return, he joined the army of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and took part in his military struggle against the Turks. Some time after 1553, Báthory was captured by the Turks, and after Ferdinand I refused to pay his ransom, joined the opposing side, supporting John II Sigismund Zápolya in his struggle for power in the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom.[1] Zápolya's supporter, Báthory acted both as a feudal lord, military commander and a diplomat.[1][2] During one of his trips to Vienna he was put under house arrest for two years.[2] During this time he fell out of favor at Zápolya's court, and his position was largely assumed by another Hungarian noble, Gáspár Bekes.[2] Báthory briefly retired from politics, but he still wielded considerable influence and was seen as a possible successor to Zápolya.[2] Zápolya's death in 1571, the Transylvanian estates elected Báthory Voivode of Transylvania.[2] Bekes, supported by the Habsburgs, disputed his election, but by 1573, Báthory emerged victorious in the resulting civil war and drove Bekes out of Transylvania.[2] He subsequently attempted to play the Ottomans and the Holy Roman Empire against one another in an attempt to strengthen the Transylvania position.[3] king[edit] Mannerist crown from about 1584, most probably created for him in GdaÅ„sk after Willem van den Blocke's design[4] 1572, the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, at the time the largest and one of the most populous states in Europe, was vacated when King Sigismund II Augustus died without heirs.[3] The Sejm was given the power to elect a new king, and in the 1573 Polish–Lithuanian royal election chose Henry of France; Henry soon ascended the French throne and forfeited the Polish one by returning to France.[3] Báthory decided to enter into the election; in the meantime he had to defeat another attempt by Bekes to challenge his authority in Transylvania, which he did by defeating Bekes at the Battle of Kerelőszentpál.[3] 12 December 1575, after an interregnum of roughly one and a half years, primate of Poland Jakub UchaÅ„ski, representing a pro-Habsburg faction, declared Emperor Maximilian II as the new monarch.[3] However, chancellor Jan Zamoyski and other opponents of Habsburgs persuaded many of the lesser nobility to demand a "Piast king", a Polish king.[3][5][6] After a heated discussion, it was decided that Anna Jagiellon, sister of the former King Sigismund II Augustus, should be elected king and marry Stephen Báthory.[7] In January 1576 Báthory passed the mantle of voivode of Transylvania to his brother Christopher Báthory and departed for Poland.[7] On 1 May 1576 Báthory married Anna and was crowned king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania.[7] After being chosen as king in the 1576 Polish–Lithuanian royal election, Báthory also began using the title of the prince of Transylvania.[2] Establishing power[edit] of King and Grand Duke Stephen Báthory, circa 1576–1586 áthory's position was at first extremely difficult, as there was still some opposition to his election. Emperor Maximilian, insisting on his earlier election, fostered internal opposition and prepared to enforce his claim by military action.[8] At first the representatives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania refused to recognize Báthory as grand duke, and demanded concessions - that he return the estates of his wife Anne to the Lithuanian treasury, hold Sejm conventions in both Lithuania and Poland, and reserve the highest governmental official offices in Lithuania for Lithuanians. He accepted the conditions.[9] In June Báthory was recognized as Grand Duke of Lithuania.[a][7][8] Lithuania secure, the other major region refusing to recognize his election was Prussia.[8] Maximilian's sudden death improved Báthory's situation, but the city of Danzig (GdaÅ„sk) still refused to recognize his election without significant concessions.[8] The Hanseatic League city, bolstered by its immense wealth, fortifications, and the secret support of Maximilian, had supported the Emperor's election and decided not to recognize Báthory as legitimate ruler. resulting conflict was known as the Danzig rebellion. Most armed opposition collapsed when the prolonged Siege of Danzig by Báthory's forces was lifted as an agreement was reached.[8][10] The Danzig army was utterly defeated in a field battle on 17 April 1577.[11] However, since Báthory's armies were unable to take the city by force, a compromise was reached.[11][12] exchange for some of Danzig's demands being favorably reviewed, the city recognised Báthory as ruler of Poland and paid the sum of 200,000 zlotys in gold as compensation.[10][12] Tying up administration of the Commonwealth's northern provinces, in February 1578 he acknowledged George Frederick as the ruler of Duchy of Prussia, receiving his feudal tribute.[10] Stephen in Ottoman clothes, 1585 securing control over the Commonwealth, Báthory had a chance to devote himself to strengthening his authority, in which he was supported by his chancellor Jan Zamoyski, who would soon become one of the king's most trusted advisers.[6][12] Báthory reorganised the judiciary by formation of legal tribunals (the Crown Tribunal in 1578 and the Lithuanian Tribunal in 1581).[13] While this somewhat weakened the royal position, it was of little concern to Báthory, as the loss of power was not significant in the short term, and he was more concerned with the hereditary Hungarian throne.[10][13] In exchange, the Sejm allowed him to raise taxes and push a number of reforms strengthening the military, including the establishment of the piechota wybraniecka, an infantry formation composed of peasants.[10] Many of his projects aimed to modernize the Commonwealth army, reforming it in a model of Hungarian troops of Transylvania.[14] He also founded the Academy of Vilnius, the third university in the Commonwealth, transforming what had been a Jesuit college into a major university.[15] He founded several other Jesuit colleges, and was active in propagating Catholicism, while at the same time being respectful of the Commonwealth policy of religious tolerance, issuing a number of decrees offering protection to Polish Jews, and denouncing any religious violence.[14] external relations, Báthory sought peace through strong alliances. Though remaining distrustful of the Habsburgs, he maintained the tradition of good relations that the Commonwealth enjoyed with its Western neighbor and confirmed past treaties between the Commonwealth and Holy Roman Empire with diplomatic missions received by Maximilian's successor, Rudolf II.[16] The troublesome south-eastern border with the Ottoman Empire was temporarily quelled by truces signed in July 1577 and April 1579.[16] The Sejm of January 1578 gathered in Warsaw was persuaded to grant Báthory subsidies for the inevitable war against Muscovy.[10] number of his trusted advisers were Hungarian, and he remained interested in Hungarian politics.[14] Báthory wished to recreate his native country into an independent, strong power, but the unfavorable international situation did not allow him significantly to advance any of his plans in that area.[17] In addition to Hungarian, he was well versed in Latin, and spoke Italian and German; he never learned the Polish language.[14] his personal life, he was described as rather frugal in his personal expenditures, with hunting and reading as his favorite pastimes.[14] with Muscovy[edit] coin with likeness of Báthory Báthory's election to the throne of the Commonwealth, Ivan the Terrible of Russia had begun encroaching on its sphere of interest in the northeast, eventually invading the Commonwealth borderlands in Livonia; the conflict would grow to involve a number of nearby powers (outside Russia and Poland-Lithuania, also Sweden, the Kingdom of Livonia and Denmark-Norway). Each of them was vying for control of Livonia, and the resulting conflict, lasting for several years, became known as the Livonian War.[18] By 1577, Ivan was in control of most of the disputed territory, but his conquest was short-lived.[18] In 1578, Commonwealth forces scored a number of victories in Liviona and begun pushing Ivan's forces back; this marked the turning point in the war.[16] Báthory, together with his chancellor Zamoyski, led the army of the Commonwealth in a series of decisive campaigns taking Polotsk in 1579 and Velikiye Luki in 1580.[16] 1581, Stephen penetrated once again into Russia and, on 22 August, laid siege to the city of Pskov. While the city held, on 13 December 1581 Ivan the Terrible began negotiations that concluded with the Truce of Jam Zapolski on 15 January 1582.[19] The treaty was favorable to the Commonwealth, as Ivan ceded Polatsk, Veliz and most of the Duchy of Livonia in exchange for regaining Velikiye Luki and Nevel.[19] years[edit] tomb monument in the Wawel Cathedral 1584, Báthory allowed Zamoyski to execute Samuel Zborowski, whose death sentence for treason and murder had been pending for roughly a decade.[13][20] This political conflict between Báthory and the Zborowski family, framed as the clash between the monarch and the nobility, would be a major recurring controversy in internal Polish politics for many years.[13][20] In external politics, Báthory was considering another war with Russia, but his plans were delayed to the lack of support from the Sejm, which refused to pass requested tax raises.[20] áthory's health had been declining for several years.[20] He died on 12 December 1586.[21] He had no legitimate children, though contemporary rumours suggested he might have had several illegitimate children. None of these rumours have been confirmed by modern historians.[21] His death was followed by an interregnum of one year. Maximilian II's son, Archduke Maximilian III, was elected king but was contested by the Swedish Sigismund III Vasa, who defeated Maximilian at the Byczyna and succeeded as ruler of the Commonwealth.[22] áthory actively promoted his own legend, sponsoring a number of works about his life and achievements, from historical treatises to poetry.[14] In his lifetime, he was featured in the works of Jan Kochanowski, MikoÅ‚aj SÄ™p SzarzyÅ„ski and many others.[14] He became a recurring character in Polish poetry and literature and featured as a central figure in poems, novels and drama by Jakub JasiÅ„ski, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Henryk Rzewuski and others.[23] He has been a subject of numerous paintings, both during his life and posthumously. Among the painters who took him as a subject were Jan Matejko and StanisÅ‚aw WyspiaÅ„ski.[23][24] statue of Báthory by Giovanni Ferrari was raised in 1789 in Padua, Italy, sponsored by the last king of the Commonwealth, StanisÅ‚aw August Poniatowski.[24] Other monuments to him include one in the Åazienki Palace (1795 by Andrzej Le Brun) and one in Sniatyn (1904, destroyed in 1939).[24] He was a patron of the Vilnius University (then known as the Stefan Batory University) and several units in the Polish Army from 1919 to 1939.[24] His name was borne by two 20th-century passenger ships of the Polish Merchant Navy, the MS Batory and TSS Stefan Batory.[24] In modern Poland, he is the namesake of the Batory Steelmill, a nongovernmental Stefan Batory Foundation, the Polish 9th Armored Cavalry Brigade, and numerous Polish streets and schools.[24] One of the districts of the town of Chorzów is named after him.[24] áthory at Pskov, by Jan Matejko after his death, he was not fondly remembered in the Commonwealth. Many nobles took his behavior in the Zborowski affair and his domestic policies as indicating an interest in curtailing the nobility's Golden Freedoms and establishing an absolute monarchy.[21] His contemporaries were also rankled by his favoritism toward Hungarians over nationals of the Commonwealth.[20] He was also remembered, more trivially, for his Hungarian-style cap and saber (szabla batorówka).[23] later resurgence in Polish memory and historiography can be traced to the 19th-century era of partitions of Poland, when the Polish state lost its independence.[23] He was remembered for his military triumphs and praised as an effective ruler by many, including John Baptist Albertrandi, Jerzy Samuel Bandtkie, MichaÅ‚ BobrzyÅ„ski, Józef Szujski and others.[23] Though some historians like Tadeusz Korzon, Joachim Lelewel and JÄ™drzej Moraczewski remained more reserved, in 1887, Wincenty Zakrzewski noted that Báthory is "the darling of both the Polish public opinion and Polish historians".[23] During the interwar period in the Second Polish Republic he was a cult figure, often compared - with the government's approval - to the contemporary dictator of Poland, Józef PiÅ‚sudski.[23] After the Second World War, in the communist People's Republic of Poland, he became more of a controversial figure, with historians more ready to question his internal politics and attachment to Hungary.[23] Nonetheless his good image remained intact, reinforced by the positive views of a popular Polish historian of that period, PaweÅ‚ Jasienica.[23] Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Eastern Hungary ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ; Commemorated on February 5; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tendernessfrom the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Poland, 1587-1632, King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic
Poland, 1587-1632, King Sigismund III of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Poland, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union, Protestant, Sigismund swede king for only 6yrs
Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union; union[edit] the death of John III of Sweden, his son Sigismund succeeded to the throne of Sweden. Sigismund at that time was already the elected King of Poland (since 1587). Sigismund certainly valued the Swedish throne and upon learning about the death of his father, and the pretensions to the throne of his uncle, Duke Charles of Södermanland, he asked the Sejm (Polish parliament) for permission to leave the Commonwealth and go to Sweden, where he could secure the Swedish crown. The Sejm gave him permission, and on 3 August 1593, 6, accompanied by his wife, Anna of Habsburg, and other followers, departed for Sweden. agreement of 19 February seemed to have calmed the situation; Sigismund was crowned in Uppsala Cathedral and became the king of Sweden. The Kingdom of Sweden was now in a personal union with Poland-Lithuania. July, Sigismund left Sweden in the hands of the regency council and returned to Poland. Sweden was to be ruled jointly by the Privy Council of Sweden and Sigismund's uncle Duke Charles. however, reneged on his earlier promises, opening Catholic schools, and giving Catholics prominent posts. in turn did not give up on acquiring the Swedish throne and pursued his own political agenda. The new Riksdag he summoned at Arboga in 1597 – again despite the King's orders – saw few participants, and only one from the Privy Council. Even so, Duke Charles did not achieve support for his military action, but initiated it nonetheless. Parts of southern Sweden were successfully taken. Several of the Privy Council members fled to Poland to convince Sigismund to take counteractions. sent a diplomatic mission, in an attempt to solve the conflict by negotiations. Charles at first looked ready to negotiate but in fact he was playing for time, trying to confirm his power at another Riksdag (in Arboga), recruiting peasants for his army, and isolating Sigismund's followers. against Sigismund[edit] Castle in Warsaw, the residence of Polish kings since 1611 1598, the Sejm gave Sigismund the go-ahead to wage a military campaign against his opponents in Sweden; however it refused to give him significant support. Sigismund's army was composed mostly of mercenaries (Germans and Hungarians), supported by a relatively small Polish force (although with some artillery). campaign was poorly planned. He was unable to coordinate his troop movements with his supporters, particularly Fleming who was supposed to attack Charles from Finland. After initial successes (the taking of Kalmar and defeating Charles' troops at Stegeborg), Sigismund's forces were defeated on September 25, 1598, at the Battle of Stångebro, (also known as the battle of Linköping). Sigismund was captured and forced to hand over some of his followers such as the Chancellor of Sweden, Erik Larsson Sparre, (1550–1600). In May 1599, Charles' forces captured the last fortress held by Sigismund, Kalmar. On July 24, 1599, the Riksdag in Stockholm officially dethroned Sigismund. The new King of Sweden was Charles IX of Sweden, and the Polish–Swedish union was dissolved after barely seven years of existence. In March 1600, some of Sigismund's supporters were executed, including five senators in an event known as the Linköping Bloodbath.

Poland, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595), not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Hungarian Transylvania Pol-Lith over Ottoman Crimean Tartars
Poland, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595); Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) took place on October 19–20, 1595, during an expedition of Jan Zamoyski, of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Moldavia, as part of the Moldavian Magnate Wars. Hetman Jan Zamoyski, painting by Jan Styka. Khan Gazi II Girej. early 1595 Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, convinced Ștefan Răzvan, a commander of Hungarian mercenaries in the service of the then Hospodar Aaron the Tyrant to rebel. Ștefan captured Aaron and sent him to Transylvania, then proclaimed himself as the new Hospodar and a vassal of Sigismund. response the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, who had been Aaron's protector and sovereign, decided to put an end to the ongoing power struggles in Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania between various magnates. Wallachia was to receive a new Turkish sponsored ruler, Moldavia was to be simply incorporated into the Ottoman Empire as a province. Ottoman intervention aroused alarms in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which sought to reestablish its influence in the region, having lost sovereignty over Moldavia some hundred years earlier after the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. the summer of 1595 the crown army of the Kingdom of Poland, numbering around 5000 cavalry, 2300 infantry, and a few artillery pieces, led by the Crown Hetman Jan Zamoyski entered into the territory of the Principality of Moldavia and on the 27th of August took Chocim and shortly after, on September 3, the capital of the principality, Iași. then installed Ieremia Movilă, who was amicably disposed towards the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as Hospodar (Prince) of Moldavia.[1] Zamoyski's intent was to create a buffer zone of friendly states around the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, consisting of Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia, in order to protect it from Ottoman Turkey. Ottomans reacted swiftly, although at the time Sultan Mehmed III was engaged in a war against Michael the Brave, the Prince of Wallachia. The Sultan sent the Crimean Tatars, under Khan Ğazı II Girej, supported by regular Ottoman troops, altogether numbering around 25,000 soldiers, to meet the Polish army. hearing that the Tatars were approaching, Zamoyski crossed the Prut river and on September 6 had his troops erect a fortified camp, which was protected on both flanks by the river. The front of the camp in turn was defended by a rampart studded with thirteen bastions. The rampart also possessed four sally ports which could be used for sorties. Khan's army arrived on the 18th of September. That day minor fighting took place among individual skirmishers, during which Prince Kirill Różyński wounded the khan's nephew with a bow. main fighting took place the following day when the khan's troops tried to storm the Polish camp. because the Tatars had few infantry the attempt was unsuccessful, and the attackers were constantly harried by Polish sallies issuing from the camp. After the struggle went no better for the Tartars on the 20th, Ğazı came to the conclusion that he did not have the means to take the camp and agreed to peace talks. October 21 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Tatars recognized Movilă as Hospodar in Moldavia, and assented to Polish troops being permanently stationed in the Principality. Two days later the Tatar army began its withdrawal.

Poland, 1596, Union of Brest, Rome and Kiev, Roman Catholic

Poland, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, Swedish Empire, Tsar of Russia, Wars with Russia

Poland, 1605-1618, Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18), TofT, polish boyars exploiting Rus Civil wars and Rus boyars, Rus and Sweden
Moscow, 1605-1618, Polish-“Muscovite War (1605-“18) ; Polish–Muscovite War, also known as the Polish–Russian War of 1609–1618 or the Dimitriads, was a conflict fought between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1609 to 1618. had been experiencing the Time of Troubles since the death of Tsar Feodor I in 1598, causing political instability and a violent succession crisis upon the extinction of the Rurik dynasty, and was ravaged by the major famine of 1601 to 1603.[4] exploited Russia's civil wars when members of the Polish szlachta aristocracy began influencing Russian boyars and supporting False Dmitris for the title of Tsar of Russia against the crowned Boris Godunov and Vasili IV Shuysky.[5] 1605, Polish nobles conducted a series of skirmishes until the death of False Dmitry I in 1606, and invaded again in 1607 until Russia formed a military alliance with Sweden two years later. declared war on Russia in response in 1609, aiming to gain territorial concessions and weaken Sweden's ally, winning many early victories such as the Battle of Klushino. 1610, Polish forces entered Moscow and Sweden withdrew from the military alliance with Russia, instead triggering the Ingrian War.[6] son, the Prince Władysław of Poland, was elected tsar by the Seven Boyars in September 1610, but Sigismund seized the Russian throne for himself to convert the population to Catholicism, with the pro-Polish boyars ending their support for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1611, Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky formed a new army to launch a popular revolt against the Polish occupation. Poles captured Smolensk in June 1611 but began to retreat after they were ousted from Moscow in September 1612.[7] Romanov, the son of Patriarch Filaret of Moscow, was elected Tsar of Russia in 1613, beginning the Romanov dynasty and ending the Time of Troubles. little military action between 1612 and 1617, the war finally ended in 1618 with the Truce of Deulino, which granted the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth certain territorial concessions but preserved Russia's independence. war was the first major sign of the rivalry and uneasy relations between Poland and Russia which last to this day.[8] aftermath had a long-lasting impact on Russian society, creating the negative stereotype of Poland in Russia[9] and, most notably, giving rise to the Romanov dynasty which ruled Russia for three centuries until the February Revolution in 1917. also left a noticeable mark on Russian culture, with renowned composers and writers portraying the war in works such as A Life for the Tsar by Mikhail Glinka, Boris Godunov (opera) by Modest Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov (play) by Alexander Pushkin, Pan Voyevoda by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov as well as films Minin and Pozharsky and 1612. Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Poland, 1609, Roman oUglich, Relics burned by Poles

Poland, 1615, Lisowski of Poland Destroys Zhabyn Monastery, Ryazan
Aleksander Joseph Lisowski; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22 ;

Poland, 1620, Battle of Cecora, not 1595, Iassi or Jiassi, Pol-Lith w Moldov V Ottomans w Nogali Tartars, Moldov switch sides
Moldovia, 1620, Battle of Cecora (1620) not 1595; Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) was a battle during the Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (aided by rebel Moldavian troops) and Ottoman forces (backed by Nogais),[3]:344 fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.[5]:568 of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of Busza by both sides (as Cossacks and Tatars continued their raids across the borders), relations between the Ottomans and the Commonwealth rapidly deteriorated in early 1620. Both sides began preparing for war, as neither was quite ready for it at the time. The Ottomans declared war against Poland in 1620 and planned to attack in the spring of 1621.[3]:341 The Commonwealth Sejm denied most funds the hetmans had asked for. The Senate's secret council finally decided, convinced by the Habsburgs' representative, to contribute the Commonwealth forces in 1620—even though many members of the Sejm thought that Polish–Lithuanian forces were neither sufficient nor fully prepared. Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who was by then over 70 years old (as Commonwealth policy didn't allow for a possibility of forced retirement from government offices such as that of hetman), foresaw the coming confrontation with the Ottoman Empire and decided to meet Ottoman troops on foreign soil, Moldavia being the obvious choice.[6] However, the sultan sent Iskender Pasha to Moldavia to remove Hospodar Gaspar Graziani, who had allied himself with Poland.[3]:341 Zółkiewski and Koniecpolski led the army to Țuțora (Cecora in Polish sources), a commune in Iaşi county, Romania), to fight the Horde of Khan Temir (Kantymir). The army numbered between 5,000[3]:342 to 9,000 (2,000 infantry but only about 1600 Cossack cavalry[3]:344), with many regiments being made up of the private forces of magnates Koreckis, Zasławskis, Kazanowskis, Kalinowskis and Potockis. The army entered Moldavia in September. The Moldavian ruler, hospodar Gaspar Graziani, nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, decided to rebel and support the Commonwealth against the Ottomans. Graziani killed the janissaries in Iaşi, imprisoned envoys of Sultan Osman II (who had ordered his removal from power and his transport to Istanbul) and then prepared to flee, but was forced by Żółkiewski to attach his troops to the Polish–Lithuanian camp.[3]:344 However, many of the Moldavian boyars left the camp in order to defend their own estates against pillaging by undisciplined Commonwealth magnates' troops, others decided to wait and see what the outcome appeared to be so they could join the winning side, and others joined the Turks.[3]:344 Consequently, only about 600–1000 rebel Moldavian troops appeared in the Commonwealth camp. Żółkiewski ordered the army to proceed to the fortified camp (standing from previous wars) at Cecora. warriors of the Crimean Khanate during the Battle of Cecora (1620). 10 September, near Ţuţora (close to Iasi, Romania), the Commonwealth army encountered the Tatar and Ottoman forces, with Wallachian contingents (13,000–22,000) under the command of Iskender Pasha, the beylerbey of Ochakiv (Ozi). The Ottoman Sultan's force included Gabriel Bethlen's army.[3]:342 The Tatar forces surprised the Commonwealth defenders, taking many prisoners. During the first day of fighting (the 18th), most of the rebel Moldavians decided to switch sides and quickly attacked the Polish–Lithuanian flank. Mercenaries, private troops and their magnate leaders were lacking in discipline and morale. Stanisław Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces during the ensuing battle. On 19 September it had become clear that the Polish–Lithuanian forces were defeated, although they still managed to hold their positions; Koniecpolski prevented the army from disintegrating on 20/21 September. On 29 September Commonwealth troops had broken through Ottoman ranks with tabor wagon trains and started their retreat. However, after Graziani bribed some magnates, units of private troops begun to flee and some mercenary cavalry panicked and also ran. This was a prelude of things to come. Consecutive attacks during the retreat (including a particularly violent one on 3 October) were repelled, but troop units started disintegrating as soon as soldiers caught sight of the Dniester and the Polish–Lithuanian border. another heavy assault on 6 October, most of the magnates and nobles broke and fled north,[3]:344 leaving infantry and camp, thus sealing the fate of the whole expedition: most of the Polish–Lithuanian troops were killed or captured. In the ensuing battle Żólkiewski died[7] and Koniecpolski[3]:344 and many others (Samuel Korecki, Mikolaj Struś, Mikołaj Potocki, Jan Żółkiewski, Łukasz Żołkiewski), Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki and Bohdan Khmelnytsky were taken captive. Before his death he received the blessing of his confessor, Father Szymon Wybierski (Wybierek) of the Society of Jesus, who stood by his side (7 October).[8] Żółkiewski's head was mounted on a pike and sent to the sultan; Duke Korecki, having often meddled in Moldavian territories, was executed in the Constantinople prison.[citation needed] the face of such an important victory, advised by grand vizier Ali Pasha and Gabriel Bethlen, Osman II decided that he could reinforce his rule or even extend it. Alexandru Iliaş was appointed as the ruler of Moldavia, the rebel Graziani having been killed during his flight on 29 September. between 1,000 and 1,500 of Commonwealth men survived the battles, while the Tatars moved into Podolia, Wołyń and eastern Lesser Poland.[3]:344 1621 an army of 200,000–250,000 Ottoman veterans, led by Osman II, advanced from Edirne towards the Polish frontier. The Ottomans, following their victory in the Battle of Cecora, had high hopes of conquering southern part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Polish commander Jan Karol Chodkiewicz crossed the Dniester in September with approximately 35,000 Polish troops and Cossack supporters and entrenched himself at the Chocim Fortress, blocking the path of the slow Ottoman march. At Khotyn, for more than a month (2 September – 9 October), the Commonwealth hetman held the sultan at bay until the first autumn snow (Battle of Khotyn). The lateness of the season and the loss of approximately 40,000 men in battle compelled Osman II to initiate negotiations. A few days before the siege was to be lifted, the aged grand hetman died of exhaustion in the fortress (24 September). The battle was a stalemate and the resulting Treaty of Khotyn reflected it, providing some concessions to the Commonwealth but meeting some Ottoman demands. II blamed the stalemate of war on the lack of zeal and the "degeneracy" of the Janissaries. His efforts at modernizing the Ottoman army were not well received by the Janissaries and the conservative "learned" class. A revolt led by Janissaries and the students of the madrases erupted on 18 May 1622 and Osman II was deposed; two days later he was killed by the rebels who deposed him. Battle of Cecora is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "CECORA 18 - 29 IX 1620".

Poland, 1632-1648, King Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Tsar of Russia at 16 in 1610-13
Poland, 1632-1648, King Wladyslaw IV Vasa; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ;

Poland, 1632-1634, Polish-Muscovite War, Smolensk War, Russia accepted Polish–Lith control over Smolensk r, for another 20 years
Poland, 1632-1634, Polish-Muscovite War, the Smolensk War ; Smolensk War (1632–1634) was a conflict fought between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia. began in October 1632 when Russian forces tried to capture the city of Smolensk. Small military engagements produced mixed results for both sides, but the surrender of the main Russian force in February 1634 led to the Treaty of Polyanovka. Russia accepted Polish–Lithuanian control over the Smolensk region, which lasted for another 20 years. Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius' Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Poland, 1637-1651, Nicholas Pototski, Polish-Lith Count, captured by Turks 1595, d Turks 1633, d cossacks 1637&1638, ukraine estates, oppressive
Poland, 1637-1651, Polish-Lithuanian Count, Nicholas Pototski ; łaj "Bearpaw" Potocki (1595 – 20 November 1651) was a Polish nobleman, magnate and Field Crown Hetman of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1637 to 1646, Grand Hetman of the Crown from 1646 to 1651, governor of Bracław Voivodeship from 1636 and from 1646 Castellan of Kraków. was captured during the battle of Cecora by the Turks. In 1633 during the Battle of Paniowce, along with Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and Stanisław Koniecpolski he defeated the Turk forces under Abaza Pasha. the 1637 Pavlyuk Uprising he defeated Cossacks under Pavlo Pavliuk at the battle of Kumejki. In the 1638 Ostryanyn Uprising he forced Dmytro Hunia to surrender. After those victories over the Cossacks he received large estates in Ukraine (Kresy). 1637–38 Cossack rebellions suppressed by Potocki were minutely described by historian and bishop Szymon Okolski who witnessed and directly participated in the developments of those days. His field diaries became a valuable information source for historians. the Sejm of 1646 Potocki opposed the plan of the king Władysław IV Vasa to wage war against the Turks. was known as very oppressive to peasantry and Cossacks. His behavior was one of the causes of the Khmelnytsky Uprising. In 1648 he disregarded the monarch's orders and attacked rebellious Cossacks in Ukraine. He was defeated at the Battle of Korsuń and captured by Tatars. In April 1650 he was released from jasyr. On 28–30 June 1651 he was victorious over Tatar and Cossack forces at the Battle of Beresteczko. 18 September 1651, after the indecisive Battle of Bila Tserkva he negotiated a treaty with the Cossacks. Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Poland, 1653, Polish invasion of Liubech
Lubech; The Deluge (Polish history) ; background[edit] articles: Khmelnytsky Uprising, Second Northern War, and Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) 1648, Bohdan Khmelnytsky led a popular uprising of Zaporozhian Cossacks and Ukrainian peasants discontented with the rule of Polish and Lithuanian magnates. the initial phase of the rebellion ended (after much destruction) at the Battle of Berestechko (1651), it brought into focus the rivalry between Russia and the Commonwealth for hegemony over Ukraine and over the eastern Slavic lands in general. in October 1653, the Russian Zemsky Sobor declared war on the Commonwealth, and in June 1654 the forces of Tsar Alexis of Russia invaded the eastern half of Poland-Lithuania, starting the Russo-Polish War of 1654–67. the summer of 1654, the Russians managed to capture most important cities and strongholds of today's Belarus. was captured after a siege on October 3, 1654. The Swedish Empire, which technically already was at war with the Commonwealth (a ceasefire agreement existed from 1629 and was prolonged from 1635 to 1661), invaded in July 1655 and occupied the remaining half of the country. Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ; Lubech Icon of the Mother of God received its name from the city of Lubech, on the outskirts of Chernigov. icon manifested itself during the eleventh century. The miracles of this icon were described by Saint Demetrius of Rostov. 1653, when an invasion of the Poles against Lubech was imminent, they sent the icon to Kiev. 1701 after the restoration, they returned the icon to the Lubech church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, and an exact copy was left in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Kiev.

Poland, 1654-1667, Russian-Polish War, War for the Ukraine
Russian-Polish War, 1654-1667, War for the Ukraine ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Poland, 1656, Swedish Deluge, Protestant Sweden over Catholic Poland
Poland, 1656, Swedish Deluge ; Icon of the Mother of God "œCzestochowa"Â, Commemorated on March 6;

Poland, 1656, Czestochowa Icon Stops Swedish Deluge
Jerusalem, 66 AD, Czestochowa Icon taken from Jerusalem when Romans took the city in 66; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places. Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 6;

Poland, 1669-1673, Polish-Lithuanian King, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki
Poland, 1669-1673, Polish-Lithuanian King, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1;

Poland, 1672-1676, Polish Ottoman War, Ottomans control western Ukraine
Poland, 1672-1676, Polish Ottoman War; Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach, 1672; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1;

Poland, 1672, Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach
Poland, 1672, Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach ; Polish-“Ottoman War (1672-“76); Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1;

Poland, 1674-1696, Polish-Lithuanian King, John III Sobieski, R Catholic
Poland, 1674-1696, Polish-Lithuanian King, John III Sobieski ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Childmartyr Gabriel of Bialystok, Commemorated on April 20;

Poland, 1683, Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, found in a tree near Lesna, 1686 C force removal, 1863 Polish Revolt
Poland, 1683, Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, found in a tree near Lesna; Lesna Icon of the Mother of God appeared on the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Cross in the year 1683 and was found by Alexander Stelmashuk, a shepherd, who had gone into the woods in order to escape the heat. There he saw a small Icon in the branches of a pear tree, emitting a bright radiance. He fell to his knees in reverence, but then he was so overcome with fear that he ran to tell a friend about his discovery. The two shepherds went to the village priest, who went back with them to remove the Icon from the tree. They brought it to an Orthodox church in the village of Bukovich, not far from the town of Lesna. news of the Icon's miraculous appearance circulated throughout the surrounding area, Roman Catholic priests decided to use the Icon to convert the Orthodox to Catholicism. In 1686, when they met with opposition from the Orthodox faithful, they removed the Icon by force in 1686 and placed it in the Roman Catholic church at Lesna. the beginning of the eighteenth century, Catholic monks founded a large Roman church and monastery at Lesna, where the wonderworking Icon was. In 1863, the monks took part in the Polish revolt, and, by a decree of the Russian government, the Icon was returned to the Orthodox Church. The monastery was closed and turned into an Orthodox women’s monastery in 1885. A new iconostasis was built, but it was only two rows high so that people could see the Lesna Icon hanging in the High Place. Icon has worked many miracles, healing the sick, dispelling melancholy, and alleviating every sort of misfortune. Lesna Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on September 8 and on the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). Poland, 1674-1696, Polish-Lithuanian King, John III Sobieski ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Childmartyr Gabriel of Bialystok, Commemorated on April 20;

Poland, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War

Poland, 1795-1807, Polish History Folder, Partitions and Divisions

Poland, 1772, First Partition of Poland
Poland, 1772, First Partition of Poland;

Poland, 1772, First Partition of Poland Lithuania
Poland, 1772, First Partition of Poland;

Poland, 1773-1789, Protectorate of the Russian Empire
Poland, 1772, First Partition of Poland;

Poland, 1793, Second Partition of Poland Lithuania
Poland, 1793, Second Partition of Poland Lithuania;

Poland, 1793-1795, Administrative Divisions 93-95
Poland, 1793-1795, Administrative Divisions 93-95 ;

Poland, 1807-1814, Napolion's Duchy of Warsaw

Poland, 1807-1815, Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw
Poland, 1807-1815, Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw;

Poland, 1814-1918, Russian and Prussian Rule

Poland, 1814-1918, Congress of Vienna, Russian Prussian Rule, after Napoleon I, conservative, to restrain republicanism and revolution
Poland, 1814-1815, Congress of Vienna; Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was an international diplomatic conference to reconstitute the European political order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon I. It was a meeting of ambassadors of European states chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich, and held in Vienna from November 1814 to June 1815. objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. goal was not simply to restore old boundaries but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other and remain at peace. fundamentally, the conservative leaders of the Congress sought to restrain or eliminate the republicanism and revolution which had upended the constitutional order of the European old regime, and which continued to threaten it. the settlement, France lost all its recent conquests, while Prussia, Austria and Russia made major territorial gains. Prussia added smaller German states in the west, Swedish Pomerania, 60% of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the western part of the former Duchy of Warsaw; Austria gained Venice and much of northern Italy. Russia gained the central and eastern part of the Duchy of Warsaw. It ratified the new Kingdom of the Netherlands which had been created just months before from the formerly Austrian territory that in 1830 became Belgium. of the Acts of the Congress of Vienna immediate background was Napoleonic France's defeat and surrender in May 1814, which brought an end to 23 years of nearly continuous war. Negotiations continued despite the outbreak of fighting triggered by Napoleon's dramatic return from exile and resumption of power in France during the Hundred Days of March to July 1815. The Congress's "final act" was signed nine days before his final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. have criticized the Congress for causing the subsequent suppression of the emerging national and liberal movements,[1] and it has been seen as a reactionary movement for the benefit of traditional monarchs. a technical sense, the "Congress of Vienna" was not properly a congress: it never met in plenary session. Instead, most of the discussions occurred in informal, face-to-face sessions among the Great Powers of Austria, Britain, France, Russia, and sometimes Prussia, with limited or no participation by other delegates. On the other hand, the Congress was the first occasion in history where, on a continental scale, national representatives came together to formulate treaties instead of relying mostly on messages among the several capitals. The Congress of Vienna settlement formed the framework for European international politics until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9;

Poland, 1861-1912, Nicholas oJapan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan
Japan, 1861-1912, Nicholas of Japan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan, fBelsk oSmolensk, Belsk religious school, Smolensk Theological Seminary, 1857 St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1860 tonsured Nicolas, ordained deacon, ordained priest, later requested and assigned head of consular church in Hakodate, Japan, at first preaching in Japan seemed imposible, Japanese looked on foreigners as beasts in his own words, and on Christianity as villanous sect for villans and sorcerers, 8years studying country, language, manners, customs, 1868 at 32 and 8years Flock was 20 Japanese, 1869 reported in person to St Petersburg, 1870 special Russian Mission in Japan, for preaching, Nick archmandrite and Head oMission, 1871 return tJapan, Persecution in Hakodate, many arrested, 1873 free preaching possible, stone bldg Tokyo, church, school, for 50 men, and seminary in 1878, 1874 Bishoo arruved Tokyo to ordain priests recommended by Archmandrite Nick, 4 schools aTokyo mission: for catechists, women, chrch servers, & seminary, at Hakodate two separate schools for boys and girls, 1877 regular publication Church Herald, 1878 4115 Christians iJapan, number of communities wServices and classes in Japanese, 1880 Nick became Bishop at Nevsky Lavra St Pete, returned Japan, completed Tokyo Cathedral, translated service books, completed Orthodox dictionary in Japanese, 1904-05 Rus-Japan War great hardship for his flock, Nick elevated to Archbishop, 1911 50 yr, 33017 Christians 266 Communities, 1 Archbishop, 1 Bishop, 35 Priests, 6 Deacons, 14 singing instructors, 116 catechists, he died 1912, 76yr old, 1970 sainthood; Japan Saint, 1856-1912, Nicholas of Japan; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, born Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin on August 1, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk diocese, his father served as deacon. the age of five he lost his mother. completed the Belsk religious school, and afterwards the Smolensk Theological Seminary. 1857 Ivan Kasatkin entered the Saint Peterburg Theological Academy. June 24, 1860, in the academy temple of the Twelve Apostles, Bishop Nectarius tonsured him with the name Nicholas. June 29, the Feast of the foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the monk Nicholas was ordained deacon. next day, on the altar feast of the academy church, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. at his request, Father Nicholas was assigned to Japan as head of the consular church in the city of Hakodate. first, the preaching of the Gospel in Japan seemed completely impossible. Father Nicholas’s own words: “the Japanese of the time looked upon foreigners as beasts, on Christianity as a villainous sect, to which only villains and sorcerers could belong.” spent eight years in studying the country, the language, manners and customs of the people among whom he would preach. 1868, at 32 and 8 years, the flock of Father Nicholas numbered about twenty Japanese. the end of 1869 Hieromonk Nicholas reported in person to the Synod in Peterburg about his work. decision was made, on January 14, 1870, to form a special Russian Spiritual Mission for preaching the Word of God among the pagan Japanese. Nicholas was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed as head of this Mission. to Japan after two years in Russia, he transferred some of the responsibility for the Hakodate flock to Hieromonk Anatolius, and began his missionary work in Tokyo. 1871 there was a persecution of Christians in Hakodate. Many were arrested (among them, the first Japanese Orthodox priest Paul Sawabe). in 1873 did the persecution abate somewhat, and the free preaching of Christianity became possible. this year Archimandrite Nicholas began the construction of a stone building in Tokyo which housed a church, a school for fifty men, and later a religious school, which became a seminary in 1878. 1874, Bishop Paul of Kamchatka arrived in Tokyo to ordain as priests several Japanese candidates recommended by Archimandrite Nicholas. the Tokyo Mission, there were four schools: for catechists, for women, for church servers, and a seminary. At Hakodate there were two separate schools for boys and girls. the second half of 1877, the Mission began regular publication of the journal “Church Herald.” the year 1878 there already 4115 Christians in Japan, there were a number of Christian communities. services and classes in Japanese, publication of religious and moral books permitted the Mission to attain such results in a short time. Nicholas petitioned the Holy Synod in December of 1878 to provide a bishop for Japan. Nicholas was consecrated bishop on March 30, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. to Japan, he resumed his apostolic work with increased fervor. completed construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, translated the service books, compiled a special Orthodox theological dictionary in the Japanese language. hardship befell the saint and his flock at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. his ascetic labor during these difficult years, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. 1911, half a century had passed since the young hieromonk Nicholas had first set foot on Japanese soil. that time there were 33,017 Christians in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church, 1 Archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 singing instructors, and 116 catechists. February 3, 1912, Archbishop Nicholas departed peacefully to the Lord at the age of seventy-six. Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified him on April 10, 1970, the saint had long been honored in Japan as a righteous man, and a prayerful intercessor before the Lord.

Poland, 1863, Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting a Russian rule, nobility, Bourgeois, youth, seeking independence
Poland, 1863, Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting against Russian rule; January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland aimed at the restoration of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last insurgents were captured by the Russian forces in 1864. was the longest lasting insurgency in post-partition Poland. The conflict engaged all levels of society, and arguably had profound repercussions on contemporary international relations and ultimately provoked a social and ideological paradigm shift in national events that went on to have a decisive influence on the subsequent development of Polish society.[4] confluence of factors rendered the uprising inevitable in early 1863. The Polish nobility and urban bourgeois circles longed for the semi-autonomous status they had enjoyed in Congress Poland before the previous insurgency, a generation earlier in 1830, while youth encouraged by the success of the Italian independence movement urgently desired the same outcome. Russia had been weakened by its Crimean adventure and had introduced a more liberal attitude in its internal politics which encouraged Poland's underground National Government to plan an organised strike against their Russian occupiers no earlier than the Spring of 1863.[4] They had not reckoned with Aleksander Wielopolski, the pro-Russian arch-conservative head of the civil administration in the Russian partition, who got wind of the plans. Wielopolski was aware that his fellow countrymen's fervent desire for independence was coming to a head, something he wanted to avoid at all costs. In an attempt to derail the Polish national movement, he brought forward to January the conscription of young Polish activists into the Imperial Russian Army (for 20-year service). That decision is what triggered the January Uprising of 1863, the very outcome Wielopolski had wanted to avoid.[5] rebellion by young Polish conscripts was soon joined by high-ranking Polish-Lithuanian officers and members of the political class. The insurrectionists, as yet ill-organised, were severely outnumbered and lacking sufficient foreign support, and were forced into hazardous guerrilla tactics. Reprisals were swift and ruthless. Public executions and deportations to Siberia eventually persuaded many Poles to abandon armed struggle. In addition, Tsar Alexander II hit the landed gentry hard, and as a result the whole economy, with a sudden decision in 1864 to finally abolish serfdom in Poland.[6] The ensuing break-up of estates and destitution of many peasants convinced educated Poles to turn instead to the idea of "organic work", economic and cultural self-improvement.[7] Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14;

Poland, 1863, Polish Revolt of 1863, Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, 1683, found in a tree near Lesna, 1686 C force removal
Poland, 1683, Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, found in a tree near Lesna; Lesna Icon of the Mother of God appeared on the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Cross in the year 1683 and was found by Alexander Stelmashuk, a shepherd, who had gone into the woods in order to escape the heat. There he saw a small Icon in the branches of a pear tree, emitting a bright radiance. He fell to his knees in reverence, but then he was so overcome with fear that he ran to tell a friend about his discovery. The two shepherds went to the village priest, who went back with them to remove the Icon from the tree. They brought it to an Orthodox church in the village of Bukovich, not far from the town of Lesna. news of the Icon's miraculous appearance circulated throughout the surrounding area, Roman Catholic priests decided to use the Icon to convert the Orthodox to Catholicism. In 1686, when they met with opposition from the Orthodox faithful, they removed the Icon by force in 1686 and placed it in the Roman Catholic church at Lesna. the beginning of the eighteenth century, Catholic monks founded a large Roman church and monastery at Lesna, where the wonderworking Icon was. In 1863, the monks took part in the Polish revolt, and, by a decree of the Russian government, the Icon was returned to the Orthodox Church. The monastery was closed and turned into an Orthodox women’s monastery in 1885. A new iconostasis was built, but it was only two rows high so that people could see the Lesna Icon hanging in the High Place. Icon has worked many miracles, healing the sick, dispelling melancholy, and alleviating every sort of misfortune. Lesna Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on September 8 and on the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). Poland, 1674-1696, Polish-Lithuanian King, John III Sobieski ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Childmartyr Gabriel of Bialystok, Commemorated on April 20;

Poland, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich, Aust-Hung Catholic monk to Rus Orthodox priest, shot for continuing services
Poland, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich oZdynia, Poland in the Beskids (Vistula River Source), Austro-Hungarian Catholic Monk iKrakow, attempts to denationalize Russians and Latinize Eastern Rite, went tPochaev monastery, Orthodox, potential recognized, sent to Zhitomir seminary 1911, married&ordained, Lemko region Orthodox movement tAncestors faith, Home tHrab, Vysovatka, Dovhe, Dec 1911 Austrians ordered O services stop b Russian sympathies, M continued O services iHomes, repeatedly fined temp arrest, 1912 prison 2yrs Lviv, not guilty trial, continued O services, Aug 1914 WWI arrested, no trial, shot, family sent to Talerhof CCamp, son M born, future Lemko Rusyn priest, glorification 1994, relics transfered 2007; Zdynia, Poland; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Maxim was born in 1886 in Zdynia in the Lemko region of Carpatho-Rus which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in present day Poland. father, Tymofej, was the cantor of Zydnia’s Greek Catholic church. completing his education in the nearby town of Jaslo and Nowy Sacz, he entered the Greek Catholic Basilian monastery in Krakow. with the attempts to Latinize the Eastern rite to make it more acceptable to the Roman Catholic majority and also attempts to denationalize the Rusyns, he crossed the border into the Russian empire and entered the famed Orthodox monastery at Pochaev. was while at the monastery that his outstanding potential attracted the attention of the illustrious Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) who enrolled him in the Orthodox seminary in Zhitomir. completed his seminary studies in 1911 that same year married Pelagia Grigoryuk and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. that time in the Lemko region there was a growing movement away from the Greek Catholic Church to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. Maxim returned home to serve the Orthodox faithful in the villages of Hrab, Vysovatka and Dovhe. serving his first Divine Liturgy in Hrab on December 2, 1911, the Austrian authorities, suspicious of the Orthodox Faith for its alleged “Russian sympathies,” issued an order forbidding any further Orthodox services. Maxim ignored the order and continued to conduct services in village homes. was repeatedly fined and held under temporary arrest. Before Pascha in 1912, he was again arrested with his friend and spiritual father, Father Ignatij Hudyma, held in prison for two years in a Lviv prison until their trial began on March 9, 1914. being found not guilty he immediately returned to his native village and continued minister to his Orthodox parishioners. the outbreak of World War I, Father Maxim was again arrested and imprisoned on August 4, 1914 along with his entire family. Maxim, his father, mother, brother, and wife were forced to travel on foot to the prison while being prodded by the bayonets of the soldiers. prison they were placed in separate cells and denied the opportunity to see each other. time, however, there would be no court trial. the morning of September 6, Father Maxim awoke in his cell and read his morning prayers as usual. soldiers led the twenty-eight year old priest from his cell to a wall in the prison courtyard where he was bound and blindfolded. he was being led from his cell Father Maxim realized where they were taking him and humbly and with dignity asked, “Be so good as not to hold me. I will go peacefully wherever you wish.” they ripped his priestly cross from his chest and threw it to the dirt, marking an “X” with chalk over his heart for a target. the command to execute the priest was given, Father Maxim was heard to shout: “Long live the Rus’ people, long live Orthodoxy!” the shots rang out the martyr slumped to the ground. To assure that he was dead three more blasts of a revolver were emptied into his head. September 12, Saint Maxim’s father, his pregnant wife, and brother were sent to the concentration camp at Talerhof in the far western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. in the camp Pelagia gave birth to a son she named Maxim in honor of his father. his father, the younger Maxim also entered the priesthood serving the Lemko Rusyn people faithfully until his death in 1991. Canonization September 1994, the official glorification of Saint Maxim began in the courtyard of the Gorlice Court House where the saint had been martyred, a bronze plaque marking the tragic event was placed on the wall. this service, a procession of hierarchs, including our Metropolitan Nicholas of blessed memory, clergy and faithful entered the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice for the service of glorification. the glorification of a saint, ordinarily the saint’s relics would be exhumed from their grave and transferred in procession to the church. bishops of the Orthodox Church of Poland decided to delay the transfer, fearing it would provoke the areas’ Roman Catholics who reluctantly tolerate the Orthodox presence. on September 5-6, 2007, the martyr’s relics were transferred from the village cemetery in Zdynia to the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice, Poland where they are enshrined on the right side of the icon screen. Witness of Martyrs Lord said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). life of this new hieromartyr (priest-martyr) echo the words of Jesus. Maxim had no fear of threats from the government, imprisonment, abuse, insults and even a firing squad. this newly-ordained priest was arrested for serving an Orthodox Divine Liturgy his first action on being freed was to immediately return to his flock and resume his priestly ministry. Lord’s words in the Book of Revelation apply well to Saint Maxim: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). my many years working as a hospice chaplain I have often been summoned by doctors and nurses to the bedside of a terminally ill patient who is fearful of his approaching death. medical professionals assume, rightly so, that it is primarily an active faith that can help a person face this fear. promise of the Lord Jesus to us is that if we believe in Him and our lives are joined to His we have nothing to fear in death. while the death and resurrection of our Savior have removed our fear of death, Jesus does not desire that all of our fears vanish. does want us to be afraid of something! He wants us to be afraid of the right things, to be fearful of things that should be fear: “...fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). life of Saint Maxim Sandovich, faithful priest shines forth this truth! — Father Edward Pehanich

Poland, 1918-1989, Communist Poland

Poland, 1918-1935, Polish Leader, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski
Poland, 1918-1935, Polish Defacto Leader, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Poland, 1936-1941, Polish Leader, Edward Rydz-Smigly
Poland, 1936-1941, Polish Leader, Edward Rydz-Smigly; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9;

Poland, 1942-1989, Polish Leader, Michal Rola Zymierskii, Chief of the Army
Poland, 1942-1989, Polish Leader, Michal Rola Zymierskii, Chief of the Army;

Poland, 1960- , Reinhard Bonnke, Pentecostal Evangelist
Germany, 1960- , Reinhard Bonnke, Pentecostal Evangelist; George Jeffreys (pastor);

Poland, Eastern Poland, Vistula River Folder

Vistula River

Vistula River Source (Silesian Beskids)

Beskids, Poland
Beskids, Poland;

Silesian Beskids (Vistual River Source, Outer Western Carpatians, Right Side Upper Order River)
Silesian Beskids;

Zdynia, Poland in the Beskids (Vistula River Source)
Zdynia, Poland; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6;

Lemko region, Beskids, Poland (Vistula River Source)

Vistula River 1

Auschwitz, Poland (concentration camp, Vistula River 1.9)
Auschwitz (concentration camp); Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Vistula River 2 (Zator, Poland)

University of Cracow (Vistula River 2.3) 1364
University of Cracow (Vistula River 2.3) 1364; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER. ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Krakow, Poland (Vistula River 2.2)
Krakow, Poland (Vistula River 2.2); University of Cracow (Vistula River 2.3) 1364; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER. ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Vistula River 3 (Poland)

Vistula River 4 (near Lublin, Polish Lithuania)

Lublin, Poland (Vistula River 4)
Lublin, Poland; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925);

Vistula River 5 (Deblin, Poland)

Vistula River 6 (Warsaw, Poland)

Warsaw University, Poland (Vistula River 6) 1816
Warsaw University; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ;

Pawiak, prison, Warsaw, Poland
Pawiak; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ;

Vistula River 7 (Narew River Mouth)

Poland, Eastern Poland, Vistula River 7, Narew River Folder

Narew River

Narew River Source (Bialowieza Forest)

Bialowieza Forest
Bialowieza Forest;

Narew River 1 (Lesna, Poland)

Lesna, Northeast Poland (Narew River 1)
Lesna, Northeast Poland (Narew River Source) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ;

Narew River 2

Narew River 3

Stara Rus, Poland (Narew River 3)
Stara Rus; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24;

Narew River 4

Narew River 6 (Bialystok and Suprasl monastery)

Bialystok, Poland (Narew River 6)
Bialystok; Childmartyr Gabriel of Bialystok, Commemorated on April 20;

Podlaskie Voivodeship, Northeastern Poland
Podlaskie Voivodeship, Northeastern Poland; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9;

Suprasl, Poland (Narew River 6) Suprasl Icon miracles, Orthodox and Catholics
Suprasl; Suprasl monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God of Suprasl, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Suprasl Icon of the Mother of God was in the Annunciation women’s monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it. icon is one of the Hodegetria type.

Narew River 10 (Overview)

Podlasie, Northeastern Poland
Podlasie, Poland; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9;

Battle of Gruenwald, PL overTeutonic Knights (between Narew 10 and Vistula 11)
Poland, 1410, Battle of Gruenwald ; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ;

Ermland Region, Northeastern Poland
Ermland (Warmia) Region, Poland; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Narew River 13 (Bug River Mouth)

Poland, Eastern Poland, Vistula River 7, Narew River 13, Western Bug River Folder

Bug River Source (Central Ukraine)

Bug River 1 (Western Bug River 1) (Vladimir-Volynsk)

Belz, Fortress of Belz (Bug River 1), Eastern Poland, Western Ukraine
Belz, Fortress of Belz; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God , Commemorated on March 6;

Poland, Eastern Poland, Vistula River 7, Narew River 13, Western Bug River 1, Poltva River Folder

Lvov or Lviv, Poland (Poltva River Source, Western Ukraine or Eastern Poland)
Lvov (Poltva River) ; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Austrian-Carpatho-Russians, Poland
Austrian-Carpatho-Russians; Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Bug River 2 (near Kholm Theological Seminary)

Kholm (Chelm) Theological Seminary, Poland (Western Bug River 2)
Kholm (Chelm) Theological Seminary, Poland (in Chelm near Lublin); Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Chelm (Kholm) Theological Seminary, Poland (Bug River 2)
Kholm (Chelm) Theological Seminary, Poland (in Chelm near Lublin); Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Bug River 3 or Western Bug River 3 (Wlodawa)

Bug River 4 (Brest)

Jableczna, Poland (Bug River 4)
Jableczna, Poland ; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9;

Poland, Brest, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals)

Bug River 5

Bug River 6

Bug River 7

Bug River Mouth (Warsaw, Narew River 13)

Narew River Mouth (Vistula River 7, Warsaw)

Warsaw, Poland (Narew River Mouth, Vistula River 7)
Warsaw, Poland; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Belvedere (Belweder) Palace, Warsaw
Belvedere (Belweder) Palace, Warsaw; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Prussia, Poland, Lithuania (Left Side Neman, Right Side Vistula and Narew Rivers, between Warsaw and Kaliningrad)
East Prussia; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

East Prussia, Poland, Lithuania (Southeast Baltic Coastal drainage to Kognigsberg or Kaliningrad)
East Prussia; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

Vistula River 8 (Plock, Poland)

Vistula River 9 (Torun, Poland)

Vistula River 10 (Amber Road, Bydgoszez, Poland)

Vistula River 11 (Amber Road, Grudziadz, Poland)

Teutonic Order 1st State Capital (Malbork, Amber Rd, Poland, 1308-1454)
State of the Teutonic Order; Teutonic Knights; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Vistula River Mouth (Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland, Baltic Sea)

Gothiscandza, Poland
Gothiscandza, first location of the Goths on the Continent from Scandza or Gothland; Goths Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Sava Stratelates ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe GeneralÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Rome, Commemorated on April 24;

Pomerania (Lower Left Side Vistula, Lower Right Side Oder, and Warta Rivers)
Pomerania (Lower Vistula, Oder, and Warta Rivers) ; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ; Goths migrated to lower Vistula region of Pomerania from Scandinavia. Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated September 15 ;

Poland, Western Poland, Oder River Folder (Czech Republic, Poland, Germany)

Oder River

Oder River Source (Selesian Beskids)

Oder River 1 (Czech Republic)

Oder River 2 (Czech Republic)

Oder River 3 (Poland)

Oder River 4

Oder River 5

Oder River 6 (Opolsk)

Opolsk, Selesia, Poland (Oder River 6)
Opole or Opolsk on the Oder River (Odra) ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Oder River 7

Selesia, Poland (Left Side Upper Oder River)
Selesia; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

Oder River 10 (Amber Road, Wroclaw, Poland)

Molczyce, Poland (Oder River 11)
Molczyce, Poland; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Oder River 18 (Lusatian River, G P Border)

Oder River 19 (Germany Poland Border)

Oder River 20 (Warta River Mouth)

Poland, Western Poland, Oder River 20, Warta River Folder

Warta River

Warta River Source (near Zawiercie, Southern Poland)

Sosnowiec, Southern Poland (Warta River Source)
Sosnowiec, Southern Poland ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Warta River 1

Warta River 2 (Czestochowa, Poland)

Czestochowa, Poland (Warta River 2)
Czestochowa; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Yasna Gora (Jasna Gora) Monastery, Poland, 1382
Yasna Gora (Jasna Gora) Monastery, Poland, 1382; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Warta River 3 (Dzialoszyn, Poland)

Poland, Western Poland, Order River 20, Warta River3, Liswarta River Folder

Liswarta River

Liswarta River 1

Liswarta River 2

Liswarta River Mouth (Warta River 3)

Warta River 4

Vandal Land - Lugii, Poland
Vandal Land - Lugii; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18 ;

Warta River 5

Jugendlager (Kinder) Camp, Poland (east of Warta River 5.5)
Jugendlager (Kinder) Camp (east of Warta River 5.5) ; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20;

Ner River Mouth (Warta River 7)

Warta River 7 (Kolo, Poland)

Prosna River Mouth (Warta River 9)

Warta River 9 (Amber Road)

Royal Prussia, Poland (Warta River 10, Amber Road 10)
Royal Prussia; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 ;

Obra River Mouth (Warta River 19)

Notec River Mouth (Warta River 20)

Kostrzyn Fortress (Warta Mouth, Order 20)
Kostrzyn Fortress;

Warta River Mouth (Oder River 20)

Oder River 21 (G P Border)

Oder River 22 (G P Border)

Oder River 23 (G P Border)

Oder River 24 (Poland)

Oder River 25 (Poland)

Oder River Mouth (Gulf of Pomerania, Baltic Sea)

Poland (Clean), Roman Roads and Major Rivers Folder

Poland (Clean), its Area

Poland (Clean), Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1569-1795
Poland (Clean), Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1569-1795;

Prussia (Clean) Folder, Between Lithuania and Poland

Prussia (Clean), its Area, kingdom in 1701 was larger (Prussia, Poland, East Germany, Bavaria)

Prussian capital Konigsberg
Prussian capital Konigsberg; Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1913, Prussia, Poland, East Germany and Bavaria; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19;

Pontine Folder (Pontus, Pontica, Paphlagonia, Lower Black Sea)

Pontine (Pontus, Pontica, Paphlagonia, Lower Black Sea Region)
Pontine (Pontus, Pontica, Paphlagonia, Lower Black Sea Region) ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "the General", Commemorated February 8 ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RecruitÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Pontica (Pontus, Iris River 2, Amasya)
Pontica; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Pontus Region, Pontine - Southern Coast of Black Sea
Pontus Region - Southern Coast of Black Sea ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Pontum (Pontus), Polemoniacus District of Pontus
Pontus Polemoniacus; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ;

Pontus, Polemoniacus District of Pontus Region
Pontus Polemoniacus; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ;

Pontus Region

Pontine 40-1400, Pontine History Folder

Pontine, 40-636, Pontine of Christian Armenia

Pontine, 40-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy
Philologus of Sinope; Pontine, 40-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy; Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26;

Pontine, 40-50, First Century Saint Pancratius
Pontine, 40-50, First Century Saint Pancratius Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily Commemorated on July 9;

Pontine, 220-270, Saint, Gregory Thaumaturgus of Neocaesarea
Pontine Saint, 220-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus of Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17;

Pontine, 300-319, Pontine Saint, Theodore Stratelates, Theodore the Recruit, from Heraculea
Pontus, 300-319, Pontine Saint, Theodore Stratelates; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe General, Commemorated on February 8; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Pontine, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Pontine, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Pontine, 350-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Cappadocia, 350-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus); Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¦sarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Pontine, 350-379, Byzantine Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great
Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Pontine, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia/Pontine
Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Pontine, 553 and 787, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), mentions “the icon of the All-Pure Virgin Mother of God at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” miracles of the icon date back to the sixth century. One of the miracles was reported by the presbyter Eustathius, who was a contemporary of Patriarch Eutychius (April 6). At Amasea, near Sozopolis, there was a certain married couple, whose children were all stillborn. Grieving over their misfortune, they turned to Patriarch Eutychius for advice. Saint Eutychius prayed and anointed them with holy oil from the Cross of the Lord and from the holy icon of the Mother of God saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Name your child Peter, and he will live,” he said to them. Soon the couple gave birth to a son whom they did indeed name Peter. Later, they had a second son, whom they named John. The people of the city glorified God when they heard of this miracle. about 600 years myrrh flowed from the Pisidian Icon of the Mother of God – Eleusius, a disciple of Saint Theodore the Sykeote (April 22), was a witness to this. A copy of this ancient wonderworking icon was made in Russia in 1608, at Moscow’s Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery. The Mother of God is depicted with the Divine Infant on Her left arm, and with Her right hand She gives a blessing. St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Pontine, 636-1200, Moslem Armenia, Umayyad Caliphate

Pontine, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, Pontine, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh
Armenia, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, Cappadocia, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh; Charsianon (Charsia); Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31 ; Eudocimus, a native of Cappadocia (Asia Minor), lived during the ninth century during the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842). He was the son of the pious Christians Basil and Eudokia, an illustrious family known to the emperor. They raised their son “in discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6: 4), planting in his soul a sincere faith and holy virtues. righteous life of Saint Eudocimus was devoted to pleasing God and serving his neighbor. Having given a vow to remain unmarried and chaste, he avoided conversation with women and did not look at them. He would speak only with his own mother, whom he greatly respected. The emperor valued his virtue and talents, so he appointed Saint Eudocimus as governor of Chorziane, Armenia. Fulfilling his duty as a servant of God, Saint Eudocimus governed the people justly and with kindness. He concerned himself with the unfortunate, and with orphans and widows, and he was a defender of the common people. His personal Christian exploits which he did in secret, were known only to God. pleased God by his blameless life, and the Lord called him at age 33. Lying on his deathbed, Saint Eudocimus gave final instructions to place him in the grave in those clothes in which he would meet death. Then he sent everyone out of the room and entreated the Lord that no one would see his end, just as no one saw his secret efforts during life. His attendants buried him as he had instructed them. Right after the death of Saint Eudocimus miracles took place at his grave. Many sick people were healed, and the news of the miraculous healings spread. 18 months, the mother of Saint Eudocimus came from Constantinople to venerate his relics. She gave orders to remove the stone, dig up the ground, and open the grave. Everyone beheld the face of the saint, bright as if alive, altogether untouched by decay. A great fragrance came from him. They took up the coffin with the relics from the earth, and they dressed the saint in new clothes. His mother wanted to take the relics of her son to Constantinople, but the Kharsian people would not clear a path for their holy one. After a certain time the hieromonk Joseph, having lived and served at the grave of the saint, transported the relics of Saint Eudocimus to Constantinople. There they were placed in a silver reliquary in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, built by the parents of the saint. Eudocimus is considered by the Russian Church to be one of the special protectors and intercessors before God of the family hearth. He was, as his name implies, truly successful in every virtue.

Pontine, 1200-1400, Trebizond Empire of Byzantine Empire

Pontine, 1200-1400, Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Pontine, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos
Pontine, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos; Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Pontine, Paphlagonia Folder, Western Pontine

Paphlagonia Region, Pontaine (Lycus River, Gangra River, Lower Kizilirmak River drainage)
Paphlagonia Region; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Pontine, Paphlagonia, Lycus River Folder, Farwestern Pontine

Lycus River of Bithynia (and Paphlagonia)

Amastris, Paphlagonia, Pontus
Amastridia; Martyr Hyacinthus of Amastris, Commemorated on July 18 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Amastridia, Pontus
Amastridia; Martyr Hyacinthus of Amastris, Commemorated on July 18 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Heraclea Pontica (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea)
Heraclea Pontica (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea) ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated on September 16; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "the General", Commemorated February 8 ; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Pontine, Paphlagonia, Lower Kizilirmak River Folder

Mantinea in Paphlagonia Asia Minor
Mantinea Asia Minor is somewhere in the Paphlagonia Region; Mantinea in Greece ; Regions of Ancient Greece - Asia Minor; Asia Minor; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27; Anthusa the Confessor lived at Mantinea, Paphlygonia in Asia Minor during the eighth century. Leaving the world at a young age, Saint Anthusa lived in asceticism in the mountains in complete solitude. She received monastic tonsure from the hieromonk Sisinius, and became abbess of a monastery of ninety nuns. The nuns were known for their obedience to their abbess and for their spiritual discipline. Anthusa and her nuns suffered during the reign of the emperor Constantine Copronymos, who demanded that they renounce the veneration of holy icons. Saint Anthusa and her nuns were subjected to torture, since they disobeyed the emperor’s order. those who witnessed the torture was the emperor’s wife, for whom the saint predicted the birth of a son and daughter. When Saint Anthusa’s prediction was fulfilled, she was allowed to return to her convent, where she died in great old age. The daughter born to the emperor’s wife was named Anthusa (April 12). lived a life pleasing to God, she reposed in 759 and now lives with Him forever. She was buried in her cell. 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27 ;

Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia
Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia; The exact location of Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia is 45 km north of Kastamonu, to the north of Tepe in the valley of the Amnias. Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7;

Adrianopolis, Paphlogonia
Adrianopolis, Paphlogonia; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1 ;

Black Sea (Varangian Sea, Romania to Georgia)
Black Sea (Varangian Sea, Romania to Georgia); Note: Wikipedia assumes the Varangian Sea was the Baltic Sea, but the stories of the saints refer to the Black Sea as the Varangian Sea. Varangians; Varangian Sea (Black Sea), Both Sides of Varangian Sea (Romania and Georgia); St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10 ; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Varangian Sea (Black Sea, Romania to Georgia)
Black Sea; Note: Wikipedia assumes the Varangian Sea was the Baltic Sea, but the stories of the saints refer to the Black Sea as the Varangian Sea. Varangians; Varangian Sea (Black Sea), Both Sides of Varangian Sea (Romania and Georgia); St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Kizilirmak River 7 (Paphlagonia)

Pontine, Paphlagonia, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Gangra River Folder

Gangra River

Gangra, Paphlagonia (rich well watered valley, Gangra River)
Gangra; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Gangra River Source (along the border)

Gangra River Mouth (Kizilirmak River 7)

Battle of the River Amnia (89 BC)
Battle of the River Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ;

Pontine, Paphlagonia, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Amnia River Folder

Amnia River

Amnia River Region
Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ;

Amnia River Source (Kasaba, Paphlagonia)

Amnia River 1

Amnia River 2

Amnia River 3

Amnia River Mouth (Kizilirmak River 7)

Amnia, Paphlagonia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River)
Amnia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River); Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ;

Kizilirmak River 8 (Paphlagonia)

Kizilirmak River Mouth (Black Sea)

Sinope, Paphlagonia (Pontine Capital, near Kizilirmak River Mouth, Black Sea)
Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26;

Pontine, Iris Rivers Folder, Central and Southeastern Pontine

Iris (Yesil) River

Iris (Yesil) River Source (Sivas or Sabastea)

Sebastea, Pontine (high point, Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1)
Sebastea (Sivas); Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); 10 Martyred Disciples of Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Charsianon Area, Pontine (Kharsian People, Iris River Source)
Charsianon Area and Fortress; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated July 31 ;

Charsianon Fortress, Pontaine (Iris River Source) 638
Charsianon (Charsia); Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31 ;

Malenius Family Home at Charsianon, Pontine
Malenius; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31;

Pontine, Iris River 1, Cekerek River Folder, Heracleopolis

Cekerek River

Cekerek River Source (four part high Point near Cekerek)

Cekerek River 1 (Cekerek)

Cekerek River 2 (Heracleopolis)

Heracleopolis, Pontus, Turkey (Cekerek River 1)
Heracleopolis, Turkey ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16;

Cekerek River Mouth (Iris (Yesil) River 1)

Iris (Yesil) River 1 (Tokat, Cekerek River Mouth)

Tokat, Pontaine (Iris or Yesil River 1)
Tokat (Iris or Yesil River) ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ;

Comana Pontica
Comana Pontica, 7 miles from Tokat; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ;

Pontus, City of Pontus (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis and Kelkit Rivers)
Eupatoria (Pontus); Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Pontus Polemoniacus Area, Armenia (Kelkit River 2)
Pontus Polemoniacus Area; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ;

Komana (Comana), Pontica (Iris River 1)
Komana (Comana), Pontica; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Comana (Komana), Pontica (Iris River 1)
Komana (Comana), Pontica; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Macrina the Younger and Saint Basil (somewhere on Iris River)
MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1

Iris (Yesil) River 2 (Amasea)

Amasea, Pontine (Iris River 2)
Amasea; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30;

Amasya, Pontica (Yesil (Iris) River 2)
Amasea; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated November 17; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22;

Alasium, Pontine (Amasea, Iris River 2)
Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17;

Euchaita, Pontine (Iris River 2)
Euchaita; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated January 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe GeneralÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 8; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RecruitÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Iris (Yesil) River Mouth (Black Sea)

Amisus, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea)
Amisus; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Commemorated October 5 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20;

Pontine, Kelkit River Folder, Eastern Pontine

Kelkit River

Kelkit River Source (Gumushane (Silver House))
Kelkit River, the road from Armenia to Bithynia; North Anatolian Fault;

Kelkit River 1 (Nicopolis, Armenia)

Nicopolis, Pontine (Kelkit River 1)
Nicopolis (Pontus); 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated July 10 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ;

Colonia, Pontine (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis, Kelkit River1)
Colonia in Armenia (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis); St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3 ;

Kelkit River 2 (Pontus)

Pontus Polemoniacus Area (Kelkit River 2)
Pontus Polemoniacus Area; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ;

Kelkit River 3 (Neocaesarea, Pontus)

Neocaesarea, Pontus, Pontine (Kelkit River 3)
Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18;

Kelkit River Mouth (Yesil River 3 at Eupatoria)

Pontine, Harsit River Folder, Far Eastern Pontine, Trebizond

Harsit River

Harsit River Source (Pontic Mountains)
Pontic Mountains or Pontine district of Northeast Asia Minor;

Pontic Mountains
Pontic Mountains or Pontine district of Northeast Asia Minor; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17;

Lazeti, Pontine (Harsit River Source)
Lazeti; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Laz People, Harsit River Area, Eastern Pontaine - Land of the Laz People
Land of the Laz People; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Kordila, Pontine (Rize Province Georgia, Harsit River Area Pontine)
Kordila (Rize Province); Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Chaneti, Pontine (Harsit River, Eastern Pontine, Rise, formerly of Georgia)
Chaneti ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Harsit River 1

Harsit River 2

Harsit River 3 (Argyropolis)

Argyropolis, Pontine (Harsit River 3)
Argyropolis (Harsit River 4); Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ;

Harsit River 4 (near Zigana Pass)

Zigana Pass, Pontine (Harsit River 4)
Zigana Pass; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Harsit River 5

Harsit River Mouth (Black Sea)

Trebizond, Pontine (Black Sea, Silk Road Great Road to Yerevan Route, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River) 1204-1461
Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia)
Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia); Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9;

Pontine, Hartsit R, Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Pontine, Hartsit R, Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Patara (on Trade Route connecting Silk Road Trebazond to Great Road at Mietelene to Yaravan)
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route

Bulgaria Folder, Danube rivers North, Rila Mountains Center, Roman Roads North and South

Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains ;

Balkan Peninsula
Balkan Peninsula; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Bulgaria (Rila Mountains, Upper Thracian Plain, South of the Danube)
Bulgaria ; Kutmichivitsa Region of Bulgaria; K Triangle, Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated October 1 ; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13 ; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; St Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated November 22 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos; St Nectarius of Bite, Commemorated December 15 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated December 24 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Martyr Inna, Disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 22 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Sokolsky", Commemorated February 1 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7 ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RecruitÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ), Commemorated on February 17; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Theodore Trichinas ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Hair-Shirt WearerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28 ; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Bulgaria (Sophia)
Bulgaria; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated October 1 ; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated November 22 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica; St Nectarius of Bite, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated December 24 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Martyr Inna, Disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated January 20 ; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 22; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Sokolsky", Commemorated February 1 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7 ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RecruitÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ), Commemorated on February 17; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Theodore Trichinas ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Hair-Shirt WearerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28 ; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Bulgaria, Old Great Bulgaria
Bulgaria, Old Great Bulgaria; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Bulgaria, 480BC-46AD, Odrysian kingdom
Bulgaria, 480BC-46AD, Odrysian kingdom ; Bulgaria, 46-681, Roman Times;

Bulgaria, 46-681, Roman Times
Bulgaria, 46-681, Roman Times;

Bulgaria, 681-1018, First Bulgarian Empire
Bulgaria, 681-1018, First Bulgarian Empire ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Bulgaria, 1185-1422, Second Bulgarian Empire
Bulgaria, 1185-1422, Second Bulgarian Empire; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Bulgaria, 1362-1919, Caliphates, Ottoman, Turk, first based in Adrianople
Ottoman Caliphate, first based in Adrianople, 1362-1919 (The Turks);

Bulgarian History Folder

Bulgaria, 480BC-46AD Folder, Odrysian kingdom

Bulgaria, 30-681, Folder, Roman Times

Bulgaria, 000, 1st Century, Apostles Andrew, Herman, Centurion Cornelius

Bulgaria, 46, Andrew first called, to Thrace Bulgaria, Patra, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Sinope
Russia,Kiev, 30-70, Andrew t Apostle, first called, Peter's bro, J t Forerunner's closest disciple w J t Theologian, f Bethsaida, fisherman, sent to Jesus, to Asia M, Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Byzantium, Rome, Sinope, Patra, miracles w preaching, crucified ; Kiev, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. did not enter into marriage, he worked with his brother as a fisherman. the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian. the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Russian Church. his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. pagans remained at Patra, but among them was the prefect of the city, Aegeatos. The Apostle Andrew repeatedly turned to him with the words of the Gospel. But even the miracles of the Apostle did not convince Aegeatos. holy Apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, striving to reveal to him the Christian mystery of life eternal, through the wonderworking power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. angry Aegeatos gave orders to crucify the apostle. The pagan thought he might undo Saint Andrew’s preaching if he were to put him to death on the cross. Andrew the First-Called accepted the decision of the prefect with joy and with prayer to the Lord, went willingly to the place of execution. order to prolong the suffering of the saint, Aegeatos gave orders not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. For two days the apostle taught the citizens who gathered about. people, in listening to him, with all their souls pitied him and tried to take Saint Andrew down from the cross. a riot of the people, Aegeatos gave orders to stop the execution. the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would grant him death on the cross. as the soldiers tried to take hold of the Apostle Andrew, they lost control of their hands. crucified apostle, having given glory to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” a blazing ray of divine light illumined the cross and the martyr crucified upon it. When the light faded, the holy Apostle Andrew had already given up his holy soul to the Lord. the wife of the prefect, had the body of the saint taken down from the cross, and buried him with honor. few centuries later, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles beside the relics of the holy Evangelist Luke and Saint Paul’s disciple Saint Timothy.

Bulgaria, 41-54, Cornelius, Centurion, Peter, sheet, eat everything, salvation, Skepsis, idols, earthquake, wife and c
Palestine Centurion, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles (see Ethiopian eunuch for the competing tradition). The baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church. account[edit] was a centurion in the Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum, mentioned as Cohors Italica in the Vulgate.[2][3] He was stationed in Caesarea, the capital of Roman Iudaea province.[4] He is depicted in the New Testament as a God-fearing man[5] who always prayed and was full of good works and deeds of alms. Cornelius receives a vision in which an angel of God tells him that his prayers have been heard; he understands that he has been chosen for a higher alternative. The angel then instructs Cornelius to send the men of his household to Joppa, where they will find Simon Peter, who is residing with a tanner by the name of Simon (Acts 10:5ff). conversion of Cornelius comes after a separate vision given to Simon Peter himself (Acts 10:10–16). In the vision, Simon Peter sees all manner of beasts and fowl being lowered from Heaven in a sheet. A voice commands Simon Peter to eat. When he objects to eating those animals that are unclean according to Mosaic Law, the voice tells him not to call unclean that which God has cleansed.[6] Cornelius' men arrive, Simon Peter understands that through this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles. Peter accompanies Cornelius' men back to Caesarea.[6] When Cornelius meets Simon Peter, he falls at Peter's feet. Simon Peter raises the centurion and the two men share their visions. Simon Peter tells of Jesus' ministry and the Resurrection; the Holy Spirit descends on everyone at the gathering. The Jews among the group are amazed that Cornelius and other uncircumcised should begin speaking in tongues, praising God. Thereupon Simon Peter commands that Cornelius and his followers, "kinsmen and near friends", be baptized.[7] The controversial aspect of Gentile conversion is taken up later at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). situation of Judea[edit] into account that Judea had been within the Hellenic orbit since the conquest of Alexander the Great, there was time for wise men and philosophers, both Greek and Jewish, to exchange knowledge, thus beginning the syncretism between Hellenism and Judaism, a phenomenon that occurred in the rest of his empire. Later with the arrival of the Romans (already Hellenized), there were no problems of religious tolerance (except in the case of the Zealots), since thanks to the interpretatio graeca exported by the Macedonians, it was possible to identify Caelus (Roman god) or Uranus (his Greek equivalent) and Yahweh as the Supreme God himself, allowing conversion cases like Cornelius.[8][9][10] this painting by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout an angel appears to the Roman centurion Cornelius. The angel tells him to seek out St. Peter.[11] The Walters Art Museum. any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? — Acts 10:47 Cornelius is considered to be one of the first Gentiles converted to Christianity.[12] baptism of Cornelius is an important event in the history of the early Christian church, along with the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. The Christian church was first formed around the original disciples and followers of Jesus, all of whom, including Jesus himself, were Galilean, except for Judas, who was Judean. All males in the Judean community were Jews: they were circumcised and observed the Law of Moses. The reception of Cornelius sparked a debate among the leaders of the new community of followers of Jesus, culminating in the decision to allow Gentiles to become Christians without conforming to Jewish requirements for circumcision, as recounted in Acts 15. Certain traditions hold Cornelius as becoming either the first bishop of Caesarea, or the bishop of Scepsis in Mysia.[4][7] feast day on the new Martyrologium Romanum is 20 October. He is commemorated in the Orthodox tradition on 13 September.[6] is honored[13] with a Lesser Feast on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America[14] on January 4.[15] When Governors Island in New York City was a military installation, the Episcopal Church maintained a stone chapel there dedicated to him.[16] Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis is named after him.[17] Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The angel commande him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Bulgaria, 30-70, Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Bishop of Philippopolis on the Roman Road Via Militarius
Bulgaria, 30-70, Apostle Hermes of the Seventy; Holy Apostle Hermas of the Seventy was bishop at Philippopolis, and died a martyr in the first century. In the Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul commands the Romans to greet Hermas (Rom 16:14) (Rom 16:14). Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Saints Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; no longer there at OCA Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; Hermes is mentioned by the Holy Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (16:14). According to Tradition, he was the Bishop of Dalmatia and reposed in peace. In the Synaxarion of Hippolyte Delehaye (1902) he is called Ermylos. In the Paris Codex 13 f. 296 he is listed on April 8 along with with Herodion, Asynkritos (Bishop of Hyrkania in Asia), Phlegon (Bishop of Marathon), Rufus and his mother (whom Saint Paul refers to as his mother, as well), Epaphras, and Agabos. Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Holy Apostle Hermas was a bishop in Philippopolis, Thrace. He was a Greek, but he spent some time in Rome. The holy Apostle Paul greets him in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom 16:14). The Apostle Hermas endured much grief from the pagans for preaching the Gospel, but he died in peace. to Tradition, Saint Hermas is the author of The Shepherd, an instructive book based on revelations from angels.

Bulgaria, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Andrew's disciples, baptized many, killed b ice choking neck
Bulgaria, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Northern Scythia or Modern Bulgaria, disciples oAndrew tFirst Called, they preached and baptized many, local chieftain tried to get them to Idol sacrifice, horsecarts on frozen rivers, tied them tLogs on the ice, gradually lowered them into freezing water, ice reaching necks killed them Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20; transfer of the relics of Saints Inna, Pinna, and Rimma to Alushta took place during the first-second centuries. holy martyrs are also commemorated on January 20.

Bulgaria, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea

Bulgaria, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea Sintica & Trajanopolis, Thrace, Great Story wAngels, Lions & Myrrh
Bulgaria, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Trajanopolis, Thrace, orderted to worship Zeus she resolved to suffer, wCross painted on her head, prayer thunder Zeus destroyed, stones not touch G, prison, encouragement fPhilokrates, Angel appeared during torture, again at prison brought food drink, prison sealed many days, alive and well, brought to Heracula, strenghened by Bishop Dometius, red hot furnace, fire extinguished, rip skin from head, into prison over sharp stones, angel healed wounds at night, Jailer Laodicius did not recognize her, L chained wG, told G story, L beheaded, G sentenced eaten wild beasts, went wJoy, but lion lay at feet, G prayed to be taken, voice from heaven, another lioness killed her without tearing, relics glorified wFlow Healing Myrrh; Heraclea Sintica; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian city of Trajanopolis. Glyceria lost both her father and mother at an early age. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true Faith, and she visited the church every day. the prefect of Trajanopolis, received the imperial edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he designated a certain day for the inhabitants of the city to worship the idol Zeus. Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ. She told the Christians of her intention, and she begged them to pray that the Lord would give her the strength to undergo the sufferings. the appointed day Saint Glyceria made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, and went into the pagan temple. saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and removed the veil from her head, showing the holy Cross traced on her forehead. She prayed fervently to God to bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, and the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces. a rage, the prefect Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt Saint Glyceria with stones, but the stones did not touch the saint. They locked Saint Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyr in the struggle before her. the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly an angel appeared in the midst of the torturers, and they fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, Sabinus, who was hardly able to speak, ordered them to throw the saint into prison. shut the door securely and sealed it with the prefect’s own ring, so that no one could get in to her. she was in prison, angels of God brought Saint Glyceria food and drink. Many days afterwards, Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken when he saw her alive and well. off for the city of Heraclea in Thrace, Sabinus gave orders to bring Saint Glyceria there also. The Christians of Heraclea came out to meet her with Bishop Dometius at their head, and he prayed that the Lord would strengthen the saint to endure martyrdom. Heraclea they cast Saint Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire was extinguished at once. Then the prefect, in a mindless fury, gave orders to rip the skin from Saint Glyceria’s head. Then they threw the martyr into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and lay at her feet. the saint prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Dometius and the Christians of Heraclea reverently buried the holy martyr Glyceria. She suffered for Christ around the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of healing myrrh. Glyceria, whose name means “sweetness,” now rejoices in the unending sweetness of the heavenly Kingdom.

Bulgaria, 177, Laodicius tKeeper oGlyceria's Prison, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria, told her story, converted, beheaded
Bulgaria, 177, Laodicius the Keeper of Glyceria's Prison, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9), told her story, converted, beheaded; Heraclea Sintica; Martyr Laodicius the Keeper of the Prison, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria was tortured at Heraclea in Thrace during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus martyr was then thrown into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. Thinking that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. He wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13; Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the second century, during a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She came from an illustrious family, and her father Macarius was a high-ranking Roman official. Later, the family moved to the Thracian city of Trajanopolis. Glyceria lost both her father and mother at an early age. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true Faith, and she visited the church every day. Sabinus, the prefect of Trajanopolis, received the imperial edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he designated a certain day for the inhabitants of the city to worship the idol Zeus. Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ. She told the Christians of her intention, and she begged them to pray that the Lord would give her the strength to undergo the sufferings. On the appointed day Saint Glyceria made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, and went into the pagan temple. saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and removed the veil from her head, showing the holy Cross traced on her forehead. She prayed fervently to God to bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, and the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces. a rage, the prefect Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt Saint Glyceria with stones, but the stones did not touch the saint. They locked Saint Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyr in the struggle before her. the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly an angel appeared in the midst of the torturers, and they fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, Sabinus, who was hardly able to speak, ordered them to throw the saint into prison. shut the door securely and sealed it with the prefect’s own ring, so that no one could get in to her. While she was in prison, angels of God brought Saint Glyceria food and drink. Many days afterwards, Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken when he saw her alive and well. off for the city of Heraclea in Thrace, Sabinus gave orders to bring Saint Glyceria there also. The Christians of Heraclea came out to meet her with Bishop Dometius at their head, and he prayed that the Lord would strengthen the saint to endure martyrdom. Heraclea they cast Saint Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire was extinguished at once. Then the prefect, in a mindless fury, gave orders to rip the skin from Saint Glyceria’s head. Then they threw the martyr into prison onto sharp stones. She prayed incessantly, and at midnight an angel appeared in the prison and healed her of her wounds. the jailer Laodicius came for the saint in the morning, he did not recognize her. Thinking that the martyr had been taken away, he feared he would be punished for letting her escape. He wanted to kill himself, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. Shaken by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the true God, and he entreated the saint to pray that he might suffer and die for Christ with her. “Follow Christ and you will be saved,” the holy martyr replied. Laodicius placed upon himself the chains with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he told the prefect and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an angel, then he confessed himself a Christian. newly chosen one of God was beheaded by the sword. Christians secretly took up his remains, and reverently buried them. Saint Glyceria was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and lay at her feet. the saint prayed to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. In answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to heavenly bliss. At that moment, another lioness was set loose upon the saint. It pounced upon the martyr and killed her, but did not tear her apart. Bishop Dometius and the Christians of Heraclea reverently buried the holy martyr Glyceria. She suffered for Christ around the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of healing myrrh. Glyceria, whose name means “sweetness,” now rejoices in the unending sweetness of the heavenly Kingdom.

Bulgaria, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Sophia the castle of Roman Emperor

Bulgaria, 284-305, Dasius oDorostolum, chosen to imitate&die as Saturn, he rejected indulgence, &confessed Christ
Bulgaria, 284-305, Dasius oDorostolum, chosen to imitate & die as Saturn, he rejected indulgence, and confessed Christ, custom choose hansome youth, dress fine clothing, royal honors, in public, 30days, wicked deeds immoral pleasures, then put to the sword, sacrifice to Saturn, Dasius most hansome, but he rejected the indulgence & immoral pleasures confessing Christ converting many; Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated November 20 ; Holy Martyr Dasius lived during the third century in the city of Dorostorum on the Danube River. inhabitants of the city were preparing for a festival in honor of the pagan god Saturn. custom, thirty days before the celebration they selected a handsome youth, dressed him in fine clothing, accorded him royal honors, and he would go forth in public made up like Saturn. thirty days, he would indulge in wicked deeds and immoral pleasures. On the day of the feast he was brought before the idols and put to the sword as a sacrifice to Saturn. choice of his compatriots fell upon Saint Dasius, since in the city there was not a more handsome youth. of this, the saint said, “If I am fated to die, then it’s better to die for Christ as a Christian.” He openly confessed his faith in Christ before his fellow citizens and refused to take part in the shameful ritual. He denounced the impiety and error of the idolaters and converted many of them to Christ. on the orders of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311), he was beheaded after cruel tortures.

Bulgaria, 284-305, Orentios, Thrace, Bulgaria, Orentios killed Hun leader, honors, refused w, brothers exiled Georgia, died on t
Bulgaria, 284-305, Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Militarius, Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8), Orentios killed Scythian (Hun) leader, honors but asked to sac to idols, refused, brothers detained, exiled to Caucasus, all died on trip ; Thrace; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos, and Longinus were brothers, who were known for their courage and served as soldiers in Thrace during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. a battle with the Scythians, Saint Orentios killed their fierce and intrepid leader, Mararon. He received many honors for this achievement, but then he was asked to participate in a sacrifice that was being offered to the idols in thanksgiving for his victory. The Christian hero absolutely refused to do this, declaring that he had defeated his foe by the power of Jesus Christ, whom he worshiped as the one true God. They did not punish him right away, because of his bravery, but he and his brothers were detained. some time, they were questioned. All seven declared, as with one mouth, that they would remain faithful to Christ until their last breath, and that the Savior would judge them on the Last Day. After saying this, they were sentenced to exile in the Caucasus. after another, the seven brothers died on the journey from their hardships and suffering. but they endured their afflictions without complaint. Erotas was the first to depart this life; he perished at Parembol on June 22. Next, Orentios was thrown into the sea with a stone tied around his neck. Pharnakios reposed on July 3 at Kordila. Phirmos and Phirminos received their heavenly crowns on July 7 at Aspara on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Kyriakos went to the Lord on July 14 at Ziganeia, and Longinus gave his soul into God's hands on July 28 while on board a ship. The storm-tossed vessel went aground at Pitinda (Pitsnda), and so the last holy martyr was buried there. pray to these holy martyrs to protect us from our enemies. In Greek usage these saints are commemorated on June 25.

Bulgaria, 293-311, Sophia, Castle of Roman emperor Galerius 293-311, Dacian Empire, not Roman E
Galerius, Sophia, Castle of Roman emperor Galerius; accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Galerius Valerius Maximianus (c. 258 - May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. life[edit] was born near Serdica,[14] in Dacia Ripensis, later named Dacia Mediterranea, though some modern scholars consider the strategic site where he later built his palace named after his mother – Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad) – his birth and funeral place.[12] father was a Thracian and his mother Romula had left Roman Dacia because of the Carpians' attacks.[15][16]: 19  He originally followed his father's occupation, that of a herdsman, where he was nicknamed Armentarius, herdsman. Galerius' father-in-law and senior emperor served with distinction as a soldier under Emperors Aurelian and Probus, and in 293 at the establishment of the Tetrarchy, was designated Caesar along with Constantius Chlorus, receiving in marriage Diocletian's daughter Valeria (later known as Galeria Valeria), and at the same time being entrusted with the care of the Illyrian provinces. a few years campaigning against Sarmatians and Goths on the Danube, he received command of the legions on the eastern imperial limits. Soon after his appointment, Galerius was dispatched to Egypt to fight the rebellious cities Busiris and Coptos.[17] with Persia[edit] See also: Roman relations with the Parthians and Sassanids and Roman–Persian Wars counterinvasion[edit] 294, Narseh, a son of Shapur I, who had been passed over for the Sassanid succession, came into power in Persia. Narseh probably moved to eliminate Bahram III, a young man installed by a noble named Vahunam in the wake of Bahram II's death in 293.[18]: 292 [19]: 69  In early 294, Narseh sent Diocletian the customary package of gifts, but within Persia, he was destroying every trace of his immediate predecessors, erasing their names from public monuments. He sought to identify himself with the warlike reigns of Ardashir (r. 226–41) and Shapur (r. 241–72), who had sacked Roman Antioch and captured Emperor Valerian.[19]: 69–70  295 or 296, Narseh declared war on Rome. He appears to have first invaded western Armenia, retaking the lands delivered to Tiridates in the peace of 287. He occupied the lands there until the following year.[18][20]: 149 [21]: 292 [22] historian Ammianus Marcellinus, circa 320–395, is the only source detailing the initial invasion of Armenia.[23] Southern (1999, 149) dates the invasion to 295; Barnes (1982, 17, 293) mentions an earlier, unsuccessful invasion by Narseh based on the fact that the title Persici Maximi was given to all four emperors; Odahl (2004, 59) concurs with Barnes and suggests that Saracen princes in the Syrian desert collaborated with Narseh's invasion. then moved south into Roman Mesopotamia, where he inflicted a severe defeat on Galerius, then commander of the eastern forces, in the region between Carrhae (Harran, Turkey) and Callinicum (Raqqa, Syria).[21] may or may not have been present at the battle,[18]: 652  but presented himself soon afterwards at Antioch, where the official version of events was made clear: Galerius was to take all the blame for the affair. Antioch, Diocletian forced Galerius to walk a mile in advance of his imperial cart while still clad in the purple robes of an emperor.[18][21]: 292–3  The message conveyed was clear; the loss at Carrhae was not due to the failings of the empire's soldiers, but due to the failings of their commander, and Galerius' failures would not be accepted.[24] Galerius' position at the head of the caravan possibly was merely the conventional organization of an imperial progression, designed to show a Caesar's deference to his Augustus.[25] of Galerius attacking Narseh on the Arch of Galerius at Thessaloniki, Greece, the city where Galerius carried out most of his administrative actions.[20]: 151  army was reinforced probably in the spring of 298 by new contingents collected from the empire's Danubian holdings.[26] did not advance from Armenia and Mesopotamia leaving Galerius to lead the offensive in 298 with an attack on northern Mesopotamia via Armenia.[24] may or may not have been present to assist the campaign.[27] retreated to Armenia to fight Galerius' force, to Narseh's disadvantage; the rugged Armenian terrain was favorable to Roman infantry, but not to Sassanid cavalry. Local aid gave Galerius the advantage of surprise over the Persian forces, and, in two successive battles, Galerius secured victories over Narseh.[24][26] the second encounter, the Battle of Satala in 298, Roman forces seized Narseh's camp, his treasury, his harem, and his wife.[24][26] Narseh's wife would live out the remainder of the war in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, serving as a constant reminder to the Persians of the Roman victory.[24] advanced into Media and Adiabene, winning continuous victories, most prominently near Theodosiopolis (Erzurum),[20]: 151  securing Nisibis (Nusaybin) before 1 October 298. He moved down the Tigris, taking Ctesiphon, and gazing onwards to the ruins of Babylon before returning to Roman territory via the Euphrates.[26] source ever specifically claims that Ctesiphon was sacked, but it is assumed to have been, primarily due to the seizure of Narseh's wife and harem.[20]: 150  negotiations[edit] had previously sent an ambassador to Galerius to plead for the return of his wife and children, but Galerius had dismissed this ambassador, reminding him of how Shapur had treated Valerian.[26] Romans, in any case, treated Narseh's captured family well perhaps seeking to evoke comparisons to Alexander and his beneficent conduct towards the family of Darius III.[24] negotiations began in the spring of 299, with both Diocletian and Galerius presiding. Their magister memoriae (secretary) Sicorius Probus was sent to Narseh to present terms.[26] conditions of the Peace of Nisibis were heavy:[24] Persia would give up territory to Rome, making the Tigris the boundary between the two empires. terms specified that Armenia was returned to Roman domination with the fort of Ziatha as its border; Caucasian Iberia would pay allegiance to Rome under a Roman appointee; now under Roman rule, would become the sole conduit for trade between Persia and Rome; and Rome would exercise control over the five satrapies between the Tigris and Armenia: Ingilene, Sophanene (Sophene), Arzanene (Aghdznik), Corduene, and Zabdicene (near modern Hakkâri, Turkey). regions included the passage of the Tigris through the Anti-Taurus range; the Bitlis pass, the quickest southerly route into Persian Armenia; and access to the Tur Abdin plateau. these territories, Rome would have an advance station north of Ctesiphon, and would be able to slow any future advance of Persian forces through the region.[28] the terms of the peace, Tiridates would regain both his throne and the entirety of his ancestral claim, and Rome would secure a wide zone of cultural influence in the region.[26] Because the empire was able to sustain such constant warfare on so many fronts, it has been taken as a sign of the essential efficacy of the Diocletianic system and the goodwill of the army towards the tetrarchic enterprise.[20]: 150  as Augustus[edit] of Galerius the elevation of Constantius I and Galerius to the rank of Augustus, two new Caesars were required to take their place. The two persons whom Galerius promoted to the rank of Caesar were very much his creatures, and he hoped to enhance his authority throughout the empire with their elevation.[29] was Maximinus Daza, whose mother was Galerius' sister. An inexperienced youth with little formal education, he was invested with the purple, exalted to the dignity of Caesar, and assigned the command of Egypt and Syria. Second was Severus, Galerius' comrade in arms; he was sent to Milan to receive the possession of Italy and Africa. According to the forms of the constitution, Severus acknowledged the supremacy of the western emperor, but he was absolutely devoted to the commands of his benefactor Galerius, who, reserving to himself the intermediate countries from the confines of Italy to those of Syria, firmly established his power over three-quarters of the empire.[29] hopes were dashed when his colleague Constantius died at York in 306 and the legions elevated his son Constantine to the position of Augustus. Galerius only discovered this when he received a letter from Constantine, who informed him of his father's death, modestly asserted his natural claim to the succession, and respectfully lamented that the enthusiastic violence of his troops had not allowed him to obtain the imperial purple in the regular and constitutional manner. The first emotions of Galerius were those of surprise, disappointment, and rage, and as he could seldom restrain his passions, he threatened to burn both the letter and the messenger.[30][31][32][33] however, when he had time to reconsider his position, he inevitably saw that his chances of winning a war against Constantine were doubtful at best. Galerius was well aware of Constantine's strengths – Constantine had been his guest for some time at Nicomedia – and knew that Constantius' legions were wildly devoted to his son.[29] Therefore, without either condemning or ratifying the choice of the Roman army, Galerius accepted the son of his deceased colleague as the ruler of the provinces beyond the Alps; but he gave him only the title of Caesar, and the fourth rank among the Roman princes, whilst he conferred the vacant place of Augustus on his favourite Severus. ambitious spirit of Galerius was only just over this disappointment when he beheld the unexpected loss of Italy to Maxentius, who was married to his daughter Valeria Maximilla.[34] Galerius’ need for additional revenue had persuaded him to make a very strict and rigorous examination of the property of his subjects for the purpose of a general taxation. A very minute survey was taken of their real estates and, wherever there was the slightest suspicion of concealment, torture was used to obtain a sincere declaration of their personal wealth. Italy had traditionally been exempt from any form of taxation, but Galerius ignored this precedent, and the officers of the revenue already began to number the Roman people, and to settle the proportion of the new taxes. Italy began to murmur against this indignity and Maxentius used this sentiment to declare himself emperor in Italy, to the fury of Galerius. Therefore, Galerius ordered his colleague Severus to immediately march to Rome, in the full confidence that, by his unexpected arrival, he would easily suppress the rebellion.[29] Severus was captured after his troops deserted to their old commander Maximian, who had once again been elevated to the rank of co-emperor, this time by his son Maxentius. Severus was later executed. Palace of Galerius in Zaječar, Serbia, today an UNESO World Heritage Site importance of the occasion needed the presence and abilities of Galerius. At the head of a powerful army collected from Illyricum and the East, he entered Italy, determined to avenge Severus and to punish the rebellious Romans.[citation needed] But due to the skill of Maximian, Galerius found every place hostile, fortified, and inaccessible; and though he forced his way as far as Narni, within sixty miles of Rome, his control in Italy was confined to the narrow limits of his camp. that he was facing ever-greater difficulties, Galerius made the first advances towards reconciliation, and dispatched two officers to tempt the Romans by the offer of a conference, and the declaration of his paternal regard for Maxentius, reminding them that they would obtain much more from his willing generosity than anything that might have been obtained through a military campaign. The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness, his friendship refused, and it was not long before he discovered that, unless he retreated, he would share Severus' fate. It was not a moment too soon; large monetary gifts from Maxentius to his soldiers had corrupted the fidelity of the Illyrian legions. When Galerius finally began his withdrawal from Italy, it was only with great difficulty that he managed to stop his veterans deserting him.[29] frustration, Galerius allowed his legions to ravage the countryside as they passed northwards. Maxentius declined to make a general engagement. so many emperors now in existence, in 308 Galerius, together with the retired emperor Diocletian and the now active Maximian, called an imperial 'conference' at Carnuntum on the River Danube to rectify the situation and bring some order back into the imperial government.[citation needed] Here it was agreed that Galerius’ long-time friend and military companion Licinius, who had been entrusted by Galerius with the defense of the Danube while Galerius was in Italy, would become Augustus in the West, with Constantine as his Caesar. In the East, Galerius remained Augustus and Maximinus remained his Caesar. Maximian was to retire, and Maxentius was declared a usurper. ’ plan soon failed. The news of Licinius’ promotion was no sooner carried into the East, than Maximinus, who governed the provinces of Egypt and Syria, rejected his position as Caesar, and, notwithstanding the prayers as well as arguments of Galerius, exacted the equal title of Augustus.[29] For the first, and indeed for the last time, six emperors administered the Roman world. Though the opposition of interest, and the memory of a recent war, divided the empire into two great hostile powers, their mutual fears and the fading authority of Galerius produced an apparent tranquility in the imperial government. last years of Galerius saw him relinquishing his aspirations towards being the supreme ruler of the empire, though he managed to retain the position of first among equals. He spent the remainder of his years enjoying himself and ordering some important public works, such as discharging into the Danube the superfluous waters of Lake Pelso, and cutting down the immense forests that encompassed it.[29] of Christians[edit] Main article: Diocletian Persecution of the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki. had lived pleasantly during most of the rule of Diocletian. The persecutions that began with an edict of February 24, 303, were credited by Christians to Galerius' work, as he was a fierce advocate of the old ways and old gods. Christian houses of assembly were destroyed, for fear of sedition in secret gatherings.[citation needed] was not anti-Christian during the first part of his reign, and historians have claimed that Galerius decided to prod him into persecuting them by secretly burning the Imperial Palace and blaming it on Christian saboteurs. Regardless of who was at fault for the fire, Diocletian's rage was aroused and he began one of the last and greatest Christian persecutions in the history of the Roman Empire.[citation needed] was at the insistence of Galerius that the last edicts of persecution against the Christians were published, beginning on February 24, 303, and this policy of repression was maintained by him until the appearance of the general edict of toleration, issued from Nicomedia in April 311, apparently during his last bout of illness (see Edict of Toleration by Galerius). Galerius's last request was that Christians should pray for him as he suffered with a painful and fatal illness; he died six days later.[35] one of the leading figures in the persecutions, Galerius later admitted that the policy of trying to eradicate Christianity had failed, saying: "wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes." Lactantius gives the text of the edict in his moralized chronicle of the bad ends to which all the persecutors came, De Mortibus Persecutorum.[36] This marked the end of official persecution of Christians. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire two years later in 313 by Constantine and Licinius in the Edict of Milan.[citation needed] died in late April or early May 311[37] from a horribly gruesome disease described by Eusebius[38] and Lactantius,[39] possibly some form of bowel cancer, gangrene or Fournier gangrene. was buried in his mausoleum at Gamzigrad-Romuliana, which was part of the palace he built at his birthplace, today's Zaječar in Serbia. Several lumps composed of corroded iron ring mail (lorica hamata) have been found at the site. This mail armour may have been worn by the wax ﬁgure of the emperor that was burned during the imperial funeral and apotheosis ceremony.[40] The entire site has been inscribed into the World Heritage List in June 2007. accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe ), Commemorated on February 17;

Bulgaria, 293-311, Emperor, Maximian Galerius, Fanatic Pagan, horrible disease, ended D Persecution
Rome, 305-311, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; Galerius, Sophia, Castle of Roman emperor Galerius; accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Galerius Valerius Maximianus (c. 258 - May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. life[edit] was born near Serdica,[14] in Dacia Ripensis, later named Dacia Mediterranea, though some modern scholars consider the strategic site where he later built his palace named after his mother – Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad) – his birth and funeral place.[12] father was a Thracian and his mother Romula had left Roman Dacia because of the Carpians' attacks.[15][16]: 19  He originally followed his father's occupation, that of a herdsman, where he was nicknamed Armentarius, herdsman. Galerius' father-in-law and senior emperor served with distinction as a soldier under Emperors Aurelian and Probus, and in 293 at the establishment of the Tetrarchy, was designated Caesar along with Constantius Chlorus, receiving in marriage Diocletian's daughter Valeria (later known as Galeria Valeria), and at the same time being entrusted with the care of the Illyrian provinces. a few years campaigning against Sarmatians and Goths on the Danube, he received command of the legions on the eastern imperial limits. Soon after his appointment, Galerius was dispatched to Egypt to fight the rebellious cities Busiris and Coptos.[17] with Persia[edit] See also: Roman relations with the Parthians and Sassanids and Roman–Persian Wars counterinvasion[edit] 294, Narseh, a son of Shapur I, who had been passed over for the Sassanid succession, came into power in Persia. Narseh probably moved to eliminate Bahram III, a young man installed by a noble named Vahunam in the wake of Bahram II's death in 293.[18]: 292 [19]: 69  In early 294, Narseh sent Diocletian the customary package of gifts, but within Persia, he was destroying every trace of his immediate predecessors, erasing their names from public monuments. He sought to identify himself with the warlike reigns of Ardashir (r. 226–41) and Shapur (r. 241–72), who had sacked Roman Antioch and captured Emperor Valerian.[19]: 69–70  295 or 296, Narseh declared war on Rome. He appears to have first invaded western Armenia, retaking the lands delivered to Tiridates in the peace of 287. He occupied the lands there until the following year.[18][20]: 149 [21]: 292 [22] historian Ammianus Marcellinus, circa 320–395, is the only source detailing the initial invasion of Armenia.[23] Southern (1999, 149) dates the invasion to 295; Barnes (1982, 17, 293) mentions an earlier, unsuccessful invasion by Narseh based on the fact that the title Persici Maximi was given to all four emperors; Odahl (2004, 59) concurs with Barnes and suggests that Saracen princes in the Syrian desert collaborated with Narseh's invasion. then moved south into Roman Mesopotamia, where he inflicted a severe defeat on Galerius, then commander of the eastern forces, in the region between Carrhae (Harran, Turkey) and Callinicum (Raqqa, Syria).[21] may or may not have been present at the battle,[18]: 652  but presented himself soon afterwards at Antioch, where the official version of events was made clear: Galerius was to take all the blame for the affair. Antioch, Diocletian forced Galerius to walk a mile in advance of his imperial cart while still clad in the purple robes of an emperor.[18][21]: 292–3  The message conveyed was clear; the loss at Carrhae was not due to the failings of the empire's soldiers, but due to the failings of their commander, and Galerius' failures would not be accepted.[24] Galerius' position at the head of the caravan possibly was merely the conventional organization of an imperial progression, designed to show a Caesar's deference to his Augustus.[25] of Galerius attacking Narseh on the Arch of Galerius at Thessaloniki, Greece, the city where Galerius carried out most of his administrative actions.[20]: 151  army was reinforced probably in the spring of 298 by new contingents collected from the empire's Danubian holdings.[26] did not advance from Armenia and Mesopotamia leaving Galerius to lead the offensive in 298 with an attack on northern Mesopotamia via Armenia.[24] may or may not have been present to assist the campaign.[27] retreated to Armenia to fight Galerius' force, to Narseh's disadvantage; the rugged Armenian terrain was favorable to Roman infantry, but not to Sassanid cavalry. Local aid gave Galerius the advantage of surprise over the Persian forces, and, in two successive battles, Galerius secured victories over Narseh.[24][26] the second encounter, the Battle of Satala in 298, Roman forces seized Narseh's camp, his treasury, his harem, and his wife.[24][26] Narseh's wife would live out the remainder of the war in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, serving as a constant reminder to the Persians of the Roman victory.[24] advanced into Media and Adiabene, winning continuous victories, most prominently near Theodosiopolis (Erzurum),[20]: 151  securing Nisibis (Nusaybin) before 1 October 298. He moved down the Tigris, taking Ctesiphon, and gazing onwards to the ruins of Babylon before returning to Roman territory via the Euphrates.[26] source ever specifically claims that Ctesiphon was sacked, but it is assumed to have been, primarily due to the seizure of Narseh's wife and harem.[20]: 150  negotiations[edit] had previously sent an ambassador to Galerius to plead for the return of his wife and children, but Galerius had dismissed this ambassador, reminding him of how Shapur had treated Valerian.[26] Romans, in any case, treated Narseh's captured family well perhaps seeking to evoke comparisons to Alexander and his beneficent conduct towards the family of Darius III.[24] negotiations began in the spring of 299, with both Diocletian and Galerius presiding. Their magister memoriae (secretary) Sicorius Probus was sent to Narseh to present terms.[26] conditions of the Peace of Nisibis were heavy:[24] Persia would give up territory to Rome, making the Tigris the boundary between the two empires. terms specified that Armenia was returned to Roman domination with the fort of Ziatha as its border; Caucasian Iberia would pay allegiance to Rome under a Roman appointee; now under Roman rule, would become the sole conduit for trade between Persia and Rome; and Rome would exercise control over the five satrapies between the Tigris and Armenia: Ingilene, Sophanene (Sophene), Arzanene (Aghdznik), Corduene, and Zabdicene (near modern Hakkâri, Turkey). regions included the passage of the Tigris through the Anti-Taurus range; the Bitlis pass, the quickest southerly route into Persian Armenia; and access to the Tur Abdin plateau. these territories, Rome would have an advance station north of Ctesiphon, and would be able to slow any future advance of Persian forces through the region.[28] the terms of the peace, Tiridates would regain both his throne and the entirety of his ancestral claim, and Rome would secure a wide zone of cultural influence in the region.[26] Because the empire was able to sustain such constant warfare on so many fronts, it has been taken as a sign of the essential efficacy of the Diocletianic system and the goodwill of the army towards the tetrarchic enterprise.[20]: 150  as Augustus[edit] of Galerius the elevation of Constantius I and Galerius to the rank of Augustus, two new Caesars were required to take their place. The two persons whom Galerius promoted to the rank of Caesar were very much his creatures, and he hoped to enhance his authority throughout the empire with their elevation.[29] was Maximinus Daza, whose mother was Galerius' sister. An inexperienced youth with little formal education, he was invested with the purple, exalted to the dignity of Caesar, and assigned the command of Egypt and Syria. Second was Severus, Galerius' comrade in arms; he was sent to Milan to receive the possession of Italy and Africa. According to the forms of the constitution, Severus acknowledged the supremacy of the western emperor, but he was absolutely devoted to the commands of his benefactor Galerius, who, reserving to himself the intermediate countries from the confines of Italy to those of Syria, firmly established his power over three-quarters of the empire.[29] hopes were dashed when his colleague Constantius died at York in 306 and the legions elevated his son Constantine to the position of Augustus. Galerius only discovered this when he received a letter from Constantine, who informed him of his father's death, modestly asserted his natural claim to the succession, and respectfully lamented that the enthusiastic violence of his troops had not allowed him to obtain the imperial purple in the regular and constitutional manner. The first emotions of Galerius were those of surprise, disappointment, and rage, and as he could seldom restrain his passions, he threatened to burn both the letter and the messenger.[30][31][32][33] however, when he had time to reconsider his position, he inevitably saw that his chances of winning a war against Constantine were doubtful at best. Galerius was well aware of Constantine's strengths – Constantine had been his guest for some time at Nicomedia – and knew that Constantius' legions were wildly devoted to his son.[29] Therefore, without either condemning or ratifying the choice of the Roman army, Galerius accepted the son of his deceased colleague as the ruler of the provinces beyond the Alps; but he gave him only the title of Caesar, and the fourth rank among the Roman princes, whilst he conferred the vacant place of Augustus on his favourite Severus. ambitious spirit of Galerius was only just over this disappointment when he beheld the unexpected loss of Italy to Maxentius, who was married to his daughter Valeria Maximilla.[34] Galerius’ need for additional revenue had persuaded him to make a very strict and rigorous examination of the property of his subjects for the purpose of a general taxation. A very minute survey was taken of their real estates and, wherever there was the slightest suspicion of concealment, torture was used to obtain a sincere declaration of their personal wealth. Italy had traditionally been exempt from any form of taxation, but Galerius ignored this precedent, and the officers of the revenue already began to number the Roman people, and to settle the proportion of the new taxes. Italy began to murmur against this indignity and Maxentius used this sentiment to declare himself emperor in Italy, to the fury of Galerius. Therefore, Galerius ordered his colleague Severus to immediately march to Rome, in the full confidence that, by his unexpected arrival, he would easily suppress the rebellion.[29] Severus was captured after his troops deserted to their old commander Maximian, who had once again been elevated to the rank of co-emperor, this time by his son Maxentius. Severus was later executed. Palace of Galerius in Zaječar, Serbia, today an UNESO World Heritage Site importance of the occasion needed the presence and abilities of Galerius. At the head of a powerful army collected from Illyricum and the East, he entered Italy, determined to avenge Severus and to punish the rebellious Romans.[citation needed] But due to the skill of Maximian, Galerius found every place hostile, fortified, and inaccessible; and though he forced his way as far as Narni, within sixty miles of Rome, his control in Italy was confined to the narrow limits of his camp. that he was facing ever-greater difficulties, Galerius made the first advances towards reconciliation, and dispatched two officers to tempt the Romans by the offer of a conference, and the declaration of his paternal regard for Maxentius, reminding them that they would obtain much more from his willing generosity than anything that might have been obtained through a military campaign. The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness, his friendship refused, and it was not long before he discovered that, unless he retreated, he would share Severus' fate. It was not a moment too soon; large monetary gifts from Maxentius to his soldiers had corrupted the fidelity of the Illyrian legions. When Galerius finally began his withdrawal from Italy, it was only with great difficulty that he managed to stop his veterans deserting him.[29] frustration, Galerius allowed his legions to ravage the countryside as they passed northwards. Maxentius declined to make a general engagement. so many emperors now in existence, in 308 Galerius, together with the retired emperor Diocletian and the now active Maximian, called an imperial 'conference' at Carnuntum on the River Danube to rectify the situation and bring some order back into the imperial government.[citation needed] Here it was agreed that Galerius’ long-time friend and military companion Licinius, who had been entrusted by Galerius with the defense of the Danube while Galerius was in Italy, would become Augustus in the West, with Constantine as his Caesar. In the East, Galerius remained Augustus and Maximinus remained his Caesar. Maximian was to retire, and Maxentius was declared a usurper. ’ plan soon failed. The news of Licinius’ promotion was no sooner carried into the East, than Maximinus, who governed the provinces of Egypt and Syria, rejected his position as Caesar, and, notwithstanding the prayers as well as arguments of Galerius, exacted the equal title of Augustus.[29] For the first, and indeed for the last time, six emperors administered the Roman world. Though the opposition of interest, and the memory of a recent war, divided the empire into two great hostile powers, their mutual fears and the fading authority of Galerius produced an apparent tranquility in the imperial government. last years of Galerius saw him relinquishing his aspirations towards being the supreme ruler of the empire, though he managed to retain the position of first among equals. He spent the remainder of his years enjoying himself and ordering some important public works, such as discharging into the Danube the superfluous waters of Lake Pelso, and cutting down the immense forests that encompassed it.[29] of Christians[edit] Main article: Diocletian Persecution of the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki. had lived pleasantly during most of the rule of Diocletian. The persecutions that began with an edict of February 24, 303, were credited by Christians to Galerius' work, as he was a fierce advocate of the old ways and old gods. Christian houses of assembly were destroyed, for fear of sedition in secret gatherings.[citation needed] was not anti-Christian during the first part of his reign, and historians have claimed that Galerius decided to prod him into persecuting them by secretly burning the Imperial Palace and blaming it on Christian saboteurs. Regardless of who was at fault for the fire, Diocletian's rage was aroused and he began one of the last and greatest Christian persecutions in the history of the Roman Empire.[citation needed] was at the insistence of Galerius that the last edicts of persecution against the Christians were published, beginning on February 24, 303, and this policy of repression was maintained by him until the appearance of the general edict of toleration, issued from Nicomedia in April 311, apparently during his last bout of illness (see Edict of Toleration by Galerius). Galerius's last request was that Christians should pray for him as he suffered with a painful and fatal illness; he died six days later.[35] one of the leading figures in the persecutions, Galerius later admitted that the policy of trying to eradicate Christianity had failed, saying: "wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes." Lactantius gives the text of the edict in his moralized chronicle of the bad ends to which all the persecutors came, De Mortibus Persecutorum.[36] This marked the end of official persecution of Christians. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire two years later in 313 by Constantine and Licinius in the Edict of Milan.[citation needed] died in late April or early May 311[37] from a horribly gruesome disease described by Eusebius[38] and Lactantius,[39] possibly some form of bowel cancer, gangrene or Fournier gangrene. was buried in his mausoleum at Gamzigrad-Romuliana, which was part of the palace he built at his birthplace, today's Zaječar in Serbia. Several lumps composed of corroded iron ring mail (lorica hamata) have been found at the site. This mail armour may have been worn by the wax ﬁgure of the emperor that was burned during the imperial funeral and apotheosis ceremony.[40] The entire site has been inscribed into the World Heritage List in June 2007. accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro ("œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Bulgaria, 300, 4th Century Folder, Christianity dominant, Gothic Civil Wars

Bulgaria, 300, Christianity the dominant religion in Bulgaria
Bulgaria, 864-865, Bulgaria, 300, Christianity the dominant religion in Bulgaria; St. Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6

Bulgaria, 303, Martyrs Dada, Maximus, and Quinctilian, at Dorostolum, Bulgaria, devil, angel, Lord commanded us to endure
Bulgaria, , Martyrs Dada, Maximus, and Quinctilian, at Dorostolum, Bulgaria (Silistra, Danube River 14.5, Southeast of Bucharest), pagan feast, withdrew, caught at prayer, confessed, salvation of their souls, devil appeared, angel appeared, Lord commanded us to endure, tortured several days, beheaded; Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28; Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), who issued a decree requiring everyone to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods during the public festivals, and to put Christians to death. and Gabinius, the emperor’s representatives in Dorostolum, made a sumptuous feast, attended not only by the inhabitants of the city, but also people from the surrounding villages. the festivities, someone reported to the emperor that three brothers, Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian, did not obey the imperial decree and withdrew themselves into the Ozovia forest. Soldiers were sent after them, who caught the holy brothers at prayer and led them forth for trial. governors interrogated the brothers, who confessed themselves Christians. Tarquinius offered to make Saint Maximus a pagan priest of Zeus, but the saint called Zeus a foul adulterer and again confessed the True God. attempted to reason with Saints Dada and Quinctilian. They said that their brother was well versed in the Holy Scripture and they would follow him in everything. They threw the martyrs into prison, but they thought only of the salvation of their souls. At midnight when the saints were asleep, the devil appeared to them. When the martyrs woke, they beheld an angel who said, “Fear not, for God your hope brings you to Himself. He is not far from you and will sustain you.” the morning, Tarquinius told the brothers that the gods had revealed their will to him in a dream: they were to be put to death if they did not offer sacrifice. The martyrs answered that the Lord had commanded them to endure torments for His sake. tortures and interrogations continued for several days from morning to evening. Finally, they sentenced the martyrs to death, led them out under guard to their forest and beheaded them with a sword.

Bulgaria, 304, Seven Martyred Brothers, exiled tCaucasus Region Georgia, fThrace Region, Bulgaria, all tortured &died along tWay
Bulgaria, 304, Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, exiled to Caucasus Region Georgia, from Thrace Region, Bulgaria, all tortured and died several places along the way; Thrace Region, Bulgaria; The Seven Brothers of Lazia; Saints Day Place of Martyrdom Saint Heros 22 June Parembol Saint Orentius 24 June Riza (Rize) Saint Pharnacius 3 July Kordila (Sivri Kale) Saint Firmus 7 July Apsaros (Gonio) Saint Firminus 7 July Apsaros Saint Cyriacus 24 July Zigania (Anaklia) Saint Longinus 28 July Pityus (Bichvinta) Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos, and Longinus were brothers, who were known for their courage and served as soldiers in Thrace during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. a battle with the Scythians, Saint Orentios killed their fierce and intrepid leader, Mararon. He received many honors for this achievement, but then he was asked to participate in a sacrifice that was being offered to the idols in thanksgiving for his victory. The Christian hero absolutely refused to do this, declaring that he had defeated his foe by the power of Jesus Christ, whom he worshiped as the one true God. They did not punish him right away, because of his bravery, but he and his brothers were detained. some time, they were questioned. All seven declared, as with one mouth, that they would remain faithful to Christ until their last breath, and that the Savior would judge them on the Last Day. After saying this, they were sentenced to exile in the Caucasus. after another, the seven brothers died on the journey from their hardships and suffering. but they endured their afflictions without complaint. Erotas was the first to depart this life; he perished at Parembol on June 22. Next, Orentios was thrown into the sea with a stone tied around his neck. Pharnakios reposed on July 3 at Kordila. Phirmos and Phirminos received their heavenly crowns on July 7 at Aspara on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Kyriakos went to the Lord on July 14 at Ziganeia, and Longinus gave his soul into God's hands on July 28 while on board a ship. The storm-tossed vessel went aground at Pitinda (Pitsnda), and so the last holy martyr was buried there. pray to these holy martyrs to protect us from our enemies. In Greek usage these saints are commemorated on June 25.

Bulgaria, 305 approx., Martyr Alexander of Rome at Drizipara
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Bulgaria, 305-311, M's Theodotus, Maximus& Asklepiodote, Gov Tiris , lightning bolt hit him on judgement seat
Marcianopolis (Lake Beloslav); Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Holy Martyr Theodotus suffered with Saints Maximus and Asklepiodote, at the beginning of the fourth century under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). Eminent citizens of the city of Marcianopolis, Maximus, and Asklepiodote led a devout Christian life. By their example they brought many to faith in Christ and to holy Baptism. the persecution Tiris, the governor of Thrace, went around the city subject to him and persecuted those believing in Christ. He summoned Maximus and Asklepiodote before him and demanded they abandon the Christian Faith. When the martyrs refused, he ordered that they be beaten. a certain pious man named Theodotus, began to reproach the governor for his inhumanity and cruelty. They seized him also, and hanging him on a tree, they tortured him with iron hooks. After this, they threw the three martyrs into prison. Tiris traveled for two weeks more and took the holy martyrs along with him. the city of Adrianopolis he put them to still greater tortures, commanding that their bodies be scorched with white-hot plates. In the midst of their suffering they heard a Voice from Heaven encouraging them to persevere. After several days of torture they threw the martyrs to be eaten by wild beasts in the circus, but instead the she-bear released upon Saints Maximus and Theodotus began to cuddle up to them. Asklepiodote was tied to a bull, but she seemed to be rooted to the spot, and did not budge. Tiris resumed the journey and stopped in the village of Saltis before reaching the city of Philippopolis. Again he urged the martyrs to renounce Christ. When they refused, he ordered them to be beheaded. God’s wrath overtook him when a bolt of lightning struck him as he sat upon the judgment seat. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ;

Bulgaria, 305-311, Emperor, Maximian Galerius, Fanatic Pagan, horrible disease, ended D Persecution
Rome, 305-311, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; Galerius, Sophia, Castle of Roman emperor Galerius; accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Galerius Valerius Maximianus (c. 258 - May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. life[edit] was born near Serdica,[14] in Dacia Ripensis, later named Dacia Mediterranea, though some modern scholars consider the strategic site where he later built his palace named after his mother – Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad) – his birth and funeral place.[12] father was a Thracian and his mother Romula had left Roman Dacia because of the Carpians' attacks.[15][16]: 19  He originally followed his father's occupation, that of a herdsman, where he was nicknamed Armentarius, herdsman. Galerius' father-in-law and senior emperor served with distinction as a soldier under Emperors Aurelian and Probus, and in 293 at the establishment of the Tetrarchy, was designated Caesar along with Constantius Chlorus, receiving in marriage Diocletian's daughter Valeria (later known as Galeria Valeria), and at the same time being entrusted with the care of the Illyrian provinces. a few years campaigning against Sarmatians and Goths on the Danube, he received command of the legions on the eastern imperial limits. Soon after his appointment, Galerius was dispatched to Egypt to fight the rebellious cities Busiris and Coptos.[17] with Persia[edit] See also: Roman relations with the Parthians and Sassanids and Roman–Persian Wars counterinvasion[edit] 294, Narseh, a son of Shapur I, who had been passed over for the Sassanid succession, came into power in Persia. Narseh probably moved to eliminate Bahram III, a young man installed by a noble named Vahunam in the wake of Bahram II's death in 293.[18]: 292 [19]: 69  In early 294, Narseh sent Diocletian the customary package of gifts, but within Persia, he was destroying every trace of his immediate predecessors, erasing their names from public monuments. He sought to identify himself with the warlike reigns of Ardashir (r. 226–41) and Shapur (r. 241–72), who had sacked Roman Antioch and captured Emperor Valerian.[19]: 69–70  295 or 296, Narseh declared war on Rome. He appears to have first invaded western Armenia, retaking the lands delivered to Tiridates in the peace of 287. He occupied the lands there until the following year.[18][20]: 149 [21]: 292 [22] historian Ammianus Marcellinus, circa 320–395, is the only source detailing the initial invasion of Armenia.[23] Southern (1999, 149) dates the invasion to 295; Barnes (1982, 17, 293) mentions an earlier, unsuccessful invasion by Narseh based on the fact that the title Persici Maximi was given to all four emperors; Odahl (2004, 59) concurs with Barnes and suggests that Saracen princes in the Syrian desert collaborated with Narseh's invasion. then moved south into Roman Mesopotamia, where he inflicted a severe defeat on Galerius, then commander of the eastern forces, in the region between Carrhae (Harran, Turkey) and Callinicum (Raqqa, Syria).[21] may or may not have been present at the battle,[18]: 652  but presented himself soon afterwards at Antioch, where the official version of events was made clear: Galerius was to take all the blame for the affair. Antioch, Diocletian forced Galerius to walk a mile in advance of his imperial cart while still clad in the purple robes of an emperor.[18][21]: 292–3  The message conveyed was clear; the loss at Carrhae was not due to the failings of the empire's soldiers, but due to the failings of their commander, and Galerius' failures would not be accepted.[24] Galerius' position at the head of the caravan possibly was merely the conventional organization of an imperial progression, designed to show a Caesar's deference to his Augustus.[25] of Galerius attacking Narseh on the Arch of Galerius at Thessaloniki, Greece, the city where Galerius carried out most of his administrative actions.[20]: 151  army was reinforced probably in the spring of 298 by new contingents collected from the empire's Danubian holdings.[26] did not advance from Armenia and Mesopotamia leaving Galerius to lead the offensive in 298 with an attack on northern Mesopotamia via Armenia.[24] may or may not have been present to assist the campaign.[27] retreated to Armenia to fight Galerius' force, to Narseh's disadvantage; the rugged Armenian terrain was favorable to Roman infantry, but not to Sassanid cavalry. Local aid gave Galerius the advantage of surprise over the Persian forces, and, in two successive battles, Galerius secured victories over Narseh.[24][26] the second encounter, the Battle of Satala in 298, Roman forces seized Narseh's camp, his treasury, his harem, and his wife.[24][26] Narseh's wife would live out the remainder of the war in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, serving as a constant reminder to the Persians of the Roman victory.[24] advanced into Media and Adiabene, winning continuous victories, most prominently near Theodosiopolis (Erzurum),[20]: 151  securing Nisibis (Nusaybin) before 1 October 298. He moved down the Tigris, taking Ctesiphon, and gazing onwards to the ruins of Babylon before returning to Roman territory via the Euphrates.[26] source ever specifically claims that Ctesiphon was sacked, but it is assumed to have been, primarily due to the seizure of Narseh's wife and harem.[20]: 150  negotiations[edit] had previously sent an ambassador to Galerius to plead for the return of his wife and children, but Galerius had dismissed this ambassador, reminding him of how Shapur had treated Valerian.[26] Romans, in any case, treated Narseh's captured family well perhaps seeking to evoke comparisons to Alexander and his beneficent conduct towards the family of Darius III.[24] negotiations began in the spring of 299, with both Diocletian and Galerius presiding. Their magister memoriae (secretary) Sicorius Probus was sent to Narseh to present terms.[26] conditions of the Peace of Nisibis were heavy:[24] Persia would give up territory to Rome, making the Tigris the boundary between the two empires. terms specified that Armenia was returned to Roman domination with the fort of Ziatha as its border; Caucasian Iberia would pay allegiance to Rome under a Roman appointee; now under Roman rule, would become the sole conduit for trade between Persia and Rome; and Rome would exercise control over the five satrapies between the Tigris and Armenia: Ingilene, Sophanene (Sophene), Arzanene (Aghdznik), Corduene, and Zabdicene (near modern Hakkâri, Turkey). regions included the passage of the Tigris through the Anti-Taurus range; the Bitlis pass, the quickest southerly route into Persian Armenia; and access to the Tur Abdin plateau. these territories, Rome would have an advance station north of Ctesiphon, and would be able to slow any future advance of Persian forces through the region.[28] the terms of the peace, Tiridates would regain both his throne and the entirety of his ancestral claim, and Rome would secure a wide zone of cultural influence in the region.[26] Because the empire was able to sustain such constant warfare on so many fronts, it has been taken as a sign of the essential efficacy of the Diocletianic system and the goodwill of the army towards the tetrarchic enterprise.[20]: 150  as Augustus[edit] of Galerius the elevation of Constantius I and Galerius to the rank of Augustus, two new Caesars were required to take their place. The two persons whom Galerius promoted to the rank of Caesar were very much his creatures, and he hoped to enhance his authority throughout the empire with their elevation.[29] was Maximinus Daza, whose mother was Galerius' sister. An inexperienced youth with little formal education, he was invested with the purple, exalted to the dignity of Caesar, and assigned the command of Egypt and Syria. Second was Severus, Galerius' comrade in arms; he was sent to Milan to receive the possession of Italy and Africa. According to the forms of the constitution, Severus acknowledged the supremacy of the western emperor, but he was absolutely devoted to the commands of his benefactor Galerius, who, reserving to himself the intermediate countries from the confines of Italy to those of Syria, firmly established his power over three-quarters of the empire.[29] hopes were dashed when his colleague Constantius died at York in 306 and the legions elevated his son Constantine to the position of Augustus. Galerius only discovered this when he received a letter from Constantine, who informed him of his father's death, modestly asserted his natural claim to the succession, and respectfully lamented that the enthusiastic violence of his troops had not allowed him to obtain the imperial purple in the regular and constitutional manner. The first emotions of Galerius were those of surprise, disappointment, and rage, and as he could seldom restrain his passions, he threatened to burn both the letter and the messenger.[30][31][32][33] however, when he had time to reconsider his position, he inevitably saw that his chances of winning a war against Constantine were doubtful at best. Galerius was well aware of Constantine's strengths – Constantine had been his guest for some time at Nicomedia – and knew that Constantius' legions were wildly devoted to his son.[29] Therefore, without either condemning or ratifying the choice of the Roman army, Galerius accepted the son of his deceased colleague as the ruler of the provinces beyond the Alps; but he gave him only the title of Caesar, and the fourth rank among the Roman princes, whilst he conferred the vacant place of Augustus on his favourite Severus. ambitious spirit of Galerius was only just over this disappointment when he beheld the unexpected loss of Italy to Maxentius, who was married to his daughter Valeria Maximilla.[34] Galerius’ need for additional revenue had persuaded him to make a very strict and rigorous examination of the property of his subjects for the purpose of a general taxation. A very minute survey was taken of their real estates and, wherever there was the slightest suspicion of concealment, torture was used to obtain a sincere declaration of their personal wealth. Italy had traditionally been exempt from any form of taxation, but Galerius ignored this precedent, and the officers of the revenue already began to number the Roman people, and to settle the proportion of the new taxes. Italy began to murmur against this indignity and Maxentius used this sentiment to declare himself emperor in Italy, to the fury of Galerius. Therefore, Galerius ordered his colleague Severus to immediately march to Rome, in the full confidence that, by his unexpected arrival, he would easily suppress the rebellion.[29] Severus was captured after his troops deserted to their old commander Maximian, who had once again been elevated to the rank of co-emperor, this time by his son Maxentius. Severus was later executed. Palace of Galerius in Zaječar, Serbia, today an UNESO World Heritage Site importance of the occasion needed the presence and abilities of Galerius. At the head of a powerful army collected from Illyricum and the East, he entered Italy, determined to avenge Severus and to punish the rebellious Romans.[citation needed] But due to the skill of Maximian, Galerius found every place hostile, fortified, and inaccessible; and though he forced his way as far as Narni, within sixty miles of Rome, his control in Italy was confined to the narrow limits of his camp. that he was facing ever-greater difficulties, Galerius made the first advances towards reconciliation, and dispatched two officers to tempt the Romans by the offer of a conference, and the declaration of his paternal regard for Maxentius, reminding them that they would obtain much more from his willing generosity than anything that might have been obtained through a military campaign. The offers of Galerius were rejected with firmness, his friendship refused, and it was not long before he discovered that, unless he retreated, he would share Severus' fate. It was not a moment too soon; large monetary gifts from Maxentius to his soldiers had corrupted the fidelity of the Illyrian legions. When Galerius finally began his withdrawal from Italy, it was only with great difficulty that he managed to stop his veterans deserting him.[29] frustration, Galerius allowed his legions to ravage the countryside as they passed northwards. Maxentius declined to make a general engagement. so many emperors now in existence, in 308 Galerius, together with the retired emperor Diocletian and the now active Maximian, called an imperial 'conference' at Carnuntum on the River Danube to rectify the situation and bring some order back into the imperial government.[citation needed] Here it was agreed that Galerius’ long-time friend and military companion Licinius, who had been entrusted by Galerius with the defense of the Danube while Galerius was in Italy, would become Augustus in the West, with Constantine as his Caesar. In the East, Galerius remained Augustus and Maximinus remained his Caesar. Maximian was to retire, and Maxentius was declared a usurper. ’ plan soon failed. The news of Licinius’ promotion was no sooner carried into the East, than Maximinus, who governed the provinces of Egypt and Syria, rejected his position as Caesar, and, notwithstanding the prayers as well as arguments of Galerius, exacted the equal title of Augustus.[29] For the first, and indeed for the last time, six emperors administered the Roman world. Though the opposition of interest, and the memory of a recent war, divided the empire into two great hostile powers, their mutual fears and the fading authority of Galerius produced an apparent tranquility in the imperial government. last years of Galerius saw him relinquishing his aspirations towards being the supreme ruler of the empire, though he managed to retain the position of first among equals. He spent the remainder of his years enjoying himself and ordering some important public works, such as discharging into the Danube the superfluous waters of Lake Pelso, and cutting down the immense forests that encompassed it.[29] of Christians[edit] Main article: Diocletian Persecution of the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki. had lived pleasantly during most of the rule of Diocletian. The persecutions that began with an edict of February 24, 303, were credited by Christians to Galerius' work, as he was a fierce advocate of the old ways and old gods. Christian houses of assembly were destroyed, for fear of sedition in secret gatherings.[citation needed] was not anti-Christian during the first part of his reign, and historians have claimed that Galerius decided to prod him into persecuting them by secretly burning the Imperial Palace and blaming it on Christian saboteurs. Regardless of who was at fault for the fire, Diocletian's rage was aroused and he began one of the last and greatest Christian persecutions in the history of the Roman Empire.[citation needed] was at the insistence of Galerius that the last edicts of persecution against the Christians were published, beginning on February 24, 303, and this policy of repression was maintained by him until the appearance of the general edict of toleration, issued from Nicomedia in April 311, apparently during his last bout of illness (see Edict of Toleration by Galerius). Galerius's last request was that Christians should pray for him as he suffered with a painful and fatal illness; he died six days later.[35] one of the leading figures in the persecutions, Galerius later admitted that the policy of trying to eradicate Christianity had failed, saying: "wherefore, for this our indulgence, they ought to pray to their God for our safety, for that of the republic, and for their own, that the republic may continue uninjured on every side, and that they may be able to live securely in their homes." Lactantius gives the text of the edict in his moralized chronicle of the bad ends to which all the persecutors came, De Mortibus Persecutorum.[36] This marked the end of official persecution of Christians. Christianity was officially legalized in the Roman Empire two years later in 313 by Constantine and Licinius in the Edict of Milan.[citation needed] died in late April or early May 311[37] from a horribly gruesome disease described by Eusebius[38] and Lactantius,[39] possibly some form of bowel cancer, gangrene or Fournier gangrene. was buried in his mausoleum at Gamzigrad-Romuliana, which was part of the palace he built at his birthplace, today's Zaječar in Serbia. Several lumps composed of corroded iron ring mail (lorica hamata) have been found at the site. This mail armour may have been worn by the wax ﬁgure of the emperor that was burned during the imperial funeral and apotheosis ceremony.[40] The entire site has been inscribed into the World Heritage List in June 2007. accusations[edit] to Lactantius, Galerius affirmed his Dacian identity and avowed himself the enemy of the Roman name once made emperor, even proposing that the empire should be called, not the Roman, but the Dacian Empire, much to the horror of the patricians and senators. Lactantius further states that Galerius exhibited anti-Roman attitude as soon as he had attained the highest power, treating the Roman citizens with ruthless cruelty, like the conquerors treated the conquered, all in the name of the same treatment that the victorious Trajan had applied to the conquered Dacians, forefathers of Galerius, two centuries before.[41] Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro ("œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Bulgaria, 305-311, Maximus oAdrianopolis, Bulgaria, torn wIron hooks, not eaten bWild beasts, beheaded
Bulgaria, , Maximus oAdrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Road, Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9), Maximus, Theodotus, Hesychius and Asclepiodota suffered during Maximian 305-311, first tied to tree&Toren them with iron hooks, After this, they led them from city to city, and then gave them to be eaten by wild beasts, unharmed, stones thrown at Asdepodota tied to tree, all then beheaded; Adrianople; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Holy Martyrs Maximus, Theodotus, Hesychius and Asclepiodota suffered for the Faith at Adrianopolis, the persecution under the emperor Maximian (305-311). holy martyrs endured many sufferings. first they tied them to a tree and tore them with iron hooks. this, they led them from city to city, and then gave them to be eaten by wild beasts. safe by the grace of God, the holy martyrs remained unharmed. they received a martyr’s death at the hands of the torturers. Asclepiodota was thrown to the ground and beaten, and then they tied her to a tree and threw stones at her. she was beheaded.

Bulgaria, 307, Demetrios of Thrace,Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) a Slav, tortured fChrist, beheaded
Bulgaria, 307, Demetrios of Thrace,Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) a Slav fVillage near Amapasos, tortured fChrist, beheaded; Thrace; Martyr Demetrios of Thrace, Commemorated on November 15 Demetrios was a Slav from the village of Davoudio (Dabuda) in Thrace, which was near the town of Amapasos. He was arrested in the time of Emperor Maximian and the Archon Publius, about the year 298 (some sources say 307). After suffering many tortures for Christ, he was finally beheaded.

Bulgaria, 308, 40 Women aHeraclea Sintica, Bulgaria, no idol sacrifice, tortured by Licinius, beheaded, metal balls in mouth
Bulgaria, 308, Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9), not sacrifice to idols, Tortured by Licinius, beheaded, burned, metal balls in mouth, stabbed; Heraclea Sintica; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; 40 Holy Virgins and Saint Ammoun the Deacon, were from Adrianopolis in Macedonia. Deacon Ammoun was their guide in Christian Faith. were captured by Baudos the governor, and were tortured because they would not offer sacrifice to idols. holy martyrs endured many cruel torments, which were intended to force them to renounce Christ and worship idols. they were sent to Heraclea in Thrace to appear before the tyrant Licinius. The valiant martyrs remained unshakeable, however. Ammoun and eight of the virgins were beheaded, ten virgins were burned, six of them died after heated metal balls were put into their mouths, six were stabbed with knives, and the rest were struck in the mouth and stabbed in the heart with swords.

Bulgaria, 343, Council of Serdica (Sardica), Modern Sophia, Bulgaria, failed to bring East & West Church together
Council of Sardica ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18;

Bulgaria, 376-382, Fritigern, Gothic War of 376-382
Fritigern; Gothic War (376-“382) ; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; Thervingi people;

Bulgaria, 372, Gothic Saint, Nicetas the Goth, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia
Byzantine Period, Gothic Saint, 372, Nicetas the Goth; is a Christian martyr of the 4th century, venerated particularly in the Russian Orthodox Church. His feastday is 15 September.[1] a Gothic soldier, lived in the Danube region at the margins of the Byzantine Empire.[2] Presumably, he received his Greek name on the occasion of his baptism by the Gothic bishop Theophilus, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths began to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in internecine strife. Nicetas fought in the Gothic civil war between the pagan Athanaric and the Christian Fritigern. the defeat of Athanaric and after the invention of Gothic alphabets by Ulfilas, Nicetas worked intensely among the Goths.[2 He was condemned to the stake in 372. According to his Passio, the devil, shaped as an angel, induced Nicetas to sacrifice to the pagan gods for saving his life; Nicetas, however, put him to flight by means of prayer and assisted by archangel Michael. His body was buried it in Cilicia, and later transferred to Constantinople. Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Cyprus there are several churches and monasteries named after St Nicetas. See Church of Saint Nicetas. Nicetas is prayed to for the preservation of children from birth defects.[2] Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; Holy Great Martyr Nicetas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. The Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Saint Nikḗtas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. The Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Saint Nicetas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. Since he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Nikḗtas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. Filled with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Nicetas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. The cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Nikḗtas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Nicetas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. Although his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. By night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Nicetas, and buried it in Cilicia. Afterward, it was transferred to Constantinople. Part of the relics of the Great Martyr Nicetas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Thus Saint Nicetas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Nicetas for the preservation of children from birth defects. AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Bulgaria, 372, Novoniketa Icon, Dacia, appeared on boy' chest in the night, Niketas baptised right away
Temple of St. Nicetas the Martyr on Shvivaya Hill beyond Yauza; Icon of the Mother of God of Novoniketa, Commemorated on September 15; is one of the most ancient icons of the Mother of God. It appeared to the holy martyr Nikḗtas (+ September 15, 372). Saint Nikḗtas, a former soldier, was a disciple of Bishop Theophilos of the Goths. Even before he was baptized, he saw a Child in a dream, holding a Cross in His hand. When he awakened, he thought about this for a long time, but was unable to understand what this vision signified. A Christian girl named Juliana, who had a special revelation from God, told him to look down at his chest. his unspeakable surprise, Nikḗtas found an Icon of the Mother of God on his chest. She held her divine Child on her lap, and He was holding a Cross in His hand. "This is the same Icon I saw in my dream," the startled Nikḗtas cried. The appearance of the Icon made such an impression on him that he was baptized right away. afterward, the persecution of Christians began, and Saint Nikḗtas received the crown of martyrdom along with many other confessors. When he was being led to the place of execution, he had on his chest, under his clothes, the Icon of the Mother of God which had appeared to him. was established that the Novonikḗta Icon of the Mother of God should be commemorated on the day of Saint Nikḗtas's martyrdom. list of miracles from this Icon is in Moscow, in the court cathedral, which is dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior, at the Gate of Saint Nikḗtas.

Bulgaria, 378, Battle of Adrianople, Thrace, Gothic Civil War of 376-382, Valens dies by fire
Bulgaria, Battle of Adrianople, 378, Gothic Civil War of 376-382 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ;

Bulgaria, 400, 5th Century Folder, Daniel the Stylite

Bulgaria, 420-480, Daniel t Stylite, Thracian Wilderness, after Stylite Simeon visited Samosata, prophecy his S
Syria, 420-480, Daniel the Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), mother dedicated him, after 5 yrs received name, left for manastery at 12, angelic garb, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, ascetic life, S place vision, Thrace wilderness, on p 33 yrs, healing, prayers for B Emperors, great fire prophecy, gracious words, 80 yrs; Samosata; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years of age. boy’s parents desired that since he was born through the good-will of God, he should also receive his name from God. took their son to a monastery located nearby and approached the igumen. The igumen gave orders to take down one of the service books, and unrolled it at random. He found the Prophet Daniel (December 17) mentioned in it. Thus did the boy receive his name. parents asked that he might remain at the monastery, but the igumen would not accept him, since he was still only a small boy. At twelve years of age, saying nothing to anyone, the child left home for the monastery. parents were happy when they learned where their son was, and they went to the monastery. Seeing that he was still going about in his worldly clothes, they besought that the igumen should clothe him in the angelic garb. That Sunday the igumen fulfilled their request, but permitted them often to visit their son. The brethren of the monastery were astonished at the saint’s ascetical efforts. Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1) visited the monastery. He foretold to the young monk that he too would undertake the feat of pillar-dwelling. Daniel continued with his ascetic life in seclusion. the place of a new exploit was revealed to him in a vision, he withdrew into the Thracian wilderness together with two disciples. They set up a pillar, upon which Saint Daniel dwelt for 33 years. thronged to the pillar, the unfortunate and those who were sick, and all received help and healing from Saint Daniel. emperors also sought the prayers of the holy ascetic. most notable of the saint’s predictions was about a great fire in Constantinople. Saint Daniel possessed also the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives. The monk reposed in his eightieth year.

Bulgaria, 600, 7th Century Folder, Bulgars 632-668, Old Great Bularia

Bulgaria, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave
Bithynia, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, excellent ed, Heraclius first secretary but he Monothelite, resigned, went west because M rapid spread in East, fConstantinople tChrysopolis, Bithynia, simple monk Igumen, 638 edict Exposition oFaith, everyone must accept One will in two natures, Max successfully defended Orthodoxy tPeople, invisible attraction tHim, refuge in West, where Monothelitism rejected, Africa visit, 4th EC had condemned Monophysite's only one nature (divine), MThelite only one divine will &Energy, another path tMPhysite heresy, Armenia, Syria, Egypt heretics in East, fanned by Nationalism, unity threat, MTheites controlled Eastern Patriarchal thrones, Sergius iConstantinople, Athanasius iAntioch, Cyrus iAlexandria, Max tCrete tPreach, clashed w Nestorian & Severus Bishop, tAlexandria 6yrs, till 641 new Monothelite Emperor and Patriarch, intensified assaults tOrthodox, tCarthage preach 5yrs, Constantinople Patriarch Pyrrhus excaped there, debated Max, became Orthodox, wrote book, traveled Rome wMax, Pope Theodore received them, 647 Max returned Carthage, there Council condemned MTheletism as heracy, 648 new edict rrom Constans & Partiarch Paul, Pattern otFaith, forbid will debates, Max asked new Pope convene Latern Council, 649 150 Western & 37 Eastern reps, L council condemned Mthelitsm & Typos (faith pattern), false teachings anathematized, So Constans II arested Max and new Pope Mrtin, 654 Prison, 656 sent tTrace, later back to C Prison, Max & disciples tounge cut out Right hand cut off, exiled tSkemarum, Scythia, time of death revealed 662, 3 miracle candels burned over grave, many healings there; Chrysopolis; Chrysopolis Monastery Chrysopolis in Macedonia? Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 raised in a pious Christian family. received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. was well-read in the authors of antiquity he also mastered philosophy and theology. Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life. Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, was spreading rapidly through the East. resigned from his duties at court, went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), he received monastic tonsure. of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. in this position, he remained a simple monk. 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith),” decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life. Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, decided to leave his monastery and seek refuge in the West, Monothelitism had been completely rejected. the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics. Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, which falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). by this erroneous opinion, Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) only one divine energy (“energia”). of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, Egypt. heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: by Sergius, by Athanasius, Alexandria by Cyrus. Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Sergius died at the end of 638, the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” He even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople. the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. 648, a new edict was issued, commissioned by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, among them Saint Maximus the Confessor. Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized. Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison. saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. Each one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. Many healings occurred at his tomb. the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus to Constantinople, but it could also be the date of the saint’s death. may be that his memory is celebrated on January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Saint Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. His exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). Among the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”). The dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. In them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature. “Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. It is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22). Saint Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). He deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. Among his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Saint Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian. The theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, was continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14).

Bulgaria, 632-668, Bulgars, 7th Century, Old Great Bulgaria, 632-668
Bulghars, 7th Century, Old Great Bulgaria, 632-668; Bulgars, 7th Century; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 22;

Bulgaria, 681-1018, Folder, First Bulgarian Empire Folder

Bulgaria, 681-699, 7th Century Folder, Pagan

Bulgaria, 700, 8th Century Folder, Pagan

Bulgaria, 768-777, Telerig of Bulgaria, Tsar, Byzantine war, treaty, breaks t by failing to grab people, fled tB, bChristian
Bulgaria, 768-777, Telerig of Bulgaria, Tsar, 1774 Constantine V against B, disembarked, Byzantine &B Treaty, however 1774 T raided Berzitia, macedonia tTransfer population tBulgaria, but C V resounding victory, contrary black sea winds failed subsequent attack oBulgarai, Teleg emissary to C V for refuge with assurances, T suceeded, agents betrayed by CV, B retaliation didn't happen, 1777 Telerig fled to Leo IV, in C Teleg became Christian, married Eirene's cousin; Bulgarian Tsar, 768-777, Telerig of Bulgaria; (Bulgarian: Телериг) was the ruler of Bulgaria from 768 to 777. Telerig is first mentioned by Byzantine sources in 774, he is considered as he immediate successor of Pagan, who was murdered in 768. May 774, Byzantine Emperor Constantine V embarked on a major expedition against Bulgaria, his field army on land and dispatched a fleet of 2000 ships carrying horsemen towards the Danube Delta. The fleet disembarked in the vicinity of Varna, but Constantine did not press his potential advantage and inexplicably retreated. afterwards, both sides signed a truce promising the cessation of hostilities. in October 774, Telerig sent an army of 12,000 men to raid Berzitia, Macedonia, and transfer its population to Bulgaria. a large army of 80,00 troops, Constantine surprised the Bulgarians and won a resounding victory. subsequent attack on Bulgaria failed since the imperial fleet had encountered contrary winds in the Black Sea. then sent a secret emissary to Constantine that indicated his intention to flee Bulgaria and to seek refuge with the emperor and sought assurances of hospitality and a list of Byzantines who might help him. succeeded in having Constantine betray his own agents in Bulgaria, who were duly rounded up and executed. expected Byzantine retaliation failed to materialise, as Constantine died in 775. spite of his apparent success, Telerig found it necessary to flee to the new Byzantine emperor, Leo IV the Khazar, in 777. The Byzantine government gave Telerig asylum and the title of patrikios. converted to Christianity under the name of Theophylaktos and married a cousin of Empress Eirene. Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 1771, Damascene tNew, fBulgaria tHilandar, igumen business trips, Martyred b false t, God killed evil-doers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1771, Hieromartyr Damascene tNew, fGabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1) near Trnovo, tHilandar as young man, deacon, priest, later igumen, often journeyed monastery business, Martyred at Svishtov iSerbian Bulgaria collecting rent, to avoid moslems set him up, accused him impropriety wMoslem woman, Judge did not believe but since moslems gave false testimony he was hanged, he was sorry they did not understand why he accepted death versus moslem faith, God killed evil-doers in storm over Danube; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, judge had to find him guilty. taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Bulgaria, 777-803, Kardam of Bulgaria, Tsar, order restored by standing ground against Byzantium i791, 792, 796, so C dethroned
Bulgaria, 777-803, Kardam of Bulgaria, Bulgarian Tsar, restoration of order in Bulgaria by standing ground against Constine VI i791, 792, 796, so C dethroned by mother Irene in 797 ; Bulgarian Tsar, 777-803, Kardam of Bulgaria ; was the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire (777 – after 796/before 803). name of Kardam is first encountered in the Byzantine sources in 791, when Emperor Constantine VI embarked on an expedition against Bulgaria, in retaliation for Bulgarian incursions in the Struma valley since 789. Kardam pre-empted the Byzantine invasion and met the enemy near Adrianople in Thrace. The Byzantine army was defeated and turned to flight. Bulgarian Empire (680- 803). Shown are battles of Kardam 792 Constantine VI led another army against the Bulgarians and encamped at Marcellae (near Karnobat), which he proceeded to fortify. arrived with his army on July 20 and occupied the neighboring heights. After some time passed with the two forces sizing up, VI gave in to the reassuring advice of a "false prophet" and ordered the attack. But the Byzantine forces lost formation and once again were defeated and turned to flight, while Kardam captured the imperial tent and the emperor's servants. his return to Constantinople, Constantine VI signed a peace treaty and undertook to pay an annual tribute to Bulgaria. 796 the imperial government was recalcitrant and Kardam found it necessary to demand the tribute while threatening to devastate Thrace if it were not paid. to the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, VI mocked the demand by having dung sent instead of gold as "fitting tribute" and promising to lead a new army against the elderly Kardam at Marcellae. again the emperor headed north, and once again he encountered Kardam in the vicinity of Adrianople. armies faced each other for 17 days without entering into battle, while the two monarchs probably engaged in negotiations. In the end conflict was averted and the peace resumed on the same terms as in 792. reign of Kardam represents the restoration of order in Bulgaria, which had suffered from a rapid turnover of rulers and had been repeatedly defeated by the Byzantines in the third quarter of the 8th century. not only stood his ground against Constantine VI (who was trying to emulate his much more successful grandfather and namesake Constantine V), he may have succeeded in precipitating a crisis at the Byzantine court, where Constantine VI's repeated failures undermined the emperor's position and he was dethroned by his mother Irene in 797. probably did not long survive his opponent, as he is not heard of after 796 and was already dead in 803. Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 800-864, 9th Century Folder, Pagan

Bulgaria, 801-833, Boyan or Enravota, Bulgarian Saint, converted by Byzantine captive (Kinamon) first Bulgarian Saint
Bulgaria, 800-833, Bulgarian Saint, Boyan or Enravota; Enravota or Boyan was the eldest son of Omurtag of Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian Christian martyr, as well as the earliest Bulgarian saint to be canonized. in the early 9th century, Enravota was the elder brother of Malamir of Bulgaria, who succeeded their father Omurtag to the Bulgarian throne in 831. was possibly deprived of the throne because he favoured Christianity, which the boyars feared might endanger the court. long after the death of Omurtag, Enravota asked his brother to release a pious Byzantine captive who had been imprisoned by Omurtag. The captive's sermons persuaded Enravota to convert to Christianity and be baptized. informed of his brother's deeds, Malamir attempted to make him renounce Christianity, but did not succeed. Enravota was killed on the order of Malamir, around 833. 11th-century chronicler Theophylact of Bulgaria claimed he delivered the following prophetic speech before his death: faith, which I now die for, will spread and increase across the whole Bulgarian land, although you may wish to oppress it with my death. In any case, the Sign of Christ will establish itself and churches of God will be built everywhere and pure priests will serve the pure God and will deliver "sacrifice of praise and confession" to the invigorating Trinity. Idols, and priests as well, and their ungodly temples, will crumble and will turn into nothing, as if they had not existed. Besides, you alone (to Malamir), after many years, will cast away your ungodly soul without receiving anything in reward for your cruelty. In the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Enravota's feast day is 28 March. Bulgarian Tsar, 852-889, Boris I ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St. Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Bulgaria, 801-833, Boyan or Enravota, death sentence fBro Malomir (Vladimir), Fulfilled prophecy Christian Bulgarian Land
Bulgaria, 801-833, Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, bro Malomir (Vladimir) ascended Tzar, free Kinamon, K converts B, ascetic, M demands renounce, B despises idols, death sentence, prophecy Christian Bulgarian Land & death overtake you, so prophecy fulfilled when Presian son Boris christianized Bulgaria; Plisk; Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; Holy Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, suffered for Christ around the year 830. his pagan brother Malomir [Vladimir] ascended the Bulgarian throne, Prince Boyan asked him to free the learned Christian Kinamon, who had been in prison for a long time for refusing to participate in pagan sacrifices under Prince Obrit (Krutogon), Prince Malomir’s predecessor. consented and gave Kinamon to Prince Boyan as a slave. spoke to Boyan about Christianity, telling him of the errors of paganism and that belief in Christ is necessary for salvation. At the end of their conversation he told the prince, “Without Jesus Christ there is no light for the mind, no life for the soul. He alone is the Teacher of mankind and our Savior. By His death, He has reconciled fallen mankind with God. If you do not wish to perish, believe in the Lord Jesus.” Boyan recognized the truth of his words, and was inspired to ask for Baptism. newly-converted prince was filled with a love of prayer, fasting and contemplation of God. learning about the conversion of his brother to Christianity, demanded that he renounce the Christian Faith and return to paganism. Instead, the holy Prince Boyan answered, “I despise the pagan idols and I revere Christ, the true God. No one shall separate me from the love of Christ.” Malomir, hearing his brother’s reply, sentenced him to death. his martyric death, the holy martyr-prince declared: “The faith for which I now die will spread throughout the Bulgarian land. You vainly imagine that you will stop it by killing me. Temples to the true God will be built, and priests will offer Him true worship. The idols and their foul sacrifices, however, will vanish.” Then he said to his brother Malomir, “You will gain nothing from your cruelty, and death will soon overtake you.” holy martyr was killed by the sword, and his predictions to his brother were the first to be fulfilled. Malomir soon died, and since he had no heir, his elder brother Presian (836-852) succeeded to the throne. Prince Presian’s son, the holy Prince Boris, in holy Baptism Michael (May 2) later Christianized the Bulgarian nation. Thus the prophecy of the holy Martyr Prince Boyan was fulfilled.

Bulgaria, 802-811, Nicholas, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, spared, left world, clairvoyance
Mongols, Khzaria, 802-811, Nicholas, monk of Bulgaria, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, vison, spared because overcame temptation, left world, settled in cave, schemamonk, unceasing prayer for fallen soldiers, granted clairvoyance; Bulgars; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Nicholas the Former General was a military commander under the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I (802-811). He was ordered to lead his troops against the Bulgars. On the eve of battle he was approached by the innkeeper’s daughter, but he resisted her shameless attempts to seduce him. his comrades perished in the battle, but Nicholas remained alive. It was revealed to him in a vision that his life was spared because he had overcome temptation. After this Saint Nicholas left the world and settled into a cave. He became a schemamonk, and prayed unceasingly for his fallen soldiers. By his great ascetic efforts he so pleased the Lord, that he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Bulgaria, 803-814, Krum, Bulgarian Tsar, doubled Bulgaria in size, wars with Byzantium
Bulgarian Tsar, 803-814, Krum ; [A], often referred to as Krum the Fearsome was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and developed the rudiments of state organization.[1][2] Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ; Peter was born into a patrician family at Constantinople at the end of the eighth century. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros (802-811) Peter was commissioned as an officer and participated in the campaigns of the Greek army against Bulgaria. one particular battle the emperor was mortally wounded, and Peter was one of many soldiers taken captive. night, while he was praying, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and released him from captivity. Having returned to Constantinople, Saint Peter left the world and withdrew into a monastery on Mount Olympus (in Asia Minor) and became a monk. There he passed his time in constant ascetic efforts for 34 years under the guidance of Saint Joannicius the Great (November 4). Saint Peter lived all his monastic life in strict fasting and constant vigil, wearing a prickly hair-shirt and going barefoot. He lived the final eight years of his life at Constantinople, where he founded a church and a monastery named for Saint Euandrus. Peter died in 854 in the seventieth year of his life, and was buried in his monastery.

Bulgaria, 811, Martyr Manuel, Bishop of Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) and 377 Companions slain by Bulgars
Bulgaria, 811, Martyr Manuel, Bishop of Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) and 377 Companions slain by Bulgars; Thrace; 377 Martyred Companions in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 22; 377 Christians were captured in Thrace by the Bulgars, and were slain in various ways. the martyrs where the bishops Manuel, George, Peter, and Leontius; the presbyters Sionius, Gabriel, John, Leontius and Parodus.

Bulgaria, 814-831, Omurtag, Tsar, 30 year peace w Byzantines, coped w Franks, Builder
Bulgarian Tsar, 814-831, Omurtag of Bulgaria; (or Omortag) was a Great Khan (Kanasubigi)[3] of Bulgaria from 814 to 831. He is known as "the Builder". the very beginning of his reign he signed a 30-year peace treaty with the neighboring Byzantine Empire which remained in force to the end of his life. Omurtag successfully coped with the aggressive policy of the Frankish Empire to take Bulgaria's north-western lands and suppressed the unrest among several Slavic tribes. He made administrative reforms which increased the power and the authority of the central government. His reign was marked with a strong development of Bulgarian architecture with a number of significant construction projects Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir, Tsar, executed bro christian Enravota (Boyan), 20yr? peace ended by Theophilos
Bulgarian Tsar, 831-836, Malamir ; was the ruler of Bulgaria 831–836. was a son of Omurtag and a grandson of Krum. His name may be of Slavic origin, which would make him the first Bulgar khan to possess a Slavic name; this has led to the speculation that his mother was a Slav, although that cannot be proven. Another theory is that it was an Iranian name, as there is an Iranian city named Malamir. became ruler of Bulgaria in 831 on the death of his father Omurtag, because his older brother Enravota (Voin) had forfeited his right to the succession by becoming a Christian. It is possible that Malamir was young and inexperienced at the time of his accession, and that affairs of state were managed by his kavhan (kaukhanos) Isbul. 833, Malamir executed his brother Enravota for refusing to renounce Christianity. After the expiration of the original 20-year peace treaty(?) with the Byzantine Empire in 836, emperor Theophilos ravaged the regions inside the Bulgarian frontier. The Bulgarians retaliated, and under the leadership of Isbul they reached Adrianople. At this time, if not earlier, the Bulgarians annexed Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and its environs. Several surviving monumental inscriptions from this reign make reference to the Bulgarian victories and others to the continuation of construction activities in and near Pliska. Malamir died in 836, allegedly as retribution for his execution of his older brother. several older studies, Malamir is identified with his successor Presian I, and it is assumed that he survived until the 850s as the direct predecessor of Boris I. This is very unlikely, as Malamir is attested as having been succeeded by his nephew (the son of his brother Zvinitsa), while Boris I was preceded by his father Presian I. Zlatarski resolved the problems in the fragmentary sources by determining that Malamir's unnamed nephew and successor was in fact Presian I, and Boris I was the latter's son. 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation Cagfar TarÃxÄ± (a work of disputed authenticity) represents Balamir (i.e., Malamir) as the son of YomyrÄak (i.e., Omurtag), and as the brother of SabanÅ¡a (i.e., Zvinica), who was the father of BirdÅ¾ihan (i.e., Presian I). Knoll on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, is named for Khan Malamir of Bulgaria. Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir of Bulgaria, Tzar, Vladimir, Pagan
Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir of Bulgaria, Vladimir, Pagan; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 836-852, Presian I of Bulgaria, Tzar, Pagan, Bulgarian expansion in Macedonia, war w Serbia
Bulgaria, 836-852, Tzar, Presian I of Bulgaria; was the Khan of Bulgaria from 836–852. He ruled during an extensive expansion in Macedonia. composite picture of the Byzantine sources indicates that Presian I was the son of Zvinitsa, who was a son of Omurtag. In several older studies Presian is identified with his short-lived predecessor Malamir and it is assumed that this single character survived until the 850s as the direct predecessor of Boris I. This is very unlikely, as Malamir is attested as having been succeeded by his nephew (the son of his brother Zvinitsa), while Boris I was preceded by his father Presian. Zlatarski resolved the problems in the fragmentary sources by determining that Malamir’s unnamed nephew and successor was in fact Presian, and Boris I was the latter’s son. 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation Cagfar Tarixi, a work of disputed authenticity, represents Birdzhan (i.e., Presian) as the son of Sabansa (i.e., Zvinitsa), which may lend support to the interpretation of his origins now dominant in Bulgarian historiography.[clarification needed] with Serbia and Byzantium[edit] Inscription, sixth plate, Museum, Philippi, Greece. may have been young and inexperienced at the time of his accession, and state affairs may have been dominated by the minister Isbul, as under Presian's uncle Malamir. In 837, soon after Presian's accession, the Slavs in the vicinity of Thessalonica rebelled against the Byzantine Empire. Theophilos sought Bulgarian support in putting down the rebellion, but simultaneously arranged for his fleet to sail through the Danube delta and undertake a clandestine evacuation of some of the Byzantine captives settled in trans-Danubian Bulgaria by Krum and Omurtag. under Presian retaliation Isbul campaigned along the Aegean coasts of Thrace and Macedonia and captured the city of Philippi, where he set up a surviving memorial inscription set up in a local church. Isbul's campaign may have resulted in the establishment of Bulgarian suzerainty over the Slavic tribe of the Smolyani. reign coincides with the extension of Bulgarian control over the Slavic tribes in and around Macedonia. It is known that the Serbs and Bulgars lived in peace until Presian invaded Serbian territory in 839, during the last years of Theophilos.[1] Vlastimir, the Knez of Serbia, united several Serbian tribes,[2] and Emperor Theophilos (r. 829–842) granted the Serbs independence;[3] thus, the Serbs acknowledged the nominal overlordship of the Emperor.[1] The annexation of western Macedonia by the Bulgars changed the political situation. Malamir or Presian may have seen a threat in the Serb consolidation, and opted to subjugate them in the midst of the conquest of Slav lands.[1] Another reason might have been that the Byzantines wanted to divert attention in order to cope with the Slav Uprising in the Peloponnese, and so sent the Serbs to instigate the war.[4] Presian[5] invaded Serbian territory in 839. The invasion led to a 3-year war, in which Vlastimir was victorious;[6] Presian was driven out of Serbian territory by Vlastimir's army.[4] In addition to making no territorial gains, Presian suffered heavy losses due to the Serbian tactical advantage in the hills.[7] The war ended with the death of Theophilos in 842, which released Vlastimir from his obligations to the Byzantine Empire.[8] died in 852, and was succeeded by his son Boris I. Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir of Bulgaria, Vladimir, Pagan; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria
Albania, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Albania, disciple of Cyril and Methodios, services in Slavonic, sold as slaves in 886, ransomed from Venice, Moravia colapsed 907, to Bulgaria, Slavonic s, teach in Kutmichivisa Clement of Ohrid (c. 830-840 – 916) was one of the first Medieval Bulgarian saints,[6] scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs.[7][8][9][10][11] was one of the most prominent disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts, especially their popularisation among Christianised Slavs. was the founder of the Ohrid Literary School and is regarded as a patron of education and language by some Slavic people. is considered to be the first bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,[12][13] one of the Seven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church and one of the premier saints of modern Bulgaria.[14] mission of Saint Clement was the crucial factor which transformed the Slavs in Macedonia into Bulgarians.[15] Saint Clement is also the patron saint of North Macedonia, the city of Ohrid[5] and the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[16][17] Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar1 were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeeded Saint Methodios as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian Prince Svyatopolk. struggle centered around the questions of the need for Divine Services in Slavonic, the Filioque, and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church Services), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodios to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their Spiritual Father, Saint Methodios. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the Saints and took them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Saints Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees by the same routes followed earlier by the Saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct Divine Services in the Slavonic language. Bulgarian Prince Boris sought people such as the disciples of Saint Methodios, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. Right away, the Saints began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon reposed, and Saint Clement was appointed to teach at Kutmichivitsa, in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church, a teacher had to be a worthy person, someone known for his devout life, and who was able to speak well in public. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, he worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which was highly regarded by the time of Simeon's reign. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for ordination amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically trained clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the Saint not to abandon his cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Okhrid, to a monastery he founded. There he continued his work of translation, including some important portions of the Pentecostarion. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. His body was placed in a coffin, which he had made with his own hands, and was buried at Okhrid's Saint Panteleimon Monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. Not only did he continue the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodios, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by devout Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery which bears his name, near Lake Okhrid. Clement is also commemorated on November 22 (Greek usage), on November 25 (his Name Day), and on July 27 (the day of his blessed repose). His name may come from the Greek word αναγορεύω (to proclaim).

Bulgaria, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator
Albania, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, of Five Followers, great learning, languages, Rome to Orchrid, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, prayer, slavonic translator, incorrupt relics; Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Nahum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), one of their coworkers known as the Five Followers. Nahum was a man of great learning, and he spoke several languages. After a visit to Rome, he settled on the shores of Lake Ochrid. There he built a monastery at the time when Saint Clement of Ochrid (July 27) was serving as a bishop. monks gathered around Saint Nahum, who was known as a great wonderworker and a man of prayer. also labored to translate the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Slavonic. Nahum fell asleep in the Lord in 910, and his holy relics continue to work miracles of healing for those who venerate them in faith.

Bulgaria, 852-889, Boris I, Tsar, Christian, autocephalous Bulgarian Church
Bulgarian Tsar, 852-889, Boris I ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Bulgaria, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, saintly child, commander, allies fled, rushed center, killed beast on way home
Bulgaria, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3, across river from Trnovo), saintly child, commander, Greek allies fled, prayed, rushed center, killed lake beast on way home, died, relics healed, 1800 r transferred to Wallacia; Potuka; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Michael the Soldier of Bulgaria, among the first of the Bulgarians to become Christian, lived in the city of Potuka during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael III (855-867). still an infant, he was known as a “saintly child.” his youth he led a blameless life, possessed the fear of God, fasted, generously distributed alms to the poor, visited the sick, and was meek and humble. twenty-four years of age Saint Michael was made commander of a troop of soldiers. that time, the Turks were warring against Christians, and Saint Michael inspired his troops by his bravery in battle. the allies of the Bulgarians, the Greeks, fled from the field of battle, he fell to the ground and prayed with tears for the deliverance of the Christians. he led his own soldiers against the enemy. Rushing into the center of the enemy formation, he put them into disarray, and remained unharmed himself. homeward after a battle, he rescued the inhabitants of a certain city in the Raipha wilderness from a huge beast which emerged from a lake and attacked children. came to see this brave soldier when they heard that he had slain the beast they once worshiped as a god. He preached the Gospel to them, and turned them from demon worship and human sacrifice. after he returned home, Saint Michael surrendered his soul to the Lord, Whom he had loved since his youth. He wrought many miracles after death, healing those who came to him with faith. transfer of the relics of the saint from Potuka to Trnovo occurred in the year 1206, and at the beginning of the nineteenth century, they were transferred to Wallachia.

Bulgaria, 860-916, Clement of Ochrid, Enlightener of Bulgarians, s in Slavonic, first s author
Bulgarian Saint, 860-916, Saint Clement of Ohrid; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar1 were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11). At first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeeded Saint Methodios as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian Prince Svyatopolk. The struggle centered around the questions of the need for Divine Services in Slavonic, the Filioque, and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church Services), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodios to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their Spiritual Father, Saint Methodios. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the Saints and took them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Saints Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees by the same routes followed earlier by the Saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct Divine Services in the Slavonic language. The Bulgarian Prince Boris sought people such as the disciples of Saint Methodios, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. Right away, the Saints began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon reposed, and Saint Clement was appointed to teach at Kutmichivitsa, in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church, a teacher had to be a worthy person, someone known for his devout life, and who was able to speak well in public. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, he worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which was highly regarded by the time of Simeon's reign. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for ordination amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically trained clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the Saint not to abandon his cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Okhrid, to a monastery he founded. There he continued his work of translation, including some important portions of the Pentecostarion. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. His body was placed in a coffin, which he had made with his own hands, and was buried at Okhrid's Saint Panteleimon Monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. Not only did he continue the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodios, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by devout Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery which bears his name, near Lake Okhrid. Clement is also commemorated on November 22 (Greek usage), on November 25 (his Name Day), and on July 27 (the day of his blessed repose). St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Bulgaria, 864-865, Bulgaria converted to the Church, Christianity officially adopted
Bulgaria, 864-865, Bulgaria converted to the Church, Christianity officially adopted; St. Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6

Bulgaria, 864-899, 9th Century Folder, Orthodox

Bulgaria, 864-865, Bulgaria converted to the Church, Christianity officially adopted
Bulgaria, 864-865, Bulgaria converted to the Church, Christianity officially adopted; St. Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Bulgaria, 865-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that
Constantinople, 835-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, to the slavs in Pannonia, Great Moravia, and Serbia, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that, fled to Bulgaria; (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".[6] are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic.[7] After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.[8] career life two brothers were born in Thessalonica, then located in a Byzantine province with the same name, (today in Greece) – Cyril in about 827–828 and Methodius about 815–820. was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine,[9] but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death,[10][11][12] according to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"). was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk in Polychron Monastery at Mysian Olympus (present-day Uludağ), in northwest Turkey.[13] father was Leo, a droungarios of the Byzantine theme of Thessalonica, and their mother was Maria. exact ethnic origins of the brothers are unknown, there is controversy as to whether Cyril and Methodius were of Slavic[14] or Greek[15] origin, or both.[16] two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister Theoktistos, who was logothetes tou dromou, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. was also responsible, along with the regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as priest some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a deacon until 867/868.[17] to the Khazars the year 860, Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (a professor of Cyril's at the University and his guiding light in earlier years), sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the Khazars who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with both Jews and Saracens.[18] has been claimed that Methodius accompanied Cyril on the mission to the Khazars, but this may be a later invention.[citation needed] account of his life presented in the Latin "Legenda" claims that he learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (today Crimea). his return to Constantinople, Cyril assumed the role of professor of philosophy at the University while his brother had by this time become a significant figure in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and an abbot of his monastery.[citation needed] to the Slavs Moravia Cyril and Methodius, painting by Jan Matejko, 1885 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. year Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish ruler Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. It is a common misconception that Cyril and Methodius were the first to bring Christianity to Moravia, but the letter from Rastislav to Michael III states clearly that Rastislav's people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."[19] Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.[20] Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.[21] The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. 863, they began the task of translating the Gospels and necessary liturgical books into the language now known as Old Church Slavonic[22] and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.[23] They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavour. they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy. the purpose of this mission, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavic language. Its descendant script, the Cyrillic, is still used by many languages today.[20] brothers wrote the first Slavic Civil Code, which was used in Great Moravia. language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as Church Slavonic, is still used in liturgy by several Orthodox Churches and also in some Eastern Catholic churches. is impossible to determine with certainty exactly what the brothers translated. The New Testament and the Psalms seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.[citation needed] The "Translatio" speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the "Vita Methodii" only of the "evangelium Slovenicum," though other liturgical selections may also have been translated. is it known for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. may well have used the Roman alphabet, as suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old Glagolitic liturgical fragments brought from Jerusalem to Kiev and discovered there by Izmail Sreznevsky—probably the oldest document for the Slavonic tongue; these adhere closely to the Latin type, as is shown by the words "Mass," "Preface," and the name of one Felicitas. any case, the circumstances were such that the brothers could hope for no permanent success without obtaining the authorization of Rome. to Rome Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente mission of Constantine and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin or Greek. Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius also encountered missionaries from East Francia, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Carolingian Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as part of their rightful mission field. friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, decided to travel to Rome to see the Pope, and seek a solution that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. 867, Pope Nicholas I (858-867) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg (859–873) and Bishop Ermanrich of Passau (866-874), who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively. with the relics of Saint Clement and a retinue of disciples, and passing through Pannonia (the Balaton Principality), where they were well received by Prince Koceľ. activity in Pannonia made a continuation of conflicts inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of Salzburg, to whose jurisdiction Pannonia had belonged for seventy-five years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin was found to exercise Episcopal rights there, and the administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. The latter was obliged to retire to Salzburg, but his superior was naturally disinclined to abandon his claims. brothers sought support from Rome, and arrived there in 868, where they were warmly received. This was partly due to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; the rivalry with Constantinople as to the jurisdiction over the territory of the Slavs would incline Rome to value the brothers and their influence.[20] Pope Adrian II (867-872) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorisation to use the Slavonic Liturgy.[24] brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. Anastasius Bibliothecarius would later call Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".[25] project in Moravia found support from Pope Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. Methodius was ordained as priest by the pope himself, and five Slavic disciples were ordained as priests (Saint Gorazd, Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum) and as deacons (Saint Angelar and Saint Sava) by the prominent bishops Formosus and Gauderic.[26] and Methodius along with these five disciples are collectively venerated (mainly by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church) as "Seven Saints".[27] The newly made priests officiated in their own languages at the altars of some of the principal churches. Feeling his end approaching, Cyril became a Basilian monk, was given the new name Cyril,[28] and died in Rome fifty days later (14 February 869). There is some question as to assertion of the Translatio (ix.) that he was made a bishop. statement of the "Vita" that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of Pope John VIII, written in June 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Serbia as well. alone Saint Cyril and Methodius by Stanislav Dospevski, Bulgarian painter now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the Balaton Principality), owing to the political circumstances of the former country, where Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew Svatopluk in 870, then delivered over to Carloman of Bavaria, and condemned in a diet held at Regensburg at the end of 870. the same time, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops decided to remove Methodius. The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered such an injury to the rights of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to East Frankish bishops: Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. a heated discussion, they declared the deposition of the intruder, and ordered him to be sent to Germany, where he was kept prisoner in a monastery for two and a half years.[29] spite of the strong representations of the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, written in 871 to influence the pope, though not avowing this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius, and sent a bishop, Paul of Ancona, to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were commanded to appear in Rome with the legate. Thus in 873, new Pope John VIII (872-882) secured the release of Methodius, but instructed him to stop using the Slavonic Liturgy.[30] final years papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, though the use of Slavonic for the mass was still denied to him. authority was restricted in Pannonia when after Koceľ's death the principality was administered by German nobles; but Svatopluk now ruled with practical independence in Great Moravia, and expelled the German clergy. This apparently secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius, and the Vita (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a period of fruitful progress. seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy; and when Frankish clerics again found their way into the country, and the archbishop's strictness had displeased the licentious Svatopluk, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the Filioque. 878, Methodius was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Witching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz Boris of Bulgaria, under whom they reorganised a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. vindicated his orthodoxy at Rome, the more easily as the creed was still recited there without the Filioque, and promised to obey in regard to the liturgy. The other party was conciliated by giving him a Swabian, Wiching, as his coadjutor. When relations were strained between the two, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius; but after his death (December 882) the archbishop's position became insecure, and his need of support induced Goetz to accept the statement of the Vita (xiii.) that he went to visit the Eastern emperor. was not until after Methodius' death, which is placed on 6 April 885,[31] that the animosity erupted into an open conflict. whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by Pope Stephen V. The same Pope forbade the use of the Slavic liturgy[32] and placed the infamous Wiching as Methodius' successor. latter exiled the disciples of the two brothers from Great Moravia in 885. fled to the First Bulgarian Empire, where they were welcomed and commissioned to establish theological schools. they and scholar Saint Clement of Ohrid[33] devised the Cyrillic script on the basis of the Glagolitic. gradually replaced Glagolitic as the alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic language, which became the official language of the Bulgarian Empire and later spread to the Eastern Slav lands of Kievan Rus'. eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Eastern Orthodox Slavic countries. Cyril and Methodius' efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe. body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. Until today it remains an open question which city was capital of Great Moravia and therefore the place of Methodius' eternal rest remains unknown.[34] of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic alphabets, and were created by the two brothers and their students, to translate the Gospels and liturgical books[22] into the Slavic languages.[35] The early Glagolitic alphabet was used in Great Moravia between 863 (the arrival of Cyril and Methodius) and 885 (the expulsion of their students) for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated, by Methodius himself among others. The alphabet has been traditionally attributed to Cyril. That attribution has been confirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriae tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher". The term invention need not exclude the possibility of the brothers having made use of earlier letters, but implies only that before that time the Slavic languages had no distinct script of their own. early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire[36] and later finalized and spread by disciples Kliment and Naum in the Ohrid and Preslav schools of Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria[37] as a simplification of the Glagolitic alphabet which more closely resembled the Greek alphabet. It was developed by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the Preslav Literary School at the end of the 9th century. the death of Cyril, Clement of Ohrid accompanied Methodius from Rome to Pannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius in 885, Clement headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 886 reached the borders of the Bulgarian Empire together with Naum of Preslav, Angelarius, and possibly Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). The four of them were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria, so he established two literary schools (academies), in Pliska and Ohrid, where theology was to be taught in the Slavonic language. While Naum of Preslav stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the Pliska Literary School, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic at the Ohrid Literary School. For seven years (886-893) Clement taught some 3,500 students in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Bulgaria, 886-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator
Albania, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, of Five Followers, great learning, languages, Rome to Orchrid, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, prayer, slavonic translator, incorrupt relics; Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Nahum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), one of their coworkers known as the Five Followers. Nahum was a man of great learning, and he spoke several languages. After a visit to Rome, he settled on the shores of Lake Ochrid. There he built a monastery at the time when Saint Clement of Ochrid (July 27) was serving as a bishop. monks gathered around Saint Nahum, who was known as a great wonderworker and a man of prayer. also labored to translate the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Slavonic. Nahum fell asleep in the Lord in 910, and his holy relics continue to work miracles of healing for those who venerate them in faith.

Bulgaria, 889-893, Tsar, Vladimir, Serb Wars, Pagan, tried end Christianity, deposed&blinded by his f
Bulgarian Tsar, 889-893, Vladimir of Bulgaria; was the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire from 889 to 893. 853 or 854, the Bulgar Army led by Vladimir, the son of Boris I of Bulgaria, invaded Serbia in an attempt to exact vengeance for the previous defeat of Presian in 839-842 against Vlastimir. Serbian Army, led by Mutimir and his brothers, defeated the Bulgars, capturing Vladimir and 12 boyars.[1] Boris I and Mutimir agreed on peace (and perhaps an alliance[1]), and Mutimir sent his sons Pribislav and Stefan to the border to escort the prisoners, where they exchanged items as a sign of peace. Boris gave them "rich gifts", while he was given "two slaves, two falcons, two dogs, and 80 furs". became ruler (Tzar) of Bulgaria when his father Boris-Mihail I (Boris adopted the name Mihail - Michael - after his baptism) decided to retire to a monastery after a reign of 36 years. Preserved seals with the inscription "Michael the Monk, who is archon of the Bulgarians" suggest, however, that Boris I never fully relinquished his power. was the oldest of Boris-Mihail's sons and possibly the only one of them who had been born before Boris' adoption of Christianity.[2] to Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, Vladimir had taken part in a Bulgarian invasion of the Serbian lands, predating the Christianization of Bulgaria. little that is known about his reign includes a military alliance he concluded in 892 with the East Frankish (German) King Arnulf of Carinthia against Great Moravia which, having in mind the interests of the Byzantine Empire, was indirectly aimed against Constantinople. This was a serious straying from the pro-Byzantine policy of his father. is mainly remembered for his attempt to eliminate Christianity in Bulgaria and the re-institution of Paganism. This event is written of by Constantine of Preslav in his Didactic Gospel. started the process of destroying the Christian temples and persecuting of the clergymen, because he regarded them as instruments of Byzantium and its efforts to influence the Bulgarian kingdom. Vladimir-Rasate's actions were not well received by the population and the aristocracy, and he was only supported by a few of the boyars. Therefore, in 893, Boris I left the monastery he inhabited and dispossessed his son. He blinded Vladimir and put him in a dungeon, where his trails vanish. placed his third son Simeon on the Bulgarian throne during the Council of Preslav, itself a direct consequence of Vladimir-Rasate's ill-fated attempt to restore paganism.[3] Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Bulgaria, 893-927, Tsar, Simeon I, won against Byzantines, Serbs and Magyars, greatest expansion
Bulgarian Tsar, 893-927, Simeon I of Bulgaria; Simeon ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927,[3] during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever,[4] making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern and Southeast Europe.[5] His reign was also a period of unmatched cultural prosperity and enlightenment later deemed the Golden Age of Bulgarian culture.[6] During Simeon's rule, Bulgaria spread over a territory between the Aegean, the Adriatic and the Black Sea.[7][8] The newly independent Bulgarian Orthodox Church became the first new patriarchate besides the Pentarchy, and Bulgarian Glagolitic and Cyrillic translations of Christian texts spread all over the Slavic world of the time.[9] It was at the Preslav Literary School in the 890s that the Cyrillic alphabet was developed.[10][11][12] Halfway through his reign, Simeon assumed the title of Emperor (Tsar),[13] having prior to that been styled Prince (Knyaz).[14] Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Bulgaria, 896-946, John of Rila, cow calf river story, beans story, appearance for relics story
Bulgarian Saint, 896-946, John of Rila ; Repose of Venerable John, Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers. St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Bulgaria, 900, 10th Century Folder, Orthodox

Bulgaria, 901-946, Saint John of Rila, A Testament to Disciples
Bulgaria, 900-946, Saint John of Rila; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; we commemorate the transfer of the relics of Saint John, Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria (1238). relics of Saint John were transferred from the city of Sredets [Sofia] to Trnovo, the capital of the Bulgarian realm, in the year 1238. See August 18 for his Life. Repose of Venerable John, Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers. Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Bulgaria, 907-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria
Albania, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Albania, disciple of Cyril and Methodios, services in Slavonic, sold as slaves in 886, ransomed from Venice, Moravia colapsed 907, to Bulgaria, Slavonic s, teach in Kutmichivisa Clement of Ohrid (c. 830-840 – 916) was one of the first Medieval Bulgarian saints,[6] scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs.[7][8][9][10][11] was one of the most prominent disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts, especially their popularisation among Christianised Slavs. was the founder of the Ohrid Literary School and is regarded as a patron of education and language by some Slavic people. is considered to be the first bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,[12][13] one of the Seven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church and one of the premier saints of modern Bulgaria.[14] mission of Saint Clement was the crucial factor which transformed the Slavs in Macedonia into Bulgarians.[15] Saint Clement is also the patron saint of North Macedonia, the city of Ohrid[5] and the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[16][17] Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar1 were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeeded Saint Methodios as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian Prince Svyatopolk. struggle centered around the questions of the need for Divine Services in Slavonic, the Filioque, and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church Services), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodios to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their Spiritual Father, Saint Methodios. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the Saints and took them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Saints Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees by the same routes followed earlier by the Saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct Divine Services in the Slavonic language. Bulgarian Prince Boris sought people such as the disciples of Saint Methodios, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. Right away, the Saints began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon reposed, and Saint Clement was appointed to teach at Kutmichivitsa, in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church, a teacher had to be a worthy person, someone known for his devout life, and who was able to speak well in public. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, he worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which was highly regarded by the time of Simeon's reign. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for ordination amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically trained clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the Saint not to abandon his cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Okhrid, to a monastery he founded. There he continued his work of translation, including some important portions of the Pentecostarion. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. His body was placed in a coffin, which he had made with his own hands, and was buried at Okhrid's Saint Panteleimon Monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. Not only did he continue the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodios, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by devout Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery which bears his name, near Lake Okhrid. Clement is also commemorated on November 22 (Greek usage), on November 25 (his Name Day), and on July 27 (the day of his blessed repose). His name may come from the Greek word αναγορεύω (to proclaim).

Bulgaria, 927-969, Tsar, Peter I, prosperity, well organized, 933 Serb revolt, 968 Rus Byz attack,
Bulgarian Tsar, 927-969, Peter I of Bulgaria; I ( I) (died 30 January 970) was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 27 May 927 to 969. reign[edit] I was the son of Simeon I of Bulgaria by his second marriage to the sister of George Sursuvul. had been born early in the 10th century, but it appears that his maternal uncle was very influential at the beginning of his reign. 913 Peter may have visited the imperial palace at Constantinople together with his older brother Michael. unspecified reasons, Simeon had forced Michael to become a monk and had named Peter as his successor. prove himself a worthy successor to his father both at home and in the eyes of foreign governments, Peter began his reign with a military offensive into Byzantine Thrace in 927 which was the last campaign of the Byzantine-“Bulgarian war of 913-“927. he followed up his quick successes by secretly negotiating a peace treaty before the Byzantine government had a chance to retaliate. Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos eagerly accepted the proposal for peace and arranged for a diplomatic marriage between his granddaughter Maria and the Bulgarian monarch. October 927 Peter arrived near Constantinople to meet Romanos and signed the peace treaty, marrying Maria on 8 November in the church of the Zodochos Pege. signify the new era in Bulgaro-Byzantine relations, the princess was renamed Eirene ("peace"). extensive Preslav Treasure is thought to represent part of the dowry of the princess. treaty of 927 actually represents the fruit of Simeon's military successes and diplomatic initiatives, ably continued by his son's government. was obtained with the frontiers restored to those defined in treaties of 897 and 904. Byzantines recognised the Bulgarian monarch's title of emperor and the autocephalus status of the Bulgarian patriarchate, while the payment of an annual tribute to Bulgaria by the Byzantine Empire was renewed.[1] and incursions[edit] initial successes of Peter's reign were followed by several minor setbacks. 930, Peter faced a revolt led by his younger brother Ivan, who was defeated and sent into exile in Byzantium. afterwards Peter's older brother Michael escaped from his monastery and led a more formidable rebellion, which terminated with his early death. youngest brother, Benjamin (also called Bojan), was accused of being a werewolf and magician by the Italian Bishop Liutprand of Cremona, but he apparently posed no threat to Peter's authority. taking advantage of these challenges to Peter's rule, the Prince of Serbia Vaslav Klonimirovi escaped the Bulgarian capital Preslav in 933 with tacit Byzantine support, managed to raise a Serbian revolt against Bulgarian rule.[2] revolt succeeded and Serbia recovered its independence. may have had to also face the incursions of the Magyars, who had been defeated and forced into Pannonia by his father in 896. after an initial defeat, Peter came to terms with the enemy and now used Magyar groups as his allies against Serbia. Magyar clans and chieftains appear to have begun to settle in what was still Bulgarian territory north of the Danube, they may have become Bulgarian federates, enjoying independence from the Saa¡d dynasty. arrangement paved the way for the eventual loss of the region to the Magyars, that happened over the half-century following Peter's death. apparently allowed these groups to cross Bulgaria and raid Byzantine territories in Thrace and Macedonia, as an underhanded reaction against Byzantine support for the Serbian rebellion. rule[edit] I presided over a long and relatively peaceful reign, albeit one poorly illuminated by foreign or native sources. spite of the challenges he encountered soon after his accession and the critical situation at the very end of his life, Bulgaria appears to have been prosperous and increasingly well organized, an administrative apparatus noted by foreign travelers and confirmed by the numerous finds of imperial seals. was particularly generous towards the Church, which he endowed lavishly throughout his reign. emperor's generosity reached such an extent that it was seen as a corrupting factor by even Orthodox clerics, like Cosmas Presbyter. chose a path away from the temptations of the secular world, most notably Saint Ivan of Rila, but their ascetic existence still drew the attention of the monarch. and social tensions may have contributed to the spread of the Bogomil heresy, Peter duly undertook to combat, soliciting the advice of famous hermits and even his uncle-in-law, Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople. with Byzantium and Rus[edit] Main article: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria with the Byzantine Empire worsened after the death of Peter's wife in the mid-960s. over the Arabs, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas refused to pay the annual tribute to Bulgaria in 966, complaining of the Bulgarian alliance with the Magyars, and he undertook a show of force at the Bulgarian border. from a direct attack against Bulgaria, Nikephoros II dispatched a messenger to the Rus prince Sviatoslav Igorevich to arrange a Rus attack against Bulgaria from the north. Death of Emperor Peter I. readily launched a campaign with a vast force of 60,000 troops, routed the Bulgarians on the Danube, and defeated them in a battle near Silistra, seizing some 80 Bulgarian fortresses in 968. by the success of his ally and suspicious of his actual intentions, Emperor Nikephoros II hastened to make peace with Bulgaria and arranged the marriage of his wards, the underage emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, to two Bulgarian princesses. of Peter's sons were sent to Constantinople as both negotiators and honorary hostages. the meantime Peter managed to secure the retreat of the Rus forces by inciting Bulgaria's traditional allies, the Pechenegs, to attack Kiev itself. spite of this temporary success and the reconciliation with Byzantium, faced a new invasion by Sviatoslav in 969. The Bulgarians were defeated again, Peter suffered a stroke, which led him to abdicate and become a monk. died on 30 January 970. with the military success of his father's reign, Peter has been traditionally considered a weak ruler, who lost lands and prestige, allowed his military forces to decline while his country was ravaged by foreign invaders, and turned Bulgaria into a Byzantine satellite governed by Byzantine agents in the persons of his empress and her retinue. view has been questioned by more recent scholarship, emphasizes the affluence and internal peace enjoyed by Bulgarian society during his long reign, the relationship between Bulgaria and its semi-nomadic neighbors (Magyars and Pechenegs), questions the allegedly sinister role of Romanos' granddaughter and her retinue.[3] Peter's reign witnessed the spread of the Bogomil heresy, its origins were more demographic (perhaps inspired by Paulicians settled earlier by Byzantine emperors in Thrace) than social, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint. was considered a good ruler in the Middle Ages, and when Bulgaria fell under Byzantine rule (1018-“1185), leaders of attempts to restore Bulgarian independence adopted his name to emphasize legitimacy and continuity Peter Delyan and Constantine Bodin adopted the royal name of Peter in their attempts to regain the throne from the Byzantines). Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice. Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

Bulgaria, 927-969, Bogomilism, heresy, neo gnostic or dualist sect
Bulgaria, 927-969, Bogomilism; Bogomilism was a Christian neo-Gnostic or dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Peter I in the 10th century.[1][2][3] It most probably arose in what is today the region of Macedonia.[4][5] Bogomils called for a return to what they considered to be early spiritual teaching, rejecting the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and their primary political tendencies were resistance to the state and church authorities. This helped the movement spread quickly in the Balkans, gradually expanding throughout the Byzantine Empire and later reaching Kievan Rus', Bosnia (Bosnian Church), Dalmatia, Serbia, Italy, and France (Cathars). Bogomils were dualists or Gnostics in that they believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body. They did not use the Christian cross, nor build churches, as they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. This gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging,[clarification needed] fasting, celebrating and dancing. Bulgarian Tsar, 927-969, Peter I of Bulgaria; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30;

Bulgaria, 927-972, Damian, Bulgarian Patriarch, t my relics to Sofia, where Damian is hiding
Bulgarian Patriarch, 927-972, Damian Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers.

Bulgaria, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles
Bulgaria, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles, Prochorus oPshina persued asceticism iBransk wilderness aRiver Pshina, founded monastery there, renouned as one otGreat ascetics, died end 10th C, miracles fHis relics, pious King Milutin 1276-1320 built Prochorus' Church; Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) St. Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the River Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Prochorus of Pshina pursued asceticism in the Bransk wilderness at the River Pshina, and he founded a monastery there. is renowned as one of the great ascetics of monastic life. He died at the end of the tenth century. Miracles occurred from the saint’s relics. According to the Serbian Chronicles, the pious King Milutin (1276-1320) built a church in honor of Saint Prochorus.

Bulgaria, 931-967, Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, w John of Rila Monastery
Bulgaria, 931-967, Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, John of Rila Monastery, advantageous peace w Byzantium, autonomy of Bulgarian Church, extripation of Bogomil heresy; Rila Monastery ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice. Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

Bulgaria, 969-971, Tsar. Boris II, hostage, lost Thrace to B, fought Sviaslav of Kiev
Bulgarian Tsar, 969-971. Boris II of Bulgaria ; II was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 969 to 977 (in Byzantine captivity from 971). Boris II was the eldest surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria and Maria (renamed Eirene) Lekapena, a granddaughter of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos of Byzantium. Boris had been born by 931, when he had visited Constantinople together with his mother. Nothing else is known of Boris II's life until 968, when he went to Constantinople again to negotiate a peace settlement with Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, and apparently to serve as an honorary hostage. This arrangement was intended to put an end to the conflict between Bulgaria and Byzantium, who would now join forces against Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev, whom the Byzantine emperor had pitted against the Bulgarians. In 969 a new Kievan invasion defeated the Bulgarians again and Peter I abdicated to become a monk. In circumstances that are not entirely clear, Boris II was allowed to return to Bulgaria and sit on his father's throne. (The later Byzantine chronicle of John Skylitzes confounds this with a later event, in which Boris and his brother escaped Constantinople after the so-called rebellion of the Kometopouloi in Macedonia.) The Byzantine emperor John Tzimisces returns in triumph in Constantinople with the captured Boris II and Preslav Icon Boris II was unable to stem the Kievan advance, and found himself forced to accept Sviatoslav of Kiev as his ally and puppet-master, turning against the Byzantines. A Kievan campaign into Byzantine Thrace was defeated at the Battle of Arkadioupolis in 970, and the new Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes advanced northwards. Failing to secure the defense of the Balkan passes, Sviatoslav allowed the Byzantines to penetrate into Moesia and lay siege to the Bulgarian capital Preslav. Although Bulgarians and Ruses joined in defending the city, the Byzantines managed to set afire the wooden structures and roofs by missiles, and took the fortress. Boris II now became a captive of John I Tzimiskes, who continued to pursue the Kievan Army, besieging Sviatoslav in DrÄƒstÄƒr (Silistra), while claiming to act as Boris' ally and protector, and treating the Bulgarian monarch with due respect. After Sviatoslav had come to terms and set out for Kiev, the Byzantine emperor returned to Constantinople in triumph. Far from liberating Bulgaria as he had claimed, John brought along Boris II and his family, together with the contents of the Bulgarian imperial treasury in 971. In a public ceremony in Constantinople, Boris II was ritually divested of his imperial insignia and was given the Byzantine court title of magistros as compensation. The Bulgarian lands in Thrace and lower Moesia now became part of the Byzantine Empire and were placed under Byzantine governors. Although the ceremony in 971 had been intended as a symbolic termination of the Bulgarian empire, the Byzantines were unable to assert their control over the western provinces of Bulgaria. These remained under the rule of their own governors, and especially of a noble family led by four brothers called the Kometopouloi (i.e., "the sons of the Count"), named David, Moses, Aron, and Samuel. The movement was regarded as a "revolt" by the Byzantine emperor, but it apparently saw itself as a sort of regency for the captive Boris II. As they began to raid neighboring territories under Byzantine rule, the Byzantine government resorted to a stratagem intended to compromise the leadership of this "revolt". This involved allowing Boris II and his brother Roman to escape from their honorary captivity at the Byzantine court, in the hope that their arrival in Bulgaria would cause a division between the Kometopouloi and other Bulgarian leaders. As Boris II and Roman entered the region under Bulgarian control in 977, Boris II dismounted and went ahead of his brother. Mistaken for a Byzantine notable due to his attire, Boris was shot in the chest by a deaf and mute border patrol. Roman managed to identify himself to the other guards and was duly accepted as emperor. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Bulgaria, 971-997, Tsar, Roman of Bulgaria, B hostage, Sviatoslav and Tzimiskes pawn, castrated
toBulgarian Tsar, 971-997, Roman of Bulgaria; ( 930s-“997) was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 977 to 991, being in Byzantine captivity thereafter still claiming the title. Reign[edit] Roman was the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria by his marriage with Maria (renamed Eirene) Lekapene, the granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos.[1] It is possible that he had the double name Roman-Simeon, but this may be due to confusion with another man in the sources. He was born around 930, and had probably visited Constantinople with his mother and older brothers soon after 931. We know nothing about Roman’s life until 968, when he joined his older brother Boris in Constantinople to negotiate a peace agreement between Bulgaria and Byzantium, during which they apparently served as honorary hostages at the Byzantine court. On their father’s abdication in 969, Boris and Roman returned to Bulgaria, where Boris II succeeded as emperor. Roman may have been proclaimed co-emperor in accordance with Byzantine usage, but the evidence for that is vague. In Bulgaria Roman probably shared his brother’s destiny, becoming first a pawn in the hands of Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev and then in those of the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes. After the latter’s victory in 971, Roman was taken to Constantinople together with his brother’s family. To ensure that the Bulgarian dynasty would die out (Boris II apparently had only daughters), the Byzantine emperor had Roman castrated.[2] Boris and Roman remained in honorary captivity at the imperial palace until after the death of the emperor in 976. At this point the raids of the Cometopuli into Byzantine possessions in Macedonia led to a Byzantine stratagem intended to divide the leadership of the still-unconquered Bulgarian lands in the west. Temporarily jailed, Boris and Roman were allowed to escape in 977. During their attempt to cross the Bulgarian border, Boris II was taken for an enemy and killed by a guard. Roman managed to identify himself to the Bulgarian patrols, and was duly recognized by the Bulgarians as emperor. Although Roman was acknowledged as the official Bulgarian ruler, most of the military matters were left in the hands of Samuil, who was the youngest brother of the Cometopuli dynasty, and Roman devoted to church deeds similar to his father Peter in his end of life. During one of his invasions of Bulgaria, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II succeeded in capturing Roman in 991. Roman remained in Byzantine captivity until his death in 997, and it was only then that Samuel took the Bulgarian imperial title. Such, at least, is the sequence of events reported by the trustworthy historian Yahya of Antioch. According to the later testimony of the Byzantine chronicler John Skylitzes, in 1004 Skopje was surrendered to Basil II by its governor Roman Simeon, who may have been mistaken for Emperor Roman in the text. Roman-Simeon received the title of patrikios and was named military governor or strategos of the theme of Abydos.' Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Bulgaria, 976-1025, Byzantium Emperor, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, with Rus over First B Empire and Georgia
Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; II Porphyrogenitus (c.958 -“ 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer [note 3] was the senior Byzantine Emperor for almost 50 years (10 January 976 -“ 15 December 1025), having been a junior colleague to other emperors since 960. He and his brother Constantine[note 4] were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. The throne went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-“969) then John Tzimiskes (r. 969-“976), before Basil became senior emperor. His influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos was the de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire until 985.[note 5] Basil II then held power for forty years. early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy; first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian Empire, its foremost European foe, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-“988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate that ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate that gained the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. near-constant warfare, Basil distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, filling its treasury, and leaving it with its greatest expanse in four centuries. his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions taken during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor states of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 24; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28;

Bulgaria, 984-1017, Sophia oThrace, lost 6 C, did not despair, always singing, 100 orphans, wine barrel, charity in secret
Bulgaria, 984-1017, Sophia oThrace, Aenus (Ainos, Enos), Thrace, Bulgaria (Maritza (Hebrus) River Mouth, Roman Road Via Egnatia), wealthy Christian parents, arranged marriage, six childen, husband&Children died, she did not despair, even more devoted, protected over 100 orphans and widows, constant almsgiving, prayers, fasting, comfoting neighbor, David's psalms always on her lips, so God blessed her by keeping her wine barrel full, until she told someone glorifying God, then barrel became empty, devastated she increased ascetical labors until health suffered, then she taught people ascetic life with charity brings miracles, enough to live this way in secret, tonsured as a nun, then devoted completely to worshiping God, reposed peacefully, lived during 10th and 11th C.; Aenus; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Mother Sophia was born in the province of Ainos in southeastern Thrace, was the daughter of prominent and wealthy Christian parents. she was of age, her parents arranged for her to be married. and her husband had six children. Though she was occupied with worldly cares and responsibilities, she still kept God's commandments and lived a virtuous life. loved to attend the Church Services, and so she progressed in virtue. sickness carried off Sophia's husband and all her children in succession, she did not despair, became even more devoted to God. found solace in her grief by protecting orphans and widows. spent her time in constant almsgiving, prayers, fasting, and everything which comforted her neighbor. a period of twenty years, she adopted one hundred children, and raised them to love God. this reason, she is sometimes called Saint Sophia the Mother of Orphans. sold her property and gave the proceeds to the poor and to widows. led an austere life, eating nothing but bread and water. chose to do without the necessities of life herself rather than allow any poor person to leave her home empty-handed. Psalms of the Prophet-King David were always on her lips, and tears flowed continuously from her eyes. of her humility and love for the poor, God blessed her in the following way. her home there was a barrel of wine which she kept for the poor. She noticed that no matter how much she took from the barrel, it remained full. as soon as she told someone about the miracle and glorified God, the barrel became empty. Sophia was devastated, believing that the wine had failed because of her unworthiness. she increased her ascetical labors until her health suffered. Sophia taught everyone how the ascetic life can be applied in the world. combined with selfless charity, God performs wondrous miracles. is enough to live this way "in secret." that the end of her life was near, she was tonsured as a nun. that time, she devoted herself completely to worshiping God. Sophia reposed peacefully at the age of fifty-three. She lived during the X-XI centuries.

Bulgaria, 997-1014, Tsar, Samuel, Orthodox, constant warfare against Byzantium, and ambitious Basil II
Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; was the Tsar (Emperor) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014.[5] 977 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria,[6] the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal authority.[7] As Samuel struggled to preserve his country's independence from the Byzantine Empire, his rule was characterized by constant warfare against the Byzantines and their equally ambitious ruler Basil II. his early years Samuel managed to inflict several major defeats on the Byzantines and to launch offensive campaigns into their territory.[8] In the late 10th century, the Bulgarian armies conquered the Serb principality of Duklja[9] and led campaigns against the Kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary. But from 1001, he was forced mainly to defend the Empire against the superior Byzantine armies. Samuel died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014, two months after the catastrophic battle of Kleidion. His successors failed to organize a resistance, and in 1018, four years after Samuel's death, the country capitulated, ending the five decades-long Byzantine–Bulgarian conflict.[10] was considered "invincible in power and unsurpassable in strength".[11][12] Similar comments were made even in Constantinople, where John Kyriotes penned a poem offering a punning comparison between the Bulgarian Emperor and Halley's comet, which appeared in 989.[13][14] During Samuel's reign, Bulgaria gained control of most of the Balkans (with the notable exception of Thrace) as far as southern Greece. He moved the capital from Skopje to Ohrid,[8][15] which had been the cultural and military centre of southwestern Bulgaria since Boris I's rule,[16] and made the city the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. Because of this, his realm is sometimes called the Western Bulgarian Empire.[17][18] Samuel's energetic reign restored Bulgarian might on the Balkans, and although the Empire was disestablished after his death, he is regarded as a heroic ruler in Bulgaria.[19][20] Samuel is considered also a heroic ruler in today North Macedonia[21] (see the section Nomenclature). Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav, Murderer, lost empire to Byzantium
Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. Saved from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. Due to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. After the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. After his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Ivan Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. Two women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Bulgaria, 1000, 11th C Folder, George&Sava oKhakhuli m, Georgia

Bulgaria, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli M, righteous blameless, blessed spiritually materially, uncles oGeorge otHoly Mt
Georgia, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3), Uncles of George otHoly Mt, monks aKm, filled wDivine Grace, George spiritual advisor King Bagrat III, Produced ecclesiastical lit wKing, many translations&copies, Sava righteous&blameless, both had spiritual blesings&material wealth, they suggested other brother Jacob bring his son George tKM in Klarjeti, Peris Jojikisdze (nobleman married to Bagrat III's daughter) governed Tvartsatpi palace, selected George tBe palace instructor&spiritual guide, incl earthly affairs, He took young George tPalace, year later Basil II falsely accused Peris, ordered execution, family escorted tConstantinople, in Byzantium 12 yrs, George sent young George to Sava aKM, George&Sava died about 1050; Khakhuli Monastery; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated December 19 ; George and Savva of Khakhuli were brothers of Jacob, the father of Saint George of the Holy Mountain. and Savva labored as monks at Khakhuli Monastery in southern Georgia. holy fathers were filled with divine grace. elder brother, George, was a spiritual adviser in the court of King Bagrat III Kuropalates along with the king, he became an active participant in the production of ecclesiastical literature. period is known as the Golden Age of Georgian Letters, when many translations and copies of ecclesiastical writings were made.) younger brother, Savva, is remembered as a righteous and blameless man by the renowned Church figure George the Lesser. to George the Lesser, the brothers were generously endowed with both spiritual blessings and material wealth. the holy fathers heard about the piety of their nephew, the young George (later of the Holy Mountain), suggested that Jacob bring him to them in Khakhuli in Klarjeti. exceeding gladness Jacob brought his son to the God-fearing brothers. that time a certain Peris Jojikisdze, a nobleman married to the daughter of King Bagrat III, governed the village of Tvartsatapi. thought it wise to invite an intelligent and experienced monk to his palace to serve as an instructor and spiritual guide, he selected Saint George to fill this role. great reluctance the venerable father consented, he was entrusted with responsibility for all the spiritual and earthly affairs at the palace. of Khakhuli took the young George with him to the palace of Peris Jojikisdze. year later, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II brought false accusations against Peris and ordered his execution. wife and those in his court, among whom were Saint George and the young George of the Holy Mountain, were captured and escorted to Constantinople. twelve years in Byzantium, the captives were finally permitted to return home. his return to Georgia, George of Khakhuli sent his nephew to Khakhuli Monastery, entrusting him to the care of his brother Savva. holy fathers reposed peacefully in the mid-11th century.

Bulgaria, 1018-1185, Folder, Controlled by Byzantium

Bulgaria, 1000-1016, Prince, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav
Bulgaria, 1000-1016, Prince, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav; Vladimir or John Vladimir ([a] c. 990 - 22 May 1016) was the ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time,[1] from around 1000 to 1016. ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. Vladimir was acknowledged as a pious, just, and peaceful ruler. He is recognized as a martyr and saint, with his feast day being celebrated on 22 May.[b] Vladimir had a close relationship with Byzantium but this did not save Duklja from the expansionist Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, who conquered the principality around 1010 and took Vladimir prisoner. medieval chronicle asserts that Samuel's daughter, Theodora Kosara, fell in love with Vladimir and begged her father for his hand. The tsar allowed the marriage and returned Duklja to Vladimir, who ruled as his vassal. Vladimir took no part in his father-in-law's war efforts. The warfare culminated with Tsar Samuel's defeat by the Byzantines in 1014 and death soon after. 1016, Vladimir fell victim to a plot by Ivan Vladislav, the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. He was beheaded in front of a church in Prespa, the empire's capital, and was buried there. was soon recognized as a martyr and saint. His widow, Kosara, reburied him in the Precista Krajinska Church, near his court in southeastern Duklja. 1381, his remains were preserved in the Church of St Jovan Vladimir near Elbasan, and since 1995 they have been kept in the Orthodox cathedral of Tirana, Albania. saint's remains are considered Christian relics, and attract many believers, especially on his feast day, when the relics are taken to the church near Elbasan for a celebration. cross Vladimir held when he was beheaded is also regarded as a relic. Traditionally under the care of the AndroviÄ‡ family from the village of Velji MikuliÄ‡i in southeastern Montenegro, the cross is only shown to believers on the Feast of Pentecost, when it is carried in a procession to the summit of Mount Rumija. Vladimir is regarded as the first Serbian saint and the patron saint of the town of Bar in Montenegro. earliest, lost hagiography was probably written sometime between 1075 and 1089; a shortened version, written in Latin, is preserved in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja. His hagiographies in Greek and Church Slavonic were first published, respectively, in 1690 and 1802. The saint is classically depicted in icons as a monarch wearing a crown and regal clothes, with a cross in his right hand and his own head in his left hand. He is fabled to have carried his severed head to his place of burial. Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Holy Martyr John-Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the tenth century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy Faith in purity. noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women’s monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life. The relics of the holy prince are located near Elbosan.

Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav, Murderer, mixed heritage, defended his country
Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Holy Martyr John-Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the tenth century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy Faith in purity. noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women’s monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life. The relics of the holy prince are located near Elbosan.

Bulgaria, 1067-1097, Gabriel, Large inheritance, founded Lesnov m, then left tHide in mine 30yr asceticism, relic healings
Bulgaria, 1067-1097, Gabriel, founder oLesnov Monastery, Bulgaria (High Point, Strumitza River Source), near Kratov, Macedonia, large inheritance, rejected marriage, monk on Mt at Lesnov, built Church, gathered monks, appointed igumen, gave inheritance tMonastery, lift tHide in mine, asceticism 30 yrs, conquering demonic temptations, returned tLesnov m, died iPeace, 30 yrs later relics uncovered, relic healings, long afterwards relics tTrnovo, Bulgaria; Lesnov Monastery, Bulgaria; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Gabriel, founder of the Lesnov monastery (in 1067) the city of Kratov. a large inheritance after the death of his parents, he rejected marriage and became a monk on a mountain at Lesnov. he built a church in the name of the Archangel Michael, and gathered many monks around him. appointed an igumen, and left all his inheritance to the monastery. then hid himself in a mine, where he lived in asceticism for thirty years, conquering demonic temptations through prayer and fasting. then returned to the Lesnov monastery and ended his life in peace. thirty years, his relics were uncovered, and healings worked through them. afterwards, they were transferred to Trnovo [Tirnova] in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, 1083-1140, John Chimchimeli, great translator, philosopher, teacher, & defender of the Georgian Christian Faith
Georgia, 1083-1140, Philosopher, Ioane Petritsi aka John or Ioane Chimchimeli, great translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Christian Faith, educated iBulgaria aBachkovo m, Translated exegetical works: commentaries on Ecclesiastes, Books of Mark and Luke, also John is portrayed in Jerusalem Holy Cross m frescoes, J directed literary school, in Gremi, Kakheti, teaching philosophy, theology, greek, syrian, Arabic languages; Georgia, 1083-1140, Philosopher, Ioane Petritsi aka John or Ioane Chimchimeli ; St. John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10; information about the life of Saint John of Chimchimeli has been preserved, we know that he was a great translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Christian Faith. received his education in present-day Bulgaria, the literary school of the famous Petritsoni (now Bachkovo) Georgian Monastery. historian writes: “In his eulogy on the death of Saint Demetre the King, John the Philosopher of Chimchimeli brilliantly describes the glory, honor, and heroism of this holy man’s life.” John translated many exegetical compositions, two commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes, by Metrophanes of Smyrna (Metropolitan of Smyrna (857-880); his Commentary on Ecclesiastes is preserved only in Georgian) the other by Olympiodorus of Alexandria (a 6th-century deacon who wrote a series of commentaries on the books of the Bible, not to be confused with the neoplatonist philosopher also of the 6th century). also translated “An Explanation of the Gospel According to Saint Mark” and “An Explanation of the Gospel According to Saint Luke”, both by Blessed Theophylactus of Bulgaria. works of our Holy Father John of Chimchimeli are fundamental to the canon of Georgian theological literature. his work Pilgrimage, eminent eighteenth-century historian Archbishop Timote (Gabashvili) John of Chimchimeli among the holy fathers portrayed in the frescoes at the Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. the second half of the 19th century the historian Mose Janashvili wrote, his History of the Georgian Church, John of Chimchimeli directed a literary school in the village of Gremi in Kakheti. to Janashvili, students at Saint John’s school were instructed in philosophy and theology as well as in the Greek, Syrian, and Arabic languages.

Bulgaria, 1185-1422, Folder, Second Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria, 1185-1199, 12th Century Folder, 2nd Bulgarian Empire Begins

Bulgaria, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st Serbian archbishop, caused Royal father mother become monastics, strengthened church&state
Serbia, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st archbishop oSerbia, son oSerbian King S Nemanya and daughter Byzantine Emperor Romanus, fervently attended Church, special icon love, a17 i1186 met monk & left home fAthos &Panteleimon m, given tRussian monks 1169, Sava's birthdate, his father Nemanya threatened war against Greeks if not returned, even though warned always watch, Sava received monastic tonsure during evening services when drunk soldiers fell asleep, sava sent home worldly clothes, hair&letter which requested parents become monastics, they do, father wSon aVatopedi, before they founded Hilandar 1198, there Sava becomes deacon then presbyter, mother became nun named Anastasia, made archimandrite 1219 aThessalonica, same year made Archbishop, so Serbia could elect own archbishop, important because frequent wars east and west, tAthos fNicea tSay goodby all monasteries, deep remorse (regret guilt) for leaving paradise, but MOG spoke in dream, having my support why sorrow, sorrow tJoy, large icons Jesus&MOG in appearance memory, aThessalonica, His father monk Simeon's relics exuded fragrant myrrh, Sava in charge negotiations wHungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war wSerbia, brought him tOrthodoxy fCatholic, Facilitating autonomous Serbian Church, plus strengthened Serbian State by crowning brother Steven as king, then Radislav his son, then Holy Land tWorship, then Vladislav as King and betrothed him tBulgarian Prince Asan's daughter, he visited churches across Serbia, reformed monastic rules like Athos&Palestine, established many churches, appointed Asenius as his successor, then journey of no return to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land, Palestine Syria Persia Babylon Egypt Anatola, finishing at Tronovo, Bulgaria wAsan, died 1237, healings at his relics iBulgaria and Serbia at Church oMileshevo; St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. ------------------------------onk Simeon, the holy relics xuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy. Serbia, 1189-1235, Saint Sava I, Metropolitan of Zica, Son of Nemanja, Hilandar, Law, Constttn, tEnlightener, Serb Prince, Orthodox monk, autocephalous Serb church archbishop, Serb law founder, diplomat, youngest son oSteven Nemanja, Sava ruled Hum briefly 1090-93, then tAthos, became monk Sava, established Hilandar m, important Serb culture religious center, 1219 Constantinople Patriarch (exiled in Nicea) recognized him aSerb Archbishop, 1219 wrote Serb Constitution, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, which secured both religious&Political independence, founder Serbian midieval lit, important figure Serb history, patron saint Serbia, his church iBelgrade large bldg in the world, where his relics burnt bOttomans 1594; Serbian Saint, 1219-1235, Saint Sava, Metropolitan of Zica; Sava (1169 -14 January 1236), as the Enlightener, a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, founder of Serbian law, a diplomat. born as Rastko, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja of the Nemanji dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in 1190-“92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[6][7][8] is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history. Sava is venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church as its founder on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594 during an uprising in which the Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical teasury of Ort.

Bulgaria, 1197-1207, Emperor, Kaloyan, w R Pope, expansionist, took advantage of Fall of C against Latins
Bulgarian Emperor, 1197-1207, Kaloyan of Bulgaria; also known as Kalojan, Johannitsa or Ioannitsa (c. 1170 – October 1207) was Tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. was a younger brother of Theodor and Asen who led the anti-Byzantine uprising of the Bulgarians and Vlachs in 1185. uprising ended with the restoration of the independence of Bulgaria. spent years as a hostage in Constantinople in the late 1180s. (who had been crowned emperor under the name Peter) made him his co-ruler after Asen was murdered in 1196. A year later, was also assassinated, and Kaloyan became the sole ruler of Bulgaria. obtain an imperial crown from the Holy See, Kaloyan entered into correspondence with Pope Innocent III, offering to acknowledge papal His expansionist policy brought him into conflict with the Byzantine Empire, Serbia and Hungary. King of Hungary allowed the papal legate who delivered a royal crown to Kaloyan to enter Bulgaria only at the Pope's demand. The legate crowned Kaloyan "King of the Bulgarians and Vlachs" on 8 November 1204, but Kaloyan continued to regard his realm as an empire. took advantage of the disintegration of the Byzantine Empire after the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders (or "Latins") in 1204. captured fortresses in Macedonia and Thrace and supported the local population's riots against the crusaders. He defeated Baldwin I, Latin emperor of Constantinople, in the Battle of Adrianople on 14 April 1205. Baldwin was captured; he died in Kaloyan's prison. launched new campaigns against the crusaders and captured or destroyed dozens of their fortresses. He was thereafter known as Kaloyan the Romanslayer, because his troops murdered or captured thousands of Byzantines. He died under mysterious circumstances during the siege of Thessalonica in 1207. Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Bulgaria, 1198, Founding of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian and Bulgarian)
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Akathist"Â, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilk-Giver"Â of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Bulgaria, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar, heretical priest, carried this icon, fell into sea&drowned
Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), at tKatholkon (main church), by column otKliros (choir section), heretical priest, declared himself orthodox, acted wEvil purpose, carried this icon during blessing otWater procession, fell into sea and drowned, since then cross procession done wThis icon and carried by aPriest; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Priestly Icon of the Mother of God stands in the katholikon of Hilandar Monastery by a column of the left kliros. certain heretical priest, having declared himself Orthodox, acted at the Hilandar monastery with evil purpose, but he was punished. the procession for the blessing of water he took this icon but stumbled, fell into the sea and drowned. that time the cross procession is always done with this icon, invariably a priest carries it, it was called “Priestly” by the Serbs.

Bulgaria, 1200, 13th Century Folder, 2nd Bulgarian Empire Thrives

Bulgaria, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, led to several Empires
Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Bulgaria, 1204, Tatiana's Relics, disdained riches, virgin, served, prayed fTormentors, Idols smashed, completely healed 3times

Bulgaria, 1204-1261, Latin Empire Constantinople, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. Like the term "Byzantine Empire", "Latin Empire" was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania ("Land of the Romans") had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Bulgaria, 1207-1218, Emperor, Boril, w Latins&Hungrns, against Ivan Asen II w Thesslnc&Serbia, Asen won
Bulgarian Emperor, 1207-1218, Boril of Bulgaria; (Bulgarian: ) was the emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1207 to 1218. He was the son of an unnamed sister of his predecessor, Kaloyan and Kaloyan's brothers, Peter II and Ivan Asen I, who had restored the independent Bulgarian state. Kaloyan died unexpectedly in October 1207, Boril married his widow, a Cuman princess and seized the throne. cousin, Ivan Asen, fled from Bulgaria, enabling Boril to strengthen his position. His other kinsmen, Strez and Alexius Slav, refused to acknowledge him as the lawful monarch. took possession of the land between the Struma and Vardar rivers with the support of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia. Alexius Slav secured his rule in the Rhodope Mountains with the assistance of Henry, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. launched unsuccessful military campaigns against the Latin Empire and the Kingdom of Thessalonica during the first years of his reign. convoked the synod of the Bulgarian Church in early 1211. At the assembly, the bishops condemned the Bogomils for heresy. an uprising broke out against him in Vidin between 1211 and 1214, he sought the assistance of Andrew II of Hungary, who sent reinforcements to suppress the rebellion. made peace with the Latin Empire in late 1213 or early 1214. After Henry died in 1216 and Andrew II left Hungary for a crusade, Ivan Asen returned to Bulgaria. He captured and blinded Boril in Tarnovo in St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7;

Bulgaria, 1218-1241, Emperor, Ivan Asen II, blinded Bl, defeated Doucas of Thessa, Via trade, return to Orthodoxy
Bulgaria, 1218-1241, Emperor, Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria ; Asen II, also known as John Asen II or John Asan II (Bulgarian: ; 1190s -May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I “ one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empire “ was killed in 1196. His supporters tried to secure the throne for him after his uncle, Kaloyan, was murdered in 1207, but Kaloyan's other nephew, Boril, overcame them. Ivan Asen fled from Bulgaria and settled in the Rus' principalities. Boril could never strengthen his rule which enabled Ivan Asen to muster an army and return to Bulgaria. He captured Tarnovo and blinded Boril in 1218. Initially, he supported the full communion of the Bulgarian Church with the Papacy and concluded alliances with the neighboring Catholic powers, Hungary and the Latin Empire of Constantinople. He tried to achieve the regency for the 11-year-old Latin Emperor, Baldwin II, after 1228, but the Latin aristocrats did not support Ivan Asen. He inflicted a crushing defeat on Theodore Komnenos Doukas of the Empire of Thessalonica, in the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230. Theodore's empire soon collapsed and Ivan Asen conquered large territories in Macedonia, Thessaly and Thrace. control of the trade on the Via Egnatia enabled Ivan Asen to implement an ambitious building program in Tarnovo and struck gold coins in his new mint in Ohrid. He started negotiations about the return of the Bulgarian Church to Orthodoxy after the barons of the Latin Em,,pire had elected John of Brienne regent for Baldwin II in 1229. Ivan Asen and the Emperor of Nicaea, John III Vatatzes, concluded an alliance against the Latin Empire at their meeting in 1235. During the same conference, the rank of patriarch was granted to the head of the Bulgarian Church in token of its autocephaly (independence). Ivan Asen and Vatatzes joined their forces in attacking Constantinople, but the former realized that Vatatzes could primarily take advantage of the fall of the Latin Empire and broke off his alliance with Nicaea in 1237. After the Mongols invaded the Pontic steppes, several Cuman groups fled to Bulgaria. Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14, Transfer of her relics Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ;

Bulgaria, 1218, Philothea oRomania&Bulgaria, Killed by father fGiving, relics wanted move Curtea de Argesh Romania
Bulgaria, 1218, Philothea oArgesh, Romania, born Trnovo (capital city), Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), farmer, mother fWallacia, died, fRemarried, she punished bStepMom, for giving, killed b Father's axe fGiving his food to poor children, remorse, couldn't lift body, ran tArchbishop tConfess&explain, Abishop couldn't lift it, asked her which monastery, lifted it after mentioning Curtea de Argesh in Romania, body transferred there, relics many miracles, yearly festal pilgrimage, relics carried around courtyard, prayers for sick, venerated Bulgaria, Romania, &Orthodox world; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; Philothea (Philofthea) of Argesh was born in Trnovo, the old capital of Bulgaria, around 1206. father was a farmer, and her mother was from Wallachia. died when Philothea was still a child, and her father remarried. child was often punished by her stepmother, who accused her of being disobedient, and of giving their possesions away to the poor. father chastised her for this, but Philothea continued to attend church services and to do good to others, just as her mother had taught her. she grew older, she was adorned with the virtues of prayer, virginity, and almsgiving. Philothea used to bring food to her father, who was out working in the fields. all of the food reached him, however, because the girl would give some of it to the poor children begging in the street. he complained to his wife that she did not prepare enough food for him, she replied, “I send you plenty of food. Ask your daughter what she does with it.” angry with Philothea, her father decided to spy on her to see what happened to the food. From a place of concealment, he saw her giving food to the poor children who came to her. a violent rage, he took the axe from his belt and threw it at the twelve-year-old girl, hitting her in the leg. The wound was mortal, and she soon gave her pure soul into God’s hands. man was filled with fear and remorse, and tried to lift his daughter’s body from the ground, but it became as heavy as a rock. the wretch ran to the Archbishop of Trnovo to confess his sin and explain what had happened. Archbishop and his clergy went with candles and incense to take up the martyr’s body and bring it to the cathedral, but even they were unable to lift it. Archbishop realized that Saint Philothea did not wish to remain in her native land, so he began to name various monasteries, churches, and cathedrals to see where she wished to go. until he named the Monastery of Curtea de Argesh in Romania were they able to lift her holy relics and place them in a coffin. Archbishop wrote to the Romanian Voievode Radu Negru, asking him to accept the saint’s relics. Archbishop and his clergy carried the holy relics in procession as far as the Danube, they were met by Romanian clergy, monastics, and the faithful. Then they were carried to the Curtea de Argesh Monastery. people have been healed at the tomb of Saint Philothea in a small chapel in the belltower behind the monastery church, those who entreat her intercession receive help from her. year on December 7 there is a festal pilgrimage to the Monastery, and people come from all over Romania. relics of Saint Philothea are carried around the courtyard in procession, and there are prayers for the sick. holy Virgin Martyr Philothea is venerated in Romania, Bulgaria, and throughout the Orthodox world.

Bulgaria, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastey, Mt Athos, many miracles
Greece, Mt Athos, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher, Simonopetra monastery, Mt Athos, Simon's ascetic life glorified bMany miracles, founder New Bethlehem Monastery now named after him Simonopetra, One night bright star like star oBethlehem appeared near his cave, seeing motionless star several nights, first thought demonic temptation, but on night oNativity star moved over high rock & MOG voice said Here simon you must lay foundations of your monastery for salvation osouls, for the star he built New Bethlehem m, he died 1287; New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastery; Monastery (Greek: Σιμωνόπετρα, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra (Greek: Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonopetra ranks thirteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. monastery is located in the southern coast of the Athos peninsula, between the Athonite port of Dafni and Osiou Grigoriou monastery. While the southern coast of Athos is quite rugged in general, the particular site upon which the monastery is built is exceptionally harsh. It is built on top of a single huge rock, practically hanging from a cliff 330 metres over the sea.[1] The monastery currently houses 54 monks, and the hegumen is Archimandrite Eliseus. monastery was founded during the 13th century by Simon the Athonite, who was later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Saint Simon the Myrrh-bearer. holds that Simon, while dwelling in a nearby cave, saw a dream in which the Theotokos instructed him to build a monastery on top of the rock, him that she would protect and provide for him and the monastery. original monastery was called by Simon "New Bethlehem" (Greek: Νέα Βηθλεέμ) and is to this day dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus. 1364, the Serbian despot Jovan Uglješa funded the renovation and expansion of the monastery. pilgrim Isaiah wrote that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Bulgarian.[2] 1581, Simonopetra was destroyed by a fire, in which a large portion of the monks died. the monastery's abbot traveled to the Danubian Principalities hoping to raise funds to rebuild the monastery. most important donor was Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who donated large portions of land as well as money to the monastery. monastery was also burnt in 1626, the last great fire happened in 1891, after which the monastery was rebuilt to its current form. recent centuries, the monks of the monastery were traditionally from Ionia in Asia Minor. during the mid 20th century the brotherhood was greatly thinned out because of a great reduction in the influx of new monks. current brotherhood originates from the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron in Meteora as in 1973 the Athonite community headed by Archimandrite Emilianos decided to repopulate the almost abandoned monastery. Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 28 ; Simon the Myrrh-Gusher lived an ascetical life on Mt Athos, and was glorified by many miracles. was the founder of the New Bethlehem monastery, now known as Simonopetra. night, he saw a star of such brightness that he thought it must be the Star of Bethlehem. the star remain motionless for several nights, he thought at first that it was a demonic temptation. the eve of the Lord’s Nativity the star stood over a high rock, and Saint Simon heard a voice say, “Here, O Simon, you must lay the foundations of your monastery for the salvation of souls.” built the monastery and called it New Bethlehem. reposed in the year 1287, and his holy relics exude myrrh.

Bulgaria, 1241-1246, Emperor, Kaliman I, Mongols invaded, poisoned?
Bulgarian Emperor, 1241-1246, Kaliman I of Bulgaria; Asen I, also known as Coloman Asen I or Koloman (Bulgarian: ÐšÐ°Ð»Ð¸Ð¼Ð°Ð½ ÐÑÐµÐ½ I; 1234-August/September 1246) was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1241 to 1246. He was the son of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Anna Maria of Hungary. He was only seven when he succeeded his father in 1241. In the following years, the Mongols invaded Bulgaria and imposed a yearly tax on the country. He may have been poisoned, according to contemporaneous rumors about his death.

Bulgaria, 1246-1256, Emperor, Michael Asen I, Epirus' Doucas invaded Bulgaria, m by his noblemen
Bulgarian Emperor, 1246-1256, Michael Asen I of Bulgaria; II Asen (Bulgarian: ÐœÐ¸Ñ…Ð°Ð¸Ð» II ÐÑÐµÐ½; c. 1239 – December 1256/January 1257),[a] more accurately[citation needed] Michael Asen I,[citation needed] was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1246 to 1256 or 1257. He was the son of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene Komnene Doukaina. He succeeded his half-brother, Kaliman I Asen. His mother or other relative must have ruled Bulgaria during his minority. John III Doukas Vatatzes, Emperor of Nicaea, and Michael II of Epirus invaded Bulgaria shortly after Michael's ascension. Vatatzes captured the Bulgarian fortresses along the river Vardar; Michael of Epirus took possession of western Macedonia. In alliance with the Republic of Ragusa, Michael II Asen broke into Serbia in 1254, but he could not occupy Serbian territories. After Vatatzes died, he reconquered most territories lost to Nicea, but Vatatzes's son and successor, Theodore II Laskaris, launched a successful counter-offensive, forcing Michael to sign a peace treaty. Shortly after the treaty, discontented boyars (noblemen) murdered Michael. St. Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14;

Bulgaria, 1256-1256, Emperor, Kaliman Asen II, m cousin hunting, Rostislav to Rus with daughter and emperor title
Bulgarian Emperor, 1256-1256, Kaliman Asen II of Bulgaria; Asen II (Bulgarian: ÐšÐ°Ð»Ð¸Ð¼Ð°Ð½ ÐÑÐµÐ½ II), or commonly, but less accurately Koloman Asen II, ruled as tsar of Bulgaria for a short time in 1256. The year of his birth is unknown. Kaliman Asen II was the son of sebastokrator Alexander, who was the younger brother of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria. Kaliman Asen II's mother is unknown, and attempts to identify her as a Serbian princess are based on the erroneous identification of Kaliman Asen II with the sebastokrator Kaloyan, who was still alive in 1258/59. In 1256 Kaliman Asen murdered his first cousin Michael Asen I during a hunting party in the environs of the capital TÄƒrnovo and usurped the throne. In the process he married Michael Asen I's widow, the unnamed daughter of Rostislav Mihailovich, but he was unable to maintain himself on the throne. Rostislav advanced on TÄƒrnovo from Belgrade, and Kaliman Asen II fled the capital. Rostislav returned home with his daughter and claiming the title of emperor of Bulgaria, while a brother-in-law of Michael Asen I, Mitso Asen took the throne. In the meantime, Kaliman Asen II had been murdered after being abandoned by most of his supporters.

Bulgaria, 1256-1257, Emperor, Mitso Asen, related to Epirus' Doucas, not Michael Rostislav of Chernigov
Bulgarian Emperor, 1256-1257, Mitso Asen of Bulgaria; Asen (Bulgarian: ÐœÐ¸Ñ†Ð¾ ÐÑÐµÐ½) or Micho Asen (ÐœÐ¸Ñ‡Ð¾ ÐÑÐµÐ½) was the tsar of Bulgaria from 1256 until 1257. Asen ascended the throne by virtue of his marriage to Maria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria by Irene Komnene of Epirus. The dates of his birth and death are unknown, and his antecedents are unclear, but neither his name (which is found in official contexts and is not the diminutive of "Michael"), nor his career described in the Byzantine sources allow an identification with Michael, the son of the Rus' prince and Hungarian Ban Rostislav Mikhailovich, nor any other member of the house of Chernigov. It is likely that, like his successor Constantine Tikh, Mitso Asen adopted the name Asen after his accession to the throne. He became emperor of Bulgaria after the murder of his wife's cousin, Kaliman Asen II, in 1256. Although he acquired some support in the capital TÄƒrnovo and in Preslav, he was faced by the hostility of much of the provincial nobility. Following an obscure unsuccessful campaign against Theodore II Lascaris of the Empire of Nicaea, Mitso lost control even over the commoners. the nobility proclaimed Constantine Tikh emperor instead, Mitso and his family fled the capital in 1257 and attempted to resist from Preslav and then Mesembria (now NesebÄƒr). In exchange for asylum and lands, he turned over Mesembria and its environs to Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and sought refuge in Nicaea. He was given lands in the Troad, where he remained with his family. The date of his death is unknown, but it is likely that he was no longer alive in 1277/1278, when his son Ivan Asen III was put forward as a claimant to the Bulgarian throne by the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII.

Bulgaria, 1257-77, Emperor, Konstan Tikh, Sofia noble, Nemanja gson, Tarnovo nobles, Nicea, w Mongols, regent wife o union
Bulgarian Emperor, 1257-1277, Constantine Tikh of Bulgaria; Tih (Bulgarian: ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÑÑ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚Ð¸Ð½ Ð¢Ð¸Ñ… ÐÑÐµÐ½; fl. 1257–77) or Constantine I Tikh (ÐšÐ¾Ð½ÑÑ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ‚Ð¸Ð½ I), was the tsar of Bulgaria from 1257 to 1277. life[edit] Tih was a wealthy Bulgarian boyar (or nobleman) whose estates were located in the region of Sofia or Skopje.[1][2] Konstantin stated in his charter to the Saint George Monastery near Skopje that Stefan Nemanja of Serbia was his grandfather.[3] The Byzantine historian, George Pachymeres, described him as a "half-Serbian".[4] He could have been related to the Serbian royal house through either his mother or father.[4] If he was a patrilinear relative of Nemanja, his father, Tih, may have been the son of Nemanja's brother, Tihomir, according to historian Srdjan PirivatriÄ‡.[5] PirivatriÄ‡[6] and other scholars[7][8] also say, Konstantin may have been a son or a nephew of the Bulgarian boyar John Tihomir, who controlled Skopje in the late 12th century. If Konstantin was related to the Serbian royal house through his mother, a daughter or a niece of Nemanja must have been his mother.[9] Tih mounted the Bulgarian throne after the death of Michael II Asen,[10] but the circumstances of his ascension are obscure.[1] Michael Asen was murdered by his cousin, Kaliman in late 1256 or early 1257.[2][1] Before long, Kaliman was also killed, and the male line of the Asen dynasty died out.[2] Mikhailovich, Duke of Macsó (who was Michael and Kaliman's father-in-law), and the boyar Mitso (who was Michael's brother-in-law), laid claim to Bulgaria.[1] Rostislav captured Vidin, Mitso held sway over southeastern Bulgaria, but none of them could secure the support of the boyars who controlled Tarnovo.[11] The latter offered the throne Konstantin who accepted the election.[1] divorced his first wife (whose name is unknown), and married Irene Doukaina Laskarina in 1258.[1] Irene was the daughter of Theodore II Laskaris, Emperor of Nicaea, and Elena of Bulgaria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria.[1][12] The marriage with a descendant of the Bulgarian royal family strengthened his position.[1][12] He was thereafter called Konstantin Asen.[12] The marriage also forged an alliance between Bulgaria and Nicaea,[10][12] which was confirmed one or two years later, when the Byzantine historian and official George Akropolites came to Tarnovo.[13] with Hungary[edit] Mikhailovich invaded Bulgaria with Hungarian assistance in 1259.[14] In the following year, Rostislav left his duchy to join the campaign of his father-in-law, Béla IV of Hungary, against Bohemia.[14][15] Taking advantage of Rostislav's absence, Konstantin broke into his realm and reoccupied Vidin.[15] He also sent an army to attack the Banate of Severin, but the Hungarian commander, Lawrence, fought the invaders off.[15][14] Bulgarian invasion of Severin outraged Béla IV.[15] Soon after he concluded a peace treaty with Ottokar II of Bohemia in March 1261, Hungarian troops stormed into Bulgaria under the command of Béla IV's son and heir, Stephen.[15] They captured Vidin and besieged Lom on the Lower Danube,[14] but they were unable to bring Konstantin to a pitched battle, because he withdrew to Tarnovo.[15] The Hungarian army left Bulgaria before the end of the year, but the campaign restored northwestern Bulgaria to Rostislav.[15] with the Byzantine Empire[edit] c.1260 minor brother-in-law, John IV Laskaris, was dethroned and blinded by his former guardian and co-ruler, Michael VIII Palaiologos, before the end of 1261.[10] Michael VIII's army had occupied Constantinople already in July, thus the coup made him the sole ruler of the restored Byzantine Empire.[10] The rebirth of the empire changed the traditional relations between the powers of the Balkan Peninsula.[16] Furthermore, Konstantine's wife decided to take vengeance of her brother's mutilation and persuaded Konstantine to turn against Michael.[15][17] who still held southeastern Bulgaria, made an alliance with the Byzantines, but another powerful nobleman, Jacob Svetoslav, who had taken control of the southwestern region, was loyal to Konstantine.[18] Benefiting from a war between the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Venice, Achaea and Epirus, Konstantine invaded Thrace and captured Stanimaka and Philippopolis (now Asenovgrad and Plovdiv in Bulgaria) in the autumn of 1262.[18][19] Mitso was also forced to flee to Mesembria (now Nesebar in Bulgaria).[20] After Konstantine laid siege to the town, Mitso sought assistance from the Byzantines, offering to surrender Mesembria to them in exchange for landed property in the Byzantine Empire.[21] Michael VIII accepted the offer and sent Michael Glabas Tarchaneiotes to help Mitso in 1263.[20] second Byzantine army stormed into Thrace and recaptured Stanimaka and Philippopolis.[21] After seizing Mesembria from Mitso, Glabas Tarchaneiotes continued his campaign along the Black Sea and occupied Agathopolis, Sozopolis and Anchialos (now Ahtopol, Sozopol and Pomorie in Bulgaria).[20] Meanwhile, the Byzantine fleet took control of Vicina and other ports at the Danube Delta.[21] Glabas Tarchaneiotes attacked Jacob Svetoslav who could only resist with Hungarian assistance, thus he accepted Béla IV's suzerainty.[22][23] a consequence of the war with the Byzantines, by the end of 1263, Bulgaria lost significant territories to his two principal enemies, the Byzantine Empire and Hungary.[24] Konstantin could only seek assistance from the Tatars of the Golden Horde to put an end to his isolation.[24] The Tatar khans had been the overlords of the Bulgarian monarchs for almost two decades, although their rule was only formal.[16] A former Sultan of Rum, Kaykaus II, who had been imprisoned at Michael VIII's order, also wanted to regain his throne with the Tatars' help.[24] One of his uncles was a prominent leader of the Golden Horde and he sent messages to him to persuade the Tatars to invade the Byzantine Empire with Bulgarian assistance.[25] According to the Byzantine historian, Nicephorus Gregoras, Kaykaus also approached Konstantin, offering much money to him if he came to release him.[26] of Tatars crossed the frozen Lower Danube to invade the Byzantine Empire in late 1264.[26][24] Konstantin soon joined them,[27] although he had fallen from a horse and broken his leg.[28] The united Tatar and Bulgarian armies launched a sudden attack against Michael VIII who was returning from Thessaly to Constantinople, but they could not capture the emperor.[29] Konstantin laid siege the Byzantine fortress of Ainos (now Enez in Turkey), forcing the defenders to surrender.[29] The Byzantines also agreed to release Kaykaus (who soon left for the Golden Horde), but his family was kept imprisoned even thereafter.[27][30] Konstantine's alliance with the Tatars strengthened his position.[31] Jacob Svetoslav again accepted his suzerainty.[32][31] Taking advantage of a civil war in Hungary, Jacob Svetoslav also invaded the Banate of Severin.[32][31] The Hungarian civil war ended with the division of the country between Béla IV and Stephen in March 1266.[31] Stephen launched a military campaign against Bulgaria and captured Vidin in June.[31] Konstantin tried to resist, but the Hungarians defeated his army and plundered the region of Tarnovo.[31] The Hungarians captured Pleven and other fortresses on the Danube and forced Jacob Svetoslav to again do homage to Stephen.[33] Thereafter Jacob Svetoslav was styled as "emperor of Bulgaria" in the Hungarian royal charters.[33][32] seal of Konstantin Asen. Inscription in Bulgarian: "+Konstantin, in Christ the God, a faithful tsar and autocrat of the Bulgarians, Asen." I of Anjou and Baldwin II, the dispossessed Latin Emperor of Constantinople, made an alliance against the Byzantine Empire in 1267.[34] To prevent Bulgaria from joining the anti-Byzantine coalition, Michael VIII offered his niece, Maria Palaiologina Kantakouzene, to the widowed Konstantin in 1268.[28] The emperor also pledged that he would return Mesembria and Anchialos to Bulgaria as her dowry if she gave birth to a son.[28][35] married Maria, but Michael VIII broke his promise and did not renounce the two towns after the birth of Konstantin and Maria's son, Michael.[35] Outraged by the emperor's betrayal, Konstantin sent envoys to Charles to Naples in September 1271.[35] The negotiations continued during the following years, showing that Konstantin was willing to support Charles against the Byzantines.[35] Konstantin broke into Thrace in 1271 or 1272, but Michael VIII persuaded Nogai, the dominant figure in the westernmost territory of the Golden Horde, to invade Bulgaria.[28][36] The Tatars plundered the country, forcing Konstantin to return and abandon his claim to the two towns.[28][36] Nogai set up his capital in Isaccea near the Danube Delta, thus he could easily attack Bulgaria.[36] Konstantin had been seriously injured after a riding accident and could not move without assistance, because he was paralyzed from the waist down.[37][38] ambitious wife took control of the government.[39] After Michael VIII's envoys accepted Pope Gregory X's proposal to a church union at the Second Council of Lyon in summer 1274, she became one of the leading opponents of the union.[39][38] She even tried to persuade Baibars, the Mamluk sultan of Egypt, to attack the Byzantine Empire.[40] was also determined to secure the throne to her son.[41] Jacob Svetoslav, however, had a strong claim to succeed Konstantin, because his wife was a granddaughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria.[41] first adopted Jacob Svetoslav to persuade him to acknowledge her son's right to the throne, but later she had him poisoned.[38] He also had other noblemen captured or executed, which made Konstantin's rule unpopular.[41] The paralyzed Konstantin could not prevent Nogai's Tatars from making regular plundering raids against Bulgaria.[42] The local inhabitants of the regions which were most exposed to the Tatar raids had to organize the defense without the monarch's support.[42] to the expensive and unsuccessful wars, repeated Mongol raids, and economic instability (Constantine was the first Bulgarian ruler to mint his own coins on a vast scale), the government was faced with a revolt in The social and economic aspects of this movement have been stressed by Marxist historians,[44] but its true character is elusive. What is clear is that a swineherd or swine-owner named Ivaylo became a leader of the discontented and attracted many (presumably mostly lower-class)[45] followers, asserting his control over a significant area.[46] Constantine set out against Ivaylo with his guard, but was decisively defeated and slain in his chariot.[47][48]

Bulgaria, 1277-1279, Emperor, Ivaylo, pig farmer, peasant uprising
Bulgarian Emperor, 1277-1279, Ivaylo of Bulgaria; also spelled Ivailo, (Bulgarian: Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð¹Ð»Ð¾), nicknamed Bardokva ("radish" or "lettuce" in Bulgarian) or Lakhanas (Î›Î±Ï‡Î±Î½á¾¶Ï‚, "cabbage") in Greek, was a rebel leader and tsar of Bulgaria.[1] 1277, he spearheaded a peasant uprising and forced the nobles to accept him as emperor. He reigned as emperor from 1278 to 1279, scoring victories against the Byzantines and the Mongols, but beset by foreign and domestic enemies, which included the Bulgarian nobility, he was forced into exile among the Mongols, where he presented himself as a dethroned vassal. --------------------------The Mongols then killed him in 1280 as an enemy of the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus.[2] career as a monarch has been used as an example of early, anti-feudal class warfare by Marxist historians and as translated through folk songs, traditions and legends served as inspiration to Bulgarian guerrilla (hajduk) freedom fighters during the Ottoman period of Bulgarian history.[3] Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1279-1280, Emperor, Ivan Asen III, set up by Michael VIII, Mongol allies, accepted by Tarnovo nobility, coward
Bulgarian Emperor, 1279-1280, Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria; Asen III (Bulgarian: Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ ÐÑÐµÐ½ III, also Ð™Ð¾Ð°Ð½ ÐÑÐµÐ½ III, Ioan Asen III, and in English John Asen III), ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene of Thessalonica. He was probably born in about 1259/60, and died in exile in 1303. the rapid success of Ivaylo of Bulgaria, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos summoned Ivan Asen to his court, granted him the title of despotÄ“s, and married him to his eldest daughter Irene Palaiologina in 1277 or 1278. VIII then sent several Byzantine armies to attempt to assert Ivan Asen III on the throne of Bulgaria. Although Ivailo defeated several of these attempts, he was blockaded for three months in DrÄƒstÄƒr (Silistra) by the Mongol allies of Michael VIII. In the interval a Byzantine force besieged the Bulgarian capital TÄƒrnovo and, hearing a rumor of Ivailo's death in battle, the local nobility surrendered and accepted Ivan Asen III as emperor in 1279. strengthen his position in Tarnovo, Ivan Asen III married his sister Maria (Kira Maria) to the Bulgaro-Cuman nobleman George Terter, but failed to assert himself throughout the country. Ivailo reappeared before the walls of the capital and defeated two Byzantine attempts to relieve Ivan Asen III. Despairing of success, Ivan Asen III and Irene Palaiologina secretly fled Tarnovo with choice treasures from the palace treasury, including pieces captured from defeated Byzantine Emperors in former victories. Reaching Mesembria (NesebÄƒr), the imperial couple sailed for Constantinople, where the enraged Michael VIII refused to receive them for days for their cowardice. 1280 or 1281 Ivan Asen III traveled to the Golden Horde, competing with Ivailo in a bid to win support for restoration in Bulgaria. The Mongol chieftain Nogai Khan eventually had Ivailo murdered, but failed to restore Ivan Asen III in Bulgaria. The latter returned to his family possessions in the Troad, and died in 1303. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1280-1292, Emperor, George I, continuation of decline
Bulgarian Emperor, 1280-1292, George I of Bulgaria; Terter I (Bulgarian: Ð“ÐµÐ¾Ñ€Ð³Ð¸ Ð¢ÐµÑ€Ñ‚ÐµÑ€ I), of the Terter dynasty ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1280–1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309. Second Empire. Georgi Terter I, 1280–1292. GroÅ¡ (Silver, 21 mm, 1.45 g, 6 h), Imitating a grosso of Giovanni Dandolo (1280-1289), uncertain mint. IC XC Christ Pantokrator enthroned facing. Rev. S M VENETI D DÎ›NDVL Dux and St. Mark standing facing, holding banner of Venice between them. Raduchev & Zhekov Type 1.17.1. Youroukova & Penchev 160. reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century. George Terter I managed to maintain himself on the throne for more than a decade (unlike his two immediate predecessors), he appears to have failed to assert himself against the centrifugal forces even in his own capital. This severely limited any possibility of engaging in grand-scale international politics or even standing up to foreign aggression and Mongol raids. the chaotic years preceding George Terter I's accession Bulgaria had lost all of Thrace to the Byzantine Empire, and under his reign its remaining possessions in Macedonia were divided between the Serbians and the Byzantines in 1282–1284. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1280-1346, Saint Gregory of Sinai, Hesychast, Writer
Bulgaria, 1280-1346, Saint Gregory of Sinai; Gregory of Sinai (1260s – November 27, 1346) was instrumental in the emergence of "technical" (Athonite) Hesychasm on Athos in the early 14th century. in Smyrna, he was captured by Seljuk Turks as a young man, he was eventually ransomed to Cyprus and became a monk at Saint Catherine's Monastery. Later, he moved to Crete, where he learned the practices of Hesychasm from a monk named Arsenios, in 1310 to Athos, where he remained until 1335. Increasing Muslim raids on Athos pushed Gregory and some disciples into the Bulgarian Empire, where he would find protection under Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Alexander and where he founded a monastery near Paroria, Strandzha mountains in south east Bulgaria. Philokalia includes five works in Greek by Gregory, Commandments and Doctrines, Warnings and Promises; on Thoughts, Passions and Virtues, and also on Stillness and Prayer: 137 Texts Texts the Signs of Grace and Delusion, Written for the Confessor Longinos: Ten Texts Stillness: Fifteen Texts Prayer: Seven Texts Strandzha Mountains; St. Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

Bulgaria, 1292-1298, Emperor, Smilets, wishes of Nogai Khan, Mongol overlordship, but raids continued
Bulgarian Emperor, 1292-1298, Smilets of Bulgaria; (Bulgarian: Ð¡Ð¼Ð¸Ð»ÐµÑ†) reigned as tsar of Bulgaria from 1292 to 1298. The date of his birth is unknown. Smilec is credited with being descended "from the noblest family of the Bulgarians", his antecedents are completely unknown. Judging by the landholdings of his brothers Radoslav and Vojsil, the family held extensive lands between the Balkan mountains and Sredna Gora. ascending the throne replacing George Terter I in 1292, Smilec had married an unnamed Byzantine princess, the daughter of the sebastokratÅr Constantine Palaiologos, a half-brother of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. from the information that Smilec became emperor of Bulgaria according to the wishes of Nogai Khan, we know nothing of the circumstances of Smilec's accession. He was crowned by Patriarch Joachim III. Joachim III was executed for treason in 1300 by emperor Theodore Svetoslav, George Terter I's son, and historian John Van Antwerp Fine Jr. theorizes that the alleged treachery might be linked to the obscure period when Smilets overthrew George Terter I.[1] reign of Smilec has been considered the height of Mongol overlordship in Bulgaria. Nevertheless, Mongol raids may have continued, as in 1297 and 1298. these raids pillaged parts of Thrace (then entirely in Byzantine hands), perhaps Bulgaria was not one of their objectives. In fact, in spite of the usually pro-Byzantine policy of Nogai, Smilec was quickly involved in an unsuccessful war against the Byzantine Empire at the beginning of his reign. 1296/1297 Smilec married his daughter Theodora to the future Serbian King Stefan UroÅ¡ III DeÄanski, and this union produced the Serbian king and later emperor Stefan UroÅ¡ IV DuÅ¡an. 1298 Smilec disappears from the pages of history, apparently after the beginning of Chaka's invasion. He may have been killed by Chaka or died of natural causes while the enemy advanced against him. Smilec was briefly succeeded by his young son Ivan II. Point in Antarctica is named after Smilets of Bulgaria. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1298-1299, Emperor, Ivan II, regent mother, Serbian alliance attempt, then exile
Bulgarian Emperor, 1298-1299, Ivan II of Bulgaria; II (Bulgarian: Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½ II, or Ð™Ð¾Ð°Ð½ II, Ioan II, also styled inconsistently Ivan IV or Ioan IV), reigned as tsar of Bulgaria from 1298 to 1299. The date of his birth is unknown, but probably not much earlier than c. 1290. He died as a monk in exile before 1330. II succeeded his father Smilets as emperor in TÄƒrnovo in 1298. The new ruler was a child, and the government was in the hands of his mother, the unnamed daughter of sebastocrator Constantine Palaiologos and niece of Michael VIII Palaiologos called simply "Smiltsena" ("wife of Smilets"). widowed empress apparently defeated Smilets' brothers Radoslav and Voysil (Vojsil), who sought refuge in the Byzantine Empire and entered into Byzantine service. meet this threat and the invasion of the Mongol prince Chaka, Ivan II's mother sought an alliance with Aldimir (Eltimir), the brother of the former ruler George Terter I. Aldimir was accordingly married to Smilets' daughter Marina (Marija) and, if this had not happened earlier, was given the title of despotÄ“s and invested with an extensive landholding around KrÄƒn. 1299 the Bulgarian government attempted unsuccessfully to make an alliance with Serbian King Stefan Milutin to the exclusion of the latter's projected alignment with the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. regents of Ivan II were unable to strengthen their position, and abandoned TÄƒrnovo to Chaka, who installed himself as emperor in 1299. II and his retinue settled in the possessions of Aldimir, where they may have remained even after the accession of Aldimir's nephew Theodore Svetoslav to the throne in 1300. In 1305 Ivan II's mother was negotiating with the Byzantine government in Constantinople on behalf of either Aldimir or her son, but with Aldimir's subjugation by Theodore Svetoslav in the same year, the family disappears into obscurity. II spent the remainder of his life as an exile in Byzantium, under the name IÅannÄ“s KomnÄ“nos Doukas Angelos Branas Palaiologos, and shortly before his death he became a monk under the name Joasaph. He died before 1330. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1299-1300, Emperor, Chaka, son of the Mongol leader Nogai Khan, overlord for b-in-law Theodore Svetoslav
Bulgarian Emperor, 1299-1300, Chaka of Bulgaria; (Bulgarian: Ð§Ð°ÐºÐ°) reigned as tsar of Bulgaria from 1299 to 1300. The date of his birth is unknown. was the son of the Mongol leader Nogai Khan by a wife named Alaka. Sometime after 1285 Chaka married a daughter of George Terter I of Bulgaria, named Elena. In the late 1290s, Chaka supported his father Nogai in a war against the legitimate khan of the Golden Horde Toqta, but Toqta was victorious and defeated and killed Nogai in 1299. about the same time Chaka had led his supporters into Bulgaria, intimidated the regency for Ivan II into fleeing the capital, and imposed himself as ruler in TÄƒrnovo in 1299. It is not completely certain whether he reigned as Emperor of Bulgaria or simply acted as the overlord of his brother-in-law Theodore Svetoslav. He is accepted as a ruler of Bulgaria by Bulgarian historiography. did not long enjoy his new position of power, as the armies of Toqta followed him into Bulgaria and besieged TÄƒrnovo. Theodore Svetoslav, who had been instrumental in assisting Chaka's seizure of power, organized a plot in which Chaka was deposed and strangled in prison in 1300. His head was sent to Toqta, which in turn secured Theodore Svetoslav's position as the new emperor of Bulgaria. It seems that Theodore Svetoslav's cooperation contributed to the withdrawal of Mongol interference in Bulgaria. Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1300-1362, 14th Century Folder, 2nd Bulgarian Empire Ends

Bulgaria, 1301-1322, Tsar, Theodor Svetoslav, wise ruler, stability, prosperity, killed traitors r for Mongols
Bulgarian Emperor, 1300-1322, Theodor Svetoslav; Svetoslav (Bulgarian: Ð¢Ð¾Ð´Ð¾Ñ€ Ð¡Ð²ÐµÑ‚Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð², Todor Svetoslav and also Ð¢ÐµÐ¾Ð´Ð¾Ñ€ Ð¡Ð²ÐµÑ‚Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð², Teodor Svetoslav) ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire. Theodore Svetoslav's reign began with the return of Southern Bessarabia to Bulgaria and a few years later he managed to defeat the Byzantines and retake most of northern Thrace occupied by them during the crisis. After 1307 he led a peaceful policy towards all neighbours, which resulted in expanded trade and economy. from his external and economic successes, Theodore Svetoslav dealt with the separatists among the nobility including his uncle. He persecuted the traitors who he thought were responsible for the Mongol interference and even the Patriarch, Joachim III, was executed. life[edit] Svetoslav was the son of George Terter I by Maria. Soon after the accession of Ivan Asen III in 1279 his father divorced his mother in order to marry the sister of the new emperor. Maria and Theodore Svetoslav were sent to the Byzantine Empire as hostages, and settled in Nicaea. accession of George Terter I to the throne in 1280 did not alter matters, but in 1281 Theodore Svetoslav was betrothed (in absentia) to a daughter of the sebastokratÅr John I Doukas of Thessaly, as part of a diplomatic alliance. The young bride-to-be arrived in TÄƒrnovo, but never met her intended husband. 1284 George Terter I concluded a new treaty with Andronikos II Palaiologos, and retrieved his first wife, while Theodore Svetoslav at first remained a hostage. The same treaty required the breaking off of the alliance with Thessaly and Theodore Svetoslav's intended bride was also sent to Byzantium. It was only in 1285 that the Patriarch of Bulgaria Joakim III arrived in Constantinople and arranged for the release of Theodore Svetoslav, who was now supposed to marry a daughter of the high court official John Synadenos. We have no information whether this marriage materialized. activities[edit] Bulgaria Theodore Svetoslav was associated as co-emperor by his father, who issued coins representing them side by side. Nevertheless, after particularly devastating Mongol raids, George Terter I dispatched his son as hostage to Nogai Khan, the effective leader of the Mongol Golden Horde in about 1289. Perhaps in connection with the same events, Theodore Svetoslav's unnamed sister married Nogai's son Chaka. During part of his exile, Theodore Svetoslav became impoverished and sought to improve his fortunes by marrying the rich Euphrosyne, the god-daughter of Nogai's wife Euphrosyne Palaiologina, who was herself an illegitimate daughter of Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Svetoslav left obscurity in 1298 or 1299, when he accompanied his brother-in-law Chaka in an invasion of Bulgaria. The regency for Ivan II fled TÄƒrnovo in 1299, and Theodore Svetoslav helped convince the Bulgarian nobility to accept Chaka as ruler. However, the armies of the khan of the Golden Horde Toqta entered Bulgaria in pursuit of his enemy Chaka, and Theodore Svetoslav promptly organized a plot, deposing Chaka and having him strangled in prison in 1300. Theodore Svetoslav now became emperor of Bulgaria and sent Chaka's severed head as a present to Toqta, who withdrew his armies from the country. of Bulgaria[edit] Bulgarian Empire under Theodore Svetoslav campaign of Theodore Svetoslav (1303-1304) reign of Theodore Svetoslav is connected with the internal stabilization and pacification of the country, the end of Mongol overlordship, the reassertion of relatively effective central control over outlying provinces, and the recovery of portions of Thrace lost to the Byzantine Empire since the wars against Ivaylo of Bulgaria. Svetoslav pursued a ruthless course of action, punishing all who stood in his way, including his former benefactor, Patriarch Joachim III, who was accused of treason and executed. In the face of the new emperor's brutality, some noble factions sought to replace him with other claimants to the throne, backed by Andronikos II. A new claimant appeared in the person of the sebastokratÅr Radoslav Voïsil or Vojsil, from Sredna Gora, a brother of the former emperor Smilets, who was defeated, and captured by Theodore Svetoslav's uncle, the despotÄ“s Aldimir (Eltimir), at KrÄƒn in about 1301. Another pretender was the former emperor Michael Asen II, who unsuccessfully tried to advance into Bulgaria with a Byzantine army in about 1302. Theodore Svetoslav exchanged thirteen high-ranking Byzantine officers captured on Radoslav's defeat for his father George Terter I, whom he settled in a life of luxury in an unidentified city. a consequence of his victories, Theodore Svetoslav felt secure enough to move on to the offensive by 1303 and captured the fortresses of northeastern Thrace, including Mesembria (NesebÄƒr), Anchialos (Pomorie), Sozopolis (Sozopol), and Agathopolis (Ahtopol) in 1304. The Byzantine counterattack failed at the battle of Skafida near Poros (Burgas), where the Co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos was turned to flight. Nevertheless, the war continued, with Michael IX and Theodore Svetoslav taking turns pillaging each other's lands. In the following 1305 Theodore Svetoslav's uncle Aldimir appears to have entered into negotiations with the Byzantines, and Theodore Svetoslav annexed his uncle's lands. In 1306 Theodore Svetoslav gained the services of the rebellious Alan mercenaries to the Byzantines, whom he settled in Bulgaria, and made unsuccessful overtures to the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, who had also rebelled against their Byzantine employers. The war ended with a peace treaty in 1307, cemented with a marriage between the widowed Theodore Svetoslav and Theodora, a daughter of the Co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos. copper coin of Theodore Svetoslav. the end of his life Theodore Svetoslav remained at peace with his neighbors. His reassertion of central control over outlying provinces such as Vidin was probably peaceful, and the sparsely documented recovery of the banate of Severin from the Kingdom of Hungary must have been achieved during the dynastic struggles in that country. In 1318 the Serbian King Stefan UroÅ¡ II Milutin visited TÄƒrnovo, in spite of his earlier alliance with Andronikos II and his divorce from Theodore Svetoslav's sister Anna. only possible sign of new hostilities are two Mongol raids into Byzantine Thrace in 1320 and 1321, but these were probably executed with Bulgarian cooperation and are connected with the beginning of the civil war between Andronikos II Palaiologos and his grandson Andronikos III Palaiologos. In fact, Theodore Svetoslav sent military support to his brother-in-law Andronikos III, allegedly hoping to ensnare and capture his ally. a surprisingly successful reign (given the misadventures of his youth), Theodore Svetoslav died in early 1322, and was succeeded by his son George Terter II. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1310-1362, Theodosius tBulgarian, under Gregory oSiani, founded Theodosiev m, defended against heresies, translated
Bulgaria, 1310-1362, Theodosius tBulgarian, Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2), fViddino (Vidin?), tTrnovo, Bulgarian Capital, searching for guide, monastery tMonastery, finally concealed M oGregory, because Gregory a guide contemplative life, taught Before death lay in Hades, who doen't recognize himself a sinner, and beasts more pure, is more wicked than demons, having become their slave, that monastery robbed often, T sent to emperor Alexander requesting m defense, A provided money to surround m with walls&towers, land, cattle, Romanus asked T join trip from Capital Trovono to see see his mo, tGregory oSinai, R became T's disciple, T refused to succeed G, tSolitary struggles wR, founded Theodosiev M on hill near Trnovo, T famous defender against heresies, Bogomils, Judaizers, Messalians, their pernicious teaching, Patriarch and Tsar helped him greatly, plus T translated Greek tSlavonic, 1360 became greviously ill, went tConstantinople to see Callistus, Romanus took over m; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Theodosius the Bulgarian and his disciple Romanus. Theodosius began his exploit in the city of Viddino, at the Nikolaev monastery. the death of the igumen Job he settled near Trnovo, then the capital city of Bulgaria, at the Holy Mountain monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in search of a spiritual guide. left the Holy Mountain monastery and for a long time went from monastery to monastery. he learned about the desert monastery called “Concealed” where in pursuit of asceticism Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) had moved from Athos. Theodosius found in him an experienced guide of the contemplative life. Gregory taught, “Before death we lay in Hades; does not recognize sincerely that he is a sinner, and that the beasts and cattle are more pure, is more wicked than the demons, having become their obedient slave.” wilderness monastery of Saint Gregory of Sinai suffered often from robbers. abbot sent Saint Theodosius to the emperor Alexander with a request to defend the monastery. pious Bulgarian Tsar, at the request of the ascetic, provided him with the means to surround the monastery with strong walls with towers, and made the monastery secure with land and cattle. his final journey to Trnovo on an errand for the abbot to the Tsar, a nobleman asked Saint Theodosius to take him along to the monastery. holy ascetic brought him to Saint Gregory of Sinai. was Romanus, who became the sincere and beloved disciple of Saint Theodosius. the death of Saint Gregory of Sinai (November 27, 1347), Saint Theodosius refused to become head of the monastery, he left the monastery with his disciple Romanus for solitary struggles. founded a monastery on a hill near Trnovo, afterwards called Theodosiev. Theodosius was famous as a zealous defender of Orthodoxy against many heresies, the Bogomils, Judaizers and Messalians. false teachings were especially pernicious. Patriarch and the Tsar rendered great help to Saint Theodosius in the struggle with the heretics. addition to this, the holy ascetic translated Greek writings into Slavonic. 1360, he became grievously ill. to see his friend Saint Callistus once more, he went to him at Constantinople, the direction of the monastery to his disciple Romanus. Theodosius died at Constantinople on February 17, 1362. disciple Saint Romanus became head of the monastery.

Bulgaria, 1322-1323, Tsar, George II, invaded Byzantine Thrace, conquered Philippopolis and Adrianople, then d by Andronikos III
Bulgarian Emperor, 1322-1323, George II of Bulgaria; Terter II reigned as tsar of Bulgaria between 1322 and 1323. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he was born not long before 1307. Terter II was the son of Theodore Svetoslav and Euphrosyne, and was named after his paternal grandfather George Terter I. is possible that he was associated as co-emperor by his father in 1321, but the sources are unclear. his father's death in 1322, he became actively involved in the civil war in the Byzantine Empire, in which the throne was being contested between Andronikos II Palaiologos and his grandson Andronikos III Palaiologos. advantage of the situation, George Terter II invaded Byzantine Thrace and, encountering little, if any, resistance, conquered the major city of Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and part of the surrounding area in 1322. Bulgarian garrison was installed under the command of a general named Ivan the Russian, and a court scribe praised George Terter II as a "possessor of the Bulgarian and the Greek sceptre". new campaign later the same year brought the subjugation of several fortresses around Adrianople, but the Bulgarians were now turned back and defeated by Andronikos III. Byzantine emperor was preparing for an invasion of Bulgaria, when he heard the news that George Terter II had died, apparently of natural causes. Terter II died as a young man and did not have any known offspring. He was succeeded by his distant cousin Michael Asen III, now commonly called Michael Shishman. Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1323-1330, Tsar, Michael Shishman, aggressive against Byzantines & Serbia, but lost&died at Velbazhd
Bulgarian Emperor, 1323-1330, Michael Shishman of Bulgaria; Asen III,[a] ruled as tsar of Bulgaria from 1323 to 1330. The exact year of his birth is unknown but it was between 1280 and 1292. was the founder of the last ruling dynasty of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Shishman dynasty. he was crowned, however, Michael used the name Asen to emphasize his connection with the Asen dynasty, the first one to rule over the Second Empire. energetic and ambitious ruler, Michael Shishman led an aggressive but opportunistic and inconsistent foreign policy against the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia, which ended in the disastrous battle of Velbazhd which claimed his own life. was the last medieval Bulgarian ruler who aimed at military and political hegemony of the Bulgarian Empire over the Balkans and the last one who attempted to seize Constantinople. was succeeded by his son Ivan Stephen and later by his nephew Ivan Alexander, who reversed his policy by forming an alliance with Serbia.[1] Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22;

Bulgaria, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica, Bulgarian, Hesychast, sought elder, then sought solitude, but always found, heals now
Serbia, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica monastery, Serbia (Srem Plain, near Danube River 8), Hesychast, Gregory oSinai's disciple, born Vidn, Bulgaria, Greek father, Bulgarian mother, disdained child games, admired fLearning, piety bFriends, teachers, parents wanted marry him tWoman but he longed for monastic life, fled tHodegetria m fForced marriage, tonsured as Romanus, from beginning known as virtuous humble monk, longed to dwell wGregory aPanoria wilderness, more remote far from worldly distractions, even knowing this Abbot reluctant, longing stronger each day, asked again, Abbot grieved but feared God's will, so blessed departure, gave provisions, tParoria wHilarion, R explained tGregory who they were and why, to become his disciples, assigned obediences, Hilarion weaker-lighter duties, R strong-heavier labors-carry wood stones fMountain, water fRiver, kitchen&bakery help, When he tended sick they seemed improve, other monks called him- Romanus tGood- for his cheerful obedience, piety, R received spiritual instruction fG, Not wanting without being subject, When G died R found another instructor, Hilarion's, all three robbed so went back to Zagora at Mogrin near Trnovo, R left the elder for remote place for some reason, Elder died, R returned wRemorse that deserted Elder, R then placed himself under his elder Hilarion, since R surpassed in virture H at first said no, then seeing humility said yes, both back to Paroria because Robbers subdued by Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexandar, for greater solitude, Later Romanus Great Schema Romilus, Moslem incursions, back tZagora, hut remote place, other monks there resented Romilus, so tMt Athos, monks came disturbed quietude, fleeing human glory fPlace tPlace, tMt Melana near Karyes, monks gathered, consoled instructed fTheir profit- taught wage war against passions, &deamons who seek soul destruction - taught love God & Neighbor seeking good things which eye not seen, ear not heard, - also corrected other elders and their disciples, not question elder's orders, obey like Christ obeyed Father, warned refusing authority easily led bDevil, - urged Elders be gentle, fSolitude moved North end Mt Athos t Solitude Cell, but they flocked to him as before, Moslem Turks killed Serbian Despot John Ugljela, Battle oMarica, 1371, so they attacked Mt Athos, so many monks fled, Romilus t obscure Valona, Albania, but no solitude, many monks&laymen came, afflicted wIgnorance, enslaved tPassions, no shepherd, he led many to the light oChrist, left V with his disciples t Ravenica, Serbia, settled near monastery, died 1375, grave emitted ineffable fragrance, after death he performed great miracles, casting demons, healing diseases&sufferings, likewise through his prayers may we obtain forgiveness and mercy; Ravenica monestary; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Romilus the Hesychast was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8). was born in Vidin, Bulgaria of a Greek father and a Bulgarian mother. a child, he possessed a maturity beyond his years, and disdained childish games and pursuits. friends, and even his teacher, admired him for his learning and piety. parents wanted to marry him to a woman, he longed for the monastic life. he learned that they planned to force him into marriage, he fled to the Hodēgḗtria Monastery at Trnovo. abbot accepted him and tonsured him with the name Romanus. the beginning of his life as a monk, Romanus was known for his virtue and for his humility. monk Romanus, hearing of the monastery established by Saint Gregory of Sinai in the wilderness of Paroria, longed to dwell there. the abbot realized that the young man wished to live in a more remote area far from worldly distractions, he was reluctant to let him go. desire of Romanus to go to Paroria grew stronger day by day. spoke to the abbot again, and the Elder was grieved at the thought of losing the exemplary and well-loved Romanus. realized, however, that keeping Romanus there might not be according to the will of God. he blessed Romanus to depart, and gave him provisions for his journey. traveled to Paroria with another monk named Hilarion and explained to Saint Gregory who they were and that they had come to be his disciples. Gregory received them and assigned them to their obediences in the monastery. Hilarion was weaker, he was given lighter duties. who was strong, received heavier labors. would carry wood from the mountain, or sometimes stones. He also carried water from the river, and helped in the kitchen and in the bakery. even tended the sick, who seemed to improve under his care. Seeing his humility, his cheerful obedience, and his piety, the other monks called him “Romanus the Good.” received instruction in the spiritual life from Saint Gregory, who trained him to be a great ascetic. Saint Gregory fell asleep in the Lord, Romanus grieved for him day and night. did not wish to remain in that place without being subject to an Elder. found another instructor who had already accepted Romanus’s fellow-traveler Hilarion as a disciple. subjected himself to this Elder, obeying him as he had obeyed Saint Gregory. the three monks were assailed by robbers who deprived them of the necessities of life, they left Paroria and went back to Zagora. settled at a place called Mogrin, about one day’s journey from Trnovo. some reason, Romanus left the Elder to dwell in a remote place by himself. of the Elder’s death, he returned and fell upon his grave with tears, filled with regret that he had deserted his instructor. he fell at Hilarion’s feet and said, “Since I disobeyed the Elder’s order and left this place, I place myself under you from this day forward.” knowing that Romanus surpassed him in virtue, would not agree to this. insisted saying, “Unless you accept me under your authority, I shall not get up from the ground.” Seeing his great humility, Hilarion finally agreed to accept Romanus. that the robbers had been subdued by Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria, Romanus and Hilarion decided to go back to Paroria, where they could live in solitude and contemplation. Romanus was tonsured into the Great Schema with the name Romilus. incursions of the Moslems forced Romilus to return yet again to Zagora, he built a hut in a remote place. monks in the area, through envy or jealousy, resented Romilus, he traveled to Mt. Athos. many monks came to him for spiritual counsel, and they disturbed his quietude. human glory, he went from place to place until he came to Mt. Melana near Karyes. there, monks gathered around him, and he was able to console and instruct them for their profit. taught them to wage war against the passions, and against the demons who seek the destruction of the soul. also taught them to love God and their neighbor, seeking the good things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard (I Cor. 2:9). only did he correct his own disciples, but sometimes an Elder would send his disciples to Saint Romilus for correction. urged them not to question or contradict their Elder’s orders, but to obey him just as Christ obeyed the will of the Father (John 6:38). warned them that those who refuse to submit to authority are easily led astray by the Enemy. also urged the Elders to be gentle with their disciples, and to avoid harsh treatment. again, the number of monks who sought spiritual conversation with him hindered his own spiritual struggles and prayer. he moved to the northern part of Mt. Athos and built a cell where he could live in solitude. more he fled worldly glory, however, the more this glory found him. When the location of his cell became known, they flocked to him just as before. Serbian despot John Ugljela was killed by the Turks at the Battle of Marica on September 26, 1371. allowed the Moslems to attack Mt. Athos, so many of the monks (including Saint Romilus) fled to other places. Romilus went to Valona in Albania. thought that in this obscure place he would find solitude, but he was mistaken. monks and laymen came to him, afflicted with ignorance, enslaved to base passions, with no shepherd to guide them. Through his words and his example, he led many from darkness into the light of Christ. Romilus left Valona with his disciples and moved to Ravenica in Serbia, where there was a monastery dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. settled near this place with his disciples. 1375, he surrendered his soul to God and went to the heavenly Kingdom. is said that his grave emitted an ineffable fragrance. after his death, Saint Romilus performed great miracles, casting out demons, and healing all sorts of diseases and suffering. his holy prayers, may we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and great mercy from Christ our God, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, together with His unoriginate Father, and the Most Holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Bulgaria, 1330-1331, Tsar, Ivan Stephen, 8 mos, deposed in coup by Tarnovo nobles, died in Naples
Bulgarian Emperor, 1330-1331, Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria; Stefan (c. 1300/1301-1373 (?)) ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria for eight months from 1330 to 1331. was the eldest son of emperor Michael III Shishman and Anna Neda of Serbia, a daughter of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia.[1][2] Stephen was a descendant of the Terter dynasty, the Asen dynasty and the Shishman dynasty. his father's ascension to the throne in 1323 Ivan Stefan was associated as co-emperor. Michael III Shishman divorced Anna Neda to marry Theodora Palaiologina, the daughter of Byzantine emperor Michael IX Palaiologos, in 1324, Ivan Stefan was exiled along with his mother and brother in a monastery.[3] the summer of 1330 he became emperor of Bulgaria with the help of his uncle Stephen Decanski. he was deposed in a coup d'état by the Tarnovo nobility, he fled along with Anna Neda in the domains of his father's brother Belaur in Nis and later to Dubrovnik. He was later expelled from there by Stephen Dusan under the pressure of Ivan Alexander. Ivan Stefan probably died in Naples.

Bulgaria, 1331-1371, Tsar, Ivan Alexander, internal external threats, religious renaissamce, divided country two sons
Bulgaria, 1331-1371, Bulgarian Emperor, Tsar Ivan Alexander; Alexander,[2] also sometimes Anglicized as John Alexander,[3] ruled as Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371,[4] the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on 17 February 1371. long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history. Alexander began his rule by dealing with internal problems and external threats from Bulgaria's neighbours, the Byzantine Empire and Serbia, as well as leading his empire into a period of economic recovery and cultural and religious renaissance.[5] the emperor was later unable to cope with the mounting incursions of Ottoman forces, Hungarian invasions from the northwest and the Black Death.[4] an ill-fated attempt to combat these problems, he divided the country between his two sons,[6][7] forcing it to face the imminent Ottoman conquest weakened and divided.[4][7] Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ;

Bulgaria, 1346-1353, Black Death in Europe
Bulgaria, 1346-1353, Black Death in Europe ;

Bulgaria, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, wonderworker, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer
Serbia, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, f Zeta, tChrna Reka (Black River), nIbar River, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer, people gathered, fled to Drnica & forest of Devic, healed prince's daughter, money for Monastery, miracles after death; Venerable Joannicius of Devic, Commemorated on December 2; Ioannikios (Janićije) was a Serb from Zeta, near the Adriatic Sea. was the son of pious and God-fearing parents, and he lived during the reign of the last medieval Serbian ruler, Prince George Branković (1427-1458). his youth, Saint Ioannikios loved solitude, as an adolescent he left his parents and made his way to eastern Serbia, where he settled in a wooded area called Chrna Reka (Black River), a few miles from the Ibar River. found a narrow cave where, according to Tradition, Saint Peter of Koriša (June 5) had struggled during the XIII century. Ioannikios built a cell and lived there for many years in solitude, fasting, and unceasing prayer. time, people began coming to him from all over Serbia in order to hear his words, and to receive his blessing. Others were drawn to him because they wanted him to guide them in the monastic life. community grew around him, and they built a church near his cell. when people heard about the holiness of his life, he fled to Drnica and hid himself in the thick forest of Devič. again, the Saint lived in solitude, weeping, fasting, struggling with demons, and devoting himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. day Prince George brought his terminally ill daughter to him, and the Saint healed her. Prince wanted to know what he could do to express his gratitude. Ioannikios asked him to built a monastery at Devič and dedicate it to the Entrance of the a Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). a holy and God-pleasing life, Saint Ioannikios reposed on December 2, 1430, when he was almost one hundred years old. His grace-filled and wonderworking relics are kept at the monastery. After his death, many miracles have taken place there, and those who entreat him with faith are healed of their sicknesses and afflictions. this monastery there once lived a renowned and godly nun, Sister Euphemia, who is better known in the Kossovo region as Blessed Stoina. She built an Ispostnica (House of Silence) in honor of St. Ioannikios. She fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1895. Ioannikios still performs miracles, just as he did in his lifetime, five hundred years ago. A certain man from Hercegovina, whose name was Miloš wanted to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places. Just as he was about to embark on his journey, Saint Ioannikios appeared to him in a dream and told him not to go to Jerusalem. "It would be better," the Saint explained, "if you went to Devič and cleaned my church, and put it in order, instead of going to Jerusalem." š followed the Saint's advice and went to the neglected Devič monastery, cleaned it up, restored it, and gave it new life. He became a monk and remained there until the end of his life. the First World War and the Austrian occupation, a Hungarian officer arrived at Devič with some soldiers. He made Igoumen Damaskene take him to the tomb of Saint Ioannikios, and asked him what was under the slab. "It is a holy place," the Igoumen replied. sort of holy place?" the officer asked. "You have some valuables hidden under there, don't you?" officer ordered the soldiers to break the slab with pick axes. As they were completing their task, the officer was stricken with pain in the middle of his body. He lay down on a bed and died before that evening. The terrified soldiers abandoned their work and fled from the monastery. Ioannikios is also commemorated on April 26, the uncovering of his holy relics. Devic Monastery in Kosovo; Devič Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Девич, romanized: Manastir Devič; Albanian: Manastiri i Deviçit) is a Serbian Orthodox abbey in Kosovo[a]. It was built in 1434 and is dedicated to St Joanikije of Devič. Devič was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

Bulgaria, 1362-1919, Folder, Ottoman Bulgaria, The Turks

Bulgaria, 1362-1399, 14th Century Folder, Turks in Adrianople

Bulgaria, 1362-1919, Ottoman Caliphate, Turks, first based in Adrianople
Ottoman Caliphate, first based in Adrianople, 1362-1919 (The Turks);

Bulgaria, 1363-1389, Murad I, a Turk, c Adrianople, Balkans, made Serbia, Byzantium pay tribute, illiterate, d Lazar at Kosovo
, Ottoman Sultan, 1362-1389, Murad I; I (29 June 1326 - 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilufer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Suleyman Pasha's death. I conquered Adrianople, renamed it to Edirne,[2] and in 1363 made it the new capital of the Ottoman Sultanate.[3] Then he further expanded the Ottoman realm in Southern Europe by bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule, and forced the princes of Serbia and Bulgaria as well as the East Roman emperor John V Palaiologos to pay him tribute.[2] Murad I administratively divided his sultanate into the two provinces of Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Rumelia (the Balkans). to the Ottoman sources, Murad I's titles includes Bey, Emir - a zam (Great Emir), Ghazi, Hudavendigar, Khan, Padishah, Sultan-selatin (Sultan of sultans), Melikul-muluk (Malik of maliks), while in Bulgarian and Serbian sources he was referred to as Tsar. In a Genoese document, he was referred to as dominus armiratorum Turchie (Master lord of Turks).[4] I was illiterate and could not even sign his own name. In 1353, Murad I signed a treaty by dipping his hand in ink and impressing it with his finger marks.[5] of the conquests of Murad I century miniature depicting Murad I fought against the powerful beylik of Karaman in Anatolia and against the Serbs, Albanians, Bulgarians and Hungarians in Europe. In particular, a Serb expedition to expel the Turks from Adrianople led by the Serbian brothers King Vukasin and Despot Ugljesia, was defeated on September 26, 1371, by Murad's capable second lieutenant Lala Sahin Pasa, the first governor (beylerbey) of Rumeli. In 1385, Sofia fell to the Ottomans. In 1386 Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic defeated an Ottoman force at the Battle of Plocnik. The Ottoman army suffered heavy casualties, and was unable to capture Nis on the way back. of Kosovo[edit] of Sultan Murad on Kosovo field of Sultan Murad 1389, Murad's army defeated the Serbian Army and its allies under the leadership of Lazar at the Battle of Kosovo. There are different accounts from different sources about when and how Murad I was assassinated. The contemporary sources mainly noted that the battle took place and that both Prince Lazar and the Sultan lost their lives in the battle. The existing evidence of the additional stories and speculations as to how Murad I died were disseminated and recorded in the 15th century and later, decades after the actual event. One Western source states that during first hours of the battle, Murad I was assassinated by Serbian nobleman and knight MiloÅ¡ ObiliÄ‡ by knife.[6][7] Most Ottoman chroniclers[citation needed] (including Dimitrie Cantemir)[8] state that he was assassinated after the finish of the battle while going around the battlefield. His older son Bayezid, who was in charge of the left wing of the Ottoman forces, took charge after that. His other son, Yakub Bey, who was in charge of the other wing, was called to the Sultan's command center tent by Bayezid, but when Yakub Bey arrived he was strangled, leaving Bayezid as the sole claimant to the throne. a letter from the Florentine senate (written by Coluccio Salutati) to the King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, dated 20 October 1389, Murad I's (and Jakub Bey's) killing was described. A party of twelve Serbian lords slashed their way through the Ottoman lines defending Murad I. One of them, allegedly Milos Obilic, had managed to get through to the Sultan's tent and kill him with sword stabs to the throat and belly.[9][page needed] Murad's internal organs were buried in Kosovo field and remains to this day on a corner of the battlefield in a location called Meshed-i Hudavendigar which has gained a religious significance by the local Muslims. It has been vandalized between 1999–2006 and renovated recently. His other remains were carried to Bursa, his Anatolian capital city, and were buried in a tomb at the complex built in his name.[10] of sultanate[edit] established the sultanate by building up a society and government in the newly conquered city of Adrianople (Edirne in Turkish) and by expanding the realm in Europe, bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule and forcing the Byzantine emperor to pay him tribute. It was Murad who established the former Osmanli tribe into an sultanate. He established the title of sultan in 1363 and the corps of the janissaries and the devÅŸirme recruiting system. He also organised the government of the Divan, the system of timars and timar-holders (timariots) and the military judge, the kazasker. He also established the two provinces of Anadolu (Anatolia) and Rumeli (Europe). was the son of Orhan and the Valide Hatun Nilüfer Hatun, daughter of the Lord of Yarhisar, who was of ethnic Greek descent.[11] St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Bulgaria, 1363-1453, Ottoman Empire, Edirne (Adrianople), Bulgaria (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, Edirne, Bulgaria, 1363-1453 (the Turks); St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Bulgaria, 1371, Battle of Marica, victorious Turks greatly outnumbered by attacking Serbs (4K Turks to 50K Serbs)
Battle of Marica; Long list of Serbian-Turkish Conflicts 1371-1526 Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Bulgaria, 1371-1395, Tsar, Ivan Shishman, tsar of Tarnovo, central Bulgaria, no Ottoman tribute, or military aid
Bulgarian Emperor, 1371-1395, Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria; Shishman ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria in Tarnovo from 1371 to 3 June 1395. The authority of Ivan Shishman was limited to the central parts of the Bulgarian Empire. the wake of the death of Ivan Alexander, the Bulgarian Empire was subdivided into three kingdoms among his sons, with Ivan Shishman taking the Tаrnovo Kingdom situated in central Bulgaria and his half brother Ivan Sratsimir holding the Vidin Tsardom. his struggle to repel the Ottomans differentiated him from the other rulers on the Balkans the Serbian despot Stephan Lazarevic who became a loyal vassal to the Ottomans and paid annual tribute and participated in all of the Ottoman campaigns subsequent to the battle of Kosovo, contributing a 5,000 strong contingent of christian knights. Although Ivan Shishman has been categorized as indecisive and inconsistent in his policy in the past, this was done with little regard for an understanding of the context of the conditions and limited resources that this ruler had at his disposal. is notable that Ivan Shishman is the only Balkan ruler for whom there is no evidence of tribute paid to the Ottoman empire or any military aid provided. on historical evidence and the numerous folk songs of the region glorifying his struggle against the Ottoman invaders, the image of Ivan Shishman is one of fierce and concerted resistance to the Ottoman incursions. in 1393 the Ottoman Turks seized the capital Tarnovo. Two years later, Sultan Bayezid I captured Nicopolis with a surprise approach from the north of the fortress after two failed campaigns in Hungary and Wallachia, summoning Ivan Shishman on the false pretense of a discussion and had him executed by beheading. the military and political weakness, during his rule Bulgaria remained a major cultural center and the ideas of Hesychasm dominated the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Evtimiy of Tarnovo became the most prominent cultural figure of the country. A number of texts were written or translated and an orthographic reform of the Bulgarian language was issued with synchronised rules. After the fall of Bulgaria, a number of scholars found refuge in the other Orthodox countries and brought the achievements of the Bulgarian culture to them. reign was inextricably connected to the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman domination. In Bulgarian folklore Ivan Shishman is portrayed as a legendary and heroic ruler who desperately fought against the overwhelming Ottoman forces. There are numerous sites, geographical features and fortresses named after him throughout Bulgaria.

Bulgaria, 1371-1396, Tsar, Ivan Sratsimir, tsar of Vidin, last ruler of medieval Bulgaria
Bulgarian Emperor, 1371-1396, Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria; Sratsimir or Ivan Stratsimir was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria in Vidin from 1356 to 1396. He was born in 1324 or 1325, and he died in or after 1397. being the eldest surviving son of Ivan Alexander, Ivan Sratsimir was disinherited in favour of his half-brother Ivan Shishman and proclaimed himself emperor in Vidin. When the Hungarians attacked and occupied his domains, he received assistance from his father and the invaders were driven away. the death of Ivan Alexander in 1371 Ivan Sratsimir broke off ties with Tarnovo and even placed the archbishop of Vidin under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to demonstrate his independence. to its geographical position, Vidin was initially safe from attacks by the Ottoman Turks who were ravaging the Balkans to the south and Ivan Sratsimir made no attempts to assist Ivan Shishman in his struggle against the Ottomans. after the fall of Tarnovo in 1393 did his policy become more active and he eventually joined the crusade of the Hungarian king Sigismund. after the disastrous battle of Nicopolis in 1396, the Ottomans marched to Vidin and seized it. Sratsimir was captured and imprisoned in Bursa where he was probably strangled. Although his son Constantine II claimed the title Emperor of Bulgaria and at times controlled some parts of his father's realm, Ivan Sratsimir is generally regarded by historians as the last ruler of medieval Bulgaria. Hill on Trinity Peninsula in Antarctica is named after him.[1]

Bulgaria, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena +2, Edessa, Greece, Turk Seige, defended but P's father hates her and city
Greece, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena, Domnina, and Neollina, Edessa, Macedonia, Greece, story is only about Parthena, E beseiged by Turks, good defense seige lifting, but P's father betrays city for money, he became muslim, he gave her to Turk Pasha, when P not become muslim, father strips her and turns her over to Turks, buried alive, This story fulfills prophecy Christians will be hated by family, but endurance saves.; Edessa, Macedonia, Greece; Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina, and Parthena, Commemorated on January 12; the first Sunday after Theophany (January 7-13), we celebrate the memory of the Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina and Parthena (Νεολλίνα, Δομνίνα, Παρθένα) of Edessa in the Holy Metropolis of Edessa and Pella. is known about Saints Neollina and Domnina, only about Saint Parthena. Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena came from Edessa in Macedonia and was born in the 14th century. Her life was in accord with her virginal name, for she lived ascetically, and with the utmost modesty. the year 1375 Edessa was besieged by the Turks, the residents put up a strong defense, aided and encouraged by Hieromonk Seraphim, the rector of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos. enemy was perfectly organized and numerous, but it as it happened, they were preparing to end the siege. the last minute, Peter, one of the city's priests, who was Parthena's father, was paid a large sum of money by the Turkish Pasha, and so he betrayed the city. Turks invaded Edessa on December 26, 1375 from the southeast, where he was on guard, and where one of the major battles for the city took place. its citizens were massacred or sold into slavery; homes were looted, and women were raped. Seraphim was arrested and subjected to severe torments, and then he was drowned in the great waterfall called "Itseri Pasha" (the Pasha's water). traitor Peter, after his heinous act which led to the fall of the city, denied Christ and became a Muslim. if that were not enough, he also gave his daughter Parthena to the Pasha as a concubine, because he was unable to persuade her to deny Christ. hearing her father's words, Saint Parthena, like another Saint Barbara, shuddered, and with spiritual courage she told her wretched father that she would never deny the sweetest name of her heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. of being put to shame and moved to repentance, he became angry and behaved like a wild beast. He beat the Saint until she was bloody and unconscious. he stripped her and handed her over to the Turks. The soldiers tortured her for three days. In the end, she was led up a hillside, where she was buried alive. To this day, the hill is called Parthena's Hill. shocking as the father's conduct may seem, the Savior predicted that such atrocities would take place: "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by everyone for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:21-22). the prayers of the Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena, may the Lord strengthen us to persevere until the end of our earthly lives, and make us worthy of a small corner of Paradise.

Bulgaria, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Ottoman Empire Begins

Bulgaria, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Bulgarian, Became Uniate
Russia, Kiev, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Catholic; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31 ;

Bulgaria, 1413-1453, Ottoman Empire, Adrianopolis (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, Adrianopolis, Bulgaria, 1413-1453 (the Turks); St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Bulgaria, 1421-1444, 1446-1451, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murat II, economic development, Trade increase, could have invaded Europe
Bulgaria, 1421-1451, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murat II; II (16 June 1404[1][2] - 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. II's reign was a period of important economic development. Trade increased and Ottoman cities expanded considerably. In 1432, the traveller Bertrandon de la Broquière noted that Ottoman annual revenue had risen to 2,500,000 ducats, and that if Murad II had used all available resources he could easily have invaded Europe.[4] St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Bulgaria, 1444-1446, 1451-1481, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror, Mehmed II, c constantinople at 21
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1444-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror; II (30 March 1432 - 3 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( lit.The Father of Conquest; Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmed), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. the conquest Mehmed claimed the title "Caesar" of the Roman Empire, based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I.[4] The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as continuing the Empire rather than replacing it. continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. At home he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Bulgaria, 1460-1500, Nectarius oBitel, Bulgaria, mother's MOG vision tFlee, Athos clairvoyant, suffered envy, complete humility
Bulgaria, 1460-1500, Nectarius oBitel (Butili) near Kuklen and Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5), before turk invasion, mother's vision MOG told her to flee tHiding, father took N tHoly Unvercenaries Monastery, near Bitel, later N went tAthos, clairvoyant elder accepted him, suffered envy, displayed complete humility, charity, d 1500; Kuklen Monastery of St.St. Kosma and Damyan, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5) ; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Saint Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Nectarius of Bitel was born in the small town of Bitel (or Butili) in Bulgaria. In the world he was named Nicholas. a Turkish invasion his mother had a vision: the Most Holy Virgin Herself appeared and told her to flee and go into hiding with her husband and children. ’s father, having taken the boy with him, withdrew to a monastery dedicated to the Holy Unmercenaries (Saints Cosmas and Damian), not far from Bitel, where he became a monk with the name Pachomius. having reached adolescence, went on to Athos. clairvoyant Elder Philotheus accepted him and tonsured him into the angelic schema with the name Nectarius. monk suffered for a long time from the envy and spite of one of the novices, but he displayed complete humility. was distinguished for his charity. money he obtained from his handicraft was distributed to the poor. Saint Nectarius died in the year 1500.

Bulgaria, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Turks Rule, George of Serbia, Burning of Sava's Relics

Bulgaria, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance
Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance; Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Bulgaria, 1500, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle, Capital o1st Bulgarian Empire, relics wonderful fragrance
Greece, 1500, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire, raised by father, a monk at Cosmas&Damian Monastery iB, tonsured aMt Athos under Philotheus&Dionysius, exceptional bodily afflictions like Job, died 1500, relics uncovered 1504 wonderous fragrance; Bitolya ; Venerable and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Nectarius of Mount Athos was raised by his father, became a monk at the monastery of the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian in Bitolya (Bulgaria). himself was tonsured on Mount Athos, and performed his obedience under experienced spiritual guides, Saint Philotheus and the Elder Dionysius. Job, the monk experienced exceptional bodily afflictions, he peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord on December 5, 1500. holy relics of the saint were uncovered four years later, exuding a wondrous fragrance.

Bulgaria, 1512-1520, George oSofia, Bulgaria, childless p, turk fez, large fire fHim, heavy rain, bright light, holy relics
Bulgaria, 1512-1520, George of Sofia, Bulgaria (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Iskar River 1)), childless parents prayed for him, turks put fez on head, boldly confessed, rods but persevered, large fire to burn him, heavy rain, bright light, holy relics Sofia, occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula ; Saint George, New Martyr of Sofia, Commemorated on February 11; Holy Martyr George the New was born into an illustrious Bulgarian family, living in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sredets (now the city of Sofia). George’s childless parents, John and Mary, in their declining years entreated the Lord to send them a child. Their prayer was answered, and they baptized the infant with the name of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23). George received a fine upbringing, he attentively studied the Holy Scriptures, and he was pious and chaste. parents died when George was twenty-five. At that time Bulgaria found itself under the rule of the Turks, who forcibly converted Christians to Islam. several Moslems tried to convert George. They put a fez on the saint’s head. This is a red circular hat which Moslems wear to enter their house of prayer. But George threw the fez on the ground. The Turks brought the martyr to their governor with beatings and abuse. governor was impressed with Saint George’s appearance and bearing, and he urged him to accept Islam, promising honors and wealth from Sultan Selim (1512-1520). saint boldly and steadfastly confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and reproached the errors of Islam. governor in a rage gave orders to beat Saint George with rods, but the saint persevered in his confession of faith in Christ. governor ordered the tortures to be increased. The passion-bearer bore all his sufferings, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for help. Then they led the martyr through the city to the beat of a drum and shouts: “Do not insult Mohammed nor abase the Moslem faith”. a large fire was lit in the city, to burn Saint George. Weakened by his wounds, the saint fell to the ground. They threw him into the fire still alive, and they threw corpses of dogs on top of him so that Christians would not be able to find the relics of the martyr. a heavy rain fell and extinguished the fire. With the onset of darkness, the place where the body of the martyr was thrown was illumined with a bright light. They gave permission to a certain Christian priest to take the venerable relics of the martyr for burial. Informed about the occurrence, Metropolitan Jeremiah and his clergy went to the place of execution. In the ashes of the fire they located the body of the holy Martyr George and carried it to the church of Saint George the Great Martyr in the city of Sredets. May 26, 1515 the holy relics of Saint George were removed from the grave, placed in a coffin, and then brought into the church, where they have remained ever since. The Church honors Saint George twice during the year: on February 11, the day of his martyrdom, and on May 26, the uncovering of his holy relics.

Bulgaria, 1595, Burning oSava's Relics, Mileshevo M Serbia, incorrupt, Serb flag icon, r burnt during revolt, inspired Serbia
Bulgaria, 1595, Burning oSava's Relics, Mileshevo Monastery& Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Buried 1235, incorrupt 1237, transferred 1237 tSerbia, 1253 Saint, Turk Rule 1389, his icon on Serb flag, 1595 Serb revolt, R crushed and Relics burnt, Serbs inspired, annual rememberance burning, 1895 church over burning spot, 1989 Cathedral there; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27; his death in Trnovo, Bulgaria on January 14, 1235 Saint Savva was buried in the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs. May 6, 1237 his relics were carried in procession from Trnovo to Mileshevo Monastery in Serbia. the casket was opened, the relics were found to be incorrupt, and produced an ineffable fragrance. In 1253, the Serbian Orthodox Church glorified the holy hierarch Savva as a Saint. the Battle of Kosovo on June 25, 1389, the Serbian nation fell under the Turkish Yoke. this period the Serbs continued to visit the tomb of Saint Savva, asking him to give them the strength to endure the oppressive persecution they suffered at the hands of the Turks. icon was placed on their flags, and the faithful turned to the Saint for encouragement, consolation, and healing. Serbs revolted in 1595, led by Patriarch John Kantul and others. Pasha, the Turkish military leader in Belgrade, sent soldiers to crush the rebellion. Mohammed II ordered that the relics of Saint Savva be burnt. Great and Holy Friday, the Turks removed the Saint's relics from Mileshevo Monastery. The next day, April 27, they climbed Savinac Hill in the Vrachar district and set fire to the holy relics. of becoming despondent, the Serbs were inspired to even greater love for Christ, for Holy Orthodoxy, and for Saint Savva. Although the Saint's relics had been destroyed, the people continued to venerate him, and to remember the burning of his relics every year. national independence in 1879, there was a proposal to build a memorial church in honor of Saint Savva. In 1895, the three hundredth anniversary of the burning of Saint Savva's relics, plans were made to build a church on the site where his relics were burnt. A temporary chapel was constructed the following year, but it was not possible to build a large cathedral until after World War I. In 1927, Patriarch Barnabas announced a competition for architects to submit designs for the cathedral. In 1935, architects were chosen and construction began. World War II, work was halted when the Communists seized power. Only in 1984 did Patriarch German receive government approval to resume construction. On June 25, 1989, Patriarch German served the first Divine Liturgy in Saint Savva's Memorial Cathedral, which towers over the city of Belgrade. is a famous Serbian saying: "Sinan Pasha lit the flames, Savva's body burned, but Savva's memory and his glory did not burn."

Bulgaria, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, Ottoman Empire, Demetrius of Basarabov

Bulgaria, 1685, Demetrius of Basarabov and Ruschuk, wilderness ascetic, Rusenski Lom River Mouth, Danube River 13
Ruschuk, Bulgaria; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26; Demetrius of Basarabov in Bulgaria lived in the wilderness as an ascetic near the city of Ruschuk, Bulgaria. He died in 1685. On July 8, 1779 his relics were transferred to Bucharest.

Bulgaria, 1700, 18th Century Folder, History of Slav Bulgarians

Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius oHilandar&Bulgaria, Historian, nickname Paisii, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure
Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria, Historian, National Awakening, nickname Paisii, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure, author of the second Bulgarian History, after "History of Bulgaria" by Peter Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, from Samokov eparchy near Bansko, to Hilandar Mt Athos 1745, priest (hieromonk) and deputy-abbot , collecting materials 2 years, hard work, even visited Hapsburg Monarchy, finished his book 1762 in Zograf monastery, first attempt at complete history of Bulgaria, to awaken&strengthen national consciousness, famous paragraph: you unwise moron, ashamed Bulgarian, don't read write in Bulgarian, wern't B's powerful once, taking taxes from Romans&Greeks, bravest slavic nation, first kings with patriarchs, first to baptize people, why ashamed great history and language, why turn into Greeks, speaks his purpose and the danger of Helenization by Greek Clergy, his book two introductions, a chapter on Slavic teachers the disciples oCyril&Methodius, Bulgarian Saints chapter, and an epilogue, he handed out book as he toured Bulgaria as mendicant (poverty, work, alms) friar, copied and spread; Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria ; Paisius of Hilendar or Paìsiy Hilendàrski (Bulgarian: Свети Паисий Хилендарски) (1722–1773) a Bulgarian clergyman and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. is most famous for being the author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history after the work of Petar Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, "History of Bulgaria".[1] Bulgarians are taught that he was the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.[2] was born in the Samokov eparchy of the time. There is a dispute about the exact place of birth, between the town of Bansko[3][4] and villages around Samokov like Relyovo.[5] established himself in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in 1745, he was later a hieromonk and deputy-abbot. materials for two years through hard work and even visiting the Habsburg Monarchy, finished his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya in 1762 in the Zograf Monastery. book was the first attempt to write a complete history of Bulgaria attempted to awake and strengthen Bulgarian national consciousnesses.[6] most famous part of the whole book is the paragraph: you unwise moron! Why are you ashamed to call yourself a Bulgarian and why don't you read and speak in your native language? Bulgarians powerful and glorious once? they take taxes from strong Romans and wise Greeks? of all the Slavic nations they were the bravest one. rulers were the first ones to call themselves kings, the first ones to have patriarchs, the first ones to baptise their people.(...) are you ashamed of your great history and your great language why do you leave it to turn yourselves into Greeks? do you think they are any better than you? here you're right because did you see a Greek leave his country and ancestry like you do?" more or less signifies the purpose of the author who speaks about the danger of Bulgarians falling victim to the Hellenization policies of the mainly Greek clergy. anti-Greek sentiments presented in Paisius writing, characterized the Greeks as some kind of Bulgarian national enemies.[7][8][9] book's first manual copy was done by Sophronius of Vratsa in 1765. Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya consists of two introductions, chapters that discuss various historic events, chapter about the "Slavic teachers", the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, chapter about the Bulgarian saints, an epilogue. Paisius toured Bulgaria as a mendicant friar, he brought his work, which was copied and spread among the Bulgarians. is thought to have died on the way to Mount Athos near Ampelino (modern-day Asenovgrad). page of Istoriya slavyanobulgarska (Slav-Bulgarian History) Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Paisiy of Hilendar.[10] saint is portrayed on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005.[11] Bulgaria, 1762, History of the Slav-Bulgarians; Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Bulgaria, 1762, Paisius' History of the Slav-Bulgarians, National Awakening
Bulgaria, 1762, History of the Slav-Bulgarians; Paisius of Hilendar or Paìsiy Hilendàrski (Bulgarian: Ð¡Ð²ÐµÑ‚Ð¸ ÐŸÐ°Ð¸ÑÐ¸Ð¹ Ð¥Ð¸Ð»ÐµÐ½Ð´Ð°Ñ€ÑÐºÐ¸) (1722–1773) a Bulgarian clergyman and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. He is most famous for being the author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history after the work of Petar Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, "History of Bulgaria".[1] Bulgarians are taught that he was the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.[2] was born in the Samokov eparchy of the time. There is a dispute about the exact place of birth, between the town of Bansko[3][4] and villages around Samokov like Relyovo.[5] He established himself in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in 1745, where he was later a hieromonk and deputy-abbot. Collecting materials for two years through hard work and even visiting the Habsburg Monarchy, he finished his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya in 1762 in the Zograf Monastery. The book was the first attempt to write a complete history of Bulgaria and attempted to awake and strengthen Bulgarian national consciousnesses.[6] most famous part of the whole book is the paragraph: "Oh, you unwise moron! Why are you ashamed to call yourself a Bulgarian and why don't you read and speak in your native language? Weren't Bulgarians powerful and glorious once? Didn't they take taxes from strong Romans and wise Greeks? Out of all the Slavic nations they were the bravest one. Our rulers were the first ones to call themselves kings, the first ones to have patriarchs, the first ones to baptise their people.(...) Why are you ashamed of your great history and your great language and why do you leave it to turn yourselves into Greeks? Why do you think they are any better than you? Well, here you're right because did you see a Greek leave his country and ancestry like you do?" more or less signifies the purpose of the author who speaks about the danger of Bulgarians falling victim to the Hellenization policies of the mainly Greek clergy. These anti-Greek sentiments presented in Paisius writing, characterized the Greeks as some kind of Bulgarian national enemies.[7][8][9] The book's first manual copy was done by Sophronius of Vratsa in 1765. Structurally, Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya consists of two introductions, several chapters that discuss various historic events, a chapter about the "Slavic teachers", the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, a chapter about the Bulgarian saints, and an epilogue. As Paisius toured Bulgaria as a mendicant friar, he brought his work, which was copied and spread among the Bulgarians. He is thought to have died on the way to Mount Athos near Ampelino (modern-day Asenovgrad). page of Istoriya slavyanobulgarska (Slav-Bulgarian History) Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Paisiy of Hilendar.[10] saint is portrayed on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005.[11] Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St. Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30;

Bulgaria, 1771, Damascene of Hilandar, igumen, sent to Svishtov, Bulgaria, to collect rent, to avoid paying Moslems framed him
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. He left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. Over time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. Later he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. One day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria to collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. To avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. Then he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. If he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, but since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, the judge had to find him guilty. Before taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. The saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. It would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. I am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Saint Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. The holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. After they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Bulgaria, 1791-1794, John tNew oBulgaria, at 19 martyred at Hagia Sophia, renounced Islam, beheaded
Constantinople, 1791-1794, John the New of Bulgaria, at 19 martyred at Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, Born somewhere in Bulgaria, as a boy wMoslem companions, renounced Christ for Islam, came to senses at 16, grief, fled to Great Larva Athos, monastic great strictness 3yrs, to Constantinople to shed blood for his apostacy, to Hagia Sophia, now a Mosque, to moslems renounced false religion oMohammed to follow Christ once more, beheaded; Hagia Sophia; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; holy New Martyr John was born in Bulgaria in 1775. fanatical Moslems believed that they would be assured of an eternal “paradise” where they would enjoy beautiful virgins and an abundance of food if they could force Christians to deny Christ and follow Mohammed, they spared no effort to convert Christians through flattery or by threats of death. John was still a boy, he fell in with Moslem companions. Through various ways, he was led to renounce Christ and to follow Islam. came to his senses when he was about sixteen, and was stricken with grief at his denial of Christ. fled to Mt. Athos to the Great Lavra. Here he spent his time in repentence under the guidance of an Elder. lived a monastic life of great strictness for three years, his conscience continued to trouble him. the blessing of his Elder, he decided to travel to Constantinople to wipe out his apostasy by confessing Christ in a public way and by shedding his blood. young monk dressed himself as a Turk, which a Christian was not permitted to do. in Constantinople, he went directly to the church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque. in front of the Moslems, he made the Sign of the Cross and began to recite Christian prayers. he said in a loud voice that he had been born a Christian, but had fallen into error and renounced Christ. he declared, he wished to renounce the false religion of Mohammed in order to follow Christ once more. Turks fell into a frenzied rage when they heard his words. They seized him and began to torture him in various ways. “Renounce Christ,” they said, “and return to the Moslem faith, or you will be killed.” John replied, “Without Christ, there is no salvation.” furious Hagarenes dragged the saint out to the courtyard to behead him. In this manner, Saint John received the crown of martyrdom in 1784 at the age of nineteen.

Bulgaria, 1794, Anastasius, Strumica, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), typical marytrdom by Moslems
Bulgaria, 1794, St Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes without paying duty, dressing like a turk, could not recite moslem salutation, armed w sword, refused becomming Moslem, tortured and died; Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. His parents gave him over to military studies. When the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. The master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. The collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. When he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. They subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Bulgaria, 1794, Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes story
Bulgaria, 1794, St Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes without paying duty, dressing like a turk, could not recite moslem salutation, armed w sword, refused becomming Moslem, tortured and died; Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. parents gave him over to military studies. the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Bulgaria, 1794-1802, New Martr Lazarus, Pergamon Shepherd, Moslem attacked by hDog, rape charge, prayed tGeorge, tongue healed
Bulgaria, 1794-1802, New Martyr Lazarus of Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1), Shepherd near Pergamon, Moslem wife attacked by his dog, saved her but she said he attached her, her husband attacked wrong man, to hide mistake had wife's relatives charge Laz wRape, relatives offered $1,000 if he converts, horrible tortures, red hot irons, heavy stones on chest, prayed Lord &St George, tongue ruined by hot iron, heated band on head, med doctor merchant John oZagora, aga's doctor, saw his tongue healed, encouraged him, aga realized tHealing, I have 1 God in 3 persons, will die Orthodox C, condemned him to hang ; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23; Holy New Martyr Lazarus was from Gabrovo, Bulgaria and he was born to devout and God-loving parents in 1774. a young age he left Gabrovo and went to Soma in Asia Minor, near Pergamon, where he became a shepherd. day while tending his sheep in the fields, he sat down to rest, and fell asleep. a Moslem woman passed by, and was attacked by the sheep dog. by the dog's barking, Lazarus hastened to save her. dog was calmed down and the woman was unharmed, but her dress was somewhat torn. infuriated the woman, who immediately went home and told her husband that she had been attacked by a Christian shepherd who attempted to molest her. enraged husband went out to look for Lazarus, but since he did not know him, he mistook another man for Lazarus, and nearly beat him to death. order to hide his mistake, the husband had his wife's relatives go before the Turkish judge and to charge Lazarus with attempted rape. Lazarus was aware of what the woman's husband planned to do, he did not attempt to hide. He knew that he was innocent, and that running away would only make him appear guilty. on April 7, 1802, he showed up in court, where he was charged and thrown into prison. the meantime, the woman's relatives insisted that Lazarus must either convert to Islam or be executed for the dishonor he had inflicted upon their relative. They offered the aga a thousand grosia if he succeeded in converting Lazarus; or if the Saint refused to deny Christ, he must be sentenced to death. prison, saints Lazarus was beaten continuously until April 22, in an attempt to force his conversion. Christians came and visited Lazarus to give him support and encouragement, but he requested them to leave because they were placing themselves in danger. the aga grew increasingly angry because Lazarus would not convert, and the one thousand grosia seemed to be slipping through his fingers. Lazarus remained steadfast in the face of torture and flattery, and so the aga confiscated his herd of forty sheep. Tuesday of Saint Thomas week (April 22) the aga ordered more tortures for Lazarus. After his tormentors got drunk, they began applying red-hot irons to Lazarus' body. Then they placed heavy stones upon his chest, Lazarus still refused to submit. Instead, Lazarus entreated the Lord to help him, and he also prayed to Saint George (April 23), asking for his assistance. the torturers stretched out Lazarus' tongue and applied a hot iron to it, burning the front half and cauterizing the rest. Lazarus was now unable to speak, they told him to use sign language when he was ready to convert. They also placed a heated iron band around his head, causing him terrible pain. sunset, the merchant John from Zagora, who was also a medical doctor, went to see the aga, with whom he was acquainted, because he was the physician to the aga's household. John went to the window of the prison and was able to see Lazarus sitting on the floor. Not only did he seem to be well, but he was also able to speak normally. The doctor, who was an Orthodox Christian, encouraged Lazarus to persevere until the end, and to endure everything for the love of Christ. He spoke to Lazarus in Turkish, since he did not know Bulgarian and Lazarus did not understand Greek. Lazarus assured the doctor that he would not give in, but he was afraid that the Moslems would become tired of torturing him and would just stop instead of putting him to death. the aga learned that Lazarus could speak, he became angry with the torturers, whom he thought had deceived him. Yet when he saw the marks of torture on the Saint's body, he was convinced that the men had done their job. After trying once more to make Lazarus convert, he heard him reject all gifts, honors, and promises of wealth if he became a Moslem. Saint Lazarus told him, "I have one God in three persons, Whom I worship and adore. I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian, and I shall die as an Orthodox Christian." Then the aga ordered that he be hanged. the way to the place of his execution, many Moslems mocked Lazarus for being so foolish as to give up his life for Jesus Christ. When they arrived at their destination, Saint Lazarus voluntarily placed the rope around his own neck and stood on a basket, and then the executioner kicked it from under his feet. Thus the Holy New Martyr Lazarus endured martyrdom on April 23, 1802. He was twenty-eight years old when he departed from this temporal life, and inherited everlasting life. Now, in the Kingdom of Heaven, he joins the angels and all the Saints in glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. Church Service in honor of Saint Lazarus was composed by Saint Nikephoros of Chios (May 1). Portions of his relics can be venerated in Leimonos Monastery in Lesbos, and in the Chapel of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg at Mandra in Attica.

Bulgaria, 1795, Zlata (Chryse) of Meglena, Bulgaria, virgin martyr crowns, disowns parents and siblings for Christ and MOG
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; Holy Virgin Martyr Zlata, that “golden vessel of virginity, and undefiled bride of Christ,” was born in the village of Slatena, in the Meglena diocese, on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia, when Bulgaria was under the Turkish Yoke. Her father was poor and he had four daughters. Saint Zlata was beautiful in appearance, and her soul was beautiful as well. From childhood she displayed an unusually strong character, and an unshakeable faith in Christ. certain Turk became obsessed with her, and kidnapped her one day as she was gathering wood with some other women. He brought her to his house, and repeatedly tried to seduce the maiden, and persuade her to convert to Islam, saying that he would make her his wife. Zlata, however, resisted and asserted: "I know only Christ as my Bridegroom, Whom I shall not deny, even if you tear me to to shreds." persuasion and flattery proved unsuccessful, the Turk began to threaten her with grievous torments. The glorious martyr was not frightened by these threats, however. For six months the impious Hagarenes1 tried to make Zlata accept their religion, but she remained steadfast. Then they ordered the saint’s parents and sisters to convince her to become a Moslem. Otherwise, they would kill Zlata and torture them. Saint's parents and sisters wept and urged her to deny Christ “just for the sake of appearances,” so that they might be spared torture and death. Saint Zlata was unmoved by their pleas, and replied, “You who now urge me to deny Christ are no longer my parents and sisters. Instead, I have the Lord Jesus Christ as my father, the Lady Theotokos as my mother, and the Saints of our Church as my brothers and sisters!” the Moslems saw that they could not weaken the Saint's resolve, they tortured her for three months, beating her with clubs. Later, they peeled strips of skin from her body so that the earth was reddened by her blood. Then they heated a skewer and passed it through her ears. nearby was her Spiritual Father, Hieromonk Timothy of Stavronikḗta Monastery on Mount Athos, She sent word to him to pray that she would persevere until the end. It was he who recorded her martyrdom. the Moslems fell into a rage at having been defeated by a woman, so they tied her to a tree and cut her virginal body to pieces with their knives. Her pure soul was received by Christ, Who bestowed on her the double crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Certain Christians gathered her relics secretly and buried them with great reverence. Saint Zlata suffered for Christ on October 13, 1795. The descendants of Hagar, the concubine of the Old Testament Patriarch Abraham. Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Bulgaria, 1800, 19th Century Folder, National Awakening

Bulgaria, 1801, National awakening of Bulgaria, Early 19th Century
Bulgaria, 1800, National awakening of Bulgaria, early 19th Century; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St. Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30;

Bulgaria, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Bulgaria, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, tortured, hanged
Bulgaria, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Rila M, then Athos, father refused fight Serb Orthodox, Mother Sister b moslem, turned him in, escaped t Romania, then Athos, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, tortured, hanged; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism. he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there. he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life. reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western Bulgaria. he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in obedience for six years. the Elder’s strictness became unbearable, John returned home. that time the Serbs rose in revolt against the Moslem government. ’s father was asked to take command of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox Christians. Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was stabbed and then beheaded. ’s mother and sisters were also taken by the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam. fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. mother and sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman told them she did not know him. woman helped him escape to Bucharest, Romania, he became acquainted with Saint Euthymius, who would also endure martyrdom. did not wish to stay in Bucharest, however, so he left for Mt. Athos. the way he visited the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Father Euthymius again. that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John became very sad and left the village. had not gotten very far when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that he would do so. with this reply, they let him go. reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from the monastery of Grigoriou. journeyed to the Holy Mountain together, and John settled in the Skete of Saint Anna. he met Father Basil. day John and Father Basil traveled to Thessalonica on monastery business. they were there the monks David and Euthymius of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. was inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Basil, however, urged him to postpone his intention, so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A short time after this, Father Basil died. a monk from the Skete of Saint Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March 22), was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. was placed under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel. time, John was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name Ignatius. Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. receiving the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his ordeal. in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ. that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death. On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts and great honor from them. courageous martyr told the kadi to keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die for my Christ.” Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God. kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a servant to lead Saint Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the room, however, and dragged him off to prison. Ignatius was brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.” the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I intend to hang you.” replied, “You will be doing me a great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept everything for the love of Christ.” that he could not turn Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days, then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the island of Prote for burial. Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Saints Acacius and Euthymius. head of Saint Ignatius is in the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt Athos.

Bulgaria, 1838-1841, Demetrius tNew oSilven, great story Moslem patience before martyr's execution
Bulgaria, 1838-1841, Demetrius tNew oSliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1), after 8 years parents prayers answered, 2 sons born, first Stephen then Demetrius, both pious, D no school but memorized church, parents died, stephen tWallacia, Demetrius stayed in home, it collapsed, Moslems take land, D becomes servant to one, that family tried convert him, our religion given us by Lord Jesus Christ, yours by mere man, thrown out of house, became baker, D proclaimed Orthodoxy while selling bread iMarketplace, telling deficiencies of Islam, Moslems plan revenge, new Judge came tSilven, D chosen Baker for him by district Governor, knowing Judge would offer good stuff for conversion and hew would refuse, D sarcastic "Oh Sure", Moslems thought serious reply, began wrap turban, D threw turban tGround and ran, they could not catch him, D hid in village 3 days w/o food water, D told story to his bishop, bishop encouraged him with gold coin and wooden cross, D changed coin gave half to poor, turned himself in, back tSilven hands tied behind him, met Orthodox, said forgive me brother, giving self up for glory of our Faith, thrown into prison, asked for brother Stephen visit, refused but S learned tried to free, Judge (kadi) ordered D to him while J dining with officials, D says he never promised become Moslem, no intension, sorry for you taking my irony for truth, called Mohammed false prophet and followers sons oSatan, Kadi tells D he would be put to death if no conversion, back tPrison 3Days, refused conversion again, ordered execution, other christians heard and brought Stephen to him, D told priest Stephen he was afraid he would not endure, S urged him remain strong bear witness tChrist, D remained in prison whole year, tortures continued, no help from anyone, early in year Moslems shouted Kadi execute D, Kadi gives another chance to convert, refused again, Stephen brings confession and communion, Jan 30 1841 beheading, first strike failed, Christians soaked cloths in his blood, Stephen collected blood soaked earth, relics unburied all night, Moslems believe bodies those who insult Mohammed should not burried in earth, So thrown river next day, sufficient bribe Kadi released body burial in monastery garden ; Sliven; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Holy New Martyr Demetrius was born on October 9, 1818 in Sliven, Bulgaria. parents had no children for the first eight years of their marriage. prayers to God were answered, and their sons Stephen and Demetrius were born. was the younger son, and was brought up in a pious manner. did not go to school, but he attended church frequently and memorized many prayers and services. their parents died, Stephen left home and went to Wallachia. remained in the family home, which soon collapsed because of its age. Moslems used this excuse to seize the surrounding property, and Demetrius became a servant to one of them. family tried to convert him to their religion, but Demetrius resisted such attempts. “Our Orthodox Christian religion was given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said, “while yours was given to you by Mohammed, a mere man.” threw Demetrius out of the house when they heard this, and he later became a baker. while selling his bread in the marketplace, Demetrius proclaimed the Orthodox Faith and pointed out the deficiencies of Islam. this outraged the Moslems, and they began to plan their revenge. new kadi (district judge) came to Sliven, and Demetrius was chosen to prepare the food. local beys (district governor) chose him because they knew he had insulted Islam. kadi offered him tobacco and liquor, but Demetrius said that he did not smoke or drink. he tried to leave, the kadi said, “Let me make you a Moslem. You see what a good life we have. If you convert, I will tell your master to give you his daughter in marriage, and half of his riches.” answered sarcastically, “Oh, sure.” this for a serious reply, one of the Moslems began wrapping cloth around the young man’s head in the form of a turban. threw the turban to the ground and ran from the house. of the Hagarenes chased him, but were unable to catch him. three days he hid in the village of Ichera without food or water. went to a bishop and told him his story. The bishop encouraged him to remain Orthodox, then sent him away with a gold coin and a wooden cross. the coin for change, Demetrius gave half the money to the poor. he went up to a Moslem guard and said that he was the one they were seeking. was escorted back to Sliven with his hands tied behind him. he met an Orthodox Christian Demetrius said, “Forgive me, brethren. I gave myself up to these ungodly people for the glory of our Faith.” Saint Demetrius was thrown into prison, he asked for his brother the priest Stephen to visit him. request was refused, but Father Stephen learned that Demetrius was incarcerated and tried to have him freed. kadi ordered Demetrius to be brought to him while he was dining with other officials. kadi asked Demetrius if he was willing to accept Islam. ’s holy martyr informed him that he had never promised to become a Moslem, and he had no intention of doing so. “If you took my irony for truth, I am sorry for you.” went on to call Mohammed a false prophet, and his followers sons of Satan. kadi told Demetrius that if he did not become a Moslem, he would be put to death. he sent him back to prison for three days to consider this. When he was brought before the kadi again, Demetrius refused to convert. Then he was ordered to be executed. the other Christians heard of Demetrius’s fearless confession of faith and his impending death, they brought Father Stephen to him. told the priest he was afraid that he would not be able to endure the tortures. Stephen urged him to remain strong and bear witness to Christ. Demetrius remained in prison for a whole year. tortures continued, and no one was able to help him. the beginning of the year, many Moslems gathered and shouted for the kadi to execute Demetrius. he summoned Demetrius before him. The fearless martyr remained unshaken in his resolve, and mocked their faith. the last time Demetrius was offered the choice of converting to Islam or being put to death. said he would remain a Christian whatever they did to him. Stephen came to the prison to hear the saint’s confession and give him Communion. the morning of January 30, 1841 Demetrius was brought to the place of execution. asked forgiveness of the Christians he met, entreating them to pray for him. Then they ordered him to kneel on the ground for beheading. first stroke did not sever his head, and he remained motionless. With the second stroke, the martyr’s head fell to the ground. Christians soaked cloths in his blood, and Father Stephen collected some of the blood-soaked earth in a box. holy relics remained unburied all night. kadi ordered the body to be thrown into the river the next day, Moslems believe that the bodies of those who insult Mohammed should not be received by the earth. a sufficient bribe had been paid, the kadi released the body for burial in the garden of the monastery. Demetrius now lives in the heavenly Kingdom, glorifying most holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout all ages.

Bulgaria, 1866-1920, Nectarius, Met oPentapolis, engine start, wind stop, Malice, deposed, S director, incorrupt r
Africa, North Africa, 1866-1920, Nectarius Kephalas, Met oPentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi), great wonderworker, modern times, fSelebria, Thrace, poor, tConstan fWork, captain tried start engines, nothing happened, A allowed on boat for free, job w tobacco merchant, wrote spiritual maxims on tBags, wrote letter to christ for shoes&apron, man sent him money, employer beat him but man told employer, holy land pilgrimage, storm, dipped his cross&commanded sea be still, it worked, however cross fell, knocking sounds, cross found, monk in 1875, Nea Moni in Chios, Deacon, Malice fOther Mets&bishops, deposed but not deranked, weddings baptisms wPermission, bore trial wPatience, others demanded reason, he left Alexandria for Athens, false rumors, no food, mistreatment by MoReligion, friend got him humble job aVitineia&Euboea, scandal followed, laughter wispers, returned tAthens, director Rizarios Seminary 1894-1908, retired to Aegina abandoned monastery, nun community, lighthouse for you, his holy relics, died at 74 in Athens hospital, paralyzed man next bed healed by his sweater, incorrupt relics in his Aegina grave, thousands of miracles before after death; Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi) ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Nectarius, the great wonderworker of modern times, was born Anastasius Kephalas in Selebria, Thrace on October 1, 1846. his family was poor, Anastasius went to Constantinople when he was fourteen in order to find work. he had no money, he asked the captain of a boat to take him. The captain told him to take a walk and then come back. Anastasius understood, and sadly walked away. captain gave the order to start the engines, but nothing happened. After several unsuccessful attempts, he looked up into the eyes of Anastasius who stood on the dock. Taking pity on the boy, the captain told him to come aboard. Immediately, the engines started and the boat began to move. found a job with a tobacco merchant in Constantinople, who did not pay him very much. In his desire to share useful information with others, wrote down short maxims from spiritual books on the paper bags and packages of the tobacco shop. The customers would read them out of curiosity, and might perhaps derive some benefit from them. boy went about barefoot and in ragged clothing, but he trusted in God. that the merchant received many letters, Anastasius also wanted to write a letter. To whom could he write? Not to his parents, because there were no mail deliveries to his village. Not to his friends, because he had none. he decided to write to Christ to tell Him of his needs. “My little Christ,” he wrote. “I do not have an apron or shoes. You send them to me. You know how much I love you.” sealed the letter and wrote on the outside: “To the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.” On his way to mail the letter, he ran into the man who owned a shop opposite the one in which he worked. The man asked him where he was going, and Anastasius whispered something in reply. Seeing the letter in his hands, the man offered to mail it for him, since he was on his way to the post office. merchant put the letter in his pocket and assured Anastasius that he would mail it with his own letters. The boy returned to the tobacco shop, filled with happiness. he took the letter from his pocket to mail it, the merchant happened to notice the address. Astonished and curious, the man could not resist opening the letter to read it. by the boy’s simple faith, the merchant placed some money in an envelope and sent it to him anonymously. Anastasius was filled with joy, and he gave thanks to God. few days later, seeing Anastasius dressed somewhat better than usual, his employer thought he had stolen money from him and began to beat him. Anastasius cried out, “I have never stolen anything. My little Christ sent me the money.” the commotion, the other merchant came and took the tobacco seller aside and explained the situation to him. he was still a young man, Anastasius made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. the voyage, the ship was in danger of sinking in a storm. looked at the raging sea, and then at the captain. He went and stood beside the captain and took the helm, praying for God to save them. he took off the cross his grandmother had given him (containing a piece of the Cross of Christ) and tied it to his belt. Leaning over the side, he dipped the cross into the water three times and commanded the sea, “Silence! Be still.” once, the wind died down and the sea became calm. was saddened, however, because his cross had fallen into the sea and was lost. As the boat sailed on, sounds of knocking seemed to come from the hull below the water line. When the ship docked, the young man got off and started to walk away. the captain began shouting, “Kephalas, Kephalas, come back here.” The captain had ordered some men into a small boat to examine the hull in order to discover the source of the knocking, and they discovered the cross stuck to the hull. was elated to receive his “Treasure,” and always wore it from that time forward. There is a photograph taken many years later, showing the saint in his monastic skufia. The cross is clearly visible in the photo. November 7, 1875, Anastasius received monastic tonsure at the Nea Moni Monastery on Chios, and the new name Lazarus. Two years later, he was ordained a deacon. On that occasion, his name was changed to Nectarius. when he was a priest, Father Nectarius left Chios and went to Egypt. There he was elected Metropolitan of Pentapolis. Some of his colleagues became jealous of him because of his great virtues, because of his inspiring sermons, and because of everything else which distinguished Saint Nectarius from them. Metropolitans and bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria became filled with malice toward the saint, they told Patriarch Sophronius that Nectarius was plotting to become patriarch himself. told the patriarch that the Metropolitan of Pentapolis merely made an outward show of piety in order to win favor with the people. the patriarch and his synod removed Saint Nectarius from his See. Patriarch Sophronius wrote an ambiguous letter of suspension which provoked scandal and speculation about the true reasons for the saint’s removal from his position. Nectarius was not deposed from his rank, however. He was still allowed to function as a bishop. If anyone invited him to perform a wedding or a baptism he could do so, as long as he obtained permission from the local bishop. Nectarius bore his trials with great patience, but those who loved him began to demand to know why he had been removed. that this was causing a disturbance in the Church of Alexandria, he decided to go to Greece. arrived in Athens to find that false rumors about him had already reached that city. His letter of suspension said only that he had been removed “for reasons known to the Patriarchate,” and so all the slanders about him were believed. the state and ecclesiastical authorities would not give him a position, the former Metropolitan was left with no means of support, and no place to live. Every day he went to the Minister of Religion asking for assistance. They soon tired of him and began to mistreat him. day, as he was leaving the Minister’s office, Saint Nectarius met a friend whom he had known in Egypt. Surprised to find the beloved bishop in such a condition, the man spoke to the Minister of Religion and Education and asked that something be found for him. Saint Nectarius was appointed to be a humble preacher in the diocese of Vitineia and Euboea. The saint did not regard this as humiliating for him, even though a simple monk could have filled that position. He went to Euboea to preach in the churches, eagerly embracing his duties. even here, the rumors of scandal followed him. while he was preaching, people began to laugh and whisper. the blameless one resigned his position and returned to Athens. then some people had begun to realize that the rumors were untrue, because they saw nothing in his life or conversation to suggest that he was guilty of anything. their help and influence, Saint Nectarius was appointed Director of the Rizarios Seminary in Athens on March 8, 1894. He was to remain in that position until December of 1908. saint celebrated the services in the seminary church, the students, wrote several edifying and useful books. he was a quiet man, Saint Nectarius did not care for the noise and bustle of Athens. He wanted to retire somewhere where he could pray. the island of Aegina he found an abandoned monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which he began to repair with his own hands. gathered a community of nuns, appointing the blind nun Xenia as abbess, while he himself served as Father Confessor. he had a gift for spiritual direction, many people came to Aegina to confess to him. Eventually, the community grew to thirty nuns. He used to tell them, “I am building a lighthouse for you, and God shall put a light in it that will shine forth to the world. Many will see this light and come to Aegina. ” They did not understand what he was telling them, that he himself would be that beacon, and that people would come there to venerate his holy relics. September 20, 1920 the nun Euphemia brought an old man in black robes, who was obviously in pain, to the Aretaieion Hospital in Athens. This was a state hospital for the poor. The intern asked the nun for information about the patient. “Is he a monk?” he asked. “No, he is a bishop.” intern laughed and said, “Stop joking and tell me his name, Mother, so that I can enter it in the register.” “He is indeed a bishop, my child. He is the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Pentapolis.” intern muttered, “For the first time in my life I see a bishop without a panagia or cross, and more significantly, without money.” the nun showed the saint’s credentials to the astonished intern who then admitted him. For two months Saint Nectarius suffered from a disease of the bladder. At ten thirty on the evening of November 8, 1920, he surrendered his holy soul to God. He died in peace at the age of seventy-four. the bed next to Saint Nectarius was a man who was paralyzed. As soon as the saint had breathed his last, the nurse and the nun who sat with him began to dress him in clean clothing to prepare him for burial at Aegina. They removed his sweater and placed it on the paralyzed man’s bed. Immediately, the paralytic got up from his bed, glorifying God. Nectarius was buried at the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina. Several years later, his grave was opened to remove his bones (as is the custom in Greece). His body was found whole and incorrupt, as if he had been buried that very day. was sent to the Archbishop of Athens, who came to see the relics for himself. Archbishop Chrysostomos told the nuns to leave them out in the sun for a few days, then to rebury them so that they would decay. A month or two after this, they opened the grave again and found the saint incorrupt. Then the relics were placed in a marble sarcophagus. years later, the holy relics dissolved, leaving only the bones. The saint’s head was placed in a bishop’s mitre, and the top was opened to allow people to kiss his head. Nectarius was glorified by God, since his whole life was a continuous doxology to the Lord. Both during his life and after his death, Saint Nectarius has performed thousands of miracles, especially for those suffering from cancer. There are more churches dedicated to Saint Nectarius than to any other modern Orthodox saint.

Bulgaria, 1876, April Uprising, Sliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1)
Bulgaria, 1876, April Uprising, Sliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1) Sliven; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ;

Bulgaria, 1877-1878, Bulgarian Russian-Turkish War, with Bulgarians 3x number of Russians
Bulgaria, 1877-1878, Bulgarian Russian-Turkish War, with Bulgarians 3x number of Russians; Bulgaria, 1876, April Uprising, Sliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1) Sliven; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ;

Bulgaria, Southeastern Bulgaria, Thracian Penninsula Folder, Via Engnatia

Thracian Penninsula
Thracian Penninsula, also known as Thracian Italy; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25 ; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Thracian Wilderness, now Central Balkan National Park
Thracian Wilderness, now Central Balkan National Park; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11;

Moisia, Thrace (Moisi Tribe)
Moisia, Thrace (Moisi Tribe); Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna Commemorated on July 23;

Thracia, Bulgaria, Roman Province
Roman Province Thracia; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Demetrius of Thrace, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Perinth, Thrace, Bulgaria (on Via Egratia and Agean Sea)
Perinth; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Heraclea, Thrace, Bulgaria (Perinth, Via Egnatia)
Heraclea, Thrace, Bulgaria; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Selymbria, Thrace (Roman Road Via Engratia, Agean Sea)
Selymbria; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22;

Anastasiopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria
Anastasiopolis; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Apollonia, Thrace, Bulgaria
Apollonia, Thrace; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19;

Malko Tarnovo (Southeastern Bulgaria, Thrace)
Malko Tarnovo; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ;

Strandzha Mountains
Strandzha Mountains; St. Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

Gregory of Sinai Monastery, Strandzha Mountains, Bulgaria, Concealed M, 1335
Gregory of Sinai Monastery; Strandzha Mountains; St. Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

Bulgaria, Central Bulgaria, Maritza River Folder, south to the Agean Sea, Thrace

Maritsa River

Maritza River Source (Rila Mountains)

Rila Mountains
Rila Mountains; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria;

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria (Maritza River Source) 927, St John of Rila
Rila Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated August 18 ; John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers. Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Maritza River 1 (Balkan Peninsula)

Maritza River 2

Maritza River 3

Maritza River 4

Maritza River 5 (Philippopolis (Plovdiv), Thrace)

Philippopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Road Via Militaris 5, Maritza River 5)
Philippoplis; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated on August 20; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated November 5 ; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Roman Road, Via Militarius 5, Maritza River 5)
Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Saint Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Kuklen Monastery of St.St. Kosma and Damyan, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5)
Kuklen Monastery of St.St. Kosma and Damyan, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5) ; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Saint Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Bitel (Butili) near Kuklen and Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5)
Kuklen Monastery of St.St. Kosma and Damyan, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5) ; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Saint Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 31 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Bulgaria, Central Bulgaria, Maritza River 5, Chepelare River Folder

Chepelare River

Chepelare River Source (along the border)

Petritsoni (now Bachkovo) Georgian Monastery, Bulgaria, 1083
Petritsoni Georgian Monastery, Bulgaria (now Bachkovo); St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Bachkovo Monastery (Chepelare River 1)1083
Petritsoni Georgian Monastery, Bulgaria (now Bachkovo); St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Sardica, Lydia? Thrace, Bulgaria (Chapelare River, Maritza River 5)
Council of Sardica; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Apostle Clement of the Seventy ;

Chepalare River Mouth (Maritza River 5)

Maritza River 8 (Thrace)

Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Militarius, Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8)
Thrace; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated August 8 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated August 20; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Demetrius of Thrace, Commemorated November 15 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated December 24 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 22; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Thrace Region, Bulgaria
Thrace Region, Bulgaria; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Battle of Maritsa
Battle of Maritsa; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16;

Maritza River 9 (Adrianopolis)

Bulgaria, Central Bulgaria, Maritza River 9, Ardiscus River Folder

Ardiscus (Arda, Studen) River

Rhodope Mountains

Ardiscus (Arda, Studen) River Source (Rhodope Mountains)

Ardiscus (Arda, Studen) River Mouth (Adrianopolis, Maritza River 9)

Maritza River 10 (Adrianopolis)

Bulgaria, Central Bulgaria, Maritza River 10, Tonus River Folder

Tonsus River

Tonsus River Source (Balkan Mountains)

Haemus or Balkan Mountains
Haemus or Balkan Mountains;

Upper Thracian Plain
Upper Thracian Plain;

Dirrachia, Bulgaria (Tonsus River Source)
Dirrachia, Bulgaria ; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated October 1 ;

Tonsus River 1 (Upper Thracian Plain, Stara Zagora)

Stara Zagora, Bulgaria (Upper Thracian Plain)
Stara Zagora; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated August 8 ; Holy Forty Women Martyrs and Martyr Ammon the Deacon, their teacher, at Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1 New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23;

Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region, Bulgaria
Eski Zagora; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Sliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1)
Sliven; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ;

Tonsus (Tundzha, Tunca) River Mouth (Adrianopolis, Maritza River 10)

Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Roads, Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9)
Adrianople; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St. Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Venerable Isaac the Confessor, Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22 Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Edirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople
Edirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople; historically known as Adrianople (founded by the Roman emperor Hadrian on the site of a previous Thracian settlement named Uskudama)[4] is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern province of Edirne and East Thrace, close to Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria. was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1369 to 1453,[5] before Constantinople became the empire's capital. The estimated population in 2019 was 185,408. and etymology See also: Names of Edirne in different languages city was founded as Hadrianopolis (á¼‰Î´ÏÎ¹Î±Î½Î¿ÏÏ€Î¿Î»Î¹Ï‚ in Greek), named after the Roman emperor Hadrian. This name is still used in the modern Greek language (Î‘Î´ÏÎ¹Î±Î½Î¿ÏÏ€Î¿Î»Î·, Adrianoúpoli). The Ottoman name Edrine (Ø£Ø¯Ø±Ù†Ø©) derives from the Greek name. The name Adrianople was used in English until the Turkish adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1928, upon which Edirne became the internationally recognized name. Bulgarian: ÐžÐ´Ñ€Ð¸Ð½, romanized: Odrin (pronounced [ËˆÉ”drin]), Romanian and Aromanian: Odrina, Albanian: Edrenë, Slovene: Odrin and Serbian: ÐˆÐµÐ´Ñ€ÐµÐ½Ðµ, romanized: Jedrene, are all adapted forms of the name Hadrianopolis. Blessed Stephen, King of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19;

Jedirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople or Edirne or Hadrianopolis
Edirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople; historically known as Adrianople (founded by the Roman emperor Hadrian on the site of a previous Thracian settlement named Uskudama)[4] is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern province of Edirne and East Thrace, close to Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria. was the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1369 to 1453,[5] before Constantinople became the empire's capital. The estimated population in 2019 was 185,408. and etymology See also: Names of Edirne in different languages city was founded as Hadrianopolis, named after the Roman emperor Hadrian. This name is still used in the modern Greek language. The Ottoman name Edrine derives from the Greek name. The name Adrianople was used in English until the Turkish adoption of the Latin alphabet in 1928, upon which Edirne became the internationally romanized: Jedrene, are all adapted forms of the name Hadrianopolis. Blessed Stephen, King of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19;

Battle of Adrianople, Gothic Civil War, 378, Fritgen over Athanaric, both Theringian Goths
Battle of Adrianople, Gothic Civil War; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15;

Jedrene (Edirne, Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9)
Adrianople; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St. Stephen of Serbia, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe blind oneÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Maritsa (Hebrus) River Mouth (Aegean Sea)

Aenus (Ainos, Enos), Thrace, Bulgaria (Maritza (Hebrus) River Mouth, Roman Road Via Egnatia)
Aenus; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4;

Enos, Thrace, Bulgaria (Maritza River Mouth)
Enos, Thrace; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19;

Gallipoli in Thrace, Bulgaria (Dardanelles Strait, Troy)
Gallipoli in Thrace; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23;

Hiraclea, Thrace, Bulgaria
Hiraclea, Thrace; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11;

Trajanopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River Mouth)
Trajanopolis; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Bulgaria, Southwestern Bulgaria, Nestos River Folder (Aegean Sea)

Nestos River

Rila Mountains
Rila Mountains; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated August 18 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria;

Nestos River Source (Rila Mountains)
Nestos River Source (Rila Mountains);

Bansk, Southwestern Bulgaria (Bansko, in the Highlands, Nestos River)
Bansko; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated October 30 ; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Nestos River Mouth (Philippi, Thasos, Thrace)
Nestos River Mouth (Thasos, Thrace);

Rhodope Region
Rhodope Region;

Meglen (Meglena, Almopia), Bulgaria or Macedonia (Axios River Mouth)
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Bulgaria, Western Bulgaria, Strymon River Folder (Philippi, Roman Road, Agean Sea)

Strymon River

Strymon (Struma) River Source (Vitosha Mt., Bulgaria)

Mount Vitosha (overlooking Sophia, Bulgaria)
Mount Vitosha;

Strymon (Struma) River 1 (Pernik, Bulgaria)

Strymon River 2 (Zemen)

Strymon River 3

Dragovistica River Mouth (Strymon River 3)

Dragovistica River

Dolno River

Strymon River 4

Strymon River 5

Strymon River 6 (Rila, Bulgaria)

Bulgaria, Western Bulgaria, Strymon River 6, Rila River Folder

Rila River

Rila River Source

Rila Monastery, Macedonia (Rila River Source) 927
Rila Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated August 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated on October 13 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Rila River Mouith (Strymon River 6)

Strymon River 8 (Kresna Gorge)

Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9)
Heraclea Sintica; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated on August 20; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8 ; Martyr Laodicius the Keeper of the Prison, Commemorated on May 13;

Strymon River 9 (Heraclea, Thrace)

Bulgaria, Western Bulgaria, Strymon River 9, Strumitza River Folder

Strumitza River

Strumitza River Source

Lesnov Monastery, Bulgaria (High Point, Near Strumitza River Source)
Lesnov Monastery, Bulgaria; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15;

Strumitza River 1 (Strumica)

Strumica, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1)
Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. His parents gave him over to military studies. When the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. The master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. The collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. When he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. They subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Strumitza River Mouth (Heraclea, Struma River 9)

Dremvitsa, Macedonia
Dremvitsa, Macedonia St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ;

Strymon River 10 (Lake Kerkini)

Serres, Macedonia (fertile plain, Strymon River 10)
Serres; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

Strymon River 11 (Serres)

Angitis River Mouth (Strymon River 11)

Strymon River 12 (Amphipolis)

Amphipolis, Macedonia (Strymon (Struma) River 12) Roman Road Via Egnatia
Amphipolis; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Auctus at Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on November 7 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11;

Strymon (Struma) River Mouth (Strymonian Gulf, Agean Sea)

Chrysopolis, Macedonia (Eion, Roman Road, Strymon River Mouth)
Chrysopolis, Macedonia (Eion) ; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mount Athos, Commemorated on October 21;

Philippi, Eastern Macedonia, Trajanopolis in Thrace (Roman Road, near Strymon River Mouth)
Philippi; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; POLYCARP; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; St. Lydia of Philippi, Commemorated on May 20;

Neapolis, Thessalonica (between Strymon and Nestos Rivers)
Neapolis, Thessalonica; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Stagira (ancient city), Chalkidice, Macedonia (Aristotle's home)
Stagira (ancient city), Chalkidice, Macedonia; Greece, 364 BC - 322 BC, Greek Philosopher and Scientist Aristotle; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Bulgaria, Northern Bulgaria, Danube Rivers in Bulgaria Folder

Danube River in Bulgaria

Danube River 12 (Iskar River)

Bulgaria, Northern, Danube River 12, Iskar River Folder

Iskar River

Iskar River Source (Dmaga Peak, Rila, Bulgaria)

Iscar River 1 (Sophia)

Sofia, Bulgaria (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Iskar River 1)
Sofia, occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Sredets (Sofia, Iscar River 1), Bulgaria
Sredets, Sofia; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Lesnov, Sophia Province , Bulgaria
Lesnov, Sophia Province , Bulgaria; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Patriarchical Cathedral of Alexander Neversky at Sofia, 1882
Patriarchical Cathedral of Alexander Neversky at Sofia; Bulgarian Orthodox Church; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1882
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Sofia (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Roman Road Via Militaris)
Sofia occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]
Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Iskar River Mouth (Northwest border of Builgaria) at Danube River 12

Vidin, Bulgaria (Iskar River Mouth, Danube River 12)
Vidin, Bulgaria ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Saint Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

village of Slatena, Meglena diocese, on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia
village of Slatena, Meglena diocese, on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13;

Danube River 13 (Oltenia)

Bulgaria, Northern, Danube River 13, Cherni Osam River Folder

Cherni Osam River

Cherni Osam River Source (along the border)

Cherni Osam River 1 (Cherni Osam)

Cherni Osam River 2 (Moesia)

Moesia, Bulgaria (Cherni Osam River 2)
Moesia; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23 ; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24;

Cherni Osam River 3 (Slavyanovo)

Cherni Osam River Mouth (Danube River 13, Oltenia)

Bulgaria, Northern, Danube River 13, Yantra River Folder, Trnovo

Yantra River

Yantra River Source (Central Balkan Mountains)
Central Balkan Mountains, Stara Planina;

Yantra River 1

Sokolsky Monastery, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1) 1833
Sokolsky Monastery, Bulgaria; Icon of the Mother of God "Sokolsky", Commemorated February 1 ;

Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1)
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23;

Yantra River 2 (Tarnvo)

Tarnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3)
Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21 ; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27;

Potuka, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3, across river from Trnovo)
Potuka; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Tarnovo Cathedral, 1000, 11th Century
Trovono Cathedral, 11th Century; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14;

Yantra River 3

Nicopolis ad Istrum, Moesia (Gothic Settelment, Northern Bulgaria Wallacia)
Nicopolis ad Istrum, Moesia (Gothic Settelment, Northern Bulgaria Wallacia); Moesia; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Yantra River 4

Yantra River Mouth (Danube River 13)

Svishtov, Bulgaria (Yantra River Mouth, Danube River 13)
Svishtov, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ;

Bulgaria, Northern, Danube River 13.5, Rusenski River Folder

Rusenski Lom River

Rusenski Lom River Source (Razgrad, Bulgaria)

Veliki Preslav, high point, Bulgarian Capital, 893-972 (Rivers Source)
Veliki Preslav, high point, Bulgarian Capital, 893-972; Blessed Peter, King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30;

Plisk (high point, first capital of Danubian Bulgaria, 681-893, Rusenski Lom River Source)
Plisk; Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire) 864
Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire); Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid, Bishop of Greater Macedonia, and his companions, Commemorated on July 27;

Rusenski Lom River Mouth (Danube River 13)

Ruschuk, Bulgaria (Rusenski Lom River Mouth, Danube River 13)
Ruschuk, Bulgaria; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26; Demetrius of Basarabov in Bulgaria lived in the wilderness as an ascetic near the city of Ruschuk, Bulgaria. He died in 1685. On July 8, 1779 his relics were transferred to Bucharest.

Basarbov Monastery (Rusenski Lom River Mouth, Danube River 13) 1185
Basarbov Monestary; St Demetrius of Basarbov in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 26 ;

Danube River 14 (Bucharest)

Bulgaria, Northern, Danube River 14, Argus River from Bucharest

Dorostolum, Bulgaria (Silistra, Danube River 14.5, Southeast of Bucharest, Roman Fort)
Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated November 20 ; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28;

Silistra, Bulgaria (Dorostolum, Danube River 14)
Silistra, Bulgaria (Dorostolum, Danube River 14); Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated November 20 ; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28;

Danube River 15 (Overview 3)

Bulgaria, Northeastern Bulgaria, Povadiya River Folder, Black Sea

Povadiya River

Provadiya River Source (Studenitsa Monastery)

Plisk (high point, first capital of Danubian Bulgaria, 681-893, Provadiya River Source)
Plisk; Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Epivato Village, Black Sea, Bulgaria
village of Epivato, between Silistra on the Danube and Constantinople; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated October 14 ;

Mesembria, Thrace, Bulgaria
Mesembria, Thrace, Bulgaria; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5 ;

Danube River ( North Border of Bulgaria)

Dobrogea, Bulgaria (on the Romania Border above Povadiya River Mouth)
Dobrogea; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Marcianopolis, Northeast Bulgaria (Lake Beloslav), Gov Tiris , bolt of lightning struck him on judgement seat
Marcianopolis (Lake Beloslav); Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Holy Martyr Theodotus suffered with Saints Maximus and Asklepiodote, at the beginning of the fourth century under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). Eminent citizens of the city of Marcianopolis, Maximus, and Asklepiodote led a devout Christian life. By their example they brought many to faith in Christ and to holy Baptism. the persecution Tiris, the governor of Thrace, went around the city subject to him and persecuted those believing in Christ. He summoned Maximus and Asklepiodote before him and demanded they abandon the Christian Faith. When the martyrs refused, he ordered that they be beaten. a certain pious man named Theodotus, began to reproach the governor for his inhumanity and cruelty. They seized him also, and hanging him on a tree, they tortured him with iron hooks. After this, they threw the three martyrs into prison. Tiris traveled for two weeks more and took the holy martyrs along with him. the city of Adrianopolis he put them to still greater tortures, commanding that their bodies be scorched with white-hot plates. In the midst of their suffering they heard a Voice from Heaven encouraging them to persevere. After several days of torture they threw the martyrs to be eaten by wild beasts in the circus, but instead the she-bear released upon Saints Maximus and Theodotus began to cuddle up to them. Asklepiodote was tied to a bull, but she seemed to be rooted to the spot, and did not budge. Tiris resumed the journey and stopped in the village of Saltis before reaching the city of Philippopolis. Again he urged the martyrs to renounce Christ. When they refused, he ordered them to be beheaded. God’s wrath overtook him when a bolt of lightning struck him as he sat upon the judgment seat. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ;

Myzean city of Udum, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5;

Udum, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5;

Varna, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Apostle Amplias, commemorated October 31, Bishop of Varna per Wikipedia; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5;

Provadiya River Mouth (Lake Beloslav, Black Sea)

Devnya River Mouth (Lake Beloslav)

Bulgaria (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, points Folder

Bulgaria (Clean), its Area, Very important in the Roman Empire
Bulgaria, its Area, Very important in the Roman Empire

Bulgaria, 1st Bulgarian Empire, its Area, 681-1018

Bulgaria, 2nd Bulgarian Empire, its Area, 1085-1422

Bulgaria (Clean), Macedonia (Greater Macedonia) its Area, during both 1st and 2nd Empires
Greece, Macedonia (Greater Macedonia) its Area

Bulgaria, Balkan Mountains, Area
Balkan Mountains, Area

Bulgaria (Clean), Thracia, Roman Province in Bulgaria, its Area
Bulgaria (Clean), Thracia, Roman Province in Bulgaria, its Area;

Bulgaria (Clean), Roman Road, Via Militarius
Roman Road, Via Militarius

Bulgaria (Clean), Roman Road, Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road, Eastern Triangle)

Bulgaria (Clean), Roman Road, Via Egnatia - Bottom of the K Triangle Claudiana to Thessalonica

Bulgaria (Rila Mountains, Upper Thracian Plain, South of the Danube)
Bulgaria ; Kutmichivitsa Region of Bulgaria; K Triangle, Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora;

Balkan Peninsula
Balkan Peninsula;

Bulgaria (Clean), Northeastern Bulgaria, Povadiya River Folder, Black Sea

Plisk (high point, first capital of Danubian Bulgaria, 681-893, Provadiya River Source)
Plisk;

Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire) 864
Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire);

Veliki Preslav, high point, Bulgarian Capital, 893-972 (Rivers Source)
Veliki Preslav, high point, Bulgarian Capital, 893-972;

Epivato Village, Black Sea, Bulgaria
village of Epivato, between Silistra on the Danube and Constantinople;

Mesembria, Thrace, Bulgaria
Mesembria, Thrace, Bulgaria;

Dobrogea, Bulgaria (on the Romania Border above Povadiya River Mouth)
Dobrogea;

Marcianopolis, Northeast Bulgaria (Lake Beloslav), Gov Tiris , bolt of lightning struck him on judgement seat
Marcianopolis (Lake Beloslav);

Myzean city of Udum, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum;

Udum, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum;

Varna, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum;

Bulgaria (Clean), Southeastern Bulgaria, Thracian Penninsula Folder, Via Engnatia

Thracian Penninsula
Thracian Penninsula, also known as Thracian Italy;

Apollonia, Thrace, Bulgaria
Apollonia, Thrace;

Gregory of Sinai Monastery, Strandzha Mountains, Bulgaria, Concealed M, 1335
Gregory of Sinai Monastery;

Bulgaria (Clean), Central Bulgaria, Maritza River Folder

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria (Maritza River Source) 927
Rila Monastery ;

Philippopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Road Via Militaris 5, Maritza River 5)
Philippoplis;

Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Roman Road, Via Militarius 5, Maritza River 5)
Plovdiv, Bulgaria;

Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Militarius, Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8)
Thrace;

Thrace Region, Bulgaria
Thrace Region, Bulgaria;

Bulgaria (Clean), Thracia, Roman Province in Bulgaria, Area
Thracia Roman Province Area;

Battle of Maritsa
Battle of Maritsa;

Bulgaria, Thervingian Goths went to Bulgaria, Southeast of Germania
Transylvania; Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Bachkovo Monastery (Chepelare River 1)1083
Petritsoni Georgian Monastery, Bulgaria (now Bachkovo);

Dirrachia, Bulgaria (Tonsus River Source)
Dirrachia, Bulgaria ;

Stara Zagora, Bulgaria (Upper Thracian Plain)
Stara Zagora;

Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region, Bulgaria
Eski Zagora;

Sliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1)
Sliven;

Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Roads, Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9)
Adrianople;

Edirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople
Tonsus RiverEdirne, Bulgaria, aka Adrianople;

Bulgaria (Clean), Southwestern Bulgaria, Nestos River Folder (Aegean Sea)

Rila Mountains
Rila Mountains;

Bansk, Southwestern Bulgaria (Bansko, in the Highlands, Nestos River)
Bansko;

Meglen (Meglena, Almopia), Bulgaria or Macedonia (Axios River Mouth)
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria;

Bulgaria (Clean), Northern, Danube River 13.5, Rusenski River Folder

Marcianopolis, Moesia Inferior, Northeast Bulgaria (Lake Beloslav)
Marcianopolis (Lake Beloslav);

Moesia, Bulgaria (Cherni Osam River 2)
Moesia;

Moesia Inferior, Roman Province, Northeast Bulgaria, Area
Moesia Inferior, Roman Province, Northeast Bulgaria Area;

Moesia Superior, Roman Province, Northwest Bulgaria, Area
Moesia Superior, Roman Province, Northwest Bulgaria, Area;

Silistra, Bulgaria (Dorostolum, Danube River 14)
Silistra, Bulgaria (Dorostolum, Danube River 14);

Dorostolum, Bulgaria (Silistra, Danube River 14.5, Southeast of Bucharest)
Dorostolum (Dorostorum);

Bulgaria (Clean), Northern, Danube River 13, Yantra River Folder, Trnovo

Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3)
Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2);

Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1)
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ;

Svishtov, Bulgaria (Yantra River Mouth, Danube River 13)
Svishtov, Bulgaria ;

Bulgaria (Clean), Northern, Danube River 13, Cherni Osam River Folder

Bulgaria, Northwesterm, Moesia Superior, Roman Province, Area
Moesia Superior, Roman Province, Northwest Bulgaria, Area;

Thracian Wilderness, now Central Balkan National Park
Thracian Wilderness, now Central Balkan National Park;

Bulgaria (Clean), Northern, Danube River 12, Iskar River Folder

Sofia, Bulgaria (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Iskar River 1)
Sofia, occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula ;

Lesnov, Sophia Province , Bulgaria
Lesnov, Sophia Province , Bulgaria;

Patriarchical Cathedral of Alexander Neversky at Sofia, 1882
Patriarchical Cathedral of Alexander Neversky at Sofia; Bulgarian Orthodox Church;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria, 1882
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria;

Sofia (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Roman Road Via Militaris)
Sofia occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.

Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Serdica or Sofia, Bulgaria
Roman Road, Via Militaris 4, Sofia, Bulgaria Sofia occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, on Roman Road.

Sredets (Sofia, Iscar River 1), Bulgaria
Sredets, Sofia;

Vidin, Bulgaria (Iskar River Mouth, Danube River 12)
Vidin, Bulgaria ;

village of Slatena, Meglena diocese, on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia
village of Slatena, Meglena diocese, on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia;

Bulgaria (Clean), Western Bulgaria, Strymon River Folder

Bulgaria (Clean), Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Bulgaria (Clean), Context, Important Roman Roads, Bithynia, Armenia, Cilicia, Syria, Troy

Context (Clean), Bulgaria, Via Egnatia, Roman Roads Triangle Folder, Eastern Triangle

Via Egnatia (The East West Roman Road, Eastern Triangle)
Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereaŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion Kaekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Context (Clean), Bithynia, Roman Roads Folder

Context (Clean), Armenia (Clean), Roman Roads Folder

Georgia, Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Cilicia, Roman Roads in Cilicia

Roman Roads in Cilicia, Connecting Antioch Cilicia with Antioch, Syria, Lebanon, and Kings Hwy

Armenia, Roman Roads, Kizilirmak River Folder, Great Road from Ephesus to Euphrates, Cappadocia

Armenia, Roman Roads, Euphrates Kizilirmak Rivers Folder, Great Road, Syria

Armenia, Roman Roads, Edessa and Melitene area Folder, Top Left of the Fertile Crescent

Armenia, Roman Roads, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River Folder, Great Road

Armenia, Roman Roads, Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Armenia, Roman Roads, Great Road To Yerevan Trade Route Folder - via Upper Euphrates

Context (Clean), Cilicia, Roman Roads and Rivers Folder to Syria

Cilicia Area

Cilicia on Arabian Plate, its Area

Cilicia, Arabian Plate in Cilicia, its Area

Ceyan River 2nd Source

Ceyhan River

Arabian Plate and Cilicia, Zargos Mountains around the Fertile Crescent
Arabian Plate and Cilicia;

Colophon, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth) Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy
Colophon, Cilicia ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Aegeae, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth , across from Antioch)
Aegeae, Cilicia;

Goksu River (source of the Seyhan)

Kadirli River

Kilgen River

Anazarbus, Cilicia (Mehmetli River at Kilgen River at Aleian plain, Ceyhan River 10)
Anazarbus (Aleian plain, Ceyhan River);

Limonlu River

Mehmetli River and Dam

Comana (Komana), Cilicia, on Roman Road in Zamanti Seyhan River Valley
Comana (Cappadocia);

Roman Road, Sajur River in Syria, connecting Cilicia and Euphrates River 4 at Hieropolis and Pelion

Syria, Roman Road, Cilicia to Gulf of Isska to Rossoa to Antioch to Orantes River to Lebanon Pass

Seyhan River

Pompeiopolis, Cilicia (near Seyhan River Mouth)
Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7;

Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth)
Tarsus;

Zamanti River in Cappadocia (Source of the Seyhan)

Context (Clean), Syria, Roman Roads Folder, from Cilicia to Lebanon, Kings Hwy and Euphrates River

Syria to Lebanon Pass, Orantes River Headwaters to Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse

Context (Clean), Troy, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy to Bosphorus of Constantinople

Belgium Folder, and Holy Roman Empire

Belgium (Meuse and Scheldt Rivers, Ardennes Mts)
Belgium; THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; DAMIEN of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889, Commemorated April 15 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Belgium, 1195-1350, Northern Crusades, ordered by Popem, Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake
Russia, Novgorod, 1195-1350, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III; Rome, 1191-1198, Pope, Celestine III; Novgorod, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Pskov Lake, defeat of Teutonic Knights; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Belgium, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Belgium, 1526-1804, Holy Roman Empire, Hapsburg Empire, Austria, Germany and Spain
Belgium, Holy Roman Empire, 1526-1804, Hapsburg Empire, Austria; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21;

Belgium, 800-1806, Holy Roman Empire, Revived in 2009, Centered in Belgium
Belgium, 800-1806, Holy Roman Empire, Revived in 2009, Centered in Belgium; Charlemagne, a Frank, first Holy Roman Emperor (800-814); Charlemagne Building; European Union Constitution, Nov 3, 2009;

Belgium, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy
Austria, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy;

Belgium, 1806, Holy Roman Empire Disolved by Francis 1 after Austerlitz Battle
Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon over Holy Roman Empire, 1805; Austria, Austrian Emperor, 1804-1835, Francis I aka Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor;

Franks, Land of the Franks (Belgium then Paris in 508)
Franks; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

Markomannia (Land of the Franks, Belgium)
Markomia, Markomannians were Frankish from the Land of the Franks in lower and middle Rhineland; Franks; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ;

Belgium History Folder

Belgium, 40-99, 1st Century Folder, Lucian of Beauvais

Belgium, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian, sent to Gaul, then to Belgium, c all Belgium, heavenly light, picked up head
France, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais, France (Avalon River Mouth, Therain River 4), converted by Peter, preached in Italy, Clement sent him to Gaul, then to Belgium, very successful, by words and life example, strict ascetic, c all Belgium, beheaded, heavenly light, picked up head and carried to his grave; Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Hieromartyr Lucian lived in Rome, and his pagan name was Lucius. was converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, and was baptized. Saint Peter’s death, Saint Lucian preached the Gospel in Italy. Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), a disciple of Saint Paul, arrived in Rome at this time. the request of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25), he agreed to preach the Gospel in the West, and gathered companions and helpers for this task. Clement consecrated Saint Lucian a bishop, then sent him off with Saint Dionysius, Saints Marcellinus and Saturninus, the Presbyter Maximian, and the Deacon Julian. holy preachers sailed from Italy to Gaul (modern France). Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Saturninus went to Gaul, Saint Dionysius and the others went to the region of Paris. there Saint Lucian went to Belgium with Maximian and Julian. Lucian’s preaching was very successful. By the power of his words and the example of his life, he converted a large number of pagans to Christianity. Lucian was a strict ascetic, and all day long he ate only a morsel of bread and some water. the converted he was kindly, always joyful and cheerful of face. almost all the settlements of Belgium were converted to Christ. this period, the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96) initiated a second persecution against Christians (after that of Nero, 54-68), and he issued an edict prescribing torture and execution for anyone who refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. officials were sent to Belgium to carry out the edict. Lord revealed to Saint Lucian the ordeal facing him. He gathered the flock together, urging them not to fear threats, tortures or death, and then he gave thanks to God for granting him the possibility of joining the company of the holy martyrs. After praying, Saint Lucian and the priest Maximian and Deacon Julian withdrew to the summit of a hill, where he continued to teach the people who came with him. the soldiers of the emperor came upon the saints and led them away for trial. Saints Maximian and Julian were urged to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols, but both refused and were beheaded. the judge began to interrogate Saint Lucian, accusing him of sorcery and disobedience to the emperor and Senate. The saint replied that he was not a sorcerer, but rather a servant of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he refused to offer sacrifice to idols made by human hands. saint was subjected to fierce beatings, during which he repeated, “Never will I cease to praise Christ, the Son of God, in my heart, and with my lips.” Then the holy martyr was beheaded. heavenly light shone over his body, and the Voice of the Savior was heard, summoning the valiant sufferer into the heavenly Kingdom to receive the martyr’s crown. the power of God the saint stood up, picked up his severed head, and crossed over the river. Reaching the burial spot he had chosen, he lay down upon the ground and reposed in peace. of this great miracle about 500 pagans were converted to Christ. Later, a church was built over Saint Lucian’s grave, to which the relics of the martyrs Maximian and Julian were transferred.

Belgium, 300, 4th -8th Century Folder, Francia or Frankland

Belgium, 303-323, Zebulon, Enlightener of the Franks and Gaul, Father of St Nino Enlightner of Georgia
Belgium, 303-323 (about 20 years from his relative Great-martyr George's death in 303), Zebulon, Enlightener of the Franks and Gaul, Father of St Nino Enlightner of Georgia; Francia: the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28;

Belgium, 336-350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil, Huns
Little Hungarian Plain, 350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil; Sabaria (Little Hungarian Plain), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Belgium, 349, Black Plague in Belgium
Belgium, 349, Black Plague in Belgium; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Belgium, 481-843, Frankish Empire, Belgium (Francia or Frankland)
Frankish Empire, 481-843, Belgium (Francia or Frankland): the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Belgium, 481-843, Frankland (Francia)
Francia: the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28;

Belgium, 486-511, Frankish King, Clovis I
Belgium,486-511, Frankish King, Clovis I; Frankish Empire, 481-843, Belgium (Francia or Frankland): the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks;

Belgium, 496, Upper Rhine River, Land of the Alemanni, Clovis, Franks
Alemanni, 496, Upper Rhine River, Land of the Alemanni, Clovis, Franks; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Belgium, 750-804, Alcuin, Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, rev Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque
England, 750-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, revised Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque; England, 755-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne; York; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); was an Englishman from York, born into a noble family about 730, and educated by a pupil of Bede. become a deacon, he was made head of the cathedral school at York around 770. 781 he was asked by the Emperor Charlemagne to become his minister of education. He accepted, and established schools at many cathedrals and monasteries, and promoted learning in every way he could. the preceding years of constant wars and invasions, many ancient writings had been lost. Alcuin established scriptoria, dedicated to the copying and preservation of ancient manuscripts, both pagan and Christian. we have as much as we do of the writings of classical Roman authors is largely due to Alcuin and his scribes. is credited with the invention of cursive script, in which the letters are connected for greater speed of writing.) Alcuin, backed by Charlemagne, belongs much of the credit for the revision and organization of the Latin liturgy, the preservation of many of the ancient prayers, and the development of plainchant. and his fellow theologians at Charlemagne's capital of Aachen (or Aix-le-Chappelle) were important advocates of the doctrine that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son jointly. the East, which regarded the Emperor at Byzantium as the sole Emperor, resented Charlemagne's assumption of the title of Holy Roman Emperor, and this hardened their opposition to the aforesaid doctrine, thus contributing to the rift between East and West. by James Kiefer Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Belgium, 774, Siege of Pavia (773–74), Frankish Invasion of Italy, Charlemagne, Ended Lombard Kingdom
Rome, 774, Siege of Pavia (773–74); Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Belgium, 787, Scholastic Philosophy, Scholasticism, Schools in every abby, Charlemagne, Alcuin
Belgium, 787, Scholastic Philosophy, Scholasticism, Schools in every abby, Charlemagne Belgium, 800-814, Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, a Frank, Belgium ; Saint Anthony, Metropolitan of Chqondidi, and Saint Jacob, Elder of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13;

Belgium, 800, 9th-11th Century, Holy Roman Empire Folder, HRE Begins

Belgium, 800-899, 9th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne,

Belgium, 801-814, HRE Emperor, Charlemagne, a Frank, Belgium
Belgium, 800-814, Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, a Frank, Belgium ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God "œIveron", Commemorated on February 12; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

Belgium, 814-840, HRE Emperor, Louis the Pious, v over muslim Barcelona, sons' civil war
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 814-840, Louis the Pious; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6;

Belgium, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
France, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Saxony (north Germany), Westphalia, Jutland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar,[3] Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North" because of his travels and the See of Hamburg received the missionary mandate to bring Christianity to Northern Europe.[4][5] was the son of a noble Frankish family, born near Amiens (present day France).[5][6] After his mother's early death, Ansgar was brought up in Benedictine monastery of Corbie in Picardy.[5] According to the Vita Ansgarii ("Life of Ansgar"), when the little boy learned in a vision that his mother was in the company of Mary, mother of Jesus, his careless attitude toward spiritual matters changed to seriousness.[7] His pupil, successor, and eventual biographer Rimbert considered the visions (of which this was the first) to have been Ansgar's main life motivator. acted in the context of the phase of Christianization of Saxony (present day Northern Germany) begun by Charlemagne and continued by Charlemagne's son and successor, Louis the Pious. 822 Ansgar became one of many missionaries sent to found the abbey of Corvey (New Corbie) in Westphalia, where he became a teacher and preacher. group of monks including Ansgar were sent further north to Jutland with the king Harald Klak, who had received baptism during his exile. Harald's downfall in 827 and Ansgar's companion Autbert having died, their school for the sons of courtiers closed and Ansgar returned to Germany. in 829, after the Swedish king Björn at Hauge requested missionaries for his Swedes, King Louis sent Ansgar, now accompanied by friar Witmar from New Corbie as his assistant. preached and made converts, particularly during six months at Birka, on Lake Mälaren, where the wealthy widow Mor Frideborg extended hospitality. Ansgar organized a small congregation with her and the king's steward, Hergeir, as its most prominent members. 831 Ansgar returned to Louis' court at Worms and was appointed to the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. This was a new archbishopric, incorporating the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden and with the right to send missions into all the northern lands, as well as to consecrate bishops for them. received the mission of evangelizing pagan Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The King of Sweden decided to cast lots as to whether to admit the Christian missionaries into his kingdom. Ansgar recommended the issue to the care of God, and the lot was favorable.[5] was consecrated as a bishop in November 831, with the approval of Gregory IV. Before traveling north once again, Ansgar traveled to Rome to receive the pallium directly from the pope's hands, and was formally named legate for the northern lands. Archbishop of Reims had previously received a similar commission, but would be deposed twice before his death in 851, and never actually traveled so far north, so the jurisdiction was divided by agreement, with Ebbo retaining Sweden for himself. a time Ansgar devoted himself to the needs of his own diocese, which was still a missionary territory and had few churches. He founded a monastery and a school in Hamburg. Although intended to serve the Danish mission further north, it accomplished little. Louis the Pious died in 840, his empire was divided and Ansgar lost the abbey of Turholt, which Louis had given to endow Ansgar's work. in 845, the Danes unexpectedly raided Hamburg, destroying all the church's treasures and books. Ansgar now had neither see nor revenue, and many helpers deserted him. The new king, Louis' third son, Louis the German, did not re-endow Turholt to Ansgar, but in 847 he named the missionary to the vacant diocese of Bremen, where Ansgar moved in 848. However, since Bremen had been suffragan to the Bishop of Cologne, combining the sees of Bremen and Hamburg presented canonical difficulties. After prolonged negotiations, Pope Nicholas I would approve the union of the two dioceses in 864. this political turmoil, Ansgar continued his northern mission. The Danish civil war compelled him to establish good relations with two kings, Horik the Elder and his son, Horik II. Both assisted him until his death; Ansgar was able to secure permission to build a church in Sleswick north of Hamburg and recognition of Christianity as a tolerated religion.[8] did not forget the Swedish mission, and spent two years there in person (848–850), averting a threatened pagan reaction. In 854, Ansgar returned to Sweden when king Olof ruled in Birka. According to Rimbert, he was well disposed to Christianity. On a Viking raid to Apuole (current village in Lithuania) in Courland, the Swedes plundered the Curonians. and legacy[edit] was buried in Bremen in 865. His successor as archbishop, Rimbert, wrote the Vita Ansgarii. He noted that Ansgar wore a rough hair shirt, lived on bread and water, and showed great charity to the poor. Adam of Bremen attributed the Vita et miracula of Willehad (first bishop of Bremen) to Ansgar in Gesta Hammenburgensis ecclesiæ; Ansgar is also the reputed author of a collection of brief prayers Pigmenta (ed. J. M. Lappenberg, Hamburg, 1844).[9] Pope Nicholas I declared Ansgar a saint shortly after the missionary's death. The first actual missionary in Sweden and the Nordic countries (and organizer of the Catholic church therein), Ansgar was later declared "Patron of Scandinavia".[5] are located in Hamburg in two places: St. Mary's Cathedral (Ger.: Domkirche St. Marien) and St. Ansgar's and St. Bernard's Church (Ger.: St. Ansgar und St. Bernhard Kirche).[10] Statues of Bishop Ansgar stand in Hamburg, Copenhagen and Ribe, as well as a stone cross at Birka. His feast day (Lesser Festival) is 3 February, as it is in the Church of England.[11] Saint Ansgar statue in Hamburg a historical document and primary source written by a man whose existence can be proven historically, the Vita Ansgarii ("The Life of Ansgar") aims above all to demonstrate Ansgar's sanctity. It is partly concerned with Ansgar's visions, which, according to the author Rimbert, encouraged and assisted Ansgar's remarkable missionary feats. the course of this work, Ansgar repeatedly embarks on a new stage in his career following a vision. According to Rimbert, his early studies and ensuing devotion to the ascetic life of a monk were inspired by a vision of his mother in the presence of Mary, mother of Jesus. Again, when the Swedish people were left without a priest for some time, he begged King Horik to help him with this problem; then after receiving his consent, consulted with Bishop Gautbert to find a suitable man. The two together sought the approval of King Louis, which he granted when he learned that they were in agreement on the issue. Ansgar was convinced he was commanded by heaven to undertake this mission and was influenced by a vision he received when he was concerned about the journey, in which he met a man who reassured him of his purpose and informed him of a prophet that he would meet, the abbot Adalhard, who would instruct him in what was to happen. In the vision, he searched for and found Adalhard, who commanded, "Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest peoples", which Ansgar interpreted as God's will that he go to the Scandinavian countries as "most of that country consisted of islands, and also, when 'I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth' was added, since the end of the world in the north was in Swedish territory".[12] Corbie (Somme River 4); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); (in Latin, Ansgarius) was a monk of Saxon family, born in Corbie, France, in 801 (the year after the crowning of Charlemagne). In 826, when King Harald of Denmark asked Charlemagne's successors for missionaries, Anskar led a group to Denmark, and a few years later to Sweden. Because of unsettled political conditions, his work ran into difficulties, and Anskar withdrew into Germany, where he served as first Archbishop of Hamburg. Later, however, he helped to consecrate Gotbert, the first bishop of Sweden. The Church of Sweden honors him as its apostle, and he serves as symbol of the historic friendship and present-day connection between the Anglican Churches and the Church of Sweden. by James Kiefer the north of Germany, in Denmark, and in Sweden, Anskar, who had been a monk at Corbey, on the Weser, laboured for thirty-nine years with earnest devotion and with great success (AD 826-865). In addition to preaching the Gospel of salvation, he did much in such charitable works as the building of hospitals and the redemption of captives; and he persuaded the chief men of the country north of the Elbe to give up their trade in slaves, which had been a source of great profit to them, but which Anskar taught them to regard as contrary to the Christian religion. Anskar was made archbishop of Hamburg and Bremen, and is styled "The Apostle of the North." But he had to suffer many dangers and reverses in his endeavours to do good. At one time, when Hamburg was burnt by the Northmen, he lost his church, his monastery, his library, and other property; but he only said, with the patriarch Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Then he set to work again, without being discouraged by what had befallen him, and he even made a friend of the heathen king who had led the attack on Hamburg. Anskar died in the year 865. It is told that when some of his friends were talking of miracles which he was supposed to have done, he said, "If I were worthy in my Lord's sight, I would ask of Him to grant me one miracle--that He would make me a good man." Sketches of Church History, by J. C. Robertson, publ. 1904 by SPCK, London available, "Saint Anschar", from The Catholic Encyclopedia, and The Life of Anskar, by his successor, Rimbert (also available from the Internet Archive).

Belgium, 840-855, HRE Emperor, Lothair I, governed Bavaria, civil war led to Ger and Fra
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 840-855, Lothair I; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Belgium, 844-875, HRE Emperor, Louis II of Italy, Carolingian intrvnt, Bari, Benevento, Saracens
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 850-875, Louis II of Italy; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Belgium, 855-870, Edmund oEast Anglia, King otEnglish, w Edward tConfessor Patron saint oEngland till George i1400's, Bury St Ed
England, 855-870, Edmund of East Anglia, King of the English, w Edward t Confessor Patron saint till George, when Anglo Saxons invaded they established seven kingdoms, Essex, Wessex, Sussex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia, Kent, or 3 oSaxons (East, West, South) 3 oAngles, and 1 oJutes, same borders today, different accents, Celt &Continental missionaries, all 7 became Christian, Then Dane invaders, offered Edmund tbVassel if deny Christ, he would not deny C, Bury St Edmunds; England, 855-870, Edmund of East Anglia (Edmund the Martyr), King of the English, w Edward t Confessor Patron saint till George ; the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869)[note 1] was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death. cult flourished in the Early and High Middle Ages, and he and Edward the Confessor were regarded as England's patron saints until they were replaced by Saint George in the fifteenth century.[2] nothing is known about Edmund. He is thought to have been of East Anglian origin and was first mentioned in an annal of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written some years after his death. kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by the Vikings, who destroyed any contemporary evidence of his reign. writers produced fictitious accounts of his life, asserting that he was born in 841, the son of Aethelweard, an obscure East Anglian king, whom it was said Edmund succeeded when he was 14 (or alternatively that he was the youngest son of a Germanic king named Alcmund). Later versions of Edmund's life relate that he was crowned on 25 December 855 at Burna (probably Bures St Mary in Suffolk), which at that time functioned as the royal capital,[3] and that he became a model king. 869, the Great Heathen Army advanced on East Anglia and killed Edmund. According to Asser and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he died in battle,[4] but by later tradition, he met his death at an unidentified place known as Haegelisdun, after he refused the Danes' demand that he renounce Christ: the Danes beat him, shot him with arrows and then beheaded him, on the orders of Ivar the Boneless and his brother Ubba. According to one legend, his head was then thrown into the forest, but was found by searchers following the cries of an ethereal wolf calling out in Latin, "Hic, Hic, Hic" – "Here, Here, Here". coinage commemorating Edmund was minted from around the time East Anglia was absorbed by the kingdom of Wessex and a popular cult emerged. In about 986, Abbo of Fleury wrote of his life and martyrdom. The saint's remains were temporarily moved from Bury St Edmunds to London for safekeeping in 1010. His shrine at Bury was visited by many kings, including Canute, who was responsible for rebuilding the abbey: the stone church was rebuilt again in 1095. During the Middle Ages, when Edmund was regarded as the patron saint of England, Bury and its magnificent abbey grew wealthy, but during the Dissolution of the Monasteries his shrine was destroyed. Medieval manuscripts and works of art relating to Edmund include Abbo's Passio Sancti Eadmundi, John Lydgate's 14th-century Life, the Wilton Diptych, and a number of church wall paintings. EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); the heathen Anglo-Saxons invaded Christian Britain in the 400's, they eventually established seven kingdoms: Essex, Wessex, Sussex (East Saxons, West Saxons, and South Saxons), Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia (three kingdoms of the Angles), and the Jute kingdom of Kent. (The borders between these ancient kingdoms are still borders between regions speaking English with different accents today.) the influence of missionaries from the Celts and from continental Europe, these peoples became Christian, only to be faced themselves by a wave of heathen invaders. The finding of Edmund's head. See Abbo of Fleury's Life. was born about 840, became King of East Anglia in about 855, and in 870 faced a horde of marauding Danes, who moved through the countryside, burning churches and slaughtering villages wholesale. On reaching East Anglia, their leaders confronted Edmund and offered him peace on condition that he would rule as their vassal and forbid the practice of the Christian faith. refused this last condition, fought, and was captured. He was ill-treated and killed. His burial place is the town of Bury St. Edmunds. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 867-872, Pope, Adrian II, received Cyril and Methodius with great honor
Pope, 867-872, Adrian II ; holy brothers were then summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Roman Pope. Pope Adrian received them with great honor, since they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement. Sickly by nature and in poor health, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from his many labors, and after taking the schema, he died in the year 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death, he expressed his wish for his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. Saint Cyril was buried in the Roman church of Saint Clement, whose own relics also rest there, brought to Italy from Cherson by the Enlighteners of the Slavs. Adrian II (792 – 14 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Louis II of Italy, he was placed under surveillance, and his wife and daughters were killed by Louis' supporters. 1 Family 2 Pontificate 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links was a member of a noble Roman family. In his youth, he married a woman named Stephania and had a daughter with her.[2] Adrian was selected to become pope on 14 December 867. He was already at an advanced age, and objected to assuming the papacy.[3] His wife and daughter moved with him to the Lateran Palace.[4] II maintained, but with less energy, the policies of his predecessor, Nicholas I. King Lothair II of Lotharingia, who died in 869, left Adrian to mediate between the Frankish kings with a view to secure the imperial inheritance to Lothair's brother Louis II of Italy.[5] Adrian sought to maintain good relations with Louis, since the latter's campaigns in southern Italy had the potential to free the papacy from the threat posed by the Muslims.[6] Photius I of Constantinople, shortly after the council in which he had pronounced sentence of deposition against Pope Nicholas I, was driven from the patriarchate by a new Byzantine emperor, Basil the Macedonian, who favoured Photius' rival, Ignatius. The Fourth Council of Constantinople was convoked to decide this matter. At this council Adrian was represented by legates who presided at the condemnation of Photius as a heretic, but did not succeed in coming to an understanding with Ignatius on the subject of jurisdiction over the Bulgarian Church.[5] Nicholas I, Adrian was forced to submit in temporal affairs to the interference of Emperor Louis II, who placed him under the surveillance of Bishop Arsenius of Orte, his confidential adviser, and Arsenius' nephew Anastasius the Librarian.[5] In 868, Adrian's wife and daughter were carried off and murdered by Arsenius' son Eleutherius, who had forcibly married the daughter.[7] died on 14 December 872, after exactly five years of pontificate.[5] CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2;

Belgium, 872-882, Pope, John VIII, resisted Muslims in S. Italy, supported Methodius for Slavs, assinated
Rome, 872-882, Pope, John VIII; John VIII (Latin: Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century.[1] devoted much of his papacy attempting to halt and reverse the Muslim gains in southern Italy and their march northwards. When his efforts to obtain assistance from either the Franks or the Byzantines failed, John strengthened the defenses of Rome. He supported Methodius of Thessalonica in his mission to the Slavs, defended him against the Carolingian rulers and Bavarian clergy, and authorized the translation of the Bible into Slavonic. John also extended diplomatic recognition to the Duchy of Croatia and resolved the Photian schism. John's pontificate ended with his assassination, and the papacy became significantly weaker in the aftermath. 1 Slavonic liturgy 2 Saracen incursions 3 Constantinople problems 4 Death 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External links liturgy[edit] VIII's letter to Svatopluk I of Moravia Adrian II consecrated Methodius of Thessalonica as archbishop and supported his mission to the Slavs. Unbeknownst to Rome, Methodius was imprisoned in 870 by the Carolingian King Louis the German and Bavarian bishops, who objected to his use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy and his encroachment on their jurisdiction in Moravia.[2] Adrian II died in 872, and John VIII, a Roman native,[3] was selected to succeed him. When Bishop Anno of Freising visited Rome, John inquired about the whereabouts of the missing Methodius, but Anno lied to him. In the summer of 873, John finally learned the truth. Furious, he forbade the celebration of mass in Bavaria until Methodius was released.[4] After his release, Methodius came to Rome and convinced John to allow him to translate the Bible to Slavonic as well as to perform liturgy in Slavonic. John wrote: "He who made three main languages - Hebrew, Greek, and Roman - also made all other languages to sing his praise and glory."[5] incursions[edit] a young man, John witnessed the Arab raid against Rome. Their expansion into Italy was severely affecting the economy of the Papal States.[3] After the raids against Campania and the Sabine Hills, Pope John asked for military aid from Emperor Charles the Bald and later Count Boso of Provence.[6] His efforts failed and he was forced to pay tribute to the Emirate of Sicily.[7] The threatening Muslim military presence (which he believed was God's punishment against "bad Christians"),[8] coupled with alliances they formed with the local Christians, prompted John to promote "a new and uncompromisingly hostile view of the Saracens." This included a ban on forming alliances with the Muslims. However, his efforts proved unsuccessful,[9] partly because Christian leaders viewed his calls for unity as an excuse to assert papal authority in southern Italy.[8] 876 bull of John VIII 876, John VIII traveled throughout Campania in an effort to form an alliance among the cities of Salerno, Capua, Naples, Gaeta and Amalfi against Muslim raids. By 877, all five cities sent delegates to Traietto to formalize an alliance.[10] Pope John VIII urged Charles to come to his defence in Italy. Charles again crossed the Alps, but this expedition was received with little enthusiasm by the nobles, and even by his regent in Lombardy, Boso, and they refused to join his army. At the same time Carloman of Bavaria, son of Louis the German, entered northern Italy. Charles, ill and in great distress, started on his way back to Gaul, but died while crossing the pass of Mont Cenis on 6 October 877.[11] relatively little support from outside sources, John fell back on what resources he could command. He reinforced the walls previously restored by Pope Leo IV. As the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls was located outside the Aurelian Walls, and had been damaged in a Saracen raid, the pope fortified the basilica, the monastery, and the nearby dwellings of the peasants. He also founded a papal fleet.[5] problems[edit] 879, John recognised the reinstatement of Photios I as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople. Photius had been condemned in 869 by Adrian II. This was undertaken mainly to appease the Byzantines, since in them he saw the only hope of removing the Arabs from Italy.[12] Some time afterward, John VIII re-confirmed the excommunication of Photius, which eventually enabled Emperor Leo VI to move against Photius.[13] was anxious that the Duchy of Croatia would follow in the steps of Bulgaria, which had recently accepted the spiritual authority of Constantinople rather than that of Rome. After the overthrow of the pro-Byzantine Zdeslav in 879, John thanked the new duke, Branimir, for returning Croatia to papal jurisdiction. In return, John recognized Croatian independence from the Carolingians.[14] VIII was assassinated in 882 by his own clerics; he was first poisoned, and then clubbed to death.[5] The motives may have been his exhaustion of the papal treasury, his lack of support among the Carolingians, his gestures towards the Byzantines, and his failure to stop the Saracen raids.[15] Without the protection of powerful magnates or the Carolingian emperor, the papacy after John VIII's reign became increasingly subject to the machinations and greedy ambition of the rival clans of the local nobility.[5] St. Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869);

Belgium, 875-877, HRE Emperor, Charles the Bald, heir to Gaul a
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 875-877, Charles the Bald; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Belgium, 877-888, HRE Emperor, Charles III, Charles the Fat, L Carolingian, L Frank
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 877-888, Charles III, Charles the Fat ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 888-891 or 962, HRE Emperor, No Emperor, , Interregum
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 888-891, No Emperor St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 891-894, HRE Emperor, Guy III of Spoleto, fought over Italy, a w Saracens, traitor
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 891-894, Guy III of Spoleto; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 892-898, HRE Emperor, Lambert of Italy, fought over Italy w Guy, Anwulf, and Berangar
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 892-898, Lambert of Italy; St. Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 896-897, Pope Steven VI, Cadaver Synod, which led to his downfall and death, prohibited Slavonic in c
Rome, 896-897, Pope Steven VI; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid, Bishop of Greater Macedonia, and his companions, Commemorated on July 27; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeded Saint Methodius as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian prince Svyatopolk. The struggle centered around the questions of the need for divine services in Slavonic, the Filioque and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church purposes), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodius to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their spiritual Father, Saint Methodius. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the saints and brought them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees escaped along those same paths followed earlier by the saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct divine services in the Slavonic language. The Bulgarian prince Boris sought out such people as the disciples of Saint Methodius, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. The saints immediately began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon died, and Saint Clement received the appointment to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church a worthy man was chosen to be a teacher, someone known for his devout life, and possessed with a gift of words. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, Saint Clement worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Simeon. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and for children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for the clergy amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the saint not to forsake the cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Ochrid, to a monastery he founded. There the saint continued with his translation activities and translated important parts of the Pentecostarion. the saint became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. The saint’s body was placed in a coffin he made with his own hands, and was buried in Ochrid’s Saint Panteleimon monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. He not only continued the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodius, but also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by pious Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid. Saint Clement is also commemorated on November 25.

Belgium, 896-901,HRE Emperor, Arnulf of Carinthia, Carolingian , Interregum
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 896-899, Arnulf of Carinthia; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 900-999, 10th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, Louis the Blind, Benegar, Ottos I II and III

Belgium, 901-915, HRE Emperor, Louis the Blind, Belgium, across Alps to d Berengar, Interregum
Holy Roman Emperor, 899-915, Louis the Blind; Louis the Blind (c. 880 – 5 June 928[2]) was the king of Provence from 11 January 887, King of Italy from 12 October 900, and briefly Holy Roman Emperor, as Louis III, between 901 and 905. He was the son of Boso, the usurper king of Provence, and Ermengard, a daughter of the Emperor Louis II.[3] Through his father, he was a Bosonid, but through his mother, a Carolingian. He was blinded after a failed invasion of Italy in 905. EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Belgium, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France, golden age of C, independent of kings, over 2000 Abbys, translated koran
France, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France (Grosne River 1), golden age of Cluny, under Pope, independent of kings, silence, simple diet, chasity, C over 2000 Abbys, translated koran ; Cluny; Cluny Abbey; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; monastery of Cluny (in France, northwest of Lyons) was a center for the reform and spiritual renewal of Western monasticism in the tenth and eleventh centuries. was founded in 909 under Abbot Berno, as a reformed monastery, observing the Benedictine Rule with a strictness unusual at the time. Many monasteries in Europe at that time were dominated by a nearby king or nobleman. It was intended that Cluny should be independent of all but papal jurisdiction. second abbot was Odo (born 879 at Tours, monk in 909, abbot in 927, died 18 November 942--one of my sources says 944). He obtained papal and royal charters which guaranteed the monastery freedom from outside interference. Under his guidance Cluny attracted many men seeking to follow its discipline, and Abbot Odo was instrumental in introducing the Cluniac observances into many Italian monasteries as well. He insisted on silence, simplicity of diet, and strict observance of chastity for his monks, but he was not rigid of temperament: many stories survive of his generosity to the poor and to prisoners. Because he had no wordly ambitions, he was often called to mediate disputes between men in power. third abbot was Aylward, who held office from 942 to 965. He was blind from 954 on. (or Maieul or Maiolus) was born at Avignon around 906, became a clergyman, was made archdeacon of Macon, and fled to Cluny in order to avoid being made bishop of Besancon. At Cluny, he was made librarian and bursar. When Abbot Aylward became blind, he appointed Maiolus his assistant, and in 965 at the death of Aylward he became abbot. Under his guidance, Cluniac influence expanded, but by example and advice rather than by jurisdiction. Maiolus had the support and admiration of the Emperors Otto I and Otto II, and the latter wanted to make him Pope in 974, but he refused. When old, he chose Odilo as his successor, and retired to contemplation and penance. He died on 11 May 994. the fifth abbot, was born around 962, became a monk as a young man, was made assistant to Mayeul in 991, and became abbot in 994. He held office for 55 years, during which time thirty abbeys accepted Cluny as their mother house, and its practices were adopted by many more which did not affiliate. Thus the Cluniac reform spread through Burgundy, Provence, Auvergne, Poitou, and much of Italy and Spain. The abbot of Cluny appointed priors for the daughter houses, which were thus permanently under a central jurisdiction, making the Cluniac monasteries (or some of them) into the first monastic order in the modern sense. In Abbot Odilo's day, there was a great deal of fighting of minor wars, raids, and skirmishes between feudal lords and others. Odilo reduced the effect of this by persuading the combatants throughout most of France and some other regions to agree that churches and monastic holdings were strictly off limits in fighting, and that there was to be a truce from Fridays to Mondays, as well as throughout all of Advent and Lent, to enable all parties to worship unmolested. Odilo wrote many sermons and poems on the mystery of the Incarnation, and his references to the role of Mary as the means through whom the Incarnation took place greatly influenced Bernard of Clairvaux a century later. Odilo instituted the observance of 2 November as All Souls' Day, a day of prayer at first for the dead brothers of the Abbey and later for all who had died in the faith of Christ. In the years from 1028 to 1033, when crop failures created great hunger among the poor in the vicinity of Cluny, he melted down and sold most of the treasures of Cluny to relieve them. As an abbot, he held both himself and his monks to a strict observance of the Rule, but he said that he would rather be damned for being too merciful than for being too severe. He died in 1049 at the age of 87. the sixth abbot, was born in 1024, the oldest son of a Burgundian nobleman (the count of Semur), entered Cluny when about 16, and became abbot when only 25 years old. He was abbot for 60 years, during which time the number of monastic houses that recognized Cluny as their mother house grew from about 60 to about 2000. It was under his abbacy that the Cluniac reform was introduced into England (at Lewes in Sussex in 1077). He increased the control of the mother house over the daughter houses (at the cost, as some have thought, of a certain flagging in their spiritual enthusiasm). Hugh was an accomplished diplomat sent at various times by nine different popes to conduct delicate negotiotiations in Hungary, Toulouse, Spain, and all over Europe. He mediated between pope and emperor in the confrontation at Canossa, and must be reckoned as one of the most influential figures of his day. He died 29 April 1109. seventh abbot, Pons (or Pontius), was a secular-minded, contentious nobleman, unsuited to be an abbot. He took office in 1109, and by 1122 had created such a turmoil and so many factions that the Pope asked him to resign. eighth Abbot of Cluny was Peter the Venerable, born in 1092, prior of Vezelay in 1112, and elected abbot of Cluny in 1122. In 1125, when Peter was away, Pons returned with a band of armed men and seized control of the monastery. The Pope intervened and imprisoned Pons, who died in prison the following year. Peter was then involved in a dispute with Bernard of Clairvaux (see 20 August), the spokesman of the Cistercian monasteries, and disposed to view the Cluniac monasteries as in some sense a rival organization, who accused the Cluniac houses of being insufficiently strict in their monastic observances. Peter, instead of replying indignantly, considered the complaints, made some changes where he thought that changes were needed, and ignored the complaints that he considered ill-grounded. In 1140, when Bernard had succeeded in having the views of Abelard condemned (see 21 April), Peter gave Abelard shelter at Cluny, persuaded the Pope to deal mildly with Abelard, and reconciled Abelard and Bernard. He refused to have anything to do with the preaching of the Second Crusade, saying that the moslems should be met, not with armies, but with scholars prepared for rational dialogue. He sponsored the first translation of the Koran into Latin, so that Christian missionaries could understand what the moslems they were about to meet believed. He served as papal envoy to Aquitaine, England, and various states in Italy. He wrote religious tracts, poems, hymns, and many letters, of which about 200 survive. He defended the Jews against persecution and false accusations. He was abbot for thirty-four years, during which time Cluny was the most influential abbey in Europe. He died 25 December 1156, and with his death the golden age of Cluny was over. But it had lasted for well over two centuries, and had done much to advance Western civilization, both in spiritual and in secular terms.

Belgium, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia to Constantinople
Armenia, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus) to Constantinople, incorrupt relics uncovered 3times, 395,408, 911, transferred 911 to Constantinople churches: Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia, &Holy Resurrection, Kept there till 1204 Latin Catholic Invasion; Nazianzos; The transfer of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on January 19; to some researchers, the uncovering of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian (Jan. 25) occurred (3times) Nazianzus during the reign of Emperor Arkadios (395-408), of Theodosios II (408-450), (at the transfer to C) that of Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (911 - 959) they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. His honorable head is reverently kept in Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. the year 1204, when the Western Crusaders captured Constantinople, portions of Saint Gregory’s relics were kept in the church of Hagia Sophia, in the church of the Holy Apostles, and in the church of the Holy Resurrection. St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ;

Belgium, 915-962, HRE Emperor, Berengar I of Italy, Interregum
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 915-962, Berengar I of Italy; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4;

Belgium, 962-967, HRE Emperor, Otto I, German Ottonian Dynasty, over Hungarian Magyars
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 962-967, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 967-996, HRE Emperor, Otto II, German Ottonian Dy, annexed Italy from Byzantium
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 967-996, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 996-1014, HRE Emperor, Otto III, German Ottonian, first German Pope after Rmn Rebellion
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 996-1014, Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1000-1099, 11th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, First Crusade in 1096

Belgium, 1014-1027, Henry II, HRE Emperor, Christian, Last Ottonian, North of Alps
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1014-1027, Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1027-1046, Conrad II, HRE Emprr, first of 4 Salian Es; German K, Italy, Burgandy; Church Imperial Power
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1027-1046, Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor; II (c. 989/990 - 4 June 1039), also known as Conrad the Elder and Conrad the Salic, was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad also served as King of Germany from 1024, King of Italy from 1026, and King of Burgundy (Arelat) from 1033. son of Franconian count Henry of Speyer (also Henry of Worms) and Adelaide of Metz of the Matfriding dynasty, that had ruled the Duchy of Lorraine from 959 until 972, inherited the titles of count of Speyer and Worms during childhood after his father had died around the year 990. He extended his influence beyond his inherited lands, as he came into favor of the princes of the kingdom. When the imperial dynastic line was left without a successor after Emperor Henry II's death in 1024, on 4 September an assembly of the imperial princes appointed the 34 year-old Conrad king (Rex romanorum).[1][2] II largely continued the political course, the Renovatio regni Francorum of his Ottonian predecessor Henry II regarding the role and organisation of the Church and the status and affairs of Italy. He proceeded to evolve the Proprietary church as a basis for imperial power, preferring to appoint clerics over secular lords for important offices throughout the empire. Like Henry II before him, he insisted on his feudal claim (Honor Imperii), yet granted Italy a high degree of self-governance, near complete economic autonomy and recognized and respected the political importance and influence of the city of Rome and its curia in particular.[3][4] His reign marked a high point of medieval imperial rule during a relatively peaceful period for the empire. Upon the death of the childless King Rudolph III of Burgundy in 1032, Conrad claimed dominion over the Kingdom of Burgundy, conquered it and incorporated it into the empire.[2] The three kingdoms (Germany, Italy, and Burgundy) formed the basis of the empire as the "royal triad" (regna tria). Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1028-1095, Wulfstan oWorchester submitted tWilliam tC, became trusted advisor, opposed slave trade
England, 1028-1095, Wulfstan of Worchester, English Saint, when William tNorman conquered England i1066 he replaced Anglo-Saxib bishops with clergy fNormandy, except for Wolfstan who submitted to him after Harolds death, even though had supported King Harold, became William's trusted advisor,opposed slave trade iWestern England; England, 1062-1095, Saint of England, Wulfstan of Worchester; (c. 1008 – 20 January 1095) Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop. Wulfstan is a saint in the Western Christian churches. denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester. however, does not prevent confusion, since the first Bishop Wulfstan – his maternal uncle – is also called Wulfstan II to denote that he was the second Archbishop of York called Wulfstan.[1] See also: History of Worcestershire § Medieval, and Anglican Diocese of Worcester § History was born about 1008 at Long Itchington in the English county of Warwickshire.[2] family lost their lands around the time King Cnut of England came to the throne.[3] was probably named after his uncle, Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York. his uncle's influence, he studied at monasteries in Evesham and Peterborough, becoming a clerk at Worcester. this time, his superiors, noting his reputation for dedication and chastity, urged him to join the priesthood. 1034 Wulfstan served as incumbent at St Mary’s Church in Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire. was here that he experienced an incident which changed his life. at his devotions he was distracted by the smell of a goose cooking in the kitchen nearby. he resolved never to touch meat again and became a vegetarian. was ordained shortly thereafter, in 1038, soon joined a monastery of Benedictines at Worcester. served as treasurer and prior of Worcester, from 1034 onwards served as the parish priest of Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire.[4][5][6] Ealdred, the bishop of Worcester as well as the Archbishop of York, was required to relinquish Worcester by Pope Nicholas, decided to have Wulfstan appointed to Worcester. addition, Ealdred continued to hold a number of the manors of the diocese.[7] was consecrated Bishop of Worcester on 8 September 1062,[8] by Ealdred. would have been more proper for him to have been consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose province Worcester was in.[7] had deliberately avoided consecration by the current archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, Stigand's own consecration had been uncanonical. still acknowledged that the see of Worcester was a suffragan of Canterbury. made no profession of obedience to Ealdred, offering a profession of obedience to Stigand's successor Lanfranc.[9] was a confidant of Harold Godwinson, who helped secure the bishopric for him.[10] social reformer, Wulfstan struggled to bridge the gap between the old and new regimes, and to alleviate the suffering of the poor. was a strong opponent of the slave trade, and together with Lanfranc, was mainly responsible for ending the trade from Bristol.[11] the Norman conquest of England, Wulfstan was the only English-born bishop to retain his diocese for any significant time after the Conquest (all others had been replaced or succeeded by Normans by 1075).[12][13] of Malmesbury, whose early 12th century work Vita Wulfstani provides much of our knowledge of the bishop, that pastoral care of his diocese was Wulfstan's principal interest. 1072 Wulfstan signed the Accord of Winchester. 1075, Wulfstan and the Worcestershire fyrd militia countered the Revolt of the Earls, when various magnates attempted a rebellion against William the Conqueror. founded the Great Malvern Priory, undertook much large-scale rebuilding work, Worcester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and many other churches in the Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester areas. famously wept upon the destruction of the old Worcester Cathedral to make way for the new Romanesque building, decrying the loss of a building in which "so many holy and devout men have served god".[14] the Norman Conquest, he claimed that the Oswaldslow, a "triple hundred" administered by the bishops of Worcester, was free of interference by the local sheriff. right to exclude the sheriff was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. also administered the diocese of Lichfield when it was vacant between 1071 and 1072.[15] bishop, he often assisted the archbishops of York with consecrations, as they had few suffragan bishops. 1073 Wulfstan helped Thomas of Bayeux consecrate Radulf as Bishop of Orkney, and in 1081 helped consecrate William de St-Calais as Bishop of Durham.[7] Stained glass depicting Wulfstan at the church of the Holy Trinity, Long Itchington was responsible for the compilation by Hemming of the second cartulary of Worcester.[16] was close friends with Robert Losinga, the Bishop of Hereford, who was well known as a mathematician and astronomer.[15] the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop, died 20 January 1095 after a protracted illness, whilst washing the feet of parishioners as was his custom. [17] After his death, an altar was dedicated to him in Great Malvern Priory, next to those of Thomas Cantilupe and King Edward the Confessor. Easter of 1158, Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine visited Worcester Cathedral and placed their crowns on the shrine of Wulfstan, vowing not to wear them again. Their son King John is buried at Worcester Cathedral.[18] after Wulfstan's death, a hagiography, or saint's life, was written about him in English by his former chancellor Colman. was translated into Latin by the medieval chronicler and historian William of Malmesbury.[19] was canonized on 14 May 1203 by Pope Innocent III.[4] became the Patron Saint of Peasants and Vegetarians. of the miracles attributed to Wulfstan was the curing of King Harold's daughter. recently founded Victorine priory in Celbridge, Ireland (paid for by Adam de Hereford) was named St. Wolstan's Priory in his honour.[20] 2008, the millennial anniversary of Wulfstan’s birth, the Friends of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hawkesbury, where Wulfstan served from 1034, commissioned a stained glass window to his memory. commission was carried out by a local artist, Caroline Pederick and it was dedicated in 2011 by Bishop Michael Pelham of Gloucester. three roundels, it depicts features from Wulfstan’s life; the broken chains of slavery, the goose, many vegetables and the bishop’s crosier and mitre. 2021, St. Mary's Church installed a ring of eight bells in their tower. The largest bell, weighing 600 kg, is named in honour of Wulfstan.[5] is remembered in the Church of England with a lesser festival[21] and on the Episcopal Church calendar[22] on 19 January. ^ Sometimes Wulfstan II, also known as Wolstan, Wulstan and Ulfstan WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095); William the Norman conquered England in 1066, replaced most of the native Anglo-Saxon bishops with clergy from his own Normandy. most conspicuous exception was Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (pronounced "Wooster"), had been a supporter of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, who submitted to William after Harold's death, became one of the King's most trusted advisors. is best remembered for his opposition to the slave trade in western England. by James Kiefer More information about Wulfstan of Worcester (who should not be confused with the slightly earlier Wulfstan, Archbishop of York) may be found on a site about the Norman conquest and at Wikipedia.

Belgium, 1046-1056, Henry III, HRE Emperor, Salian, ended Papal scism, freed Vatican from Rome nobles
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1046-1056, Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor; III (28 October 1016 – 5 October 1056), called the Black or the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Emperor Conrad II of Germany and Gisela of Swabia.[1][2][3] was raised by his father, who made him Duke of Bavaria in 1026, appointed him co-ruler in 1028 and bestowed him with the duchy of Swabia and the Kingdom of Burgundy ten years later in 1038.[4] The emperor's death the following year ended a remarkably smooth and harmonious transition process towards Henry's sovereign rule, that was rather uncharacteristic for the Ottonian and Salian monarchs.[4] Henry succeeded Conrad II as Duke of Carinthia and King of Italy and continued to pursue his father's political course on the basis of virtus et probitas (courage and honesty), which led to an unprecedented sacral exaltation of the kingship. 1046 Henry ended the papal schism, was crowned Emperor by Pope Clement II, freed the Vatican from dependence on the Roman nobility and laid the foundation for its empire-wide authority. In the duchies Henry enforced sovereign royal right of disposition, thereby ensuring tighter control. In Lorraine, this led to years of conflict from which he emerged victorious. Another sphere of defiance formed in southern Germany from 1052 to 1055. Henry III died aged only 39. Modern historians, however, identify the final years of his reign as the beginning of a crisis in the Salian monarchy.[5][6] St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1053-1109, ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, from Bec Abbey, Seine River 8, Western age of reason
England, 1053-1109, ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, Monastery of Bec, Normandy, France (Bec Abbey, Seine River 8) most important western theologian between Augustine and Aquinas, also focused on reason; Monastery of Bec (Bec Abbey) ; ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, 21 April 1109 ; - ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109): is the most important Christian theologian in the West between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. two great accomplishments are his Proslogium (in which he undertakes to show that Reason requires that men should believe in God), and his Cur Deus Homo? (in which he undertakes to show that Divine Love responding to human rebelliousness requires that God should become a man). was born in Italy about 1033, and in 1060 he entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy to study under Stephen Lanfranc, whom he succeeded in office, first as prior of Bec, and later as Archbishop of Canterbury. 1078 he was elected abbot of Bec. The previous year, he completed a work called the Monologium, in which he argues for the existence of God from the existence of degrees of perfection (Aquinas's Fourth Way is a variation of this argument). 1087, while still at Bec, he produced his Proslogium, an outline of his "ontological argument" for the existence of God. Taking as his text the opening of Psalm 14 ("The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God."), undertakes to show that the fool is contradicting himself -- that the concept of God is unique in that anyone who understands what is meant by the question, "Does God exist?" will see that the answer must be "Yes." The argument has received mixed reviews from the start. at once another theologian, Gaunilon, wrote, "A Reply on Behalf of the Fool." Thomas Aquinas rejected Anselm's argument as inconclusive (and is followed in this by most Roman Catholic writers today). Kant practically made his reputation as a philosopher by explaining in detail what he thought was wrong with Anselm's argument. the other hand, Leibniz and others have thought it valid. William II of England had no fondness for the Church, and at the death of Lanfranc he kept the See of Canterbury vacant until he was gravely ill, whereon he promised to let Anselm be made Archbishop. Anselm was made Archbishop (4 December 1093), the King recovered, and the two began to dispute the extent of the King's right to intervene in Church matters. Anselm went into exile in 1097 and remained in Italy for three years until the King died in 1100. During that time Anselm was instrumental in settling the doubts of the Greek bishops of southern Italy about the doctrine of the Filioque. For a discussion of the Filioque (the principal doctrinal difference between Eastern and Western Christians), see article in the Christia library. He also devoted the time to writing a book known as Cur Deus Homo? (meaning Why did God become Man?). In it he puts forward the "satisfaction theory" of the Atonement. Man's offence of rebellion against God is one that demands a payment or satisfaction. Fallen man is incapable of making adequate satisfaction, and so God took human nature upon Him, in order that a perfect man might make perfect satisfaction and so restore the human race. The success of his work may be gauged by the fact that many Christians today not only accept his way of explaining the Atonement, but are simply unaware that there is any other way. For a discussion of Anselm's theory of the Atonement and a comparison with Abelard's theory, consult the Web page mentioned above. For several other theories of the Atonement, read the Essays GEN05 RUFF, GEN06 RUFF, and GEN07 RUFF, found at the same location. five works Proslogium, Monologium, Gaunilon's Reply, Anselm on Gaunilon, and Cur Deus Homo? are available in a single paperback volume from Oxford Univ. Press. the death of King William II in 1100, Anselm returned to England at the invitation of the new king Henry I, only to quarrel with Henry about the lawful extent of the king's control over the selection of bishops and abbots (it must be remembered that these officials had civil as well as religious authority). Anselm was again in exile from 1103 to 1106. In 1107 a compromise was reached, and Anselm returned home to Canterbury, where he lived his last few years in peace, dying 21 April 1109. of Anselm is his reversal of a tendency among English bishops after the Norman Conquest to ignore or downgrade the Anglo-Saxon saints as representatives of the conquered race. Lanfranc had proposed to remove even Dunstan and Alphege from the calendar, the latter on the grounds that he had not died as a martyr for refusing to deny the Christian faith. Anselm argued that, if he was not a martyr to faith, he was a martyr to justice and to charity. From the Preface to the Proslogium: I have written the little work that follows... in the role of one who strives to raise his mind to the contemplation of God and one who seeks to understand what he believes. I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that you have created your image in me, so that I may remember you, think of you, love you. But this image is so obliterated and worn away by wickedness, it is so obscured by the smoke of sins, that it cannot do what it was created to do, unless you renew and reform it. I am not attempting, O Lord, to penetrate your loftiness, for I cannot begin to match my understanding with it, but I desire in some measure to understand your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this too I believe, that "unless I believe, I shall not understand." (Isa. 7:9) A PRAYER OF ANSELM My God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you. And if I may not do so fully in this life let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness ... Let me receive That which you promised through your truth, that my joy may be full A SONG OF ANSELM Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you: you are gentle with us as a mother with her children; Often you weep over our sins and our pride: tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement. You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds: in sickness you nurse us, and with pure milk you feed us. Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life: by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy. Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness: through your gentleness we find comfort in fear. Your warmth gives life to the dead: your touch makes sinners righteous. Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us: in your love and tenderness remake us. In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness: for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us. (text edited) by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1056-1084, Vacant Emperor Title till Henry IV, German King from 1053
Holy Roman Emperor, 1053-1105, Henry IV; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1084-1105, Henry IV, HRE Emperor, German, controversial, appointed commoners, walk to C, Inv c
Roman Emperor, 1084-1105, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor; IV (German: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 - 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. was the son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor—the second monarch of the Salian dynasty—and Agnes of Poitou. his father's death on 5 October 1056, Henry was placed under his mother's guardianship. She made grants to German aristocrats to secure their support. Unlike her late husband, she could not control the election of the popes, thus the idea of the "liberty of the Church" strengthened during her rule. Taking advantage of her weakness, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne kidnapped Henry in April 1062. He administered Germany until Henry came of age in 1065. endeavoured to recover the royal estates that had been lost during his minority. He employed low-ranking officials to carry out his new policies, causing discontent in Saxony and Thuringia. Henry crushed a riot in Saxony in 1069 and overcame the rebellion of the Saxon aristocrat Otto of Nordheim in 1071. appointment of commoners to high office offended German aristocrats, and many of them withdrew from Henry's court. insisted on his royal prerogative to appoint bishops and abbots, although the reformist clerics condemned this practice as simony (a forbidden sale of church offices). Pope Alexander II blamed Henry's advisors for his acts and excommunicated them in early 1073. Henry's conflicts with the Holy See and the German dukes weakened his position and the Saxons rose up in open rebellion in the summer of 1074. Taking advantage of a quarrel between the Saxon aristocrats and peasantry, he forced the rebels into submission in October 1075. adopted an active policy in Italy, alarming Pope Alexander II's successor, Gregory VII, who threatened him with excommunication for simony. Henry persuaded most of the German bishops to declare the Pope's election invalid on 24 January 1076. In response, the Pope excommunicated Henry and released his subjects from their allegiance. German aristocrats who were hostile to Henry called for the Pope to hold an assembly in Germany to hear Henry's case. prevent the Pope from sitting in judgement on him, Henry went to Italy as far as Canossa to meet with the Pope. His penitential "Walk to Canossa" was a success and Gregory VII had no choice but to absolve him in January 1077. Henry's German opponents ignored his absolution and elected an antiking, Rudolf of Rheinfelden, on 14 March 1077. Pope was initially neutral in the two kings' conflict, enabling Henry to consolidate his position. Henry continued to appoint high-ranking clerics, for which the Pope again excommunicated him on 7 March 1080. Most German and northern Italian bishops remained loyal to Henry and they elected the antipope Clement III. Rudolf of Rheinfelden was killed in battle and his successor, Hermann of Salm, could only exert royal authority in Saxony. From 1081, Henry launched a series of military campaigns to Italy, and Clement III crowned him emperor in Rome on 1 April 1084. of Salm died and Henry pacified Saxony with the local aristocrats' assistance in 1088. launched an invasion against the pope's principal Italian ally, Matilda of Tuscany, in 1089. She convinced Henry's elder son, Conrad II, to take up arms against his father in 1093. Her alliance with Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, prevented Henry's return to Germany until 1096 when he was reconciled with Welf. After Clement III's death, Henry did not support new antipopes, but did not make peace with Pope Paschal II. proclaimed the first Reichsfriede (imperial peace) which covered the whole territory of Germany in 1103. younger son, Henry V, forced him to abdicate on 31 December 1105. He tried to regain his throne with the assistance of Lotharingian aristocrats, but became ill and died without receiving absolution from his excommunication. preeminent role in the Investiture Controversy, his "Walk to Canossa" and his conflicts with his sons and wife established his controversial reputation, with some regarding him as the stereotype of a tyrant, and others describing him as an exemplary monarch who protected the poor. Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Belgium, 1096, First Crusade, Holy Roman Empire
First Crusade, 1096 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

Belgium, 1100, 12th-14th Century, Holy Roman Empire Folder, Crusades and Avignon Papacy

Belgium, 1100-1199, 12th Century Folder, HRE, 2nd Crusade, 3rd, and Battle of the Ice Crusade

Belgium, 1101-1142, Peter Abelard, Philosopher, rationalistic, forerunner of Rousseau
France, 1100-1142, Philosopher, Peter Abelard; Abelard (c. 1079 - 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet.[4] philosophy he is celebrated for his logical solution to the problem of universals via nominalism and conceptualism and his pioneering of intent in ethics.[5] Often referred to as the "Descartes of the twelfth century", he is considered a forerunner of Rousseau, Kant, and Spinoza.[6] He is sometimes credited as a chief forerunner of modern empiricism.[7] history and popular culture, he is best known for his passionate and tragic love affair and intense philosophical exchange with his brilliant student and eventual wife, Heloise d'Argenteuil. Apologist of women and of their education, Abelard founded in 1131 the first feminine monastery, meeting point of learned women, for whom he composed music. After having sent Heloise to a convent in Brittany to protect her from her abusive uncle who did not want her to pursue this forbidden love, he was castrated by men sent by this uncle. Still considering herself as his spouse even though both retired to monasteries after this event, Heloise publicly defended him when his doctrine was condemned by Pope Innocent II and Abelard was therefore considered, at that time, as a heretic. Among these opinions, Abelard professed the innocence of a woman who commits a sin out of love.[8] Catholic theology, he is best known for his development of the concept of limbo, and his introduction of the moral influence theory of atonement. He is considered (alongside Augustine) to be the most significant forerunner of the modern self-reflective autobiographer. He paved the way and set the tone for later epistolary novels and celebrity tell-alls with his publicly distributed letter, The History of My Calamities and public correspondence. law, Abelard stressed that, because the subjective intention determines the moral value of human action, the legal consequence of an action is related to the person that commits it and not merely to the action. With this doctrine, Abelard created in the Middle Ages the idea of the individual subject central to modern law. This eventually gave to School of Notre-Dame de Paris (later the University of Paris) a recognition for its expertise in the area of Law (and later led to the creation of a faculty of law in Paris). PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Belgium, 1105-1125, HRE Emperor, Henry V (Investiture Controversy, church and state, ability to install church officers)
Belgium, 1105-1125, Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor ; V (1081 or 1086 (probably on 11 August)[1] - 23 May 1125, in Utrecht), was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ruler by his father, Henry IV, in 1098. Emperor Henry IV's conflicts with the imperial princes and the struggle against the reform papacy during the Investiture Controversy, young Henry V allied himself with the opponents of his father. He forced Henry IV to abdicate on 31 December 1105 and ruled for five years in compliance with the imperial princes. He tried, unsuccessfully, to withdraw the regalia from the bishops and in order to at least preserve the previous right to invest he captured Pope Paschal II and forced him to perform his imperial coronation in 1111. Once crowned emperor, Henry departed from joint rule with the princes and resorted to earlier Salian autocratic rule. After he had failed to increase control over the church, the princes in Saxony and on the Middle and Lower Rhine, in 1121 the imperial princes forced Henry V to consent with the papacy. He surrendered to the demands of the second generation of Gregorian reformers, and in 1122 he and Pope Callixtus II ended the Investiture Controversy in the Concordat of Worms. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Belgium, 1112-1153, Bernard of Clairvaux, Philosopher, Abbot, Judge, revitalization of monasticism, pope ordered crusades
Bernard of Clairvaux; of Clairvaux (Latin: Bernardus Claraevallensis; 1090 – 20 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was a Burgundian abbot and a major leader in the revitalization of Benedictine monasticism through the nascent Cistercian Order. was sent to found Clairvaux Abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val d'Absinthe, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Bar-sur-Aube. In the year 1128, Bernard attended the Council of Troyes, at which he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar,[a] which soon became an ideal of Christian nobility. the death of Pope Honorius II in 1130, a schism arose in the church. Bernard was a major proponent of Pope Innocent II, arguing effectively for his legitimacy over the Antipope Anacletus II. 1139, Bernard attended the Second Council of the Lateran and criticized Peter Abelard vocally. Bernard advocated crusades in general and convinced many to participate in the unsuccessful Second Crusade, notably through a famous sermon at Vézelay (1146). was canonized just 21 years after his death by Pope Alexander III. In 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church. France, 1100-1142, Philosopher, Peter Abelard; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); third son of a Burgundian nobleman, was born in 1090. His brothers were trained as soldiers, but Bernard from youth was destined for scholarship. One Christmas Eve as a child he had a dream about the infant Christ in the manger; and the memory of it, and consequent devotion to the mystery of the Word made flesh, remained with him throughout his life. Bernard had good prospects of success as a secular scholar, but he began to believe that he was called to the monastic life, and after a period of prayer for guidance, he decided at age 22 to enter the monastery of Citeaux (Latin Cistercium, appearing on modern maps as Corcelles-les-Citeaux), an offshoot of the Benedictines which had adopted a much stricter rule than theirs, and became the founding house of the Cistercian (Trappist) order. (Actually, the Trappists are a reformed (i.e. stricter) offshoot of the Cistercians, who are a stricter offshoot of the Benedictines.) He persuaded four of his brothers, one uncle, and 26 other men to join him. They were the first novices that Citeaux had had for several years. After three years, the abbot ordered Bernard to take twelve monks and found a new house at La Ferte. The first year was one of great hardship. They had no stores and lived chiefly on roots and barley bread. Bernard imposed such severe discipline that his monks became discouraged, but he realized his error and became more lenient. The reputation of the monastery, known as Clairvaux (48:09 N 4:47 E), spread across Europe. Many new monks joined it, and many persons wrote letters or came in person to seek spiritual advice. By the time of his death, 60 new monasteries of the Cistercian order were established under his direction. For four years after 1130 Bernard was deeply involved with a disputed papal election, championing the claims of Innocent II against his rival Anacletus II. He travelled throughout France, Germany, and Italy mustering support for his candidate (and, it should be added, preaching sermons denouncing injustices done to Jews), and returned from one of these journeys with Peter Bernard of Paganelli as a postulant for the monastery. The future Pope Eugenius III spent the next year stoking the monastery fires. Years later, Bernard wrote a major treatise of advice to Eugenius on the spiritual temptations of spiritual power. The papal election was not the only dispute in which Bernard became involved. He was highly critical of Peter Abelard, one of the most brilliant theologians of the day (see 21 April). Bernard believed that Abelard was too rationalistic in his approach, and failed to allow sufficiently for the element of mystery in the faith. When Abelard rejected some of the ways of stating Christian doctrines to which Bernard was accustomed, Bernard concluded, perhaps too hastily, that this was equivalent to rejecting the doctrine itself. A conference was scheduled at Sens, where Abelard's views were to be examined, but soon after it began Abelard decided that he was not about to get a fair hearing, announced that he was appealing to Rome, and left. He set out for Rome and got as far as Cluny, where he stopped. Peter the Venerable, the abbot (see 30 April), was a friend of both Abelard and Bernard, and managed to reconcile them before they died. of ClairvauxOne of Bernard's most influential acts, for better or worse, was his preaching of the Second Crusade. The First Crusade had given the Christian forces control of a few areas in Palestine, including the city of Edessa. When Moslem forces captured Edessa, now called Urfa and located in eastern Turkey) in 1144, King Louis VII of France (not to be confused with St. Louis IX, also a Crusader, but more than a century later) was eager to launch a crusade to retake Edessa and prevent a Moslem recapture of Jerusalem. He asked Bernard for help, and Bernard refused. He then asked the Pope to order Bernard to preach a Crusade. The pope gave the order, and Bernard preached, with spectacular results. Whole villages were emptied of able-bodied males as Bernard preached and his listeners vowed on the spot to head for Palestine and defend the Sacred Shrines with their lives. The preaching of the Crusade had an ugly side-effect. In the Rhineland, a monk named Raoul wandered about telling crowds that if they were going to fight for the faith, the logical first step was to kill the Jews who were near at hand. There were anti-Jewish riots in Mainz, (in the Rhineland), where the archbishop sheltered the Jews, or many of them, in his palace, and sent an urgent message to Bernard to come before both he and they were killed. Bernard came. He called Raoul arrogant and without authority, a preacher of mad and heretical doctrines, a liar and a murderer. Then he got nasty. Raoul sneaked off the scene, and the riots were over. From that day to this, Bernard has been remembered among Rhineland Jews and their descendants as an outstanding example of a "righteous Gentile," and many of them (e.g. Bernard Baruch) bear his name. As for the Crusade, things went wrong from the start. The various rulers leading the movement were distrustful of one another and not disposed to work together. Of the soldiers who set out (contemporary estimates vary from 100,000 to 1,500,000), most died of disease and starvation before reaching their goal, and most of the remainder were killed or captured soon after their arrival. The impact on Bernard was devastating, and so was the impact on Europe. In 1153, Bernard journeyed to reconcile the warring provinces Metz and Lorraine. He persuaded them to peace and to an agreement drawn up under his mediation, and then, in failing health, returned home to die. Bernard in controversy was fierce and not always fair, it was partly because he was a man of intense feeling and dedication, quick to respond to any real or supposed threat to what he held sacred. It is his devotional writings, not his polemical ones, that are still read today. Among the hymns attributed to him are the Latin originals of "O Sacred Head, sore wounded," "Jesus, the very thought of Thee," "O Jesus, joy of loving hearts," "Wide open are Thy hands (to pay with more than gold the awful debt of guilt and sin, forever and of old--see the Lutheran Book of Worship et alibi)," and "O Jesus, King most wonderful." His sermons on the Song of Songs, treated as an allegory of the love of Christ, are his best-known long work. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1112-1153, BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX&Trappists, Word flesh mystery, Abelard too rational, jews named Bernard
France, 1112-1153, BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, Burgundy, France (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage), Scholarship, childhood dream of word becoming flesh mystery, Citeaux 1112, founded Cistercian (Trappist) order 1115 LaFerte, 60 T monasteries by death, 1130-34 d Papal election, S Innocent II, wrote temptations of spiritual power, thought Abelard too rational, not allow mystery, Pope forced preaching 2nd Crusade, stopped anti Jew riots and Raoul, jews named Bernard, failed Crusade, hymns, sermons; Burgundy; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); third son of a Burgundian nobleman, was born in 1090. brothers were trained as soldiers, but Bernard from youth was destined for scholarship. Christmas Eve as a child he had a dream about the infant Christ in the manger; and the memory of it, and consequent devotion to the mystery of the Word made flesh, remained with him throughout his life. had good prospects of success as a secular scholar, but he began to believe that he was called to the monastic life, after a period of prayer for guidance, he decided at age 22 (1112) to enter the monastery of Citeaux (Latin Cistercium, appearing on modern maps as Corcelles-les-Citeaux), offshoot of the Benedictines which had adopted a much stricter rule than theirs, and became the founding house of the Cistercian (Trappist) order. the Trappists are a reformed (i.e. stricter) offshoot of the Cistercians, who are a stricter offshoot of the Benedictines.) He persuaded four of his brothers, one uncle, and 26 other men to join him. were the first novices that Citeaux had had for several years. three years (1115), the abbot ordered Bernard to take twelve monks and found a new house at La Ferte. first year was one of great hardship. They had no stores and lived chiefly on roots and barley bread. imposed such severe discipline that his monks became discouraged, but he realized his error and became more lenient. reputation of the monastery, known as Clairvaux (48:09 N 4:47 E), spread across Europe. Many new monks joined it, and many persons wrote letters or came in person to seek spiritual advice. the time of his death, 60 new monasteries of the Cistercian order were established under his direction. four years after 1130 (1130-34) Bernard was deeply involved with a disputed papal election, the claims of Innocent II against his rival Anacletus II. travelled throughout France, Germany, and Italy mustering support for his candidate it should be added, preaching sermons denouncing injustices done to Jews) and returned from one of these journeys with Peter Bernard of Paganelli as a postulant for the monastery. future Pope Eugenius III spent the next year stoking the monastery fires. Years later, Bernard wrote a major treatise of advice to Eugenius on the spiritual temptations of spiritual power. papal election was not the only dispute in which Bernard became involved. was highly critical of Peter Abelard, one of the most brilliant theologians of the day (see 21 April). believed that Abelard was too rationalistic in his approach, and failed to allow sufficiently for the element of mystery in the faith. Abelard rejected some of the ways of stating Christian doctrines to which Bernard was accustomed, Bernard concluded, perhaps too hastily, that this was equivalent to rejecting the doctrine itself. conference was scheduled at Sens, where Abelard's views were to be examined, but soon after it began Abelard decided that he was not about to get a fair hearing, announced that he was appealing to Rome, and left. set out for Rome and got as far as Cluny, where he stopped. the Venerable, the abbot (see 30 April), was a friend of both Abelard and Bernard, and managed to reconcile them before they died. Bernard of Clairvaux of Bernard's most influential acts, for better or worse, was his preaching of the Second Crusade. First Crusade had given the Christian forces control of a few areas in Palestine, including the city of Edessa. Moslem forces captured Edessa, now called Urfa and located in eastern Turkey) in 1144, King Louis VII of France to be confused with St. Louis IX, also a Crusader, but more than a century later) eager to launch a crusade to retake Edessa and prevent a Moslem recapture of Jerusalem. asked Bernard for help, and Bernard refused. then asked the Pope to order Bernard to preach a Crusade. pope gave the order, and Bernard preached, with spectacular results. Whole villages were emptied of able-bodied males as Bernard preached and his listeners vowed on the spot to head for Palestine and defend the Sacred Shrines with their lives. preaching of the Crusade had an ugly side-effect. the Rhineland, a monk named Raoul wandered about telling crowds that if they were going to fight for the faith, the logical first step was to kill the Jews who were near at hand. were anti-Jewish riots in Mainz, (in the Rhineland), where the archbishop sheltered the Jews, or many of them, in his palace, and sent an urgent message to Bernard to come before both he and they were killed. came. He called Raoul arrogant and without authority, a preacher of mad and heretical doctrines, a liar and a murderer. Then he got nasty. sneaked off the scene, and the riots were over. From that day to this, Bernard has been remembered among Rhineland Jews and their descendants as an outstanding example of a "righteous Gentile," many of them (e.g. Bernard Baruch) bear his name. for the Crusade, things went wrong from the start. various rulers leading the movement were distrustful of one another and not disposed to work together. the soldiers who set out estimates vary from 100,000 to 1,500,000) most died of disease and starvation before reaching their goal, and most of the remainder were killed or captured soon after their arrival. impact on Bernard was devastating, and so was the impact on Europe. 1153, Bernard journeyed to reconcile the warring provinces Metz and Lorraine. He persuaded them to peace and to an agreement drawn up under his mediation, then, in failing health, returned home to die. Bernard in controversy was fierce and not always fair, it was partly because he was a man of intense feeling and dedication, quick to respond to any real or supposed threat to what he held sacred. is his devotional writings, not his polemical (critical) ones, that are still read today. the hymns attributed to him are the Latin originals of "O Sacred Head, sore wounded," "Jesus, the very thought of Thee," "O Jesus, joy of loving hearts," "Wide open are Thy hands (to pay with more than gold the awful debt of guilt and sin, forever and of old--see the Lutheran Book of Worship et alibi)," and "O Jesus, King most wonderful." sermons on the Song of Songs, treated as an allegory of the love of Christ, are his best-known long work. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1118-1179, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, visions, preacher, dear Abby
Belgium, 1118-1179, Saint Hildegard of Bingen; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); there was once a king sitting on his throne. Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God." of Bingen has been called by her admirers "one of the most important figures in the history of the Middle Ages," and "the greatest woman of her time." Her time was the 1100's (she was born in 1098), the century of Eleanor of Aquitaine, of Peter Abelard and Bernard of Clairvaux, of the rise of the great universities and the building of Chartres cathedral. She was the daughter of a knight, and when she was eight years old she went to the Benedictine monastery at Mount St Disibode to be educated. The monastery was in the Celtic tradition, and housed both men and women (in separate quarters). When Hildegard was eighteen, she became a nun. Twenty years later, she was made the head of the female community at the monastery. Within the next four years, she had a series of visions, and devoted the ten years from 1140 to 1150 to writing them down, describing them (this included drawing pictures of what she had seen), and commenting on their interpretation and significance. During this period, Pope Eugenius III sent a commission to inquire into her work. The commission found her teaching orthodox and her insights authentic, and reported so to the Pope, who sent her a letter of approval. (He was probably encouraged to do so by his friend and former teacher, Bernard of Clairvaux.) She wrote back urging the Pope to work harder for reform of the Church. The community of nuns at Mount St. Disibode was growing rapidly, and they did not have adequate room. Hildegard accordingly moved her nuns to a location near Bingen, and founded a monastery for them completely independent of the double monastery they had left. She oversaw its construction, which included such features (not routine in her day) as water pumped in through pipes. The abbot they had left opposed their departure, and the resulting tensions took a long time to heal. Hildegard travelled throughout southern Germany and into Switzerland and as far as Paris, preaching. Her sermons deeply moved the hearers, and she was asked to provide written copies. In the last year of her life, she was briefly in trouble because she provided Christian burial for a young man who had been excommunicated. Her defense was that he had repented on his deathbed, and received the sacraments. Her convent was subjected to an interdict, but she protested eloquently, and the interdict was revoked. She died on 17 September 1179. Her surviving works include more than a hundred letters to emperors and popes, bishops, nuns, and nobility. (Many persons of all classes wrote to her, asking for advice, and one biographer calls her "the Dear Abby of the twelfth century.") She wrote 72 songs including a play set to music. Musical notation had only shortly before developed to the point where her music was recorded in a way that we can read today. Accordingly, some of her work is now available on compact disk, and presumably sounds the way she intended. My former room-mate, a non-Christian and a professional musician, is an enthusiastic admirer of her work and considers her a musical genius. Certainly her compositional style is like nothing else we have from the twelfth century. The play set to music is called the Ordo Virtutum and show us a human soul who listens to the Virtues, turns aside to follow the Devil, and finally returns to the Virtues, having found that following the Devil does not make one happy. She left us about seventy poems and nine books. Two of them are books of medical and pharmaceutical advice, dealing with the workings of the human body and the properties of various herbs. (These books are based on her observations and those of others, not on her visions.) I am told that some modern researchers are now checking her statements in the hope of finding some medicinal properties of some plant that has been overlooked till now by modern medicine. She also wrote a commentary on the Gospels and another on the Athanasian Creed. Much of her work has recently been translated into English, part in series like Classics of Western Spirituality, and part in other collections or separately. If your university library or bookstore cannot help you, try a Christian bookstore. If they do not have it, try a trendy (feminist, New Age, ecology) bookstore. Human Soul", an illumination of a manuscript of Hildegard/s Visions But her major works are three books on theology: Scivias ("Know the paths!"), Liber Vitae Meritorum (on ethics), and De Operatione Dei. They deal (or at least the first and third do) with the material of her visions. The visions, as she describes them, are often enigmatic but deeply moving, and many who have studied them believe that they have learned something from the visions that is not easily put into words. On the other hand, we have the recent best-seller, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks, Professor of Clinical Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and author of Migraine and various other books. Professor Sacks is concerned with the relation of the brain to the mind, and ways in which the phsical state of the nervous system can affect our ways of perceiving reality. He views the pictures in Hildegard's books of what she saw in her visions, and says, "The style of the pictures is a clear indication that the seer suffered regularly from migraine attacks. Migraine sufferers tend to see things in this manner." And indeed, it is true that Hildegard suffered throughout her life from painful attacks of what may have been migraine. Professor Sacks hastens to add that this has nothing to do with whether her visions are authentic insights into the nature of God and His relation to the Universe. & her scribeHildegard has undergone a remarkable rise in popularity in the last thirty years, since many readers have found in her visions, or read into them, themes that seem to speak to many modern concerns. For example: Although she would have rejected much of the rhetoric of women's liberation, she never hesitated to say what she thought needed to be said, or to do what she thought needed to be done, simply because she was a woman. When Pope or Emperor needed a rebuke, she rebuked them. Her writings bring science, art, and religion together. She is deeply involved in all three, and looks to each for insights that will enrich her understanding of the others. Her use of parable and metaphor, of symbols, visual imagery, and non-verbal means to communicate makes her work reach out to many who are totally deaf to more standard approaches. In particular, non-Western peoples are often accustomed to expressing their views of the world in visionary language, and find that Hildegard's use of similar language to express a Christian view of reality produces instant rapport, if not necessarily instant agreement. Hildegard wrote and spoke extensively about social justice, about freeing the downtrodden, about the duty of seeing to it that every human being, made in the image of God, has the opportunity to develop and use the talents that God has given him, and to realize his God-given potential. This strikes a chord today. Hildegard wrote explicitly about the natural world as God's creation, charged through and through with His beauty and His energy; entrusted to our care, to be used by us for our benefit, but not to be mangled or destroyed. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1125-1137, HRE Emperor, Lothair II, German King, reign troubled by H Dukes, successful Sicily campaign
Belgium, 1125-1137, Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor ; III, sometimes numbered Lothair II[a] and also known as Lothair of Supplinburg (1075 - 4 December 1137), was Holy Roman Emperor from 1133 until his death. He was appointed Duke of Saxony in 1106 and elected King of Germany in 1125 before being crowned emperor in Rome. The son of the Saxon count Gebhard of Supplinburg, his reign was troubled by the constant intriguing of the Hohenstaufens, Duke Frederick II of Swabia and Duke Conrad of Franconia. He died while returning from a successful campaign against the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Belgium, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships
England, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships, fDurham, tScottish Court, for Ed, asNoble&Courtier, Suceeded but unsatisfied, master otHousehold oScottish King, tCistercian monaster aRievaulx iYorkshire, a24, Bernard oClairvaux encouraged write first work The Mirror oCharity, follow Christ all things, 1147 abbot oRievaulx till death kidney disease a57, most famous work Spiritual Friendship, OK to have special friendships, some believe only christian charity for love so no special friendships, some believe monks can not have special friendships, even no special preferences food drink, but Jesus loved John, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, even though he said All who do will oMy Father are my family ; Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; was born in 1109 at Durham, and was sent to the Scottish court for an education that would ensure his future as a noble and courtier. succeeded, to the extent of being made Master of the Household of the King of Scotland. he found success at the court of an earthly king unsatisfying, at the age of 24 he entered the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. of Clairvaux encouraged him to write his first work, The Mirror of Charity, which deals with seeking to follow the example of Christ in all things. 1147 he became abbot of Rievaulx, a post which he held until his death of kidney disease twenty years later at the age of 57. most famous work is called Spiritual Friendship (both it and the Mirror have been published in English by the Cistercian Press). Jesus was told that his family was waiting to see him, he replied, "All who do the will of my Father are my family." this, some Christians have drawn the conclusion that the only kind of love permissible to a Christian is Charity that is: (a) the universal benevolence that wills the good of all persons, (b) the bond that unites the Christian with Christ and through Christ with all other Christians. that Universal Benevolence is extended equally to all persons (we are to love Jones because God made him), that the bond of Christian Unity unites us equally with all our fellow Christians who are in a state of grace (we are to love Jones because Christ dwells in him). leaves any room for particular friendships, for liking Jones more than Smith because Jones shares our interest in hockey, or because Jones and we like the same sort of jokes, or come from the same part of the country and have similar childhood memories, or because Jones is an easy-going type and it is easy to relax and feel comfortable around him, or because Jones and we have a special bond of friendship, loyalty, and trust. Particular friendships are out! who do not think that every Christian must renounce particular friendships believe that every monastic must do so. many religious houses, where the monks or nuns walk two by two into chapel or the dining hall or while pacing about during the daily hour of recreation, the superior will make a point of constantly shifting partners, anyone form a liking for onepartner more than another. does not apply just to friends. It is sometimes held that no monk ought to allow himself any preferences in food or drink.) this view, Aelred wrote that it is compatible with the highest degree of Christian perfection to take special pleasure in the company of particular friends. point out that we are told that Jesus loved John, and Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, and that this probably means that he found their company congenial. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1137-1190, HRE Emperor, Frederick 1, long reign, extraordinary org, Red Beard, Italian campgns, R of Law
Belgium, 1137-1190, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick 1, Belgium; Barbarossa (1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I, was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 1152. He was crowned King of Italy on 24 April 1155 in Pavia and emperor by Pope Adrian IV on 18 June 1155 in Rome. Two years later, the term sacrum ("holy") first appeared in a document in connection with his empire.[1] He was later formally crowned King of Burgundy, at Arles on 30 June 1178. was named Barbarossa by the northern Italian cities which he attempted to rule: Barbarossa means "red beard" in Italian;[2] in German, he was known as Kaiser Rotbart, which has the same meaning. The prevalence of the Italian nickname, even in later German usage, reflects the centrality of the Italian campaigns to his career. his imperial election, Frederick was by inheritance Duke of Swabia (1147–1152, as Frederick III). He was the son of Duke Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and Judith, daughter of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, from the rival House of Welf. therefore, descended from the two leading families in Germany, making him an acceptable choice for the Empire's prince-electors. consider him among the Holy Roman Empire's greatest medieval emperors. He combined qualities that made him appear almost superhuman to his contemporaries: his longevity, his ambition, his extraordinary skills at organization, his battlefield acumen and his political perspicacity. contributions to Central European society and culture include the reestablishment of the Corpus Juris Civilis, or the Roman rule of law, which counterbalanced the papal power that dominated the German states since the conclusion of the Investiture Controversy. died in 1190 in Asia Minor while leading an army in the Third Crusade. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); St Balthasar of the Magi, Commemorated on December 25; St Gaspar of the Magi, Commemorated on December 25; St Melchior of the Magi, Commemorated on December 25;

Belgium, 1147-1150, Second Crusade, HRE, after fall of Edessa
Belgium, 1145-1149, Second Crusade, Holy Roman Empire ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Belgium, 1176-1200, Hugh oLincoln, Falaise Glove, riots a Jews, wit, temper, love fDefenceless, washed lepers, animals loved him
England, 1176-1200, Hugh of Lincoln, Carthusian, Henry II friend and sponsor, Monastery, Land comensation, vacant bisoprics, Lincoln, forresters, meaningless lucrative post, Falaise glove, faced riots against Jews, refused money grant for King Richard the Lion Hearted, legal precedent, King John's amulet, wit, temper, love for defenceless, washed lepers, animals loved him; Avalon, France; Chartreuse Mountains (Carthusians); Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); a sign of his remorse for his role in the murder of the Archbishop Thomas a Becket, King Henry II founded the first house in England of the strict monastic order called the Carthusians. Difficulties arose with the first two priors, and a French noble recommended Hugh de Avalon, who at that time had been a monk at the mother house of the order for 17 years. his arrival in England in 1176, Hugh found that the building of the monastery had not begun. Worse, no compensation had been paid to those who would have to lose their lands and property to make room for it. refused to take office until these persons had been paid "to the last penny." He intervened again on behalf of the builders, whose pay was not forthcoming. Henry loved him for his plain speaking. "I do not despair of you," Hugh said to him at their first interview; "I know how much your many occupations interfere with the health of your soul." impressed by his frankness, swore that while he lived he should not leave his kingdom, and took so much pleasure in his conversation, and paid so much heed to his counsels, that a rumor arose that Hugh was his son. biographer wrote that "of all men only Hugh could bend that rhinosceros to his will." Henry was in danger of shipwreck, he cried out, "If only my Carthusian Hugh were awake and at prayer, God would not forget me." This affection never diminished, though Hugh dared to oppose the king, particularly in the matter of keeping bishoprics vacant in order that their revenues might fall to the king's treasury. of the worst examples was Lincoln, which, except for a few months, had been without a bishop for eighteen years. Hugh was elected to the post in 1186, and his monastic superiors ordered him to accept. After so long a period of neglect, there was great need of reform. employed priests of great piety and learning, and made the fullest use of his authority in disciplining his clergy. He took a stern view of the ill-treatment of the poor by the royal foresters, and when a subject of the church of Lincoln suffered at their hands he excommunicated their chief. He also refused to appoint a royal favorite to a meaningless but lucrative post. Henry was furious, and summoned him to his presence. He came, and Henry turned away his face and would not speak, but by way of ignoring his presence took out a torn glove and began to sew it. At last Hugh said, "How like you are to your relations at Falaise." king might have resented this allusion to the humble birth of William the Conqueror's mother, the daughter of a glove-maker, but he only laughed, and the quarrel was made up. against the Jews broke out in England at the time of the Third Crusade. In defence of the persecuted, Hugh faced armed mobs in Lincoln, Stamford and Northampton and compelled their submission. refused to raise money for the foreign wars of King Richard the Lion-Heart, calmed the king's rage with a kiss, and persisted in his refusal: was the first clear example on record of the refusal of a money-grant demanded directly by the crown, and an important legal precedent. Richard said, "If all bishops were like my lord of Lincoln, not a prince among us could raise his head against them." His relations with King John were less happy. John showed him an amulet, which he said was sacred and would preserve him. Hugh replied, "Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ." following Easter he preached at length on the duties of kings, and the king slipped out partway through. tireless, and forgetful of self, Hugh also had wit, a temper that he described as "more biting than pepper," and a great love and concern for children and the defenceless. He visited leper-houses and washed the ulcerous limbs of their inmates. He was fond of animals, and they of him. Birds and squirrels came readily to his hand. He had a swan that would feed from his hand, follow him about, and keep guard over his bed, so that no one could approach it without being attacked. In 1200 the king sent him on an embassy to France. His mission was a success, but he took ill and returned to England to die on 16 November 1200. John Ruskin called him "the most beautiful sacerdotal (priestly) figure known to me in history." by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1189-1192, Third Crusade, after Jerusalem loss, Angevin England, France and HRE
Belgium, 1189-1192, Third Crusade, Holy Roman Empire;

Belgium, 1190-1221, Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominicans, preachers in poverty, philosophy, theology, logical argument, OP
Spain, 1190-1221, Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominicans; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. He entered the priesthood, and eventually became prior of the canons of the cathedral chapter (the clergy who formed the staff of the cathedral and conducted the daily worship services) at Osma (42:52 N 3:03 W). turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. These were a heretical sect more or less directly descended from the early Gnostics and Manichees. They were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. The material universe is the creation of the bad god. The good god made the souls of men, and the bad god kidnapped them and imprisoned them in bodies of flesh. their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. Dominic engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was. Dominic and his bishop undertook to study the Albigensian beliefs and to engage in public debates with their opponents. They seemed to be making some progress, but in 1207 the bishop died, and in the same year the murder by Albigenses of the papal legate moved the pope to declare a crusade against the Albigenses, which lasted about five years. continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine by logical argument rather than by the use of force. was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy, which made plausible the accusation that they were concerned for their purses and not for the glory of God, and made workers indisposed to hear them. He therefore determined that the brothers of his order should live lives of poverty and simplicity, being no better off materially than those they sought to convert. he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" Dominic turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'" He got the permission he was seeking, and the order grew and flourished. Officially known as the Order of Preachers (hence the letters O.P. after the name of a member), it was informally known as the Dominicans, or the Blackfriars (from the color of their cloaks). Two of their best-known members are Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1200-1280, see 15 Nov), who was famous for his learning in numerous fields, and his pupil Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274, see 28 Jan), who wrote reconciling Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle, which was then being rediscovered in western Europe, and was thought by many to be a threat to Christianity. In later years, the Order forgot its commitment to "logic and persuasion, not force" as the means of bringing men to Christian truth, and many of its members were active in the Inquisition. St. Dominic & St. Catherine St. Dominic & St. Catherine was three times offered a bishopric, and refused, believing that he was called to another work. He died in 1220 in Bologna, Italy, after a preaching mission to Hungary. His emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth, a pun on his name (the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes", the hounds of the Lord), and a reference to his relying on the power of preaching. by James Kiefer FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226);

Belgium, 1190-1220, DOMINIC, Castile, Order of Preachers, combat w logical argument, poverty, inquisition
Spain and Portugal, 1190-1220, DOMINIC, Castile, Spain (Madrid, Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1), Dominicans founder, Order of Preachers, studied philosophy and theology, combat w logical argument not force, poverty commitment, Blackfriars, Albert Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, inquisition; Crown of Castile (court of Ferdinand and Isabella, the rulers of Spain); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. entered the priesthood, and eventually became prior of the canons of the cathedral chapter (the clergy who formed the staff of the cathedral and conducted the daily worship services) at Osma (42:52 N 3:03 W). turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. were a heretical sect more or less directly descended from the early Gnostics and Manichees. were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. material universe is the creation of the bad god. The good god made the souls of men, and the bad god kidnapped them and imprisoned them in bodies of flesh. their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was. and his bishop undertook to study the Albigensian beliefs and to engage in public debates with their opponents. They seemed to be making some progress, but in 1207 the bishop died, and in the same year the murder by Albigenses of the papal legate moved the pope to declare a crusade against the Albigenses, which lasted about five years. continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine by logical argument rather than by the use of force. was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy, which made plausible the accusation that they were concerned for their purses and not for the glory of God, and made workers indisposed to hear them. therefore determined that the brothers of his order should live lives of poverty and simplicity, being no better off materially than those they sought to convert. he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'" got the permission he was seeking, and the order grew and flourished. known as the Order of Preachers (hence the letters O.P. after the name of a member), it was informally known as the Dominicans, or the Blackfriars (from the color of their cloaks). of their best-known members are Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1200-1280, see 15 Nov), who was famous for his learning in numerous fields, and his pupil Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274, see 28 Jan), who wrote reconciling Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle, which was then being rediscovered in western Europe, and was thought by many to be a threat to Christianity. later years, the Order forgot its commitment to "logic and persuasion, not force" as the means of bringing men to Christian truth, and many of its members were active in the Inquisition. St. Dominic & St. Catherine St. Dominic & St. Catherine was three times offered a bishopric, and refused, believing that he was called to another He died in 1220 in Bologna, Italy, after a preaching mission to Hungary. His emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth, a pun on his name (the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes", the hounds of the Lord), and a reference to his relying on the power of preaching. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1191-1197, HRE Emperor, Henry VI, well educated, poet, Byzantine ransom, Sicily, d before his Crusade
Belgium, 1191-1197, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI; VI (Heinrich VI) (November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was also King of Sicily. was the second son of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and his consort Beatrix of Burgundy. in the Latin language, as well as Roman and canon law, Henry was also a patron of poets and a skilled poet himself. 1186 he was married to Constance of Sicily, the posthumous daughter of the Norman king Roger II of Sicily. Henry, stuck in the Hohenstaufen conflict with the House of Welf until 1194, had to enforce the inheritance claims by his wife against her nephew Count Tancred of Lecce. Henry's attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Sicily failed at the siege of Naples in 1191 due to an epidemic, and following his retreat Empress Constance was captured. Based on an enormous ransom for the release and submission of King Richard I of England, he conquered Sicily in 1194; however, the intended unification with the Holy Roman Empire ultimately failed due to the opposition of the Papacy. threatened to invade the Byzantine Empire after 1194 and succeeded in extracting a ransom, the Alamanikon, from Emperor Alexios III Angelos in return for cancelling the invasion. He made the Kingdom of Cyprus and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia formal subjects of the empire and compelled Tunis and Tripolitania to pay tribute to him. 1195 and 1196, he attempted to turn the Holy Roman Empire from an elective to a hereditary monarchy, the so-called Erbreichsplan, but met strong resistance from the prince-electors and abandoned the plan. pledged to go on crusade in 1195 and began preparations. A revolt in Sicily was crushed in 1197. The Crusaders set sail for the Holy Land that same year but Henry died of illness at Messina on 28 September 1197 before he could join them. death plunged the Empire into the chaos of the German throne dispute for the next 17 years. DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Belgium, 1195-1350, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III, 1242 Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake

Belgium, 1198-1215, HRE Emperor, Otto IV, excommunicated by Pope Innocent III
Belgium, 1198-1215, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto IV; IV (1175 – 19 May 1218) was one of two rival kings of Germany from 1198 on, sole king from 1208 on, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1209 until he was forced to abdicate in 1215. only German king of the Welf dynasty, he incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1210. DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226);

Belgium, 1200-1299, 13th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, 4th-9th and Northern Crusades

Belgium, 1201-1205, Fourth Crusade, HRE, to recapture Muslim Jerusalem, but sack of C
Belgium, 1200-1205, Fourth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire;

Belgium, 1202-1204, Fourth Crusade, HRE, Sack of Constantinople
Belgium, 1122-1124, Fourth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire;

Belgium, 1202-1226, Francis of Assisi, Franciscans, Lady Poverty, no money, no property
Rome, 1202-1226, Francis of Assisi, Franciscans, Lady Poverty, no money, no property; Assisi; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. His early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, "Francis, repair my falling house." He took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. His father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father's wealth--one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. He declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. (It is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) Lepers were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. Francis cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. Since he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. He got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. Soon a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him: me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them.... three years, in 1210, the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ("Friar" means "brother," as in "fraternity", and "minor" means "lesser" or "younger." I take the meaning to be that a Franciscan, meeting another Christian, is to think, "I am your brother in Christ, and your younger brother at that, bound to defer to you and to give you precedence over myself." and his companions took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10): as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff. would have no money, and no property, individually or collectively. Their task was to preach, "using words if necessary," but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ. Francis was partial to a touch of the dramatic (see his parting from his father, for example), and it was probably he who set up the first Christmas manger scene, to bring home the Good News of God made man for our salvation, home to men's hearts and imaginations as well as to their intellects. 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. He was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. Francis proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis's deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. Francis returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands. preaching to the birds, by giottoBack in Italy and neighboring countries, the Order was suffering from its own success. Then, as now, many persons were deeply attracted by Francis and his air of joy, abandonment, and freedom. What is overlooked is that these were made possible only by his willingness to accept total poverty, not picturesque poverty but real dirt, rags, cold, and hunger, and lepers with real pus oozing from their sores and a real danger of infection. Many idealistic young men were joining the Order in a burst of enthusiasm and then finding themselves not so sure that such extremes of poverty were really necessary. When there were only a few friars, they were all known to Francis personally, and the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them. Now that the Order was larger, this was no longer enough. In 1220 Francis resigned as minister-general of the Order, and in 1221 he agreed to a new and modified rule, which he did not approve, but could not resist. He died on 4 October 1226. The Franciscan split into the Conventual Franciscans, who held a limited amount of property in common, and the Spiritual Franciscans, who disavowed all property. They taught that Christ and the twelve apostles had held no property, singly or jointly. This view offended those who held property, and was declared to be heretical (proof text, J 18:10; Jesus said to Peter, "Put up THY sword...."). In 1318, several Spiritual Franciscans were burned at the stake in Marseilles. story is told of the days when the friars first began to have permanent houses. A beggar came by when Brother Juniper was at the gate and asked for a little money. Brother Juniper said, "There is no money in the house. But wait a minute. Last week someone gave us an altar cloth with little silver bells attached. We don't need those. I will cut them off for you. They will be as good as money." And he did. When the sacristan learned what had happened, he complained to the prior, who said, "We are fortunate that he did not give away the cloth itself. But send him to me, and I will scold him." Brother Juniper came, and the prior scolded him until he was hoarse. Brother Juniper noticed that the prior was hoarse, and went to the kitchen and cooked him some mint sauce. He brought it to the prior, who had gone to bed. He said, "Father Prior, get up and eat this mint sauce. It will be good for your throat." The prior said, "I don't want any mint sauce. Go away and let me sleep." Brother Juniper said, "It's good sauce, and will be good for your throat." The prior said, "Go away, I don't want it." Brother Juniper said, "Well, if you won't eat it, how about holding the candle while I eat it?" This was too much for the prior. He got up and they both ate. the first known letter from Francis to all Christians: how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. Thereofore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be sinple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many readers are enthusiastic about St. Francis of Assisi, a biography of Francis by G K Chesterton. A reader of these essays has also recommended The Biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by Englebert by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1202-1226, FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Franciscans, wedded Lady Poverty, serving p, preach by word&action love of God in Christ
Rome, 1202-1226, FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR, Umbria, Italy (Tiber River 1), Franciscans, repair my falling house, bale of silk for church of St Damiano, wedded to Lady Poverty, serving poor, leprosy, begged stones, paid in bread, 1210 order of brothers, out to preach, by word and action the love of God in Christ, touch of drama, Christmas manger, 1219 Holy Land Moslems, faith fire story, proposed armistice, sultan agreed, C not, custody shrines, split conventual v spiritual franciscans, s franciscans heretical burned a stake 1318; Assisi; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. early years were frivolous, but an experience of sickness and another of military service were instrumental in leading him to reflect on the purpose of life. day, in the church of San Damiano, he seemed to hear Christ saying to him, "Francis, repair my falling house." took the words literally, and sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to pay for repairs to the church of San Damiano. father was outraged, and there was a public confrontation at which his father disinherited and disowned him, and he in turn renounced his father's wealth--one account says that he not only handed his father his purse, but also took off his expensive clothes, laid them at his father's feet, and walked away naked. declared himself "wedded to Lady Poverty", renounced all material possessions, and devoted himself to serving the poor. his day the most dreaded of all diseases was something known as leprosy. is probably not the same as either the modern or the Biblical disease of that name.) were kept at a distance and regarded with fear and disgust. cared for them, fed them, bathed their sores, and kissed them. he could not pay for repairs to the Church of San Damiano, he undertook to repair it by his own labors. He moved in with the priest, and begged stones lying useless in fields, shaping them for use in repairing the church. got his meals, not by asking for money so that he might live at the expense of others, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from trash-bins, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money. a few companions joined him. Dante in his Paradiso has Aquinas say of him: me tell you of a youth whose aristocratic father disowned him because of his love for a beautiful lady. She had been married before, to Christ, and was so faithful a spouse to Him that, while Mary only stood at the foot of the Cross, she leaped up to be with Him on the Cross. These two of whom I speak are Francis and the Lady Poverty. As they walked along together, the sight of their mutual love drew men's hearts after them. Bernard saw them and ran after them, kicking off his shoes to run faster to so great a peace. Giles and Sylvester saw them, kicked off their shoes and ran to join them.... three years, in 1210, the Pope authorized the forming of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly called the Franciscans. ("Friar" means "brother," as in "fraternity", and "minor" means "lesser" or "younger." I take the meaning to be that a Franciscan, meeting another Christian, is to think, "I am your brother in Christ, and your younger brother at that, bound to defer to you and to give you precedence over myself." and his companions took literally the words of Christ when he sent his disciples out to preach (M 10:7-10): as you go, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is at hand." ... You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, no spare garment, nor sandals, nor staff. would have no money, and no property, individually or collectively. task was to preach, "using words if necessary," but declaring by word and action the love of God in Christ. was partial to a touch of the dramatic (see his parting from his father, for example), and it was probably he who set up the first Christmas manger scene, to bring home the Good News of God made man for our salvation, home to men's hearts and imaginations as well as to their intellects. 1219, Francis went to the Holy Land to preach to the moslems. was given a pass through the enemy lines, and spoke to the Sultan, Melek-al-Kamil. Francis proclaimed the Gospel to the Sultan, who replied that he had his own beliefs, and that moslems were as firmly convinced of the truth of Islam as Francis was of the truth of Christianity. proposed that a fire be built, and that he and a moslem volunteer would walk side by side into the fire to show whose faith was stronger. The Sultan said he was not sure that a moslem volunteer could be found. Francis then offered to walk into the fire alone. The Sultan who was deeply impressed but remained unconverted. Francis proposed an armistice between the two warring sides, and drew up terms for one; the Sultan agreed, but, to Francis's deep disappointment, the Christian leaders would not. returned to Italy, but a permanent result was that the Franciscans were given custody of the Christian shrines then in moslem hands. Francis preaching to the birds, by giotto in Italy and neighboring countries, the Order was suffering from its own success. Then, as now, many persons were deeply attracted by Francis and his air of joy, abandonment, and freedom. What is overlooked is that these were made possible only by his willingness to accept total poverty, not picturesque poverty but real dirt, rags, cold, and hunger, and lepers with real pus oozing from their sores and a real danger of infection. idealistic young men were joining the Order in a burst of enthusiasm and then finding themselves not so sure that such extremes of poverty were really necessary. there were only a few friars, they were all known to Francis personally, and the force of his personality kept the original ideals of the Order alive in them. Now that the Order was larger, this was no longer enough. 1220 Francis resigned as minister-general of the Order, and in 1221 he agreed to a new and modified rule, which he did not approve, but could not resist. died on 4 October 1226. Franciscan split into the Conventual Franciscans, who held a limited amount of property in common, and the Spiritual Franciscans, who disavowed all property. They taught that Christ and the twelve apostles had held no property, singly or jointly. view offended those who held property, and was declared to be heretical (proof text, J 18:10; Jesus said to Peter, "Put up THY sword...."). In 1318, several Spiritual Franciscans were burned at the stake in Marseilles. story is told of the days when the friars first began to have permanent houses. A beggar came by when Brother Juniper was at the gate and asked for a little money. Brother Juniper said, "There is no money in the house. But wait a minute. Last week someone gave us an altar cloth with little silver bells attached. We don't need those. I will cut them off for you. They will be as good as money." And he did. When the sacristan learned what had happened, he complained to the prior, who said, "We are fortunate that he did not give away the cloth itself. But send him to me, and I will scold him." Brother Juniper came, and the prior scolded him until he was hoarse. Brother Juniper noticed that the prior was hoarse, and went to the kitchen and cooked him some mint sauce. He brought it to the prior, who had gone to bed. He said, "Father Prior, get up and eat this mint sauce. It will be good for your throat." The prior said, "I don't want any mint sauce. Go away and let me sleep." Brother Juniper said, "It's good sauce, and will be good for your throat." The prior said, "Go away, I don't want it." Brother Juniper said, "Well, if you won't eat it, how about holding the candle while I eat it?" This was too much for the prior. He got up and they both ate. the first known letter from Francis to all Christians: how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack. Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. we must be sinple, humble and pure. should never desire to be over others. we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ. readers are enthusiastic about St. Francis of Assisi, a biography of Francis by G K Chesterton. A reader of these essays has also recommended The Biography of Saint Francis of Assisi by Englebert by James Kiefer BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); was born at Nursia (Norcia) in Umbria, Italy, around 480 AD. He was sent to Rome for his studies, but was repelled by the dissolute life of most of the populace, and withdrew to a solitary life at Subiaco. A group of monks asked him to be their abbot, but some of them found his rule too strict, and he returned alone to Subiaco. Again, other monks called him to be their abbot, and he agreed, founding twelve communities over an interval of some years. His chief founding was Monte Cassino, an abbey which stands to this day as the mother house of the world-wide Benedictine order. of Monte CassinoTotila the Goth visited Benedict, and was so awed by his presence that he fell on his face before him. Benedict raised him from the ground and rebuked him for his cruelty, telling him that it was time that his iniquities should cease. Totila asked Benedict to remember him in his prayers and departed, to exhibit from that time an astonishing clemency and chivalry in his treatment of conquered peoples. drew up a rule of life for monastics, a rule which he calls "a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to order nothing harsh or rigorous." The Rule gives instructions for how the monastic community is to be organized, and how the monks are to spend their time. An average day includes about four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer (called the Divinum Officium -- the Divine Office), five hours in spiritual reading and study, six hours of labor, one hour for eating, and about eight hours for sleep. The Book of Psalms is to be recited in its entirety every week as a part of the Office. Benedictine monk takes vows of "obedience, stability, and conversion of life." That is, he vows to live in accordance with the Benedictine Rule, not to leave his community without grave cause, and to seek to follow the teaching and example of Christ in all things. Normal procedure today for a prospective monk is to spend a week or more at the monastery as a visitor. He then applies as a postulant, and agrees not to leave for six months without the consent of the Abbot. (During that time, he may suspect that he has made a mistake, and the abbot may say, "Yes, I think you have. Go in peace." Alternately, he may say, "It is normal to have jitters at this stage. I urge you to stick it out a while longer and see whether they go away." Many postulants leave before the six months are up.) After six months, he may leave or become a novice, with vows for one year. After the year, he may leave or take vows for three more years. After three years, he may leave, take life vows, or take vows for a second three years. After that, a third three years. After that, he must leave or take life vows (fish or cut bait). Thus, he takes life vows after four and a half to ten and a half years in the monastery. At any point in the proceedings at which he has the option of leaving, the community has the option of dismissing him. Benedict, by Fra AngelicoThe effect of the monastic movement, both of the Benedictine order and of similar orders that grew out of it, has been enormous. We owe the preservation of the Holy Scriptures and other ancient writings in large measure to the patience and diligence of monastic scribes. In purely secular terms, their contribution was considerable. In Benedict's time, the chief source of power was muscle, whether human or animal. Ancient scholars apparently did not worry about labor-saving devices. The labor could always be done by oxen or slaves. But monks were both scholars and workers. A monk, after spending a few hours doing some laborious task by hand, was likely to think, "There must be a better way of doing this." The result was the systematic development of windmills and water wheels for grinding grain, sawing wood, pumping water, and so on. The rotation of crops (including legumes) and other agricultural advances were also originated or promoted by monastic farms. The monks, by their example, taught the dignity of labor and the importance of order and planning. For details, see The Mediaeval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Age, by Jean Gimpel, (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1976; Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0-14-00-4514-7). by James Kiefer CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Offreduccio, born in 1194, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Assisi. she was eighteen years old, she heard a sermon by Francis of Assisi, and was moved by it to follow the example of the Franciscan brothers and vow herself to a life of poverty. Her family was horrified, and brought her back home by force; but one night, in a gesture both tactical and symbolic, she slipped out of her house through "the door of the dead" (a small side door that was traditionally opened only to carry out a corpse) and returned to the house of the Franciscans. Francis cut off her hair, and placed her in a nearby convent. Later a house was found for her, and she was eventually joined by two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several members of the wealthy Ubaldini family of Florence. Clare's best friend, Pacifica, could not resist, and joined them, too. sisters of her order came to be known informally as Minoresses (Franciscan brothers are Friars Minor = "lesser brothers") or as Poor Clares. When the order was formed, Francis suggested Clare for the Superior. But she refused the position until she turned twenty-one. They devoted themselves to prayer, nursing the sick, and works of mercy for the poor and neglected. adopted a rule of life of extreme austerity (more so than of any other order of women up to that time) and of absolute poverty, both individually and collectively. They had no beds. They slept on twigs with patched hemp for blankets. Wind and rain seeped through cracks in the ceilings. They ate very little, with no meat at all. Whatever they ate was food they begged for. Clare made sure she fasted more than anyone else. Despite this way of life, or perhaps because of it, the followers of Clare were the most beautiful young girls from the best families of Assisi. community of Poor Clares continues to this day, both in the Roman and in the Anglican communions. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, 1202-1204
Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Belgium, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. Like the term "Byzantine Empire", "Latin Empire" was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania ("Land of the Romans") had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Belgium, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople; Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the ThirdœFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16 Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Belgium, 1204-1226, Holy Roman Saint, Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans
Belgium, 1204-1226, Holy Roman Saint, Francis of Assisi; of Assisi (1181 or 1182 - 3 October 1226), venerated as Saint Francis of Assisi, also known in his ministry as Francesco, was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, mystic, and preacher.[3] He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of St. Clare, the Third Order of St. Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity.[1] Gregory IX canonized Francis on 16 July 1228. with Catherine of Siena, he was designated patron saint of Italy. later became associated with patronage of animals and the natural environment, and it became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on or near his feast day of 4 October. 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan to put an end to the conflict of the Crusades.[4] this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the order. Once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. is known for his love of the Eucharist.[5] In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas live nativity scene.[a][6][7] to Christian tradition, in 1224 he received the stigmata during the apparition of a Seraphic angel in a religious ecstasy,[8] which would make him the first person in Christian tradition to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion.[9] died during the evening hours of 3 October 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 142 (141). DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226);

Belgium, 1209-1229, Sixth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire, Albigensian, near Albi, against neo Gnostics
Belgium, 1209-1229, Sixth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire; Albigensian Crusade; Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229; French: Croisade des albigeois, Occitan: Crosada dels albigeses) was a 20-year military campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, in southern France. Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown and promptly took on a political aspect, resulting in not only a significant reduction in the number of practising Cathars, but also a realignment of the County of Toulouse in Languedoc, bringing it into the sphere of the French crown, and diminishing both Languedoc's distinct regional culture and the influence of the counts of Barcelona. Cathars originated from an anti-materialist reform movement within the Bogomil churches of the Balkans calling for what they saw as a return to the Christian message of perfection, poverty and preaching, combined with a rejection of the physical to the point of starvation. reforms were a reaction against the often perceived scandalous and dissolute lifestyles of the Catholic clergy in southern France. Their theology, neo-Gnostic in many ways, was basically dualist. Several of their practices, especially their belief in the inherent evil of the physical world, conflicted with the doctrines of the Incarnation of Christ and Catholic sacraments. led to accusations of Gnosticism and attracted the ire of the Catholic establishment. They became known as the Albigensians, because there were many adherents in the city of Albi and the surrounding area in the 12th and 13th centuries. 1022 and 1163, the Cathars were condemned by eight local church councils, the last of which, held at Tours, declared that all Albigenses should be put into prison and have their property confiscated. The Third Lateran Council of 1179 repeated the condemnation. Innocent III's diplomatic attempts to roll back Catharism were met with little success. After the murder of his legate Pierre de Castelnau in 1208, and suspecting that Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse was responsible, Innocent III declared a crusade against the Cathars. He offered the lands of the Cathar heretics to any French nobleman willing to take up arms. 1209 to 1215, the Crusaders experienced great success, capturing Cathar lands and perpetrating acts of extreme violence, often against civilians. From 1215 to 1225, a series of revolts caused many of the lands to be regained by the Cathars. A renewed crusade resulted in the recapturing of the territory and effectively drove Catharism underground by 1244. The Albigensian Crusade had a role in the creation and institutionalization of both the Dominican Order and the Medieval Inquisition. The Dominicans promulgated the message of the Church to combat alleged heresies by preaching the Church's teachings in towns and villages, while the Inquisition investigated heresies. Because of these efforts, by the middle of the 14th century, any discernible traces of the Cathar movement had been eradicated. The Albigensian Crusade is considered by many historians to be an act of genocide against the Cathars.[3][4][5]

Belgium, 1214-1253, CLARE OF ASSISI, Poor Clares, wealthy, Francis' poverty ex, begged food, ate little, no meat, most beautiful
Rome, 1214-1253, CLARE OF ASSISI, Umbria, Italy (Tiber River 1), Poor Clares, wealthy Florence Ubaldini daughter, followed Francis' example, of poverty, door of t dead, begged for food, ate little, no meat, most beautiful; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Offreduccio, born in 1194, was the daughter of a wealthy family in Assisi. she was eighteen years old, she heard a sermon by Francis of Assisi, and was moved by it to follow the example of the Franciscan brothers and vow herself to a life of poverty. family was horrified, and brought her back home by force; but one night, in a gesture both tactical and symbolic, she slipped out of her house through "the door of the dead" (a small side door that was traditionally opened only to carry out a corpse) and returned to the house of the Franciscans. cut off her hair, and placed her in a nearby convent. Later a house was found for her, and she was eventually joined by two of her sisters, her widowed mother, and several members of the wealthy Ubaldini family of Florence. best friend, Pacifica, could not resist, and joined them, too. sisters of her order came to be known informally as Minoresses (Franciscan brothers are Friars Minor = "lesser brothers") or as Poor Clares. the order was formed, Francis suggested Clare for the Superior. But she refused the position until she turned twenty-one. devoted themselves to prayer, nursing the sick, and works of mercy for the poor and neglected. adopted a rule of life of extreme austerity so than of any other order of women up to that time) of absolute poverty, both individually and collectively. had no beds. They slept on twigs with patched hemp for blankets. and rain seeped through cracks in the ceilings. ate very little, with no meat at all. they ate was food they begged for. made sure she fasted more than anyone else. this way of life, or perhaps because of it, the followers of Clare were the most beautiful young girls from the best families of Assisi. community of Poor Clares continues to this day, both in the Roman and in the Anglican communions. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1216-1250, HRE Emperor, Frederick II, 6th and Northern Crusades, King of Jrslm, pope conflicts, interregnum
Belgium, 1216-1250, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Belgium, 1217-1221, Fifth Crusade, led by King Andrew II of Hungary, to Cairo
Hungary, 1217-1221, Fifth Crusade, led by King Andrew II of Hungary ; Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Belgium, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastey, Mt Athos, many miracles
Greece, Mt Athos, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher, Simonopetra monastery, Mt Athos, Simon's ascetic life glorified bMany miracles, founder New Bethlehem Monastery now named after him Simonopetra, One night bright star like star oBethlehem appeared near his cave, seeing motionless star several nights, first thought demonic temptation, but on night oNativity star moved over high rock & MOG voice said Here simon you must lay foundations of your monastery for salvation osouls, for the star he built New Bethlehem m, he died 1287; New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastery; Monastery (Greek: Σιμωνόπετρα, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra (Greek: Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonopetra ranks thirteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. monastery is located in the southern coast of the Athos peninsula, between the Athonite port of Dafni and Osiou Grigoriou monastery. While the southern coast of Athos is quite rugged in general, the particular site upon which the monastery is built is exceptionally harsh. It is built on top of a single huge rock, practically hanging from a cliff 330 metres over the sea.[1] The monastery currently houses 54 monks, and the hegumen is Archimandrite Eliseus. monastery was founded during the 13th century by Simon the Athonite, who was later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Saint Simon the Myrrh-bearer. holds that Simon, while dwelling in a nearby cave, saw a dream in which the Theotokos instructed him to build a monastery on top of the rock, him that she would protect and provide for him and the monastery. original monastery was called by Simon "New Bethlehem" (Greek: Νέα Βηθλεέμ) and is to this day dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus. 1364, the Serbian despot Jovan Uglješa funded the renovation and expansion of the monastery. pilgrim Isaiah wrote that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Bulgarian.[2] 1581, Simonopetra was destroyed by a fire, in which a large portion of the monks died. the monastery's abbot traveled to the Danubian Principalities hoping to raise funds to rebuild the monastery. most important donor was Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who donated large portions of land as well as money to the monastery. monastery was also burnt in 1626, the last great fire happened in 1891, after which the monastery was rebuilt to its current form. recent centuries, the monks of the monastery were traditionally from Ionia in Asia Minor. during the mid 20th century the brotherhood was greatly thinned out because of a great reduction in the influx of new monks. current brotherhood originates from the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron in Meteora as in 1973 the Athonite community headed by Archimandrite Emilianos decided to repopulate the almost abandoned monastery. Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 28 ; Simon the Myrrh-Gusher lived an ascetical life on Mt Athos, and was glorified by many miracles. was the founder of the New Bethlehem monastery, now known as Simonopetra. night, he saw a star of such brightness that he thought it must be the Star of Bethlehem. the star remain motionless for several nights, he thought at first that it was a demonic temptation. the eve of the Lord’s Nativity the star stood over a high rock, and Saint Simon heard a voice say, “Here, O Simon, you must lay the foundations of your monastery for the salvation of souls.” built the monastery and called it New Bethlehem. reposed in the year 1287, and his holy relics exude myrrh.

Belgium, 1223-1280, Albertus Magnus, Dominican, greatest German philosopher and theologian of Middle Ages
Belgium, 1223-1280, Holy Roman Saint, Albertus Magnus, Dominican; Magnus[a] OP (c. 1200 - 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, was a German Catholic Dominican friar, philosopher and bishop. Later canonised as a Catholic saint, he was known during his lifetime as Doctor universalis and Doctor expertus and, late in his life, the sobriquet Magnus was appended to his name.[6] Scholars such as James A. Weisheipl and Joachim R. Söder have referred to him as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages.[7] The Catholic Church distinguishes him as one of the 36 Doctors of the Church. DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Belgium, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST, Wartburg, Thuringa, Germany
Hungary, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST, Wartburg, Thuringa, Germany ; Wartburg is a castle. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); numerous "St. Elizabeth's Hospitals" throughout the world are for the most part named, not for the Biblical Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but for this princess of Hungary. was concerned for the relief of the poor and the sick, and with her husband's consent she used her dowry money for their relief. During a famine and epidemic in 1226, while her husband was away in Italy, she sold her jewels and established a hospital where she nursed the sick, and opened the royal granaries to feed the hungry. her husband's death in 1227, her inlaws, who opposed her "extravagances," expelled her from Wartburg. an arrangement was negotiated with them that gave her a stipend. became a Franciscan tertiary (lay associate) and devoted the remainder of her life to nursing and charity. She sewed garments to clothe the poor, and went fishing to feed them. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, Halych ancestors, Princess, Thuringa, Marburg Hospital, German Ancestress
Hungary, 1226-1231, Princess, Elizabeth of Hungary; of Hungary (7 July 1207 - 17 November 1231),[6] also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany, and a greatly venerated Catholic saint who was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis, by which she is honored as its patroness.[7] was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20.[8] After her husband's death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death at the age of 24 and was canonized on 25 May 1235. life and marriage[edit] was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania. Her mother's sister was Hedwig of Andechs, wife of Duke Heinrich I of Silesia.[6] ancestry included many notable figures of European royalty, going back as far as Vladimir the Great of the Kievan Rus. According to tradition, she was born in Hungary, possibly in the castle of Sárospatak (discussed below), on 7 July 1207.[9][10][11] sermon printed in 1497 by the Franciscan friar Osvaldus de Lasco, a church official in Hungary, is the first to name Sárospatak as Elizabeth's birthplace, perhaps building on local tradition. The veracity of this account is not without reproach: Osvaldus also translates the miracle of the roses (see below) to Elizabeth's childhood in Sárospatak and has her leave Hungary at the age of five.[12] to a different tradition she was born in Pozsony, Hungary, (present-day Bratislava, Slovakia), where she lived in the Castle of Posonium until the age of four. was brought to the court of the rulers of Thuringia in central Germany, to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia[8] (also known as Ludwig IV), a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families.[a] She was raised by the Thuringian court and would have been familiar with the local language and culture. St. Elizabeth washing a sick man a scene from the main altar of St. Elisabeth Cathedral in Kassa, 15th century 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. inclinations, influences[edit] 1223, Franciscan friars arrived, and the teenage Elizabeth not only learned about the ideals of Francis of Assisi, but started to live them.[14] was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts, believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal reward; he is venerated in Thuringia as a saint, though he was never canonized by the Church.[15] was also about this time that the priest and later inquisitor Konrad von Marburg gained considerable influence over Elizabeth when he was appointed as her confessor. In the spring of 1226, when floods, famine, and plague wrought havoc in Thuringia, Louis, a staunch supporter of the Hohenstaufen Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, represented Frederick II at the Imperial Diet held in Cremona. assumed control of affairs at home and distributed alms in all parts of their territory, even giving away state robes and ornaments to the poor. St. Elizabeth spinning wool for the poor by Marianne Stokes (1895) life changed irrevocably on 11 September 1227 when Louis, en route to join the Sixth Crusade, died of a fever in Otranto, Italy, just a few weeks before the birth of her daughter Gertrude. hearing the news of her husband's death, Elizabeth reportedly said, "He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today."[16] His remains were returned to Elizabeth in 1228 and entombed at the Abbey of Reinhardsbrunn. Louis' death, his brother, Henry Raspe, assumed the regency during the minority of Elizabeth's eldest child, Hermann (1222–1241). bitter arguments over the disposal of her dowry — a conflict in which Konrad was appointed as the official Defender of her case by Pope Gregory IX — Elizabeth left the court at Wartburg and moved to Marburg in Hesse. to 1888 it was believed, on account of the testimony of one of Elizabeth's servants during the canonization process, that Elizabeth was driven from the Wartburg in the winter of 1227 by her brother-in-law, Heinrich Raspe, who acted as regent for her son, then only five years old. 1888 various investigators (Börner, Mielke, Wenck, E. Michael, etc.) asserted that Elizabeth left the Wartburg voluntarily. She was not able at the castle to follow Konrad's command to eat only food obtained in a way that was certainly right and proper.[6] her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad similar to those of a nun. These vows included celibacy, as well as complete obedience to Konrad as her confessor and spiritual director. treatment of Elizabeth was extremely harsh, and he held her to standards of behavior which were almost impossible to meet. the punishments he is alleged to have ordered were physical beatings; he also ordered her to send away her three children. pledge to celibacy proved a hindrance to her family's political ambitions. Elizabeth was more or less held hostage at Pottenstein, the castle of her uncle, Bishop Ekbert of Bamberg, in an effort to force her to remarry. however, held fast to her vow, even threatening to cut off her own nose so that no man would find her attractive enough to marry.[17] second child Sophie of Thuringia (1224–1275) married Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and was the ancestress of the Landgraves of Hesse, since in the War of the Thuringian Succession she won Hesse for her son Heinrich I, called the Child. third child, Gertrude of Altenberg (1227–1297), was born several weeks after the death of her father; she became abbess of the monastery of Altenberg Abbey, Hesse near Wetzlar.[18] built a hospital at Marburg for the poor and the sick with the money from her dowry, where she and her companions cared for them.[19] Miracles[edit] of the Roses[edit] A statue showing the miracle of the roses in the rose garden in front of the neo-Gothic church dedicated to her at Roses' Square (Rózsák tere), Budapest[20] is perhaps best known for her miracle of the roses which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Ludwig on a hunting party, who, in order to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Ludwig that God's protecting hand was at work.[21] husband, according to the vitae, was never troubled by her charity and always supported it. In some versions of this story, it is her brother in law, Heinrich Raspe, who questions her. Hers is one of many miracles that associate Christian saints with roses. in the bed[edit] story told of Elizabeth, also found in Dietrich of Apolda's Vita, relates how she laid the leper Helias of Eisenach in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law, who was horrified, told this immediately to Ludwig on his return. When Ludwig removed the bedclothes in great indignation, at that instant "Almighty God opened the eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed."[21] This story also appears in Franz Liszt's oratorio about Elizabeth.[22] and legacy[edit] Elisabethkirche in Marburg Floorplan of Elisabethkirche Elisabeth church in Grave, The Netherlands 1231, Elizabeth died in Marburg at the age of twenty-four.[23] after death and canonization[edit] soon after the death of Elizabeth, miracles were reported that happened at her grave in the church of the hospital, especially those of healing. On the suggestion of Konrad, and by papal command, examinations were held of those who had been healed between August 1232 and January 1235. The results of those examinations was supplemented by a brief vita of the saint-to-be, and together with the testimony of Elizabeth's handmaidens and companions (bound in a booklet called the Libellus de dictis quatuor ancillarum s. Elizabeth confectus), proved sufficient reason for quick canonization. She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 24 May 1235.[23] shrine became one of the main German centers of pilgrimage of the 14th century and early 15th century. During the course of the 15th century, the popularity of the cult of St Elizabeth slowly faded, though to some extent this was mitigated by an aristocratic devotion to St Elizabeth, since through her daughter Sophia she was an ancestor of many leading aristocratic German families. papal bull declaring her a saint is on display in the Schatzkammer of the Deutschordenskirche in Vienna, Austria. Her body was laid in a magnificent golden shrine—still to be seen today—in the Marburg church bearing her name. But three hundred years after her death, one of Elizabeth's many descendants, the Landgrave Philip I "the Magnanimous" of Hesse, a leader of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important supporters of Martin Luther, raided the church in Marburg and demanded that the Teutonic Order hand over Elizabeth's bones, in order to disperse her relics and thus put an end to the already declining pilgrimages to Marburg.[6] Philip took away the crowned agate chalice in which her head rested, but returned it after being imprisoned by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. reliquary chalice was subsequently plundered by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War and is now on display at The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.[24] Her skull and some of her bones can be seen at the Viennese convent bearing her name. A portion of her relics were kept in the church of the Carmelites at Brussels; another in the magnificent chapel of La Roche-Guyon, upon the Seine, and a considerable part in a precious shrine is in the electoral treasury of Hanover.[25] Another part of her relics were taken to Santafé de Bogotá, then the capital of the Spanish New Kingdom of Granada by friar Luis Zapata de Cárdenas. The relics are today inside a chapel dedicated to the saint in the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá. Elisabethkirche is now a Protestant church, but has spaces set aside for Catholic worship. Marburg became a center of the Teutonic Order, which adopted St. Elizabeth as its secondary patroness. The Order remained in Marburg until its official dissolution by Napoleon in 1803. of Hungary is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 18 November.[26] with the Franciscans[edit] her death, Elizabeth was commonly associated with the Third Order of Saint Francis, the primarily lay branch of the Franciscan Order, which has helped propagate her cult. Whether she ever actually joined the order, only recently founded in 1221, the year when she married Louis at the age of fourteen, is not proven to everyone's satisfaction.[27] must be kept in mind though that the Third Order was such a new development in the Franciscan movement, that no one official ritual had been established at that point. Elizabeth clearly had a ceremony of consecration in which she adopted a Franciscan religious habit in her new way of life, as noted above. her support of the friars sent to Thuringia, she was made known to the founder, St Francis of Assisi, who sent her a personal message of blessing shortly before his death in 1226. Upon her canonization she was declared the patron saint of the Third Order of St Francis, an honor she shares with St Louis IX of France. Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Belgium, 1242, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope, Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake

Belgium, 1245-1274, Thomas Aquias, Dominican, philosopher, theologian, and jurist, scholasticism (w Aristotle Logic)
Belgium, 1245-1274, Holy Roman Saint, Thomas Aquias; Aquinas (1225 - 7 March 1274) was an Italian[10][11] Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church. immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, he is also known within the latter as the Doctor Angelicus, the Doctor Communis, and the Doctor Universalis.[a] The name Aquinas identifies his ancestral origins in the county of Aquino in present-day Lazio, Italy. Among other things, he was a prominent proponent of natural theology and the father of a school of thought (encompassing both theology and philosophy) known as Thomism. He argued that God is the source of both the light of natural reason and the light of faith.[12] His influence on Western thought is considerable, and much of modern philosophy developed or opposed his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory. many currents in the Catholic Church of the time,[13] Thomas embraced several ideas put forward by Aristotle—whom he called "the Philosopher"—and attempted to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with the principles of Christianity.[14] best-known works are the Disputed Questions on Truth (1256–1259), the Summa contra Gentiles (1259–1265), and the unfinished but massively influential Summa Theologica, or Summa Theologiae (1265–1274). His commentaries on Scripture and on Aristotle also form an important part of his body of work. Furthermore, Thomas is distinguished for his eucharistic hymns, which form a part of the church's liturgy.[15] The Catholic Church honors Thomas Aquinas as a saint and regards him as the model teacher for those studying for the priesthood, and indeed the highest expression of both natural reason and speculative theology. In modern times, under papal directives, the study of his works was long used as a core of the required program of study for those seeking ordination as priests or deacons, as well as for those in religious formation and for other students of the sacred disciplines (philosophy, Catholic theology, church history, liturgy, and canon law).[16] Aquinas is considered one of the Catholic Church's greatest theologians and philosophers. Pope Benedict XV declared: "This (Dominican) Order ... acquired new luster when the Church declared the teaching of Thomas to be her own and that Doctor, honored with the special praises of the Pontiffs, the master and patron of Catholic schools."[17] The English philosopher Anthony Kenny considers Thomas to be "one of the dozen greatest philosophers of the western world".[18] LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Belgium, 1248-1254, Seventh Crusade, Holy Roman Empire, Louis captured, ransomed, 1259 Karyes?
Belgium, 1248-1254, Seventh Crusade, Holy Roman Empire; The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Louis' Christian army was defeated by the Ayyubid army led by Fakhr al-Din ibn Shaykh al-Shuyukh and their allies, the Bahriyya Mamluks, led by Faris ad-Din Aktai, Baibars al-Bunduqdari, Qutuz, Aybak and Qalawun. Shaykh al-Shuyukh was killed in the war, and Louis was captured. Approximately 800,000 bezants were paid in ransom for his return.[3][4][5]

Belgium, 1250-1273, Holy Roman Interregnum, No Emperor, several weak kings, anti kings, Avignon Papacy
Belgium, 1250-1273, Holy Roman Interregnum, No Emperor; There were many imperial interregna in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, when there was no emperor. Interregna in which there was no emperor-elect (king of the Romans) were rarer. Among the longest periods without an emperor were between 924 and 962 (38 years), between 1245 and 1312 (67 years), and between 1378 and 1433 (55 years). The crisis of government of the Holy Roman Empire and the German kingdom thus lasted throughout the late medieval period, and ended only with the rise of the House of Habsburg on the eve of the German Reformation and the Renaissance. The term Great Interregnum is occasionally used for the period between 1250 (death of Frederick II) and 1273 (accession of Rudolf I). Great Interregnum[edit] Or three leopards sable.svg Staufen party Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (Hohenstaufen).svg Frederick II (1245-“50) Arms of the Holy Roman Emperor (Hohenstaufen).svg Conrad IV (1245-“54) Royal Coat of Arms of the Crown of Castile (1284-1390).svg Alfonso X of Castile (1257-“75) Arms of Rudolph I of Germany.svg Rudolf of Habsburg (1273-“75) Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig).svg Welf party Thuringia armor.svg Henry of Thuringia (1246-“47) Wapen graafschap Holland.svg William II of Holland (1247-“56) Richard of Cornwall Arms.svg Richard of Cornwall (1257-“72) Blason Bo Bohame.svg Ottokar II of Bohemia Result: compromise Unanimous election of Rudolf in 1273 Alfonso X of Castile renounced claim in 1275 After the deposition of Frederick II by Pope Innocent IV in 1245, Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia was set up as anti-king to Frederick's son Conrad IV (d. 1254). Henry was killed in 1247 and succeeded as anti-king by William of Holland (died 1256). After 1257, the crown was contested between Richard of Cornwall, who was supported by the Guelph party, and Alfonso X of Castile, who was recognized by the Hohenstaufen party but never set foot on German soil. After Richard's death in 1273, Rudolf I of Germany, a minor pro-Staufen count, was elected. He was the first of the Habsburgs to hold a royal title, but he was never crowned emperor. After Rudolf's death in 1291, Adolf and Albert were two further weak kings who were never crowned emperor. Albert was assassinated in 1308. Almost immediately, King Philip IV of France began aggressively seeking support for his brother, Charles of Valois, to be elected the next King of the Romans.[1] Philip thought he had the backing of the French Pope Clement V (established at Avignon in 1309), and that his prospects of bringing the empire into the orbit of the French royal house were good. He lavishly spread French money in the hope of bribing the German electors.[2] Although Charles of Valois had the backing of Henry, Archbishop of Cologne, a French supporter, many were not keen to see an expansion of French power, least of all Clement V.[2][3] The principal rival to Charles appeared to be Rudolf, the Count Palatine. Instead, Henry VII, of the House of Luxembourg, was elected with six votes at Frankfurt on 27 November 1308.[2] Given his background, although he was a vassal of king Philip,[2] Henry was bound by few national ties, an aspect of his suitability as a compromise candidate among the electors,[4] the great territorial magnates who had lived without a crowned emperor for decades, and who were unhappy with both Charles and Rudolf. Henry of Cologne's brother, Baldwin, Archbishop of Trier, won over a number of the electors, including Henry, in exchange for some substantial concessions.[2] Henry VII was crowned king at Aachen on 6 January 1309, and emperor by Pope Clement V on 29 June 1312 in Rome, ending the interregnum. LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274); Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Belgium, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery, pope's private army
Greece, Mt Athos, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery; monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Iveron, was founded there not long after. that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and 1306 the pope’s private army devastated Mt. Athos several times. Monks of Zographou and Vatopedi monasteries and the Protaton were martyred for the Orthodox Faith, and the monks of the Iveron Monastery eventually met the same fate. this period Georgian and Greek ascetics labored together at the Iveron Monastery, and many young ascetics of the new generation began to arrive from Georgia. Crusaders demanded that the Iveron monks convert to Catholicism and acknowledge the primacy of the Roman pope. But the monks condemned their fallacies and anathematized the doctrine of the Catholics. to the Patericon of Athos, the Ivá¸—ron monks were forcibly expelled from their monastery. Nearly two hundred elderly monks were goaded like animals onto a ship that was subsequently sunk in the depths of the sea. The younger, healthier monks were deported to Italy and sold as slaves to the Jews. sources claim this tragedy took place in the year 1259, while others record that the Georgian monks of the Holy Mountain were subject to the Latin persecutions over the course of four years, from 1276 to 1280. Iviron monastery ; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Ivḗron, was founded there not long after. that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and 1306 the pope’s private army devastated Mt. Athos several times. Monks of Zographou and Vatopedi monasteries and the Protaton were martyred for the Orthodox Faith, and the monks of the Ivḗron Monastery eventually met the same fate. this period Georgian and Greek ascetics labored together at the Ivḗron Monastery, and many young ascetics of the new generation began to arrive from Georgia. Crusaders demanded that the Ivḗron monks convert to Catholicism and acknowledge the primacy of the Roman pope. But the monks condemned their fallacies and anathematized the doctrine of the Catholics. to the Patericon of Athos, the Ivḗron monks were forcibly expelled from their monastery. Nearly two hundred elderly monks were goaded like animals onto a ship that was subsequently sunk in the depths of the sea. The younger, healthier monks were deported to Italy and sold as slaves to the Jews. sources claim this tragedy took place in the year 1259, while others record that the Georgian monks of the Holy Mountain were subject to the Latin persecutions over the course of four years, from 1276 to 1280.

Belgium, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos
Greece, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Euthymius and twelve other Monks, martyred at Vatopedi, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Martyr Euthymius, Igumen of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, and twelve other monks suffered martyrdom denouncing the Latinizing Patriarchs Michael Paleologos (1261-1281) and John Bekkos (1275-1282) as heretics. Saint Euthymius was drowned in the sea, and the monks were hanged.

Belgium, 1270, Eighth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire, Disease
Belgium, 1270, Eighth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire; The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France against the Hafsid dynasty in 1270. The Eighth Crusade is sometimes counted as the Seventh, if the Fifth and Sixth Crusades of Frederick II are counted as a single crusade. The Ninth Crusade is sometimes also counted as part of the Eighth. The crusade is considered a failure after Louis died shortly after arriving on the shores of Tunisia, with his disease-ridden army dispersing back to Europe shortly afterwards.[1]

Belgium, 1271-1272, Nineth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire, Lord Edward's C, clash with Baibars, Outremer territories
Belgium, 1271-1272, Nineth Crusade, Holy Roman Empire ; Edward's crusade,[1] sometimes called the Ninth Crusade,[2] was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of the future King Edward I of England in 1271-“1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was the last of the Crusades to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre in 1291 brought an end to the permanent crusader presence there. Ninth Crusade saw Edward clash with Baibars, with both achieving limited victories. The Crusaders were ultimately forced to withdraw, since Edward had pressing concerns at home and felt unable to resolve the internal conflicts within the remnant Outremer territories. It is arguable that the Crusading spirit was nearly "extinct" by this period as well.[3] It also foreshadowed the imminent collapse of the last remaining crusader strongholds along the Mediterranean coast. Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ;

Belgium, 1272, Union of Lyons, convoked 1272, convened 1274, Peace among Christians, revoked
France, 1272, Union of Lyons 1272; The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1] Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots[3] and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions, but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain.[4] In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, the "realm of Dacia" and the duchy of Poland. In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognized Rudolf I as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the interregnum.[2] 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10;

Belgium, 1273-1291, Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf I of Germany, first Hapsburg for Germany, Austria
Belgium, 1273-1291, Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf I of Germany; I (1 May 1218 - 15 July 1291) was the first king of Germany from the House of Habsburg. The first of the count-kings of Germany, he reigned from 1273 until his death. election marked the end of the Great Interregnum which had begun after the death of the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II in 1250. a Swabian count, he was the first Habsburg to acquire the duchies of Austria and Styria in opposition to his mighty rival, the Premyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia, whom he defeated in the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld. territories remained under Habsburg rule for more than 600 years, forming the core of the Habsburg Monarchy and the present-day country of Austria. played a vital role in raising the comital House of Habsburg to the rank of Imperial princes. 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274); Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Belgium, 1274, Union of Lyons convoked in 1272, convened 1274, peace among Christians, revoked
France, 1272, Union of Lyons 1272; The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1] Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots[3] and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions, but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain.[4] In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, the "realm of Dacia" and the duchy of Poland. In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognized Rudolf I as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the interregnum.[2] 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

Belgium, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for no union with Rome
Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for not accepting union with Roman Church; Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope. ” The emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10.

Belgium, 1282, Martyrs oKaryes, apostate Emperor Paleologos, Latins burned Karyes because they denounced rationalising
Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m bLatins, fire and sword, apostate Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, apostate Emperor Michael Paleologos 1259-1282, because Protos had denounced rationalising aHeresy; Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m by t Latins, fire and sword, during apostate Mike Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, Protos hanged, others by swords; Serbian Bishop Saint Sava built a church and cell at Karyes, where he stayed for some years, becoming a Hieromonk, then an Archimandrite in 1201. He wrote the Karyes Typicon during his stay there, and a marble inscription of his work still exists.[2] In 1219 Sava becomes the first Archbishop of Serbia.[2] the year 1283, Latin Crusaders during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos, attacked Mount Athos. They tortured and hanged the Protos, and sacked the Protaton, murdering many of the monks. These monks are commemorated as martyrs by the Orthodox Church on December 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 5 falls on December 18 of the Gregorian Calendar). Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. Because of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance. Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Holy Monastic Martyrs of Karyes were martyred by the Latins who came with fire and sword onto Mount Athos during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos (1259-1282), an apostate from Orthodoxy. in upon the Karyes monastery, the Latins burned and devastated the Church of the Protaton [the only basilica on the Holy Mountain, built in 965], “leaving no one alive.” -------------------------------------------------The Protos of the Holy Mountain, who had denounced the Latin rationalising as heresy, was after much torture hanged before the Protaton at the place called Chalkhos. hidden in caves around Karyes were cut down with swords. See October 10.

Belgium, 1284, Zographou Monestary, Mt Athos, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Belgium, 1284, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1284, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Zographou Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist of Zographou Monastery, Commemorated on October 10; the XIII century, there was a certain Elder who spent his life in ascetical struggles on Mount Athos. He had the pious custom of reading the Akathist Hymn before the Icon of the Mother of God every day. day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Elder left the cell right away and hurried to the monastery. As soon as he entered the gate, his eyes beheld the very Icon from his cell, before which he had just read the Akathist. An invisible, miraculous power had brought it there from the ascetic's cell. Elder fell down before the Icon with ardent prayer, and then with the Icon in his hands, he went to the Igoumen. The brotherhood, learning of the impending danger, was very worried. The more faint-hearted monks hastened to hide in the mountains, while twenty-six brave monks, including the Igoumen himself, remained in the monastery. The Elder, who received the heavenly revelation, also remained with them, so that he might comfort them during the coming trial. did not take long for their enemies to reach the monastery. These were Latins who at that time were trying to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. Arriving at the monastery and approaching the tower in which the monks had locked themselves, they tried to persuade them to renounce Orthodoxy. In an effort to convince them to recognize the pope as the head of the Universal Church, the Latins promised the champions of Orthodoxy all sorts of favors and monetary rewards. But these faithful sons of the Orthodox Church remained adamant. the enemies of Orthodoxy piled wood around the tower and lit it. As they prayed to the Lord, the monks gave thanks to the Almighty for making them worthy of receiving the crown of martyrdom, and then all of them surrendered their spotless souls to the Heavenly Father. Their martyric death occurred on October 10, 1274. The names of the victims were added to the Synodikon of Zographou Monastery, as well as to the official calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, who warned the Elder about the impending disaster, was subsequently found unscathed under the ashes in the ruins of the monastery. Today this Icon is in the monastery, and an unsleeping lampada burns before it. is another Icon with the same name "of the Akathist" at Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. Information about that Icon may be found under January 12. 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope.” emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. They steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. From the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10. Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Belgium, 1291-1298, Holy Roman Emperor, Adolf of Germany, deposed by Albert I
Belgium, 1291-1298, Holy Roman Emperor, Adolf of Germany; (c. 1255 – 2 July 1298) was Count of Nassau from about 1276 and elected King of the Romans (King of Germany) from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. was never crowned by the Pope, which would have secured him the title of Holy Roman Emperor. He was the first physically and mentally healthy ruler of the Holy Roman Empire ever to be deposed without a papal excommunication. died shortly afterwards in the Battle of Göllheim fighting against his successor Albert of Habsburg. was the second in the succession of so-called count-kings of several rivalling comital houses striving after the Roman-German royal dignity. last agnatic dynastic descendant was William IV of Luxembourg. ---------------------------------------------------------- Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4;

Belgium, 1298-1308, Holy Roman Emperor, Albert I of Germany, assinated
Belgium, 1298-1308, Holy Roman Emperor, Albert I of Germany; I of Habsburg (German: Albrecht I.) (July 1255 - 1 May 1308), the eldest son of King Rudolf I of Germany[1] and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenberg, was a Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 and King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4;

Belgium, 1300-1399, 14th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, Avignon Papacy

Belgium, 1305-1316, Sava III, Archbishop oSerbia, important Serbian architecture development figure
Saint Sava III (Serbian: Свети Сава III / Sveti Sava III; died July 16, 1316) was the Archbishop of Serbs from 1309 to 1316. Upon completing his studies,[1] he began as a hegumen in Hilandar, then became the Bishop of Prizren. During his office as bishop, he worked on the Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren. In 1309 he became the Archbishop. Sava III was an important figure of the development of architecture in Medieval Serbia. Prior to the founding of the Banjska monastery, which Sava III did not survive, King Stefan Milutin consulted with him. In his charters confirming the endowments of King Milutin, he is styled "Archbishop of All Serbian and Maritime Lands". He rebuilt the Church of Saint George in Staro Nagoričane. According to the testimonies of his successor Archbishop Nikodim I, he regularly donated to Hilandar. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerate him as Saint Sava III on July 26 (August 8, Gregorian calendar); Serbia; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; Savva III was Archbishop of Serbia from 1305 -1316. He is also commemorated on August 30 (and August 16).

Belgium, 1308-1313, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII of Luxembourg
Belgium, 1308-1313, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII of Luxembourg ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Belgium, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy
France, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy; Avignon; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Belgium, 1337-1453, 100 Years War between France and England for France
Battle of Agincourt; Hundred Years War (1337-1453); THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

Belgium, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, wonderworker, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer
Serbia, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, f Zeta, tChrna Reka (Black River), nIbar River, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer, people gathered, fled to Drnica & forest of Devic, healed prince's daughter, money for Monastery, miracles after death; Venerable Joannicius of Devic, Commemorated on December 2; Ioannikios (Janićije) was a Serb from Zeta, near the Adriatic Sea. was the son of pious and God-fearing parents, and he lived during the reign of the last medieval Serbian ruler, Prince George Branković (1427-1458). his youth, Saint Ioannikios loved solitude, as an adolescent he left his parents and made his way to eastern Serbia, where he settled in a wooded area called Chrna Reka (Black River), a few miles from the Ibar River. found a narrow cave where, according to Tradition, Saint Peter of Koriša (June 5) had struggled during the XIII century. Ioannikios built a cell and lived there for many years in solitude, fasting, and unceasing prayer. time, people began coming to him from all over Serbia in order to hear his words, and to receive his blessing. Others were drawn to him because they wanted him to guide them in the monastic life. community grew around him, and they built a church near his cell. when people heard about the holiness of his life, he fled to Drnica and hid himself in the thick forest of Devič. again, the Saint lived in solitude, weeping, fasting, struggling with demons, and devoting himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. day Prince George brought his terminally ill daughter to him, and the Saint healed her. Prince wanted to know what he could do to express his gratitude. Ioannikios asked him to built a monastery at Devič and dedicate it to the Entrance of the a Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). a holy and God-pleasing life, Saint Ioannikios reposed on December 2, 1430, when he was almost one hundred years old. His grace-filled and wonderworking relics are kept at the monastery. After his death, many miracles have taken place there, and those who entreat him with faith are healed of their sicknesses and afflictions. this monastery there once lived a renowned and godly nun, Sister Euphemia, who is better known in the Kossovo region as Blessed Stoina. She built an Ispostnica (House of Silence) in honor of St. Ioannikios. She fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1895. Ioannikios still performs miracles, just as he did in his lifetime, five hundred years ago. A certain man from Hercegovina, whose name was Miloš wanted to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places. Just as he was about to embark on his journey, Saint Ioannikios appeared to him in a dream and told him not to go to Jerusalem. "It would be better," the Saint explained, "if you went to Devič and cleaned my church, and put it in order, instead of going to Jerusalem." š followed the Saint's advice and went to the neglected Devič monastery, cleaned it up, restored it, and gave it new life. He became a monk and remained there until the end of his life. the First World War and the Austrian occupation, a Hungarian officer arrived at Devič with some soldiers. He made Igoumen Damaskene take him to the tomb of Saint Ioannikios, and asked him what was under the slab. "It is a holy place," the Igoumen replied. sort of holy place?" the officer asked. "You have some valuables hidden under there, don't you?" officer ordered the soldiers to break the slab with pick axes. As they were completing their task, the officer was stricken with pain in the middle of his body. He lay down on a bed and died before that evening. The terrified soldiers abandoned their work and fled from the monastery. Ioannikios is also commemorated on April 26, the uncovering of his holy relics. Devic Monastery in Kosovo; Devič Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Девич, romanized: Manastir Devič; Albanian: Manastiri i Deviçit) is a Serbian Orthodox abbey in Kosovo[a]. It was built in 1434 and is dedicated to St Joanikije of Devič. Devič was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

Belgium, 1355-1378, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV of Luxembourg
Belgium, 1355-1378, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV of Luxembourg; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Belgium, 1367-1380, CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy
Rome, 1367-1380, SCATHERINE OF SIENA, (a Tuscan hill town, irrigation), REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy, persuaded Gregory XI back to R, ambassador to Florence, retired to Sienna, Dialog book visions advice, arrogant Urban VI, new Clement VII at Avigon, papal Schism till 1417; Siena; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); Benincasa, born in 1347, was the youngest (one of my sources says the 23rd) of twenty-five children of a wealthy dyer of Sienna (or Siena). the age of six, she had a vision of Christ in glory, surrounded by His saints. that time on, she spent most of her time in prayer and meditation, over the opposition of her parents, who wanted her to be more like the average girl of her social class. they gave in, and at the age of sixteen she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic (First Order = friars, Second Order = nuns, Third Order = laypersons), where she became a nurse, caring for patients with leprosy and advanced cancer whom other nurses disliked to treat. began to acquire a reputation as a person of insight and sound judgement, and many persons from all walks of life sought her spiritual advice, both in person and by letter. have a book containing about four hundred letters from her to bishops, kings, scholars, merchants, and obscure peasants.) persuaded many priests who were living iacn luxury to give away their goods and to live simply. her day, the popes, officially Bishops of Rome, had been living for about seventy years, not at Rome but at Avignon in France, where they were under the political control of the King of France Avignon Papacy, sometimes called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, began when Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope in 1303). visited Avignon in 1376 and told Pope Gregory XI that he had no business to live away from Rome. He heeded her advice, and moved to Rome. then acted as his ambassador to Florence, and was able to reconcile a quarrel between the Pope and the leaders of that city. She then retired to Sienna, where she wrote a book called the Dialog, an account of her visions and other spiritual experiences, with advice on cultivating a life of prayer. Gregory's death in 1378, the Cardinals, mostly French, elected an Italian Pope, Urban VI, who on attaining office turned out to be arrogant and abrasive and tyrannical, and perhaps to have other faults as well. Cardinals met again elsewhere, declared that the first election had been under duress from the Roman mob and therefore invalid, and elected a new Pope, Clement VII, who established his residence at Avignon. worked tirelessly, both to persuade Urban to mend his ways letters to him are respectful but severe and uncompromising -- as one historian has said, she perfected the art of kissing the Pope's feet while simultaneously twisting his arm), to persuade others that the peace and unity of the Church required the recognition of Urban as lawful Pope. Despite her efforts, the Papal Schism continued until 1417. greatly weakened the prestige of the Bishops of Rome, and thus helped to pave the way for the Protestant Reformation a century later. is known (1) as a mystic, a contemplative who devoted herself to prayer, (2) as a humanitarian, a nurse who undertook to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the sick; (3) as an activist, a renewer of Church and society, who took a strong stand on the issues affecting society in her day, and who never hesitated (in the old Quaker phrase) "to speak truth to power"; (4) as an adviser and counselor, with a wide range of interests, who always made time for troubled and uncertain persons who told her their problems -- large and trivial, religious and secular. by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos, historian, Hesychasts d, divine light, faces shine like sun
Greece, Mt Athos, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos m & Magul skete, Mt Athos, near Philotheou, 28 yrs, Gregory of Sinai's story, directions to Hesychasts, divine light, faces shine like sun, died in Serbia; Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou) Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Callistus II pursued asceticism at the Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou), there for twenty-eight years. was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. with his fellow ascetic Ignatius of Xanthopoulos, he compiled the “Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters” found in the second part of the Slavonic edition of the Philokalia (English translation in Kadlubovsky and Palmer, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart). their contemporary, Saint Simeon of Thessalonica (September 15) asserts, Saints Callistus and Ignatius of Xanthopoulos beheld the Uncreated Light, as the apostles had done on Mount Tabor. Their faces seemed to “shine like the sun.” 1397 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, and was hierarch during the days of Manuel Paleologos (1391-1425). agreed to journey to Serbia in order to bring peace to that church, stopping along the way at Mt Athos. There, the Patriarch was told that he would not see his flock again. Upon reaching Serbia, he exchanged this temporal life for life eternal.

Belgium, 1378-1437, Sigismund of Bavaria, Bohemia, Brandenburg (Berlin), Lux, Croats, Serbs, Italy, & Hungry, Crusade, Hussites
Belgium, 1378-1437, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund of Luxembourg ; of Bohemia (15 February 1368 - 9 December 1437), also known as Sigismund of Luxembourg, was prince-elector of Brandenburg from 1378 until 1388 and from 1411 until 1415, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1387, king of Germany from 1411, king of Bohemia from 1419, king of Italy from 1431, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until 1437, and the last male member of the House of Luxembourg.[1] was born in Nuremberg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and Elizabeth of Pomerania. He married Queen Mary of Hungary in 1385 and was crowned King of Hungary soon after. He fought to restore and maintain authority to the throne. Mary died in 1395, leaving Sigismund the sole ruler of Hungary. 1396, Sigismund led the Crusade of Nicopolis, but was decisively defeated by the Ottoman Empire. Afterwards, he founded the Order of the Dragon to fight the Turks and secured the thrones of Croatia, Germany and Bohemia. Sigismund was one of the driving forces behind the Council of Constance (1414-1418) that ended the Papal Schism, but which also led to the Hussite Wars that dominated the later period of his life. In 1433, Sigismund was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and ruled until his death in 1437. life in Nuremberg, Sigismund was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, and of his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania, who was the granddaughter of King Casimir III of Poland and the great-granddaughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas. He was named after Saint Sigismund of Burgundy, the favourite saint of Sigismund's father. From Sigismund's childhood he was nicknamed the "ginger fox" in the Crown of Bohemia, on account of his hair colour. first wife, Mary I, Queen of Hungary. Louis the Great of Hungary and Poland always had a good and close relationship with Emperor Charles IV, and Sigismund was betrothed to Louis' eldest daughter, Mary, in 1374, when he was six years old. his father's death in 1378, young Sigismund became Margrave of Brandenburg and was sent to the Hungarian court, where he soon learnt the Hungarian language and way of life, and became entirely devoted to his adopted country.[2] King Louis named him as his heir and appointed him his successor as King of Hungary. 1381, the then 13-year-old Sigismund was sent to Krakow by his eldest half-brother and guardian Wenceslaus, King of Germany and Bohemia, to learn Polish and to become acquainted with the land and its people. King Wenceslaus also gave him Neumark to facilitate communication between Brandenburg and Poland. disagreement between Polish landlords of Lesser Poland on one side and landlords of Greater Poland on the other, regarding the choice of the future King of Poland, finally ended in choosing the Lithuanian side. The support of the lords of Greater Poland was however not enough to give Prince Sigismund the Polish crown. Instead, the landlords of Lesser Poland gave it to Mary's younger sister Jadwiga I of Poland, who married Jogaila of Lithuania. of Hungary coin of Sigismund of Hungary with his coat of arms (right), the image of the King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (left). Standard of Hungary under the rule of Sigismund (1387–1437). the death of her father in 1382, his betrothed, Mary, became queen of Hungary and Sigismund married her in 1385 in Zolyom (today Zvolen). The next year, he was accepted as Mary's future co-ruler by the Treaty of Gyor. However, Mary was captured, together with her mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia, who had acted as regent, in 1387 by the rebellious House of Horvat, Bishop Paul Horvat of Macva, his brother John Horvat and younger brother Ladislav. Sigismund's mother-in-law was strangled, while Mary was liberated. secured the support of the nobility, Sigismund was crowned King of Hungary at Szekesfehervar on 31 March 1387.[3] Having raised money by pledging Brandenburg to his cousin Jobst, margrave of Moravia (1388), he was engaged for the next nine years in a ceaseless struggle for the possession of this unstable throne.[2] The central power was finally weakened to such an extent that only Sigismund's alliance with the powerful Czillei-Garai League could ensure his position on the throne.[4] It was not for entirely selfless reasons that one of the leagues of barons helped him to power: Sigismund had to pay for the support of the lords by transferring a sizeable part of the royal properties. (For some years, the baron's council governed the country in the name of the Holy Crown). The restoration of the authority of the central administration took decades of work. The bulk of the nation headed by the House of Garai was with him; but in the southern provinces between the Sava and the Drava, the Horvathys with the support of King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, Mary's maternal uncle, proclaimed as their king Ladislaus, king of Naples, son of the murdered Charles II of Hungary. Not until 1395 did Nicholas II Garai succeed in suppressing them.[2] Mary died heavily pregnant in 1395. ease the pressure from Hungarian nobles, Sigismund tried to employ foreign advisors, which was not popular, and he had to promise not to give land and nominations to anyone other than Hungarian nobles. However, this was not applied to Stibor of Stiboricz, who was Sigismund's closest friend and advisor. On a number of occasions, Sigismund was imprisoned by nobles, but with help of the armies of Garai and Stibor of Stiboricz, he would regain power. of Nicopolis Sigismund of Hungary during the battle of Nicopolis in 1396. Painting by Ferenc Lohr (1896), main hall of the Castle of Vaja. 1396, Sigismund led the combined armies of Christendom against the Turks, who had taken advantage of the temporary helplessness of Hungary to extend their dominion to the banks of the Danube. This crusade, preached by Pope Boniface IX, was very popular in Hungary. The nobles flocked in their thousands to the royal standard, and were reinforced by volunteers from nearly every part of Europe. The most important contingent being that of the French led by John the Fearless, son of Philip II, Duke of Burgundy. Sigismund set out with 90,000 men and a flotilla of 70 galleys. After capturing Vidin, he camped with his Hungarian armies before the fortress of Nicopolis. Bayezid I raised the siege of Constantinople and, at the head of 140,000 men, completely defeated the Christian forces in the Battle of Nicopolis fought between the 25 and 28 September 1396.[2] returned by sea and through the realm of Zeta, where he ordained a local Montenegrin lord Durad II with the islands of Hvar and Korčula for resistance against the Turks; the islands were returned to Sigismund after Durad's death in April 1403. disaster at Nicopolis angered several Hungarian lords, leading to instability in the kingdom. Deprived of his authority in Hungary, Sigismund then turned his attention to securing the succession in Germany and Bohemia, and was recognized by his childless half-brother Wenceslaus IV as Vicar-General of the whole Empire. However, he was unable to support Wenceslaus when he was deposed in 1400, and Rupert of Germany, Elector Palatine, was elected German king in his stead.[2] of Luxembourg, official imprint. to Hungary his return to Hungary in 1401, Sigismund was imprisoned once and deposed twice. In 1401, Sigismund helped an uprising against Wenceslaus IV, during the course of which the Bohemian king was taken prisoner, and Sigismund ruled Bohemia for nineteen months. He released Wenceslaus in 1403. In the meantime, a group of Hungarian noblemen swore loyalty to the last Anjou monarch, Ladislaus of Naples, putting their hands on the relic of Saint Ladislas of Hungary in Nagyvarad (today Oradea). Ladislaus was the son of the murdered Charles II of Hungary, and thus a distant relative of the long dead King Louis I of Hungary. Ladislaus captured Zara (today Zadar) in 1403, but soon stopped any military advance. This struggle in turn led to a war with the Republic of Venice, as Ladislaus had sold the Dalmatian cities to the Venetians for 100,000 ducats[2] before leaving for his own land. In the following years Sigismund acted indirectly to thwart Ladislaus' attempts to conquer central Italy, by allying with the Italian cities resisting him and by applying diplomatic pressure on him. to his frequent absences attending to business in the other countries over which he ruled, he was obliged to consult Diets in Hungary with more frequency than his predecessors and institute the office of Palatine as chief administrator while he was away.[5] In 1404, Sigismund introduced the Placetum Regium. According to this decree, Papal bulls could not be pronounced in Hungary without the consent of the king. his long reign, the royal castle of Buda became probably the largest Gothic palace of the late Middle Ages. of Croatia horn of Sigismund of Luxembourg, before 1408. about 1406, Sigismund married Mary's cousin Barbara of Celje, daughter of Count Hermann II of Celje. Hermann's mother Catherine (of the House of Kotromanic) and Mary's mother Queen Elisabeth of Bosnia were sisters, or cousins who were adoptive sisters. managed to establish control in Slavonia. He did not hesitate to use violent methods (see Bloody Sabor of Krizevci), but from the river Sava to the south his control was weak. Sigismund personally led an army of almost 50,000 "crusaders" against the Bosnians, culminating with the Battle of Dobor in 1408, a massacre of about 200 noble families. in Serbia by Ottoman expansion, king Sigismund managed to strengthen the security of southern Hungarian borders by entering into a defensive alliance with despot Stefan Lazarevic of Serbia. In 1403, Hungarian possessions in northwestern regions of Serbia (city of Belgrade and the Banate of Macso), were given to despot Stefan, who pledged his allegiance to king Sigismund, remaining the king's loyal vassal until death in 1427. Stefan's successor George Branković of Serbia also pledged his allegiance to Sigismund, returning Belgrade to the king. By maintaining close relations with Serbian rulers, Sigismund succeeded in securing southern borders of his realm.[6][7] of the Dragon founded his personal order of knights, the Order of the Dragon, after the victory at Dobor. The main goal of the order was fighting the Ottoman Empire. Members of the order were mostly his political allies and supporters. The main members of the order were Sigismund's close allies Nicholas II Garay, Hermann II of Celje, Stibor of Stiboricz, and Pippo Spano. The most important European monarchs became members of the order. He encouraged international trade by abolishing internal duties, regulating tariffs on foreign goods and standardizing weights and measures throughout the country. of the Romans the death of King Rupert of Germany in 1410, Sigismund – ignoring the claims of his half-brother Wenceslaus – was elected as successor by three of the electors on 10 September 1410, but he was opposed by his cousin Jobst of Moravia, who had been elected by four electors in a different election on 1 October. Jobst's death 18 January 1411 removed this conflict and Sigismund was again elected king on 21 July 1411. His coronation was deferred until 8 November 1414, when it took place at Aachen.[2] alliances a number of occasions, and in 1410 in particular, Sigismund allied himself with the Teutonic Knights against Władysław II of Poland. In return for 300.000 ducats he would attack Poland from the south after the truce on St. John's Day, 24 June expired. Sigismund ordered his most loyal friend Stibor of Stiboricz to set up the attack on Poland. Stibor of Stiboricz was of Polish origin and from the main line of the powerful Clan of Ostoja that had also been against choosing Jagiello as King of Poland. With the support of Sigismund, Stibor become one of the most influential men in late medieval Europe, holding titles as Duke of Transylvania and owning about 25% of modern-day Slovakia, including 31 castles of which 15 were situated around the 406 km long Váh river with surrounding land that was given to him by Sigismund. In the diplomatic struggle to prevent war between Poland-Lithuania, which was supported by the Muscovites, and the Teutonic Knights, Sigismund used Stibor's fine diplomacy to gain financially. The Polish side appointed several negotiators and most of them were also from the Clan of Ostoja, distant relations of the Stibors. However, those "family meetings" could not prevent the war and an alliance of twenty-two western states formed an army against Poland in the Battle of Grunwald in July 1410. Stibor attacked then Nowy Sącz and burned it to the ground, but after that he returned with his army back to the Beckov Castle. After the Polish-Lithuanian victory in the Battle of Grunwald, the Teutonic knights had to pay a huge sum of silver to Poland as reparation and again, through diplomacy of his friend Stibor, Sigismund was able to borrow all this silver from King Władysław II of Poland on good conditions. In the light of facts about the diplomatic work of Stibor and the Clan of Ostoja that was following the politics of King Sigismund, one can question whether Sigismund actually joined the anti-Polish alliance.[8] of Constance and Barbara of Celje at the Council of Constance. 1412 to 1423, Sigismund campaigned against the Venetians in Italy. The king took advantage of the difficulties of Antipope John XXIII to obtain a promise that a council should be called in Constance in 1414 to settle the Western Schism. He took a leading part in the deliberations of this assembly, and during the sittings made a journey to France, England and Burgundy in a vain attempt to secure the abdication of the three rival popes. council ended in 1418, solving the Schism and — of great consequence to Sigismund's future career — having the Czech religious reformer, Jan Hus, burned at the stake for heresy in July 1415. The complicity of Sigismund in the death of Hus is a matter of controversy. He had granted him a safe-conduct and protested against his imprisonment;[2] and Hus was burned during Sigismund's absence. at one point during the council a cardinal corrected Sigismund's Latin, Sigismund replied Ego sum rex Romanus et super grammaticam ("I am king of the Romans and above grammar").[9] Thomas Carlyle nicknamed Sigismund "Super Grammaticam".[10][11] alliance with England against France, and a failed attempt, owing to the hostility of the princes, to secure peace in Germany by a league of the towns,[2] were his main acts during these years. Also, Sigismund granted control of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (which he had received back after Jobst's death) to Frederick I of Hohenzollern, burgrave of Nuremberg in 1415. This step made the Hohenzollern family one of the most important in Germany. began to shift his alliance from France to England after the French defeat at the Battle of Agincourt. The signing of the Treaty of Canterbury on 15 August 1416 culminated diplomatic efforts between Henry V of England and Sigismund and resulted in a defensive and offensive alliance against France. This, in turn, led the way to the resolution of the papal schism.[12] The close relationship that developed between Henry V and the Emperor resulted in Sigismund being inducted into the Order of the Garter.[13] Wars of Emperor Sigismund, painted by Albrecht Dürer after the emperor's death. 1419, the death of Wenceslaus IV left Sigismund titular King of Bohemia, but he had to wait for seventeen years before the Czech Estates would acknowledge him. Although the two dignities of King of the Romans and King of Bohemia added considerably to his importance, and indeed made him the nominal temporal head of Christendom, they conferred no increase of power and financially embarrassed him. It was only as King of Hungary that he had succeeded in establishing his authority and in doing anything for the order and good government of the land. Entrusting the government of Bohemia to Sofia of Bavaria, the widow of Wenceslaus, he hastened into Hungary.[2] Bohemians, who distrusted him as the betrayer of Hus, were soon in arms; and the flame was fanned when Sigismund declared his intention of prosecuting the war against heretics. Three campaigns against the Hussites ended in disaster although the army of his most loyal ally Stibor of Stiboricz and later his son Stibor of Beckov could hold the Hussite side away from the borders of the Kingdom. The Turks were again attacking Hungary. The king, unable to obtain support from the German princes, was powerless in Bohemia. His attempts at the diet of Nuremberg in 1422 to raise a mercenary army were foiled by the resistance of the towns; and in 1424 the electors, among whom was Sigismund's former ally, Frederick I of Hohenzollern, sought to strengthen their own authority at the expense of the king. Although the scheme failed, the danger to Germany from the Hussites led to the Union of Bingen, which virtually deprived Sigismund of the leadership of the war and the headship of Germany.[2] years 1428, Sigismund led another campaign against the Turks, but again with few results. In 1431, he went to Milan where on 25 November he received the Iron Crown as King of Italy; after which he remained for some time at Siena, negotiating for his coronation as emperor and for the recognition of the Council of Basel by Pope Eugenius IV. He was crowned emperor in Rome on 31 May 1433, and after obtaining his demands from the Pope returned to Bohemia, where he was recognized as king in 1436, though his power was little more than nominal.[2] Shortly after he was crowned, Pope Eugenius began attempts to create a new anti-Ottoman alliance.[14] This was sparked[citation needed] by an Albanian revolt against the Ottomans, which had begun in 1432. In 1435, Sigismund sent Fruzhin, a Bulgarian nobleman, to negotiate an alliance with the Albanians. He also sent Daud, a pretender to the Ottoman throne, in early 1436.[15] However, following the defeat of the rebels in 1436, plans for an anti-Ottoman alliance ended.[15] died on 9 December 1437 at Znojmo, Moravia (now Czech Republic), and as ordered in life, he was buried at Nagyvárad, Hungary (today Oradea, Romania), next to the tomb of the king Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, who was the ideal of the perfect monarch, warrior and Christian for that time and was deeply venerated by Sigismund.[16] By his second wife, Barbara of Celje, he left an only daughter, Elisabeth of Luxembourg, who was married to Albert V, duke of Austria (later German king as Albert II) whom Sigismund named as his successor. As he left no sons, his line of the House of Luxembourg became extinct on his death.[2] and issue married twice but had little luck in securing the succession to his crowns. Each of his two marriages resulted in the birth of one child. His first-born child, probably a son, was born prematurely as a result of a horse riding accident suffered by Queen Mary of Hungary when she was well advanced in pregnancy. Mother and child both died shortly after the birth in the hills of Buda on 17 May 1395. This caused a deep succession crisis because Sigismund ruled over Hungary by right of his wife, and although he managed to keep his power, the crisis lasted until his second marriage to Barbara of Celje. Barbara's only child, born in the purple on 7 October 1409, probably in the castle of Visegrád, was Elisabeth of Luxembourg, the future queen consort of Hungary, Germany, and Bohemia. Queen Barbara was unable to give birth to any further issue. Elisabeth of Bohemia was thus the only surviving legitimate offspring of Sigismund. affiliations of arms of John Hunyadi. was known to speak fluent Hungarian, wore Hungarian-style royal clothes, and even grew his beard in the Hungarian fashion.[17] He also spent huge amounts of money during his reign to rebuild the Gothic castles of Buda and Visegrád in the Kingdom of Hungary, ordering the transportation of materials from Austria and Bohemia.[18] many affairs with women led to the birth of several legends, as the one that existed decades later during the reign of the King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. According to this, John Hunyadi was Sigismund's illegitimate son. Sigismund gave a ring to the boy's mother when he was born, but one day in the forest a raven stole it from her, and the ring was only recovered after the bird was hunted down. It is said that this incident inspired the coat of arms of the Hunyadis, and later also appeared in the coat of arms of Matthias "Corvinus".[19] adopted the Hungarian reverence for Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, who was considered to be an ideal Christian knight at that time. He went on pilgrimage several times to his tomb in Nagyvárad. Before Sigismund died, in Znaim, Moravia, he ordered to be buried next to the king saint.[20] Sigismundi Main article: Reformatio Sigismundi Reformatio Sigismundi appeared in connection with efforts to reform the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Sigismund (1410–1437). It was presented in 1439 at the Council of Basel, published by an anonymous author, and referred to the injustice of the German rulers. It included a vision of Sigismund's about the appearance of a priest-king, Frederick, as well as plans for a wide reform of the monarchy and emperorship and the German empire. Sigismund, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany, of Hungary, Bohemia, Italy, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria; Duke of Silesia and Luxembourg; Margrave of Moravia, Lusatia and Brandenburg.[21][failed verification – see discussion] Heraldry of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Coat of Arms of the King of the Romans (c.1433-1486).svg Coat of arms of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.svg Coat of arms as King of the Romans (1433–1437) Coat of arms as Holy Roman Emperor (1433–1437), king of Hungary and Bohemia Sigismund Arms Hungarian Czech per pale.svg Sigismund Arms.svg Arms of the House of Luxembourg-Hungary-Bohemia Coat of Arms of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.png Coat of arms as Knight of the Garter THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415 ;

Belgium, 1391-1415, JOHN HUS, during pope controversy, denounced church abuses, didn't support archbishop's warlike pope
Czech Land Saint, 1391-1415, JOHN HUS; Controversy. then) Meanwhile, Hus had begun to denounce various church abuses in his sermons. His disputes with authority did not concern basic theological issues, but rather matters of church discipline and practice. The custom had arisen, at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, of distributing the consecrated bread to all Christians in good standing who desired to receive it, but restricting the chalice to the celebrant alone. Hus denounced this restriction as contrary to Holy Scripture and to the ancient tradition of the Church. He also held that Church officials ought to exercise spiritual powers only, and not be earthly governors. In 1412 his archbishop excommunicated him, not for heresy, but for insubordination. (The real problem was that Hus supported one papal claimant and the archbishop another. Hus's candidate was ultimately declared to be the true pope.) Matters came to a head when one claimant (later declared unfit) proclaimed a sale of indulgences to raise money for a war against his rivals. Hus was horrified at the idea of selling spiritual benefits to finance a war between two claimants to the title "Servant of the Servants of God," and said so. 1414 he was summoned to the Council of Constance, with the Emperor guaranteeing his personal safety even if found guilty. He was tried, and ordered to recant certain heretical doctrines. He replied that he had never held or taught the doctrines in question, and was willing to declare the doctrines false, but not willing to declare on oath that he had once taught them. The one point on which Hus could be said to have a doctrinal difference with the Council was that he taught that the office of the pope did not exist by Divine command, but was established by the Church that things might be done in an orderly fashion (a view that he shared with Thomas More). The Council, having just narrowly succeeded in uniting Western Christendom under a single pope after years of chaos, was not about to have its work undone. It accordingly found him guilty of heresy, and he was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415, Commemorated July 6; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places.

Belgium, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, denounced church abuses not theological, burned after E's promise , Moravians
Czech Lands, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, Western Czech Republic, denounced church abuses in discipline and practice, not theological, church spritual govenors, not earthly, found guilty for saying pope not divine office, burned right after Council of Constance, followers became Moravians; Bohemia; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415; Huss (Jan Hus) was born in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) in about 1371. received a master's degree from Charles University in Prague in 1396, became a professor of theology in 1398, was ordained to the priesthood in 1400, was made rector of the University in 1402, and in 1404 received a bachelor's degree in theology (presumably a more advanced degree than the term suggests today). his day, there was a crisis of authority in the Western Church. 1305, under pressure from the King of France, the seat of the Popes was moved from Rome to Avignon in France, where it remained for 70 years. period is called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, suggesting the 70 years that Jerusalem lay desolate after when the Jews were deported to Babylon.) 1376, the then pope returned to Rome. When he died soon after, the cardinals, mostly French, were disposed to elect a French Pope, but the people of Rome objected, fearing that a French Pope would move the Papacy back to France. cardinals therefore elected an Italian Pope, and then fled elsewhere, where they elected a French Pope and said that the first election had been under duress, and was void. there were two (later three) claimants for the Papal Office. Council of Constance was called to settle the matter. One claimant recognized the Council and then abdicated. The Council responded by proclaiming that he had been the true Pope. It then deposed the other two, and elected a new Pope, thus healing the schism. Hus had begun to denounce various church abuses in his sermons. His disputes with authority did not concern basic theological issues, but rather matters of church discipline and practice. custom had arisen, at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, of distributing the consecrated bread to all Christians in good standing who desired to receive it, but restricting the chalice to the celebrant alone. denounced this restriction as contrary to Holy Scripture and to the ancient tradition of the Church. also held that Church officials ought to exercise spiritual powers only, and not be earthly governors. 1412 his archbishop excommunicated him, not for heresy, but for insubordination. real problem was that Hus supported one papal claimant and the archbishop another. Hus's candidate was ultimately declared to be the true pope.) came to a head when one claimant (later declared unfit) proclaimed a sale of indulgences to raise money for a war against his rivals. was horrified at the idea of selling spiritual benefits to finance a war between two claimants to the title "Servant of the Servants of God," and said so. 1414 he was summoned to the Council of Constance, with the Emperor guaranteeing his personal safety even if found guilty. was tried, and ordered to recant certain heretical doctrines. replied that he had never held or taught the doctrines in question, and was willing to declare the doctrines false, but not willing to declare on oath that he had once taught them. one point on which Hus could be said to have a doctrinal difference with the Council was that he taught that the office of the pope did not exist by Divine command, but was established by the Church that things might be done in an orderly fashion (a view that he shared with Thomas More). Council, having just narrowly succeeded in uniting Western Christendom under a single pope after years of chaos, was not about to have its work undone. It accordingly found him guilty of heresy, and he was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. his death, his followers continued to insist on the importance of administering the Holy Communion in both kinds, and defeated several armies sent against them. 1436 a pact was signed, by which the Church in Bohemia was authorized to administer Chalice as well as Host to all communicants. followers of John Huss and his fellow martyr Jerome of Prague became known as the Czech Brethren and later as the Moravians. Moravian Church survives to this day, and has had a considerable influence on the Lutheran movement. Luther suddenly became famous after the publication of his 95 Theses, cartoons and graffiti began to appear implying that Luther was the spiritual heir of John Huss. When Luther encountered the Pope's representative Johannes Eck, in a crucial debate, Eck sidestepped the questions of indulgences and of justification by faith, and instead asked Luther whether the Church had been right to condemn Hus. Luther, after thinking it over, said that Hus had been unjustly condemned, the whole question of the authority of Popes and Councils was raised. — by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1392-1471, Thomas A Kempis, Priest, Monk, Writer, Kempen, Germany
Germany, 1400, Thomas A Kempis, Priest, Monk, Writer, Kempen, Germany ; à Kempis (c. 1380 - 25 July 1471;[2] German: Thomas von Kempen; Dutch: Thomas van Kempen[3]) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", Kempen being his home town. was a member of the Modern Devotion, a spiritual movement during the late medieval period, and a follower of Geert Groote and Florens Radewyns, the founders of the Brethren of the Common Life.[4] was born in Kempen in the Rhineland.[5] His surname at birth was Hemerken (or Hammerlein), meaning the family's profession, "little hammer," Latinized into "Malleolus."[6] His father, Johann, was a blacksmith and his mother, Gertrud, was a schoolmistress.[5] 1392, Thomas followed his brother, Johann, to Deventer in the Netherlands in order to attend the noted Latin school there. While attending this school, Thomas encountered the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote's Modern Devotion. He attended school in Deventer from 1392 to 1399.[5] leaving school, Thomas went to the nearby city of Zwolle to visit his brother again, after Johann had become the prior of the Monastery of Mount St. Agnes there. This community was one of the Canons Regular of the Congregation of Windesheim, founded by disciples of Groote in order to provide a way of life more in keeping with the norms of monastic life of the period. Thomas himself entered Mount St. Agnes in 1406. He was not ordained a priest, however, until almost a decade later. He became a prolific copyist and writer. Thomas received Holy Orders in 1413[7] and was made sub-prior of the monastery in 1429.[8] first tenure of office as subprior was interrupted by the exile of the community from Agnetenberg (1429). A dispute had arisen in connection with an appointment to the vacant See of Utrecht. Pope Martin V rejected the nomination of Bishop-elect Rudolf van Diepholt, and imposed an interdict. The Canons remained in exile in observance of the interdict until the question was settled (1432). During this time, Thomas was sent to Arnhem to care for his ailing brother. He remained there until his brother died in November, 1432.[7] Thomas spent his time between devotional exercises in writing and in copying manuscripts. He copied the Bible no fewer than four times,[7] one of the copies being preserved at Darmstadt, Germany, in five volumes. In its teachings he was widely read and his works abound with biblical quotations, especially from the New Testament. subprior he was charged with instructing novices, and in that capacity wrote four booklets between 1420 and 1427, later collected and named after the title of the first chapter of the first booklet: The Imitation of Christ. Thomas More said it was one of the three books everybody ought to own.[9] Thirteen translations of the Imitatio Christi and three paraphrases in English seem to have been published between 1500 and 1700.[10] died near Zwolle in 1471. Opera spirituale, 1568. Kempis's 1441 autograph manuscript of The Imitation of Christ is available in the Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels (shelfmark: MS 5455-61).[11] also wrote the biographies of New Devotion members—Gerard Groote, Floris Radewijns, Jan van de Gronde, and Jan Brinckerinck.[11] important works include a series of sermons to the novices of St. Augustine Monastery, including Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ, Meditations on the Incarnation of Christ, Of True Compunction of Heart, Soliloquy of the Soul, Garden of Roses, Valley of Lilies, and a Life[12] of St. Lidwina of Schiedam. The following quotes are attributed to him: "Without the Way, there is no going, Without the Truth, there is no knowing, Without the Life, there is no living." "If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned." "At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done." — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 3 "For man proposes, but God disposes" — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 19 "If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. " — The Imitation of Christ, Book II, ch. 7 "In angello cum libello" (with slight variations), "In a little corner with a little book" — Shortened form of a motto often ascribed to, or associated with, Thomas a Kempis. The complete saying as reported by an early biographer is a mixture of Latin and Dutch and runs as follows: "In omnibus requiem quaesivi, sed non inveni, nisi in hoexkens ende boexkens", "I have sought everywhere for peace, but I have found it not, save in nooks and in books."[13][a] monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. In 1964, this church closed, causing his shrine to be moved to a new St. Michael's Church outside the centre of Zwolle. In 2005, this church also closed and his shrine was moved to the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Hemelopneming kerk (Assumption of Mary church) in the centre of Zwolle.[14] Kempen, Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) ; THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ;

Belgium, 1400, 15th-17th Century, Holy Roman Empire Folder, Protestant Cathilic Moslem Wars, Napoleon

Belgium, 1400-1499, 15th Century Folder, HRE, Agincourt, 100 Yrs War, Council of Florence, Priinting

Belgium, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, virtues&chastity, wYuri fled Vitovt over hill tTver, adultry, J wounded Y, Y killed J

Belgium, 1414-1418, Council of Constance (Lake Constance), ended papal scism
Council of Constance, 1414-1418 (Lake Constance); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Belgium, 1415, Holy Roman Empire, Battle of Agincourt, England V, 100 Yrs War
Battle of Agincourt; Hundred Years War (1337-1453); THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

Belgium, 1429-1431, JOAN OF ARC, called to save France by voices, Angel Michael and see the girls accounts below
France, 1429-1431, JOAN OF ARC, Burgundy, France (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage), called to save France by voices, Angel Michael, Catherine of Alexandria, Marina of Pisidia, see the girls accounts below, Joan was successful in uniting France, but burned at the stake for being a witch; Burgundy; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; of Arc was born in France, near the border of Burgundy, on 6 January 1412. her time the King of England claimed the crown of France by the laws of inheritance, and English troops were fighting in France to support that claim. English King inherited through a woman, and the French claimants, the House of Valois, asserted that French law did not allow the crown to be inherited by or through a woman.) V of England won a decisive victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 (see Shakespeare's play Henry V, filmed in 1944 starring Laurence Olivier and in 1993 starring Kenneth Branagh, who emphasizes the darker aspects of war) and signed an agreement with the Valois monarch Charles VI, providing that Charles should keep his crown during his lifetime, that his daughter Catherine should marry Henry, and that Henry should be the next king. VI had a son (the Dauphin), but the Queen took an oath that she had been unfaithful to her husband, and that the Dauphin was not the King's son, and therefore had no right to inherit the throne. 1422, Henry V died, leaving an infant son who became Henry VI of England. England claimed the throne of France in his name. Duke of Burgundy supported the English claim, and was allied with England. French claimant, the Dauphin (later Charles VII), had not been crowned. Since many Frenchmen thought that his mother the Queen might be telling the truth about his illegitimacy, the story largely paralyzed the national will to fight for Charles. this situation came Joan. she was thirteen, she began to hear voices telling her that she was called to save France. she identified these voices as those of Michael the Archangel (mentioned in the Bible in Daniel and Jude and Revelation), Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch, two early virgin martyrs about whom little is known historically as we have them contain many blatant improbabilities, and even among thoroughly conservative Roman Catholics, they are widely thought to be fictional persons. (for the real accounts of their lives (see Orthodox accounts below, they are both normal christian saint stories) but who were popular in France at that time. as she said, under direction from her voices, she persuaded a local baron to send her to the castle of Charles at Chinon, where she spoke with the Dauphin (French word for the heir to the throne until he is officially crowned king), and convinced him that her message was genuine. city of Orleans was under siege by the English. Joan and an army marched to the scene and raised the siege (8 May 1429). then proceeded to win other battles, and to bring Charles to Rheims to be crowned king. However, the king refused to take her advice that he should press the military advantage. When she attempted to recapture Paris from the English, he denied her adequate support, and the attempt failed. Joan of Arc being interrogated by an English cardinal, by Ingres May 1430 she was taken prisoner in battle, and tried on an accusation of sorcery and heresy. made no effort to ransom her or rescue her, although her first captors would almost certainly have accepted a ransom. was convicted and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, being then a little less than nineteen and a half years old. French, however, eventually went on to win the war and to expel the English from France. Charles, perhaps because it was not to his advantage to have it said that he had been crowned by a witch and a heretic, and that he owed his victories and his kingdom to a pact with the Devil, pressured the Church courts for a review of the verdict against Joan, and got her condemnation annulled in 1456. came to be regarded as a French national hero, and was eventually canonized by the Pope in May 1920. day (or a Sunday close to it) is a French national holiday. She is ranked with Denis of Paris and Remi of Rheims as one of France's three great national saints. is honored by the Church, not for winning military victories, or even because her visions were necessarily authentic, but because, being persuaded of the will of God for her life, she responded in faith and obedience to that will as she understood it. many literary works inspired by the life of Joan, I mention three: Bernard Shaw has written a play about her, Saint Joan. It has a preface for the reader which should not be skipped Twain has a novel, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, supposedly related by a follower of Joan. Twain is a devoted and uncritical admirer of Joan. von Schiller, friend of Goethe and eminent German playwright, has a play, Die Jungfrau von Orleans, which has been highly praised. It is available in translation. — by James Kiefer 0717 - Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia; Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. learning that his daughter had become a Christian, the father angrily disowned her. the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), when she was fifteen years old, Saint Marina was arrested and locked up in prison. With firm trust in the will of God and His help, the young prisoner prepared for her impending fate. governor Olymbrios, charmed with the beautiful girl, tried to persuade her to renounce the Christian Faith and become his wife. But the saint, unswayed, refused his offers. The vexed governor gave the holy martyr over to torture. Having beaten her fiercely, they fastened the saint with nails to a board and tore at her body with tridents. The governor himself, unable to bear the horror of these tortures, hid his face in his hands. But the holy martyr remained unyielding. Thrown for the night into prison, she was granted heavenly aid and healed of her wounds. stripped her and tied her to a tree, then burned the martyr with fire. Barely alive, the martyr prayed: “Lord, You have granted me to go through fire for Your Name, grant me also to go through the water of holy Baptism.” the word “water”, the governor gave orders to drown the saint in a large cauldron. martyr besought the Lord that this manner of execution should become for her holy Baptism. they plunged her into the water, there suddenly shone a light, and a snow-white dove came down from Heaven, bearing in its beak a golden crown. The fetters put upon Saint Marina came apart by themselves. The martyr stood up in the fount of Baptism glorifying the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Saint Marina emerged from the fount completely healed, without any trace of burns. at this miracle, the people glorified the True God, and many came to believe. This brought the governor into a rage, and he gave orders to kill anyone who might confess the Name of Christ. 15,000 Christians perished there, and the holy Martyr Marina was beheaded. The sufferings of the Great Martyr Marina were described by an eyewitness of the event, named Theotimos. until the taking of Constantinople by Western crusaders in the year 1204, the relics of the Great Martyr Marina were in the Panteponteia monastery. According to other sources, they were located in Antioch until the year 908 and from there transferred to Italy. Now they are in Athens, in a church dedicated to the holy Virgin Martyr. Her venerable hand was transferred to Mount Athos, to the Batopedi monastery. 1124 - Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria; Holy Great Martyr Katherine was the daughter of Konstos, the governor of Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximian (305-313). in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Katherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own Spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. After listening to Katherine, the Elder said that he knew of someone who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.” description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced an ardent desire in the soul of the holy maiden to see Him. "If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder gave Katherine an icon of the Theotokos with the Divine Child on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and she would hear Katherine and grant her heart’s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said to her Divine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Katherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” the Child turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.” returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. then received the Mystery of Holy Baptism from him. Again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with her Child. Now the Lord looked at her tenderly and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time Emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blaze of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. love for the Christian martyrs, and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings, compelled her to speak to the pagan priest and to Emperor Maximian. herself, the Saint confessed her faith in the One True God, and exposed the errors of the pagans. beauty of the maiden captivated the Emperor. In order to convince her of the superiority of pagan wisdom, the Emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt alive by order of the Emperor. to persuade the Saint, Maximian tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Hearing her angry refusal, the Emperor ordered his men to subject the Saint to terrible tortures, and then throw her in prison. Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the Saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrios to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The Empress was impressed by Katherine's strong spirit, and her face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian Faith to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day, they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and to offer sacrifice to the "gods." The Saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she was taken to be tortured on four wheels with sharp iron spikes, an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. seeing this miracle, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrios and 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ before everyone, and they were beheaded. tried again to entice the holy martyr, offering to marry her, and again he was refused. Saint Katherine remained faithful to her heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and after praying to Him, she laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Katherine were taken by the Angels to Mount Sinai. the VI century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to the newly-constructed church of the Monastery on Mount Sinai, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Katherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mount Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit. Katherine is commemorated on November 25 in Greek usage.

Belgium, 1431-1444, Council of Florence, to curtail power and resources of the pope
Belgium, Holy Roman Empire Council, 1431-1444, Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Belgium, 1431-1457, St Mark tArchbishop oEphesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy
Northern Italy, 1431-1457, St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy, against theological compromise& Political expediency, Byzantine Emperor seeking military assistance against Moslems, M's drawing close tConstan, Mark countered wPure Theology, from Holy Fathers, members from his Ephesian delegation tried changing his mind, he countered, there can be no compromis in matters Orthodox faith. but they signed Tomos oUnion, mark only discenter, died 1457 a52; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus">Ephesus; Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated January 19; Mark Eugenikos, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Florence. would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on theological compromise political expediency (the Byzantine Emperor was seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever closer to Constantinople). Mark countered the arguments of his opponents, from the well of pure theology, the teachings of the holy Fathers. the members of his own delegation tried to pressure him into accepting the Union replied, “There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith.” the members of the Orthodox delegation signed the Tomos of Union, Saint Mark was the only one who refused to do so. he returned from Florence, Saint Mark urged the inhabitants of Constantinople to repudiate the dishonorable document of union. died in 1457 at the age of fifty-two, admired and honored by all.

Belgium, 1433-1437, HRE Emperor, Sigismund, crusade leader in 1396, Order of the Dragon, CofC, Husite Wars
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1433-1437, Sigismund ; of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 - 9 December 1437) was prince-elector of Brandenburg from 1378 until 1388 and from 1411 until 1415, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1387, king of Germany from 1411, king of Bohemia from 1419, king of Italy from 1431, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until 1437, and the last male member of the House of Luxembourg.[1] was born in Nuremberg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and Elizabeth of Pomerania. married Queen Mary of Hungary in 1385 and was crowned King of Hungary soon after. He fought to restore and maintain authority to the throne. Mary died in 1395, leaving Sigismund the sole ruler of Hungary. 1396, Sigismund led the Crusade of Nicopolis, but was decisively defeated by the Ottoman Empire. he founded the Order of the Dragon to fight the Turks and secured the thrones of Croatia, Germany and Bohemia. Sigismund was one of the driving forces behind the Council of Constance (1414-1418) that ended the Papal Schism, but which also led to the Hussite Wars that dominated the later period of his life. 1433, Sigismund was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and ruled until his death in 1437. St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Belgium, 1437-1493, HRE Emperor, Frederick III, first Hapsburg, reuniting Hapsburg Lands of Austria, then Hungary, Burgundy
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1437-1493, Frederick III Holy Roman Emperor; III (21 September 1415 - 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death. was the first emperor of the House of Habsburg, and the fourth member of the House of Habsburg to be elected King of Germany after Rudolf I of Germany, Albert I in the 13th century and his predecessor Albert II of Germany. He was the penultimate emperor to be crowned by the Pope, and the last to be crowned in Rome. to his imperial coronation, he was duke of the Inner Austrian lands of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola from 1424, and also acted as regent over the Duchy of Austria (as Frederick V) from 1439. He was elected and crowned King of Germany (as Frederick IV) in 1440.[1] He was the longest-reigning German monarch when in 1493, after ruling his domains for more than 53 years, he was succeeded by his son Maximilian I. his reign, Frederick concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg "hereditary lands" of Austria and took a lesser interest in Imperial affairs. Nevertheless, by his dynastic entitlement to Hungary as well as by the Burgundian inheritance, he laid the foundations for the later Habsburg Empire. as "Arch-Sleepyhead of the Holy Roman Empire" (German: Erzschlafmütze) during his lifetime,[2] he is today increasingly seen as an effective ruler. - THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated on October 21; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Belgium, 1463, Isidore + 72, Yuriev, Estonia, Livonian Knight Latins violate treaty to protect Orthodox, pushed all under ice
Estonia, 1463, Isidore +72, Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2), Livonian Knight Latins violate treaty to protect Orthodox, tried to force conversion to Catholicism, pushed them all into ice hole for blessing the water after Theophany; Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated January 8 ; Isidore was priest of Saint Nicholas church in the city of Yuriev (Derpto, at present Taru in Estonia). to the terms of a treaty concluded in 1463 between the Moscow Great Prince Ivan III and the Livonian knights, the latter were obligated to extend every protection to the Orthodox at Derpto. But the Livonian knights (who were German Catholics) broke the treaty and tried to force the Orthodox to become Roman Catholics. priest Isidore bravely stood forth in defense of Orthodoxy, preferring to accept a martyr’s crown rather than submit to the Catholics. The Latin bishop and the Roman Catholic nobles of Yuriev had been told that Saint Isidore and the Orthodox population of the city had spoken against the faith and customs of the Germans. Saint Isidore and seventy-two of his parishioners went to bless the waters of the River Omovzha (or Emaiyga, now Emajogi) for the Feast of Theophany, they were arrested and brought before the Latin bishop Andrew and the civil judges of the city. Pressure was brought on them to convert to Catholicism, but the saint and his flock refused to renounce Christ or the Orthodox Faith. Enraged by this, the authorities had them thrown into prison. Isidore encouraged his flock to prepare themselves for death, and not to fear torture. He partook of the reserved Gifts he carried with him, then communed all the men, women, and children with the Holy and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ. the bishop and the judges summoned the Orthodox to appear before them once more, demanding that they convert to Catholicism. When they refused to do so, they were dragged back to the river and pushed through the hole in the ice that they had cut to bless the water. So they all suffered and died for Christ, Who bestowed on them crowns of unfading glory. the spring floods, the incorrupt bodies of the holy martyrs, including the fully-vested body of the hieromartyr Isidore, were found by Russian merchants journeying along the river bank. They buried the saints around the church of Saint Nicholas. people began to venerate these saints shortly after their death, they were not officially glorified by the Church until 1897.

Belgium, 1490-1528, Matthias Grunewald, painter of religious works, ignored classicism, antithesis to Durer
Colmar, Alsace, on the Maginot Line, France; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DÜRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August, Commemorated August 5; Grunewald, (c. 1470 - August 31, 1528), was an important German Renaissance painter of religious works, who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the expressive and intense style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century. Only ten paintings—several consisting of many panels—and thirty-five drawings survive, all religious, although many others were lost at sea in the Baltic on their way to Sweden as war booty. His reputation was obscured until the late nineteenth century, and many of his paintings were attributed to Albrecht Dürer, who is now seen as his stylistic antithesis. His largest and most famous work is the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar, Alsace. (More at Wikipedia)

Belgium, 1490-1550, Macarius tRoman oNovgorod, fWealthy R's, but studied lives otFathers, so God led him N, Igumen by dLlight

Belgium, 1491-1528, ALBRECHT DUœRER of Nuremberg, painter, printmaker, woodcuts, writer, theorist
Germany, , ALBRECHT DUœRER of Nuremberg (Rhein-Maine Danube Canal 2) Albrecht Durer, painter, printmaker, woodcuts, writer, theorist, principles of math, perspective, ideal proportions, important figure of Northern Renaissance; Nuremberg; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Durer (May 21, 1471 - April 6, 1528) was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Renaissance in Northern Europe ever since. well-known works include the Apocalypse woodcuts, Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Saint Jerome in his Study (1514) and Melencolia I (1514), which has been the subject of extensive analysis and interpretation. watercolors mark him as one of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium. ürer's introduction of classical motifs into Northern art, through his knowledge of Italian artists and German humanists, have secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. is reinforced by his theoretical treatise which involve principles of mathematics, perspective and ideal proportions. (More at Wikipedia)

Belgium, 1492-1553, Lucas Cranch the elder, protestant, painter, printmaker, woodcut, engraving, portraits
Saxony; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DuœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRuœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Cranach the Elder, 4 October 1472 - 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is best known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a close friend of Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from mythology and religion. He had a large workshop and many works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger, and others, continued to produce versions of his father's works for decades after his death. (More at Wikipedia) NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Belgium, 1493-1508, HRE Emperor, None
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1437-1493, Frederick III Holy Roman Emperor; III (21 September 1415 - 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death. was the first emperor of the House of Habsburg, and the fourth member of the House of Habsburg to be elected King of Germany after Rudolf I of Germany, Albert I in the 13th century and his predecessor Albert II of Germany. He was the penultimate emperor to be crowned by the Pope, and the last to be crowned in Rome. to his imperial coronation, he was duke of the Inner Austrian lands of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola from 1424, and also acted as regent over the Duchy of Austria (as Frederick V) from 1439. He was elected and crowned King of Germany (as Frederick IV) in 1440.[1] He was the longest-reigning German monarch when in 1493, after ruling his domains for more than 53 years, he was succeeded by his son Maximilian I. his reign, Frederick concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg "hereditary lands" of Austria and took a lesser interest in Imperial affairs. Nevertheless, by his dynastic entitlement to Hungary as well as by the Burgundian inheritance, he laid the foundations for the later Habsburg Empire. as "Arch-Sleepyhead of the Holy Roman Empire" (German: Erzschlafmütze) during his lifetime,[2] he is today increasingly seen as an effective ruler. - THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated on October 21; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Belgium, 1493-1543, Polish Renaissance Man, Nicolaus Copernicus
Polish Renaissance Man, 1493-1543, Nicolaus Copernicus; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Belgium, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, tears of t Indians, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help
Spain and Portugal, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, from Seville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2), tears of the Indians, social justice pioneer, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help; Seville; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; de Las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. 1502 he went to Cuba, and for his military services there was given an Encomienda, an estate that included the services of the Indians living on it. about 1513 he was ordained priest (probably the first ordination in the Americas), in 1514 he renounced all claim on his Indian serfs. During the following seven years he made several voyages to Spain to find support for a series of new towns in which Spaniard and Indian would live together in peace and equality. 1523 he became a Dominican friar and disappeared for a time from public controversy. 1540 he returned to Spain and was a force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. was made Bishop of Chiapas in Guatemala, and returned to the Americas in 1544 to implement the new laws, but he met considerable resistance, in 1547 he returned to Spain, where he devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians. is chiefly remembered for his Brief Report On the Destruction of the Indies (or Tears of the Indians), a fervid and perhaps exaggerated account of the atrocities of the Spanish conquerors against the Indians. book was widely read and widely translated, and the English version was used to stir up English feeling against the Spanish as a cruel race whom England ought to beware of, and whose colonies in the Americas would be better off in English Las Casas is widely admired as an early pioneer of social justice, and widely denounced as an irresponsible pamphleteer and spreader of slanders. died in Madrid on 17 July (or perhaps 31 July) 1566, and is remembered as a national hero in Cuba and Nicaragua. An extract from Tears of the Indians follows. Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, Gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and spreading religion. Las Casas we may remember Bartolomeo de Olmedo, priest and friar of Mercy, who was chaplain of Cortez's expedition to Mexico City, and who appears in the records of that expedition as a moderating force, denouncing atrocities and conquest, talking Cortez out of forcibly destroying idol temples, telling him instead to set the Indians an example of Christian love, and wait for them to destroy the idols by their own decision. readers will remember him from Samuel Shellabarger's historical novel, Captain From Castille.) to the Britannica article on pre-Columbian American cultures (see vol. 26 p. 25 of the 15th edition), the clergy accompanying the Spanish conquistadors were consistently more disposed than the commanders to respect the native civilizations and undertake to preserve their records, and whatever aspects of native culture were not clearly inconsistent with Christianity. the beginning, the missionary priests in Spanish America showed concern for the welfare of the Indians. On Christmas Day in 1511, in Hispaniola, the Dominican Antonio de Montesimos preached, saying, "By what right or justice do you keep the Indians in such horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?" government policy was to establish towns for the Indians, and these were normally built in connection with mission posts. The Indians seem to have taken to the mission civilization with enthusiasm. In particular, they were great lovers of music, and found plainchant much to their taste. first Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, said, "I find that more are converted by music than by any other method." were also impressed by the asceticism of the friars. A prominent idea in the native religions had been that holiness was associated with bearing pain in the service of the gods, and when they met missionaries like the Franciscan Antonio de Roa, who went barefoot and slept on boards, wore only a coarse sackcloth robe, ate no meat or wine, and scourged himself every time he saw a crucifix, they concluded that he must be a man of God, and listened eagerly to his preaching. seems clear that the Indians for the most part regarded the missionaries as their benefactors, and gave them a loyalty which was not simply fear of the secular authority that backed them up. This is shown when the secular authority did not back them. 1769, when the Spanish Crown adopted an anti-Jesuit policy, the Jesuits were deported from Mexico. Mobs of angry Indians attempted to break into the barracks where they were held, and a large military escort was necessary to conduct them to Vera Cruz and the waiting ships. in 1799, in Pueblo, a large Indian crowd attacked a jail in which a priest had been imprisoned. about three centuries, from the early 1500's to the early 1800's, the people of Mexico were obedient to the Spanish Crown because their clergy were. when the Crown broke with the clergy in the early 1800's the priests began to preach independence, and the people followed their lead, and Mexico and the rest of Spanish America became independent. great many converts were brought in by the Cloak of Guadalupe. An Indian Christian reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and sent him to see the bishop; and as a sign that the appearance was genuine, she filled his cloak with roses although it was winter, and printed on the cloak a picture of herself, portrayed in the Indian style of art, as a woman treading a serpent, and with some details that made no particular sense to a European. Indians came to see the cloak (which is still on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City), and were converted by the sight. seems that some of the details are significant in terms of American Indian culture, and were understood by the Indians to mean that Christianity is the fulfilment of their prophecies and expectations. persons today think of the Indians of Mexico as a free and happy people who were conquered and enslaved by the Spanish. must be remembered that before the coming of the Europeans, the Aztecs with their capital at what is now Mexico City had conquered the surrounding tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions, and required of them every year a tribute of young men and women to be sacrificed in the temples at Mexico City. subjugated tribes did not like this, and gladly assisted Cortes in his campaign against the Aztecs. when he suffered temporary defeats, the loyalty of his Indian auxiliaries never wavered, and his rule, once he had established himself, was considered far less harsh than that of the Aztecs had been. The Britannica article on Cortes speaks of "his acceptance by the Indians and his popularity as a relatively benign ruler." the European conquest of the Americas is being deplored, the accompanying high death rate among the natives is often mentioned. ought to be remembered that most of these deaths were due to smallpox. The disease was brought to the Americas by one sick sailor, and triggered a series of major epidemics. The Indians had no previous exposure to it and almost no resistance to it, and most cases were fatal. Moreover, the Indians habitually treated their sick by baths, and the water was used by many bathers. One bather with an open sore was enough to infect all who shared the same bath. two populations long separated come into significant contact, each of them is at risk from diseases against which they are defenseless. The smallpox epidemic would have run about the same course if the ships of Columbus had been loaded with social workers and Peace Corps volunteers. can denounce the Europeans for the smallpox epidemic only by being prepared to say that there ought never to be contact between two populations that have previously been isolated from each other. — by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1500-1599, 16th Centory Folder, HRE, Luther's 95 Theses, Hapsburg Empire,

Belgium, 1503-1546, MARTIN LUTHER, Martin's catechism, council of trent- sale of indulgences&church offices, clergy education
Germany, 1503-1546, MARTIN LUTHER, Erfurt, Germany (Ilm River 3), Church spiritual low, church offices sold, Christian doctrine not taught, no seminaries, only monastic schools for monks, Martin's catechism, common tongue scriptures, prodigious writer, book every 2 wks, real problems, resentment , everyone agreed on free gift of salvation, council of trent- financial abuses, sale of indulgences & church offices, clergy education; City of Erfurt; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); once heard a priest say: "Sometimes in a sermon, I have occasion to quote some comment by Martin Luther which bears on the point I want to make. But there are those in my congregation who would wonder what I was doing quoting a notorious Protestant. So I simply refer to him as Brother Martin of Erfurt, and they smile and nod. He said a lot of remarkably good things." LutherBrother Martin of Erfurt, born in 1483 of German peasant stock, was a monk (more exactly, a regular canon) of the Order of Saint Augustine, and a Doctor of Theology. his day, the Church was at a spiritual low. offices were openly sold to the highest bidder, not nearly enough was being done to combat the notion that forgiveness of sins was likewise for sale. many Christians, both clergy and laity, were most inadequately instructed in Christian doctrine. as it seems to us today, there were then no seminaries for the education of the clergy. were monastic schools, but they concentrated on the education of their own monks. priests, ordinarily having no monastic background, were in need of instruction themselves, and in no way prepared to instruct their congregations. Brother Martin set out to remedy this. wrote a simple catechism for the instruction of the laity which is still in use today, is his translation of the Scriptures into the common tongue. energy as a writer was prodigious. From 1517, when he first began to write for the public, until his death, he wrote on the average one book a fortnight. Today, his criticisms of the laxness and frequent abuses of his day are generally recognized on all sides as a response to very real problems. was perhaps inevitable, however, that they should arouse resentment in his own day (Brother Martin, and for that matter many of his opponents, had controversial manners that my high school speech teacher and debate coach would never have tolerated!), and he spent much of his life in conflict with the ecclesiastical authorities. disputes were complicated by extraneous political considerations on both sides, and, as one of his admirers has observed, each side was at its best when proclaiming what the other side, well considered and in a cool hour, did not really deny. Martin, for example, was most ardent in maintaining that salvation was a free gift of God, and that all attempts to earn or deserve it are worse than useless. But he was not alone in holding this. When his followers met in 1540 with Cardinal Contarini, the Papal delegate, in an effort to arrive at an understanding, there was complete agreement on this point. Cardinal, by a study of the Epistle to the Romans, had arrived in 1511 at the same position as Brother Martin in 1517. So had Cardinal Pole, the Archbishop of Canterbury (who had, ironically, been appointed to combat Brother Martin's influence). So had the Archbishop of Cologne, and so had many other highly placed Church officials. In Brother Martin's own judgement, his greatest achievement was his catechism, by the use of which all Christians without exception might be instructed in at least the rudiments of the Faith. of his admirers, however, would insist that his greatest achievement was the Council of Trent, which he did not live to see, but which he was arguably the greatest single factor in bringing about. the Council's doctrinal pronouncements were not all that Brother Martin would have wished, it did take very much to heart his strictures on financial abuses, and undertook considerable reforms in those areas banned the sale of indulgences and of church offices, and took steps to provide for the systematic education of the clergy. it another way, if I were arguing with an adherent of the Pope, and I wanted to point out to him that many Popes have been, even by ordinary grading-on-a-curve standards, wicked men, cynically exploiting their office for personal gain, I would have no difficulty in finding examples from the three centuries immediately preceding Brother Martin and the Council of Trent. I were restricted to the centuries afterward, I should have more of a problem. And this is, under God, due in some measure to Brother Martin's making himself a nuisance. Thanks be to God for an occasional nuisance at the right time and place. Behold, Lord An empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it I am weak in the faith; Strengthen me. I am cold in love; Warm me and make me fervent, That my love may go out to my neighbor... O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you... With me, there is an abundance of sin; In You is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with You, Whom I can receive, But to Whom I may not give. Martin Luther by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1508-1519, HRE Emperor, Maximilian I, second Hapsbgh, married Burgendy, Jews cancelled, lost Swis&Italy
Holy Roman Emperor, 1486-1519, Maximilian I ; I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was always too risky. He was instead proclaimed emperor elect by Pope Julius II at Trent, thus breaking the long tradition of requiring a Papal coronation for the adoption of the Imperial title. was the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleanor of Portugal. He ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of the latter's reign, from c. 1483 until his father's death in 1493. expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war and his marriage in 1477 to Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy, though he also lost his family's original lands in today's Switzerland to the Swiss Confederacy. marriage of his son Philip the Handsome to eventual queen Joanna of Castile in 1498, Maximilian helped to establish the Habsburg dynasty in Spain, which allowed his grandson Charles to hold the thrones of both Castile and Aragon.[2] 1 Background and childhood 2 Reign in Burgundy and the Netherlands 3 Reign in the Holy Roman Empire 3.1 Peaceful Recapture of Austria 3.2 Italian and Swiss wars 3.3 Banning of Jewish literature and expulsion of Jews 3.4 Reforms 4 Tu felix Austria nube 5 Succession 6 Death and legacy 7 Ancestry 8 Official style 8.1 Chivalric order 9 Marriages and offspring 10 Triumphal woodcuts 11 See also 12 References 13 Bibliography 14 External links and childhood[edit] III and Eleanor of Portugal. was born at Wiener Neustadt on 22 March 1459. His father, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, named him for an obscure saint, Maximilian of Tebessa, who Frederick believed had once warned him of imminent peril in a dream. his infancy, he and his parents were besieged in Vienna by Albert of Austria. One source relates that, during the siege's bleakest days, the young prince wandered about the castle garrison, begging the servants and men-at-arms for bits of bread.[3] The young prince was an excellent hunter, his favorite hobby was hunting for birds as a horse archer. the time, the dukes of Burgundy, a cadet branch of the French royal family, with their sophisticated nobility and court culture, were the rulers of substantial territories on the eastern and northern boundaries of France. The reigning duke, Charles the Bold, was the chief political opponent of Maximilian's father Frederick III. Frederick was concerned about Burgundy's expansive tendencies on the western border of his Holy Roman Empire, and, to forestall military conflict, he attempted to secure the marriage of Charles' only daughter, Mary of Burgundy, to his son Maximilian. After the Siege of Neuss (1474–75), he was successful. The wedding between Maximilian and Mary took place on 19 August 1477.[4] in Burgundy and the Netherlands[edit] hommage ceremony of the estates to the emperor (depiction from the Liber missarum of Margaret of Austria, 1515) gold-and-silver coin featuring the bust of a crowned man in armour, holding a sceptre and a sword. The bust is surrounded with the text 'Maximilianus Dei Gra Rex & Imper Augustus'. A gold-and-silver coin featuring five coats of arms, three crowned, and the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The coin is surrounded by text. coin with the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece wife had inherited the large Burgundian domains in France and the Low Countries upon her father's death in the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477. Already before his coronation as the King of the Romans in 1486, Maximilian decided to secure this distant and extensive Burgundian inheritance to his family, the House of Habsburg, at all costs.[5] Duchy of Burgundy was also claimed by the French crown under Salic Law,[6] with Louis XI of France vigorously contesting the Habsburg claim to the Burgundian inheritance by means of military force. Maximilian undertook the defence of his wife's dominions from an attack by Louis XI and defeated the French forces at Guinegate, the modern Enguinegatte, on 7 August 1479.[7] and Mary's wedding contract stipulated that their children would succeed them but that the couple could not be each other's heirs. Mary tried to bypass this rule with a promise to transfer territories as a gift in case of her death, but her plans were confounded. After Mary's death in a riding accident on 27 March 1482 near the Wijnendale Castle, Maximilian's aim was now to secure the inheritance to his and Mary's son, Philip the Handsome.[5] of the Netherlander provinces were hostile to Maximilian, and, in 1482, they signed a treaty with Louis XI in Arras that forced Maximilian to give up Franche-Comté and Artois to the French crown.[6] They openly rebelled twice in the period 1482–1492, attempting to regain the autonomy they had enjoined under Mary. Flemish rebels managed to capture Philip and even Maximilian himself, but they were defeated when Frederick III intervened.[8][9] Maximilian continued to govern Mary's remaining inheritance in the name of Philip the Handsome. After the regency ended, Maximilian and Charles VIII of France exchanged these two territories for Burgundy and Picardy in the Treaty of Senlis (1493). Thus a large part of the Netherlands (known as the Seventeen Provinces) stayed in the Habsburg patrimony.[6] in the Holy Roman Empire[edit] Recapture of Austria[edit] was elected King of the Romans on 16 February 1486 in Frankfurt-am-Main at his father's initiative and crowned on 9 April 1486 in Aachen. Much of Austria was under Hungarian rule, as a result of the Austrian-Hungarian War (1477-1488). After the death of king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, the Habsburgs were able to occupy the Austrian territories without military conflict. Maximilian entered Vienna without siege in 1490. The peaceful Habsburg annexation of Austrian territories was possible after Maximilian and the newly elected Hungarian King Vladislaus II signed the peace treaty of Pressburg. Maximilian became ruler of the Holy Roman Empire upon the death of his father in 1493. and Swiss wars[edit] of Maximilian I, c. 1490–95, by Lorenz Helmschmid, Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Golden Roof" residence in Innsbruck, Tyrol the Treaty of Senlis had resolved French differences with the Holy Roman Empire, King Louis XII of France had secured borders in the north and turned his attention to Italy, where he made claims for the Duchy of Milan. In 1499/1500 he conquered it and drove the Sforza regent Lodovico il Moro into exile.[10] This brought him into a potential conflict with Maximilian, who on 16 March 1494 had married Bianca Maria Sforza, a daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan.[6][10] However, Maximilian was unable to hinder the French from taking over Milan.[10] The prolonged Italian Wars resulted[6] in Maximilian joining the Holy League to counter the French. In 1513, with Henry VIII of England, Maximilian won an important victory at the battle of the Spurs against the French, stopping their advance in northern France. His campaigns in Italy were not as successful, and his progress there was quickly checked. situation in Italy was not the only problem Maximilian had at the time. The Swiss won a decisive victory against the Empire in the Battle of Dornach on 22 July 1499. Maximilian had no choice but to agree to a peace treaty signed on 22 September 1499 in Basel that granted the Swiss Confederacy independence from the Holy Roman Empire. addition, the County of Tyrol and Duchy of Bavaria went to war in the late 15th century. Bavaria demanded money from Tyrol that had been loaned on the collateral of Tyrolean lands. In 1490, the two nations demanded that Maximilian I step in to mediate the dispute. In response, he assumed control of Tyrol and its debt. Because Tyrol had no law code at this time, the nobility freely expropriated money from the populace, which caused the royal palace in Innsbruck to fester with corruption. After taking control, Maximilian instituted immediate financial reform. In order to symbolize his new wealth and power, he built the Golden Roof, a canopy overlooking the town center of Innsbruck, from which to watch the festivities celebrating his assumption of rule over Tyrol. The canopy is made entirely from golden shingles. Gaining theoretical control of Tyrol for the Habsburgs was of strategic importance because it linked the Swiss Confederacy to the Habsburg-controlled Austrian lands, which facilitated some imperial geographic continuity. of Jewish literature and expulsion of Jews[edit] 1496, Maximilian issued a decree which expelled all Jews from Styria and Wiener Neustadt.[11] Similarly, in 1509 he passed the "Imperial Confiscation Mandate" which ordered the destruction of all Jewish literature apart from the Bible.[12] However he still conducted financial business with Jews like Abraham of Bohemia. article: Imperial Reform personally led his troops at the battle of Wenzenbach in 1504. the Holy Roman Empire, Maximilian faced pressure from local rulers who believed that the King's continued wars with the French to increase the power of his own house were not in their best interests. There was also a consensus that deep reforms were needed to preserve the unity of the Empire.[13] The reforms, which had been delayed for a long time, were launched in the 1495 Reichstag at Worms. A new organ was introduced, the Reichskammergericht, that was to be largely independent from the Emperor. A new tax was launched to finance it, the Gemeine Pfennig, though its collection was never fully successful.[13] The local rulers wanted more independence from the Emperor and a strengthening of their own territorial rule. This led to Maximilian agreeing to establish an organ called the Reichsregiment, which met in Nuremberg and consisted of the deputies of the Emperor, local rulers, commoners, and the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The new organ proved politically weak, and its power returned to Maximilian in 1502.[10] to the difficult external and internal situation he faced, Maximilian also felt it necessary to introduce reforms in the historic territories of the House of Habsburg in order to finance his army. Using Burgundian institutions as a model, he attempted to create a unified state. This was not very successful, but one of the lasting results was the creation of three different subdivisions of the Austrian lands: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Vorderösterreich.[10] was always troubled by financial shortcomings; his income never seemed to be enough to sustain his large-scale goals and policies. For this reason he was forced to take substantial credits from Upper German banker families, especially from the Baumgarten, Fugger and Welser families. Jörg Baumgarten even served as Maximilian's financial advisor. The Fuggers, who dominated the copper and silver mining business in Tyrol, provided a credit of almost 1 million gulden for the purpose of bribing the prince-electors to choose Maximilian's grandson Charles V as the new Emperor. At the end of Maximilian's rule, the Habsburgs' mountain of debt totalled six million gulden, corresponding to a decade's worth of tax revenues from their inherited lands. It took until the end of the 16th century to repay this debt. 1508, Maximilian, with the assent of Pope Julius II, took the title Erwählter Römischer Kaiser ("Elected Roman Emperor"), thus ending the centuries-old custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the Pope. felix Austria nube[edit] Weisskunig: Maximilian on horseback in besieged town part of the Treaty of Arras, Maximilian betrothed his three-year-old daughter Margaret to the Dauphin of France (later Charles VIII), son of his adversary Louis XI. Under the terms of Margaret's betrothal, she was sent to Louis to be brought up under his guardianship. Despite Louis's death in 1483, shortly after Margaret arrived in France, she remained at the French court. The Dauphin, now Charles VIII, was still a minor, and his regent until 1491 was his sister Anne.[14][15] shortly after signing the Treaty of Le Verger, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, left his realm to his daughter Anne. In her search of alliances to protect her domain from neighboring interests, she betrothed Maximilian I in 1490. About a year later, they married by proxy.[16][17][18] Charles and his sister wanted her inheritance for France. So, when the former came of age in 1491, and taking advantage of Maximilian and his father's interest in the succession of their adversary Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary,[19] Charles repudiated his betrothal to Margaret, invaded Brittany, forced Anne of Brittany to repudiate her unconsummated marriage to Maximilian, and married Anne of Brittany himself.[20][21][22] then remained in France as a hostage of sorts until 1493, when she was finally returned to her father with the signing of the Treaty of Senlis.[23][24] the same year, as the hostilities of the lengthy Italian Wars with France were in preparation,[25] Maximilian contracted another marriage for himself, this time to Bianca Maria Sforza, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, with the intercession of his brother, Ludovico Sforza,[26][27][28][29] then regent of the duchy after the former's death.[30] talking to German knights (depiction from the contemporary Weisskunig) later, in order to reduce the growing pressures on the Empire brought about by treaties between the rulers of France, Poland, Hungary, Bohemia, and Russia, as well as to secure Bohemia and Hungary for the Habsburgs, Maximilian met with the Jagiellonian kings Ladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia and Sigismund I of Poland at the First Congress of Vienna in 1515. There they arranged for Maximilian's granddaughter Mary to marry Louis, the son of Ladislaus, and for Anne (the sister of Louis) to marry Maximilian's grandson Ferdinand (both grandchildren being the children of Philip the Handsome, Maximilian's son, and Joanna of Castile).[31][32] The marriages arranged there brought Habsburg kingship over Hungary and Bohemia in 1526.[33][34] Both Anne and Louis were adopted by Maximilian following the death of Ladislaus.[citation needed] Maximilian through his own marriages and those of his descendants (attempted unsuccessfully and successfully alike) sought, as was current practice for dynastic states at the time, to extend his sphere of influence.[34] The marriages he arranged for both of his children more successfully fulfilled the specific goal of thwarting French interests, and after the turn of the sixteenth century, his matchmaking focused on his grandchildren, for whom he looked away from France towards the east.[34][35] These political marriages were summed up in the following Latin elegiac couplet: Bella gerant aliÄ«, tÅ« fÄ“lix Austria nÅ«be/ Nam quae Mars aliÄ«s, dat tibi regna Venus, "Let others wage war, but thou, O happy Austria, marry; for those kingdoms which Mars gives to others, Venus gives to thee."[36] policies in Italy had been unsuccessful, and after 1517 Venice reconquered the last pieces of their territory. began to focus entirely on the question of his succession. His goal was to secure the throne for a member of his house and prevent Francis I of France from gaining the throne; the resulting "election campaign" was unprecedented due to the massive use of bribery.[37] The Fugger family provided Maximilian a credit of one million gulden, which was used to bribe the prince-electors.[38] However, the bribery claims have been challenged.[39] At first, this policy seemed successful, and Maximilian managed to secure the votes from Mainz, Cologne, Brandenburg and Bohemia for his grandson Charles V. The death of Maximilian in 1519 seemed to put the succession at risk, but in a few months the election of Charles V was secured.[10] and legacy[edit] cenotaph, Hofkirche, Innsbruck 1501, Maximilian fell from his horse and badly injured his leg, causing him pain for the rest of his life. Some historians have suggested that Maximilian was "morbidly" depressed: from 1514, he travelled everywhere with his coffin.[40] Maximilian died in Wels, Upper Austria, and was succeeded as Emperor by his grandson Charles V, his son Philip the Handsome having died in 1506. For penitential reasons, Maximilian gave very specific instructions for the treatment of his body after death. He wanted his hair to be cut off and his teeth knocked out, and the body was to be whipped and covered with lime and ash, wrapped in linen, and "publicly displayed to show the perishableness of all earthly glory".[41] Although he is buried in the Castle Chapel at Wiener Neustadt, an extremely elaborate cenotaph tomb for Maximilian is in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck, where the tomb is surrounded by statues of heroes from the past.[42] Much of the work was done in his lifetime, but it was not completed until decades later.[citation needed] was a keen supporter of the arts and sciences, and he surrounded himself with scholars such as Joachim Vadian and Andreas Stoberl (Stiborius), promoting them to important court posts. Many of them were commissioned to assist him complete a series of projects, in different art forms, intended to glorify for posterity his life and deeds and those of his Habsburg ancestors.[43][44] He referred to these projects as Gedechtnus ("memorial"),[44][45] which included a series of stylised autobiographical works: the epic poems Theuerdank and Freydal, and the chivalric novel Weisskunig, both published in editions lavishly illustrated with woodcuts.[43] In this vein, he commissioned a series of three monumental woodblock prints: The Triumphal Arch (1512–18, 192 woodcut panels, 295 cm wide and 357 cm high – approximately 9'8" by 11'8½"); and a Triumphal Procession (1516–18, 137 woodcut panels, 54 m long), which is led by a Large Triumphal Carriage (1522, 8 woodcut panels, 1½' high and 8' long), created by artists including Albrecht Dürer, Albrecht Altdorfer and Hans Burgkmair.[46][47] had a great passion for armour, not only as equipment for battle or tournaments, but as an art form. The style of armour that became popular during the second half of his reign featured elaborate fluting and metalworking, and became known as Maximilian armour. It emphasized the details in the shaping of the metal itself, rather than the etched or gilded designs popular in the Milanese style. Maximilian also gave a bizarre jousting helmet as a gift to King Henry VIII – the helmet's visor features a human face, with eyes, nose and a grinning mouth, and was modelled after the appearance of Maximilian himself.[48] It also sports a pair of curled ram's horns, brass spectacles, and even etched beard stubble.[48] had appointed his daughter Margaret as both Regent of the Netherlands and the guardian and educator of his grandsons Charles and Ferdinand (their father, Philip, having predeceased Maximilian), and she fulfilled this task well. Through wars and marriages he extended the Habsburg influence in every direction: to the Netherlands, Spain, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, and Italy. This influence lasted for centuries and shaped much of European history. The Habsburg Empire survived as the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it was dissolved 3 November 1918 – 399 years 11 months and 9 days after the passing of Maximilian. Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546) ; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28;

Belgium, 1516-1556, Charles V, King of Spain, inherited Hapsburg d's, divided Spanish Austrian d's, Gold Silver inflation
Spanish King, 1516-1556. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I of Spain ; V[a][b] (24 February 1500 - 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Castile and Aragon) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy from 1506 to 1555. he was head of the rising House of Habsburg during the first half of the 16th century, his dominions in Europe included the Holy Roman Empire, extending from Germany to northern Italy with direct rule over the Austrian hereditary lands and the Burgundian Low Countries, and a unified Spain with its southern Italian kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. Furthermore, his reign encompassed both the long-lasting Spanish and the short-lived German colonizations of the Americas. personal union of the European and American territories of Charles V was the first collection of realms labelled "the empire on which the Sun never sets".[1] was born in the County of Flanders to Philip the Handsome of the Austrian House of Habsburg (son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Mary of Burgundy) and Joanna of Castile of the Spanish House of Trastámara (daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon). The ultimate heir of his four grandparents, he inherited all of his family dominions at a young age. the death of Philip in 1506, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, originally held by his paternal grandmother Mary.[2] In 1516, he became co-monarch of Spain with his mother Joanna, and as such he was the first king of Spain to inherit the country as dynastically unified by the Catholic Monarchs, his maternal grandparents.[3] The Spanish possessions at his accession also included the Castilian West Indies and the Aragonese Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia. At the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian in 1519, he inherited Austria and was elected to succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor. He adopted the Imperial name of Charles V as his main title, and styled himself as a new Charlemagne.[4] V revitalized the medieval concept of the universal monarchy and spent most of his life defending the integrity of the Holy Roman Empire from the Protestant Reformation, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, and a series of wars with France.[5] no fixed capital city, he made 40 journeys, travelling from country to country; he spent a quarter of his reign on the road.[6] The imperial wars were fought by German Landsknechte, Spanish tercios, Burgundian knights, and Italian condottieri. V borrowed money from German and Italian bankers and, in order to repay such loans, he relied on the proto-capitalist economy of the Low Countries and on the flows of gold and especially silver from South America to Spain, which caused widespread inflation. ratified the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires by the Spanish Conquistadores Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, as well as the establishment of Klein-Venedig by the German Welser family in search of the legendary El Dorado. order to consolidate power in his early reign, Charles suppressed two Spanish insurrections (Comuneros' Revolt and Brotherhoods' Revolt) and two German rebellions (Knights' Revolt and Great Peasants' Revolt). King in Germany, Charles sided with Pope Leo X and declared Martin Luther an outlaw at the Diet of Worms (1521).[7] same year Francis I of France, surrounded by the Habsburg possessions, started a conflict in Lombardy that lasted until the Battle of Pavia (1525) led to his temporary imprisonment. Protestant affair re-emerged in 1527 as Rome was sacked by an army of Charles's mutinous soldiers, largely of Lutheran faith. After his forces left the Papal States, Charles V defended Vienna from the Turks and obtained the coronation as King in Italy by Pope Clement VII. 1535, he annexed the vacant Duchy of Milan and captured Tunis. Nevertheless, the loss of Buda during the struggle for Hungary and the Algiers expedition in the early 40s frustrated his anti-Ottoman policies. Charles V had come to an agreement with Pope Paul III for the organisation of the Council of Trent (1545). The refusal of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League to recognize the council's validity led to a war, won by Charles V with the imprisonment of the Protestant princes. However, Henry II of France offered new support to the Lutheran cause and strengthened a close alliance with the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire since 1520. Charles V conceded the Peace of Augsburg and abandoned his multi-national project with a series of abdications in 1556 that divided his hereditary and imperial domains between the Spanish Habsburgs headed by his son Philip II of Spain and the Austrian Habsburgs headed by his brother Ferdinand, who was Archduke of Austria in Charles's name since 1521 and the designated successor as emperor since 1531.[8][9][10] The Duchy of Milan and the Habsburg Netherlands were left in personal union to the King of Spain, but remained part of the Holy Roman Empire. The two Habsburg dynasties remained allied until the extinction of the Spanish line in 1700. In 1557, Charles retired to the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura and died there a year later. NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Belgium, 1519-1556, HRE Emperor, Charles V, King Spain, from Ghent, Belgium, no fixed capital, travelled 40 times
Holy Roman Emperor, 1519-1556, Charles V from Ghent, Belgium; V[a][b] (24 February 1500 - 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Castile and Aragon) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy from 1506 to 1555. he was head of the rising House of Habsburg during the first half of the 16th century, his dominions in Europe included the Holy Roman Empire, extending from Germany to northern Italy with direct rule over the Austrian hereditary lands and the Burgundian Low Countries, and a unified Spain with its southern Italian kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia. Furthermore, his reign encompassed both the long-lasting Spanish and the short-lived German colonizations of the Americas. personal union of the European and American territories of Charles V was the first collection of realms labelled "the empire on which the Sun never sets".[1] was born in the County of Flanders to Philip the Handsome of the Austrian House of Habsburg (son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Mary of Burgundy) and Joanna of Castile of the Spanish House of Trastámara (daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon). The ultimate heir of his four grandparents, he inherited all of his family dominions at a young age. the death of Philip in 1506, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands, originally held by his paternal grandmother Mary.[2] In 1516, he became co-monarch of Spain with his mother Joanna, and as such he was the first king of Spain to inherit the country as dynastically unified by the Catholic Monarchs, his maternal grandparents.[3] The Spanish possessions at his accession also included the Castilian West Indies and the Aragonese Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia. At the death of his paternal grandfather Maximilian in 1519, he inherited Austria and was elected to succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor. He adopted the Imperial name of Charles V as his main title, and styled himself as a new Charlemagne.[4] V revitalized the medieval concept of the universal monarchy and spent most of his life defending the integrity of the Holy Roman Empire from the Protestant Reformation, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, and a series of wars with France.[5] no fixed capital city, he made 40 journeys, travelling from country to country; he spent a quarter of his reign on the road.[6] The imperial wars were fought by German Landsknechte, Spanish tercios, Burgundian knights, and Italian condottieri. V borrowed money from German and Italian bankers and, in order to repay such loans, he relied on the proto-capitalist economy of the Low Countries and on the flows of gold and especially silver from South America to Spain, which caused widespread inflation. ratified the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires by the Spanish Conquistadores Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, as well as the establishment of Klein-Venedig by the German Welser family in search of the legendary El Dorado. order to consolidate power in his early reign, Charles suppressed two Spanish insurrections (Comuneros' Revolt and Brotherhoods' Revolt) and two German rebellions (Knights' Revolt and Great Peasants' Revolt). King in Germany, Charles sided with Pope Leo X and declared Martin Luther an outlaw at the Diet of Worms (1521).[7] same year Francis I of France, surrounded by the Habsburg possessions, started a conflict in Lombardy that lasted until the Battle of Pavia (1525) led to his temporary imprisonment. Protestant affair re-emerged in 1527 as Rome was sacked by an army of Charles's mutinous soldiers, largely of Lutheran faith. After his forces left the Papal States, Charles V defended Vienna from the Turks and obtained the coronation as King in Italy by Pope Clement VII. 1535, he annexed the vacant Duchy of Milan and captured Tunis. Nevertheless, the loss of Buda during the struggle for Hungary and the Algiers expedition in the early 40s frustrated his anti-Ottoman policies. Charles V had come to an agreement with Pope Paul III for the organisation of the Council of Trent (1545). The refusal of the Lutheran Schmalkaldic League to recognize the council's validity led to a war, won by Charles V with the imprisonment of the Protestant princes. However, Henry II of France offered new support to the Lutheran cause and strengthened a close alliance with the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire since 1520. Charles V conceded the Peace of Augsburg and abandoned his multi-national project with a series of abdications in 1556 that divided his hereditary and imperial domains between the Spanish Habsburgs headed by his son Philip II of Spain and the Austrian Habsburgs headed by his brother Ferdinand, who was Archduke of Austria in Charles's name since 1521 and the designated successor as emperor since 1531.[8][9][10] The Duchy of Milan and the Habsburg Netherlands were left in personal union to the King of Spain, but remained part of the Holy Roman Empire. The two Habsburg dynasties remained allied until the extinction of the Spanish line in 1700. In 1557, Charles retired to the Monastery of Yuste in Extremadura and died there a year later. IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546) ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Belgium, 1526-1804, Holy Roman Empire, Hapsburg Empire, Austria
Belgium, Holy Roman Empire, 1526-1804, Hapsburg Empire, Austria; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21;

Belgium, 1530-1550, Macarius t Roman, writings sent to Russia, mosquitos, pet bears, divine light, night fire pillar, day cloud, m
Rome, 1530-1550, Macarius the Roman (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), wealthy, educated, to save his soul, protestant reformation, Holy Fathers writings, conflicts within Western Church, God sent him to Russia & Orthodox, Novgorod churches and monasteries, monk at Alexander's River Svir m, solitary life at R Lezna, mosquitos, pet bears, hunters, divine light, many people, move to elevated place, night pillar of fire, day cloud of fragrant smoke, monastery, 1540 church, ordained priest and igumen, clairvoyance&wonderworking, back to island solitary, d 1550; Rome; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Macarius the Roman was born at the end of the fifteenth century into a wealthy family of Rome. parents raised him in piety and gave him an excellent education. might have expected a successful career in public service, but he did not desire honors or earthly glory. Instead, he focused on how to save his soul. lived in an age when the Christian West was shaken by the Protestant Reformation. others around him were pursuing luxury and lascivious pleasures, he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers. Macarius was grieved to see so many darkened by sin and worldly vanity, and was disturbed by the rebellions and conflicts within the Western Church. tears, he asked God to show him the path of salvation, and his prayer did not go unanswered. He came to realize that he would find the safe harbor of salvation in the Orthodox Church. Macarius left Rome secretly, and set out for Russia without money, and wearing an old garment. After many sufferings on his journey, he arrived in Novgorod, where he rejoiced to see so many churches and monasteries. of these monasteries had been founded three centuries before by his fellow countryman, Saint Anthony the Roman (August 3). Macarius came to the banks of the River Svir, where Saint Alexander of Svir (April 17 and August 30) had founded the monastery of the Holy Trinity. Alexander received Macarius into the Orthodox Church and tonsured him as a monk. however longed for the solitary life. He moved to an island on the River Lezna, forty-five miles from Novgorod, where he engaged in ascetical struggles and unceasing prayer. winters were very cold, and the summers were hot and humid. The marshy area was also a breeding ground for mosquitos, which tormented the saint. Macarius survived on berries, roots, and herbs. Sometimes bears would come to him for food, and they allowed him to pet them. a great lamp of the spiritual life could not remain hidden for long. One rainy night someone knocked on his door and asked him to open it. Several people, who seemed to be hunters, entered his cell. by his appearance, and the divine light shining from his face, the men asked for his blessing. They told him they had come to the forest to hunt, and only by the prayers of the saint did God permit them to find him. “It is not my sinful prayers,” he told them, “but the grace of God which led you here.” feeding them, he spoke and prayed with them, then showed them the way out of the marsh. Macarius was concerned that his peace would be disturbed, now that his dwelling place was known. His fears were justified, because many people sought him out to ask for his advice and prayers. holy ascetic decided to move even farther into the wilderness, choosing an elevated place on the left bank of the Lezna. Even here, however, he was not able to conceal himself for very long. a pillar of fire would rise up into the sky at night above his place of refuge. the day, the grace of God was made manifest by a fragrant cloud of smoke. by these signs, the local inhabitants of the region were able to find him once more. of his visitors begged Saint Macarius to permit them to live near him and to be guided by his counsels. Seeing that this was the Lord’s will, he did not refuse them. He blessed them to build cells, and this was the foundation of his monastery. 1540, they built a wooden church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Macarius was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Macarius of Novgorod, who later became Metropolitan of All Russia. The hierarch also appointed Saint Macarius as igumen of the monastery. Macarius was an example to the others, and was given the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking from God. wore himself out with his labors and vigils, encouraging others not to become faint-hearted in their own struggles. several years, he entrusted the monastery to one of his disciples, and returned to the island where he had first lived. There he fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1550. disciples buried him outside on the left side of the Dormition church which he had founded. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was never a prosperous monastery with many monks, but it was distinguished by the high level of spiritual life. the seventeenth century, many of the monasteries near Novgorod were plundered by Swedish invaders. Hermitage of Saint Macarius was also burned in 1615, and some of the monks were put to the sword. the eighteenth century, the monastery had become a dependency of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg. Empress Catherine closed it in 1764, just as she had closed other monasteries, and it was designated as a parish church. pilgrims still came to venerate the saint’s relics and to celebrate his Feast Day, the buildings soon fell into ruin. the mid-nineteenth century, some benefactors restored the two churches and the miraculous healing spring which the saint himself had dug. this time an old priest was living there, and he celebrated the church services until his death. 1894, the monastery began to function once more under the noted missionary Hieromonk Arsenius, who introduced the Athonite Typikon. monastery was destroyed by the Soviets in 1932. Macarius the Roman is commemorated on August 15 (the date of his repose), and also on January 19 (his nameday).

Belgium, 1534-1549, Pope, Paul III, Jesuits
Pope, 1534-1549, Paul III ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556) ; 1537 the Jesuits (now ten in number) gathered in Venice and (having found that renewed war in Palestine made journeying there impossible) offered their services to Pope Paul III. Ignatius and some of the others were ordained to the priesthood, and they were assigned various tasks. 1540 they became a formal organization, with the usual monastic vows, plus a fourth vow of personal obedience to the Pope. In order to have more time for preaching and study the order abolished the practice (followed by almost all previous orders) of reciting the monastic Hours in community. Its chief goals were: (a) renewal of the Roman Catholic Church through extensive education and the encouragement of frequent use of the sacraments, (b) extensive missionary work in non-Christian countries, and (c) a suitable response to the growing challenge of Protestantism. St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15;

Belgium, 1550, Brussels-“Scheldt Maritime Canal (est. 1550)
Brussels-“Scheldt Maritime Canal ;

Belgium, 1556-1564, HRE Emperor, Ferdinand I, Spaniard, Bohemian, German, wars w M's and P's
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1556-1564, Ferdinand I; I (Spanish: Fernando I) (10 March 1503-“ 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1527, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.[1][2] Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Also, he often served as Charles' representative in Germany and developed encouraging relationships with German princes. The key events during his reign were the contest with the Ottoman Empire, which in the 1520s began a great advance into Central Europe, and the Protestant Reformation, which resulted in several wars of religion. Ferdinand was able to defend his realm and make it somewhat more cohesive, but he could not conquer the major part of Hungary. His flexible approach to Imperial problems, mainly religious, finally brought more result than the more confrontational attitude of his brother.[3] Ferdinand's motto was Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus: "Let justice be done, though the world perish".[4] Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated on August 14; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Belgium, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r

Belgium, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced&Calced Carmelites, mod vs extreme reform
Spain and Portugal, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced and Calced Carmelites, , orphan, Jewish background, Jesuit, priest 1567, discalced strict like Teresa oAvila, 1577 imprisioned darkness solitude by Calced iToledo 9mos, composed poems there, joined calced m, moderate vs extremeist reformers, aModerate r, when extremists gained control denounced as traitor sent tRemote friary Ubeda, fell ill died 1591, Poems, Dark Night otSoul, how spiritual desolation increases faith, Ascent oMt Carmel, same p wDifferent Commentary, the Spiritual Canticle about love between Christian and Christ symbolized bride and groom like Song oSolomon, the Living Flame about soul transformed bGrace; Spain and Portugal, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced and Calced Carmelites; of the Cross (24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591), venerated as Saint John of the Cross, was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-six Doctors of the Church. of the Cross is known especially for his writings. He was mentored by and corresponded with the older Carmelite, Teresa of Ávila. Both his poetry and his studies on the development of the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature and among the greatest works of all Spanish literature. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. In 1926 he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI, and is commonly known as the "Mystical Doctor". Avila (Adaja River); TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); JOHN OF THE CROSS, MYSTIC AND MONASTIC REFORMER, 1591, Commemorated December 14; Juan de Ypres y Alvarez was born in 1542. His father died soon after, and Juan was brought up in an orphanage. father was probably Jewish. It is remarkable how many of the most memorable Spanish Christians have been of Jewish background.) seventeen, he enrolled as a student in a Jesuit college, and at twenty-one, he joined the Carmelite Friars. was ordained in 1567, and almost immediately met Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite Nun who was undertaking to return the Order to its original strict rule, which had been gradually relaxed to the detriment, as she believed, of the spiritual lives of the members of the Order. who followed the strict rule as promulgated by Teresa went barefoot or wore sandals instead of shoes, and so became known as Discalced (unshod) Carmelites, or Carmelites of the Strict Observance. John undertook to adopt the stricter rule and encourage others to do so. all members of the order welcomed the change. In 1577 a group of Calced Carmelites, or Carmelites of the Ancient Observance, kidnapped John and demanded that he renounce the reform. When he refused, he was imprisoned in complete darkness and solitude in a Calced monastery in Toledo for about nine months. He then escaped and fled to a Calced monastery. While imprisoned at Toledo, he had begun to compose some poems, and now he wrote them down, with commentaries on their spiritual significance. was given various positions of leadership among the reformed friars, then dissension broke out among the reformers between "moderates" and "extremists." supported the moderate party, when the extremists gained control, they denounced him as a traitor to the reform. was sent to a remote friary, and fell ill, and finally died at Ubeda during the night preceding 14 December 1591. poems include: Dark Night of The Soul (about the experience of spiritual desolation, of feeling abandoned and rejected by God, and why this is for some Christians a means by which God increases our faith in Him; about the Christian walk, the life of prayer and contemplation, and growing in love and grace) Ascent of Mount Carmel (same poem as the preceding, but with a different commentary attached) Spiritual Canticle (about the love between the Christian and Christ as symbolized by the love between bride and groom; draws heavily upon the imagery of the Song of Solomon) Living Flame of Love (about the soul transformed by grace) works have been translated into English by David Lewis (1906), and by E. Allison Peers (1953). His poems have been translated by Roy Campbell and are available in Penguin paperback. The following extracts are quoted from the poetic translation by Peers. The Spiritual Canticle: Whither hast vanished Beloved, and hast left me full of woe, And like the hart hast sped, Wounding, ere thou didst go, Thy love, who follow'd, crying high and low? ... Oh that my griefs would end! Come, grant me thy fruition full and free! And henceforth do thou send No messenger to me, or none but thou my comforter can be. ... My love is as the hills, The lonely valleys clad with forest-trees, The rushing, sounding rills, Strange isles in distant seas, Lover-like whisperings, murmurs of the breeze. My love is hush-of-night, Is dawn's first breathings in the heav'n above, Still music veiled from sight, Calm that can echoes move, The feast that brings new strength--the feast of love ... Rare gifts he scattered As through these woods and groves he pass'd apace Turning, as on he sped, And clothing every place With loveliest reflection of his face. ... The creatures, all around, Speak of thy graces as I pass them by. Each deals a deeper wound And something in their cry Leaves me so raptur'd that I fain would die. The Living Flame of Love: O Living flame of love That, burning, dost assail My inmost soul with tenderness untold, Since thou dost freely move, Deign to consume the veil Which sunders this sweet converse that we hold ... And O, ye lamps of fire, In whose resplendent light The deepest caverns where the senses meet, Erst steeped in darkness dire, Blaze with new glories bright And to the loved one give both light and heat! by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1564-1576, HRE Emperor, Maximilian II, H AUS, Bohemian, GER, C unity, wars with H Spain and Ms
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1564-1576, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor; II (31 July 1527 -“ 12 October 1576), a member of the Austrian House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1564 until his death. He was crowned King of Bohemia in Prague on 14 May 1562 and elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) on 24 November 1562. On 8 September 1563 he was crowned King of Hungary and Croatia in the Hungarian capital Pressburg (Pozsony in Hungarian; now Bratislava, Slovakia). On 25 July 1564 he succeeded his father Ferdinand I as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.[1][2] rule was shaped by the confessionalization process after the 1555 Peace of Augsburg. Though a Habsburg and a Catholic, he approached the Lutheran Imperial estates with a view to overcome the denominational schism,[further explanation needed] which ultimately failed. He also was faced with the ongoing Ottoman-“Habsburg wars and rising conflicts with his Habsburg Spain cousins. According to Fichtner, Maximilian failed to achieve his three major aims: rationalizing the government structure, unifying Christianity, and evicting the Turks from Hungary.[3] TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20;

Belgium, 1576-1612, HRE Emperor, Rudolf II, SPN, Vienna, Prague, B, 30Y war, Art, occult, science
Holy Roman Emperor, 1576-1612, Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor; II (18 July 1552 -“ 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576-1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572-“1608), King of Bohemia (1575-“1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576-“1608). He was a member of the House of Habsburg. legacy has traditionally been viewed in three ways:[1] an ineffectual ruler whose mistakes led directly to the Thirty Years' War; a great and influential patron of Northern Mannerist art; and an intellectual devotee of occult arts and learning which helped seed what would be called the scientific revolution. life[edit] Rudolf, aged 15, painted by Alonso Sinchez Coello. was born in Vienna on 18 July 1552. He was the eldest son and successor of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, and King of Hungary and Croatia; his mother was Maria of Spain, a daughter of Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. He was the elder brother of Matthias who was to succeed him as king of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor. spent eight formative years, from age 11 to 19 (1563-“1571), in Spain, at the court of his maternal uncle Philip II, together with his younger brother Ernest, future governor of the Low Countries.[2] After his return to Vienna, his father was concerned about Rudolf's aloof and stiff manner, typical of the more conservative Spanish court, rather than the more relaxed and open Austrian court; but his Spanish mother saw in him courtliness and refinement.[3] In the years following his return to Vienna, Rudolf was crowned King of Hungary (1572), King of Bohemia and King of the Romans (1575)[4] when his father was still alive. would remain for the rest of his life reserved, secretive, and largely a recluse who did not like to travel or even partake in the daily affairs of state.[3] He was more intrigued by occult learning such as astrology and alchemy, which was mainstream in the Renaissance period, and had a wide variety of personal hobbies such as horses, clocks, collecting rarities, and being a patron of the arts. He suffered from periodic bouts of "melancholy" (depression), which was common in the Habsburg line. These became worse with age, and were manifested by a withdrawal from the world and its affairs into his private interests. life[edit] portrait bust of Rudolf II in the collection of the Antwerp City Hall, Belgium by Martino Rota. Elizabeth I of England (who was born 19 years before he was), Rudolf dangled himself as a prize in a string of diplomatic negotiations for marriages, but never in fact married. During his periods of self-imposed isolation, Rudolf reportedly had affairs with his court chamberlain, Wolfgang von Rumpf, and a series of valets. One of these, Philip Lang, ruled him for years and was hated by those seeking favour with the emperor.[5] addition, Rudolf was known to have had a succession of affairs with women, some of whom claimed to have been impregnated by him.[3] He had several illegitimate children with his mistress Catherina Strada. Their eldest son, Don Julius Caesar d'Austria, was likely born between 1584 and 1586 and received an education and opportunities for political and social prominence from his father.[6] In 1607, Rudolf sent Julius to live at Krumlov in Bohemia (in what is now the Czech Republic), a castle which Rudolf purchased from Peter Vok/Wok von Rosenberg, the last of the House of Rosenberg, after he fell into financial ruin. Julius lived at Krumlov when in 1608 he reportedly abused and murdered the daughter of a local barber, who had been living in the castle, and then disfigured her body. Rudolf condemned his son's act and suggested that he should be imprisoned for the rest of his life. However, Julius died in 1609 after showing signs of schizophrenia, refusing to bathe, and living in squalor; his death was apparently caused by an ulcer that ruptured.[6] artworks commissioned by Rudolf are unusually erotic.[7] The emperor was the subject of a whispering campaign by his enemies in his family and the Catholic Church in the years before he was deposed. Sexual allegations may well have formed a part of the campaign against him.[8] succeeded his father Maximilian II on 12 October 1576.[4] In 1583 he moved the court to Prague.[9] have traditionally blamed Rudolf's preoccupation with the arts, occult sciences, and other personal interests as the reason for the political disasters of his reign.[1] More recently historians have re-evaluated this view and see his patronage of the arts and occult sciences as a triumph and key part of the Renaissance, while his political failures are seen as a legitimate attempt to create a unified Christian empire, which was undermined by the realities of religious, political and intellectual disintegrations of the time.[1] by Aegidius Sadeler (1603). of Rudolf II as a young man by Martino Rota. raised in his uncle's Catholic court in Spain, Rudolf was tolerant of Protestantism and other religions including Judaism.[3] He largely withdrew from Catholic observances, even in death refusing the last sacramental rites. He had little attachment to Protestants either, except as counter-weight to papal policies. He put his primary support behind conciliarists, irenicists and humanists. When the papacy instigated the Counter-Reformation, using agents sent to his court, Rudolf backed those whom he thought were the most neutral in the debate, not taking a side or trying to effect restraint, thus leading to political chaos and threatening to provoke civil war.[1] conflict with the Ottoman Empire was the final cause of his undoing. Unwilling to compromise with the Turks, and stubbornly determined that he could unify all of Christendom with a new Crusade, he started a long and indecisive war with the Turks in 1593.[10] This war lasted till 1606, and was known as "The Long War".[1] By 1604 his Hungarian subjects were exhausted by the war and revolted, led by Stephen Bocskay (Bocskai Uprising). In 1605 Rudolf was forced by his other family members to cede control of Hungarian affairs to his younger brother Archduke Matthias. By 1606 Matthias forged a difficult peace with the Hungarian rebels (Peace of Vienna) and the Turks (Peace of Zsitvatorok). Rudolf was angry with his brother's concessions, which he saw as giving away too much in order to further Matthias' hold on power. So Rudolf prepared to start a new war with the Turks. But Matthias rallied support from the disaffected Hungarians and forced Rudolf to cede the crowns of Hungary, Austria, and Moravia to him. At the same time, seeing a moment of royal weakness, Bohemian Protestants demanded greater religious liberty, which Rudolf granted in the Letter of Majesty in 1609. The Bohemians continued to press for further freedoms, and Rudolf used his army to repress them. The Bohemian Protestants then appealed to Matthias for help; Matthias' army then held Rudolf prisoner in his castle in Prague until 1611, when Rudolf ceded the crown of Bohemia to his brother. Crown of Rudolf II later became the imperial crown of the Austrian Empire. scepter and globus cruciger of Rudolf II. died in 1612, nine months after he had been stripped of all effective power by his younger brother, except the empty title of Holy Roman Emperor, to which Matthias was elected five months later. In May 1618 with the event known as the Defenestration of Prague, the Protestant Bohemians, in defence of the rights granted them in the Letter of Majesty, threw imperial officials out of the window and thus the Thirty Years' War (1618-“1648) started. collecting and patronage[edit] moved the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague in 1583. Rudolf loved collecting paintings, and was often reported to sit and stare in rapture at a new work for hours on end.[3] He spared no expense in acquiring great past masterworks, such as those of Durer and Brueghel. He was also patron to some of the best contemporary artists, who mainly produced new works in the Northern Mannerist style, such as Bartholomeus Spranger, Hans von Aachen, Giambologna, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Aegidius Sadeler, Roelant Savery, and Adrian de Vries, as well as commissioning works from Italians like Veronese. Rudolf's collections were the most impressive in the Europe of his day, and the greatest collection of Northern Mannerist art ever assembled.[1] The adjective Rudolfine, as in "Rudolfine Mannerism" is often used in art history to describe the style of the art he patronized. love of collecting went far beyond paintings and sculptures. He commissioned decorative objects of all kinds and in particular mechanical moving devices. Ceremonial swords and musical instruments, clocks, water works, astrolabes, compasses, telescopes and other scientific instruments, were all produced for him by some of the best craftsmen in Europe. patronized natural philosophers such as the botanist Charles de l'Ecluse, and the astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler both attended his court. Tycho Brahe developed the Rudolphine Tables (finished by Kepler, after Brahe's death), the first comprehensive table of data of the movements of the planets. As mentioned before, Rudolf also attracted some of the best scientific instrument makers of the time, such as Jost Burgi, Erasmus Habermel and Hans Christoph Schissler. They had direct contact with the court astronomers and, through the financial support of the court, they were economically independent to develop scientific instruments and manufacturing techniques.[11] painted as Vertumnus, Roman God of the seasons, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1590-“91). Rudolf greatly appreciated the work. poet Elizabeth Jane Weston, a writer of Renaissance Latin poetry, was also part of his court and wrote numerous odes to him. kept a menagerie of exotic animals, botanical gardens, and Europe's most extensive "cabinet of curiosities"[3] (Kunstkammer) incorporating "the three kingdoms of nature and the works of man". It was housed at Prague Castle, where between 1587 and 1605 he built the northern wing to house his growing collections.[12] A lion and a tiger were allowed to roam the castle, documented by the account books which record compensation paid to survivors of attacks, or to family members of victims.[13] was even alleged by one person to have owned the Voynich manuscript, a codex whose author and purpose, as well as the language and script and posited cipher remain unidentified to this day. According to hearsay passed on in a letter written by Johannes Marcus Marci in 1665, Rudolf was said to have acquired the manuscript at some unspecified time for 600 gold ducats. No evidence in support of this single piece of hearsay has ever been discovered. The Codex Gigas was also in his possessions. was typical of the time, Rudolf II had a portrait painted in the studio of the renowned Alonso Sanchez Coello. Completed in 1567, the portrait depicted Rudolf II at the age of 15. This painting can be seen at the Lobkowicz Palace in the Rozmberk room. ornamented celestial globe with clockwork, made for the Kunstkammer of Rudolf II, 1579 1597, the collection occupied three rooms of the incomplete northern wing. When building was completed in 1605, the collection was moved to the dedicated Kunstkammer. Naturalia (minerals and gemstones) were arranged in a 37 cabinet display that had three vaulted chambers in front, each about 5.5 metres wide by 3 metres high and 60 metres long, connected to a main chamber 33 metres long. Large uncut gemstones were held in strong boxes.[14] Kunstkammer was not a typical "cabinet of curiosities" “ a haphazard collection of unrelated specimens. Rather, the Rudolfine Kunstkammer was systematically arranged in an encyclopaedic fashion. In addition, Rudolf II employed his polyglot court physician, Anselmus Boetius de Boodt, to curate the collection. Anselmus was an avid mineral collector and travelled widely on collecting trips to the mining regions of Germany, Bohemia and Silesia, often accompanied by his Bohemian naturalist friend, Thaddaeus Hagecius. Between 1607 and 1611, Anselmus catalogued the Kunstkammer, and in 1609 he published Gemmarum et Lapidum, one of the finest mineralogical treatises of the 17th century.[14] Castle in 1595 by Joris Hoefnagel. was customary at the time, the collection was private, but friends of the Emperor, artists, and professional scholars were allowed to study it. The collection became an invaluable research tool during the flowering of 17th-century European philosophy, the "Age of Reason". successors did not appreciate the collection and the Kunstkammer gradually fell into disarray. Some 50 years after its establishment, most of the collection was packed into wooden crates and moved to Vienna. The collection remaining at Prague was looted during the last year of the Thirty Years War, by Swedish troops who sacked Prague Castle on 26 July 1648, also taking the best of the paintings, many of which later passed to the Orleans Collection after the death of Christina of Sweden. In 1782, the remainder of the collection was sold piecemeal to private parties by Joseph II. One of the surviving items from the Kunstkammer is a "fine chair" looted by the Swedes in 1648 and now owned by the Earl of Radnor at Longford Castle in England;[15] others survive in museums.[16][17] sciences[edit] coat of arms, 1605 and alchemy were regarded as mainstream scientific fields in Renaissance Prague, and Rudolf was a firm devotee of both. His lifelong quest was to find the Philosopher's Stone and Rudolf spared no expense in bringing Europe's best alchemists to court, such as Edward Kelley and John Dee. Rudolf even performed his own experiments in a private alchemy laboratory.[3] When Rudolf was a prince, Nostradamus prepared a horoscope which was dedicated to him as 'Prince and King'. In the 1590s Sendivogius was active at Rudolph's court.[18] gave Prague a mystical reputation that persists in part to this day, with Alchemists' Alley on the grounds of Prague Castle a popular visiting place and tourist attraction. is also the ruler in many of the legends of the Golem of Prague, either because of, or simply adding to, his occult reputation. Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27;

Belgium, 1591-1630, Johannes Kepler, Scientist, laws of planetary motion
Austria, 1591-1630, Johannes Kepler, Scientist Kepler ([3][4] 27 December 1571 - 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer. is a key figure in the 17th-century scientific revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation. was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, where he became an associate of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. Later he became an assistant to the astronomer Tycho Brahe in Prague, and eventually the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II. also taught mathematics in Linz, and was an adviser to General Wallenstein. he did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting (or Keplerian) telescope, and was mentioned in the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei. He was a corresponding member of the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.[5] lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, but there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction and belief that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.[6] described his new astronomy as "celestial physics",[7] as "an excursion into Aristotle's Metaphysics",[8] and as "a supplement to Aristotle's On the Heavens",[9] transforming the ancient tradition of physical cosmology by treating astronomy as part of a universal mathematical physics.[10] Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;;

Belgium, 1591-1630, JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMER, Graz, Austria, scientific revoluton, math teacher, optics, refracting telescope
St John of Galesh; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;; Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. They also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation. During his career, Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, Austria, assistant to astronomer Tycho Brahe, the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II, mathematics teacher in Linz, Austria, an adviser to General Wallenstein. also did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting telescope (the Keplerian Telescope), helped to legitimize the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei. lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason. Kepler's first major astronomical work, Mysterium Cosmographicum (The Cosmographic Mystery, 1596), was the first published defense of the Copernican system. As he indicated in the title, Kepler thought he had revealed God’s geometrical plan for the universe. Much of Kepler’s enthusiasm for the Copernican system stemmed from his theological convictions about the connection between the physical and the spiritual; the universe itself was an image of God, with the Sun corresponding to the Father, the stellar sphere to the Son, and the intervening space between to the Holy Spirit. His first manuscript of Mysterium contained an extensive chapter reconciling heliocentrism with biblical passages that seemed to support geocentrism. extended line of research that culminated in Astronomia nova (A New Astronomy)—including the first two laws of planetary motion—began with the analysis, under Tycho's direction, of Mars' orbit. Based on measurements of the aphelion and perihelion of the Earth and Mars, he created a formula in which a planet's rate of motion is inversely proportional to its distance from the Sun; by late 1602 Kepler reformulated the proportion in terms of geometry: planets sweep out equal areas in equal times—Kepler's second law of planetary motion. He then set about calculating the entire orbit of Mars, using the geometrical rate law and assuming an egg-shaped ovoid orbit. After approximately 40 failed attempts, in early 1605 he at last hit upon the idea of an ellipse, which he had previously assumed to be too simple a solution for earlier astronomers to have overlooked. Finding that an elliptical orbit fit the Mars data, he immediately concluded that all planets move in ellipses, with the sun at one focus—Kepler's first law of planetary motion. was convinced "that the geometrical things have provided the Creator with the model for decorating the whole world." In Harmonices Mundi (Harmony of the Worlds), he attempted to explain the proportions of the natural world—particularly the astronomical and astrological aspects—in terms of music. Among many other harmonies, Kepler articulated what came to be known as the third law of planetary motion. He then tried many combinations until he discovered that (approximately) "The square of the periodic times are to each other as the cubes of the mean distances." When conjoined with Christian Huygens' newly discovered law of centrifugal force it enabled Isaac Newton and others to demonstrate independently that the presumed gravitational attraction between the Sun and its planets decreased with the square of the distance between them. 1615, he completed the first of three volumes of Epitome astronomia Copernicanae (Epitome of Copernican Astronomy). Despite the title, which referred simply to heliocentrism, Kepler's textbook culminated in his own ellipse-based system. The Epitome became Kepler's most influential work. It contained all three laws of planetary motion and attempted to explain heavenly motions through physical causes. It was read by astronomers throughout Europe, and following Kepler's death it was the main vehicle for spreading Kepler's ideas. In the late 17th century, a number of physical astronomy theories drawing from Kepler's work—notably those of Giovanni Alfonso Borelli and Robert Hooke—began to incorporate attractive forces (though not the quasi-spiritual motive species postulated by Kepler) and the Cartesian concept of inertia. This culminated in Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica (1687), in which Newton derived Kepler's laws of planetary motion from a force-based theory of universal gravitation. — more at Wikipedia

Belgium, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, HRE, 30 Yrs War, Karlowitz Treaty ending Ottoman Control Hungary, Balkans

Belgium, 1612-1619, HRE Emperor, Matthias, from Protestant Prague
Holy Roman Emperor, 1612-1619, Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor ; (24 February 1557 - 20 March 1619) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1612 to 1619, Archduke of Austria from 1608 to 1619, King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 to 1618, and King of Bohemia from 1611 to 1617. His personal motto was Concordia lumine maior (Unity is stronger than light).[2][3] played a significant role in the familial opposition of the Habsburgs against his brother Emperor Rudolf II. After gaining power, he showed little political initiative of his own. The course of his politics was determined by Cardinal Klesl until his fall in 1618. As a consequence of his failed religious and administrative policies the Bohemian Revolt, the initial theatre of the Thirty Years War set off during the final year of his reign.[4] Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Belgium, 1612-1637, NICHOLAS FERRAR, Little Gidding, ascetics, voluntary poverty for alms, communal living, prayer, fasting
England, 1612-1637, NICHOLAS FERRAR, Little Gidding, ascetics, voluntary poverty for alms, communal living, prayer, fasting, church services, teaching; Ferrar (22 February 1592 – 4 December 1637) was an English scholar, courtier and businessman, who was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. lost much of his fortune in the Virginia Company and retreated with his extended family in 1626 to the manor of Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire, for his remaining years, in an informal spiritual community following High Anglican practice.[1] friend the poet and Anglican priest George Herbert (1593–1633), on his deathbed, sent Ferrar the manuscript of The Temple, telling him to publish the poetry if it might "turn to the advantage of any dejected poor soul." "If not, let him burn it; for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies."[2] Ferrar published them in 1633; they remain in print. Little Gidding; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; Ferrar, born in 1592, was the founder of a religious community that lasted from 1626 to 1646. FerrarAfter Nicholas had been ordained as a deacon, he and his family and a few friends retired to Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire, England, to devote themselves to a life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (Matthew 6:2,5,16). restored the abandoned church building, and became responsible for regular services there. They taught the neighborhood children, and looked after the health and well-being of the people of the district. read the regular daily offices of the Book of Common Prayer, including the recital every day of the complete Psalter. (Day and night, there was always at least one member of the community kneeling in prayer before the altar, that they might keep the word, "Pray without ceasing.") wrote books and stories dealing with various aspects of Christian faith and practice. fasted with great rigor, and in other ways embraced voluntary poverty, so that they might have as much money as possible for the relief of the poor. community was founded in 1626 (when Nicholas was 34). He died in 1637 (aged 45), and in 1646 the community was forcibly broken up by the Puritans of Cromwell's army. memory of the community survived to inspire and influence later undertakings in Christian communal living, and one of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets is called "Little Gidding." by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1618-1648, Holy Roman Empire, Thirty Year's War, Protestant Catholic
Belgium, Holy Roman Empire, 1618-1648, Thirty Year's War, Protestant Catholic ;

Belgium, 1619-1637, HRE Emperor, Ferdinand II, devout Catholic
Holy Roman Emperor, 1619-1637, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Belgium, 1637-1657, HRE Emperor, Ferdinand III, divine right departure to end 30 yr war, weakened his authority
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1637-1657, Ferdinand III; III (Ferdinand Ernest; 13 July 1608 in Graz – 2 April 1657 in Vienna) was from 1621 Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary from 1625, King of Croatia and Bohemia from 1627 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1637 until his death in 1657. ascended the throne at the beginning of the last decade of the Thirty Years' War and introduced lenient policies to depart from old ideas of divine rights under his father, as he had wished to end the war quickly. As the numerous battles had not resulted in sufficient military containment of the Protestant enemies and confronted with decaying imperial power Ferdinand was compelled to abandon the political stances of his Habsburg predecessors in many respects in order to open the long road towards the much delayed peace treaty. Although his authority among the princes would weaken after the war, in Bohemia, Hungary and the Austrias, however, Ferdinand's position as sovereign was uncontested.[3][4] was the first Habsburg monarch to be recognized as a musical composer.[5] Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on August 28; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Belgium, 1658-1705, HRE Emperor, Leopold I, long rule, G Turkish War, recovered Hungary, French wars
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705, Leopold I ; I ( 9 June 1640 - 5 May 1705) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. The second son of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, by his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain, Leopold became heir apparent in 1654 by the death of his elder brother Ferdinand IV. Elected in 1658, Leopold ruled the Holy Roman Empire until his death in 1705, becoming the longest-ruling Habsburg emperor (46 years and 9 months). reign is known for conflicts with the Ottoman Empire in the Great Turkish War (1683-1699) and rivalry with Louis XIV, a contemporary and first cousin, in the west. After more than a decade of warfare, Leopold emerged victorious in the east thanks to the military talents of Prince Eugene of Savoy. By the Treaty of Karlowitz, Leopold recovered almost all of the Kingdom of Hungary, which had fallen under Turkish power in the years after the 1526 Battle of Mohács. fought three wars against France: the Franco-Dutch War, the Nine Years' War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. In this last, Leopold sought to give his younger son Charles the entire Spanish inheritance, disregarding the will of the late Charles II. Leopold started a war that soon engulfed much of Europe. The early years of the war went fairly well for Austria, with victories at Schellenberg and Blenheim, but the war would drag on until 1714, nine years after Leopold's death, which barely had an effect on the warring nations. When peace returned with the Treaty of Rastatt, Austria could not be said to have emerged as triumphant as it had from the war against the Turks.[1] Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on August 28; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24;

Belgium, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Control Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy
Austria, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Control Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy;

Belgium, 1700, 18th-21st Century, HRE Folder, Napoleon, HRE Disolved then Revived 2009

Belgium, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, Bach, Handel, French Revolution

Belgium, 1705-1711, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1705-1711, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28;

Belgium, 1711-1740, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI, M Theresa's father
Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Belgium, 1716-1760, CONRAD WEISER, German PA pioneer, interpreter and Native American diplomat, lived w Iroquois at 16
Affstatt Village, Wurttemberg; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., a German Pennsylvanian pioneer, interpreter and effective diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native Americans. was a farmer, soldier, monk, tanner, and judge as well. He contributed as an emissary in councils between Native Americans and the colonies, especially Pennsylvania, during the French and Indian War. Weiser was born in 1696 in the small village of Affstätt in the Duchy of Württemberg (now part of Germany). Conrad Weiser and his family were among thousands of refugees who left German lands in 1709, many of them from the Palatine area. Weiser family eventually ended up in the Schoharie Valley of New York. age 16, Conrad's father agreed to a chief's proposal for the youth to live with the Mohawks in the upper Schoharie Valley. his stay in the winter and spring of 1712-1713, Weiser learned much about the Mohawk language and the customs of the Iroquois, while enduring hardships of cold, hunger, and homesickness. Conrad Weiser returned to his own people towards the end of July 1713. November 22, 1720, at the age of 24, Weiser married the young German girl Anna Eve Feck (Faeg). 1723 the couple followed the Susquehanna River south out of New York and settled their young family on a farm in Tulpehocken near present-day Reading, Pennsylvania. couple had fourteen children, but only seven reached adulthood. colonial service began in 1731. Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief and friend of Weiser, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Iroquois trusted him and considered him an adopted son of the Mohawks. impressed the Pennsylvania governor and council, which thereafter relied heavily on his services. signature the winter of 1737, Weiser attempted to broker a peace between southern tribes and the Iroquois. had to survive high snow, freezing temperatures and starvation rations just to make the six-week journey to the Iroquois capital of Onondaga (near persent-day Syracuse, NY). with his fortitude, the Iroquois named Weiser Tarachiawagon (Holder of the Heavens). violence from a war between the Iroquois and southern tribes such as the Catawba would have drawn first Virginia, and then Pennsylvania, into conflict with the Iroquois. this peace-brokering had a profound effect on Native American/colonial relations. his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. of his early experiences with the Iroquois, Weiser was inclined to be sympathetic to their interpretation of events, as opposed to the Lenape or the Shawnees. may have exacerbated Pennsylvanian-Lenape/Shawnee relations, with bloody consequences in the French and Indian Wars. for many years, Weiser helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British as opposed to the French. important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and the eventual victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars. 1734 and 1741, Weiser became a follower of Conrad Beissel, a German Seventh Day Baptist preacher. six years, he lived at the monastic settlement, Ephrata Cloister, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. was also teacher and a lay minister of the Lutheran Church; he was one of the founders of Trinity Church in Reading. died on his farm on July 13, 1760. his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness ... as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." shortly after Conrad Weiser's death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline. — more at Wikipedia and the Conrad Weiser Homestead State Park

Belgium, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, organizer American Lutheranism, factionalism d, Free Church model from govt control m
Germany, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, Einbeck, Germany (Weser River 4), organizer of American Lutheranism, danger of factionalism, asking for pastor to take charge, transition to Free Church model from govt control model, famous sons ; Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178; Melchior Muhlenberg is the principal organizer of American Lutheranism. He was born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, studied at Goettingen and at Halle. in America at that time were found in a few scattered communities, of various national backgrounds, with no central organization, with a grave danger of factionalism. congregations wrote to Halle University, asking for a pastor to take charge. Francke, a Lutheran leader of the Pietist movement at Halle, chose Muhlenberg and sent him to America. arrived in Charleston on 23 September 1742. He was soon accorded widespread recognition by Lutheran churches, Swedish, and others, the senior Lutheran pastor in America. set the tone for the Lutheran community in what was to be the United States, almost all Lutheran Churches in America today use liturgies which are developed from the one that he proposed for American use. plans for local church government, to congregations that had been accustomed to a great deal of government control, the transition to the "free church" model, and form the basis for plans of local church government in American Lutheran churches today. of his sons, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, served as a general under George Washington in the War of Independence. Another, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, became a member of the Continental Congress, and first speaker of the House of Representatives. A great-grandson, William Augustus Muhlenberg, became an eminent Anglican priest (see 8 April). Melchior Muhlenberg died 7 October 1787, is buried at Trappe, Pennsylvania. epitaph (in Latin) reads: "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." by James Kiefer

Belgium, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive
Switzerland, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive; Rousseau; 28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought.[1] Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. Rousseau's sentimental novel Julie, or the New Heloise (1761) was important to the development of preromanticism and romanticism in fiction.[2][3] His Emile, or On Education (1762) is an educational treatise on the place of the individual in society. Rousseau's autobiographical writings—the posthumously published Confessions (composed in 1769), which initiated the modern autobiography, and the unfinished Reveries of the Solitary Walker (composed 1776–1778)—exemplified the late-18th-century "Age of Sensibility", and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. befriended fellow philosopher Denis Diderot in 1742, and would later write about Diderot's romantic troubles in his Confessions. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosophers among members of the Jacobin Club. He was interred as a national hero in the Panthéon in Paris, in 1794, 16 years after his death. Absolved From Being Good-Mannered: The Romantic Totalitarianism of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, May 20, 2021 ;

Belgium, 1740-1745, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VII, German House of Wittelsbach, M Theresa's cousin
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1740-1745, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor ; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Belgium, 1745-1765, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, Maria Theresa's husband
Holy Roman Emperor, 1745-1765, Francis I; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Belgium, 1745-1765, Holy Roman Emperess, Maria Theresa, War of Austrian Succession
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperess, 1745-1765, Maria Theresa; Holy Roman Emperor, 1745-1765, Francis I; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Belgium, 1765-1790, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II, Francis and Theresa's son, enlightened absolutism
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1765-1790, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Belgium, 1790-1792, Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold II, brother of Joseph II, enlightened absolutism, no capital punishment
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1790-1792, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor;

Belgium, 1792-1806, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, Last HRE, attacked and lost to Napoleon
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1792-1806, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; Damien of DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15;

Belgium, 1800-1899, 19th Centory Folder, Napoleon, Austerlitz, HRE Disolved

Belgium, 1806-1830, First French Republic and Netherlands
Belgium, 1806-1830, First French Republic, and Netherlands;

Belgium, 1804-1835, Austrian Emperor, Francis I aka Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Austria, Austrian Emperor, 1804-1835, Francis I aka Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Belgium, 1830, Belgium Revolution, Independent Belgium

Belgium, 1860-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized Ls, Marianne replaced D
Belgium, 1816-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized burial, grow crops, choir, medical, built chapel, Marianne from Germany, replaced D, miraculously did not get Leprosy; Molokai; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ; the 1800's, the Hawaiian Islands suffered a severe leprosy epidemic, which was dealt with largely by isolating lepers on the island of Molokai. were simply dumped there and left to fend for themselves. The crews of the boats carrying them there were afraid to land, so they simply came in close and forced the lepers to jump overboard and scramble through the surf as best they could. Ashore, they found no law and no organized society, simply desperate persons waiting for death. Belgian missionary priest, Joseph Van Veuster (Damien of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart), born in 1840, came to Hawaii in 1863, and in 1873 was sent at his own request to Molokai to work among the lepers. organized burial details and funeral services, so that death might have some dignity. He taught the people how to grow crops and feed themselves better. He organized a choir, and got persons to sing who had not sung in years. He gave them medical attention. doctors had been making regular visits, but they were afraid of contagion, and would not come close to the patients. They inspected their sores from a distance and then left medicines on a table and fled. Damien personally washed and anointed and bandaged their sores.) was already a small chapel on the island. It proved too small, and with the aid of patients he built a larger one, which soon overflowed every Sunday. Damien contracted leprosy himself in 1885, and continued to work there until his death on 15 April 1889. — by James Kiefer; more at Wikipedia Marianne Cope Marianne Cope (January 23, 1838 – August 9, 1918), was a Franciscan nun of the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. in Heppenheim (Germany) and entered religious life in Syracuse, New York, she worked, lived and died for the lepers on the island of Moloka'i in Hawai'i. She was not herself afflicted by the disease, a fact arguably declared to be miraculous considering her close contact with the patients over the course of several years. the age of three her family moved from Germany to the United States, settling in Utica, New York. After joining the Franciscans, she spent nearly a decade as a teacher and then principal in newly established schools for German immigrants. She was also a founding member of two of the first Catholic hospitals in the United States. November 1883, Mother Marianne, then Provincial Mother, traveled from Syracuse to Honolulu with six other nuns to answer a call for aid to the Hansen's disease sufferers. In 1888, she moved to Kalaupapa to help the ailing Father Damien of Moloka'i. When the famed priest died, Mother Marianne Cope took over the care of the patients of Kalaupapa. She remained there until her death in 1918. — more at Wikipedia

Belgium, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, WWI Battles Verdun, Messines Ridge, HRE Revived in 2009

Belgium, Battle of Verdun, 1916 (on the road to Paris)
Battle of Verdun (on the road to Paris);

Belgium, 1917, Messines Ridge (Battle in 1917), Belgium
Messines Ridge (Battle in 1917); GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Belgium, Holy Roman Empire Revived, Nov 3, 2009, Centered in Belgium
Holy Roman Empire Revived, Nov 3, 2009, Centered in Belgium; European Union Constitution, Nov 3, 2009; Charlemagne Building;

Belgium (Clean) Folder, and Holy Roman Empire

Belgium (Clean), its Area
Belgium, its Area

Belgium (Clean), Holy Roman Empire, its Area, the German States

Belgium, Areas next to Belgium Folder

Next to Netherlands, its Area

Next to France, its Area
France, its Area

Next to Germany, its Area
Germany, its Area

Next to Luxemborg, its Area
Luxemborg, its Area

Franks, Land of the Franks (Belgium then Paris in 508)
Franks;

Markomannia (Land of the Franks, Belgium)
Markomia, Markomannians were Frankish from the Land of the Franks in lower and middle Rhineland;

Belgium, West Belgium, Scheldt River Folder

Scheldt River

Scheldt River Source (Gouy, France)
Scheldt River;

Scheldt River 6 (Gaunt, Lys River Mouth)

Belgium, Scheldt River 6, Lys River Folder (France and Belgium)

Lys River

Lys River Source (Pas de Calais, near Agincourt, France)
Lys River;

Lys River 2 (Western Front WWI)

Lys River 3 (Messines Ridge)

Messines Ridge, Belgium (Lys River 3)
Messines Ridge (Battle in 1917);

Lys River Mouth (Gaunt, Belgium, Scheldt River 6)

Gaunt (Ghent), Belgium (Lys River Mouth, Scheldt River 6
Gaunt;

Antwerp, Belgium (Scheldt River 7)
Antwerp Belgium WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE] TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Scheldt River Mouth (North Sea)

Belgium, East Belgium, Muse River Folder (France, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands)

Meuse River

Meuse River Mouth at North Sea

Meuse River Source (Langres plateau, France)
Langres plateau;

Ardennes Forest, Belgium (Meuse River)
Ardennes Forest ;

Ardennes Department, Belgium (Meuse River)
Ardennes Department;

Meuse River (Leige, Belgium)

Aachen, Belgium (Charlemagne's Capital 792-814, a spa town, near Meuse River)
Aachen;

Meuse River (Roermond, Netherlands)
Roermond; Meuse River;

Meuse River Mouth (North Sea, Netherlands)

Belgium, North Central Belgium, Brussels-Scheldt Canal Folder

Brussels-Scheldt Canal

Brussels, Belgium (Scheldt Canal)
Brussels;

Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, 1425
Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, 1425;

University of Louvain, Belgium, 1817
University of Louvain;

Belgium, Roman Roads, Rivers, places, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus (Clean)
Frontier (Limes) Germanticus;

Belgium, its Area, includes Germanicus Limes, German Frontier

Maginot Line - French line between France and Germany
Maginot Line;

Sweden, Germania, Goths started down in Germania, not Germany, the fertile plain North of this Line, difficult to protect
Germania, not Germany, the fertile plain North of this Line and South of Sweden, difficult to protect. It is bounded on the East by the Vistula, on the South by the Mountains, and on the West by Rhine and its Roman German Frontier. ;

Brussels, Belgium (Scheldt Canal)
Brussels; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ;

Scheldt River 1

Scheldt River 2

Scheldt River 3

Lys River 1

Messines Ridge, Belgium (Lys River 3)
Messines Ridge (Battle in 1917); GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Lys River 4

Lys River 5

Gaunt (Ghent), Belgium (Lys River Mouth, Scheldt River 6
Gaunt; England, 1360-1399, John of Gaunt, nobleman, soldier, statesman and prince JOHN WYCLIF, Commemorated October 30 ;

Scheldt River 7 (Antwerp)

Meuse River Source (Langres plateau, France)
Langres plateau; The Meuse rises in Pouilly-en-Bassigny, commune of Le ChÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¢telet-sur-Meuse on the Langres plateau in France from where it flows northwards past Sedan (the head of navigation) and Charleville-MÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â©ziÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¨res into Belgium.[3] At Namur it is joined by the River Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the Ardennes, and passes LiÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¨ge before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at Maastricht the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through Venlo closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the Waal river and forms part of the extensive RhineÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“MeuseÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“Scheldt delta, together with the Scheldt river in its south and the Rhine river in the north. The river has been divided near Heusden into the Afgedamde Maas on the right and the Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues under the name of Amer, which is part of the Biesbosch. The Afgedamde Maas joins the Waal, the main stem of the Rhine at Woudrichem, and then flows under the name of Boven Merwede to Hardinxveld-Giessendam, where it splits into Nieuwe Merwede and Beneden Merwede. Near Lage Zwaluwe, the Nieuwe Merwede joins the Amer, forming the Hollands Diep, which splits into Grevelingen and Haringvliet, before finally flowing into the North Sea.

Aachen, Belgium (Charlemagne's Capital 792-814, a spa town, near Meuse River)
Aachen; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

Brussels-Scheldt Canal, from Brussels to Scheldt River

Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, 1425
Leuven, Catholic University of Leuven, 1425; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

University of Louvain, Belgium, 1817
University of Louvain; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ;

Constantinople Folder, Byzantium and Istanbul

Constantinople (aka Istanbul, Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Saint Anna of Leukadio, Commemorated on July 23; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Martyrs Pamphilus and Capiton, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 11 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Commemoration of the Earthquake of 447, Commemorated on September 25; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926; Monkmartyr Andrew of Crete, Commemorated on October 17 ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; First Council of Constantinople; Second Council of Constantinople ; Third Council of Constantinople ; (Quinisext Council Council in Trullo ); Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; Martyr Julian of Constantinople ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs ; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23 ; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24 ; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2 St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17 ; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated November 28 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Great Martyr Anastasía the Deliverer from Poisons, her teacher, Martyr Chrysógonos, and many with them, Commemorated on December 22; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Bassian of Constantinople, Commemorated October 10 ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus "of the Four Days in the Tomb" the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; a href="http://oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103131">St Maura of Constantinople; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Anna; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated December 15 ; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated December 16 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated on December 29; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated December 30 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated February 12 ; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated February 12 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; New Martyr Theodore; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated March 8; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Memorial Saturday of Meatfare, Commemorated on March 9; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604); Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Anthusa the Virginmartyr of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas œthe Hair-Shirt WearerÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St George the Confessor, with his wife and children of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St John of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Saint Nikēphóros the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 2; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22 ; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council, (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22;

Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople) St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

7 Hills of Constantinople Folder

1st Hill of Constantinople - Byzantium
1st Hill of Constantinople - Byzantium;

2nd Hill of Constantinople - Grand Bazaar
2nd Hill of Constantinople - Grand Bazaar;

3rd Hill of Constantinople - Istanbul University
3rd Hill of Constantinople - Istanbul University;

4th Hill of Constantiniple - Church of the Apostles
4th Hill of Constantiniple - Church of the Apostles;

5th Hill of Constantinople - Mosque of Sultan Selim
5th Hill of Constantinople - Mosque of Sultan Selim;

6th Hill of Constantinople - Blachernae Church
6th Hill of Constantinople - Blachernae Church;

7th Hill of Constantinople -Topkapi Faith of Xerolophos
7th Hill of Constantinople -Topkapi Faith; The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı , Aksaray, and Yedikule Venerable Cassianḗ the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7;

7th Hill of Constantinople - Church of Peribleptos of Xerolophos
7th Hill of Constantinople - Church of Peribleptos; The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı , Aksaray, and Yedikule Venerable Cassianḗ the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7;

7th Hill of Constantinople - Yedikule of Xerolophos
7th Hill of Constantinople - Yedikule; The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı , Aksaray, and Yedikule Venerable Cassianḗ the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7;

Walls of Constantinople Folder

Walls of Constantinople - Outer Wall around the shoreline, 8 miles
Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall, Blachernae and Studion
Walls of Constantinople - Mesoteichion Wall; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

Walls of Constantinople - Constantine's Wall
Walls of Constantinople - Constantine's Wall;

Walls of Constantinople - Severan Wall
Walls of Constantinople - Severan Wall;

Walls of Constantinople - Downtown Byzantium
Walls of Constantinople - Downtown Byzantium; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11;

Byzantium, 667 BC-330 (Greek and Roman Empire)
Byzantium; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17;

Byzantium, 330-1453 Bryzantine Empire, Constantinople
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Justinian the Emperor; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable John Calabytes "œthe Hut-Dweller"Â, Commemorated on January 15; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on February 23; Byzantium Emperor Marcian (450-457); Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

Constantinople, 1453-1922, Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, Sunni (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, 1453-1922, Sunni (the Turks) ; Fall of Constantinople (1453); Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Cherson, Crimea, Byzantine Empire, Cherson is the Greek Name
Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; The Holy Hieromartyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Capito, Eugene, Aetherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Crimea, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea, Roman Empire, 101-867
Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ;

Lycus River

A Patch

Constantinople History Folder

Constantinople, 000, 1st Century Folder, St Andrew

Constantinople, 30-54, Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Bishop of Byzantium
Constantinople, 30-54, Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Bishop of Byzantium; the Apostle (died 54) was the second bishop of Byzantium, from AD 38 to AD 54. seemed to be closely connected to Saint Andrew and Saint Paul. quotes Origen as saying that Andrew had preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga and Kiev, hence he became a patron saint of Romania and Russia. to tradition, Saint Andrew founded the See of Byzantium in 38, installing Stachys as bishop (the only bishopric in that neighbourhood before that time had been established at Heraclea). See would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople, having Apostle Andrew as its Patron Saint. was not clear if Stachys was the same person whom Paul calls "dear" in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 16:9), but anyway, he is always associated in traditions with five other apostles (Ampliatus, Urban, Apelles, Aristobulus and Narcissus) that are the very same names mentioned together with him by Paul in Romans 16:8-11. His feast day is on October 31. Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31;

Constantinople, 30-60, Andrew tApostle, in Byzantium, Peter's bro, partriach oConstantinople, plus 8 other places
Constantinople, 30-60, Andrew tApostle, in Byzantium, Peter's bro, partriach oConstantinople, plus Scythia, Romania, Black Sea, Russia, Kiev, Novgorod, Thrace Bulgaria, Achaea Greece; Constantinople, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Byzantium ; the Apostle, also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. is the brother of Saint Peter.[4] He is referred to in the Orthodox tradition as the First-Called. to Orthodox tradition, the apostolic successor to Saint Andrew is the Patriarch of Constantinople.[5] The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew by Caravaggio (1603–1606) Crucifixion of Saint Andrew, by Juan Correa de Vivar (1540–1545) name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, "manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews and other Hellenized people of Judea. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD[6] in Bethsaida, in Galilee.[7] New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,[8] and likewise a son of Jonah. first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present."[9] he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieis anthrōpōn).[10] the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum. the Gospel of Matthew[11] and in the Gospel of Mark[12] Simon Peter and Andrew were both called together to become disciples of Jesus and "fishers of men". These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship. the parallel incident in the Gospel of Luke[13] Andrew is not named, nor is reference made to Simon having a brother. In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon's, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless. The narrative indicates that Simon was not the only fisherman in the boat (they signalled to their partners in the other boat …[14] but it is not until the next chapter[15] that Andrew is named as Simon's brother. However, it is generally understood that Andrew was fishing with Simon on the night in question. Matthew Poole, in his Annotations on the Holy Bible, stressed that 'Luke denies not that Andrew was there'.[16] contrast, the Gospel of John[17] states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.[18] The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Protokletos, which means "the first called".[9] Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus. in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus.[a] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes,[19] and when Philip wanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first.[20] Andrew was present at the Last Supper.[21] Andrew was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age".[22] in his Church History 3.1 quoted Origen as saying that Andrew preached in Scythia. Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, from there he travelled to Novgorod. he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. to Hippolytus of Rome, Andrew preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew. to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium (later Constantinople and Istanbul) in AD 38, installing Stachys as bishop. diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. along with Saint Stachys, is recognized as the patron saint of the Patriarchate.[23] of Seleucia also knew of Apostle Andrew's missions in Thrace, Scythia and Achaea.[24] is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, in AD 60.[21] texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,[25] describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.[b] iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages.[26][c] Acts of Andrew[edit] of Saint Andrew in the Nuremberg Chronicle Main article: Acts of Andrew apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. Acts (...) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," in the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. Acts, as well as a Gospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895). Saint Andrew of Patras cathedral, where Saint Andrew's relics are kept Statue of Andrew in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Camillo Rusconi (1713–1715) Relics alleged to be those of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of Saint Andrew in Patras, Greece; in Amalfi Cathedral (the Duomo di Sant'Andrea), Amalfi and in Sarzana Cathedral[1] in Sarzana, Italy; St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland;[18] and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw, Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world. remains were preserved at Patras. According to one legend, Saint Regulus (Rule), a monk at Patras, was advised in a dream to hide some of the bones. Shortly thereafter, most of the relics were transferred from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[21] was said to have had a second dream in which an angel advised him to take the hidden relics "to the ends of the earth" for protection. Wherever he was shipwrecked, he was to build a shrine for them. St. Rule set sail, taking with him a kneecap, an upper arm bone, three fingers and a tooth. He sailed west, towards the edge of the known world, and was shipwrecked on the coast of Fife, Scotland. However, the relics were probably brought to Britain in 597 as part of the Augustine Mission, and then in 732 to Fife, by Bishop Acca of Hexham, a well-known collector of religious relics.[18] skull of Saint Andrew, which had been taken to Constantinople, was returned to Patras by Emperor Basil I, who ruled from 867 to 886.[27] 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of Saint Andrew and Saint Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy,[28] by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. cathedral (Duomo), was built, dedicated to Saint Andrew (as is the town itself), to house a tomb in its crypt where it is maintained that most of the relics of the apostle, including an occipital bone, remain. Palaeologus was the youngest surviving son of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Thomas ruled the province of Morea, the medieval name for the Peloponnese. In 1461, when the Ottomans crossed the Strait of Corinth, Palaeologus fled Patras for exile in Italy, bringing with him what was purported to be the skull of Saint Andrew. gave the head to Pope Pius II, who had it enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and then in Pienza,[2] Italy. September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of Saint Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.[29] The cross of Saint Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy.[30][31] It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles[32] until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every 30 November, his feast day. 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of Saint Andrew.[33] and legends[edit] This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Andrew the Apostle" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Georgia[edit] A 13th-century fresco depicting Saint Andrew, from Kintsvisi Monastery, Georgia church tradition of Georgia regards Saint Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently[citation needed] derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south."[34] The version was adopted by the 10th–11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of Saint Andrew's mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defence argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling Saint Andrew's story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by Saint Nino and explaining the necessity of the "second Christening" by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.[35][36] The Georgian Orthodox Church marks two feast days in honour of Saint Andrew, on 12 May and 13 December. The former date, dedicated to Saint Andrew's arrival in Georgia, is a public holiday in Georgia. tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century. pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. As she was telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest, became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.[37] Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpaso in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such, it is visited by many people for votive prayers. of St. Andrew Fifth-century mosaic of Saint Andrew at St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome first reference regards the small chapel at Luqa dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. This chapel contained three altars, one of them dedicated to Andrew. The painting showing Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli. At one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason for choosing Andrew as patron saint. The statue of Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese artist Abraham Gatt. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687. Entrance to Saint Andrew's caves near Ion Corvin, Constanța County article: Saint Andrew in Romania official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Daco-Romans, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. Such a tradition was however not widely acknowledged until the 20th century. to Hippolyte of Antioch, (died c. 250 C.E.) in his On Apostles, Origen in the third book of his Commentaries on the Genesis (254 C.E.), Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (340 C.E.), and other sources, such as Usaard's Martyrdom written between 845 and 865, and Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend (c. 1260), Saint Andrew preached in Scythia, a possible reference to Scythia Minor, whose territory was integrated into Romania in the late 19th century. to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable. They take the idea to be a part of an ideology of protochronism which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history, which was then used for propaganda purposes during the communist era,[38] although this is disputed. Slavs[edit] Andrew's prophecy of Kiev, depicted in the Radzivill Chronicle Tradition regarding the early Christian history of Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kyiv, where he erected a cross on the site where the Saint Andrew's Church of Kyiv currently stands, and where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city.[39] Because of this connection to Kyiv, Saint Andrew is considered to be the patron saint of the two East Slavic nations descended from the Kievan Rus: Ukraine and Russia, the latter country using the Saint Andrew's Cross on its naval ensign. The third East Slavic nation, Belarus, however, reveres Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a local saint, as its patron instead. The Saltire (or "Saint Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland. legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern Scottish town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn). The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the other is the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c. 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. Andrew (carving c.1500) in the National Museum of Scotland According to legendary accounts given in 16th-century historiography, Óengus II in AD 832 led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Saint Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.[40] However, there is evidence that Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this. stone fireplace in northern England. The carved Saint Andrew's cross in the left-hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney. In Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole. connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher-ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to Saint Andrew. local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the Saint Andrew's cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, whereas the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it. form of St. Andrew's cross called the Cross of Bourgogne was used as the flag of the Duchy of Burgundy, and after the Duchy was acquired by Spain, by the Spanish Crown, and later as a Spanish naval flag and finally as an army battle flag up until 1843. Today, it is still a part of various Spanish military insignia and forms part of the Coat of Arms of the king of Spain as it did with General Franco. to Andrey Pervozvanniy in Kyiv, Ukraine. The sculptors were Boris Krylov and Oles Sydoruk. Spain, Saint Andrew is the patron of several locations: San Andrés (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), San Andrés y Sauces (La Palma), Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres), Éibar (Guipúzcoa), Baeza (Jaén), Pobladura de Pelayo García and Pobladura de Yuso (León), Berlangas de Roa (Burgos), Ligüerzana (Palencia), Castillo de Bayuela (Toledo), Almoradí (Alicante), Estella (Navarra), Sant Andreu de Palomar, (Barcelona), Pujalt (Catalonia), Adamuz (Córdoba) and San Andrés [es] in Cameros (La Rioja). Andrew the Apostle by Yoan from Gabrovo, 19th century Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities including: Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Sarzana,[1] Pienza[2] and Amalfi in Italy, Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Apostle Andrew is also the patron of the Russian Navy. flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and those of some of the former colonies of the British Empire) feature Saint Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the Russian Navy Ensign. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Alabama flag also shows that device. feast of Andrew is observed on 30 November in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of Saint Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints. the Apostle is remembered in the Church of England with a Festival on 30 November.[41] Islam[edit] Qur’anic account of the disciples of Jesus does not include their names, numbers, or any detailed accounts of their lives. Muslim exegesis, however, more or less agrees with the New Testament list and says that the disciples included Andrew.[42] Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Constantinople, 30-72, Saint Thomas the Apostle, Byzantium
Constantinople, 30-72, Saint Thomas the Apostle, Byzantium; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John alone); he later confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing the wounds leftover from the crucifixion. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India,[1][5][6][7] and reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Constantinople, 38-81, Oraiozele, wApostle Andrew, Byzantium, Virgin Martyr, worshipped idols, learned truths, converted women
Constantinople, 38-81, Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Byzantium (downtown Constantinople), Virgin Martyr, former idol-worshipper, learned truths, instructed women, church oBosporos, converted many pagans, did not feel tortures ; Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Commemorated on July 26; Oraiozele lived in Byzantium during the first century. At first she was an idol-worshipper, but then she became a Christian when she heard the preaching of Saint Andrew, who baptized her. was an educated woman and was able to learn all the truths of the Gospel correctly, Saint Andrew permitted her to instruct other women. was very successful in bringing many of them to Christ. Later, she attached herself to a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael at Revma on the Bosporos. There she converted many pagans. Saint Oraiozele accepted two women who had been idolaters, but came to believe in Christ. They were most eager to emulate the Saint, regarding her as a model of virtue. two disciples wished to follow her example in ascetical struggles, each trying to surpass the other in fasting, vigils, and prayer. This continued for several years, until the reign of Emperor Domitian.1 the Emperor started to persecute Christians, Saint Oraiozele was arrested as well. appeared before him and was charged with the "crime" of refusing to sacrifice to the idols. Domitian was unable to persuade her to return to idolatry, and since she remained steadfast in her love for Christ, he ordered her to be tortured. she was disrobed, and then she was beaten for many hours. who watched were amazed because she did not seem to feel the blows. it was as if someone else was enduring her punishment. Saint Oraiozele was beheaded and her dead body was thrown into the fire. Now she stands before her Bridegroom Christ as one of the choir of the Martyrs. who are unable to conceive will pray to Saint Oraiozele and many of them give birth. women whose breasts do not produce enough milk have been able to nurse their babies after praying to the Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele. 1 Titus Flavius Domitianus (reigned 81 - 96 A.D.)

Constantinople, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus, confessed to strengthen weak, tortures, spring for women needing milk
Constantinople, 70 1st Century, Tryphaina, Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople) she boldly confessed to strengthen those weak, tortures, firery furnace, tall tree into nails, wild animals, mad bull, spring pure water where her blood shed, for women who did not have milk; Cyzicus Martyr Tryphaina at Cyzicus, Commemorated January 31; Tryphaina was from Kyzikos on the Hellespont and was the daughter of devout parents, Senator Anastasios and his virtuous wife Sokratia. revealed her Christian upbringing and courage during a persecution where, in order to strengthen those who were weak, she boldly confessed her faith in Christ, and in the ultimate triumph of Orthodoxy. As soon as the ruler Caesarius heard these things he became enraged and ordered the Saint's arrest. His order was carried out and the tortures began. Saint Tryphaina was pushed into a fiery furnace, but miraculously, she was saved. Then, she was thrown from a tall tree, onto a bed of iron nails. Afterward, she was given to some wild animals to be devoured by them, but they did not harm her. Finally, she was gored by a mad bull. In this manner, the Saint received the glorious crown of martyrdom in the first century. is said that a spring of pure water welled up at the place where Saint Tryphaίnē's blood was shed. After drinking this water, women who gave birth, but did not have any milk, were able to produce milk to feed their newborn children. Tryphaina is invoked by women who have difficulty in nursing their babies.

Constantinople, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia

Constantinople, 200, 3rd-6th Century, Folder, Byzantine Period before Islam, heresies

Constantinople, 200-299, 3rd Century, Folder, Arian Historian Eusebius

Constantinople, 229-326,Metrophanes, 1st Patriarch, from Byzantium, lived 117 Yrs, brought Constantine to Byzantium
Constantinople, 229-326,Metrophanes, 1st Patriarch, from Byzantium, lived 117 Yrs, brought Constantine to Byzantium, contemporary of Constantine, nephew of Emperor Probus, his father Dometius rejected falseness of Pagan religion, Believed in Christ, moved to Byzantium to avoid persecution, with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes, father and sons became bishops, Constantine came to Byzantium, delighted by its beauty and comfortable setting, took M back to Rome for his holiness of life, Soon C transferred Capital from Rome to B, brought M there, at 325 Council C had Council Fathers create Patriarch title for 116 year old Metrophanes, thus the first Partiarch and Partiarch of C; Byzantine Patriarch, 306-326, Metrophanes of Byzantium; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century.

Constantinople, 270-350, Cheriton tConfessor of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, Robber's Cave Story
Jerusalem, 270-350, Saint Cheriton of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, fIconium, Lycaonia, endured Auirelian's fierce torture there through Thekla's example, released fPrison 275, dedicated life to Lord, grieved he had not martyred, tJerusalem Holy Places, Thieves intended to kill him in a cave, expecting death C prayed, but did not ask for deliverance, just God's will, while out a snake drank and threw up in their wine, which later poisoned tThieves, C thanked God, gave Thieves gold to poor, churches, monasteries, and began his astetic struggles there in the cave, built church&Pharan monastery there, many virtuous disciples, strict rule, fSolitude founded 2 more monasteries, Jerico (Cheriton's monastery) &Souka, brought many Jews and Pagans to the faith, C ended up on hill near Souka but did not cease guidance for all three, died 350, compiled tOffice otMonastic Tonsure, buried aPharan, grace-filled relics aRobber's cave; Souka Monastery of St Cheriton; The Judean Desert "the Land of Monasteries". You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; The Judean Desert " the Land of Monasteries You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Euthimius; Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28; Chariton the Confessor was born at Iconium in the province of Lycaonia, suffered there during a persecution against Christians in the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270-275). example of the holy Protomartyr Thekla (September 24), who was also a native of his city, encouraged him to confess Christ, since he had a great devotion to her. Chariton bravely denounced the pagan gods and staunchly confessed faith in the one True God, Christ the Savior. holy Confessor underwent fierce tortures but, by God's Providence, he survived. persecution ended after Aurelian's death in 275. Chariton was among the many Christians who were released from prison, he resolved to dedicate his entire life to the service of the Lord. he escaped death, he grieved because he had not received the crown of martyrdom. arriving at Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to the holy places, fell into the hands of thieves. tied him up and threw him in a cave, to kill him later. they left to find people to rob, the saint prayed fervently to God expecting to be put to death. did not ask God to deliver him, but instead he entreated Him to do with him as He wished. this time a snake crawled into the cave and began to drink wine from a vessel setting there. it vomited forth its deadly venom, poisoning the wine. they returned to the cave, the evil men drank the poisoned wine and they all perished. their wicked lives came to a fitting end. Chariton gave thanks to God, then he gave away the gold which the malefactors had stolen, it to the poor, to churches, and to monasteries. began his ascetic struggles in the place of his miraculous rescue, there he built a church. time a monastery was established: renowned Pharan Lavra in Palestine. Chariton's fame drew many disciples to him. governed them with paternal affection, he elevated them to the highest degrees of virtue. Chariton compiled a strict Rule for his monastery. for solitude, the monk withdrew farther into the desert in order to avoid the praise of men, he never rejected anyone who sought his spiritual guidance. founded two more monasteries: Jericho (called the Monastery of Saint Chariton) the Souka, which was called “the old Lavra.” also brought many Jews and pagans to the Faith. the end of his life, Saint Chariton struggled in a cave atop a hill near the Souka monastery, he did not cease to provide guidance for all three of the monasteries which he founded. fell asleep in the Lord peacefully and at an advanced age on September 28, 350. to Tradition, Saint Chariton compiled the Office of the Monastic Tonsure. Chariton was buried at the Pharan monastery, accordance with his last wishes. His grace-filled relics were enshrined in the church that had been built on the site of the robbers' cave.

Constantinople, 272-303, Dometius of Byzantium, Patriarch, emperor Probus' b, converted
Byzantine Patriarch, 272-303, Dometius of Byzantium ; (? – 284) was bishop of Byzantium about the period 272–284. was a brother of the Roman Emperor Probus. He converted to Christianity, and entered the clergy when he was baptised by the bishop of Byzantium Titus, whom he succeeded. had two sons, Probus and Metrophanes, who also became bishops of the same city. St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4;

Constantinople, 274-327, Helena, Saint Helen, Mother of Constantine the Great
Byzantine Saint, 274-327, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Roman Emperor, 293-306, Constantine Chlorus; Byzantine Emperor 306-337, Constantine the Great ; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 276-336, Arias, Byzantine Arian, intensified the controversy, the essence of Christ
Byzantine Arian, 276-336, Arias ; (250 or 256-336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism.[1][2] His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's uniqueness and Christ's subordination under the Father,[3] and his opposition to what would become the dominant Christology, Homoousian Christology, made him a primary topic of the First Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325. Emperors Licinius and Constantine legalized and formalized the Christianity of the time in the Roman Empire, Constantine sought to unify the newly recognized Church and remove theological divisions.[4] The Christian Church was divided over disagreements on Christology, or the nature of the relationship between the first and second persons of the Trinity. Christians, including Athanasius of Alexandria, used Arius and Arianism as epithets to describe those who disagreed with their doctrine of coequal Trinitarianism, a Homoousian Christology representing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as "of one essence" ("consubstantial") and coeternal. writings describe Arius' theology as one in which there was a time before the Son of God, when only God the Father existed. concerted opposition, Arian Christian churches persisted throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, especially in various Germanic kingdoms, until suppressed by military conquest or voluntary royal conversion between the fifth and seventh centuries. Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, an Arian before Arius
Palestine, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, Arian; of Caesarea (AD 260/265 - 339/340), also known as Eusebius Pamphili, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist. became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima about AD 314. Together with Pamphilus, he was a scholar of the biblical canon and is regarded as one of the most learned Christians of his time.[6] wrote Demonstrations of the Gospel, Preparations for the Gospel and On Discrepancies between the Gospels, studies of the biblical text. Father of Church History [note 1] (not to be confused with the title of Church Father), he produced the Ecclesiastical History, On the Life of Pamphilus, the Chronicle and On the Martyrs. He also produced a biographical work on Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor, who was augustus between AD 306 and AD 337. A portrait of St. Eusebius of Caesarea (left) and Ammonius of Alexandria (right), prefacing the letter Eusebius wrote to him in the Rabbula Gospels (6th cent. AD) Eusebius' works are regarded as giving insight into the history of the early church, he was not without prejudice, especially in regard to the Jews, for while "Eusebius indeed blames the Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus, he nevertheless also states that forgiveness can be granted even for this sin and that the Jews can receive salvation."[8] scholars question the accuracy of Eusebius' works. For example, at least one scholar, Lynn Cohick, dissents from the majority view that Eusebius is correct in identifying the Melito of Peri Pascha with the Quartodeciman bishop of Sardis. Cohick claims as support for her position that "Eusebius is a notoriously unreliable historian, and so anything he reports should be critically scrutinized."[9] Life of Constantine, which he wrote as a eulogy shortly after the emperor's death in AD 337, is "often maligned for perceived factual errors, deemed by some so hopelessly flawed that it cannot be the work of Eusebius at all."[10] attribute this perceived flaw in this particular work as an effort at creating an overly idealistic hagiography, calling him a "Constantinian flunky"[11] since, as a trusted adviser to Constantine, it would be politically expedient for him to present Constantine in the best light possible. Byzantine Arian, 276-336, Arias ; Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". (250 or 256-336) was a Cyrenaic presbyter, ascetic, and priest best known for the doctrine of Arianism.[1][2] His teachings about the nature of the Godhead in Christianity, which emphasized God the Father's uniqueness and Christ's subordination under the Father,[3] and his opposition to what would become the dominant Christology, Homoousian Christology, made him a primary topic of the First Council of Nicaea convened by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325. Emperors Licinius and Constantine legalized and formalized the Christianity of the time in the Roman Empire, Constantine sought to unify the newly recognized Church and remove theological divisions.[4] The Christian Church was divided over disagreements on Christology, or the nature of the relationship between the first and second persons of the Trinity. Christians, including Athanasius of Alexandria, used Arius and Arianism as epithets to describe those who disagreed with their doctrine of coequal Trinitarianism, a Homoousian Christology representing God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son as "of one essence" ("consubstantial") and coeternal. writings describe Arius' theology as one in which there was a time before the Son of God, when only God the Father existed. concerted opposition, Arian Christian churches persisted throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, especially in various Germanic kingdoms, until suppressed by military conquest or voluntary royal conversion between the fifth and seventh centuries. Son's precise relationship with the Father had been discussed for decades before Arius' advent; Arius intensified the controversy and carried it to a Church-wide audience, where others like Eusebius of Nicomedia proved much more influential in the long run. fact, some later Arians disavowed the name, claiming not to have been familiar with the man or his specific teachings.[5][6] However, because the conflict between Arius and his foes brought the issue to the theological forefront, the doctrine he proclaimed—though had not originated—is generally labeled as "his". FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250);

Constantinople, 284-305, Martyr Eleutherius, Chamberlain at Emperor's Residence, became Christain, Church in his home, beheaded
Constantinople, 284-305, Martyr Eleutherius, Chamberlain at Imperial Palace, Constantinople, Emperor's Residence, became Christain, country estate Church in his home, betrayed by servant, beheaded by Maximian Hercules, relics in city of Theato; Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Holy Martyr Eleutherius served as the cubicularius (chamberlain) at the court of the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305). he accepted Christianity, he then settled on a country estate, and built a church at his home. of the servants reported to the emperor that Eleutherius had become a Christian. emperor ordered the saint to offer pagan sacrifice. The saint refused and for this he was beheaded. relics of Saint Eleutherius were at Constantinople, and afterwards transferred to Italy, to the city of Theato.

Constantinople, 284-305, Eleutherius, rich Roman Court manager, but thought eternal things , church iHome, Beheaded bMax Hercls
Constantinople, 284-305, Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), illustrious&rich chamberlain, emperor's household manager, but not fooled by worldly possessions & honors, but thought oImperishible&etermal, accepted baptism, daily psalmody&virtuous deeds, settled in country estate, church in his home, but his servant told pagan emperor (Maximian Hercules), who tried turn E from faith, then ordered behead him, throw body tDogs&vultures, but christian buried body; Constantinople; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 15; Holy Martyr Eleutherius Cubicularius was an illustrious and rich chamberlain [“cubicularius”] at the Byzantine court. all his courtly privileges, Eleutherius was not beguiled by worldly possessions and honors. he thought of imperishable and eternal things. accepted holy Baptism, he began daily to glorify God with psalmody and to adorn his life with virtuous deeds. one of his servants through diabolic promptings, informed against his master to the [then still pagan] emperor. emperor tried to turn Eleutherius from his faith in Christ, after the unsuccessful attempts the emperor gave orders to behead him, and to throw his body to be eaten by dogs and vultures. certain Christian priest took up the saint’s body and buried it. is a second commemoration of the martyr on August 4. Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Holy Martyr Eleutherius served as the cubicularius (chamberlain) at the court of the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305). he accepted Christianity, he then settled on a country estate, and built a church at his home. of the servants reported to the emperor that Eleutherius had become a Christian. emperor ordered the saint to offer pagan sacrifice. saint refused and for this he was beheaded. relics of Saint Eleutherius were at Constantinople, and afterwards transferred to Italy, to the city of Theato.

Constantinople, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (Isis River 3 Crossroads, Pontus&Neocaesarea on Kelkit)
Byzantium, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River) ; Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Constantinople, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki, myrrh-gusher, secret christian appointed to kill c, converted many
Macedonian Saint, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki; (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, Hágios Dēmḗtrios tēs Thessaloníkēs[a]), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer';[b] 3rd century – 306), was a Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with George of Lydda. His feast day is 26 October for Eastern Orthodox Christians, which falls on 8 November [NS] for those following the old calendar. In the Roman Catholic church he is most commonly called "Demetrius of Sermium" and his memorial falls on 8 October. Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Constantinople, 290-307, Lupus, slave of Demetrius of T, soaked with D's blood, took ring, worked miracles, destroyed idols
Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Constantinople, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin
Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Constantinople, 293-306, Byzantine Patriarch, Probus, no info
Byzantine Patriarch, 293-306, Probus ; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). His father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). Seeing the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. During a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. They were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. Seeing the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. After the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. And having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Soon Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. Thus, the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) Alexander. At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. At the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. He foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. He also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century.

Constantinople, 300-399, 4th Century, Folder, B. Empire, Legal Christianity, Arians, Goths

Constantinople, 305, Virgin Fausta aCyzikus, F's miracles convert her torturers Pagan Priest Evilansius & Governor Maximus
Constantinople, 305, Virginmartyr Fausta aCyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople), Pagan priest Evilasius ordered to turn Fausta away fChrist, he tortured her, no pain felt, locked in wooden trunk, E could not burn it or saw it, guarded bDevine power (light?), shaken E believed Power oGod, confessed himself Christian, eparch (governor) Maximus sent to investigate by Emperor Diocletian, M began torture E, E asked F pray, E endures, F thrown tVultures, they refuse touch F, F pierced wNails tHead&Other parts, F thrown boiling calsron wE, F&E pray for their torturers, Maximus sees their faith, converted, &prays fForgiveness, M thrown into Caldron with E&F; Cyzicus Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; - Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated on February 6: Holy Martyrs Fausta, Evilasius and Maximus, suffered during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian in the city of Cyzicus [Mezium], between 305-311. Fausta was raised by Christian parents. at a young age, she led a strict and virtuous life. that she was a Christian reached the governor, and the saint was sent to the eighty-year-old pagan priest Evilasius, who was ordered to turn the saint away from Christ. girl bravely confessed her faith and was subjected to many cruel tortures. by the Lord, she did not feel the pain. locked her up in a wooden trunk, the torturers got tired of trying to saw it and burn it in the fire. holy martyr, and even the trunk, remained unharmed, guarded by divine power. pagan priest Evilasius was shaken by the evident and manifest power of God, believed in the Savior and confessed himself a Christian. eparch Maximus was sent to investigate the matter for the emperor, he began to torture the old man who had come to believe in Christ. turned to Saint Fausta and asked her to pray for him, which he bravely endured the tortures. threw Saint Fausta to be eaten by vultures, the creatures would not touch her. thirteen-year-old girl was pierced with nails driven into her head and other parts of her body. they threw her into a boiling cauldron with Saint Evilasius. this time the martyrs prayed for their torturers. the faith and endurance of the saints, the eparch Maximus also was converted to Christ, prayed to God for the forgiveness of his sins. into the same cauldron in which Saints Fausta and Evilasius suffered, he shared with them the crown of martyrdom.

Byzantium, 305-311, Emperor Maximian Galerius, sack Persian capital, Across the Danube, Edict of Toleration
Byzantium, 305-311, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; (c. 258 -“ May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. Although he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor, Maximinus II Daia, in the East
Roman Emperor, 305-312, Maximinus II Daia; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ;

Constantinople, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated f martyr, survived being drug behind horse, died 20 yrs later 325
Constantinople, 305-325, Sisinius, Bishop of Cyzikus, slated for martyrdom, survived being drug behind a horse, died 20 yrs later in 325; Cyzicus Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Confessor Sisinius was Bishop of Cyzicus in what is now Turkey. During the persecution of Diocletian he was slated for martyrdom, having been tied behind a horse in an effort to drag him through the streets until death. Sisinius survived, however, and died in the year 325 AD.

Constantinople, 305-337, Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lo or Diospolis), George's relics, many miracles
Palestine, , Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lo or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1), George's relics, many miracles; Lydda or Lod; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydda, Commemorated on November 3; Christians built a new church in honor of Saint George at Lydda during the reign of Saint Constantine (305-337). the church was consecrated, the relics of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23) were transferred there, and many miracles took place before them.

Constantinople, 306-326, Metrophanes, first Byzantine Patriarch in 316, lived to 117, son of e's b
Byzantine Patriarch, 306-326, Metrophanes of Byzantium; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). His father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). Seeing the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. During a time of terrible persecution of Christians at Rome, Saint Dometius set off to Byzantium with two of his sons, Probus and Metrophanes. They were instructed in the law of the Lord by Bishop Titus, a man of holy life. Seeing the ardent desire of Dometius to labor for the Lord, Saint Titus ordained him presbyter. After the death of Titus first Dometius (272-303) was elevated to the bishop’s throne, and thereafter his sons, Probus (303-315) and in 316 Saint Metrophanes. emperor Constantine once came to Byzantium, and was delighted by the beauty and comfortable setting of the city. And having seen the holiness of life and sagacity of Saint Metrophanes, the emperor took him back to Rome. Soon Constantine the Great transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he brought Saint Metrophanes there. The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325 to resolve the Arian heresy. Constantine the Great had the holy Fathers of the Council bestow upon Saint Metrophanes the title of Patriarch. Thus, the saint became the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Metrophanes was very old, and was not able to be present at the Council, and he sent in his place the chorepiscopos (vicar bishop) Alexander. At the close of the Council the emperor and the holy Fathers visited with the ailing Patriarch. At the request of the emperor, the saint named a worthy successor to himself, Bishop Alexander. He foretold that Paul (at that time a Reader) would succeed to the patriarchal throne after Alexander. He also revealed to Patriarch Alexander of Alexandria that his successor would be the archdeacon Saint Athanasius. Metrophanes reposed in the year 326, at age 117. His relics rest at Constantinople in a church dedicated to him. should be noted that the Canons to the Holy Trinity in the Midnight Office in the Octoechos were not composed by this Metrophanes, but by Bishop Metrophanes of Smyrna, who lived in the middle of the ninth century. EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373);

Byzantium, 306-337, Emperor, Constantine, became emperor in roman britain at York, Legal Christianity in 316
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Constantinople, 306-337, Zoticus tKeeper oOrphans, Hospital funded bConstantine fLeprosy, Arian Son drug Z oStones, Spring there
Constantinople, 306-337, Zoticus tKeeper oOrphans, illustrious rich Roman wConstantine, 324 tConstantinople wC, ordained priest, in home destitute&Orphaned, funds fConstantine built hospital fSick&Homeless, saved leperors fSoldiers wDrowned them, Arian Constantius suceeded father C, thought Z bought jewels wThe money, shown tHospital angry had wild mules drag Z over stones, Pure water Spring there; Constantinople; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Hieromartyr Zoticus, Protector of Orphans, illustrious and rich Roman, in the service of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). the emperor transferred the capital from Rome to Constantinople, Zoticus also moved there. however, spurning worldly honors, Zoticus was ordained to the holy priesthood, and he began to provide for the destitute and orphaned in his own home. receiving funds from Saint Constantine, he built a place of treatment for the sick, a shelter for the homeless, where he took in those afflicted with leprosy, rescuing them from the soldiers who had been ordered to drown them in the sea. Saint Constantine’s son, Constantius (337-361), an adherent of the Arian heresy, succeeded his father, Zoticus was accused of receiving a large sum of money from the deceased emperor. asked about this, Zoticus showed the emperor the homeless and sick home he had built. became angry, for he thought that Zoticus had purchased jewels with the money received from his father, and he wanted them back. ordered Saint Zoticus to be tied to wild mules, which dragged the saint over the stones. His whole body was lacerated, and the saint gave up his soul to God. stream of pure water sprang forth at the place of his death, from which many received healing.

Byzantium, 308-324, Emperor, Licinius, Fake Christian then Last Pagan
Byzantine Emperor, 308-324, Licinius ; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30;

Byzantium, 308-324, Emperess, Flavia Julia Constantia, Constantine's half sister, Arian
Byzantine Emperess, 308-324, Flavia Julia Constantia; Byzantine Emperor, 308-324, Licinius ; 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated July 10 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates 'œthe General'Â, Commemorated on February 8; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10;

Constantinople, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder Palestine monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, defeated passions wWork&prayer
Palestine, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder palestinian monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, from Thabatha near Gaza&Cyprus, baptized iAlexandria, wtSketis, btMaium desert, violent struggles impure thoughts passions of flesh, defeated them through heavy laborfasting&prayer, overcame demonic terrors by prayer, converted thieves, famous for miracles, deliverance power, cured sick without pay, discerned sin passion by smell, monasteries spring up, he instituted strict rule, to Cyprus in 364; Palestine Saint, 311-371, Hilarion; the Great (291–371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, St Hilarion is considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism[1] and venerated as a saint by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hilarion the Great was born to pagan parents in the year 291 in the Palestinian village of Thabatha near Gaza. a young man, he was sent to Alexandria for his education. he became acquainted with Christianity and was baptized. hearing an account of the angelic life of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), Hilarion went to meet him, desiring to study with him and learn what is pleasing to God. soon returned to his native land to find that his parents had died. After distributing his family’s inheritance to the poor, Saint Hilarion went forth into the desert surrounding the city of Maium. the desert the Saint endured violent struggles with impure thoughts, vexations of the mind, and the burning passions of the flesh, he defeated them through heavy labor, fasting and fervent prayer. devil sought to frighten him with phantoms and apparitions. While he was praying Saint Hilarion would sometimes hear children crying, women wailing, and the roaring of lions and other wild beasts. understood that the demons were causing these terrors in order to drive him out of the wilderness. overcame his fear by resorting to fervent prayer. some thieves fell upon Saint Hilarion, and he persuaded them to forsake their lawless life by the power of his words. all of Palestine heard about Saint Hilarion and of the miracles he worked. Lord granted the holy ascetic the power to cast out unclean spirits. With this gift of grace he loosed the bonds of many of those who were afflicted. sick came for healing, and the Saint cured them without asking for any payment, saying that the grace of God is freely received, and must be freely given (Matthew 10:8). was the grace that he received from God that he could tell by the smell of someone’s body or clothing which passion was afflicting his soul. came to Saint Hilarion desiring to save their souls under his guidance. his blessing, monasteries began to spring up throughout Palestine. Going from one monastery to another, he instituted a strict ascetic manner of life. seven years before his death (+ 371-372) Saint Hilarion moved back to Cyprus, where the ascetic lived in a solitary place until the Lord summoned him to Himself. Hilarion is sometimes depicted holding a scroll which reads: "The tools of a monk are steadfastness, humility, and love according to God." In iconography, is depicted as an old man with a brown, rush-like beard divided into three points. Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 311-372, St constantia oPaphos, Unceasing prayer, Patroness oP, known for love oHilarion even after his death
Cyprus, , St constantia oPaphos, Cyprus, Unceasing prayer, Patroness of Paphos, known for her love for Hilarion even after his death ; Paphos; Saint Constantia of Paphos, Commemorated on August 25; Constantia was from the city of Paphos on the island of Cyprus, as Saint Jerome (Hieronymus) writes in his book On the Ecclesiastical Writers, was the disciple of Saint Hilarion the Great (October 21) who lived as an ascetic in a village in the Diocese of Paphos. Saint Jerome’s Life of Saint Hilarion (44), he tells us that Saint Hilarion saved her daughter and son-in-law from death by anointing them with oil. Saint Hilarion’s death, Constantia remained near his grave and struggled in asceticism, in imitation of the Saint, praying ceaselessly and striving for her spiritual fulfillment. her faith and her prayers to Saint Hilarion she was also found worthy of performing miracles. Constantia is also mentioned by the chronographer Cyprian while the Cypriot scholar Stephanos Luzinian (in the XVI century) reports that was regarded as the patroness of Paphos. Stephanos Luzinian writes about Saint Constantia: “Constantia, a very noble lady of the city of Paphos, was a disciple of the most holy Father Hilarion. She died of unbearable sadness when she heard of the death of her master and how his body had been stolen by his disciple Hesychius. faithful love is worthy of praise: not only did she love her master while he was still alive, but her great love for him continued even after his death.” Jerome also relates (Life of Saint Hilarion, 47) that when Saint Constantia received a message saying that Saint Hilarion’s body was in Palestine, “She immediately fell dead, thus attesting to her deep love for the servant of God. had become her custom to keep nightly vigils in the Saint’s sepulcher and converse with him as if he was there to aid her in her prayers.” Cypriot Menaion contains a complete Service in honor of Saint Constantia, and in her Troparion she is called “the Protectress of Paphos.”

Constantinople, 312, Indiction, Constantine's vision of the Cross, somewhere, Church New Year
Byzantium, 312, Indiction, Constantine's vision of the Cross, somewhere, Church New Year; Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ;

Constantinople, 313 and 323, Edict of Milan, freedom of religion
Edict of Milan, 313 Western Roman Empire and 323 extended to the Eastern Roman Empire; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Constantinople, 313-323, Patriarch, Macarius I, searched for the cross w Helen, Arian
Jerusalem Patriarch, 313-323, Macarius I ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 314-335, Roman Pope Sylvester I, famous debate converted 120 Jews, large churches, P supremacy Legend
Rome, 314-335, Roman Pope Sylvester I, famous debate converted 120 Jews, large churches, P supremacy Legend because close friend oConstantine, raised by mother, ed by presbyter, served strangers, incl persecuted bishop who converted many, buried him, prison for that, saved from execution bEmperor dying, converted many pagans, at 30 deacon&presbyter 296-304, Pope Bishop i314, built many churches, defeated 120 Rabbis in debate, Constantine&Helen there, stopped Zambres' sorcery, Z converted, died 335; Roman Pope, 314-335, Pope Sylvester I ; I (also Silvester, died 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 314 until his death. He was the 33rd pope of the Catholic Church.[2] filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, yet very little is known of him.[3] accounts of his pontificate preserved in the seventh- or eighth-century Liber Pontificalis contain little more than a record of the gifts said to have been conferred on the church by Constantine I,[4] although it does say that he was the son of a Roman named Rufinus.[5] feast is celebrated as Saint Sylvester's Day in Western Christianity on 31 December, while Eastern Christianity commemorates it on 2 January.[6] churches were founded and built during Sylvester I's pontificate, including Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, Old St. Peter's Basilica and several churches built over the graves of martyrs.[5][7] did not attend the First Council of Nicaea in 325, where the Nicene Creed was formulated, but he was represented by two legates, Vitus and Vincentius, and he approved the council's decision. of the Symmachian forgeries, the Vita beati Silvestri (c. 501–508), which has been preserved in Greek and Syriac (and in Latin in the Constitutum Silvestri), is an apocryphal alleged account of a Roman council, including legends of Sylvester's close relationship with the first Christian emperor. These also appear in the Donation of Constantine.[5] after his death, the figure of Sylvester was embroidered upon in a fictional account of his relationship to Constantine, which seemed to successfully support the later Gelasian doctrine of papal supremacy, papal auctoritas (authority) guiding imperial potestas (power), the doctrine that is embodied in the forged Donation of Constantine of the eighth century. In the fiction, of which an early version is represented in the early sixth-century Symmachean forgeries emanating from the curia of Pope Symmachus (died 514), the Emperor Constantine was cured of leprosy by the virtue of the baptismal water administered by Sylvester.[8] Sylvester I and Constantine in a 1247 fresco Emperor, abjectly grateful, not only confirmed the bishop of Rome as the primate above all other bishops, he resigned his imperial insignia and walked before Sylvester's horse holding the Pope's bridle as the papal groom. Pope, in return, offered the crown of his own good will to Constantine, who abandoned Rome to the pope and took up residence in Constantinople. doctrine behind this charming story is a radical one," Norman F. Cantor observes: "The pope is supreme over all rulers, even the Roman emperor, who owes his crown to the pope and therefore may be deposed by papal decree". Such a useful legend quickly gained wide circulation; Gregory of Tours referred to this political legend in his history of the Franks, written in the 580s.[9] Sylvester II, himself a close associate of Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, chose the name Sylvester in imitation of Sylvester I. of Saint Sylvester in the Abbey of Saint Sylvester in Nonantola the West, the liturgical feast of Saint Sylvester is on 31 December, the day of his burial in the Catacomb of Priscilla.[5] This is the last day in the year and, accordingly, in German-speaking countries and in some others close to them, New Year's Eve is known as Silvester. In some other countries, too, the day is usually referred to as Saint Sylvester's Day or the Feast of Saint Sylvester.[10] In São Paulo, Brazil, a long-distance running event called the Saint Silvester Road Race occurs every year on 31 December.[11] Sylvester I portrayed slaying a dragon and resurrecting its victims, a fresco by Maso di Banco The Donation of Constantine is a document fabricated in the second half of the eighth century, purporting to be a record by the Emperor himself of his conversion, the profession of his new faith, and the privileges he conferred on Pope Sylvester I, his clergy, and their successors. According to it, Pope Sylvester was offered the imperial crown, which, however, he refused.[12] Santu Papa Silvestru", a story in Giuseppe Pitrè's collection of Sicilian fables, recounts the legend as follows: Constantine the king wants to take a second wife, and asks Sylvester. Sylvester denies him permission, calling on heaven as witness; Constantine threatens him, and Sylvester, rather than give in, escapes into the woods. Not long after, Constantine falls ill; when he is desperate of ever regaining his health he has a dream which commands him to send for Sylvester. He obeys, and Sylvester receives Constantine's messengers in his cave and swiftly baptizes them, whereafter (having shown them several miracles) he is led back to Constantine, whom he baptizes also, and cures. In this story, Constantine and his entourage are not pagans but Jews.[13] legend has Sylvester slaying a dragon. He is often depicted with the dying beast.[14][15] St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Sylvester, Bishop of Rome (314-335) was born at Rome of Christian parents named Rufinus and Justa. father soon died, and the saint remained in the care of his mother. ’s teacher, the presbyter Quirinus, gave him a fine education and raised him as a true Christian. he was an adult, Sylvester fulfilled the Lord’s command to love one’s neighbor. often received strangers and travelers, serving them like a slave in his own home. a persecution against Christians, Sylvester did not hesitate to take in the holy confessor Bishop Timothy of Antioch, who dwelt with him for more than a year, and who converted many to Christ by his preaching. Timothy was arrested and executed on orders of the Prefect Tarquinius. secretly took the body of the saint and buried it. came to the attention of Tarquinius, and the saint was arrested and brought to trial. Tarquinius demanded that he renounce Christ, threatening him with torture and death. Sylvester was however not intimidated, and he remained steadfast in his confession of faith, was then thrown into prison. Tarquinius suddenly died after the trial, the saint was set free fearlessly he evangelized the pagans, converting many to Christianity. thirty years of age Saint Sylvester was ordained as a deacon, and then presbyter, by Bishop Marcellinus (296-304). the death of Bishop Militiades (or Melchiades, 311-314), Saint Sylvester was chosen Bishop of Rome. encouraged his flock to live in a righteous manner, and he insisted that priests strictly fulfill their duty, not be involved with secular businesses. Sylvester became renowned as an expert on Holy Scripture and as a staunch defender of the Christian Faith. the reign of the emperor Saint Constantine the Great, the period of persecution had ended for the Church, Jews arranged a public debate to determine which faith was true. Constantine and his mother, the holy Empress Helen, were present together with a large crowd. Sylvester spoke for the Christians, the Jews had one hundred and twenty learned rabbis led by Zambres, a magician and sorcerer. Quoting the sacred books of the Old Testament, Sylvester convincingly demonstrated that all the prophets foretold the birth of Jesus Christ from the all-pure Virgin, also His voluntary suffering and death for the redemption of the fallen race of mankind, His glorious Resurrection. saint was declared the victor in the debate. Zambres tried to resort to sorcery, the saint obstructed the evil by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. and the other Jews came to believe in Jesus Christ, and they asked to be baptized. Sylvester guided the Roman Church for more than twenty years, earning the esteem of his flock. died peacefully in old age in the year 335.

Constantinople, 318-373, Saint, Athanasius of Alexandria, Orthodox
Byzantine Saint, 318-373, Athanasius of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18;

Constantinople, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith; Alexandria; Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Constantinople, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world, his 5 exiles, A&C joint feast, their dogmatic writings correctly interpret scripture, censure heretics' delusions, A a young deacon at 1st EC, surpassed everyone, for orthodoxy, consubstantial (homoousios), not creature, enemies plotting, also May 2, childhood bishop story, real baptism, Patriarch Alexander looked after him, took him to Nicea 325, where Athan refuted Arius, Nicene Creed accepted but Arians hated him for it, wanted to kill him, read May 2 and Western stories below; Egyptian Patriarch, 318-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; St. Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics). St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, a great Father of the Church and a pillar of Orthodoxy. was born around the year 297 in the city of Alexandria into a family of pious Christians. received a fine secular education, he acquired more knowledge by diligent study of the Holy Scripture. his childhood, the future hierarch Athanasius became known to Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Alexandria (May 29). group of children, which included Athanasius, were playing at the seashore. The Christian children decided to baptize their pagan playmates. young Athanasius, whom the children designated as “bishop”, performed the Baptism, precisely repeating the words he heard in church during this sacrament. Alexander observed all this from a window. then commanded that the children and their parents be brought to him. conversed with them for a long while, and determined that the Baptism performed by the children was done according to the Church order. acknowledged the Baptism as real and sealed it with the sacrament of Chrismation. this moment, the Patriarch looked after the spiritual upbringing of Athanasius and in time brought him into the clergy, at first as a reader, and then he ordained him as a deacon. was as a deacon that Saint Athanasius accompanied Patriarch Alexander to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. the Council, Saint Athanasius refuted of the heresy of Arius. speech met with the approval of the Orthodox Fathers of the Council, the Arians, those openly and those secretly so, came to hate Athanasius and persecuted him for the rest of his life. the death of holy Patriarch Alexander, Saint Athanasius was unanimously chosen as his successor in the See of Alexandria. refused, accounting himself unworthy, at the insistence of all the Orthodox populace that it was in agreement, he was consecrated bishop when he was twenty-eight, installed as the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church. Athanasius guided the Church for forty-seven years, during this time he endured persecution and grief from his antagonists. times he was expelled from Alexandria and hid himself from the Arians in desolate places, they repeatedly tried to kill him. Athanasius spent more than twenty years in exile, to his flock, and then was banished again. was a time when he remained as the only Orthodox bishop in the area, moment when all the other bishops had fallen into heresy. the false councils of Arian bishops he was deposed as bishop. being persecuted for many years, the saint continued to defend the purity of the Orthodox Faith, he wrote countless letters and tracts against the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate (361-363) began a persecution against Christians, his wrath first fell upon Saint Athanasius, whom he considered a great pillar of Orthodoxy. intended to kill the saint in order to strike Christianity a grievous blow, but he soon perished himself. wounded by an arrow during a battle, he cried out with despair: “You have conquered, O Galilean.” Julian’s death, Saint Athanasius guided the Alexandrian Church for seven years and died in 373, at the age of seventy-six. works of Saint Athanasius have been preserved; Orations against the Arian heresy; an Epistle to Epictetus, bishop of the Church of Corinth, on the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ; Epistles to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, about the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son, directed against the heresy of Macedonius. apologetic works of the Saint in defense of Orthodoxy have been preserved, which is the Letter to the Emperor Constantius. Athanasius wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture, books of a moral and didactic character, well as a biography of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), with whom Saint Athanasius was very close. John Chrysostom advised every Orthodox Christian to read this Life. memory of Saint Athanasius is celebrated also on January 18 with Saint Cyril of Alexandria. ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. was born around AD 298, and lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the chief center of learning of the Roman Empire. St. Athanasius 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. six years later, a presbyter (elder, priest) Arius of Alexandria began to teach concerning the Word of God (John 1:1) that "God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist." was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, and a member of his household. reply to Arius was that the begetting, or uttering, of the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event. was condemned by the bishops of Egypt (with the exceptions of Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of Marmorica), went to Nicomedia, which he wrote letters to bishops throughout the world, stating his position. Emperor Constantine undertook to resolve the dispute by calling a council of bishops from all over the Christian world. council met in Nicea, just across the straits from what is now Istanbul, in the year 325, consisted of 317 bishops. accompanied his bishop to the council, and became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. party of Athanasius was overwhelmingly in the majority. western, or Latin, half of the Empire was very sparsely represented, but it was solidly Athanasian, so that if its bishops had attended in force, the vote would have been still more lopsided.) remained to formulate a creedal statement to express the consensus. initial effort was to find a formula from Holy Scripture that would express the full deity of the Son, equally with the Father. the Arians cheerfully agreed to all such formulations, having interpreted them already to fit their own views. of you who have conversed with members of the Watchtower Society, who consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Arius, will know how this works.) the Greek word "homo-ousios" "of the same substance, or nature, or essence") introduced, chiefly because it was one word that could not be understood to mean what the Arians meant. of the bishops present, although in complete disagreement with Arius, were reluctant to use a term not found in the Scriptures, eventually saw that the alternative was a creed that both sides would sign, each understanding it in its own way, that the Church could not afford to leave the question of whether the Son is truly God Arians said "a god") undecided. the result was that the Council adopted a creed which is a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, the Son to be "of one substance with the Father." the end, there were only two holdouts, the aforesaid Secundus and Theonas. a dramatic but historically accurate account of the Council of Nicea, see the play, The Emperor Constantine, by Dorothy L Sayers, available in book form.) sooner was the council over than its consensus began to fall apart. had expected that the result would be unity, found that the Arians would not accept the decision, that many of the orthodox bishops were prepared to look for a wording a little softer than that of Nicea, that sounded orthodox, but that the Arians would accept. sorts of compromise formulas were worked out, all shades of variation from the formula of Nicea. 328, Alexander died, and Athanasius succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria. refused to participate in these negotiations, (correctly as it turned out) that once the orthodox party showed a willingness to make reaching an agreement their highest priority, they would end up giving away the store. defended the full deity of Christ against emperors, magistrates, bishops, and theologians. this, he was regarded as a trouble-maker by Constantine and his successors, was banished from Alexandria a total of five times by various emperors. the expression "Athanasius contra mundum," or, "Athanasius against the world.") Christians who believed in the Deity of Christ came to see that once they were prepared to abandon the Nicene formulation, were on a slippery slope that led to regarding the Logos as simply a high-ranking angel. more they experimented with other formulations, clearer it became that only the Nicene formulation would preserve the Christian faith in any meaningful sense, so they re-affirmed the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, final triumph that Athanasius did not live to see. was a final triumph as far as councils of bishops were concerned, the situation was complicated by the fact that after Constantine there were several Arian emperors counting the Emperor Julian, who was a pagan, but correctly saw that the most effective way to fight Christianity was to throw all his weight on the side of the Arians). one of them Arian missionaries were sent to convert the Goths, became the backbone of the Roman Army composed chiefly of foreign mercenaries) the result that for many years Arianism was considered the mark of a good Army man. conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks, in 496, to orthodox Christianity gave the Athanasian party the military power to crush Arianism denied the Arian Goths the military supremacy that would have enabled them to crush Athanasian Christianity, on your point of view. Alexandria had the best astronomers, was the duty of the Bishop of Alexandria to write to the other bishops every year and tell them the correct date for Easter. his annual letter on this topic contained other material as well. Easter Letter (or Paschal Letter) of Athanasius is well known for giving a list of the books that ought to be considered part of the canonical Scriptures, a supplementary list of books suitable for devotional reading. the New Testament, he lists the 27 books that are recognized today. you will look at your list of New Testament books, you may note that Matthew through 2 Thessalonians were never in dispute, the next four were subject to relatively little dispute, that the remaining books had more trouble being accepted. were also a few books that looked as if they might make the list, but eventually did not, most conspicuous being the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas.) the Old Testament, his list is like that used by most Protestants, that he omits Esther, and includes Baruch, with the letter of Jeremiah. supplementary list is Wisdom, Sirach, Tobias, Judith, and Esther. He does not mention Maccabees. quotations from the writings of Athanasius follow: were made "in the likeness of God." in course of time that image has become obscured, like a face on a very old portrait, dimmed with dust and dirt. a portrait is spoiled, the only way to renew it is for the subject to come back to the studio and sit for the artist all over again. is why Christ came--to make it possible for the divine image in man to be recreated. were made in God's likeness; we are remade in the likeness of his Son. bring about this re-creation, Christ still comes to men and lives among them. a special way he comes to his Church, his "body", to show us what the "image of God" is really like. a responsibility the Church has, to be Christ's "body," showing him to those who are unwilling or unable to see him in providence, or in creation! the Word of God lived out in the Body of Christ they can come to the Father, and themselves be made again "in the likeness of God." If... it is by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ that death is trampled underfoot, it is clear that it is Christ Himself and none other Who is the Archvictor over death and has robbed it of its power. used to be strong and terrible, but now, since the sojourn of the Savior and the death and resurrection of His body, it is despised; and obviously it is by the very Christ Who mounted on the cross that it has been destroyed and vanquished finally. the sun rises after the night and the whole world is lit up by it, nobody doubts that it is the sun which has thus shed its light everywhere and driven away the dark. clear is it, this utter scorning and trampling down of death has ensued upon the Savior's manifestation in the body and His death on the cross, it is He Himself Who brought death to nought and daily raises monuments to His victory in His own disciples. can you think otherwise, you see men naturally weak hastening to death, at the prospect of corruption, fearless of the descent into Hades, even indeed with eager soul provoking it, not shrinking from tortures, but preferring thus to rush on death for Christ's sake, rather than to remain in this present life? you see with your own eyes men and women and children, even, thus welcoming death for the sake of Christ's religion, can you be so utterly silly and incredulous and maimed in your mind as not to realize that Christ, Whom these all bear witness, gives the victory to each, death completely powerless for those who hold His faith and bear the sign of the cross? one in his senses doubts that a snake is dead when he sees it trampled underfoot, especially when he knows how savage it used to be; if he sees boys making fun of a lion, does he doubt that the brute is either dead or completely bereft of strength. things can be seen with our own eyes, and it is the same with the conquest of death. no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, by Christ death was destroyed, the corruption that goes with it resolved and brought to end. by James Kiefer Note: Further information on Athanasius may also be found at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Constantinople, 320-337, Saint, Eustathius of Antioch, Orthodox
Byzantium, 320-337, Byzantine Saint, Eustathius of Antioch; St. Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21;; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24;

Constantinople, 320-435, Agathon of Egypt, exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men, He said yes that is true to monks lying about his sins, but no about being heretic
Egypt, 320-435, Agathon of Egypt, contemporary of Macarius the Great at Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert, 360, exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men, He said yes that is true to monks lying about his sins, but not about being heretic; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Agathon of Egypt, a contemporary of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19) and a disciple of Saint Lot (October 22), lived in asceticism in a skete in Egypt. was distinguished by exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men. monks who had heard of his discernment came to Saint Agathon to see if they could make him lose his temper. asked him, “Are you Abba Agathon, a fornicator and a proud man?” “Yes, that is true,” the monk replied. “Are you the Agathon who is always talking nonsense?” the monks inquired. “I am,” the saint agreed. “Are you Agathon the heretic?” the monks persisted. Agathon said, “I am not a heretic.” asked the saint why he agreed with them when they accused him of vices, but then denied this last charge. replied, “I accepted the first accusations, since that was beneficial for my soul. But heresy is separation from God, and I do not wish to be separated from God.” at his discernment, they returned to their monastery, edified. asked which was more important for salvation, bodily asceticism or interior vigilance, Saint Agathon said, “Man is like a tree. Bodily asceticism is the foliage, but interior vigilance is the fruit. Holy Scripture says that ‘every tree which does not bring forth good fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire’ (Mt.3:10). Therefore, we should focus our attention on the fruit. But a tree also needs the protection of its foliage, which is bodily asceticism.” Agathon died in about the year 435. For three days before his repose the monk sat in silence and concentration, as though disturbed about something. the monks questioned him, he answered that he saw himself before the Judgment Seat of God. “How is it possible that you, Father, should fear judgment?” they asked him. “I have done my best to keep the commandments of the Lord, but I am a man. How can I be certain that my deeds have been pleasing to God?” “Do you not trust that all the good deeds which you have accomplished are pleasing to God?” asked the monks. “I have no such hope until I see God. His judgment is not man’s judgment.” Having said this, the saint departed to the Lord. Agathon is commemorated on January 8 on the Greek calendar.

Constantinople, 320-356, Arias, Byzantine Arian
Byzantine Arian, 320-356, Arias ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397);

Constantinople, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading
Syria, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading Cyrrhus; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; Marcian of Cyrrhus lived during the fourth century. He went into the desert, where he lived for many years in solitude, unceasing prayer, and strict fasting. He built a small cell, and settled in it. saint never lit candles for reading at night when he fulfilled his Rule of prayer, for the cell was filled with a divine light. several years the monk accepted two disciples, settling them beside him, but he continued to live as a hermit. Patriarch Flavian of Antioch (February 18) and other bishops entreated the monk to abandon his strict solitude for the benefit of Christians, but he would not agree. while not quitting his cell, he taught those coming to him for instruction and he turned many away from heresy and led them to the Orthodox Faith. Before his end, Saint Marcian instructed his disciple Eusebius to bury him secretly far from his cell, in order to shun posthumous glory and avoid contention among those wanting his relics for nearby churches. Saint Marcian died in the year 388.

Constantinople, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria , withdrew t Nitria&Thebaid, Egypt
Syria, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Way of the Sea 17, Kings Highway 17), fPalestine, baptized at 18, became Monk, c Archbishop of Damascus, withdrew tAlexandria, Nitria, Theodore oNitria, withdrew (Thebaid); Damascus (Barada River foothills); Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; John, called Barsanuphius, was a native of Palestine. was baptized when he was eighteen years old, and later became a monk. of his ascetic life, Saint John was consecrated Archbishop of Damascus. of his love for the solitary life, Saint John gave up his position as hierarch and secretly withdrew to Alexandria, calling himself Barsanuphius. he went into the Nitrian desert, arrived at a monastery, and begged the igumen to accept him into the monastery to serve the Elders. conscientiously fulfilled this obedience by day, and spent his nights in prayer. of Nitria saw the monk, and knew that he was a bishop. Saint John concealed himself again and withdrew into Egypt, where he lived in asceticism until the end of his days.

Constantinople, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, Great long story otPower oHumility, For Example-why we say Lord Have Mercy
Egypt, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, fPtinapor, widowed, forsook worldly life, long life but death memory stayed with him, impelling prayer&Penitence, began frequent church&Holy scripture, but no leave aged parents, spent everything tHelp them, prayed for a salvation guide, experienced elder sent, who guided watchfulness, fasting, prayer, who taught basket weaving, Elder built separate cell near his own, setteled M in it, Bishop arrived aPtinapor & ordained him deacon, against his will, so M went another place, Devil attacked him, shaking his cell, suggesting terrible thoughts, M's sign otCross & Prayer repelled D, Evil Slander accusing seduction oNeighbor, M endured temptation, he sent his weaving money for her support, Innocence manifested when Woman suffered many days, not able give birth, so she confessed, revealed real father's name, E shunned praise by leaving before Parents could ask forgiveness, settled Mt Nitria iPharan Desert, so human wickedness again prospered righteous, after 3yrs tAnthony tGreat, Egyptian Monasticism Father, longed see him still alive, A received him, M became devoted disciple long time, then A advised him go tSkete monastery, there he came to be called Young Elder, not quite 30yr old, there survived many demon attacks, M Carrying palm branches, devil attackes him wSickle, repelled bPrayer& Sign otCross, D said you surpass me only in humility, at age 40 M ordained priest made head Sketis monk, M often visited A, spiritual conversations, present A's death, received A's staff and double portion A's spiritual power, like Elisha from Elijah, and mantle from fiery chariot like staff, so M worked m healings, people thronged, unsettled quiet, dug deeper cave under his cell, hid there, his prayers Lord raised dead, continued humility, caught thief stealing his things, helped him load them to his (M's) donkey, we don't bring anythin in tWorld, we don't take anything out, Skull Story -saw skull along road, who are you, I am chief pagan priest, when you pray for those in hell we receive mitigation from torments, what torments, we sit great fire, can't see each other, you pray we begin see each other, M wept asked more torments, skull answered -down below us are those who knew God but spurned him and did not keep commandments, they worse torments, Once while praying M heard a voice, two women in city have more perfect virtue than you, M found them, Women received him, we live w husbands, no such virtues, but M insisted, we married brothers, live together one house, 15 yrs, never quarrel, no malicious words, husbands denied request women's monastery, we vowed no worldly word till death, M glorifed God and said n truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself, He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved, during Valen's time Macarius tG& M oA persecuited by Arians, put them on ship going tPagan island, all inhabitants baptized, so they were returned tTheir monasteries, M lived to 90, Anthony & Pachomius appreared tHim shortly before death, announced death in 9days, f9days instructed disciples preserve monastic rule and Traditions otFathers, departed sayin Into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” Egyptian Saint, 320-391, Marcarius the Great; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Great of Egypt was born in the early fourth century the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.” Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. began to visit the church of God more frequently to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents. his parents died, Saint Macarius used his remaining substance to help them he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it. local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor knowing of the saint’s virtuous life, him to the diaconate against his will. Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his silence, so he went secretly to another place. Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and suggesting sinful thoughts. Macarius repelled the attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the Sign of the Cross. people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing a woman from a nearby village. dragged him out of his cell and jeered at him. Saint Macarius endured the temptation with great humility. a murmur, he sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support of the pregnant woman. innocence of Saint Macarius was manifested when the woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not able to give birth. confessed that she had slandered the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Saint Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the praise of men. fled from that place by night and settled on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert. human wickedness contributed to the prospering of the righteous. dwelt in the desert for three years, he went to Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the world, and he longed to see him. Anthony received him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple and follower. Macarius lived with him for a long time and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a young Elder,” he had distinguished himself as an experienced and mature monk, though he was not quite thirty years old. Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him. he was carrying palm branches for weaving baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to strike him with a sickle, he was not able to do this. said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do. You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.” the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living in the desert of Skete. these years, Saint Macarius often visited with Saint Anthony the Great, receiving guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of Saint Anthony and he received his staff. also received a double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he dropped from the fiery chariot. Macarius worked many healings. -- People thronged to him from various places for help and for advice, asking his holy prayers. this unsettled the quietude of the saint. therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and hid there for prayer and meditation. Macarius attained such boldness before God that, through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to preserve his unusual humility. time the holy abba caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near the cell. revealing that he was the owner of these things, the monk began to help tie up the load. removed himself from the world, the monk told himself, “We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord for all things!” Saint Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” skull answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you, Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.” monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not see one another. you pray, we begin to see each other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.” heard such words, the saint began to weep and asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His commandments. endure even more grievous torments.” while he was praying, Saint Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius, you have not yet attained such perfection in virtue as two women who live in the city.” humble ascetic went to the city, found the house where the women lived, and knocked. women received him with joy, and he said, “I have come from the desert seeking you in order to learn of your good deeds. Tell me about them, and conceal nothing.” women answered with surprise, “We live with our husbands, and we have not such virtues.” the saint continued to insist, and the women then told him, “We married two brothers. living together in one house for fifteen years, we have not uttered a single malicious nor shameful word, and we never quarrel among ourselves. asked our husbands to allow us to enter a women’s monastery, but they would not agree. vowed not to utter a single worldly word until our death.” Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.” the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens (364-378), Saint Macarius the Great and Saint Macarius of Alexandria were subjected to persecution by the followers of the Arian bishop Lucius. seized both Elders and put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only pagans lived. the prayers of the saints, the daughter of a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. this, the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were baptized. he heard what had happened, the Arian bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to return to their monasteries. meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” monk lived until the age of ninety. before his death, Saints Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him, bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in nine days. instructing his disciples to preserve the monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, blessed them and began to prepare for death. Saint Macarius departed to the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being dead to the world. spent most of his time in conversation with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. he never ceased to weep, to repent and to work. saint’s profound theological writings are based on his own personal experience. Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual wisdom. prayers composed by Saint Macarius the Great are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and also in the Morning Prayers. ’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with God, is a primary principle in the works of Saint Macarius. the methods for attaining mystical communion, the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. way to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with God is revealed to each believer’s heart. life, according to Saint Macarius, has only a relative significance: prepare the soul, to make it capable of perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland. “For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into another, divine nature, to be fashioned anew by the power of the Holy Spirit.” is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God and have observed all His holy commandments. one betrothed to Christ at Baptism not seek and receive the divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of darkness on the left side. does not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil and his angels” (Homily 30:6). the teaching of Saint Macarius, the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love. of us acquires salvation through grace and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, to attain a perfect measure of virtue, is necessary for the soul’s assimilation of this divine gift, possible only “by faith and by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by truth.” is a divine-human action, and we attain complete spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” the other hand, is not just within “the measure of freedom and purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, is not without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” participation of man determines the actual condition of his soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for great faith and for prayer, does not strive for the oneness of divine communion, it is unfit for the heavenly kingdom.” miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, his Life was compiled by Saint Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt), of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth century. holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.

Constantinople, 320-395, Onuphrius, longed to imitate, led by angel to old man, enlightened, struggle & care
Egyptian Saint, 320-395, Onuphrius; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. After four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. After several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. At sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. This was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Saint Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Abba Timothy prepared food and water for him. He related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. In his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Abba Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). Once a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. Having come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. When he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Saint Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. But he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. Instead, the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. He went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Saint Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. The sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. The Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. This was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. Having learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. In the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. When the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. After eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. After the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Saint Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Saint Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. Except for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. Each week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. Since it was Saturday, they had gathered together. After eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. As he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, but they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery.

Byzantium, 323-337, Emperor, Constantine the Great sole ruler in Constantinople
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

India, 323-337, Barlaam tMonk & Prince Ioasaph of India

Constantinople, 323-383, Frumentius t Archbishop of Abyssinia, Northwest Ethiopia, miracles from priesthood grace
Africa, East Africa, 323-383, Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia (Ethiopian Empire, Northwest Ethiopia, north of the rift, Ethiopian Highlands), miracles from grace of priesthood; Abyssinia: the Ethiopian Empire. Ethiopian Highlands ; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated November 30 ; Frumentius, Archbishop of Inda (Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia), a native of the city of Tyre. still a child, he came to Abyssinia by divine Providence. up near the imperial court, he became a friend and chief counselor of the Abyssinian emperor, and afterwards tutor to his son, who ascended the throne while still a minor after the death of his father. the consent of the new emperor, Saint Frumentius journeyed to his native land and afterwards visited Alexandria and its patriarch, Saint Athanasius the Great (May 2). the blessing of Saint Athanasius, Frumentius was elevated to become Bishop of Abyssinia and he returned to that country, which had sheltered him from his childhood. he returned from his consecration, Frumentius began to perform miracles, bringing many people to the Church. emperor said to him, “You have lived among us for many years, yet we never saw you perform such wonders. is it that you do so now?” saint replied, “This has nothing to do with me, but is due to the grace of the priesthood.” the emperor and many of his subjects received holy Baptism. accomplished the apostolic task of converting the Abyssinian nation to Christ, Saint Frumentius zealously and fruitfully guided the Church entrusted him by God for many years, then peacefully departed to the Lord in great old age.

Constantinople, 324-330, Constantinople Founding, closer Eastern Provinces, direct com West, boundary when he stops
Constantinople, 324-330, Founding of Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), closer to Eastern Provinces, with direct communication to the West, tracing boundaries w spear, how long?, when he stops, divine power, pagan monuments, Christian Capital for 1000 yrs; Constantinople; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11; 324 the holy Emperor Constantine (May 21) decided that the imperial capital had to be closer to the Eastern provinces, and yet have direct communication with the West. The city of Byzantium fulfilled these requirements, and on November 8, 324 the site of the new capital was consecrated. tells us that the Emperor was tracing the boundaries of the city with a spear, when his courtiers became astonished by the magnitude of the new dimensions of the capital. “Lord,” they asked, “how long will you keep going?” replied, “I shall keep going until the one who walks ahead of me stops.” they understood that the emperor was being guided by some divine power. There is an iconographic sketch by Rallis Kopsides showing an angel of the Lord going before Saint Constantine as he traces the new boundaries of the city. of the main buildings was begun in 325, and pagan monuments from Rome, Athens, and other cities were used to beautify the new capital. The need for the new city is partially explained by the changing requirements of government, the Germanic invasion of the West, and commercial benefits, but the new city was also to be a Christian capital. For this, a new foundation was required. 330, the work had progressed to the point where it was possible for Constantine to dedicate the new capital. The dedication took place on May 11, followed by forty days of joyous celebration. Christian Constantinople was placed under the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, and overshadowed pagan Byzantium. Saint Constantine was the first Emperor to submit voluntarily to Christ, and Constantinople became the symbol of a Christian Empire which lasted for a thousand years.

Constantinople, 325-340, Alexander, Patriarch, 1st E Council, punished Arius w prayer
Byzantine Patriarch, 325-340, Alexander of Constantinople; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Alexander, John and Paul, Patriarchs of Constantinople, lived at different times, but each of them happened to clash with the activities of heretics who sought to distort the teachings of the Church. Saint Alexander (325-340) was a vicar bishop during the time of Saint Metrophanes (June 4), the first Patriarch of Constantinople. of the patriarch’s extreme age, Alexander substituted for him at the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicea (325). Upon his death, Saint Metrophanes left instructions in his will to elect his vicar to the throne of Constantinople. these times His Holiness Patriarch Alexander had to contend with the Arians and with pagans. Once, in a dispute with a pagan philosopher the saint said to him, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ I command you to be quiet!” and the pagan suddenly became mute. When he gestured with signs to acknowledge his errors and affirm the correctness of the Christian teaching, then his speech returned to him and he believed in Christ together with many other pagan philosophers. The faithful rejoiced at this, glorifying God Who had given such power to His saint. heretic Arius was punished through the prayer of Saint Alexander. Arius had apparently agreed to enter into communion with the Orthodox. When the Emperor asked him if he believed as the Fathers of Nicea taught, he placed his hand upon his breast (where he had cunningly concealed beneath his clothes a document with his own false creed written upon it) and said, “This is what I believe!” Saint Constantine (May 21), unaware of the deceitful wickedness of Arius, set a day for receiving him into the Church. All night long Saint Alexander prayed, imploring the Lord not to permit this heretic to be received into communion with the Church. the morning, Arius set out triumphantly for the church, surrounded by imperial counselors and soldiers, but divine judgment overtook him. Stopping to take care of a physical necessity, his bowels burst forth and he perished in his own blood and filth, as did Judas (Acts 1:18). Holiness Patriarch Alexander, having toiled much, died in the year 340 at the age of 98. Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25) mentioned him afterwards in an encomium to the people of Constantinople. Service to Saint Alexander was printed in Venice in 1771. According to some ancient manuscripts, Saint Alexander ought to be commemorated on June 2. Today he is remembered together with the holy Patriarchs John the Faster (September 2) and Paul the New (eighth century). St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Constantinople, 325-364, Parthenius oLampsacus otHellespont, Bishop wCouldn't read, wonderworker, deliverance, raised m fDeath
Troy, 325-364, Parthenius tBishop oLampsacus otHellespont, fMelitopolis, father aDeacon, couldn't read but learned Scriptures well from church services, kind heart, example, gave fish to poor, grace filled a18, healed, cast out, other miracles, Learning about him, Melitopolis bishop gave him education, ordained him bishop, 325 Archbishop oKyzikos made him Bishop oLampsakos, many pagans, spread Christ, miracles confirmed, healing sick, people converted, Parthenius tRome Emperor asking for money tBuild Church, E gave him authority destroy pagan temples and money build church, he returned, destroyed temples, built beautiful church middle oLamp, moved large mable stone fTemple to be Church altar, devil overturned the wagon, stone killed driver Eutykhianos, P resurrected E, shaming tDevil, P's mercy, never refused heal any came to him, or people on roads wBodily ailments or possessed, People stopped going to doctors, P cast out demons by great power name oChrist, one demon asked P another place to live, P promised show him place, come dwell in me, as if scorched by fire, demon said how shall I enter house oGod?, then divine fire (light?) drove him to fire oGehenna, thus many idolaters converted, P's skull in Espigmenou Athos, other relics on Cyprus, Euboea Island Greece, (P Replaced by Marcion 364) ; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated February 7; Parthenios, the Bishop of Lampsakos, from the city of Melitopolis (Asia Minor), his father Christopher served as a deacon. young man could not read, but he learned the Holy Scriptures well, by attending the Divine Services in church. had a kind heart and, when he went fishing, he distributed the proceeds to the poor. with the grace of God from the age of eighteen, Saint Parthenios healed diseases, cast out demons, and worked other miracles in Christ's name. about the virtuous life of the young man, Philip of Melitopolis gave him an education and ordained him as a presbyter. 325, during the reign of Constantine the Great, Archbishop Achilles of Kyzikos appointed him as Bishop of Lampsakos (in Asia Minor). pagans lived in the city, and the Hierarch was diligent in spreading the faith in Christ, and confirming it with many miracles and healings of the sick, according to God's will. abandoned their pagan beliefs, and Bishop Parthenios visited Emperor Constantine the Great, requesting him to permit the destruction of pagan temples so that Christian churches could be built in their place. Emperor received him with honor, and gave him a document authorizing him to destroy pagan temples, and provided him with the means to build a church. to Lampsakos, Bishop Parthenios ordered the destruction of the pagan temples and built a beautiful church in the middle of the city. a large marble stone in one of the ruined temples, suitable for the Holy Altar in the church, the Bishop ordered work to begin on the stone so that it could be put on a wagon and taken to the church. of malice, the devil, who was enraged because the stone had been removed from the temple, overturned the wagon, and the stone killed the driver Eutykhianos. Parthenios resurrected him by his prayers, and shamed the devil, who wanted to obstruct God's work. Hierarch's mercy was so great that he never refused to heal any of those who came to him, or the people he met on the roads, who were suffering from bodily ailments and possessed by unclean spirits. stopped going to doctors, because Saint Parthenios freely healed every illness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. the great power of the name of Christ, the Hierarch cast out many demons from people, houses, and the waters of the sea. the Bishop exorcised a demon from a certain man who had been possessed since childhood, the unclean spirit begged Saint Parthenios to give him another place to live. Saint promised to show him such a place and, opening his mouth, he said to the demon: "Come and dwell in me." if scorched by fire, the demon cried out, "How shall I enter the house of God?" and disappeared into desolate and impassable places. by the Saint the unclean spirit shouted that Divine fire (light?) was driving him into the fire of Gehenna. by showing people the great power of faith in Christ, the Saint converted many idolaters to the only true God. Saint's skull is located in the Monastery of Espigmenou on Mount Athos. of the Saint's relics are to be found in the Monasteries of the Great Cave at Kalavryta, Rovelistas of Arta, and Kykkos on Cyprus. of the Saint's skull is kept in the Holy Monastery of Makrymallē (Μακρυμάλλη). in the Holy Metropolis of Chalkida, in the center of the island of Euboea in Greece.

Constantinople, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, Armenia, mother of 5 Saints
Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 325-375, Saint Emmelίa oCappadocia, 5 saint children, many sorrows but faith courage patience, taught bExample
Armenia, 325-375, Saint Emmeleίa (Emmilia) oCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), fPious family, father martyr, 5 saint children, many sorrows but faith courage patience, taught by example; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Saint Emmeleίa, Commemorated on May 30; Emmeleia was from a pious family of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Her father became a Martyr during the last persecutions. life was a good root which produced sweet fruits children) who emerged as prominent members of society, and most of them were also Saints of the Church, such as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebasteίa, the nun Makrina, and the monk Naukratios. a holy root come holy shoots; that is, from holy parents come blessed and holy children. Emmeleίa experienced many sorrows in her life, as is usually the case with the elect. of these were the death of her parents, even before she married, death of her husband, soon as their son Peter was born, the untimely death of her son Naukratios, raising her children alone in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, she faced these with exemplary faith, courage, and patience. taught her children mainly by her own example. Along with her milk, she gave them the unadulterated milk of faith, and taught them the mysteries of the Church. ended her days in a Monastery, where her daughter Saint Makrina (July 19) was the Igoumeness. Emmeleίa is commemorated on January 1 in Slavic usage, and on May 30 in Greek usage.

Constantinople, 325-382, Theophilus, First Gothic Bishop
Byzantine Period, Gothic Bishop, 376-382, Theophilus, First Gothic Bishop; Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4;

Constantinople, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic, Egyptian Saint, preserved in torture, saved many 546, floated w stone
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. The saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree. Paphnutius is also commemorated on September 25.

Constantinople, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic, accounts lives hermits like Onuprius, Macarius' disciple
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Paphnutius the Ascetic, also known as Paphnutius the Hermit, was an Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century. He is most famous for his accounts of the lives of many hermits of the Egyptian desert, such as Saint Onuphrius. Paphnutius was the disciple of Saint Macarius the Great who was an anchorite in the Egyptian desert.[1] feast is celebrated on 15 February and 25 September in the Orthodox Church in America.[2] In Coptic Christianity, his feast is observed on 15 Meshir.[3] was visited by Cassian in 395, when he was ninety.[4] is also the subject of the play Paphnutius by Hrosvit (ca. 935-ca. 1001), a Benedictine nun from Saxony, in which he converts the courtesan Thais to Christianity. This play in turn has become the subject of study, most notably by Sandro Sticca. Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. The saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree. Paphnutius is also commemorated on September 25. Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. After four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. After several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. At sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. This was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Saint Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Abba Timothy prepared food and water for him. He related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. In his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Abba Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). Once a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. Having come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. When he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Saint Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. But he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. Instead, the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. He went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Saint Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. The sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. The Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. This was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. Having learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. In the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. When the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. After eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. After the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Saint Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Saint Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. Except for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. Each week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. Since it was Saturday, they had gathered together. After eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. As he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, but they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery.

Constantinople, 325-395, Pharmutius, John the Hermit's mentor
Egypt, 3325-395, Egyptian Saint, Pharmutius; Pharmutius, according to the Prologue from Ohrid, was the spiritual mentor of Venerable John the Hermit of Armenia circa the fourth century. Pharmutius' holiness was such that angels brought him his daily bread, which in Christian love he shared with his hermit brother John who lived in strict seclusion. Pharmutius is remembered along with John the Hermit by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 29 March. Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29; John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. time to time John secretly visited a nearby monastery, thereby placing himself in danger. Once, a pious old man advised him to find a more secluded place for prayer. Returning home, the saint told his mother that he was going to visit the Elder. Thinking that her son would soon return, she let him go. went to the desert-dweller Pharmutios and received his blessing to live alone in the wilderness. The young ascetic found an abandoned well, which was filled with snakes, scorpions and other vile creatures. He lowered himself into the well and lived there for ten years in fasting, vigil, and prayer. angel who brought food to the hermit Pharmutios also brought bread for Saint John. The angel did not bring the bread directly to John, however, lest the young ascetic become filled with pride. Food was sent to him through his spiritual Father, Pharmutios. John had many temptations from the devil to test him. Demons assumed the appearance of his mother, his sister, his relatives and acquaintances in order to sadden the ascetic and compel him to give up his ascetic struggles. With tears they approached the well one after the other, begging Saint John to leave with them. All this time the saint did not cease to pray. Finally he said, “Be gone from me,” and the demons vanished. John lived in the well until the time of his blessed repose. Through God’s providence Saint Chrysikhios, who had struggled in the desert for thirty years, came to bury him. On the eve of his repose, Saint John told Chrysikhios of his life and struggles for salvation. After his death, numerous miracles occurred at the place of his ascetic deeds.

Constantinople, 325-395, John oEgypt +3, fOxyrh, led bAngel tDesert Elder, fruit trees spring water, struggle separately
Egypt, 325-395, John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid to Timothy, Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, &Others, then to Onuphrius tGreat, then to these four, beautiful oasis w spring&fruit bearing trees, several days fOxyrhynchus, radiant man wHeavenly glory (Angel) led them to desert Elder, struggled separately till common prayer Saturday Sunday, Angel appeared then wHoly Mysteries, Angel's words Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, P wanted to stay but Angel led another path to tell about tHermits; Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and are mentioned in the life of Saint Onuphrius. he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory had met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus are also commemorated on June 12 with Saint Onuphrius.

Constantinople, 325-395, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid Hermits
Egypt, 325-395, John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid to Timothy, Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, &Others, then to Onuphrius tGreat, then to these four, beautiful oasis w spring&fruit bearing trees, several days fOxyrhynchus, radiant man wHeavenly glory (Angel) led them to desert Elder, struggled separately till common prayer Saturday Sunday, Angel appeared then wHoly Mysteries, Angel's words Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, P wanted to stay but Angel led another path to tell about tHermits; Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and are mentioned in the life of Saint Onuphrius. he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory had met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus are also commemorated on June 12 with Saint Onuphrius. Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Timothy prepared food and water for him. related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. it was Saturday, they had gathered together. eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Venerable John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, Commemorated on June 12; story as Dec 2 St John of Egypt. See it above Andrew, John, Heraclemon, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and is mentioned in the Life of Saint Onuphrius. After he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. A man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). The youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Saint Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. Having bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Saint John is also commemorated on December 2

Constantinople, 325-375, Pambo, hunger every day, silence and handcrafts, great ascetic and mentor
Egypt, 325-375, Saint, Pambo; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Pambo lived the ascetic life in the Nitrian desert in Egypt. Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) said, that the Monk Pambo by the fear of God inspired within himself the Holy Spirit. And the Monk Pimen the Great (August 27) said: “We beheld three things in Father Pambo: hunger every day, silence and handcrafts”. The Monk Theodore the Studite termed Saint Pambo “exalted in deed and in word.” the beginning of his monasticism, Saint Pambo heard the verses from the 38th [39th] Psalm of David: “preserve mine path, that I sin not by my tongue”. These words sank deep into his soul, and he attempted to follow them always. Thus, when they asked him about something, he answered only after long pondering and prayer. He would say, “I must think first, and perhaps I can, in time, give an answer, with God’s help.” Saint Pambo was a model of a lover of work for his disciples. Each day he worked until exhausted, and lived by the bread acquired by his own toil. disciples of Saint Pambo became great ascetics: Dioscorus, afterwards Bishop of Hermopolis (this Dioscorus, bishop of Hermopolis, is distinguished from another Dioscorus, an arch-heretic and Patriarch of Constantinople who lived rather later and was condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Council), and also Ammonius, Eusebius and Euthymius, mentioned in the life of Saint John Chrysostom. One time Saint Melania the Younger (December 31) brought Saint Pambo a large amount of silver for the needs of the monastery, but he did not leave off from his work nor even glance at the money that was brought. Only after the incessant requests of Saint Melania did he permit her to give the alms to a certain monastic brother for distribution to the needs of the monastery. Saint Pambo was distinguished by his humility, but together with this he highly esteemed the vocation of monk and he taught the laypeople to be respectful of monastics, who often converse with God. was said that sometimes Saint Pambo’s face shone like lightning, as did the face of Moses. Yet, speaking to the brethren who stood about his deathbed, Saint Pambo said: “I go to the Lord as one who has not yet begun to serve Him.” He died at the age of 70.

Constantinople, 325-395, Thais, repentant courtesan, famous beauty, prostitute, Paphnutius paid and warned her
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Thais; Thais of fourth-century Roman Alexandria and of the Egyptian desert was a repentant courtesan. Thais reportedly lived during the fourth century in Roman Egypt. Her story is included in hagiographic literature on the lives of the saints in the Greek church. such biographical sketches exist. first, in Greek, perhaps originated during the fifth century. It was translated into Latin as the Vita Thaisis [Life of Thais] by Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little) during the sixth or seventh century. The other sketch comes to us in medieval Latin from Marbod of Rennes (d. 1123). Thais also appears in Greek martyrologies by Maurolychus and Greven, however, not in Latin martyrologies.[1] The lives of the desert saints and hermits of Egypt, including St. Thais, were collected in the Vitae Patrum (Lives of the Desert Fathers).[2][3] Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; Thais of Egypt, raised by her mother in a spirit far removed from Christian piety, led a depraved and dissolute life. She was famed for her beauty, leading many on the path to perdition. account about the prodigal Thais spread throughout all Egypt and reached even Saint Paphnutius, a strict ascetic who had converted many to salvation. Paphnutius dressed himself in worldly attire and went to Thais, giving her money as though he wished to pay for her favors. He pretended to be afraid that someone would see them, so he asked her if there were a place they would not be discovered. Thais said that they could lock the door and enjoy complete privacy. “But if you fear God,” she said, “there is no place where you can hide from Him.” Seeing that she knew about God and the punishment of the wicked, the Elder asked why she led a sinful life and enticed others to ruin their souls. He told her about the eternal punishment she would have to face for her own sins, and for the people who had been corrupted and destroyed by her. words of Saint Paphnutius so affected the sinner that she gathered up all her riches acquired through her shameful life, then set them afire in the city square. Then Saint Paphnutius shut her up in a small cell, where for three years she dwelt in seclusion. Turning toward the East, Thais constantly repeated the short prayer, “My Creator, have mercy on me!” “From the moment I entered into the cell,” said Thais to the Elder before her death, “all my sins constantly were before my eyes, and I wept when I remembered them.” Paphnutius replied “It is for your tears, and not for the austerity of your seclusion, that the Lord has granted you mercy.” Thais was ill for three days, then fell asleep in the Lord. So this woman, who had been a harlot and a sinner, has entered the Kingdom of God before us (Mt. 21:31). Saint Paul the Simple (October 4) saw in a vision the place prepared for the penitant Thais in Paradise. St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15;

Constantinople, 325-395, John the Anchorite, the Hermit, Juliana's son, abandoned well w snakes for 10 years, angel b food
Egypt, 325-395, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29; John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. time to time John secretly visited a nearby monastery, thereby placing himself in danger. Once, a pious old man advised him to find a more secluded place for prayer. Returning home, the saint told his mother that he was going to visit the Elder. Thinking that her son would soon return, she let him go. went to the desert-dweller Pharmutios and received his blessing to live alone in the wilderness. The young ascetic found an abandoned well, which was filled with snakes, scorpions and other vile creatures. He lowered himself into the well and lived there for ten years in fasting, vigil, and prayer. angel who brought food to the hermit Pharmutios also brought bread for Saint John. The angel did not bring the bread directly to John, however, lest the young ascetic become filled with pride. Food was sent to him through his spiritual Father, Pharmutios. John had many temptations from the devil to test him. Demons assumed the appearance of his mother, his sister, his relatives and acquaintances in order to sadden the ascetic and compel him to give up his ascetic struggles. With tears they approached the well one after the other, begging Saint John to leave with them. All this time the saint did not cease to pray. Finally he said, “Be gone from me,” and the demons vanished. John lived in the well until the time of his blessed repose. Through God’s providence Saint Chrysikhios, who had struggled in the desert for thirty years, came to bury him. On the eve of his repose, Saint John told Chrysikhios of his life and struggles for salvation. After his death, numerous miracles occurred at the place of his ascetic deeds.

Constantinople, 326, Uncovering the Cross, Saint Helen andHieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Constantinople, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus t Patriarch, Uncovered t Cross with Saint Helen, a Jew till discovery miracle
Jerusalem, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch, Uncovered the Cross with Saint Helen; Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was a Jew who pointed out to the holy Empress Helen the place where the Life-Creating Cross of Christ lay buried (September 14). present at the discovery of the Cross, Cyriacus (before Baptism he was named Jude) sincerely came to believe in Christ the true God, and he became a Christian. because of his pure and virtuous life, was later chosen to be Patriarch of Jerusalem. He suffered martyrdom under the emperor Julian. the cruel persecution under Julian the Apostate, in the year 363, Saint Cyriacus accepted suffering for the Faith. He was killed after prolonged tortures. Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Holy Empress Helen uncovered the Precious Cross and Nails of the Lord at Jerusalem in 326. the beginning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, he and his pious mother Saint Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with the Savior’s death and Resurrection from the foul taint of paganism. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold. Saint Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the restoring the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen began to destroy all the pagan temples and reconsecrate the places which had been defiled by the pagans. her quest for the Life-Creating Cross, she questioned several Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, an elderly Hebrew named Jude told her that the Cross was buried beneath the temple of Venus. Saint Helen ordered that the pagan temple be demolished, and for the site to be excavated. Soon they found Golgotha and the Lord’s Sepulchre. Not far from the spot were three crosses, a board with the inscription written by Pilate (John 19:19), and four nails which had pierced the Lord’s Body. the task was to determine on which of the three crosses the Savior had been crucified. Patriarch Macarius saw a dead person being carried to his grave, then he ordered that the dead man be placed upon each cross in turn. When the corpse was placed on the Cross of Christ, he was immediately restored to life. After seeing the raising of the dead man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross had been found. With great joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius lifted the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about.

Constantinople, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian, teacher of repentence, fighter, preacher, anti-arian, hymns
Syria, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation. he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits. This form of Christian asceticism had been introduced by a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great, the Egyptian desert dweller Eugenius. James of Nisibis (January 13) was a noted ascetic, a preacher of Christianity and denouncer of the Arians. Saint Ephraim became one of his disciples. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, Saint Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God’s will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephraim with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). Saint Ephraim was in obedience to Saint James for fourteen years, until the bishop’s death in 338. the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, Saint Ephraim went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. became especially close to the ascetic Julian (October 18), who was of one mind with him. Saint Ephraim combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation. Both verbally and in writing, Saint Ephraim instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity. also wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. “Five Books”) of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church’s liturgical services. Famous prayers of Saint Ephraim are to the Most Holy Trinity, to the Son of God, and to the Most Holy Theotokos. He composed hymns for the Twelve Great Feasts of the Lord (the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism, the Resurrection), and funeral hymns. Saint Ephraim’s Prayer of Repentance, “O Lord and Master of my life...”, is recited during Great Lent, and it summons Christians to spiritual renewal. ancient times the Church has valued the works of Saint Ephraim. His works were read publicly in certain churches after the Holy Scripture, as Saint Jerome tells us. At present, the Church Typikon prescribes certain of his instructions to be read on the days of Lent. Among the prophets, Saint David is the preeminent psalmodist; among the Fathers of the Church, Saint Ephraim the Syrian is the preeminent man of prayer. His spiritual experience made him a guide for monastics and a help to the pastors of Edessa. Saint Ephraim wrote in Syriac, but his works were very early translated into Greek and Armenian. Translations into Latin and Slavonic were made from the Greek text. many of Saint Ephraim’s works we catch glimpses of the life of the Syrian ascetics, which was centered on prayer and working in various obediences for the common good of the brethren. The outlook of all the Syrian ascetics was the same. The monks believed that the goal of their efforts was communion with God and the acquisition of divine grace. For them, the present life was a time of tears, fasting and toil. “If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.” spiritual sobriety, the developing of good within man’s soul gives him the possibility to take upon himself a task like blessedness, and a self-constraint like sanctity. The requital is presupposed in the earthly life of man, it is an undertaking of spiritual perfection by degrees. Whoever grows himself wings upon the earth, says Saint Ephraim, is one who soars up into the heights; whoever purifies his mind here below, there glimpses the Glory of God. In whatever measure each one loves God, he is, by God’s love, satiated to fullness according to that measure. Man, cleansing himself and attaining the grace of the Holy Spirit while still here on earth, has a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. To attain to life eternal, in the teachings of Saint Ephraim, does not mean to pass over from one realm of being into another, but rather to discover “the heavenly,” spiritual condition of being. Eternal life is not bestown on man through God’s one-sided efforts, but rather, it constantly grows like a seed within him by his efforts, toils and struggles. pledge within us of “theosis” (or “deification”) is the Baptism of Christ, and the main force that drives the Christian life is repentance. Saint Ephraim was a great teacher of repentance. The forgiveness of sins in the Mystery of Repentance, according to his teaching, is not an external exoneration, not a forgetting of the sins, but rather their complete undoing, their annihilation. The tears of repentance wash away and burn away the sin. Moreover, they (i.e. the tears) enliven, they transfigure sinful nature, they give the strength “to walk in the way of the the Lord’s commandments,” encouraging hope in God. In the fiery font of repentance, the saint wrote, “you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead.” Ephraim, accounting himself as the least and worst of all, went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them. On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with Saint Basil the Great (January 1), who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of Saint Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death. Later on, Saint Basil invited Saint Ephraim to accept a bishop’s throne, but the saint feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it. his return to his own Edessa wilderness, Saint Ephraim hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need. From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. Saint Ephraim then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days.

Byzantium, 330-1453, Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire, the Roman Empire of Late Anitquity and Middle Ages; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, Senator, gave all, Archimandrite 2 monasteries, died 380, strict ascetic monk 40yrs
Syria, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, fZeugma, Syria iGreater Armenia (Euphrates River 3), Syrian Senator, renounced world, gave possessions, became monk, ascetical life mountain cave Syrian wilderness, founded 2 monasteries, 1Greek, 1Syrian, so eventually Archimandrite, died 380, though elevated remained strict ascetic 40yrs; Zeugma, Syria; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Publius of Syria was born in the city of Zeugma on the Euphrates and was a senator. the world, he gave away his possessions, became a monk, and lived an ascetical life in a cave on a mountain in the Syrian wilderness. Publius founded two monasteries: one for Greeks, and another for Syrians. died in the year 380. his disciples, Saints Theoteknos, Theodotus, Gregory, and Aphthonius were particularly known for the sanctity of their life. Publius guided the monastery for over forty years and was eventually made an archimandrite. elevated in rank, he changed neither his garb nor his manner of life, but remained a strict ascetic.

Constantinople, 330-429, Peter tHermit, fBlack Sea, down to Galatia, then mts oAntioch, performed miracles like Christ
Syria, 330-429, Peter tHermit, oAntioch, Syria, fBlack Sea, down to Galatia, then tPalestine, then to mts oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), able to perform miracles like Christ, even his clothes had miraculous power, like Paul's handkerchiefs, people came, gift of having demons his subjects, delivered Daniel who later co-struggler with him, healed 23 yr old mother of historian bishop oCyprus, her incurable eye disease, first cured fondness fine clothing, we dishonor God's creation by defacing it, she repented, asked for prayer, he put hand on eye made sign otCross, healed her, he blinded magistrate who wanted rape nun, historian Bishop Theodoret wrote his life reported many other great miracles, Peter lived 99yrs; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Peter of Galatia lived during the IV-V century, and came from the region of the Black Sea. a young age was distinguished by his fervent piety and his determination to acquire spiritual treasures. he was seven years old, he went to Galatia and then to Palestine, where his faith grew even stronger. the second quarter of the IV century, He lived an ascetical life in the mountains, had been glorified by so many great spiritual athletes and teachers of Christianity. Peter was able to perform miracles, just as Christ did, that even his garments had miraculous power, just as the Apostle Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons did (Acts 29:22). did not take long for his spiritual fruits to be noticed, many people came to him, reaping valuable advice and solace for the wounds of their souls, which were very difficult to cure. of his great virtue, he also received from God the gift (charism, χάρισμα) of having demons subject to him. delivered a possessed man named Daniel from the demons, he instructed in asceticism, and then accepted him as his co-struggler. he healed the mother of the historian Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus, devout woman who suffered from an incurable disease in one eye. about Saint Peter's gift of working miracles, she hoped that he would heal her of this terrible affliction. mother was only twenty-three years old when she went to see him. was very beautiful, and she wore a lot of make-up, an expensive silk dress, and gold bracelets on her arms, as well as gold rings in her ears. the holy monk looked at her, he discerned some good soil (Matthew 13:8) in her for a word of profitable instruction, decided that first he would cure her fondness for fine clothing. said, "My child, just as a painter who does not paint according to the rules of his art, but as he pleases, insults the art of painting, do those who cover their faces with red, white, or black paint, offend the Creator; in this way they seem to accuse Him of imperfection in His creation, He has the power to do as He wishes. the Prophet-King David wrote: that the Lord willed, He created' (Psalm 134/135:6). He gives to everyone everything that is useful, and nothing which is harmful. Do not disfigure the divine image created by God." monk's words fell on fertile ground and produced good fruit. young woman fell at the ascetic's feet and begged him to pray for her and to heal her. Peter replied, "If you have firm faith in God's help, you will be cured of your illness; for God is always ready to grant the petitions of a believing soul." he placed his hand on the afflicted eye and, making the Sign of the Cross, he healed her. Saint once blinded a city magistrate, who wanted to rape a certain nun, thereby preventing him from carrying out his unholy desire. Peter performed many other great miracles, as Bishop Theodoret (who wrote his Life) relates. living in a God-pleasing manner for ninety-nine years, Saint Peter surrendered his soul to God and received the reward for his spiritual and ascetical labors in the year 429 at the age of 95 (or 99, according to other sources). Greek usage, Saint Peter is commemorated on November 25. should not be confused with the other Saint Peter of Galatia, who lived during the IX century, and is commemorated on October 9.

Constantinople, 333-383, Isaac of Dalmatia Monastery, divine visions, Arian Valens fiery death prophecy, loved bTheo tG, 2nd EC
Constantinople, 333-383, Isaac of Dalmatia Monastery, Constantinople, spiritual perfection, divine visions, Valens became Arian, to Goths attack, I tried to change his mind, prophecied V's fiery death, I into prison until back, new emperor Theodosius tG loved I, banned Arianism, 2nd E Council against Arianism, died ripe old age ; Isaac of Dalmatia; Isaac the Confessor, also Isaacius or Isaakios (died May 30, 383 AD), of the Dalmatian Monastery in Constantinople, a Christian monk who is honored as a saint and confessor. is sometimes referred to as Isaac the Dalmatian, not because he came from Dalmatia, but because of the monastery which he founded. Saint Isaac's Cathedral on Saint Isaac's Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia to some accounts, Isaac was a Syrian, but this is uncertain.[1] Certain details about his early life are unknown but history records that Isaac had been a hermit living in a small hut in the wilderness outside of Constantinople. the year 378, when he heard that the Roman emperor Valens had fallen into the heresy of Arianism and was persecuting the Nicene Christians, deposing bishops, closing some churches, and turning others over to the Arians, Isaac went into the imperial city to confront the emperor. the time, Valens was preparing a military campaign against the Goths. several attempts to dissuade the emperor from his persecutions, Isaac prophesied[1] that Valens would "die in flames" because of his actions. emperor ordered that Isaac be thrown into prison, vowing that he would punish Isaac and put him to death upon his return from battle. after, on August 9, 378, Valens was defeated at the Battle of Adrianople and died in a fire after taking refuge in a barn.[1] successor, the Emperor Theodosius I, released Isaac, outlawed Arianism and reopened the churches closed by Valens. wanted to return to monastic life in the wilderness, but a wealthy aristocrat named Saturninus built a monastery for Isaac in Constantinople, which he became the first hegumen (abbot). is also known as a zealous defender of Christian orthodoxy at the Second Ecumenical Council, convened in Constantinople in 381. the end of his life, Isaac entrusted the leadership of the monastery to his closest disciple, Dalmatus, who was later himself glorified (canonized as a saint), and after whom the monastery came to be known as the Dalmatian Monastery. died in his monastery on May 30, 383, although others place his death around 396. The life of John Chrysostom includes mention of St. Isaac living into the fifth century. the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic churches have glorified Isaac as a saint. Among the former, his feast day falls on May 30, and he is also commemorated together with other saints from his monastery on August 3. the Great of Russia (reigned 1682–1725), whose birthday fell on Saint Isaac's feast day, May 30, adopted Isaac as the patron saint of the Romanov dynasty. Saint Isaac's Cathedral in the city of St Petersburg is consecrated to his honour. References[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b c Isaac the Confessor, Orthodox Wiki Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 Isaac (May 30) was a soldier before he became a monk. he was tonsured, he attained such a degree of spiritual perfection that he was accounted worthy of beholding divine visions. Saint Isaac heard about how the Emperor Valens had fallen into the Arian heresy and was persecuting the Orthodox Christians, left his monastery and traveled to Constantinople to confront the emperor. that time Valens was planning a campaign against the Goths. Isaac tried to change the emperor’s mind several times, but was unable to convince him. prophesied that Valens would die in flames because of his actions. The emperor ordered that Saint Isaac be thrown into prison, and promised to deal with him when he returned from his expedition. On August 9, 378 Valens was defeated at Adrianople and died in a fire after hiding in a barn, just as the saint had predicted. Theodosius the Great, who had a great love for the saint, released him from prison and banned Arianism. Saint Isaac attended the Second Ecumenical Council (381), where he defended the Orthodox Faith against the Arian heresy. Isaac hoped to return to his monastic life in the wilderness, a wealthy man built a monastery for him at Constantinople, and he became its first igumen. The monastery was later named for his disciple Dalmatus. Saint Isaac was approaching the end of his earthly life, he named Saint Dalmatus to succeed him as igumen. He lived to a ripe old age and reposed in the year 383. Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Isaac, the founder of the Dalmaton Monastery (Μονή Δαλμάτων) at Constantinople, during the IV century, the reign of Emperor Valens (364-378), who was an adherent of the Arian heresy. Isaac was tonsured as a monk when he was young, through his ascetical struggles in the desert, he acquired every virtue. was also found worthy of receiving the gift of prophecy from God. he learned that Orthodox Christians were being persecuted, and their churches were being closed or destroyed, left the wilderness and went to Constantinople to console and encourage the Orthodox, and to oppose the heretics. that time, the barbarian Goths along the Danube River were waging war against the Empire. They had captured Thrace and were advancing toward Constantinople. Emperor Valens was leaving the capital with his soldiers, Saint Isaac cried out, “Emperor, reopen the churches of the Orthodox, and then the Lord will help you!” Emperor ignored the Saint's words and continued on his way. next day, Isaac ran out to warn the Emperor again. Valens, moved by Isaac's boldness and sincerity, was almost persuaded to do as he asked. one of his advisors (an Arian) convinced him not to grant the Saint's request. the third day the Saint stood in Emperor's path and grabbed the bridle of his horse, repeating his request; sometimes in a pleading tone, and sometimes in a reproachful manner. also threatened divine retribution if Valens did not honor his request. by Isaac's audacity, Valens had him thrown into a deep pit filled with mud and thorns, from which it was impossible to escape. God’s help, however, Saint Isaac was able to get out of the pit. He overtook the Emperor and said, “You wanted to destroy me, but Angels pulled me out of the mire. me! Reopen the churches for the Orthodox and you shall defeat the enemy. you do not heed me, however, then you shall not return. You will be captured and burned alive. Learn from experience that it hurts you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14).1 Emperor was astonished at the Saint's boldness and ordered his attendants Saturninus and Victor to seize the monk and keep him in prison until his return. Isaac’s prophecy was soon fulfilled. On August 9, 378 a fierce battle was fought near Adrianoupolis, during which the imperial army was defeated, and many excellent generals were killed. Valens and his chief of staff took refuge in a barn filled with straw, and the attackers set it ablaze. The two men were burnt alive, just as Isaac had foretold. in Constantinople, some of the soldiers who survived the battle came to Isaac's prison cell and said to him, "Prepare to make your defense before the Emperor, who is coming to put you on trial." replied, "The stench of his charred bones has assailed my nostrils for more than seven days." this event became known, the clergy and the people released Saint Isaac from prison. great respect, they approached him in order to receive his blessing, the holy Emperor Theodosios the Great (379-395) came to the throne. the advice of Saturninus and Victor, he summoned the Elder, according him much honor. his instructions, he banished the Arians from Constantinople and restored the churches to the Orthodox. Isaac wanted to return to his desert, but Saturninus and Victor begged him not to leave the city, but to remain and protect it by his prayers. Isaac was present at the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381, where he was responsible for much of its success because of his zeal in defending Orthodox doctrine. built a monastery for the Saint in Constantinople, where monks gathered around him. Isaac was the monastery’s Igoumen and spiritual guide. He also nourished laypeople, and helped many of the poor and suffering. his approaching death, Saint Isaac appointed Saint Dalmatios (August 3) to succeed him as the Igoumen. The monastery was later renamed for Saint Dalmatios (Δαλμάτιος). Isaac went to the Lord in the year 383. He is also commemorated with Saints Dalmatios and Faustos on August 3. In Greek usage, however, Saint Isaac is commemorated on May 30. 1 A Greek proverb signifying that resistance is futile. Examples may be found in the plays of Euripides (Bacchae); Aeschylus (Agamemnon & Prometheus); and in Pindar's second Pythian Ode).

Constantinople, 335, Commem Resurrection Church F, after rebuilding Jerusalem, a Aelia Capitolinna, C of Tyre attends
Jerusalem, 335, Commemoration Resurrection Church Founding; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. When the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). It was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, he constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. Before the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. He did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, and Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples and reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. She was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. There they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. When the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. The holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: "Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). The Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Therefore, at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. Hierarchs of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. The bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. On this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Constantinople, 335, Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, using dead man location discovered by Helen in 326
Jerusalem, 335, Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, built by Constantine and Helen, 70 Titus c Jerusalem, razed city, destroyed Temple, foretold by JC, 129 Hadrian built Aelia Capitolina there, 119 Venus Temple, using dead man Helen found cross in 326, 335 Council of Tyre bishops attend; Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335; Church of the Resurrection; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Constantinople, 335-385, Theosebia tDeaconess, virgin, caring fSick, food fVagrants, raising Orphans, one of the 5
Armenia, 335-385, Theosebia tDeaconess, one of the 5, virgin, caring fSick, food fVagrants, raising Orphans, Prep women fBaptism, Sister oMacrina tYounger, Basil tGreat, Gregory oNyssa, & Peter oSebaste; Byzantium, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Theosebia the Deaconess the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory, afterwards Bishop of Nyssa , and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism. her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy. Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 335-386, Patriarch, St Cyrl of Jerusalem, exiled several times, Catechumen instructions, Litergy order
Jerusalem Patriarch, 335-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem was a theologian of the early Church (c. 313-“ 386 AD). the end of 350 AD he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors. Cyril left important writings documenting the instruction of catechumens and the order of the Liturgy in his day. is venerated as a saint within the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. In 1883, Cyril was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII. He is highly respected in the Palestinian Christian Community. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386) , Commemorated 18 March; of Jerusalem, from "Pictorial Lives of the Saints"Cyril was born in Jerusalem around 315, and became bishop of that city in about 349. The years between the Council of Nicea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381) were troubled years, in which the Church, having committed itself at Nicea, over the strenuous protests of the Arians, to the proposition that the Son is "one in being" (homo-ousios) with the Father, began to backtrack and consider whether there was some other formula that would adequately express the Lordship of Christ but not be "divisive." Experience with other ways of stating what Christians believed about the Son and his relation to the Father finally led the Church to conclude that the Nicene formulation was the only way of safeguarding the doctrine that Thomas spoke truly (John 20:28) when he said to Jesus, "My Lord and My God!" But this was not obvious from the beginning, and Cyril was among those who looked for a way of expressing the doctrine that would be acceptable to all parties. As a result, he was exiled from his bishopric three times, for a total of sixteen years, once by the Athanasians and twice by the Arians. He eventually came to the conclusion, as did most other Christians of the time, that there was no alternative to the Nicene formula, and in 381 he attended the Council of Constantinople and voted for that position. Cyril is author of the Catecheses, or Catechatical Lectures on the Christian Faith. These consist of an introductory lecture, then eighteen lectures on the Christian Faith to be delivered during Lent to those about to be baptized at Easter, and then five lectures on the Sacraments to be delivered after Easter to the newly baptized. These have been translated into English (F L Cross, 1951), and are the oldest such lectures surviving. (It is thought that they were used over and over by Cyril and his successors, and that they may have undergone some revision in the process.) Every year, thousands of Christian pilgrims came to Jerusalem, especially for Holy Week. It is probably Cyril who instituted the liturgical forms for that week as they were observed in Jerusalem at the pilgrimage sites, were spread to other churches by returning pilgrims, and have come down to us today, with the procession with palms on Palm Sunday, and the services for the following days, culminating in the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We have a detailed account of Holy Week observances in Jerusalem in the fourth century, thanks to a a Spanish nun named Egeria who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and kept a journal which is a historian's delight. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 335-395, Apollo otThebaid, divine rev tDestroy Babel Wisemen's wisdom&false knowledge, Heliopolis M, great story
Egypt, 335-395, Apollonios (Apollo) otEgyptian Thebaid (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13), desert a15 f14yrs, divine revelation tDestroy wisdom oEgyptian Wise Men, remove their not true knowledge, plus Wise Men of Egyptian Babel, and remove service to devils, go quickly tNear Desert close to Hermopolis, soon multitude oMiracles&Monastery, ate little once a day, vanity o-Chains, Rags, Long hair, prison frefusing Military Service, Angel otLord freed them, as witness pagan ritual froze idolaters, became christians, soon no pagans left near monastery, prevented bloodshead between C's & pagan village by converting instagator, on another similar occasion by terrible death tLeader, A's History- Jerome had visited A, Abba Paul's journey ffAntinoe tEMonasteries, Jacobite Synaxarion; Thebaid; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Apollonios was the son of the pious parents, Aisi and Amani. According to one version, he had an elder brother, a monk, who died before his birth, who appeared to him in a dream. According to other sources, his parents were childless before the birth of Apollonios. the age of fifteen, the Saint retired to the inner desert of the Thebaïd (in Lower Egypt), along with his kinsman Abib. fourteen years of the solitary life, Saint Apollonios was granted a Divine Revelation. Voice said: “Apollonios, by your hands I will destroy the wisdom of the wise men of Egypt, I will remove their knowledge, which is not true knowledge. will also overthrow those who are reputed to be the wise men of Babel (the Babylon of Egypt), and all their service to devils (idolatry). go quickly to the desert, to the region which is near the habitations of men. There you shall beget for me a holy people, who will be exalted by their good works.” he became known for the multitude of miracles which he performed. He was the head of many monks; and he directed them profitably by his spiritual instructions. the reign of Julian the Apostate, God commanded the Saint to go to the near desert. a spot close to Hermopolis he founded a monastery in which about five hundred monks would gather in the future. brethren of the Monastery partook of the Holy Mysteries in the morning, and then in the afternoon they studied the Holy Scriptures. after sunset did they eat a little food, and then they went off into the desert alone, “in the darkness of the night, devoting themselves to the contemplation of God and His Holy Word,” while some of the monks remained in the monastery. monks would eat food just once a day. condemned those who adhered to the harsher forms of austerity - these did not cut their hair and wore chains - regarding such things as a sign of vanity. the same time, Apollonios himself was a strict faster, he ate boiled food on Sundays, and on other days he ate only wild plants. one of the monks was forcibly recruited for military service and was locked up in a prison for refusing to serve. and some other monks visited him in the prison. They comforted him and advised him to remain steadfast. the centurion heard about this, he became very angry and locked Apollonios and his companions in prison, posting many guards. an angel of the Lord appeared at midnight, to open the doors of the prison, and the monks left unhindered. the monastery were ten pagan settlements. Apollonios was once a witness to a pagan ritual: priests of the idols, accompanied by a crowd, carried an idol around to the villages, “raging like bacchants.” the Saint’s prayers, the idolaters were halted and could not continue the procession. learning of the cause of the incident, many of them followed Apollonios, and the idol was destroyed. After this miracle, many pagans became Christians, and some of them even remained in the monastery. Soon there were almost no pagans left in the vicinity of the monastery. there was strife between two villages near the monastery, Apollonios managed to convert a robber (who may have been the instigator of the quarrel) to Christ, and so peace was restored. another occasion, Apollonios was able to prevent bloodshed between the Christian and pagan villages, punishing the leader of the pagans with a terrible death. famine occurred at the Thebaid, Apollonios supplied the inhabitants with food. Apollonios reposed in peace around the year 395, at very advanced age. of the information about Saint Apollonios was recorded in chapter 9 of Saint Jerome’s History of the Monks of Egypt. The author had visited Apollonios shortly before the latter’s repose, along with his companions. They lived in his monastery for about a week. also provides some details about Apollonios in Book VI, chapter 29 of his Church History, citing Timothy, the primate of the Church of Alexandria, as the source for what we know about Saint Apollonios’s personal discipline as well as his “divine and marvelous deeds.” Coptic Church has also preserved an ancient testimony of Saint Apollonios in a description of Abba Paul’s journey from Antinoe through the monasteries of Egypt, another account from a Jacobite Synaxarion (in Arabic). This Synaxarion under 5 Amshire (January 30) calls Apollonios “an Equal of the angels.” The Coptic Church commemorates Saint Apollonios on 25 Papo (October 22).

Constantinople, 336-397, Martin oTours, Martin tMerciful, Arien opponent wHiliary, against Priscillian or any heretic execution
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, served army unwillingly, at Amiens gave half cloak cold beggar, Jesus appeared wearing his cloak, Heard Jesus say only catechumen, but clothed me, baptized, barbarians invaded Gaul, asked permission resign commission, cowardice charce, offered stand front line, protected by cross, cross caused barbarians surrender without fight, allowed to leave, time as hermit and travels, Hiliary's friend, Poitiers, exorcist, bishop Tours 371, still ascetic, monastery, French monasticism founder, conversed wAngels, Peter Paul visions, died 397, many western churches dedicated middle ages, most his relics lost French Revolution, MARTIN with Hiliary an opponent of the Ariens, from Illyricum publicly scourged&exiled, driven fMilan, returned Gaul, converted pagans wFir Tree story, intervened release prisoners, heretic Priscillian guilty bishops court, excommunication adequate, state no power to punish, but executed, he Ex bishops, took them back for pardons, concession botherd him; France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; was born around 330 of pagan parents. His father was a soldier, who enlisted Martin in the army at the age of fifteen. winter day he saw an ill-clad beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. Martin had no money to give, but he cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. (Paintings of the scene, such as that by El Greco, show Martin, even without the cloak, more warmly clad than the beggar, which rather misses the point.) a dream that night, Martin saw Christ wearing the half-cloak. had for some time considered becoming a Christian, and this ended his wavering. He was promptly baptized. the end of his next military campaign, he asked to be released from the army, saying: "Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ." was accused of cowardice, and offered to stand unarmed between the contending armies. He was imprisoned, but released when peace was signed. became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a chief opponent in the West of the Arians, who denied the full deity of Christ, and who had the favor of the emperor Constantius. to his parents' home in Illyricum (Yugoslavia, approximately), he opposed the Arians with such effectiveness that he was publicly scourged and exiled. was subsequently driven from Milan, and eventually returned to Gaul. he founded the first monastary in Gaul, which lasted until the French Revolution. 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. His was a mainly pagan diocese, but his instruction and personal manner of life prevailed. one instance, the pagan priests agreed to fell their idol, a large fir tree, if Martin would stand directly in the path of its fall. He did so, and it missed him very narrowly. an officer of the Imperial Guard arrived with a batch of prisoners who were to be tortured and executed the next day, Martin intervened and secured their release. of ToursIn the year 384, the heretic (Gnostic) Priscillian and six companions had been condemned to death by the emperor Maximus. bishops who had found them guilty in the ecclesiastical court pressed for their execution. Martin contended that the secular power had no authority to punish heresy, and that the excommunication by the bishops was an adequate sentence. this he was upheld by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. He refused to leave Treves until the emperor promised to reprieve them. No sooner was his back turned than the bishops persuaded the emperor to break his promise; Priscillian and his followers were executed. This was the first time that heresy was punished by death. was furious, and excommunicated the bishops responsible. But afterwards, he took them back into communion in exchange for a pardon from Maximus for certain men condemned to death, and for the emperor's promise to end the persecution of the remaining Priscillianists. never felt easy in his mind about this concession, and thereafter avoided assmblies of bishops where he might encounter some of those concerned in this affair. died on or about 11 November 397 (my sources differ) and his shrine at Tours became a sanctuary for those seeking justice. Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an earthly sovereign, and then elisted in the service of Christ, also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War. On it we remember those who have risked or lost their lives in what they perceived as the pursuit of justice and peace. by James Kiefer St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours, was born at Sabaria in Pannonia (modern Hungary) in 316. his father was a Roman officer, he also was obliged to serve in the army. did so unwillingly, for he considered himself a soldier of Christ, though he was still a catechumen. the gates of Amiens, he saw a beggar shivering in the severe winter cold, so he cut his cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. night, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the saint wearing Martin’s cloak. He heard the Savior say to the angels surrounding Him, “Martin is only a catechumen, but he has clothed Me with this garment.” The saint was baptized soon after this, and reluctantly remained in the army. years later, the barbarians invaded Gaul and Martin asked permission to resign his commission for religious reasons. The commander charged him with cowardice. Saint Martin demonstrated his courage by offering to stand unarmed in the front line of battle, trusting in the power of the Cross to protect him. The next day, the barbarians surrendered without a fight, and Martin was allowed to leave the army. traveled to various places during the next few years, spending some time as a hermit on an island off Italy. became friendly with Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (January 14), who made Martin an exorcist. several years of the ascetic life, Saint Martin was chosen to be Bishop of Tours in 371. As bishop, Saint Martin did not give up his monastic life, and the place where he settled outside Tours became a monastery. fact, he is regarded as the founder of monasticism in France. conversed with angels, and had visions of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29) and of other saints. is called the Merciful because of his generosity and care for the poor, and he received the grace to work miracles. a life of devoted service to Christ and His Church, the saint fell ill at Candes, a village in his diocese, where he died on November 8, 397. was buried three days later (his present Feast) at Tours. the Middle Ages, many Western churches were dedicated to Saint Martin, including Saint Martin’s in Canterbury, and Saint Martin-in-the-Fields in London. 1008, a cathedral was built at Tours over the relics of Saint Martin. This cathedral was destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, together with the relics of Saint Martin and Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17). new cathedral was built on the site many years later. Some fragments of the relics of Saint Martin were recovered and placed in the cathedral, but nothing remains of Saint Gregory’s relics. Martin’s name appears on many Greek and Russian calendars. His commemoration on October 12 in the Russian calendar appears to be an error, since ancient sources give the November date.

Constantinople, 336-397, Martin oTours, cold beggar cloak story, Jesus appeared, front line cross story, talked wAngels&saints
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, served army unwillingly, at Amiens gave half cloak cold beggar, Jesus appeared wearing his cloak, Heard Jesus say only catechumen, but clothed me, baptized, barbarians invaded Gaul, asked permission resign commission, cowardice charce, offered stand front line, protected by cross, cross caused barbarians surrender without fight, allowed to leave, time as hermit and travels, Hiliary's friend, Poitiers, exorcist, bishop Tours 371, still ascetic, monastery, French monasticism founder, conversed wAngels, Peter Paul visions, died 397, many western churches dedicated middle ages, most his relics lost French Revolution, MARTIN with Hiliary an opponent of the Ariens, from Illyricum publicly scourged&exiled, driven fMilan, returned Gaul, converted pagans wFir Tree story, intervened release prisoners, heretic Priscillian guilty bishops court, excommunication adequate, state no power to punish, but executed, he Ex bishops, took them back for pardons, concession botherd him; France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; was born around 330 of pagan parents. His father was a soldier, who enlisted Martin in the army at the age of fifteen. winter day he saw an ill-clad beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. Martin had no money to give, but he cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. (Paintings of the scene, such as that by El Greco, show Martin, even without the cloak, more warmly clad than the beggar, which rather misses the point.) a dream that night, Martin saw Christ wearing the half-cloak. had for some time considered becoming a Christian, and this ended his wavering. He was promptly baptized. the end of his next military campaign, he asked to be released from the army, saying: "Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ." was accused of cowardice, and offered to stand unarmed between the contending armies. He was imprisoned, but released when peace was signed. became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a chief opponent in the West of the Arians, who denied the full deity of Christ, and who had the favor of the emperor Constantius. to his parents' home in Illyricum (Yugoslavia, approximately), he opposed the Arians with such effectiveness that he was publicly scourged and exiled. was subsequently driven from Milan, and eventually returned to Gaul. he founded the first monastary in Gaul, which lasted until the French Revolution. 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. His was a mainly pagan diocese, but his instruction and personal manner of life prevailed. one instance, the pagan priests agreed to fell their idol, a large fir tree, if Martin would stand directly in the path of its fall. He did so, and it missed him very narrowly. an officer of the Imperial Guard arrived with a batch of prisoners who were to be tortured and executed the next day, Martin intervened and secured their release. of ToursIn the year 384, the heretic (Gnostic) Priscillian and six companions had been condemned to death by the emperor Maximus. bishops who had found them guilty in the ecclesiastical court pressed for their execution. Martin contended that the secular power had no authority to punish heresy, and that the excommunication by the bishops was an adequate sentence. this he was upheld by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. He refused to leave Treves until the emperor promised to reprieve them. No sooner was his back turned than the bishops persuaded the emperor to break his promise; Priscillian and his followers were executed. This was the first time that heresy was punished by death. was furious, and excommunicated the bishops responsible. But afterwards, he took them back into communion in exchange for a pardon from Maximus for certain men condemned to death, and for the emperor's promise to end the persecution of the remaining Priscillianists. never felt easy in his mind about this concession, and thereafter avoided assmblies of bishops where he might encounter some of those concerned in this affair. died on or about 11 November 397 (my sources differ) and his shrine at Tours became a sanctuary for those seeking justice. Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an earthly sovereign, and then elisted in the service of Christ, also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War. On it we remember those who have risked or lost their lives in what they perceived as the pursuit of justice and peace. by James Kiefer St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours, was born at Sabaria in Pannonia (modern Hungary) in 316. his father was a Roman officer, he also was obliged to serve in the army. did so unwillingly, for he considered himself a soldier of Christ, though he was still a catechumen. the gates of Amiens, he saw a beggar shivering in the severe winter cold, so he cut his cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. night, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the saint wearing Martin’s cloak. He heard the Savior say to the angels surrounding Him, “Martin is only a catechumen, but he has clothed Me with this garment.” The saint was baptized soon after this, and reluctantly remained in the army. years later, the barbarians invaded Gaul and Martin asked permission to resign his commission for religious reasons. The commander charged him with cowardice. Saint Martin demonstrated his courage by offering to stand unarmed in the front line of battle, trusting in the power of the Cross to protect him. The next day, the barbarians surrendered without a fight, and Martin was allowed to leave the army. traveled to various places during the next few years, spending some time as a hermit on an island off Italy. became friendly with Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (January 14), who made Martin an exorcist. several years of the ascetic life, Saint Martin was chosen to be Bishop of Tours in 371. As bishop, Saint Martin did not give up his monastic life, and the place where he settled outside Tours became a monastery. fact, he is regarded as the founder of monasticism in France. conversed with angels, and had visions of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29) and of other saints. is called the Merciful because of his generosity and care for the poor, and he received the grace to work miracles. a life of devoted service to Christ and His Church, the saint fell ill at Candes, a village in his diocese, where he died on November 8, 397. was buried three days later (his present Feast) at Tours. the Middle Ages, many Western churches were dedicated to Saint Martin, including Saint Martin’s in Canterbury, and Saint Martin-in-the-Fields in London. 1008, a cathedral was built at Tours over the relics of Saint Martin. This cathedral was destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, together with the relics of Saint Martin and Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17). new cathedral was built on the site many years later. Some fragments of the relics of Saint Martin were recovered and placed in the cathedral, but nothing remains of Saint Gregory’s relics. Martin’s name appears on many Greek and Russian calendars. His commemoration on October 12 in the Russian calendar appears to be an error, since ancient sources give the November date.

Constantinople, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Confessor, Constantius, replaced by heretic Eusebius, Rome, Constans
Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Constantinople, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Archbishop, Orthodox Confessor, Exiled 4times bArians, tRome 2t, tPontus, tCucusus
Armenia, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Archbishop, Orthodox Confessor, Exiled 4times bArians, tRome 2t, tPontus, tCucusus; Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), the Arian heresy had again flared up. of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. occurred in the year 350. 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and there moved to Emesus, the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Constantinople, 337-350, Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries of Patriarch Paul, Arians failed to entice them
Constantinople, 337-350, Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries of Patriarch Paul; Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius, Notaries of Constantinople served in a Constantinople cathedral. Marcian was a reader and Martyrius a subdeacon. They both performed in the capacity of notaries, i.e. secretaries, for Patriarch Paul the Confessor (November 6). heretics expelled and secretly executed the righteous Patriarch Paul. His throne was given to the heretic Macedonius. The heretics attempted to entice Saints Marcian and Martyrius over to their side by flattery. They offered them gold and promised to consecrate them as archbishops, but all the efforts of the Arians were in vain. the impious threatened to slander them before the emperor, and sought to intimidate them with torture and death. But the saints steadfastly confessed Orthodoxy, as handed down by the Fathers of the Church. Marcian and Martyrius were sentenced to death. Before death, the martyrs prayed, “Lord God, Who has invisibly created our hearts, and directed all our deeds, accept with peace the souls of Your servants, since we perish for You and are considered as sheep for the slaughter (Ps 32/33:15; 43/44:22). We rejoice that by such a death we shall depart this life for Your Name. Grant us to be partakers of life eternal with You, the Source of life.” After their prayer the martyrs, with quiet rejoicing, bent their necks beneath the sword of the impious (+ ca. 335). holy bodies were reverently buried by Orthodox Christians. Later, by decree of Saint John Chrysostom, the relics of the holy martyrs were transferred to a church built in their honor. Believers here were healed of many infirmities through the prayers of the saints, to the glory of the One Life-Creating Trinity. Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Byzantium, 337-361, Emperor, Constantius II, Greece, Thrace, Asia, Egypt, Orthodox then Arian
Roman Emperor, 324-361, Constantius II, Son of Constantine the Great ; Julius Constantius (Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î¬Î½Ï„Î¹Î¿Ï‚; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361), known as Constantius II, was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic peoples, while internally the Roman Empire went through repeated civil wars, court intrigues and usurpations. His religious policies inflamed domestic conflicts that would continue after his death. Constantius was a son of Constantine the Great, who elevated him to the imperial rank of caesar on 8 November 324 and after whose death Constantius became augustus together with his brothers, Constantine II and Constans on 9 September 337. He promptly oversaw the massacre of his father-in-law, an uncle and several cousins, consolidating his hold on power. The brothers divided the empire among themselves, with Constantius receiving Greece, Thrace, the Asian provinces and Egypt in the east. For the following decade a costly and inconclusive war against Persia took most of Constantius's time and attention. In the meantime, his brothers Constantine and Constans warred over the western provinces of the empire, leaving the former dead in 340 and the latter as sole ruler of the west. The two remaining brothers maintained an uneasy peace with each other until, in 350, Constans was overthrown and assassinated by the usurper Magnentius. Unwilling to accept Magnentius as co-ruler, Constantius waged a civil war against the usurper, defeating him at the battles of Mursa Major in 351 and Mons Seleucus in 353. Magnentius committed suicide after the latter battle, leaving Constantius as sole ruler of the empire. In 351, Constantius elevated his cousin Constantius Gallus to the subordinate rank of caesar to rule in the east, but had him executed three years later after receiving scathing reports of his violent and corrupt nature. Shortly thereafter, in 355, Constantius promoted his last surviving cousin, Gallus' younger half-brother Julian, to the rank of caesar. As emperor, Constantius promoted Arian Christianity, persecuted pagans by banning sacrifices and closing pagan temples and issued laws discriminating against Jews. His military campaigns against Germanic tribes were successful: he defeated the Alamanni in 354 and campaigned across the Danube against the Quadi and Sarmatians in 357. The war against the Sasanians, which had been in a lull since 350, erupted with renewed intensity in 359 and Constantius traveled to the east in 360 to restore stability after the loss of several border fortresses. However, Julian claimed the rank of augustus in 360, leading to war between the two after Constantius' attempts to persuade Julian to back down failed. No battle was fought, as Constantius became ill and died of fever on 3 November 361 in Mopsuestia, naming Julian as his rightful successor before his death. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius of Antioch, Julian tortured, Jesus encouraged, he prophesied J death
Egypt, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, viceroy of Egypt, spread C in E, b relics to Constantinople, then Julian tortured him, Jesus appeared w angels, encouraged him, he prophesied Julians death; Egypt; Rahab; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). received many awards for distinguished service and courage. was appointed viceroy of Egypt. this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt. Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, Constantinople. holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. Antioch he ordered the torture of two bishops unwilling to forsake the Christian Faith. this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Artemius was praying, Christ, surrounded by angels, appeared to him and said, “Take courage, Artemius! I am with you and will preserve you from every hurt which is inflicted upon you, and I already have prepared your crown of glory. Since you have confessed Me before the people on earth, so shall I confess you before My Heavenly Father. Therefore, take courage and rejoice, you shall be with Me in My Kingdom.” this, Artemius rejoiced and offered up glory and thanksgiving to Him. the following day, Julian demanded that Saint Artemius honor the pagan gods. Meeting with steadfast refusal, the emperor resorted to further tortures. The saint endured all without a single moan. saint told Julian that he would be justly recompensed for his persecution of Christians. became furious and resorted to even more savage tortures, but they did not break the will of the saint. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. relics were buried by Christians. After the death of Saint Artemius, his prophecy about Julian the Apostate’s impending death came true. left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. retribution caught up with Julian the Apostate. During the battle he was mortally wounded by an unseen hand and an unseen weapon. groaned deeply said, “You have conquered, Galilean!” the death of the apostate emperor, the relics of the Great Martyr Artemius were transferred with honor from Antioch to Constantinople. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.

Gaul, 337-340, Emperor, Constantine II, Orthodox, Gaul, died invading Italy
Roman Emperor, 337-340, Constantine II (emperor); II (Latin: Flavius Claudius Constantinus; February 316 – 340) was Roman emperor from 337 to 340. Son of Constantine the Great and co-emperor alongside his brothers, his attempt to exert his perceived rights of primogeniture led to his death in a failed invasion of Italy in 340. St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Rome, 337-350, Emperor, Constans, Orthodox, Italy, Illyricum, Africa, then Gaul, k by M, Coup
Roman Emperor,;337-350, Constans; Julius Constans (c. 320 – 350) was Roman emperor from 337 to 350. He held the imperial rank of caesar from 333, and was the youngest son of Constantine the Great. After his father's death, he was made augustus alongside his brothers in September 337. Constans was given the administration of the praetorian prefectures of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa.[3] He defeated the Sarmatians in a campaign shortly afterwards.[3] In the civil war that followed, in 340 he defeated his eldest brother and co-emperor Constantine II's invasion of Italy, who was killed in battle with Constans's forces near Aquileia.[3] Constans gained from him the praetorian prefecture of Gaul.[3] Thereafter there were tensions with his remaining younger brother and co-augustus Constantius II (r. 337–361), including over the exiled bishop Athanasius of Alexandria.[3] In the following years he campaigned against the Franks and in 343 visited Roman Britain.[3] In January 350, Magnentius (r. 350–353) the commander of the Jovians and Herculians, a corps in the Roman army, was acclaimed augustus at Augustodunum (Autun) with the support of Marcellinus, the comes rei privatae.[4] Magnentius overthrew and killed Constans.[3][4] Surviving sources, possibly influenced by the propaganda of Magnentius's faction, accuse Constans of misrule and of homosexuality.[3] St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Caesarius, brother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangraz, Commemorated on March 31; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 339-341, Impious heretic Eusebius, Nicomedia, Emperor council illeglly deposed Paul, Forerunner head story
Byzantium, 339-341, Byzantine Saint, Eusebius of Nicomedia; of Nicomedia (died 341) was an Arian priest who baptized Constantine the Great on his deathbed in 337.[1][2] fifth-century legend evolved that Pope Saint Sylvester I was the one to baptize Constantine, but this is dismissed by scholars as a forgery 'to amend the historical memory of the Arian baptism that the emperor received at the end of his life, and instead to attribute an unequivocally orthodox baptism to him.'[3][4] He was a bishop of Berytus (modern-day Beirut) in Phoenicia. He was later made the bishop of Nicomedia, where the Imperial court resided. He lived finally in Constantinople from 338 up to his death. Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), when the Arian heresy had again flared up. Many of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. He was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. Upon his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. In place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Archbishop Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. When he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. But Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. The Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. The threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. They again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. This occurred in the year 350. In 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. In 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, the second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and from there moved to Emesus, and the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.” First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, until the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent. He built a church and a cell there. When they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety, but fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. Not knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. But the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. The potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, until the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. God, however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 339-388, Marcian oCyrrhusl, asceticism attracted monastery, wonderworking, snake killed by hCross, divine light
Syria, 339-388, Marcian oCyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), desert dweller near C, small hut, prayer, singing psalms, spiritual reading, ate little, just enough, many zealous attracted, estab m for them, wonderworking, examples snake killed by his cross, heavenly light for his reading, many others for bros, died 388 ; Cyrrhus; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated January 18 ; Marcian of Cyrrhus lived in the desert near the city of Cyrrhus. built a small hut and settled in it, passing his time in prayer, singing Psalms and reading spiritual books. ate very little food, just enough to keep him alive. of his holy life attracted to him many zealous ascetics, Saint Marcian established a monastery for them. ’s blessing rested upon the saint, and he possessed the gift of wonderworking. a serpent crawled into his cell. saint made the Sign of the Cross and the serpent perished, burned up by flames. night, when the ascetic read, a heavenly light shone for him. monk also worked many other miracles on behalf of the brethren. died in peace about the year 388.

Constantinople, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary oPoitiers, great arianism oponnent, exiled tPhrygia, orthodox champion there
France, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers, great arianism oponnent, raised pagan, adult conversion, bishop i350, opposed Constantius II's arianism, 356 exiled tPhrygia, great orthodox champion there, so returned to his diocese, continued fight till death 368, relics in Hiliary Cathedral Poitiers, Hiliary term in courts & universities begin near his feast day; France, 330 - 367, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers; Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated on January 13; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." was bishop of Poitiers, and when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium, Lykaonia, disciple of Gregory & Basil, 40 yr wild ascetic, bishop by angels
Lykaonia, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), disciple of Gregory and Basil, 40 yr wilderness ascetic, made bishop by Angels, 381 council, fought heresies, Arian, Eunomian, Macedonian ; Iconium; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia, city which has given the world some of the greatest Fathers and teachers of the Orthodox Church. was a first cousin to Saint Gregory the Theologian, a close friend of Saint Basil the Great. was their disciple, follower and of like mind with them. Amphilochius toiled hard in the field of Christ. lived in the wilderness as a strict ascetic for about forty years, the time when the Lord summoned him for hierarchic service. the year 372 the Bishop of Iconium died. Angels of the Lord thrice appeared in visions to Saint Amphilochius, summoning him to go to Iconium to be the bishop. truthfulness of these visions was proven when the angel, appearing to him the third time, sang together with the saint the angelic song: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth.” heavenly messenger led the saint to the nearest church, where an assembly of angels consecrated Amphilochius bishop. saint, on the way back to his cell, encountered seven bishops who were seeking him at the command of God, in order to establish him as archpastor of Iconium. Saint Amphilochius told them that he was already consecrated by the angels. many years Saint Amphilochius tended the flock of Iconium entrusted to him by the Lord. prayer of the righteous one was so intense that he was able to ask the Lord to heal the spiritual and bodily infirmities of his flock. wise archpastor, gifted as writer and preacher, unceasingly taught piety to his flock. strict Orthodox theologian, the saint relentlessly confronted the Arian and Eunomian heresies. participated in the Second Ecumenical Council (381), and he headed the struggle against the heresy of Macedonius. and treatises of Saint Amphilochius are preserved, which are profoundly dogmatic and apologetic in content. holy Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium departed peacefully to the Lord in the year 394.

Constantinople, 340-404, Flavian I of Antioch and Tarsus, Syrian Saint, Raised Chrysostom, Orthodox
Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on September 27; Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, was a contemporary of Saint John Chrysostom. He attempted to obtain from the emperor Theodosius (379-395) a pardon for the citizens of Antioch, who had angered the emperor by destroying his statue. Saint Flavian’s death was peaceful and without illness. He is also commemorated on February 16. Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch; Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, was a contemporary of Saint John Chrysostom. He attempted to obtain from the emperor Theodosius (379-395) a pardon for the citizens of Antioch, who had angered the emperor by destroying his statue. Saint Flavian’s death was peaceful and without illness. He is also commemorated on September 27. Syria, 399-404, Syrian Saint, Flavian I of Antioch and Tarsus, Raised Chrysostom, Orthodox; Flavian I of Antioch (Latin: Flavianus I; c. 320 – February 404) was a bishop or Patriarch of Antioch from 381 until his death. He was born about 320, most probably in Antioch. He inherited great wealth, but resolved to devote his riches and his talents to the service of the church. In association with Diodore, afterwards bishop of Tarsus, he supported the orthodox Faith against the Arian heretic Leontius, who had succeeded Eustathius as Patriarch of Antioch. The two friends assembled their adherents outside the city walls for religious services (according to Theodoret, it was in these meetings that the practice of antiphonal singing was first introduced in the services of the church).[1] When Meletius was appointed bishop of Antioch in 361 he ordained Flavian to the priesthood, and on the death of Meletius in 381 Flavian was chosen to succeed him. The schism between the two parties was, however, far from being healed. The Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Alexandria refused to acknowledge Flavian, and Paulinus, who by the extreme Eustathians had been elected bishop in opposition to Meletius, continued to exercise authority over a portion of the church.[1] On the death of Paulinus in about 383, Evagrius was chosen as his successor. After the death of Evagrius, (c. 393) Flavian succeeded in preventing the election of a successor, though the Eustathians still continued to hold separate meetings. Through the intervention of John Chrysostom soon after his elevation to the patriarchate of Constantinople in 398, and the influence of the emperor Theodosius I, Flavian was acknowledged in 399 as the sole legitimate bishop of Antioch.[1] Nevertheless, the Eustathian schism was not finally healed until 415 due to the reconciliation efforts of Alexander (appointed bishop 412), successor to Porphyrios (also spelled Porphyrus).[2] Flavian is posthumously venerated in both the Western and Eastern churches as a Saint.[1] Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. His father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. His mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. The youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. But, scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Saint Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. After three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. The highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. When John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” Soon John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. During this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. The saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. And here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. For two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Saint Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. The following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” In the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. Saint John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). For twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. In his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). As a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. Saint John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). At Pascha in the following year the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. In the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. In 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” The fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. At the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. The saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. He established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. Saint John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. He also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. The saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. The saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. Eudoxia’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. This court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. That very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” The slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. In Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. At the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” The holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” Although he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; Chrysostom (/ˈkrɪsəstəm, krɪˈsɒstəm/; Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; Ge'ez[citation needed] :ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ አፈወርቅ c. 347 – 14 September 407)[5] was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority[6] by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, his Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. The epithet Χρυσόστομος (Chrysostomos, anglicized as Chrysostom) means "golden-mouthed" in Greek and denotes his celebrated eloquence.[1][7] Chrysostom was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian Church, although both Origen of Alexandria[8] and Augustine of Hippo[9] exceeded Chrysostom. He is honoured as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, as well as in some others. The Eastern Orthodox, together with the Byzantine Catholics, hold him in special regard as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (alongside Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus). The feast days of John Chrysostom in the Eastern Orthodox Church are 14 September, 13 November and 27 January. In the Roman Catholic Church he is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Because the date of his death is occupied by the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), the General Roman Calendar celebrates him since 1970 on the previous day, 13 September; from the 13th century to 1969 it did so on 27 January, the anniversary of the translation of his body to Constantinople.[10] Of other Western churches, including Anglican provinces and Lutheran churches, some commemorate him on 13 September, others on 27 January. John Chrysostom is honored on the calendars of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church on 13 September.[11][12] The Coptic Church also recognizes him as a saint (with feast days on 16 Thout and 17 Hathor).[13] Biography[edit] Early life[edit] John was born in Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Hatay, Turkey) in 347.[14][15] Different scholars describe his mother Anthusa as a pagan or as a Christian.[16] His father was a high-ranking military officer. John's father died soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother. He was baptised in 368 or 373 and tonsured as a reader (one of the minor orders of the church). It is sometimes said that he was bitten by a snake when he was ten years old, leading to him getting an infection from the bite.[b] As a result of his mother's influential connections in the city, John began his education under the pagan preacher Libanius.[17] From Libanius, John acquired the skills for a career in rhetoric, as well as a love of the Greek language and literature.[18] Eventually, he became a lawyer. As he grew older, however, John became more deeply committed to Christianity and went on to study theology under Diodore of Tarsus, founder of the re-constituted School of Antioch. According to the Christian historian Sozomen, Libanius was supposed to have said on his deathbed that John would have been his successor "if the Christians had not taken him from us".[19] John lived in extreme asceticism and became a hermit in about 375; he spent the next two years continually standing, scarcely sleeping, and committing the Bible to memory. As a consequence of these practices, his stomach and kidneys were permanently damaged and poor health forced him to return to Antioch.[20] Diaconate and service in Antioch[edit] Further information: Meletian schism John was ordained as a deacon in 381 by the bishop Meletius of Antioch who was not then in communion with Alexandria and Rome. After the death of Meletius, John separated himself from the followers of Meletius, without joining Paulinus, the rival of Meletius for the bishopric of Antioch. But after the death of Paulinus he was ordained a presbyter (priest) in 386 by Flavian, the successor of Paulinus.[21] He was destined later to bring about reconciliation between Flavian I of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome, thus bringing those three sees into communion for the first time in nearly seventy years.[22] In Antioch, over the course of twelve years (386–397), John gained popularity because of the eloquence of his public speaking at the Golden Church, Antioch's cathedral, especially his insightful expositions of Bible passages and moral teaching. The most valuable of his works from this period are his homilies on various books of the Bible. He emphasised charitable giving and was concerned with the spiritual and temporal needs of the poor. He spoke against abuse of wealth and personal property: Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same who said: "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food", and "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me"... What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.[23] His straightforward understanding of the Scriptures – in contrast to the Alexandrian tendency towards allegorical interpretation – meant that the themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible's application to everyday life. Such straightforward preaching helped Chrysostom to garner popular support.[1] One incident that happened during his service in Antioch illustrates the influence of his homilies. When Chrysostom arrived in Antioch, Flavian, the bishop of the city, had to intervene with emperor Theodosius I on behalf of citizens who had gone on a rampage mutilating statues of the emperor and his family. During the weeks of Lent in 387, John preached more than twenty homilies in which he entreated the people to see the error of their ways. These made a lasting impression on the general population of the city: many pagans converted to Christianity as a result of the homilies. The city was ultimately spared from severe consequences.[6] Archbishop of Constantinople[edit] See also: Origenist Crises John Chrysostom confronting Aelia Eudoxia, in a 19th-century anti-clerical painting by Jean-Paul Laurens In the autumn of 397, John was appointed archbishop of Constantinople, after having been nominated without his knowledge by the eunuch Eutropius. He had to leave Antioch in secret due to fears that the departure of such a popular figure would cause civil unrest.[24] During his time as archbishop he adamantly refused to host lavish social gatherings, which made him popular with the common people, but unpopular with wealthy citizens and the clergy. His reforms of the clergy were also unpopular. He told visiting regional preachers to return to the churches they were meant to be serving – without any pay-out.[25] Also he founded a number of hospitals in Constantinople.[26][27] His time in Constantinople was more tumultuous than his time in Antioch. Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, wanted to bring Constantinople under his sway and opposed John's appointment to Constantinople. Theophilus had disciplined four Egyptian monks (known as "the Tall Brothers") over their support of Origen's teachings. They fled to John and were welcomed by him. Theophilus therefore accused John of being too partial to the teaching of Origen. He made another enemy in Aelia Eudoxia, wife of emperor Arcadius, who assumed that John's denunciations of extravagance in feminine dress were aimed at herself.[6] Eudoxia, Theophilus and other of his enemies held a synod in 403 (the Synod of the Oak) to charge John, in which his connection to Origen was used against him. It resulted in his deposition and banishment. He was called back by Arcadius almost immediately, as the people became "tumultuous" over his departure, even threatening to burn the imperial palace.[28][unreliable source?] There was an earthquake the night of his arrest, which Eudoxia took for a sign of God's anger, prompting her to ask Arcadius for John's reinstatement.[29][unreliable source?] Peace was short-lived. A silver statue of Eudoxia was erected in the Augustaion, near his cathedral, the Constantinian Hagia Sophia. John denounced the dedication ceremonies as pagan and spoke against the empress in harsh terms: "Again Herodias raves; again she is troubled; she dances again; and again desires to receive John's head in a charger",[30][unreliable source?] an allusion to the events surrounding the death of John the Baptist. Once again he was banished, this time to the Caucasus in Abkhazia.[31] His banishment sparked riots among his supporters in the capital, and in the fighting the cathedral built by Constantius II was burnt down, necessitating the construction of the second cathedral on the site, the Theodosian Hagia Sophia. Around 405, John began to lend moral and financial support to Christian monks who were enforcing the emperors' anti-pagan laws, by destroying temples and shrines in Phoenicia and nearby regions.[32] Exile and death[edit] The causes of John's exile are not clear, though Jennifer Barry suggests that they have to do with his connections to Arianism. Other historians, including Wendy Mayer and Geoffrey Dunn, have argued that "the surplus of evidence reveals a struggle between Johannite and anti-Johannite camps in Constantinople soon after John's departure and for a few years after his death".[33] Faced with exile, John Chrysostom wrote an appeal for help to three churchmen: Pope Innocent I; Venerius, the bishop of Mediolanum (Milan); and Chromatius, the bishop of Aquileia.[34][35][36] In 1872, church historian William Stephens wrote: The Patriarch of the Eastern Rome appeals to the great bishops of the West, as the champions of an ecclesiastical discipline which he confesses himself unable to enforce, or to see any prospect of establishing. No jealousy is entertained of the Patriarch of the Old Rome by the patriarch of the New Rome. The interference of Innocent is courted, a certain primacy is accorded him, but at the same time he is not addressed as a supreme arbitrator; assistance and sympathy are solicited from him as from an elder brother, and two other prelates of Italy are joint recipients with him of the appeal.[37] Pope Innocent I protested John's banishment from Constantinople to the town of Cucusus (Göksun) in Cappadocia, but to no avail. Innocent sent a delegation to intercede on behalf of John in 405. It was led by Gaudentius of Brescia; Gaudentius and his companions, two bishops, encountered many difficulties and never reached their goal of entering Constantinople.[38] John wrote letters which still held great influence in Constantinople. As a result of this, he was further exiled from Cucusus (where he stayed from 404 to 407) to Pitiunt (Pityus) (in modern Georgia) where his tomb is a shrine for pilgrims. He never reached this destination, as he died at Comana Pontica (modern-day Gümenek, Tokat, Turkey) on 14 September 407 during the journey.[29] He died in the Presbyterium or community of the clergy belonging to the church of Saint Basiliscus of Comana.[39] His last words are said to have been "Δόξα τῷ Θεῷ πάντων ἕνεκεν" ('Glory be to God for all things').[29] Veneration and canonization[edit] Byzantine 11th-century soapstone relief of John Chrysostom, Louvre John came to be venerated as a saint soon after his death. Almost immediately after, an anonymous supporter of John (known as pseudo-Martyrius) wrote a funeral oration to reclaim John as a symbol of Christian orthodoxy.[33] But three decades later, some of his adherents in Constantinople remained in schism.[40] Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople (434–446), hoping to bring about the reconciliation of the Johannites, preached a homily praising his predecessor in the Church of Hagia Sophia. He said, "O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint."[41] These homilies helped to mobilize public opinion, and the patriarch received permission from the emperor to return Chrysostom's relics to Constantinople, where they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 28 January 438. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as a "Great Ecumenical Teacher", with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. These three saints, in addition to having their own individual commemorations throughout the year, are commemorated together on 30 January, a feast known as the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs.[42] In the Eastern Orthodox Church there are several feast days dedicated to him: 27 January, Translation of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom from Comana to Constantinople[43] 30 January, Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs[43] 14 September, Repose of Saint John Chrysostom[43] 13 November, celebration was transferred from 14 September by the 10th century AD as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross became more prominent.[43] According to Brian Croke, 13 November is the date news of John Chrysostom's death reached Constantinople.[44] In 1908 Pope Pius X named him the patron saint of preachers.[4] Writings[edit] Some 700 sermons and 246 letters by John Chrysostom survive, plus biblical commentaries, moral discourses, and theological treatises.[citation needed] Homilies[edit] Paschal Homily[edit] The Byzantine emperor Nicephorus III receives a book of homilies from John Chrysostom; the Archangel Michael stands on his left (11th-century illuminated manuscript). The best known of his many homilies is an extremely brief one, the Paschal Homily (Hieratikon), which is read at the first service of Pascha (Easter), the midnight Orthros (Matins), in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[45] General[edit] Chrysostom's extant homiletical works are vast, including many hundreds of exegetical homilies on both the New Testament (especially the works of Paul the Apostle) and the Old Testament (particularly on Genesis). Among his extant exegetical works are sixty-seven homilies on Genesis, fifty-nine on the Psalms, ninety on the Gospel of Matthew, eighty-eight on the Gospel of John, and fifty-five on the Acts of the Apostles.[1] The homilies were written down by stenographers and subsequently circulated, revealing a style that tended to be direct and greatly personal, but formed by the rhetorical conventions of his time and place.[46] In general, his homiletical theology displays much characteristic of the Antiochian school (i.e., somewhat more literal in interpreting biblical events), but he also uses a good deal of the allegorical interpretation more associated with the Alexandrian school.[1] John's social and religious world was formed by the continuing and pervasive presence of paganism in the life of the city. One of his regular topics was the paganism in the culture of Constantinople, and in his homilies he thunders against popular pagan amusements: the theatre, horseraces, and the revelry surrounding holidays.[47] In particular, he criticizes Christians for taking part in such activities: If you ask [Christians] who is Amos or Obadiah, how many apostles there were or prophets, they stand mute; but if you ask them about the horses or drivers, they answer with more solemnity than sophists or rhetors.[47] One of the recurring features of John's homilies is his emphasis on care for the needy.[48] Echoing themes found in the Gospel of Matthew, he calls upon the rich to lay aside materialism in favor of helping the poor, often employing all of his rhetorical skills to shame wealthy people to abandon conspicuous consumption: Do you pay such honor to your excrements as to receive them into a silver chamber-pot when another man made in the image of God is perishing in the cold?[49] Along these lines, he wrote often about the need for almsgiving and its importance alongside fasting and prayer, e.g. "Prayer without almsgiving is unfruitful."[50] 11th-century conch mosaic of John Chrysostom from the south-east apse of the nave of the Hosios Loukas monastery Cyril of Alexandria attributed the destruction of the Ephesian Temple of Artemis to John Chrysostom, referring to him as "the destroyer of the demons and overthrower of the temple of Diana". A later Archbishop of Constantinople, Proclus repeated the allegation, saying "In Ephesus, he despoiled the art of Midas". Both claims are considered spurious.[51] Homilies against Jews and Judaizing Christians[edit] Main article: Adversus Judaeos During his first two years as a presbyter in Antioch (386–387), John denounced Jews and Judaizing Christians in a series of eight homilies delivered to Christians in his congregation who were taking part in Jewish festivals and other Jewish observances.[52][53] It is disputed whether the main targets were specifically Judaizers or Jews in general. His homilies were expressed in the conventional manner, utilizing the uncompromising rhetorical form known as the psogos (Greek: blame, censure).[52] One of the purposes of these homilies was to prevent Christians from participating in Jewish customs, and thus prevent the perceived erosion of Chrysostom's flock. In his homilies, John criticized those "Judaizing Christians", who were participating in Jewish festivals and taking part in other Jewish observances, such as the shabbat, submitted to circumcision and made pilgrimage to Jewish holy places.[52] There had been a revival of Jewish faith and tolerance in Antioch in 361, so Chrysostom's followers and the greater Christian community were in contact with Jews frequently, and Chrysostom was concerned that this interaction would draw Christians away from their faith identity.[54] John claimed that synagogues were full of Christians, especially Christian women, on the shabbats and Jewish festivals, because they loved the solemnity of the Jewish liturgy and enjoyed listening to the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and applauded famous preachers in accordance with the contemporary custom.[55] Due to Chrysostom's stature in the Christian church, both locally and within the greater church hierarchy, his sermons were fairly successful in spreading anti-Jewish sentiment. This prompted the introduction of anti-Jewish legislation and social regulations, increasing the separation between the two communities.[citation needed] In Greek the homilies are called Kata Ioudaiōn (Κατὰ Ἰουδαίων), which is translated as Adversus Judaeos in Latin and 'Against the Jews' in English.[56] The original Benedictine editor of the homilies, Bernard de Montfaucon, gives the following footnote to the title: "A discourse against the Jews; but it was delivered against those who were Judaizing and keeping the fasts with them [the Jews]."[56] According to Patristics scholars, opposition to any particular view during the late 4th century was conventionally expressed in a manner, utilizing the rhetorical form known as the psogos, whose literary conventions were to vilify opponents in an uncompromising manner; thus, it has been argued that to call Chrysostom an "anti-Semite" is to employ anachronistic terminology in a way incongruous with historical context and record.[57] This does not preclude assertions that Chrysostom's theology was a form of anti-Jewish supersessionism.[58] Anglican priest James Parkes called Chrysostom's writing on Jews "the most horrible and violent denunciations of Judaism to be found in the writings of a Christian theologian".[59] According to historian William I. Brustein, his sermons against Jews gave further momentum to the idea that Jews are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus.[60] Steven T. Katz cites Chrysostom's homilies as "the decisive turn in the history of Christian anti-Judaism, a turn whose ultimate disfiguring consequence was enacted in the political antisemitism of Adolf Hitler."[61] John Chrysostom with Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus on a late-15th-century icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs from the Cathedral of St Sophia, Novgorod Homily against homosexuality[edit] According to Robert H. Allen, "Chrysostom's learning and eloquence spans and sums up a long age of ever-growing moral outrage, fear and loathing of homosexuality."[62] His most notable discourse in this regard is his fourth homily on Romans 1:26,[63] where he argues as follows: All these affections then were vile, but chiefly the mad lust after males; for the soul is more the sufferer in sins, and more dishonored, than the body in diseases. ... [The men] have done an insult to nature itself. And a yet more disgraceful thing than these is it, when even the women seek after these intercourses, who ought to have more sense of shame than men.[64] He says the active male victimizes the passive male in a way that leaves him more enduringly dishonored than even a victim of murder since the victim of this act must "live under" the shame of the "insolency".[64] The victim of a murder, by contrast, carries no dishonor. He asserts that punishment will be found in Hell for such transgressors and that women can be guilty of the sin as much as men. Chrysostom argues that the male passive partner has effectively renounced his manhood and become a woman – such an individual deserves to be "driven out and stoned". He attributes the cause to "luxury". "Do not, he means (Paul), because you have heard that they burned, suppose that the evil was only in desire. For the greater part of it came of their luxuriousness, which also kindled into flame their lust".[64] According to scholar Michael Carden, Chrysostom was particularly influential in shaping early Christian thought that same-sex desire was an evil, claiming that he altered a traditional interpretation of Sodom as a place of inhospitality to one where the sexual transgressions of the Sodomites became paramount.[65] However, other scholars – such as Kruger[66] and Nortjé-Meyer[67] – dispute this, arguing that the author of the Epistle of Jude already interpreted the sin of Sodom as homosexuality in the New Testament. Treatises[edit] Apart from his homilies, a number of John's other treatises have had a lasting influence. One such work is John's early treatise Against Those Who Oppose the Monastic Life, written while he was a deacon (sometime before 386), which was directed to parents, pagan as well as Christian, whose sons were contemplating a monastic vocation.[68] Chrysostom wrote that, already in his day, it was customary for Antiochenes to send their sons to be educated by monks.[69] Another important treatise written by John is titled On the Priesthood (written 390/391, it contains in Book 1 an account of his early years and a defence of his flight from ordination by bishop Meletios of Antioch, and then proceeds in later books to expound on his exalted understanding of the priesthood). Two other notable books by John are Instructions to Catechumens and On the Incomprehensibility of the Divine Nature.[70] In addition, he wrote a series of letters to the deaconess Olympias, of which seventeen are extant.[71] Liturgy[edit] Beyond his preaching, the other lasting legacy of John is his influence on Christian liturgy. Two of his writings are particularly notable. He harmonized the liturgical life of the church by revising the prayers and rubrics of the Divine Liturgy, or celebration of the Holy Eucharist. To this day, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite typically celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom as the normal Eucharistic liturgy, although his exact connection with it remains a matter of debate among experts.[72] Legacy and influence[edit] A sculpture of John Chrysostom in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York City During a time when city clergy were subject to criticism for their high lifestyle, John was determined to reform his clergy in Constantinople. These efforts were met with resistance and limited success. He was an excellent preacher[72] whose homilies and writings are still studied and quoted. As a theologian, he has been and continues to be very important in Eastern Christianity, and is generally considered among the Three Holy Hierarchs of the Greek Church, but has been less important to Western Christianity. His writings have survived to the present day more so than any of the other Greek Fathers.[1] Influence on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and clergy[edit] Regardless of his lesser influence compared to, say, Thomas Aquinas, John's influence on church teachings is interwoven throughout the current Catechism of the Catholic Church (revised 1992).[citation needed] The Catechism cites him in eighteen sections, particularly his reflections on the purpose of prayer and the meaning of the Lord's Prayer:[citation needed] Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not say "thy will be done in me or in us", but "on earth", the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.[73] Christian clerics, such as R. S. Storr, refer to him as "one of the most eloquent preachers who ever since apostolic times have brought to men the divine tidings of truth and love",[This quote needs a citation] and the 19th-century John Henry Newman described John as a "bright, cheerful, gentle soul; a sensitive heart".[74] Music and literature[edit] John's liturgical legacy has inspired several musical compositions. Particularly noteworthy[citation needed] are Sergei Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31, composed in 1910,[75] one of his two major unaccompanied choral works; Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41; and Ukrainian composer Kyrylo Stetsenko's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Arvo Pärt's Litany sets Chrysostom's twenty-four prayers, one for each hour of the day,[76] for soli, mixed choir and orchestra. And the compositions of Alexander Grechaninovs Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 1, Op. 13 (1897), Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 2, Op. 29 (1902), Liturgia Domestica (Liturgy Johannes Chrysostomos No. 3), Op. 79 (1917) and Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 4, Op. 177 (1943) are noteworthy.[citation needed] James Joyce's novel Ulysses includes a character named Mulligan who brings 'Chrysostomos' into another character (Stephen Dedalus)'s mind because Mulligan's gold-stopped teeth and his gift of the gab earn him the title which St. John Chrysostom's preaching earned him, 'golden-mouthed':[77] "[Mulligan] peered sideways up and gave a long low whistle of call, then paused awhile in rapt attention, his even white teeth glistening here and there with gold points. Chrysostomos."[78] Legend of the penance of Saint John Chrysostom[edit] The Penance of St. John Chrysostom. Engraving by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1509. The saint can be seen in the background on all fours, whilst the princess and their baby dominate the foreground. A late medieval legend relates that, when John Chrysostom was a hermit in the desert, he was approached by a royal princess in distress.[citation needed][c] John, thinking she was a demon, at first refused to help her, but the princess convinced him that she was a Christian and would be devoured by wild beasts if she were not allowed to enter his cave. He therefore admitted her, carefully dividing the cave in two parts, one for each of them. In spite of these precautions, the sin of fornication was committed, and in an attempt to hide it the distraught John took the princess and threw her over a precipice. He then went to Rome to beg absolution, which was refused. Realising the appalling nature of his crimes, Chrysostom made a vow that he would never rise from the ground until his sins were expiated, and for years he lived like a beast, crawling on all fours and feeding on wild grasses and roots. Subsequently, the princess reappeared, alive, and suckling John's baby, who miraculously pronounced his sins forgiven. This last scene was very popular from the late 15th century onwards as a subject for engravers and artists. The theme was depicted by Albrecht Dürer around 1496,[79] Hans Sebald Beham and Lucas Cranach the Elder, among others. Martin Luther mocked this same legend in his Die Lügend von S. Johanne Chrysostomo (1537) to analyse the pitfalls of the Christian Legendary (hagiography).[80][81] The legend was recorded in Croatia in the 16th century.[82][non-primary source needed] Relics[edit] The return of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople John Chrysostom died in the city of Comana in 407 on his way to his place of exile. There his relics remained until 438 when, thirty years after his death, they were transferred to Constantinople during the reign of the empress Eudoxia's son, the emperor Theodosius II (408–450), under the guidance of John's disciple, Proclus, who by that time had become archbishop of Constantinople (434–447).[83] Most of John's relics were looted from Constantinople by crusaders in 1204 and taken to Rome, but some of his bones were returned to the Orthodox Church on 27 November 2004 by Pope John Paul II.[84][85][86] Since 2004 the relics have been enshrined in the Church of St. George, Istanbul.[87] The skull, however, having been kept at the monastery at Vatopedi on Mount Athos in northern Greece, was not among the relics that were taken by the crusaders in the 13th century. In 1655, at the request of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the skull was taken to Russia, for which the monastery was compensated in the sum of 2,000 rubles. In 1693, having received a request from the Vatopedi Monastery for the return of Saint John's skull, Tsar Peter the Great ordered that the skull remain in Russia but that the monastery was to be paid 500 rubles every four years. The Russian state archives document these payments up until 1735. The skull was kept at the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, until 1920, when it was confiscated by the Soviets and placed in the Museum of Silver Antiquities. In 1988, in connection with the 1,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the head, along with other important relics, was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and kept at the Epiphany Cathedral, until being moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour after its restoration.[citation needed] Today, the monastery at Vatopedi posits a rival claim to possessing the skull of John Chrysostom, and there a skull is venerated by pilgrims to the monastery as that of Saint John. Two sites in Italy also claim to have the saint's skull: the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Dal Pozzo chapel in Pisa. The right hand of Saint John[88][unreliable source?] is preserved on Mount Athos, and numerous smaller relics are scattered throughout the world.[89]

Constantinople, 342-372, Niketas tGoth, visible&invisible enemies, tortured by Athanaric, not burned, divine light, incrrp
Serbia, 342-372, Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth, probable area of Danube River in Germania, Ulfilas' Gothic Alphabet, teacher, visible and invisible enemies, tortured by Athanaric, not burned, divine light, incorrupt relics ; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Holy Great Martyr Niketas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Niketas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Niketas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Niketas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Niketas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Niketas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Niketas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Niketas, and buried it in Cilicia. it was transferred to Constantinople. of the relics of the Great Martyr Niketas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Saint Niketas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Niketas for the preservation of children from birth defects.

Constantinople, 342-372, Nicetas the Goth, Saint, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia
Byzantine Period, Gothic Saint, 372, Nicetas the Goth; is a Christian martyr of the 4th century, venerated particularly in the Russian Orthodox Church. His feastday is 15 September.[1] a Gothic soldier, lived in the Danube region at the margins of the Byzantine Empire.[2] Presumably, he received his Greek name on the occasion of his baptism by the Gothic bishop Theophilus, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths began to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in internecine strife. Nicetas fought in the Gothic civil war between the pagan Athanaric and the Christian Fritigern. the defeat of Athanaric and after the invention of Gothic alphabets by Ulfilas, Nicetas worked intensely among the Goths.[2 He was condemned to the stake in 372. According to his Passio, the devil, shaped as an angel, induced Nicetas to sacrifice to the pagan gods for saving his life; Nicetas, however, put him to flight by means of prayer and assisted by archangel Michael. His body was buried it in Cilicia, and later transferred to Constantinople. Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Cyprus there are several churches and monasteries named after St Nicetas. See Church of Saint Nicetas. Nicetas is prayed to for the preservation of children from birth defects.[2] Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; Holy Great Martyr Nicetas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. The Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Saint Nikḗtas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Pagan Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. The Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Saint Nicetas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. Since he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Nikḗtas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. Filled with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Nicetas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. The cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Nikḗtas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Nicetas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. Although his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. By night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Nicetas, and buried it in Cilicia. Afterward, it was transferred to Constantinople. Part of the relics of the Great Martyr Nicetas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Thus Saint Nicetas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Nicetas for the preservation of children from birth defects. AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Constantinople, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, conquered passions, labored plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name
Syria, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, prostrations, lying on ground, hairshirt, iron chains, long hair, continuious fasting and prayer, much labor, conquered passions, labored much, plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name, Marathon; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Theodosius of Antioch in his early years left the rich home of his illustrious parents and entered upon the straight and arduous path of asceticism. settled into a small cell on the shore of the Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos. saint weakened his body with prostrations and by lying upon the bare ground. also wore a hairshirt and heavy iron chains. His hair grew so long that it covered his feet. continuous feats of fasting and prayer he conquered his fleshly and spiritual passions, he quieted his temper, and drove away unclean thoughts. labored much, tilling his garden and occupying himself with plaiting ropes. his native land Saint Theodosius founded a monastery (Skupela). He imparted to the monks a love for physical toil and for spiritual deeds. Saint Theodosius had a special concern for strangers. sublime life of the saint was known even beyond the confines of the monastery. Both Christians and pagans knew him. Seafarers in time of peril called out for help to “the God of Theodosius.” happened that at the mere mention of Saint Theodosius, the waves of the sea were calmed. feared and respected him, and sought his prayers. the praise of people, the saint settled near the village of Maraton, founding here the Maratonia monastery. There the great ascetic peacefully finished the days of his God-pleasing life (412).

Constantinople, 349-389, Gregory tTheologian, Grt Teacher, defeated heretic majority with devine lit gift, his only treasure
Armenia, 349-389, Gregory tTheologian, Archbishop oConstantinople, Great Father & Teacher otChurch, fArianzos near Nazianzos, his father also named Gregory Jan 1, but Son G is G oN in Patristic theology, was bishop oN, his mother Nonna Aug 5 childless prayed for a Son & dedicated him after prayer answered, gave him Holy Scripture when learned to read, complete ed, warked with uncle Amphilochius Nov 23, teacher oRhetoric, then studied aNazianzos, Caesarea, Alexandria, he decided then go to Athens with terrible 20 day storm on the way, vowed dedication, saved when used Name of the Lord, 6yrs in Athens studying Rhetoric, poetry, geometry, astronomy, from renouned pagan rhetoricians, close friend Basil oCaesarea Jan 1 later Archbishop there also, with Apostate Julian, Emperor 361-63, G taught Rhetoric iAthens till 358 returned Nazianzus, baptized a33 by his father, now bishop oN, G ordained priest against his will, fled to Basil's monastery in Pontus several yrs to avoid becoming bishop oN, returned home when brother Caesarius Mar9 died, Arian heresy there, condemned by locals, his father had signed ambiguous faith interpretation, son G convinced father G Arianism pernicious nature, fake orthodox Anthimus became Met of Tyana, so Basil made Gregory Bishop oSasima between Caesarea & Tyana, but G remained in Nazianzos helping dying father, 378 G invited tC tFight heretics there, Basil consented, 379 pastored small church called Anastasis or Resurrection, Heretics in majority (Arians, Macedonians, Appolinarians), like fighting Philistines with a sling, but successful, 379 while baptizing, wounded by heretics, worthy truth preacher, lit gift, offered to God, only this my treasure, I give up everything else at command otSpirit, to obtain pearl great price, comforted by it, companion of my life, good councilor, converser, guide, fervent co-ascetic, To preach he carefully prepared and revised his works, Hi five sermons, Orations, first defines character of a theologian: experienced, successful at contemplation, pure oSoul&body, utterly selfless, ferver&reverence, God has concealed his essence from mankind & logic only, mind and reason have to become godlike and divine, the image must ascend to the Archetype, OT patriarchs&prophets NT Apostles demo essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man, much more like this, need theosis; Nazianzos; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25; Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus. The son is the Saint Gregory Nazianzus encountered in Patristic theology. pious mother, Saint Nonna (August 5), prayed to God for a son, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she named her child Gregory. the child learned to read, his mother presented him with the Holy Scripture. Gregory received a complete and extensive education: working at home with his uncle Saint Amphilochius (November 23), an experienced teacher of rhetoric, then studied in the schools of Nazianzos, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Alexandria. the saint decided to go to Athens to complete his education. the way from Alexandria to Greece, a terrible storm raged for many days. Saint Gregory, who was just a catechumen at that time, feared that he would perish in the sea before being cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Gregory lay in the ship’s stern for twenty days, beseeching the merciful God for salvation. He vowed to dedicate himself to God, was saved when he invoked the name of the Lord. Gregory spent six years in Athens studying rhetoric, poetry, geometry, and astronomy. teachers were the renowned pagan rhetoricians Gymorias and Proeresias. Basil, the future Archbishop of Caesarea (January 1) also studied in Athens with Saint Gregory. were such close friends that they seemed to be one soul in two bodies. the future emperor (361-363) and apostate from the Christian Faith, was studying philosophy in Athens at the same time. completing his education, Saint Gregory remained for a certain while at Athens as a teacher of rhetoric. was also familiar with pagan philosophy and literature. 358 Saint Gregory quietly left Athens and returned to his parents at Nazianzus. thirty-three years of age, he received Baptism from his father, who had been appointed Bishop of Nazianzus. his will, Saint Gregory was ordained to the holy priesthood by his father. when the elder Gregory wished to make him a bishop, he fled to join his friend Basil in Pontus. Saint Basil had organized a monastery in Pontus and had written to Gregory inviting him to come. Gregory remained with Saint Basil for several years. his brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) died, he returned home to help his father administer his diocese. local church was also in turmoil because of the Arian heresy. Gregory had the difficult task of reconciling the bishop with his flock, who condemned their pastor for signing an ambiguous interpretation of the dogmas of the faith. Gregory convinced his father of the pernicious nature of Arianism, and strengthened him in Orthodoxy. this time, Bishop Anthimus, who pretended to be Orthodox but was really a heretic, became Metropolitan of Tyana. Basil had been consecrated as the Archbishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia. wished to separate from Saint Basil and to divide the province of Cappadocia. Basil the Great made Saint Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. Saint Gregory remained at Nazianzos in order to assist his dying father, he guided the flock of this city for a while after the death of his father in 374. the death of Patriarch Valentus of Constantinople in the year 378, a council of bishops invited Saint Gregory to help the Church of Constantinople, which at this time was ravaged by heretics. the consent of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory came to Constantinople to combat heresy. the year 379 he began to serve and preach in a small church called “Anastasis” (“Resurrection”). David fighting the Philistines with a sling, Saint Gregory battled against impossible odds to defeat false doctrine. were in the majority in the capital: Arians, Macedonians, and Appolinarians. more he preached, the more did the number of heretics decrease, and the number of the Orthodox increased. the night of Pascha (April 21, 379) when Saint Gregory was baptizing catechumens, a mob of armed heretics burst into the church and cast stones at the Orthodox, killing one bishop and wounding Saint Gregory. the fortitude and mildness of the saint were his armor, and his words converted many to the Orthodox Church. Gregory’s literary works (orations, letters, poems) show him as a worthy preacher of the truth of Christ. had a literary gift, and the saint sought to offer his talent to God the Word: “I offer this gift to my God, I dedicate this gift to Him. Only this remains to me as my treasure. I gave up everything else at the command of the Spirit. I gave all that I had to obtain the pearl of great price. Only in words do I master it, as a servant of the Word. I would never intentionally wish to disdain this wealth. I esteem it, I set value by it, I am comforted by it more than others are comforted by all the treasures of the world. It is the companion of all my life, a good counselor and converser; a guide on the way to Heaven and a fervent co-ascetic.” order to preach the Word of God properly, the saint carefully prepared and revised his works. five sermons, or “Theological Orations,” Saint Gregory first of all defines the characteristics of a theologian, and who may theologize. those who are experienced can properly reason about God, those who are successful at contemplation and, most importantly, who are pure in soul and body, and utterly selfless. reason about God properly is possible only for one who enters into it with fervor and reverence. that God has concealed His Essence from mankind, Saint Gregory demonstrates that it is impossible for those in the flesh to view mental objects without a mixture of the corporeal. about God in a positive sense is possible only when we become free from the external impressions of things and from their effects, when our guide, the mind, does not adhere to impure transitory images. the Eunomians, who would presume to grasp God’s Essence through logical speculation, the saint declared that man perceives God when the mind and reason become godlike and divine, i.e. when the image ascends to its Archetype. (Or. 28:17). the example of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets and also the Apostles has demonstrated, that the Essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man. Gregory cited the futile sophistry of Eunomios: “God begat the Son either through His will, or contrary to will. If He begat contrary to will, then He underwent constraint. If by His will, then the Son is the Son of His intent.” such reasoning, Saint Gregory points out the harm it does to man: “You yourself, who speak so thoughtlessly, were you begotten voluntarily or involuntarily by your father? involuntarily, then your father was under the sway of some tyrant. Who? You can hardly say it was nature, for nature is tolerant of chastity. it was voluntarily, then by a few syllables you deprive yourself of your father, for thus you are shown to be the son of Will, and not of your father” (Or. 29:6). Gregory then turns to Holy Scripture, with particular attention examining a place where it points out the Divine Nature of the Son of God. Gregory’s interpretations of Holy Scripture are devoted to revealing that the divine power of the Savior was actualized even when He assumed an impaired human nature for the salvation of mankind. first of Saint Gregory’s Five Theological Orations is devoted to arguments against the Eunomians for their blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. examining everything that is said in the Gospel about the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the saint refutes the heresy of Eunomios, which rejected the divinity of the Holy Spirit. comes to two fundamental conclusions. in reading Holy Scripture, it is necessary to reject blind literalism and to try and understand its spiritual sense. in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit operated in a hidden way. “Now the Spirit Himself dwells among us and makes the manifestation of Himself more certain. was not safe, as long as they did not acknowledge the divinity of the Father, to proclaim openly that of the Son; as long as the divinity of the Son was not accepted, they could not, to express it somewhat boldly, impose on us the burden of the Holy Spirit” (Or. 31:26). divinity of the Holy Spirit is a sublime subject. “Look at these facts: Christ is born, the Holy Spirit is His Forerunner. is baptized, the Spirit bears witness to this... works miracles, the Spirit accompanies them. ascends, the Spirit takes His place. great things are there in the idea of God which are not in His power? titles appertaining to God do not apply also to Him, except for Unbegotten and Begotten? tremble when I think of such an abundance of titles, and how many Names they blaspheme, those who revolt against the Spirit!” (Or. 31:29). Orations of Saint Gregory are not limited only to this topic. He also wrote (public praise) on Saints, Orations, invectives against Julian the Apostate, “two pillars, on which the impiety of Julian is indelibly written for posterity,” various orations on other topics. all, forty-five of Saint Gregory’s orations have been preserved. letters of the saint compare favorably with his best theological works. All of them are clear, yet concise. his poems as in all things, Saint Gregory focused on Christ. “If the lengthy tracts of the heretics are new Psalters at variance with David, and the pretty verses they honor are like a third testament, we also shall sing Psalms, and begin to write much and compose poetic meters,” said the saint. his poetic gift the saint wrote: “I am an organ of the Lord, and sweetly... do I glorify the King, all a-tremble before Him.” fame of the Orthodox preacher spread through East and West. the saint lived in the capital as though he still lived in the wilderness: “his food was food of the wilderness; clothing was whatever necessary. made visitations without pretense, though in proximity of the court, he sought nothing from the court.” saint received a shock when he was ill. whom he considered as his friend, the philosopher Maximus, was consecrated at Constantinople in Saint Gregory’s place. by the ingratitude of Maximus, the saint decided to resign the cathedral, his faithful flock restrained him from it. people threw the usurper out of the city. November 24, 380 the holy emperor Theodosius arrived in the capital and, in enforcing his decree against the heretics, the main church was returned to the Orthodox, Saint Gregory making a solemn entrance. attempt on the life of Saint Gregory was planned, instead the assassin appeared before the saint with tears of repentance. the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, Saint Gregory was chosen as Patriarch of Constantinople. the death of Patriarch Meletius of Antioch, Saint Gregory presided at the Council. Hoping to reconcile the West with the East, he offered to recognize Paulinus as Patriarch of Antioch. who had acted against Saint Gregory on behalf of Maximus, Egyptian and Macedonian bishops, late for the Council. did not want to acknowledge the saint as Patriarch of Constantinople, since he was elected in their absence. Gregory decided to resign his office for the sake of peace in the Church: “Let me be as the Prophet Jonah! was responsible for the storm, I would sacrifice myself for the salvation of the ship. me and throw me... was not happy when I ascended the throne, and gladly would I descend it.” telling the emperor of his desire to quit the capital, Saint Gregory appeared again at the Council to deliver a farewell address (Or. 42) to be allowed to depart in peace. his return to his native region, Saint Gregory turned his attention to the incursion of Appolinarian heretics into the flock of Nazianzus, he established the pious Eulalius there as bishop, he himself withdrew into the solitude of Arianzos so dear to his heart. saint, zealous for the truth of Christ, continued to affirm Orthodoxy through his letters and poems, while remaining in the wilderness. died on January 25, 389, and is honored with the title “Theologian,” given to the holy Apostle and Evangelist John. his works Saint Gregory, like that other Theologian Saint John, directs everything toward the Pre-eternal Word. John of Damascus (December 4), in the first part of his book An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, followed the lead of Saint Gregory the Theologian. Gregory was buried at Nazianzos. In the year 950, his holy relics were transferred to Constantinople into the church of the Holy Apostles. on, a portion of his relics was transferred to Rome. appearance, the saint was of medium height and somewhat pale. He had thick eyebrows, and a short beard. contemporaries already called the archpastor a saint. Orthodox Church, honors Saint Gregory as a second Theologian and insightful writer on the Holy Trinity. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Constantinople, 349-390, GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, the Theologian, converted C from Arianism
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or 'œthe Roman'Â, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 344-347, 120 Martyrs of Persia, Kerman (high point, home of Shapur II), consigned to flames, 10 virgins
Persia, 344-347, 120 Martyrs of Persia, Kerman (high point, home of Shapur II the Great), consigned to the flames, 10 virgins; Shapur II the Great; Kerman, Persia (high point, home of Shapur II the Great); 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Holy 120 Martyrs suffered under the Persian emperor Sapor. were taken into captivity during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantios (337-361). were consigned to the flames after firmly confessing their faith (c.344-347). Shandulios (November 3) concealed their relics from desecration by the pagans. the holy martyrs were ten virgins, who had dedicated themselves to the service of God.

Constantinople, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit, calmly amiably conversing w beasts, prayer told huge lion to come
Galilee, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit; Martyr Zosimas the Desert Dweller lived during the fourth century. Once, while hunting, Dometian, the governor of Sicily, saw the Elder calmly and amiably conversing with the beasts around him. the hunters, the beasts fled. They then interrogated the Elder, asking who he was and why he lived in the wilderness. The Elder answered that he was a Christian called Zosimas, and that he could not live in the city with the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he lived alone among the wild animals. Dometian said threateningly: “If you worship the Nazarene, I shall subject you to fierce tortures at Nazareth, and you will renounce Christ.” asked what kind of magic he used to tame wild beasts, Saint Zosimas replied, “I am a Christian.” At Nazareth the tortures began. They tied the Elder head downwards, with a large stone around his neck, and they began to lacerate his body with iron hooks. torturers taunted the sufferer: “If the beasts do listen to you, tell one of them to come here, and then we will believe in your God.” The holy martyr turned to God in prayer, and suddenly a huge lion came forth. fled in terror, and the lion went up to the Elder, and began to lift the stone around the martyr’s neck with its paw in order to ease the suffering of the saint. The governor implored the martyr to keep the lion calm, and he gave orders to untie the saint, and to bring him to the emperor, but Saint Zosimas was already dead, having given up his pure soul to God. Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1; to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 350&450, Fathers slain at Sinai &Raithu, same day 100yrs later, God intervened w fire at top of mt, eyewitness
Egypt, 350&450, Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt, same day, 40 and 39, God intervened w fire at top of mt, 100 yrs later eyewitness, description of ascetics lives; Raithu; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; were two occasions when the monks and hermits at Sinai and Raithu were murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were slain at Raithu on the same day. Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk, witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified, and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them. day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart. second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12). Arabs permitted some of the monks to run for their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack their cells. Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic Fathers are: Isaiah, Savva, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark, Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias. St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic. attained such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a light shone upon him while he prayed. foretold the time of his death to his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the Sinai Fathers. Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Constantinople, 350&450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice
Egypt, 350&450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, recorded the slaughter, slept past sunrise so not sacrificed, back to Sinai; Raithu; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Constantinople, 350, 4th Century, Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, monk, mountain cave dweller, ascetic 75 yrs till age 110
Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, monk, mountain cave dweller, ascetic 75 yrs till age 110; Venerable Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, Commemorated on January 8; Elias the Egyptian became a monk and pursued asceticism for seventy-five years on a desolate mountain in a cave. died in the fourth century at the age of 110.

Constantinople, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (on Iris River near Pontus and Neocaserea) of the 5
Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Constantinople, 350-379, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great, of the 5
Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 350-379, Basil tGreat, Archbishop oCaesarea, Armenia, but belongs to tChurch&Time worldwide, best teacher
Armenia, 350-379, Basil tGreat, Archbishop oCaesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, but belongs to tWhole Church&Time all lands&Cities worldwide, tMost salvific teacher, illustrious lineage, eminence&wealth&Zealous christians, Grandfather Grandmother father's side hid iForests oPontus 7yrs under Diocletian, his Mom St Emilia daughter oMartyr, his father aLawyer &famous rhetorician fCassarea, they had 10 children incl 5 saints, Macrina, Gregory oNyssa, Peter oSebaste, deaconess Theosebia &Himself, Basil lived oEstate River Isis iPontus near Neocasarea Crossroads tKelkit River, rasied under his Mother&Grandmother Macrina tElder's supervision, they remembered Gregory tWonderworker oCappadocia, initial ed under hFather, then finest teachers Caesarea, where he met Gregory tTheologian (oNazianzus), later ed aConstantinople, eminent orators philosophers, then ed aAthens, center oClassical enlightenment f4o5yrs, master oAll disciplines, Philosopher, philologist (language history), orator, jurist, naturalist, astronomer, math, medicine, close friendship wGregory, 1 soul 2 bodies, hopes guided us, 2Paths, 1 temples&teachers 2 disciplines beyond, 357 back tCaesarea&Rhetoric, but soon ascetic life, after Dad's death Mom&Sis Macrina& servants tfamily estate iPontus fAscetic life, Basil baptized&Reader iCaesarea, read&explained, later tEgypt Syria&Palestine tMeet Great Ascetics, copied them iC, gave wealth, settled near Mom&Macrina, other side river, gathered monks, cenobitic (group) life, letters tGregory, joined him, strict abstinence, no roof or fireplace, humble food, calloused hands hard work, tunic mantle hair shirt aNight, intense study scripture, guided bFathers otPast, like good writings oOrigen, Philokalia anthology bThem, monks requested Rules fVirtuous Life, preaching&example fCappadocia&Pontus, Men&Women monasteries combining cenobitic&Solitary lifestyle, tCaesarea, 362 deacon, 364 priest, B honored by everyone, caused weak bishop Eusebius jealousy, monks defended B, B withdrew his Pontus monastery, new emperor Valens 364-378 anArian, trouble fOrthodoxy, Eusebius called him back, advisor, representative, Word oGod expounder, staff ftAged, support iIntermal matters, Church governance passed tSubordinate Basil, Preached daily oTwiceDaily, composed Liturgy, wrote On 6 Days oCreation (Hexaemeron), Prophet Isaiah i16 Chapters, work oPsalms, 2nd Monastic Rules, also 3 books Against Eunomius, aristotelian reason logical scheme rational concepts Arian teacher, B caring fDestitute, taking in Strangers, virgin supervision, written unwritted monastic rules, arrangement oPrayers (Liturgy), a oAltars+, 370 Bishop after Eusebius, newest o50 bishops i50 provinces, Athanasius tGreat welcomed him, Valen's Arians held various opinions about divinity Son oGod, Holy Spirit questions, Basil taught HS equal wFather&Son, for full explanation wrote On The Holy Spirit, circumstances, Cappadocia divided 2Provincial districts, then Antioch schism, negative haughty attitude oWestern bishops when attempts draw them in to Arian struggle, plus departure oBasil's close friendEustathius tArian side, B's letters tChurches encouraged Orthodox, summoned bravery, challanged Arian hostility&Intrigues, a Bee stinging enemies while nourishing tFlock wTeaching honey, suddenly Valens appeared in C tSend B into exile, Sent perfect Modestus, threated property confiscation, banishment, beatings, death, but if you take my possessions, not enrich you and not make me pauper, same for clothing books, Exile means nothing, my place is not mine, where you send me will be mine, better to say every place is God's, where I would not be stranger or sojourner, who can torture me, first blow insensible, death would be kindness, sooner tGod tWhom I hasten, Official stunned, no one spoken so audaciously tMe, Perhaps that is because you never spoke bishop before, we are meek most humble oAll, but when people rise against God we look to him alone and fire sword wild beasts iron rods serve to fill us with joy rather than fear, Emperor we stand defeated by Church leader, so Valens did not give in tArians demanding exile, Valens entered a full Church on Theophany, mixing wCrowd showing unity, but Psalms singing like thunder to his hearing, while Basil in front acknowledged nothing but focus on God & Altar, Clergy serving there in awe&reverence ; Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330[8] – 1 or 2 January 379), a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position. addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity. together with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet Ouranophantor (Greek: Οὐρανοφάντωρ), "revealer of heavenly mysteries".[9] Icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great (left), John Chrysostom (center) and Gregory the Theologian (right)—from Lipie, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland. 362, Bishop Meletius of Antioch ordained Basil as a deacon. Eusebius then summoned Basil to Caesarea and ordained him as presbyter of the Church there in 365. Ecclesiastical entreaties rather than Basil's desires thus altered his career path.[24] and Gregory Nazianzus spent the next few years combating the Arian heresy, which threatened to divide Cappadocia's Christians. In close fraternal cooperation, they agreed to a great rhetorical contest with accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors.[34] In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Gregory and Basil that their futures lay in administration of the Church.[34] Basil next took on functional administration of the city of Caesarea.[30] Eusebius is reported as becoming jealous of the reputation and influence which Basil quickly developed, and allowed Basil to return to his earlier solitude. Later, however, Gregory persuaded Basil to return. Basil did so, and became the administrator for the Diocese of Caesarea.[35] 370, Eusebius died, and Basil was chosen to succeed him, and was consecrated bishop on 14 June 370.[36] His new post as bishop of Caesarea also gave him the powers of exarch of Pontus and metropolitan of five suffragan bishops, many of whom had opposed him in the election for Eusebius's successor. It was then that his great powers were called into action. Hot-blooded and somewhat imperious, Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought.[27] letters show that he actively worked to reform thieves and prostitutes. They also show him encouraging his clergy not to be tempted by wealth or the comparatively easy life of a priest, and that he personally took care in selecting worthy candidates for holy orders. He also had the courage to criticize public officials who failed in their duty of administering justice. At the same time, he preached every morning and evening in his own church to large congregations. In addition to all the above, he built a large complex just outside Caesarea, called the Basiliad,[37] which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital, and was compared by Gregory of Nazianzus to the wonders of the world.[38] zeal for orthodoxy did not blind him to what was good in an opponent; and for the sake of peace and charity he was content to waive the use of orthodox terminology when it could be surrendered without a sacrifice of truth. The Emperor Valens, who was an adherent of the Arian philosophy, sent his prefect Modestus to at least agree to a compromise with the Arian faction. Basil's adamant negative response prompted Modestus to say that no one had ever spoken to him in that way before. Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never yet had to deal with a bishop." Modestus reported back to Valens that he believed nothing short of violence would avail against Basil. Valens was apparently unwilling to engage in violence. He did however issue orders banishing Basil repeatedly, none of which succeeded. Valens came himself to attend when Basil celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany), and at that time was so impressed by Basil that he donated to him some land for the building of the Basiliad. This interaction helped to define the limits of governmental power over the church.[39] then had to face the growing spread of Arianism. This belief system, which denied that Christ was consubstantial with the Father, was quickly gaining adherents and was seen by many, particularly those in Alexandria most familiar with it, as posing a threat to the unity of the church.[40] Basil entered into connections with the West, and with the help of Athanasius, he tried to overcome its distrustful attitude toward the Homoiousians. The difficulties had been enhanced by bringing in the question as to the essence of the Holy Spirit. Although Basil advocated objectively the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, he belonged to those, who, faithful to Eastern tradition, would not allow the predicate homoousios to the former; for this he was reproached as early as 371 by the Orthodox zealots among the monks, and Athanasius defended him. corresponded with Pope Damasus in the hope of having his aid and encouragement against triumphant Arianism; the pope, however, cherished some degree of suspicion against the Cappadocian Doctor.[41 Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, “belongs not to the Church of Caesarea alone, merely to his own time, was he of benefit only to his own kinsmen, rather to all lands and cities worldwide, to all people he brought and still brings benefit, for Christians he always was and will be a most salvific teacher.” spoke Saint Basil’s contemporary, Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (November 23). Basil was born in the year 330 at Caesarea, the administrative center of Cappadocia. was of illustrious lineage, for its eminence and wealth, zealous for the Christian Faith. saint’s grandfather and grandmother on his father’s side had to hide in the forests of Pontus for seven years during the persecution under Diocletian. Basil’s mother Saint Emilia was the daughter of a martyr. On the Greek calendar, she is commemorated on May 30. Basil’s father was also named Basil. He was a lawyer and renowned rhetorician, and lived at Caesarea. children were born to the elder Basil and Emilia: five sons and five daughters. of them were later numbered among the saints: the Great; Macrina (July 19) was an exemplar of ascetic life, and exerted strong influence on the life and character of Saint Basil the Great; Gregory, afterwards Bishop of Nyssa (January 10); Peter, Bishop of Sebaste (January 9); and Theosebia, a deaconess (January 10). Basil spent the first years of his life on an estate belonging to his parents at the River Iris, he was raised under the supervision of his mother Emilia and grandmother Macrina. were women of great refinement, remembered an earlier bishop of Cappadocia, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker (November 17). received his initial education under the supervision of his father, then he studied under the finest teachers in Caesarea of Cappadocia, it was here that he made the acquaintance of Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25 and January 30). Basil transferred to a school at Constantinople, he listened to eminent orators and philosophers. complete his education Saint Basil went to Athens, the center of classical enlightenment. a four or five year stay at Athens, Basil had mastered all the available disciplines. “He studied everything thoroughly, more than others are wont to study a single subject. studied each science in its very totality, as though he would study nothing else.” philologist, orator, jurist, naturalist, possessing profound knowledge in astronomy, mathematics and medicine, “he was a ship fully laden with learning, to the extent permitted by human nature.” Athens a close friendship developed between Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzus), which continued throughout their life. fact, they regarded themselves as one soul in two bodies. Later on, in his eulogy for Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian speaks with delight about this period: “Various hopes guided us, and indeed inevitably, in learning... Two paths opened up before us: the one to our sacred temples and the teachers therein; the other towards preceptors of disciplines beyond.” the year 357, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where for a while he devoted himself to rhetoric. soon, refusing offers from Caesarea’s citizens who wanted to entrust him with the education of their offspring, Saint Basil entered upon the path of ascetic life. the death of her husband, Basil’s mother, her eldest daughter Macrina, and several female servants withdrew to the family estate at Iris and there began to lead an ascetic life. was baptized by Dianios, the Bishop of Caesarea, was tonsured a Reader (On the Holy Spirit, 29). first read the Holy Scriptures to the people, then explained them. on, “wishing to acquire a guide to the knowledge of truth”, the saint undertook a journey into Egypt, Syria and Palestine, to meet the great Christian ascetics dwelling there. returning to Cappadocia, he decided to do as they did. distributed his wealth to the needy, then settled on the opposite side of the river not far from his mother Emilia and sister Macrina, around him monks living a cenobitic life. his letters, Basil drew his good friend Gregory the Theologian to the monastery. Basil and Gregory labored in strict abstinence in their dwelling place, which had no roof or fireplace, and the food was very humble. themselves cleared away the stones, planted and watered the trees, and carried heavy loads. hands were constantly calloused from the hard work. clothing Basil had only a tunic and monastic mantle. wore a hairshirt, but only at night, so that it would not be obvious. their solitude, Saints Basil and Gregory occupied themselves in an intense study of Holy Scripture. were guided by the writings of the Fathers and commentators of the past, the good writings of Origen. all these works they compiled an anthology called Philokalia. at this time, at the request of the monks, Saint Basil wrote down a collection of rules for virtuous life. his preaching and by his example Saint Basil assisted in the spiritual perfection of Christians in Cappadocia and Pontus; and many indeed turned to him. were organized for men and for women, which places Basil sought to combine the cenobitic (koine bios, or common) lifestyle with that of the solitary hermit. the reign of Constantius (337-361) the heretical teachings of Arius were spreading, and the Church summoned both its saints into service. Basil returned to Caesarea. the year 362 he was ordained deacon by Bishop Meletius of Antioch. 364 he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea. “But seeing,” as Gregory the Theologian relates, “that everyone exceedingly praised and honored Basil for his wisdom and reverence, through human weakness, succumbed to jealousy of him, and began to show dislike for him. ” The monks rose up in defense of Saint Basil. avoid causing Church discord, Basil withdrew to his own monastery and concerned himself with the organization of monasteries. the coming to power of the emperor Valens (364-378), who was a resolute adherent of Arianism, a time of troubles began for Orthodoxy, onset of a great struggle. Saint Basil hastily returned to Caesarea at the request of Bishop Eusebius. the words of Gregory the Theologian, he was for Bishop Eusebius “a good advisor, a righteous representative, an expounder of the Word of God, a staff for the aged, a faithful support in internal matters, and an activist in external matters.” this time church governance passed over to Basil, though he was subordinate to the hierarch. preached daily, and often twice, in the morning and in the evening. this time Saint Basil composed his Liturgy. wrote a work “On the Six Days of Creation” (Hexaemeron) another on the Prophet Isaiah in sixteen chapters, another on the Psalms, also a second compilation of monastic rules. Basil wrote also three books “Against Eunomius,” an Arian teacher who, with the help of Aristotelian concepts, had presented the Arian dogma in philosophic form, converting Christian teaching into a logical scheme of rational concepts. Gregory the Theologian, speaking about the activity of Basil the Great during this period, points to “the caring for the destitute and the taking in of strangers, the supervision of virgins, written and unwritten monastic rules for monks, the arrangement of prayers [Liturgy], the felicitous arrangement of altars and other things.” the death of Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil was chosen to succeed him in the year 370. Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great was the newest of fifty bishops in eleven provinces. Athanasius the Great (May 2), with joy and with thanks to God welcomed the appointment to Cappadocia of such a bishop as Basil, famed for his reverence, deep knowledge of Holy Scripture, great learning, and his efforts for the welfare of Church peace and unity. Valens, the external government belonged to the Arians, held various opinions regarding the divinity of the Son of God, and were divided into several factions. dogmatic disputes were concerned with questions about the Holy Spirit. his books Against Eunomios, Saint Basil the Great taught the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son. in order to provide a full explanation of Orthodox teaching on this question, Basil wrote his book “On the Holy Spirit” at the request of Saint Amphilochius, the Bishop of Iconium. Basil’s difficulties were made worse by various circumstances: was divided in two under the rearrangement of provincial districts. at Antioch a schism occurred, occasioned by the consecration of a second bishop. was the negative and haughty attitude of Western bishops to the attempts to draw them into the struggle with the Arians. there was also the departure of Eustathius of Sebaste over to the Arian side. had been connected to him by ties of close friendship. the constant perils Saint Basil gave encouragement to the Orthodox, confirmed them in the Faith, summoning them to bravery and endurance. holy bishop wrote numerous letters to the churches, to bishops, to clergy and to individuals. the heretics “by the weapon of his mouth, and by the arrows of his letters,” an untiring champion of Orthodoxy, Saint Basil challenged the hostility and intrigues of the Arian heretics all his life. has been compared to a bee, stinging the Church’s enemies, yet nourishing his flock with the sweet honey of his teaching. emperor Valens, mercilessly sending into exile any bishop who displeased him, and having implanted Arianism into other Asia Minor provinces, appeared in Cappadocia for this same purpose. sent the prefect Modestus to Saint Basil. began to threaten the saint with the confiscation of his property, banishment, beatings, and even death. Basil said, “If you take away my possessions, you will not enrich yourself, nor will you make me a pauper. have no need of my old worn-out clothing, nor of my few books, of which the entirety of my wealth is comprised. means nothing to me, since I am bound to no particular place. place in which I now dwell is not mine, and any place you send me shall be mine. to say: every place is God’s. Where would I be neither a stranger and sojourner (Ps. 38/39:13)? can torture me? am so weak, that the very first blow would render me insensible. would be a kindness to me, for it will bring me all the sooner to God, for Whom I live and labor, and to Whom I hasten.” official was stunned by his answer. “No one has ever spoken so audaciously to me,” he said. “Perhaps,” the saint remarked, “ that is because you’ve never spoken to a bishop before. all else we are meek, the most humble of all. when it concerns God, and people rise up against Him, then we, counting everything else as naught, look to Him alone. fire, sword, wild beasts and iron rods that rend the body, serve to fill us with joy, rather than fear.” to Valens that Saint Basil was not to be intimidated, said, “Emperor, we stand defeated by a leader of the Church.” the Great again showed firmness before the emperor and his retinue made such a strong impression on Valens that the emperor dared not give in to the Arians demanding Basil’s exile. “On the day of Theophany, amidst an innumerable multitude of the people, Valens entered the church and mixed in with the throng, in order to give the appearance of being in unity with the Church. the singing of Psalms began in the church, it was like thunder to his hearing. emperor beheld a sea of people, and in the altar and all around was splendor; front of all was Basil, who acknowledged neither by gesture nor by glance, that anything else was going on in church.” Everything was focused only on God and the altar-table, and the clergy serving there in awe and reverence.

Constantinople, 350-401, Julius of Aegina, studied wBasil&Gregory iAthens, pGospel wJulius biAengina, bMany Gentiles, longLife
Greece, 350-401, Julius of Aegina Island (between Athens and Corinth), wealth, Athens study w Basil&Gregory, preached w Deacon Julian back in Aegina, apostolic staves, ordained Priest, proclaimed Gospel, Baptized many Gentiles, Withdrew to Kousion on Lake Orta, died age 71; Aegina Island; Saint Julius of Aegina, Commemorated on January 31; Julius was born in 330 on the island of Aegina to wealthy and pious parents who nurtured him in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). learned to read and write, and then he studied in Athens with Saints Basil (January 1) and Gregory (January 25). returning to Aegina, he and Deacon Julian decided to emulate Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and to preach Christ. two Saints took up their apostolic staves (Mark 6:8) offered themselves to the Lord. was ordained as a priest by the Bishop of Athens. with the grace of the priesthood, he set off with Deacon Julian to proclaim the Gospel and to baptize many Gentiles. the end of his life he withdrew to Kousion on Lake Orta, after a life of asceticism and prayer, he reposed peacefully in 401 at the age of 71.

Constantinople, 350-400, Palladius tHermit, oBlack Mountains Desert, Wonderworker, Writer, Raised dead man to name his murderers
Syria, 350-400, Palladius tHermit, oBlack Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch, Wonderworker, Writer, Raised the dead man to name his murderers, Levitation, desert dweller, ascetic, mountain cave near Syrian Antioch, accused of murdering merchant near his cave, raised him to name murders, died end of 4th C, left several edifyiing works; Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Palladius the Desert Dweller led an ascetical life in a certain mountain cave near Syrian Antioch. of his struggles, he received from the Lord a gift of wonderworking. a merchant was found murdered by robbers near his cave. People accused Saint Palladius of the murder, through the prayer of the saint, the dead man rose up and named his murderers. saint died at the end of the fourth century, leaving behind several edifying works.

Constantinople, 350-410, Eusebius tHermit oSyria, extreme ascetic, open sky, heat&cold, skins, pea&bean pods, 15 figs f40day fst
Syria, 350-410, Eusebius tHermit oSyria, Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent, a country without a nation), lived iAsceticism on Mt near Asicha, Syria, open sly, summer heat, winter cold, skins fClothing, pea and bean pods fFood, only 15 figs during 40 day great fast, people flocked so he went nearby monestery, built small enclosure at monastery walls, lived there until death, died at 90 after 400; Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent); Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Eusebius the Hermit lived in the fourth century lived in asceticism on a mountain near the village of Asicha in Syria. led a very strict life under the open sky, patiently enduring the summer heat and winter cold. wore skins for clothing, and nourished himself on the pods of peas and beans. he was elderly and infirm, he ate only fifteen figs during the Great Forty day Fast. many people began to flock to Saint Eusebius, went to a nearby monastery, built a small enclosure at the monastery walls and lived in it until his death. Eusebius died at the age of ninety, sometime after the year 400.

Constantinople, 350&450, St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, strict ascetic, light shone o him as he prayed, fortold time of death
Egypt, 350&450, St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, strict ascetic, light shone on him as he prayed, fortold time of death; Raithu; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic. attained such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a light shone upon him while he prayed. foretold the time of his death to his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the Sinai Fathers. Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Constantinople, 351, Jerusalem Vision of the Cross, brighter than sun, 51/2mi wide and tall, Golgotha to Mt Olives, whole week
Jerusalem, 351, Vision of the Cross, Miraculous Portent, brighter than sun, 51/2mi wide and tall, Golgotha to Mt Olives, whole week, not Arian ; Jerusalem Patriarch, 350-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7 ; Precious Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem on the morning of May 7, 351 during the reign of the emperor Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine (May 21). that time the heresy of Arianism, which taught that Christ was merely a creature and not God, was causing great turmoil and division throughout the Empire. Even after the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, many people were drawn to this false teaching, and the Orthodox found themselves in the minority in many places. the ruler of the eastern part of the Empire, was a fervent supporter of Arianism. His brothers Constantine II and Constans, who were pious Orthodox Christians, ruled in the west. They were both killed in separate battles around 350, leaving Constantius as sole ruler. Also in 350, Saint Cyril (March 18) became Patriarch of Jerusalem and began his zealous struggle against Arianism. May of 351 a luminous Cross appeared over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, a distance of about five and a half miles. The Cross was wide as it was long, and shone more brightly than the sun. Many people left their homes and workplaces to gather in the church and glorify Christ. The historian Sozomen says that this wondrous sign led to the conversion of multitudes of pagans and Jews to Christianity. letter from Saint Cyril to the emperor describing this phenomenon, and admonishing him to become Orthodox, has been preserved. The apparition of the Cross remained over the city for a whole week. vision of the Cross over Jerusalem strengthened the Orthodox faithful and contributed to the return of many Arians to the Church. It is also a reminder of the awesome Second Coming of Christ, when œthe sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven (Matthew 24:30).

Constantinople, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, Cappadocia, younger bro of Gregory oN, Physician Politician, but ascetic
Cappadocia, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, younger brother of Gregory; of Nazianzus (c. 331 – 368) was a prominent physician and politician. He is best known as the younger brother of Gregory of Nazianzus. He is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Church.[1] younger son of Gregory the Elder, bishop of Nazianzus, and his wife, Nonna, Caesarius was born at the family villa of Arianzus, near Nazianzus. probably studied at Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia in preparation for the elite schools of Alexandria in Egypt. favourite studies there were geometry, astronomy and especially medicine. In the last-named science, he surpassed all his fellow students.[2] 355 he came to the imperial capital Constantinople, and had already acquired a great reputation for his medical skill, his brother Gregory, homeward bound from Athens, appeared there about 358. sacrificed a remunerative and honourable post to return home with Gregory. capital soon proved to be too great an attraction for him, and he eventually became an eminent physician at the Byzantine court of Constantius II and, much to the regret of his family, at that of Julian the Apostate.[3] Julian failed in his efforts to win him over to briefly restored Paganism. more appreciative of his faith than of imperial favour, ultimately left the court, but returned to Constantinople after Julian's death in 363.[2] the Emperor Valens Caesarius became quaestor of Bithynia, a position which included treasury and tax collection responsibilities.[4] escaping from the earthquake which shook Nicaea (11 October, 368), his brother wrote to him, pleading for him to leave his political position and withdraw to a religious life.[5] Caesarius was suddenly killed by the widespread plague which followed the earthquake, shortly after having received baptism, which he, like many others at the period, had deferred until late in life. his death, his very considerable estate was rapidly pillaged by servants and creditors.[6] brother Gregory insisted that what remained of the estate be distributed to the poor and to surviving relatives. remains were interred at Nazianzus, where his brother pronounced the funeral oration in the presence of his parents. the oration, "On His Brother: St. Caesarius", Gregory portrays his brother as a model Christian and ascetic, providing the main source for the details of his life and setting the groundwork for his eventual canonization.[7] John McGuckin maintains that, while Caesarius and his brother Gregory were very close, they were very different characters. Gregory pursued a religious life, his vivacious, outgoing brother was at home in the world of Byzantine politics.[8] two were complementary figures; Gregory relied on his brother to guide him through trouble, while Caesarius encouraged his brother's literary and rhetorical interests.[8] assertion that this Caesarius was the same as that Caesarius, Prefect of Constantinople, who in 365 was thrown into the prison by Procopius, rests on an assumption made by Jacques Godefroy (1587-1652), the editor of the Theodosian Code (Lyon, 1665), and not on any solid historical ground.[2] four Dialogues of one hundred and ninety-seven questions and answers which were traditionally ascribed to Caesarius and are to be found in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, XXXVIII, 851–1190, can hardly be from his pen, owing to their nature, contents and anachronisms. They are generally looked upon as spurious. St. Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25;

Constantinople, 352-370, Gorgonia, Gregory tTheologian's Sis, blended married state w unmaried state, all good, virtuous woman
Lykaonia, 352-370, Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Iconium, Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), blended married state w unmaried state, all that is good, Solomon's virtuous woman ; Iconium; Saint Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on February 23; of the information about Saint Gorgonia (Γοργονία) comes from her brother, Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 25) in his Oration VIII, "On his Sister Gorgonia," which was delivered sometime after their brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) went to the Lord in 369, and before the repose of their father, the elder Saint Gregory Nazianzus, in 374. was the daughter of Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 1) and Saint Nonna (August 5), and was named for her maternal grandmother Gorgonia. Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us that she derived her existence and her reputation from their parents, because they sowed in her the seeds of piety. praising her virtues, Saint Gregory states that her modesty surpassed those of her own time, and those who lived before her. She blended the excellence of the married state with that of the unmarried state, avoiding the disadvantages of each, while combining all that is best in both. Thus, Saint Gorgonia proved that "neither of them absolutely binds us to, or separates us from, God or the world." It is the mind which nobly presides over marriage and virginity, arranging and working on them as "the raw material of virtue." Gorgonia had consecrated herself to God, and also won her husband Alypios to her side. He was from the city of Iconium, where Faustinus was the bishop. She made Alypios "a good fellow servant, instead of an unreasonable master." This pious couple had five children; two sons who became bishops, and three daughters: Alypianḗ, Eugenia, and Nonna. Moreover, she made her children and their children's children the fruit of her spirit, dedicating to God not only her soul, but also her entire family and household. As long as she lived, she showed herself as an example of all that is good. Her devoted brother even compared her to King Solomon's virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10-31). daughter of a saintly family took both her natural and spiritual parents as her models of virtue, and they were the source of her goodness. She did not wear fine clothes or expensive jewelry, nor did she use pigments to enhance her beauty. The only red coloring dear to her was the blush of modesty; and her only white coloring was the tint of temperance. adorned the churches with offerings, and thereby presented herself to God as a living temple. She opened her house to members of her family who were in want, and even to strangers. She was sympathetic to those in trouble, and compassionate toward widows. She "dispersed abroad" and "gave to the poor" (Psalm 111/112:9). The only wealth she left to her children was the excellence of her example. her fasting, her chanting of the Psalms, her vigils, her tears, and her prayers, she surpassed not only women, but also the most devout men, thereby demonstrating that the distinction between male and female is one of body, not of soul. day, as Saint Gorgonia was riding in her carriage, the mules bolted and the carriage was overturned. She was dragged over the ground and suffered serious injury. Those who were not Christians were scandalized that God would permit such a thing to happen to this righteous woman. Although she was bruised in her bones and limbs, she would not allow a physician to examine her, in order to preserve her modesty. She trusted that God would heal her, and He did. Seeing her unexpected recovery, people concluded that the accident had occurred so that by her patient endurance and her miraculous healing, God would be glorified. Gorgonia longed for death, preferring to be with Christ rather than remain on earth. She had a vision in which the day of her death was revealed to her so that she might prepare herself. As that time drew near she took to her bed, and spent her last day giving instructions to her husband, her children, and her friends. After discoursing about spiritual matters, she reposed in the year 370 at the age of thirty-eight. Her last words were, “I will both lie down in peace and sleep” (Psalm 4:8).

Constantinople, 355-395,Gregory of Nyssa,Cappadocia,Armenia,Father of Fathers,2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5
Armenia, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia, Father of Fathers, anti arian, bishop 372, deposed twice, restored 378, b basil died 379, completed his work on first 6 days, Hexaemeron, Antioc council on MOG, 2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5; Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (January 1). birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. the year 372, he was consecrated by Saint Basil the Great as bishop of the city of Nyssa in Cappadocia. Gregory was an ardent advocate for Orthodoxy, and he fought against the Arian heresy with his brother Saint Basil. was persecuted by the Arians, by whom he was falsely accused of improper use of church property, and thereby deprived of his See and sent to Ancyra. the following year Saint Gregory was again deposed in absentia by a council of Arian bishops, but he continued to encourage his flock in Orthodoxy, wandering about from place to place. the death of the emperor Valens (378), Saint Gregory was restored to his cathedra and was joyously received by his flock. His brother Saint Basil the Great died in 379. with difficulty did Saint Gregory survive the loss of his brother and guide. He delivered a funeral oration for him, and completed Saint Basil’s study of the six days of Creation, the Hexaemeron. same year Saint Gregory participated in the Council of Antioch against heretics who refused to recognize the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God. Others at the opposite extreme, who worshipped the Mother of God as being God Herself, were also denounced by the Council. visited the churches of Arabia and Palestine, which were infected with the Arian heresy, to assert the Orthodox teaching about the Most Holy Theotokos. On his return journey Saint Gregory visited Jerusalem and the Holy Places. the year 381 Saint Gregory was one of the chief figures of the Second Ecumenical Council, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius, who incorrectly taught about the Holy Spirit. At this Council, on the initiative of Saint Gregory, the Nicean Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was completed. with the other bishops Saint Gregory affirmed Saint Gregory the Theologian as Archpastor of Constantinople. the year 383, Saint Gregory of Nyssa participated in a Council at Constantinople, where he preached a sermon on the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 386, he was again at Constantinople, and he was asked to speak the funeral oration in memory of the empress Placilla. Again in 394 Saint Gregory was present in Constantinople at a local Council, convened to resolve church matters in Arabia. Gregory of Nyssa was a fiery defender of Orthodox dogmas and a zealous teacher of his flock, a kind and compassionate father to his spiritual children, and their intercessor before the courts. He was distinguished by his magnanimity, patience and love of peace. reached old age, Saint Gregory of Nyssa died soon after the Council of Constantinople. Together with his great contemporaries, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa had a significant influence on the Church life of his time. His sister, Saint Macrina, wrote to him: “You are renowned both in the cities, and gatherings of people, and throughout entire districts. Churches ask you for help.” Saint Gregory is known in history as one of the most profound Christian thinkers of the fourth century. Endowed with philosophical talent, he saw philosophy as a means for a deeper penetration into the authentic meaning of divine revelation. Gregory left behind many remarkable works of dogmatic character, as well as sermons and discourses. He has been called “the Father of Fathers.” Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 355-395, GREGORY OF NYSSA, Armenia, Cappadocian Father, major Orthodox force 381 E Council, 1 of the 5, more
Armenia, 355-395, GREGORY OF NYSSA, Cappadocia, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5), G of N, Basil the Great's b, B friend Gregory of Nazianzus, Cappadocian Fathers major force for Athanasian position at 381 E Council, 1 of the 5, 40 Martyrs Sebaste relics impressed him to total commitment, professional orator, forced to be bishop, not suited, book Life of Moses; Nyssa, Cappadocia; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); of Nyssa, his brother Basil the Great (14 June), and Basil's best friend Gregory of Nazianzus (9 May), are known collectively as the Cappadocian Fathers. They were a major force in the triumph of the Athanasian position at the Council of Constantinople in 381. Gregory of Nyssa tends to be overshadowed by the other two. of Nyssa was born in Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia (central Turkey) in about 334, the younger brother of Basil the Great and of Macrina (19 July), and of several other distinguished persons. As a youth, he was at best a lukewarm Christian. However, when he was twenty, some of the relics of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (10 March) were transferred to a chapel near his home, and their presence made a deep impression, on him, confronting him with the fact that to acknowledge God at all is to acknowledge His right to demand a total commitment. Gregory became an active and fervent Christian. He considered the priesthood, decided it was not for him, became a professional orator like his father, married, and settled down to the life of a Christian layman. However, his brother Basil and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus persuaded him to reconsider, and he became a priest in about 362. (This did not affect his marriage.) brother Basil, who had become archbishop of Caesarea in 370, was engaged in a struggle with the Arian Emperor Valens, who was trying to stamp out belief in the deity of Christ. Basil desperately needed the votes and support of Athanasian bishops, and he maneuvered his friend Gregory into the bishopric of Sasima, and (in about 371) his brother Gregory into the bishopric of Nyssa, a small town about ten miles from Caesarea. Neither one wanted to be a bishop, neither was suited to be a bishop, and both were furious with Basil.) Gregory did not get along well with his flock, was falsely accused of embezzling church funds, fled the scene in about 376, and did not return until after the death of Valens about two years later. 379, Basil died, having lived to see the death of Valens and the end of the persecution. Shortly thereafter, Macrina died. Gregory was with her in the last few days of her life. Afterwards, he took to writing sermons and treatises on theology and philosophy. His philosophy was a form of Christian Platonism. In his approach to the Scriptures, he was heavily influenced by Origen, and his writings on the Trinity and the Incarnation build on and develop insights found in germ in the writings of his brother Basil. But he is chiefly remembered as a writer on the spiritual life, on the contemplation of God, not only in private prayer and meditation, but in corporate worship and in the sacramental life of the Church. treatise On the Making of Man deals with God as Creator, and with the world as a good thing, as something that God takes delight in, and that ought to delight us. His Great Catechism is esteemed as a work of systematic theology. His Commentary on the Song of Songs is a work of contemplative, devotional, mystical theology. book The Life of Moses is available from the Paulist Press in the series The Classics of Western Spirituality. The reader who is expecting a straightforward biography will be startled -- not necessarily disappointed. An example of his treatment is the following: Numbers 13 and 14 we read that when Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt and to the borders of Canaan, he sent twelve spies into the land to look it over. They returned to report two things: (1) The inhabitants of the land were fierce warriors and would prove a formidable enemy. (2) The land was a good land, with fertile soil and an abundance of natural resources. As proof, they brought back a cluster of grapes so large that they hung it from a wooden pole that two men carried horizontally between them. Ten of the spies said that the enemy was too strong to be defeated, and that the Israelites ought to turn back, but the remaining two, Joshua and Caleb, urged the people to remember that the LORD was with them, and had shown Himself mighty to save. The people listened to the ten and prepared to turn back. At this the LORD was angry and said, "Very well, you shall wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the men of this generation have died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Only then shall the next generation go in to possess the homeland that I promised to Abraham for his descendants." Hence the well-known child's nursery rhyme that goes in part: Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh Were the only two who ever got thru to the land of milk and honey. (following the example of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10) treats the Exodus as a type of our deliverance from the bondage of sin, and the Promised Land as a type of Heaven. He comments that the Israelites had been guilty of idolatry, of fornication, of repeated rebellions against Moses, of various disobediences to the commands of God, but that none of these moved God to deny them entrance into the Promised Land. It was only when they came to the Land, and God showed them what a good land He had prepared for them, and gave them a token of that goodness in the form of the cluster of grapes, hanging from a wooden pole between two spies, and they refused to trust in the promise of God to save them from their enemies, that they were turned back (indeed, that they turned themselves back). So, it is not failure to live virtuous lives that can keep us out of Heaven, but a refusal to believe in the mercy of God, and to trust His gracious declarations of His good will toward us, concretely expressed in the saving blood of Christ, Who is the True Vine, and Who for our sakes hung on the wood of the cross between two thieves, as the grape cluster hung on the wood of the pole between two spies, showing forth in His own Person the sign of God's good will to us and His assurance that He is ready to overcome all our enemies. you see, it is not really a biography of Moses, and it will not be to everyone's taste, not even to every Christian's taste. And even Christians who find this approach helpful will grant that it has its pitfalls. Clearly anyone who follows Gregory's example runs the risk of being led on a random walk by the will-o-the-wisp of his own imagination. But many Christians have received spiritual nourishment from this way of reading the Scriptures, and the example of St. Paul, as aforesaid, favors the view that this approach is at least sometimes of legitimate value. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 357-381, Meletius oAntioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised 3 fingers, withdrawing 2
Syria, 357-381, Meletius of Antioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised three fingers, withdrawing two, explaining three hypostaties and one nature,381 led 2nd EC and passed away there, 357 Bishop oSebaste, Armenia, summoned to Antioch bConstantius tCombat Arians, C then became Arian, and deposed M twice, M extraordinary gentle, led by example, virtue&kind disposition, so true teaching would sprout, M ordained Basil tGreat, baptized John Chrysostom, Julian tApostate expelled M, 363 Jovian and M wrote his "Exposition oFaith" treatise, it converted many Arians, 381 Theodosius convened 2nd EC aConstantinople, presided by M, before it began m explained 3 hypostases and 1 nature with his fingers, and lightening fire, M died during the council, Gregory oNyssa eulogy, M's treatises on consubstantiality of Jesus with his father, letter tJovian about Trinity, Relics tansferred to Antioch; Syria, 357-381, Syrian Saint, Meletius of Antioch; St. Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. Meletius struggled zealously against the Arian error, through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra by the Emperor Constantius had become surrounded by the Arians and had accepted their position. all this Saint Meletius was distinguished by an extraordinary gentleness, he constantly led his flock by the example of his own virtue and kindly disposition, that the seeds of the true teaching sprout more readily on such soil. Meletius was the one who ordained the future hierarch Saint Basil the Great as deacon. Meletius also baptized and encouraged another of the greatest luminaries of Orthodoxy, Saint John Chrysostom, later eulogized his former archpastor. Constantius, the throne was occupied by Julian the Apostate, the saint again was expelled, to hide himself in secret places for his safety. under the emperor Jovian in the year 363, Saint Meletius wrote his theological treatise, “Exposition of the Faith,” which facilitated the conversion of many of the Arians to Orthodoxy. the year 381, under the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), the Second Ecumenical Council was convened. the year 380 the saint had set off on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, came to preside over it. the start of the Council, Saint Meletius raised his hand displaying three fingers, then withdrawing two fingers and leaving one extended he blessed the people, proclaiming: “We understand three hypostases, and we speak about a single nature.” this declaration, fire surrounded the saint like lightning. the Council Saint Meletius fell asleep in the Lord. Gregory of Nyssa honored the memory of the deceased with a eulogy. Meletius has left treatises on the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, a letter to the emperor Jovian concerning the Holy Trinity. relics of Saint Meletius were transferred from Constantinople to Antioch.

Constantinople, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus, Basil tGreat's disciple, also rich, served Emperor, then 40 yr Antioch Cave
Armenia, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis and Kelkit Rivers), Basil tGreat's disciple, fRich family, served Emperor Valens, delivered imperial edicts, left world tAntioch cave upon V's death, 40 yrs there sloitude cleansing soul, church each Sunday, no bed fireplace or lamp, old rags, bread&water, tedious tWell in city, borrowed holy books fSpiritual counciled, filled wSpiritual Grace but considered self poor in Spirit, died beginning 5th C; Eupatoria (Pontus); Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno, the disciple of Saint Basil the Great, born in the city of Pontus into a rich family. served at the court of the emperor Valens (364-378), among the soldiers who were sent out to deliver the imperial edicts. the death of Valens, Saint Zeno left the world and settled in a cave near the city of Antioch. forty years he lived in this cave, and he lived an austere life in complete solitude, cleansing his soul, and meditating on God. Zeno went to church each Sunday and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. his cell he had neither bed, nor fireplace, nor lamp. The ascetic wore old rags, and ate only bread and water, for which he had to make a tedious journey into the city to the well. Zeno was particularly fond of holy books, which he borrowed from those who came to him for spiritual counsel. his deep humility the blessed ascetic, filled with the gifts of grace, considered himself poor in spirit. Zeno died at the beginning of the fifth century.

Constantinople, 359-405, John the Short or Dwarf, Sketes, Pimen's monastery, obedience, water on dry stick, author Paisius' life
Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; John the Dwarf (c. 339 - c. 405), also called Saint John Colobus, Saint John Kolobos or Abba John the Dwarf,[2] was a Coptic Desert Father of the early Christian church. Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in the fifth century in the monastery of Saint Pimen the Great (August 27). It was to this monastery that the young John came with his brother Daniel. Saint John told his elder brother that he did not want to be concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live like the angels in Paradise. Daniel allowed him to go to a deserted place, so that he would be afflicted. John went out from the cell and removed his clothing. It was very cold at night, and after a week John became hungry. night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the door of the cell. “Who is it?” Daniel asked. “It is I, your brother John.” Daniel replied, “John has become an angel, and is no longer among men.” continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until morning. Then he said, “You are a man and must work again if you want to eat.” Saint John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness. being brought to his senses Saint John went to Saint Pimen, known for his firm and steadfast will, and having asked guidance, he promised to be obedient in all things. Testing the patience of the young monk, Saint Pimen gave him an unusual obedience. For three years Saint John carried water and poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with leaves and bore abundant fruit. His Elder took the fruit to the brethren saying, “Take and eat the fruit of obedience.” Abba John himself became a guide of many people on the way of salvation, among whom were Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8) and Saint Thais (May 10). John was the author of the Life of Saint Paisius the Great (June 19).

Constantinople, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes, Tree oObedience story, friend, teacher
Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes, fThebes, Tree oObedience story, igumen there, Pambo's disciple, Pishoy's friend, taught Arsenius, Wrote Paisius' story; Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; the Dwarf ( c. 339 – c. 405), also called John Colobus, John Kolobos or Abba John the Dwarf,[2] was a Coptic Desert Father of the early Christian church. the Dwarf was born in the town of Thebes in Egypt[3] to poor Christian parents. At the age of eighteen, he and an elder brother, moved to the desert of Scetes[4] where he became a disciple of Pambo and a good friend of Pishoy. He lived a life of austerity and taught several other monks his way of life, among them was Arsenius the Great. the departure of Pambo, John was ordained a priest by Pope Theophilus and became abbot of the monastery he founded around the Tree of Obedience. When the Mazices invaded Scetes in 395, John fled the Nitrian Desert and went to live on Mount Colzim, near the present city of Suez, where he died. 515, the relics of John the Dwarf were moved to the Nitrian Desert. His feast is celebrated on October 17 in the Roman Catholic Church, on 20 Paopi at the Coptic Orthodox Church and on November 9 in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf in Scetes is now recognized by the Coptic orthodox church. lived on only flatbread and vegetables his entire life and could eat one meal a day.[5] the Dwarf is best known for his obedience. The most famous story about his obedience is that one day Pambo gave John a piece of dry wood and ordered him to plant and water it. John obeyed and went on watering it twice a day even though the water was about 12 miles from where they lived. After three years, the piece of wood sprouted and grew into a fruitful tree. Pambo took some of this tree's fruits and went around to all the elder monks, saying "take, eat from the fruit of obedience". Postumian, who was in Egypt in 402, assured that he was shown this tree which grew in the yard of the monastery and which he saw covered with shoots and green leaves. a monk of Scetes and a saint of the Coptic Church, is the subject of a long biography attributed in manuscript form to John the Dwarf. The manuscript has yet to be translated into English. Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in the fifth century the monastery of Saint Pimen the Great (August 27). It was to this monastery that the young John came with his brother Daniel. Saint John told his elder brother that he did not want to be concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live like the angels in Paradise. allowed him to go to a deserted place, so that he would be afflicted. went out from the cell and removed his clothing. It was very cold at night, and after a week John became hungry. night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the door of the cell. “Who is it?” Daniel asked. “It is I, your brother John.” replied, “John has become an angel, and is no longer among men.” continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until morning. he said, “You are a man and must work again if you want to eat.” Saint John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness. being brought to his senses Saint John went to Saint Pimen, known for his firm and steadfast will, having asked guidance, he promised to be obedient in all things. the patience of the young monk, Saint Pimen gave him an unusual obedience. three years Saint John carried water and poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with leaves and bore abundant fruit. Elder took the fruit to the brethren saying, “Take and eat the fruit of obedience.” Abba John himself became a guide of many people on the way of salvation, among whom were Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8) and Saint Thais (May 10). John was the author of the Life of Saint Paisius the Great (June 19).

Constantinople, 360-370, Eudoxius of Antioch, Byzantine Archbishop, influencial arian, liar, to get position
Byzantine Archbishop, 360-370, Eudoxius of Antioch; (died 370) was the eighth bishop of Constantinople from January 27, 360 to 370, previously bishop of Germanicia and of Antioch. Eudoxius was one of the most influential Arians. was from Arabissos of Asia Minor.[1] Eudoxius came to Eustathius, bishop of Antioch between 324 and 331, seeking holy orders. However, Eustathius found his doctrine unsound and refused him. Nevertheless, when Eustathius was deposed, the Arians or Eusebians had everything their own way and admitted Eudoxius to orders and made him bishop of Germanicia, on the confines of Syria, Cilicia, and Cappadocia. This bishopric he held at least 17 years, the period of the principal intrigues against Athanasius, and of the reigns of Constantine the Great's sons.[2] 341 the council of the Dedication or Encaenia was held under Placillus at Antioch. Eudoxius of Germanicia attended. He was an Arian pure and simple, a disciple of Aetius, a friend of Eunomius. The council produced four creeds, in which the Eusebian party succeeded in making their doctrine as plausible as might be, and the second of these became known as the "Creed of the Dedication". Athanasius says that Eudoxius was sent with Martyrius and Macedonius to take the new creed of Antioch to Italy. This new creed may, however, have been the Macrostich, or Long Formula, drawn up at a later council of Antioch.[2] 343 or 347 the rival councils of Sardica and Philippopolis were held. At the latter was drawn up a creed more Arian than those of Antioch, and it was signed by Eudoxius. Between 355 and 359 Eudoxius was in attendance on the emperor in the West, when news came of the death of Leontius of Antioch.[3] Against the canons, he took over the see of Antioch.[1] Allegedly excusing himself on the plea that the affairs of Germanicia required his presence, Eudoxius hastened to Antioch, and, representing himself as nominated by the emperor, got himself made bishop, and sent Asphalus, a presbyter of Antioch, to make the best of the case at court. Emperor Constantius II wrote to the church of Antioch: "Eudoxius went to seek you without my sending him. . . . To what restraint will men be amenable, who impudently pass from city to city, seeking with a most unlawful appetite every occasion to enrich themselves?".[2] Nonetheless, the emperor confirmed the election.[1] the first year of his episcopate at Antioch Eudoxius held a council, which received the creed of Sirmium. An idea may be formed of the Homoousian reception of his sermons from three different sources. Hilary of Poitiers, then in the East, heard Eudoxius in his cathedral, and wished his ears had been deaf. Theodoret and Epiphanius of Cyprus reported him as boasting that he had the same knowledge about God as God had about Himself.[2] September 359, a Council of Seleucia was held at Seleucia Isauria, the orthodox forming a very small minority. The majority signed the "Creed of the Dedication"; Eudoxius who was present, was deposed by Basil of Ancyra's party, and appears to have sought the shelter of the court at Constantinople. Here, by the aid of the Acacians, he secured his appointment as bishop on the deposition of Macedonius, and on January 27, 360, took possession of his throne in the presence of 72 bishops. On February 15 the great church of Constantinople, Saint Sophia, begun in 342 by the emperor Constantius II, was dedicated.[2] it is claimed, mounting his episcopal throne before the expectant multitude of courtiers, ecclesiastics, and citizens, began with the words: "The Father is asebes, the Son is eusebes." A great tumult of indignation arose on all sides in St. Sophia. The orator, unabashed, explained: "The Father is asebes because He honours nobody; the Son is eusebes because He honours the Father." The new cathedral echoed with peals of uncontrollable laughter. Thus, says Socrates Scholasticus,[4] these tore the church to pieces by their captious subtilties.[2] consecrated his friend Eunomius to the see of Cyzicus; but such complaints were brought to the emperor Constantius II that he ordered Eudoxius to depose him. Eudoxius acquiesced to the emperor's command and quietly persuaded Eunomius to retire.[2] 365 an attack was made on Eudoxius by the semi-Arians, now called Macedonians. Holding a meeting at Lampsacus, they signed the "Creed of the Dedication," cited Eudoxius and his party before them, and, as they did not come, sentenced them to deprivation; but emperor Valens refused to confirm the proceedings.[2] 367 Valens, as he was setting out for the Gothic War, was induced by his wife Albia Dominica to receive baptism from Eudoxius. In the same year he issued, likely under the advice of Eudoxius, an order that such bishops as had been banished by Constantius and had returned under Julian should again be exiled.[2] years during which Eudoxius and Valens acted together were allegedly troubled by portents, which Homoousians attributed to the anger of Heaven at Valens' banishment of bishops who would not admit Eudoxius to their communion. Eudoxius died in 370.[2] Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17;

Constantinople, 360-381, Meletius, anti-arrian, deposed 3x, virtue, Basil t G and Chrysostom, writer, holy fire
Byzantine Saint, 360-381, Meletius of Antioch; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), and afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. Meletius struggled zealously against the Arian error, but through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra by the Emperor Constantius who had become surrounded by the Arians and had accepted their position. In all this Saint Meletius was distinguished by an extraordinary gentleness, and he constantly led his flock by the example of his own virtue and kindly disposition, supposing that the seeds of the true teaching sprout more readily on such soil. Meletius was the one who ordained the future hierarch Saint Basil the Great as deacon. Saint Meletius also baptized and encouraged another of the greatest luminaries of Orthodoxy, Saint John Chrysostom, who later eulogized his former archpastor. Constantius, the throne was occupied by Julian the Apostate, and the saint again was expelled, having to hide himself in secret places for his safety. Returning under the emperor Jovian in the year 363, Saint Meletius wrote his theological treatise, “Exposition of the Faith,” which facilitated the conversion of many of the Arians to Orthodoxy. the year 381, under the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), the Second Ecumenical Council was convened. In the year 380 the saint had set off on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, and came to preside over it. the start of the Council, Saint Meletius raised his hand displaying three fingers, and then withdrawing two fingers and leaving one extended he blessed the people, proclaiming: “We understand three hypostases, and we speak about a single nature.” With this declaration, a fire surrounded the saint like lightning. During the Council Saint Meletius fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Gregory of Nyssa honored the memory of the deceased with a eulogy. Meletius has left treatises on the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, and a letter to the emperor Jovian concerning the Holy Trinity. The relics of Saint Meletius were transferred from Constantinople to Antioch.

Constantinople, 360-381, Theosebia, the deaconess, virgin, the younger sister, of the 5
Cappadocia, 360-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus); also known as Theosebia the Deaconess, was a 4th-century Christian leader, who is honored as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a saint she is referred to as Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess. Her life and identification is ambiguous: her years of birth and death are uncertain (probably subsequent to 381). However, she is thought to have played an important role in the church in Nyssa, where she was called diakonissa, the deaconess or wife of a deacon. Nazianzen wrote a letter of condolence[1] on her death to Gregory of Nyssa in which Gregory Nazianzen mentioned "your sister Theosebia" and "true yoke-fellow of a priest". comes the ambiguity of her identification. Some historians supposed Theosebia was the wife of Gregory of Nyssa, others suppose she was one of his sisters like Macrina the Younger.[2] If so, then Theosebia was the sister of Basil the Great as well. of Nyssa—unlike the other Cappadocian Fathers—was married, according to his own testimony in his work On Virginity[3] that he could not benefit from the subject of his own work. combined with Nazianzen's statement that Theosebia was buried by the other Gregory in the aforementioned letter, suggest that she was indeed either Gregory of Nyssa's wife or sister, whose funeral he would have been obliged to oversee. St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality is in Oxford.[4][5] Donald Allchin was director of the centre from 1987 to 1994.[6] Cappadocian Gregory of Nazianzus wrote to Gregory of Nyssa about Theosebia, “the pride of the church, the ornament of Christ, the finest of our generation, the free speech of women, Theosebia, the most illustrious among the brethren, outstanding in beauty of soul. Theosebia, truly a priestly personage, the colleague of a priest, equally honored and worthy of the great sacraments."[7] Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism. her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy. Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 360-390, Mausimas tSyrian,fCyrrhus, voluntarily embraced poverty, gave bread & oil to anyone, vessels never empty
Syria, 360-390, Mausimas tSyrian, lived at Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), voluntarily embraced poverty, gave bread & oil to anyon who came, vessels never empty; Cyrrhus; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated January 23 ; Mausimas the Syrian lived in Syria, near the city of Cyrrhus. voluntarily embraced poverty and devoted his life to the service of his neighbor. doors of his hut were always open to anyone who had need of him. his hut there were two vessels: one with bread, and the other with oil. in need came to him and received the food from his hand. vessels never became empty. saint died at the end of the fourth century.

Constantinople, 360-391, Peter, Bishop oSebaste, Armenia, Macrina's gson, of the 5
Armenia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia, Macrina's gson, of the 5, Basil tG&Gregory oNyssa's bro, raused by sis Macrina tYounger, attended 2nd EC 381 aConstantinople against Macedonius' heresy; Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, was a brother of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 1 and January 10). older sister, Saint Macrina (July 19) played a large role in his upbringing. Basil the Great ordained Saint Peter as presbyter, and later he was made Bishop of Sebaste (in Armenia). Peter was present at the Second Ecumenical Council in the year 381, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius. Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Constantinople, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine
Northern Italy, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine, Antiphonal Chant, doctor of unified Church, from Gaul, bees mouth honey on tongue, Bishop as a catachumen, fame, Persians, converted queen Fritigelda of the Markomanni; of Milan (c. 340 - 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose,[a] was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperors Theodosius I and Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. Milan; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was born in the year 340 into the family of the Roman prefect of Gaul (now France). Even in the saint’s childhood there appeared presentiments of his great future. Once, bees covered the face of the sleeping infant. They flew in and out of his mouth, leaving honey on his tongue. Soon they flew away so high that they could no longer be seen. Ambrose’s father said that the child would become something great when he reached manhood. the death of the father of the family, Ambrose journeyed to Rome, where the future saint and his brother Satyrius received an excellent education. About the year 370, upon completion of his course of study, Ambrose was appointed to the position of governor (consular prefect) of the districts of Liguria and Aemilia, though he continued to live at Mediolanum (now Milan). the year 374 Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Mediolanum, died. This led to complications between the Orthodox and the Arians, since each side wanted to have its own bishop. Ambrose, as the chief city official, went to the church to resolve the dispute. he was speaking to the crowd, suddenly a child cried out, “Ambrose for bishop!” The people took up this chant. Ambrose, who at this time was still a catechumen, considered himself unworthy, and tried to refuse. He disparaged himself, and even tried to flee from Mediolanum. The matter went ultimately before the emperor Valentinian the Elder (364-375), whose orders Ambrose dared not disobey. He accepted holy Baptism from an Orthodox priest and, passing through all the ranks of the Church clergy in just seven days, on December 7, 374 he was consecrated Bishop of Mediolanum. dispersed all his possessions, money and property for the adornment of churches, the upkeep of orphans and the poor, and he devoted himself to a strict ascetic life. combined strict temperance, intense vigilance and work within the fulfilling of his duties as archpastor. Saint Ambrose, defending the unity of the Church, energetically opposed the spread of heresy. Thus, in the year 379 he traveled off to establish an Orthodox bishop at Sirmium, and in 385-386 he refused to hand over the basilica of Mediolanum to the Arians. preaching of Saint Ambrose in defense of Orthodoxy was deeply influential. Another noted Father of the Western Church, Saint Augustine (June 15), bore witness to this, having accepted holy Baptism in the year 387 by the grace of the preaching of the bishop of Mediolanum. Ambrose also actively participated in civil matters. Thus, the emperor Gracian (375-383), having received from him the “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” (De Fide), removed, by decree of the saint, the altar of Victory from the halls of the Senate at Rome, on which oaths were wont to be taken. a pastoral boldness, Saint Ambrose placed a severe penance on the emperor Theodosius I (379-395) for the massacre of innocent inhabitants of Thessalonica. For him there was no difference between emperor and commoner. he released Theodosius from the penance, the saint would not permit the emperor to commune at the altar, but compelled him to do public penance. fame of Bishop Ambrose and his actions attracted to him many followers from other lands. From far away Persia learned men came to him to ask him questions and absorb his wisdom. Fritigelda (Frigitil), queen of the military Germanic tribe of the Markomanni, which often had attacked Mediolanum, asked the saint to instruct her in the Christian Faith. The saint in his letter to her persuasively stated the dogmas of the Church. And having become a believer, the queen converted her own husband to Christianity and persuaded him to conclude a treaty of peace with the Roman Empire. saint combined strictness with an uncommon kindliness. Granted a gift of wonderworking, he healed many from sickness. One time at Florence, while staying at the house of Decentus, he resurrected a dead boy. repose of Saint Ambrose, who departed to the Lord on the night of Holy Pascha, was accompanied by many miracles. He even appeared in a vision to the children being baptized that night. The saint was buried in the Ambrosian basilica in Mediolanum, beneath the altar, between the Martyrs Protasius and Gervasius (October 14). zealous preacher and valiant defender of the Christian Faith, Saint Ambrose received particular renown as a Church writer. In dogmatic compositions he set forth the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity, the Sacraments, and Repentance: “Five Books on the Faith” (De Fide); “Explication of the Symbol of the Faith” (Explanatio Symboli); “On the Incarnation” (De Incarnationis); “Three Books on the Holy Spirit” (De Spiritu Sancto); “On the Sacraments” (De Sacramento); “Two Books on Repentance” (De Paenitentia). In writings about Christian morality, he explained the excellence of Christian moral teaching compared to pagan moral teaching. well-known work of Saint Ambrose, “On the Duties of the Clergy” (De Officiis Ministrorum) evidences his deep awareness of pastoral duty. He stresses that those who serve in the Church should have not only the proper knowledge of Church services, but also the proper knowledge of moral precepts. Ambrose was also a reformer of Church singing. He introduced antiphonal singing (along the Eastern or Syrian form) into the Western Church, which became known as “Ambrosian Chant.” He also composed twelve hymns which were used during his lifetime. The hymn, “Thee, O God, we praise” (Te Deum), attributed to Saint Ambrose, entered into the divine services of the Orthodox Church (Molieben). AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; was governor of Northern Italy, with capital at Milan. When the see of Milan fell vacant, it seemed likely that rioting would result, since the city was evenly divided between Arians and Athanasians. Note: Athanasians affirm that the Logos or Word (John 1:1) is fully God in the same sense that the Father is, while Arians affirm that the Logos is a creature, the first being created by the Father. East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Prebyterians, Reformed, Baptists, Methodists, etc. are Athanasians. The Watchtower Society (J's Witnesses), the Philippine group called the Iglesia ni Christi (spelling?), and some other groups are Arians. The Unitarians started out as Arians, and some of them still hold this position.) went to the meeting where the election was to take place, and appealed to the crowd for order and good will on both sides. He ended up being elected bishop with the support of both sides. He gave away his wealth, and lived in simplicity. By his preaching, he converted the diocese to the Athanasian position, except for the Goths and some members of the Imperial Household. The Arian emperor Constantius (son of Constantine the Great) had sent missionaries (Arians, of course) to convert the Gothic tribes. The Goths were the chief source of mercenary troops for the Empire. Thus for many years the Army was Arian although a majority of civilians were Athanasian.) one occasion, the Empress ordered him to turn over a church to the Arians so that her Gothic soldiers could worship in it. Ambrose refused, and he and his people occupied the church. Ambrose composed Latin hymns in the rhythm of "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow," and taught them to the people, who sang them in the church as the soldiers surrounded it. The Goths were unwilling to attack a hymn-singing congregation, and Ambrose won that dispute. subsequently won another dispute, when the Emperor, enraged by a crowd who defied him, ordered them all killed by his soldiers. he next appeared at church, Ambrose met him at the door and said, "You may not come in. There is blood on your hands." The emperor finally agreed to do public penance and to promise that thereafter he would never carry out a sentence of death without a forty-day delay after pronouncing it. creditable, to modern Christians, is Ambrose's dispute with the emperor when certain Christians burned a Jewish synagogue, and the emperor commanded them to make restitution. Ambrose maintained that no Christian could be compelled to provide money for the building of a non-Christian house of worship, no matter what the circumstances. was largely responsible for the conversion of St. Augustine. The hymn Te Deum Laudamus ("We praise Thee, O God") was long thought to have been composed by Ambrose in thanksgiving for that conversion. The current opinion is that Ambrose did not write it, but that he may well have written the Creed known as the Athanasian Creed. is perhaps the first writer of Christian hymns with rhyme and (accentual) meter, and northern Italy still uses his style of plainchant, known as Ambrosian chant, rather than the more widespread Gregorian chant. the negative side, many Christians will regret his contribution to increased preoccupation with the relics of martyrs. died 4 April 397, but (because this date so often falls in Holy Week or Easter Week) he is commonly remembered on the anniversary of his consecration as bishop, 7 December. is regarded as one of the Eight Great Doctors (=Teachers) of the Undivided Church. The list includes four Latin (Western) Doctors (Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Pope Gregory the Great), and four Greek (Eastern) Doctors (Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus -- not to be confused with Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of Basil). by James Kiefer Northern Italy, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. 1 Life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Bishop of Milan 1.3 Arianism 1.4 Imperial relations 1.5 Attitude towards Jews 1.6 Attitude towards pagans 1.7 Later years and death 1.8 Character 2 Theology 2.1 Giving to the poor 2.2 Mariology 3 Writings 4 Church music 5 Augustine 5.1 Reading 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Citations 8.3 Works cited 9 External links life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Saint Bassian, Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Constantinople, 360-397, Anthusa oRome, Roman official's wife, baptized bAmbrose, refused Arian baptizm, committed tFire martyr
Rome, 360-397, Anthusa oRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), Roman official's wife, baptized bAmbrose oMilan, perfect's wife suggested Arian baptizm, refused, committed tFire martyrdom; Rome; Martyr Anthusa at Rome, Commemorated on December 8 ; Holy Martyr Anthusa, wife of a Roman official, baptized by Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7). the city prefect’s wife Sunilda suggested that Saint Anthusa be baptized by an Arian, she refused. she was committed to the fire, and received the crown of martyrdom.

Constantinople, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death
Syria, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death, fKapersana on west bank Euphrates River 9. iSyria or Mesopotamia, loved solitary life, towns bishop wanted him for Priest, Archpastor ordered him dismantel part wall for his entry, spoke about priesthood grace, but S quiet, bishop departed with order to rebuild wall, S content wSilence, prayer, Word study, thus comforted bGod, led souls tChrist, both hometown people&P across the river wanted him&moved him, S did not complain or agree, still silent, dead to this world, seeking obey God's will, praying for himself&Other servants oGod, so he could say like Paul, no longer I who live but Christ in me, so I live by faith in Son oGod, who loved me and died for me, still silent, speaking only to God; Kapersana (Euphrates River 9) Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated January 23 ; Salamanēs (Σαλαμάνης) was from the town of Kapersana (Καπερσανά) in Syria, on the west bank of the Euphrates River. he loved the solitary life, he followed the path of monasticism, building his cell near the Euphrates River. Bishop of the town, who was informed of the virtue of the venerable one, to see him in order to ordain him to the priesthood. at the Saint's cell, the Archpastor ordered him to dismantle part of the wall so that he might enter. Bishop spoke to him about the grace of the priesthood, during the time he was in the cell, the Hierarch did not hear a single word from the Saint. he departed, after ordering him to rebuild the wall. Salamanēs was content with his silence, prayer, and study of the Word of God. comforted by God, he led people's souls to Christ. the Synaxarion it is said that people from the place where Saint Salamanēs was born went to his cell because they wanted him to live near them. did not protest their actions, nor agree to them, but maintained his silence. they picked him up and brought him to their town, they built a cell similar to the other one and enclosed him within. Saint also remained in this cell in silence and prayer. few days later, some people went there by night from a town on other side of the river, took the Saint and brought him to their town. did not object when they took him away, neither opposing nor agreeing to it. the inhabitants of the village on the other side of the river came at night to his new dwelling heard him say this prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and all the servants of Thy name, and those who worship Thee, our true God." Salamanēs was dead to this world, seeking only to obey the will of God. he could say with Saint Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20). ascetic did not interrupt his feat of silence, speaking only to God. Orthodox Church honors him as the first Saint to embrace complete silence, he maintained until his death († ca. 400).

Constantinople, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia, weeping, entreatd God, well dressed Angel Gabriel, great sin but g repent
Mesopotamis, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia (Land of the Rivers), Senator's son, betrothed against will, fled pious widow, 7days weeping entreating God, Tobias' guide well dressed Angel Gabriel led him to a cave, beautiful girl decieved him, first time carnal desire, she disappeared, devil rejoiced, he wept bitterly, Gabe kept him from leaving, severe ascetic many years, great sin but great repentence, presence angels&saints; Mesopotamia; Saint Macarius the Roman of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 23 ; day, the cave where holy ascetic Makarios lived was found by three monks the Monastery of Saint Asclepius in Mesopotamia. Hyginos and Theophilos had left the monastery in order to wander through the world, seeking a sign from God which would be beneficial for their salvation. as they approached the cave, they noticed a marvelous fragrance issuing forth from it. they saw an old man walking toward them, covered only by his hair and a beard which reached his knees. threw himself to the ground and remained there for several minutes, until he was sure the three strangers were not really demons. When he was satisfied that he was not experiencing some sort of delusion, he invited them into his cave. oldest monk asked him to relate his story, which he did. Makarios told them that he was born in Rome was the son of a wealthy Senator named John. he was old enough to be married, his parents betrothed him against his will. There was a celebration following the wedding, instead of entering the bridal chamber, he fled to the home of a pious widow, he spent seven days secretly weeping and entreating God to help him. he left her house, Makarios met a well-dressed old man of noble demeanor. This man ordered Makarios to accompany him. Makarios did follow him for three years, until one day they came to a cave, and then the old man vanished. appeared to Makarios in a dream soon afterward and revealed that he was the Archangel Raphael, who had guided Tobias in his travels. he vanished, the Archangel entrusted him to God’s mercy. after he first moved into the cave, Makarios saw a most beautiful young woman standing before him, who said that she also had fled from an unwanted marriage in Rome. spite of his caution, Saint Makarios did not have sufficient discernment to escape the devil’s snare, and so he allowed the girl to spend the night in his cave. the first time in his life, he was assaulted by the fiery darts of carnal desire, and he sinned with the girl. Suddenly she disappeared, and the devil rejoiced because he had tempted the ascetic to sin. that moment Saint Makarios realized the seriousness of his fall. bitterly, he decided to leave the cave and find another place where he might do penance. the way, the Archangel Raphael appeared to him once again and urged him to return. told him that God would hear his prayers if he remained in the cave. So he went back and subjected his flesh to severe fasting, vigils and absolute self-denial for many years, so that he might recover the purity of his soul in order to contemplate God. he had edified the three brethren with the story of his struggles, Saint Makarios sent them on their way in peace. sin was very great, but so was his repentance; therefore, he fell asleep in the Lord in the presence of the angels and the saints. precise date of the saint’s repose is not known, but it was probably at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth.

Constantinople, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred
Ephesus, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred; Holy Martyr Porphyrius suffered during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363). Porphyrius was an actor and on the emperor’s birthday he was performing a role at the theater, where he was supposed to mock the mystery of holy Baptism. the play Porphyrius was immersed in water and said: “The servant of God, Porphyrius, is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Through divine grace, he emerged from the water and confessed himself a Christian. Julian ordered him to be tortured, and after the torments, to be beheaded. This took place in the city of Ephesus in the year 361. Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ;

Constantinople, 361, Theodoritus of Antioch, sacred vessel keeper, Golder Chapel, predicted both Julian's deaths
Syria, 361, Theodoritus of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), sacred vessel keeper, Constantine's Golder Chapel, apostate Julian closed churches, valuables to treasurery, Theodoritus tortured and predicted both Julian's death ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Theodoritus was a presbyter and keeper of sacred vessels at the cathedral church in Antioch. This church was built and richly adorned by the emperor Saint Constantine the Great (May 21) and his son Constantius, and the people called it “the Golden church.” Having occupied the throne after the death of the emperor Constantius (337-361), Julian the Apostate (361-363) decided to restore paganism throughout the Roman Empire. emperor appointed his uncle, also named Julian, as prefect of Antioch. He ordered him to close the Christian churches, and to send the valuables within them to the imperial treasury. Wanting to please the emperor, the prefect, also an apostate from Christianity, set about his impious task with zeal. at Antioch with the dignitary Felix, he gave orders to lock up the priest Theodoritus under guard, and he began his plundering, defiling the altar and the holy altar table. One of those present, Euzoios, tried to admonish him for his impiety, and for this he was killed. Julian accused Theodoritus of hiding the church valuables, but the venerable keeper of vessels denied the accusation and openly denounced Julian for his apostasy. beastly tortures, the holy martyr maintained his faith in Christ the Savior, and predicted a speedy death for Julian and the emperor for their sacrilege. soldiers torturing the faithful presbyter were struck by his firmness and endurance, and by the power of the Word of God. They were converted to Christ, for which they were drowned in the sea. holy confessor was beheaded. The mockery and sacrilege of the pagans did not go unpunished, and the predictions of Saint Theodoritus were soon fulfilled. The prefect Julian died in agony from a grievous illness, and the emperor Julian perished in a campaign against the Persians.

Constantinople, 361, Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4), with 15 others, imprisoned by Apostate Julian, martyred
Phrygia, 361, Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4), with 15 others, imprisoned by Apostate Julian, martyred; Tiberiopolis; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28 ; Timothy was a bishop who was imprisoned by Julian the Apostate (331-363) with his fellow bishop Theodore; the priests Timothy, Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore, Nikephoros; the deacons Basil and Thomas; the monks Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton, Socrates, Comasius; and Etymasius. all suffered martyrdom in Tiberiopolis in 361.

Byzantium, 361-363, Emperor, Julian the Apostate, Constantine's Step Brother
Byzantine Emperor, 361-363, Julian the Apostate ; (331 - 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek.[4] His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplatonic Hellenism in its place, caused him to be remembered as Julian the Apostate by the Christian Church.[5][6] member of the Constantinian dynasty, Julian was orphaned as a child. He was raised by the Gothic slave Mardonius, who had a profound influence on him, providing Julian with literary education.[7] Julian became caesar over the western provinces by order of Constantius II in 355, and in this role he campaigned successfully against the Alamanni and Franks. Most notable was his crushing victory over the Alamanni at the Battle of Argentoratum (Strasbourg) in 357, leading his 13,000 men against a Germanic army three times larger. In 360, Julian was proclaimed Augustus by his soldiers at Lutetia (Paris), sparking a civil war with Constantius. However, Constantius died before the two could face each other in battle, and named Julian as his successor. 363, Julian embarked on an ambitious campaign against the Sasanian Empire. The campaign was initially successful, securing a victory outside Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia.[8] However, he did not attempt to besiege the capital and moved into Persia's heartland, but soon faced supply problems and was forced to retreat northwards while ceaselessly being harassed by Persian skirmishes. During the Battle of Samarra, Julian was mortally wounded under mysterious circumstances.[9][7] He was succeeded by Jovian, a senior officer in the imperial guard, who was obliged to cede territory, including Nisibis, in order to save the trapped Roman forces.[10] was a man of unusually complex character: he was "the military commander, the theosophist, the social reformer, and the man of letters".[11] He was the last non-Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, and he believed that it was necessary to restore the Empire's ancient Roman values and traditions in order to save it from dissolution.[12] He purged the top-heavy state bureaucracy, and attempted to revive traditional Roman religious practices at the expense of Christianity. His attempt to build a Third Temple in Jerusalem was probably intended to harm Christianity rather than please Jews.[7] Julian also forbade the Christians from teaching and learning classical texts.[13] Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated on February 19; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 361-363, Basil tLayman oAncyra, tortured iA, and Constantinople incl furnace but not harmed, Lions end iCaesarea
Phrygia, 361-363, Basil of Ancyra, Phrygia, the layman, tortured iAncyra, tConstantinople, suspended fTree, stretched oRack, beaten, stabbed wRed-hot needles, thrown into fiery furnace, but not harmed, sent tCaesarea&Torn to pieces bLions iArena.; Ancyra; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Basil lived in the time of Julian the Apostate (331-363), confessed his faith in Christ before the governor Saturninus. was tortured in Ancyra, sent to Constantinople, he was suspended from a tree, stretched on a rack, beaten, then stabbed with red-hot needles. was also thrown into a fiery furnace, but was not harmed. was sent to Caesarea and was torn to pieces by lions in the arena. saint, a layman, should not be confused with the other Saint Basil of Ancyra, who was a priest (March 22). Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Basil was a presbyter in Ancyra, Galatia. against the Arian heresy, he urged his flock to cling firmly to Orthodoxy. Because of this Saint Basil was deposed from his priestly rank by a local Arian council, but a Council of 230 bishops in Palestine reinstated him. Basil openly continued to preach and denounce the Arians. Therefore, he became the victim of persecution and was subjected to punishment as a man dangerous to the state. Two apostates, Elpidios and Pegasios, were ordered to turn Saint Basil from Orthodoxy. The saint remained unshakable, and was again subjected to tortures. the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) arrived in the city of Ancyra, Saint Basil bravely confessed Christ before him at the trial, and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. Julian ordered that strips of skin be cut from the saint’s back. Saint Basil endured the gruesome torture with great patience. they began to beat his shoulders and stomach with red-hot rods, he fell down upon the ground from the torments and cried out, “O Christ, my Light! O Jesus, my Hope! Quiet Haven from the stormy sea. I thank You, O Lord God of my fathers, that You have snatched my soul from the pit of Hell and preserved Your Name in me unstained! Let me finish my life a victor and inherit eternal life according to the promise You gave my fathers. Now accept my soul in peace, remaining steadfast in this confession! For You are merciful and great is Your mercy, You Who live and sojourn throughout all the ages. Amen.” made such prayer, and lacerated all over by the red-hot rods, the saint fell into a sweet slumber, giving up his soul into the hands of God. The Hieromartyr Basil died June 29, 362. His commemoration was transferred to March 22 because of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. saint should not be confused with Saint Basil of Ancyra (January 1), a layman.

Constantinople, 361-363, Martyr Elpidius, Senator, Imperial Palace, Burned, Jesus appeared, resurrected him, burned again
Constantinople, 361-363, Martyr Elpidius, Senator, Imperial Palace, Burned, Jesus appeared, resurrected him, tortured again, idols crumbled, 6,000 converted, burned again ; Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Martyrs Elpidius, Marcellus, and Eustochius, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Holy Martyrs Elpidius, Marcellus and Eustochius suffered under the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Elpidius was a senator. They tried him before the imperial judge on charges of being a Christian. martyrs endured many terrible torments, and they died after being thrown into a fire. At the place where Christians buried the relics of the saints, Christ appeared with an host of angels and resurrected Elpidius. Then the emperor gave orders to arrest the holy martyr again. the torture, idols standing nearby crumbled into dust through the prayer of the saint. More than six thousand pagans witnessed this miracle and were converted to Christ. Saint Elpidius was burned again.

Constantinople, 361-363, Hieromartyr Mark, Arethusa Bishop, destroyed p temple, rebuild demanded, tortured, no pain, set free
Greece, 361-363, Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa (Mygdonia, Axios River Mouth), destroyed pagan temple, Apostate Julian, demanded rebuild payment, foot-press, torn hair, slashed body, swamp, cut w knives, cut off ears, honey and greece for bees wasps hornets, did not notice the pain, set free, christians came back ; Arethusa (Mygdonia); Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). order of the emperor Constantine (May 21), Saint Mark had once destroyed a pagan temple and built a Christian church. Julian came to the throne, he persecuted Christians and tried to restore paganism. Some citizens of Arethusa renounced Christianity and became pagans. Then Saint Mark’s enemies decided to take revenge on him. The old bishop hid himself from the persecutors at first, but then gave himself up when he learned that the pagans had tortured many people in their search for him. holy Elder was led through the city and given over to torture. They tore out his hair, slashed his body, dragged him along the street, dumped him in a swamp, tied him up, and cut him with knives. pagans demanded that the holy bishop pay them a large sum of money to rebuild the pagan temple, and he refused to do so. The persecutors invented several new torments: they squeezed the Elder in a foot-press, and they cut off his ears with linen cords. Finally, they smeared the holy martyr’s body with honey and grease, then hung him up in a basket in the hot mid-day sun to be eaten by bees, wasps, and hornets. Saint Mark did not seem to notice the pain, and this irritated the tormentor all the more. pagans kept lowering the price he had to pay for their temple, but Saint Mark refused to give them a single coin. Admiring him for his courage and endurance, the pagans stopped asking him for money and set him free. Many of them returned to Christ after hearing his talks. Gregory the Theologian (January 25) describes the sufferings of Saint Mark in his First Oration against Julian. Theodoritus of Cyrrhus also mentions him in his Church History (Book 3, Ch. 6)

Constantinople, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, riled Julian aAncyra, Red Hot belt walk tEdessa, mutilated, but baptism cHeals
Armenia, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage), tormented fDenunciating Julian tApostate, iAncyra, had to walk wRed hot iron belt tEdessa, there limbs pierced wWooden stakes, then hung oPost&Mutilated, endured, continued revile Julian, tortured, let go, still able walk, met priest, baptized, instantly all healed, then Julian had him crucified, secretly buried bChristians; Paphlagonia Region; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Holy Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia was subjected to cruel tortures for his staunch denunciation of the emperor Juilan the Apostate (361-363) in the city of Ancyra (Galatia). red-hot iron belt was placed around his waist. he was ordered to accompany the impious Julian on his journey. they reached Edessa in Mesopotamia, he was stretched out on the ground and his limbs were pierced with wooden stakes. he was hung on a post and mutilated. the tortures, the saint continued to revile the emperor. being subjected to even more horrible torments, they let him go. was still able to walk and speak, so he went on his way until he met a priest. entreated the priest to baptize him, and when he emerged from the water, his wounds were all healed. of this miracle, Julian ordered that Saint Gemellus be crucified. victorious athlete of Christ gave up his soul to God, and his body was secretly taken down and buried by Christians.

Constantinople, 361-363, Eugene tPresbyter oAntioch, wMacarius, refused orgies, tortured, exiled, prayer lightning killed bSnake
Syria, 361-363, Eugene tPresbyter&Confessor oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), with presbyter Macarius, tortured by Julian tApostate, refused pagan orgies, fierce tortures, prayer and spiritual rejoicing, exile aOasim, Arabian Desert, on hill, giant snake there, in a cave, warned by local people, asked point him out, prayer brought lightning to hit cave and kill snake, they then lived in the cave, They prayed to die together, they did in 363.; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; Holy Confessors Eugene and Macarius were presbyters of the Antiochian Church. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363) they were brought to the emperor for trial for their refusal to participate in pagan orgies. presbyters boldly denounced him for his apostasy and they were given over to fierce tortures, which they underwent with prayer and spiritual rejoicing. the tortures, they sent them off to exile at Oasim, an oasis in the Arabian desert, they intended to settle there upon a hill. local people warned the saints that they should immediately abandon the place, since an enormous snake lived there. holy martyrs asked them to point out this place, and through their prayer a lightning bolt struck the cave, reducing the monster to ashes. Eugene and Macarius began to live in this cave. The confessors prayed that they might die together. Lord heard their prayer, and they died in 363 at the same time.

Constantinople, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80
Constantinople, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch, a fifteen-year-old youth, was condemned to fierce torments by the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Because he was responsible for the translation of the relics of Saint Babylas (September 4) from Daphne to Antioch, he was arrested and tortured. The executioners were dismayed that the saint could rejoice during the torture, and didn’t seem to feel any pain. They reported this miracle to the emperor, and he gave orders to release the saint. Theodore later said that when they were tormenting him, an angel appeared and relieved his suffering. When the angel left after the torture, the saint began to feel the pain. The holy Martyr Theodore lived to old age and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Constantinople, 362, Basil t Presbyter of Ancyra, fighting Arian heresy, deposed, dangerous to State, strips of skin, hot rods
Phrygia, 362, Basil t Presbyter of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), fighting Arian heresy, deposed, dangerous to the State, unshakable, tortured, J the Apostate, strips of skin, red hot rods, prayer of patience, sweet slumber; Ancyra; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Basil was a presbyter in Ancyra, Galatia. against the Arian heresy, he urged his flock to cling firmly to Orthodoxy. Because of this Saint Basil was deposed from his priestly rank by a local Arian council, but a Council of 230 bishops in Palestine reinstated him. Basil openly continued to preach and denounce the Arians. Therefore, he became the victim of persecution and was subjected to punishment as a man dangerous to the state. Two apostates, Elpidios and Pegasios, were ordered to turn Saint Basil from Orthodoxy. The saint remained unshakable, and was again subjected to tortures. the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) arrived in the city of Ancyra, Saint Basil bravely confessed Christ before him at the trial, and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. Julian ordered that strips of skin be cut from the saint’s back. Saint Basil endured the gruesome torture with great patience. they began to beat his shoulders and stomach with red-hot rods, he fell down upon the ground from the torments and cried out, “O Christ, my Light! O Jesus, my Hope! Quiet Haven from the stormy sea. I thank You, O Lord God of my fathers, that You have snatched my soul from the pit of Hell and preserved Your Name in me unstained! Let me finish my life a victor and inherit eternal life according to the promise You gave my fathers. Now accept my soul in peace, remaining steadfast in this confession! For You are merciful and great is Your mercy, You Who live and sojourn throughout all the ages. Amen.” made such prayer, and lacerated all over by the red-hot rods, the saint fell into a sweet slumber, giving up his soul into the hands of God. The Hieromartyr Basil died June 29, 362. His commemoration was transferred to March 22 because of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. saint should not be confused with Saint Basil of Ancyra (January 1), a layman.

Constantinople, 363, Battle of Samarra v Persia, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian's army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian'™s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Constantinople, 363, Melasippus at Ancyra, Phrygia, son spits Julius' face, endures torture unharmed which converts 40 youths
Phrygia, 363, Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), suffered under Julius the Apostate, lacerated under iron hooks, exhausted, son spat in Julius' face, cruel tortures, unharmed, beheaded, which cause 40 youths to confess and endure; Ancyra; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyrs Melasippus and Karina and their son Antoninus, and 40 children converted by their martyrdom at Ancyra during the reign of the emperor Julian the Apostate the city of Ancyra in Phrygia in the year 363. holy Martyrs Melasippus and Karina, lacerated by iron hooks and exhausted, died under torture. son Antoninus, whom the persecutor forced to watch the torture of his parents, in the face of the apostate emperor. this he was subjected to cruel tortures, but he remained unharmed, and then he was beheaded. other youths, seeing that the Lord had preserved His confessor Antoninus unharmed by tortures, believed in Christ, and they openly confessed their faith and endured martyrdom..

Constantinople, 363, Synaxis otAngels, Council oLaodicea, 35th Cannon denounced worship oAngels, but affirmed proper veneration
Ephesus, 363, Synaxis of the Angels, Council oLaodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Caria near Ephesus), 35th Cannon denounced worship of angels, but affirmed proper veneration, 9ranks of angels so started 9th month, 8th day since Last Judgement called Eighth Day, after end of this day (7 days of Creation), then Son oMan shall come with all the angels, 3 hierarchies of angels (highest, middle, lowest), H Seraphim Cherubim Thrones, Seraphim closest to Holy Trinity, Many eyed Cherubim oWisdom they enlighten peoples minds, Thrones give authorities or kings righteous judgment, Middle three Ranks Dominions Powers Authorities, Dominions, D over angels, instruct earthly authorities, to rule wisely &Govern Lands well, they teach us to subdue sin impulses, tSubject flesh tSpirit, tMaster will, tConquer temptation, to be patient, to give spiritual strength & fortitude, Authorities over the Devil, protect people from d temptations, prevent d from harming as they would wish, they uphold astetics and guard them, Lowest Rank- Principalities Archangels & Angels, P-command lower angels, instructing them fulfill G's commands, they watch over the world protecting lands, nations, peoples, they instruct people honor authority, they teach authorities to use A to honor god not for advancement, they teach people to spread word of God for their own benefit, Archangels - are messengers of great things, they reveal prophecies&mistteries of the faith, they enlighten people will of God, they spread faith, they illuminating minds w Gospel, Angels- reveal lesser misteries, never abandon us, always prepared help us if we desire it, Archangel Michael chief commander over Angels, and appeared throughout history; Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia); Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration. Feastday was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him” (Mt. 25:31). Angelic Ranks are divided into three Hierarchies: highest, middle, and lowest. Highest Hierarchy includes: the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. six-winged SERAPHIM (Flaming, Fiery) (Is 6:2) stand closest of all to the Most Holy Trinity. They blaze with love for God and kindle such love in others. many-eyed CHERUBIM (outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment) (Gen 3:24) stand before the Lord after the Seraphim. They are radiant with the light of knowledge of God, and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Through them wisdom is poured forth, and people’s minds are enlightened so they may know God and behold His glory. THRONES (Col 1:16) stand after the Cherubim, mysteriously and incomprehensibly bearing God through the grace given them for their service. They are ministers of God’s justice, giving to tribunals, kings, etc. the capacity for righteous judgment. Middle Angelic Hierarchy consists of three Ranks: Dominions, Powers, and Authorities: (Col 1:16) hold dominion over the angels subject to them. They instruct the earthly authorities, established by God, to rule wisely, and to govern their lands well. The Dominions teach us to subdue sinful impulses, to subject the flesh to the spirit, to master our will, and to conquer temptation. (1 Pet 3:22) fulfill the will of God without hesitation. They work great miracles and give the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to saints pleasing to God. The Powers assist people in fulfilling obediences. They also encourage them to be patient, and give them spiritual strength and fortitude. (1 Pet 3:22, Col 1:16) have authority over the devil. They protect people from demonic temptations, and prevent demons from harming people as they would wish. They also uphold ascetics and guard them, helping people in the struggle with evil thoughts. Lowest Hierarchy includes the three Ranks: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels: (Col 1:16) have command over the lower angels, instructing them in the fulfilling of God’s commands. They watch over the world and protect lands, nations and peoples. Principalities instruct people to render proper honor to those in authority, as befits their station. They teach those in authority to use their position, not for personal glory and gain, but to honor God, and to spread word of Him, for the benefit of those under them. (1 Thess 4:16) are messengers of great and wondrous tidings. They reveal prophecies and the mysteries of the faith. They enlighten people to know and understand the will of God, they spread faith in God among the people, illuminating their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel. (1 Pet 3:22) are in the lowest rank of the heavenly hierarchy, and closest to people. They reveal the lesser mysteries of God and His intentions, guiding people to virtuous and holy life. They support those who remain steadfast, and they raise up the fallen. They never abandon us and they are always prepared to help us, if we desire it. the Ranks of the Heavenly Powers are called angels, although each has its own name and position by virtue of their service. The Lord reveals His will to the highest ranks of the angels, and they in turn inform the others. all the Nine Ranks, the Lord appointed the Holy Archangel Michael (his name in Hebrew means “who is like unto God”), the faithful servitor of God, as Chief Commander. He cast down from Heaven the arrogantly proud Lucifer and the other fallen spirits when they rebelled against God. Michael summoned the ranks of angels and cried out, “Let us attend! Let us stand aright before our Creator and do not consider doing what is displeasing unto God!” to Church Tradition, and in the church services to the Archangel Michael, he participated in many other Old Testament events. the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt he went before them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Through him the power of the Lord was made manifest, annihilating the Egyptians and Pharaoh who were in pursuit of the Israelites. The Archangel Michael defended Israel in all its misfortunes. appeared to Joshua Son of Navi and revealed the will of the Lord at the taking of Jericho (Josh 5:13-16). The power of the great Chief Commander of God was manifest in the annihilation of the 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib (4/2 Kings 19:35); also in the smiting of the impious leader Heliodorus (2 Macc. 3: 24-26); and in the protection of the Three Holy Youths: Ananias, Azarias and Misail, thrown into the fiery furnace for their refusal to worship an idol (Dan 3:22-25). the will of God, the Chief Commander Michael transported the Prophet Habbakuk (December 2) from Judea to Babylon, to give food to Daniel in the lions’ den (Dan. 14:33-37). Archangel Michael disputed with the devil over the body of the holy Prophet Moses (Jude 1:9). holy Archangel Michael showed his power when he miraculously saved a young man, cast into the sea by robbers with a stone about his neck on the shores of Mt Athos. This story is found in the Athonite Paterikon, and in the Life of Saint Neophytus of Docheiariou (November 9). ancient times the Archangel Michael was famed for his miracles in Rus. In the Volokolamsk Paterikon is a narrative of Saint Paphnutius of Borov with an account of Tatar tax-gatherers concerning the miraculous saving of Novgorod the Great: “Therefore Great Novgorod was never taken by the Hagarenes... when... for our sins the godless Hagarene emperor Batu devoured and set the Russian land aflame and came to Novgorod, and God and the Most Holy Theotokos shielded it with an appearance of Michael the Archangel, who forbade him to enter into it. He [Batu] was come to the Lithuanian city and came toward Kiev and saw the stone church, over the doors of which the great Archangel Michael had written and spoken to the prince his allotted fate, ‘By this we have forbidden you entry into Great Novgorod’.” for Russian cities by the Most Holy Queen of Heaven always involved Her appearances with the Heavenly Hosts, under the leadership of the Archangel Michael. Grateful Rus acclaimed the Most Pure Mother of God and the Archangel Michael in church hymns. Many monasteries, cathedrals, court and merchant churches are dedicated to the Chief Commander Michael. old Kiev at the time of the accepting of Christianity, a cathedral of the Archangel was built, and a monastery also was named for him. Archangel cathedrals are found at Smolensk, Nizhni Novgorod, Staritsa, at Great Ustiug (beginning of the thirteenth century), and a cathedral at Sviyazhsk. In Rus there was not a city where there was not a church or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. of the chief temples of the city of Moscow, the burial church in the Kremlin, is dedicated to him. Numerous and beautiful icons of the Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts are also in his Cathedral. One of these, the Icon “Blessed Soldiery,” was painted in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The saintly soldiers, Russian princes, are depicted under the leadership of the Archangel Michael. invoke Saint Michael for protection from invasion by enemies and from civil war, and for the defeat of adversaries on the field of battle. He conquers all spiritual enemies. Scripture and Tradition give us the names of the Archangels: strength (power) of God, herald and servitor of Divine omnipotence (Dan 8:16, Luke 1:26). He announces the mysteries of God. the healing of God, the curer of human infirmities (Tobit 3:16, 12:15) the fire or light of God, enlightener (2 Esdras 5:20). We pray for him to enlighten those with darkened minds. the prayer of God, impelling to prayer (2 Esdras 5:15). He prays to God for mankind. the glorifying of God, encouraging exertion for the glory of the Lord and interceding for the reward of efforts. distributor of the blessings of God for good deeds, entreats the mercy of God for people. the raising up to God (2 Esdras 4:36) icons the Archangels are depicted in according to the character of their service: tramples the devil underfoot, and in his left hand holds a green date-tree branch, and in his right hand a spear with a white banner on which is outlined a scarlet cross, or sometimes a fiery sword. with a branch from Paradise, presented by him to the Most Holy Virgin, or with a shining lantern in his right hand and with a mirror made of jasper in his left. holds a vessel with healing medications in his left hand, and with his right hand leads Tobias, carrying a fish for healing (Tobit 5-8). in his raised right hand holds a naked sword at the level of his chest, and in his lowered left hand “a fiery flame.” in a prayerful posture, gazing downwards, hands folded on the chest. holds a golden crown in his right hand, in his left, a whip of three red (or black) thongs. is shown with a white rose on his breast. holds balance-scales in his hand. person has a guardian angel (Matt 18:10), and every nation also receives its own guardian angel from God (Dan. 10:13). When a church is consecrated, it also receives a guardian angel (Palladius, Dial. Ch. 10).

Constantinople, 363, Theodore the Recruit, confessed Christ, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body nBurned, 363 Kolva instead
Armenia, 306, Theodore the Recruit, Alasium, Pontine, Armenia, soldier, commanded to idol sacrifice, loudly confessed Christ, temple fire, starvation sentence, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body not burned, 363 T appeared to warn of blood on food, Kolva instead; Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro "œthe Recruit"), Commemorated on February 17; Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (Tyro) was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time Saint Theodore prayed. charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, Saint Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer gave up his holy soul to God. occurred in about the year 306 under the Roman emperor Galerius (305-311). by the fire, the body of Saint Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto. on, fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. Saint Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by Saint John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). Troparion to Saint Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to Saint Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). pray to Saint Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.

Byzantium, 363-364, Emperor, Jovian, Orthodox, after Julian, declared by his soldiers, only 8 mos
Byzantine Emperor, 363-364, Jovian, Christian; (331 – 17 February 364) was Roman emperor from June 363 to February 364. As part of the imperial bodyguard, accompanied Emperor Julian on his campaign against the Sasanian Empire and following the latter's death, Jovian was hastily declared Emperor by his soldiers. With the army exhausted, provisions running low, and unable to cross the Tigris, he sought peace with the Sasanids on humiliating terms. his arrival at Edessa, Jovian was petitioned by bishops over doctrinal issues concerning Christianity. His return to Constantinople would be cut short by his death at Dadastana. Jovian reigned eight months. MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Constantinople, 363-365, Council of Laodicea 363-364, Biblical Cannon, Astrology, and other rules
Council of Laodicea 363-364; Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 AD in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. 1 Historical context 2 Major concerns 3 Biblical canon 4 Astrology 5 References 6 External links context[edit] council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last Constantinian emperor, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination against Christians. After his death in battle on 26 June 363, officers of the army elected the Christian Jovian as his successor. Jovian, in a precarious position, far from supplies, ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. He was soon succeeded by Valentinian I, who named his brother Valens Emperor of the East. concerns[edit] major concerns of the Council involved regulating the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the sixty canons decreed, several aimed at: Maintaining order among bishops, clerics and laypeople (canons 3–5, 11–13, 21–27, 40–44, 56–57) Enforcing modest behaviour of clerics and laypeople (4, 27, 30, 36, 53–55) Regulating approach to heretics (canons 6–10, 31–34, 37), Jews (canons 16, 37–38) and pagans (canon 39) Outlawing the keeping of the Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraging rest on Sunday (canon 29) Outlining liturgical practices (canons 14–20, 21–23, 25, 28, 58–59) Restrictions during Lent (canons 45, 49–52) Admission and instruction of catechumens and neophytes (canons 45–48) Specifying a Biblical canon (canons 59–60) canon[edit] 59th canon forbade the readings in church of uncanonical books. The 60th canon listed Canonical books, with the New Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book of Revelation, and the Old Testament including the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah; but excluding all the deuterocanonical books proper. It is also believed that they may have demonized the "Second Book of Enoch", which led to its degeneration.[1] authenticity of the 60th canon is doubtful,[2] as it is missing from various Greek manuscripts and may have been added later[1] to specify the extent of the preceding 59th canon. The Latin version of the canons of Laodicea consistently omit the canon list. Around 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea.[3] council marks the first occasion in Christianity of the explicit condemnation of astrology, a matter on which theologians and legislators had not yet reached consensus.[4][5] Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ;

Constantinople, 363-423, Maron, Hermit oSyria, Prayer, vigil, ascetical works, strict fasting, Healing&Delivernce, m monasteries
Syria, 363-423, Maron, Hermit oSyria, fCyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), time spend open sky iPrayer, vigil, ascetical works, strict fasting, obtaine fGod gift oHealing and deliverance, counciled, be temperate, salvation concern, guard against avarice (extreme greed for wealth) and anger, advanced age, Chrysostom's friend, his disciples, James tHermit, Limnius, Domnina, founded many monasteries near Cyrrhus, near Antioch converted pagan temple to church; Cyrrhus; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; Maron was born in the fourth century near the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. spent almost all his time beneath the open sky in prayer, vigil, ascetical works and strict fasting. obtained from God the gift of healing the sick and casting out demons. counselled those who turned to him for advice be temperate, to be concerned for their salvation, and to guard against avarice and anger. Maron, a friend of Saint John Chrysostom, died before 423 at an advanced age. of Saint Maron’s disciples were James the Hermit (November 26), Limnius (February 23), and Domnina (March 1). Maron founded many monasteries around Cyrrhus, converted a pagan temple near Antioch into a Christian church.

Constantinople, 363-423, Limnaeus, syrian desert hermit, virtues, wonderworking, wanderers home, giving spiritual nourishment
Syria, 363-423, Limnaeus, hermit oDesert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, dwelt suffient time to acquire virtues oThalassius, simplicity oManner, genrtleness, humility, then joined Maron on a hill, built stone cell without a roof, through small hole he conversed with people who came to him, compassionate heart, built wanderers home with admirers help, a dwelling for poor and crippled, sacrificing his solitude, took responsibility for their spiritual nourishment, inducing them to pray, glorify the Lord, for this granted wonderworking gift and cured himself oSnakebite; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch Venerable Limnaeus, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Limnaeus began his efforts under the guidance of Saint Thalassius and dwelt with him for a sufficient time to acquire the virtues of his teacher: simplicity of manner, gentleness and humility. Saint Limnaeus joined Saint Maron (February 14). a hill he built a small stone enclosure without a roof, through a small aperture, he conversed with those who came to see him. heart was full of compassion for people. to help all the destitute, he built a wanderers’ home on the hillside with the help of his admirers, dwelling for the poor and the crippled, and he fed them with what pious people brought him. holy ascetic even sacrificed his own quiet and solitude for these poor brethren, took upon himself the responsibility for for their spiritual nourishment, them to pray and glorify the Lord. his holy life he was granted the gift of wonderworking. once cured himself of a snakebite through prayer. St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Byzantium, 364-378, Emperor, Valens, Arian, faced Persia in Armenia, burned alive at A by Goths, bad g, good a
Byzantine Emperor, 364-378, Valens, Arian ; Valens (328 - 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. He was the younger brother of the emperor Valentinian I, who gave Valens the eastern half of the Roman Empire to rule. Before 364, Valens had a largely unremarkable military career. In 378, Valens was defeated and killed at the Battle of Adrianople against the invading Goths, which astonished contemporaries and marked the beginning of barbarian encroachment into Roman territory. emperor Valens continually faced threats both internal and external.[4] He defeated, after some dithering, the usurper Procopius in 366, and campaigned against the Goths across the Danube in 367 and 369. In the following years, Valens focused on the eastern frontier, where he faced the perennial threat of Persia, particularly in Armenia, as well as additional conflicts with the Saracens and Isaurians. Domestically, he inaugurated the Aqueduct of Valens in Constantinople, which was longer than all the aqueducts of Rome. In 376–77, the Gothic War broke out, following a mismanaged attempt to settle the Goths in the Balkans. Valens returned from the east to fight the Goths in person, but lack of coordination with his nephew, the western emperor Gratian (Valentinian I's son), as well as poor battle tactics, led to Valens and much of the eastern Roman army dying at a battle near Adrianople in 378. Valens is described as indecisive, impressionable, a mediocre general and overall "utterly undistinguished", he was also a conscientious and capable administrator,[5] and a notable achievement of his was to significantly relieve the burden of taxation on the population.[6] At the same time, his suspicious and fearful disposition, and excessive concern for personal safety, resulted in numerous treason trials and executions, which heavily stained his reputation. Valens was a fanatic Arian Christian – the last Roman emperor to profess this denomination – and discriminated against trinitarian Christians while interfering little in the affairs of the pagans.[7][6][8] MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25 ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Constantinople, 364-378, Commemoration Gregory"s Miracle, Nicaea, Bithynia, after Ariens failed, Orthodox Prayers open doors
Bithynia, , Commemoration Gregory"s Miracle, Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya), Valens took Cathedral away fOrthodox for Ariens, Basil tGreat shows up, goes to Valens, Valens said return &Judge without favoritism, Basil returned to judge as V had decreed. Locked the doors, allowed Ariens 3 days prayer and Orthodox one, O complained. Ariens first, failed after 4days, Orthodox pray one day causing earthquake that opened doors. Many Ariens converted, Valens dies in fire.; Nicea (Nicaea); Commemoration of the miracle of Saint Basil the Great at Nicaea, Commemorated on January 19; the Church remembers a great miracle in Nicaea, when Saint Basil the Great, by his prayers, opened the doors of the Cathedral Church. a visit to Nicaea, Emperor Valens, at the request of some prominent Arians, took the Cathedral away from the Orthodox by force and allowed the Arians to occupy it. Orthodox were grief stricken by this terrible calamity. when Saint Basil happened to arrive in Nicaea, the faithful wept and told him what the Emperor had done. saint went to Constantinople and criticized Valens for his unjust action. Emperor was furious, but knew that he had been wrong in giving the Cathedral to the heretics. said, “Return to Nicaea and judge between the parties, but do not show any favoritism to your side.” Basil went back to Nicaea with an imperial decree and called the Arians together. He said, “The Emperor has given me authority to decide whether you or the Orthodox should have the church.” replied, “Very well, but judge the way that the Emperor would judge if he were here.” Basil ordered the Arians and the Orthodox to lock the doors of the church, affix their seals, and appoint some men to guard it. he told the Arians to go and pray for three days and nights, and then return. If the doors opened because of their prayers, they would be allowed to retain possession of the church. said, “If the doors do not open for you, then we shall pray for just one night, and then return. If the doors open for us, then we shall own the building again. If they do not open for us, then it will be yours.” Arians accepted this proposal, but the Orthodox thought that Saint Basil was giving an unfair advantage to the heretics because he feared the Emperor. the church was locked and sealed, and guards were stationed there. After three days and nights, the Arians’ prayers had achieved nothing, so they continued praying until noon of the fourth day. When the doors still failed to open, they hung their heads in shame and went away. Basil led the Orthodox to the church of Saint Diomedes outside the city, and served an All-Night Vigil. next morning, the hierarch led a procession back to the Cathedral as the people chanted “Holy God.” Halting before the doors of the church, he ordered them to lift their hands to Heaven and to cry, “Lord, have mercy.” Then they prayed, and Saint Basil made the Sign of the Cross over the doors three times and shouted, “Blessed is the God of the Christians, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” there was an earthquake which broke the locks, threw the bars on the floor, and split the seals, and then the doors flew open. Basil entered the building with all the Orthodox. After celebrating the divine service, he dismissed the faithful. Arians who came to see what would happen renounced their heresy and became Orthodox. for Valens, he was amazed when he heard of this great miracle, but he did not convert to Orthodoxy. he was wounded in a battle and he hid in a barn which was filled with straw. His enemies surrounded the barn and set it on fire. The evil tyrant perished in the flames and his soul departed to the everlasting fire.

Constantinople, 366-420, Porphyrius, Bishop oGaza, tNitrian desert, preserved Holy Cross aJerusalem per Jesus, converted Gaza
Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, fThessalonica, weathy, educated, inclined monastic life, tNitrian desert Egypt, under Marcarius tGreat, also met Jerome, tJerusalem fHoly Places, and tVenerate tLife Creating Holy Cross, then tCave in Jordanian wilderness, fPrayer&Ascetic deeds, 5yrs, then afflicted malady otLegs, to tHoly Places Jerusalem tPray for Healing, laying half conscious aFoot oGolgotha, in a trance, beheld Jesus descending ftCross, saying take this wood and preserve it, out of trance healthy free from pain, then gave all his money tPoor and Churches adornment, worked as shoemaker, at age 45 (391) savior's words fulfilled, ordained and assigned custodian otCross, 395 Gaza bishop died, with fear and trembling he accepted, tears before tCross, only 3 churches in Gaza, pagans predominant, harrasing christians, many temples&Idols, long spell without rain, pagan priests offerings tIdols dd not work, imposed fast all christians, all-night vigil, procession around tCith, immediately abundant rain, many pagans united tChurch, 237, but harrasment continued, no public office, taxes, tConstantinople wMet oCaesarea john tSeek redress fEmperor, John Chrysostom assisted them, Emperess Eusoxia had son, heir after Bishops prayed for her, offering intercede for us and Lord will send you a son who will reign during your lifetime, So Emperor ordered destruction of all tempels in Gaza, restoration oPrivileges tChristian, mone for new Church, replacing chief pagan temple, P's prayers brought numerous healings and miracles; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at Thessalonica. parents were people of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrius to receive a fine education. the inclination for monastic life, he left his native region at twenty-five years of age and set off for Egypt, he lived in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19). he also met Saint Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries. went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), he moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. five years, Saint Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. beheld Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and preserve it.” out of his trance, he found himself healthy and free from pain. he gave away all his money to the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. a time he supported himself by working as a shoemaker. words of the Savior were fulfilled when the saint was forty-five years old. Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint Porphyrius to the holy priesthood appointed him custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrius. fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience. Gaza there were only three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols. this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; then served an all-night Vigil, by a church procession around the city. the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ is indeed the only true God!” a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this. pagans continued to harass the Christians. passed them over for public office, burdened them with taxes. Saint and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. John Chrysostom (September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them. John and Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. a result of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza the restoration of privileges to Christians. the emperor gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple. Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years, reposed in 420 at an advanced age.

Constantinople, 367-397, John Chrysostom, in Syria, ascetic, silence, monastic, writer, Preacher 12yrs and Public Speaker
Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26;

Constantinople, 367-420, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza, Archbishop
Byzantium, 367-420, Byzantine Saint, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza; St. Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26;

Constantinople, 367-420, Roman Saint, Jerome, scholar, translator, theologian
Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); was the foremost biblical scholar of the ancient Church. His translation of the Bible, along with his commentaries and homilies on the biblical books, have made him a major intellectual force in the Western Church. was born in about 347, and was converted and baptized during his student days in Rome. a visit to Trier, he found himself attracted to the monastic life, which he tested in a brief but unhappy experience as a hermit in the deserts of Syria. Antioch, he continued his studies in Hebrew and Greek. In 379, he went to Constantinople where he studied under Gregory of Nazianzus. 382 to 384 he was secretary to Pope Damasus I, and spiritual director of many noble Roman ladies who were becoming interested in the monastic life. It was Damasus who set him the task of making a new translation of the Bible into Latin -- into the popular form of the language, hence the name of the translation: the Vulgate. the death of Damasus, Jerome returned to the East, and established a monastery at Bethlehem, where he lived and worked until his death on 30 September 420. is best known as the translator of the Bible into Latin. A previous version (now called the Old Latin) existed, but Jerome's version far surpassed it in scholarship and in literary quality. was well versed in classical Latin (as well as Greek and Hebrew), but deliberately translated the Bible into the style of Latin that was actually spoken and written by the majority of persons in his own time. This kind of Latin is known as Vulgate Latin (meaning the Latin of the common people), and accordingly Jerome's translation is called the Vulgate. Vulgate Latin is classical Latin in the first stages of evolving into such modern languages as Spanish, French, and Italian. It has begun the process of changing from an inflected language (in which words have various endings, or inflections, which are used to show the relation of the word to other words in the sentence) to a separate-word language like English (in which additional words, such as prepositions, are used, along with word order, to show the function of the word). Thus, in classical Latin, "He spoke to me," is dix it mihi or mihi dixit, but in Vulgate Latin it is dixit ad me. In the second century BC, Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, had translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Tradition had it that this translation was the work of 70 (or 72) scholars, and accordingly the result was known as the Septuagint (often written as LXX). The LXX contains six or more books (there is some leeway here) not found in the standard Hebrew text, known as the Masoretic Text (or MT), and sometimes reads differently from the MT in particular verses. New Testament writers, except for Matthew, when they are quoting the Old Testament, usually quote from the LXX. The differences in readings between the MT and the LXX were formerly explained by assuming that the LXX translators were sometimes not very good translators. very ancient Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible, recently found at Qumran and elsewhere, often agree with the LXX against the MT. Accordingly, it is now generally supposed that the LXX is a fairly accurate translation of Hebrew manuscripts available at the time, and that sometimes the manuscripts that the LXX translators worked from differed from the manuscripts that became the basis for the standardized Hebrew text that we know today. The early Christians, most of whom knew Greek but not Hebrew, were accustomed to use the LXX as their version of the Old Testament Scriptures. (So, for that matter, did most Jews living in the Roman Empire outside of the land of Israel itself.) Old Latin translation had been made from the Greek. But Jerome was determined to make his translation from the Hebrew, partly because he considered it to be more accurate, and partly because he wanted a text that he could use as a basis for argument with Jewish opponents, without having them object, "But that is not what the Hebrew text says." a translation from the Hebrew, he ran into a difficulty with the Psalms. They were used regularly in public and private worship, and many Christians knew them well enough to notice and resent any radical changes from the wording they had always used. So Jerome translated the Psalms from the Greek, and salved his scholarly feelings by publishing a translation of the Psalms from the Hebrew in an Appendix. The history of the Psalms in English is in some ways similar. 1611, the King James Version of the Bible was published, and generally accepted by English-speakers. However, the Psalms in English were already an established part of public worship in the Coverdale translation of 1536 or thereabouts. For roughly 75 years worshippers in England had been reading, saying, singing, or chanting the Psalms in the Coverdale translation (also called the Prayer Book Version). Their response to the Psalms in the King James Version was: "What is this nonsense! Take away this new-fangled modern translation, and leave me to recite the Psalms in the good old-fashioned version that I learned at the knee of my dear old silver-haired mother, the most magnificent version that the pen of man has ever written, the version that has comforted and sustained me all the days of my life." So, when you attend an Anglican funeral, and you hear the choir chanting, The LORD is my shepherd, therefore can I lack nothing. He shall feed me in a green pasture, and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort. are hearing the Coverdale Psalter. And for some of us, at least, it is a great tree, deeply rooted in the soil of English Christianity, and full of complex associations that make reading it a deeply moving experience. (I have heard rumors that there are versions of the Psalter used in some circles, that are even more modern and trendy than the King James. Hmmph!) was intemperate in controversy, and any correspondence with him tended to degenerate into a flame war. (His friendship with Augustine, conducted by letter, nearly ended before it began. Fortunately Augustine sized him up correctly, soothed his feelings, and was extremely tactful thereafter.) His hot temper, pride of learning, and extravagant promotion of asceticism involved him in many bitter controversies over questions of theology and of Bible interpretation. However, he was candid at times in admitting his failings, and was never ambitious for either worldly or churchly honors. He was a militant champion of orthodoxy, a tireless worker, and a scholar of rare gifts. by James Kiefer Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Jerome of Stridon was born into a Christian family in the city of Stridon located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. full name is Eusebius Hieronymos Sophronius. His parents sent him to Rome, where he studied the secular sciences. At the beginning of his life in the capital, the youth was captivated by worldly vanities and fell into temptation. At the end of his time in Rome, Jerome resolved to change his life and to live in goodness and purity. the youth was about 20 years old, he accepted holy Baptism. After this he visited in Gaul (France). Then Saint Jerome decided to dedicate himself totally to God, and to become a monk. about the year 372 Saint Jerome returned to his native city, but his parents had already departed this life. On him fell the responsibility of raising his younger sisters and his brother Paulinian. These cares forced him to put aside his plans to enter a monastery, at least for a time. made arrangements for the care of his siblings, he journeyed to the East with several of his friends. 374, he decided to dwell in the desert of Chalcis southeast of Antioch. There he remained for about 5 years, combining work on the Holy Scriptures with austere ascetic deeds. Besides this, Saint Jerome mastered the Hebrew and Chaldean languages. this period he began his correspondence with numerous persons upon a variety of questions. About 120 letters, considered as authentically written by Saint Jerome, have been preserved. the beginning of the 360s there arose a controversy between the proponents of bishops Meletius, Paulinos and Vitalis. The controversy also reached the monastery where Saint Jerome toiled. In consequence, the disputes caused him to leave the monastery and go to Antioch. Here Bishop Paulinos ordained him to the priesthood. Saint Jerome visited Constantinople and conversed with the holy hierarchs Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa the year 381 he set off for Rome. At Rome he continued his studies. The holy Pope Damasus I (366-384), who also devoted much of his time to the study of Holy Scripture, made Jerome his secretary. because the saint denounced the morals of the contemporary Christian society, a whole party of those bearing malice towards the saint came forward to spread slanders about him. a three year stay at Rome, Saint Jerome felt compelled to abandon this city for good. Together with his brother Paulinian and friends, Saint Jerome visited the Holy Land, and also the monks of the Nitria wilderness monastery. the year 386 he settled into a cave at Bethlehem near the cave where Christ was born, and there he began a life of austere asceticism. was the period of blossoming of his creative activity. Attending to the studies of his time, Saint Jerome left to the Church a rich written legacy: collections of dogmatic-polemic works, moral-ascetic works, commentaries on Scripture, and historical works. the most important of his works was a new translation the books of the Old and New Testaments into the Latin language. This Latin translation is called the “Vulgate,” and it passed into general use throughout the Western Church. Jerome lived through the fall of his beloved city Rome, which was sacked by the Goths in the year 410. In the year 411 a new ordeal beset the saint, Bethlehem was invaded by wild Bedouin Arabs. Only through the mercy of God was the community of the aged ascetic saved from complete destruction. He finished his life at the cave in Bethlehem. Saint Jerome is believed to have reposed in 420. relics were transferred from Bethlehem to Rome in 642, but their present location is unknown. His hand is enshrined in a church near Rome’s Piazza Farnese.

Constantinople, 369-382, Gothic General, Athanaric, Pagan, Loser
Byzantine Period, Gothic General, 369-382, Athanaric, Pagan, Loser; Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Constantinople, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life
Armenia, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached word of God to them, died 370; Edessa, Syria; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Aphraates, a Persian who came to believe in Christ, disavowed his illustrious lineage and left his pagan countrymen by going to Edessa, and then to Antioch. attracted many by his holy life, and preached the Word of God to them. He died in the year 370.

Constantinople, 370-380, Patriarch, Lupus aka Demophilus of Constantinople
Constantinople Patriarch, 370-380, Lupus aka Demophilus of Constantinople; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25;

Constantinople, 370-405, Germanus of Dacia Pontica, kin John Cassian, J's spiritual father, friend&teacher, monastic perfection
Romania, 370-405, Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Romania, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus), fTomis, older than kin John Cassian, tonsured, J's spiritual father, friend&teacher, monastic perfection, t Bethlehem 380-385, t Egypt, cenobitic monasteries, tNitria&Sinai, 399 tConstantinople fChrysostom, priesthood, 404 tRome &Innocent, d 405; Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica; Saint Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Germanus the Daco-Roman was born in the mid-fourth century, probably on the borders of Cassian and the Caves in the diocese of Tomis (in what is now Romania), was related to Saint John Cassian (February 29). Germanus, who was older than Saint John, was tonsured at one of the local monasteries when he was still a young man. holy bishop Saint Theotimus I (April 20) may have been his Spiritual Father. turn, Saint Germanus became the Spiritual Father, friend, and teacher of Saint John Cassian, instructing him in monastic perfection. both lived at one of the monasteries of Dacia Pontica for a short time, then worked together in Bethlehem from 380-385. they traveled to Egypt and visited some of its cenobitic monasteries. also visited the hermits of Nitria and Mount Sinai, seeking to benefit from their holy example and wise counsel. Germanus and John went to Constantinople in 399 in order to be near Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), around this time Germanus was deemed worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Chrysostom was deposed and exiled in 404, the two saints journeyed to Rome in order to plead his case before Pope Innocent I. Germanus completed the course of his life in the early fifth century, perhaps at the monastery estabished by Saint John Cassian at Marseilles, or in one of the monasteries of Dacia Pontica. inscription on the saint’s scroll is an abbreviated quotation from Psalm 17/18:1. It reads: The Lord is my strength and deliverer.

Constantinople, 370-420, Macedonius tHermit, began ascetic wanderer, 45yrs deep uncovered pit, shunned human glory, barley eater
Syria, 370-420, Macedonius tHermit oSyria, fNear Cyrrhus (a small town near Antioch), Syria (Orontes River 7), began ascetic life as wanderer, Phoenecia, Cilicia, Syria, then 45 yrs in deep wilderness pit, open sky no roof, shunning human glory (fool for christ), called pit (Gouvas), crowds visited, spiritual advise, ate only barley&water, called barley eater, old age moved to cell & ate baked bread, lived advance age 70; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Saint Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; Macedonius, a Syrian hermit, lived during the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth. he first embarked upon the path of asceticism, he led the life of a wanderer, roaming through the cities of Phoenicia, Cilicia, and Syria. he spent forty-five years in the wilderness, in a deep pit, living under the open sky with no roof over his head, shunning human glory. he was called "Gouvas," which means "pit" in Syrian. of people visited him, seeking spiritual help and guidance. in his old age did he accede to the requests of those who begged him to live in a narrow cell they built for him. his life Saint Macedonius ate just barley and water. Therefore, he was called “Krithophagos" (Κριθοφάγος), or "Barley-Eater." as he felt his strength fading did he agree to eat baked bread. of his ascetical life, God granted him the power to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. also healed the mother of the historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus (a small town near Antioch), who had been barren for a long time before she conceived. labor, however, something went wrong, and she feared that she would lose the child. Saint traced the Sign of the Cross in a vessel of water with his fingers, and told her to drink it. The child was born without any further difficulty. Macedonius performed many other miracles. lived to an advanced age and reposed in peace around the year 420, after reaching his seventieth year.

Constantinople, 370-422, Martinian, Zoe and Photina, Caesarea, Palestine, M's fire convicts Zoe, M's dolphins inspires Photina
Palestine, 370-422, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), wilderness at 18, 25 yrs, ascetic, silence, healing, deliverence, temptations, prostitute Zoe to topple his virtue with her beauty, chose to burn in fire to escape fires of Hell, Zoe realized her sin, repented, asked him to guide her, sent to Bethlehem, Paula's convent, M burns healed, to rocky island, open sky, wove baskets for sailor who brought provisions, Photina floated to island, remain here for ship, M jumped into sea, carried by 2 dolphins, became wanderer, to Athens, sensed death, died in a church 422, Photina stayed island 6 yrs, men's clothing, bread water and wool to make clothes for captain's wife, incorrupt relics; Caesarea, Palestine ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Martinian went to live in the wilderness at the age of eighteen, not far from the city of Caesarea in Palestine. twenty-five years, he devoted himself to ascetic deeds and silence, and he was granted the gift of healing illnesses and casting out demons. However, the Enemy of the human race would not stop troubling the holy ascetic with various temptations. day a prostitute overheard some citizens of Caesarea speaking of Saint Martinian's virtuous life, so she asked them why they were amazed by it. She said that he went to live in the desert because he could not endure the temptations of the flesh in the city. Furthermore, she made a wager with them that she could topple this pillar of virtue with her beauty and seduce him. came to him one night, dressed in shabby clothes, pretending that she had lost her way in the storm, and asking for shelter. Reluctantly, the saint allowed her to enter his cell, because he did not wish to be the cause of her death. He went into the inner room of his cell, telling her she would have to leave in the morning. After chanting Psalms according to his Rule, he went to sleep on the floor, but he was disturbed by carnal thoughts. Meanwhile, the wicked guest opened the bag she had been carrying and changed into her beautiful clothes and adorned herself with jewels. morning came, Saint Martinian came out to send the woman away. Though he was tempted by the woman’s beauty, he was determined not to fall into sin. Lighting a fire, he stepped into it, saying, “You want me to burn with temptation, but I will not give in to it.. Instead, I choose to burn in this fire in order to preserve my purity and to escape the unquenchable fires of Hell." Saint Zoe woman was astonished at the lengths Saint Martinian was willing to go, and she realized how evil she was. She repented and asked the saint to guide her onto the way of salvation. He told her to go to Bethlehem, and enter the convent founded by Saint Paula (January 26). There she lived as a nun for twelve years in strict asceticism until her blessed repose. The woman’s name was Zoe. his burns healed, Saint Martinian went to an uninhabited rocky island, and lived on it under the open sky for several years, nourished by the provisions brought by a certain sailor from time to time. In return the monk wove baskets for him. day a ship was wrecked by a powerful storm, and a woman named Photina floated to the island on pieces of the wreckage Saint Martinian helped her to survive on the island. “Remain here,” he told her, “for I am leaving you bread and water, and in two months a boat will come and return you to the mainland." Martinian refused to stay on the island with the woman, believing that it would be better to drown than to burn with lust. He jumped into the sea and swam away, and a pair of dolphins carried him to dry land. Thereafter, Saint Martinian led the life of a wanderer. Later, he came to Athens and fell ill. Sensing the approach of death, he went into a church and lay upon the floor. God revealed to the Bishop of Athens who Saint Martinian was, and the hierarch buried his body with honor. This occurred around the year 422. for Saint Photina, she did not board the ship when it came to the island, electing to stay there by herself. She asked the captain of the ship to have his wife bring her men's clothing and some wool, promising to make clothes for his family. She also asked the woman to bring her bread and water in addition to the other supplies. Photina lived on the island for six years, and then she went to the Lord. Two months after her repose, the captain and his wife found her incorrupt relics and brought them to Caesarea in Palestine. He had a vision which revealed many details of Saint Photina's life, which he shared with the bishop. Then they buried her with great honor and reverence.

Constantinople, 370-430, Alexander, founder 2 Unsleeping Ones Monasteries, prayed 3yrs to make sure, preached tOriginal gospel
Armenia, 370-430, Alexander, founder Unsleepinge Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia, (Euphrates River 3), educated iConstantinople, some military service, called to desert monastery near Antioch, under Elias, monastic obedience, blessed to dwell wilderness, took only Holy Gospel with him, not the Gospels?, then Lord summoned him to preach tPagans, converted local leader who became bishop oEdessa 30 years, Alex settled not far from Euphrates, Monks gathered, monastery o400 monks, A decided offer never ceasing prayer, but first prayed 3yrs to make sure, divine revelation God said yes, Monks divided 24 watches oPrayer, shifts each hour, 2 Choirs sang Psams both Day and Night, except for divine services time, named Unsleeping Ones, unceasing praise tGod, A guided this monastery 12yrs, left Trphimus as igumen, left to preach Gospel to cities on Persian border, with chosen brothers, arrives at Constantinople and established another Unsleeping monastery with rule of unceasing praise, died 430 after 50 yrs a monk; Venerable Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones”, Commemorated on February 23; Alexander, Founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones,” was born in Asia and received his education at Constantinople. spent some time in military service sensing a calling to other service, he left the world and received monastic tonsure in one of the desert monasteries near Antioch under the guidance of Igumen Elias. advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy Gospel with him. the Lord summoned him to preach to pagans. converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank of bishop, and for thirty years, he occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the city of Edessa. Saint Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful asceticism and spiritual experience. monastery of 400 monks eventually sprang up there. the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by night. three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule. received an answer by divine revelation. the monks were divided into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine services were celebrated in church. the name “Monastery of Unsleeping Ones,” since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God. Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years. having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on Persia, to preach the Gospel. arrived at Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there with his Rule of unceasing praise. abba died at a great old age after fifty years of monastic struggles. death occurred in the year 430. Saint Alexander is also commemorated on July 3.

Constantinople, 372, Novoniketa Icon, Dacia, appeared on boy' chest in the night, Niketas baptised right away

Constantinople, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, tPersian Shah twice, persuaded favorable Christn disposition, much more
Mesopotamia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Armenia (Tigris River 2), Bishop oTagrith (Martyropolis), city he founded, between Byzantine Empire and Persia, knowledge&piety fame, wrote about martyrs, suffered under Sapor, Syrian Language Commentary otGospel, Verses oMaruthas, 73 Cannons ot 325 EC at Nicea, Acts otCouncil, 381 2nd EC participant aConstantinople, against Macedonius, 383 attended Council oAntioch against Messalians, 403-404 off to Constantinople, plead Arcadius protect Persian Christians, two times sent by Theodosius tYounger to Shah in Izdegerd to secure peace, 414 persuaded Shah favorable disposition tChristians, for freedom Christians iPersia, located Persian saints relics, transferred them tMartyropolis, rebuilt Churches razed by Sapor, died iPersia 422, relics trans tEgypt, skete Monastery otMOG; Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Maruthas was Bishop of Tagrith (Martyropolis), city which he founded between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. was famed for his knowledge and his piety, wrote about the martyrs, he suffered for his faith in Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. also left behind other works in the Syrian language, which the most famous are: “Commentary on the Gospel,” “Verses of Maruthas,” “Liturgy of Maruthas” “The 73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council at Nicea” (325) with an account of the acts of the Council. the year 381 Saint Maruthas participated in the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, against the heresy of Macedonius. 383, he attended the Council of Antioch against the Messalians. the years 403-404 Saint Maruthas set off to Constantinople plead with the emperor Arcadius to protect Persian Christians. was twice sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the Shah Izdegerd to secure the peace between the Empire and Persia. the year 414 Saint Maruthas, having done his duty as envoy to the court of Izdegerd, the Shah to a favorable disposition towards Christians, and he assisted greatly in the freedom of Christians in Persia. rebuilt Christian churches razed during the persecution by the Persian ruler Sapor. also located relics of saints who had suffered martyrdom and transferred them to Martyropolis. died there in 422. relics of Saint Maruthas were later transferred to Egypt placed in a skete monastery of the Mother of God.

Constantinople, 373, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret: At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (in 787), Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account of Saint Athanasius about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beret, Phoenecia. this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed of the image of Jesus Christ on the wall and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law. Jews expelled the owner of the house from the synagogue. took the icon from the wall and began to scoff at it, “As once our fathers mocked Him, so we also mock Him.” They spit at the face of the Lord. Hurling abuses, they lashed at the icon, they placed thorns around the head, nailed it to a tree, and put a sponge with vinegar to the mouth. Finally, they took a spear, and one of the Jews thrust it into the side of the Savior. from the hole in the icon made by the spear, blood and water flowed. The Jewish rabbis, seeing the miracle, said, “The followers of Jesus Christ say that He could heal the sick. Let us take this blood and water into the synagogue and anoint those afflicted with infirmities. Then we shall see whether what is spoken of Him is true.” vessel with the blood was put in the synagogue. The inhabitants of Beret, once they learned of the miracle, began to bring those suffering from various illnesses into the synagogue. all were healed, after being anointed with the blood from the icon of the Savior. the Jewish people believed in Christ and exclaimed, “Glory to You, O Christ, Whom our fathers crucified, Whom we also crucified in the form of Your icon. Glory to You, O Son of God, for having worked such a miracle! We believe in You, therefore be merciful to us and receive us!” Jews went to the Bishop of Beret. After showing him the wonderworking icon and the blood and water that flowed from it, they told him of their misdeed. The bishop, seeing their sincere repentance, accepted them, catechized them for many days and then baptized them. he consecrated the synagogue into a church of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jews, he also consecrated other synagogues into churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. There was great joy in that city, not only because many people were healed, but because many were baptized due to the miracles worked by the icon of the Savior. St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Constantinople, 373-431, Paulinus oNola, Roman Senator, Baptized a25, gave all, adopted orphans, ransomed Vandal captives, poet
Naples, 373-431, Paulinus tMerciful oNola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines), fBordeaux, France, Roman Senator a20, counsul, Governor oCampagna, Italy, Baptized wWife at 25, changed life, gave property, scorn fServants&friends, adopted poor orphans, raised them tFear God, secluded tBarcelona, ascetic, soon tNola, elected Bishop, ransomed Vandal Italian captives, fAfrica, all but one poor son of a widow, Paulinus replaced him, served Vandal King aGardener, idenity revealed tKing in a dream, sent back home tCamania with all captives, also known as Church builder and Poet, 32 poems 51 letters survive, Relics iRome; Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola, descended from an aristocratic and wealthy family of Bordeaux (France). virtue of his extensive education and upbringing, twenty-year-old youth was chosen to become a Roman senator, he became consul finally, governor of the region of Campagna in Italy. twenty-five years of age, he and his wife were converted to Christ and were baptized. this he completely changed his manner of life. disposed of all his property, distributed the money to the needy, which he endured the scorn of his friends and servants. having children of their own, the pious couple adopted poor orphans and raised them in the fear of God. his searchings for a secluded life, Saint Paulinus went to the Spanish city of Barcelona. of his ascetic life spread about, and in 393 they asked him to be ordained as a priest. he left Spain and went on to the city of Nola in Italy, where he was elected bishop. the Vandal barbarians invaded Italy and carried off many people to Africa in captivity, Saint Paulinus used church funds to ransom the captives. he did not have enough money to ransom the son of a certain poor widow from slavery in the household of the Prince of the Vandals. he volunteered to take his place. Dressed as a slave, Saint Paulinus began to serve the Vandal prince as a gardener. his identity was revealed to the ruler, King Riga, in a dream. only did he receive his own freedom, he also won the release of all the other prisoners from Campania, and returned home with them. Paulinus is known both as a builder of churches and as a Christian poet. his many virtues, his love for mankind and his compassion for the poor and needy deserve special mention. died at seventy-eight years of age on June 22, 431. of his poems and fifty-one of his letters survive. contain various moral discourses filled with deep piety. relics are in Rome, in the church of the holy Apostle Bartholomew.

Constantinople, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Theologian, Latin church
Rome, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo; Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 374-430, AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, Algeria, bishop and theologian, combated Donatist, Manichaean &Pelagian h, reason
Africa, North Africa, 374-430, AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, Algeria, North Africa, bishop and theologian, wrote many works devoted to combating the Donatist, Manichaean and Pelagian heresies; Hippo; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; Augustine was born in the city of Thagaste in northern Africa. was raised by his mother, Saint Monica (May 4), and he received his education at Carthage. the capacity of professor of rhetoric, Augustine arrived at Milan, Italy where Saint Ambrose (December 7) was bishop. the guidance of Saint Ambrose, Augustine studied the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God produced in his soul a radical crisis; he accepted holy Baptism, gave all his wealth to the poor and was tonsured as a monk. the year 391 Valerian, Bishop of Hippo, ordained Saint Augustine a priest, and in 395, appointed him vicar bishop of the see of Hippo. After the death of Bishop Valerian, Saint Augustine took his place. his 35 years as bishop, Saint Augustine wrote many works devoted to combating the Donatist, Manichaean and Pelagian heresies. Augustine wrote many works (according to his student and biographer Possidias, the number approached 1030). Of his works the best known are: The City of God (De civitate Dei), The Confessions, 17 Books against the Pelagians and Handbook of Christian Knowledge (The Enchiridion). Augustine was concerned above all else that his writings be intelligent and edifying. “It is better,” he said, “for them to condemn our grammar, than for people not to understand.” Saint Augustine died on August 28, 430. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); (Aurelius Augustinus) was one of the greatest theologians of Western Christianity. his day the Mediterranean world consisted of an Eastern, Greek-speaking half and a Western, Latin-speaking half, with different ways of looking at things, and different habits of thought.) was born 13 November 354 in North Africa, about 45 miles south of the Mediterranean, in the town of Tagaste in Numidia (now Souk-Ahras in Algeria), near ancient Carthage (modern Tunis). mother, Monnica, was a Christian (see 4 May), and his father for many years a pagan (although he became a Christian before his death). mother undertook to bring him up as a Christian, and on one level he always found something attractive about Christ, but in the short run he was more interested in the attractions of sex, fame, and pride in his own cleverness. a moderate amount of running around as a teen-ager, he took a mistress, who bore him a son when he was about eighteen. was a long-term relationship, apparently with faithfulness on both sides, and the modern reader is left wondering why he did not simply marry the girl. He never tells us this (and in fact never tells us her name), so that we can only guess. It seems likely that she was a freedwoman, and the laws forbade marriage between a free-born Roman citizen and a slave, or an ex-slave. he was 19 and a student at Carthage, he read a treatise by Cicero that opened his eyes to the delights of philosophy. was from the beginning a brilliant student, with an eager intellectual curiosity, he never mastered Greek -- he tells us that his first Greek teacher was a brutal man who constantly beat his students, and Augustine rebelled and vowed never to learn Greek. By the time he realized that he really needed to know Greek, it was too late; and although he acquired a smattering of the language, he was never really at home in it. his mastery of Latin was another matter. He became an expert both in the eloquent use of the language and in the use of clever arguments to make his points. became a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, but was dissatisfied. It was the custom for students to pay their fees to the professor on the last day of the term, and many students attended faithfully all term, and then did not pay. In his late twenties, Augustine decided to leave Africa and seek his fortune in Rome. Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli a long time Augustine was attracted by the teachings of Manicheeism, named for Mani, a Persian who had preached kind of synthesis of Christianity with Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia. had taught the existence of a power of light, God, the supreme Creator, and of a dark and evil power that opposed him. the Zoroastrian (Parsi) view, the dark power was a rebel against his creator, and doomed to ultimate defeat. on the other hand, was a thoroughgoing dualist, who taught that there are two gods of equal power and eternity, and that the universe is the scene of an unending battle between light and darkness, good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, soul and body, etc. Manichees as they moved west into the Roman Empire adopted many traits of what is generically called Gnosticism. In particular, they advertised themselves as being not an alternative to Christianity but as the advanced version of Christianity, as the faith for the spiritually mature, the intellectually gifted. claimed that their beliefs were based on reason rather than authority, and that they had answers for everything, at least as soon as the learner was sufficiently advanced to comprehend them. differed from the classical Gnostics by not contrasting spirit with matter. On their view, everything was composed of material particles, but these were either light or dark. the mind was composed of light particles, imprisoned in the body, a cage made of dark particles, something like the Gnostic contrast between spirit and matter was there. were divided into an inner circle, the "elect," who were expected to be celibate and vegetarian, so as to avoid all those dark particles, the "learners," of whom considerably less was expected. signed up as a learner. He was at first completely captivated, but then met with a series of disappointments. rank and file of the movement did not seem to be very clear thinkers. He met the leaders, who were advertised as the Towering Intellects of the Ages, and was not impressed. prospered in Rome, and was eventually appointed chief professor of rhetoric for the city of Milan, at that time the capital city of the Empire in the West. should be noted that this was an extremely prestigious appointment. In classical times, when laws were often made and issues voted on by huge public assemblies, when even juries typically had several hundred members, and when a man's public influence, or even on occasion his life, depended on his ability to sway large audiences, rhetoric -- the art of manipulating an audience -- was a skill that few men thought they could afford to neglect. was one of the few, and we know what happened to him!) art, at first intensely practical, had by Augustine's day become a display form admired for its own sake. However, the admiration was there. Every lawyer, arguing a case, was expected to give an eloquent speech, full of classical allusions and standard rhetorical flourishes. And Augustine was at the top of the field. St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli Milan Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, and was startled to find in him a reasonableness of mind and belief, a keenness of thought, and an integrity of character far in excess of what he had found elsewhere. For the first time, Augustine saw Christianity as a religion fit for a philosopher. after his arrival in Milan, Augustine was plunged into two crises. First, his mother arrived from Africa, and persuaded him that he ought to give up his mistress and get married. He agreed to a betrothal to a suitable young lady; but his betrothed was too young for immediate marriage, and so the actual wedding was postponed for two years. Meanwhile the mistress had been sent back to Africa. Augustine, not ready for two years of sexual abstinence, lapsed back into promiscuity. The second crisis was that Augustine became a neo-Platonist. Plato, as interpreted by his later spokesmen, in particular by Plotinus, taught that only God is fully real, and that all other things are degenerations in varying degrees from the One--things are progressively less good, less spiritual, and less real as one goes rung by rung down the cosmic ladder. By contemplating spiritual realities, directing one's attention first to one's own mind and then moving up the ladder rung by one to the contemplation of God, one acquires true wisdom, true self-fulfilment, true spirituality, and union with God, or the One. Augustine undertook this approach, and believed that he had in fact had an experience of the presence of God, but found that this only made him more aware of the gulf between what he was and what he realized that he ought to be. he continued to hear Bishop Ambrose. And finally, partly because Ambrose had answers for his questions, partly because he admired Ambrose personally, and chiefly (or so he believed) because God touched his heart, he was converted to Christianity in 386 and was baptised by Ambrose at Easter of 387. 12 years later he wrote an account of his life up to a time shortly after his conversion, a book called the Confessions, a highly readable work available in English. Ostensibly an autobiography, it is more an outpouring of penitence and thanksgiving. "Take and Read", by Gozzoli "Take and Read", by Gozzoli a well-known chapter, Augustine describes his conversion. His intellectual objections had lost their force, and he was at a point where the difficulty was that he seemed unable to make a commitment to living chastely, or unable to make a commitment, period. He heard of a group of young men, Christians, one of whom decided to become a desert hermit, whereupon the others, one at a time, made the same commitment, encouraged and inspired by the examples of those in the group who had already done so. (In many circles at that time, becoming a desert hermit had the same overtones as joining the Peace Corps did for many young persons in the 1960's, or joining the armed forces for many in the weeks immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.) Augustine went aside to ponder the question, "How is it that these young men can make so drastic a commitment, and I cannot take even the first step of declaring myself a Christian?" He heard what seemed to be a child's voice coming from next door, saying over and over, "Tolle, lege; tolle, lege," or, "Pick up and read; pick up and read." Since he could not think of any reason why a child would be saying that, he took it as an omen, and picked up a copy of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. As he opened it, his eye fell on the end of the thirteenth chapter: The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. he read, he experienced this as God speaking directly to him, convicting him of his past sins, and offering him forgiveness; calling him to amend his life, and promising him the grace and power to do it. He burst into tears, and surrendered. Later, he wrote: Late have I loved Thee, O Lord; and behold, Thou wast within and I without, and there I sought Thee. Thou was with me when I was not with Thee. Thou didst call, and cry, and burst my deafness. Thou didst gleam, and glow, and dispell my blindness. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace. For Thyself Thou hast made us, and restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease. Late have I loved Thee, Thou Beauty ever old and ever new. Thou hast burst my bonds asunder; unto Thee will I offer up an offering of praise. written as an account of his life, the Confessions keeps digressing into speculations about the nature of time, the nature of causality, the nature of free will, the motives of human action, etc. deWohl has written a novel about Augustine, based mostly on the Confessions, called The Restless Flame. It is an excellent introduction to the man. his conversion, Augustine went back to his native Africa in 387, where he was ordained a priest in 391 and consecrated bishop of Hippo in 396. It was not his intention to become a priest. He was visiting the town of Hippo (or Hippo Regius, now Annaba, 36:55 N 7:47 E), was in church hearing a sermon, and the bishop, without warning, said, "This congregation is in need of more priests, and I believe that the ordination of Augustine would be to the glory of God." Willing hands dragged Augustine forward, and the bishop together with his council of priests laid hands on Augustine and ordained him to the priesthood. (The experience may have colored Augustine's perception of such questions as, "Does a man come to God because he has chosen to do so, or because God has chosen him, and drawn him to Himself?") A few years later, when the Bishop of Hippo died, Augustine was chosen to succeed him. was a diligent shepherd of his flock, but he also found time to write extensively. He was an admirer of Jerome, and wrote him a letter hoping to establish a friendship, but the letter went astray. (In those days there was no public post office, and if you wanted to send a letter to a friend in Athens, you entrusted it to someone you knew who was travelling to Athens, or at least in that general direction, with instructions to deliver it or pass it on to someone else who would oblige.) Jerome did not get the letter, and the contents became public knowledge before he heard of it. Augustine, in addition to saying how much he admired Jerome, had offered some criticisms of something Jerome had written. Jerome was furious, and came close to writing Augustine off altogether. However, Augustine wrote him a second letter, apologizing and explaining what had happened, and Jerome was mollified. They had a long and intellectually substantial correspondence. written output was vast, and largely responsible for the fact that the entry for him in the index of the Encyc. Brit. is more than a column long. His surviving works (and it is assumed that the majority did not survive) include 113 books and treatises, over 200 letters, and over 500 sermons. His work greatly influenced Luther and Calvin, to the point where for a while Roman Catholic speakers and writers were wary of quoting him lest they be suspected of Protestant tendencies. have already mentioned his Confessions. A second great work of his is the book, De Civitatae Dei (The City of God). This was written after Rome had been sacked by invaders led by Alaric the Visigoth. It is a reply to those who said that the Roman Empire was falling apart because the Christians had taken over; he discusses the work of God in history, and the relation between the Christian as citizen of an earthly commonwealth and the Christian as citizen of Heaven. third great work is his De Trinitate (On the Trinity). Here, he discusses the doctrine of the Trinity by undertaking to compare the mind of man with the mind of God, since man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Augustine begins by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of knowing something. He continues by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of self-awareness. He concludes by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of religious contemplation by which man sees himself as made in the image of God. AND THE DONATISTS a century before Augustine was born, the Church in Africa had been torn apart by the Donatist controversy. For a brief account of this controversy (and the Pelagian and other controversies of the day), but a longer one than I am prepared to give here, I refer the reader to the relevant section of the book, Sketches of Church History, by Canon Robertson. the persecution of the Church by the Emperor Decius, some Christian clergymen in Africa, or so it was alleged, had stood firm against threat of torture, imprisonment and death more consistently and nobly than others. The Donatists maintained that their clergy derived their ordinations from clergy with very good records of constancy under persecution, and that they were the Church of the Martyrs, as opposed to the Church of the Sell-outs, which was everybody else. They further held that sacraments received at the hands of unworthy ministers were of no value. Or at least it seems that they held this. Augustine had a long correspondence and controversy with them, and at one point they apparently replied that they did not hold this, to which Augustine replied, "In that case, will you kindly tell me what the controversy is all about, and what you and I have been debating for the last eighteen months, and what your bishops and ours have been out of fellowship with each other about for the last century?" The controversy dragged on, with part of the dispute historical (whether Bishop so-and-so, now seventy years dead, had really done what he was accused of doing), and part theological. It seems clear that the Donatists, at least most of the time, argued that the holiness of the Church depended on the holiness of its members, especially its clergy. Against them, Augustine maintained that the holiness of the Church is not derived from the average level of virtue of its individual members, but is derived from the Holiness of its Head, who is Christ. AND THE PELAGIANS Augustine's day, a man from Britain named Morgan, or in Latin Pelagius (means "islander" -- consider the words "pelagic" and "archipelago"), began to preach, denouncing what he saw as a slackening of moral standards. He saw professed Christians living less than exemplary lives, and offering human frailty as an excuse. His reply was: "Nonsense. God has given you free will. You can choose to follow the example of Adam, or you can choose to follow the example of Christ. God has given everyone the grace he needs to be good. If you are not good, you simply need to try harder." Augustine asked him about original sin, and he replied that there is no such thing. Augustine asked him why, in that case, it was the universal custom to baptize infants, and he had no answer. Augustine saw the teaching of Pelagius as totally undermining the doctrine that God is the ultimate source of all good, and encouraging the virtuous and well-behaved Christian to feel that he had earned God's approval by his own efforts. Pelagius was condemned by Pope Innocent I, and then re-instated by Pope Zosimus. Augustine refused to accept the judgement of Zosimus, and ultimately won the day. the end of his life, the Vandals, a barbarian people with a reputation for wanton destructiveness (hence our modern term "vandal"), who had earlier invaded Spain from the north and settled down there (hence the province of Spain called "Andalusia"), became involved in a civil war in Northern Africa, and their troops invaded Africa in huge numbers. The leader of the losing side took refuge in the town of Hippo, and the Vandals were besieging the town (which they ultimately captured) when Augustine, bishop of Hippo, died 28 August 430, aged 75. by James Kiefer [Several of Augustine's works can also be found online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.] MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); know about Monnica almost entirely from the autobiography (the Confessions) of her son Augustine, a major Christian writer, theologian and philosopher (see 28 August). was born in North Africa, near Carthage, in what is now Tunisia, perhaps around 331, of Christian parents, and was a Christian throughout her life. Her name has usually been spelled "Monica," but recently her tomb in Ostia was discovered, and the burial inscription says "Monnica," a spelling which all AC (Archaeologically Correct) persons have hastened to adopt. (On the other hand, it may simply be that the artisan who carved the inscription was a bad speller.) As a girl, she was fond of wine, but on one occasion was taunted by a slave girl for drunkenness, and resolved not to drink thereafter. She was married to a pagan husband, Patricius, a man of hot temper, who was often unfaithful to her, but never insulted or struck her. It was her happiness to see both him and his mother ultimately receive the Gospel. soon recognized that her son was a man of extraordinary intellectual gifts, a brilliant thinker and a natural leader of men (as a youngster he was head of a local gang of juvenile delinquents), and she had strong ambitions and high hopes for his success in a secular career. Indeed, though we do not know all the circumstances, most Christians today would say that her efforts to steer him into a socially advantageous marriage were in every way a disaster. However, she grew in spiritual maturity through a life of prayer, and her ambitions for his worldly success were transformed into a desire for his conversion. He, as a youth, rejected her religion with scorn, and looked to various pagan philosophies for clues to the meaning of life. He undertook a career as an orator and teacher of the art of oratory (rhetoric), and moved from Africa to Rome and thence to Milan, at that time the seat of government in Italy. His mother followed him there a few years later. In Milan, Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, from whom he learned that Christianity could be intellectually respectable, and under whose preaching he was eventually converted and baptised on Easter Eve in 387, to the great joy of Monnica. his baptism, Augustine and a younger brother Navigius and Monnica planned to return to Africa together, but in Ostia, the port city of Rome, Monnica fell ill and said, "You will bury your mother here. All I ask of you is that, wherever you may be, you should remember me at the altar of the Lord. Do not fret because I am buried far from our home in Africa. Nothing is far from God, and I have no fear that he will not know where to find me, when he comes to raise me to life at the end of the world." by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 374-450, Arsenius t Great, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine St, Theodosius' sons, Sketis, Silence, Flame, tears
Constantinople, 374-450, Arsenius t Great, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine St, Theodosius' sons, Sketis, Silence, Flame, baskets, tears; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. He studied rhetoric and philosophy, and mastered the Latin and Greek languages. Saint Arsenius gave up philosophy and the vanity of worldly life, seeking instead the true wisdom praised by Saint James “pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas. 3:17). He entered the ranks of the clergy as a deacon in one of the Roman churches, dedicating himself to the service of God. emperor Theodosius (379-395), who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, heard about his erudition and piety, and he wished to entrust Arsenius with the education of his sons Arcadius and Honorius. Arsenius, however, protested that he had given up secular studies in order to serve God. Against his will, but in obedience to the will of Pope Damasus (December 11), Saint Arsenius agreed to teach the imperial children, hoping to teach them Christian piety as well. he arrived at Constantinople, Arsenius was received with great honor by the emperor Theodosius, who charged him to educate his sons not only in wisdom, but also in piety, guarding them from the temptations of youth. “Forget that they are the emperor’s sons,” said Theodosius, “for I want them to submit to you in all things, as to their father and teacher.” fervor the saint devoted himself to the education of the youths, but the high esteem in which he was held troubled his spirit, which yearned for the quietude of monastic life. Saint Arsenius entreated the Lord to show him the way to salvation. The Lord heard his prayer and one time he heard a voice telling him, “Arsenius, flee from men, and you shall be saved.” And then, removing his rich clothing and replacing it with old and tattered garments, he secretly left the palace, boarded a ship for Alexandria, and he made his way to Sketis, a monastery in the midst of the desert. at the church, he asked the priests to accept him into the monastic brotherhood, calling himself a wretched wanderer, though his very manner betrayed him as a cultivated man. The brethren led him to Abba John the Dwarf (November 9), famed for his holiness of life. He, wishing to test the newcomer’s humility, did not seat Arsenius with the monks for the trapeza meal. He threw him a piece of dry bread saying, “Eat if you wish.” Saint Arsenius got down on his hands and knees, and picked up the bread with his mouth. Then he crawled off into a corner and ate it. Seeing this, Elder John said, “He will be a great ascetic!” Then accepting Arsenius with love, he tonsured him into monasticism. Arsenius zealously passed through his obediences and soon he surpassed many of the desert Fathers in asceticism. The saint again heard the Voice while he was praying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue.” From that moment Saint Arsenius settled in a solitary cell deep in the desert. taken on the struggle of silence he seldom left his seclusion. He came to church only on Sundays and Feast days, observing complete silence and conversing with no one. When Abba Moses asked him why he hid himself from people, Saint Arsenius replied, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot remain with God and with men at the same time. The Heavenly Powers all have one will and praise God together. On earth, however, there are many human wills, and each man has his own thoughts. I cannot leave God in order to live with people.” absorbed in constant prayer, the saint did not refuse visiting monks with his counsel and guidance, giving short, but perceptive answers to their questions. Once, a monk from Sketis saw the great Elder through a window standing at prayer, surrounded by a flame. handicraft of Saint Arsenius was to weave baskets, for which he used the fronds of date palms soaked in water. For a whole year Saint Arsenius did not change the water in the container, but merely added a little water to it from time to time. This caused his cell to be permeated with a foul stench. When asked why he did this, the saint replied that it was fitting for him to humble himself in this way, because in the world he had used incense and fragrant oils. He prayed that after death he would not experience the stench of hell. fame of the great ascetic spread far, and many wanted to see him, and they disturbed his tranquility. As a result, the saint was forced to move around from place to place. But those thirsting to receive his guidance and blessing still found him. Arsenius taught that many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance, fasting, and vigil, but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride, greed, jealousy, hatred of one’s brother, remembrance of wrongs, and judgment. In this they resemble graves which are decorated outwardly, but filled with stinking bones. certain monk once asked Saint Arsenius what he should do when he read the Holy Scriptures and did not comprehend their meaning. The Elder answered, “My child, you must study and learn the Holy Scriptures constantly, even if you do not understand their power... For when we have the words of the Holy Scriptures on our lips, the demons hear them and are terrified. Then they flee from us, unable to bear the words of the Holy Spirit Who speaks through His apostles and prophets.” monks heard how the saint often urged himself on in his efforts with the words, “Rouse yourself, Arsenius, work! Do not remain idle! You have not come here to rest, but to labor.” He also said, “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” great ascetic and keeper of silence was given the gift of tears with which his eyes were constantly filled. He spent fifty-five years at monastic labors and struggles. He spent forty years at Sketis, and ten years on the mountain of Troe near Memphis. Then he spent three years at Canopus, and two more years at Troe, where he fell asleep in the Lord. Our holy, God-bearing Father Arsenius reposed when he was nearly one hundred years old, in the year 449 or 450. only disciples seem to have been Alexander, Zoilos, and Daniel (June 7).

Constantinople, 375, Hieromartyr Marcellus of Apamea, permission to destroy Temple, Lesser Blessing of Water, temple destroyed
Syria, 375, Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Syria (Orontes River 5), permission to destroy Temple, temporary wood woould not burn, Lesser Blessing of Water, wood burned, caught destroying another temple, thrown into fire; Apamea, Syria; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus, Bishop of Apamea, was born of illustrious parents on the island of Cyprus. received a fine education, he occupied a high civil office. marveled at his purity of life, mildness, kindness and eloquence. the year 375, the saint left his wife and children, and devoted himself to a monastic life in Syria. people of Apamea, having him come to the city on some practical matter, elected him as bishop. the account of Theodoret of Cyrrhus we learn that Saint Marcellus received permission from the emperor Saint Theodosius the Great (379-395) to destroy a strongly built temple of Jupiter at Apamea, the saint didn’t know how to accomplish this. certain worker promised to help him. He undermined three of the huge columns, propping them up temporarily with olive wood. he tried to set them afire, but the wood would not burn. Saint Marcellus learned of this, he performed the Lesser Blessing of Water, he commanded that this water be faithfully sprinkled around the wood. this, the wood burned quickly, the columns fell down and the whole pagan temple collapsed in upon itself. soldiers near Aulona in the Apamea district demolished another pagan temple, the saint, watching from a distance, was seized by pagans and thrown into a fire. killers were found, and the saint’s sons wanted to take revenge. local Council forbade them to do this, decreeing that it would be wrong to avenge such a death as the saint had received. Instead, they ought to give thanks to God.

Byzantium, 375-383, Emperor, Gratian, Christian, in the West
Byzantine Emperor, 375-383, Gratian ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon "œthe Ancient" of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Constantinople, 376-382, Gothic Civil War, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Roads
Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Constantinople, 376-382, Gothic General, Fritigern, Christian, Victor, Arian
Byzantine Period, Gothic General, 376-382, Fritigern, Christian, Victor Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397);

Constantinople, 378-423, Thalassius oTargala, Syria, 38yrs, no roof, nor cell, nor shelter, wonderworker, healing, cells fOthers
Syria, 378-423, Thalassius, Hermit oTargala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital, Apamea, withdrew at young age, 38yrs, no roof, nor cell, nor shelter, for his simple disposition, gentleness, humility he was granted wonderworking and healing the sick, people wanted live under his guidance, he did not refuse them, built cells for them, died peacefully; Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital Apamea; Venerable Thalassius Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Thalassius of Syria lived during the fifth century. a young age he withdrew to a hill near the village of Targala and passed 38 years there in monastic deeds, having neither a roof over his head, nor any cell nor shelter. his simple disposition, gentleness and humility he was granted by the Lord the gift of wonderworking and healing the sick. wanted to live under his guidance, and the saint did not refuse those coming to him. himself built cells for them. He died peacefully, granted rest from his labors. Venerable Limnaeus Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22

Byzantium, 379-395, Emperor, Theodosis 1, the Great, with Christian Goths, anti Pagan
Byzantine Emperor, 379-395, Theodosis 1, the Great ; I (11 January 347-“ 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395, during Late Antiquity. reign accelerated the Christianization of the Roman Empire, achieved military successes when the frontiers of the empire were threatened by the wars of the Migration Period, and defeated two rival emperors in successive civil wars. He was the first emperor of the Theodosian dynasty (r. 379-“457), and married into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty (r. 364-“455). His decrees made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire and punished Roman paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. his capital Constantinople he commissioned the honorific Column of Theodosius, the Theodosian Walls, and the Golden Gate, among the greatest works of ancient Roman architecture. a military career and a governorship under his father Theodosius the Elder he became magister equitum and was then elevated to the imperial rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367-“383). He replaced the latter's uncle and senior augustus Valens (r. 364-“378), who had been killed in the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius married Gratian's half-sister Galla, daughter of Valentinian the Great (r. 364-“375), and defeated the rebellion of Magnus Maximus (r. 383-“388) on behalf of his new brother-in-law, Valentinian II (r. 375-“392). When Valentinian II died, Theodosius became the senior emperor, having already made his eldest son Arcadius his co-augustus. Theodosius then defeated the usurper Eugenius (r. 392-“394). accepting his elevation, he campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. His resources were not sufficient to destroy them or drive them out, which had been Roman policy for centuries in dealing with invaders. By treaty, which followed his indecisive victory at the end of the Gothic War, they were established as foederati, autonomous allies of the Empire, south of the Danube, in Illyricum, within the Empire's borders. They were given lands and allowed to remain under their own leaders, not assimilated as had been normal Roman practice. issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, including the Edict of Thessalonica.[4][5] neither prevented nor punished the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity, including the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Serapeum in Alexandria. He dissolved the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome's Temple of Vesta. In 393, he banned the pagan rituals of the Olympic Games. his death, Theodosius's young and incapable sons were the two augusti. Arcadius (r. 383-“408) inherited the eastern empire and ruled from Constantinople and Honorius (r. 393-“423) the western empire, an administrative division that endured until the fall of the western Roman empire in the late 5th century. fought two destructive civil wars, successively defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus in 387-“388 and Eugenius in 394, at great cost to the power of the Empire. His management of the empire was marked by heavy tax exactions, by the compulsory establishment of Christianity, and by a court in which according to Peter Brown "everything was for sale".[6] is considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and his feast day is on January 17.[7] life[edit] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius the Great was born on 11 January 347 or 346.[8] The epitome de Caesaribus places his birthplace at Cauca (Coca, Segovia) in Hispania.[8] According to the traditional texts of the chronicle of Hydatius and Zosimus, he was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia".[9][10][11] These texts are probably corrupted with interpolations, as Cauca was in fact not part of the province of Gallaecia, while according to Themistius, Claudius Claudianus, and Marcellinus Comes, he was born at Italica in Hispania Baetica.[11] These claims were probably fictitious and intended to connect Theodosius with the lineage of his distant predecessor Trajan (r. 98-“117), who had came from Italica.[8] Thedosius's father was Theodosius the Elder and his mother was Thermantia.[8] Theodosius had a brother named Honorius, a sister referred to in Aurelius Victor's De caesaribus but whose name is unknown, and a niece, Serena.[8] career[edit] accompanied his father, the comes rei militaris, on his 368-“369 campaign against the Franks, Scots, and Saxons to restore order and the rule of the emperors Valentinian I (r. 364-“375) and Valens (r. 364-“378) in Roman Britain, which had been threatened in 367 by the Great Conspiracy.[12][13][8] They also defeated the usurpation in Britain by Valentinus.[13] Previous to this in 366, Theodosius the Elder attacked and defeated the Alamanni in Roman Gaul; the defeated prisoners had been resettled in the Po Valley.[14][15] the Elder was made magister equitum in 369, and retained the post until 375.[8] Theodosius and his father son campaigned against the Alamanni 370.[8] The two Theodosi campaigned against Sarmatians in 372/373.[8] The emperors' rule in Roman Africa was disrupted by the revolt of Firmus in 373.[16] Theodosius the Elder moved to defeat the usurpation.[16] In about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] the death of his uncle Valens (r. 364-“378), Gratian, now the senior augustus, sought a candidate to nominate as Valens's successor. On 19 January 379, Theodosius I was made augustus over the eastern provinces at Sirmium.[8][21] His wife, Aelia Flaccilla, was accordingly raised to augusta.[8] The new augustus's territory spanned the Roman praetorian prefecture of the East, including the Roman diocese of Thrace, and the additional dioceses of Dacia and of Macedonia. Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[8] administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I. of Valentinian II showing Valentinian and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa reign: 379-“383[edit] October 379 the Council of Antioch was convened.[8] On 27 February 380 Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire.[8] In 380, Theodosius was made Roman consul for the first time and Gratian for the fifth; in September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[21][8] In autumn Theodosius fell ill, and was baptized.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople and staged an adventus, a ritual entry to the capital, on 24 November 380.[8] issued a decree against Christians deemed heretics on 10 January 381.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, on the 11 January, Athanaric, king of the Gothic Thervingi arrived in Constantinople; he died and was buried in Constantinople on 25 January.[8] 8 May 381, Theodosius issued an edict against Manichaeism.[8] In mid-May, Theodosius convened the First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council after Constantine's First Council of Nicaea in 325; the Constantinopolitan council ended on 9 July.[8] According to Zosimus, Theodosius won a victory over the Carpi and the Scirii in summer 381.[8] On 21 December, Theodosius decreed the prohibition of sacrifices with the intent of divining the future.[8] 21 February 382, the body of Theodosius's father in law Valentinian the Great was finally laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] Another Council of Constantinople was held in summer 382.[8] to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a treaty of foedus was reached with the Goths, and they were settled between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains.[8] settlement of the Gothic Wars[edit] Goths and their allies (Vandals, Taifals, Bastarnae and the native Carpians) entrenched in the provinces of Dacia and eastern Pannonia Inferior consumed Theodosius's attention. Gothic crisis was so dire that his co-Emperor Gratian relinquished control of the Illyrian provinces and retired to Trier in Gaul to let Theodosius operate without hindrance. major weakness in the Roman position after the defeat at Adrianople was the recruiting of barbarians to fight against other barbarians. In order to reconstruct the Roman Army of the East, Theodosius needed to find able bodied soldiers and so he turned to the most capable men readily at hand: the barbarians recently settled in the Empire. This caused many difficulties in the battle against barbarians since the newly recruited fighters had little or no loyalty to Theodosius. It did not help that Theodosius himself was dangerously ill during many months after his elevation, being confined to his bed in Thessalonica during much of 379.[22] suppressed the incursions into dioceses of Illyria (Pannonia and Dalmatia) by Alathaeus and Saphrax in 380.[23] He succeeded in convincing both to agree to a treaty and be settled in Pannonia.[24] was able finally to enter Constantinople in November 380, after two seasons in the field, having ultimately prevailed by offering highly favorable terms to the Gothic chiefs.[23] His task was rendered much easier when Athanaric, an aged and cautious leader, accepted Theodosius's invitation to a conference in the capital, Constantinople, and the splendor of the imperial city reportedly awed him and his fellow-chiefs into accepting Theodosius' offers.[25] himself died soon after, but his followers were impressed by the honorable funeral arranged for him by Theodosius, and agreed to defending the border of the empire.[25] The final treaties with the remaining Gothic forces, signed 3 October 382, permitted large contingents of barbarians, primarily Thervingian Goths, to settle in Thrace south of the Danube frontier.[26] The Goths now settled within the Empire would largely fight for the Romans as a national contingent, as opposed to being fully integrated into the Roman forces.[26] provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier civil war: 383-“384[edit] of Theodosius, showing both he and his co-augustus Valentinian II (r. 375-“392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") to the Chronicon Paschale, Theodosius celebrated his quinquennalia on 19 January 383 at Constantinople; on this occasion he raised his eldest son Arcadius to co-augustus.[8] Early 383 saw the acclamation of Magnus Maximus as augustus in Britain and the appointment of Themistius as praefectus urbi in Constantinople.[8] On 25 July, Theodosius issued a new edict against gatherings of Christians deemed heretics.[8] unable to do much about Maximus due to his still inadequate military capability, opened negotiations with the Persian emperor Shapur III (r. 383-“388) of the Sasanian Empire.[27] In an attempt to curb Maximus's ambitions, Theodosius appointed Flavius Neoterius as praetorian prefect of Italy.[28] in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[21] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[29] On the 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian was killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) by Andragathius, the magister equitum of the rebel augustus during the rebellion of Magnus Maximus .[21] Constantia's body arrived in Constantinople on 12 September that year and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 1 December.[21] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[21] 21 January 384 all those deemed heretics were expelled from Constantinople.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius received in Constantinople an embassy from the Sasanian Empire in 384.[8] In summer 384, Theodosius met his co-augustus Valentinian II in northern Italy.[30][8] Theodosius brokered a peace agreement between Valentinian and Magnus Maximus which endured for several years.[31] of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain reign: 384-“387[edit] second son Honorius was born on 9 December 384 and titled nobilissimus puer (or nobilissimus iuvenis).[8] The death of Aelia Flaccilla, Theodosius's first wife and the mother of Arcadius, Honorius, and Pulcheria, occurred by 386.[8] She died at Scotumis in Thrace and was buried at Constantinople, her funeral oration delivered by Gregory of Nyssa.[8][32] A statue of her was dedicated in the Byzantine Senate.[32] In 384 or 385, Theodosius's niece Serena was married to the magister militum, Stilicho.[8] On 25 May 385, Theodosius repeated the ban on sacrifices that were done in order to predict the future.[8] the beginning of 386, Theodosius's daughter Pulcheria also died.[8] That summer more Goths were defeated, and many were settled in Phrygia.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a Roman triumph over the Gothic Greuthungi was then celebrated at Constantinople.[8] The same year, work began on the great triumphal column in the Forum of Theodosius in Constantinople, the Column of Theodosius.[8] On 19 January 387, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arcadius celebrated his quinquennalia in Constantinople.[8] By the end of the month, there was an uprising or riot in Antioch (Antakya).[8] With a peace agreement with Persia in the Roman-“Persian Wars came a division of Armenia.[8] civil war: 387-“388[edit] peace with Magnus Maximus was broken in 387, and Valentinian escaped the west with Justina, reaching Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in summer or autumn 387 and appealing to Theodosius for aid; Valentinian II's sister Galla was then married to the eastern augustus at Thessalonica in late autumn.[30][8] Theodosius may still have been in Thessalonica when he celebrated his decennalia on 19 January 388.[8] Theodosius was consul for the second time in 388.[8] Galla and Theodosius's first child, a son named Gratian, was born in 388 or 389.[8] 10 March 388, Christians deemed heretics were forbidden from residing in cities.[8] On 14 March, Theodosius banned the intermarriage of Jews and Christians.[8] In summer 388, Theodosius recovered Italy from Magnus Maximus for Valentinian, and in June, the meeting of Christians deemed heretics was banned by Valentinian.[30][8] armies of Theodosius and Maximus fought at the Battle of Poetovio in 388, which saw Maximus defeated. On 28 August 388 Maximus was executed.[33] Now the de facto ruler of the Western empire as well, Theodosius celebrated his victory in Rome on June 13, 389 and stayed in Milan until 391, installing his own loyalists in senior positions including the new magister militum of the West, the Frankish general Arbogast.[33] July, Magnus Maximus was defeated by Theodosius at the Battle of Save; on 28 August, Magnus Maximus was executed by Theodosius.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arbogast killed Flavius Victor (r. 384-“388), Magnus Maximus's young son and co-augustus, in Gaul in August/September that year. Damnatio memoriae was pronounced against them, and inscriptions naming them were erased.[8] affairs: 388-“391[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral, Anthony van Dyck, c. 1620 came into conflict with Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), in October 388 over the persecution of Jews at Callincium-on-the-Euphrates (Raqqa).[8] As mentioned in the Panegyrici Latini and in a panegyric of Claudian's on the sixth consulship of Honorius, Theodosius then received another embassy from the Persians in 389.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius staged an adventus on entering Rome on 13 June 389.[8] On 17 June, he issued a decree against Manichaeism.[8] Theodosiushad left Valentinian under the protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389.[31][30] 390 the population of Thessalonica rioted in complaint against the presence of the local Gothic garrison. The garrison commander was killed in the violence, so Theodosius ordered the Goths to kill all the spectators in the circus as retaliation, an event known as the Massacre of Thessalonica; Theodoret, a contemporary witness to these events, reports: the anger of the Emperor rose to the highest pitch, and he gratified his vindictive desire for vengeance by unsheathing the sword most unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thousand perished without any forms of law, and without even having judicial sentence passed upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the time of harvest, they were alike cut down.[34] was excommunicated by the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, for the massacre.[35] Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt; Ambrose readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance.[citation needed] spring 390, possibly in April, the Massacre of Thessalonica was perpetrated by Theodosius's army, leading to a confrontation with Ambrose.[8] Ambrose demanded that the emperor do penance for the massacre.[8] According to the 5th-century church historian Theodoret, on 25 December 390 (Christmas), Ambrose received Theodosius back into the Christian Church in his bishopric of Mediolanum.[8] According to the Chronicon Paschale, on 18 February 391, the head of John the Baptist was translated to Constantinople.[8] On the 24 February, attendance at pagan sacrifices and temples was forbidden by law.[8] In early summer 391, an uprising in Alexandria was suppressed, and the Serapeum of Alexandria was destroyed.[8] On 16 June, pagan worship was prohibited by law.[8] In 391, a delegation from the Roman Senate was snubbed in Gaul because of the reappearance of the Altar of Victory in the Curia Julia.[30] to Zosimus, Theodosius then campaigned against marauding barbarian bandits in Macedonia in autumn 391.[8] Eventually, he came to Constantinople, where according to Socrates Scholasticus's Historia Ecclesiastica he held an adventus, entering the city on 10 November 391.[8] of Eugenius (r. 392-“394), showing both he and Theodosius enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb. Marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") of the Theodosian emperors from the Hoxne Hoard: portraits of Theodosius I (top), Arcadius (left), and Honorius (right) civil war: 392-“394[edit] 15 May 392, Valentinian II died at Vienna in Gaul (Vienne), either by suicide or as part of a plot by the magister militum Arbogast.[30] Valentinian had quarrelled publicly with Arbogast, and was found hanged in his room.[36] Arbogast announced that this had been a suicide.[36] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[30] was then sole adult emperor, reigning with his son Arcadius. Arbogast was unable to assume the role of emperor because of his non-Roman background.[36] Instead, on 22 August at the behest of Arbogast, a magister scrinii and vir clarissimus, Eugenius, was acclaimed augustus at Lugdunum.[8] Eugenius made some limited concessions to the Roman religion; like Maximus he sought Theodosius's recognition in vain.[36] On 8 November 392, all cult worship of the gods was forbidden by Theodosius.[8] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius raised his second son Honorius to augustus on 23 January 393.[8] He cited Eugenius's illegitimacy.[36] 393 was the year of Theodosius's third consulship.[8] On 29 September 393, Theodosius issued a decree for the protection of Jews.[8] According to Zosimus, at the end of April 394, Theodosius's wife Galla died.[8] On 1 August, a colossal statue of Theodosius was dedicated in Constantinople's Forum of Theodosius, an event recorded in the Chronicon Paschale.[8] the last years of Theodosius's reign, one of the emerging leaders of the Goths, named Alaric, participated in Theodosius's campaign against Eugenius in 394, only to resume his rebellious behavior against Theodosius's son and eastern successor, Arcadius, shortly after Theodosius' death. had gathered a large army, including the Goths whom he had settled in the eastern empire as foederati, as well as Caucasian and Saracen auxiliaries, and marched against Eugenius.[37] According to Socrates Scholasticus, Theodosius defeated Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus (the Vipava) on 6 September 394.[8] battle began on 5 September 394, with Theodosius' full frontal assault on Eugenius's forces.[citation needed] Theodosius was repulsed on the first day, and Eugenius thought the battle to be all but over.[citation needed] In Theodosius's camp, the loss of the day decreased morale.[citation needed] It is said[by whom?] that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage.[citation needed] The next day, the battle began again and Theodosius's forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora, which produces cyclonic winds.[38] The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line.[citation needed] Eugenius's camp was stormed; Eugenius was captured and soon after executed.[38] On 8 September, Arbogast killed himself.[8] to Socrates, on 1 January 395, Honorius arrived in Mediolanum and a victory celebration was held there.[8] suffered from a disease involving severe edema, in Milan.[39] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius died in Mediolanum on 17 January 395.[8] His funeral was held there on 25 February.[8] Ambrose delivered a panegyric titled De obitu Theodosii in the presence Stilicho and Honorius in which Ambrose praised the suppression of paganism by Theodosius.[39] body transferred to Constantinople, where according to the Chronicon Paschale he was buried on 8 November 395 in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] He was deified as: Divus Theodosius, lit. 'the Divine Theodosius'.[8] He was interred in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work De Ceremoniis.[40] offers a laurel wreath to the victor, on the marble base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. patronage[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) oversaw the removal in 390 of an Egyptian obelisk from Alexandria to Constantinople.[41] It is now known as the obelisk of Theodosius and still stands in the Hippodrome of Constantinople,[41] the long Roman circus that was the centre of Constantinople's public life and scene of political turmoil. Re-erecting the monolith was a challenge for the technology that had been honed in the construction of siege engines. The obelisk, still recognizably a solar symbol, had been moved from Karnak to Alexandria with what is now the Lateran obelisk by Constantius II. Lateran obelisk was shipped to Rome soon afterwards, but the other one then spent a generation lying at the docks due to the difficulty involved in attempting to ship it to Constantinople. Eventually, the obelisk was cracked in transit. The white marble base is entirely covered with bas-reliefs documenting the imperial household and the engineering feat of removing it to Constantinople. Theodosius and the imperial family are separated from the nobles among the spectators in the imperial box, with a cover over them as a mark of their status. The naturalism of traditional Roman art in such scenes gave way in these reliefs to conceptual art: the idea of order, decorum and respective ranking, expressed in serried ranks of faces. This is seen as evidence of formal themes beginning to oust the transitory details of mundane life, celebrated in Roman portraiture. Forum Tauri in Constantinople was renamed and redecorated as the Forum of Theodosius, including a column and a triumphal arch in his honour.[42] of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius in a miniature from the Paris Gregory, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the Homilies of Gregory policy[edit] 325, Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, which affirmed the doctrine that Jesus, the Son, was equal to God the Father and "of one substance" with the Father (homoousios in Greek). The Council condemned the teachings of Arius, who believed Jesus to be inferior to the Father. the council's ruling, controversy continued for decades, with several christological alternatives to the Nicene Creed being brought forth. Theologians attempted to bypass the Christological debate by saying that Jesus was merely like (homoios in Greek) God the father, without speaking of substance (ousia). These non-Nicenes were frequently labelled as Arians (i.e., followers of Arius) by their opponents, though not all would necessarily have identified themselves as such.[43] Emperor Valens had favored the group who used the homoios formula; this theology was prominent in much of the East and had under Constantius II gained a foothold in the West, being ratified by the Council of Ariminum, though it was later abjured by a majority of the western bishops (after Constantius II's death in 361). The death of Valens damaged the standing of the Homoian faction, especially since his successor Theodosius steadfastly held to the Nicene Creed which was the interpretation that predominated in the West and was held by the important Alexandrian church. of orthodoxy[edit] Barocci, Saint Ambrose forces Emperor Theodosius I to make penance for the Thessaloniki massacre (1603), left-side nave, Saint Ambrose Altar, Milan Cathedral. 27 February 380, together with Gratian and Valentinian II, Theodosius issued the decree "Cunctos populos", the so-called Edict of Thessalonica, recorded in the Codex Theodosianus xvi.1.2. This declared the Nicene Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion and the only one entitled to call itself Catholic; non-Christian religions or those who did not support the Trinity, he described as "foolish madmen".[44] He also ended official state support for the traditional polytheist religions and customs.[45] 26 November 380, two days after he had arrived in Constantinople, Theodosius expelled the Homoian bishop, Demophilus of Constantinople, and appointed Meletius patriarch of Antioch, and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers from Cappadocia (today in Turkey), patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius had just been baptized, by bishop Ascholius of Thessalonica, during a severe illness.[citation needed] May 381, Theodosius summoned a new ecumenical council at Constantinople to repair the schism between East and West on the basis of Nicene orthodoxy.[46] The council went on to define orthodoxy, including the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as equal to the Father and 'proceeding' from Him, whereas the Son was 'begotten' of Him.[47] The council also "condemned the Apollonarian and Macedonian heresies, clarified jurisdictions of the bishops according to the civil boundaries of dioceses and ruled that Constantinople was second in precedence to Rome."[47] of pagan religion[edit] article: Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I persecution of pagans under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on some practices of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, decreed magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism were subject to criminal prosecution, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples. 391 and 392 Theodosius promulgated three laws restricting pagan religious practices. The first, issued in June 391 and addressed to the urban prefect of Rome, banned ritual sacrifice and access to temples, with heavy fines for infractors. A similar measure was addressed to Alexandria in June 392. These two laws were apparently aimed at public officials specifically and not binding on the population at large.[48] The third and more extreme law, issued in November 392, prohibited pagan worship in every form, including animal sacrifice and offerings of incense and wine, again threatening offenders with confiscation of property.[49] This measure was addressed specifically to the praetorian prefect of the East, the staunchly Christian Rufinus, and there is seemingly no evidence of its application in the West, where Theodosius himself appointed several pagans to high office to mollify them.[50] He turned pagan holidays into workdays, closed temples, confiscated Temple endowments and disbanded the Vestal Virgins.[51] The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.[52]:115 392 until his death in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration,[53][54] he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the empire.[55][56][57][58][59] 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs,[60] and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans.[61] He is likely to have discontinued the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.[62] Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated on August 14; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 8; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœComfortÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ or ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœConsolationÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 21; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Hair-Shirt WearerÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 379-395, Theodosis 1, tGreat, his edict decisive blow tPaganism, service tPagan gods unlawful, his 2nd EC 381
Byzantium, 379-395, Emperor, Theodosis 1, the Great, because his edict was decisive blow to paganism, service to pagan gods unlawful, he convened 2nd EC 381; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Holy Emperor Theodosius the Great during his reign (379-395) delivered a decisive blow to paganism by issuing an edict, which any sort of service to the pagan gods was considered a violation of the law. zealous proponent of Orthodoxy promulgated many laws in defense of the Church and against heretics. convened the Second Ecumenical Council (381). ended his life in Milan in 395 at the age of fifty. Theodosius often said that he was more fortunate to be a member of Christ’s holy Church than an emperor. Byzantine Emperor, 379-395, Theodosis 1, the Great ; I (11 January 347-“ 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395, during Late Antiquity. reign accelerated the Christianization of the Roman Empire, achieved military successes when the frontiers of the empire were threatened by the wars of the Migration Period, and defeated two rival emperors in successive civil wars. He was the first emperor of the Theodosian dynasty (r. 379-“457), and married into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty (r. 364-“455). His decrees made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire and punished Roman paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. his capital Constantinople he commissioned the honorific Column of Theodosius, the Theodosian Walls, and the Golden Gate, among the greatest works of ancient Roman architecture. a military career and a governorship under his father Theodosius the Elder he became magister equitum and was then elevated to the imperial rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367-“383). He replaced the latter's uncle and senior augustus Valens (r. 364-“378), who had been killed in the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius married Gratian's half-sister Galla, daughter of Valentinian the Great (r. 364-“375), and defeated the rebellion of Magnus Maximus (r. 383-“388) on behalf of his new brother-in-law, Valentinian II (r. 375-“392). When Valentinian II died, Theodosius became the senior emperor, having already made his eldest son Arcadius his co-augustus. Theodosius then defeated the usurper Eugenius (r. 392-“394). accepting his elevation, he campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. His resources were not sufficient to destroy them or drive them out, which had been Roman policy for centuries in dealing with invaders. By treaty, which followed his indecisive victory at the end of the Gothic War, they were established as foederati, autonomous allies of the Empire, south of the Danube, in Illyricum, within the Empire's borders. They were given lands and allowed to remain under their own leaders, not assimilated as had been normal Roman practice. issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, including the Edict of Thessalonica.[4][5] neither prevented nor punished the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity, including the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Serapeum in Alexandria. He dissolved the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome's Temple of Vesta. In 393, he banned the pagan rituals of the Olympic Games. his death, Theodosius's young and incapable sons were the two augusti. Arcadius (r. 383-“408) inherited the eastern empire and ruled from Constantinople and Honorius (r. 393-“423) the western empire, an administrative division that endured until the fall of the western Roman empire in the late 5th century. fought two destructive civil wars, successively defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus in 387-“388 and Eugenius in 394, at great cost to the power of the Empire. His management of the empire was marked by heavy tax exactions, by the compulsory establishment of Christianity, and by a court in which according to Peter Brown "everything was for sale".[6] is considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and his feast day is on January 17.[7] life[edit] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius the Great was born on 11 January 347 or 346.[8] The epitome de Caesaribus places his birthplace at Cauca (Coca, Segovia) in Hispania.[8] According to the traditional texts of the chronicle of Hydatius and Zosimus, he was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia".[9][10][11] These texts are probably corrupted with interpolations, as Cauca was in fact not part of the province of Gallaecia, while according to Themistius, Claudius Claudianus, and Marcellinus Comes, he was born at Italica in Hispania Baetica.[11] These claims were probably fictitious and intended to connect Theodosius with the lineage of his distant predecessor Trajan (r. 98-“117), who had came from Italica.[8] father was Theodosius the Elder and his mother was Thermantia.[8] had a brother named Honorius, a sister referred to in Aurelius Victor's De caesaribus but whose name is unknown, and a niece, Serena.[8] career[edit] accompanied his father, the comes rei militaris, on his 368-“369 campaign against the Franks, Scots, and Saxons to restore order and the rule of the emperors Valentinian I (r. 364-“375) and Valens (r. 364-“378) in Roman Britain, which had been threatened in 367 by the Great Conspiracy.[12][13][8] They also defeated the usurpation in Britain by Valentinus.[13] Previous to this in 366, Theodosius the Elder attacked and defeated the Alamanni in Roman Gaul; the defeated prisoners had been resettled in the Po Valley.[14][15] the Elder was made magister equitum in 369, and retained the post until 375.[8] Theodosius and his father son campaigned against the Alamanni 370.[8] The two Theodosi campaigned against Sarmatians in 372/373.[8] The emperors' rule in Roman Africa was disrupted by the revolt of Firmus in 373.[16] Theodosius the Elder moved to defeat the usurpation.[16] about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] the death of his uncle Valens (r. 364-“378), Gratian, now the senior augustus, sought a candidate to nominate as Valens's successor. On 19 January 379, Theodosius I was made augustus over the eastern provinces at Sirmium.[8][21] His wife, Aelia Flaccilla, was accordingly raised to augusta.[8] The new augustus's territory spanned the Roman praetorian prefecture of the East, including the Roman diocese of Thrace, and the additional dioceses of Dacia and of Macedonia. Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[8] administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I. of Valentinian II showing Valentinian and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa reign: 379-“383[edit] October 379 the Council of Antioch was convened.[8] On 27 February 380 Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire.[8] In 380, Theodosius was made Roman consul for the first time and Gratian for the fifth; in September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[21][8] In autumn Theodosius fell ill, and was baptized.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople and staged an adventus, a ritual entry to the capital, on 24 November 380.[8] issued a decree against Christians deemed heretics on 10 January 381.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, on the 11 January, Athanaric, king of the Gothic Thervingi arrived in Constantinople; he died and was buried in Constantinople on 25 January.[8] 8 May 381, Theodosius issued an edict against Manichaeism.[8] In mid-May, Theodosius convened the First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council after Constantine's First Council of Nicaea in 325; the Constantinopolitan council ended on 9 July.[8] According to Zosimus, Theodosius won a victory over the Carpi and the Scirii in summer 381.[8] On 21 December, Theodosius decreed the prohibition of sacrifices with the intent of divining the future.[8] 21 February 382, the body of Theodosius's father in law Valentinian the Great was finally laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] Another Council of Constantinople was held in summer 382.[8] to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a treaty of foedus was reached with the Goths, and they were settled between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains.[8] settlement of the Gothic Wars[edit] Goths and their allies (Vandals, Taifals, Bastarnae and the native Carpians) entrenched in the provinces of Dacia and eastern Pannonia Inferior consumed Theodosius's attention. Gothic crisis was so dire that his co-Emperor Gratian relinquished control of the Illyrian provinces and retired to Trier in Gaul to let Theodosius operate without hindrance. major weakness in the Roman position after the defeat at Adrianople was the recruiting of barbarians to fight against other barbarians. In order to reconstruct the Roman Army of the East, Theodosius needed to find able bodied soldiers and so he turned to the most capable men readily at hand: the barbarians recently settled in the Empire. This caused many difficulties in the battle against barbarians since the newly recruited fighters had little or no loyalty to Theodosius. It did not help that Theodosius himself was dangerously ill during many months after his elevation, being confined to his bed in Thessalonica during much of 379.[22] suppressed the incursions into dioceses of Illyria (Pannonia and Dalmatia) by Alathaeus and Saphrax in 380.[23] He succeeded in convincing both to agree to a treaty and be settled in Pannonia.[24] was able finally to enter Constantinople in November 380, after two seasons in the field, having ultimately prevailed by offering highly favorable terms to the Gothic chiefs.[23] His task was rendered much easier when Athanaric, an aged and cautious leader, accepted Theodosius's invitation to a conference in the capital, Constantinople, and the splendor of the imperial city reportedly awed him and his fellow-chiefs into accepting Theodosius' offers.[25] himself died soon after, but his followers were impressed by the honorable funeral arranged for him by Theodosius, and agreed to defending the border of the empire.[25] The final treaties with the remaining Gothic forces, signed 3 October 382, permitted large contingents of barbarians, primarily Thervingian Goths, to settle in Thrace south of the Danube frontier.[26] The Goths now settled within the Empire would largely fight for the Romans as a national contingent, as opposed to being fully integrated into the Roman forces.[26] provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier civil war: 383-“384[edit] of Theodosius, showing both he and his co-augustus Valentinian II (r. 375-“392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") to the Chronicon Paschale, Theodosius celebrated his quinquennalia on 19 January 383 at Constantinople; on this occasion he raised his eldest son Arcadius to co-augustus.[8] Early 383 saw the acclamation of Magnus Maximus as augustus in Britain and the appointment of Themistius as praefectus urbi in Constantinople.[8] On 25 July, Theodosius issued a new edict against gatherings of Christians deemed heretics.[8] unable to do much about Maximus due to his still inadequate military capability, opened negotiations with the Persian emperor Shapur III (r. 383-“388) of the Sasanian Empire.[27] In an attempt to curb Maximus's ambitions, Theodosius appointed Flavius Neoterius as praetorian prefect of Italy.[28] in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[21] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[29] On the 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian was killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) by Andragathius, the magister equitum of the rebel augustus during the rebellion of Magnus Maximus .[21] Constantia's body arrived in Constantinople on 12 September that year and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 1 December.[21] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[21] 21 January 384 all those deemed heretics were expelled from Constantinople.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius received in Constantinople an embassy from the Sasanian Empire in 384.[8] In summer 384, Theodosius met his co-augustus Valentinian II in northern Italy.[30][8] Theodosius brokered a peace agreement between Valentinian and Magnus Maximus which endured for several years.[31] of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain reign: 384-“387[edit] second son Honorius was born on 9 December 384 and titled nobilissimus puer (or nobilissimus iuvenis).[8] The death of Aelia Flaccilla, Theodosius's first wife and the mother of Arcadius, Honorius, and Pulcheria, occurred by 386.[8] She died at Scotumis in Thrace and was buried at Constantinople, her funeral oration delivered by Gregory of Nyssa.[8][32] A statue of her was dedicated in the Byzantine Senate.[32] In 384 or 385, Theodosius's niece Serena was married to the magister militum, Stilicho.[8] On 25 May 385, Theodosius repeated the ban on sacrifices that were done in order to predict the future.[8] the beginning of 386, Theodosius's daughter Pulcheria also died.[8] That summer more Goths were defeated, and many were settled in Phrygia.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a Roman triumph over the Gothic Greuthungi was then celebrated at Constantinople.[8] The same year, work began on the great triumphal column in the Forum of Theodosius in Constantinople, the Column of Theodosius.[8] On 19 January 387, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arcadius celebrated his quinquennalia in Constantinople.[8] By the end of the month, there was an uprising or riot in Antioch (Antakya).[8] With a peace agreement with Persia in the Roman-“Persian Wars came a division of Armenia.[8] civil war: 387-“388[edit] peace with Magnus Maximus was broken in 387, and Valentinian escaped the west with Justina, reaching Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in summer or autumn 387 and appealing to Theodosius for aid; Valentinian II's sister Galla was then married to the eastern augustus at Thessalonica in late autumn.[30][8] Theodosius may still have been in Thessalonica when he celebrated his decennalia on 19 January 388.[8] Theodosius was consul for the second time in 388.[8] Galla and Theodosius's first child, a son named Gratian, was born in 388 or 389.[8] 10 March 388, Christians deemed heretics were forbidden from residing in cities.[8] On 14 March, Theodosius banned the intermarriage of Jews and Christians.[8] In summer 388, Theodosius recovered Italy from Magnus Maximus for Valentinian, and in June, the meeting of Christians deemed heretics was banned by Valentinian.[30][8] armies of Theodosius and Maximus fought at the Battle of Poetovio in 388, which saw Maximus defeated. On 28 August 388 Maximus was executed.[33] Now the de facto ruler of the Western empire as well, Theodosius celebrated his victory in Rome on June 13, 389 and stayed in Milan until 391, installing his own loyalists in senior positions including the new magister militum of the West, the Frankish general Arbogast.[33] July, Magnus Maximus was defeated by Theodosius at the Battle of Save; on 28 August, Magnus Maximus was executed by Theodosius.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arbogast killed Flavius Victor (r. 384-“388), Magnus Maximus's young son and co-augustus, in Gaul in August/September that year. Damnatio memoriae was pronounced against them, and inscriptions naming them were erased.[8] affairs: 388-“391[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral, Anthony van Dyck, c. 1620 came into conflict with Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), in October 388 over the persecution of Jews at Callincium-on-the-Euphrates (Raqqa).[8] As mentioned in the Panegyrici Latini and in a panegyric of Claudian's on the sixth consulship of Honorius, Theodosius then received another embassy from the Persians in 389.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius staged an adventus on entering Rome on 13 June 389.[8] On 17 June, he issued a decree against Manichaeism.[8] Theodosiushad left Valentinian under the protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389.[31][30] 390 the population of Thessalonica rioted in complaint against the presence of the local Gothic garrison. The garrison commander was killed in the violence, so Theodosius ordered the Goths to kill all the spectators in the circus as retaliation, an event known as the Massacre of Thessalonica; Theodoret, a contemporary witness to these events, reports: the anger of the Emperor rose to the highest pitch, and he gratified his vindictive desire for vengeance by unsheathing the sword most unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thousand perished without any forms of law, and without even having judicial sentence passed upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the time of harvest, they were alike cut down.[34] was excommunicated by the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, for the massacre.[35] Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt; Ambrose readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance.[citation needed] spring 390, possibly in April, the Massacre of Thessalonica was perpetrated by Theodosius's army, leading to a confrontation with Ambrose.[8] Ambrose demanded that the emperor do penance for the massacre.[8] According to the 5th-century church historian Theodoret, on 25 December 390 (Christmas), Ambrose received Theodosius back into the Christian Church in his bishopric of Mediolanum.[8] According to the Chronicon Paschale, on 18 February 391, the head of John the Baptist was translated to Constantinople.[8] On the 24 February, attendance at pagan sacrifices and temples was forbidden by law.[8] In early summer 391, an uprising in Alexandria was suppressed, and the Serapeum of Alexandria was destroyed.[8] On 16 June, pagan worship was prohibited by law.[8] In 391, a delegation from the Roman Senate was snubbed in Gaul because of the reappearance of the Altar of Victory in the Curia Julia.[30] to Zosimus, Theodosius then campaigned against marauding barbarian bandits in Macedonia in autumn 391.[8] Eventually, he came to Constantinople, where according to Socrates Scholasticus's Historia Ecclesiastica he held an adventus, entering the city on 10 November 391.[8] of Eugenius (r. 392-“394), showing both he and Theodosius enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb. Marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") of the Theodosian emperors from the Hoxne Hoard: portraits of Theodosius I (top), Arcadius (left), and Honorius (right) civil war: 392-“394[edit] 15 May 392, Valentinian II died at Vienna in Gaul (Vienne), either by suicide or as part of a plot by the magister militum Arbogast.[30] Valentinian had quarrelled publicly with Arbogast, and was found hanged in his room.[36] Arbogast announced that this had been a suicide.[36] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[30] was then sole adult emperor, reigning with his son Arcadius. Arbogast was unable to assume the role of emperor because of his non-Roman background.[36] Instead, on 22 August at the behest of Arbogast, a magister scrinii and vir clarissimus, Eugenius, was acclaimed augustus at Lugdunum.[8] Eugenius made some limited concessions to the Roman religion; like Maximus he sought Theodosius's recognition in vain.[36] On 8 November 392, all cult worship of the gods was forbidden by Theodosius.[8] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius raised his second son Honorius to augustus on 23 January 393.[8] He cited Eugenius's illegitimacy.[36] 393 was the year of Theodosius's third consulship.[8] On 29 September 393, Theodosius issued a decree for the protection of Jews.[8] According to Zosimus, at the end of April 394, Theodosius's wife Galla died.[8] On 1 August, a colossal statue of Theodosius was dedicated in Constantinople's Forum of Theodosius, an event recorded in the Chronicon Paschale.[8] the last years of Theodosius's reign, one of the emerging leaders of the Goths, named Alaric, participated in Theodosius's campaign against Eugenius in 394, only to resume his rebellious behavior against Theodosius's son and eastern successor, Arcadius, shortly after Theodosius' death. had gathered a large army, including the Goths whom he had settled in the eastern empire as foederati, as well as Caucasian and Saracen auxiliaries, and marched against Eugenius.[37] According to Socrates Scholasticus, Theodosius defeated Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus (the Vipava) on 6 September 394.[8] battle began on 5 September 394, with Theodosius' full frontal assault on Eugenius's forces.[citation needed] Theodosius was repulsed on the first day, and Eugenius thought the battle to be all but over.[citation needed] In Theodosius's camp, the loss of the day decreased morale.[citation needed] It is said[by whom?] that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage.[citation needed] The next day, the battle began again and Theodosius's forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora, which produces cyclonic winds.[38] The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line.[citation needed] Eugenius's camp was stormed; Eugenius was captured and soon after executed.[38] On 8 September, Arbogast killed himself.[8] to Socrates, on 1 January 395, Honorius arrived in Mediolanum and a victory celebration was held there.[8] suffered from a disease involving severe edema, in Milan.[39] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius died in Mediolanum on 17 January 395.[8] His funeral was held there on 25 February.[8] Ambrose delivered a panegyric titled De obitu Theodosii in the presence Stilicho and Honorius in which Ambrose praised the suppression of paganism by Theodosius.[39] body transferred to Constantinople, where according to the Chronicon Paschale he was buried on 8 November 395 in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] He was deified as: Divus Theodosius, lit. 'the Divine Theodosius'.[8] He was interred in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work De Ceremoniis.[40] offers a laurel wreath to the victor, on the marble base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. patronage[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) oversaw the removal in 390 of an Egyptian obelisk from Alexandria to Constantinople.[41] It is now known as the obelisk of Theodosius and still stands in the Hippodrome of Constantinople,[41] the long Roman circus that was the centre of Constantinople's public life and scene of political turmoil. Re-erecting the monolith was a challenge for the technology that had been honed in the construction of siege engines. The obelisk, still recognizably a solar symbol, had been moved from Karnak to Alexandria with what is now the Lateran obelisk by Constantius II. Lateran obelisk was shipped to Rome soon afterwards, but the other one then spent a generation lying at the docks due to the difficulty involved in attempting to ship it to Constantinople. Eventually, the obelisk was cracked in transit. The white marble base is entirely covered with bas-reliefs documenting the imperial household and the engineering feat of removing it to Constantinople. Theodosius and the imperial family are separated from the nobles among the spectators in the imperial box, with a cover over them as a mark of their status. The naturalism of traditional Roman art in such scenes gave way in these reliefs to conceptual art: the idea of order, decorum and respective ranking, expressed in serried ranks of faces. This is seen as evidence of formal themes beginning to oust the transitory details of mundane life, celebrated in Roman portraiture. Forum Tauri in Constantinople was renamed and redecorated as the Forum of Theodosius, including a column and a triumphal arch in his honour.[42] of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius in a miniature from the Paris Gregory, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the Homilies of Gregory policy[edit] 325, Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, which affirmed the doctrine that Jesus, the Son, was equal to God the Father and "of one substance" with the Father (homoousios in Greek). The Council condemned the teachings of Arius, who believed Jesus to be inferior to the Father. the council's ruling, controversy continued for decades, with several christological alternatives to the Nicene Creed being brought forth. Theologians attempted to bypass the Christological debate by saying that Jesus was merely like (homoios in Greek) God the father, without speaking of substance (ousia). These non-Nicenes were frequently labelled as Arians (i.e., followers of Arius) by their opponents, though not all would necessarily have identified themselves as such.[43] Emperor Valens had favored the group who used the homoios formula; this theology was prominent in much of the East and had under Constantius II gained a foothold in the West, being ratified by the Council of Ariminum, though it was later abjured by a majority of the western bishops (after Constantius II's death in 361). The death of Valens damaged the standing of the Homoian faction, especially since his successor Theodosius steadfastly held to the Nicene Creed which was the interpretation that predominated in the West and was held by the important Alexandrian church. of orthodoxy[edit] Barocci, Saint Ambrose forces Emperor Theodosius I to make penance for the Thessaloniki massacre (1603), left-side nave, Saint Ambrose Altar, Milan Cathedral. 27 February 380, together with Gratian and Valentinian II, Theodosius issued the decree "Cunctos populos", the so-called Edict of Thessalonica, recorded in the Codex Theodosianus xvi.1.2. This declared the Nicene Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion and the only one entitled to call itself Catholic; non-Christian religions or those who did not support the Trinity, he described as "foolish madmen".[44] He also ended official state support for the traditional polytheist religions and customs.[45] 26 November 380, two days after he had arrived in Constantinople, Theodosius expelled the Homoian bishop, Demophilus of Constantinople, and appointed Meletius patriarch of Antioch, and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers from Cappadocia (today in Turkey), patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius had just been baptized, by bishop Ascholius of Thessalonica, during a severe illness.[citation needed] May 381, Theodosius summoned a new ecumenical council at Constantinople to repair the schism between East and West on the basis of Nicene orthodoxy.[46] The council went on to define orthodoxy, including the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as equal to the Father and 'proceeding' from Him, whereas the Son was 'begotten' of Him.[47] The council also "condemned the Apollonarian and Macedonian heresies, clarified jurisdictions of the bishops according to the civil boundaries of dioceses and ruled that Constantinople was second in precedence to Rome."[47] of pagan religion[edit] article: Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I persecution of pagans under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on some practices of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, decreed magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism were subject to criminal prosecution, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples. 391 and 392 Theodosius promulgated three laws restricting pagan religious practices. The first, issued in June 391 and addressed to the urban prefect of Rome, banned ritual sacrifice and access to temples, with heavy fines for infractors. A similar measure was addressed to Alexandria in June 392. These two laws were apparently aimed at public officials specifically and not binding on the population at large.[48] The third and more extreme law, issued in November 392, prohibited pagan worship in every form, including animal sacrifice and offerings of incense and wine, again threatening offenders with confiscation of property.[49] This measure was addressed specifically to the praetorian prefect of the East, the staunchly Christian Rufinus, and there is seemingly no evidence of its application in the West, where Theodosius himself appointed several pagans to high office to mollify them.[50] He turned pagan holidays into workdays, closed temples, confiscated Temple endowments and disbanded the Vestal Virgins.[51] The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.[52]:115 392 until his death in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration,[53][54] he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the empire.[55][56][57][58][59] 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs,[60] and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans.[61] He is likely to have discontinued the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.[62]

Constantinople, 379-390, Patriarch, Gregory the Theologian, of Nazianzus
Constantinople Patriarch, 379-390, Gregory the Theologian; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25;

Constantinople, 379-395, Eupraxia tElder oTabenna, Eupraxia oTabennisi's mom, Senator's wife, Theodosius tG's kin, charity
Egypt, 379-395, Eupraxia tElder oTabenna, Upper Egypt (Nile River 12), Eupraxia oTabennisi's mom, Senator Antigonus's wife, Theodosius tG's relative, decided live bro&sis from daughter's birth, gave all to poor, tTabennisi m aWiddowed, Theodula's strict rule, brought 8yrOld E tYounger, who desired tDedicate tGod, tMom's joy, Theodula kept daughter, tonsured, Elder continued charity fasting prayer, clairvoyant Theodula told her impending end, she rejoiced gave thanks, bid farewell tConvent&daughter, parting words, 1. Love Lord & Respect Sisters 2. Never think they serve you 3. Be poor iThoughts to profit by spiritual treasurers 4. Remember Father&Me &pray fSalvation our souls; Tabenna, in Upper Egypt; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Eupraxia the Elder was the mother of Saint Eupraxia, maiden of Tabennisi (July 25). was the wife of the pious senator Antigonus, was related to the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395). the birth of their daughter, the couple decided to live from that time forward as brother and sister. distributed alms to the poor, hoping to inherit the heavenly Kingdom. she was widowed, Saint Eupraxia devoted herself completely to the service of the Lord. visiting several monastic establishments and bestowing liberal alms, came to the Tabennisi monastery in Egypt, where the abbess was the nun Theodula, known for her strict rule. moved by the pure way of monastic life, Eupraxia came often to this monastery and always brought her eight-year-old daughter with her. virtues and prayers of her parents bestowed a particular grace of God upon the child, desired to dedicate herself to God. her mother’s great joy, the abbess Theodula kept the younger Eupraxia at the convent and blessed her to receive monastic tonsure. Eupraxia the elder continued her works of charity, and increased her fasting and prayer. Theodula, possessing the gift of clairvoyance, told her of her impending end. of her imminent death, Eupraxia gave thanks to the Lord for His great mercy towards her. bid farewell to the sisters of the convent and to her daughter. left her with these parting words: “Love the Lord Jesus Christ, and respect the sisters. dare to think that they are below you and should serve you. poor in your thoughts in order to profit by spiritual treasures. remember your father and me, and pray for the salvation of our souls.” three days the saint surrendered her soul to the Lord (+ 393) and was buried at the monastery, where her daughter continued her ascetic struggles.

Constantinople, 379-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas, silence, loin chains, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, peace
Arabs, 379-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas of Syria, Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Syrian Desert, Pre Islamic Arabia), inner prayer & silence, hermit 38 yrs, barefoot, loin chains, never sat or lay down, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace; Saracens; Saint Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22; Agabbas was by birth an Ishmaelite (Arab) and pursued asceticism in Syria. was a novice under the Monk Eusebius, from whom he learned inner prayer and silence, he lived thirty-eight years as a hermit. saint always went barefoot, wore chains on his loins and never sat nor lay down. Agabbas spent both day and night standing or kneeling, constantly at prayer. finished his ascetic life in peace.

Constantinople, 379-429, Domnica oConstantinople, fCarthage, miracles moved people tLife eternal, old age spotless life
Africa, North Africa, 379-429, Domnica oConstantinople, fCarthage, North Africa, monastic, high spiritual perfection, healing, power over nature, prophecy, miracles moved people tLife eternal, tSoul, old age spotless life; Carthage; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; Domnica came from Carthage to Constantinople in the time of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great. she was baptized by Patriarch Nectarius and entered a women’s monastery. strict and prolonged ascetic effort she attained to high spiritual perfection. saint healed the sick, demonstrated power over the natural elements, and predicted the future. her miracles the saint moved inhabitants of the capital towards concerns about life eternal and the soul. by virtues, the saint departed this life a spotless virgin in her old age.

Constantinople, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, resigned position, gave wealth, ate once aWeek
Armenia, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), resigned position, gave wealth tPoor, became monk, ate once aWeek as Stylite; Edessa, Syria; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Theodoulus was an eparch during the reign of Theodosius the Great. resigned his position because he did not want to be distracted by vain worldly cares. his wife’s death, Saint Theodoulus gave his wealth away to the poor and became a monk. traveled to Edessa and lived on top of a pillar for thirty years, eating only once a week. Theodoulus the Stylite departed to the Lord around 440.

Constantinople, 379-446, Dalmatius of Constantinople, desired asceticism, no food 40days GLent, Divine vision, 3rd EC
Constantinople, 379-446, Dalmatius of Constantinople, in Theo tGreat's army, desired asceticism, wSonFaustus, tonsured bIsaac, no food 40days GLent, Igumen, Divine vision, 3rd EC; Byzantium, 364-440, Byzantine Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople; Dalmatius, Dalmatus, or Dalmatos (died AD 440) archimandrite of the Dalmatian Monastery in Constantinople. also held the title Archimandrite of the Monasteries, making him the city's chief monk.[1] served in the second company of Guards under Theodosius the Great. was married with a family. a call to monastic life, he received instruction from Isaac of Dalmatia.[2] most of the city's monks, he was an opponent of the Nestorian heresy, and he played an important role in the downfall of Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria's instructions, Dalmatius led an army of monks to the palace of Theodosius II, and shouted abuse against him, he had sided with the Nestorians and annulled the First Council of Ephesus.[3] this was the first time Dalmatius had left his monastery in 48 years, the emperor was astonished to see the holy man abroad and granted his request to hear Cyril's case, which led ultimately to Cyril's vindication.[4] feast day of St Dalmatius is August 3. Venerable Dalmatus the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Dalmatus served in the army of the holy emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395) and attracted his notice. saint was soon filled with the desire to dedicate himself to his Lord and Creator. sometime between the years 381-383, he left the service of an earthly ruler in order to serve the King of Heaven. went with his son Faustus to Saint Isaac’s monastery near Constantinople in order to speak with him. Isaac (May 30) tonsured both father and son into monasticism, and they both began to lead a strict ascetic life. Dalmatus excelled all the other monks in virtue. during Great Lent, Saint Dalmatus did not eat any food for the forty days. he regained his strength and was found worthy of a divine vision. holy ascetic was chosen to be the igumen after the death of the most devout Isaac. fact, at the Third Ecumenical Council which met in Ephesus in 431 A. D. which condemned the heresy of Nestorius, Saint Dalmatus was honored for his defense of the Orthodox Faith. the Council the holy Fathers elevated Saint Dalmatus to be the archimandrite of his monastery, where he died peacefully at the age of ninety (after 446). was succeeded by his son Faustus, who proved to be a worthy successor of his father.

Constantinople, 379-446, Faustus of Constantinople, Dalmatius' son, desired asceticism, excelled at Fasting, replaced father
Constantinople, 379-446, Faustus of Constantinople, Dalmatius' son, desired asceticism, excelled at Fasting, replaced father as igumen; Venerable Faustus the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Faustus and his father Dalmatus received the monastic tonsure from Saint Isaac (May 30) at his monastery near Constantinople. Faustus, like his father, had attained the heights of monasticism, and excelled at fasting. the death of his father, he succeeded him as igumen of the monastery. details of his ascetical life are not known. Venerable Dalmatus the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Dalmatus served in the army of the holy emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395) and attracted his notice. saint was soon filled with the desire to dedicate himself to his Lord and Creator. sometime between the years 381-383, he left the service of an earthly ruler in order to serve the King of Heaven. went with his son Faustus to Saint Isaac’s monastery near Constantinople in order to speak with him. Isaac (May 30) tonsured both father and son into monasticism, and they both began to lead a strict ascetic life. Dalmatus excelled all the other monks in virtue. during Great Lent, Saint Dalmatus did not eat any food for the forty days. he regained his strength and was found worthy of a divine vision. holy ascetic was chosen to be the igumen after the death of the most devout Isaac. fact, at the Third Ecumenical Council which met in Ephesus in 431 A. D. which condemned the heresy of Nestorius, Saint Dalmatus was honored for his defense of the Orthodox Faith. the Council the holy Fathers elevated Saint Dalmatus to be the archimandrite of his monastery, where he died peacefully at the age of ninety (after 446). was succeeded by his son Faustus, who proved to be a worthy successor of his father.

Constantinople, 380-420, Pelagia tPenitent , dance troupe head, Nonnus prayed for her, she repented, adorned her soul
Palestine, 380-420, Pelagia tPenitent oAntioch of Palestine, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, dance troupe head iPalestinian Antioch, frivolity&prostitution, elegantly dressed passed Nonnus' church, believers faced away but Nonnus glanced after her, struck by her beauty, foreseen spiritual greatness in her, prayed long time for her in his cell, he told fellow bishops that she put them to shame, explained she took great care to adorn her body to appear beautiful in eyes of men, while we take no thought to adorn our souls, Next day Pelagia came to hear his preaching about last judgement, tremendous impression on her, fear oGod and tears oRepentance, asked Nonnus for baptism, seeing full repentance, he baptized her, devil appeared at night but she prayed and signed herself wThe Cross, devil vanished, 3days aBaptism P gathered up valuables gave them tNonnus for distribution tPoor, and went to cell on Mt oOlives Jerusalem, there she lived iCell disguised as monk Pelagius, attaining great spiritual gifts, buried in her cell; Gaza City; Venerable Pelagia the Penitent, Commemorated on October 8; Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by Saint Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week). her acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch, a life of frivolity and prostitution. day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her way past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers turned their faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after her. by the outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the spiritual greatness within her, saint prayed in his cell for a long time to the Lord for the sinner. He told his fellow bishops that the prostitute put them all to shame. explained that she took great care to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the eyes of men. “We... take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,” he said. pelagia Saint Pelagia with Saint Nonnus the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came. teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. the fear of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her. night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former life. saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and the devil vanished. days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. bishop ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” this Saint Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. she died, she was buried in her cell.

Constantinople, 380-435, John Cassian LScythian, years studying Jerusalem&Egypt monasticism, then writings teaching west
Mongol, Scythia, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman, well educated, Tomis Monastery, Germanus' relative, tJerusalem&Bethlehem 5yrs, tThebaid&Sketis f7rrs, CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS i24Chap, back Bethlehem 3yrs, back Egypt til 399, A Theopilus Nile M disturbances, tConstantnople to see Chrysostom, J C accepted John as disciple, o Deadon, in C 5yrs, 404 JC exiled & they went to Rome for Innocent case, priesthood, tGaul, Marselles G, 415 estab 2 Cenobic Monasteries, men&women, Castor of Aptia Julia requests THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE 12 books, 431 final work ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS, criticized Augustine's abstract reasoning, died 435, relics in Marselles; Romania, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; John Cassian the Roman was born around 360, probably in Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica). His pious Christian parents gave him an excellent classical education, and also instructed him in the Holy Scriptures and in the spiritual life. John entered a monastery in the diocese of Tomis, where his friend and relative Saint Germanus labored as an ascetic. 380, desiring to venerate the Holy Places, Saint John went to Jerusalem with his sister and his friend Saint Germanus. The two monks stayed at a Bethlehem monastery, not far from where the Savior was born. five years at the monastery, Saints John and Germanus traveled through the Thebaid and the desert monasteries of Sketis for seven years, drawing upon the spiritual experience of countless ascetics. Egyptian monks taught them many useful things about spiritual struggles, prayer, and humility. Like honeybees they journeyed from place to place, gathering the sweet nectar of spiritual wisdom. notes Saint John made formed the basis of his book called CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS in twenty-four chapters. to Bethlehem for a brief time, the spiritual brothers lived for three years in complete solitude. they went back to Egypt and lived there until 399. of the disturbances caused by Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria to the monasteries along the Nile, they decided to go to Constantinople, after hearing of the virtue and holiness of Saint John Chrysostom. The great hierarch ordained Saint John Cassian as a deacon and accepted him as a disciple. John and Germanus remained with Saint John Chrysostom for five years, learning many profitable things from him. Chrysostom was exiled from Constantinople in 404, Saints John Cassian and Germanus went to Rome to plead his case before Innocent I. was ordained to the holy priesthood in Rome, or perhaps later in Gaul. Chrysostom’s death in 407, Saint John Cassian went to Massilia [Marseilles] in Gaul (now France). There he established two cenobitic monasteries in 415, one for men and another for women, based on the model of Eastern monasticism. the request of Bishop Castor of Aptia Julia (in southern Gaul), Cassian wrote THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE (De Institutis Coenobiorum) in twelve books, describing the life of the Palestinian and Egyptian monks. between 417-419, the volume included four books describing the clothing of the monks of Palestine and Egypt, their schedule of prayer and services, and how new monks were received into the monasteries. last eight books were devoted to the eight deadly sins and how to overcome them. his writings, Saint John Cassian provided Christians of the West with examples of cenobitic monasteries, and acquainted them with the asceticism of the Orthodox East. speaks as a spiritual guide about the purpose of life, about attaining discernment, about renunciation of the world, about the passions of the flesh and spirit, about the hardships faced by the righteous, and about prayer. John Cassian also wrote CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS (Collationes Patrum) in twenty-four books in the form of conversations about the perfection of love, about purity, about God’s help, about understanding Scripture, about the gifts of God, about friendship, about the use of language, about the four levels of monasticism, about the solitary life and cenobitic life, about repentance, about fasting, about nightly meditations, and about spiritual mortification. This last has the explanatory title “I do what I do not want to do.” 1-10 of the CONFERENCES describe Saint John’s conversations with the Fathers of Sketis between 393-399. Books 11-17 relate conversations with the Fathers of Panephysis, and the last seven books are devoted to conversations with monks from the region of Diolkos. 431 Saint John Cassian wrote his final work, ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS (De Incarnationem Domini Contra Nestorium). In seven books he opposed the heresy, citing many Eastern and Western teachers to support his arguments. his works, Saint John Cassian was grounded in the spiritual experience of the ascetics, and criticized the abstract reasoning of Saint Augustine (June 15). John said that “grace is defended less adequately by pompous words and loquacious contention, dialectic syllogisms and the eloquence of Cicero (i.e. Augustine), than by the example of the Egyptian ascetics.” the words of Saint John of the Ladder (March 30), “great Cassian reasons loftily and excellently.” His writings are also praised in the Rule of Saint Benedict. John Cassian lived in the West for many years, but his spiritual homeland was the Orthodox East. He fell asleep in the Lord in the year 435. His holy relics rest in an underground chapel in the Monastery of Saint Victor in Marseilles. His head and right hand are in the main church.

Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, consolidated 325 victory, over new Nicene Creed heresys
Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, consolidated 325 victory, over new Nicene Creed heresys, after 325 new Arian offshoots, macedonius's similar not same essence, plus Holy Spirit not of same essence, A second heretic, Acetius said Father has a completely different essence from Son, Eunomios taught hierarchical subordination Son to Father & Holy Spirit to Son. Everyone who came to him was rebaptized into œdeath of Christ, denying Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which is commanded us by the Savior Himself (Mt. 28:19). A third heresy Valentius and Ursacius at the Arimonian Council. They attempted to deceive the Orthodox bishops, proclaiming that the Son of God is from God, and is in the likeness of God the Father, and is not a created being as the Arians taught; Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, First Council of Constantinople; of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Second Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 381 and consolidated the victory of Orthodoxy attained in the year 325 at the First Ecumenical Council. the difficult years which passed after the acceptance of the Nicene Symbol of Faith (Creed), the Arian heresy developed new offshoots. Under the guise of struggle against the Sabellian heresy, which taught about a blending of the Hypostatic Persons of the Father and the Son [as mere aspects or modalities within the Trinity], Macedonius began to employ the word “homoiousiosâ€ “of similar essenceâ€ [in contrast to the Orthodox teaching of “homoousiosâ€, “of the same essenceâ€] regarding the essence of the Son and that of the Father. formula still presented a danger because Macedonius presented himself as a struggler against the Arians, who used the term “like the Father.â€ Besides this, the Macedonians, being semi-Arians, depending on conditions and advantages of the moment, sometimes inclined towards Orthodoxy, sometimes towards Arianism. They blasphemed the Holy Spirit by suggesting that He was not “of the same essenceâ€ with the Father and the Son. second heretic, Aetius, introduced the concept “anomoionâ€ (“different in essence.â€) He said that the Father has a completely different essence from that of the Son. His disciple Eunomios taught a hierarchical subordination of the Son to the Father, and of the Holy Spirit to the Son. Everyone who came to him was rebaptized into the “death of Christ,â€ denying Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which is commanded us by the Savior Himself (Mt. 28:19). third heresy arose from the teachings of Valentius and Ursacius at the Arimonian Council. They attempted to deceive the Orthodox bishops, proclaiming that the Son of God is from God, and is in the likeness of God the Father, and is not a created being as the Arians taught. The heretics did not wish to use the term “one in essenceâ€ in describing the relation of the Son to the Father, saying that the word “essenceâ€ is not found within the Holy Scripture. Besides these three main heresies, there were also many other false teachings. The heretic Apollinarios said, “The flesh of the Savior did not have a human soul or reason. The Word of God took the place of the absent soul; and Divinity remained dead for three days.â€ order to refute these heretical opinions, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395) convened an Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, at which 150 bishops were present. Upon investigation by the Holy Fathers it was proposed that a Creed which holy Pope Damasus had sent to Bishop Paulinus of Antioch should be read. This appears to be the so-called Sirmean Creed, drawn up by Potamius of Lisbon, who participated in a pro-Arian Council at Sirmium in 357, but changed his opinions two years later. The document was a vain attempt to please everyone by not mentioning the terms ousia (essence, or substance), homoousios (identical in essence, or substance), and homoiousion (similar in essence, or substance), "by which the minds of many are perturbed." It said that there "ought to be no mention of any of them at all, nor any exposition of them in the Church." By not defining the Church's teaching clearly, the document is ambiguous, neither endorsing the various heresies it contained, nor the teaching of the Church. Ecumenical Synod is convened primarily to deal with false teachings and refute them by proclaiming the faith handed down to us by the Apostles and the Holy Fathers. To use the definition of St. Vincent of Lérins: "that which has been believed everywhere, always, by everyone." There can be no compromise between truth and falsehood. the document was aloud, the Holy Fathers rejected the false teaching of Macedonius, and unanimously affirmed the Apostolic teaching that the Holy Spirit is not a creature, but is rather the Life-Creating Lord, Who proceeds from the Father, and is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. In order to combat other heresies, of the Eunomians, Arians and Semi-Arians, the Holy Fathers reaffirmed the Nicene Symbol of Faith. the Symbol (Creed), accepted by the First Ecumenical Council, the divine nature of the Holy Spirit was not addressed, since at that earlier time [in 325] heresies against the Holy Spirit had not become widespread. Therefore, the holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council added to the Nicean Symbol its eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth sections. They definitively formulated and affirmed the Nicene-Constantinople Symbol of Faith, which is used even now by all the Orthodox Churches. Second Ecumenical Council also established the norms for ecclesiastical courts [Canon VI], and it decided to receive those repentant heretics who were properly baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity through Chrismation, but those baptized with a single immersion were to be received as pagans. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated November 23 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386) ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Constantinople, 381-397, Nectarius, Patriarch, catechumen apptmt , good prelate, Church Fathers' testimonies
Constantinople Patriarch, 381-397, Holy Patriarch Nectarius; (died 17 September 397) was the archbishop of Constantinople from AD 381 until his death, the successor to Saint Gregory Nazianzus [1] and predecessor to St. John Chrysostom. at Tarsus in Cilicia of a noble family, he was widely known for his admirable character. When Gregory resigned as Archbishop of Constantinople, Nectarius was praetor of Constantinople.[1] Preparing for a journey to Tarsus, he called on the Bishop of Tarsus, Diodore, who was attending the First Council of Constantinople (one of the ecumenical councils), to ask if he could take letters for him; his appearance and manners struck Diodorus so forcibly that he at once determined that he should be advanced as a candidate for Bishop; making an excuse of attending to some other business, he took Nectarius to see Meletius.[2] unexpected appointment[edit] the Emperor Theodosius I wanted the Bishops at the Council to suggest new candidates and reserving to himself the right of making the choice, the Bishop of Antioch put at the bottom of his list, Nectarius' name. The Emperor having read the lists, declared Nectarius to be his choice. This caused some amazement amongst the Fathers who wanted to know who and what this Nectarius was. He was still only a catechumen. There was much astonishment at the emperor's unexpected choice, but the people of Constantinople were delighted at the news as was the whole council.[1] was duly baptized and his clothes were changed for the robes of a Bishop of the Imperial city and became at once president of the Second Ecumenical Council.[1] ruled the church for upwards of 16 years, and is thought of as having been a good prelate. His name heads the 150 signatures to the canons of the Second Ecumenical Council. The 3rd canon declares that, "...the Bishop of Constantinople shall hold the first rank after the bishop of Rome, because Constantinople is the new Rome." threatens[edit] the Bishops of the West opposed the election result and asked for a common synod of East and West to settle the succession and so the Emperor Theodosius, soon after the close of the second council, summoned the Imperial Bishops to a fresh synod at Constantinople; nearly all of the same bishops who had attended the earlier second council were assembled again in early summer of 382. On arrival they received a letter from the synod of Milan, inviting them to a great general council at Rome; however they indicated that they must remain where they were, because they had not made any preparations for such long a journey. However, they sent three --Syriacus, Eusebius and Priscian—with a synodal letter to Pope Damasus I, archbishop Saint Ambrose and the other bishops assembled in the council at Rome.[1] Roman synod to which this letter was addressed was the fifth under Damasus. No formal account remains of its proceedings, nor of how its members treated the question of Nectarius. Theodosius, did however, send commissaries to Rome in support of his synod.[1] his 15th letter (to the bishops of Illyria) he indicated that the church in Rome had finally agreed to recognize both Nectarius and Flavian.[1] letters from Nectarius remain extant in the files of his predecessor Gregory Nazianzus. In the first he expresses his hearty good wishes for his episcopate. The last is of great importance, urging him not to be too liberal in tolerating the Apollinarians.[1] 383 a third synod at Constantinople was held. In spite of the decrees of bishops and emperor, the Arians and Pneumatomachians continued to spread their doctrines. Theodosius summoned all parties to the Imperial city for a great discussion in June, hoping to reconcile all differences. Before this he had sent for the Archbishop and told him that all questions should be fully debated.[1] this, Nectarius returned home, full of anxiety and consulted the Novatianist Bishop Agelius, who felt himself unsuited to arbitrate on such a controversy. However he did have a reader, Sisinnius, a philosopher and theologian, to whom he referred the argument with the Arians. Sisinnius suggested that they should produce the testimonies of the old Fathers of the Church on the doctrine of the Son, and first ask the heads of the several parties whether they accepted these authorities or desired to anathematize them.[1] the Archbishop and the Emperor agreed to this suggestion and when the Bishops met, the Emperor asked whether they respected "...the teachers who lived before the Arian division?" They confirmed that they did and he then asked if they acknowledged, "...them sound and trustworthy witnesses of the true Christian doctrine?".[1] question however produced divisions and so the emperor ordered each party to draw up a written confession of its doctrine. When this was done, the Bishops were summoned to the Imperial palace, where the emperor received them with kindness and retired to his study with their written confessions. Theodosius however rejected and destroyed all except that of the orthodox, because he felt that the others introduced a division into the Holy Trinity.[1] this, Theodosius forbade all sectaries, except the Novatianists, to hold divine services or to publish their doctrines or to ordain clergy, under threat of severe civil penalties.[1] 385 the emperor's wife Aelia Flaccilla (or Placilla) and their daughter Pulcheria died. The archbishop asked Gregory of Nyssa to preach the funeral sermons for both of them.[1] the close of his episcopate, Nectarius abolished the office of presbyter penitentiary, whose duty appears to have been to receive confessions before communion. His example was followed by nearly all other Bishops. The presbyter penitentiary was added to the ecclesiastical roll about the time of the Novatianist schism, when that party declined to communicate with those who had lapsed in the Decian persecution. Gradually there were fewer lapsed to reconcile, and his duties became more closely connected with preparation for communion. Nectarius abolished the office due to a scandal that had occurred in connection with it.[3] died in office on 17 September 397[4] (Butler says 27 September) and was succeeded by Saint John Chrysostom.[3] Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ;

Constantinople, 383, Saturninus, consul, christian roman officer and politician, Goths, Thrace, Haemus pass, plains, exiled
Byzantium, 383, Saturninus (consul 383); Saturninus (fl. 377–400) was a Roman army officer and politician. was probably a Christian: it is known that he hosted a bishop, that he donated to a monastery and that he was in touch for a short time with Gregory of Nazianzus. followed the military career, and in 377/378 he fought against the Goths. After the inconclusive Battle of the Willows, the Eastern Emperor Valens, who was in the Eastern frontier, appointed Saturninus temporary commander of cavalry and sent him to Thrace with a cavalry unit, to support the magister peditum Traianus.[1] Saturninus and Traianus blocked the Goths near the passes of the Haemus, building a line of fortifications that repulsed the Gothic attacks. The two generals hoped to force the Goths to suffer through the cold winter and the scarcity of food in order to force them into submission; alternatively, the two generals planned to call back the sentinels, luring the Goths of Fritigern into an open-field battle in the plains between the Haemus and the Danube, where they were confident of winning.[2] Fritigern did not accept battle, but enlisted Hunnic and Alan reinforcements. Saturninus realised that he could no longer fight the enemy with his troops, lifted the block on the mountain passes, and retired.[3] magister militum per Thracias, Emperor Theodosius I, who had succeeded Valens after his death in the Battle of Adrianople, entrusted Saturninus to negotiate peace with the Goths: in October 382 he signed a treaty according to which the Goths were to live in the Low Danube as foederati. successful negotiation guaranteed Saturninus the imperial favour, and he was appointed consul for the year 383. Themistius dedicated to him a panegyric. 400 Saturninus was serving under the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, when the magister militum Gainas deposed and exiled him. Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ;

Constantinople, 384, 10,000 Martyred Fathers of Deserts & Caves of Scete by Impious Patriarch Theophilus
Egypt, 384, 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Scetes monasteries, Egyptian Desert, 330, 360 of them, falsely accused of Origenism, for giving Isidore shelter; Scetes monestary; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; holy martyrs of Christ, who lived in the deserts and caves of the Nitrian desert, were delivered up by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria to face a bitter death. falsely accused them of Origenism, but in fact they incurred the patriarch’s anger by giving shelter to the priest Isidore.

Constantinople, 384-412, Impious Pope Theophilus of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 384-412, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; holy martyrs of Christ, who lived in the deserts and caves of the Nitrian desert, were delivered up by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria to face a bitter death. He falsely accused them of Origenism, but in fact they incurred the patriarch’s anger by giving shelter to the priest Isidore. Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412), had repeatedly benefited from the generosity of Saint Olympias, but turned against her for her devotion to Saint John Chrysostom. She had also taken in and fed monks, arriving in Constantinople, whom Patriarch Theophilus had banished from the Egyptian desert. He levelled unrighteous accusations against her and attempted to cast doubt on her holy life. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Constantinople, 386-412, Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Sumela Monastery, founded by them, from Athens
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Asia Minor, Commemorated on August 18; Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius were Athenians who lived on Mount Mela near Trebizond in Asia Minor. They died in the year 412.

Constantinople, 386-412, Directress Icon, aMela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke iconographer
Armenia, 386-412, Directress Icon, at Mela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke the iconographer, AKA Panagia Gorgoepekoos; Armenia, 386-412, Directress Icon, at Mela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke the iconographer, AKA Panagia Gorgoepekoos; Panagia Hodegetria or "Directress" icon depicts the Virgin Mary presenting her son on her left arm to the viewer and with her hand she is gesturing towards him, pointing to Christ as 'The Way'. on the other hand, has his right hand raised in a gesture of blessing with the index and middle fingers joined (to refer to the two natures of Christ) and his thumb locks over the other fingers (to signify the Holy Trinity). term 'Hodegetria' is Greek and translates to 'the One who Shows the Way'. In this icon, although the Virgin Mary is the largest subject, the principal image in the icon is Christ. His presence is like that of an adult. features of the Hodegetria include the starburst on one or both shoulders and on the part of the blue mantle that covers the forehead. fringe on the mantle indicates imperial status, as does the throne that is occasionally included in the image. Virgin Mary's frontal gaze is also a key feature of the Hodegetria type. odd letters on the left and right and level with the top of the Virgin's head appear to be an adaptation of the usual inscription that occupies this position in other Hodegetrias: "MP θY" -- the first and last Greek letters of the Greek words for "Mother of God." name Hodegetria also refers to the Hodegon Monastery in Constantinople, which has such an icon. Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Directress Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 18; Hodegetria (or “Directress”) Icon of the Mother of God. to Tradition, this icon in the Mela monastery near Trebizond was painted by the Evangelist Luke.

Constantinople, 387-436, Isidore oPelusium, tPelusium as a youth fMonastecism, devoted tPreaching, wisdom, logic, contemplation
Egypt, 386-436, Isidore of Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2), fAlexandria, Archbishops Theophilus&Cyril's relative, tPelusium as a youth, fMonastic efforts, won respect in short time, like Chrystom devoted to preaching, practical wisdom, the edificace, logic its embellishment, contemplation its crown, Isadore a vital&inspired pillar monastic rules&divine vision, and imags oSpiritual teaching; Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Isidore of Pelusium lived during the fourth-fifth centuries. was a native of Alexandria, and was raised among pious Christians. was a relative of Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and of his successor, Saint Cyril (January 18). still a youth he quit the world and withdrew to Egypt to Mount Pelusium, which became the site of his monastic efforts. Isidore’s spiritual wisdom and strict asceticism, combined with his broad learning and innate knowledge of the human soul, him to win the respect and love of his fellow monks in a short time. chose him as their head and had him ordained a priest (the earliest sources for his life, however, say nothing of him being an igumen). the example of Saint John Chrysostom, whom he had managed to see and hear during a trip to Constantinople, Isidore devoted himself primarily to Christian preaching, “practical wisdom” which, in his own words, is both “the foundation of the edifice and the edifice itself”, while logic is “its embellishment, and contemplation its crown”. was a teacher and a willingly provided counsel for anyone who turned to him for spiritual encouragement, whether it was a simple man, a dignitary, a bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, or even the emperor. left behind about 10,000 letters, of which 2,090 have survived. large portion of these letters reveal profound theological thought and contain morally edifying interpretations of Holy Scripture. Photius (February 6) calls Isidore a model of priestly and ascetical life, and also a master of style. Isidore’s love for Saint John Chrysostom resulted in his support of Saint John when he was persecuted by the empress Eudoxia and Archbishop Theophilus. the death of Saint John, Saint Isidore persuaded Theophilus’ successor Saint Cyril to inscribe the name of Saint John Chrysostom into the Church diptychs as a confessor. the initiative of Saint Isidore the Third Ecumenical Council was convened at Ephesus (431), which the false teaching of Nestorius concerning the person of Jesus Christ was condemned. Isidore lived into old age and died around the year 436. Church historian Evagrius (sixth century) writes of Saint Isidore, “his life seemed to everyone the life of an angel upon the earth.” historian, Nikēphóros Callistus (ninth century), praises Saint Isidore thus: “He was a vital and inspired pillar of monastic rules and divine vision, and as such he presented a very lofty image of most fervent example and spiritual teaching.”

Constantinople, 386-446, Saint, Hypatius of Bithynia
Byzantium, 386-446, Saint, Hypatius of Bithynia; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31;

Constantinople, 390-430, Nilus, Ascetic&Faster of Sinai, Chrysostom's disciple, Constantinople perfect, t cave monastic in 390
Egypt, 390-430, Venerable Nilus Ascetic & Faster of Sinai, Chrysostom's disciple, perfect of Constantinople, then cave monastic in 390, fasting virgil prayer to spiritual perfection, counciled farmers&emperor, wrote soul-profiting works, saracens captured son, prayer freed him through Emessa bishop's ransom, who ordained them bishops; Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Neilos the Ascetic of Sinai, a native of Constantinople, during the V century was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, exerted a tremendous influence upon their lives and their spiritual struggles.1 receiving a fine education, the Saint was appointed to the important post of prefect of the capital while still a young man. this period, Neilos was married and had children, but the couple found courtly life distasteful. the year 390, by mutual consent, they decided to abandon the world and entered monasteries. Neilos's wife and daughter went to one of the women’s monasteries in Egypt, while he and his son Theódoulos went to Mount Sinai, where they settled in a cave, which they dug out with their own hands. forty years this cave served as the abode of Saint Neilos. fasting, vigil, and prayer, he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. began coming to him from every occupation and social rank, from the Emperor down to the farmer, and all of them received counsel and comfort from the Saint. Sinai, Saint Neilos wrote many soul-profiting works to guide Christians on the path of salvation. In one of his letters there is an angry denunciation of the Emperor Arkadios, who had unjustly exiled Saint John Chrysostom. ascetical writings of Saint Neilos are widely known: they are perfectly executed in form, profoundly Orthodox in content, and are clear and lucid in expression. His Ascetic Discourse is found in Volume I of the English Philokalia. Neilos suffered many misfortunes in the wilderness. Saracens captured his son Theódoulos, whom they intended to offer as a sacrifice to their pagan gods. By the Saint's prayers the Lord rescued Theódoulos, his father found him with the Bishop of Emessa, who had ransomed the young man from the barbarians. bishop ordained both of them as presbyters. ordination they returned to Sinai, where they lived as ascetics together until Saint Neilos reposed. holy relics were transferred to Constantinople in the reign of Justin II (565-578), and were placed in the church of the Holy Apostles. Greek Philokalia has a quote from Saint Neilos beneath his icon: "The state of prayer is a passionless, settled disposition of the soul which, by supreme love, transports the wisdom-loving mind to spiritual heights." (See the English Philokalia, 153 Sections. Concerning Prayer, # 53). In earlier editions of the Synaxaristes and the Menaion, it was erroneously stated that Saint Neilos lived during the reign of Emperor Maurikios (582-602). This was corrected in later editions, since he was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, and was esteemed by Emperor Arkadios because of his virtues.

Constantinople, 390-450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice
Egypt, 390-450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, recorded the slaughter, slept past sunrise so not sacrificed, back to Sinai; Raithu; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Constantinople, 390-450, Domnica oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, went without eating for long periods
Syria, 390-450, Domnica (Domnina) oVeria (or Berea) in Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2), a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, who went without eating for long periods oTime; Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Domnica (Domnina) a Syrian nun, a companion of Saints Marana and Kyra. Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Marina (Marana) and Kyra (Cyra), sisters by birth, during the fourth century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. parents were illustrious and rich, the sisters left home and departed the city when they had reached maturity. cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a narrow opening through which food was passed to them. little hut had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements. their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured hunger. a three year period, they ate food only once every forty days. former servants came to them, wanting to join their ascetic life. saints put them in a separate hut next to their own enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to deeds of prayer and fasting. The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religiosa Historica. of respect for his hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their dwelling. conversed with them and persuaded them to remove the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. who was weak in body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit upright. he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains. they lived in asceticism for forty years. disturbed their solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the Sepulchre of the Lord. their journey (which took twenty days) they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. the way back, they also went without eating. did the same thing at another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria. Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. ascetical life equaled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, they received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior.

Constantinople, 390-450, Marana and Kyra oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana&Kyra, went without eating long periods
Syria, 390-450, Marana and Kyra oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, went without eating for long periods; Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Marina (Marana) and Kyra (Cyra), sisters by birth, during the fourth century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. parents were illustrious and rich, the sisters left home and departed the city when they had reached maturity. cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a narrow opening through which food was passed to them. little hut had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements. their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured hunger. a three year period, they ate food only once every forty days. former servants came to them, wanting to join their ascetic life. saints put them in a separate hut next to their own enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to deeds of prayer and fasting. The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religiosa Historica. of respect for his hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their dwelling. conversed with them and persuaded them to remove the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. who was weak in body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit upright. he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains. they lived in asceticism for forty years. disturbed their solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the Sepulchre of the Lord. their journey (which took twenty days) they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. the way back, they also went without eating. did the same thing at another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria. Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. ascetical life equaled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, they received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior. Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Domnica (Domnina) a Syrian nun, a companion of Saints Marana and Kyra.

Constantinople, 392&1841, Cyprus Icon, Lazarus tomb, Arab arrow hit knee, A struck d

Constantinople, 393-430, Mares tSinger, fCyrrhus, lived iHut, ascetic 37yrs, rough food, skins, handsome, pleasant singng voice
Syria, 393-430, Mares tSinger, fNear Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), lived in hut, fasting&prayer, 37yrs, rough food, wild goat skins, handsome, pleasant singing voice; Cyrrhus; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Mares the Singer lived in a hut in fasting and prayer for thirty-seven years in the village of Homeron, not far from the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. ate rough food, and wore clothes made from the hide of wild goats. was handsome, and had a pleasant singing voice. Mares reposed in the year 430.

Byzantium, 395-408, Emperor, Arcadius in the East, weak, Eudoxia, Alaric, Chrysostom
Byzantine Emperor, 395-408, Arcadius in the East; Arcadius ( 1 January 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to 408. He was the eldest son of the augustus Theodosius I (r. 379–395) and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (r. 393–423). Arcadius ruled the eastern half of the empire from 395, when their father died, while Honorius ruled the west. A weak ruler, his reign was dominated by a series of powerful ministers and by his wife, Aelia Eudoxia.[2] Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes "œthe Hut-Dweller"Â, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Icon of the Mother of God "œComfort or œConsolation"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 395-404, Empress, Aelia Eudoxia in the East, conflict with John Chrysostom
Byzantium, 395-404, Emperess Aelia Eudoxia in the East ; Eudoxia (died 6 October 404) was a Roman Empress consort by marriage to the Roman Emperor Arcadius. marriage was the source of some controversy, as it was arranged by Eutropius, one of the eunuch court officials, who was attempting to expand his influence. Empress, she came into conflict with John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was popular among the common folk for his denunciations of imperial and clerical excess. She had five children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including her only son and future emperor Theodosius II, but she had two additional pregnancies that ended in either miscarriages or stillbirths and she died as a result of the latter one. Byzantine Emperess, 395-408, Eudoxia in the East; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 395-423, Emperor, Honorius in the West, weak, Rome sacked
Byzantine Emperor, 395-423, Honorius in the West; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy
Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy, teachers oTruth, defenders oChrist's Church, Dogmatic writings which, affirm Truth, interpret sctipture, censure heretics, Cyril wTheophilus' nephew who educated him, 412 C replaced T as Patriarch, but deposed Nestorian intrigues, later resumed, 431 presided 3rd EC, censured N blasphemy against Theotokos, departed 444; Egypt, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy; Alexandria; Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandriam Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which the truth of the Orthodox Faith, interpret the Holy Scripture, censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril, dogmatic writings, Orthodox truth, interpret Scripture, censure heretics
Byzantine Saint, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose).

Constantinople, 397-407, John Chrysostom in C, Priest's p, s Liturgy, Exodia's hatred, 3 exiles, earthquake, fire, barbarians
Byzantine Saint, 369-407, John Chrysostom; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20;

Constantinople, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, Great influence 3rd&4th EC Councils
Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, noble birth, parents childless dedicated him, vision&voice good cheer tChurches, so named Euthymius, given uncle Eudoxius fEd, tMetilene Bishop Eutroius, soon made Reader, later monk&priest, supervised all M monasteries, especially Polyeuctus m, tWilderness during Lent, but desired stillness, tJerusalem, kissed shrines then visited Desert Fathers, solitary cell Tharan Lavra, weaving baskets, near Theoctistus, shared soul, same zeal, each year tCoutila near Jerico, together found cave steep cliff, settled there, by Shepherds Lord revealed many came, monk community, E made T Igumen, E taught obedience, humility, mindful oDeath, fear judgement eternal fire, seek heavenly kingdom, physical labor while God thoughts, alms, sacrifice tGod, no depend oStrangers, silence iChurch&Meals, cut off own will, fast appointed time, no attract attention, these years many Arabs baptized, Saracen leaders Aspebet &Son Terebon, healed, people came fEverywhere, he cured them, but to avoid fame took Dometian tRouba desert Mt Marda Dead Sea, explored wilderness oZiph, settled David's cave, fonded m beside D's cave, built church, converted many Manichean heresy monks, healed&Delivered, for silence returned T's m, on the way found quiet level place on a hill, remained there, future site E's Lavra, cave cell &grave, T wanted him at T's monastery, but only agreed Sunday services, wanted seclustion but Lord's vision commanded accept those who came, organized Lavra like Tharan L, poor at first but Jerusalem Patriarch Juvenal supplied presbyters (priests) & Deacons, E believed God wProvide, 400 Armenians came on way to Jordan, E ordered steward feed them, s said not enough food, E insisted, plenty food & remained undimished 3 months, obstinate monk Auxentius refused his obedience, E shouted he be rewarded for his insubordination, Deamon siezed A, threw him to ground, brothers asked E to help, he delivered him, he asked forgiveness promised to correct, E said Obedience is a great virtue, Lord loves it more than sacrifice, disobedience leads to death, two brothers resolved to flee, E had vision they ensnared bDevil, told them never admit thoughts hating place, suggesting other place, its not place but faith and firm will for success, many transplanted tree will not bear fruit, 431 3rd EC iEphesus, for Nestorian heresy, E rejoiced Orthodoxy affirmed but grieved Antioch Archbishop defended Nestorius, 451 4th EC iChalcedon, for Dioscorus heresy, asserted Jesus only one nature, the divine, monophysite, that at incarnaton his human nature swollowed up by his divine nature, when E accepted 4th C decisions as Orthodox news spread quickly following E, so called E the Great, E went to Inner Desert for awhile, after return fire descended fHeaven &encircled him Divine Litergy, plus E said he often saw an Angel celebrating with him, E's clairvoyance gift, discern thoughts spiritual state from outward appearance, during divine litergy, at 82 Savva came, foretold Savva would outshine his other disciples, when E 90 Theoctistus became ill, with him aDeath, God told E Time oDeath, told his priests, because Lord calling him from earthly life, next day began instructing them, if you love me keep my commandments, love is hightest virtue and bond oPerfectness, every virtue made secure by love&humility, Lord humbled himself became man, so we ought praise him unceasingly, expecially since monks escape worldly distractions, preserve souls in purity, correct console instruct brethern, so not fall to devil's snares, never refuse hospitality, offer a bed, give whatever you can, Then he promised always to be with them in spirit, and those who followed them, Then he dismissed all but Dometian, remained at altar 3days, died Jan 20 473; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”). Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. presented the child to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader. Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. Euthymius often visited the monastery of Saint Polyeuctus, during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert. there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. his neighbor Saint Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will. year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. a monastic community grew up around them. monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus. Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.” saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? should not depend on strangers.” saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation. these years Saint Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, of whom Saint Euthymius healed of sickness. received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs. of the miracles performed by Saint Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. During this time Saint Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils. disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. would become the site of Saint Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave. Theoctistus went with his brethren to Saint Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, the monk did not agree to this. he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery. Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. the year 429, when Saint Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church supplied it with presbyters and deacons. lavra was poor at first, the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. this, Saint Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. Euthymius, however, insisted. to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16). the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that Saint Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said Saint Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.” of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.” the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius. the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature. Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of Saint Euthymius. of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Euthymius is called “the Great.” by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily. Saint Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Savva (the future Saint Savva the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. foretold that Saint Savva would outshine all his other disciples in virtue. the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. took leave of him and was present at his end. burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra. revealed to Saint Euthymius the time of his death. the eve of the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) Saint Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life. were filled with great sadness, the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). virtue is made secure by love and humility. Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.” “Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.” having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery. Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven. multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, whom was Saint Gerasimus. Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Saint Euthymius had foretold. remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple. “Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.” telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. was buried beside Saint Euthymius. relics of Saint Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Constantinople, 399-420, Saint, Maruthas of Martyropolis, pius writer, envoy, marytr
Byzantine Saint, 399-420, Maruthas of Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Maruthas was Bishop of Tagrith (Martyropolis), a city which he founded between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. He was famed for his knowledge and his piety, he wrote about the martyrs, and he suffered for his faith in Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. He also left behind other works in the Syrian language, among which the most famous are: “Commentary on the Gospel,” “Verses of Maruthas,” “Liturgy of Maruthas” and “The 73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council at Nicea” (325) with an account of the acts of the Council. the year 381 Saint Maruthas participated in the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, convened against the heresy of Macedonius. In 383, he attended the Council of Antioch against the Messalians. the years 403-404 Saint Maruthas set off to Constantinople to plead with the emperor Arcadius to protect Persian Christians. He was twice sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the Shah Izdegerd to secure the peace between the Empire and Persia. the year 414 Saint Maruthas, having done his duty as envoy to the court of Izdegerd, persuaded the Shah to a favorable disposition towards Christians, and he assisted greatly in the freedom of Christians in Persia. He rebuilt Christian churches razed during the persecution by the Persian ruler Sapor. He also located relics of saints who had suffered martyrdom and transferred them to Martyropolis. He died there in 422. The relics of Saint Maruthas were later transferred to Egypt and placed in a skete monastery of the Mother of God.

Constantinople, 399-501, Stylianus of Paphlagonia, gave fortune, monastery jealousy, cave, child healings, S icon, divine light
Armenia, 399-501, Stylianus of Paphlagonia Region, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage), gave fortune, Monastery, jealousy, cave, sought after, child healings, S icon painted each time, death time divine light; Paphlagonia Region; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Stylianus was born in Paphlagonia of Asia Minor sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries. inherited a great fortune from his parents when they died, but he did not keep it. He gave it away to the poor according to their need, desiring to help those who were less fortunate. left the city and went to a monastery, where he devoted his life to God. he was more zealous and devout than the other monks, he provoked their jealousy and had to leave. left the monastery to live alone in a cave in the wilderness, where he spent his time in prayer and fasting. goodness and piety of the saint soon became evident to the inhabitants of Paphlagonia, and they sought him out to hear his teaching, or to be cured by him. Many were healed of physical and mental illnesses by his prayers. Stylianus was known for his love of children, and he would heal them of their infirmities. after his death, the citizens of Paphlagonia believed that he could cure their children. Whenever a child became sick, an icon of Saint Stylianus was painted and was hung over the child’s bed. the hour of his death, the face of Saint Stylianus suddenly became radiant, and an angel appeared to receive his soul. as a protector of children, Saint Stylianus is depicted in iconography holding an infant in his arms. Pious Christians ask him to help and protect their children, and childless women entreat his intercession so that they might have children.

Constantinople, 400-499, 5th Century, Folder, Nestorius, Nestorianism

Constantinople, 401, Kathariotissa Icon, Epirus shepherds flee w Luke's birth icon, lost, clearing fire, not b
Ithaka Island; Icon of the Mother of God Kathariotissa, Commemorated September 8 ; wonderworking icon depicting the Nativity of the Theotokos is venerated on the Greek island of Ithaca. Monastery of Kathara; Monastery of the Kathara, pilgrimage and reference point for all inhabitants of Ithaca, built on the south-eastern peak of the Homeric Mount Nirito in a nice corner, 600m from the sea and 15 km. from Vathy. history of the monastery begins in 1696. history of the image of the Virgin is even older, reported by Father Theodosius Dendrinos in the second edition of his book 'The Monastery of Our Lady of Kathara, Ithaca'. local dialect the name “Kathara” means the twigs and small shrubs which are cut and burned to clear some place. says that shepherds from Epirus were persecuted by the Albanians so they had to leave their homes and flee to Ithaca where they settled on Mount Nirito at Mazos location, 400 approximately opposite the current monastery. realized that the miraculous picture depicting the Genesis of the Virgin was missing. night they saw a blinding light at the location where there is now the church of the monastery. all the research they never found anything there. same phenomenon was repeated for several nights, so they decided to cut and burn the bushes and twigs to clean the place to see what is going on there. the fire was extinguished they saw a picture that was not burned. was the painting of Genesis of the Virgin. They decided to built a small church so they could place the painting inside. version of how the church got its name is that it was founded by followers of the Catholic heresy of the Cathars. According to archaeologist-author W. Gell in his book "The geography and antiquities of Ithaca," the site was dedicated to Apollo. theory concerning the name comes from author Ms. Rita Tsintili- Vlisma who says that there used to be a pagan temple (probably of Goddess Athena) at the location where the church is today. One of the many nicknames of the Goddess was ''Kathara”. little further from the monastery there is a bell tower and the chapel of Saints Constantine and Helen. During the years of occupation and mainly because of the earthquakes of 1953, the bell tower was destroyed and rebuilt. The view from the bell tower is breathtaking: You can see the southern part of the island, part of eastern Kefalonia, in the far left you can see Echinades Islands, the west coast of Aitoloakarnania, and far in the distance when visibility is good you can see the Peloponnese and Zakynthos on the right. painting of the Virgin is attributed to St. Luke and represents the birth of the Virgin. early 1993 monk Theodosius (aka Elias Vlismas) comes to the monastery and offers his services to the grace of Mary. is a patron and protector of the island and is celebrated on September 8th every year. Bibliography: 'The Monastery of Our Lady of Kathara Ithaca' (second edition) Father Theodosius Dendrinos. Source: Municipality of Ithaca Website

Constantinople, 401-460, Thalelaeus oSyria, small cell after defeating demons from ruined temple, to avoid eternal punishment
Cilicia, 401-460, Thalelaeus tHermit oSyria, fCilicia Region oAsia Minor, an Unmercenary Physician, tSabbas m, ordained presbyter, later moved tSyria near Gabala (Jableh), tent near ruined pagan temple, demons there, praying day&night, complete solitude, frequently attacked, but he was ultimately victorius, no longer troubled, intensified efforts, built cell he could not sit up in, tall man, cramped conditions for 10yrs, why, because many sins and he might receive eternal punishment, so suffered voluntarily in his cell, gift oWonderworking, converted pagans, they helped him destroy pagan temple and build church with daily services, reposed advanced age 460; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Thalelaios (Thallélaios) lived during the fifth century, and is one of the Unmercenary Physicians. He was a native of Cilicia in Asia Minor, and entered the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified, there he was ordained as a presbyter. on, he moved to Syria, not far from the city of Gabala, he found a ruined pagan temple surrounded by pagan graves, he settled there in a tent. place had an evil reputation, the demons inhabiting the place frightened travellers and caused them much harm. Thalelaios lived, praying day and night in complete solitude. demons attacked the Saint frequently, trying to scare him with frightful apparitions and noises. by the power of God Thallélaios was ultimately victorious over the Enemy, which he was no longer troubled. he intensified his efforts even more: built a small cell measuring three feet high and two feet wide. he was a tall man, he was unable to sit up in it, but had to rest his head on his knees. remained in these cramped quarters for about ten years. Theodoret of Cyrrhus visited Saint Thalelaios one day and found him reading the Gospel. asked him why he had chosen live in such a way. Saint said that he had many sins, and that he might receive eternal punishment, he hoped to escape those torments by suffering voluntarily in his cell. Bishop left, greatly edified by this answer. Lord granted to the ascetic the gift of wonderworking, his miracles helped him to enlighten the pagan population. the help of those he had converted to Christianity, he destroyed the pagan temple, built a church in which there were daily Services. Thalelaios reposed at an advanced age around the year 460. the book entitled Leimonarion, or Pratum [The Meadow], written by the Greek monk John Moskhos (+ 622), Saint Thallélaios is mentioned: “Abba Thalelaios was a monk for sixty years he never ceased saying with tears, "Brethren, God has given us this time for repentance, and we must seek after Him’” (Chapter 59). Life is included in the Church History of Theodoret of Cyrrhus.

Constantinople, 401-460, Domnina tYounger oCyrrhus, she envied holy ascetics, and emulated St Maron, shack in mother's garden
Syria, 401-460, Domnina the Younger oCyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), story from Theodoret oCyrrhus' History oMonks oSyria, containing lives of 30 ascetics, born in Cyrrhus, God loving parents, she envied holy ascetics, she emulated St Maron (Feb 14), built shack in corner mother's garden, ate only lentils soaked in water, went to church both early morning and at night, to glorify God, so no one could see her face she covered self with a cloak, T says she spoke softly and indistinctly, her words always accompanied by tears, reposed after long life of severe asceticism in 460; Cyrrhus; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1 ; Life of Saint Domnina the Younger1 was written by Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Historia Religiosa (English title: A History of the Monks of Syria), containing the Lives of thirty ascetics. holy virgin Domina was born in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria, to pious and God-loving parents. a young age she envied the life of the holy ascetics and emulated Saint Maron († February 14) by building a shack in a corner of her mother's garden. only food was lentils soaked in water. in the morning, and again at night, she went to the church, in order to pray and glorify the name of God. always covered herself with a cloak so that no one would see her face. says she spoke "softly and indistinctly, and her words were always accompanied by tears.” a long life of austere asceticism, the Venerable Domnina reposed in peace around the year 460. Not to be confused with another Saint Domnina commemorated on October 4.

Constantinople, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling, igumen
Syria, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling, igumen Unsleeping Ones Monastery, fApamea, wealthy parents died early, ed aAntioch&Ephesus, distributed tPoor, tUnsleeping M Constantinople & Alexander, monk, great spiritual talents incl clairvoyance, left before he knew A would die tAvoid igumen, returned aJohn named igumen, John's assistant, after J's death Igumen for 60 yrs, many people came rich&poor, many times angels encircling him, attending&guarding him, many monks came, built Church, hospital, &hostel fHomeless, treated sick, cast devils, worked miracles, example ill monk called out mentally fAnkara, M heard at once prayed monk healed at once, same for ship wMonks on Black Sea, fire raging aConstantinople he stopped from his monastery by prayer, another example, servant John unjustly accused hid at the monastery, his lord Ardaburios demanded him back, refused, sent detachment, soldiers surrounded m threatening kill anyone, brethern wanted to fold, Marcellus signed cross went out alone, lightning, thunder, & Cross appeared brighter than the sun, soldiers ran, Ardaburios pardoned servant, departed 485, 5days later appreared to disciple Lukian conforting him fortelling L's death; Apamea, Syria; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Marcellus, igumen of the Monastery called “the Unsleeping Ones,” was a native of the city of Apamea in Syria. parents were wealthy, but died when he was young. received his education first at Antioch, and then at Ephesus. his possessions left him by his parents he distributed to the poor, thereby sundering his ties to the world. the guidance of an experienced elder at Ephesus, Marcellus entered upon the path of asceticism. later went on to Byzantium to Saint Alexander, igumen of the monastery named “the Unsleeping.” The monastery received its name because in it psalmody was done constantly, both day and night, by alternating groups of monks. Alexander accepted Marcellus and tonsured him into the monastic schema. in the works of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, the saint received great spiritual talents and the gift of clairvoyance. foresaw the day of Abba Alexander’s death and his own election as igumen. However, since he was still young, he did not want to rule others. So he slipped out of the monastery to visit other provinces and other monasteries, where he received edification from the monks who lived there. the death of Saint Alexander, when Abba John had already been chosen as igumen, Marcellus returned to the great joy of the brethren. Abba John made Marcellus his own closest assistant. After John’s death, Saint Marcellus was chosen igumen of the monastery in spite of his own wishes, and in this position he remained for sixty years. of his saintly life spread far. People came to Marcellus from afar, both the illustrious and the common, rich and the poor. times they saw angels encircling the saint, attending and guarding him. the help of God, the monastery of “the Unsleeping Ones” flourished. many monks came to place themselves under the direction of Saint Marcellus that it became necessary to enlarge the monastery and the church. Marcellus received donations from believers for expansion, and built a beautiful large church, a hospital, and a hostel for the homeless. his prayers the monk treated the sick, cast out devils and worked miracles. example, one of the monks was sent to Ankara and fell ill. near death, he called out mentally to his abba. that very hour Saint Marcellus heard his disciple in the monastery, and he began to pray for him. He who was sick recovered at once. a ship with his monks came into danger on the Black Sea, the saint calmed the tempest by his prayers. time, when they told him that a fire was raging at Constantinople, he prayed tearfully for the city, and the fire subsided as if extinguished by the tears of the monk. the servant of a certain Arian nobleman named Ardaburios, was unjustly accused of something, and he hid out at the monastery to escape his master’s wrath. twice demanded that Saint Marcellus hand John over to him, but he refused. then sent out a detachment of soldiers, who surrounded the monastery, threatening to slay anyone who interfered with their mission. brethren went to the abba, asking him to surrender John and save the monastery. Marcellus signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, then boldly went out alone through the monastery gate towards the soldiers. flashed in the sky, thunder rumbled, and the Cross appeared shining brighter than the sun. soldiers threw down their weapons and took to flight. Ardaburios, learning from the soldiers what had happened, was frightened, and because of Saint Marcellus he pardoned the servant. Marcellus peacefully departed to the Lord in the year 485. His faithful disciple Lukian grieved terribly over him, but on the fifth day after the death Saint Marcellus appeared to him and comforted him, foretelling his own impending end.

Constantinople, 403, Synod of the Oak, Constantinople, against Chrysostom
Synod of the Oak (403) illegally condemned Saint John Chrysostrom ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 403-439, Melania the Younger, wealth, chasity, visited prison and mine convicts, helped monasteries, much more
Rome, 403-439, Melania the Younger of Rome, wealth, chasity, children died, new life dedicated to God, visited sick , debtors prison, and mine convicts, sold estates italy and spain, helped monasteries in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia and Palestine, to Africa, storm, ransom for city on the way, 7 yrs in Carthage, Cyril and Nestorius, to Jerusalem, distributed rest of gold, poverty and prayer, short egypt visit, desert fathers, Melania's cell on mt of olives, later founded monastery, 90 virgins, husband Apinianus died, 4 more yrs fasting and p, benefactor sent for Mount of the Assension Chapel; Melania the Younger (born in Rome c. 383, died in Jerusalem on 31 December 439) is a Christian saint and Desert Mother who lived during the reign of Emperor Honorius, son of Theodosius I. She is the paternal granddaughter of Melania the Elder. Feast of Melania the Younger is held on 31 December (the Julian calendar's 31 December falls on 13 January on the Gregorian calendar). In Ukraine, by Orthodox Christians, Malanka ("Melania's Day") is celebrated on 13 January, and on 31 December by other Christians. Mount of the Assension, Chapel of the Assension; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Melania was born in Rome into a devout Christian family. Her parents, people of property and wealth, hoped that their daughter would marry and have children who would inherit their wealth. fourteen years of age Melania was married to the illustrious youth Apinianus. From the very beginning of their married life, Saint Melania asked her husband to live with her in chastity or else release her from the marriage. Apinianus answered, “I cannot agree to this right now. When we have two children to inherit the property, then we shall both renounce the world.” Melania gave birth to a daughter, whom the young parents dedicated to God. Continuing to live together in marriage, Melania secretly wore a hair shirt and spent her nights in prayer. The second child, a boy, was premature and had severe complications. They baptized him, and he departed to the Lord. the suffering of his wife, Apinianus asked the Lord to preserve Saint Melania’s life, and he vowed to spend the rest of their life together in chastity. Recovering, Saint Melania stopped wearing her beautiful clothing and jewelry. Soon their daughter also died. The parents of Saint Melania did not support the young couple’s desire to devote themselves to God. It was only when Saint Melania’s father became deathly ill, that he asked their forgiveness and permitted them to follow their chosen path, asking them to pray for him. saints then left the city of Rome, and began a new life completely dedicated to the service of God. Apinianus at this time was twenty-four years of age, and Melania twenty. They began to visit the sick, to take in wanderers, and to help the indigent. They visited those who were exiled, and mine-convicts, and the destitute, there in debtor’s prison. After selling their estates in Italy and Spain, they generously helped monasteries, hospitals, widows and orphans in Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, Phoenicia, and Palestine. churches and hospitals were built with their assistance. Churches of both West and East benefited from them. Leaving their native land, they set sail for Africa, and a strong storm arose while they were at sea. The sailors said that this was because of the wrath of God, but Saint Melania said that it was not God’s will that they should go directly to their destination. waves carried the ship to an island on which barbarians had landed. The besiegers demanded a ransom from the inhabitants, or else they threatened to lay waste the city. The saints supplied the necessary ransom, and thus saved the city and its people from destruction. their voyage, they landed in Africa and helped all the needy there. With the blessing of the local bishops, they made offerings to churches and monasteries. During this time Saint Melania continued to humble her flesh by strict fasting, and she fortified her soul by constantly reading the Word of God, making copies of the sacred books and distributing them to those who lacked them. She sewed a hairshirt for herself, put it on, and continued to wear it. saints spent seven years in Carthage, and then decided to visit Jerusalem. At Alexandria, they were welcomed by the bishop, Saint Cyril, and they met in church with the holy Elder Nestorius, who was possessed of the gift of prophecy and healing. The Elder turned to them and told them to have courage and patience in expectation of the Glory of Heaven. Jerusalem, the saints distributed their remaining gold to the destitute and then spent their days in poverty and prayer. After a short visit to Egypt, where the saints visited many of the desert Fathers, Saint Melania secluded herself in a cell on the Mount of Olives. Only occasionally did she see Saint Apinianus. she founded a monastery, where eventually ninety virgins lived in obedience to Saint Melania. Out of humility, she would not consent to be abbess, and lived and prayed in solitude as before. In her instructions, Saint Melania urged the sisters to be vigilant and to pray, to disdain their own opinions and cultivate first of all love for God and for one another, to keep the holy Orthodox Faith, and to guard their purity of soul and of body. particular, she exhorted them to be obedient to the will of God. Calling to mind the words of the Apostle Paul, she counselled them to keep the fasts “not with wailing, nor from compulsion, but in virtuous disposition with love for God”. her efforts an oratory and altar were built in the monastery, where they enshrined the relics of saints: the Prophet Zachariah, the holy Protomartyr Stephen, and the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. About this time Saint Apinianus fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Melania buried his relics and there spent another four years in fasting and unceasing prayer. Melania wanted to build a men’s monastery on the Mount of the Ascension of the Lord. The Lord blessed her intent by sending a benefactor who provided the means for the monastery. Joyfully accepting it, Saint Melania finished the great work in a single year. In this monastery, saintly men began to lift up unceasing prayer in the church of the Ascension of Christ. completed her tasks, the saint left Jerusalem for Constantinople, hoping to save the soul of her pagan uncle Volusianus who had traveled there from Rome. Along the way she prayed at the relics of Saint Laurence (August 10), at the place of his martyrdom, and received auspicious signs. Arriving in Constantinople, the saint found her uncle had fallen ill. Her demeanor and her inspired discourses had a profound influence on the sick man. He gave up pagan impiety and died a Christian. this time many inhabitants of the capital were deceived by the heretical teaching of Nestorius. Saint Melania accepted anyone who turned to her for proper explanation, converting many of them to Orthodoxy. Many miracles were worked through the prayers of the saint. to her own monastery, the saint sensed the approach of death, and told this to the priest and the sisters. They listened to her final instructions with deep sorrow and with tears. Having asked their prayers and commanding them to preserve themselves in purity, she received the Holy Mysteries with joy. Saint Melania peacefully gave up her soul to the Lord in the year 439.

Constantinople, 406-425, Atticus of Constantinople, Patriarch, Archbishop, Opposed J Chry, then
Constantinople Patriarch, 406-425, Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Constantinople, 407-460, Kanides, Cappadocia, attracted tSolitary life as small child, age 7 lived iCave, one meal per week, a73
Armenia, 407-460, St Kanides, Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), mother no fatty foods, attracted tSolitary life as small child, age 7 lived iCave, fasting Praying, one meal per week, uncooked vegetables, hair fell out dampness oCave, age 73 Cappadocia; Saint Kanides the Monk of Cappadocia, Commemorated on June 10; Kanides was born during the reign of Emperor Theodosios the Great (ca. 379). was the son of godly parents, Theodotos and Theophano, lived in Cappadocia. to Tradition, the Saint’s mother did not eat any fatty foods during the nine months when she was pregnant; and even when the saint was still a child, she was careful about what she ate. he was yet a small child, he became attracted to the solitary life, at the age of seven he went to a mountain where he lived in a cave, fasting and praying. is said that he ate only one meal of uncooked vegetables per week. of the great dampness of this cave, all the hair of his head and his beard fell out. living an ascetical and righteous life, he reposed in peace at the age of seventy-three, in the year 460.

Byzantium, 408-450, Emperor, Theodosius II, Younger, Eastern half, T Law Code, 2 heresies, University, Walls
Byzantine Emperor, 408-450, Theodosius II the Younger ; II (10 April 401 – 28 July 450), commonly called Theodosius the Younger[2] or the Calligrapher, was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed augustus as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his father Arcadius in 408. His reign was marked by the promulgation of the Theodosian law code and the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great Christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Emperor Theodosios the Younger, Commemorated on July 29; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; 7 Holy Youths œSeven SleepersÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Constantinople, 408-450, Theodosius II, tYounger, Sister Pulcheria instructed him as defender Orthodox & 3rd E Council
Constantinople, 408-450, Theodosius II, tYounger, Reign at 7, Grandson oTheodosios tGreat, Sister Pulcheria instructed him as defender Orthodox & 3rd E Council; Emperor Theodosios the Younger, Commemorated on July 29; Emperor Theodosios II began his reign in the year 408 at the age of seven, succeeding his father, Arkadios. was called “the younger” in order to distinguish him from his grandfather Theodosios the Great. sister Pulcheria instructed him in Christian piety, and so he had a great reverence for the Orthodox Faith. Theodosios II assumed the throne, with the help of his sister Pulcheria, he was a strong supporter of the truth of the Orthodox Faith and defender of the Nicene Creed. his imperial decree of November 19, 430, the Third Ecumenical Synod met on June 22, 431 in Ephesus, condemned the heretical beliefs of Nestorius. of the fervent piety and great service to Orthodoxy of Theodosius II, the Church has numbered him among its Saints. Byzantine Emperor, 408-450, Theodosius II the Younger ; II (10 April 401 – 28 July 450), commonly called Theodosius the Younger[2] or the Calligrapher, was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed augustus as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his father Arcadius in 408. His reign was marked by the promulgation of the Theodosian law code and the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great Christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism

Constantinople, 410, Lot oEgyptian desert, strove to be like flame in prayer, his sayings found in Paradise ot Fathers
Constantinople, 410, Lot oEgyptian desert, strove to be like flame in prayer, his sayings found in Paradise ot Fathers; Egyptian Desert (Nitrian Desert) ; There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile. Venerable Lot of Egypt, Commemorated on October 22; Lot was a wise ascetic of the desert who reposed in peace in the early fifth century. of his sayings are to be found in the "Paradise of the Fathers," which describes the life of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic Fathers of the deserts of Egypt compiled by Saint Athanasios of Alexandria, Saint Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis, Saint Jerome and others. Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain writes: the Paradise of the Fathers, it is said that Saint Lot asked Abba Joseph of Panephysis the following question: 'Abba, as much as I am able, I pray a little, fast a little, study, and keep silent. According to my strength, I keep my mind free of evil thoughts. else should I do?' " Abba Joseph stood up and lifted his hands to heaven. And - O the miracle - the ten fingers of his hands became like ten lit candles, then he said to Abba Lot. "Strive, if you will, so that in prayer you may become entirely like a flame." Greek usage Abba Lot is commemorated on October 22. He is also commemorated with the Holy God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in the ascetic life, on Cheesefare Saturday at Matins (Ode 4 of the Canon).

Constantinople, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, C of Ephesus 431, anti Nestor, Novat and Jew
Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire. wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the late-4th and 5th centuries. was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431, which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople. is counted among the Church Fathers and also as a Doctor of the Church, and his reputation within the Christian world has resulted in his titles Pillar of Faith and Seal of all the Fathers. Roman Emperor Theodosius II, however, condemned him for behaving like a "proud pharaoh", and the Nestorian bishops at their synod at the Council of Ephesus declared him a heretic, labelling him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church."[1] is well known for his dispute with Nestorius and his supporter Patriarch John of Antioch whom Cyril excluded from the Council of Ephesus for arriving late. is also known for his expulsion of Novatians and Jews from Alexandria and for inflaming tensions that led to the murder of the Hellenistic philosopher Hypatia by a Christian mob. Historians disagree over the extent of his responsibility in this. tried to oblige the pious Christian emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450) to himself by dedicating his Paschal table to him.[2] It is also important to note that Cyril's Paschal table was provided with a Metonic basic structure in the form of a Metonic 19-year lunar cycle adopted by him around AD 425, which was very different from the first Metonic 19-year lunar cycle invented around AD 260 by Anatolius, but exactly equal to the similar lunar cycle which had been introduced around AD 412 by Annianus; the julian equivalent of this Alexandrian lunar cycle adopted by Cyril and nowadays referred to as the 'classical (Alexandrian) 19-year lunar cycle' would only much later emerge again: a century later in Rome as the basic structure of Dionysius Exiguus’ Paschal table (AD 525) and two more centuries later in England as the one of Beda's Easter table (AD 725).[3] Catholic Church did not commemorate Saint Cyril in the Tridentine Calendar: it added his feast only in 1882, assigning to it the date of 9 February. This date is used by the Western Rite Orthodox Church. Yet the 1969 Catholic Calendar revision moved it to 27 June, considered to be the day of the saint's death, as celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church.[4] The same date has been chosen for the Lutheran calendar. The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches celebrate his feast day on 9 June and also, together with Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria, on 18 January. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Byzantium, 414-453, Empress, Pulcheria, Theodosius' sister, Virgin, significant influence, ecumenical councils
Byzantine Emperess, 414-453, Pulcheria ; Pulcheria (19 January 398 or 399 – July 453)[1] was an empress who advised her brother Theodosius II during his minority and then became wife to Marcian from November 450 to her death in 453. was the second (and oldest surviving) child of Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadius and Empress Aelia Eudoxia. In 414, the fifteen-year old Pulcheria became the chief guardian of her younger brother Theodosius II[2] and was also proclaimed "augusta". had significant, though changing, influence and political power during her brother's reign. When Theodosius II died on 26 July 450, Pulcheria married Marcian on 25 November 450, while simultaneously not violating her vow of virginity. She died three years later, in July 453. greatly influenced the Christian Church and its theological development by guiding two of the most important ecumenical councils in ecclesiastical history, namely those of Ephesus and Chalcedon, in which the Church ruled on christological issues. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church subsequently recognized her as a saint.[3] 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics
Byzantium, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, St Paul's instructor, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics Gamaliel's Home in Yavne, Way of the Sea 6, Palestine; Jamnia, 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 15; Finding of the relics of Saint Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a doctor of the Law (Acts 5:34), and the teacher of Saint Paul (Acts 22:3). the year 415, Saint Gamaliel appeared to a priest named Lucian. He was a tall, venerable man with a long white beard. He was dressed in white clothing which was edged with gold and marked with crosses, and held a gold wand in his hand. called Father Lucian by name three times, then told him to go to Jerusalem and inform Bishop John to open the tomb where his relics and those of other saints were resting. The priest asked the stranger who he was. “I am Gamaliel, who instructed the apostle Paul in the Law,” he replied. Then he told the priest where to find the relics of Saint Stephen. He also revealed that he had taken Saint Stephen’s body and laid it in his own tomb after it had been lying exposed for a day and a night. Gamaliel also mentioned that Saint Νikόdēmos was buried at the same spot. “I received him into my house in the country,” he said, “and maintained him there until the end of his life. After his death, I buried him honorably near Stephen.” Gamaliel informed the priest that he and his twenty-year-old son Abibas were also buried there. Father Lucian was afraid to believe this vision right away, lest it be a temptation from the Evil One. However, when Saint Gamaliel appeared again and commanded him to obey his instructions, he did so. monk named Migetius also had a vision of Saint Gamaliel and told Father Lucian to search for the relics in a place called Debatalia. When the relics were uncovered, an ineffable fragrance was noticed. relics of Saints Stephen, Gamaliel, Abibas, and Νikόdēmos were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople in 428 and placed in the church of the holy deacon Laurence (August 10).

Constantinople, 415, Uncovering Stephen's relics, S appeared 3 times, earthquake fragrance w area angel voices, m made clear
Jerusalem, 415, Uncovering relics of Holy Protomartyr Stephen, Jerusalem, he appeared 3 times before 338 tLukianos who informed patriarch John of Jerusalem, 415 J went to the spot, great earthquake beautiful fragrance whole area, angelic voices from Heaven, made clear martyrdom for God's glory, then miracles of healing, subsequently transferred to Constantinople, hand to Trinity Sergius Lavra ; Jerusalem; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on September 15; the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), Saint Stephen appeared three times to a pious old priest named Lukianos revealed to him the place where his relics had been hidden. informed Patriarch John of Jerusalem, who went to the designated spot and found the sacred relics of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen. the Saint’s relics were discovered, there was a great earthquake and those who were present noticed a beautiful fragrance suffusing the whole area. is said that angelic voices were heard from Heaven saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will” (Luke 2:14). is to say, “Glory be to God in the highest places of Heaven, and here on this earth troubled by sin, may divine peace reign; for God has demonstrated His good will toward mankind, by the Incarnation of His Son.” the angels made it clear that the Protomartyr Stephen had endured martyrdom for the love and glory of God. 415, the relics of Saints Stephen, Gamaliel, and Νikόdēmos were miraculously discovered and solemnly transferred to Jerusalem by Archbishop John, with Bishops Eutonius of Sebaste and Eleutherius of Jericho. that time on, the relics began to work miracles of healing. in the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), the relics of the holy Protomartyr Stephen were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople placed in the church dedicated to the holy Deacon Laurence (August 10), and were transferred there on August 2, until a church could be built in honor of Saint Stephen. Stephen’s right hand is kept in the Serapion Chamber of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Constantinople, 420, Saint Passarion, founded a Jerusalem monastery, vicar-bishop oPalestine, converser wEuthymius tGreat
Saint Passarion, Commemorated on August 11; Passarion pursued asceticism in the first half of the fifth century. founded a monastery in Jerusalem. was “chorepiskopos” [vicar-bishop] of Palestine, a converser with Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20).

Constantinople, 420-450, Xenia oRome, tAvoid marriage, sailed tMilas, Roman senator's daughter, she bought land, built monastery
Ephesus, 420-450, Xenia oRome, avoiding marriage, sailed tMilas, Caria, Near Ephesus, Roman senator's daughter, met Milas Monastery head on ship, through God, he took her and her 2 servants there, she bought land, built church, founded woman's monastery, Milas Bishop made her Deaconess, helped everyone, for destitute a benefactress, forgrief-stricken a comforter, for sinners a guide to repentence, She deeply humble, she reported self most sinfull of all, Guided by Euthymius oPalestine, many souls tChrist, died 450 wPraying; Milas, Caria, Near Ephesus; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24; Xenia of Rome, in the world Eusebia, was the only daughter of an eminent Roman senator. her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid the marriage arranged for her. secretly left her parental home with two servants devoted to her, and set sail upon a ship. the Providence of God she met the head of the monastery of the holy Apostle Andrew in Milassa, a town of Caria (Asia Minor). besought him to take her and her companions to Milassa. also changed her name, calling herself Xenia [which means “stranger” or “foreigner” in Greek]. Milassa she bought land, built a church dedicated to Saint Stephen, and founded a woman’s monastery. after this, Bishop Paul of Milassa made Xenia a deaconess, because of her virtuous life. saint helped everyone: the destitute, she was a benefactress; the grief-stricken, a comforter; sinners, a guide to repentance. possessed a deep humility, accounting herself the worst and most sinful of all. her ascetic deeds she was guided by the counsels of the Palestinian ascetic, Saint Euthymius. sublime life of Saint Xenia drew many souls to Christ. holy virgin died in 450 while she was praying. her funeral, a luminous wreath of stars surrounding a radiant cross appeared over the monastery in the heavens. sign accompanied the body of the saint when it was carried into the city, remained until the saint’s burial. of the sick received healing after touching the relics of the saint. the death of Saint Xenia, first one of her former servants died, then the other. were buried at the saint’s feet.

Constantinople, 420-425, John tHut Dweller, rich p, monk, homesick, pauper aParents gate, 3days, Fancy Gospel ID's him, buried t
Bythinia, 420-425, John Calabytes, tHut Dweller, son rich illustrious, born 401 Constantinople, fine ed, mastered rhetoric philosoply by 12, loved spiritual books, parents gave him fancy gospel, read it constantly, monk came back to take him, tBithynia secretly, Unsleeping Ones M, monk tonsure, ascetic zeal: unceasing prayer, obedience, abstinence, work perseverance, after 6yrs temptations, regretted leaving parents, burning desire see them, returned as beggar, settled parents gates, father gave him food, oppressed insulted by servants, cold frost, unceasingly conversing wLord&Holy Angels, Lord appeared before his death told him 3days to go Heavenly Kingdom, askes steward give mother message come to him, curious but did not want to go, another message saying he die 3days, thanked her for charity, told her God would reward her, made her promise bury him beneath his hut in his rags, only then gave her his Gospel, tConsole in this life & guide to next life, Husband said it the one he commissioned, he admitted he was their child, they embraced him wTears oJoy, church built on place of hut, beside it a hostel fStrangers, they buried in that church, 12th C crusaders took head to Besancon France, other relics tRome; Bithyninum, Bithynia ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable John Calabytes “the Hut-Dweller”, Commemorated on January 15; John the Hut-Dweller was the son of rich and illustrious parents, was born in Constantinople in the early fifth century. received a fine education, and he mastered rhetoric and philosophy by the age of twelve. also loved to read spiritual books. the vanity of worldly life, he chose the path that was narrow and extremely difficult. with longing to enter a monastery, he confided his intention to a passing monk. made him promise to come back for him when he returned from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and take him to his monastery. asked his parents for a Gospel so that he might study the words of Christ. John’s parents hired a calligrapher to copy the text, and had the volume bound in a golden cover studded with gems. read the Gospel constantly, delighting in the Savior’s words. monk kept his promise to come back for John, and they went secretly to Bithynia. At the monastery of the “Unsleeping” (Akoimitoi), he received monastic tonsure. The young monk began his ascetical labors with zeal, astonishing the brethren with his unceasing prayer, humble obedience, strict abstinence, and perseverance at work. six years, he began to undergo temptations. He remembered his parents, how much they loved him, and what sorrow he caused them. He regretted leaving them, and was filled with a burning desire to see them again. John explained his situation to the igumen Saint Marcellus (December 29) and he asked to be released from the monastery. He begged the igumen for his blessing and prayers to return home. He bid farewell to the brethren, hoping that by their prayers and with the help of God, he would both see his parents and overcome the snares of the devil. The igumen then blessed him for his journey. John returned to Constantinople, not to resume his former life of luxury, but dressed as a beggar, and unknown to anyone. settled in a corner by the gates of his parents’ home. father noticed the “pauper,” and began to send him food from his table, for the sake of Christ. lived in a small hut for three years, oppressed and insulted by the servants, enduring cold and frost, unceasingly conversing with the Lord and the holy angels. his death, the Lord appeared to the monk in a vision, revealing that the end of his sorrows was approaching, and that in three days he would be taken into the Heavenly Kingdom. he asked the steward to give his mother a message to come to him, for he had something to say to her. first, she did not wish to go, but she was curious to know what this beggar had to say to her. he sent her another message, saying that he would die in three days. thanked her for the charity he had received, and told her that God would reward her for it. then made her promise to bury him beneath his hut, dressed in his rags. then did the saint give her his Gospel, which he always carried with him, saying, “May this console you in this life, and guide you to the next life.” showed the Gospel to her husband, saying that it was similar to the one they had given their son. He realized that it was, in fact, the very Gospel they had commissioned for John. went back to the gates, intending to ask the pauper where he got the Gospel, and if he knew anything about their son. to restrain himself any longer, he admitted that he was their child. tears of joy they embraced him, weeping because he had endured privation for so long at the very gates of his parental home. saint died in the mid-fifth century, when he was not quite twenty-five years old. the place of his burial the parents built a church, and beside it a hostel for strangers. they died, they were buried in the church they had built. the twelfth century the head of the saint was taken by Crusaders to Besançon (in France), other relics of the saint were taken to Rome.

Constantinople, 420-458, Euphrosyne oAlexandria, she wanted monastic, entered father's monastery, counciled him incognito
Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, only child of rich illustrious parents, raised by her father, a deeply believing and pious christian, Igumen was his spiritual father, at 18 father wanted her to marry, so he went to his Igumen for blessing, Igumen talked with Euphrosyne, gave blessing, but E wanted monastic life, she accepted tonsure from wandering monk, left her house, decided enter monastery, father would find her in woman's so she entered father's monastery as Smaragdos, not knowing, her father sent to S, 38 yrs, death approaching she told her father and asked him to by himself prepare her for burial, after burial Paphnutius gave his wealth and became monk in her cell; Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria; - Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15: Euphrosyne of Alexandria was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child in her family of illustrious and rich parents. her mother died early, she was raised by her father, Paphnutius, a deeply believing and pious Christian. frequented a monastery, the igumen of which was his spiritual guide. Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to his spiritual guide to receive his blessing for the planned wedding of his daughter. igumen conversed with the daughter and gave her his blessing, but Saint Euphrosyne yearned for the monastic life. secretly accepted tonsure from a wandering monk, left her father’s house and decided to enter a monastery in order to lead her life in solitude and prayer. feared, however, that in a women’s monastery her father would find her. herself the eunuch Smaragdos, she went to the very same men’s monastery which she had visited with her father since childhood. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s garb, and so they accepted her into the monastery. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosyne spent 38 years in works, fasting and prayer, and attained a high level of spiritual accomplishment. father grieved over the loss of his beloved daughter and more than once, on the advice of the igumen, he conversed with the monk Smaragdos, revealing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, the nun Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving father and asked that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. buried his daughter, Paphnutius distributed all his wealth to both the poor and to the monastery, and then he accepted monasticism. ten years right up to his own death, he labored in the cell of his daughter. Euphrosyne is also commemorated on September 25. Venerable Paphnutius and Euphrosynē of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Story as above venerable Mother Euphrosynē was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child of illustrious and wealthy parents. she was twelve years old, her mother reposed, and so the girl was raised by her Father, Paphnutios, was a very devout Christian. was in the habit of visiting a certain monastery, where the Igoumen was his Spiritual Father. Euphrosynē turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to obtain the Igoumen's blessing for his daughter's wedding. Igoumen talked with her and gave her his blessing, Saint Euphrosynē longed for the monastic life. day, she gave away her possessions to the poor, and then she snuck out of the house. Saint had decided to enter a monastery in order to spend her life in solitude and prayer, she was afraid that her father was apt to find find her in a women’s monastery. she disguised herself as a man and entered the same men's monastery which she had visited with her father from her childhood, herself Smaragdos. monks did not recognize Euphrosynē dressed in men’s clothes, and so they received her into the monastery. monks were impressed by her spiritual struggles and by her willingness to serve everyone. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosynē spent 38 years in spiritual endeavors, fasting and prayer, thereby attaining a high level of spiritual accomplishment. was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved daughter; than once, on the advice of his Spiritual Father, he spoke to the "monk" Smaragdos, disclosing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, Saint Euphrosynē revealed her secret to her grieving parent insisted that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. he buried his daughter, Paphnutios distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the monastery, then he was tonsured. ten years, until the time of his own repose, he labored in his daughter's cell. her life, Saint Euphrosynē reminds us that we must renounce "worldly passions and live soberly, uprightly, and devoutly" (Titus 2:12). is, after rejecting the desires of this vain and sinful world, we ought to live abstemiously, with justice toward our fellow human beings, and with piety toward God. Euphrosynē and her father are also commemorated on September 25.

Constantinople, 420-458, Euphrosyne oAlexandria, virtuous father, E rejected his desire for htMarry, E became accomplished monk
Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, only child wealthy parents, at 12 mother reposed, raised by devout father Paphnutios, who often visited spiritual father igumen at monastery, at 18 her father wanted her to marry, got igumen's blessing, igumen talked tE amd blessed her, but E longed for monastic spiritual life, she gave possessions and snuck out, to avoid capture at woman's monastery she went to her father's favorite m, to spend life in solitude and prayer, disguised as a man, calling self Smaragdos, monks impressed by her spiritual struggles, willingness to serve, spent 38 yrs, spiritual endeavors fasting prayer, high level spiritual accomplishment, Paphnutions deeply saddened, more than once P spoke with S receiving spiritual comfort, before her death E spoke with her father revealing secret, insisting he prepare her body, after burial P distributed wealth and was tonsured, monk 10 yrs in daughter's cell, Euphrosyne reminds us we must renounce worldly passions, live soberly, uprightly, devoutly (Titus 2:12), rejecting desires of vain sinful world; Alexandria; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 25 ; venerable Mother Euphrosyne (Euphrosynē) was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child of illustrious and wealthy parents. she was twelve years old, her mother reposed, and so the girl was raised by her Father, Paphnutios, who was a very devout Christian. was in the habit of visiting a certain monastery, where the Igoumen was his Spiritual Father. Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to obtain the Igoumen's blessing for his daughter's wedding. Igoumen talked with her and gave her his blessing, Saint Euphrosyne longed for the monastic life. day, she gave away her possessions to the poor, and then she snuck out of the house. Saint had decided to enter a monastery in order to spend her life in solitude and prayer, she was afraid that her father was apt to find find her in a women’s monastery. she disguised herself as a man and entered the same men's monastery which she had visited with her father from her childhood, herself Smaragdos. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s clothes, so they received her into the monastery. monks were impressed by her spiritual struggles and by her willingness to serve everyone. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosyne spent 38 years spiritual endeavors, fasting and prayer, thereby attaining a high level of spiritual accomplishment. was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved daughter; than once, on the advice of his Spiritual Father, he spoke to the "monk" Smaragdos, disclosing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, Saint Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving parent insisted that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. he buried his daughter, Paphnutios distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the monastery, and then he was tonsured. ten years, until the time of his own repose, he labored in his daughter's cell. her life, Saint Euphrosyne reminds us that we must renounce "worldly passions and live soberly, uprightly, and devoutly" (Titus 2:12). is, after rejecting the desires of this vain and sinful world, ought to live abstemiously (not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking), justice toward our fellow human beings, and with piety toward God. Paphnutios and his daughter Saint Euphrosyne are both commemorated today, and once again on February 15.

Constantinople, 420-458, Paphnutius, Euphrosyne's Father, she counciled him incognito, He buried her then was monk in her cell
Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, only child of rich illustrious parents, raised by her father, a deeply believing and pious christian, Igumen was his spiritual father, at 18 father wanted her to marry, so he went to his Igumen for blessing, Igumen talked with Euphrosyne, gave blessing, but E wanted monastic life, she accepted tonsure from wandering monk, left her house, decided enter monastery, father would find her in woman's so she entered father's monastery as Smaragdos, not knowing, her father sent to S, 38 yrs, death approaching she told her father and asked him to by himself prepare her for burial, after burial Paphnutius gave his wealth and became monk in her cell; Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria; - Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15: Euphrosyne of Alexandria was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child in her family of illustrious and rich parents. her mother died early, she was raised by her father, Paphnutius, a deeply believing and pious Christian. frequented a monastery, the igumen of which was his spiritual guide. Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to his spiritual guide to receive his blessing for the planned wedding of his daughter. igumen conversed with the daughter and gave her his blessing, but Saint Euphrosyne yearned for the monastic life. secretly accepted tonsure from a wandering monk, left her father’s house and decided to enter a monastery in order to lead her life in solitude and prayer. feared, however, that in a women’s monastery her father would find her. herself the eunuch Smaragdos, she went to the very same men’s monastery which she had visited with her father since childhood. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s garb, and so they accepted her into the monastery. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosyne spent 38 years in works, fasting and prayer, and attained a high level of spiritual accomplishment. father grieved over the loss of his beloved daughter and more than once, on the advice of the igumen, he conversed with the monk Smaragdos, revealing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, the nun Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving father and asked that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. buried his daughter, Paphnutius distributed all his wealth to both the poor and to the monastery, and then he accepted monasticism. ten years right up to his own death, he labored in the cell of his daughter. Euphrosyne is also commemorated on September 25. Venerable Paphnutius and Euphrosynē of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Story as above venerable Mother Euphrosynē was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child of illustrious and wealthy parents. she was twelve years old, her mother reposed, and so the girl was raised by her Father, Paphnutios, was a very devout Christian. was in the habit of visiting a certain monastery, where the Igoumen was his Spiritual Father. Euphrosynē turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to obtain the Igoumen's blessing for his daughter's wedding. Igoumen talked with her and gave her his blessing, Saint Euphrosynē longed for the monastic life. day, she gave away her possessions to the poor, and then she snuck out of the house. Saint had decided to enter a monastery in order to spend her life in solitude and prayer, she was afraid that her father was apt to find find her in a women’s monastery. she disguised herself as a man and entered the same men's monastery which she had visited with her father from her childhood, herself Smaragdos. monks did not recognize Euphrosynē dressed in men’s clothes, and so they received her into the monastery. monks were impressed by her spiritual struggles and by her willingness to serve everyone. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosynē spent 38 years in spiritual endeavors, fasting and prayer, thereby attaining a high level of spiritual accomplishment. was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved daughter; than once, on the advice of his Spiritual Father, he spoke to the "monk" Smaragdos, disclosing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, Saint Euphrosynē revealed her secret to her grieving parent insisted that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. he buried his daughter, Paphnutios distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the monastery, then he was tonsured. ten years, until the time of his own repose, he labored in his daughter's cell. her life, Saint Euphrosynē reminds us that we must renounce "worldly passions and live soberly, uprightly, and devoutly" (Titus 2:12). is, after rejecting the desires of this vain and sinful world, we ought to live abstemiously, with justice toward our fellow human beings, and with piety toward God. Euphrosynē and her father are also commemorated on September 25.

Byzantium, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint, hellenic writer
Jerusalem, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint; Eudocia Augusta (c. 401-460 AD), also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity existed side by side, with both pagans and non-orthodox Christians being persecuted.[1] life Eudocia was born circa 400 in Athens into a family of Greek descent.[2][3][4][5][6] father, a Greek philosopher named Leontius,[5][6][7] taught rhetoric at the Academy of Athens, where people from all over the Mediterranean came to either teach or learn. given name was Athenais, chosen by her parents in honour of the city's protector, the pagan goddess Pallas Athena.[8] father was rich and had a magnificent house on the Acropolis with a large courtyard in which young Athenais frequently played as a child.[8] Athenais was 12 years old, her mother died and she became her father's comfort, taking on the responsibilities of household chores, raising her siblings and tending to her father. She had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law. In return for her household activities, her father spent time giving her a thorough training in rhetoric, literature and philosophy. taught her the Socratic virtue of knowledge of moderation, and predicted that she would have a great destiny.[9] had a gift for memorisation, and easily learned the poetry of Homer and Pindar, which her father would recite to her. Both as a teacher and a role model, he had a great impact on her, prepared her for her destiny and influenced the literary work she created after she became Empress. he died in 420, she was devastated. In his will, he left all his property to her brothers, with only 100 coins reserved for her, saying that sufficient for her is her destiny, which will be the greatest of any woman.[9] had been her father's confidante and had expected more than this meager 100-coin inheritance. She begged her brothers to be fair and give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused. after her father's death, at the age of 20, Athenais went to live with her aunt, who advised her to go to Constantinople and "ask for justice from the Emperor", confident she would receive her fair share of her father's wealth.[10] as an empress coin depicting a portrait of Aelia Eudocia, 425–429 AD. has it that when Theodosius (b. 401) was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sister Pulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was of either "patrician or imperial blood."[11] His longtime childhood friend, Paulinus, also helped Theodosius in his search.[11] Emperor's search had begun fortuitously at the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young woman, who had only 100 coins to her name, and when she met her, she was "astonished at her beauty and at the intelligence and sophistication with which she presented her grievance."[11] Upon reporting back to her brother, she told him she had "found a young girl, a Greek maid, very beautiful, pure and dainty, eloquent as well, the daughter of a philosopher", and young Theodosius, who was full of desire, fell in love instantly.[11] had been raised pagan, and upon her marriage to Theodosius II converted to Christianity and was renamed Eudocia.[12] They were married on 7 June 421, and there were "reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in the hippodrome".[13] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father's death, fled since they were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive when they learned that she became empress.[14] instead called them to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.[14] The emperor made Gessius praetorian prefect of Illyricum and made Valerius magister officiorum.[14] Both Gessius and Valerius were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mistreatment of her was part of her destiny.[14] Theodosius also honoured his best friend, Paulinus, with the title of magister officiorum, for he had helped find his wife.[14] rags-to-riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that the tale may have been twisted due to the detail of how the romance was portrayed. The earliest version of this story appeared more than a century after Eudocia's death in the "World Chronicle" of John Malalas, "an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs".[15] facts are that she was the daughter of Leontius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according to the contemporary historians Socrates of Constantinople, and Priscus of Panion; however, they leave out any mention of Pulcheria's role in playing match-maker for her brother.[13] The historians Sozomen and Theodoret did not include Eudocia in their respective historical works, perhaps because they wrote after 443 when Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[15] Christianity with classical culture on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in spring of 438, Eudocia stopped in Antioch, and during her stay she addressed the senate of that city in Hellenic style (i.e., an encomium cast in Homeric hexameters) and distributed funds for the repair of its buildings.[6][16] was very conscious of her Greek heritage, as demonstrated in her famous address to the citizens of Antioch where she quoted a famous line by Homer: (Of your proud line and blood I claim to be).[6][16][17][18] last words of Eudocia's oration brought loud acclaim from the listeners, which resulted in the citizens of Antioch celebrating the Empress Eudocia's Christian Hellenism and commemorating her by erecting a golden statue of her in the curia and a bronze statue in the museum.[17][18][19] On her return, her position was undermined by the jealousy of Pulcheria and the groundless suspicion of an intrigue with her protege, Paulinus, the master of the offices.[20] historical study Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982) by Kenneth Holum, further introduced the suggestion that her father, Leontius, was a native of Antioch rather than Athens, drawing from the "traditional link" between the two cities and their philosophers. argument is considered doubtful as the building activity of Eudocia in the 420s focused on Athens rather than Antioch.[21] Holum suggests that Eudocia may have been named after the great city of Athens, but she would have been born in Antioch. She even convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".[22] she also influenced state policy towards pagans and Jews under her husband's reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[22] also advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.[23] Eudocia had been raised and educated in traditional and classical sophist education from Athens, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity. This was her way of using her power as empress to honour teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life. also built the original Church of St. Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughter Anicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century. had three children with Theodosius II.[24][25] Licinia Eudoxia, born in 422, was the oldest. Licinia Eudoxia had been betrothed to her cousin, the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III since her birth, whom she married on 29 October 437.[26] The second child, Flaccilla, died in 431.[24] Arcadius was the only son and died in infancy. Only a year after she gave birth to her first child, Eudocia was proclaimed Augusta by her husband on 2 January 423.[27] to Jerusalem (438–439) mosaic depicting Eudocia in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria. being named Augusta, she succeeded her sister-in-law, Pulcheria, who had been Augusta since 414. The relationship between the two women consisted of rivalry over power. Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Eudocia could claim from her. Their relationship created a "pious atmosphere" in the imperial court, and probably explains why Eudocia travelled to the Holy Land in 438.[28] went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[24] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much pleading from Melania, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theodosius allowed her to go.[29] 443, Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained. One rumor has it that Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery. Theodosius suspected that she was having an affair with his long-time childhood friend and court advisor, Paulinus.[24] According to Malalas's account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very large Phrygian apple as a gift. One day Paulinus had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it. Eudocia's denials made the emperor believe that she had fallen in love with Paulinus and was having an affair, and had given his best friend the same apple he had given to her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinus executed and Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.[16] the other hand, Marcellinus' version suggests intrigues of Theodosius and Eudocia against each other: on Theodosius' orders, comes domesticorum Saturninus killed two allies of the empress, and in revenge, she went on to have Saturninus assassinated.[contradictory] Theodosius subsequently deprived Eudocia of her royal attendants, prompting her to leave the palace.[30] Whatever the cause of her departure may be, she still retained her wealth and the title Augusta. Jerusalem (443–460) returned to Jerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life. In Jerusalem she focused on her writing. Here she was accused of the murder of an officer sent to kill two of her followers,[contradictory] for which she suffered the loss of her imperial staff;[12] she nevertheless retained great influence. involved in the revolt of the Syriac Monophysites (453), she was ultimately reconciled to Pulcheria and readmitted into the Orthodox Church. died an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on 20 October 460,[2] having devoted her last years to literature.[20] She was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of Saint Stephen,[31] one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem[32] (modern St. Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site). The empress never returned to the imperial court in Constantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantial euergetistic programs."[33] work Eudocia. Colored stone inlay on marble from church of Lips monastery (Fenari Isa Mosque), Fatih, Istanbul. Archeological Museum. after her accession as an empress, Eudocia wrote a hexameter poem eulogizing the Roman performance in the Persian wars of 421–22. The work is now lost. While Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia "wrote in hexameters, which is the verse of epic poetry, on Christian themes".[24] She wrote a poem entitled The Martyrdom of St. Cyprian in three books, of which 900 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths at Hamat Gader.[24] Her most studied piece of literature is her Homeric cento, which has been analyzed recently by a few modern scholars, such as Mark Usher and Brian Sowers. Eudocia is an understudied poet and has been neglected due to "lack of complete and authoritative text".[34] of St. Cyprian are three books (or volumes) to this epic poem, which tells the story of how "Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magician Cyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversion of Cyprian, his swift rise to the rank of Bishop, and Justa becoming a deaconess, with the new name, Justina."[35] She later became known as Justina of Antioch. This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia's character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as both of them converted to Christianity and changed their names upon succeeding to power. Although some of the text has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased by Photius. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found in Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (2004) edited by Michael Ian Plant. The Hamat Gader poem poem inscribed on the baths at Hamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool. inscription of the poem I have seen many wonders in my life, countless, But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean, Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams. From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there, On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid. Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty. Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah, Antoninus the Good, Dewy Galatia, and Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small, Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's. For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting. But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom For the benefit of speaking mortals. — [36] line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names include Hygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holy Elijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.[37] centos Homeric centos that Eudocia composed are her most popular poems, as well as those most analyzed by modern scholars, because Homer was a popular choice on which to write a cento. Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.[35] These centos are a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in—an epic poem combining her Athenian classical educational background, but adding stories from the book of Genesis and the New Testament stories of the life of Jesus Christ. Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the Bible. She used themes from the Iliad and Odyssey because "they contained all Eudocia needed to tell the Gospel story. Whenever and wherever Eudocia needed to express greatness, pain, truthfulness, deceit, beauty, suffering, mourning, recognition, understanding, fear, or astonishment, there was an apt Homeric line or passage ready in her memory to be recalled."[38] Eudocia's Homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in the Eastern Roman Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent. She made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature to her Christian beliefs. is regarded as saint in non-Protestant Christianity. Her feast day is 13 August. plot of Antonio Vivaldi's opera Atenaide is based on the courtship and marriage of Eudocia and Theodosius. is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[39][40] Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics; (died 457) was one of the leading Christian monks of Palestine opposed to the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was installed as bishop of Jerusalem in opposition Juvenal in 451 or 452, but was forced into exile by the emperor Marcian in 453.[1][2] about his life comes mainly from the works of John Rufus. These include a biography of Peter the Iberian and a narration of Theodosius' exile and death, the Narratio de obitu Theodosii Hierosolymitani. The latter is a short text known only from the Syriac version in two manuscripts.[3] Rufus describes Theodosius as a confessor and martyr.[4] A complementary anti-Chalcedonian Syriac account is found in Pseudo-Zacharias Rhetor.[5] A Chalcedonian version of events is given in Cyril of Scythopolis' biography of Euthymius the Great.[2] Juvenal returned to Jerusalem from Chalcedon in 451, many monks and clergy tried to persuade him to recant his acceptance of the council's canons. When he refused, they elected Theodosius as bishop in opposition and Juvenal fled.[5] Theodosius consecrated many anti-Chalcedonian bishops, including Peter the Iberian in the diocese of Maiuma.[2] When Juvenal returned with imperial troops in August 453, there were briefly two active bishops in the city.[6] Theodosius, however, accepted a sentence of exile and did not fight.[2] The bishops he consecrated, except for Peter, were deposed.[7] first went to Egypt or perhaps Sinai.[4] He then went to Antioch, perhaps to secure the support of Symeon Stylites, but was arrested at the city gates. On the orders of Marcian, he was brought to Constantinople. When he refused Marcian's entreaties to accept Chalcedon, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Saint Dios. When the abbot of that house was unable to win him over, he moved him to a narrow unheated cell for the winter. Theodosius fell seriously ill. When Leo I succeeded Marcian, he turned Theodosius over to the custody of the anti-Chalcedonian monks of Sykai. The deposed bishop died only a few days later.[8] His body was taken to Cyprus to prevent the Chalcedonians from stealing it to claim he had changed his mind. It was buried in an anti-Chalcedonian monastery.[4] The Narratio records that Theodosius' companion, Abban Romanus, was recalled to Palestine after his death.[3] the Coptic Orthodox Church, Theodosius was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy against Chalcedonism. Two works are attributed to him, but both are late Coptic forgeries. The first, In Honor of Victor, is a biography of the martyr Victor Stratelates. It is a poorly written text describing the virtues of Victor and the miracles he performed at Jerusalem. It is preserved in a codex from the White Monastery. The second, The Miracles of Saint George, is a homily on the miracles of Saint George, mostly surrounding the construction of his shrine in Jaffa.[2] Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Repentence) The saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years.

Constantinople, 420-473, Auxentius, oMt St Auxentius, Near Chalcedon, 4th EC Confessor, spiritual sight, many monasteries
Bithynia, 420-473, Saint Auxentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia, served Theodosius tYounger's court, virtuous learned wise man, moreover friend many pious men, distressed by worldly vanity, became priest and monk, then tSolitary place Mt Oxia near Chalcedon, shepherds discovered him spread tNews, people came fHealing, healed many, invited to 4th EC 451, denounced Eutychian&Nestorian heresies, easily bested opponents because knew scripture and theology, returned to solitary cell, with spiritual sight saw repose st simeon tStylite long distance, died 470 leaving disciplese & many monasteries in Bithynia, buried at Rufiananas, syria, Hypatius's monastery; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Auxentius, by origin a Syrian, served at the court of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (418-450). was known as a virtuous, learned and wise man, he was, moreover, a friend of many of the pious men of his era. by worldly vanity, Saint Auxentius was ordained to the holy priesthood, and then received monastic tonsure. this he went to Bithynia and found a solitary place on Mount Oxia, not far from Chalcedon, there he began the life of a hermit (this mountain was afterwards called Mt. Auxentius). place of the saint’s efforts was discovered by shepherds seeking their lost sheep. They told others about him, and people began to come to him for healing. Auxentius healed many of the sick and the infirm in the name of the Lord. the year 451 Saint Auxentius was invited to the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon, he denounced the Eutychian and Nestorian heresies. with Holy Scripture and learned in theology, Saint Auxentius easily bested those opponents who disputed with him. the end of the Council, Saint Auxentius returned to his solitary cell on the mountain. his spiritual sight he saw the repose of Saint Simeon the Stylite (459) from a great distance. Auxentius died about the year 470, leaving behind him disciples many monasteries in the region of Bithynia. was buried in the Monastery of Saint Hypatius at Rufiananas, Syria.

Constantinople, 420-480, Daniel t Stylite, Samosata, Armenia, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, Thrace w
Syria, 420-480, Daniel the Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), mother dedicated him, after 5 yrs received name, left for manastery at 12, angelic garb, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, ascetic life, S place vision, Thrace wilderness, on p 33 yrs, healing, prayers for B Emperors, great fire prophecy, gracious words, 80 yrs; Samosata; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years of age. boy’s parents desired that since he was born through the good-will of God, he should also receive his name from God. took their son to a monastery located nearby and approached the igumen. The igumen gave orders to take down one of the service books, and unrolled it at random. He found the Prophet Daniel (December 17) mentioned in it. Thus did the boy receive his name. parents asked that he might remain at the monastery, but the igumen would not accept him, since he was still only a small boy. At twelve years of age, saying nothing to anyone, the child left home for the monastery. parents were happy when they learned where their son was, and they went to the monastery. Seeing that he was still going about in his worldly clothes, they besought that the igumen should clothe him in the angelic garb. That Sunday the igumen fulfilled their request, but permitted them often to visit their son. The brethren of the monastery were astonished at the saint’s ascetical efforts. Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1) visited the monastery. He foretold to the young monk that he too would undertake the feat of pillar-dwelling. Daniel continued with his ascetic life in seclusion. the place of a new exploit was revealed to him in a vision, he withdrew into the Thracian wilderness together with two disciples. They set up a pillar, upon which Saint Daniel dwelt for 33 years. thronged to the pillar, the unfortunate and those who were sick, and all received help and healing from Saint Daniel. emperors also sought the prayers of the holy ascetic. most notable of the saint’s predictions was about a great fire in Constantinople. Saint Daniel possessed also the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives. The monk reposed in his eightieth year.

Constantinople, 420-480, Romanos o Cilicia, cave near Antioch, fasting, hair shirt chains, no fire, miracles grace, h infertile
Cilicia, 420-480, Venerable Romanos of Cilicia of Asia Minor, cave near Antioch, Syria, fasting, heavy chains under hair shirt, no fire, miracles grace, crowds, healed infertility; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Venerable Romanos of Cilicia, Commemorated on November 27; Romanos was from the city of Roson in Cilicia, he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanos reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on February 9. Romanos is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Constantinople, 420-480, Romanos oCilicia, lived iCave near Antioch, great miracles but, right works tBig Deal
Cilicia, 450, 5th Century, Romanos oCilicia, Region of Asia Minor, lived in cave near Antioch, from Roson, heavy chains, hair shirt, no fire for many years, grace of working miracles, great crowds, healed grave ilnesses, healed infertility, not proud for miracles, think stand take heed lest fall, miracles no big deal, righteousness the big deal Antioch (Orontes River 7); Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Romanós of Cilicia, Commemorated on February 9; Romanós was from the city of Rosón in Cilicia, but he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. The Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanós reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on November 27. Romanós is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. Some of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Constantinople, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, left hubby, igumen iHoms&Beriut&Constan, miraculous gifts, paradise v
Lykaonia, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, fPerge (Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, left marriage, hid in men's monastery, discovered by pierced ear&dreams, to women's m in emesa aka Homs, became igumen, miraculous healing gifts, husband coming, tJerusalem, tMt Sinai, t abandoned Temple in Beriut, converted local pagans, formed monastery there, God's will fulfilled per Dream, tConstantinople, husband had died, founded monastery strict rule virtuous life, vision in extreme old age 100 of her place in Paradise Perge; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Matrona, Abbess of Constantinople was born in the city of Perge Pamphylia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century. gave her in marriage to a wealthy man named Dometian. her daughter Theodota was born, they resettled in Constantinople. twenty-five-year-old Matrona loved to walk to the temple of God. She spent entire days there, ardently praying to the Lord and weeping for her sins. the church the saint met two pious Eldresses, Eugenia and Susanna, who from their youth lived there in asceticism, work and prayer. began to imitate the God-pleasing life of an ascetic, humbling her flesh by abstinence and fasting, which she had to endure criticism by her husband. soul yearned for a full renunciation of the world. long hesitation, Saint Matrona decided to leave her family entreated the Lord to reveal whether her intent was pleasing to Him. The Lord heard the prayer of His servant. during a light sleep, she had a dream that she had fled from her husband, who was in pursuit of her. The saint concealed herself in a crowd of monks approaching her, and her husband did not notice her. accepted this dream as a divine directive to enter a men’s monastery, where her husband would not think to look for her. gave her fifteen-year-old daughter to be raised by the Eldress Susanna, having cut her own hair and disguised herself in men’s attire, she went to the monastery of Saint Bassion (October 10). the Nun Matrona passed herself off as the eunuch Babylos and was accepted as one of the brethren. lest the monks learn that she was a woman, the saint passed her time in constant quietude and much work. The brethren marveled at the great virtue of Babylos. time the saint was working in the monastery vineyard with the other monks. The novice monk Barnabas noted that her ear-lobe was pierced and asked about it. “It is necessary, brother, to till the soil and not watch other people, which is not proper for a monk,” answered the saint. a certain while it was revealed in a dream to Saint Bassion, the igumen of the monastery, that the eunuch Babylos was a woman. was also revealed to Acacius, igumen of the nearby Abraham monastery. Bassion summoned Saint Matrona and asked in a threatening voice why she had entered the monastery: to corrupt the monks, or to shame the monastery. tears the saint told the igumen about all her past life, about her husband, hostile to her efforts and prayers, and about the vision directing her to go to the men’s monastery. that her intent was pure and chaste, Saint Bassion sent Saint Matrona to a women’s monastery in the city of Emesa. In this monastery the saint dwelt for many years, inspiring the sisters by her high monastic achievement. When the Abbess died, by the unanimous wish of the nuns the Nun Matrona became head of the convent. fame of her virtuous activities, and miraculous gift of healing, which she acquired from the Lord, spread far beyond the walls of the monastery. also heard about the deeds of the nun. Saint Matrona learned that her husband was coming to the monastery and wanted to see her, she secretly went off to Jerusalem, and then to Mount Sinai, from there to Beirut, where she settled in an abandoned pagan temple. local inhabitants learned of her seclusion, and began to come to her. The holy ascetic turned many from their pagan impiety and converted them to Christ. and girls began to settle by the dwelling of the nun and soon a new monastery was formed. fulfilled the will of God, revealed to her in a dream, the saint left Beirut and journeyed to Constantinople where she learned that her husband had died. the blessing of her spiritual Father, Saint Bassion, the ascetic founded a women’s monastery in Constantinople, to which sisters from the Beirut convent she founded also transferred. Constantinople monastery of Saint Matrona was known for its strict monastic rule and the virtuous life of its sisters. extreme old age Saint Matrona had a vision of the heavenly Paradise and the place prepared for her there after 75 years of monastic labor. At the age of one hundred, Saint Matrona blessed the sisters,and quietly fell asleep in the Lord.

Constantinople, 421, Hodegetria Icon, tFirst icon, bLuke, grace of Jesus with it, rescued fPalestine, bEudokia, gift fPoulkheri
Constantinople, 421, Hodegetria Icon, Monastery of the Guides or Hodegon Monastery, Hodegetria Icon, the first icon, by Luke, Megalynarion 1, grace of Jesus with it, rescued fPalestine, bEudokia, gift fPoulkheria, Guides Monastery, tBlachernae Church, countless miracles, like 717 Arab rescue, destroyed 1453 C Fall; Monastery of the Guides or Hodegon Monastery; Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God (Παναγία Οδηγήτρια), Commemorated on June 20; Hodegetria (Hodēgḗtria) Icon of the Mother of God is historically the first icon of the Church, by the Holy Evangelist Luke, we sing in the Megalynarion1 of the Canon of Supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos: the lips of all the ungodly who do not venerate your sacred Hodegetria Icon, which the Holy Evangelist Luke has depicted for us, be silenced." to the tradition of the Synaxaristés, Luke painted the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from life, and she received it with great joy and blessed it saying, the grace of Him Who was bBorn of me be with this Icon." Icon, which was rescued from Palestine, sent to Constantinople, during the reign of Theodosios II the Younger Empress Eudokίa, a gift to the Emperor's sister, Saint Poulkherίa,2 placed it in the Monastery of the Guides (Μονή των Οδηγών), which she founded. it was moved to the Blachernae church. Icon performed countless miracles, as the rescue of Constantinople from the Arabs in the year 717. was destroyed by the Ottomans during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. copy of the Icon can be found in the Monastery of Xenophontos on Mount Athos. Mother of God holds her Divine Child with her left hand, with her right hand she indicates that the way we must follow on our earthly pilgrimage is that which leads us to Christ, said: "I am the way (οδός), and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6). 1 Chanted after Ode 9. 2 Saint Poulkherίa is commemorated on February 17 in Greek usage, and on September 10 by the Slavic churches.

Byzantium, 423-455, Emperor, Valentian III, Western half, weak, dominated by generals, civil wars, Atilla
Byzantine Emperor, 423-455, Valentian III ; III (Latin: Placidus Valentinianus; 2 July 419 – 16 March 455) was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. emperor in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by powerful generals vying for power amid civil wars and the invasions of Late Antiquity's Migration Period, including the campaigns of Attila the Hun. was the son of Galla Placidia and Constantius III, and as the great-grandson of Valentinian the Great (r. 364–375) he was the last emperor of the Valentinianic dynasty. As a grandson of Theodosius the Great (r. 379–395), Valentinian was also related to the Theodosian dynasty, to which his wife, Licinia Eudoxia, also belonged. A year before assuming the rank of augustus, Valentinian was given the imperial rank of caesar by his half-cousin and co-emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). The augusta Galla Placidia had great influence during her son's rule. During his early reign Aetius, Felix, and the comes africae, Bonifacius all competed for power within the western empire. Eventually Aetius would defeat Felix and Bonifacius. Aetius would go on to campaign against the many Germanic tribes invading the empire. Valentinian's reign the Huns invaded the Roman Empire. Eventually Aetius would defeat the Huns at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. Once the Huns returned, Pope Leo I and two other senators convinced Attila to leave. Valentinian himself killed Aetius, and in response Aetius's bodyguards assassinated Valentinian. Valentinian's reign was marked by the ongoing collapse of the western empire. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Blessed Child Musa of Rome, Commemorated on May 16 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10;

Byzantium, 423-455, Empress, Honoraria, V III's sister, promiscuous, loved Attila, so he claimed empire
Rome, 423-455, Emperess, Honoraria; Grata Honoria, commonly referred to during her lifetime as Honoria,[1] was the older sister of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. She is famous for her plea of love and help to Attila the Hun, which led to his proclamation of his claim to rule the Western Roman Empire. Coins attest that she was granted the title of Augusta not long after the accession of her brother in 426.[2] Roman Emperor, 423-455, Valentinian III; St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 425-474, Marcian tPresbyter, built, renovated, embellished Churches, meek silence, wonderworking, deliverance
Rome, -474, Marcian tPresbyter iConstantinople, fRome (Aniene River, Tiber River 5), ed aC, built, renovated, embellishment oChurches, fInheritance, moral purity strict asceticism resented, but meekness silence won the day, tPatriarch attention, named presbyter, appointed treasurer Constantinople Church, distributed generous alms, non-covetous, denying self, only one set clothes, gift oWonderworking, deliverance, died 474, buried Forerunner's Monastery iC; Rome; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Marcian, Presbyter of the Great Church, born at Rome in his youth he received a first-rate education in Constantinople. the death of his parents, Saint Marcian used his inheritance on the building, renovation and embellishment of churches. he built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Anastasia (December 22), richly adorned it, and had the holy relics of the saint transferred to it. also built a church of the Great Martyr Irene (May 5), the church of Saint Isidore. moral purity and strict asceticism were resented by those who were slothful and avaricious, for they regarded his life as an unspoken criticism of their own lack of virtue. his meekness and silence overcame their slanders and brought him to the attention of the Patriarch, ordained Saint Marcian a presbyter appointed him treasurer of the Church of Constantinople. his wealth Saint Marcian distributed generous alms, and distinguished himself by non-covetousness, denying himself in everything. accord with the command of the Savior, he did not even have an extra set of clothes, which he might need should he be caught in inclement weather. received a gift of wonderworking, Saint Marcian healed the sick and cast out devils. Marcian died between 472-474 was buried at the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner at Constantinople.

Constantinople, 426-427, Patriarch, Sisinius, virtues, piety, charity, 4 month recession because of Chrysostom
Constantinople Patriarch, 426-427, Sisinius ; I (died December 24, 427) was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 426 to 427.[1] the election, Sisinnius was priest in the area of Elaea (modern-day Cihangir) and had become known for his virtues and piety, as well as for acts of charity. the death of Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople, the patriarch's throne was vacant for some time, as there was controversy about the choice of a successor. According to the dominant view, this period was about four months and ended with the election of Sisinnius on February 426. the consecration and its establishment, the Emperor Theodosius II convened a meeting chaired by the Theodotus of Antioch. the days of the patriarch was in recession the question of the attitude of the followers of John Chrysostom, which occurred when he was exiled. St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ;

Constantinople, 428-431, Patriarch, Nestorius and Nestorianism
Constantinople Patriarch, 428-431, Nestorius ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21;

Constantinople, 431, Third Ecumenical Council, Ephesus, condemned Nestorius and his Christotokos, confirmed Theotokos
Third Ecumenical Council ; Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom,[1] confirmed the original Nicene Creed,[2] and condemned the teachings of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who held that the Virgin Mary may be called the Christotokos, "Christ-bearer" but not the Theotokos, "God-bearer". It met in June and July 431 at the Church of Mary in Ephesus in Anatolia. Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 431-434, Patriarch, Maximian, pure and virtuous, ordained by Sisinius, replaced Nestorius
Constantinople Patriarch, 431-434, Maximian ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Maximian, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Rome from wealthy and pious parents. Upon receiving his inheritance, he provided tombs to bury those who led holy lives. Maximian was a plain man and he preferred to live far from worldly vanity. Because of his pure and virtuous life, Patriarch Sisinius of Constantinople (426-427) ordained him presbyter. When the heretic Nestorius (428-431) was deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint Maximian replaced him on the patriarchal throne on October 25, 431, during the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450). holy Patriarch Maximian died peacefully on April 12, 434, on Great and Holy Thursday.

Constantinople, 434-446, Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry, boy to heaven story, trisagion prayer
Constantinople, 434-446, Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry, boy to heaven story, trisagion prayer, early devoted all time prayer&scripture, witnessed appearance Apostle Paul, elucidated his thoughts wPolish, bishop oKyzikos, Nestorian' expelled him, preacher aC, defended Theotokos title bNestorius, patriarch aSisinius, transferred J Chry's relics fComana time of Theodosius II, earthquakes several months Bithynai, Hellespont, Phrygia devastated, rivers disappeared, terrible flooding iDry places, people camed out of city wPatriarch&emperor &offered prayers, Boy snatched up out of sight then returned reported hearing seeing angels singing Holy God Holy Mighty Holy Immortal, people sang Trisagion Prayer adding it tRefrain, then earthquakes stopped, many works survived, orthodox teaching, established decorum iChurch affairs, universal respect; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, from his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), who at first ordained him as a deacon, and then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Saint Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, and learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, the holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, but under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, strengthening listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius in which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokosâ€ in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. Having thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). By the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. At Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force and carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. Then, whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground and he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: œHoly God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal. the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, œHave mercy on us Then the earthquakes stopped. The Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch for his ascetic life, for his concern about the downtrodden, and for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. Best known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. Surrounded by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years. St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18;

Constantinople, 434-446, Proclus, Constantinople Archbishop, p s understndng, polished speech, d title Theotokos, earthquakes
Constantinople, 434-446, Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry, boy to heaven story, trisagion prayer, early devoted all time prayer&scripture, witnessed appearance Apostle Paul, elucidated his thoughts wPolish, bishop oKyzikos, Nestorian' expelled him, preacher aC, defended Theotokos title bNestorius, patriarch aSisinius, transferred J Chry's relics fComana time of Theodosius II, earthquakes several months Bithynai, Hellespont, Phrygia devastated, rivers disappeared, terrible flooding iDry places, people camed out of city wPatriarch&emperor &offered prayers, Boy snatched up out of sight then returned reported hearing seeing angels singing Holy God Holy Mighty Holy Immortal, people sang Trisagion Prayer adding it tRefrain, then earthquakes stopped, many works survived, orthodox teaching, established decorum iChurch affairs, universal respect; Constantinople, 434-446, St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinopl (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), Chrysostom disciple, witnessed appearance of Paul, profound scripture understanding, polished speech, defended title Theotokos, earthquakes, boy to heaven and back story,trisagion prayer; Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, from his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), who at first ordained him as a deacon, and then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, the holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, strengthening listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius in which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokos” in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force and carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground and he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, “Have mercy on us!” Then the earthquakes stopped. The Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch for his ascetic life, for his concern about the downtrodden, and for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. Best known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. Surrounded by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years.

Constantinople, 434-446, Patriarch, Proclus of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry
Constantinople, 434-446, Patriarch, Proclus of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry, witnessed appearance oPaul tChrysostom, received fChrysostom profound understanding oScripture, learned elucidate iPolished form, after Chrysostom died he became Bishop oKyzikos, expelled bNestorian's there, then preached iConstantinople, denouncing heretics, strengthening orthodox faith, Once preached before Nestorius, fearlesly defended title Theotokos, Succeeded Sisinius, for 12 yrs, Relics of Chrysostom transferred from comana Theodosius II time, destructive earthquakes, several months, Bithynia and Phrygia Cities devastated, rivers disappeared, terrible flooding, previously dry places, prayer service outside the city, boy snatched up into air by unseen force, could not see him, unharmed lowered to ground, reported heard saw angles singing Holy God Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, people sang plus Have Mercy on Us, then earthquakes stopped, esteemed for his ascetic life, his concern about the downtrodden, his preaching, Many works have survived, Best known: discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, & four tracts oNativity oChrist, setting forth Orthodox teaching oIncarnation of the Son of God, Patiarch 20yrs before death; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), at first ordained him as a deacon, then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokos” in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.” the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, “Have mercy on us!” the earthquakes stopped. Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch his ascetic life, his concern about the downtrodden, for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years.

Constantinople, 434-446, Devastating Earthquakes, boy lifted up, Trisagion Prayer
Constantinople, 434-446, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20;

Constantinople, 438, Translation Chrysostom relics, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia
Armenia, 438, Translation relics of Chrysostom, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia after 30 yrs.; Comana (Cappadocia); Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; John Chrysostom, the great ecumenical teacher and hierarch, died in the city of Comana in the year 407 on his way to a place of exile. He had been condemned by the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia because of his daring denunciation of the vices of those ruling over Constantinople. The transfer of his venerable relics was made in the year 438, thirty years after the death of the saint, during the reign of Eudoxia’s son emperor Theodosius II (408-450). John Chrysostom had the warm love and deep respect of the people, and grief over his untimely death lived on in the hearts of Christians. Saint John’s disciple, Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (434-447), during services in the Church of Hagia Sophia, preached a sermon praising Saint John. He said, “O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint.” who were present in church, deeply touched by the words of Saint Proclus, did not allow him even to finish his sermon. With one accord they began to entreat the Patriarch to intercede with the emperor, so that the relics of Saint John might be brought back to Constantinople. emperor, overwhelmed by Saint Proclus, gave his consent and gave the order to transfer the relics of Saint John. But those he sent were unable to lift the holy relics until the emperor realized that he had sent men to take the saint’s relics from Comana with an edict, instead of with a prayer. He wrote a letter to Saint John, humbly asking him to forgive his audacity, and to return to Constantinople. After the message was read at the grave of Saint John, they easily took up the relics, carried them onto a ship and arrived at Constantinople. coffin with the relics was placed in the Church of Holy Peace (Hagia Eirene). When Patriarch Proclus opened the coffin, the body of Saint John was found to be incorrupt. The emperor approached the coffin with tears, asking forgiveness for his mother, who had banished Saint John. All day and night people did not leave the coffin. the morning the coffin was brought to the Church of the Holy Apostles. The people cried out, “Father, take up your throne.” Then Patriarch Proclus and the clergy standing by the relics saw Saint John open his mouth and say, “Peace be to all.” Many of the sick were healed at his tomb. celebration of the transfer of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom was established in the ninth century.

Constantinople, 438, Ignatius relics transfer, back to Rome from Syria because Persia took Antioch

Constantinople, 439&42, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration Jan 16 iRome&Constantinople, Kept 300 for Jerusalem healings
Jerusalem, 42 & 439, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration, opened by Angel otLord, saved by christians, precious keepsakes, kept iJerusalem 300yrs, where they healed when approached in faith, 439 presented tEudokia by Patriarch Juvenal who transfered them tConstantinople, E send one chain tDaughter Eudoxia, Valerian's wife, in Rome, V built church on Esquiline hill, chain placed there with other of Peter's Roman chains, all Peter's chains venerated January 16; Jerusalem; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Veneration of the Honorable Chains of the Holy and All-Praised Apostle Peter: about the year 42, on the orders of Herod Agrippa, the Apostle Peter was thrown into prison for preaching about Christ the Savior. prison he was held secure by two iron chains. the night before his trial, an angel of the Lord removed these chains from the Apostle Peter led him out from the prison (Acts 12:1-11). who learned of the miracle took the chains and kept them as precious keepsakes. three centuries the chains were kept in Jerusalem, and those who were afflicted with illness and approached them with faith received healing. Juvenal (July 2) presented the chains to Eudokia, wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger, she in turn transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople in either the year 437 or 439. sent one chain to Rome to her daughter Eudoxia (the wife of Valentinian), built a church on the Esquiline hill dedicated to the Apostle Peter and placed the chain in it. were other chains in Rome, with which the Apostle Peter was shackled before his martyrdom under the emperor Nero. were also placed in the church. January 16, the chains of Saint Peter are brought out for public veneration.

Constantinople, 440-461, Roman Pope, Pope Leo I, LEO THE GREAT, met Attila the Hun in 452, Tone of Leo, 451 Council Document
Roman Pope, 440-461, Pope Leo I; I (c. 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great, was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history."[1] was a Roman aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and allegedly persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy. He is also a Doctor of the Church, most remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, a document which was a major foundation to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. The Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, dealt primarily with Christology, and elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ's being as the hypostatic union of two natures, divine and human, united in one person, "with neither confusion nor division". It was followed by a major schism associated with Monophysitism, Miaphysitism and Dyophysitism.[2] LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461); St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18;

Constantinople, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, from Cappadocia, Armenia
Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30;

Constantinople, 443-529, Theodosius tGreat, 1st Cenobiarch, fArmenia, settled Magi's cave, defended ECs against heresy
Jerusalem, 443-529, Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, fCappadocia Armenia, splendid voice, church singing reading, early days tJerusalem Holy Land, met Simeon tStylite, wPredicted his service, settled Magi's cave 30 yrs, people came, cave too small, walked wCenser cold charcoal till it lit itself, there place for cenobitic Larva, poor aid, wanderer shelteer, famine relief woNeeding bread, miracle repeated, built home fStrangers, separate infirmaries monks laymen, dying shelter, services 3 languages, all gathered Greek service, Eutychius' heresy during Emperor Anastasius, no sacraments or Clergy, Emperor accepted, orthodox persecution, T's letter tEmperor, E slowed then renewed, T tChurch iJerusalem, whoever does not honor EC's be anathema, tPrison till E's death, during life many miracles healings, prayer destroyed locusts, soldiers sailors saved, predicted Antioch earthquake, foretold time oDeath, died a105; Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Theodosius the Great lived during the fifth-sixth centuries, was the founder of cenobitic monasticism. was born in Cappadocia of pious parents. with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him. for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance. the cave could no longer hold all the monks, Saint Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks. a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert. a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning “broad” or “populous”). the Lavra of Saint Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. to the final testament of Saint Theodosius, the Lavra rendered service to neighbor, giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. Theodosius was extremely compassionate. when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. miracle was repeated every time Saint Theodosius wanted to help the destitute. the monastery, Saint Theodosius built home for taking in strangers, infirmaries for monks and laymen, also a shelter for the dying. that people from various lands gathered at the Lavra, the saint arranged for services in the various languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian. gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in the large church, where divine services were chanted in Greek. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, recognized neither the sacraments nor the clergy. emperor accepted the false teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox teaching. emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox. holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: “Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!” this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor. Theodosius accomplished many healings and other miracles during his life, coming to the aid of the needy. his prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in Palestine. by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death, he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the desert. the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at prayer. told them, “The wrath of God draws near the East.” several days it became known that a strong earthquake had destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had summoned the brethren to prayer. his death, Saint Theodosius summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he would soon depart to the Lord. three days, he died at the age of 105. saint’s body was buried with reverence in the cave in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.

Constantinople, 446-449, Patriarch, Archbishop Flavian, excommunicated Eutyches, Robber Council, beaten by Dioscorus
Constantinople Patriarch, 446-449, Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Flavian the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, occupied the patriarchal throne of Constantinople under the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) and his sister the holy Empress Pulcheria (September 10). first he was a presbyter and caretaker of church-vessels in the cathedral. He became Patriarch after the death of holy Patriarch Proclus (November 20). During this time, various disturbances and heresies threatened church unity. the year 448, Saint Flavian convened a local Council at Constantinople to examine the heresy of Eutyches, which admitted only one nature (the divine) in the Lord Jesus Christ. Persisting in his error, the heretic Eutyches was excommunicated from the Church and deprived of dignity, but Eutyches had a powerful patron in the person of Chrysathios, a eunuch close to the emperor. intrigue Chrysathios brought Bishop Dioscorus of Alexandria over to the side of Eutyches, and obtained permission from the emperor to convene a church council at Ephesus, afterwards known as the “Robber Council.” presided at this council, gaining the acquittal of Eutyches and the condemnation of Patriarch Flavian by threats and force. Saint Flavian was fiercely beaten up during the sessions of this council by impudent monks led by a certain Barsumas. the impious president of the Robber Council, the heretic Dioscorus, took part in these beatings. After this heavy chains were put upon Saint Flavian, and he was sentenced to banishment at Ephesus. The Lord, however, ended his further suffering, by sending him his death (+ August 449). The holy Empress Pulcheria withdrew from the imperial court. Soon the intrigues of Chrysathios were revealed. The emperor dismissed him, and restored his sister Saint Pulcheria. Through her efforts, the relics of holy Patriarch Flavian were reverently transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 446-449, Patriarch, Flavian tConfessor of Constantinople, tortured&Exiled bEutyches' Bishop
Constantinople, 446-449, Patriarch, Flavian tConfessor of Constantinople, under Theodosius tYounger & sister Emperess Pulcheria, first caretaker Cathedral Vessels, succeeded Prolus, various heresies, 448 local council exam Eutyches, only one nature, excommunicated, but E had poweful patron eunuch Chrysathios close to Emperor Theodosius tYounger, through lies C brought Alexandrian Bishop Dioscorus over to E's side, Emperors permission to convene Robbers Council, D presided, E's acquittal, Flavian's condemnation, D and others fiercely beat Flav, Heavy chains, banishment to Ephesus, Lord ended his suffering by death 449, Empress Pulcheria withdrew fImperial Court, Chrysathios' intrigues revealed so Emperor dismissed him, restored Pulcheria, her efforts got Flavian's relics transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople; Flavian of Constantinople; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Flavian the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, the patriarchal throne of Constantinople under the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) and his sister the holy Empress Pulcheria (September 10). first he was a presbyter and caretaker of church-vessels in the cathedral. became Patriarch after the death of holy Patriarch Proclus (November 20). this time, various disturbances and heresies threatened church unity. the year 448, Saint Flavian convened a local Council at Constantinople to examine the heresy of Eutyches, admitted only one nature (the divine) in the Lord Jesus Christ. in his error, the heretic Eutyches was excommunicated from the Church deprived of dignity, Eutyches had a powerful patron in the person of Chrysathios, a eunuch close to the emperor. intrigue Chrysathios brought Bishop Dioscorus of Alexandria over to the side of Eutyches, obtained permission from the emperor to convene a church council at Ephesus, afterwards known as the “Robber Council.” presided at this council, gaining the acquittal of Eutyches and the condemnation of Patriarch Flavian by threats and force. Flavian was fiercely beaten up during the sessions of this council by impudent monks led by a certain Barsumas. the impious president of the Robber Council, the heretic Dioscorus, took part in these beatings. this heavy chains were put upon Saint Flavian, he was sentenced to banishment at Ephesus. Lord, however, ended his further suffering, by sending him his death (+ August 449). holy Empress Pulcheria withdrew from the imperial court. the intrigues of Chrysathios were revealed. emperor dismissed him, and restored his sister Saint Pulcheria. her efforts, the relics of holy Patriarch Flavian were reverently transferred from Ephesus to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 447, Commemoration ot Earthquake o447, Boy to heaven, pray this way, Holy G, Holy M, Holy I, have mercy on us
Constantinople, 447, Commemoration of the Earthquake of 447, barefoot procession, young boy lifted up into heaven, God to people, supplicate this way, without adding to it, Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us, They did, earthquake stopped, boy reposed; Commemoration of the Earthquake of 447, Commemorated on September 25; the reign of Emperor Theodsios II (402-450) the city of Constantinople was shaken by earthquakes for nearly four months. that time several churches, houses, and the city's stone walls collapsed and were destroyed. All the inhabitants of the city were terrified. Proclus (November 20) organized a barefoot Cross Procession and solemnly prayed for God to protect them. this was taking place, the tremors increased dramatically, and a young boy in the crowd was lifted up into Heaven by some invisible power, and the people, cried out, "Lord, have mercy." returning to earth, the boy told the people that he had heard the Angels glorifying God by singing "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us," and that a voice had commanded him to tell Patriarch Proclus that henceforth the people should supplicate God in this way, without adding anything to it. Patriarch instructed the people to sing this hymn, whereupon the ground stopped shaking and the child reposed. that time the hymn was inserted into the Divine Liturgy, just as it was sung by the people during the earthquake, and as it is still sung up to the present day. Constantinople, 434-446, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20;

Constantinople, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), 7'10", unity f faith motherland, Ossetia v, Byz v, autocephalous
Georgia, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), Kartli (town, Tbilisi), K at 15, 7'10", unity selflessness for faith motherland, Ossetia v, Caucasian mt tribe treaties, Byz v in west, life to God, warhorse cary up mt, outrun deer, stress calm, autocephalous c, first catholicos peter, Jerusalem monastery, G forts churches diocese monasteries strongholds royal residence capital Tiblisi, political creed church union w Byz, independence, church nation union, died 502 Pesia battle; Kartli; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; holy and right-believing king Vakhtang I ascended the throne of Kartli at the age of fifteen. that time Kartli was continually being invaded by the Persians from the south and by the Ossetians from the north. situation was no better in western Georgia: the Byzantines had captured all the lands from Egrisi to Tsikhegoji. his coronation, the young King Vakhtang summoned his court and addressed his dedicated servants with great wisdom. said that the sorrowful circumstances in which the nation had found itself were a manifestation of God’s anger at the sins of the king and the people. called upon everyone to struggle in unity and selflessness on behalf of the Faith and motherland. Vakhtang led a victorious campaign against the Ossetians, freed the captive princess (his older sister), and signed several treaties with the Caucasian mountain tribes to secure their cooperation in the struggle against foreign conquerors. he carried out another campaign in western Georgia, freed that region from the Byzantines, reinforced the authority of King Gubaz, and returned in triumph to Kartli. Vakhtang was remarkable in faith, wisdom, grace, virtue, and appearance (he towered above all others at a stately seven feet ten inches). spent many nights in prayer and distributed alms to the poor, in this way dedicating his life to God. Vakhtang could fight tirelessly in battle. in armor and fully armed, he could carry a war-horse on his shoulders and climb from Mtskheta to the Armazi Fortress in the mountains outside the city. foot he could outrun a deer. holy king was judicious in politics, displayed great composure, and preserved a sense of calm even when critical decisions needed to be made. the brow of Vakhtang’s military helmet was depicted a wolf, and on the back, a lion. a glimpse of the helmet with the wolf and lion, the Persians would cry out to one another: “Dar’ az gurgsar!” (“Beware of the wolf’s head!”) This was the source of King Vakhtang’s appellation “Gorgasali.” King Vakhtang’s reign the Georgian Church was first recognized as autocephalous. the holy king banished the pagan fire-worshippers from Georgia, he also sent a certain Bishop Michael—who was inclined to the Monophysite heresy, which had been planted in Georgia by the Persians—to Constantinople to be tried by the patriarch. bishop had disgracefully cursed the king and his army for rising up against the Monophysites. In fact, he was so infuriated that when King Vakhtang approached him to receive his blessing, he kicked him in the mouth and broke several of his teeth. patriarch of Constantinople subsequently defrocked Bishop Michael and sent him to a monastery to repent. importantly perhaps, the patriarch and the Byzantine emperor then sent to the patriarch of Antioch several clergymen whom King Vakhtang had chosen for consecration. Antioch the patriarch consecrated twelve of these clergymen as bishops and enthroned a certain Petre as the first Catholicos of Georgia. fulfilled the will of Holy King Mirian by founding the Georgian Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. addition, he replaced a wooden church that had been built in Mtskheta at the time of Saint Nino with a church made of stone. his reign several new dioceses were founded. Vakhtang built a cathedral in Nikozi (Inner Kartli) and established a new diocese there, to which he translated the holy relics of the Protomartyr Razhden. Vakhtang built fortresses at Tukhari, Artanuji, and Akhiza; monasteries in Klarjeti at Artanuji, Mere, Shindobi, and Akhiza; established many other strongholds, churches, and monasteries as well. built a new royal residence in Ujarma laid the foundations of the new Georgian capital, Tbilisi. political creed consisted of three parts: an equal union of the Georgian Church with the Byzantine Church, national independence, and the unity of the Church and nation. the year 502 the sixty-year-old King Vakhtang was obliged to defend his country for the last time. In a battle with the Persians he was fatally wounded when a poisoned arrow pierced him under the arm. Before he died, King Vakhtang summoned the clergy, his family and his court and urged them to be strong in the Faith and to seek death for Christ’s sake in order to gain eternal glory. of Georgia mourned the passing of the king. His body was moved from the royal residence in Ujarma to Mtskheta, to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which he had himself built. There he was buried with great honor. fifteen centuries later, with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, an addition was built onto the Sioni Patriarchal Cathedral in Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s name, and a cathedral in his honor was founded in the city of Rustavi.

Constantinople, 449-458, Patriarch, Anatolius of Constantinople, 451 Council, Orthodox, Euphemia's scroll choice
Constantinople Patriarch, 449-458, Anatolius of Constantinople; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 449&249, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, Lord revealed resurection through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay
Ephesus, 249 & 449, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), Lord revealed resurection of dead through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay; Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, in the third century. Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Constantinople, 449&249, Seven Sleepers, wealthy, m belts, hid in cave, entrance sealed, sleep, owner resurection
Ephesus, 250, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Constantinople, 450&350, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice
Egypt, 350&450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, recorded the slaughter, slept past sunrise so not sacrificed, back to Sinai; Raithu; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Constantinople, 450, Church otLife-giving Fountain, MOG appeared to Leo, heal blind man wClay, church d&rebuilt mTimes, exiles
Constantinople, 450, Church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople, MOG appeared to Leo for healing blind man, important Orthodox Pilgrimage site, water from spring and clay from site will heal his eyes, plus MOG prophecy Leo become emperor, church destroyed and rebuilt many times, place of exile outside the city; church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople; Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos (Istanbul); Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos is the latest church, built in 1835, that bears the same dedication as the shrine erected in this place between the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth centuries, for the wonderworking holy spring located there. Emperor Leo I the Thracian (457-474) oversaw the building of the church that was named in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos. For almost fifteen hundred years, this sanctuary has been one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Greek Orthodoxy.[1] Main article: Life-Giving Spring site was chosen by Leo due to a divine experience the emperor went through earlier in his life. Leo was walking in a forested area when he saw a blind man who asked him for water to quench his thirst. It was then that Leo heard a message from a voice saying that there was water deep within the woods that the man could drink. The clay from its waters would be able to heal the man's eyes. The Theotokos also prophesied at this time that Leo would one day become emperor of Constantinople. Leo listened to the voice, quenched the man's thirst, and allowed him to gain sight just as the Mother of God proclaimed. site was the place where Emperor Leo decided to build the church in her name. The blessed water continued to work miracles for others and earned the name "The Life-Giving Spring." of the Church its history, the church at the fountain had been destroyed and then rebuilt on many occasions, at the request of the Virgin Mother. era Byzantine times the sanctuary was one of the most important in Constantinople. On Ascension Day, the Emperor arrived by boat to the small harbor of the Golden Gate. He rode up to the sanctuary, where he was acclaimed by the factions, who offered him a cross and garlands. Later, he dressed in his ceremonial robe, and after receiving the Patriarch, the two entered the church hand-in-hand. Ascension, the Marriage at Cana (January 8), and the anniversary of the Miracle of Leo I on 16 August were celebrated here.[1] Each future Empress coming to Constantinople for her wedding was received by her future spouse in the Monastery of the Spring. to earthquakes, the building was rebuilt in 790, under Empress Irene, and after the great earthquake of 869, under Basil I (867–886).[1] On 7 September 924 Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria burned the complex, which was at once restored by Romanos I Lekapenos (920–944).[2] Three years later the son of Simeon, Peter was married to Maria, the niece of Lekapenos.[1][2] to its position outside the city, the monastery was often used as place of exile. In 1078 Georgios Monomachos was banished there. In 1084, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos confined the philosopher John Italus to the monastery, because of his neoplatonic theories.[1] the Latin invasion of 1204, the church was occupied by the Latin clergy and, according to Byzantine sources, this caused the end of the so called "habitual miracle" (to synetés thauma).[1] 1328 Andronikos III Palaiologos used the monastery as base to attack Constantinople. Two years later, as he lay dying in the town of Didymoteicho, he drank water from the spring and recovered at once.[1] the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1422, Sultan Murad II camped in the sanctuary. It is unknown whether the Byzantines restored the building before the conquest of the city in 1453. Russian pilgrims of the fifteenth century do not mention the church, only the spring.[1] era serving the Christian people at Constantinople for about 1,000 years, Muslim invaders tore down the church in 1453 after taking over the city of Constantinople. The Church of the Life-giving Spring was destroyed and its building materials were used to construct the Bayezid II Mosque for the Sultan. The church site was covered with earth and crushed stone, so that the very foundations of the church disappeared from sight. The beautiful surrounding areas were turned into a Muslim cemetery. A Turkish sentinel, placed at the ruins of the church, forbade Christians not only to gather at the site, but even to approach there. 16th-century French scholar Pierre Gilles writes that in 1547 the church did not exist anymore, but the sick continued to attend the spring.[1] by little, the strictness of this ban eased, and Christians were permitted to build a small church there. In 1727 Metropolitan Nikodemos of Dercos and Neochorion, built a small chapel above the Hagiasma. Twenty-five steps led down into the chapel, which had a window in the roof to let the light in. The holy Spring was still there, surrounded by a railing. An icon, discovered in the foundations of the old church, was worshiped in the chapel. The Armenians tried to take possession of the spring, but several firmans secured the possession to the Greeks. The complex was controlled by Turkish guardians, who collected from the pilgrims a tax that they used for the maintenance of the prisons. Later the complex came into the possession of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. after the onset of Greek War of Independence in 1821, even this little chapel was destroyed by the Janissaries, who poisoned the spring and buried it under the rubble. the latter part of the reign of Sultan Mahmoud II (1808-39), the Orthodox received a measure of freedom to conduct religious services. In 1833, a firman allowed Patriarch Constantius I of Constantinople (1830-34) to rebuild the church. For the third time, a large and prestigious church was erected above the sacred Life-giving Spring, with work beginning in July of 1833. While workmen were clearing the ground, they uncovered the foundations of the earlier church.[note 1] The Sultan allowed them to build not just a chapel, but a new and beautiful church on the foundations of the old one. Construction began on September 14, 1833, and was completed on December 30, 1834. February 2, 1835, with great pomp, the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantius II of Constantinople (1834-35), celebrating with 12 bishops and an enormous flood of the faithful, consecrated the church which stands to this day, dedicating it to the Most Holy Theotokos. was built a hospital and alms-house. Even the Muslims spoke with great respect of the Life-giving Spring, and of the Theotokos, who through it pours out her grace-filled power. "Great among women Holy Mary" is how they refer to the Most Holy Virgin. The water from the Life-giving Spring they call the "water of Holy Mary." era September 6, 1955, during the anti-Greek Istanbul Pogrom, the church was one of the targets of the fanatic mob. The building was burned to the ground while the abbot was lynched and the 90 year-old Archimandrite Chrisanthos Mantas was assasinated by the mob.[3] small chapel has been rebuilt on the site, but the church has not yet been restored to its former size. Today, in addition to the church, the compound includes the underground shrine of the Zoodochos Pigi with the holy spring which has golden fish in it. The spring still flows to this day and is considered by the faithful to have wonderworking properties. sanctuary is directed by a titular bishop and is one of the most popular among the Orthodox of Istanbul, who visit it especially during the Friday after Easter, and on the feast day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross on September 14. On these two days, a great feast, both popular and religious takes place there.[1] Funerals of people to be buried in the nearby cemetery are also celebrated in the church. one kilometer south of the church an important Greek hospital is active, the “Balikli Greek Hospital Foundation” (Balikli Rum Hastanesi Vakf). of Churches and Monasteries Life-Giving Spring gave origin to many churches and monasteries bearing the same name in the Greek world. Most of them were erected after the end of the Byzantine Empire. Monasteries Original monastery in Constantinople. Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring -- Dunlap, California. Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring -- Kastri, Pellana municipality, Laconia prefecture, Greece.[note 2] Churches The Life-Giving Spring Acadimias, Athens Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring Russian Orthodox Mission -- Bryan, Texas See also Life-Giving Spring Panagia Blachernitissa Holy water The Life Giving Fountain of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 4; appearance of the Mother of God to Emperor Leo Marcellus occurred on April 4, 450. addition to this day, on Friday of Bright Week, the Church remembers the rebuilding of the church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople, and the great miracles which took place in that church in the past.

Constantinople, 450, Protection oMOG vision aBlachernae, tVirgin wSaints prays tGod fUs, w Angels&Bishops Prophets&Apostles
Constantinople, 450, mid 5th C, Protection of MOG and Ever-Virgin Mary, vision aBlachernae church, Constantinople, today tVirgin stands iMiddle otChurch, and wSaints she invisibly prays tGod fUs, Angels&Bishops venerate her, Apostles&Prophets rejoice together, since for our sake she prays tThe Eternal God, this miraculous appearance occured mid 10th C, where her robe, veil, and part of her Belt were preserved after transfer from Palestine in 5th C, it happened on Sunday Oct 1st during the All Night Vigil, church was overflowing with those at prayer, Fool-FC Andrew at 4th hour, noticed Theotokos coming through the air, resplendant with heavenly light, surrounded by saints, John tBaptist, John tTheologian, for example, She tearfully prayed on bended knees for Christians for a long time, then coming near Bishop's throne she continued her prayer, after completing her prayer she spread her veil over the people praying in the church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible, tMOG was resplendent wGlory and protecting veil gleamed more than rays otSun, Andrew gazed trembling at the Vision, and asked his disciple Epiphanius do you see, I do see, and I am in awe, MOG implored Jesus tAccept prayers otPeople calling on his holy name, and to respond speedily, do not let them go away from my Icon unheard, A&E were worthy to see MOG at prayer and for long time observed Protecting Veil spread over tPeople and shining wFlashes oGlory, if MOG was there then Veil was visible, but when she departed it became invisible, but she left behing the Grace of her visitation, at Blachernae Church this miraculous appearance was remembered, in 14th C Russian Pilgrim Andrew saw in Blachernae the Icon depicting this event with MOG praying for the World and Andrew watching her, bye the way historian Nestor adds the intercession was needed because Pagan Russian fleet was attacking under Askole and Dir, the feast celebrates divine destruction otFleet in the 860's, Ironically feast considered important by Russians and Slavic Churches but not by Greeks, Nestor also notes the deliverance followed all-night vigil and dipping oMOG's garment into Sea aBlachernae, but no mention oA&E's vision oMOG aPrayer, ; Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, and with choirs of Saints she invisibly prays to God for us. and Bishops venerate Her, and prophets rejoice together, Since for our sake she prays to the Eternal God!” miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century. Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was overflowing with those at prayer, Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew (October 2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. Saint John the Baptist and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven. bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer. completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in church, them from enemies both visible and invisible. Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe.” Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, to respond speedily to her intercession, “O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them go away from my icon unheard.” Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer, “for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people and shining with flashes of glory. long as the Most Holy Theotokos was there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, with her departure it also became invisible. taking it with her, she left behind the grace of her visitation.” the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God was remembered. the fourteenth century, the Russian pilgrim and clerk Alexander, saw in the church an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos praying for the world, depicting Saint Andrew in contemplation of her. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor reflects that the protective intercession of the Mother of God was needed an attack of a large pagan Russian fleet under the leadership of Askole and Dir. feast celebrates the divine destruction of the fleet which threatened Constantinople itself, sometime in the years 864-867 or according to the Russian historian Vasiliev, on June 18, 860. this Feast is considered important by the Slavic Churches but not by the Greeks. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor also notes the miraculous deliverance followed an all-night Vigil the dipping of the garment of the Mother of God into the waters of the sea at the Blachernae church, does not mention Saints Andrew and Epiphanius and their vision of the Mother of God at prayer. latter elements, and the beginnings of the celebrating of the Feast of the Protection, seem to postdate Saint Nestor and the Chronicle. further historical complication might be noted under (October 2) dating Saint Andrew’s death to the year 936. year of death might not be quite reliable, or the assertion that he survived to a ripe old age after the vision of his youth, or that his vision involved some later pagan Russian raid which met with the same fate. suggestion that Saint Andrew was a Slav a Scythian according to other sources, such as S. V. Bulgakov) interesting, but not necessarily accurate. extent of Slavic expansion and repopulation into Greece is the topic of scholarly disputes. the PROLOGUE, a Russian book of the twelfth century, a description of the establishment of the special Feast marking this event states, “For when we heard, we realized how wondrous and merciful was the vision... and it transpired that Your holy Protection should not remain without festal celebration, O Ever-Blessed One!” in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Russian Church sings, “With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign Lady, with the venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles and with the Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying the Feast of your Protection in the Russian Land.” it would seem that Saint Andrew, contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken captive, and became the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople named Theognostus. in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God began to appear in Russia in the twelfth century. known for its architectural merit is the temple of the Protection at Nerl, which was built in the year 1165 by holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky. efforts of this holy prince also established in the Russian Church the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, about the year 1164. Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) Moscow also under Tsar Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God was built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church of Saint Basil the Blessed). the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, “Remember us in your prayers, O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you.”

Constantinople, 450. 5th Century, Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by pagan townspeople at night w sword
Syria, 450. 5th Century, Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by pagan townspeople at night w sword, ; Syria, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyr Anthony, a Syrian, lived during the fifth century and was a stone-mason. With the blessing of the bishop of the Syrian city of Apamea, he started to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When the pagan townspeople learned of this, they rushed into his house by night and murdered him with a sword.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Achilles, monk of Scetis, Egyptian Desert, wish eat sauce, Go Egypt, Peace Blood
Egypt, 450, 5th Century, Achilles, monk of Scetis, Egyptian Desert, A said: Tell Me What You are Eating, water and salt with Palm Leaves, Later A said: Come Brothers, see Isaiah eating, If you wish to eat sauce in Sketis, go to Egypt!, later Elder seeing A spitting Blood, asked what was wrong, A said: Word of Brother grieved me. I struggled not to tell him, I prayed God would remove rememberance of that Word. Then it became as blood in my mouth, and I spat it out. Now I am at peace, and I have forgotten my sorrow; Scetis ; Venerable Achilles, Commemorated on January 17; Akhillás (or Achilles) was an anchorite of the desert during the V century. Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain writes: "It is said of Saint Akhillás in the Evergetinós that he once went to Abba Isaiah, and found him eating something which he had mixed with salt and water on a plate. When the Elder saw that he was hiding it behind some plaited reeds, he said, "Tell me, what are you eating?" Isaiah replied, "Forgive me, Father. I was cutting palm leaves and I went out in the heat. I put some into my mouth, with some salt, but the heat burned my throat and I was unable to swallow. So I had to add some water to the salt in order to swallow. Forgive me, Father." Akhillás called the other monks and said, "Come here, Brothers, and behold Abba Isaiah eating sauce in Skḗtis. If you wish to eat sauce, go to Egypt!" Elder who came to see Abba Akhillás found him spitting out blood from his mouth. He asked him what was wrong, but he did not respond. he said, "The word of a brother grieved me. I struggled not to tell him so, thus I prayed that God would remove from me the remembrance of that word. the word became as blood in my mouth, and I spat it out. Now I am at peace, and I have forgotten my sorrow." Akhillás reposed in peace. the third Troparion of Ode One of the Canon for Saturday of Cheesefare Week, Saint Akhillás Is mentioned along with Saint Ammoun: "Achilles and Ammoun, the flowers of the desert."

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, John, ascetic otSyrian Deserts, shelterless life, bread&salt, heavy chains, refused almond tree
Syria, 450, 5th Century, John, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens), shelterless life, on hill 25yrs, bread&salt only, heavy chains, refused almond tree to deny body respite ; Syrian Deserts; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; John, disciple of Saint Limnaeus (February 22), lived in Syria in the fifth century, and chose for himself the ascetic struggle of “a shelterless life.” settled on a hill, sheltered from the wind on all sides, and lived there for twenty-five years. He ate only bread and salt, and he exhausted his body under heavy chains. one of the nearby ascetics planted an almond tree on the hill so that Saint John could enjoy its shade and get out of the vicious heat, the saint told him to cut it down. This he did in order to deny his body any respite.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Antiochus and Antoninus, ascetics otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) w John
Saints Antiochus & Antoninus also lived in asceticism w Saint John. They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and overcoming every obstacle. ; Syrian Deserts; Venerable Antiochus and Antoninus, ascetics of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Antiochus and Antoninus also lived in asceticism with Saint John. They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and overcoming every obstacle.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Zebinas, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) uJohn,w Moses, never sat down
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Zebinas, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23;; Zebinas lived in Syria during the fifth century. He lived an ascetical life on the same mountain as Saint Moses. He never sat down during his Rule of prayer, but sometimes he leaned on his staff. The neighboring inhabitants venerated Saint Zebinas, and they received great help in their sorrows and needs through his prayers. He reached a great old age, then departed to the Lord.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Polychronius, ascetic otSyrian Deserts, underZebinas, heavy root on shoulders
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Polychronius, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Polychronius lived in Syria in the fifth century. He was the disciple of Saint Zebinas, and imitated the life of his Elder, spending both day and night in fasting and vigil. Saint Polychronius had no chains, but he dug up a heavy oaken root from the earth and carried it on his shoulders when he prayed. Saint Polychronius asked God to send rain during a drought, and he filled up a stone vessel with oil for the needy.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Moses, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) wJohn under Polychroniius
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Moses lived in Syria in the fifth century. Imitating Saint John, he settled on a high mountain near the village of Rama. He was a disciple of Saint Polychronius, and lived with him. Emulating his Elder in everything, Saint Moses was the very model of an austere ascetical life. Saint Moses died in Syria in the fifth century.

Constantinople, 450, 5th Century, Damian, ascetic otSyrian Deserts, withdrew to Ieros, solitary, small box lentils
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Damian, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Damian lived in Syria in the fifth century. He withdrew to a monastery named Ieros and lived there in asceticism. In his cell he had only a small box of lentils from which he ate.

Constantinople, 450, 5th C, Philon, Bishop oKolpasteia (Crete), wrote Pentateuch and Song of Songs commentaries
Crete; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated January 24 ; Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia (Crete) died peacefully in the fifth century. wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch, and on the Song of Songs.

Constantinople, 450, 5th C, Xenohon&Family oConstantinople, Sons lost &Separated at Sea, reunited aJerusalem, 4Monks, wonderwrkg
Jerusalem, 450, 5th C, Xenohon, wife Mary, sons Arcadius&John, rich noted citizens oConstantinople, simple souls good hearts, sent sons tBeiruit fEd, shipwreck, sons different places, became monks separated, presumed dead but Xenophon maintained firm hope, after several years pilgrimage holy places, found boys iJerusalem monasteries, reunited, Xenophon Maria tSeparate monasteries, Boys tWilderness, long toil, glorified bGifts wonderworking, discernment, Parents silence, strict fasting, gift oWonderworking; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem">Jerusalem; Venerable Xenophon, his wife, Mary, and their two sons, Arcadius and John, of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, noted citizens of Constantinople lived in the fifth century. their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. to give their sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off to the Phoenician city of Beirut. divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was wrecked. waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places. at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God and became monks. a long time the parents had no news of their children and presumed them to be dead. however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to believe that the Lord watched over their children. several years the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, at Jerusalem they met their sons, in asceticsm at different monasteries. joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family. Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated themselves to God. monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of their parents, went out into the wilderness, after long ascetic toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment. Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also received from God the gift of wonderworking.

Constantinople, 450, 5th C, Asclepius, never left his hermitage, spoke through angled wall cut, never kindled a lamp
Syria, 450, 5th C, Asclepius and James who copied him, Syrian Ascetics, Theodoret oCyrrhus speaks of them, A never left his hermitage, had many imitators and followers, A spoke to visitory through small aperture in the wall, cut at an angle so no one could see him, never kindled a lamp; Cyrrhus; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Asclepius and James were Syrian ascetics, and lived during the fifth century. of Cyrrhus speaks of them. Asclepius led an ascetic life of temperance in his native village and was not hindered by constant association with many people. had many imitators and followers. One of them was Saint James, who secluded himself in a small dwelling near the village of Nimuza. until the end of his life, the ascetic did not leave his hermitage, but spoke to visitors through a small aperture in the wall, cut at a angle so that no one was able to see him. never kindled a fire or lit a lamp.

Constantinople, 450 4th&5th C, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, 90 as solitary, great writer, English PHILOKALIA, fAthens
Greece, 450 4th&5th C Folder, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, fAthens, Greece, Nitrain Desert monk, it said he knew whole Bible by Heart, 9 of 30 discourses down to us, 3 in English PHILOKALIA, Byzantines said sell everything and buy Mark, noted for gentle pure soul, known as the "Ascetic" for abstinence, solitary 90 yrs, lived 120 yrs; Athens; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Mark the Ascetic was born in Athens during the fifth century, and became a monk in the Nitrian desert (Lower Egypt). his youth his fondest pursuit was the reading of Holy Scripture. It is said that he knew the whole Bible by heart. of his thirty discourses have come down to us. of them are in Volume I of the English PHILOKALIA. Byzantines had such a high regard for his writings that they said, “Sell everything and buy Mark.” was noted for his gentleness and purity of soul. was known as “the Ascetic” because of his abstinence. He lived for ninety years as a solitary, then surrendered his soul to God when he was one hundred and twenty years old.

Byzantium, 450-457, Emperor, Marcian, pious, married Emperor's sister Pulcheria, d Huns Atilla
Byzantine Emperor, 450-457, Marcian ; ( c. 392 – 26 January 457) was Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457. little of his life before becoming emperor is known, other than that he was a domesticus (personal assistant) who served under the commanders Ardabur and his son Aspar for fifteen years. After the death of Emperor Theodosius II on 28 July 450, Marcian was made a candidate for the throne by Aspar, who held much influence because of his military power. a month of negotiations Pulcheria, Theodosius' sister, agreed to marry Marcian. Flavius Zeno, a military leader whose influence was similar to Aspar's, may have been involved in these negotiations, as he was given the high-ranking court title of patrician upon Marcian's accession. was elected and inaugurated on 25 August 450. reversed many of the actions of Theodosius II in the Eastern Roman Empire's relationship with the Huns under Attila and in religious matters. almost immediately revoked all treaties with Attila, ending all subsidy payments to him. 452, while Attila was raiding Italy, then a part of the Western Roman Empire, Marcian launched expeditions across the Danube into the Great Hungarian Plain, defeating the Huns in their own heartland. This action, accompanied by the famine and plague that broke out in northern Italy, allowed the Western Roman Empire to bribe Attila into retreating from the Italian peninsula. Attila's death in 453, Marcian took advantage of the resulting fragmentation of the Hunnic confederation by settling Germanic tribes within Roman lands as foederati ("federates" providing military service in exchange for benefits). also convened the Council of Chalcedon, which declared that Jesus had two "natures": divine and human. This led to the alienation of the population of the eastern provinces of Syria and Egypt, as many of them were miaphysites, rejecting the new official Christology. died on 26 January 457, leaving the Eastern Roman Empire with a treasury surplus of seven million solidi coins, an impressive achievement considering the economic ruin inflicted upon the Eastern Roman Empire by the Huns and Theodosius' tribute payments. his death, Aspar passed over Marcian's son-in-law, Anthemius, and had a military commander, Leo I, elected as emperor. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; St Bassian of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 10 ; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the ÃƒœUnsleeping Ones, Commemorated on December 29; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 451-457, Proterius of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, replaced Monophysite heretic Dioscorus
Egypt, 451-457, Egyptian Patriarch, Proterius of Alexandria; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria, and those with him. The priest Proterius lived in Alexandria during the patriarchal tenure of Dioscorus (444-451), an adherent of the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches. Proterius fearlessly denounced the heretics and confessed the Orthodox Faith. 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, the heresy of Eutyches was condemned and the teaching of Christ as Perfect God and Perfect Man, existing in these two natures “unconfusedly” and “indivisibly” [and “immutably” and “inseparably”] was set forth. The heretic Dioscorus was deposed and exiled, and Proterius, distinguished for his strict and virtuous life, was placed upon the patriarchal throne of Alexandria. many supporters of Dioscorus remained in Alexandria. Rebelling against the election of Proterius, they rioted and burned the soldiers who were sent out to pacify them. The pious emperor Marcian (450-457) deprived the Alexandrians of all the privileges they were accustomed to, and sent new and reinforced detachments of soldiers. The inhabitants of the city then quieted down and begged Patriarch Proterius to intercede with the emperor to restore their former privileges to them. The kindly saint consented and readily obtained their request. the death of Marcian the heretics again raised their heads. Presbyter Menignus (“the Cat”), himself striving for the patriarchal dignity, and taking advantage of the absence of the prefect of the city, was at the head of the rioters. Saint Proterius decided to leave Alexandria, but that night he saw in a dream the holy Prophet Isaiah, who said to him, “Return to the city, I am waiting to take you.” The saint realized that this was a prediction of his martyric end. He returned to Alexandria and concealed himself in a baptistry. insolent heretics broke into this refuge and killed the Patriarch and six men who were with him. The fact that it was Holy Saturday and the Canon of Pascha was being sung did not stop them. In their insane hatred they tied a rope to the body of the murdered Patriarch, and dragged it through the streets. They beat and lacerated it, and finally they burned it, scattering the ashes to the wind. Orthodox reported this to the holy Emperor Leo (457-474) and Saint Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3). An army arrived at Alexandria, the rebellion was crushed, and Menignus was brought to trial and exiled. the death of the Hieromartyr Proterius, four Thracian bishops of his time wrote: “We consider His Holiness Proterius to be in the ranks and choir of the saints, and we beseech God to be compassionate and merciful to us through his prayers.”

Constantinople, 452-32,330&452, 2 Findings otHead tForerunner, from his appearances in 330 and 452
Samaria, 330&452, First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Perophe, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, first found in Sebaste, Samaria, first hidden bHerodius in unclean place, Joanna, Herod's steward Chuza 's wife, christian, placed it into a vessel and buried it Herod's property on Mt of Olives, property passed into govt official possession, he became monk Innocent, built church there, discovered vessel and head, recognized the grace eminating from it, thus the first finding, but returend it to place found, 330 Forerunner appeared to two monks and told them where to look, they lost it to a potter who did not know what it was and put it in Camel hair sack, Forerunner appeared again but to the potter, told him flee from careless lazy monks, he preserved it with reverence in his home, gave it to his christian sister, then sucessfully preserved by Christians, until Arian Priest Eustathius posessed it, he hid it in a cave, Pious monks settled in the cave, started monastery there, 452 Forerunner appeared to archmandrite of the monastery Marcellus, told him where it was hidden, This is the second finding, it was transferred to Emesa and later to Constantinople; Sebaste, Samaria; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), took the holy head and placed it into a vessel buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official became a monk with the name of Innocent. built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. occurred the First Finding of the Head. preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, indicated where his head was hidden. became celebrated as the Second Finding. holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 452,330&452,1st&2nd finding Forerunner's Head,1st 330 M Olives F told f monks,2nd cave near Emesa452 F showed m
Jerusalem, 330 & 452, First and second finding Forerunner's Head, Joanna wife of steward Chuza, Innocents Mt Olives Church and Cell, found head diggng foundation, signs of grace, hid it again same place, 330 Constantine time Forerunner appeared twice monks Jerusalem pilgrimage, way home potter carrying bag, Forerunner appeared ordering potter to flee from careless monks, gave it to sister in jug, heretic Eustathius buried it in cave near Emesa, monks settled in the cave and monastery arose, in 452 Forerunner appeared to Marcellus archmandrite and exposed head, second finding, to Emesa, to Constantinople ; Mount of Olives; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent. He built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. Thus occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. When his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Byzantium, 455-455, Emperor, Petronius Maximus. Vandals Sack Rome
Byzantine Emperor, 455-455, Petronius Maximus. Vandals Sack Rome; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Byzantium, 457-474, Emperor, Leo I the Thracian, the Great, recovered Western territories, Placing Robe at Blachernae
Byzantine Emperor, 457-474, Leo I the Thracian ; I (c. 401 – 18 January 474) was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace,[2] he was known as Leo the Thracian. He was called Leo the Great probably to distinguish him from his young grandson and co-augustus Leo II ("the Small").[3] the Eastern Empire for nearly 20 years, Leo proved to be a capable ruler. He oversaw many ambitious political and military plans, aimed mostly at aiding the faltering Western Roman Empire and recovering its former territories. is notable for being the first Eastern Emperor to legislate in Koine Greek rather than Late Latin.[4] is commemorated as a saint in the Orthodox Church, with his feast day on 20 January.[5][6] St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Icon of the Mother of God "Jerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on December 29; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert
Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert, daughter oRoman Empire procounsul fThedosis tYounger during his minority, renouned beauty wiscom, fervent faith, inclined virginity till death, prayed for that, asked parents go Jerusalem, took servants &gold, distributed tPoor, venerated, freed servants, kept 1 plus old eunuch, tAlexandria, slipped away, monk garb, hid marsh, asceticism there, Angel appeared iDream, go Marcarius' Sketis monastery, call yourself Dorotheus, distinguished ascetical life, parents sent her sister possessed by spirit tMacarius, M brought sister tBro Dorotheus, sister healed, D returened to her cell, violent deamon made sister look pregnant, deamon through sisters lips said D responsible, D or A took blame & went home tRome, She reveals secret tParents, healed sister again, returned to Sketis, reposed 470, then monks discovered secret; Egypt, 380-457, Saint Apollinaria; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Constantinople, 457-470, Apollinaria, Sketis Desert, prayed fVirginity, entered mens m, her sister's demon accused Rape, rvld
Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert, daughter oRoman Empire procounsul fThedosis tYounger during his minority, renouned beauty wiscom, fervent faith, inclined virginity till death, prayed for that, asked parents go Jerusalem, took servants &gold, distributed tPoor, venerated, freed servants, kept 1 plus old eunuch, tAlexandria, slipped away, monk garb, hid marsh, asceticism there, Angel appeared iDream, go Marcarius' Sketis monastery, call yourself Dorotheus, distinguished ascetical life, parents sent her sister possessed by spirit tMacarius, M brought sister tBro Dorotheus, sister healed, D returened to her cell, violent deamon made sister look pregnant, deamon through sisters lips said D responsible, D or A took blame & went home tRome, She reveals secret tParents, healed sister again, returned to Sketis, reposed 470, then monks discovered secret; Egypt, 380-457, Saint Apollinaria; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; renowned Apollinaria lived during the reign of Leo the Great (‎457–474), was the daughter of Anthemius, a former proconsul of Rome during the minority of Theodosius the Younger (408-450). Apollinaria was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, well as for her fervent faith and whole-hearted devotion to Christ. a young age she was inclined to live a life of virginity, she prayed to God night and day that she might achieve her desire, which was to remain a virgin until death. this reason she entreated her parents to let her go to Jerusalem. they granted her permission, the blessed one took some male and female servants with her, as well as gold, silver and expensive clothes, and left for Jerusalem. she distributed everything to the poor. she venerated the Holy Places, she freed her servants, keeping just one old servant and a eunuch with her. them, she went to Alexandria. Arriving there at a level and even place, she decided to rest a little from her weary journey. away from her servants, she changed into monastic garb and hid in a marsh, she lived a life of asceticism for several years in strict fasting and prayer. day, an angel appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to go to the monastery of Sketis, was under the spiritual direction of Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19), to call herself Dorotheus. Macarius accepted her as one of the brethren, and she quickly distinguished herself by her ascetical life. Apollinaria’s parents had another daughter who was possessed by an unclean spirit. sent her to Saint Macarius at Sketis, brought the afflicted girl to "Father Dorotheus." her prayers, and by divine grace, her sister was healed. wanted her to remain with them, but she bade all of them farewell and returned to her monastic cell. her sister was attacked by a violent demon, made her appear to be pregnant. demon spoke through the girl’s lips, saying that Dorotheus had forced himself on her. outraged parents sent soldiers to the monastery to find the monk who had defiled their daughter. Apollinaria took the blame and accompanied the envoys to the home of her parents in Rome. she revealed her secret to them, healed her sister, and returned to Sketis. reposed in the year 470, and was found worthy to dwell in the heavenly abodes (John 14:2). after her death, as the monks were preparing her body for burial, was it discovered that “he” was actually a woman. Saint was buried in a cave in the monastery church of Saint Macarius of Egypt. Apollinaria is commemorated on January 4 in Greek usage, while the Slavic churches honor her on January 5.

Constantinople, 458, Placing Mother of God's Honorable Robe at Blachernae, Constantinople
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Constantinople, 458-471, Patriarch, Gennadius, Placing Robe at Blachernae
Constantinople Patriarch, 458-471, Gennadius; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Constantinople, 460, Baradates, Hermit oSyrian Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, cramped then leather wNose&Mouth holes
Syria, 460, Baradates, Hermit oSyrian Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, cramped stone cell on a hill, stooped position, no window, no door, wind rain came in through cracks, not protected from heat, urged to leave after many years, covered in leather head to foot except for nose and mouth he prayed standing hands raised to heaven, grace of God strenghtened him, purified him, people came to him, he guided them, many spiritual gifts, died in peace 460; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Baradates the Syrian began to live as a desert-dweller in a hut near Antioch. then built a stone cell upon a hill, so cramped and low that the ascetic could stand in it only in a stooped position. had neither window nor door, and the wind, rain and cold came in through the cracks, and in summer he was not protected from the heat. many years Patriarch Theodoretos of Alexandria urged the monk to leave the cramped hut. the saint withdrew into a new seclusion: covered in leather from head to foot with a small opening for his nose and mouth, he prayed standing with hands upraised to heaven. grace of God strengthened him in his works and purified his heart from passions. began to flock to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Baradates with deep humility guided them. acquired many spiritual gifts, Saint Baradates departed to the Lord in peace in 460. St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Constantinople, 460-505, Peter, 1st Georgia Catholicos, f Byz, close to Vakhtang I, autocephaly, harmony b church & state
Georgia, 460-505, Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia in Kartli (town, Tbilisi), Gregory's pupil in Byz, close to Vakhtang I, so Geo close w Byz, autocephaly, harmony between church and state, respect for king; Kartli; Hierarch Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; Peter was the first catholicos of Georgia. He led the Church of Kartli from the 460s through the beginning of the 6th century. to God’s will, Saint Peter inaugurated the dynasty of the chief shepherds of Georgia. is written in the biography of Holy King Vakhtang IV Gorgasali that the king was introduced to Peter, a pupil of Saint Gregory the Theologian, during one of his visits to Byzantium, and he became very close to him. At that time he was also introduced to the future catholicos Samuel. close spiritual bond of the holy king and the catholicos, combined with their concerted efforts on behalf of the Church, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of friendly political relations between Georgia and Byzantium and the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Georgian Apostolic Church. returned to his own capital, King Vakhtang sent an envoy to Byzantium to find him a wife. He also sent a request that the hierarch Peter be elevated as catholicos and that the priest Samuel be consecrated bishop. He pleaded with the patriarch to hasten the arrival of Catholicos Peter and the twelve bishops with him. patriarch of Constantinople approved King Vakhtang’s request to institute the rank of catholicos of Georgia. Since the Georgian Church was still under the jurisdiction of Antioch, Peter and Samuel were sent to the Antiochian patriarch himself to be elevated. The autocephaly of the Georgian Church was proclaimed upon the arrival of the holy fathers in Georgia. Peter ruled the Church according to the principle of autocephaly and established a form of self-rule that would later help to increase the authority of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church. mutual respect and cooperation of the catholicos and the holy king laid the foundations for future, harmonious relations between secular and Church authorities in Georgia. Their example defined the authority of the Church and a national love and respect for the king. accompanied Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali to war with the Persians in 502. It is written that “the fatally wounded king Vakhtang summoned the catholicos, the queen, his sons and all the nobility.” Saint Peter heard the king’s last confession, granted the remission of his sins, presided at his funeral service, and blessed the prince Dachi (502-514) to succeed him as king of Kartli. Catholicos Peter led the Georgian Church with great wisdom to the end of his days. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized the holy catholicos Peter and the holy catholicos Samuel on October 17, 2002.

Constantinople, 463-512, Vendemianus oBithynia, asceticism 42 yrs in Auxentius' cell cliff crevice, demon temptation, healing g
Ephesus, 463-512, Vendemianus, Hermit oBithynia, fMysia Rgion (Caicus River area, near Ephesus), Auxentius' disciple, who was a father 4th EC, tA's monastery on Mt Oxia, Chalcedon, asceticism 42 yrs, with A his cell, cliff crevice, fasting prayer, demon temptation, granted healing gift, died 512; Mysia or Myzia; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Vendemianus (Bendemianus) was born in Myzia. his youth he was a disciple of Saint Auxentius, one of the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical He went to the monastery founded by Saint Auxentius (February 14) on Mount Oxia, not far from Chalcedon (Asia Minor), he lived in asceticism for forty-two years at the cell of his teacher in the crevice of a cliff. spent his life in fasting and prayer, and was tempted by demons. of his holy life and spiritual struggles, the saint was granted the gift of healing. died around the year 512.

Constantinople, 469, Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns)
Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem, Commemorated on October 12;

Constantinople, 469, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, war hero 469 over huns, 988 Korsun and Novgorod, 1571 Moscow, 1812 France

Constantinople, 470-520, Abraham, Bishop oCarrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa), deep piety, taught priests by example
Armenia, 470-520, Abraham, Bishop oCarrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa), fCyrrhus, tMonastery as youth, then hermit iLebanon, many pagans there, vexation because pagans not want him there, paid taxes for those beaten by collector, they accepted christ later, christians built church fervently besought Abe to pastor, he did, after encouraging them in the faith Abe left them another priest and went tMonastery, deep piety, Bishop oCharres, taught his pastors by his God-pleasing life, never used cooked food, EmperorTheodosis tYounger invited him tConstantinople, he died there, remains tCharres; Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Abraham, Bishop of Charres, lived during the mid-fourth and early fifth centuries, was born in the city of Cyrrhus. his youth he entered a monastery. he became a hermit in Lebanon, a place where many pagans lived. Abraham suffered much vexation from the pagans, who wanted to expel him from their area. once saw tax-collectors beating those who were unable to pay. Moved to pity, he paid the taxes for them, and those people later accepted Christ. Christian inhabitants of this village built a church and they fervently besought Saint Abraham to accept the priesthood and become their pastor. monk fulfilled their wish. encouraged his flock in the faith, he left them another priest in place of himself, and he again retired to a monastery. his deep piety he was made bishop of Charres; saint constantly taught his pastors by his God-pleasing life. the time of his accepting of the priesthood, he never used cooked food. The emperor Theodosius the Younger wanted to meet the bishop and made him an invitation. he arrived in Constantinople, Saint Abraham soon died. remains were solemnly transferred to the city of Charres and there given over to burial.

Constantinople, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, Syria, monk iSyrian deserts, Phoenicia, spiritual gifts, monasteries, man oPrayer
Syria, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, Syria (Euphrates River 3), excellent ed, young monk struggling iDeserts&Mountains, like Elias&John tBaptist, later tPhoencia, long time asceticism, received spiritual gifts, Emperor Zeno gave him money to help build manastery with Bishop John oBeriut, monks of new monestery converted nearby pagans, Under Anastasius, Zeno's successor, Rabulas came to Constantinople, built several more monasteries in various places with A's help, one named Rabulas' m, Rabulas whole life at work, gentle, Kind, well-disposed towards people, man oGreat Prayer, lived to 80, to 530; Samosata; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Rabulas was born in the Syrian city of Samosata he received an excellent education. still young, he became a monk and struggled in the deserts and on the mountains, the example of the holy Prophet Elias (July 20) and Saint John the Baptist of the Lord (January 7, February 24, May 25, June 24, August 29, September 23, October 12). later, Saint Rabulas went to Phoenicia, for a long while he lived in asceticism and was glorified by spiritual gifts. emperor Zeno gave Saint Rabulas monetary help to build a monastery, with the assistance of Bishop John of Beruit. the new monastery lived many pagans, who were gradually converted to Christianity through the efforts of the monks. Xeno’s successor Anastasius (491-518), Saint Rabulas came to Constantinople, having received financial help from the emperor, he built several more monasteries in various places. One of them was named after the holy ascetic. Rabulas spent all his life at work, and he was gentle and kind and well-disposed towards people. was also a man of great prayer. lived to be eighty, before his death he heard a voice: “Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden” (Mt. 11:28). Rabulas fell asleep in the Lord around the year 530 after a short illness.

Constantinople, 470-530, Samson tHospitable, clinic fHis Roman estate, tConstantinople fAsceticism,bClinic needed, gift fMiracls
Rome, 470-530, Samson tHospitable oConstantinople, transformed Roman estate ionto clinic fSick, donated all wealth to clinic, lived in poverty, to Constantinople for asceticism in monastery but saw need for another clinic, bought modest home for clinic, received grace for miracles, healed sick by medicine and miracles, Patriarch Menas ordained him Priest, P Menas told Emperor Justinian about Samson when his physicians had failed to heal him, J offered gold and silver for healing but S refused because already gave wealth away, instead asked J build hospice for travelers, reposed 530, ripe old age, approx 470-530 if 80, miracles at his grave plus he continued watch over hospice, fire raged C but heavy rain over his hospice, ; Rome; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Sampson (Σαμψών) was born in Rome, the son of wealthy, but devout and virtuous parents. received an excellent education, studying philosophy and medicine, among other subjects. his earliest childhood, he lived an exemplary Christian life. the death of his parents he transformed the family estate into a clinic for the sick. of his healing skills spread, and so many people came to him that he had to hire a staff to care for the increasing numbers of people who sought his help. he had an adequate staff, he donated all of his wealth to the clinic, and was content to live in poverty (Luke 12:33-34). Sampson went to Constantinople, where he hoped to spend the rest of his life in asceticism. found, however, that there was just as much need for his skill in Constantinople as there had been in Rome. bought a modest home and began to treat the sick. blessed Saint Sampson's work and gave him the grace of working miracles. healed the sick not only by his medical skill, but also as one filled with the grace of God. of Saint Sampson spread rapidly throughout the Queen of Cities. piety and love for his neighbor brought him to the attention of Patriarch Menas of Constantinople (August 25), who ordained him to the holy priesthood. Emperor Justinian became ill, and his physicians were unable to provide any relief for him, Patriarch Menas suggested that he send for Sampson, who healed the Emperor. offered him gold and silver to show his gratitude, but the saint refused, saying that he had already given all his wealth away. he asked Justinian to build a hospice for travelers. Life was written by Saint Symeon Metaphrastes. historian Procopius, however, implies that Sampson lived before the sixth century, and that the hospice had existed before his own time (Buildings, I, 2, 14). Sampson's hospice (xenon) was burnt and destroyed in 532, Justinian rebuilt it and endowed it with a generous annual income. was intended for the destitute, and those who suffered from serious illnesses, as well as those who had lost their property or their health. Sampson reposed quietly, following a brief illness, in the year 530 at a ripe old age. was buried in the church of Saint Mokios (Μώκιος), which was built by Saint Constantine the Great. miracles of healing took place at the tomb of Saint Sampson. after his death, the Saint continued to watch over his hospice. he appeared to a lazy worker, and chastised him for his negligence. the hospice became a church, and a new building for the homeless was constructed beside it. terrible fire once raged in Constantinople, but did not damage the church or the new building. the prayers of Saint Sampson, a heavy rain extinguished the flames. appointed Scriptural readings for his Feast are from Galatians 5:23-6:2 and from Luke 12:32-40. the prayers of Saint Sampson, may we also find the treasure which does not fail, in Heaven.

Byzantium, 474, Emperor, Leo II, May have been poisoned by his Mother
Byzantine Emperor, 474, Leo II ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 474-477, Commander, Armatus, son of Basiliscus, Icon of Armatia
Byzantium, 474-477, Commander, Armatus, son of Basiliscus; Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21;

Byzantium, 474-491, Emperor, Zeno, Leo II's Father, Stabilized Eastern Empire, only begotten son of (one) God
Byzantine Emperor, 474-491, Zeno ; Zeno (; Greek: ; c. 425 -“ 9 April 491) was Eastern Roman emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues. His reign saw the end of the Western Roman Empire following the deposition of Romulus Augustus and the death of Julius Nepos, but he contributed much to stabilising the Eastern Empire. ecclesiastical history, Zeno is associated with the Henotikon or "instrument of union", promulgated by him and signed by all the Eastern bishops, with the design of solving the monophysite controversy. 1 Biography 1.1 Rise to power 1.1.1 Early life 1.1.2 Son-in-law of Leo I 1.2 Reign 1.2.1 First reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476) 1.2.2 End of the Western Empire 1.2.3 Revolt of Marcian (479) 1.2.4 Revolt of Illus (484-“488) 1.2.5 Affairs with the Goths (474-“487) 1.2.6 Promulgation of the Henotikon (482) 1.2.7 Suppressing the Samaritan revolt (484) 1.3 Death and succession 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 Notes 5 Bibliography 5.1 Primary sources 5.2 Secondary sources 6 External links -----------------------------------Rise to power[edit] -----------------------------------Early life[edit] detail of the Missorium of Aspar, depicting the powerful magister militum Aspar and his elder son Ardabur (434 circa). caused Ardabur's fall, producing treacherous letters that linked him to the Sassanid King; Ardabur later bribed some of Zeno's soldiers into trying to kill him. original name was Tarasis, and more accurately Tarasikodissa in his native Isaurian language (Latin: Trascalissaeus).[2] was born in Isauria, at Rusumblada, later renamed Zenopolis in Zeno's honour.[3] His father was called Kodisa (as attested by his patronymic "Tarasicodissa"), his mother Lallis, his brother Longinus. had a wife, Arcadia, whose name indicates a relationship with the Constantinopolitan aristocracy, and whose statue was erected near the Baths of Arcadius, along the steps that led to Topoi.[4] Eastern and other Christian traditions maintain that Zeno had two daughters, Hilaria and Theopiste, who followed a religious life,[5] but historical sources attest the existence of only one son by Arcadia, called Zenon.[6] to ancient sources, Zeno's prestigious career ”he had fought against Attila in 447 to defend Constantinople and been consul the following year ”was the reason why another Isaurian officer, Tarasis, chose the Greek name Zeno when he married into the Imperial family, thus being known as Zeno when he rose to the throne.[7] Some modern historians suggest that the Isaurian general Zeno was the father of the emperor,[8] but there is no consensus about this, and other sources suggest that Tarasis was a member of Zeno's entourage. Isaurians were a people who lived inland from the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, in the core of the Taurus Mountains (generally what is now the Konya/Bozkir area of Turkey). Like most borderland tribes, they were looked upon as barbarians by the Romans even though they had been Roman subjects for more than five centuries. However, being Orthodox Christians rather than Arians, as the Goths and other Germanic tribes were, they were not formally barred from the throne.[3] to some scholars, in the mid-460s, the Eastern Roman Emperor, Leo I, wanted to balance the weight of the Germanic component of the army, whose leader was the Alan magister militum Aspar. He thought that Tarasis and his Isaurians could be that counterweight, and called him, with many Isaurians, to Constantinople. This interpretation, however, has been contested.[9] the mid-460s, Arcadia and Zeno had been living at Constantinople for some time,[4] where Lallis and Longinus also lived, the latter married to a Valeria, possibly a woman of aristocrat rank.[9] to ancient sources, the earliest reference to Tarasis dates back to 464, when he put his hands on some letters written by Aspar's son, Ardabur, which proved that the son of the magister militum had incited the Sassanid King to invade Roman territory, promising to support the invasion. Through these letters, which Tarasis gave to Leo, the Emperor could dismiss Ardabur, who at the time was magister militum per Orientem and patricius, thus reducing Aspar's influence and ambition. reward for his loyalty, which Leo praised to Daniel the Stylite,[10] Tarasis was appointed comes domesticorum, an office of great influence and prestige.[4] This appointment could mean that Tarasis had been a protector domesticus, either at Leo's court in Constantinople, or attached at Ardabur's staff in Antioch.[9] 465, Leo and Aspar quarrelled about the appointment of consuls for the following year; it was on this occasion that Tarasis' position was strengthened, as he became friend and ally of the Emperor.[11] of Leo I[edit] of Ariadne, elder daughter of Emperor Leo I and wife of Zeno. make himself more acceptable to the Roman hierarchy and the population of Constantinople, Tarasis adopted the Greek name of Zeno and used it for the rest of his life. In mid-late 466, Zeno married Ariadne, elder daughter of Leo I and Verina; there is no reference to him divorcing Arcadia who evidently died prior to this. The next year their son was born, and Zeno became father of the heir apparent to the throne, as the only son of Leo I had died in his infancy; to stress his claim to the throne, the boy was called Leo.[12] however, was not present at the birth of his son, as in 467, he participated in a military campaign against the Goths.[9][13] I, father-in-law of Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor from 457 to 474. as a member of the protectores domestici, did not take part in the disastrous expedition against the Vandals, led in 468 by Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. following year, during which he held the honour of the consulate, he was appointed magister militum per Thracias and led an expedition in Thrace. The sources do not clearly state what enemy he fought there, and historians had proposed either Goths or Huns, or the rebels of Anagastes. way, before leaving, Leo and Zeno asked for Daniel the Stylite's opinion about the campaign, and Daniel answered that Zeno would be the target of a conspiracy but would escape unharmed. Indeed, Leo sent some of his personal soldiers with Zeno to protect him, but they were bribed by Aspar to capture him instead. Zeno was informed of their intention and fled to Serdica, and, because of this episode, Leo grew even more suspicious of Aspar.[14] the attack, Zeno did not return to Constantinople, where Aspar and Ardabur were, still with considerable power. Instead, he moved to the "Long Wall" (the Long Wall of the Thracian Chersonese or, less probably, the Anastasian Wall), then to Pylai and from there to Chalcedon. While waiting here for an opportunity to return to the capital, he was appointed magister militum per Orientem. He took the monk Peter the Fuller with him and left for Antioch, his office's see, passing through Isauria, where he put down the rebellion of Indacus. Zeno stayed at Antioch for two years.[15] living in Antioch with his family, Zeno sympathised with the Monophysite views of Peter the Fuller, and supported him against his opponent, the Chalcedonian bishop Martyrius. allowed the arrival in Antioch of monks from nearby monasteries who increased the number of Peter's followers, and did not effectively repress their violence. Martyrius went to Constantinople to ask Leo for help, but, on returning to Antioch, he was informed that Peter had been elected bishop, and resigned (470). ----------------------------Leo reacted by ordering Peter into exile and addressing to Zeno a law that forbade the monks from leaving their monasteries or fomenting rebellion (1 June 471).[16] In 470/471, had also to deal with an invasion of Tzanni, who attacked Roman Armenia.[17] Zeno far from Constantinople, Aspar had increased his influence by having his son Patricius appointed Caesar and married to Leo I's younger daughter, Leontia (470). are contradictory on the causes, but clearly state that in 471, Leo I had Aspar and Ardabur treacherously killed. This certainly occurred with Zeno's and Basiliscus' approval, as, on the eve of the murders, the two generals had moved closer to Constantinople (Zeno was at Chalcedon). Thereafter, Zeno returned to Constantinople and was appointed magister militum praesentalis.[18] reign and Basiliscus' revolt (475-“476)[edit] of Leo II, minted in the name of "Leo and Zeno perpetual Augusti"; it belongs to the period when both Zeno and his son were joint emperors, between 9 February and 17 November 474. On 25 October 473, I appointed as Caesar his grandson Leo II, the son of Zeno and Ariadne. On 18 January 474, Leo I died; if Leo II had not already been proclaimed co-emperor by his grandfather, he would have become Augustus on that occasion. Leo II was seven years old (too young to rule himself) Ariadne and her mother Verina prevailed upon him to crown Zeno, his father, as co-emperor, which he did on 9 February 474. When Leo II became ill and died, Zeno became sole emperor. had to settle matters with the Vandal King, Genseric, who was conducting raids against the Empire's coastal cities, threatening key commercial sea routes. sent Genseric a high-ranking officer as ambassador, Severus, who succeeded in stipulating an "eternal" peace between the Vandals and the Empire, which allowed the Romans to pay ransoms for the prisoners in Vandal hands and which ended the Vandal persecution of Orthodox Christians in their territory.[19] this success, Zeno continued to be unpopular with the people and Senate because of his barbarian origins; his right to the throne was limited to his marriage with Ariadne and his relationship to Verina, the dowager Empress. he chose to draw support from the Isaurian component of the army, in particular, the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes, both brothers. Verina decided to overthrow her son-in-law Zeno and replace him with her lover, the ex-magister officiorum Patricius, with the help of her brother Basiliscus. conspirators fomented riots in the capital against the Isaurian emperor; Basiliscus succeeded also in convincing Illus, Trocundes and the Ostrogothic general Theodoric Strabo to join the plot.[19] of Basiliscus, who revolted against Zeno in January 475 and held power until Zeno's return in August 476. Basiliscus was Verina's brother; he took power after having Zeno flee from Constantinople, but alienated the people of Constantinople and was captured and put to death by Zeno. January 475, Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople to Isauria with his wife and mother,[20] some Isaurian fellows and the Imperial treasure. Illus and Trocundes were sent to chase him, and Zeno was compelled to shut himself up in a fortress, where Illus besieged him, capturing also Zeno's brother, Longinus and keeping him as an hostage.[19] the conspirators quickly fell in conflict with each other. Basiliscus took the throne for himself, putting to death Verina's lover and candidate, Patricius. He also allowed the mob to kill all of the Isaurians left in Constantinople, an episode that damaged relations with the Isaurian generals Illus and Trocundes. appointed his nephew Armatus magister militum, thus alienating Theodoric Strabo. Zeno had left no money, Basiliscus was forced to levy heavy taxes. he alienated the Church by supporting the Monophysites. people of Constantinople also put the blame on him for a great fire that burned several parts of the city. the secret support of the Senate, and bribes paid by Zeno, Illus agreed to switch sides and united his army with Zeno's, marching on Constantinople. Basiliscus tried to recover popular support and sent another army against Zeno, under his nephew Armatus' command. Zeno succeeded in bribing Armatus too, promising to confirm his rank of magister militum praesentalis for life and promoting his son (also called Basiliscus) to the rank of Caesar; Armatus' army failed to intercept Zeno's troops during their march on Constantinople.[19] August 476, Zeno besieged Constantinople. The Senate opened the gates of the city to the Isaurian, allowing the deposed emperor to resume the throne. Basiliscus fled with his family to the baptistery of Hagia Sophia.[21][22] Betrayed by the Patriarch Acacius, he surrendered himself and his family after extracting a solemn promise from Zeno not to shed their blood. Basiliscus and his family were sent to a fortress in Cappadocia, where Zeno had them enclosed in a dry cistern, to die from exposure.[21][23][24] his restoration, Zeno fulfilled his promises, letting Armatus keep his title of magister militum praesentalis (possibly even raising him to the rank of patricius) and appointing his son Basiliscus Caesar in Nicaea.[25] 477, however, Zeno changed his mind, probably at Illus' instigation, as the latter stood to gain from the fall of Armatus, and ordered Armatus' death. Zeno confiscated all of Armatus' properties, deposed his son Basiliscus, and had him ordained as a priest.[26][27][28] of the Western Empire[edit] solidus was minted by Odoacer in the name of Zeno. Odoacer ruled Italy under the formal patronage of the Eastern Emperor. western emperor Olybrius died in the autumn of 472. Gundobad, the western magister militum then proclaimed Glycerius, the comes domesticorum (commander of the Imperial guard) as western emperor in Ravenna. I refused to endorse Glycerius and elevated his nephew Julius Nepos to co-emperor for the west in 473. Expecting resistance, Nepos was forced by bad winter weather to delay his voyage until the next year; it was therefore left to Zeno, as Leo's successor, to support Julius Nepos' installation in Ravenna. Nepos arrived in Italy, quickly deposed Glycerius who offered no resistance, and was proclaimed emperor by the Roman Senate in June 474. Julius was on good terms with Zeno, and he even minted coins in the names of Zeno, Leo II and himself.[29] and the Mediterranean Basin at the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 August 475, during Basiliscus' reign, while Zeno was in Isauria blocked by Illus' army, Orestes, the western magister militum, revolted, forcing Nepos to flee Italy for Dalmatia; Orestes proclaimed his own son Romulus Augustus emperor, but was unable to gain the allegiance of the remnants of the Western Empire outside of Italy.[29] year later, while Zeno was entering Constantinople to end Basiliscus' brief usurpation, Romulus and Orestes were overthrown by the Chieftain Odoacer. the support of Odoacer, the Roman Senate sent an envoy to present the imperial insignia to the restored Zeno. They asked Zeno to dissolve the separation of the empire and rule as sole Emperor; also, to appoint Odoacer both patricius and official imperial governor of Italy. the same time, Zeno received another embassy, sent by Julius Nepos, who asked Zeno to give him the money and the army he needed to resume his control of Italy. Zeno answered that the Roman Senate should welcome back Julius Nepos, their rightful emperor, and that Odoacer should properly receive the patriciate from Nepos, although he allowed that he would also grant it.[30] Odoacer was officially recognised and left in possession of Italy, while Nepos kept his title and the other fragments of the empire's western holdings, but no army. in deference to Zeno, Odoacer recognised Nepos' de jure reign in Italy until his death, ruling and even minting coins in his name, but he never allowed his return. Nepos' assassination in 480, Odoacer invaded Dalmatia to pursue and punish the assassins (and also to take Dalmatia for himself). Zeno legitimised Odoacer's authority in Dalmatia; Odoacer recognised Zeno as sole emperor of the again unitary Empire, but increasingly started using the title of king for himself.[31] of Marcian (479)[edit] was the son of the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius (467-“472) and a grandson of Emperor Marcian (450-“457). He had married Ariadne's sister Leontia, and was therefore Zeno's brother-in-law; he was twice consul, in 467 and 472. 479 Marcian tried to overthrow Zeno and claim the throne for himself. With the help of his brothers Procopius Anthemius and Romulus, he gathered in Constantinople troops composed of both citizens and foreigners in the house of a Caesarius, south of the Forum of Theodosius, and from there they marched at the same time on the imperial palace and on the house of Illus, who was a supporter of Zeno. The emperor almost fell into the hands of the rebels, who, during the day, overwhelmed the imperial troops, who were also attacked by citizens from the roofs of their houses. During the night, however, Illus moved an Isaurian unit, quartered in nearby Chalcedonia, into Constantinople and also corrupted Marcian's soldiers, who allowed Zeno to flee. The following morning, Marcian, understanding that his situation was desperate and that reinforcements from Theodoric Strabo would not arrive in time, took refuge in the church of the Holy Apostles, but was arrested with his brothers.[32] sent Marcian and his brothers to Caesarea in Cappadocia. They tried to flee, but Marcian was captured and obliged to become a monk in Tarsus (Cilicia),[33] or imprisoned in Isauria, in the fortress of Papurius. He tried to escape a second time, and this time he succeeded, but, after gathering new troops and attacking Ancyra, he was defeated and captured by Trocundus, Illus' brother.[32] of Illus (484-“488)[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) commanding position and popular favour of Illus rendered him an object of suspicion, and Zeno in various ways sought to rid himself of him. Verina, the dowager Empress, plotted against his life. Verina's attempt was unsuccessful, and Zeno, equally jealous of her and of Illus, banished her at the suggestion of the latter, confining her in the fort of Papurius. There is some doubt as to the timing of these events. Candidus of Isauria places the banishment of Verina before the revolt of Marcian, and Theodore Lector assigns as the cause of it her share in the revolt of Basiliscus. It is not unlikely, indeed, that this turbulent woman was twice banished, once before Marcian's revolt, for her connection with Basiliscus, and again after Marcian's revolt, for her plot against Illus. her prison she managed to persuade her daughter Ariadne, the wife of Zeno, to attempt to obtain her release, first from Zeno, and then from Illus, to whom the Emperor referred her. Illus refused her request. Ariadne, like her mother, attempted to assassinate Illus. ascribes her hatred to another cause: he says that Illus had infused jealous suspicions into Zeno's mind which had led Zeno to attempt to end her life, and that her knowledge of these things stimulated her to revenge. The assassin whom she employed only wounded Illus; the assassin was taken prisoner and Zeno, who appears to have been privy to the affair, was unable to prevent his execution. ” with his friend Pamprepius, Leontius and his brother Trocundus “ now retired from court. They first went to Nicaea and then, on pretence of change of air and of procuring a cure for his wound, into the East where he was made magister militum. Having traversed Asia Minor, they raised the standard of revolt in 484, when Illus declared Leontius Emperor. sent an army to fight them, but Illus won, obtained possession of Papurius, released Verina, and induced her to crown Leontius at Tarsus. 485 Zeno sent against the rebels a fresh army, said to consist of Macedonians and Scythians (Tillemont conjectures, not unreasonably, that these were Ostrogoths) under John the Hunchback, or, more probably, John the Scythian, and Theoderic the Amal, who was at this time consul. John defeated the rebels near Seleucia and drove them into the fort of Papurius where he blockaded them. After a few months Trocundus died; the fort was taken only after four years of siege, by the treachery of Trocundus's brother-in-law, who had been sent for the purpose from Constantinople by Zeno. Illus and Leontius were beheaded (488) and their heads sent to the Emperor.[34] with the Goths (474-“487)[edit] weight with the name of Theoderic the Great, King of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy. served under Zeno, fighting against his opponent Theodoric Strabo (476-“481), and then was the leader of the army that besieged the fort of Papurius and captured and killed Illus' brother, Trocundus (484). aggressions of the two Ostrogothic leaders, Theoderic the Amal (Theoderic the Great), the son of Theodemir and leader of the Moesian Ostrogoths, and Theodoric Strabo, the leader of the Thracian Ostrogoths, had been a constant source of danger since 472. Although Zeno at times contrived to play them off against each other, they in turn were able to profit by his dynastic rivalries. It was only by offering them pay and high command that he kept them from attacking Constantinople itself. the death of Leo II, Theodoric Strabo rebelled against Zeno. His support was instrumental in overthrowing Zeno and raising Basiliscus to the Byzantine throne (475), but Theodoric and Basiliscus had a falling-out, so when Zeno returned to Constantinople in 476 and defeated Basiliscus, Strabo was reported to have not defended the city.[35][36] 476/477, Zeno allied himself with Strabo's rival, Theoderic the Amal, and ordered him to attack Strabo. The leader of the Thracian Goths sent an embassy to the Emperor, offering peace and blaming the Moesian Theodoric. Zeno understood that this offering was hiding further conspiracies, and convinced the Senate and army to declare Strabo a public enemy.[28] plan was to have the two Theoderics attack each other. He sent the Amal against Strabo, who supported the revolt of Marcian, with the promise of a huge Roman force as reinforcement (478). When Theoderic the Amal arrived through the mountains at Mount Soundis, he did not find the Roman reinforcement army he expected, but instead Theodoric Strabo's army, in a strongly fortified camp. The two Theoderics agreed to put forward a joint request to the Emperor, in order to extend to the south the settlement territory of the Ostrogoths in Moesia.[37] tried to divide the two Theoderics by bribing the Amal, but he refused the bribe. The Imperial army obtained some initial successes, but Zeno did not press his advantage, and allowed the Amal to move westward in Thrace, plundering territories as he went. With the Amal far away, Strabo accepted an agreement with Zeno: Strabo was to be given back his wealth, money to pay 13,000 soldiers, the command of two palatinae units, and the title once more of magister militum.[37] However, the army of Theodoric Strabo, 30,000-men strong was still a menace for Zeno, who convinced the Bulgars to attack the Thracian Goths in their own base. Strabo defeated the Bulgars in 480/481, and moved towards Constantinople, but he had to deal with problems with his own men, so he could not capitalise upon his victory and was forced to return to Greece. On his way back, he died in an accident.[37] Theodoric Strabo died in 481, the future Theoderic the Great became king of the entire Ostrogoth nation and continued to be a source of trouble in the Balkan peninsula. Zeno allied to Theoderic, whom he appointed magister militum praesentalis and even consul for the year 484, the first time a barbarian who was not a citizen of the Empire reached such a high distinction. Zeno had Theoderic fight against Illus and the usurper Leontius, besieging them at Papurius in 484-“488. However, in 486 Theoderic revolted again and attacked Constantinople, severing the city's water supply. Zeno bought a peace and agreed with Theoderic that the Ostrogoths should have gone to invade Italy to fight Odoacer, who had allegedly supported Leontius, and to establish his new kingdom there (487). This all but eliminated the Germanic presence in the east.[38] of the Henotikon (482)[edit] religious matters, Zeno is famous for his Henotikon, or "Act of Union", issued in 482 to mediate between Chalcedonian and Miaphysite views about the nature of Christ. The Chalcedonians recognised two natures (physis) in Christ, the Miaphysites only one; the Council of Chalcedon (451) had issued the Chalcedonian Creed and condemned the Miaphysite position, but the Miaphysites were still strong, especially in the Eastern provinces of the Empire, and the Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter Mongus, was a Miaphysite. Supporting the Miaphysites was one of the mistakes made by Basiliscus, as the people of Constantinople were Chalcedonian, but Zeno needed the support of the Miaphysite provinces ”Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Asia Minor; also, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Acacius, was interested in reducing the distance between the two positions. in 482 Zeno issued the Henotikon, a document he had developed with the support of Acacius and addressed to the factions in Egypt. The edict affirmed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (i.e., the Creed of Nicaea completed at Constantinople) as affording a common, final and united symbol or expression of faith. All other symbola or mathemata were excluded; Eutyches and Nestorius were unmistakably condemned in an anathema, while the twelve chapters of Cyril of Alexandria were accepted. The teaching of Chalcedon was not so much repudiated as passed over in silence; Jesus Christ was described as the "only-begotten Son of God [...] one and not two" and there was no explicit reference to the two natures.[39] bishop of Rome, Pope Felix III, refused to accept the document and excommunicated Acacius (484), thus beginning the Acacian schism, which lasted until 519.[40] 488 the patriarch of Antioch, Peter the Fuller, came to Constantinople to have his right to the Church of Cyprus confirmed. Zeno called the bishop of Cyprus, Anthemius, to answer the accusations. The bishop claimed that before his departure, he had had a vision of St. Barnabas, in which the position of the tomb of the apostle had been revealed to him. In the tomb, Anthemius had found the relics of the apostle and a copy of the Gospel of Matthew written in Hebrew by Barnabas himself. received the relics and the manuscript, and in exchange he proclaimed the autonomy of the Church of Cyprus.[41] 489 Zeno closed the Persian school of Edessa, Mesopotamia, by request of bishop Cyrus II of Edessa, because it promoted Nestorian teachings, and built a church in its place. The school relocated to its original home of Nisibis, becoming again the School of Nisibis, and leading to a wave of Nestorian immigration into Persia.[42] the Samaritan revolt (484)[edit] Gerizim, where Samaritan sources have Zeno buried. According to Samaritan sources, Zeno (whom the sources call "Zait the King of Edom") persecuted the Samaritans. The Emperor went to Sichem (Neapolis), gathered the elders and asked them to convert; when they refused, Zeno had many Samaritans killed, and converted the synagogue to a church. Zeno then took for himself Mount Gerizim, where the Samaritans worshipped God, and built several edifices, among which a tomb for his recently deceased son, on which he put a cross, so that the Samaritans, worshipping God, would prostrate in front of the tomb. According to these same sources, Zeno was buried on Mount Gerizim. in 484, the Samaritans revolted. rebels attacked Sichem, burnt five churches built on Samaritan holy places and cut off the fingers of bishop Terebinthus, who was officiating the ceremony of Whitsun. They elected Justa (or Justasa/Justasus) as their king and moved to Caesarea, where a significant Samaritan community lived. Here several Christians were killed and the church of St. Sebastian was destroyed. Justa celebrated the victory with games in the circus. to John Malalas, the dux Palestinae Asclepiades, whose troops were reinforced by the Caesarea-based Arcadiani of Rheges, defeated Justa, killed him and sent his head to Zeno.[43] According to Procopius of Caesarea, Terebinthus went to Zeno to ask for revenge; the Emperor personally went to Samaria to quell the rebellion.[44] historians believe that the order of the facts preserved by Samaritan sources should be inverted, as the persecution of Zeno was a consequence of the rebellion rather than its cause, and should have happened after 484, around 489. rebuilt the church of St. Procopius in Neapolis (Sichem) and the Samaritans were banned from Mount Gerizim, on whose top a signalling tower was built to alert in case of civil unrest.[45] and succession[edit] died on 9 April 491,[46] of dysentery[47] or of epilepsy,[48] after ruling for 17 years and 2 months. No sons were to succeed him: Leo had died in 474, Zenon, the first son, in his youth, while living at court.[6] then chose a favoured member of the Imperial court, Anastasius, to succeed Zeno, whose brother Longinus revolted, starting the Isaurian War. to a popular legend recorded by two 11th century and 12th century writers, Zeno was buried alive after becoming insensible due to drinking or an illness.[49] For three days cries of "have pity on me!" could be heard from within his verd antique sarcophagus, but because of the hatred of his wife and subjects, Ariadne refused to open the tomb.[50] This tale is not likely, as earlier and contemporary sources do not mention it, even though they too were hostile to his memory.[50] Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 474-558, John tSilent, built church, Bishop a28, but bright star tSabbas, hides rank, silent sentence, Lion stry
Jerusalem, 474-558, John tSilent oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, born 454 Nicopolis, Armenia, wealthy, loved solitude&prayer, built church wInheritance, monk a18, at that church, Bishop oColonia a28 in 1482, influenced family fgood, but sister married bad Armenia Governor Pazinkos in 1492, P interferred Church spiritual ecclesiastical matters, John tConstantinople&Emperor Zeno unsuccessfully, overwhelmed worldly matters, tJerusalem, prayed, Bright Star leads John tSabbas, hiding Bishop rank accepted as Novice, under Savva, toiled obediently 4yrs, served guesthouse and monastery builders, when Savva saw his humility&labor he wanted to make him presbyter, so John had to reveal his rank tJerusalem Patriarch Elias, sentenced to live in silence, 4yrs in cell no visitors or church, then desiring solitude abstinence withdrew tDesert f9yrs, eating plants&grass, survived Saracens incursion Lord sent Lion, many miracles in desert, back tMonastery, 524 Savva died, not with him so grieved, Savva appeared foretold Origen heresy struggle, 66yrs at Sabbas, Holy Spirit grace acqiured, many miracles, clairvoyance, deliverance, invoking his name, even while alive, saved from destruction, beautiful shade fig tree story, seeds on barren rock, lived t104; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; John the Silent was born around 454 in the city of Nicopolis, Armenia the family of a military commander named Enkratius and his wife Euphemia. boy began to study Holy Scripture, and he loved solitude and prayer with all his heart. the inheritance his parents left him, John built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. eighteen years of age, John became a monk, living an ascetic life of fasting, prayer, and temperance with ten other monks at the church he had founded. the request of the citizens of Colonia, the Metropolitan of Sebaste consecrated the twenty-eight-year-old John as Bishop of Colonia. assumed the episcopal throne, the saint did not alter his strict ascetic manner of life. the influence of the saint his relatives, his brother Pergamios (an associate of the emperors Zeno and Anastasius) and his nephew Theodore (an associate of the emperor Justinian), also lived in a Christian manner. John’s tenth year as bishop, the governorship of Armenia was assumed by Pazinikos, the husband of the saint’s sister, Maria. new governor began to interfere in spiritual and ecclesiastical matters, and there was unrest in the Church. Saint John then went to Constantinople, and through Archbishop Euthymius, he entreated the emperor Zeno to defend the Armenian Church from the evil Governor. by worldly quarrels, John secretly left his diocese and sailed to Jerusalem. tears he besought God to show him a place where he might live and find salvation. bright star appeared, which led Saint John to the Lavra of Saint Savva. concealing his episcopal rank, was accepted in the community as a simple novice. the guidance of the igumen Saint Savva(December 5), John toiled obediently for more than four years at every task he was assigned. a guesthouse was built at the Lavra, Saint John served the workers, serving their food and assisting in the construction of the building. a cenobitic monastery for novices was being built, John was once again assigned to help the workers. Saint John’s humility and love of labor, Saint Savva deemed him worthy of ordination to presbyter. John was forced to reveal his rank to Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem (494-517), who told Saint Savva that John could not be ordained. he said that John was to live in silence, and that no one should trouble him. the Lord also revealed Saint John’s secret to Saint Savva. John spent four years in his cell, receiving no one and not going out even for church. ever greater solitude and increased abstinence, Saint John quit the Lavra and withdrew into the desert, where he spent more than nine years, plants and grass. survived a devastating incursion of the Saracens and did not perish, only because the Lord sent him a defender: a ferocious lion. When the enemy tried to harm the saint, the lion attacked them and they scattered in fright. speaks of many miracles Saint John performed during this time in the desert. Saint Savva returned after an extended stay in Scythopolis, he persuaded Saint John to forsake the wilderness and to live at the monastery. this, the Lord, in a miraculous way, revealed to everyone at the Lavra that the monk John was actually a bishop. Saint John reached age seventy, his holy and God-bearing spiritual Father Saint Savva died. saint grieved deeply over this, since he was not present at the time. Savva appeared to him in a vision, and having consoled him, he foretold that there would be much toil ahead in the struggle against heresy. John even had to leave his solitude to strengthen the brethren in the struggle with the Origenists. John the Silent spent sixty-six years at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. his constant ascetic efforts, by his untiring prayer and humble wisdom, Saint John acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. his prayers, many miracles took place, and he was able to discern the secret thoughts of people. He healed the sick and those possessed by demons. during his lifetime he saved those who invoked his name from certain destruction. he scattered fig seeds on barren rock, and a beautiful and fruitful tree sprang up. In time, the tree grew so much that it overshadowed the saint’s cell. John the Silent departed to the Lord in peace at the age of 104.

Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus, Varina's b, barbarian successor to Leo, Miaphysite, k by Zeno coming back
Byzantium, 475-476, Emperor, Basiliscus; Basiliscus (died 476/477) was Eastern Roman emperor from 475 to 476. A member of the House of Leo, he came to power when Emperor Zeno was forced out of Constantinople by a revolt. Basiliscus was the brother of Empress Aelia Verina, who was the wife of Emperor Leo I (457-“474). His relationship with the Emperor allowed him to pursue a military career that, after minor initial successes, ended in 468, when he led the disastrous Roman invasion of Vandal Africa, in one of the largest military operations of Late Antiquity. succeeded in seizing power in 475, exploiting the unpopularity of Emperor Zeno, the barbarian successor to Leo, and a plot organised by Verina that had caused Zeno to flee Constantinople. However, during his short rule, Basiliscus alienated the fundamental support of the Church and the people of Constantinople, promoting the Miaphysite christological position in opposition to the Chalcedonian faith. Also, his policy of securing his power through the appointment of loyal men to key roles antagonised many important figures in the imperial court, including his sister Verina. So, when Zeno tried to regain his empire, he found virtually no opposition, triumphantly entering Constantinople, and capturing and killing Basiliscus and his family. struggle between Basiliscus and Zeno impeded the Eastern Roman Empire's ability to intervene in the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which happened in early September 476. When the chieftain of the Heruli, Odoacer, deposed Western Emperor Romulus Augustus, sending the imperial regalia to Constantinople, Zeno had just regained his throne, and was in no position to take any action but appoint Odoacer dux of Italy, thereby ending the Western Roman Empire. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21;

Constantinople, 483-565 or 600, Barsanuphius&His disciple John tProphet, both wonderworking, raised the dead etc, humble
Palestine, 483-565 or 600, Barsanuphius tGreat &John tProphet, Abba Seridus Monastery, Gaza, Palestine (Way of the Sea 5), time oJustinian I, B fEgypt, ascetic from youth, built small cell, solitude, later his disciple John lived same cell 18yrs till death, J aClairvoyant prophet, B built another cell near monastery, which sent him 3 loaves bread per week, 50 years work&Ascetic deeds, Pat Eustochios oJerusalem heard &Wanted see for self, tried dig under wall tEnter Cell, flames burst forth, devoted to prayer, high degree spiritual perfection, manuscript accounts oB&J, accounts translated Moldavian&Slavonic languages, Paisius Velichkovsk lifetime 1740's-90's, publication 1800's by Optina Elders, B attained heights oHumility, reasoning, and fiery love, Lord gave him gifts oDiscernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking, he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses, things he blessed received divine power and grace, (for exampe: a weed took away monk's headache), even his name, when invoked mentally, gave help when called upon it, rain from his prayers, his predictions always came true, he got these gifts after many yrs patiently enduring great temptations and illness, following B's instructions, J became like B in all things, but out oHumility J sent questions to B, ; Abba Seridus is at Gaza, but that is all Wikipedia knows about it.; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6; Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet lived during the sixth century during the reign of the emperor Justinian I (483-565). lived in asceticism at the monastery of Abba Seridus in Palestine, near the city of Gaza. Barsanuphius was born in Egypt (the year of his birth is unknown). his youth, he began to lead an ascetic life. Arriving at the cenobitic monastery of Abba Seridus, built a small cell outside the monastery. Here he lived in solitude. Saint John, disciple of Saint Barsanuphius, lived in this cell for eighteen years until his death. John imitated his teacher in silence, ascetic deeds and in virtue. Because of his gift of clairvoyance, he was known as “the Prophet.” a certain time, Saint Barsanuphius built another cell near the monastery. the beginning of his solitude, the monastery sent him only three loaves of bread per week. He dwelt for fifty years in work and ascetic deeds. Patriarch Eustochios of Jerusalem heard about the ascetical life of Saint Barsanuphius, it seemed unbelievable to him. wanted to see Barsanuphius for himself, he and his companions tried to dig under the wall, and to enter the monk’s cell from beneath. attempting to enter were almost burned by flames suddenly bursting forth from the cell. his hermitage Saint Barsanuphius devoted himeself entirely to prayer, and he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. have manuscript accounts about the life, the deeds and talents of Saints Barsanuphius and John. the lifetime of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), they were translated into the Moldavian and Slavonic languages. publication of these manuscripts, and also their translation into the Russian language, was done in the nineteenth century by the Elders of Optina’s Entry of the Theotokos Monastery. precepts of Saints Barsanuphius and John clearly show the degree of their moral perfection, and their love for people, contain scant facts about their lives. do not know exactly when Saint Barsanuphius died. Some sources say the year of his death was 563, others say more cautiously before the year 600. spending a long time in seclusion, Saint Barsanuphius thereafter and until the death of Saint John the Prophet began to serve others by instructing them on the path to salvation, as Abba Dorotheus (June 5) testifies. Barsanuphius replied to questioners through Saint John, sometimes instructing him to give the answers, or even through Abba Seridus (August 13), who wrote down the saint’s answers. the answers of Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, who were guides in the spiritual life not only for their contemporaries, but also for succeeding generations, it is clearly possible to see the monks’ gradual spiritual ascent “from strength to strength.” deeds of fasting, silence, guarding the heart, and unceasing prayer, Barsanuphius attained the heights of humility, reasoning and fiery love. Lord gave him the gifts of discernment, clairvoyance, and wonderworking. the power of his prayers, he was able to free the souls of people from sins. Sometimes, he took the sins of others upon himself. venerable one knew the dispositions of hearts, therefore he gave advice according to the spiritual state of each person. the Name of the Lord he raised the dead, cast out demons, healed incurable illnesses. that he blessed received divine power and grace (for example, kukol or furrow-weed took away a monk’s headache). the name of Abba Barsanuphius, when invoked mentally, gave help to those who called upon it. the prayers of Saint Barsanuphius, God sent rain upon the earth, withdrawing His wrath from the multitudes of the people. saint’s predictions always came true. he predicted that a certain monk, the Elder Euthymius the Silent, would be placed with him in a single grave, which indeed came to pass. Barsanuphius acquired these gifts after many years of patiently enduring great temptations and illness. the Orthodox ascetic Barsanuphius the Great, there was another Barsanuphius, a Monophysite heretic. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, anathematized him in his “Confession of Faith,” sent to the Sixth Ecumenical Council). do not know when Saint Barsanuphius arrived at the monastery of Abba Seridus, nor anything about the home and family of Saint John the Prophet. the instructions of Saint Barsanuphius, John attained the heights of perfection, and became like his teacher in all things. of humility, he sent those who came to him with questions to Abba Barsanuphius. John foresaw and predicted many things, even his own death a week after the death of Abba Seridus. Elian, the young igumen of this monastery, begged John to remain with him for two more weeks, in order to teach him the Rule and how to govern the monastery. John fulfilled his request and died after two weeks. Barsanuphius the Great survived his disciple and friend, but after St. John's death embraced complete silence and refused to give answers to anyone. two ascetics have left the soul-profiting book, GUIDANCE TOWARD SPIRITUAL LIFE: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS OF DISCIPLES by the Holy Monastic Fathers Barsanuphius and John as their spiritual legacy. book was known to many saints who lived at a later time, as evidenced by the wrings of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26), the hieromonk Nikon Chernogorets (+ 1060), Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and other Orthodox ascetics and writers.

Byzantium, 491-518, Emperor, Anastasius I, better govrnmt, econ, but heratic
Byzantine Emperor, 491-518, Anastasius I ; Anastasius I (Greek:431 -“ 9 July 518) was Byzantine emperor from 491 to 518. He made his career as a government administrator. He came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, Zeno. His religious tendencies caused tensions throughout his reign. He is often recognized as the first Byzantine emperor.[4] His reign was characterised by improvements in the government, economy, and bureaucracy in the Eastern Roman empire.[5] He is noted for leaving the imperial government with a sizeable budget surplus of 23,000,000 solidi due to minimisation of government corruption, reforms to the tax code, and the introduction of a new form of currency.[6] He is venerated as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church on 29 July. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; St Severus the Presbyter of Interocrea in Italy, Commemorated on June 27;

Constantinople, 495-552, Gregory, Archbishop oHomer (Omrits), called tHomer bMiracles, Converted Jews bDebate&Jesus appearing
Arabs, 495-552, Gregory Archbishop oOmirits (Wadi Nejran), Bishop oHomer (Omrits), as a youth filled wGrace oGod Gifts Healing Wonderworking, Deacon aMilan, hermit gives him prophecy, confirmed bElder schemamonk oMountain, fiery column, was him, standing iAir, Go Rome Boniface Aglaida church, then Alexandria tbBishop, Then tNegran in Homer tPreach, felt unworthy, wished remain wElder, but Elder knew his secret, G had seen vision Peter Paul placing Bishop's robe on him, tCarchage, tRome, Boniface Aglaida church, Tomb St Peter, his vision told him walk virtue live God's will, Paul dream cup oOil, receive priesthood&Episcopacy, during this time Emperor Elesbaan' armies oEthiopia vanquished Himyarite Dunaan a Jew, Negran liberated, christianity restored, but no christians, E asked Alexandria fBishop&Clergy, while praying Apostle Mark appeared tPatriarch told him find Deacon named Gregory who tBe Priest&Bishop, send him to Elesbaan, miracle during the service, face shone wGrace Holy Spirit, vestments fragrance oMyrrh filling whole church, iHomer G preaching tPagans&Jews, after 3yrs E returned Ethiopia, leftAbramus as king, G crowned A, A ordered all baptized, Jews say better believe willingly, requested debate, Jews given 40 days prepare, debate lasted several days, G refuted all Jew arbuments using OT, Rabbi Ervan vision Moses worshiping Jesus, M saying E would be defeated being in oposition tTruth, Christian Truth prevaied iDebate but E needed to see Jesus, G said request impertinent but Lord can do to convince you, G prays aloud, recalling incarnation, miracles, 3day resurrection, ascention and invoked power oLife-creating Cross, Show thyself to these people, Glorify thy Holy Name, Earthquaked, heavens opened in East, iRadiant cloud oLight Jesus came down, Lords Voice, through G's prayer, He whom your fathers put to death will heal you, Jews struck blind, healed receiving baptism, Gregory guided Homer 30 more years til 552; Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. He made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Constantinople, 500-599, 6th Century, Folder, Monophysites

Constantinople, 501-547, BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM, Monte Cassino, B's rule prayer reading labor eating sleep
Rome, 501-547, BENEDICT of Nursia (Nera River 1), Northeast of Rome, repelled by dissolute life, to Subiaco, asked to be abbot but too strict, again and 12 communities, Monte Cassino, impacted Totila, B's rule prayer reading labor eating sleep, vows of obedience stability conversion of life, preserved scriptures, windmills, waterwheels, crop rotation, dignity of labor, importance of order and planning; Nursia; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); was born at Nursia (Norcia) in Umbria, Italy, around 480 AD. was sent to Rome for his studies, but was repelled by the dissolute life of most of the populace, and withdrew to a solitary life at Subiaco. group of monks asked him to be their abbot, but some of them found his rule too strict, and he returned alone to Subiaco. other monks called him to be their abbot, and he agreed, founding twelve communities over an interval of some years. chief founding was Monte Cassino, an abbey which stands to this day as the mother house of the world-wide Benedictine order. of Monte CassinoTotila the Goth visited Benedict, and was so awed by his presence that he fell on his face before him. Benedict raised him from the ground and rebuked him for his cruelty, telling him that it was time that his iniquities should cease. Totila asked Benedict to remember him in his prayers and departed, to exhibit from that time an astonishing clemency and chivalry in his treatment of conquered peoples. drew up a rule of life for monastics, a rule which he calls "a school of the Lord's service, in which we hope to order nothing harsh or rigorous." Rule gives instructions for how the monastic community is to be organized, and how the monks are to spend their time. average day includes about four hours to be spent in liturgical prayer (called the Divinum Officium -- the Divine Office), five hours in spiritual reading and study, six hours of labor, one hour for eating, and about eight hours for sleep. The Book of Psalms is to be recited in its entirety every week as a part of the Office. Benedictine monk takes vows of "obedience, stability, and conversion of life. That is, he vows to live in accordance with the Benedictine Rule, not to leave his community without grave cause, and to seek to follow the teaching and example of Christ in all things. procedure today for a prospective monk is to spend a week or more at the monastery as a visitor. He then applies as a postulant, and agrees not to leave for six months without the consent of the Abbot. that time, he may suspect that he has made a mistake, and the abbot may say, "Yes, I think you have. Go in peace." Alternately, he may say, "It is normal to have jitters at this stage. I urge you to stick it out a while longer and see whether they go away." Many postulants leave before the six months are up.) six months, he may leave or become a novice, with vows for one year. the year, he may leave or take vows for three more years. three years, he may leave, take life vows, or take vows for a second three years. After that, a third three years. After that, he must leave or take life vows (fish or cut bait). he takes life vows after four and a half to ten and a half years in the monastery. At any point in the proceedings at which he has the option of leaving, the community has the option of dismissing him. St. Benedict, by Fra Angelico effect of the monastic movement, both of the Benedictine order and of similar orders that grew out of it, has been enormous. owe the preservation of the Holy Scriptures and other ancient writings in large measure to the patience and diligence of monastic scribes. purely secular terms, their contribution was considerable. Benedict's time, the chief source of power was muscle, whether human or animal. Ancient scholars apparently did not worry about labor-saving devices. The labor could always be done by oxen or slaves. monks were both scholars and workers. A monk, after spending a few hours doing some laborious task by hand, was likely to think, "There must be a better way of doing this." result was the systematic development of windmills and water wheels for grinding grain, sawing wood, pumping water, and so on. The rotation of crops (including legumes) and other agricultural advances were also originated or promoted by monastic farms. monks, by their example, taught the dignity of labor and the importance of order and planning. details, see The Mediaeval Machine: The Industrial Revolution of the Middle Age, by Jean Gimpel, (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1976; Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0-14-00-4514-7). by James Kiefer Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14; Benedict, founder of Western monasticism, was born in the Italian city of Nursia in the year 480. he was fourteen years of age, the saint’s parents sent him to Rome to study. by the immorality around him, he decided to devote himself to a different sort of life. first Saint Benedict settled near the church of the holy Apostle Peter in the village of Effedum, news of his ascetic life compelled him to go farther into the mountains. he encountered the hermit Romanus, who tonsured him into monasticism and directed him to live in a remote cave at Subiaco. From time to time, the hermit would bring him food. three years the saint waged a harsh struggle with temptations and conquered them. soon began to gather to him, thirsting to live under his guidance. number of disciples grew so much, that the saint divided them into twelve communities. community was comprised of twelve monks and was a separate skete. The saint gave each skete an igumen from among his experienced and only the novice monks remained with Saint Benedict for instruction. strict monastic Rule Saint Benedict established for the monks was not accepted by everyone, and more than once he was criticized and abused by dissenters. he settled in Campagna and on Mount Cassino he founded the Monte Cassino monastery, for a long time was a center of theological education for the Western Church. monastery possessed a remarkable library. Benedict wrote his Rule, based on the experience of life of the Eastern desert-dwellers and the precepts of Saint John Cassian the Roman (February 29). Rule of Saint Benedict dominated Western monasticism for centuries (by the year 1595 it had appeared in more than 100 editions). Rule prescribed the renunciation of personal possessions, as well as unconditional obedience, and constant work. was considered the duty of older monks to teach the younger and to copy ancient manuscripts. This helped to preserve many memorable writings from the first centuries of Christianity. new monk was required to live as a novice for a year, to learn the monastic Rule and to become acclimated to monastic life. deed required a blessing. head of this cenobitic monastery is the igumen. He discerns, teaches, and explains. The igumen solicits the advice of the older, experienced brethren, but he makes the final decisions. the monastic Rule was strictly binding for everyone and was regarded as an important step on the way to perfection. Benedict was granted by the Lord the gift of foresight and wonderworking. He healed many by his prayers. The monk foretold the day of his death in 547. The main source for his Life is the second Dialogue of Saint Gregory. Benedict’s sister, Saint Scholastica (February 10), also became famous for her strict ascetic life and was numbered among the saints.

Constantinople, 501-547, Benedict of Nursia, founded 12 monasteries, his Rule, f of western monasticism, windmills&waterwheels
Roman Saint, 500-547, Benedict of Nursia; of Nursia (c. 2 March 480 - c. 21 March 547 AD) is a Christian saint venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion and Old Catholic Churches.[3] He is a patron saint of Europe.[4] founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, Lazio, Italy (about 65 kilometres (40 mi) to the east of Rome), before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. The Order of Saint Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous congregations.[5] main achievement, his "Rule of Saint Benedict", contains a set of rules for his monks to follow. Heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, it shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master, but it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness, which persuaded most Christian religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, his Rule became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of Western Christian monasticism.[6] BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14;

Constantinople, 501-550, St Gobnata oBallyvourney, Angel ordered leave Islands till see 9 white deer, land fWomen's m, set bees
Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, f Claire, tAran Islands, Angel appeared, commanded leave till see 9 white deer, 3 in Clondrohid, 6 at Ballymakeera, finally 9 at Ballyvourney, there given land for women's monastery, by Abban oKilabban, installed as abbas, healing gift, 1951 excavations proved monastery there, Kept plague from Ballyvourney, bee-keeping, invading chieftan, she sent bees to attack, they left without their plunder, patron saint oBallyvourney but revered throuout Ireland and Scotland; Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Gobnata was born in Co.Clare at the end of the fifth, or the beginning of the sixth century. she fled to the Aran Islands to escape from some enemy. angel appeared to her one day and told her to leave that place and to keep walking until she found nine white deer. saw three white deer at Clondrohid, Co. Cork, and decided to follow them. at Ballymakeera, she saw six white deer. at Ballyvourney she came upon nine white deer grazing in a wood. she was given land for a women’s monastery by her spiritual Father Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois (March 16), he installed her as abbess. in 1951 proved that indeed there had been an early Christian settlement on the site. Gobnata was renowned for her gift of healing, there is a story of how she kept the plague from Ballyvourney. is also famous for her skill as a bee-keeper. day, Saint Gobnata was watching from a hill overlooking a valley as an invading chieftain and his army came through, destroying crops and driving off cattle. sent the bees to attack them, and they were thrown into such confusion that they left without their plunder. holy virgin Saint Gobnata fell asleep in the Lord on February 11. exact year of her death is not known, but it probably occurred in the sixth century. she is regarded as the patron saint of Ballyvourney, she is venerated throughout southern Ireland. are churches dedicated to her in Waterford and Kerry, for example, and she is also revered in Scotland.

Constantinople, 501-555, Gregory of Homer, m d accurate prophecies&visions, m travels, Ethiopia, converts fourfold people
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Constantinople, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, E lost Dunaan war, recluse visit, revenge, vow, victory, crown to J
Africa, East Africa, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, Dunaan ruled Arabia & killed christians, E unsuccessful war against D, revelation to visit recluse, lost because unrighteous revenge, vow to serve then victory, then abdication, service, and crown to Jerusalem Christ's Tomb; Ethiopia; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24 ; Elesbaan1 was the Emperor of what is now Ethiopia, lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, an oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to stand by while those who believed in Christ were being massacred. declared war on Dunaan, but his first military campaign was not successful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, inspired by a revelation from above, visited a recluse named Zenon. revealed to the Emperor that he had acted unrighteously in his desire to take revenge against Dunaan, for the Lord has said, “Vengeance is mine, I shall repay!” (Hebrews 10:30). holy ascetic urged Elesbaan to promise that he would devote the rest of his life to God, if he wished to escape His wrath for his self-willed revenge, and then he would defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made that vow to the Lord, in 520 he and his army confronted the enemy. This time, he defeated, captured, and executed Dunaan. to the Roman Martyrology, after Elesbaan defeated the enemies of Christ, he sent his royal diadem to Jerusalem to be hung near the Life-Giving tomb of Christ, during the reign of Emperor Justin. his victory, the Saint kept his word and abdicated as Emperor, himself in a monastery. the next fifteen years he lived a life of strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. His name is given as Kaleb on his coins and inscriptions.

Constantinople, 501-580, St Christopher of Palestine, Roman, Monastery of St. Theodosius, prayed and prostrated each night
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; Jerusalem, 471-576, Jerusalem Saint, Theodosius the Cenobiarch; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Christopher, a Roman, lived during the sixth century. He was tonsured into monasticism at the monastery of Saint Theodosius (January 11) in Palestine, near Jerusalem. The accounts of Abba Theodulus about Saint Christopher are contained in chapters 105 and 234 of the book The Spiritual Meadow (Limonarion) Saint Christopher went to Jerusalem to worship at the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord and at the Life-Creating Cross. At the gateway of the church he beheld a monk not moving from the spot. Two ravens flew before his face. Saint Christopher discerned that these were demons, which held the monk back from entering the church. asked the brother: “Why do you stand at the gate and not enter?” The brother answered: “Pardon me, Father, but within me struggle two thoughts. One says: go and venerate the Venerable Cross. The other says: don’t go in, make some excuse, and come to venerate the Cross another time.” Then Saint Christopher took the brother by the hand and led him into the church. The ravens immediately disappeared, and the brother venerated the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre. Saint Christopher told this story to someone who was distracted by his duties and neglected his prayers. day Saint Christopher fulfilled his monastic obedience, and by night he retired to a cave, where at an earlier time Saint Theodosius and other Fathers had prayed. At each of the 18 steps leading into the cave, he made 100 prostrations, and spent the greater part of the night in prayer, before the semantron was sounded for Orthros. spent eleven years doing this. time, descending into the cave, he beheld a multitude of lamps in it. Two radiant youths were tending them. “Why have you put the lamps here so that I cannot enter in and pray?” asked the monk. “These are the lamps of the Fathers,” they replied. “Tell me, does my lamp burn or not?” They said, “Pray, and we will light it.” “Pray?” he said, “What have I been doing up to now?” Then the saint said to himself: “Christopher, if you wish to be saved, greater effort is needed!” dawn he went from the monastery to Mount Sinai, taking nothing with him. The monk toiled there for fifty years at great exploits. Finally, he heard a voice saying, “Christopher! Go to the monastery where you struggled earlier, so that you might rest there with your Fathers.” Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24;

Constantinople, 505-555, Conan oPethukla Monastery, baptized those sent fJerusalem, but no women, 2 Forrunner visits, dispassion
Cilicia, 505-555, Conan Abbot oPethukla Monastery (On the Jordan), young monk at Pethukla, presbyter, Jerusalem Archbishop sent people to him for Baptism, he baptized those who came and anointed with holy chrism, but would not baptize women, John tForerunner appeared to him promising help with his struggle wTemptations, Persian girl seeking baptism, beautiful, naked, so he could not baptize her, she waited 2days, he wanted pious woman to anoint her, could not find in this remote area, he left , Forerunner appeared again and told him to return, for I will relieve you of your conflict, he argued saying he promised that before but did not, Forerunner signed him with the cross, said he would receive reward for struggle wTemptations, then commanded him return wNo further doubts, anointed persian girl wChrism not noticing she was a woman, then lived at Monastery 20 yrs, perfect dispassion, peace sleep 555; Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Conan was born in Cilicia. still at an early age he became a monk at the Pethukla monastery near the Jordan River, he was ordained presbyter. Peter of Jerusalem learned about the strict ascetic and sent people to him for Baptism. Conan baptized those who came and anointed them with holy chrism, he would not baptize women. John the Forerunner appeared to him, promising to help him in his struggle with temptations. girl came from Persia seeking Baptism. was so beautiful that Saint Conan could not anoint her with the holy chrism, since she was naked. two days the girl remained without being baptized or anointed with the holy chrism. Conan wanted to find a pious woman to anoint her, it was difficult to find such a woman, since the area was so remote. ascetic decided to leave the monastery, on the way Saint John the Forerunner again appeared to him and said, “Return to your monastery, I shall relieve you of your conflict.- ” Saint Conan tried to argue and to refuse, saying that when Saint John the Forerunner had appeared before, had promised to free him from temptation. John the Baptist then signed the ascetic with the Sign of the Cross said that he would receive a reward for his struggle with temptations. he commanded him to return to the monastery and to have no further doubts. Conan obediently fulfilled the advice of Saint John, and he anointed the Persian maiden with chrism without even noticing that she was a woman. this the ascetic lived at the monastery for twenty years. achieved perfect dispassion, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord about the year 555. Feasts & Saints

Constantinople, 510-520, Mary oAlexandria, stayed wFather at Men's monastery as Marinus , did well, blamed for fathering child
Egypt, 510-520, Mary aka Marinus oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, beginning of 6th C, iBithynia, after mother died followed her father to men's monastery, did not want separate from dad, donned men's clothes, entered manastery near Alexandria, tonsured as Marinus, distinguished humility obedience, excelled virtues, father reposed, intensified ascetic labors, gift of healing & deliverance, one day out of m on business, repulsed humiliated pregnant inkeepers daughter accused mary of seduction, named him father of her child, then possessed by demon, inkeeper complained , Igumen kicked her out, Mary not deny, Inkeeper gave child to Marinus, raised him as own, after 3 yrs Mary brought back to monastery, most onerous obediences, 3 more years she dies and discovered, Igumen, inkeeper, daughter all ask forgiveness, dauthter confessed and delivered, boy becomes monk, her relics tConstantinople then Venice;; Alexandria; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (called Marinus) and her father Eugene, lived at the beginning of the VI century in Bithynia (Bithynίa - in the northwestern region of Asia Minor). Maria's mother died, her father decided to enter a monastery, Maria also wished to betroth herself to Christ . Mary could not bear to be separated from her father, so she donned male clothing. they entered a monastery, not far from Alexandria, she was tonsured with the name Marinus. Marinus excelled in the virtues, was distinguished by humility and obedience. a few years later, Saint Mary's father reposed, intensified her ascetical labors received from the Lord the gift of healing those possessed by unclean spirits. day the "monk" Marinus, along with some other brethren, was sent out on monastery business, on the way they had to spend the night at an inn. innkeeper's daughter, who had sinned with a soldier, and became pregnant, believed that Mary was a man, and burned with desire for the young "monk." daughter humiliated herself when Mary repulsed her, and the wanton woman sought revenge. she accused the "monk" of seducing her, naming "him" as the father of her child. she became possessed by a demon. innkeeper complained to the Igoumen of the monastery, expelled the "brother" who had sinned. did not deny the false accusation, but went out to live near the monastery wall. a boy was born to the sinful daughter, the innkeeper brought him to the "monk" Marinus, leaving his grandson with her and departed. Saint took the infant and raised him as her own. three years, the brethren begged the Igoumen to accept the "monk" Marinus into the monastery again. reluctantly the Igoumen gave in to their requests, assigning to "Brother Marinus" the most onerous obediences, which the nun fulfilled with the utmost zeal, continuing to bring up her supposed son. years later, the Saint peacefully departed to the Lord in her cell. brethren who came saw the deceased "monk" and the boy weeping over "him." they began to prepare her body for burial, her secret was revealed. Igoumen tearfully begged forgiveness from the deceased, and the innkeeper followed his example. Saint's body was reverently buried in the monastery. daughter of the innkeeper came to the Saint's tomb and openly confessed her sin, which she was immediately healed of her demonic possession. the boy who was brought up by the nun, became a monk. Saint's relics were transferred to Constantinople, and from there they were taken to Venice in 1113.

Constantinople, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist
Byzantium, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1;

Constantinople, 518-520, John tCappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople, remembered for reunion oEast&West
Constantinople, 518-520, John tCappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople; II, surnamed Cappadox or the Cappadocian (? – 19 January 520) was Patriarch of Constantinople in 518–520, the reign of Byzantine emperor Anastasius I an enforced condemnation of the Council of Chalcedon. short patriarchate is memorable for the celebrated Acclamations of Constantinople, and the reunion of East and West after a schism of 34 years. the death of Timothy I, John of Cappadocia, whom he had designated his successor, was presbyter and chancellor of the Church of Constantinople.[1] July 9, 518, the long reign of Anastasius came to a close, the orthodox Justin succeeding. Sunday July 15, the new emperor entered the cathedral, and the patriarch, accompanied by twelve prelates, was making his way through the throngs that crowded every corner. he came near the raised dais where the pulpit stood shouts arose, "Long live the patriarch! Long live the emperor! Why do we remain excommunicated? Why have we not communicated these many years? You are Catholic, what do you fear; worthy servant of the Trinity? Cast out Severus the Manichee! O Justin, our emperor, you win! This instant proclaim the synod of Chalcedon, because Justin reigns".[1] and other cries continued. procession passed into the inclosure, but the excited congregation went on shouting outside the gates of the choir in similar strains: "You shall not come out unless you anathematize Severus",[1] to the heretical patriarch of Antioch. patriarch John, having meanwhile gained time for thought and consultation, came out and mounted the pulpit, saying, is no need of disturbance or tumult; nothing has been done against the faith; we recognize for orthodox all the councils which have confirmed the decrees of Nicaea, and principally these three - Constantinople, Ephesus, and the great council of Chalcedon".[1] people were determined to have a more formal decision, and continued shouting for several hours, mingling with their former cries such as these: a day for a festival in honour of Chalcedon!" the holy synod this very morrow!".[1] people being thus firm, the deacon Samuel was instructed to announce the desired festival. the people continued to shout with all their might, "Severus is now to be anathematized; anathematize him this instant, or there's nothing done!".[1] patriarch, seeing that something must be settled, took counsel with the twelve attendant prelates, who agreed to the curse on Severus. extemporaneous and intimidated council then carried a decree by acclamation: is plain to all that Severus in separating himself from this church condemned himself. therefore, the canons and the Fathers, we hold him alien and condemned by reason of his blasphemies, and we anathematize him".[1] domes of St. Sophia rang with shouts of triumph and the crowd dispersed. It was a day long remembered in Constantinople.[1] next day the promised commemoration of Chalcedon took place. as the patriarch made his processional entrance and approached the pulpit clamours arose: the relics of Macedonius to the church! Restore those exiled for the faith! Let the bones of the Nestorians be dug up! Let the bones of the Eutychians be dug up! Cast out the Manichees! Place the four councils in the diptychs! Place Leo, bishop of Rome, in the diptychs! Bring the diptychs to the pulpit!".[1] kind of cry continuing, the patriarch replied, "Yesterday we did what was enough to satisfy my dear people, and we shall do the same to-day. We must take the faith as our inviolable foundation; it will aid us to reunite the churches. Let us then glorify with one mouth the holy and consubstantial Trinity".[1] the people went on crying madly, "This instant, let none go out! I abjure you, shut the doors! You no longer fear Amantius the Manichee! Justin reigns, why fear Amantius?".[1] they continued. The patriarch tried in vain to bring them to reason. It was the outburst of enthusiasm and excitement long pent up under heterodox repression. It bore all before it. patriarch was at last obliged to have inserted in the diptychs the four councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, and the names of Euphemius and Macedonius, patriarchs of Constantinople, and Leo, bp. of Rome. the multitude chanted for more than an hour, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed His people!".[1] The choir assembled on the raised platform, and, turning eastwards, sang the Trisagion, the whole people listening in silence. When the moment arrived for the recitation of the names of the defunct bishops from the diptychs, the multitude closed in silence about the holy table; and when the deacon had read the new insertions, a mighty shout arose, "Glory be to Thee, O Lord!".[1] authenticate what had been done, John assembled on July 20 a council of 40 bishops, who happened to be at the capital. The four general councils and the name of Pope Leo were inscribed in the diptychs. Severus of Antioch was anathematized after an examination of his works in which a distinct condemnation of Chalcedon was discovered. wrote to John III of Jerusalem and to Epiphanius of Tyre, telling them the good news of the acclamations and the synod. His letters were accompanied by orders from Justin to restore all who had been banished by Anastasius, and to inscribe the council of Chalcedon in the diptychs. At Jerusalem and at Tyre there was great joy. Many other churches declared for Chalcedon, and during the reign of Justin 2,500 bishops gave their adhesion and approval. came the reconciliation with Rome. The emperor Justin wrote to the pope a fortnight after the scene of the acclamations, begging him to further the desires of the patriarch John for the reunion of the churches. John wrote saying that he received the four general councils, and that the names of Leo and of Hormisdas himself had been put in the diptychs. A deputation was sent to Constantinople with instructions that Acacius was to be anathematized by name, but that Euphemius and Macedonius might be passed over in silence.[1] deputies arrived at Constantinople on March 25, 519. received the pope's letters with great respect, and told the ambassadors to come to an explanation with the patriarch, who at first wished to express his adherence in the form of a letter, but agreed to write a little preface and place after it the words of Hormisdas, which he copied out in his own handwriting. Two copies were sent by the legates to Rome, one in Greek, the other in Latin. Emperor, senate, and all present were overjoyed at this ratification of peace.[1] sting of the transaction still remained; they had now to efface from the diptychs the names of five patriarchs - Acacius, Fravitta, Euphemius, Macedonius, and Timothy - and two emperors - Zeno and Anastasius I. the bishops at Constantinople gave their consent in writing; so did all the abbots, after some discussion. Easter Day the pacification was promulgated. The court and people, equally enthusiastic, surged into St. Sophia. The vaults resounded with acclamations in praise of God, the emperor, St. Peter, and the Pope of Rome. who had prophesied sedition and tumult, were signally disappointed. Never within memory had so vast a number communicated. emperor sent an account of the proceedings throughout the provinces and the ambassadors forwarded their report to Rome, saying that there only remained the negotiations with the Patriarch of Antioch. wrote to Hormisdas to congratulate him on the great work, and to offer him the credit of its success. Soon after, on January 19, 520, John died.[1] Saint John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople,Commemorated on August 25; John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople, occupied the patriarchal throne from 518-520. The holy Patriarch Photius (857-867) termed him “a habitation of virtues.”

Byzantium, 518-527, Emperor, Justin I, elected at 70, Justinian dynasty, no pagan symbols
Byzantine Emperor, 518-527, Justin I ; BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Byzantium, 518-527, Holy Emperess Markiane, buried, Church of Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, pious ascetic, philanthropy
Byzantium, 518-527, Righteous Emperess Markiane, buried, Church of the Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, pious ascetic, philanthropy ; Church of the Holy Apostles; Holy Empress Markianḗ, Commemorated on January 27; Saint Markianḗ was the wife of Emperor Justin I the Elder (reigned 518 - 527). was distinguished for her piety, her ascetical life, and her philanthropy. righteous death was peaceful, and she was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople.

Constantinople, 519-601, David of Wales, Mynyw, West Wales, Chief's son, under Germanu, founded monastery, extreme austerity
England, 519-601, DEWI of WALES, Mynyw in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, Chief's son, disciple oMissionary Germanus, founded monastery, extreme austerity like Egyptian desert fathers; Saint David; David (Welsh: Dewi Sant; Latin: Davidus; c. 500 – c. 589) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. is the patron saint of Wales. was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail about his life. birth date, however, is uncertain: suggestions range from 462 to 512.[1] is traditionally believed to be the son of Saint Non and the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, king of Ceredigion.[2] Welsh annals placed his death 569 years after the birth of Christ,[3] but Phillimore's dating revised this to 601.[4] Saint David, Bishop of Wales, Commemorated on March 1; David, Patron of Wales, said to have been the son of a Welsh chieftain, in the latter half of the sixth century. to the priesthood, he studied under the tutorship of a disciple of Saint Germanus, who later became Bishop of the Isle of Man, and engaged in missionary work and the building of churches in many places. he settled in the southwest corner of Wales, at Menevia. he founded a monastery known for its extreme austerity, in imitation of the desert fathers. he was consecrated Bishop of the primatial See of Wales, Menevia, afterwards known as Saint David’s in his honor. reposed in the Lord about the year 601 AD and, through the years, has been venerated as one of the greatest and most beloved saints of the British Isles. England, 519-589, DEWI of WALES, Mynyw in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, apostle of W, St. David's Cathedral, 4 territories Bangor, Llandaff, St Asaph, St Davids, Celtic ties, 1066 south wales roman, 1300 W highlands in North roman; Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ; the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries, many British Christians sought refuge in the hill country of Wales. they developed a style of Christian life devoted to learning, asceticism, and missionary fervor. there were no cities, the centers of culture were the monasteries, and most abbots were bishops as well. (David in English) was the founder, abbot, and bishop of the monastery of Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire. was responsible for much of the spread of Christianity in Wales, and his monastery was sought out by many scholars from Ireland and elsewhere. He is commonly accounted the apostle of Wales, as Patrick is of Ireland. His tomb is in St. David's cathedral, on the site of ancient Mynyw, now called Ty-Dewi (House of David). of St. David, at St. David's CathedralThe ancient custom in Wales, as throughout Celtic Christendom, was to have bishops who were abbots of monasteries, and who had no clear territorial jurisdiction, simply traveling about as they were needed. however, the bishops of Bangor, Llandaff, St. Asaph, and St. Davids became the heads of four territorial dioceses, to which the diocese of Monmouth and the diocese of Swansea and Brecon have been added in this century. many centuries the Church in Wales had closer ties with the Celtic Churches in Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany than with the Church in Anglo-Saxon England. after the Norman conquest of Britain (1066 and after), the Anglo-Norman Kings began to contemplate the conquest of Wales. William the Conqueror began with the subjugation of South Wales as far as Carmathen, but the Welsh uplands remained independent far longer, and the conquest was not complete until about 1300, under Edward I. But eventually all of Wales came under English control, and the Church in Wales was placed under the jurisdiction of Canterbury, and thus became identified in the minds of many with the English supremacy. 1920 the Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru) became independent of outside jurisdiction (though still in communion with other Anglican Churches, in England and elsewhere) and clear of all ties with the government. It is bilingual and active in the preservation of the Welsh language and culture. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 520-535, Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople, laws fBishop elections&duties, offered first seat to Rome Pope
Constantinople, 520-535, Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople; (died June 5, 535) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from February 25, 520 to June 5, 535, succeeding John II Cappadocia. Byzantine Empire was now rising to great splendour through the victories of its generals, Belisarius and Narses. was universally suppressed, pagan books were burnt and images destroyed, the professors of the old religion imprisoned and flogged. Constantinople the zeal of Justinian I for a church policy was shown during the patriarchate of Epiphanius by laws (e.g. in 528 and 529) regulating episcopal elections and duties. enactments, and the passivity of Epiphanius and his clergy, show the absence as yet for exclusively clerical legislation for the spirituality.[1] first conspicuous office of Epiphanius was the charge of the catechumens at Constantinople. In 519, the year before his election, he was sent with John II and count Licinius to Macedonia to receive the documents "libellos," or subscriptions of those who wished reunion with the Catholic Church, at the request of the apocrisiarius of Dorotheus, bishop of Thessalonica.[1] 25 February 520, he was elected bishop by the Byzantine Emperor Justin I, with the consent of bishops, monks, and people. He is described in the letter of the synod of Constantinople to Pope Hormisdas as "holding the right faith, and maintaining a fatherly care for orphans".[2] accepted the conditions of peace between East and West concluded by his predecessor, Patriarch John II with Pope Hormisdas; ratifying them at a council at Constantinople, where he accepted also the decrees of Chalcedon. agent of Hormisdas at Constantinople, writes of his fair promises, but adds, "What he can fulfil we don't know. He has not yet asked us to communion".[3] letters remain of Epiphanius to Hormisdas, telling him of his election, sending him his creed, and declaring that he condemned all those whose name the pope had forbidden to be recited in the diptychs.[1] adopted the symbol of Nicaea, the decrees of Ephesus, Constantinople, and Chalcedon, and the letters of Pope Leo I in defence of the faith. second letter was accompanied by a chalice of gold surrounded with precious stones, a patina of gold, a chalice of silver, and two veils of silk, which he presented to the Roman church. order to make the peace general, he advised the pope not to be too rigorous in exacting the extrusion of the names of former bishops from diptychs. His excuse for the bishops of Pontus, Asia, and the East is composed in very beautiful language. answers of Hormisdas are given in the Acts of the Council of Constantinople held under Mennas, in which he states his trust in the prudence and experience of Epiphanius, and recommends lenity towards the returning, severity to the obdurate. is to complete the reunion himself.[4] severe measures by which Justin was establishing the supremacy of the Catholics in the East were arousing Theodoric the Great, the Ostrogothic and Arian master of Italy, to retaliation in the West. John I, the successor of Hormisdas, became alarmed; and in 525, at the demand of Theodoric, proceeded to Constantinople to obtain the revocation of the edict against the Arians and get their churches restored to them (Marcellinus Comes).[5] honor was paid to pope John in the eastern capital. The people went out twelve miles to receive him, bearing ceremonial tapers and crosses. The emperor Justin prostrated himself before him, and wished to be crowned by his hand. patriarch Epiphanius invited him to perform Mass; the pope, mindful of the traditional policy of encroachment, refused to do so until they had offered him the first seat. high solemnity he said the office in Latin on Easter Day, communicating with all the bishops of the East except Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria, the declared enemy of Chalcedon.[6] 531 the dispute between Rome and Constantinople was revived by the appeal of Stephen, metropolitan of Larissa, to Pope Boniface II, against the sentence of Epiphanius. Stephen was eventually deposed, notwithstanding his appeal.[1] died after an episcopate of 14 years and 3 months.[7] All that is known of him is to his advantage. Besides his letters to Hormisdas, we have the sentence of his council against Severus of Antioch and Peter Mongus.[8] Forty-five canons are attributed to him.[9] Saint Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople,Commemorated on August 25; Epiphanius, Patriarch of Constantinople, occupied the cathedra from 520 to 535. He died peacefully in the year 535.

Constantinople, 520-540, Elesbaan, King, Ethiopia, pious christian, took revenge, defeated, vow, victory, monastery
Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian Kingdom of Axum (100-940); Blessed Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Elesbaan, King of what is now Ethiopia lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, the oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to look on indifferently as believers in Christ were being massacred. He declared war on Dunaan, but his military campaign was unsuccessful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, with prompting from above, turned to a certain hermit. He revealed to the emperor that he had proceeded unrighteously in deciding to take revenge against Dunaan, since the Lord had said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!” (Heb 10:30). hermit counseled Saint Elesbaan make a vow to devote his final days of life to God, to escape the wrath of God for his self-willed revenge, and then to defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made a vow to the Lord, and marching off with his army against the enemy, he defeated, captured and executed him. After the victory the saint resigned as emperor, secluded himself within a monastery and for fifteen years he dwelt in strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Constantinople, 520-571, Menas of Sinai monastery, est 565, ascetic 50yrs+, wonderful, Myrrh flowed from relics, itLadder
Egypt, 520-571, Menas of Sinai monastery, Egypt, est 565, ascetic more than 50yrs, wonderful, Myrrh flowed from his relics, mentioned itLadder; Sinai monastery; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Menas lived in asceticism for more than fifty years in the monastery of Sinai, he died peacefully in the second half of the sixth century. flowed from his holy relics. John Climacus speaks of this wonderful man in The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Step 4:34).

Constantinople, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during this time Gregory with Elesbaan, Ethiopia, Jesus revealed to Jews
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during time Gregory with Elesbaan ; -------------------During this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Constantinople, 525-620, Byzantine Saint, Dorotheus of Gaza
Byzantine Saint, 525-620, Dorotheus of Gaza; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19;

Constantinople, 526-597, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Younger
Syrian Saint, 526-597, Simeon Stylites the Younger; Syria - 526 Antioch earthquake; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8;

Byzantium, 527-565, Emperor, Justinian 1, t Great, Restore of E o Vandals&OGoths,Persia, Orthodox
Byzantium, 527-565, Emperor, Justinian 1, t Great, Restore of E o Vandals&OGoths,Persia, Orthodox, major Byzantine figure, champion oOrthodoxy, church builder, writer, fIllyricum, military victories Persia Africa Italy, pagaism Vandals&Visigoths routed, closed pagan schools iAthens, sent John oEphesus to Asia Minor tBaptize 70,000, ordered 90 churches for them, supported church construction in Empire, Hagia Sophia&St Catherines iSinai, educated clergy&monks, rhetoric, philosophy, theology, Origenist struggle, who revived Nestorian heresy, commanded hymn sung in church, Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word, now sung before small entrance Divine Liturgy, convened 5th EC i553 censuring Origen, affirming 4th EC aChalcedon, unsuccessful dialogues wNon-Chalcedonians, complete Roman Law compendium Justinian Codex, Church Laws oJustinian, died 565 ; Byzantine Emperor, 527-565, Justinian 1 (the Great) ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; Justinian, a major figure in the history of the Byzantine state, was also a great champion of Orthodoxy, a builder of churches and a Church writer. was born in the Roman province of Illyricum. his reign (527-565), Byzantium won glory with military victories in Persia, Africa, and Italy, as a result of which paganism was decisively routed among the Germanic Vandals and Visigoth tribes. command of the emperor Justinian the pagan schools in Athens were closed. sent John, the Bishop of Ephesus, throughout the regions of Asia Minor with the aim of spreading Christianity. John baptized more than 70,000 pagans. emperor gave orders to build ninety churches for the newly-converted, and he generously supported church construction within the Empire. finest structures of the time are considered to be St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, and the church of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. Saint Justinian many churches were built dedicated to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos. he had received a broad education, Saint Justinian assiduously concerned himself with the education of clergy and monks, ordering them to be instructed in rhetoric, philosophy and theology. right-believing sovereign devoted much attention and effort to the struggle with the Origenists of his time, who then were reviving the Nestorian heresy. To counter their heretical speculations, the Church hymn “Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation...” was composed, and Justinian commanded that it be sung in the churches. that time to the present day, this hymn is sung at the Divine Liturgy before the Small Entrance after the second Antiphon. the command of the sovereign, the Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 553, censuring the teachings of Origen and affirming the definitions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon. He also attempted to secure religious unity within the Empire through his (unsuccessful) dialogues with the non-Chalcedonians. holy Emperor Justinian wished to have orderly rule and law within the realm. Under his guidance and supervision a complete compendium of Roman law was compiled. It has come down to us as a law codex known as “the Justinian Codex.” The “Church laws” of Justinian are included in all the variants of the Russian collections of Canon Law. his personal life, Saint Justinian was strictly pious, and he fasted often. During Great Lent he would not eat bread nor drink wine. He is also remembered for promoting the idea of “symphony” between church and state. The holy Emperor Justinian died in the year 565. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated on January 5; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Byzantium, 527-548, Empress, Theodora, Wife of Justinian I, chief adviser, Miaphysite, Orthodox, repentent Monophysite
Byzantium, 527-548, Empress, Theodora, Wife of Justinian I, chief adviser, Miaphysite, Orthodox, repentent Monophysite harlot actress; Saint Theodora the Empress, Commemorated on November 14; Theodora was the wife of Saint Justinian the emperor, and lived during the sixth century. Empress Theodora was at first a notorious harlot and actress, and an adherent of the Monophysite heresy, but then she repented. becoming empress, she led a virtuous life, maintaining purity of both soul and body. provided wise counsel for her husband during his reign, she also saved his throne during the Nika riots of 532 through her political intelligence and expertise. Theodora died in 548. Byzantine Emperor, 527-548, Empress Theodora, Wife of Justinian I; ( c. 500 -28 June 548) was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to emperor Justinian. She became empress upon Justinian's accession in 527 and was one of his chief advisers, albeit from humble origins. Along with her spouse, Theodora is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Oriental Orthodox Church, commemorated on 14 November and 28 June respectively. main historical sources for her life are the works of her contemporary Procopius. The historian offered three contradictory portrayals of the empress. The Wars of Justinian, largely completed in 545, paints a picture of a courageous and influential empress who saved the throne for Justinian. he wrote the Secret History, which survives in only one manuscript suggesting it was not widely read during the Byzantine era. The work has sometimes been interpreted as representing a deep disillusionment with the emperor Justinian, the empress, and even his patron Belisarius. is depicted as cruel, venal, prodigal and incompetent; as for Theodora, the reader is given a detailed portrayal of vulgarity and underage sex, combined with shrewish and calculating mean-spiritedness; even claims both are demons whose heads were seen to leave their bodies and roam the palace at night. Alternatively, scholars versed in political rhetoric of the era have viewed these statements from the Secret History as formulaic expressions within the tradition of invective. Buildings of Justinian, written about the same time as the Secret History, is a panegyric which paints Justinian and Theodora as a pious couple and presents particularly flattering portrayals of them. Besides her piety, her beauty is praised within the conventional language of the text's rhetorical form. Although Theodora was dead when this work was published, Justinian was alive, and perhaps commissioned the work.[1] contemporary John of Ephesus writes about Theodora in his Lives of the Eastern Saints and mentions an illegitimate daughter.[2] other historians presented additional information on her life. Theophanes the Confessor mentions some familial relations of Theodora to figures not mentioned by Procopius. Victor Tonnennensis notes her familial relation to the next empress, Sophia. the Syrian, the Chronicle of 1234 and Bar-Hebraeus place her origin in the city of Daman, near Kallinikos, They contradict Procopius by making Theodora the daughter of a priest, trained in the pious practices of Miaphysitism since birth. These are late Miaphysite sources and record her depiction among members of their creed. The Miaphysites have tended to regard Theodora as one of their own and the tradition may have been invented as a way to improve her reputation and is also in conflict with what is told by the contemporary Miaphysite historian John of Ephesus.[3] These accounts are thus usually ignored in favor of Procopius.[2] years[edit] according to Michael Grant, was of Greek Cypriot descent.[4] There are several indications of her possible birthplace. According to Michael the Syrian, her birthplace was in Mabbug, Syria;[5] Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos names Theodora a native of Cyprus, while the Patria, attributed to George Codinus, claims Theodora came from Paphlagonia. was born c. 500 AD. Her father, Acacius, was a bear trainer of the hippodrome's Green faction in Constantinople. Her mother, whose name is not recorded, was a dancer and an actress.[6] Her parents had two more daughters, the eldest named Comito and the youngest Anastasia.[7] her father's death, when Theodora was four,[8] her mother brought her children wearing garlands into the hippodrome and presented them as suppliants to the Blue faction. From then on, Theodora would be their supporter. to Procopius, (in his Secret History) Theodora followed her sister Comito's example from an early age and worked in a Constantinople brothel serving low-status customers; later, she performed on stage.[9] Theodora, in Procopius's account, made a name for herself with her salacious portrayal of Leda and the Swan.[10] Employment as an actress at the time would include both "indecent exhibitions on stage" and providing sexual services off stage. During this time, she met the future wife of Belisarius, Antonina, who would become a part of the women's court led by Theodora. the age of 16, Theodora traveled to North Africa as the concubine of a Syrian official named Hecebolus when he went to the Libyan Pentapolis as governor.[11] She stayed with him for almost four years before returning to Constantinople. ---------------------------------------------Abandoned and maltreated by Hecebolus, on her way back to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, she settled for a while in Alexandria, Egypt. is speculated by some to have met Patriarch Timothy III in Alexandria, who was Miaphysite, and it may be at that time that she converted to Miaphysite Christianity. Alexandria, she went to Antioch, where she met a Blue faction's dancer, Macedonia, who was perhaps an informer of Justinian. Justinian sought to marry Theodora, he could not: a Roman law from Constantine's time prevented anyone of senatorial rank from marrying actresses. In 524, Justin passed a new law, which decreed that reformed actresses could thereafter legally marry outside their rank if approved by the emperor. The same law stated that daughters of these actresses would also be free to marry a man of any rank, which would have allowed her illegitimate daughter (whose name has been lost) to marry one of the previous emperor Anastasius' relatives. Soon thereafter, Justinian married Theodora.[11] as Empress[edit] of Justinian from a contemporary portrait mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna Justinian succeeded to the throne in 527, two years after the marriage, Theodora was crowned Augusta and became empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. She shared in his plans and political strategies, participated in state councils, and Justinian called her his "partner in my deliberations."[12] This was in Novel 8.1 (AD 535), an anti-corruption legislation, where provincial officials had to take an oath to her as well as the emperor. She had her own court and official entourage. She was often present when the emperor held court. The emperor sought her views on many matters before issuing orders. Nika riots[edit] were two rival political factions in the Empire, the Blues and the Greens, who started a [[riot in January 532 during a chariot race in the hippodrome. The riots stemmed from many grievances, some of which had resulted from Justinian's and Theodora's own actions.[13] rioters set many public buildings on fire, and proclaimed a new emperor, Hypatius, the nephew of former emperor Anastasius I. Unable to control the mob, Justinian and his officials prepared to flee. At a meeting of the government council, Theodora spoke out against leaving the palace and underlined the significance of someone who died as a ruler instead of living as an exile or in hiding, reportedly saying, "royal purple is the noblest shroud".[14] the emperor and his counsellors were still preparing their project, Theodora interrupted them and claimed: lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man's council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud."[15] determined speech convinced them all, including Justinian himself, who had been preparing to run. As a result, Justinian ordered his loyal troops, led by the officers, Belisarius and Mundus, to attack the demonstrators in the hippodrome, killing (according to Procopius) over 30,000 rebels. Despite his claims that he was unwillingly named emperor by the mob, Hypatius was also put to death, apparently at Theodora's insistence.[16] that Justinian never forgot that it was Theodora who had saved his throne depend on seeing Procopius' account as a straightforward report, and not framed to impugn Justinian with the implication that he was more cowardly than his wife. The wording of her famous speech is devised by Procopius, changing the term "tyranny" from an ancient saying to "royal purple", which likely reflects Procopius' desire to link Justinian to ancient tyrants. life[edit] the Nika revolt, Justinian and Theodora rebuilt and reformed Constantinople, building or rebuilding aqueducts, bridges and more than twenty five churches. The most famous of these is Hagia Sophia, considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. was punctilious about court ceremony. According to Procopius, the Imperial couple made all senators, including patricians, prostrate themselves before them whenever they entered their presence, and made it clear that their relations with the civil militia were those of masters and slaves. even the government officials could approach the Empress without expending much time and effort. They were treated like servants and kept waiting in a small, stuffy room for an endless time. After many days, some of them might at last be summoned, but going into her presence in great fear, they very quickly departed. They simply showed their respect by lying face down and touching the instep of each of her feet with their lips; there was no opportunity to speak or to make any request unless she told them to do so. The government officials had sunk into a slavish condition, and she was their slave-instructor. also carefully supervised the magistrates, possibly to reduce bureaucratic corruption. also created her own centers of power. The eunuch Narses, who in old age developed into a brilliant general, was her close ally, as was the praetorian prefect Peter Barsymes. John the Cappadocian, Justinian's chief tax collector, was identified as her enemy, because of his independent and great influence, and was brought down by a plot devised by Theodora and Antonina. She engaged in matchmaking, forming a network of alliances between the old powers, represented by emperor Anastasius' family and the pre-existing nobility, and the new, who were Justinian's and her relatives. According to Secret History, she attempted to marry her grandson Anastasius to Joannina, Belisarius' and Antonina's daughter and heiress, against her parents' will, although the couple would eventually fall in love with each other. The marriages of her sister Comito to general Sittas and her niece Sophia to Justinian's nephew Justin II, who would succeed to the throne, are suspected to have been engineered by Theodora. gave reception and sent letters and gifts to Persian and foreign ambassadors and the sister of Khosrow I.[17] involvement in helping underprivileged women was substantial, being "known for buying girls who had been sold into prostitution, freeing them, and providing for their future."[18] She closed brothels and made pimping a criminal offense. She created a convent on the Asian side of the Dardanelles called the Metanoia (Repentance), where the ex-prostitutes could support themselves.[11] Procopius' Secret History maintained that instead of preventing forced prostitution (as in Buildings 1.9.3ff), Theodora is said to have 'rounded up' 500 prostitutes, confining them to a convent. They sought to escape 'the unwelcome transformation' by leaping over the walls (SH 17). On the other hand, chronicler John Malalas who wrote positively about the court, declared she "freed the girls from the yoke of their wretched slavery."[19] A century later, John of Nikiu observed its positive impact, noting that Theodora "put an end to the prostitution of women, and gave orders for their expulsion from every place." legislations also expanded the rights of women in divorce and property ownership, instituted the death penalty for rape, forbade exposure of unwanted infants, gave mothers some guardianship rights over their children, and forbade the killing of a wife who committed adultery. Though her specific involvement in these legal reforms is not recorded,[20] Procopius, in Wars, mentioned that she was naturally inclined to assist women in misfortune, and according to Secret History, she championed the wives' causes when their husbands charged them with adultery (SH 17). policy[edit] Theodora Mosaic of Theodora - Basilica San Vitale (Ravenna, Italy).jpg Theodora and attendants (mosaic from Basilica of San Vitale, 6th century) in Orthodox Church Catholicism Orthodox Church shrine of the Holy Apostles, Constantinople modern day Istanbul, Turkey November in the Eastern Orthodox Church, 28 June in the Syriac Orthodox Church Vestment worked against her husband's support of Chalcedonian Christianity in the ongoing struggle for the predominance of each faction.[21] As a result, she was accused of fostering heresy and thus undermined the unity of Christendom. spite of Justinian being Chalcedonian, Theodora founded a Miaphysite monastery in Sykae and provided shelter in the palace for Miaphysite leaders who faced opposition from the majority of Chalcedonian Christians, like Severus and Anthimus. Anthimus had been appointed Patriarch of Constantinople under her influence, and after the excommunication order he was hidden in Theodora's quarters for twelve years, until her death. When the Chalcedonian Patriarch Ephraim provoked a violent revolt in Antioch, eight Miaphysite bishops were invited to Constantinople and Theodora welcomed them and housed them in the Hormisdas Palace adjoining the Great Palace, which had been Justinian and Theodora's own dwelling before they became emperor and empress. Egypt, when Timothy III died, Theodora enlisted the help of Dioscoros, the Augustal Prefect, and Aristomachos the duke of Egypt, to facilitate the enthronement of a disciple of Severus, Theodosius, thereby outmaneuvering her husband, who had intended a Chalcedonian successor as patriarch. But Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria, even with the help of imperial troops, could not hold his ground in Alexandria against Justinian's Chalcedonian followers. When he was exiled by Justinian along with 300 Miaphysites to the fortress of Delcus in Thrace, Theodora rescued him and brought him to the Hormisdas Palace. He lived under her protection and, after her death in 548, under Justinian's. Pope Silverius refused Theodora's demand that he remove the anathema of Pope Agapetus I from Patriarch Anthimus, she sent Belisarius instructions to find a pretext to remove Silverius. When this was accomplished, Pope Vigilius was appointed in his stead. Nobatae, south of Egypt, the inhabitants were converted to Miaphysite Christianity about 540. Justinian had been determined that they be converted to the Chalcedonian faith and Theodora equally determined that they should be Miaphysites. Justinian made arrangements for Chalcedonian missionaries from Thebaid to go with presents to Silko, the king of the Nobatae. But on hearing this, Theodora prepared her own missionaries and wrote to the duke of Thebaid that he should delay her husband's embassy, so that the Miaphysite missionaries should arrive first. The duke was canny enough to thwart the easygoing Justinian instead of the unforgiving Theodora. He saw to it that the Chalcedonian missionaries were delayed. When they eventually reached Silko, they were sent away, for the Nobatae had already adopted the Miaphysite creed of Theodosius. death is recorded by Victor of Tonnena, with the cause uncertain but the Greek terms used are often translated as "cancer." The date was 28 June 548 at the age of 48.[22] Later accounts frequently attribute the death to breast cancer, although it was not identified as such in the original report where the use of the term "cancer" probably referred to "a suppurating ulcer or malignant tumor".[22] Other sources report that she died at 51.[23] Her body was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, in Constantinople. During a procession in 559, Justinian visited and lit candles for her tomb.[24] Theodora and Justinian are represented in mosaics that exist to this day in the Basilica of San Vitale of Ravenna, Italy, which was completed a year before her death. influence[edit] Miaphysites believed her influence on Justinian to be so strong that after her death, when he worked to bring harmony between the Monophysites and the Chalcedonian Christians in the Empire, and kept his promise to protect her little community of Monophysite refugees in the Hormisdas Palace, the Miaphysites suspected Theodora's memory to be the driving factor. Theodora provided much political support for the ministry of Jacob Baradaeus, and apparently personal friendship as well. Diehl attributes the modern existence of Jacobite Christianity equally to Baradaeus and to Theodora.[25] in Cyrenaica renamed itself Theodorias after Theodora. (It was a common event that ancient cities renamed themselves to honor an emperor or empress.) The city, now called Qasr Libya, is known for its splendid sixth-century mosaics.

Byzantium, 527-548, Theodora tEmpress, repentent virtuous notorious harlot & actress, wise counsel
Byzantium, 527-548, Theodora tEmpress oJustinian I, at first a notorious harlot & actress, a Monophysite, repented, then led virtuous life. Wise counsel. saved his throne through political expertise.; Saint Theodora the Empress, Commemorated on November 14; Theodora was the wife of Saint Justinian the emperor, and lived during the sixth century. Empress Theodora was at first a notorious harlot and actress, and an adherent of the Monophysite heresy, but then she repented. After becoming empress, she led a virtuous life, maintaining purity of both soul and body. She provided wise counsel for her husband during his reign, and she also saved his throne during the Nika riots of 532 through her political intelligence and expertise. Theodora died in 548.

Constantinople, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign
Cyprus, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign; Cyprus; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9 ; Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus, was born into a Christian family on Cyprus, he studied many sciences, but most of all he devoted himself to the reading of Holy Scripture. He became so accomplished in piety and good works, that he was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. the death of Saint Damian, bishop of Cyprus, Saint Sophronius was chosen to replace him. As bishop, he proved himself a true father to his flock.

Constantinople, 530-595, James tFaster oSyria, served Lord many yrs, then sin wGirl, so killed her, forgiven, Ww gift reacquired
Syria, 530-595, James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza), 15yr cave monastic, wonderworking gift, converted many locals, left when became popular, new cave, 30 yrs, devil set terrible snares, healed young girl of demonic possession, into sin with her, to conceal his sin, killed her, threw her into river, distraught, repented, hid in wilderness long time, no shelter or peace, tormented conscience, almost returned to world, God's iommeasurable mercy desires salvation for all and prevails over sin, would not let this monk (who had toiled long for Him) be ruined, God led him to repentence and path of salvation, wandering in wilderness James entered a monastery, confessed his sin before igumen and brethren, igumen feared despair so urged him remain with them, but James again went away to wander wilderness long time, found desert dweller filled with grace and wisdom, lifted his burden, but again James did not remain with him, secluded in cave for 10yrs offering reepentence to God, weepiing wailing asking forgiveness for the sin, Lord heard and granted mercy, James reacquired wonderworking gift, remined in cave, buried there; Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; James the Faster lived a life of asceticism near the Phoenician city of Porphyrion in the sixth century. fifteen years, he lived in a cave devoting himself to monastic deeds, he received the gift of wonderworking from the Lord. his influence many of the local inhabitants were converted to the Christian Faith. of the ascetic spread everywhere, and so went to another place so that he would not fall into temptation. found a new cave, and lived there for thirty years. devil set terrible snares for the ascetic. healed a young girl from demonic possession, but then fell into sin with her. order to conceal his sin, he killed the girl and threw her into a river. over this sin, he repented for what he had done. a long time he hid himself away in the wilderness, bereft of shelter and peace, tormented by the pricks of conscience, he was on the point of forsaking the monastic life and returning to the world. the immeasurable mercy of God, against which the sins of this world cannot prevail, and which desires salvation for all mankind, would not permit the ruin of this monk who had toiled so many years for the Lord. Lord thwarted the devil’s intent to destroy the ascetic, and returned him through repentance to the path of salvation. about the wilderness, James saw a monastery, and entering it, confessed his sin before the igumen and the brethren. igumen urged him to remain with them, fearing that he would ultimately fall into despair. James went off and again he wandered the wilderness for a long time. the All-Beneficent Providence of God brought him to a certain desert-dweller filled with grace and wisdom. the burden from him, the desert-dweller suggested that James remain with him. James would not remain with the Elder, though encouraged and given hope by him, he secluded himself in a cave and there for ten years offered repentance to God, weeping and wailing, and asking forgiveness for the sin he committed. Lord heard the prayers of the penitent monk and granted him His mercy. reacquired his gift of wonderworking. remained in the cave until the time of his death. He was also buried there.

Constantinople, 535-536, Anthimus I, Patriarch, heretic
Constantinople, 535-536, Patriarch, Anthimus I of Constantinople, heretic; St. Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25;

Constantinople, 536-552, Menas, Patriarch, healed plague, excommunicated, Hagia Sophia, Jewish child oven story
Constantinople Patriarch, 536-552, Menas of Constantinople; (Minas) (? - 25 August 552) considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was born in Alexandria, and enters the records in high ecclesiastical office as presbyter and director of the Hospital of Sampson in Constantinople, where tradition has him linked to Saint Sampson directly, and in the healing of Justinian from the bubonic plague in 542.[1] was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I on 13 March, 536.[2] Pope Agapetus I consecrated him to succeed Anthimus, who was condemned as a monophysite. This was first time that a Pope consecrated a Patriarch of Constantinople. some date very soon after his election he received the order (keleusis) from the Emperor, whose text is not preserved, but which instructed him to call a synodos endemousa to examine the case of Anthimus, which would be heard at a series of five sessions, beginning on 2 May and ending 4 June 536. [3] This Synod condemned Anthimus, as noted in Novel XLII from Justinian, addressed directly to Menas.[4] Within this same effort from Justinian to seal the growing rift between the Patriarch in Constantinople and that of Jerusalem, Menas later took a position against Origen, a crisis merging into the Three-Chapter Controversy, an attempt to condemn the writings of certain Non-Chalcedonian figures. Because of these moves, he was excommunicated by Agapetus in 547 and in 551 for taking positions counter to those held by the Pope; but in both cases the sentence of excommunication was quickly lifted. patriarchy represents the greatest extent of papal influence in Constantinople. Almost immediately after the events of 536, which may be viewed as a Chalcedonian victory over monophysites, the ordination of an independent network of monophysite bishops would begin, leading eventually to the formation of a separate monophysite church, the still-existing Syrian Orthodox Church. Justinian and Mena’s efforts for Church doctrinal unity would meet with failure.[5] was during his patriarchate that emperor Justinian's church of Hagia Sophia, then the largest building in the world and the seat of the Patriarchs, was consecrated. Also, in 551 the Emperor compelled Menas to call what would be the Fifth Ecumenical Council, to reconcile the Western and Eastern Churches around the Three Chapter Controversy, to be chaired ultimately by his successor Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople in 553. [6] died peacefully in 552. His feast day in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions is observed on August 25. St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople (536-552), was at first a presbyter at Constantinople and supervisor there of the Home of Saint Sampson the Hospitable for the poor and needy during the reign of Saint Justinian I (527-565). After the removal of the heretic Anthimus (535-536), the holy presbyter Menas was raised to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople as one worthy to be bishop, because of his profound virtue and firm confession of Orthodoxy. Agapitus, the Bishop of Rome (535-536), participated in the consecration of Saint Menas. He had come to Constantinople in order to depose the heretic Anthimus. During the patriarchate of Saint Menas a miracle occurred at Constantinople, which was known to the whole city. certain Jewish child went with other children to church and he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. At home, he told his father about this. In a terrible rage, he seized the child and threw him into a red-hot oven (the father was a glass-blower). He said nothing to his wife. For three days, the mother tearfully searched for her son, calling loudly for him. On the third day, he emerged from the red-hot oven. When she pulled the child out, she found that he was unharmed. boy said that a most radiant Lady had come to him, cooling the fire and bringing him water and food. This incident became known to Saint Menas and the emperor Justinian I. The boy and his mother received Baptism, but the father of the child was obdurate and did not wish to repent, in spite of the great miracle that he had seen. Then the emperor ordered that the father be tried as a child-killer, and sentenced him to death. holy Patriarch Menas ruled the Church of Constantinople for sixteen years. During his patriarchate at Constantinople, the famous church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated. The saint died peacefully in the year 552. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; Saint Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Sampson was born in Rome, the son of wealthy, but devout and virtuous parents. He received an excellent education, studying philosophy and medicine, among other subjects. From his earliest childhood, he lived an exemplary Christian life. After the death of his parents he transformed the family estate into a clinic for the sick. Word of his healing skills spread, and so many people came to him that he had to hire a staff to care for the increasing numbers of people who sought his help. When he had an adequate staff, he donated all of his wealth to the clinic, and was content to live in poverty (Luke 12:33-34). Sampson went to Constantinople, where he hoped to spend the rest of his life in asceticism. He found, however, that there was just as much need for his skill in Constantinople as there had been in Rome. He bought a modest home and began to treat the sick. God blessed Saint Sampson's work and gave him the grace of working miracles. He healed the sick not only by his medical skill, but also as one filled with the grace of God. News of Saint Sampson spread rapidly throughout the Queen of Cities. piety and love for his neighbor brought him to the attention of Patriarch Menas of Constantinople (August 25), who ordained him to the holy priesthood. When Emperor Justinian became ill, and his physicians were unable to provide any relief for him, Patriarch Menas suggested that he send for Sampson, who healed the Emperor. Justinian offered him gold and silver to show his gratitude, but the saint refused, saying that he had already given all his wealth away. Instead, he asked Justinian to build a hospice for travelers. Life was written by St. Symeon Metaphrastes. The historian Procopius, however, implies that Sampson lived before the sixth century, and that the hospice had existed before his own time (Buildings, I, 2, 14). When Sampson's hospice (xenon) was burnt and destroyed in 532, Justinian rebuilt it and endowed it with a generous annual income. It was intended for the destitute, and those who suffered from serious illnesses, as well as those who had lost their property or their health. Sampson reposed quietly, following a brief illness, in the year 530 at a ripe old age. He was buried in the church of Saint Mokios (ÎœÏŽÎºÎ¹Î¿Ï‚), which was built by Saint Constantine the Great. Many miracles of healing took place at the tomb of Saint Sampson. after his death, the Saint continued to watch over his hospice. Twice he appeared to a lazy worker, and chastised him for his negligence. Later, the hospice became a church, and a new building for the homeless was constructed beside it. A terrible fire once raged in Constantinople, but did not damage the church or the new building. Through the prayers of Saint Sampson, a heavy rain extinguished the flames. appointed Scriptural readings for his Feast are from Galatians 5:23-6:2 and from Luke 12:32-40. the prayers of Saint Sampson, may we also find the treasure which does not fail, in Heaven.

Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Niketas the Chartolarian had removed sin from both living and dead
Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Niketas the Chartolarian; Hagia Sophia, 537; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead.

Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Hagia Sophia&Blachernae doors open by p, divine light, dead return, friends reconciled
Constantinople, 537, Niketas the Hidden, Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, hidden because spiritual perfection in city, friends unreconciled, one dies, elder sends other to Niketas, Hagia Sophia and Blachernae doors open by prayer, divine light, dead return; Hagia Sophia; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Niketas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Niketas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead.

Constantinople, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (under St John of Zedazeni)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Constantinople, 540's, Abibus, Nekressi Bishop, of 13 Fathers, Dagestani's also, watered fire god, Jesus sign, incorrupt r
Georgia, 540's, Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi , Georgia (Alazani River 2), of t 13 Armenian Fathers, converted Dagestani's also, Persian rule, fire altars everywhere, water on the fire, Stylite Simeon sign from Jesus, strengthened, declined escape, shattered skull, wild beasts, body guard, but Christian burial, incorrupt relics, relic miracles; Nekressi ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Abibus of Nekresi was one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who arrived in Georgia in the 6th century under the leadership of Saint John of Zedazeni. the blessing of his instructor, Saint Abibus began his apostolic activity in Nekresi, a village set among the hills in the eastern region of Kakheti. his virtuous deeds, Saint Abibus was soon consecrated bishop of his diocese. to the chronicle Life of Kartli, Saint Abibus converted not only Georgians but also most of the mountain tribes—including the Dagestani/Didoians—to the Christian Faith. with apostolic zeal, Saint Abibus journeyed throughout the villages of his diocese, preaching the Truth and calling upon all to strengthen the true Faith. time that Saint Abibus was serving as bishop coincided with a dark period of Persian rule in eastern Georgia. Persians exerted every effort to implant their faith—the worship of fire—and everywhere erected altars where the fire burned without ceasing. in the village of Rekhi the holy hierarch, finding a group of fire-worshipers forcing the Georgian faithful to worship the flame, poured water on their fire to extinguish it. enraged pagan priests bound Saint Abibus, beat him cruelly, locked him up, and reported the incident to the marzban. The marzban ordered that the bishop be brought to him at once. Abibus was a friend of the holy wonderworker Simeon the Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain. Simeon received a sign from God of the imminent martyrdom of Saint Abibus and, in order to console him, sent him a letter, an evlogia (a blessing—probably a piece of prosphoron or some other holy object) and a staff. Abibus was being escorted to the marzban, in the village of Ialdo he met a messenger from Antioch who presented him with Saint Simeon’s gifts. letter and gifts gladdened the holy hierarch and strengthened him for his martyrdom. Saint Abibus was approached by a group of Christians who offered to help him escape, but he graciously declined. arrived in Mtskheta, the saint prayed at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, requested that the guards permit him to meet with Saint Shio of Mgvime. Persians granted his request, and the spiritual brothers greeted one another with love and prayed together to the Lord. Abibus was brought before the dread marzban and asked how he could dare raise his hand against the Persian god. replied with complete composure, saying, “I did not kill any god; rather I extinguished a fire. Fire is not a god, but a part of nature, which is created by God. Your fire was burning wood, and a little water was enough to extinguish it. The water turned out to be stronger. Your fury amazes me. Isn’t it humiliating to call something a god which has no soul?” at this response, the marzban ordered the holy hierarch’s execution. executioners mercilessly beat the blessed Abibus and shattered his skull with stones. Then they dragged his body through the city, cast it to the beasts, and assigned a guard to ensure that the Christians did not come to steal it. that night the priests and monks of Rekhi came, took the body of the holy martyr, and buried it with great honor at Samtavisi Monastery (located midway between Mtskheta and Gori). miraculous healings have taken place over the grave of Saint Abibus. the rule of Prince Stepanoz of Kartli, the incorrupt relics of Saint Abibus were translated from Samtavisi to Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta, according to the decree of Catholicos Tabori. They were buried under the holy altar at Samtavro Church.

Constantinople, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers
Georgia, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers. tPreach Gospel iKakheti wilderness, tPreach tGospel, deer visited every evening to feed him, one day arrived early, frightened, injured fawn, retracing he discovered nobleman, who feared him, ordered hands cut off, smith readying the sword fell down, arms like wood, became mute, Anthony's sign otCross healed him, nobleman perceived holiness, tell me what you need, only single piece oSalt, brought 2 large blocks, broke small piece, placed near deer, built monastery fMany who visited, attention burdensome, fled tMountain pea, fLast 15yrs, God revealed time oDeath to the day,gathered pupils, imparted wisdom, blessed them&reposed on his knees in front oHis icon, body taken down fPillar, burried iHis Monastery before Theotokis icon; Martkopi, Georgia; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; holy father Anton of Martqopi arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the rest of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers settled in Kakheti to preach the Gospel of Christ. always carried with him an icon of the Savior “Not-Made-By-Hands.” made his home in the wilderness, deer visited him every evening to nourish him with their milk. day the deer arrived earlier than expected, they were followed by a wounded fawn. Clearly something had frightened them. Anton retraced the animals’ path, he discovered a nobleman, the head of a nearby village, hunting in the fields. to see the old monk with his icon, standing amidst a gathering of deer, the nobleman, being a pagan, became convinced that he was dangerous and ordered his servants to take him to a smith and chop off his hands. was led at once to the smith, but when the craftsman heated his sword and drew it above the monk’s hands in preparation, fell down suddenly his arms became like wood. daunted smith fell mute, blessed Anton made the sign of the Cross over him he was immediately healed. heard about this miracle, the nobleman perceived that Abba Anton was truly holy, and he began to hold him in reverence. me what you need, and I will provide it for you,” he told Elder Anton. monk requested a single piece of salt, they brought him two large blocks. broke off a small piece and placed it near his cell for the deer. the incident at the smith’s, many people began to visit Anton, the holy father constructed a monastery for the faithful. before long their attention became burdensome, Elder Anton fled from the world to the peak of a mountain. he began to preach from the top of a pillar, he would remain the last fifteen years of his life. God revealed to Fr. Anton the day of his repose, monk-stylite gathered his pupils, imparted to them a few last words of wisdom, blessed them, and died on his knees in front of his beloved icon. Anton’s body was taken down from the pillar buried in the monastery that he had founded, the icon of the Theotokos.

Constantinople, 540-562, Persian Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake
Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Constantinople, 541-597, Colomba, excommnctd but recognized by dLight&angels, w12 missions fTheir Iona Monastery 30yrs+4, + more
Ireland, 541-597, Saint, Colomba of Iona, noble birth, powerful Ui Néill clan, priest foster father, preached Ireland, Derry&Downs Monasteries, 100 churches, Battle oCul Dremhne 561, because Vulgate copy dispute, Pagan King decided against him, stirred relatives, caused christian deaths, remorse, decided gain as many souls, excommunicated aSynod oTeltown 562, Brendan kissing him approaching, Synod criticozed B, W k excommunicated, because God glorifies him, saw bright column light before him &holy angels, Synod dropped charges, 563 left Ireland w12, pilgrim fChrist, Island Iona, prayed for 30yrs there, then call tHeavenly Kingdom, cells&chapel then missionary activity, gospel converts churches, other islands&inland, Iona important for Northern England&Scotland, by 574 Hinba Is dependency, C maintained ties wIrish churches&others, 574 anointed Dalraida King first time European history, historian Adomnan pattern I prophetic II miracles III angels, Angels came for his soul a30yrs, joy&gladness, then sorrow moment later, 2Monks witnessed &asked him, No do not ask, begged him, b I love you must promise as long as I am alive, that day 30th yr, joy seeing angels come to get, then sorrow they returned b prayers mChurches, April 597 fulfilled prophecy remain 4yrs longer, after Pascal Joy till May, Angel sent recover loan watching blessing them in service, will take his soul between Sat eve&Sun morn, bless barn on Sat, yrs bread in case I go somewhere, tells servant Diarmait not to tell, I go tLord wHe calls me middle of night, Lord himself rThis, stop on way back halfway cross&milestone, White horse story Lord revealed brute his master going away, C went to copy psalms to Rich hBecome poor&hungry but those who seek diligently shall not want any good thing, here I must stop, Vespers then bead of stone stone pillow, last instructions to D Love one another follow Holy Fathers, God will help you I will intercede for you, 12th hr bell midnight office, D saw church filled Angelic light around C, at door light vanished, where are you, with head on D''s lap he saw Angels there to carry his soul away, D held up his hand to help bless monks then soul departed, two men far off separate visions soul departing by angels, one in the spirit the other while fishing, after repose Matins hymns&body tLodging, 3days&nights Funeral, 634 Miracle fOswald over Cadwallon, told him to march at night for C's deliverance into O's hands, O reported this himself; Ireland, Saint, 541-597, Colomba of Iona ; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Columba (or Colum Cille, "the dove of the Church") was of noble birth, a member of the powerful Ui Néill clan, which traced its descent to Niall of the Nine Hostages, who died around the year 450. parents were Fedelmid mac Ferguso and Eithne. Although it is difficult to determine the date of Saint Columba's birth with any degree of certainty, is believed that he was born in County Donegal on December 7, 521. parents may have been pagans, and named their son Crimthann. was brought up by a foster-father, according to the custom of that time, a priest named Cruithnechan. do not know what happened in Saint Columba's life from the time he completed his studies until his departure from Ireland in 563. may have been baptized with the name Colum, which later became Columba (dove). sources state that after being ordained as a priest, Saint Columba preached in Ireland, and established monasteries at Derry and Durrow. It is said that he also founded one hundred churches. says (I: 7) that the Saint left Ireland two years after the Battle of Cúl Dreimhne (561), supposedly for causing the deaths of so many men. Adomnan does not explain why the Saint blamed himself. in a different Life of Saint Columba it is stated that there was a dispute between Saints Columba and Finnian of Moville (September 10), concerning the ownership of a copy of Saint Jerome’s Latin Vulgate version of the Bible (some sources say it was a Psalter). dispute involved the ownership of the copy. Finnian claimed that the copy was his, since he owned the original manuscript. Saint Columba maintained that the copy was his, since he had copied the original. High King Diarmait mac Cerbaill, who was a pagan, decided in favor of Finnian. He said, "To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy." Saint is said to have been so angry that he stirred up his relatives of the Uí Néill clan to make war against the High King. Battle of Cúl Dreimhne led to the loss of many Christian lives. In his remorse, Saint Columba decided that he must gain as many souls for Christ as had been slain on the battlefield. also mentions the Synod of Teltown in County Meath (III:3) which met in 562, one year after the battle, and one year before Saint Columba left Ireland. declares that "Saint Columba was excommunicated for some trivial and quite excusable offenses by a Synod which, as eventually became known, had acted wrongly. The Saint himself came to the assembly that had been convoked against him." Saint Brendan of Birr (November 29) saw Saint Columba approaching at a distance, after the Synod had excommunicated him in absentia, he ran out to meet him, kissing him with reverence. the members of the Synod saw this they criticized him, saying, "Why did you get up to kiss a man who has been excommunicated?” Brendan replied, “If you had seen what the Lord has deigned to reveal to me today, concerning this chosen one whom you refuse to honor, you would never have excommunicated him. God does not excommunicate in accordance with your erroneous judgement, but instead, He glorifies him more and more." they became incensed and said that they should like to know just how God had glorified Saint Columba, whom they had excommunicated, as they asserted, with good reason. Brendan replied, "I saw a very bright column of light going before the man of God, whom you despise, and holy angels as his companions traveling over the plain." hearing this, the Synod dropped the charges and honored Saint Columba with much reverence. 563, Saint Columba left Ireland, saying that he wished to be a pilgrim for Christ. twelve companions with him, the Saint settled on the island of Iona, off the southwestern coast of Mull. prayed that God would permit him to live there for thirty years more, and then call him to the heavenly Kingdom. is not known whether the island was inhabited when they arrived, but there is archaeological evidence of prehistoric occupation. building cells and a chapel, the monks began a period of missionary activity, proclaiming the Gospel, making converts, and founding churches. sailed to other islands, and even went inland in their labors to bring people to Christ. a result, Iona became an important center of Christianity for northern England and Scotland. 574, Abbot Columba had at least one dependency on the island of Hinba. There were others on the various islands, all under the authority of Iona. Columba also maintained ties with his churches in Ireland and people in other places. is an account of Saint Columba anointing Aedan mac Gabrain in 574 to succeed King Conall as the King of Dalriada, just as King Saul and King David had been anointed by Samuel. regard this as the first time in European history that Christian ritual was used to consecrate a King. There is much debate on the significance of this event, although Saint Columba did have a special relationship with the ruling dynasty of Dalriada. has not written a Saint's Life according to the traditional pattern. Rather than presenting a continuous narrative from birth to death, he describes Saint Columba's prophetic revelations in Book I; his miracles of power in Book II; and his visions of angels in Book III. Book III:22, Adomnan relates how Saint Columba beheld the angels who had come to receive his soul in the thirtieth year after his arrival on Iona. he raised his eyes to Heaven, and he was filled with great joy and gladness. a moment later, his joy had turned to sorrow. monks stood outside his hut when this occurred, and they asked him about it. told them to go in peace, and not to ask him to tell them the cause of his gladness, nor of his sorrow. fell to the ground with profuse tears and begged him to reveal what he had been told. their distress, the holy Elder said, "Because I love you, I do not wish to grieve you. First, you must promise not to betray to anyone, as long as I am alive, the mystery that you seek to know." they had given their word, Saint Columba said that day was exactly thirty years since he had begun to live "in pilgrimage in Britain." He had asked God to call him to Heaven at the end of thirty years. That is why he seemed so glad. He had seen the angels who had been sent to separate his soul from his body, now they seemed to be delayed. They were waiting on a rock across the Sound from Iona. It was as if they wished to accomplish their task, but they were not permitted to come any closer. Soon they would return to Heaven. though he desired to go with them, the prayers of many churches had caused this change in plans. "Even though I do not wish it, I must remain in this flesh four years longer. This sorrowful delay is the cause of my great distress today." the holy Abbot predicted that at the end of four years, he would die suddenly, and without pain, when the angels would come for him again, and he would depart to the Lord. is precisely what happened. April of 597, on the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection, Saint Columba was longing to depart from this life in order to be with Him. God would have granted his wish right then, but he did not want to turn the paschal joy of his disciples into sorrow, and so his death was delayed for the sake of the monks. May, as the brethren were working on the western side of Iona, Saint Columba was taken there in a cart, for he was then an old man of seventy-five. began to speak to them of his approaching death, so that they would be prepared. When he told them how his death had been merely postponed in April, they became very sorrowful. The Saint tried to console them as much as he could. Then he looked toward the east and blessed the island, and those who dwelt there. few days later, during the Sunday liturgy, Saint Columba looked up and his face became suffused with joy and exultation. he could see the angel hovering over them inside the church. Then the angel passed right through the roof of the church, leaving no trace of his passing. the monks noticed the Elder looking upward they asked him why he seemed so happy. told them that an angel had been sent to recover a loan, and had been watching and blessing them during the service. of the monks understood what sort of loan the angel had been sent to recover, but Saint Columba was referring to his soul, which the angel would take sometime between the following Saturday evening and Sunday morning. the end of the week, on Saturday, Saint Columba and his servant Diarmait went to bless the nearest barn. The venerable Elder said that he was glad to know that the monks would have enough bread to last for a year, in case he had to "go away somewhere." Diarmait was saddened by his words and said, "Father, this year you have made us sad too often by speaking frequently about your passing." Columba said that he would speak more plainly about his departure if Diarmait promised not to tell anyone until after he had reposed. When Diarmait had given his word, the Saint explained that the Sabbath is a day of rest, and on this Saturday he would go the way of his fathers. "I shall go to the Lord when He calls me, in the middle of this night. The Lord Himself has revealed this to me." these words, Diarmait began to weep. Then they started back to the monastery, but Saint Columba had to stop and rest when they reached the halfway point. a cross was set up on that spot and set in a millstone. a white horse, which used to carry pails of milk to the monastery, came and placed its head on the Saint's bosom. Tears fell from its eyes, and the horse mourned like a person. Diarmait would have driven the horse away, but the Elder stopped him saying, "Leave him alone! Let him who loves us pour out the tears of bitterest mourning here at my breast. though you have a man's rational soul, you would not know of my departure if I hadn't told you just now. to His will, the Creator has revealed to this brute and unreasoning animal that his master is going away." Then he blessed the horse as it turned away. he returned to the monastery, Saint Columba went to his hut to copy some Psalms. copied as far as Psalm 33/34:10: "The rich have become poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord diligently shall not want any good thing." he said, "Here at the end of the page I must stop. Let Baithene write what follows." he finished writing, Saint Columba went to church for Vespers, and then he returned to his lodging and rested on his bed. of a bed of straw, he always slept upon bare rock, with a stone for his pillow. he gave his last instructions to Diarmait, commanding the brethren to love one another, and to follow the example of the Holy Fathers. continued, "God, Who strengthens the good, will help you, and I, dwelling with Him, shall intercede for you." the bell rang for the Midnight Office, Saint Columba hastened to the church before the others, and then he knelt before the altar in prayer. following at a distance, saw the church filled with angelic light around the Saint. he reached the door, the light vanished, although some of the brethren had seen it as well. entered the church and called out in a tearful voice, "Father, where are you?" lamps carried by the brethren had not yet been brought into the church. his way in the dark, Diarmait found the Elder lying before the altar. Raising him a little, he sat by his side and cradled his head on his bosom. other monks related that before Saint Cuthbert's soul had left his body, he opened his eyes and looked about with joy and gladness upon his face, for he saw angels coming to meet him. held up the Saint's right hand to bless the monks. The venerable Father, as much as he could, also moved his hand to bless the brethren, though he was unable to speak. Then at once his soul departed. men had separate visions of the Saint's soul being carried to Heaven by angels. mac Tailchain, "a just man and a sage," told a man named Fergnae of his vision. Although Lugaid had never been to Iona, he saw it, in the Spirit, bathed in a bright light. He beheld the radiance of countless angels who had been sent to carry the Saint's soul to Heaven, accompanied by the sweetest songs of the angelic hosts. soldier of Christ, Ernene moccu Fir Roide had a vision at the same hour. When he was an old man, he related it to Adomnan, who was then a young man. Ernene and some other men were fishing in the River Finn, when suddenly, the entire sky lit up. Looking toward the east, they saw a fiery pillar rising upwards and lighting the area like the summer sun at Noon. When the pillar passed out of sight, the darkness returned once more. Saint Columba's blessed repose, the Matins hymns were chanted, and his body was carried from the church to his lodging. three days and nights, the funeral rites were performed in a manner befitting one of his honor and rank. holy relics were wrapped in linen and placed in the grave with due reverence, from which he shall rise in bright, and everlasting light. following miracle is mentioned in Book I:1. In the year 634, at Heavenfield in Northumbria, on the eve of a battle, Saint Columba appeared to Saint Oswald (August 5), revealing his name to the King. He promised to help Saint Oswald, ordering him to march on his enemy Cadwallon that night. He said that the enemy would be put to flight, and that Cadwallon would be delivered into King Oswald's hands. Abbot Failbe, Adomnan's predecessor, told him of this vision, swearing that he had the story from the lips of Saint Oswald himself.

Constantinople, 542-618, Kevin oGlendalough, Kathleen story lPotiphar's wife, but repentd, assisted bAngels&Animals, incorrupt r
Ireland, 542-618, St Kevin oGlendalough, Kevin's Monastery (between coast and Barrow River 3), noble family, kings oLeinster, taught by Petroc a7, a12 under 3Elders, Kathleen Story like Potiphar's W but with repentence, Kath became Nun, imitating Egyptian desert dwellers&Gaul monks Celtic monks longed tbHermits, Elders not let him go, people came, left in secret, Angel led him tGlendalough (Vale otTwo Lakes), hollow oaTree upper lake shore, wild herbs and water, discovered in tree by cow licking his clothes gives more milk, trees bend down, K blesses forest, 3 Elders come to bring him back, but blessed him to leave monastery, nothing more to teach him, Bishop Lugidus ordained K as Priest, sent him start Cluainduach church, returned Glendalough, Angel led oWicklow Mts establish monastery two rivers, then returned upper valley 4-7yrs, wild animals come, blackbird lays egg in his hand, still till it hatched, cave known as Kevin's bed, Angel told him rock about to fall, stayed till Pascha, left, then fell, finding space fMonastery angel suggested flattening mountains but K declined to protect tAnimals, chosen spot rocky ground cleared by Angel & cleared of thistles by local Chieftain ; Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery; Saint Kevin of Glendalough, Commemorated on June 3; Kevin (Coemgen) was born in Leinster in the early decades of the sixth century, age of Saints Columba (June 9), Columbanus of Luxeuil (November 21), Comgall of Bangor (May 10), Finnian of Clonard (December 12), Kieran of Clonmacnoise (September 9), and many other great saints. holy ascetic belonged to a noble family which had included several Kings of Leinster. himself, however, was a model of humility and self-denial. There are several miraculous stories connected with his birth and childhood, but most are unreliable. holy youth was baptized by a priest named Cronan and was named Kevin, which means "fair-begotten." There are so many saints named Cronan that it is not clear which one baptized Saint Kevin. he was seven years old, his parents sent him to be taught by Saint Petroc (June 4), who happened to be visiting Ireland at the time. a boy of twelve, Saint Kevin was placed in the charge of three holy Elders: Eogoin of Ardstraw (August 23), Lochan, and Enna. is known of these teachers or where their establishment was located. secular studies were certainly enhanced by spiritual instruction. He learned to read the Holy Scriptures, and to profit from the example of the virtuous men and women of the Old and New Testaments. Kevin was so handsome that a young girl named Kathleen became inflamed with desire for him, the holy youth resisted all her allurements. She pestered him so much with her attentions that he fled from her, just as Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:12). Kathleen followed him and found him alone in a field, so she approached him and threw her arms around him. Arming himself with the Sign of the Cross, and filled with the Holy Spirit, Saint Kevin broke away from her and ran into the woods. She soon discovered him hiding in a bed of nettles. Grabbing a bunch of nettles, the saint struck her about the face, hands and feet. Wounded by the nettles, the girl's passion quickly cooled. She fell on her knees in repentance, begged forgiveness from God and from Saint Kevin, and promised to become a nun. successfully resisting the temptations of the flesh, Saint Kevin continued to devote himself to his studies, and longed to live the monastic life as a hermit. was a common practice in the Celtic Church, which was influenced by the lives of the Egyptian desert dwellers, and by monks who had come from Gaul. Kevin was anxious to leave the monastery, but his three Elders would not let him go. he had acquired a reputation for holiness, and people from the surrounding area came to seek his advice. to flee from such unwelcome attention, he left the monastery in secret and went into the wilderness. is said that an angel led him to Glendalough (the Vale of the Two Lakes) where he lived in the hollow of a tree somewhere by the shores of the Upper Lake. ascetic remained in this place for several days, living on wild herbs and water. A cow wandered off and came to the tree where the Saint was living, and began to lick his clothing. After some time had passed, the cow showed an unusual increase in its milk, so her owner told his herdsman follow the animal. She led him to Glendalough, and there the herdsman discovered Saint Kevin, weak with hunger, and hiding in the tree. herdsman had to remove Saint Kevin on a litter by force, since the holy ascetic did not wish to leave. As he was being carried off, the trees bent down to make way for them. Saint Kevin then bestowed his blessing on the forest. of Saint Kevin reached his three Elders, who came to bring him back to their monastery. Recognizing the holiness of his life, they understood that they had nothing more to teach him, so they blessed him to leave the monastery. certain Bishop Lugidus ordained Saint Kevin to the priesthood, and sent him and a few other monks to found a new church. He spent a little time converting people at Cluainduach, but later moved back to Glendalough. by an angel, Saint Kevin crossed the Wicklow Mountains and established a monastery in the lower part of the valley where two rivers flow together. Once the monastery was organized, he appointed one of the monks as abbot, and then he retired to the upper valley a mile away to resume his life of solitude. He built a small dwelling on a narrow place between the mountain and the lake, where there were dense woods and clear rivulets. Some sources say that Saint Kevin lived there for four years, while others say seven years. this period of his life, wild animals would come to drink water out of his hands. Once during Lent, Saint Kevin stood praying in his hut with his hand sticking out of the window. Just then a blackbird nested in his hand and laid an egg. So gentle and compassionate was the Saint that he remained in this position until the eggs hatched and the fledglings were able to fly away. is a small cave above the Upper Lake known as Saint Kevin's Bed. One year he retired there for Lent, and an angel came and told him he would have to move because a rock was about to fall on that spot. Saint Kevin told the angel he could not interrupt his Lenten struggles or leave that place. On the eve of Pascha the angel returned to take him away. The venerable one protested that he would like to remain there for the rest of his life. He was persuaded to go, however, by the angel's promise that great benefits would follow for all who would come there in the future, both to live in the monastic city and to be buried there. Just as he was leaving with the angel, the rock came tumbling down and landed on the very spot where he had been standing. over the lake, they discussed the problem of finding sufficient space for so many people. The angel said that if Saint Kevin wished, God could transform the four mountains surrounding the valley to level fields, fruitful and easy to work. The holy ascetic replied that he would not want God's creatures to perish on his account. All of the animals of those mountains were tame and humble toward him, and they would be saddened by this proposal. they arrived at the chosen spot, Saint Kevin saw that the ground was rocky and unsuitable for burial. The angel fixed that by clearing all the stones away. The site is to the east of the smaller (Lower) lake. Saint Kevin told the local chieftain Dimma and his sons to cut away the thorns and thistles, and to make this a beautiful spot. is not certain just where in the valley Saint Kevin fell asleep in the Lord. It was not at the hermitage, however, because he sent a party of monks there to pray for him. Local tradition says that Saint Kevin is buried in the church of the Mother of God in that vicinity. Kevin was succeeded as abbot by his nephew Molibba (Jan. 8), who seems to have been the first bishop there. According to the Annals of Ulster, the holy abbot and confessor Kevin departed to Christ on June 3, 618.

Constantinople, 546-630, Gregory oAgrigentum, 553 council, Pope chosen b, harlot lies, prison, gifts fame, delivers h for truth
Sicily, 546-630, Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Sicily, gifted, message angel to Jerusalem, Mt Olives monastic 1 yr, desert elder 4 yrs, 553 council, Rome, Pope chosen bishop of A, did well but harlot lies, frenzied rage, sorcery charge, pope prison, prayer and wonderworking gifts became known, heals Marcian at prison, delivers harlot, she tells truth; Agrigentum; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, was born on the island of Sicily, in the village of Pretorium, not far from the city of Agrigentum, of the pious parents Chariton and Theodota. infant Gregory was baptized by the bishop of Agrigentum, Pataimonus. ten years of age the studious boy mastered writing and was able to read, and to sing church hymns. twelve years of age Saint Gregory was given to the clergy, and he was put under the spiritual guidance of the archdeacon Donatus. Gregory spent the next ten years in the Agrigentum church. however, an angel of the Lord appeared to the holy youth, who had a fervent desire to visit Jerusalem, and said that God had blessed his intention. Jerusalem Saint Gregory was presented to Patriarch Macarius (563-574), who retained the pious youth for service in his own cathedral church, ordaining him deacon. soul of Saint Gregory thirsted for monastic labors, and the Patriarch gave his blessing, allowing him go to a monastery on the Mount of Olives. a year Saint Gregory departed this monastery for a desert Elder, who for four years taught him spiritual wisdom, humility and the principles of monastic life. ascetic, foreseeing in Saint Gregory a future great luminary of the Church, gave him a blessing to forsake the solitary life. left the Elder, Saint Gregory dwelt for a certain time at Jerusalem, and then went to Constantinople, where he was received with love by the brethren of the monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. ascetic efforts of Saint Gregory were noticed by Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople (552-565), at whose insistence the saint participated in the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). the completion of the Council Saint Gregory set off for Rome, to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. this time the bishop of Agrigentum died. The elder clergy and illustrious citizens of Agrigentum journeyed to Rome with a request for the Pope to determine a successor for their late hierarch from among a list of candidates they were presenting. Pope, however, declined their proposal through divine inspiration, and instead summoned Saint Gregory to serve them as bishop. a few years Saint Gregory peacefully guided the flock entrusted to him by God. He was a defender of the down-trodden, a wise preacher, and miraculous healer. archbishop, Saint Gregory led the life of an ascetic monk, fervently observing monastic vows. The flock loved their hierarch and trusted in him. there were also malicious people who had resolved to slander him. Saint Gregory was in church, these vicious people secretly led a bribed harlot into his chambers, and then in front of the crowd which accompanied the bishop to the doors of his house after services, they led her out and accused Saint Gregory of the deadly sin of fornication. placed the holy bishop under guard. The people attempted to defend their bishop, but were unsuccessful. the trial the harlot gave false testimony against Saint Gregory. Just as she pronounced the words of slander, she went into a fit of frenzied rage. judges accused the saint of sorcery. Saint Gregory was sent for judgment to the Roman bishop together with a report about his “crimes.” Pope, after reading the charges, did not want to see the accused, and gave orders to remand him to prison. The saint endured his humiliation humbly, dwelling in constant prayer. prayerful effort and wonderworking gifts quickly became known through the city and the surrounding region. Pious Romans began to gather at the prison, whom the imprisoned saint taught about the righteous life, and he implored the Lord to heal the sick. two years, a clairvoyant Elder named Mark, who had known Saint Gregory since youth, came to the Pope. The Elder did not believe the charges and he persuaded the Pope to convene a Council to decide Gregory’s case. the invitation of the Pope, many clergy from the city of Agrigentum came to the Council, together with all those making accusations against the saint, including the harlot. Constantinople three bishops and the imperial dignitary Marcian came to Rome. the way Marcian had fallen grievously ill. On the advice of many people who had received healing through the prayers of Saint Gregory, servants carried the dying man to the prison where the wonderworking saint languished. Through the prayers of Saint Gregory the Lord granted healing to Marcian. the Council the slanderers attempted to renew their accusations, and as their chief proof they presented the deranged harlot to the judge, declaring that Gregory had bewitched her. the saint prayed over her and cast out the devil. woman came to her senses and told the Council the whole truth. The slanderers were brought to shame and judged. Marcian even wanted to execute them, but Saint Gregory implored forgiveness for them. Gregory returned in honor to his own cathedral, and surrounded by the love of his flock, he guided the Church until his own peaceful demise.

Constantinople, 550, 6th C, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, pagans no Church until baptism, 9 p children b, then stoned by parents
Georgia, 550 6th Century, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, (Kura River Source) pagans not allowed in Church until baptism, 9 p children baptized, then stoned by their parents ; Kola; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; centuries ago, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River. There Christians and pagans dwelt together as neighbors. Christian and pagan children would play together, but when the Christian children heard church bells ringing, they recognized the call to prayer and dropped their games. pagan children—Guram, Adarnerse, Baqar, Vache, Bardzim, Dachi, Juansher, Ramaz, and Parsman—would follow the Christian children to church. the Christians always stopped them near the gates of the church and reprimanded them, saying, “You are children of pagans. You cannot enter God’s holy house.” They would return sorry and dejected. day the nine pagan children tried to enter the church forcibly, but they were cast out and scolded. “If you want to enter the church, you must believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” they were told. “You must receive Holy Communion and join the community of Christian believers.” great joy the youths promised the Christians that they would receive Holy Baptism. When the Christians of Kola related to their priest the good news of the pagan boys’ desire, he recalled the words of the Gospel: He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that takes not his cross, and follows after Me, is not worthy of Me. (Matt. 10:37-38). was not afraid of the anger that would follow from the pagan community, but rather took the boys on a cold winter night and baptized them in the icy river. A miracle occurred while the Holy Sacrament was being celebrated: the water became warm and angelic hosts appeared to the youths. Greatly encouraged in their faith, the children decided to remain in the Christian community rather than return to their parents. their parents learned that they had been baptized in the Christian Faith, they dragged their children away from the church, abusing and beating them into submission all the way home. The heroic children endured the abuses and, though they went hungry and thirsty for seven days, repeated again and again, “We are Christians and will not eat or drink anything that was prepared for idols!” gentle flattery, nor costly clothing, nor promises of good things to come could tempt the God-fearing youths. Rather they asserted, “We are Christians and want nothing from you but to leave us alone and allow us to join the Christian community!” enraged parents went and reported to the prince everything that had happened. But the prince was of no help—he simply told them, “They are your children, do with them as you wish.” obstinate pagans asked the prince permission to stone the children. So a large pit was dug where the youths had been baptized, and the children were thrown inside. “We are Christians, and we will die for Him into Whom we have been baptized!” proclaimed the holy martyrs, the Nine Children of Kola, before offering up their souls to God. godless parents took up stones, and then others joined in, until the entire pit had been filled. They beat the priest to death, robbed him, and divided the spoils among themselves. martyric contest of the Nine Righteous Children of Kola occurred in the 6th century, in the historical region of Tao in southern Georgia.

Constantinople, 550, 6th C, Pardus tCamel Teamster Hermit, Jericho, boy killed, becomes monk, guilt, pokes lion, forgiveness
Jerusalem, 550, 6th C, Pardus tTeamster Hermit, Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem), a Camel Teamster, boy killed bHis Camels, becomes monk Mt Arion, thinking guilty murder, enters lion den, pokes lion, ignored, takes off clothes, lies lion's path, jumped over, realizes forgiveness, returned mt fasting prayer; Jericho; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Pardus the Hermit, a Roman, involved in his youth with the teamster’s craft. when he traveled to Jericho, a boy accidentally fell under the legs of his camels. The camels trampled the boy to death. Shaken by this occurrence, Pardus became a monk and withdrew to Mount Arion. himself as a murderer, and deserving of death, Saint Pardus entered the den of a lion. poked the wild beast and prodded it with a spear so that the lion would tear him apart, but the creature would not touch the hermit. Pardus then took off his clothes and lay down upon the path that the lion would take for water. But even here, the lion merely leaped over the hermit. the Elder then understood that he had been forgiven by the Lord. to his mountain, Saint Pardus dwelt there in fasting and prayer until the end of his days. He died in the sixth century.

Constantinople, 551-600, Florus, Bishop oAmisus, Armenia, Pontine, after family died small pox solitary life before c Bishop
Armenia, 551-600, Florus, Bishop oAmisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea), fine education, courtly service tEmperor, Patrician, wife childred died small pox, left world tSolitary life near Constantinople, chosen bishop Amisus, died peacefully;; Amisus; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Florus, Bishop of Amisus, was the son of the Christians Florus and Euphemia, provided him a fine education. entered courtly service for the Byzantine Emperor and was elevated to the rank of patrician; was also married and had children. his wife and children died from smallpox, he left the world and withdrew to the outskirts of Constantinople, he led a solitary and pious life. on he was chosen Bishop of Amisus (in Asia Minor). Florus wisely guided his flock and died peacefully at the beginning of the seventh century.

Constantinople, 552-565, Eutychius, Patriarch, against Justinian's Aphthartodocetae, exiled t Amasya, Pontine
Constantinople Patriarch, 552-565, Eutychius of Constantinople; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Eutychius, Archbishop of Constantinople, was born in a village called “Divine” in the province of Phrygia. His father Alexander was a soldier, and his mother Synesia was the daughter of the priest Hesychius of Augustopolis. Saint Eutychius received the first rudiments of his education and a Christian upbringing from his grandfather the priest. while playing a childhood game, the boy wrote his own name with the title of Patriarch. By this he seemed to predict his future service. He was sent to Constantinople at age twelve for further education. The youth persevered in his study of science and realized that human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the study of divine Revelation. Therefore, he decided to dedicate himself to monastic life. Saint Eutychius withdrew into one of the Amasean monasteries and received the angelic schema. For his strict life he was made archimandrite of all the Amasean monasteries, and in 552 was appointed to the Patriarchal throne. the Fifth Ecumenical Council prepared to assemble during the reign of the holy emperor Justinian (527-565), the Metropolitan of Amasea was ill and he sent Saint Eutychius in his place. At Constantinople the aged Patriarch Saint Menas (August 25) saw Saint Eutychius and predicted that he would be the next Patriarch. After the death of the holy Patriarch Menas, the Apostle Peter appeared in a vision to the emperor Justinian and, pointing his hand at Eutychius, said, “Let him be made your bishop.” the very beginning of his patriarchal service, Saint Eutychius convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), at which the Fathers condemned the heresies cropping up and anathematized them. However, after several years a new heresy arose in the Church: Aphthartodocetism [asartodoketai] or “imperishability” which taught that the flesh of Christ, before His death on the Cross and Resurrection, was imperishable and not capable of suffering. Eutychius vigorously denounced this heresy, but the emperor Justinian himself inclined toward it, and turned his wrath upon the saint. By order of the emperor, soldiers seized the saint in the church, removed his patriarchal vestments, and sent him into exile to an Amasean monastery (565). saint bore his banishment with meekness, and lived at the monastery in fasting and prayer, and he worked many miracles and healings. through his prayer the wife of a devout man, Androgenes, who had given birth only to dead infants, now gave birth to two sons who lived to maturity. Two deaf-mutes received the gift of speech; and two grievously ill children were restored to health. The saint healed a cancerous ulcer on the hand of an artist. The saint also healed another artist, anointing his diseased hand with oil and making over it the Sign of the Cross. saint healed not only bodily, but also spiritual afflictions: he banished the devil out of a girl that had kept her from Holy Communion; he expelled a demon from a youth who had fled from a monastery (after which the youth returned to his monastery); he healed a drunken leper, who stopped drinking after being cleansed of his leprosy. the Persian invasion of Amasea and its widespread devastation, they distributed grain to the hungry from the monastery granaries on the saint’s orders, and by his prayers, the stores of grain at the monastery were not depleted. Eutychius received from God the gift of prophecy. He revealed the names of two of Emperor Justinian’s successors: Justin (565-578) and Tiberias (578-582). the death of the holy Patriarch John Scholastikos, Saint Eutychius returned to the cathedra in 577 after his twelve year exile, and he again wisely ruled his flock. Four and a half years after his return to the Patriarchal throne, in 582, Saint Eutychius gathered together all his clergy on Thomas Sunday, blessed them, and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Constantinople, 553, Commemoration of Holy 165 Fathers of Fifth EC, defined Orthodoxy without Nestorian Monophysite distortion
Constantinople, 553, Commemoration of the Holy 165 Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople, 3 dead bishops orthodoxy, Nestorian opinions, 3rd EC, Not condemned 4th EC, Accused of Nestorianism 4th EC by Monophysites, one condemned in 5th EC, 2 had repented so not condemned, Emperor Justinian issued edict the Three Chapters were condemned, but 5th EC convened to resolve issue Church wide, Pope did not participate, excommunicated until agreed, Istria&Aquilea bishops remained Nestorian 100yrs, Origen also for pre-existence human soul condemned, rejection universal resurrection of dead condemned, plus further definition Orthodoxy to preserve integrity definition God and Man without Nestorian Monophysite distortion; Hagia Sophia; Commemoration of the Holy 165 Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on July 25; Fifth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II) was held at Constantinople, under the holy Emperor Saint Justinian I (527-565) in the year 553, determine the Orthodoxy of three dead bishops: Theodore of Mopsuetia, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and Ibas of Edessa, had expressed Nestorian opinions in their writings in the time of the Third Ecumenical Council (September 9). three bishops had not been condemned at the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16), which condemned the Monophysites, in turn had been accused by the Monophysites of Nestorianism. to deprive the Monophysites of the possibility of accusing the Orthodox of sympathy for Nestorianism, also to dispose the heretical party towards unity with the followers of the Council of Chalcedon, emperor Saint Justinian issued an edict. it “the Three Chapters” (the three deceased bishops) were condemned. since the edict was issued on the emperor’s initiative, since it was not acknowledged by representatives of all the Church (particularly in the West, and in Africa), a dispute arose about the “Three Chapters.” Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened to resolve this dispute. bishops attended this Council. Pope Vigilius, though present in Constantinople, refused to participate in the Council, although he was asked three times to do so by official deputies in the name of the gathered bishops and the Emperor himself. Council opened with Saint Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople (552-565, 577-582), presiding. accordance with the imperial edict, the matter of the “Three Chapters” was carefully examined in eight prolonged sessions from May 4 to June 2, 553. was pronounced against the person and teachings of Theodore of Mopsuetia. the case of Theodore and Ibas, the condemnations were confined only to certain of their writings, while they personally had been cleared by the Council of Chalcedon, because of their repentance. they were spared from the anathema. measure was necessary because certain of the proscribed works contained expressions used by the Nestorians to interpret the definitions of the Council of Chalcedon for their own ends. the leniency of the Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, in a spirit of moderate economy regarding the persons of Bishops Theodore and Ibas, instead embittered the Monophysites against the decisions of the Council. which, the emperor had given the orders to promulgate the Conciliar decisions together with a decree of excommunication against Pope Vigilius, for being like-minded with the heretics. Pope afterwards concurred with the mind of the Fathers, and signed the Conciliar definition. bishops of Istria and all the region of the Aquilea metropolia, however, remained in schism for more than a century. the Council the Fathers likewise examined the errors of presbyter Origen, a renowned Church teacher of the third century. teaching about the pre-existence of the human soul was condemned. heretics, who did not admit the universal resurrection of the dead, were also condemned. pleased the Lord that the Holy Spirit should inspire the Fathers of the Council in a further definition of Orthodoxy preserves the integrity and dignity both of God and of mankind, without the distortion of either that occurs within the Nestorian or Monophysite heresies.

Constantinople, 553 and 787, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), mentions “the icon of the All-Pure Virgin Mother of God at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” miracles of the icon date back to the sixth century. One of the miracles was reported by the presbyter Eustathius, who was a contemporary of Patriarch Eutychius (April 6). At Amasea, near Sozopolis, there was a certain married couple, whose children were all stillborn. Grieving over their misfortune, they turned to Patriarch Eutychius for advice. Saint Eutychius prayed and anointed them with holy oil from the Cross of the Lord and from the holy icon of the Mother of God saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Name your child Peter, and he will live,” he said to them. Soon the couple gave birth to a son whom they did indeed name Peter. Later, they had a second son, whom they named John. The people of the city glorified God when they heard of this miracle. about 600 years myrrh flowed from the Pisidian Icon of the Mother of God – Eleusius, a disciple of Saint Theodore the Sykeote (April 22), was a witness to this. A copy of this ancient wonderworking icon was made in Russia in 1608, at Moscow’s Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery. The Mother of God is depicted with the Divine Infant on Her left arm, and with Her right hand She gives a blessing. St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Constantinople, 553, Fifth Ecumenical Council, against the Three Chapters (against Nestorianism)
Constantinople, Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), Second Council of Constantinople; Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and recognition of it are varied. Some Protestants, such as Calvinists, recognize the first four councils,[2] whereas Lutherans accept the first six, and most Anglo-Catholics accept all seven. II was convoked by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I under the presidency of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople. was held from 5 May to 2 June 553. Participants were overwhelmingly Eastern bishops—only sixteen Western bishops were present, including nine from Illyricum and seven from Africa, but none from Italy—out of the 152 total.[1][3] main work of the council was to confirm the condemnation issued by edict in 551 by the Emperor Justinian against the Three Chapters. These were the Christological writings and ultimately the person of Theodore of Mopsuestia (died 428), certain writings against Cyril of Alexandria's Twelve Anathemas accepted at the Council of Ephesus, written by Theodoret of Cyrrhus (died c. 466), and a letter written against Cyrillianism and the Ephesian Council by Ibas of Edessa (died 457).[4] purpose of the condemnation was to make plain that the Great Church, which followed a Chalcedonian creed, was firmly opposed to Nestorianism as supported by the Antiochene school which had either assisted Nestorius, the eponymous heresiarch, or had inspired the teaching for which he was anathematized and exiled. The council also condemned the teaching that Mary could not be rightly called the Mother of God (Greek: Theotokos) but only the mother of the man (anthropotokos) or the mother of Christ (Christotokos).[4] hoped that this would contribute to a reunion between the Chalcedonians and monophysites in the eastern provinces of the Empire. Various attempts at reconciliation between these parties within the Byzantine Empire were made by many emperors over the four centuries following the Council of Ephesus, none of them successful. Some attempts at reconciliation, such as this one, the condemnation of the Three Chapters and the unprecedented posthumous anathematization of Theodore—who had once been widely esteemed as a pillar of orthodoxy—causing further schisms and heresies to arise in the process, such as the aforementioned schism of the Three Chapters and the emergent semi-monophysite compromises of monoenergism and monotheletism. These propositions assert, respectively, that Christ possessed no human energy but only a divine function or principle of operation (purposefully formulated in an equivocal and vague manner, and promulgated between 610 and 622 by the Emperor Heraclius under the advice of Patriarch Sergius I of Constantinople) and that Christ possessed no human will but only a divine will, "will" being understood to mean the desires and appetites in accord with the nature (promulgated in 638 by the same and opposed most notably by Maximus the Confessor).[4] St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Constantinople, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop, his story important tTie history of Cross, Persian, Byzantine, & Arab control oJ
Armenia, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop oJerusalem, fSebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), his story important for history, tonsured Mt Sinai, Superior Theodosios tG m Judea, Locum tenens Gov Jerusalem Church 614, because Persians devastated Jerusalem, took The Cross, 90,000 C's killed, Patriarch Zacharias captured, M restored C shrines, incl Lord's tomb, buried Sava's monks, Z returned wCross 630, M permanent partiarch aZ, M dies a97yr old; Sebaste, Armenia ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Modestos (Módestos) was born into a Christian family at Sebásteia in Cappadocia (Asia Minor). toward a strict monastic life from his youth, the Saint was tonsured on Mount Sinai. he became the Superior of the Monastery of Saint Theodosios the Great in Palestine. the year 614, Syria and Palestine were attacked by the the army of the Persian king Chosroes. Christians were killed, and many Christian churches were destroyed. Zachariah of Jerusalem and a multitude of Christians were taken into captivity, with the Cross of the Lord. Modestos was appointed to govern the Jerusalem Church temporarily as locum tenens of the patriarchal kathedra. the help of Patriarch John the Merciful of Alexandria (November 12), Saint Modestos restored the devastated Christian shrines, which was the Lord's Tomb. also buried the murdered monks from the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified. fourteen years, Patriarch Zacharias returned from captivity with the Lord's Cross, after his death, Saint Modestos became the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Modestos reposed at the age of 97 in the year 634. head of Saint Modestós is located in the Athonite Monastery of Simonopetra.

Constantinople, 559-640, Alypius t Stylite Adrianopolis, Paphlagonia, Euphemia monastery vision, pillar t 57 yrs, 14yr igumen
Armenia, 559-640, Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Paphlagonia, Euphemia vision to build her monastery, done, pillar next to it, 57 yrs, then 14yrs igumen ; Paphlagonia Region; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Alypius the Stylite was born in the city of Adrianopolis in Paphlagonia. mother, a Christian, was widowed early, and she sent her son to be educated by Bishop Theodore. She distributed her substance to the poor, then began to live an ascetic life near the church as a deaconess. Alypius, from his early years, wanted to devote his life to God and yearned for the solitary life, although Bishop Theodore would not give him permission to do so. when Saint Alypius was accompanying his bishop to Constantinople, the holy Martyr Euphemia (September 16) appeared to him in a vision, summoning Saint Alypius to return to Adrianopolis and found a church in her name. contributions offered by believers in Adrianopolis, Saint Alypius did build a church in the name of the holy Martyr Euphemia, on the site of a dilapidated pagan temple infested by legions of devils. the church, under the open sky, the saint erected a pillar over a pagan tomb. fifty-three years Saint Alypius struggled upon the pillar, praying to God and teaching those who came to him. demons which infested the pagan cemetery fell upon the ascetic by night and pelted him with stones. Saint Alypius, wanted nothing to stand in the way of the attacks of the spirits of darkness, then even took down the boards that served him as a roof, protecting him from the rain and wind. In the face of the saint’s conquering steadfastness, the demons forever fled the place, which had been sanctified by his deed of voluntary martyrdom. years before his death, Saint Alypius was no longer able to stand. He was compelled to lie on his side because of the weakness of his legs, and endured grievous sufferings with humble gratitude. the saint’s pillar two monasteries sprang up: a men’s monastery on the one side, and a women’s monastery on the other. Alypius introduced strict monastic rules for both monasteries and he directed both monasteries until his death. Saint Alypius reposed in the year 640, at age 118. The body of the venerable stylite was buried in the church he founded in honor of the holy Martyr Euphemia. The relics of the saint of God healed many of those who came in faith.

Constantinople, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Saint, Pope of Rome, Gregorian Mission to Britain, Monolingual to Latin
Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ;

Constantinople, 560-610, St Theodore the Sykeote, Galatia, Greatmartyr G appearances & leading, Christ said Struggle, &much more
Phrygia, 560-610, St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopoli, Galatia (on trade route, Ankara Mouth, Sakarya 4), mothers vision bright star over womb, Greatmartyr George appearances and leading, Christ said Struggle, prayed and rain came, grace upon him, healing, deliverance, complete solitude, 2yrs, 17yr old priest, Chozeba monastic tonsure, returned, bretheren gathered around him, iron cage, cave, power over w animals, healed leprosy, locusts died at service, predicted emperor mauricius, bread each year, became bishop of A, Sabbas Larva, return led by G, poison try, MOG pieces of grain, Eucharist grace, purple light, floating Holy Lamb, sainthood while alive, crosses striking themselves, portent of iconoclasts, repose; Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Theodore the Sykeote was born in the mid-sixth century in the village of Sykeon, not far from the city of Anastasiopolis (in Galatia, Asia Minor), into a pious family. his mother Maria conceived the saint, she had a vision of a bright star overshadowing her womb. A clairvoyant Elder, whom she consulted, explained that this was the grace of God being poured forth on the infant in her womb. the boy reached the age of six, his mother presented him with a golden belt, since she intended that her son should become a soldier. That night the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23) appeared to her in a dream, and he told her not to consider military service for her son, because the boy was destined to serve God. The saint’s father, Cosmas, had served as a messenger of the emperor Justinian the Great (527-565), and he died at an early age. The boy remained in the care of his mother, and his grandmother Elpis, his aunt Dispenia and his little sister Vlatta also lived with them. school, Saint Theodore displayed great apptitude in his studies, chief of which was an uncommon ability for reasoning and wisdom. He was quiet, mild, he always knew how to calm his comrades, and he did not permit fights or quarrels among them. pious Elder Stephen also lived at his mother’s house. Imitating him, Saint Theodore at the age of eight began to eat only a small morsel of bread in the evening during Great Lent. So that his mother should not force him to take supper with everyone, the boy returned home from school only toward evening, after he had partaken of the Holy Mysteries with Elder Stephen. At the request of his mother, the teacher began to send him home to supper at the end of his lessons. Saint Theodore, however, ran to the church of the Great Martyr George, where the saint appeared to him in the form of a youth, and ushered him into the church. Saint Theodore turned ten, he fell deathly ill. They brought him to the church of Saint John the Baptist and placed him in front of the altar. The boy was healed by two drops of water that fell from the face of the Savior in the dome of the temple. At this time the Great Martyr George began appearing to the boy at night, and also leading him to his own temple to pray until morning. His mother, fearing the dangers of the forest at night, urged her son not to go at night. when the boy had already gone, she angrily followed him to the church, and she dragged him out by the hair and tied him to his bed. But that very night the Great Martyr George appeared to her in a dream, and commanded her not to hinder the child from going to church. Both Elpis and Dispenia had the same vision. The women then understood Saint Theodore’s special calling, and they no longer hindered him. Even his little sister Vlatta began to imitate him. twelve years of age, the saint had a dream in which he saw Christ on the Throne of Glory, Who said to him, “Struggle, Theodore, so that you may obtain a perfect reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.” that time, Saint Theodore began to intensify his labors. He spent both the First Week of Great Lent and the Week of the Veneration of the Cross in complete silence. devil considered how to destroy him. He appeared to the saint in the form of his classmate Gerontius, and urged him to jump off a precipice, but the Great Martyr George saved the boy. time, the boy went into the desert to obtain the blessing of the Elder Glycerius. Then there was a terrible drought throughout the land, and the Elder said, “Child, let us pray to the Lord on bended knee, asking Him to send rain. Then we shall learn whether our prayers are pleasing to the Lord.” The old man and the boy began to pray, and immediately it began to rain. Then the Elder said to Saint Theodore, that the grace of God was upon him, and he blessed him to become a monk when the time came. he was fourteen, Saint Theodore left home and lived near the church of the Great Martyr George. His mother brought him food, but Saint Theodore left everything on the stones by the church, and he ate only a single prosphora each day. Even at such a young age, Saint Theodore was granted the gift of healing. Through his prayers a demon-possessed youth was restored to health. Theodore then fled human glory and he withdrew into complete solitude. Under a large boulder not far from the church of Saint George, he dug a cave and persuaded a certain deacon to cover over the entrance with earth, leaving only a small opening for air. The deacon brought him bread and water and he told no one where the monk had hidden himself. two years Saint Theodore lived in this seclusion and complete quiet. His relatives mourned for the saint, thinking that he had been devoured by wild beasts. deacon finally revealed the secret, since he was afraid that Saint Theodore would perish in the narrow cave, and moreover he pitied the weeping mother. They took Saint Theodore out of the cave barely alive. mother wanted to take her son home and nurse him back to health, but the saint remained near the church of Saint George, and after several days he was completely well. of the youth’s exploits reached the local bishop Theodosius, who ordained him to the diaconate, and later to the holy priesthood, although the saint was only seventeen years old at the time. a certain while Saint Theodore went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem, and there at the Chozeba Lavra near Jordan, he received monastic tonsure. he returned to his native land, he again continued to live near the church of Saint George. His grandmother Elpis, his sister Vlatta and his mother entered a women’s monastery on the saint’s advice, and his aunt died in a good confession. ascetic life of the young hieromonk attracted to him people seeking salvation. The saint tonsured the youth Epiphanius, and later on a pious woman, healed by the saint from her sickness, brought him her son Philoumenus. Then the virtuous youth John also came to him. Thus brethren gradually gathered around the monk. Theodore continued in his harsh labors. At his request a blacksmith made him an iron cage without a roof, and so narrow that it was scarcely possible to stand. In this cage the monk stood in heavy chains from Holy Pascha until the Nativity of Christ. From the Baptism of the Lord until Holy Pascha he secluded himself in his cave, from which he emerged only for church services on Saturdays and Sundays. Throughout the whole of the forty-day Fast the saint ate only greens, and bread on Saturdays and Sundays. in such manner, he received from the Lord the power over wild animals. Bears and wolves came up to him and took food from his hand. the saint’s prayers, those afflicted with leprosy were healed, and demons were cast out from whole districts. In the nearby village of Magatia, when locusts threatened the crops, people turned to Saint Theodore for help. He sent them to church. After Divine Liturgy, which he served, the villagers returned home and learned that during the service all the locusts had died. the military commander Mauricius was returning to Constantinople by way of Galatia after a Persian war, the monk predicted that he would become emperor. The prediction came true, and the emperor Mauricius (582-602) fulfilled the saint’s request: he sent bread to the monastery each year for the multitude of people being fed there. small temple of Saint George could not accommodate all those who wanted to pray in it. Then through the efforts of the saint a beautiful new church was built. During this while the Bishop of Anastasiopolis happened to die. The people of the city requested Metropolitan Paul of Ancyra to install Saint Theodore as their bishop. that the saint would not resist, the messengers of the Metropolitan and the people of Anastasiopolis dragged him out of his cell by force and carried him into the city. bishop, Saint Theodore toiled much for the welfare of the Church, but his soul yearned for solitary communion with God. After several years he went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem. And there, concealing his identity, he settled at the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he lived in solitude from the Nativity of Christ until Pascha. Then the Great Martyr George led him to return to Anastasiopolis. enemies tried to poison the saint, but the Mother of God gave him three small pieces of grain. The saint ate them and remained unharmed. Saint Theodore felt weighed down with the burden of being a bishop and he asked Patriarch Cyriacus of Constantinople (595-606) for a release to return to his own monastery and celebrate the services there. ’s sanctity was so evident that when he celebrated the Eucharist, the grace of the Holy Spirit appeared as a radiant purple light, overshadowing the Holy Gifts. One time, when the saint elevated the discus with the holy Lamb and proclaimed “Holy things are for the holy,” the holy Lamb floated up in the air, and then settled again upon the discus. Orthodox Church venerated Saint Theodore as a saint, even while he was still alive. one of the cities of Galatia, a terrible event occurred: during a church procession the wooden crosses being carried began to strike each other by themselves, with the result that Patriarch Thomas (607-610, March 21) summoned Saint Theodore, asking him the meaning of this terrible portent. Having the gift of foresight, Saint Theodore explained that this indicated coming misfortunes for the Church of God (he was prophetically indicating the future heresy of the Iconoclasts). In his grief the holy Patriarch Thomas begged the saint to pray that he would soon die, so that he would not witness the coming woe. the year 610 the holy Patriarch Thomas reposed, having asked the blessing of Saint Theodore. Saint Theodore also departed to the Lord.

Constantinople, 565, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead, no f, how possible obedient to die
Egypt, 565, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead? No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?; Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Acacius of Sinai lived during the sixth century and was a novice at a certain monastery in Asia. humble monk distinguished himself by his patient and unquestioning obedience to his Elder, a harsh and dissolute man. He forced his disciple to toil excessively, starved him with hunger, and beat him without mercy. such treatment, Saint Acacius meekly endured the affliction and thanked God for everything. Saint Acacius died after suffering these torments for nine years. days after Acacius was buried, his Elder told another Elder about the death of his disciple. second Elder did not believe that the young monk was dead. They went to the grave of Acacius and the second Elder called out: “Brother Acacius, are you dead?” From the grave a voice replied, “No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?” The startled Elder of Saint Acacius fell down with tears before the grave, asking forgiveness of his disciple. this he repented, constantly saying to the Fathers, “I have committed murder.” He lived in a cell near the grave of Saint Acacius, and he ended his life in prayer and in meekness. Saint John Climacus (March 30) mentions Saint Acacius in The Ladder (Step 4:110) as an example of endurance and obedience, and of the rewards for these virtues. Saint Acacius is also commemorated on July 7.

Constantinople, 565, Zosima Bishop oBabylon Fortress, Egypt, Babyln prophecy, Alexandria errand, Bishop oB tOld age, returned tS
Egypt, 565, Zosima Bishop oBabylon Fortress, Egypt (Nile River & Pharonic Canal to Red Sea), fCilicia, Lebanon&Sinai Monastery 565, Babylon prophecy, Alexandria errand, Bishop oB into old age, returned tSinai; Babylon Fortress, Egypt; Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on June 4; Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, was born in Cilicia (Asia Minor). still a youth he left the world and settled on Mount Sinai, later he withdrew to a more solitary place in Lebanon. time he encountered an elderly ascetic, who foretold that he would be bishop in Babylon. Zosima returned to Sinai, he was sent on an errand to Alexandria. Patriarch of Alexandria made him Bishop of Babylon, and into old age he wisely guided his flock. the approach of death, he returned to Sinai and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (5th century). St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; Zosimus as above

Byzantium, 565-574, Emperor, Justin II, Younger, lost Italy, war w Sassanid Empire, mental breakdown
Byzantine Emperor, 565-574, Justin II, the Younger; II or Justin the Younger (c. 520 – 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 to 574. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of the Empress Theodora, and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty. reign was marked by war with the Sassanid Empire, and the loss of the greater part of Italy. He presented the Cross of Justin II to Saint Peter's, Rome. Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5;

Constantinople, 565-577, John Scholasticus, Patriarch oConstantinople, from Antioch, Syria, Law & Hymn writer
Syria, 565-577, John Scholasticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), studied law, ordained priest, bishop, patriarch oC, writer, Church Rules, Church related Civil Laws, Church Admin Law Cannon, Cherubic Hymn, Of Thy Mystical Supper Antioch (Orontes River 7); Saint John “Scholasticus”, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 21; John Scholasticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Sirimion near Antioch, and studied law. was ordained a priest because of his great holiness and piety. he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, where he spent the years 565 to 577. still a presbyter, he compiled a collection of Church Rules in Fifty Chapters, later during his time as patriarch he made a Codex of civil laws relating to the Church. these collections was compiled the Nomocanon (i.e. “Law-canon”), used in church administration. John also composed the “Cherubic Hymn”, and “Of Thy Mystical Supper.”

Constantinople, 565-601, Dometian, Bishop oMelitene, Armenia, zealous fFaith, strong word&deed, giving, miracles before&after d
Armenia, 565-601, Dometian, Bishop oMelitene, Armenia (Intersection Roads from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2), time Justin II, married widowed, monk, Bishop a30, wise zealous fFaith, strong word&deed, famous pastor, Govt commissions iPersia for Greeks, distributed his rich gifts tPoor, miracles before&after death; Malatya; Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, born and lived during the sixth century, in the time of the emperor Justin the Younger. was married but was widowed, and thereafter he became a monk and lived a strict and holy life. thirty years of age he was chosen bishop of the city of Melitene (in Armenia). and zealous in questions of faith, strong in word and deed, Saint Dometian quickly gained fame as a good and dedicated pastor. than once he carried out government commissions in Persia to avoid conflict with the Greeks. by all, Saint Dometian often received rich gifts, which he distributed to the poor. during his life and after his death in 601, Saint Dometian was glorified by God with miracles.

Constantinople, 567-608, Daniel oScetis, Egypt, killed wEscaping, conscience nResolved bPatriarchs, begged execution, acquitted
Egypt, 550 6th Century, Daniel oScetis, Egyptian Desert, monk as young boy, barbarian prisoner, bought by Christian, recapturedd, killed captor wEscaping, rtSketis, conscience burden, confessed to Alexandria Patriarch Roman Pope other patriarchs Constantinople Antioch Jerusalem but all no peace or penance, so he surrendered as murderer begged to be executed, into prison, trial gpvernor said go your way, Daniel resolved care for Lepers, renouned and mentioned in many saints stories, Anastasia, Mark the Fool, despised Ermopoleos Monastery nun, Thomais killed by her father-in-Law, Eulogios the Hospitable, Andronikos, Athanasia, and Douda; Scetis ; Venerable Daniel of Sketis, Commemorated on June 7; Daniel lived in the sixth century, becoming a monk at Sketis when he was a young boy. was taken prisoner when Sketis was attacked by barbarians, who held him captive for two years. Daniel was was bought by a devout Christian, but then he was recaptured. six months, while attempting to escape, he struck one of his captors with a stone and killed him, and then he made his escape and returned to Sketis. sin of murder was a heavy burden on his conscience. about what he ought to do, he went to Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria, and asked for his advice. Patriarch heard his Confession, but did not give him a penance. his conscience continued to trouble him, and he went to Rome to see the Pope. Pope gave him the same reply as the Patriarch had done. Abba Daniel visited the other Patriarchs in turn, going to Constantinople, Antioch and Jerusalem, confessing to each of them and asking for advice. found no peace, however. So he returned home to Alexandria and surrendered himself to the civil authorities as a murderer, was thrown into prison. his trial before the governor, Daniel told him all that had happened, and begged to be executed, so that his soul might be saved from the eternal fire. The governor was astonished by his story, and said to him, "Go your way, Father, and pray to God for me, and I wish you had killed seven more!" dissatisfied with this, Daniel resolved to take a leper into his cell and care for him until he died, and then he would find another. He did as he had resolved, and in this way brought peace to his conscience. as Abba Daniel and Abba Ammon were walking together, Abba Ammon said, "When will we sit in our own cell, Father?" Abba Daniel replied, "Who can separate us from God? God is in the cell, and God is also outside of it." became so renowned for his virtues that he was named Igoumen of Sketis and he was revered throughout Egypt as "a new Abraham, and the host of Christ." visited Saint Anastasia the Patrician (March 10) on the day of her death. She had disguised herself as a eunuch and lived in a men's monastery eighteen miles from Sketis. Daniel discovered that she was a woman when he prepared her body for burial. Daniel encountered saints who wished to remain hidden, such as the Mark the Fool of Alexandria, the nun at the Ermopoleos Monastery of Abba Jeremiah. She feigned drunkenness, earning the contempt of the other nuns. Daniel and his disciple sought shelter in the monastery, at night they saw that nun lifting her arms to Heaven, weeping copiously, and making prostrations. following night they had the Igoumeness watch with them so she could see how that despised nun spent her nights. her holy life became known, she left the monastery so that she would not be praised by the other nuns. Daniel is also mentioned in the Life of Saint Thomais, who was killed by her father-in-law because she wished to preserve her chastity (April 13 in Slavic usage, April 14 in Greek usage), in the Life of Saint Eulogios the Hospitable (April 27), the Life of Saints Andronikos and Athanasia (October 9), well as in the Life of Abba Doula.

Constantinople, 569-600, Leander oSeville, rich&royal, Byzantine Visigoth, yBishop, Visigoth Spain tOrthodoxy, great story
Spain and Portugal, 569-600, Leander oSeville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2) rich&royal, Byzantine Visigoth, young Bishop, founded theological school for Orthodoxy&Science, barbaric kingdom, orthodox persecuton, Orthodox cousin Hermenegild king Levegild's son strangled by him 586, L tConstantinople&befriends gregory diaglos, Lev converts w ill, begs Lea bring new king Rekared to faith, inspired writings, Lea's bro suceeds him as bishop, Lea's sister founder 40 monasteries, Igumenes; Seville; Saint Leander of Seville, Commemorated on February 27; Leander, the Bishop of Seville, teacher of the Church, and enlightener of Spain, lived in the VI century, was the scion of an aristocratic family. father Severian was a duke and belonged to an illustrious Byzantine clan, his mother was the eldest daughter of the Visigoth King Levigid, who reigned in Seville, the capital of the Visigoth Kingdom. a young age he entered a monastery, and was distinguished for his education and virtues. Therefore, the Church made him a Bishop in the year 579. founded a theological school with the aim of spreading Orthodoxy, also for cultivating the sciences and the arts in general, for the people of that barbaric kingdom. two royal children Hermenegὶld and Rekared, his nephews on his mother's side, were among the disciples of Saint Leander. was raised in the wellsprings of Orthodoxy. His faith in the Church was strengthened, thanks to his pious wife Ingard, the daughter of Sigebert, the King of the Franks. his father transferred his capital to Toledo, he chose Seville as his home when a persecution of the Orthodox broke out. heretic Levegild came into conflict with the Orthodox son of Hermenegild. was the intensification of the persecution and the fury of the heretics, as it has been written, that it did not leave anyone free anywhere. men, and the land itself, lost their former fertility. heretical king besieged Seville and threw his son into a dark prison, where he strangled him on the Feast of Pascha in 586. this time, shortly before he was exiled along with other confessors of Orthodoxy, Saint Leander fled to Constantinople seeking the Emperor's help. was there that he met Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12) and was united to him by strong ties of friendship. the persecution of the Orthodox reached its peak, King Levegild, afflicted with a fatal illness, changed his attitude, inviting Saint Leander to his deathbed and after he repented, he begged him to bring his successor Rekarὲd to the true Orthodox Faith. new king, who heeded his former teacher, was converted and immediately undertook to convene the Third Council of Toledo, where he read to everyone the confessions of faith and the decisions of the Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea, and announced that the united peoples of the Goths and Suevians were returning to the unity of the Church. Leander, who presided at the Council of Toledo, then decided to devote the remainder of his life to instructing his flock, first by his own example, and also through his inspired writings. also prepared his brother, Saint Isidore, to succeed him as Bishop of Seville, and the Church of Spain. even helped his sister, Saint Florentia, to become the founder and Igoumeness of forty monasteries and thousands of nuns, composing for them a monastic Typikon which was called "The Canons of Saint Leander." also organized the Divine Services of the Church of Spain, which were called "Mozarabic." Holy Bishop of Seville, after enduring many adversities and trials, surrendered his holy soul to the Lord on February 27, 600 (or 601). His scroll reads: "The Orthodox Faith defined by the Council of Nicea is the weapon of the Church against the thorns of heresy."

Byzantium, 574-582, Emperor, Tiberius II Constantine, adopted son, before breakdown,
Byzantine Emperor, 574-582, Tiberius II Constantine ; II Constantine (520 – 14 August 582) was Eastern Roman emperor from 574 to 582. rose to power in 574 when Justin II, prior to a mental breakdown, proclaimed Tiberius Caesar and adopted him as his own son. In 578, Justin II, before he died, gave him the title of Augustus, under which title he reigned until his death on 14 August 582. Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Constantinople, 579, 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Southern Italy, including Sanctulus and Hospicius
Sicily, 579, 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Southern Italy, including Sanctulus and Hospicius; Sicily; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2; Martyrs Slain by the Lombards in Sicily refused to participate in idol worship and were massacred by the Lombards (a Germanic tribe) in the year 579. those who perished, the names of the presbyter Sanctulus and the hermit Hospicius have been preserved. Gregory Dialogus (March 12) has written of them.

Constantinople, 579-608, Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria and Antioch
Byzantine Patriarch, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13;

Constantinople, 579-608, St Eulogius of Alexandria, Egypt, anti - Monophysitism Novatian Nestorian Eutyches, voice of truth
Egypt, 579-608, St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, enlightened, first at Antioch, 579 at A, Orthodox two natures theology, anti Monophysitism, friend of Pope Gregory the Great, anti Novatian, vindicated hypostatic union, anti Nestorian and Eutyches, voice of truth; of Alexandria was Greek Patriarch of that see from about 580 to 608. He is regarded as a saint, with a feast day of September 13. was first igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch.[1] He was a successful combatant of various phases of Monophysitism.[2] He was a warm friend of Pope Gregory the Great, who corresponded with him, and received from that pope many flattering expressions of esteem and admiration.[3][4] refuted the Novatians, some communities of which ancient sect still existed in his diocese, and vindicated the hypostatic union of the two natures in Christ, against both Nestorius and Eutyches. Cardinal Baronius says that Gregory wished Eulogius to survive him, recognizing in him the voice of truth.[2] has been said that he restored for a brief period to the Church of Alexandria life and youthful vigour.[3] the above works and a commentary against various sects of Monophysites (Severans, Theodosians, Cainites and Acephali) he left eleven discourses in defence of Pope Leo I and the Council of Chalcedon, also a work against the Agnoetae, submitted by him before publication to Pope Gregory I, who after some observations authorized it unchanged. With exception of one sermon and a few fragments, all the writings of Eulogius have perished.[3] Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, was one of the enlightened hierarchs of the sixth century. At first he was igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch, and then in 579 he was chosen as Patriarch of Alexandria, where he served for twenty-seven years. his life, the saint struggled vigorously against heresies. He was also a friend of Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12), and some of their correspondence has been preserved. Eulogius died in 607 or 608. Saint Photius quotes from his writings, which reveal an Orthodox theology of the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only one of his sermons, for Palm Sunday, has survived in complete form.

Byzantium, 582-602, Emperor, Mauricius, Orthodox, successful, Persia, Lombards, Danube
Byzantine Emperor 582-602, Mauricius ; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597);

Byzantium, 582-602, Emperor, Maurice, Orthodox, successful, with Chores II, Killed by Phocus
Byzantine Emperor 582-602, Mauricius ; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597);

Constantinople, 582-595, John IV the Faster, Patriarch, by example he taught restraint of desires, and self control
Constantinople Patriarch, 582-595, John IV the Faster ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Father John was born in Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. At first he worked as a goldsmith, and everyone expected him to continue in that occupation. From his youth, however, he was inclined toward the monastic life. He also possessed a rare gift for continence and a natural love for fasting, and thus he was known as “the Faster.” of his reputation for virtue, he was ordained as a deacon by Patriarch John III, and later he received the grace of the priesthood. Saint John was found worthy to behold a vision which showed that he would become be a worthy recipient of God’s grace, for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He read the Holy Scriptures and other ecclesiastical books every day, thereby enriching his knowledge. when he was a young man, John was walking with Eusebius, an old monk from Palestine. Suddenly, a bodiless voice spoke to Eusebius: “Abba, do not walk to the right of the great John.” It was the voice of God, foretelling the great service to which John would shortly be called. the death of Patriarch Eutychius, Saint John was chosen to succeed him. He did not want to accept the office, but he was frightened by a heavenly vision, and so he consented. the example of his own life he taught all believers to restrain their capricious desires and to control themselves. The hierarch was unable to abide his flock’s blatant disregard for the institutions of the Church. the citizens of Constantinople decided to give in to their passions by attending a horse show in the Hippodrome on eve of the Feast of Pentecost, the hierarch fell on his knees before God and fervently prayed that the Lord would thwart their impious intention. As soon as the people began to make their way to the Hippodrome, a terrible storm arose with thunder, rain and hailstones so that everyone dispersed in fear and came to realize the inappropriateness of such entertainment. John was Patriarch of Constantinople from 582 - 595, and was the first to use the title “Ecumenical Patriarch.” was a great faster, intercessor and wonderworker right up to the time of his death. Distinguished for his abstinence and prayer, Saint John had such a love for the poor that he refused them nothing from his estate. After his death, his only personal possessions were found to be a wooden spoon, a linen shirt and an old garment. His writings on repentance and Confession are well known. a virtuous life of piety, during which he performed many miracles, Saint John reposed on September 2, 595. His grace-filled relics were entombed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. Saint John is also commemorated on August 30. Saint John, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; John IV the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople (582-595), is famed in the Orthodox Church as the compiler of a penitential Nomokanon (i.e. rule for penances), which has come down to us in several distinct versions, but their foundation is one and the same. These are instructions for priests on how to hear the confession of secret sins, whether these sins have been committed, or are merely sins of intention. Church rules address the manner and duration of public penances which were established for obvious and manifest sinners. But it was necessary to adapt these rules for the secret confession of things which were not evident. Saint John the Faster issued his penitential Nomokanon (or “Canonaria”), so that the confession of secret sins, unknown to the world, bore witness to the good disposition of the sinner and of his conscience in being reconciled to God, and so the saint reduced the penances of the ancient Fathers by half or more. the other hand, he set more exactly the character of the penances: severe fasting, daily performance of a set number of prostrations to the ground, the distribution of alms, etc. The length of penance is determined by the priest. The main purpose of the Nomocanon compiled by the holy Patriarch consists in assigning penances, not simply according to the seriousness of the sins, but according to the degree of repentance and the spiritual state of the person who confesses. the Greeks, and later in the Russian Church, the rules of Saint John the Faster are honored on a level “with other saintly rules,” and the Nomocanons of his book are accounted “applicable for all the Orthodox Church.” Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14) included him in the Manual for Confession (Exomologitarion), first published in 1794, and in the Rudder (Pedalion), published in 1800. first Slavonic translation was done quite possibly by Saint Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, at the same time as he produced the Nomocanon in 50 Titles of the holy Patriarch John Scholastikos, whose successor on the throne of Constantinople was Saint John the Faster. This ancient translation was preserved in Rus in the “Ustiug Rudder” of the thirteenth century, which was published in 1902. the sixteenth century in the Russian Church the Nomocanon of Saint John the Faster was circulated in another redaction, compiled by the monks and clergy of Mount Athos. In this form it was repeatedly published at the Kiev Caves Lavra (in 1620, 1624, and 1629). Moscow, the Penitential Nomokanon was published in the form of a supplement to the Trebnik (Book of Needs): under Patriarch Joasaph in 1639, under Patriarch Joseph in 1651, and under Patriarch Nikon in 1658. The last edition since that time is that printed in the Great Book of Needs. A scholarly edition of the Nomocanon with parallel Greek and Slavonic texts and with detailed historical and canonical commentary was published by A. S. Pavlov (Moscow, 1897). John is also commemorated on September 2.

Constantinople, 582-614, Steven oConstantinople, wealthy courtier, left & founded hospice for elderly, devoted to strangers
Constantinople, 582-614, Steven oConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), a courtier for Emperor Mauricius, left him, founded hospice for the elderly, Armatia, devoted totally to taking in strangers, died peacefully 614; Constantinople; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; Stephen, formerly a courtier under the emperor Mauricius (582-602), his service, founded a hospice for the elderly at Armatia [Constantinople], devoted himself totally to taking in strangers. died peacefully in 614.

Constantinople, 582-625. Sopatra, Emperor Maurice's Daigjter, Orthodox, Monastic, built Monastery iPalace building, strict rule
Constantinople, 582-625. Sopatra, Emperor Maurice's Daigjter, Orthodox, Monastic, built Monastery in Palace building, with strict rule; Byzantine Emperor 582-602, Mauricius ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Sopatra of Constantinople was the daughter of the emperor Mauricius (582-602). was inclined towards monasticism, and met Saint Eustolia in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. speaking with the saint, Sopatra finally decided to leave the world and submit her will to her guide, Saint Eustolia. transformed the palace building, which her father had given her, into a monastery known for its strict monastic Rule. Sopatra died in the year 625.

Constantinople, 582-595, John IV the Faster, his rule oPenances for priests, how to hear confession oSecret Sins
Constantinople, 582-595, John IV the Faster, author rule oPenances for priests, how to hear confession oSecret Sins, reduced penances by half, clarified the character of the penances, severe fasting, daily prostrations, distribution of alms, etc, according degree of repentence &spiritual state, rules honored throughout Church, Kikodemos of Athos, Methodius' Slavs, John Scholastikos oConstantinople, Kiev Caves, Moscow Book of Needs 1639-58, Scholarly edition Moscow 1897 ; Constantinople Patriarch, 582-595, John IV the Faster ; Saint John, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; John IV the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople (582-595), is famed in the Orthodox Church as the compiler of a penitential Nomokanon (i.e. rule for penances), which has come down to us in several distinct versions, but their foundation is one and the same. are instructions for priests on how to hear the confession of secret sins, whether these sins have been committed, or are merely sins of intention. Church rules address the manner and duration of public penances which were established for obvious and manifest sinners. it was necessary to adapt these rules for the secret confession of things which were not evident. John the Faster issued his penitential Nomokanon (or “Canonaria”), that the confession of secret sins, unknown to the world, bore witness to the good disposition of the sinner of his conscience in being reconciled to God, so the saint reduced the penances of the ancient Fathers by half or more. the other hand, he set more exactly the character of the penances: severe fasting, daily performance of a set number of prostrations to the ground, the distribution of alms, etc. length of penance is determined by the priest. main purpose of the Nomocanon compiled by the holy Patriarch consists in assigning penances, simply according to the seriousness of the sins, according to the degree of repentance the spiritual state of the person who confesses. the Greeks, and later in the Russian Church, the rules of Saint John the Faster are honored on a level “with other saintly rules,” the Nomocanons of his book are accounted “applicable for all the Orthodox Church.” Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14) included him in the Manual for Confession (Exomologitarion), first published in 1794, and in the Rudder (Pedalion), published in 1800. first Slavonic translation was done quite possibly by Saint Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, the same time as he produced the Nomocanon in 50 Titles of the holy Patriarch John Scholastikos, whose successor on the throne of Constantinople was Saint John the Faster. ancient translation was preserved in Rus in the “Ustiug Rudder” of the thirteenth century, which was published in 1902. the sixteenth century in the Russian Church the Nomocanon of Saint John the Faster was circulated in another redaction, compiled by the monks and clergy of Mount Athos. this form it was repeatedly published at the Kiev Caves Lavra (in 1620, 1624, and 1629). Moscow, the Penitential Nomokanon was published in the form of a supplement to the Trebnik (Book of Needs): Patriarch Joasaph in 1639, under Patriarch Joseph in 1651, and under Patriarch Nikon in 1658. last edition since that time is that printed in the Great Book of Needs. scholarly edition of the Nomocanon with parallel Greek and Slavonic texts and with detailed historical and canonical commentary was published by A. S. Pavlov (Moscow, 1897). John is also commemorated on September 2. St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Father John was born in Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. At first he worked as a goldsmith, and everyone expected him to continue in that occupation. From his youth, however, he was inclined toward the monastic life. He also possessed a rare gift for continence and a natural love for fasting, and thus he was known as “the Faster.” of his reputation for virtue, he was ordained as a deacon by Patriarch John III, and later he received the grace of the priesthood. Saint John was found worthy to behold a vision which showed that he would become be a worthy recipient of God’s grace, for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He read the Holy Scriptures and other ecclesiastical books every day, thereby enriching his knowledge. when he was a young man, John was walking with Eusebius, an old monk from Palestine. Suddenly, a bodiless voice spoke to Eusebius: “Abba, do not walk to the right of the great John.” It was the voice of God, foretelling the great service to which John would shortly be called. the death of Patriarch Eutychius, Saint John was chosen to succeed him. He did not want to accept the office, but he was frightened by a heavenly vision, and so he consented. the example of his own life he taught all believers to restrain their capricious desires and to control themselves. The hierarch was unable to abide his flock’s blatant disregard for the institutions of the Church. the citizens of Constantinople decided to give in to their passions by attending a horse show in the Hippodrome on eve of the Feast of Pentecost, the hierarch fell on his knees before God and fervently prayed that the Lord would thwart their impious intention. As soon as the people began to make their way to the Hippodrome, a terrible storm arose with thunder, rain and hailstones so that everyone dispersed in fear and came to realize the inappropriateness of such entertainment. John was Patriarch of Constantinople from 582 - 595, and was the first to use the title “Ecumenical Patriarch.” was a great faster, intercessor and wonderworker right up to the time of his death. Distinguished for his abstinence and prayer, Saint John had such a love for the poor that he refused them nothing from his estate. After his death, his only personal possessions were found to be a wooden spoon, a linen shirt and an old garment. His writings on repentance and Confession are well known. a virtuous life of piety, during which he performed many miracles, Saint John reposed on September 2, 595. His grace-filled relics were entombed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. Saint John is also commemorated on August 30.

Constantinople, 590-604, Gregory the Great, declared oecumenical (exclusive) popes the Antichrist
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Constantinople, 590-604, Gregory I, Roman Pope, Gregory Dialogus, the Great, monolingual during his time
Roman Pope, 590-604, Gregory I, Gregory Dialogus, Byzantine Saint; Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Constantinople, 595-605, Dorotheus, visited by Theotokos while looking at Dread Last Judgement picture, told him how to avoid it
Jerusalem, , Dorotheus, desire to go to Jerusalem from tales of father's servants, at Gethsemane, looking at Dread Last Judgment picture, visited by Theotokos, who explained Dread Last Judgement, &answered his question how to avoid eternal torments, Fast, eat no meat, pray constantly, then became invisible, strong impression, entered monastery, under Dorotheus, infirmary obedience, obedient, trained in abstinence, fasting, decreasing food each day, weaned from vexation and anger, reminded every unkind word to a sick person is to Jesus Christ himself, by revealing his thoughts to his elder and unhesitating obedience, he liberated his soul from passions, after 5 years tending the sick and obeying elder, he fell ill, prayed constantly, never complained, right before death he asked for pardon from Barsanuphius, said cannot live much longer, B replied, be patient my son, God's mercy is near, after several days sent another message, My master, I cannot live any longer. B blessed him to depart to God, plus he asked D to pray for all the bretheren when he stood before Trinity, Bretheren astonished the Great B had asked prayers of monk of only 5 years, without great astectic accomplishments, (they had not seen his vigils and abstinence), experienced astecetic praying where to put departed fathers, had vision of heaven with D in it, So, D given great glory in heaven for perfect obedience and cutting off his own will; Jerusalem; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Dositheus, a disciple of Saint Abba Dorotheus (June 5), during the sixth-seventh centuries, was raised in a rich and renowned family. Dositheus listened to tales of the holy city of Jerusalem from the servants of his grandfather, a military commander, this kindled within him the desire to go there. Soon his wish came true. Gethsemane, he gazed for a long time at a picture of the Dread Last judgment. he saw beside him a woman, who explained to him what was depicted in the image. youth asked, “How is it possible to avoid the eternal torments?” replied, “Fast, do not eat meat, and pray constantly to God.” this, his strange guide suddenly became invisible. who conversed with him had been the Most Holy Theotokos. appearance of the Mother of God produced a strong impression on the youth, he decided to enter a monastery headed by Abba Seridus (August 13), populated by such great ascetics as Saints Barsanuphius (February 6) and John (June 19). asking to be accepted among the brethren, was sent to the Elder Dorotheus. Dositheus fulfilled his obedience in the monastery infirmary, caring for all the sick. Dorotheus trained his disciple in abstinence and fasting, gradually decreasing the quantity of food he consumed each day. also weaned the youth from vexation and anger, constantly reminding him that every unkind word said to a sick person, is said to Jesus Christ Himself. revealing his thoughts to the Elder and through unhesitating obedience, Saint Dositheus liberated his soul from passions. five years of tending the sick and obeying his Elder, Saint Dositheus fell into serious sickness. enduring his sufferings, he prayed constantly and never complained. long before his death he asked a message be sent to Saint Barsanuphius: “Father, grant me pardon, I cannot live much longer.” replied, “Have patience, my son, for the mercy of God is near.” several days Saint Dositheus again sent this message to the Elder: “My master, I cannot live any longer.” Saint Barsanuphius blessed him to depart to God, he asked the dying one to pray for all the brethren when he stood before the Holy Trinity. brethren were astonished that the great Abba Barsanuphius would ask the prayers of a monk who had lived at the monastery for only five years any great ascetic accomplishments (they had not seen his vigils and his abstinence). after the death of the young monk, a certain experienced ascetic was praying that the final resting place of the departed fathers of the monastery might be revealed to him, in a dream he saw young Dositheus among these saints. Dositheus was given great glory in the Kingdom of Heaven for his perfect obedience to his Elder and for cutting off his own will. Greek usage, both Saints are commemorated on August 13.

Constantinople, 595-606, Cyriacus II, Patriarch, used term oecumenical bishop, meaning exclusive
Constantinople Patriarch, 595-606, Cyriacus II of Constantinople; (? – 29 October 606) was the thirtieth Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (595–606). He was previously presbyter and steward, oikonomos, of the great church at Constantinople (Chronicon Paschale, p. 378). Gregory the Great received the legates bearing the synodal letters which announced his consecration, partly from a desire not to disturb the peace of the church, and partly from the personal respect which he entertained for Cyriac; but in his reply he warned him against the sin of causing divisions in the church, clearly alluding to the use of the term oecumenical bishop, which Gregory interpreted as meaning "universal" or even "exclusive" bishop (Gregory, Ep. lib. vii. 4, Patrologia Latina lxxvii. 853). The personal feelings of Gregory towards Cyriac appear most friendly. did not attend to Gregory's entreaties that he abstain from using the title, for Gregory wrote afterwards both to him and to the emperor Maurice, declaring that he could not allow his legates to remain in communion with Cyriac as long as he retained it. In the latter of these letters he compares the assumption of the title to the sin of Antichrist, since both exhibit a spirit of lawless pride. "Quisquis se universalem sacerdotem vocat, vel vocari desiderat, in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit" (whosoever calls himself universal priest, or desires to be called so, is the forerunner of the Antichrist) (Gregory Ep. 28, 30). In a letter to Anastasius I of Antioch, who had written to him to remonstrate against disturbing the peace of the church, Gregory defends his conduct on the ground of the injury which Cyriac had done to all other patriarchs by the assumption of the title, and reminds Anastasius that not only heretics but heresiarchs had before this been patriarchs of Constantinople. He also deprecates the use of the term on more general grounds (Ep. 24). In spite of all this Cyriacus was firm in his retention of the title, and appears to have summoned, or to have meditated summoning, a council to authorize its use. For in 599 Gregory wrote to Eusebius of Thessalonica and some other bishops, stating that he had heard they were about to be summoned to a council at Constantinople, and most urgently entreating them to yield neither to force nor to persuasion, but to be steadfast in their refusal to recognize the offensive title (ib. lib. ix. 68 in Patr. Lat.). appears to have shared in that unpopularity of the emperor Maurice which caused his deposition and death (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 40; Theophylact. Hist. viii. 9). still, however, had influence enough to exact from Phocas at his coronation a confession of the orthodox faith and a pledge not to disturb the church (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6094). also nobly resisted the attempt of Phocas to drag the empress Constantina and her daughters from their sanctuary in a church of Constantinople (ibid., A.M. 6098). some resentment at this opposition to his will may have induced Phocas to accede more readily to the claims of Pope Boniface III that Rome should be considered to be the head of all the church, in exclusion of the claims of Constantinople to the oecumenical bishopric (Vita Bonifacii III, in Labbe, Acta Concil. t. v. 1615). died in 606, and was interred in the church of the Holy Apostles (Chronicon Paschale, p. 381). He appears to have been a man of remarkable piety and earnestness, able to win the esteem of all parties. He built a church dedicated to the theotokos in a street of Constantinople called Diaconissa (Theophanes Chronicle, A.M. 6090; Niceph. Callis. H. E. xviii. 42). St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Constantinople, 599, Miraculous Transfer Bartholomew's Relics Trebizond, Armenia, Black Sea to Lipari Island, Sicily
Lipari, Italy ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Constantinople, 600, 7th Century-1453, Folder, Byzantine Period after Islam, Iconoclasts

Constantinople, 600-699, Folder, 7th Century, Monotheites

Constantinople, 601-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus, Sinai, Egypt
Egypt, 600-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â; Commemorated on March 30;

Constantinople, 601-650, George tChozebite, Abbot, fCyprus, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel oEarth, died iPeace
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Constantinople, 601-650, George the Chozebite, his incorrupt relics here at his St George's Monastery
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; John of Thebes, John the Chozebite St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); Monastery of Saint George of Choziba (Arabic: دير القديس جورج, Greek: Μονή Αγίου Γεωργίου του Χοζεβίτου), known as Monastery of Choziba (or Hoziba) or Mar Jaris,[1] is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt in Area C of the eastern West Bank, in the Jericho Governorate of the State of Palestine. cliff-hanging complex, which emerged from a lavra established in the 420s and reorganised as a monastery around AD 500,[1] its ancient chapel and irrigated gardens, is active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. houses the relics of Saint George of Choziba, after whom the monastery is named, well as the relics of Saint John of Choziba[2] (420/450-520/530) those of Saint John of Choziba the Romanian [ro] (1913-1960) monastery is reached by a pedestrian bridge across Wadi Qelt, many believe to be Psalm 23's "valley of the shadow of death".[3] valley parallels the old Roman road to Jericho, backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37). The monastery is open to pilgrims and visitors.[4] during the Byzantine period near Jericho, was destroyed by the Persians in AD 614, in the 12th century during the Crusader period, after their defeat, rebuilt again by Greek monks starting at the end of the 19th century. location of the monastery has been associated with the lives of Elijah that of the parents of the Virgin Mary. allied with the Eastern Orthodox saints whose relics are kept in the monastery, both make it a site of intense pilgrimage. Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Constantinople, 601-662, Saint Maximus the Confessor, against Monotheism, tounge and right hand mutilated
Byzantium, 600-662, Saint Maximus the Confessor; the Confessor (Greek: ÎœÎ¬Î¾Î¹Î¼Î¿Ï‚ á½ á½‰Î¼Î¿Î»Î¿Î³Î·Ï„Î®Ï‚), also known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople (c. 580 – 13 August 662), was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. his early life, Maximus was a civil servant, and an aide to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. He gave up this life in the political sphere to enter the monastic life. had studied diverse schools of philosophy, and certainly what was common for his time, the Platonic dialogues, the works of Aristotle, and numerous later Platonic commentators on Aristotle and Plato, like Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. When one of his friends began espousing the Christological position known as Monothelitism, Maximus was drawn into the controversy, in which he supported an interpretation of the Chalcedonian formula on the basis of which it was asserted that Jesus had both a human and a divine will. Maximus is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches. He was eventually persecuted for his Christological positions; following a trial, his tongue and right hand were mutilated. was then exiled and died on 13 August 662, in Tsageri in present-day Georgia. However, his theology was upheld by the Third Council of Constantinople and he was venerated as a saint soon after his death. It is highly uncommon among the saints that he has two feast days: 13 August and 21 January. His title of "Confessor" means that he suffered for the Christian faith, but was not directly martyred. St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ;

Constantinople, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Constantinople, 601-662, Anastasius, Maximus' Disciple, wrote his story, Right Hands &Tongues cut out and exiled to Schemarum Fortress
Georgia, 601-662, Anastasius, Maximus' Disciple, wrote his story, Right Hands &Tongues cut out and exiled to Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri, Georgia (Rioni River 2); Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); St. Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 raised in a pious Christian family. received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. was well-read in the authors of antiquity he also mastered philosophy and theology. Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life. Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, was spreading rapidly through the East. resigned from his duties at court, and went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), he received monastic tonsure. of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. in this position, he remained a simple monk. 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith),” decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life. Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, decided to leave his monastery and seek refuge in the West, where Monothelitism had been completely rejected. the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, and encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics. Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). by this erroneous opinion, the Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) and only one divine energy (“energia”). of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, Egypt. heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult because in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: by Sergius, Antioch by Athanasius, and Alexandria by Cyrus. Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Sergius died at the end of 638, and the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, he and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople. the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. 648, a new edict was issued, by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, them Saint Maximus the Confessor. Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized. Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison. saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. healings occurred at his tomb. the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus to Constantinople, it could also be the date of the saint’s death. may be that his memory is celebrated on January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”). dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature. “Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22). Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian. theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14). Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Holy Martyr Anastasius was a disciple of Saint Maximus the Confessor, with him suffered persecution under the Monothelites. Maximus and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. Anastasius wrote the Life of his teacher, and died in the year 662.

Byzantium, 602-610, Emperor, Phocas, Rebel, Killed, then Killed by, incompetent
Byzantine Emperor 602-610, Phocas; Phocas (547-“ 5 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. early life of Phocas is largely unknown, but he rose to prominence in 602, as a leader in the revolt against Emperor Maurice. captured Constantinople and overthrew Maurice on 23 November 602, and declared himself emperor on the same day. deeply mistrusted the elite of Constantinople, and therefore installed his relatives in high military positions, and brutally purged his opponents. is widely regarded as an incompetent leader, both of the administration and army. his reign the Byzantine Empire was threatened by multiple enemies, with frequent raids in the Balkans from the Avars and Slavs, and a Sassanid invasion of the eastern provinces. of Phocas' incompetence and brutality, the Exarch of Africa, Heraclius the Elder, rebelled against him. Heraclius the Elder's son, Heraclius, succeeded in taking Constantinople on 5 October 610, and executed Phocas on the same day, before declaring himself the emperor. St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ;

Constantinople, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-“628
Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12;

Constantinople, 606-616, John tMerciful oAlexandria, Patriarch, many examples of mercy, great story, against Monophysite h
Egyptian Patriarch, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria ; Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, was born on Cyprus in the seventh century into the family of the illustrious dignitary Epiphanius. the wish of his parents he entered into marriage and had children. the wife and the children of the saint died, he became a monk. He was zealous in fasting and prayer, and had great love for those around him. spiritual exploits won him honor among men, and even the emperor revered him. the Patriarchal throne of Alexandria fell vacant, the emperor Heraclius and all the clergy begged Saint John to occupy the Patriarchal throne. saint worthily assumed his archpastoral service, concerning himself with the moral and dogmatic welfare of his flock. As patriarch he denounced every soul-destroying heresy, and drove out from Alexandria the Monophysite Phyllonos of Antioch. considered his chief task to be charitable and to give help all those in need. the beginning of his patriarchal service he ordered his stewards to compile a list of all the poor and downtrodden in Alexandria, which turned out to be over seven thousand men. The saint ordered that all of these unfortunates be provided for each day out of the church’s treasury. during the week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, he emerged from the doors of the patriarchal cathedral, and sitting on the church portico, he received everyone in need. settled quarrels, helped the wronged, and distributed alms. times a week he visited the sick-houses, and rendered assistance to the suffering. was during this period that the emperor Heraclius led a tremendous army against the Persian emperor Chosroes II. The Persians ravaged and burned Jerusalem, taking a multitude of captives. The holy Patriarch John gave a large portion of the church treasury for their ransom. saint never refused suppliants. One day, when the saint was visiting the sick, he met a beggar and commanded that he be given six silver coins. The beggar changed his clothes, ran on ahead of the Patriarch, and again asked for alms. Saint John gave him six more silver coins. however, the beggar sought charity a third time, and the servants began to chase the fellow away, the Patriarch ordered that he be given twelve pieces of silver, saying, he is Christ putting me to the test. the saint gave money to a merchant that had suffered shipwreck, and a third time gave him a ship belonging to the Patriarchate and filled with grain, with which the merchant had a successful journey and repaid his obligations. John the Merciful was known for his gentle attitude towards people. the saint was compelled to excommunicate two clergymen for a certain time because of some offense. of them repented, but the other fellow became angry with the Patriarch and fell into greater sins. saint wanted to summon him and calm him with kind words, but it slipped his mind. he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the saint was suddenly reminded by the words of the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar ... first, be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt. 5:23-24). saint came out of the altar, called the offending clergyman to him, and falling down on his knees before him in front of all the people he asked forgiveness. cleric, filled with remorse, repented of his sin, corrected himself, and afterwards was found worthy to be ordained to the priesthood. was a time when a certain citizen insulted George, the Patriarch’s nephew. George asked the saint to avenge the wrong. The saint promised to deal with the offender so that all of Alexandria would marvel at what he had done. This calmed George, and Saint John began to instruct him, speaking of the necessity for meekness and humility. Then he summoned the man who insulted George. When Saint John learned that the man lived in a house owned by the church, he declared that he would excuse him from paying rent for an entire year. Alexandria indeed was amazed by such a “revenge,” and George learned from his uncle how to forgive offenses and to bear insults for God’s sake. John, a strict ascetic and man of prayer, was always mindful of his soul, and of death. He ordered a coffin for himself, but told the craftsmen not to finish it. Instead, he would have them come each feastday and ask if it was time to finish the work. John was persuaded to accompany the governor Nicetas on a visit to the emperor in Constantinople. While on his way to visit the earthly king, he dreamed of a resplendent man who said to him, “The King of Kings summons you.” He sailed to his native island of Cyprus, and at Amanthos the saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (616-620). Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22;

Constantinople, 607-610, Thomas I, Patriarch, ominous portent, heavy crosses shake & strike each other, then disasters
Constantinople Patriarch, 607-610, Thomas I ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople, was at first a deacon, and later under the holy Patriarch John IV the Faster (582-595) he was made “sakellarios” [sacristan] in the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). After the death of holy Patriarch Cyriacus (595-606), Saint Thomas was elevated to the Patriarchal throne in 607. The saint concerned himself in every possible way about the spiritual needs of his flock. the patriarchate of Saint Thomas, an ominous portent appeared in the land of Galatia (Asia Minor). The heavy crosses which were carried during church processions began to shake and to strike against each other. The clairvoyant Elder, Saint Theodore Sykeotes (April 22), explained the meaning of this portent. He said that discords and disasters awaited the Church, and the state was in danger of barbarian invasion. Hearing this, the saint became terrified and asked Saint Theodore to pray that God would take his soul before these predictions were fulfilled. the death of the holy Patriarch Thomas in 610, disorders started in the Church. Saint Thomas’s successor, Patriarch Sergius (610-638), fell into the Monothelite heresy. Through God’s dispensation, war broke out with Persia, which proved grievous for Byzantium. The Greek regions of Asia Minor were completely devastated, Jerusalem fell, and the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord was captured and taken to Persia. Thus, all the misfortunes portended by the miracle during the church procession came to pass. St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

Constantinople, 609-632, Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, Sasanian prisoner 614-628, author Plague Cross Prayer
Jerusalem, 609-632, Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, Sasanian prisoner 614-628, author Plague Cross Prayer Saint Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 21; Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, lived from the end of the sixth to the early seventh centuries. became Patriarch of Jerusalem in 609. the year 614 the Persian emperor Chosroes fell upon Jerusalem, looted it, and led many Christians into captivity, including Saint Zacharias. also captured the Life-Creating Cross of Christ. the invasion, as many as 90,000 Christians perished. Chosroes was compelled to sue for peace with the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-641). Cross of the Lord was returned to Jerusalem. Christian captives who remained alive also were returned, among them Patriarch Zacharias, who died peacefully in the year 633. Saint Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem was the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Church of Jerusalem from 609 to 632. spent most of his patriarchate as a prisoner of the Sasanian Emperor Khosrow II following the Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem.[1] is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on February 21.[2][3] is also venerated in the Catholic Church, where he is known mostly for the sacramental called the "Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem".[4] early life of Zacharias is unknown. was elected patriarch in 609. the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, the Sasanians invaded Byzantine Syria, taking Jerusalem in 614. to Sebeos, they seized True Cross in addition to taking tens of thousands of Christian prisoners, including Zacharias. 627, after rebuilding his army, Heraclius counter-attacked into Persia. Winning a decisive victory at Nineveh, Heraclius compelled the Persians to return the True Cross and the surviving captives, including Patriarch Zacharias. Zacharias spent his remaining days in peace until his death in 632. Modestus, who had acted as locum tenens during Patriarch Zacharias's captivity succeeded him on the patriarchal throne. Western Christianity[edit] Plague Cross sacramental, worn as a cross necklace to offer protection during plagues Council of Trent (1545–1563) approved a "Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem" (also referred to as a plague cross), contains an acrostic for a prayer against plagues.[4][5] prayer, attributed to St Zacharias, is said to have been useful against pestilence in the time of the saint, the inscribed cross is said to have saved from a plague the participants at the Council of Trent.[6] cross, sometimes made of wood or inscribed on paper, cloth, or drawn with blessed chalk, and its associated blessing, are a sacramental used by Western Christians, have seen a resurgence of use during times of plagues and pestilence, such as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-22. crosses often take the form of a cross necklace (which is worn by believers) or a wall cross (which is hung on the walls of homes, hospitals, offices and churches).[4]

Constantinople, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, C monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation, including laypeople
Rome, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, Constantinople monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation, including laypeople; Rome; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Eustolia, a native of Rome, had come to Constantinople and entered one of the women’s monasteries. virtuous and strict monastic life of the saint gained her the love and respect of the sisters. Not only monastics, but also many laypeople came to her for advice and consolation. Eustolia died in the year 610.

Byzantium, 610-641, Emperor Heraclius, Monothelite, K Phocus, Persia to C then 627, Muslim Cs
Byzantine Emperor 610-641, Heraclius ; (Greek: Iraklios; c. 575 - February 11, 641) was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas. reign was marked by several military campaigns. The year Heraclius came to power, the empire was threatened on multiple frontiers. Heraclius immediately took charge of the Byzantine-“Sasanian War of 602-“628. The first battles of the campaign ended in defeat for the Byzantines; the Persian army fought their way to the Bosphorus but Constantinople was protected by impenetrable walls and a strong navy, and Heraclius was able to avoid total defeat. Soon after, he initiated reforms to rebuild and strengthen the military. Heraclius drove the Persians out of Asia Minor and pushed deep into their territory, defeating them decisively in 627 at the Battle of Nineveh. The Persian king Khosrow II was overthrown and executed by his son Kavad II, who soon sued for a peace treaty, agreeing to withdraw from all occupied territory. This way peaceful relations were restored to the two deeply strained empires. lost many of his newly regained lands to the Muslim conquests. Emerging from the Arabian Peninsula, the Muslims quickly conquered the Sasanian Empire. In 634 the Muslims marched into Roman Syria, defeating Heraclius's brother Theodore. Within a short period of time, the Arabs conquered Mesopotamia, Armenia and Egypt. entered diplomatic relations with the Croats and Serbs in the Balkans. He tried to repair the schism in the Christian church in regard to the Monophysites, by promoting a compromise doctrine called Monothelitism. The Church of the East (commonly called Nestorian) was also involved in the process.[1] Eventually this project of unity was rejected by all sides of the dispute. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated on February 19; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22 ; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16;

Constantinople, 610-638, Patriarch, Sergius I, Monothelite
Constantinople Patriarch, 610-638, Sergius I, Monothelite ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ; holy icon is also called the HodÄ“gá¸—tria, or “She who leads the way.â€ It was with this icon that Patriarch Sergius (610-631) made the rounds of the walls of Constantinople in the year 626 with Moliebens during a siege of the capital by the Avars.

Constantinople, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, sleep, repose both body&soul
Phyriga, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, down to sleep, repose of both body and soul; Galatia; St Antiochus, Commemorated December 24 ; Antiochus was from Galatia, and lived during the reign of Heraclius (610-641). witnessed the martyrdom of the monks of Saint Savva’s Monastery (May 16) by the Saracens, and recorded their sufferings. also wrote another book, called Pandect of the Scriptures. Divided into 130 chapters, the book examines the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures. quote attributed to Saint Antiochus is found in the Evergetinos (Book 3:39). One of his best-known prayers is recited during Compline, “And grant us, Master, as we lay down to sleep, repose of both body and soul....”

Constantinople, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Jerusalem, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Byzantine “Sasanian War of 602-“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Constantinople, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia, Stole the Cross, Became a Monk
Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Anastasius of Persia, also known by his native name Magundat, was a Zoroastrian soldier in the Sasanian army later became a convert to Christianity and was martyred in 628. was born in the city of Ray. He was the son of a magus named Bau. He had a brother whose name is unknown. was a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II (r. 590–628) participated in the capture of the True Cross in Jerusalem, was carried to the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon. occasion prompted him to ask for information about the Christian religion. then experienced a conversion of faith, left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk at the monastery of Saint Savvas (Mar Saba) in Jerusalem[dubious – discuss]. He was baptized by Modestus, receiving the Christian name Anastasius to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Anástasis" in Greek). seven years of monastic observance, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Sasanians. he interrupted and ridiculed the Zoroastrian priests for their religion, was as a result arrested by the local marzban,[1] taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were continued while at the same time the highest honors in the service of King Khosrow II as a magus were promised him if he would renounce Christianity. after refusing to abjure, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated on January 22, 628. body, which was thrown to the dogs left untouched by them, carried from the place of his martyrdom to Palestine, then to Constantinople, and finally to Rome where the relics were venerated at the Tre Fontane Abbey. Passio [2] written in Greek was devoted to the saint. adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticized the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[3] feast day is 22 January. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Constantinople, 622, Caesarea, Maritima, Where Anastacios sought martyrdom 7or8 years after he helped Chozroes steal The Cross
Caesarea, Palestine ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Monk Martyr Anastasius the Persian was the son of a Persian sorcerer named Bavi. a pagan, he had the name Magundates and served in the armies of the Persian emperor Chozroes II, in 614 ravaged the city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord to Persia. miracles occurred from the Cross of the Lord, and the Persians were astonished. heart of young Magundates was inflamed with the desire to learn more about this sacred object. everyone about the Holy Cross, the youth learned that upon it the Lord Himself was crucified for the salvation of mankind. became acquainted with the truths of the Christian Faith in the city of Chalcedon, where the army of Chozroes was for a certain while. was baptized with the name Anastasius, and then became a monk and spent seven years in one of the Jerusalem monasteries, living an ascetical life. the Lives of the holy martyrs, Saint Anastasius was inspired with the desire to imitate them. mysterious dream, which he had on Great and Holy Saturday, the day before the Resurrection of Christ, urged him to do this. fallen asleep after his daily tasks, he beheld a radiant man giving him a golden chalice filled with wine, who said to him, “Take this and drink.” Draining the chalice, he felt an ineffable delight. Anastasius then realized that this vision was his call to martyrdom. went secretly from the monastery to Palestinian Caesarea. he was arrested for being a Christian, and was brought to trial. governor tried in every way to force Saint Anastasius to renounce Christ, threatening him with tortures and death, and promising him earthly honors and blessings. saint, however, remained unyielding. Then they subjected him to torture: they beat him with rods, they lacerated his knees, they hung him up by the hands and tied a heavy stone to his feet, they exhausted him with confinement, and then wore him down with heavy work in the stone quarry with other prisoners. the governor summoned Saint Anastasius and promised him his freedom if he would only say, “I am not a Christian.” holy martyr replied, “I will never deny my Lord before you or anyone else, neither openly nor even while asleep. No one can compel me to do this while I am in my right mind.” Then by order of the emperor Chozroes, Saint Anastasius was strangled, then beheaded. the death of Chozroes, the relics of the Monk Martyr Anastasius were transferred to Palestine, to the Anastasius monastery. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Constantinople, 630, The Cross returned by Heraclius through East Gate after Angel miracle
Golden Gate in Jerusalem; Heraclius returned the Cross through Golden Gate or East Gate, but not before an Angel of the Lord made him get rid of the Pomp ; Heraclius was trying to return the true cross to Jerusalem, but an angel told him he had to do this first. 615 a Persian king captured Jerusalem and carried off the relic of the true cross of Jesus Christ that had been discovered by St. Helena. stayed with the Persians for roughly 14 years, until Byzantine Emperor Heraclius came and defeated their armies. found the relic of Jesus’ cross still preserved and resolved to return it to Jerusalem. he neared the gates of Jerusalem he intended to take the cross through the same gate Jesus used on his way to the crucifixion. Heraclius wanted to do it with great royal pageantry while riding on his horse. something miraculous happened that prevented Heraclius from going through the gate. The Golden Legend records what happened next. suddenly the stones of the gateway fell down and locked together, forming an unbroken wall. the amazement of everyone, an angel of the Lord, carrying a cross in his hands, appeared above the wall and said: “When the King of heaven passed through this gate to suffer death, there was no royal pomp. He rode a lowly ass, to leave an example of humility to his worshipers.” those words the angel vanished. was stunned and began to weep. He dismounted his horse and took off every article of royal clothing, expect for his simple undergarment. Then he took the relic of the true cross and walked slowly toward the gate. It instantly returned to its former position and allowed Heraclius to enter Jerusalem. caused him to burst out in prayer and exclaim to God, “O cross, more splendid than all the heavenly bodies, renowned throughout the world, deserving of all men’s love, holier than all things else! O cross, you were worthy to carry the ransom of the world! O sweet wood, sweet nails, sweet sword, sweet lance, you were the bearer of sweet burdens! Save the host gathered today in praise of you and signed with your banner!” the relic was returned to the basilica the miracles resumed, and according to tradition, “dead men were raised to life, four paralytics were cured, ten lepers were made clean, fifteen blind people received their sight, demons were driven out, and great numbers were delivered of various infirmities.” legendary in character, the stories highlight the power of the cross and its connection to humility, not royal pomp or outward show. Denial and self-sacrifice are required to carry the cross of Jesus Christ. If we wish to enter the heavenly Jerusalem, this is the only gate that is open to us.

Constantinople, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa
Syria, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16;

Constantinople, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus
Syria, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Caesarius at Damascus, Commemorated on November 1 ; Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, and Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century.

Constantinople, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch, Iron Bridge Battle
Syria, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch; When the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later (in 637), a deacon Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. named Battle of the Iron Bridge; In 637, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, Antioch was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate during the Battle of the Iron Bridge.;

Constantinople, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia l, transered to Greek Tre Fontane Monastery, Rome
Persia, 638, Uncovering Anastasios' Relics, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol, 10 yrs after his martyrdom, uncovered when transferred to Rome's Greek Monastery Tre Fountains. ; Ctesiphon; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. There are three traditions regarding his relics. to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) and deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, and of Greek descent (see May 18). third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 when the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. They survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, and later they were moved to Constantinople. His head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Constantinople, 638, Anastasios Relics uncovered, 3 tradns, head iRome, body iConstantinople, Stole Cross, Became aMonk, sMartyr
Persia, 638, Anastasios tPersian's Relics uncovered, 3 tradotopms, now head in Rome, body in Constantinople, Stole tCross, Became a Monk, 1 Relics tRome under Flavius Heraclius 610-645, tGreek monastery Three Fountains, Tre Fontain. 2. transfer tConstantinople under Heraculus and Pope Theodore I, Greek fJerusalem, 3. relics trans tVenice fConstantinople in 1204, Doge Henry Dandolos, Church Holy Francis iVenice, headless body, later moved to Constantinople, his head isin Rome; Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Anastasius of Persia, also known by his native name Magundat, was a Zoroastrian soldier in the Sasanian army later became a convert to Christianity and was martyred in 628. was born in the city of Ray. He was the son of a magus named Bau. He had a brother whose name is unknown. was a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II (r. 590–628) participated in the capture of the True Cross in Jerusalem, was carried to the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon. occasion prompted him to ask for information about the Christian religion. then experienced a conversion of faith, left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk at the monastery of Saint Savvas (Mar Saba) in Jerusalem[dubious – discuss]. He was baptized by Modestus, receiving the Christian name Anastasius to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Anástasis" in Greek). seven years of monastic observance, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Sasanians. he interrupted and ridiculed the Zoroastrian priests for their religion, was as a result arrested by the local marzban,[1] taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were continued while at the same time the highest honors in the service of King Khosrow II as a magus were promised him if he would renounce Christianity. after refusing to abjure, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated on January 22, 628. body, which was thrown to the dogs left untouched by them, carried from the place of his martyrdom to Palestine, then to Constantinople, and finally to Rome where the relics were venerated at the Tre Fontane Abbey. Passio [2] written in Greek was devoted to the saint. adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticized the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[3] feast day is 22 January. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Constantinople, 638-641, Patriarch, Pyrrhus of Constantinople, Monotheite converted to Othodox
Constantinople, 638-641, Patriarch, Pyrrhus of Constantinople; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13;

Constantinople, 639, Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia, Dvin, Armenia
Dvin; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Constantinople, 639- , Leo oCappadocia, Armenia, took sickly monks place, love thy neighbor, beheaded by Saracens
Armenia, 639-, Leo oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), took sickly monks place, love thy neighbor, beheaded by Saracens; Cappadocia; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Leo of Cappadocia fulfilled the commandment to love his neighbor by suggesting to the Saracens, who had captured three sickly monks, that he take the place of these infirm captives with himself, since he was healthy and able to work. journeying in the desert, Saint Leo weakened and was not able to go any farther. He was beheaded with the sword, thereby laying down his life for his neighbor.

Byzantium, 641-641, Emperor, Constantine III, tuberculosis
Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Constantine III; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30;

Constantinople, 641, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded
Egypt, 640, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded; Tanis or Tathnis; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyr Mirax was born into a Christian family living in the city of Tanis (Egypt) during the seventh century. was raised in piety, but yielded to demonic temptation and trampled on a cross. went to the Emir, the ruler of Egypt, and taking his sword in hand, he declared himself a Moslem. parents, grieving over the terrible downfall of their son, incessantly prayed for him. And then the grace of God illumined the heart of the prodigal. deeply repented and returned home. His parents counselled him to acknowledge his fall into darkness and to show his repentance. Mirax obeyed them. He went before the Emir and announced that he had become a Christian once more. ruler condemned him to tortures, after which the saint was beheaded and cast into the sea (this occurred around the year 640). Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Constantinople, 641-668, St Christopher oGazara and Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saint Christopher of Gazara, Commemorated on August 18; Christopher was born in Gazara, near Trebizond. He was the head of a monastery on Mount Mela in the second half of the seventh century (641-668).

Byzantium, 641-641, Emperor, Heraklonas, mutilated and exiled by a general
Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Heraklonas; Heraclius ( 626-“641), commonly known by the diminutive Heraklonas or Herakleonas. was the son of Heraclius and his niece Martina. father had stipulated in his will that both of his sons, Heraklonas and Constantine III, should rule jointly upon his death. Heraclius also specified that his wife, Martina, was to be called "Mother and Empress" insofar as she might have influence at court as well.[2] The emperor Heraclius died in February 641 from edema. Martina did make the late Emperor's will public she faced staunch resistance to her playing any active role in government, but both Heraklonas and Constantine were proclaimed joint-emperors in February 641 without incident. Constantine died of tuberculosis in April/May 641, Heraklonas became sole emperor, under the regency of his mother due to his young age. He reigned from April/May -“ September/October 641, when he was overthrown by Valentinus, a general and usurper of Armenian extract, who installed Constans II, the son of Constantine III. Valentinus had Heraklonas' nose cut off, then exiled him to Rhodes, where he is believed to have died in the same year. Byzantine Emperor 641-641, Constantine III; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30;

Byzantium, 641-668, Emperor, Constans II, Monotheite
Byzantine Emperor 641-668, Constans II; II ( 7 November 630 – 15 September 668), also called Constantine the Bearded, was emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 641 to 668. was the last emperor to serve as consul, in 642.[1][2] is a nickname given to the Emperor, who had been baptized Herakleios and reigned officially as Constantine. The nickname established itself in Byzantine texts and has become standard in modern historiography. Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Constantinople, 641-654, Patriarch, Paul, Monothelite
Constantinople, 641-654, Patriarch, Paul, Monothelite; St. Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Constantinople, 650, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Persian, Omar, vision St Shio w angels, converted, stoned
Georgia, 650, Urbnisi, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin; Urbnisi; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; holy hieromartyr Neophytus of Urbnisi descended from a line of Persian fire-worshippers. the 7th century, by order of the Saracen emir Mumni, the military leader Ahmad attacked Georgia with an enormous army. After overrunning the central part of Shida (Inner) Kartli, Ahmad dispatched two of his commanders, Omar and Burul, to the capital city of Mtskheta. At the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, across from the village of Tsikhedidi in the rocky Sarkineti region, the invaders discovered a group of caves and plotted to occupy them. They tried to cross the Mtkvari but were unable. suffered a setback, the enemies asked their captives what was located in those caves. They were told that this was the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, where dwelt God’s chosen, who had deprived themselves of every earthly blessing. at this reply, the commanders decided to pass this information on to Ahmad. Then, as though it were commonplace, Ahmad sent Omar to the monastery to ask the monks to pray for him and remember him at the grave of their abbot, Saint Shio. “Pray for me, O slaves of God, and accept these gifts of aloe and incense. Offer these as a sacrifice to your abbot,” he told them. the monastery caves, Omar sent a messenger to inform the monks that he was coming to them in peace and bearing gifts. Drawing near to the monastery gates, the commander saw an army of incorporeal hosts descending from the heavens and among them an elder, radiant with a great light. meek and modest behavior of the monks left a great impression on Omar. He soon understood that the strange armies he had seen on the steps of the monastery were angels of God and that the elder was Saint Shio of Mgvime, abbot of the monastery. He related his vision to the monks and vowed to return to them, receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, be tonsured a monk, and remain there to join in their holy labors. Omar abandoned all his possessions, his military rank, and his wealth and was baptized in the Christian Faith at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery as he had promised. of his slaves were baptized with him as well. Omar received the new name Neophytus (Newly Planted / From the Greek word neophytos, which in I Tim. 3:6 refers to a new convert), and his slaves became Christodoulus (Christ’s Slave) and Christopher (Christ-bearer). to God’s will, Saint Neophytus was consecrated bishop of Urbnisi, and all were amazed at his wisdom and steadfastness. He was a true father to his flock: “He strengthened the weak, healed the sick, raised the fallen, cleansed the possessed, directed the lost and sought out those who were perishing, protecting them, and forbidding them to wander off again.” the enemy could not tolerate the native Persian’s apostolic activity, and he convinced the fire-worshippers to kill the Christian shepherd. So the unbelievers devised an ambush and attacked Neophytus’ isolated cell, then tied him up and began to mock, curse, and revile him. They knew that Saint Neophytus longed to become like the holy protomartyr Stephen, and they plotted to stone him to death. his time to depart this world had arrived, Saint Neophytus turned to his persecutors with a tender voice, saying, “Sweet is death to me, O unbelievers! Sweet it is to me. I desire to sunder the link between my mortal and immortal nature.... With my own blood I will confirm the Holy Church, which is founded upon the Precious Blood of the Son and Word of God, Whom I preach. May that which was foreordained for me by the Providence of God be fulfilled, for He has called me to His light from the depths of ungodliness!” furious pagans stoned the saint to death. With his last breath Holy Hieromartyr Neophytus cried out, “Lord Jesus Christ receive my soul!”

Constantinople, 650-700, John Bishop oPolybotum, Phrygia, denouced Leo III's iconoclasm, gifts healing deliverance
Phrygia, 650-700, John Bishop oPolybotum, Phrygia (Intersection, Great Road, Akarcay River 2) denounced Leo III's iconoclasm, gifts healing deliverance; Polybotum; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated December 4 ; John, Bishop of Polybotum (in Phrygia), known as a denouncer of the heresy and impiety of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. John opposed Leo for his iconoclasm, and taught his flock the Orthodox doctrine of the veneration of icons. saint died at the beginning of the eighth century. Lord granted him the gift of healing the infirm and casting out evil spirits.

Byzantium, 668-685, Emperor, Constantine IV, checked islamic expansion, ended Monotheism, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor 668-685, Constantine IV ; IV ( c. 652 -“ 14 September 685), called the Younger (Greek: )[1][2] and sometimes incorrectly Pogonatos (Greek: "the Bearded") out of confusion with his father,[3] was Byzantine Emperor from 668 to 685. reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years of uninterrupted Islamic expansion, while his calling of the Sixth Ecumenical Council saw the end of the monothelitism controversy in the Byzantine Empire. St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23; St Agathon the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ;

Constantinople, 669-674, St John, Patriarch of Constantinople, during the reign of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685)
Constantinople, 669-674, St John, Patriarch of Constantinople; Saint John, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 18; John V was Patriarch of Constantinople from 669-674. lived during the reign of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685).

Constantinople, 674-678, First Arab Muslim Siege of Constantinople
Constantinople, 674-678, First Arab Muslim Siege of Constantinople ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ;

Constantinople, 676-679, 683-686, Theodore I , Patriarch, Arab seige of C
Constantinople Patriarch, 676-679, 683-686, Theodore I of Constantinople ; I (? -“ 28 January 687) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 677 to 679. He had been preceded by Constantine I of Constantinople.[1] During this cataclysmic period, the Byzantine military overcame the Arab incursion against its walls in the Arab siege of Constantinople (674-678). He was emphatically succeeded by His All-Holliness Patriarch George I of Constantinople.[2] St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ;

Constantinople, 676-686, Theodore, Abishop oConstantinople, Priest&Vessel Keeper, Hagia Sophia, AB deposed, triumphed slander
Constantinople, 676-686, Theodore, Archbishop oConstantinople, Priest&Sacred Vessel Keeper, Hagia Sophia, Archbishop 676-678 then deposed, then triumphed slander 683-686; Hagia Sophia; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Theodore, Archbishop of Constantinople, a native of Constantinople, a pious life, ordained as a priest served in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia, he was also the keeper of the sacred vessels. the year 676 he was chosen to be Patriarch of Constantinople, after two years he was deposed because of slander. truth triumphed, and Saint Theodore was restored to the Patriarchal throne in 683. then guided the Church of Constantinople to the very end of his life. died around the year 686.

Constantinople, 678-683, St George, Patriarch of Constantinople, during the reign of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685)
Constantinople, 678-683, St George, Patriarch of Constantinople, during the reign of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685); I (? – January or February 686) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 679 to 686.[1] was succeeded, after a one-year bishopric and interlude of a reign by patriarch Theodore I of Constantinople, His All-Holiness Paul III of Constantinople.[2] Saint George, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 18; George I was Patriarch of Constantinople from 678-683. lived during the reign of the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685).

Constantinople, 678-681, Pope, Agathon, Pope Agatho, heard Wilfrid of York, 6th Ecumenical Council, Monothelitism, two wills
St Agathon the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 20 ; Agathon, Pope of Rome, was the son of pious Christian parents, who provided him an excellent education. their death, Saint Agathon distributed his inheritance to the poor and became a monk. virtuous life could not remain concealed from people. 679, he was elected as the Bishop of Rome, he remained in this position until his death in 682. Pope, 678-681, Agathon, Pope Agatho; Agatho (died January 681) served as the bishop of Rome from 27 June 678 until his death.[2] heard the appeal of Wilfrid of York, who had been displaced from his See by the division of the Archdiocese ordered by Theodore of Canterbury. Agatho's tenure, the Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened which dealt with the monothelitism controversy. He is venerated as a saint by both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Constantinople, 681, Sixth Ecumenical Council, tCombat Monothelite heresy, 171 holy Fathers present, affirmed Jesus' 2 wills
Constantinople, 681, Sixth Ecumenical Council, Constantinople, tCombat Monothelite heresy, 171 holy Fathers present, affirmed Jesus' 2 wills doctrine, devine&human, then 691 Council oTruillo and 102 Canons promulgated; Sixth Ecumenical Council (680); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened by the emperor Constantine Pogonatos (668-685) at Constantinople in the year 681 combat the Monothelite heresy. At it 171 holy Fathers were present, who affirmed the doctrine of two wills in Jesus Christ, the divine and the human. Council was followed by another Council in the year 691, called the Council in Trullo. Council addressed certain practical matters, and 102 canons were promulgated.

Byzantium, 685-711, Emperor, Justinian II, deposed in 695, r 705, overthrown 711, lost nose, k by his army
Byzantine Emperor, 685-711, Justinian II; II (668/9 - 4 November 711), surnamed Rhinotmetos or Rhinotmetus (the slit-nosed), was the last Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian dynasty, reigning from 685 to 695 and again from 705 to 711. Justinian I, Justinian II was an ambitious and passionate ruler who was keen to restore the Roman Empire to its former glories, but he responded brutally to any opposition to his will and lacked the finesse of his father, Constantine IV.[4] he generated enormous opposition to his reign, resulting in his deposition in 695 in a popular uprising, and he only returned to the throne in 705 with the help of a Bulgar and Slav army. His second reign was even more despotic than the first, and it too saw his eventual overthrow in 711, abandoned by his army who turned on him before killing him. Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Constantinople, 692, Council of Trullo, pre christian religious practices, rituals, practices, Eucharist, liturgy
Council of Trullo; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated January 23 ;

Constantinople, 693-705, Callinicus I, Patriarch, resisted demolition of a Blachernae church, Justinian II lost his nose
Constantinople Patriarch, 693-705, Callinicus I of Constantinople; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Callinicus, Patriarch of Constantinople (693-705), was at first a presbyter in the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, but in 693 with the death of Patriarch Paul (686-693), he was elevated to the episcopal throne of Constantinople. The cruel Justinian II (685-695) reigned at this time. He undertook the construction of a palace very near the church of the Most Holy Theotokos and decided to demolish it. The emperor ordered Patriarch Callinicus to give his blessing for tearing it down. The patriarch replied that he had prayers only for the building of churches, not their destruction. When the church was demolished, he cried out with tears, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, in enduring all things.” the wrath of God befell Justinian. He was toppled from the throne and sent for imprisonment to Cherson, where they cut off his nose (from which he received the nickname “Short-nose”). Leontius (695-698) succeeded him on the throne.

Constantinople, 695, Boniface oFerentino (Florence), non-covetousness love fPoor, gave yrs grain supply, miraculously refilled
Northern Italy, , Boniface oFerentino (Firentium, Florence), non-covetousness love fPoor, example gave yrs grain supply, miraculously filled again, widowed mother upset he gave his clothes; Firentium (Florence); St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ; his very childhood, Saint Boniface was distinguished by his non-covetousness and love for the poor. he saw a destitute man on the street, he took his own clothes and gave them away to those in need, to the chagrin of his widowed mother. he gave away a year’s supply of grain, but the Lord worked a miracle through his prayer, and the family’s granary was filled again. Boniface became bishop of the city of Ferentino (Florence), north of Rome (in Tuscany). in his lofty position as bishop he remained completely non-covetous and merciful towards people, and he directed his flock wisely, exhorting them to attend to even the least among their neighbors.

Byzantium, 695-698, Emperor, Leonti, d Umyyds for J II, d by U's, jail by II till 695, d 697, cut nose and tongue, ex
Byzantine Emperor, 695-698, Leontios ; or Leontius (660 – August 705/February 706), sometimes enumerated as Leontius II,[n 1] was Byzantine emperor from 695 to 698. is known of his early life, other than that he was born in Isauria in Asia Minor. He was given the title of patrikios, and made strategos of the Anatolic Theme under Emperor Constantine IV. He led forces against the Umayyads during the early years of Justinian II's reign, securing victory and forcing the Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, to sue for peace. 692, Justinian declared war upon the Umayyads again, and sent Leontios to campaign against them. However, he was defeated decisively at the Battle of Sebastopolis, and imprisoned by Justinian for his failure. was released in 695, and given the title of strategos of the Theme of Hellas in Southern Greece. After being released, he led a rebellion against Justinian, and seized power, becoming emperor in the same year. ruled until 697, when he was overthrown by Apsimar, a droungarios who had taken part in a failed expedition that had been launched by Leontios to recover Carthage. seizing Constantinople, Apsimar took the name Tiberius (III),[n 2] and had Leontios' nose and tongue cut off. He was sent to the Monastery of Dalmatou, where he remained until some time between August 705 and February 706. By this time Justinian had retaken the throne. Both Leontios and Tiberius were executed. St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23;

Byzantium, 695-717, Emperor, Twenty Years Anarchy
Byzantine Emperor, 695-717, Twenty Years Anarchy ; or Philippicus was Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 711 to 713. was originally named Bardanes; he was the son of the patrician Nikephorus, who was of Armenian extraction from an Armenian colony in Pergamum.[1] Relying on the support of the Monothelite party, he made some pretensions to the throne on the outbreak of the first great rebellion against Emperor Justinian II; these led to his relegation to Cephalonia by Tiberius Apsimarus, and subsequently to his banishment to Cherson by order of Justinian. Here Bardanes, taking the name of Philippicus, successfully incited the inhabitants to revolt with the help of the Khazars. The successful rebels seized Constantinople, and Justinian fled; Philippikos took the throne. Justinian was subsequently seized and beheaded; his son Tiberius was likewise apprehended by Philippikos's officers, Ioannes and Mauros, and killed in a church. Justinian's principal officers, such as Barasbakourios, were also massacred. his first acts were the deposition of the orthodox patriarch Cyrus of Constantinople, in favour of John VI, a member of his own sect, and the summoning of a conciliabulum of Eastern bishops, which abolished the canons of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. In response the Roman Church refused to recognize the new Emperor and his patriarch. Meanwhile, Tervel of Bulgaria plundered up to the walls of Constantinople in 712. When Philippicus transferred an army from the Opsikion theme to police the Balkans, the Umayyad Caliphate under Al-Walid I made inroads across the weakened defenses of Asia Minor. late May 713 the Opsikion troops rebelled in Thrace. Several of their officers penetrated the city and blinded Philippicus on June 3, 713 while he was in the hippodrome.[2] He was succeeded for a short while by his principal secretary, Artemius, who was raised to the purple as Emperor Anastasius II. He died in the same year. St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Constantinople, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus, Iconodule
Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12;

Constantinople, 700-799, Folder, 8th Century, Iconoclasts, Iconodules

Constantinople, 701-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall, greatest English influence in Europe
England, 700-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall (a crossroads in Creedy River Valley), at 5 resolved to convert pagans on Continent, monastery school at 7, director Nursing school, first Latin grammar, lecturers, to Friesland at 30, F war w Christian Charles Martel, to Hesse and Bavaria in 710, supported by Pope and CM, cut Oak of Geismar in Hesse, bishop of Germany, synods in France for Church reform, not hightest bidder for bishop, back to Friesland, greatest English influence in Europe; Crediton, Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837.[1] The town is situated in the narrow vale of the River Creedy, between two steep hills and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town. ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. Manuscript illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. Boiniface felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Flesly form God blessed Matter fHis service
Syria, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Last otFathers, son oChristian official court oMoslem Khalif, succeeded father's office, Iconoclast Iconodule dispute, Iconoclast Byzantne Emperor Leo III, John's Iconodule writings, protected by being under Moslem Khalif, not Byzantine, even though Moslems were Iconoclasts, 2 oHis Hymns sung in English, many more sung Eastern Church, major writing tFount oKnowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, both Greek &Latin churches Iconodule, Iconoclasts &2nd Commandment about images, Iconodules things changed, God flesly form blessed matter fit for manifesting divine splendor, reclaimed everything fHis service, incl eucharist bread wine, plus painting, sculpture, music, spoken word, daily tasks, pleasures, 16th century Protestants denounce images, sermon about mental images that mind can grasp, vs not thinking at all, like tapioca pudding story, description Eastern Orthodox iconostasis & incense on people, every person image oGod; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); is generally accounted "the last of the Fathers". was the son of a Christian official at the court of the moslem khalif Abdul Malek, and succeeded to his father's office. In his time there was a dispute among Christians between the Iconoclasts (image-breakers) and the Iconodules (image-venerators or image-respectors). Emperor, Leo III, was a vigorous upholder of the Iconoclast position. wrote in favor of the Iconodules with great effectiveness. he was able to do this chiefly because he had the protection of the moslem khalif because the moslems have a strong prohibition against the religious use of pictures or images). John is also known as a hymn-writer. of his hymns are sung in English at Easter ("Come ye faithful, raise the strain" and "The Day of Resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad!"). Many more are sung in the Eastern Church. His major writing is The Fount of Knowledge, of which the third part, The Orthodox Faith, is a summary of Christian doctrine as expounded by the Greek Fathers. dispute about icons was not a dispute between East and West as such. Both the Greek and the Latin churches accepted the final decision. The Iconoclasts maintained that the use of religious images was a violation of the Second Commandment ("Thou shalt not make a graven image... thou shalt not bow down to them"). The Iconodules replied that the coming of Christ had radically changed the situation, and that the commandment must now be understood in a new way, just as the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath Day" must be understood in a new way since the Resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week. Before the Incarnation, it had indeed been improper to portray the invisible God in visible form; God, by taking fleshly form in the person of Jesus Christ, had blessed the whole realm of matter and made it a fit instrument for manifesting the Divine Splendor. had reclaimed everything in heaven and earth for His service, had made water and oil, bread and wine, means of conveying His grace to men. had made painting and sculpture and music and the spoken word, and indeed all our daily tasks and pleasures, the common round of everyday life, a means whereby man might glorify God and be made aware of Him. I always use "man" in the gender-inclusive sense unless the context plainly indicates otherwise.) the use of images and pictures in a religious context is open to abuse, and in the sixteenth century abuses had become so prevalent that some (not all) of the early Protestants reacted by denouncing the use of images altogether. Many years ago, I heard a sermon in my home parish (All Saints' Church, East Lansing, Michigan) on the Commandment, "Thou shalt not make a graven image, nor the likeness of anything in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth -- thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them." (Exodus 20:4-5 and Deuteronomy 5:8-9) preacher (Gordon Jones) pointed out that, even if we refrain completely from the use of statues and paintings in representing God, we will certainly use mental or verbal images, will think of God in terms of concepts that the human mind can grasp, since the alternative is not to think of Him at all. I digress to note that, if we reject the images offered in Holy Scripture of God as Father, Shepherd, King, Judge, on the grounds that they are not literally accurate, we will end up substituting other images -- an endless, silent sea, a dome of white radiance, an infinitely attenuated ether permeating all space, an electromagnetic force field, or whatever, which is no more literally true than the image it replaces, and which leaves out the truths that the Scriptural images convey. of the best books I know on this subject is Edwyn Bevan's Symbolism and Belief, Beacon Press, originally a Gifford Lectures series.[note - now out of print]) C S Lewis repeats what a woman of his acquaintance told him: that as a child she was taught to think of God as an infinite "perfect substance," with the result that for years she envisioned Him as a kind of enormous tapioca pudding. To make matters worse, she disliked tapioca. Back to the sermon.) sin of idolatry consists of giving to the image the devotion that properly belongs to God. No educated man today is in danger of confusing God with a painting or statue, but we may give to a particular concept of God the unconditional allegiance that properly belongs to God Himself. does not, of course, mean that one concept of God is as good as another, or that it may not be our duty to reject something said about God as simply false. concepts, of God matter, because it matters how we think about God. The danger is one of intellectual pride, of forgetting that the Good News is, not that we know God, but that He knows us (1 Corinthians 8:3), not that we love Him, but that He loves us (1 John 4:10). (Incidentally, it was customary in my parish in those days for the preacher to preach a short "Children's Sermon," after which the children were dismissed for Sunday School, and the regular sermon and the rest of the service followed. What I have described above was the Children's Sermon. I remained for the regular sermon, but found it a bit over my head -- a salutary correction to my intellectual snobbery.) the East Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional representations are seldom used. The standard icon is a painting, highly stylized, and thought of as a window through which the worshipper is looking into Heaven. the background of the picture is almost always gold leaf.) an Eastern church, an iconostasis (icon screen) flanks the altar on each side, with images of angels and saints (including Old Testament persons) as a sign that the whole church in Heaven and earth is one body in Christ, and unites in one voice of praise and thanksgiving in the Holy Liturgy. At one point in the service, the minister takes a censer and goes to each icon in turn, bows and swings the censer at the icon. He then does the same thing to the congregation -- ideally, if time permits, to each worshipper separately, as a sign that every Christian is an icon, made in the image and likeness of God, an organ in the body of Christ, a window through whom the splendor of Heaven shines forth. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 701-781, John oDamascus, zealous Icon defender, wrote t Fount of Knowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, a hymnographer
Syria, 701-781, John oDamascus, born 680, Christian father treasurer fCaliph, foster brother saint Cosmas, both good education fSlave Cosmas oCalabria, both mastered secular spiritual sciences, John took father's post, became city perfect, Iconoclasm quickly spreads iConstantinople, Iconoclast Byzantine Emperor Leo III Isaurian, John's 3Iconodule treatises, enraged Leo, but J not Byzantine subject, Leo slandered J tKaliph, letter tLeo fJ offering help in conquering Damascas, Kaliph immediately ordered J removed hand cut off led through D in chains, same evening hand returned tJ, pressed to wrist he prayed MOG heal him so he could defend Orthodoxy and write again, heard voice iSleep commanding him toil w restored hand, awake saw hand restored thin red line around wrist sign oMiracle, silver model hand put on Icon in thanksgiving, of t3Hands Icon, Caliph heard of tMiracle & wanted restore J but J went to Sabbas wComas, only very Experienced Elder would guide him, do nothing to own will, offer God all labors & prayers, & shed tears to wash sins, once sent to Damascus to sell baskets inflated price, dressed in rags, not recognized except for his steward, sold baskets, monk died and J asked to compose consolation, refused but finally submitted, wrote What earthly delight & All human vanity & others, but for disobedience Elder banished him from Elder's cell, Elder refuses forgiveness fJ &All tMonks, then a monk asks fPenance sentence, wash chamber pots &Latrines wBare hands, after while Elder commanded bMOG allow J write again, Jerusalem Patriarch ordained J & mace him preacher at his Cathedral, but J returned to Sabbas, writing spiritual books&hymns, 754 Council Constantinople he denounced Iconoclasts, died 780 more than 100yrOld; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; John of Damascus was born about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria into a Christian family. father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer at the court of the Caliph. had also a foster brother, the orphaned child Cosmas (October 14), whom Sergius had taken into his own home. the children were growing up, Sergius saw that they received a good education. the Damascus slave market he ransomed the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity and entrusted to him the teaching of his children. boys displayed uncommon ability and readily mastered their courses of the secular and spiritual sciences. the death of his father, John occupied ministerial posts at court and became the city prefect. Constantinople at that time, the heresy of Iconoclasm had arisen and quickly spread, by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). up in defense of the Orthodox veneration of icons [Iconodoulia], Saint John wrote three treatises entitled, “Against Those who Revile the Holy Icons.” wise and God-inspired writings of Saint John enraged the emperor. since the author was not a Byzantine subject, the emperor was unable to lock him up in prison, or to execute him. emperor then resorted to slander. A forged letter to the emperor was produced, supposedly from John, in which the Damascus official was supposed to have offered his help to Leo in conquering the Syrian capital. letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to the Saracen Caliph by Leo the Isaurian. Caliph immediately ordered that Saint John be removed from his post, that his right hand be cut off, and that he be led through the city in chains. same evening, they returned the severed hand to Saint John. The saint pressed it to his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to heal him so that he could defend the Orthodox Faith and write once again in praise of the Most Pure Virgin and Her Son. a time, he fell asleep before the icon of the Mother of God. He heard Her voice telling him that he had been healed, and commanding him to toil unceasingly with his restored hand. awakening, he found that his hand had been attached to his arm once more. Only a small red mark around his wrist remained as a sign of the miracle. in thanksgiving for being healed, Saint John had a silver model of his hand attached to the icon, which became known as “Of the Three Hands.” unlearned painters have given the Mother of God three hands instead of depicting the silver model of Saint John’s hand. Icon “Of the Three Hands” is commemorated on June 28 and July 12. he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John’s innocence, the Caliph asked his forgiveness wanted to restore him to his former office, but the saint refused. gave away his riches to the poor, and went to Jerusalem with his stepbrother and fellow-student, Cosmas. he entered the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified as a simple novice. was not easy for him to find a spiritual guide, because all the monks were daunted by his great learning and by his former rank. one very experienced Elder, who had the skill to foster the spirit of obedience and humility in a student, would consent to do this. Elder forbade John to do anything at all according to his own will. also instructed him to offer to God all his labors and supplications as a perfect sacrifice, to shed tears which would wash away the sins of his former life. he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the monastery, and commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price, far above their actual value. undertook the long journey under the searing sun, dressed in rags. No one in the city recognized the former official of Damascus, for his appearance had been changed by prolonged fasting and ascetic labors. Saint John was recognized by his former house steward, who bought all the baskets at the asking price, showing compassion on him for his apparent poverty. of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged Saint John to compose something consoling for the burial service. John refused for a long time, but out of pity he yielded to the petition of the grief-stricken monk, and wrote his renowned funeral troparia (“What earthly delight,” “All human vanity,” and others). this disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. fell at his feet and asked to be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. the monks began to plead for him to allow John to return, but he refused. one of the monks asked the Elder to impose a penance on John, and to forgive him if he fulfilled it. Elder said, “If John wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all the chamber pots in the lavra, and clean the monastery latrines with his bare hands.” rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. a certain while, the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and Most Holy Theotokos to allow Saint John to write again. the Patriarch of Jerusalem heard of Saint John, he ordained him priest and made him a preacher at his cathedral. Saint John soon returned to the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he spent the rest of his life writing spiritual books and church hymns. left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at the Constantinople Council of 754. subjected him to imprisonment and torture, but he endured everything, and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died in about the year 780, more than 100 years old. John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of Orthodoxy. His most important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The third section of this work, “On the Orthodox Faith,” is a summary of Orthodox doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since he was known as a hymnographer, we pray to Saint John for help in the study of church singing.

Constantinople, 713-762, Theodora oCaesarea, Nun dedicated by childless p's, miraculously saved fMarriage by attack killg husband
Armenia, , Theodora of Caesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Dedicated by rich childless parents, entered monastery, but iconoclast Leo tIsaurian arranged marriage tHis Aide, miraculously Scythians attacked during wedding feast, husband killed first skirmish, she sailed back tConvent, imperial emissary found she already tonsured a Nun, Therefore could not be forced to leave monastery, rest of life fasting vigil prayer heavy iron chains; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Theodora of Caesarea, living during the eighth century, the daughter of the patrician Theophilus and his wife Theodora. parents for a long time had been childless, and grieved over this. prayed and vowed that if a child were born to them, it would be dedicated to God. their daughter was of age, her mother took her to the monastery of Saint Anna in Caesarea, where the maiden entered under the guidance of an abbess. she became familiar with spiritual literature. emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741), an iconoclast heretic, wanted to give the maiden Theodora into marriage to one of his aides. took her from the monastery against her will and brought her to Constantinople, where everything was already prepared for the wedding celebration. during the wedding feast the Scythians attacked the capital, and Saint Theodora’s husband, sent to help beat back the attack of the enemy, perished in the very first skirmish. advantage of the general confusion, Saint Theodora got on a ship and returned to her convent. an imperial emissary followed her there, he saw that she had already been tonsured a nun. she could not be forced to leave the women’s monastery. spent the remaining years of her life in fasting, vigil, and prayer. wore heavy iron chains on her body, not removing them until death.

Constantinople, 715-730, Patriarch, Germanus I of Constantinople, eunuch, iconodule, writer, hymnographer
Constantinople Patriarch, 715-730, Germanus I of Constantinople; I (c. 634 -733 or 740) was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 715 to 730. He is regarded as a saint, by both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, with a feast day of 12 May.[1] He had been ecumenically preceded by Patriarch John VI of Constantinople, and was succeeded in Orthodox rite by patriarch Constantine II of Constantinople.[2] to Theophanes the Confessor, Germanus was a son of patrician Justinian, who was executed in 668.[3] Justinian was reportedly involved in the murder of Constans II and usurpation of the throne by Mezezius. Constantine IV, son of Constans II, defeated his rival and punished the supporters of Mezezius. Germanus survived the persecutions, but was made a eunuch by the victors.[4] was sent to a monastery. He resurfaces as Bishop of Cyzicus.[3] He took part in the 712 Council of Constantinople where decisions favored Monothelitism, abolishing the canons of the Third Council of Constantinople (680-681). The Council followed the religious preferences of Philippikos Bardanes.[5] 713, Philippikos Bardanes was deposed by Anastasios II. Anastasios soon reversed all religious decisions of his predecessor. Patriarch John VI, strongly associated with Monothelitism, was eventually dismissed. On 11 August 714/715, Germanus was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. Germanus later helped negotiate Anastasius' surrender terms to Theodosios III.[6] 715, Germanus organized a new council propagating Dyothelitism and anathematizing various leaders of the opposing faction. He attempted to improve relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church with a view towards reconciliation. The major issue of his term would, however, be the emerging Byzantine Iconoclasm, propagated by Leo III the Isaurian. was an iconodule,[5] and played an important role in defending the use of sacred images during the iconoclastic crisis of his day, suffering exile for his opposition to the emperor, who considered reverence for these images a form of idolatry.[7] an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the empire (722), Leo issued a series of edicts against the worship of images (726–729).[8] A letter by the patriarch Germanus written before 726 to two Iconoclast bishops says that "now whole towns and multitudes of people are in considerable agitation over this matter" but we have very little evidence as to the growth of the debate.[9] either resigned or was deposed following the ban. Surviving letters Germanus wrote at the time say little of theology. According to Patricia Karlin-Hayter, what worried Germanus was that the ban of icons would prove that the Church had been in error for a long time and therefore play into the hands of Jews and Muslims.[10] Tradition depicts Germanus as much more determined in his position, even winning a debate on the matter with Constantine, Bishop of Nacoleia, a leading Iconoclast. Pope Gregory II (term 715–731), a fellow iconodule, praised Germanus' "zeal and steadfastness".[5] was replaced by Anastasios, more willing to obey the emperor. Germanus retired to the residence of his family. He died a few years at an advanced age in 740.[11] He was buried at the Chora Church. The Second Council of Nicaea (787) included Germanus in the diptychs of the saints. He has since been regarded a saint by both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. of his writings have been preserved.[5] His Historia Ecclesiastica was a popular work in Greek and Latin translations for many centuries, and remains often quoted by scholars. Parts of it were published in English in 1985 as On the Divine Liturgy, described by its publishers as for centuries the quasi-official explanation of the Divine Liturgy for the Byzantine Christian world.[12] However the Johann Peter Kirsch is dubious that the work is actually by Germanus.[5] Pius XII included one of his texts in the apostolic constitution proclaiming Mary's assumption into heaven a dogma of the Church.[7] his writings was the hymn translated by John Mason Neale as A Great and Mighty Wonder,[13][14] although Neale misattributed this to Anatolius of Constantinople. Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 716-843, Luke's Machairotissa (knife) Icon transferred from Blachernae to Cyprus
Transferred to Cyprus during Iconoclast period. Painted by Luke, Kikios Icon, forgotten in cave, MOG gave knife to ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius to cut brush and find it again. Site of knife or Kikios or Kionia monastery. ; Machairotissa (knife) Icon of the Mother of God Commemorated on October 18; Machairotissa (Μαχαιριώτισσα) Icon is a wonderworking icon of the Mother of God in the Holy Machaira Monastery on Cyprus. This Icon is historically and spiritually linked to the Monastery, which owes its name to the history of the Icon. Icon is believed to be one of the 70 icons of the Theotokos painted by Saint Luke, and at the time it was located above the Holy Soros (a chest containing the Robe and the Sash of the Theotokos) in the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae (See July 2 and August 31). This is reinforced by the inscription "Hagiosoritissa" on the Icon, which was later changed to "Machairiotissa," from the Greek word for "knife" (μαχαίρι). to oral tradition, an ascetic brought the Hagiosoritissa Icon to Cyprus from Constantinople during the Iconoclastic period (716 - 843), and settled in a cave on the site where the monastery stands today. After the ascetic went to the Lord, the Icon was forgotten and the entrance of the cave was sealed until the XII century, when the Theotokos gave a knife to the Holy Ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius (December 13), so that they could cut the bushes away and find the Icon. When Saint Neophytos reposed, another old monk, Father Prokopios, joined Ignatius. brotherhood grew too large, and so these two Fathers decided to build a monastery which would be governed according to the cenobitic Rule followed by the great monastic centers of the time. The Holy, Royal and Stavropigial Monastery of Panagia Machairotissa, is located at the eastern end of the Troodos mountain range near the peak of Kionia, at an altitude of 870 meters. It is built on a beautiful mountainside overgrown with pine trees, ending in the Pediaios torrent. It is called a Basilica because it was built with royal assistance, and Stavropegial,1 because the Patriarch had affixed a cross on the side of the building. Synaxis of the Machairotissa Icon is celebrated on October 18th, the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke who, according to Tradition, painted the Machairiotissa Icon. It is kept in the katholikon of the Machaira Monastery. The Icon is also commemorated on November 21, the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. of the primate of a Church rather than under the local diocesan bishop. Blachernae;

Constantinople, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas
Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Judea, near Jerusalem, iconodule writer, slandered by Leo III to caliph, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey to Hilandar ; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands: The wonderworking icon, which Saint John of Damascus (December 4) received healing of his amputated hand, given by him to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. the thirteenth century the icon was in Serbia, afterwards it was miraculously transported to Athos to the Hilandar monastery. more detailed account about the icon is located under June 28. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28, where a more detailed account is to be found. Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, Of the Three Hands: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name Of Three Hands. iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon Of Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Constantinople, 717-718, 2nd Arab Seige of Constantinople
Constantinople, 717-718, 2nd Arab Seige of Constantinople;

Byzantium, 717-741, Emperor, Leo III, Iconoclast, John Damascas' hand, Arabic, Muslim Iconoclasm, d Umayyads
Byzantine Emperor 717-741, Leo the Isaurian, aka Leo III the Syrian; III the Isaurian (Greek: , romanized: Leon ho Isauros; c. 685-18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was Byzantine Emperor from 717 until his death in 741 and founder of the Isaurian dynasty.[1] put an end to the Twenty Years' Anarchy, a period of great instability in the Byzantine Empire between 695 and 717, marked by the rapid succession of several emperors to the throne. He also successfully defended the Empire against the invading Umayyads and forbade the veneration of icons.[2] life[edit] whose original name was Konon, was born in Germanikeia in the Syrian province of Commagene (modern KahramanmaraÅŸ in Turkey). Some, including the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, have claimed that Konon's family had been resettled in Thrace, where he entered the service of Emperor Justinian II, when the latter was advancing on Constantinople with an army of loyalist followers, and horsemen provided by Tervel of Bulgaria in 705. Leo was fluent in Arabic,[3] possibly as a native language,[4] and was described by Theophanes as "the Saracen minded."[5] the victory of Justinian II, Konon was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to Alania and Lazica to organize an alliance against the Umayyad Caliphate under Al-Walid I. According to the Chronicle of Theophanes Justinian wanted to get rid of Konon and took back the money that had been given to him to help advance Byzantine interests, thus leaving Konon stranded in Alania. The chronicle describes the mission as successful and Konon returning eventually to Justinian after crossing the Caucasus mountains in May with snowshoes and taking the fortress of Sideron (associated with Tsebelda) on the way.[6][7] was appointed commander (stratÄ“gos) of the Anatolic Theme by Emperor Anastasius II. On his deposition, Konon joined with his colleague Artabasdus, the stratÄ“gos of the Armeniac Theme, in conspiring to overthrow the new Emperor Theodosius III. Artabasdus was betrothed to Anna,[8] daughter of Leo as part of the agreement. of Constantinople[edit] article: Siege of Constantinople (717–718) entered Constantinople on 25 March 717 and forced the abdication of Theodosios III, becoming emperor as Leo III. The new emperor was immediately forced to attend to the Second Arab siege of Constantinople, which commenced in August of the same year. The Arabs were Umayyad forces sent by Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik and serving under his brother Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik. They had taken advantage of the civil discord in the Byzantine Empire to bring a force of 80,000 to 150,000 men and a massive fleet to the Bosphorus.[9] preparations, begun three years earlier under Anastasius II, and the stubborn resistance put up by Leo wore out the invaders. An important factor in the victory of the Byzantines was their use of Greek fire.[10] The Arab forces also fell victim to Bulgarian reinforcements arriving to aid the Byzantines. Leo was allied with the Bulgarians but the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor was uncertain if they were still serving under Tervel of Bulgaria or his eventual successor Kormesiy of Bulgaria. to continue the siege in the face of the Bulgarian onslaught, the impenetrability of Constantinople's walls, and their own exhausted provisions, the Arabs were forced to abandon the siege in August, 718. Sulayman himself had died the previous year and his successor Umar II would not attempt another siege. The siege had lasted 12 months. section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Empire 717 AD. 1. Ravenna 2. Venetia and Istria 3. Rome 4. Naples 5. Calabria 6. Hellas 7. Thrace 8. Opsikion 9. Thrakesion 10. Anatolikon 11. Karabisianoi 12. Armeniakon. Hatched area: Frequently invaded by Umayyad Caliphate. thus saved the Empire from extinction, Leo proceeded to consolidate its administration, which in the previous years of anarchy had become completely disorganized. In 718 he suppressed a rebellion in Sicily and in 719 did the same on behalf of the deposed Emperor Anastasios II. secured the Empire's frontiers by inviting Slavic settlers into the depopulated districts and by restoring the army to efficiency; when the Umayyad Caliphate renewed its invasions in 726 and 739, as part of the campaigns of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, the Arab forces were decisively beaten, particularly at Akroinon in 740. His military efforts were supplemented by his alliances with the Khazars and the Georgians. undertook a set of civil reforms including the abolition of the system of prepaying taxes which had weighed heavily upon the wealthier proprietors, the elevation of the serfs into a class of free tenants and the remodelling of Family law, maritime law and criminal law, notably substituting mutilation for the death penalty in many cases. The new measures, which were embodied in a new code called the Ecloga (Selection), published in 726, met with some opposition on the part of the nobles and higher clergy. The Emperor also undertook some reorganization of the theme structure by creating new themata in the Aegean region. of the miliaresion silver coins, first struck by Leo III to commemorate the coronation of his son, Constantine V, as co-emperor in 720. most striking legislative reforms dealt with religious matters, especially iconoclasm ("icon-breaking," therefore an iconoclast is an "icon-breaker").[11] After an apparently successful attempt to enforce the baptism of all Jews and Montanists in the empire (722), he issued a series of edicts against the veneration of images (726–729).[12] This prohibition of a custom, which had been in use among Christians for centuries, may have been inspired by Islamic influence as well as the desire to appease those who had not been Christians, and received the support of the official aristocracy. A majority of the theologians and all the monks opposed these measures with uncompromising hostility, and in the western parts of the Empire the people refused to obey the edict. revolt which broke out in Greece, mainly on religious grounds, was crushed by the imperial fleet in 727 (cf. Agallianos Kontoskeles). In 730, Patriarch Germanos I of Constantinople resigned rather than subscribe to an iconoclastic decree. Leo had him replaced by Anastasios,[13] who willingly sided with the Emperor on the question of icons. Thus Leo suppressed the overt opposition of the capital. the Italian Peninsula, the defiant attitude of Popes Gregory II and later Gregory III on behalf of image-veneration led to a fierce quarrel with the Emperor. The former summoned councils in Rome to anathematize and excommunicate the iconoclasts (730, 732); in 740 Leo retaliated by transferring Southern Italy and Illyricum from the papal diocese to that of the patriarch of Constantinople.[14] The struggle was accompanied by an armed outbreak in the exarchate of Ravenna in 727, which Leo finally endeavoured to subdue by means of a large fleet. But the destruction of the armament by a storm decided the issue against him; his southern Italian subjects successfully defied his religious edicts, and the Exarchate of Ravenna became effectively detached from the Empire. have discussed the mutual influence of Muslim and Byzantine iconoclasm, noting that Caliph Yazid II had issued an iconoclastic edict, also targeting his Christian subjects, already in 721.[15] III died of dropsy on 18 June 741. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine V. his wife Maria, Leo III had four known children: his successor, Constantine V; Anna, who married Artabasdus; Irene; and Kosmo. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28;

Constantinople, 717-741, Stephen oKhenolakkos, distinguished by paternal admin moral influence, angelic escort tHeaven
Bithynia, 717-741, Stephen Wonderworker oKhenolakkos Monastery near Chalcedon, Triglia, Bithynia (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye), greatly impressed by holy ascetic's lives, visited many Palestine monasteries, Euthymios' m, Sabbas, Theodosios' m, then 714-741 Constantinople where Patriarch Germanos aided him building m iBithynia, for a monastic rule from his lessons many years experience, Monastery by the Goose Pond northeast Triglia, S distinguished by paternal admin& moral influence, foresaw his death, angelic escort tHeaven; Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720; Venerable Stephen, Abbot of Khenolakkos Monastery, near Chalcedon, Commemorated on January 14; Stephen lived during the eighth century, was born into a family in Cappadocia, who raised him in great piety. he reached maturity, he was greatly impressed by reading the lives of the holy ascetics, and so he visited many monasteries in Palestine in order to observe their way of life. In the wilderness he visited the monasteries of Saints Euthymios the Great (January 20), the Sanctified (December 5) Theodosios the Great (January 11), studying the Rule (Typikon) of each monastery. during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741), he visited Constantinople. holy Patriarch Germanos (May 12) had a high regard for Stephen, aided him in building a monastery in Bithynia in which he could establish a monastic Rule based on the great lessons that he had learned in the course of his many years of experience. Stephen founded the Monastery of Khenolakkos [“by the goose-pond”], was northeast of Triglia (near Moudania in Asia Minor). monks were drawn there by reports of his virtue. Stephen was distinguished for his paternal administration of the monastery, for his moral influence on the monks. many years as the Superior of the monastery, the holy ascetic foresaw his own death. he fell asleep in the Lord, some of the brethren were found worthy to behold the glorious departure of his soul into Heaven, by angels. Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Triglia, Commemorated on March 28; Stephen the Confessor, of Triglia Monastery, under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). a young age, the holy ascetic dedicated his life to God and received monastic tonsure. He later became head of the Triglia monastery near Constantinople. persecution again began against holy icons, the saintly igumen was summoned for questioning, and they tried to force him to sign a document rejecting the veneration of icons. Saint Stephen steadfastly refused to betray Orthodoxy and he boldly denounced the emperor for his impiety. They subjected the saint to cruel torments, after which they sent him to prison in the year 815. Weakened and sick, the holy Confessor Stephen soon died in prison from his sufferings.

Constantinople, 717-750, Procopius tConfessor oDecapolis, noticably Pure, he defeated iconoclasts, vereration passes tPrototype
Galilee, 717-750, Procopius tConfessor o Decapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos), a monk devoted to life oPrayer&fasting, experienced, adorned wVirtue&Purity oSoul, other ascetics noticed him, meanwhile iconoclast heresy appeared, Emperor Leo tIsaurian regarded icons as idols and iconodules as idolaters, righteous Prokopios and others fought against that heresy, he defeated them by declaring Orthodox do not worship but venerate icons, and that veneration passes to the original prototype, so he received wrath of the Emperor, arrested tormented flogged beaten wRods raked wIron claws, then thrown into dank dungeon, with Basil he was there till Leo died in 741, when confessors were released, he spent rest of life in peace; the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Prokopios lived during the VIII century in the region of Dekapolis, east of the Sea of Galilee. the vainity of this world, Prokopios was tonsured in a certain monastery, where he labored for his salvation, himself to a life of prayer and fasting. he grew experienced in ascetical labors, he was adorned with virtue and purity of soul, that other ascetics began to notice him. about this time, the heresy of iconoclasm appeared. was distressed by the policies of the wicked Emperor Leo the Isaurian, regarded the Holy Icons as idols, those who venerated them as idolaters. righteous Prokopios, together with other zealots of Orthodoxy, fought against the wicked heresy of the iconoclasts. refuted their mindless madness and defeated them by declaring that Orthodox Christians do not worship icons, we venerate them, that veneration passes to the original prototype. brought upon him the wrath and disfavor of the Emperor. his command, Saint Prokopios was arrested and subjected to cruel torments: was flogged, beaten with rods, and raked with iron claws, and then was thrown into a dank dungeon. Saint Prokopios and Saint Basil (February 28), his co-struggler in the monastic liife, languished until the death of Emperor Leo, when the Holy Confessors were released. Prokopios the Decapolite spent the remainder of his life in peace, many on the path of virtue and salvation. reposed at an advanced age, around the year 750.

Constantinople, 717-741, Basil the Confessor, companion of Procopius aDecapolis, Eastern Galilee, persecuted for icon veneration, torture, prison, long time
Galilee, 717-741, Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius aDecapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos), persecution against icon veneration, torture, prison, long time, set free on emperor Leo's death death, continued monastic struggles, instructing faith Virtuous life, died peacefully 750 ; the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Basil the Confessor was a monk and suffered during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). a persecution started against those who venerated holy icons, Basil and his companion Saint Procopius of Decapolis (February 27) subjected to much torture and locked up in prison. both martyrs languished for a long while, until the death of the impious emperor. the holy Confessors Basil and Procopius were set free along with other venerators of holy icons, continued in their monastic struggles, many in the Orthodox Faith and the virtuous life. Saint Basil died peacefully in the year 750.

Constantinople, 717-41&982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople
Greece, Mt Athos, 717-741 &982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn on tile 982, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople tMt Athos, after soldier slashed it 717-41, tile tC, expanded hymn Axion Estin in Divine Liturgy; Protaton Church Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11; to Tradition, during the iconoclast persecution of Leo III the Isaurian (717-741), Icon of the Theotokos was slashed by the sword of one of the Emperor’s soldiers. Blood flowed from the Icon into the sea. Shaken by this sign, the repentant sinner fled to Mount Athos. day he saw the Icon, which had floated from Constantinople, lying on the shore, it was still bleeding and dyeing the water red. ran toward it and, with fear and trembling, he carried it to the Protaton church. the Icon stopped bleeding, indicating that the Panagia had forgiven him for desecrating her holy Icon. (Greek: Παναγία, fem. of panágios, pan- + hágios, the All-Holy, or the Most Holy; pronounced Greek pronunciation: (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Most Greek churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary are called Panagia; the standard western Christian designation of "St. Mary" is rarely used in the Orthodox East, as Mary is considered the holiest of all created beings and therefore of higher status than the Saints.) years later, a certain Elder and his disciple were living in a cave near Karyes. a Saturday night in 982, the Elder went to attend the All-Night Vigil at Karyes, leaving his disciple behind to read the service in their cell. it was dark, an unknown monk came to the cell. He said that his name was Gabriel, and the disciple invited him to come in. it was time for the Vigil, the two monks began to pray before the Icon of the Mother of God. they finished the eighth Ode of the Canon, the disciple began to chant: “My soul magnifies the Lord...” and then he sang the Irmos of Saint Cosmas the Hymnographer (Oct. 14): “More honorable than the Cherubim...” visitor then chanted the next verse: “For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” instead of singing “More honorable...” the visitor prefaced it with: “It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God.” he continued with “More honorable.” the singing of this hymn, the Icon was illumined with a heavenly light, the disciple was moved to tears He asked his guest to write down the new words, but there was no paper. stranger took a roofing tile and wrote the entire hymn upon it with his finger, as though it were made of wax. disciple then realized that this was no ordinary monk, but the Archangel Gabriel. The heavenly visitor told him, “Sing the hymn this way, and all of the Orthodox as well.” Then, he disappeared. light continued to shine forth from the Icon for a long time. Eleousa (Merciful) Icon of the Mother of God, before which the hymn “It Is Truly Meet” was first sung, was transferred to the katholikon at Karyes. tile, with the hymn written on it by the Archangel Gabriel, was taken to Constantinople when Saint Nicholas Chrysoberges (December 16) was Patriarch. copies of the “It Is Truly Meet” Icon are revered in Russian churches. At the Galerna Harbor of St. Petersburg a church with five cupolas was built in honor of the “Merciful” Mother of God, and into it they placed a grace-bearing copy of the “Axion Estin” Icon sent from Mount Athos. inscription on the scroll held by Christ reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Axion Estin Icon kept at the High Place in the sanctuary of the Holy Dormition katholikon at Karyes, the capital of Mount Athos. on the Igoumen's stone chair, the Icon is an object of great veneration. church is known as Protaton because it was the first church to be built on the Holy Mountain in 843 by Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5) iconography of the church was done in the XIII century by the renowned iconographer Emmanuel Panselinos. Icon takes its name from the hymn we sing after the epiklesis during the Divine Liturgy. cell where the miracle took place is known today by the name “Axion Estin.” miracle occurred on June 11, 982 on a Sunday. miraculous tile on which was the hymn was transcribed was transferred to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and was displayed for veneration by the faithful in the imperial palace Church of Saint Stephen. that time on, the expanded hymn Axion Estin became part of the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Church. Icon is especially honored with festivities and a procession on Bright Monday, and many miracles take place on that day. Icon itself is a bit faded, but is now covered by a silver riza. has been restored recently and is in good condition. is an inscription: “Μήτηρ Θεού Καρυώτισσα” or “Mother of God Karyotissa (of Karyes).” it came from Constantinople, and belongs to the Panagia Eleousa type, which was first painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. the one thousand year anniversary of Mount Athos in 1963, the Axion Estin Icon left the Holy Mountain for the first time to be venerated in Athens by thousands of faithful. 1985 it was brought to Thessaloniki aboard a military ship and received there with the same honors as a Head of State.

Constantinople, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus hand, MOG heals h, t Sabbas, t Serbia, donkey igumen story
Syria, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus' hand, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), J slandered by Leo III, caliph cut off J's hand, MOG puts it back on, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, MOG commanded toil w o fail before healing, John to Sabbas w icon, icon to Serbia, MOG leads icon donkey to Hilandar, MOG icon becomes igumen of H; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Hands”: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Constantinople, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful, rich man loved poor, giving all, always rewarded, wife&children eventually learn
Armenia, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful oAmnia, Paphlagonia, Armenia, Rich&Illustrious, but did not hoard wealth, famed for love oPoor, Ishmaelites (Arabs) attached, little left fHim but continued to give, rich wife Theoseba complained, jeers oChildren, he said riches hidden away enough 100 yrs wOut working, his gifts would multiply for recipient, knowing this man asks for calf, cow missed calf, wife complains, but P praises her and gives cow tMan, famine came so p took donkey to borrow 6bushels wheat, poor man asks for some wheat, P tells T give him 1bushel, T says give 4bushels to family, P gives man last 2bushels, T says give half the load, P given him 1 more bushel fHalf tLoad, T says give him the bag too, T says to spite me give him all, P givel all 6, man can't lift 6B so T tells P give him donkey, T &Children hungry, wept, Lord rewarded P friends gave him 40 bushels, T kept most, P gave his share, when eating P went to T&Children for food, T grumbled how long treasure hidden, Empress Irene seeking bride for her son, envoys in Amneia, P happy, T sad because not enough food, P tells T light fire decorate, Neighbors bring everything required, Envoys impressed, select granddaughter Maria, marries Constantine, became Emperess, Emperor C rewards P, P alms&feast fPoor, P&family serve poor aFeast, P orders servant fill 3 bags, 1Gold, 1Silver, 1 copper coins, reach in give as God wills, P refused fine clothes, no imperial rank, just call me grandfather oEmperess, 90 yrs knew death coming, tJudgement Monastery, gave gold, asked buried there, i10days, 10th day exhorted family love poor fSalvation, died 792, miracle after death, T restores monasteries churches a barbarian invasion; Amnia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River); Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised in piety and the fear of God. lived during the eighth century in the village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian district of Asia Minor. wife, Theoseba, was from a rich and illustrious family, they had three children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia. was a rich and illustrious dignitary, he did not hoard his wealth. that many people suffered from poverty, he remembered the words of the Savior about the dread Last Judgment and about “these least ones” (Mt. 25:40); Apostle Paul’s reminder that we will take nothing with us from this world (1 Tim 6:7); the assertion of King David that the righteous would not be forsaken (Ps 36/37:25). whose name means “lover of virtue,” was famed for his love for the poor. day Ishmaelites [Arabs] attacked Paphlagonia, devastating the land and plundering the estate of Philaret. remained only two oxen, a donkey, a cow with her calf, some beehives, and the house. he also shared them with the poor. wife reproached him for being heartless and unconcerned for his own family. yet firmly he endured the reproaches of his wife and the jeers of his children. “I have hidden away riches and treasure,” he told his family, “so much that it would be enough for you to feed and clothe yourselves, even if you lived a hundred years without working.” saint’s gifts always brought good to the recipient. received anything from him found that the gift would multiply, and that person would become rich. this, a certain man came to Saint Philaret asking for a calf so that he could start a herd. cow missed its calf and began to bellow. Theoseba said to her husband, “You have no pity on us, you merciless man, but don’t you feel sorry for the cow? You have separated her from her calf.” saint praised his wife, and agreed that it was not right to separate the cow and the calf. he called the poor man to whom he had given the calf and told him to take the cow as well. year there was a famine, so Saint Philaret took the donkey and went to borrow six bushels of wheat from a friend of his. he returned home, a poor man asked him for a little wheat, so he told his wife to give the man a bushel. said, “First you must give a bushel to each of us in the family, then you can give away the rest as you choose.” then gave the man two bushels of wheat. Theoseba said sarcastically, “Give him half the load so you can share it.” saint measured out a third bushel and gave it to the man. Theoseba said, “Why don’t you give him the bag, too, so he can carry it?” gave him the bag. The exasperated wife said, “Just to spite me, why not give him all the wheat.” Saint Philaret did so. the man was unable to lift the six bushels of wheat, so Theoseba told her husband to give him the donkey so he could carry the wheat home. Blessing his wife, Philaret gave the donkey to the man, who went home rejoicing. and the children wept because they were hungry. Lord rewarded Philaret for his generosity: the last measure of wheat was given away, an old friend sent him forty bushels. kept most of the wheat for herself and the children, the saint gave away his share to the poor and had nothing left. his wife and children were eating, he would go to them and they gave him some food. grumbled saying, “How long are you going to keep that treasure of yours hidden? Take it out so we can buy food with it.” this time the Byzantine empress Irene (797-802) was seeking a bride for her son, the future emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797). emissaries were sent throughout all the Empire to find a suitable girl, and the envoys came to Amneia. Philaret and Theoseba learned that these most illustrious guests were to visit their house, was very happy, but Theoseba was sad, for they did not have enough food. Philaret told his wife to light the fire and to decorate their home. neighbors, knowing that imperial envoys were expected, brought everything required for a rich feast. envoys were impressed by the saint’s daughters and granddaughters. Seeing their beauty, their deportment, their clothing, and their admirable qualities, the envoys agreed that Philaret’s granddaughter, Maria was exactly what they were looking for. Maria exceeded all her rivals in quality and modesty and indeed became Constantine’s wife, and the emperor rewarded Philaret. fame and riches returned to Philaret. just as before, this holy lover of the poor generously distributed alms and provided a feast for the poor. and his family served them at the meal. Everyone was astonished at his humility and said: “This is a man of God, a true disciple of Christ.” ordered a servant to take three bags and fill one with gold, one with silver, and one with copper coins. a beggar approached, Philaret ordered his servant to bring forth one of the bags, whichever God’s providence would ordain. he would reach into the bag and give to each person, as much as God willed. Philaret refused to wear fine clothes, nor would he accept any imperial rank. said it was enough for him to be called the grandfather of the Empress. saint reached ninety years of age and knew his end was approaching. went to the Rodolpheia (“The Judgment”) monastery in Constantinople. gave some gold to the Abbess and asked her to allow him to be buried there, saying that he would depart this life in ten days. returned home and became ill. On the tenth day he summoned his family, he exhorted them to imitate his love for the poor if they desired salvation. Then he fell asleep in the Lord. He died in the year 792 and was buried in the Rodolpheia Judgment monastery in Constantinople. appearance of a miracle after his death confirmed the sainthood of Righteous Philaret. they bore the body of the saint to the cemetery, a certain man, possessed by the devil, followed the funeral procession and tried to overturn the coffin. they reached the grave, the devil threw the man down on the ground and went out of him. other miracles and healings also took place at the grave of the saint. the death of the righteous Philaret, his wife Theoseba worked at restoring monasteries and churches devastated during a barbarian invasion.

Constantople, 725-795, Timothy oSymbola iBithynia, n Mt Olympos Monastery, high degree spiritual perfection, healing&Deliverance
Bithynia, 725-795, Timothy oSymbola iBithynia, near Mt Olympos Monastery, an Italian, young monk, aSymbola, under Archmandrite Theoctistus and Platon otStudion m, high degree spiritual perfection, gifts oHealing and deliverance, many years hermit roaming wilderness mts and forests offering prayer to tLord, died great old age 795; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated on February 21; Timothy of Symbola was of Italian descent. became a monk at a young age and pursued asceticism at a monastery called “Symbola”, in Asia Minor near Mount Olympus. that time Theoctistus was the archimandrite of the monastery. Timothy was the disciple of Theoctistus also of Saint Platon of the Studion Monastery (April 5). a high degree of spiritual perfection, he received from God the gift of healing the sick and casting out unclean spirits. spent many years as a hermit, roaming the wilderness, the mountains and forests, day and night offering up prayer to the Lord God. died at a great old age, in the year 795.

Constantinople, 730-754, Patriarch, Anastasius, an iconoclast
Constantinople Patriarch, 730-754, Anastasius, an iconoclast; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29;

Constantinople, 735-745, Martyr Anna oMt Auxentius, Bithynia, falsly accused sinning wSt Stephen tN, crowns virginity martyr
Bithynia, 735-, Martyr Anna of Mt Auxentius, Bithynia, falsly accused of sinning with St Stephen tN, crowns virginity martyr, noblewoman, sold possessions, Money tPoor, monastic tonsure Steven tNew, Mt Auxentius, Hair Shirt Weavers Monastery, iconoclasts tried S, accused him visiting women aNight wAnna, she would not lie about S, tDungeon, public hearing, stripped naked, maidservant falsely swears, streached out on ground and beaten wRods, almost dead sent tabandoned monastery, died; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Anna was a noblewoman who sold all her possessions and gave the money to the poor. received the monastic tonsure from Saint Stephen the New while he was living on Mount Auxentius in Bithynia. sent her to live in the women’s monastery called Trichinarion (Community of hairshirt-wearers). the iconoclasts tried to turn Saint Stephen from venerating the holy icons, they tried flattery, bribery, and threats, but all their efforts were in vain. they accused him of visiting the Trichinarion Monastery at night and falling into sin with the nun Anna. her own maidservant testified against her (she was promised her freedom and marriage to a nobleman if she did), Saint Anna denied any guilt. emperor’s soldiers came to the monastery and seized Saint Anna and brought her before him, but she refused to lie about Saint Stephen. Therefore Emperor Constantine threw her into a dungeon in Constantinople. next morning the emperor sat in a public building with an assembled crowd, and had Saint Anna brought to his presence. Since she insisted that both she and Saint Stephen were innocent, the emperor had her stripped naked in the sight of all. her interrogation, she remained silent. her maidservant falsely swore that Saint Stephen had sinned with her mistress. by her refusal to speak, the emperor had Saint Anna stretched out on the ground, where soldiers beat her with rods. this torment, she said, “I have never sinned with Stephen. Lord, have mercy.” The soldiers continued to beat her until she was almost dead. emperor returned to his palace, leaving orders that Saint Anna be imprisoned in one of the city’s abandoned monasteries. she departed to the Lord, receiving from Him the twin crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Monk Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New was born in 715 at Constantinople into a pious Christian family. parents, having two daughters, prayed the Lord for a son. The mother of the new-born Stephen took him to the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos and dedicated him to God. the reign of the emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741) there was a persecution against the holy icons and against those venerating them. the support of the emperor, the adherents of the Iconoclast heresy seized control of the supreme positions of authority in the Empire and in the Church. by the powers of this world, Orthodoxy was preserved in monasteries far from the capital, in solitary cells, and in the brave and faithful hearts of its followers. Orthodox parents of Saint Stephen, grieved by the prevailing impiety, fled from Constantinople to Bithynia, they gave over their sixteen-year-old son in obedience to the monk John, who labored in asceticism in a solitary place on the Mount of Saint Auxentius. Stephen dwelt with the venerable monk John for more than fifteen years, devoting himself totally to this spirit-bearing Elder, and learning monastic activity from him. Stephen received the news that his father was dead, and his mother and sisters had been tonsured as nuns. a certain time his teacher John also died. With deep sorrow Saint Stephen buried his venerable body, continued with monastic effort in his cave by himself. monks began to come to the ascetic, desiring to learn from him the virtuous and salvific life, and a monastery was established, Saint Stephen as the igumen. forty-two years of age Stephen left the monastery he founded, and he went to another mountain, on whose summit he dwelt in deep seclusion in a solitary cell. here also a community of monks soon gathered, seeking the spiritual guidance of Saint Stephen. the Isaurian was succeeded by Constantine Copronymos (741-775), a fiercer persecutor of the Orthodox, and an even more zealous iconoclast. emperor convened an Iconoclast Council, attended by 358 bishops from the Eastern provinces. except for Constantine, the Archbishop of Constantinople, illegitimately raised to the patriarchal throne by the power of Copronymos, one of the other patriarchs participated in the wicked doings of this Council, thus making it less likely to style itself as “ecumenical.” council of heretics, at the instigation of the emperor and the archbishop, described icons as idols, and pronounced an anathema on all who venerated icons in the Orthodox manner, and it described icon veneration as heresy. the monastery of Mount Auxentius and its igumen became known in the capital. They told the emperor about the ascetic life of the monks, about their Orthodox piety, about the igumen Stephen’s gift of wonderworking, and of how Saint Stephen’s fame had spread far beyond the region of the monastery, and that the name of its head was accorded universal respect and love. saint’s open encouragement of icon veneration and the implied rebuff to the persecutors of Orthodoxy within the monastery of Mount Auxentius especially angered the emperor. Archbishop Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people.

Constantinople, 735-745, Stephen tNew oMt Auxentius, solitary but igumen 3times, wonderworker, slandered wAnna, Prison, Pillar
Bithynia, 735-, Stephen t New of Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia, Monkmartyr confessor, dedicated to God, solitary but attracted, igumen, solitary again, attracted again, iconoclast council of heratics, igumen again, wonderworking gifts, slandered with Anna Sin Story, Prison, exiled a Marmora island, cave, attracted again, Pillar, Pharos island prison, Trial, golden coin emperor blasphemy story compared to b image king of heaven greater punishment, like prison monastery w 342 elders,; Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Monk Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New was born in 715 at Constantinople into a pious Christian family. parents, having two daughters, prayed the Lord for a son. The mother of the new-born Stephen took him to the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos and dedicated him to God. the reign of the emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741) there was a persecution against the holy icons and against those venerating them. the support of the emperor, the adherents of the Iconoclast heresy seized control of the supreme positions of authority in the Empire and in the Church. by the powers of this world, Orthodoxy was preserved in monasteries far from the capital, in solitary cells, and in the brave and faithful hearts of its followers. Orthodox parents of Saint Stephen, grieved by the prevailing impiety, fled from Constantinople to Bithynia, they gave over their sixteen-year-old son in obedience to the monk John, who labored in asceticism in a solitary place on the Mount of Saint Auxentius. Stephen dwelt with the venerable monk John for more than fifteen years, devoting himself totally to this spirit-bearing Elder, and learning monastic activity from him. Stephen received the news that his father was dead, and his mother and sisters had been tonsured as nuns. a certain time his teacher John also died. With deep sorrow Saint Stephen buried his venerable body, continued with monastic effort in his cave by himself. monks began to come to the ascetic, desiring to learn from him the virtuous and salvific life, and a monastery was established, Saint Stephen as the igumen. forty-two years of age Stephen left the monastery he founded, and he went to another mountain, on whose summit he dwelt in deep seclusion in a solitary cell. here also a community of monks soon gathered, seeking the spiritual guidance of Saint Stephen. the Isaurian was succeeded by Constantine Copronymos (741-775), a fiercer persecutor of the Orthodox, and an even more zealous iconoclast. emperor convened an Iconoclast Council, attended by 358 bishops from the Eastern provinces. except for Constantine, the Archbishop of Constantinople, illegitimately raised to the patriarchal throne by the power of Copronymos, one of the other patriarchs participated in the wicked doings of this Council, thus making it less likely to style itself as “ecumenical.” council of heretics, at the instigation of the emperor and the archbishop, described icons as idols, and pronounced an anathema on all who venerated icons in the Orthodox manner, and it described icon veneration as heresy. the monastery of Mount Auxentius and its igumen became known in the capital. They told the emperor about the ascetic life of the monks, about their Orthodox piety, about the igumen Stephen’s gift of wonderworking, and of how Saint Stephen’s fame had spread far beyond the region of the monastery, and that the name of its head was accorded universal respect and love. saint’s open encouragement of icon veneration and the implied rebuff to the persecutors of Orthodoxy within the monastery of Mount Auxentius especially angered the emperor. Archbishop Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people. Constantine realized that in the person of Saint Stephen he had a strong and implacable opponent of his iconoclastic intentions, and he plotted how he might draw him over to his side or else destroy him. tried to lure Saint Stephen into the Iconoclast camp, at first with flattery and bribery, then by threats, but in vain. they slandered the saint, accusing him of falling into sin with the nun Anna. But his guilt was not proven, since the nun courageously denied any guilt and died under torture and beatings. the emperor gave orders to lock up the saint in prison, and to destroy his monastery. bishops were sent to Saint Stephen in prison, trying to persuade him of the dogmatic correctness of the Iconoclast position. But the saint easily refuted all the arguments of the heretics and he remained true to Orthodoxy. the emperor ordered that the saint be exiled on one of the islands in the Sea of Marmora. Saint Stephen settled into a cave, and there also his disciples soon gathered. a certain while the saint left the brethren and took upon himself the exploit of living atop a pillar. of the stylite Stephen, and the miracles worked by his prayers, spread throughout all the Empire and strengthened the faith and spirit of Orthodoxy in the people. emperor gave orders to transfer Saint Stephen to prison on the island of Pharos, and then to bring him to trial. the trial, the saint refuted the arguments of the heretics sitting in judgment upon him. explained the dogmatic essence of icon veneration, and he denounced the Iconoclasts in blaspheming icons, they blasphemed Christ and the Mother of God. proof, the saint pointed to a golden coin inscribed with the image of the emperor. He asked the judges what would happen to a man who threw the coin to the ground , and then trampled the emperor’s image under his feet. replied that such a man would certainly be punished for dishonoring the image of the emperor. saint said that an even greater punishment awaited anyone who would dishonor the image of the King of Heaven and His Saints, and with that he spat on the coin, threw it to the ground, and began to trample it underfoot. emperor gave orders to take the saint to prison, where already there were languishing 342 Elders, condemned for the veneration of icons. this prison Saint Stephen spent eleven months, consoling the imprisoned. The prison became like a monastery, where the usual prayers and hymns were chanted according to the Typikon. people came to the prison in crowds and asked Saint Stephen to pray for them. the emperor learned that the saint had organized a monastery in prison, where they prayed and venerated holy icons, he sent two of his own servants, twin-brothers, to beat the saint to death. these brothers went to the prison and beheld the face of the monk shining with a divine light, they fell down on their knees before him, asking his forgiveness and prayers, they told the emperor that his command had been carried out. But the emperor learned the truth and he resorted to yet another lie. his soldiers that the saint was plotting to remove him from the throne, he sent them to the prison. The holy confessor himself came out to the furious soldiers, who seized him and dragged him through the streets of the city. They then threw the lacerated body of the martyr into a pit, where they were wont to bury criminals. the following morning a fiery cloud appeared over Mount Auxentius, and then a heavy darkness descended upon the capital, accompanied by hail, which killed many people.

Constantinople, 740, Great Earthquake at Constantinople, people repented, prayed to Theotokos, earthquake stopped
Constantinople, 740, Great Earthquake at Constantinople; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 26 740, at the time of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, there was a terrible earthquake at Constantinople. Seeing this as God’s just punishment for their sins, the people repented and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos and to Saint Demetrius to help them. God had mercy on them, and the earthquake stopped.

Constantinople, 741, Gregory, Archbishop oAlexandria, Egypt, flogged, imprisoned, starved b Leo tIconoclast
Egypt, 741, Gregory, Archbishop oAlexandria, Egypt, flogged, imprisoned, starved b Leo tIconoclast; Alexandria; St Gregory the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 5 ; Gregory the Archbishop of Alexandria lived in the ninth century. He was flogged and thrown into prison in the reign of Leo the iconoclast. He was left in prison without food until he died.

Constantinople, 741-745, Heiromartyr Theokteristus oPelekete, Bithynia, suffered fIcons, wSteven tNew, Burned wBoiling Tar
Bithynia, 741-745, Heiromartyr Theokteristus oPelekete Monastery, Bithynia, suffered for Icons, with Steven tNew, Burned wBoiling Tar, a spiritual writer, Cannon MOG Sustainer of Many Misfortunes; Pelekete Monastery; Heiromartyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28; Holy Martyr Theokteristus, Igumen of the Pelekete monastery, for the holy icons under the impious emperor Constantine Copronymos (741-775). subjected to tortures were Saint Stephen the New (November 28), and other pious monks. Saint Theokteristus was burned with boiling tar. holy martyr was a spiritual writer, and composed a Canon to the Mother of God “Sustainer in Many Misfortunes.”

Byzantium, 741-775, Emperor Constantine V Copronymos, Iconoclast, used Arab Civil War
Byzantium, 741-775, Emperor Constantine V Copronymos, Iconoclast; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28 ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 741-792, Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, Arab Frontier, capable general, famous for iconoclast fervor
Ephesus, 741-792, Byzantine General Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, capable general against arabs, iconoclast fervor, Pelekete monastery, Thrace Theme Gov, forced monks to marry, disolved all monasteries, ; Lachanodrakon (died 20 July 792) was a distinguished Byzantine general and fanatical supporter of Byzantine Iconoclasm under Emperor Constantine V (r. 741–775). a result of his iconoclast zeal, in 766 he rose to high office as governor of the Thracesian Theme, and instigated a series of repressive measures against iconophile practices, particularly targeting the monasteries. talented general, he also led a series of campaigns against the Arabs of the Abbasid Caliphate before being dismissed from office in about 782. to imperial favour in 790, he fell at the Battle of Marcellae against the Bulgars in 792. of the iconophiles[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741), depicted with his son and successor, Constantine V. Leo first promoted iconoclasm, which became official policy under Constantine. Nothing is known of Lachanodrakon's origins and early life. receives a very negative treatment in the historical sources, which were written after the final defeat of Byzantine Iconoclasm; some refer to him solely as the Dragon, alluding to his surname and the Biblical Beast). profoundly iconophile perspective means that reports of his actions, especially those relating to the suppression of icon worship, are potentially untrustworthy.[1][2] the Council of Hieria in 754, Constantine V had declared the adoration of icons to be a heresy, and had thereby elevated iconoclasm to official imperial policy. persecution of iconophiles was launched at first, but iconophile resistance grew, until from 765 on, Constantine began persecuting iconophiles, and especially monks. discovery of a wide-ranging iconophile plot against him involving some of the highest civil and military officials of the state in 766 provoked an extreme reaction. Constantine II and other officials were deposed, jailed, publicly humiliated, and finally executed, replaced by new, uncompromisingly iconoclast officials. In addition, the veneration of sacred relics and prayers to the saints and the Virgin Mary were condemned.[3] Map of the themes and major settlements of Byzantine Asia Minor and the Arab–Byzantine frontier zone in the late 8th century 763 or 764, according to the iconophile Life of St Stephen the Younger hagiography, Lachanodrakon had already distinguished himself by his iconoclast fervour. the emperor's orders, he led a group of soldiers on an invasion of the Pelekete monastery on the Propontis, where he arrested 38 monks and subjected the remainder to various tortures and mutilations. After burning down the monastery, he took the 38 captives to Ephesus, where they were executed.[4][5] 766/767, as part of the emperor's reshuffle of the senior echelons of the Byzantine Empire, Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the important post of strategos (military governor) of the Thracesian Theme, and given the rank of patrikios and imperial protospatharios according to his seal.[6][2] soon began a harsh repression of the monasteries and iconophiles. to Theophanes the Confessor, in 769/770 he summoned the monks and nuns of his theme to Ephesus, gathered them in the city's tzykanisterion and forced them to marry, threatening them with blinding and exile to Cyprus if they refused. Although many resisted and "became martyrs" in Theophanes's words, many complied. Later reports of exiled monks in Cyprus becoming Arab captives seem to partly corroborate this story.[2][7][8] reports further that in 771/772, Lachanodrakon dissolved all monasteries in the theme, confiscated and expropriated their property, and sent the proceeds to the emperor, who replied with a letter thanking him for his zeal. allegedly had relics, holy scriptures, and monks' beards set on fire, killed or tortured those who venerated relics, and finally prohibited the tonsure. Although highly embellished, these reports probably reflect actual events.[4][8][9] At any rate, by 772, according to historian Warren Treadgold, Lachanodrakon seems to have succeeded in "eradicating monasticism within his theme".[4][10] activities[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (r. 775–780), also depicting his son and co-emperor Constantine VI, as well as the Isaurian dynasty's founders Leo III and Constantine V. was also a capable general, winning fame for his campaigns against the Abbasids on the Byzantine Empire's eastern frontier. During the reign of Constantine V's son Leo IV (r. 775–780) he seems to have been the most prominent military commander, repeatedly leading expeditions comprising troops from several themes against the Arabs.[2][8][11] first such expedition occurred in 778 when, preempting an anticipated Arab raid, Lachanodrakon led a large army against Germanikeia. Although the city did not fall (Theophanes claims that the Arab commander bribed Lachanodrakon), the Byzantine army defeated a relief force, plundered the region, and took many captives, mostly Jacobites, who were then resettled in Thrace.[2][11][12] In 780, Lachanodrakon ambushed and defeated an Arab invasion in the Armeniac Theme, killing the brother of the Arab commander Thumama ibn al-Walid. The Arab historian al-Tabari records that in 781 Lachanodrakon forced another Arab invasion, under 'Abd al-Kabir, to withdraw without battle, although Theophanes ascribes the success to the sakellarios John.[2][8][11] In 782, however, he was defeated by the Arab general al-Barmaqi during a large-scale invasion led by the future caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), losing some 15,000 men according to Theophanes. In the aftermath of this defeat, and likely because of his iconoclast past, he was apparently removed from his command by the iconophile empress-regent Irene of Athens.[2][8][11] reappears in 790, when the young emperor Constantine VI (r. 780–797) conspired to overturn the tutelage of Irene. The general was sent by Constantine to the Armeniac Theme to secure the allegiance of its soldiers. succeeded in toppling his mother in December 790; it was probably then that Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the supreme non-imperial title, that of magistros.[2][8][11] According to the account of Theophanes, he participated in the imperial campaign against the Bulgars in 792 that led to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Marcellae on 20 July, where he was killed. The history of John Skylitzes records his death in the Battle of Versinikia, again against the Bulgars, in 813, but this is clearly an error.[2][8][11] Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Constantinople, 750, 8th C, Hesychius tFaster, wWorking wilderness ascetic, Angel predicts demise, devine light surrounds cell
Bithynai, 750, 8th C, Hesychius tFaster oApamea, Bithynia (only Costal city beginning with an A), from Adrineia, raised in Piety, left home practiced asceticism wilderness of Mt Maioris, demons, wild animals robbers there, built a cell, garden, disciples came, built church at valley spring close by, wonderworking gift, even during lifetime, Healed demon possessed girl, predicted women's monastery there, Angel predicts demise in 3 days, H rejoices, gathers disciples instructs them 3 days, at midnight devine light surrounds cell and area, Into thy hands I commit my spirit. womans monastery built, relics transferred from his church to Amasea; Apamea in Bithynia ; Saint Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; Hesychius the Faster was born in the eighth century in the coastal city of Adrineia in Bithynia. since his youth in piety, he left his parental home and practiced asceticism in a wilderness spot on Mount Maionis. the threat of demons and wild animals and robbers living there, the holy ascetic in seeking greater solitude settled there and built himself a cell, digging himself a garden and eating from the fruit of his labors. a certain while disciples began to throng to him. a spring of water in a valley not far off Saint Hesychius built a church in the name of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. during his lifetime he was granted the gift of wonderworking. time they brought a demon-possessed girl to him. Her parents, falling down at the feet of the holy ascetic, implored his holy prayers for her healing. holy ascetic made prayer for the unfortunate one, and the devils left her. to the parents of the healed girl, Saint Hesychius predicted that a women’s holy monastery would arise at the place their daughter was healed. actually the prophecy was fulfilled in the future. angel appeared to Saint Hesychius three days before his end and predicted to him his approaching demise. accepted the news with joy. And before his blessed end, the saint summoned his disciples and for a long while he instructed them. midnight the cell of the saint and the surrounding area suddenly gleamed with a heavenly light, Saint Hesychius fell asleep in the Lord with the words: “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” the place of his efforts, in accord with the prediction of Saint Hesychius, was later on built a women’s monastery. holy relics of Saint Hesychius, buried at the church of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, were later transferred by Theophylactus, Bishop of Amasea, to the city of Amasea (Asia Minor). ’s saint should not be confused with Saint Hesychius the Theologian, the priest of Jerusalem (March 28), whose writings are in the Philokalia.

Constantinople, 760, Sabinus, Bishop oCatania, withdrew tWilderness, working miracles, many became monks
Sicily, 760, Sabinus, Bishop oCatania, East Central Sicily, after some time, commotion, withdrew tWilderness, tbAlone wGod, struggled very hard, vessel oGrace, working miracles, healings deliverance prophecy, many persuaded become monks, reposed 760; Catania; St Sabinus the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated October 15 ; Saint Sabinus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Catania (+ 760), Commemorated October 15; of his many virtues, the blessed Sabinus was ordained Bishop of Catania. some time, due to the commotion that comes with the office, he withdrew into the wilderness to be alone with God. he struggled very hard in the ascetic life, and in turn was made worthy of becoming a vessel of grace through the working of miracles. healed sicknesses and diseases, banished demons from the possessed, and foretold the future. benefited many, they were persuaded by his teachings to leave the world and their parents, and become monastics for the love of Christ. reposed in peace in the year 760.

Constantinople, 765, Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), guardian of Blood of Christ, which came from stabbed Icon
Croatia, 765, Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), guardian of Blood of Christ, which came from stabbed Icon; Dalmatia; Stridon or Strido; Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Commemorated on September 10; Barypsabas of Dalmatia was a hermit and a Martyr, guardian of the blood of Christ. to one source, a righteous man named Jacob, who was present at the crucifixion of the Savior, blood and water from the Lord’s side in a vessel made from a gourd. order to conceal the holy object from wicked men, Jacob filled the vessel with oil; and from its contents many healings and miracles took place. Jacob’s death, the vessel passed to two hermits. of them, before his death, gave the vessel to Barypsabas, perhaps to the Syrians, who later fought in the area of ​​Kattara Sukhrei (Σουχρεῶν), in Persia. his martyrdom in the second century, Saint Barypsabas gave the vessel to his disciple. author of the Life of Saint Barypsabas, published in Acta Sanctorum (BHG, No. 238), is unknown. story of those who shed the Savior's blood appears in the MENOLOGION of Basil II (X century), also mentions the martyrdom of Saint Barypsabas. villains, who heard about the miracles and healings from the hidden vessel containing the blood of Christ, decided to seize the vessel and use it for mercenary purposes. attacking Barypsabas during the night, they killed him, but they did not find what they were looking for in the vessel. to Saint Νikόdēmos the Hagiorite, the vessel, of which Barysabas was the guardian, did not contain the actual blood and water which flowed from Christ's side, but rather from an icon of Christ, when some Jews stabbed His side on the icon. legend of the "Miracle in Berite" (BHG, No. 780) is attributed to Saint Athanasios the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria. according to the Roman Martyrology, this miracle occurred in 765. The blood from the icon of the Savior in Berite was transferred to Constantinople in the X century, during the reign of Emperor John Tzimiskes.

Constantinople, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, on the Black Sea, example of God-pleasing
Armenia, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, Armenia, on the Black Sea; Amastridia; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; George was born at Kromne near Amastris in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea in 750. He was the son of pious parents, Theodosios and Megethousa. completing his primary studies in his homeland, he left for the mountain of Syrikes or Serikes. There he found an old ascetic who taught him about the solitary life and tonsured him. the repose of his Elder, George went to Vonitsa in Akarnania, where he continued his ascetical struggles. 788, the Bishop of Amastris fell asleep in the Lord, and the Church rewarded George's virtues. Against his will, he was elected as the Bishop of that city, but in the end he submitted to this as God's will. He was consecrated at Constantinople by Patriarch Tarasios (February 25). his return to Amastris, Saint George was like a lamp which is not placed under a bushel, but put on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all those in the house (Matthew 5:15). He instructed his flock, he beautified several churches, defended widows and orphans, and fed the poor. In all things, he was an example of a God-pleasing life. the power of his prayers he drove away the Saracens who were ravaging the countryside near Amastris. He also rescued some Amastrian merchants who had been wrongfully condemned to death in the city of Trebizond. also composed several Canons in honor of the Saints, which are sung on February 7 and 26; April 13; August 1; October 8, etc. George went to the Lord peacefully in 805, during the reign of Emperor Nikēphoros I, after shepherding the flock which had been entrusted to him by Christ in a God-pleasing manner. He performed many miracles, both during his lifetime, and after his blessed repose. Slavic usage, Saint George is commemorated on February 21. In Greek usage he is commemorated on October 25.

Constantinople, 770-805, George oAmastris, learned solitary life fOld ascetic, Bishop, miracles before after death, God pleasing
Armenia, 770-805, George, Bishop oAmastris, Pontus, fKromne near Amastris, Paphlagonia on Black Sea, pious parents, after primary studies, tSyrikes Mt, learned solitary life fOld ascetic, tonsured, after his death tVonitsa iAkarnania, 788 became Bishop oAmastris, against his will, but submitted, consecrated aConstantinople, patrarch Tarasios, returned, like lamp not placed under bushel, on a lampstand, instructed, beautified churches, defended widows and orphans, fed poor, God-pleasing example iAll things, by prayer drove Saracens, composed canons, died peacefully 805, preformed many miracles before and after death ; Amastridia; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; George was born at Kromne near Amastris in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea in 750. was the son of pious parents, Theodosios and Megethousa. completing his primary studies in his homeland, he left for the mountain of Syrikēs, or Sērikḗs (Συρίκης ή Σηρικής). he found an old ascetic who taught him about the solitary life and tonsured him. the repose of his Elder, George went to Vonitsa in Akarnania, where he continued his ascetical struggles. 788, the Bishop of Amastris fell asleep in the Lord, and the Church rewarded George's virtues. his will, he was elected as the Bishop of that city, but in the end he submitted to this as God's will. was consecrated at Constantinople by Patriarch Tarasios (February 25). his return to Amastris, Saint George was like a lamp which is not placed under a bushel, but put on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all those in the house (Matthew 5:15). instructed his flock, he beautified several churches, defended widows and orphans, and fed the poor. all things, he was an example of a God-pleasing life. the power of his prayers he drove away the Saracens who were ravaging the countryside near Amastris. also rescued some Amastrian merchants who had been wrongfully condemned to death in the city of Trebizond. also composed several Canons in honor of the Saints, which are sung on February 7 and 26; April 13; August 1; October 8, etc. George went to the Lord peacefully in 805, during the reign of Emperor Nikēphoros I, shepherding the flock which had been entrusted to him by Christ in a God-pleasing manner. performed many miracles, both during his lifetime, and after his blessed repose. Slavic usage, Saint George is commemorated on February 21. Greek usage he is commemorated on October 25.

Constantinople, 770-807, Tarasius, Archbishop oConstantinople, accepted on condition 7th EC Nicea, presided, fIcons, Miracles
Constantinople, 770-807, Tarasius, Archbishop oConstantinople, of illustrious lineage, fine ed, rapidly promoted, senator, iconoclast disturbances time, Paul repented of iconolcasm resigned and suggested Tarasois best to replace him, only a layman, refused long time, accepted on condition of new EC, all clerical ranks iShort time, 784 new partiarch, 787 presided over EC, 387 Bishops there, confirmed veneration icons, bishops repented of iconoclasm, received by the Church, governed Church 22 yrs, strict ascetic life, gave money god pleasing ends, feeding comfort aged, impoverished, widows, orphans, served them on Pentecost, problem with Emperor trying to marry his kin by slandering his wife so he could have her sent to monastery, T refused to dossolve marriage, Emperor deposed by his Emperess mother, T died 806, before death devils examined his life, could not get him to admit sins he did not commit, you have no power over me at all, buried his monastery on Bosphorus Strait, many miracles there at his tomb; Constantinople; ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople was of illustrious lineage. was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a fine education. was rapidly promoted at the court of the emperor Constantine VI Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and Constantine’s mother, the holy Empress Irene (August 7), the saint attained the rank of senator. these times the Church was agitated by the turmoil of the Iconoclast disturbances. holy Patriarch Paul (August 30) although he had formerly supported Iconoclasm, repented and resigned his office. withdrew to a monastery, where he took the schema. the holy Empress Irene and her son the emperor came to him, Paul told them that the most worthy successor to him would be Saint Tarasius (who at this time was still a layman). refused for a long time, not considering himself worthy of such high office, he then gave in to the common accord on the condition, an Ecumenical Council be convened to address the Iconoclast heresy. through all the clerical ranks in a short while, Tarasius was elevated to the patriarchal throne in the year 784. the year 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea, Patriarch Tarasius presiding, and 367 bishops attending. veneration of holy icons was confirmed at the council. bishops who repented of their iconoclasm, were again received by the Church. Tarasius wisely governed the Church for twenty-two years. led a strict ascetic life. spent all his money on God-pleasing ends, and giving comfort to the aged, to the impoverished, to widows and orphans, and on Holy Pascha he set out a meal for them, and he served them himself. holy Patriarch fearlessly denounced the emperor Constantine Porphyrigenitos when he slandered his spouse, the empress Maria, the granddaughter of Saint Philaretos the Merciful (December 1), that he could send Maria to a monastery, thus freeing him to marry his own kinswoman. Tarasius resolutely refused to dissolve the marriage of the emperor, for which the saint fell into disgrace. however, Constantine was deposed by his own mother, the Empress Irene. Tarasius died in the year 806. his death, devils examined his life from the time of his youth, they tried to get the saint to admit to sins that he had not committed. “I am innocent of that of which you accuse me,” replied the saint, “and you falsely slander me. You have no power over me at all.” by the Church, the saint was buried in a monastery he built on the Bosphorus. miracles took place at his tomb.

Constantinople, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75
Constantinople, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Evarestus, a native of Galatia, was the son of illustrious parents. his youth he longed for the monastic life, and in particular he loved to read the books of Saint Ephraim the Syrian. went to the Studion monastery, pursuing asceticism in strict fasting, vigil and prayer, and wearing iron chains. He departed to the Lord at age 75 in the year 825.

Constantinople, 770-816, Gregory of Decapolis, wandering, iconodule, prophet wonderwork, m relics, in Romania
Lykaonia, 770-816, Gregory of Decapolis, Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities, Lykaonia), to avoid marriage spent life wandering, preaching, denouncing iconoclast, prophecy wonderworking, miraculous relics, now in Romania; Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities); Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Gregory the Decapolite was born in the Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities) in the eighth century. his childhood he loved the temple of God and church services. He read the Holy Scripture constantly and with reverence. order to avoid the marriage which his parents had intended for him, he secretly left home. spent all his life wandering: he was in Constantinople, Rome, Corinth, and he lived as an ascetic on Olympus for a while. Gregory preached the Word of God everywhere, denouncing the Iconoclast heresy, strengthening the faith and fortitude of the Orthodox, whom the heretics in those times oppressed, tortured and imprisoned. his ascetic effort and prayer, Saint Gregory attained the gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. overcoming the passions and reaching the height of virtue, he was permitted to hear angelic singing in praise of the Holy Trinity. Gregory left the monastery of Saint Menas near Thessalonica, where he had labored for a long time, and he went again to Constantinople in order to combat the Iconoclast heresy. the capital, a grievous illness undermined his strength, and he departed to the Lord in the year 816. Gregory was buried at a monastery in Constantinople, and many miracles took place at his tomb. As a result, the monks removed the holy relics of Saint Gregory and enshrined them in the church where people could venerate them. Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the relics of Saint Gregory were carried to the region of the Danube by a Turkish official. 1498 Barbu Craiovescu, the Ban of the Romanian Land (Wallachia) heard of the miracles performed by the holy relics and bought them for a considerable sum of money. Craiovescu placed the relics in the main church of Bistritsa Monastery which he founded in Rimnicu Vilcea, where they remain to the present day. small book describing the miracles and healings performed by Saint Gregory the Decapolite in Romania has been written by Abbess Olga Gologan, who reposed in 1972. Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; John was born at the end of the eighth century. a young age he became a disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis (November 20) and accepted monastic tonsure from him at a monastery in Thessalonica. the guidance of this experienced teacher, Saint John attained great spiritual perfection. the emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) renewed the persecution against Orthodox Christians because they venerated the holy icons, Saint Gregory of Decapolis and Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) and his disciple Saint John went from Thessalonica to Constantinople, to raise opposition to the Iconoclast heresy. spite of persecution, Saints Gregory and John fearlessly defended Orthodoxy for several years, and preached the veneration of icons. many hardships Saint Gregory died (around 820), and soon after, his faithful disciple John also departed to the Lord. Joseph the Hymnographer transferred the relics of Saints Gregory and John and placed them in the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Constantinople, 770-816, Gregory of Dekapolis, notable for his miracle-working and his Byzantine world travels
Constantinople Saint, 797-842, Gregory of Dekapolis; Gregory of Dekapolis or Gregory Dekapolites (before 797 - 20 November 842 or earlier) was a 9th-century Byzantine monk, notable for his miracle-working and his travels across the Byzantine world. He is known as "the New Miracle-Worker", and his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church[3] is on November 20.[1][2] Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Constantinople, 772-846, Joannicius, no ed, all day prayer, cross over cattle, military, seclusion, levitation, invisible
Bithynia, 772-846, Saint, Joannicius The Great; St. Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4; Joannicius the Great was born in Bithynia in the year 752 in the village of Marikat. His parents were destitute and could not provide him even the basics of an education. From childhood he had to tend the family cattle, their sole wealth. for God and prayer completely dominated the soul of the child Joannicius. Often, having shielded the herd with the Sign of the Cross, he went to a secluded place and spent the whole day praying, and neither thieves nor wild beasts came near his herd. order of the emperor Leo IV (775-780), a multitude of officials went through the cities and towns to draft young men for military service. Young Joannicius was also drafted into the imperial army. earned the respect of his fellow soldiers for his good disposition, but he was also a brave soldier who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. Joannicius served in the imperial army for six years. More than once he was rewarded by his commanders and the emperor. But military service weighed heavily on him; his soul thirsted for spiritual deeds and solitude. Joannicius, having renounced the world, longed to go at once into the wilderness. However, on the advice of an Elder experienced in monastic life, he spent a further two years at the monastery. Here the saint became accustomed to monastic obedience, to monastic rules and practices. He studied reading and writing, and he learned thirty Psalms of David by heart. this, commanded by God to go to a certain mountain, the monk withdrew into the wilderness. For three years he remained in deep solitude in the wilderness, and only once a month a shepherd brought him some bread and water. The ascetic spent day and night in prayer and psalmody. After each verse of singing the Psalms Saint Joannicius made a prayer, which the Orthodox Church keeps to this day in a somewhat altered form, “The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my protection.” chance, he encountered some of his former companions from military service. The saint fled the wilderness and withdrew to Mount Kountourea to hide himself from everyone. after twelve years of ascetic life did the hermit accept monastic tonsure. The saint spent three years in seclusion after being tonsured. Then he went to a place called Chelidon to see the great ascetic Saint George (February 21). The ascetics spent three years together. During this time Saint Joannicius learned the entire Psalter by heart. As he grew older, Saint Joannicius settled in the Antidiev monastery and dwelt there in seclusion until his death. Joannicius spent seventy years in ascetic deeds and attained to a high degree of spiritual perfection. Through the mercy of God the saint acquired the gift of prophecy, as his disciple Pachomius has related. The Elder also levitated above the ground when he prayed. Once, he crossed a river flooded to overflowing. The saint could make himself invisible for people and make others also hidden from sight. Saint Joannicius led Greek captives out of prison under the very eyes of the guards. Poison and fire, with which the envious wanted to destroy the saint, did him no harm, and predatory beasts did not touch him. He freed the island of Thasos from a multitude of snakes. Saint Joannicius also saved a young nun who was preparing to leave the monastery to marry; he took upon himself the agonized maiden’s suffering of passion, and by fasting and prayer, he overcame the seductive assault of the devil. his death, Saint Joannicius fell asleep in the Lord on November 4, 846, at the age of 94.

Byzantium, 775-780, Emperor, Leo IV the Khazar, Iconodule, Irene's husband, had TB
Byzantium, 775-780, Emperor Leo IV the Khazar ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 775-800, Theoctistus, Abbot&Founder Cucomo Monastery, Sicily, sheltered iconodule monks fIconoclast Emperors
Sicily, 775-800, Theoctistus, Abbot&Founder Cucomo Monastery, Sicily, sheltered iconodule monks fIconoclast Emperors, lived during iconoclast heresy, founder igumen Cucomo M Sicily, Orthodox persecuted bIconoclast Emperors, Churches closed, Icons desecrated&destroyed, because monks protected them expelled fMonasteries, Monasteries destroyed, T sheltered these monks aCucomo, 7th EC condemned Iconoclasts, but heresy continued, but Theodora at Council o842 finally condemned heresy; Cucomo, Sicily; Venerable Theoctistus, Abbot at Cucomo, in Sicily, Commemorated on January 4; Theoktistos lived in the second half of the eighth century, during a period of widespread iconoclastic heresy. Venerable one was the founder and Igoumen of Cucomo Monastery on the island of Sicily. that difficult time for the Church, the Orthodox were persecuted by iconoclastic Emperors. Orthodox churches were closed, and the Holy Icons were desecrated and destroyed. monks, in particular, were affected by the iconoclastic persecution because they protected the Holy Icons. The monks were expelled from their monasteries, which were destroyed, and they were forced to flee their homeland. Theoktistos sheltered these Greek monks in his monastery. Seventh Ecumenical Council, which was convened in 787, condemned the iconoclast heresy, but even after that, the heresy, supported by iconoclastic Emperors, continued to disturb the peace of the Church. in the reign of the Holy Empress Theodora, at the Council of 842, was iconoclasm finally condemned. Triumph of Orthodoxy was appointed to be celebrated every year on the first Sunday of Great Lent. Theoktistos did not live to see that Triumph, for he fell asleep in the Lord in the year 800. Theoktistos of Sicily should not be confused with Saint Theoktistos of Palestine (September 3), the companion of Saint Euthymios (January 20) in the ascetic life.

Constantinople, 775-785, Leo, Bishop oCatania, Sicily, famous fMany things including pulling sorcerer into fire until he burned
Sicily, 775-785, Leo, Bishop oCatania, Sicily, fRavenna, famed for benevolence, charity, christian love for the poor and wanderers, purity, spiritual life, protector oOrphans&widows, teaching, struggles against heretics, writings, healing people, working miracles, sorcerer Heliodoros deceived people wFraudulent miracles, once a christian but denied and became devil's servant, Leo urged him in vain, One time H entered tChurch to create a disturbance, Leo saw people beset by demons and knew this was the time for strong not meek action, he came out from Altar and tied his omophorion around H's neck, leading him out of the Church into City square, forced H confess wicked deeds, pulled him into a fire till he burned, Leo was not harmed, This miracle brought fame, honors, Leo reposed i785, grave healed woman oIssue oBlood, relics in Church oLucy he built then in church oSt Martin oTours in Rome; Catania; St Leo the Bishop of Catania in Sicily, Commemorated February 20; Leo was born in Ravenna, Italy, of pious and noble parents. was famed for his benevolence and charity, well as his Christian love for the poor and wanderers. completing his studies, he was ordained as a priest at Ravenna, later, because of his purity and his most spiritual life, he was consecrated as Bishop of Catania in Sicily. became the protector of orphans and widows, teaching and shepherding his flock. Saint was also distinguished for his struggles against heretics, whom he defeated and shamed, not only by his words, but also through his writings. Lord honored him with the charisms of healing people from various diseases, and of working miracles. Saint Leo's episcopate, there was a sorcerer named Heliódoros who lived in Catania and deceived people with his fraudulent miracles. was once a Christian, but then he denied the Savior and became a servant of the devil. Leo urged Heliódoros to refrain from his evil deeds and return to God, but all in vain. day Heliódoros audaciously entered the church where the bishop was performing the Divine Services, and tried to create a disturbance, sowing confusion and temptation with his sorcery. the people beset by demons under the sorcerer's spell, Saint Leo knew that the time for meek exhortation had passed. came out of the altar and tied his omophorion around the sorcerer's neck, leading him out of the church and into the city square. he forced Heliódoros to confess all his wicked deeds. he commanded that a fire be lit, and jumped into the flames with the sorcerer. they stood until Heliódoros was consumed by the fire. Leo, by God's grace, remained unharmed. miracle brought the Hierarch great renown during his lifetime, the Saint was invited to visit Constantinople by Emperors Leo IV (775 - 780) and Constantine VI (780 - 798), he received many honors. Leo reposed peacefully in 785. his death, a woman with an issue of blood received healing at his grave. Saint's body was placed in the church of the holy Martyr Lucy (December 13), which he himself had built. on, his relics were transferred to the church of Saint Martin, the Bishop of Tours (November 11) in Rome.

Constantinople, 778-826, Theodore tConfessor, Studite, to iconoclast emprrs, endured rejoicing, died oQueue, divine light&voice
Constantinople, 778-826, Theodore tConfessor, abbot oStudion Monastery, Constantinople, Iconoclast heresy, Emperor supported, his tax collector pa Photinus against, parents accepted monasticism, orator Theodore defended icons, debated heretics, 7th EC under emperess Irene rejected Iconoclasm, Mt Olympos ascetic uncle Platon summoned T&brothers t wilderness there, tSakkoudion, built church, monks came, Platon's Monastery, work fasting prayer, igumen priest, then Emperor C VI transgressed, excommunicated violating marriage, T exiled tThessalonica, but continued speak out, St Irene returned&freed T, Studion Igumen, Studite rule, letters, fiery church teacher, Nikephoros deposed Irene, restored excommunicated priest, T denounces him, tortured and exiled 2yrs, freed by Michael, N's death prophecied by T, M abdicates tIconoclast Leo tArmenian, banned Icon procession around S, death threat, exile tIllyria, Metopa Fortress, later Gorias, Anatolia prison, but he still fought heresy, endured rejoicing, sent tSmyrna, healed E' Leos nephew iconoclast commander, but later relapsed, to horrible death, Leo assinated, replaced by iconolcast Michael II tStammerer, who freed Orthodox, but prohibited icons in capital, The settles in Bithynia at Akrita, high place, daily litergy, forseeing end, ordered continue rule and sing departure cannon, died on queue, same hour in Dalmatia divine light voice (Jesus) announcing T's death, many miracles aDeath, his name delivers fFires, wild beasts, stomach ailments; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Theodore the Confessor, Abbot of the Studion was born in the year 758 at Constantinople into a family of the imperial tax-collector Photinus and his spouse Theoctiste, both pious Christians. Theodore received a good education from the best rhetoricians, philosophers and theologians in the capital city. this time the Iconoclast heresy had become widespread in the Byzantine Empire, and it was supported also by the impious emperor Constantine Kopronymos (741-775). views of the emperor and his court conflicted with the religious beliefs of Photinus, who was a fervent adherent of Orthodoxy, and so he left government service. Saint Theodore’s parents, by mutual consent, gave away their substance to the poor, took their leave of each other and accepted monastic tonsure. son Theodore soon became widely known in the capital for his participation of the numerous disputes concerning icon-veneration. Theodore was accomplished in oratory, and had a command of the terminology and logic of the philosophers, so he frequently debated with the heretics. His knowledge of Holy Scripture and Christian dogma was so profound that no one could get the better of him. Seventh Ecumenical Council put an end to dissension and brought peace to the Church under the empress Irene. The Ecumenical Council, as the highest authority in the life of the Church, forever condemned and rejected Iconoclasm. the Fathers of the Council was Saint Platon (April 5), an uncle of Saint Theodore, and who for a long time had lived the ascetic life on Mount Olympos. An Elder filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Saint Platon, at the conclusion of the Council, summoned his nephew Theodore and his brothers Joseph and Euthymius to the monastic life in the wilderness. leaving Constantinople, they went to Sakkoudion, not far from Olympos. The solitude and the beauty of the place, and its difficulty of access, met with the approval of the Elder and his nephews, and they decided to remain here. The brothers built a church dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, and gradually the number of monks began to increase. A monastery was formed, and Saint Platon was the igumen. Theodore’s life was truly ascetic. He toiled at heavy and dirty work. He strictly kept the fasts, and each day he confessed to his spiritual Father, the Elder Platon, revealing to him all his deeds and thoughts, carefully fulfilling all his counsels and instructions. made time for daily spiritual reflection, baring his soul to God. Untroubled by any earthly concern, he offered Him mystic worship. Saint Theodore unfailingly read the Holy Scripture and works of the holy Fathers, especially the works of Saint Basil the Great, which were like food for his soul. several years of monastic life, Saint Theodore was ordained a priest according to the will of his spiritual Father. When Saint Platon went to his rest, the brethren unanimously chose Saint Theodore as Igumen of the monastery. Unable to oppose the wish of his confessor, Saint Theodore accepted the choice of the brethren, but imposed upon himself still greater deeds of asceticism. He taught the others by the example of his own virtuous life and also by fervent fatherly instruction. the emperor transgressed against the Church’s canons, the events of outside life disturbed the tranquility in the monastic cells. Saint Theodore bravely distributed a letter to the other monasteries, in which he declared the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) excommunicated from the Church by his own actions for abusing the divine regulations concerning Christian marriage. Theodore and ten of his co-ascetics were sent into exile to the city of Thessalonica. But there also the accusing voice of the monk continued to speak out. her return to the throne in 796, Saint Irene freed Saint Theodore and made him igumen of the Studion monastery (dedicated to Saint John the Baptist) in Constantinople, in which there were only twelve monks. The saint soon restored and enlarged the monastery, attracting about 1,000 monks who wished to have him as their spiritual guide. Theodore composed a Rule of monastic life, called the “Studite Rule” to govern the monastery. Theodore also wrote many letters against the Iconoclasts. For his dogmatic works, and also for his Canons and Three-Ode Canons, Saint Theoctistus called Saint Theodore “a fiery teacher of the Church.” Nikēphóros seized the imperial throne, deposing the pious Empress Irene, he also violated Church regulations by restoring to the Church a previously excommunicated priest on his own authority. Saint Theodore again denounced the emperor. After torture, the monk was sent into exile once again, where he spent more than two years. Theodore was freed by the gentle and pious emperor Michael, who succeeded to the throne upon the death of Nikēphóros and his son Staurikios in a war against barbarians. death had been predicted by Saint Theodore for a long while. order to avert civil war, the emperor Michael abdicated the throne in favor of his military commander Leo the Armenian. new emperor proved to be an iconoclast. hierarchs and teachers of the Church attempted to reason with the impious emperor, but in vain. prohibited the veneration of holy icons and desecrated them. by such iniquity, Saint Theodore and the brethren made a religious procession around the monastery with icons raised high, singing of the troparion to the icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands (August 16). emperor angrily threatened the saint with death, but he continued to encourage believers in Orthodoxy. Then the emperor sentenced Saint Theodore and his disciple Nicholas to exile, at first in Illyria at the fortress of Metopa, and later in Anatolia at Bonias. But even from prison the confessor continued his struggle against heresy. by the executioners which the emperor sent to Bonias, deprived almost of food and drink, covered over with sores and barely alive, Theodore and Nicholas endured everything with prayer and thanksgiving to God. Smyrna, where they sent the martyrs from Bonias, Saint Theodore healed a military commander from a terrible illness. man was a nephew of the emperor and of one mind with him. Theodore told him to repent of his wicked deeds of Iconoclasm, and to embrace Orthodoxy. But the fellow later relapsed into heresy, and then died a horrible death. the Armenian was murdered by his own soldiers, and was replaced by the equally impious though tolerant emperor Michael II Traulos (the Stammerer). The new emperor freed all the Orthodox Fathers and confessors from prison, but he prohibited icon-veneration in the capital. Theodore did not want to return to Constantinople and so decided to settle in Bithynia on the promontory of Akrita, near the church of the holy Martyr Tryphon. spite of serious illness, Saint Theodore celebrated Divine Liturgy daily and instructed the brethren. his end, the saint summoned the brethren and bade them to preserve Orthodoxy, to venerate the holy icons and observe the monastic rule. he ordered the brethren to take candles and sing the Canon for the Departure of the Soul From the Body. before singing the words “I will never forget Thy statutes, for by them have I lived,” Saint Theodore fell asleep in the Lord, in the year 826. the same hour Saint Hilarion of Dalmatia (June 6) saw a vision of a heavenly light during the singing and the voice was heard, “This is the soul of Saint Theodore, who suffered even unto blood for the holy icons, which now departs unto the Lord.” Theodore worked many miracles during his life and after his death. Those invoking his name have been delivered from fires and from the attacks of wild beasts, and have received healing, thanks to God and to Saint Theodore the Studite. On January 26 we celebrate the transfer of the relics of Theodore the Studite from Cherson to Constantinople in the year 845. with stomach ailments entreat the help of Saint Theodore.

Constantinople, 779-830, Joseph, BoThessalonica, Bro oTheodore tStudite, both tortured&exiled fOrthodoxy, hymn&sermon writer
Constantinople, 779-830, Joseph, Bishop oThessalonica, Brother oTheodore tStudite, both ascetics at Sakkudion, they exiled to a barren island for opposing emperor Constantine VI unlawful marriage, freed by E Michael Rangabes, tortured&imprisoned by Iconoclast Leo V Armenian, freed by Iconodule Michael tStammerer, then lived aStudion final years, renowned hymnographer and sermon writer; The Studion Monestary ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11), together they pursued a life of asceticism under the guidance of Saint Platon (April 5) in the monastery at Sakkudion, Bithynia. of his ascetic life, Saint Joseph was unanimously chosen archbishop of the city of Thessalonica. and his brother opposed the unlawful marriage of the emperor Constantine VI (780-797), which he was tortured then banished to a barren island. emperor Michael Rangabes (811-813) freed Saint Joseph from imprisonment. the emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) the holy hierarch and his brother Saint Theodore suffered once more for their veneration of holy icons. they subjected him to torture, he remained steadfast in his faith. iconoclast emperor ordered him to sign the iconoclast confession of faith, and when he refused they threw him into an even more foul prison. the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) Saint Joseph was set free, together with other monks who had suffered for their veneration of icons. He spent his final years at the Studion Monastery, where he died in 830. Joseph is renowned as a hymnographer. He composed triodia for Holy Week, several stikhera of the LENTEN TRIODION, a Canon for the Sunday of Prodigal Son (which is filled with the spirit of profound repentance), and other hymns. wrote several sermons for feastdays, of which the best known is the Sermon on the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

Constantinople, 780-784, Patriarch, Paul tNew, timid, so associated wIconoclasts, then tried renew icon veneration, Iconodule
Constantinople, 780-784, Patriarch, Paul tNew, virtuous pious but timid, consealed his orthodoxy, associated wIconoclasts, after Leo he tried to restore icon veneraton but couldn't, Tarasius replaced him, he repented his association, he spoke of need for 7th EC against iconoclasts, died a schemamonk i804; Saint Paul the New, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Paul, by birth a Cypriot, became Patriarch of Constantinople (780-784) the reign of the Iconoclast Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), was a virtuous and pious, but timid man. the martyrdom which the Orthodox endured for the holy icons, the saint concealed his Orthodoxy and associated with the iconoclasts. the death of the emperor Leo, he wanted to restore icon veneration but was not able to accomplish this, since the iconoclasts were still quite powerful. saint realized that it was not in his power to guide the flock, and so he left the patriarchal throne and went secretly to the monastery of Saint Florus, where he took the schema. repented of his silence and association with the iconoclasts and spoke of the necessity for convening the Seventh Ecumenical Council to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. his advice, Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen to the patriarchal throne. At that time, he was a prominent imperial counselor. The saint died as a schemamonk in the year 804.

Constantinople, 780-818, Saint Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Iconodule
Byzantium, 780-818, Saint Theophanes the Confessor, Iconodule; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12;

Byzantium, 780-797, Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast, short reign, blinded by mother
Byzantium, 780-797, Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast ; VI (Greek: ÎšÏ‰Î½ÏƒÏ„Î±Î½Ï„á¿–Î½Î¿Ï‚ ÏšÎ„, KÅnstantinos VI; 771 – before 805[1]) was Byzantine Emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded him as sole Emperor in 780, aged nine. His mother Irene exercised control over him as regent until 790, assisted by her chief minister Staurakios. The regency ended when Constantine reached maturity, but Irene sought to continue her participation in government. After a few years of sole rule Constantine named his mother Empress in 792, making her his official colleague. Constantine suffered military defeats and made controversial decisions, such as illicitly marrying his mistress, Theodote. Taking advantage of her son's unpopularity, Irene had Constantine deposed, blinded and imprisoned in 797 and seized power for herself, becoming the first Empress regnant of the Empire. Constantine likely died shortly thereafter. Constantine VI was the final ruler to be universally recognized as Roman emperor, being recognized as such by both the Empire which he ruled in the east, the papacy and the Western European powers over which the pope held suzerainty. With his mother becoming Empress regnant upon his deposition, the papacy crowned Charlemagne as a new Emperor in Western Europe, asserting that a woman could not be Empress in her own right. This laid the foundations of a new polity, independent of the East, that would evolve into the Holy Roman Empire.[2] Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on October 16 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Byzantium, 780-802, Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule, mother of Constantine VI
Byzantium, 780-802, Byzantine Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule; of Athens (Greek: Î•á¼°ÏÎ®Î½Î· á¼¡ á¼ˆÎ¸Î·Î½Î±Î¯Î±, Eirénē Ä“ AthÄ“naÃa; c. 752 – 9 August 803), surnamed Sarantapechaina (Î£Î±ÏÎ±Î½Ï„Î±Ï€Î®Ï‡Î±Î¹Î½Î±), was Byzantine empress by marriage to Emperor Leo IV from 775 to 780, regent during the minority of their son Constantine VI from 780 until 790, co-regent from 792 until 797, and finally sole ruler and first empress regnant of the Byzantine Empire from 797 to 802. A member of the politically prominent Sarantapechos family, she was selected as Leo IV's bride for unknown reasons in 768. Even though her husband was an iconoclast, she harbored iconophile sympathies. During her rule as regent, she called the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, which condemned iconoclasm as heretical and brought an end to the first iconoclast period (730–787). As Irene's son Constantine reached maturity, he began to move out from under the influence of his mother. In the early 790s, several revolts tried to proclaim him as sole ruler. One of these revolts succeeded, but in 792, Irene was re-established in all imperial powers as co-ruler with Constantine. In 797, Irene organized a conspiracy in which her supporters gouged out her son's eyes, maiming him severely. He was imprisoned and probably died shortly afterwards. With him out of the way, Irene proclaimed herself sole ruler. Irene's alleged unprecedented status as a female ruler of the Roman Empire led Pope Leo III to proclaim Charlemagne emperor of the Holy Roman Empire on Christmas Day of 800 under the pretext that a woman could not rule and so the throne of the Roman Empire was actually vacant. A revolt in 802 overthrew Irene and exiled her to the island of Lesbos, supplanting her on the throne with Nikephoros I. Irene died in exile less than a year later. Byzantium, 780-797, Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VI, Iconoclast ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on October 16 ; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds
Crete, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Jerusalem, persecuted by jews, to rome monastery, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds; Crete; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; Gregory of Akrita was born on the island of Crete in the year 760, and was raised by pious parents. At this time the iconoclast heretics persecuted the Orthodox. The youth Gregory, wanting to preserve his Orthodox Faith, went to Seleukia and led a life of piety. the age of twenty, Saint Gregory went to Jerusalem and lived there for twelve years, enduring fierce persecution from the Jews. From there Saint Gregory journeyed to Rome, where he entered a monastery. He became acquainted with Saint Michael, Bishop of Synnada (May 23), who took him along and settled in a monastery on the Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora). The saint accomplished great ascetic deeds and died there around the year 820.

Constantinople, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E
Ephesus, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E; Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis, during the period of the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and the empress Irene (797-802), was chosen Bishop of Sardis because of his virtuous life. was also present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), at which he denounced the Iconoclast heresy. the Iconoclast emperor Nikephoros I (802-811) came to rule, Saint Euthymius and other Orthodox hierarchs were banished to the island of Patalareia, where they languished for a long time. from exile by the emperor Leo V (813-820), the bishop boldly denounced the Iconoclast heresy, and they sent him into exile to the city of Assia. next emperor, Michael II the Stammerer (820-829), attempted to make him renounce icon-veneration, but without success. the holy martyr was flogged and banished to the island of Crete. was succeeded on the throne by the Iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842), on whose order Saint Euthymius was subjected to cruel tortures: they stretched him on four poles and beat him with ox thongs. Saint Euthymius fell asleep in the Lord several days after the torture. Saint Euthymius is also commemorated on March 8.

Constantinople, 784, Theophilus the New, Senator&Commander from Constantinople, captive by Arabs, imprisoned&beheaded on Cyprus Island
Cyprus; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Holy Martyr Theophilus the New was born and raised in Constantinople. was a commander of the Greek armies and a senator. a time of war with enemies of the Byzantine Empire, Saint Theophilus was taken captive. Arabs demanded he renounce Christ, but he remained faithful to Orthodoxy. Theophilus was imprisoned on Cyprus, where he spent four years, which he was beheaded in the year 784.

Constantinople, 784-806, Patriarch, Tarasios of Constantinople, Iconoclast-dule
Constantinople, 784-806, Patriarch, Tarasios of Constantinople; St. George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Saint Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople was of illustrious lineage. He was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a fine education. He was rapidly promoted at the court of the emperor Constantine VI Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and Constantine’s mother, the holy Empress Irene (August 7), and the saint attained the rank of senator. these times the Church was agitated by the turmoil of the Iconoclast disturbances. The holy Patriarch Paul (August 30) although he had formerly supported Iconoclasm, later repented and resigned his office. He withdrew to a monastery, where he took the schema. When the holy Empress Irene and her son the emperor came to him, Saint Paul told them that the most worthy successor to him would be Saint Tarasius (who at this time was still a layman). refused for a long time, not considering himself worthy of such high office, but he then gave in to the common accord on the condition, that an Ecumenical Council be convened to address the Iconoclast heresy. through all the clerical ranks in a short while, Saint Tarasius was elevated to the patriarchal throne in the year 784. In the year 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea, with Patriarch Tarasius presiding, and 367 bishops attending. The veneration of holy icons was confirmed at the council. Those bishops who repented of their iconoclasm, were again received by the Church. Tarasius wisely governed the Church for twenty-two years. He led a strict ascetic life. He spent all his money on God-pleasing ends, feeding and giving comfort to the aged, to the impoverished, to widows and orphans, and on Holy Pascha he set out a meal for them, and he served them himself. holy Patriarch fearlessly denounced the emperor Constantine Porphyrigenitos when he slandered his spouse, the empress Maria, the granddaughter of Saint Philaretos the Merciful (December 1), so that he could send Maria to a monastery, thus freeing him to marry his own kinswoman. Saint Tarasius resolutely refused to dissolve the marriage of the emperor, for which the saint fell into disgrace. Soon, however, Constantine was deposed by his own mother, the Empress Irene. Tarasius died in the year 806. Before his death, devils examined his life from the time of his youth, and they tried to get the saint to admit to sins that he had not committed. “I am innocent of that of which you accuse me,â€ replied the saint, “and you falsely slander me. You have no power over me at all.â€ by the Church, the saint was buried in a monastery he built on the Bosphorus. Many miracles took place at his tomb. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Constantinople, 787, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret: At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (in 787), Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account of Saint Athanasius about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beret, Phoenecia. this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed of the image of Jesus Christ on the wall and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law. Jews expelled the owner of the house from the synagogue. took the icon from the wall and began to scoff at it, “As once our fathers mocked Him, so we also mock Him.” They spit at the face of the Lord. Hurling abuses, they lashed at the icon, they placed thorns around the head, nailed it to a tree, and put a sponge with vinegar to the mouth. Finally, they took a spear, and one of the Jews thrust it into the side of the Savior. from the hole in the icon made by the spear, blood and water flowed. The Jewish rabbis, seeing the miracle, said, “The followers of Jesus Christ say that He could heal the sick. Let us take this blood and water into the synagogue and anoint those afflicted with infirmities. Then we shall see whether what is spoken of Him is true.” vessel with the blood was put in the synagogue. The inhabitants of Beret, once they learned of the miracle, began to bring those suffering from various illnesses into the synagogue. all were healed, after being anointed with the blood from the icon of the Savior. the Jewish people believed in Christ and exclaimed, “Glory to You, O Christ, Whom our fathers crucified, Whom we also crucified in the form of Your icon. Glory to You, O Son of God, for having worked such a miracle! We believe in You, therefore be merciful to us and receive us!” Jews went to the Bishop of Beret. After showing him the wonderworking icon and the blood and water that flowed from it, they told him of their misdeed. The bishop, seeing their sincere repentance, accepted them, catechized them for many days and then baptized them. he consecrated the synagogue into a church of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jews, he also consecrated other synagogues into churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. There was great joy in that city, not only because many people were healed, but because many were baptized due to the miracles worked by the icon of the Savior. St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Constantinople, 787, Armatian Icon, deliverance from iconoclast heresy 787 Ecumenical Council
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatias, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491). celebration of the wonderworking icon was established to commemorate deliverance from the Iconoclast heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 drew up dogmatic definitions about icon veneration based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. Armatia Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated twice during the year, on July 21 and August 17.

Constantinople, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia, for Icons
Byzantine Empire, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated on September 3; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated December 26 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem (Spiritual Meadow), Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11;

Constantinople, 787 and 553, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Pisidia Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by miracles in the city of Sozopolis, but its origin is unknown. Saint Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12), mentions “the icon of the All-Pure Virgin Mother of God at Pisidian Sozopolis” in his letters on the veneration of icons which were read at the Seventh Ecumenical Council. He said that “myrrh flowed from the hands,” and described the icon as “ancient.” miracles of the icon date back to the sixth century. One of the miracles was reported by the presbyter Eustathius, who was a contemporary of Patriarch Eutychius (April 6). At Amasea, near Sozopolis, there was a certain married couple, whose children were all stillborn. Grieving over their misfortune, they turned to Patriarch Eutychius for advice. Saint Eutychius prayed and anointed them with holy oil from the Cross of the Lord and from the holy icon of the Mother of God saying, “In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Name your child Peter, and he will live,” he said to them. Soon the couple gave birth to a son whom they did indeed name Peter. Later, they had a second son, whom they named John. The people of the city glorified God when they heard of this miracle. about 600 years myrrh flowed from the Pisidian Icon of the Mother of God – Eleusius, a disciple of Saint Theodore the Sykeote (April 22), was a witness to this. A copy of this ancient wonderworking icon was made in Russia in 1608, at Moscow’s Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery. The Mother of God is depicted with the Divine Infant on Her left arm, and with Her right hand She gives a blessing. St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Constantinople, 787-820, Emilian, Confessor, Bishop oCyzikus, told Emperor veneration question only for Church spiritual leaders
Constantinople, 787-820, Emilian, Confessor, Bishop oCyzikus(Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople), suffered during Leo tArmenian, bishops ordered stop teaching icon veneration, he told Emperor veneration question only for Church spiritual leaders, not imperial court, banished 5yrs, died 820, recieved crown fDefending icons; Cyzicus St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Holy Confessor Emilian (Amilianos), the Bishop of Kyzikos, Bishop Nicholas, remained in his See from 787 - 815. Emilian suffered many afflictions and sorrows during the reign of the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). and other bishops were summoned to the Emperor's tribunal, Leo ordered the bishops to refrain from teaching their flocks to venerate the Holy Icons. Emilian told the Emperor that the question of venerating icons ought to be discussed and decided only within the Church, by its spiritual leaders, not at the imperial court. this time he continued to strengthen his flock by his own example and his unwavering confession of the true Faith. the year 815 the Hierarch was banished for five years, much pain and humiliation for the sake of Christ. Emilian went to the Lord in the year 820, received an unfading crown of glory for his defense of the Holy Icons.

Constantinople, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery, Haragenes seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion
Armenia, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia, Haragenes (Saracens) seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion, beheaded; Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia; Martyr Michael, Abbot in Armenia, and 36 Fathers with him, Commemorated on October 1; Monastic Martyr Michael was the Igoumen of Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia. he labored in asceticism with thirty-six other monks at the end of the VIII century, the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI and his mother Empress Irene. the land was invaded by the Hagarenes (Saracens). Alim seized the Monastery and tried to persuade the monks to to deny Christ and convert to Mohammedanism. However, strengthened from above, the Holy Fathers paid no attention to the words of the infidels. in the midst of his monks, Saint Michael encouraged them to face death courageously for the sake of Christ. the monks were beheaded with swords, and then Saint Michael was tortured and beheaded. Thus, they all received crowns of glory from Christ around the year 790.

Constantinople, 795-845, Saints Theophanes the Branded, Iconodule
Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theophanes the Branded, Iconodule; Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules; St. Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Theodore Graptus, the branded,Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4;

Constantinople, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules
Byzantium, 795-845, Saints Theodorus and Theophanes, Iconodules; St. Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded," Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4;

Byzantium, 797-802, Empress, Irene of Athens, Iconodule, first woman E-ship elevated Charlemagne
Byzantium, 797-802, Byzantine Empress Irene of Athens, Iconodule ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; The Venerable Anthusa of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 797-828, Nikephoros tConfessor, Patriarch oConstantinople, pious monastic iconodule, exiled, 3Writings
Constantinople, 797-828, Nikephoros tConfessor, Patriarch oConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), Empress Irene dignitary, Pious Monastic Ascetic, Patriarch 1806, exiled 815 bLeo tArmenian, tProkonnis, 3 iconodule writings ; Constantinople; Saint Nikēphóros the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 2; Nikephoros was a dignitary at the court of the Empress Irene (797-802). embracing monasticism, he became widely known for his piety. assumed the Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople in 806 and became a zealous defender of the holy Icons. 815, the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) exiled him to Prokonnis, where he fell asleep in the Lord in 828. Nikēphóros left behind three writings against Iconoclasm. 846, the relics of Patriarch Nikephoros were returned to Constantinople and placed in the Great Church of Hagia Sophia for one day before being transferred to and enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles.

Constantinople, 800-899, Folder, 9th Century, Iconoclasts, Iconodules

Constantinople, 801-833, Boyan or Enravota, Bulgarian Saint, converted by Byzantine captive (Kinamon) first Bulgarian Saint
Bulgaria, 800-833, Bulgarian Saint, Boyan or Enravota; Enravota or Boyan was the eldest son of Omurtag of Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian Christian martyr, as well as the earliest Bulgarian saint to be canonized. in the early 9th century, Enravota was the elder brother of Malamir of Bulgaria, who succeeded their father Omurtag to the Bulgarian throne in 831. was possibly deprived of the throne because he favoured Christianity, which the boyars feared might endanger the court. long after the death of Omurtag, Enravota asked his brother to release a pious Byzantine captive who had been imprisoned by Omurtag. The captive's sermons persuaded Enravota to convert to Christianity and be baptized. informed of his brother's deeds, Malamir attempted to make him renounce Christianity, but did not succeed. Enravota was killed on the order of Malamir, around 833. 11th-century chronicler Theophylact of Bulgaria claimed he delivered the following prophetic speech before his death: faith, which I now die for, will spread and increase across the whole Bulgarian land, although you may wish to oppress it with my death. In any case, the Sign of Christ will establish itself and churches of God will be built everywhere and pure priests will serve the pure God and will deliver "sacrifice of praise and confession" to the invigorating Trinity. Idols, and priests as well, and their ungodly temples, will crumble and will turn into nothing, as if they had not existed. Besides, you alone (to Malamir), after many years, will cast away your ungodly soul without receiving anything in reward for your cruelty. In the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Enravota's feast day is 28 March. Bulgarian Tsar, 852-889, Boris I ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St. Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Constantinople, 801-833, Boyan or Enravota, death sentence fBro Malomir (Vladimir), Fulfilled prophecy Christian Bulgarian Land
Bulgaria, 801-833, Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, bro Malomir (Vladimir) ascended Tzar, free Kinamon, K converts B, ascetic, M demands renounce, B despises idols, death sentence, prophecy Christian Bulgarian Land & death overtake you, so prophecy fulfilled when Presian son Boris christianized Bulgaria; Plisk; Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; Holy Martyr Boyan, Prince of Bulgaria, suffered for Christ around the year 830. his pagan brother Malomir [Vladimir] ascended the Bulgarian throne, Prince Boyan asked him to free the learned Christian Kinamon, who had been in prison for a long time for refusing to participate in pagan sacrifices under Prince Obrit (Krutogon), Prince Malomir’s predecessor. consented and gave Kinamon to Prince Boyan as a slave. spoke to Boyan about Christianity, telling him of the errors of paganism and that belief in Christ is necessary for salvation. At the end of their conversation he told the prince, “Without Jesus Christ there is no light for the mind, no life for the soul. He alone is the Teacher of mankind and our Savior. By His death, He has reconciled fallen mankind with God. If you do not wish to perish, believe in the Lord Jesus.” Boyan recognized the truth of his words, and was inspired to ask for Baptism. newly-converted prince was filled with a love of prayer, fasting and contemplation of God. learning about the conversion of his brother to Christianity, demanded that he renounce the Christian Faith and return to paganism. Instead, the holy Prince Boyan answered, “I despise the pagan idols and I revere Christ, the true God. No one shall separate me from the love of Christ.” Malomir, hearing his brother’s reply, sentenced him to death. his martyric death, the holy martyr-prince declared: “The faith for which I now die will spread throughout the Bulgarian land. You vainly imagine that you will stop it by killing me. Temples to the true God will be built, and priests will offer Him true worship. The idols and their foul sacrifices, however, will vanish.” Then he said to his brother Malomir, “You will gain nothing from your cruelty, and death will soon overtake you.” holy martyr was killed by the sword, and his predictions to his brother were the first to be fulfilled. Malomir soon died, and since he had no heir, his elder brother Presian (836-852) succeeded to the throne. Prince Presian’s son, the holy Prince Boris, in holy Baptism Michael (May 2) later Christianized the Bulgarian nation. Thus the prophecy of the holy Martyr Prince Boyan was fulfilled.

Byzantium, 802-811, Emperor, Nicephorus, Iconoclast, Irene's finance m. led coup
Byzantine Emperor 802-811, Nicephorus ; I or Nicephorus I (“ 750 -26 July 811) was Byzantine Emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska. Prior to his accession, he had served as genikos logothetÄ“s, whence he is sometimes surnamed the Logothete and Genikos or Genicus. Syriac sources such as Michael the Syrian and Arabic ones like al-Tabari and Mas'udi hold that the emperor was of a Ghassanid Arab origin.[1][2][3] Byzantine chronicles, however, although generally hostile to him, make no explicit mention about his ethnic background.[1] On the other hand, al-Tabari claims that he learned of Nikephoros' Arab origins from Byzantine sources.[4] Some scholars, like Paul Julius Alexander, accept al-Tabari's account, citing a Byzantine apocalyptic text in which the emperor is said to be "from the race of Gopsin".[5] The word "Gopsin" could be a Greek rendering of the name "Ghassan", or the name "Gafna", the eponym of the Ghassanids.[6] The Byzantine Empire at the beginning of the reign of Nikephoros I, in 802 AD. patrician from Seleucia Sidera, Nikephoros was appointed finance minister (logothetÄ“s tou genikou) by the Empress Irene. With the help of the patricians and eunuchs he contrived to dethrone and exile Irene, and to be chosen as Emperor in her stead on 31 October 802. He crowned his son Staurakios co-emperor in 803. rule was endangered by Bardanes Tourkos, one of his ablest generals, who revolted and received support from other commanders, notably the later emperors Leo V the Armenian and Michael II the Amorian in 803. Nikephoros gained over the latter two, and by inducing the rebel army to disperse achieved the submission of Bardanes, who was blinded and relegated to a monastery. A conspiracy headed by the patrician Arsaber had a similar result. embarked on a general reorganization of the Roman Empire, creating new themes in the Balkans (where he initiated the re-Hellenization by resettling Greeks from Anatolia) and strengthening the frontiers. Needing large sums to increase his military forces, he set himself with great energy to increase the Empire's revenue. By his rigorous tax imposts he alienated his subjects, especially the clergy, whom he otherwise sought to control firmly. Although he appointed an iconodule, Nikephoros, as patriarch, Emperor Nikephoros was portrayed as a villain by ecclesiastical historians like Theophanes the Confessor. Krum feasts while a servant brings the skull of Nikephoros I fashioned into a drinking cup. 803, Nikephoros concluded a treaty, called the "Pax Nicephori", with Charlemagne, but refused to recognize the latter's imperial dignity. Relations deteriorated and led to a war over Venice in 806–810. In the process, Nikephoros had quelled a Venetian rebellion in 807, but suffered extensive losses to the Franks. The conflict was resolved only after Nikephoros' death, and Venice, Istria, the Dalmatian coast and South Italy were assigned to the East, while Rome, Ravenna and the Pentapolis were included in the Western realm. withholding the tribute which Irene had agreed to pay to the caliph HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d, Nikephoros committed himself to a war against the Arabs.[7] Compelled by Bardanes' disloyalty to take the field himself, he sustained a severe defeat at the Battle of Krasos in Phrygia (805).[7] In 806 a Muslim army of 135,000 men invaded the Empire. Unable to counter the Muslim numbers, Nikephoros agreed to make peace on condition of paying 50,000 nomismata immediately and a yearly tribute of 30,000 nomismata. With a succession struggle enveloping the caliphate on the death of HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d in 809, Nikephoros was free to deal with Krum, Khan of Bulgaria, who was harassing his northern frontiers and had just conquered Serdica (Sofia). 811, Nikephoros invaded Bulgaria, defeated Krum twice, and sacked the Bulgarian capital Pliska. The Chronicle of the 12th-century patriarch of the Syrian Jacobites, Michael the Syrian, describes the brutalities and atrocities of Nikephoros: "Nikephoros, emperor of the Byzantine empire, walked into the Bulgarians' land: he was victorious and killed great number of them. He reached their capital, seized it and devastated it. His savagery went to the point that he ordered to bring their small children, got them tied down on earth and made thresh grain stones to smash them." During Nikephoros' retreat, the imperial army was ambushed and destroyed in Varbishki mountain passes on 26 July by Krum. Nikephoros was captured during the battle and sent to Pliska, where Krum ordered his decapitation. Krum is said to have made a drinking-cup of Nikephoros' skull. New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1;

Constantinople, 802-811, Nicholas, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, spared, left world, clairvoyance
Mongols, Khzaria, 802-811, Nicholas, monk of Bulgaria, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, vison, spared because overcame temptation, left world, settled in cave, schemamonk, unceasing prayer for fallen soldiers, granted clairvoyance; Bulgars; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Nicholas the Former General was a military commander under the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I (802-811). He was ordered to lead his troops against the Bulgars. On the eve of battle he was approached by the innkeeper’s daughter, but he resisted her shameless attempts to seduce him. his comrades perished in the battle, but Nicholas remained alive. It was revealed to him in a vision that his life was spared because he had overcome temptation. After this Saint Nicholas left the world and settled into a cave. He became a schemamonk, and prayed unceasingly for his fallen soldiers. By his great ascetic efforts he so pleased the Lord, that he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Constantinople, 806-815, Nikephoros I, Patriarch, Iconodule, incorrupt r
Constantinople, 806-815, Patriarch, Nikephoros I of Constantinople ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Translation of the relics of Saint Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Nicephorus was a dignitary at the court of the empress Irene (797-802), and then after receiving monastic tonsure, he became known for his piety. In the year 806 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne. The saint was a zealous defender of the holy Icons. When the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to rule, the saint in 815 was exiled to Prokonnis, where he died in the year 828. the year 846 the holy relics of Patriarch Nicephorus were opened, and were found incorrupt and fragrant. They transferred them from Prokonnis to Constantinople and placed them for one day in Hagia Sophia, and then transferred them to the Church of the Holy Apostles. The saint’s hands are preserved in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. saint left behind three writings against Iconoclasm. The main Feast of Saint Nicephorus is celebrated on June 2, but today we commemorate the finding and transfer of his holy relics. Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Constantinople, 807, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside
Greece, 807 & 950, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside, Vatopedi (bush otChild) because Emperor Theodosius's son fell off ship and MOG saved him, found sleeping in a bush, in gratitude E Theodosius endowed Vatopeddi, perpetual flame honoring event ; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Vatopedi “Comfort” or “Consolation” Icon of the Mother of God is in the old Vatopedi monastery on Athos, in the church of the Annunciation. was called “Vatopedi” because near this monastery Arcadius, the son of Empreor Theodosius the Great, fell off a ship into the sea, and by the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God he was carried to shore safe and unharmed. was found sleeping by a bush, not far from the monastery. this event the name “Vatopedi” (“batos paidion,” “the bush of the child”) is derived. holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (January 17), in gratitude for the miraculous deliverance of his son, embellished and generously endowed the Vatopedi monastery. the Vatopedi Icon, the Mother of God is depicted with Her face turned towards Her right shoulder. is because on January 21, 807 She turned Her face towards the igumen of the monastery, who was standing near the holy icon, about to hand the keys of the monastery to the porter. voice came from the icon and warned him not to open the monastery gates, pirates intended to pillage the monastery. the Holy Child placed His hand over His Mother’s lips, saying, “Do not watch over this sinful flock, Mother, but let them fall under the sword of the pirates.” Holy Virgin took the hand of Her Son and said again, “Do not open the gates today, but go to the walls and drive off the pirates.” igumen took precautionary measures, and the monastery was saved. memory of this miraculous event a perpetual lamp burns in front of the wonderworking icon. day a Canon of Supplication is chanted in honor of the icon, on Fridays the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Mt. Athos this icon is called “Paramythia,” “Consolation” (“Otrada”), or “Comfort” (“Uteshenie”). Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Constantinople, 811, Martyr Manuel, Bishop of Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) & 377 Companions slain by Bulgars
Bulgaria, 811, Martyr Manuel, Bishop of Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8) and 377 Companions slain by Bulgars; Thrace; 377 Martyred Companions in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 22; 377 Christians were captured in Thrace by the Bulgars, and were slain in various ways. the martyrs where the bishops Manuel, George, Peter, and Leontius; the presbyters Sionius, Gabriel, John, Leontius and Parodus.

Byzantium, 811-813, Emperor, Michael I Rangabe, Iconodule, reduced taxes, supported army&church
Byzantine Emperor 811-813, Michael I Rangabe, Kuropalatos ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded",Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26;

Byzantium, 813-820, Emperor, Leo V the Armenian, forced M.l to abdicate, resumed iconoclasm, assinated by M
Byzantine Emperor 813-820, Leo V the Armenian; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 18 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded,"Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on January 8; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Nicetas the Confessor the Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Constantinople, 813-820, Thaddeus, Confessor otStudion, Theo tStudite dscpl, icon defender, placed oJesus' icon, cursed impiety
Constantinople, 813-820, Thaddeus, Confessor otStudion Monastery, Constantinople, Theo tStudite disciple, icon defender, trial Leo V's time, heretics stood him on Icon oJesus, Judge said he trampled oJesus' icon join us, Thad disagreed, not voluntarily, cursed their iconoclast impiety, the beat him threw him outside city walls, still alive but died 3days later; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated December 29 ; Thaddeus the Confessor, disciple of Theodore the Studite, a defender of the veneration of holy icons. was brought to trial and suffered during the reign of Leo V (813-820). heretics, mocking Saint Thaddeus, put an icon of the Savior on the ground, picked the saint up, and stood him upon it. this the judge said, “You have trampled upon the icon of Christ. There is no point in further resistance, so join us.” replied that he had been placed upon the icon involuntarily, and he cursed the impiety of the iconoclasts. by his bold words, they beat him with cudgels. Then they dragged the martyr by the legs and threw him outside the city walls. appeared to be dead, but he was still alive. certain Christian took him into his own home and washed his wounds. Thaddeus lived another three days, and then surrendered his soul to God.

Constantinople, 813-821, Athanasius the Confessor oConstantinople, Iconoclast Leo tA tortured, eliled him for icons
Constantinople, 813-821, Athanasius the Confessor oConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), devoting self tGod aChildhood dream, rich pious parents, Nicomedia Monastery Pavlopetrios, imperial court heard about his lofty ascetic life, Iconoclast Leo the Armenian subjected him to torture for icons, exile grief suffering, confessing Orthodox faith to the end, peacefully in 821; Constantinople; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Athanasius the Confessor was born in Constantinople of rich and pious parents. his childhood he dreamed of devoting himself entirely to God, having reached maturity, he settled in one of the Nicomedia monasteries, called the Pavlopetrios (i.e., in the names of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul), and became a monk there. loftiness of his ascetic life became known at the imperial court. the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), Athanasius was subjected to torture for venerating icons, then underwent exile, grief and suffering. the Orthodox Faith until the very end of his life, Saint Athanasius died peacefully in the year 821.

Constantinople, 813-845, Michael tConfessor, famous preacher, confessed tLeo V and Theophilus, beatn exiled, freed bTheodora
Constantinople, 813-845, Michael tConfessor aConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), fJerusalem and zealous christians, devoted tMonk life, priest, famous preacher, synkellos, church govt matters, sent tIconoclast Leo V, confessed but beat&exile, returned but Theophilus branded companions & he sent tPabeida m, then Theodora restored icon veneration&iconodules, he refused tbPatriarch, died peacefully; Constantinople; Saint Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated on December 18; Michael the Confessor was born at Jerusalem into a family of zealous Christians at an early age devoted himself to monastic life. the death of his father, his mother and sisters went to a monastery, Saint Michael was ordained as a priest. was famed as a strong preacher, and the Jerusalem Patriarch Thomas I took him under his wing and advanced him in the calling of “synkellos” (dealing in matters of church governance). this time there reigned the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). patriarch sent Saint Michael to him, together with the holy brothers Saints Theodore (December 27) and Theophanes (October 11), the hope that they might persuade the emperor to cease his persecution against the Orthodox. emperor subjected Saint Michael to beatings and sent him off into exile. having returned from exile, the monk again suffered for the veneration of holy icons under the emperor Theophilus (829-842). companions of Saint Michael, Saints Theodore and Theophanes, were subjected to horrible torments: their faces was put red-hot brands with an inscription slandering them. received the title “the Branded.” condemned, Saint Michael was sent with his disciple Job to the Pabeida monastery. the death of Theophilus, the empress Theodora (842-855) restored the veneration of holy icons, ordered the return of Christians banished by the Iconoclasts. made the offer that Saint Michael might occupy the patriarchal throne in place of the deposed iconoclast, Grammatikos. the holy martyr declined this. Thus upon the patriarchal throne entered Saint Methodius. Michael the Confessor to the end of his days toiled in the position of “synkellos.” died peacefully in about the year 845.

Constantinople, 813-862, Nicholas tConessor oStudion, iconodule, imprisoned tortured repeatedly, Gift oHealing even aDeath
Crete, 850 9th C, Nicholas tConessor oStudion Monastery, Constantinople, fKedonia, Crete, tUncle Theophanes, Monk aStudion a10, igumen Theodore enrolled him in their school, finished a16&Tonsured a monk, ordained priest aSeveral years, Iconoclast Leo tArmenian's persecution, Nicholas&Theodore repeatedly imprisoned, tortured, humiliated, continued to defend Orthodoxy, Theodora restored icon veneration, relative peace time, Nick chosen igumen Studion, but not for long, Uncle Bardas replaced Theodora, Patriarch Ignatius tried restrain Bardas' cohab with his son's wife, I exiled, Nick left Constantinople, tVarious monasteries7 yrs, back as prisoner 2years Studion, freed by Basil 1, igumen again, Gift of healing even after death; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Nicholas the Confessor, Igumen of the Studion Monastery, lived during the ninth century. was born on the island of Crete in the village of Kedonia into a Christian family. he was ten, his parents sent him to Constantinople to his uncle, Saint Theophanes (October 11), who was a monk at the Studion monastery. the approval of Saint Theodore (November 11), the head of the Studion monastery, the boy was enrolled in the monastery school. he finished school at sixteen years of age, he was tonsured a monk. several years, he was ordained a priest. this time there was a fierce persecution, by the Byzantine emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), those who venerated the holy icons. Nicholas and Saint Theodore the Studite were repeatedly locked up in prison, tortured in various ways, and humiliated. they zealously continued to defend Orthodoxy. the holy Empress Theodora (February 11), who ruled the realm while her son Michael was still a minor, icon veneration was restored, a time of relative peace followed. Nicholas returned to the Studite monastery and was chosen its head. this calm did not last very long. Empress Theodora was removed from the throne, the emperor’s uncle, Bardas, a man who defiled himself by open cohabitation with his son’s wife, came to power. attempts of Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) to restrain the impiety of Bardas proved unsuccessful. the contrary, he was deposed from the patriarchal throne and sent into exile. to witness the triumph of iniquity, Saint Nicholas left Constantinople. spent seven years at various monasteries. on, he returned as a prisoner to the Studite monastery, where he spent two years imprisoned, until the death of the emperor Michael (855-867) and Bardas. the emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867-886) ascended the throne, Nicholas was set free, again became igumen on the orders of the emperor. of his life as a confessor and ascetic he received from God the gift of healing, which continued even after his repose in the year 868.

Constantinople, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, tAbgar m a20, igumen, bread water only, prayer nights, think future life
Cilicia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), tAbgar m a20, ascetic life bread water only nights iPrayer, igumen, hid from Leo tArmenian 813-320, then returned, constantly repeated Lord, have mercy, don't focus earthly blessings, think future life, commended his spirit to Lord's hands&died a95; Tarsus; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 9 ; Eustratius came from the city of Tarsus. twenty years of age he secretly left his parents’ home and settled in the Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor). he lived a strict ascetic life, eating only bread and water, and spending his nights at prayer. a certain while he was chosen as igumen of the monastery. the reign of the Iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), Saint Eustratius hid from pursuit by roaming the hills and the wilds. the death of the emperor he returned to the monastery. was always on his lips, and he constantly repeated the words: “Lord, have mercy!” his death he gave instructions to the monks not to be attracted towards earthly blessings, constantly to think about the future life. himself with the Sign of the Cross, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” and he died in peace at age 95.

Constantinople, 815-821, Theodotus I, Patriarch, Iconoclast
Constantinople Patriarch, 815-821, Theodotus I of Constantinople, Theodotus of Melissinea; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Byzantium, 820-829, Emperor, Michael II the Stammerer, Balbos, Iconodule then Iconoclast
Byzantine Emperor 820-829, Michael II the Stammerer ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "œthe branded,"Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; St George the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Byzantium, 820-867, Bardas, Co-ruler, Iconodule, missnary, attacked Bulgaria, assinated by Basil
Byzantine Co-ruler, 820-867, Bardas ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker
Sicily and Southern Italy, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker; Calabria Region; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari; By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Fantinus the Wonderworker was born in Calabria (Italy) of parents George and Vriena. was given over to a monastery, and from childhood he was accustomed to ascetic deeds. his youth he wandered into the wilderness, remaining often without food or clothes for twenty days. The monk spent 60 years in such exploits. the end of his life, fleeing before pursuing Saracens, he went with his disciples Vitalius and Nikēphóros to the Peloponnesos (Greece). Preaching the way of salvation, the monk visited Corinth, Athens, Larissa and Thessalonica, where he venerated the relics of the Great Martyr Demetrius (October 26). He died peacefully in extreme old age at the end of the ninth, and beginning of the tenth century. St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Constantinople, 827, Arab Muslim Conquest of Sicily and Southern Italy 827
Arab Muslim Conquest of Southern Italy 827 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Constantinople, 827-1061, Muslim Rule of Sicily and Southern Italy till Normans in 1061
Arab Muslim Conquest of Southern Italy 827 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Byzantium, 829-842, Emperor, Theophilus, Iconoclast, personally led army, justice champion
Byzantium, 829-842, Emperor Theophilus, Iconoclast ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Theodore Graptus, œthe branded,Â Confessor, Commemorated on December 27; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St George the Confessor, with his wife and children of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra, regent for son Michael
Constantinople, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), Regent for her minor Son Michael in 842 when Theo died, her council anathematized Iconoclasts, Icon veneration reinstated, annual Triumph oOrthodoxy, Great Fast 1st Sunday, fostered Orthodoxy devotion in son Michael, last 8years in Euphrosyne monastery, reading, astecic struggles, copying Gospels, died 867, 1460 relics given by Turks to people of Kerkyra ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11 ; Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. convened a Council, at which the Iconoclasts were anathematized, the veneration of icons was reinstated. Saint Theodora established the annual celebration of this event, Triumph of Orthodoxy, on the first Sunday of the Great Fast. Theodora did much for Holy Church fostered a firm devotion to Orthodoxy in her son Michael. Michael came of age, she was retired from governing spent eight years in the monastery of Saint Euphrosynē, she devoted herself to ascetic struggles, and reading books that nourished her soul. copy of the Gospels, copied in her own hand, is known to exist. died peacefully around the year 867. 1460, her relics were given by the Turks to the people of Kerkyra (Corfu).

Constantinople, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Emperor Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne m
Phrygia, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne monastery, Olympus, Laodocia, Antalya; Galatia; Venerable Peter of Galatia,Commemorated on October 9; Peter lived during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Theophilos (in 829). He was from the province of Galatia in Asia Minor. He was the son of Theophilos and Eudokia and at first he was named Leo. he was handsome, physically strong, and wise, the Emperor made him a count. After many years of war and being in charge of many things, he gave it all up to become a monk in the monastery of Daphne, with the new name Petros. went to Olympus, and from there to Jerusalem, but he did not remain there either. After leaving for Laodicia and Antalya, he had to endure arduous journeys, asceticism, and the fierce anger of the Ismaelites (Moslems), whom he encountered in the street. Finally, he returned to Olympus. of the loftiness of his virtues, he began to be noticed by the Emperors. That is why Emperor Basil the Macedonian convinced him to live in the monastery of Saint Phokas in the year 867. After many spiritual struggles, he departed to the Lord in peace. Saint Peter should not be confused with another Saint Peter of Galatia who lived in the V century (February 1).

Constantinople, 829-842, Iviron Icon, Nicean widow, spear, blood flowed, on water to Iveron, Gabriel on water, icon at gate
Greece, Mt Athos, 829-842, Iviron Icon, iconoclasm heresy, soldiers searching for icons, Nicean widow, spear into her icon, blood flowed, soldiers fled, virgil all night, cast it upon water, levitated upright, sailed westward, to Iveron, pillar of light, Theotokos, Gabriel alone worthy to receive icon, Gabriel walks out on water to receive it, cold sweet spring where Icon stood, then icon hanging near entrance gate; Iviron monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God Iveron, Commemorated on February 12; the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842) the Byzantine Empire raged with the heresy of iconoclasm. In accordance with the emperor’s command, thousands of soldiers pillaged the empire, searching every corner, city, and village for hidden icons. the city of Nicaea there lived a certain pious widow who had concealed an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Before long the soldiers discovered it, and one of them thrust his spear into the image. by God’s grace his terrible deed was overshadowed by a miracle: blood flowed forth from the wound on the face of the Mother of God. frightened soldiers quickly fled. widow spent the whole night in vigil, praying before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the morning, according to God’s will, she took the icon to the sea and cast it upon the water. The holy icon stood upright on the waves and began to sail westward. passed, and one evening the monks of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos beheld a pillar of light, shining upon the sea like the sun (ca. 1004). The miraculous image lasted several days, while the fathers of the Holy Mountain gathered together, marveling. Finally they descended to the edge of the sea, where they beheld the pillar of light standing above the icon of the Theotokos. But when they approached it, the icon moved farther out to sea. that time a Georgian monk named Gabriel was laboring at the Iveron Monastery. The Theotokos appeared to the fathers of the Holy Mountain and told them that Gabriel alone was worthy to retrieve the holy icon from the sea. the same time, she appeared to Gabriel and told him, “Enter the sea, and walk out upon the waves with faith, and all will witness my love and mercy for your monastery.” monks of Mt. Athos found Gabriel at the Georgian monastery and led him down to the sea, chanting hymns, and censing with holy incense. Gabriel walked out upon the water as though upon dry land, took the icon in his arms, and obediently carried it back to shore. miracle occurred on Bright Tuesday. the monks were celebrating a paraklesis of thanksgiving, a cold, sweet spring miraculously gushed forth from the ground where the icon stood. Afterwards they took the icon to a church and set it down in the sanctuary with great reverence. the next morning one of the monks came to light a lamp and discovered that the icon was no longer where they had left it; now it was hanging on a wall near the entrance gate. The disbelieving monks took it down and returned it to the sanctuary, but the next day the icon was again found at the monastery gate. This miracle recurred several times, until the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Gabriel, saying, “Announce to the brothers that from this day they should not carry me away. For what I desire is not to be protected by you; rather I will overshadow you, both in this life and in the age to come. As long as you see my icon in the monastery, the grace and mercy of my Son shall never be lacking!” with exceeding joy, the monks erected a small church near the monastery gate to glorify the Most Holy Theotokos and placed the wonderworking icon inside. The holy icon came to be known as the “Ivḗron Mother of God” and, in Greek, Portaitissa. By the grace of the miraculous Ivḗron Icon of the Theotokos, many miracles have taken place and continue to take place throughout the world. ------------------------------------------------------

Constantinople, 829-842, Luke's Prousos Icon, Iconoclasts, MOG saved it, chanting light fCave, moved, MOG returned it, G Story
Greece, Thessaly, 829-842, Prousos Icon, Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi, Evrytania, Thessaly, cave carved out monastery temple, Luke's Icon, young nobleman from Prousa, Bithynia, Iconoclast Theophilos time, ordered icons destroyed, he disregarded order, took icon tGreece, lost it aGallipoli, MOG put icon in Eurytania cave, where shepherd found it, he settled iNew Patra, heard oMiraculous Eurytania events, shepherd boy heard chanting from cave, pillar light reaching up tHeaven, Pyrsos fLight iCave, many people came, found icon source of light in cave, young man went there to get his icon, took it but MOG returned it by telling him to and for him to stay, he built chapel in cave, Hodegetria type, gilded cover from 1821 General who stayed there, monastery devastated many times bTurks but not the cave temple, Germans tried to burn it, but officer punished by MOG (Panagia), 1948 Greek civil war icon moved to acropolis of Naupaktos, 9th Division soldiers see MOG in Cave Temple, she identified when they saw the Icon, ; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; upon the fir-covered mountain peaks of southwestern Eurytania, wedged between vertical grayish rocks in savage majesty, is the Holy Monastery of Proussos. is an historic stauropegial monastery, with magnificent three-storey building among them a cave has been carved out, inside of which is the first ancient temple of the monastery. it is kept the wonderworking Icon of the Panagia (the All-Holy Virgin), called Prousiotissa, and her Feast Day is celebrated with grandeur and solemnity on August 23. to Tradition, this wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos is believed to have been painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), came from Prousa in Asia Minor (according to manuscript 3 of the codex of the Holy Monastery of Prousiotissa). was taken from Prousa by a young nobleman in the reign of the last iconoclastic Emperor Theophilos (October 2, 829 – January 20, 842). ordered all the icons to be removed from the churches and destroyed. Orthodox people protected and hid the holy icons, even though the penalty for this "crime" was exile or death. the Emperor's decree was read in the city of Proussa, the son of a member of the imperial court chose to disregard it. the the Holy Icon, he sought refuge on the Greek mainland, because the persecution was not quite as severe there, on the islands, or on the coast of Asia Minor. the way to Greece, however, the young man lost the Icon at Gallipoli in Thrace, which caused him great sorrow. “Woe is me, the wretched one," he cried. “The Mother of God has abandoned me because of my sins." Icon had returned miraculously to a cave in a wild part of Eurytania (in the vicinity of Litza and Agrapha, where the monastery and the Icon's shrine are at present), and where it was revealed to some local shepherds on the night of August 22-23. young man chose not to go back, because he could not bear to live among the iconoclasts. continued on his journey and settled in the city of New Patre, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos. went by, and then one day he heard rumors about certain miraculous events in the region of Aitola. to these reports, the son of a local shepherd was tending his father's flock in a rugged, inaccessible spot in the mountains. There were no homes or villages, but only a shelter for the shepherds. night, as the child was sleeping, he was awakened by heavenly chanting coming from a cave behind him. much apprehension he turned and saw a fiery pillar of light coming from the cave and reaching up to Heaven. is why the Icon is also called Pyrsos - because of the place where it was hidden. the boy went to inform his father what he had seen. father thought that his son had been dreaming, and told him not to fear things that weren't real. young man insisted, however, that what he had heard and seen was real. next night, the child brought his father to the same place where he had seen the pillar of light, so that he could see this phenomenon for himself. man saw exactly what his son had described, but he did not dare to look in the cave. next day he took other people there, and all of them saw the same vision. searching the area they discovered the Holy Icon in the cave, radiant and luminous. with joy, they venerated the Icon, and decided to keep it there. discovery of her Holy Icon was the first miracle of Panagia Prousiotissa. the young man who had lost the Icon heard about an Icon of the Theotokos which had been revealed by a pillar of light. and his servants left at once, and after two days they arrived at the cave where the Icon was kept. moment he saw the Icon he knew it was the same one he had lost. venerating the Icon, he gave gifts to the shepherds and started back to New Patre with it. shepherds’ joy turned to sorrow when they realized they were being deprived of the Icon. They pleaded with the young man to leave the Holy Icon with them. told them that the Icon belonged to him, and that he had given them rich gifts to compensate them for their loss. he said that the mountain was not a good place to build a church or to accommodate pilgrims. Then he took the Icon and left. he and his companion were tired and had to rest, they stopped at a certain place. fell asleep and when they woke up, they couldn't find the Icon. that the shepherds had stolen it while they were sleeping, they retraced their steps. they came to a narrow spot near the river, the young man heard a voice, saying, young man, be saved! Go in peace and do not labor any more. It pleases me to remain here with the shepherds and peasants, but not to be in the cities with people who preach heresy. you wish to remain with me, then come to the place where you found me. This will be for your benefit." the young man was able to hear the voice. obedience to the Mother of God, he freed his servants, gave away all of his possessions, and went back to the cave where he had found the Icon, accompanied by one of his servants, who decided to remain with him. was convinced that it was the will of the Panagia that she should remain there. young man built a chapel in the cave for the Icon. and his servant both received the monastic tonsure from Hieromonk Raphael, who came from the hermitage of Saint Demetrios. was tonsured with the name Demetrios, and his servant received the name Timothy. he built a cell opposite the chapel in a quiet place, where they repented for their sins. Demetrios reposed there in peace, after living a God-pleasing life. His disciple Timothy buried his body in the church he had built, and his blessed soul flew to Heaven. was the beginning of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Prousa (or Prousiotissa). Icon of the All-Holy Virgin is of the Hodēgḗtria type has a gilded silver-plated metal cover, the gift of General George Karaiskakis, who was housed in the Monastery during the Revolution of 1821. metal cover was made by the goldsmith George Karanikas in 1824, as is shown by the embossed inscription above the right shoulder of the Mother of God: "The Pantanassa. Through the generosity of General George Karaiskakis, made by the hand of George Karanikas, 1824." Monastery's records show that it had been devastated many times during the Turkish occupation. last act of vandalism (by the Germans in 1944) reduced the buildings into piles of rubble. the buildings fell, an officer wanted to burn down the church. He tried to do so many times, but to no avail. he was standing outside and giving orders, he was punished by the Panagia, as an example to others. invisible force threw him violently onto the pavement. The impact was very powerful, and the German was unable to get up. The soldiers lifted him and placed him upon an animal in order to carry him to Agrinio. the temple remained unharmed, just as it has been preserved intact through the centuries. years passed, and a civil war was raging in the Greek countryside. inhabitants of Eurytania and Naupaktos left their villages, seeking safety in other parts of Greece. brought their wonderworking Icon with them. She also shared the fate of her children, and was carried by the monks of Proussos to the acropolis of Naupaktos. monastery remains completely deserted. a long time, the army's operations began. Ninth Division launched an attack to wipe out Eurytania. sections passed through Proussos. officers and soldiers approached the dark church of the cave and went in to pray. Inside, they beheld a strange sight. In front of the iconostasis, to the left of the Beautiful Gate, was a lit candle and a nun was kneeling there. The soldiers were amazed. How could this nun be living there at a time when Eurytania was completely abandoned by its residents? How did she live, what did she eat, where did she get oil for the lamp? When they asked her, she replied modestly and with pain: "My children, I've been living here alone for two and a half years. For my own life, I don't need food and bread. It is enough for me to have my lamp lit." soldiers grew tired of this business, and were in a hurry to leave, so they paid no attention to her words. But the next day, when they thought about it, they realized that this was a wondrous thing. when they passed through Naupaktos, they begged their commanding officer for permission to visit Metropolitan Christophoros of Naupaktos and Eurytania. The hierarch welcomed them with love, and after hearing their story, he was able to shed some light on the mystery. temple that you visited," he told them, "belongs to the now abandoned Prousiotissa Monastery, whose wonderworking Icon has been kept here for more than two years, in the chapel of our metropolis, at Saint Dionysios. Go there and venerate it, and then you will understand." did go to venerate the Icon. Then suddenly, everyone understood the mystery. the Icon of the Mother of God, they recognized the nun they had met in the chapel of the cave, high above Proussos!

Constantinople, 829-842, Cassiane tHymnographer, Xerolophos Hill, Builder, igumen, poet, theologian, musician, 23 hymns
Constantinople, 829-842, Cassiane tHymnographer, Xerolophos Hill, 7th Hill of Constantinople - Yedikule of Xerolophos, Builder, igumen, poet, theologian, musician, 23 hymns in our Liturgical books; 7th Hill of Constantinople - Yedikule; The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı , Aksaray, and Yedikule Venerable Cassianḗ the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7; Cassianḗ is a well-known Byzantine poet (ποιήτρια), who lived during the reign of Emperor Theophilos (829 – 842). was tonsured about the year 820, and founded a convent on Xerolophos, one of Constantinople's seven hills. (according to the monk George the Sinful) she led "an ascetic and philosophical life" which was pleasing to God. was an energetic Igoumeness who not only regulated the life of the convent, but also found time to pursue her literary interests. combined the talents of poet, theologian and musician, writing hymns and composing musical settings for them. sung by her nuns, many of her compositions have enduring value. At least twenty-three of her hymns were later included in the Church's liturgical books. of Saint Cassianḗ's most famous hymns is sung during Matins on Holy Wednesday, on the subject of the woman who had fallen into many sins, which is based on Saint Luke's Gospel (7:36-50). of her hymns is sung in the Canon of Matins for Holy Saturday, and is repeated at the Midnight Office on Holy Pascha: "Do not weep for me, O Mother, beholding in the tomb the Son Whom thou hast conceived without seed in thy womb, for I shall arise. . ." Cassianḗ is not mentioned in the Synaxaristés, yet the inhabitants of Kasos, because of the similarity of her name with that of their island, celebrate her Feast Day on September 7. A special Church Service was composed in her honor, and it was published in Alexandria in 1889 by the "Reformed" (or "Reorganized") printing house. is strange, however, that this Service was dedicated to Patriarch Sophronios of Alexandria, who in turn gave it to Metropolitan Germanós of Thebes to be printed (on September 1, 1889). Thus, Cassianḗ's glorification by the Church of Alexandria was somehow formalized, as the inhabitants of Kasos desired. centuries Saint Cassianḗ's name has appeared at the end of all the lists of Byzantine poets. The first known list was compiled by Nikēphóros Kállistos Xanthopoulos in the first half of the XIV century. Cassianḗ is depicted among the holy ascetics and other monastics in the icon for the Triumph of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Lent.

Constantinople, 829-857, Lazarus t Iconographer, ascetic priest, fought all heresy, hot horshshoes on hands, Theodora intervened
Constantinople, 829-857, Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), ascetic priest, fought all heresy, Nestorians, Eutychians, iconoclasts, red hot horshshoes on his hands, Theodora intervened; Constantinople; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Lazarus the Iconographer lived in Constantinople. was a priest, led a strict ascetic life and painted holy icons. fought against all heresy, enduring many afflictions from the Nestorians, Eutychians, and iconoclasts. the iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842), he was arrested and after cruel tortures, thrown into prison. ordered horseshoes to be placed in a fire until they glowed red with the heat. Then they were put upon the iconographer’s hands, because he dared to paint icons of Christ and the saints. was saved from execution by the intervention of the empress Theodora. Lazarus died in the year 857 while returning from Rome, where he had been sent in a delegation on church matters to Pope Benedict III (855-858). His remains were taken to Constantinople and buried in the church of Saint Evandrus.

Constantinople, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, sole survivor General, became monk, prayer killed snake, igumen, stillness, angel fed
Ephesus, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, Mt Latros Monestary (north side mt, near Ephesus, Meander River 6), fConstantinople, wealthy pious parents, Patrician&General, sole survivor many ship wreck, became monk, mortified flesh, Later tLatros Mt, killed poison snake wPrayer&Sign oCross, settled north side mt, Igumen, longed fStillness, tCave, off Beasts wPrayer, fed bAngel, miracles like changing bitter water tSweed wStaff, begged return, but not live wMonks, small cell 6days week no food, wBros 1day and eat, foresaw repose went Lord iPeace, continues miracles after death; Mt Latros Monestary; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated December 13 ; Arsenios lived in Constantinople during the VIII and IX centuries1 was the son of wealthy, illustrious, and devout parents. was made Patrician and General of the Kibyrraiote (Κιβυρραιωτῶν)2Military Theme. while traveling by sea with his soldiers, there was a storm and all the ships sank. Saint Arsenios was the only surviver. he became a monk, and mortified his flesh by austere fasting, vigils, and hardships. he came to a certain place on Mount Latros (in Asia Minor), he killed a poisonous viper by his prayers and by making the Sign of the Cross. he settled in the nearby Kelliboria Monastery (Μονὴ Κελλιβάρων) on the north side of the mountain, he was chosen as Igoumen. by many distractions and by people who wanted to see him, he longed for stillness. Saint Arsenios left the Monastery and went to live in a cave, where he drove off the wild beasts with prayer. Arsenios had attained such perfection that he was fed by an Angel. was also granted the grace of performing miracles. example, was able to stir bitter water with his staff and change it into sweet water. brethren of the Monastery begged him to come back to them. did return, but not to live with the other monks. lived alone in a small cell, and for six days of the week he did not eat any food, nor would he converse with anyone. Only on Sundays would he consent to see the brethren and eat with them. the day of his repose, Saint Arsenios summoned all the monks of the Monastery, and after advising them to put aside all worldly cares and vanities, he went to the Lord in peace. The Saint continues to work miracles even after his death. 1 Some sources say he reposed in the XI century. 2 The Byzantine Empire was divided into 29 Themes, or districts.

Constantinople, 835-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that
Constantinople, 835-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius, to the slavs in Pannonia, Great Moravia, and Serbia, created cyrilic alphabet for all slavs, pope did not like that, fled to Bulgaria; (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".[6] are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic.[7] After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.[8] career life two brothers were born in Thessalonica, then located in a Byzantine province with the same name, (today in Greece) – Cyril in about 827–828 and Methodius about 815–820. was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine,[9] but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death,[10][11][12] according to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"). was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk in Polychron Monastery at Mysian Olympus (present-day Uludağ), in northwest Turkey.[13] father was Leo, a droungarios of the Byzantine theme of Thessalonica, and their mother was Maria. exact ethnic origins of the brothers are unknown, there is controversy as to whether Cyril and Methodius were of Slavic[14] or Greek[15] origin, or both.[16] two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister Theoktistos, who was logothetes tou dromou, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. was also responsible, along with the regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as priest some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a deacon until 867/868.[17] to the Khazars the year 860, Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (a professor of Cyril's at the University and his guiding light in earlier years), sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the Khazars who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with both Jews and Saracens.[18] has been claimed that Methodius accompanied Cyril on the mission to the Khazars, but this may be a later invention.[citation needed] account of his life presented in the Latin "Legenda" claims that he learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (today Crimea). his return to Constantinople, Cyril assumed the role of professor of philosophy at the University while his brother had by this time become a significant figure in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and an abbot of his monastery.[citation needed] to the Slavs Moravia Cyril and Methodius, painting by Jan Matejko, 1885 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. year Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish ruler Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. It is a common misconception that Cyril and Methodius were the first to bring Christianity to Moravia, but the letter from Rastislav to Michael III states clearly that Rastislav's people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."[19] Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.[20] Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.[21] The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. 863, they began the task of translating the Gospels and necessary liturgical books into the language now known as Old Church Slavonic[22] and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.[23] They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavour. they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy. the purpose of this mission, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavic language. Its descendant script, the Cyrillic, is still used by many languages today.[20] brothers wrote the first Slavic Civil Code, which was used in Great Moravia. language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as Church Slavonic, is still used in liturgy by several Orthodox Churches and also in some Eastern Catholic churches. is impossible to determine with certainty exactly what the brothers translated. The New Testament and the Psalms seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.[citation needed] The "Translatio" speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the "Vita Methodii" only of the "evangelium Slovenicum," though other liturgical selections may also have been translated. is it known for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. may well have used the Roman alphabet, as suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old Glagolitic liturgical fragments brought from Jerusalem to Kiev and discovered there by Izmail Sreznevsky—probably the oldest document for the Slavonic tongue; these adhere closely to the Latin type, as is shown by the words "Mass," "Preface," and the name of one Felicitas. any case, the circumstances were such that the brothers could hope for no permanent success without obtaining the authorization of Rome. to Rome Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente mission of Constantine and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin or Greek. Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius also encountered missionaries from East Francia, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Carolingian Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as part of their rightful mission field. friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, decided to travel to Rome to see the Pope, and seek a solution that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. 867, Pope Nicholas I (858-867) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg (859–873) and Bishop Ermanrich of Passau (866-874), who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively. with the relics of Saint Clement and a retinue of disciples, and passing through Pannonia (the Balaton Principality), where they were well received by Prince Koceľ. activity in Pannonia made a continuation of conflicts inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of Salzburg, to whose jurisdiction Pannonia had belonged for seventy-five years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin was found to exercise Episcopal rights there, and the administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. The latter was obliged to retire to Salzburg, but his superior was naturally disinclined to abandon his claims. brothers sought support from Rome, and arrived there in 868, where they were warmly received. This was partly due to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; the rivalry with Constantinople as to the jurisdiction over the territory of the Slavs would incline Rome to value the brothers and their influence.[20] Pope Adrian II (867-872) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorisation to use the Slavonic Liturgy.[24] brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. Anastasius Bibliothecarius would later call Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".[25] project in Moravia found support from Pope Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. Methodius was ordained as priest by the pope himself, and five Slavic disciples were ordained as priests (Saint Gorazd, Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum) and as deacons (Saint Angelar and Saint Sava) by the prominent bishops Formosus and Gauderic.[26] and Methodius along with these five disciples are collectively venerated (mainly by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church) as "Seven Saints".[27] The newly made priests officiated in their own languages at the altars of some of the principal churches. Feeling his end approaching, Cyril became a Basilian monk, was given the new name Cyril,[28] and died in Rome fifty days later (14 February 869). There is some question as to assertion of the Translatio (ix.) that he was made a bishop. statement of the "Vita" that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of Pope John VIII, written in June 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Serbia as well. alone Saint Cyril and Methodius by Stanislav Dospevski, Bulgarian painter now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the Balaton Principality), owing to the political circumstances of the former country, where Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew Svatopluk in 870, then delivered over to Carloman of Bavaria, and condemned in a diet held at Regensburg at the end of 870. the same time, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops decided to remove Methodius. The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered such an injury to the rights of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to East Frankish bishops: Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. a heated discussion, they declared the deposition of the intruder, and ordered him to be sent to Germany, where he was kept prisoner in a monastery for two and a half years.[29] spite of the strong representations of the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, written in 871 to influence the pope, though not avowing this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius, and sent a bishop, Paul of Ancona, to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were commanded to appear in Rome with the legate. Thus in 873, new Pope John VIII (872-882) secured the release of Methodius, but instructed him to stop using the Slavonic Liturgy.[30] final years papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, though the use of Slavonic for the mass was still denied to him. authority was restricted in Pannonia when after Koceľ's death the principality was administered by German nobles; but Svatopluk now ruled with practical independence in Great Moravia, and expelled the German clergy. This apparently secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius, and the Vita (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a period of fruitful progress. seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy; and when Frankish clerics again found their way into the country, and the archbishop's strictness had displeased the licentious Svatopluk, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the Filioque. 878, Methodius was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Witching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz Boris of Bulgaria, under whom they reorganised a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. vindicated his orthodoxy at Rome, the more easily as the creed was still recited there without the Filioque, and promised to obey in regard to the liturgy. The other party was conciliated by giving him a Swabian, Wiching, as his coadjutor. When relations were strained between the two, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius; but after his death (December 882) the archbishop's position became insecure, and his need of support induced Goetz to accept the statement of the Vita (xiii.) that he went to visit the Eastern emperor. was not until after Methodius' death, which is placed on 6 April 885,[31] that the animosity erupted into an open conflict. whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by Pope Stephen V. The same Pope forbade the use of the Slavic liturgy[32] and placed the infamous Wiching as Methodius' successor. latter exiled the disciples of the two brothers from Great Moravia in 885. fled to the First Bulgarian Empire, where they were welcomed and commissioned to establish theological schools. they and scholar Saint Clement of Ohrid[33] devised the Cyrillic script on the basis of the Glagolitic. gradually replaced Glagolitic as the alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic language, which became the official language of the Bulgarian Empire and later spread to the Eastern Slav lands of Kievan Rus'. eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Eastern Orthodox Slavic countries. Cyril and Methodius' efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe. body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. Until today it remains an open question which city was capital of Great Moravia and therefore the place of Methodius' eternal rest remains unknown.[34] of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic alphabets, and were created by the two brothers and their students, to translate the Gospels and liturgical books[22] into the Slavic languages.[35] The early Glagolitic alphabet was used in Great Moravia between 863 (the arrival of Cyril and Methodius) and 885 (the expulsion of their students) for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated, by Methodius himself among others. The alphabet has been traditionally attributed to Cyril. That attribution has been confirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriae tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher". The term invention need not exclude the possibility of the brothers having made use of earlier letters, but implies only that before that time the Slavic languages had no distinct script of their own. early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire[36] and later finalized and spread by disciples Kliment and Naum in the Ohrid and Preslav schools of Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria[37] as a simplification of the Glagolitic alphabet which more closely resembled the Greek alphabet. It was developed by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the Preslav Literary School at the end of the 9th century. the death of Cyril, Clement of Ohrid accompanied Methodius from Rome to Pannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius in 885, Clement headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 886 reached the borders of the Bulgarian Empire together with Naum of Preslav, Angelarius, and possibly Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). The four of them were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language. the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria, so he established two literary schools (academies), in Pliska and Ohrid, where theology was to be taught in the Slavonic language. While Naum of Preslav stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the Pliska Literary School, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic at the Ohrid Literary School. For seven years (886-893) Clement taught some 3,500 students in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Constantinople, 835-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria
Albania, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Albania, disciple of Cyril and Methodios, services in Slavonic, sold as slaves in 886, ransomed from Venice, Moravia colapsed 907, to Bulgaria, Slavonic s, teach in Kutmichivisa Clement of Ohrid (c. 830-840 – 916) was one of the first Medieval Bulgarian saints,[6] scholar, writer and enlightener of the Slavs.[7][8][9][10][11] was one of the most prominent disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius and is often associated with the creation of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic scripts, especially their popularisation among Christianised Slavs. was the founder of the Ohrid Literary School and is regarded as a patron of education and language by some Slavic people. is considered to be the first bishop of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,[12][13] one of the Seven Apostles of Bulgarian Orthodox Church and one of the premier saints of modern Bulgaria.[14] mission of Saint Clement was the crucial factor which transformed the Slavs in Macedonia into Bulgarians.[15] Saint Clement is also the patron saint of North Macedonia, the city of Ohrid[5] and the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[16][17] Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar1 were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodios (May 11). first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeeded Saint Methodios as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian Prince Svyatopolk. struggle centered around the questions of the need for Divine Services in Slavonic, the Filioque, and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church Services), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodios to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their Spiritual Father, Saint Methodios. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the Saints and took them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Saints Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees by the same routes followed earlier by the Saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct Divine Services in the Slavonic language. Bulgarian Prince Boris sought people such as the disciples of Saint Methodios, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. Right away, the Saints began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon reposed, and Saint Clement was appointed to teach at Kutmichivitsa, in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church, a teacher had to be a worthy person, someone known for his devout life, and who was able to speak well in public. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, he worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which was highly regarded by the time of Simeon's reign. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for ordination amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically trained clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the Saint not to abandon his cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Okhrid, to a monastery he founded. There he continued his work of translation, including some important portions of the Pentecostarion. Clement became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. His body was placed in a coffin, which he had made with his own hands, and was buried at Okhrid's Saint Panteleimon Monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. Not only did he continue the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodios, he also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by devout Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery which bears his name, near Lake Okhrid. Clement is also commemorated on November 22 (Greek usage), on November 25 (his Name Day), and on July 27 (the day of his blessed repose). His name may come from the Greek word αναγορεύω (to proclaim).

Constantinople, 835-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator
Albania, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, of Five Followers, great learning, languages, Rome to Orchrid, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, prayer, slavonic translator, incorrupt relics; Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Nahum was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11), one of their coworkers known as the Five Followers. Nahum was a man of great learning, and he spoke several languages. After a visit to Rome, he settled on the shores of Lake Ochrid. There he built a monastery at the time when Saint Clement of Ochrid (July 27) was serving as a bishop. monks gathered around Saint Nahum, who was known as a great wonderworker and a man of prayer. also labored to translate the Holy Scriptures from Greek into Slavonic. Nahum fell asleep in the Lord in 910, and his holy relics continue to work miracles of healing for those who venerate them in faith.

Constantinople, 838, Sack of Amorium, Phrygia, Sakarya River 3, Saracens capture 42 generals
Phrygia, 838, Sack of Amorium; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). As a result of treason on the part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors tried in vain to persuade them to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. The captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before executing them. The martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim. of the captives, Theodore, had renounced the priestly office to become a general. His captors taunted him, “We know that you forsook the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept Mohammed.” But the martyr replied, “You do not speak truthfully when you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have committed against Him.” executioners took each one separately and led him off to be beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the “All-Blessed” Theodore, the “Unconquered” Callistus, the “Valiant” Constantine, the “Wondrous” Theophilus and “the Most Strong” Basoes. Saints Aetius (Aetitus) and Melissenus were also among the martyrs. betrayer Baditses did not escape his shameful fate. The enemy knew that it is impossible to trust a traitor, and so they killed him.

Constantinople, 838-845, 42 Martyrs of Ammoria, Phrygia, Saracen war, Commander Treason, A fell, Christ's OT witnesses, Islam 0
Phrygia, 838-845, 42 Martyrs of Ammoria, Phrygia (Ammorai River Source, Sakarya River 3), Saracen war, Byzantine Commander Baditses Treason, A fell, 42 generals sent to Syria prison 7 yrs, not accept Islam, death sentence, Christ's OT witnesses, Mohammed no witnesses, 42 Martyred; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). a result of treason on the part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors tried in vain to persuade them to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before executing them. martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim. of the captives, Theodore, had renounced the priestly office to become a general. His captors taunted him, “We know that you forsook the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept Mohammed.” But the martyr replied, “You do not speak truthfully when you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have committed against Him.” executioners took each one separately and led him off to be beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the “All-Blessed” Theodore, the “Unconquered” Callistus, the “Valiant” Constantine, the “Wondrous” Theophilus and “the Most Strong” Basoes. Saints Aetius (Aetitus) and Melissenus were also among the martyrs. betrayer Baditses did not escape his shameful fate. The enemy knew that it is impossible to trust a traitor, and so they killed him.

Constantinople, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, from Nicea, standing on water to I, fiery pillar, G w on water, to g protecting I
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos) from Nicea, standing on water to Athos, fiery pillar, Gabriel w on water, to gate protecting Iveron Monastery; Iviron monastery ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. During the time of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. When the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. The icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. They came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. After a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron monastery, Saint Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. So he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. This was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. Therefore this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). This comes from the Akathist “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. It is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, October 13 (its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel).

Constantinople, 842&392, Cyprus Icon, Lazarus tomb, Arab arrow hit knee, A struck d

Constantinople, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery, chosen by MOG to walk on water tRetrieve Iveron Icon
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos), silence aIveron winter only, summer inaccessible clifts roots herbs, heavenly man earthly angel, icon arrives Iveron, pillar oLight oSea, several days, floating upright, drifted away fBoat, prayed, MOG appeared, told Gabriel only one worthy, appeared tGabriel, told him walk on water tGet it, image drew near, see Feb 12th; Iviron monastery ; Venerable Gabriel the Georgian of Mount Athos, Commemorated on July 12; Gabriel was a monk of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. summer he would withdraw to the inaccessible cliffs, and in winter he would return to the monastery and observe a strict rule of silence. in a coarse robe and eating nothing but roots and herbs, Saint Gabriel was truly a “heavenly man and an earthly angel.” at dusk, the monks of the monastery beheld a pillar of light shining forth upon the sea. vision lasted for several days, and finally monks from every monastery on the Holy Mountain gathered and descended together to the sea. beheld an icon of the Mother of God shining brilliantly and floating upright upon the surface of the water. fathers lowered a boat onto the water, hoping to bring the icon back with them to the shore, but each time their boat approached the icon, it drifted farther out to sea. the frustrated monks offered prayers and supplications to God in order to discern His will, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in a divine revelation told them that the monk Gabriel alone was worthy to bring the icon bearing her image out from the sea. the same time, she appeared to the God-fearing Gabriel and told him, “Enter onto the sea and walk out upon the waves with faith, and I will send my love and mercy upon all the monks of this monastery.” elders of Mt. Athos located the rocky dwelling of the hermit Gabriel not far from the Iveron Monastery. brought Gabriel with them and went down to the sea with hymns and censing. stepped out onto the water and, walking upon the waves as upon dry land, approached the icon. the same time, the holy image drew nearer to him. the holy icon to his breast, Gabriel crossed back over the waves and delivered the icon safely to the shore. story of the miraculous Iveron Icon of the Theotokos is recounted in detail in the commemorations for February 12.) Gabriel reposed peacefully on Mt. Athos.

Constantinople, 842-847, Methodius I , Patriarch, Iconodule
Constantinople, 842-847, Patriarch, Methodius I of Constantinople, Iconodule; Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Sicily into a rich family. Having a vocation to serve God, he went while still in his youth off to a monastery on the island of Chios and renovated it with his means. During the reign of the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), Methodius held the high position of “apokrisiarosâ€ (“advocate for Church mattersâ€) under the holy Patriarch Nikēphóros (June 2). He was dispatched by the patriarch to Rome on a mission to the papacy and he remained there. During this period Leo the Armenian removed Nikēphóros from the patriarchal throne and put on it the iconoclast Theodotus of Melissinea, given the nickname “Kassiterâ€ (“Tinmanâ€) (815-822). After the death of Leo the Armenian, Saint Methodius returned, and in the dignity of presbyter he struggled incessantly against the Iconoclast heresy. emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) at first was noted for his benevolence and he set free many imprisoned by his predecessor for their veneration of icons, but after a while he renewed the persecution against Orthodoxy. Saint Methodius was locked up in prison in Akrita. After the death of Michael the Stammerer, the ruler was Theophilus (829-842), who also was an iconoclast. More refined a man than his father, he set free Saint Methodius, who likewise was a man of learning, superbly skilled in matters not only ecclesial, but also civil. Having received his freedom, Saint Methodius renewed the struggle with the heretics, and for a while the emperor tolerated this. after defeat in a war with the Arabs, Theophilus vented his anger against Methodius, saying, that God had punished him because he had let an “icon-worshipperâ€ come close to him. Methodius objected, saying that the Lord was angry with him for the insults upon His holy icons. They gave the saint over to tortures, and struck him much about the face, from which his jaw was broken. Ugly scars remained on his face. Methodius was sent off to the island of Antigonos and he was locked up there with two robbers in a deep cave. In this dark prison where the light of day did not penetrate, Methodius languished for 7 years until the death of the emperor Theophilus. this time, the holy Confessors Theodore and Theophanes the Branded (December 27), who had also been sent to prison, sent Methodius greetings in verse, and the prisoner replied with greetings in verse, as well. the death of Theophilus, his son Michael III (842-867) began to rule, but not being of mature age, the Byzantine Empire was actually ruled by his mother, the empress Theodora, a venerater of icons. empress tried to extirpate the Iconoclast heresy, and gave orders to free the confessors imprisoned for icon veneration. The heretic Annios occupying the patriarchal throne was banished, and Saint Methodius chosen in his place. At Constantinople was convened a local Council with Saint Methodius presiding (842). The Council restored icon veneration and established an annual celebration of the triumph of Orthodoxy. The “Synodikon of Orthodoxyâ€ compiled by Saint Methodius is read on the First Sunday of Great Lent. to undermine the authority of Saint Methodius, and also the love and esteem of his flock for him, the heretics slandered him as having transgressed chastity. The slander was exposed as such, and the enemies of the saint put to shame. The final years of the saint passed peacefully, he toiled much, wisely guided the Church and his flock, renovated temples ruined by the heretics, gathered up the relics of saints scattered about by the heretics, and transferred the relics of Patriarch Nikēphóros from the place of his imprisonment back to Constantinople. Saint Methodius died in the year 846. He was spiritually close to Ioannikos (4 November), who had foretold that he would become patriarch and also the time of his death. Besides the “Synodikon of Orthodoxy,â€ the holy hierarch also compiled a rule for those converted to the Faith, three rites of marriage and several pastoral sermons and church hymns.

Byzantium, 842-855, Empress, Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, bride show, Iconodule, regent, righteous
Byzantium, 842-855, Empress Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, Iconodule ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), but she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. After the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. convened a Council, at which the Iconoclasts were anathematized, and the veneration of icons was reinstated. Saint Theodora established the annual celebration of this event, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, on the first Sunday of the Great Fast. Saint Theodora did much for Holy Church and fostered a firm devotion to Orthodoxy in her son Michael. Michael came of age, she was retired from governing and spent eight years in the monastery of Saint Euphrosynē, where she devoted herself to ascetic struggles, and reading books that nourished her soul. copy of the Gospels, copied in her own hand, is known to exist. She died peacefully around the year 867. 1460, her relics were given by the Turks to the people of Kerkyra (Corfu). Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 843-855, Theoctistus tConfessor, Triumph of Orthodoxy, had Theodora end iconoclasm, education, C&M tSlavs
Constantinople, 843-855, Theoctistus tConfessor, known for admini&political competence, fPromotng End iconoclasm, & fPromoting education, convinced Theodora end iconoclasm, the Triumph of Odoxy, Cyril and Methodius' Uncle, placed M as Slav commander, estab univ; Saint Theoctistus the Confessor, Commemorated on November 20; Theoctistus the Confessor was an influential senior Byzantine official during the first half of the 9th century. He was well known for his administrative and political competence, for his involvement in the ending of iconoclasm, and for promoting a major renaissance in education within the Empire. 843 AD, Theoctistus prevailed upon the Empress Theodora to officially reintroduce the veneration of icons, ending the second period of official iconoclasm. the enthronement of a new patriarch, Methodius I, a Synod was convened in Constantinople to condemn iconoclasm -- an event that is commemorated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy." the same year, Theoctistus invited his nephews, Cyril and Methodius, to the imperial capital to study and to arrange the placement of Methodius as a commander of a Slavic administrative region. also is credited with initiating a far-reaching educational program and establishing the University of Magnaura. a series of long-standing political intrigues involving the imperial family, he was arrested and put to death by his adversaries in 855 AD.

Constantinople, 842-867, George Hamartolos, Historian
Constantinople, 842-867, Historian, George Hamartolos; Hamartolos or Hamartolus was a monk at Constantinople under Michael III (842–867) and the author of a chronicle of some importance. is not his name but the epithet he gives to himself in the title of his work: "A compendious chronicle from various chroniclers and interpreters, gathered together and arranged by George, a sinner. It is a common form among Byzantine monks. Krumbacher (358) protests against the use of this epithet as a name and proposes (and uses) the form Georgios Monachos ("George the Monk"). is known about him except from the internal evidence of his work, which establishes his period (in the preface he speaks of Michael III as the reigning emperor) and his calling (he refers to himself several times as a monk). 1 Chronicle 2 Editions 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links chronicle consists of four books. first treats of profane history from Adam to Alexander the Great; second, of the history of the Old Testament; third, of Roman history from Julius Caesar to Constantine; the fourth down to the author's own time, to the death of the emperor Theophilus (842), whose widow Theodora restored the veneration of icons in the same year. chronicle is potentially the only original contemporary authority for the years 813–842, the other being (depending on its dating) the Scriptor Incertus. Because of this fact, it is indispensable. usually in the case of such medieval chronicles, the only part to be taken seriously is the account of more or less contemporary events. The rest is interesting as an example of Byzantine ideas on the subjects, and of the questions that most interested Byzantine monks. describes his ideal and principles in the preface. He has used ancient Greek and modern Greek sources, has especially consulted edifying works, and has striven to relate such things as were useful and necessary, with a strict adherence to truth, rather than to please the reader by artistic writing or pretensions to literary style. But of so great a mass of material he has chosen only what is most useful and necessary. In effect, the questions that seemed most useful and necessary to ecclesiastical persons at Constantinople in the ninth century are those that are discussed. There are copious pious reflections and theological excursuses. writes of how idols were invented, the origin of monks, the religion of the Saracens, and especially of the Iconoclast controversy that had just ended. Like all monks, he hated iconoclasts. The violence with which he speaks of them shows how recent the storm had been and how the memory of iconoclast persecutions was still fresh when he wrote. He writes out long extracts from Greek Fathers. first book treats of an astonishingly miscellaneous collection of persons — Adam, Nimrod, the Persians, Chaldees, Brahmins, Amazons, etc. the second book, too, although it professes to deal with Bible history only, he has much to say about Plato and philosophers in general. Hamartolus ended his chronicle with the year 842, as a colophon in most manuscripts attests. people, among them notably "Symeon Logothetes", who is probably Symeon Metaphrastes, the famous writer of saints' lives (tenth century, see Krumbacher, 358), continued his history to later dates — the longest continuation reaches to 948. these additions, religious questions are relegated to the background, more attention is devoted to political history, and the language is more popular. Still further continuations of little value go down to 1143. spite of his crude ideas and the violent hatred of iconoclasts that makes him always unjust towards them, his work has considerable value for the history of the last years before the schism of Photius. It was soon translated into Church Slavonic and also in Georgian by Arsen of Iqalto. In these versions it became a sort of fountain-head for all early Slavonic historians, most notably Nestor. a very popular and widely consulted book of large circulation it has been constantly re-edited, corrected, and rearranged by anonymous scribes, so that the reconstruction of the original work is "one of the most difficult problems of Byzantine philology" (Krumbacher, 355). Saint Arsenius of Iqalto, Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Byzantium, 842-867, Emperor, Michael III, Iconodule, fond of uncle Bardas, war with Bul E
Byzantium, 842-867, Emperor, Michael III; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 844, Translation Relics oStudion Abbot Theodore fPrinkepo Island tStudion, very incorrupt relics
Constantinople, 844, Translation Relics oTheodore Abbot oStudion Monastery, Constantinople, relics transfered from Prinkepo Island to Studion, Relics preserved whole and incorrupt, even skin not change, plus relics his brother St Joseph, bishop of Thessalonica, both killed by iconoclasts, placed by Igumen and Uncle Platon ; The Studion Monestary ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; the Church commemorates the transfer of the sacred relics of Saint Theodore of Studion (November 11) the island of Prinkēpo to Studion Monastery, occurred in the year 844 (or 845), under Patriarch Methodios of Constantinople (842 - 846). holy Confessor's relics were preserved whole and incorrupt, such an extent that even his skin did not undergo the slightest change. addition to the relics of Saint Theodore, those of his exiled brother, Saint Joseph, the Bishop of Thessaloniki (July 4), who also suffered at the hands of the iconoclasts, were taken to Constantinople. holy relics of both brothers were placed beside the coffin of their Igoumen and uncle Saint Platon (April 5).1

Constantinople, 845 &1000-1499, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium, copy tRussia, scroll, petitions fUs, garments so Fire Bearing Icon
Constantinople, 845, Areovindus Icon, Byzantium (downtown Constantinople), painted in 845, widespread copies 12-15th centuries, 1100-1499, one to Russia, scroll in hand, her petitions to Jesus for us, garments visible fire, so icon called fire bearing; Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Icon of the Mother of God “Areovindus”, Commemorated on February 10; is little information about the history of this Icon, and the story of its appearance is shrouded in mystery. only know that the now lost original was painted around 845. However, there is reason to believe its iconographic type was the same as the Hagiosoritissa Icon.1 Copies of the ancient Icon were widespread in Byzantium during the 12th to the 15th centuries; apparently one of these came from that area to Russia. original version of the Icon represented the Virgin without the Child, but she held a scroll in her hands. this scroll were the All Holy Virgin’s petitions concerning us, which are addressed to her Son. gives us hope that the “Fire-appearing” Icon of the Mother of God, like her other icons, will help and protect us from all misfortune and adversity. Therefore, we pray before the Icon for everything that exceeds the limits of our strength and requires God’s help. face of the Theotokos is turned toward her right side, and her garments are bright red red in color. This is why the Icon is called “Fire-appearing,” or “Visible in Fire.” The name Hagiosoritissa, “of the holy soros” (chest), is derived from the chapel of the holy soros, which was built next to the Blachernae church by Emperor Leo I to house the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was brought from Palestine in 473 (see July 2). The Panagia Hagiosoritissa Icon is associated with this shrine. This icon type shows the Mother of God with both hands raised in supplication, as depicted in the Deisis row of the iconostasis.

Constantinople, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO SLAVS, f Thessalonica, Greece, Clement's relics, Cirilic a, Slav L
Greece, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS, from Thessalonica, Greece, Constantine to Arabs, then philosophy prof, librarian, Methodius a slav governor, both then to Khazars Dnieper-Volga, discovered Clements relics, 863 G Moravia prince Rotislav asked for Slav missionaries, litergy in Slavonic, invented S alphabet, Cyrillic a, for Russian, Ukranian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, German missionaries of HRE, to Pope w Clements relics, new Caroligian Latin bishop forced M to exile in Bulgaria; Thessalonica; Repose of Saint Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs Commemorated on February 14; Cyril Equal of the Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs (Constantine in the schema), and his older brother Methodius (April 6), were Slavs, born in Macedonia in the city of Thessalonica. Cyril received the finest of educations, and from the age of fourteen he was raised with the son of the emperor. Later, he was ordained as a priest. Upon his return to Constantinople, he worked as a librarian of the cathedral church, and as a professor of philosophy. Saint Cyril successfully held debates with iconoclast heretics and with Moslems. for solitude, he went to Mount Olympos to his older brother Methodius, but his solitude lasted only a short while. Both brothers were sent by the emperor Michael on a missionary journey to preach Christianity to the Khazars in the year 857. Along the way they stopped at Cherson and discovered the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (November 25). at the territory of the Khazars, the holy brothers spoke with them about the Christian Faith. Persuaded by the preaching of Saint Cyril, the Khazar prince together with all his people accepted Christianity. The grateful prince wanted to reward the preachers with rich presents, but they refused this and instead asked the prince to free and send home with them all the Greek captives. Saint Cyril returned to Constantinople together with 200 such captives set free. the year 862 began the chief exploit of the holy brothers. At the request of Prince Rostislav, the emperor sent them to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavic language. Saints Cyril and Methodius by a revelation from God compiled a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel, Epistles, the Psalter and many Service books into the Slavonic language. They introduced divine services in Slavonic. holy brothers were then summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Roman Pope. Pope Adrian received them with great honor, since they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement. Sickly by nature and in poor health, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from his many labors, and after taking the schema, he died in the year 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death, he expressed his wish for his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. Saint Cyril was buried in the Roman church of Saint Clement, whose own relics also rest there, brought to Italy from Cherson by the Enlighteners of the Slavs. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; (originally Constantine) and Methodius were brothers, from a noble family in Thessalonika, a district in northeastern Greece. was the younger, born in about 827, and his brother Methodius in about 825. They both entered the priesthood. undertook a mission to the Arabs, and then became a professor of philosophy at the imperial school in Constantinople and librarian at the cathedral of Santa Sophia. became governor of a district that had been settled by Slavs. brothers then retired to monastic life. about 861, the Emperor Michel III sent them to work with the Khazars northeast of the Black Sea in the Dnieper-Volga region of what was later Russia. They learned the Khazar language and made many converts, and discovered what were believed to be relics of Clement, an early Bishop of Rome. about 863, Prince Rotislav, the ruler of Great Moravia (an area including much of what was later Czechoslovakia), asked the emperor for missionaries, specifying that he wanted someone who would teach his people in their own language (he had western missionaries, but they used only Latin). emperor and the Patriarch Photius sent Methodius and his brother Constantine, who translated the Liturgy and much of the Scriptures into Slavonic. Slavonic had no written form, they invented an alphabet for it, the Glagolitic alphabet, which gave rise to the Cyrillic alphabet (named for Constantine aka Cyril), which is used to write Russian and (with modifications) several related languages today. used the Greek alphabet as their basis, writing a letter in two forms when two similar sounds in Slavonic each needed a letter (hence, in modern Russian, we have "plain a" written "A" and "fancy a" written like a backward "R" representing the sounds of hard and soft (or unpalatalized and palatalized) a, represented approximately in English by "ah" and "yah"). no Greek letter was close, then they borrowed from Hebrew (the letter TZADDI for the sound "ts" as in "tsar", and the letter SHIN for the sound "sh", and a variant on it for the sound "shch" as in "Khrushchev", and so on). resulting alphabet had 43 letters. It has since undergone development, chiefly simplification and the omission of letters. Thus, the modern Russian alphabet has only 32 letters. Cyrillic alphabet with minor variations is used today for Russian, Ukrainian, and other languages of the former USSR, and also for Bulgarian and Serbian and formerly for Rumanian. and Croats both speak Serbo-Croatian, but the Serbs, who are traditionally East Orthodox, write it with the Cyrillic alphabet, while the Croats, who are traditionally Roman Catholic, write it with the Latin alphabet. the first World War, there were many muslims (regarded as Turks) living in Greece, and many Christians (regarded as Greeks) living in western Turkey. Each group spoke the language of the country in which it lived, but the Greek-speaking Turks in Greece wrote Greek using the Arabic script that was then standard for writing Turkish, and the Turkish-speaking Greeks in Turkey wrote Turkish in the Greek alphabet. For some reason, the alphabet matters to rival religious groups.) Thus the brothers were the first to produce written material in the Slavic languages, and are regarded as the founders of Slavic literature. brothers encountered missionaries from Germany, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Holy Roman Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as their rightful mission field. When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, went south toward Venice, and then from Venice to Rome to see the Pope, hoping to reach an agreement that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. brought with them the above-mentioned relics of Clement, third bishop of Rome after the Apostles (see 23 November). arrived in Rome in 868 and were received with honor. Constantine entered a monastery there, taking the name Cyril, by which he is now remembered. However, he died only a few weeks thereafter. He is buried in Rome in the Church of San Clemente. Pope (Adrian II) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorization to use the Slavonic Liturgy. however, Prince Rotislav, who had originally invited the brothers to Moravia, died, and his successor did not support Methodius. 870 the Frankish king Louis and his bishops deposed Methodius at a synod at Ratisbon, and imprisoned him for a little over two years. The pope (John VIII) secured his release, but told him not to use the Slavonic Liturgy any more. In 878 he was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by his arguments and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. died 6 April 885 in Velehrad, the old capitol of Moravia. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Wiching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. found refuge with King Boris of Bulgaria (852-889), under whom they reorganized a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. Cyril and Methodius are honored by Eastern and Western Christians alike, and the importance of their work in preaching and worshipping in the language of the people is recognized on all sides. by James Kiefer

Constantinople, 846-881, Theoctiste oLesbos, hid 35yrs fArabs, died aTaking gifts, no leave till hand returned, empty grave
Lesbos, Isle of Lesbos (Between Troy and Ephesus), fMethymna, Lesbos, orphaned, tMonasatery, loved m life, 846 18yr old T visited sister nearby, village captured by Arabs, tParos is, Lord helped T escape, lived there 35 yrs in old church, sunflower seeds food, prayer all time, hunter discovers her, she tells him her story and asks for particle reserved gifts, he does 1881, she dies next day, he cuts off hand, can't leave until hand returned, told companions, return to venerate but she not in grave; Isle of Lesbos; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; Theoktίstē was born in the city of Methymna on the island of Lesbos. was orphaned at an early age, so her relatives sent her to a monastery to be raised by the nuns. girl was quite happy to forsake this sinful world. She loved the monastic life, the long Church Services, monastic obedience, the strict fasting, and unceasing prayer. She learned much of the chants, prayer, and psalmody by heart. the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection in the year 846, when Theoktίstē was eighteen years old, she left the Monastery with the blessing of the Igoumeness, and went to a nearby village to visit her sister, remaining there overnight. Arabs invaded the settlement, captured all the inhabitants, and forced them onto a ship. By morning, they were at sea. brigands took the captives to the desolate island of Paros so that they might examine them in order to set a price on each when they were sold at the slave market. Lord helped the young maiden to escape, and the Arabs did not catch her. Saint Theoktίstē lived on the island for the next 35 years. An old church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos served as her abode, her food was sunflower seeds. spent all her time in prayer. a group of hunters landed upon the island. One of them, pursuing his prey, went far from the coast into the forest, and suddenly he saw the church and went inside in order to pray. the hunter saw what seemed to be a human form in a dim corner, not far from the holy altar table, Brushing aside thick cobwebs. drew nearer and heard a voice say, “Stay there, and come no closer, for I am a naked woman, and I am ashamed.” hunter gave the woman his outer garment and she came out from her place of concealment. He saw a grey-haired woman with worn face, who called herself Theoktίstē. a faint voice, she told him of her life, which she had devoted to God. Saint Theoktίstē finished her story, she asked the hunter, if he should happen to come to this island again, to bring her a particle of the reserved Gifts. In all the time she had lived in the wilderness, she had not been able to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ even once. year later, in 881, the hunter returned to the island and brought a small vessel with a particle of the Holy Mysteries. Theoktίstē approached the Holy Gifts and fell to the ground, praying with tears for a long time. Standing up, she took the vessel and received the Body and Blood of Christ "with faith, reverence, and in the fear of God." next day, the hunter found the dead body of Saint Theoktίstē in the church. After digging a shallow grave, he placed her in it. brazenly, he cut off one of her hands, in order to take a relic of the Saint with him. night the ship was tossed upon a tempestuous sea. In the morning, it ended up at the very place from which it started. the man realized that his taking the relic was not pleasing to God. to the grave, he placed the hand with the Saint's body. the ship was able to sail away without difficulty. .On the journey, the hunter told his companions all that had happened on the island. hearing his story, they all decided to return to Paros at once, that they might venerate the relics of the great ascetic, they did not find her holy body in the grave.

Constantinople, 847-858, Ignatios , Patriarch, Iconodule, Emperor's son, monastery igumen, excommunicated Bardas
Constantinople Patriarch, 847-858, Ignatios of Constantinople; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Ignatius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847-857; 867-877), in the world Nicetas, was of imperial lineage. his father, the emperor Michael I (811-813), was deposed from the imperial throne by Leo the Armenian (813-820), the fifteen-year-old youth Ignatius was imprisoned in a monastery. in the monastery strengthened Saint Ignatius in faith and in piety. Soon he was made igumen of the monastery, and later he was chosen Patriarch of Constantinople. Michael III (855-867) ascended the throne he was still a minor, so the country was actually governed by his uncle, Bardas, an impious and unchaste man. Ignatius urged Bardas to forsake his sinful life and when he refused, Ignatius boldly denounced him for his iniquity. attempted to force Saint Ignatius to tonsure the holy Empress Theodora, mother of the emperor, in order to remove her from governance of the realm. Ignatius did not consent to this, and also publicly excommunicated Bardas. Bardas had Ignatius tortured for fifteen days to force him to resign, and then they sent him into exile. the new emperor came to power, Saint Ignatius was recalled from prison and was Patriarch for another ten years. He died in the year 877 in a monastery. St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Constantinople, 849-895, Anthony, Patriarch, gave wealth, lived as monk f12, copied igumen, encouraged piety, visited all
Constantinople, 849-895, Patriarch Anthony, Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople, gave wealth, lived iMonastery from 12, against will made priest, and igumen, tonsured own father, Patriarch in 893 at 64, did much for church wLeo tWise, monastery builder, served destitute especially their spiritual condition, traveled all churches while old, died 895 at 66; Hagia Sophia; Saint Anthony, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Anthony, Patriarch of Constantinople, a native of Asia, lived in Constantinople from his youth. was born around 829 of rich and pious parents. the death of his mother, he entered a monastery at the age of twelve, following the example of the igumen, he spent his nights in prayer and led a strict monastic life. the passage of time, and against his will, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. at the insistence of the Patriarch, he was made an igumen. in this rank, he tonsured his own father into monasticism. Anthony was distinguished by his mercy, by his love and concern for the destitute, and he provided generous help to them. to the Patriarchal throne at Constantinople in 893, Anthony intensified his care for the destitute, and especially for their spiritual condition. the assistance of the emperor Leo the Wise, Patriarch Anthony did much good for the Church, encouraged piety in the people. also built a monastery over the relics of Saint Kallia (February 12). being stooped over with age, went around all the churches, the command of the Savior to be the servant of all the brethren. the year 895, advanced in age, Saint Anthony went peacefully to the Lord.

Constantinople, 850 9th Century, Martyr Barbarus, a robber, Larissa, Thessaly, repentence, death inevitability& last judgement
Greece, 850 9th Century, Martyr Barbarus, who was a robber, Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth), Lord turned him to repentence, thought of inevitability of death and last judgement, robber hanging beside Jesus, his eneffable mercy, Left his treasures behind, confessed to priest, lived w his cattle, absolution, 12 yrs in woods, received sign of forgiveness & Martyrdom, shot by merchant's arrows, heavenly light, currative myrrh, relics at the monastery of Kellios in Thessaly, near Larissa; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larissa">Larissa; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; Holy Martyr Barbarus, formerly a robber, lived in Greece and for a long time he committed robberies, extortions and murders. the Lord, Who does not desire the death of a sinner, turned him to repentance. when Barbarus was sitting in a cave and gazing upon his stolen possessions, the grace of God touched his heart. thought about the inevitability of death, and about the dread Last Judgment. over the multitude of his wicked deeds, he was distressed in his heart and he decided to make a beginning of repentance, saying, “The Lord did not despise the prayer of the robber hanging beside Him. May He spare me through His ineffable mercy.” left all his treasures behind in the cave and he went to the nearest church. He did not conceal his wicked deeds from the priest, and he asked to be accepted for repentance. priest gave him a place in his own home, and Saint Barbarus followed him, going about on his hands and knees like a four-legged animal, since he considered himself unworthy to be called a man. the household of the priest he lived with the cattle, eating with the animals and considering himself more wicked than any creature. received absolution from his sins from the priest, Barbarus went into the woods and lived there for twelve years, naked and without clothing, suffering from the cold and heat. His body became dirty and blackened all over. Saint Barbarus received a sign from on high that his sins were forgiven, and that he would die a martyr’s death. merchants came to the place where Saint Barbarus labored. In the deep grass before them they saw something moving. Thinking that this was an animal, they shot several arrows from their bows. Coming closer, they were terrified to see that they had mortally wounded a man. Saint Barbarus begged them not to grieve. He told them about himself and he asked that they relate what had happened to the priest at whose house he had once lived. this, Saint Barbarus yielded up his spirit to God. The priest, who had accepted the repentance of the former robber, found his body shining with a heavenly light. The priest buried the body of Saint Barbarus at the place where he was killed. a curative myrrh began to issue forth from the grave of the saint, which healed various maladies. His relics are located at the monastery of Kellios in Thessaly, near the city of Larissa.

Constantinople, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria

Constantinople, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator

Byzantium, 855-867, Emperor, Michael III, Iconodule, regency, B resurgence, uncle Bardas, a Bulgaria
Byzantine Emperor 855-867, Michael III ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; St Stephen the New LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, saintly child, commander, allies fled, rushed center, killed beast on way
Bulgaria, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3, across river from Trnovo), saintly child, commander, Greek allies fled, prayed, rushed center, killed lake beast on way home, died, relics healed, 1800 r transferred to Wallacia; Potuka; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Michael the Soldier of Bulgaria, among the first of the Bulgarians to become Christian, lived in the city of Potuka during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael III (855-867). still an infant, he was known as a “saintly child.” his youth he led a blameless life, possessed the fear of God, fasted, generously distributed alms to the poor, visited the sick, and was meek and humble. twenty-four years of age Saint Michael was made commander of a troop of soldiers. that time, the Turks were warring against Christians, and Saint Michael inspired his troops by his bravery in battle. the allies of the Bulgarians, the Greeks, fled from the field of battle, he fell to the ground and prayed with tears for the deliverance of the Christians. he led his own soldiers against the enemy. Rushing into the center of the enemy formation, he put them into disarray, and remained unharmed himself. homeward after a battle, he rescued the inhabitants of a certain city in the Raipha wilderness from a huge beast which emerged from a lake and attacked children. came to see this brave soldier when they heard that he had slain the beast they once worshiped as a god. He preached the Gospel to them, and turned them from demon worship and human sacrifice. after he returned home, Saint Michael surrendered his soul to the Lord, Whom he had loved since his youth. He wrought many miracles after death, healing those who came to him with faith. transfer of the relics of the saint from Potuka to Trnovo occurred in the year 1206, and at the beginning of the nineteenth century, they were transferred to Wallachia.

Constantinople, 858-891, Patriarch, Photius 1, Iconodule, tutored Mike III &Cyril, rejected pope, lifelong anti-Latin
Constantinople, 858-891, Patriarch, Photius 1, Iconodule, tutored Mike III and Cyril, rejected pope, "The Church's far-gleaming beacon", father defended icons, related imperial house, 1st secretary otSenate, yearned monasticism, taught young emperor Michael&Slav Enlightener Cyril, 1857 Bardas deposed Patriarch Ignatius, Bishops informed young Michael that Photius was the man to replace, soon Church discord for removing I, Synod 861 to end unrest, dispostiion&Installation confirmed, Pope Nic I present at Synod, recognized Photius so he would be under Papal power, but P unsubmissive, so Pope anthematized Photius at a Roman council, Photius lifelong opponent Popal intrigues against Orthodox, 864 Bulgaria becomes Christian, Photius baptises the B Prince, later P sends archbishop&Priests tB people, 865 Cyril&Methodius sent to Preach in Slav language, however Pope's partisans incited Bulgarians against Orthodox missionaries, at that time East Germans invade B, so Bulgria seeks help from West, B Prince requests Pope send his bishops, they began substitute Latin teachings in place of Orthodox, so Potius wrote encyclical informing Eastern Bishops of Pope's actions, showing departure Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not just in ritual but was different confession of faith, council convened censuring West's arrogance, 867 Basil tMacedonian murders Michael seizing Throne, Photius denounced the murder and cut him off from Holy Mysteries, therefore P removed, locked up, Ignatius restored, 1869 Synod to investigate Photius, included Popal legates, they demanded signing recognition primacy otPope & condemming Photius, But Eastern Bishops did not sign this, Photius summoned to that council, dignified silence, "why do you consider yourselves judges?", long debate, Photius' opponents victorius, P & Bishops defending him anathematized, prison 7 yrs, thanked Lord for prtiently enduring his judges, during this time Latin clergy expelled fBulgaria, Ignatius sends his bishops there, 879 another Orthodox council (Considered by many 8th EC), Photius again archpastor Constantinople, his friend Pope John III declared former P decisions annulled, Nicean Creed acknowledged unalterable, rejecting filoque, acknowledging independence both churches East and West, that council abolished Latin usages rituals in Bulgaria, Leo replaces Basil and more false denunciations like speaking against emperor, 886 again deposed, died 891, buried Eremia m, Orthodox church venerated Photius: pillar&foundation otChurch, inspired guide, wise theologian, left behing several works: exposing Latins, refuting self-destroying heresys, explaining Scripture, exploring the Faith; Constantinople Patriarch, 858-886, Photius 1 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, “the Church’s far-gleaming beacon,” lived during the ninth century, and came from a family of zealous Christians. father Sergius died as a martyr in defense of holy icons. Photius received an excellent education and, since his family was related to the imperial house, he occupied the position of first state secretary in the Senate. contemporaries said of him: “He so distinguished himself with knowledge in almost all the secular sciences, it rightfully might be possible to take into account the glory of his age and compare it with the ancients.” the young successor to the throne, and Saint Cyril, the future Enlightener of the Slavs, were taught by him. deep Christian piety protected Saint Photius from being seduced by the charms of court life. all his soul, he yearned for monasticism. 857 Bardas, who ruled with Emperor Michael, deposed Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) from the See of Constantinople. bishops, knowing the piety and extensive knowledge of Photius, informed the emperor that he was a man worthy to occupy the archpastoral throne. Photius accepted the proposal with humility. He passed through all the clerical ranks in six days. On the day of the Nativity of Christ, he was consecrated bishop and elevated to the patriarchal throne. however, discord arose within the Church, stirred up by the removal of Patriarch Ignatius from office. Synod of 861 was called to end the unrest, which the deposition of Ignatius and the installation of Photius as patriarch were confirmed. Nicholas I, whose envoys were present at this council, hoped that by recognizing Photius as patriarch he could subordinate him to his power. the new patriarch proved unsubmissive, Nicholas anathematized Photius at a Roman council. the end of his life Saint Photius was a firm opponent of papal intrigues and designs upon the Orthodox Church of the East. 864, Bulgaria voluntarily converted to Christianity. Bulgarian prince Boris was baptized by Patriarch Photius himself. Saint Photius sent an archbishop and priests to baptize the Bulgarian people. 865, Saints Cyril and Methodius were sent to preach Christ in the Slavonic language. the partisans of the Pope incited the Bulgarians against the Orthodox missionaries. calamitous situation in Bulgaria developed because an invasion by the Germans forced them to seek help in the West, the Bulgarian prince requested the Pope to send his bishops. they arrived in Bulgaria, the papal legates began to substitute Latin teachings and customs in place of Orthodox belief and practice. Photius, as a firm defender of truth and denouncer of falsehood, an encyclical informing the Eastern bishops of the Pope’s actions, that the departure of the Roman Church from Orthodoxy was not only in ritual, but also in its confession of faith. council was convened, censuring the arrogance of the West. 867, Basil the Macedonian seized the imperial throne, after murdering the emperor Michael. Photius denounced the murderer and would not permit him to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. he was removed from the patriarchal throne and locked in a monastery under guard, and Patriarch Ignatius was restored to his position. Synod of 869 met to investigate the conduct of Saint Photius. council took place with the participation of papal legates, who demanded that the participants sign a document (Libellus) condemning Photius and recognizing the primacy of the Pope. Eastern bishops would not agree to this, and argued with the legates. to the council, Saint Photius met all the accusations of the legates with a dignified silence. when the judges asked him whether he wished to repent did he reply, “Why do you consider yourselves judges?” long disputes, the opponents of Photius were victorious. their judgment was baseless, they anathematized Patriarch Photius and the bishops defending him. saint was sent to prison for seven years, and by his own testimony, he thanked the Lord for patiently enduring His judges. this time the Latin clergy were expelled from Bulgaria, Patriarch Ignatius sent his bishops there. 879, two years after the death of Patriarch Ignatius, another council was summoned consider it the Eighth Ecumenical Council), again Saint Photius was acknowledged as the lawful archpastor of the Church of Constantinople. John VIII, who knew Photius personally, declared through his envoys that the former papal decisions about Photius were annulled. council acknowledged the unalterable character of the Nicean-Constantinople Creed, the Latin distortion (“filioque”), acknowledging the independence and equality of both thrones and both churches (Western and Eastern). council decided to abolish Latin usages and rituals in the Bulgarian church introduced by the Roman clergy, who ended their activities there. Emperor Basil’s successor, Leo, Saint Photius again endured false denunciations, and was accused of speaking against the emperor. deposed from his See in 886, the saint completed the course of his life in 891. was buried at the monastery of Eremia. Orthodox Church venerates Saint Photius as a “pillar and foundation of the Church,” an “inspired guide of the Orthodox,” and a wise theologian. left behind several works, exposing the errors of the Latins, refuting soul-destroying heresies, explicating Holy Scripture, and exploring many aspects of the Faith.

Constantinople, 858-912, Stephen the New Light, cell solitude in C 50 yrs, acquired grace like ancient Orthodox ascetics
Constantinople, 858-912, Stephen the New Light, fConstantinople, fine education, Patriarch Methodius monk, cell solitude in C 50 yrs, acquired grace like ancient Orthodox ascetics; Constantinople Patriarch, 886-893 , Stephen I ; Saint Stephen the “New Light” of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Stephen the “New Light” was born at Constantinople in 838 and received a fine education. Patriarch Methodius, Stephen received monastic tonsure and shut himself in a cell attached to the church of Saint Peter in Constantinople. he went into seclusion, and over fifty years he constantly increased his ascetic efforts. the end of his life the saint acquired great grace from the Lord, shining in the constellation of the saints like the ancient ascetics of the Orthodox Church, so that he came to be called the “New Light.” to the Prologue, he died in the year 912 and was buried in the church of Saint Antipas.

Constantinople, 860, Rus-Byzantine War (860), caused by Byzantine support of Khzars
Rus-“Byzantine War (860), Russians seize Constantinople ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Constantinople, 860, Deliverance by Mother of God's Robe from Askold to Baptism of the Rus in 88 by Askold
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Constantinople, 860-946, St Anna oLeukadio, Nun for 50yrs, relics found incorrupt wMyrrh, grace filled
Constantinople, 860-946, Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), physical&spiritual gifts, wealthy, rejected Hagorene marriage proposal, asked God protection from him, struck down bDevine Judgement. Nun for 50yrs, fasting, vigil, prayer, died, relics found whole, incorrupt wMyrrh, grace filled, demons cast out, blind rSight, lame walked; Constantinople; Saint Anna of Leukadio, Commemorated on July 23; Anna (Susanna) of Leukadio (or Leukati) was born in Constantinople in 840 during the reign of Emperor Theophilos the iconoclast (829-842), was the daughter of a wealthy and distinguished family. had many physical and spiritual gifts because she was raised “in the discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). the death of her parents, she inherited her father’s estate, which she shared with the poor. beautiful young woman was loved by a certain Hagarene1 who lived in Constantinople and asked her to marry him, and he obtained the consent of Emperor Basil I the Macedonian. turned down the proposal, since she did not wish to marry him. Hagarene tormented her and declared that he would have her as his wife, even if she did not wish it. Saint tearfully entreated God to deliver her from this temptation. Indeed, the compassionate and righteous God heard her prayers. Punished for his impudence, the Hagarene was struck down by divine judgment and he died. 896 Anna went to a certain church dedicated to the Mother of God in Constantinople. There she devoted herself to fasting, vigil, and prayer. For fifty years she lived in this angelic way. After a slight illness, she delivered her blessed soul to God. after her burial, her relics were found to be whole, incorrupt, and emitting a divine fragrance. By her grace-filled relics, demons were cast out, the blind received their sight, and the lame walked. in this manner, God glorifies those who glorify Him. 1 The Moslems were regarded as descendants of Hagar, Abraham's concubine (see Genesis, chapter 16).

Constantinople, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra, fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, miracles
Epiros, Greece, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, glorified bWisdom, defender f wrath oConstantine, widows deferder, orphans father, so gift oMiracles, composed sanctification oOil Canon (Criterion fJudging), several letters tPhotius survive ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Arsenius, Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), a native of Palestine lived in the ninth century. led a strict ascetic life, was a highly educated man renowned spiritual writer. was glorified by wisdom, constantly defended his flock from the wrath of the emperor Constantine (979-1028). of his great virtue, Saint Arsenius was consecrated as Archbishop of Kerkyra. became a defender of widows, a father to orphans, and a comfort for the sorrowful, so God rewarded him with the gift of miracles. fell asleep in the Lord toward the end of the ninth century. relics were placed in the cathedral at Kerkyra, many miracles and healings took place at his tomb. Arsenius composed the Canon chanted during the Sanctification of Oil, Panegyric (a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something) on the Apostle Andrew, a Discourse on the Suffering of the Great Martyr Barbara. of his letters to Saint Photius (February 6) still survive.

Byzantium, 867-886, Emperor, Basil I, Macedonian, Iconodule, poor, blessed by Mike II, killed Mike III
Byzantine Emperor, 867-886, Basil I, the Macedonian; I, called the Macedonian (Greek: ; 811-August 29, 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a simple peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the Imperial court. He entered into the service of Theophilitzes, a relative of Emperor Michael III (r. 842-867), and was given a fortune by the wealthy Danielis. He gained the favour of Michael III, whose mistress he married on the emperor's orders, and was proclaimed co-emperor in 866. He ordered the assassination of Michael the next year. Despite his humble origins, he showed great ability in running the affairs of state. He was the founder of the Macedonian dynasty. He was succeeded upon his death by his son (perhaps actually Michael III's son) Leo VI. Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; St Stephen the "œNew Light" Â of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Constantinople, 867-886, Uncovering Menas' relics, Alexandria, relics discovered when Menas appeared & revealed where they were
Egypt, 867-886, Uncovering Menas' relics, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, fAthens, died as Martyr 313, commander Marcian discovered his relics 867-886 when Menas appeared to pious man in a dream and revealed where they were; Alexandria; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; Holy Martyr Menas Kallikelados (Well Speaking), an Athenian, as a martyr with Saints Hermogenes and Eugraphus in about the year 313 (December 10). the reign of Emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886), military commander Marcian discovered the saint’s relics Saint Menas appeared to a certain pious man in a dream to reveal where they were.

Constantinople, 869, Synod of 869, not Ecumenical, supported Icons
Synod of 869; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated February 6; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 869, Wonderworking Miasena Icon, hidden in Lake Zagura for a long time
Lake Zagura; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was thrown into Lake Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery. Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Constantinople, 870-940, Theodora, nun wBasil tNew, B's disciple asked see hFate, then great long after death story, see below
Constantinople, 870-940, Theodora oConstantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn), widowed early pious life caring fHomeless, later nun under Basil tNew, iSolitary aHome, died great old age 940, Basil's disciple Gregory asked to see her fate, very much(question), yes, today if you ask wFaith& if believe it granted, G supprised able tSee departed, that night youth came to him, get up Basil summons you tVisit Theodora, come if you want to see, tBasil but not there, Basil went tSee T, those present showed him tPath, it led tLabyrinth (maze), led tBolted Gateway, seeing courtyard beyond, woman seeted there, explained it belonged to Basil, Basil came there to visit his spiritual children, G said open I am his spiritual child, she said not without T's permission, knocked loudly, T let him in, Here he is, beloved son my master, who has guided you here(question), Basil's prayer, G begged she tell him how she parted from body, then great long story of her after death experience, see below; Constantinople; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated December 30 ; Theodora lived at Constantinople during the first half of the tenth century. had been married, but was widowed early on and led a pious life, caring for the destitute and hopeless. she became a nun and lived under the guidance of Saint Basil the New (March 26), living the monastic life in a solitary cell in her own home. Theodora died in great old age in the year 940. a disciple of Saint Basil the New, asked his teacher to reveal to him the fate of the deceased nun. “Do you want this very much?” asked Saint Basil. “Yes, I do,” Gregory replied. “You shall see her today, if you ask with faith, and if you believe that your request will be granted.” was greatly surprised and he wondered how he would be able to see someone who had departed to eternal life. same night, as Gregory was falling asleep, a youth of comely appearance came to him and said, “Get up. Father Basil summons you to visit Theodora. you want to see her, then come along.” immediately went to Saint Basil, but did not find him there. present said that Saint Basil had gone to visit the nun Theodora. showed Gregory the path taken by Saint Basil. followed it until he found himself in a labyrinth. narrow and difficult path led to a bolted gateway. through a crack that there was a courtyard beyond the gates, Gregory called out to a woman seated there. explained that this courtyard belonged to Father Basil, was wont to come there to visit his spiritual children. “Open to me, for I am also a spiritual child of Saint Basil,” Gregory entreated. servant girl, however, would not open the doors without Theodora’s permission. began to knock loudly on the doors. Saint Theodora heard it and let him through, exclaiming, “Here he is, the beloved son of my master, Basil!” greeting him, Theodora asked, “Brother Gregory, who has guided you here?” he related how through the prayer of Saint Basil he had the good fortune to behold her in the glory which she had attained by her ascetic life. began to beg her to tell him, for his spiritual benefit, how she had parted from the body and come to this holy habitation. Theodora replied, “Dear child Gregory, how can I tell you everything? the point, in which I was with tribulation in fear and trembling, I have forgotten much, moreover, I saw such faces and heard such voices, as one would never see nor hear in one’s life. “I can say that death would have come upon me fiercely because of my unjust deeds, were it not for the prayers of our Father Basil. prayers alone made my death easier.” this Saint Theodora began to relate how a multitude of evil spirits suddenly appeared and accosted her before her end. carried large books, in which were written all the sins of her whole life. reviewed them impatiently, as though expecting the arrival of some sort of judge at any minute. all this, Saint Theodora felt such fear and terror, that finally she became exhausted. glanced all around, hoping to see someone who would drive the devils away. herself in this tormenting situation, she then beheld two angels standing to the right of her. was her Guardian Angel, the other she did not know. evil spirits then withdrew farther off. angel said, “Why do you, grim enemies of the race of man, seek to harass and torment the soul of the deceased? not rejoice, for she is not one of yours.” the shameless spirits began to recount everything that the saint had done from her youth, whether by word, or deed or thought. all this they added much of their own invention, seeking to slander the saint. Death came. It poured something into a bowl and offered it to the saint to drink, then taking a knife, it cut off her head. “Ah, my child,” continued Saint Theodora, “how bitter it was for me then, how bitter! this moment Death snatched away my soul, which quickly separated from the body, just as a bird leaps off the fowler’s hand when he sets it free.” angels took the soul of Saint Theodora and began to lead it to Heaven, whereas her body was left to lie upon the earth like discarded clothing. the holy angels had the soul of the nun, the evil spirits returned saying, “We have a list of her many sins, answer for them.” the angels began to recount all the good deeds which the saint had done: her charity, her love of peace, her love for the temple of God, her patience, humility, fasting, and many other ascetic deeds which the nun had accomplished in life. set her good deeds opposite her sins, which expiated them. evil spirits gnashed their teeth, wanting to abduct the holy soul and hurl it down into the abyss. suddenly, Saint Basil appeared in spirit and he said to the holy angels, “My protectors, this soul has rendered me many services, lessening the distress of my infirmity and old age. I have prayed concerning her to the Lord, and He bestowed this good thing.” this Saint Basil gave the angels some sort of small chest, “When you want the celestial trials to finish, take what is in this chest and give it to the wicked and evil spirits.” giving them the chest, the saint disappeared. all this, the evil spirits remained perplexed and speechless for a long time, then suddenly, they howled, “Woe to us! In vain have we toiled, watching and following her, noting how and where she sinned.” Then they disappeared. Saint Basil appeared again and brought with him many different vessels with fragrances, he entrusted to the angels. one vessel after the other, the angels poured out the fragrances upon Saint Theodora. was filled with a spiritual sweetness and felt that she had changed and become very luminous. Basil said, “My protectors! When you have done everything needful for her, and have brought her to the habitation prepared by the Lord for me, leave her there.” holy angels took Saint Theodora and proceeded up to Heaven, rising up through the air. suddenly, they encountered the First Trial, which is called the Trial of Idle and Nasty Words. tormentors demanded an answer be given for every evil thing that Theodora had ever spoken about anyone, and they pointed out the indecorous laughter, mockery and crude songs. saint had forgotten all this, since quite a long time had passed when she first began to lead a life pleasing to God. the angels defended her. came the Trial of Lies. evil spirits there were very nasty, stubborn and fierce. They furiously began to slander the saint, but the angels gave them something from the small chest and they passed by unhindered. Theodora reached the Third Trial, that of Judging and Slander, among the evil spirits emerged one rather older, and it began to tell how the nun had slandered someone with vile words during her life. of what he said was false, but still it was amazing how the demons remembered things in detail and with exactness, things which the nun herself had forgotten. servants of the Fourth Trial, that of Gluttony and Drunkenness, ready to devour the saint like ravenous wolves, recalling how she ate in the morning without praying to God, how she ate at lunch and supper without measure, and transgressed the fasts. to snatch the nun from the hands of the angels, one of the evil spirits said, “Did you not promise the Lord God at holy Baptism to renounce Satan and all his works and everything that pertains to him? given such a vow, how could you have done the things which you have done?” the devils even calculated all the cups of wine which Theodora had imbibed in her life. she said, “Yes, this was so, and I remember that,” the angels again gave a portion from the small chest of Saint Basil, just as they had done at each of the trials, and went farther. “Do the people on earth know what awaits them here and with what they will meet at the time of their death?” Theodora asked the angels. “Yes, they do know,” an angel replied, “but the pleasures and delights of life act so strongly upon them, and so occupy their attention, that they involuntarily forget what awaits them beyond the grave.” “It is good for those who remember the Holy Scripture, or show charity, or do other good deeds, which can redeem them later from the eternal torments of Hell. woe to those who live carelessly as though forever, thinking only of the sweets of the belly and their pride. death should suddenly overtake them, they perish completely, since they have no good deeds in their defense. souls of these people are fiercely tormented by the dark princes of these trials, lead them off into the dark places of hell will hold them until the Coming of Christ. you would have suffered this too, Theodora, if you had not received the gift from Saint Basil, which saved you from all harm here.” the angel finished speaking, they came to the Fifth Trial, that of Laziness and Sloth, sinners are tormented for all the hours of the day spent in idleness. the indolent are held, for they were too lazy to go to the Church of God on feastdays. the careless and the despondent are also tested, both the laity and the clergy, each one shows a lack of attentiveness to his own soul. Many here are hurled off into the abyss. angels made up for the insufficiencies of the nun with the gifts of Saint Basil, and proceeded farther. Sixth Trial was that of Theft, and they passed through freely. Seventh Trial, that of Greed and Avarice, angels managed to pass through unhindered because, by the mercy of God, Saint Theodora had always been satisfied with what God provided, and she distributed what she possessed to the needy. spirits of the Eighth Trial, that of Bribery, those guilty of taking bribes and Flattery. They gnashed their teeth in malice when the angels moved on, for they had nothing against Saint Theodora. the angels proceeded freely through the Ninth Trial, that of Unrighteousness and Vanity; the Tenth Trial, that of Envy and Jealousy; and the Eleventh Trial, that of Pride. the way they soon encountered the Twelfth Trial, that of Anger. eldest of the spirits, full of anger and arrogance, commanded its servants to torment and torture the nun. devils repeated all the words of the nun that she had spoken in anger. even remembered how she had glared at her own children with anger, or strictly punished them. all this the angels gave an answer, handing out things from the small chest. robbers, the evil spirits of the Thirteenth Trial, that of Spitefulness, out, but finding nothing in their records, they wailed bitterly. Saint Theodora made bold to ask one of the angels how the evil spirits know what evil things people do in life. angel answered, “Every Christian receives a Guardian Angel at holy Baptism, invisibly protects him from everything bad and urges him to everything good. He records all the good deeds done by this person. on the other side, there is an evil angel keeping track of all the evil deeds people do, and writes them down in his book. records all the sins which, as you have seen, accost people as they pass through these trials on their way to Heaven. sins can deny a soul entry into Paradise, and lead directly into the abyss in which the evil spirits themselves dwell. there these souls will dwell until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, they have no good deeds which can snatch them from the devil’s clutches. who truly believe in the Holy Trinity, and who have received the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ the Savior, directly to Heaven without any hindrance. the holy angels of God are shown as their defenders, the saints pleasing to God intercede for the salvation of souls of righteous people. the impious and heretics of evil doctrine, and those who accomplish nothing useful in their lives, one looks after them and the angels can say nothing in their defense.” angels then reached the Fourteenth Trial, that of Thuggery, all who have lashed out with anger, smiting someone on the cheek or using some other weapon, are tested. angels passed freely through this trial, too. they found themselves at the Fifteenth Trial, that of Sorcery and Necromancy (Conjuring), in the midst of beckoning demons. are located the viperous-mannered spirits, the purpose of whose existence is to lead people into temptation and corruption. the grace of Christ Saint Theodora soon bypassed this trial. after this she asked whether it is for every sin which a man commits in life that he is tormented with at the trials, if it is possible, even during life, to expiate the sin in order to be cleansed of it and not be tormented with it at the trials. angels told Saint Theodora that not all experience the trials in that way, only those like her who did not make a heart-cleansing confession before death. “If I had confessed to my spiritual Father all my sins without shame or fear, and if I had received absolution from him,” said Saint Theodora, “then I should have gone through all these trials unhindered, and not one of my sins would have tormented me. since I was not in the habit of confessing all my sins to my spiritual Father, they torment me for them here.” “Of course, it helped me a good deal that I strove and desired to flee sin all my life. strives diligently for repentance, always receives forgiveness from God, also unencumbered passage from this life to the blessed life beyond the grave. evil spirits, which are here during these trials with their records, open them find nothing written, because the Holy Spirit will make invisible everything that is written. know that everything written by them is wiped out, thanks to Confession, and they are deeply saddened.” “If a person is still among the living, then they aspire to write down some other sort of sins. great is the saving power of Confession! It saves one from much woe and distress, it provides the possibility to go through all the trials without hindrance and come to God. do not come to Confession in the expectation that there will be time for salvation, and for the remission of their sins. simply are ashamed to tell the priest their sins in Confession. people will be severely tested by these trials. There are also those who are ashamed to tell everything to one spiritual Father, and they prefer to tell one sin to one priest, and others to another, and so forth. such a Confession they will be punished, and they will suffer not a little in passing from trial to trial.” they approached the Sixteenth Trial, that of Fornication. tormentors were astonished that the saint had reached them without hindrance, and when they began to relate what she had done in life, gave much false testimony, while providing names and places in their account. it also happened with the servants of the Seventeenth Trial, that of Adultery. Eighteenth Trial, that of Sodomy, was where all the sins of fornication against nature and of incest are punished, all the nasty, secretly done deeds of which, in the words of the Apostle, it is shameful even to speak. Theodora passed quickly through these. angels said to her, “You saw the dreadful and loathsome fornications of that trial. that it is a rare soul that passes by them freely. the world is immersed in the evil of temptations and filth, nearly all people are lascivious, and “the imagination of man is intently bent on evil from his youth” (Gen. 8: 21). are those who have mortified the passions of the flesh, and there are few who would freely pass through these trials. large number of those who arrive here perish. forces of the fornication trials boast that they, more than all the other trials, fill up the fiery raging in Hell. thanks to God, Theodora, that you have bypassed these tormentors of lewdness through the prayers of your spiritual Father, Saint Basil. You shall see no greater terror.” the Nineteenth Trial, that of Idol-Worship and Every Heresy, there was nothing with which to torment Saint Theodora. the Twentieth and final Trial, that of Lack of Pity and Hardness of Heart, recorded everything unmerciful, cruel, spiteful and hateful. soul of a person not following the command of God to be merciful, is flung from here into Hell and kept there until the general resurrection. servants of the fierce demon swooped down like a swarm of bees, but finding nothing concerning the nun, they went away. rejoicing angels then transported the saint through the gates of Heaven. she entered into Heaven the water on the ground parted, and joined together again behind her. triumphant host of angels met the saint and conducted her to the Throne of God. they went, two divine clouds descended upon them. an inexplicable height stood the Throne of God, so white that it illumined all present before it. Theodora continued her narrative, “Everything there is so wonderful that it is not possible either to comprehend or explain it; the mind is clouded with perplexity, and memory fails, and I forgot where I was.” She bowed down to the Unseen God and heard a Voice, commanding that she be shown all the souls of the righteous and of sinners, and after this to grant her repose in a place where Saint Basil would indicate. all this had been shown her, one of the angels said, “You know, Theodora, that in the world it is the custom for the living to remember the departed on the fortieth day after death. there on earth Saint Basil remembers you today.” “And so,” Theodora continued, “my spiritual child Gregory, after the fortieth day from the separation of my soul from the body, am now in this place, which was prepared for our Father Saint Basil.” this she led him through the heavenly habitations, Gregory encountered Saint Basil in the courtyard beyond the trapeza. Saint Theodora led him into the garden. at all the good things, Gregory wanted to find out about them. Saint Theodora merely said that all this is not of the earth, is attainable for those who endure many sorrows and misfortunes in the earthly life, keep the commands of the Lord and precisely fulfill them. Saint Theodora said that life in Heaven is distinctly different from life on earth, involuntarily pinched himself, wanting to know whether he was still in the flesh. spirit was joyful, his senses and thoughts pure. wanted to return from the garden which the nun had shown him, and go to the courtyard. he returned, there was no one there in the trapeza. to Saint Theodora, Gregory started to return home, at that very moment he awoke and began to wonder where he was and what he had heard and seen. was afraid that it was all just a demonic delusion, he went to his teacher. Saint Basil himself recounted everything that Gregory had seen, asked him to write down everything he had seen and heard, for the benefit of others. similar after death experiences, see the Life of Saint Salvius (Saint Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, VII, 1), other examples in Saint Bede, HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE, Book V, chs. 12-14).

Constantinople, 879-880, Eighth Ecumenical Council, rejected Pope's support of Ignatius, for Photius
Eighth Ecumenical Council; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Constantinople, 886-893, Stephen I, Patriarch, Saint, E Basil's son E Leo's bro, mentored bPhotius
Constantinople, 886-893, Stephen I, Patriarch, Saint, son Emperor Basil, bro Emperor Leo, ordained under Photius, when P became Patriarch 886 then Stephen tBishop oC; ,Constantinople Patriarch, 886-893 , Stephen I ; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; Stephen, Patriarch of Constantinople, the younger son of Emperor Basil the Macedonian, was a brother of Emperor Leo the Wise. was ordained to the priesthood under Patriarch Photius. Saint Photius was compelled to resign the patriarchal throne in the year 886, Saint Stephen was elevated to the See of Constantinople. saint vigilantly stood watch over his spiritual flock, he was merciful and interceded for the defenseless, he concerned himself with widows and orphans, and distinguished himself by his temperance. died peacefully in the year 893 and was buried in the Sikellian monastery.

Byzantium, 886-912, Emperor, Leo VI, Wise, c R of Letters, l ground to Bulgrs and Arabs, d Senate
Byzantine Emperor, 886-912, Leo VI the Wise ; VI, called the Wise or the Philosopher (Greek: , romanized: Len ho Sophos, 19 September 866 -11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well-read, leading to his epithet. During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I, continued; but the Empire also saw several military defeats in the Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean. His reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the Roman consul and Senate (in this period also known as the Byzantine Senate), which continued to exist in name only and lost much of their original functions and powers. Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated on December 10; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Byzantium, 886-893, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused, Ascetic Saint, Rplcd by Zoe
Byzantium, 886-893, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused, Ascetic Saint, Rplcd by Zoe, married tLeo VI tWise, wLeo imprisoned 3yrs, Leo falsely accused assin father, ascetic after prison, gave tPoor&monasteries, widows, orphans, consoling sorrowful, refused church be named after her, All Saints Day for her; Byzantium, 886-897, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused w husband, Saint, Ascetic; Martinakia (866/67 - 10 November 897[1]) was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to Leo VI the Wise. She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Byzantine Emperor, 886-912, Leo VI the Wise ; VI, called the Wise or the Philosopher (19 September 866-“ 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), was very well-read, leading to his epithet. During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I, continued; the Empire also saw several military defeats in the Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean. reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the Roman consul and Senate (in this period also known as the Byzantine Senate), which continued to exist in name only and lost much of their original functions and powers. Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Empress Theophano was the first wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911). and Leo were locked up in prison for three years, because Leo was falsely accused of intending to assassinate his father, Emperor Basil the Macedonian. After receiving her freedom, she spent her life in prayer and fasting, earnestly struggling for her salvation. in the world, she renounced everything worldly. She was a benefactor to the poor, and was generous toward monasteries. She was a true mother to her subjects, caring for widows and orphans, and consoling the sorrowful. Theophano died in 893 or 894. before her death her husband started to build a church, intending to dedicate it to Theophano, but she forbade him to do so. was this emperor who decreed that the Sunday after Pentecost be dedicated to All Saints. that his wife was one of the righteous, he knew that she would also be honored whenever the Feast of All Saints was celebrated. holy relics are preserved in Constantinople.

Constantinople, 886-911, Thomas oBithynia, igumen new Sakkoudion m, withdrew solitude, clairvoyantly answers Emperor's question
Bithynia, 886-911, Thomas oBithynia, from there, young monk, later chosen igumen new Sakkoudion m, withdrew solitude, Emperor visits, clairvoyantly answers question before asked; Sakkoudion Monastery on Mt Olympos in Bithynia; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia Commemorated on December 10; Thomas Dephourkinos was born in Bithynia. his youth he was fond of monastic life and entered one of the area monasteries. in his life, when the Byzantine official Galoliktos had founded a monastery at the River Sagarisa, Saint Thomas was already an experienced monk, and the brethren chose him as head of the new monastery. there Saint Thomas withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he labored in solitude. monk overcame many snares of the devil in the wilderness. The Lord glorified him with the gift of healing and prophecy. the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came to the monastery to Saint Thomas for advice. finding the monk at the monastery, the emperor sent his messenger with a letter for him. just as the messenger arrived at the the Elder’s hut, the saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the emperor’s question. is not known when Saint Thomas reposed.

Constantinople, 892, Theodora&dTheopiste, tThessalonica from Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery aHusbands' death
Greece, 892, Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, moved tThessalonica due to Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery after husbands death, virtuous life; Aegina Island; Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Commemorated on August 3; Theodora was born in Aegina. her marriage, she and her husband moved to Thessaloniki because of the raids of the Saracens. her husband's death she entered the Monastery of Saint Stephen with her daughter Theopiste. lived a life of great virtue and reposed in the year 892. the commemoration of these saints is on August 29, their celebration was moved to August 3 because of the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

Constantinople, 893-901, Antony II, Patriarch, pious, strict monastic, servant of all, w Leo the Wise
Constantinople Patriarch, 893-901, Antony II ; II Kauleas was Patriarch of Constantinople from 893 to February 12, 901. monk by age 12, Antony Kauleas became a priest and the abbot of an unnamed monastery. He came to the attention of Stylianos Zaoutzes, the all-powerful minister of Emperor Leo VI. Antony had supported Leo against the former Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople, and had contributed to the pacification of the Church by effecting a compromise between the supporters of Photios and Ignatios. The emperor appointed Antony patriarch after the death of his own brother, Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople in 893. Antony II was a pious man who generously endowed monastic foundations and founded or re-founded the Kaulea monastery with the support of the emperor, who preached at the church's dedication. Buried in the church of his monastery, Antony was held responsible for various miracles. He was canonized as a saint by both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches and he is commemorated on February 12. St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Anthony, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a native of Asia, but lived in Constantinople from his youth. He was born around 829 of rich and pious parents. After the death of his mother, he entered a monastery at the age of twelve, where following the example of the igumen, he spent his nights in prayer and led a strict monastic life. the passage of time, and against his will, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. Later, at the insistence of the Patriarch, he was made an igumen. Serving in this rank, he tonsured his own father into monasticism. Saint Anthony was distinguished by his mercy, by his love and concern for the destitute, and he provided generous help to them. to the Patriarchal throne at Constantinople in 893, Saint Anthony intensified his care for the destitute, and especially for their spiritual condition. With the assistance of the emperor Leo the Wise, Patriarch Anthony did much good for the Church, and encouraged piety in the people. He also built a monastery over the relics of Saint Kallia (February 12). Despite being stooped over with age, he went around all the churches, fulfilling the command of the Savior to be the servant of all the brethren. the year 895, advanced in age, Saint Anthony went peacefully to the Lord. St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3 ;

Constantinople, 895-901, Nicholas 1, Patriarch, Mystikos, actually from 901-925
Constantinople, 895-901, Patriarch, Nicholas 1, Nicholas Mystikos; I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus (852 - 11 May 925) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 907 and from May 912 to his death in 925. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is 16 May.[1] was born in the Italian Peninsula and had become a friend of the Patriarch Photios. He fell into disfavor after Photios' dismissal in 886 and retired to a monastery. Emperor Leo VI the Wise retrieved him from the monastery and made him mystikos, a dignity designating either the imperial secretary or a judicial official. 1 March 901, Nicholas was appointed patriarch. However, he fell out with Leo VI over the latter's fourth marriage to his mistress Zoe Karbonopsina. Although he reluctantly baptized the fruit of this relationship, the future Constantine VII, Nicholas forbade the emperor from entering the church and may have become involved in the revolt of Andronikos Doukas. He was deposed as patriarch on 1 February 907 and replaced by Euthymios. Exiled to his own monastery, Nicholas regarded his deposition as unjustified and involved Pope Sergius III in the dispute. the time of the accession of Leo VI's brother Alexander to the throne in May 912, Nicholas was restored to the patriarchate. A protracted struggle with the supporters of Euthymios followed, which did not end until the new Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos promulgated the Tomos of Union in 920. In the meantime Alexander had died in 913 after provoking a war with Bulgaria, and the underage Constantine VII succeeded to the throne. Nicholas Mystikos became the leading member of the seven-man regency for the young emperor, and as such had to face the advance of Simeon I of Bulgaria on Constantinople. Nicholas negotiated a peaceful settlement, crowned Simeon emperor of the Bulgarians in a makeshift ceremony outside Constantinople, and arranged for the marriage of Simeon's daughter to Constantine VII. unpopular concession undermined his position, and by March 914, with the support of the magistros John Eladas, Zoe Karbonopsina overthrew Nicholas and replaced him as foremost regent. She revoked the agreement with Simeon, prompting the renewal of hostilities with Bulgaria. With her main supporter Leo Phokas crushingly defeated by the Bulgarians at the Battle of Acheloos in 917, Zoe started to lose ground. Embarrassed by further failures, she and her supporters were supplanted in 919 by the admiral Romanos Lekapenos, who married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine VII and finally advanced to the imperial throne in 920. The Patriarch Nicholas came to be one of the strongest supporters of the new emperor, and took the brunt of renewed negotiations with the Bulgarians until his death in 925. addition to his numerous letters to various notables and foreign rulers (including Simeon of Bulgaria), Nicholas Mystikos wrote a homily on the sack of Thessalonica by the Arabs in 904. He was a critical thinker who went as far as to question the authority of Old Testament quotations and the notion that the emperor's command was unwritten law. St. Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Saint Peter zealously devoted himself to monastic labors, and he excelled all his fellows. This came to the attention of the Italian bishop Nicholas (who from 895 was Patriarch of Constantinople), who wanted to elevate him to the rank of bishop. Saint Peter declined, accounting himself unworthy of such honor. Nicholas consecrated Paul, Saint Peter’s brother, as Bishop of Corinth, and Saint Peter went to his brother and lived with him, taking upon himself the spiritual struggle of silence. After a year emissaries came to Bishop Paul from the city of Argos, where the bishop had died, and they asked for Saint Peter as their bishop. After long and intense entreaties, Saint Peter finally gave his consent. As bishop, Saint Peter toiled zealously in guiding his flock. He was extraordinarily compassionate, concerning himself with those in need, especially orphans and widows.

Constantinople, 900-999, Folder, 10th Century, Russian Incursion and Treaty

Constantinople, 905-955, Paul oLatros, for ascetic deeds gifts oClairvoyance&Wonderworking, counciled Emperor, estab&restor m's
Ephesus, 905-955, Paul oLatros, fPergamun, Mysia, Lydia (near Ephesus, Caicus River 1), ed iPhrygia, after mom's death monk aMt Latra near Miletos, then in a cave, gifts oClairvoyance wonderworking, counciled Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, withdrew twice tSamos, estab m, restored 3 monassteries Arabs ravaged, foretold time oDeath, 955; Pergamun; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15 ; Paul of Latros was a native of the city of Aelen in Pergamum. bereft of his father, he was educated at the monastery of Saint Stephen in Phrygia. the death of his mother, he devoted himself completely to monastic deeds at a monastery on Mount Latra, near Miletos. even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. his ascetic deeds he gained the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (912-959) often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries ravaged by the Hagarenes (Arabs). his end, the monk reposed in the year 955.

Constantinople, 907, Russian incursion into Greece, Oleg the Wise
Russian incursion into Greece in 907 (Rus-Byzantine War (907)); The very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said,"œThis is not Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God."Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. Russian Primary Chronicle; Timeline of Russian history; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Oleg of Kiev and Novgorod (Little Russia); Little Russia (Ukraine);

Byzantium, 910s-968, General, Bardas Phokas the Elder, f of Nikephoros II Phokas, Caesar
Byzantium, 910s-968, Byzantine General, Bardas Phokas the Elder, father of Nikephoros II Phokas; Phokas (Greek:) (c. 878- 968) was a notable Byzantine general in the first half of the 10th century, and father of Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and the kouropalates Leo Phokas the Younger. was the scion of the Phokas family, one of the great houses of the Anatolian military aristocracy, his father was Nikephoros Phokas the Elder, an eminent Byzantine general with a distinguished record of service in Italy. In 917, he participated under the orders of his elder brother Leo in the disastrous Battle of Acheloos. 941, he was governor of the Theme of Armeniakon, in the area previously known as Paphlagonia. In this year the Rus' navy under the leadership of Igor I of Kiev attacked the Empire. Driven off from Constantinople, the Rus' landed in Bithynia and ravaged it. Bardas kept the attackers from doing too much damage with his local militia levies until the larger Byzantine army under John Kourkouas came and drove the Rus' out. 945 he was appointed supreme commander of the Byzantine armies of the East by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. In this command he did not make much progress against the Arab forces, being repeatedly defeated by Sayf al-Daula, emir of Aleppo. In 953, he was defeated and severely wounded by Sayf and after further defeats, he was replaced by his son Nikephoros in 954/955. Nikephoros came to the throne he made his father Caesar, only a step below the imperial title. He died about 968 at the age of 90. of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Byzantium, 910s-991, General, Bardas Skleros, Asian Rebellion
Byzantium, 910s-991, Byzantine General, Bardas Skleros, Asian Rebellion ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Constantinople, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia to Constantinople
Armenia, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus) to Constantinople, incorrupt relics uncovered 3times, 395,408, 911, transferred 911 to Constantinople churches: Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia, &Holy Resurrection, Kept there till 1204 Latin Catholic Invasion; Nazianzos; The transfer of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on January 19; to some researchers, the uncovering of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian (Jan. 25) occurred (3times) Nazianzus during the reign of Emperor Arkadios (395-408), of Theodosios II (408-450), (at the transfer to C) that of Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (911 - 959) they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. His honorable head is reverently kept in Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. the year 1204, when the Western Crusaders captured Constantinople, portions of Saint Gregory’s relics were kept in the church of Hagia Sophia, in the church of the Holy Apostles, and in the church of the Holy Resurrection. St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ;

Constantinople, 912-980, Luke tNew Stylite oChalcedon, Soldier, then monk, then Stylite, chains&Pillar, 45yrs, wonderworkng
BBithynia, 912-980, Luke tNew Stylite oChalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait), soldier under Constantine Porphyrogenitos, protected by God in War wBulgaria 917, became monk, ordained aPresbyter, striving highter degree, chains&pillar, tOlympos, tConstantinople, tChalcedon, 45yrs, wonderworking, died 980; Chalcedon; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Luke the New Stylite was a soldier under the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (912-959). a war with Bulgaria (917), Saint Luke remained unharmed through the Providence of God. this he became a monk, and having succeeded in his efforts, was ordained as a presbyter. for an even higher degree of perfection, the monk put chains upon himself and ascended a pillar. three years standing on the pillar, through divine inspiration, he went to Mount Olympos, and then to Constantinople, and finally to Chalcedon, he chose a pillar upon which he remained for 45 years, manifesting a gift of wonderworking. He died in about the year 980.

Byzantium, 913-959, Emperor, Constantine VII, Geoponica (ag lore), born in the purple, regents, Writer
Byzantine Emperor 913-959, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos ; VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (Byzantine Greek:, romanized: ; 17/18 May 905 -“ 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander. Most of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos, whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. Constantine VII is best known for the Geoponika (), an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and his four books, De Administrando Imperio (bearing in Greek the heading).[3][4] The epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple". Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century;

Constantinople, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus founder Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island n Troy, giving, dispassion, clairvoyance
Troy, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus and Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx., fCappadocia, wealthy powerful parents, 925 tMt Kyminas, met monk John heladites, elder of great virtue, brought home few months, returned, alone in cave, 5days fasting prayer, 2days services, after John reposed used great inheritance built Larva Kyminas, gave it all to poor & suffering, high degree dispassion, clairvoyance, very compassionate, many miracles, cenobitic m, many great ascetics through there, Athanasios the Athonite of Great Larva, Kyminas calligraphers, copying, new remote monastery (Dry Lake), Kyminas covered monastic communities, constant prayers for whole world, surrendered soul advanced age while still vigorus; Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Michael lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine VI (913-959) until the reign of Basil II, the Bulgar-slayer (976 - 1025). was born in Cappadocia to devout and wealthy parents, Eudókimos and Anastasó (Ἀναστασῶ). Eustáthios, paternal grandfather, was a patrician; and his maternal grandfather, Adrálestos, held the rank of General of the East. ḗl (the Saint's name in the world) was brought up in the east, but soon he realized the futility of worldly honors and goods. the year 925, he fled to Mount Kyminas (Όρος Κύμινας) in Bithynia. he met a monk named John Heladites, an Elder of great virtue, and asked him if he might stay nearby. Elder accepted him, but after a while, his father discovered where he was, and after many entreaties, he brought him home. a few months, however, and with this permission of his parents, he returned to his Elder, who received him with great joy. he begged Father John to allow him to live alone in a cave, and the Elder blessed him to do this. five days of the week he devoted himself to fasting, vigil, and prayer. On Saturday and Sunday he came to the monastery to participate in the Divine Services, and to partake of the Holy Mysteries. three years of probation, Manouḗl was tonsured as a monk with the name Michael. after Elder John had reposed, Father Michael took the great inheritance he had received from his family and gave it away to the poor and the suffering. Michael was deemed worthy of ordination to the priesthood. From the Holy Scriptures, he showed how the priesthood ought to be combined with monasticism. attained a high degree of dispassion, and he also received the gift of clairvoyance. He was very compassionate and kind toward people. He could not bear to let those who were in need or sorrow remain without help and consolation. By his ardent prayers, he performed many miracles. Michael also founded the famous Lavra of Kyminas, where many brethren received their spiritual formation. had organized it as a cenobitic monastery, suffusing it with fraternal love. great ascetics passed through this Monastery, whom was Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5), the founder of the Greatest Lavra (Μεγίστη Λαύρα) on the Holy Mountain. Monastery was also renowned for its calligraphers, and for copying spiritual books. the monastery was secure, Saint Michael went to an even more remote place, where he built a new monastery. his efforts, the whole mountain of Kyminas was covered with monastic communities, where constant prayers were offered for the entire world before the Throne of the Most High. an advanced age, but still vigorous in faith and in spirit, Saint Michael surrendered his holy soul to God in the year 962.

Constantinople, 916-946, Luke oHellas, fPeloponissos, child miracles, levitation, constant prayer, obedient, humble, foresight
Greece, 916-946, Luke of Hellas (Greece) fKastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E, son oPoor farmers, toiled much iChildhood, Farming&Shepherding, obedient tParents, temperate iEating, gave food clothing tPoor, parent reproach, example gave almost all seed, but best harvest ever, as child prayed fervently often, mother saw him standing in air more than once while praying, after father's death tAthens monastery, mother's prayers miraculously returned him, 4mos then mother sent him solitary place, Ioannou mt, 7yrs, constant prayer fasting, tonsured monk there, foresight gift, tCorinth tAvoid Bulgarian invasion, tPatras stylite 10 yrs, served him iObedience Humility, returned thome land, tIoannou, but throngs people disturbed quietude, Elder blessed him tMore remont Kalamion, 3yrs, tAmpelon Island, desolate arid, because Turk invasion, tSteiris, small monastery grew up, church built tGreat Martyr Barbara, many miracles, healing souls and bodies, foresaw his own end, tHis cell 3mo, prepared his departure, replied throw my body ravine to be eaten wild animals, bretheren begged, then bury body where I lay, into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit; Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Luke of Hellas was a native of the Greek village of Kastorion. son of poor farmers, the saint from childhood had toiled much, working in the fields and shepherding the sheep. was very obedient to his parents very temperate in eating. often gave his own food and clothing to the poor, which he suffered reproach from his parents. once gave away almost all the seed which was needed for planting in the fields. Lord rewarded him for his charity, and the harvest gathered was greater than ever before. a child, he prayed fervently and often. mother saw him more than once standing not on the ground, but in the air while he prayed. the death of his father, he left his mother and went to Athens, where he entered a monastery. through the prayers of his mother, who was very concerned about him, the Lord returned him to his parental home in a miraculous manner. spent four months there, then with his mother’s blessing he went to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa). there was a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, he lived an ascetical life in constant prayer and fasting. was tonsured there by some Elders who were on pilgrimage. this, Saint Luke redoubled his ascetic efforts, which the Lord granted him the gift of foresight. a seven years on Ioannou, the saint moved to Corinth because of an invasion of the Bulgarian armies. about the exploits of a certain stylite at Patras, he went to see him, remained for ten years to serve the ascetic with humility and obedience. the saint returned again to his native land again began to pursue asceticism on Mount Ioannou. throngs of people flocking there disturbed his quietude, with the blessing of his Elder Theophylactus, Luke went with his disciple to a still more remote place at Kalamion. three years, he settled on the desolate and arid island of Ampelon of an invasion of the Turks. was another place of his ascetic efforts. brethren gathered to the monk, and a small monastery grew up, church of which was dedicated to the Great Martyr Barbara. in the monastery, the saint performed many miracles, healing sicknesses of soul and of body. his end, the saint confined himself in a cell and for three months prepared for his departure. asked where he was to be buried, the monk replied, “Throw my body into a ravine to be eaten by wild beasts.” the brethren begged him to change these instructions, he commanded them to bury his body on the spot where he lay. his eyes to heaven, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!” Luke fell asleep in the Lord on February 7, 946. a church was built over his tomb. flowed from his holy relics, and many healings occurred.

Byzantium, 919-944, Emperor, Romanus, the Elder, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor 919-944, Romanus ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Constantinople, 919-944, Neorion Church Restoration, miraculous grace during restoration, MOG prevented demolition
Constantinople, 919-944, Neorion Church Restoration, Neorion Harbour, miraculous grace during restoration, MOG prevented demolition; Neorion Harbour; The restoration of the church of the Theotokos at Neorion, Commemorated on August 31; church, which was the property of the patrician Anthony, was located in the courtyard of his home at Neorion.1 its restoration, the church received miraculous grace, working many miracles for those who came to it with faith. the patrician Anthony reposed, the church was abandoned and stripped bare. When Emperor Romanos Lekapēnós (reigned 919-944) was preparing to demolish it, the foreman in charge of the church's demolition was prevented from doing so by a vision of the Theotokos. was then decided to restore the church and a chrysoboulos was obtained, providing an annual grant for its maintenance. 1 Neorion was in the eastern part Constantinople, on the south coast.

Constantinople, 920-936, Andrew, Fool For Christ, Blachernae, Slav, vision radiant men&black devils, angels' crowns, be a fool
Constantinople, 920-936, Andrew, Fool For Christ, Blachernae church, Slav, vision 2 armies, radiant men and black devils, angels' crowns, not earthly, celestial, for victory over dark hordes, be a fool, recieved prophecy and wiscom; Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Andrew, Fool-for-Christ, was a Slav and lived in the tenth century at Constantinople. his early years, he loved God’s Church and the Holy Scriptures. during a dream, the saint beheld a vision of two armies. In the one were men in radiant garb, in the other, black and fiercesome devils. angel of God, who held wondrous crowns, said to Andrew, that these crowns were not adornments from the earthly world, but rather a celestial treasure, with which the Lord rewards His warriors, victorious over the dark hordes. “Proceed with this good deed,” the angel said to Andrew. “Be a fool for My sake and you will receive much in the day of My Kingdom.” saint perceived that it was the Lord Himself summoning him to this deed. that time Andrew began to go about the streets in rags, as though his mind had become muddled. many years the saint endured mockery and insults. With indifference he underwent beatings, hunger and thirst, cold and heat, begging alms and giving them away to the poor. his great forebearance and humility the saint received from the Lord the gift of prophecy and wisdom, saving many from spiritual perils, and he unmasked the impiety of many. praying at the Blachernae church, Saint Andrew beheld the Most Holy Mother of God, holding her veil over those praying under her Protection (October 1). Andrew died in the year 936.

Constantinople, 928-931, Patriarch, Tryphon, Locum tenens patriach for emperors son, treacherously removed
Constantinople, 928-931, Patriarch, Tryphon of Constantinople; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a monk from the time of his youth, distinguished by his meekness, lack of malice, full submission to the will of God, and his firm faith and love for the Church. this time the emperor Romanus (919-944) ruled in Constantinople. He wanted to elevate his younger son Theophylactus to the patriarchal throne. When Patriarch Stephanos (925-928) died, Theophylactus was only sixteen years old. The emperor then suggested that Saint Tryphon be “locum tenens” of the patriarchal throne until Theophylactus came of age. Tryphon meekly accepted the burden of patriarchal service and for three years he wisely governed the Church. When Theophylactus turned twenty (931), the emperor told Saint Tryphon to resign the patriarchal throne. Saint Tryphon did not consider it proper to hand over the throne to an inexperienced youth, and he refused to do so. The emperor could not intimidate Saint Tryphon, since his life was blameless. Then Romanus employed the cunning counsels of Bishop Theophilus of Caesarea. deceitful bishop went to Saint Tryphon and urged him not to obey the emperor, and not to resign the patriarchal throne. Then Bishop Theophilus craftily obtained Saint Tryphon’s signature on a blank sheet of paper. Not suspecting any treachery, the guileless saint took a clean sheet of paper and wrote: “Tryphon, by the Mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.” they presented this paper to the emperor, he ordered them to write over the saint’s signature: “I hereby resign the position of Patriarch, because I consider myself unworthy of this office.” When this false document was read before the imperial dignitaries, servants removed Saint Tryphon from the patriarchal chambers. Tryphon patiently endured the injustice done to him, and returned to his own monastery. He lived there as a simple monk for a year before his death (+ 933). His body was taken to Constantinople and buried with the Patriarchs.

Constantinople, 929-999, Venerable Luke the Abbot, Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia)
Bithynia, 929-999, Venerable Luke the Abbot, Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia), monastery famed for the strictness of the ascetic life of its monks; Batheos (Vatheos) Ryakos (near Triglia, Bithynia), monastery famed for the strictness of the ascetic life of its monks; Triglia, Bithynia; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Luke was a monk at the Deep Stream Monastery near Triglia, Lykaonia (in Asia Minor), and later became its third Igoumen, reposed there in peace at the end of the X century. Monastery, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ. was famed for the strictness of the ascetic life of its monks. first Igoumen and founder of the monastery was Saint Basil (July 1), and the second was Saint Ignatius (+ September 27, 970).1 to the Hagiologion of Metropolitan Sophronios Eustratiadou, Saint Luke is commemorated on September 7. Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14) lists his commemoration on December 27. Some sources list Saint Peter (September 7) as the second Igoumen.

Constantinople, 931-967, Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, w John of Rila Monastery
Bulgaria, 931-967, Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Christian piety, John of Rila Monastery, advantageous peace w Byzantium, autonomy of Bulgarian Church, extripation of Bogomil heresy; Rila Monastery ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice. Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

Constantinople, 933-956, Patriarch, Theophylact, emperor's son, chose castration
Constantinople Patriarch, 933-956, Theophylact of Constantinople; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople; Commemorated on April 19; Tryphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a monk from the time of his youth, distinguished by his meekness, lack of malice, full submission to the will of God, and his firm faith and love for the Church. At this time the emperor Romanus (919-944) ruled in Constantinople. He wanted to elevate his younger son Theophylactus to the patriarchal throne. When Patriarch Stephanos (925-928) died, Theophylactus was only sixteen years old. The emperor then suggested that Saint Tryphon be “locum tenens” of the patriarchal throne until Theophylactus came of age. Saint Tryphon meekly accepted the burden of patriarchal service and for three years he wisely governed the Church. When Theophylactus turned twenty (931), the emperor told Saint Tryphon to resign the patriarchal throne. Saint Tryphon did not consider it proper to hand over the throne to an inexperienced youth, and he refused to do so. The emperor could not intimidate Saint Tryphon, since his life was blameless. Then Romanus employed the cunning counsels of Bishop Theophilus of Caesarea. deceitful bishop went to Saint Tryphon and urged him not to obey the emperor, and not to resign the patriarchal throne. Then Bishop Theophilus craftily obtained Saint Tryphon’s signature on a blank sheet of paper. Not suspecting any treachery, the guileless saint took a clean sheet of paper and wrote: “Tryphon, by the Mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch.” they presented this paper to the emperor, he ordered them to write over the saint’s signature: “I hereby resign the position of Patriarch, because I consider myself unworthy of this office.” When this false document was read before the imperial dignitaries, servants removed Saint Tryphon from the patriarchal chambers. Tryphon patiently endured the injustice done to him, and returned to his own monastery. He lived there as a simple monk for a year before his death (+ 933). His body was taken to Constantinople and buried with the Patriarchs. St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Byzantium, 938-986, Symeon the Studite, Philokalia, hidden activity of spiritual perfection, rid passions
Byzantium, 938-986, Saint, Symeon the Studite; Byzantium, 969-1022, Saint, Symeon the New Theologian; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court. he was fourteen, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, who would be a major influence in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years preparing himself for the monastic life under the Elder’s guidance, and finally entered the monastery at the age of twenty-seven. Simeon the Pious recommended to the young man the writings of Saint Mark the Ascetic (March 5) and other spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put into practice what he read. Three points made by Saint Mark in his work “On the Spiritual Law” (see Vol. I of the English Philokalia) particularly impressed him. you should listen to your conscience and do what it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed (Philokalia, p. 115). only by fulfilling the commandments can one obtain the activity of the Holy Spirit. one who prays only with the body and without spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me” (Luke 18:38) (Philokalia, p. 111). When the blind man received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38). Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the Rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” Naturally, he heeded his conscience. the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. He saw nothing but light all around him, and he was not even aware of the ground beneath his feet. seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind rose upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see Saint Simeon the Pious, who had given him Saint Mark the Ascetic to read. years after this vision, Saint Simeon entered the monastery. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned to renounce his own will. Enemy of our salvation stirred up the brethren of the monastery against Saint Simeon, who was indifferent to the praises or reproaches of others. Because of the increased discontent in the monastery, Saint Simeon was sent to the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople. he was tonsured into the monastic schema, and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation with holy Elders. the year 980, Saint Simeon was made igumen of the monastery of Saint Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the monks. strict monastic discipline, for which Saint Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the Patriarch of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, Saint Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. the year 1005, Saint Simeon resigned his position as igumen in favor of Arsenius, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. There he composed his theological works, portions of which appear in the Philokalia. chief theme of his works is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: “Theological and Practical Chapters,” “A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,” (in Vol. IV of the English Philokalia) and “A Treatise on Faith.” Moreover, Saint Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also wrote “Hymns of Divine Love,” about seventy poems filled with profound prayerful meditations. sublime teachings of Saint Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title “the New Theologian.” These teachings were not the invention of Saint Simeon, but they had merely been forgotten over time. of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople’s church authorities, and Saint Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of Saint Makrina. saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his icon.

Constantinople, 940-1003, Athanasius of Athos, born in Trebizond, baptised Abraham, raised by nun's habits, founded Great Larva
Armenia, 940-1003, Athanasius of Athos, born in Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River) baptised Abraham, orphaned, raised by nun, raised monastic habits, fasting prayer, smart, court of Romanus the Elder w Nikephorus, he hated his place for a year then divine light made him love it, N came & paid for his monastery, ran out of food, MOG at spring of A turned him around and promised to lead ; Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer. Doing his lessons came easily and he soon outpaced his peers in study. the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the Byzantine emperor Romanus the Elder, and was enrolled as a student under the renowned rhetorician Athanasius. In a short while the student attained the mastery of skill of his teacher and he himself became an instructor of youths. Reckoning as the true life that of fasting and vigilance, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, he slept little and then only sitting upon a stool, and barley bread and water were his nourishment. When his teacher Athanasius through human weakness became jealous of his student, blessed Abraham gave up his teaching position and went away. these days there had arrived at Constantinople Saint Michael Maleinos (July 12), igumen of the Kyminas monastery. Abraham told the igumen about his life, and revealed to him his secret desire to become a monk. holy Elder, discerning in Abraham a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, became fond of him and taught him much in questions of salvation. One time during their spiritual talks Saint Michael was visited by his nephew, Nikēphóros Phocas, a military officer and future emperor. Abraham’s lofty spirit and profound mind impressed Nikēphóros, and all his life he regarded the saint with reverent respect and with love. Abraham was consumed by his zeal for the monastic life. Having forsaken everything, he went to the Kyminas monastery and, falling down at the feet of the holy igumen, he begged to be received into the monastic life. The igumen fulfilled his request with joy and tonsured him with the name Athanasius. long fasts, vigils, bending of the knees, with works night and day Athanasius soon attained such perfection, that the holy igumen blessed him for the exploit of silence in a solitary place not far from the monastery. Later on, having left Kyminas, he made the rounds of many desolate and solitary places, and guided by God, he came to a place called Melanos, at the very extremity of Athos, settling far off from the other monastic dwellings. Here the monk made himself a cell and began to live an ascetical life in works and in prayer, proceeding from exploit to exploit towards higher monastic attainment. enemy of mankind tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred for the place chosen by him, and assaulted him with constant suggestions in thought. The ascetic decided to suffer it out for a year, and then wherever the Lord should direct him, he would go. On the last day of this year’s length of time, when Saint Athanasius set about to prayer, a heavenly light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with an indescribable joy, all the thoughts dissipated, and from his eyes welled up graced tears. From that moment Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness , and he became as strongly fond of the place of his solitude as he had formerly loathed it. this time Nikēphóros Phocas, having had enough of military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and from his means he besought Saint Athanasius to build a monastery, i.e., to build cells for him and the brethren, and a church where the brethren could commune of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays. to shun cares and worries, Saint Athanasius at first would not agree to accept the hateful gold, but seeing the fervent desire and good intent of Nikēphóros, and discerning in this the will of God, he set about the building of the monastery. He built a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and another church at the foot of a hill, in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around the church were the cells, and a wondrous monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. In it were a trapeza (dining area), a hospice for the sick and for taking in wanderers, and other necessary structures. flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other lands, simple people and illustrious dignitaries, desert-dwellers having labored in asceticism for long years in the wilderness, igumens from many monasteries and hierarchs wanting to become simple monks in the Athos Lavra of Saint Athanasius. saint established at the monastery a cenobitic monastic Rule on the model of the old Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were served with all strictness, and no one was so bold as to talk during the services, nor to come late or leave the church without necessity. Heavenly Patroness of Athos, the All-Pure Mother of God Herself, was graciously disposed towards the saint. Many times he was privileged to see Her with his own eyes. God’s dispensation, there once occurred such a hunger, that the monks one after the other quit the Lavra. The saint remained all alone and, in a moment of weakness, he also considered leaving. Suddenly he beheld a Woman beneath an ethereal veil, coming to meet him. “Who are you and where are you going?” She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius from an innate deference halted. “I am a monk from here,” Saint Athanasius replied, and spoke about himself and his worries. “Would you forsake the monastery which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? around, and I shall help you.” “Who are you?” asked Athanasius. “I am the Mother of the Lord,” She answered, and bid Athanasius to strike his staff upon a stone. From the fissure there gushed forth a spring of water, which exists even now, in remembrance of this miraculous visitation. brethren grew in number, and the construction work at the Lavra continued. Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his impending end and besought the brethren not to be troubled over what he foresaw. “For Wisdom disposes otherwise than as people judge.” The brethren were perplexed and pondered the words of the saint. giving the brethren his final guidance and comforting all, Saint Athanasius entered his cell, put on his mantiya and holy kukolion (head covering), which he wore only on great feasts, and emerged after prolonged prayer. and joyful, the holy igumen went up with six of the brethren to the top of the church to inspect the construction. through the imperceptible will of God, the top of the church collapsed. Five of the brethren immediately gave up their souls to God. Saint Athanasius and the architect Daniel, thrown upon the stones, remained alive. heard the saint call out to the Lord, “Glory to Thee, O God! Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!” The brethren with great weeping began to dig out their father from the rubble, but they found him already dead.

Byzantium, 944, Russia, Treaty of Igor, with Russia, Joint admin of Cherson and Dnieper Mouth
Treaty of Igor (of Kiev) with the Greeks in the year 944; Translation of the "Image Not-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Byzantium, 944-959, Emperor, Constantine VII, writer, Ag treatise and 4 books, Igor Treaty 944, Olga baptism 955
Byzantine Emperor, 944-959, Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (in the Purple); VII Flavius Porphyrogenitus (17/18 May 905 -“ 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, and the nephew of his predecessor Emperor Alexander. of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos, whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. VII is best known for the Geoponika, an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and his four books, De Administrando Imperio,[2] De Ceremoniis, De Thematibus, and Vita Basilii .[3][4] epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry, where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple". Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Nikon Metanoeite,"the Preacher of Repentance", Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Constantinople, 943, Appearance of Theotokos at Blachernae church, praying christian protection from pagan Rus
Constantinople, 950, Appearance of Theotokos at Blachernae church; Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1;

Constantinople, 950, 10th Century, Lampados of Irenopolis, Isauria, shone wChristian Virtues, many miracles before, after death
Lykaonia, 950, 10th Century, Lampados of Irenopolis, Isauria, Lykaonia (Calycadnus Basin, Goksu River Mouth), shone wChristian virtues, wisdom, exceedcin goodness, controlled tongue, patience, forbearance, gentleness, lover for poor&suffering, led visitors to spiritual balm, many miracles before and after death ; Irenopolis in Isauria; Hieromartyr Lampados of Irenopolis, Commemorated on July 5; Lampados was from Irenopolis in Isauria and lived during the tenth century. he was still in the world, he shone with the Christian virtues. was distinguished for his wisdom, his exceeding goodness, controlling his tongue, his patience, his forbearance, his gentleness, and for his great love for the poor and the suffering. he struggled in asceticism, and he was one of those ascetics who, by their holy life and the reputation of their virtue, are also profitable for the world. who came to his hermitage were led by Saint Lampados to the appropriate spiritual balsam, and they recovered their moral health, which the passions and the pleasures of the flesh had destroyed. monastic saint performed many miracles during his lifetime and after his repose.

Constantinople, 950-990, Philotheus tFounder of Philotheou Monastery oMt Athos, 990
Philotheou monastery; or Filotheou Monastery (Greek: Μονή Φιλοθέου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It stands on the north-eastern side of the peninsula. was founded by the Blessed Philotheus, in the end of the 10th century. The monastery ranks twelfth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. the end of the 15th century, according to the Russian pilgrim Isaiah, the monastery was Albanian.[1] 1539–1540 the monastery was renovated with funds from the Georgian kings, Levan of Kakheti and his son Alexander II of Kakheti, frescos of whom are depicted in the refectory.[2] library holds 250 manuscripts, and 2500 printed books (of which 500 are in Russian and Romanian). monastery contains 60 working monks. Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; Philotheus, the founder of the Philotheou Monastery on Mount Athos, lived toward the end of the tenth century.

Constantinople, 956, Transfer of John the Baptist's Right Hand, From Antioch
Byzantium, 956, Transfer of John the Baptist's Right Hand, From Antioch; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7 ;

Byzantium, 962 co E -1025-1028 E, Emperor, Constantine VIII, Basil II's brother, Zoe's father, disaster reign
Byzantine Emperor, 962-1028, Constantine VIII ; VIII Porphyrogenitus (960 - 11/12 November 1028) was de jure Byzantine Emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano. was nominal co-emperor for 63 years, successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. II died childless on 15 December 1025 and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in Constantine's hands. had no interest in politics, statecraft or the military. His brief reign is said to have been "an unmitigated disaster", sparking "a collapse of the military power of the Empire". Constantine had no sons, so shortly before his death he married his daughter Zoë to his chosen successor, Romanos Argyros. Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; Venerable Nikon "œMetanoeite,"Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated on January 19; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Byzantium, 963-969, Emperor, Nikephorus Phokas, Orthodox, brilliant Military exploits, Great Lavra
Byzantine Emperor, 963-969, Nikephorus Phokas ; II Phokas (c. 912 - 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His brilliant military exploits contributed to the resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century. His reign, however, included controversy. In the west, he inflamed conflict with the Bulgarians and saw Sicily completely turn over to the Muslims, while he failed to make any serious gains in Italy following the incursions of Otto I. Meanwhile, in the east, he completed the conquest of Cilicia and even retook the island of Cyprus, thus opening the path for subsequent Byzantine incursions reaching as far as Upper Mesopotamia and the Levant. His administrative policy was less successful, as in order to finance these wars he increased taxes both on the people and on the church, while maintaining unpopular theological positions and alienating many of his most powerful allies. These included his nephew John Tzimiskes, who would take the throne after killing Nikephoros in his sleep. Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œQuick to Hear"Â, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Constantinople, 964-, Euthymius&Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou, Mt Athos, Arabs attack, rebuilt, expanded, protos
Greece, Mt Athos, 960's, Euthymius & Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, f aristocracy, Athanasius' friend, then disciple (novice), his steward, settled Daphne, monastery, attention towards self, tStirrings of tSoul, explaining tStruggle, Saracens (Arabs) attack, tForest, monastery razed, rebuilt, Neophyt companion Emperor Nikephoros Phocas, came Mt Athos uncle Euthymius' m, became igumen, asked Emperor N to support, that enlarged m t prent size, N became protos oHoly Mt at Kyres many years, then returned to D; Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos—10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9; Euthymius and Neophytus, founders of the Dochiariou Monastery on Mount Athos, an uncle and his nephew, to the highest Byzantine aristocracy. Euthymius, while still in the world, was the friend of Saint Athanasius of Mount Athos (July 5), and he later became a novice and disciple of the great ascetic. his sincere love of the brethren, gentleness and his particular zeal in the ascetic life, Saint Athanasius granted the monk the duty of steward, which Saint Euthymius fulfilled as though entrusted to him by God Himself. Euthymius settled with several of the monks in the locale of Daphne, he founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which he called Dochiariou in memory of his obedience. his own younger brethren, Saint Euthymius taught the necessity of attention towards self, to all the stirrings of the soul, that the struggle of Christians, according to the Apostle Paul, is not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and against powers, and against the world-rulers of this darkness” (Eph 6:12). peaceful ascetic life of the monks was disturbed by the Saracens. monk led all the brethren into the forest. they found the monastery razed to its very foundations. Euthymius did not lose heart, and the monastery was rebuilt. Neophytus, in the world, was a companion of the emperor Nikēphóros Phocas (963-969). the death of his parents he came to Mount Athos, where he was tonsured in the monastery of his uncle Saint Euthymius. his death, Saint Euthymius handed over the administration of the monastery to his nephew. the spiritual guidance of Saint Neophytus, the small monastery grew into a Lavra. the emperor Nikēphóros to become a benefactor of the monastery, Neophytus enlarged the monastery to its present size. Neophytus was deigned to be chosen “protos” (head of the governing Council of Elders of the Holy Mountain) for many years he labored there. taking leave of the Council in his declining years, he returned to the Dochiariou monastery, where peacefully he fell asleep in the Lord.

Byzantium, 969-976, Emperor, Tzimiskes, adulterous, murdered Nike, intuitive successful general, strengthened expanded Empire
Byzantine Emperor, 969-976, John I Tzimiskes; I Tzimiskes (c. 925 - 10 January 976) was the senior Byzantine Emperor from 11 December 969 to 10 January 976. An intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his short reign.[1] Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 24; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12;

Byzantium, 969-1022, Symeon the New Theologian, hidden activity of spiritual perfection, passions struggle, Philokalia
Byzantium, 969-1022, Saint, Symeon the New Theologian; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court. When he was fourteen, he met the renowned Elder Simeon the Pious at the Studion Monastery, who would be a major influence in his spiritual development. He remained in the world for several years preparing himself for the monastic life under the Elder’s guidance, and finally entered the monastery at the age of twenty-seven. Simeon the Pious recommended to the young man the writings of Saint Mark the Ascetic (March 5) and other spiritual writers. He read these books attentively and tried to put into practice what he read. Three points made by Saint Mark in his work “On the Spiritual Law” (see Vol. I of the English Philokalia) particularly impressed him. First, you should listen to your conscience and do what it tells you if you wish your soul to be healed (Philokalia, p. 115). Second, only by fulfilling the commandments can one obtain the activity of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, one who prays only with the body and without spiritual knowledge is like the blind man who cried out, “Son of David, have mercy upon me” (Luke 18:38) (Philokalia, p. 111). When the blind man received his sight, however, he called Christ the Son of God (John 9:38). Simeon was wounded with a love for spiritual beauty, and tried to acquire it. In addition to the Rule given him by his Elder, his conscience told him to add a few more Psalms and prostrations, and to repeat constantly, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me.” Naturally, he heeded his conscience. the day, he cared for the needs of people living in the palace of Patricius. At night, his prayers grew longer and he remained praying until midnight. Once, as he was praying in this way, a most brilliant divine radiance descended upon him and filled the room. He saw nothing but light all around him, and he was not even aware of the ground beneath his feet. seemed to him that he himself became light. Then his mind rose upward to the heavens, and he saw a second light brighter than the light which surrounded him. Then, on the edge of this second light, he seemed to see Saint Simeon the Pious, who had given him Saint Mark the Ascetic to read. years after this vision, Saint Simeon entered the monastery. There he increased his fasting and vigilance, and learned to renounce his own will. Enemy of our salvation stirred up the brethren of the monastery against Saint Simeon, who was indifferent to the praises or reproaches of others. Because of the increased discontent in the monastery, Saint Simeon was sent to the Monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople. he was tonsured into the monastic schema, and increased his spiritual struggles. He attained to a high spiritual level, and increased his knowledge of spiritual things through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, as well as in conversation with holy Elders. the year 980, Saint Simeon was made igumen of the monastery of Saint Mamas and continued in this office for twenty-five years. He repaired and restored the monastery, which had suffered from neglect, and also brought order to the life of the monks. strict monastic discipline, for which Saint Simeon strove, led to great dissatisfaction among the brethren. Once, after Liturgy, some of the monks attacked him and nearly killed him. When the Patriarch of Constantinople expelled them from the monastery and wanted to hand them over to the civil authorities, Saint Simeon asked that they be treated with leniency and be permitted to live in the world. the year 1005, Saint Simeon resigned his position as igumen in favor of Arsenius, while he himself settled near the monastery in peace. There he composed his theological works, portions of which appear in the Philokalia. chief theme of his works is the hidden activity of spiritual perfection, and the struggle against the passions and sinful thoughts. He wrote instructions for monks: “Theological and Practical Chapters,” “A Treatise on the Three Methods of Prayer,” (in Vol. IV of the English Philokalia) and “A Treatise on Faith.” Moreover, Saint Simeon was an outstanding church poet. He also wrote “Hymns of Divine Love,” about seventy poems filled with profound prayerful meditations. sublime teachings of Saint Simeon about the mysteries of mental prayer and spiritual struggle have earned him the title “the New Theologian.” These teachings were not the invention of Saint Simeon, but they had merely been forgotten over time. of these teachings seemed unacceptable and strange to his contemporaries. This led to conflict with Constantinople’s church authorities, and Saint Simeon was banished from the city. He withdrew across the Bosphorus and settled in the ancient monastery of Saint Makrina. saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1021. During his life he received the gift of working miracles. Numerous miracles also took place after his death; one of them was the miraculous discovery of his icon. Life was written by his cell-attendant and disciple, Saint Nicetas Stethatos. March 12 falls during Great Lent, Saint Simeon’s Feast is transferred to October 12.

Constantinople, 970-994, Vitalius oCastronovo, Sicily, wealthy, Rome&Calabria, Demena, Bari, Sardinia, monastery iRapolla
Sicily, 970-994, Vitalius of Castronovo, Sicily, Palermo Provence, wealthy, fled tMonastery early, asceticism, virtue f15yrs, Rome&Calabria Pilgrimages, met Luke oDemena, went to Bari, settled on Mt Turri, Sardinia, built monastery in Rapolla, gathered monks, died 994; Castronovo, Sicily; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9; Vitalius was born in the Sicilian town of Castronovo in the X century to wealthy and pious parents, Sergius and Chrysonίkḗ, who raised him according to God's Word, and saw that he received a good education. an early age, Vitalius loved Christ and the monastic state, which is why he fled to the monastery of Saint Philip at Agira (Ancient Agyrion). he became a monk and received the Angelic Schema after living a life of asceticism, and by making progress in virtue for fifteen years. this time, he made pilgrimages to Rome, Calabria and other holy places. he returned to Calabria and engaged in further ascetical struggles on the mountain of Liporachos. There he met the ascetic Anthony and lived with him for a short time. he moved from mountain to mountain, until at last he settled in the monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone. several years, he went to a cave between the mountains of Turri and Armento. The Saint struggled day and night, praying and ascending to great spiritual heights. Even the wild beasts of the mountain approached him docilely in order to receive his blessing. he was visited by Saint Luke of Demena, Sicily (October 13, February 5), with whom he prayed and discussed spiritual matters.1 the Saint went to Bari with his nephew Elias and settled on Mount Turri, where he built a small church. The final abode of Saint Vitalius was in the region of Rapolla,where he built a monastery. There he spent the rest of his life, gathering a multitude of monks around him. Vitalius reposed peacefully in the year 994. 1 San Luca d’Armento (October 13, February 5) was a monk in Lucania, Sicily. He founded the monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasios the Persian (January 22) at Carbone, Italy and served as its first Igoumen. Saint Luke based his Rule for the monastic life on the Greek Typika.

Byzantium, 976-991, General, Bardas Skleros, Armenian, led Asian revolt against Basil II
Byzantium, 976-991, General, Bardas Skleros, led Asian revolt against Basil II; Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II during the years 976 to 979. 1 Background 2 Rebellion 3 Later years 4 Descendants 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources belonged to the great family of the Skleroi, which owned enormous estates at the eastern outskirts of Asia Minor. His mother Gregoria descended from Basil I's brother Bardas. greatest coup of his early career was a brilliant defense of Constantinople against the army of Svyatoslav I of Kiev in 970. the Battle of Arcadiopolis, he reportedly managed to inflict as many as 20,000 casualties on the Rus, while the campaign claimed the lives of merely 25 Greek soldiers. he had shown himself equal to dealing with the fiercest enemies of Byzantium, Bardas became a trusted advisor to John I Tzimiskes, who was his brother-in-law and a fellow Armenian. John's death, Skleros aspired to replace him as an acting emperor. The eunuch Basil Lekapenos, who actually led the imperial government, entertained other plans, however, deposing Bardas from his key post of general in the East in 976. to Michael Psellos, Skleros was "a man who was not only a competent planner, but extremely clever in carrying out his schemes, possessed of vast wealth (no mean asset in one who aimed at a throne), with the prestige of royal blood and of success in great wars, with all the military caste at his side to help on his enterprise."[1] between the armies of Skleros and Phokas, miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes hearing the news of his deposition, Skleros came to an agreement with local Armenian, Georgian and even Muslim rulers who all vowed to support his claims to the imperial crown. He successfully stirred up rebellion among his relatives and adherents in the Asian provinces, rapidly making himself master of Caesaria, Antioch, and most of Asia Minor. several navy commanders defected to Skleros's side, he dashed to Constantinople, threatening to blockade the Dardanelles. The rebel navy under Michael Kourtikios raided the Aegean and attempted to blockade the Dardanelles, but were defeated by the Imperial Fleet under the command of Theodoros Karantenos. lost supremacy at sea, Skleros at once laid siege to the town of Nicaea, which was considered a key to the capital. The town was fortified by a certain Manuel Erotikos Komnenos, father of the future emperor Isaac Komnenos and progenitor of the Komnenoi dynasty. Basil recalled from exile Bardas Phokas the Younger, a general who had revolted in the previous reign and been interned in a monastery for seven years. Phokas proceeded to Sebastea in the East, where his family demesnes were situated. He came to an understanding with David III Kuropalates of Tao, who pledged 12,000 Georgian horsemen under the command of Tornikios to Phokas' aid. instantly left Nicaea for the East and defeated Phokas in two battles, but the latter was victorious in a third. On March 24, 979 two leaders clashed in single combat, with Skleros cutting the right ear of Phocas' horse with his lance before sustaining a grave wound to the head. The rumour of his death put his army to flight, but Skleros himself found shelter with his Muslim allies. Thereupon the rebellion was subdued without difficulty. years article: Rebellion of Bardas Phokas the Younger the Asian potentates refused to support his further operations against Constantinople, Skleros and his family retreated to Baghdad in 980. They resided in honourable captivity at the Abbasid Caliph's court for six years, dreaming about the invasion of Byzantium. 987 Skleros was finally recalled to his homeland by Phokas, who took advantage of the Bulgarian wars to aim at the crown. Skleros promptly mustered an army to support Phokas's cause, but his plans of profiting from the attendant disorders were frustrated when Phokas had him committed to prison. Phokas' death at the Battle of Abydos (989), Skleros succeeded him as the leader of the rebellion: "The truth was, the men who had enrolled in Skleros's army were no longer divided in their loyalties: every one of them was a declared rebel. Their leader inspired them with his own resolute determination and bound them into one coherent body. By favours he won their loyalty, by his kindliness he earned their devotion. He reconciled their differences, ate at the same table as his men, drank from the same cup, called them by name, and by his flattery bound them to his allegiance" (Michael Psellos). date of his surrender to the authorities is disputed, as are the circumstances. In 991 Skleros, a blinded and broken man, then residing in semi-captivity in Thrace, was visited by Emperor Basil II on his way to Bulgaria. The famous rebel accepted the title of curopalates and died several days later, presumably on April 2. bloodline of Bardas Skleros continued, however. A grandson, Basil Skleros, was married to a sister of Emperor Romanos III. One of Basil's daughters married Constantine Monomachos, who would become Emperor, while Basil's granddaughter became mistress of Constantine. One of these women was the grandmother of Vladimir Monomakh. Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; Saint (John) Tornike of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Byzantium, 976-1025, Emperor, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, civil war with 2 Bardas gens, Expansion, over Bulgarian E
Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; II Porphyrogenitus (c.958 -“ 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer [note 3] was the senior Byzantine Emperor for almost 50 years (10 January 976 -“ 15 December 1025), having been a junior colleague to other emperors since 960. He and his brother Constantine[note 4] were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. The throne went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-“969) then John Tzimiskes (r. 969-“976), before Basil became senior emperor. His influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos was the de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire until 985.[note 5] Basil II then held power for forty years. early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy; first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian Empire, its foremost European foe, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-“988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate that ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate that gained the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. near-constant warfare, Basil distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, filling its treasury, and leaving it with its greatest expanse in four centuries. his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions taken during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor states of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Byzantium, 976-1025, Emperor, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, with Rus over First B Empire and Georgia
Byzantine Emperor, 976-1025, Basil II ; II Porphyrogenitus (c.958 -“ 15 December 1025), nicknamed the Bulgar Slayer [note 3] was the senior Byzantine Emperor for almost 50 years (10 January 976 -“ 15 December 1025), having been a junior colleague to other emperors since 960. He and his brother Constantine[note 4] were named as co-rulers before their father Romanos II died in 963. The throne went to two generals, Nikephoros Phokas (r. 963-“969) then John Tzimiskes (r. 969-“976), before Basil became senior emperor. His influential great-uncle Basil Lekapenos was the de facto ruler of the Byzantine Empire until 985.[note 5] Basil II then held power for forty years. early years of Basil's reign were dominated by civil wars against two powerful generals from the Anatolian aristocracy; first Bardas Skleros and later Bardas Phokas, which ended shortly after Phokas' death and Skleros' submission in 989. then oversaw the stabilization and expansion of the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire and the complete subjugation of the First Bulgarian Empire, its foremost European foe, after a prolonged struggle. Although the Byzantine Empire had made a truce with the Fatimid Caliphate in 987-“988, Basil led a campaign against the Caliphate that ended with another truce in 1000. He also conducted a campaign against the Khazar Khaganate that gained the Byzantine Empire part of Crimea and a series of successful campaigns against the Kingdom of Georgia. near-constant warfare, Basil distinguished himself as an administrator, reducing the power of the great land-owning families who dominated the Empire's administration and military, filling its treasury, and leaving it with its greatest expanse in four centuries. his successors were largely incapable rulers, the Empire flourished for decades after Basil's death. One of the most important decisions taken during his reign was to offer the hand of his sister Anna Porphyrogenita to Vladimir I of Kiev in exchange for military support, thus forming the Byzantine military unit known as the Varangian Guard. marriage of Anna and Vladimir led to the Christianization of the Kievan Rus' and the incorporation of later successor states of Kievan Rus' within the Byzantine cultural and religious tradition. Basil is seen as a Greek national hero but as a despised figure among Bulgarians. Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 24; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28;

Constantinople, 982&717-41, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople
Greece, Mt Athos, 717-741 &982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn on tile 982, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople tMt Athos, after soldier slashed it 717-41, tile tC, expanded hymn Axion Estin in Divine Liturgy; Protaton Church Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11; to Tradition, during the iconoclast persecution of Leo III the Isaurian (717-741), Icon of the Theotokos was slashed by the sword of one of the Emperor’s soldiers. Blood flowed from the Icon into the sea. Shaken by this sign, the repentant sinner fled to Mount Athos. day he saw the Icon, which had floated from Constantinople, lying on the shore, it was still bleeding and dyeing the water red. ran toward it and, with fear and trembling, he carried it to the Protaton church. the Icon stopped bleeding, indicating that the Panagia had forgiven him for desecrating her holy Icon. (Greek: Παναγία, fem. of panágios, pan- + hágios, the All-Holy, or the Most Holy; pronounced Greek pronunciation: (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Most Greek churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary are called Panagia; the standard western Christian designation of "St. Mary" is rarely used in the Orthodox East, as Mary is considered the holiest of all created beings and therefore of higher status than the Saints.) years later, a certain Elder and his disciple were living in a cave near Karyes. a Saturday night in 982, the Elder went to attend the All-Night Vigil at Karyes, leaving his disciple behind to read the service in their cell. it was dark, an unknown monk came to the cell. He said that his name was Gabriel, and the disciple invited him to come in. it was time for the Vigil, the two monks began to pray before the Icon of the Mother of God. they finished the eighth Ode of the Canon, the disciple began to chant: “My soul magnifies the Lord...” and then he sang the Irmos of Saint Cosmas the Hymnographer (Oct. 14): “More honorable than the Cherubim...” visitor then chanted the next verse: “For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” instead of singing “More honorable...” the visitor prefaced it with: “It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God.” he continued with “More honorable.” the singing of this hymn, the Icon was illumined with a heavenly light, the disciple was moved to tears He asked his guest to write down the new words, but there was no paper. stranger took a roofing tile and wrote the entire hymn upon it with his finger, as though it were made of wax. disciple then realized that this was no ordinary monk, but the Archangel Gabriel. The heavenly visitor told him, “Sing the hymn this way, and all of the Orthodox as well.” Then, he disappeared. light continued to shine forth from the Icon for a long time. Eleousa (Merciful) Icon of the Mother of God, before which the hymn “It Is Truly Meet” was first sung, was transferred to the katholikon at Karyes. tile, with the hymn written on it by the Archangel Gabriel, was taken to Constantinople when Saint Nicholas Chrysoberges (December 16) was Patriarch. copies of the “It Is Truly Meet” Icon are revered in Russian churches. At the Galerna Harbor of St. Petersburg a church with five cupolas was built in honor of the “Merciful” Mother of God, and into it they placed a grace-bearing copy of the “Axion Estin” Icon sent from Mount Athos. inscription on the scroll held by Christ reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Axion Estin Icon kept at the High Place in the sanctuary of the Holy Dormition katholikon at Karyes, the capital of Mount Athos. on the Igoumen's stone chair, the Icon is an object of great veneration. church is known as Protaton because it was the first church to be built on the Holy Mountain in 843 by Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5) iconography of the church was done in the XIII century by the renowned iconographer Emmanuel Panselinos. Icon takes its name from the hymn we sing after the epiklesis during the Divine Liturgy. cell where the miracle took place is known today by the name “Axion Estin.” miracle occurred on June 11, 982 on a Sunday. miraculous tile on which was the hymn was transcribed was transferred to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and was displayed for veneration by the faithful in the imperial palace Church of Saint Stephen. that time on, the expanded hymn Axion Estin became part of the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Church. Icon is especially honored with festivities and a procession on Bright Monday, and many miracles take place on that day. Icon itself is a bit faded, but is now covered by a silver riza. has been restored recently and is in good condition. is an inscription: “Μήτηρ Θεού Καρυώτισσα” or “Mother of God Karyotissa (of Karyes).” it came from Constantinople, and belongs to the Panagia Eleousa type, which was first painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. the one thousand year anniversary of Mount Athos in 1963, the Axion Estin Icon left the Holy Mountain for the first time to be venerated in Athens by thousands of faithful. 1985 it was brought to Thessaloniki aboard a military ship and received there with the same honors as a Head of State.

Constantinople, 984-996, Patriarch, Nicholas Chrysoberges, Nicholas II of Constantinople
Constantinople Patriarch, 984-996, Nicholas II of Constantinople; Icon of the Mother of God œIt Is Truly MeetÂ, Commemorated on July 13;

Constantinople, 1000-1099, Folder, 11th Century, Zoe's Husbands, Official East West Church Split

Constantinople, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli, righteous blameless, blessed spiritually materially, uncles oGeorge otHoly Mt
Georgia, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3), Uncles of George otHoly Mt, monks aKm, filled wDivine Grace, George spiritual advisor King Bagrat III, Produced ecclesiastical lit wKing, many translations&copies, Sava righteous&blameless, both had spiritual blesings&material wealth, they suggested other brother Jacob bring his son George tKM in Klarjeti, Peris Jojikisdze (nobleman married to Bagrat III's daughter) governed Tvartsatpi palace, selected George tBe palace instructor&spiritual guide, incl earthly affairs, He took young George tPalace, year later Basil II falsely accused Peris, ordered execution, family escorted tConstantinople, in Byzantium 12 yrs, George sent young George to Sava aKM, George&Sava died about 1050; Khakhuli Monastery; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated December 19 ; George and Savva of Khakhuli were brothers of Jacob, the father of Saint George of the Holy Mountain. and Savva labored as monks at Khakhuli Monastery in southern Georgia. holy fathers were filled with divine grace. elder brother, George, was a spiritual adviser in the court of King Bagrat III Kuropalates along with the king, he became an active participant in the production of ecclesiastical literature. period is known as the Golden Age of Georgian Letters, when many translations and copies of ecclesiastical writings were made.) younger brother, Savva, is remembered as a righteous and blameless man by the renowned Church figure George the Lesser. to George the Lesser, the brothers were generously endowed with both spiritual blessings and material wealth. the holy fathers heard about the piety of their nephew, the young George (later of the Holy Mountain), suggested that Jacob bring him to them in Khakhuli in Klarjeti. exceeding gladness Jacob brought his son to the God-fearing brothers. that time a certain Peris Jojikisdze, a nobleman married to the daughter of King Bagrat III, governed the village of Tvartsatapi. thought it wise to invite an intelligent and experienced monk to his palace to serve as an instructor and spiritual guide, he selected Saint George to fill this role. great reluctance the venerable father consented, he was entrusted with responsibility for all the spiritual and earthly affairs at the palace. of Khakhuli took the young George with him to the palace of Peris Jojikisdze. year later, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II brought false accusations against Peris and ordered his execution. wife and those in his court, among whom were Saint George and the young George of the Holy Mountain, were captured and escorted to Constantinople. twelve years in Byzantium, the captives were finally permitted to return home. his return to Georgia, George of Khakhuli sent his nephew to Khakhuli Monastery, entrusting him to the care of his brother Savva. holy fathers reposed peacefully in the mid-11th century.

Constantinople, 1001-1053, Lazarus, Pillar-dweller, near Ephesus, wondderous vision pillar angels singing, monastery&hisPillar t
EEphesus, 1001-1053, Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, near Ephesus, Asia Minor, fMagnesium, Lydia, educated, monk at Sava, Palestine, intense m struggles, returned as priest near Ephesus, Mt G, wonderous vision, fiery pillar, encircled bAngels singing, let God arise & his enemies be scattered, built church there, pillar dwelled there, monks flocked there, monastery there, time death r, death prolonged 15 yrs b monks prayers, many miracles after death; Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, 1038; Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt Galesius near Ephesus was born in Lydia, in the city of Magnesium. An educated young man who loved God, Lazarus became a monk at the monastery of Saint Savva, the founder of great ascetic piety in Palestine. He spent ten years within the walls of the monastery, winning the love and respect of the brethren for his intense monastic struggles. to the holy priesthood by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Lazarus returned to his native country and settled near Ephesus, on desolate Mount Galesius. Here he saw a wondrous vision: a fiery pillar, rising up to the heavens, was encircled by angels singing, œLet God arise and let His enemies be scattered. the place where the saint beheld this vision, he built a church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and took upon himself the feat of pillar-dwelling. Monks soon began to flock to the great ascetic, thirsting for spiritual nourishment by the divinely-inspired words and blessed example of the saint, and a monastery was established there. received a revelation about the day of his death, the saint told the brethren. Through the tearful prayers of all the monks, the Lord prolonged the earthly life of Saint Lazarus for another fifteen years. Lazarus died at 72 years of age, in the year 1053. The brethren buried the body of the saint at the pillar upon which he had struggled in asceticism. He was glorified by many miracles after his death. Lazarus is also commemorated on July 17.

Constantinople, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery otCross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King 327, reconstructed by P 1027
Georgia, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327, reconstructed by P in 1027, 1015 1one year at Sabbas', 1025 Began Reconstruction, there Lot planted 3 trees, cyprus pine and ceday, they miraculously grew together, one large tree, cut for Soloman's Temple, not used, but used for Christ's Cross, 326 this land to Georgian King Mirian, 449 monastery Founded bVakhtang 1, destroyed several times by moslems 7th C- 9th C, 11th C Georgian King B Kuropalates gave much wealth t Prochorus to restore it, after beautification P gathered 80 monks, same rule as Sabbas', advanced age tWilderness with Disciple Giorgi, died 1066 ; Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Saint Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; Prochorus the Georgian, a descendant of the noble Shavteli family, was born at the end of the 10th century and grew up in a monastery. he reached manhood he was ordained a hieromonk and labored for one year at the Lavra of Saint Savva in Jerusalem. with the blessing of his spiritual father Ekvtime Grdzeli, he began the reconstruction of the Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem. to tradition, at this spot Abraham’s nephew Lot planted three trees—a cypress, a pine, and a cedar. these three trees miraculously grew into one large tree. the Temple of Solomon was being built, this tree was cut down but left unused. is said that the Cross on which Christ our Savior was crucified was constructed from the wood of this tree. the 4th century, the land on which the miraculous tree had grown was presented to Holy King Mirian, the first Christian king of Georgia. in the 5th century, during the reign of Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the Holy Cross Monastery was founded on that land. monastery was destroyed several times between the 7th and 9th centuries. in the 11th century, King Bagrat Kuropalates offered much of his wealth to Fr. Prochorus for the restoration of the monastery. Prochorus beautified the monastery, gathered eighty monks and established the typicon (the monastic rule) for the community in accordance with that of the Saint Savva Lavra. Saint Prochorus had labored long and lived to an advanced age, he chose his disciple Giorgi to be the monastery’s next abbot. he departed for the wilderness with two of his disciples, and after some time the righteous monk yielded up his spirit to God. this, little is known about the life of Saint Prochorus. to Georgian researchers and scholars, he was probably born sometime between 985 and 990. He spent the years 1010 to 1015 in Jerusalem, and labored at the Lavra of Saint Savva until 1025. He reposed in the year 1066, between the ages of 76 and 81.

Constantinople, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou, tears begging supplies before icon, dream foretold oil&full pantry
Greece, Mt Athos, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou Monastery, Mt Athos, Macedonia, Feast Day approaching, supplies depleted, so much can't light church, fell asleep begging for church in front oIcon, heard voice in dream, oil vessels and pantry filled, virgil&MOG praise, icon now Foreteller; Konstamonitou Monastery; Foreteller Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 1 ; "Foreteller"1 Icon of the Mother of God is located in the katholikon (cathedral church) of Konstamonitou Monastery on Mount Athos, it became famous in the following way. August 1, 1020, the eve of the monastery’s Feast Day (The Transfer of the Relics of the Protomartyr Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople), Ecclesiarch Father Agathon, (Zacharias in the Schema) was overcome with great sorrow. Monastery’s Altar Feast was approaching, and its supplies were so depleted that there was not enough oil to light the church lamps for the solemn celebration. night, Father Agathon prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God with fervent tears. earnestly did he beg her to help the monastery that he became exhausted. down before the Icon, he fell asleep at once. a dream he heard a voice coming from the holy Icon telling him not to grieve, because the church vessels were now filled with oil, and the pantries contained everything that was necessary for the monastery's continued existence. Father Agathon awoke, he wondered if what he had been told in his dream was true. to the vessel where the oil was stored, he was overjoyed when he saw that it was filled to the brim. once, he reported his vision to Igoumen Hilarion, the Superior of Konstamonitou Monastery, and to all the brethren. went to inspect the pantries and discovered that all the necessary supplies were there in abundance. rejoiced because now, unexpectedly, they could light the church lamps for the service. by Igoumen Hilarion, they served the Vigil and sang praises to the Queen of Heaven for the miracle she had performed. this event, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, before which Father Agathon had prayed, was known as the "Foreteller." she is placed in the Monastery's katholikon, on the wall, on the right hand side. Ever since this miracle took place, an "unsleeping" oil lamp remains lit before the Icon. his most informative book Bogomater (an account of the earthly life of the Mother of God, and of her wonderworking Icons), Poselyanin (+ February 13, 1931) states that there are two other Icons of the Theotokos on the Holy Mountain which are also called "Foreteller" - the "Paramythia," or "Consolation" Icon of Vatopaidi Monastery (January 21), and the Zographou Icon "Of the Akathist" (October 10).

Byzantium, 1025-1028, Emperor, Constantine VIII, Basil II's bro, unmitigated disaster, chose Romanos, Zoe's f
Russia, Kiev, 1025-1028, Kiev Rus King, Constantine VIII, Brother of Basil II; VIII Porphyrogenitus (960 - 11/12 November 1028) was de jure Byzantine Emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano. He was nominal co-emperor for 63 years, successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. II died childless on 15 December 1025 and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in Constantine's hands. Constantine had no interest in politics, statecraft or the military. His brief reign is said to have been "an unmitigated disaster", sparking "a collapse of the military power of the Empire". Constantine had no sons, so shortly before his death he married his daughter Zoë to his chosen successor, Romanos Argyros. Russia, Kiev, 960-976, Kiev Rus King, Basil II, Basil the Bulgar Slayer ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Constantinople, 1027-1101, Ephraim tLesser, Georgian translator, philosopher, historian, defender Georgian Church, fTao region
Georgia, 1027-1101, Ephraim tLesser, Georgian translator, philosopher, historian, defender Georgian Church, from Tao Region, tConstantinople, tBlack Mts oAntioch, many theological works&subjects, developed own theory oTranslation which formed written comp in Georgian, 3Points, 1 translate from the original language, 2 same literal meaning without violating language translating to, 3 commentary section should be included, Ephraim translated works from Dionysius tAreopagite, Basil tGreat, Ephraim tSyrian and others, original works, An Explanation Reasons Conversion oGeorgia, after 1050 Antioch Black Mt monks began deny independence Georgian Church because for example they said none otApostles came to Georgia, Ephraim called to settle debate by nations elite, he studied original Greek writings aSucceeded independence, Andrew tFirst called preached in Abkhazeti Region (Northwest Georgia, Southwest Caucasus Mts, Samegrelo), then to Georgian Ossetia (Shida Kartli), Bartholomew also preached in Kartli, He did all this from Black Mts, died 1103; Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; little is known about the life of venerable Ephraim the Lesser, great 11th-century writer, translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Church. work Reminiscences and other sources, however, provide us with the means to speculate about the major periods of his life and labors. 1027, when King Bagrat IV (1027-1072) ascended the Georgian throne, many noblemen of the Tao region in southern Georgia relocated to Greece. them was the honorable Vache, son of Karichi, whom scholars believe was Ephraim’s father. receiving a Greek education in Constantinople, Ephraim settled in the Black Mountains near Antioch and began his labors there. achievements in Georgian theological and philosophical writing are immeasurable. The number of his works is almost one hundred, and the subjects cover nearly every branch of theological inquiry. even developed his own theory of translation, which later formed the foundation for written composition in the Georgian language. His theory consists of three essential points: 1. A composition must be translated from the original, that is, from the language in which it was first written. 2. The translation must carry the same literal meaning as the original, but accuracy in this regard must not violate the nature of the language into which the text is being translated. 3. A section of commentary that examines all relevant historical, grammatical, and literary issues should be included with the translated text. translated five of the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, The Ascetic Rules of Saint Basil the Great, the writings of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, commentaries on the Epistles and Psalms, and many other important patristic writings. Ephraim the Lesser’s original works, his most significant is An Explanation of the Reasons for the Conversion of Georgia, a compilation of existing essays and his own commentaries on the nation’s conversion. the second half of the 11th century, the monks of Antioch and the Black Mountains began to deny the independence of the Georgian Church. other claims, they argued that none of the Apostles had preached the Christian Faith in Georgia. became necessary to prove that the Georgian Church was indeed autocephalous, and members of the nation’s elite accordingly called upon Ephraim to settle this issue. studied many patristic writings in the original Greek, gathered the ancient sources, and succeeded in fully securing the independent existence of the Georgian Church. Ephraim wrote the following about the Apostles’ preaching: “Know that from the time the Apostles were preaching, according to the Prophet David: Their voice was heard through all the earth, and their words resounded in every village (c.f. Ps. 18:4). Georgia, Andrew the First-called preached the Gospel in Avazgia (now Abkhazeti), and from there he journeyed to Ossetia (now Shida Kartli). Bartholomew also preached in Georgia, in the Kartli region.” Ephraim never left the Black Mountains. 1091 he was enthroned as the abbot of Kastana Monastery [The precise location of Kastana is unknown, but according to modern archaeologists, it was probably in the Black Mountains. a full discussion of the subject see: Wachtang Z. Djobadze, Materials for the study of Georgian monasteries in the Western environs of Antioch on the Orontes (Louvain: Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 1976), pp. 101-3] holy father Ephraim reposed in the Lord around the year 1101. is included in a list of the departed compiled by the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi in 1103, and the year of his death has been approximated from the information given in this source. was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Georgia because of his God-pleasing life and the many commendable works he performed on behalf of the Church and his nation.

Byzantium, 1028-1034, Emperor, Romanos III Argyros, forced to divorce, then killed by Zoe
Byzantine Emperor, 1028-1034, Romanos III Argyros; III Argyros (968 – 11 April 1034), or Romanus III Argyrus, was Byzantine Emperor from 15 November 1028 until his death. was a Byzantine noble and senior official in Constantinople when the dying Constantine VIII forced him to divorce his wife and marry the emperor's daughter Zoe. Upon Constantine's death three days later, Romanos took the throne. Romanos has been recorded as a well meaning but ineffective emperor. disorganised the tax system and undermined the military, personally leading a disastrous military expedition against Aleppo. He fell out with his wife and foiled several attempts on his throne, including two which revolved around his sister-in-law Theodora. spent large amounts on the construction and repair of churches and monasteries. He died after six years on the throne, allegedly murdered, and was succeeded by his wife's young lover, Michael IV. Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on December 27; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Byzantium, 1034-1041, Emperor, Michael IV the Paphlagonian, became E then death by Zoe's affairs
Byzantine Emperor, 1034-1041, Michael IV the Paphlagonian; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Byzantium, 1042-1054, Emperor, Constantine IX Monomachos, Zoe's third, Church Split
Byzantine Emperor, 1042-1054, Constantine IX Monomachos ; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Constantinople, 1043-1059, Michael I Cerularius, Patriarch, Great Schism 1054
Constantinople, 1043-1059, Patriarch, Michael I Cerularius, Great Schism 1054; Byzantine Emperor, 1042-1054, Constantine IX Monomachos ; Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on October 21;

Constantinople, 1050, All Blessed Icon, now in Constantinople patriarchal cathedral, St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul, Phanar
St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul; All Blessed Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) The original “All Blessed” (Pammakaristos) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is in Constantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. is a mosaic icon dating from the middle of the eleventh century. 1905, Patriarch Joachim III presented a copy of the icon to the city of Kazan in Russia.

Byzantium, 1057-1059, Emperor, Isaac I Komnenos, Komnenian Dy, raised at Studion
Byzantine Emperor, 1057-1059, Isaac I Komnenos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Byzantium, 1057-1059, Emperor's Commander in Chief, John Komnenos (Domestic of the Schools)
Byzantine Commander in Chief, 1057-1059, John Komnenos (Domestic of the Schools); Byzantine Emperor, 1057-1059, Isaac I Komnenos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Byzantium, 1059-1067, Emperor, Constantine X Doukas, Doukid Dy, lost Italy and Balkans
Byzantine Emperor, 1059-1067, Constantine X Doukas; St Joachim of Osogovo, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 1061-1111, Clement the Stylite, Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata, narrow pillar, Many yrs, levitation
Greece, 1061-1111, Clement the Stylite, Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata, works of light, solitary, silence, from Athens, Myoupolis Monastery, Narrow Pillar, many years, levitation, Mt Segmata Monastery; Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27; holy ascetic is not mentioned in the Synaxaristes nor in the Menaion. His Church Service, however, is found in the Laurentian Codex E 152 f. 332 a and Γ 12f. 82 β. his Service he is praised as one who "appeared as a most ascetical spirit-bearer, ascending a tall pillar, as a steadfast pillar of the hermits, and the support of monastics who perform works of light."1 his Kontakion it is stated that he contested alone "most willingly on the mountain of Ságmata on a narrow pillar [and] you adorned the choir of the ascetics, O Most Righteous Clement." Clement lived during the XII century and performed many miracles. Saint Clement the Stylite of Mt Sagmata (+1111); pictures, levitation and approximate age

Constantinople, 1067-1097, Gabriel, Large inheritance, founded Lesnov m, then left tHide in mine 30yr asceticism, relic healings
Bulgaria, 1067-1097, Gabriel, founder oLesnov Monastery, Bulgaria (High Point, Strumitza River Source), near Kratov, Macedonia, large inheritance, rejected marriage, monk on Mt at Lesnov, built Church, gathered monks, appointed igumen, gave inheritance tMonastery, lift tHide in mine, asceticism 30 yrs, conquering demonic temptations, returned tLesnov m, died iPeace, 30 yrs later relics uncovered, relic healings, long afterwards relics tTrnovo, Bulgaria; Lesnov Monastery, Bulgaria; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Gabriel, founder of the Lesnov monastery (in 1067) the city of Kratov. a large inheritance after the death of his parents, he rejected marriage and became a monk on a mountain at Lesnov. he built a church in the name of the Archangel Michael, and gathered many monks around him. appointed an igumen, and left all his inheritance to the monastery. then hid himself in a mine, where he lived in asceticism for thirty years, conquering demonic temptations through prayer and fasting. then returned to the Lesnov monastery and ended his life in peace. thirty years, his relics were uncovered, and healings worked through them. afterwards, they were transferred to Trnovo [Tirnova] in Bulgaria.

Byzantium, 1071-1078, Emperor, Michael VII Doukas, Doukid Dy, not interested
Byzantine Emperor, 1071-1078, Michael VII Doukas; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Constantinople, 1073, Dormition Icon Story, 4 Architects, 3 year Gold, MOG, Blachernae to Caves, War Hero
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Dormition Icon Story, 4 Architects, 3 year Gold, MOG, Blachernae to Caves, War Hero; Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves (Destroyed in WWII) 1073 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. The architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ We all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. Finally, we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. Two friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. When Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, but Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. He even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. He went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. Entreat the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. Let the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” Zachariah gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. In 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. The Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). In 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. The icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15. Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 1; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14;

Constantinople, 1073, Transltn Dormition Icon fConstantinople tKiev Far Caves, when MOG built her Church iK
Russia, Kiev, 1073, Translation of Dormition Icon from Constantinople to Kiev Far Caves, architects brought it, story MOG having Church built, angels, dew defines spot, enough gold f3yrs, foundation relics, church vision, C named&protected by MOG, numerous icon miracles, war hero; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Translation of the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev Caves, Far Caves; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” heard this account, all glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles. friends, John and Sergius, sealed their friendship before it. After many years John fell mortally ill. He gave part of his wealth to the the Caves monastery, and he gave Sergius the portion for his five-year-old son for safekeeping. He also entrusted his son Zachariah to his guardianship. Zachariah turned fifteen, he asked for his inheritance, but Sergius persisted in saying that John had distributed everything to the poor. He even went into the Dormition church and swore before the wonderworking icon that he had taken nothing. he attempted to kiss the icon, he was not able to come near it. went to the doors and suddenly shouted, “Saints Anthony and Theodosius! Let me not be struck down for my dishonesty. the Most Holy Theotokos to drive away the multitude of demons which torment me. the gold and silver be taken away. It is sealed up in my granary.” Zachariah gave away all his inheritance to the Caves monastery, where he also himself was tonsured a monk. From that time, no one would take oaths before the wonderworking icon (March 24). than once the icon defended the land from enemy invasion. 1677, when the Turks laid siege to Chigirin and danger threatened Kiev, they carried the icon around the city for almost the entire day of August 27. The Mother of God blessed Russian armies going to the Battle of Poltava (1709). 1812 they carried the icon around Kiev again. The icon is commemorated twice during the year: May 3 and August 15 .

Constantinople 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition C, 4 Architects Dormition Icon, Queen of H, church in Rus, I will dwell in it
Russia, Kiev, 1073, 12 Greeks built Dormition Cathedral, Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 4 Byzantine Architects, brought Icon of the Dormition, Lord will show t place, hansome youths, Queen summonds you to Blachernae, Queen of Heaven with warriors, build myself church in Rus, at Kiev, take gold for 3yrs, to Anthony and Theodosis, I will honor you, I will dwell in it, she also gave us relics for the foundation, they saw the church in the air, dew and dry spot, dry spot and dew, golden sash for measuring from previous vision, bolt of lightning on the spot; Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos (May 3) is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. architects arrived at the monks’ cave and asked, “Where do you want to build the church?” The saints answered, “Go, the Lord will point out the place.” “How is it that you, who are about to die, have still not designated the place?” the architects wondered. “And they gave us much gold.” the monks summoned all the brethren and they began to question the Greeks, saying, “Tell us the truth. Who sent you, and how did you end up here?” architects answered, “One day, when each of us was asleep in his own home, handsome youths came to us at sunrise, and said, ‘The Queen summons you to Blachernae.’ all arrived at the same time and, questioning one another we learned that each of us had heard this command of the Queen, and that the youths had come to each of us. we beheld the Queen of Heaven with a multitude of warriors. We bowed down to Her, and She said, ‘I want to build Myself a Church in Rus, at Kiev, and so I ask you to do this. Take enough gold for three years.’” “We bowed down and asked, ‘Lady Queen! You are sending us to a foreign land. To whom are we sent?’ She answered, ‘I send you to the monks Anthony and Theodosius.’” “We wondered, ‘Why then, Lady, do You give us gold for three years? Tell us that which concerns us, what we shall eat and what we shall drink, and tell us also what You know about it.’” “The Queen replied, ‘Anthony will merely give the blessing, then depart from this world to eternal repose. The other one, Theodosius, will follow him after two years. Therefore, take enough gold. Moreover, no one can do what I shall do to honor you. I shall give you what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor.2:9). I, Myself, shall come to look upon the church and I shall dwell within it.’” “She also gave us relics of the holy martyrs Menignus, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, James, and Theodore, saying, ‘Place these within the foundation.’ We took more than enough gold, and She said, ‘Come out and see the resplendent church.’ We went out and saw a church in the air. Coming inside again, we bowed down and said, ‘Lady Queen, what will be the name of the church?’” “She answered, ‘I wish to call it by My own name.’ We did not dare to ask what Her name was, but She said again, ‘It will be the church of the Mother of God.’ After giving us this icon, She said, ‘This will be placed within.’ We bowed down to Her and went to our own homes, taking with us the icon we received from the hands of the Queen.” hearing this account, everyone glorified God, and Saint Anthony said, “My children, we never left this place. Those handsome youths summoning you were holy angels, and the Queen in Blachernae was the Most Holy Theotokos. As for those who appeared to be us, and the gold they gave you, the Lord only knows how He deigned to do this with His servants. Blessed be your arrival! You are in good company: the venerable icon of the Lady.” For three days Saint Anthony prayed that the Lord would show him the place for the church. the first night there was a dew throughout all the land, but it was dry on the holy spot. On the second morning throughout all the land it was dry, but on the holy spot it was wet with dew. On the third morning, they prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width and length of the church with a golden sash. (This sash had been brought long ago by the Varangian Shimon, who had a vision about the building of a church.) A bolt of lightning, falling from heaven by the prayer of Saint Anthony, indicated that this spot was pleasing to God. So the foundation of the church was laid. icon of the Mother of God was glorified by numerous miracles.

Constantinople, 1078, Master Builders come from Greece to Kiev with Theotokos Icon
Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; 1078 Saint Stephen was removed from office and driven from the monastery through the malice of an evil monk. He endured this meekly and without bitterness, and continued to pray for those who had turned against him. Stephen learned that master builders had come from Greece with an icon of the Theotokos, and they told him of the appearance of the Heavenly Queen at Blachernae. Because of this, Saint Stephen also built a church at Klovo in honor of the Theotokos (in memory of the Placing of Her Robe at Blachernae). The monastery was founded in thanksgiving for solicitude of the Most Holy Theotokos for the Caves monastery. Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Byzantium, 1078-1081, Emperor, Nikephoros III Botaneiates, famous General, coup by Alexios
Byzantium, 1078-1081, Emperor, Nikephoros III Botaneiates; III Botaneiates, Latinized as Nicephorus III Botaniates (1002 - 10 December 1081), was Byzantine emperor from 7 January 1078 to 1 April 1081. was born in 1002, and became a general during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, serving in the Pecheneg revolt of 1048–1053. His actions in guiding his forces away from the Pechenegs following the Battle of Zygos Pass, in which they suffered eleven days of harassment before finally reaching the Byzantine city of Adrianople, attracted the attention of fellow officers, and he received the title of magistros as a reward. served in the revolt of Isaac I Komnenos against the Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas, leading forces at the decisive Battle of Petroe. Emperor Constantine X Doukas he was made doux of Thessalonica, where he remained until c. 1065, when he was reassigned as doux of Antioch. doux of Antioch, he repelled numerous incursions from the Emirate of Aleppo. When Constantine X died in 1067, his wife, Empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa, considered taking Nikephoros as husband and emperor, but instead chose Romanos IV Diogenes. need for an immediate successor was made pressing by the constant Seljuk raids into Byzantine Anatolia, and Eudokia, Patriarch John VIII of Constantinople, and the Byzantine Senate agreed that their top priority was the defense of the empire and that they needed an emperor to lead troops to repel the Turks. was the favorite candidate of the senate, but was in the field leading troops in Antioch and was still married. once chosen to be emperor, exiled Nikephoros to his holdings in the Anatolic Theme, where he remained until he was brought out of retirement by Emperor Michael VII and made kouropalates and governor of the Anatolic Theme. came into conflict with Michael in 1078 when he pleaded with the emperor to address the worsening situation in Byzantine Anatolia, insulting Michael with his frankness. order to protect himself, Nikephoros gathered an army of native troops and Turkish mercenaries and declared himself emperor on 7 January 1078. Nikephoros gathered a strong support base due to his military acumen and family renown, allowing him to enter Constantinople on 24 March 1078 and seize the throne. As emperor, Nikephoros faced numerous revolts, including those of Nikephoros Bryennios, Nikephoros Basilakes, and Constantine Doukas, as well as an attempted assassination by the Varangian Guard. embraced the trappings of emperor, performing many acts to increase his legitimacy and support, such as spending large amounts on donatives for the army and his supporters, forgiving all debt in arrears, and instituting minor legal reforms. Nikephoros secured the submission of Theodore Gabras and Philaretos Brachamios, governors of Trebizond and Antioch, respectively, who had become de facto independent of the Byzantine Empire due to the constant incursions of the Seljuks into Byzantine Anatolia. 1081, the Norman Duke Robert Guiscard of Apulia prepared to invade the Byzantine Empire under the pretext of defending the succession of Constantine Doukas, who had been engaged to Robert's daughter Helena. Alexios I Komnenos was entrusted with an army and sent to defeat the Norman threat, but instead conspired with his relative John Doukas to seize the throne. Alexios raised a rebellion against Nikephoros and was able to quickly encircle Constantinople and besiege it, due to the lack of a defensive army. Nikephoros was unable to secure the support of either the Seljuk Turks or Nikephoros Melissenos, his traditional rivals, and therefore was forced to prepare for abdication. Nikephoros decided that his only choice was to abdicate in favor of Melissenos, who was nearby in Damalis in Anatolia, and sent messengers to him across the Bosphorus; however, these messengers were intercepted by George Palaiologos, a general of Alexios, who persuaded them to support Alexios. Alexios and his forces broke through the walls of Constantinople on 1 April 1081 and sacked the city. Nikephoros fled and sought sanctuary inside of the Hagia Sophia. Nikephoros was taken from there to the Monastery of Peribleptus, where he abdicated and became a monk. Nikephoros died later that year, on 10 December 1081. Venerable Stephen, Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27;

Constantinople, 1079, Niketas oThebes, Boeotia, Greece, charism oWorking Miracles, gift of hospitality, clairvoyant
Greece, 1079, Niketas oThebes of Boeotia, Greece, northeast of Corinth, Monk at 16, charismatic character, purity, charism oWorking Miracles, tPatras&Daniel, gift of hospitality, rest by spiritual guidance, clairvoyance, full oDays; Thebes, A Greek City State in Boetia ; Boetian Plain; Thebes of Boeotia; Nikḗtas of Thebes and those with him, Commemorated on June 23; Nikḗtas of Thebes was a resident of the seven-gated (Επτάπυλη) city of Thebes in Boetia. the age of sixteen, he was tonsured as a monk, other ascetics were drawn to him by reports of his spiritual character and moral purity. these were the monks Daniel, Theodore, and Gregory. Venerable Nikḗtas was deemed worthy of the charism of working miracles. He reposed in the Lord, full of days, in the year 1079. the Life of Saint Nikḗtas it is said that he once traveled to Patras, where he met Saint Daniel, a great ascetic and a man of prayer. had received from God the gift of hospitality, like that of Abraham; that is, to receive people, offering them rest by giving them spiritual guidance.

Byzantium, 1081-1118, Emperor, Alexios I, Komenian restoration, curbed B decline, appealed west, normans and turks
Byzantine Emperor, 1081-1118, Alexios I Komnenos; I Komnenos (1048-15 August 1118), Latinized Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. a collapsing empire and faced with constant warfare during his reign against both the Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the Normans in the western Balkans, Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration. basis for this recovery were various reforms initiated by Alexios. His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks were also the catalyst that likely contributed to the convoking of the Crusades. Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on November 12; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Merciful"Â, Commemorated on December 27; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Constantinople, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mt, Cyprus, f Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah
Cyprus, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus, from Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah, many miracles; Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: This icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. At first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. From ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” The wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. The depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodēgḗtria (“Directress”) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1090, Luke's Machairotissa (knife) Icon MOG gave knife t ascetics t uncover Icon i cave
Transferred to Cyprus during Iconoclast period. Painted by Luke, Kikios Icon, forgotten in cave, MOG gave knife to ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius to cut brush and find it again. Site of knife or Kikios or Kionia monastery. ; Machairotissa (knife) Icon of the Mother of God Commemorated on October 18; Machairotissa (Μαχαιριώτισσα) Icon is a wonderworking icon of the Mother of God in the Holy Machaira Monastery on Cyprus. This Icon is historically and spiritually linked to the Monastery, which owes its name to the history of the Icon. Icon is believed to be one of the 70 icons of the Theotokos painted by Saint Luke, and at the time it was located above the Holy Soros (a chest containing the Robe and the Sash of the Theotokos) in the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae (See July 2 and August 31). This is reinforced by the inscription "Hagiosoritissa" on the Icon, which was later changed to "Machairiotissa," from the Greek word for "knife" (μαχαίρι). to oral tradition, an ascetic brought the Hagiosoritissa Icon to Cyprus from Constantinople during the Iconoclastic period (716 - 843), and settled in a cave on the site where the monastery stands today. After the ascetic went to the Lord, the Icon was forgotten and the entrance of the cave was sealed until the XII century, when the Theotokos gave a knife to the Holy Ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius (December 13), so that they could cut the bushes away and find the Icon. When Saint Neophytos reposed, another old monk, Father Prokopios, joined Ignatius. brotherhood grew too large, and so these two Fathers decided to build a monastery which would be governed according to the cenobitic Rule followed by the great monastic centers of the time. The Holy, Royal and Stavropigial Monastery of Panagia Machairotissa, is located at the eastern end of the Troodos mountain range near the peak of Kionia, at an altitude of 870 meters. It is built on a beautiful mountainside overgrown with pine trees, ending in the Pediaios torrent. It is called a Basilica because it was built with royal assistance, and Stavropegial,1 because the Patriarch had affixed a cross on the side of the building. Synaxis of the Machairotissa Icon is celebrated on October 18th, the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke who, according to Tradition, painted the Machairiotissa Icon. It is kept in the katholikon of the Machaira Monastery. The Icon is also commemorated on November 21, the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. of the primate of a Church rather than under the local diocesan bishop. Blachernae;

Constantinople, 1090, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing according tfaith
Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke; Monastery, which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century[1] by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. Kykkos Monastery, Exterior View to tradition, that was written by the Russian pilgrim, Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky, who travelled to Kykkos Monastery in 1735,[4] a virtuous hermit called Esaias was living in a cave on the mountain of Kykkos. day, the Byzantine governor of the island, doux Manuel Boutoumites, who was spending the summer at a village of Marathasa because of the heat of the season, went into the forest to hunt. Having lost his way in the forest he met Monk Esaias and asked him to show him the way. The hermit who was not interested in the things of this world would not answer his questions. got angry at the monk's indifference and called him names and even maltreated him. Not long after, when the doux returned to Nicosia, he fell ill with an incurable illness by the name of lethargia. In his terrible condition he remembered how inhumanly he had treated the hermit Esaias and asked God to cure him so that he might go to ask the hermit personally for forgiveness. And this came to pass. But God had appeared in front of the hermit and revealed to him that the very thing that had happened had been planned by the divine will and advised him to ask Boutoumites to bring the icon of the Virgin, that had been painted by the Apostle Luke, to Cyprus. icon was kept in the imperial palace at Constantinople. When Boutoumites heard the hermit's wish he was taken aback because he considered such a thing impossible. Then Esaias explained to him that it was a matter of divine wish and they agreed to travel together to Constantinople for the realization of their aim. was passing and Boutoumites could not find the right opportunity to present himself in front of the emperor and ask for the icon. For this reason he provided Esaias with other icons and other necessary things and sent him back to Cyprus, at the same time placating him that he would soon see the emperor. divine dispensation the daughter of the emperor had fallen ill with the same illness that had struck Boutoumites. The latter grasped the opportunity and went to see the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. He recounted to him his personal experience with the monk Esaias and assured him that his daughter would be cured if he sent to Cyprus the holy icon of the Virgin. his desperation the emperor, seeing that he had no other option, agreed. His daughter became well instantly. The emperor, however, not wanting to be parted from the icon of the Virgin, called a first-class painter and ordered him to paint an exact copy of the icon with the aim of sending this one to Cyprus. the evening the Mother of God herself appears in a dream of the emperor's and tells him that her wish is for her icon to be sent to Cyprus and for the copy to be kept by the emperor. the following day the royal boat with the icon of the Virgin departed for Cyprus where Esaias was awaiting for it. the procession of the icon from the coast to the Troödos Mountains, according to legend, the trees, participating in the welcoming ceremonies, were piously bending their trunks and branches. patronage provided by the emperor Alexios Komnenos a church and monastery were built at Kykkos, where the icon of the Virgin was deposited. According to another tradition, still preserved by the people, a bird with human voice was flying around the area singing: Kykkou, Kykkou, Kykkos' hill A monastery the site shall fill A golden girl shall enter in And never shall come out again "golden girl" is, without a doubt, the icon of the Virgin while the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of Kykkos which has been sheltering the icon for over nine hundred years. icon of Virgin Mary the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon.[5][6] The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy.[7] The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.[8] relics are placed to the right of the icon a bronze arm, and a sword fish saw. Regarding the arm, this serves as a reminder the story of a Turk who tried to light a cigarette using one of the vigil lamps and he was cursed and suffered a gangrenous arm. The saw from the sword fish represents the gratefulness of sailors who prayed to Our Lady of Kykkos to save them from the storms of the sea.[9] Kykkou monastery maintains separate grounds Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi tou Kykkou (Μετόχι του Κύκκου). The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be in the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds. 1974, whilst Archbishop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.[10] Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Merciful€, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodegetria (Directress) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1096, Emperor expells Jews from Korsun, Crimea
Byzantium, 1096, Emperor expells Jews from Korsun, Crimea; 1096 the Polovetsians captured Kiev and ravaged the monastery of the Caves, doing away with many of the monks. Saint Eustratius was taken into captivity, and was sold into slavery with thirty monastic laborers and twenty inhabitants of Kiev to a certain Jew living in Korsun. impious Jew tried to make the captives deny Christ, threatening to kill those who refused by starving them. Saint Eustratius encouraged and exhorted his brother Christians, “Brothers! Let none of us who are baptized and believe in Christ betray the vows made at Baptism. Christ has regenerated us through water and the Spirit. He has freed us from the curse of the Law by His Blood, and He has made us heirs of His Kingdom. If we live, we shall live for the Lord. If we die, we shall die in the Lord and inherit eternal life.â€ by the saint’s words, the captives resolved to die of starvation, rather than renounce Christ, Who is the food and drink of Eternal Life. Exhausted by hunger and thirst, some captives perished after three days, some after four days, and some after seven days. Saint Eustratius remained alive for fourteen days, since he was accustomed to fasting from his youth. Suffering from hunger, he still did not touch food nor water. The impious Jew, seeing that he had lost the money he had paid for the captives, decided to take revenge on the holy monk. radiant Feast of the Resurrection of Christ drew near, and the Jewish slave owner was celebrating the Jewish Passover with his companions. He decided to crucify Saint Eustratius. The cruel tormentors mocked the saint, offering to let him share their Passover meal. The Martyr replied, "The Lord has now bestown a great grace upon me. He has permitted me to suffer on a cross for His Name just as He suffered." The saint also predicted a horrible death for the Jew. this, the enraged Jew grabbed a spear and stabbed Saint Eustratius on the cross. The martyr’s body was taken down from the cross and thrown into the sea. Christian believers long searched for the holy relics of the martyr, but were not able to find them. But through the Providence of God the incorrupt relics were found in a cave and worked many miracles. Later, they were transferred to the Near Caves of the Kiev Caves monastery. prediction of the holy Martyr Eustratius that his blood would be avenged was fulfilled soon after his death. The Byzantine Emperor issued a decree expelling all Jews from Korsun, depriving them of their property, and putting their elders to death for torturing Christians. The Jew who crucified Saint Eustratius was hanged on a tree, receiving just punishment for his wickedness. Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson;

Constantinople, 1100-1199, Folder, 12th Century, Allied with Holy Roman Empire

Constantinople, 1101, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, then transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing by faith
Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, then transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing according to faith, fEgypt, 980 tConstantinople till 1105 or so, miraculous sign that it would be transferred to Cyprus by Elder Isaiah, many miracles on Cyprus, I built church, to present day healing every type infirmity, other faith's also, covered by peculiar half shroud, so no able see faces; Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke; Monastery, which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century[1] by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. Kykkos Monastery, Exterior View to tradition, that was written by the Russian pilgrim, Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky, who travelled to Kykkos Monastery in 1735,[4] a virtuous hermit called Esaias was living in a cave on the mountain of Kykkos. day, the Byzantine governor of the island, doux Manuel Boutoumites, who was spending the summer at a village of Marathasa because of the heat of the season, went into the forest to hunt. Having lost his way in the forest he met Monk Esaias and asked him to show him the way. The hermit who was not interested in the things of this world would not answer his questions. got angry at the monk's indifference and called him names and even maltreated him. Not long after, when the doux returned to Nicosia, he fell ill with an incurable illness by the name of lethargia. In his terrible condition he remembered how inhumanly he had treated the hermit Esaias and asked God to cure him so that he might go to ask the hermit personally for forgiveness. And this came to pass. But God had appeared in front of the hermit and revealed to him that the very thing that had happened had been planned by the divine will and advised him to ask Boutoumites to bring the icon of the Virgin, that had been painted by the Apostle Luke, to Cyprus. icon was kept in the imperial palace at Constantinople. When Boutoumites heard the hermit's wish he was taken aback because he considered such a thing impossible. Then Esaias explained to him that it was a matter of divine wish and they agreed to travel together to Constantinople for the realization of their aim. was passing and Boutoumites could not find the right opportunity to present himself in front of the emperor and ask for the icon. For this reason he provided Esaias with other icons and other necessary things and sent him back to Cyprus, at the same time placating him that he would soon see the emperor. divine dispensation the daughter of the emperor had fallen ill with the same illness that had struck Boutoumites. The latter grasped the opportunity and went to see the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. He recounted to him his personal experience with the monk Esaias and assured him that his daughter would be cured if he sent to Cyprus the holy icon of the Virgin. his desperation the emperor, seeing that he had no other option, agreed. His daughter became well instantly. The emperor, however, not wanting to be parted from the icon of the Virgin, called a first-class painter and ordered him to paint an exact copy of the icon with the aim of sending this one to Cyprus. the evening the Mother of God herself appears in a dream of the emperor's and tells him that her wish is for her icon to be sent to Cyprus and for the copy to be kept by the emperor. the following day the royal boat with the icon of the Virgin departed for Cyprus where Esaias was awaiting for it. the procession of the icon from the coast to the Troödos Mountains, according to legend, the trees, participating in the welcoming ceremonies, were piously bending their trunks and branches. patronage provided by the emperor Alexios Komnenos a church and monastery were built at Kykkos, where the icon of the Virgin was deposited. According to another tradition, still preserved by the people, a bird with human voice was flying around the area singing: Kykkou, Kykkou, Kykkos' hill A monastery the site shall fill A golden girl shall enter in And never shall come out again "golden girl" is, without a doubt, the icon of the Virgin while the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of Kykkos which has been sheltering the icon for over nine hundred years. icon of Virgin Mary the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon.[5][6] The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy.[7] The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.[8] relics are placed to the right of the icon a bronze arm, and a sword fish saw. Regarding the arm, this serves as a reminder the story of a Turk who tried to light a cigarette using one of the vigil lamps and he was cursed and suffered a gangrenous arm. The saw from the sword fish represents the gratefulness of sailors who prayed to Our Lady of Kykkos to save them from the storms of the sea.[9] Kykkou monastery maintains separate grounds Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi tou Kykkou (Μετόχι του Κύκκου). The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be in the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds. 1974, whilst Archbishop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.[10] Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Merciful€, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodegetria (Directress) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1111-1134, John IX, Patriarch, Library, P over Monastics
Constantinople Patriarch, 1111-1134, John IX ; lifelong scholar, he sought to reclaim the great, but dispersed, collection of books within the capital, as there was no central library. He made it a practice to acquire the book collections of deceased powerful men, and then had the patriarchal staff recopy them. His measures greatly expanded the range of titles held in the Great Church to which teachers were attached. over Monastics religious matters, he pushed the trend of making the patriarchal clergy, rather than the monastic community, the authoritative voice of Orthodoxy.[4] also convened a synod in Constantinople in 1117 which condemned the doctrine of Eustratius of Nicaea as Nestorian, despite the defence offered by the Patriarch.[5] his patriarchate some efforts were made by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to bridge the schism between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church but these failed, as Pope Pascal II in late 1112 pressed the demand that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognise the Pope's primacy over "all the churches of God throughout the world". This was something the patriarch could not do in face of opposition from the majority of secular clergy, the monastic world, and the laity.[6] St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Byzantium, 1118-1143, Emperor, John II Komnenos, Allied with HRE, Komnenian Restoration
Byzantine Emperor, 1118-1143, John II Komnenos; he was the eldest son of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and Irene Doukaina and the second emperor to rule during the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire. John was a pious and dedicated monarch who was determined to undo the damage his empire had suffered following the Battle of Manzikert, half a century earlier. Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Constantinople, 1135-1200, Steven tMyrrhgusher&Prince, united Serbia, independence fByzantine Empire, against heresies, myrrh r
Serbia, 1135-1200, Steven (Simeon) the myrrhgusher & Prince oSerbia, fStari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6), united much of Serbian lands, strove political independence from Byzantine Empire, defended against heresy (false teaching), tHilandar, Mt Athos at 80, to his son Savva, they reestored Hillandar, monks gathered, great ascetic, wise guide, died 1200, relics began exude Myrrh, Savva transported Steven's relics back to his River Studenitsa Church; Stari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6); Venerable Stephen (in monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher, King of Serbia Stephen Nemanya was the Great Zhupan of Serbia, and lived during the twelfth century. saint toiled much for his fatherland: he united a large portion of the Serbian lands, strove for the political independence of his country from the Byzantine Empire. his zeal for the Orthodox Church, he defended his nation against heresy and false teaching. the age of eighty, Stephen went to Mt. Athos, where his son Saint Savva (January 12), was glorified by the holiness of his life. they restored the desolate Hilandar monastery, to which monks from various lands began to gather. Simeon was a great ascetic and wise guide for the monks. died on February 13, 1200, his relics began to exude myrrh. Savva transported his father’s relics back to Serbia, and placed them in a church of the Most Holy Theotokos at the River Studenitsa. Simeon had richly adorned this church while he was still ruler of Serbia.

Byzantium, 1143-1180, Emperor, Manuel I Komnenos, last of Komnenian restoration
Byzantine Emperor, 1143-1180, Manuel I Komnenos; His reign saw the last flowering of the Komnenian restoration, during which the Byzantine Empire had seen a resurgence of its military and economic power, and had enjoyed a cultural revival. Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13;

Byzantium, 1180-1183, Emperor, Alexios II Komnenos, Maria's regency, married Anna, they were 11 and 10
Byzantine Emperor, 1180-1183, Alexios II Komnenos; of Maria and Alexios[edit] Manuel I died in 1180, Alexios II succeeded him as emperor. At this time, however, he was an uneducated, barely-teenaged boy with only amusements in mind. Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13;

Byzantium, 1183-1185, Emperor, Andronikos I Komnns, Licentious, m Anna at 65, killed Alexios, k Latins
Byzantine Emperor, 1183-1185, Andronikos I Komnenos; In 1183, sixty-five year old Andronikos married twelve-year-old Agnes of France,[1] daughter of King Louis VII of France and his third wife Adale of Champagne.” Agnes had been betrothed to Alexios II.[8] 1180 the Emperor Manuel died and was succeeded by his ten-year-old son Alexios II, who was under the guardianship of his mother, Empress Maria of Antioch.[1] Latin origins and culture led to creeping resentment from her Greek subjects. They had felt insulted by the Western tastes of Manuel, and being ruled by his Western wife built tensions to an explosion of rioting that almost became a full civil war.[citation needed] gave Andronikos the opportunity to seize the crown for himself, leaving his retirement in 1182 and marching to Constantinople with an army that (according to non-Byzantine sources) included Muslim contingents.[5] defection of the commander of the Byzantine navy, megas doux Andronikos Kontostephanos, and the general Andronikos Angelos, played a key role in allowing the rebellious forces to enter Constantinople.[6] arrival of Andronikos Komnenos was soon followed by a massacre of the city's Latin inhabitants,[1] who virtually controlled its economy, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Westerners. 1183, sixty-five year old Andronikos married twelve-year-old Agnes of France,[1] daughter of King Louis VII of France and his third wife Adale of Champagne.” Agnes had been betrothed to Alexios II.[8] Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22;

Constantinople, 1183-1185, Uncovering incorrupt fragrant relics aGate of Eugenius, incl apostle Adronicus, Church built by E A
Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman YaAkosku kapAsA), persecution christian relics usually buried by Christians in hidden places, thus at Eugenius Gate incorrupt relics found, names not known, but incorrupt, fragrant, transferred to a church, many miracles oHealing and deliverance; Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yalkosku kap); Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; the persecutions against Christians the relics of these Holy Martyrs were usually buried by the faithful in hidden places. at Constantinople, near the Eugenios Gate and tower, the incorrupt relics of several Martyrs were found. names are not known, but they are written in the Book of Life. to glorify His servants, God began healing people of their infirmities at the place where the relics of the Martyrs were found. were transferred to a church with great honor by a certain Hierarch. After the fragrant relics were revealed, there were more miracles of healing, demons were cast out of those who were possessed. was revealed to a devout clergyman, Nicholas the Calligrapher, that among the relics discovered at the Eugenios gate were the relics of the holy Apostle Andronikos of the Seventy and his helper Junia (May 17), the Apostle Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:7). the XII century, a large domed church was built at the place where the relics of the Holy Martyrs were discovered. work was undertaken by Emperor Andronikos (1183-1185), whose patron Saint was the Holy Apostle Andronikos.

Byzantium, 1185-1204, Emperor, Isaac II Angelos, Komnemoi, Killed father, marrigs Serb, Ita, Hun
Byzantine Emperor, 1185-1204, Isaac II Angelos; Isaac II Angelos strengthened his position as emperor with dynastic marriages in 1185 and 1186. His niece Eudokia Angelina was married to Stefan, son of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia. Isaac's sister Theodora was married to the Italian marquis Conrad of Montferrat. In January 1186, Isaac himself married Margaret of Hungary (renamed Maria), daughter of King Bala III.[3] Hungary was one of the Empire's largest and most powerful neighbours, and Margaret also had the benefit of high aristocratic descent, being related to the royal families of Kiev, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Provence, and earlier Byzantine dynasties. Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1189-1236, St Sava 1, Enlightener, Prince, Orthodox monk, estab Hilandar, first Serb Archbishop, S constitution
Serbia, 1189-1236, St Sava 1, Panteleimon Monastery, Russian, Mt Athos, first archbishop, tonsured 1186, encouraged family to tonsure, estab Hilandar m, archmandrite of Thessalonica, then 1219 Archbishop of Serbia, MOG dream my patronage, why sorrowful, negotiated peace and conversion w Hungarian King, crowned b Stephen as Serbian King, then nephew Radislav, then Vladislav, died in Bulgaria, r transfered to S; Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. born as Rastko Nemanjić, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (founder of the Nemanjić dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Zachlumia briefly in 1190–92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, the Zakonopravilo nomocanon, thus securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[4][5][6][7][8] is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history. In fact, Sava is to the Serbs what Averroes is to the Muslims and Maimonides is to the Jews. Sava is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. Many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, built where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594,[9] during an uprising in which Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; the church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, in the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. From his early years he fervently attended church services and had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, secretly left his father’s house and set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod and wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) and sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, and this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. His mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. This was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. He made prostrations in all the churches and, calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage, why do you remain sorrowful?” These words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. In memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. During the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war on Serbia, the holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, but he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, and Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. To further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, he reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, and he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, consecrating him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, desiring “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” He passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, everywhere visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. The saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, where with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, there were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, bestowing healing on all who approached with faith. The inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, which Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. He is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. From this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. It in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, and since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. Such was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy.

Constantinople, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st Serbian archbishop, caused Royal father mother to be monastics, strengthened church&state
Serbia, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st archbishop oSerbia, son oSerbian King S Nemanya and daughter Byzantine Emperor Romanus, fervently attended Church, special icon love, a17 i1186 met monk & left home fAthos &Panteleimon m, given tRussian monks 1169, Sava's birthdate, his father Nemanya threatened war against Greeks if not returned, even though warned always watch, Sava received monastic tonsure during evening services when drunk soldiers fell asleep, sava sent home worldly clothes, hair&letter which requested parents become monastics, they do, father wSon aVatopedi, before they founded Hilandar 1198, there Sava becomes deacon then presbyter, mother became nun named Anastasia, made archimandrite 1219 aThessalonica, same year made Archbishop, so Serbia could elect own archbishop, important because frequent wars east and west, tAthos fNicea tSay goodby all monasteries, deep remorse (regret guilt) for leaving paradise, but MOG spoke in dream, having my support why sorrow, sorrow tJoy, large icons Jesus&MOG in appearance memory, aThessalonica, His father monk Simeon's relics exuded fragrant myrrh, Sava in charge negotiations wHungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war wSerbia, brought him tOrthodoxy fCatholic, Facilitating autonomous Serbian Church, plus strengthened Serbian State by crowning brother Steven as king, then Radislav his son, then Holy Land tWorship, then Vladislav as King and betrothed him tBulgarian Prince Asan's daughter, he visited churches across Serbia, reformed monastic rules like Athos&Palestine, established many churches, appointed Asenius as his successor, then journey of no return to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land, Palestine Syria Persia Babylon Egypt Anatola, finishing at Tronovo, Bulgaria wAsan, died 1237, healings at his relics iBulgaria and Serbia at Church oMileshevo; St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. ------------------------------onk Simeon, the holy relics xuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy. Serbia, 1189-1235, Saint Sava I, Metropolitan of Zica, Son of Nemanja, Hilandar, Law, Constttn, tEnlightener, Serb Prince, Orthodox monk, autocephalous Serb church archbishop, Serb law founder, diplomat, youngest son oSteven Nemanja, Sava ruled Hum briefly 1090-93, then tAthos, became monk Sava, established Hilandar m, important Serb culture religious center, 1219 Constantinople Patriarch (exiled in Nicea) recognized him aSerb Archbishop, 1219 wrote Serb Constitution, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, which secured both religious&Political independence, founder Serbian midieval lit, important figure Serb history, patron saint Serbia, his church iBelgrade large bldg in the world, where his relics burnt bOttomans 1594; Serbian Saint, 1219-1235, Saint Sava, Metropolitan of Zica; Sava (1169 -14 January 1236), as the Enlightener, a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, founder of Serbian law, a diplomat. born as Rastko, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja of the Nemanji dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in 1190-“92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[6][7][8] is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history. Sava is venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church as its founder on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594 during an uprising in which the Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical teasury of Ort.

Constantinople, 1196-1228, David oSerbia, Nephew of King Stefan Nemanjic, ascetical life, built monastery at Brodarova
Serbia, 1196-1228, David oSerbia, Brodarova, Serbia (Lim River 2.3), Nephew of King Stefan Nemanjic, ascetical life, built monastery at Brodarova; Brodarova, Serbia; Venerable David of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24; David, a nephew of holy King Stephen, in the world had the name Demetrius. built a monastery at Brodarova, at the River Lima, there he received monastic tonsure with the name David lived an ascetical life to the end of his days.

Constantinople, 1198, Founding of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian and Bulgarian)
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Handson Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Constantinople, 1198-1261, Icon of Three Hands on Mt Athos, Hilandar monastery, donkey from Serbia story, icon igumen
Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Judea, near Jerusalem, iconodule writer, slandered by Leo III to caliph, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey to Hilandar, Icon became Igumen ; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands: The wonderworking icon, which Saint John of Damascus (December 4) received healing of his amputated hand, given by him to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. the thirteenth century the icon was in Serbia, afterwards it was miraculously transported to Athos to the Hilandar monastery. more detailed account about the icon is located under June 28. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28, where a more detailed account is to be found. Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, Of the Three Hands: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name Of Three Hands. iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon Of Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Constantinople, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar, heretical priest, carried this icon, fell into sea&drowned
Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), at tKatholkon (main church), by column otKliros (choir section), heretical priest, declared himself orthodox, acted wEvil purpose, carried this icon during blessing otWater procession, fell into sea and drowned, since then cross procession done wThis icon and carried by aPriest; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Priestly Icon of the Mother of God stands in the katholikon of Hilandar Monastery by a column of the left kliros. certain heretical priest, having declared himself Orthodox, acted at the Hilandar monastery with evil purpose, but he was punished. the procession for the blessing of water he took this icon but stumbled, fell into the sea and drowned. that time the cross procession is always done with this icon, invariably a priest carries it, it was called “Priestly” by the Serbs.

Constantinople, 1200-1299, Folder, 13th Century, 4th Crusade sacks Constantinople

Constantinople, 1203-1204, Alexios IV Angelos, Prince, diverted the 4th Crusade to Constantinople so he could regain power
Byzantine Prince, 1203-1204, Alexios IV Angelos; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade
Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople; Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Handsof our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. the term Byzantine Empire, Latin Empire was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia or the Latinokratia (rule of the Latins) and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania (Land of the Romans) had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Byzantium, 1205-1215, Emperor, Michael I Doukas, rebelled, fled to Turks, Diverted 4th Crusade to C in 1210, assinated
Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (Greek: ÎœÎ¹Ï‡Î±Î®Î» ÎšÎ¿Î¼Î½Î·Î½ÏŒÏ‚ Î”Î¿ÏÎºÎ±Ï‚, romanized: MikhaÄ“l KomnÄ“nos Doukas), and in modern sources often recorded as Michael I Angelos, a name he never used,[1] was the founder and first ruler of the Despotate of Epirus from c. 1205 until his assassination in 1214/15. c. 1170, Michael was a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos and a cousin of emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. He began his public career in 1190, as a hostage to the Third Crusade, and went on to serve as governor of the province of Mylasa and Melanoudion in the 1190s and again in c. 1200/01. the latter tenure he rebelled against Alexios III but was defeated and forced to flee to the Seljuk Turks. the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, he attached himself to Boniface of Montferrat. Soon, however, he abandoned the Crusader leader and went to Epirus, where he established himself as ruler, apparently through marriage with the daughter or widow of a local magnate. domain in Epirus became a refuge and centre of resistance of the Greeks against the Latin Crusaders. At about the same time, according to some modern scholars, he may have led the abortive Greek resistance to the Crusaders in the Peloponnese, which was crushed at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras; according to other views, he may have led a campaign there between 1207 and 1209. order to avoid invasion and buy time to consolidate his position in Epirus, Michael soon entered into negotiations with Pope Innocent III, and concluded treaties with the Latin Empire and the Republic of Venice. the meantime, his rule received a boost in legitimacy when he ransomed the deposed Alexios III from captivity. According to later chroniclers, Alexios III conferred the hereditary rule of Epirus to Michael and his descendants. 1210, Michael was secure enough to launch an attack against the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica, in conjunction with the Bulgarians. Repelled by the intervention of the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders, Michael quickly switched sides and joined the Latins to prevent the city from falling into Bulgarian hands. In 1212, he conquered most of Thessaly from the Lombard lords of Thessalonica. At about the same time, his troops briefly took over the Lordship of Salona. He then went on to recover Dyrrhachium and the island of Corfu from the Venetians in 1213–1214, but was thwarted in his attempt to push further north into Zeta. He was assassinated soon after in his sleep, and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Byzantium, 1215-1230, Emperor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, Latin, Nicean, Epirus, Serbian, Theslnc Empires
Byzantine Emperor, 1215-1230, Theodore Komnenos Doukas; Komnenos Doukas (died c. 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most of Macedonia and western Thrace from 1224 to 1230. He was also the power behind the rule of his sons John and Demetrios over Thessalonica in 1237–1246. was the scion of a distinguished Byzantine aristocratic family related to the imperial Komnenos, Doukas, and Angelos dynasties. nothing is known about Theodore's life before the conquest of Constantinople and dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. the fall of Constantinople, he served Theodore I Laskaris, founder of the Empire of Nicaea, for a few years ----------------------------------before being called to Epirus, where his bastard half-brother Michael I Komnenos Doukas had founded an independent principality. Michael died in 1215, Theodore sidelined his brother's underage and illegitimate son Michael II and assumed the governance of the Epirote state. continued his brother's policy of territorial expansion. with Serbia, he expanded into Macedonia, threatening the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica. capture of the Latin Emperor Peter II of Courtenay in 1217 opened the way to the gradual envelopment of Thessalonica, culminating in the city's fall in 1224. ruler of Thessalonica, Theodore quickly declared himself emperor, challenging the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes's claims to the Byzantine imperial throne. 1225, he advanced to the outskirts of Constantinople, but his final attack against the seat of the much-reduced Latin Empire was delayed until 1230. that year, Theodore amassed an army to besiege Constantinople, but then diverted it against Bulgaria, an ambivalent ally which threatened his northern flank. was defeated and captured at the Battle of Klokotnitsa, and spent the next seven years in captivity. the meantime, he was succeeded by his brother Manuel. Manuel quickly lost Thrace, most of Macedonia, and Albania to the Bulgarian Emperor John Asen II. Thessalonica itself became a Bulgarian vassal, while in Epirus proper power was seized by Michael II, returning from exile. was released in 1237 when his daughter Irene married John Asen II, and quickly managed to regain control of Thessalonica, ousting Manuel. been blinded during his captivity and thus disqualified from occupying the throne again, he installed his eldest son John as emperor, but remained the de facto regent of the state. Manuel tried to regain Thessalonica with Nicaean support, but a negotiated settlement was reached which gave him Thessaly and left Thessalonica and its environs to Theodore and John. In 1241, John III Vatatzes invited Theodore to visit Nicaea. He was welcomed and treated with great honour, but was effectively detained there until the spring of next year, when Vatatzes marched on Thessalonica with Theodore in tow. Theodore was sent in to negotiate with his son and convince him to accept demotion to the rank of Despot and to recognize the suzerainty of Nicaea. died in 1244 and was succeeded by Theodore's younger son Demetrios. In 1246, Vatatzes overthrew the unpopular Demetrios and annexed Thessalonica. Theodore influenced his nephew Michael II to launch an attack on Thessalonica in 1251, but in 1252, Vatatzes campaigned against them and forced Michael to come to terms. Theodore was taken prisoner and sent into exile in Nicaea, where he died around 1253. St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Constantinople, 1223-1261, Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 1223-1261, Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem; Leontius was Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1223-1261, according to Saint Gregory Palamas (Nov. 14) and Theodore, a monk of Constantinople Life was translated from Greek into the Russian language in an abridged form. It was translated a second time more fully by Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14), who says the death of the Patriarch actually occurred in 1175.

Constantinople, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra mnastey, Mt Athos, many miracles
Greece, Mt Athos, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher, Simonopetra monastery, Mt Athos, Simon's ascetic life glorified bMany miracles, founder New Bethlehem Monastery now named after him Simonopetra, One night bright star like star oBethlehem appeared near his cave, seeing motionless star several nights, first thought demonic temptation, but on night oNativity star moved over high rock & MOG voice said Here simon you must lay foundations of your monastery for salvation osouls, for the star he built New Bethlehem m, he died 1287; New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastery; Monastery (Greek: Σιμωνόπετρα, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra (Greek: Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonopetra ranks thirteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. monastery is located in the southern coast of the Athos peninsula, between the Athonite port of Dafni and Osiou Grigoriou monastery. While the southern coast of Athos is quite rugged in general, the particular site upon which the monastery is built is exceptionally harsh. It is built on top of a single huge rock, practically hanging from a cliff 330 metres over the sea.[1] The monastery currently houses 54 monks, and the hegumen is Archimandrite Eliseus. monastery was founded during the 13th century by Simon the Athonite, who was later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Saint Simon the Myrrh-bearer. holds that Simon, while dwelling in a nearby cave, saw a dream in which the Theotokos instructed him to build a monastery on top of the rock, him that she would protect and provide for him and the monastery. original monastery was called by Simon "New Bethlehem" (Greek: Νέα Βηθλεέμ) and is to this day dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus. 1364, the Serbian despot Jovan Uglješa funded the renovation and expansion of the monastery. pilgrim Isaiah wrote that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Bulgarian.[2] 1581, Simonopetra was destroyed by a fire, in which a large portion of the monks died. the monastery's abbot traveled to the Danubian Principalities hoping to raise funds to rebuild the monastery. most important donor was Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who donated large portions of land as well as money to the monastery. monastery was also burnt in 1626, the last great fire happened in 1891, after which the monastery was rebuilt to its current form. recent centuries, the monks of the monastery were traditionally from Ionia in Asia Minor. during the mid 20th century the brotherhood was greatly thinned out because of a great reduction in the influx of new monks. current brotherhood originates from the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron in Meteora as in 1973 the Athonite community headed by Archimandrite Emilianos decided to repopulate the almost abandoned monastery. Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 28 ; Simon the Myrrh-Gusher lived an ascetical life on Mt Athos, and was glorified by many miracles. was the founder of the New Bethlehem monastery, now known as Simonopetra. night, he saw a star of such brightness that he thought it must be the Star of Bethlehem. the star remain motionless for several nights, he thought at first that it was a demonic temptation. the eve of the Lord’s Nativity the star stood over a high rock, and Saint Simon heard a voice say, “Here, O Simon, you must lay the foundations of your monastery for the salvation of souls.” built the monastery and called it New Bethlehem. reposed in the year 1287, and his holy relics exude myrrh.

Constantinople, 1227, 100,000 Martyrs, Tbilisi, Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm, repelled but inside m traitors opened gates at night
Georgia, 1227, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm, Turkmenistan attacked, Georgia repelled but inside moslem traitors opened the gates at night; Tbilisi; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia. the first day of the battle the Georgian army valorously warded off the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. night, however, a group of Persians who were living in Tbilisi secretly opened the gates and summoned the enemy army into the city. to one manuscript in which this most terrible day in Georgian history was described: “Words are powerless to convey the destruction that the enemy wrought: tearing infants from their mothers’ breasts, they beat their heads against the bridge, watching as their eyes dropped from their skulls....” river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children’s lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death. sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded. hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.

Constantinople, 1229, Milkgiver Icon, Savva tSanctified before his death i532, pilgrim named Savva would come, give him my icon
Jerusalem, 1229, Milkgiver Icon oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas waercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, Savva tSanctified before his death foretold royal pilgrim same name would come, give him tWonderworking icon as a blessing, Savva oSerbia came 13th C, given Savva's staff, Milk Giver Icon, and 3Hands Icon, He took Milk Giver Icon to Hilandar, MG later named Typikonissa for rule (Typikon) oSavva preserved there; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; “Milk-Giver” Icon of the Mother of God was originally located at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem. his death, the holy founder of the Lavra foretold a royal pilgrim having the same name as himself would visit the Lavra. Savva told the brethren to give the wonderworking icon to that pilgrim as a blessing. the thirteenth century, Saint Savva of Serbia visited the Lavra. he approached the reliquary of Saint Savva the Sanctified, the saint’s staff fell at his feet. brethren asked the visitor his name, and he told them he was Archbishop Savva of Serbia. the instructions of their founder, the monks gave Saint Savva his staff, the “Milk-Giver” Icon, and the Icon “Of the Three Hands” (June 28 and July 12). holy archbishop took the icon to Hilandar on Mount Athos and put it on the right side of the iconostasis in the church of Saint Savva at the kellion of Karyes, which is attached to Hilandar. icon was later named Typikonissa, since the Rule (Typikon) of Saint Savva was preserved there.

Constantinople, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou, hesychast, ascetic life & miracles, truly obedient, kept orders otFathers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou monastery, Mt Athos, hesychast, in a skete between Esphigmenou and Hillandar, on Mt Samareia, in a cave Russian oAnthony otCaves, known for ascetic life and miracles, truly obedient, kept injunctions (special orders) of the Fathers,; Esphigmenou monastery; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian lived in the thirteenth century. was a hesychast on Mt. Athos, struggled in the skete of Esphigmenou monastery, a mountain called Samareia, the monasteries of Hilandar and Esphigmenou, also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian Monasticism, Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in asceticism. for his ascetic life and for the miracles he performed, was truly obedient and kept the injunctions of the Fathers. Damian reposed in his cell in the year 1280, a miraculous fragrance issued from his grave for forty days. Life was written by his friend Saint Cosmas of Zographou Monastery (September 22).

Constantinople, 1237, Damascus Icon aka 3Hands, iconodule John oD slandered bIconoclast, MOG heals hand, Silver hand oHer Icon
Syria, 740 & 1237, Damascus Icon or 3Hands Icon, Syria, John oDamascus venerated icons, slandered by iconoclast Leo III Isaurian, Caliph cut off his hand, tMarketplace, asked for hand put it on joint prayed tMOG at her icon, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, saw MOG in dream promised quick healing, before this MOG bid him toil without fail with this hand, woke wHealed hand, in thankfulness put silver hand on Icon, 3hands Icon, wrote thanksgiving hymn All Creation Rejoices in You O Full oGrace, in Basil' Liturgy place It is Truly Meet, John oD monk at Sabbas, there gave icon, 1237 icon tSerbia aSava's Monastery, icon put on donkey during Turk invasion, donkey tSerbian Monastery Hilandar oAthos, MOG made Icon Hilandar Igumen by MOG; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Damascene Icon of the Mother of God, by ancient tradition, was painted by Saint John of Damascus gratitude to the Theotokos for the miraculous healing of his right hand, off through the perfidy of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. icon is also known as “Of the Three Hands” Icon of the Mother of God (June 28, and July 12). the ninth century in the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene received monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience.

Constantinople, 1250 13th Century, Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived in silence, Turk captivity, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, did not lose hope, praying to MOG, MOG appeared, ordered go to his Elder without fear, free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, impressed by the virtue of Agapius' Elder & loftiness of Christian faith, Moslem & son and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life
Greece, Mt Athos, 1250 13th Century, Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived silence, taken into captivituy by Turks, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, but did not lose hope, fervently praying to MOG for freedom, MOG appeared in dream, ordered go to his Elder without fear, he awoke free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, Elder thought he has escaped, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, the Moslem and son were impressed by his virtue of Agapius' Elder and loftiness of Christian faith, and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Agapius of the Holy Mountain, was a novice in obedience to a virtuous Elder who lived in silence at the Holy Trinity kellia at Kolitsa, within the boundaries of Vatopedi on Mt. Athos. was taken into captivity by Turks who had landed on the shore of Athos. took him to Magnesia and there he worked in chains for twelve years. But he did not lose hope for freedom and fervently he prayed to the Mother of God to free him from this bitter captivity. Queen of Heaven manifested Her Mercy to the patient sufferer. She appeared to him in a dream and ordered him “to go to his Elder without fear.” he awoke, he saw that he was free of his bonds, and the doors were open. Without hindrance, Saint Agapius departed from his master and returned to Mount Athos. Elder grieved when he saw his novice, for he thought that Agapius had secretly escaped from his master. “You have deceived the Hagarene,” he said, “but no one can deceive God. If you wish to save yourself, return to your master and serve him.” Saint Agapius returned to his master without complaint. Moslem was amazed to see Agapius after he had escaped. Hearing the story of what had happened, he was struck by the virtue of Agapius’ Elder and the loftiness of the Christian Faith. master and his two sons went to the Holy Mountain with Saint Agapius. There they were baptized and became monks, living in asceticism for the rest of their lives. Agapius lived in the thirteenth century.

Byzantium, 1259-1282, Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, Apostate, Nicea Empire, recovered empire, conflict w other B states
Byzantine Emperor, 1259-1282, Michael VIII Palaiologos, The Apostate; VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (1223 -“ 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261, and as Byzantine Emperor from 1261 until his death. VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. He recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire in 1261 and transformed the Empire of Nicaea into a restored Byzantine Empire.[2] reign would see considerable recovery of Byzantine power, including the enlargement of the Byzantine army and navy. It would also include the reconstruction of the city of Constantinople, and the increase of its population.[3] reestablished the University of Constantinople, which would lead to what is regarded as the Palaiologan Renaissance between the 13th and 15th centuries.[3] would also be at this time that the focus of the Byzantine military shifted to the Balkans, against the Bulgarians, leaving the Anatolian frontier neglected.[3] successors could not compensate for this inadequacy, and both the Arsenite schism and two civil wars (cf. Byzantine civil war of 1321-“1328, Byzantine civil war of 1341-1347) would undermine further efforts toward territorial consolidation and recovery, draining the empire's strength, economy, and resources. conflict between Byzantine successor states such as the Empire of Thessalonica, Trebizond, Epirus and Serbia resulted in permanent fragmentation of former Byzantine territory and opportunity for increasingly successful conquests of expansive territories by post-Seljuk Anatolian beyliks, most notably that of Osman, later called the Ottoman Empire. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Constantinople, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi monastery, martyred fDenouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos
Greece, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Euthymius and twelve other Monks, martyred at Vatopedi, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Martyr Euthymius, Igumen of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, and twelve other monks suffered martyrdom denouncing the Latinizing Patriarchs Michael Paleologos (1261-1281) and John Bekkos (1275-1282) as heretics. Saint Euthymius was drowned in the sea, and the monks were hanged.

Constantinople, 1260-1263, Crusaders capture Constantinople, Right Hand of John
Byzantium, 1260-1263, Crusaders capture Constantinople, Right Hand of John; In the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. From the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on January 7 ;

Constantinople, 1274, Union of Lyons convoked in 1272, convened 1274, peace among Christians, revoked
France, 1272, Union of Lyons 1272; The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1] Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots[3] and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions, but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain.[4] In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, the "realm of Dacia" and the duchy of Poland. In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognized Rudolf I as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the interregnum.[2] 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

Constantinople, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for no union with Rome
Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for not accepting union with Roman Church; Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope. ” The emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10.

Constantinople, 1274, Zographou Monestary, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Akathist, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Constantinople, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oBlachernae, became fool to hide ascetic deeds, wandered, then one place fOthers
Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, fLampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia, tOne of the Deserts, tConstantinople&Blachernae Church entrance, abode there, asked MOG gift unceasing mental prayer, flame entered his heart from her icon, sweetness contrition within, from that time his heart repeated Jesus prayer, fulfilling his request, then fulfilled obedience aAthanasius Lavra Mt Athos, to conceal deeds behaved fool, vision MOG, she told ascent tMt, prayed 3 days there, MOG appeared again, surrounded bAngels, holdiing Jesus in her arms, he prostrated, she said receive the deliverance gift, and settle at foot oMt Athos, for this is my son's will, she told him he would ascend heights virtue, and teach guide many, then heavenly bread given him (after 3days without), as put it in mouth he surrounded bDivine light, saw MOG ascending tHeaven, Maximus told Mt Carmel elder, but skeptical, M turned disbelief tGood by pretending slightly crazy tConceal prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, hardship, solitude, he wandered like lunitic, burned hut when moved, called hut Burner (Kavsokalyvites), for long time Mt Athos residents contemptious, even though height spiritual life, but Gregory oSinai encouraged him, persuaded him stop fool act, live one place for othe, he settled cave oElijan, Byzantine emperors J Paleologos& J Kantakouzenos visited, suprised his predictions fThem fulfilled, Theophanes oVatopadi wrote about him, I saw several his miracles, travel through air, predicted I become igumen&Ochrid Metropolitan, even how I would suffer fChurch, M abandoned solitude right before death, died at 95 i1354, relics glorified by many miracles; Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. seventeen years of age he left his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. the death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. in Constantinople, Saint Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. his youth, Saint Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mt. Athos. order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, told him to ascend the mountain. the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, “Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son.” told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of Saint Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. Gregory persuaded Saint Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. the words of Saint Gregory and the advice of other Elders, Saint Maximus selected a permanent dwelling a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah. of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about Saint Maximus: “I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church.” Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, settled near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius, he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). his death, as in life, Saint Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

Constantinople, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God
Jerusalem, 1277, Luke & Fathers of Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 3 trees of the Cross, Luke followed his mother to Jerusalem, became monk there, became abbot, monks ousted, Luke confronted, beheaded, then severed head turned East and thanked God ; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Fathers & Luke Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; holy martyr Luka of Jerusalem lived in the 13th century. He was born to an honorable, pious Georgian family by the name of Mukhaisdze. After the repose of Luka’s father, his mother left her children and went to labor at a monastery in Jerusalem. Luka reached the age of twenty, he traveled to Jerusalem to visit his mother and venerate the holy places. After spending some time there he decided to remain and be tonsured a monk. was later ordained a deacon and became fluent in Arabic. Soon the brothers of the monastery recognized his wisdom and asked him to guide them as abbot. For three years Luka directed the monastery in an exemplary manner. the devil was envious of the holy father and provoked a certain Shekh-Khidar, an influential Persian at the court of Sultan Penducht, (Probably Sultan Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar of Egypt (1260-1277)) to take up arms against Saint Luka. Penducht then transferred possession of theHoly CrossMonastery to Shekh-Khidar, who “treated the Georgian monks in a beastly manner and finally ousted them from the monastery altogether.” his God-given duty, the blessed Luka insisted on personally confronting Shekh-Khidar in defense of his brotherhood. ’s Christian brothers and sisters warned him, saying, “Shekh-Khidar is threatening you.... Flee and hide fromhim!” But Luka paid no heed to their admonitions, certain that it was more fitting to die for Christ than to live for the world. As he had insisted, he himself approached Shekh-Khidar asked for the release of the imprisoned fathers. told him that he was prepared to accept any demands. The wicked Persian leader demanded nothing from Luka except that he convert to Islam, promising to make him emir if he consented. When he refused, the furious Shekh-Khidar ordered Saint Luka’s beheading. the terrible deed had been performed, Saint Luka’s severed head turned toward the east and gave thanks to God with an expression of pure peace. after, his precious body was set on fire at the command of the bewildered Shekh-Khidar. occurred in 1277. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; story as above

Constantinople, 1282, Martyrs oKaryes, apostate Emperor Paleologos, Latins burned Karyes because they denounced rationalising
Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m bLatins, fire and sword, apostate Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, apostate Emperor Michael Paleologos 1259-1282, because Protos had denounced rationalising aHeresy; Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m by t Latins, fire and sword, during apostate Mike Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, Protos hanged, others by swords; Serbian Bishop Saint Sava built a church and cell at Karyes, where he stayed for some years, becoming a Hieromonk, then an Archimandrite in 1201. He wrote the Karyes Typicon during his stay there, and a marble inscription of his work still exists.[2] In 1219 Sava becomes the first Archbishop of Serbia.[2] the year 1283, Latin Crusaders during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos, attacked Mount Athos. They tortured and hanged the Protos, and sacked the Protaton, murdering many of the monks. These monks are commemorated as martyrs by the Orthodox Church on December 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 5 falls on December 18 of the Gregorian Calendar). Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. Because of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance. Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Holy Monastic Martyrs of Karyes were martyred by the Latins who came with fire and sword onto Mount Athos during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos (1259-1282), an apostate from Orthodoxy. in upon the Karyes monastery, the Latins burned and devastated the Church of the Protaton [the only basilica on the Holy Mountain, built in 965], “leaving no one alive.” -------------------------------------------------The Protos of the Holy Mountain, who had denounced the Latin rationalising as heresy, was after much torture hanged before the Protaton at the place called Chalkhos. hidden in caves around Karyes were cut down with swords. See October 10.

Byzantium, 1282-1328, Emperor, Andronicus II P, Orthodox, B decline of BE, Turks in EPH, Civil War
Byzantine Emperor 1282-1328, Andronicus II Paleologos ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century;

Constantinople, 1289-1330, Athanasius I, opposed R Catholic re-union, elevated Peter of Moscow, strict conviction, Jesus
Constantinople, 1250-1330, Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople ; I (1230 -“ 28 October 1310) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two terms, from 1289 to 1293 and 1303 to 1309. He was born in Adrianople and died in Constantinople. by the emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus as patriarch, he opposed the reunion of the Greek and Roman Churches and introduced an ecclesiastic reform that evoked opposition within the clergy. He resigned in 1293 and was restored in 1303 with popular support. The pro-Union clerical faction forced him into retirement in early 1310. He is commemorated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day observed annually on 28 October.[1] St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 24 ; Athanasius I, Patriarch of Constantinople (1289-1293; 1303-1311), in the world Alexius, was from Adrianopolis. still in his youth, thriving upon the knowledge of the wisdom of Christ, he left his home and went to Thessalonica, where he was tonsured in one of the monasteries with the name Acacius. soon withdrew to Mount Athos and joined the brotherhood of the Esphigmenou monastery, where for three years he served in the trapeza. his works and his ascetic deeds he acquired the gift of tears, and by his virtuous acts he won the overall goodwill of the brethren. praise, Acacius humbly left Mt. Athos at first for the holy places in Jerusalem, and then to Mount Patra, where for a long time he lived ascetically as an hermit. there the ascetic transferred to the Auxention monastery, then to Mount Galanteia to the monastery of Blessed Lazarus, where he accepted the great angelic schema with the name Athanasius, was ordained a priest and became ecclesiarch (monk in charge of the sacred relics and vessels in the church). the saint was granted a divine revelation: he heard the Voice of the Lord from a crucifix, summoning him to pastoral service. to strengthen his spirit still more in silence and prayer, Saint Athanasius again settled on Mount Athos after ten years. But because of disorders arising there he returned to Mount Galanteia. Here also he was not long to remain in solitude. Many people thronged to him for pastoral guidance, and so he organized a women’s monastery there. this time the throne of the Church of Constantinople fell vacant after the disturbances and disorder of the period of the Patriarch John Bekkos. the suggestion of the pious emperor Andronicus Paleologos, a council of hierarchs and clergy unanimously chose Saint Athanasius to the Patriarchal throne of the Church in 1289. Athanasius began fervently to fulfill his new obedience and did much for strengthening the Church. strictness of conviction roused the dissatisfaction of influential clergy, and in 1293 he was compelled to resign the throne and to retire again to his own monastery, where he lived an ascetic life in solitude. 1303 he was again entrusted with the staff of patriarchal service, which he worthily fulfilled for another seven years. 1308 Saint Athanasius established Saint Peter as Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (December 21). because of some sort of dissatisfaction, and not wanting to be the cause of church discord, Saint Athanasius resigned the governance of the Church in 1311. He departed to his own monastery, devoting himself fully to monastic deeds. the end of his life, the saint was again found worthy to behold Christ. The Lord reproached him because Athanasius had not carried out his pastoral duty to the end. Weeping, the saint repented of his cowardice and received from the Lord both forgiveness and the gift of wonderworking. Saint Athanasius died at the age of 100. Greek usage, Saint Athanasios is commemorated on October 28. Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Constantinople, 1300-1399, Folder, 14th Century, Hesychasts, Black Death, Turks

Constantinople, 1305-1316, Sava III, Archbishop oSerbia, important Serbian architecture development figure
Saint Sava III (Serbian: Свети Сава III / Sveti Sava III; died July 16, 1316) was the Archbishop of Serbs from 1309 to 1316. Upon completing his studies,[1] he began as a hegumen in Hilandar, then became the Bishop of Prizren. During his office as bishop, he worked on the Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren. In 1309 he became the Archbishop. Sava III was an important figure of the development of architecture in Medieval Serbia. Prior to the founding of the Banjska monastery, which Sava III did not survive, King Stefan Milutin consulted with him. In his charters confirming the endowments of King Milutin, he is styled "Archbishop of All Serbian and Maritime Lands". He rebuilt the Church of Saint George in Staro Nagoričane. According to the testimonies of his successor Archbishop Nikodim I, he regularly donated to Hilandar. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerate him as Saint Sava III on July 26 (August 8, Gregorian calendar); Serbia; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; Savva III was Archbishop of Serbia from 1305 -1316. He is also commemorated on August 30 (and August 16).

Constantinople, 1310-1362, Theodosius tBulgarian, under Gregory oSiani, founded Theodosiev m, d against heresies, translated
Bulgaria, 1310-1362, Theodosius tBulgarian, Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2), fViddino (Vidin?), tTrnovo, Bulgarian Capital, searching for guide, monastery tMonastery, finally concealed M oGregory, because Gregory a guide contemplative life, taught Before death lay in Hades, who doen't recognize himself a sinner, and beasts more pure, is more wicked than demons, having become their slave, that monastery robbed often, T sent to emperor Alexander requesting m defense, A provided money to surround m with walls&towers, land, cattle, Romanus asked T join trip from Capital Trovono to see see his mo, tGregory oSinai, R became T's disciple, T refused to succeed G, tSolitary struggles wR, founded Theodosiev M on hill near Trnovo, T famous defender against heresies, Bogomils, Judaizers, Messalians, their pernicious teaching, Patriarch and Tsar helped him greatly, plus T translated Greek tSlavonic, 1360 became greviously ill, went tConstantinople to see Callistus, Romanus took over m; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Theodosius the Bulgarian and his disciple Romanus. Theodosius began his exploit in the city of Viddino, at the Nikolaev monastery. the death of the igumen Job he settled near Trnovo, then the capital city of Bulgaria, at the Holy Mountain monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in search of a spiritual guide. left the Holy Mountain monastery and for a long time went from monastery to monastery. he learned about the desert monastery called “Concealed” where in pursuit of asceticism Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) had moved from Athos. Theodosius found in him an experienced guide of the contemplative life. Gregory taught, “Before death we lay in Hades; does not recognize sincerely that he is a sinner, and that the beasts and cattle are more pure, is more wicked than the demons, having become their obedient slave.” wilderness monastery of Saint Gregory of Sinai suffered often from robbers. abbot sent Saint Theodosius to the emperor Alexander with a request to defend the monastery. pious Bulgarian Tsar, at the request of the ascetic, provided him with the means to surround the monastery with strong walls with towers, and made the monastery secure with land and cattle. his final journey to Trnovo on an errand for the abbot to the Tsar, a nobleman asked Saint Theodosius to take him along to the monastery. holy ascetic brought him to Saint Gregory of Sinai. was Romanus, who became the sincere and beloved disciple of Saint Theodosius. the death of Saint Gregory of Sinai (November 27, 1347), Saint Theodosius refused to become head of the monastery, he left the monastery with his disciple Romanus for solitary struggles. founded a monastery on a hill near Trnovo, afterwards called Theodosiev. Theodosius was famous as a zealous defender of Orthodoxy against many heresies, the Bogomils, Judaizers and Messalians. false teachings were especially pernicious. Patriarch and the Tsar rendered great help to Saint Theodosius in the struggle with the heretics. addition to this, the holy ascetic translated Greek writings into Slavonic. 1360, he became grievously ill. to see his friend Saint Callistus once more, he went to him at Constantinople, the direction of the monastery to his disciple Romanus. Theodosius died at Constantinople on February 17, 1362. disciple Saint Romanus became head of the monastery.

Constantinople, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Hesychast, won the debate w Barlaam, uncreated energies
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Thessalonica Macedonia, Mt Athos, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, fConstantinople, prominent dignitary father fAndronicus II died, so A raised him, abilities diligence, but no govt work, tVatopedi Mt Athos 1316 under Nikodemos, 1317 John tTheologian appeared to him, promised spiritual protection, then under Nikephoros 8 yrs, then tLavra Athanasius 1325, trapeza (dining room) service&singer 3yrs, then 1328 Glossia skete for greater spiritual, 4th century unceasing prayer&mental activity teaching from Egypt Desert Evangrius Pontikos Macarius, Mental prayer (of the heart), solitude quiet, called Hesychasm, 1326 Turk invasions, Moved Thessalonica, priesthood, hermit 5days, sometimes Isidore's spiritual gatherings iThess, visit Constant, solitary life at Bereia, small community 5yrs, 1331 back to Mt Athos, Savvva Skete Lavra Atahaasius, 1333 Igumen oEsphigmeniou, 1336 back tSavva, theological works, 1330 Barlaam tConstan fCalabria, Logic Astronomy, orator, university chair, works oAreopagite Dionysius' negative theology, acclaimed East&West, B tMt Athos, declared mental prayer heretical, disputes wMonks Athos Thess Const, attempted demo material nature Tabor light, ridiculed uncreated light seen by H monks, Ridiculed their prayer, Athonite Monks requested Gregory reply verbally, didn't work, replied in writing, Hogorite Tome, 1341 debate wBarlaam iConstant, on nature Tabor light, Gregory wins, Barlaam condemned heretic, fled back Italy, but dispute not over, Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, Patriarch, Emperor Andronicus III still Barlaamites, Akyndinos' tracts Gregory&monks guilty church disorders, G wrote refutation, Patriarch supported A, locked G prison 4yrs, 1347 P replaced by Isidore, freed G, made Archbishop oThess, 1351 Council Blachernae upheld his teachings but Thess not accept him, lived various places, ship seized bTurks, preached christian prisoners and moslems, some astonished, some beat him, Ransomed, tThess, many miracles last 3 yrs, then John Chrysostom appeared said To the Heights, Patriarch Philotheus compiled his life & cannonized; Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Macedonia; Palamas (c. 1296 – 1357 or 1359)[1] was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric of the late Byzantine period. monk of Mount Athos (modern Greece) and later archbishop of Thessaloniki, he is famous for his defense of hesychast spirituality, the uncreated character of the light of the Transfiguration, and the distinction between God's essence and energies (i.e., the divine will, divine grace, etc.). teaching unfolded over the course of three major controversies, (1) with the Italo-Greek Barlaam between 1336 and 1341, (2) with the monk Gregory Akindynos between 1341 and 1347, and (3) with the philosopher Gregoras, from 1348 to 1355. theological contributions are sometimes referred to as Palamism, and his followers as Palamites. has been venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church since 1368. Within the Catholic Church, he was also been called a saint, and repeatedly cited as a great theological writer, by Pope John Paul II.[2] Since 1971, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has venerated Gregory as a saint.[3][4] Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, and since the Ottoman period, the second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to the memory Gregory Palamas in the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine Synodikon of Orthodoxy also celebrates his memory and theology while condemning his opponents, including some anti-Palamites who flourished after Gregory's death. Thessalonica; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. ’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Constantinople, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, Great Story
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Thessalonica Macedonia, Mt Athos, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, fConstantinople, prominent dignitary father fAndronicus II died, so A raised him, abilities diligence, but no govt work, tVatopedi Mt Athos 1316 under Nikodemos, 1317 John tTheologian appeared to him, promised spiritual protection, then under Nikephoros 8 yrs, then tLavra Athanasius 1325, trapeza (dining room) service&singer 3yrs, then 1328 Glossia skete for greater spiritual, 4th century unceasing prayer&mental activity teaching from Egypt Desert Evangrius Pontikos Macarius, Mental prayer (of the heart), solitude quiet, called Hesychasm, 1326 Turk invasions, Moved Thessalonica, priesthood, hermit 5days, sometimes Isidore's spiritual gatherings iThess, visit Constant, solitary life at Bereia, small community 5yrs, 1331 back to Mt Athos, Savvva Skete Lavra Atahaasius, 1333 Igumen oEsphigmeniou, 1336 back tSavva, theological works, 1330 Barlaam tConstan fCalabria, Logic Astronomy, orator, university chair, works oAreopagite Dionysius' negative theology, acclaimed East&West, B tMt Athos, declared mental prayer heretical, disputes wMonks Athos Thess Const, attempted demo material nature Tabor light, ridiculed uncreated light seen by H monks, Ridiculed their prayer, Athonite Monks requested Gregory reply verbally, didn't work, replied in writing, Hogorite Tome, 1341 debate wBarlaam iConstant, on nature Tabor light, Gregory wins, Barlaam condemned heretic, fled back Italy, but dispute not over, Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, Patriarch, Emperor Andronicus III still Barlaamites, Akyndinos' tracts Gregory&monks guilty church disorders, G wrote refutation, Patriarch supported A, locked G prison 4yrs, 1347 P replaced by Isidore, freed G, made Archbishop oThess, 1351 Council Blachernae upheld his teachings but Thess not accept him, lived various places, ship seized bTurks, preached christian prisoners and moslems, some astonished, some beat him, Ransomed, tThess, many miracles last 3 yrs, then John Chrysostom appeared said To the Heights, Patriarch Philotheus compiled his life & cannonized; Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Saint and Hesychast Defender, at Vatopedi, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection.; Hesychasm, Hesychast controversy, 1330's ; Lavra of St Athanasius; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. ’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Constantinople, 1322-1380, Athanasius of Meteora, Great ascetic, like Athos, Platylithos (wide rock) called Meteoron, famous
Greece, 1322-1380, Athanasius of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos),from Hypate, New Patras, mother died childbirth, father soon after, uncle raised him educated him, catalan Franks caputred hometown, he escaped chief, found uncle, to Thessalonika, uncle died, lived w imperial secretary of military command for secular learning classical studies. No money for it, stood outside and listened, instructors taught him for free, then pilgrimage, 1319 at 17 tMt Athos, too young, tConstantinople, met Hesychasts, tCrete 1325 ascetic, no marry daughter, tMt Athos 1332, aMilea tonsured by Gregory, Great Schema, but Turk excursions tThessalonika&Beroia wGregory&Gabriel, but city noise so up tThessalian rocks oStagoi, but only vultures&crows.rock oStylos or HSpirit, w caveitRock, basket weaving never idle, 1340 another rock, high to skies, for good, so-called Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron which became famous far beyond the borders of Greece, flew tTop; Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River); Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20; Athanasios, the son of wealthy parents, born in 1302 at Hypátē, the well-known medieval town of New Patras, and was named Andronikos in Holy Baptism. mother died during childbirth, and after a short time his father also reposed. Thus, young Andronikos lost both of his parents in a very early age. Then he found sympathy, affection, and love from his father's brother, who saw to his education, taking care of all his needs, and taught him to read and write. the capture of his hometown by the Catalans in 1318/19, the chief of the Franks took Andronikos into his home. At the first opportunity, Andronikos escaped and was free. He hastened to rejoin his uncle, who had been banished to a distant place. Andronikos found him, and the two booked passage on a ship bound for Thessaloniki. The godly uncle suffered from a chronic joint disease, however, and after some time, he reposed at Akapniou Monastery. then went to live with the imperial secretary of the military command, who became his guardian for a short time. Andronikos wanted to be trained in secular learning and classical studies. Since he had no money to pay the instructors, he would stand outside and listen while the students were being taught. Some of the school's philosophers noticed his love of learning and his eagerness, so they they taught him without asking for a fee. benefitting from his teachers' knowledge, Andronikos became quite educated and cultured. Then he decided to go on pilgrimage. When he was seventeen years old, Andronikos traveled to Mount Athos, where he conversed with many holy Fathers, seeking their prayers and blessings. The Athonite Fathers, however, refused to allow the boy to remain, since he was still a beardless youth. made his way to Constantinople, visiting churches, and venerating the relics of the Saints. While there he met several prominent and virtuous Fathers, such as Gregory of Sinai, the future Ecumenical Patriarch Isidore (1347-1350), who supported Saint Gregory Palamas, and then made him Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Daniel the Hesychast, and other notable persons of the monastic community. With their help he was initiated into the secrets of the hesychastic life and, like a bee, he gathered whatever was useful and necessary to acquire virtue. traveled to Crete in 1325 where he stayed for a certain time and lived as an ascetic, receiving hospitality from a virtuous and charitable Cretan man. When he noticed this man was trying to lure him back into the world in order to marry his daughter, he decided to forsake the world. Therefore, he returned to Mount Athos in 1332, by which time he was approximately thirty years old. At Milea on the Holy Mountain he was accepted as a novice by two virtuous anchorites, Gregory and Moses, who had attained the heights of virtue. Subsequently, he was tonsured by Hieromonk Gregory, taking the name Anthony. He quickly distinguished himself and then received his new monastic name of Athanasios when he was tonsured into the Great Schema. the predatory incursions of the Turks and the unfavorable circumstances prevailing at that time forced Saint Athanasios to leave Mount Athos together with his Spiritual Father Gregory, and another disciple, Gabriel. At Thessaloniki and Beroia many important men were willing to give them hospitality, but the two monks did not consent to stay because Athanasios had a great aversion to secular society and to the noise of the city. on the advice of Bishop Jacob of Servia (a city between northern Thessaly and southern Macedonia), they went to the Thessalian rocks of Stagoi, which the biographer of Athanasios describes as "the largest and highest rocks created by God since the beginning of the world." Following the bishop's advice they found the rocks, but there was nothing living on them but vultures and crows. Gregory and Saint Athanasios settled on the rock of Stylos, which today is called the Rock of the Holy Spirit. Gregory remained there for an entire decade. After a certain period of time, Father Athanasios withdrew, with his mentor’s blessing, to a cave in the rock. There in prayer and solitude, he spent his time weaving baskets so that he was never idle, and so he was kept safe from the danger of falling into temptation. even more seclusion and serenity, always with Elder Gregory’s blessing, he selected another rock, “a place for anchorites, a rock which rose high into the skies,” where he went around the year 1340, this time for good. The rock is the so-called Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron, a name that was preserved through the centuries, and applied, in general, to the whole complex of the surrounding monasteries which became famous far beyond the borders of Greece. with the wings of the Holy Spirit, and with unwavering will and faith, the humble monk Athanasios almost flew, and at last stepped onto this sun-drenched rock, hitherto touched only by the rays of the sun, as it is mentioned in a sigillion (April 1580) of the Ecumenical Patriarch Mētrophánēs III: “Motivated by divine love, the holy monk Athanasios, taking the wings of the Holy Spirit, first flew to this sun-drenched rock which dominated in Stagoi, and justifiably called Meteoron, being the highest of all. There he found a holy place, a true paradise containing, instead of fruit-bearing trees, men who bore the divine fruits of the Holy Spirit." Athanasios built his ascetic refuge and organized the first systematic monastic community with a strict cenobitic Rule which he formulated himself. The brotherhood under Athanasios had fourteen members. Initially, the holy anchorite built the church of the Mother of God, to whom he also dedicated the Monastery, as he himself said to his fellow ascetics shortly before his death: “I entrust you to the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, to whom this Monastery is dedicated.” He built another church in honor of the Transfiguration of Christ, which later became the katholikon of the Monastery and gave it its final name of Transfiguration Monastery, which is preserved until today. Athanasios made this steep and inaccessible rock into an easy path to our Lord, Who is the Cornerstone of our Church: "This hard stone, Father, you labored hard to make it a path to the Cornerstone." as one climbs up the rocky stairway to the monastery, on the left just before the entrance, one can see the Hermitage of Saint Athanasios within the natural crevice in the rock arranged as a humble and basic dwelling with a small chapel. Here, according to tradition, the holy hermit first lived alone after he had climbed the Wide Rock, and before he built a church on the rocky ledge, with cells for the monks who began to gather there. humble as Athanasios had been all his life, he remained an ordinary monk. Perhaps due to his great humility, he did not leave any written texts, although he was very knowledgeable and well educated. to his biographer, he reposed peacefully after a brief illness (gall bladder and liver) at the age of seventy-eight, probably in the year 1380, on April 20th. Shortly before his death, Saint Athanasios chose Hieromonk Makarios to be the Spiritual Father of the Great Meteoron after his death: “I command that you have Hieromonk Makarios as the Protos and Spiritual Father. This is because, from the beginning, before I became ill, I entrusted him with the supervision of the daily and practical needs of the Monastery. Now it would be beneficial for him to guide and regulate your spiritual conduct." this only lasted a short time, since by November 1381 the former king John Urosh, and now the monk Joasaph, assumed the role as successor to Saint Athanasios, with his blessing while alive and with the mutual consent of the entire brotherhood, he became the second founder and builder of the Great Meteoron.

Constantinople, 1322-1331, King Stefan Decanski, lived Khan's court, monk 5yrs, blinded bFather Milutin, Killed bSon Dushan
Serbia, 1322-1331, King, Stefan Decanski, lived in Khan's court till 1299, then Pantocrator 5yrs, d by son, blinded bFather, King Milutin, Killed bSon, King Dushan, St Nic appeared to him, said do not be afraid, shall return eyes in time, 5yrs Nic returned again healed his eyes, so he built Decani Monastery, drowned in old age by son Dushan; Serbia, 1322-1331, Serbian King, Stefan Decanski ; Uroš III (c. 1276 – 11 November 1331), the King of Serbia from 6 January 1322 to 8 September 1331. čanski was the son of King Stefan Milutin (d. 1321). He defeated two other pretenders to the Serbian throne. is known as Dečanski after the great Monastery of Visoki Dečani he built.[1][2][3][4] life[edit] Uroš III was the son of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and his first wife Jelena, a Serbian noblewoman. He was born before his father took the throne in 1282. still a youth, he was sent by his father as a hostage with his entourage to Nogai Khan of the Golden Horde, to maintain the peace between the Serbs and Tatars. stayed at Nogai's court until the Khan's death in 1299.[5] 1309, king Milutin appointed his son Stefan (future Dečanski) as governor of Zeta, where he remained until 1314.[6][7] and return[edit] 1314, Dečanski quarreled with his father, who sent him to Constantinople to be blinded. čanski was never totally blinded and was likely not blinded at all.[8] Constantinople, Dečanski was at the court of Andronikos II Palaiologos, indicating good relations between the states.[9] čanski wrote a letter to Danilo, Bishop of Hum, asking him to intervene with his father.[10] wrote to Archbishop Nicodemus of Serbia, who spoke with Milutin and persuaded him to recall his son. 1320, Dečanski was permitted to return to Serbia and was given the appanage of Budimlje,[10] while his half-brother Stefan Konstantin, held Zeta.[11] Zvečan Fortress, where Stefan died became ill and died on 29 October 1321, leaving no formal instruction regarding his inheritance.[10] was crowned King in Zeta, but civil war broke out immediately as both Dečanski and his cousin, Stefan Vladislav II, claimed the throne.[12] čanski revealed that his eyesight was still intact, claiming a miracle, and the populace rallied behind him believing the restoration of his sight to be a sign from God.[11] 6 January 1322, the archbishop of Serbia, Nicodemus, crowned Dečanski king and his son, Stefan Dušan, the young king.[11] čanski later granted Zeta to Dušan as a fief, indicating his intention for Dušan to be his heir.[13] to one account, Dečanski offered to split the realm with Konstantin, who refused.[14] čanski then invaded Zeta, and Konstantin was defeated and killed.[13] Visoki Dečani monastery, today a World Heritage Site the meantime, Vladislav II had been released from prison upon Milutin's death and recovered the throne of Syrmia, which his father had established in northern Serbia. also claimed the throne of Serbia upon Milutin's death and mobilized local support from Rudnik, a former possession of Vladislav's father.[13] supported by Hungarians, Bulgarians, and Bosnians, Vladislav consolidated control over Syrmia and prepared for battle with Dečanski.[13] 1323, war broke out between Dečanski and Vladislav. In autumn, Vladislav still held Rudnik, but by the end of 1323, the market of Rudnik was held by officials of Dečanski, and Vladislav seems to have fled further north.[13] of Vladislav's supporters from Rudnik, led by Ragusan merchant Menčet, took refuge in the nearby Ostrovica fortress, where they resisted Dečanski's troops.[13] čanski sent envoys to Dubrovnik (Ragusa), to protest the support of Vladislav.[13] rejected Dečanski's complaint, claiming Ostrovica was held by Serbs.[13] čanski was not satisfied, and in 1324 he rounded up all the Ragusan merchants he could find, confiscated their property, and held them captive.[13] year's end, Rudnik was restored to Dečanski, who released the merchants and returned their property.[13] was defeated in battle in late 1324, and fled to Hungary,[15][12] that was holding Belgrade since 1319.[16][17] between Dubrovnik and Serbia continued: August 1325 Vojvoda Vojin plundered Dubrovnik, resulting in a brief trade ban.[13] 25 March 1326 Dečanski reaffirmed privileges previously granted to Ragusa by Milutin.[13] began again, however, when Bosnia and Dubrovnik took actions against the Branivojevići.[13] čanski generally maintained an alliance with Andronikos II, aside from occasional disruptions.[18] avoided taking a position in the Byzantine civil war between Andronikos II and Andronikos III Palaiologos. as Andronikos III gained control, he developed an alliance with Tsar Michael Asen III of Bulgaria.[19] Asen III divorced Dečanski's sister Anna and married the Byzantine princess Theodora Palaiologina instead. allies intended to join forces for a major invasion of Serbia in 1330. the most significant event of Dečanski's reign, he defeated and killed Michael Asen III in the Battle of Velbazhd (1330). Stefan Dušan also contributed to the victory.[20][21][22] of Michael's defeat, Andronikos III retreated. Dečanski's subsequent conquests pushed the Serbian border south into Byzantine Macedonia. of his courtiers, however, were discontented with his policies and conspired to dethrone him in favour of Stefan Dušan. 1331, Dušan came from Skadar to Nerodimlje to overthrow Dečanski, who fled to Petrič.[23] 21 August 1331 Dušan captured Petrič after a siege and imprisoned his father in Zvečan Fortress, where he died on 11 November 1331.[24] Stefan Dečanski with his son Stefan Dušan (lower left corner) on the icon of St. Nicholas in the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Italy With his first wife, whose name is not known, Dečanski had no issue.[25] By his second wife, Theodora of Bulgaria,[25] Stefan Dečanski had: Uroš IV Dušan,[25] who overthrew him and took royal title, and šica (or Dušman), who died before 1318. By his third wife, Maria Palaiologina,[25] daughter of John Palaiologos, Dečanski had: later tried to usurp imperial title from his nephew, and ruled as independent ruler in Thessaly, who married Mladen III Šubić, and who married Dejan. čanski is seen as a noble character in epic poetry, and the Serbian Orthodox Church had him canonized. his feast day is 11 November (old style), thus being 24 November (new style).[26] remains are venerated at the church of the Visoki Dečani monastery, which he built, in the region of Metohija.[27][28] Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Stephen was the son of King Milutin and the father of King Dushan. was blinded on the orders of his father. Nicholas (December 6) appeared to him in the church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture) and said, “Do not be afraid. Your eyes have been given to me, and I shall return them to you at the appropriate time.” Stephen lived in Constantinople for five years at the Monastery of the Pantocrator. surpassed not only the monks, but also all the inhabitants of Constantinople, in his spiritual struggles, patience, and meekness. the end of the five years, Saint Nicholas appeared to him again. Making the Sign of the Cross over his eyes, he restored Stephen’s sight. gratitude for this miracle, Stephen built the Dečani Monastery in Serbia. his old age, Saint Stephen was drowned by his son, receiving the crown of martyrdom in 1336.

Constantinople, 1323, Hearer Icon, woman there q, MOG&Jesus heard Cosmos, sent him tW, gifts clrvync, visions, time oDeath
Greece, Mt Athos, 1323, Hearer Icon oZographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, name came MOG & Jesus heared Cosmas when he questioned woman on Athos, they heard his pray and sent him to wilderness for salvation, received gifts clairvoyance, miracles, divine visions, time oDeath; Zographou Monastery; Hearer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 22; wonderworking Icon is at Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos. name of the Hearer Icon of the Mother of God is explained by the following miraculous sign. venerable Cosmas was living a life of asceticism at Zographou Monastery in the XIV century. he was still a young man, he visited Vatopaidi Monastery on the Feast of the Annunciation, which is that Monastery's Feast Day. in the church during the service, and later in the trapeza, he saw a beautiful, majestic woman. Cosmas was astonished and troubled to see her there on Mount Athos, because no woman is permitted to set foot on the Holy Mountain, so he was unable to understand why the monks allowed her to be there. he was pondering these things, he returned to his Elder, who noticed his disciple's confusion and asked him, "Why are you so sad and pensive?" told him what he had seen at Vatopaidi Monastery, and revealed all of his doubts and thoughts about seeing a woman there with the monks. sort of woman was she," the Elder asked, "and how was she dressed?" described her appearance in detail. with a reproachful sigh, the Elder rebuked his disciple: "Didn't you bother to find out what sort of woman was at the monastery? This was not an ordinary mortal woman; she is the Queen of our Holy Mountain and of all creation herself!" some time after this, the venerable Cosmas remained alone in the monastery church, praying fervently before an Icon of the Mother of God. He exclaimed, "Most Holy Theotokos, pray that your Son and God may set me on the path of salvation!" soon as he uttered these words, he heard the voice of the Mother of God coming from the Icon and saying, "My Son and my God, teach Your servant how he may be saved." once the Lord replied, "Let him leave the monastery to live in solitude and in stillness" .1 the Superior's blessing, Saint Cosmas left his monastery and went into the wilderness, where he dug a cave out of a cliff, spending the rest of his life there in continuous asceticism. made great progress in the hesychastic life, and so he was found worthy of the gifts of clairvoyance, working miracles, seeing divine visions, and even predicting the time of his death, which occurred on September 22, 1323. Icon before which Saint Cosmas prayed, and from which he heard the voice of the Mother of God, was named "The Hearer," because she heard his prayer. is still in the katholikon of Zographou Monastery, in the altar, on the eastern wall, which extends into the diakonikon.2 1 In the Lives of the Saints, and the writings of the Holy Fathers, stillness, or quiet, is essential for mental prayer, or prayer of the heart. In order to be effective, the Jesus Prayer requires the greatest inner and outer quiet or stillness. It is also called pure prayer because it presupposes a mind and heart free from fantasies, passions, and thoughts. 2 The διακονικόν is a room on the south side of a church, behind the iconostasis, where vestments, books, charcoal, etc. are stored. There is a sink, towels, and other necessary items used in the services.

Constantinople, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica, Bulgarian, Hesychast, sought elder, then sought solitude, but always found, myrrh
Serbia, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica monastery, Serbia (Srem Plain, near Danube River 8), Hesychast, Gregory oSinai's disciple, born Vidn, Bulgaria, Greek father, Bulgarian mother, disdained child games, admired fLearning, piety bFriends, teachers, parents wanted marry him tWoman but he longed for monastic life, fled tHodegetria m fForced marriage, tonsured as Romanus, from beginning known as virtuous humble monk, longed to dwell wGregory aPanoria wilderness, more remote far from worldly distractions, even knowing this Abbot reluctant, longing stronger each day, asked again, Abbot grieved but feared God's will, so blessed departure, gave provisions, tParoria wHilarion, R explained tGregory who they were and why, to become his disciples, assigned obediences, Hilarion weaker-lighter duties, R strong-heavier labors-carry wood stones fMountain, water fRiver, kitchen&bakery help, When he tended sick they seemed improve, other monks called him- Romanus tGood- for his cheerful obedience, piety, R received spiritual instruction fG, Not wanting without being subject, When G died R found another instructor, Hilarion's, all three robbed so went back to Zagora at Mogrin near Trnovo, R left the elder for remote place for some reason, Elder died, R returned wRemorse that deserted Elder, R then placed himself under his elder Hilarion, since R surpassed in virture H at first said no, then seeing humility said yes, both back to Paroria because Robbers subdued by Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexandar, for greater solitude, Later Romanus Great Schema Romilus, Moslem incursions, back tZagora, hut remote place, other monks there resented Romilus, so tMt Athos, monks came disturbed quietude, fleeing human glory fPlace tPlace, tMt Melana near Karyes, monks gathered, consoled instructed fTheir profit- taught wage war against passions, &deamons who seek soul destruction - taught love God & Neighbor seeking good things which eye not seen, ear not heard, - also corrected other elders and their disciples, not question elder's orders, obey like Christ obeyed Father, warned refusing authority easily led bDevil, - urged Elders be gentle, fSolitude moved North end Mt Athos t Solitude Cell, but they flocked to him as before, Moslem Turks killed Serbian Despot John Ugljela, Battle oMarica, 1371, so they attacked Mt Athos, so many monks fled, Romilus t obscure Valona, Albania, but no solitude, many monks&laymen came, afflicted wIgnorance, enslaved tPassions, no shepherd, he led many to the light oChrist, left V with his disciples t Ravenica, Serbia, settled near monastery, died 1375, grave emitted ineffable fragrance, after death he performed great miracles, casting demons, healing diseases&sufferings, likewise through his prayers may we obtain forgiveness and mercy; Ravenica monestary; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Romilus the Hesychast was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8). was born in Vidin, Bulgaria of a Greek father and a Bulgarian mother. a child, he possessed a maturity beyond his years, and disdained childish games and pursuits. friends, and even his teacher, admired him for his learning and piety. parents wanted to marry him to a woman, he longed for the monastic life. he learned that they planned to force him into marriage, he fled to the Hodēgḗtria Monastery at Trnovo. abbot accepted him and tonsured him with the name Romanus. the beginning of his life as a monk, Romanus was known for his virtue and for his humility. monk Romanus, hearing of the monastery established by Saint Gregory of Sinai in the wilderness of Paroria, longed to dwell there. the abbot realized that the young man wished to live in a more remote area far from worldly distractions, he was reluctant to let him go. desire of Romanus to go to Paroria grew stronger day by day. spoke to the abbot again, and the Elder was grieved at the thought of losing the exemplary and well-loved Romanus. realized, however, that keeping Romanus there might not be according to the will of God. he blessed Romanus to depart, and gave him provisions for his journey. traveled to Paroria with another monk named Hilarion and explained to Saint Gregory who they were and that they had come to be his disciples. Gregory received them and assigned them to their obediences in the monastery. Hilarion was weaker, he was given lighter duties. who was strong, received heavier labors. would carry wood from the mountain, or sometimes stones. He also carried water from the river, and helped in the kitchen and in the bakery. even tended the sick, who seemed to improve under his care. Seeing his humility, his cheerful obedience, and his piety, the other monks called him “Romanus the Good.” received instruction in the spiritual life from Saint Gregory, who trained him to be a great ascetic. Saint Gregory fell asleep in the Lord, Romanus grieved for him day and night. did not wish to remain in that place without being subject to an Elder. found another instructor who had already accepted Romanus’s fellow-traveler Hilarion as a disciple. subjected himself to this Elder, obeying him as he had obeyed Saint Gregory. the three monks were assailed by robbers who deprived them of the necessities of life, they left Paroria and went back to Zagora. settled at a place called Mogrin, about one day’s journey from Trnovo. some reason, Romanus left the Elder to dwell in a remote place by himself. of the Elder’s death, he returned and fell upon his grave with tears, filled with regret that he had deserted his instructor. he fell at Hilarion’s feet and said, “Since I disobeyed the Elder’s order and left this place, I place myself under you from this day forward.” knowing that Romanus surpassed him in virtue, would not agree to this. insisted saying, “Unless you accept me under your authority, I shall not get up from the ground.” Seeing his great humility, Hilarion finally agreed to accept Romanus. that the robbers had been subdued by Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria, Romanus and Hilarion decided to go back to Paroria, where they could live in solitude and contemplation. Romanus was tonsured into the Great Schema with the name Romilus. incursions of the Moslems forced Romilus to return yet again to Zagora, he built a hut in a remote place. monks in the area, through envy or jealousy, resented Romilus, he traveled to Mt. Athos. many monks came to him for spiritual counsel, and they disturbed his quietude. human glory, he went from place to place until he came to Mt. Melana near Karyes. there, monks gathered around him, and he was able to console and instruct them for their profit. taught them to wage war against the passions, and against the demons who seek the destruction of the soul. also taught them to love God and their neighbor, seeking the good things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard (I Cor. 2:9). only did he correct his own disciples, but sometimes an Elder would send his disciples to Saint Romilus for correction. urged them not to question or contradict their Elder’s orders, but to obey him just as Christ obeyed the will of the Father (John 6:38). warned them that those who refuse to submit to authority are easily led astray by the Enemy. also urged the Elders to be gentle with their disciples, and to avoid harsh treatment. again, the number of monks who sought spiritual conversation with him hindered his own spiritual struggles and prayer. he moved to the northern part of Mt. Athos and built a cell where he could live in solitude. more he fled worldly glory, however, the more this glory found him. When the location of his cell became known, they flocked to him just as before. Serbian despot John Ugljela was killed by the Turks at the Battle of Marica on September 26, 1371. allowed the Moslems to attack Mt. Athos, so many of the monks (including Saint Romilus) fled to other places. Romilus went to Valona in Albania. thought that in this obscure place he would find solitude, but he was mistaken. monks and laymen came to him, afflicted with ignorance, enslaved to base passions, with no shepherd to guide them. Through his words and his example, he led many from darkness into the light of Christ. Romilus left Valona with his disciples and moved to Ravenica in Serbia, where there was a monastery dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. settled near this place with his disciples. 1375, he surrendered his soul to God and went to the heavenly Kingdom. is said that his grave emitted an ineffable fragrance. after his death, Saint Romilus performed great miracles, casting out demons, and healing all sorts of diseases and suffering. his holy prayers, may we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and great mercy from Christ our God, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, together with His unoriginate Father, and the Most Holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Constantinople, 1327-1379, Philotheus, fThessalonica, tMt Sinai tAthos, tHeraclea, tPat oC, wrote fHesychasts, litergy&Saints
Greece, 1327-1379, Philotheus, Patriarch oConstantinople, fThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), Mt Sinai tGreat Lavra, tHeraclea, Thrace a Metro, tConstantinople as Patriarch, books fHesychasts, litergy&hagiographic (saints lives) themes; Thessalonica; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Philotheus was a native of Thessalonica, and received the monastic tonsure at an early age. living for a time at Mt Sinai, went to Mt Athos and became the igumen of the Great Lavra. 1347 he became Metropolitan of Heraclea, Thrace. he served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 1354-1355, and again from 1364-1376. living on the Holy Mountain and even after he left there, Saint Philotheus wrote religious books which reveal his great learning and spirituality. of his works are directed against the anti-hesychasts, he also wrote on liturgical and hagiographical themes. Philotheus ordained that Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) be commemorated on the second Sunday of Great Lent, presided at his glorification as a saint, and even composed the Service in his honor. Philotheus fell asleep in the Lord in 1379.

Byzantium, 1328-1341, Emperor, Andronikos III Palaiologos, Barlaamite (Anti-Hesychast)
Byzantine Emperor 1328-1341, Andronikos III Palaiologos; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14;

Constantinople, 1341-1347, Patriarch, John XIV Kalekos, anti-hesychast, with John V's mother in Civil War
Constantinople, 1341-1347, Patriarch, John XIV Kalekos ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Byzantium, 1341-1391, Emperor, John V Paleologos. Civil War, Black Death, Civil War, Serbs, Turks
Byzantine Emperor 1341-1391, John Paleologos ; V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek: Ίωάννης Παλαιολόγος, Iōánnēs Palaiológos; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391. V was the son of Emperor Andronikos III and his wife Anna,[3] the daughter of Count Amadeus V of Savoy by his wife Maria of Brabant. His long reign was marked by the gradual dissolution of imperial power amid numerous civil wars and the continuing ascendancy of the Ottoman Turks. rule and first civil war[edit] V came to the throne at age eight. His reign began with an immediate civil war between his designated regent, his father's friend John VI Kantakouzenos, and a self-proclaimed council of regency composed of his mother Anna, the patriarch John XIV Kalekas, and the megas doux Alexios Apokaukos. During this civil war in 1343 Anna pawned the Byzantine crown jewels for 30,000 Venetian ducats. From 1346 to 1349, the Black Death devastated Constantinople. civil war[edit] in 1347, John VI Kantakouzenos ruled as co-emperor until his son Matthew Kantakouzenos was attacked by John V in 1352, leading to a second civil war. John V asked the ruler of Serbia, Stefan Dusan for help, and Dusan obliged by sending 4,000 Serbian horsemen to his aid. Matthew Kantakouzenos asked his father for help, and 10,000 Ottoman Turks showed up at Demotika (Didymoteicho) in October 1352 and engaged the forces of John V's Serbian allies in an open field battle that resulted in the destruction of the allies and a victory for the more numerous Turks in the service of the Byzantines. The Ottoman Empire thus acquired its first European territory, at Cimpe and Gallipoli. Able to retake Constantinople in 1354, John V removed and tonsured John VI Kantakouzenos; by 1357, he had deposed Matthew as well, who had been captured by the Serbs and was ransomed to John V. and defeats[edit] 1366, John V reached the Hungarian Kingdom, arriving at the Royal city of Buda to meet King Louis I of Hungary. However, the Byzantine emperor offended the king by staying on his horse, while Louis descended and approached him on foot. The Hungarian monarch then offered him help on the condition that John join the Catholic church, or at least achieve recognition by the Patriarch of the Pope's supremacy. The Emperor left the court of Buda with empty hands and continued his trip through Europe searching for assistance against the Ottomans.[4] Ottomans, who had been allied with the Kantakouzenoi, continued to press John. Suleyman Pasa, the son of the Ottoman sultan, led their forces in Europe and was able to take Adrianople and Philippopolis and to exact tribute from the emperor. John V appealed to the West for help, proposing to Pope Urban V in 1367 to end the schism between the Byzantine and Latin churches by submitting the patriarchate to the supremacy of Rome. October 1369 John, having travelled through Naples to Rome, formally converted to Catholicism in St Peter's Basilica and recognized the pope as supreme head of the Church. He was not accompanied by the clergy of the Byzantine Church and the move failed to bring about an end to the Schism.[5] by war, he was detained as a debtor when he visited Venice in 1369 on his way back from Rome and was later captured on his way back through Bulgarian territories. In 1371, he recognized the suzerainty of the Ottoman sultan Murad I. Murad later assisted him against his son Andronikos when the latter deposed him in 1376. and second rule[edit] 1390, his grandson John VII briefly usurped the throne, but was quickly overthrown. The same year, John V ordered the strengthening of the Golden Gate in Constantinople, utilizing marble from the decayed churches in and around the city. Upon completion of this construction, Bayezid I demanded that John raze these new works, threatening war and the blinding of his son Manuel, whom he held in captivity. John V filled the Sultan's order but is said to have suffered from this humiliation and died soon thereafter on 16 February 1391. V was finally succeeded to the imperial throne by his son Manuel. His younger son Theodore had already acceded to the Despotate of Morea in 1383. V married Helena Kantakouzene, daughter of his co-emperor John VI Kantakouzenos and Irene Asanina, on 28 May 1347. They had at least six children -- four sons and at least two daughters.[6] Their known children include: Andronikos IV Palaiologos (2 April 1348 – 28 June 1385); Irene Palaiologina (c. 1349 – after 1362), who married her first cousin Prince Halil of Ottoman Empire, son of Orhan I and Helena's sister Theodora Kantakouzene. The couple had two sons, Princes Gunduz and Omer. Manuel II Palaiologos (27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425); Theodore I Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (c. 1355 – 24 June 1407); Michael Palaiologos (d. 1376/1377), who claimed the throne of the Empire of Trebizond from Alexios III; Maria Palaiologina (d. 1376), who was betrothed to Murad I but died before the marriage could take place; One daughter betrothed to Peter II of Cyprus, who may not be Irene or Maria; Two unnamed daughters reported to have entered a monastery in 1373, who may be different women from the ones listed above. Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Constantinople, 1342-1391, Nicholas Cabasilas. Thessalonica, Macedonia, devine teacher, hesychist writer
Greece, 1342-1391, Nicholas Cabasilas. Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), devine teacher hesychist writer; Thessalonica; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas was born in Thessaloniki in 1322, and was the nephew of Neilos Cabasilas, who was the Archbishop of Thessaloniki. father's surname was Khamaetos, but he preferred to use his uncle's name - Cabasilas. Nicholas received an excellent education, both at Thessaloniki and Constantinople, studying rhetoric, theology, philosophy, etc. a time, he served as an advisor to Emperor John VI Cantacuzenos (reigned 1347-1354), who entrusted him with several important missions in this time of civil war (1341–1347) and religious strife. the last year of his life, the Emperor abdicated and was tonsured as a monk with the name Joasaph. He remained in the renowned Manganon Monastery until his death. Nicholas seems to have become a monk at Manganon at the same time, and it is possible that he was ordained as a Hieromonk. was a disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), and a supporter of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14), of whom were proponents of hesychasm (stillness), involving the unceasing prayer of the heart, which can lead to a vision of the Uncreated Light of Tabor. Nicholas took part in the Hesychast controversies of his time, which ended when the Council of 1351 proclaimed the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas as Orthodox. fame of Saint Nicholas rests mainly on his two books: of the Divine Liturgy, Concerning the Life in Christ, which describes the Church's Holy Mysteries, divine grace, and perfection in the divine virtues. his writings Saint Nicholas expounds the hesychastic (and Patristic) teaching that the life in Christ, which begins in this life, is perfected in the Kingdom. comes only from Christ, but sanctity is achieved when our wills are in harmony with Christ's will. 6 of Concerning the Life in Christ contains some very instructive comments on the Beatitudes. Nicholas points out that those who study and meditate on these sayings of Christ shall become truly happy. He compares the Beatitudes to "a ladder by which we may ascend to (the life of blessedness)." of his sermons have survived: on the Ascension, on the Annunciation, etc. There are also encomia in honor of Saint Demetrios, Saint Theodora, Saint Nicholas, and the Three Hierarchs. date of Saint Nicholas's blessed repose is uncertain, but it probably occurred before 1391. If that is true, then he must have been aware of the fall of Thessaloniki to the Turks in 1387. Nicholas Cabasilas was glorified as a saint on July 19,1983. The Troparion composed in his honor describes him as "a divine teacher, a wise interpreter of the dogmas of faith, and of the divine virtues."

Constantinople, 1347, Black Death Plague hits Constantinople, began 1332-21 years
Byzantium, 1347, Black Death Plague hits Constantinople, began 1332 and lasted 21 years;

Constantinople, 1347-1350, Patriarch, Isadore, Hesychast, Palamite, restored Gregory Palamas
Constantinople, 1347-1350, Patriarch, Isadore, restored Gregory Palamas; Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Byzantium, 1347-1354, Co-Emperor, general, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos, regent deposed by his ward, historian
Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; VI Kantakouzenos, Cantacuzenus, or Cantacuzene[1] (c. 1292 - 15 June 1383[4]) was a Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byzantine emperor in his own right from 1347 to 1354. Deposed by his former ward, he was made to retire to a monastery under the name Joasaph Christodoulos and spent the remainder of his life as a monk and historian. At age 90 or 91 at his death, he was the most aged of the Roman emperors. life[edit] in Constantinople,[3] John Kantakouzenos was the son of Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea; Donald Nicol speculates that he may have been born after his father's death and raised as an only child.[5] Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was related to the then-reigning house of Palaiologos.[6] He was also related to the imperial dynasty through his wife Irene Asanina, a second cousin of Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.[7] Kantakouzenos became a close friend to Andronikos III and was one of his principal supporters in Andronikos's struggle against his grandfather, Andronikos II Palaiologos. On the accession of Andronikos III in 1328, he was entrusted with the supreme administration of affairs and served as grand domestic throughout his reign. He was named regent to Andronikos's successor, the 9-year-old John V, upon the emperor's death in June 1341.[3] apparently began with no imperial ambitions of his own, having refused several times to be crowned co-emperor by Andronikos III. After the death of the emperor, Kantakouzenos again refused to take the throne, insisting on the legitimacy of John V's claim and contenting himself with overseeing the empire's administration until the boy came of age: according to the history written by John VI himself. Whether he would have remained loyal is unknowable but, despite his professed devotion to John V and his mother Anna, she came to suspect him of treason.[3] His close friendship with the late emperor and power over his successor had aroused the jealousy of his former protégés, Patriarch John XIV of Constantinople and Alexios Apokaukos;[citation needed] after a series of failed attempts, they succeeded in overthrowing his regency in September 1341 while he was out of the capital readying an army against the Crusader principalities that still held parts of the Peloponnesus. He attempted to negotiate with the usurpers, but this was rebuffed and his army was ordered to disband. Further, his relatives in Constantinople were driven into exile or imprisoned, with their property confiscated by the new regents. His mother Theodora died owing to the mistreatment she suffered while under house arrest.[8]} His army ignored the new regents' orders and proclaimed Kantakouzenos emperor at Didymoteichon in Thrace as John VI.[9] He accepted this, while continuing to style himself as the junior ruler to John V. War[edit] article: Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 ensuing civil war lasted six years; calling in foreign allies and mercenaries of every description, the two sides completely disrupted and almost ruined the empire.[3] At first, John VI marched to Thessalonica, which the ruling families planned to hand over to him. Apokaukos anticipated this move and sent a fleet to reinforce the city, obliging John to flee to Serbia, where Stefan Dusan sheltered him and lent him military support. This proved largely ineffectual, and only the intervention of John's old friend and ally Umur of Aydin broke the regency's siege of his headquarters at Didymoteichon. another attempt on Thessalonica the following year, the Serbians switched sides to support the regency, leaving John stranded once more before that city. Yet again, Umur came to his rescue, and their combined forces broke out of Macedonia to return to Didymoteichon. The war dragged on another four years as neither side could dislodge the other, although time was on John VI's side. He struck a bargain with the Ottoman Turks, giving Orhan Bey his daughter, Theodora, for his harem and permitting him to take Greek Christians as slaves. The Greco-Turkish force prevailed and John VI entered Constantinople in triumph on 8 February 1347.[10][9][a] Empress Anna and John VI agreed that the latter would rule as senior emperor for ten years, after which John V would reach seniority and share power as an equal to Kantakouzenos. The formal coronation of John VI took place on 21 May.[10][11] VI as emperor (left) and monk (right) John's reign, the empire—already fragmented, impoverished, and weakened—continued to be assailed on every side.[3] Genoese, disregarding the terms of the treaty which permitted their colony at Galata, began fortifying and arming it. Their customs dues undercut the Byzantines and meant that as much as 87% of the revenue from control of the Bosphorus went to them instead of the empire. John VI attempted to rebuild the shattered Byzantine navy in preparation for the war he expected to follow a reduction of Constantinople's own customs dues. He was able to borrow enough to construct 9 fair-sized ships and about 100 smaller ones before he lowered the rates and began siphoning off Genoa's income. When they did declare war, however, they were able to sink or capture his fleet by early 1349. The Genovese were forced to negotiate after major areas of Galata were burnt, including its wharves and warehouses, but the Byzantine Empire thenceforth was forced to turn to an alliance with the Republic of Venice for naval protection. This led to their involvement in Venice's 1350 war against Genoa, but Paganino Doria was able to force John VI (and the twelve ships he had fielded) out of the war by a Pyrrhic victory off Constantinople the next year.[citation needed] 1351, Kantakouzenos oversaw the Fifth Council of Constantinople, wherein Gregory Palamas' mystical hesychastic theology was declared Orthodox over the objections of Barlaam of Calabria and other Byzantine philosophers.[12] this time, Stefan Dusan had taken Albania, Macedonia, and Epirus. John VI secured help against further incursions by again allying with the Turks. Following an earthquake, they annexed Callipolis (Gallipoli)—their first foothold in Europe—in partial payment of his many debts in 1354.[3] made his son Matthew Kantakouzenos another co-emperor in 1353,[13] but John VI's attempts to expand taxation to repay the government's debts had long been displeasing. He was removed from power by John V at the end of 1354.[3][b] retired to a monastery, where he assumed the name of Joasaph Christodoulos and occupied himself with literary labors, which have been called eloquent.[3] His 4-volume History of the years 1320-1356 served as an apologia for his actions. They are therefore not always trustworthy, including defects in matters where he was not personally involved, but are supplemented by the contemporary work of Nicephorus Gregoras.[9] It is nevertheless remarkable for being the only surviving account any Byzantine emperor gave of his own reign. 1367 Joasaph was appointed the representative of the Eastern Orthodox Church to negotiate with the Latin Patriarch Paul to attempt a reconciliation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. They agreed to call a grand ecumenical council to be attended by the pope and all the patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops of both the eastern and western churches.[17] This plan was subsequently refused by Pope Urban V and eventually nothing came of it.[citation needed] died in the Peloponnese and was buried by his sons at Mistra in Laconia.[3] his wife Irene Asanina, a daughter of Andronikos Asan (son of Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria by Irene Palaiologina, Empress of Bulgaria, herself daughter of Michael VIII Palaiologos), John VI Kantakouzenos had several children, including: Matthew Kantakouzenos, co-emperor 1353–1357, later Despot of the Morea Manuel Kantakouzenos, Despot of the Morea Andronikos Kantakouzenos (died of the Bubonic Plague (specifically the Black Death) in 1347) Maria Kantakouzene, who married Nikephoros II Orsini of Epirus Theodora Kantakouzene, who married Sultan Orhan of the Ottoman Empire[18] Helena Kantakouzene, who married John V Palaiologos Kantakouzenos's 4-volume History was published by J. Pontanus in 1603, by Ludwig Schopen at Bonn as part of the Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae c. 1830; and by J.-P. Migne at Paris.[19] He also wrote a commentary on the first five books of Aristotle's Ethics and several controversial theological treatises, including a defense of Hesychasm and a work Against Mohammedanism printed in Migne.[20][9] Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14;

Constantinople, 1347-1380, Dionysios, tBuilder oProdromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, first steep little Athos, then C&M
Greece, Mt Athos, 1347-1380, Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, after brother Met oTrebizon, priesthood, asceticism steep Mt Little Athos or Antiathos, Old Prodromos, Panagia, then built church and Monaster, Alexios III through brother funded Forerunner M, died while in T getting Icons ; Prodromou Monastery; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25; Dionysios was born in the village of Korissos, Kastoria, to pious parents who were farmers. a young age, he went to Mount Athos near his brother Theodosios. with the help of his brother’s own teacher, learned to study the Holy Scriptures, and quickly became distinguished for his humble mind and his charitable character. few years later, Emperor Alexios Komnenos III (1350 - 1390), Theodosios became a Metropolitan in Trebizond. was very pleased when he learned of this, first out of brotherly love, and second because now he could more easily carry out a plan of his own. his ordination to the priesthood, Saint Dionysios transferred his place of asceticism to the steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia. Shortly thereafter, he wanted to build a church and a suitable monastery. That plan eventually succeeded by the grace of God. Thus, in 1375, Alexios III, through the intercession of his brother, Metropolitan Theodosios, approved the building of the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner and Baptist John. The emperor in Dionysios gave 50 somia (400,000 grosia), and then three thousand komninata for his work. Thus Saint Dionysios built the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner, which was known afterwards by the name given by her builder. Dionysius reposed in Trebizond, where he had gone to ask for further help from the emperor for the iconography of the monastery.

Constantinople, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexius III, rich monastery grants, subdued nobles&Turks, g Daughters fSecurity
Armenia, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos, Alexius III, most famous Treb ruler, religious grants, literary creations, son oBasil&Irene, hansome blond, stout well formed, gay liberal, tConstantinoople wMom wDad died, raised Byzanine Court, 1349 b tTreb a11 tReplace deposed gUncle Regent Michael, accepted by nobility incl Niketas woOpposition, name fJohn tAlexios, crowned wMom&John Lazaropoulos, confining Michael tMonastery, married B Emperor relative Theodora K, despaired aristocrats squabbles retired tTripolis, supported bMom&loyal Generals, courtiers incl historian, subdued insubordinate nobles 1by1, fostered peace wTurks, wMarriage alliances, improved position, less reliance kingmaker Niketas, N fled tKerasous, prepared fleet, sailed against Treb, turned away, Alex sailed against Kerasous wMom&Metropolitan &won, N imprisoned, Civil war over but assaaaination attempt, arrested noble assasins, Met Niphon deposed fcomplicity, replaced bJohn L, despite his victory he still granted Nobles Land charters, external, lost tTurks 1355, gave daughters to muslim princes &Georgian King, tried to displace Genoese&Venitians dominant Treb trade positions, Venice had lost t Genoa 1349, 1360 he attempted restore Venitian Treb commerce to offset Genoa position, but Venitians not content &Quarreled wGenoese, another concession failed also, 1373 Venicians&Genoa enemy Dobrotitsa oDobruja conspired to impose son-in Law Michael Palaioglogos, son oJohn V, on Treb throne, abandoned a5days, A died 1390, he had repaired physical damage tTreb, gave rich monastery endowments, like Soumela, founded Dionysiou m oAthos, ; Pontine, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos; III Megas Komnenos (5 October 1338 – 20 March 1390),[1] or Alexius III, Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. is perhaps the best-documented ruler of that country, his reign is distinguished by a number of religious grants and literary creations. was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond and his second (and bigamous) wife, Irene of Trebizond. III was originally named John, and took the name Alexios either in memory of his older brother who had died prematurely or of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond. personal appearance was described by George Finlay as "extremely noble". Finlay contributes the following details: "He was , blonde, and regular-featured, with an aquiline nose, which, his flatterers often reminded him, was considered by Plato to be a royal feature. person he was stout and well formed; disposition he was gay and liberal; his enemies reproached him with rashness, violence, and brutal passions."[2] life and reign[edit] Basil died on April 6, 1340, and his first wife Irene Palaiologina succeeded him, she sent all the children of her dead husband to Constantinople together with their mother.[3] was raised at the Byzantine court. he was eleven years old, he was sent to Trebizond by Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos to replace his deposed great-uncle Michael, who had been an instrument of the regency Kantakouzenos had displaced. arrived in Trebizond on December 22, 1349,[4] and was accepted as emperor by the nobility headed by megas doux Niketas Scholares without opposition. was at this point that he adopted the name Alexios, and he was crowned on January 21, 1350, in the company of his mother Irene and of John Lazaropoulos.[5] position was safeguarded by confining the deposed Emperor Michael to a monastery. 1351 the connection to John VI Kantakouzenos was strengthened by further diplomatic initiatives. deposed Emperor Michael was exiled to Constantinople, on September 20, 1351, Alexios III married Theodora Kantakouzene, a relative of the Byzantine Emperor, the newly rebuilt Church of St. Eugenios. the time being, Alexios was accepted as emperor because of his youth to quote William Miller, "not calculated to bring peace to the state, distracted for the previous decade by the jealousies and ambitions of rival gangs of noble place-hunters".[6] the aristocrats squabbled with each other, Alexios despaired of security in his capital retired to the coastal castle of Tripolis.[7] young emperor was supported by his mother and some loyal generals and courtiers, Michael Panaretos, whose laconic chronicle is the principal source on the political history of the Empire of Trebizond. them he subdued insubordinate nobles one by one. and his court further strengthened their position by fostering peaceful relations with the Turkmen marriage alliances as that between the emperor's oldest sister Maria and Fahreddin Kutlubeg of Aq Qoyunlu in 1352.[8] Alexios' position improved, he relied less on the kingmaker Niketas. June 1354 the megas doux was forced to flee to Kerasous, where he prepared a fleet consisting of one galley and eleven smaller vessels that sailed against Trebizond in March 1355. rebels realized that they would be unable to win and abandoned their expedition. fitted out his own fleet of galleys and several smaller crafts, and in May sailed to Kerasous with the company of his mother and the Metropolitan of Trebizond, and conquered the town in the absence of Niketas. emperor's cavalry besieged the last fortress loyal to the megas doux, Kenchrina, and obtained its surrender. and his aristocratic supporters were taken captive and brought to Trebizond, where he died in 1360.[9] the imprisonment of Niketas, Michael Panaretos' leaves off writing of the civil war. writers conclude this means the civil war itself ended, an attempt by the Kabasites and other nobles to assassinate Alexios III in 1363 may be part of that conflict. escaped their ambush and later, with the help of loyal soldiers, arrested all of them. Metropolitan Niphon was deposed for his complicity in the plot and died confined in a monastery the following year.[10] was replaced with the emperor's supporter John Lazaropoulos, who became Metropolitan of Trebizond under the monastic name Joseph. spite of his victories over the nobles, Alexios showed restraint and willingness to compromise by granting charters to noble families confirming them in possession of their lands.[11] affairs[edit] III began dealing with strengthening the frontier against the Turkmen before the end of the civil unrest. this he was less successful, and suffered a major defeat in battle in 1355. and Panaretos barely escaped with their lives.[12] raid on Matzouka by Hajji 'Umar, the emir of Chalybia, was neutralized by diplomacy, and he was married to Alexios' sister Theodora in 1358. continued this policy of seeking diplomatic alliances with the neighboring Muslim princes, the marriages of four of his daughters; fifth, Anna Megale Komnene, became the second wife of King Bagrat V of Georgia.[13] was also unable to displace the Genoese and Venetians from their dominant position in Trebizond's commerce. position of Venice had declined following the concession of Leonkastron to the Genoese in 1349, in 1360 Alexios attempted to restore commercial relations with Venice to offset the power of the Genoese. 1364 he confirmed to the Venetians their old privileges and assigned them a depot "below the monastery of the holy martyr, Theodore Gabras". the Venetians were not content with their gains and jealously quarreled with the Genoese. concession to Venice followed in 1367, and gradually lowered some of the dues levied on Venetian commerce.[14] Alexios' attempt to exploit the commerce of the Italian republics resulted in considerable resentment. 1373 the Venetians conspired with the despotes Dobrotitsa of Dobruja (an enemy of the Genoese) to impose his son-in-law Michael Palaiologos, a younger son of Emperor John V Palaiologos, upon the throne of Trebizond. Palaiologos appeared before Trebizond with two large ships and a small one, and remained there for five days until he abandoned the plan and left.[15] with Venice were patched up, but although Alexios further reduced the dues he collected from the Venetians in 1381, their trade with Trebizond continued to decline. III died on March 20, 1390, was succeeded by his son Manuel III. his long reign, Alexios III had repaired the physical damage to the capital, gave rich endowments to several monasteries, especially Soumela Monastery, and founded the Dionysiou monastery at Mount Athos.[16] Bryer explains this largesse was due a series of confiscations following the defeat of the notables who had opposed a strong central government, forth a timeline showing how as archontes were executed and their properties reverted to the crown, could refound monasteries such as St. Phokas in Kordyle (1362), Soumela (1364), Dionysiou (1374), and Theoskepastos (1376). sequence of recovery, or expansion, of the imperial demesne, which is the clue to Alexios III's triumph over his landowning rivals, is clear enough."[17] Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Constantinople, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind, Icon painted on canvas, deacon overseeing long church service missed meal, cook refused feed him, in rage blamed MOG, stabbed her icon, blood flowed, deacon struck blind, he fell down before icon rest of his life, igumen prayed for him, after 3yrs MOG forgave him, healed him, but right hand condemned at 2nd coming, 3yrs after his death bones uncovered, decomposed except for right hand preserved all black, still at Vatopadi but poor condition; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; “Stabbed” Icon of the Mother of God, (Greek: “Esphagmeni.” Slavonic: “Zaklannaya”) from the fourteenth century, is in the Vatopedi monastery on Mt. Athos, a chapel dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica. icon was painted on canvas, received its name of “The Stabbed” from the following event: certain ecclesiarch, a deacon of the Vatopedi monastery, was occupied with overseeing the order of a long service. by his duties, he was late for the meal in the trapeza. annoyed cook refused to give him any food, reminded him that he should come on time if he wished to eat. the deacon flew into a rage and he went to the church again. before the icon of the Mother of God, he said, “How long must I go on serving You? I have toiled, but I have nothing to show for it. You don’t even care whether or not I have anything to eat!” he struck Her on the cheek with a knife and pierced right through the canvas. flowed from the wound, the deacon was struck blind. terrified transgressor fell down right in front of the icon, trembling all over, like Cain, the murderer of old. igumen, served the all-night Vigil praying for mercy and the salvation of the hapless one. three years the All-Holy Virgin appeared to the igumen and said that she had forgiven the deacon, and would restore his health, his hand which committed the sacrilege would be condemned at the Lord’s Second Coming. deacon recovered his sight, and deeply repented of his transgression. himself in a stall opposite the icon he stabbed, he spent the rest of his life in repentance before it. years after the deacon’s death, his bones were uncovered, according to the Athonite custom. body had decomposed, but his right hand remained intact and was all black. hand is preserved at the monastery in memory of the unfathomable love of the Mother of God. is in rather poor condition, however, because Russian pilgrims would take pieces of it, believing it to be a relic. Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Constantinople, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi m, Mt Athos, ill aEuboia, asked MOG home to die, healed for 1yr, died aV
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, Vatopedia m visitors' host, sent to sub m aEuboia, gravely ill there, asked MOG return tV tDie there, healed by MOG f1yr, year later MOG voice from her icon, time tGo, asked forgiveness, passed; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; Neóphytos was the Prosmonários1 of Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos during the XIV century, he was sent to the Monastery's metokhion2 at Euboia. after becoming quite ill, he prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God, asking her to let him return to his own Monastery and die there. he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos telling him to return to his Monastery, to prepare himself for death within a year. Neóphytos was healed and returned to Vatopaidi at once. year later, after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos coming from her holy Icon, telling him that the time for his departure had come. became gravely ill once more and, after asking the brethren for forgiveness, he surrendered his soul to the Lord. The Prosmonários (Προσμονάριος) was the keeper of the church, a monk who waited for and received those who had come to attend Services at the Monastery. Representation church. A monastery (or church) subordinate to a larger monastery and representing the economy of that monastery. Literallly, a sharer, or participant.

Constantinople, 1350-1353, 1355-63, Patriarch, Callistus, Hesychast, PHILOKALIA
Constantinople, 1350-1353, 1355-63, Patriarch, Callistus, Hesychast, ; Byzantine Emperor 1347-1354, John Cantacuzene, John Kantakouzenos ; Saint Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; Callistus I, Patriarch of Constantinople, at first struggled on Athos under the spiritual guidance of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. In 1350, he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople, serving in that position during the reign of the emperors John Kantakuzenos (1341-1355) and John Paleologos (1341-1376). 1354, he withdrew to live in silence at the monastery he had built in honor of Saint Mamas at Tenedos. Later, he was elevated to the Patriarchal throne once again (1355-1363). The holy Patriarch Callistus reposed in the year 1363 in Serbia, where he had travelled with an embassy of Emperor John Paleologos. Saint Callistus is also known as a spiritual writer, and his edifying works appear in the PHILOKALIA with the writings of his close friend Ignatius of Xanthopoulos.

Constantinople, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon
Greece, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Gennadius was the steward of the Vatopedi monastery on Mt Athos in the fourteenth century, and was in charge of supplies. the monastery’s oil began to run low, he tried to be economical with what remained by using oil just for the needs of the church. The cook began to complain to the Igumen, saying that he had no oil for preparing meals. The Igumen ordered Saint Gennadius to place his trust in the Mother of God, and to supply the oil for all the monastery’s needs. day, Saint Gennadius went to the storeroom and saw the tank overflowing with oil covering the floor as far as the door. This miracle was ascribed to the Most Holy Theotokos, and to Her Elaiovrytissa icon which stood nearby. Since that time, the icon has hung in the storeroom and has emitted an ineffable fragrance. Elaiovrytissa (“Flowing with oil”) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on Bright Friday.

Constantinople, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, wonderworker, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer
Serbia, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, f Zeta, tChrna Reka (Black River), nIbar River, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer, people gathered, fled to Drnica & forest of Devic, healed prince's daughter, money for Monastery, miracles after death; Venerable Joannicius of Devic, Commemorated on December 2; Ioannikios (Janićije) was a Serb from Zeta, near the Adriatic Sea. was the son of pious and God-fearing parents, and he lived during the reign of the last medieval Serbian ruler, Prince George Branković (1427-1458). his youth, Saint Ioannikios loved solitude, as an adolescent he left his parents and made his way to eastern Serbia, where he settled in a wooded area called Chrna Reka (Black River), a few miles from the Ibar River. found a narrow cave where, according to Tradition, Saint Peter of Koriša (June 5) had struggled during the XIII century. Ioannikios built a cell and lived there for many years in solitude, fasting, and unceasing prayer. time, people began coming to him from all over Serbia in order to hear his words, and to receive his blessing. Others were drawn to him because they wanted him to guide them in the monastic life. community grew around him, and they built a church near his cell. when people heard about the holiness of his life, he fled to Drnica and hid himself in the thick forest of Devič. again, the Saint lived in solitude, weeping, fasting, struggling with demons, and devoting himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. day Prince George brought his terminally ill daughter to him, and the Saint healed her. Prince wanted to know what he could do to express his gratitude. Ioannikios asked him to built a monastery at Devič and dedicate it to the Entrance of the a Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). a holy and God-pleasing life, Saint Ioannikios reposed on December 2, 1430, when he was almost one hundred years old. His grace-filled and wonderworking relics are kept at the monastery. After his death, many miracles have taken place there, and those who entreat him with faith are healed of their sicknesses and afflictions. this monastery there once lived a renowned and godly nun, Sister Euphemia, who is better known in the Kossovo region as Blessed Stoina. She built an Ispostnica (House of Silence) in honor of St. Ioannikios. She fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1895. Ioannikios still performs miracles, just as he did in his lifetime, five hundred years ago. A certain man from Hercegovina, whose name was Miloš wanted to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places. Just as he was about to embark on his journey, Saint Ioannikios appeared to him in a dream and told him not to go to Jerusalem. "It would be better," the Saint explained, "if you went to Devič and cleaned my church, and put it in order, instead of going to Jerusalem." š followed the Saint's advice and went to the neglected Devič monastery, cleaned it up, restored it, and gave it new life. He became a monk and remained there until the end of his life. the First World War and the Austrian occupation, a Hungarian officer arrived at Devič with some soldiers. He made Igoumen Damaskene take him to the tomb of Saint Ioannikios, and asked him what was under the slab. "It is a holy place," the Igoumen replied. sort of holy place?" the officer asked. "You have some valuables hidden under there, don't you?" officer ordered the soldiers to break the slab with pick axes. As they were completing their task, the officer was stricken with pain in the middle of his body. He lay down on a bed and died before that evening. The terrified soldiers abandoned their work and fled from the monastery. Ioannikios is also commemorated on April 26, the uncovering of his holy relics. Devic Monastery in Kosovo; Devič Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Девич, romanized: Manastir Devič; Albanian: Manastiri i Deviçit) is a Serbian Orthodox abbey in Kosovo[a]. It was built in 1434 and is dedicated to St Joanikije of Devič. Devič was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

Constantinople, 1354-55, 1364-76, Patriarch, Philotheus I of Constantinople, Liturgical and Hesychast writer
Constantinople Patriarch, 1354-55, 1364-76, Philotheus I of Constantinople; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Philotheus was a native of Thessalonica, and received the monastic tonsure at an early age. After living for a time at Mt Sinai, he went to Mt Athos and became the igumen of the Great Lavra. 1347 he became Metropolitan of Heraclea, Thrace. Later, he served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 1354-1355, and again from 1364-1376. living on the Holy Mountain and even after he left there, Saint Philotheus wrote religious books which reveal his great learning and spirituality. Many of his works are directed against the anti-hesychasts, and he also wrote on liturgical and hagiographical themes. Philotheus ordained that Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) be commemorated on the second Sunday of Great Lent, presided at his glorification as a saint, and even composed the Service in his honor. Philotheus fell asleep in the Lord in 1379. St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Byzantium, 1354-1391, Emperor, John V Palaiologos. Civil War, Black Death, Civil War, Serbs, Turks
Byzantine Emperor 1354-1391, John V Palaiologos; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, 1375 igumen Philotheou, then Met Trebizond Empire
Greece, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, fKoritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle), Constantinople monk a18, tPhilotheou oAthos, 1375 igumen there, then Met oTrebizond in Trebizond Empire, then persuaded John Alexius Komnenos build Dionsious oAthos, died 1392; Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Theodosius, Metropolitan of Trebizond, born in the village of Koritsa, near the Kastorian hills. eighteen years of age he became a monk at Constantinople went to the Philotheou monastery on Mount Athos, where he led a strict ascetic life. was chosen igumen of the monastery in 1375, afterwards was made Metropolitan of Trebizond because of the holiness of his life. He persuaded John Alexius Komnenos to build the monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos. a God-pleasing life, he died in Trebizond in 1392.

Constantinople, 1362-1389, Murad I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Kosovo Field Battle, Turks
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1362-1389, Murad I; I (29 June 1326 - 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilufer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Suleyman Pasha's death. I conquered Adrianople, renamed it to Edirne,[2] and in 1363 made it the new capital of the Ottoman Sultanate.[3] Then he further expanded the Ottoman realm in Southern Europe by bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule, and forced the princes of Serbia and Bulgaria as well as the East Roman emperor John V Palaiologos to pay him tribute.[2] Murad I administratively divided his sultanate into the two provinces of Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Rumelia (the Balkans). to the Ottoman sources, Murad I's titles includes Bey, Emir - a zam (Great Emir), Ghazi, Hudavendigar, Khan, Padishah, Sultan-selatin (Sultan of sultans), Melikul-muluk (Malik of maliks), while in Bulgarian and Serbian sources he was referred to as Tsar. In a Genoese document, he was referred to as dominus armiratorum Turchie (Master lord of Turks).[4] I was illiterate and could not even sign his own name. In 1353, Murad I signed a treaty by dipping his hand in ink and impressing it with his finger marks.[5] of the conquests of Murad I century miniature depicting Murad I fought against the powerful beylik of Karaman in Anatolia and against the Serbs, Albanians, Bulgarians and Hungarians in Europe. In particular, a Serb expedition to expel the Turks from Adrianople led by the Serbian brothers King Vukasin and Despot Ugljesia, was defeated on September 26, 1371, by Murad's capable second lieutenant Lala Sahin Pasa, the first governor (beylerbey) of Rumeli. In 1385, Sofia fell to the Ottomans. In 1386 Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic defeated an Ottoman force at the Battle of Plocnik. The Ottoman army suffered heavy casualties, and was unable to capture Nis on the way back. of Kosovo[edit] of Sultan Murad on Kosovo field of Sultan Murad 1389, Murad's army defeated the Serbian Army and its allies under the leadership of Lazar at the Battle of Kosovo. There are different accounts from different sources about when and how Murad I was assassinated. The contemporary sources mainly noted that the battle took place and that both Prince Lazar and the Sultan lost their lives in the battle. The existing evidence of the additional stories and speculations as to how Murad I died were disseminated and recorded in the 15th century and later, decades after the actual event. One Western source states that during first hours of the battle, Murad I was assassinated by Serbian nobleman and knight MiloÅ¡ ObiliÄ‡ by knife.[6][7] Most Ottoman chroniclers[citation needed] (including Dimitrie Cantemir)[8] state that he was assassinated after the finish of the battle while going around the battlefield. His older son Bayezid, who was in charge of the left wing of the Ottoman forces, took charge after that. His other son, Yakub Bey, who was in charge of the other wing, was called to the Sultan's command center tent by Bayezid, but when Yakub Bey arrived he was strangled, leaving Bayezid as the sole claimant to the throne. a letter from the Florentine senate (written by Coluccio Salutati) to the King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, dated 20 October 1389, Murad I's (and Jakub Bey's) killing was described. A party of twelve Serbian lords slashed their way through the Ottoman lines defending Murad I. One of them, allegedly Milos Obilic, had managed to get through to the Sultan's tent and kill him with sword stabs to the throat and belly.[9][page needed] Murad's internal organs were buried in Kosovo field and remains to this day on a corner of the battlefield in a location called Meshed-i Hudavendigar which has gained a religious significance by the local Muslims. It has been vandalized between 1999–2006 and renovated recently. His other remains were carried to Bursa, his Anatolian capital city, and were buried in a tomb at the complex built in his name.[10] of sultanate[edit] established the sultanate by building up a society and government in the newly conquered city of Adrianople (Edirne in Turkish) and by expanding the realm in Europe, bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule and forcing the Byzantine emperor to pay him tribute. It was Murad who established the former Osmanli tribe into an sultanate. He established the title of sultan in 1363 and the corps of the janissaries and the devÅŸirme recruiting system. He also organised the government of the Divan, the system of timars and timar-holders (timariots) and the military judge, the kazasker. He also established the two provinces of Anadolu (Anatolia) and Rumeli (Europe). was the son of Orhan and the Valide Hatun Nilüfer Hatun, daughter of the Lord of Yarhisar, who was of ethnic Greek descent.[11] St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Constantinople, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos, historian, Hesychasts d, divine light, faces shine like sun
Greece, Mt Athos, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos m & Magul skete, Mt Athos, near Philotheou, 28 yrs, Gregory of Sinai's story, directions to Hesychasts, divine light, faces shine like sun, died in Serbia; Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou) Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Callistus II pursued asceticism at the Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou), there for twenty-eight years. was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. with his fellow ascetic Ignatius of Xanthopoulos, he compiled the “Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters” found in the second part of the Slavonic edition of the Philokalia (English translation in Kadlubovsky and Palmer, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart). their contemporary, Saint Simeon of Thessalonica (September 15) asserts, Saints Callistus and Ignatius of Xanthopoulos beheld the Uncreated Light, as the apostles had done on Mount Tabor. Their faces seemed to “shine like the sun.” 1397 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, and was hierarch during the days of Manuel Paleologos (1391-1425). agreed to journey to Serbia in order to bring peace to that church, stopping along the way at Mt Athos. There, the Patriarch was told that he would not see his flock again. Upon reaching Serbia, he exchanged this temporal life for life eternal.

Constantinople, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia
Serbia, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia ; Grigoriou monastery; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7; Gregory of Mount Athos was born in Serbia, and pursued asceticism on Mt Athos. built and dedicated the monastery of Saint Nicholas, which was later renamed Grigoriou in his honor. the records of Mt Athos the saint’s signature dating from 1405 was discovered. to Tradition, the relics of Saint Gregory were taken from Athos by Serbian monks.

Constantinople, 1375, Saint Markella, Ephesus, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella, spring of holy water
Ephesus, 1375, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Markella (also Marcella) was an inhabitant of fourteenth-century Chios who was canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church. Her feast day is celebrated on July 22. Markella rocks today, Chios. Markella was born and lived in Volissos, Chios, Greece. She was raised as a devout Christian by her mother. However, her father (in some accounts) was a pagan. lived during the fourteenth century - during most of which Chios was under Genoese rule. At a young age, her mother died and Markella continued to study her Bible, pray to God and live a life according to what she was taught. the time of her eighteenth birthday, the virtuous Markella had to flee the fury of her violent father. There are variant accounts given about the reasons for that. In one version, while Markella's late mother had been a Christian, her father was an idolater and he tried very hard to force his daughter to become an idolater, too; this seems anachronistic, since by the 14th Century paganism was long since extinct in Greece. By another version, the problem was that Markella's father was consumed with incestuous lust for her, and she fled in horror when he declared his intentions.[1] her reason for being afraid of her father, Saint Markella fled to nearby mountains and hid in a bush. Her father found her with the help of a local herdsmen, and they set fire to the bush to force her to show. ran to the sea to escape but her father aimed an arrow at her and wounded her. As believed by the local people, the blood of the saint dyed the rocks and to this very day, during the festivities for her feast day, at a specific time, her blood becomes visible on these rocks for all the faithful who bear witness to this miracle. is further believed that as she was injured, she prayed to Jesus - her final moments spent in prayer requesting that the rocks would open for her to hide from her father and this happened. However, the opened rock enabled her to hide all of her body inside, but not her head. Her father decapitated her and threw the head into the sea. Her head floated to the nearby beach of Komi. many years, the locals could not locate the head until one day an Italian (presumably Genoese) warship was in the area. In the evening, the Italians could see a bright light coming from the distance and when they got closer they witnessed a head, floating in the water, lit by upright floating candles. Immediately, they realized that this was a sacred miracle they were witness to and they took the head of the Saint back to their homeland. tradition also has it that holy water springs from the rocks that mark her martyrdom. Many pilgrims visit this location and every year on 22 July, during the commemoration services for the Saint, the holy sea water in the rock pool boils during the entire Paraklisis Service; this phenomenon only occurs in the presence of a priest. If a pilgrim's faith is strong, a local tradition is that the water in the rock-pool will feel extremely warm to touch. significance[edit] Today there is a church on the cave of Saint Markella. The rock in which she was killed is said to spring holy water. Her nameday is on July 22 [2] and on that day the sea is said to boil. The icon of Saint Markella is one of the most revered and is said to be miraculous. Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Constantinople, 1375, Marcella of Chios, M virtue, devil incited father, MOG open earth, did to waist, he chopped, hole curing water
Ephesus, 1375, Marcella of City of Chios, Chios Island, M increased virtue, devil tried M then incited her mayor father, w unnatural lust, shepherd saw her hiding, she prayed Theotokos earth open up swallow her, did to the waist, chopped up head to sea, later years church and hole w curing water; City of Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Markella lived in the village of Volissos, Chios sometime after the middle of the fourteenth century. parents were Christians, and among the wealthiest citizens of Volissos. saint’s mother died when she was young, and so her father, the mayor of the village, saw to her education. had been trained by her mother to be respectful and devout, and to guard her purity. avoided associations with other girls who were more outgoing than she was so that she would not come to spiritual harm through such company. goal was to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and to become a bride of Christ. Markella increased in virtue as she grew older, fasting, praying, and attending church services. tried to keep the commandments and to lead others to God. loved and respected her father, and comforted him in his sorrow. She told him she would take care of him in his old age, and would not abandon him. an adult, Saint Markella was loved by everyone for her beauty and for her spiritual gifts. Enemy of our salvation tried to lure her into sin by placing evil thoughts in her mind. She resisted these temptations, so the devil turned away from a direct confrontation with the young woman. Instead, he incited her father with an unnatural desire for his daughter. ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Constantinople, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena +2, Edessa, Greece, Turk Seige, defended but P's father hates her and city
Greece, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena, Domnina, and Neollina, Edessa, Macedonia, Greece, story is only about Parthena, E beseiged by Turks, good defense seige lifting, but P's father betrays city for money, he became muslim, he gave her to Turk Pasha, when P not become muslim, father strips her and turns her over to Turks, buried alive, This story fulfills prophecy Christians will be hated by family, but endurance saves.; Edessa, Macedonia, Greece; Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina, and Parthena, Commemorated on January 12; the first Sunday after Theophany (January 7-13), we celebrate the memory of the Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina and Parthena (Νεολλίνα, Δομνίνα, Παρθένα) of Edessa in the Holy Metropolis of Edessa and Pella. is known about Saints Neollina and Domnina, only about Saint Parthena. Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena came from Edessa in Macedonia and was born in the 14th century. Her life was in accord with her virginal name, for she lived ascetically, and with the utmost modesty. the year 1375 Edessa was besieged by the Turks, the residents put up a strong defense, aided and encouraged by Hieromonk Seraphim, the rector of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos. enemy was perfectly organized and numerous, but it as it happened, they were preparing to end the siege. the last minute, Peter, one of the city's priests, who was Parthena's father, was paid a large sum of money by the Turkish Pasha, and so he betrayed the city. Turks invaded Edessa on December 26, 1375 from the southeast, where he was on guard, and where one of the major battles for the city took place. its citizens were massacred or sold into slavery; homes were looted, and women were raped. Seraphim was arrested and subjected to severe torments, and then he was drowned in the great waterfall called "Itseri Pasha" (the Pasha's water). traitor Peter, after his heinous act which led to the fall of the city, denied Christ and became a Muslim. if that were not enough, he also gave his daughter Parthena to the Pasha as a concubine, because he was unable to persuade her to deny Christ. hearing her father's words, Saint Parthena, like another Saint Barbara, shuddered, and with spiritual courage she told her wretched father that she would never deny the sweetest name of her heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. of being put to shame and moved to repentance, he became angry and behaved like a wild beast. He beat the Saint until she was bloody and unconscious. he stripped her and handed her over to the Turks. The soldiers tortured her for three days. In the end, she was led up a hillside, where she was buried alive. To this day, the hill is called Parthena's Hill. shocking as the father's conduct may seem, the Savior predicted that such atrocities would take place: "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by everyone for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:21-22). the prayers of the Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena, may the Lord strengthen us to persevere until the end of our earthly lives, and make us worthy of a small corner of Paradise.

Constantinople, 1380-1388, Patriarch, Nilus, Hesychast, chose H Cyprian for Moscow M
Constantinople, 1380-1388, Patriarch, Nilus of Constantinople, Hesychast Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28;

Constantinople, 1389-1403, Bayezid I, Ottoman Empire Sultan
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1389-1403, Bayezid I; I (c. 1360 - 8 March 1403)[2] was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I[3][4] and Gulcicek Hatun. built one of the largest armies in the known world at the time and unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople. He adopted the title of Sultan-Rum being an old Islamic name for the Roman Empire.[5] decisively defeated the Crusaders at Nicopolis (in modern Bulgaria) in 1396, and was himself defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and died in captivity in March 1403, triggering the Ottoman Interregnum.

Constantinople, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb in Median, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit, to Russia 1390
Median, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Unburning Bush, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit and not consumed, to Russia 1390 from Palestine, 1812 riza return story, 1822 arson fires story; Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; of the Old Testament prototypes pointing to the Mother of God is the Unburnt Bush - the Bush which Moses saw on Mount Horeb. was on fire, but was not consumed (Exodus 3:2). Bush signifies the Mother of God's sinless conception of Christ when the Holy Spirit came upon her and she was overshadowed by the power of the Most High (Luke 1:35). the Angel "revealed the Holy Trinity by naming the Holy Spirit, the Power which is the Son (I Corinthians 1:24), and the Most High which is the Father" (Saint Theophylact, Commentary on the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, chapter 1). Theotokos was born into a fallen world, yet she was absolutely pure, and did not commit any personal sin. remained a Virgin before, during, and after giving birth. the Bush burned and was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth to Thee yet remained a Virgin" (Octoechos, Dogmatikon Tone 2, "The shadow of the Law"). ancient Unburnt Bush Icon shows a bush engulfed in flames. Virgin, with her Child in her arms, is seen above the Bush. image is rare. Icons depict an octagonal star with the Mother of God in the center with a circle of Cherubim around her. She is shown holding Jacob's Ladder, for she calls us to ascend from earth to Heaven. the gate and the rod are depicted as symbols of the Savior, Who in Church hymns is called "a rod from the root of Jesse." star is made up of two quadrangles. One is painted red, like a flame; the other is green, the color of the mysterious Bush seen by Moses. the red points of the star there are four symbols of the Evangelists: a man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke), and an eagle (John). the rays are eight Angels: An Angel shows burning fire, for the earth will be destroyed by fire. The Spirit of wisdom and of the knowledge of God - spring, summer, autumn, and winter. He created all things for man's benefit. The Angel of Thunder shows Christ's second coming, for He shall come in thunder and lightning. The Angel of the spirit of piety. The cutting off of those who proclaim things contrary to the Faith. He holds the cup of the bitterness of God's wrath. The Spirit of the Lord for warmth amid winter, snow, frost, and ice. The Spirit of purification which sends forth dew and mist and rain. The Angel of Thunder and of the fear of God, revealing Christ's second coming, for He shall judge His servants at the end of the world. The Angel of lightning and scorching, i.e. He shall be the righteous Judge, for the lightning shall find all. the four corners of the Icon are the Prophets who prefigure the Virgin: and the Unburnt Bush (Exodus chapter 3); with the Seraphim touching his lips with a live coal (Isaiah 6:6); vision of the gate by which no one could enter except the Lord (Ezekiel 44:1), Jacob's vision of the Ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). to popular belief, this Icon protects the homes of the faithful from fire. a man happened to witness a great fire which engulfed many buildings. Among them was a wooden house which did not burn. A woman stood there motionless, holding an icon of the Unburnt Bush in her hands. Tears ran down her cheeks, but her face expressed complete calm and unshakable faith. She did not seem to be worried about her home, but she wept for the misfortune of others. The fire was intense, but the woman would not move. The man left, marveling at her faith, but he expected her house to be reduced to ashes by the flames. The next day he returned to the spot. the devastation of the fire only the woman's house remained standing, guarded by the power of the Icon. of the oldest icons of the Unburnt Bush is located in Moscow's Annunciation Cathedral. was brought to Russia by Palestinian foreigners in 1390 and, according to tradition, it was painted on a piece of the rock where Moses beheld the mysterious Bush. the Moscow church of the Unburnt Bush at Khamovniki, there is an Icon which was once in the Palace. The ancient writing is beautiful. The size of the Icon measures 1 arshin 12 vershkov long, and 1 arshin 7 vershkov wide. Icon is commemorated twice: on September 4, the Feast Day of the Prophet Moses, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man), because according to tradition, the Icon was transferred from the Kremlin to the newly-consecrated Khamovniki church on that day. was a wondrous event connected with the riza of this Icon, when Russia was attacked by Napoleon in 1812. leaving Moscow, a Polish soldier came to Father Alexei Vvedensky, the priest of the Novodevichii Monastery, and gave him the riza from the Unburnt Bush Icon, begging him to return it to the church from which it was taken. soldier confessed that ever since he took the riza, he had been unable to find peace, and he was tormented by an unbearable melancholia. the same church there is an Icon of the Unburnt Bush (which was donated in 1835) and a smaller, especially revered Icon dating from 1837. depicts someone praying before the Mother of God. In the church there is a special manuscript Service to the Icon with the note: "This Service is chanted on Holy Mount Sinai, whenever someone requests it, or whenever there is terrible lightning." 1822, in the city of Slavyansk, Kharkov gubernia, fires caused by arson became more frequent. residents were at a loss about what to do. it was revealed in a dream to a pious old woman named Belnitskaya that if they painted an Icon of the Unburnt Bush, and served a Moleben before it, the fires would stop. told the Archpriest about her dream, and the Icon was painted right away. After the Liturgy, a Moleben was served before it. that very day, there was another fire, and the arsonist was caught. crafty young woman named Maura had set all the fires. the fires ceased, and the grateful residents had a kiot made for the Icon with the inscription: "In remembrance of the city's deliverance from fire in 1822." The Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity. is also a revered icon of the Unburnt Bush in the village of Kubenskoye, Vologda Province.

Byzantium, 1391-1425, Emperor, Manuel II Palaiologos, help from R of Venice, later England and Europe, letters
Byzantine Emperor, 1391-1425, Manuel II Palaiologos; II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (27 June 1350 - 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the name Matthew. His wife Helena Dragas saw to it that their sons, John VIII Palaiologos and Constantine XI Palaiologos, become emperors. II retook Thessaloniki and the coastline of Thrace. Manuel was also commemorated[by whom?] on July 21.[1] double-headed eagle with the Palaiologos family cypher. II Palaiologos was the second son of Emperor John V Palaiologos and his wife Helena Kantakouzene.[2] Granted the title of despotēs by his father, the future Manuel II traveled west to seek support for the Byzantine Empire in 1365 and in 1370, serving as governor in Thessalonica from 1369. failed attempt at usurpation by his older brother Andronikos IV Palaiologos in 1373 led to Manuel's being proclaimed heir and co-emperor of his father. In 1376–1379 and again in 1390, they were supplanted by Andronikos IV and then his son John VII, but Manuel personally defeated his nephew with help from the Republic of Venice in 1390. Although John V had been restored, Manuel was forced to go as an honorary hostage to the court of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at Prousa (Bursa). During his stay, Manuel was forced to participate in the Ottoman campaign that reduced Philadelpheia, the last Byzantine enclave in Anatolia. of Constantinople and letters to European courts[edit] heard of his father's death in February 1391, Manuel II Palaiologos fled the Ottoman court and secured the capital against any potential claim by his nephew John VII.[3] Although relations with John VII improved, Sultan Bayezid I blockaded Constantinople from 1394 to 1402. In the meantime, an anti-Ottoman crusade led by the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxemburg failed at the Battle of Nicopolis on 25 September 1396. Manuel II had sent 10 ships to help in that Crusade. In October 1397, Theodore Kantakouzenos, Manuel's uncle, alongside John of Natala arrived at the court of Charles VI of France, bearing the Emperor's letters (dated 1 July 1397) requesting the French king's military aid. In addition, Charles also provided funds for the two nobles to treat with King Richard II of England in April 1398, with the aim of soliciting further aid.[4] Though the latter was preoccupied by domestic troubles at this point to provide any support.[a] the two nobles returned home with the Marshal of France Jean II Le Maingre who was sent from Aigues-Mortes with six ships carrying 1,200 men to assist Manuel II. The Marshal encouraged the latter to go personally to seek assistance against the Ottoman Empire from the courts of western Europe. After some five years of siege, Manuel II entrusted the city to his nephew, aided by a French garrison of 300 men led by Seigneur Jean de Châteaumorand and embarked (along with a suite of 40 people) on a long trip abroad along with the Marshal.[5] trip to Europe[edit] 10 December 1399, Manuel II sailed to the Morea, where he left his wife and children with his brother Theodore I Palaiologos to be protected from his nephew's intentions. He later landed in Venice in April 1400, then he went to Padua, Vicenza and Pavia, until he reached Milan, where he met Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and his close friend Manuel Chrysoloras. Afterwards, he met Charles VI of France at Charenton on 3 June 1400.[6] During his stay in France, Manuel II continued to contact European monarchs.[7] to Michel Pintoin who chronicled the visit to Paris: the king raised his hat, and the emperor raised his imperial cap – he had no hat – and both greeted one another in the most honourable way. When he had welcomed [the emperor], the king accompanied him into Paris, riding side by side. They were followed by the Princes of the Blood who, once the banquet in the royal palace finished, escorted [the emperor] to the lodgings which had been prepared for him in the Louvre castle]. — [8] II Palaiologos (left) with Henry IV of England in London, December 1400.[9] December 1400, he embarked to England to meet Henry IV of England who received him at Blackheath on the 21st of that month,[7] making him the only Byzantine emperor ever to visit England, where he stayed at Eltham Palace until mid-February 1401, and a joust took place in his honour.[10] In addition, he received £2,000, in which he acknowledged receipt of the funds in a Latin document and sealed it with his own golden bull.[11][b] Walsingham wrote about Manuel II's visit to England: the same time the Emperor of Constantinople visited England to ask for help against the Turks. The king with an imposing retinue, met him at Blackheath on the feast of St Thomas [21 December], gave so great a hero an appropriate welcome and escorted him to London. He entertained him there royally for many days, paying the expenses of the emperor's stay, and by grand presents showing respect for a person of such eminence. — [12] Moreover, Adam of Usk reported: the feast of St Thomas the apostle [21 December], the emperor of the Greeks visited the king of England in London to seek help against the Saracens, and was honourably received by him, staying with him for two whole months at enormous expense to the king, and being showered with gifts at his departure. This emperor and his men always went about dressed uniformly in long robes cut like tabards which were all of one colour, namely white, and disapproved greatly of the fashions and varieties of dress worn by the English, declaring that they signified inconstancy and fickleness of heart. No razor ever touched the heads or beards of his priests. These Greeks were extremely devout in their religious services, having them chanted variously by knights or by clerics, for they were sung in their native tongue. I thought to myself how sad it was that this great Christian leader from the remote east had been driven by the power of the infidels to visit distant islands in the west in order to seek help against them. — [13] Manuel II sent a letter to his friend Manuel Chrysoloras, describing his visit to England: what is the reason for the present letter? A large number of letters have come to us from all over bearing excellent and wonderful promises, but most important is the ruler with whom we are now staying, the king of Britain the Great, of a second civilized world, you might say, who abounds in so many good qualities and is adorned with all sorts of virtues. His reputation earns him the admiration of people who have not met him, while for those who have once seen him, he proves brilliantly that Fame is not really a goddess, since she is unable to show the man to be as great as does actual experience. This ruler, then, is most illustrious because of his position, most illustrious too, because of his intelligence; his might amazes everyone, and his understanding wins him friends; he extends his hand to all and in every way he places himself at the service of those who need help. And now, in accord with his nature, he has made himself a virtual haven for us in the midst of a twofold tempest, that of the season and that of fortune, and we have found refuge in the man himself and his character. His conversation is quite charming; he pleases us in every way; he honours us to the greatest extent and loves us no less. Although he has gone to extremes in all he has done for us, he seems almost to blush in the belief—in this he is alone—that he might have fallen considerably short of what he should have done. This is how magnanimous the man is. — [14] II later returned to France with high hopes of substantial help and funds for Constantinople. In the meantime, he sent delegations with relics including pieces of the tunic of Christ and a piece of the Holy Sponge to Pope Boniface IX and Antipope Benedict XIII, Queen Margaret I of Denmark, king Martin of Aragon and king Charles III of Navarre to seek further assistance.[15][16] He eventually left France on 23 November 1402,[17] and finally returned to Constantinople in June 1403. Ottoman sieges[edit] Ottomans were themselves crushingly defeated by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. As the sons of Bayezid I struggled with each other over the succession in the Ottoman Interregnum, John VII was able to secure the return of the European coast of the Sea of Marmara and of Thessalonica to the Byzantine Empire in the Treaty of Gallipoli. When Manuel II returned home in 1403, his nephew duly surrendered control of Constantinople and received as a reward the governorship of newly recovered Thessalonica. The treaty also regained from the Ottomans Mesembria (1403–1453), Varna (1403–1415), and the Marmara coast from Scutari to Nicomedia (between 1403–1421). of the southern Balkans and western Anatolia in 1410, following the Treaty of Gallipoli stavraton coin by Manuel. On the reverse, Manuel's bust. Manuel II kept contact with Venice, Genoa, Paris and Aragon, by sending envoy Manuel Chrysoloras in 1407–8, pursuing to form a coalition against the Ottomans.[18] 25 July 1414, with a fleet consisting of four galleys and two other vessels carrying contingents of infantry and cavalry, departed Constantinople for Thessalonica. The purpose of this force soon became clear when he made an unannounced stop at Thasos, a normally unimportant island which was then under threat from a son of the lord of Lesbos, Francesco Gattilusio. It took Manuel three months to reassert imperial authority on the island. Only then did he continue on to Thessalonica, where he was warmly met by his son Andronicus, who then governed the city. the spring of 1415, he and his soldiers left for the Peloponnese, arriving at the little port of Kenchreai on Good Friday, 29 March. Manuel II Palaiologos used his time there to bolster the defences of the Despotate of Morea, where the Byzantine Empire was actually expanding at the expense of the remnants of the Latin Empire. Here Manuel supervised the building of the Hexamilion (six-mile wall) across the Isthmus of Corinth, intended to defend the Peloponnese from the Ottomans. II stood on friendly terms with the victor in the Ottoman civil war, Mehmed I (1402–1421), but his attempts to meddle in the next contested succession led to a new assault on Constantinople by Murad II (1421–1451) in 1422. During the last years of his life, Manuel II relinquished most official duties to his son and heir John VIII Palaiologos, and went back to Europe searching for assistance against the Ottomans, this time to the King Sigismund of Hungary, staying for two months in his court of Buda. Sigismund (after suffering a defeat against the Turks in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396) never rejected the possibility of fighting against the Ottoman Empire. However, with the Hussite wars in Bohemia, it was impossible to count on the Czech or German armies, and the Hungarian ones were needed to protect the Kingdom and control the religious conflicts.[19] Unhappily Manuel returned home with empty hands from the Hungarian Kingdom, and in 1424 he and his son were forced to sign an unfavourable peace treaty with the Ottoman Turks, whereby the Byzantine Empire had to pay tribute to the sultan. II who had been paralyzed by a stroke since October 1, 1422, and lived his last months as a monk called "Matthew", died on 21 July 1425, aged 75.[20] II was the author of numerous works of varied character, including letters, poems, a Saint's Life, treatises on theology and rhetoric, and an epitaph for his brother Theodore I Palaiologos and a mirror of princes for his son and heir John. This mirror of princes has special value, because it is the last sample of this literary genre bequeathed to us by Byzantines. miniature from the Louvre MS. Ivoires 100 manuscript, depicting Manuel II, Helena and three of their sons - the co-emperor John VIII and the Despots Theodore and Andronikos. his wife Helena Dragas, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragas, Manuel II Palaiologos had several children, including: A daughter. Mentioned as the eldest daughter but not named. Possibly confused with Isabella Palaiologina, an illegitimate daughter of Manuel II known to have married Ilario Doria. Constantine Palaiologos. Born ca. 1393/8, died before 1405 in Monemvasia.[21] John VIII Palaiologos (18 December 1392 – 31 October 1448). Byzantine emperor, 1425–1448. Andronikos Palaiologos, Lord of Thessalonica (d. 1429). A second daughter. Also not named in the text. Theodore II Palaiologos, Lord of Morea (d. 1448). Michael Palaiologos. Born 1406/7, died 1409/10 of the plague.[22] Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos (8 February 1405 – 29 May 1453). Despotēs in the Morea and subsequently the last Byzantine emperor, 1448–1453. Demetrios Palaiologos (c. 1407–1470). Despotēs in the Morea. Thomas Palaiologos (c. 1409 – 12 May 1465). Despotēs in the Morea. Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 22 ; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1397-1405, Matthew I, Patriarch
Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1397, part of The Robe was transferred from C to Rus by St Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Constantinople, 1398-1426 & 1999, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica, k by Turks, story revealed miraculously 500yrs later
Greece, 1398-1426 & 1999, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth and Athens area), , priest men's monastery story revealed miraculously 500 yrs later, withstood extreme Turk tortures, left for dead, tortured again, 500 yrs later 1999 Mother Woman's monastery asked God to show her a martyred saint from the Men's monastery and he did. God told her where to dig. Ephriam told her his story.; Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on January 3; holy New Martyr and wonderworker Ephraim was born in Greece on September 14, 1384. His father died when the saint was young, and his pious mother was left to care for seven children by herself. Ephraim reached the age of fourteen, the all-good God directed his steps to a monastery on the mountain of Amoman near Nea Makri in Attica. monastery was dedicated to the Annunciation and also to Saint Paraskevḗ. he took on his shoulders the Cross of Christ, which all His followers must bear (Matt. 16:24). enflamed with love for God, Saint Ephraim eagerly placed himself under the monastic discipline. For nearly twenty-seven years he imitated the life of the great Fathers and ascetics of the desert. divine zeal, he followed Christ and turned away from the attractions of this world. By the grace of God, he purified himself from soul-destroying passions and became an abode of the All-Holy Spirit. was also found worthy to receive the grace of the priesthood, and served at the altar with great reverence and compunction. September 14, 1425, the barbarous Turks launched an invasion by sea, destroying the monastery and and looting the surrounding area. Ephraim was one of the victims of their frenzied hatred. Many of the monks had been tortured and beheaded, but Saint Ephraim remained calm. infuriated the Turks, so they imprisoned him in order to torture him and force him to deny Christ. locked him in a small cell without food or water, and they beat him every day, hoping to convince him to become a Moslem. several months, he endured horrible torments. the Turks realized that the saint remained faithful to Christ, they decided to put him to death. On Tuesday May 5, 1426, they led him from his cell. They turned him upside down and tied him to a mulberry tree, then they beat him and mocked him. “Where is your God,” they asked, “and why doesn’t he help you?” The saint did not lose courage, but prayed, “O God, do not listen to the words of these men, but may Thy will be done as Thou hast ordained.” barbarians pulled the saint’s beard and tortured him until his strength ebbed. His blood flowed, and his clothes were in tatters. His body was almost naked and covered with many wounds. Still the Hagarenes were not satisfied, but wished to torture him even more. One of them took a flaming stick and plunged it violently into the saint’s navel. His screams were heart-rending, so great was his pain. The blood flowed from his stomach, but the Turks did not stop. They repeated the same painful torments many times. His body writhed, and all his limbs were convulsed. Soon, the saint grew too weak to speak, so he prayed silently asking God to forgive his sins. Blood and saliva ran from his mouth, and the ground was soaked with his blood. Then he lapsed into unconsciousness. that he had died, the Turks cut the ropes which bound him to the tree, and the saint’s body fell to the ground. Their rage was still not diminished, so they continued to kick and beat him. After a while, the saint opened his eyes and prayed, “Lord, I give up my spirit to Thee.” About nine o’clock in the morning, the martyr’s soul was separated from his body. things remained forgotten for nearly 500 years, hidden in the depths of silence and oblivion until January 3, 1950. By then a women’s monastery had sprung up on the site of the old monastery. Makaria (+ April 23, 1999) was wandering through the ruins of the monastery, thinking of the martyrs whose bones had been scattered over that ground, and whose blood had watered the tree of Orthodoxy. She realized that this was a holy place, and she prayed that God would permit her to behold one of the Fathers who had lived there. some time, she seemed to sense an inner voice telling her to dig in a certain spot. She indicated the place to a workman whom she had hired to make repairs at the old monastery. man was unwilling to dig there, for he wanted to dig somewhere else. Because the man was so insistent, Mother Makaria let him go where he wished. She prayed that the man would not be able to dig there, and so he struck rock. Although he tried to dig in three or four places, he met with the same results. Finally, he agreed to dig where the abbess had first indicated. the ruins of an old cell, he cleared away the rubble and began to dig in an angry manner. abbess told him to slow down, for she did not want him to damage the body that she expected to find there. He mocked her because she expected to find the relics of a saint. he reached the depth of six feet, however, he unearthed the head of the man of God. that moment an ineffable fragrance filled the air. The workman turned pale and was unable to speak. Mother Makaria told him to go and leave her there by herself. She knelt and reverently kissed the body. she cleared away more earth, she saw the sleeves of the saint’s rasson. The cloth was thick and appeared to have been woven on the loom of an earlier time. She uncovered the rest of the body and began to remove the bones, which appeared to be those of a martyr. Makaria was still in that holy place when evening fell, so she read the service of Vespers. she heard footsteps coming from the grave, moving across the courtyard toward the door of the church. The footsteps were strong and steady, like those of a man of strong character. The nun was afraid to turn around and look, but then she heard a voice say, “How long are you going to leave me here?” saw a tall monk with small, round eyes, whose beard reached his chest. In his left hand was a bright light, and he gave a blessing with his right hand. Mother Makaria was filled with joy and her fear disappeared. “Forgive me,” she said, “I will take care of you tomorrow as soon as God makes the day dawn.” The saint disappeared, and the abbess continued to read Vespers. the morning after Matins, Mother Makaria cleaned the bones and placed them in a niche in the altar area of the church, lighting a candle before them. That night Saint Ephraim appeared to her in a dream. He thanked her for caring for his relics, then he said, “My name is Saint Ephraim.” From his own lips, she heard the story of his life and martyrdom. Saint Ephraim glorified God in his life and by his death, the Lord granted him the grace of working miracles. who venerate his holy relics with faith and love have been healed of all kinds of illnesses and infirmities, and he is quick to answer the prayers of those who call upon him. Ephraim is also commemorated on May 5. New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Constantinople, 1400-1453, Folder, 15th Century, Ottoman Civil War, C. of Florence

Constantinople, 1401-1431, Marcarius oMt Athos, Vatopedi m, t Pantocrator m Constantinople, Emperor's Chaplain
Greece, Mt Athos, 1401-1431, Marcarius of Mt Athos, Vatopedi monastery, to Pantocrator Monastery Constantinople, fThessalonica, tVatopedi when young, later tConstantinople& Igumen Pantocrator & Emperor Manuel II Paleologos' Chaplain, Died Chalke epidemic; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Macarius was born in Thessalonica during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, and went to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos when he was young. Later, he went to Constantinople and became igumen of the Monastery of the Pantocrator, and chaplain to the Emperor. died in 1431 during an epidemic in Chalke.

Constantinople, 1402-1413, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1402-1413, Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7;

Constantinople, 1405-1410, Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A
Byzantine Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Uniate

Constantinople, 1410-1416, Patriarch, Euthymius II of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1410-1416, Euthymius II of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1412-1444, Mark of Ephesus, Byzantine Saint
Byzantine Saint, 1412-1444, Mark of Ephesus; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1413-1421, Mehmed I, Sultan restorer, Anatolia, conquest of Wallacia, Venice destroyed fleet
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1413-1421, Mehmed I; I (1389 – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi or Krisci,[3] was the Ottoman sultan from 1413 to 1421. fourth son of Sultan Bayezid I and Devlet Hatun, he fought with his brothers over control of the Ottoman realm in the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413). Starting from the province of Rum he managed to bring first Anatolia and then the European territories (Rumelia) under his control, reuniting the Ottoman state by 1413, and ruling it until his death in 1421. The Restorer, he reestablished central authority in Anatolia, and expanded the Ottoman presence in Europe by the conquest of Wallachia in 1415. Venice destroyed his fleet off Gallipoli in 1416, as the Ottomans lost a naval war.[4] St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1416-1439, Joseph II, Patriarch of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1416-1439, Joseph II of Constantinople; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1421-1444, 1446-1451, Murat II, Ottoman Empire Sultan , economic development, could have invaded Europe
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1421-1451, Murat II; II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…Ø±Ø§Ø¯ ثانى‎, romanized: MurÄd-Ä± sÄnÄ«, Turkish: II. Murad, 16 June 1404[1][2] – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. II's reign was a period of important economic development. Trade increased and Ottoman cities expanded considerably. In 1432, the traveller Bertrandon de la Broquière noted that Ottoman annual revenue had risen to 2,500,000 ducats, and that if Murad II had used all available resources he could easily have invaded Europe.[4] St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Byzantium, 1425-1448, Emperor, John VIII Palaiologos, consented to union with Roman Church
Byzantine Emperor, 1425-1448, John VIII Palaiologos; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1431-1449, Byzantine and Holy Roman Council, Council of Florence
Byzantine Council, 1431-1449, Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1431-1457, St Mark tArchbishop oEphesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy
Northern Italy, 1431-1457, St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy, against theological compromise& Political expediency, Byzantine Emperor seeking military assistance against Moslems, M's drawing close tConstan, Mark countered wPure Theology, from Holy Fathers, members from his Ephesian delegation tried changing his mind, he countered, there can be no compromis in matters Orthodox faith. but they signed Tomos oUnion, mark only discenter, died 1457 a52; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus">Ephesus; Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated January 19; Mark Eugenikos, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Florence. would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on theological compromise political expediency (the Byzantine Emperor was seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever closer to Constantinople). Mark countered the arguments of his opponents, from the well of pure theology, the teachings of the holy Fathers. the members of his own delegation tried to pressure him into accepting the Union replied, “There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith.” the members of the Orthodox delegation signed the Tomos of Union, Saint Mark was the only one who refused to do so. he returned from Florence, Saint Mark urged the inhabitants of Constantinople to repudiate the dishonorable document of union. died in 1457 at the age of fifty-two, admired and honored by all.

Constantinople, 1439-1450, Gregory III, Patriarch of Constantinople
Constantinople, 1439-1450, Patriarch, Gregory III of Constantinople ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1444-1446, 1451-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Muslim Caesar of the Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1444-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror; II (30 March 1432 - 3 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( lit. The Father of Conquest; Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmed), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. the conquest Mehmed claimed the title "Caesar" of the Roman Empire, based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I.[4] The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as continuing the Empire rather than replacing it. continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. At home he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Byzantium, 1449-1453, Emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, died at fall of C
Byzantine Emperor, 1449-1453, Constantine XI Palaiologos; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2;

Constantinople, 1450-1505, Savva of Ioannina, Epirus, hechycast, never angry, said Humility is cornerstone of spiritual life
Greece, 1450-1505, Saint Savva of Ioannina, Epirus, Greece (Lake Pamvotis), spiritual father Nectarios&Theophanes, +1550&+1554, aristocrat son, loved poverty, lived humble poor hermit, never seen angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility. He said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” hechycast, no: meat, fish, cheese, or even oil on food; Ioannina (Lake Pamvotis) ; Saint Savva of Ioannina, Commemorated on February 3; is not known where Saint Savva was born. He lived a life of asceticism in the Holy Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner on an island in the lake of Ioannina around the middle of the XV century. was the Spiritual Father of Saints Nektarios (+ 1550) and Theophanes (+ 1544), who were descended from the distinguished Apsaras family of the Byzantine Empire. They are commemorated jointly on May 17. Savva was the son of an aristocratic family, from an early age he loved the poverty of Jesus Christ. Until his last breath, he lived as a humble and poor hermit. one ever saw him angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility, concerning which he himself said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” was a hechycast, and his ascetical life was very strict. He prayed every night until morning. His food was plain, and he ate very little. No meat, fish, or cheese ever appeared on his table, and he never poured a drop of oil on his food. Savva reposed peacefully in 1505. When he delivered his soul to the Lord, an inexpressible fragrance arose from the tabernacle of his body. The saint was buried in the monastery of Honorable Forerunner. A holy relic of the saint is kept and revered in the Roussanou Monastery of the Transfiguration at Meteora.

Constantinople, 1453-1922, Folder, Ottoman Period, The Turks

Constantinople, 1453-1499, 15th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Fall of Constantinople

Constantinople, 1453, Fall of Constantinople
Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople (1453); Ottoman Empire; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, Stephen B's son, monk aManasija, 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, fled tRomania, became Met
Serbia, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, son oKing Stephen Brancovich, monk aManasija monastery, Serbia (Great Morava River 1), 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, he fled to Romania where became Met oWallachia; Manasija monastery; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; Maximus the New was the son of King Stephen of Serbia (December 10). became a monk at Manasija, had to flee into a mountainous region of Romania because of the Moslems. was consecrated as Metropolitan of Wallachia. a life of great spiritual endeavors, he fell asleep in the Lord on January 18, 1516 in a monastery he had founded.

Constantinople, 1460-1500, Nectarius oBitel, Bulgaria, mother's MOG vision tFlee, Athos clairvoyant, suffered envy, c humility
Bulgaria, 1460-1500, Nectarius oBitel (Butili) near Kuklen and Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5), before turk invasion, mother's vision MOG told her to flee tHiding, father took N tHoly Unvercenaries Monastery, near Bitel, later N went tAthos, clairvoyant elder accepted him, suffered envy, displayed complete humility, charity, d 1500; Kuklen Monastery of St.St. Kosma and Damyan, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Maritza River 5) ; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Saint Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Nectarius of Bitel was born in the small town of Bitel (or Butili) in Bulgaria. In the world he was named Nicholas. a Turkish invasion his mother had a vision: the Most Holy Virgin Herself appeared and told her to flee and go into hiding with her husband and children. ’s father, having taken the boy with him, withdrew to a monastery dedicated to the Holy Unmercenaries (Saints Cosmas and Damian), not far from Bitel, where he became a monk with the name Pachomius. having reached adolescence, went on to Athos. clairvoyant Elder Philotheus accepted him and tonsured him into the angelic schema with the name Nectarius. monk suffered for a long time from the envy and spite of one of the novices, but he displayed complete humility. was distinguished for his charity. money he obtained from his handicraft was distributed to the poor. Saint Nectarius died in the year 1500.

Constantinople, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, founded community, tried to move but MOG said my garden is here
Moldovia, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, Moldovia, went to Lords Tomb in J, tJordan Valley Wilderness, exalted spirit experience, founded community, Arabs invaded, back tRomania, Bistrita M, rule otSleepless, Turks came, tMt Athos but MOG, back my garden is here in Moldovia Bistritsa Monastery; Saint Joseph of Bisericani Monastery (late XV century), Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Father was the first known hermit on Mount Bisericani, and the founder of a Monastery with the same name. was born in a village in Neamț county and, being inclined toward the monastic life from a young age, he entered Bistrița Monastery. he was trained in monasticism and learned about the spiritual life from the older Fathers, also taught him about fasting and unceasing prayer. Venerable Joseph, seeing that he did not have much peace at Bistrița Monastery, he left with the Igoumen's blessing went to worship at the Lord's tomb in Jerusalem. then retired to the wilderness of the Jordan Valley, and within a few years after his arrival, he was a famous hermit. lived in a cave, alone at first, then with a few disciples, enduring many temptations from the devil. a life of exalted spiritual experience, he gathered seventeen monks around him, and founded the first Romanian spiritual community in the Holy Land. when Arabs invaded the Holy Places, causing great turmoil, Saint Joseph took his disciples and went to Bistrița Monastery in Moldavia. Saint Joseph's hermitage moved from the Jordan Valley to Moldavia, on Mount Bisericani. the number of disciples increased, he built a small church dedicated to the Annunciation, and built cells around it. the monastic life here, he established the Rule of the sleepless, after the model of the Stoudion Monastery in Constantinople, which involved unceasing prayer in church and in the cells, fasting, prostrations, singing psalms, listening, and love. the Turks came and set fire to their church, they decided to go to Holy Mount Athos. On the way, however, they saw Most Holy Mother of God in an oak tree, who asked them, "Where are you going?" At this wondrous sight they replied, "We are going to your garden;"1 and the Mother of God then said to them, "Return, for my garden is here." remembrance of this miracle, they placed an icon of the Mother of God there. the Hermitage of the Venerable Joseph was called "Bisericani Skete." that is, "of the godly," because the monks prayed here with tears, and many were cured of their diseases through Saint Joseph's prayers and blessings. 1 Mount Athos is known as the Garden of the Theotokos.

Constantinople, 1481-1521, Bayezid II, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, resettled Jews, consolidated E, thwarted Safavid rebellion
Constantinople, 1481-1521, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Bayezid II; Bayezid II ( December 1447 -26 May 1512, Turkish: II. Bayezid) was the eldest son and successor of Mehmed II, ruling as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid II consolidated the Ottoman Empire and thwarted a Safavid rebellion soon before abdicating his throne to his son, Selim I. He is most notable for evacuating Sephardi Jews from Spain after the proclamation of the Alhambra Decree, and resettling them throughout Ottoman lands, especially in Salonica. St. Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12;

Constantinople, 1486-1496, Despot, George Brancovich, aka Maximus tNew, relinquished, monk, krusedol monastery, Romanian envoy
Serbian Prince, 1486-1496, George Brancovich ; as George; also known as Saint Maksim; b. 1461 “ d. 1516) was the last male member of the Brankovic dynasty, and titular Despot of Serbia from 1486 to 1497. The title was granted to him by Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. From 1493, he shared the title with his brother Jovan. In 1497, he relinquished all titles and possessions to his brother, and decided to take monastic vows, adopting the name Maksim. built the Kruskedol monastery, and served as diplomatic envoy for prince Radu IV the Great of Wallachia (1507). 1513, he became Metropolitan of Belgrade. After his death (1516), he was venerated as saint, and canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1][2] Son of Serbian Prince, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Constantinople, 1486-1502, Nephon II, Patriarch of Constantinople, Romania, Athos
Byzantine Patriarch, 1486-1502, Nephon II of Constantinople; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Nḗphon II, the Patriarch of Constantinople, was from the Peloponnesos. His parents were named Manuel and Maria, and he was named Nicholas in Holy Baptism. Later, he was tonsured as a monk at Epidauros, receiving the new name Nephon. the death of his Elder Anthony, he went to Mount Athos, where he occupied himself by copying books. Afterward, he was chosen as Metropolitan of Thessaloniki. In 1486 he occupied the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. in 1488, the Saint went to the Holy Mountain, at first to Vatopedi Monastery, and then to the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner (Dionysiou). He concealed his rank and occupied the lowliest position. By God’s providence, his rank was revealed to the brethren of the monastery. Once, when the Saint was returning from the forest where he had gone for firewood, all the brethren went out to meet him, greeting him as Patriarch. But even after this, the Saint continued to share various tasks with the brethren. all, he served three times as Patriarch of Constantinople: 1486-1488; 1497-1498; and 1502. Nephon reposed on September 3, 1508 at the age of 90. Immediately after his death, he was honored as a Saint in many places. On August 16, 1517, in the newly-established monastery of Curtea de Argeş, Patriarch Theoleptos of Constantinople, together with the Synod of the Romanian Lands, and the Igoumens of the Athonite monasteries, performed the solemn glorification of Saint Nḗphon, decreeing that his Feast Day be celebrated on August 11th. relics are kept in a shrine at the Monastery of Dionysiou, where there is also a chapel dedicated to him. In gratitude, the Athonite monks gave the Saint's head and hand to Nyagoe Basarab, who placed them in the Monastery he built at Curtea de Argeş in what is now Romania. In the XVIII century, these relics were placed in a silver reliquary. the behest of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, they were brought to Craiova, to the church of Saint Demetrios, the Metropolitan cathedral of Oltenia on October 25, 1949. In 2009, the relics of Saint Nephon were moved to the Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord at Targoviste. Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Constantinople, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way.

Constantinople, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests,
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9

Constantinople, 1500-1599, 16th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Suleiman the Magnificent

Constantinople, 1501, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance
Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance; Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Constantinople, 1501, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle, Capital o1st Bulgarian Empire, relics wonderful fragrance
Greece, 1500, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire, raised by father, a monk at Cosmas&Damian Monastery iB, tonsured aMt Athos under Philotheus&Dionysius, exceptional bodily afflictions like Job, died 1500, relics uncovered 1504 wonderous fragrance; Bitolya ; Venerable and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Nectarius of Mount Athos was raised by his father, became a monk at the monastery of the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian in Bitolya (Bulgaria). himself was tonsured on Mount Athos, and performed his obedience under experienced spiritual guides, Saint Philotheus and the Elder Dionysius. Job, the monk experienced exceptional bodily afflictions, he peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord on December 5, 1500. holy relics of the saint were uncovered four years later, exuding a wondrous fragrance.

Constantinople, 1510-1570, Dionysius, Dionysios M, cross shone over Crib, ascetic life, strict fast, spiritual heights, mMiracls
Greece, 1510-1570, Dionysius oAgios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus, cross shone over his crib, fond reading spirital books, monk after parents died, tMeteora, tAthos, pious Elder Seraphim, ascetic life, strict fast, passion week only chestnuts, deacon then priest, exhaulted life became known, monks came, & lawless people into salvation, robber by his kind wise words, Philotheou m monks asked, but not enough votes, dissensions arose, withdrew, tVerria, later tOlympus to avoid being bishop, zealous fMonasticism to him, built cells for them and Church, fasting&Prayer, spiritual heights, many miracles, through prayers Lord punished iniquitious people opressing monks, severe drought and hail for Turk holdings who had expelled monks destroyed m, impudent maiden devil assault, then all healing deliverance through D's prayers, D compiled monastic life rule, built monastery for Prophet Elias 1542, 16th Century, advanced age; Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; Dionysius of Olympus was born into a family of poor parents in the village of Platina. he was an infant, the Cross shone over his crib. of prayer and reading spiritual books from his youth, Saint Dionysius decided to become a monk after the death of his parents. this aim he went to Meteora, and then to Mount Athos. he lived with a pious Elder, the priest Seraphim, and under his guidance he began to lead an ascetic life, keeping a strict fast. Passion Week he went into the forest, and ate only chestnuts. he was ordained deacon, and then priest. exalted life of Saint Dionysius became known, and many monks came to hear his edifying words. also guided many lawless people onto the path of salvation, whom was a robber who intended to rob the saint’s cell, but was moved to repentance by the Elder’s kind and wise words. brethren of the Philotheou monastery lost their igumen and asked Saint Dionysius to be their head. he did not receive enough votes, and dissensions arose. peace and love most of all, Saint Dionysius withdrew and went to Verria. he fled to Mount Olympus in order to avoid being consecrated as a bishop. those zealous for monasticism began to flock to him. built cells for them and also a church and they spent their time in fasting and prayer. attained the spiritual heights, he worked many miracles. through the prayers of the saint, the Lord punished iniquitous people who oppressed the monks of Olympus or broke the commandments of Christ. holdings of a Turk who had expelled the monks and wrecked their monastery were destroyed by severe drought and by hail. cattle of a herdsman who had oppressed the monastery were stricken with disease and sickness; of her impudence, a maiden from one of the villages was subjected to an assault of the devil. all received healing and deliverance from misfortune through the prayers of Saint Dionysius, after being led to penitence by his lack of malice. saint compiled a Rule for monastic life, was an example of monastic activity. built a church on Olympus, and also a monastery dedicated to the Prophet Elias. left the brethren his final testament about the monastic life based on the Rule of the Holy Mountain. Dionysius died in the sixteenth century at an advanced age, and was buried on Olympus, in the church portico of the monastery he founded.

Constantinople, 1512-1520, Selim I, Ottoman Sultan, Calif, e expansion, including Egypt Mamluk's, guardian p routes
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1512-1520, Selim I, Islam Calif; I (10 October 1470 - 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute[3], was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520.[4] lasting only eight years, his reign is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire, particularly his conquest between 1516 and 1517 of the entire Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, which included all of the Levant, Hejaz, Tihamah, and Egypt itself. the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 576,900 sq mi (1,494,000 km2), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.[4] conquest of the Middle Eastern heartlands of the Muslim world, and particularly his assumption of the role of guardian of the pilgrimage routes to Mecca and Medina, established the Ottoman Empire as the most prestigious of all Muslim states. conquests dramatically shifted the empire's geographical and cultural center of gravity away from the Balkans and toward the Middle East. the eighteenth century, Selim's conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate had come to be romanticized as the moment when the Ottomans seized leadership over the rest of the Muslim world, and consequently Selim is popularly remembered as the first legitimate Ottoman Caliph, although stories of an official transfer of the caliphal office from the Mamluk Abbasid dynasty to the Ottomans were a later invention.[5] Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St Stephen Stiljianovitch of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Constantinople, 1512-1520, George oSofia, Bulgaria, childless p, turk fez, large fire fHim, heavy rain, bright light, holy rlics
Bulgaria, 1512-1520, George of Sofia, Bulgaria (at the foot of Mt Vitosha, Iskar River 1)), childless parents prayed for him, turks put fez on head, boldly confessed, rods but persevered, large fire to burn him, heavy rain, bright light, holy relics Sofia, occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula ; Saint George, New Martyr of Sofia, Commemorated on February 11; Holy Martyr George the New was born into an illustrious Bulgarian family, living in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sredets (now the city of Sofia). George’s childless parents, John and Mary, in their declining years entreated the Lord to send them a child. Their prayer was answered, and they baptized the infant with the name of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23). George received a fine upbringing, he attentively studied the Holy Scriptures, and he was pious and chaste. parents died when George was twenty-five. At that time Bulgaria found itself under the rule of the Turks, who forcibly converted Christians to Islam. several Moslems tried to convert George. They put a fez on the saint’s head. This is a red circular hat which Moslems wear to enter their house of prayer. But George threw the fez on the ground. The Turks brought the martyr to their governor with beatings and abuse. governor was impressed with Saint George’s appearance and bearing, and he urged him to accept Islam, promising honors and wealth from Sultan Selim (1512-1520). saint boldly and steadfastly confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and reproached the errors of Islam. governor in a rage gave orders to beat Saint George with rods, but the saint persevered in his confession of faith in Christ. governor ordered the tortures to be increased. The passion-bearer bore all his sufferings, calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for help. Then they led the martyr through the city to the beat of a drum and shouts: “Do not insult Mohammed nor abase the Moslem faith”. a large fire was lit in the city, to burn Saint George. Weakened by his wounds, the saint fell to the ground. They threw him into the fire still alive, and they threw corpses of dogs on top of him so that Christians would not be able to find the relics of the martyr. a heavy rain fell and extinguished the fire. With the onset of darkness, the place where the body of the martyr was thrown was illumined with a bright light. They gave permission to a certain Christian priest to take the venerable relics of the martyr for burial. Informed about the occurrence, Metropolitan Jeremiah and his clergy went to the place of execution. In the ashes of the fire they located the body of the holy Martyr George and carried it to the church of Saint George the Great Martyr in the city of Sredets. May 26, 1515 the holy relics of Saint George were removed from the grave, placed in a coffin, and then brought into the church, where they have remained ever since. The Church honors Saint George twice during the year: on February 11, the day of his martyrdom, and on May 26, the uncovering of his holy relics.

Constantinople, 1515-1546, Elena, wife o S Stiljianovitch, fled tGermany, back after grave light, became monastic, b monastery
Serbia, 1515-1546, Princess Elena, wife of Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, whose Light from his grave attracts Turks, fled to Germany, came back after grave light incorrupption discovered, became monastic, founded monastery; Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4; Elena was the wife of the Despot Stephen Štiljanović who is also venerated as a Saint. After his death around 1515, she fled to Germany in order to escape from the Turks. a light appeared at his grave by night, which led to the discovery of his holy relics. Saint's body was kept for a long time in the monastery of Šišatovacnto at Fruška Gora. she learned that her husband's incorrupt relics had been uncovered, Saint Elena went to the monastery to venerate them. witnessing the miracles which took place at his grave, she decided to remain there with the monastic name Jelisaveta. to Tradition, she founded the Monastery of Petkovica in 1522. a life of asceticism, Saint Elena reposed in 1546. is reason to believe that she was buried at the Convent of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sremski Karlovci. Serbia, 1515, Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, Light from his grave attracts Turks; Stephen Stiljianovich of Serbia was born into a pious Christian family in the Serbian city of Zhupa (south of Zakholmya). During this time Serbia was often subjected to invasions by the Turks, who devastated the land. Saint Stephen defended his native land, did military service in the army of the Serbian ruler. When famine began in the country, the kindly Saint Stephen distributed his own bread to the hungry. patriotic activity of the saintly soldier was indissolubly bound up with his truly Christian life. œIn virtue, he lived as an ascetic with charity, purity, prayer, the Orthodox Faith and unhypocritical love of neighbor. saint fell asleep in the Lord on October 4, 1515. After a time, the Turks saw a light shining over his grave. Thinking that they had found a hidden treasure, they opened the grave and found the incorrupt body of Saint Stephen. Serbian monks ransomed the relics from the Turkish Pasha and transferred them to the Shishatovets monastery on Mount Phrushtsk. Serbian Church prays to him as a glorious righteous defender of his native land, œGlory in the struggles, warrior Stephen Stiljianovich, great healer of those who pray to you in faith.

Constantinople, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou m, Heavenly Revelations, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, false Turk charges
Greece, Mt Athos, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou monesteries, Mt Athos, tonsured at D, tSkete St John, restored it, Heavenly Revelations, mansions oParadise, depths oHades, perceive hearts & secret thoughts, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, healed&instructed iAetolia, false Turk charges, confessed Christ, severe torments 17days, relics Anastasia m, Galatista, Thess; Docheiariou monastery; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; James was tonsured at Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. Moving to the neglected Georgian Skete of Saint John the Baptist, he restored it under the supervision of Elder Ignatius. various obediences in the monastery, Saint James ascended to the heights of purity. was granted heavenly revelations, as was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), the Saint also beheld the mansions of Paradise and the depths of Hades. God's grace, Saint James was able to perceive the mysteries of human hearts, and the secret thoughts of those who came to him. was also found worthy of the gift of performing miracles. visiting Aetolia with his disciples, he healed the sick and instructed all. Turkish authorities fabricated false charges against the Saint, accusing him of fomenting rebellion. In this manner, they tried to force Saint James into renouncing Orthodoxy. James and both of his disciples, Deacon James and the Monk Dionysios, endured the most severe torments for seventeen days, receiving the crown of martyrdom on November 1, 1520. relics of the Monastic Martyrs, glorified by miracles, were placed in the monastery of Saint Anastasia, the Deliverer from Potions, in the small town of Galatista, near Thessaloniki. a short time, the fame of the holy relics attracted about 100 brethren to the monastery under the Igoumen Saint Theonas (April 4), who was himself a disciple of Saint James.

Constantinople, 1520-1566, Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Islam Calif, Lawgiver, apex of power
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1520-1566, Suleiman the Magnificent, Islam Calif ; I (6 November 1494 – 6 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver in his realm, was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until his death in 1566.[2]:541–45 Under his administration, the Ottoman caliphate ruled over at least 25 million people. succeeded his father as sultan in September 1520 and began his reign with campaigns against the Christian powers in central Europe and the Mediterranean. fell to him in 1521 and the island of Rhodes in 1522–23. At Mohács, in August 1526, Suleiman broke the military strength of Hungary. became a prominent monarch of 16th-century Europe, presiding over the apex of the Ottoman Empire's economic, military and political power. Suleiman personally led Ottoman armies in conquering the Christian strongholds of Belgrade and Rhodes as well as most of Hungary before his conquests were checked at the Siege of Vienna in 1529. annexed much of the Middle East in his conflict with the Safavids and large areas of North Africa as far west as Algeria. Under his rule, the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and through the Persian Gulf.[3]:61 the helm of an expanding empire, Suleiman personally instituted major judicial changes relating to society, education, taxation and criminal law. His reforms, carried out in conjunction with the empire's chief judicial official Ebussuud Efendi, harmonized the relationship between the two forms of Ottoman law: sultanic (Kanun) and religious (Sharia).[4] was a distinguished poet and goldsmith; he also became a great patron of culture, overseeing the "Golden" age of the Ottoman Empire in its artistic, literary and architectural development.[5] with Ottoman tradition, Suleiman married Hürrem Sultan, a woman from his harem, an Orthodox Christian of Ruthenian origin who converted to Islam, and who became famous in the West by the name Roxelana, due to her red hair. son Selim II succeeded Suleiman following his death in 1566 after 46 years of rule. other potential heirs, Mehmed and Mustafa, had died; the former had died from smallpox, and the latter had been strangled to death 13 years earlier at the sultan's order. His other son Bayezid was executed in 1561 on Suleiman's orders, along with Bayezid's four sons, after a rebellion. scholars prefer "crisis and adaptation" rather than decline after his death,[6][7][8] the end of Suleiman's reign was a watershed in Ottoman history. the decades after Suleiman, the empire began to experience significant political, institutional, and economic changes, a phenomenon often referred to as the Transformation of the Ottoman Empire.[9]:11 [10] Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, Commemorated on September 15; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated on February 23; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1523, Euthymios oRhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested bTurks, impaled oSteak wOther clergymen& citizens
Ephesus, 1523, Euthymios of Rhodes, Island of Rhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested fConspiracy aTurks, impaled on steak wOther clergymen& leading citizens of Rhodes; Rhodes; Hieromartyr Euthymios of Rhodes, Commemorated on August 9; glorious Hieromartyr Euthymios was elected as the Metropolitan of Rhodes, when the Ottomans occupied the island in 1523. those difficult years, Euthymios shepherded his flock in a God-pleasing manner. 1529, he was arrested as the leader of a conspiracy against the Turks and was impaled on a stake along with other clergymen and leading citizens of Rhodes. Euthymios was honored as a martyr by the Christians immediately after his death. Latin Missionary Peter Fangonis, Vicar General of the Latin Archbishop Alfonso Gonzaga, states in his report to the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith the tomb of the blessed Euthymios had become the most prominent site of pilgrimage on Rhodes, that those who went there suffering from the quaternary fever "malaria," and the chills and fever that went with it, were healed.

Constantinople, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, founded 2 monasteries wFasting prayer virgil, wonderworker, martyr
Greece, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, Greece, eminent rich deeply devout parents, raised iDeep piety &rich Belief, given iMarriage a12, impious crude husband, often beat&tormented her, endured abuse, she often prayed he come to his senses, he died after 3yrs, she began fasting, virgil and prayer labor, she founded woman's monastery, accepted tonsure wPhilothea name, Greece under Turks, many Athenians slaves, she freed them by ransom, once 4women ran away from massters who had demanded they renounce, refuge in her monastery, Turks burst into her cell, beat her, took her to governor, thrown into prison, Turk mob gathered, led her out, hacked to pieces if did not renounce Christ, but just then Crowd Christians assembled by God' Grace, pacified judges and freed her, back at her monastery she continued abstinence prayer vigil, for which granted gift oWonderworking, in Athens suburb Patesia she founded new monastery, asceticism wSisters, during vigil St Dionysis Turks seized and tortured her, threw down half dead, sisters brought Philothea blood flowing tKalogreza, she died 1589, relics tAthens Cathedral; Athens; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monastic Martyr Philothea was born in Athens in 1522. parents, Syriga and Angelos Benizelos, were renowned not only for being eminent and rich, but also deeply devout. the kind-hearted Syriga had implored the Most Holy Theotokos for a child. fervent prayers were heard, and a daughter was born to the couple. They named her Revoula. parents raised their daughter in deep piety and right belief, when she was twelve years old they gave her away in marriage. husband turned out to be an impious and crude man, who often beat and tormented his wife. patiently endured the abuse and she prayed to God, that He might bring her husband to his senses. three years Revoula’s husband died, she began to labor in fasting, vigil and prayer. saint founded a women’s monastery in the name of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30 and June 30). the monastery was completed, the saint was the first to accept monastic tonsure, with the name Philothea. this time Greece was suffering under the Turkish Yoke, many Athenians had been turned into slaves by their Turkish conquerors. Philothea utilized all her means to free her fellow countrywomen, ransoming many from servitude. four women ran away from their Turkish masters, who demanded that they renounce their Christianity, took refuge in the monastery of Saint Philothea. Turks, having learned where the Greek women had gone, burst into the saint’s cell, and beat her. took her to the governor, who threw the holy ascetic into prison. the morning, a mob of Turks had gathered, and they led her out of the prison. governor said that if she did not renounce Christ, she would be hacked to pieces. when Saint Philothea was ready to accept a martyr’s crown, crowd of Christians assembled by the grace of God. pacified the judges and freed the holy ascetic. to her monastery, Saint Philothea continued with her efforts of abstinence, prayer and vigil, which she was granted the gift of wonderworking. Patesia, an Athens suburb, she founded a new monastery, where she struggled in asceticism with the sisters. the Vigil for Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), Turks seized Saint Philothea and tortured her. they threw her down on the ground half-dead. sisters tearfully brought the holy martyr, flowing with blood, to Kalogreza, where she died on February 19, 1589. thereafter, the relics of the holy Monastic Martyr Philothea were brought to the Athens cathedral church.

Constantinople, 1550-1575, New Martyr John Kalphes, and the Apprentice, aSkilled cabinetmaker, dMuhammed to A who turned him in
Constantinople, 1550-1575, New Martyr John Kalphes, and the Apprentice, fGalata, Constantinople (north shore of Golden Horn), aSkilled cabinetmaker, inner adornement sultan's palace, distinguished for Christian charity, orphans&prisoners, took on dignitary's nephew as apprentice, apprentice got honorable court position upon completion, later he asled John what Christian books say about prophet Mohammed, John did not want to answer, youth persisted, he answered, M a mere mortal, uneducated, no miracles, no prophet, rather an adversary of God, youth reported him to moslems that he had insulted Mohammed, trial, demanded he denounce Christ, but he confessed his faith, torture, penal servitude, 6mos, beat him in prison 3mos, beheaded him in city square Ergat-Bazara, 1575, father Andrew communed Holy Mysteries in prison and recorded his suffering;; Galata (north shore of the Golden Horn Harbor on the outskirts of Constantinople ; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; Holy New Martyr John Kalphes (the Apprentice) lived in a suburb of Constantinople, called Galata. was a cabinetmaker by profession, he had acquired great skill in his craft, so that important officials made use of his services. was entrusted with the inner adornment of the sultan’s palace. John Kalphes was distinguished for his Christian charity, provided for orphans and those locked up in prison, and many turned to him for help. time a certain dignitary asked Saint John to take on his nephew as an apprentice. agreed, and the youth received an honorable position at court upon the completion of his apprenticeship. encountering his former teacher and benefactor, he asked Saint John what it says in the Christian books about their “prophet” Mohammed. John did not want to answer his question, but because of the persistent demands of the youth, he declared that Mohammed was a mere mortal, an uneducated man who did not perform a single miracle during his lifetime. went on to say that Mohammed was no prophet, but rather an adversary of God. youth, devoted to Islam, reported to his fellow Moslems that the cabinetmaker had insulted Mohammed. John was brought to trial, where they demanded that he renounce Christ, he bravely confessed his faith in Christ. torture, they sent the holy martyr off to penal servitude, where he spent six months. for the next three months they beat him in the prison. that they could not coerce him into submitting to their will, they beheaded him in the crowded city square in Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan (a covered bazaar) on February 26, 1575. suffering of the holy Martyr John Kalphes were recorded by Father Andrew, the Chief Steward (Megas Oikonomos) of the Patriarch of Constantinople, communed him with the Holy Mysteries in prison.

Constantinople, 1551, Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos), suffered in 1551
Greece, 1551, Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos), suffered in 1551; Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River); Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; Nicodemus of Meteora struggled in Thessaly, and suffered in the year 1551.

Constantinople, 1559-1602, Neophytus, Metropolitan of Constantinople, pro western to get them to Crusade
Constantinople Patriarch, 1559-1602, Metropolitan Neophytus of Constantinople; II was Patriarch of Constantinople twice, in 1602–03 and in 1607–12. Athenian, he served as Metropolitan of Athens from 1597 until 3 April 1602, when he was elected as Patriarch in the place of his rival, Matthew II. His tenure was cut short a year later, when he was deposed amid accusations of various scandals. He was initially exiled to Rhodes, and thence to Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai.[1] was restored to the patriarchal throne on 15 October 1607, and held it for five years. his second tenure he took care of aligning church administrative practice and canon law with the contemporary needs, and took measures to replenish the patriarchal coffers.[1] was also in contact with Western potentates, including Pope Paul V and King Philip III of Spain, whom he urged to engage in a crusade to liberate the Orthodox Christians from the Ottoman Empire, going as far as to make considerable concessions to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, including recognizing papal primacy.[1] pro-Western policy and financial exactions made him many enemies, including Cyril Lucaris, who succeeded in securing his deposition in October 1612. Originally slated to be exiled to Rhodes again, he was protected by his successor, Timothy II, who had been his protégé.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on September 8;

Constantinople, 1566-1574, Selim II, Sultan, Viser controlled, HRE & Rus Treaties, Don Canal war, Lepanto loss to HRE
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1566-1574, Selim II; II (30 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as SarÄ± Selim (Selim the Blond) or SarhoÅŸ Selim (Selim the Drunk),[3] was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sultan. Selim had been an unlikely candidate for the throne until his brother Mehmed died of smallpox, his half-brother Mustafa was strangled to death by the order of his father, his brother Cihangir died of grief at the news of this latter execution, and his brother Bayezid was killed on the order of his father after a rebellion against Selim. died on 15 December 1574 and was buried in Hagia Sophia. life[edit] was born in Constantinople (Istanbul), on 30 May 1524,[1] during the reign of his father Suleiman the Magnificent. His mother was Hurrem Sultan, a slave and concubine who was born an Orthodox priest's daughter in contemporary Ukraine,[4] and later was freed and became Suleiman's legal wife.[5] 1545, at Konya, Selim married[citation needed] Nurbanu Sultan, whose background is disputed. It is said that she was originally named Cecelia Venier Baffo, or Rachel, or Kale Katenou. She was the mother of Murad III, Selim's successor. Hatun, a famous poet of the sixteenth century, was a lady-in-waiting to him. ascends the throne. II gained the throne after palace intrigue and fraternal dispute, succeeding as sultan on the 7th of September 1566. Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokollu and wife, Nurbanu Sultan, a native of what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina, controlled much of state affairs, two years after Selim's accession succeeded in concluding at Constantinople a treaty (17 February 1568) with the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian II, whereby the Emperor agreed to pay an annual present of 30,000 ducats and granted the Ottomans authority in Moldavia and Walachia.[citation needed] Agha (d. 1602), a friend to Selim and to the writer Mustafa Ali, was castrated so he could serve in Selim's harem. (Gazanfer's younger brother Cafer was also castrated, but did not survive.)[6] plan had been prepared in Constantinople for uniting the Volga and Don by a canal in order to counter Russian expansion toward the Ottomans' northern frontier. the summer of 1569 a large force of Janissaries and cavalry were sent to lay siege to Astrakhan and begin the canal works, while an Ottoman fleet besieged Azov. However, a sortie from the Astrakhan garrison drove back the besiegers. A Russian relief army of 15,000 attacked and scattered the workmen and the Tatar force sent for their protection. The Ottoman fleet was then destroyed by a storm. in 1570 the ambassadors of Ivan IV of Russia concluded at Istanbul a treaty that restored friendly relations between the Sultan and the Tsar.[citation needed] in the Hejaz and Yemen were more successful,[further explanation needed] the conquest of Cyprus in 1571,[7] led to the naval defeat[how?] against Spain and Italian states in the Battle of Lepanto in the same year. the historic Battle of Naupaktos or Battle of Lepanto, on 7 October 1571, the Holy League defeated the Ottoman navy decisively; the Holy League sank or destroyed 50 Ottoman ships and captured 117 galleys and 20 galliots, 30,000 Turks were lost in battle, 10,000 Turks were taken prisoners, and many thousands of Christian slaves were rescued. The Holy League lost about 7,500 men. Empire's shattered fleets were soon restored (in just six months, it consisted of about 150 galleys and eight galleasses), and the Ottomans maintained control of the eastern Mediterranean (1573). In August 1574, months before Selim's death, the Ottomans regained control of Tunis from Spain, which had captured it in 1572. is known for restoring to Mahidevran Sultan her status and her wealth. He also built the tomb of his eldest brother, Åžehzade Mustafa, who was executed in 1553. the famine of 1573, due to severe cold the farmers of that time did not provide good for the people. Selim gave people food and vegetables in the food kitchen. [8] In April 1574, a fire broke in the printing house of Topkapi Palace and burned many rooms including the cooks and maids were burned and the kitchen was also burned. [8] A few days later the captain, the Janissary, Istanbul lord and Mimar Sinan determined the location and size of the new kitchens to come to the fire. Mimar Sinan AÄŸa cleaned the fireplace of the building of the official building (design) of Üsub-ı ahar. The construction of the new MatbalÄ±- Amir, which is broader and longer than the previous one, was taken from Divan-Ä± Ali Square. [8] Selim II receiving the Safavid ambassador in the palace at Edirne in 1567. century copy of the 1569 Capitulations between Charles IX and Selim II. is introduced as a generous monarch who is fond of pleasure and entertainment in the sources of the period, who is fond of drink councils, enjoys the presence of scholars and poets around him, as well as musicians, wrestlers, and connoisseurs, who do not want to break the hearts of anyone. it is stated that he did not appear much in public, that his father often went to Friday and he went public and he neglected this and spent time in the palace.[1] St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated on December 17; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated on February 23; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1567-1624, Dionysius oAegina, man murders hNobleman brother, helped escape, incrrpt r, walking saint, sandals wear out
Greece, 1567-1624, Dionysius oAegina Island (between Athens and Corinth), noble family, but fled world, tStrophada m, monk, young priestmonk, young bishop oAegina, many drawn tHim, feared praise vainglory, resigned, btZakynthos, 1579 Z diocese widowed, D temp bishop, then Anaphonitria m 20miles, man murders his Nobleman brother & flees to his monastery, confesses to him, asked protection from family, D wept then conforted murderer, great compassion &Love, his relatives come, pretended, wept wThem, sent them wrong direction, then he told murderer, brought him tRepentence, helped him excape, for christ-like virtue granted gift oMiracles, great age tDeath i1624, incorrupt rlcs plus walking saint, w about performing miracles, soles oSlippers contiinued tWear out, s cut up distributed; Aegina Island; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Dionysius of Zakynthos, the Bishop of Aegina born in 1547 on the island of Zakynthos. born into a noble family, he was determined to flee the world and set his mind upon heavenly things. entered the monastery of Strophada, and after the prescribed time, he was clothed in the angelic schema by the abbot. young in years, he surpassed many of his elders in virtue, and was found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. he protested his unworthiness, Saint Dionysius was consecrated Bishop of Aegina. that office he never ceased to teach and admonish his flock, and many were drawn to him in order to profit from his wisdom. feared the praise of men, lest he should fall into the sin of vainglory, so he resigned his See and returned to Zakynthos. 1579 the diocese of Zakynthos was widowed a bishop dies, his diocese is described as “widowed”), Dionysius agreed to care for it until a new bishop could be elected. he fled from the worldly life which gave him no peace, and went to the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos Anaphonitria, twenty miles from the main village. certain stranger murdered the saint’s brother Constantine, an illustrious nobleman. his victim’s relatives, the stranger, by chance or by God’s will, sought refuge in the monastery where Saint Dionysius was the abbot. the saint asked the fugitive why he was so frightened, he confessed his sin and revealed the name of the man he had murdered, asking to be protected from the family’s vengeance. Dionysius wept for his only brother, as was natural. he comforted the murderer and hid him, showing him great compassion and love. the saint’s relatives came to the monastery with a group of armed men and told him what had happened. pretended to know nothing about it. After weeping with them and trying to console them, he sent them off in the wrong direction. he told the murderer that he was the brother of the man he had killed. He admonished him as a father, and brought him to repentance. After forgiving him, Saint Dionysius brought him down to the shore and helped him to escape to another place in order to save his life. of the saint’s Christ-like virtue, he was granted the gift of working miracles. passed his life in holiness, Saint Dionysius reached a great age, then departed to the Lord on December 17, 1624. only are the saint’s relics incorrupt, but he is also one of Greece’s “walking saints” (Saint Gerasimus and Saint Spyridon are the others). is said to leave his reliquary and walk about performing miracles for those who seek his aid. In fact, the soles of his slippers wear out and must be replaced with a new pair from time to time. old slippers are cut up, and the pieces are distributed to pilgims. August 24, we celebrate the Transfer of his Holy Relics. Through the prayers of Saint Dionysius, may Christ our God have mercy upon us and save us.

Constantinople, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece, repent of sins, arrested by Turks, prison, tortured, hanged, burned; Philotheou monastery; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian of Philotheou was a disciple of Saint Dometius (August 7). was from the village of Richovon (Merichovon) near Agrapha. went to Mt. Athos when he was quite young, and received the monastic tonsure at Philotheou Monastery. After spending some time there, he withdrew to a hermitage under the guidance of an Elder named Dometius. three years, he heard a voice telling him to go forth and teach. He obeyed these instructions, preaching in many areas of Greece. He urged his fellow Christians to repent of their sins, to abstain from all vices, to obey God’s commandments, and to devote themselves to God-pleasing works. he was on his way to a village, Saint Damian was arrested by the Turks and thrown into prison. After fifteen days of torture, he was hanged and then thrown into a fire. Saint Damian received the crown of martyrdom on February 23, 1568.

Constantinople, 1568, Dometius oPhilotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures; Philotheou monastery; Venerable Dometius of Philotheou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 7; Dometius was an Athonite Elder. pursued silence at the Philotheou monastery together with the Hieromartyr Damian of Philotheou (February 23), suffered under cruel tortures by the Turks in the year 1568.

Constantinople, 1574-1595, Murad III, Ottoman Empire, Sultan , strangled 5 brothers, wars 2 fronts, financial stress
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1574-1595, Murad III; III (4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. life[edit] in Manisa on 4 July 1546,[1] Åžehzade Murad was the oldest son of Åžehzade Selim and his powerful wife Nurbanu Sultan. He received a good education and learned Arabic and Persian language. After his ceremonial circumcision in 1557, Murad's grandfather, the Sultan Suleiman I, appointed him sancakbeyi (governor) of AkÅŸehir in 1558. the age of 18 he was appointed sancakbeyi of Saruhan. Suleiman died (1566) when Murad was 20, and his father became the new sultan, Selim II. Selim II broke with tradition by sending only his oldest son out of the palace to govern a province, assigning Murad to Manisa.[2]:21–22 died in 1574 and was succeeded by Murad, who began his reign by having his five younger brothers strangled.[3] authority was undermined by harem influences – more specifically, those of his mother and later of his favorite wife Safiye Sultan, often to the detriment of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha's influence on the court.[4] Selim II power had only been maintained by the genius of the powerful Grand Vizier, Mehmed Sokollu, who remained in office until his assassination in October 1579. Murad's reign the northern borders with the Habsburg Monarchy were defended by the Bosnian governor Hasan PredojeviÄ‡. The reign of Murad III was marked by exhausting wars on the empire's western and eastern fronts. The Ottomans also suffered defeats in battles such as the Battle of Sisak. with the Safavids[edit] Ottoman Empire reached its greatest extent in the Middle East under Murad III. Ottomans had been at peace with the neighbouring rivaling Safavid Empire since 1555, per the Treaty of Amasya, that for some time had settled border disputes. in 1577 Murad declared war, starting the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–90), seeking to take advantage of the chaos in the Safavid court after the death of Shah Tahmasp I. also tried to explore North America and make the ideas of colonizing America be more possible. However, he later abandoned all of these ideas after the Spanish navy responded by a naval attack on the Ottoman ships trying to explore North America.[citation needed] was influenced by viziers Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha and Sinan Pasha and disregarded the opposing counsel of Grand Vizier Sokollu. Murad also fought the Safavids which would drag on for 12 years, ending with the Treaty of Constantinople (1590), which resulted in temporary significant territorial gains for the Ottomans.[2]:198–199 Affairs[edit] reign was a time of financial stress for the Ottoman state. To keep up with changing military techniques, the Ottomans trained infantrymen in the use of firearms, paying them directly from the treasury. By 1580 an influx of silver from the New World had caused high inflation and social unrest, especially among Janissaries and government officials who were paid in debased currency. from the resulting rebellions, coupled with the pressure of over-population, was especially felt in Anatolia.[2]:24 Competition for positions within the government grew fierce, leading to bribery and corruption. and Habsburg sources accuse Murad himself of accepting enormous bribes, including 20,000 ducats from a statesman in exchange for the governorship of Tripoli and Tunisia, thus outbidding a rival who had tried bribing the Grand Vizier.[2]:35 his period, excessive inflation was experienced, the value of silver money was constantly played, food prices increased. 400 dirhams should be cut from 600 dirhams of silver, while 800 was cut, which meant 100 percent inflation. For the same reason, the purchasing power of wage earners was halved, and the consequence was an uprising. [5] Pact[edit] envoys and letters were exchanged between Elizabeth I and Sultan Murad III.[6]:39 In one correspondence, Murad entertained the notion that Islam and Protestantism had "much more in common than either did with Roman Catholicism, as both rejected the worship of idols", and argued for an alliance between England and the Ottoman Empire.[6]:40 To the dismay of Catholic Europe, England exported tin and lead (for cannon-casting) and ammunition from the Ottoman Empire, and Elizabeth seriously discussed joint military operations with Murad III during the outbreak of war with Spain in 1585, as Francis Walsingham was lobbying for a direct Ottoman military involvement against the common Spanish enemy.[6]:41 This diplomacy would be continued under Murad's successor Mehmed III, by both the sultan and Safiye Sultan alike. life[edit] the example of his father Selim II, Murad was the second Ottoman sultan who never went on campaign during his reign, instead spending it entirely in Constantinople. During the final years of his reign, he did not even leave TopkapÄ± Palace. For two consecutive years he did not attend the Friday procession to the imperial mosque—an unprecedented breaking of custom. The Ottoman historian Mustafa Selaniki wrote that whenever Murad planned to go out to Friday prayer, he changed his mind after hearing of alleged plots by the Janissaries to dethrone him once he left the palace.[7] Murad withdrew from his subjects and spent the majority of his reign keeping to the company of few people and abiding by a daily routine structured by the five daily Islamic prayers. Murad's personal physician Domenico Hierosolimitano described a typical day in the life of the sultan: the morning he rises at dawn to say his prayer for half an hour, then for another half-hour he writes. Then he is given something pleasant as a collation, and afterwards sets himself to read for another hour. Then he begins to give audience to the members of the Divan on the four days of the week that this occurs, as had been said above. Then he goes for a walk through the garden, taking pleasure in the delight of fountains and animals for another hour, taking with him the dwarves, buffoons and others to entertain him. Then he goes back once again to studying until he considers the time for lunch has arrived. He stays at table only half an hour, and rises (to go) once again into the garden for as long as he pleases. Then he goes to say his midday prayer. Then he stops to pass the time and amuse himself with the women, and he will stay one or two hours with them, when it is time to say the evening prayer. Then he returns to his apartments or, if it pleases him more, he stays in the garden reading or passing the time until evening with the dwarfs and buffoons, and then he returns to say his prayers, that is at nightfall. Then he dines and takes more time over dinner than over lunch, making conversation until two hours after dark, until it is time for prayer [...] He never fails to observe this schedule every day.[2]:29–30 sedentary lifestyle and lack of participation in military campaigns earned him the disapproval of Mustafa Âlî and Mustafa Selaniki, the major Ottoman historians who lived during his reign. Their negative portrayals of Murad influenced later historians.[2]:17–19 Both historians also accused Murad of sexual excess. St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated on December 17; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26;

Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, P oConstantinople, Muldovia, Thessalonica, Great Story
Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, Patriarch oConstantinople, Wonderworker, from Crete, from pious Greek family, wealthy but wanted asceticism, novice Thess M, trapeza at Esphigmenou, tonsured palestinian Ms, returned, presbyter aThss, Gospel to Vlachs & Moldovians & translated Psalter, tConstantinople tPreachby Cyril, bishop aThss, Cyril slandered, tC as Metro, struggle a heratics, Moslems, Jesuits; deposed a 40days, Cyril returned, tAthos, returned&deposed iYr, Thss&Athos, 1633-45 alms petitions to Moscow, tGa1lats aMoldova, 1652 returned C Patriarch 15days, but sermon denouncing Catholics' universal jurisdiction, tGalats Moldovia, tRussian Tzar&Patriarch iMoscow, great alms but ill on way back and died in Lubensk, Ukraine.; Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. there, he later went to the monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. living at Thessalonica became impossible for the saint, he was forced to journey to Moldavia under the protection of its sovereign, Basil Lukulos, he settled there in the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galats, he longed for Mount Athos. He visited it often and hoped to finish his life there, but God ordained something else for him. 1652 after the death of Patriarch Cyril I, Saint Athanasius was returned to the patriarchal throne. remained only fifteen days, since he was not acceptable to the Moslems and Catholics. his final Patriarchal service he preached a sermon in which he denounced papal pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church. by the Moslems and Jesuits, physically weakened, he transferred the administration of the Church of Constantinople to Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, he withdrew to Moldavia, where he was appointed administrator of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Galats. the deep faith and responsiveness of the Russian nation, Saint Athanasius undertook a journey to Russia. April 1653 he was met with great honor in Moscow by Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) and Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. received generous alms for the needs of the monastery, Patriarch Athanasius left for Galats in December 1653. the way he fell ill and stayed at the Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery in the city of Lubno in February 1654. his impending death, the saint wrote his last will, and he fell asleep in the Lord on April 5. Petronios and the brethren of the monastery buried the Patriarch. Greek custom the saint was buried in a sitting position. February 1, 1662 Saint Athanasius was glorified as a saint and his Feastday was designated as May 2, the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. relics of holy Patriarch Athansios, glorified by numerous miracles and signs, rest in the city of Kharkov, in the Annunciation cathedral church. At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Constantinople, 1580-1662, WWorking Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, always w Athanasius III
Constantinople, 1634-1652, Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, very ancient, always w Athanasios III, after him to Vatopedi till 1849, tRussian Andrew Skete, tSloboda i1863 w Paisios, 18yr old speech healed by touching her lips, list of icon's miracles at Slobodsky, church for tIcon built aVyatka 1871-82, gilded riza added 1866, miraculous copy St Petersburg 1890. ; Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 19; exact origin of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God is unknown, but the lettering on the Icon indicates that it is very ancient. is a tradition that the Icon belonged to the holy Patriarch Athanasios III of Constantinople (May 2). This Icon accompanied him in all his travels, and so he brought the Icon to Russia with him in the year 1653. the repose of Saint Athanasios in 1654, the Icon was brought to the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, remaining there until October 11,1849, when the Russian Skete of Saint Andrew was founded. Gregory, who was living alone at Vatopedi, gave the Icon to the newly-founded Skete as a blessing from his monastery. The Icon was kept in the cell of Hieroschema-monk Bessarion (Vavilov), the founder of the Skete. Father Bessarion blessed the brotherhood with the Icon saying, “May this icon bring you joy, and console you in afflictions and sorrows.” glorification of the Icon took place in Russia, in 1863, when Hieromonk Paisios arrived in the town of Sloboda (Vyatka Province) from Mount Athos, bringing with him the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God. image was decorated with rich silver and a gilded riza. Father Paisios placed the Icon in the women’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, in the church of the Nativity. Father Paisios was about to return to the Holy Mountain, the eighteen-year-old son of a local priest, Father Vladimir Nevolin, who had been unable to speak for six years, was healed by the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. a Moleben, he touched her lips and began to speak. After this, people began to make pilgrimages to the Icon, and many suffering pilgrims received healing and comfort in their sorrows from the holy Icon in those days. holy Icon was transferred to the women’s Monastery of the Transfiguration in the city of Vyatka with great reverence. Slobodsky, an exact list of the Icon’s miracles was compiled by the same eighteen-year old young man who had been healed. spiritual uplifting of the inhabitants of Vyatka was so great that on the eve of a Great Cross procession, the “Vyatka Provincial Gazette” compared the religious fervor to that when the holy Icon from Mount Athos first arrived. Father Paisios was leaving for Mount Athos, he left the list of the Icon’s miracles at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. Vyatka, on June 26, 1871, the foundation of a church in honor of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon was laid. It was built over a period of eleven years. August 31, 1882, on the Feast of the Placing of the Honorable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archbishop Appolos consecrated the church, and every Saturday an Akathist was read before the Icon. two years, in remembrance of the holy Icon’s stay in the Vyatka region and the miraculous healings which took place, solemn processions were held throughout the entire diocese. November 19, 1866 at Sloboda’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, a gilded riza was added to the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God from Mount Athos; in remembrance of the Icon’s first healing (of the young man who could not speak), a particularly solemn service took place in the monastery. That day was established as the Feast Day of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. March 27, 1890, an exact copy of the Icon was delivered to Russia and placed in the Annunciation Cathedral at St. Petersburg, the representation church of Saint Andrew’s Skete on Mount Athos. and night, crowds of people came to venerate the wonderworking Icon. the grace of God, this icon of the Mother of God was also glorified by numerous miracles. the Icon is at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in St. Petersburg, and a list of miracles is with the holy Icons in the suburban Cathedral of Saint Katherine. 1999, the altar of one of the churches of the former Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the town of Sloboda was consecrated in honor of the wonderworking Icon. the Aleksievo-Akatov women’s monastery in Voronezh, there is also a list of the Athos shrine, which says: “This icon was painted and blessed on the Holy Mountain in the Russian Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom under the rector Hieroschema-monk Cyril in 1905.” The Icon was restored in 1999. “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon is in the form of a triptych. In addition to the Most Holy Theotokos, the following saints are depicted: The Great Martyrs George and Demetrios of Thessaloniki on horseback; Saint John the Forerunner and Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the monastic saints Anthony, Euthymios, Onuphrios the Great and Savva the Sanctified; Saints Spyridon of Trimythontos and Nicholas the Wonderworker. The Icon is adorned with several rizas, one of which is gold. the Feast Day of the Icon is on November 19, it does not have its own Service; so the Troparion, Kontakion, and Akathist for the Assuage my Sorrows Icon (January 25 and October 9) are also used for this Icon. Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, Patriarch oConstantinople, Wonderworker, from Crete, from pious Greek family, wealthy but wanted asceticism, novice Thess M, trapeza at Esphigmenou, tonsured palestinian Ms, returned, presbyter aThss, Gospel to Vlachs & Moldovians & translated Psalter, tConstantinople tPreachby Cyril, bishop aThss, Cyril slandered, tC as Metro, struggle a heratics, Moslems, Jesuits; deposed a 40days, Cyril returned, tAthos, returned&deposed iYr, Thss&Athos, 1633-45 alms petitions to Moscow, tGa1lats aMoldova, 1652 returned C Patriarch 15days, but sermon denouncing Catholics' universal jurisdiction, tGalats Moldovia, tRussian Tzar&Patriarch iMoscow, great alms but ill on way back and died in Lubensk, Ukraine.; Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. there, he later went to the monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. living at Thessalonica became impossible for the saint, he was forced to journey to Moldavia under the protection of its sovereign, Basil Lukulos, he settled there in the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galats, he longed for Mount Athos. He visited it often and hoped to finish his life there, but God ordained something else for him. 1652 after the death of Patriarch Cyril I, Saint Athanasius was returned to the patriarchal throne. remained only fifteen days, since he was not acceptable to the Moslems and Catholics. his final Patriarchal service he preached a sermon in which he denounced papal pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church. by the Moslems and Jesuits, physically weakened, he transferred the administration of the Church of Constantinople to Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, he withdrew to Moldavia, where he was appointed administrator of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Galats. the deep faith and responsiveness of the Russian nation, Saint Athanasius undertook a journey to Russia. April 1653 he was met with great honor in Moscow by Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) and Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. received generous alms for the needs of the monastery, Patriarch Athanasius left for Galats in December 1653. the way he fell ill and stayed at the Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery in the city of Lubno in February 1654. his impending death, the saint wrote his last will, and he fell asleep in the Lord on April 5. Petronios and the brethren of the monastery buried the Patriarch. Greek custom the saint was buried in a sitting position. February 1, 1662 Saint Athanasius was glorified as a saint and his Feastday was designated as May 2, the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. relics of holy Patriarch Athansios, glorified by numerous miracles and signs, rest in the city of Kharkov, in the Annunciation cathedral church. At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch. Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Slobodsky near Kirov and Vyatka Russia

Constantinople, 1595-1603, Mehmed III, Ottoman, Sultan , k 19 brothers, cruel, war Austria, a England
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1595-1603, Mehmed III ; Mehmed III ( 26 May 1566-“ 22 December 1603) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Early life[edit] Mehmed was born at the Manisa Palace in 1566, during the reign of his great-grandfather, Suleiman the Magnificent. He was the son of Murad III, himself the son of Selim II, who was the son of Sultan Suleiman and Hurrem Sultan. His mother was Safiye Sultan, an Albanian from the Dukagjin highlands.[1] His great-grandfather died the year he was born and his grandfather became the new sultan, Selim II. His grandfather Selim II died when Mehmed was eight, and Mehmed's father, Murad III, became sultan in 1574. Murad died in 1595, when Mehmed was 28 years old. Mehmed spent most of his time in Manisa with his father Murad and mother Safiye, his first teacher Ibrahim Efendi. His circumcision took place on 29 May 1582 when he was 16 years old.[2] Reign[edit] Fratricide[edit] Upon ascending to the throne, Mehmed III ordered that all of his nineteen brothers be executed.[3][4] They were strangled by his royal executioners, many of whom were deaf, mute or 'half-witted' to ensure absolute loyalty.[5] Fratricidal successions were not unprecedented, as sultans would often have dozens of children with their concubines. Mehmed III remains notorious even in Ottoman history for his cruelty. Power struggle in Constantinople[edit] Mehmed III was an idle ruler, leaving government to his mother Safiye Sultan, the valide sultan.[6][unreliable source] His first major problem was the rivalry between two of his viziers, Serdar Ferhad Pasha and Koca Sinan Pasha, and their supporters. His mother and her son-in-law Damat Ibrahim Pasha supported Koca Sinan Pasha and prevented Mehmed III from taking control of the issue himself. The issue grew to cause major disturbances by janissaries. On 7 July 1595, Mehmed III finally sacked Serdar Ferhad Pasha from the position of Grand Vizier due to his failure in Wallachia and replaced him with Sinan.[7] Austro-Hungarian War[edit] Mehmed III accepting the surrender of Eger, 1596 The major event of his reign was the Austro-Ottoman War in Hungary (1593-“1606). Ottoman defeats in the war caused Mehmed III to take personal command of the army, the first sultan to do so since Suleiman I in 1566. Accompanied by the Sultan, the Ottomans conquered Eger in 1596. Upon hearing of the Habsburg army's approach, Mehmed wanted to dismiss the army and return to Istanbul.[8] However, the Ottomans eventually decided to face the enemy and defeated the Habsburg and Transylvanian forces at the Battle of Keresztes[9] (known in Turkish as the Battle of Hasova), during which the Sultan had to be dissuaded from fleeing the field halfway through the battle. Upon returning to Istanbul in victory, Mehmed told his viziers that he would campaign again.[10] The next year the Venetian Bailo in Istanbul noted, "the doctors declared that the Sultan cannot leave for a war on account of his bad health, produced by excesses of eating and drinking".[11][unreliable source?] In reward for his services at the war, Cigalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha was made Grand Vizier in 1596. However, with pressure from the court and his mother, Mehmed reinstated Damat Ibrahim Pasha to this position shortly afterward.[7] However, the victory at the Battle of Keresztes was soon set back by some important losses, including the loss of Gyr (Turkish: Yankale) to the Austrians and the defeat of the Ottoman forces led by Hafhmet Pasha by the Wallachian forces under Michael the Brave in Nikopol in 1599. In 1600, Ottoman forces under Tiryaki Hasan Pasha captured Nagykanizsa after a 40-day siege and later successfully held it against a much greater attacking force in the Siege of Nagykanizsa.[12] Jelali revolts[edit] Another major event of his reign was the Jelali revolts in Anatolia. Karayazlhalim, a former Ottoman official, captured the city of Urfa and declared himself a sultan in 1600. The rumors of his claim to the throne spread to Constantinople and Mehmed ordered the rebels to be treated harshly to dispel the rumors, among these, was the execution of Hseyin Pasha, whom Karayaz Abdlhalim styled as Grand Vizier. In 1601, Abdlhalim fled to the vicinity of Samsun after being defeated by the forces under Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha, the governor of Baghdad. However, his brother, Deli Hasan, killed Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha and defeated troops under the command of Had Hsrev Pasha. He then marched on to Kahya, captured and burned the city.[7][12] Relationship with England[edit] In 1599, the fourth year of Mehmed III's reign, Queen Elizabeth I sent a convoy of gifts to the Ottoman court. These gifts were originally intended for the sultan's predecessor, Murad III, who had died before they had arrived. Included in these gifts was a large jewel-studded clockwork organ that was assembled on the slope of the Royal Private Garden by a team of engineers including Thomas Dallam. The organ took many weeks to complete and featured dancing sculptures such as a flock of blackbirds that sung and shook their wings at the end of the music.[13][14] Also among the English gifts was a ceremonial coach, accompanied by a letter from the Queen to Mehmed's mother, Safiye Sultan. These gifts were intended to cement relations between the two countries, building on the trade agreement signed in 1581 that gave English merchants priority in the Ottoman region.[15] Under the looming threat of Spanish military presence, England was eager to secure an alliance with the Ottomans, the two nations together having the capability to divide the power. Elizabeth's gifts arrived in a large 27-gun merchantman ship that Mehmed personally inspected, a clear display of English maritime strength that would prompt him to build up his fleet over the following years of his reign. The Anglo-Ottoman alliance would never be consummated, however, as relations between the nations grew stagnant due to anti-European sentiments reaped from the worsening Austro-Ottoman War and the deaths of Safiye Sultan's interpreter and the pro-English chief Hasan Pasha.[15][16] Death[edit] Mehmed died on 22 December 1603 at the age of 37. According to one source, the cause of his death was the distress caused by the death of his son, žehzade Mahmud.[17] According to another source, he died either of plague or of stroke.[18] He was buried in Hagia Sophia Mosque. He was succeeded by his son Ahmed I as the new sultan. St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Constantinople, 1595, Burning Sava's Relics, Mileshevo M Serbia, incrrpt, Serb flag icon, r burnt during revolt, inspired Serbia
Bulgaria, 1595, Burning oSava's Relics, Mileshevo Monastery& Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Buried 1235, incorrupt 1237, transferred 1237 tSerbia, 1253 Saint, Turk Rule 1389, his icon on Serb flag, 1595 Serb revolt, R crushed and Relics burnt, Serbs inspired, annual rememberance burning, 1895 church over burning spot, 1989 Cathedral there; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27; his death in Trnovo, Bulgaria on January 14, 1235 Saint Savva was buried in the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs. May 6, 1237 his relics were carried in procession from Trnovo to Mileshevo Monastery in Serbia. the casket was opened, the relics were found to be incorrupt, and produced an ineffable fragrance. In 1253, the Serbian Orthodox Church glorified the holy hierarch Savva as a Saint. the Battle of Kosovo on June 25, 1389, the Serbian nation fell under the Turkish Yoke. this period the Serbs continued to visit the tomb of Saint Savva, asking him to give them the strength to endure the oppressive persecution they suffered at the hands of the Turks. icon was placed on their flags, and the faithful turned to the Saint for encouragement, consolation, and healing. Serbs revolted in 1595, led by Patriarch John Kantul and others. Pasha, the Turkish military leader in Belgrade, sent soldiers to crush the rebellion. Mohammed II ordered that the relics of Saint Savva be burnt. Great and Holy Friday, the Turks removed the Saint's relics from Mileshevo Monastery. The next day, April 27, they climbed Savinac Hill in the Vrachar district and set fire to the holy relics. of becoming despondent, the Serbs were inspired to even greater love for Christ, for Holy Orthodoxy, and for Saint Savva. Although the Saint's relics had been destroyed, the people continued to venerate him, and to remember the burning of his relics every year. national independence in 1879, there was a proposal to build a memorial church in honor of Saint Savva. In 1895, the three hundredth anniversary of the burning of Saint Savva's relics, plans were made to build a church on the site where his relics were burnt. A temporary chapel was constructed the following year, but it was not possible to build a large cathedral until after World War I. In 1927, Patriarch Barnabas announced a competition for architects to submit designs for the cathedral. In 1935, architects were chosen and construction began. World War II, work was halted when the Communists seized power. Only in 1984 did Patriarch German receive government approval to resume construction. On June 25, 1989, Patriarch German served the first Divine Liturgy in Saint Savva's Memorial Cathedral, which towers over the city of Belgrade. is a famous Serbian saying: "Sinan Pasha lit the flames, Savva's body burned, but Savva's memory and his glory did not burn."

Constantinople, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Sunni Shia (Ottoman Sarafid) War

Constantinople, 1601, Seraphim, Bishop otPhanar, impaled by the Turks, fAgraphya, Greece, monk aKoronis Monastery
Constantinople, 1601, Seraphim, Bishop otPhanar Neighborhood, Constantinople, impaled by the Turks, fAgraphya, Greece, monk aKoronis Monastery, chosen Bishop Phanar&Neochorion, refused islam &Impaled 1601; Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar was from the village of Bezoula, Agrapha diocese in Greece. lived in asceticism at first as a monk at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis, later was chosen as bishop of the Phanar and Neochorion. his refusal to accept Islam, he was beaten and impaled by the Turks in 1601. head is at the monastery at Koronis and has been glorified by numerous miracles.

Constantinople, 1601-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, one of romania's greatest ascetics, naked, covered w hair
Romania, 1600-1660, Cyriacus of Bisericani Monestary Simon Mountain, Transylvania, one of romania's greatest ascetics, 1600-1660, naked summer and winter, covered w hair, unceasing prayer, grace, relics still in cave near Voivodal Church of Bisericani; This location chosen because: This is the only Bisericani Commune in the mountains. Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Kyriakos of Bisericani is one of Romania’s greatest ascetics, and in his life he resembled the great Fathers of the Egyptian desert. lived in Bisericani Monastery at the beginning of the XVII century, which then had more than a hundred monks. Longing for a life of solitude, Saint Kyriakos retreated into the wilderness, to a cave on Simon's Mountain, where he remained for sixty years. Saint Onuphrios (June 12), Saint Kyriakos went about naked both in summer and in winter, and his body became covered with hair. He glorified God by his unceasing prayer and ascetical struggles. Therefore, Christ gave him the grace to overcome the forces of nature, and the demons which assailed him. great holiness and perfecting himself in virtue, Saint Kyriakos fell asleep in the Lord in 1660. His relics were buried in his cave, where there is now a small chapel dedicated to him. Later, because of unsettled conditions in the land, the faithful took portions of his relics away and hid them in order to prevent them from being desecrated. holy Hierarch Dositheos, Metropolitan of Moldova (December 13), knew Saint Kyriakos during his lifetime. After the latter's repose, Saint Dositheos venerated his holy relics. Kyriakos is one of the great hesychasts of the Carpathians. His life was one of complete self-denial, humility, and unceasing prayer. He gave his soul to Christ, and is numbered with the Saints who are honored by the people. His relics were placed in the cave where he lived, a cave which may still be seen today, and where a Paraklesis is chanted in his honor. cave of Saint Kyriakos is located near the Voivodal Church of Bisericani, which is now on the property of a sanatorium. Over the centuries it has been a place of pilgrimage for the faithful. Kyriakos of Bisericani is commemorated on December 31, the day of his repose, and on October 1, the day of his glorification in 2008.

Constantinople, 1601-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), D light, tears, prophecy, deliverance
Romania, 1600-1660, Kyriakos of Tazlau, Moldovia or Romania (Tazlau Mare River 1), exceptional holiness, Divine light, tears, prophecy, deliverance, from his youth, like a fool for Christ; Tazlau (Tazlau Mare River); Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; few people who honor the Saints are familiar with Saint Kyriakos (Chiriac) of Tazlau, his was a life of exceptional holiness. Believers from the surrounding area have maintained their respect for this chosen vessel, passing his name down from father to son. Saint Kyriakos was born into a peasant family, and became a monk at the Tazlau Monastery when Dositheos was the Igoumen. He was from the nearby village of Mastacan, a village which today belongs to the community of Borlesti. Kyriakos of Tazlau lived on a knoll in front of the monastery, remaining in permanent communion with divine grace, which first entered his soul at Holy Baptism. He was so pure that he had attained the measure of perfect manhood (Ephesians 4:13). He did not choose such a life when he was an old man, after tasting the sweetness of this fleeting life, but embraced it from his youth, like a fool for the sake of Christ. Since he surpassed the other monks in humility, prayer, and virtue, he was found worthy of the grace of the priesthood. to attain further perfection, Saint Kyriakos withdrew to a mountain called Magura Tazlaului, where he lived for fifty years. There he struggled in a manner similar to the great hesychasts of old, sustaining himself with dried bread and fruits, keeping all-night vigils and shedding copious tears. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he was able to forsee future events, and to cast out evil spirits. solitary prayer in his cell, Saint Kyriakos uprooted the thorns of the passions from his body, and acquired the opposite virtues. The joy of Christ's Resurrection assuaged the sorrows of his soul, and his face shone with the uncreated light of Tabor. He did not experience any discouragement in his struggle with temptations and with evil spirits. time, many disciples flocked to him seeking his spiritual counsel. These, in turn, became hesychasts and lived in the mountains of Tazlau, Nichitu, and Tarcau. reaching an advanced age, Saint Kyriakos surrendered his soul to God on December 31, 1660. His disciples buried him in a cave on Magura Tazlaului, and many miracles took place through his holy relics. the end of the seventeenth century Moldavia was threatened by great dangers, and many people took refuge in the forests. The relics of Saint Kyriakos were divided among the faithful so that they would not be desecrated by infidels. Thus, the mountain cave on Magura Tazlaului was deprived of its great treasure.

Constantinople, 1603-1617, Ahmed I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, ended royal fratricide, didn't execute brothers, c Blue Mosque
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1603-1617, Ahmed I ; I (April 1590 - 22 November 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth Ottoman rulers would no longer systematically execute their brothers upon accession to the throne.[2] He is also well known for his construction of the Blue Mosque, one of the most famous mosques in Turkey. Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1612-1638, Cyril 1, Partiarch, protestant support, anti Jesuit, anti Calvinist, defender of Orthodoxy
Constantinople Partiarch, 1612-1638, Cyril 1 ; Lucaris or Loukaris (13 November 1572 - 27 June 1638), born Constantine Lucaris, was a Greek prelate and theologian, and a native of Candia, Crete (then under the Republic of Venice). He later became the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I. contemporaries, and some modern Calvinist writers as well, have claimed that he strove for a reform of the Eastern Orthodox Church along Protestant, Calvinist lines.[1] Attempts to bring Calvinism into the Orthodox Church were rejected, and Cyril's actions, motivations, and specific viewpoints remain a matter of debate among scholars. the Orthodox Church recognizes him as a hieromartyr and defender of the Orthodox faith against both the Jesuit Catholics and Calvinist Protestants. official glorification of Cyril Loukaris took place by decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria on 6 October 2009, and his memory is commemorated on 27 June.[2][3] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1617, Nicholas of Metsovo, Epirus, islam conversion repented, burned, divine light fSkull
Greece, 1617, New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Epirus, Greece (Metsovon, Arachthos River 1), devout parents, tBaker iTrikkala, Thessaly, embraced Islam, realized gravity returned home, wood to T fExtra Money, recognized bBarber, not dressed as Turk, free wood tKeep secret, long time, conscience, became martyr, priest strengthened him, denounced by barber, admitted Islam conversion but repented returned Christian, intended die as C, Kadi usual flattery, threats, then beaten thrown prison, no food water some time, twice more tKadi, death sentence, large fire endured, escaped Ghenna, money for skull, hid in wall, bright light 1618, skull to Barlaam Monastery at Meteora fT, St Nik tVlach; Metsovon (Metsovo); New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Commemorated on May 16; Basdanis was born at Metsovo, Epeiros to poor, but devout Orthodox parents. a young man he went to Trikkala in Thessaly, where he worked as the assistant of a Moslem baker. there, some Turks tried to convert him to their religion. Yielding to their persistent efforts, he embraced Islam. realizing the gravity of his sin, he returned to Metsovo, and to the Orthodox Church. earned some extra money by taking wood to Trikkala and selling it. This went on for some time, but one day He was recognized by a Moslem barber, who was a friend of the baker. barber wondered why Nicholas was no longer dressed as a Turk. with fear, Nicholas gave him the load of wood, promising to bring him more wood every year, if he would keep his secret. The barber agreed, and things continued that way for a long time. was troubled by his conscience, however, and believed that the only way to atone for his denial of Christ was to become a martyr. spoke of this to his Spiritual Father at the monastery of Meteora, who advised him not to be too hasty in carrying out his intention, lest he should be unable to endure the inevitable torture, and deny Christ once again. that Nicholas was determined to pursue this course, the priest strengthened him spiritually for the contest. Nicholas felt he was ready, he returned to Trikkala to see the barber. The man asked him about the wood he had promised to bring, and Nicholas told him that he had none. Furthermore, he would not be receiving any wood in future. barber became angry and denounced Nicholas to the authorities, saying that he had rejected Islam. barber summoned other Turks to take Nicholas to the kadi for interrogation. answer to the kadi's questions, Nicholas admitted freely that he had converted to Islam, but then he repented and returned to his Christian Faith. he told the Moslems that he was born a Christian, and that he intended to die as a Christian, no matter how much they might torture him. kadi tried the usual flattery and promises of riches in order to persuade him to return to their religion. this failed, the kadi threatened him with horrible torments and death if he did not relent. refused, and so he was beaten and thrown into prison, where he received nothing to eat or drink for some time. more, Saint Nicholas was brought before the kadi with the same results. Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the kadi sentenced him to death. large fire was lit in the marketplace, and the holy martyr was thrown into it on May 16, 1617. Thus, by enduring this fire, Saint Nicholas escaped the fire of Gehenna. a pious Christian went to that place, hoping to obtain relics. Since the Saint's body was being guarded, the man had to pay a large sum of money to obtain the skull. He took it home and hid it inside a wall so the Moslems would not find it. time, an Orthodox Christian named Melandros bought the house. the night of May 17, 1618, he noticed a bright light shining from the wall of one of the rooms. the morning, he opened the wall and found the skull of the New Martyr Nicholas. brought this treasure to Barlaam Monastery at Meteora, where his brother was a monk, and donated the holy relic to the monastery in remembrance of himself, and of his family. Holy New Martyr Nicholas, who is also known as Saint Nicholas the Vlach, is commemorated on May 17 in Greek usage.

Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I, Ottoman Empire Sultan, the Mad, Mother was regent
Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I; I (c. 1591 - 20 January 1639), called Mustafa the Saint (Veli Mustafa) during his second reign and often called Mustafa the Mad (Deli Mustafa) by modern historians, was the son of Mehmed III and was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. 1 Early life 2 First reign (1617–1618) 3 Deposition 4 Alleged mental instability 5 Second reign (1622–1623) 6 Deposition and last years 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links life[edit] was born in the Manisa Palace, as the younger brother of Ahmed I (1603–1617). His mother was Halime Sultan, an Abkhazian lady.[1] 1603 it was customary for an Ottoman Sultan to have his brothers executed shortly after he gained the throne (Mustafa's father Mehmed III had executed 19 of his own brothers). But when the thirteen-year-old Ahmed I was enthroned in 1603, he spared the life of the twelve-year-old Mustafa.[2] factor in Mustafa's survival is the influence of Kosem Sultan (Ahmed's favorite consort), who may have wished to preempt the succession of Osman, Ahmed’s first-born son from another concubine. Osman became Sultan, he would likely try to execute his half-brothers, the sons of Ahmed and Kosem. (This scenario later became a reality when Osman II executed his brother Mehmed in 1621.[3]) However, the reports of foreign ambassadors suggest that Ahmed actually liked his brother.[4] Ahmed's death in 1617, Mustafa lived in the Old Palace, along with his mother, and grandmother Safiye Sultan.[5] reign (1617–1618)[edit] death created a dilemma never before experienced by the Ottoman Empire. Multiple princes were now eligible for the Sultanate, and all of them lived in TopkapÄ± Palace.[3] court faction headed by the Şeyhülislam Esad Efendi and Sofu Mehmed Pasha (who represented the Grand Vizier when he was away from Constantinople) decided to enthrone Mustafa instead of Ahmed's son Osman. Mehmed argued that Osman was too young to be enthroned without causing adverse comment among the populace. The Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha objected, citing Mustafa's mental problems, but he was overruled.[6] Mustafa's rise created a new succession principle of seniority that would last until the end of the Empire. It was the first time an Ottoman Sultan was succeeded by his brother instead of his son. His mother Halime Sultan became the Valide Sultan as well as a regent and wielded great power. Due to Mustafa's mental conditions, she acted as a regent and exercised power more directly. was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins to birds and fish. The Ottoman historian Ä°brahim Peçevi wrote "this situation was seen by all men of state and the people, and they understood that he was psychologically disturbed."[7] was never more than a tool of court cliques at the TopkapÄ± Palace.[8] In 1618, after a short rule, another palace faction deposed him in favour of his young nephew Osman II (1618–1622), and Mustafa was sent back to the Old Palace. conflict between the Janissaries and Osman II presented him with a second chance. After a Janissary rebellion led to the deposition and assassination of Osman II in 1622, Mustafa was restored to the throne and held it for another year.[9] mental instability[edit] according to Baki Tezcan, there is not enough evidence to properly establish that Mustafa was mentally imbalanced when he came to the throne. Mustafa "made a number of excursions to the arsenal and the navy docks, examining various sorts of arms and taking an active interest in the munitions supply of the army and the navy." One of the dispatches of Baron de Sancy, the French ambassador, "suggested that Mustafa was interested in leading the Safavid campaign himself and was entertaining the idea of wintering in Konya for that purpose."[10] one contemporary observer provides an explanation of the coup which does not mention the incapacity of Mustafa. Baron de Sancy ascribes the deposition to a political conspiracy between the grand admiral Ali Pasha and Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha, who were angered by the former's removal from office upon Sultan Mustafa's accession. They may have circulated rumors of the sultan's mental instability subsequent to the coup in order to legitimize it.[11] reign (1622–1623)[edit] commenced his reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Sultan Osman. Hoca Ömer Efendi, the chief of the rebels, the kÄ±zlar Agha Suleiman Agha, the vizier Dilaver Pasha, the Kaim-makam Ahmed Pasha, the defterdar Baki Pasha, the segban-bashi Nasuh Agha, and the general of the janissaries Ali Agha, were cut into pieces.[12][non-primary source needed] epithet "Veli" (meaning "saint") was used in reference to him during his reign.[13] mental condition unimproved, Mustafa was a puppet controlled by his mother and brother-in-law, the grand vizier Kara Davud Pasha. He believed that Osman II was still alive and was seen searching for him throughout the palace, knocking on doors and crying out to his nephew to relieve him from the burden of sovereignty.[14] "The present emperor being a fool" (according to English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe), he was compared unfavorably with his predecessor.[7] In fact, it was his mother Halime Sultan the de facto-co-ruler as Valide Sultan of the Ottoman empire. and last years[edit] instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry), followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when the governor-general of Erzurum, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, decided to march to Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman II. The regime tried to end the conflict by executing Kara Davud Pasha, but Abaza Mehmed continued his advance. Clerics and the new Grand Vizier (KemankeÅŸ Kara Ali Pasha) prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son. She agreed, on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.[3][15] 11-year-old Murad IV, son of Ahmed I and Kösem, was enthroned on 10 September 1623. In return for her consent to his deposition, the request of Mustafa's mother that he be spared execution was granted.[16] Mustafa was sent along with his mother to the Eski (old) Palace.[17] source states that Mustafa was executed by the orders of his nephew, Sultan Murad IV on 20 January 1640 in order to end the Ottoman dynasty and prevented to give power to his mother Kösem Sultan. Another source states that he died of epilepsy which was caused by being imprisoned for 34 years out of his 48 years of life. He is buried in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia.[18]

Constantinople, 1618-1622, Osman II, Ottoman Sultan. educated, polish c, g winter, Janissari coffee houses, Killed by Js
Constantinople, 1618-1622, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Osman II; II (3 November 1604 - 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. life[edit] II was born at TopkapÄ± Palace, Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (1603–17) and one of his consorts Mahfiruz Hatun. According to later traditions, at a young age, his mother had paid a great deal of attention to Osman's education, as a result of which Osman II became a known poet and would have mastered many languages, including Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Italian; this has been refuted since.[2] was born eleven months after his father Ahmed Ahmed's transition to the throne. He was trained in the palace. According to foreign observers, he was one of the most cultured of Ottoman princes. [3] failure to capture the throne at the death of his father Ahmed may have been caused by the absence of a mother to lobby in his favour; his own mother was probably already dead or in exile. Ottoman Empire in 1622, the year of the regicide of Osman II II ascended the throne at the age of 14 as the result of a coup d' etat against his uncle Mustafa I the Intestable (1617–18, 1622–23). his youth, Osman II soon sought to assert himself as a ruler, and after securing the empire's eastern border by signing a peace treaty (Treaty of Serav) with Safavid Persia, he personally led the Ottoman campaign against Poland and king Sigismund III during the Moldavian Magnate Wars.[4] to sign a humiliating peace treaty with the Poles after the Battle of Khotyn (Chocim) in September- October, 1621, Osman II returned home to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries and the insufficiency of his statesmen for his humiliation.[5] basic and exceptional weakness from which Osman II suffered was the conspicuous absence of a female power basis in the harem. From 1620 until Osman's death, a governess (daye hatun, lit. wet-nurse) was appointed as a stand-in valide, and she could not counterbalance the contriving of Mustafa I's mother in the Old Palace. he did have a loyal chief black eunuch at his side, this could not compensate for the absence of what in the politics of that period was a winning combination, valide sultan–chief black eunuch, especially in the case of a young and very ambitious ruler.[6] According to Piterberg, Osman II did not have haseki sultan, opposite with Peirce who claim that Ayse was Osman's haseki. But it is clear that Ayse could not take valide's role during her spouse's reign.[citation needed] the autumn of 1620, Ozi Beylerbeyi Iskender Pasha seized the secret letter sent by Transylvanian Prince Bethlen Gabor to Istanbul and sent it to Poland, and Osman also became a veteran of the people around him. decided to embark on a Polish expedition. [7] Continuing preparations for the Polish campaign, neither cold nor famine nor the British ambassador John Eyre could deter Osman. The ambassador of Sigismund III, the King of Poland, was brought into Istanbul despite the severe colds. The janissaries and army were not willing to go on a campaign, regardless of their conditions.[8] winter of 1621[edit] II on horseback the murder of Sehzade Mehmed on 12 January 1621, a severe snow started in Istanbul. The people of Istanbul were drastically affected by the cold, which increased local violence on 24 January 1621, more so than the palace murder. This is the biggest natural disaster that concerns the capital in Osman's four-year short reign. Bostanzade Yahya Efendi, one of those who lived through this cold, tells that the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were covered with ice in the end of January-beginning of February: Between Uskudar and Besiktas, the men walk around and go to Uskudar. [8] They came from Istanbul on foot. And the year became a gala (famine).[8] was snowing for 15 days, that the frosts were frozen from the severity of the cold, but that the river was open between Sarayburnu and Uskudar.[8] For this natural disaster, froze in thirty thousand froze between Uskudar and Istanbul from the cold, Hasimi Celebii, The road became Uskudar, the Mediterranean froze a thousand thirty. As a result of the inconvenience of the Zahire ships, there was a complete famine in Istanbul, and 75 dirhams of bread jumped to one akche, and the oak of the meat to 15 akches.[8] Osman the Young was strangled in Yedikule Zindans in 1622 Fortress in 1685 of the entrances of the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death by revolting Janissaries Fortress in 1827 a counterweight to Janissary influence, Osman II closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and started planning to create a new and more loyal army consisting of Anatolian sekbans.[9] result was a palace uprising by the Janissaries, who promptly imprisoned the young sultan in Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death. Osman's death, his ear was cut off and represented to Halime Sultan and Sultan Mustafa I to confirm his death and Mustafa would no longer need to fear his nephew. It was the first time in the Ottoman history that a Sultan was executed by the Janissaries.[10] This disaster is one of the most discussed topics in Ottoman history. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Constantinople, 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I, 2nd reign, the Mad, Mother as regent
Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I; I (c. 1591 - 20 January 1639), called Mustafa the Saint (Veli Mustafa) during his second reign and often called Mustafa the Mad (Deli Mustafa) by modern historians, was the son of Mehmed III and was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. 1 Early life 2 First reign (1617–1618) 3 Deposition 4 Alleged mental instability 5 Second reign (1622–1623) 6 Deposition and last years 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links life[edit] was born in the Manisa Palace, as the younger brother of Ahmed I (1603–1617). His mother was Halime Sultan, an Abkhazian lady.[1] 1603 it was customary for an Ottoman Sultan to have his brothers executed shortly after he gained the throne (Mustafa's father Mehmed III had executed 19 of his own brothers). But when the thirteen-year-old Ahmed I was enthroned in 1603, he spared the life of the twelve-year-old Mustafa.[2] factor in Mustafa's survival is the influence of Kosem Sultan (Ahmed's favorite consort), who may have wished to preempt the succession of Osman, Ahmed’s first-born son from another concubine. Osman became Sultan, he would likely try to execute his half-brothers, the sons of Ahmed and Kosem. (This scenario later became a reality when Osman II executed his brother Mehmed in 1621.[3]) However, the reports of foreign ambassadors suggest that Ahmed actually liked his brother.[4] Ahmed's death in 1617, Mustafa lived in the Old Palace, along with his mother, and grandmother Safiye Sultan.[5] reign (1617–1618)[edit] death created a dilemma never before experienced by the Ottoman Empire. Multiple princes were now eligible for the Sultanate, and all of them lived in TopkapÄ± Palace.[3] court faction headed by the Şeyhülislam Esad Efendi and Sofu Mehmed Pasha (who represented the Grand Vizier when he was away from Constantinople) decided to enthrone Mustafa instead of Ahmed's son Osman. Mehmed argued that Osman was too young to be enthroned without causing adverse comment among the populace. The Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha objected, citing Mustafa's mental problems, but he was overruled.[6] Mustafa's rise created a new succession principle of seniority that would last until the end of the Empire. It was the first time an Ottoman Sultan was succeeded by his brother instead of his son. His mother Halime Sultan became the Valide Sultan as well as a regent and wielded great power. Due to Mustafa's mental conditions, she acted as a regent and exercised power more directly. was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins to birds and fish. The Ottoman historian Ä°brahim Peçevi wrote "this situation was seen by all men of state and the people, and they understood that he was psychologically disturbed."[7] was never more than a tool of court cliques at the TopkapÄ± Palace.[8] In 1618, after a short rule, another palace faction deposed him in favour of his young nephew Osman II (1618–1622), and Mustafa was sent back to the Old Palace. conflict between the Janissaries and Osman II presented him with a second chance. After a Janissary rebellion led to the deposition and assassination of Osman II in 1622, Mustafa was restored to the throne and held it for another year.[9] mental instability[edit] according to Baki Tezcan, there is not enough evidence to properly establish that Mustafa was mentally imbalanced when he came to the throne. Mustafa "made a number of excursions to the arsenal and the navy docks, examining various sorts of arms and taking an active interest in the munitions supply of the army and the navy." One of the dispatches of Baron de Sancy, the French ambassador, "suggested that Mustafa was interested in leading the Safavid campaign himself and was entertaining the idea of wintering in Konya for that purpose."[10] one contemporary observer provides an explanation of the coup which does not mention the incapacity of Mustafa. Baron de Sancy ascribes the deposition to a political conspiracy between the grand admiral Ali Pasha and Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha, who were angered by the former's removal from office upon Sultan Mustafa's accession. They may have circulated rumors of the sultan's mental instability subsequent to the coup in order to legitimize it.[11] reign (1622–1623)[edit] commenced his reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Sultan Osman. Hoca Ömer Efendi, the chief of the rebels, the kÄ±zlar Agha Suleiman Agha, the vizier Dilaver Pasha, the Kaim-makam Ahmed Pasha, the defterdar Baki Pasha, the segban-bashi Nasuh Agha, and the general of the janissaries Ali Agha, were cut into pieces.[12][non-primary source needed] epithet "Veli" (meaning "saint") was used in reference to him during his reign.[13] mental condition unimproved, Mustafa was a puppet controlled by his mother and brother-in-law, the grand vizier Kara Davud Pasha. He believed that Osman II was still alive and was seen searching for him throughout the palace, knocking on doors and crying out to his nephew to relieve him from the burden of sovereignty.[14] "The present emperor being a fool" (according to English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe), he was compared unfavorably with his predecessor.[7] In fact, it was his mother Halime Sultan the de facto-co-ruler as Valide Sultan of the Ottoman empire. and last years[edit] instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry), followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when the governor-general of Erzurum, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, decided to march to Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman II. The regime tried to end the conflict by executing Kara Davud Pasha, but Abaza Mehmed continued his advance. Clerics and the new Grand Vizier (KemankeÅŸ Kara Ali Pasha) prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son. She agreed, on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.[3][15] 11-year-old Murad IV, son of Ahmed I and Kösem, was enthroned on 10 September 1623. In return for her consent to his deposition, the request of Mustafa's mother that he be spared execution was granted.[16] Mustafa was sent along with his mother to the Eski (old) Palace.[17] source states that Mustafa was executed by the orders of his nephew, Sultan Murad IV on 20 January 1640 in order to end the Ottoman dynasty and prevented to give power to his mother Kösem Sultan. Another source states that he died of epilepsy which was caused by being imprisoned for 34 years out of his 48 years of life. He is buried in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia.[18]

Constantinople, 1623-1640, Murad IV, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ottoman Safavid War (1623-1639)
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1623-1640, Murad IV; IV (Turkish: IV. Murad, 27 July 1612 - 8 February 1640) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–17) and Kosem Sultan.[2] He was brought to power by a palace conspiracy in 1623, and he succeeded his uncle Mustafa I (r. 1617–18, 1622–23). was only 11 when he ascended the throne. His reign is most notable for the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639), of which the outcome would partition the Caucasus between the two Imperial powers for around two centuries, while it also roughly laid the foundation for the current Turkey–Iran–Iraq borders. The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1623, Anthimus II, Partiarch, catholic support, Orthodox, false credit instruments 20,000 L, deposed by Cyril
Constantinople Partiarch, 1623, Anthimus II ; II was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for a few months in 1623. was born in Constantinople to a noble and rich family. Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople he was Metropolitan of Adrianople.[1] short reign has to be considered in the context of the clash between the pro-Calvinist Patriarch Cyril Lucaris, supported by the Dutch and English ambassadors, and his opponents supported by the French, Austrian and Venetian ambassadors to the Ottoman capital. latter were successful at persuading the Grand Vizier to depose Cyril Lucaris on 12 April 1623 and to appoint in his place the blind and old Gregory IV. The Metropolitans and the bishops were unsatisfied with Gregory IV because he had not been canonically elected by the Holy Synod. Thus on 18 June 1623 the Holy Synod deposed Gregory IV and formally elected Anthimus II as Patriarch of Constantinople.[2] II, even if politically supported by the Catholic governments, remained a strong and good Orthodox.[3] sent metropolitans to Rhodes, where Lucaris was temporarily exiled, to persuade him to retire to Mount Athos, but without success. On the contrary, Lucaris, thanks to the Calvinist Dutch ambassador, returned to Constantinople and produced false instruments of credit for 20,000 Livres on the Patriarchate.[3] could not find such large amount and was forced to abdicate on 22 September 1623.[3] Subsequently, Lucaris returned on the patriarchal throne for the third time. his resignation, Anthimus retired on Mount Athos where he died in 1628.[1] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius of Lubensk, writer, urged Tsar unite with Cossack's
Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Constantinople, 1634-1652, WWorking Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, always w Athanasius III
Constantinople, 1634-1652, Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon, very ancient, always w Athanasios III, after him to Vatopedi till 1849, tRussian Andrew Skete, tSloboda i1863 w Paisios, 18yr old speech healed by touching her lips, list of icon's miracles at Slobodsky, church for tIcon built aVyatka 1871-82, gilded riza added 1866, miraculous copy St Petersburg 1890. ; Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 19; exact origin of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God is unknown, but the lettering on the Icon indicates that it is very ancient. is a tradition that the Icon belonged to the holy Patriarch Athanasios III of Constantinople (May 2). This Icon accompanied him in all his travels, and so he brought the Icon to Russia with him in the year 1653. the repose of Saint Athanasios in 1654, the Icon was brought to the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, remaining there until October 11,1849, when the Russian Skete of Saint Andrew was founded. Gregory, who was living alone at Vatopedi, gave the Icon to the newly-founded Skete as a blessing from his monastery. The Icon was kept in the cell of Hieroschema-monk Bessarion (Vavilov), the founder of the Skete. Father Bessarion blessed the brotherhood with the Icon saying, “May this icon bring you joy, and console you in afflictions and sorrows.” glorification of the Icon took place in Russia, in 1863, when Hieromonk Paisios arrived in the town of Sloboda (Vyatka Province) from Mount Athos, bringing with him the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God. image was decorated with rich silver and a gilded riza. Father Paisios placed the Icon in the women’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, in the church of the Nativity. Father Paisios was about to return to the Holy Mountain, the eighteen-year-old son of a local priest, Father Vladimir Nevolin, who had been unable to speak for six years, was healed by the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. a Moleben, he touched her lips and began to speak. After this, people began to make pilgrimages to the Icon, and many suffering pilgrims received healing and comfort in their sorrows from the holy Icon in those days. holy Icon was transferred to the women’s Monastery of the Transfiguration in the city of Vyatka with great reverence. Slobodsky, an exact list of the Icon’s miracles was compiled by the same eighteen-year old young man who had been healed. spiritual uplifting of the inhabitants of Vyatka was so great that on the eve of a Great Cross procession, the “Vyatka Provincial Gazette” compared the religious fervor to that when the holy Icon from Mount Athos first arrived. Father Paisios was leaving for Mount Athos, he left the list of the Icon’s miracles at the Monastery of the Transfiguration. Vyatka, on June 26, 1871, the foundation of a church in honor of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon was laid. It was built over a period of eleven years. August 31, 1882, on the Feast of the Placing of the Honorable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archbishop Appolos consecrated the church, and every Saturday an Akathist was read before the Icon. two years, in remembrance of the holy Icon’s stay in the Vyatka region and the miraculous healings which took place, solemn processions were held throughout the entire diocese. November 19, 1866 at Sloboda’s Monastery of the Nativity of the Lord, a gilded riza was added to the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God from Mount Athos; in remembrance of the Icon’s first healing (of the young man who could not speak), a particularly solemn service took place in the monastery. That day was established as the Feast Day of the wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. March 27, 1890, an exact copy of the Icon was delivered to Russia and placed in the Annunciation Cathedral at St. Petersburg, the representation church of Saint Andrew’s Skete on Mount Athos. and night, crowds of people came to venerate the wonderworking Icon. the grace of God, this icon of the Mother of God was also glorified by numerous miracles. the Icon is at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in St. Petersburg, and a list of miracles is with the holy Icons in the suburban Cathedral of Saint Katherine. 1999, the altar of one of the churches of the former Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the town of Sloboda was consecrated in honor of the wonderworking Icon. the Aleksievo-Akatov women’s monastery in Voronezh, there is also a list of the Athos shrine, which says: “This icon was painted and blessed on the Holy Mountain in the Russian Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom under the rector Hieroschema-monk Cyril in 1905.” The Icon was restored in 1999. “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon is in the form of a triptych. In addition to the Most Holy Theotokos, the following saints are depicted: The Great Martyrs George and Demetrios of Thessaloniki on horseback; Saint John the Forerunner and Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, the monastic saints Anthony, Euthymios, Onuphrios the Great and Savva the Sanctified; Saints Spyridon of Trimythontos and Nicholas the Wonderworker. The Icon is adorned with several rizas, one of which is gold. the Feast Day of the Icon is on November 19, it does not have its own Service; so the Troparion, Kontakion, and Akathist for the Assuage my Sorrows Icon (January 25 and October 9) are also used for this Icon. Constantinople, 1580-1662, Athanasius III, St. Athanasius oLubensk, Patriarch oConstantinople, Wonderworker, from Crete, from pious Greek family, wealthy but wanted asceticism, novice Thess M, trapeza at Esphigmenou, tonsured palestinian Ms, returned, presbyter aThss, Gospel to Vlachs & Moldovians & translated Psalter, tConstantinople tPreachby Cyril, bishop aThss, Cyril slandered, tC as Metro, struggle a heratics, Moslems, Jesuits; deposed a 40days, Cyril returned, tAthos, returned&deposed iYr, Thss&Athos, 1633-45 alms petitions to Moscow, tGa1lats aMoldova, 1652 returned C Patriarch 15days, but sermon denouncing Catholics' universal jurisdiction, tGalats Moldovia, tRussian Tzar&Patriarch iMoscow, great alms but ill on way back and died in Lubensk, Ukraine.; Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Athanasius III Patelarios, Patriarch of Constantinople, Wonderworker of Lubensk, in the world Alexis, born in 1560 on the island of Crete, into the pious Greek family Patelarios. his education and position in society, Alexis was attracted by the life of Christian ascetics. his father’s death, he became a novice in one of the monasteries of Thessalonica with the name Ananias. there, he later went to the monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, where he fulfilled his obedience in the trapeza (dining area). Athos he journeyed to the Palestinian monasteries, and he was tonsured with the name Athanasius. his return to Thessalonica he was ordained presbyter spread the Gospel of Christ among the Vlachs and the Moldovians, for whom he translated the PSALTER from the Greek. the saint went to Mt. Athos for solitude, and to ask God’s blessing on his pastoral work. holiness of his life attracted many Christians who wished to see a true preacher of the Orthodox Faith. his remarkable abilities and spiritual gifts he attracted the attention of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril I (Lukaris) (1621-1623). the ascetic, Patriarch Cyril appointed him a preacher of the Patriarchal throne. Saint Athanasius was consecrated bishop and became Metropolitan of Thessalonica. this time Patriarch Cyril was slandered before the sultan and imprisoned on the island of Tenedos. Athanasius assumed the Patriarchal throne on March 25, 1634, on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Athanasius led an incessant struggle against heretics, Jesuits, and Moslems. only forty days on the Patriarchal throne, he was deposed through the intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy, and Cyril I was returned. saint went to Athos, where for a certain time he pursued asceticism in solitude. he became Patriarch again, but was deposed after a year. this, he returned to Thessalonica and renewed his connections with the Holy Mountain. view of the intolerable persecution of Christians by the Moslems, Saint Athanasius was repeatedly (from 1633 to 1643) obliged to send petitions to the Russian tsar Michael (1613-1645) seeking alms for the hapless Church of Constantinople. living at Thessalonica became impossible for the saint, he was forced to journey to Moldavia under the protection of its sovereign, Basil Lukulos, he settled there in the monastery of Saint Nicholas near Galats, he longed for Mount Athos. He visited it often and hoped to finish his life there, but God ordained something else for him. 1652 after the death of Patriarch Cyril I, Saint Athanasius was returned to the patriarchal throne. remained only fifteen days, since he was not acceptable to the Moslems and Catholics. his final Patriarchal service he preached a sermon in which he denounced papal pretensions to universal jurisdiction over the whole Church. by the Moslems and Jesuits, physically weakened, he transferred the administration of the Church of Constantinople to Metropolitan Paisius of Laureia, he withdrew to Moldavia, where he was appointed administrator of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Galats. the deep faith and responsiveness of the Russian nation, Saint Athanasius undertook a journey to Russia. April 1653 he was met with great honor in Moscow by Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658) and Tsar Alexis Mikhailovich. received generous alms for the needs of the monastery, Patriarch Athanasius left for Galats in December 1653. the way he fell ill and stayed at the Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery in the city of Lubno in February 1654. his impending death, the saint wrote his last will, and he fell asleep in the Lord on April 5. Petronios and the brethren of the monastery buried the Patriarch. Greek custom the saint was buried in a sitting position. February 1, 1662 Saint Athanasius was glorified as a saint and his Feastday was designated as May 2, the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great. relics of holy Patriarch Athansios, glorified by numerous miracles and signs, rest in the city of Kharkov, in the Annunciation cathedral church. At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch. Constantinople, 1634-1652, Athanasius III of Constantinople, St. Athanasius of Lubensk; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; At the request of Patriarch Nikon, Athanasius wrote The Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian edited Archieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.[2] Athanasius delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and the Cossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch “ the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Constantinople, 1640-1648, Ibrahim, Ottoman Empire Sultan, the Mad, incompetent
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1640-1648, Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire; (5 November 1615 - 18 August 1648) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in İstanbul, the son of Ahmed I by Valide Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia.[1][2][3] was called "Deli Ibrahim" ("Ibrahim the Mad") due to his mental condition and behavior.[4] However Scott Rank notes that his opponents spread rumors of the sultan's insanity, and some historians suggest he was more incompetent than mad.[5] New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Abandoned World, birds feed her, spiritual p, radiant light, levitation, incorrupt r
Moldovia, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Sihastria Monastery, born approx 1620, died approx 1710, great early trial, thought tAbandon world, parents married her, they entered monasteries, iBuzau valley, Skete of Poiana Marului, he Priest, she grace of unceasing prayer otHeart, she many temptations endured, she fled to mts fTurks, tNeramt mts, Neamts Icon, Sihastria Skete, under FrPaul, live wilderness 1yr, if endure remain until die, beneath clifs of Sihla, clairvoyant elder, Theodora remain in my cell, Fr Paul left her there 30 yrs, visiting time to time wSpotless Mysteries&supplies, asceticism progress, able arms in air virgil all night, break fast herbs, Theodora's rainwater spring, Paul's repose, God's care, Turks attack villages, nuns discover her cell, remain my cell I go to cave, rest on flagstones, Turks discover cave, Lord deliver me, cave wall opens up escape to woods, she grows old forgotten alone no one to care for her, placed all hope in God, great heights spiritual perfection, radiant light, levitation, mouth prayer flame, rags for clothes, birds bring food from Sihastria, monks follow them to her, bright light at night from her, levitating, she clairvoyantly knew their names and sent them to bring named priest for her final rites, how, guided by light before them, repose, burried in her cave, people came to venerate, incorrupt relics, healing and consolation, husband came, stayed there 10 yrs, buried hermit's cemetery Skete John tBaptist built over his grave, her relics taken to Kiev Caves 1828-34. Sihastria Monastery; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Theodora of Sihla, who is one of the greatest of Romania’s women ascetics, was born in the village of Vânatori in Neamts County in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was one of the two daughters of Stephen Joldea and his wife. her youth, Saint Theodora experienced a great trial in her family. Her sister, Marghiolitsa, died in a tragic way. This event deeply affected the saint. At this time, the thought of abandoning the world blossomed in her heart. She wished to do penance for her parents, for her sister, and for herself. Her grieving parents, however, did not agree with her decision, because now Theodora was their only child. They pleaded with her, and, at the proper time, they married her to a young man who was working in their vicinity, and who went frequently to venerate the holy sites. After entering into a lawful marriage, they lived together in her husband’s house. Saint Theodora and her husband did not have any children, they both decided to enter monasteries in the Buzau valley. Her husband went to the Skete of Poiana Mărului, where he was tonsured with the name Eleutherios. He was also found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Saint Theodora also received the monastic tonsure in the Skete of Poiana Mărului. In just a few short years, she advanced in obedience, prayer, and asceticism, acquiring the grace of unceasing prayer of the heart. She also had to endure many temptations from the Enemy. the Buzau valley was invaded by the Turks, Saint Theodora fled to the mountains with her Spiritual Mother, Schema-nun Paisia. They lived for several years in fasting, vigil and prayer, enduring cold, hunger, and other trials from the devil. When her Spiritual Mother fell asleep in the Lord (sometime between 1670 - 1675), Saint Theodora was led by God to the mountains of Neamț. After venerating the wonderworking Neamts Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) at the monastery, she was told to seek the advice of Hieromonk Barsanuphios of Sihăstria Skete. Seeing her desire for the eremetical life, and recognizing her great virtues, he gave her Holy Communion and assigned Hieromonk Paul as her Father Confessor and spiritual guide. Barsanuphios advised Mother Theodora to go and live alone in the wilderness for a year. “If, by the grace of Christ, you are able to endure the difficulties and trials of the wilderness, then remain there until you die. If you cannot endure, however, then go to a women’s monastery, and struggle there in humility for the salvation of your soul.” Paul searched in vain for an abandoned hermitage where the saint might live. Then they met an old hermit living beneath the cliffs of Sihla. This clairvoyant Elder greeted them and said, “Mother Theodora, remain in my cell, because I am moving to another hermitage.” Paul left the nun on Mount Sihla, blessing her before he returned to the Sihăstria Skete. Saint Theodora lived in that cell for thirty years, glorifying God. Strengthened with power from on high, she vanquished all the attacks of the Enemy through patience and humility. She never left the mountain, and never saw another person except for Father Paul, who visited her from time to time to bring her the Spotless Mysteries of Christ and the supplies she needed in order to survive. Theodora made such progress in asceticism that she was able to keep vigil all night long with her arms lifted up toward heaven. When the morning sun touched her face, she would eat some herbs and other vegetation to break her fast. She drank the rain water which she collected from a channel cut into the cliff, which is still known as Saint Theodora’s spring. After Father Paul’s repose, she remained solely in God’s care. Turks attacked the villages and monasteries around Neamts, the woods became filled with people from nearby villages and refugees from the monasteries. Some nuns discovered Saint Theodora’s cell and she told them, “Remain here in my cell, for I have another place of refuge.” Then she moved into a nearby cave, living there completely alone. At night she would rest a little on the flagstones, which still can be seen to this day. An army of Turks discovered the cave, and were about to kill the saint. Lifting up her hands, she cried out, “O Lord, deliver me from the hands of these murderers.” The wall of the cave opened up, and she was able to escape into the woods. Saint Theodora grew old, she was completely forgotten and there was no one to care for her. Placing all her hope in God, she continued her spiritual struggles, and reached great heights of perfection. When she prayed her mind was raised up to Heaven, and her body was lifted up off the ground. Like the great saints of earlier times, her face shone with a radiant light, and a flame came forth from her mouth when she prayed. her clothes became mere rags, and when her food ran out, she was fed by birds just as the Prophet Elias (July 20) was. The bread that they brought to her came from the Sihăstria Skete. Seeing the birds come to the Skete and then fly away with pieces of bread in their beaks, the Hegumen sent two monks to follow them, thinking that some ascetic was living there and that God was providing food for him. Night fell as they walked toward Sihla, and they lost their way in the woods. They decided to wait for daylight, and so they began to pray. One of them climbed a tree and looked for a place where someone might be living. Suddenly, they saw a bright light rising up into the sky, and went to investigate. As they approached, they saw a woman shining with light and levitating above the ground while she prayed. their presence, Saint Theodora said, “Brethren, do not be afraid, for I am a humble handmaiden of Christ. Throw me something to wear, for I am naked.’ The monks were amazed when she addressed them by name. Then she prayed: “I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast heard me.” She said to the monks, “Brothers, I have lived for many years in these parts, and, behold, it has been forty days since I prayed for God to send me a Confessor to come and impart unto me the Holy Mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is almost time for me to depart from this life. So, please, go straight to the Skete and ask Father Hegumen to send Father Anthony and Hierodeacon Laurence to me tomorrow morning with Holy Communion.” asked her how they could find their way to the Skete at night, for they did not know the way. She said that they would be guided to the Skete by a light which would go before them. next day at dawn, Father Anthony went to Sihla with the deacon and two other monks. When they found Saint Theodora, she was praying by a fir tree in front of her cave. She made a Confession of her entire life to Father Anthony, and then she received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and gave her soul to God. Her last words were, “Glory to God for all things.’ The monks buried Saint Theodora in her cave with great reverence sometime during the first decade of the eighteenth century. of her death spread quickly, and people came from all over to venerate her tomb. Her holy relics remained incorrupt, and many miracles took place before them. Some kissed the relics; others touched the reliquary, while others washed in her spring. All who entreated Saint Theodora’s intercession received healing and consolation. Theodore’s former husband, Hieromonk Eleutherios, heard that she had been living at Sihla, and decided to go there. He found her cave shortly after her death and burial. Grieving for his beloved wife, Eleutherios did not return to his monastery, but made a small cell for himself below the cliffs of Sihla. He remained close to her cave, fasting, praying, and serving the Divine Liturgy. He lived there for about ten years before his blessed repose. He was buried in the hermits’ cemetery and the Skete of Saint John the Baptist was built over his grave. Theodora’s relics were taken to the Kiev Caves Monastery between 1828 and 1834. There she is known as Saint Theodora of the Carpathians. Our Venerable Mother Theodora was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church on June 20, 1992. inscription of Saint Theodora’s scroll reads: “Life is blessed for those in the wilderness as they fly upon the wings of Divine love” (Sunday Matins, Hymn of Degrees, first Antiphon).

Constantinople, 1648-1687, Mehmed IV, Sultan, long reign, empire reached height of European territorial expansion
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1648-1687, Mehmed IV; IV (2 January 1642 -6 January 1693) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to become the second longest reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent.[1] While the initial and final years of his reign were characterized by military defeat and political instability, during his middle years he oversaw the revival of the empire's fortunes associated with the K era. Mehmed IV was known by contemporaries as a particularly pious ruler, and was referred to as gazi, or "holy warrior" for his role in the many conquests carried out during his long reign.[2] his reign the empire reached the height of its territorial expansion in Europe. From a young age he developed a keen interest in hunting, for which he is known as the hunter.[1] In 1687 Mehmed was overthrown by soldiers disenchanted by the course of the ongoing War of the Holy League. He subsequently retired to Edirne, where he resided until his natural death in 1693.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœQuick to HearÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 9; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 1651, Nilus t Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, raised by Macarius, relics curative myrrh, accurate prophecies
Greece, Mt Athos, 1651, Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece, raised by uncle hieromonk Macarius, attained hieromonk, Holy Rocks on Mt A, abundant flow curative myrrh from his relics, left accurate 20th century prophecies ; Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; Nilus the Myrrh-Gusher of Mt Athos was born in Greece, in a village named for Saint Peter, in the Zakoneia diocese. was raised by his uncle, the hieromonk Macarius. attained the age of maturity, he received monastic tonsure and was found worthy of ordination to hierodeacon, and then to hieromonk. desire for greater monastic struggles brought uncle and nephew to Mt Athos, where Macarius and Nilus lived in asceticism at a place called the Holy Rocks. the repose of Saint Macarius, the venerable Nilus, aflame with zeal for even more intense spiritual efforts, found an isolated place almost inaccessible for any living thing. his departure to the Lord in 1651, Saint Nilus was glorified by an abundant flow of curative myrrh, for which Christians journeyed from the most distant lands of the East. Nilus has left a remarkably accurate prophecy concerning the state of the Church in the mid-twentieth century, and a description of the people of that time. the inventions he predicted are the telephone, airplane, and submarine. also warned that people’s minds would be clouded by carnal passions, “and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger.” would not be distinguishable from women because of their “shamelessness of dress and style of hair.” Nilus lamented that Christian pastors, bishops and priests, would become vain men, and that the morals and traditions of the Church would change. pious and God-fearing pastors would remain, and many people would stray from the right path because no one would instruct them.

Constantinople, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded
Greece, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, 18 yr old aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded; Thasos; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; New Martyr John of Thasos was from the village of Marias on the island of Thasos. In his youth he was brought to Constantinople and apprenticed to a tailor. day he was seized by the Turks and accused of insulting the Moslem religion. They tried to force him to accept Islam, but he would not agree to renounce the Christian Faith, for which he was beheaded at the age of eighteen in the year 1652.

Constantinople, 1657, Gabriel II, Patriarch, Serb, alms from Romania& Russia, service books for Russia, Jesuit slander, martyred
Constantinople Patriarch, 1657, Gabriel II of Constantinople; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Gabriel I, Patriarch of Serbia (family name Raicha), occupied the cathedra in the mid-seventeenth century, a time when the Moslem fanaticism had become intense. In the urgent need for both cathedral and country the saint went to collect alms at Walachia, and from there to Moscow. Moscow in 1655, he was present with the Patriarch of Antioch at a Church Council which sought to correct various aspects of church service books in accord with the Greek and Old Slavonic texts. The saint brought several manuscripts and three liturgies printed in the south as gifts to the Russian Church. saint returned to Serbia with generous alms for his Church and country. His cathedra had been given to another occupant, and moreover, Austrian Jesuits had slandered him with treason before the vizier. The saint’s innocence was obvious, because the vizier pretended he would spare his life and grant him an important official position, if the saint would betray his faith in the Savior. “I am completely innocent of state crimes,” said Saint Gabriel, “this you admit yourself. I shall never agree to save my life by betraying the Christian Faith while I remain of sound mind. Keep your riches and honors, for I don’t need them.” After harsh torture, Saint Gabriel was hanged in October 1659. the general service of the Serblyak (collective services to Serbian saints) on August 30 are also remembered: Saint Iakov, Archbishop of Serbia (February 3, 1292), the holy Bishop Gregory (a descendant of the renowned Nehemanicha lineage), and also the saints: Archbishop Savva III (1305-1316), and the Patriarchs Cyril, Nikon, John, Maximus.

Constantinople, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear
Greece, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear, Neophytos' time, do not come this way, darkening my icon with smoke, ignored, struck blind, realized who spoke, remained before icon until forgiven by MOG, received sight, monks come to me and I will hear you quickly, countless miracles, blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence; Docheiariou monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ; wonderworking "Quick to Hear" Icon of the Mother of God is kept at Dokheiarίou Monastery on Mount Athos, and is believed to date from the XI century, during the time of Saint Neophytos, the Igoumen of the Monastery. the wonderworking Portaitissa Icon, the most famous Icon on Mount Athos is an ancient fresco of the Panagia located outside on the east wall of the trapeza, and to the right of the entrance. 1664 the Monk Neilos, the steward of the trapeza, often passed before the Icon holding a lit torch in his hand so he could carry out his duties in the trapeza. One day, he heard a voice say to him: "Do not come this way again with your torches, darkening my Icon with smoke." did not pay much attention to the voice, thinking that someone was playing a joke on him. It was not long before he heard the voice again saying, "O monk, unworthy of the name, how long will you continue to darken my Icon with smoke?" hearing the voice, Neilos was struck blind. Then he remembered that he had heard the voice before, and realized that he deserved this punishment, for he did not heed the command of the Mother of God, but had ignored it in his ignorance. next morning, the brethren found him laying on the floor of the corridor before the Icon, unable to see them. When they learned why Neilos had been punished, the monks were terrified. From that time on, they passed by the Icon with great reverence, and hung an unsleeping lamp before it. however, did not want to return to his cell. He remained before the Icon in a stasidi, calling upon the Theotokos with tears and lamentations to forgive him for the sin he had committed. He begged her to restore his sight, as a sign of her forgiveness, so that he might gaze upon her Icon and glorify her. was not disappointed in his hopes, for the Mother of God heard the prayers of her repentant servant. He heard her voice a third time, saying, "Monk, your prayer has been heard. You are forgiven, and you shall receive your sight again. Declare to the other Fathers and brethren who struggle here that I am the Mother of God, and that after God, I am the shelter and help and mighty protector of this Monastery of the Archangels, providing for it as its defender and guide. From now on, let the monks come to me for all their needs, and I will hear them quickly, as well as all Orthodox Christians who come to me with reverence, for I am called Quick to Hear." soon this miracle and the promise of the Theotokos became known throughout the Holy Mountain, and monks from the other Monasteries came to Dokheiarίou to venerate the Icon, and to see the monk who had regained his sight. The corridor was closed off and a chapel was built to house the "Quick to Hear" Icon. One of the most devout and accomplished Hieromonks is appointed to be present in the chapel. He is known as the prosmonarios, and he is there most of the time to chant Canons of Supplication before the Icon, which he censes every evening and morning, tending the chapel, and trimming the oil lamps. "Quick to Hear" Icon venerated not only on the Holy Mountain, but also by Orthodox Christians all over the world. Countless miracles of healing are worked by the Mother of God through her Holy Icon. The blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence. copy of the "Quick to Hear Icon" was painted on Mount Athos and was sent as a gift from the Russian and other devout monks of the Holy Mountain to Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow) of the Aleutian Islands and North America. May of 1906 that copy of the famous "Quick to Hear” Icon at Dokheiarίou Monastery was carried to Saint Tikhon's Monastery (in Walmart, PA) in a solemn Cross Procession, along with several others, including one of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. relics of several saints were placed in the Icon. These include the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratēlátēs (Feb. 8), Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenary Physicians, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Nov. 14), and the Holy New Martyr Constantine of Mount Athos, who was born on the island of Hydra and suffered at the hands of the Turks on the island of Rhodes on November 14, 1800. "Quick to Hear" Icon is now on the iconostasis of Saint Tikhon's Monastery church.

Constantinople, 1669, Deposition of Joseph's relics, incorrupt emitting divine fragrance, holiness discovered after death
Greece, 1669, Gaitanios, Zakynthos, Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified, his holiness only discovered when his relics recovered, incorrupt emitting divine fragrance, miracleworker rep established after death, plus blind&deaf healings; Gaitanios, Zakynthos; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29; Joseph the Sanctified reposed on January 22, 1511 when he was about seventy years old, and was buried in his monastery. holiness was recognized at the recovery of his relics, because they were found incorrupt and emitting a divine fragrance. were deposited in the katholikon of the monastery. after his death he established his reputation as a miracle worker. There were continuous miracles where many sick persons were healed, including the blind and possessed. 1669 the Ottomans occupied Heraklion in Crete, and so the devout clergyman Anthony Armakis transferred the sacred relics of Saint Joseph to Zakynthos on August 29, 1669 and placed them in the Monastery of Saint John of Mantineos in Xerobounia. There the Saint's relics remained until 1915, when they were placed in the parish church of the Pantokrator at Gaitanios, Zakynthos.

Constantinople, 1669-1681, Damascene, Monastic of Athos Larva &oGalatea (north shore of the Golden Horn) beheaded by Moslems
Constantinople, 1669-1681, Damascene, Monastic of t Athos Larva &oGalatea (north shore of the Golden Horn), orphaned young, undiciplined, caught, islam convert to save himself, fled to Athos Larva, became monk, 12 yrs, great schema, blesed for martyrdom, proclaimed Christ in Mosques including Hagia Sophia, nothing happened, went to Sultan, ignored, more mosques, went to kadi and grand viser, condemned, beheaded; Monastic Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; Damascene was a monk from Constantinople. His parents Kyriakos and Kyriake lived in the Galatea district of the city, and they named their son Diamantes. at a young age, and without parental guidance, the boy became rather undisciplined in his conduct. One day he was caught doing something unlawful, and in order to save himself he agreed to convert to Islam. Later he came to his senses and repented his denial of Christ. Fleeing to the Holy Mountain, he became a monk at the Lavra, receiving the name Damascene. twelve years he labored in prayer and asceticism, and was tonsured into the Great Schema. Finally, he revealed to his spiritual Father his desire for martyrdom. Receiving a blessing for this struggle, he cut his hair and dressed as a sailor. the church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque, the monk Damascene made the Sign of the Cross and proclaimed Christ as the true God. Since the Moslems did nothing to him, he went to the Sultan Mehmed mosque and repeated his confession of faith, calling the Moslems ignorant and deceived because they did not believe in Christ. Those who heard him thought he was insane. next day Saint Damascene went to the vizier’s courtyard and shouted at those he found there, “Your faith is not true. Christ is the true God, and only the faith of Christ is true.” Not surprisingly, he was seized and beaten, then chased away. He continued to proclaim Christ in other places, but everyone thought he was crazy, and they ignored him. a Sunday, the holy martyr went to the Tophana mosque, where many Moslems had gathered. Again he was seized and beaten. This time, however, he was sent to the kadi and then to the Grand Vizier, Kara Mustapha. Seeing that the saint would not change his mind and live as a Moslem, the Vizier sentenced him to death. November 13, 1681, Saint Damascene was led to the Phanar, where he was forced to kneel before the gates of the Patriarchate. Thanking God for allowing him to fulfill the exploit of martyrdom, he bent his neck and was beheaded. The relics of the holy New Martyr Damascene were taken to Chalki and enshrined in the church of the Holy Trinity. Galatea (Constantinople);

Constantinople, 1671-1704, Selim I Giray, Crimean Khan, 4 times Khan, first time lost to Pochaev Icon
Mongol, Crimea, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray; I Giray, Selim Khan Girai (Crimean Tatar: I Selim Geray, Turkish: 1. Selim Giray) was four times khan of the Crimean Khanate in the period from 1671 to 1704. During this time Crimean khans were regularly appointed and replaced by the Ottomans. The main events of the period were the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Azov and the Great Turkish War during which the Turks were pushed back from Vienna to about the line of Belgrade. Unlike other khans of the period, he ruled well and had no conflicts with his nobles. He was born in 1631. khans were the direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor. After the death of Genghis Khan (1227) the empire was partitioned and the part in East Europe and Northwest Asia was named Golden Horde. The Golden Horde khans embraced Islam. region which was also called Desht-i Qipchaq was the home of Kypchak Turks and the khanate was Turkified. the early 15th century Golden Horde was further partitioned. One of the parts was the Crimean Khanate founded in and around the Crimean Peninsula, modern Ukraine in 1441. 1478, Giray was the name of the dynasty of khans. However, after partitioning, the parts of the khanate were no longer the major powers in the East Europe and in 1478 after an Ottoman campaign to Cremea, the Crimean Khanate had to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Being the main Moslem vassal of the empire, Crimean Khanate had a privileged status in the Ottoman Empire. father Bahadır I Giray (1637) was one of the many sons of Selâmet I Giray (1608). Selyamet was the ancestor of most subsequent khans. He had 10 daughters and either 10 or 13 sons, five of whom were khans. Among his sons were Devlet II Giray (1699, 1709), Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707, 1713, 1730), Saadet IV Giray (1717), Meñli II Giray (1724, 1737) and Selâmet II Giray (1740) and Azamet, Adil, Muhamed, Shabaz, Maksud, Sahib and Safa. Most subsequent khans were descended from Devlet II, except for the sons of Saadet and Selyamet and the son and grandson of Qaplan. reign (1671-1678)[edit] was appointed as the khan in 1671 while he was in retirement at 'Cholmek' near Yambol in modern in Bulgaria. It is said that he obtained the khanship by bribing vizier Kologi.[1] His kalga and nureddin were his brother Selyamet and his cousin Safa. He was immediately called to fight in the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76). Howorth[2] says that he and his two sons contributed to the capture of Kamianets-Podilskyi. He captured many prisoners in Pokutia and Volhynia but was forced to abandon them by Jan Sobieski. When the Nogais near Akkerman revolted against the Porte Selim forced them to move to Crimea, but they drifted back. 1676 the pro-Turkish Doroshenko was defeated at Chyhyryn by the Russians and forced to abdicate. In 1677 Turkish and Crimean troops were sent to re-take Chyryhin. The Russians barely won the siege, Selim received part of the blame and was removed. See Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). He spent the winter in Kaffa and retired to Rhodes. was followed by Murad Giray and then Haci II Giray. In 1683 Murad was removed for his part in the Turkish defeat at Vienna. Haci was soon driven out by the Crimean nobles. reign (1684-1691)[edit] Turkish disaster at Vienna led to the so-called Great Turkish War (1683-1699) in which all the neighboring powers ganged up to push the Turks south. Russia’s role was to send two expeditions against Crimea (Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689). Both failed due to supply problems, but they kept Crimean troops away from the main fighting in the west. In 1688 Selim defeated some Austrians. In 1689 he was again successful near Belgrade, but his son was killed. He chose to resign the khanship and make the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his return he settled at an estate called ‘Kazikui near Silivri’. [3] was followed by Saadet III Giray who was removed after less than a year. The next khan, Safa Giray of Crimea, was replaced by Selim at Crimean request. Saadet failed the Turks militarily and Safa was accused of drunkenness, among other things, Reign (1692-1699)[edit] kalga was his son Devlet. His nureddin was Shahin, the son of his nephew Selyamet. His reign was dominated by three problems: fighting in the Balkans, raiding and fighting in Ukraine and the Russian capture of Azov. 1692 he was immediately called to fight in the Balkans. In September 1695 he was again called west and took part in the battle of Lippa or Lugos. (see de:Friedrich von Veterani) the Azov campaigns (1695–96) Peter the Great tried to capture Azov, the second campaign being successful. Russia held Azov until 1711. Crimeans raided Domanchov (1692), Poltava (1692,1693) and Pereiaslav (1694). In return the Cossacks raided Ochakov and Perekop. Following the Azov campaigns the Cossacks built forts near the mouth of the Don and Crimeans raided toward Lemburg (1697). Crimeans fought Poles at the Battle of Podhajce (1698). is not clear why Selim chose to leave the throne. He retired to an esate near Silivri. His departure roughly coincided with the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) which ended the Great Turkish War and the Treaty of Constantinople (1700) which ended Russian involvement in the same war. this time Selim suffered from gout and moved to various places near Istanbul in hope of a cure. Selim was followed by his son Devlet II Giray. Devlet was removed and replaced by his father (fourth reign) because of conflicts with his brothers and because of his provocative hostility to Russia. reign (1702–1704)[edit] 71-year old Selim appointed his sons Gazi and Qaplan as kalga and nureddin. In 1704 Selim warned the Porte of Russian expansionism, just as his son had done. He died in Bahçesaray, Crimea and was buried in the tomb of the mosque named after him (22 July 1704). He was followed by Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707) and Devlet II Giray again (1709). a war hero, Selim is also known for his talent as a poet and a musician. As a poet, he wrote the zafername (book of victories) about his victories against Russians at Perekop. During his frequent stays in İstanbul, he supported musicians like Hafız Post (1630–1694). Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Constantinople, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, Zbarazh Castle, H R Source, Volhynia, W Ukraine
Zbarazhsk Castle; Zbarazhsk War with the Turks 1675; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Constantinople, 1675, Turkish siege Pochaev on July 20-23, 1675
Volynia, Turkish siege on July 20-23, 1675; Crimean-Nogai Raids; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Constantinople, 1675, Pochaev Icon saves Pochaev Monastery from Tartars and Turks
Pochaev; Pochayiv Lavra; Uniates; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28;

Constantinople, 1687-1691, Suleiman II, Ottoman Empire Sultan
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1687-1691, Suleiman II; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony t Hesychast, solitary, cave, deamon struggles, chapel church w angels, Oltenia revival
Romania, 1689-1714, Saint Anthony the Hesychast, Vilcea county (Olt River 14), solitary found cave for cell, struggled against deamons, day work night virgil, fasting prostrations, & chapel church w angels for prayer & services, long fasts, battles w unseen, heart tears, 2-3 hrs sleep, bread crumbs & vegetables, Jesus prayer, psalms, visitors for spiritual advice & consolation, genuine Oltenia spiritual revival; Vilcea county ; Venerable Anthony of Iezerul-Vilcea Skete, Commemorated November 23, Saint Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vilcea county in Romania; Anthony the Hesychast was born in the sub-Carpathian Mountains of Vâlcea county in Romania, and he loved Christ from his early childhood. visited many of the monasteries and sketes in that area, conversing with several hesychasts who sought quietude in the mountains. had a profound effect upon his life, and in time, he entered the monastic life at Iezeru Skete in the beautiful wilderness of Vâlcea. 1690, after he had acquired experience in the ascetical life, the Igoumen blessed him to live as a solitary a few kilometers above Iezeru Skete on the mountain of the same name. walked from place to place searching for a stone cave for his cell and a chapel. he found a small cave, where he glorified God and struggled against the demons. true hesychasts know what great temptations and trials face those who wish to live as solitaries. Anthony labored for three years, digging a chapel out of the cliffside with only a hammer and chisel. He worked during the day, and kept vigil by night. cave was a shelter for his body, exhausted by his fasting and prostrations. his soul was not at rest because there was no church nearby, where he could lift up his heart and hands in prayer day and night. From time to time, a hieromonk from the Skete would come to serve the Divine Liturgy on Feast Days and during the fasts. praying to the Mother of God, he began to hollow out a space for a small chapel. When it was finished, it was consecrated by Bishop Hilarion of Râmnicu Vâlcea. this little chapel, the blessed one prayed unceasingly, together with the Angels in heaven, reading the daily services, and making hundreds of prostrations. can describe his long fasts for three days and more, his all-night vigils, his battles with unseen enemies who cannot abide the humility and hardships of the saints, his fervent prayer and incessant tears from his heart? never slept for more than two or three hours a night, nor did he eat anything but breadcrumbs soaked in water and salt, with a few vegetables that he grew in his little garden. repeated the Jesus Prayer unceasingly from his heart, and he read the Psalms with many tears of humility. Anthony’s holy life became known throughout the area, and many of the clergy and laity flocked to him for spiritual advice or consolation in their sorrows. received them with love, gave them the help they needed, and then sent them home in peace. Through his influence, a genuine spiritual revival took place in sub-Carpathian Oltenia. Anthony fell asleep in the Lord in 1714 after twenty-five years of spiritual struggles. disciples mourned him, and buried him beside his small chapel. The faithful still go there to light candles and to pray, asking for his blessing and assistance. Anthony the Hesychast was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992. inscription on St. Anthony's scroll reads “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

Constantinople, 1690-1716, Anthimus tGeorgian, Turk slave, Romanian Metroplitn, author, printer, woodcarver, builder, R spirit L
Georgia, 1690-1716, Anthimus the Georgian, Georgia (Iberia, the land of St George), Orthodox, captured by Turks invading Georgia, slave in Constantinople, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, skilled woodcarving, embroidery, painting, Escaped tEcumenical Patriarchate, invited to Wallachia by Constantine Brancoveanu for his talents, became monk 1691, later priest, royal print shop iBucharest, printing house iSnagov Monastery, printed 63 books iRomanian, Greek, Arabic, Georgian, author 38 oThem, Igumen 1696, Bishop Rimnicu-Vilcea 1705, Metropolitan Wallachia 1708, schools, churches, monasteries, spiritual legacy Romanian Church, arrested by Turks 1716, tSt Catherines Mt Sinai, killed along the way; Georgia (country) ; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; Anthimus was born in Georgia, and his parents were called John and Mary. The child received the name Andrew in Baptism, and his parents raised him as an Orthodox Christian. was captured by Turks who invaded Georgia when he was young, he was one of many who were made slaves in Constantinople. he learned to speak Greek, Arabic, and Turkish, and also became skilled in woodcarving, embroidery, and painting. a few years as a slave, Andrew escaped and fled to the Ecumenical Patriarchate for refuge. 1690, Andrew was invited to Wallachia by Prince Constantine Brancoveanu (August 16), who had heard of his talents. a year or so, he became a monk and received the name Anthimus. he was ordained to the holy priesthood. was placed in charge of the royal print shop in Bucharest, and later set up a printing house in the Snagov Monastery. monastery printed sixty-three books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and Georgian. Anthimus was the author of thirty-eight of them. He was chosen to be the igumen of Snagov in 1696. saint was consecrated as Bishop of Rimnicu-Vilcea in 1705, three years later he was made Metropolitan of Wallachia. Metropolitan, he established schools for poor children, and built churches and monasteries. Since he was a woodcarver, he used his talent to beautify many churches. Anthimus was a zealous pastor who satisfied his flock’s hunger for spiritual knowledge. in the Romanian language, he taught them the saving truths of Orthodoxy, and offered words of encouragement and consolation. His edifying books and sermons are part of the spiritual legacy of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Anthimus was arrested by the Turks in 1716 and sentenced to be exiled at Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, but he never arrived at his destination. September 27, 1716, he was killed by the soldiers who were escorting him. cut his body into little pieces and threw them into the Tungia River, south of the Danube. Thus, the faithful servant of Christ received the crown of martyrdom. Anthimus was a true shepherd of his flock, and a father to his clergy. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Constantinople, 1691-1695, Ahmed II, Sultan , in prison 43 years, executed previous officials, recap Belgrade, then lost Transyl
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1691-1695, Ahmed II; II (25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642[1] – 6 February 1695) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695. 1 Early life 2 Reign 3 Family 4 References 4.1 Works cited 5 Further reading 6 External links life[edit] II was born on 25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and Muazzez Sultan. On 21 October 1649, Ahmed along with his brothers Mehmed and Suleiman were circumcised. [2] the reigns of his older brothers, Ahmed was imprisoned in Kafes, and he stayed there almost 43 years. mausoleum of Ahmed II is located inside the türbe of Suleiman the Magnificent. (In the above picture, his tomb is seen side by side with Suleiman II and Suleiman the Magnificent). section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) his reign, Sultan Ahmed II devoted most of his attention to the wars against the Habsburgs and related foreign policy, governmental and economic issues. Of these, the most important were the tax reforms and the introduction of the lifelong tax farm system (malikane) (see tax farming). Following the recovery of Belgrade under his predecessor, Suleiman II, the military frontier reached a rough stalemate on the Danube, with the Habsburgs no longer able to advance south of it, and the Ottomans attempting, ultimately unsuccessfully, to regain the initiative north of it. the most important features of Ahmed's reign was his reliance on Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha. Following his accession to the throne, Sultan Ahmed II confirmed Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha in his office as grand vizier. In office from 1689, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha was from the Köprülü family of grand viziers, and like most of his Köprülü predecessors in the same office, was an able administrator and military commander. Like his father Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (grand vizier 1656–61) before him, he ordered the removal and execution of dozens of corrupt state officials of the previous regime and replaced them with men loyal to himself. He overhauled the tax system by adjusting it to the capabilities of the taxpayers affected by the latest wars. He also reformed troop mobilization and increased the pool of conscripts available for the army by drafting tribesmen in the Balkans and Anatolia. In October 1690 he recaptured Belgrade, a key fortress that commanded the confluence of the rivers Danube and Sava; in Ottoman hands since 1521, the fortress had been conquered by the Habsburgs in 1688. Ä±l Mustafa Pasha's victory at Belgrade was a major military achievement that gave the Ottomans hope that the military debacles of the 1680s—which had led to the loss of Hungary and Transylvania, an Ottoman vassal principality ruled by pro-Istanbul Hungarian princes— could be reversed. However, the Ottoman success proved ephemeral. On 19 August 1691, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Slankamen at the hands of Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden, the Habsburg commander in chief in Hungary, nicknamed “Türkenlouisâ€ (Louis the Turk) for his victories against the Ottomans. In the confrontation, recognized by contemporaries as “the bloodiest battle of the century,â€ the Ottomans suffered heavy losses: 20,000 men, including the grand vizier. With him, the sultan lost his most capable military commander and the last member of the Köprülü family, who for the previous half century had been instrumental in strengthening the Ottoman military. FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha's successors, the Ottomans suffered further defeats. In June 1692 the Habsburgs conquered Várad (Oradea, Romania), the seat of an Ottoman governor (beylerbeyi) since 1660. In 1694 they attempted to recapture Várad, but to no avail. On 12 January 1695, they surrendered the fortress of Gyula, the center of an Ottoman sanjak or subprovince since 1566. With the fall of Gyula, the only territory still in Ottoman hands in Hungary was to the east of the River Tisza and to the south of the river Maros, with its center at Temesvár. Three weeks later, on 6 February 1695, Ahmed II died in Edirne Palace. Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1694, Romanus tMartyr, Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople, beheaded bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland
Greece, 1660-1694, Romanus the Martyr, fKarpenisi, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Source), Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople, beheaded bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland; Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Martyr Romanus of Karpenisi was born in Karpenisi in central Greece. was a monk on Mount Athos for a time, suffered for Christ at Constantinople, by the Turks in the year 1694. relics were taken by ship to England.

Constantinople, 1695-1703, Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan, determined to recapture Hungary but lost it, deposed
Constantinople, 1695-1703, Mustafa II, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Greek Turkish War, failed seige Vienna, lost large European area, determined to recapture Hungary from Hapsburgs, commanded armies, Navy recaptured Chios, Hapsburg Wars, Rus captured Azov Fortress, he defeats Hapsburgs twice, captures Timisoara, third campaign, defeated by H, treaty w Holy League, Most tramatic loss of Hungary treaty of Karlowitz 1699, he tried to restore Sultan power from Vizier, making cavalrymen hereditary and loyal, Edirne event mutiny, deposed; Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1695-1703, Mustafa II; II (6 February 1664 - 29 December 1703) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. life[edit] Battle of Zenta was born at Edirne Palace on 6 February 1664. He was the son of Sultan Mehmed IV (1648–87) and Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmenia,[1] who was of Greek Cretan descent.[2][3][4] Mustafa II abdicated in favor of his brother Ahmed III (1703–30) in 1703. in Edirne, Mustafa's childhood passed here. While he was in Mora Yenişehiri with his father in 1669, he took the first lesson from Mehmed Efendi at the bed-i besinele ceremony. [5] The writing teacher was the famous calligrapher Hafiz Osman. In 1675, he and his brother Ahmed were circumcised and his sisters Hatice Sultan and Fatma Sultan were married. [6] The celebration lasted 20 days. [7] Turkish War[edit] his reign the Great Turkish War, which had started in 1683, was still going on. After the failure of the second Siege of Vienna (1683) the Holy League had captured large parts of the Empire's territory in Europe. The Habsburg armies came as far as Niš, modern-day Serbia, before being pushed back across the Danube by 1690. Sultan Mustafa II was determined to recapture the lost territories in Hungary and therefore he personally commanded his armies. of Chios[edit] the Ottoman navy recaptured the island of Chios after defeating the Venetian Fleet twice, in the Battle of the Oinousses Islands (1695) and in the Battle of Chios (1695), in February 1695.[8][9] In June 1695, Mustafa II left Edirne for his first military campaign against the Habsburg Empire. By September 1695 the town of Lipova was captured. On 18 September 1695 the Venetian Navy was again defeated in the naval victory of Zeytinburnu. A few days later the Habsburg army was defeated in the Battle of Lugos. Afterwards the Ottoman Army returned to the capital. Meanwhile, the Ottoman fortress in Azov was successfully defended against the besieging Russian forces.[8] Mustafa attempted to realize his thoughts quickly, the island of Chios, which had previously fallen into the hands of the Venetians, was taken back at that time, the Crimean Tatars Shahbaz Giray entered the territory of Poland and proceeded to Lemberg, and returned with many captives and booty. were reports that the Venetians were influenced by the Ottoman forces on the Herzegovina front in Peloponnese. Especially the recovery of Chios was considered auspicious and was celebrated with great festivities in Edirne. Meanwhile, the tips of the people were distributed to the locals. [10] wars[edit] April 1696 Mustafa II left Edirne for his second military campaign against the Habsburg Empire. In August 1696 the Russians besieged Azov for the second time and captured the fortress. In August 1696 the Ottoman troops defeated the Habsburg army in the Battle of Ulaş and in the Battle of Cenei. After these victories the Ottoman troops captured Timișoara and Koca Cafer Pasha was appointed as the protector of Belgrade. Afterwards the army returned to the Ottoman capital.[8] June 1697 Mustafa II left the capital on his third military campaign against the Habsburg Empire. However, the Ottoman Army suffered a defeat in the Battle of Zenta and Grand Vizier Elmas Mehmed Pasha died in the battle. Afterwards the Ottomans signed a treaty with the Holy League.[8] most traumatic event of his reign was the loss of Hungary by the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. even if Ottoman power seemed to wane on one side of the empire, this did not mean that Ottoman efforts at expansion ceased. 1700, for example, the Grand Vizier Amcazade Hüseyin boasted to a recalcitrant tribe residing in swamps near Baghdad that they ought to abide by the sultan's rule, since his grasp extended even to their marshy redoubts. Grand Vizier added that, after all, Mustafa II was "the Lord of Water and Mud."[11] the end of his reign, Mustafa II sought to restore power to the Sultanate, which had been an increasingly symbolic position since the middle of the 17th century, when Mehmed IV had signed over his executive powers to the Grand Vizier. II's strategy was to create an alternative base of power for himself by making the position of timars, the Ottoman cavalrymen, hereditary and thus loyal to him. The timars, however, were at this point increasingly an obsolete part of the Ottoman military machine. strategem failed, the disaffected troops bound to a Georgian campaign mutinied in the capital (called the "Edirne event" by historians), and Mustafa was deposed on 22 August 1703. as red beard, short neck, medium height and majestic. Mustafa II has a miniature made by Levni. After 1699, like his father, he was interested in hunting and entertainment, engaged in literature and wrote poems with the pseudonym. curiosity of this sultan, who had lines in the style of Celi, Nesih and Sulus was archery. Silahdar Findiklili Mehmed Agha, who was assigned to write the history of his period. He described Mustafa's reign in his book Nusretname. [12] Consorts Alicenab Kadın (died 20 April 1699, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in Darülhadis Mosque);[13] Saliha Sultan[13] (died 21 September 1739, Tırnakçı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Turhan Sultan Mausoleum, New Mosque); Şehsuvar Sultan[13] (died 27 April 1756, Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, buried in Nuruosmaniye Mosque); Afife Kadın;[13] Bahtiyar Kadın;[13] Ivaz Kadın;[13] Şahin Kadın;[14][13] Sons Mahmud I (2 August 1696 – 13 December 1754), son with Saliha Sultan;[13] Şehzade Suleiman (25 December 1697 – 25 December 1697, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in New Mosque), son with Afife Kadın;[13] Şehzade Mehmed (22 November 1698 – 5 June 1703, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in New Mosque), son with Afife Kadın;[13] Osman III (2/3 January 1699 – 30 October 1757), son with Şehsuvar Sultan;[13] Şehzade Hasan (16 April 1699 – 25 May 1733), became heir apparent from 1730. [13] Şehzade Hüseyn (7 May 1699 – 24 August 1700, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in New Mosque); Şehzade Selim (16 May 1700 – 8 June 1701, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in New Mosque), son with Afife Kadın;[13] Şehzade Ahmed (3 March 1703 – 7 September 1703, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in Darülhadis Mosque), son with Afife Kadın;[13] Daughters Ayşe Sultan (30 April 1696 – 26 September 1752, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); Emine Sultan (1 September 1696 – c. 1739, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); Safiye Sultan (13 December 1696 – 15 May 1778, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); Rukiye Sultan (13 November 1697 – 28 March 1698, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in Darülhadis Mosque); Hatice Sultan (14 February 1698 – died young, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in Darülhadis Mosque); Fatma Sultan (8 October 1699 – 20 May 1700, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); Ismihan Sultan (23 April 1700 – 1 June 1700); Ümmügülsüm Sultan (10 June 1700 – 1 May 1701, Edirne Palace, Edirne, buried in Darülhadis Mosque); Zeyneb Sultan (10 June 1700 – 18 December 1705, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); Emetullah Sultan (22 June 1701 – 12 April 1727, Istanbul, buried in New Mosque); the new sultan's return to Istanbul, after the Edirne Foundation and the state official. Mustafa and his princes were brought to Istanbul in the Topkapı Palace they were locked up in the Kafes. cage life lasted four months. He died of either sadness or an unknown cause on 29 December 1703. He was buried next to his grandmother, Turhan Hatice Sultan, in the New Mosque, Eminönü, Istanbul, Turkey. [12] Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Constantinople, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Alliances with France and Prussia agaiinst Russia

Constantinople, 1703-1730, Ahmed III, Ottoma Sultan, reformer
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1703-1730, Ahmed III; III (Ottoman Turkish:‎, ) (30 December 1673 – 1 July 1736) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–87). His mother was Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmenia Voria, who was an ethnic Greek.[1][2][3][4][5] He was born at HacÄ±oÄŸlu PazarcÄ±k, in Dobruja. succeeded to the throne in 1703 on the abdication of his brother Mustafa II (1695–1703).[6] NevÅŸehirli Damat Ä°brahim Pasha and the Sultan's daughter, Fatma Sultan (wife of the former) directed the government from 1718 to 1730, a period referred to as the Tulip Era. first days of Ahmed III's reign passed with efforts to appease the janissaries who were completely disciplined. However, he was not effective against the janissaries who made him sultan. Çorlulu Ali Pasha, who Ahmed brought to the Grand Vizier, tried to help him in administrative matters, made new arrangements for the treasury and Sultan. He supported Ahmed in his fight with his rivals. St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului skete, Romania), hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania
Romania, 1705-1767, St Basil of Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) skete, Romania (Olt River 8), hesychist, spiritual renewal, influence beyond Romania; Poiana Marului ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Basil, the Elder of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (November 15), was born toward the end of the seventeenth century. He received monastic tonsure at Dalhautsi-Focshani Skete in 1705 or 1706, laboring in asceticism with great fervor. Basil was ordained to the holy priesthood, and became igumen of Dalhautsi in 1715. He remained in that position for twenty years, and was a wise instructor of monks, teaching them obedience, humility, and the art of the Jesus Prayer. fame of this great spiritual Father began to spread, so that even Prince Constantine Mavrocordat heard of him. Saint Basil’s community became known as a spiritual school of hesychasm, based on the wisdom of the Holy Fathers. When the number of his disciples increased until there was no longer room for all of them at Dalhautsi, they settled in other Sketes in the area. In this way, his influence and teaching spread to other places, inspiring a spiritual renewal of Romanian monastic life in the eighteenth century. Basil renovated the Poiana Marului (Apple Orchard) Skete near the city of Romni-Sarat between 1730-1733, then moved there with twelve disciples. In addition to his duties as Igumen of Poiana Marului, Saint Basil was the spiritual guide of all the Sketes in the Buzau Mountains. One of his most famous disciples was Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, whom he tonsured on Mount Athos in 1750. holy Elder Basil also wrote introductions to the writings of Saints Gregory of Sinai, Nilus of Sora, and others who wrote about the spiritual life, guarding the mind, and on the Jesus Prayer. He taught that the Holy Scriptures are a “saving medicine” for the soul, and recommended reading the Holy Fathers in order to obtain a correct understanding of Scripture, and to avoid being led astray through misunderstanding. Saint Basil also warned against any inclination to excuse ourselves and our sins, for this hinders true repentance. Basil fell asleep in the Lord on April 25, 1767, leaving behind many disciples. His influence has been felt in other Orthodox countries beyond the borders of Romania.

Constantinople, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius, from Epirus, encouraged martyrdom but first a monk, beheaded, d light, myrrh
Greece, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, from Ioannina Region, Epirus, Greece, furrier in C, sinful sailor, moslem traitors accused him of embracing Islam, small boat, desire for Martyrdom, Fr Gregory of Xeropotamou got in his boat, encouraged martyrdom but first become a monk, returned to old ship, beaten w iron bar, eye and teeth, urged viser to become christian, beheaded, heavenly light, sweet fragrance; Ioannina Region; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; holy New Martyr Auxentius was born in 1690 in the diocese of Vellas, part of the Metropolitan district of Ioannina in Greece. When he was a young man, he moved to Constantinople with his parents and became a furrier. he left his trade and went to work on the ships, leading a sinful life in pursuit of worldly pleasures. His Moslem coworkers turned against him and accused him of denying Christ to embrace Islam. Fearing that they would denounce him to the captain of the ship, Auxentius jumped ship and returned to Constantinople. bought a small boat and earned his living with it. He began to regret his previous conduct, and the desire for martyrdom grew within him. One day, a monk got into his boat in order to cross the water. This was Father Gregory, a monk of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mt. Athos. revealed to Father Gregory his desire to be a martyr for Christ. The wise monk praised his desire, but urged caution lest he should weaken under torture and deny Christ. He recommended that Auxentius move to a quiet place and become a monk. Heeding Father Gregory’s advice, Auxentius continued to work with his boat for a time, giving most of his money to the poor, and living as an ascetic. often prayed at the church of the Life-Giving Fountain, asking God to give him strength to become a martyr. Then he returned to his old ship, where his former shipmates began to beat him. They dragged him before the kadi, stating that he had converted to Islam, but then returned to Christianity. said, “I was, and am, an Orthodox Christian. I am prepared to suffer thousands of tortures for the sake of Christ.” furious Hagarenes began to beat Auxentius with an iron bar. He lost an eye and several teeth as a result. He remained steadfast in confessing Christ, in spite of all the tortures that were inflicted upon him, and absolutely refused to become a Moslem. Gregory went to see Auxentius in prison, and was asked to bring him Holy Communion on his next visit. The monk did this, also urging him to remain strong in the Orthodox Faith. holy martyr was brought before the vizier, who urged him to respect Islam as good and true, instead of treating it with contempt. Saint Auxentius answered that he would never abandon his faith. In fact, he even urged the vizier to become a Christian. This enraged the vizier, and he sentenced Auxentius to death. praying for all Orthodox Christians, and for the whole world, Saint Auxentius was beheaded on January 25, 1720 at 9:00 A.M. Two days later, a heavenly light was seen by Christians and Moslems, shining on the body of the martyr. sultan’s tailor, an Orthodox Christian named Michael, went to the sultan and asked for the body. Patriarch Jeremiah III accompanied the body to the Church of the Life-Giving Fountain for the funeral and burial. years later, when the saint’s relics were exhumed, a sweet fragrance came forth from them.

Constantinople, 1710-1770, George of Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, young slave, forced Islam, at 70 announced christian, martyred
Georgia, 1710-1770, George of Iberia, Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, Central Georgia, young, into slavery, forced to Islam, Mytilene shop owner, at 70 announced Orthodox christian, beaten, endured, hanged; Caucasian Iberia; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; George (Zorzes) was from Georgia, and was sold into slavery when he was young. His master, a Muslim from the Greek island of Mytilene, forced him to embrace Islam and renamed him Sali. After his master died, George remained on the island and opened a small shop. In 1770, when he was seventy years old, he appeared before the authorities and announced that he was an Orthodox Christian. The kadi thought that George had lost his mind, since his declaration would lead to his death. next day George was questioned again, and then he was beaten. He endured his torments with silence, but would not be turned from his confession of faith. After more torture, the holy martyr was hanged on January 2, 1770, receiving a crown of glory from the Savior Christ.

Constantinople, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, Confessed wGod's power, no fear, survived precipice, incorrupt fragrant relics
Albania, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, raised christian, became moslem, forced children follow, except one son who went Mt Athos, traveled M A in anger, but repented there and became monk, strict fast 3 yrs, weeping, begging, desire go back confess there, Akakios oKausokalyvia for instructions, addressed him by name not knowing him, withdrew to pray, light fHeaven shining like star on face, take tStaff before pasha, power oGod you will complete martyrdom well, ready to leave but weak fFasting, asked break fast, no, now more tEver must fast, walk much as yCan, Lord wStrengthen walk wEase, I fear deamons however, Fear God, Demons no authority of their own, hope Christ help you witness tHim, survived being pushed off precipice, Turks tortured 3days&nights, beheaded, showing no sign of fear, incorrupt fragrant relics still preserved, relics Skete St Anne; Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos came from Elbasan, a town of Epirus (Albania) was raised by devout parents. he reached a suitable age, he married a Christian woman and they had several children. he associated with Turks, he was influenced by them and became a Moslem. even forced his children to follow his example, for one son, who was abducted by certain Christians and sent to Mount Athos. There he was tonsured as a monk. for the young man in order to convert him to Islam, the wretched father learned that he was on the Holy Mountain. traveled to Athos in great anger, vowing to cause serious trouble for the monasteries if he found his son there. Who desires that all may be saved, effected his salvation in a marvelous way. of finding his son and converting him, he himself came to his senses and repented. both Islam and the world, he became a monk at the Skete of Saint Anne, in the Kalyva (isolated cell) of the Ascension, with the new name of Νikόdēmos. repentance was such that he kept a strict fast for three years, weeping and begging God to forgive his terrible sin of apostasy. day he heard some of the Fathers saying that whoever denies Christ must go back to the same place and confess Him before men. that moment, he burned with a desire for martyrdom. he prepared himself through asceticism, fasting, and prayer. of Saint Akakios (April 12) of the Skete of Kausokalyvia [Καυσοκαλύβια], Νikόdēmos visited him in order to receive his blessing and his instructions. soon as Νikόdēmos beheld the Saint, he fell down at his feet and wept for a long time. Akakios took him by the hand and addressed him by name, although he did not know him. him up, he comforted him. Then he withdrew for a short distance and began to pray. who were present saw a light from Heaven, shining like a star, which illumined the Saint's face. he turned to Νikόdēmos and whispered something to him, and then the radiance disappeared. with contrition and by divine grace, Νikόdēmos cried out with a loud voice. Then he went into the cave and wept for a considerable time. he returned to Saint Akakios and asked for his blessing to go forth to martyrdom. him and placing a staff in his hand, the Saint said, "Take this staff and go before the pasha. By the power of God, you will complete your martyrdom well." Νikόdēmos took the staff, and was ready to leave at once to achieve his goal. weakened by fasting, he was not capable of walking all the way back to Elbasan. Therefore, he asked Saint Akakios if he might break his fast in order to strengthen himself for the journey. Saint replied, "Now, more than ever, you must fast, Brother, for soon you will be struggling for Christ. Walk as much as you can, and the Lord Who said 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4), shall strengthen you to walk with ease." Martyr answered, "O Father, by your prayers, may our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, and enable me to confess the good confession (I Timothy 6:12). I fear the demons, however." Akakios chided him, "Fear God, Brother, and not the demons who have no authority of their own over us. place all your hope in Christ, not only to vanquish the demons, but also to help you in bearing witness to Him." this, Νikόdēmos wept tears of joy. down to the ground and kissing the Saint's feet, he received his blessing and went on his way. he was still on the Holy Mountain, the Lord appeared to Νikόdēmos and encouraged him. He revealed all the trials that he would face, and even the site of his execution. by Christ, Νikόdēmos arrived at Elbasan. he was recognized by the Turks, arrested, and brought before the pasha, who tried to make him return to Islam. Νikόdēmos rejected the religion of the Turks and courageously confessed Christ. they took him to a high precipice and pushed him off. Miraculously, he floated down gently and landed on his feet. to the palace, he appeared before the pasha, who was terrified to see him alive. almost released Νikόdēmos, but fearing the mob of Turks, he turned the Martyr over to them. They tortured him for three days and nights before leading him to the place of execution. Along the way, they made him kneel several times, as if they intended to behead him. they reached the place which the Lord had revealed to him, Christ's Martyr showed no sign of fear. He bent his neck and was beheaded with a sword, and his soul went to Heaven with the crown of martyrdom on July 11, 1722. After the Saint's martyrdom, Christians buried him in the church of the Theotokos, his incorrupt and fragrant relics are still preserved, working miracles for those who run to him with faith. piece of his relics is also kept in the Skete of Saint Anne, where there is a manuscript with his Church Service. A new Service was composed by the monk John Danielidis and others.

Constantinople, 1728-1748, Kristo tGardener oAlbania, tConstantinople, Turks lies , refused food to hunger thirst fChrist
Albania, 1728-1748, Kristo tGardener oAlbania, at 40 went tConstantinople for better business, one day Turk wanted buy all his apples, unable agree price, angry lying turk accused Kristo wanting become Moslem, lying false Moslem wittnesses found to testify, that he had stated intension to convert, Kristo's testimony discounted because he christian and Moslem witnesses had contradicted, beaten tortured the next day, but remained steadfast, visited by well known monk author Kaisarios Dapontes, freed from chains, brought food but K refused to eat, because did not expect to live and wanted to hunger thirst for Christ, sentenced beheaded because refused abandon Christ, K gave K D metal file to sell for memorial services for him, beheaded Feb 12, 1748; Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; Saint Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; holy New Martyr Kristo was an Albanian who worked in a vegetable garden. the age of forty, he decided to go to Constantinople to seek better business opportunities. day he was negotiating with a Turk who wished to purchase his entire stock of apples, they were unable to agree on a price. Turk became angry and accused Kristo of expressing a desire to become a Moslem. was brought before the authorities, and false witnesses were found to testify that he had indeed stated his intention to convert. declared that he never said that he wished to become a Moslem. testimony was discounted, however, because he was a Christian, and Moslem witnesses had contradicted him. saint was beaten and tortured the next day, remained steadfast in his confession of Christ. Dapontes, a well known monk and author, visited Saint Kristo and got him freed from the place where he was chained. brought food for him, but he refused to eat. “Why should I eat?” he asked. “I do not expect to live, so I may as well die hungering and thirsting for Christ.” he refused to abandon the Orthodox Faith, Saint Kristo was sentenced to be beheaded. they led him away, Kristo gave Dapontes a metal file and told him to sell it and use the money to have memorial services offered for him. February 12, 1748 Saint Kristo the Gardener was beheaded, thereby receiving an imperishable crown of glory from Christ.

Constantinople, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon, fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, assumed stolen but MOG wanted go tXenophon
Greece, Mt Athos, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon Hodgitria (MOG Icon), fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 1730 assumed stolen but appeared at Xenophon Monastery, returned, happened again and again befor V monks realized MOG wanted go Xenophon; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; to tradition, this wonderworking icon was for many years at the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos, the katholikon in front of a column on the left cliros. 1730, it mysteriously disappeared not only from the church, but also from the monastery. the doors were locked, the monks assumed that thieves had stolen it. they heard that the icon was at the monastery, a three hour journey from Vatopedi. monks were sent to return their spiritual treasure to the Vatopedi monastery. icon was restored to its former place, and the Fathers of the monastery took precautions to prevent the icon from being stolen again. the icon of the Mother of God left the Vatopedi monastery and appeared at Xenophon a second and third time. that this was actually a miraculous occurrence, the brethren of the monastery decided not to oppose the will of the Mother of God, and left the icon at Xenophon. a sign of their blessing, the brethren provided candles and oil for the icon. “Hodegetria” (Hodēgḗtria) Icon at Xenophon is in the katholikon, before a column on the left cliros, the very same place it occupied at the Vatopedi monastery.

Constantinople, 1730-1754, Mahmud I, Ottoman, reformer deposed, Hunchback, Took over, good relations w Persia
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1730-1754 , Mahmud I ; I (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…ØÙ…ÙˆØ¯ اول‎, Turkish: I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 – 13 December 1754), known as The Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept good relations with Mughal and Safavid Empires. life[edit] was born at Edirne Palace on 2 August 1696, the son of Mustafa II (1664–1703); his mother was Saliha Sabkati Valide Sultan. Mahmud I was the older brother of Osman III (1754–57). He developed a humped back. father Mustafa II mostly lived in Edirne. Mahmud passed his childhood in Edirne. On 18 May 1702 he started his education in Edirne. When his father deposed himself from the throne he was brought to Istanbul and locked up in Kafes where he spent 27 years of his life. [1] is not known what kind of culture he acquired during this time, since he continued to play chess, write poetry, and deal with music. In addition for childhood and youth, there were dangers, especially for the Kafes life. [1] 28 September 1730, Patrona Halil with a small group of fellow Janissaries aroused some of the citizens of Constantinople who opposed the reforms of Ahmed III.[2] Sweeping up more soldiers Halil led the riot to the TopkapÄ± Palace and demanded the death of the grand vizer, NevÅŸehirli Damat Ä°brahim Pasha and the abdication of Ahmed III. Ahmed III acceded to the demands, had Ä°brahim Pasha strangled, and agreed to his nephew, Mahmud, becoming sultan.[2] real reign began on 25 November 1730, after this incident. First of all, Istanbul was taken under strict control. Measures were taken. About two thousand suspicious people were captured, some were executed, some were exiled. [3] ’s rule[edit] I was recognized as sultan by the mutineers as well as by court officials but for some weeks after his accession the empire was in the hands of the insurgents. Halil rode with the new sultan to the Mosque of Eyüb where the ceremony of girding Mahmud I with the Sword of Osman was performed; many of the chief officers were deposed and successors to them appointed at the dictation of the bold rebel who had served in the ranks of the Janissaries and who appeared before the sultan bare-legged and in his old uniform of a common soldier. A Greek butcher, named Yanaki, had formerly given credit to Halil and had lent him money during the three days of the insurrection. Halil showed his gratitude by compelling the Divan to make Yanaki Hospodar of Moldavia. However, Yanaki never took charge of this office. Khan of the Crimea assisted the Grand Vizier, the Mufti and the Aga of the Janissaries in putting down the rebellion. On 24 November 1731, Halil was strangled by the sultan's order[2] and in his presence, after a Divan in which Halil had dictated that war be declared against Russia. His Greek friend, Yanaki, and 7,000 of those who had supported him were also put to death.[citation needed] The jealousy which the officers of the Janissaries felt towards Halil, and their readiness to aid in his destruction, facilitated the exertions of Mahmud I's supporters in putting an end to the rebellion after it had lasted over a year. Austrian ambassador, who came to Istanbul in August 1740, was given a dinner in DavudpaÅŸa. Çavuşbaşı took the ambassador and took him to his mansion prepared in BeyoÄŸlu. On the day of the Ulufe Court, he presented his name to the Sultan. Various demonstrations were held in places where welcome and farewell ceremonies were held for the ambassador from Yeniköy Pier. [4] rest of Mahmud I's reign was dominated by wars in Persia, with the collapsing Safavid dynasty and the ascendance of Nader Shah. Mahmud also faced a notable war in Europe—the Austro-Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739). I entrusted government to his viziers and spent much of his time composing poetry. of 1750[edit] fire that started at the Ayazma gate in January 1750 lasted for 19 hours. Numerous shops, houses, and mansions burned until Vefa. sultan dismissed BoynueÄŸri Abdullah Pasha and appointed Divitdar Mehmed Emin Pasha on 9 January In the second fire that broke out on 31 March 1750, Bitpazan, AbacÄ±lar, YorgancÄ±lar, YaÄŸlÄ±kcÄ±lar, Haffaflar were completely burned. The fire spread to Fingerkapi and Tatlikuyu. The sultan, with the help of the treasury, repaired the burned down and AÄŸakapÄ±sÄ±. [5] I started the construction of the CaÄŸaloÄŸlu Bath, called Yeni Hamam, in the spring of 1740 on the land of CaÄŸaloÄŸlu Palace, which covers a large Foundation houses were built on the remaining empty lands and a neighborhood was established. The benevolent sultan opened the one in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia Mosque, the first of the three libraries it established in Istanbul, with a ceremony and made four thousand volumes. the library, Sahih-i Buharf reading of ten inhabitants every day was one of the conditions of the foundation. Mahmud also came to the Rosary Gate of Hagia Sophia several times, sat in the library and listened to the commentary of tafsir. famine, which appeared due to the heavy winter, became heavier and heavier at the end of spring. [6] with the Mughal Empire[edit] Shah's devastating campaign against the Mughal Empire, created a void in the western frontiers of Persia, which was effectively exploited by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I, who initiated the Ottoman–Persian War (1743–46), in which the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah closely cooperated with the Ottomans and their ambassador Haji Yusuf Agha, these relations between the two empires continued until Muhammad Shah's death in 1748.[7] with Safavid Empire[edit] March 1741, the ambassador of Nadir Shah from Iranian government, HacÄ± Han, came to Istanbul with three thousand people and his guards unit to prolong the peace in between them. Among his gifts were fabrics embroidered with jewels, ten elephants, and valuable weapons. HacÄ± Han was given a banquet in Fener Bahçesin. It was also a problem to pass the elephants brought by hand to Istanbul, and wide shakes were laid on the barges, and wooden curtains were laid around them so that elephants could not be scared. [8] relations of Iran and Ottoman Empire became increasingly tense, reached a new dimension in February 1743, and Shah Safi, who was one of Shah Hussein's princes and held hostage on Chios Island, was condemned and Nader Shah's inability to complete. Sailor's head of the crest, including the personality crown, was put on destar. He was sent to the Iranian border with the troops that joined him. [9] Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria"Â, Commemorated on January 21; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros, Caria, called Infidel, rt C faith, confessed, blind healed by hBlood, clean body, incorr
Ephesus, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros near Island of Rhodes, Caria, bMandraki on N, arrested town leader father became moslem, wFamily, N became Mehmed, N Christians despised them, tMoved to Rhodes, after fight Muslim boy's mother calls him infidel, he learns his C name, returned to C faith, ship tChios, Lithe harbor, walked Nea Moni, Makarios former Met Corinth, Holy Chism, stayed there, cave holy fathers there, Anthimos told him go back to N, tax collector aChora oChios, tPrison, but aBounaki, Priest Daniel questons Now arressting Moslems for taxes, Turk Judge, admitted return to true C faith, wished called Niketas, imprisoned tortured 10 days, steadfast not afraid, no food, I'm fed food you not have, joy you not experience, wild horses no trample, Iveron M dependency, I shall die as Niketas, kill me quickly that may enjoy paradise, but several sword neck blows, blind healed by his blood, dirt bBody remained clean, so, incorruption crown; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21; Holy New Martyr Nikḗtas was born in the town of Mandraki on the Aegean island of Nisyros (Νίσυρος), and his father was one of the town's leaders. father had committed some crime for which he was arrested, and was put on trial by the Moslems. that he would be executed, he decided to save his life by becoming a Moslem along with his family. ḗtas, who was too young to understand the significance of this change, was given the name Mehmed. Christians of Nisyros despised them for denying Christ, so the family had to move to the island of Rhodes. day Nikḗtas got into a fight with a Muslim boy with whom he was playing. the boy's mother heard about it, she started to yell at Nikḗtas and called him an infidel. by this, Nikḗtas asked his mother what it meant. She ignored his questions but Nikḗtas was persistent in his attempts to discover the truth. At last his mother relented and told him how they had become Moslems. he wished to know what his Christian name was, the one he had received at his Baptism. When he was told it was Nikḗtas, was determined to return to his ancestral faith, and waited for an opportunity to escape from the island. ḗtas took a ship to the island of Chios and landed at the harbor of Lithe. He walked without knowing where he was going, soon he arrived at the Byzantine Monastery of Nea Moni. he told his story to the Igoumen and asked for some advice concerning his salvation. Igoumen told him to visit Makarios, the former Metropolitan of Corinth,1 who was living on the island as an ascetic at that time. When Makarios heard his Confession, he was received back into the Church through Holy Chrism, and he also received spiritual guidance. ḗtas decided to remain at the Monastery of Nea Moni, where he began to live an ascetical life. to undertake even greater struggles, Nikḗtas went to live in the Cave of the Holy Fathers near the Monastery. he met the ascetic Anthimos. He was told that a Christian who has denied Christ must return to the place of his denial, and confess his faith in Jesus Christ, reject Islam and suffer martyrdom. ḗtas rejoiced when he heard this, and then he returned to the Monastery, where he told the Fathers of his desire. his determination, they chanted the Canon of Supplication to the Theotokos (Paraklesis), and he received a blessing to carry out his intention. the young man arrived at the port of Chora on Chios, he was arrested by a Moslem tax collector from the Crimea, because he had no proof that he paid the head tax, which was required of all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. he was being led to prison, the tax collector stopped at a place called Bounaki, where he looked for other tax evaders. then a priest named Daniel, who knew Nikḗtas, happened to come by and called out to Nikḗtas using his Moslem name Mehmed. he asked Nikḗtas why he was being detained, he was told it was because he did not pay the head tax. Then Father Daniel shouted: "Here is something new! Are Moslems now obliged to pay the head tax?" Nikḗtas explained to him that he was a Christian named Nikḗtas, the Moslem from the Crimea overheard their conversation and came to investigate. Then Nikḗtas was taken to the Turkish judge and was interrogated. ḗtas admitted to the judge that he had been a Moslem and was circumcised, but then he decided to return to the Christian faith which is the true faith. also wished to be called by his baptismal name Nikḗtas. judge therefore ordered that Nikḗtas be imprisoned and tortured for ten days so he might come to his senses and return to Islam. ḗtas remained steadfast and was not afraid, even though they cursed him and beat him without mercy. They brought him food to eat, but he chose not to eat, saying: am being fed with food which you do not have, and I rejoice with joy which you cannot experience." was also placed in a stable so he would be trampled by the wild horses, but when it was discovered that he was unharmed, he was returned to the prison. the ten days had passed, the Turks realized that Nikḗtas had no desire to return to Islam, and was even more steadfast in his Orthodox Christian faith. led Nikḗtas to the edge of the city, to a Metochion (Dependency) of the Athonite Monastery of Ivḗron. again, he was urged by the executioners to become a Moslem again and thereby escape death. Nikḗtas replied: "I am a Christian; my name is Nikḗtas, and I shall die as Nikḗtas." executioners made Nikḗtas kneel several times, trying to frighten him, but he said to them: "Why do you delay? Kill me quickly that I may enjoy the blessedness of Paradise." executioner repeatedly struck his neck with the sword in order to cause him greater pain. After several blows, the seventeen-year-old Nikḗtas was decapitated and received the crown of martyrdom on June 21, 1732. dipped cloths in his martyric blood, and when it was applied to the eyes of the blind, they received their sight. the Turks threw dirt over his body to dishonor it, the body would remain clean for many days. order to prevent the Christians from taking his sacred relics, they were thrown into the sea. head of Saint Nikḗtas was preserved in a box with a glass cover in the Monastery of Saint Mark the Evangelist on Chios. It is thought that Christians bribed the guards, or stole the head. The next day, when the Saint's relics were tossed into the sea, the guards, hoping to avoid punishment, did not bother to inform the authorities that the head was missing. Later, the skull was given to Saint Parthenios of Chios (December 8), who founded the Monastery. There was no mention of where the holy relic was, so that the monks would not be punished for having it. Saint's holy relics are in the church of Saint Nikḗtas at Nisyros. His head is kept at Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos. This Makarios is not to be confused with Saint Makarios of Corinth (April 17), who lived from 1731-1805.

Constantinople, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, refused Islam&daughter, starvation sentence, not feel hunger, stoned&hanged
Armenia, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, at Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia, Roman Roads Intersection Great Road across Turkey and to Cilicia, Governor decreed Christian boys tConcentration camps, including T, but Judge liked him, brought him home, offered wed his daughter, if convert tIslam, T refused, starvation sentence, nourished bPrayer, not feel hunger, satisfied little water, refused again, stoned and hanged, 1923 right hand tThessaloniki; Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia; Holy New Martyr Theocharis, Commemorated on August 20; the year 1740 Sultan Ahmed and Ibrahim Pasha, the governor of Asia Minor, a decree was issued that Christian boys should be placed in concentration camps. orphan Theocharis was among them. a certain day, however, the judge of Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, saw Theocharis in the camp, he liked him, and brought him home to care for his animals. ’s piety and comeliness prompted the judge to suggest that he become his son-in-law, after first becoming a Moslem. answered courageously, “My master, I was born a Christian, and I cannot deny the faith of my Savior and of my fathers.” Ottoman judge considered the answer to be offensive and threatened him with torture, and then he sentenced him to death by starvation. went to church to confess and to partake of the spotless Mysteries, and then returned to his master. When he repeated his refusal and confessed his faith, they threw him into prison without food for many days. was nourished by prayer, however and did not feel hunger; he was satisfied with a little water once in a while. the judge repeated his offer to let him marry his daughter, Theocharis firmly refused. Then, after frightful torture, they took him an hour’s journey from the city of Neapolis, where he was stoned and then hanged at noon on a white poplar tree on August 20, 1740. 1923, the right hand of St. Theocharis was brought to Thessaloniki and was placed in the Church of St. Katherine, where it remains today.

Constantinople, 1740-1750, Athanasius oEpirus, Greece, saves sis f Musa, bears torture, M impressed, sees angels, bMonk
Greece, 1740-1750, Athanasius oEpirus, Greece, Turk Musa wants beaity sis, A fights h off, A bears torture, Musa impressed, sees angels, wants tb christian, not yet to protect Cs, later becomes monk on Corfu, founds church; Epirus Region Greece; New Martyr Anastasius of Epirus, Commemorated on November 18; Anastasius and his sister were mid-18th century peasants living in Epirus during Ottoman times. a band of Turks entered their village, its leader, Musa, was struck by the beauty of Anastasius' sister and tried to seize her, but Anastasius fought off the Turks, enabling his sister to escape. a result, Anastasius was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured in an effort to get him to deny the Christian faith. by the manner in which Anastasius bore his sufferings, Musa wanted to know more about the faith that sustained him. secretly to Anastasius' cell, Musa saw two young men of shining appearance with Anastasius, but they vanished when Musa entered. told him that these were angels who guard every Christian, especially when they suffer for Christ. also explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it had inspired him and others to place little value on worldly things. response, Musa expressed his desire to embrace Christianity. told him to wait until the proper time, because his conversion would bring about a persecution of the region's Christians. few days later, in 1750, Anastasius was beheaded by order of Musa's father, the Pasha. Musa was granted a vision of Anastasius encircled in light, who urged him to continue on the road to Christ. fled his father's domain to the Peleponnese where he was instructed in the faith by an aged ascetic. he was baptized, he became a monk on Corfu, receiving the monastic name of Daniel, and founded a church dedicated in honor of Saint Anastasius.

Constantinople, 1742-1773, Paisius oHilandar&Bulgaria, Historian, priest, key Bulgarian national revival figure
Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria, Historian, National Awakening, nickname Paisii, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure, author of the second Bulgarian History, after "History of Bulgaria" by Peter Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, from Samokov eparchy near Bansko, to Hilandar Mt Athos 1745, priest (hieromonk) and deputy-abbot , collecting materials 2 years, hard work, even visited Hapsburg Monarchy, finished his book 1762 in Zograf monastery, first attempt at complete history of Bulgaria, to awaken&strengthen national consciousness, famous paragraph: you unwise moron, ashamed Bulgarian, don't read write in Bulgarian, wern't B's powerful once, taking taxes from Romans&Greeks, bravest slavic nation, first kings with patriarchs, first to baptize people, why ashamed great history and language, why turn into Greeks, speaks his purpose and the danger of Helenization by Greek Clergy, his book two introductions, a chapter on Slavic teachers the disciples oCyril&Methodius, Bulgarian Saints chapter, and an epilogue, he handed out book as he toured Bulgaria as mendicant (poverty, work, alms) friar, copied and spread; Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria ; Paisius of Hilendar or Paìsiy Hilendàrski (Bulgarian: Свети Паисий Хилендарски) (1722–1773) a Bulgarian clergyman and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. is most famous for being the author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history after the work of Petar Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, "History of Bulgaria".[1] Bulgarians are taught that he was the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.[2] was born in the Samokov eparchy of the time. There is a dispute about the exact place of birth, between the town of Bansko[3][4] and villages around Samokov like Relyovo.[5] established himself in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in 1745, he was later a hieromonk and deputy-abbot. materials for two years through hard work and even visiting the Habsburg Monarchy, finished his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya in 1762 in the Zograf Monastery. book was the first attempt to write a complete history of Bulgaria attempted to awake and strengthen Bulgarian national consciousnesses.[6] most famous part of the whole book is the paragraph: you unwise moron! Why are you ashamed to call yourself a Bulgarian and why don't you read and speak in your native language? Bulgarians powerful and glorious once? they take taxes from strong Romans and wise Greeks? of all the Slavic nations they were the bravest one. rulers were the first ones to call themselves kings, the first ones to have patriarchs, the first ones to baptise their people.(...) are you ashamed of your great history and your great language why do you leave it to turn yourselves into Greeks? do you think they are any better than you? here you're right because did you see a Greek leave his country and ancestry like you do?" more or less signifies the purpose of the author who speaks about the danger of Bulgarians falling victim to the Hellenization policies of the mainly Greek clergy. anti-Greek sentiments presented in Paisius writing, characterized the Greeks as some kind of Bulgarian national enemies.[7][8][9] book's first manual copy was done by Sophronius of Vratsa in 1765. Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya consists of two introductions, chapters that discuss various historic events, chapter about the "Slavic teachers", the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, chapter about the Bulgarian saints, an epilogue. Paisius toured Bulgaria as a mendicant friar, he brought his work, which was copied and spread among the Bulgarians. is thought to have died on the way to Mount Athos near Ampelino (modern-day Asenovgrad). page of Istoriya slavyanobulgarska (Slav-Bulgarian History) Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Paisiy of Hilendar.[10] saint is portrayed on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005.[11] Bulgaria, 1762, History of the Slav-Bulgarians; Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Constantinople, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace
Greece, Mt Athos, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Venerable Sophronius of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 18; Sophronius lived in the eighteenth century. left home on his wedding night and became a monk on Mount Athos. living there for fifty years, he died in peace.

Constantinople, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Ms, renewer Athos&Paisian hesyc
Romania, 1750-1806, George oCernica (Lake Cernica, Bucharest, Romania), fSaliste, Sibiu, inclined monastic fyouth, but Catholic Austrian Rulers oTransylvania supressed Orthodoxy, esp monasticism, to unify, so 1749 he went tWallacia tGreek Met Rosca aBucharest, spiritual father, tConstan&Mt Athos wRosca, Vatopaidi M, monk then deacon, Rosca dies so Paisios Velichkovsky elder, Prophet Elias Skete, 1752 Great Schema, 1754 Hieroschema monk fRomanians aSt Elias Skete, 1764 w64&P tDragomirna M iMoldovia, Hierschemamonk, Confessor, steward 12 yrs, wBukovina fell tAustria 1775, they moved to Secu M, 1779 wP tNeamt M 2yrs, 1781 P blessed him to return Mt Athos, on way iBucharest he met Met Gregory II oWallacia (P's disciple) & old friend Hiermonk Makarios, they persuaded him with vision oSt Nick to undertake revival oCernica M, dedicated to St Nic, in ruins 30 yrs, task cenobitic rule similar Athonite & Paisan Ms, help fWallacian ruler Nick Mavrogenes began restore church&cells, he perfected monks spiritual life, daily services, scripture &Holy fathers reading, work including manuscript copying, he revived spiritual life, grew to 103 in 5yrs, 1785 gravely ill, his will prescribed monastic order, but he recovered, 1793 Met Philaret II assigned him to Caldarusani M also, 1794 on lived both Ms, Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, worship 7times day frequent confession obedience constant prayer common meal, died 1806, buried Cernica Lazarus font, venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition, many disciples incl Kalinikos&Makarios, 2005 Romanian sainthood, 2007 Russian sainthood; Cernica; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; George was born in 1730 to pious Orthodox parents in the town of Sălişte, near Sibiu in Romania. his youth he was inclined toward the monastic life. at that time the Roman Catholic Austrian rulers of Transylvania tried to suppress Orthodoxy, especially Orthodox monasticism, in order to make the faithful unite with them. at the age of nineteen, the young man went to Wallachia and came to the Greek Metropolitan Rosca, who was in Bucharest at that time. He became George's Spiritual Father. thereafter, in 1750, he accompanied his Spiritual Father to Constantinople, and then to Mount Athos. he settled at Vatopaidi Monastery, and was tonsured as a monk, and later he was ordained as a deacon. the repose of his Elder, he became a disciple of Saint Paϊsios Velichkovsky at the Prophet Elias Skete. in 1752, Saint Paϊsios tonsured Father George into the Great Schema. years later he was ordained as a Hieroschema-monk for the Romanian community at Saint Elias Skete. his stay on Mount Athos he advanced with great zeal and much spiritual benefit, on the ladder of spiritual perfection, 1763, together with sixty-four other disciples, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Dragomirna Monastery in Moldavia. the next twelve years, he served this Monastery as a Hieromonk, Confessor, and steward. Bukovina fell under the power of Roman Catholic Austria in 1775, the Dragomirna brethren, led by Elder Paϊsios, moved to Secu Monastery. 1779, he followed Saint Paϊsios to Neamț Monastery, where he lived for another two years. 1781, with the blessing of his Elder he went to Mount Athos again. his return to Bucharest, he met Metropolitan Gregory II of Wallachia, who was a disciple of Saint Paϊsios, and his old friend Hieromonk Makarios. their persistent persuasion, followed by prayer and fasting, and a vision of Saint Nicholas, he agreed to undertake the revival of monastic life at Cernίca Monastery, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and which had been in ruins for more than thirty years. task was to establish a monastery in this region of Wallachia with a cenobitic Rule, similar to the Athonite and Paisian monasteries. the help of the Wallachian ruler Nicholas Mavrogenes and other Christians, Father George began to restore the main church and the cells. devoted a lot of time to perfecting the spiritual life of the monks. the monastery the Services were performed every day, along with reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church, and work which was carried out in numerous obediences: including copying manuscripts and physical labor. his sacrificial and gifted shepherding, he revived the spiritual life at Cernίca Monastery. After just five years, the community grew to 103 monks. 1785, Saint George became gravely ill and, expecting his imminent demise, made his will in which he prescribed the proper order of life of the monastic community. However, he soon recovered and continued his pastoral labors. view of his successes, in 1793, Metropolitan Philaret II of Wallachia also assigned him to Căldărușani Monastery. April 1794, Father George lived in both monasteries alternately, appointing Igoumens in them, especially during his absence. both monasteries he introduced the Athonite-Paisian cenobitic Rule, which included worship seven times a day, frequent Confession, obedience, constant prayer, and a common meal. George continued to manage both monasteries until the very end of his earthly life. reposed on December 3, 1806, lamented by the numerous brethren of the two monasteries. was buried at Cernica Monastery, in front of the church of Saint Lazarus. Saint George's repose, he was venerated as a pastor of high spiritual life, the leader of the two great monastic centers of Wallachia, a renewer of the true monastic life of the Athos and Paisian hesychastic tradition. Elder had many disciples and followers, such as Saint Kallinikos of Cernίca, Hieromonk Makarios and others. the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church on October 20-21, 2005, Elder George was glorified and numbered among the Saints. formal announcement of his canonization took place at Cernίca Monastery on the day of his commemoration December 3, 2005, with Patriarch Theoktistos of Romania presiding at the Service. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of August 21, 2007, Saint George's name was included in the Synaxarion of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Constantinople, 1754-1757, Osman III, Sultan, prisoner, peculiar, angry, modest
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1754-1757 , Osman III; III (Ottoman Turkish: 2 January 1699-“ 30 October 1757) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757.[3] III lived most of his life as a prisoner in the palace, and as a consequence, he had some behavioural peculiarities when he took the throne. Unlike previous sultans, he hated music, and banished all musicians from the palace. According to Baron de Tott, Osman III was an angry and modest type of ruler.[6] Audience of French ambassador Charles de Vergennes with Sultan Osman III in 1755. III's first activity was to choose government officials to work with. During his reign, the changes he made in high-level government duties, especially Grand Vizier, can be considered as attempts to reduce the extremely weighted role of the charitable authority in the previous sultan's era.[5] the severe storm of March 1756, an Egyptian galleon ran ashore in Kumkapa at dusk. Due to the storm, 600 passengers could not be evacuated. The sultan, who came to the shore, took all the passengers by bringing barges from the shipyard. He ordered the construction of the Lighthouse in Istanbul to prevent such incidents. [7] first procession of his enthronement was held on 14 December 1754. The historians of that time didn'™t write the events happening in the empire because of severe and freezing cold of January 1755. [8] was responsible for a firman in 1757 that preserved the Status Quo of various Holy Land sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.[9] the second year of his reign, Osman lost his mother, žehsuvar Sultan, who had been in contact with his religiousness. Afterward, the oldest prince, Mehmed, died of illness on December 22, 1756. According to various sources, the funeral of the prince, controlled by the quarry, grand vizier and sheikh al-Islam, was attended by 5,000 people. Some contemporary sources said that the prince was poisoned and killed on the initiative of Mustafa Pasha, the next sultan of the third sultan, Mustafa Pasha.[5] is noted that, in this period, provisions were sent against banditry in Anatolia and Rumelia, and especially the movements of headless beams, and that the sultan was also interested in these issues. Some measures were taken against the tribes of Bozulus and Cihanbeyli, the Armenians due to the turmoil in Iran, the bandits around Erzurum and Sivas, and the famous leader KaraosmanoŸlu Hac Mustafa. The latter was captured and executed, and his head was brought to Istanbul on 5 December 1755.[5] is famous for building Nuruosmaniye Mosque, whose construction started during the reign of Mahmud I. Nuruosmaniye Complex, also known as Osmaniye for a while, consisted of three schools, madrasahs, a factory, a library, a mausoleum, a temporary room, a mesh house, a fountain, an inn, and shops. Osman built a new neighborhood in 1755-56 where Palace and Garden was located, along with houses and shops. He also built the Ihsaniye Mosque and its masjids, both of which stand today as hsaniye.[5] III built a fountain in his name in 1755-56; it was destroyed 122 years after its construction. [10] III died on the night of 30 October 1757. In the early morning, a ceremony was held and his cousin Mustafa III was placed on the throne. The new sultan ordered Osman to be buried in the New Mosque Mausoleum, not in Nuruosmaniye. [11] Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1757-1761, Partiarch, Seraphim II, pro russian ideals, deposed, exiled to Athos
Constantinople Partiarch, 1757-1761, Seraphim II of Constantinople; II Anina (? – 7 December 1779[1]) was the Greek Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1757 until 1761. II was born in Delvinë, located in modern-day southern Albania in the late 17th century.[2] Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople on 22 July 1757 he was Metropolitan of Philippoupolis.[1] Patriarch in 1759 he introduces the feast of Saint Andrew on 30 November,[3] and in 1760 he gave the first permission to Cosmas of Aetolia to begin missionary tours in the villages of Thrace.[4] 1759 he invited Eugenios Voulgaris to head the reforms in the patriarchal academy and during his tenure in the academy influenced by Seraphim's pro-Russian ideals Voulgaris contributed to the reapproachment of the Russian Empire with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.[5][6] a consequence Seraphim II was deposed on 26 March 1761 and exiled on Mount Athos,[1] and he was replaced by the Ottoman authorities with Joannicius III. On Mount Athos, he rebuilt an old Monastic house, and dedicated it to the Saint Andrew. This house would eventually become the Skete of Saint Andrew.[7] the field of politics, he supported the Russian Empire during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 and the establishment of an Orthodox pro-Russian state in the Balkans. In 1769 he urged the Greek population to rebel against the Turks.[2] After the failure of the revolution, in 1776 he moved to Ukraine, where he died on 7 December 1779.[1] He was buried in the Mhar Monastery. Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24;

Constantinople, 1757-1774, Mustafa III, Sultan, justice, prosperity, aquaducts, a Ger, w Rus
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1757-1774, Mustafa III; III 28 January 1717-“ 21 January 1774) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-“30), and his consort MihrŸah Kadhn. He was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I (1774-“89). ascended the throne on 30 October 1757, after the death of his cousin Osman III, the son of Sultan Mustafa II.[5] of Mustafa's rule[edit] after his accession to the throne, Mustafa demonstrated a special care for justice. He took a number of measures to increase prosperity in Istanbul. He regulated coinage, built large grain stores, maintained aqueducts, and established a strict fiscal policy.[6] He traveled frequently and checked whether the laws he had enforced were followed.[7] with Prussia[edit] much admired Frederick the Great's generalship, and in 1761 established a peace treaty with Prussia. Frederick wanted an alliance against the Habsburgs, and Mustafa wanted to modernize his state and army. Mustafa preferred recruiting his officers in Berlin, rather than in Paris and London, to re-organize his army. In 1763, the two countries exchanged their diplomats for the first time.[8] War (1768-1774)[edit] article: Russo-Turkish War (1768-“1774) Rag Pasha, who remained grand vizier until 1763, pursued a peace policy towards neighboring countries. But the increasing influence of Russia over the Caucasus and its intention to control Poland created tension between the Ottomans and Russia. Rag Pasha's successor Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha also preferred to remain at peace, and Mustafa's insistence on war with Russia led to his resignation in 1768. The Sultan expected to gain an easy victory over the Russians, but in fact the Ottomans were unprepared for a long war. During the war, military reforms were undertaken, with the assistance of French officer Fransois Baron de Tott. They included the modernization of artillery corps and the foundation of the Naval Engineering School in 1773. The war was disastrous for the Ottoman Empire. The Russian armies occupied the Crimea, Romania and parts of Bulgaria.[9] Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 3; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert
Greece, Mt Athos, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Cosmas was a monk of Saint Anne’s Skete on Mount Athos. was executed in Constantinople on December 3, 1760 when he refused to convert to Islam. specific details of his martyrdom are not known.

Constantinople, 1764, Aquilina oZagliberi, beaten horribly bTurks, survived, died aHhome, relics' fragrance, &Devine light
Greece, 1764, Aquilina oZagliberi, Thessalonica, to avoid death her father became moslem, could not convert daughter or mother, turned her over to turks, beaten horribly, survived but died at home, relics ' wonderous fragrance, &Devine light; Zagliberi, Thessalonica; New Martyr Aquilina, Commemorated on September 27; Aquilina (Akylina), the virgin martyr of Christ, the daughter of pious parents who lived in the village of Zagliberi, Thessalonica in the diocese of Saint Ardamerios. day her father quarreled with a Turkish neighbor (for Turks and Christians lived together in that village), and struck the Turk, killing him. authorities seized him and brought him to the pasha of Thessalonica to be executed for his crime. death, the unfortunate man converted to Islam in order to save his life. Aquilina was still a babe at her mother’s breast when this happened. saint’s mother remained a Christian, and she encouraged her daughter to adhere to the Christian Faith, and not to deny Christ. some time had passed, the Turks pressured Aquilina’s father to make her become a Moslem, too. said, “Do not worry about my daughter, I’ll see to her. I will force her to convert to Islam in due course.” Saint Aquilina was eighteen, the Turks urged her father to make his daughter convert to their faith. said to her, “The other Turks tell me that you must become a Moslem sooner or later. Do it one day sooner so that they will stop bothering me. “ replied with great courage, “I will never deny the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross for our sake. I am prepared to endure tortures, and even death, for love of my Christ.” that she would not change her mind, her father went to the Turks and said, “I am not able to persuade my daughter to become a Moslem, so you may do as you wish with her.” this, the Turks became angry, and sent servants to arrest the girl. When the saint’s mother saw them seize her daughter, encouraged her to remain firm in confessing Christ, and to be brave in the face of the torments she was about to endure. replied, “That is my intention, Mother. May God help me. Pray for me.” they said farewell with many tears and laments. Servants tied Aquilina with ropes and brought her to the judge. Her mother followed them, but the servants shut the door in her face and left her standing in the courtyard. Saint Aquilina was taken inside to appear before the judge, and her mother returned home to await the outcome. judge asked her, “Will you become a Moslem, you fool?” replied, “No, I will never deny my Faith or my Master Christ.” these things, the judge became angry and ordered the saint to be stripped of her clothes, leaving her in her chemise. he ordered them to tie her to a pillar and to beat her with sticks, and it was done. Two servants beat her for a long time, but Saint Aquilina endured her sufferings with great courage. once again the saint was brought before the judge and the other Turks. They began to flatter her, promising her many things. They even offered her gifts, if only she would deny her Christian Faith, she regarded earthly riches as worthless. A prominent man among them, having more boldness than the others, said to her, “Become a Moslem, Aquilina, and I will marry you to my son.” martyr of Christ replied, “May the devil take you and your son.” the Turks heard this, they were enraged and tied the saint up as before, beating her for a long time. she was untied and questioned for a third time. Aquilina had received so many lashes, her chemise was torn to shreds, and it no longer covered her. The judge said, “You fool! Aren’t you ashamed to appear naked before so many people? Become a Moslem, or I’ll break your bones one by one.” holy virgin replied, “What could I possibly want with your faith? Why should I deny Christ?” Turks were furious, and this time they beat the saint so mercilessly that they left her for dead. The earth was saturated with her blood, and pieces of her flesh fell to the ground. Finally, they untied her and gave her to a certain Christian who happened to be at that place, and he brought her to her mother’s house. her mother saw that her daughter was almost dead, she embraced her and asked, “What have you done, my child?” martyr opened her eyes with difficulty and said, “Behold, I have preserved the confession of my Faith, just as we agreed.” she was speaking to her mother, Saint Aquilina gave her pure soul into God’s hands and received the imperishable crown of martyrdom on September 27, 1764. the way to the cemetery, Saint Aquilina’s holy relics gave forth a wondrous fragrance which filled the entire road. That night a heavenly light shone upon her tomb like a brilliant star, and the Christians who witnessed this glorified God.

Constantinople, 1765-1821, GregoryV Patriarch oConstantinople, his connections w Greek Patriots discoveren Later
Greece, 1765-1821, Gregory V Patriarch of Constantinople, from Demitsana, Arcadia, Peleponnese, to Athens 1765, to Smyrna 1767, to Patmos, Deacon at Smyrna 1775 and Hieromonk, 1785 Bishop, Met oSmyrna, spiritual fruit, sermons, school buildings, books, 1797 Patriarch of C, internal external order, rules, regular mtgs, agendas for Bishops, early 19th C heavy Turk rule&Greek patriots, his connections w G P's discoveren when Ypsilantis crossed tPrut river, his asceticism caused 2 exiles to Great Larva Athos, 3 times forced to quell greek revolts, forced 1821 anathema against Y, a ignored, 1821 hanged Patriarchate gate since closed, body to sea but saved by Greek sailors, to Odessa, under Russian Flag, held See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821), 1871 relics back to Greece for 50th Aniversary, Nikon's Vestiments Mitre Cross, 1921 Sainthood 100 yr Anniversary; Demitsana or Dimitsana ; Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 10; Holy Patriarch Gregory (George Angelopoulos in the world) was born in 1745 at Dēmētsána in the Pelopónnēsos. began his education in the village schools, since his father could not afford to send him to better schools. 1765, he went to Athens to study under the renowned teacher Dēmḗtrios Vodas, in 1767, he went to Smyrna to attend an ecclesiastical school. he went to Patmos for further study, was ordained as a Deacon in 1775 at Smyrna. after, he was ordained as a Hieromonk. 1785 he was consecrated as a Bishop, and was chosen as the Metropolitan of Smyrna. ministry produced much spiritual fruit, and he edified his flock by his eloquent sermons, by building schools, and by writing books. May 1,1797 he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople. that day forward, he concerned himself with the internal and external order of the Patriarchate. He established rules for his household and staff, called regular meetings, and set agendas for the Synod of Bishops. the early XIX century, Greece was suffering under the heavy Turkish yoke, though many Greek patriots hoped to regain their independence. found support from the Holy Patriarch, whose connections with Greek patriots were revealed only after Alexander Ypsilantis crossed the Prut River with his army against Sultan Mahmud. Patriarch was an ascetic who kept the fasts and devoted himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. traits did not endear him to everyone, and he had many enemies. Saint's austerity annoyed some bishops, who slandered him, resulting in his removal and exile to Mount Athos from 1798-1806, where he lived in the Greatest Lavra. second tenure as Patriarch began amid political turmoil. more he began a program of building churches and schools. declared war in 1807 as the result of Russian activity in the Balkans. The Sultan ordered Saint Gregory to issue an encyclical against Russia in order to prevent the Greeks from cooperating with them. bore no malice toward Russia, but he was trying to avoid massacres and insurrections. times during his second Patriarchate, Saint Gregory was forced to quell Greek attempts to revolt. he was deposed and exiled to the Holy Mountain in 1808. January 1819, the Holy Hierarch ascended the Patriarchal throne for the final time. established a fund to help the poor of Constantinople and reorganized the Patriarchal printing press, which published many spiritual books. March, several bishops were imprisoned or executed because of the failed insurrection of Alexander Ypsilantis in Moldavia. the Greek Revolution began on March 25, 1821, the Turks ordered the Patriarch and his Synod to issue an anathema against Ypsilantis and those who had cooperated with him. anathema was ignored, because the Greeks knew that it had been issued under duress. that Lent, jailings and executions were common. One of the Patriarch's friends advised him to flee from Constantinople to the Morea. Gregory replied: "I have a premonition that the fish of the Bosphorus will eat my body, but I will die calmly, for the sake of of saving my nation." Holy Pascha, April 10, 1821, the Patriarch was seized at 10:00 A.M. and hanged at the gate of the Patriarchate, and then his body was thrown into the sea. That gate has remained shut ever since. sailors noticed the place where the Hieromartyr's body was abandoned, and placed it on a ship from Kephalonia under the command of Captain Macri Sklavos, and then it was taken to Odessa under the Russian flag. Hierarch's relics were buried in the Greek church of the Holy Trinity on June 19, 1821. vestments were sent from Moscow for the Saint's relics, as well as a mitre and a cross, which had belonged to His Holiness Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658). Hieromartyr Gregory V of Constantinople, held the See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821). 1871, at the request of the Greek government, permission was granted to transfer Patriarch Gregory's relics from Odessa to Athens for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Greek independence. A special Service was composed in Athens in honor of the Hierarch, whose martyrdom heralded the triumph of Christianity in Greece. Hieromartyr Gregory was glorified as a Saint in 1921. The scroll on his Icon reads: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

Constantinople, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite, scriptures by heart, Multifaceted works, Philokalia, The Rudder
Greece, Mt Athos, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite (hesychasm monks), fNaxos Is, zealous for that which is good, sacred and secular learning, at 26 to Dionysiou on Athos, first obedience served as monastery secretary, Corinth Met Makarios arrived there 1874 and 1876 assigned him to edit Philokalia, simple man with profound concentration, scriptures by heart, even chapter, verse, page, recited writings Holy Fathers from memory, 1783 Great Schema at 35, complete silence 6 yrs, then Makarios gave obedience of editing Simeon tNew's writings, so back into world and literary work until death in 1809, remarkable works: Exomolotarion (Manual of Confession), New Theotokian (62 Rules of Theotokos), published liturgical books, Hymographer, Heortodromion canons for songs of the feasts oLord and oMOG, multifaceted work: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, canon law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnology, preface to Philokalia and lives of ascetics there, translated Unseen Warfare, interpretation Paul's Epistles, those examples of saints lives encouraged staying Orthodox, new edition of The Rudder 1801, containing Canons of The Apostles and Holy EC and Local Synod Fathers, Most edifying work: Christian Morality 1803, saying: Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel, if can't Pray for them.; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain was born on the Greek island of Naxos in the year 1748, and was named Nicholas in Holy Baptism. a child he was well-behaved, avoiding bad company and everything which might harm the inner man. was zealous in his love for that which is good and beneficial, and he loved sacred and secular learning. first education on Naxos came from the village priest, who taught him to love Christ and His Church. also assisted the priest during the Divine Liturgy and other Services. Nicholas attended the school at Naxos, where Archimandrite Chrysanthos, the brother of Saint Cosmas Aitolos (August 24), taught him sacred and secular letters. the age of twenty-six (1874), he arrived on Mount Athos and was tonsured at Dionysiou Monastery with the name Nikodemos. his first obedience, Father Nikodemos served as the monastery’s secretary. years after entering Dionysiou Monastery, the Metropolitan of Corinth, Saint Makarios Notaras (April 17), arrived there, assigned the young monk to edit the manuscript of the Philokalia, which he had found in 1777 at Vatopedi Monastery. this book was the beginning of many years of literary activity for Saint Nikodemos. soon moved to Pantokrator Skḗtē, where he was under obedience to Elder Arsenios of the Pelopónnēsos, under whose guidance he studied Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. to the testimony of his contemporaries, Saint Nikodemos was a simple man, without any malice, unassuming, and distinguished by his profound concentration. possessed remarkable mental abilities: he knew the Holy Scriptures by heart, and even remembered chapter, verse, and the pages they were on. Moreover, he could recite long passages from the writings of the Holy Fathers from memory. 1783 Saint Nikodemos was tonsured into the Great Schema (at 35), and spent the next six years in complete silence. his next visit to Mount Athos, Saint Makarios gave Nikodemos the obedience of editing of the writings of Saint Symeon the New Theologian printed in three volumes: Syros, 1790). meant giving up his silence and occupying himself once more with literary work. that time until his death, he continued to devote himself to such endeavors. of the ascetic's remarkable books was his Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), which was published in 1794. was the first book of its kind in the Orthodox Church. Drawing from Holy Scripture and from the Fathers of the Church, Saint Nikodemos lists the qualifications a confessor must have, if he is to be a true confessor, offers advice on how one should prepare for Confession, how to confess, and how one ought to guard himself against sin after Confession. Saint also made great contributions by publishing liturgical books. Using materials from the manuscript collections on Mount Athos, published sixty-two Canons (rules) to the Most Holy Theotokos under the title, New Theotokarion (Venice, 1796). most wise Nikodemos is also known as a composer and interpreter of hymns. Canon in honor of the "Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God (November 9) and his “Service and Encomium in Honor of the Fathers who Shone on the Holy Mountain of Athos” are used even beyond the Holy Mountain. of his other books include the Heortodromion, an interpretation of the Canons which are sung on Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Venice,1836), and The New Ladder, an interpretation of the 75 Hymns of Degrees (Anabathmoi) of the liturgical book called the Oktoekhos (Constantinople, 1844). is readily apparent that the literary work of Saint Nikodemos was multi-faceted, representing more than half a dozen fields of theology: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, Canon Law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnography. wrote the preface to the Philokalia, and brief Lives of the ascetics whose writings are included therein. the Saint’s ascetical works, his translation of Lorenzo Scupoli’s book, Unseen Warfare (1796), is well known, and has been translated into Russian, English, and other languages. Nikodemos had a special love for hagiography, as attested by his work, New Eklogion (Venice, 1803), and his posthumous book, The New Synaxarion (1819). completed a Modern Greek translation of Saint Paul's Fourteen Epistles in three volumes (1819) as interpreted by the Hierarch Mētrophánēs, by Saint Theophylaktos, the Archbishop of Bulgaria (December 31), and others. Nikodemos also wrote An Interpretation of Saint Paul's Seven Catholic Epistles (published in Venice in 1806). 1799 Nikodemos edited the New Martyrologion, which he and Saint Makarios of Corinth seem to have prepared together in order to demonstrate that the Orthodox Church continues to produce Saints, particularly Martyrs, who were subjected to the same trials, torments, and death as tihe ancient Martyrs. example of the Saints whose Lives appear in this book strengthened and encouraged the Orthodox to remain faithful to Christ, and not to convert to the religion of their oppressors. Nikodemos prepared a new edition of the Pedalion or Rudder, in collaboration with Hieromonk Agapios. was printed in 1801, and contained the Canons of the Holy Apostles, those of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Synods, and of the Holy Fathers. most edifying book, Christian Morality, was published in Venice in 1803. it he says: "Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel. who cannot go into the world, either because of the passions that assail them when they are in the midst of society, or because they are physically infirm, should seek the good of their brethren through prayer and by offering counsel to those who visit them, and if they are learned, by writing edifying books."1 long before his repose, Father Nikodemos, worn out by his literary work and ascetical struggles, went to live at the Kelli of the iconographers Hieromonks Stephen and Neophytos Skourtaίos, who were brothers by birth. asked them to help with the publication of his works, because he was hindered by his infirmities. day before he went to the Lord, he was able to make his Confession, receive Holy Unction, and then Holy Communion. first biographer, Father Euthymios, describes the Saint's repose in this manner: "When the sun rose on the earth that day (Wednesday July 14, 1809), the intelligible sun of the Church set. The fiery pillar, the guide of the New Israel into piety disappeared; the cloud which refreshed those who were melting in the heat of sin, hid itself.” many friends and acquaintances mourned, and the words of a certain Christian were typical of the thoughts of many individuals of that time: “Oh, my Fathers, it would have been better for a thousand Christians to have died today, and not Nikodemos.” Nikodemos reposed peacefully at the age of sixty on July 14, 1809, and was glorified by the Church of Constantinople in 1955. 1 Constantine Cavarnos, Modern Orthodox Saints Volume 3, Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, pages 46-47. (Belmont, Massachusetts, 1974).

Constantinople, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia, Albanian Turk slavery, no convert. extreme tortures &resistence 15yr old martyr
Greece, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia (Malbasia) Monestary, Southern Greece, Geraki &Gouves, only 12 in 1770 when priest father killed bAlbanian Turks, with mother into slavery at Larisa, at first separate then by same master, who wanted to adopt him, but he would not convert. extreme tortures and resistence 15yr old martyr; Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; John was born in 1758 near the city of Monemvasia. father was a priest from Geraki, and his mother was from the neighboring village of Gouves. was in Gouves that John's father was assigned as a priest, and there John was born. a young age John tried to emulate his father by helping him work in the church. He was known for his exemplary behavior, and referred to by other children as the "priest's son." the year 1770 the army of the Albanian Hatzi Osman defeated the Greek resistance, and arriving in Monemvasia they killed John's father and enslaved both him and his mother. were taken to Larisa, where they were sold separately two or three times. two years they were bought by the same man, a Turkish landowner. Turk had no children, and recognizing John's good qualities (he was exceptionally intelligent for his age, obedient, and a hard worker), the man wanted to adopt John after converting him to Islam. Every day they tried to persuade him to abandon the Christian Faith and become a Turk. Initially, they used flattery and promises, but later they used terrible tortures to overcome John's steadfastness (he was only 15 years old), but he remained unwavering in his Christian faith. day his master, tired of trying to convince him to convert, and in anger led him to the courtyard of the mosque. Many Muslims were gathered there, and with blows and terrible threats they urged him to convert and become a Turk. John's response was clear: "I am not a Turk, I am a Christian and I shall die as a Christian." addition, the Turk and his wife tried every day with magic and evil spells to make the Saint lose his mind and give in to carnal desires, and then to become a Turk. But John remained pure, for the grace of Christ protected him from all of the diabolical devices of the Turk's wife. came the fifteen days of fasting before the Dormition of the Theotokos. The Turk realized that John did not wish to break the fast, so he locked him up in a barn. He kept him there for the entire fifteen days and hung him up, lighting a fire in the straw beneath him to cause smoke, and struck him with the flat of his sword, all the while trying to make him eat their abominable foods and break the fast. Saint John did not even taste the food, but prayed to the Mother of God, in whose honor the Fast is observed, asking her to help him keep the fast, for he preferred to die rather than break his fast. master, seeing that he remained unconvinced, left him without food for two and three days at a time. His mother, seeing him weakened by the tortures and the fasting, tried to convince him to give in, saying: "Eat these foods, my son, so that you do not perish. God and the Panagia will forgive you, because you would not be doing this voluntarily, but out of necessity. Pity me, your poor mother. Do not die and leave me alone in this foreign land, for by having you here, I feel as if I am not a slave." replied: "Why are you doing this, Mother, and why are you crying? Why don't you emulate the Patriarch Abraham, who for the love of God wanted to sacrifice his only son, yet you only cry and weep. I am a priest's son and I should be keeping the laws and customs of our Church more than the sons of laymen, for if we don't keep the small things [of the faith], how can we keep the larger things?" after this response the furious Turk stabbed him in the heart on October 19, 1773. After two days Saint John died and received the crown of martyrdom. John's skull and portions of his hand and feet are located at the Zermbitsa Monastery in Sparta, and other portions of his relics are in the churches of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in Larisa and Voulkanou Monastery in Messenia.

Constantinople, 1771, Damascene of Hilandar, igumen, sent to Svishtov, Bulgaria, to collect rent, to avoid paying Moslems framed him
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. He left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. Over time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. Later he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. One day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria to collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. To avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. Then he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. If he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, but since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, the judge had to find him guilty. Before taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. The saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. It would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. I am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Saint Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. The holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. After they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Constantinople, 1771, Damascene tNew, fBulgaria tHilandar, igumen business trips, Martyred b false t, God killed evil-doers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1771, Hieromartyr Damascene tNew, fGabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1) near Trnovo, tHilandar as young man, deacon, priest, later igumen, often journeyed monastery business, Martyred at Svishtov iSerbian Bulgaria collecting rent, to avoid moslems set him up, accused him impropriety wMoslem woman, Judge did not believe but since moslems gave false testimony he was hanged, he was sorry they did not understand why he accepted death versus moslem faith, God killed evil-doers in storm over Danube; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, judge had to find him guilty. taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Constantinople, 1774-1789, Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid I, Pacifist, reformed military, lost Crimea and Ochakov
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1774-1789, Abdul Hamid I; ülhamid I, Abdul Hamid I or Abd Al-Hamid I (20 March 1725 – 7 April 1789)[1] was the 27th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning over the Ottoman Empire from 1774 to 1789. 1 Early life 2 Reign 2.1 Accession 2.2 Rule 2.3 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca 2.4 Relations with Tipu Sultan 3 Architecture 4 Character 5 Family 6 Death 7 References 8 Sources 9 External links life[edit] was born on 20 March 1725 in Constantinople, a younger son of Sultan Ahmed III (reigned 1703–1730) and his consort Åžermi KadÄ±n.[3] III abdicated in favor of his nephew Mahmud I, who was succeeded by his brother Osman III, and Osman[3] by Ahmed's elder son Mustafa III. a potential heir to the throne, Abdul Hamid was imprisoned in comfort by his cousins and older brother, as was customary. This lasted until 1767. this period, he received his early education from his mother Rabia Åžermi, who taught him history and calligraphy.[3] the day of Mustafa's death on 21 January 1774 , Abdul Hamid ascended to the throne with a ceremony held in the palace. The next day Mustafa III's funeral procession was held. new sultan sent a letter to the Grand Vizier and Serdar-Ä± Ekrem Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha on the front and informed him to continue his duty. On 27 January 1774, the sword was armed in Eyup Sultan. the time, the Ottoman-Russian front wars continued, the army was at once, and there was a shortage of food in Istanbul. [4] Hamid's long imprisonment had left him indifferent to state affairs and malleable to the designs of his advisors.[citation needed] Yet he was also very religious and a pacifist by nature. his accession the financial straits of the treasury were such that the usual donative could not be given to the Janissary Corps. The new Sultan told the Janissaries "There are no longer gratuities in our treasury, as all of our soldier sons should learn." Ottoman Army advances from Sofia, its largest garrison in Rumelia, in the year 1788. Hamid now sought to reform the Empire's armed forces. He enumerated the Janissary corps and tried to renovate it, and also the navy. He established a new artillery corps. He was also credited with the creation of the Imperial Naval Engineering School.[1] Hamid tried to strengthen Ottoman rule over Syria, Egypt, and Iraq.[1] However, slight successes against rebellions in Syria and the Morea could not compensate for the loss of the Crimean Peninsula, which had become nominally independent in 1774, but was in practice now controlled by Russia. repeatedly exploited its position as protector of Eastern Christians to interfere in the Ottoman Empire, and explicitly. Finally the Ottomans declared war against Russia in 1787. Austria soon joined Russia. Turkey held its own in the conflict, at first, but on 6 December 1788, Ochakov fell to Russia (all of its inhabitants being massacred). It is said that this sad defeat broke Abdul Hamid's spirit, as he died four months later. spite of his failures, Abdul Hamid was regarded as the most gracious Ottoman Sultan.[citation needed] He personally directed the fire brigade during the Constantinople fire of 1782. He was admired by the people for his religious devotion, and was even called a Veli ("saint"). He also outlined a reform policy, supervised the government closely, and worked with statesmen. Hamid I turned to internal affairs after the war with Russia ended in this way. He tried to suppress internal revolts through Algerian Gazi Hasan Pasha, and to regulate the reform works through Silâhdar Seyyid Mehmed Pasha (Karavezir) and Halil Hamid Pasha. in Syria, the rebellion of Zahir al-Omar, who cooperated with the admirals of the Russian navy in the Mediterranean, benefiting from the confusion caused by the Russian expedition of the 1768 Russian campaign, and suppressed the rebellion in Egypt in 1775, as well as the Kölemen who were in rebellion in Egypt. was brought to the road. On the other hand, the confusion in Peloponnese was ended, and calm was achieved. Kaptanıderyâ Gazi Hasan Pasha and Cezzâr Ahmed Pasha played an important role in suppressing all these events. [5] of Küçük Kaynarca[edit] his pacific inclinations, the Ottoman Empire was forced to renew the ongoing war with Russia almost immediately. This led to complete Turkish defeat at Kozludzha and the humiliating Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed on 21 July 1774. The Ottomans ceded territory to Russia, and also the right to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox Christians in the Empire. the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, the territory left, as well as Russia's ambassador at Istanbul level and an authorized representative, this ambassador's participation in other ceremonies at the state ceremonies, the right to pass through the Straits to Russia, as the envoys of the Russian envoy were given immunity. Marketing opportunities for all kinds of commodities in Istanbul and other ports, as well as the full commercial rights of England and France were given. It was also in the treaty that the Russian state had a church built in Ga lata. Under the circumstances, this church would be open to the public, referred to as the Russo-Greek Church, and forever under the protection of Russian ambassadors in Istanbul. [6] with Tipu Sultan[edit] 1789, Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Sultanate of Mysore sent an embassy to Abdul Hamid, urgently requesting assistance against the British East India Company, and proposed an offensive and defensive alliance. Abdul Hamid informed the Mysori ambassadors that the Ottomans were still entangled and exhausted from the ongoing war with Russia and Austria.[citation needed] Hamid I left many architectural works, mostly in Istanbul. The most important of these is the current in Sirkeci in 1777. It is the building built by the VakÄ±f Inn. He built a fountain, an elementary school, a madrasah and a library next to this building. The books in the library are kept in the Süleymaniye Library today and the madrasah is used as a stock exchange building. During the construction of the VakÄ±f Inn, the fountain was removed by construction and the fountain was transferred to the corner of Zeynep Sultan Mosque opposite Gülhane Park. [5] addition to these works, in 1778, he built a mosque with a mosque on the beach of Beylerbeyi on behalf of Râbia Åžermi KadÄ±n, and built fountains in Çamlıca KÄ±sÄ±klÄ± Square, other than places such as Ä°skele Square, Çınarönü, HavuzbaÅŸÄ± and Car Square. In addition, he had the Beylerbeyi Mosque substantially repaired, built a mosque, a fountain and a bath and shops around Emirgi in Emirgân in 1783, and another one for Hümâşah Sultan and his son Mehmed. The fountain has been built more. In addition to these, there is a fountain next to NesliÅŸah Mosque in Istinye, and another fountain on the embankment between Dolmabahçe and KabataÅŸ. [5] wrote down the troubles he saw before, to the grand vizier or to the governor of his empire. He accepted the invitations of the and his grand vizier and went to his mansions, followed by the reading of Quran. He was humble and a religious Sultan.[7] is known that Abdul Hamid I was fond of his children, was interested in family life, spent the summer months in Karaağaç, BeÅŸiktaÅŸ with his consorts, sons and daughters. His daughter Esma Sultan's dressing styles, her passion for entertainment, her journey to the objects with her journeymen and concubines have set an example for Istanbul ladies.[8] St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1782, Zachariah, at Patra, repented rejecting Christ, becoming Muslim, tortured, divine light over burial well
Greece, 1782, Zachariah, New Martyr at Patra (Patras) in Achaia, West Greece, fPeloponnesos, renounced Christ became Moslem, went to Patras, to be furrier, often read his Salvation tSinners book, which moved him tRepentence, wept bitterly, told Elder of his sin, after praying fasting 20 days back tElder, confessed sins, asked Elders blessing tSeek Martyrdom, refused, warned may not be killed swiftly, much torture, might betray Christ second time, but Z said he was preparedd, Elders prayers oAbsolution, E charismated Z, plus Holy Mysteries, then blessed him go back declare his faith, on the way asked forgivenss every Christian he met, went tJudges house, said deceived to accept Moslem religion, come to senses, returned tChrist, into prison, beaten 3x aDay, finally died stretched on rack, Christians wanted body, Muslims refused, unworthy for burial, neither Christian or Muslim, body dragged tStreets, into dry well, landing on knees&upright position, radiant light over well next night, Turks filled well with dirt&debris, so he received crown oGlory washing away sins in 1782; Patras; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20 ; Holy New Martyr Zachariah was from the Peloponnesos in Greece. renounced Christ to become a Moslem, then went to ancient Patras and worked there as a furrier. had a book, The Salvation of Sinners, which he often read. The book moved him to repentance, and he wept bitterly for the great evil he had done. Zachariah met a certain Elder and told him of his sin. praying and fasting for twenty days, he returned to the Elder and confessed all the sins he had committed during his life. he asked the Elder’s blessing to seek martyrdom, the holy man tried to discourage him. warned that he might not be killed swiftly, but only after much torture. also pointed out the danger that Zachariah would betray Christ a second time under the torments he would endure. saint, aflame with zeal for martyrdom, said he was prepared to suffer myriad punishments for the sake of Christ. Elder read the prayers of absolution and chrismated the saint (as is done when apostates from the Faith are received back into the Church), administered the Holy Mysteries to him. he blessed Zachariah to go back to the Moslems and declare his faith in Christ. his way, the saint asked forgiveness from each Christian he met. holy martyr went to the judge’s house and said that he had been deceived when he accepted their religion, now he had come to his senses and returned to Christ. Zachariah was thrown into prison, where he was beaten three times a day. the saint died by being stretched out on a rack. asked for his body so they might bury it, but the Moslems refused. said, “He is neither one of you, nor one of us, for he denied both religions. Therefore, he is unworthy of burial.” body was dragged through the streets and thrown into a dry well, landing on its knees in an upright position. saw a radiant light over the well the next night, and hastened to venerate the saint. Turks filled the well with dirt and debris to prevent such gatherings in the future. shedding his blood, the holy New Martyr Zachariah washed away the sin of his denial of Christ and received an unfading crown of glory in the year 1782.

Constantinople, 1784, New Martyr Theodore, raised Orthodox kids, renounced Christ, soon confessed tMosles, tortured, strangeled
Ephesus, 784, New Martyr Theodore, Mytilene, Lesbos Island (Between Troy and Ephesus), fMytilene, became orthodox, raised Orthodox children, renounced Christ, became Moslem, soon repented, tMt Athos, there, deeply anguished, in 1784 tLord blessed him to confess his faith before Moslem judge, who ordered severe torture, strangeled, tossed into sea, christians buried body in Church; Mytilene; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; Holy New Martyr Theodore was born in the city of Mytilene, where he married and raised children in Orthodox piety. renounced Christ and accepted the Moslem religion, but soon repented of his sin, left his family and went to Mt. Athos. even in the monastery Saint Theodore was deeply anguished by his denial of Christ. Lord blessed the saint to confess the Orthodox Faith before a Moslem judge in the year 1784. enraged judge gave orders to fiercely torture the holy martyr, then they strangled him with a rope and cast him into the sea. buried the body of the holy Martyr Theodore in the church of Saint John the Forerunner.

Constantinople, 1789-1807, Ottoman Sultan, Selim III, poet, musician, education, military
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1789-1807, Selim III; III (24 December 1761 – 28 July 1808) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. regarded as an enlightened ruler,[1] the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV. Selim was subsequently killed by a group of assassins. III was the son of Sultan Mustafa III and his wife MihriÅŸah Sultan. mother MihriÅŸah Sultan originated in Georgia, and when she became the Valide Sultan, she participated in reforming the government schools and establishing political corporations. father Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III was very well educated and believed in the necessity of reforms. Mustafa III attempted to create a powerful army during the peacetime with professional, well-educated soldiers. This was primarily motivated by his fear of a Russian invasion. the Russo-Turkish War, he fell ill and died of a heart attack in 1774. Sultan Mustafa was aware of the fact that a military reform was necessary. He declared new military regulations and opened maritime and artillery academies. Mustafa was very influenced by mysticism. predicted his son Selim would be a world-conqueror, so he organized a joyous feast lasting seven days. was very well educated in the palace. Sultan Mustafa III bequeathed his son as his successor; however, Selim's uncle Abdul Hamid I ascended the throne after Mustafa's death. Sultan Abdul Hamid I took care of Selim and put great emphasis on his education. Abdul Hamid's death, Selim succeeded him on 7 April 1789, not yet 27 years old. Selim III was very fond of literature and calligraphy; many of his works were put on the walls of mosques and convents. He wrote many poems, especially about Crimea's occupation by Russia. He spoke Arabic, Persian and Serb-Bulgar fluently. III showed great importance to patriotism and religion. He demonstrated his skills in poetry, music and was fond of fine arts and the army. St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1791-1794, John tNew oBulgaria, at 19 martyred at Hagia Sophia, renounced Islam, beheaded
Constantinople, 1791-1794, John the New of Bulgaria, at 19 martyred at Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, Born somewhere in Bulgaria, as a boy wMoslem companions, renounced Christ for Islam, came to senses at 16, grief, fled to Great Larva Athos, monastic great strictness 3yrs, to Constantinople to shed blood for his apostacy, to Hagia Sophia, now a Mosque, to moslems renounced false religion oMohammed to follow Christ once more, beheaded; Hagia Sophia; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; holy New Martyr John was born in Bulgaria in 1775. fanatical Moslems believed that they would be assured of an eternal “paradise” where they would enjoy beautiful virgins and an abundance of food if they could force Christians to deny Christ and follow Mohammed, they spared no effort to convert Christians through flattery or by threats of death. John was still a boy, he fell in with Moslem companions. Through various ways, he was led to renounce Christ and to follow Islam. came to his senses when he was about sixteen, and was stricken with grief at his denial of Christ. fled to Mt. Athos to the Great Lavra. Here he spent his time in repentence under the guidance of an Elder. lived a monastic life of great strictness for three years, his conscience continued to trouble him. the blessing of his Elder, he decided to travel to Constantinople to wipe out his apostasy by confessing Christ in a public way and by shedding his blood. young monk dressed himself as a Turk, which a Christian was not permitted to do. in Constantinople, he went directly to the church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque. in front of the Moslems, he made the Sign of the Cross and began to recite Christian prayers. he said in a loud voice that he had been born a Christian, but had fallen into error and renounced Christ. he declared, he wished to renounce the false religion of Mohammed in order to follow Christ once more. Turks fell into a frenzied rage when they heard his words. They seized him and began to torture him in various ways. “Renounce Christ,” they said, “and return to the Moslem faith, or you will be killed.” John replied, “Without Christ, there is no salvation.” furious Hagarenes dragged the saint out to the courtyard to behead him. In this manner, Saint John received the crown of martyrdom in 1784 at the age of nineteen.

Constantinople, 1794, Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes story
Bulgaria, 1794, St Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes without paying duty, dressing like a turk, could not recite moslem salutation, armed w sword, refused becomming Moslem, tortured and died; Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. parents gave him over to military studies. the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Constantinople, 1794-1795, New Martyr Theodore, Neochorion (New Village) near C &Andrianople, CtIslam then back during plague
Greece, 1794-1795, New Martyr Theodore, Neochorion (New Village), Evros, on Roman Road Via Egnatia, near Adrianople, worked at Sultan's palace, converted to Islam, during plague converted back, to Chios & Mytilene, confessed in M, hanged there; Neochorion, Evros; (Greek: Νεοχώρι meaning new village) is a village and a community in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros regional unit in Greece. The community includes the village Patagi. It is situated 7 km west of the centre of Orestiada. Year Neochori village Patagi Community 1981 1,612 - - 1991 1,138 - - 2001 1,159 278 1,437 2011 739 163 902 History[edit] It was annexed to Greece in 1920, prior it was ruled by the Ottomans. It adopted its current name after the annexation, refugees flowed into the village and the Turkish population was displaced eastward. New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17; Holy New Martyr Theodore was born of pious parents in Neochorion near Constantinople in 1774. He worked in the palace of the Sultan, where he converted to Islam. a plague broke out in Constantinople, he realized the gravity of his sin and returned to Christianity. He went to Chios and then to Mytilene, where he confessed Christ before the Moslem authorities. He was imprisoned, tortured, then hanged by the Turks in 1795.

Constantinople, 1794-1802, New Mrtr Lazarus, Pergamon Shephrd, Moslem attacked bhDog, rape charge, prayed tGeorge, tongue healed
Bulgaria, 1794-1802, New Martyr Lazarus of Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1), Shepherd near Pergamon, Moslem wife attacked by his dog, saved her but she said he attached her, her husband attacked wrong man, to hide mistake had wife's relatives charge Laz wRape, relatives offered $1,000 if he converts, horrible tortures, red hot irons, heavy stones on chest, prayed Lord &St George, tongue ruined by hot iron, heated band on head, med doctor merchant John oZagora, aga's doctor, saw his tongue healed, encouraged him, aga realized tHealing, I have 1 God in 3 persons, will die Orthodox C, condemned him to hang ; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23; Holy New Martyr Lazarus was from Gabrovo, Bulgaria and he was born to devout and God-loving parents in 1774. a young age he left Gabrovo and went to Soma in Asia Minor, near Pergamon, where he became a shepherd. day while tending his sheep in the fields, he sat down to rest, and fell asleep. a Moslem woman passed by, and was attacked by the sheep dog. by the dog's barking, Lazarus hastened to save her. dog was calmed down and the woman was unharmed, but her dress was somewhat torn. infuriated the woman, who immediately went home and told her husband that she had been attacked by a Christian shepherd who attempted to molest her. enraged husband went out to look for Lazarus, but since he did not know him, he mistook another man for Lazarus, and nearly beat him to death. order to hide his mistake, the husband had his wife's relatives go before the Turkish judge and to charge Lazarus with attempted rape. Lazarus was aware of what the woman's husband planned to do, he did not attempt to hide. He knew that he was innocent, and that running away would only make him appear guilty. on April 7, 1802, he showed up in court, where he was charged and thrown into prison. the meantime, the woman's relatives insisted that Lazarus must either convert to Islam or be executed for the dishonor he had inflicted upon their relative. They offered the aga a thousand grosia if he succeeded in converting Lazarus; or if the Saint refused to deny Christ, he must be sentenced to death. prison, saints Lazarus was beaten continuously until April 22, in an attempt to force his conversion. Christians came and visited Lazarus to give him support and encouragement, but he requested them to leave because they were placing themselves in danger. the aga grew increasingly angry because Lazarus would not convert, and the one thousand grosia seemed to be slipping through his fingers. Lazarus remained steadfast in the face of torture and flattery, and so the aga confiscated his herd of forty sheep. Tuesday of Saint Thomas week (April 22) the aga ordered more tortures for Lazarus. After his tormentors got drunk, they began applying red-hot irons to Lazarus' body. Then they placed heavy stones upon his chest, Lazarus still refused to submit. Instead, Lazarus entreated the Lord to help him, and he also prayed to Saint George (April 23), asking for his assistance. the torturers stretched out Lazarus' tongue and applied a hot iron to it, burning the front half and cauterizing the rest. Lazarus was now unable to speak, they told him to use sign language when he was ready to convert. They also placed a heated iron band around his head, causing him terrible pain. sunset, the merchant John from Zagora, who was also a medical doctor, went to see the aga, with whom he was acquainted, because he was the physician to the aga's household. John went to the window of the prison and was able to see Lazarus sitting on the floor. Not only did he seem to be well, but he was also able to speak normally. The doctor, who was an Orthodox Christian, encouraged Lazarus to persevere until the end, and to endure everything for the love of Christ. He spoke to Lazarus in Turkish, since he did not know Bulgarian and Lazarus did not understand Greek. Lazarus assured the doctor that he would not give in, but he was afraid that the Moslems would become tired of torturing him and would just stop instead of putting him to death. the aga learned that Lazarus could speak, he became angry with the torturers, whom he thought had deceived him. Yet when he saw the marks of torture on the Saint's body, he was convinced that the men had done their job. After trying once more to make Lazarus convert, he heard him reject all gifts, honors, and promises of wealth if he became a Moslem. Saint Lazarus told him, "I have one God in three persons, Whom I worship and adore. I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian, and I shall die as an Orthodox Christian." Then the aga ordered that he be hanged. the way to the place of his execution, many Moslems mocked Lazarus for being so foolish as to give up his life for Jesus Christ. When they arrived at their destination, Saint Lazarus voluntarily placed the rope around his own neck and stood on a basket, and then the executioner kicked it from under his feet. Thus the Holy New Martyr Lazarus endured martyrdom on April 23, 1802. He was twenty-eight years old when he departed from this temporal life, and inherited everlasting life. Now, in the Kingdom of Heaven, he joins the angels and all the Saints in glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. Church Service in honor of Saint Lazarus was composed by Saint Nikephoros of Chios (May 1). Portions of his relics can be venerated in Leimonos Monastery in Lesbos, and in the Chapel of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg at Mandra in Attica.

Constantinople, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra &Rhodes, converted tIslam, repented, martyred, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Greece, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra (island), Southern Greece, tRhodes, converted tIslam, repented, t, sought martyrdom, tKrimi, tConstantinople, tIveron, tRhodes, martyred; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania. Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Constantinople, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, Ottoman E., Balkan Revolt and Muhammad Ali of Egypt

Constantinople, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Bulgaria, confessed before kadi breaking earlier m promise, tortured, hanged
Bulgaria, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Rila M, then Athos, father refused fight Serb Orthodox, Mother Sister b moslem, turned him in, escaped t Romania, then Athos, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, tortured, hanged; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism. he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there. he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life. reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western Bulgaria. he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in obedience for six years. the Elder’s strictness became unbearable, John returned home. that time the Serbs rose in revolt against the Moslem government. ’s father was asked to take command of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox Christians. Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was stabbed and then beheaded. ’s mother and sisters were also taken by the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam. fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. mother and sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman told them she did not know him. woman helped him escape to Bucharest, Romania, he became acquainted with Saint Euthymius, who would also endure martyrdom. did not wish to stay in Bucharest, however, so he left for Mt. Athos. the way he visited the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Father Euthymius again. that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John became very sad and left the village. had not gotten very far when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that he would do so. with this reply, they let him go. reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from the monastery of Grigoriou. journeyed to the Holy Mountain together, and John settled in the Skete of Saint Anna. he met Father Basil. day John and Father Basil traveled to Thessalonica on monastery business. they were there the monks David and Euthymius of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. was inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Basil, however, urged him to postpone his intention, so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A short time after this, Father Basil died. a monk from the Skete of Saint Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March 22), was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. was placed under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel. time, John was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name Ignatius. Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. receiving the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his ordeal. in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ. that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death. On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts and great honor from them. courageous martyr told the kadi to keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die for my Christ.” Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God. kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a servant to lead Saint Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the room, however, and dragged him off to prison. Ignatius was brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.” the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I intend to hang you.” replied, “You will be doing me a great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept everything for the love of Christ.” that he could not turn Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days, then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the island of Prote for burial. Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Saints Acacius and Euthymius. head of Saint Ignatius is in the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt Athos.

Constantinople, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne, converted aFreedom promise, repented i3days, confessed&martyred, blood heals
Greece, Mt Athos, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, 963 or 1686, uncle failed his occupation training, got job wMoslem, blamed for stealing, promised freedom if convert, repented 3 days later, 12th day ship to Crimea f10 mos, no peace decided martyrdom, renowned elders advised Mt Athos, tIveron, then tSt Anne's and Bassarion, oLuke's prep year earlier, tonsured Hilarion after strict rule and fasting, one morning H ready to confess, back to Aga at palace, threw red turban replace wBlack skoufia, all bones broken, beheaded, asceticism martyrdom crowns, Bassarion used H's blood to deliver young girl from demon; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monastic Martyr Hilarion of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 20; Hilarion was from Heraklion in Crete and his secular name was John. had five other siblings, John, Polyzoes, George, and two sisters, whose names are unknown. His parents, Francis and Katherine, had raised him with diligence, and he had learned to read and write. When he was a young man, his uncle took him to Constantinople, promising to train him for some occupation. John stayed with him for ten years, his uncle neglected to train him and did little else for him. is why John was forced to leave his uncle’s house and get a job as the clerk of a merchant from the island of Chios, who came to trust John. day, the merchant was obliged to leave his shop and travel back to Chios, placing John and another Orthodox Christian employee in charge of the business. he returned, the two employees gave their boss an accounting for the time that he was away. merchant said that he had been cheated, because the money they collected did not correspond to the value of the goods that were sold. the merchant did not make an inventory before going to Chios, he estimated that the two clerks were short by thirty grosia. other employee had been with the merchant for many years, and so all suspicion fell on John. He was told that there would be severe consequences if he did not return the money at once. that he was innocent, John asked his uncle to help him, but his uncle refused to see him. his despair he went to the palace, hoping to see the valide sultana, the Sultan’s mother. however, he met the Ethiopian eunuch, Mertzan Aga. It appears that John knew him and told him what had happened. evil Aga seized this opportunity and told him that if he converted to Islam, he would not be liable to any punishment; moreover, he would receive many riches and honors. his fear and anxiety, John accepted. he was presented to the Sultan’s mother, who introduced him to the Sultan. away, John was circumcised, and was given Muslim clothing and other gifts. In addition, a certain hodja was appointed to instruct him in Islamic teachings. days later, the young man came to himself and repented from his heart when he realized the gravity of his sin. He waited for an opportunity to escape, after twelve days he managed to board a ship for the Crimea, where he remained for ten months. knew no peace there because his conscience tormented him for his betrayal of Christ. he decided that the only way he could atone for his sin was by the path of martyrdom. to Constantinople, he consulted the renowned Spiritual Fathers, Elder Symeon and Elder Jeremiah. He told them of his intention to confess Christ in the place where he had denied Him. the Elders advised him to go to Mount Athos for a time. did exactly as he was told, and entered Ivḗron Monastery. Fathers there sent him to the Skete of St. Anna to place himself under the guidance of Hieromonk Bessarion, had prepared the New Martyr Luke (March 23) for his martyrdom the previous year. Elder accepted him and gave him a Rule of strict asceticism and fasting. Soon he received the monastic tonsure with the name Hilarion. morning, Father Hilarion told his Elder that he was ready to confess Christ, Whom he had denied. The Elder blessed his good intention, and the Saint received the Holy Mysteries. left for Constantinople together, and then Father Hilarion presented himself to the Aga at the palace. “Three days after becoming a Muslim,” he said, “I repented of what I had done, and I abandoned the darkness of error and returned to the light of truth, so I curse your religion. I was a Christian, and now I am once more.” his turban on the ground, he put on the black monastic skoufia he had concealed under his coat. the Saint’s resolve, the Aga ordered that he be tortured without mercy. His torments were so severe that all his bones were broken. Hilarion was beheaded on September 20, 1804, and received two incorruptible crowns from Christ: that of asceticism, and that of martyrdom. Bessarion was once invited to a Christian home and the children were brought to receive his blessing. One child, a little girl about eight years old, had been possessed by a demon. She turned black, made some erratic movements, and eventually she fell down as if she were dead.The Elder had some of the Saint’s blood with him, but before he could even anoint the girl with it, the demon came out of her, and the child stood up.

Constantinople, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising (against the Turks)
Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1804-1813, Karageorgea's town, Topola, Karageorgea's revolt 1804-1813
Serbia, Karageorge'™s town, Topola, Karageorge's revolt 1804-1809, First Serbian Uprising against the Turks from Constantinople, 1804, Collapse 1813 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali, founder of modern Egypt, against Sultan after 1831
Egypt, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali of Egypt; Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha, also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt and the Sudan (4 March 1769 - 2 August 1849), the Albanian Ottoman governor and the de facto ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, who is considered the founder of modern Egypt. At the height of his rule, he controlled Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Sudan and parts of Arabia and the entire Levant. was a military commander in an Albanian Ottoman force sent to recover Egypt from a French occupation under Napoleon. Following Napoleon's withdrawal, Muhammad Ali rose to power through a series of political maneuvers, and in 1805 he was named Wāli (viceroy) of Egypt and gained the rank of Pasha. Wāli, Muhammad Ali attempted to modernize Egypt by instituting dramatic reforms in the military, economic and cultural spheres. He also initiated a violent purge of the Mamluks, consolidating his rule and permanently ending the Mamluk hold over Egypt. Muhammad Ali recaptured the Arabian territories for the sultan, and conquered Sudan on his own accord. His attempt at suppressing the Greek rebellion failed decisively, however, following an intervention by the European powers at Navarino. 1831, Muhammad Ali waged war against the sultan, capturing Syria, crossing into Anatolia and directly threatening Constantinople, the European powers forced him to retreat. After a failed Ottoman invasion of Syria in 1839, he launched another invasion of the Ottoman Empire in 1840; he defeated the Ottomans again and opened the way towards a capture of Constantinople. Faced with another European intervention, he accepted a brokered peace in 1842 and withdrew from the Levant; in return, he and his descendants were granted hereditary rule over Egypt and Sudan. The dynasty he established would rule Egypt until the revolution of 1952 when King Farouk was overthrown by Mohamed Naguib when he succeeded him as the president of Egypt. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Constantinople, 1808, New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina iEpirus, preaching Word, but suspctd p rebellion, silent u extreme tortr
Greece, 1808, New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus (high up in Pindus Mts, Vlachs), preaching Word of God & Obey Law, but suspected p rebellion, tortured, nails, wood under finger nails, tightened iron band on forehead, remained silent, hanged upside down, fire underneath head, witnessing Turk believed&martyred, sealed into wall, head out, 10 days, died; Samarina in Epirus; New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus, Commemorated on August 17; holy monk Demetrios was born in the village of Samarina, in the Pindos region of Greece in the late XVIII century. became a monk in the monastery of his homeland, where he exhausted his body and soul with fasting. Ali Pasha's 1808 suppression of an insurrection inspired by Father Euthymios Vlakhavas, Saint Demetrios came out of his monastery and went to the neighboring villages preaching the Word of God, comforting the villagers, and giving them hope. Pasha thought that Father Demetrios had also been preaching rebellion, but the monk said that he was only trying to strengthen the Christians in their faith, and urging them to respect the law. The Pasha did not believe him, so he ordered him to be subjected to cruel tortures. executioners pierced his arms with nails and then placed pieces of wood under the nails of his hands and feet. An iron band was placed around his forehead. This was tightened and produced excruciating pain. All the while they told him to name his fellow conspirators. Saint Demetrios remained silent, and he was thrown into prison. Later, he was hanged upside down, with a fire under his head. A certain Turk, after witnessing the courage of the Saint, believed in Christ and then he suffered martyrdom. Ali Pasha sealed Demetrios into a wall, leaving only his head out to prolong the torture. The Martyr survived for ten days, then he surrendered his soul to God on August 17,1808.

Constantinople, 1808-1839, Ottoman, Sultan Mahmud II, westernztn, reforms, admin, military, fiscal, revolts
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1808-1839, Mahmud II ; II (20 July 1785 - 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms he instituted, which culminated in the Decree of Tanzimat ("reorganization") that was carried out by his sons Abdulmejid I and Abdülaziz. described as "Peter the Great of Turkey",[1] Mahmud's reforms included the 1826 abolition of the conservative Janissary corps, which removed a major obstacle to his and his successors' reforms in the Empire. reforms he instituted were characterized by political and social changes, which would eventually lead to the birth of the modern Turkish Republic.[2] II is the last sultan who used his political (non-judgmental) execution authority.[clarification needed] his domestic reforms, Mahmud's reign was also marked by nationalist uprisings in Ottoman-ruled Serbia and Greece, leading to significant loss of territory for the Empire following the emergence of an independent Greek state. the general structure of the Ottoman Empire, Mahmud's reign was characterized by showing major interest to Westernization; institutions, palace order, daily life, clothing, music and many other areas saw radical reform as the Ottoman Empire opened up to the modernisation.[3] Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; New Martyr John of Crete, Commemorated September 15 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; Icon of the Mother of God œTinosÂ, Commemorated on January 30; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated on February 17; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1811-1813, President, Karadorde, Black George, Orthodox, with Ottomans, then against, Jihad, k by rival
Serbia, President, 1811-1813, Karadorde; Karadorde (16 November [O.S. 3 November] 1768 - 26 July [O.S. 14 July] 1817), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independence from the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising of 1804-“1813. Born into an impoverished family in the Sumadija region of Ottoman Serbia, Karadorde distinguished himself during the Austro-Turkish War of 1788-“1791 as a member of the Serbian Free Corps, a militia of Habsburg and Ottoman Serbs, armed and trained by the Austrians. Fearing retribution following the Austrians' and Serb rebels' defeat in 1791, he and his family fled to the Austrian Empire, where they lived until 1794, when a general amnesty was declared. Karadorde subsequently returned to Sumadija and became a livestock merchant. In 1796, the rogue governor of the Sanjak of Vidin, Osman PazvantogŸlu, invaded the Pashalik of Belgrade, and Karadorde fought alongside the Ottomans to quash the incursion. In early 1804, following a massacre of Serb chieftains by renegade Ottoman janissaries known as Dahis, the Serbs of the Pashalik rebelled. Karadorde was unanimously elected to lead the uprising against the Dahis at an assembly of surviving chiefs in February 1804. Within six months, most of the Dahi leaders had been captured and executed by Karadordee's forces, and by 1805, the final remnants of Dahi resistance had been crushed. Karadorde and his followers demanded far-reaching autonomy, which Sultan Selim interpreted as but the first step towards complete independence. Selim promptly declared jihad against the rebels and ordered an army to march into the Pashalik. The Ottomans suffered a string of defeats at the hands of Karadorde's forces. By 1806, the rebels had captured all the major towns in the Pashalik, including Belgrade and Smederevo, and expelled their Muslim inhabitants. Burdened by the demands of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-“1812, Selim offered the Serbs extensive autonomy, but Karadorde refused in light of Russia's avowal to aid the rebels should they continue fighting. Frequent infighting, together with Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, weakened the rebels, and the Ottomans were able to reverse many of their gains. Karadorde was forced to flee Serbia in October 1813 and Belgrade fell later that month, bringing the First Serbian Uprising to a close. He and his followers sought refuge in the Austrian Empire, but were arrested and detained. Despite Ottoman requests for his extradition, the Austrians handed Karadorde over to the Russians, who offered him refuge in Bessarabia. There, he joined the Greek secret society known as Filiki Eteria, which planned to launch a pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans. Karadorde returned to Serbia in secret in July 1817, but was killed shortly thereafter by agents of Milos Obrenovic, a rival rebel leader, who was concerned that Karadorde's reappearance would cause the Ottomans to renege on the concessions that they had agreed to following the Second Serbian Uprising of 1815. Karadorde is considered the founder of the Karadorde dynasty, which ruled Serbia in several intervals during the 19th and 20th centuries. His murder resulted in a violent, decades-long feud between his descendants and those of Obrenovic, with the Serbian throne changing hands several times. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1813, New Martyr David New Skete of St Anna, Mt Athos, Church Reconstructions, Mocked Turks, Hanged
Ephesus, 1813, New Martyr David of St Anne's Skete, from Aivali (Ayvalık, Mysia, Caicus River area, across from Lesbos Is), divine zeal, tSmyrna fChurch Reconstruction Money, 2Water Tanks &cells, burned fMartyrdom, tMagnesia witnessed &Mocked Turks, expelled, tSA Skete, tKaryes&former BoChristopoulos, blessing oMartyrdom, tThessaloniki, Vatopaidi Embassy Church monk had converted to Islam, intended to confront but Turks found out, beaten &Hanged; Skete of St Anna, St Paulas Monastery; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Monastic Martyr David was descended from the Kydonians of the town of Aivali (Αϊβαλί) in Asia Minor. inhabitants of the town had a special relationship with Mount Athos, because there were two Athonite embassy churches in their city, belonging to Ivḗron Monastery, the other to Pantokrator Monastery. Saint David left his hometown, he went to Mount Athos and lived near a fellow countryman, a brother of Saint Anne’s Skete, who later became a monk. his monastic life, Saint David was moved by divine zeal. took the initiative, after receiving the blessing of his Elder, and visited Smyrna in order to collect money for the reconstruction of the ruined churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and that of the Theotokos on Mount Athos. completing the work on the two temples, he built two water tanks as well as a number of cells for the worshipers. did not remain on Mount Athos, he burned with the desire for martyrdom. went to Magnesia in Asia Minor, where he bore witness to Christ, and mocked the Turks for their religion. arrested him and beat him severely, and then he was expelled from their city. without fulfilling his desire, he returned to the Holy Skete of Saint Anne, he confessed to his Elder his earnest desire for martyrdom. Spiritual Father, fearing the outcome of such an act, tried to dissuade him, but he did not succeed. David went to Karyes and saw Metropolitan Pankratios, the former Bishop of Christopoulos, from whom he received a blessing to seek martyrdom. David traveled to Thessaloniki, he was told of a monk from the Vatopaidi embassy church of Saint Demetrios, who had converted to Islam. David attempted to confront this monk, somehow the Turks had learned of his intention. Turks arrested the Saint, and after they had beaten him, they handed him over to the judge for trial. judge, fearing that Saint David might persuade the monk to abandon Islam and to confess Christ, ordered the Saint to be executed at once. same night, June 26, 1813, Saint David suffered a martyric death by hanging. Monastic Martyr David is particularly honored at the Skete of Saint Anne on the Holy Mountain.

Constantinople, 1813-1814, Paisus, Igumen oAnnunciation, Hadj-Prodan revolt, carried stake, impaled, exclaimed Glory tGod
Serbia, 1813-1814, Paisus, oAnnunciation monastery in Trnava, one of the 30 Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Igumen, collapse Karageorg's revolt 1813, Turks reign oTerror began, disease fBodies unburied, another revolt under Hadj-Prodan, Trnava monks involved, r crushed bTurks, many people captured executed, Pasius Avakum other prisoners tBelgrade Suleman Pasha, Avakum sang Pasius prayed, few converted to islam, P forced carry Stake fPrison, impaled exclaimed Glory tGod, 48 people killed wSwords, bodies raised on posts, died 1814; Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Ovcar-Kablar Gorge; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Constantinople, 1814, Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814
Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Serbia, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814 ; Gligorijevic, known simply as Hadj-Prodan (1760 -1825) was a Serbian voivode (military commander) in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution, then the Greek War of Independence, against the Ottoman Empire. He led an unsuccessful rebellion in 1814, dubbedHadj-Prodan's Revolt. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Constantinople, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, to be impaled, sooner I die the fewer sins
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius. St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Constantinople, 1814-1815, Paisius, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, impaled, Igumen Trnava monastery
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius.

Constantinople, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou, Mt Athos, sent tConstantinople with Eudocimus who failed martyrdom & blamed Joseph
Greece, Mt Athos, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou monastery, Mt Athos, iconographer, painted Archangels on Donysiou's iconostasis, Igumen sent him to accompany Eudocimus to Constantinople so he could wipe out sin oApostamy to become Moslem from Orthodoxy, but Eudocimus failed and blamed Joseph, denying Christ again, Joseph arrested, tortured, refused to convert, and hung; Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Joseph was a monk of Dionysiou Monastery on Mt. Athos, where he shone forth with the virtues of monastic life. was an iconographer, he painted the icon of the holy Archangels on the iconostasis of Dionysiou’s main church. obedience to the instructions of Igumen Stephen, Joseph traveled to Constantinople with Eudocimus, had apostasized from Orthodoxy to become a Moslem. repented, and wished to wipe out his sin through martyrdom. faced with torture and death, however, the unfortunate Eudocimus denied Christ again, blaming Joseph for turning him from Islam. Joseph was arrested and threatened with death. spite of many tortures, he refused to convert to Islam. holy martyr of Christ was hanged on February 17, 1819, so he obtained an incorruptible crown of glory. sources list his commemoration on February 17, while others list him on September 14 or October 26.

Constantinople, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, learned art of arts from Daniel, cut will&obedience leads tGifts
Greece, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, fIoannina, Epirus, orphaned young, tKydoniai, Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis' school at 9, humility piety revealed tTeachers, at 14 became Daniel oZagora's disciple till latter's death, Daniel tAthos, desire to become monk, D instructed him monk life, which called the Art of Arts, science oSciences, tonsured, 3 lessons: cut off own will, acquire humility, learn obedience, 6 yrs on Athos, agitation against Kolyvades, memorial services for dead on Sunday, inappropriate for ressurection day, Frequent communion, 1821 tMonastery oPendeli near Athens before tIndependence War, Daniel forsaw monastery destruction bTurks, tCyclades islands, first Paros, then Pholegandros, Daniel allowed A instruct children, ordained deacon, govt teaching post, taught there 1829-1840, then entered monastery St George on Paros, Daniek had died 1837, had asked take remains Mt Athos after 2yrs, on way stopped Paros, Father Elias told him it was God's will he remain on Paros, providential, Greek War Independence 3K Turks occupied Athos, 5 of the6k monks left Athos, he joined St George's monastery, found worthy models to follow, ordained priest at 47, intensified effort, unceasing prayer otHeart, studied scriptures holy father's writings, showed gift oTears, outstanding father confessor spiritual guide, serving face became radiant, Girl fSyros story, repented sin, nun sister reject her, go drown yourself harlot, met by Arsenius on way to convent, made her a nun, severly rebuked those nuns, A forsaw his death month before, told everyone, Paros people came to bid farewell; Island of Paros; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Arsenius was born on January 31, 1800 in Ioannina, Epirus of pious Orthodox parents. holy Baptism he was given the name Athanasius. parents died when he was quite young. was only nine years old when he made his way to Kydoniai, Asia Minor, he was received by Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis and enrolled in his school. humility and piety endeared him to Father Gregory and also to the other teachers. boy remained at the school for five years, surpassing the other students in learning and in virtue. day the renowned Spiritual Father Daniel of Zagora, Thessaly came to the school to hear confessions. became Daniel’s disciple, remaining with him until the latter’s death. long after this, Father Daniel decided to go to the Holy Mountain for quiet and spiritual struggles. begged his Elder not to leave him, but to take him with him. expressed the desire to travel to Mt. Athos, the Garden of the All-Holy Virgin, and to become a monk. Daniel instructed Athanasius in the monastic life, is called “the art of arts, and the science of sciences.” holy Elder was a perfect teacher who was accomplished in the spiritual life, Athanasius was an attentive student. a time Father Daniel tonsured his pupil, and told him he had to learn three important lessons. he must cut off his own will. he must acquire humility. he must learn obedience. “If you cut off your will, if you become humble, and if you practice perfect obedience, you will also make progress in the other virtues, and God will glorify you.” a further period of testing, Father Daniel tonsured Athanasius into the Great Schema and gave him the name Arsenius. saint remained on Mt. Athos with his Elder for six years. they had to leave the Holy Mountain because of the agitation against the so-called “Kollyvades,” who called for a strict adherence to Holy Tradition. name comes from the kollyva (boiled wheat) used in the memorial service. of the controversy involved the debate on whether it was proper to serve memorial services for the dead on Sunday. Kollyvades believed that these services were inappropriate for the Day of Resurrection, but should be served on Saturday. Kollyvades advocated frequent Communion, rather than the practice of receiving the Holy Mysteries only a few times during the year. Father Daniel and Saint Arsenius left Athos, it was probably due to the animosity of those who opposed the Kollyvades. in 1821, before the Greek War of Independence, they went to the Monastery of Pendeli near Athens. stay was a brief one, for Father Daniel forsaw the destruction of the monastery by the Turks. two made their way to the Cyclades Islands in the southern Aegean Sea. they stopped at Paros, perhaps because some of the Kollyvades had settled there. they decided to live on the island of Pholegandros. there were no teachers for the children, the inhabitants entreated Father Daniel to allow Saint Arsenius to instruct their children. Elder agreed, and had Arsenius ordained as a deacon. Then he was appointed to the teaching post by the government. saint remained there as a teacher from 1829-1840. He taught the required subjects in school, but he also helped his students to form a good character, and to live as pious Christians. 1840 Saint Arsenius entered the Monastery of Saint George on the island of Paros. Daniel had passed away in 1837. his repose, he asked his disciple to take his remains to Mt. Athos after two years. Arsenius left Plolegandros in obedience to Father Daniel’s request, planning to stop on Paros then continue to the Holy Mountain. Paros the abbot of Saint George’s Monastery, Father Elias Georgiadis, told Saint Arsenius that it was God’s will for him to remain on Paros. was providential, because Mt. Athos was undergoing great difficulty after the Greek War of Independence. Turkish soldiers occupied Athos, resulting in the departure of 5,000 of the 6,000 monks. Arsenius joined the community at Saint George’s Monastery on the northern end of Paros. he found spiritual strivers of true wisdom and excellent conduct, who were worthy models for him to follow. he was ordained to the holy priesthood at the age of forty-seven, Saint Arsenius intensified his spiritual efforts. day he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, and became adept at the unceasing prayer of the heart. also began to show forth the gift of tears. In this, he resembled his patron Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8), who continuously wept tears of contrition. the inhabitants of Paros came to recognize him as an outstanding Father Confessor and spiritual guide. he stood before the holy altar, he felt that he was standing before God. served with great compunction, his face often became radiant like the face of an angel. his virtues became known to people, they flocked to him from near and far. received all with paternal affection, treating each one with the proper spiritual medicine which would restore their souls to health. certain girl from Syros came to the Convent of the Transfiguration to visit her sister, who was a nun. nun had previously been informed that her sister had fallen into a serious sin. When she learned that the girl was outside the doors of the convent, the nun screamed at her, “Go far away from here. Since you are defiled, you will defile the convent and the nuns.” of feeling pity for her sister, and trying to lead her to repentance, the nun and some of the other nuns struck the poor girl and told her to go away. wretched girl cried, “I have made a mistake. Forgive me!” nun shrieked, “Go away, or I will kill you to wash away the shame you have brought to our family.” “Have you no pity, my sister, don’t you share my pain?” “No,” the nun shouted, “you are not my sister, you are a foul harlot.” “Where shall I go?” she sobbed. “Go and drown yourself,” was the heartless reply. poor girl fled from the convent, bleeding and wounded, intending to kill herself. that very moment, Saint Arsenius was on his way to visit the convent. the girl in such a state, he asked her what was wrong. She explained that she had been led astray by corrupt men and women. Realizing her sin, she went to the convent to ask her sister for help “See what they have done to me, Elder. What do you advise me to do? Shall I drown myself, or leap off a cliff?” “I do not advise you to do either, my child. If you wish, I shall take you with me and heal the wounds of your soul and body,” he said gently. “Where will you take me?” the miserable girl asked. “To the convent, my child.” “I beg you not to take me there, Elder. My sister and the other nuns said they would kill me if I came back.” saint replied, “Do not be afraid. They will not kill you, because I shall entrust you to Christ, and no one will be able to harm you.” “Very well,” she said, “If you entrust me to Christ I will not be afraid of them, for Christ is more powerful than they.” Arsenius led her to the convent, consoling her and encouraging her to repentance and confession. hearing her confession, he made her a nun. he called all the nuns into the church and severely rebuked those who wounded the girl. reminded them of the parable of the Prodigal Son, and of how Christ had come to save sinners. He often associated with sinners, showing them great love and mercy. “You, however, have done the opposite. Though you knew that her soul had been wounded by the devil, you did not feel sorry for her. You did not embrace her and try to save her from further sin, but you attacked her and beat her. Then you urged her to kill herself. I, your Spiritual Father, tell you that you are not nuns, you are not Christians, you are not even human beings. You are devoid of compassion, affection, and sympathy. You are murderesses! I forbid you to receive Holy Communion for three years, unless you recognize your sin. Repent and confess, weep and ask forgiveness from God and from me, your Spiritual Father, and from the other nuns who did not participate in your sinful behavior.” nuns began to weep bitterly and they repented. he lessened their penance and forgave them. gave the girl’s sister the penance of not receiving Holy Communion for a whole year. the other nuns had shared in this sin, he would not permit them to receive Communion for six months. Arsenius foresaw his death a month before it occurred. the Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Basil, he announced that he would soon depart from them. With great effort, he was able to serve for the Feast of the Theophany. After the service, he told some nuns that this had been his last Liturgy. of the saint’s illness and approaching death spread quickly to all the villages of Paros. wept because they were about to lose their Spiritual Father, and they hastened to bid him farewell and to receive his blessing. the eve of his repose, he called the nuns of the convent to come to him. He told them that the next day he would leave this temporary life and enter into eternal life. January 31, 1877 Saint Arsenius received Holy Communion for the last time and fell asleep in the Lord. three days, people came to kiss his body, then they followed the funeral procession to the burial site which he himself had selected. Arsenius of Paros was glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1967. He is also commemorated on August 18 (the uncovering of his relics).

Constantinople, 1821-1839, Ottoman Empire, Greek War of Independence
Ottoman, Greek War of Independence, 1821-1839; Icon of the Mother of God, œTinos, Commemorated on January 30; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31;

Constantinople, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades, MOG appeared 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there
Greece, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades (Agean Sea), MOG appeared to man 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there, with my help, divine light, found bricks not for oven, Pelagia's dreams 1822, to uncover the church, be obedient, Mr. Kangades, excavations, church discovered, money ran out, 1823 Matsos found annunciation icon, holiest treasurers, Healing and deliverance; Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God Tinos, Commemorated January 30 ; highly-venerated icon of the Annunciation was discovered in the ruins of the ancient church of Saint John the Baptist on January 30, 1823. elderly man, Michael Polyzoes, had a dream shortly before the Feast of the Annunciation in 1821, in which the Mother of God appeared to him in shining white garments. She instructed him to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras outside the city, where he would find her icon. She also told him to build a church on the site, since there had once been one there. The Queen of Heaven also promised to help him accomplish these tasks. awakening, he crossed himself and tried to go back to sleep, believing that his dream had been a temptation from the devil. Before falling asleep, Michael saw the Theotokos once again, and noticed that the room was flooded by a gentle white light. Her head was surrounded by divine light, and her face displayed ineffable grace and sweetness. Speaking to the old man she said, “Why are you afraid? Your fear comes from unbelief. Listen! I am Panagia (the all-holy one). I want you to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras where my icon is buried. I ask you to do this as a favor, old man. You will build a church there and I will help you.” Then she disappeared. next morning, Michael went into the village and told the priest what had happened to him during the night. priest also thought the dream was a temptation, so he urged Michael to come for Confession and Communion. The old man, however, was not convinced that his visions were mere dreams or demonic temptations. He told the inhabitants of the village of his experience. Some laughed at him, but only two believed his words. two men went with him to the field one night and dug in many places, but they found nothing. Then they dug in another place and found the remains of an old wall. Finding nothing but bricks, they had to give up their search in the morning so the Turks would not find out what they were doing. Doxaras, the owner of the field, found the bricks and tried to use them to build an oven. The mortar would not adhere to the bricks, so whenever they tried to build one section of the oven, it collapsed. The workers were convinced that God was showing them that the bricks from the ancient church were not to be used for an oven. Pelagia (July 23), an eighty-year-old nun, had several dreams in June of 1822 in which the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her. Saint Pelagia was living in the women’s monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, about an hour’s journey from the village. She had lived in the monastery from a young age, and was known for her great virtue and piety. Theotokos appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to go to Stamatelos Kangades (a prominent man of the village), and tell him to uncover the church of Saint John the Baptist in the field of Anthony Doxaras. by the vision, Pelagia attributed the dream to her imagination, and she began to pray. She was afraid to tell anyone about her dream, but the following week, the Theotokos appeared to her again, reminding her of her instructions. Still, the nun remained silent and told no one of her vision. The Theotokos appeared a third time, this time with a severe manner. She chastised the nun for her unbelief, saying, “Go and do as I told you. Be obedient.” Pelagia woke up in fear and trembling. As she opened her eyes, she saw the same mysterious Woman she had seen while asleep. With a great effort she asked, “Who are you, Lady? Why are you angry with me, and why do you order me to do these things?” Woman raised her hand and said, “Proclaim, O earth, glad tidings of great joy” (Megalynarion of the Ninth Ode of the Canon for Matins of the Annunciation). at last, the aged nun joyfully exclaimed, “Praise, O heavens, the glory of God” (The next line of the Megalynarion). once, she informed the Abbess of her visions, and she also told Stamatelos Kangades. Mr. Kangades, who had been designated by the Theotokos to carry out the excavation of the church, informed Bishop Gabriel of these events. The bishop had already heard of the dream of Michael Polyzoes, and realized that the account of the nun Pelagia agreed with his vision. Bishop Gabriel wrote to all the churches on the island of Tinos, urging them to cooperate in finding the church and the icon. began in September of 1822 under the supervision of Mr. Kangades. The foundations of the church of Saint John, destroyed by Arabs in 1200, were uncovered. An old well was found near the church, but not the holy icon. The money ran out, and so the effort was abandoned. again the Mother of God appeared to Saint Pelagia, urging that the excavations continue. Bishop Gabriel sent out an appeal for donations to build a new church on the foundations of the old church of Saint John the Baptist. The new church was built, and was dedicated to Saint John and to the Life-Giving Fountain. January 30, 1823 workers were leveling the ground inside the church in preparation for laying a new stone floor. About noon one of the workers, Emmanuel Matsos, struck a piece of wood with his pickaxe, splitting it down the middle. He looked at one piece of the board and saw that it was burned on one side, while the other side showed traces of paint. As he brushed off the dirt with his hand, he saw that it was an icon. Joining the two pieces of wood together, he crossed himself and venerated the icon. called the other workers, who also came and venerated the icon. When the icon was cleaned, it was shown to be an icon of the Annunciation. The split was in the middle of the icon, between the Theotokos and the Archangel Gabriel. Neither figure was damaged, and this was regarded as a miracle. same day, the icon was given to Bishop Gabriel, who kissed it and cried out, “Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works.” the finding of the icon, the inabitants of Tinos were filled with zeal to build a magnificent church in honor of the Theotokos. People offered their money and their own labor to help build the church of the Evangelistria (She who received the Good News). new church was completed in 1823, and was consecrated by Bishop Gabriel. Saint Pelagia of Tinos fell asleep in the Lord on April 28, 1834. Her Feast Day, however, is on July 23. Tinos Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos continues to be venerated as one of Greece’s holiest treasures. Innumerable miracles of healing and deliverance from danger have not ceased since the time the icon was found.

Constantinople, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos, her dream found Tinos Icon
Greece, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos", Commemorated January 30 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Constantinople, 1838-1841, Demetrius tNew oSilven, Bulgaria, great story Moslem patience before martyr's execution
Bulgaria, 1838-1841, Demetrius tNew oSliven, Bulgaria (Tonsus River 1), after 8 years parents prayers answered, 2 sons born, first Stephen then Demetrius, both pious, D no school but memorized church, parents died, stephen tWallacia, Demetrius stayed in home, it collapsed, Moslems take land, D becomes servant to one, that family tried convert him, our religion given us by Lord Jesus Christ, yours by mere man, thrown out of house, became baker, D proclaimed Orthodoxy while selling bread iMarketplace, telling deficiencies of Islam, Moslems plan revenge, new Judge came tSilven, D chosen Baker for him by district Governor, knowing Judge would offer good stuff for conversion and hew would refuse, D sarcastic "Oh Sure", Moslems thought serious reply, began wrap turban, D threw turban tGround and ran, they could not catch him, D hid in village 3 days w/o food water, D told story to his bishop, bishop encouraged him with gold coin and wooden cross, D changed coin gave half to poor, turned himself in, back tSilven hands tied behind him, met Orthodox, said forgive me brother, giving self up for glory of our Faith, thrown into prison, asked for brother Stephen visit, refused but S learned tried to free, Judge (kadi) ordered D to him while J dining with officials, D says he never promised become Moslem, no intension, sorry for you taking my irony for truth, called Mohammed false prophet and followers sons oSatan, Kadi tells D he would be put to death if no conversion, back tPrison 3Days, refused conversion again, ordered execution, other christians heard and brought Stephen to him, D told priest Stephen he was afraid he would not endure, S urged him remain strong bear witness tChrist, D remained in prison whole year, tortures continued, no help from anyone, early in year Moslems shouted Kadi execute D, Kadi gives another chance to convert, refused again, Stephen brings confession and communion, Jan 30 1841 beheading, first strike failed, Christians soaked cloths in his blood, Stephen collected blood soaked earth, relics unburied all night, Moslems believe bodies those who insult Mohammed should not burried in earth, So thrown river next day, sufficient bribe Kadi released body burial in monastery garden ; Sliven; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated January 30 ; Holy New Martyr Demetrius was born on October 9, 1818 in Sliven, Bulgaria. parents had no children for the first eight years of their marriage. prayers to God were answered, and their sons Stephen and Demetrius were born. was the younger son, and was brought up in a pious manner. did not go to school, but he attended church frequently and memorized many prayers and services. their parents died, Stephen left home and went to Wallachia. remained in the family home, which soon collapsed because of its age. Moslems used this excuse to seize the surrounding property, and Demetrius became a servant to one of them. family tried to convert him to their religion, but Demetrius resisted such attempts. “Our Orthodox Christian religion was given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said, “while yours was given to you by Mohammed, a mere man.” threw Demetrius out of the house when they heard this, and he later became a baker. while selling his bread in the marketplace, Demetrius proclaimed the Orthodox Faith and pointed out the deficiencies of Islam. this outraged the Moslems, and they began to plan their revenge. new kadi (district judge) came to Sliven, and Demetrius was chosen to prepare the food. local beys (district governor) chose him because they knew he had insulted Islam. kadi offered him tobacco and liquor, but Demetrius said that he did not smoke or drink. he tried to leave, the kadi said, “Let me make you a Moslem. You see what a good life we have. If you convert, I will tell your master to give you his daughter in marriage, and half of his riches.” answered sarcastically, “Oh, sure.” this for a serious reply, one of the Moslems began wrapping cloth around the young man’s head in the form of a turban. threw the turban to the ground and ran from the house. of the Hagarenes chased him, but were unable to catch him. three days he hid in the village of Ichera without food or water. went to a bishop and told him his story. The bishop encouraged him to remain Orthodox, then sent him away with a gold coin and a wooden cross. the coin for change, Demetrius gave half the money to the poor. he went up to a Moslem guard and said that he was the one they were seeking. was escorted back to Sliven with his hands tied behind him. he met an Orthodox Christian Demetrius said, “Forgive me, brethren. I gave myself up to these ungodly people for the glory of our Faith.” Saint Demetrius was thrown into prison, he asked for his brother the priest Stephen to visit him. request was refused, but Father Stephen learned that Demetrius was incarcerated and tried to have him freed. kadi ordered Demetrius to be brought to him while he was dining with other officials. kadi asked Demetrius if he was willing to accept Islam. ’s holy martyr informed him that he had never promised to become a Moslem, and he had no intention of doing so. “If you took my irony for truth, I am sorry for you.” went on to call Mohammed a false prophet, and his followers sons of Satan. kadi told Demetrius that if he did not become a Moslem, he would be put to death. he sent him back to prison for three days to consider this. When he was brought before the kadi again, Demetrius refused to convert. Then he was ordered to be executed. the other Christians heard of Demetrius’s fearless confession of faith and his impending death, they brought Father Stephen to him. told the priest he was afraid that he would not be able to endure the tortures. Stephen urged him to remain strong and bear witness to Christ. Demetrius remained in prison for a whole year. tortures continued, and no one was able to help him. the beginning of the year, many Moslems gathered and shouted for the kadi to execute Demetrius. he summoned Demetrius before him. The fearless martyr remained unshaken in his resolve, and mocked their faith. the last time Demetrius was offered the choice of converting to Islam or being put to death. said he would remain a Christian whatever they did to him. Stephen came to the prison to hear the saint’s confession and give him Communion. the morning of January 30, 1841 Demetrius was brought to the place of execution. asked forgiveness of the Christians he met, entreating them to pray for him. Then they ordered him to kneel on the ground for beheading. first stroke did not sever his head, and he remained motionless. With the second stroke, the martyr’s head fell to the ground. Christians soaked cloths in his blood, and Father Stephen collected some of the blood-soaked earth in a box. holy relics remained unburied all night. kadi ordered the body to be thrown into the river the next day, Moslems believe that the bodies of those who insult Mohammed should not be received by the earth. a sufficient bribe had been paid, the kadi released the body for burial in the garden of the monastery. Demetrius now lives in the heavenly Kingdom, glorifying most holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout all ages.

Constantinople, 1839-1861, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdulmecid I, rise of nationalism, non-muslim integration failed
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1839-1861, Abdulmecid I ; I (25 April 1823-25 June 1861), was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839.[4] reign was notable for the rise of nationalist movements within the empire's territories. Abdulmejid wanted to encourage Ottomanism among secessionist subject nations and stop rising nationalist movements within the empire, but despite new laws and reforms to integrate non-Muslims and non-Turks more thoroughly into Ottoman society, his efforts failed. tried to forge alliances with the major powers of Western Europe, namely the United Kingdom and France, who fought alongside the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War against Russia. In the following Congress of Paris on 30 March 1856, the Ottoman Empire was officially included among the European family of nations. biggest achievement was the announcement and application of the Tanzimat (reorganization) reforms which were prepared by his father and effectively started the modernization of the Ottoman Empire in 1839. For this achievement, one of the Imperial anthems of the Ottoman Empire, the March of Abdulmejid, was named after him. Icon of the Mother of God the œDeliveress"Â, Commemorated on October 17 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated on January 12; St Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Constantinople, 1841&392, Cyprus Icon, Lazarus tomb, Arab arrow hit knee, A struck d

Constantinople, 1861-1876, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdulaziz, admired West, Composer, Deposed and Killed
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1861-1876, Abdulaziz of the Ottoman Empire; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, 1872-1923, Alexei oTeklati, inner warfare, invisible instructor, if die now, who will, God will
Georgia, 1872-1923, Hieromonk Alexei oTeklati, fSenaki d oSamegrelo, a16 father died &blessed care family, same year 1868 tJerusalem & tConstantinople visit pious rich merchant uncle, there facinated wTrade, resolved be merchant, but discovered God's will by praying wForerunner's icon, first great inner warfare, love for mother v force calling spiritual life, How can I fulfill my father's will, invisible instructor answered, if you die now, who will, God will, so die to world, entrust everything to God and he will, life transformed, confined tRoom, scriptures, strict fasting, uncle thought return Georgia, brothers distressed but Mom approved him a monk, tTeklati Woman's Monastery, began Fool FChrist, strict ascetic life, village tVillage, caring for TB cholera, serious illnesses, burying corpses, preaching intensly, example fMany incl mother, sister, brother, become monks, Brother tJerusalem several yrs then priest aMartvili, later great schema, A tMt Athos then tKiev Caves, then back tGeorgia, 1885 tGelati m, study&writing, 1886 reassighned tKhobi m, ordained deacon, 1888 hiermonk, 1890 ill & returned Teklati wMother, sisters, healed by God 1991 &Cell Menji (archangels hill) near birthplace, gathered disciples, celebrated divine services, received alms but gave 2/3, prayed wLife size cross on his back like Simon tCyrene, close to tCommunity because spiritual warmth radiated, bad health f1915 till death 1923, friends stayed in his cell 40 days with incorrupt body; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; Alexi (Shushania) was born September 23, 1852, in the village of Noqalaqevi, in the Senaki district of Samegrelo, to a pious Christian couple. father died in 1868, after giving the sixteen-year-old future hieromonk his blessing to care for the family. the same year that his father died, Alexi journeyed to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, from there to Constantinople to visit his uncle, Islam Shushania, a successful merchant and a clever and pious man. this visit, Alexi became fascinated with the trade industry and resolved to become a merchant as well. he would soon discover that God’s will was different from his own. day Alexi borrowed a small icon of Saint John the Baptist from his uncle, confined himself to his room, and there began to experience great inner warfare. was moved by a profound love for his mother, sisters, brothers, and friends, at the same time he sensed an invisible force calling him to the spiritual life. several agonizing hours, Alexi finally asked himself, “How can I fulfill my father’s will? He entrusted me with the responsibility to look after the family—how can I reconcile this with God’s calling?” his great wonder, an invisible instructor answered him, saying, “If you die now, who will take over your responsibilities?” answer was clear. “God will!” Alexi proclaimed. And he heard the voice again. “So die to the world, entrust everything to God, and He will minister to your family.” encounter transformed Alexi’s life. he confined himself to his room for months, reading the Holy Scriptures, and keeping a strict fast. the radical change in Alexi’s way of life, his uncle thought it would be best for them to leave Constantinople and return to Georgia. was not long before Alexi’s loved ones realized he had made a covenant with God, that he would enter the monastic life. brothers and sisters were distressed upon hearing the news, but his mother gave thanks to God and blessed her son. the age of twenty Alexi moved to Teklati Women’s Monastery. began to lead a strict ascetic life went from village to village, caring for those ill with tuberculosis, cholera, other serious illnesses, burying the corpses of the homeless. years passed, and many became convinced that Alexi was a fool-for-Christ. preached the Word of God with intensity, and his life was an example for many. preaching inspired his mother, Elene, his younger sister Salome, and his brother Besarion to join him in the monastic life. he was tonsured a monk, Besarion made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained there for several years. of his exemplary service to the Lord, he was ordained a priest at Martvili Monastery. he was tonsured into the great schema. also spent time on Mt. Athos. returning from the Holy Mountain, he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves Monastery, then returned to Georgia to continue his labors. the year 1885 Saint Alexi moved to Gelati Monastery, where he continued to study and produced several original works. 1886 he was reassigned to Khobi Monastery ordained a deacon by Bishop Grigol, in 1888 he was ordained a hieromonk. years later, in 1890, he became ill and returned to be with his mother and sisters at Teklati Monastery. to God’s will his health was restored, and in 1891 Alexi fashioned a cell for himself in the mountainous village of Menji (also called “Archangels’ Hill”), near the place where he was born. gathered his disciples and undertook a stricter ascetic life. Fr. ’s health was so improved that he was able to celebrate the divine services again. holy father would receive alms, but he distributed most of what was given to him. divided the alms in three parts: first he put aside for his personal needs, second, for the church and its guests, the third, for the poor and infirm. Alexi kept a life-size cross in his cell, and when he prayed he supported the cross on his back, since it reminded him of the position in which Saint Simon of Cyrene carried the Holy Cross to Christ’s Crucifixion on Golgotha. spite of his strict ascetic life, Hieromonk Alexi was remarkably close to the people in his community and was loved by many for the spiritual warmth that he radiated. many years the strict ascetic life finally took its toll on Fr. Alexi’s health. dismissed his pupils and spent the last years of his earthly life (from around the year 1915) with his cousins, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto. Alexi reposed January 18, 1923, frail from a long and labor-filled life in the service of the Lord. forty days after his death, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto remained in his cell for fear that the Communist government’s henchmen would destroy his humble dwelling. they buried Fr. Alexi’s body at Teklati, themselves began to labor at the Archangels’ Monastery. the blessing of Metropolitan Eprem of Batumi-hemokmedi and Chqondidi, Schemanun Akepsima and Abbess Pasto Fr. Alexi’s incorrupt relics from Teklati to the Archangels’ Monastery buried them near the east wall of the temple on January 8, 1960. Alexi was canonized on September 18, 1995.

Constantinople, 1876-1876, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Murad V, admired West, so deposed, mentally ill
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1876-1876, Murad V ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, 1876-1909, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, rebellions, period of decline
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1876-1909, Abdul Hamid II ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œTikhvin on Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Constantinople, 1900-1922, 20th Century Folder, Ottoman E. Ends in WWI

Constantinople, 1909-1918, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Mehmed V
Sultan Ottoman Empire, 1909-1918, Mehmed V ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ;

Constantinople, 1915-1923, Armenian Genocide, by Turkey, series of massacres and starvation 1.5M by Ottomans
Armenia, 1915-1923, Armenian Genocide, by Turkey, series of massacres and starvation 1.5M by Ottomans; 1915 Armenian Genocide; Genocide Remembrance Day or Armenian Genocide Memorial Day[5] is a public holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh and is observed by the Armenian diaspora on 24 April.[5][6] is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915. It was a series of massacres and starvation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottomans. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, hundreds of thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame. Genocide memorial in Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Tehran date 24 April commemorates the deportation of Armenian intellectuals on 24 April 1915 from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The first commemoration, organised by a group of Armenian Genocide survivors, was held in Istanbul in 1919 at the local St. Trinity Armenian church.[7] Many prominent figures in the Armenian community participated in the commemoration. Following its initial commemoration in 1919, the date became the annual day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.[7] 9 April 1975, the US House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 148 designating 24 April as a National Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man.[8] The Resolution commemorated the victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide perpetrated in 1915, The resolution however failed to pass in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee due to President Gerald R. Ford’s strong opposition to what he saw as a threat to the country's strategic alliance with Turkey.[9] 1988, Soviet Armenia formally adopted 24 April as a public day of commemoration.[10]: 215  1997 in the US, the California State Assembly declared 24 April as a Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923, and for the victims of the Sumgait Pogroms of 1988 and Baku Riots of 1990.[10]: 232  2007, Argentina passed National Law 26199, designating 24 April as "Day of Action for Tolerance and Respect among Peoples", in which Armenian Argentines are excused from work.[4][11] 2015, the House of Commons of Canada unanimously passed Motion M-587, proposed by Brad Butt, marking April to be Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month, and designating 24 April as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.[12] 2019, France marked its first national commemoration of the genocide,[13][14] with French president Emmanuel Macron declaring 24 April "a national day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide", fulfilling a campaign pledge. 2021, US President Joe Biden recognized the genocide on 24 April, fulfilling a campaign pledge.[15][16] GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; Remembrance Day is observed by Armenians in dispersed communities around the world on April 24. It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923. date 24 April commemorates the Armenian notables deported from the Ottoman capital in 1915, of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, most of whom would be executed, which was a precursor to the ensuing events. this date is specifically a remembrance of the Armenian genocide, it is clear from the collects that it is intended here to cover all genocides: the killing or harming of people simply because of which ethnic, religious, or national group to which they happen to belong. — more at Wikipedia

Constantinople, 1920, Wilsonian Armenia, unimplemented, but went to Trabzon and Pontus
Wilsonian Armenia; Armenia refers to the unimplemented boundary configuration of the First Republic of Armenia in the Treaty of Sèvres, as drawn by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Department of State.[1] Treaty of Sèvres was a peace treaty that had been drafted and signed between the Western Allied Powers and the defeated government of the Ottoman Empire in August 1920, but it was never ratified and was subsequently superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne. proposed boundaries of Wilsonian Armenia incorporated portions of the Ottoman vilayets of Erzurum, Bitlis, Van, and Trabzon, which had Armenian populations of varying sizes. inclusion of portions of Trabzon Vilayet was intended to provide the First Republic of Armenia with an outlet to the Black Sea at the port of Trabzon. proposed Republic of Pontus was discussed at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, but the Greek government of Eleftherios Venizelos feared the precarious position of such a state, so a portion of it was instead included in the proposed state of Wilsonian Armenia. United States Senate rejected the mandate for Armenia in 1920. outbreak of the Turkish War of Independence led to the Ottoman Empire not ratifying the Treaty of Sèvres. in that year, the Turkish–Armenian War broke out. Armenia was defeated and signed the Treaty of Alexandropol on November 2, renouncing its territorial integrity under the Sèvres Treaty. The Treaty of Kars was negotiated between Soviet Russia and Turkey following the annexation of the Democratic Republic of Armenia by the Soviet Army in December 2, 1920, and signed between the Soviet government in Armenia on October 23, 1921. latter was never accepted, either by the overthrown Armenian government nor later by the Republic of Armenia. The government of Soviet Russia separately negotiated a similar border between what it considered its territory of Armenia and Turkey in the Treaty of Moscow (1921). Great Armenia; Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia. Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24;

Constantinople, 1999 & 1398-1426, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica, k by Turks, story revealed miraculously 500yrs later
Greece, 1398-1426 & 1999, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth and Athens area), , priest men's monastery story revealed miraculously 500 yrs later, withstood extreme Turk tortures, left for dead, tortured again, 500 yrs later 1999 Mother Woman's monastery asked God to show her a martyred saint from the Men's monastery and he did. God told her where to dig. Ephriam told her his story.; Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on January 3; holy New Martyr and wonderworker Ephraim was born in Greece on September 14, 1384. His father died when the saint was young, and his pious mother was left to care for seven children by herself. Ephraim reached the age of fourteen, the all-good God directed his steps to a monastery on the mountain of Amoman near Nea Makri in Attica. monastery was dedicated to the Annunciation and also to Saint Paraskevḗ. he took on his shoulders the Cross of Christ, which all His followers must bear (Matt. 16:24). enflamed with love for God, Saint Ephraim eagerly placed himself under the monastic discipline. For nearly twenty-seven years he imitated the life of the great Fathers and ascetics of the desert. divine zeal, he followed Christ and turned away from the attractions of this world. By the grace of God, he purified himself from soul-destroying passions and became an abode of the All-Holy Spirit. was also found worthy to receive the grace of the priesthood, and served at the altar with great reverence and compunction. September 14, 1425, the barbarous Turks launched an invasion by sea, destroying the monastery and and looting the surrounding area. Ephraim was one of the victims of their frenzied hatred. Many of the monks had been tortured and beheaded, but Saint Ephraim remained calm. infuriated the Turks, so they imprisoned him in order to torture him and force him to deny Christ. locked him in a small cell without food or water, and they beat him every day, hoping to convince him to become a Moslem. several months, he endured horrible torments. the Turks realized that the saint remained faithful to Christ, they decided to put him to death. On Tuesday May 5, 1426, they led him from his cell. They turned him upside down and tied him to a mulberry tree, then they beat him and mocked him. “Where is your God,” they asked, “and why doesn’t he help you?” The saint did not lose courage, but prayed, “O God, do not listen to the words of these men, but may Thy will be done as Thou hast ordained.” barbarians pulled the saint’s beard and tortured him until his strength ebbed. His blood flowed, and his clothes were in tatters. His body was almost naked and covered with many wounds. Still the Hagarenes were not satisfied, but wished to torture him even more. One of them took a flaming stick and plunged it violently into the saint’s navel. His screams were heart-rending, so great was his pain. The blood flowed from his stomach, but the Turks did not stop. They repeated the same painful torments many times. His body writhed, and all his limbs were convulsed. Soon, the saint grew too weak to speak, so he prayed silently asking God to forgive his sins. Blood and saliva ran from his mouth, and the ground was soaked with his blood. Then he lapsed into unconsciousness. that he had died, the Turks cut the ropes which bound him to the tree, and the saint’s body fell to the ground. Their rage was still not diminished, so they continued to kick and beat him. After a while, the saint opened his eyes and prayed, “Lord, I give up my spirit to Thee.” About nine o’clock in the morning, the martyr’s soul was separated from his body. things remained forgotten for nearly 500 years, hidden in the depths of silence and oblivion until January 3, 1950. By then a women’s monastery had sprung up on the site of the old monastery. Makaria (+ April 23, 1999) was wandering through the ruins of the monastery, thinking of the martyrs whose bones had been scattered over that ground, and whose blood had watered the tree of Orthodoxy. She realized that this was a holy place, and she prayed that God would permit her to behold one of the Fathers who had lived there. some time, she seemed to sense an inner voice telling her to dig in a certain spot. She indicated the place to a workman whom she had hired to make repairs at the old monastery. man was unwilling to dig there, for he wanted to dig somewhere else. Because the man was so insistent, Mother Makaria let him go where he wished. She prayed that the man would not be able to dig there, and so he struck rock. Although he tried to dig in three or four places, he met with the same results. Finally, he agreed to dig where the abbess had first indicated. the ruins of an old cell, he cleared away the rubble and began to dig in an angry manner. abbess told him to slow down, for she did not want him to damage the body that she expected to find there. He mocked her because she expected to find the relics of a saint. he reached the depth of six feet, however, he unearthed the head of the man of God. that moment an ineffable fragrance filled the air. The workman turned pale and was unable to speak. Mother Makaria told him to go and leave her there by herself. She knelt and reverently kissed the body. she cleared away more earth, she saw the sleeves of the saint’s rasson. The cloth was thick and appeared to have been woven on the loom of an earlier time. She uncovered the rest of the body and began to remove the bones, which appeared to be those of a martyr. Makaria was still in that holy place when evening fell, so she read the service of Vespers. she heard footsteps coming from the grave, moving across the courtyard toward the door of the church. The footsteps were strong and steady, like those of a man of strong character. The nun was afraid to turn around and look, but then she heard a voice say, “How long are you going to leave me here?” saw a tall monk with small, round eyes, whose beard reached his chest. In his left hand was a bright light, and he gave a blessing with his right hand. Mother Makaria was filled with joy and her fear disappeared. “Forgive me,” she said, “I will take care of you tomorrow as soon as God makes the day dawn.” The saint disappeared, and the abbess continued to read Vespers. the morning after Matins, Mother Makaria cleaned the bones and placed them in a niche in the altar area of the church, lighting a candle before them. That night Saint Ephraim appeared to her in a dream. He thanked her for caring for his relics, then he said, “My name is Saint Ephraim.” From his own lips, she heard the story of his life and martyrdom. Saint Ephraim glorified God in his life and by his death, the Lord granted him the grace of working miracles. who venerate his holy relics with faith and love have been healed of all kinds of illnesses and infirmities, and he is quick to answer the prayers of those who call upon him. Ephraim is also commemorated on May 5. New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Constantinople, Sea of Marmora Folder

Sea of Marmora, Constantinople
Sea of Marmora; Translation of the Image "Not-Made-By-Hands" of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "Feast of the Savior in August" ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Prokonnesos Island, Sea of Marmora
Prokonnesos Island; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13;

Aphousia Island, Sea of Marmora
Aphousia; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Akrita, Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora)
Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora), this cape chosen as Akrita by process of elimination (the others are too close to Constantinople and Nicaea). St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ;

Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus)
Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus); Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21;

Kyzikos (Sea of Marmara, between Constantinople and Troy)
Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara); Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 20 ; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ;

Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople)
Cyzicus St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Emilian the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus, January 8 ; Martyr Tryphaina at Cyzicus, Commemorated January 31; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, Southwest Side, Studion Monastery Folder

Studion Monastery, Constantinople, monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, 462
The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated December 29 ; Saint Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe Ladder, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, Studion Monastery, Constantinople, 462
The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated December 29 ; Saint Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe Ladder, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Peribleptos monastery, Constantinople
Peribleptos monastery; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15;

Church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople
church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople; Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos (Istanbul); Church of the Life-Giving Font of the Theotokos is the latest church, built in 1835, that bears the same dedication as the shrine erected in this place between the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth centuries, for the wonderworking holy spring located there. Emperor Leo I the Thracian (457-474) oversaw the building of the church that was named in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos. For almost fifteen hundred years, this sanctuary has been one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Greek Orthodoxy.[1] Main article: Life-Giving Spring site was chosen by Leo due to a divine experience the emperor went through earlier in his life. Leo was walking in a forested area when he saw a blind man who asked him for water to quench his thirst. It was then that Leo heard a message from a voice saying that there was water deep within the woods that the man could drink. The clay from its waters would be able to heal the man's eyes. The Theotokos also prophesied at this time that Leo would one day become emperor of Constantinople. Leo listened to the voice, quenched the man's thirst, and allowed him to gain sight just as the Mother of God proclaimed. site was the place where Emperor Leo decided to build the church in her name. The blessed water continued to work miracles for others and earned the name "The Life-Giving Spring." of the Church its history, the church at the fountain had been destroyed and then rebuilt on many occasions, at the request of the Virgin Mother. era Byzantine times the sanctuary was one of the most important in Constantinople. On Ascension Day, the Emperor arrived by boat to the small harbor of the Golden Gate. He rode up to the sanctuary, where he was acclaimed by the factions, who offered him a cross and garlands. Later, he dressed in his ceremonial robe, and after receiving the Patriarch, the two entered the church hand-in-hand. Ascension, the Marriage at Cana (January 8), and the anniversary of the Miracle of Leo I on 16 August were celebrated here.[1] Each future Empress coming to Constantinople for her wedding was received by her future spouse in the Monastery of the Spring. to earthquakes, the building was rebuilt in 790, under Empress Irene, and after the great earthquake of 869, under Basil I (867–886).[1] On 7 September 924 Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria burned the complex, which was at once restored by Romanos I Lekapenos (920–944).[2] Three years later the son of Simeon, Peter was married to Maria, the niece of Lekapenos.[1][2] to its position outside the city, the monastery was often used as place of exile. In 1078 Georgios Monomachos was banished there. In 1084, Emperor Alexios I Komnenos confined the philosopher John Italus to the monastery, because of his neoplatonic theories.[1] the Latin invasion of 1204, the church was occupied by the Latin clergy and, according to Byzantine sources, this caused the end of the so called "habitual miracle" (to synetés thauma).[1] 1328 Andronikos III Palaiologos used the monastery as base to attack Constantinople. Two years later, as he lay dying in the town of Didymoteicho, he drank water from the spring and recovered at once.[1] the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1422, Sultan Murad II camped in the sanctuary. It is unknown whether the Byzantines restored the building before the conquest of the city in 1453. Russian pilgrims of the fifteenth century do not mention the church, only the spring.[1] era serving the Christian people at Constantinople for about 1,000 years, Muslim invaders tore down the church in 1453 after taking over the city of Constantinople. The Church of the Life-giving Spring was destroyed and its building materials were used to construct the Bayezid II Mosque for the Sultan. The church site was covered with earth and crushed stone, so that the very foundations of the church disappeared from sight. The beautiful surrounding areas were turned into a Muslim cemetery. A Turkish sentinel, placed at the ruins of the church, forbade Christians not only to gather at the site, but even to approach there. 16th-century French scholar Pierre Gilles writes that in 1547 the church did not exist anymore, but the sick continued to attend the spring.[1] by little, the strictness of this ban eased, and Christians were permitted to build a small church there. In 1727 Metropolitan Nikodemos of Dercos and Neochorion, built a small chapel above the Hagiasma. Twenty-five steps led down into the chapel, which had a window in the roof to let the light in. The holy Spring was still there, surrounded by a railing. An icon, discovered in the foundations of the old church, was worshiped in the chapel. The Armenians tried to take possession of the spring, but several firmans secured the possession to the Greeks. The complex was controlled by Turkish guardians, who collected from the pilgrims a tax that they used for the maintenance of the prisons. Later the complex came into the possession of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. after the onset of Greek War of Independence in 1821, even this little chapel was destroyed by the Janissaries, who poisoned the spring and buried it under the rubble. the latter part of the reign of Sultan Mahmoud II (1808-39), the Orthodox received a measure of freedom to conduct religious services. In 1833, a firman allowed Patriarch Constantius I of Constantinople (1830-34) to rebuild the church. For the third time, a large and prestigious church was erected above the sacred Life-giving Spring, with work beginning in July of 1833. While workmen were clearing the ground, they uncovered the foundations of the earlier church.[note 1] The Sultan allowed them to build not just a chapel, but a new and beautiful church on the foundations of the old one. Construction began on September 14, 1833, and was completed on December 30, 1834. February 2, 1835, with great pomp, the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantius II of Constantinople (1834-35), celebrating with 12 bishops and an enormous flood of the faithful, consecrated the church which stands to this day, dedicating it to the Most Holy Theotokos. was built a hospital and alms-house. Even the Muslims spoke with great respect of the Life-giving Spring, and of the Theotokos, who through it pours out her grace-filled power. "Great among women Holy Mary" is how they refer to the Most Holy Virgin. The water from the Life-giving Spring they call the "water of Holy Mary." era September 6, 1955, during the anti-Greek Istanbul Pogrom, the church was one of the targets of the fanatic mob. The building was burned to the ground while the abbot was lynched and the 90 year-old Archimandrite Chrisanthos Mantas was assasinated by the mob.[3] small chapel has been rebuilt on the site, but the church has not yet been restored to its former size. Today, in addition to the church, the compound includes the underground shrine of the Zoodochos Pigi with the holy spring which has golden fish in it. The spring still flows to this day and is considered by the faithful to have wonderworking properties. sanctuary is directed by a titular bishop and is one of the most popular among the Orthodox of Istanbul, who visit it especially during the Friday after Easter, and on the feast day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross on September 14. On these two days, a great feast, both popular and religious takes place there.[1] Funerals of people to be buried in the nearby cemetery are also celebrated in the church. one kilometer south of the church an important Greek hospital is active, the “Balikli Greek Hospital Foundation” (Balikli Rum Hastanesi Vakf). of Churches and Monasteries Life-Giving Spring gave origin to many churches and monasteries bearing the same name in the Greek world. Most of them were erected after the end of the Byzantine Empire. Monasteries Original monastery in Constantinople. Monastery of the Theotokos the Life-Giving Spring -- Dunlap, California. Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring -- Kastri, Pellana municipality, Laconia prefecture, Greece.[note 2] Churches The Life-Giving Spring Acadimias, Athens Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring Russian Orthodox Mission -- Bryan, Texas See also Life-Giving Spring Panagia Blachernitissa Holy water The Life Giving Fountain of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 4;

Constantinople, Northwest Side, Blachernae Folder

Blachernae church, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God (Παναγία Οδηγήτρια), Commemorated on June 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Anastasia Gate
Anastasia Gate; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29;

Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-Singer, Commemorated on October 1 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Church of the Holy Theotokos of Blachernae, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-Singer, Commemorated on October 1 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Prison of Anemas, Blachernae, Constantinople
Prison of Anemas, Blachernae, Constantinople; Prison of Anemas is a large Byzantine building attached to the walls of the city of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey). is traditionally identified with the prisons named after Michael Anemas, a Byzantine general who rose in unsuccessful revolt against Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) and was the first person to be imprisoned there. prison features prominently in the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire, when four Byzantine emperors were imprisoned there. Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Martyr John the Soldier served in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). He was sent with other soldiers to find and kill Christians. Although he seemed to persecute them, Saint John was actually a secret Christian, and provided much help to his fellow Christians. He freed those who had been arrested, warned others of the dangers which threatened them, and helped them to escape. Saint John displayed charity not only to Christians, but to all the destitute, and to those who needed help. He visited the sick, and consoled the grieving. When Emperor Julian the Apostate learned of the Saint's activities he arrested him and sent him to a prison in Constantinople. the year 363 the wicked Emperor who had denied Christ was killed in a war with the Persians. Saint John was set free and devoted his life to serving his neighbor, and living a life of holiness and purity. He reposed at an advanced age, but the exact year of his death is not known. time, Saint John's tomb was gradually forgotten. One day he appeared to a certain devout woman and revealed to her the details of his life. He also showed her the location of his tomb, and this became known throughout the region. His holy relics, which had the power to heal various ailments, were transferred to the church of the Apostle John the Theologian at Constantinople. Through the prayers of Saint John the Soldier, those who suffer grief and sorrow receive comfort. the Russian Orthodox Church, Saint John is revered as the protector of soldiers, and a great intercessor for those who experience sorrow and difficult circumstances. He is also invoked for the recovery of stolen articles and fugitive slaves. iconography, Saint John is usually depicted as a middle-aged man with light brown (or dark) hair, a high forehead, and a short beard. He is dressed in armor and a cloak. In some icons he may hold a cross, a scroll, or military weapons, while in others he is shown in patrician clothing, wearing a cloak over a long chiton. John the Soldier is commemorated on July 29 in Greek usage, and on July 30 in Slavic usage.

Blachernae, Constantinople
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Translation of the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated on May 3; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Blachernae Palace, Constantinople, 500, Emperor's main residence from late 11th century
Blachernae Palace ; Palace of Blachernae [1] was an imperial Byzantine residence in the suburb of Blachernae, located in the northwestern section of Constantinople (today located in the quarter of Ayvansaray in Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey). The area of the palace is now mostly overbuilt, and only literary sources are available as to its description. Palace of Blachernae was constructed on the northern slopes of the Sixth Hill of the city in circa 500.[2] The hill itself was partially remodelled, particularly in later times, and a number of terraces created to support the various buildings comprising the palace complex.[3] Although the main imperial residence during the 4th–11th centuries was the Great Palace at the eastern end of the city, the Blachernae palace was used at times, and is attested in the ceremonial protocols contained in the 10th-century De Ceremoniis, or Explanation of the Order of the Palace, Chapters I.27, I.34, II.9, II.12) of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (r. 913–959).[2] that time, it included several structures: the hall (triklinos) of Anastasius or Anastasiakos (Î¤ÏÎ¯ÎºÎ»Î¹Î½Î¿Ï‚ á¼ˆÎ½Î±ÏƒÏ„Î±ÏƒÎ¹Î±ÎºÏŒÏ‚), named after Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) who built it, the hall of the Ocean or Okeanos, the portico of Joseph or Iosephiakos, and the hall of the Danube or Danoubios. The latter communicated with the nearby shrine of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Mary of Blachernae through a series of staircases.[1][2] was here that in the late 11th century the Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) moved his main residence, and he and his grandson Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180) undertook great works there, fortifying the palace precinct and erecting new halls.[2] Manuel I, in particular, is credited with the construction of an elaborate outer wall,[4] and of several splendid new halls, such as the Hall of Irene (named after Empress Irene of Hungary) and the Polytimos Oikos ("Valuable House"). this time the palace complex became known as the "New Palace".[5] Among the structures of the time, only the so-called Prison of Anemas, which formed part of the palace's substructure, still survives.[6] After the Fourth Crusade, the Latin emperors favoured the Bucoleon Palace, but on the recapture of the city in 1261, the Palaiologan emperors restored the Blachernae complex as their principal residence.[2][7] Palace of the Porphyrogenitus, probably dating to the late 13th century, although a bit further south than the main Blachernae palace complex, is usually related to it. It is the only relatively intact example of Byzantine palace architecture in Constantinople.[8] Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Chora Church and monastery, Blachernae, Constantinople
Chora monastery in Constantinople; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12;

Patriarchal Academy, Constantinople, near Blachernae, 1454
Patriarchal Academy; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Cosmos and Damian Monastery (Kosmidion, Blachernae) 450 approx
Cosmos and Damian Monastery (Kosmidion); St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24;

Pammakaristos Church and monastery, Center of Greek Orthodox Christiantiy during Ottoman Empire, Blachernae, 1071
Pammakaristos Church;

Constantinople, Phanar Golden Horn Greek Quarter Folder

Phanar, Constantinople (Neighborhood on Golden Horn, Greek Quarter)
Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Phanariots, members of prominent Greek families in Phanar, Wallacian Rulers (Romania and Moldovia)
Phanariots, members of prominent Greek families in Phanar; Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Constantinople patriarchal cathedral, St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul, Phanar, 1597
Constantinople patriarchal cathedral, St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul, Phanar 1597; St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul; All Blessed Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1;

Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Constantinople
Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Constantinople; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Patriarchal Academy, Constantinople, Phanar Greek Neighborhood, 1454
Patriarchal Academy; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Pantocrator Church and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, Greek Quarter, 1118
Pantocrator monastery in Constantinople ; The Holy Empress Irene, tonsured Xenia; Repose of Saint Stephen of Decani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ;

St Sopatra's Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols in the Phanar, 601
St Sopatra's Church of Saint Mary of the Mongols in the Phanar; Saint Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9;

Hesychius Church and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, Greek Quarter, 1118
Pantocrator monastery in Constantinople ; The Holy Empress Irene, tonsured Xenia; Repose of Saint Stephen of Decani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ;

Dalmatian Monastery (Probably at Church of the Holy Apostles, Phanar, 330)
Dalmatian Monastery (Probably at Church of the Holy Apostles); Isaac of Dalmatia, founder of the Dalmatus Monastery, not from Dalmatia; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6 ;

Church of the Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, 330
Church of the Holy Apostles; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Saint Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Holy Empress Markianḗ, Commemorated on January 27; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Saint Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 2;

The Church at Constantinople, Church of the Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, 330
Church of the Holy Apostles; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Saint Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Holy Empress Markianḗ, Commemorated on January 27; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Saint Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 2;

Church of St. Polyeuctus, Constantinople, 524
Church of St. Polyeuctus; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Constantinople, Galata, North Shore of Golden Horn Folder

Golden Horn (waters that define northern boundary of the penninsula)
Golden Horn; Golden Horn is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the Golden Horn help define the northern boundary of the peninsula constituting "Old Istanbul" (ancient Byzantium and Constantinople), the tip of which is the promontory of Sarayburnu, or Seraglio Point. This estuarial inlet geographically separates the historic center of Istanbul from the rest of the city, and forms a horn-shaped, sheltered harbor that in the course of history has protected Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other maritime trade ships for thousands[1] of years. the reference to a "horn" is understood to refer to the inlet's aerial silhouette, the significance of the designation "golden" remains more obscure, with historians believing it to refer to either the riches brought into the city through the bustling historic harbor located along its shores, or to romantic artistic interpretations of the rich yellow light blazing upon the estuary's waters as the sun sets over the city. Its Greek and English names mean the same, while its Turkish name, Haliç, simply means "estuary", and derives from the Arabic word khaleej, meaning "gulf". its history, the Golden Horn has witnessed many tumultuous historical incidents, and has been depicted in numerous works of art. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; “Unbreakable (or “Indestructibleâ€) Wallâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. It is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. The Mother of God is depicted against a golden background, standing with upraised hands on a quadrangular gold platform. some Icons of this type [but not in the mosaic Icon], Christ is depicted within a mandorla, an oval or circle, symbolizing the glory of Heaven, or the Divine Light. Icon is called the "Unbreakable Wall" because for ten centuries it has remained intact, in spite of the fact that both Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral and the city have been damaged several times. An ancient description of this Icon has been preserved: "A gigantic full-length portrait of the Theotokos.... She stands upon a gold stone, as an unshakable foundation for all who resort to her protection. Her chiton is blue, and she wears a scarlet belt. Hanging from it is an embroidered cloth with which she wipes away so many tears. are several possible sources for this Icon's title: The Prophet-King David wrote "God is in the midst of her (i. e. the city of God); she shall not be moved: God shall help her with his countenance" (Psalm 45/46:5). "Thus the Lord showed me; and behold, he stood upon a wall of adamant..." (Amos 7:7, LXX). The Akathist to the Mother of God, Ikos 12. "Rejoice, indestructible wall of kingdoms" - Ikos XII). According to Kievan tradition, the wall of the church will not perish while the hands of the Mother of God are extended over it.

Galata, Constantinople (north shore of Golden Horn)
Galata (north shore of the Golden Horn Harbor on the outskirts of Constantinople ; Monastic Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; Damascene was a monk from Constantinople. His parents Kyriakos and Kyriake lived in the Galatea district of the city, and they named their son Diamantes. at a young age, and without parental guidance, the boy became rather undisciplined in his conduct. One day he was caught doing something unlawful, and in order to save himself he agreed to convert to Islam. Later he came to his senses and repented his denial of Christ. Fleeing to the Holy Mountain, he became a monk at the Lavra, receiving the name Damascene. twelve years he labored in prayer and asceticism, and was tonsured into the Great Schema. Finally, he revealed to his spiritual Father his desire for martyrdom. Receiving a blessing for this struggle, he cut his hair and dressed as a sailor. the church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque, the monk Damascene made the Sign of the Cross and proclaimed Christ as the true God. Since the Moslems did nothing to him, he went to the Sultan Mehmed mosque and repeated his confession of faith, calling the Moslems ignorant and deceived because they did not believe in Christ. Those who heard him thought he was insane. next day Saint Damascene went to the vizier’s courtyard and shouted at those he found there, “Your faith is not true. Christ is the true God, and only the faith of Christ is true.” Not surprisingly, he was seized and beaten, then chased away. He continued to proclaim Christ in other places, but everyone thought he was crazy, and they ignored him. a Sunday, the holy martyr went to the Tophana mosque, where many Moslems had gathered. Again he was seized and beaten. This time, however, he was sent to the kadi and then to the Grand Vizier, Kara Mustapha. Seeing that the saint would not change his mind and live as a Moslem, the Vizier sentenced him to death. November 13, 1681, Saint Damascene was led to the Phanar, where he was forced to kneel before the gates of the Patriarchate. Thanking God for allowing him to fulfill the exploit of martyrdom, he bent his neck and was beheaded. The relics of the holy New Martyr Damascene were taken to Chalki and enshrined in the church of the Holy Trinity. New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Galata Tower, Constantinople
Galata Tower, Constantinople; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Revma on the Bosporos
Revma on the Bosporos; Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Commemorated on July 26;

Galatea, Constantinople (north shore of the Golden Horn)
Galatea (Constantinople); Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Constantinople, 1669-1681, Damascene, Monastic of Athos Larva &oGalatea (north shore of the Golden Horn) beheaded by Moslems
Constantinople, 1669-1681, Damascene, Monastic of t Athos Larva &oGalatea (north shore of the Golden Horn), orphaned young, undiciplined, caught, islam convert to save himself, fled to Athos Larva, became monk, 12 yrs, great schema, blesed for martyrdom, proclaimed Christ in Mosques including Hagia Sophia, nothing happened, went to Sultan, ignored, more mosques, went to kadi and grand viser, condemned, beheaded Monastic Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; Damascene was a monk from Constantinople. His parents Kyriakos and Kyriake lived in the Galatea district of the city, and they named their son Diamantes. at a young age, and without parental guidance, the boy became rather undisciplined in his conduct. One day he was caught doing something unlawful, and in order to save himself he agreed to convert to Islam. Later he came to his senses and repented his denial of Christ. Fleeing to the Holy Mountain, he became a monk at the Lavra, receiving the name Damascene. twelve years he labored in prayer and asceticism, and was tonsured into the Great Schema. Finally, he revealed to his spiritual Father his desire for martyrdom. Receiving a blessing for this struggle, he cut his hair and dressed as a sailor. the church of Hagia Sophia, which had been turned into a mosque, the monk Damascene made the Sign of the Cross and proclaimed Christ as the true God. Since the Moslems did nothing to him, he went to the Sultan Mehmed mosque and repeated his confession of faith, calling the Moslems ignorant and deceived because they did not believe in Christ. Those who heard him thought he was insane. next day Saint Damascene went to the vizier’s courtyard and shouted at those he found there, “Your faith is not true. Christ is the true God, and only the faith of Christ is true.” Not surprisingly, he was seized and beaten, then chased away. He continued to proclaim Christ in other places, but everyone thought he was crazy, and they ignored him. a Sunday, the holy martyr went to the Tophana mosque, where many Moslems had gathered. Again he was seized and beaten. This time, however, he was sent to the kadi and then to the Grand Vizier, Kara Mustapha. Seeing that the saint would not change his mind and live as a Moslem, the Vizier sentenced him to death. November 13, 1681, Saint Damascene was led to the Phanar, where he was forced to kneel before the gates of the Patriarchate. Thanking God for allowing him to fulfill the exploit of martyrdom, he bent his neck and was beheaded. The relics of the holy New Martyr Damascene were taken to Chalki and enshrined in the church of the Holy Trinity. Galatea (Constantinople);

Constantinople, Downtown Folder, Byzantium, Hagia Sophia, Imperial Palace, Sultan's Palace

Byzantium (downtown Constantinople)
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Holy Virgin Martyr Oraiozele, disciple of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Commemorated on July 26; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; Icon of the Mother of God “Areovindus”, Commemorated on February 10;

Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yaakosku kapasa)
Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yalkosku kap); Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Mangana and Mangana Monastery, Constantinople
Mangana and Mangana Monastery, Constantinople; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas, Commemorated on June 20;

Monastery of the Guides or Hodegon Monastery, Hodegetria Icon
Monastery of the Guides or Hodegon Monastery; Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God (Παναγία Οδηγήτρια), Commemorated on June 20;

Topkap Palace (Sultans Residence, Ottoman Empire, 1465-1856)
Topkap Palace (Sultans Residence, Ottoman Empire, 1465-1856);

Armatia Monastery, 491, Armatian Icon, deliverance from iconoclast heresy 787
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Armatia Icon of the Mother of God was in Constantinople at the Armatian monastery. The place where the monastery was located, was called “Armation” or “of the Armatians” and received its name from the military magister Armatias, nephew of the tyrant Basiliscus, and a contemporary of the emperor Zeno (474-491). celebration of the wonderworking icon was established to commemorate deliverance from the Iconoclast heresy. The Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787 drew up dogmatic definitions about icon veneration based on Holy Scripture and Church Tradition. Armatia Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated twice during the year, on July 21 and August 17.

Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330 - 1081, Emperor's Residence
Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Great Palace of Constantinople (Greek: ; Latin: Palatium Magnum, Turkish: Bak Saray), also known as the Sacred Palace (Greek:; Latin: Sacrum Palatium), was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as Old Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), in modern Turkey. It served as the main royal residence of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine emperors until 1081 and was the centre of imperial administration for over 690 years. Only a few remnants and fragments of its foundations have survived into the present day. Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 4; Saint Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9;

Pharos Church of the Virgin, housed artifacts
Pharos Church of the Virgin, housed artifacts; Translation of the Image “Not-Made-By-Hands” of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third “Feast of the Savior in August”, Commemorated on August 16;

Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568
Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9 and November 25;

Daphne Monastery of St Phocus, Constantinople, 568
Daphne Palace, Constantinople, 568; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9 and November 25;

Chalke (entrance to the Imperial Palace)
Chalke; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

Mangana Monastery, Constantinople, 1050
Mangana Monastery; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6;

Santa Sophia Cathedral, Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Saviorin August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior" Â in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Temple of God aka Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the Savior" Â in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople, 537-1453 or 1597
Hagia Sophia; Commemoration of the Holy 165 Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; Saint John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, commemorated October 21; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople's Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia
Constantinople’s Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia; Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Pantocrator Monastery (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Christ Pantocrator; Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeasts of the SaviorÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSweet-SingerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Hagia Eirene, church of Hagia Eirene, Constantinople
Hagia Eirene; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ;

Sublime Porte
Sublime Porte; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11;

Ottoman Porte (Ottoman central government)
Ottoman Porte; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

Constantinople, Walls of Constantinople
Walls of Constantinople, Golden Horn Wall: The wall facing towards the Golden Horn; Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall was the Gate of Eugenius;; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Constantinople, Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall
Walls of Constantinople, Golden Horn Wall: The wall facing towards the Golden Horn; Gate of Eugenius: the last gate of the Golden Horn wall was the Gate of Eugenius;; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ;

Neorion Harbour
Neorion Harbour; The restoration of the church of the Theotokos at Neorion, Commemorated on August 31;

monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (Little Hagia Sophia)
monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus (Little Hagia Sophia); Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Armatia Monastery
Armatian monestary is somewhere in Constantinople. Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17 ;

Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, 1455
Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul; Saint Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26;

Chrysovolantou Monastery, Constantinople (somewhere in Constantinople), Saint Irene
monastery Chrysovolantou; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Irene was the daughter of a wealthy family from Cappadocia, and was born in the ninth century. the death of her husband Theophilus, the empress Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire as regent for her young son Michael. Saint Theodora (February 11) helped to defeat the iconoclast heresy, and to restore the holy icons. We commemorate this Triumph of O rthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent. Michael was twelve years of age, Saint Theodora sent messengers throughout the Empire to find a suitably virtuous and refined girl to be his wife. Saint Irene was chosen, and she agreed to the marriage. While passing Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to stop so she could receive the blessing of Saint Joannicius (November 4), who lived on the mountain. The saint, who showed himself only to the most worthy pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of Saint Irene, and also her future life. holy ascetic welcomed her and told her to proceed to Constantinople, where the women’s monastery of Chrysovalantou had need of her. Amazed at his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground and asked Saint Joannicius for his blessing. After blessing her and giving her spiritual counsel, he sent her on her way. the party arrived in Constantinople, Irene’s relatives met her with great ceremony. Since “the steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord” (Ps. 36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to marry another girl a few days before, so that Irene might be free to become a bride of Christ. Far from being disappointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of events. the words of Saint Joannicius, Irene visited the Monastery of Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed by the nuns and their way of life that she freed her slaves and distributed her wealth to the poor. She exchanged her fine clothing for the simple garb of a nun, and served the sisters with great humility and obedience. The abbess was impressed with the way that Irene performed the most menial and disagreeable tasks without complaint. Irene often read the Lives of the Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues to the best of her ability. She often stood in prayer all night with her hands raised like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-13). Saint Irene spent the next few years in spiritual struggles defeating the assaults of the demons, and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). the abbess sensed the approach of death, she told the other nuns that they should not accept anyone but Irene as the new abbess. Irene was not told of the abbess’s instructions, and when she died the community sent representatives to go and seek the advice of the patriarch, Saint Methodius (June 14). He asked them whom they wanted as their superior. They replied that they believed he would be guided by the Holy Spirit. Without knowing of the late abbess’s instructions to the nuns, he asked if there was a humble nun by the name of Irene in their monastery. If so, he said, they should choose her. The nuns rejoiced and gave thanks to God. Saint Methodius elevated Irene to the rank of abbess and advised her how to guide those in her charge. to the monastery, Irene prayed that God would help her to care for those under her, and redoubled her own spiritual efforts. She displayed great wisdom in leading the nuns, and received many revelations from God to assist her in carrying out her duties. She also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so that she would know what trials awaited her nuns. Thus, she was in a better position to give them the proper advice. She never used this knowledge to embarrass others, but only to correct their confessions in a way which let them know that she possessed certain spiritual gifts. Saint Irene performed many miracles during her life, let us mention only one. On great Feasts it was her habit to keep vigil in the monastery courtyard under the starry skies. Once, a nun who was unable to sleep left her cell and went into the courtyard. There she saw Abbess Irene levitating a few feet above the ground, completely absorbed in prayer. The astonished nun also noticed that two cypress trees had bowed their heads to the ground, as if in homage. When she finished praying, Irene blessed the trees and they returned to their upright position. that this might be a temptation from the demons, the nun returned the next night to see if she had been mistaken. Again she saw Irene levitating as she prayed, and the cypress trees bowing down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to the tops of the two trees before they went back to their places. When the other sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the trees, they began to wonder who had put them there. Then the nun who had witnessed these strange events revealed to the others what she had seen. When Saint Irene learned that the nun had witnessed the miracle and told the others, she was very upset. She warned them not to speak of it to anyone until after her death. Irene observed the Feast of Saint Basil (January 1) with great devotion, since he also came from Cappadocia. One year, after celebrating the feast, Saint Irene heard a voice during the night telling her to welcome the sailor who would come to the door the next day. She was told to rejoice and eat the fruit which the sailor would bring her. During Matins, a sailor did come to the door and remained in church until after Liturgy. He told her that he had come from Patmos, where he boarded a ship. As the ship set sail, he noticed an old man on the shore calling for them to stop. In spite of a good wind, the ship came to a sudden halt. Then the old man walked across the water and entered the ship. He gave the sailor three apples which God was sending to the patriarch “from His beloved disciple John.” Then the old man gave the sailor three more apples for the abbess of Chrysovalantou. He told the sailor that if Irene ate the apples, all that her soul desired would be granted, “for this gift comes from John in Paradise.” Irene fasted for a week, giving thanks to God for this wonderful gift. For forty days, she ate small pieces of the first apple every day. During this time she had nothing else to eat or drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then gave each one a piece of the second apple. They noticed an unusual sweetness, and felt as if their very souls were being nourished. angel informed Saint Irene that she would be called to the Lord on the day after Saint Panteleimon’s feast. The monastery’s feast day fell on July 26, so Saint Irene prepared by fasting for a week beforehand. She took only a little water and small pieces of the third apple sent to her by Saint John. The whole monastery was filled with a heavenly fragrance, and all discord disappeared. July 28, Saint Irene called the nuns together in order to bid them farewell. She also told them to select Sister Mary as her successor, for she would keep them on the narrow way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14). After entreating God to protect her flock from the power of the devil, she smiled when she saw the angels who had been sent to receive her soul. Then she closed her eyes and surrendered her soul to God. Irene was more than 101 years old when she died, yet her face appeared young and beautiful. A great crowd of people came for her funeral, and many miracles took place at her tomb. some parishes it is customary to bless apples on the feast of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou.

Basilian monks, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Armenia, Basil the Great, of the 5
Basilian monks, Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Armenia, Basil the Great, of the 5; Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Church of Hagia Euphemia at the Hippodrome, Palace of Antiochos
Church of Hagia Euphemia at the Hippodrome, Palace of Antiochos; Virgin Martyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople,Commemorated on May 29;

Constantinople, Kagithane River Folder

Kagithane River

Kagithane River Mouth (Golden Horn Estuary)

Bosphorus Strait, Constantinople and Bithynia
Bosphorus;

Thracian Penninsula
Thracian Penninsula, also known as Thracian Italy; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Constantinople (Clean), Local Roads, Walls, Rivers, places Folder

Constantinople (Clean), Local Roads, its Area
Constantinople, Local Roads, its Area

Constantinople (Clean), Straits Area, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople
Constantinople & Troy, Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy and Bosphorus of Constantinople

Constantinople, Dnieper (Varanigan) Trade Route (Varangia to Constantinople)
The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called Tœthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks.

Constantinople, gateway to Crimea and Russia, its Area
Constantinople, gateway to Crimea and Russia

Constantinople, gateway to Mediterranean, thru Sea of Marmora and Dardanelles Strait, its area
Constantinople, Sea of Marmora thru Dardanelles Strait to Mediterranean gateway, its area

Constantinople, next to Bithynia, its Area
Bithynia, its Area

Constantinople, near Armenia, its Area, Greater Armenia till 461, Buffer State for Western Roman Empire
Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire, also includes Pontine and Cappadocia as revealed in many Saints' stories;

Constantinople, next to Bulgaria, its Area,
Bulgaria, its Area, Very important in the Roman Empire

Constantinople, near Arabian Plate, its Area

Constantinople (Clean) Roman Roads, Via Egnatia, Via Militarius

Constantinople (Clean), Roman Road, Via Militarius

A Patch, to Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Crimea, in the Byzantine and Roman Empires until Vladimir in 988, Rus Baptism time
Crimea;

Cherson, Crimea, Byzantine Empire, Cherson is the Greek Name
Korsun, Crimea ; Korsun, , the Slav name for Cherson;

Crimea, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea, Roman Empire, 101-867
Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea; Cherson, Crimea;

Byzantium, 330-1453 (Bryzantine Empire, Constantinople)
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire;

Istanbul, 1453-1922, Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, Sunni (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, 1453-1922, Sunni (the Turks) ; Fall of Constantinople (1453);

Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman YaAkosku kapAsA)
Gate of Eugenius (the Ottoman Yalkosku kap);

Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople;

Byzantium (downtown Constantinople)
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire;

Constantinople (Clean), Downtown Folder, Byzantium

Constantinople (Clean), Downtown, its Area

Constantinople (Clean) Downtown, Eugenius Sector, its Area

Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537
Hagia Sophia;

Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople
Hagia Sophia;

Temple of God, aka Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia;

Santa Sophia Cathedral, Great Church (Hagia Sophia), Constantinople, 537

Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330 - 1081, Emperor's Residence
Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330;

Mangana and Mangana Monastery, Constantinople
Mangana and Mangana Monastery, Constantinople;

Mangana Monastery, Constantinople, 1050
Mangana Monastery;

Ottoman Porte (Ottoman central government)
Ottoman Porte;

Platia or Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, 1455
Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul;

Church of Hagia Euphemia at the Hippodrome, Palace of Antiochos
Church of Hagia Euphemia at the Hippodrome, Palace of Antiochos;

Constantinople (Clean), Galata, North Shore of Golden Horn Folder

Galata, Constantinople (north shore of Golden Horn)
Galata (north shore of the Golden Horn Harbor on the outskirts of Constantinople ;

Constantinople (Clean), Kagithane River Folder

Muravsky Trail To avoid major river crossings, the route followed the high ground between the basins of the Dnieper and Don, making an almost straight line from the Dnieper bend to Tula. It ran mostly through thinly populated tallgrass steppe country ('Murav¡' is an old Slavic word for prairie or grassland) avoiding forests, marshes and river crossings. ;

Constantinople (Clean), Northwest Side, Blachernae Folder

Constantinople (Clean), Northwest Side, its Area, Blachernae, Anastasia Gate, within Greek Quarter Phanar

Constantinople (Clean), Phanar Greek Quarter of Constantinople, its Area

Blachernae, Constantinople
Blachernae;

Blachernae church, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul);

Anastasia Gate
Anastasia Gate;

Constantinople (Clean), Phanar Golden Horn Greek Quarter Folder

Phanar, Constantinople (Neighborhood on Golden Horn, Greek Quarter)
Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople);

Constantinople (Clean), Southwest Side, Studion Monastery Folder

Studion Monastery, Constantinople, monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, 462
The Studion Monestary ;

Xerolophos on 7th Hill of Constantinople
7th Hill of Constantinople - Church of Peribleptos; The seventh hill, known in Byzantine times as the Xērolophos (Greek: ξηρόλοφος), or "dry hill," it extends from Aksaray to the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara. It is a broad hill with three summits producing a triangle with apices at Topkapı , Aksaray, and Yedikule Venerable Cassianḗ the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7;

Constantinople (Clean), Walls of Constantinople Folder

Blachernae church, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, and with choirs of Saints she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and Bishops venerate Her, Apostles and prophets rejoice together, Since for our sake she prays to the Eternal God!” miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century. Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was overflowing with those at prayer, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew (October 2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. Saint John the Baptist and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven. On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer. completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible. The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” Saint Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe.” Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond speedily to her intercession, “O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them go away from my icon unheard.” Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer, and “for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people and shining with flashes of glory. As long as the Most Holy Theotokos was there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, but with her departure it also became invisible. After taking it with her, she left behind the grace of her visitation.” the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God was remembered. In the fourteenth century, the Russian pilgrim and clerk Alexander, saw in the church an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos praying for the world, depicting Saint Andrew in contemplation of her. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor reflects that the protective intercession of the Mother of God was needed because an attack of a large pagan Russian fleet under the leadership of Askole and Dir. The feast celebrates the divine destruction of the fleet which threatened Constantinople itself, sometime in the years 864-867 or according to the Russian historian Vasiliev, on June 18, 860. Ironically, this Feast is considered important by the Slavic Churches but not by the Greeks. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor also notes the miraculous deliverance followed an all-night Vigil and the dipping of the garment of the Mother of God into the waters of the sea at the Blachernae church, but does not mention Saints Andrew and Epiphanius and their vision of the Mother of God at prayer. These latter elements, and the beginnings of the celebrating of the Feast of the Protection, seem to postdate Saint Nestor and the Chronicle. A further historical complication might be noted under (October 2) dating Saint Andrew’s death to the year 936. year of death might not be quite reliable, or the assertion that he survived to a ripe old age after the vision of his youth, or that his vision involved some later pagan Russian raid which met with the same fate. The suggestion that Saint Andrew was a Slav (or a Scythian according to other sources, such as S. V. Bulgakov) is interesting, but not necessarily accurate. The extent of Slavic expansion and repopulation into Greece is the topic of scholarly disputes. the PROLOGUE, a Russian book of the twelfth century, a description of the establishment of the special Feast marking this event states, “For when we heard, we realized how wondrous and merciful was the vision... and it transpired that Your holy Protection should not remain without festal celebration, O Ever-Blessed One!” in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Russian Church sings, “With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign Lady, with the venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles and with the Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying the Feast of your Protection in the Russian Land.” Moreover, it would seem that Saint Andrew, contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken captive, and became the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople named Theognostus. in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God began to appear in Russia in the twelfth century. Widely known for its architectural merit is the temple of the Protection at Nerl, which was built in the year 1165 by holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky. The efforts of this holy prince also established in the Russian Church the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, about the year 1164. Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) In Moscow also under Tsar Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God was built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church of Saint Basil the Blessed). the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, “Remember us in your prayers, O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you.” Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Church of the Holy Apostles, Constantinople, 330
Church of the Holy Apostles;

Constantinople (Clean), Hills of Constantinople Folder

First Hill

Second Hill

Third Hill

Fourth Hill

Fifth Hill

Sixth Hill

Seventh Hill

Constantinople (Clean), Sea of Marmora Folder

Sea of Marmora, Constantinople
Sea of Marmora;

Islands in the Sea of Marmora, Constantinople
Sea of Marmora;

Prokonnesos Island, Sea of Marmora
Prokonnesos Island;

Aphousia Island, Sea of Marmora
Aphousia;

Akrita, Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora)
Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora), this cape chosen as Akrita by process of elimination (the others are too close to Constantinople and Nicaea).

Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus)
Alona Island (an Island not far from Cyzicus);

Cyzikus (Sea of Marmara, between Troy and Constantinople)
Cyzicus

Kyzikos (Sea of Marmara, between Constantinople and Troy)
Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara);

Constantinople (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers. interesting points Folder

Byzantine Empire, its Area

Judea (West Bank) Roman Road
Judea;

Hebron, Bethlehem Road to Jerusalem (Judea)

Judea to Way of the Sea Road

Samaria (West Bank) Roman Road
Samaria;

Benjamin, between Roman Roads to Jericho on West Bank
Jericho West Bank;

Jericho Jerusalem Road by Anathoth and St Georges

Roman Road to Gilgal - Galilee to Jericho Road

Jerusalem to Bethel Road (avoided, very difficult hiking, see elevation profile)

Gibeon-Ajalon Road - Hwy 443

Ajalon and Valley Gate to Eleutheropolis and Way of the Sea Road

Wilderness Road South to Gaza and North to Hebron
Wilderness Road - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ˜Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.™ (This is a wilderness road.); Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be confused with Saint Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons, they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. eldest among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. When the persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr Stephen. Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13) the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). holy disciple Philip tirelessly preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining Palestine. Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. Saint Philip died in old age.

Czech Lands Folder (Bohemia, Great Moravia, Czech Silesia)

Czech Lands (Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia)
Czech Lands; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated September 16 ; St Procopius, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Czech Lands, Bohemia, Western Czech Republic
Bohemia; Gorazd (Pavlik); St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated September 16 ; St Procopius, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Czech Lands, Moravia (Morava River, eastern Czech Republic)
Moravia; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; St Procopius, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated November 24 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; John Wesley of JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Czech Lands, Czech Silesia, Northern Czech Republic
Czech Lands, Czech Silesia; St Procopius, Commemorated on September 16;

Czech Lands, Great Moravia (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Serbia) 833-907
Great Moravia; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11;

Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia, South Eastern Silesia)
Czech Republic; is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east. The country has been traditionally divided into lands, namely Bohemia proper in the west, Moravia (Morava) in the southeast, and Czech Silesia (Slezsko; the smaller, south-eastern part of historical Silesia, most of which is located within modern Poland) in the northeast. St Procopius, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ;

Czech Lands 833-1922, Czech Lands History Folder

Czech Lands, 800, 9th Century Folder, Great Moravia, Saints Cyril and Methodius

Czech Lands, 833-907, Great Moravia (West Salvic: Moravia, Selecia, Poland and Hungary)
Czech Lands, 833-907, Great Moravia (West Salvic: Moravia, Selecia, Poland and Hungary); Moravia; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Czech Lands, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO SLAVS, f Thessalonica, Greece, Clement's relics, Cirilic a, Slavic litergy
Greece, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS, from Thessalonica, Greece, Constantine to Arabs, then philosophy prof, librarian, Methodius a slav governor, both then to Khazars Dnieper-Volga, discovered Clements relics, 863 G Moravia prince Rotislav asked for Slav missionaries, litergy in Slavonic, invented S alphabet, Cyrillic a, for Russian, Ukranian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, German missionaries of HRE, to Pope w Clements relics, new Caroligian Latin bishop forced M to exile in Bulgaria; Thessalonica; Repose of Saint Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs Commemorated on February 14; Cyril Equal of the Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs (Constantine in the schema), and his older brother Methodius (April 6), were Slavs, born in Macedonia in the city of Thessalonica. Cyril received the finest of educations, and from the age of fourteen he was raised with the son of the emperor. Later, he was ordained as a priest. Upon his return to Constantinople, he worked as a librarian of the cathedral church, and as a professor of philosophy. Saint Cyril successfully held debates with iconoclast heretics and with Moslems. for solitude, he went to Mount Olympos to his older brother Methodius, but his solitude lasted only a short while. Both brothers were sent by the emperor Michael on a missionary journey to preach Christianity to the Khazars in the year 857. Along the way they stopped at Cherson and discovered the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement of Rome (November 25). at the territory of the Khazars, the holy brothers spoke with them about the Christian Faith. Persuaded by the preaching of Saint Cyril, the Khazar prince together with all his people accepted Christianity. The grateful prince wanted to reward the preachers with rich presents, but they refused this and instead asked the prince to free and send home with them all the Greek captives. Saint Cyril returned to Constantinople together with 200 such captives set free. the year 862 began the chief exploit of the holy brothers. At the request of Prince Rostislav, the emperor sent them to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavic language. Saints Cyril and Methodius by a revelation from God compiled a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel, Epistles, the Psalter and many Service books into the Slavonic language. They introduced divine services in Slavonic. holy brothers were then summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Roman Pope. Pope Adrian received them with great honor, since they brought with them the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement. Sickly by nature and in poor health, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from his many labors, and after taking the schema, he died in the year 869 at the age of forty-two. Before his death, he expressed his wish for his brother to continue the Christian enlightenment of the Slavs. Saint Cyril was buried in the Roman church of Saint Clement, whose own relics also rest there, brought to Italy from Cherson by the Enlighteners of the Slavs. CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; (originally Constantine) and Methodius were brothers, from a noble family in Thessalonika, a district in northeastern Greece. was the younger, born in about 827, and his brother Methodius in about 825. They both entered the priesthood. undertook a mission to the Arabs, and then became a professor of philosophy at the imperial school in Constantinople and librarian at the cathedral of Santa Sophia. became governor of a district that had been settled by Slavs. brothers then retired to monastic life. about 861, the Emperor Michel III sent them to work with the Khazars northeast of the Black Sea in the Dnieper-Volga region of what was later Russia. They learned the Khazar language and made many converts, and discovered what were believed to be relics of Clement, an early Bishop of Rome. about 863, Prince Rotislav, the ruler of Great Moravia (an area including much of what was later Czechoslovakia), asked the emperor for missionaries, specifying that he wanted someone who would teach his people in their own language (he had western missionaries, but they used only Latin). emperor and the Patriarch Photius sent Methodius and his brother Constantine, who translated the Liturgy and much of the Scriptures into Slavonic. Slavonic had no written form, they invented an alphabet for it, the Glagolitic alphabet, which gave rise to the Cyrillic alphabet (named for Constantine aka Cyril), which is used to write Russian and (with modifications) several related languages today. used the Greek alphabet as their basis, writing a letter in two forms when two similar sounds in Slavonic each needed a letter (hence, in modern Russian, we have "plain a" written "A" and "fancy a" written like a backward "R" representing the sounds of hard and soft (or unpalatalized and palatalized) a, represented approximately in English by "ah" and "yah"). no Greek letter was close, then they borrowed from Hebrew (the letter TZADDI for the sound "ts" as in "tsar", and the letter SHIN for the sound "sh", and a variant on it for the sound "shch" as in "Khrushchev", and so on). resulting alphabet had 43 letters. It has since undergone development, chiefly simplification and the omission of letters. Thus, the modern Russian alphabet has only 32 letters. Cyrillic alphabet with minor variations is used today for Russian, Ukrainian, and other languages of the former USSR, and also for Bulgarian and Serbian and formerly for Rumanian. and Croats both speak Serbo-Croatian, but the Serbs, who are traditionally East Orthodox, write it with the Cyrillic alphabet, while the Croats, who are traditionally Roman Catholic, write it with the Latin alphabet. the first World War, there were many muslims (regarded as Turks) living in Greece, and many Christians (regarded as Greeks) living in western Turkey. Each group spoke the language of the country in which it lived, but the Greek-speaking Turks in Greece wrote Greek using the Arabic script that was then standard for writing Turkish, and the Turkish-speaking Greeks in Turkey wrote Turkish in the Greek alphabet. For some reason, the alphabet matters to rival religious groups.) Thus the brothers were the first to produce written material in the Slavic languages, and are regarded as the founders of Slavic literature. brothers encountered missionaries from Germany, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Holy Roman Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as their rightful mission field. When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, went south toward Venice, and then from Venice to Rome to see the Pope, hoping to reach an agreement that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. brought with them the above-mentioned relics of Clement, third bishop of Rome after the Apostles (see 23 November). arrived in Rome in 868 and were received with honor. Constantine entered a monastery there, taking the name Cyril, by which he is now remembered. However, he died only a few weeks thereafter. He is buried in Rome in the Church of San Clemente. Pope (Adrian II) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Yugoslavia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorization to use the Slavonic Liturgy. however, Prince Rotislav, who had originally invited the brothers to Moravia, died, and his successor did not support Methodius. 870 the Frankish king Louis and his bishops deposed Methodius at a synod at Ratisbon, and imprisoned him for a little over two years. The pope (John VIII) secured his release, but told him not to use the Slavonic Liturgy any more. In 878 he was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by his arguments and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. died 6 April 885 in Velehrad, the old capitol of Moravia. Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Wiching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. found refuge with King Boris of Bulgaria (852-889), under whom they reorganized a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries. Cyril and Methodius are honored by Eastern and Western Christians alike, and the importance of their work in preaching and worshipping in the language of the people is recognized on all sides. by James Kiefer

Czech Lands, 846-870, Duke, Rastislav, repelled Franks, asked for C and M, Slovonic books and alpha
Rastislav of Moravia 846-870; the year 862 began the chief exploit of the holy brothers. At the request of Prince Rostislav, the emperor sent them to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavic language. Saints Cyril and Methodius by a revelation from God compiled a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel, Epistles, the Psalter and many Service books into the Slavonic language. They introduced divine services in Slavonic. or Rostislav, also known as St. Rastislav, was the second known ruler of Moravia (846–870).[2][3] he started his reign as vassal to Louis the German, king of East Francia, he consolidated his rule to the extent that after 855 he was able to repel a series of Frankish attacks.[4] his initiative two brothers, Cyril and Methodius. sent by the Byzantine Emperor Michael III in 863, translated the most important Christian liturgical books into Slavonic.[5] was dethroned by his nephew Svatopluk I of Moravia, who handed him over to the Franks.[6] St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11;

Czech Lands, 862-885, Saints, Saints Cyril and Methodius, saved Brat and Ludmilla
Czech Land Saints, 862-885, Saints Cyril and Methodius; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11;

Czech Lands, 870-871, Ruler, Svyatopolk, Svatopluk I of Moravia, dethroned R, opposed Slovonic, for Latin
Czech Land, 870-871, Ruler, Svatopluk I of Moravia; I or Svätopluk I, also known as Svatopluk the Great was a ruler of Great Moravia, which attained its maximum territorial expansion during his reign (870–871, 871–894).[2][3] career started in the 860s, when he governed a principality within Moravia, the location of which is still a matter of debate among historians, under the suzerainty of his uncle, Rastislav.[4][5] 870 Svatopluk dethroned Rastislav, who was a vassal of Louis the German, and betrayed him to the Franks. Within a year, however, the Franks also imprisoned Svatopluk.[6][7] After the Moravians rebelled against the Franks, Svatopluk was released and led the rebels to victory over the invaders.[8] Although he was obliged to pay tribute to East Francia under the peace treaty concluded at Forchheim (Germany) in 874, he was able to expand his territories outside the Franks' sphere of interest in the following years.[8][9] His forces even invaded the March of Pannonia within East Francia in 882.[9][10] established a good relationship with the popes, and he and his people were formally taken under the protection of the Holy See in 880.[5][8] Pope Stephen V even addressed him as "King" in a letter written in 885.[11] Svatopluk seems to have wanted to appease the German clergy who opposed the conducting of the liturgy in Old Church Slavonic, and he expelled the disciples of Methodius from Moravia in 886, after their teacher's death.[10][12][13] state was a loose assemblage of principalities and also included conquered territories.[14] long after his death Svatopluk's realm of Great Moravia collapsed in the midst of a power struggle between his sons and the intensifying Hungarian raids.[15][16] whose empire encompassed parts of the territory of modern Czech Republic (Moravia and Bohemia), Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, has occasionally been erroneously and anachronistically presented as a "Slovak King" in Slovak literary works since the 18th century, the period of the Slovak national awakening.[17] St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

Czech Lands, 880-921, Ludmilla the gmother of St Wenceslas, regent, first christian dutchess, k by d in law
Czech Lands, 880-921, Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslas; Ludmila (c. 860 - 15 September 921) is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Melník[1] as the daughter of the Sorbian prince Slavibor.[2] Ludmila was the grandmother of Saint Wenceslaus,[1] who is widely referred to as Good King Wenceslaus. Saint Ludmila was canonized shortly after her death. As part of the process of canonization, in 925, Wenceslaus moved her remains to St. George's Basilica, Prague. was married to Borivoj I of Bohemia, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia,[1] in 873. couple converted to Christianity through the efforts of Saint Methodius.[1][3] efforts to convert Bohemia to Christianity were initially not well received,[1] and pagans drove them from their country for a time. Eventually the couple returned and ruled for several years before retiring to Tetin, near Beroun. couple was succeeded by their son Spytihnev. Spytihnev was succeeded by his brother Vratislav. When Vratislav died in 921, his son Wenceslas became the next ruler of Bohemia.[3] had been primarily Ludmila who raised her grandson, and she acted as regent for him. and Drahomíra of Saint Ludmila mother Drahomíra became jealous of Ludmila's influence over Wenceslaus. She had two noblemen, Tunna and Gommon (probably of Frankish or Varangian descent) murder Ludmila in Tetín, and part of Ludmila's narrative states that she was strangled[1] with her veil. Initially, Saint Ludmila was buried at St. Michael's at Tetín.[4] Ludmila was canonized shortly after her death. As part of the process of canonization, in 925 Wenceslaus moved her remains to St. George's Basilica, Prague.[3] She is venerated as a patroness of Bohemia. She is considered to be a patron saint of Bohemia, converts, Czechia, duchesses, those with problems with in-laws, and widows. Her feast day is celebrated on September 16th.[5] ín Dvořák composed his oratorio Svata Ludmila (Saint Ludmila) between September 1885 and May 1886. The work was commissioned by the publisher Littleton for the Leeds Festival.[6] Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; Holy Martyr Ludmilla, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from Saint Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May). Christians, they showed concern for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true Faith, they built churches and invited priests to celebrate the divine services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36. Saint Ludmilla, as a widow, led an austere, pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years. was married to Dragomira, with whom he had a son, Wenceslaus (Vyacheslav). After the death of Bratislav, eighteen-year-old Wenceslaus came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to introduce pagan manners and customs in the country. Ludmilla, of course, opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When Saint Ludmilla moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent two boyars in secret to murder her. Saint Ludmilla was praying at the time, and the two assassins entered the house and carried out Dragomira’s orders. relics of the holy Martyr Ludmilla were buried in Techin in the city wall. Numerous healings occurred at her grave. Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of Saint Ludmilla to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of Saint George. Czech Lands, 915-921, Prince, Bratislav, Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia, ; (or Wratislaus) I (c. 888 - 13 February 921), a member of the Premyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 915 until his death. was a son of Duke Bořivoj I of Bohemia by his wife Ludmila and the younger brother of Duke Spytihněv I. 906, he married Drahomíra, a Hevellian princess, to establish close ties with the Polabian Slavs. had at least two sons, Wenceslaus and Boleslaus, both of whom succeeded him as Bohemian dukes. historians believe that Strezislava, the wife of the Bohemian nobleman Slavník, founder of the Slavník dynasty, was also the daughter of Vratislaus.[1] the death of his elder brother Spytihnev in 915, Vratislaus became duke at a time when the Bohemian lands around Prague Castle had already distanced themselves from the political and cultural sphere of Great Moravia and fallen under the influence of East Francia, especially during the rule of Duke Arnulf of Bavaria. contemporary Annales Fuldenses report that the Bavarian forces had attacked Prince Mojmír II of Moravia in alliance with the Bohemians already in the year 900. the other hand, Duke Vratislaus offered the Hungarian invaders free passage and supported their campaign against the Saxon duke Henry the Fowler in the year 915. is credited with the establishment of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle and also with the foundation of the Silesian city of Wrocław (Breslau), whose Latin name "Vratislavia" denotes his initiative. He died in battle against the Hungarians, possibly in 919, although 921 is more often conjectured. Czech Prince and Saint, 921-935, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; Holy Martyr Ludmilla, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from Saint Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May). Christians, they showed concern for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true Faith, they built churches and invited priests to celebrate the divine services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36. Saint Ludmilla, as a widow, led an austere, pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years. was married to Dragomira, with whom he had a son, Wenceslaus (Vyacheslav). After the death of Bratislav, eighteen-year-old Wenceslaus came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to introduce pagan manners and customs in the country. Ludmilla, of course, opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When Saint Ludmilla moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent two boyars in secret to murder her. Saint Ludmilla was praying at the time, and the two assassins entered the house and carried out Dragomira’s orders. relics of the holy Martyr Ludmilla were buried in Techin in the city wall. Numerous healings occurred at her grave. Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of Saint Ludmilla to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of Saint George. Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the Relics of the Right-Believing Prince Saint Wenceslas (Vyacheslav) of the Czech Lands. September 28, 935, when Saint Wenceslas went to Matins, he was wickedly murdered at the doors of the church by his own brother and his brother’s servants. His body was stabbed and discarded without burial. mother, hearing of the murder of her son, found and placed his body in a recently consecrated church at the princely court. They were not able to wash off the blood splashed on the church doors, but after three days it disappeared by itself. repenting of his sin, the murderer transferred the relics of Saint Wenceslas to Prague, where they were placed in the church of Saint Vitus, which the martyr himself had constructed. The memory of Prince Wenceslas is honored from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church. Wenceslas is also commemorated on September 28.

Czech Lands, 900, 10th Century Folder, Hungarian Invasions of Europe, Saint Wenceslaus, Orthodox

Czech Lands, 907, Hungarian invasions of E, d Great Moravia, Magyars before christianization and Kingdom of H
Czech Land, 907, Hungarian invasions of Europe, Defeated Great Moravia; Hungarian invasions of Europe took place in the 9th and 10th centuries, the period of transition in the history of Europe in the Early Middle Ages, when the territory of the former Carolingian Empire was threatened by invasion from multiple hostile forces, the Magyars (Hungarians) from the east, the Viking expansion from the north and the Arabs from the south.[1][2] Magyars successfully conquered the Carpathian Basin (corresponding to the later Kingdom of Hungary) by the end of the ninth century, and launched a number of plundering raids both westward into former Francia and southward into the Byzantine Empire. westward raids were stopped only with the Magyar defeat of the Battle of Lechfeld of 955, which led to a new political order in Western Europe centered on the Holy Roman Empire. raids in to Byzantine territories continued throughout the 10th century, until the eventual Christianisation of the Magyars and the establishment of the Christian Kingdom of Hungary in 1000 or 1001.

Czech Lands, 915-921, Bratislav, Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia, Father of Wenceslas, Ludmilla's son, aligned w HRE
Czech Lands, 915-921, Prince, Bratislav, Vratislaus I, Duke of Bohemia, ; (or Wratislaus) I (c. 888 - 13 February 921), a member of the Premyslid dynasty, was Duke of Bohemia from 915 until his death. was a son of Duke Bořivoj I of Bohemia by his wife Ludmila and the younger brother of Duke Spytihněv I. 906, he married Drahomíra, a Hevellian princess, to establish close ties with the Polabian Slavs. had at least two sons, Wenceslaus and Boleslaus, both of whom succeeded him as Bohemian dukes. historians believe that Strezislava, the wife of the Bohemian nobleman Slavník, founder of the Slavník dynasty, was also the daughter of Vratislaus.[1] the death of his elder brother Spytihnev in 915, Vratislaus became duke at a time when the Bohemian lands around Prague Castle had already distanced themselves from the political and cultural sphere of Great Moravia and fallen under the influence of East Francia, especially during the rule of Duke Arnulf of Bavaria. contemporary Annales Fuldenses report that the Bavarian forces had attacked Prince Mojmír II of Moravia in alliance with the Bohemians already in the year 900. the other hand, Duke Vratislaus offered the Hungarian invaders free passage and supported their campaign against the Saxon duke Henry the Fowler in the year 915. is credited with the establishment of St. George's Basilica at Prague Castle and also with the foundation of the Silesian city of Wrocław (Breslau), whose Latin name "Vratislavia" denotes his initiative. He died in battle against the Hungarians, possibly in 919, although 921 is more often conjectured. Czech Prince and Saint, 921-935, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; Holy Martyr Ludmilla, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from Saint Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May). Christians, they showed concern for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true Faith, they built churches and invited priests to celebrate the divine services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36. Saint Ludmilla, as a widow, led an austere, pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years. was married to Dragomira, with whom he had a son, Wenceslaus (Vyacheslav). After the death of Bratislav, eighteen-year-old Wenceslaus came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to introduce pagan manners and customs in the country. Ludmilla, of course, opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When Saint Ludmilla moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent two boyars in secret to murder her. Saint Ludmilla was praying at the time, and the two assassins entered the house and carried out Dragomira’s orders. relics of the holy Martyr Ludmilla were buried in Techin in the city wall. Numerous healings occurred at her grave. Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of Saint Ludmilla to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of Saint George. Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the Relics of the Right-Believing Prince Saint Wenceslas (Vyacheslav) of the Czech Lands. September 28, 935, when Saint Wenceslas went to Matins, he was wickedly murdered at the doors of the church by his own brother and his brother’s servants. His body was stabbed and discarded without burial. mother, hearing of the murder of her son, found and placed his body in a recently consecrated church at the princely court. They were not able to wash off the blood splashed on the church doors, but after three days it disappeared by itself. repenting of his sin, the murderer transferred the relics of Saint Wenceslas to Prague, where they were placed in the church of Saint Vitus, which the martyr himself had constructed. The memory of Prince Wenceslas is honored from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church. Wenceslas is also commemorated on September 28.

Czech Lands, 921-935, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, heroric virtue from popular biographies
Czech Prince and Saint, 921-935, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia; I (c. 911 - September 28, 935), Wenceslas I or Václav the Good[2] was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935. His younger brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, was complicit in the murder. martyrdom and the popularity of several biographies gave rise to a reputation for heroic virtue that resulted in his elevation to sainthood. He was posthumously declared to be a king and came to be seen as the patron saint of the Czech state. He is the subject of the well-known "Good King Wenceslas", a carol for Saint Stephen's Day. Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; Holy Martyr Ludmilla, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from Saint Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May). Christians, they showed concern for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true Faith, they built churches and invited priests to celebrate the divine services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36. Saint Ludmilla, as a widow, led an austere, pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years. was married to Dragomira, with whom he had a son, Wenceslaus (Vyacheslav). After the death of Bratislav, eighteen-year-old Wenceslaus came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to introduce pagan manners and customs in the country. Ludmilla, of course, opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When Saint Ludmilla moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent two boyars in secret to murder her. Saint Ludmilla was praying at the time, and the two assassins entered the house and carried out Dragomira’s orders. relics of the holy Martyr Ludmilla were buried in Techin in the city wall. Numerous healings occurred at her grave. Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of Saint Ludmilla to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of Saint George. Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Translation of the Relics of the Right-Believing Prince Saint Wenceslas (Vyacheslav) of the Czech Lands. September 28, 935, when Saint Wenceslas went to Matins, he was wickedly murdered at the doors of the church by his own brother and his brother’s servants. His body was stabbed and discarded without burial. mother, hearing of the murder of her son, found and placed his body in a recently consecrated church at the princely court. They were not able to wash off the blood splashed on the church doors, but after three days it disappeared by itself. repenting of his sin, the murderer transferred the relics of Saint Wenceslas to Prague, where they were placed in the church of Saint Vitus, which the martyr himself had constructed. The memory of Prince Wenceslas is honored from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church. Wenceslas is also commemorated on September 28.

Czech Lands, 1000, 11th Century Folder, Hungary and Moravia join HRE

Czech Lands, 1001, Hungary and Moravia become Western Christian, Holy Roman Empire
Czech Land, 1001, Hungary and Moravia become Western Christian, Holy Roman Empire; Czech Land, 907, Hungarian invasions of Europe, Defeated Great Moravia;

Czech Lands, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Hungary and Moravia in HRE

Czech Lands, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Hungary and Moravia in HRE

Czech Lands, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Orthodox Czestochowa Icon, John Hus

Czech Lands, 1356-1401, Czech Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon
Czech Land, 1356-1401, Czech Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places.

Czech Lands, 1391-1415, JOHN HUS, during pope controversy, denounced church abuses, didn't support archbishop's warlike pope
Czech Land Saint, 1391-1415, JOHN HUS; Controversy. then) Meanwhile, Hus had begun to denounce various church abuses in his sermons. His disputes with authority did not concern basic theological issues, but rather matters of church discipline and practice. The custom had arisen, at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, of distributing the consecrated bread to all Christians in good standing who desired to receive it, but restricting the chalice to the celebrant alone. Hus denounced this restriction as contrary to Holy Scripture and to the ancient tradition of the Church. He also held that Church officials ought to exercise spiritual powers only, and not be earthly governors. In 1412 his archbishop excommunicated him, not for heresy, but for insubordination. (The real problem was that Hus supported one papal claimant and the archbishop another. Hus's candidate was ultimately declared to be the true pope.) Matters came to a head when one claimant (later declared unfit) proclaimed a sale of indulgences to raise money for a war against his rivals. Hus was horrified at the idea of selling spiritual benefits to finance a war between two claimants to the title "Servant of the Servants of God," and said so. 1414 he was summoned to the Council of Constance, with the Emperor guaranteeing his personal safety even if found guilty. He was tried, and ordered to recant certain heretical doctrines. He replied that he had never held or taught the doctrines in question, and was willing to declare the doctrines false, but not willing to declare on oath that he had once taught them. The one point on which Hus could be said to have a doctrinal difference with the Council was that he taught that the office of the pope did not exist by Divine command, but was established by the Church that things might be done in an orderly fashion (a view that he shared with Thomas More). The Council, having just narrowly succeeded in uniting Western Christendom under a single pope after years of chaos, was not about to have its work undone. It accordingly found him guilty of heresy, and he was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415, Commemorated July 6; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places.

Czech Lands, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, denounced church abuses not theological, burned after E's promise , Moravians
Czech Lands, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, Western Czech Republic, denounced church abuses in discipline and practice, not theological, church spritual govenors, not earthly, found guilty for saying pope not divine office, burned right after Council of Constance, followers became Moravians; Bohemia; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415; Huss (Jan Hus) was born in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) in about 1371. received a master's degree from Charles University in Prague in 1396, became a professor of theology in 1398, was ordained to the priesthood in 1400, was made rector of the University in 1402, and in 1404 received a bachelor's degree in theology (presumably a more advanced degree than the term suggests today). his day, there was a crisis of authority in the Western Church. 1305, under pressure from the King of France, the seat of the Popes was moved from Rome to Avignon in France, where it remained for 70 years. period is called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, suggesting the 70 years that Jerusalem lay desolate after when the Jews were deported to Babylon.) 1376, the then pope returned to Rome. When he died soon after, the cardinals, mostly French, were disposed to elect a French Pope, but the people of Rome objected, fearing that a French Pope would move the Papacy back to France. cardinals therefore elected an Italian Pope, and then fled elsewhere, where they elected a French Pope and said that the first election had been under duress, and was void. there were two (later three) claimants for the Papal Office. Council of Constance was called to settle the matter. One claimant recognized the Council and then abdicated. The Council responded by proclaiming that he had been the true Pope. It then deposed the other two, and elected a new Pope, thus healing the schism. Hus had begun to denounce various church abuses in his sermons. His disputes with authority did not concern basic theological issues, but rather matters of church discipline and practice. custom had arisen, at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, of distributing the consecrated bread to all Christians in good standing who desired to receive it, but restricting the chalice to the celebrant alone. denounced this restriction as contrary to Holy Scripture and to the ancient tradition of the Church. also held that Church officials ought to exercise spiritual powers only, and not be earthly governors. 1412 his archbishop excommunicated him, not for heresy, but for insubordination. real problem was that Hus supported one papal claimant and the archbishop another. Hus's candidate was ultimately declared to be the true pope.) came to a head when one claimant (later declared unfit) proclaimed a sale of indulgences to raise money for a war against his rivals. was horrified at the idea of selling spiritual benefits to finance a war between two claimants to the title "Servant of the Servants of God," and said so. 1414 he was summoned to the Council of Constance, with the Emperor guaranteeing his personal safety even if found guilty. was tried, and ordered to recant certain heretical doctrines. replied that he had never held or taught the doctrines in question, and was willing to declare the doctrines false, but not willing to declare on oath that he had once taught them. one point on which Hus could be said to have a doctrinal difference with the Council was that he taught that the office of the pope did not exist by Divine command, but was established by the Church that things might be done in an orderly fashion (a view that he shared with Thomas More). Council, having just narrowly succeeded in uniting Western Christendom under a single pope after years of chaos, was not about to have its work undone. It accordingly found him guilty of heresy, and he was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. his death, his followers continued to insist on the importance of administering the Holy Communion in both kinds, and defeated several armies sent against them. 1436 a pact was signed, by which the Church in Bohemia was authorized to administer Chalice as well as Host to all communicants. followers of John Huss and his fellow martyr Jerome of Prague became known as the Czech Brethren and later as the Moravians. Moravian Church survives to this day, and has had a considerable influence on the Lutheran movement. Luther suddenly became famous after the publication of his 95 Theses, cartoons and graffiti began to appear implying that Luther was the spiritual heir of John Huss. When Luther encountered the Pope's representative Johannes Eck, in a crucial debate, Eck sidestepped the questions of indulgences and of justification by faith, and instead asked Luther whether the Church had been right to condemn Hus. Luther, after thinking it over, said that Hus had been unjustly condemned, the whole question of the authority of Popes and Councils was raised. — by James Kiefer

Czech Lands, 1400, 15th-16th Century Folder, Bohemian Brethern, Moravian Church, Protestant, Hussite Wars

Czech Land, 1400-1722, Bohemian Brethern, Moravian Church, Protestant
Czech Land, 1400-1722, Bohemian Brethern, Moravian Church, Protestant; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Czech Lands, 1419-1434, Bohemia, Hussite Wars
Bohemia, 1419-1434, Hussite Wars; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Czech Land, 1457, Moravian Brethren Church organized in Prague
Czech Lands, 1457, Moravian Church organized in Prague; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10

Czech Lands, 1500, 16th Century Folder, House of Hapsburg, HRE

Czech Lands, 1600, 17th Century Folder, 30 years War

Battle of White Mountain (Bila Hora) Thirty Years War, 1620
Battle of White Mountain (Bila Hora) Thirty Years War, 1620 ; Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague, St Roch; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18;

Czech Lands, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Silesian Wars involving all of Europe

Czech Lands, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa, history of Silisian Wars here, all of Europe, Prussia v Austria
Hungary, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa; Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (13 May 1717 - 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress. Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740. VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). upon his death, Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the seven-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession. defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg Monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during the Seven Years' War. she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers. Theresa promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. she despised the Jews and the Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church and refused to allow religious pluralism. Consequently, her regime was criticized as intolerant by some contemporaries. and early life[edit] Painting of three-year-old Maria Theresa in the gardens of Hofburg Palace second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Archduchess Maria Theresa was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna, a year after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold,[1] and was baptised on that same evening. dowager empresses, her aunt Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg and grandmother Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, were her godmothers.[2] descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia, the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I, before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia.[3] was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them,[3] even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, had his sons sign the Mutual Pact of Succession, which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother.[4] Her father was the only surviving male member of the House of Habsburg and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling.[4] Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as heir presumptive to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in the line of succession.[5] sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the Treaty of Vienna (1731), Great Britain demanded that Austria abolish the Ostend Company in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction.[6] In total, Great Britain, France, Saxony, United Provinces, Spain, Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Sardinia, Bavaria and the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction.[7] France, Spain, Saxony, Bavaria and Prussia later reneged. Archduchess Maria Theresa, by Andreas Möller more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, Maria Anna, and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724.[8] portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna.[9] The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with a slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body.[10] many other members of the House of Habsburg, neither Maria Theresa's parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other.[a] Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony. The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education was overseen by Jesuits. Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well.[11] Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors.[b] Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, who taught her etiquette. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort.[12] father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her.[13] Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign.[14] question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. Leopold Clement of Lorraine was first considered to be the appropriate suitor, and he was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. These plans were forestalled by his death from smallpox.[15] Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen, was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand,[16] the Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Protestant prince Frederick of Prussia.[17] In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain. Other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Queen of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese. Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved.[18][19] Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast, by Martin van Meytens. Charles VI (in the red-plumed hat) is seated at the center of the table. Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of Lorraine,[17] but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the War of the Polish Succession.[20] XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, Stanislaus I, who had been deposed as King of Poland.[c] Francis Stephen was to receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of childless Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici.[21] The couple were married on 12 February 1736.[22] Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive.[23] The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal.[24][25] She was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage,[26] with Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg, as his best-known mistress.[27] Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. A triumphal arch was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in Florence was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany.[28] the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo-Turkish War. The Turks reversed Austrian gains in Serbia, Wallachia and Bosnia. The Viennese rioted at the cost of the war. Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy.[29] The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade.[30] Maria Theresa's procession through the Graben, 22 November 1740. The pregnant queen is on way to hear High Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral before receiving homage.[31] VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. He had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had urged him to concentrate on filling the treasury and equipping the army rather than on acquiring signatures of fellow monarchs.[5] The Emperor, who spent his entire reign securing the Pragmatic Sanction, left Austria in an impoverished state, bankrupted by the recent Turkish war and the War of the Polish Succession;[32] the treasury contained only 100,000 gulden, which were claimed by his widow.[33] The army had also been weakened due to these wars; instead of the full number of 160,000, the army had been reduced to about 108,000, and they were scattered in small areas from the Austrian Netherlands to Transylvania, and from Silesia to Tuscany. They were also poorly trained and discipline was lacking. Later Maria Theresa even made a remark: "as for the state in which I found the army, I cannot begin to describe it."[34] Theresa found herself in a difficult situation. She did not know enough about matters of state and she was unaware of the weakness of her father's ministers. She decided to rely on her father's advice to retain his counselors and to defer to her husband, whom she considered to be more experienced, on other matters. Both decisions later gave cause for regret. Ten years later, Maria Theresa recalled in her Political Testament the circumstances under which she had ascended: "I found myself without money, without credit, without army, without experience and knowledge of my own and finally, also without any counsel because each one of them at first wanted to wait and see how things would develop."[14] dismissed the possibility that other countries might try to seize her territories and immediately started ensuring the imperial dignity for herself;[14] since a woman could not be elected Holy Roman Empress, Maria Theresa wanted to secure the imperial office for her husband, but Francis Stephen did not possess enough land or rank within the Holy Roman Empire.[d] order to make him eligible for the imperial throne and to enable him to vote in the imperial elections as elector of Bohemia (which she could not do because of her sex), Maria Theresa made Francis Stephen co-ruler of the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740.[35] It took more than a year for the Diet of Hungary to accept Francis Stephen as co-ruler, since they asserted that the sovereignty of Hungary could not be shared.[36] Despite her love for him and his position as co-ruler, Maria Theresa never allowed her husband to decide matters of state and often dismissed him from council meetings when they disagreed.[37] first display of the new queen's authority was the formal act of homage of the Lower Austrian Estates to her on 22 November 1740. It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. The oath of fealty to Maria Theresa was taken on the same day in the Ritterstube of the Hofburg.[31] of the Austrian Succession[edit] Main article: War of the Austrian Succession Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg Theresa as the Queen of Hungary after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heir broke their promises. Queen Elisabeth of Spain and Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria, married to Maria Theresa's deprived cousin Maria Amalia and supported by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, coveted portions of her inheritance.[33] Maria Theresa did secure recognition from King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who had not accepted the Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740.[38] December, Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral-rich province.[39] Frederick even offered a compromise: he would defend Maria Theresa's rights if she agreed to cede to him at least a part of Silesia. Francis Stephen was inclined to consider such an arrangement, but the Queen and her advisers were not, fearing that any violation of the Pragmatic Sanction would invalidate the entire document.[40] Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia,[e] and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria".[41] resulting war with Prussia is known as the First Silesian War. invasion of Silesia by Frederick was the start of a lifelong enmity; she referred to him as "that evil man".[42] Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg, who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War.[43] Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741.[44] France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain: Bohemia and Upper Austria would be ceded to Bavaria, and the Elector would become emperor, whereas Moravia and Upper Silesia would be granted to the Electorate of Saxony, Lower Silesia and Glatz to Prussia, and the entire Austrian Lombardy to Spain.[45] Belle-Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz. Vienna was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors had expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain.[46] Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations.[47] to all expectations, the young Queen gained significant support from Hungary.[48] Her coronation as Queen of Hungary suo jure took place in St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg (today's Bratislava), on 25 June 1741. She had spent months honing the equestrian skills necessary for the ceremony and negotiating with the Diet. To appease those who considered her gender to be a serious obstacle, Maria Theresa assumed masculine titles. Thus, in nomenclature, Maria Theresa was archduke and king; normally, however, she was styled as queen.[49][50] July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. Maria Theresa's ally, the Elector of Saxony, now became her enemy,[51] and George II declared the Electorate of Hanover to be neutral.[52] she needed troops from Hungary in order to support the war effort. Although she had already won the admiration of the Hungarians, the number of volunteers was only in the hundreds. Since she required them in thousands or even tens of thousands, she decided to appear before the Hungarian Diet on 11 September 1741 while wearing the crown of St Stephen. She began addressing the Diet in Latin, and she asserted that "the very existence of the Kingdom of Hungary, of our own person and children, and our crown, are at stake. Forsaken by all, we place our sole reliance in the fidelity and long-tried valor of the Hungarians."[53] response was rather boorish, with the queen being questioned and even heckled by members of the Diet; someone cried that she "better apply to Satan than the Hungarians for help."[54] she managed to show her gift for theatrical displays by holding her son and heir, Joseph, while weeping, and she dramatically consigned the future king to the defense of the "brave Hungarians".[54] This act managed to win the sympathy of the members, and they declared that they would die for Maria Theresa.[54][55] Engraved by Gustav Adolph Müller after Martin van Mytens, the Younger, Maria Theresa of Austria, 1742, engraving, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that the Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria to her as sovereign. Maria Theresa, desperate and burdened by pregnancy, wrote plaintively to her sister: "I don't know if a town will remain to me for my delivery."[56] She bitterly vowed to spare nothing and no one to defend her kingdom when she wrote to the Bohemian chancellor, Count Philip Kinsky: "My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia."[57][f] 26 October, the Elector of Bavaria captured Prague and declared himself King of Bohemia. Maria Theresa, then in Hungary, wept on learning of the loss of Bohemia.[58] Albert was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor on 24 January 1742, which made him the only non-Habsburg to be in that position since 1440.[59] Queen, who regarded the election as a catastrophe,[60] caught her enemies unprepared by insisting on a winter campaign;[61] the same day he was elected emperor, Austrian troops under Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller captured Munich, Charles Albert's capital.[62] has, as you well know, a terrible hatred for France, with which nation it is most difficult for her to keep on good terms, but she controls this passion except when she thinks to her advantage to display it. She detests Your Majesty, but acknowledges your ability. She cannot forget the loss of Silesia, nor her grief over the soldiers she lost in wars with you. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Great[g] Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. With the First Silesian War at an end, the Queen soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority.[63] French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral suo jure.[64] became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick again invaded Bohemia, beginning a Second Silesian War; Prussian troops sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles Albert died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May.[65] Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised the loss of Silesia by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, ending the Second Silesian War.[66] wider war dragged on for another three years, with fighting in northern Italy and the Austrian Netherlands; however, the core Habsburg domains of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia remained in Maria Theresa's possession. Treaty of Aachen, which concluded the eight-year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia, and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain.[67] France had successfully conquered the Austrian Netherlands, but Louis XV, wishing to prevent potential future wars with Austria, returned them to Maria Theresa.[68] Years' War[edit] Main article: Seven Years' War battle of Kolin, 1757 of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began a Third Silesian War and sparked the wider Seven Years' War. Theresa and Kaunitz wished to exit the war with possession of Silesia.[69] Before the war started, Kaunitz had been sent as an ambassador to Versailles from 1750–1753 to win over the French. Meanwhile, the British rebuffed requests from Maria Theresa to aid her in reclaiming Silesia, and Frederick II himself managed to secure the Treaty of Westminster (1756) with them. Maria Theresa sent Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg to negotiate an agreement with France, and the result was the First Treaty of Versailles of 1 May 1756. the efforts of Kaunitz and Starhemberg managed to pave a way for a Diplomatic Revolution; previously, France was one of Austria's archenemies together with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, but after the agreement, they were united by a common cause against Prussia.[70] historians have blamed this treaty for France's devastating defeats in the war, since Louis XV was required to deploy troops in Germany and to provide subsidies of 25–30 million pounds a year to Maria Theresa that were vital for the Austrian war effort in Bohemia and Silesia.[71] 1 May 1757, the Second Treaty of Versailles was signed, whereby Louis XV promised to provide Austria with 130,000 men in addition to 12 million gulden yearly. They would also continue the war in Continental Europe until Prussia could be compelled to abandon Silesia and Glatz. In return, Austria would cede several towns in the Austrian Netherlands to the son-in-law of Louis XV, Philip of Parma, who in turn would grant his Italian duchies to Maria Theresa.[71] von Browne commanded the Austrian troops. Following the indecisive Battle of Lobositz in 1756, he was replaced by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Maria Theresa's brother-in-law.[72] However, he was appointed only because of his familial relations; he turned out to be an incompetent military leader, and he was replaced by Leopold Joseph von Daun, Franz Moritz von Lacy and Ernst Gideon von Laudon.[73] Frederick himself was startled by Lobositz; he eventually re-grouped for another attack in June 1757. Battle of Kolin that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before the battle was over, he had left the scene.[74] Subsequently, Prussia was defeated at Hochkirch in Saxony on 14 October 1758, at Kunersdorf in Brandenburg on 12 August 1759, and at Landeshut near Glatz in June 1760. and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. Austrian and Russian troops even occupied Berlin for several days in August 1760. these victories did not enable the Habsburgs to win the war, as the French and Habsburg armies were destroyed by Frederick at Rossbach in 1757.[73] the defeat in Torgau on 3 November 1760, Maria Theresa realised that she could no longer reclaim Silesia without Russian support, which vanished after the death of Tsaritsa Elizabeth in early 1762. the meantime, France was losing badly in America and India, and thus they had reduced their subsidies by 50%. Since 1761, had tried to organise a diplomatic congress to take advantage of the accession of George III of the United Kingdom, as he did not really care about Germany. the war was concluded by the Treaty of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. Austria had to leave the Prussian territories that were occupied.[73] Although Silesia remained under the control of Prussia, a new balance of power was created in Europe, and Austrian position was strengthened by it thanks to its alliance with the Bourbons in Madrid, Parma and Naples. Maria Theresa herself decided to focus on domestic reforms and refrain from undertaking any further military operations.[75] life[edit] Maria Theresa with her family, 1754, by Martin van Meytens the course of twenty years, Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy. The first child, Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), was born a little less than a year after the wedding. The child's sex caused great disappointment and so would the births of Maria Anna, the eldest surviving child, and Maria Carolina (1740–1741). fighting to preserve her inheritance, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son, Joseph, named after Saint Joseph, to whom she had repeatedly prayed for a male child during the pregnancy. Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina, was born on her 25th birthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army in Chotusitz. Five more children were born during the war: (the second) Maria Elisabeth, Charles, Maria Amalia, Leopold and (the second) Maria Carolina (b. & d. 1748). this period, there was no rest for Maria Theresa during pregnancies or around the births; the war and child-bearing were carried on simultaneously. Five children were born during the peace between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War: Maria Johanna, Maria Josepha, (the third) Maria Carolina, Ferdinand and Maria Antonia. She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis, during the Seven Years' War, aged 39.[76][77] Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself.[42] Illnesses and deaths[edit] Mural by Franz Anton Maulbertsch in the Hofburg, Innsbruck, commissioned by Maria Theresa in remembrance of her daughters who died in childhood: Maria Johanna (1750–1762), Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), Maria Carolina (1740–1741) and Maria Carolina (1748–1748) Four of Maria Theresa's children died before reaching adolescence. Her eldest daughter Maria Elisabeth died from stomach cramps at the age of three. Her third child, the first of three daughters named Maria Carolina, died shortly after her first birthday. The second Maria Carolina was born feet first in 1748. As it became evident that she would not survive, preparations were hastily made to baptize her while still living; according to traditional Catholic belief, unbaptized infants would be condemned to eternity in limbo. Maria Theresa's physician Gerard van Swieten assured her that the infant was still living when baptized, but many at court doubted this.[78] Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. Four years later, Maria Theresa's governess, Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, died. She showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family.[79] Smallpox was a constant threat to members of the royal family. In July 1749, Maria Christina survived a bout of the disease, followed in January 1757 by Maria Theresa's eldest son Joseph.[80] In January 1761, the disease killed her second son Charles at the age of fifteen.[81] In December 1762, her twelve-year-old daughter Johanna likewise died in agony from the disease.[80] In November 1763, Joseph's first wife Isabella died from the disease.[82] Joseph's second wife Empress Maria Josepha likewise caught the disease in May 1767 and died a week later. Maria Theresa ignored the risk of infection and embraced her daughter-in-law before the sick chamber was sealed to outsiders.[83][84] Maria Theresa in fact contracted smallpox from her daughter-in-law. Throughout the city prayers were made for her recovery, and the sacrament was displayed in all churches. Joseph slept in one of his mother's antechambers and hardly left her bedside. On 1 June, Maria Theresa was given the last rites. When the news came in early June that she had survived the crisis, there was huge rejoicing at the court and amongst the populace of Vienna.[85] In October 1767, Maria Theresa's fifteen-year-old daughter Josepha also showed signs of the disease. It was assumed that she had caught the infection when she went with her mother to pray in the Imperial Crypt next to the unsealed tomb of Empress Maria Josepha (Joseph's wife). Archduchess Josepha started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting the crypt and soon died. Maria Carolina was to replace her as the pre-determined bride of King Ferdinand IV of Naples. Maria Theresa blamed herself for her daughter's death for the rest of her life because, at the time, the concept of an extended incubation period was largely unknown and it was believed that Josepha had caught smallpox from the body of the late empress.[h][86] The last in the family to be infected with the illness was the fourteen-year-old Elisabeth. Although she recovered, she was badly scarred with pock marks from the illness.[86] Maria Theresa's losses to smallpox, especially in the epidemic of 1767, were decisive in her sponsoring trials to prevent the illness through inoculation, and subsequently insisting on members of the royal family receiving inoculation.[87] Dynastic marriage policy[edit] Shortly after giving birth to the younger children, Maria Theresa was confronted with the task of marrying off the elder ones. She led the marriage negotiations along with the campaigns of her wars and the duties of state. She used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state.[88] A devoted but self-conscious mother, she wrote to all of her children at least once a week and believed herself entitled to exercise authority over her children regardless of their age and rank.[89] The dowager empress with family, 1776, by Heinrich Füger In April 1770, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter, Maria Antonia, married Louis, Dauphin of France, by proxy in Vienna. Maria Antonia's education was neglected, and when the French showed an interest in her, her mother went about educating her as best she could about the court of Versailles and the French. Maria Theresa kept up a fortnightly correspondence with Maria Antonia, now called Marie Antoinette, in which she often reproached her for laziness and frivolity and scolded her for failing to conceive a child.[89] Maria Theresa was not just critical of Marie Antoinette. She disliked Leopold's reserve and often blamed him for being cold. She criticized Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organization, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. The only child she did not constantly scold was Maria Christina, who enjoyed her mother's complete confidence, though she failed to please her mother in one aspect – she did not produce any surviving children.[89] One of Maria Theresa's greatest wishes was to have as many grandchildren as possible, but she had only about two dozen at the time of her death, of which all the eldest surviving daughters were named after her, with the exception of Princess Carolina of Parma, her eldest granddaughter by Maria Amalia.[89][i] Religious views and policies[edit] Maria Theresa and her family celebrating Saint Nicholas, by Archduchess Maria Christina, in 1762 all members of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic, and a devout one. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious toleration. She even advocated for a state church[j] and contemporary adversary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted, intolerant and superstitious.[90] However, she never allowed the Church to interfere with what she considered to be prerogatives of a monarch and kept Rome at arm's length. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots.[91] Overall, the ecclesiastical policies of Maria Theresa were enacted to ensure the primacy of State control in Church-State relations.[92] She was also influenced by Jansenist ideas. One of the most important aspects of Jansenism was the advocation of maximum freedom of national churches from Rome. Although Austria had always stressed the rights of the state in relation to the church, Jansenism provided new theoretical justification for this.[93] Theresa promoted the Greek Catholics and emphasized their equal status with Latin Church Catholics.[94] Although Maria Theresa was a very pious person, she also enacted policies that suppressed exaggerated display of piety, such as the prohibition of public flagellantism. Furthermore, she significantly reduced the number of religious holidays and monastic orders.[95] relationship with the Jesuits was complex. Members of this order educated her, served as her confessors, and supervised the religious education of her eldest son. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. However, the queen's ministers convinced her that the order posed a danger to her monarchical authority. Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued a decree that removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly. She forbade the publication of Pope Clement XIII's bull, which was in favour of the Jesuits, and promptly confiscated their property when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order.[96] Joseph, Maria Theresa's eldest son and co-ruler, in 1775, by Anton von Maron Theresa regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them.[97][98] She was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. This was a product of deep religious devotion and was not kept secret in her time. In 1777, she wrote of the Jews: "I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided."[99] Her hatred was so deep that she was willing to tolerate Protestant businessmen and financiers in Vienna, such as the Swiss-born Johann Fries, since she wanted to break free from the Jewish financiers.[100] December 1744, she proposed to her ministers the expulsion of Jews from Austria and Bohemia. Her first intention was to deport all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers, who were concerned by the number of future deportees that could reach 50,000, had the deadline postponed to June.[101] The expulsion orders were only retracted in 1748 due to pressures from other countries, including Great Britain.[100] She also ordered the deportation of around 20,000 Jews from Prague amid accusations that they were disloyal at the time of the Bavarian-French occupation during the War of the Austrian Succession. The order was then expanded to all Jews of Bohemia and major cities of Moravia, although the order was later retracted except for Prague Jews that had already been expelled.[102] the third decade of her reign, influenced by her Jewish courtier Abraham Mendel Theben, Maria Theresa issued edicts that offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. Her actions during the late stages of her reign contrast her early opinions. She forbade the forcible conversion of Jewish children to Christianity in 1762, and in 1763 she forbade Catholic clergy from extracting surplice fees from her Jewish subjects. In 1764, she ordered the release of those Jews who had been jailed for a blood libel in the village of Orkuta.[103] Notwithstanding her strong dislike of Jews, Maria Theresa supported Jewish commercial and industrial activity in Austria.[104] There were also parts of the realm where the Jews were treated better, such as Trieste, Gorizia and Vorarlberg.[105] contrast to Maria Theresa´s efforts to expel the Jews, she aimed to convert the Protestants (whom she regarded as heretics) to Roman Catholicism.[106] Commissions were formed to seek out secret Protestants and intern them in workhouses, where they would be given the chance to subscribe to approved statements of Catholic faith. If they accepted, they were to be allowed to return to their homes. However, any sign of a return to Protestant practice was treated harshly, often by exile.[107] Theresa exiled Protestants from Austria to Transylvania, including 2,600 from Upper Austria in the 1750s.[100] Her son and co-ruler Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous".[97] her policies, practical, demographic and economic considerations prevented her from expelling the Protestants en masse. 1777, she abandoned the idea of expelling Moravian protestants after Joseph, who was opposed to her intentions, threatened to abdicate as emperor and co-ruler. [105] In February 1780, after a number of Moravians publicly declared their faith, Joseph demanded a general freedom to worship. However, Maria Theresa refused to grant this up until the time of her death. In May 1780, a group of Moravians who had assembled for a worship service on the occasion of her birthday were arrested and deported to Hungary.[108] Freedom of religion was granted only in the Declaration of Tolerance issued by Joseph immediately after Maria Theresa´s death.[109] Orthodox Christians[edit] Confirmation of Serbian Privileges, issued by Maria Theresa in 1743 Further information: Metropolitanate of Karlovci and Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation policies of Maria Theresa's government toward their Eastern Orthodox subjects were marked by special interests, relating not only to complex religious situations in various southern and eastern regions of the Habsburg Monarchy, inhabited by Eastern Orthodox Christians, mainly Serbs and Romanians, but also regarding the political aspirations of the Habsburg court toward several neighbouring lands and regions in Southeastern Europe still held by the declining Ottoman Empire and inhabited by an Eastern Orthodox population.[110] Theresa's government confirmed (1743) and continued to uphold old privileges granted to their Eastern Orthodox subjects by previous Habsburg monarchs (emperors Leopold I, Joseph I and Charles VI), but at the same time, new reforms were enforced, establishing much firmer state control over the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Those reforms were initiated by royal patents, known as Regulamentum privilegiorum (1770) and Regulamentum Illyricae Nationis (1777), and finalized in 1779 by the Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation, a comprehensive document that regulated all major issues relating to the religious life of their Eastern Orthodox subjects and the administration of the Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Maria Theresa's Rescript of 1779 was kept in force until 1868.[111][112] Maria Theresa in 1762, by Jean-Étienne Liotard Theresa was as conservative in matters of state as in those of religion, but she implemented significant reforms to strengthen Austria's military and bureaucratic efficiency.[113] She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million gulden extracted from crown lands. central government was responsible for funding the army, although Haugwitz instituted taxation of the nobility, who had never before had to pay taxes.[114] after Haugwitz was appointed the head of the new central administrative agency, dubbed the Directory, (Directorium in publicis et cameralibus) in 1749, he initiated a radical centralization of state institutions down to the level of the District Office (Kreisamt).[115] Thanks to this effort, by 1760 there was a class of government officials numbering around 10,000. Lombardy, the Austrian Netherlands and Hungary were almost completely untouched by this reform.[115] In the case of Hungary, Maria Theresa was particularly mindful of her promise that she would respect the privileges in the kingdom, including the immunity of nobles from taxation.[116] light of the failure to reclaim Silesia during the Seven Years' War, the governing system was once again reformed to strengthen the state.[117] The Directory was transformed into the United Austrian and Bohemian Chancellery in 1761, which was equipped with a separate, independent judiciary and separate financial bodies.[117] She also refounded the Hofkammer in 1762, which was a ministry of finances that controlled all revenues from the monarchy. In addition to this, the Hofrechenskammer, or exchequer, was tasked with the handling of all financial accounts.[118] in 1760, Maria Theresa created the Council of State (Staatsrat), composed of the state chancellor, three members of the high nobility and three knights, which served as a committee of experienced people who advised her. The council of state lacked executive or legislative authority; nevertheless, it showed the difference between the form of government employed by Maria Theresa and that of Frederick II of Prussia. Unlike the latter, Maria Theresa was not an autocrat who acted as her own minister. Prussia would adopt this form of government only after 1807.[119] Theresa doubled the state revenue from 20 to 40 million gulden between 1754 and 1764, though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful.[113][120] financial reforms greatly improved the economy.[121] After Kaunitz became the head of the new Staatsrat, he pursued a policy of "aristocratic enlightenment" that relied on persuasion to interact with the estates, and he was also willing to retract some of Haugwitz's centralization to curry favour with them. Nonetheless, the governing system remained centralised, and a strong institution made it possible for Kaunitz to increase state revenues substantially. In 1775, the Habsburg Monarchy achieved its first balanced budget, and by 1780, the Habsburg state revenue had reached 50 million gulden.[122] Maria Theresa recruited Gerard van Swieten from the Netherlands, he also employed a fellow Dutchman named Anton de Haen, who founded the Viennese Medicine School (Wiener Medizinische Schule).[123] Maria Theresa also banned the creation of new burial grounds without prior government permission, thus countering wasteful and unhygienic burial customs.[124] the smallpox epidemic of 1767, she promoted inoculation, which she had learned of through her correspondence with Maria Antonia, the Electress of Saxony (who in turn probably knew of it through her own correspondence with the Prussian king Frederick II). After unsuccessfully inviting the Sutton brothers from England to introduce their technique in Austria, Maria Theresa obtained information on current practices of smallpox inoculation in England. overrode the objections of Gerard van Swieten (who doubted the effectiveness of the technique), and ordered that it be tried on thirty-four newborn orphans and sixty-seven orphans between the ages of five and fourteen years. The trial was successful, establishing that inoculation was effective in protecting against smallpox, and safe (in the case of the test subjects). empress therefore ordered the construction of an inoculation centre, and had herself and two of her children inoculated. She promoted inoculation in Austria by hosting a dinner for the first sixty-five inoculated children in Schönbrunn Palace, waiting on the children herself. Maria Theresa was responsible for changing Austrian physicians' negative view of inoculation.[125][126] 1770, she enacted a strict regulation of the sale of poisons, and apothecaries were obliged to keep a poison register recording the quantity and circumstances of every sale. If someone unknown tried to purchase a poison, that person had to provide two character witnesses before a sale could be effectuated. Three years later, she prohibited the use of lead in any eating or drinking vessels; the only permitted material for this purpose was pure tin.[127] is most unusually ambitious and hopes to make the House of Austria more renowned than it has ever been. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick II of Prussia[128] centralization of the Habsburg government necessitated the creation of a unified legal system. Previously, various lands in the Habsburg realm had their own laws. These laws were compiled and the resulting Codex Theresianus could be used as a basis for legal unification.[129] 1769, the Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana was published, and this was a codification of the traditional criminal justice system since the Middle Ages. This criminal code allowed the possibility of establishing the truth through torture, and it also criminalised witchcraft and various religious offenses. Although this law came into force in Austria and Bohemia, it was not valid in Hungary.[130] was particularly concerned with the sexual morality of her subjects. Thus, she established a Chastity Commission (Keuschheitskommission) in 1752[131] to clamp down on prostitution, homosexuality, adultery and even sex between members of different religions.[132] This Commission cooperated closely with the police, and the Commission even employed secret agents to investigate private lives of men and women with bad reputation.[133] They were authorised to raid banquets, clubs, and private gatherings, and to arrest those suspected of violating social norms.[134] The punishments included whipping, deportation, or even the death penalty.[132] 1776, Austria outlawed torture, particularly at the behest of Joseph II. Much unlike Joseph, but with the support of religious authorities, Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture. Born and raised between Baroque and Rococo eras, she found it difficult to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment, which is why she only slowly followed humanitarian reforms on the continent.[135] an institutional perspective, in 1749, she founded the Supreme Judiciary as a court of final appeal for all hereditary lands.[118] her reign, Maria Theresa made the promotion of education a priority. Initially this was focused on the wealthier classes. She permitted non-Catholics to attend university and allowed the introduction of secular subjects (such as law), which influenced the decline of theology as the main foundation of university education.[113] educational institutions were created to prepare officials for work in the state bureaucracy: the Theresianum was established in Vienna in 1746 to educate nobles' sons, a military school named the Theresian Military Academy was founded in Wiener Neustadt in 1751, and an Oriental Academy for future diplomats was created in 1754.[136] the 1770s, reform of the schooling system for all levels of society became a major policy. Stollberg-Rilinger notes that the reform of the primary schools in particular was the most long-lasting success of Maria Theresa's later reign, and one of the few policy agendas in which she was not in open conflict with her son and nominal co-ruler Joseph II.[137] The need for the reform became evident after the census of 1770–71, which revealed the widespread illiteracy of the populace. Theresa thereupon wrote to her rival Frederick II of Prussia to request him to allow the Silesian school reformer Johann Ignaz von Felbiger to move to Austria. first proposals were made law by December 1774.[138] Austrian historian Karl Vocelka observed that the educational reforms enacted by Maria Theresa were "really founded on Enlightenment ideas," although the ulterior motive was still to "meet the needs of an absolutist state, as an increasingly sophisticated and complicated society and economy required new administrators, officers, diplomats and specialists in virtually every area."[139] Theresa's reform established secular primary schools, which children of both genders from the ages of six to twelve were required to attend.[140][139] curriculum focused on social responsibility, social discipline, work ethic and the use of reason rather than mere rote learning.[141] was to be multilingual; children were to be instructed first in their mother tongue and then in later years in German.[142] Prizes were given to the most able students to encourage ability. Attention was also given to raising the status and pay of teachers, who were forbidden to take on outside employment. Teacher training colleges were established to train teachers in the latest techniques.[143] education reform was met with considerable opposition. Predictably, some of this came from peasants who wanted the children to work in the fields instead.[141] Theresa crushed the dissent by ordering the arrest of all those opposed.[140] However, much of the opposition came from the royal court, particularly amongst aristocrats who saw their power threatened by the reformers those who feared that that greater literacy would expose the population to Protestant or Enlightenment ideas. Felbiger´s reforms were nevertheless pushed through, as a result of the consistent support of Maria Theresa and her minister Franz Sales Greiner.[144] reform of the primary schools largely met Maria Theresa´s aim of raising literacy standards, as evidenced by the higher proportions of children who attended school; this was particularly the case in the Archdiocese of Vienna, where school attendance increased from 40% in 1780 to a sensational 94% by 1807.[137] high rates of illiteracy persisted in some parts of Austria, half of the population was illiterate well into the 19th century,[139] The teacher training colleges (in particular the Vienna Normal School) produced hundreds of new teachers who spread the new system over the following decades. However, the number of secondary schools decreased, since the quantity of new schools founded failed to make up for the numbers of Jesuit schools abolished. As a result, secondary schooling became more exclusive.[145] regime was also known for institutionalising censorship of publications and learning. author Sir Nathaniel Wraxall once wrote from Vienna: "[T]he injudicious bigotry of the Empress may chiefly be attributed the deficiency [in learning]. It is hardly credible how many books and productions of every species, and in every language, are proscribed by her. Not only Voltaire and Rousseau are included in the list, from the immoral tendency or licentious nature of their writings; but many authors whom we consider as unexceptionable or harmless, experience a similar treatment."[146] censorship particularly affected works that were deemed to be against the Catholic religion. Ironically, for this purpose, she was aided by Gerard van Swieten who was considered to be an "enlightened" man.[146] Maria Theresa endeavoured to increase the living standards of the people, since she could see a causal link between peasant living standards, productivity and state revenue.[147] Habsburg government under her rule also tried to strengthen its industry through government interventions. After the loss of Silesia, they implemented subsidies and trade barriers to encourage the move of Silesian textile industry to northern Bohemia. In addition, they cut back guild privileges, and internal duties on trade were either reformed or removed (such as the case for the Austrian-Bohemian lands in 1775).[141] Maria Theresa depicted on her Thaler the late part of her reign, Maria Theresa undertook reform of the system of serfdom, which was the basis for agriculture in eastern parts of her lands (particularly Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary and Galicia). Maria Theresa had initially been reluctant to meddle in such affairs, government interventions were made possible by the perceived need for economic power and the emergence of a functioning bureaucracy.[148] census of 1770–71 gave the peasants opportunity to express their grievances direct to the royal commissioners and made evident to Maria Theresa the extent to which their poverty was the result of the extreme demands for forced labour (called "robot" in Czech) by the landlords. some estates, the landlords demanded that the peasants work up to seven days per week in tilling the nobles´ land, so that the only time available for the peasants to till their own land was at night.[149] additional prompt to reform was the famine which afflicted the empire in the early 1770s. Bohemia was particularly hard hit. Maria Theresa was increasingly influenced by the reformers Franz Anton von Blanc and Tobias Philipp von Gebler, called for radical changes to the serf system to allow the peasants to make a living.[150] 1771–1778, Maria Theresa issued a series of "Robot Patents" (i.e. regulations regarding forced labour), which regulated and restricted peasant labour only in the German and Bohemian parts of the realm. goal was to ensure that peasants not only could support themselves and their family members, but also help cover the national expenditure in peace or war.[151] late 1772, Maria Theresa had decided on more radical reform. 1773, she entrusted her minister Franz Anton von Raab with a model project on the crown lands in Bohemia: he was tasked to divide up the large estates into small farms, convert the forced labour contracts into leases, and enable the farmers to pass the leaseholds onto their children. Raab pushed the project through so successfully that his name was identified with the program, which became known as Raabisation. the success of the program on the crown lands, Maria Theresa had it also implemented on the former Jesuit lands, as well as crown lands in other parts of her empire.[152] Maria Theresa´s attempts to extend the Raab system to the great estates belonging to the Bohemian nobles were fiercely resisted by the nobles. claimed that the crown had no right to interfere with the serf system, since the nobles were the original owners of the land and had allowed the peasants to work it on stipulated conditions. nobles also claimed that the system of forced labour had no connection with the peasants´ poverty, which was a result of the peasants´ own wastefulness and the increased royal taxes. surprisingly, the nobles were supported by Maria Theresa´s son and co-ruler Joseph II, who had earlier called for the abolition of In a letter to his brother Leopold, of 1775, Joseph complained that his mother intended to "abolish serfdom entirely and arbitrarily destroy the centuries-old property relations." He complained that "no consideration was being taken for the landlords, who were threatened with the loss of more than half their income. For many of them, who are carrying debts, this would mean financial ruin."[154] 1776, the court was polarized: on one side was a small reform party (including Maria Theresa, Raab, Blanc, Gebler and Greiner); on the conservative side were Joseph and the rest of the court.[154] argued that it was difficult to find a middle way between the interests of the peasants and nobles; he suggested instead that the peasants negotiate with their landlords to reach an outcome.[155] Joseph´s biographer Derek Beales calls this change of course "puzzling".[156] In the ensuing struggle, Joseph forced Blanc to leave the court. Because of the opposition, Maria Theresa was unable to carry out the planned reform and had to settle on a compromise.[157] system of serfdom was only abolished after Maria Theresa´s death, in the Serfdom Patent (1781) issued (in another change of course) by Joseph II as sole emperor.[151] reign[edit] Theresa as a widow in 1773, by Anton von Maron. Peace holds the olive crown above her head, reaffirming Maria Theresa's monarchical status. This was the last commissioned state portrait of Maria Theresa.[158] Emperor Francis died on 18 August 1765, while he and the court were in Innsbruck celebrating the wedding of his second surviving son, Leopold. Maria Theresa was devastated. eldest son, Joseph, became Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Theresa abandoned all ornamentation, had her hair cut short, painted her rooms black and dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. completely withdrew from court life, public events, and theater. Throughout her widowhood, she spent the whole of August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber, which negatively affected her mental health.[159] She described her state of mind shortly after Francis's death: "I hardly know myself now, for I have become like an animal with no true life or reasoning power."[160] his accession to the imperial throne, Joseph ruled less land than his father had in 1740, since he had given up his rights over Tuscany to Leopold, and thus he only controlled Falkenstein and Teschen. Believing that the emperor must possess enough land to maintain his standing as emperor,[161] Maria Theresa, who was used to being assisted in the administration of her vast realms, declared Joseph to be her new co-ruler on 17 September 1765.[162] From then on, mother and son had frequent ideological disagreements. The 22 million gulden that Joseph inherited from his father was injected into the treasury. Maria Theresa had another loss in February 1766 when Haugwitz died. She gave her son absolute control over the military following the death of Leopold Joseph von Daun.[163] to Austrian historian Robert A. Kann, Maria Theresa was a monarch of above-average qualifications but intellectually inferior to Joseph and Leopold. Kann asserts that she nevertheless possessed qualities appreciated in a monarch: warm heart, practical mind, firm determination and sound perception. Most importantly, she was ready to recognise the mental superiority of some of her advisers and to give way to a superior mind while enjoying support of her ministers even if their ideas differed from her own. Joseph, however, was never able to establish rapport with the same advisers, even though their philosophy of government was closer to Joseph's than to Maria Theresa's.[164] relationship between Maria Theresa and Joseph was not without warmth but was complicated and their personalities clashed. Despite his intellect, Maria Theresa's force of personality often made Joseph cower.[165] Sometimes, she openly admired his talents and achievements, but she was also not hesitant to rebuke him. She even wrote: "We never see each other except at dinner ... His temper gets worse every day ... Please burn this letter ... I just try to avoid public scandal."[166] In another letter, also addressed to Joseph's companion, she complained: "He avoids me ... I am the only person in his way and so I am an obstruction and a burden ... Abdication alone can remedy matters."[166] After much contemplation, she chose not to abdicate. Joseph himself often threatened to resign as co-regent and emperor, but he, too, was induced not to do so. Her threats of abdication were rarely taken seriously; Maria Theresa believed that her recovery from smallpox in 1767 was a sign that God wished her to reign until death. It was in Joseph's interest that she remained sovereign, for he often blamed her for his failures and thus avoided taking on the responsibilities of a monarch.[167] and Prince Kaunitz arranged the First Partition of Poland despite Maria Theresa's protestations. Her sense of justice pushed her to reject the idea of partition, which would hurt the Polish people.[168] She even once argued, "What right have we to rob an innocent nation that it has hitherto been our boast to protect and support?"[169] The duo argued that it was too late to abort now. Besides, Maria Theresa herself agreed with the partition when she realised that Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia would do it with or without Austrian participation. Maria Theresa claimed and eventually took Galicia and Lodomeria; in the words of Frederick, "the more she cried, the more she took".[170] few years after the partition, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). Following the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774 that concluded the war, Austria entered into negotiations with the Sublime Porte. Thus, in 1775, the Ottoman Empire ceded the northwestern part of Moldavia (subsequently known as Bukovina) to Austria.[171] Subsequently, on 30 December 1777, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria died without leaving any children.[170] As a result, his territories were coveted by ambitious men, including Joseph, who tried to swap Bavaria for the Austrian Netherlands.[172] This alarmed Frederick II of Prussia, and thus the War of Bavarian Succession erupted in 1778. Maria Theresa very unwillingly consented to the occupation of Bavaria, and a year later she made peace proposals to Frederick II despite Joseph's objections.[173] Although Austria managed to gain the Innviertel area, this "Potato War" caused a setback to the financial improvement that the Habsburg had made.[172] The 500,000 gulden in annual revenue from 100,000 inhabitants of Innviertel were not comparable to the 100,000,000 gulden that were spent during the war.[173] Theresa and her husband are interred in the double tomb which she had inscribed as a widow. is unlikely that Maria Theresa ever completely recovered from the smallpox attack in 1767, as 18th-century writers asserted. She suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, distress, necrophobia and insomnia. She later developed edema.[174] Theresa fell ill on 24 November 1780. Her physician, Dr. Störk, thought her condition serious, although her son Joseph was confident that she would recover in no time. By 26 November, she asked for the last rites, and on 28 November, the doctor told her that the time had come. On 29 November, she died surrounded by her remaining children.[175][176] Her body is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna next to her husband in a coffin she had inscribed during her lifetime.[177] longtime rival Frederick the Great, on hearing of her death, said that she had honored her throne and her sex, and though he had fought against her in three wars, he never considered her his enemy.[178] With her death, the House of Habsburg died out and was replaced by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph II, already co-sovereign of the Habsburg dominions, succeeded her and introduced sweeping reforms in the empire; Joseph produced nearly 700 edicts per year (or almost two per day), whereas Maria Theresa issued only about 100 edicts annually.[179] Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection in her subjects; a notable example was how she projected dignity and simplicity to awe the people in Pressburg before she was crowned as Queen of Hungary.[180] Her 40-year reign was considered to be very successful when compared to other Habsburg rulers. Her reforms had transformed the empire into a modern state with a significant international standing.[181] She centralised and modernised its institutions, and her reign was considered as the beginning of the era of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria, with a brand new approach toward governing: the measures undertaken by rulers became more modern and rational, and thoughts were given to the welfare of the state and the people.[182] Many of her policies were not in line with the ideals of the Enlightenment (such as her support of torture), and she was still very much influenced by Catholicism from the previous era.[183] Vocelka even stated that "taken as a whole the reforms of Maria Theresa appear more absolutist and centralist than enlightened, even if one must admit that the influence of enlightened ideas is visible to a certain degree."[184] St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21;

Czech Lands, 1900, 20th Century Folder, Czechoslovakia

Czech Lands, 1901-1942, Gorazd oPrague, Catholic but became Orthodox when religious freedom aWWI, built churches, took blame
Czech Lands, 1901-1942, Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia, Czech Lands (Vltava River 3, Elbe River 4), born Catholic but when religious freedom after WWI became Orthodox, Priest&Bishop, Serbian Church Belgrade, in Prague built 11 churches 2 chapels, translating service books tCzech, incl Carpatho-Russians, 1938 under Berlin Met, 1942 German Ruler of Czech assinated by Czech resistance, who hid in Cathedral, great danger for Church so Gorazd took blame, tortured firing squad 550 people, churches closed; Prague, Czech Republic (Vltava River 3) ; Gorazd Pavlik; of Prague, given name Matěj Pavlík (26 May 1879 – 4 September 1942), the hierarch of the revived Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia after World War I. World War II, having provided refuge for the assassins of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, called The Hangman of Prague, in the cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague, took full responsibility for protecting the patriots after the Schutzstaffel found them in the crypt of the cathedral, hoping to minimize Nazi reprisals on his congregation. act guaranteed his execution, thus his martyrdom, during the reprisals that followed. His feast day is celebrated on 22 August (OC) or 4 September (NC). ěj Pavlík was born on 26 May 1879, in the Moravian village of Hrubá Vrbka in what would later be the Czech Republic. into the Roman Catholic society of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Matthias entered the Faculty of Theology in Olomouc after finishing his earlier education. was subsequently ordained a priest. his studies, he was interested in the mission of Cyril and Methodius and of Eastern Orthodoxy. of Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of the First World War brought complete religious freedom. this environment, many people left the Catholic Church. many left the religion completely, some looked either to old Czech Protestant churches or, as Pavlík, to Eastern Orthodoxy. Serbian Orthodox Church provided a shelter for those looking to Orthodoxy. As a leader in Moravia, the Serbian Orthodox Church agreed to consecrate Pavlík to the episcopate for his homeland. On 24 September 1921, he was consecrated bishop with the name of Gorazd. his monastic name of Gorazd was significant as it was the name of the bishop who succeeded Methodius as Bishop of Moravia after he died in 885. Pope Stephen V drove the disciples of Methodius from Moravia as the Latin rite was imposed. by the choice of his monastic name of Gorazd, the continuity of the Orthodox Church in Moravia from some 1,100 years before was recognized. Gorazd was named Bishop of Moravia and Silesia on 24 September 1921, and consecrated bishop on the next day at the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, by Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije. the next decade or so, Gorazd and his faithful followers organized parishes and built churches in Bohemia. In all they built eleven churches and two chapels. had the essential service books translated and published in Czech, which was the language used in the church services. With Carpathian Ruthenia and Slovakia part of Czechoslovakia, he assisted many who had returned to their ancestral Eastern Orthodox faith, helping the creation of the Eparchy of Mukačevo and Prešov in 1931. the conquest of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis in 1938, the church was placed under the Metropolitan in Berlin, Germany. Heydrich was appointed as ruler of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. 27 May 1942, a group of Czech resistance fighters assassinated Heydrich. In making their escape, the group found refuge in the crypt of the Cathedral. Gorazd found out a few days later, he recognized the serious burden this placed on the Czech Orthodox Church. he left for the consecration to the episcopate of John Gardner in Berlin, he asked that the resistance fighters move elsewhere as soon as possible. on June 18, the Nazis found the hiding places after a betrayal by two members of the resistance group, and all the members of the group were killed. came quickly. The two priests and the senior lay church officials were arrested. wishing to help his fellow believers and the Czech Church itself, took the blame for the actions in the Cathedral on himself, even writing letters to the Nazi authorities. 27 June 1942, he was arrested and tortured. On 4 September 1942, Gorazd, the Cathedral priests and the lay officials were executed by firing squad at Kobylisy Shooting Range. His body was disposed of at Strašnice Crematorium.[1] reprisals went much further as the Nazis conducted widespread roundups of Czechs, including the whole village of Lidice, then summarily killed the men and children, while they placed the women in concentration camps. Orthodox churches in Moravia and Bohemia were closed and the church forbidden to operate. Metropolitan Seraphim courageously refused to issue any statement condemning Bishop Gorazd. It was not until the end of the war that the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia would function again. Icon. Hieromartyr Gorazd Bohemian, Transcarpathia, Mukachevo, 2012 these actions the Orthodox Faithful, led by their bishop, proved the qualities of their little church in bravery and devotion to matters of justice and showed how firmly it was connected to the Czech nation. On 4 May 1961, the Serbian Orthodox Church recognized Gorazd as a new martyr, and on 24 August 1987, he was glorified in the Olomouc Orthodox Church in Moravia. Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated on September 4; “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” [John 10:11]. “O Lord, make this man also, who has been proclaimed a steward of the episcopal grace, to be an imitator of You, the true Shepherd, Who laid down Your life for Your sheep....” [Prayer of Consecration of a Bishop]. September 25, 1921, these words were prayed over Father Gorazd Pavlik as he was consecrated the Bishop of Moravia and Silesia. It is doubtful that anyone in attendance that day, including the new bishop, expected that he would be called upon to live that prayer in a literal way. Pavlik was born in 1879 in the Moravian town of Hrubavrbka in what would later become the Czech Republic. was born into a Roman Catholic family, completed the Roman Catholic seminary in Olomouc and was ordained a priest. the end of World War I and the formation of the new nation of Czechoslovakia from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the laws requiring observance of the Catholic religion were loosened. Matthias, along with thousands of others left the Catholic Church with many seeking a home in the Orthodox Church, in that region was then under the protection of the Orthodox Church of Serbia. monastic vows, he assumed the name “Gorazd” who was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and who succeeded Saint Methodius as the bishop of Moravia. the age of 42, Father Gorazd was consecrated an Orthodox bishop in Belgrade, Serbia by the Serbian Patriarch Dimitri along with the illustrious Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky of Kiev and several other bishops, including Bishop Dositheus of Zagreb. Dositheus was a key figure in the re-birth of the Orthodox Church among Carpatho-Rusyns and was glorified as a saint of the Orthodox Church in May, 2000. Gorazd immediately set to work building up the Orthodox Faith, building eleven churches and two chapels, translating service books into the Czech language. paid particular attention to the Carpatho-Rusyns in the eastern part of the Czech Republic who were also returning to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. that region, in 1934 he took part in the 20th anniversary commemoration of the Marmarosh-Sigotsky trial. This trial occurred in 1914 when 94 Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox, together with their priest, Saint Alexis Kabaluk, were tried for treason for renouncing the Greek Catholic Faith and embracing Orthodoxy. twenty years, the bishop faithfully cared for his flock as a good shepherd. He remained faithful to the Orthodox Faith despite attempts by many Catholics to persuade him to renounce Orthodoxy. many Roman Catholic priests rose up against him, the Catholic Bishop Stoian said, “Leave Pavlik alone, you are not worthy to tie his laces, it would be good if everyone were like Pavlik.” the German Nazis invaded and conquered Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Orthodox Church was placed under the Orthodox metropolitan of Berlin, Germany, Metropolitan Seraphim (Liade). German ruler of Czechoslovakia, Reinhard Heydrich, was assassinated on May 27, 1942 by a group of Czech resistance fighters then were allowed to hide in the crypt of Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Cathedral. Bishop Gorazd learned of this he realized what great danger he and his flock were in if the Nazis uncovered this hiding place. leaving for Berlin to take part in the consecration of Father Philip Gardner as a bishop, he insisted that the resistance fighters leave the Cathedral and find another place of refuge. on June 18, the hiding place was revealed after a betrayal and torture, and all members of the group were killed. Nazis immediately began massive reprisals. The two Cathedral priests and senior lay officials were arrested. Gorazd, trying to save his people and his church from destruction, wrote letters to the Nazi authorities taking the blame for the actions in the Cathedral, in which he stated, “I am giving myself up to the authorities and am prepared to face any punishment, including death.” Gorazd was arrested on June 27, 1942, tortured and executed by firing squad at the Kobylisz Shooting Range on September 4. was 63 years old. The two Cathedral priests were also shot. Along with the priests and bishop, a total of 550 people were executed by the Nazis in reprisal for the assassination. In one particularly heinous act, the entire village of Lidice was exterminated. All of the men were executed, the women and children placed in labor camps, and all village dwellings destroyed. the martyrdom of the bishop, the Orthodox Church in Bohemia and Moravia was suppressed and all churches closed. Orthodox priests were exiled to forced labor camps in Germany. Bishop Gorazd willingly laid down his life in order to protect his flock, he was recognized by the Orthodox Church of Serbia as a new martyr on May 4, 1961. August 24, 1987 he was glorified in the Cathedral of Saint Gorazd in Olomouc, Moravia. feast day is observed on the day of his martyrdom, September 4. at the site of his martyrdom at the Kobylisz Shooting Range, a monument has been erected in his memory and those others who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Father Edward Pehanich Posted with permission, the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, Johnstown, PA

Czechoslovakia, 1918-1992, Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia
Czechoslovakia, 1918-1992, Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16;

Czech Lands, Western Czech Lands, Vltava and Upper Elbe Rivers Folder (Bohemia, Sudetenland)

Elbe River

Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge Mountains)

Sudetes Mountains (NW Carpathians)
Sudetes Mountains, which later to the southeast become the Carpathian Mountains of Romania; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ;

Sudetenland (Upper Elbe River, South Side Sudetes Mts, Czech Republic)
Sudetenland; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ;

Krkonose (Sudetes) Mountains
Krkonose Mountains;

Elbe River Source (Krkonose Mountains)
Krkonose Mountains;

Elbe River 1 (Sudetenland, Sudetes Mountains)

Elbe River 2 (Hradee Kralove, Czech Republic)

Mravin, Czech Republic (Elbe River 2)
Mravin; Jeni¡ovice (Chrudim District); St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 15 ;

Elbe River 3 (Czech Republic)

Elbe River 4 (Prague, Vltava River Mouth)

Czech Lands, Western Czech Lands, Elbe River 4, Vltava River Folder, Bohemia, Prague

Bohemia, Western Czech Republic
Bohemia; Gorazd (Pavlik); St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated September 16 ; St Procopius, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Vltava River

Bohemian Forest (Bohmerwald Mountains, Czech Lands)
Bohemian Forest;

Vtalva River Source (Bohemian Mountains)
Bohemian Mountains, Bohmerwald Mountains;

Vtalva River 1

Vtalva River 2

Vtalva River 3 (Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic)

Prague, Bohemia, Czech Lands (Vltava River 3, Elbe River 4)
Prague, Czech Republic (Vltava River 3) ; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Charles University, Prague, 1348
Charles University, Prague; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

St. Vitas Cathedral, Prague, 920
St. Vitas Cathedral, Prague ; St. George's Basilica, Prague; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18;

St. George's Basilica, Prague, 920
St. George's Basilica, Prague; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18;

Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague (Bila Hora) 1680
Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague (Bila Hora) 1680; Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague, St Roch; Battle of White Mountain (Bila Hora, Statue of St. Vico in Prague) Thirty Years War ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18;

Vltava River Mouth (Elbe River 4)

Czech Lands, Northern Czech, Oder River Folder ( Selesia, Poland)

Moravo-Cilezsk (Moravian-Selesian) Region
Moravo-Cilezsk (Selesia) Region; Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated on September 4;

Silesia, Czech Silesia, Northern Czech Republic
Czech Lands, Czech Silesia; St Procopius, Commemorated on September 16;

Czech Lands, Eastern Czech Lands, Morava River Folder (Moravia, Slovakia)

Morava River, Moravia
Morava (river), Moravia;

Morava River Source (Kralicky Sneznik Mountain)

Moravia (Morava River, Eastern Czech Republic, and Western Carpathian Mts)
Moravia; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Morava River 1 (Krupa River)

Krupa River

Krupa River Source

Krupa River Mouth (Morava River 1)

Morava River 2 (Desna River)

Desna River Source

Desna River Mouth (Morava River 2)

Morava River 3

Morava River 4 (Olomouc, Oscava River)

Oscava River

Oscava River Source

Oscava River Mouth (Morava River 4)

Morava River 5 (Becva River)

Becva River

Becva River Source

Becva River Mouth (Morava River 5)

Morava River 6 (Drevnice River)

Drevnice River

Drevnice River Source

Drevnice River Mouth (Morava River 6)

Velehrad, Czech Lands, Capital of Moravia (Morava River 6.5)
Velehrad, the old capital of Moravia, the capital of Great Moravia; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; CYRIL AND METHODIUS; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ;

Morava River 7 (Velehrad)

Hrubavrbka, Moravia (Morava River 7)
Hrubavrbka, Moravia; Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated on September 4;

Morava River 8 (Dyje (Thaya) River)

Dyje (Thaya) River

Dyje (Thaya) River Source (a confluence)

Dyje (Thaya) River Mouth (Morava River 8)

Moravian Thaya River

Moravian Thaya River Source (2k southeast of Trest)

Moravian Thaya River 1

Moravian Thaya River 2

Moravian Thaya River Mouth (Dyje (Thaya) River Source)

German Thaya River

German Thaya Source (southwest of Schweiggers, Austria)

German Thayer River 1 (Vitis, Austria)

German Thaya Mouth (Dyje (Thaya) River Source)

Thaya (Dyje) River Mouth (Morava River 8)

Morava River 9

Morava River Mouth (Danube River 5)

Czech Lands, Central Czech Lands, Amber Road Folder

Czech (Clean) Lands, Roman Road, Amber Road, Rivers, places

Czech Lands (Clean), its Area

St. Vitas Cathedral, Prague, 920
St. Vitas Cathedral, Prague ; St. George's Basilica, Prague;

Prague, Bohemia, Czech Lands (Vltava River 3, Elbe River 4)
Prague, Czech Republic (Vltava River 3) ;

Czech (Clean) Lands, Western Czech Lands, Vltava and Upper Elbe Rivers Folder (Bohemia, Sudetenland)

Czech (Clean) Lands, Bohemia & Sudenland, its Area, Vitava River & Upper Elbe, NW Carpathians

Sudetes Mountains (NW Carpathians)
Sudetes Mountains, which later to the southeast become the Carpathian Mountains of Romania;

Sudetenland (Upper Elbe River, South Side Sudetes Mts, Czech Republic)
Sudetenland;

Mravin, Czech Republic (Elbe River 2)
Mravin; Jeni¡ovice (Chrudim District);

Czech (Clean) Lands, Bohemia & Sudenland, its Area, Vitava River & Upper Elbe, NW Carpatians
Czech (Clean) Lands, Bohemia, its Area

Bohemia, Western Czech Republic
Bohemia; Gorazd (Pavlik);

Charles University, Prague, 1348
Charles University, Prague;

St. George's Basilica, Prague, 920
St. George's Basilica, Prague;

Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague (Bila Hora) 1680
Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague (Bila Hora) 1680; Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague, St Roch;

Czech (Clean) Lands, Northern Czech, Oder River Folder ( Selesia, Poland)

Moravo-Cilezsk (Moravian-Selesian) Region
Moravo-Cilezsk (Selesia) Region;

Silesia, Czech Silesia, Northern Czech Republic
Czech Lands, Czech Silesia;

Czech (Clean) Lands, Eastern Czech Lands, Morava River Folder (Moravia, Slovakia)

Moravia (Morava River, Eastern Czech Republic, and Western Carpathian Mts)
Moravia;

Becva River
Oscava River

Velehrad, Czech Lands, Capital of Moravia (Morava River 6.5)
Velehrad, the old capital of Moravia, the capital of Great Moravia;

Hrubavrbka, Moravia (Morava River 7)
Hrubavrbka, Moravia;

Moravian Thaya River
Dyje (Thaya) River

Czech (Clean) Lands, Central Czech Lands, Amber Road Folder

Spain and Portugal Folder, its rivers, roads and mountains

Spain
Spain; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; DOMINIC PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; St Felix of Spain, Commemorated August 22 ; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; Virginmartyr Eulalia of Barcelona, Commemorated on August 22; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Hermeningilda the Goth of Spain; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS); Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated January 21 ; VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowa, Commemorated on March 6; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25 ; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; “Spanish” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 8; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ;

Spain, 9999, Spanish Icon, Panachranta type, MOG seated upon a throne, Jesus' Queen
Spain, 9999, Spanish Icon, Panachranta type, MOG seated upon a throne, Jesus' Queen; Spain; “Spanish” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 8; Spanish Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is one of the Panachranta type, depicts the Mother of God seated upon a throne.

Roman Spain and Portugal, Hispania
Roman Spain and Portugal, Hispania;

Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal, not Georgia)
Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal, not Georgia) ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated September 14 ;

Iberian System (Range)
Iberian System Range;

Pyrenees Mountains (Spain and France)
Pyrenees Mountains;

Sierra Nevada Mountains, Spain
Sierra Nevada Mountains, Spain;

Spain and Portugal History Folder

Spain and Portugal, 218 BC - 400, Folder, Roman Spain, Carthaginian and Roman Hispania

Spain and Portugal, 000, 1st Century History Folder, Dionysius the Areopagite, Apostle Paul, Emperor Trajan

Spain and Portugal, 80-96, of Athens, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite, Important Orthodox writer, MOG description
Greece, 30-96, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite ; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave.

Spain and Portugal, 60-70 approximately, Apostle Paul
Spain and Portugal, 60-70 approximately, Apostle Paul ; St. Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23;

Spain and Portugal, 60-70 approximately, Apostle James, brother of John the Theologian, The Great
Spain and Portugal, 60-70 approximately, Apostle James, brother of John the Theologian Spain and Portugal, 60-70 approximately, Apostle Paul ; St. Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23;

Spain and Portugal, 98-117, Emperor Trajan from Andalusia, Spain
Emperor Trajan (98-117); St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1;

Spain and Portugal, 100, 2nd Century History Folder, Emperor Marcus Aurelius

Spain and Portugal, 161-180, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius birthplace, Spain
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) Home of and birthplace in Andalusia, Spain; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23;

Spain and Portugal, 200, 3rd Century History Folder, Saint Hosius of Corduba

Spain and Portugal, 259, Fructuosis oTarragona, Spain, and 2 deacons, tied to stakes, ties burned then arms formed cross
Spain and Portugal, 259, Fructuosis oTarragona, Spain (Elbro River Mouth, Balearic Sea), F arrested with his deacons Augurius&Eulogius, they came at night, but he heard them and went to meet them, procouncil summons you and deacons, thrown into prison, wOther Christians, who comforted him&asked him tRemember them, he baptized Rogatianus iPrison, brought out to hearing, procouncil asked F if he aware emperor's orders, he did not know, said he was Christian, they ordered you worship tGods, F said he worships the one God who made heaven and earth and all in them, p asked if he knew the gods exist, No I do not, You will know later, F raised eyes tHeaven prayed, P said Gods are to be obeyed, feared, adored or Emperors images not adored, p told Augurius not to listen to F, but he replied I worship almighty God, P asked Eulogius don't you also worship F, No, I don't worship him but do worship Him whom he worships, P asked F are you a biship, Yes, you were, ordered them burnid alive, pagans felt sympathy but Christians happy because through martyrdom eternal life, F refused drugged wine because Wednesday fast until sundown, F told crowd he would be replaced soon and Lord's promises not fail them this life or next, F sais they about to witness hour oWeaknes, three tied to 3 posts, fire lit, flames through bonds, extended arms in form oCross, continued pray in fire, several people saw 3 martyrs wearing crowns ascending tHeaven, they said t P see how they glorified but he not worthy to see, that night Christians gathered relics, each one taking portion for self, F appeared admonished them for dividing relics, bring them together ; Tarragona, Spain (Balearic Sea) ; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated January 21 ; Fructuosis lived during the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus in the third century, during the consulship of Amelianus and Bassus. Sunday, January 16, 259 Bishop Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain was arrested with his deacons Augurius and Eulogius. had already retired to his chamber when soldiers of the VII Gemina Legion came for him. them approach, he went to meet them. “Come with us,” they told him, “the proconsul summons you and your deacons.” they arrived, they were thrown into a prison where other Christians were also being held. comforted the bishop and asked him to remember them. next day, Bishop Fructuosis baptized Rogatianus in the prison. Friday, January 21, Bishop Fructuosis and his deacons were brought out for their hearing. the proconsul Aemelianus asked to have the bishop and his deacons brought before him, he was told that they were present. proconsul asked Saint Fructuosis whether he was aware of the emperors’ orders. “I do not know their orders,” he replied, “I am a Christian.” said, “They have ordered that you worship the gods.” Fructuosis answered, “I worship the one God Who made heaven and earth, and all that is in them” (Acts 4:24). the proconsul asked, “Do you know that the gods exist?” “No,” said the bishop, “I do not.” “You will know later.” Fructuosis raised his eyes to heaven and began to pray. proconsul said, “The gods are to be obeyed, feared, and adored. If the gods are not worshiped, then the images of the emperors are not adored.” the proconsul said to Augurius, “Do not listen to the words of Fructuosis.” Augurius replied, “I worship almighty God.” to Deacon Eulogius, the proconsul Aemilianus asked, “Don’t you also worship Fructuosis? “No,” said the deacon, “I do not worship Fructuosis, but I do worship Him Whom he worships.” inquired of Saint Fructuosis, “Are you a bishop?” holy bishop replied, “Yes, I am.” “You were,” said Aemilianus, then he ordered them to be burned alive. Saint Fructuosis and his deacons were being taken to the amphitheatre, many people felt sympathy for them, for the bishop was loved by both Christians and pagans. Christians were not sad, but happy, because they knew that through martyrdom the saints would inherit everlasting life. offered a cup of drugged wine, Saint Fructuosis refused saying, “It is not yet time to break the fast.” those days, Christians did not eat or drink anything on Wednesdays and Fridays until after sundown (Didache 8:1). they entered the amphitheatre, the Reader Augustalis asked the bishop to permit him to remove his sandals. Saint Fructuosis replied, “No, my son. I shall remove my own sandals.” Christian by the name of Felix took the bishop’s hand and asked him to remember him. martyr said that he would remember the entire catholic Church throughout the world from East to West. the time was at hand for the martyrs to receive their crowns of unfading glory. officers who arrested them were standing nearby as Bishop Fructuosis addressed the crowd in a loud voice. told them that they would not remain long without a shepherd, that the Lord’s promises would not fail them in this life or in the next. added that what they were about to witness represented the weakness of a single hour. three martyrs were tied to posts and a fire was lit. When the flames burned through their bonds, they knelt down and extended their arms in the form of a cross. continued to pray in the midst of the fire until their souls were separated from their bodies. people saw the heavens opened and beheld the three martyrs wearing crowns and ascending to heaven. told Aemilianus to see how the martyrs had been glorified, but he was not worthy to behold them. night Christians went to the amphitheatre to put out the fire and gather the relics of the martyrs. one took a portion for himself. Fructuosis later appeared to these Christians and admonished them for dividing their relics, saying that they had not done well. ordered them to bring all of the relics together without delay. holy relics were brought to the church with reverence, and were buried beneath the altar.

Spain and Portugal, 276-359, Saint Hosius, advocate for Homoousion Christianity in the Arian controversy
Spain, 276-359, Saint Hosius of Corduba; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; Hosius the Confessor was bishop for more than sixty years in the city of Cordova (Spain) during the fourth century. The holy emperor Saint Constantine the Great (306-337) deeply revered him and made him a privy counsellor. The saint advised Saint Constantine to convene the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, and he was the first to sign the acts of this Council. the death of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Hosius defended Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (May 2) against the emperor Constantius (337-361), an advocate of the Arian heresy. Because of this, they sent him to prison in Sirmium. Saint Hosius died in the year 359 after his return to Cordova.

Spain and Portugal, 300, 4th Century Folder, St Hosius

Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, deacon who spoke& preached for hBishopgreat Story, back on cross joyfully
Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis, deacon who spoke and preached for his Bishop, disciple wise pastor Valerian, A now Saragossa, Dacian tValencia, denounced bPeople, dragged bHorses from AtV, prison, tortured, no food water, eloquent speech, nailed to cross, whipped burned redhot rods, climbed back on cross joyfully, tortured again, back to prison, singing psalms, radiant light, gridiron; Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis; Vincent of Saragossa (also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon), the Protomartyr of Spain, was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa. is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. feast day is 22 January in the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and 11 November in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was born at Huesca and martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around the year 304. earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius,[1] who wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs. was born at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain sometime during the latter part of the 3rd century; it is believed his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca.[2] spent most of his life in the city of Saragossa, where he was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, who commissioned Vincent to preach throughout the diocese.[2] Because Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman. the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians in Spain, both were brought before the Roman governor, Dacian, in Valencia. Vincent and his bishop Valerius were confined to the prison of Valencia. Though he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused. Speaking on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.[3] outspoken manner so angered the governor that he had every sort of torture inflicted on Vincent. He was stretched on the rack and his flesh torn with iron hooks. Then his wounds were rubbed with salt and he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron. Finally, he was cast into prison and laid on a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he died. his martyrdom he preserved such peace and tranquillity that it astonished his jailer, who repented from his sins and was converted. dead body was thrown into the sea in a sack, but was later recovered by the Christians and his veneration immediately spread throughout the Church.[3] The aged bishop Valerius was exiled. St. Vincent of Saragossa (Menologion of Basil II, 10th century) Crest of Lisboa.png story that Vincent was tortured on a gridiron is perhaps adapted from the martyrdom of another son of Huesca, Saint Lawrence— Vincent, like many early martyrs in the early hagiographic literature, succeeded in converting his jailer. to legend, after being martyred, ravens protected St. Vincent's body from being devoured by vultures, until his followers could recover the body. body was taken to what is now known as Cape St. Vincent; a shrine was erected over his grave, which continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens. the time of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula, the Arab geographer Al-Idrisi noted this constant guard by ravens, for which the place was named by him Kanīsah al-Ghurāb (Church of the Raven). Afonso I of Portugal (1139–1185) had the body of the saint exhumed in 1173 and brought it by ship to the Lisbon Cathedral. This transfer of the relics is depicted on the coat of arms of Lisbon.[4] and veneration San Vicente Mártir thrown into the dunghill. Three elaborated hagiographies, all based ultimately on a lost 5th-century Passion, circulated in the Middle Ages. His "Acts" have been "rather freely colored by the imagination of their compiler".[5] Vincent's tomb in Valencia became the earliest center of his cult, he was also honoured at his birthplace and his reputation spread from Saragossa. The city of Oviedo in Asturias grew about the church dedicated to Vincent. Beyond the Pyrenees, he was venerated first in the vicinity of Béziers, and at Narbonne. Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela when the relics of Vincent were transferred to its new abbey-church dedicated to Saint Benedict from Saragossa in 863, under the patronage of Salomon, count of Cerdanya. mosaic in the Cathedral of Braga depicting the translation of St. Vincent's arm. church was built in honour of Vincent, by the Catholic bishops of Visigothic Iberia, when they succeeded in converting King Reccared and his nobles to Trinitarian Christianity. When the Moors came in 711, the church was razed, and its materials incorporated in the Mezquita, the "Great Mosque" of Cordova.[6] Cape Verde island of São Vicente, a former Portuguese colony, was named in his honour because it was discovered on 22 January, St. Vincent's feast day, in 1462.[7] island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, now a part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was named by Christopher Columbus after Vincent of Saragossa, as the island was discovered by Europeans on 22 January, St. Vincent's feast day. 15th century Portuguese artist Nuno Gonçalves depicted him in his Saint Vincent Panels. A small fresco cycle of stories of St. Vincent is in the apse of the Basilica di San Vincenzo near Cantù, in northern Italy. San Vicente Mártir arrojado al muladar. Escultura en alabastro. Documentado 1533 - Diego de Tredia - Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia. Vincent's left arm is on display as a relic in Valencia Cathedral,[8] located near the extensive Carrer de Sant Vicent Mártir (Saint Vincent the Martyr Street). is also the small town of São Vicente on the Portuguese island of Madeira, and the city of São Vicente, São Paulo in Brazil named after this saint. is remembered in the Anglican Communion with a commemoration on 22 January.[9][10] Vincent is the patron of the Order of the Deacons of the Catholic Diocese of Bergamo (Italy). He is honoured as patron in Valencia, Saragossa, Portugal, etc., and is invoked by vintners, vinegar-makers, brickmakers, and sailors.[1] of Saragossa is represented wearing the dalmatic of a deacon.[1] Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain); Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Vincent of Spain from his childhood was the disciple of a wise pastor Valerian, the bishop of the city of Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain). he reached mature age, the virtuous, educated and eloquent Vincent was ordained deacon by Bishop Valerian. Since the bishop himself was not adept in speech, he gave a blessing to his deacon, an eloquent orator, to preach in church and among the people. (284-305) sent the governor Dacian to the city of Valencia, Spain with full authority to find and execute Christians. People denounced the wise bishop and his deacon to the governor, who arrested them. soldiers, mounted on horses, dragged the Elder and his disciple behind them in chains from Augustopolis to Valencia, and there they cast them iento prison beaten and tortured, giving them neither food nor water. subjected the bishop to the first interrogation. The Elder spoke quietly, but seemed tongue-tied and uncertain. Then Saint Vincent came forward and made the most eloquent speech of his life before the judges and assembled people. After he sent the bishop back to prison, the persecutor gave orders to torture the holy deacon. martyr underwent many torments: while nailed to a cross, he was whipped and burned with red-hot rods. When he was removed from the cross, he then himself joyfully climbed back upon it, saying that the executioners were lazy and had not fulfilled their master’s orders. They became angry and tortured him again, until they were all exhausted. the tortures they threw the martyr back into prison. That night the astonished guard heard him singing Psalms, and saw an unearthly radiant light in the prison. The next morning the holy martyr was condemned to be burned on a gridiron. Christians took the saint’s body and buried it with reverence. This occurred in the year 304.

Spain and Portugal, 304, VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, 1st Spanish Martyr, spoke for his speech impaired Bishop who was only exiled
Spain and Portugal, 304, Vincent of Spain, Martyr, Augustopolis, deacon who spoke and preached for his Bishop, disciple wise pastor Valerian, A now Saragossa, Dacian tValencia, denounced bPeople, dragged bHorses from AtV, prison, tortured, no food water, eloquent speech, nailed to cross, whipped burned redhot rods, climbed back on cross joyfully, tortured again, back to prison, singing psalms, radiant light, gridiron; Saragossa (Ebro River 6); Vincent of Saragossa; of Saragossa (also known as Vincent Martyr, Vincent of Huesca or Vincent the Deacon), Protomartyr of Spain, a deacon of the Church of Saragossa. is the patron saint of Lisbon and Valencia. feast day is 22 January in the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Church, an additional commemoration on 11 November in the Orthodox Church. was born at Huesca and martyred under the Emperor Diocletian around the year 304. earliest account of Vincent's martyrdom is in a carmen (lyric poem) written by the poet Prudentius,[1] wrote a series of lyric poems, Peristephanon ("Crowns of Martyrdom"), on Hispanic and Roman martyrs. He was born at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain sometime during the latter part of the 3rd century; is believed his father was Eutricius (Euthicius), and his mother was Enola, a native of Osca (Huesca).[2] spent most of his life in the city of Saragossa, where he was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, commissioned Vincent to preach throughout the diocese.[2] Valerius suffered from a speech impediment, Vincent acted as his spokesman. the Roman Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians in Spain, both were brought before the Roman governor, Dacian, in Valencia. and his bishop Valerius were confined to the prison of Valencia. he was finally offered release if he would consign Scripture to the fire, Vincent refused. on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.[3] outspoken manner so angered the governor that he had every sort of torture inflicted on Vincent. was stretched on the rack and his flesh torn with iron hooks. his wounds were rubbed with salt he was burned alive upon a red-hot gridiron. he was cast into prison and laid on a floor scattered with broken pottery, where he died. his martyrdom he preserved such peace and tranquillity that it astonished his jailer, repented from his sins and was converted. dead body was thrown into the sea in a sack, but was later recovered by the Christians and his veneration immediately spread throughout the church.[3] aged bishop Valerius was exiled. VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ; title line above states almost all that is certainly known about Vincent, earliest Spanish martyr whose name is known to us. is said that he was brought to trial along with his bishop Valerius, that since Valerius had a speech impediment, spoke for both, and that his fearless manner so angered the governor that Vincent was tortured and killed, his aged bishop was only exiled. by James Kiefer Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Vincent of Spain from his childhood was the disciple of a wise pastor Valerian, the bishop of the city of Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain). he reached mature age, the virtuous, educated and eloquent Vincent was ordained deacon by Bishop Valerian. Since the bishop himself was not adept in speech, he gave a blessing to his deacon, an eloquent orator, to preach in church and among the people. (284-305) sent the governor Dacian to the city of Valencia, Spain with full authority to find and execute Christians. People denounced the wise bishop and his deacon to the governor, who arrested them. soldiers, mounted on horses, dragged the Elder and his disciple behind them in chains from Augustopolis to Valencia, and there they cast them iento prison beaten and tortured, giving them neither food nor water. subjected the bishop to the first interrogation. The Elder spoke quietly, but seemed tongue-tied and uncertain. Then Saint Vincent came forward and made the most eloquent speech of his life before the judges and assembled people. After he sent the bishop back to prison, the persecutor gave orders to torture the holy deacon. martyr underwent many torments: while nailed to a cross, he was whipped and burned with red-hot rods. When he was removed from the cross, he then himself joyfully climbed back upon it, saying that the executioners were lazy and had not fulfilled their master’s orders. They became angry and tortured him again, until they were all exhausted. the tortures they threw the martyr back into prison. That night the astonished guard heard him singing Psalms, and saw an unearthly radiant light in the prison. The next morning the holy martyr was condemned to be burned on a gridiron. Christians took the saint’s body and buried it with reverence. This occurred in the year 304.

Spain and Portugal, 310-359, Saint Hosius, St Constantine's Councelor, First Ecumenical Council
Cordova; of Corduba (c. 256–359), also known as Osius or Ossius, was a bishop of Corduba (now Córdoba, Spain) and an important and prominent advocate for Homoousion Christianity in the Arian controversy that divided the early Christianity. presided at the First Council of Nicaea and also presided at the Council of Serdica.[1] Lactantius, he was the closest Christian advisor to Emperor Constantine the Great and guided the content of public utterances, such as Constantine's Oration to the Saints, addressed to the assembled bishops.[2] St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; Hosius the Confessor was bishop for more than sixty years in the city of Cordova (Spain) during the fourth century. The holy emperor Saint Constantine the Great (306-337) deeply revered him and made him a privy counsellor. The saint advised Saint Constantine to convene the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, and he was the first to sign the acts of this Council. the death of Saint Constantine the Great, Saint Hosius defended Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (May 2) against the emperor Constantius (337-361), an advocate of the Arian heresy. Because of this, they sent him to prison in Sirmium. Saint Hosius died in the year 359 after his return to Cordova.

Spain and Portugal, 418 - 720, Folder, Visigothic Spain

Spain and Portugal, 418-720, Visigothic Kingdom
Spain, 418-720, Visigothic Kingdom; St. Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14;

Spain and Portugal, 418-720, Goths in Spain (Visigothic Spain, Barcelona)
Goths in Spain (Visigothic Spain) ; Martyr Hermeningilda the Goth of Spain, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Spain and Portugal, 418-720 , Goths in Spain (Visigothic Spain, Toledo)
Goths in Spain (Visigothic Spain) ; Martyr Hermeningilda the Goth of Spain, Commemorated on November 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ;

Spain and Portugal, 569-600, Leander oSeville, rich&royal, Byzantine Visigoth, yBishop, Visigoth Spain tOrthodoxy, great story
Spain and Portugal, 569-600, Leander oSeville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2) rich&royal, Byzantine Visigoth, young Bishop, founded theological school for Orthodoxy&Science, barbaric kingdom, orthodox persecuton, Orthodox cousin Hermenegild king Levegild's son strangled by him 586, L tConstantinople&befriends gregory diaglos, Lev converts w ill, begs Lea bring new king Rekared to faith, inspired writings, Lea's bro suceeds him as bishop, Lea's sister founder 40 monasteries, Igumenes; Seville; Saint Leander of Seville, Commemorated on February 27; Leander, the Bishop of Seville, teacher of the Church, and enlightener of Spain, lived in the VI century, was the scion of an aristocratic family. father Severian was a duke and belonged to an illustrious Byzantine clan, his mother was the eldest daughter of the Visigoth King Levigid, who reigned in Seville, the capital of the Visigoth Kingdom. a young age he entered a monastery, and was distinguished for his education and virtues. Therefore, the Church made him a Bishop in the year 579. founded a theological school with the aim of spreading Orthodoxy, also for cultivating the sciences and the arts in general, for the people of that barbaric kingdom. two royal children Hermenegὶld and Rekared, his nephews on his mother's side, were among the disciples of Saint Leander. was raised in the wellsprings of Orthodoxy. His faith in the Church was strengthened, thanks to his pious wife Ingard, the daughter of Sigebert, the King of the Franks. his father transferred his capital to Toledo, he chose Seville as his home when a persecution of the Orthodox broke out. heretic Levegild came into conflict with the Orthodox son of Hermenegild. was the intensification of the persecution and the fury of the heretics, as it has been written, that it did not leave anyone free anywhere. men, and the land itself, lost their former fertility. heretical king besieged Seville and threw his son into a dark prison, where he strangled him on the Feast of Pascha in 586. this time, shortly before he was exiled along with other confessors of Orthodoxy, Saint Leander fled to Constantinople seeking the Emperor's help. was there that he met Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12) and was united to him by strong ties of friendship. the persecution of the Orthodox reached its peak, King Levegild, afflicted with a fatal illness, changed his attitude, inviting Saint Leander to his deathbed and after he repented, he begged him to bring his successor Rekarὲd to the true Orthodox Faith. new king, who heeded his former teacher, was converted and immediately undertook to convene the Third Council of Toledo, where he read to everyone the confessions of faith and the decisions of the Ecumenical Synod of Nicaea, and announced that the united peoples of the Goths and Suevians were returning to the unity of the Church. Leander, who presided at the Council of Toledo, then decided to devote the remainder of his life to instructing his flock, first by his own example, and also through his inspired writings. also prepared his brother, Saint Isidore, to succeed him as Bishop of Seville, and the Church of Spain. even helped his sister, Saint Florentia, to become the founder and Igoumeness of forty monasteries and thousands of nuns, composing for them a monastic Typikon which was called "The Canons of Saint Leander." also organized the Divine Services of the Church of Spain, which were called "Mozarabic." Holy Bishop of Seville, after enduring many adversities and trials, surrendered his holy soul to the Lord on February 27, 600 (or 601). His scroll reads: "The Orthodox Faith defined by the Council of Nicea is the weapon of the Church against the thorns of heresy."

Spain and Portugal, 589, Third Council of Toledo
Third Council of Toledo (589); St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4;

Spain and Portugal, 618 or 619, Second Council of Seville
Second Council of Seville (618 or 619); St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4;

Spain and Portugal, 656, Council of Toledo
Council of Toledo in 656; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Spain and Portugal, 711, Battle of Guadalete (Near a body of water)
Battle of Guadalete 711 (Near a body of water);

Spain and Portugal, 711 - 1492, Folder, Islamic Spain and Portugal

Spain and Portugal, 711-718, Arab Muslim (Umayyad) Conquest of Hispania
Arab Muslim Conquest of Hispania 711-718;

Spain and Portugal, 711-1492, Muslim Spain, Al Andalus
Spain, Muslim Spain, Al Andalus, 711-1492 ; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Spain and Portugal, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, oNiverta Is, b monk, iRome, tJerusalem, great Schema, martyred bSaracens
Spain and Portugal, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, Perfect oNiverta Islands, disdained worldly glory, became monk, iRome, tJerusalem holy places, great Schema aStephen, martyred bSaracens ; Since these are the only Islands off the Spanish mainland, Niverta Island must be one of these Balearic Islands. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Daniel the Confessor, (in the schema Stephen) lived in the tenth century. was a Spanish dignitary, and prefect of the island of Niverta. worldly glory, he became a monk in Rome and went on pilgrimage to the holy places at Constantinople and Jerusalem, he received the Great Schema and the name Stephen. received the crown of martyrdom after he refused the Saracens’ demand that he renounce Christ and become a Moslem.

Spain and Portugal, 1190-1221, Dominic, Dominicans Founder, preachers in poverty, philosophy, theology, logical argument, OP
Spain, 1190-1221, Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominicans; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. He entered the priesthood, and eventually became prior of the canons of the cathedral chapter (the clergy who formed the staff of the cathedral and conducted the daily worship services) at Osma (42:52 N 3:03 W). turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. These were a heretical sect more or less directly descended from the early Gnostics and Manichees. They were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. The material universe is the creation of the bad god. The good god made the souls of men, and the bad god kidnapped them and imprisoned them in bodies of flesh. their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. Dominic engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was. Dominic and his bishop undertook to study the Albigensian beliefs and to engage in public debates with their opponents. They seemed to be making some progress, but in 1207 the bishop died, and in the same year the murder by Albigenses of the papal legate moved the pope to declare a crusade against the Albigenses, which lasted about five years. continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine by logical argument rather than by the use of force. was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy, which made plausible the accusation that they were concerned for their purses and not for the glory of God, and made workers indisposed to hear them. He therefore determined that the brothers of his order should live lives of poverty and simplicity, being no better off materially than those they sought to convert. he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" Dominic turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'" He got the permission he was seeking, and the order grew and flourished. Officially known as the Order of Preachers (hence the letters O.P. after the name of a member), it was informally known as the Dominicans, or the Blackfriars (from the color of their cloaks). Two of their best-known members are Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1200-1280, see 15 Nov), who was famous for his learning in numerous fields, and his pupil Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274, see 28 Jan), who wrote reconciling Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle, which was then being rediscovered in western Europe, and was thought by many to be a threat to Christianity. In later years, the Order forgot its commitment to "logic and persuasion, not force" as the means of bringing men to Christian truth, and many of its members were active in the Inquisition. St. Dominic & St. Catherine St. Dominic & St. Catherine was three times offered a bishopric, and refused, believing that he was called to another work. He died in 1220 in Bologna, Italy, after a preaching mission to Hungary. His emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth, a pun on his name (the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes", the hounds of the Lord), and a reference to his relying on the power of preaching. by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1190-1220, DOMINIC, Castile, Order of Preachers, combat w logical argument, poverty, inquisition
Spain and Portugal, 1190-1220, DOMINIC, Castile, Spain (Madrid, Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1), Dominicans founder, Order of Preachers, studied philosophy and theology, combat w logical argument not force, poverty commitment, Blackfriars, Albert Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, inquisition; Crown of Castile (court of Ferdinand and Isabella, the rulers of Spain); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. entered the priesthood, and eventually became prior of the canons of the cathedral chapter (the clergy who formed the staff of the cathedral and conducted the daily worship services) at Osma (42:52 N 3:03 W). turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. were a heretical sect more or less directly descended from the early Gnostics and Manichees. were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. material universe is the creation of the bad god. The good god made the souls of men, and the bad god kidnapped them and imprisoned them in bodies of flesh. their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was. and his bishop undertook to study the Albigensian beliefs and to engage in public debates with their opponents. They seemed to be making some progress, but in 1207 the bishop died, and in the same year the murder by Albigenses of the papal legate moved the pope to declare a crusade against the Albigenses, which lasted about five years. continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine by logical argument rather than by the use of force. was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy, which made plausible the accusation that they were concerned for their purses and not for the glory of God, and made workers indisposed to hear them. therefore determined that the brothers of his order should live lives of poverty and simplicity, being no better off materially than those they sought to convert. he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'" got the permission he was seeking, and the order grew and flourished. known as the Order of Preachers (hence the letters O.P. after the name of a member), it was informally known as the Dominicans, or the Blackfriars (from the color of their cloaks). of their best-known members are Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1200-1280, see 15 Nov), who was famous for his learning in numerous fields, and his pupil Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274, see 28 Jan), who wrote reconciling Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle, which was then being rediscovered in western Europe, and was thought by many to be a threat to Christianity. later years, the Order forgot its commitment to "logic and persuasion, not force" as the means of bringing men to Christian truth, and many of its members were active in the Inquisition. St. Dominic & St. Catherine St. Dominic & St. Catherine was three times offered a bishopric, and refused, believing that he was called to another He died in 1220 in Bologna, Italy, after a preaching mission to Hungary. His emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth, a pun on his name (the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes", the hounds of the Lord), and a reference to his relying on the power of preaching. by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1475 - 1700, Folder, Spanish Empire, Hapsburgs, HRE

Spain and Portugal, 1400-1499, 15th Century Folder, Jews sent packing, Columbus, Ferdinand and Isabella, Inquisition

Spain and Portugal, 1475-1516, Spanish King, Ferdinand and Isabella
King of Spain, 1475-1516, Ferdinand and Isabella; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28;

Spain and Portugal, 1475-1504, Spanish King, Ferdinand II of Aragon
Spanish King, 1475-1504, Ferdinand II of Aragon; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Spain and Portugal, 1474-1504, Spanish King, Isabella I of Castile
Spanish King, 1474-1504, Isabella I of Castile; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Spain and Portugal, 1478-1834, Spanish Inquisition
Spain, 1478-1834, Spanish Inquisition ; King of Spain, 1475-1516, Ferdinand and Isabella; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Spain and Portugal, 1492, Alhambra Decree, Jews expelled from Spain
Spain and Portugal, 1492, Alhambra Decree, Jews expelled from Spain; Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion) was an edict issued on 31 March 1492, by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) the expulsion of practicing Jews from the Crowns of Castile and Aragon and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.[1] primary purpose was to eliminate the influence of practicing Jews on Spain's large formerly-Jewish converso New Christian population, to ensure the latter and their descendants did not revert to Judaism. half of Spain's Jews had converted as a result of the religious persecution and pogroms which occurred in 1391.[2] to continuing attacks, around 50,000 more had converted by 1415.[3] further number of those remaining chose to convert to avoid expulsion. a result of the Alhambra decree and persecution in the years leading up to the expulsion, of Spain’s estimated 300,000 Jewish origin population, a total of over 200,000 had converted to Catholicism to remain in Spain, and between 40,000 and 100,000 remained Jewish and suffered expulsion. unknown number of the expelled eventually succumbed to the pressures of life in exile away from formerly-Jewish relatives and networks back in Spain, and so converted to Catholicism to be allowed to return in the years following expulsion.[4]:17 edict was formally and symbolically revoked on 16 December 1968,[5] following the Second Vatican Council. This was a full century after Jews had been openly practicing their religion in Spain and synagogues were once more legal places of worship under Spain's Laws of Religious Freedom. 1924, the regime of Primo de Rivera granted Spanish citizenship to the entire Sephardic Jewish diaspora. In 2014, the government of Spain passed a law allowing dual citizenship to Jewish descendants who apply, to "compensate for shameful events in the country's past."[6] Thus, Sephardi Jews who can prove they are the descendants of those Jews expelled from Spain because of the Alhambra Decree can "become Spaniards without leaving home or giving up their present nationality."[7][8]

Spain and Portugal, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, tears of t Indians, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help
Spain and Portugal, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, from Seville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2), tears of the Indians, social justice pioneer, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help; Seville; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; de Las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. 1502 he went to Cuba, and for his military services there was given an Encomienda, an estate that included the services of the Indians living on it. about 1513 he was ordained priest (probably the first ordination in the Americas), in 1514 he renounced all claim on his Indian serfs. During the following seven years he made several voyages to Spain to find support for a series of new towns in which Spaniard and Indian would live together in peace and equality. 1523 he became a Dominican friar and disappeared for a time from public controversy. 1540 he returned to Spain and was a force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. was made Bishop of Chiapas in Guatemala, and returned to the Americas in 1544 to implement the new laws, but he met considerable resistance, in 1547 he returned to Spain, where he devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians. is chiefly remembered for his Brief Report On the Destruction of the Indies (or Tears of the Indians), a fervid and perhaps exaggerated account of the atrocities of the Spanish conquerors against the Indians. book was widely read and widely translated, and the English version was used to stir up English feeling against the Spanish as a cruel race whom England ought to beware of, and whose colonies in the Americas would be better off in English Las Casas is widely admired as an early pioneer of social justice, and widely denounced as an irresponsible pamphleteer and spreader of slanders. died in Madrid on 17 July (or perhaps 31 July) 1566, and is remembered as a national hero in Cuba and Nicaragua. An extract from Tears of the Indians follows. Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, Gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and spreading religion. Las Casas we may remember Bartolomeo de Olmedo, priest and friar of Mercy, who was chaplain of Cortez's expedition to Mexico City, and who appears in the records of that expedition as a moderating force, denouncing atrocities and conquest, talking Cortez out of forcibly destroying idol temples, telling him instead to set the Indians an example of Christian love, and wait for them to destroy the idols by their own decision. readers will remember him from Samuel Shellabarger's historical novel, Captain From Castille.) to the Britannica article on pre-Columbian American cultures (see vol. 26 p. 25 of the 15th edition), the clergy accompanying the Spanish conquistadors were consistently more disposed than the commanders to respect the native civilizations and undertake to preserve their records, and whatever aspects of native culture were not clearly inconsistent with Christianity. the beginning, the missionary priests in Spanish America showed concern for the welfare of the Indians. On Christmas Day in 1511, in Hispaniola, the Dominican Antonio de Montesimos preached, saying, "By what right or justice do you keep the Indians in such horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?" government policy was to establish towns for the Indians, and these were normally built in connection with mission posts. The Indians seem to have taken to the mission civilization with enthusiasm. In particular, they were great lovers of music, and found plainchant much to their taste. first Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, said, "I find that more are converted by music than by any other method." were also impressed by the asceticism of the friars. A prominent idea in the native religions had been that holiness was associated with bearing pain in the service of the gods, and when they met missionaries like the Franciscan Antonio de Roa, who went barefoot and slept on boards, wore only a coarse sackcloth robe, ate no meat or wine, and scourged himself every time he saw a crucifix, they concluded that he must be a man of God, and listened eagerly to his preaching. seems clear that the Indians for the most part regarded the missionaries as their benefactors, and gave them a loyalty which was not simply fear of the secular authority that backed them up. This is shown when the secular authority did not back them. 1769, when the Spanish Crown adopted an anti-Jesuit policy, the Jesuits were deported from Mexico. Mobs of angry Indians attempted to break into the barracks where they were held, and a large military escort was necessary to conduct them to Vera Cruz and the waiting ships. in 1799, in Pueblo, a large Indian crowd attacked a jail in which a priest had been imprisoned. about three centuries, from the early 1500's to the early 1800's, the people of Mexico were obedient to the Spanish Crown because their clergy were. when the Crown broke with the clergy in the early 1800's the priests began to preach independence, and the people followed their lead, and Mexico and the rest of Spanish America became independent. great many converts were brought in by the Cloak of Guadalupe. An Indian Christian reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and sent him to see the bishop; and as a sign that the appearance was genuine, she filled his cloak with roses although it was winter, and printed on the cloak a picture of herself, portrayed in the Indian style of art, as a woman treading a serpent, and with some details that made no particular sense to a European. Indians came to see the cloak (which is still on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City), and were converted by the sight. seems that some of the details are significant in terms of American Indian culture, and were understood by the Indians to mean that Christianity is the fulfilment of their prophecies and expectations. persons today think of the Indians of Mexico as a free and happy people who were conquered and enslaved by the Spanish. must be remembered that before the coming of the Europeans, the Aztecs with their capital at what is now Mexico City had conquered the surrounding tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions, and required of them every year a tribute of young men and women to be sacrificed in the temples at Mexico City. subjugated tribes did not like this, and gladly assisted Cortes in his campaign against the Aztecs. when he suffered temporary defeats, the loyalty of his Indian auxiliaries never wavered, and his rule, once he had established himself, was considered far less harsh than that of the Aztecs had been. The Britannica article on Cortes speaks of "his acceptance by the Indians and his popularity as a relatively benign ruler." the European conquest of the Americas is being deplored, the accompanying high death rate among the natives is often mentioned. ought to be remembered that most of these deaths were due to smallpox. The disease was brought to the Americas by one sick sailor, and triggered a series of major epidemics. The Indians had no previous exposure to it and almost no resistance to it, and most cases were fatal. Moreover, the Indians habitually treated their sick by baths, and the water was used by many bathers. One bather with an open sore was enough to infect all who shared the same bath. two populations long separated come into significant contact, each of them is at risk from diseases against which they are defenseless. The smallpox epidemic would have run about the same course if the ships of Columbus had been loaded with social workers and Peace Corps volunteers. can denounce the Europeans for the smallpox epidemic only by being prepared to say that there ought never to be contact between two populations that have previously been isolated from each other. — by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1500-1599, 16th Century Folder, Spanish Empire, Jesuits, Luther's 95 Theses, Carmelites

Spain and Portugal, 1501, 16th 17th and 18th Centuries, Spanish Empire
Spain, Spanish Empire, 16th 17th and 18th Centuries BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Spain and Portugal, 1504-1555, Spanish King. Queen Joanna I, Joanna of Castile
Spanish King, 1504-1555. Queen Joanna I, Joanna of Castile; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Spain and Portugal, 1511-1556, Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits
France, 1511-1556, Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3;

Spain and Portugal, 1516-1556, Spanish King. Charles V, HRE Emperor, Charles I of Spain
Spanish King, 1516-1556. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I of Spain ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Spain and Portugal, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Spain and Portugal, 1521-1557, King John III of Portugal, pious, Brazil, India, global dimension, E contact w Japan, trade
Portugal, 1521-1557, King John III of Portugal; III[1] (7 June 1502 - 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious,[2] was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1521 until his death in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. John succeeded his father in 1521 at the age of nineteen. his rule Portuguese possessions were extended in Asia and in the New World through the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. John III's policy of reinforcing Portugal's bases in India (such as Goa) secured Portugal's monopoly over the spice trade of cloves and nutmeg from the Maluku Islands. On the eve of his death in 1557, the Portuguese empire had a global dimension and spanned almost 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles). his reign, the Portuguese became the first Europeans to make contact with Japan (during the Muromachi period). abandoned the Muslim territories in North Africa in favor of the trade with India and investments in Brazil. In Europe he improved relations with the Baltic region and the Rhineland, hoping that this would bolster Portuguese trade. FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552. Commemorated December 3;

Spain and Portugal, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, original Jesuit, India, verses to music, Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts
France, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, a Basque, evangelist, original Jesuit, Goa India, verses to music, Sri Lanka India, Malacca Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts, died in China, tireless energy, many converts est 6 digits ; Biscay Region; Basque People; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Xavier, or Francisco do Yasu y Javier, was a Basque. Basques are a people from the region of Biscay in northern Spain, whose language is unrelated to any other known language.) was born in 1506 and studied at the University of Paris, where he met Ignatius Loyola and joined together with him and five others in dedicating their lives to the will and service of God, and forming the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1534. 1541 Francis sailed with two companions from Portugal to the Portuguese colony of Goa on the west coast of India (arriving in May 1542), where he set about learning the language and writing a catechism for the instruction of converts. visited the prisons and the hospitals, conducted worship services among the lepers, and walked the streets ringing a bell to call the children for religious instruction. chief method of instructing the people was to write verses in their language setting forth the truths of the Christian faith, and set them to music. Both words and tunes tended to be "catchy," and his doggerel instructions were extremely popular and were sung everywhere. He preached tirelessly, both to the native peoples and to the Europeans living there. found to his dismay that the Portuguese settlers and soldiers of the colony were brutal in their treatment of the natives, and that, even aside from this, their manner of life did not commend their nominal faith to the native observer. He wrote boldly to the King of Portugal to complain: "It is possible that when our Lord God calls your Highness to his Judgement that your Highness may hear angry words from him: "Why did you not punish those who were your subjects and owned your authority, and were enemies to me in India?'" five months in Goa, Francis went to the east coast of India, near Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where he preached to a people called the Paravas, with considerable success until the ruler of Jaffna in northern Ceylon became alarmed and suppressed his mission by force. most of 1545 to 1547, Francis preached in Malacca (another Portuguese possession) and other places on or near the Malay Peninsula. he encountered a Japanese expatriate (Anjiro, later baptized as Paul), and became interested in the possibility of a Japanese mission. After a brief return to Goa, he set out for Japan with another Jesuit priest and three Japanese converts. Here he learned the language, wrote a catechism, and preached. authorities welcomed him in some towns and prevented him from teaching in others. Altogether Francis, the first to preach the Gospel in Japan, made perhaps 2000 converts there. then determined to carry the Gospel to China, at that time closed to outsiders. He bribed a ship's captain to smuggle him into the country, but had barely arrived there when he was stricken with fever and died on 3 December 1552. His body was brought back to Goa and buried there. all acounts, he was a man who preached the Gospel with tireless energy, and with great power and effectiveness. Estimates of the number of converts that he personally baptized vary, but some of them are in the six-digit range. One biographer says that he preached to more persons than anyone else since New Testament times. wrote as follows in a letter to Ignatius: many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going around the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and crying out to the scholars: "What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven, thanks to you!" thought would certainly stir most of them to listen actively to what God is saying to them. They would forget their own desires and give themselves over entirely to God's will and his choice. They would cry out with all their heart: "Lord, here am I! Send me. Send me anywhere you like -- even to India!" by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1529-1553, Spanish Theologian. Michael Servetus
Spanish Theologian, 1529-1553. Michael Servetus; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Spain and Portugal, 1535-1582, Teresa of Avila, Founder of the Discalced Carmelites, attractive, witty, candid
Spain, 1535-1582, Teresa of Avila, Founder of the Discalced Carmelites; Avila (Adaja River); TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); de Cepeda y Ahumada (later known as Teresa de Jesus) was born in Avila, Spain, 28 March 1515, one of ten children whose mother died when she was fifteen. Her family was of partly Jewish ancestry. Teresa, having read the letters of Jerome, decided to become a nun, and when she was 20, she entered the Carmelite convent in Avila. There she fell seriously ill, was in a coma for a while, and partially paralyzed for three years. In her early years as a nun, she was, by her account, assiduous in prayer while sick but lax and lukewarm in her prayers and devotions when the sickness had passed. However, her prayer life eventually deepened, she began to have visions and a vivid sense of the presence of God, and was converted to a life of extreme devotion. In 1560 she resolved to reform the monastery that had, she thought, departed from the order's original intention and become insufficiently austere. Her proposed reforms included strict enclosure (the nuns were not to go to parties and social gatherings in town, or to have social visitors at the convent, but to stay in the convent and pray and study most of their waking hours) and discalcing (literally, taking off one's shoes, a symbol of poverty, humility, and the simple life, uncluttered by luxuries and other distractions). In 1562 she opened a new monastery in Avila, over much opposition in the town and from the older monastery. At length Teresa was given permission to proceed with her reforms, and she travelled throughout Spain establishing seventeen houses of Carmelites of the Strict (or Reformed) Observance (the others are called Carmelites of the Ancient Observance). The reformed houses were small, poor, disciplined, and strictly enclosed. Teresa died 4 October 1582. (She is commemorated on the 15th--why not the 14th, I wonder--because the Pope changed the calendar from the Julian to the Gregorian system, a difference of 10 days, on the day after her death.) Teresa is reported to have been very attractive in person, witty, candid, and affectionate. She is remembered both for her practical achievements and organizing skill and for her life of contemplative prayer. books are read as aids to the spiritual life by many Christians of all denominations. Life is her autobiography to 1562; Way of Perfection is a treatise on the Christian walk, written primarily for her sisters but of help to others as well; Book of Foundations deals with establishing, organizing and overseeing the daily functioning of religious communities; Interior Castle (or The Castle of the Soul) deals with the life of Christ in the heart of the believer. of these are available in paperback. 31 of her poems and 458 of her letters survive. Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is 15 October. The Lutheran Church (ELCA) commemorates her on December 14 together with St. John of the Cross. Christ has no body now but yours No hands, no feet on earth but yours Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world Christ has no body now on earth but yours. by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1540, Jesuits, Society of Jesus, Originated in Spain, 1540
Jesuits, Society of Jesus, Originated in Spain; St. Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Spain and Portugal, 1556-1598, Philip II, King Spain, PRT, ENG, IRE, NAP, SIC, Milan, Neth, prudent, Golden Age
Spanish King, 1556-1598. Philip II of Spain; II (Spanish: Felipe II; 21 May 1527 -13 September 1598) was King of Spain[note 1] (1556--“1598), King of Portugal (1580“1598, as Philip I, Portuguese: Filipe I), King of Naples and Sicily (both from 1554), and jure uxoris King of England and Ireland (during his marriage to Queen Mary I from 1554 to 1558).[1] He was also Duke of Milan from 1540.[2] From 1555 he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands. son of Holy Roman Emperor and King of the Spanish kingdoms Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, Philip was called Felipe el Prudente ('Philip the Prudent') in the Spanish kingdoms; his empire included territories on every continent then known to Europeans, including the Philippines, named in his honor by Ruy Lapez de Villalobos. During his reign, the Spanish kingdoms reached the height of their influence and power, sometimes called the Spanish Golden Age. led a highly debt-leveraged regime, seeing state defaults in 1557, 1560, 1569, 1575, and 1596. This policy was partly the cause of the declaration of independence that created the Dutch Republic in 1581. devout, Philip saw himself as the defender of Catholic Europe against the Ottoman Empire and the Protestant Reformation. In 1584 Philip signed the Treaty of Joinville funding the French Catholic League over the following decade in its civil war against the French Calvinists. In 1588 he sent an armada to invade Protestant England, with the strategic aim of overthrowing Elizabeth I and re-establishing Catholicism there, but his fleet was defeated in a skirmish at Gravelines (northern France) and then destroyed by storms as it circled the British Isles to return to Spain. The following year Philip's naval power was able to recover after the failed invasion of the English Armada into Spain.[3][4] Philip, an average of about 9,000 soldiers were recruited from Spain each year, rising to as much as 20,000 in crisis years. Between 1567 and 1574, nearly 43,000 men left Spain to fight in Italy and the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands).[5] was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Fagolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and round-faced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive. ... He dresses very tastefully, and everything that he does is courteous and gracious."[6] Besides Mary I, Philip was married three other times and widowed four times. Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Spain and Portugal, 1556-1598, King, Philip II of Spain, S golden age, debt leveraged, C defender, armadas
Spain and Portugal, 1556-1598, King, Philip II of Spain; II (Spanish: Felipe II; 21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598) was King of Spain[note 1] (1556–1598), King of Portugal (1580–1598, as Philip I, Portuguese: Filipe I), King of Naples and Sicily (both from 1554), and jure uxoris King of England and Ireland (during his marriage to Queen Mary I from 1554 to 1558).[1] He was also Duke of Milan from 1540.[2] From 1555 he was Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands. son of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, Philip inherited his father's Spanish Empire, including territories on every continent then known to Europeans. The Philippines were named in his honor by Ruy López de Villalobos. During his reign, the Spanish kingdoms reached the height of their influence and power, sometimes called the Spanish Golden Age. led a highly debt-leveraged regime, seeing state defaults in 1557, 1560, 1569, 1575, and 1596. This policy was partly the cause of the declaration of independence that created the Dutch Republic in 1581. devout, Philip saw himself as the defender of Catholic Europe against the Ottoman Empire and the Protestant Reformation. In 1584 Philip signed the Treaty of Joinville funding the French Catholic League over the following decade in its civil war against the French Calvinists. In 1588 he sent an armada to invade Protestant England, with the strategic aim of overthrowing Elizabeth I and re-establishing Catholicism there, but his fleet was defeated in a skirmish at Gravelines (northern France) and then destroyed by storms as it circled the British Isles to return to Spain. The following year Philip's naval power was able to recover after the failed invasion of the English Armada into Spain.[3][4] Philip, an average of about 9,000 soldiers were recruited from Spain each year, rising to as much as 20,000 in crisis years. Between 1567 and 1574, nearly 43,000 men left Spain to fight in Italy and the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands).[5] was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Fagolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and round-faced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive. ... He dresses very tastefully, and everything that he does is courteous and gracious."[6] Philip was married four times; all his wives predeceased him. THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597) ;

Spain and Portugal, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced&Calced Carmelites, mod vs extreme reform
Spain and Portugal, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced and Calced Carmelites, , orphan, Jewish background, Jesuit, priest 1567, discalced strict like Teresa oAvila, 1577 imprisioned darkness solitude by Calced iToledo 9mos, composed poems there, joined calced m, moderate vs extremeist reformers, aModerate r, when extremists gained control denounced as traitor sent tRemote friary Ubeda, fell ill died 1591, Poems, Dark Night otSoul, how spiritual desolation increases faith, Ascent oMt Carmel, same p wDifferent Commentary, the Spiritual Canticle about love between Christian and Christ symbolized bride and groom like Song oSolomon, the Living Flame about soul transformed bGrace; Spain and Portugal, 1562-1591, JOHN OF THE CROSS,Avila, Spain, Writer, Poet, Discalced and Calced Carmelites; of the Cross (24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591), venerated as Saint John of the Cross, was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-six Doctors of the Church. of the Cross is known especially for his writings. He was mentored by and corresponded with the older Carmelite, Teresa of Ávila. Both his poetry and his studies on the development of the soul are considered the summit of mystical Spanish literature and among the greatest works of all Spanish literature. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. In 1926 he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI, and is commonly known as the "Mystical Doctor". Avila (Adaja River); TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); JOHN OF THE CROSS, MYSTIC AND MONASTIC REFORMER, 1591, Commemorated December 14; Juan de Ypres y Alvarez was born in 1542. His father died soon after, and Juan was brought up in an orphanage. father was probably Jewish. It is remarkable how many of the most memorable Spanish Christians have been of Jewish background.) seventeen, he enrolled as a student in a Jesuit college, and at twenty-one, he joined the Carmelite Friars. was ordained in 1567, and almost immediately met Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite Nun who was undertaking to return the Order to its original strict rule, which had been gradually relaxed to the detriment, as she believed, of the spiritual lives of the members of the Order. who followed the strict rule as promulgated by Teresa went barefoot or wore sandals instead of shoes, and so became known as Discalced (unshod) Carmelites, or Carmelites of the Strict Observance. John undertook to adopt the stricter rule and encourage others to do so. all members of the order welcomed the change. In 1577 a group of Calced Carmelites, or Carmelites of the Ancient Observance, kidnapped John and demanded that he renounce the reform. When he refused, he was imprisoned in complete darkness and solitude in a Calced monastery in Toledo for about nine months. He then escaped and fled to a Calced monastery. While imprisoned at Toledo, he had begun to compose some poems, and now he wrote them down, with commentaries on their spiritual significance. was given various positions of leadership among the reformed friars, then dissension broke out among the reformers between "moderates" and "extremists." supported the moderate party, when the extremists gained control, they denounced him as a traitor to the reform. was sent to a remote friary, and fell ill, and finally died at Ubeda during the night preceding 14 December 1591. poems include: Dark Night of The Soul (about the experience of spiritual desolation, of feeling abandoned and rejected by God, and why this is for some Christians a means by which God increases our faith in Him; about the Christian walk, the life of prayer and contemplation, and growing in love and grace) Ascent of Mount Carmel (same poem as the preceding, but with a different commentary attached) Spiritual Canticle (about the love between the Christian and Christ as symbolized by the love between bride and groom; draws heavily upon the imagery of the Song of Solomon) Living Flame of Love (about the soul transformed by grace) works have been translated into English by David Lewis (1906), and by E. Allison Peers (1953). His poems have been translated by Roy Campbell and are available in Penguin paperback. The following extracts are quoted from the poetic translation by Peers. The Spiritual Canticle: Whither hast vanished Beloved, and hast left me full of woe, And like the hart hast sped, Wounding, ere thou didst go, Thy love, who follow'd, crying high and low? ... Oh that my griefs would end! Come, grant me thy fruition full and free! And henceforth do thou send No messenger to me, or none but thou my comforter can be. ... My love is as the hills, The lonely valleys clad with forest-trees, The rushing, sounding rills, Strange isles in distant seas, Lover-like whisperings, murmurs of the breeze. My love is hush-of-night, Is dawn's first breathings in the heav'n above, Still music veiled from sight, Calm that can echoes move, The feast that brings new strength--the feast of love ... Rare gifts he scattered As through these woods and groves he pass'd apace Turning, as on he sped, And clothing every place With loveliest reflection of his face. ... The creatures, all around, Speak of thy graces as I pass them by. Each deals a deeper wound And something in their cry Leaves me so raptur'd that I fain would die. The Living Flame of Love: O Living flame of love That, burning, dost assail My inmost soul with tenderness untold, Since thou dost freely move, Deign to consume the veil Which sunders this sweet converse that we hold ... And O, ye lamps of fire, In whose resplendent light The deepest caverns where the senses meet, Erst steeped in darkness dire, Blaze with new glories bright And to the loved one give both light and heat! by James Kiefer

Spain and Portugal, 1593, Discalced Carmelites
Discalced Carmelites; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ;

Spain and Portugal, 1598-1621, Philip III, King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, Milan, the pious, 30Y war
Spanish King, 1598-1621. Philip III of Spain ; III (Spanish: Felipe; 14 April 1578 -“ 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. He was also, as Philip II, King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. member of the House of Habsburg, Philip III was born in Madrid to King Philip II of Spain and his fourth wife and niece Anna, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain. Philip III later married his cousin Margaret of Austria, sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. also known in Spain as Philip the Pious,[1] Philip's political reputation abroad has been largely negative “ an 'undistinguished and insignificant man,' a 'miserable monarch,' whose 'only virtue appeared to reside in a total absence of vice,' to quote historians C. V. Wedgwood, R. Stradling and J. H. Elliott.[2] In particular, Philip's reliance on his corrupt chief minister, the Duke of Lerma, drew much criticism at the time and afterwards. For many, the decline of Spain can be dated to the economic difficulties that set in during the early years of his reign. Nonetheless, as the ruler of the Spanish Empire at its height and as the king who achieved a temporary peace with the Dutch (1609-“1621) and brought Spain into the Thirty Years' War (1618-“1648) through an (initially) extremely successful campaign, Philip's reign remains a critical period in Spanish history. Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ; Rosa De Lima of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ;

Spain and Portugal, 1600-1699, 17th Century Folder. 30 Years War- Protestants v. HRE. Treaty of Nijmegen

Spain and Portugal, 1621-1665. Philip IV, King, 30 yrs war, arts, e expansion but decline, unsuccessful domestic & military
Spanish King, 1621-1665. Philip IV of Spain; IV ( 8 April 1605 - 17 September 1665) was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the arts, including such artists as Diego Velazquez, and his rule over Spain during the Thirty Years' War. IV of Spain, 16 Maravedis, 1661, Copper the time of his death, the Spanish Empire had reached approximately 12.2 million square kilometers (4.7 million square miles) in area but in other aspects was in decline, a process to which Philip contributed with his inability to achieve successful domestic and military reform. Martin De Porres of MARTIN DE PORRES, ROSA DE LIMA, 23 August 16 1639, 1617 ;

Spain, 1658-1705, HRE Emperor, Leopold I
Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705, Leopold I ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on August 28; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1;

Spanish King, 1665-1700. Charles II of Spain
Spanish King, 1665-1700. Charles II of Spain;

Spain and Portugal, 29 Apr 1678 OS, Treaty of Nijmegen, e wars, France, Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sweden, Denmark-Norway, Munster, HRE
Spain and Portugal, 29 Apr 1678 OS, Treaty of Nijmegen; Spain and Portugal, May 9, 1678 NS: Gad's Seal Date; Spanish King, 1665-1700. Charles II of Spain; Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705, Leopold I ;

Spain and Portugal, May 9, 1678 NS: Gad's Seal Date
Spain and Portugal, May 9, 1678 NS: Gad's Seal Date; Spanish King, 1665-1700. Charles II of Spain; Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705, Leopold I ;

Spain and Portugal, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, War of Spanish Succession

Spanish King, 1700-1746. Philip V of Spain
Spanish King, 1700-1746. Philip V of Spain;

Spain, 1701-1715, War of the Spanish Succession
Spain, 1701-1715, War of the Spanish Succession;

Spanish King, 1746-1759. Ferdinand VI of Spain
Spanish King, 1746-1759. Ferdinand VI of Spain;

Spanish King, 1759-1788. Charles III of Spain
Spanish King, 1759-1788. Charles III of Spain;

Spanish King, 1788-1808. Charles IV of Spain, detested his son, forced to abdicate to son by Napoleon, major turning point
Spanish King, 1788-1808. Charles IV of Spain; IV (Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario SerafÃn Diego; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and the Spanish Empire from 14 December 1788, until 19 March 1808. Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability,[1] but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disadvantageous alliances and his regime constantly sought cash to deal with the exigencies of war. He detested his son and heir Ferdinand, who led the unsuccessful El Escorial Conspiracy and later forced Charles's abdication after the Tumult of Aranjuez in March 1808, along with the ouster of his widely hated first minister Manuel de Godoy. Summoned to Bayonne by Napoleon Bonaparte, who forced Ferdinand VII to abdicate, Charles IV also abdicated, paving the way for Napoleon to place his older brother Joseph Bonaparte on the throne of Spain. The reign of Charles IV turned out to be a major turning point in Spanish history.[2] BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Spain and Portugal, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, Overthrown by Napoleon, 1st Spanish Republic, Spanish Amerian War

Spanish King, 1808-1808. Ferdinand VII of Spain, overthrown by Napoleon, lost American Possessions, liberal conservative civil war
Spanish King, 1808-1808. Ferdinand VII of Spain; VII (Spanish: Fernando; 14 October 1784 - 29 September 1833) was the King of Spain during the early- to mid-19th century. He reigned over the Spanish Kingdom in 1808 and again from 1813 to his death in 1833. He was known to his supporters as el Deseado (the Desired) and to his detractors as el Rey Felón (the Felon King). in Madrid at El Escorial, Ferdinand VII spent his youth as heir apparent to the Spanish throne. Following the 1808 Tumult of Aranjuez, he ascended the throne. That year Napoleon overthrew him; he linked his monarchy to counter-revolution and reactionary policies that produced a deep rift in Spain between his forces on the right and liberals on the left. Back in power in December 1813, he reestablished the absolutist monarchy and rejected the liberal constitution of 1812. A revolt in 1820 led by Rafael del Riego forced him to restore the constitution thus beginning the Liberal Triennium: a three-year period of liberal rule. In 1823 the Congress of Verona authorized a successful French intervention restoring him to absolute power for the second time. He suppressed the liberal press from 1814 to 1833, jailing many of its editors and writers. his rule, Spain lost nearly all of its American possessions, and the country entered into a large-scale civil war upon his death. His political legacy has remained contested since his passing, with most historians regarding him as incompetent, despotic, and short-sighted.[1][2] BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Spanish King, 1808-1813. Joseph Bonaparte
Spanish King, 1808-1813. Joseph Bonaparte;

Spanish King, 1813-1833. Ferdinand VII of Spain
Spanish King, 1813-1833. Ferdinand VII of Spain;

Spanish King, 1833-1868. Queen Isabel II of Spain
Spanish King, 1833-1868. Queen Isabel II of Spain;

Spanish King, 1868-1883. Amadeo I of Spain
Spanish King, 1868-1883. Amadeo I of Spain;

Spanish King, 1873-1873. President Estanislao Figueras, 1st Spanish Republic
Spanish King, 1873-1873. President Estanislao Figueras, 1st Spanish Republic;

Spain, 1873-1874, 1st Spanish Republic
Spain, 1873-1874, 1st Spanish Republic;

Spanish King, 1874-1885, Alfonso XII of Spain
Spanish King, 1874-1885, Alfonso XII of Spain;

Spanish King, 1886-1931, Alfonso XIII of Spain
Spanish King, 1886-1931, Alfonso XIII of Spain;

Spain, 1898, Spanish American War
Spain, 1898, Spanish American War;

Spain and Portugal, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, 2nd Spanish Republic, Spanish Civil War

Spanish Prime Minister, 1910-1918, Manuel Garci­a-Prieto, 1st Marquis of Alhucemas
Spanish Prime Minister, 1910-1918, Manuel GarciÂa-Prieto, 1st Marquis of Alhucemas;

Spanish Dictator, 1923-1930, Miguel Primo de Rivera
Spanish Dictator, 1923-1930, Miguel Primo de Rivera;

Spain, 1931-1939, 2nd Spanish Republic
Spain, 1931-1939, 2nd Spanish Republic;

Spain, 1936-1939, Spanish Civil War
Spain, 1936-1939, Spanish Civil War;

Spanish General and Dictator, 1936-1975, Francisco Franco
Spanish General, 1936-1975, Francisco Franco;

Spain and Portugal, North Spain, Way of St James (Camino Real) Folder

Way of Saint James (Compostela)
Way of Saint James; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ;

Compostela, Spain (Way of Saint James)
Compostela; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; PARENTS OF THE VIRGIN MARY, (26 JULY NT) ;

Santiego d' Compostela, Spain (Way of Saint James)
Compostela; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; PARENTS OF THE VIRGIN MARY, (26 JULY NT) ;

Galicia (Spain)
Galicia (Spain); Priestmartyr John Kochurov ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Way of St James (Ponferrada)

Way of St James (Astorga)

Mayorga, Valladolid Province, Spain
Mayorga, Valladolid Province, Spain; TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated 23 August, 1606;

Way of St James (Leon)

Leon, Spain (Way of St James)
Leon, Spain; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4;

VII Gemina Legion, Founded in 74, in Leon, Spain
VII Gemina Legion, Founded in 74, in Leon, Spain; St. Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated on January 21;

Way of St James (Burgos)

Way of St James (Logrono)

Way of St James (Puente la Reina-Gares)

Way of St James (Pampelune)

Pamplona Basin

Pamplona, Northern Spain (Ebro River 4, Pamplona Basin, Way of St James)
Pamplona; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Way of St James (Roncevaux)

Way of St James (Puente la Reina de Jaca)

Spain and Portugal, Northeast Spain, Ebro River Folder

Ebro River Source (Fontibre, Green Spain)
Ebro River Source1 (Fontibre, Green Spain);

Ebro River 1

Ebro River 2

Ebro River 3

Ebro River 4 (Pamplona Basin)

Ebro River 6 (Gallego River)

Spain and Portugal, Northeast Spain, Ebro River 6, Gallego River Folder, Zaragosa

Gallego River

Gallego River Source (near Col du Pourtalet (pass))
Col du Pourtalet;

Gallego River 1 (Tena Valley)
Tena Valley;

Gallego River Mouth (Elbro River 6)

Zaragossa, Spain (Ebro River 6)
Saragossa (Ebro River 6); VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ;

Saragossa, Spain (Gallego River, Ebro River 6)
Saragossa (Ebro River 6); VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ;

Augustopolis AKA Saragossa (Gallego River, Ebro River 6)
Augustopolis (now Saragossa, Spain); Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Aragon (Zaragoza, Gallego River Mouth, Ebro River 6)
Aragon; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Ebro River 7 (Cinca and Segre Rivers)

Spain and Portugal, Northeast Spain, Ebro River 7, Cinca River Folder

Cinca River

Cinca River Source (Circo de Pineta)
Circo de Pineta in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park;

Cinca River 1 (Barossa River Mouth)
Cinca River (Aragon);

Cinca River Mouth (near Segre River Mouth)

Barossa River

Barossa River Source (Pyrenees Mountains)

Barossa River Mouth (Cinca River 1)

Spain and Portugal, Northeast Spain, Ebro River 7, Segre Rivers Folder

Segre River

Segre River Source (north slope Pic del Segre, Pyranees Mountains)

Segre River 1 (Catalan Depression, Catalonia)

Catalan Central Depression
Catalan Central Depression;

Catalonia, Spain (Caalan Depression, Segre River 1)
Catalonia; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

Catalans of the Pyrenees Mts between France and Spain
Catalans of the Pyrenees Mts between France and Spain ; (Catalan, French and Occitan: catalans; Spanish: catalanes, Italian: catalani, Sardinian: cadelanos) are a Romance ethnic group[9][10][11] native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan.[12] The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain[13] and the inhabitants of the Roussillon historical region in southern France, today the Pyrénées Orientales department,[14] also called Northern Catalonia[15][16][17] and Pays Catalan in French.[18][19][20][21] authors also extend the word "Catalans" to include all people from areas in which Catalan is spoken, namely those from Andorra, Valencia, the Balearic islands, eastern Aragon, Roussillon, and the city of Alghero in Sardinia.[22][23][24] Catalan government regularly surveys its population regarding its "sentiment of belonging". As of July 2019, the results point out that 46.7% of the Catalans and other people living in Catalonia would like independence from Spain, 1.3% less than the year before.[25] background See also: History of Catalonia 1500 BCE the area that is now known primarily as Catalonia was, along with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, inhabited by Proto-Celtic Urnfield people who brought with them the rite of burning the dead. Much of the Pyrenees mountains was inhabited at the time by peoples related to modern Basques, and today many town names in the western Catalan Pyrenees can be linked to Basque etymologies. These groups came under the rule of various invading groups starting with the Greeks that founded Empúries and the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who set up colonies along the coast, including Barcino (present-day Barcelona). Following the Punic Wars, the Romans replaced the Carthaginians as the dominant power in the Iberian eastern coast, including parts of Catalonia, by 206 BCE. Rome established Latin as the official language and imparted a distinctly Roman culture upon the local population, which merged with Roman colonists from the Italian peninsula. An early precursor to the Catalan language began to develop from a local form of popular Latin before and during the collapse of the Roman Empire. Various Germanic tribes arrived following nearly six centuries of Roman rule, which had completely transformed the area into the Roman province of Tarraconensis. The German Visigoths established themselves in the fifth century, making their first capital in the Iberian peninsula Barcelona, and they later would move to Toledo. This continued until 718 when Muslim Arabs took control of the region in order to pass through the Pyrenees into French territory. With the help of the Franks, a land border was created commonly known nowadays as Old Catalonia (which would consist of the counties County of Barcelona, Ausona, County of Pallars, County of Rosselló, County of Empúries, County of Cerdanya and County of Urgell) which faced Muslim raids but resisted any kind of settlement from them. "New Catalonia" and its Native peoples were fully in control of the Arab invaders for around a century. The Franks on the other side of the Pyrenees held back the main Muslim raiding army which had penetrated virtually unchallenged as far as central France at the Battle of Tours in 732. Frankish suzerainty was then extended over much of present-day Catalonia. Larger wars with the Muslims began in the March of Barcelona which led to the beginnings of the Reconquista by Catalan forces over most of Catalonia by the year 801. As the border between Muslim and Frankish realms stabilized, Barcelona would become an important center for Christian forces in the Iberian Peninsula. of the Puig by Andreu Marçal de Sax, depicting the Christian victory with the aid of Saint George 1137, the County of Barcelona entered a dynastic union with the kingdom of Aragon to form what modern historians call the Crown of Aragon in the so-called Reconquista. This allowed the reclamation of Muslim-dominated lands, eventually conquering the kingdoms of Valencia and Majorca (the Balearic Islands). From the 14th century, the territory of the Catalan counties started to be called the Principality of Catalonia. In the last quarter of the 15th century, the marriage of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon led to the dynastic union of the Crown of Aragón with the Crown of Castille, in which each of the constitutive territories kept its own laws, power structures, borders and monetary systems.[26] unrest led to conflicts such as the Revolt of the Germanies in Valencia and Majorca, and the 1640 revolt in Catalonia known as the Reapers' War. This latter conflict embroiled Spain in a larger war with France as many Catalan nobles allied themselves with Louis XIII. The war continued until 1659 and ended with the Peace of the Pyrenees, which effectively partitioned Catalonia as the northern strip of the March came under French rule, while the rest remained under Spanish hegemony. The Catalan government took sides with the Habsburg pretender against the Bourbon one during the War of the Spanish Succession that started in 1705 and ended in 1714. The Catalan failure to defend the continuation of Habsburg rule in Spain culminated in the surrender of Barcelona on 11 September 1714 which came to be commemorated as Catalonia's National Day. the Catalan defeat during the War of Spanish Succession, Philip V of Spain ordered the burning of all the Catalan flags and banners. During the Napoleonic Wars, much of Catalonia was seized by French forces by 1808, as France ruled the entire country of Spain briefly until Napoleon's surrender to Allied Armies. In France, strong assimilationist policies integrated many Catalans into French society, while in Spain a Catalan identity was increasingly suppressed in favor of a Spanish national identity. The Catalans regained autonomy during the Spanish Second Republic from 1932 until Francisco Franco's nationalist forces retook Catalonia by 1939. It was not until 1975 and the death of Franco that the Catalans as well as other Spaniards began to regain their right to cultural expression, which was restarted by the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Since this period, a balance between a sense of local identity versus the broader Spanish one has emerged as the dominant political force in Catalonia. The former tends to advocate for even greater autonomy and independence; the latter tends to argue for maintaining either a status quo or removal of autonomy and cultural identity, depending on the leanings of the current government. As a result, there tends to be much fluctuation depending on regional and national politics during a given election cycle. Given the stronger centralist tendencies in France, however, French Catalans display a much less dynamic sense of uniqueness, having been integrated more consistently into the unitary French national identity.[21] Catalonia; Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20;

Cardener River

Segre River 2 (Noguera Ribagorcana)

Spain and Portugal, Segre River 2, Noguera River Folder

Noguera Ribagorcana River

Noguera Ribagorcana River Source (Pyrenees Mts)
Noguera Ribagorcana;

Noguera Ribagorcana River Mouth (Segre River 2)

Segre River Mouth (Cinca River and Elbro River 7)

Ebro River Mouth (Balearic Sea)

Tarragona, Spain (Elbro River Mouth, Balearic Sea)
Tarragona, Spain (Balearic Sea) ; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated January 21 ;

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers Folder, Duero and Tagus Rivers

Portugal
Portugal; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Duero River Folder

Duero River Source (Picos de Urbion)

Picos de Urbion (Iberian System)
Picos de Urbion;

Duero River 1

Duero River 2 (Osma)

Osma, Spain (Duero River 2)
Osma; DOMINIC PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Osma Cathedral, 1232
Osma Cathedral, 1232; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Duero River 3

Duero River 4 (Castile and Leon, Adaja River Mouth)

Castile and Leon, Spain (Duero River 4)
Castile and Leon; Kingdom of Leon; Kingdom of Castile; DOMINIC PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ;

Spain and Portugal, Portugese Rivers, Duero River 4, Adaja River Folder

Adaja River

Adaja River Source (Gredos Mountain Range)

Adaja River 1 (Avila)

Avila, Spain (at Portugal and Spain's Adaja River 1)
Avila (Adaja River); TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582);

Monestary Dedicated to St Joseph, Spain
Monestary Dedicated to St Joseph; Discalced Carmelites; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ;

Fontiveros, Spain (Adaja River 1)
Fontiveros, Spain; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ;

Adaja River Mouth (Duero River 4)

Duero River 5

Duero River 6 (Tormes River)

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Duero River 6, Tormes River Folder, Salamanca, Castile

Tormes River

Tormes River Source (Mountain range of Gredos)

Tormes River 1 (El Barco de Avila)

Tormes River 2

Tormes River 3

Tormes River 4 (Salamanca)

University of Salamanca, Spain
University of Salamanca, Spain ; TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated 23 August, 1606;

Salamanca, Spain (Tormes River 4)
Salamanca, Spain (Tormes River 4); IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Castile (Historical Region, Central Spain)
Castile (Hitorical Region, Central Spain) ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; was born in 1214 and became King of France when twelve years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England (no, not the couple from A Lion in Winter--that was Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: this is two generations later). worked for the political unification of France, yielding Limoge, Cahors, and Perigeux to Henry in exchange for Henry's renunciation of all claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (Treaty of Paris, 1259). He yielded French claims to Rousillon and Barcelona in exchange for the yielding of Spanish claims to Provence and Languedoc (Treaty of Corbeil, 1258). He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. He promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. (Trial by combat decided the guilt or innocence of the accused by a combat between the accused and the accuser, either personally or by proxy, with God being called on to uphold the right. Trial by ordeal required the accused to prove his innocence by, for example, walking across a bed of hot coals. Both were hold-overs from pre-Christian Frankish Law, and were vigorously denounced by many clergy, but took a long time to die out.) His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes. founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts (the Fifteen Score, originally for 300 inmates). His reign coincided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table. (Once, it is said, Thomas dropped out of the conversation, lost in thought, and then suddenly struck the table with his fist and exclaimed, "That is a decisive argument against the Manichees!" Louis at once called for writing materials, so that Thomas could record the argument before he had a chance to forget it.) of Louis in Tunis, from an illuminated mauscript of the history of FranceHe fought in two Crusades, both of which were total failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus, and was there joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from looting. Disease ravaged the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville, is available in English in Chronicles of the Crusades, Penguin Paperbacks. by James Kiefer Castile (historical region);

Tormes River 5

Tormes River Mouth (Duero River 6 at Fermoselle)

Duero River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean at Pocinho)

Northern Portugal - Land of the Galatian People
Galatia - Northern Portugal - Land of the Galatian People;

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Tagus River Folder

Tagus River Source (Teruel, Albarracin Mountains)

Albarracin Mountains
Albarracin Mountains;

Aragon (Northeastern Spain)
Aragon; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ;

Tagus River 1 (Sacedon)

Tagus River 2 (near Madrid. Jarama River)

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Tagus River 2, Jarama River Folder

Jarmama River

Jarama River Source (Sierra de Ayllon)

Jarama River 1 (Madrid, Henares River Mouth)

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Tagus River 2, Jarama River 1 , Henares River Folder

Henares River

Henares River Source (Sierra Ministra)

Henares River (Overview)

Henares River 1

Henares River 2

Henares River 3 (Guadalajara)

Henares River 4 (Alcala)

Alcala, Spain (Henares River 4)
Alcala; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556) ;

Henares River Mouth (Madrid, Jarama River 1)

Madrid, Spain (Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1)
Madrid, Spain (Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1); BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18;

Carpetania, Spain (near Madrid, Hanares Mouth, Jarama River 1)
Carpetania; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15;

Castile, Spain (Madrid, Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1)
Crown of Castile (court of Ferdinand and Isabella, the rulers of Spain); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Jarama River Mouth (Tagus River 2)

Tagus River 3 (Toledo)

Toledo, Spain (a crossroads, Tagus River 3)
Toledo, Spain; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated September 23 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9;

Castile-La Mancha, Spain (down near Toledo, Tagus River 3)
Kingdom of Castile; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Spain and Portugal, Central Spain, Portugese Rivers, Tagus River 3, El Escorial River Folder

El Escorial River

Order of Saint Augustine Headquarters (El Escorial River Source)
Order of Saint Augustine Headquarters (El Escorial); MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Tagus River 4 (Talavera de la Reina)

Tagus River 5 (Valdeverdeja)

Guadalupe monastery, Guadalupe, in Extremadura, Spain (Tagus 5), statue hidden from Moslems, Christopher Columbus
Guadalupe monastery; Royal Monastery of Santa MarÃa of Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic monastic establishment built during the 14th century located in Guadalupe, in Extremadura, Spain. It is located at the foot of the eastern side of the Sierra de las Villuercas and was one of the most important and fine monasteries in the country for more than four centuries. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1993. monastery had its origins in the late 13th century, when a shepherd from Cáceres, named Gil Cordero, discovered on the bank of the Guadalupe River a statue of the Blessed Virgin,[1] which had been apparently hidden by local inhabitants from Moorish invaders in 714. On the site of his discovery a chapel was built, dedicated under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.[2] Alfonso XI, who visited the chapel more than once, invoked Santa Maria de Guadalupe in the Battle of Rio Salado. After gaining the victory, he ascribed it to the Madonna's intercession, declared the church at Guadalupe a royal sanctuary and undertook an extensive rebuilding program. 1389, the Hieronymite monks took over the monastery and made it their principal house. Construction works continued under the auspices of the order's first prior, and in 1474 Henry IV of Castile was entombed in Guadalupe, next to his mother. Ferdinand II of Aragon issued the Sentencia Arbitral de Guadalupe at the monastery on 21 April 1486, thus effectively ending the onerous evil customs allowing medieval nobles in Catalonia to maltreat the remensa peasants and tie them to their lands. monastery has rich associations with the New World, including the Guadeloupe island in the Caribbean. It was here in Extremadura where Christopher Columbus made his first pilgrimage after discovering America in 1492 and where he first thanked heaven for his discovery. after the monks from Guadalupe founded the famous monastery of Escorial, which was much closer to the royal capital, Madrid, Santa Maria de Guadalupe retained the royal patronage. It remained the most important cloister in Spain until the Confiscation of monasteries in 1835. In the 20th century, the monastery was revived by the Franciscan Order and Pope Pius XII declared the shrine a "Minor Papal Basilica" in 1955. BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Tagus River 6 (Alcantara Dam, Spain)

Tagus River 7 (Vila Velha de Radao, Portugal)

Tagus River 8 (Santarem)

Tagus River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean near Lisbon)

Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

Lumiar District of Lisbon, Portugal (Tagus River Mouth)
Lumiar District of Lisbon, Portugal; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Spain and Portugal, West Portugal, Azores Folder

Azores, Portugal
Azores, Portugal; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Spain and Portugal, North Spain, Green Spain Folder, Bay of Biscay

Green Spain
Green Spain;

Old Castile (Santander (now Cantabria) Green Spain)
Old Castile; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14;

Biscay Region, Spain and France (Bay of Biscay)
Biscay Region; Basque People; FRANCIS XAVIER Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ;

Gipozkoa, Basque province of Gipozkoa, Green Spain
Gipozkoa IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556) ;

Spain and Portugal, Barcelona Folder, Besos and Llobregat Rivers, Northeast of Ebro River

Llobregat River

Llobregat River Source (along the border)

Llobregat River Valley
Llobregat River Valley;

Montserrat Mountaiin (near Barcelona)
Montserrat Mountain (near Barcelona) ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Besos River

Besos River Source (along the border)

Besos River Valley
Besos River Valley;

Barcelona, Northeastern Spain (Mouth of Besos and Llobregat Rivers)
Barcelona; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); Virginmartyr Eulalia of Barcelona, Commemorated on August 22; St Felix of Spain, Commemorated August 22 ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ;

Niverta Islands
Since these are the only Islands off the Spanish mainland, Niverta Island must be one of these Balearic Islands. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ;

Spain and Portugal, Guadiana, Guadelete and Guadalquivir Rivers Folder, Gibraltar, Vandalusia

Guadiana River Source (Villarrubia de los Ojos)

Guadiana River Mouth

Guadalquivir River Source (Sierra de Cazorla)

Ubeda, Spain (Guadalquivir River Source)
Ubeda, Spain; JOHN OF THE CROSS, MYSTIC AND MONASTIC REFORMER, 1591, Commemorated December 14;

Al-Andalus, 711-1492, Islamic Iberia, Islamic Spain and Portugal
Al-Andalus, 711-1492, Islamic Iberia, Islamic Spain and Portugal; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28;

Sierra de Cazorla
Sierra de Cazorla;

Guadalquivir River 1 (Cordova)

Cordova, Spain (Guadalquivir River 1)
Cordova; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ;

Guadalquivir River 2 (Seville)

Seville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2)
Seville; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; Saint Leander of Seville, Commemorated on February 27;

Andalusia, Spain (Vandalusia - Land of the Vandals)
Andalusia, Spain (Vandalusia - Land of the Vandals); AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ;

Vandalusia, Spain (Andalusia - Land of the Vandals)
Andalusia, Spain (Vandalusia - Land of the Vandals); AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ;

Guadalquivir River Mouth (Gulf of Cadiz)

Guadalete River

Guadalete River Source (Sierra de Grazalema)

Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park
Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park;

Guadalete (river)

Guadalete River Mouth (Cadiz, Gulf of Cadiz)

Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory
Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

British Empire - Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory
Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Cadiz, Spain (Guadalete River Mouth, Gibraltar)
Cadiz; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Spain and Portugal, East and Southeast Spain, Gulf of Valencia

Valencia (Gulf of Valencia, south of Elbrow River mouth)
Valencia (Gulf of Valencia); Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ;

Montserrat, Gulf of Valencia, Spain
Montserrat, Gulf of Valencia, Spain; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Manresa, Gulf of Valencia, Spain
Manresa, Gulf of Valencia, Spain; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Spain (Clean) and Portugal - Roman Road, 5 Major Rivers, places Folder

Spain (Clean) and Portugal, its area
Spain and Portugal, its area

Spain, its Area

Portugal, its Area

Azores, Portugal
Azores, Portugal;

Saragossa, Spain (Ebro River 6)
Saragossa (Ebro River 6);

Barcelona, Northeastern Spain (Mouth of Besos and Llobregat Rivers)
Barcelona;

Madrid, Spain, Spanish Empire Capital
Madrid, Spain (Henares River Mouth, Jarama River 1); BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18;

Toledo, Spain (a crossroads, Tagus River 3)
Toledo, Spain;

Cadiz, Spain (Guadalete River Mouth, Gibraltar)
Cadiz;

Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory
Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory ;

Serbia Folder, its Danube rivers North, Balkan mountains, and Kosovo Rivers South

Serbia (Belgrade)
Serbia; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands"on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; St Macarius the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Sava I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 ; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on September 3; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated July 19 ; St Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated July 19 ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia; Serbian Hierarchs; St Sava I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12; St Spyridon the Patriarch; St Macarius the Patriarch; St Gabriel I the Patriarch; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia; St Vladislav of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24; St Stephen Stiljianovitch of Serbia, Commemorated October 4 ; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30 ; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30 ; St Helen of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated December 10 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18 ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Manuel, Commemorated on March 27; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Siberia, Commemorated on June 10; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia, Commemorated on June 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Serbia, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Serbia, Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia)
Yugoslavia; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia) 1918-1992
Yugoslavia; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Serbia, 1196-1346, Serbian Kingdom
Serbia, 1196-1346, Serbian Kingdom ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Serbia, 1346-1371, Serbian Empire
Serbia, 1346-1371, Serbian Empire ;

Serbia, 1389, Battle of Kosovo Field 1389
Serbia, 1389, Battle of Kosovo Field 1389 (Kosovo Field, 5km northwest of Pristina) ; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1402-1459, Serbian Despotate
Serbia, Serbian Despotate, 1402-1459 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10;

Serbia, 1459-1800, Ottoman Serbia
Serbia, 1459-1800, Ottoman Serbia; Ottoman Empire, 1299-1923; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ;

Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising
Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Serbian History Folder

Serbia, 46 BC - 500 AD, Folder, Roman Serbia

Serbia, 000, 1st Century Folder, Adronicus and Junia, Paul's kin

Serbia, 30-68, Apostle Andronicus, bishop of Pannonia, relatives of Paul, and preached other lands
Serbia, Pannonia, 30-68, Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, bishop of Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia), relatives of Paul, and preached other lands; Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, Commemorated on May 17; Andronicus Apostle of the Seventy and Saint Junia were relatives of the holy Apostle Paul. They labored much, preaching the Gospel to pagans. Saint Paul mentions them in his Epistle to the Romans: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Romans 16:7). Andronicus was made Bishop of Pannonia, but his preaching also took him and Saint Junia to other lands, far from the boundaries of his diocese. the efforts of Saints Andronicus and Junia the Church of Christ was strengthened, pagans were converted to the knowledge of God, many pagan temples closed, and in their place Christian churches were built. The service in honor of these saints states that they suffered martyrdom for Christ. the fifth century, during the reign of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, their holy relics were uncovered on the outskirts of Constantinople together with the relics of other martyrs at the gate of Eugenius (February 22). was revealed to the pious cleric Nicholas Kalligraphos that among the relics of these seventeen martyrs were the relics of the holy Apostle Andronicus. Afterwards, a magnificent church was built on this spot.

Serbia, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Roman Emperor Decius from Serbia

Serbia, 249, Roman Emperor Decius (249-251) from Serbia
Roman Emperor Decius (249-251); Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27;

Serbia, 274-327, Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Nish, Serbia, Constantine's Birthplace 274
Rome, 294, Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Nish, Serbia, Constantine's Birthplace (South Morava River 5), she a christian commoner, in 294 her husband Constantius Chlorus Western Roman Caesar (Gaul and Britain) divorced her to marry a noble, father did not persecute christians, Constantine succeeded father in 306, 313 by Sign of Cross he defeated Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West, 313 Edict of Milan made Christianity legal, 323 defeated Licinius to be sole ruler, 330 moved capital to Brizantium, B renamed Constantinople, 326 sent Helen to J to find Cross, 316 rise of Arianism, Donatism, Novatism, 325 first E council at Nicea; Nish, Serbia; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Church calls Saint Constantine (306-337) “the Equal of the Apostles,” and historians call him “the Great.” He was the son of the Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who governed the lands of Gaul and Britain. His mother was Saint Helen, a Christian of humble birth. this time the immense Roman Empire was divided into Western and Eastern halves, governed by two independent emperors and their corulers called “Caesars.” Constantius Chlorus was Caesar in the Western Roman Empire. Saint Constantine was born in 274, possibly at Nish in Serbia. In 294, Constantius divorced Helen in order to further his political ambition by marrying a woman of noble rank. After he became emperor, Constantine showed his mother great honor and respect, granting her the imperial title “Augusta.” the future ruler of all the whole Roman Empire, was raised to respect Christianity. His father did not persecute Christians in the lands he governed. This was at a time when Christians were persecuted throughout the Roman Empire by the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and his corulers Maximian Galerius (305-311) in the East, and the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) in the West. the death of Constantius Chlorus in 306, Constantine was acclaimed by the army at York as emperor of Gaul and Britain. The first act of the new emperor was to grant the freedom to practice Christianity in the lands subject to him. The pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Constantine and they plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine bested them in a series of battles, defeating his opponents with the help of God. He prayed to God to give him a sign which would inspire his army to fight valiantly, and the Lord showed him a radiant Sign of the Cross in the heavens with the inscription “In this Sign, conquer.” Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians. Saint Helen, who was a Christian, may have influenced him in this decision. In 323, when he became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, he extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians could finally practice their faith without fear. paganism, the Emperor did not let his capital remain in ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan realm. He transferred his capital to the East, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople, the city of Constantine (May 11). Constantine was deeply convinced that only Christianity could unify the immense Roman Empire with its diverse peoples. He supported the Church in every way. He recalled Christian confessors from banishment, he built churches, and he showed concern for the clergy. emperor deeply revered the victory-bearing Sign of the Cross of the Lord, and also wanted to find the actual Cross upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose he sent his own mother, the holy Empress Helen, to Jerusalem, granting her both power and money. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and Saint Helen began the search, and through the will of God, the Life-Creating Cross was miraculously discovered in 326. (The account of the finding of the Cross of the Lord is found under the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14). The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Holy Empress Helen on March 6. in Palestine, the holy empress did much of benefit for the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His All-Pure Mother, should be freed of all traces of paganism, and she commanded that churches should be built at these places. emperor Constantine ordered a magnificent church in honor of Christ’s Resurrection to be built over His tomb. Saint Helen gave the Life-Creating Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of the Cross with her for the emperor. After distributing generous alms at Jerusalem and feeding the needy (at times she even served them herself), the holy Empress Helen returned to Constantinople, where she died in the year 327. of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Life-Creating Cross, the empress Helen is called “the Equal of the Apostles.” peaceful state of the Christian Church was disturbed by quarrels, dissensions and heresies which had appeared within the Church. Already at the beginning of Saint Constantine’s reign the heresies of the Donatists and the Novatians had arisen in the West. They demanded a second baptism for those who lapsed during the persecutions against Christians. These heresies, repudiated by two local Church councils, were finally condemned at the Council of Milan in 316. ruinous for the Church was the rise of the Arian heresy in the East, which denied the Divine Nature of the Son of God, and taught that Jesus Christ was a mere creature. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea in 325. bishops attended this Council. Among its participants were confessor-bishops from the period of the persecutions and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. (The account about the Council is found under May 29). The emperor was present at the sessions of the Council. The heresy of Arius was condemned and a Symbol of Faith (Creed) composed, in which was included the term “consubstantial with the Father,” at the insistence of the Emperor, confirming the truth of the divinity of Jesus Christ, Who assumed human nature for the redemption of all the human race. the Council of Nicea, Saint Constantine continued with his active role in the welfare of the Church. He accepted holy Baptism on his deathbed, having prepared for it all his whole life. Saint Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in the year 337 and was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, in a crypt he had prepared for himself.

Serbia, 300, 4th Century Folder, Hermylus&Stratonicus

Serbia, 303-305, Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop, Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19), Diocletian persecution, torture, long prison, beheaded
Serbia, 303-305, Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop, Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19), Diocletian persecution, torture, long prison, beheaded; Sirmium; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Irenaeus suffered during the persecution against Christians under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305). was a presbyter, and he and his wife raised their children in Christian piety. Saint Irenaeus was greatly respected for his education and strict manner of life. was later made Bishop of Sirmium in Pannonia. Because of his fervent preaching of the Gospel he was arrested and brought before an official named Probus. Refusing to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, the saint was handed over for torture. Witnessing his torments were the saint’s parents, relatives and friends, who attempted to persuade him to submit, but the martyr remained steadfast. cruel tortures, the holy confessor spent a long time in prison. Probus tried to persuade the martyr, urging him to spare his life for the sake of his sons. Saint Irenaeus replied, “My sons believe in God, Who will care for them. As for me, nothing will force me to renounce my Christ.” governor ordered the saint to be thrown into a river. They led the martyr on the bridge crossing the River Savva, where he knelt and prayed to the Lord for his flock. Then they beheaded the Hieromartyr Irenaeus, and threw his body into the river.

Serbia, 311-324, Hermylus&Stratonicus of Belgrade, Slavs, H mocked pagan gods, p Licinius' wounds, voice, 3 days suffer
Serbia, 311-324, Hermylus and Stratonicus of Belgrade, Serbia (Sava Mouth and Danube River 9), Slavs, H mocked pagan gods, predicted Licinius' wounds, voice heard, 3 days suffering, S cried, H&S drowned in net; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus, Slavs by origin, lived at the beginning of the fourth century during a persecution against Christians by the emperor Licinius (311-324). Saint Hermylus served as deacon in the city of Singidunum (Belgrade). Condemned by Licinius to imprisonment, he was long and cruelly tortured for Christ, but he remained unyielding. mocked the pagan gods, calling them deaf, dumb, and blind idols. In anger Licinius ordered more severe torments for him, saying that he could avoid them if he would offer sacrifice. The holy martyr predicted that Licinius would suffer terrible wounds himself because he worshiped idols instead of the Creator. His words came true, for Licinius was killed in 324. three days Hermylus was brought before the tribunal again and asked whether he would avoid more torture by offering sacrifice. The saint replied that he would offer worship and sacrifice only to the true God. Hermylus prayed that the Lord would give him strength to endure his torments and triumph over the pagans. A voice was heard saying, “Hermylus, you will be delivered from your suffering in three days, and will receive a great reward.” The torturers fell to the ground in fear, and took the saint back to prison. Stratonicus was one of the prison guards and a secret Christian. Seeing the agonizing torments of his friend, he was unable to keep from weeping, and he revealed that he was a Christian. They also subjected him to punishment. the torture, they put both martyrs into a net and threw them into the Danube. On the third day, the bodies of the saints were found by Christians on the bank of the river and buried near Singidunum. Their venerable heads were in the Church of Hagia Sophia, where the Russian pilgrim Anthony saw them in the year 1200. Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Holy Martyrs Hermylus and Stratonicus, Slavs by origin, lived at the beginning of the fourth century during a persecution against Christians by the emperor Licinius (311-324). Saint Hermylus served as deacon in the city of Singidunum (Belgrade). Condemned by Licinius to imprisonment, he was long and cruelly tortured for Christ, but he remained unyielding. mocked the pagan gods, calling them deaf, dumb, and blind idols. In anger Licinius ordered more severe torments for him, saying that he could avoid them if he would offer sacrifice. The holy martyr predicted that Licinius would suffer terrible wounds himself because he worshiped idols instead of the Creator. His words came true, for Licinius was killed in 324. three days Hermylus was brought before the tribunal again and asked whether he would avoid more torture by offering sacrifice. The saint replied that he would offer worship and sacrifice only to the true God. Hermylus prayed that the Lord would give him strength to endure his torments and triumph over the pagans. A voice was heard saying, “Hermylus, you will be delivered from your suffering in three days, and will receive a great reward.” The torturers fell to the ground in fear, and took the saint back to prison. Stratonicus was one of the prison guards and a secret Christian. Seeing the agonizing torments of his friend, he was unable to keep from weeping, and he revealed that he was a Christian. They also subjected him to punishment. the torture, they put both martyrs into a net and threw them into the Danube. On the third day, the bodies of the saints were found by Christians on the bank of the river and buried near Singidunum. Their venerable heads were in the Church of Hagia Sophia, where the Russian pilgrim Anthony saw them in the year 1200.

Serbia, 342-372, Niketas the Goth, visible& invisible enemies, tortured by Athanaric, not burned, divine light, incorrupt relics
Serbia, 342-372, Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth, probable area of Danube River in Germania, Ulfilas' Gothic Alphabet, teacher, visible and invisible enemies, tortured by Athanaric, not burned, divine light, incorrupt relics ; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Holy Great Martyr Niketas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Niketas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Niketas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Niketas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Niketas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Niketas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Niketas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Niketas, and buried it in Cilicia. it was transferred to Constantinople. of the relics of the Great Martyr Niketas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Saint Niketas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Niketas for the preservation of children from birth defects.

Serbia, 400, 5th Century Folder, Roman Gothic and Byzantine victory over the Huns at Bassianae

Serbia, 469, Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns)
Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalem , Commemorated on October 12;

Serbia, 500-1459, Folder, Slavic Serbia, Kingdom and Empire, Orthodox

Serbia, 800, 9th-11th Century Folder, Before Christianization

Serbia, 500-1100, Slavic Serbia, White (unbaptised) Serbs
Serbia, 500-1100, Slavic Serbia, White (unbaptised) Serbs; Saint Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

Serbia, 900, 10th C Folder, Great Ascetic Prochorus, Emperor Basil II Bulgar Slayer, Bulgarian Tsar Samuel

Serbia, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles
Serbia, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles, Prochorus oPshina persued asceticism iBransk wilderness aRiver Pshina, founded monastery there, renouned as one otGreat ascetics, died end 10th C, miracles fHis relics, pious King Milutin 1276-1320 built Prochorus' Church; Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) St. Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the River Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Prochorus of Pshina pursued asceticism in the Bransk wilderness at the River Pshina, and he founded a monastery there. is renowned as one of the great ascetics of monastic life. He died at the end of the tenth century. Miracles occurred from the saint’s relics. According to the Serbian Chronicles, the pious King Milutin (1276-1320) built a church in honor of Saint Prochorus.

Serbia, 976-1025, Byzantium Emperor, Basil II, Bulgar Slayer, with Rus over First B Empire and Georgia

Serbia, 997-1014, Tsar, Samuel of Bulgaria, Orthodox, constant warfare against ambitious Byzantine Basil II
Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; was the Tsar (Emperor) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014.[5] 977 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria,[6] the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal authority.[7] As Samuel struggled to preserve his country's independence from the Byzantine Empire, his rule was characterized by constant warfare against the Byzantines and their equally ambitious ruler Basil II. his early years Samuel managed to inflict several major defeats on the Byzantines and to launch offensive campaigns into their territory.[8] In the late 10th century, the Bulgarian armies conquered the Serb principality of Duklja[9] and led campaigns against the Kingdoms of Croatia and Hungary. But from 1001, he was forced mainly to defend the Empire against the superior Byzantine armies. Samuel died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014, two months after the catastrophic battle of Kleidion. His successors failed to organize a resistance, and in 1018, four years after Samuel's death, the country capitulated, ending the five decades-long Byzantine–Bulgarian conflict.[10] was considered "invincible in power and unsurpassable in strength".[11][12] Similar comments were made even in Constantinople, where John Kyriotes penned a poem offering a punning comparison between the Bulgarian Emperor and Halley's comet, which appeared in 989.[13][14] During Samuel's reign, Bulgaria gained control of most of the Balkans (with the notable exception of Thrace) as far as southern Greece. He moved the capital from Skopje to Ohrid,[8][15] which had been the cultural and military centre of southwestern Bulgaria since Boris I's rule,[16] and made the city the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. Because of this, his realm is sometimes called the Western Bulgarian Empire.[17][18] Samuel's energetic reign restored Bulgarian might on the Balkans, and although the Empire was disestablished after his death, he is regarded as a heroic ruler in Bulgaria.[19][20] Samuel is considered also a heroic ruler in today North Macedonia[21] (see the section Nomenclature). Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Serbia, 1000, 11th Century Folder, Prince John-Vladimir, married to d of Bulgarian Tsar

Serbia, 1000-1016, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav, married to d of Bulgarian Tsar
Bulgaria, 1000-1016, Prince, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav; Vladimir or John Vladimir ([a] c. 990 - 22 May 1016) was the ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time,[1] from around 1000 to 1016. ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. Vladimir was acknowledged as a pious, just, and peaceful ruler. He is recognized as a martyr and saint, with his feast day being celebrated on 22 May.[b] Vladimir had a close relationship with Byzantium but this did not save Duklja from the expansionist Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, who conquered the principality around 1010 and took Vladimir prisoner. medieval chronicle asserts that Samuel's daughter, Theodora Kosara, fell in love with Vladimir and begged her father for his hand. The tsar allowed the marriage and returned Duklja to Vladimir, who ruled as his vassal. Vladimir took no part in his father-in-law's war efforts. The warfare culminated with Tsar Samuel's defeat by the Byzantines in 1014 and death soon after. 1016, Vladimir fell victim to a plot by Ivan Vladislav, the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. He was beheaded in front of a church in Prespa, the empire's capital, and was buried there. was soon recognized as a martyr and saint. His widow, Kosara, reburied him in the Precista Krajinska Church, near his court in southeastern Duklja. 1381, his remains were preserved in the Church of St Jovan Vladimir near Elbasan, and since 1995 they have been kept in the Orthodox cathedral of Tirana, Albania. saint's remains are considered Christian relics, and attract many believers, especially on his feast day, when the relics are taken to the church near Elbasan for a celebration. cross Vladimir held when he was beheaded is also regarded as a relic. Traditionally under the care of the AndroviÄ‡ family from the village of Velji MikuliÄ‡i in southeastern Montenegro, the cross is only shown to believers on the Feast of Pentecost, when it is carried in a procession to the summit of Mount Rumija. Vladimir is regarded as the first Serbian saint and the patron saint of the town of Bar in Montenegro. earliest, lost hagiography was probably written sometime between 1075 and 1089; a shortened version, written in Latin, is preserved in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja. His hagiographies in Greek and Church Slavonic were first published, respectively, in 1690 and 1802. The saint is classically depicted in icons as a monarch wearing a crown and regal clothes, with a cross in his right hand and his own head in his left hand. He is fabled to have carried his severed head to his place of burial. Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Holy Martyr John-Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the tenth century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy Faith in purity. noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women’s monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life. The relics of the holy prince are located near Elbosan.

Serbia, 1015-1018, Bulgarian Tsar, John-Vladislav, Murderer, lost empire to Byzantium
Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. Saved from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. Due to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. After the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. After his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Ivan Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. Two women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Serbia, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Prince Stefan Nemanja, King Stefan Nemanjic, Hilandar Mt. Athos

Serbia, 1135-1200, Steven tMyrrhgusher&Prince, united Serbia, independence fByzantine Empire, against heresies, myrrh relics
Serbia, 1135-1200, Steven (Simeon) the myrrhgusher & Prince oSerbia, fStari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6), united much of Serbian lands, strove political independence from Byzantine Empire, defended against heresy (false teaching), tHilandar, Mt Athos at 80, to his son Savva, they reestored Hillandar, monks gathered, great ascetic, wise guide, died 1200, relics began exude Myrrh, Savva transported Steven's relics back to his River Studenitsa Church; Stari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6); Venerable Stephen (in monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher, King of Serbia Stephen Nemanya was the Great Zhupan of Serbia, and lived during the twelfth century. saint toiled much for his fatherland: he united a large portion of the Serbian lands, strove for the political independence of his country from the Byzantine Empire. his zeal for the Orthodox Church, he defended his nation against heresy and false teaching. the age of eighty, Stephen went to Mt. Athos, where his son Saint Savva (January 12), was glorified by the holiness of his life. they restored the desolate Hilandar monastery, to which monks from various lands began to gather. Simeon was a great ascetic and wise guide for the monks. died on February 13, 1200, his relics began to exude myrrh. Savva transported his father’s relics back to Serbia, and placed them in a church of the Most Holy Theotokos at the River Studenitsa. Simeon had richly adorned this church while he was still ruler of Serbia.

Serbia, 1166-1196, Prince and Saint, S Nemanja, Empire, Church, Hilandar, Myrrh
Serbian Prince and Saint, 1166-1196, Stefan Nemanja ; Nemanja (ca 1113 - 13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince of the Serbian Grand Principality from 1166 to 1196. member of the VukanoviÄ‡ dynasty, Nemanja founded the NemanjiÄ‡ dynasty, is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and history, founding what would evolve into the Serbian Empire, as well as the national church. to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Nemanja is also among the most remarkable Serbs for his literary contributions and altruistic attributes.[1] 1196, after three decades of warfare and negotiations which consolidated Serbia while distinguishing it from both Western and Byzantine spheres of influence, Nemanja abdicated in favor of his middle son Stefan NemanjiÄ‡, who became the first King of Serbia. ultimately went to Mount Athos, where he became a monk and took the name of Symeon, joining his youngest son (later known as Saint Sava), who had already become the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church. with his son Sava, Nemanja restored the Hilandar Monastery at Mount Athos from 1198–1199, and issued the "Charter of Hilandar". The monastery later became the cradle of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian Orthodox Church canonized Stefan Nemanja shortly after his death under the name Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming (Ð¡Ð²ÐµÑ‚Ð¸ Ð¡Ð¸Ð¼ÐµÐ¾Ð½ ÐœÐ¸Ñ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾Ñ‡Ð¸Ð²Ð¸) after numerous miracles. Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia, Commemorated on June 21;

Serbia, 1166-1196, Queen and Saint, Anastasia of Serbia
Serbia, 1166-1196, Queen and Saint, Anastasia of Serbia ; Serbian Prince and Saint, 1166-1196, Stefan Nemanja ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia, Commemorated on June 21;

Serbia, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st Serbian archbishop, caused Royal father mother become monastics, strengthened church&state
Serbia, 1189-1235, Sava I, 1st archbishop oSerbia, son oSerbian King S Nemanya and daughter Byzantine Emperor Romanus, fervently attended Church, special icon love, a17 i1186 met monk & left home fAthos &Panteleimon m, given tRussian monks 1169, Sava's birthdate, his father Nemanya threatened war against Greeks if not returned, even though warned always watch, Sava received monastic tonsure during evening services when drunk soldiers fell asleep, sava sent home worldly clothes, hair&letter which requested parents become monastics, they do, father wSon aVatopedi, before they founded Hilandar 1198, there Sava becomes deacon then presbyter, mother became nun named Anastasia, made archimandrite 1219 aThessalonica, same year made Archbishop, so Serbia could elect own archbishop, important because frequent wars east and west, tAthos fNicea tSay goodby all monasteries, deep remorse (regret guilt) for leaving paradise, but MOG spoke in dream, having my support why sorrow, sorrow tJoy, large icons Jesus&MOG in appearance memory, aThessalonica, His father monk Simeon's relics exuded fragrant myrrh, Sava in charge negotiations wHungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war wSerbia, brought him tOrthodoxy fCatholic, Facilitating autonomous Serbian Church, plus strengthened Serbian State by crowning brother Steven as king, then Radislav his son, then Holy Land tWorship, then Vladislav as King and betrothed him tBulgarian Prince Asan's daughter, he visited churches across Serbia, reformed monastic rules like Athos&Palestine, established many churches, appointed Asenius as his successor, then journey of no return to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land, Palestine Syria Persia Babylon Egypt Anatola, finishing at Tronovo, Bulgaria wAsan, died 1237, healings at his relics iBulgaria and Serbia at Church oMileshevo; St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. ------------------------------onk Simeon, the holy relics xuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy. Serbia, 1189-1235, Saint Sava I, Metropolitan of Zica, Son of Nemanja, Hilandar, Law, Constttn, tEnlightener, Serb Prince, Orthodox monk, autocephalous Serb church archbishop, Serb law founder, diplomat, youngest son oSteven Nemanja, Sava ruled Hum briefly 1090-93, then tAthos, became monk Sava, established Hilandar m, important Serb culture religious center, 1219 Constantinople Patriarch (exiled in Nicea) recognized him aSerb Archbishop, 1219 wrote Serb Constitution, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, which secured both religious&Political independence, founder Serbian midieval lit, important figure Serb history, patron saint Serbia, his church iBelgrade large bldg in the world, where his relics burnt bOttomans 1594; Serbian Saint, 1219-1235, Saint Sava, Metropolitan of Zica; Sava (1169 -14 January 1236), as the Enlightener, a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, founder of Serbian law, a diplomat. born as Rastko, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja of the Nemanji dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in 1190-“92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, Zakonopravilo nomocanon, securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[6][7][8] is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history. Sava is venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church as its founder on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594 during an uprising in which the Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. his early years he fervently attended church services had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, left his father’s house set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite (head group monasteries) at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. made prostrations in all the churches calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage (support fPatron), why do you remain sorrowful?” words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, had declared war on Serbia, holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, healing on all who approached with faith. inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical teasury of Ort.

Serbia, 1189-1235, St Sava 1, Enlightener, Prince, Orthodox monk, estab Hilandar, first Serb Archbishop, S constitution
Serbia, 1189-1236, St Sava 1, Panteleimon Monastery, Russian, Mt Athos, first archbishop, tonsured 1186, encouraged family to tonsure, estab Hilandar m, archmandrite of Thessalonica, then 1219 Archbishop of Serbia, MOG dream my patronage, why sorrowful, negotiated peace and conversion w Hungarian King, crowned b Stephen as Serbian King, then nephew Radislav, then Vladislav, died in Bulgaria, r transfered to S; Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. born as Rastko Nemanjić, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (founder of the Nemanjić dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Zachlumia briefly in 1190–92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, the Zakonopravilo nomocanon, thus securing full independence; both religious and political. is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[4][5][6][7][8] is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history. In fact, Sava is to the Serbs what Averroes is to the Muslims and Maimonides is to the Jews. Sava is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. Many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, built where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594,[9] during an uprising in which Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; the church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, in the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. From his early years he fervently attended church services and had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, secretly left his father’s house and set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod and wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) and sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, and this monastery received its name by imperial grant. Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. His mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite at Thessalonica. Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. This was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. He made prostrations in all the churches and, calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage, why do you remain sorrowful?” These words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. In memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. During the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war on Serbia, the holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, but he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, and Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. To further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, he reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, and he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, consecrating him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, desiring “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” He passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, everywhere visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. The saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, where with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, there were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, bestowing healing on all who approached with faith. The inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, which Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. He is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. From this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. It in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, and since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. Such was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy.

Serbia, 1189-1235, Saint Sava I, Metropolitan of Zica, Son of Nemanja, Hilandar, Law, Constttn
Serbian Saint, 1189-1235, Saint Sava, Metropolitan of Zica; Sava (1174 -14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. Sava, born as Rastko, was the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (founder of the NemanjiÄ‡ dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in 1190–92. then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava (Sabbas). Athos he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. In 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, and in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, the Zakonopravilo nomocanon, thus securing full independence; both religious and political. Sava is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.[6][7][8] is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history. Saint Sava is venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church as its founder on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. Many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his career. He is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, built where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594 during an uprising in which the Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; the church is one of the largest church buildings in the world. St Savva I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 14 Savva, First Archbishop of Serbia, in the world Rostislav (Rastko), was a son of the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya and Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus. From his early years he fervently attended church services and had a special love for icons. seventeen years of age, Rostislav met a monk from Mount Athos, secretly left his father’s house and set off for the Saint Panteleimon monastery. (By divine Providence in 1169, the year of the saint’s birth, the ancient monastery of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon was given to Russian monks.) that his son was on Athos, his father mobilized his retainers headed by a faithful voevod and wrote to the governor of the district which included Athos, saying that if his son were not returned to him, he would go to war against the Greeks. When they arrived at the monastery, the voevod was ordered not to take his eyes off Rostislav. During the evening services, when the soldiers had fallen asleep under the influence of wine, Rostislav received monastic tonsure (in 1186) and sent to his parents his worldly clothes, his hair and a letter. Saint Savva sought to persuade his powerful parents to accept monasticism. The monk’s father (in monasticism Simeon, commemorated on February 13) and his son pursued asceticism at the Vatopedi monastery. On Athos they established the Serbian Hilandar monastery, and this monastery received its name by imperial grant. At Hilandar monastery, Saint Savva was ordained to the diaconate and then presbyter. His mother Anna became a nun with the name Anastasia (June 21). his holy life and virtuous deeds on Mount Athos, the monk was made an archimandrite at Thessalonica. At Nicea in the year 1219 on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ecumenical Patriarch Germanus consecrated Archimandrite Savva as Archbishop of Serbia. The saint petitioned the Byzantine Emperor to grant permission for Serbian bishops to elect their own Archbishop in future. This was a very important consideration in a time of frequent wars between the eastern and western powers. returned to the Holy Mountain from Nicea, the saint visited all the monasteries for the last time. He made prostrations in all the churches and, calling to mind the blessed lives of the wilderness Fathers, he made his farewells to the ascetics with deep remorse, “leaving the Holy Mountain, as if from Paradise.” by his separation from the Holy Mountain, the saint went along the path from Athos just barely moving. The Most Holy Theotokos spoke to the saint in a dream, “Having My Patronage, why do you remain sorrowful?” These words roused him from despondency, changing his sorrow into joy. In memory of this appearance, the saint commissioned large icons of the Savior and of the Mother of God at Thessalonica, and put them in a church. Serbia, the activity of the Hierarch in organizing the work of his native Church was accompanied by numerous signs and miracles. During the Liturgy and the all-night Vigil, when the saint came to cense the grave of his father the monk Simeon, the holy relics exuded fragrant myrrh. in charge of negotiations with the Hungarian King Vladislav, who had declared war on Serbia, the holy bishop not only brought about the desired peace for his country, but he also brought the Hungarian monarch to Orthodoxy. Thus he facilitated the start of the historical existence of the autonomous Serbian Church. Saint Savva also contributed to strengthening the Serbian state. In order to insure the independence of the Serbian state, Archbishop Savva crowned his powerful brother Stephen as king. Upon the death of Stephen, his eldest son Radislav was crowned king, and Saint Savva set off to the Holy Land “to worship at the holy tomb of Christ and fearsome Golgotha.” he returned to his native land, the saint blessed and crowned Vladislav as king. To further strengthen the Serbian throne, he betrothed him to the daughter of the Bulgarian prince Asan. The holy hierarch visited churches all across Serbia, he reformed monastic rules on the model of Athos and Palestine, and he established and consecrated many churches, strengthening the Orthodox in their faith. Having finished his work in his native land, the saint appointed the hieromonk Arsenius as his successor, consecrating him bishop and giving his blessing to all. then set off on a journey of no return, desiring “to end his days as a wanderer in a foreign land.” He passed through Palestine, Syria and Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Anatolia, everywhere visiting the holy places, conversing with great ascetics, and collecting the holy relics of saints. The saint finished his wanderings at Trnovo in Bulgaria at the home of his kinsman Asan, where with spiritual joy he gave up his soul to the Lord (+ 1237). the time of transfer of the holy relics of Saint Savva to Serbia in 1237, there were so many healings that the Bulgarians began to complain about Asan, “because he had given up such a treasure.” In the saint’s own country, his venerable relics were placed in the Church of Mileshevo, bestowing healing on all who approached with faith. The inhabitants of Trnovo continued to receive healing from the remnants of the saint’s coffin, which Asan ordered to be gathered together and placed in a newly built sarcophagus. legacy of Saint Savva lives on in the Orthodox Church traditions of the Slavic nations. He is associated with the introduction of the Jerusalem Typikon as the basis for Slavic Monastic Rules. The Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos lives by the Typikon of Saint Savva to this day. Editions of The Rudder (a collection of church canons) of Saint Savva, with commentary by Alexis Aristines, are the most widely disseminated in the Russian Church. In 1270 the first copy of The Rudder of Saint Savva was sent from Bulgaria to Metropolitan Cyril of Kiev. From this was copied one of the most ancient of the Russian Rudders, the Ryazan Rudder of 1284. It in turn was the source for a printed Rudder published in 1653, and since that time often reprinted by the Russian Church. Such was the legacy of Saint Savva to the canonical treasury of Orthodoxy. Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Milk-Giver Icon of the Mother of God was originally located at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem. Before his death, the holy founder of the Lavra foretold that a royal pilgrim having the same name as himself would visit the Lavra. Saint Savva told the brethren to give the wonderworking icon to that pilgrim as a blessing. the thirteenth century, Saint Savva of Serbia visited the Lavra. As he approached the reliquary of Saint Savva the Sanctified, the saint’s staff fell at his feet. The brethren asked the visitor his name, and he told them he was Archbishop Savva of Serbia. Obeying the instructions of their founder, the monks gave Saint Savva his staff, the “Milk-Giverâ€ Icon, and the Icon “Of the Three Handsâ€ (June 28 & July 12). holy archbishop took the icon to Hilandar on Mount Athos and put it on the right side of the iconostasis in the church of Saint Savva at the kellion of Karyes, which is attached to Hilandar. The icon was later named Typikonissa, since the Rule (Typikon) of Saint Savva was preserved there. Hilandar “Milk-Giverâ€ Icon is also commemorated on January 12.

Serbia, 1196-1228, K S Nemanjic, the First-Crowned, son and brother
Serbian King, 1196-1228, Stefan Nemanjic, the First-Crowned; Nemanjic or Stefan the First-Crowned (around 1165-24 September 1228) was Grand Prince of Serbia from 1196, and the King of Serbia from 1217 until his death in 1228. was the first Rascian king, and through his promotion of the Serbian Grand Principality into a kingdom and helping his brother Saint Sava in establishing the Serbian Church, he is regarded one of the most important of the Nemanjic dynasty. Holy King Stephen of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Anastasia of Serbia, Commemorated on June 21;

Serbia, 1196-1228, David oSerbia, Nephew of King Stefan Nemanjic, ascetical life, built monastery at Brodarova
Serbia, 1196-1228, David oSerbia, Brodarova, Serbia (Lim River 2.3), Nephew of King Stefan Nemanjic, ascetical life, built monastery at Brodarova; Brodarova, Serbia; Venerable David of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24; David, a nephew of holy King Stephen, in the world had the name Demetrius. built a monastery at Brodarova, at the River Lima, there he received monastic tonsure with the name David lived an ascetical life to the end of his days.

Serbia, 1198, Founding of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian and Bulgarian)
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Akathist"Â, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilk-Giver"Â of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Serbia, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar, heretical priest, carried this icon, fell into sea&drowned
Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), at tKatholkon (main church), by column otKliros (choir section), heretical priest, declared himself orthodox, acted wEvil purpose, carried this icon during blessing otWater procession, fell into sea and drowned, since then cross procession done wThis icon and carried by aPriest; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Priestly Icon of the Mother of God stands in the katholikon of Hilandar Monastery by a column of the left kliros. certain heretical priest, having declared himself Orthodox, acted at the Hilandar monastery with evil purpose, but he was punished. the procession for the blessing of water he took this icon but stumbled, fell into the sea and drowned. that time the cross procession is always done with this icon, invariably a priest carries it, it was called “Priestly” by the Serbs.

Serbia, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Serbian Kingdom, St Sava

Serbia, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, led to Serbian Kingdom and Empire

Serbia, 1204-1261, Latin Empire Constantinople, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. Like the term "Byzantine Empire", "Latin Empire" was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania ("Land of the Romans") had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Serbia, 1205-1479, Serbia with Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople
Greece, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Serbia, 1217-1346, Serbian Kingdom
Serbia, 1217-1346, Serbian Kingdom ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Serbia, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastey, Mt Athos, many miracles

Serbia, 1221-1271, Serbian Saint, Sava II, Archbishop of Serbia, distinguished in monastic life ascetic practices
Serbian Saint, 1221-1271, Sava II, Archbishop of Serbia; Sava II (1201-“1271) was the third archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, serving from 1263 until his death in 1271. He was the middle son of King Stefan the First-Crowned of the NemanjiÄ‡ dynasty and his Byzantine wife Eudokia Angelina. He had two brothers, Stefan Radoslav and Stefan Vladislav, and a sister, Komnena. Predislav took the monastic name of Sava, after his uncle, Saint Sava, the first Serbian archbishop. The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates him as a saint and his feast-day is 21 February. as Predislav in c. 1198, he was the middle son of King Stefan the First-Crowned and Eudokia Angelina. He had brothers Stefan Radoslav (b. 1192), Stefan Vladislav (b. 1198), and half-brother Stefan Uros I (b. 1223). He also had two sisters, Komnena being the only one whose name is known. Stefan the First-Crowned, who had become ill, took monastic vows and died in 1227.[1] Radoslav who was the eldest son succeeded as King, crowned at Zica by Archbishop Sava,[1] his uncle. The younger sons, Vladislav and UroÅ¡ I, received appanages.[1] Sava II (Predislav) was appointed bishop of Hum shortly thereafter, later serving as archbishop of Serbia (1263-1270).[1] The Church and state was thus dominated by the same family and the ties between the two as well as the family's role within the Church continued.[2] Serbian King, 1243-1276, Stefan Uros I of Serbia; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8; Predislav Nemanjic, the son of Saint-King Stephen Prvovencani the First-Crowned (September 24) and the nephew of Saint Savva I, the first Archbishop of Serbia (January 14), Saint Savva II distinguished himself in monastic life by his ascetic practices, in imitation of his sainted uncle. succeeded Saint Arsenius (October 28) as Archbishop of Serbia in 1266. He guided the Church with great love and dedication until his repose, variously dated as 1268, 1269 and 1271. His holy relics are at Pec, the site of the ancient Serbian Patriarchate. Icon of the Mother of God œOf the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, œOf the Three Hands: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name œOf Three Hands (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: œAll of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace, which appears in place of the hymn œIt is Truly Meet in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon œOf Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen™s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Serbia, 1224-1246, Empire of Thessalonica, r by Komnenos Doukas d of Epirus, v Crusader Latin Empire of C
Greece, 1224-1246, Empire of Thessalonica; Empire of Thessalonica is a historiographic term used by some modern scholars[1] to refer to the short-lived Byzantine Greek state centred on the city of Thessalonica between 1224 and 1246 (sensu stricto until 1242) and ruled by the Komnenodoukas dynasty of Epirus. At the time of its establishment, the Empire of Thessalonica, under the capable Theodore Komnenos Doukas, rivaled the Empire of Nicaea and the Second Bulgarian Empire as the strongest state in the region, and aspired to capturing Constantinople, putting an end to the Latin Empire, and restoring the Byzantine Empire that had been extinguished in 1204. ----------------------------------------------------------- Thessalonica's ascendancy was brief, ending with the disastrous Battle of Klokotnitsa against Bulgaria in 1230, where Theodore Komnenos Doukas was captured. Reduced to a Bulgarian vassal, Theodore's brother and successor Manuel Komnenos Doukas was unable to prevent the loss of most of his brother's conquests in Macedonia and Thrace, while the original nucleus of the state, Epirus, broke free under Michael II Komnenos Doukas. Theodore recovered Thessalonica in 1237, installing his son John Komnenos Doukas, and after him Demetrios Angelos Doukas, as rulers of the city, while Manuel, with Nicaean support, seized Thessaly. The rulers of Thessalonica bore the imperial title from 1225/7 until 1242, when they were forced to renounce it and recognize the suzerainty of the rival Empire of Nicaea. The Komnenodoukai continued to rule as Despots of Thessalonica for four more years after that, but in 1246 the city was annexed by Nicaea. Greece, 1224-1230, Empire of Thessalonica, Theodore Komnenos Doukas ; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Serbia, 1228-1233, King, Stefan Radoslav of Serbia, w Epirus Ruler against Crusaders' Latin Empire of C
Serbian King, 1228-1233, Stefan Radoslav of Serbia; Stefan Radoslav was the King of Serbia from 1228 to 1233. was the only known son of Stefan Nemanjic (r. 1196-“1228) by his first wife Eudokia Angelina.[1] His maternal grandparents were the Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos (r. 1195-“1203) and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina.[2] He reportedly had two unnamed sisters, the first of whom married first the Albanian prince Dhimit Progoni and secondly the Greco-Albanian lord Gregorios Kamonas, while the second married the sebastokrator Alexander Asen,[1] whom George Acropolites identifies as a son of Tsar Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria (r. 1189-“96). It is uncertain if his mother was Maria or Helena, respectively the first and second wife of Ivan Asen I. Alexander was the father of Kaliman II of Bulgaria (r. 1256).[3] to the historian John Van Antwerp Fine, Jr., Eudokia was repudiated on grounds of adultery in c. 1200-“01. Fine summarizes a passage of Niketas Choniates to state "She left on foot with only the clothes on her back". Eudokia sought refuge with her brother-in-law Vukan Nemanjic, Prince of Zeta. Vukan provided her with hospitality for a while and then arranged for her transportation to Durras, where she boarded a Byzantine ship heading for Constantinople and returned safely to her father.[4] This indicates Stefan Radoslav was born either in the 1190s or the early 1200s (decade).[1] considers the treatment of Eudokia to be an indication of a decline in the prestige the Byzantine Empire held at the time. The senior Stefan was evidently unafraid of a military confrontation with his former father-in-law which could have occurred in retaliation for his actions. The alliance with the Empire had apparently outlived its use to the Serbian rulers. Stefan Nemanjic had ongoing border disputes with both Vukan Nemanjic and Emeric of Hungary, though outright war had not started yet. The Byzantines had failed to provide him with any military support and Stefan had apparently despaired of any help arriving from that direction. At the same time the senior Stefan was negotiating submitting himself and his subjects to the Roman Catholic Church in exchange for Pope Innocent III declaring him a King. He had reasons to distance himself from the Byzantines and the Eastern Orthodox Church associated with them.[4] father was later remarried to Anna Dandolo.[1] She was a daughter of Ranier Dandolo and granddaughter of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice.[5] Stefan Radoslav had three paternal half-brothers from this marriage. They were Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava II, Stefan Vladislav and Stefan Uros I.[1] His mother would proceed to marry secondly to Alexios V Doukas and thirdly to Leo Sgouros, ruler of Nafplion. However, there were no known children by either marriage. Stefan Radoslav consequently had no maternal half-siblings.[6] of Zachlumia[edit] Visoki Deani to "The Realm of the Slavs" (1601) by Mavro Orbin, Stefan Radoslav served as ruler of Zachlumia during the reign of his father. However the sources Orbin used for his history of Zachlumia are not identified by name. They are considered lost and Orbin remains our earliest extant source for several of the events mentioned. to it Miroslav, the Great was succeeded by his son Andrew (Andrija), only ten-years-old. ----------------------------------------Missing from the text is Toljen, a son of Miroslav who was mentioned as heir apparent in other sources. With Andrew being underage, the local nobility proceeded to depose him. They offered the crown to Peter (Petar), whose relation to his predecessors is not mentioned by Orbin. Fine notes that later scholars tend to assume Peter was another son of Miroslav and brother or half-brother to Andrew. Some time later, the cause of the exiled Andrew was taken up by Stefan Nemanjic who invated Zachlumia. Peter was forced to retreat to the areas west and north of the river Neretva. The rest of Zachlumia fell into the control of Nemanjic. Fine points that the areas supposedly held by Peter would not be uncontested. They are known from other sources to have been claimed by Andrew, Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia since 1198. Orbin next claims that Nemanjic divided Zachlumia between his cousin Andrew, son of Miroslav and his own son, Radolslav. Andrew was given control of Popovo and coastal Hum. The mainland was granted to Radoslav. Orbin then claims that Radoslav died and Nemanjic granted his area to Andrew. Fine points that Radoslav could not have predeceased his father. We know from other sources that he went on to succeed him. Nemanjic could have simply removed him for his position of authority for reasons lost to us. Orbin continues his account but Radoslav is not mentioned again.[7] points that the reliability of the above account is at times difficult to determine because the lack of further sources. There are some obvious inaccuracies at times but the basics of the story could be true. A succession crisis in Zachlumia with the existence of rival heirs would be quite plausible. Nemanjic would have reason to get involved. His ongoing rivalry with his brother in the late 1190s would require him to secure control over Zachlumia, in order to prevent Vukan from claiming control for himself. However his activities in the area are otherwise unrecorded. His motivation for backing Andrew against Peter is also unclear. Either of the two could serve as rulers of a puppet state. Installing Radoslav as ruler of eastern Zachlumia would be a way to secure tighter control of the region.[8] does not actually provide dates for the events of his account. Fine proceeds to estimate them, based on sources recording other events in the wider region. He estimates the death of Miroslav to 1198. Explaining why Andrew of Croatia and Dalmatia chose that year to attack. He acquired control over areas of Zachlumia northwest of the Neretva. By 1203, this Andrew was involved in conflict with his own brother, Emeric of Hungary. The ongoing conflict would allow Peter to claim the areas northwest of the Neretva for himself. He could have either taken advantage of Andrew's troops already withdrawing or using his own forces to drive them out. Either way, Andrew could probably not afford maintaining two fronts of war at the same time. Securing the area as his powerbase, Peter could then drive his brother from eastern Zachlumia. The amount of time between the time Andrew of Zachlumia went into exile and the decision of Nemanjic to intervene is left unclear in the account by Orbin. Fine suggests it could have been more than a decade. He suggests it could be as late as 1216, just a year before Nemanjic was declared a King by Pope Honorius III. Nemanjic could by then devote his forces to securing eastern Zachlumia for Andrew, his intended puppet ruler. He could then attempt to secure even tighter control by appointing Radoslav in the areas directly bordering Ra¡ka. The area could have stayed under his control for longer than Orbin indicates. Fine points that Andrew seems to have "disappeared from the scene" by 1218 when Peter is recorded to have taken over the coastal areas. There seems to be no indication of Peter extending his control to the areas supposedly ruled by Radoslav.[9] and deposition[edit] of Stefan Radoslav elsewhere mentions Radoslav acting as governor of the Principality of Zeta for part the reign of his father. In a charter variously dated to 1222 or 1228, Radoslav appears as co-founder of the monastery of Zeta with his father.[10] Stefan the First-Crowned, who had become ill, took monastic vows and died in 1227.[11] Radoslav who was the eldest son succeeded as King, crowned at Å½iÄÂÂÂa by Archbishop Sava, his uncle.[11] The younger sons, Vladislav and UroÅ¡ I, received appanages.[11] The youngest of the brothers, Sava II, was appointed Bishop of Hum shortly thereafter, later serving as Archbishop of Serbia (1263-1270).[11] The Church and state were thus dominated by the same family and the ties between the two as well as the family's role within the Church continued.[12] According to biographer and monk Theodosius, Radoslav was a good ruler at first, but then fell under the influence of his wife, who was the daughter of the ruler of Epirus and Thessalonica, Theodore Komnenos Doukas (r. 1215â€“1230).[12] Radoslav was most likely not beloved by the Serbian nobility due to this Greek influence.[13] Radoslav used his Greek name, Stephanos Doukas, on his coinage, in several Greek documents and even once in his signature.[14] Radoslav was probably safe from domestic rebellion as long as his father-in-law Theodore remained strong.[12][13] In 1230, however, Theodore was defeated and captured by Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Asen II, after which Radoslav's position seems to have weakened; some of his nobility revolted in autumn 1233.[12] Theodosius said that the nobility had left the support of Radoslav and stood itself behind the younger Vladislav.[15] Radoslav fled the country between 1 September 1233 and 4 February 1234, and was unable to regain the kingdom, but eventually returned as a monk.[12] Radoslav fled to Dubrovnik (1233) with his wife, and there are indications that Radoslav had organized some actions against Vladislav and that he thought that he would manage to return to the throne - this is evident from an dated 4 February 1234, regarding a promise to Ragusan trading privileges once he had returned to Serbia.[15] Because of this, Vladislav began threatening Ragusa, which then had to turn to Bosnian Ban Ninoslav for help, and as the action against Vladislav was unsuccessful, Radoslav found refuge with the Epirote ruler Michael II Komnenos Doukas in Dyrrhachium.[15] According to Theodosius, Radoslav's wife Anna had left him for a commander of the fortress, a Frank.[15] However, this account has been proven to be false,[16] as there was no Frankish commander in Dyrrachium in Radoslav's time.[16] After some time, Radoslav and his wife returned together to Serbia and took monastic vows.[15][16] Radoslav and Anna are believed to have had a son during their exile, the veliki kaznac Jovan Dragoslav (fl. 1290â€“1315). His parentage has not been fully confirmed. Vladislav was crowned King upon Radoslav's flight.[15] Vladislav married the daughter of Ivan Asen II,[12] much thanks to Sava.[15] Sava then abdicated in favour of his apprentice Arsenije in the end of 1233.[12][15] Sava died while heading home from a Holy Land trip, while visiting the Bulgarian court in 1235, and was respectfully buried at the Holy Forty Martyrs Church in Tarnovo.[12][15] Sava's body was returned to Serbia after a series of requests,[12] and was then buried in the MileÅ¡eva monastery, built by Vladislav in 1234.[12][15] Sava was canonized and his relics were miraculous; his cult remained important throughout the Middle Ages and the Ottoman occupation.[12] Radoslav added a narthex to the church in the Studenica Monastery According to Fine both Radoslav and Anna retired into monastic life following their deposition. His monastic name was Jovan. The time and circumstances of his death are unknown.[10] The relations between Vladislav and Radoslav after he had returned and became a monk are not fully known, but he did not disturb his brother. There is a hypothesis that Radoslav even received a part of Serbian land to administrate. In any case, Radoslav continued the rest of his life in peace.[15] The EuropÃ¤ische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der EuropÃ¤ischen Staaten (1978) by Detlev Schwennicke, reports Radoslav betrothed to Theodora Komnene c. 1217. She was a daughter of Michael I Komnenos Doukas, ruler of Epirus. Both of his wives were members of the Melissenos family. Uncertain which of the two was her mother. Fine indicates Radoslav would instead marry her first cousin Anna Doukaina Angelina in 1219/1220. She was a daughter of Theodore Komnenos Doukas and Maria Petraliphaina. The EuropÃ¤ische Stammtafeln reports the marriage resulting in the birth of a single child. The name is not listed and Charles Cawley, a modern genealogist, has been unable to find primary sources on the existence of the child.[17] Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœMilkgiverÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12;

Serbia, 1229, Milkgiver Icon oSabbas m, Judea, before his death Sava Sanctified foretold Sava oSerbia, give him this icon
Jerusalem, 1229, Milkgiver Icon oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas waercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, Savva tSanctified before his death foretold royal pilgrim same name would come, give him tWonderworking icon as a blessing, Savva oSerbia came 13th C, given Savva's staff, Milk Giver Icon, and 3Hands Icon, He took Milk Giver Icon to Hilandar, MG later named Typikonissa for rule (Typikon) oSavva preserved there; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; “Milk-Giver” Icon of the Mother of God was originally located at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem. his death, the holy founder of the Lavra foretold a royal pilgrim having the same name as himself would visit the Lavra. Savva told the brethren to give the wonderworking icon to that pilgrim as a blessing. the thirteenth century, Saint Savva of Serbia visited the Lavra. he approached the reliquary of Saint Savva the Sanctified, the saint’s staff fell at his feet. brethren asked the visitor his name, and he told them he was Archbishop Savva of Serbia. the instructions of their founder, the monks gave Saint Savva his staff, the “Milk-Giver” Icon, and the Icon “Of the Three Hands” (June 28 and July 12). holy archbishop took the icon to Hilandar on Mount Athos and put it on the right side of the iconostasis in the church of Saint Savva at the kellion of Karyes, which is attached to Hilandar. icon was later named Typikonissa, since the Rule (Typikon) of Saint Savva was preserved there.

Serbia, 1233-1266, St Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia at Zhicha monastery, then at Pec
Serbia, 1233-1266, St Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia at Zhicha monastery; Sremac ( fl. 1219 - 1266) was the second Archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church (1233-1263) and a disciple of Saint Sava of Serbia. life[edit] was born in the village of Dabar, near Slankamen (today Stari Slankamen), at the time part of the Kingdom of Syrmia (modern Srem, Serbia). The exact date of his birth is unknown. He took monastic vows, probably in St. Demetrius Monastery in today's Sremska Mitrovica. When he heard of St. Sava's work, he was impressed and left for the monastery of Žiča. He soon became St. Sava's disciple and his synkellos. He was appointed as the ecclesiarch of the monastery and later Archimandrite of Žiča, because of his religious life. Serbia was invaded by Hungary, St. Sava sent St. Arsenius to find a safer place in the south to establish a new episcopal See. Arsenius chose Peć, where he built a monastery and a church which was at first dedicated to the Holy Apostles, and then to the Lord's Ascension. Archbishop Arsenije Sremac, fresco from the Church of the Holy Apostles, Patriarchal Monastery of Peć. St. Sava decided to abdicate, he decided that Arsenije would succeed him. Arsenije was consecrated bishop. He was able to continue in the work of his predecessor. He built Monastery of Peć and participated in the translation of St. Sava's sacred bones from Trnovo to the monastery of Mileševa. St. Arsenije crowned King Stefan Uroš I. He helped King Stefan Uroš I and Queen St. Helene in building the monasteries Sopoćani and Gradac. suffered a stroke in 1263, after which he was succeeded by Saint Sava II, nephew of Saint Sava. St. Arsenije died on October 28, 1266. relics were buried at the Pech monastery but now rest in the Ždrebaonik monastery in Montenegro. His feast day is celebrated according to the Orthodox liturgical calendar on October 28 (Julian Calendar, i.e. November 10 of the Gregorian Calendar). Zhicha monastery; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ; Arsenius, Archbishop of Pec, was born in Srem. He spent a large part of his life as a monk at the Zhicha monastery under the spiritual direction of Saint Savva (January 14). Because of his strict ascetic life, Saint Savva made him the igumen of the monastery. Serbia was invaded by Hungary, Saint Savva sent Saint Arsenius to find a safer place in the south for a new episcopal See. Arsenius chose Pec, where he built a monastery and a church which was dedicated to the Holy Apostles, and then to the Lord’s Ascension. leaving for Jerusalem, Saint Savva designated Arsenius as his successor. 1223, Saint Savva died in Trnovo on the way home, and Saint Arsenius urged King Vladislav to bring his body home for burial in Serbia. After thirty-three years of wisely guiding his flock, Saint Arsenius fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1266. His relics were buried at the Pec monastery, but now rest in the Zhrebaonik, Montenegro.

Serbia, 1233-1266, St Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia at Pec
Serbia, 1233-1266, St Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia at Zhicha monastery; Sremac ( fl. 1219 - 1266) was the second Archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church (1233-1263) and a disciple of Saint Sava of Serbia. life[edit] was born in the village of Dabar, near Slankamen (today Stari Slankamen), at the time part of the Kingdom of Syrmia (modern Srem, Serbia). The exact date of his birth is unknown. He took monastic vows, probably in St. Demetrius Monastery in today's Sremska Mitrovica. When he heard of St. Sava's work, he was impressed and left for the monastery of Žiča. He soon became St. Sava's disciple and his synkellos. He was appointed as the ecclesiarch of the monastery and later Archimandrite of Žiča, because of his religious life. Serbia was invaded by Hungary, St. Sava sent St. Arsenius to find a safer place in the south to establish a new episcopal See. Arsenius chose Peć, where he built a monastery and a church which was at first dedicated to the Holy Apostles, and then to the Lord's Ascension. Archbishop Arsenije Sremac, fresco from the Church of the Holy Apostles, Patriarchal Monastery of Peć. St. Sava decided to abdicate, he decided that Arsenije would succeed him. Arsenije was consecrated bishop. He was able to continue in the work of his predecessor. He built Monastery of Peć and participated in the translation of St. Sava's sacred bones from Trnovo to the monastery of Mileševa. St. Arsenije crowned King Stefan Uroš I. He helped King Stefan Uroš I and Queen St. Helene in building the monasteries Sopoćani and Gradac. suffered a stroke in 1263, after which he was succeeded by Saint Sava II, nephew of Saint Sava. St. Arsenije died on October 28, 1266. relics were buried at the Pech monastery but now rest in the Ždrebaonik monastery in Montenegro. His feast day is celebrated according to the Orthodox liturgical calendar on October 28 (Julian Calendar, i.e. November 10 of the Gregorian Calendar). Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ; Arsenius, Archbishop of Pec, was born in Srem. He spent a large part of his life as a monk at the Zhicha monastery under the spiritual direction of Saint Savva (January 14). Because of his strict ascetic life, Saint Savva made him the igumen of the monastery. Serbia was invaded by Hungary, Saint Savva sent Saint Arsenius to find a safer place in the south for a new episcopal See. Arsenius chose Pec, where he built a monastery and a church which was dedicated to the Holy Apostles, and then to the Lord’s Ascension. leaving for Jerusalem, Saint Savva designated Arsenius as his successor. 1223, Saint Savva died in Trnovo on the way home, and Saint Arsenius urged King Vladislav to bring his body home for burial in Serbia. After thirty-three years of wisely guiding his flock, Saint Arsenius fell asleep in the Lord in the year 1266. His relics were buried at the Pec monastery, but now rest in the Zhrebaonik, Montenegro.

Serbia, 1234-1243, Stefan Vladislav, King, energetic, reliable, hot tempered, w Epiris and Bulgaria, abdicated
Serbian King, 1234-1243, Stefan Vladislav of Serbia; Vladislav (Serbian Cyrillic:1198-“ after 1264) was the King of Serbia from 1234 to 1243. He was the middle son of Stefan the First-Crowned of the Nemanjia dynasty, who ruled Serbia from 1196 to 1228. the eldest son of Stefan the First-Crowned, was ousted by the Serbian nobility due to increasing Epirote influence through his marriage alliance to Theodore Komnenos Doukas; Vladislav was appointed as his successor. He is celebrated as Saint Vladislav by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Vladislav's reign, his uncle Archbishop Sava went on a pilgrimage and died in Bulgaria while on his way home. Vladislav obtained the remains and buried them in the Mileaeva monastery, which he had built intended to be his burial place. was politically aligned with Bulgaria at the time, since Vladislav was married to Beloslava, the daughter of Ivan Asen II. Vladislav secured Hum, a maritime province under attack by Hungarian crusaders. the death of Ivan Asen II, there was unrest in Serbia. The Mongols, led by Kadan, invaded Hungary and devastated the Balkans, at which time the Serbian nobility rose up against Vladislav. In 1243, he abdicated in favour of his younger brother, but remained the ruler of Zeta. was described as very energetic, reliable, and hot-tempered. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerates him as a saint on September 24 [O.S. October 7]. Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12;

Serbia, 1237, Icon of Three Hands to Serbia for Donkey story, John of Damascus' hand, MOG leads Donkey, becomes Hilander Igumen
Syria, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus' hand, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), J slandered by Leo III, caliph cut off J's hand, MOG puts it back on, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, MOG commanded toil w o fail before healing, John to Sabbas w icon, icon to Serbia, MOG leads icon donkey to Hilandar, MOG icon becomes igumen of H; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Hands”: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Serbia, 1237, Damascus Icon aka 3Hands, iconodule John oD slandered bIconoclast, MOG heals hand, Silver hand oHer Icon
Syria, 740 & 1237, Damascus Icon or 3Hands Icon, Syria, John oDamascus venerated icons, slandered by iconoclast Leo III Isaurian, Caliph cut off his hand, tMarketplace, asked for hand put it on joint prayed tMOG at her icon, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, saw MOG in dream promised quick healing, before this MOG bid him toil without fail with this hand, woke wHealed hand, in thankfulness put silver hand on Icon, 3hands Icon, wrote thanksgiving hymn All Creation Rejoices in You O Full oGrace, in Basil' Liturgy place It is Truly Meet, John oD monk at Sabbas, there gave icon, 1237 icon tSerbia aSava's Monastery, icon put on donkey during Turk invasion, donkey tSerbian Monastery Hilandar oAthos, MOG made Icon Hilandar Igumen by MOG; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Damascene Icon of the Mother of God, by ancient tradition, was painted by Saint John of Damascus gratitude to the Theotokos for the miraculous healing of his right hand, off through the perfidy of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. icon is also known as “Of the Three Hands” Icon of the Mother of God (June 28, and July 12). the ninth century in the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene received monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience.

Serbia, 1243-1276, King, Stefan Uros I, Venetian wife, nobility, trade, military, mines, lit, unity, but Dragutin
Serbian King, 1243-1276, Stefan Uros I of Serbia; UroÅ¡ I (Serbian Cyrillic: Ð¡Ñ‚ÐµÑ„Ð°Ð½ Ð£Ñ€Ð¾Ñˆ I; c. 1223 – May 1, 1277), known as UroÅ¡ the Great (Ð£Ñ€Ð¾Ñˆ Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¸)[a] was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers in Serbian history.[1] life[edit] UroÅ¡ was the youngest son of Stefan the First-Crowned and Anna, the granddaughter of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice. UroÅ¡ inherited many personality traits from his mother and paternal grandfather Stefan Nemanja, who raised him along with his two older brothers (Stefan Radoslav and Stefan Vladislav).[1] (Note that "Stefan" is a high-ranking title, not only a name). have argued that Bulgarian influence had been strong and unpopular, causing opposition that led to Vladislav's deposition after the death of Asen.[2] The revolting nobility had chosen UroÅ¡ as their candidate for king; from 1242 to spring 1243, a war for the throne was fought, which ended with Vladislav being forced to give up the crown in favour of UroÅ¡.[3] It seems that UroÅ¡ quickly captured Vladislav and held him in prison. The main resistance against UroÅ¡ was led by Vladislav's wife, Beloslava.[3] The hostilities did not last long, and the brothers quickly settled.[3] UroÅ¡ was courteous towards Vladislav, gave him the administration of Zeta, and allowed him to use the title of "king".[3] It is not known exactly why the nobility revolted against Vladislav, nor are the details of the conflict between the two brothers.[3] 25 years of age, very young, he took the throne from his brother Vladislav, and despite not having support from in-laws as was the case with his brothers, he immediately ruled energetic and determined.[1] Prior to his accession, the land had been looted by the Tatars and there were widespread internal conflicts;[1] UroÅ¡ managed in a short time to resolve all important issues in the state and in its foreign policy.[4] situation in Europe and in the Balkans were quite favorable for Serbia, which he very cleverly used for his benefit. During his reign Serbia significantly strengthened itself and progressed in every way.[4] UroÅ¡ correctly determined the direction in political pretensions through penetrating the south in Macedonia and conflict with Hungary in Podunavlje.[4] The land was politically and militarily prepared for serious politics and definitive fortification of Serbia and the Serb people in the Vardar valley and the middle Podunavlje.[4] Apart from this, UroÅ¡ also correctly determined the direction of Serbian trade politics, as he on several occasions in his fight against the Republic of Ragusa wanted to eliminate Ragusan brokerage and exploitation in his state.[4] significance in his domestic politics is that he strongly stressed the state principle above all else, and subordinated the churches (both Orthodox and Catholic) to state interests.[4] He was instrumental in the definite solution to the conflict between the archbishoprics of Bar and Dubrovnik regarding power in Serbia, resolved in favour of Bar.[4] Å¡ was the first to begin exploiting the mines, which would later become one of the main sources of material wealth and power of the Serbian state in the Middle Ages. As a first result of the opening of mines came the forging of Serbian coins, which he first minted on the Venetian model.[4] protected and assisted literature and writers; i.e. gave impetus to the preparation of a new, more comprehensive and ornate biography of his grandfather Nemanja, whom he fully modeled himself after.[4] to Helen of the French royal family, he lived a modest patriarchal life, happy and content within his family, and he in contrast to the splendor of the Byzantine court, proudly emphasized modesty to the Byzantine deputies, which dominated at his court, where everyone had to work.[4] foreign policy UroÅ¡ skillfully used to his advantage the conflict between the Despotate of Epirus and the Empire of Nicaea, two Greek states, both of which sought to inherit the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople from the Latin Empire.[4] But when the Latin Empire fell, and Emperor Michael Palaiologos of Nicaea took Constantinople, UroÅ¡ began to coalite with his wife's cousin, Charles of Anjou, who wanted to recapture Constantinople, and through that alliance take as much Byzantine land as possible.[4] Via Charles, who had family ties with the Hungarian kings, UroÅ¡ at the end of his reign also approached Hungary, with whom he long had been in a bad relation with, and married his eldest son and heir, Stefan Dragutin, to Catherine, the daughter of Hungarian King Stephen V.[4] by his in-laws, with the help of the army he received from Hungary, Dragutin, unhappy with not getting more participation in the government, revolted and defeated his father and took over the throne.[4] UroÅ¡ retired with his loyals to Hum, where, disappointed, dissatisfied and angry, he died soon thereafter.[4] development[edit] Stefan UroÅ¡ I, Serbia became a significant power in the Balkans, partly due to economic development through opening of mines.[5] The mines were developed by the "Sasi" (Saxons), who were experienced in the extracting of ore.[5] Their settlements, located by the mines, had privileged status – they lived under their own laws and were allowed to adhere to Catholicism and build their churches.[5] Important mines were located at Novo Brdo, Brskovo and Rudnik. prosperity was also fostered by the related intensification of trade with the Dalmatian cities of Dubrovnik and Kotor. The increase in the mining of silver and in trade naturally led to the introduction of larger quantities of royal coinage, modeled after the Venetian standard. operations[edit] with Ragusa[edit] 1252–1253, UroÅ¡ I was at war with the Republic of Ragusa, which bordered the Hum, which was held by his kinsman Radoslav AndrijiÄ‡. Radoslav swore to fight Ragusa as long as it was in conflict with Serbia, at the same time boasting relations with Béla IV of Hungary. Ragusa took up an alliance with Bulgaria. Peace was ensured in a charter dated May 22, 1254, and the crisis ended. the second half of the 1260s a new war broke out with Ragusa, which was secretly favored by the Serbian queen. A treaty was signed in 1268, specifying the amount of protection money that Dubrovnik was expected to supply annually to the Serbian king. The arrangement remained largely unbroken for the next century. with Hungary[edit] of Serbia in 1265. 1268 the Serbian king invaded the Hungarian possessions south of the Danube in MaÄva, what is now western central Serbia. In spite of some initial success, Stefan UroÅ¡ was captured by the Hungarians and forced to purchase his release. A peace treaty was signed between the two kingdoms, and Stefan UroÅ¡'s son Stefan Dragutin of Serbia was married to Catherine, the daughter of the future king Stephen V of Hungary. with Dragutin[edit] the end of his reign, Stefan UroÅ¡ apparently succeeded in suppressing the autonomy of Zahumlje, where the local princes became virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the nobility. In his effort to achieve centralization, the king appears to have alienated his eldest son by refusing to grant him an appanage. The conflict between father and son exacerbated, and the king apparently considered making his younger son, the future Stefan Milutin, his heir. about the inheritance and his very life, Stefan Dragutin finally demanded the throne in 1276. When Stefan UroÅ¡ refused, Dragutin rebelled and received help from his Hungarian relatives. The allies defeated the Serbian king and Stefan UroÅ¡ was forced to abdicate and retire to an unidentified monastery in Hum where he died a year or two later. His remains were later moved to his monastic foundation of SopoÄ‡ani. Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8;

Serbia, 1256-1276, Saint Helen of Serbia, Helen of Anjou
Serbia, 1256-1276, Saint Helen of Serbia, Helen of Anjou; Serbian King, 1243-1276, Stefan Uros I of Serbia; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Helen of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8;

Serbia, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Bishop of Zeta, Zeta Athos, then Archbishop of Serbia
Hungary, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, from Eparchy of Buda (Budim), Budapest, Hungary, strict ed from tutor,monastery in Zeta, Great ascetic, Serbia Hilandar Monaster, Mt Athos, Igumen, Bishop of Zeta, Archbishop of Serbia; Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221; Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 4; Eustathius, Archbishop of Serbia, lived in the second half of the thirteenth century, during the reign of the Serbian king Stephen Urosh (1262-1320). was born in the diocese of Budim into a pious Christian family, where he received a spiritual upbringing. by remarkable talents, Eustathius was given a tutor by his parents to train him in spiritual wisdom. studied Holy Scripture with particular diligence, perfecting himself in piety and good deeds. finished his education, the youth entered the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in the Zeta district (Montenegro) and led a strict monastic life. he became known as a great ascetic. thence he undertook a journey to Jerusalem, to venerate the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord. the return journey he visited Mount Athos and settled there in the Serbian Hilandar monastery. Eustathius gained general renown and love as a strict ascetic and good teacher, and many came to him for spiritual advice. Later, he became igumen of the monastery. several years he was consecrated as Bishop of Zeta, and the saint returned to his native land. in spiritual life and in churchly matters, he won the love of his fellow countrymen, and continued to set an example for his flock. Eustathius was chosen as Archbishop of Serbia after the death of Archbishop Joannicius. Eustathius guided the Serbian Church for seven years, and died about the year 1285. His body was buried in the Zhicha monastery, and later it was transferred to Pech and placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

Serbia, 1263-1270, Serbian Saint, Sava II, Archbishop of Serbia
Serbian Saint, 1221-1271, Sava II, Archbishop of Serbia; Sava II (1201–1271) was the third archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, serving from 1263 until his death in 1271. He was the middle son of King Stefan the First-Crowned of the NemanjiÄ‡ dynasty and his Byzantine wife Eudokia Angelina. He had two brothers, Stefan Radoslav and Stefan Vladislav, and a sister, Komnena. Predislav took the monastic name of Sava, after his uncle, Saint Sava, the first Serbian archbishop. The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates him as a saint and his feast-day is 21 February. as Predislav in c. 1198, he was the middle son of King Stefan the First-Crowned and Eudokia Angelina. He had brothers Stefan Radoslav (b. 1192), Stefan Vladislav (b. 1198), and half-brother Stefan UroÅ¡ I (b. 1223). He also had two sisters, Komnena being the only one whose name is known. Stefan the First-Crowned, who had become ill, took monastic vows and died in 1227.[1] Radoslav who was the eldest son succeeded as King, crowned at Zica by Archbishop Sava,[1] his uncle. The younger sons, Vladislav and UroÅ¡ I, received appanages.[1] Sava II (Predislav) was appointed bishop of Hum shortly thereafter, later serving as archbishop of Serbia (1263-1270).[1] The Church and state was thus dominated by the same family and the ties between the two as well as the family's role within the Church continued.[2] Serbian King, 1243-1276, Stefan Uros I of Serbia; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8;

Serbia, 1273-1338, Archbishop Daniel II, biography writer, Hilandar Crusaders, Serbian arbitrator
Serbia, 1273-1338, Archbishop Daniel II, biography writer, Hilandar Crusaders, Serbian arbitrator, rich parents, same age friend Milutin, monk aKonchul m, exemplary ascetic life, under Archbishop Eustathius, same cell, igumen Hilandar m Athos, Crusaders Arabs attack H, seige&hunger, peace, complete silence, iSava's cell aKaryes, reconciled Intercine war Mulitin and Dragutin, Stephen oDechani, then bishop oBanja Serbia & igumen St Steven's m, built cathedral, then back to Athos, back 1325 Archbishop oSerbia, non-covetousness, flock concern, built churches, incl Dechani Church, historical account otHomeland, gift oWonderworking&healing, died 1338; Serbia, 1324-1337, Archbishop Daniel II ; II (Serbian Cyrillic: II) was the Archbishop of Serbs 1324 to 1337, under the rule of Kings Stephen Uro III (1321-“1331) and Duan the Mighty (1331-“1355, crowned Emperor in 1345). As a Serbian monk, he was also a chronicler, active in court and Church politics, holding the office during the zenith of the Nemanji- dynasty-era; he wrote many biographies which are considered part of the most notable medieval Serbian literature. He was proclaimed Saint Danilo II ( II) of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and is celebrated on the same day as Saint Ignatius of Antioch on 2 January [O.S. 20 December]. it was time to choose the igumen for the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, Saint Daniel received the appointment. The saint was igumen at a most difficult time for the Holy Mountain. After the Crusaders were expelled from Palestine, they joined with the Arabs to plunder and loot the Athonite monasteries, not sparing anything sacred. the internecine war of Kings Milutin and Dragutin and Stephen of Dechani (November 11), the ascetic was summoned to Serbia, where he reconciled the adversaries. St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20; Daniel of Serbia, the only son of rich and renowned parents, a close associate of the Serbian king Stephan Urosh Milutin. renounced a secular career, he received monastic tonsure from the igumen of the Saint Nicholas monastery at Konchul near the River Ibar. Daniel’s ascetic life was an example for all the brethren. Eustathius of Serbia ordained him presbyter and took him into his cell. it was time to choose the igumen for the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, Saint Daniel received the appointment. saint was igumen at a most difficult time for the Holy Mountain. the Crusaders were expelled from Palestine, they joined with the Arabs to plunder and loot the Athonite monasteries, “not sparing anything sacred.” Daniel remained at the Hilandar monastery, enduring siege and hunger. peace came to the Holy Mountain, the saint resigned as igumen and withdrew into complete silence in the cell of Saint Savva of Serbia (at Karyes). the internecine war of Kings Milutin and Dragutin and Stephen of Dechani (November 11), the ascetic was summoned to Serbia, where he reconciled the adversaries. his native land Daniel was made Bishop of Banja and head of the renowned monastery of Saint Stephen, a royal treasury. completing the construction of a cathedral church at Banja in honor of the holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Daniel returned to his monastic labors on the Holy Mountain. saint was summoned from Athos again in 1325, when he was elected Archbishop of Serbia. was consecrated on the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross of the Lord. The Protos [“head”] of the Holy Mountain, Garbasios, and other Athonite Elders took part in the solemnities. Daniel was a model of piety, and a wise archpastor. tenure as archbishop was marked by complete non-covetousness, concern and toil for the needs of the Church and the flock, and the building of churches. 1335 the saint built a church at Dechani in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, one of the finest Christian monuments in Serbia. collected accounts about the Serbian past, and compiled the “Rodoslov” [Account about the homeland], writing about the lives of Serbian rulers and Serbian archpastors. during his lifetime Saint Daniel was granted the gift of wonderworking and healing. fourteen years as archbishop, Saint Daniel departed to the Lord on December 19, 1338.

Serbia, 1276-1282, King, Stefan Dragutin, rebelled father with Hungarian and noblemen support, Belgrade
Serbian King, 1276-1282, Stefan Dragutin of Serbia; Dragutin (c. 1244 -12 March 1316) was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neighboring Hungarian banates (or border provinces), for which he was unofficially styled "King of Syrmia". He was the eldest son of King Stefan Uros¡ I of Serbia and Helen of Anjou. Dragutin married Catherine of Hungary, likely after his father concluded a peace treaty with her grandfather, Bacla IV of Hungary, in 1268. By 1271, he received the title of "young king" in recognition of his right to succeed his father. He rebelled against his father, and with Hungarian assistance, forced him to abdicate in 1276. abandoned Uros I's centralizing policy and ceded large territories to his mother in appanage. After a riding accident, he abdicated in favor of his brother, Milutin, in 1282, but he retained the northern regions of Serbia along the Hungarian border. Two years later, his brother-in-law, Ladislaus IV of Hungary, granted him three banaesa Matva (or Sirmia ulterior), Usora and Solia him. He was the first Serbian monarch to rule Belgrade. With his brother's support, he also occupied the Banate of Branievo in 1284 or 1285. theory, Dragutin was a vassal both to his brother (for his Serbian territories), and to the Hungarian monarchs (for the four banates), but in practice he ruled his realm as an independent ruler from the 1290s. His conflicts with Milutin developed into open war in 1301, and he frequently raided the neighboring Hungarian lords from 1307. Most of the Serbian noblemen supported Dragutin, but he was forced to make peace with Milutin after Milutin's mercenaries routed him in 1311 or 1312. Before his death, he entered a monastery and died as the monk Teoktist. On the list of Serbian saints, Dragutin is venerated on 12 November or 30 October (Old Style and New Style dates). Serbian King, 1281-1321, Stefan Milutin; Serbian Kingdom, 1217-1346; St Helen of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Serbia, 1281-1321, King Stefan Uros II Milutin, Resisted Byzantine Roman Catholicism
Serbian King, 1281-1321, Stefan Uros II Milutin; UroÅ¡ II Milutin (Serbian Cyrillic: Ð¡Ñ‚ÐµÑ„Ð°Ð½ Ð£Ñ€Ð¾Ñˆ II ÐœÐ¸Ð»ÑƒÑ‚Ð¸Ð½; c. 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin (Ð¡Ñ‚ÐµÑ„Ð°Ð½ ÐœÐ¸Ð»ÑƒÑ‚Ð¸Ð½), was the King of Serbia between 1282–1321, a member of the NemanjiÄ‡ dynasty. was one of the most powerful rulers of Serbia in the Middle Ages. Milutin is credited with strongly resisting the efforts of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to impose Roman Catholicism on the Balkans after the Union of Lyons in 1274. his regin, Serbian economic power grew rapidly, mostly due to the development of mining. He founded Novo Brdo, which became an internationally important silver mining site. As most of the NemanjiÄ‡ monarchs, he was proclaimed a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church with a feast day on October 30.[1] Milutin appears in the Dante Alighieri's narrative poem Divine Comedy. Serbian Kingdom, 1217-1346; St Helen of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20; St Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the river Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11;

Serbia, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Serbian Empire, Battle of Kosovo Field

Serbia, 1305-1316, Sava III, Archbishop oSerbia, important architecture development figure
Saint Sava III (Serbian: Свети Сава III / Sveti Sava III; died July 16, 1316) was the Archbishop of Serbs from 1309 to 1316. Upon completing his studies,[1] he began as a hegumen in Hilandar, then became the Bishop of Prizren. During his office as bishop, he worked on the Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren. In 1309 he became the Archbishop. Sava III was an important figure of the development of architecture in Medieval Serbia. Prior to the founding of the Banjska monastery, which Sava III did not survive, King Stefan Milutin consulted with him. In his charters confirming the endowments of King Milutin, he is styled "Archbishop of All Serbian and Maritime Lands". He rebuilt the Church of Saint George in Staro Nagoričane. According to the testimonies of his successor Archbishop Nikodim I, he regularly donated to Hilandar. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerate him as Saint Sava III on July 26 (August 8, Gregorian calendar); Serbia; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; Savva III was Archbishop of Serbia from 1305 -1316. He is also commemorated on August 30 (and August 16).

Serbia, 1322-1331, King Stefan Decanski, lived Khan's court, monk 5yrs, blinded bFather Milutin, Killed bSon Dushan, St Nic app
Serbia, 1322-1331, King, Stefan Decanski, lived in Khan's court till 1299, then Pantocrator 5yrs, d by son, blinded bFather, King Milutin, Killed bSon, King Dushan, St Nic appeared to him, said do not be afraid, shall return eyes in time, 5yrs Nic returned again healed his eyes, so he built Decani Monastery, drowned in old age by son Dushan; Serbia, 1322-1331, Serbian King, Stefan Decanski ; Uroš III (c. 1276 – 11 November 1331), the King of Serbia from 6 January 1322 to 8 September 1331. čanski was the son of King Stefan Milutin (d. 1321). He defeated two other pretenders to the Serbian throne. is known as Dečanski after the great Monastery of Visoki Dečani he built.[1][2][3][4] life[edit] Uroš III was the son of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and his first wife Jelena, a Serbian noblewoman. He was born before his father took the throne in 1282. still a youth, he was sent by his father as a hostage with his entourage to Nogai Khan of the Golden Horde, to maintain the peace between the Serbs and Tatars. stayed at Nogai's court until the Khan's death in 1299.[5] 1309, king Milutin appointed his son Stefan (future Dečanski) as governor of Zeta, where he remained until 1314.[6][7] and return[edit] 1314, Dečanski quarreled with his father, who sent him to Constantinople to be blinded. čanski was never totally blinded and was likely not blinded at all.[8] Constantinople, Dečanski was at the court of Andronikos II Palaiologos, indicating good relations between the states.[9] čanski wrote a letter to Danilo, Bishop of Hum, asking him to intervene with his father.[10] wrote to Archbishop Nicodemus of Serbia, who spoke with Milutin and persuaded him to recall his son. 1320, Dečanski was permitted to return to Serbia and was given the appanage of Budimlje,[10] while his half-brother Stefan Konstantin, held Zeta.[11] Zvečan Fortress, where Stefan died became ill and died on 29 October 1321, leaving no formal instruction regarding his inheritance.[10] was crowned King in Zeta, but civil war broke out immediately as both Dečanski and his cousin, Stefan Vladislav II, claimed the throne.[12] čanski revealed that his eyesight was still intact, claiming a miracle, and the populace rallied behind him believing the restoration of his sight to be a sign from God.[11] 6 January 1322, the archbishop of Serbia, Nicodemus, crowned Dečanski king and his son, Stefan Dušan, the young king.[11] čanski later granted Zeta to Dušan as a fief, indicating his intention for Dušan to be his heir.[13] to one account, Dečanski offered to split the realm with Konstantin, who refused.[14] čanski then invaded Zeta, and Konstantin was defeated and killed.[13] Visoki Dečani monastery, today a World Heritage Site the meantime, Vladislav II had been released from prison upon Milutin's death and recovered the throne of Syrmia, which his father had established in northern Serbia. also claimed the throne of Serbia upon Milutin's death and mobilized local support from Rudnik, a former possession of Vladislav's father.[13] supported by Hungarians, Bulgarians, and Bosnians, Vladislav consolidated control over Syrmia and prepared for battle with Dečanski.[13] 1323, war broke out between Dečanski and Vladislav. In autumn, Vladislav still held Rudnik, but by the end of 1323, the market of Rudnik was held by officials of Dečanski, and Vladislav seems to have fled further north.[13] of Vladislav's supporters from Rudnik, led by Ragusan merchant Menčet, took refuge in the nearby Ostrovica fortress, where they resisted Dečanski's troops.[13] čanski sent envoys to Dubrovnik (Ragusa), to protest the support of Vladislav.[13] rejected Dečanski's complaint, claiming Ostrovica was held by Serbs.[13] čanski was not satisfied, and in 1324 he rounded up all the Ragusan merchants he could find, confiscated their property, and held them captive.[13] year's end, Rudnik was restored to Dečanski, who released the merchants and returned their property.[13] was defeated in battle in late 1324, and fled to Hungary,[15][12] that was holding Belgrade since 1319.[16][17] between Dubrovnik and Serbia continued: August 1325 Vojvoda Vojin plundered Dubrovnik, resulting in a brief trade ban.[13] 25 March 1326 Dečanski reaffirmed privileges previously granted to Ragusa by Milutin.[13] began again, however, when Bosnia and Dubrovnik took actions against the Branivojevići.[13] čanski generally maintained an alliance with Andronikos II, aside from occasional disruptions.[18] avoided taking a position in the Byzantine civil war between Andronikos II and Andronikos III Palaiologos. as Andronikos III gained control, he developed an alliance with Tsar Michael Asen III of Bulgaria.[19] Asen III divorced Dečanski's sister Anna and married the Byzantine princess Theodora Palaiologina instead. allies intended to join forces for a major invasion of Serbia in 1330. the most significant event of Dečanski's reign, he defeated and killed Michael Asen III in the Battle of Velbazhd (1330). Stefan Dušan also contributed to the victory.[20][21][22] of Michael's defeat, Andronikos III retreated. Dečanski's subsequent conquests pushed the Serbian border south into Byzantine Macedonia. of his courtiers, however, were discontented with his policies and conspired to dethrone him in favour of Stefan Dušan. 1331, Dušan came from Skadar to Nerodimlje to overthrow Dečanski, who fled to Petrič.[23] 21 August 1331 Dušan captured Petrič after a siege and imprisoned his father in Zvečan Fortress, where he died on 11 November 1331.[24] Stefan Dečanski with his son Stefan Dušan (lower left corner) on the icon of St. Nicholas in the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Italy With his first wife, whose name is not known, Dečanski had no issue.[25] By his second wife, Theodora of Bulgaria,[25] Stefan Dečanski had: Uroš IV Dušan,[25] who overthrew him and took royal title, and šica (or Dušman), who died before 1318. By his third wife, Maria Palaiologina,[25] daughter of John Palaiologos, Dečanski had: later tried to usurp imperial title from his nephew, and ruled as independent ruler in Thessaly, who married Mladen III Šubić, and who married Dejan. čanski is seen as a noble character in epic poetry, and the Serbian Orthodox Church had him canonized. his feast day is 11 November (old style), thus being 24 November (new style).[26] remains are venerated at the church of the Visoki Dečani monastery, which he built, in the region of Metohija.[27][28] Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11; Stephen was the son of King Milutin and the father of King Dushan. was blinded on the orders of his father. Nicholas (December 6) appeared to him in the church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture) and said, “Do not be afraid. Your eyes have been given to me, and I shall return them to you at the appropriate time.” Stephen lived in Constantinople for five years at the Monastery of the Pantocrator. surpassed not only the monks, but also all the inhabitants of Constantinople, in his spiritual struggles, patience, and meekness. the end of the five years, Saint Nicholas appeared to him again. Making the Sign of the Cross over his eyes, he restored Stephen’s sight. gratitude for this miracle, Stephen built the Dečani Monastery in Serbia. his old age, Saint Stephen was drowned by his son, receiving the crown of martyrdom in 1336.

Serbia, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica, Bulgarian, Hesychast, sought elder, then sought solitude, but always found, great teacher
Serbia, 1325-1375, Romilus oRavenica monastery, Serbia (Srem Plain, near Danube River 8), Hesychast, Gregory oSinai's disciple, born Vidn, Bulgaria, Greek father, Bulgarian mother, disdained child games, admired fLearning, piety bFriends, teachers, parents wanted marry him tWoman but he longed for monastic life, fled tHodegetria m fForced marriage, tonsured as Romanus, from beginning known as virtuous humble monk, longed to dwell wGregory aPanoria wilderness, more remote far from worldly distractions, even knowing this Abbot reluctant, longing stronger each day, asked again, Abbot grieved but feared God's will, so blessed departure, gave provisions, tParoria wHilarion, R explained tGregory who they were and why, to become his disciples, assigned obediences, Hilarion weaker-lighter duties, R strong-heavier labors-carry wood stones fMountain, water fRiver, kitchen&bakery help, When he tended sick they seemed improve, other monks called him- Romanus tGood- for his cheerful obedience, piety, R received spiritual instruction fG, Not wanting without being subject, When G died R found another instructor, Hilarion's, all three robbed so went back to Zagora at Mogrin near Trnovo, R left the elder for remote place for some reason, Elder died, R returned wRemorse that deserted Elder, R then placed himself under his elder Hilarion, since R surpassed in virture H at first said no, then seeing humility said yes, both back to Paroria because Robbers subdued by Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexandar, for greater solitude, Later Romanus Great Schema Romilus, Moslem incursions, back tZagora, hut remote place, other monks there resented Romilus, so tMt Athos, monks came disturbed quietude, fleeing human glory fPlace tPlace, tMt Melana near Karyes, monks gathered, consoled instructed fTheir profit- taught wage war against passions, &deamons who seek soul destruction - taught love God & Neighbor seeking good things which eye not seen, ear not heard, - also corrected other elders and their disciples, not question elder's orders, obey like Christ obeyed Father, warned refusing authority easily led bDevil, - urged Elders be gentle, fSolitude moved North end Mt Athos t Solitude Cell, but they flocked to him as before, Moslem Turks killed Serbian Despot John Ugljela, Battle oMarica, 1371, so they attacked Mt Athos, so many monks fled, Romilus t obscure Valona, Albania, but no solitude, many monks&laymen came, afflicted wIgnorance, enslaved tPassions, no shepherd, he led many to the light oChrist, left V with his disciples t Ravenica, Serbia, settled near monastery, died 1375, grave emitted ineffable fragrance, after death he performed great miracles, casting demons, healing diseases&sufferings, likewise through his prayers may we obtain forgiveness and mercy; Ravenica monestary; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Romilus the Hesychast was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8). was born in Vidin, Bulgaria of a Greek father and a Bulgarian mother. a child, he possessed a maturity beyond his years, and disdained childish games and pursuits. friends, and even his teacher, admired him for his learning and piety. parents wanted to marry him to a woman, he longed for the monastic life. he learned that they planned to force him into marriage, he fled to the Hodēgḗtria Monastery at Trnovo. abbot accepted him and tonsured him with the name Romanus. the beginning of his life as a monk, Romanus was known for his virtue and for his humility. monk Romanus, hearing of the monastery established by Saint Gregory of Sinai in the wilderness of Paroria, longed to dwell there. the abbot realized that the young man wished to live in a more remote area far from worldly distractions, he was reluctant to let him go. desire of Romanus to go to Paroria grew stronger day by day. spoke to the abbot again, and the Elder was grieved at the thought of losing the exemplary and well-loved Romanus. realized, however, that keeping Romanus there might not be according to the will of God. he blessed Romanus to depart, and gave him provisions for his journey. traveled to Paroria with another monk named Hilarion and explained to Saint Gregory who they were and that they had come to be his disciples. Gregory received them and assigned them to their obediences in the monastery. Hilarion was weaker, he was given lighter duties. who was strong, received heavier labors. would carry wood from the mountain, or sometimes stones. He also carried water from the river, and helped in the kitchen and in the bakery. even tended the sick, who seemed to improve under his care. Seeing his humility, his cheerful obedience, and his piety, the other monks called him “Romanus the Good.” received instruction in the spiritual life from Saint Gregory, who trained him to be a great ascetic. Saint Gregory fell asleep in the Lord, Romanus grieved for him day and night. did not wish to remain in that place without being subject to an Elder. found another instructor who had already accepted Romanus’s fellow-traveler Hilarion as a disciple. subjected himself to this Elder, obeying him as he had obeyed Saint Gregory. the three monks were assailed by robbers who deprived them of the necessities of life, they left Paroria and went back to Zagora. settled at a place called Mogrin, about one day’s journey from Trnovo. some reason, Romanus left the Elder to dwell in a remote place by himself. of the Elder’s death, he returned and fell upon his grave with tears, filled with regret that he had deserted his instructor. he fell at Hilarion’s feet and said, “Since I disobeyed the Elder’s order and left this place, I place myself under you from this day forward.” knowing that Romanus surpassed him in virtue, would not agree to this. insisted saying, “Unless you accept me under your authority, I shall not get up from the ground.” Seeing his great humility, Hilarion finally agreed to accept Romanus. that the robbers had been subdued by Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria, Romanus and Hilarion decided to go back to Paroria, where they could live in solitude and contemplation. Romanus was tonsured into the Great Schema with the name Romilus. incursions of the Moslems forced Romilus to return yet again to Zagora, he built a hut in a remote place. monks in the area, through envy or jealousy, resented Romilus, he traveled to Mt. Athos. many monks came to him for spiritual counsel, and they disturbed his quietude. human glory, he went from place to place until he came to Mt. Melana near Karyes. there, monks gathered around him, and he was able to console and instruct them for their profit. taught them to wage war against the passions, and against the demons who seek the destruction of the soul. also taught them to love God and their neighbor, seeking the good things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard (I Cor. 2:9). only did he correct his own disciples, but sometimes an Elder would send his disciples to Saint Romilus for correction. urged them not to question or contradict their Elder’s orders, but to obey him just as Christ obeyed the will of the Father (John 6:38). warned them that those who refuse to submit to authority are easily led astray by the Enemy. also urged the Elders to be gentle with their disciples, and to avoid harsh treatment. again, the number of monks who sought spiritual conversation with him hindered his own spiritual struggles and prayer. he moved to the northern part of Mt. Athos and built a cell where he could live in solitude. more he fled worldly glory, however, the more this glory found him. When the location of his cell became known, they flocked to him just as before. Serbian despot John Ugljela was killed by the Turks at the Battle of Marica on September 26, 1371. allowed the Moslems to attack Mt. Athos, so many of the monks (including Saint Romilus) fled to other places. Romilus went to Valona in Albania. thought that in this obscure place he would find solitude, but he was mistaken. monks and laymen came to him, afflicted with ignorance, enslaved to base passions, with no shepherd to guide them. Through his words and his example, he led many from darkness into the light of Christ. Romilus left Valona with his disciples and moved to Ravenica in Serbia, where there was a monastery dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. settled near this place with his disciples. 1375, he surrendered his soul to God and went to the heavenly Kingdom. is said that his grave emitted an ineffable fragrance. after his death, Saint Romilus performed great miracles, casting out demons, and healing all sorts of diseases and suffering. his holy prayers, may we obtain the forgiveness of our sins and great mercy from Christ our God, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, together with His unoriginate Father, and the Most Holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Serbia, 1331-1355, King &Emperor Stephen Uros IV Dusan the mighty, drowned his father, first emperor, Dunstan's Code
Serbian King, 1331-1346, Stephen Uros IV Dusan of Serbia; Uros (circa 1308 -“ 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs and Greeks (or Romans) from 16 April 1346 until his death. Dusan conquered a large part of southeast Europe, becoming one of the most powerful monarchs of the era. Under Dusan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the Balkans, and an Eastern Orthodox multi-ethnic and multi-lingual empire that stretched from the Danube in the north to the Gulf of Corynth in the south, with its capital in Skopje.[1] He enacted the constitution of the Serbian Empire, known as Dusan's Code, perhaps the most important literary work of medieval Serbia. promoted the Serbian Church from an archbishopric to a patriarchate, finished the construction of the Visoki Deani monastery (now a UNESCO site), and founded the Monastery of the Holy Archangels, among others. Under his rule, Serbia reached its territorial, political, economic, and cultural peak.[2] died in 1355, seen as the end of resistance against the advancing Ottoman Empire and the subsequent fall of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the region.[3] St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Serbia, 1334-1395, Prilep, Macedonia, Greece, High Point, Acquired by King Steven Dusan 1334, Serbian till 1395
Prilep, Macedonia, Greece; is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia.[2] It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. View of Prilep and the surrounding mountains name of Prilep appeared first as Πρίλαπος. The old fortress was attached to the rocky hilltop, and its name means “stuck” on the rocks in Old Church Slavonic. It was mentioned by John Skylitzes in relation with Samuel of Bulgaria, who died here in 1014.[3] In other languages is: Bulgarian: Прилеп, Prilep Aromanian: Pãrleap[4] Serbo-Croatian: Prilep / Прилеп Turkish: Pirlepe, or Perlepe Albanian: Përlep or Përlepi, or Prilep or Prilepi Greek: Prilapos, Πρίλαπος Latin: Prilapum is a centre for high-quality tobacco and cigarettes and the metal processing, electronics, timber, textiles, and food industries. The city also produces a large quantity of Macedonian Bianco Sivec (pure white marble). is one of Prilep's traditional cash crops and prospers in the Macedonian climate. Many of the world's largest cigarette makers, such as Marlboro, West and Camel use Prilep's tobacco in their cigarettes after it is processed in local factories such as Tutunski kombinat Prilep. A Tobacco Institute is established in the city in order to produce new types of tobacco and it was the first example of applying genetics to agriculture in the Balkans.[citation needed]. A Gentherm production plant is located in Prilep. overwhelming majority of the city population is Macedonian; the Macedonian population at the last census counted 64,527. There is also a Romani minority, counting some 4,420 inhabitants,most of them living in the neighbourhood of Trizla , also Serbs (310) and Turks (260). Kingdom of Prilep - Realm of Prince Marko A postcard of Prilep in 1915 Photo of a panoramic view of Prilep in 1930 antiquity, the region of Prilep was part of Ancient Pelagonia that was inhabited by the Pelagones, an ancient Greek tribe of Upper Macedonia, who according to Strabo,[5] were Epirote Molossians.[6] region was annexed to the Macedonian kingdom during the 4th century BC. In September 2007 archeological excavations in Bonče, revealed a tomb of what is believed to be the burial site of a Macedonian ruler dating 4th century BC.[7] Near Prilep, close to the village of Čepigovo, are the ruins of the ancient Macedonian city of Styberra (Ancient Greek: Στύβερρα), first a town in Macedonia and later incorporated into the Roman Empire.[8][9] Styberra, though razed by the Goths in 268, remained partly inhabited. town was first mentioned in Greek as Πρίλαπον (Prilapon)[10] in 1014, as the place where Bulgarian Tsar Samuil allegedly had a heart attack upon seeing thousands of his soldiers had been blinded by the Byzantines after the Battle of Kleidion. Byzantium lost it to the Second Bulgarian Empire, but later retook it. was acquired in 1334 by Serbian King Dušan and after 1365 the town belonged to King Vukašin, co-ruler of Dušan's son, Tzar Stefan Uroš V. After the death of Vukašin in 1371, Prilep was ruled by his son Marko.[11] In 1395 it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, of which it remained a part of until 1913, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia. was a major center of the Bulgarian national revival in Western Macedonia in the 19th century.[12] One of the largest annual fairs in Macedonia was held in Prilep in the middle of the 19th century. European consulate exhibitions of 1887 estimate the population of Prilep to approximately 6.500 individuals, of which 4.000 were Bulgarians, 2.000 were Turks and the rest were Serbs with Greeks and Aromanians.[13] During the Great Eastern Crisis, the local Bulgarian movement of the day was defeated when armed Bulgarian groups were repelled by the League of Prizren, an Albanian organisation opposing Bulgarian geopolitical aims in areas like Prilep that contained an Albanian population.[14] the late 19th and early 20th century, Prilep was part of the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was occupied by Bulgaria between 17 November 1915 and 25 September 1918 during World War I. In 1918 Prilep became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and from 1929 to 1941 it was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On 8 April 1941, just two days after the start of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, Prilep was occupied by the German Army, and on 26 April 1941 by the Bulgarian Army. Together with most of Vardar Macedonia, Prilep was annexed by the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1941 to 1944. After 9 September coup d'etat the commander of the Bulgarian garrison, refused to withdraw and remained in the city with the Yugoslav guerrillas, managing to hold it for 10 days, blocking the movement of the German troops.[15] Afterwards the German Army retook the town. Prilep was definitively taken by communist partisans on 3 November 1944. From 1944 to 1991 the town belonged to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of its constituent Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Since 1991 the town has been part of the Republic of Macedonia. Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26;

Serbia, 1340-1406, Nikodemos tSanctified oTismana, Romania, from Prilep, Serbia
Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26; most holy and venerable Father Νικόdēmos the Sanctified was from Prilep, in southern Serbia. was born in 1320, and his parents raised him in the Orthodox Faith. receiving the holy and angelic monastic Schema and the grace of the priesthood, he wandered through many places, including Mount Athos and Constantinople, acquiring virtues through his love of labor. he came to the Romanian Principalities (Țara Românească, or Valakhia), enduring many trials and spiritual struggles, praying unceasingly in the mountains. Νικόdēmos founded several monasteries; first by the water of Motru, then the Monastery of Vodiţa, which is dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). he established the cenobitic Rule for the many Fathers and brethren, and he lived in that monastery for a long time. prompted by divine revelation, he settled in a place called Tismana. God’s will, he founded a monastery and dedicated it to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Later, a great multitude of monks gathered where Saint Νικόdēmos lived with his brothers in Christ. He himself was an example of good works as he led them on the path of salvation. grace from God to perform miracles, and to have power over unclean spirits, he worked many miracles during his lifetime. cast out demons and healed all manner of sicknesses and infirmities. is said that he even walked into a fire and remained unharmed. The fire touched neither his clothing nor the hairs of his head. Νικόdēmos also performed other miracles by the power of Christ. a life of holiness, he reached an advanced age, passing from this temporal life to the heavenly and immortal life on December 26, 1406. relics and other holy objects were buried at Tismana Monastery, where he had performed the services. God had glorified his relics with the fragrance of myrrh, and the grace of working miracles, they were removed from the tomb and placed in the church, along with the relics of Saint Gregory the Decapolite (November 20) in the holy Monastery of Bistriţa. many years, a certain ruler of the country wanted to take the relics of Saint Νικόdēmos from Tismana Monastery and keep them in Bucharest. was not the Saint's will, however, that his relics should be removed from his monastery. It was a miracle that the man gave up his idea. Νικόdēmos appeared in a vision to one of the monks, commanding him to tell the Igoumen to hide his relics, and to take only a finger from his hand, and to prevent the man from carrying out his intention. Νικόdēmos also appeared in the same way to the Igoumen and told him the same things. A finger was taken from the Saint's hand and some myrrh from his relics, which were entrusted to the care of the Igoumen. finger and the holy myrrh were placed in a tin vessel, together with a cross made of lead which the Saint had worn around his neck, and they are kept in the holy monastery to this day as precious spiritual treasures. one is permitted to take any of the holy myrrh. It is permissible to kiss the vessel, however, fills everything with an indescribable spiritual fragrance. Saint's relics were hidden to prevent them from being removed from the monastery, and that place is known only to the Igoumen and one other monk. aforementioned sacred items suffice for the consolation of the monks and the other Christian inhabitants. still perform countless miracles. spirits are cast out by calling on the name of the Saint; healing of many kinds of illnesses is given to those who have recourse to the Saint with faith. world and the country are protected by the prayers of Saint Νικόdēmos; the holy Tismana Monastery, which preserves these treasures, is always defended from the attacks of visible and invisible enemies. the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the first Service in honor of Saint Νικόdēmos took place in the Metropolitan cathedral of Oltenia in Craiova on October 28, 1955. His annual Feast Day is December 26.

Serbia, 1346-1371, Serbian Empire
Serbia, 1346-1371, Serbian Empire ; Serbian Empire is a historiographical term for the empire in the Balkan peninsula that emerged from the medieval Serbian Kingdom. It was established in 1346 by King Stefan Dusan, known as "the Mighty", who significantly expanded the state. Dusan's rule Serbia was the major power in the Balkans, and a multi-lingual empire that stretched from the Danube to the Gulf of Corinth, with its capital in Skopje.[1] also promoted the Serbian Archbishopric to the Serbian Patriarchate. son and successor, Uros the Weak, lost most of the territory conquered by Dusan, hence his epithet. The Serbian Empire effectively ended with the death of Uros V in 1371 and the break-up of the Serbian state. Some successors of Stefan V claimed the title of Emperor in parts of Serbia until 1402, but the territory in Greece was never recovered.

Serbia, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, wonderworker, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer

Serbia, 1355-1371, Emperor, Stefan Uros V, The Weak, rejected external attacks, then, lost empire to new rich nobles like Lazar
Serbia, 1355-1371, Serbian Emperor, Stefan Uros V; the death of his father (+ 1355), Saint Stephen Urosh became the independent and actual ruler of Serbia. was faithful to the Lord; like a father he provided for widows and orphans, he pacified quarrels and maintained peace, he was charitable to the poor, and he defended the downtrodden. the interests of peace in Serbia and indeed for the preservation of his own life, Saint Stephen was obliged to flee to his kinsman, Prince Lazar. Stephen'™s uncle, Vulkashin, immediately seized the throne, but his fear of rivals gave him no peace. Through his sister, Saint Stephen'™s mother, he invited his nephew to come to the city of Skopje, on the pretext of a reconciliation. Greeting him with honor, as Tsar, he invited him to go hunting. When Saint Stephen, weary from the hunt, went off with his horse to a well and bent over to take a sip of water, Vulkashin struck him a mortal blow on the head with a mace. Stefan Uros V (1336 -“ 2/4 December 1371), known in historiography and folk tradition as Uros the Weak, was the second Emperor (Tsar) of the Serbian Empire (1355-“1371), and before that he was Serbian King and co-ruler (since 1346) with his father, Emperor Stefan Dusan.[1] St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on September 3; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

Serbia, 1355-1371, Saint Stefan Uros V, Emperor, faithful, charitable orphans widows poor, Killed by uncle Lazar wHunting
Serbia, 1355-1371, Saint Stefan Uros V, Emperor, Dushan's son, born 1377, King 1346, marriage to French king's daughter rejected by Pope, married Orthodox Romanian king Vladislav 1's daughter, king in 1355, faithful tLord, fWidows orphans, charitable tPoor, fled tMoravian Serbia, mother's brother uncle Vilkashin seized throne, invited S to Skopje, killed him while hunting; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2; Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, son of King Dushan Nemany, was born in the year 1337. 1346 he was crowned king. sought the daughter of the French king for his son, but the Roman Pope insisted that the princess not change from the Latin confession. did not want to see a Catholic in his family, because of this Saint Stephen Urosh entered into marriage with the daughter of Vlad, Prince of Walachia. the death of his father (+ 1355), Saint Stephen Urosh became the independent and actual ruler of Serbia. was faithful to the Lord; a father he provided for widows and orphans, pacified quarrels and maintained peace, was charitable to the poor, he defended the downtrodden. the interests of peace in Serbia and indeed for the preservation of his own life, Saint Stephen was obliged to flee to his kinsman, Prince Lazar. Stephen’s uncle, Vulkashin, immediately seized the throne, but his fear of rivals gave him no peace. his sister, Saint Stephen’s mother, he invited his nephew to come to the city of Skopje, on the pretext of a reconciliation. him with honor, as Tsar, he invited him to go hunting. Saint Stephen, weary from the hunt, went off with his horse to a well and bent over to take a sip of water, Vulkashin struck him a mortal blow on the head with a mace.

Serbia, 1371-1403, Moravian Serbia or Serbian Despotate, Great Morava River, not Czech M, Orthodox
Serbia, Moravian Serbia, 1373-1403; Serbia or Realm of Prince Lazar is the name used in historiography for the largest and most powerful Serbian principality to emerge from the ruins of the Serbian Empire (1371).[1] Serbia is named after Morava, the main river of the region.[2] principality in the region of Morava was established in 1371, and attained its largest extent in 1379 through the military and political activities of its first ruler, prince Lazar Hrebeljanov. 1402 it was raised to the Serbian Despotate, which would exist until 1459 (de jure until the 1560s). adjective Moravian does not imply that the state (Moravian Serbia) is affiliated in any way with the region of Moravia in the present-day Czech Republic. The term Moravian Serbia refers to the fact that the state comprised the basins of the Great Morava, West Morava, and South Morava rivers in present-day central Serbia. information: History of Serbia Hrebeljanovic was born in around 1329 in the fortress of Prilepac, near the town of Novo Brdo in the region of Kosovo, Kingdom of Serbia. was a courtier at the court of Serbian Tsar Stefan Uros Dusan, and at the court of Dusan's successor, Tsar Stefan Uros V (r. 1356-“1371).[3] Uros's reign was characterized by the weakening of the central authority and the gradual disintegration of the Serbian Empire. Powerful Serbian nobles became practically independent in the regions they controlled.[4] Lazar left the court Tsar Uros in 1363 or 1365, and became a regional lord. He held the title of prince since at least 1371.[4] territory initially developed in the shadow of stronger regional lords. The strongest were the Mrnjavcevic brothers, Vukasin and Jovan Uglijesa. were defeated and killed by the Ottoman Turks in the Battle of Maritsa in 1371, after which Lazar took a part of their territory. Lazar and Tvrtko I, the Ban of Bosnia, jointly defeated in 1373 another strong noble, Nikola Altomanovic. Most of Altomanovic's territory was acquired by Lazar. that time, Lazar accepted the suzerainty of King Louis I of Hungary,[5] who granted him the region of Macva, or at least a part of it. all these territorial gains, Lazar emerged as the most powerful Serbian lord.[6] The state he then created is known in historiography as Moravian Serbia.[7] Moravian Serbia attained its full extent in 1379, when Lazar took Branicevo and Kucevo, ousting the Hungarian vassal Radic Brankovic Rastislalic from these regions.[8] state was larger than the domains of the other lords on the territory of the former Serbian Empire. It also had a better organized government and army. The state comprised the basins of the Great Morava, West Morava, and South Morava Rivers, extending from the source of South Morava northward to the Danube and Sava Rivers. Its north-western border ran along the Drina River. the capital Krusevac, the state included important towns of Nis and Uzice, as well as Novo Brdo and Rudnik, two richest mining centres of medieval Serbia. all the Serbian lands, Lazar's state lay furthest from Ottoman centres, and was least exposed to the ravages of Turkish raiding parties. circumstance attracted immigrants from Turkish-threatened areas, who built new villages and hamlets in previously poorly inhabited and uncultivated areas of Moravian Serbia. There were also spiritual persons among the immigrants, which stimulated the revival of old ecclesiastical centres and the foundation of new ones in Lazar's state.[6][7] A Turkish raiding party, passing unobstructed through territories of Ottoman vassals, broke into Moravian Serbia in 1381. It was routed by Lazar's nobles Crep Vukoslavic and Vitomir in the Battle of Dubravica, fought near the town of Paracin.[7] 1386, the Ottoman Sultan Murad I himself led much larger forces that took Nic from Lazar. It is unclear whether the encounter between the armies of Lazar and Murad at Plocnik, a site southwest of Nic, happened shortly before or after the capture of Nic. rebuffed Murad at Plocnik.[9] the death of King Louis in 1382, a civil war broke out in the Kingdom of Hungary. Lazar briefly participated in the war as one of the opponents of Prince Sigismund of Luxemburg, and he sent some troops to fight in the regions of Belgrade and Syrmia. These fights ended with no territorial gains for Lazar, who made peace with Sigismund in 1387.[10] In the Battle of Kosovo fought on 15 June 1389, Lazar led the army which confronted a massive invading army of the Ottoman Empire commanded by Sultan Murad I. Prince Lazar and Sultan Murad lost their lives in the battle. Although the battle was tactically a draw, the mutual heavy losses were devastating only for the Lazar was succeeded by his eldest son Stefan Lazarevic. he was still a minor, Moravian Serbia was administered by Lazar's widow, Milica. was attacked from north, five months after the battle, by troops of the Hungarian King Sigismund. When Turkish forces, moving toward Hungary, reached the borders of Moravian Serbia in the summer of 1390, Milica accepted Ottoman suzerainty.[11] Lazarevic participated as an Ottoman vassal in the Battle of Karanovasa in 1394, the Battle of Rovine in 1395, the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, and in the Battle of Angora in 1402. Angora, he visited Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, where he was given the title of Despot, and since then his state became known as the Serbian Despotate in 1402.[12] Commons has media related to Principality of Serbia (late medieval). Lazar Hrebeljanovic “1389) Stefan Lazarevic (1389-“1402) Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Holy Prince Lazar of Serbia lived during the fourteenth century at a time when the Turks, having conquered neighboring lands, were preparing to invade Serbia. Lazar was raised at the court of the holy King Dushan, and was appointed governor of one of the Serbian districts. In the year 1371 he was chosen King of all Serbia and he toiled much at strengthening the condition of the country. He pacified neighboring princes, who had wronged or plundered Serbian settlements. He was concerned also for the Christian enlightenment of the nation, he built churches, supported the monasteries and charitable establishments. In 1380 the saint established the monastery at Rovanetz. Saint Lazar petitioned the Patriarch of Constantinople to remove the anathema from the people of Serbia. During the course of the ten years of his rule, Serbia was at peace. there began war with the Turks. At the time of the Battle of Kosovo, the wounded king was taken prisoner. On the orders of Sultan Bayazet, he was beheaded with a sword on June 15, 1389. The body of the holy King Lazar was buried at a nearby church. In 1391 his incorrupt relics were transferred to the Ravanica monastery. The monastery was destroyed by the Turks in 1683, and the relics of King Lazar were transferred to the monastery of New Ravanica on Mount Thruzh. He was the founder of the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on the Holy Mountain, as well as numerous other monasteries and churches. St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1373-1389, Prince, Lazar of Serbia, First Prince of Moravian Serbia
Serbian Prince, 1373-1389, Lazar of Serbia, First Prince of Serbian Empire in Kosovo; Lazar Hrebeljanovic (ca. 1329-15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. state, referred to by historians as Moravian Serbia, comprised the basins of the Great Morava, West Morava, and South Morava rivers. ruled Moravian Serbia from 1373 until his death in 1389. sought to resurrect the Serbian Empire and place himself at its helm, claiming to be the direct successor of the Nemanjic dynasty, which went extinct in 1371 after ruling over Serbia for two centuries. programme had the full support of the Serbian Orthodox Church, but the Serbian nobility did not recognize him as their supreme ruler. He is often referred to as Tsar Lazar Hrebeljanovc, however, he only held the title of prince. was killed at the Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 while leading a pan-Christian army assembled to confront the invading Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Murad I. battle ended without a clear victor, though both sides endured heavy losses, which were more devastating for the less numerous Serbs and their Christian allies. widow, Milica, who ruled as regent for their adolescent son Stefan Lazarevic, Lazar's successor, accepted Ottoman suzerainty in the summer of 1390. is venerated in the Orthodox Christian Church as a martyr and saint, and is highly regarded in Serbian history, culture and tradition. In Serbian epic poetry, he is referred to as Tsar Lazar. Serbian Empire, 1346-1371 ; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Holy Prince Lazar of Serbia lived during the fourteenth century at a time when the Turks, having conquered neighboring lands, were preparing to invade Serbia. Lazar was raised at the court of the holy King Dushan, and was appointed governor of one of the Serbian districts. In the year 1371 he was chosen King of all Serbia and he toiled much at strengthening the condition of the country. He pacified neighboring princes, who had wronged or plundered Serbian settlements. He was concerned also for the Christian enlightenment of the nation, he built churches, supported the monasteries and charitable establishments. In 1380 the saint established the monastery at Rovanetz. Saint Lazar petitioned the Patriarch of Constantinople to remove the anathema from the people of Serbia. During the course of the ten years of his rule, Serbia was at peace. there began war with the Turks. At the time of the Battle of Kosovo, the wounded king was taken prisoner. On the orders of Sultan Bayazet, he was beheaded with a sword on June 15, 1389. The body of the holy King Lazar was buried at a nearby church. In 1391 his incorrupt relics were transferred to the Ravanica monastery. The monastery was destroyed by the Turks in 1683, and the relics of King Lazar were transferred to the monastery of New Ravanica on Mount Thruzh. He was the founder of the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on the Holy Mountain, as well as numerous other monasteries and churches. St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1373-1403, Moravian Serbia (Great Morava River Serbia, Danube 10, not Czech Moravia)
Serbia, Moravian Serbia, 1373-1403; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia
Serbia, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia ; Grigoriou monastery; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7; Gregory of Mount Athos was born in Serbia, and pursued asceticism on Mt Athos. built and dedicated the monastery of Saint Nicholas, which was later renamed Grigoriou in his honor. the records of Mt Athos the saint’s signature dating from 1405 was discovered. to Tradition, the relics of Saint Gregory were taken from Athos by Serbian monks.

Serbia, 1382-1388, Patriarch, St Spyridon the Patriarch
Serbian Patriarch, 1382-1388, St Spyridon the Patriarch; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Serbia, 1389, Battle of Kosovo Field 1389, Serb Orthodox v. Sunni Muslim Turks, fall of Serb Empire
Serbia, 1389, Battle of Kosovo Field 1389 (Kosovo Field, 5km northwest of Pristina) ; Battle of Kosovo took place on 15 June 1389[A] between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Murad Hudavendigar. battle was fought on the Kosovo field in the territory ruled by Serbian nobleman Vuk Brankovic, in what is today Kosovo,[a] about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) northwest of the modern city of Pristina. army under Prince Lazar consisted of his own troops, a contingent led by Brankovic, and a contingent sent from Bosnia by King Tvrtko I, commanded by Vlatko Vukovic.[11] Lazar was the ruler of Moravian Serbia and the most powerful among the Serbian regional lords of the time, while Brankovic ruled the District of Brankovic and other areas, recognizing Lazar as his overlord. historical accounts of the battle are scarce.[12] The bulk of both armies were wiped out, and Lazar, Murad and Brankovic were killed. Although the Ottomans managed to annihilate the Serbian army, they also suffered huge casualties that delayed their progress. The Serbs were left with too few men to effectively defend their lands, while the Turks had many more troops in the east. Consequently, the Serbian principalities that were not already Ottoman vassals became so consecutively in the following years. St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1389-1427, Serbian Prince, Stefan Lazarevic, the tall, fine knight and leader, Battle of Nicopolis d
Serbian Prince, 1389-1427, Stefan Lazarevic ; Lazarevic (c. 1377 - 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall, was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389--“1402) and despot (1402-“1427). son of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic, he was regarded as one of the finest knights and military leaders at that time. the death of his father at Kosovo (1389), he became ruler of Moravian Serbia and ruled with his mother Milica (a Nemanjic), until he reached adulthood in 1393. led troops in several battles as an Ottoman vassal, until asserting independence after receiving the title of despot from the Byzantines in 1402. an Hungarian ally in 1403-“04, he received large possessions, including the important Belgrade and Golubac Fortress. also held the superior rank in the chivalric Order of the Dragon. his reign there was a long conflict with his nephew Durad Brankovic, which ended in 1412. also inherited Zeta, and waged war against Venice. he was childless, he designated his nephew Durad as heir in 1426, a year before his death. the domestic front, he broke the resistance of the Serbian nobles, and used the periods of peace to strengthen Serbia politically, economically, culturally and militarily. 1412 he issued the Code of Mines, with a separate section on governing of Novo Brdo -“ the largest mine in the Balkans at that time. code increased the development of mining in Serbia, which had been the main economic backbone of the Serbian Despotate. the time of his death, Serbia was one of the largest silver producers in Europe. the field of architecture, he continued development of the Morava school. reign and personal literary works are sometimes associated with early signs of the Renaissance in the Serbian lands. introduced knightly tournaments, modern battle tactics, and firearms to Serbia. was a great patron of the arts and culture by providing shelter and support to scholars and refugees from neighboring countries that had been taken by the Ottomans. In addition, he was himself a writer, and his most important work is A Homage to Love, which is characterized by the Renaissance lines. During his reign the Resava School was formed. Serbian Empire, 1346-1371 ; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, 1400-1459, 15th Century Folder, Turks take over Serbia

Serbia, 1402-1459, Serbian Despotate of Hungary, cultural and political renaissance before Ottomans in 57
Serbia, Serbian Despotate, 1402-1459 ; The Serbian Despotate was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia, lasted for another 60 years, experiencing a cultural and political renaissance before it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1459. Before its conquest the Despotate nominally had a suzerain status to the Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire and Kingdom of Hungary.[1] After being fully subjugated to the Ottoman Empire in 1459, it continued to exist in exile in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary until the mid-16th century. Pavle Bakia was the last Despot of Serbia to be recognized by both the Ottoman and the Habsburg Monarchy. Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10;

Serbia, 1405, Despot Stephen Tower, fortress in Belgrade
Despot Stephen Tower; The Despot Stefan Tower is a structure in Belgrade, Serbia, built ca. 1405, a couple of years after the city became the capital of Serbian Despotate under Despot Stefan Lazarevic. May 1963, representatives of the city administration, Institute for the protection of the cultural monuments and members of the astronomical societies, agreed to adapt the Dizdar Tower into an observatory. Works began in May, instruments were to be installed by autumn, and the observatory was to become operational in October 1963.[1] the tower is the seat of the Astronomical Society Ruder Boskovic and houses its Popular Observatory. The Observatory has two instruments: refractor Zeiss (110/2200mm) and reflector Tall 200 K (200/2200mm), both of which are used mainly for observations at night. Four panoramic telescopes are also mounted on the tower, which can be used to observe the panorama of Belgrade.[2] Turkish Yoke Ottoman Empire ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10;

Serbia, 1457, Serbia Seized by the Turks
Serbia, 1457, Serbia Seized by the Turks; Despot Stephen Tower; Turkish Yoke Ottoman Empire ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10;

Serbia, 1457, Icon of Three Hands to Serbia and Donkey story, John of Damascus' hand, MOG leads Donkey, becomes Hilander Igumen
Syria, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus' hand, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), J slandered by Leo III, caliph cut off J's hand, MOG puts it back on, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, MOG commanded toil w o fail before healing, John to Sabbas w icon, icon to Serbia, MOG leads icon donkey to Hilandar, MOG icon becomes igumen of H; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Hands”: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Serbia, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, Stephen B's son, monk aManasija, 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, fled tRomania, became Met
Serbia, 1457-1496, Maximus tNew, son oKing Stephen Brancovich, monk aManasija monastery, Serbia (Great Morava River 1), 1457 Serbia seized by Turks, he fled to Romania where became Met oWallachia; Manasija monastery; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; Maximus the New was the son of King Stephen of Serbia (December 10). became a monk at Manasija, had to flee into a mountainous region of Romania because of the Moslems. was consecrated as Metropolitan of Wallachia. a life of great spiritual endeavors, he fell asleep in the Lord on January 18, 1516 in a monastery he had founded.

Serbia, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich, Despot, went to Jedriene 1457 blinded, ruled, exiled, incorrupt relics
Serbia, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich (the Blind), Despot Prince, went to Ottomans at Jedriene 1457 blinded, ruled 1458, fled to Albania, married Angelina, 2 sons, fled to Italy, Turks invaded Albania, incorrupt relics ; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind one, Commemorated on October 9; Stephen Brancovich was the son of the Despot George and Queen Irene, and lived in the fifteenth century. and his sister Mara lived in the court of Sultan Murat II. Saint Stephen and his brother Gregory were blinded at Jedrene by the Turkish Sultan for some perceived offense. Since he was innocent, he bore his affliction with courage. became ruler of Serbia in 1458, but was soon forced to flee to Albania. Saint Stephen was not only Prince George Skenderbeg’s guest, but he was also treated as a member of his family. There he met Saint Angelina (July 1 & 30 and December 10), the daughter of Prince George . Not surprisingly, Stephen and Angelina eventually fell in love. With her parents’ blessing, they were married in church. After a few years, they were blessed with two sons: George and John. the boys were grown, Saint Stephen and his family were forced to flee to Italy for their safety, because the Turks invaded Albania and began to slaughter men, women, and even children. died as an exile in Italy in 1468. He was buried in Serbia in the monastery of Krushedol in Frushka Gora, which was founded by his son the monk Maximus. After eight years, Saint Steven’s relics were uncovered and were found incorrupt and fragrant. Many miracles took place at his tomb. Stephen is also commemorated on December 10 with Saint Angelina and Saint John. was married, but had no sons. He died in 1503 at a young age, and many miracles took place before his holy relics. Angelina survived her husband and both of her sons. Mindful of her soul’s salvation, she entered a women’s monastery. She departed to the Lord in peace, and her body was buried in the same tomb as her sons in the monastery of Krushedol. Angelina is also commemorated on December 10 with her husband Saint Stephen and her son Saint John. Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; life of the Serbian ruler Stephen Brankovich and his family was filled with instability and misfortune. After Serbia was seized in 1457 by the Turks, the then Serbian ruler’s middle son, Stephen (October 9), distinguished by a meek disposition and fine knowledge of Holy Scripture, went to the capital of Turkey after his sister had been given to Sultan Murat in marriage. Learning that the Turks had burned the Mileshevsk monastery with fanatic cruelty, Saint Stephen rose up to defend Serbia from oppression. he married Angelina (July 30), the daughter of the Prince of Albania, the Turks threatened Saint Stephen and his family with punishment. With his wife and three children he was forced to hide first in Albania, and then in Italy, where he died. Angelina transferred the incorrupt relics of her spouse to Kupinovo. At the end of the fifteenth century a son of the Righteous Stephen and Angelina, Saint John, became ruler of Serbia. The incorrupt relics of Saint John and his parents were afterwards glorified by many miracles. St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Serbia, 1458-1520, Saint Angelina of Serbia and Albania, Steven's wife, two sons Despots Georg&John Bronkovic
Serbian Saint, 1458-1520, Saint Angelina of Serbia; St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18;

Serbia, 1459-1800, Folder, Ottoman Serbia

Serbia, 1459-1499, 15th Century Folder, Ottoman Serbia in Bosnia, Kingdom of Hungary in the North

Serbia, 1461-1463, P, Stephen Tomasevic, Bosnia, R Catholic, lost Bosnia, Serbia to Mehemed, killed by M
Serbian Prince, 1461-1463, Stephen Tomasevic of Bosnia ; Tomasevic or Stephen II ( died on 25 May 1463) was the last sovereign from the Bosnian Kotromani dynasty, reigning as Despot of Serbia briefly in 1459 and as King of Bosnia from 1461 until 1463. Stephen's father, King Thomas, had great ambitions for him. An attempt to expand into Croatia by marrying Stephen to a wealthy noblewoman failed, and negotiations for a marital alliance with the Sforzas of Milan were abandoned when a more prestigious opportunity presented itself: marriage to the heiress Maria of Serbia. in April 1459, it made Stephen the ruler of the remnants of the neighbouring country. The intent was to unite the Kingdom of Bosnia and the Serbian Despotate under Stephen to combat the expanding Ottoman Empire. Catholicism made him unpopular in Orthodox Serbia. ruling it for merely two months, he surrendered it to the encroaching Ottoman forces and fled back to his father's court, which earned him the contempt of the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus and other Christian rulers in Europe. Stephen succeeded his father on the throne following the latter's death in July 1461 and became the first Bosnian king to receive a crown from the Holy See. kingdom's existence, however, was increasingly threatened by the Ottomans. King Stephen had the unanimous support of his noblemen in resistance to the Ottomans, but not of the common people. He maintained an active correspondence with Pope Pius II, who forgave him for the loss of Serbia and worked with him to preserve Bosnia for Christendom. Hungarian king was placated, but all Western monarchs contacted by Stephen refused to assist him. that at least Matthias would come to his aid, Stephen refused to deliver the customary tribute to the Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, which provoked an invasion. May 1463, Mehmed marched into Bosnia, meeting little effective resistance, and captured Stephen, who was then beheaded. The execution marks the fall of the Kingdom of Bosnia to the Ottoman Empire. 1 Family 2 Marriage 3 Despotism 4 Kingship 4.1 Accession and coronation 4.2 Ottoman invasion 4.3 Capture and death 5 Assessment and legacy 6 Family tree 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 Further reading St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Serbia, 1485-1502, John, King Serbia (Despot, 1493-1502) J Brancovich, like father incorrupt relics, built supported monasteries
Serbia, 1485-1502, John, King Serbia (Despot, 1493-1502) Kupinovo (Srem Plain, Sava River 19, capitol Moravian Serbia and Serbian Despotate), 1457 Father Stephen tTurks aC afer sister married Sultan Murat, Turks burned Mileshevsk m, marries Angelins oAlbania, threatened bTurks, tAlbania then dies iItaly, A transfers S's incorrupt r tKupinovo, 1493 John becomes ruler, John's relics incorrupt, many miracles, J built Krusedol m near Syrmia, donated tHilandar m; Kupinovo; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; life of the Serbian ruler Stephen Brankovich and his family was filled with instability and misfortune. Serbia was seized in 1457 by the Turks, the then Serbian ruler’s middle son, Stephen (October 9), distinguished by a meek disposition and fine knowledge of Holy Scripture, went to the capital of Turkey after his sister had been given to Sultan Murat in marriage. that the Turks had burned the Mileshevsk monastery with fanatic cruelty, Saint Stephen rose up to defend Serbia from oppression. he married Angelina (July 30), the daughter of the Prince of Albania, the Turks threatened Saint Stephen and his family with punishment. his wife and three children he was forced to hide first in Albania, and then in Italy, where he died. Angelina transferred the incorrupt relics of her spouse to Kupinovo. the end of the fifteenth century a son of the Righteous Stephen and Angelina, Saint John, became ruler of Serbia. incorrupt relics of Saint John and his parents were afterwards glorified by many miracles. John the King of Serbia; Branković (c. 1465 – 10 December 1502) the titular Despot of Serbia from 1493 until his death in 1502. title of despot was given to him by Hungarian king Vladislas II of Hungary. 1493 to 1497 he held the title together with his elder brother Đorđe Branković, who was despot from 1486. 1497, Đorđe relinquished the title, and Jovan remained the sole Despot of Serbia, until his death in 1502. was the last Serbian Despot of the Branković dynasty. his brother he built the Krušedol monastery, made various donations to Hilandar and other Eastern Orthodox monasteries. was proclaimed a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1][2] was the younger son of Stefan Branković, exiled Despot of Serbia (1458–1459), and Princess Angelina Arianites. He was born c. 1465, while his parents were residing in the Castle Belgrado, in the region of Friuli. His father, Despot Stefan, died in 1476 while family was still living in Belgrado. In 1479, Emperor Friedrich III granted them Castle Weitensfeld in Carinthia, and Jovan moved there with the rest of family.[3] cousin Vuk Branković, titular Despot of Serbia, died in 1485, without direct heirs. His title and estates in the Kingdom of Hungary were left vacant, prompting Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus to find a suitable heir. He opted for the only remaining male members of Branković family (Đorđe and Jovan), inviting them to come to Hungary.[4][5] 1486, they arrived in Hungary, and Jovan's elder brother Đorđe received the title of Despot of Serbia from King Matthias, who granted them possessions in Kupinik, Slankamen, and Berkasovo in the region of Syrmia. 1493 forwards, the brothers ruled jointly, since Jovan was also granted the title Despot of Serbia, as it was customary in the Kingdom of Hungary that various senior posts be held jointly by two incumbents. 1497, Đorđe decided to relinquish all of his titles and possessions to Jovan. At that time, Đorđe took monastic vows, adopting the name Maksim (Serbian Cyrillic: Максим). The brothers later built the Krušedol monastery in the region of Syrmia.[6] had different goals to those of his brother Đorđe. did not seek to create a heavenly realm, sought to defeat the Turks and drive them out of his lands, and as such to be entitled the ranks of his ancestors. successfully fought the Ottoman Empire during several operations in Bosnia, especially around Zvornik. also planned to free the Serbs from Ottoman rule with the help of the Republic of Venice, this was prevented by his death in 1502. his death, the hope of restoring Serbia under the advancing Ottoman Empire became weaker. married a Serbian noblewoman Jelena Jakšić, with whom he had several children, but no surviving male heir. his death in 1502, Hungarian king Vladislaus II (d. 1516) instructed Jovan's widow Jelena to remarry (1504) to a prominent nobleman, Ivaniš Berislavić (d. 1514) from Požega County. Berislavić was granted the title Despot of Serbia and control over Branković family estates.[7][8] is mentioned in the "Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani", or Massarelli manuscript, found in the papers of Angelo Massarelli (1510–1566).[9] Saint Jovan Branković Свети Јован Бранковић Saint Born c. 1465 Died 10 December 1502 Krušedol Monastery, modern Serbia Venerated in Eastern Orthodox Church Canonized 16th century, in Syrmia by the Serbian Orthodox Church Major shrine Krušedol Monastery Feast December 10 O.S. December 23 N.S. of the Branković dynasty were known for their devotion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity,[10][11] and Jovan Branković also represented that family tradition. cult began in the first half of the 16th century. was buried at the Krušedol monastery, and laid together with the rest of his family members, in coffins at the altar.[12] the Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718), a Turkish army invaded Syrmia in 1716, captured Krušedol monastery and burned the holy relics, shortly after the Battle of Petrovaradin. Only some minor parts of the relics were preserved.[13] married Serbian noblewoman Jelena Jakšić, who is mentioned as "Helena, Serbiæ despotissa" in a charted dated to 1502. They had 4 children, all of whom were daughters: Marija, married to Ferdinand Frankopan, of the House of Frankopan Jelena, married to Peter IV Rareş, Prince of Moldavia Ana, married to Fiodor Sanguszko, Marshal of Volhynia[14] Marija Magdalena, married to Iwan Wiśniowiecki, a noble from Volhynia[14] researchers have suggested, after taking into account the dates of Jelena's both marriages (first with Jovan Branković, and second with Ivaniš Berislavić), that some of her daughters who are usually considered to be from her first marriage, might in fact be from her second marriage.[15] genealogies also indicate that another daughter, Milica Despina, married Neagoe Basarab, Prince of Wallachia (1512–21).[16] believe Milica was too old to be his daughter, but she was born cca. 1486–1488.[17] Milica Despina might have been an illegitimate daughter of his or other close relative or even the daughter of Jovan's brother Đorđe with whom she went to Wallachia in 1503.

Serbia, 1486-1496, Despot, George Brancovich, aka Maximus tNew, relinquished, monk, krusedol monastery, Romanian envoy
Serbian Prince, 1486-1496, George Brancovich ; as George; also known as Saint Maksim; b. 1461 “ d. 1516) was the last male member of the Brankovic dynasty, and titular Despot of Serbia from 1486 to 1497. The title was granted to him by Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. From 1493, he shared the title with his brother Jovan. In 1497, he relinquished all titles and possessions to his brother, and decided to take monastic vows, adopting the name Maksim. built the Kruskedol monastery, and served as diplomatic envoy for prince Radu IV the Great of Wallachia (1507). 1513, he became Metropolitan of Belgrade. After his death (1516), he was venerated as saint, and canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1][2] Son of Serbian Prince, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Serbia, 1496-1502, Despot, John Brancovich, received d from b Maximus, Hilandar and Krusedol
Serbian Prince, 1496-1502, John Brancovich ; Brankovich, born c. 1465 - died 10 December 1502) was the titular Despot of Serbia from 1493 until his death in 1502. of despot was given to him by Hungarian king Vladislas II of Hungary. From 1493 to 1497 he held the title together with his elder brother George, who was despot since 1486. In 1497, George relinquished the title, and Jovan remained the sole Despot of Serbia, until his death in 1502. Jovan was the last Serbian Despot of the Brankovich dynasty. built the Kruckedol monastery, and made various donations to Hilandar and other Eastern Orthodox monasteries. He was proclaimed a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church.[1][2] Son of Serbian Prince, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Serbia, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Ottoman Serbia, Light from grave attracts Turks, St Macarius the Patriarch

Serbia, 1515, Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, Light from his grave attracts Turks
Serbia, 1515, Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, Light from his grave attracts Turks; Stephen Stiljianovich of Serbia was born into a pious Christian family in the Serbian city of Zhupa (south of Zakholmya). During this time Serbia was often subjected to invasions by the Turks, who devastated the land. Saint Stephen defended his native land, did military service in the army of the Serbian ruler. When famine began in the country, the kindly Saint Stephen distributed his own bread to the hungry. patriotic activity of the saintly soldier was indissolubly bound up with his truly Christian life. “In virtue, he lived as an ascetic with charity, purity, prayer, the Orthodox Faith and unhypocritical love of neighbor.â€ saint fell asleep in the Lord on October 4, 1515. After a time, the Turks saw a light shining over his grave. Thinking that they had found a hidden treasure, they opened the grave and found the incorrupt body of Saint Stephen. Serbian monks ransomed the relics from the Turkish Pasha and transferred them to the Shishatovets monastery on Mount Phrushtsk. Serbian Church prays to him as a glorious righteous defender of his native land, “Glory in the struggles, warrior Stephen Stiljianovich, great healer of those who pray to you in faith.â€

Serbia, 1515-1546, Elena, wife o S Stiljianovitch,, fled tGermany, back after grave light, became monastic, built monastery
Serbia, 1515-1546, Princess Elena, wife of Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, whose Light from his grave attracts Turks, fled to Germany, came back after grave light incorrupption discovered, became monastic, founded monastery; Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4; Elena was the wife of the Despot Stephen Štiljanović who is also venerated as a Saint. After his death around 1515, she fled to Germany in order to escape from the Turks. a light appeared at his grave by night, which led to the discovery of his holy relics. Saint's body was kept for a long time in the monastery of Šišatovacnto at Fruška Gora. she learned that her husband's incorrupt relics had been uncovered, Saint Elena went to the monastery to venerate them. witnessing the miracles which took place at his grave, she decided to remain there with the monastic name Jelisaveta. to Tradition, she founded the Monastery of Petkovica in 1522. a life of asceticism, Saint Elena reposed in 1546. is reason to believe that she was buried at the Convent of the Most Holy Theotokos in Sremski Karlovci. Serbia, 1515, Saint Stephen Stiljianovitch, Light from his grave attracts Turks; Stephen Stiljianovich of Serbia was born into a pious Christian family in the Serbian city of Zhupa (south of Zakholmya). During this time Serbia was often subjected to invasions by the Turks, who devastated the land. Saint Stephen defended his native land, did military service in the army of the Serbian ruler. When famine began in the country, the kindly Saint Stephen distributed his own bread to the hungry. patriotic activity of the saintly soldier was indissolubly bound up with his truly Christian life. œIn virtue, he lived as an ascetic with charity, purity, prayer, the Orthodox Faith and unhypocritical love of neighbor. saint fell asleep in the Lord on October 4, 1515. After a time, the Turks saw a light shining over his grave. Thinking that they had found a hidden treasure, they opened the grave and found the incorrupt body of Saint Stephen. Serbian monks ransomed the relics from the Turkish Pasha and transferred them to the Shishatovets monastery on Mount Phrushtsk. Serbian Church prays to him as a glorious righteous defender of his native land, œGlory in the struggles, warrior Stephen Stiljianovich, great healer of those who pray to you in faith.

Serbia, 1557-1574, Serbian Patriarch, St Macarius the Patriarch
Serbian Patriarch, 1557-1574, St Macarius the Patriarch; St Macarius the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Serbia, 1595, Burning oSava's Relics, Mileshevsk monastery, incorrupt, Serb flag icon, r burnt during revolt, inspired Serbia
Bulgaria, 1595, Burning oSava's Relics, Mileshevo Monastery& Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Buried 1235, incorrupt 1237, transferred 1237 tSerbia, 1253 Saint, Turk Rule 1389, his icon on Serb flag, 1595 Serb revolt, R crushed and Relics burnt, Serbs inspired, annual rememberance burning, 1895 church over burning spot, 1989 Cathedral there; Mileshevsk (Milesheva) monastery ; The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27; his death in Trnovo, Bulgaria on January 14, 1235 Saint Savva was buried in the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs. May 6, 1237 his relics were carried in procession from Trnovo to Mileshevo Monastery in Serbia. the casket was opened, the relics were found to be incorrupt, and produced an ineffable fragrance. In 1253, the Serbian Orthodox Church glorified the holy hierarch Savva as a Saint. the Battle of Kosovo on June 25, 1389, the Serbian nation fell under the Turkish Yoke. this period the Serbs continued to visit the tomb of Saint Savva, asking him to give them the strength to endure the oppressive persecution they suffered at the hands of the Turks. icon was placed on their flags, and the faithful turned to the Saint for encouragement, consolation, and healing. Serbs revolted in 1595, led by Patriarch John Kantul and others. Pasha, the Turkish military leader in Belgrade, sent soldiers to crush the rebellion. Mohammed II ordered that the relics of Saint Savva be burnt. Great and Holy Friday, the Turks removed the Saint's relics from Mileshevo Monastery. The next day, April 27, they climbed Savinac Hill in the Vrachar district and set fire to the holy relics. of becoming despondent, the Serbs were inspired to even greater love for Christ, for Holy Orthodoxy, and for Saint Savva. Although the Saint's relics had been destroyed, the people continued to venerate him, and to remember the burning of his relics every year. national independence in 1879, there was a proposal to build a memorial church in honor of Saint Savva. In 1895, the three hundredth anniversary of the burning of Saint Savva's relics, plans were made to build a church on the site where his relics were burnt. A temporary chapel was constructed the following year, but it was not possible to build a large cathedral until after World War I. In 1927, Patriarch Barnabas announced a competition for architects to submit designs for the cathedral. In 1935, architects were chosen and construction began. World War II, work was halted when the Communists seized power. Only in 1984 did Patriarch German receive government approval to resume construction. On June 25, 1989, Patriarch German served the first Divine Liturgy in Saint Savva's Memorial Cathedral, which towers over the city of Belgrade. is a famous Serbian saying: "Sinan Pasha lit the flames, Savva's body burned, but Savva's memory and his glory did not burn."

Serbia, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Ottoman Serbia, Russo-Turkish War

Serbia, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Lazarevo, Serbia; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Serbia, 1657, Serbian Patriarch, Gabriel II of Constantinople
Serbian Patriarch, 1657, Gabriel II of Constantinople; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Serbia, 1686-1700, Russo-Turkish War
Serbia, 1686-1700, Russo-Turkish War ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Serbia, 1700, 18th Century Folder, temporary Hapsburg Serbian Kingdom then back to Ottoman in 39

Serbia, 1771, Damascene tNew, fBulgaria tHilandar, igumen business trips, Martyred b false t, God killed evil-doers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1771, Hieromartyr Damascene tNew, fGabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1) near Trnovo, tHilandar as young man, deacon, priest, later igumen, often journeyed monastery business, Martyred at Svishtov iSerbian Bulgaria collecting rent, to avoid moslems set him up, accused him impropriety wMoslem woman, Judge did not believe but since moslems gave false testimony he was hanged, he was sorry they did not understand why he accepted death versus moslem faith, God killed evil-doers in storm over Danube; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. left his home as a young man and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. time, he was ordained deacon and priest, fulfilling various obediences in the monastery. he was chosen as the igumen. Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery business. day Father Damascene was sent to Svishtov [Svištov, in Serbian], Bulgaria collect rent from a Moslem on some property owned by the monastery. avoid paying the debt, the man sent a Moslem woman to the room where the saint was staying. he and others broke in and accused Father Damascene of impropriety. he was found guilty, he could be put to death. kadi (judge) did not believe that Father Damascene was guilty of the charges, since the other Moslems had given false testimony against him, judge had to find him guilty. taking him to be executed, he was given the choice of being put to death, or of saving his life by converting to Islam. saint replied, “I was born a Christian, and I shall die a Christian; for to deny Christ is to forfeit eternal life. would be madness if I agreed to preserve this temporary life in exchange for eternal perdition. am sorry for you if you do not understand this.” that nothing would induce the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems brought him to the place of execution. Damascene asked for some time to pray, and his request was granted. After completing his prayers he made the Sign of the Cross and told them that he was ready. holy New Martyr Damascene was hanged at Svishtov on January 16, 1771, and received an incorruptible crown of glory from Christ. wrath of God was not slow in overtaking the evil-doers, however. they put the saint to death they got into a boat to cross the Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.

Serbia, 1800-Present, Folder, Uprising, Russia Turkish War

Serbia, 1800, 19th Century Folder, First Serbian Uprising, Karageorgea's Revolt, Russo-Turkish War

Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising (against the Turks)
Serbia, 1804-1813, First Serbian Uprising; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Serbia, 1804-1813, Karageorgea's town, Topola, Karageorgea's revolt 1804-1813
Serbia, Karageorge'™s town, Topola, Karageorge's revolt 1804-1809, First Serbian Uprising against the Turks from Constantinople, 1804, Collapse 1813 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Serbia, 1811-1813, President, Karadorde, Black George, Orthodox, with Ottomans, then against, Jihad, k by rival
Serbia, President, 1811-1813, Karadorde; Karadorde (16 November [O.S. 3 November] 1768 - 26 July [O.S. 14 July] 1817), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independence from the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising of 1804-“1813. Born into an impoverished family in the Sumadija region of Ottoman Serbia, Karadorde distinguished himself during the Austro-Turkish War of 1788-“1791 as a member of the Serbian Free Corps, a militia of Habsburg and Ottoman Serbs, armed and trained by the Austrians. Fearing retribution following the Austrians' and Serb rebels' defeat in 1791, he and his family fled to the Austrian Empire, where they lived until 1794, when a general amnesty was declared. Karadorde subsequently returned to Sumadija and became a livestock merchant. In 1796, the rogue governor of the Sanjak of Vidin, Osman PazvantogŸlu, invaded the Pashalik of Belgrade, and Karadorde fought alongside the Ottomans to quash the incursion. In early 1804, following a massacre of Serb chieftains by renegade Ottoman janissaries known as Dahis, the Serbs of the Pashalik rebelled. Karadorde was unanimously elected to lead the uprising against the Dahis at an assembly of surviving chiefs in February 1804. Within six months, most of the Dahi leaders had been captured and executed by Karadordee's forces, and by 1805, the final remnants of Dahi resistance had been crushed. Karadorde and his followers demanded far-reaching autonomy, which Sultan Selim interpreted as but the first step towards complete independence. Selim promptly declared jihad against the rebels and ordered an army to march into the Pashalik. The Ottomans suffered a string of defeats at the hands of Karadorde's forces. By 1806, the rebels had captured all the major towns in the Pashalik, including Belgrade and Smederevo, and expelled their Muslim inhabitants. Burdened by the demands of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-“1812, Selim offered the Serbs extensive autonomy, but Karadorde refused in light of Russia's avowal to aid the rebels should they continue fighting. Frequent infighting, together with Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, weakened the rebels, and the Ottomans were able to reverse many of their gains. Karadorde was forced to flee Serbia in October 1813 and Belgrade fell later that month, bringing the First Serbian Uprising to a close. He and his followers sought refuge in the Austrian Empire, but were arrested and detained. Despite Ottoman requests for his extradition, the Austrians handed Karadorde over to the Russians, who offered him refuge in Bessarabia. There, he joined the Greek secret society known as Filiki Eteria, which planned to launch a pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans. Karadorde returned to Serbia in secret in July 1817, but was killed shortly thereafter by agents of Milos Obrenovic, a rival rebel leader, who was concerned that Karadorde's reappearance would cause the Ottomans to renege on the concessions that they had agreed to following the Second Serbian Uprising of 1815. Karadorde is considered the founder of the Karadorde dynasty, which ruled Serbia in several intervals during the 19th and 20th centuries. His murder resulted in a violent, decades-long feud between his descendants and those of Obrenovic, with the Serbian throne changing hands several times. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Serbia, 1813-1814, Paisus, Igumen oAnnunciation, Trnava, Hadj-Prodan revolt, carried stake, impaled, exclaimed Glory tGod
Serbia, 1813-1814, Paisus, oAnnunciation monastery in Trnava, one of the 30 Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Igumen, collapse Karageorg's revolt 1813, Turks reign oTerror began, disease fBodies unburied, another revolt under Hadj-Prodan, Trnava monks involved, r crushed bTurks, many people captured executed, Pasius Avakum other prisoners tBelgrade Suleman Pasha, Avakum sang Pasius prayed, few converted to islam, P forced carry Stake fPrison, impaled exclaimed Glory tGod, 48 people killed wSwords, bodies raised on posts, died 1814; Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Ovcar-Kablar Gorge; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Serbia, 1814, Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814
Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Serbia, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814 ; Gligorijevic, known simply as Hadj-Prodan (1760 -1825) was a Serbian voivode (military commander) in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution, then the Greek War of Independence, against the Ottoman Empire. He led an unsuccessful rebellion in 1814, dubbedHadj-Prodan's Revolt. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, to be impaled, sooner I die the fewer sins
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius. St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814.

Serbia, 1814-1815, Paisius, Bosnia Region, two failed revolts, impaled, Igumen Trnava monastery
Serbia, 1814-1815, Avakum, Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North), two failed revolts, spiritual father and mother accepted Islam and urged him to, sentenced to be impaled on a stake, the sooner I die the fewer sins I will have; Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; holy New Martyr Paisius was igumen of the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, Serbia. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Paisius was taken from prison and forced to carry a stake to the place of execution. was impaled, and the stake was set into the ground. The holy martyr exclaimed, “Glory to God.” Then the vizier clapped his hands to signal his soldiers to draw their swords and begin killing some of the other prisoners. people were killed, and their bodies were raised up on posts. After suffering for some time, Saint Paisius surrendered his soul to God, thereby obtaining the crown of martyrdom on December 17, 1814. Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; holy New Martyr Avakum (Habakkuk) was born in Bosnia in 1794, and was named Lepoje by his parents. ’s father died when he was still a young boy, so his mother took him to the Mostanica monastery, where his uncle was the spiritual Father. He grew up in the monastery, and later became a monk with the name Avakum. When he was eighteen, he was ordained a deacon by Metropolitan Joseph (Sakabenta). 1809, the monks took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks, and had to flee for their lives. They settled in the Annunciation monastery in Trnava near Cacak, where the igumen was Saint Paisius. the collapse of Karageorge’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. also swept the area because of the many bodies left unburied. people attempted another revolt under Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic, and the monks of Trnava became involved in it. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others. of the prisoners were sent to Suleiman Pasha in Belgrade, among whom were Saints Paisius and Avakum. The holy deacon Avakum sang “God is with us” (from Compline) in the prison cell, while Saint Paisius prayed. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death. Turks tried to pressure Avakum to save himself by embracing their religion, but he refused even to consider it. former spiritual Father, Gennadius, accepted the offer of the Turks and urged Avakum to follow his example. The courageous deacon declared that he was a warrior of Christ, and preferred to die rather than deny Christ. Avakum was sentenced to be impaled on a stake, which he was forced to carry to the place of execution. own mother urged him to embrace Islam, then to seek forgiveness later because he had been forced into it. The saint thanked her for giving him life, but not for her advice. the place of execution, the Turks asked him one more time to consider his youth and not to die before his time. Avakum laughed and asked, “Don’t even Turks eventually die?” replied, “Of course they do.” “Well then,” he said, “the sooner I die, the fewer sins I will have.” of his courage and steadfastness in his faith, the Turks decided not to impale him. They killed him quickly by stabbing him in the heart with a sword on January 27, 1815. Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 with Saint Paisius.

Serbia, 1875, June 26 1875: Issachar's Seal Date
Serbia, 1875, June 26 1875: Issachar's Seal Date; Serbia, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); Congress of Berlin, 1878;

Serbia, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); Serbia, 1875, June 26 1875: Issachar's Seal Date;

Serbia, 1878, Treaty of Berlin 1878
Serbia, 1878, Treaty of Berlin 1878; Serbia, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); Serbia, 1875, June 26 1875: Issachar's Seal Date;

Serbia, 1900, 20th Century Folder, Communist Leader Tito, St Nikolai Velimirovich of Ohrid

Serbia, 1901-1956, Saint Nikolai Velimirovich of Ohrid and Zica
Serbia, 1901-1956, Saint Nikolai Velimirovich of Ohrid and Zica; Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Serbia, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbying, Paris, San F
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; Kharkov; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

Serbia, 1943-1980, Yugoslav Communist Leader, Tito, Josip Broz
Serbia, 1943-1980, Yugoslav Communist Leader, Tito, Josip Broz; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Serbia, Kosovo Folder, Rivers flow South

Serbia, Kosovo, Eastern Kosovo Folder, Kosovo Field

Kosovo, Serbia
Kosovo; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on September 3; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Battle of Kosovo, Serbia, 1389
Battle of Kosovo; Saint Spyridon, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Kosovo battle with Turks, 1389
Kosovo battle with Turks, 1389; Saint Spyridon, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Kosovo Pole (Blackbird Field)
Kosovo Pole St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated August 30 ; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Devic Monastery in Kosovo, 1434 for St Joanikije of Devic
Devic Monastery in Kosovo; Devič Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Девич, romanized: Manastir Devič; Albanian: Manastiri i Deviçit) is a Serbian Orthodox abbey in Kosovo[a]. It was built in 1434 and is dedicated to St Joanikije of Devič. Devič was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

Kosovo Sink Hole - Smaller View

Kosovo Sink Hole - Larger View

Goljak Mountains
Goljak Mountains;

Skopje, Serbia (top of the K Triangle), Serbian Empire Capital, Moravian Despotate
Skopje, Macedonia; Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Serbia, Kosovo, Unjimir River Folder, Central Kosovo

Unjimir River (now Peja Bistrica)
Unjimir River between Kosovo and Pec;

Unjimir River Source (on the divide)

Mokra Mt

Unjimir River 1 (Unjimir, Kosovo)

Unjimir, Kosovo (Unjimir River 1)
Unjimir (between Kosovo and Pec); St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; Saint Peter was born in 1211 in the village of Unjimir between the city of Pech and the Field of Kosovo.

Unjimir River Mouth ( Pec River 4)

Serbia, Kosovo, Pec River Folder, Western Kosovo

Pec River (now white drin)

Pec River Source (on the divide)

Pec River 1 (Rugova Canyon and Caves)

Rugova Canyon monastic caves, 1985
Rugova Canyon monastic caves; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8;

Pec River 2 (Pech)

Pech (Pec), Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 2), Archdiocese of Serbia
Pech; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Sava II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on February 8; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Pec Rive 3 (Dechani)

Dechani, Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 3)
Dechani, Serbia; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ;

Vysokie Dechani Monastery, Serbia, 1327
Vysokie Dechani, Serbia; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15;

Dechani (Vysokie) Monastery, Serbia, 1327
Vysokie Dechani, Serbia; Saint Gabriel I, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15;

Patriarchate of Pec (monastery), Serbia, 1327
Patriarchate of Pec (monastery), Serbia, 1327; Vysokie Dechani, Serbia; Saint Gabriel I, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30; Saint Macarius, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15;

Pec River 4 (Unjimir River)

Pec River 5 (Prizren, Korisha)

Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 5)
Prizren; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated September 3 ; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Eparchy or Center of Serbian Orthodox Church located in Prizren, Kosovo
Eparchy of Raska and Prizren; of Raska and Prizren[a] is one of the oldest eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, featuring the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Patriarchal Monastery of Peć, as well as Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Dečani, which together are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Serbia. than 100 of the Eparchy's churches and monasteries were targeted for vandalism and destruction by Albanian nationalists after the Kosovo War and during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.[1] of the Eparchy is reflected in its name: it has diocesan jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in historical regions of Raska (Serbia) and Kosovo and Metohija. The official see of the Eparchy is in Prizren, Kosovo.[a] the jurisdiction of Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima Within the territory of the present-day Eparchy of Raska and Prizren several older eparchies existed throughout history. of them was the ancient Bishopric of Ulpiana also known as Iustiniana Secunda situated near the modern town of Lipljan, where the remains of episcopal Basilica dating from the first half of 6th century have been found and excavated. the episcopal see of Ulpiana was under the supreme jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Thessaloniki, and in 535 it was transferred to newly created Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima. Byzantine rule in that region collapsed at the beginning of the 7th century and the church life was later renewed after a more pronounced Christianization of Serbs.[2] sees in Serbian lands The Bishopric of Ras was named after the old Serbian fortress of Ras that was situated near modern-day Novi Pazar. From the name of Ras the name of entire region was also derived (ser. Рашка (Raška), lat. Rascia).[3] The Bishopric of Ras emerged sometime during the 9th century, in the time that was marked by great missionary work of saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples among Slavs, from Great Moravia in the north to Bulgaria in the east. During the rule of the prince Mutimir of Serbia and Byzantine emperor Basil I (867–886) process of Christianization of Serbs was finalized. One of Mutimirs sons was baptized as Stefan (Stefan Mutimirović) and other members of the ruling Serbian dynasty also received Christian names like princes Petar Gojniković, Pavle Branović and Zaharija Pribislavljević.[4] bishopric of Ras was founded in the time of major ecclesiastical events that took place around the Council of Constantinople in 869–870 and the Council of Constantinople in 879–880.[5] Two land-marking decisions have been made in that time. First, the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to create autonomous Archbishopric for Bulgaria after the Conversion of Bulgarians to Christianity and second, the decision of 870 that confirmed the attachment of Bulgarian Church to Eastern Orthodoxy.[6] By 878, episcopal sees in nearby cities of Belgrade and Braničevo have already been firmly established. It can be concluded that the Bishopric of Ras was also founded by that time. Close ties between Serbia and Byzantine Empire secured the communion of Serbian Church with the Eastern Orthodoxy and its main center in Constantinople, with one important distinction: Serbs adopted the use of Old Church Slavonic liturgy instead of Greek. the time of emperor John I Tzimiskes (969–976), Byzantine rule was restored in the region and protospatharios John was appointed as governor (catepan) of Ras.[7][8] the jurisdiction of Archbishopric of Ohrid Map depicting the Archbishopric of Ohrid in ca. 1020. After the victorious Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria in 1018, by order of emperor Basil II an autonomous Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid was established in 1019, by lowering the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate due to its subjugation to Constantinople, placing it under the supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Imperial charters of 1019 and 1020 mention three bishoprics on the territory of present-day Eparchy of Raška and Prizren with episcopal seats in the cities of Ras, Prizren and Lipljan. All three were designated as distinct dioceses of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid. Until the beginning of the 13th century, archbishops of Ochrid were regarded as Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima and all Bulgaria.[9] the jurisdiction of Serbian Orthodox Church The autocephaly of Serbian Orthodox Church was established in 1219 by Saint Sava, who was consecrated as first Serbian archbishop by the Byzantine patriarch residing at that time in Nicaea. Since then, all of the three old bishoprics of Raška, Prizren[10] and Lipljan were under the constant jurisdiction of Archbishop of Serbia. New Bishopric of Hvosno was also created in northern parts of the region of Metohija.[11] The see of Serbian archbishop was soon transferred from Monastery of Žiča to Peć in Metohija.[12] 1346, Serbian Archbishopric was raised to the rank of Patriarchate with its see remaining in Peć. At the same time the bishoprics of Prizren and Lipljan were raised by title to the rank of metropolitanates. Bishops of Lipljan kept under their jurisdiction the region of central Kosovo with Gračanica and Novo Brdo. Period from the beginning of 13 century to the end of 14 century was the golden age for Orthodox Church in the regions of Raška, Kosovo and Metohija with many monasteries and churches built by Serbian rulers and local Serbian nobility. of the Holy Archangels near Prizren the time of Turkish conquests, in the middle of the 15th century, Serbian Orthodox Church suffered great devastation. Regions of Raska, Kosovo and Metohija finally fell under Turkish rule around 1455. Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1557 by patriarch Makarije Sokolović.[13] In that time (16th–17th century) on the territory of modern Eparchy there were: Patriarchal see in Pec and five eparchies: Raska, Prizren, Lipljan, Vučitrn and Hvosno. All of the regional sees in Raska, Kosovo and Metohija remained under constant jurisdiction of Serbian Patriarchate until its abolition in 1766.[14] that time, two major events tragically impacted Orthodox Church in the region. the time of Austro-Turkish war (1683–1699) relations between Muslims and Christians in European provinces of Ottoman Empire were radicalized. a result of Turkish oppression, destruction of Churches and Monasteries and violence against non-Muslim civilian population, Serbian Christians and their church leaders headed by Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III sided with Austrians in 1689 and again in 1737 under Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV.[15] In the following punitive campaigns, Turkish forces conducted systematic atrocities against Christian population in Serbian regions, mainly in Metohija, Kosovo and Raska, resulting in Great Migrations of the Serbs.[16] of the consequences of devastation and depopulation in the regions of Kosovo and Metohija during Austro-Turkish wars was the reorganization of local Serbian eparchies. The old Eparchy of Lipljan (with Gračanica and Novo Brdo) was merged with the Eparchy of Prizren and they remained united to the present day. history of the Patriarchate of Pec in the 16th and 17th century 1766, Serbian Patriarchate of Pec and all of its eparchies that were on territories under Ottoman rule were placed under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. That included both eparchies of Raska and Prizren. During the transfer of jurisdictions, Serbian patriarchal archeparchy of Peć was abolished, and its territory was added to the Eparchy of Prizren. In 1789, that eparchy was placed under administration of metropolitan Joanikije of Raška. In 1808, the eparchies of Raška and Prizren were officially merged into the current Eparchy of Raška and Prizren. In 1894, the region of Pljevlja was also added to this eparchy.[17] Turkish rule ended in 1912, and territory of eparchy was divided between Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro. Prizren became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, and Peja became part of the Kingdom of Montenegro. Political division was followed by reorganization of church administration. In the Montenegrin part, a separated Eparchy of Peć was created. During the First World War (1914-1918) territories of both eparchies were occupied by the army of Austria-Hungary. After the re-annexation in 1918, new Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created, and included all territories of Serbia and Montenegro.[18] After the Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1920, Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was returned to the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In 1931, Eparchy of Peć was reincorporated into the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren. In 1941, Yugoslavia was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany and its allies.[19] The territory of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was occupied by Germans (northern part), Italians (central part) and Bulgarians (eastern part). The Italian occupation zone was annexed to the Italian protectorate of Albania. That marked the beginning of mass persecution of ethnic Serbs in the annexed regions of Metohija and central Kosovo. Many Serbian churches of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren were looted and destroyed. Reign of terror was enforced by Albanian fascist organization Balli Kombëtar and by Albanian SS Division "Skanderbeg", created by Heinrich Himmler.[20] By the time of the re-annexation in 1944, the Serbian population, of which most were colonizers after the 1st Balkan War, were expelled from Kosovo. buildings Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Seat of the Bishopric of Ras and the oldest known medieval church building of Serbia Our Lady of Ljeviš Patriarchal Monastery of Peć Visoki Dečani Gračanica Monastery Sopoćani Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul in Ras article: Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Ras The Church of Peter and Paul in Ras is one of the most important Serbian Christian monuments from the Middle Age period of Serbia. The church was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Serbia. The church served as a seat of the Bishopric of Ras, named after near by medieval capital of Serbia. The present church (9th–10th century) has been built on several earlier churches of which remains have been well preserved. The foundation of the church, the massive columns, ground-plan and the octagonal tower which conceals an inner cupola are examples of the circular mausolean architectural type used after Emperor Constantine (306–312). Saint Sava (1175–1235), a Serbian prince, brother of the Serbian king Stefan Prvovenčani and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church was baptized in the church. Stefan Nemanja held the council that outlawed the Bogumils at the church. The remains of frescoes date from the 10th to the 13th century; some of them were repainted in the mid-13th century.[21] Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Suva Reka Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Suva Reka Main article: List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries English Serbian Cyrillic Founded In Kosovo Saint Archangels Monastery Манастир Свети Арханђели 1343 Banjska Monastery Бањска 1312 Binač (Buzovik) Monastery Бинач/Бузовик 14th century Our Lady of Ljeviš Богородица Љевишка 1307 Budisavci Monastery Будисавци 14th century Devič Monastery Девич 1434 Dobra Voda Monastery Добра вода 14th century Dolac Monastery Долац 14th century Draganac Monastery Драганац 1381 Duboki Potok Monastery 14th century Globarica Monastery Глобарица 16th century Gorioč Monastery Гориоч early 14th century Grabovac Monastery Грабовац 14th century Gračanica monastery Грачаница 1310 Kmetovce Monastery Кметовце early 14th century Mušutište Monastery Мушутиште early 14th century Patriarchal Monastery of Peć Манастир Пећка патријаршија early 13th century Saint Barbara Monastery Saint Marko Koriški Свети Марко Коришки 1467 Saint Uroš Monastery Свети Урош >1371 Sokolica Monastery Соколица 14th century Studenica Hvostanska Студеница Хвостанска early 13th century Tamnica Monastery Тамница 14th century Ubožac Monastery Убожац late 13th century Visoki Dečani Monastery Високи Дечани 1327 Vračevo Monastery Zočište Monastery Зочиште before 1327 and Metropolitans Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III, leader of the First Great Serb migration in 1690 Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV, leader of the Second Great Serb migration in 1737 Early bishops of Ras: Leontius (fl. 1123–1126) Cyril (fl. 1141–1143) Euthemius (fl. 1170) Callinicus (fl. 1196) Early bishops of Prizren: Ioannis (12th century) Avramios (fl. 1204) Nicephoros (fl. 1216) Under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople 1766–1920 Metropolitans of Prizren, 1766–1808: Gavrilo (1766–1774) Sofronije (around 1780) Jevsevije (died 1789) Joanikije of Raška, administrator of Prizren (1789–1808) Metropolitans of Raška and Prizren, since the unification of the two eparchies in 1808: Joanikije (1789–1818) Zaharija (1819–1830) Ananije (1830–1836) German (1836–1838) Sinesije (1838–1840) Ignjatije (1840–1849) Partenije (1849–1854) Melentije Spandonidis (1854–1895) Dionisije Petrović (1896–1900) Nićifor Perić (1901–1911) Gavrilo Dožić (1912–1920) Since the restoration of the Serbian Patriarchate in 1920: Mihajlo Šiljak (1920–1928) Serafim Jovanović (1928–1945) Vladimir Rajić (1947–1956) admin. (1945–1947) Pavle Stojčević (1957–1990) Artemije Radosavljević (1991–2010) Atanasije Jevtić (2010) (admin.) Amfilohije Radović (2010) (admin.) Teodosije Šibalić (2010–) a. ^ The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo is formally recognised as an independent state by 101 out of 193 (52.3%) UN member states (with another 13 recognising it at some point but then withdrawing their recognition), while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own territory. Serbian: Епархија рашко-призренска / Eparhija raško-prizrenska, Albanian: Eparkia Rashkë - Prizren. Also known as the Eparchy of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija (Serbian: Епархија рашко-призренска и косовско-метохијска / Eparhija raško-prizrenska i kosovsko-metohijska; Albanian: Eparkia Rashkë - Prizren). See more Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo References Rakitić, Dušan (2014). "Envisaging a Legal Framework for Ensuring Sustainable Preservation of Holy Places with Regard to the Case of Kosovo and Metohia". In Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (eds.). Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean. Farnham, England: Ashgate Publishing. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-47242-601-7. Curta 2001, p. 125, 130. Ćirković 2004, p. 29-33. Ćirković 2004, p. 16-17. Vlasto 1970, p. 67-68, 208–209. Zlatarski, History of the Bulgarian State during the Middle Ages, vol. 1, ch. 2, Sofia, 1971, p. 159 Stephenson 2003, p. 42. Stephenson 2003a, p. 122. Bulić 2013, p. 221-222. Јањић 2013, p. 157-170. Јањић 2009, p. 183-194. Ćirković 2004, p. 40-43. Ćirković 2004, p. 135-137. Ćirković 2004, p. 177. Ćirković 2004, p. 144, 244. Pavlowitch 2002, p. 19-20. Ракочевић 1983, p. 279. Ćirković 2004, p. 252-253. Ćirković 2004, p. 268-269. Tomasevich 2001, p. 154. Ćirković 2004, p. 17, 21, 30. Sources Базић, Миљојко М. (2007). Идентитет и културно наслеђе Срба. Београд: Научна КМД. ISBN 9788684153823. Bulić, Dejan (2013). "The Fortifications of the Late Antiquity and the Early Byzantine Period on the Later Territory of the South-Slavic Principalities, and their re-occupation". The World of the Slavs: Studies of the East, West and South Slavs: Civitas, Oppidas, Villas and Archeological Evidence (7th to 11th Centuries AD). Istorijski institut SANU. pp. 137–234. ISBN 9788677431044. Čanak-Medić, Milka; Todić, Branislav (2017). The Monastery of the Patriarchate of Peć. Novi Sad: Platoneum, Beseda. Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9781405142915. Curta, Florin (2001). The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500–700. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139428880. Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Đorđević, Života; Pejić, Svetlana, eds. (1999). Cultural Heritage of Kosovo and Metohija. Belgrade: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia. ISBN 9788680879161. Ђурић, Војислав Ј.; Ћирковић, Сима; Кораћ, Војислав (1990). Пећка патријаршија. Београд-Приштина: Југословенска ревија, Јединство. ISBN 9788674130575. Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (2014). Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781317175032. Fotić, Aleksandar (2008). "Serbian Orthodox Church". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 519–520. ISBN 9781438110257. Грујић, Радослав (1993). Азбучник Српске православне цркве. Београд: БИГЗ, Музеј СПЦ. ISBN 9788613006886. Јанковић, Марија (1985). Епископије и митрополије Српске цркве у средњем веку (Bishoprics and Metropolitanates of Serbian Church in Middle Ages). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ. Јањић, Драгана (2009). "Подаци за историју Хвостанске епархије (The Data for the History of Hvostan's Eparchy)" (PDF). Баштина (26): 183–194. Јањић, Драгана (2013). "Призренска епископија: Историјско-канонски аспекти (Prizren's diocese: Historical-canonical aspects)" (PDF). Баштина (34): 157–170. Kalić, Jovanka (1995). "Rascia – The Nucleus of the Medieval Serbian State". Faculty of Geography. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2016. Kia, Mehrdad (2011). Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313064029. Коматина, Ивана (2016). Црква и држава у српским земљама од XI до XIII века. Београд: Историјски институт. ISBN 9788677431136. Krstić, Branislav (2003). Saving the Cultural Heritage of Serbia and Europe in Kosovo and Metohia. Belgrade: Coordination Center of the Federal Government and the Government of the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohia. ISBN 9788675560173. Ljubinković, Radivoje (1975). The Church of the Apostles in the Patriarchate of Peć. Belgrade: Jugoslavija. McAllester, Matthew (2001). Beyond the Mountains of the Damned: The War Inside Kosovo. New York-London: New York University Press. ISBN 9780814756614. Мијовић, Павле (1960). Пећка Патријаршија. Београд: Туристичка штампа. Милеуснић, Слободан (2007). Водич кроз манастире у Србији. Београд: МСТ Гајић, Завод за унапређивање образовања и васпитања. ISBN 9788682021162. Pavlovich, Paul (1989). The History of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Serbian Heritage Books. ISBN 9780969133124. Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (2002). Serbia: The History behind the Name. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 9781850654773. Petković, Sreten (1982). The Patriarchate of Peć. Belgrade: Serbian Patriarchate. Popović, Svetlana (2002). "The Serbian Episcopal sees in the thirteenth century (Српска епископска седишта у XIII веку)". Старинар (51: 2001): 171–184. Ракочевић, Новица (1983). "Политичке и друштвене прилике". Историја српског народа. Vol. књ. 6, св. 1. Београд: Српска књижевна задруга. pp. 263–290. Слијепчевић, Ђоко М. (1962). Историја Српске православне цркве (History of the Serbian Orthodox Church). Vol. књ. 1. Минхен: Искра. Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521770170. Stephenson, Paul (2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521815307. Stephenson, Paul (2003a). "The Balkan Frontier in the Year 1000". Byzantium in the year 1000. BRILL. pp. 109–134. ISBN 9004120971. Subotić, Gojko (1998). Art of Kosovo: The Sacred Land. New York: The Monacelli Press. ISBN 9781580930062. Todić, Branislav (1999). Serbian Medieval Painting: The Age of King Milutin. Belgrade: Draganić. ISBN 9788644102717. Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration. Vol. 2. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804779241. Vlasto, Alexis P. (1970). The entry of the Slavs into Christendom. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521074599. Вуковић, Сава (1996). Српски јерарси од деветог до двадесетог века (Serbian Hierarchs from the 9th to the 20th Century). Евро, Унирекс, Каленић. Warrander, Gail; Knaus, Verena (2010). Kosovo (2nd ed.). Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781841623313. Зиројевић, Олга (1984). Цркве и манастири на подручју Пећке патријаршије до 1683. године. Београд: Историјски институт, Народна књига. Živković, Tibor; Bojanin, Stanoje; Petrović, Vladeta, eds. (2000). Selected Charters of Serbian Rulers (XII-XV Century): Relating to the Territory of Kosovo and Metohia. Athens: Center for Studies of Byzantine Civilisation. Живковић, Тибор (2000). Словени и Ромеји: Славизација на простору Србије од VII до XI века (The Slavs and the Romans). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430221. Живковић, Тибор (2002). Јужни Словени под византијском влашћу 600-1025 (South Slavs under the Byzantine Rule 600-1025). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430276. Живковић, Тибор (2004). Црквена организација у српским земљама: Рани средњи век (Organization of the Church in Serbian Lands: Early Middle Ages). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430443. Živković, Tibor (2008). Forging unity: The South Slavs between East and West 550-1150. Belgrade: The Institute of History, Čigoja štampa. ISBN 9788675585732. See Corridors Prizren; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated September 3 ; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Eparchy of Raska and Prizren
Eparchy of Raska and Prizren; of Raska and Prizren[a] is one of the oldest eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, featuring the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Patriarchal Monastery of Peć, as well as Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Dečani, which together are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Serbia. than 100 of the Eparchy's churches and monasteries were targeted for vandalism and destruction by Albanian nationalists after the Kosovo War and during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.[1] of the Eparchy is reflected in its name: it has diocesan jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in historical regions of Raska (Serbia) and Kosovo and Metohija. The official see of the Eparchy is in Prizren, Kosovo.[a] the jurisdiction of Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima Within the territory of the present-day Eparchy of Raska and Prizren several older eparchies existed throughout history. of them was the ancient Bishopric of Ulpiana also known as Iustiniana Secunda situated near the modern town of Lipljan, where the remains of episcopal Basilica dating from the first half of 6th century have been found and excavated. the episcopal see of Ulpiana was under the supreme jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Thessaloniki, and in 535 it was transferred to newly created Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima. Byzantine rule in that region collapsed at the beginning of the 7th century and the church life was later renewed after a more pronounced Christianization of Serbs.[2] sees in Serbian lands The Bishopric of Ras was named after the old Serbian fortress of Ras that was situated near modern-day Novi Pazar. From the name of Ras the name of entire region was also derived (ser. Рашка (Raška), lat. Rascia).[3] The Bishopric of Ras emerged sometime during the 9th century, in the time that was marked by great missionary work of saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples among Slavs, from Great Moravia in the north to Bulgaria in the east. During the rule of the prince Mutimir of Serbia and Byzantine emperor Basil I (867–886) process of Christianization of Serbs was finalized. One of Mutimirs sons was baptized as Stefan (Stefan Mutimirović) and other members of the ruling Serbian dynasty also received Christian names like princes Petar Gojniković, Pavle Branović and Zaharija Pribislavljević.[4] bishopric of Ras was founded in the time of major ecclesiastical events that took place around the Council of Constantinople in 869–870 and the Council of Constantinople in 879–880.[5] Two land-marking decisions have been made in that time. First, the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to create autonomous Archbishopric for Bulgaria after the Conversion of Bulgarians to Christianity and second, the decision of 870 that confirmed the attachment of Bulgarian Church to Eastern Orthodoxy.[6] By 878, episcopal sees in nearby cities of Belgrade and Braničevo have already been firmly established. It can be concluded that the Bishopric of Ras was also founded by that time. Close ties between Serbia and Byzantine Empire secured the communion of Serbian Church with the Eastern Orthodoxy and its main center in Constantinople, with one important distinction: Serbs adopted the use of Old Church Slavonic liturgy instead of Greek. the time of emperor John I Tzimiskes (969–976), Byzantine rule was restored in the region and protospatharios John was appointed as governor (catepan) of Ras.[7][8] the jurisdiction of Archbishopric of Ohrid Map depicting the Archbishopric of Ohrid in ca. 1020. After the victorious Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria in 1018, by order of emperor Basil II an autonomous Bulgarian Archbishopric of Ohrid was established in 1019, by lowering the rank of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate due to its subjugation to Constantinople, placing it under the supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Imperial charters of 1019 and 1020 mention three bishoprics on the territory of present-day Eparchy of Raška and Prizren with episcopal seats in the cities of Ras, Prizren and Lipljan. All three were designated as distinct dioceses of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid. Until the beginning of the 13th century, archbishops of Ochrid were regarded as Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima and all Bulgaria.[9] the jurisdiction of Serbian Orthodox Church The autocephaly of Serbian Orthodox Church was established in 1219 by Saint Sava, who was consecrated as first Serbian archbishop by the Byzantine patriarch residing at that time in Nicaea. Since then, all of the three old bishoprics of Raška, Prizren[10] and Lipljan were under the constant jurisdiction of Archbishop of Serbia. New Bishopric of Hvosno was also created in northern parts of the region of Metohija.[11] The see of Serbian archbishop was soon transferred from Monastery of Žiča to Peć in Metohija.[12] 1346, Serbian Archbishopric was raised to the rank of Patriarchate with its see remaining in Peć. At the same time the bishoprics of Prizren and Lipljan were raised by title to the rank of metropolitanates. Bishops of Lipljan kept under their jurisdiction the region of central Kosovo with Gračanica and Novo Brdo. Period from the beginning of 13 century to the end of 14 century was the golden age for Orthodox Church in the regions of Raška, Kosovo and Metohija with many monasteries and churches built by Serbian rulers and local Serbian nobility. of the Holy Archangels near Prizren the time of Turkish conquests, in the middle of the 15th century, Serbian Orthodox Church suffered great devastation. Regions of Raska, Kosovo and Metohija finally fell under Turkish rule around 1455. Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1557 by patriarch Makarije Sokolović.[13] In that time (16th–17th century) on the territory of modern Eparchy there were: Patriarchal see in Pec and five eparchies: Raska, Prizren, Lipljan, Vučitrn and Hvosno. All of the regional sees in Raska, Kosovo and Metohija remained under constant jurisdiction of Serbian Patriarchate until its abolition in 1766.[14] that time, two major events tragically impacted Orthodox Church in the region. the time of Austro-Turkish war (1683–1699) relations between Muslims and Christians in European provinces of Ottoman Empire were radicalized. a result of Turkish oppression, destruction of Churches and Monasteries and violence against non-Muslim civilian population, Serbian Christians and their church leaders headed by Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III sided with Austrians in 1689 and again in 1737 under Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV.[15] In the following punitive campaigns, Turkish forces conducted systematic atrocities against Christian population in Serbian regions, mainly in Metohija, Kosovo and Raska, resulting in Great Migrations of the Serbs.[16] of the consequences of devastation and depopulation in the regions of Kosovo and Metohija during Austro-Turkish wars was the reorganization of local Serbian eparchies. The old Eparchy of Lipljan (with Gračanica and Novo Brdo) was merged with the Eparchy of Prizren and they remained united to the present day. history of the Patriarchate of Pec in the 16th and 17th century 1766, Serbian Patriarchate of Pec and all of its eparchies that were on territories under Ottoman rule were placed under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. That included both eparchies of Raska and Prizren. During the transfer of jurisdictions, Serbian patriarchal archeparchy of Peć was abolished, and its territory was added to the Eparchy of Prizren. In 1789, that eparchy was placed under administration of metropolitan Joanikije of Raška. In 1808, the eparchies of Raška and Prizren were officially merged into the current Eparchy of Raška and Prizren. In 1894, the region of Pljevlja was also added to this eparchy.[17] Turkish rule ended in 1912, and territory of eparchy was divided between Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro. Prizren became part of the Kingdom of Serbia, and Peja became part of the Kingdom of Montenegro. Political division was followed by reorganization of church administration. In the Montenegrin part, a separated Eparchy of Peć was created. During the First World War (1914-1918) territories of both eparchies were occupied by the army of Austria-Hungary. After the re-annexation in 1918, new Kingdom of Yugoslavia was created, and included all territories of Serbia and Montenegro.[18] After the Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1920, Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was returned to the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In 1931, Eparchy of Peć was reincorporated into the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren. In 1941, Yugoslavia was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany and its allies.[19] The territory of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was occupied by Germans (northern part), Italians (central part) and Bulgarians (eastern part). The Italian occupation zone was annexed to the Italian protectorate of Albania. That marked the beginning of mass persecution of ethnic Serbs in the annexed regions of Metohija and central Kosovo. Many Serbian churches of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren were looted and destroyed. Reign of terror was enforced by Albanian fascist organization Balli Kombëtar and by Albanian SS Division "Skanderbeg", created by Heinrich Himmler.[20] By the time of the re-annexation in 1944, the Serbian population, of which most were colonizers after the 1st Balkan War, were expelled from Kosovo. buildings Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Seat of the Bishopric of Ras and the oldest known medieval church building of Serbia Our Lady of Ljeviš Patriarchal Monastery of Peć Visoki Dečani Gračanica Monastery Sopoćani Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul in Ras article: Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Ras The Church of Peter and Paul in Ras is one of the most important Serbian Christian monuments from the Middle Age period of Serbia. The church was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Serbia. The church served as a seat of the Bishopric of Ras, named after near by medieval capital of Serbia. The present church (9th–10th century) has been built on several earlier churches of which remains have been well preserved. The foundation of the church, the massive columns, ground-plan and the octagonal tower which conceals an inner cupola are examples of the circular mausolean architectural type used after Emperor Constantine (306–312). Saint Sava (1175–1235), a Serbian prince, brother of the Serbian king Stefan Prvovenčani and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church was baptized in the church. Stefan Nemanja held the council that outlawed the Bogumils at the church. The remains of frescoes date from the 10th to the 13th century; some of them were repainted in the mid-13th century.[21] Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Suva Reka Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Suva Reka Main article: List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries English Serbian Cyrillic Founded In Kosovo Saint Archangels Monastery Манастир Свети Арханђели 1343 Banjska Monastery Бањска 1312 Binač (Buzovik) Monastery Бинач/Бузовик 14th century Our Lady of Ljeviš Богородица Љевишка 1307 Budisavci Monastery Будисавци 14th century Devič Monastery Девич 1434 Dobra Voda Monastery Добра вода 14th century Dolac Monastery Долац 14th century Draganac Monastery Драганац 1381 Duboki Potok Monastery 14th century Globarica Monastery Глобарица 16th century Gorioč Monastery Гориоч early 14th century Grabovac Monastery Грабовац 14th century Gračanica monastery Грачаница 1310 Kmetovce Monastery Кметовце early 14th century Mušutište Monastery Мушутиште early 14th century Patriarchal Monastery of Peć Манастир Пећка патријаршија early 13th century Saint Barbara Monastery Saint Marko Koriški Свети Марко Коришки 1467 Saint Uroš Monastery Свети Урош >1371 Sokolica Monastery Соколица 14th century Studenica Hvostanska Студеница Хвостанска early 13th century Tamnica Monastery Тамница 14th century Ubožac Monastery Убожац late 13th century Visoki Dečani Monastery Високи Дечани 1327 Vračevo Monastery Zočište Monastery Зочиште before 1327 and Metropolitans Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III, leader of the First Great Serb migration in 1690 Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV, leader of the Second Great Serb migration in 1737 Early bishops of Ras: Leontius (fl. 1123–1126) Cyril (fl. 1141–1143) Euthemius (fl. 1170) Callinicus (fl. 1196) Early bishops of Prizren: Ioannis (12th century) Avramios (fl. 1204) Nicephoros (fl. 1216) Under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople 1766–1920 Metropolitans of Prizren, 1766–1808: Gavrilo (1766–1774) Sofronije (around 1780) Jevsevije (died 1789) Joanikije of Raška, administrator of Prizren (1789–1808) Metropolitans of Raška and Prizren, since the unification of the two eparchies in 1808: Joanikije (1789–1818) Zaharija (1819–1830) Ananije (1830–1836) German (1836–1838) Sinesije (1838–1840) Ignjatije (1840–1849) Partenije (1849–1854) Melentije Spandonidis (1854–1895) Dionisije Petrović (1896–1900) Nićifor Perić (1901–1911) Gavrilo Dožić (1912–1920) Since the restoration of the Serbian Patriarchate in 1920: Mihajlo Šiljak (1920–1928) Serafim Jovanović (1928–1945) Vladimir Rajić (1947–1956) admin. (1945–1947) Pavle Stojčević (1957–1990) Artemije Radosavljević (1991–2010) Atanasije Jevtić (2010) (admin.) Amfilohije Radović (2010) (admin.) Teodosije Šibalić (2010–) a. ^ The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo is formally recognised as an independent state by 101 out of 193 (52.3%) UN member states (with another 13 recognising it at some point but then withdrawing their recognition), while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own territory. Serbian: Епархија рашко-призренска / Eparhija raško-prizrenska, Albanian: Eparkia Rashkë - Prizren. Also known as the Eparchy of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija (Serbian: Епархија рашко-призренска и косовско-метохијска / Eparhija raško-prizrenska i kosovsko-metohijska; Albanian: Eparkia Rashkë - Prizren). See more Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo References Rakitić, Dušan (2014). "Envisaging a Legal Framework for Ensuring Sustainable Preservation of Holy Places with Regard to the Case of Kosovo and Metohia". In Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (eds.). Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean. Farnham, England: Ashgate Publishing. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-47242-601-7. Curta 2001, p. 125, 130. Ćirković 2004, p. 29-33. Ćirković 2004, p. 16-17. Vlasto 1970, p. 67-68, 208–209. Zlatarski, History of the Bulgarian State during the Middle Ages, vol. 1, ch. 2, Sofia, 1971, p. 159 Stephenson 2003, p. 42. Stephenson 2003a, p. 122. Bulić 2013, p. 221-222. Јањић 2013, p. 157-170. Јањић 2009, p. 183-194. Ćirković 2004, p. 40-43. Ćirković 2004, p. 135-137. Ćirković 2004, p. 177. Ćirković 2004, p. 144, 244. Pavlowitch 2002, p. 19-20. Ракочевић 1983, p. 279. Ćirković 2004, p. 252-253. Ćirković 2004, p. 268-269. Tomasevich 2001, p. 154. Ćirković 2004, p. 17, 21, 30. Sources Базић, Миљојко М. (2007). Идентитет и културно наслеђе Срба. Београд: Научна КМД. ISBN 9788684153823. Bulić, Dejan (2013). "The Fortifications of the Late Antiquity and the Early Byzantine Period on the Later Territory of the South-Slavic Principalities, and their re-occupation". The World of the Slavs: Studies of the East, West and South Slavs: Civitas, Oppidas, Villas and Archeological Evidence (7th to 11th Centuries AD). Istorijski institut SANU. pp. 137–234. ISBN 9788677431044. Čanak-Medić, Milka; Todić, Branislav (2017). The Monastery of the Patriarchate of Peć. Novi Sad: Platoneum, Beseda. Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9781405142915. Curta, Florin (2001). The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500–700. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139428880. Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Đorđević, Života; Pejić, Svetlana, eds. (1999). Cultural Heritage of Kosovo and Metohija. Belgrade: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia. ISBN 9788680879161. Ђурић, Војислав Ј.; Ћирковић, Сима; Кораћ, Војислав (1990). Пећка патријаршија. Београд-Приштина: Југословенска ревија, Јединство. ISBN 9788674130575. Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (2014). Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781317175032. Fotić, Aleksandar (2008). "Serbian Orthodox Church". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. New York: Infobase Publishing. pp. 519–520. ISBN 9781438110257. Грујић, Радослав (1993). Азбучник Српске православне цркве. Београд: БИГЗ, Музеј СПЦ. ISBN 9788613006886. Јанковић, Марија (1985). Епископије и митрополије Српске цркве у средњем веку (Bishoprics and Metropolitanates of Serbian Church in Middle Ages). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ. Јањић, Драгана (2009). "Подаци за историју Хвостанске епархије (The Data for the History of Hvostan's Eparchy)" (PDF). Баштина (26): 183–194. Јањић, Драгана (2013). "Призренска епископија: Историјско-канонски аспекти (Prizren's diocese: Historical-canonical aspects)" (PDF). Баштина (34): 157–170. Kalić, Jovanka (1995). "Rascia – The Nucleus of the Medieval Serbian State". Faculty of Geography. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2016. Kia, Mehrdad (2011). Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313064029. Коматина, Ивана (2016). Црква и држава у српским земљама од XI до XIII века. Београд: Историјски институт. ISBN 9788677431136. Krstić, Branislav (2003). Saving the Cultural Heritage of Serbia and Europe in Kosovo and Metohia. Belgrade: Coordination Center of the Federal Government and the Government of the Republic of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohia. ISBN 9788675560173. Ljubinković, Radivoje (1975). The Church of the Apostles in the Patriarchate of Peć. Belgrade: Jugoslavija. McAllester, Matthew (2001). Beyond the Mountains of the Damned: The War Inside Kosovo. New York-London: New York University Press. ISBN 9780814756614. Мијовић, Павле (1960). Пећка Патријаршија. Београд: Туристичка штампа. Милеуснић, Слободан (2007). Водич кроз манастире у Србији. Београд: МСТ Гајић, Завод за унапређивање образовања и васпитања. ISBN 9788682021162. Pavlovich, Paul (1989). The History of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Serbian Heritage Books. ISBN 9780969133124. Pavlowitch, Stevan K. (2002). Serbia: The History behind the Name. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 9781850654773. Petković, Sreten (1982). The Patriarchate of Peć. Belgrade: Serbian Patriarchate. Popović, Svetlana (2002). "The Serbian Episcopal sees in the thirteenth century (Српска епископска седишта у XIII веку)". Старинар (51: 2001): 171–184. Ракочевић, Новица (1983). "Политичке и друштвене прилике". Историја српског народа. Vol. књ. 6, св. 1. Београд: Српска књижевна задруга. pp. 263–290. Слијепчевић, Ђоко М. (1962). Историја Српске православне цркве (History of the Serbian Orthodox Church). Vol. књ. 1. Минхен: Искра. Stephenson, Paul (2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900–1204. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521770170. Stephenson, Paul (2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521815307. Stephenson, Paul (2003a). "The Balkan Frontier in the Year 1000". Byzantium in the year 1000. BRILL. pp. 109–134. ISBN 9004120971. Subotić, Gojko (1998). Art of Kosovo: The Sacred Land. New York: The Monacelli Press. ISBN 9781580930062. Todić, Branislav (1999). Serbian Medieval Painting: The Age of King Milutin. Belgrade: Draganić. ISBN 9788644102717. Tomasevich, Jozo (2001). War and Revolution in Yugoslavia, 1941–1945: Occupation and Collaboration. Vol. 2. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804779241. Vlasto, Alexis P. (1970). The entry of the Slavs into Christendom. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521074599. Вуковић, Сава (1996). Српски јерарси од деветог до двадесетог века (Serbian Hierarchs from the 9th to the 20th Century). Евро, Унирекс, Каленић. Warrander, Gail; Knaus, Verena (2010). Kosovo (2nd ed.). Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781841623313. Зиројевић, Олга (1984). Цркве и манастири на подручју Пећке патријаршије до 1683. године. Београд: Историјски институт, Народна књига. Živković, Tibor; Bojanin, Stanoje; Petrović, Vladeta, eds. (2000). Selected Charters of Serbian Rulers (XII-XV Century): Relating to the Territory of Kosovo and Metohia. Athens: Center for Studies of Byzantine Civilisation. Живковић, Тибор (2000). Словени и Ромеји: Славизација на простору Србије од VII до XI века (The Slavs and the Romans). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430221. Живковић, Тибор (2002). Јужни Словени под византијском влашћу 600-1025 (South Slavs under the Byzantine Rule 600-1025). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430276. Живковић, Тибор (2004). Црквена организација у српским земљама: Рани средњи век (Organization of the Church in Serbian Lands: Early Middle Ages). Београд: Историјски институт САНУ, Службени гласник. ISBN 9788677430443. Živković, Tibor (2008). Forging unity: The South Slavs between East and West 550-1150. Belgrade: The Institute of History, Čigoja štampa. ISBN 9788675585732. See Corridors Prizren; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; St Joannicius the first Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated September 3 ; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Bogorodica Ljeviska Church
Bogorodica Ljeviska Church; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26;

Korisha, Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 5)
Korisha; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Archangelsk monastery, Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia
Archangelsk monastery, Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia; Saint Spyridon, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30;

Serbia, Danube Rivers Folder, Rivers flow North

Danube River in Serbia

Danube River 9 (Belgrade, Serbia)

Serbia, Danube 9, Sava River Folder

Sava River Source (Julian Alps, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia)

Sava River 1 (Kranjska Gora, Slovenia)

Sava River 2 (Slovenia)

Sava River 3 (Slovenia)

Sava River 4 (Slovenka, Slovenia)

Sora River Mouth (Sava River 4)

Sava River 5 (Slovenia)

Sava River 9 (border Slovenia and Croatia)

Sava River 10 (Zagreb, Croatia)

Sava River 11 (Croatia)

Sava River 12 (Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Sava River 13 (border Croatia and Bosnia)

Sava River 14 (border Croatia and Bosnia)

Sava River 15 (border Croatia and Bosnia)

Sava River 16 (border Slavonia (Croatia) and Bosnia)

Sava River 17 (Vrsani, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Sava River 18 (Drina River, Serbia)

Serbia, Danube 9, Sava 18, Drina River Folder

Drina River

Drina River Source (Maglic Mountain)
Maglic Mountain;

Drina River 1

Drina River 2

Drina River 3 (Overview)

Drina River 4

Drina River 5 (Lim River)

Serbia, Danube 9, Sava 18, Drina 5, Lim River Folder

Lim River

Lim River Source (Lake Plav, Northeast Montenegro)

Lim River 1 (Budimlje, Serbia, aka Berane, Montenegro)

Budimlje, Serbia aka Berane, Montenegro (Lim River 1)
Budimlje aka Berane (; Repose of Saint Stephen of Delani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11

Lim River 2 (Montenegro-Serbia Border, Brodarevo)

Brodarova, Serbia (Lim River 2.3)
Brodarova, Serbia; Venerable David of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24;

Serbia, Danube 9, Sava 18, Drina 5, Lim River 2, Milesevka River Folder

Milesevka River

Milesevka River Source (Mount Jadovnik)

Milesevka River 1

Milesevka River 2

Milesevka River 3

Milesevka River Mouth (Lim River 2)

Mileshevsk monastery, Serbia (Mileshevsk River, Lim River 2) 1236
Mileshevsk (Milesheva) monastery ; St Vladislav of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27;

Sava's Mileshevsk monastery, Serbia (Mileshevsk River, Lim River 2) 1236
Mileshevsk (Milesheva) monastery ; St Vladislav of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; The Burning of Saint Sava's relics, Commemorated on April 27;

Lim River 3 (Milesevka River and Monestary)

Banja Monastery (Lim River 3.7, south of Prboj)
Banja Monastery Monastery (Serbian Cyrillic: ÃÂœÃÂ°ÃÂ½ÃÂ°ÑÂÑ‚ÃÂ¸Ñ€ ÃÂ‘ÃÂ°ÑšÃÂ°) is a Serbian Orthodox Monastery located near Priboj, Serbia. Monastery Banja presents Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in Serbia.[1] History 1890s photograph. Time of founding of the monastery is unknown, but the first historical sources (Studenica Typicon) mention it in the 12th century.[1] In 1220 Banja became center of Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Dabar.[2] There are three churches within the monastery, the Church of St. Nicholas, of St. Eliah and the Church of Ascension of the Holy Virgin. St. Nicholas Church, the main monastery church, was founded by King Stefan DeÄÂanski (r. 1322–31) in 1329. The original church was burned during the Ottoman invasion.[3] The church was restored in 1570 and gained its present look in 1904 when the last restoration took place. The monastery was not only center of the bishopric but the mausoleum of VojnoviÄ‡ noble family. Saint Daniel II, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20;

Banja district (Lim River 3.7, south of Prboj)
Banja Monastery Monastery (Serbian Cyrillic: ÃÂœÃÂ°ÃÂ½ÃÂ°ÑÂÑ‚ÃÂ¸Ñ€ ÃÂ‘ÃÂ°ÑšÃÂ°) is a Serbian Orthodox Monastery located near Priboj, Serbia. Monastery Banja presents Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in Serbia.[1] History 1890s photograph. Time of founding of the monastery is unknown, but the first historical sources (Studenica Typicon) mention it in the 12th century.[1] In 1220 Banja became center of Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Dabar.[2] There are three churches within the monastery, the Church of St. Nicholas, of St. Eliah and the Church of Ascension of the Holy Virgin. St. Nicholas Church, the main monastery church, was founded by King Stefan DeÄÂanski (r. 1322–31) in 1329. The original church was burned during the Ottoman invasion.[3] The church was restored in 1570 and gained its present look in 1904 when the last restoration took place. The monastery was not only center of the bishopric but the mausoleum of VojnoviÄ‡ noble family. Saint Daniel II, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20;

Lim River 4 (Pribo)

Lim River 5 (Rudo)

Lim River Mouth (Drina River 5)

Laze, Serbia (Drina River 6)
Lazes could mean the region of the Lazes River in Romania, but it probably is Laze in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or it could be neither; however, they are both on the way from Armenia to Albania. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Chelije Monastery, Serbia, 1280's
Chelije Monastery; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Lelich, Serbia (Drina River 9.5, 3 mile walk from Chelije Monastery)
Lelich, Serbia (3 mile walk from Chelije Monastery); Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Drina River 12 (Pech Monastery)

Tavna monastery, Serbia (Drina River 12) 1316
Tavna monastery Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ;

Drina River Mouth (Sirmium, Pannonia, Sava River 18)

Sava River 19 (Srem Plain, Serbia)

Serbia, Danube 9, Sava 19, Srem Plain Region Folder, Pannonia

Srem Plain Region (divided Croatia west and Serbia east, between Sava and Danube Rs.)
Srem Region, between Drava, Sava and Danube, divided between Croatia in the West and Serbia in the east ; Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Petkovica Monastery, founded by Elena 1522, Hi Place on Mt Fruska Gora
Monastery of Petkovica founded by Elena; Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4;

Sisaatovac Monastery, 1515, Stephen Stiljanovic's miraculous relics
Sisaatovac Monastery; Šišatovac Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Шишатовац, romanized: Manastir Šišatovac) is a Serb Orthodox monastery situated on the Fruška Gora mountain in the northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. foundation of the monastery is ascribed to the refugee monks from the Serbian monastery of Žiča. first reliable facts illustrating the life of the monastery date back to the mid 16th century. great benefactor of Šišatovac Monastery was Sekula Vitković (1687-1754) who in 1731 was appointed regimental commander of the Danube Serbian Militia. building dates from the 16th century. It was through a donation by Vikentije Popović-Hadžilovac, the Bishop of Vršac, that the new, extant church building was constructed in 1778. iconostasis is the work of the famed Baroque painter Grigorije Davidović-Obšić. World War II, the monastery and its church suffered heavy damages. Šišatovac Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.[1] Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4;

Convent at Sremski Karlovci, Vojvodina
Sremski Karlovci, Vojvodina; Saint Elena of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4;

Krushedol Monastery, Ravenica, Srem Plain, 1509
Krushedol Monastery, Ravenica, Srem Plain, 1509; Ravenica monestary, 1377; Frushka Gora Mountain; St Stephen of Serbia, "the blind one", Commemorated October 9 ; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Ravenica monastery, Serbia (Srem Plain, near Danube River 8) 1377
Ravenica monestary; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Frushka Gora, Serbia (Srem Plain)
Frushka Gora, Serbia (Srem Plain); Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19)
Sirmium; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Manuel, Commemorated on March 27; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Serbia, Roman Province, 296-476
Pannonia Secunda ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469
Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12;

Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia)
Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, Commemorated on May 17;

Pannonia (left side Sava River Drainage)
Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Kupinovo, Serbia (Srem Plain, Sava River 19, capitol Moravian Serbia and Serbian Despotate)
Kupinovo; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Dechani, Serbia (Srem Plain)
Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia;

Rakovica Monastery, Belgrade, Serbia (Srem Plain), 1600 17th Century
Rakovica Monastery, Belgrade; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Mount Abul (Avala), Serbia (south of Belgrade, Sava Mouth, Danube 9)
Mount Abul (Avala), Serbia; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2;

Sava River Mouth (Belgrade, Serbia, Danube River 9)

Belgrade, Serbia (Sava Mouth and Danube River 9, Roman Road Via Militaris 1)
Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; Icon of the Mother of God Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Martyr Stratonicus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilk-Giver"Â of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Despot Stephen Tower, 1405, fortress in Belgrade
Despot Stephen Tower; Despot Stefan Tower is a structure in Belgrade, Serbia, built ca. 1405, a couple of years after the city became the capital of Serbian Despotate under Despot Stefan Lazarevic. May 1963, representatives of the city administration, Institute for the protection of the cultural monuments and members of the astronomical societies, agreed to adapt the Dizdar Tower into an observatory. Works began in May, instruments were to be installed by autumn, and the observatory was to become operational in October 1963.[1] the tower is the seat of the Astronomical Society Ruder Boskovic and houses its Popular Observatory. The Observatory has two instruments: refractor Zeiss (110/2200mm) and reflector Tall 200 K (200/2200mm), both of which are used mainly for observations at night. Four panoramic telescopes are also mounted on the tower, which can be used to observe the panorama of Belgrade.[2] Turkish Yoke Ottoman Empire ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10;

Sava's Seminary and Church, Belgrade, 1895
Saint Sava Seminary and Church, 1895; Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

New Ravanica on Mount Thruzh, Srem Plain, Serbia
New Ravanica on Mount Thruzh; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Lazarevo, Serbia, Transylvania or Hungary (Tisza River 14, Danube River 9)
Lazarevo, Serbia; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ;

Danube River 10 (Great Morava River)

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava River Folder

Great Morava River (final section of the Morava Rivers of Serbia)
Great Morava River;

Serbia, Moravian Serbia, Despotate (Great Morava River Serbia, Danube 10, not Czech Moravia), 1373-1403
Serbia, Moravian Serbia, 1373-1403; Blessed Stephen the King of Serbia, With His Mother, Commemorated on July 19 ; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava Source, West Morava River Folder

West Morava River

West Morava River Source

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava Source, West Morava Source, Children's River Folder

Childrens (Detinja) River

Childrens (Detinja) River Source (Mt Zlatibor)
Mt Zlatibor;

Mount Zlatibor
Mt Zlatibor;

Childrens River 1

Childrens River 2

Childrens River 3

Childrens (Detinja) River Mouth (West Morava River)

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava Source, West Morava Source, Golija River Folder

Golija Morava River

Golija Morava River Source (Mt Golija)
Golija Mountain;

Golija Mountain
Golija Mountain;

Golija Morava River 1

Golija Morava River 2

Golija Morava River 3

Sveti Arhanteli Monestary
Sveti Arhanteli Monestary is at the north end of the Ivanjica depression.

Golija Morava River Mouth (West Morava River)

West Morava River 1

West Morava River 2 (Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monasteries)

Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries (30)
Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Ovcar-Kablar Gorge; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, commemorated December 17 ;

Annunciation monastery in Trnava, one of the 30 Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries
Ovcar-Kablar Gorge Monestaries, Ovcar-Kablar Gorge; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, commemorated December 17 ;

West Morava River 3

Cacak, Serbia (West Morava River 3)
Cacak, West Central Serbia (West Morava River 3); Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, commemorated December 17 ;

West Morava River 4

West Morava River 5 (Ibar River)

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava Source, West Morava 5, Ibar River Folder

Ibar River

Ibar River Source (Hajla Mountain, Prokletije Range, Dinaric Alps)
Hajla Mountain;

Ibar River 1

Ibar River 2 (Crna Reka)

Crna Reka (Black River, Ibar River 2)
Crna Reka Monastery; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Crna Reka Monastery
Crna Reka Monastery; St Peter of Korisha, Commemorated on June 5;

Ibar River 3

Ibar River 4

Banjska Monastery, Serbia (Ibar River 4.5)
Banjska Monastery; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26;

Zhicha, Serbia (Ibar River, West Morava River 5), Earlier Archdiocese
Zhicha, Serbia; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

Zhicha monastery, Serbia (Ibar River, West Morava River 5) 1192
Zhicha monastery; ---------------------------------------------The description of Kraljevo agrees with the description of Konchul in the following: St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia; The monestary at Konchul then could be Zhicha Monestary. Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

Konchul monastery, Serbia (Ibar River, West Morava River 5) 1192
Zhicha monastery; ---------------------------------------------The description of Kraljevo agrees with the description of Konchul in the following: St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia; The monestary at Konchul then could be Zhicha Monestary. Repose of St Arsenius the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated October 28 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

cell of St Sava of Serbia (at Karyes, Ibar River, West Morava River 5)
cell of St Sava of Serbia (at Karyes); St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

Stari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6)
Stari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6);

Ras, home of Serbian Kings (high point, Ibar River 6)
Stari Ras, home of Serbian Princes (high point, Ibar River 6);

Tracts or Pillars of St George Monastery, 1170
Pillars of St George Monastery, 1170; Holy King Stephen of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24;

Ibar River 8 (Studenica Monastery)

Studenica monastery, Serbia (Ibar River 8) 1196
Studenica monastery, Serbia ; Holy King Stephen of Serbia, Commemorated September 24 ;

Saint Stephen's (Nemanja) Studenica monastery, Serbia (Ibar River 8) 1196
Studenica monastery, Serbia ; Holy King Stephen of Serbia, Commemorated September 24 ;

Ibar River Mouth (West Morava River 5)

Konchul, Serbia (near Ibar River Mouth, West Morava River 5)
The description of Kraljevo agrees with the description of Konchul in the following: St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia; The monestary at Konchul then could be Zhicha Monestary. St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

West Morava River 6 (Ljubostinja monestary)

Ljubostinja monastery, Serbia (West Morava 6) 1388
Ljubostinja monastery; St. Militsa of Serbia, Commemorated on July 19; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

West Morava River Mouth (Great Morava River Source)

Serbia, Danube 10, Great Morava River Source, South Morava River Folder

South Morava River

Black Mountain of Skopje
Black Mountain of Skopje: Skopska Crna Gora;

South Morava River Source (Black Mt of Skopje)

South Morava River 1
South Morava River 1: Gnjilane Valley

South Morava River 2

South Morava 2 tributary

South Morava River 3
South Morava River 3: Vranje Valley

Pcinja District, Southeast Serbia (South Morava River 3)
Pcinja District; Venerable Prochorus of Pcinja;

South Morava River 4: Leskovac Valley

South Morava River 5 (Nish, Serbia)
South Morava River 5: Nis Valley

Nish, Serbia, Constantine's Birthplace (South Morava River 5)
Nish, Serbia; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

South Morava River 6: Aleksinac Valley

South Morava River 7: Stalac Gorge

South Morava River Mouth (Great Morava River)

Great Morava River Source (West and South Morava Rivers)

Great Morava River 1 (Ravenica Monastery)

Ravanica Monastery, Serbia (Great Morava River 1) 1375
Ravanica Monastery; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Great Morava River 2 (Manasija Monastery)

Manasija monastery, Serbia (Great Morava River 1) 1406
Manasija monastery; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ;

Great Morava River 3

Banja, Serbia (Arandelovac Springs)
Banja (Arandelovac Springs); St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

Topola, Serbia, Karageorgea'™s town, Karageorgea's revolt 1804-1813
Serbia, Karageorges town, Topola, Karageorge™s revolt 1804-1809, First Serbian Uprising against the Turks from Constantinople, 1804, Collapse 1813 ; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ;

Nevede, Serbia, Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814
Hadj-Prodan Gligorijevic's town, Nevede, Serbia, Hadj-Prodan's Revolt 1814 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17;

Great Morava River 4

monastery of St Stephen or Koporin, Serbia (Great Morava River 4)
monastery of St Stephen or Koporin Monestary; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ;

Great Morava (Velika) River Mouth (Danube River 10 at Smederevo)

Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), Serbia, on Via Militarius, Theodocius I in Illiricum
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius; Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Danube River 11

Serbia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Serbia (Clean), its Area

Serbia (Belgrade)
Serbia;

Serbia (Clean), Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Serbia (Clean), Roman Road, Via Militarius

Serbia (Clean), Kosovo Folder, Rivers flow South

Serbia (Clean), Roman Roads, Eastern Kosovo, Kosovo Field

Kosovo
Kosovo;

Serbia, (Clean), Kosovo Sink Hole - Smaller View

Serbia (Clean), Kosovo Sink Hole - Larger View

Skopje, Serbia (top of the K Triangle), Serbian Empire Capital, Moravian Despotate
Skopje, Macedonia;

Kutmichevitsa Triangle - K Triangle
Kutmichevitsa triangle Saloniki-Skopje-Vlora;

Serbia (Clean), Roman Roads, Central Kosovo, Unjimir River

Unjimir, Kosovo (Unjimir River 1)
Unjimir (between Kosovo and Pec);

Serbia (Clean), Roman Roads, Western Kosovo, Pec River

Rugova Canyon monastic caves, 1985
Rugova Canyon monastic caves;

Pech (Pec), Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 2), Archdiocese of Serbia
Pech;

Dechani, Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 3)
Dechani, Serbia;

Vysokie Dechani Monastery, Serbia, 1327
Vysokie Dechani, Serbia;

Dechani (Vysokie) Monastery, Serbia, 1327
Vysokie Dechani, Serbia;

Patriarchate of Pec (monastery), Serbia, 1327
Patriarchate of Pec (monastery), Serbia, 1327;

Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia (Pec River 5)
Prizren;

Eparchy or Center of Serbian Orthodox Church located in Prizren, Kosovo
Eparchy of Raska and Prizren; -

Eparchy of Raska and Prizren
Eparchy of Raska and Prizren;

Archangelsk monastery, Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia
Archangelsk monastery, Prizren, Kosovo, Serbia;

Serbia (Clean), Danube Rivers Folder, Rivers flow North

Belgrade, Serbia (Sava Mouth and Danube River 9, Roman Road Via Militaris 1)
Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia;

Saint Sava Seminary and Church, Belgrade, 1895
Saint Sava Seminary and Church, 1895;

Rakovica Monastery, Belgrade, Serbia (Srem Plain), 1600 17th Century
Rakovica Monastery, Belgrade;

Ravenica monastery, Serbia (Srem Plain, near Danube River 8) 1377
Ravenica monestary; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Sirmium, Serbia (Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Sava River 19)
Sirmium;

Chelije Monastery, Serbia, 1280's
Chelije Monastery;

Lelich, Serbia (Drina River 9.5, 3 mile walk from Chelije Monastery)
Lelich, Serbia (3 mile walk from Chelije Monastery);

Viminacium, Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), Serbia, on Via Militarius, Theodocius I in Illiricum
Viminacium, capital of Roman Moesia Superior (Prima), on Via Militarius;

Zhicha monastery, Serbia (Ibar River, West Morava River 5) 1192
Zhicha monastery;

Zhicha, Serbia (Ibar River, West Morava River 5)
Zhicha, Serbia;

cell of St Sava of Serbia (at Karyes, Ibar River, West Morava River 5)
cell of St Sava of Serbia (at Karyes);

Meglen (Meglena, Almopia), Bulgaria, near Serbia, questionable
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Sweden Folder, its rivers, including Norway, and the Baltics

Sweden
Sweden; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Sweden, Goths, Varangians and other Vikings came down at the end of the Middle Age Warming Period
Varangians and other Vikings came down at the end of the Middle Age Warming Period;

Sweden, Land of the Northmen or Vikings (Goths, Varangians, Vandals, Lombards)
Northmen; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865);

Sweden, Gothland, Sweden
Gothland; Goths; Wielbark culture; Totila the Goth; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated September 15 ; Thervingi people; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated November 15 ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ;

Sweden, Island of Gothland, Sweden
Goths; Wielbark culture; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ;

Sweden, Land of the Visigoths, they went to Gaul, Spain and Portugal, all Southwest from Germania
Visigoths; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Sweden, Visigoths went to Gaul (South of the German Frontier, and Southwest from Germania)
Gaul and Roman Gaul; Visigoths;

Sweden, Visigoths went to Spain, Southwest from Germania
Spain; Visigoths;

Sweden, Visigoths went to Portugal, Southwest from Germania
Portugal; Visigoths;

Sweden, Land of the Ostrogoths, they went to Italy, South from Germania
Land of the Ostrogoths; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Sweden, Ostrogoths in Italy, South from Germania
Ostrogoths; Battle of Taginae;

Sweden, Land of the Greuthungi (Crimean) Goths
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo;

Sweden, Greuthungians went toCrimea, East of Germania and Gateway to Russia (through Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route or Muravsky Trail)
Crimea; Greuthungian Goths or Crimean Goths - Cembalo;

Sweden, Land of the Thervingian Goths, they went to Hungary, Transylvania, Pontica, Scythia
Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Hungary, Southsoutheast of Germania (Tisa river drainage and Little Hungarian Plain)
Hungary; Little Hungarian Plain (Pannonia and Sabaria); Great Hungarian Plain;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Transylvania, Eastsoutheast of Germania (over and between the mountains, Tisa River drainage)
Transylvania; Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Dacia Pontica (Romania, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus)
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Lesser Scythia aka Dacia Pontica
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Pontus, City of Pontus, in Central Pontain
Eupatoria (Pontus), Crossroads between Kelkit and Iris Rivers;

Sweden, Land of the Vandals - Vendel, Sweden, then Vandalusia in Southern Spain and Northern Africa
Sweden, Land of the Vandals - Vendel, Sweden, they went to Germania, Dacia, Rome then Vandalusia in Southern Spain and Northern Africa, all starting in Sweden, Vendel, Sweden - Land of the Vandals, The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century.[2] The Vandals migrated to the area between the lower Oder and Vistula rivers in the second century BC and settled in Silesia from around 120 BC.[3][4][5] They are associated with the Przeworsk culture and were possibly the same people as the Lugii. Expanding into Dacia during the Marcomannic Wars and to Pannonia during the Crisis of the Third Century, the Vandals were confined to Pannonia by the Goths around 330 AD, where they received permission to settle from Constantine the Great. Around 400, raids by the Huns from the east forced many Germanic tribes to migrate west into the territory of the Roman Empire and, fearing that they might be targeted next, the Vandals were also pushed westwards, crossing the Rhine into Gaul along with other tribes in 406.[6] In 409, the Vandals crossed the Pyrenees into the Iberian Peninsula, where the Hasdingi and the Silingi settled in Gallaecia (northwest Iberia) and Baetica (south-central Iberia). On the orders of the Romans, the Visigoths invaded Iberia in 418. They almost wiped out the Alans and Silingi Vandals who voluntarily subjected themselves to the rule of Hasdingian leader Gunderic. Gunderic was then pushed from Gallaecia to Baetica by a Roman-Suebi coalition in 419. In 429, under king Genseric (reigned 428–477), the Vandals entered North Africa. By 439 they established a kingdom which included the Roman province of Africa as well as Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and the Balearic Islands. They fended off several Roman attempts to recapture the African province, and sacked the city of Rome in 455. Their kingdom collapsed in the Vandalic War of 533–34, in which Emperor Justinian I's forces reconquered the province for the Eastern Roman Empire. As the Vandals plundered Rome for fourteen days,[7] Renaissance and early-modern writers characterized the Vandals as prototypical barbarians. This led to the use of the term "vandalism" to describe any pointless destruction, particularly the "barbarian" defacing of artwork. However, some modern historians have emphasised the role of Vandals as continuators of aspects of Roman culture, in the transitional period from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages.[8];

Sweden, Vandals, Vandalsia, Spain (Andalusia - Land of the Vandals)
Andalusia, Spain (Vandalusia - Land of the Vandals);

Sweden, Land of the Lombards, Southern Scandinavia, to Lombardy and Italy
Sweden, Lombards, Southern Scandinavial

Sweden, Lombards, from Germania, South to Lombardy, or Northern Italy
Lombardy, Northern Italy; Sweden, Lombards, Southern Scandinavia Lombards were a Germanic people[2] who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the History of the Lombards (written between 787 and 796) that the Lombards descended from a small tribe called the Winnili,[3] who dwelt in northern Germany[4] before migrating to seek new lands. Roman-era historians wrote of the Lombards in the first century AD as being one of the Suebian peoples, also from what is now northern Germany, near the Elbe river. migrated south, and by the end of the fifth century, the Lombards had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria and Slovakia north of the Danube. they subdued the Heruls and later fought frequent wars with the Gepids. The Lombard king Audoin defeated the Gepid leader Thurisind in 551 or 552, and Audoin's successor Alboin eventually destroyed the Gepids in 567. Lombards also settled in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary). Near Szólád, archaeologists have unearthed burial sites of Lombard men and women buried together as families, unusual among Germanic peoples at the time. Contemporary traces have also been discovered of Mediterranean Greeks and a possible migrant from France. Alboin's victory over the Gepids, he led his people into North Eastern Italy, which had become severely depopulated and devastated after the long Gothic War (535–554) between the Byzantine Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom. Lombards were joined by numerous Saxons, Heruls, Gepids, Bulgars, Thuringians and Ostrogoths, and their invasion of Italy was almost unopposed. late 569, they had conquered all of northern Italy and the principal cities north of the Po River except Pavia, which fell in 572. the same time, they occupied areas in central and southern Italy. established a Lombard Kingdom in north and central Italy, which reached its zenith under the eighth-century ruler Liutprand. 774, the kingdom was conquered by the Frankish king Charlemagne and integrated into the Frankish Empire. Lombard nobles continued to rule southern parts of the Italian peninsula well into the eleventh century, they were conquered by the Normans and added to the County of Sicily. In this period, the southern part of Italy still under Lombard domination was known to the Norse as Langbarðaland ('land of the Lombards'), as inscribed in the Norse runestones.[5] legacy is also apparent in the name of the region of Lombardy in northern Italy.

Sweden, Land of the Varangians, Varangian Peninsula, Norway, They went to the 10 Cities of Russia
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians); 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Sweden, Mongols and or Turks or Tartars came down at same time, same reason
Tartars (could be Mongols, Turks or Persians; Tartary was a huge area, much of the World); Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Sweden, North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age
North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age, collapsed i35 upon Cnut's death, ended 42 Harthacnut death England inherited by Wessex Anglo Saxon Edward tConvessor, tune upon his death in 1066 with no heirs by relative French Norman William tConqueror 1066; Viking North Sea Empire; North Sea Empire, also known as the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire, was the personal union of the kingdoms of England, Denmark[a] and Norway for most of the period between 1013 and 1042 towards the end of the Viking Age.[1] ephemeral Norse-ruled empire was a thalassocracy, its components only connected by and dependent upon the sea.[2] first king to unite all three kingdoms was Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark since 986 and of Norway since 1000, when he conquered England in 1013. died in the following year, and his realm was divided. son Cnut the Great acquired England in 1016, Denmark in 1018 and Norway in 1028. died in 1035 and his realm was again divided, but his successor in Denmark, Harthacnut, inherited England in 1040 and ruled it until his death in 1042. the height of his power, when Cnut ruled all three kingdoms (1028–1035), he was the most powerful ruler in western Europe after the Holy Roman Emperor.[b] See also: History of Anglo-Saxon England and Cnut the Great's invasion of England was the younger son of the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard. When his father died on 3 February 1014 during an invasion of England, Cnut, who had been left in command of the fleet in the River Trent while Sweyn was in the south of England, was acclaimed by the Danes. However, the invasion fell apart: the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey, who had promised to supply horses for a tactical raid, were not ready before the English nobles had reinstalled King Æthelred (whom they had previously sent into exile), after forcing him to agree to govern less harshly.[8] brother Harald became the King of Denmark, but with help from Eric Haakonsson of Norway, Cnut raised a new invasion fleet of his own and returned to England in the summer of 1015. The English were divided by intrigue among the king, his sons, and other nobles; within four months one of Æthelred's sons had pledged allegiance to Cnut and he controlled Wessex, the historic heart of the kingdom. Before the decisive battle for London could be fought, Æthelred died on 23 April 1016. The Londoners chose his son Edmund as their king, while most of the nobles met at Southampton and swore fealty to Cnut. Cnut blockaded London, but was forced to leave to replenish his supplies and was beaten by Edmund at the Battle of Otford; however, following the Danes as they raided into Essex, Edmund was in turn defeated at the Battle of Assandun. He and Cnut struck an agreement under which Edmund would retain Wessex and Cnut would rule all of England north of the River Thames. However, on 30 November 1016, Edmund in turn died, leaving Cnut as the King of England.[9] the summer of 1017 he cemented his power by marrying Æthelred's widow, Emma, although he had previously married an English noblewoman, Ælfgifu of Northampton.[10] In 1018 he paid off his fleet (with money especially from the citizens of London) and was fully recognised as King of England.[11] See also: History of Denmark § Middle Ages the Great Harald died childless in 1018 or 1019, leaving the country without a king. Cnut was his brother's heir and went to Denmark in 1019 to claim it. While there he sent his subjects in England a letter saying he was abroad to avert an unspecified "danger",[12] and he only returned to quell incipient rebellions.[13] One Danish chronicle states that the Danes had previously deposed Harald in favour of Cnut, then brought back Harald because of Cnut's frequent absences, until Cnut finally became king permanently after his brother's death.[14] Olaf II of Norway and King Anund Jacob of Sweden, seeing the combined Anglo-Danish kingdom as a threat – Cnut's father Sweyn had asserted power over both their countries – took advantage of Cnut's being in England to attack Denmark in 1025 or 1026, and were joined by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's Danish regent, and his brother. Cnut took Olaf's fleet by surprise and took the battle to the Swedish fleet at the Battle of the Helgeå.[15] The precise outcome is disputed, but Cnut came out best; Olaf fled and the threat to Denmark was dispelled.[16] 1027, Cnut travelled to Rome, partly to expiate his sin for having Jarl Ulf killed the previous Christmas, partly to attend the coronation of Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor and to demonstrate his importance as a ruler. He secured relaxation of tolls levied on pilgrims journeying to Rome from Northern Europe, and on Papal fees for English archbishops receiving their pallium; he also began a relationship with Conrad that led to the Emperor's son Henry marrying Cnut's daughter Gunnhild and before that to the Emperor ceding to Denmark Schleswig and a strip of ancient Danish territory between Hedeby and the Eider that the Germans had occupied as a buffer zone against the Danes.[17] also: Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) Olaf II had extended his power throughout Norway while Jarl Erik was with Cnut in England.[18] Cnut's enmity with him extended further back: Æthelred had returned to England in a fleet provided by Olaf.[19] In 1024 Cnut had offered to let Olaf govern Norway as his vassal;[20] but after Helgeå, he set about undermining his unpopular rule with bribes, and in 1028 set out with 50 ships to subjugate Norway. A large contingent of Danish ships joined him, and Olaf withdrew into the Oslo Fjord while Cnut sailed along the coast, landing at various points and receiving oaths of allegiance from the local chieftains. Finally at Nidaros, now Trondheim, he was acclaimed king at the Eyrathing, and in a few months Olaf fled to Sweden.[21] 1030, Olaf attempted to return, but the people of the Trondheim area did not want him back and he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stiklestad. of Sweden[edit] See also: History of Sweden (800–1521) Helgeå, Cnut also claimed to rule "part of Sweden" together with England, Denmark, and Norway.[7] He may have had coins minted either in the capital, Sigtuna, or in Lund, then part of Denmark, with the inscription CNVT REX SW ("Cnut King of the Swedes"). Western Geatland or Blekinge have been suggested.[22] It was probably either overlordship or disputed rule; Cnut did not have to be present in Sweden to order the minting of coins, coins were also minted asserting he ruled Ireland.[23] These coins are however usually regarded as copies of coins minted in Denmark (curiously, coins stating that the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung was King of England have also been found in Sigtuna).[24][25] Irish coinage and Swedish history at this early date is very uncertain.[26] Anglo-Saxon sources state Anund Jakob won the Battle of Helgeå.[27] If the Danes controlled Sweden they did only control Svealand for a maximum of 3 years before Anund ousted Cnut. In 1030 Anund is again in firm control according to sources of Sweden. Since Anund Jakob decided on bishops for all of Sweden 1030 in Adam of Bremens source. Adam does not mention a Danish conquest in his description of Anunds reign 1030. Rather Anund Jakob and Sweden militarily supported Olaf the second in his attempts to regain the Norwegian throne from Cnut 1030.[27][28] areas[edit] addition to part of Sweden, of which he or the person who wrote the heading to his letter claimed he was king part of, Cnut received tribute from the Wends and was allied with the Poles; in 1022, together with Godwin and Ulf Jarl, he took a fleet east into the Baltic to confirm his overlordship of the coastal areas that the Danish kings dominated from Jomsborg.[29] after his return from Rome, Cnut led an army into Scotland and made vassals of Malcolm, the high king of Scotland, and two other kings,[30] one of whom, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, was a sea-king whose lands included Galloway and the Isle of Man and would become king of Dublin in 1036. All these and likely also the Welsh[31] paid tribute, on the model of the Danegeld that Æthelred had instituted to pay off the Danes; and Cnut was thus reasserting the dominion over the Celtic kingdoms that recent English kings had had to let lapse, as well as punishing those who had supported Olaf against him.[20] A verse by the Icelandic skald Óttarr svarti calls Cnut "king of the Danes, the Irish, the English and the Islanders"; presumably Norway is omitted because Cnut had not yet come to power there.[32] also: Christianization of Scandinavia By the early 11th century, England had been Christian for centuries; the Danelaw was in transition from paganism to Christianity,[33] but the Scandinavian countries were still predominantly pagan.[34] Cnut's father, Sweyn, had initially been pagan but in later life had been basically Christian.[35] In England, Cnut assiduously promoted the interests of the Church, and this brought him acceptance from the Christian rulers of Europe that no other Scandinavian king had previously been accorded.[36] In Norway, in contrast, he built churches and was both respectful and generous to the clergy, but also made allies of the heathen chieftains, and unlike Olaf, did not make laws benefitting the Church until his power was on a solid footing.[20] See also: Thing (assembly) and Witenagemot Earldoms of England c. 1025 Penny of Cnut the Great in 1017, probably because he was king by right of conquest not more normal means, Cnut divided England into four earldoms on the Scandinavian model: Wessex he governed directly, and of his allies Thorkell the Tall became Earl of East Anglia, Eric Haakonsson retained Northumbria, which Cnut had already given him, and Eadric Streona became Earl of Mercia. But the last was disgraced and executed within a year. In 1018 Cnut revived at least two earldoms in Wessex and at a meeting at Oxford, his followers and representatives of the English agreed that he would govern under the laws of King Edgar.[37] historian Frank Stenton points out that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has relatively little to say about Cnut's reign except to note his frequent travels abroad, indicating that he was in strong control of England. Thorkell likely acted as his regent during his absences,[38] until they had a falling out and he was outlawed in 1021. The terms of their reconciliation in Denmark in 1023, with an exchange of sons for fosterage and Thorkell becoming Cnut's regent in Denmark, suggests that Thorkell had won them with an armed force.[39] it was left to another of Cnut's earls, Siward, to protect his earldom of Northumbria by consolidating English power in Scotland; at his death in 1055 he, not the king, was overlord of all the territory that the Kingdom of Strathclyde had annexed early the previous century.[30] Danes had more reason to grumble about Cnut's absences than the English; he reigned primarily from England, leaving regents in charge in Denmark.[40] He replaced Thorkell as his primary advisor in England with Godwin, an Englishman whom he made Earl of Wessex,[41] while within three years of their reconciliation he had also been replaced as regent of Denmark, by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's sister's husband, whom Cnut also made guardian of his son by Emma, Harthacnut.[42] Ulf in turn proved less than loyal, first conspiring against him with the kings of Sweden and Norway, then making a power play by having the nobles swear fealty to Harthacnut (thus effectively to him); Cnut returned to Denmark at Christmas 1026, ordered his housecarls to kill Ulf, and it was done in Trinity church at Roskilde.[41] By the end of his life, he had entirely replaced the Scandinavian inner circle who advised him with Englishmen.[43] Norway, Cnut stayed into the new year and then left Jarl Erik's son Hakon in charge as his regent (he had served Sweyn Forkbeard in the same capacity), but he drowned the following winter.[44] As his replacement Cnut sent Swein, the younger of his two sons by Ælfgifu and thus known as Sveinn Alfífuson in Norway – along with his mother as guardian. They were delayed in southern Norway while Olaf's return was rebuffed, but became even more unpopular than he had been. Ælfgifu tried to impose new taxation and stricter controls on a people who valued their independence and especially resented that the new customs were Danish.[44][45] also prepared to hand over Denmark to one of his sons: upon taking power in Norway, he held a great court in Nidaros and proclaimed Harthacnut, his son by Emma, king of Denmark.[46] As Stenton points out, by appointing different sons his heirs in different countries, he demonstrated that he did not have "the deliberate intention of founding a northern empire . . . [which] would remain united after his death."[47] It may have been simply the custom of his people.[48] In any event, it was clear throughout Cnut's reign that the weakness of his empire lay in the impossibility of finding loyal and competent regents to govern when he could not be present.[49] And his sons could not hold it together. Cnut's death[edit] North Sea Empire collapsed immediately once Cnut died in 1035. In Norway, it was already collapsing: by the winter of 1033, Swein and Ælfgifu were so unpopular that they were forced to leave Trondheim. In 1034, the leader of the army that had rebuffed and killed King Olaf at Stiklestad went together with one of the king's loyal followers to bring his young son Magnus back from Gardariki to rule,[50] and in autumn 1035, a few weeks before Cnut's death, Swein and his mother had to flee the country altogether and go to Denmark.[47] Swein died shortly afterwards. Denmark, Harthacnut was already ruling as king, but he was unable to leave for three years because of the threat that Magnus of Norway would invade to exact revenge. In the meantime the English nobles, divided between him and Cnut's younger son by Ælfgifu, Harold Harefoot, decided to compromise by having Harold rule as regent; by the end of 1037, Ælfgifu had persuaded the most important nobles to swear allegiance to Harold, who was firmly ensconced as Harold I – and Harthacnut's own mother, Queen Emma, had been forced to take refuge in Flanders.[51] prepared an invasion fleet to wrest England from his half-brother, but the latter died in 1040 before it could be used. Harthacnut then became king of England, reuniting it with Denmark, but made a generally bad impression as king. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle said of him that he never did anything royal during his entire reign.[52] He died suddenly in June 1042 "as he stood at his drink" at the wedding feast of Tovi the Proud, one of the Danish thegns of his father's court. At first glance Harthacnut's death seems to have brought about the end of the North Sea Empire.[53] However, Magnus of Norway, utilising the agreement he had made with Harthacnut in 1040, took control of Denmark and had plans to invade England and reunite the kingdoms and Empire. In consolidating his power in Denmark he crushed a Wendish invasion at the battle of Lyrskov Hede initiated shortly after he had destroyed the Jomsviking heartlands. This may have been an effective own goal, as it destroyed one of the key political and military components of Sveyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great's rise to dominence. While Magnus had ejected Sveyn Estridsson from Denmark in 1046, Adam of Bremen briefly notes that Sveyn and an Earl Tovi removed Magnus from Denmark in 1047. This is confirmed by the contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which reports that in 1047 Sveyn asked England for 50 ships to help in the battle against Magnus. "And then Sveyn expelled Magnus from Denmark and entered the country by a huge carnage, and the Danes paid him a large sum of money and recognized him as king. And the same year Magnus died.'[54]

Sweden, 1195-1350, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III, Battle of the Ice, Pskov Lake

Sweden, 1240, Battle of the Neva, Russian Victory
St Petersburg, 1240, Battle of the Neva; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28;

Sweden, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Lake Chud, Russian defeat of Teutonic Knights
Pskov, 1242, Great Battle of the Ice of Lake Chud, defeat of Teutonic Knights; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Sweden, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Sweden, 1523-1654, House of Vasa ruling Sweden, Poland and Russia, Protestant
Sweden, 1523-1654, House of Vasa ruling Sweden, Poland and Russia, Protestant;

Sweden, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union, Protestant, Sigismund swede king for only 6yrs
Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union; union[edit] the death of John III of Sweden, his son Sigismund succeeded to the throne of Sweden. Sigismund at that time was already the elected King of Poland (since 1587). Sigismund certainly valued the Swedish throne and upon learning about the death of his father, and the pretensions to the throne of his uncle, Duke Charles of Södermanland, he asked the Sejm (Polish parliament) for permission to leave the Commonwealth and go to Sweden, where he could secure the Swedish crown. The Sejm gave him permission, and on 3 August 1593, 6, accompanied by his wife, Anna of Habsburg, and other followers, departed for Sweden. agreement of 19 February seemed to have calmed the situation; Sigismund was crowned in Uppsala Cathedral and became the king of Sweden. The Kingdom of Sweden was now in a personal union with Poland-Lithuania. July, Sigismund left Sweden in the hands of the regency council and returned to Poland. Sweden was to be ruled jointly by the Privy Council of Sweden and Sigismund's uncle Duke Charles. however, reneged on his earlier promises, opening Catholic schools, and giving Catholics prominent posts. in turn did not give up on acquiring the Swedish throne and pursued his own political agenda. The new Riksdag he summoned at Arboga in 1597 – again despite the King's orders – saw few participants, and only one from the Privy Council. Even so, Duke Charles did not achieve support for his military action, but initiated it nonetheless. Parts of southern Sweden were successfully taken. Several of the Privy Council members fled to Poland to convince Sigismund to take counteractions. sent a diplomatic mission, in an attempt to solve the conflict by negotiations. Charles at first looked ready to negotiate but in fact he was playing for time, trying to confirm his power at another Riksdag (in Arboga), recruiting peasants for his army, and isolating Sigismund's followers. against Sigismund[edit] Castle in Warsaw, the residence of Polish kings since 1611 1598, the Sejm gave Sigismund the go-ahead to wage a military campaign against his opponents in Sweden; however it refused to give him significant support. Sigismund's army was composed mostly of mercenaries (Germans and Hungarians), supported by a relatively small Polish force (although with some artillery). campaign was poorly planned. He was unable to coordinate his troop movements with his supporters, particularly Fleming who was supposed to attack Charles from Finland. After initial successes (the taking of Kalmar and defeating Charles' troops at Stegeborg), Sigismund's forces were defeated on September 25, 1598, at the Battle of Stångebro, (also known as the battle of Linköping). Sigismund was captured and forced to hand over some of his followers such as the Chancellor of Sweden, Erik Larsson Sparre, (1550–1600). In May 1599, Charles' forces captured the last fortress held by Sigismund, Kalmar. On July 24, 1599, the Riksdag in Stockholm officially dethroned Sigismund. The new King of Sweden was Charles IX of Sweden, and the Polish–Swedish union was dissolved after barely seven years of existence. In March 1600, some of Sigismund's supporters were executed, including five senators in an event known as the Linköping Bloodbath.

Sweden, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War, Protestant
Swedish Empire, 1611-1721, Gustav II to Great Northern War ;

Sweden, Goths, and Norway History Folder

Sweden, 100, 2nd Century History Folder, Clement's Church in Cherson, Crimea

Sweden, Crimea, 101-867, Angelic Church of Pope Clement, Cherson, Crimea

Sweden, 280-1523, Catholic Nobility, History Folder

Sweden, 1195-1350, Northern Crusades, ordered by Pope Celestine III

Sweden, 1216-1222, King John I of Sweden, House of Sverker, strengthened c church, died of fever
Sweden, 1216-1222, King John I of Sweden, House of Sverker;

Sweden, 1222-1250, Eric XI of Sweden, Eric Erickson, lisp and lame, eastward expansion
Sweden, 1222-1250, Eric XI of Sweden; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Sweden, 1222-1266, Prince (Jarl) Birger, Jarl is second to the King, Birger Jarl to Eric VI and Valdemar his son
Sweden, 1222-1250, Eric XI of Sweden; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Sweden, 1250-1275, Valdemar, King of Sweden, Birger's son
Sweden, 1250-1275, Valdemar, King of Sweden;

Swedish Nobility, 1280-Present, includes Finnish Nobility
Swedish Nobility, 1280-Present, includes Finnish Nobility; Sweden, 1523-1654, House of Vasa ruling Sweden, Poland and Russia, Protestant;

Sweden, 1319-1364, Magnus IV of Sweden, King of Sweden, bought pawned Norway
Sweden, 1319-1364, Magnus IV of Sweden, King of Sweden; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28;

Sweden, 1435, Riksdag of the Estates established
Sweden, 1435, Riksdag of the Estates established;

Sweden, 291-568, Goths and Vandal History Folder

Sweden, 200, 3rd Century History Folder, Ostrogoths in Italy 291-568

Sweden, 291-568, Goths, Ostrogoths in Italy, (absorbed by Lombards)
Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Totila the Goth; Battle of Taginae;

Sweden, 300, 4th Century History Folder, Crimea and Visigothic, Ostrogothic and Thervingian Goths

Sweden, 301, 4th to 16th Centuries, Crimean Goths, Cembalo
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Sweden, 331-383, Goth Bishop Wulfilas or Ulfilas , Arian, missionary, from Cappadocia, translated Bible
Arian bishop Wulfilas 311-383 ; (c. 311–383),[1] also known as Ulphilas and Orphila, all Latinized forms of the unattested Gothic form literally Little Wolf,[2] a Goth of Cappadocian Greek descent who served as a bishop and missionary, is credited with the translation of the Bible into Gothic, and participated in the Arian controversy. developed the Gothic alphabet – inventing a writing system based on the Greek alphabet – in order for the Bible to be translated into the Gothic language. traditionally the translation of the Bible into the Gothic language has been ascribed to Ulfilas, analysis of the text of the Gothic Bible indicates the involvement of a team of translators, possibly under his supervision.[3] [4] Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Sweden, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia, Buzau River
Romania, 354-372, Saint, Sava the Goth of Wallacia; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15;

Sweden, 359-381, Goth King, Antharic of the Visigothic Thervingian Goths
Goth King, 359-381, Antharic of the Thervingian Goths; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Sweden, 372, Gothic Saint, Nicetas the Goth, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia

Sweden, Crimea, 375-383, Crimean Gothic King, Jungerich (Athanaric)
Crimean Goths; Gothic King Jungerich (Athanaric) (375-383); Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ;

Sweden, 375, 26 Martyrs in tCrimea, killed by Jungerich aka King Athanaric enraged aConversions by Arian Ulfilas, relcs tCyzicus
Sweden, 375, Swedish Goth Crimea, 4th - 10th Century, killed by Jungerich, King Athanaric enraged, Arian Bishop Ulfilas, Statue in Chariot front of Christian tent, tent burned 308 perished, A's Christian widow Gaatha&daughter gathered relics to Syria, G returned and stoned w son Agathon, relics w Duclida tCyzicus; Crimea; Crimean Tartars; 26 Martyrs in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Bercus; Monk Arpilus; laymen and women Abibus, Agnus, Reasus, Igathrax, Iscoeus (Iskous), Silas, Signicus, Sonirilus, Suimbalus, Thermus, Phillus (Philgas), Bathusius, Anna, Alla, Larissa, Monco (Manca), Uirko (Virko), Animais (Animaida), Queen Gaatha, and Princess Duklida, among twenty-six martyrs who were killed by the Goths around the year 375 under Jungerich, a persecutor of Christians. synaxaria of the Gothic Church recount the martyrdom of twenty-six Christians in the time of the emperors Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian. historian Sozomen says that King Athanaric was enraged to see his subjects embracing Christianity because of the preaching of the Arian bishop Ulfilas. he ordered many of them to be tortured and executed, often without a trial. Athanaric’s ministers placed a statue in a chariot and paraded it before the tents which Christians used for church services. who worshiped the idol and offered sacrifice were spared, the rest were burned alive in the tent. gave orders to burn down a church during divine services. In the fiery inferno 308 people perished, of whom only twenty-one are known by name. was also an anonymous man who came to the tent and confessed Christ. He was martyred with the others. Different manuscripts give variants of their names. the reign of Valentinian and Theodosius (383-392), the Gothic king’s widow Gaatha (who was an Orthodox Christian) and her daughter Duclida gathered up the relics of the holy martyrs and brought them to Syria with the help of some priests and a layman named Thyellas. later returned to her native land, where she was stoned and died as a martyr, along with her son Agathon. relics of the holy martyrs were left to Duclida, who went to Cyzicus in Asia Minor and gave some of the relics for the founding of a church. Saint Duclida died in peace. holy martyrs were commemorated on October 23 on the Gothic calendars.

Sweden, 400, 5th Century History Folder, Visigoths in Spain, Vandals in N Africa

Sweden, 418-720, Visigothic Kingdom in Spain
Spain, 418-720, Visigothic Kingdom; St. Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14;

Sweden, 435-534, Vandal Kingdom, Hippo then Carthage in 439
Vandal Kingdom, 435-534, Hippo then Carthage in 439 ; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Sweden, 428-477, Vandal King, Genseric
Vandal King, 428-477, Genseric ; Vandal Kingdom, 435-534, Hippo then Carthage in 439 ; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461);

Sweden, 500, 6th Century History Folder, Ostrogoth Totila in Rome and Naples Italy

Sweden, 541-552, Goth King, Totila the Goth, Battle of Taginae, 552
Goth King, 541-552, Totila the Goth, Battle of Taginae, 552 ; Battle of Taginae, 552 ; Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540);

Sweden, 600, 7th Century History Folder, Temporary Byzantine Reconquest of Italy

Sweden, 700, 8th Century History Folder, Crimean Goth St John of Gothia

Sweden, Crimea, 741-791, Crimean, Goth, Saint, John of Gothia
Crimean, Goth, 741-791, Saint, John of Gothia; St. John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Sweden, 800, 9th Century Folder, ANSKAR the Missionary

Sweden, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
France, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Saxony (north Germany), Westphalia, Jutland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar,[3] Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North" because of his travels and the See of Hamburg received the missionary mandate to bring Christianity to Northern Europe.[4][5] was the son of a noble Frankish family, born near Amiens (present day France).[5][6] After his mother's early death, Ansgar was brought up in Benedictine monastery of Corbie in Picardy.[5] According to the Vita Ansgarii ("Life of Ansgar"), when the little boy learned in a vision that his mother was in the company of Mary, mother of Jesus, his careless attitude toward spiritual matters changed to seriousness.[7] His pupil, successor, and eventual biographer Rimbert considered the visions (of which this was the first) to have been Ansgar's main life motivator. acted in the context of the phase of Christianization of Saxony (present day Northern Germany) begun by Charlemagne and continued by Charlemagne's son and successor, Louis the Pious. 822 Ansgar became one of many missionaries sent to found the abbey of Corvey (New Corbie) in Westphalia, where he became a teacher and preacher. group of monks including Ansgar were sent further north to Jutland with the king Harald Klak, who had received baptism during his exile. Harald's downfall in 827 and Ansgar's companion Autbert having died, their school for the sons of courtiers closed and Ansgar returned to Germany. in 829, after the Swedish king Björn at Hauge requested missionaries for his Swedes, King Louis sent Ansgar, now accompanied by friar Witmar from New Corbie as his assistant. preached and made converts, particularly during six months at Birka, on Lake Mälaren, where the wealthy widow Mor Frideborg extended hospitality. Ansgar organized a small congregation with her and the king's steward, Hergeir, as its most prominent members. 831 Ansgar returned to Louis' court at Worms and was appointed to the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. This was a new archbishopric, incorporating the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden and with the right to send missions into all the northern lands, as well as to consecrate bishops for them. received the mission of evangelizing pagan Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The King of Sweden decided to cast lots as to whether to admit the Christian missionaries into his kingdom. Ansgar recommended the issue to the care of God, and the lot was favorable.[5] was consecrated as a bishop in November 831, with the approval of Gregory IV. Before traveling north once again, Ansgar traveled to Rome to receive the pallium directly from the pope's hands, and was formally named legate for the northern lands. Archbishop of Reims had previously received a similar commission, but would be deposed twice before his death in 851, and never actually traveled so far north, so the jurisdiction was divided by agreement, with Ebbo retaining Sweden for himself. a time Ansgar devoted himself to the needs of his own diocese, which was still a missionary territory and had few churches. He founded a monastery and a school in Hamburg. Although intended to serve the Danish mission further north, it accomplished little. Louis the Pious died in 840, his empire was divided and Ansgar lost the abbey of Turholt, which Louis had given to endow Ansgar's work. in 845, the Danes unexpectedly raided Hamburg, destroying all the church's treasures and books. Ansgar now had neither see nor revenue, and many helpers deserted him. The new king, Louis' third son, Louis the German, did not re-endow Turholt to Ansgar, but in 847 he named the missionary to the vacant diocese of Bremen, where Ansgar moved in 848. However, since Bremen had been suffragan to the Bishop of Cologne, combining the sees of Bremen and Hamburg presented canonical difficulties. After prolonged negotiations, Pope Nicholas I would approve the union of the two dioceses in 864. this political turmoil, Ansgar continued his northern mission. The Danish civil war compelled him to establish good relations with two kings, Horik the Elder and his son, Horik II. Both assisted him until his death; Ansgar was able to secure permission to build a church in Sleswick north of Hamburg and recognition of Christianity as a tolerated religion.[8] did not forget the Swedish mission, and spent two years there in person (848–850), averting a threatened pagan reaction. In 854, Ansgar returned to Sweden when king Olof ruled in Birka. According to Rimbert, he was well disposed to Christianity. On a Viking raid to Apuole (current village in Lithuania) in Courland, the Swedes plundered the Curonians. and legacy[edit] was buried in Bremen in 865. His successor as archbishop, Rimbert, wrote the Vita Ansgarii. He noted that Ansgar wore a rough hair shirt, lived on bread and water, and showed great charity to the poor. Adam of Bremen attributed the Vita et miracula of Willehad (first bishop of Bremen) to Ansgar in Gesta Hammenburgensis ecclesiæ; Ansgar is also the reputed author of a collection of brief prayers Pigmenta (ed. J. M. Lappenberg, Hamburg, 1844).[9] Pope Nicholas I declared Ansgar a saint shortly after the missionary's death. The first actual missionary in Sweden and the Nordic countries (and organizer of the Catholic church therein), Ansgar was later declared "Patron of Scandinavia".[5] are located in Hamburg in two places: St. Mary's Cathedral (Ger.: Domkirche St. Marien) and St. Ansgar's and St. Bernard's Church (Ger.: St. Ansgar und St. Bernhard Kirche).[10] Statues of Bishop Ansgar stand in Hamburg, Copenhagen and Ribe, as well as a stone cross at Birka. His feast day (Lesser Festival) is 3 February, as it is in the Church of England.[11] Saint Ansgar statue in Hamburg a historical document and primary source written by a man whose existence can be proven historically, the Vita Ansgarii ("The Life of Ansgar") aims above all to demonstrate Ansgar's sanctity. It is partly concerned with Ansgar's visions, which, according to the author Rimbert, encouraged and assisted Ansgar's remarkable missionary feats. the course of this work, Ansgar repeatedly embarks on a new stage in his career following a vision. According to Rimbert, his early studies and ensuing devotion to the ascetic life of a monk were inspired by a vision of his mother in the presence of Mary, mother of Jesus. Again, when the Swedish people were left without a priest for some time, he begged King Horik to help him with this problem; then after receiving his consent, consulted with Bishop Gautbert to find a suitable man. The two together sought the approval of King Louis, which he granted when he learned that they were in agreement on the issue. Ansgar was convinced he was commanded by heaven to undertake this mission and was influenced by a vision he received when he was concerned about the journey, in which he met a man who reassured him of his purpose and informed him of a prophet that he would meet, the abbot Adalhard, who would instruct him in what was to happen. In the vision, he searched for and found Adalhard, who commanded, "Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest peoples", which Ansgar interpreted as God's will that he go to the Scandinavian countries as "most of that country consisted of islands, and also, when 'I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth' was added, since the end of the world in the north was in Swedish territory".[12] Corbie (Somme River 4); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); (in Latin, Ansgarius) was a monk of Saxon family, born in Corbie, France, in 801 (the year after the crowning of Charlemagne). In 826, when King Harald of Denmark asked Charlemagne's successors for missionaries, Anskar led a group to Denmark, and a few years later to Sweden. Because of unsettled political conditions, his work ran into difficulties, and Anskar withdrew into Germany, where he served as first Archbishop of Hamburg. Later, however, he helped to consecrate Gotbert, the first bishop of Sweden. The Church of Sweden honors him as its apostle, and he serves as symbol of the historic friendship and present-day connection between the Anglican Churches and the Church of Sweden. by James Kiefer the north of Germany, in Denmark, and in Sweden, Anskar, who had been a monk at Corbey, on the Weser, laboured for thirty-nine years with earnest devotion and with great success (AD 826-865). In addition to preaching the Gospel of salvation, he did much in such charitable works as the building of hospitals and the redemption of captives; and he persuaded the chief men of the country north of the Elbe to give up their trade in slaves, which had been a source of great profit to them, but which Anskar taught them to regard as contrary to the Christian religion. Anskar was made archbishop of Hamburg and Bremen, and is styled "The Apostle of the North." But he had to suffer many dangers and reverses in his endeavours to do good. At one time, when Hamburg was burnt by the Northmen, he lost his church, his monastery, his library, and other property; but he only said, with the patriarch Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Then he set to work again, without being discouraged by what had befallen him, and he even made a friend of the heathen king who had led the attack on Hamburg. Anskar died in the year 865. It is told that when some of his friends were talking of miracles which he was supposed to have done, he said, "If I were worthy in my Lord's sight, I would ask of Him to grant me one miracle--that He would make me a good man." Sketches of Church History, by J. C. Robertson, publ. 1904 by SPCK, London available, "Saint Anschar", from The Catholic Encyclopedia, and The Life of Anskar, by his successor, Rimbert (also available from the Internet Archive).

Sweden, 995-1099, History Folder, Olf Tryggvason, King of Norway, Swedish King Olof Skotkonung, Kiev Rus Queen's father

Sweden, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway
Norway, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Sweden, 995-1022, Swedish King Olof Skotkonung, father Saint Anna, Kiev Rus Queen
Sweden, 995-1022, Swedish King Olof Skotkonung, father Saint Anna, Kiev Rus Queen, first Christian or Middle Age Swedish king, Sweden was the last Scandanavian countries to convert, still many pagans however and they had agreement to continue pagan; Swedish King Olof Skotkonung, 995-1022; Skötkonung, (Old Norse: Óláfr skautkonungr) sometimes stylized as Olaf the Swede (c. 980–1022), was King of Sweden, son of Eric the Victorious and, according to Icelandic sources, Sigrid the Haughty. succeeded his father in c. 995. He stands at the threshold of recorded history, since he is the first Swedish ruler about whom there is substantial knowledge.[1] He is regarded as the first king known to have ruled both the Swedes and the Geats. Sweden, the reign of king Olov Skötkonung (c. 995–1022) is considered to be the transition from the Viking age to the Middle Ages, because he was the first Christian king of the Swedes, who were the last to adopt Christianity in Scandinavia. is associated with a growing influence of the church in what is today southwestern and central Sweden. Norse beliefs persisted in parts of Sweden until the 12th century.[2] was victorious alongside Sweyn Forkbeard when the kings created an alliance to defeat the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason in the Battle of Svolder. After the battle, the victorious leaders split Norway into areas of control. Heimskringla gives the most detailed account of the division. Olof received four districts in Trondheim as well as Møre, Romsdal and Rånrike.[3] of many explanations for the name Skötkonung is that it is derived from the Swedish word "skatt", which can mean either "taxes" or "treasure". The latter meaning has been interpreted as "tributary king" and one English scholar speculates about a tributary relationship to the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard, who was his stepfather.[4] That explanation, however, is not supported by evidence or historical sources. Another possible explanation of the name refers to the fact that he was the first Swedish king to mint coins.[5] An ancient land ownership ceremony which placed a parcel of earth in someone's lap (Swedish: sköte) was called scotting and may have been involved in this epithet.[6] Old Norse "Óláfr sœnski" means "Olaf the Swedish", an epithet used to distinguish him from the Norwegian kings Olaf Tryggvasson and Olaf Haraldsson. knowledge of Olof's life is mostly based on Snorri Sturluson's and Adam of Bremen's accounts, which have been subject to criticism from some scholars. The eldest account by the German ecclesiastic chronicler Adam of Bremen (c. 1075), relates that Sweyn Forkbeard was expelled from his Danish realm by the Swedish King Eric the Victorious in the late 10th century. When Eric died (c. 995), Sweyn returned and regained his kingdom, marrying Eric's widow. Meanwhile, however, Olof had succeeded his father Eric, gathered an army, and launched a surprise attack against Sweyn. The Danish king was once again expelled while Olof occupied his lands. After this, however, the conflict was resolved. Since Sweyn had married Olof's mother, he was reinstated on the Danish throne and the two kings were thereafter allies.[7] Snorri Sturluson (c. 1230) and the other Icelandic saga writers likewise say that Sweyn married Olof's mother after the death of Eric the Victorious, but without mentioning any conflict. Also, Snorri describes Sweyn and Olof as equal allies when they defeated the Norwegian king Olav Tryggvason in the battle of Svolder in 1000, and thereafter divided Norway between themselves (see below).[8] It is commonly believed that Adam's account about Sweyn's defeats at the hands of Eric and Olof is partial and might have been misinterpreted; the marriage to Olof's mother may in fact have sealed Sweyn's senior position.[9] Olof Skötkonung as imagined by Ansgar Almquist in the 1920s, statue at Stockholm City Hall. expedition to Wendland to Snorri, Olof Skötkonung led a Viking expedition to Wendland early in his reign. He captured Edla, the daughter of a Wendish chieftain, and kept her as mistress. She gave him the son Emund (who was to become king of Sweden), and the daughters Astrid (later wife of Olaf II of Norway) and Holmfrid (married to Sven Jarl of Norway).[10] He later married Estrid of the Obotrites, and she bore him the son Anund Jacob and the daughter Ingegerd Olofsdotter.[11] with Sweyn Forkbeard Adam of Bremen praises Olof as a good Christian, Icelandic authors paint an unfavourable picture of the king as haughty and prickly. Olof is said to have preferred royal sports to war, which may explain the ease with which Sweyn Forkbeard retook the Danish lands Olof's father Eric had conquered.[12] Olof may also have lost the right to tribute which his predecessors had preserved in what is now Estonia and Latvia. 1000, he joined forces with Sweyn Forkbeard and with the Norwegian Jarls Eric and Sven, against the Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason. The circumstances have been much debated in modern historical research, but a contemporary poem confirms that Eric Jarl gathered auxiliaries in Sweden: "The belligerent jarl / gathered much manpower / in Svithiod, the chief went / southward to the battle."[13] Olaf Tryggvason was attacked by the allied fleets in the Battle of Svolder, the location of which is uncertain. It may have been either in Øresund or Pomerania. Olaf Tryggvason disappeared during the battle and Norway was appropriated by the allied lords. The bulk of the conquests went to Sweyn Forkbeard while Olof gained a part of Trøndelag as well as modern Bohuslän. These lands were placed under Sven Jarl, son-in-law of the king.[14] War the Norwegian kingdom was reestablished by Olaf II of Norway (Olaf the Saint) in 1015, a new war erupted between Norway and Sweden. There is a circumstantial account of this in Snorri Sturluson's work. As he writes, many men in both Sweden and Norway tried to reconcile the kings. In 1018, Olof's cousin, the earl of Västergötland, Ragnvald Ulfsson and the Norwegian king's emissaries Björn Stallare and Hjalti Skeggiason had arrived at the thing of Uppsala in an attempt to sway the Swedish king to accept peace and as a warrant marry his daughter Ingegerd Olofsdotter to the king of Norway. The Swedish king was greatly angered and threatened to banish Ragnvald from his kingdom, but Ragnvald was supported by his foster-father Thorgny the Lawspeaker delivered a powerful speech in which he reminded the king of the great Viking expeditions in the East that predecessors such as Erik Anundsson and Björn had undertaken, without having the hubris not to listen to their men's advice. Thorgny himself had taken part in many successful pillaging expeditions with Olof's father Eric the Victorious and even Eric had listened to his men. The present king wanted nothing but Norway, which no Swedish king before him had desired. This displeased the Swedish people, who were eager to follow the king on new ventures in the East to win back the kingdoms that paid tribute to his ancestors, but it was the wish of the people that the king make peace with the king of Norway and give him his daughter Ingegerd as queen. finished his speech by saying: "if you do not desire to do so, we shall assault you and kill you and not brook any more of your warmongering and obstinacy. Our ancestors have done so, who at Mula thing threw five kings in a well, kings who were too arrogant as you are against us."[15] Upon hearing this, King Olof complied with the demands of the peasantry for the time being. far from keeping his promise Olof married his daughter Ingegerd-Irene to Yaroslav I the Wise instead. When Olaf of Norway heard about the arrangement he was furious and intent on attacking Olof Skötkonung. However, the Geatish jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson, colluding with Olaf II's skald Sigvat Thordarson, managed to avert the impending war. Olof's other daughter Astrid stayed with Ragnvald at the time, and it was agreed that she would take Ingegerd's place. Unbeknownst to Olof, she traveled to Norway and married Olaf II. That happened c. 1019.[16] Olof Skötkonung was highly upset, but soon ran into trouble at home. Both the Swedes and Geats were displeased with the self-willed rule of the king. The lawspeaker of Västergötland, Emund, traveled to Gamla Uppsala and spoke to Olof's councilors, and a settlement was made. Olof agreed to share his power with his son Anund Jacob who was 10 or 12 years at the time. Olof was also forced to accept a settlement with Olaf II of Norway at Kungahälla.[17] The veracity of Snorri Sturluson's account of Olof Skötkonung, written more than two centuries later, is difficult to assess; however, he quotes several probably genuine scaldic verses which allude to some of the related events. result of the hostilities between Olof Skötkonung and Olaf of Norway was, according to Snorri Sturluson, that the people of Jämtland and Hälsingland came under the Swedish rather than Norwegian king. Previously the Jämtlanders and part of the Hälsinglanders had adhered to Norway since the days of Hakon the Good.[18] The veracity of this is not known, but the medieval provincial laws of Jämtland show Swedish influences, and there are indications that Christianity arrived from Central Sweden in the 11th century.[19] Jämtland reverted to the Norwegian king in 1111, while Hälsingland was henceforth under Sweden.[20] ally Sweyn Forkbeard occupied England in 1013, but died shortly afterwards, and the Anglo-Saxon ruler Æthelred the Unready was able to return. According to Adam of Bremen, "the son of the king, Cnut, returned home with the army and prepared a new war against the English. Olav [II], whom the Norwegians had chosen as their commander, now separated from the Danish kingdom. Cnut, who felt threatened from two directions, then entered an alliance with his brother Olof Eriksson who ruled in Sweden, and planned to take power in England, and then in Norway, with his assistance. Equipped with a thousand large ships, Cnut thus traversed the British Sea".[21] From Swedish rune stones it also appears that many people joined the Danish Viking expeditions of the early 11th century. After Cnut the Great became King of England in 1016, he sent the two sons of the deceased King Edmund Ironside to Olof (who was either Canute's half-brother or stepbrother), supposedly with instructions to have the children murdered. Instead of having them killed, the two boys were secretly sent either to Kiev,[22] where Olof's daughter Ingigerd was the Queen, or to Poland, where Canute's uncle Bolesław I Chrobry was duke.[23] King in the Westrogothic law from c. 1240 is the first brief Swedish chronicle, which begins with Olof Skötkonung. It relates that Olof was baptized in Husaby in Västergötland by the missionary Sigfrid, and made generous donations on spot.[24] At Husaby parish church, there is a sign commemorating his baptism; nearby is a well thought to be the same sacred spring where Olof was baptized. was the first Swedish king to remain a Christian until his death. the circumstances about his baptism are not clear. A document from 1008 says that a certain bishop, dispatched by Archbishop Bruno of Querfurt, visited the Suigi tribe and managed to baptize the king, whose queen was already Christian. 1,000 people and seven communities followed his example. The Suigi have sometimes been identified as the Swedes, though this has been rejected by several other scholars.[25] the other hand, Olof's coinage (see below) indicates that he was a Christian already at the time of his accession in c. 995.[26] to Adam of Bremen, Olof planned to tear down the Uppsala temple, which was allegedly an important cult centre.[27] fact that a large part of the Swedes were still pagan forced him to abandon this aim. The pagans, weary of his plans, made an agreement with Olof to the effect that he, if he wished to be a Christian, must exercise his royal authority in a province of his choice. If he founded a church, he was not supposed to force anyone to convert. was content with this and installed a bishopric in the province of Västergötland, closer to Denmark and Norway. On the wishes of Olof, the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen anointed Thurgot as the first Bishop in Skara. This Thurgot was successful in disseminating Christianity among the West Geats and east Geats.[28] legend of St. Sigfrid, known since the 13th century, relates that the still pagan Olof called in the English Archbishop of York, Sigfrid, to teach the new faith in his realm. his way, Sigfrid and his three nephews came to Värend in southern Småland where the twelve local tribes endorsed Christianity at a Thing. left his nephews to tend matters in Värend and proceeded to Olof's court where the king and his family were baptised. a heathen reaction in Värend cost the lives of the nephews, whose heads were sunk in the Växjö Lake. about this, Sigfrid returned to Värend where the heads were discovered through a miracle. Olof then appeared in Värend with a force, punished the murderers, and forced the locals to yield properties to the Church. the legend reflects the expansion of Olof's realm to the south is unsure. The account seems to incorporate various elements in order to legitimise the establishment of the Bishopric of Växjö in c. 1170.[29] is nevertheless known from Adam of Bremen that an English missionary called Sigfrid preached among the Swedes and Geats in the first half of the 11th century.[30] and extent of the realm he stamped coins in Sigtuna in the province of Uppland Olof used the word rex for king--OLUF REX as in the coin displayed above or OLAF REX. The use of Latin seems to suggest that he was already baptised at this time but on the other hand the coins were imitating English pennies in type and style. Sigtuna is written SITUN, ZINT (in the coin above), ZTNETEI, or SIDEI. The two last have been deciphered as Si(gtuna) Dei meaning God's Sigtuna.[31][32] The earliest of Olof's coins merely depict him as "King in Sigtuna", while the later ones have "King of the Swedes". has been suggested that this change in nomenclature relates to a widening of Olof's base of power around 1000. Sigtuna may be understood as the area in Uppland ruled from the town of this name, while rulership over the Swedes may indicate a more extensive realm. Contemporary scaldic poetry indicates Olof as the ruler of the Swedes as well as the Geats (Götar), and the same goes for the account of Adam of Bremen.[33] The exact nature of the relation between the Swedes and Geats, and the process by which a unified kingdom was created, has been intensively debated. While the unification has traditionally been thought to depart from the provinces around lake Mälaren some scholars hold that the Geatic provinces were leading the process, and that the construction of a Swedish kingdom was a long process that was only concluded in the 13th century.[34] Óláfsdrápa sænska Icelandic skald Óttarr svarti spent some time at Olof's court and composed the poem Óláfsdrápa sænska describing Olof's war expeditions in the east. The poem is interesting, since it gives a view of the reign of Olof: "The warrior guards his land, few kings are as mighty as him; Olof pleases the eagle, the Swedish king is outstanding".[35] Other skalds who served Olof were Gunnlaugr ormstunga, Hrafn Önundarson and Gizurr svarti. The alleged Olaf Grave at Husaby Church from Snorri Sturluson's chronology of events, Olof died a natural death in the winter of 1021–1022.[36] of Bremen asserts that he died at approximately the same time as Cnut the Great (1035), which is certainly too late.[37] that he was martyred after refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods are likely due to a mix-up with the king Olof from Vita Ansgari and Olof Trätälja from Norse sources.[38] the 1740s, it has been claimed that he was buried in Husaby in the Christian part of his kingdom, but such identifications are controversial.[39] was the son of Eric the Victorious (Erik Segersäll) and a woman whose identity is debated. According to Adam of Bremen she was the sister or daughter of Boleslaw I Chrobry of Poland, but, according to Icelandic sources, she was Sigrid the Haughty (Sigrid Storråda), a daughter of the Viking chief Skoglar Toste. sources say that Olof had a brother called Emunde. his mistress Edla, daughter of a Slavic chief, he first had three children: Emund the Old, King of Sweden in c. 1050–1060 Astrid, d. after 1035, married to Olaf II of Norway (Olaf the Saint) Holmfrid (possibly sister of Olof), married to Sven Jarl of Norway his spouse Queen Estrid he had two children: Anund Jacob, King of Sweden in 1022–c. 1050 Ingegerd, d. 1050, married to Yaroslav I of Kiev Russia, Novgorod, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, , gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning, she left the world and went into a monastery; Kiev Rus Queen, 1019-1050, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden ; Olofsdotter of Sweden, also known as Irene, Anna and Saint Anna (1001 – 10 February 1050), was a Swedish princess and a Grand Princess of Kiev. was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skotkonung and Estrid of the Obotrites and the consort of Yaroslav I the Wise of Ingegerd or Saint Anna is often confused with the mother of Saint Vladimir “the Enlightenerâ€ of the Rus. This is mainly because Ingegerd and Yaroslav also had a son named Vladimir. However, Saint Vladimir was the father of Ingegerd’s husband Yaroslav I “the Wiseâ€, thus making her Saint Vladimir’s daughter-in-law. Saint Vladimir was the son of Sviatoslav and Malusha.[1] Sophia Cathedral in Kiev Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was born a princess in the court of King Olof Skötkonung. In 1015, after Olaf II of Norway assumed the throne as King of Norway, he proposed a royal marriage alliance. In 1016, noblemen of both countries tried to arrange a marriage between King Olaf and Princess Ingegerd. Olof Skötkonung agreed at first but later he reneged. Rather he agreed to the marriage of his daughter, Astrid Olavsdatter to King Olaf. [2][3][4] Skötkonung subsequently arranged for the marriage of Princess Ingegerd to the powerful Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Novgorod with whom Sweden had a flourishing trade relationship. The marriage took place in 1019. [5] in Kiev, Ingegerd had her name changed to the Greek Irene. According to several sagas, she received as a marriage gift Ladoga and adjacent lands, which later became known as Ingria, arguably a corruption of Ingegerd's name. She arranged for her father's cousin, jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson, to rule in her stead.[6] [7] Ingegerd and Yaroslav had six sons and four daughters; three of the latter becoming Queens of France, Hungary, and Norway. The whole family is depicted in one of the frescoes of the Saint Sophia. and burial[edit] died on 10 February 1050. Upon her death, according to different sources, Ingegerd was buried in either Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev or Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod. initiated the building of the Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev (foundation laid in 1037). also initiated the construction of Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod (built between 1045 and 1050). was later declared a saint under the name of St. Anna in Novgorod and Kiev. The reason for her sainthood was that she initiated the building of both cathedrals in Kiev and in Novgorod together with many other good deeds. following was stated by the church in reference to her sainthood: Anna, Grand Duchess of Novgorod, She was the daughter of Swedish King Olaf Sketktung, the "All-Christian King," who did much to spread Orthodoxy in Scandinavia, and the pious Queen Astrida. Sweden she was known as Princess Indegard; she married Yaroslav I “the Wise“, Grand Prince of Kiev, who was the founder of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1016, taking the name Irene. gave shelter to the outcast sons of British King Edmund, Edwin and Edward, as well as the Norwegian prince Magnus, who later returned to Norway. is perhaps best known as the mother of Vsevolod of , himself the father of Vladimir Monomakh and progenitor of the Princes of Moscow. daughters were Anna, Queen of France, Queen Anastasia of Hungary, and Queen Elizabeth (Elisiv) of Norway. The whole family was profoundly devout and pious. reposed in 1050 in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) in Kiev, having been tonsured a monastic with the name of Anna. As saint, her hymn goes: 4 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: Joy of the ranks of heaven joy of the Swedish people, thou didst gladden the Russian realm, filling it with grace and purity, adorning its throne with majesty, lustrous in piety like a priceless gem set in a splendid royal crown. Ingegerd in the baptismal waters, O venerable one, thou wast called Irene by thy Russian subjects, who perceived in thee the divine and ineffable peace; but when thou didst submit to monastic obedience, thou didst take the new name, Anna, after the honoured ancestor of Christ, the King of kings. in honourable matrimony, O holy Anna, thou didst live in concord with thy royal spouse, the right-believing and most wise Prince Yaroslav; and having born him holy offspring, after his repose thou didst betroth thyself unto the Lord as thy heavenly all the allurements of vanity and donning the coarse robes of a monastic, O wondrous and sacred Anna, thou gavest thyself over to fasting and prayer, ever entreating Christ thy Master, that He deliver thy people from the all want and misfortune. Feast days: 10 February, 4 October. Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Princess Anna of Novgorod, wife of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise, gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning. son Mstislav later became Great Prince of Kiev, and her daughter the queen of a western European realm. Saint Anna left the world and went into a monastery, where she ended her days in strict obedience and prayer in the year 1056. Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Sweden, 1013-66, North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway(Sweden), end oViking Age
North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age, collapsed i35 upon Cnut's death, ended 42 Harthacnut death England inherited by Wessex Anglo Saxon Edward tConvessor, tune upon his death in 1066 with no heirs by relative French Norman William tConqueror 1066; Viking North Sea Empire; North Sea Empire, also known as the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire, was the personal union of the kingdoms of England, Denmark[a] and Norway for most of the period between 1013 and 1042 towards the end of the Viking Age.[1] ephemeral Norse-ruled empire was a thalassocracy, its components only connected by and dependent upon the sea.[2] first king to unite all three kingdoms was Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark since 986 and of Norway since 1000, when he conquered England in 1013. died in the following year, and his realm was divided. son Cnut the Great acquired England in 1016, Denmark in 1018 and Norway in 1028. died in 1035 and his realm was again divided, but his successor in Denmark, Harthacnut, inherited England in 1040 and ruled it until his death in 1042. the height of his power, when Cnut ruled all three kingdoms (1028–1035), he was the most powerful ruler in western Europe after the Holy Roman Emperor.[b] See also: History of Anglo-Saxon England and Cnut the Great's invasion of England was the younger son of the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard. When his father died on 3 February 1014 during an invasion of England, Cnut, who had been left in command of the fleet in the River Trent while Sweyn was in the south of England, was acclaimed by the Danes. However, the invasion fell apart: the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey, who had promised to supply horses for a tactical raid, were not ready before the English nobles had reinstalled King Æthelred (whom they had previously sent into exile), after forcing him to agree to govern less harshly.[8] brother Harald became the King of Denmark, but with help from Eric Haakonsson of Norway, Cnut raised a new invasion fleet of his own and returned to England in the summer of 1015. The English were divided by intrigue among the king, his sons, and other nobles; within four months one of Æthelred's sons had pledged allegiance to Cnut and he controlled Wessex, the historic heart of the kingdom. Before the decisive battle for London could be fought, Æthelred died on 23 April 1016. The Londoners chose his son Edmund as their king, while most of the nobles met at Southampton and swore fealty to Cnut. Cnut blockaded London, but was forced to leave to replenish his supplies and was beaten by Edmund at the Battle of Otford; however, following the Danes as they raided into Essex, Edmund was in turn defeated at the Battle of Assandun. He and Cnut struck an agreement under which Edmund would retain Wessex and Cnut would rule all of England north of the River Thames. However, on 30 November 1016, Edmund in turn died, leaving Cnut as the King of England.[9] the summer of 1017 he cemented his power by marrying Æthelred's widow, Emma, although he had previously married an English noblewoman, Ælfgifu of Northampton.[10] In 1018 he paid off his fleet (with money especially from the citizens of London) and was fully recognised as King of England.[11] See also: History of Denmark § Middle Ages the Great Harald died childless in 1018 or 1019, leaving the country without a king. Cnut was his brother's heir and went to Denmark in 1019 to claim it. While there he sent his subjects in England a letter saying he was abroad to avert an unspecified "danger",[12] and he only returned to quell incipient rebellions.[13] One Danish chronicle states that the Danes had previously deposed Harald in favour of Cnut, then brought back Harald because of Cnut's frequent absences, until Cnut finally became king permanently after his brother's death.[14] Olaf II of Norway and King Anund Jacob of Sweden, seeing the combined Anglo-Danish kingdom as a threat – Cnut's father Sweyn had asserted power over both their countries – took advantage of Cnut's being in England to attack Denmark in 1025 or 1026, and were joined by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's Danish regent, and his brother. Cnut took Olaf's fleet by surprise and took the battle to the Swedish fleet at the Battle of the Helgeå.[15] The precise outcome is disputed, but Cnut came out best; Olaf fled and the threat to Denmark was dispelled.[16] 1027, Cnut travelled to Rome, partly to expiate his sin for having Jarl Ulf killed the previous Christmas, partly to attend the coronation of Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor and to demonstrate his importance as a ruler. He secured relaxation of tolls levied on pilgrims journeying to Rome from Northern Europe, and on Papal fees for English archbishops receiving their pallium; he also began a relationship with Conrad that led to the Emperor's son Henry marrying Cnut's daughter Gunnhild and before that to the Emperor ceding to Denmark Schleswig and a strip of ancient Danish territory between Hedeby and the Eider that the Germans had occupied as a buffer zone against the Danes.[17] also: Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) Olaf II had extended his power throughout Norway while Jarl Erik was with Cnut in England.[18] Cnut's enmity with him extended further back: Æthelred had returned to England in a fleet provided by Olaf.[19] In 1024 Cnut had offered to let Olaf govern Norway as his vassal;[20] but after Helgeå, he set about undermining his unpopular rule with bribes, and in 1028 set out with 50 ships to subjugate Norway. A large contingent of Danish ships joined him, and Olaf withdrew into the Oslo Fjord while Cnut sailed along the coast, landing at various points and receiving oaths of allegiance from the local chieftains. Finally at Nidaros, now Trondheim, he was acclaimed king at the Eyrathing, and in a few months Olaf fled to Sweden.[21] 1030, Olaf attempted to return, but the people of the Trondheim area did not want him back and he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stiklestad. of Sweden[edit] See also: History of Sweden (800–1521) Helgeå, Cnut also claimed to rule "part of Sweden" together with England, Denmark, and Norway.[7] He may have had coins minted either in the capital, Sigtuna, or in Lund, then part of Denmark, with the inscription CNVT REX SW ("Cnut King of the Swedes"). Western Geatland or Blekinge have been suggested.[22] It was probably either overlordship or disputed rule; Cnut did not have to be present in Sweden to order the minting of coins, coins were also minted asserting he ruled Ireland.[23] These coins are however usually regarded as copies of coins minted in Denmark (curiously, coins stating that the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung was King of England have also been found in Sigtuna).[24][25] Irish coinage and Swedish history at this early date is very uncertain.[26] Anglo-Saxon sources state Anund Jakob won the Battle of Helgeå.[27] If the Danes controlled Sweden they did only control Svealand for a maximum of 3 years before Anund ousted Cnut. In 1030 Anund is again in firm control according to sources of Sweden. Since Anund Jakob decided on bishops for all of Sweden 1030 in Adam of Bremens source. Adam does not mention a Danish conquest in his description of Anunds reign 1030. Rather Anund Jakob and Sweden militarily supported Olaf the second in his attempts to regain the Norwegian throne from Cnut 1030.[27][28] areas[edit] addition to part of Sweden, of which he or the person who wrote the heading to his letter claimed he was king part of, Cnut received tribute from the Wends and was allied with the Poles; in 1022, together with Godwin and Ulf Jarl, he took a fleet east into the Baltic to confirm his overlordship of the coastal areas that the Danish kings dominated from Jomsborg.[29] after his return from Rome, Cnut led an army into Scotland and made vassals of Malcolm, the high king of Scotland, and two other kings,[30] one of whom, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, was a sea-king whose lands included Galloway and the Isle of Man and would become king of Dublin in 1036. All these and likely also the Welsh[31] paid tribute, on the model of the Danegeld that Æthelred had instituted to pay off the Danes; and Cnut was thus reasserting the dominion over the Celtic kingdoms that recent English kings had had to let lapse, as well as punishing those who had supported Olaf against him.[20] A verse by the Icelandic skald Óttarr svarti calls Cnut "king of the Danes, the Irish, the English and the Islanders"; presumably Norway is omitted because Cnut had not yet come to power there.[32] also: Christianization of Scandinavia By the early 11th century, England had been Christian for centuries; the Danelaw was in transition from paganism to Christianity,[33] but the Scandinavian countries were still predominantly pagan.[34] Cnut's father, Sweyn, had initially been pagan but in later life had been basically Christian.[35] In England, Cnut assiduously promoted the interests of the Church, and this brought him acceptance from the Christian rulers of Europe that no other Scandinavian king had previously been accorded.[36] In Norway, in contrast, he built churches and was both respectful and generous to the clergy, but also made allies of the heathen chieftains, and unlike Olaf, did not make laws benefitting the Church until his power was on a solid footing.[20] See also: Thing (assembly) and Witenagemot Earldoms of England c. 1025 Penny of Cnut the Great in 1017, probably because he was king by right of conquest not more normal means, Cnut divided England into four earldoms on the Scandinavian model: Wessex he governed directly, and of his allies Thorkell the Tall became Earl of East Anglia, Eric Haakonsson retained Northumbria, which Cnut had already given him, and Eadric Streona became Earl of Mercia. But the last was disgraced and executed within a year. In 1018 Cnut revived at least two earldoms in Wessex and at a meeting at Oxford, his followers and representatives of the English agreed that he would govern under the laws of King Edgar.[37] historian Frank Stenton points out that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has relatively little to say about Cnut's reign except to note his frequent travels abroad, indicating that he was in strong control of England. Thorkell likely acted as his regent during his absences,[38] until they had a falling out and he was outlawed in 1021. The terms of their reconciliation in Denmark in 1023, with an exchange of sons for fosterage and Thorkell becoming Cnut's regent in Denmark, suggests that Thorkell had won them with an armed force.[39] it was left to another of Cnut's earls, Siward, to protect his earldom of Northumbria by consolidating English power in Scotland; at his death in 1055 he, not the king, was overlord of all the territory that the Kingdom of Strathclyde had annexed early the previous century.[30] Danes had more reason to grumble about Cnut's absences than the English; he reigned primarily from England, leaving regents in charge in Denmark.[40] He replaced Thorkell as his primary advisor in England with Godwin, an Englishman whom he made Earl of Wessex,[41] while within three years of their reconciliation he had also been replaced as regent of Denmark, by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's sister's husband, whom Cnut also made guardian of his son by Emma, Harthacnut.[42] Ulf in turn proved less than loyal, first conspiring against him with the kings of Sweden and Norway, then making a power play by having the nobles swear fealty to Harthacnut (thus effectively to him); Cnut returned to Denmark at Christmas 1026, ordered his housecarls to kill Ulf, and it was done in Trinity church at Roskilde.[41] By the end of his life, he had entirely replaced the Scandinavian inner circle who advised him with Englishmen.[43] Norway, Cnut stayed into the new year and then left Jarl Erik's son Hakon in charge as his regent (he had served Sweyn Forkbeard in the same capacity), but he drowned the following winter.[44] As his replacement Cnut sent Swein, the younger of his two sons by Ælfgifu and thus known as Sveinn Alfífuson in Norway – along with his mother as guardian. They were delayed in southern Norway while Olaf's return was rebuffed, but became even more unpopular than he had been. Ælfgifu tried to impose new taxation and stricter controls on a people who valued their independence and especially resented that the new customs were Danish.[44][45] also prepared to hand over Denmark to one of his sons: upon taking power in Norway, he held a great court in Nidaros and proclaimed Harthacnut, his son by Emma, king of Denmark.[46] As Stenton points out, by appointing different sons his heirs in different countries, he demonstrated that he did not have "the deliberate intention of founding a northern empire . . . [which] would remain united after his death."[47] It may have been simply the custom of his people.[48] In any event, it was clear throughout Cnut's reign that the weakness of his empire lay in the impossibility of finding loyal and competent regents to govern when he could not be present.[49] And his sons could not hold it together. Cnut's death[edit] North Sea Empire collapsed immediately once Cnut died in 1035. In Norway, it was already collapsing: by the winter of 1033, Swein and Ælfgifu were so unpopular that they were forced to leave Trondheim. In 1034, the leader of the army that had rebuffed and killed King Olaf at Stiklestad went together with one of the king's loyal followers to bring his young son Magnus back from Gardariki to rule,[50] and in autumn 1035, a few weeks before Cnut's death, Swein and his mother had to flee the country altogether and go to Denmark.[47] Swein died shortly afterwards. Denmark, Harthacnut was already ruling as king, but he was unable to leave for three years because of the threat that Magnus of Norway would invade to exact revenge. In the meantime the English nobles, divided between him and Cnut's younger son by Ælfgifu, Harold Harefoot, decided to compromise by having Harold rule as regent; by the end of 1037, Ælfgifu had persuaded the most important nobles to swear allegiance to Harold, who was firmly ensconced as Harold I – and Harthacnut's own mother, Queen Emma, had been forced to take refuge in Flanders.[51] prepared an invasion fleet to wrest England from his half-brother, but the latter died in 1040 before it could be used. Harthacnut then became king of England, reuniting it with Denmark, but made a generally bad impression as king. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle said of him that he never did anything royal during his entire reign.[52] He died suddenly in June 1042 "as he stood at his drink" at the wedding feast of Tovi the Proud, one of the Danish thegns of his father's court. At first glance Harthacnut's death seems to have brought about the end of the North Sea Empire.[53] However, Magnus of Norway, utilising the agreement he had made with Harthacnut in 1040, took control of Denmark and had plans to invade England and reunite the kingdoms and Empire. In consolidating his power in Denmark he crushed a Wendish invasion at the battle of Lyrskov Hede initiated shortly after he had destroyed the Jomsviking heartlands. This may have been an effective own goal, as it destroyed one of the key political and military components of Sveyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great's rise to dominence. While Magnus had ejected Sveyn Estridsson from Denmark in 1046, Adam of Bremen briefly notes that Sveyn and an Earl Tovi removed Magnus from Denmark in 1047. This is confirmed by the contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which reports that in 1047 Sveyn asked England for 50 ships to help in the battle against Magnus. "And then Sveyn expelled Magnus from Denmark and entered the country by a huge carnage, and the Danes paid him a large sum of money and recognized him as king. And the same year Magnus died.'[54]

Sweden, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, children Christian upbringing, to monastery
Russia, Novgorod, 1019-1056, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, Kiev Rus Queen, two Cathedrals, , gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning, she left the world and went into a monastery; Kiev Rus Queen, 1019-1050, Princess Anna, Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden ; Olofsdotter of Sweden, also known as Irene, Anna and Saint Anna (1001 – 10 February 1050), was a Swedish princess and a Grand Princess of Kiev. was the daughter of Swedish King Olof Skotkonung and Estrid of the Obotrites and the consort of Yaroslav I the Wise of Ingegerd or Saint Anna is often confused with the mother of Saint Vladimir “the Enlightenerâ€ of the Rus. This is mainly because Ingegerd and Yaroslav also had a son named Vladimir. However, Saint Vladimir was the father of Ingegerd’s husband Yaroslav I “the Wiseâ€, thus making her Saint Vladimir’s daughter-in-law. Saint Vladimir was the son of Sviatoslav and Malusha.[1] Sophia Cathedral in Kiev Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod was born a princess in the court of King Olof Skötkonung. In 1015, after Olaf II of Norway assumed the throne as King of Norway, he proposed a royal marriage alliance. In 1016, noblemen of both countries tried to arrange a marriage between King Olaf and Princess Ingegerd. Olof Skötkonung agreed at first but later he reneged. Rather he agreed to the marriage of his daughter, Astrid Olavsdatter to King Olaf. [2][3][4] Skötkonung subsequently arranged for the marriage of Princess Ingegerd to the powerful Grand Prince Yaroslav I the Wise of Novgorod with whom Sweden had a flourishing trade relationship. The marriage took place in 1019. [5] in Kiev, Ingegerd had her name changed to the Greek Irene. According to several sagas, she received as a marriage gift Ladoga and adjacent lands, which later became known as Ingria, arguably a corruption of Ingegerd's name. She arranged for her father's cousin, jarl Ragnvald Ulfsson, to rule in her stead.[6] [7] Ingegerd and Yaroslav had six sons and four daughters; three of the latter becoming Queens of France, Hungary, and Norway. The whole family is depicted in one of the frescoes of the Saint Sophia. and burial[edit] died on 10 February 1050. Upon her death, according to different sources, Ingegerd was buried in either Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev or Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod. initiated the building of the Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev (foundation laid in 1037). also initiated the construction of Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod (built between 1045 and 1050). was later declared a saint under the name of St. Anna in Novgorod and Kiev. The reason for her sainthood was that she initiated the building of both cathedrals in Kiev and in Novgorod together with many other good deeds. following was stated by the church in reference to her sainthood: Anna, Grand Duchess of Novgorod, She was the daughter of Swedish King Olaf Sketktung, the "All-Christian King," who did much to spread Orthodoxy in Scandinavia, and the pious Queen Astrida. Sweden she was known as Princess Indegard; she married Yaroslav I “the Wise“, Grand Prince of Kiev, who was the founder of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1016, taking the name Irene. gave shelter to the outcast sons of British King Edmund, Edwin and Edward, as well as the Norwegian prince Magnus, who later returned to Norway. is perhaps best known as the mother of Vsevolod of , himself the father of Vladimir Monomakh and progenitor of the Princes of Moscow. daughters were Anna, Queen of France, Queen Anastasia of Hungary, and Queen Elizabeth (Elisiv) of Norway. The whole family was profoundly devout and pious. reposed in 1050 in the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom (St. Sophia) in Kiev, having been tonsured a monastic with the name of Anna. As saint, her hymn goes: 4 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: Joy of the ranks of heaven joy of the Swedish people, thou didst gladden the Russian realm, filling it with grace and purity, adorning its throne with majesty, lustrous in piety like a priceless gem set in a splendid royal crown. Ingegerd in the baptismal waters, O venerable one, thou wast called Irene by thy Russian subjects, who perceived in thee the divine and ineffable peace; but when thou didst submit to monastic obedience, thou didst take the new name, Anna, after the honoured ancestor of Christ, the King of kings. in honourable matrimony, O holy Anna, thou didst live in concord with thy royal spouse, the right-believing and most wise Prince Yaroslav; and having born him holy offspring, after his repose thou didst betroth thyself unto the Lord as thy heavenly all the allurements of vanity and donning the coarse robes of a monastic, O wondrous and sacred Anna, thou gavest thyself over to fasting and prayer, ever entreating Christ thy Master, that He deliver thy people from the all want and misfortune. Feast days: 10 February, 4 October. Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Princess Anna of Novgorod, wife of Great Prince Yaroslav the Wise, gave her children a true Christian upbringing, marked by a strong faith in God; and love of work, integrity and learning. son Mstislav later became Great Prince of Kiev, and her daughter the queen of a western European realm. Saint Anna left the world and went into a monastery, where she ended her days in strict obedience and prayer in the year 1056. Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Sweden, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Pope declares Northern Crusades 1195-1350

Sweden, 1200, 13th Century, Battle of the Neva, Battle of the Ice

Sweden, 1222-1266, Jarl Birger, Jarl is 2nd to t King, Jarl to Eric VI & Valdemar his (Birger's) son, haughty, lost to Nevsky
Sweden, 1222-1250, Eric XI of Sweden; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Sweden, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Magnus IV, bought Norway

Sweden, 1523-1611, History Folder, Protestant Nobility, Union w Poland Lithuania

Sweden, 1523-1560, Swedish King, Gustav I, liberated Sweden from Denmark Norway's Kalmer Union, centralization, Lutheran
Swedish King, 1523-1560, Gustav I ; I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496[1] - 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560,[2] previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm from 1521, during the ongoing Swedish War of Liberation against King Christian II of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Gustav rose to lead the rebel movement following the Stockholm Bloodbath, where his father was executed. Gustav's election as king on 6 June 1523 and his triumphant entry into Stockholm eleven days later marked Sweden's final secession from the Kalmar Union.[3] king, Gustav proved an energetic administrator with a ruthless streak not inferior to his predecessor's, brutally suppressing subsequent uprisings (three in Dalarna – which had once been the first region to support his claim to the throne – one in Västergötland, and one in Småland). He worked to raise taxes and bring about a Reformation in Sweden, replacing the prerogatives of local landowners, noblemen and clergy with centrally appointed governors and bishops. His 37-year rule, which was the longest of a mature Swedish king to that date (subsequently passed by Gustav V and Carl XVI Gustav) saw a complete break with not only the Danish - Norwegian supremacy but also the Roman Catholic Church, whose assets were nationalised, with the Lutheran Church of Sweden established under his personal control. He became the first truly autocratic native Swedish sovereign and was a skilled bureaucrat and propagandist, with tales of his largely fictitious adventures during the liberation struggle still widespread to this day. In 1544, he abolished Medieval Sweden's elective monarchy and replaced it with a hereditary monarchy under the House of Vasa, which held the Swedish throne until 1654. Thus, three of his sons, Eric XIV, John III and Charles IX, all held the kingship at different points.[4] I has subsequently been labelled the founder of modern Sweden, and the "father of the nation". Gustav liked to compare himself to Moses, whom he believed to have also liberated his people and established a sovereign state. As a person, Gustav was known for ruthless methods and a bad temper, but also a fondness for music and had a certain sly wit and ability to outmaneuver and annihilate his opponents. He founded one of the now oldest orchestras of the world, the Kungliga Hovkapellet (Royal Court Orchestra). Royal housekeeping accounts from 1526 mention twelve musicians including wind players and a timpanist but no string players.[5] Today the Kungliga Hovkapellet is the orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera.[6][7] St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ;

Sweden, 1527, Lutheranism established by Riksdag of the Estates
Sweden, 1527, Lutheranism established by Riksdag of the Estates ;

Sweden, 1558-1590, Russo-Swedish War (1558-1583), the Livonian War, R lost to Stefan Batory
Sweden, 1558-1590, Russo-Swedish War (1558-1583); Livonian War (1558–1583) was fought for control of Old Livonia (in the territory of present-day Estonia and Latvia), when the Tsardom of Russia faced a varying coalition of Denmark–Norway, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the Union (later Commonwealth) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. the period 1558–1578, Russia dominated the region with early military successes at Dorpat (Tartu) and Narva. Russian dissolution of the Livonian Confederation brought Poland–Lithuania into the conflict, while Sweden and Denmark both intervened between 1559 and 1561. Swedish Estonia was established despite constant invasion from Russia, and Frederick II of Denmark bought the old Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, which he placed under the control of his brother Magnus of Holstein. Magnus attempted to expand his Livonian holdings to establish the Russian vassal state Kingdom of Livonia, which nominally existed until his defection in 1576. 1576, Stefan Batory became King of Poland as well as Grand Duke of Lithuania and turned the tide of the war with his successes between 1578 and 1581, including the joint Swedish–Polish–Lithuanian offensive at the Battle of Wenden. This was followed by an extended campaign through Russia culminating in the long and difficult siege of Pskov. Under the 1582 Truce of Jam Zapolski, which ended the war between Russia and Poland–Lithuania, Russia lost all its former holdings in Livonia and Polotsk to Poland–Lithuania. The following year, Sweden and Russia signed the Truce of Plussa with Sweden gaining most of Ingria and northern Livonia while retaining the Duchy of Estonia. Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15;

Sweden, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r

Sweden, 1560-1568, King, Eric XIV, intelligent, but mentally unstable, deposed
Swedish King, 1560-1568, Eric XIV of Sweden; XIV (Swedish: Erik XIV; 13 December 1533 - 26 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1568. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–35). He was also ruler of Estonia, after its conquest by Sweden in 1561. he has been regarded as intelligent and artistically skilled, as well as politically ambitious, early in his reign he showed signs of mental instability, a condition that eventually led to insanity. Some scholars claim that his illness began early during his reign, while others believe that it first manifested with the Sture murders. having been deposed and imprisoned, was most likely murdered. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that he probably died of arsenic poisoning.[1]

Sweden, 1568-1592, Swedish King, John III of Sweden, close the P and C gap, Polish wife
Swedish King, 1568-1592, John III of Sweden; III (20 December 1537 - 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He was the son of King Gustav I of Sweden and his second wife Margaret Leijonhufvud. He was also, quite autonomously, the ruler of Finland, as Duke John from 1556 to 1563. In 1581 he assumed also the title Grand Prince of Finland. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Eric XIV. is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap between the newly established Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Catholic church, as well as his conflict with, and murder of, his brother. first wife was Catherine Jagellonica of the Polish-Lithuanian ruling family, and their son Sigismund eventually ascended both the Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish thrones. Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15;

Sweden, 1592-1599, King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic, inherited thrones uniting Poland Sweden, enlightened, deposed
Poland, 1587-1632, King Sigismund III of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic ; III Vasa (20 June 1566 - 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 as well as King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to 1599. was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. A religious zealot, he imposed Roman Catholic doctrine across the vast realm, and his crusades against neighbouring states marked Poland's largest territorial expansion. As an enlightened despot, he presided over an era of prosperity and achievement, further distinguished by the transfer of the country's capital from Kraków to Warsaw. was the son of John III of Sweden and his first wife, Catherine Jagiellon, daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland. Elected monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, he sought to unify Poland and Sweden under one Catholic kingdom, and briefly succeeded upon the creation of the Polish–Swedish union in 1592. The staunch indoctrination of largely Protestant Sweden with Polish ideals caused a war of independence headed by Sigismund's uncle Charles IX, who deposed him in 1599. attempted to hold absolute power in all his dominions and undermined parliament. He suppressed internal opposition, strengthened Catholic influence and granted privileges to the Jesuits, whom he employed as advisors and spies during the Counter-Reformation. He actively interfered in the affairs of neighbouring countries; he took advantage of a period of civil unrest in Muscovy, known as the Time of Troubles, and invaded Russia, holding Moscow for two years and Smolensk thereafter. Sigismund's army also defeated the Ottoman forces in southeastern Europe, which systematically led to the demise of Sultan Osman II. However, the Polish–Swedish conflict had a less favourable outcome. After a series of skirmishes ending in a truce, Gustavus II Adolphus launched a campaign against the Commonwealth which resulted in the partial loss of Polish Livonia and in Sigismund's claim to the Swedish crown.[1] remains a highly controversial figure in Poland. One of the country's most recognisable monarchs, his long reign coincided with the Polish Golden Age, the apex in the prestige, power and economic influence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. On the other hand, it was also during his rule that the seeds of decline surfaced; considerable contributions to the arts and architecture as well as military victories were tarnished by intrigues and religious persecutions.[2] Despite this, he was commemorated in Warsaw by Sigismund's Column, one of the city's chief landmarks and the first secular monument in the form of a column in modern history.[3] It was commissioned after Sigismund's death by his son and successor, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw IV. St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23;

Sweden, 1599-1611, Swedish King, Charles IX of Sweden, protestant, Thirty Years War, Reformation and Counter R
Swedish King, 1599-1611, Charles IX of Sweden; IX, also Carl (Swedish: Karl IX; 4 October 1550 - 30 October 1611), was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I and his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, brother of Eric XIV and John III, and uncle of Sigismund who was king of both Sweden and Poland. By his father's will he got, by way of appanage, the Duchy of Södermanland, which included the provinces of Närke and Värmland; but he did not come into actual possession of them till after the fall of Eric and the succession to the throne of John in 1568. Charles and one of his predecessors, Eric XIV (1560–68), took their regnal numbers according to a fictitious history of Sweden. He was actually the third Swedish king called Charles. came into the throne by championing the Protestant cause during the increasingly tense times of religious strife between competing sects of Christianity. In just over a decade, these would break out as the Thirty Years' War. These conflicts had already caused the dynastic squabble rooted in religious freedom that deposed his nephew and brought him to rule as king of Sweden. reign marked the start of the final chapter (dated 1648 by some) of both the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. With his brother's death in November 1592, the throne of Sweden went to his nephew and Habsburg ally, Sigismund of Poland and Sweden. During these tense political times, Charles viewed the inheritance of the throne of Protestant Sweden by his devout Roman Catholic nephew with alarm. Thus, several years of religious controversy and discord followed. the period, Charles and the Swedish privy council ruled in Sigismund's name while he stayed in Poland. After various preliminaries, the Riksdag of the Estates forced Sigismund to abdicate the throne to Charles IX in 1595. This eventually kicked off nearly seven decades of sporadic warfare as the two lines of the divided House of Vasa both continued to attempt to remake the union between the Polish and Swedish thrones with opposing counter-claims and dynastic wars. likely, the dynastic outcome between Sweden and Poland's House of Vasa exacerbated and radicalized the later actions of Europe's Catholic princes in the German states such as the Edict of Restitution. In fact, it worsened European politics to the abandonment or prevention of settling events by diplomacy and compromise during the vast bloodletting that was the Thirty Years' war. St. John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24;

Sweden, 1605-1618, Swedish Polish Lithuanian Moscovite War, when Russia torn by civil wars
Sweden, 1605-1618, Swedish Polish Lithuanian Moscovite War; of Russia[edit] Shuysky's tribute, homage of the deposed Tsar of Russia Vasyl IV Shuysky and his brothers Dmitri in Warsaw War (1605–1618)[edit] Polish–Muscovite War or the Polish–Russian War (1605–1618), in Poland known as the Dimitriads, took place in the early 17th century as a sequence of military conflicts and eastward invasions carried out by the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, or the private armies and mercenaries led by the magnates (the Commonwealth aristocracy), when the Russian Tsardom was torn by a series of civil wars, the time most commonly referred to in the Russian history as the "Time of Troubles", sparked by the Russian dynastic crisis and overall internal chaos. The sides and their goals changed several times during this conflict: the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was not formally at war with Russia until 1609, and various Russian factions fought amongst themselves, allied with the Commonwealth and other countries or fighting against them. Sweden also participated in the conflict during the course of the Ingrian War (1610–1617), sometimes allying itself with Russia, and other times fighting against it. The aims of the various factions changed frequently as well as the scale of the parties' goals, which ranged from minor border adjustments to imposing the Polish Kings or the Polish-backed impostors' claims to the Russian throne and even the creation of a new state by forming a union between the commonwealth and Russia. Homage in 1611[edit] war can be divided into four stages. In the first stage, certain commonwealth szlachta (nobility), encouraged by some Russian boyars (Russian aristocracy), but without the official consent of the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa, attempted to exploit Russia's weakness and intervene in its civil war by supporting the impostors for the tsardom, False Dmitriy I and later False Dmitriy II, against the crowned tsars, Boris Godunov and Vasili Shuiski. The first wave of the Polish intervention began in 1605 and ended in 1606 with the death of False Dmitri I. The second wave started in 1607 and lasted until 1609, when Tsar Vasili made a military alliance with Sweden. In response to this alliance, the Polish king Sigismund III decided to intervene officially and to declare war upon Russia, aiming to weaken Sweden's ally and to gain territorial concessions. of the Crown Stanisław Żółkiewski held a triumphal entry by the Kraków suburb of the Royal Palace, leading with him the prisoners: the Russian tsar Wasyl IV Szujski, his brothers: Dimitri Szujski with his wife - Grand Duchess Ekaterina Grigoryevna, daughter Grigory Malyuta Skuratov and Ivan Shuysky Mikhail Shein, and Filaret, the non-canonical Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. After early commonwealth victories (Battle of Klushino), which culminated in Polish forces entering Moscow in 1610, Sigismund's son, Prince Władysław of Poland, was briefly elected tsar. ładysław IV Vasa – Tsar of Russia[edit] ładysław IV Vasa, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and elected Tsar of Russia the intensification of the Polish intervention in Muscovy, in 1609, the royal family moved to their residence in Vilnius, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. There he witnessed the fire of Vilnius, an event which even required the royal family to evacuate their residence in the Vilnius Castle. Later that year, Władysław, aged 15, was elected Tsar by Muscovy's aristocracy council of Seven boyars, who overthrew tsar Vasily Shuysky during the Polish-Muscovite War and Muscovy's Time of Troubles. His election was ruined by his father, Sigismund, who aimed to convert Muscovy's population from Orthodox religion to Catholicism. Sigismund refused to agree to the boyar's request to send prince Władysław to Moscow and his conversion to Orthodoxy. Instead, Sigismund proposed that he should reign as a regent in Muscovy instead.[9] This unrealistic proposal led to a resumption of hostilities. Briefly, beginning in 1610, Władysław struck Muscovite silver and gold coins (Kopek) in the Russian mints in Moscow and Novgorod with his titulary Tsar and Grand Prince Vladislav Zigimontovych of all Russia. ładysław tried to regain the tsar's throne himself, organizing a campaign in 1616. Despite some military victories, he was unable to capture Moscow. The Commonwealth gained some disputed territories in the Truce of Deulino, but Władysław was never able to reign in Russia; the throne during this time was instead held by tsar Michael Romanov. He held on to the title, without any real power, until 1634. Likely, the failure of this campaign showed Władysław the limits of royal power in Poland, as major factors for the failure included significant autonomy of the military commanders, which did not see Władysław as their superior, and lack of funds for the army, as the Polish parliament (sejm) refused to subsidize the war.

Sweden, 1611-1632, Gustav II Adolphus, King, Protestant, great M Commander, inherited 3 wars
Swedish King, 1611-1632, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden; Adolphus (19 December [O.S. 9 December] 1594 - 16 November [O.S. 6 November] 1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph,[1] was the King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632, and is credited for the rise of Sweden as a great European power. During his reign, Sweden became one of the primary military forces in Europe during the Thirty Years' War, helping to determine the political and religious balance of power in Europe. He was formally and posthumously given the name Gustavus Adolphus the Great by the Riksdag of the Estates in 1634.[2][3][4] is often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history, with use of an early form of combined arms.[5] His most notable military victory was the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631). With his resources, logistics, and support, Gustavus Adolphus was positioned to become a major European leader,[6] but he was killed a year later at the Battle of Lützen (1632). He was assisted in his efforts by Count Axel Oxenstierna, the Lord High Chancellor of Sweden, who also acted as regent after his death. Adolphus inherited three simultaneous and ongoing wars of his father at the age of sixteen. Two of these were border wars with Russia and Denmark, and a more personal war (at least for his father) with Gustavus' first cousin, King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland.[7] Of these three wars that were passed onto his rule, the Danish war was the most acute one.[8] During his reign, Sweden rose from the status of a Baltic Sea basin regional power to one of the great powers of Europe and a model of early modern era government.[citation needed] Gustavus Adolphus is known as the "father of modern warfare",[9] or the first modern general. He taught a number of other military commanders, such as Lennart Torstensson, who would go on to expand the boundaries and the power of Swedish Empire after Gustavus Adolphus's death. Spoils meant he became a successful bookraider in Europe, targeting Jesuit collections.[10] contributions to Sweden's rise in power included reformation of the administrative structure. For example, he began parish registration of the population, so that the central government could more efficiently tax and conscript the people.[11] Historian Christer Jorgensen argues that his actions in the fields of economic reform, trade, modernization, and the creation of a modern bureaucracy were as significant as his actions in war.[citation needed] His domestic reforms, starting from a medieval economy and society, were the foundation for his victories in Germany as well as the creation and survival of the Swedish Empire.[12][failed verification] is widely commemorated by Protestants in Europe as the main defender of their cause during the Thirty Years' War, with multiple churches, foundations and other undertakings named after him, including the Gustav-Adolf-Werk. He became a symbol of Swedish pride. St. John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24;

Sweden, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Protestant, Great Northern War, History Folder

Sweden, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War
Swedish Empire, 1611-1721, Gustav II to Great Northern War ;

Sweden, 1612, Swedish Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612, Moscow Kremlin
Polish-Lithuanian incursion in 1612; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Sweden, 1613-1671, Stockholm Icon, Stockholm, Icon purchased back tTikhvin, MOG saves fStorm
Stockholm; Stockholm, Sweden, 1613, Stockholm Icon in Tikhvin, St Petersburg area (Tikhvinka River 2), connected to 1383 Tikhvin Icon, 300 yrs later Stockholm Icon appeared in Tikhvin in 1613. Sweden occupied Ivangorod, Yam, Koporje and Ladoga. Novgorod then fell, Tikhvin battleground at Dormition Monastery. large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery, Sweden got the icon after treaty, Russians see icon in Swedish store and buy it. Icon saves them from storm in Lake Ladoga on way home, same route as Tikhvin Icon Tikhvin; Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 13; history of the Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God is closely connected with the sacred symbol of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) which appeared in Russia in 1383, on the banks of the Tikhvinka River. The appearance of the Stockholm Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurred during the XVI-XVII centuries, which was a time of great strife between Russia and the Kingdom of Sweden. of their collusion with the opponents of the Orthodox Faith, and for many other sins, the wrath of God fell upon the Russian people. Swedish troops occupied the fortresses of Ivangorod, Yam, Koporje, and Ladoga. After a long siege, Novgorod fell into the hands of the enemy. In 1613, Tikhvin became a battleground. The Swedish general Jakob Delagardi brought his troops to the Dormition Monastery and ordered them to destroy it. Three times the Swedes besieged the holy habitation, but the Queen of Heaven did not withdraw her mercy from the monks, striking fear into their enemies, who had been edging forward on every side. September 13, 1613, the eve of the Feast of the Elevation of the Honorable and Life-creating Cross of the Lord, the Swedish regiments retreated when a large Muscovite army appeared to defend the monastery. News of this miracle marked the beginning of the liberation of the entire Novgorod region from foreign troops. Soon the Stolbov Peace Treaty was signed between Russia and Sweden in the presence of the Tikhvin Icon. Thus, the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God has been the protector and patron of the Orthodox in their relations with the Swedes. this Treaty many cities were annexed by Sweden, but the Russian population had to remain in those places. The Orthodox, however, could not accept these terms and, after a short time, a mass exodus of people began from the annexed lands to the territory of Russia. Attempts by the Swedish authorities to keep people in their places by promising to reduce fees and duties did not produce the desired results. The Russian landowners and peasants, who did not wish to live in Sweden, a Lutheran country, left the region because they longed for their homes. Among them were citizens of Tikhvin. They could not forget their city with the golden cupolas of its churches, the ringing of bells, and the icons of the saints, so dear to their hearts. exodus of the Orthodox from the lands conquered by the Swedes continued in the reign of the most devout Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676), called "peace-loving" by the people because of his kindness. During his reign Russia acquired the Stockholm Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. day, when the Tikhvin merchants came to the Swedish merchant Phoka in order to purchase some supplies, they saw a familiar Icon, an Icon of the Theotokos which resembled the Tikhvin Icon, only smaller. They prayed fervently, gazing at the expensive Icon, and from that time they came often to Phoka. passed, and a rumor reached Tikhvin that the Swedes in Stockholm had found a Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God. The soul of every man from Tikhvin was sorrowful at seeing this holy object in the hands of foreigners. They grieved to see their Patroness, the Most Holy Theotokos, in a foreign land. So the merchants decided to redeem the Icon. wasn't easy to persuade Phoka, but in the end, afraid of losing his profitable trade connections, he agreed to sell the Icon, asking for 100 gold coins. The matter was settled, and in the twenty-sixth year of the reign of the pious Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich, the Tikhvin merchants started back again with the newly found holy object in the autumn of 1671. They carried with them the copy of the Tikhvin Icon, adorned with pearls and gemstones. which they had purchased in Stockholm. Lake Ladoga, they were caught in a terrible storm. For several days large waves tossed the ship from side to side. The water was covered with ice, and it was snowing. Just when it seemed that there was no hope, everyone on the ship fell to their knees before the Icon of the Theotokos and began to pray. Suddenly the helmsman shouted, "The Monastery! It is the Monastery of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker." The Stockholm Icon followed the same route as the original Tikhvin Icon three hundred years before, along the rivers Svir and Oyat, and then it was brought to Tikhvin by a shipping route. miraculous rescue of the merchants, and the fact that the Icon had traveled the same route as the Tikhvin Icon, was regarded as a sign of the wonderworking power of the Stockholm Icon. On November 13, it was placed in Tikhvin's Dormition Cathedral for veneration. In the city, the Icon was greeted by a Cross Procession, and all the churches rang their bells. Together with all the people, the Superior of the Great Monastery of the Dormition knelt before the Icon and exclaimed: "The Sovereign Lady has come! She has come, not to a foreign country, but to her own place, to great and glorious Russia, to this holy monastery, where the Angels brought her ancient Icon to dwell." Stockholm Icon of the Queen of Heaven has a beautiful pearl riza, with an embossed crown, and was placed to the left of the Royal Doors, in the main row of the iconostasis of the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral, which was built on the site of the wooden church established during the reign of Tsar Peter Alekseevich (1696-1725). the reign of Tsar Alexander II (1855-1881) the Icon was transferred to a heated cathedral, built in 1870-1872. year on November 13, there is a service in honor of the Stockholm Icon with a Cross Procession. last reliable information concerning the Icon dates back to 1928. It comes from a description of the items confiscated by the Soviet government. Since then, all traces of the Stockholm Icon have disappeared. say that the wonderworking Icon was moved to the Russian Museum in the 1930s, but it is no longer there. It is now in the church of Saint Sergius in Stockholm. This church was founded by a group of Russian Orthodox people in the late 1980s, at that time many immigrants from the former Soviet Union were living in Stockholm, but there was not a single church associated with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Savior-Transfiguration Church in Stockholm is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople. icons in the altar were painted in Russia, among them is an icon of Saint Sergius, the heavenly patron of the parish. On the walls are icons, both new and old, which were brought to Sweden with the first wave of Russian emigration. Among them there is a particularly revered Stockholm Icon of the Mother of God.

Sweden, 1617, Treaty of Stolbovo between Russia and Sweden
Stolbovo (Treaty of Stolbovo) which ended Russia's war with Sweden. Stolbovo is south of Lake Ladgoda and 33 Miles from Tikhvin. Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Sweden, 1632-1654, Swedish King, Christina, Queen of Sweden, learned, peacenik, abdicated, converted to C
Swedish King, 1632-1654, Christina, Queen of Sweden; (Swedish: Kristina; 18 December 1626 - 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden from 1632 until her abdication in 1654.[note 1] She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death at the Battle of Lutzen, but began ruling the Swedish Empire when she reached the age of 18.[7] argued for peace in the Thirty Years' War and received indemnity. The Peace of Westphalia allowed her also to establish an academy or university when and wherever she wanted.[8] The Swedish queen is remembered as one of the most learned women of the 17th century.[9] She was fond of books, manuscripts, paintings, and sculptures. With her interest in religion, philosophy, mathematics and alchemy, she attracted many scientists to Stockholm, wanting the city to become the "Athens of the North". She caused a scandal when she decided not to marry,[10] and in 1654 when she abdicated her throne and converted to Catholicism. financial extravagance brought the state to the verge of bankruptcy, and the financial difficulties caused public unrest after ten years of ruling. At the age of 28, the "Minerva of the North" relinquished the throne to her cousin and moved to Rome.[11] Pope Alexander VII described Christina as "a queen without a realm, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame."[10] Notwithstanding, she played a leading part in the theatrical and musical community and protected many Baroque artists, composers, and musicians. the guest of five consecutive popes,[12] and a symbol of the Counter Reformation, she is one of the few women buried in the Vatican grotto. Her unconventional lifestyle and masculine dressing have been featured in countless novels, plays, operas, and film. In all the biographies about Christina, her gender and cultural identity play an important role.[13]

Sweden, The Baltics, 1645,13 Aug, Treaty of Bromsebro, ended part 30 Yrs War
Sweden, The Baltics, 1645,13 Aug, Treaty of Bromsebro; Sweden, The Baltics, 1645, July 1, 1645 NS: Reuben's Seal Date; Swedish King, 1632-1654, Christina, Queen of Sweden;

Sweden, The Baltics, 1645, July 1, 1645 NS: Reuben's Seal Date
Sweden, The Baltics, 1645, July 1, 1645 NS: Reuben's Seal Date; Swedish King, 1632-1654, Christina, Queen of Sweden;

Sweden, 1654-1660, Swedish King, Charles X Gustav of Sweden, 2nd Northern War
Swedish King, 1654-1660, Charles X Gustav of Sweden; X Gustav, also Carl Gustav (8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who bore his son and successor, Charles XI. X Gustav was the second Wittelsbach king of Sweden after the childless king Christopher of Bavaria (1441–1448) and he was the first king of the Swedish Caroline era, which had its peak during the end of the reign of his son, Charles XI. led Sweden during the Second Northern War, enlarging the Swedish Empire. By his predecessor Christina, he was considered de facto Duke of Eyland (Öland)[1] before ascending to the Swedish throne. Second Northern War (1655–60), also First or Little Northern War) was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1655–60), the Tsardom of Russia (1656–58), Brandenburg-Prussia (1657–60), the Habsburg Monarchy (1657–60) and Denmark–Norway (1657–58 and 1658–60). The Dutch Republic often intervened against Sweden in an informal trade war but was not a recognized part of the Polish–Danish alliance.) 1655, Charles X Gustav of Sweden invaded and occupied western Poland–Lithuania, the eastern half of which was already occupied by Russia. The rapid Swedish advance became known in Poland as the Swedish Deluge. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania became a Swedish fief, the Polish–Lithuanian regular armies surrendered and the Polish king John II Casimir Vasa fled to the Habsburgs. Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia initially supported the estates in Royal Prussia, but allied with Sweden in return for receiving the Duchy of Prussia as a Swedish fief. Exploiting the hurt religious feelings of the Roman Catholic population under Protestant occupation and organizing Polish–Lithuanian military leaders in the Tyszowce Confederation, John II Casimir Vasa managed to regain ground in 1656. Russia took advantage of the Swedish setback, declared war on Sweden and pushed into Lithuania and Swedish Livonia. numbering as Charles X derives from a 16th-century invention. The Swedish king Charles IX (1604–1611) chose his numeral after studying a fictitious history of Sweden. This king was the fourth actual King Charles,[2] but has never been called Charles IV.) Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 6;

Sweden, 1660-1697, Swedish King, Charles XI of Sweden, age 17, Scanian (Danish) War, corrected political finance econ, Peace 20 yrs
Swedish King, 1660-1697, Charles XI of Sweden; XI (4 December [O.S. 24 November] 1655 - 15 April [O.S. 5 April] 1697)[3] was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period of Swedish history known as the Swedish Empire (1611–1721). was the only son of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp. His father died when he was four years old, so Charles was educated by his governors until his coronation at the age of seventeen. Soon afterward, he was forced out on military expeditions to secure the recently acquired dominions from Danish troops in the Scanian War. Having successfully fought off the Danes, he returned to Stockholm and engaged in correcting the country's neglected political, financial, and economic situation. He managed to sustain peace during the remaining 20 years of his reign. Changes in finance, commerce, national maritime and land armaments, judicial procedure, church government, and education emerged during this period.[4] Charles XI was succeeded by his only son Charles XII, who made use of the well-trained army in battles throughout Europe. fact that Charles was crowned as Charles XI does not mean that he was the 11th king of Sweden who had the name Charles. His father's name (as the 10th) was due to his great-grandfather, King Charles IX of Sweden (1604–1611), having adopted his own numeral by using a mythological History of Sweden. That ancestor was actually the third King Charles.[5] The numbering tradition thus begun still continues, with the present king of Sweden being Carl XVI Gustaf.

Sweden, 1680, Absolue Monarchy established by Riksdag of the (4) Estates, Nobility, Clergy, Burghers, Farmers
Sweden, 1680, Absolue Monarchy established by Riksdag of the Estates ; of the Estates (formally Swedish: Riksens ständer; informally Swedish: Ståndsriksdagen) was the name used for the Estates of Sweden when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King. It was a Diet made up of the Four Estates, which historically were the lines of division in Swedish society: Nobility Clergy Burghers Farmers

Sweden, 1682, Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden

Sweden, 1697-1718, King Charles XII of Sweden, Great Northern War in 1700, much success until injured
Swedish King, 1697-1718, Charles XII of Sweden; XII, sometimes Carl XII (Swedish: Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.[1]), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach. Charles was the only surviving son of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleonora the Elder. He assumed power, after a seven-month caretaker government, at the age of fifteen.[2] 1700, a triple alliance of Denmark–Norway, Saxony–Poland–Lithuania and Russia launched a threefold attack on the Swedish protectorate of Holstein-Gottorp and provinces of Livonia and Ingria, aiming to draw advantage as the Swedish Empire was unaligned and ruled by a young and inexperienced king, thus initiating the Great Northern War. the Swedish army against the alliance Charles won multiple victories despite being usually significantly outnumbered. A major victory over a Russian army some three times the size in 1700 at the Battle of Narva compelled Peter the Great to sue for peace, an offer which Charles subsequently rejected. By 1706 Charles, now 24 years old, had forced all of his foes into submission including, in that year, a decisively devastating victory by Swedish forces under general Carl Gustav Rehnskiold over a combined army of Saxony and Russia at the Battle of Fraustadt. Russia was now the sole remaining hostile power. subsequent march on Moscow met with initial success as victory followed victory, the most significant of which was the Battle of Holowczyn where the smaller Swedish army routed a Russian army twice the size. The campaign ended with disaster when the Swedish army suffered heavy losses to a Russian force more than twice its size at Poltava. Charles had been incapacitated by a wound prior to the battle, rendering him unable to take command. The defeat was followed by the Surrender at Perevolochna. Charles spent the following years in exile in the Ottoman Empire before returning to lead an assault on Norway, trying to evict the Danish king from the war once more in order to aim all his forces at the Russians. Two campaigns met with frustration and ultimate failure, concluding with his death at the Siege of Fredriksten in 1718. At the time, most of the Swedish Empire was under foreign military occupation, though Sweden itself was still free. This situation was later formalized, albeit moderated in the subsequent Treaty of Nystad. The result was the end of the Swedish Empire, and also of its effectively organized absolute monarchy and war machine, commencing a parliamentary government unique for continental Europe, which would last for half a century until royal autocracy was restored by Gustav III.[3] was an exceptionally skilled military leader and tactician as well as an able politician, credited with introducing important tax and legal reforms. As for his famous reluctance towards peace efforts, he is quoted by Voltaire as saying upon the outbreak of the war; "I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies". With the war consuming more than half his life and nearly all his reign, he never married and fathered no children. He was succeeded by his sister Ulrika Eleonora, who in turn was coerced to hand over all substantial powers to the Riksdag of the Estates and opted to surrender the throne to her husband, who became King Frederick I of Sweden.[4]

Sweden, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Moscow)
Sweden, 1700-1721, Great Northern War (with Moscow); Moscow Tsar, 1721-1725, Peter the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Swedish King, 1718-1720, Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden
Swedish King, 1718-1720, Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden;

Sweden, 1720-Present, Alliance wtih the Ottomans, History Folder

Swedish King, 1720-1751, Frederick I of Sweden
Swedish King, 1720-1751, Frederick I of Sweden;

Sweden, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive
Switzerland, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive; Rousseau; 28 June 1712 - 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolution and the development of modern political, economic and educational thought.[1] Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. Rousseau's sentimental novel Julie, or the New Heloise (1761) was important to the development of preromanticism and romanticism in fiction.[2][3] His Emile, or On Education (1762) is an educational treatise on the place of the individual in society. Rousseau's autobiographical writings—the posthumously published Confessions (composed in 1769), which initiated the modern autobiography, and the unfinished Reveries of the Solitary Walker (composed 1776–1778)—exemplified the late-18th-century "Age of Sensibility", and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. befriended fellow philosopher Denis Diderot in 1742, and would later write about Diderot's romantic troubles in his Confessions. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosophers among members of the Jacobin Club. He was interred as a national hero in the Panthéon in Paris, in 1794, 16 years after his death. Absolved From Being Good-Mannered: The Romantic Totalitarianism of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, May 20, 2021 ;

Sweden, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War (1741-“43)
Sweden, 1741-1743, Russo-Swedish War (1741-“43) ; Moscow Empress, 1741-1761, Elizabeth ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Swedish King, 1751-1771, Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden
Swedish King, 1751-1771, Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1771-1792, Gustav III of Sweden
Swedish King, 1771-1792, Gustav III of Sweden;

Sweden, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish War (1788-“90)
Sweden, 1788-1790, Russo-Swedish War (1788-“90) ; Moscow Empress, 1762-1796, Catherine the Great; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated on September 8;

Swedish King, 1792-1809, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Swedish King, 1792-1809, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1809-1818, Charles XIII of Sweden
Swedish King, 1809-1818, Charles XIII of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1818-1844, Charles XIV John of Sweden
Swedish King, 1818-1844, Charles XIV John of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1844-1859, Oscar I of Sweden
Swedish King, 1844-1859, Oscar I of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1859-1872, Charles XV of Sweden
Swedish King, 1859-1872, Charles XV of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1872-1907, Oscar II of Sweden
Swedish King, 1872-1907, Oscar II of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1907-1950, Gustaf V of Sweden
Swedish King, 1907-1950, Gustaf V of Sweden;

Sweden, 1937, Conference on Faith and Order (Lund, Sweden, 1937)
Conference on Faith and Order (Lund, Sweden, 1937) ; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12;

Swedish King, 1950-1973, Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
Swedish King, 1950-1973, Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden;

Swedish King, 1973-Present, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Swedish King, 1973-Present, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden;

Sweden, Varangia Folder, Varanger Peninsula and 10 Russian Varantian Cities

Varangia, 10 Varangian Cities in Russia, Middle Ages after Cold

Sweden, Goths Folder (from Gothland, Sweden)

Gothland (Sweden)
Gothland; Goths; Wielbark culture; Totila the Goth; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated September 15 ; Thervingi people; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated November 15 ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ;

Goths, Island of Gothland, Sweden
Goths; Wielbark culture; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ;

Goths, Land of the Visigoths (Sweden), they went to Gaul, Spain and Portugal
Visigoths; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Goths, Land of the Ostrogoths (Sweden), they went to Italy
Land of the Ostrogoths; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Goths, Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Hungary, Transylvania, Pontica and Scythia
Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Goths, Transylvania, Ukraine, Romania (Thervingi Goths)
Goths of Transylvania, Ukraine, Romania (Thervingi Goths and Cherniakhiv Culture); Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Swedish Goth Crimea, 4th - 10th Century
Crimea; Crimean Tartars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10 ; Intercession of the œDon Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; 26 Martyrs in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Goths, Ostrogoths in Italy, 291- 568 (absorbed by Lombards)
Ostrogoths; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Totila the Goth; Battle of Taginae;

Swedish Goths in Crimea Folder, 300-900's, 4th to 10th Century

Swedish Crimea History

Crimea, Swedish Crimean Goths, 4th to 16th Centuries, Cembalo
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Swedish Crimean Goths, 300-1500's, 4th to 16th Centuries
Crimean Goths; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Swedish Crimea, 375-383, Gothic King, Jungerich (Athanaric)
Crimean Goths; Gothic King Jungerich (Athanaric) (375-383); Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ;

Mongol Crimea and Uzbekistan - Land of the Crimean Tatars - 10th Century on
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Mongol Crimean Tatars, 13th to 17th Centuries
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Mongol Crimea, 1355-1380, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Mamai
Mongol Crimea, 1355-1380, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Mamai; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3;

Mongol Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray
Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray; Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Mongol Crimean Khanate 1478-1774
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Mongol Crimea, 1500, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr

Mongol Crimean Khan, 1641-1666, Mehmed IV Giray
Crimean Khan, 1641-1666, Mehmed IV Giray; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Mongol Crimean Khan, 1666-1671, Adil Giray
Crimean Khan, 1666-1671, Adil Giray ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Mongol Crimean War, 1853-1856, East v Ottomans and West
Crimean War (1853-1856); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Cherson, Swedish Goth Crimea
Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Perekop Isthmus, Crimea (meaning to dig through)
Perekop Isthmus; between Crimea and Ukraine; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16 ;

Taman Peninsula, Crimea
Taman Peninsula; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23;

Surozh, Crimea, Swedish Goths
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Swedish Goth Crimea
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Taurida (Taurica, the Crimean Penninsula)
Taurida; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Korsun, Crimea, Swedish Gothl Lands
Korsun, Crimea ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Crimea (Clean), Swedish Goths in Crimea, 300-900's, 4th to 10th Century

Cherson, Swedish Goth Crimea 300-900's, 4th to 10th Century
Cherson, Crimea;

Perekop Isthmus, Crimea (meaning to dig through)
Perekop Isthmus; between Crimea and Ukraine;

Sweden, Fyris River and Lake Malaren Folder, Vandal Land, Stockholm, Uppsala

Fyris River

Vendel, Sweden - Land of the Vandals
Sweden, Vendel, Sweden - Land of the Vandals; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4;

Uppsala University, 1477
Uppsala University ; NATHAN SADERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; NATHAN SODERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated June 14 ;

Uppsala, Sweden
Uppsala; NATHAN SA–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; NATHAN SA–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated June 14 ; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ;

Fyris River Mouth (Uppsala Flatlands, Lake Malaren)

Outflow from Lake Malaren (fresh water)

Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm; NATHAN S+–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; NATHAN SA–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated June 14 ; At Stockholm in 1925, Nathan Sodeblom organized the Universal Christian Council on Life and Work. Meanwhile, a chiefly Anglican group had formed an inter-denominational Conference on Faith and Order. In 1948 the two groups merged to form the World Council of Churches. GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ;

Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden
Sweden, Viking Land - Roslagen Sweden ; Vikings from Roslagen in other names section; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Stockholm archipelago
Stockholm archipelago;

Varangian Sea (Baltic Sea)
Varangian Sea (Baltic Sea) ; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12 ;

Sweden, Norway Folder

Sweden, Norway, its Area
Norway, its Area

Norway (included in the Sweden Folder)
Norway; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Norway, 790-1066, Viking Age (Global Cooling after Global Warming)
Global Cooling after Global Warming in Middle Age; Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Norway, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway
Norway, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Oslo, Norway
Oslo, Norway; Norway; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Viken, Norway (Vikings)
Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Vikings
Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Varanger Peninsula, Norway (Land of the Varangians)
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians); 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Sweden (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers and points Folder

Sweden (Clean), its Area
Sweden, its Area

Norway (included in the Sweden Folder)
Norway;

Norway, 790-1066, Viking Age (Global Cooling after Global Warming)
Global Cooling after Global Warming in Middle Age; Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings;

Varanger Peninsula, Norway (Land of the Varangians)
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians);

Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm;

Sweden, Land of the Northmen or Vikings (Goths, Varangians, Vandals, Lombards)
Northmen;

Gothland (Sweden)
Gothland; Goths; Wielbark culture; Totila the Goth;

Goths, Island of Gothland, Sweden
Goths; Wielbark culture;

Sweden, Land of the Visigoths, they went to Gaul, Spain and Portugal, all Southwest from Germania
Visigoths;

Sweden, Land of the Ostrogoths, they went to Italy, South from Germania
Land of the Ostrogoths;

Goths, Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Hungary, Transylvania, Pontica, Bulgaria and Scythia
Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Transylvania, Eastsoutheast of Sweden (over and between the mountains, Tisa River drainage)
Transylvania; Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Bulgaria, Southeast of Germania
Transylvania; Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia; Venerable Isaac the Confessor, Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; At that time (364-378), the barbarian Goths along the Danube River were waging war against the Empire. They had captured Thrace and were advancing toward Constantinople.

Sweden (Clean), The Swedish Goths, and where the went

Sweden, Land of the Visigoths, they went to Gaul, Southwest from Germania
Visigoths;

Sweden, Land of the Visigoths, they went to Spain, Southwest from Germania
Visigoths;

Sweden, Land of the Visigoths, they went to Portugal, Southwest from Germania

Sweden, Land of the Greuthungi Goths, they went to Crimea
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo;

Sweden, Land of the Thervingian Goths, they went to Hungary, Transylvania, Pontica, Bulgaria and Scythia, all Southeast of Sweden
Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths, they went to Scythia
Land of the Thervingian Goths (Sweden), they went to Scythia;

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Bulgaria, Southeast of Germania

Sweden, Thervingian Goths went to Dacia Pontica (Romania, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus), all Southeast of Germania
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica;

Jerusalem Folder, West Bank, and its roads, Peleg Center of the Continents, Unique Water

Jerusalem
Jerusalem; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2 ; Council of Jerusalem, 50AD ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Apostle Silas of the Seventy; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated August 28 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on September 15; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT) ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Prophet Joel, Commemorated October 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Saint Claudia Procula, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628 ; Hieromartyr Mίlos (or Milēs) the Wonderworker, and two disciples, Commemorated on November 10; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated December 7 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated December 9 ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Sunday before the Nativity, Commemorated December 18 ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated December 28 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon, his wife, Mary, and their two sons, Arcadius and John, of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT); Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Simeon, kinsman of the Lord, second Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 27; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Righteous Melchizedek, King of Salem, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robedof St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT); Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Salem, aka Jerusalem
Salem, aka Jerusalem; (Hebrew: שָׁלֵם, Shalem; Ancient Greek: Σαλήμ, Salḗm) is an ancient Middle Eastern town mentioned in the Bible. is referenced in the following biblical passages: Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God."[1] Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion."[2] The name refers to the royal city of Melchizedek and is traditionally identified with Jerusalem.[3] It is also mentioned in Hebrews 7. a different place is mentioned in Genesis 33:18: "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city." The town of Salim corresponds to that location. It is also mentioned in the Gospel of John 3:23: "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Saleím [Σαλείμ], because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized." towns have been named after Biblical Salem. Jerusalem; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Righteous Melchizedek, King of Salem, Commemorated on May 22;

Kingdom of Judah (Judah, after Solomon, Capital Jerusalem, 930BC-587BC)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Judah (Kingdom of Judah, after Solomon, Capital Jerusalem)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Gorneye Convent, Church of the Visitation, Elin Karem
Gorneye Convent, Church of the Visitation, Elin Karem; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30;

Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins
Jerusalem, 70-324, Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16;

Judaea (Roman province) incorporated Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, 6-135
Judaea (Roman province); (Roman province) incorporated Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, divided by Rome after Herod the Great was a Roman province which incorporated the regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumea, and extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Judea. was named after Herod Archelaus's Tetrarchy of Judaea, but the Roman province encompassed a much larger territory. The name "Judaea" was derived from the Kingdom of Judah of the 6th century BCE. the deposition of Herod Archelaus in 6 CE, Judea came under direct Roman rule,[1] which time the Roman governor was given authority to punish by execution. general population also began to be taxed by Rome.[2] The province of Judea was the scene of unrest at its founding in 6 CE during the Census of Quirinius, the crucifixion of Jesus circa 30–33 CE, and several wars, known as the Jewish–Roman wars, were fought during its existence. The Second Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE near the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, and the Fiscus Judaicus was instituted. After the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135), the Roman Emperor Hadrian changed the name of the province to Syria Palaestina and the name of the city of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, which certain scholars conclude was an attempt to disconnect the Jewish people from their homeland.[3][4] MATTHEW; Zealotry; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated October 16;

Jerusalem, 2000 BC - 586 BC, Ancient Israel
Ancient Israel; THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS, (1 NOV) ;

Jerusalem, 1590BC-1350BC, Job of the Bible, Edom
Edom, 1590BC-1350BC, Job of the Bible;

Jerusalem, 930 BC-586 BC, Kingdom of Judah, 10th-6th Century BCE
Kingdom of Judah; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Yehud (Babylonian province)
Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Yehud (Babylonian province); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 538 BC - 476 AD, Classical Antiquity
Jerusalem, 538 BC - 476 AD, Classical Antiquity; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2;

Jerusalem, 6th Century BC - 5th Century AD, Classical Antiquity, Greco-Roman world
Classical Antiquity, 6th Century BC - 5th Century AD, Greco-Roman world; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2;

Jerusalem, 637 - 1096, Muslim Control of J., from Siege of J. to First Crusade.
Jerusalem, 637, Seige of Jerusalem; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Canaan
Canaan;

Jerusalem History Folder

Jerusalem, 2000 BC- 1000 BC, History Folder, Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, David

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Mechizedek, both King&Priest, Son oGod's image, superior spiritual priesthood, Lord chose tCome fKings
Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Righteous Mechizedek, King oSalem, aka Jerusalem, both King&Priest, foundation Messiah's city, Canaanite, geneology not recorded, scriptures record nBirth nDeath, Priest forever, type oChrist, priesthood nReceived nPassed on, Mar Jacob oSerugh Homily, nAnimal bloodshead in Sacrifices, bSacrifices oHis Soul, offered nothing bHimself, nSpecial Robes lAaron, offered holy prayers fHeart, King oSalem, Priest oGod, KoRighteousness, Salem(Peace), KoPeace, M met Abraham returning fVictory, brought bread&wine&blessed A, enemies delivered into A's power, B&W foreshadows Liturgy, A accepted blessing&Offered aTithe oSpoils& showed reverence, M priesthood superior to A priesthood, because M blessed A, Aaron's ancestor A recognized M as a priest, so Levi's tribe offered first fruits tSon oGod's image, Nevertheless Lord chose to come forth from Kings, not Priests, M served eternal spiritual priesthood, not physical dissolved p, so he is living through his priesthood, David called him priest who would never die, David described Messiah as like Melchizedek wLiturgy without sacrificial victims, spiritual ministry incomprehensible- 2crowns, 1hidden, earthly & spiritual authority, no battles, peaceful, desired only peace&righteousness, Beginning oLent- imitate M, Priest oGod&Solitary King, image oLife oChrist among Men; Salem, aka Jerusalem; Jerusalem; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Righteous Melchizedek, King of Salem, Commemorated on May 22; Righteous Melchizedek was the King of Salem (Jerusalem). was both a king and a priest, the foundations of the city where the Messiah would appear. to Mar Jacob of Serugh, Melchizedek was a Canaanite, asserting that the very site of his kingdom bears witness to this. his genealogy is not recorded. must have been born, and he must have died, but the Scriptures deliberately conceal both events, assigning him neither beginning nor end, so that he might be called a priest forever. (who appears in the Scriptures suddenly, and then disappears) is regarded as a type of Christ (Hebrews 5:6, 10; Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 7:2). did not receive his priesthood from any other priest, nor did he pass on his priesthood to anyone else. his homily "On Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God," Mar Jacob of Serugh states that the priests of the past shed the blood of animals when offering sacrifices to God. contrast, Melchizedek was made a priest "by the sacrifices of his soul," and did not sacrifice animals, nor did he offer anything but himself to God. did not adorn himself with splendid robes as Aaron did; instead of offering bulls and rams, offered his holy prayers from a pure heart. The Son of God also resembles Melchizedek, there is no beginning or end to His priesthood, He offered Himself to the Father as a perfect sacrifice. Priest, Christ brought Himself to the place of sacrifice, placing His body on the altar of the Cross, and shedding His blood for us. chapter 7 of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Righteous Melchizedek is called the King of Salem, and also a "priest of the Most High God." the interpretation of his name, he is called the King of righteousness and the King of Salem, in other words, "the King of peace" (Hebrews 7:2). met the Patriarch Abraham as he was returning from his victory over the kings (Genesis 14:18-24). brought bread and wine to Abraham and blessed him, saying: "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Who made heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, Who delivered thine enemies into thy power." offering Abraham bread and wine, Melchizedek foreshadows the Church's Liturgy. the Righteous Melchizedek was shown to be greater than Abraham, because he blessed Abraham. Abraham, the lesser of the two, did not presume to bless one who was greater than himself (Homily of Mar Jacob, line 299). accepted the blessing and offered him a tithe of his spoils, and he also showed him reverence (Homily, line 310). priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of Aaron, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. giving Melchizedek a tithe, Abraham, the ancestor of Aaron, showed that he recognized him as a priest. Abraham, Levi's tribe offered first fruits to the image of the Son of God which was seen in Melchizedek. the Lord did not choose to come forth from the tribe of Levi, but from the family of Kings. did not serve "according to the priesthood that was to be dissolved, but according to that which unto the ages abides spiritually; and since his priesthood was never annulled, with respect to service; behold how he is spoken of as living, through his priesthood." (Homily, lines 361-364). Holy Prophet-King David speaks of him as a priest who would never die (Psalm 109/110:4). he thought about the Messiah, in order to compare Him to someone whom He ought to resemble, he did not think of anyone from the priesthood of Aaron. he selected Melchizedek, who provided for his liturgy without any sacrificial victims. spiritual ministry of this man, who was in the likeness of the Son, is incomprehensible. wore two crowns, one hidden, and the other manifest. He had authority in two different realms. He was an earthly King who never engaged in battles with those on his borders, because of his peacefulness (Homily, line 538). He desired nothing but peace and righteousness (Homily, line 542). Church recalls Melchizedek at the beginning of Great Lent: that Priest of God and solitary King (Hebrews 7:3), who was an image of the life of Christ in the world among men." (Thursday of the first week of Great Lent, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, Ode 3). Righteous Melchizedek is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Forefathers.

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Abraham, 100 yr old father of vast nation
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Abraham; Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son. Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Sarah, Abraham's wife, 90 yr old mother of nations
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Abraham; Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son. Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Lot
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9; Lot,Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son.

Jerusalem, 2000BC, Dot 5, Sarah & Abraham in Abimelech's Gerar (Plus, Isaac not going down to Egypt, Isaac setteled in Gerar)
Gerar (not going down to Egypt, Isaac setteled in Gerar); Genesis 26:1-33, Isaac and Abimelech;

Jerusalem, 2000BC, Dot 5, Abraham & Sarah in Hebron, Judea (high point 19 miles south of Jerusalem, Trees of Mamre)
Hebron; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated close to December 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Jerusalem, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Jerusalem, 2000BC, Dot5, Rebecca, Isaac's wife, Jacob & Esau's mother
Righteous Rebecca, Commemorated on December 11; was the wife of the Old Testament Patriarch Isaac, and the mother of Jacob and Esau. is mentioned in Genesis 22:23; Chapters 24-28; and Chapter 49:31. Saint Paul also mentions her (Romans 9:10). Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Jerusalem, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac's Story Outline with Abstract Locations incl Rebecca, Jacob and Easu
Isaac's Story Outline with Abstract Locations incl Rebecca, Jacob and Easu;

Jerusalem, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson oAbraham, Patriarch 12 sons
Jerusalem, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson Abraham, Patriarch 12 sons; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Jacob, story with locations
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Jacob; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Abstract of Jacob's son's locations. ; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Jerusalem, 2000 BC Dot 5, Righteous Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob, son of Rachael, bro of Joseph
Righteous Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob, bro of Joseph, son of Rachael, tribe of Benjamin ravenous wolf, devouring P in morning, dividing S in evening; Abstract of Jacob's son's locations. ; Benjamin; Righteous Benjamin, Commemorated on December 11; youngest son of Jacob, he was called Benoni and then Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-18). his death Jacob blessed him in a seemingly backhanded way, saying that “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, devouring his prey in the morning, and dividing the spoil in the evening” (Genesis 49:27). say this is not a reference to Benjamin himself, but to the warlike nature of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jerusalem, 1694-1574 BC Dot 6, Leader, Moses
Jerusalem, 1694-1574 BC, Leader, Moses; Moses' story with abstract locations.;

Jerusalem, 1634 BC-1544 BC Dot 6, Leader, Joshua (Jesus in tSeptuigent)
Jerusalem Leader, 1634 BC-1544 BC, Joshua; Jerusalem Priest, 1400 BC-1500 BC, Phinehas; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Jerusalem, 1590BC-1350BC Dot 6, Job of the Bible, Edom
Edom, 1590BC-1350BC, Job of the Bible; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; righteous Job (whose name means “persecutedâ€), God’s faithful servant, was the perfect image of every virtue. The son of Zarah and Bossorha (Job 42), Job was a fifth-generation descendent of Abraham. He was a truthful, righteous, patient and pious man who abstained from every evil thing. Job was very rich and blessed by God in all things, as was no other son of Ausis (his country, which lay between Idoumea and Arabia). However, divine condescension permitted him to be tested. lost his children, his wealth, his glory, and every consolation all at once. His entire body became a terrible wound covered with boils. Yet he remained steadfast and patient in the face of his misfortune for seven years, always giving thanks to God. God restored his former prosperity, and he had twice as much as before. Job lived for 170 years after his misfortune, completing his earthly life in 1350 B.C. at the age of 240. Some authorities say that Job’s afflictions lasted only one year, and that afterwards he lived for 140 years, reaching the age of 210. ’s explanations are among the most poetic writings in the Old Testament book which bears his name. It is one of the most edifying portions of Holy Scripture. Job teaches us that we must endure life’s adversities patiently and with trust in God. As Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) says, without temptations, it is impossible for the faithful to be saved. Orthodox Church reads the book of Job, the first of the seven wisdom books of the Old Testament, during Holy Week, drawing a parallel between Job and Christ as righteous men who suffered through no fault of their own. God allowed Satan to afflict Job so that his faithfulness would be proven. Christ, the only sinless one, suffered voluntarily for our sins. The Septuagint text of Job 42:17 says that Job “will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up.â€ This passage is read on Great and Holy Friday, when the composite Gospel at Vespers speaks of the tombs being opened at the moment the Savior died on the Cross, and the bodies of the saints were raised, and they appeared to many after Christ’s Resurrection (Mt.27:52)

Jerusalem, 1500 BC-1400 BC Dot 6, Priest, Phinehas
Jerusalem Priest, 1400 BC-1500 BC, Phinehas; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Jerusalem, 1500BC Dot 6, Deborah, Judge at Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah) defeated Canaan&Sisera
Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah); Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead. On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him. Song of Deborah On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord! 3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to[c] the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. 4 “When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. 7 Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. 8 God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! 10 “You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider 11 the voice of the singers[d] at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel. “Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’ 13 “The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty. 14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[e] staff. 15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[f] to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. 18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields. 19 “Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver. 20 From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 21 The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! 22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds. 23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’ 24 “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. 26 Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead. 28 “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’ 29 The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?’ 31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” the land had peace forty years.

Jerusalem, 1500BC Dot 6, Hezron, Tamar&Judah's grandson, in Judea, David&Jesus' lineage
Righteous Hezron, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Hezron (Esrom, or Esron) is mentioned in the Old Testament genealogies: Genesis 46:12, Ruth 4:18, and 1 Chronicles 2:9 (LXX). was the son of Perez (Phares) and the father of Aram (or Ioram), and an ancestor of the Prophet-King David. to the New Testament genealogies (Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33), Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram.

Jerusalem, 1179 – 1154 BC Dot 7, Gideon of Ophrah on Road to Gilgal, Manasseh Tribe, Commanded by Jesus
Samaria, 1179-1154BC, Gideon of Ophrah on Road to Gilgal, Manasseh Tribe, Commanded by the Angel of God (Jesus) to defeat Midian, gathers army, asks for fleece tests, then led army to victory, then Judge for 40 yrs ; The Righteous Gideon, Commemorated on November 26; Righteous Gideon, whose name means “destroyer,” appears in chapters 6-8 of Judges. was the son of Joash the Abiezrite. day, as he was beating out wheat in the wine press, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and commanded him to deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. gathered an army of men from various towns to fight the Midianites, asked God to give him a sign that he would be able to deliver Israel. he placed a fleece of wool on the floor of the threshing room. Then he said, “If there is dew on the fleece alone, and if the ground is dry, then I shall know that thou wilt deliver Israel by my hand, as thou hast said.” next morning Gideon got up early and squeezed the fleece, wringing out enough water to fill a bowl. he asked God to let the fleece remain dry and to let there be dew on the ground. When Gideon saw that this had been done, the powerful warrior of Manasseh led an army of 300 men to victory over the Midianites. people entreated him to be their ruler, and also his son and grandson, but he would not agree to this, because the Lord was their ruler. However, Gideon was a Judge for forty years, and during that time the land had rest. Righteous Gideon is referenced in Ode 9 of the second Canon for the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Let us all magnify the radiant cloud, in which the Master of all descended, as dew from Heaven upon the fleece” (Judges 6:37). He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:32 with others “who through faith conquered kingdoms.” Ophrah, Gideon's home; Was Gideon? was a young Israelite man living in Ophrah. He was the youngest son of Joash, who was of the family of Abiezer. His family line belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. ’s family was not wealthy. They lived in constant fear because neighboring groups would steal the Israelite’s grain and livestock. The Israelite people had to seek out shelter in caves to protect themselves and what little food they had. we meet Gideon in the Book of Judges, he is threshing wheat in a winepress. This was not the custom but had to be done to protect what grain they could get. Later in his life, Gideon becomes a judge of Israel and dies as an honored man in the history of God’s chosen people.

Jerusalem, 1146BC Dot 7, Israelite Judge, Samuel
Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20;

Jerusalem, 1100BC, Dot7, Ruth, Book of Ruth ends in Bethlehem, Judea (high point, south of Jerusalem 6 miles)
Righteous Ruth, Commemorated on December 11 about the Righteous Ruth, the wife of Boaz, may be found in the Old Testament book bearing her name. Bethlehem; Moab, 1100BC, Dot 7, Ruth, Book of Ruth begins on Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo, across from Jerusalem; Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel.[1] book, written in Hebrew in the 6th–4th centuries BCE, tells of the Moabite woman Ruth, who accepts Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, as her God and accepts the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16–17, Ruth tells Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."[2] book is held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice, as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").[3] Hebrew text of Ruth The book is structured into four chapters:[4] Act 1: Prologue and Problem: Death and Emptiness (1:1–22) Scene 1: Setting the scene (1:1–5) Scene 2: Naomi returns home (1:6–18) Scene 3: Arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem (1:19–22) Act 2: Ruth Meets Boaz, Naomi's Relative, on the Harvest Field (2:1–23) Scene 1: Ruth in the field of Boaz (2:1–17) Scene 2: Ruth reports to Naomi (2:18–23) Act 3: Naomi Sends Ruth to Boaz on the Threshing Floor (3:1–18) Scene 1: Naomi Reveals Her Plan (3:1–5) Scene 2: Ruth at the threshing-floor of Boaz (3:6–15) Scene 3: Ruth reports to Naomi (3:16–18) Act 4: Resolution and Epilogue: Life and Fullness (4:1–22) Scene 1: Boaz with the men at the gate (4:1–12) Scene 2: A son is born to Ruth (4:13–17) Genealogical appendix (4:18–22) Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795 the time of the judges, an Israelite family from Bethlehem (who are Ephrathites) – Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion – emigrated to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. about ten years, the two sons of Naomi also died in Moab (1:4). Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers and remarry. Orpah reluctantly left. However, Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you." (Ruth 1:16–17 NJPS). and Ruth returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and, in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth went to the fields to glean. As it happened, the field she went to belonged to a man named Boaz, who was kind to her because he had heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth told Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and Ruth continued to glean in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvest. being a close relative of Naomi's husband's family, was therefore obliged by the levirate law to marry Ruth (Mahlon's widow) to carry on his family's inheritance. Naomi sent Ruth to the threshing floor at night where Boaz slept, telling Ruth to "uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you are to do." (3:4). Ruth did so. Boaz asked her who she was, and she replied: "I am your handmaid Ruth. Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman" (3:9 NJPS). Acknowledging he was a close relative, Boaz blessed her and agreed to do all that was required. He noted that "all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are" (3:11 NJPS). However, Boaz told her that there was a closer male relative. Ruth remained in submission at his feet until she returned to the city in the morning. that day, Boaz went to the city gate to meet with the other male relative before the town elders. (The relative is not named. Boaz addresses him as ploni almoni literally "so and so".) The unnamed relative, unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, relinquishes his right of redemption, thus allowing Boaz to marry Ruth. They transfer the property and thus redeem it, and they ratify the redemption by the nearer kinsman taking off his shoe and handing it over to Boaz. Ruth 4:7 notes for later generations that: this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel. (NJPS) Boaz and Ruth were then married and had a son. The women of the city celebrated Naomi's joy, for Naomi had found a redeemer for her family name. Naomi took the child and placed it on her bosom. child was named Obed, whom the reader discovers is "the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:13–17), that is, the grandfather of King David. book concludes with an appendix which traces the Davidic genealogy all the way back from Perez, "whom Tamar bore to Judah", through to Obed, down to David.

Jerusalem, 1100BC, Dot7, Ruth, Moabite Ruth comes back wNaomi, tFloor wBoaz, gF Obed
Righteous Ruth, Commemorated on December 11 about the Righteous Ruth, the wife of Boaz, may be found in the Old Testament book bearing her name. Bethlehem; Moab, 1100BC, Dot 7, Ruth, Book of Ruth begins on Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo, across from Jerusalem; Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel.[1] book, written in Hebrew in the 6th–4th centuries BCE, tells of the Moabite woman Ruth, who accepts Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, as her God and accepts the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16–17, Ruth tells Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."[2] book is held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice, as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").[3] Hebrew text of Ruth The book is structured into four chapters:[4] Act 1: Prologue and Problem: Death and Emptiness (1:1–22) Scene 1: Setting the scene (1:1–5) Scene 2: Naomi returns home (1:6–18) Scene 3: Arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem (1:19–22) Act 2: Ruth Meets Boaz, Naomi's Relative, on the Harvest Field (2:1–23) Scene 1: Ruth in the field of Boaz (2:1–17) Scene 2: Ruth reports to Naomi (2:18–23) Act 3: Naomi Sends Ruth to Boaz on the Threshing Floor (3:1–18) Scene 1: Naomi Reveals Her Plan (3:1–5) Scene 2: Ruth at the threshing-floor of Boaz (3:6–15) Scene 3: Ruth reports to Naomi (3:16–18) Act 4: Resolution and Epilogue: Life and Fullness (4:1–22) Scene 1: Boaz with the men at the gate (4:1–12) Scene 2: A son is born to Ruth (4:13–17) Genealogical appendix (4:18–22) Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795 the time of the judges, an Israelite family from Bethlehem (who are Ephrathites) – Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion – emigrated to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. about ten years, the two sons of Naomi also died in Moab (1:4). Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers and remarry. Orpah reluctantly left. However, Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you." (Ruth 1:16–17 NJPS). and Ruth returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and, in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth went to the fields to glean. As it happened, the field she went to belonged to a man named Boaz, who was kind to her because he had heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth told Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and Ruth continued to glean in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvest. being a close relative of Naomi's husband's family, was therefore obliged by the levirate law to marry Ruth (Mahlon's widow) to carry on his family's inheritance. Naomi sent Ruth to the threshing floor at night where Boaz slept, telling Ruth to "uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you are to do." (3:4). Ruth did so. Boaz asked her who she was, and she replied: "I am your handmaid Ruth. Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman" (3:9 NJPS). Acknowledging he was a close relative, Boaz blessed her and agreed to do all that was required. He noted that "all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are" (3:11 NJPS). However, Boaz told her that there was a closer male relative. Ruth remained in submission at his feet until she returned to the city in the morning. that day, Boaz went to the city gate to meet with the other male relative before the town elders. (The relative is not named. Boaz addresses him as ploni almoni literally "so and so".) The unnamed relative, unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, relinquishes his right of redemption, thus allowing Boaz to marry Ruth. They transfer the property and thus redeem it, and they ratify the redemption by the nearer kinsman taking off his shoe and handing it over to Boaz. Ruth 4:7 notes for later generations that: this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel. (NJPS) Boaz and Ruth were then married and had a son. The women of the city celebrated Naomi's joy, for Naomi had found a redeemer for her family name. Naomi took the child and placed it on her bosom. child was named Obed, whom the reader discovers is "the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:13–17), that is, the grandfather of King David. book concludes with an appendix which traces the Davidic genealogy all the way back from Perez, "whom Tamar bore to Judah", through to Obed, down to David.

Jerusalem, 1060 BC-1012 BC Dot 7, King, Saul
Jerusalem, 1060 BC-1012 BC, King, Saul Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20;

Jerusalem, 1010 BC-970 BC Dot 7, David, Righteous King, Jesus' forefather, k Goliath, Saul's rival, respctd authority, rSinner
Jerusalem, 1010 BC-970 BC Dot 7, David, Righteous King, Jesus' flesh forefather, Jesse's youngest son, shepherd, deep faith, killed Philistine Goliath so war hero, so Saul saw h as rival, respected authority, twice didn't kill Saul, D king Judah a Saul & 1st son, K of all Israel a 2nd son, built new capital Jerusalem, new tabernacle, but son w build Temple, failings married Bathsheba a killing husband Uriah, but repented greatly humbly w faith and bore punishment for sins, his Psalter, died great old age; Jerusalem King, 1010 BC-970 BC, David; Holy Righteous David the King, Commemorated on December 26; Holy Prophet-King David was a forefather of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. youngest son of Jesse, David shepherded a flock of sheep belonging to his father. was distinguished by his deep faith, and he zealously fulfilled the will of God. a battle with the Philistines, he vanquished the giant Goliath in single combat, which decided the outcome of the war in favor of the Israelites. endured many things from King Saul, who saw him as a favorite of the people and his rival. however, showed his own decency and magnanimity. Twice, when he had the possibility of killing Saul, he did not do so. Saul and his son perished, David was proclaimed king of the southern part of Israel, and after Saul’s second son was killed, he became king of all Israel. built a new capital, Jerusalem (“the City of Peace”), and a new tabernacle. great wish to build a Temple was not realized. It was foretold to him that his son would build the Temple. life of the Prophet David was darkened by a grievous falling: took Uriah’s wife for himself, and sent Uriah to his death in battle. was also an example of great repentance, humbly and with faith bearing the sorrows sent in punishment for his sins. David gave a model for repentance in Psalm 50/51. David died in great old age with steadfast faith in the coming of the promised Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. divinely-inspired Psalter is widely used in the divine services and in personal prayers. (See the Books of Kings and Chronicles). holy Prophet-King David is invoked by those facing a difficult situation, such as an interview, etc. David one of Top 10 Bible People, Those 10 and the 40 they knew are the Top 50 who recur throughout the Bible; David's Top 10 Story; outline: People Reject God Saul Chosen King David Chosen King David & Goliath Story Jonathan Independent Warrior King of Judah King of Israel Bathsheba Story Family Intrigue Messiah Promise Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 1010 BC-970 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nathan, wDavid&Solomon, received David's confession
Jerusalem, 1010 BC-970 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nathan, Kings David and Solomon's advisor, God pardoned David through Nathan over Bathsheba Uriah sin. David confessed and received pardon; Prophet Nathan, Commemorated on December 11; Prophet Nathan was an advisor to King David and King Solomon. is mentioned in the Prayer of Absolution in the Mystery of Confession: “It was God Who pardoned David through the Prophet Nathan when he had confessed his sin....” had committed adultery with Uriah's wife Bathsheba, and had him killed. Then he took Bathsheba as his wife. confessed his sin to Nathan (2 Samuel 12:13) and received pardon.

Jerusalem, 1000 BC - 586 BC, Folder, Judean Period, Judean Kings Folder

Jerusalem, 1000BC, Dot 7, Solomon, Known for Wisdom, Proverbs, Song of Songs Psalms, Wealth, and Soloman's Temple
Top 50 People and 50 Places of the Bible Top 50 Bible People; oh mahn) Personal name whose meaning is variously interpreted as "his peace," "(God) is peace," "Salem (a god)," "intact," or "his replacement." Tenth son of David and the second son of Bathsheba, Solomon became the third king of Israel and reigned forty years about 1000 B.C Testament was born to David and Bathsheba after the death of their first son (2 Sam.12:24). Although not the oldest living son of David, he was crowned king after his mother and Nathan the prophet intervened with David and secured David's decision to have Solomon succeed him (1 Kings 1-2). Solomon is remembered most for his wisdom, his building program, and his wealth generated through trade and administrative reorganization. was remembered as having three thousand proverbs and a thousand and five songs in his repertoire (1 Kings 4:32). Thus, it is not surprising that Proverbs and Song of Solomon in the Bible are attributed to Solomon. (Prov. 1:1; Song of Sol. 1:1) as are several apocryphal and pseudepigraphal books. See Apocrypha; Pseudepigrapha. His wisdom is also illustrated in the Bible by the accounts of the two harlots who claimed the single surviving child (1 Kings 3:16) and by the visit of the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10). Program Solomon's Temple was the most famous of his building projects (1 Kings 5-8), it was by no means the only one. Solomon fortified a number of cities that helped provide protection to Jerusalem, built "store-cities" for stockpiling the materials required in his kingdom, and established military bases for contingents of charioteers (1 Kings 9:15-19). The Temple complex in Jerusalem was composed of several buildings including Solomon's palace, the "house of the forest of Lebanon," the "hall or porch of pillars," the "hall or porch of the throne," and a palace for one of his wives, the daughter of the pharaoh of Egypt (1 Kings 7). See Archaeology; Gezer; Hazor; Megiddo; Temple. Solomon divided the country into administrative districts that did not correspond to the old tribal boundaries (1 Kings 4:7-19) and had the districts provide provisions for the central government. This system, combined with control of vital north/south trade routes between the Red Sea and what was later known as Asia Minor, made it possible for Solomon to accumulate vast wealth. This wealth was supplemented both from trading in horses and chariots and from trade carried on by a fleet of ships (1 Kings 9:26-28; 10:26-29). See Eloth; Ezion-geber. The Bible clearly notes that Solomon had faults as well as elements of greatness. The "seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines" came from many of the kingdoms with which Solomon had treaties (1 Kings 11:1). He apparently allowed his wives to worship their native gods and even had altars to these gods constructed in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7-8). This kind of compromise indicated to the historian a weakness in Solomon not found in David. Rebellions led by the king of Edom, Rezon of Damascus, and Jeroboam, one of Solomon's own officers, indicates that Solomon's long reign was not without its turmoil. New Testament was an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:6-7) and is mentioned in Jesus' teaching about anxiety (Matt. 6:29; Luke 12:27). Jesus noted that the queen of Sheba came a long way to see Solomon and that "something greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31). Jesus walked in "Solomon's porch," a part of the Temple area (John 10:23; compare Acts 3:11; 5:12). Stephen noted that though David sought to find a place for God, it was Solomon who "built a house for him" (Acts 7:47) Prophet Solomon, Commemorated on December 11; Prophet-King Solomon (ca. 972 - 932 B.C.) was the son of David and Bathsheba. succeeded his father as King and reigned for forty years. built the palace and the Temple at Jerusalem, and was renowned for his wisdom. Old Testament books of Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and the Wisdom of Solomon are attributed to him. He may have written parts of these books, but much of the material was probably transmitted orally before it was written down. the Gospels, Christ mentions Solomon by name, citing his glory and wisdom (Matthew 6:29; 12:42).

Jerusalem, 1000 BC-960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, fShiloh, wSolomon, predicted Jeroboam&10 Tribes oIsrael away fS, then p fall oI
Samaria, 960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, fShiloh, Samaria, wSolomon, predicted Jeroboam&10 Tribes oIsrael away fSolomon, then p fall oIsrael& end J's line; Samaria, 960 BC, Prophet Ahijah, Shiloh, Samaria; the Shilonite (Aḥiyah[1] Yah is My Brother[2]) was a Levite prophet of Shiloh in the days of Solomon, as mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's First Books of Kings. Ahijah foretold to Jeroboam that he would become king (1 Kings 11:29).[3] Hebrew Bible records two of his prophecies. 1 Kings 11:31–39, he announced the separation of the Northern ten tribes from Solomon's United Kingdom of Israel, forming the Northern Kingdom. 1 Kings 14:6–16, Ahijah's prophecy, delivered to the wife of Jeroboam, foretold the death of the king's son, the destruction of the House of Jeroboam, and the fall and captivity of Israel "beyond the River", a stock expression for the land east of the Euphrates.[4] to the Second Book of Chronicles, Ahijah also authored a book, described as the "Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite," which contained information about Solomon's reign.[5] This text, however, has not survived and is one of the non-canonical books referenced in the Bible. In 1 Kings 11:41 it is referred to as the Acts of Solomon. tradition credits Ahijah with having lived a very long life, linking his life-span with that of antediluvian patriarchs such as Methuselah and Adam.[6] Literature the prophet of Shiloh, instigated Jeroboam's secession and predicted the downfall of his kingdom. Midrash, basing itself on the fact that, according to II Chron. ix. 29, Ahijah is described as extremely aged in Jeroboam's time (I Kings, xiv. 4), and with no pedigree, identified him with Ahiah, son of Ahitub, the oracle-giving priest at Shiloh in King Saul's time (I Sam. xiv. 3). is accordingly singled out by rabbinical tradition as one of the seven long-lived saints whose successive lives extend over the whole history of mankind; each having transmitted the sacred lore from his predecessor to the one succeeding him, while shielding the generations of his time by means of his piety. saints are: (1) Adam; (2) Methuselah; (3) Shem (Tanna debe Eliyahu R. xxiv.); (4) Jacob (Gen. R. xciv.); (5) Serah, the daughter of Asher, or, as others have it, Amram, the father of Moses; (6) Ahijah of Shiloh; (7) Elijah the prophet, who lives until the coming of the Messiah (Ab. R. N. version B. xxxviii., Seder 'Olam R. i., and B. B. 121b). the underlying idea, see Ḥag. 12b, and Yoma, 38b, with reference to Prov. x. 25, Heb., "The righteous is the foundation of the world," and Prov. ix. 1, "Wisdom hath hewn seven pillars." to this tradition Ahijah lived over six hundred years, having received his "wisdom" from either Amram, the father of Moses (see Amram), or from Serah, the daughter of Asher (see Serah). from Serah, his age was considerably less, since she was supposed to have lived for more than four hundred years, until the days of David (YalḲ., Sam. § 152). reason why Ahijah was regarded as having attained so unusual an age seems to be that, according to II Chron. ix. 29, the history of Solomon's reign was written by him; and that he was supposed to be identical with Ahijah the Levite, who was placed by King David in charge of the treasures of the house of God and of the treasures of the dedicated things (I Chron. xxvi. 20; see B. B. 121b, Rashi). ben Yoḥai is reported to have said: "The world must have thirty righteous men to serve as its pillars. and my son are counted among these . . . and if Abraham would carry the past generations by his merit, I will carry the future generations until the advent of the Messiah. if Abraham would not, I would count Ahijah of Shiloh with me, and we together would carry the world by our merits" (Gen. R. xxxv.; see Suk. 45b, in which King Jotham is given in place of Abraham and Ahijah). Ahijah, though one of the pillars of righteousness, should have been sent to Jeroboam with a divine message inducing him to establish his idolatrous kingdom is explained by the rabbis in the following manner: say that he was entrapped by a ruse of Jeroboam's idolatrous friends, who circulated a document requesting Jeroboam to become king and stipulating that, if he were elected, he set up a golden calf at Dan and Beth-El. Ahijah signed this document, believing firmly that Jeroboam would not belie his trust. he was mistaken in his pupil. had shown great wisdom and learning, and appeared to Ahijah "as pure as the new garment" he wore when Ahijah saw him coming out of Jerusalem (I Kings, xi. 29). as he excelled all the rest of the pupils, he had been initiated by Ahijah into the innermost secrets of the Law (Sanh. 101b et seq.). as the words said of Isaac, "his eyes were dim, so that he could not see" (Gen. xxvii. 1), are taken to refer to spiritual blindness, because he favored his wicked son Esau, so the words, "Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age" (I Kings, xiv. 4), spiritual blindness on the part of Ahijah, who favored a wicked pupil and set him up as ruler (Gen. R. lxv.). this reason Ahijah was stricken with the plague (Gen. R. lxv., Yer. Yeb. xvi. 15c and parallels). in his introduction to "Yad ha-ḤazaḲah," says: "Ahijah was a Levite, a disciple of Moses, one of those who went out of Egypt—the tribe of Levi not being included in the divine decree of death in the wilderness [see B. B. 121b], also a disciple of David [Abraham ben David of Posquières, in his notes, corrects this, and says instead, "a member of David's court of justice"]; finally he became the teacher of Elijah before his death."[7] Shiloh; Tabernacle; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12 ; Holy Prophet Ahijah, (cf. 1/3 Kgs 11:29 ff.) was a contemporary of Solomon, and was born in the city of Shiloh. prophet predicted to Jeroboam his kingly rule over the ten Tribes of Israel, which God would grant him, snatching them away from the hands of Solomon. Ahijah predicted to Jeroboam the perishing of all his line. All the predictions of the prophet were fulfilled. The Prophet Ahijah died in old age 960 years before the birth of Christ.

Jerusalem, 970 BC-932 BC, Dot 7, King Solomon, fabulously wealthy and wise, built Temple
Jerusalem King, 970 BC-932 BC, Solomon; Solomon was, according to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament,[3] Quran, and Hadiths, a fabulously wealthy and wise king of the United Kingdom of Israel who succeeded his father, King David.[4] conventional dates of Solomon's reign are about 970 to 931 BCE, normally given in alignment with the dates of David's reign. He is described as king of the United Monarchy, which broke apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death. Following the split, his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone.[5] to the Talmud, Solomon is one of the 48 prophets.[6] In the Quran, he is considered a major prophet, and Muslims generally refer to him by the Arabic variant Sulayman, son of Dawood. Hebrew Bible identifies him as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem,[4] beginning in the fourth year of his reign, using the vast wealth he and his father had accumulated. dedicated the temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel.[7] He is portrayed as great in wisdom, wealth and power beyond either of the previous kings of the country, but also as a king who sinned. His sins included idolatry, marrying foreign women and, ultimately, turning away from Yahweh, and they led to the kingdom's being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam. is the subject of many other later references and legends, most notably in the 1st century apocryphal work known as the Testament of Solomon. the New Testament, he is portrayed as a teacher of wisdom excelled by Jesus,[8] and as arrayed in glory, but excelled by "the lilies of the field".[9] later years, in mostly non-biblical circles, Solomon also came to be known as a magician and an exorcist, with numerous amulets and medallion seals dating from the Hellenistic period invoking his name.[10] Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 970 BC, Dot 7, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time, from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 970 BC, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time ; According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tabernacle (meaning "residence" or "dwelling place"), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (also Tent of Meeting, etc.), was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh (the God of Israel) used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instructed at Mount Sinai to construct and transport the tabernacle[1] with the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their subsequent conquest of the Promised Land. After 440 years, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God. The main source describing the tabernacle is the biblical Book of Exodus, specifically Exodus 25-“31 and 35-“40. Those passages describe an inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, created by the veil suspended by four pillars. This sanctuary contained the Ark of the Covenant, with its cherubim-covered mercy seat. An outer sanctuary (the "Holy Place") contained a gold lamp-stand or candlestick. On the north side stood a table, on which lay the showbread. On the south side was the Menorah, holding seven oil lamps to give light. On the west side, just before the veil, was the golden altar of incense.[2] It was constructed of 4 woven layers of curtains and 48 15-foot tall standing wood boards overlaid in gold and held in place by its bars and silver sockets and was richly furnished with valuable materials taken from Egypt at God's command. This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source ("P"),[2] written in the sixth or fifth century BCE. However while the first Priestly source takes the form of instructions, the second is largely a repetition of the first in the past tense, i.e., it describes the execution of the instructions.[3] Many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than the time of Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of Solomon's Temple, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh.[2] Traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter.[4] According to historical criticism, an earlier, pre-exilic source, the Elohist ("E"), describes the tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.[2]

Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Dot 7, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias) no go against brothers
Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias) ; Shemaiah (Samaia in the Septuagint) was a prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24). He is venerated as a saint in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 8. According to 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the intervention of Shemaiah prevented a war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam after the latter had led the northern tribes of Israel to separate from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.[1] King Rehoboam had assembled 180,000 troops to forcefully bring back the ten rebellious tribes. Shemaiah was known as a "man of God," and he prophesied in God's words, that "this thing is from Me," and they are not to go up against their brothers, the northern tribes. Shemaiah's words were obeyed and the army stood down.[2] The Pulpit Commentary calls his intervention "a timely reminder of the unity of the race, notwithstanding the division of the kingdom".[3] 2 Chronicles further states that Shemaiah prophesied the punishment of Rehoboam by Shishak, king of Egypt.[4] Jerusalem King, 932 BC-915 BC, Rehoboam ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Dot 7, King Rehoboam, last united king, first king of Judah
Jerusalem King, 932 BC-915 BC, Rehoboam ; Rehoboam was the first king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was a son of and the successor to Solomon and a grandson of David. the account of I Kings and II Chronicles, he was initially king of the United Monarchy of Israel, but after the ten northern tribes of Israel rebelled in 932/931 BC to form the independent Northern Kingdom of Israel, under the rule of Jeroboam, Rehoboam remained as king only of the Kingdom of Judah, or southern kingdom. Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Dot 7, Prophet Shemaiah, under Soloman&Rehoboam, S ordered R not to war Northern 10 Tribes, obeyed
Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), under Soloman&Rehoboam, 10Tribes Israel Kingdom itNorth, & 2Tribes Juda itSouth, Juda David's offspring, S ordered R not to war Israel, S means God Hears, S prevented war between Rehoboam&Jeroboam, R had assembled 180K troups, R obeyed, S prophecied punishmnet oR by Shishak oEgypt; Jerusalem, 932 BC-915 BC, Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias) ; was a prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24). is venerated as a saint in the liturgical calendar of the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 8. narrative[edit] to 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, the intervention of Shemaiah prevented a war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam after the latter had led the northern tribes of Israel to separate from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.[1] Rehoboam had assembled 180,000 troops to forcefully bring back the ten rebellious tribes. was known as a "man of God," and he prophesied in God's words, that "this thing is from Me," and they are not to go up against their brothers, the northern tribes. words were obeyed and the army stood down.[2] Pulpit Commentary calls his intervention "a timely reminder of the unity of the race, notwithstanding the division of the kingdom".[3] Chronicles further states that Shemaiah prophesied the punishment of Rehoboam by Shishak, king of Egypt.[4] Jerusalem King, 932 BC-915 BC, Rehoboam ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia) lived under King Solomon and his son Rehoboam. that time, the kingdom of Israel in the north was divided from the southern kingdom of Juda. was comprised of ten loosely united tribes, and Juda of two tribes. prophet ordered Rehoboam not to make war against the ten tribes of Israel, who had separated themselves from the offspring of David (3/1 Kings 12:22, 2 Chron. 11:2). name means “God hears.” Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 930 BC, Dot 7, Prophet Joad, denounced Jereboam at Bethel, disobeyed, killed by lion
Jerusalem, 930 BC, Prophet Joad; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 915 BC-911 BC, Dot 7, King, Abijah of Judah, faiiled to bring back the ten tribes
Jerusalem King, 915 BC-911 BC, Abijah of Judah ; was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the fourth king of the House of David and the second of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the son of Rehoboam and the grandson of Solomon.[2][3][4] The Chronicler refers to him as Abijah.[a][5] of Abijah[edit] the death of Rehoboam, his son Abijah succeeded the throne as King of Judah.[12] He began his three-year reign (2 Chr. 12:16; 13:1, 2) with a strenuous but unsuccessful effort to bring back the ten tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel to their allegiance, [13] a path which in 2 Chronicles 11:4 his father had chosen not to follow. Abijah's ascension to the throne in the 18th year of King Jeroboam I of Israel, he marched north with the purpose of winning Israel back to the Davidic kingdom.[12] surrounded Abijah's army, engaging in the Battle of Mount Zemaraim.[12] There Abijah rallied his troops with a phrase which has since become famous: "God Himself is with us for a Captain". Abijah went on to capture the Israelite cities of Jeshanah, Ephron (et-Taiyibeh) and Bethel.[12] Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 911 BC-870 BC, Dot 7, King, Asa of Judah, for the most part a righteous king, but physicians&treaty
Jerusalem King, 911 BC-870 BC, Asa of Judah; Asa was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the third king of the Kingdom of Judah and the fifth king of the House of David. Hebrew Bible gives the period of his reign as 41 years. His reign is dated between 913-910 BC to 873-869 BC. was succeeded by Jehoshaphat, his son (by Azubah). According to Thiele's chronology,[1] when Asa became very ill, he made Jehoshaphat coregent. Asa died two years into the coregency. was zealous in maintaining the traditional worship of YHWH, and in rooting out idolatry, with its accompanying immoralities. concluding a battle with Zerah of Ethiopia in the 10th year of his reign, there was peace in Judah (2 Chronicles 14:1,9) until the 36th year of Asa's reign (2 Chronicles 16:1). his 36th year he was confronted by Baasha, king of Israel. He formed an alliance with Ben-Hadad I, king of Aram Damascus, and using a monetary bribe, convinced him to break his peace treaty with Baasha and invade the Northern Kingdom (2 Chronicles 16:2-“6). died greatly honoured by his people, and was considered for the most part a righteous king. He threw the prophet Hanani in jail and "oppressed some of the people at the same time" (2 Chronicles 16:10). is also recorded of Asa that in his old age, when afflicted with a foot disease, he "œsought not to the Lord, but to the physicians".[2] Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9;

Jerusalem, 910 BC-870 BC, Dot 7, Prophet Azariah, urged true worship, Asa's Ethiopian War story, HSpirit oAz, seek him find him
Jerusalem, 910-870 BC, Prophet Azariah, oJudea (South of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel), w King Asa, fSembatha Land, urged no false god worship, remain Lord's covenant faithful, One True God, removed Altars, pilars& groves down, told people seek God of tFathers& obey The Commandments, people removed altars&idols, commanded them fortify city w walls&towers, Asa's war wEthiopia, Asa's 300k from Judah &280K from Benjamin, against Zera's 1Million. A's fervent prayer, Lord Smote them, A perused them to E & destroyed towns&pillaged cities, A returned to J, Lord's spirit came on Az, Hear me Asa&all people, Lord with you as you with him & vise-versa. When seek him you w find him, Az died old man; Judea; Prophet Azariah, Commemorated on February 3; Holy Prophet Azariah1 was son of Oded (or Addo) lived during the reign of King Asa (910-870 B.C. See 2 Chronicles 15:1) was the son and successor of Abijah in the kingdom of Judah. came from the land of Sembatha and urged the people not to worship false “gods,” but to remain faithful to the Covenant with the Lord. worshiped the one true God, and removed the altars of foreign “gods” from his land, tearing down the pillars and cutting down their sacred groves. told the people to seek earnestly the God of their fathers, and to obey the Law and the Commandments. removing the pagan altars and idols from all the cities of Judah he commanded his people to fortify their cities with walls and towers. Asa had 300,000 warriors in Judah, and 280,000 mighty warriors in the land of Benjamin. to the narratives of 2 Chronicles chapters 14 and 15, Zerah the Ethiopian2 went out against Judah with a million men. prayed fervently to God, asking that he might prevail, even against such overwhelming odds. Lord smote the Ethiopians and Asa’s army pursued them and crushed them. He destroyed their towns and pillaged their cities, and then he returned to Jerusalem. King Asa had won the victory, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azariah. went out to meet Asa and said, “Hear me, King Asa, and all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Lord will be with you as long as you are with Him, worshiping His name and observing His commandments. When you seek Him you will find Him; if you forsake Him, He will also forsake you.” These words ought to be esteemed by every State and by all people. Prophet Azariah reposed in peace and was buried in his field. In iconography he is depicted as an old man with curly hair. The name Azariah means “whom God helps.” 1 It is said that Azariah was actually son of Ananias (Tobit 5:12); perhaps an error for Zachariah the son of Addo (1 Esdras 6:1). 2 Zerah is a Hebrew name, and is not Ethiopian or Egyptian, as some have said.

Jerusalem, 873-865 BC, Prophet Hanani, Kingdom of Judah, Asa treaty wSyria, not pleasing to God, b trust Syria not God, So wars
Jerusalem 873-865 BC, Prophet Hanani, Kingdom of Judah (Judah, after Solomon, Capital Jerusalem, 930BC-587BC), 36th yr KoJ, fRehoboam, War Asa oJ&Baasha oIsrael, when B fortified Ramah isolating Judah, A made treaty wSyria Ben-hadad, Temple silver gold tB-H, Bribe tBreak S-I treaty, it worked, Army against I, J built Geba&Mizpah wSupplies fRamah, However Treaty w Syria not pleasing to God, because trust Syria not God, therefore Syria escapaped, you acted foolishly, therefore wars shall arise against you; Kingdom of Judah; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27; Prophet Hanani (Ananias) lived during the thirty-sixth year of the Kingdom of Judah, counting from the start of Rehoboam's reign. He is mentioned in 2 Chronicles (Paraleipomenon) 16: 7-10. was an ongoing war between King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel (ninth century B.C.). King Baasha of Israel fortified Ramah, thereby isolating the territory of Judah, Asa made a treaty with the Syrian King Ben-Hadad I (ruled circa 900–860 B.C.). took all the silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and from the king's house and sent his servants to deliver it to Ben Hadad. was a bribe to make the Syrian King break his treaty with King Baasha, and ally himself with King Asa (3 Kings 15:16-21). Hadad sent an army against Israel, and the forces of Judah took the supplies from Ramah and built up Geba and Mizpah. treaty, however, was not pleasing to God (1/3 Kings 15:16–22; 2 Chronicles/Paraleipomenon 16:1–10). Prophet Hanani went before King Asa and rebuked him harshly for this, saying, you put your trust in the King of Syria, and not in the Lord your God, therefore the army of Syria has escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans more numerous in chariots and in horsemen, and an exceedingly great multitude? Yet, because you trusted in the Lord, did He not deliver them into your hand? For the eyes of the Lord behold all the earth, and give strength to those who with a perfect heart trust in Him. But you have acted foolishly, therefore from this time wars shall arise against you." by these words, King Asa ordered that Hanani be thrown into prison. Later, the Prophet reposed in peace. name Hanani means "God has gratified me," or "God is gracious."

Jerusalem, 874BC-849BC, Dot 7, King, Jehoshaphat, strong defense, suppressed idol worship, taught the law
Jerusalem King, 874BC-849BC, Jehoshaphat; according to 1 Kings 15:24, was the son of Asa, and the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, in succession to his father. His children included Jehoram, who succeeded him as king. His mother was Azubah. Historically, his name has sometimes been connected with the Valley of Josaphat.[1] of Kings Jehoshaphat and Hezekah at El Escorial, Spain Chronicles 17:1 to 2 Chronicles 21:1 is devoted to the reign of Jehoshaphat. 1 Kings 15:24 mentions him as successor to Asa, and 1 Kings 22:1-“50 summarises the events of his life. The Jerusalem Bible states that "the Chronicler sees Asa as a type of the peaceful, Jehoshaphat of the strong king".[2] to these passages, Jehoshaphat ascended the throne at the age of thirty-five and reigned for twenty-five years. "walked in the ways" of his father or ancestor, King David.[3] spent the first years of his reign fortifying his kingdom against the Kingdom of Israel. zeal in suppressing the idolatrous worship of the "high places" is commended in 2 Chronicles 17:6.[4] the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent out priests and Levites over the land to instruct the people in the Law, an activity which was commanded for a Sabbatical year in Deuteronomy 31:10-“13 (taking place in Jerusalem). reforms in Judah instituted by Jehoshaphat appear to have included further religious reforms (2 Chronicles 19:3), appointment of judges throughout the cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 19:5-7) and a form of "court of appeal" in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 19:8-“11).[5] Ecclesiastical and secular jurisdictions, according to 2 Chronicles 19:11, were by royal command kept distinct.[6] author of the Books of Chronicles generally praises his reign, stating that the kingdom enjoyed a great measure of peace and prosperity, the blessing of God resting on the people "in their basket and their store".[7] Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19;

Jerusalem, 873-850 BC approx, Dot 7, Israelite Prophet, Elijah (Elias), miracle worker, Northern Kingdom
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC approx, Elijah; was, according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel[10] during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC). 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection (raising the dead), bringing fire down from the sky, and entering Heaven alive "by fire".[11] is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".[12] his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD",[13] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. to Elijah appear in Ecclesiasticus, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and BahÂ writings. Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah,[14] but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" who was promised to come in Malachi 3:1; 4:5.[15] According to accounts in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus. Islam, Elijah or Ilyas appears in the Quran as a prophet and messenger of God, where his biblical narrative of preaching against the worshipers of Baal is recounted in a concise form.[16] Due to his importance to Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, Elijah has been venerated as the patron saint of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1752.[17] Jerusalem Prophet, 9th Century BC, Elisha; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab;

Jerusalem, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin oAhab, into prison, freed aRuin, martyred
Samaria, 869-850 BC, Micah, Israelite Prophet, companion oElias, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred, companion oElias; Samaria, 869-850 BC, Israelite Prophet, Micah, prophesied ruin of Ahab, into prison, freed after ruin, martyred; to the Hebrew Bible, Micah was a prophet in Judaism and is the author of the Book of Micah. is considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. was from Moresheth-Gath, in southwest Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. messages were directed chiefly toward Jerusalem. He prophesied the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, the destruction and then future restoration of the Judean state, and he rebuked the people of Judah for dishonesty and idolatry. 5:2 is interpreted by Christians as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. narrative[edit] was active in Judah from before the fall of Israel in 722 BC and experienced the devastation brought by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC. He prophesied from approximately 737 to 696 BC.[citation needed] Micah was from Moresheth, also called Moresheth-Gath, a small town in southwest Judah. Micah lived in a rural area, and often rebuked the corruption of city life in Israel and Judah.[1] The subject's father is not given and likely descended from the common people as the target of his message was towards the privileged classes.[2] prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.[3] Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah from 742 to 735 BC. Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz, who reigned over Judah from 735 to 715 BC. Ahaz's son Hezekiah ruled from 715 to 696 BC.[4] Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Jeremiah, who prophesied about thirty years after Micah, recognized Micah as a prophet from Moresheth who prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah.[5] messages were directed mainly towards Jerusalem, and were a mixture of denunciations and prophecies. In his early prophecies, he predicted the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem for their respective sins. The people of Samaria were rebuked for worshipping idols which were bought with the income earned by prostitutes.[6] Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. According to him, the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, which impoverished the city's citizens.[7] He also called to account the prophets of his day, whom he accused of accepting money for their oracles.[8] also anticipated the destruction of the Judean state and promised its restoration more glorious than before.[9] He prophesied an era of universal peace over which the Governor will rule from Jerusalem.[10] Micah also declared that when the glory of Zion and Jacob is restored that the LORD will force the Gentiles to abandon idolatry.[11] also rebuked Israel because of dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government. He warned the people, on behalf of God, of pending destruction if ways and hearts were not changed. He told them what the LORD requires of them: hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?  Micah 6:8 Israel's response to Micah's charges and threats consisted of three parts: an admission of guilt,[12] a warning of adversaries that Israel will rely on the LORD for deliverance and forgiveness,[13] and a prayer for forgiveness and deliverance.[14] prophecy given by Micah details the future destruction of Jerusalem and the plowing of Zion (a part of Jerusalem). This passage (Micah 3:11–12), is stated again in Jeremiah 26:18, Micah's only prophecy repeated in the Old Testament. Since then Jerusalem has been destroyed three times, the first one being the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, about 150 years after Micah gave this prophecy.[15][16] interpretation[edit] Engraving of the Prophet Micah by Gustave Doré. 5:2 is interpreted as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. This passage is recalled in Matthew 2:6, and the fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus is further described in Matthew 2:1–6. thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Matthew 10:35–36 Jesus adapts Micah 7:6 to his own situation; I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Micah was referring to the division in Judah and Samaria, the distrust that had arisen between all citizens, even within families.[16] Jesus was using the same words to describe something different. Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace, but to divide households. Men are commanded to love Jesus Christ more than their own family members, and Jesus indicated that this priority would lead to persecution from others and separation within families.[17] Micah 7:20, Micah reminded Judah of God's covenant to be merciful to Jacob and show love to Abraham and his descendants. This is repeated in Luke 1:72–73 in the prophecy Zechariah at the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist. This prophecy concerned the kingdom and salvation through the Messiah. It is a step in the fulfillment of the blessing of the descendants of Abraham.[17] When Micah restated this covenant promise, he was comforting Judah with the promise of God's faithfulness and love.[18] prophecy to King Hezekiah is mentioned in Jeremiah 26:17-19: Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple[a] Like the bare hills of the forest.”’[b] 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.” commemoration[edit] Micah is commemorated with the other eleven minor prophets in the Calendar of Saints (Armenian Apostolic Church) on July 31. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he is commemorated twice in the year. The first feast day is January 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, January 5 currently falls on January 18 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). However, since January 5 is also the eve of the Great Feast of Theophany (in the west, Epiphany) and a strict fast day (near total abstinence from food and non-religious activities), his major celebration is on August 14 (the forefeast of the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God).[19] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Holy Prophet Micah was a companion of the holy prophet Elias. prophesied the ruin of King Ahab in a war with the Assyrians, which he was cast into prison. free after the downfall of Ahab (3 Kings 22: 8-22), holy prophet Micah died as a martyr in the ninth century B.C.

Jerusalim, 869-800 BC, Dot 7, Israelite Prophet, Elisha, miracle worker, Northern Kingdom Israel
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC, Elisha ; was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic, and Elyesa via Turkish. mentioned in the New Testament and the Quran,[2] Elisha is venerated as a prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and writings of the BahÃ¡Ê¼Ã Faith refer to him by name.[3] the biblical narrative he is a disciple and protégé of Elijah, and after Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire, he gave Elisha a double portion of his power and he was accepted as the leader of the sons of the prophets. Elisha then went on to perform twice as many miracles as Elijah. he settled in Samaria, Elisha passed some time on Mount Carmel.[4] He became noted in Israel, and for six decades (892–832 BC) held the office of "prophet in Israel". He is called a patriot because of his help to soldiers and kings.[5] 1 Bible stories 1.1 Anointing 1.2 Elijah taken in the whirlwind 1.3 Miracles 1.4 Elisha's final days 2 Veneration 3 In Islam 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 6.1 Islamic view 7 External links stories[edit] icon of Elisha (18th century, Kizhi Monastery, Russia). story is related in the Books of Kings (Second Scroll, chapters 2-14) in the Hebrew Bible (part of the Nevi'im). According to this story, he was a prophet and a wonder-worker of the Kingdom of Israel who was active during the reign of Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash (Joash).[5] Elisha was the son of Shaphat, a wealthy land-owner of Abel-meholah; he became the attendant and disciple of Elijah.[6] name first occurs in chapter 19 of the Books of Kings in the command given to Elijah to anoint him as his successor.[7] After learning in the cave on Mount Horeb, that Elisha, the son of Shaphat, had been selected by Yahweh as his successor in the prophetic office, Elijah set out to find him. On his way from Mount Horeb to Damascus, Elijah found Elisha "one of them that was plowing with twelve yokes of oxen".[8] Elisha delayed only long enough to kill the yoke of oxen, whose flesh he boiled with the wood of his plough. Elijah went over to him, threw his mantle over Elisha's shoulders, investing him with the prophetic office.[6] After he had shared this farewell repast with his father, mother, and friends, the newly chosen prophet "went after Elijah, and ministered unto him".[9] Elisha became Elijah's close attendant until Elijah was taken up into heaven. During all these years we hear nothing of Elisha except in connection with the closing scenes of Elijah's life. taken in the whirlwind[edit] Spring" (Ain es-Sultan) in Jericho (2012). The fountain is supposed to be the waters which Elisha healed, referred to in 2 Kings 2:19–22. accompanied Elijah to Jericho, where according to 2 Kings 2:3–9, "the sons of the prophets" tell Elishat that the LORD would "will take away thy master from thy head to-day". and Elisha went to the Jordan River. Elijah rolls up his mantle and strikes the water,[10] the waters of which divided so as to permit both to pass over on dry ground. Elisha asks to "inherit a double-portion" of Elijah's spirit. Suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appear and Elijah is lifted up in a whirlwind. As Elijah is lifted up, his mantle falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up. scholars see this as indicative of the property inheritance customs of the time, where the oldest son received twice as much of the father's inheritance as each of the younger sons. In this interpretation Elisha is asking that he may be seen as the "rightful heir" and successor to Elijah.[11] Critics of this view point out that Elisha was already appointed as Elijah's successor earlier in the narrative and that Elisha is described as performing twice as many miracles as Elijah. In this interpretation the "double-portion" isn't merely an allusion to primacy in succession, but is instead a request for greater prophetic power even than Elijah.[12] means of the mantle let fall from Elijah, Elisha miraculously recrossed the Jordan, and Elisha returned to Jericho, where he won the gratitude of the people by purifying the unwholesome waters of their spring and making them drinkable.[13] bears savaging the youths at Elisha's command, while Elijah is borne in the flying chariot (1453 French manuscript). the armies of Judah, Israel and Kingdom of Edom, then allied against Mesha, the Moabite king, were being tortured by drought in the Idumean desert, Elisha consented to intervene. His double prediction regarding relief from drought and victory over the Moabites was fulfilled on the following morning.[6] When a group of boys (or youths[14]) from Bethel taunted the prophet for his baldness, Elisha cursed them in the name of Yahweh and two female bears came out of the forest and tore forty-two of the boys.[4] relieve a prophet's widow importuned by a harsh creditor, Elisha so multiplied a little oil as to enable her, not only to pay her debt but to provide for her family needs.[15] There is a Jewish tradition, or legend, that the woman's husband was Obadiah, the servant of King Ahab, who hid 100 prophets in two caves.[16] To reward the rich lady of Shunem for her hospitality, he obtained for her from Yahweh, at first the birth of a son, and subsequently the resurrection of her child who had died. To nourish the sons of the prophets pressed by famine, Elisha changed a pottage made from poisonous gourds into wholesome food.[13] He fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of new barley, leaving some leftover,[17] in a story which is comparable with the miracles of Jesus in the New Testament.[18] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the focus of this narrative does not dwell "on the increase of the bread by a miracle, and we are left to accept the result as either brought about in that way or by the appetites of the men being satisfied with a small quantity."[19] Refusing the Gifts of Naaman, by Pieter de Grebber 1630 cured the Syrian military commander Naaman of leprosy but punished his own servant Gehazi, who took money from Naaman.[20] Naaman, at first reluctant, obeyed Elisha, and washed seven times in the River Jordan. Finding his flesh "restored like the flesh of a little child", the general was so impressed by this evidence of God's power, and by the disinterestedness of his prophet, as to express his deep conviction that "there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel."[21] Elisha allowed Naaman to continue in the service of the Syrian king and therefore be present in the worship of Rimmon in the Syrian temple. In the Christian tradition, Jesus referred to Naaman's healing when he said, "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian."[22] actions included repeatedly saving King Jehoram of Israel from the ambushes planned by Benhadad,[4] ordering the elders to shut the door against the messenger of Israel's ungrateful king,[23] bewildering with a strange blindness the soldiers of the Syrian king,[24] making iron float to relieve from embarrassment a son of a prophet,[25] confidently predicting the sudden flight of the enemy and the consequent cessation of the famine,[26] and unmasking the treachery of Hazael.[27] Famine in Samaria (illustration by Gustave Doré from the 1866 La Sainte Bible) miracles Elisha accomplishes include the recovery of an axe fallen into the waters of the Jordan.[13] At the siege of Samaria by the king of Syria, Elisha prophesied about the terrible sufferings of the people of Samaria and their eventual relief.[28] then journeyed to Damascus and prophesied that Hazael would be king over Syria.[27] Elisha directs one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, as king of Israel, and commissions him to cut off the house of Ahab.[29] The death of Jehoram, pierced by an arrow from Jehu's bow, the end of Jezebel,[30] and the slaughter of Ahab's seventy sons, proved how he executed that demand.[31] After predicting to Jehoash his victory over the Syrians at Aphek, as well as three other subsequent victories, "Elisha died, and they buried him."[32] final days[edit] miracle at the grave of Elisha. (Jan Nagel, 1596) Elisha lay on his death-bed in his own house,[33] Jehoash of Israel, the grandson of Jehu, came to mourn over his approaching departure, and uttered the same words as those of Elisha when Elijah was taken away, indicating his value to him: "My father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof".[34] Jehoash assists Elisha to fire an arrow eastwards from the window of his room, predicting as it lands: arrow of the Lord’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.[35] Elisha predicts three successful battles over the Arameans, but no absolute victory.[36] 2 Kings 13:25 records three victories of Joash whereby cities lost to the Arameans, probably on the west bank of the Jordan, were regained.[37] to the Books of Kings the year after Elisha's death and burial (or, in the following spring) a body was placed in his grave. As soon as the body touched Elisha's remains the man "revived and stood up on his feet".[38] Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Jerusalem, 849BC-842BC, Dot 7, King, Jehoram of Judah, killed 6 brothers, abandoned Yahweh, killed by Jehu
Jerusalem King, 849BC-842BC, Jehoram of Judah ; of Judah was the fifth king of Judah, and the son of king Jehoshaphat. Jehoram took the throne at the age of 32 and reigned for 8 years (2 Kings 8:17, 2 Chronicles 21:20), although he was ill during his last two years (2 Chronicles 21:18-“19). name Jehoram is confusing in the biblical account. The author of Kings speaks of both Jehoram of Israel and Jehoram of Judah in the same passage, and both reigned at the same time. Both Jehorams are also referred to as Joram, even in the same translation in the same breath. to 2 Kings 8:16, Jehoram became king of Judah in the fifth year of Jehoram of Israel, when his father Jehoshaphat was (still) king of Judah, indicating a co-regency. took the throne at the age of 32 and reigned for 8 years. To secure his position Jehoram killed his six brothers,[3] who were named as Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael, and Shephatiah in 2 Chronicles 21:2. father, Jehoshaphat, had formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Israel, and one of the terms of this alliance was that Jehoram married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab. this alliance with the stronger northern kingdom, Jehoram's rule of Judah was shaky. then ruled by a viceroy of the king of Judah,[4] revolted, and when Jehoram marched against this people, his army fled before the Edomites, and he was forced to acknowledge their independence.[5] town of Libnah revolted during his reign, according to 2 Chronicles 21:10, because he "had abandoned Yahweh, God of his fathers". his reign a raid by Philistines, Arabs and Ethiopians looted the king's house, and carried off all of his family except for his youngest son Jehoahaz. (2 Chronicles 21:16-“17) this time the king received a letter of warning from the prophet Elijah. After this, Jehoram suffered a painful inflammation of the abdomen, and he died two years later (2 Chronicles 21:18-“19).[5] Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19;

Jerusalem, 841BC-841BC, Dot 7, King, Ahaziah of Judah, one year reign, k by Jehu, then mother Athaliah reigned
Jerusalem King, 841BC-841BC, Ahaziah of Judah; of Judah was the sixth king of Judah, and the son of Jehoram and Athaliah, the daughter (or possibly sister) of king Ahab of Israel. He was also the first Judahite king to be descended from both the House of David and the House of Omri, through his mother and successor, Athaliah. to 2 Kings 8:26, Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to reign, and reigned for one year in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 22:2 gives his age as 42 years when his reign began in Jerusalem. Most scholars regard the 42 years in 2 Chronicles 22:2 as a copyist's error for an original 22 years. The age of 22 is also found in some Greek and Syrian versions of 2 Chronicles 22:2. Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19;

Jerusalem, 842BC-836BC, Dot 7, King, Athaliah, Ahab Jezebel d, Jehoram's w, Ahaziah's m, baal w, killed claiments except Jehoash
Jerusalem King, 842BC-836BC, Athaliah; was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, the queen consort of Judah as the wife of King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and later queen regnant c. 841-“835 BC. Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19;

Jerusalem, 836BC-797BC, Dot 7, King, Jehoash of Judah, aka Joash, righteous long reign, then deviated
Jerusalem King, 836BC-797BC, Jehoash of Judah ; also known as Joash (in King James Version), Joas (in Douay-“Rheims) was the eighth king of Judah, and the sole surviving son of Ahaziah after the massacre of the royal family ordered by his grandmother, Athaliah. His mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. Jehoash was 7 years old when his reign began, and he reigned for 40 years.[2] (2 Kings 12:1,2 Chronicles 24:1) He was succeeded by his son, Amaziah of Judah. is said to have been righteous "all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (2 Chronicles 24:2) but to have deviated from fidelity to Yahweh after Jehoiada's death (2 Chronicles 24:17-“19). Gospel of Matthew does not list Jehoash of Judah in the genealogy of Jesus, Jehoash being one of four kings of Judah so omitted, the other three being Ahaziah, Amaziah, and Jehoiakim. Prophet Joel, Commemorated on October 19; Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19;

Jerusalem, 800 BC, Dot 7, 9th Century BC, Prophet Joel, spirit on all flesh, prophesy, dreams, visions
Jerusalem, 9th Century BC, Prophet Joel; "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" was a prophet of ancient Israel, the second of the twelve minor prophets and according to the book itself the author of the Book of Joel. He is mentioned by name only once in the Hebrew Bible, in the introduction to that book, as the son of Pethuel (Joel 1:1). name Joel combines the covenant name of God, YHWH (or Yahweh), and El (god), and has been translated as "one to whom YHWH is God," that is, a worshiper of YHWH.[1] is believed to have lived in the 9th century BCE,[citation needed] but the dating of his book is still debated. The book's mention of Greeks[Joel 3:6] has not given scholars any help in dating the text since the Greeks were known to have had access to Judah from Mycenaean times (c. 1600-“1100 BC).[2] the book's mention of Judah's suffering [Joel 3:19] and to the standing temple[Joel 1:14] have led some scholars to place the date of the book in the post-exilic period, after the construction of the Second Temple.[citation needed] was originally from Judah/Judea, and, judging from its prominence in his prophecy, was quite possibly a prophet associated with the ritual of Solomon's or even the Second temple.[3] to a long-standing tradition, Joel was buried in Gush Halav.[4] Prophet Joel, Commemorated on October 19;

Jerusalem, 800 BC, 9th Century BC, Dot 7, Prophet, Elijah, miracle worker, Northern Kingdom Israel
Jerusalem, 800 BC, 9th Century BC, Prophet, Elijah; was, according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel[10] during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC). 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection (raising the dead), bringing fire down from the sky, and entering Heaven alive "by fire".[11] is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets".[12] his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD",[13] making him a harbinger of the Messiah and of the eschaton in various faiths that revere the Hebrew Bible. to Elijah appear in Ecclesiasticus, the New Testament, the Mishnah and Talmud, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and BahÂ writings. Judaism, Elijah's name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah rite that marks the end of Shabbat, and Elijah is invoked in other Jewish customs, among them the Passover Seder and the brit milah (ritual circumcision). He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature, including the Babylonian Talmud. Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah,[14] but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" who was promised to come in Malachi 3:1; 4:5.[15] According to accounts in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Elijah appeared with Moses during the Transfiguration of Jesus. Islam, Elijah or Ilyas appears in the Quran as a prophet and messenger of God, where his biblical narrative of preaching against the worshipers of Baal is recounted in a concise form.[16] Due to his importance to Muslims, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, Elijah has been venerated as the patron saint of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1752.[17] Jerusalem Prophet, 9th Century BC, Elisha; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Jerusalem, 796BC-792BC, Dot 7, King, Amaziah of Judah, w 100,000 m, he retook Edom, worshipped their idols
Jerusalem King, 796BC-792BC, Amaziah of Judah; of Judah was the ninth king of Judah and the son and successor of Joash. His mother was Jehoaddan (2 Kings 14:1-“4) and his son was Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:1). He took the throne at the age of 25, after the assassination of his father, and reigned for 29 years, (2 Kings 14:2, 2 Chronicles 25:1) 24 years of which were with the co-regency of his son. second Book of Kings and the second Book of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible consider him a righteous king, but with some hesitation.[2] is praised for killing the assassins of his father only and sparing their children, as dictated by the law of Moses. R. Thiele dates his reign from 797/796 to 768/767 BCE.[3] chronology has his son, Uzziah becoming co-regent with Amaziah in the fifth year of Amaziah's reign, in 792/791 BCE, when Uzziah was 16 years old. soon as his kingdom was established, Amaziah executed the murderers of his father, but he permitted their children to live [4] in obedience to the Mosaic law: shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.[5] was the first to employ a mercenary army, 100,000 Israelite soldiers, who he engaged in an attempt to reconquer Edom, which had rebelled during the reign of Jehoram, his great-grandfather. was commanded by an unnamed prophet to send back the mercenaries, with whom he acquiesced (2 Chronicles 25:7-“10, 13), much to the annoyance of the mercenaries. obedience to this command was followed by a decisive victory over the Edomites (2 Chronicles 25:14-“16). to the Israelite mercenaries' anger at being excluded from the battle, they attacked and looted multiple towns in Judah. Amaziah began to worship some of the idols he took from the Edomites. An unnamed prophet rebuked him for this, and the king responded by threatening him that if he continued to admonish him, he would have him executed. His victory over Edom inflated his pride, and he challenged to a combat Jehoash, grandson of Jehu, king of Israel. The latter's disdain and scorn for Amaziah are embodied in the stinging parable of the thistle and the cedar (2 Kings In his resentment, Amaziah rushed into a disastrous battle at Beth-shemesh, and a humiliating defeat overtook his army and the land. king was captured, 400 cubits of the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, the city, Temple, and palace were looted, and hostages were carried to Samaria.[4] defeat was followed by a conspiracy which took his life. He, like his father, was the victim of assassins, apparently bent upon killing the one who had brought upon such dire disasters upon the land.[4] Amaziah was slain at Lachish, to which he had fled, and his body was brought to Jerusalem, where it was buried in the royal sepulcher (2 Kings 14:19-“20; 2 Chronicles 25:27-“28). the narrative in 2 Kings records the conspiracy "in fact only", the Chronicler "characteristically connects the conspiracy with Amaziah'™s apostasy", which took place "after the time that" (and by implication, because) "Amaziah turned away from following the Lord".[6] rabbis of the Talmud declared, based upon a rabbinic tradition, that Prophet Amoz was the brother of Amaziah, the king of Judah at that time (and, as a result, that Prophet Isaiah himself was a member of the royal family). Prophet Joel, Commemorated on October 19;

Jerusalem, 792BC-742BC, Dot 7, Uzziah, Judean King, Leprosy, prosperity, Prophet Zech, war machines, pride downfall, false offering, tzaraat l
Jerusalem King, 792BC-742BC, Uzziah, Judean King ; was the tenth king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons. (2 Chronicles 26:1) Uzziah was 16 when he became king of Judah and reigned for 52 years. The first 24 years of his reign were as co-regent with his father, Amaziah. F. Albright dated Uzziah's reign to 783-“ 742 BC.[2] Edwin R. Thiele's chronology has Uzziah becoming coregent with his father Amaziah in 792/791 BC,[3] and sole ruler of Judah after his father's death in 768/767 BC. Uzziah was struck with leprosy for disobeying God (2 Kings 15:5, 2 Chronicles 26:19-“21). Thiele dates Uzziah's being struck with leprosy to 751/750 BC, at which time his son Jotham took over the government, with Uzziah living on until 740/739 BC.[3] Pekah became king of Israel in the last year of Uzziah's reign. Gospel of Matthew lists Uzziah in the genealogy of Jesus. narrative: reign[edit] King Uzziah Stricken with Leprosy, by Rembrandt, 1635. took the throne at the age of 16,[4] and reigned for about 52 years. His reign was "the most prosperous excepting that of Jehoshaphat since the time of Solomon." the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of a prophet named Zechariah, he was faithful to God, and "did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chronicles 26:4-5). Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones. According to 2 Chron. 26, Uzziah conquered the Philistines and the Arabians, and received tribute from the Ammonites. He refortified the country, reorganized and reequipped the army, and personally engaged in agricultural pursuits.[4] He was a vigorous and able ruler, and "his name spread abroad, even to the entrance of Egypt" (2 Chronicles 26:8-“14). his pride led to his downfall. He entered the Temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense. the High Priest saw this as an attempt to usurp the prerogatives of the priests[4] and confronted him with a band of eighty priests, saying, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense." (2 Chronicles 26:18). the meantime a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, that the leprosy seized upon him immediately (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities IX 10:4). was suddenly struck with tzaraat (spiritual disease like leprosy) before he had offered the incense (2 Chronicles 26:19), and he was driven from the Temple and compelled to reside in "a separate house" until his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chronicles 26:3). government was turned over to his son Jotham (2 Kings 15:5), a coregency that lasted for the last 11 years of Uzziah's life (751/750 to 740/739 BC). Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Prophet Amos two years before the earthquake Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9;

Jerusalem, 792BC-686BC, Dot 7, Prophet, Isaiah
Jerusalem Prophet, 8th Century BC- 7th Century BC, Isaiah; Isaiah[a] was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.[8][9] Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the prophet",[10] but the exact relationship between the Book of Isaiah and any such historical Isaiah is complicated. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods between 740 BC and c. 686 BC, separated by approximately 15 years, and that the book includes dramatic prophetic declarations of Cyrus the Great in the Bible, acting to restore the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Another widely held view is that parts of the first half of the book (chapters 1-“39) originated with the historical prophet, interspersed with prose commentaries written in the time of King Josiah a hundred years later, and that the remainder of the book dates from immediately before and immediately after the end of the exile in Babylon, almost two centuries after the time of the historical prophet.[b] Jerusalem King, 729 BC-687 BC, Hezekiah ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ;

Jerusalem, 760-755 BC, Dot 7, Prophet, Amos, from South he preached in Northern Kingdom, Rich v Poor
Samaria, 760-755 BC, Prophet, Amos; In the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, Amos was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. An older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, Amos was active c. 760-“755 BCE during the rule of kings Jeroboam II and Uzziah.[1] He was from the southern Kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel. Amos wrote at a time of relative peace and prosperity but also of neglect of God's laws. He spoke against an increased disparity between the very wealthy and the very poor. His major themes of justice, God's omnipotence, and divine judgment became staples of prophecy. The Book of Amos is attributed to him. Samaria, The Earthquake in Amos, 753 BC; Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake;

Jerusalem, 751 BC-736 BC, Dot 7, King, Jotham, Leprocy coregency for 11 years,
Jerusalem King, 742 BC-736 BC, Jotham; or Yotam was the eleventh king of Judah, and son of King Uzziah and Jerusha (or Jerushah), daughter of Zadok. Jotham was 25 when he began his reign, and reigned for 16 years.[2] Edwin R. Thiele concluded that his reign commenced as a coregency with his father, which lasted for 11 years. Because his father Uzziah was afflicted with tzaraath after he went into the Temple to burn incense, Jotham became governor of the palace and the land at that time, i.e. coregent, while his father lived in a separate house as a leper. F. Albright dated his reign to 742- 735 BC. Thiele dated his coregency with Uzziah starting in 751/750 BC and his sole reign from 740/39 to 736/735 BC, at which time he was deposed by the pro-Assyrian faction in favor of his son Ahaz. Thiele places his death in 732/731 BC.[3] Gospel of Matthew lists Jotham of Judah in the genealogy of Jesus. The archeologist Nelson Glueck found an imprint of king Jotham near Eilat.[4] Also near Eilat there is a wadi called "Yatam wadi". inherited a strong government, well officered and administered. He is recorded as having built the High or Upper Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem, identified by Matthew Poole as the New Gate mentioned in Jeremiah 36:10.[5] "He built cities in the mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers."[6] Kings 15 mentions that Jotham fought wars against Rezin, king of the Arameans, and Pekah, king of Israel (15:37). He also defeated the Ammonites, who paid him an immense annual tribute. But the increasing corruption of the northern kingdom began to permeate Judah.[6] was a contemporary with the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah, from whose advice he benefited. Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14;

Jerusalem, 750 BC, 8th Century BC, Dot 7, Prophet, Elisha, double portion, twice as many miracles
Jerusalem Prophet, 8th Century BC, Elisha; was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a prophet and a wonder-worker. mentioned in the New Testament and the Quran,[2] Elisha is venerated as a prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Amongst new religious movements, writings of the Bah Faith refer to him by name.[3] His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic, and Elyesa via Turkish. He is said to have been a disciple and protage© of Elijah, and after Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire, he gave Elisha a double portion of his power and he was accepted as the leader of the sons of the prophets. Elisha then went on to perform twice as many miracles as Elijah. Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Jerusalem, 737 BC-696 BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Micah, rebuked corruption of city life
Jerusalem Prophet, 737 BC-696 BC, Micah; According to the Hebrew Bible, Micah was a prophet in Judaism and is the author of the Book of Micah. He is considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. Micah was from Moresheth-Gath, in southwest Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. Biblical narrative[edit] Micah was active in Judah from before the fall of Israel in 722 BC and experienced the devastation brought by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC. He prophesied from approximately 737 to 696 BC.[citation needed] Micah was from Moresheth, also called Moresheth-Gath, a small town in southwest Judah. Micah lived in a rural area, and often rebuked the corruption of city life in Israel and Judah.[1] The subject's father is not given and likely descended from the common people as the target of his message was towards the privileged classes.[2] Micah prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah.[3] Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah from 742 to 735 BC. Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz, who reigned over Judah from 735 to 715 BC. Ahaz's son Hezekiah ruled from 715 to 696 BC.[4] Micah was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. Jeremiah, who prophesied about thirty years after Micah, recognized Micah as a prophet from Moresheth who prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah.[5] Message[edit] His messages were directed mainly towards Jerusalem, and were a mixture of denunciations and prophecies. In his early prophecies, he predicted the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem for their respective sins. The people of Samaria were rebuked for worshipping idols which were bought with the income earned by prostitutes.[6] Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. According to him, the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, which impoverished the city's citizens.[7] He also called to account the prophets of his day, whom he accused of accepting money for their oracles.[8] Micah also anticipated the destruction of the Judean state and promised its restoration more glorious than before.[9] He prophesied an era of universal peace over which the Governor will rule from Jerusalem.[10] Micah also declared that when the glory of Zion and Jacob is restored that the LORD will force the Gentiles to abandon idolatry.[11] Micah also rebuked Israel because of dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government. He warned the people, on behalf of God, of pending destruction if ways and hearts were not changed. He told them what the LORD requires of them: He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 Israel's response to Micah's charges and threats consisted of three parts: an admission of guilt,[12] a warning of adversaries that Israel will rely on the LORD for deliverance and forgiveness,[13] and a prayer for forgiveness and deliverance.[14] Another prophecy given by Micah details the future destruction of Jerusalem and the plowing of Zion (a part of Jerusalem). This passage (Micah 3:11-“12), is stated again in Jeremiah 26:18, Micah's only prophecy repeated in the Old Testament. Since then Jerusalem has been destroyed three times, the first one being the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, about 150 years after Micah gave this prophecy.[15][16] Micah's messages were directed chiefly toward Jerusalem. He prophesied the future destruction of Jerusalem and Samaria, the destruction and then future restoration of the Judean state, and he rebuked the people of Judah for dishonesty and idolatry. Micah 5:2 is interpreted by Christians as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9;

Jerusalem, 736 BC-716 BC, Dot 8, King, Ahaz, sign, birth of child, immanuel
Jerusalem King, 736 BC-716 BC, Ahaz ; Ahaz refuses, saying he will not test God (7:12). Isaiah replies that Ahaz will have a sign whether he asks for it or not, and the sign will be the birth of a child, and the child's mother will call it Immanuel, meaning "God-with-us" (7:13-“14).[4] Ahaz (Hebrew: )[2] was the twelfth king of Judah, and the son and successor of Jotham. Ahaz was 20 when he became king of Judah and reigned for 16 years. Ahaz is portrayed as an evil king in the Second Book of Kings (2 Kings 16:2). Edwin R. Thiele concluded that Ahaz was co-regent with Jotham from 736/735 BC, and that his sole reign began in 732/731 and ended in 716/715 BC.[3] William F. Albright has dated his reign to 744-“728 BC. The Gospel of Matthew lists Ahaz of Judah in the genealogy of Jesus. He is also mentioned in Isaiah 14:28. Reign[edit] Ahaz's reign commenced at the age of 20, in the 17th year of the reign of Pekah of Israel. It is described in 2 Kings 16; Isaiah 7-“9; and 2 Chronicles 28. Destruction of Northern Kingdom[edit] Immediately upon his accession, Ahaz had to meet a coalition formed by northern Israel, under Pekah, and Damascus (Syria), under Rezin. These kings wished to compel him to join them in opposing the Assyrians, who were arming a force against the Northern Kingdom under Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul). Isaiah counsels Ahaz to trust in God rather than foreign allies, and tells him to ask for a sign to confirm that this is a true prophecy (verse 7:11). Ahaz refuses, saying he will not test God (7:12). Isaiah replies that Ahaz will have a sign whether he asks for it or not, and the sign will be the birth of a child, and the child's mother will call it Immanuel, meaning "God-with-us" (7:13-“14).[4] To protect himself Ahaz called in the aid of the Assyrians. Tiglath-Pileser sacked Damascus and annexed Aram.[5] According to 2 Kings 16:9, the population of Aram was deported and Rezin executed. Tiglath-Pileser then attacked Israel and "took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria." Tiglath-Pileser also records this act in one of his inscriptions.[6] Through Assyria's intervention, and as a result of its invasion and subjection of the kingdom of Damascus and the Kingdom of Israel, Ahaz was relieved of his troublesome neighbors; but his protector henceforth claimed and held suzerainty over his kingdom. This war of invasion lasted two years (734-732 BC), and ended in the capture and annexation of Damascus to Assyria and of the territory of Israel north of the border of Jezreel. Ahaz in the meanwhile furnished auxiliaries to Tiglath-Pileser. This appeal to Assyria met with stern opposition from the prophet Isaiah, who counseled Ahaz to rely upon the Lord and not upon outside aid. Ahaz, during his whole reign, was free from troubles with which the neighboring rulers were harassed, who from time to time revolted against Assyria. Thus it was that, in 722, Samaria was taken and northern Israel wholly incorporated into the Assyrian empire.[7] Religious observance[edit] Ahaz yielded readily to the glamour and prestige of the Assyrians in religion as well as in politics. In 732, he went to Damascus to swear homage to Tiglath-Pileser and his gods; and, taking a fancy to an altar which he saw there, he had one like it made in Jerusalem, which, with a corresponding change in ritual, he made a permanent feature of the Temple worship. Changes were also made in the arrangements and furniture of the Temple, "because of the king of Assyria" (2 Kings 16:18). Furthermore, Ahaz fitted up an astrological observatory with accompanying sacrifices, after the fashion of the ruling people. In other ways Ahaz lowered the character of the national worship. 2 Kings 16:3 records that Ahaz offered his son by fire to Moloch (or made his son pass through fire), a practice condemned by Leviticus 18:21.[7] The words may refer to a ceremony of purification or a sacrificial offering.[8] The account in 2 Chronicles 28:3 refers to sons (plural). His government is considered by the Deuteronomistic historian as having been disastrous for the religious state of the country, and a large part of the reforming work of his son Hezekiah was aimed at undoing the evil that Ahaz had done.[7] Succession[edit] He died at the age of 36 and was succeeded by his son, Hezekiah. Because of his wickedness he was "not brought into the sepulchre of the kings" (2 Chronicles 28:27). An insight into Ahaz's neglect of the worship of the Lord is found in the statement that on the first day of the month of Nisan that followed Ahaz's death, his son Hezekiah commissioned the priests and Levites to open and repair the doors of the Temple and to remove the defilements of the sanctuary, a task which took 16 days.[9] Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ;

Jerusalem, 730 BC, Dot 8, 8th Century BC, Prophet, Jonah, taught repentence, whale, Nineva
Jerusalem Prophet, 8th Century BC, Jonah; Jonah or Jonas[a] is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BCE. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, in which he is called upon by God to travel to Nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath. Instead, Jonah boards a ship to Tarshish. Caught in a storm, he orders the ship's crew to cast him overboard, whereupon he is swallowed by a giant fish. Three days later, after Jonah agrees to go to Nineveh, the fish vomits him out onto the shore. Jonah successfully convinces the entire city of Nineveh to repent, but waits outside the city in expectation of its destruction. God shields Jonah from the sun with a plant, but later sends a worm to cause it to wither. When Jonah complains of the bitter heat, God rebukes him. In Judaism, the story of Jonah represents the teaching of teshuva, which is the ability to repent and be forgiven by God. In the New Testament, Jesus calls himself "greater than Jonah" and promises the Pharisees "the sign of Jonah", which is his resurrection. Early Christian interpreters viewed Jonah as a type for Jesus. Jonah is regarded as a prophet in Islam and the biblical narrative of Jonah is repeated, with a few notable differences, in the Quran. Some mainstream Bible scholars generally regard the Book of Jonah as fictional[3] and often at least partially satirical,[4][5] but the character of Jonah may have been based on the historical prophet of the same name mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. Although the word "whale" is often used in English versions of the Jonah story, the Hebrew text actually uses the phrase dag gadol, which means "giant fish". In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the species of the fish that swallowed Jonah was the subject of speculation for naturalists, who interpreted the story as an account of a historical incident. Some modern scholars of folklore have noted similarities between Jonah and other legendary figures, specifically Gilgamesh and the Greek hero Jason. Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22;

Jerusalem, 729 BC-687 BC, Dot 8, King, Hezekiah, righteous, Jesus lineage
Jerusalem King, 729 BC-687 BC, Hezekiah ; or Ezekias,[a] was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah.[1] is considered a very righteous king in both the Second Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles.[2] He is also one of the more prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Bible is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.[3] "No king of Judah, among either his predecessors or his successors, could ... be compared to him", according to 2 Kings 18:5.[4] Thiele concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC.[5] to the biblical narrative, Hezekiah witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by Sargon's Assyrians in c. 722 BC was king of Judah during the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BC.[6] enacted sweeping religious reforms, including a strict mandate for the sole worship of Yahweh and a prohibition on venerating other deities within the Temple of Jerusalem. Isaiah and Micah prophesied during his reign.[1] Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ;

Jerusalem, 700-675 BC, 7th Century BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel
Galilee, 675 BC, 7th Century BC, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel, fElkosh Galilee, prophesies Nineva end, Israel end, Sennacherib blasphemy, A empire crumbles 632-612BC, Nineveh fell 612, Nahum no call tRepentence&no denounce Israel infidelity, died age 45, 7th o12 minor prophets; Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum; was a minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Tanakh, also called the Hebrew Bible and The Old Testament. book comes in chronological order between Micah and Habakkuk in the Bible.[1] wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh, in a vivid poetic style.[2] was a very nationalistic Hebrew, and lived amongst the Elkoshites in peace. called "the Elkoshite", is the seventh in order of the minor prophets. Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Holy Prophet Nahum, whose name means “God consoles,” was from the village of Elkosh (Galilee). lived during the seventh century B.C. Prophet Nahum prophesies the ruin of the Assyrian city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, destruction of the Israelite kingdom, the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his empire began to crumble. fell in 612 B.C. differs from most of the prophets in as much as he does not issue any call to repentance, nor does he denounce Israel for infidelity to God. of the prophet’s life are unknown. died at the age of forty-five, and was buried in his native region. is the seventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Prophet Nahum and Saint Nahum of Ochrid (December 23) are invoked for people with mental disorders.

Jerusalem, 687 BC-641 BC, Dot 8, King Manasseh of Judah, reinstituted polytheism
Jerusalem, 687 BC-641 BC, King Manasseh of Judah; [a]) was the fourteenth king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the oldest of the sons of Hezekiah and his mother Hephzibah (2 Kings 21:1). He became king at the age of 12 and reigned for 55 years (2 Kings 21:1; 2 Chronicles 33:1). The biblical account of Manasseh is found in 2 Kings 21:1-“18 and 2 Chronicles 32:33-“33:20. He is also mentioned in Jeremiah 15:4, where the prophet Jeremiah predicts "four forms of destruction" for the people of Judah because of the evil done by Manasseh in Judah.[1] was the first king of Judah who was not contemporary with the northern kingdom of Israel, which had been destroyed by the Assyrians in c. 720 BC, with much of its population deported. He re-instituted polytheistic worship and reversed the religious changes made by his father Hezekiah, for which he is condemned by several biblical texts.[2] was married to Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, and they had a son Amon, who succeeded him as king of Judah upon his death. Hezekiah, Manasseh and Amon are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's gospel.[3] a reign of 55 years, the longest in the history of Judah, he died in c. 643 BC and was buried in the garden of Uzza, the "garden of his own house" (2 Kings 21:17-“18; 2 Chronicles 33:20), and not in the City of David, among his ancestors. The biblical narratives both report Manasseh's accession to the throne at the time of his father's death.[4] However, Seventh day-Adventist writer Edwin Thiele has concluded that he commenced his reign as co-regent with his father Hezekiah in 697/696 BC, with the co-regency lasting 12 years and his sole reign beginning in 687/686 BC and continuing until his death in 643/642 BC.[5] Jerusalem King, 729 BC-687 BC, Hezekiah ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Jerusalem, 650 BC-516 BC, Dot 8, Habakkuk, during BCaptivity, translated tDaniel fArabia, prophet oTemple dest,B Captivity& rtn
Jerusalem, 650 BC, Habakkuk, Prophet, during t70 Yrs B Captivity, translated wFood tDaniel fArabia, fSimeon, foresaw Temple destruction, Babylon Captivity, and return, in Arabia Angel told him to give meal intended for reapers to Daniel in Persia, died great age back in Simeon; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; Holy Prophet Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Simeon, and he prophesied around 650 B.C. Prophet Habakkuk foresaw the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, Babylonian Captivity the later return of the captives to their native land. the war with the Babylonians the prophet withdrew to Arabia, the following miracle occurred. he was bringing dinner to the reapers, he met an angel of the Lord, instantly by the strength of his spirit he was transported to Babylon, at the time the Prophet Daniel was languishing in prison. food intended for the reapers assuaged the hunger of the exhausted Prophet Daniel (Dan. 14:33-37). the end of the war with the Babylonians, the Prophet Habakkuk returned to his homeland and died at a great old age. relics were found at the time of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), together with the relics of the Prophet Micah (August 14). Fourth Ode of the Psalter (“O Lord, I have heard thy report, and was afraid...”) is based on Habakkuk 3:2-19.

Jerusalem, 640-609BC, Dot 8, Prophet Zephaniah, preached repentence, helped Josiah, fSimeon
Jerusalem, 640BC-609BC, Prophet Zephaniah, preached repentence, helped Josiah, fSimeon, 9th o12Minor Prophets, prophesied Judea &surrounding area calamities, and against Moab, Ammon&Nineva; Jerusalem, 626BC-587BC, Prophet Zephaniah; Zephaniah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish Tanakh; the most prominent one being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah (640-609 BCE) is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets.[1] His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. The name might mean "YHWH (YH), phonetically (IAH), has concealed", "[he whom] YH has hidden", or "YH lies in wait". Jerusalem, 626BC-587BC, Prophet Jeremiah; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated on September 28; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3; Prophet Zephaniah (Sophonias) was a contemporary of the Prophet Jeremiah and the Prophetess Oldama. was from the tribe of Simeon, and was the ninth of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. prophet lived at the royal court, where he preached repentance and helped King Josiah eliminate idol-worship. prophesied about the calamities that were to come for the people of Judea and the surrounding regions: Gaza, Ascalon, Crete, against the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Ninevites. Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 641BC-609BC, Dot 8, King Josiah, religious reforms
Jerusalem King, 641-609 BC, Josiah ; [1][2] or Yoshiyahu[a] was the sixteenth king of Judah (c. 640-“609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms. is credited by most biblical scholars with having established or compiled important Hebrew scriptures during the "Deuteronomic reform" which probably occurred during his rule. became king of the Kingdom of Judah at the age of eight, after the assassination of his father, King Amon. Josiah reigned for thirty-one years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BCE.[3] is known only from biblical texts; no reference to him exists in other surviving texts of the period from Egypt or Babylon, and no clear archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions bearing his name, has ever been found.[4] most scholars believe that he existed historically and that the absence of documents is due to few documents of any sort surviving from this very early period, and to Jerusalem having been occupied, conquered, and rebuilt over thousands of years.[5] Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Jerusalem, 626 BC-587 BC, Dot 8, Prophet Jeremiah, weeping, yoke, major prophet, scribe Baruch
Jerusalem, 626BC-587BC, Prophet Jeremiah; (probably after 650- c. 570 BC),[2] also called the "weeping prophet",[3] was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible (source of the Old Testament of Christian Bibles). According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, the Books of Kings and the Book of Lamentations,[4] with the assistance and under the editorship of Baruch ben Neriah, his scribe and disciple. addition to proclaiming many prophecies of the God of Israel, the Book of Jeremiah goes into detail regarding the prophet's private life (e.g., the purchase of a field belonging to his uncle as a part of the right of redemption[Jeremiah 32:6-“25]) and his experiences (e.g., imprisonment[Jeremiah 37:15-“18][38:6]), which are thus better known than those of any other prophet. considers the Book of Jeremiah part of its canon, and regards Jeremiah as the second of the major prophets. Christianity and Islam also regard Jeremiah as a prophet. His words are quoted in the New Testament[Matthew 2:18][Hebrews 8:8-“12][10:16-“17] and his narrative is recounted in Islamic tradition.[5] Prophet Baruch, Commemorated on September 28; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 612-516 BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Habakkuk, foresaw Temple d, B Captivity, and return
Jerusalem, 612-516 BC, Prophet, Habakkuk; Habakkuk,[a] who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible.[1] He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Almost all information about Habakkuk is drawn from the book of the Bible bearing his name,[2] with no biographical details provided other than his title, "the prophet".[3] Outside the Bible, he is mentioned over the centuries in the forms of Christian and Rabbinic tradition.[4][5] Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Jerusalem, 612-516 BC, Dot 8, Habakkuk, Simeon, Arabia miracle, Angel OTL, his spirit strength, Transport, Babylon, to feed Daniel
Jerusalem, 612-516 BC, Habakkuk, Simeon, Arabia miracle, Angel OTL, his spirit strength, Transport, Babylon, to feed Daniel who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible.[1] He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. all information about Habakkuk is drawn from the book of the Bible bearing his name,[2] with no biographical details provided other than his title, "the prophet".[3] Outside the Bible, he is mentioned over the centuries in the forms of Christian and Rabbinic tradition.[4][5] Land of Simeon, around Beersheba ; An abstract of Simeon within the lands of the Patriarchs, Simeon is within Southwest Judah; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated December 2 ; Holy Prophet Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Simeon, and he prophesied around 650 B.C. Prophet Habakkuk foresaw the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Babylonian Captivity and the later return of the captives to their native land. the war with the Babylonians the prophet withdrew to Arabia, where the following miracle occurred. he was bringing dinner to the reapers, he met an angel of the Lord, and instantly by the strength of his spirit he was transported to Babylon, where at the time the Prophet Daniel was languishing in prison. The food intended for the reapers assuaged the hunger of the exhausted Prophet Daniel (Dan. 14:33-37). the end of the war with the Babylonians, the Prophet Habakkuk returned to his homeland and died at a great old age. relics were found at the time of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), together with the relics of the Prophet Micah (August 14). Fourth Ode of the Psalter (“O Lord, I have heard thy report, and was afraid...”) is based on Habakkuk 3:2-19. Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Jerusalem, 609 BC-609 BC, Dot 8, King, Jehoahaz of Judah, disregarded reforms, taken to Egypt
Jerusalem King, 609 BC-609 BC, Jehoahaz of Judah; of Judah was the seventeenth king of Judah (3 months in 609 BC) and the fourth son[1] of king Josiah whom he succeeded.[2] His mother was Hamautal, daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He was born in 633/632 BC[3] and his birth name was Shallum.1 Chronicles 3:15 Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 609 BC - 538 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Babylon, 609 BC - 538 BC, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a number of people from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. After the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem, resulting in tribute being paid by King Jehoiakim.[1] Jehoiakim refused to pay tribute in Nebuchadnezzar's fourth year, which led to another siege in Nebuchadnezzar's seventh year, culminating with the death of Jehoiakim and the exile to Babylonia of King Jeconiah, his court and many others; Jeconiah's successor Zedekiah and others were exiled in Nebuchadnezzar's 18th year; a later deportation occurred in Nebuchadnezzar's 23rd year. The dates, numbers of deportations, and numbers of deportees given in the biblical accounts vary.[2] These deportations are dated to 597 BCE for the first, with others dated at 587/586 BCE, and 582/581 BCE respectively.[3] After the fall of Babylon to the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE, exiled Judeans were permitted to return to Judah.[4][5] According to the biblical book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem began around 537 BCE. All these events are considered significant in Jewish history and culture, and had a far-reaching impact on the development of Judaism. Archaeological studies have revealed that, although Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, other parts of Judah continued to be inhabited during the period of the exile. Most of the exiled did not return to their homeland, instead travelling westward and northward. Many settled in what is now northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Some Iraqi, Iranian and Georgian natives today trace their ancestry back to these exiles. [6] [7] Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Jerusalem, 609 BC - 538 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Babylon, 609 BC - 538 BC, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Jerusalem, 608 BC-598 BC, Dot 8, King Jehoiakim, allied with Egypt, then Babylon, incest and murder
Jerusalem King, 608 BC-598 BC, Jehoiakim ; also sometimes spelled Jehoikim[b] was the eighteenth and antepenultimate king of Judah from 609 to 598 BC. He was the second son of king Josiah (1 Chronicles 3:15) and Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.[1] His birth name was Eliakim.[c] Josiah's death, Jehoiakim's younger brother Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum) was proclaimed king, but after three months Pharaoh Necho II deposed him, making Eliakim king in his place. When placed on the throne, his name was changed to "Jehoiakim".[1] reigned for eleven years, until 598 BC[2] and was succeeded by his son Jeconiah, (also known as Jehoiachin), who reigned for only three months.[3] was appointed king by Necho II, king of Egypt, in 609 BC, after Necho's return from the battle in Haran, three months after he had killed King Josiah at Megiddo.[4] deposed Jehoiakim's younger brother Jehoahaz after a reign of only three months and took him to Egypt, where he died. Jehoiakim ruled originally as a vassal of the Egyptians, paying a heavy tribute. raise the money he "taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments."[5] after the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem, and Jehoiakim changed allegiances to avoid the destruction of Jerusalem. paid tribute from the treasury in Jerusalem, some temple artifacts, and handed over some of the royal family and nobility as hostages.[4] In the Book of Daniel, Daniel is described as being one of these. literature describes Jehoiakim as a godless tyrant who committed atrocious sins and crimes. He is portrayed as living in incestuous relations with his mother, daughter-in-law, and stepmother, and was in the habit of murdering men, whose wives he then violated and whose property he seized. He also had tattooed his body.[1] prophet Jeremiah criticised the king's policies, insisting on repentance and strict adherence to the law.[6] Another prophet, Uriah ben Shemaiah, proclaimed a similar message and Jehoiakim ordered his execution (Jeremiah 26:20-“23).[7] continued for three years as a vassal to the Babylonians, until the failure of an invasion of Egypt in 601 BC undermined their control of the area. switched allegiance back to the Egyptians.[4] late 598 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II invaded Judah and again laid siege to Jerusalem, which lasted three months. died before the siege ended.[2] Book of Chronicles recorded that "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ... bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon."[8] Jeremiah prophesied that he died without proper funeral, describing the people of Judah "shall not lament for him, saying, 'Alas, master!' or 'Alas, his glory!' shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 22:18-“19) his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night" (Jeremiah 36:30).[9] wrote that Nebuchadnezzar slew Jehoiakim along with high-ranking officers and then commanded Jehoiakim's body "to be thrown before the walls, without any burial."[10] Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 602 BC-570 BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Prophet Ezekiel, p'd Jerusalem d, restoration, third Temple, 4 creatures, 4 wheels
Jerusalem Prophet, 602 BC-570 BC, Ezekiel; is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet. In Judaism and Christianity, he is also viewed as the 6th-century BCE author of the Book of Ezekiel, which reveals prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, the restoration to the land of Israel, and what some call the Millennial Temple (or Third Temple) visions. to the Bible, Ezekiel and his wife lived during the Babylonian captivity on the banks of the Chebar River, in Tel Abib,[a] with other exiles from Judah.[7] There is no mention of him having any offspring. career[edit] describes his calling to be a prophet by going into great detail about his encounter with God and four "living creatures" with four wheels that stayed beside the creatures.[8] the next five years he incessantly prophesied and acted out the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, which was met with some opposition. Ezekiel and his contemporaries like Jeremiah, another prophet who was living in Jerusalem at that time, witnessed the fulfillment of their prophecies with the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. the hypothesis that the "thirtieth year" of Ezekiel 1:1 refers to Ezekiel's age, Ezekiel was fifty years old when he had his final vision.[3] the basis of dates given in the Book of Ezekiel, his span of prophecies can be calculated to have occurred over the course of about 22 years.[9] The last recorded prophecy of Ezekiel dates to April 570 BCE.[10][11] Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 600 BC-520 BC, Dot 8, Prophet Haggai, after captivity, his prophesies commanded jews to rebuild Temple
Jerusalem, BC 600-520 BC, Judean Prophet Haggaii; was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of the Book of Haggai. is known for his prophecy in 520 BCE, commanding the Jews to rebuild the Temple.[1] name means "my holidays." He was the first of three post-exile prophets from the Neo-Babylonian Exile of the House of Judah (with Zechariah, his contemporary, and Malachi, who lived about one hundred years later), who belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon. anything is known of his personal history. He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. began God's prophecy about sixteen years after the return of the Jews to Judah (ca. 520 BCE). The work of rebuilding the temple had been put to a stop through the intrigues of the Samaritans. having been suspended for eighteen years, the work was resumed through the efforts of Haggai and Zechariah.[2] They exhorted the people, which roused them from their lethargy, and induced them to take advantage of a change in the policy of the Persian government under Darius I. name Haggai, with various vocalizations, is also found in the Book of Esther, as a eunuch servant of the Queen. Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Zachariah Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8;

Jerusalem, 600 BC -520 BC, Dot 8, Zachariah, Prophet, building Temple concern
Jerusalem, BC 600-520 BC, Judean Prophet Zachariah; was a person in the Hebrew Bible and traditionally considered the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He was a prophet of the Kingdom of Judah, and, like the prophet Ezekiel, was of priestly extraction. book of Zechariah introduces the prophet as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1). The book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo (Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14), but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father, and Iddo was his grandfather.[1] prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius, king of Persia (520 BC). His greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple.[1] was probably not the "Zechariah" mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (23:35) and the Gospel of Luke (11:51); Zechariah ben Jehoiada was more likely intended.[2] Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8; Prophet Zachariah the Sickle-Seer ............................................., in the wondrous expression of church hymnology, “a spectator of supra-worldly visions.â€ Book of the Prophet Zachariah contains inspired details about the coming of the Messiah (Zach 6:12); about the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, about the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on a young donkey (Zach 9:9); about the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver and the purchase of the potter’s field with them (Zach 11:12-13); about the piercing of the Savior’s side (Zach 12:10); about the scattering of the apostles from the Garden of Gethsemane (Zach 13:7); about the eclipse of the sun at the time of the Crucifixion (Zach 14:6-7). “Enlightened by dawnings all above,â€ the Prophet Zachariah, “saw the future as it were the present.â€ According to Tradition, this “most true God-proclaimerâ€ lived to old age and was buried near Jerusalem, beside his illustrious contemporary and companion, the Prophet Haggai (December 16). The title “Sickle-Seerâ€ given Zachariah comes from a vision in which he saw a sickle flying in the air, destroying thieves and perjurors (Zach 5:1-3). Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Haggai; Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ;

Jerusalem, 600 BC-520 BC, Dot 8, Zachariah, Prophet, Levite, spectator of supra-worldly visions
Jerusalem, 600 BC-520 BC, Zachariah, Prophet, Levite, spectator of supra-worldly visions, coming Messiah, last days, Jerusalem entry, on young donkey, thirty pieces betrayal, purchase of Potter's field, piercing savior's side, elipse of sun, old age, sickle seer, s flying in air; Jerusalem; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; Prophet Zachariah the Sickle-Seer the eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets. He was descended from the tribe of Levi, and seems to have been a priest (Nehemiah 12:4,16). He was called to prophetic service at a young age and became, in the wondrous expression of church hymnology, “a spectator of supra-worldly visions.” Book of the Prophet Zachariah contains inspired details about the coming of the Messiah (Zach 6:12); about the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, about the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on a young donkey (Zach 9:9); about the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver and the purchase of the potter’s field with them (Zach 11:12-13); about the piercing of the Savior’s side (Zach 12:10); about the scattering of the apostles from the Garden of Gethsemane (Zach 13:7); about the eclipse of the sun at the time of the Crucifixion (Zach 14:6-7). “Enlightened by dawnings all above,” the Prophet Zachariah, “saw the future as it were the present.” According to Tradition, this “most true God-proclaimer” lived to old age and was buried near Jerusalem, beside his illustrious contemporary and companion, the Prophet Haggai (December 16). The title “Sickle-Seer” given Zachariah comes from a vision in which he saw a sickle flying in the air, destroying thieves and perjurors (Zach 5:1-3). holy Prophet Zachariah died around 520 B.C. His tomb was discovered in 415 in a village near Eleutheropolis (Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. VI:32, IX:17). At the prophet’s feet was the body of a child dressed in royal accoutrements. His holy relics were transferred to the church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23) in Constantinople.

Jerusalem, 600 BC-580BC, Dot 8, Prophet Baruch, Baruch ben Neriah, Jeremiah's scribe
Jerusalem, 600 BC-580BC, Prophet Baruch, Baruch ben Neriah; Jerusalem, 626BC-587BC, Prophet Jeremiah; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated on September 28; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 598 BC-597 BC, Dot 8, King, Jeconiah, next to last King, dethroned, taken to B
Jerusalem King, 598 BC-597 BC, Jeconiah ; was the nineteenth and penultimate king of Judah who was dethroned by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BCE and was taken into captivity. He was the son and successor of King Jehoiakim, and the grandson of King Josiah. Most of what is known about Jeconiah is found in the Hebrew Bible. of Jeconiah's existence have been found in Iraq, such as the Jehoiachin's Rations Tablets. These tablets were excavated near the Ishtar Gate in Babylon and have been dated to c. 592 BCE. Written in cuneiform, they mention Jeconiah and his five sons as recipients of food rations in Babylon.[4] Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 597 BC-586 BC, Dot 8, King, Zedekiah, last king, Fall of J, Begin 70 yrs Captivity, no heed J
Jerusalem King, 597 BC-586 BC, Zedekiah, Fall of J, Begin 70 yrs Captivity ; also known as Tzidkiyahu originally called Mattanyahu or Mattaniah, was the twentieth and last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. had been installed as king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, after a siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, to succeed his nephew, Jehoiachin, who was overthrown as king after a reign of only three months and ten days. F. Albright dates the start of Zedekiah's reign to 598 BC, while E. R. Thiele gives the start in 597 BC.[1] that reckoning, Zedekiah was born in c. 617 BC or 618 BC, being twenty-one on becoming king. Zedekiah's reign ended with the siege and fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar II, which has been dated to 587 or 586 BC.[2] prophet Jeremiah was his counselor, yet he did not heed the prophet and his epitaph is "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 24:19-“20; Jeremiah 52:2-“3). Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 586 BC - 336 BC, Folder, Persian Assryian Babylonian Period

Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Dot 8, Yehud (Babylonian province, Persian Judeah 539 BC - 332 BC)
Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Yehud (Babylonian province); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Dot 8, Gedaliah aka Hodoliah, Governor of Yehud
Jerusalem Governor, 586 BC - 539 BC, Gedaliah aka Hodoliah ; Jerusalem, 586 BC - 539 BC, Yehud (Babylonian province); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 586 BC-551 BC, Dot 8 King Shealtiel, Fall of Jerusalem, Begin 70 Yrs
Jerusalem King, 586 BC-551 BC, Shealtiel, Fall of Jerusalem, Begin 70 Yrs ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Dot 8, Daniel, Prophet, During t70 Yr Babylonian Captivity, gift insight dream interpretation
Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs, Major Prophet, 4th, Babylonian Captivity 597 BC, Hansom 4 Daniel, Ananias, Azarias &Misael, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Chaldean Language fine dress, 3yr order food kings table, but they refused his food&wine, they bread&water, they Lord's wisdom + Daniel granted insight dream interpretation, D trusted God' help, D surpassed C astrologers sorcerers wisdom so made Kings' confidant, King's strange dream, refused tell dream, ordered them executed for not knowing the dream, Daniel knew the dream & its meaning, revealed to him in vision, D elevated tRuler, &chief wise men, King's statue &order to worship it, 3 holy youths refused & thrown into furnace, flames killed Chaldeans standing near, but three unharmed singing psalms&prayer, Lord's Angel (Jesus) appeared cooled flames, Prophet Daniel identifies Angel as Jesus, emperor N converted, King Baltasar handwriting on wall interpreted by Daniel, downfall Babylonian empire, slandared D thrown tDen oHungry lions, but no touch, Mede Emperor Darius rejoices and ordered people serve D's God, D grieved fHis people, because they suffered B Captivity &Jerusalem destroyed for their sins, while Neb's dream Prophecied Kingdom oLord JC, the 70 weeks, 1st&2nd coming, connected t 70 wks; Jerusalem Prophet, 586 BC-516 BC, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs; is the hero of the biblical Book of Daniel.[1] A noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem, he is taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and serves the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus, all the while remaining true to the God of Israel.[2] The consensus of modern scholars is that Daniel never existed, and the book is a cryptic allusion to the reign of the 2nd century BCE Hellenistic king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.[3][1] cities claim the Tomb of Daniel, the most famous being that in Susa, in southern Iran, at a site known as Shush-e Daniyal.[4] He is not a prophet in Judaism,[5] but the rabbis reckoned him to be the most distinguished member of the Babylonian diaspora, unsurpassed in piety and good deeds, firm in his adherence to the Law despite being surrounded by enemies who sought his ruin, and in the first few centuries CE they wrote down the many legends that had grown up around his name.[6] The various branches of the Christian church do recognise him as a prophet, and although he is not mentioned in the Quran, Muslim sources describe him as a prophet (nabi). Jerusalem King, 586 BC-551 BC, Shealtiel, Fall of Jerusalem, Begin 70 Yrs ; was the son of Jehoiachin, king of Judah. (1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 3:17–18) Gospel of Matthew 1:12 also list Shealtiel as the son of Jeconiah (line of Solomon). Shealtiel, as well as most of the royal house and elite of the House, were exiled to Babylon by order of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon after the first siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC. the Babylonian captivity, Shealtiel was regarded as the second Exilarch (or king-in-exile), following his father.[1] Hebrew, the name Shealtiel means, "I asked El (for this child)". The name acknowledges that the son is an answer to the parents' prayer to God (El) to help them conceive and birth a child. Many Hebrew names similarly express the importance of, difficulty of, and thankfulness for a successful pregnancy. is a significant, though controversial, member in the genealogies of the House of David and of the genealogy of Jesus. is conflicting text in the Hebrew Bible in 1 Chronicles 3:19, which lists Zerubbabel as the son of Shealtiel's brother, Pedaiah (while the Greek Septuagint lists Zerubbabel as the son of Shealtiel[2]). both genealogies of Jesus list a Zerubbabel who is the son of a Shealtiel, it is possible they may not be referring to the same pair of people. The two genealogies differ as to Shealtiel's paternity, with Matthew 1:12 agreeing with 1 Chronicles that Jeconiah was Shealtiel's father, and Luke 3:27 having Shealtiel as the son of an otherwise unknown man named Neri. Various explanations for this difference have been suggested, with one common explanation being that Luke traces Jesus's genealogy through Mary, in recognition of the virgin birth.[3] author of the Deuterocanonical apocalyptic work 2 Esdras describes himself as "I, Salathiel, who am also called Ezra" (3:1). this reason, the work is also sometimes known as Ezra Shealtiel. in the Hebrew Bible[edit] Lunette in the Sistine Chapel of Shealtiel with Josiah and Jeconiah. Hebrew Bible has conflicting texts regarding whether Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel or Pedaiah. Several texts (that are thought to be more-or-less contemporaneous) explicitly call "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" (Ezra 3:2,8;5:2, Nehemiah 12:1, Haggai 1:1,12,14). Also, the genealogy given in the Septuagint text of 1 Chronicles supports that position,[2] as does the Seder Olam Zutta. Surprisingly, the Hebrew text of 1 Chronicles 3:17–19 makes Zerubbabel a nephew of Shealtiel: King Jehoiachin is the father of Shealtiel and Pedaiah, then Pedaiah is the father of Zerubbabel. attempts have been made to show how both genealogies could be true. One explanation suggests Shealtiel died childless and therefore Pedaiah, his brother, married his widow according to a Jewish law regarding inheritance (Deuteronomy 25:5–6). If so, Zerubbabel would be the legal son of Shealtiel but the biological son of Pedaiah. other speculation suggests the title "son of Shealtiel" does not refer to being a biological son but to being a member in Shealtiel's household (Hebrew: בית, bet). The Hebrew term "father" (Hebrew: אב, av) can refer to a father of a household, similar to the Latin term paterfamilias. In this sense, a man who is the "father" of a household can therefore be referred to as the father of his own biological siblings, nephews and nieces, or anyone else who cohabitates in his household. Zerubbabel (and possibly his father Pedaiah) could be called a son if they lived in Shealtiel's household. both speculations could be true. Zerubbabel could be the legal son of Shealtiel and therefore also a member of his household. Notably, if Shealtiel had no biological children, Zerubbabel as a legal son would have inherited Shealtiel's household and become its new father with authority of over the other members of the household. speculation simply suggests that the Masoretic text of 1 Chronicles which identifies Zerubbabel as a son of Pedaiah could be a scribal error. It occurs in a part of the text where the Hebrew seems discongruent and possibly garbled (1 Chronicles 3:16–21).[4] The expected mention of Shealtiel being a father seems accidentally omitted, and thus his children became confused with Pedaiah's. In contrast, the Greek Septuagint text of 1 Chronicles actually lists Shealtiel (and not Pedaiah) as Zerubbabel's father.[2] any case, those texts that call Zerubbabel "son of Shealtiel" have a context that is overtly political and seems to emphasize Zerubbabel's potential royal claim to the throne of the Davidic Dynasty by being Shealtiel's successor. is understood as the legal successor of Shealtiel, with Zerubbabel's title paralleling the High Priest Jeshua's title, "son of Jozadak", that emphasizes Joshua's rightful claim to the dynasty of highpriests, descending from Aaron. with one descending from David and the other from Aaron, these two officials have the divine authority to rebuild the Temple. most common alternative spellings of Shealtiel are Salathiel (though this sometimes comes directly from the Bible), Saltel, Salatiel, Saltell, Saltial, Saltiel, Saltiél, Σαλτιέλ, Schaltiel, Scialtiel, Scieltiel, Sealthiel, Sealtiel, Sealtiël, Seltiel, Shaaltiel, Shalltell, Shaltiel, Shaltieli, Shealthiel, Shealtiel, Sjaltiel and Sjealtiel. Derivations include Chaaltiel, Chaltel, Challtelli, Chaltiel, Chartiel, Cheltiel, Saltelli, Saltellus, Salter (generally unconnected with the contemporary surname), Saltijeral, von Saltiel and Xaltiel. in the Gospels[edit] genealogies of Jesus mention a Shealtiel (and not Pedaiah) who is the father of a Zerubbabel. It is possible the two genealogies may not be referring to the same pair of people, as they differ regarding the name of Shealtiel's father. Matthew lists Shealtiel as the son of Jeconiah, which agrees with 1 Chronicles. In contrast, Luke lists a man named Shealtiel who is the son of an otherwise unknown man named Neri. (Matthew 1:12 and Luke 3:27–28) Multiple explanations for this difference have been suggested, with one common explanation being that Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus through Mary, in recognition of the virgin birth.[3] Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Daniel is the fourth of the major prophets. the years following 600 B.C. Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed, and many of the Israelite people were led away into the Babylonian Captivity. the captives were also the illustrious youths Daniel, Ananias, Azarias and Misael. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered that they be instructed in the Chaldean language and wisdom, and dressed them in finery. children of princely lineage were often chosen to serve as pages in the palace. three years, they would be fed from food from the king’s table. this they would be allowed to stand before his throne. was renamed Baltasar, was called Shadrach, was called Mishach, Azarias was known as Abednego. they, cleaving to their faith, disdained the extravagance of court, refusing to defile themselves by eating from the king’s table and drinking his wine. they lived on vegetables and water. Lord granted them wisdom, and to Saint Daniel the gift of insight and the interpretation of dreams. holy Prophet Daniel preserved his faith in the one God and trusted in His almighty help. surpassed all the Chaldean astrologers and sorcerers in his wisdom, and was made a confidant to King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream which terrified him (Daniel 2:1-6). summoned magicians, sorcerers, and Chaldeans before him to interpret the dream. When they asked him what he had dreamt, the king refused to tell them. He said, “If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.” Babylonian wise men protested that no magician or sorcerer could be expected to do this. Only the gods could reveal the dream and its meaning, they told him. king ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be executed. they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death, Daniel asked that the king’s sentence not be carried out. said that he could tell the king what he dreamt, for it had been revealed to him in a vision. was brought before the king and was able to reveal not only the content of the dream, but also its prophetic significance. this, the king elevated Daniel to be ruler of the whole province of Babylon, and the chief of all the wise men. these times King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a huge statue to be made in his likeness. was decreed that when people heard the sound of trumpets and other instruments, they should fall down and worship the golden idol. they refused to do this, the three holy youths Ananias, Azarias and Misael were cast into a fiery furnace. flames shot out over the furnace forty-nine cubits, felling the Chaldeans standing about, the holy youths walked in the midst of the flames, offering prayer and psalmody to the Lord (Daniel 3:26-90). Angel of the Lord appeared in the furnace and cooled the flames, and the young men remained unharmed. “Angel of Great Counsel,” as he is called in iconography, is identified with the Son of God (Daniel 3:25, Isaiah 9:6). the first Canon for the Nativity of the Lord (Ode 5), the Church sings: “Thou hast sent us Thine Angel of Great Counsel.” emperor, upon seeing this, commanded them to come out, and was converted to the true God. King Baltasar, Saint Daniel interpreted a mysterious inscription (“Mane, Thekel, Phares”), which had appeared on the wall of the palace during a banquet (Daniel 5:1-31), the downfall of the Babylonian kingdom. Under the Persian emperor Darius, Daniel was slandered by his enemies, and was thrown into a den with hungry lions, but they did not touch him, and he was not harmed. emperor Darius then rejoiced over Daniel ordered people throughout his realm to worship the God of Daniel, “since He is the living and eternal God, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His dominion is forever” (Daniel 6:26). holy Prophet Daniel grieved deeply for his people, who then were undergoing righteous chastisement for a multitude of sins and offenses, transgressing the laws of God, resulting in the grievous Babylonian Captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem: “My God, incline Thine ear and hearken; open Thine eyes and look upon our desolation and that of Thy city, in which Thy Name is spoken; for we do not make our supplication before Thee because of our own righteousness, but because of Thy great mercy” (Dan 9:18). of Daniel’s righteous life and his prayers for the people’s iniquity, the destiny of the nation of Israel the fate of all the world was revealed to the holy prophet. interpreting the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, the holy, glorious Prophet Daniel spoke of a great and final kingdom, the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dan 2:44). prophetic vision about the seventy weeks (Dan 9:24-27) speaks about the signs of the First and the Second Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is connected with those events (Daniel 12:1-12). Daniel interceded for his people before King Cyrus, who esteemed him highly, and who decreed freedom for the Israelite people. himself and his fellows Ananias, Azarias and Misael, all survived into old age, died in captivity. to the testimony of Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9), Saints Ananias, Azarias and Misael were beheaded on orders of the Persian emperor Chambyses. Daniel and the three holy youths are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, and on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before the Nativity).

Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Dot 8, Ezekiel, Prophet, During the 70 Yrs
Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet Ezekiel, During the 70 Yrs Jerusalem Prophet, 586 BC-551 BC, Habakkuk, During the 70 Yrs; Jerusalem Prophet, 586 BC-516 BC, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs; Jerusalem King, 586 BC-551 BC, Shealtiel, Fall of Jerusalem, Begin 70 Yrs ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Jerusalem, 580BC-520BC, Prophet Zacharia, a spectator of supra-worldly visions, about Coming Messiah, Z saw drawings from above
Jerusalem, 580BC-520BC, Prophet Zacharia, a spectator of supra-worldly visions, about: Coming Messiah, last days Jesus' life, entry on donkey, 30 pieces betrayal, potter's field purchase for 30P, Savior's side piercing, apostles scattering fGethsemane, Eclipse at Crucifixion, Z saw drawings from above, saw future as it were present, Z the most true God proclaimer, lived old age, buried beside Haggai, Sickle-Seer, vision oSickle flying, destroying theives&perjurors, relics transferred Constantinople 415; Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; Prophet Zachariah the Sickle-Seer the eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets. was descended from the tribe of Levi, seems to have been a priest (Nehemiah 12:4,16). was called to prophetic service at a young age became, in the wondrous expression of church hymnology, “a spectator of supra-worldly visions.” Book of the Prophet Zachariah contains inspired details the coming of the Messiah (Zach 6:12); the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on a young donkey (Zach 9:9); the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver the purchase of the potter’s field with them (Zach 11:12-13); the piercing of the Savior’s side (Zach 12:10); the scattering of the apostles from the Garden of Gethsemane (Zach 13:7); the eclipse of the sun at the time of the Crucifixion (Zach 14:6-7). “Enlightened by dawnings all above,” Prophet Zachariah, “saw the future as it were the present.” to Tradition, this “most true God-proclaimer” lived to old age and was buried near Jerusalem, beside his illustrious contemporary and companion, Prophet Haggai (December 16). title “Sickle-Seer” given Zachariah comes from a vision in which he saw a sickle flying in the air, destroying thieves and perjurors (Zach 5:1-3). holy Prophet Zachariah died around 520 B.C. tomb was discovered in 415 in a village near Eleutheropolis (Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. VI:32, IX:17). the prophet’s feet was the body of a child dressed in royal accoutrements. holy relics were transferred to the church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23) in Constantinople.

Jerusalem, 551 BC-530 BC, Dot 8, Cyrus the Great, Jerusalem King, Persian Achaemenid Emperor
Jerusalem King, 551 BC-530 BC, Cyrus the Great; Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Haggai; Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8;

Jerusalem, 551 BC-515 BC, Dot 8, Zerubbabel, King, Came back w Nehemiah. End 70 yrs
Jerusalem King, 551 BC-515 BC, Zerubbabel, Came back w Nehemiah. End 70 yrs ; Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Haggai; Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ; Zerubbabel; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8;

Jerusalem, 539 BC-332 BC, Dot 8, Yehud Medinata, Persian Judeah, Canaan
Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ; also known as Yehud Medinata[1][2][3][4][5] or Yehud Medinta[a] (lit. 'Province of Judah'), was the Aramaic-language name that was retained and used by the Achaemenid Persian Empire for one of its administrative provinces in the region of Canaan. Zerubbabel;

Jerusalem, 538 BC - 476 AD, Dot 8, Classical Antiquity
Jerusalem, 538 BC - 476 AD, Classical Antiquity; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2;

Jerusalem, 530 BC-522 BC, Dot 8, Cambyses II, King, Cyrus t G son, C died fighting Massagetae, Egypt conquests and N Africa, Cyrenaica
Jerusalem, 530 BC-522 BC, King, Cambyses II, Cyrus t G son, C died fighting Massagetae nomads in Turkmenistan, Cambyres became second Achaemenid King, Egypt conquests and N Africa, Cyrenaica; II was the second King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire from 530 to 522 BC. was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great (r. 550 – 530 BC) and his mother was Cassandane. his accession, Cambyses had briefly served as the governor of northern Babylonia under his father from April 539 BC to December 538 BC. Afterwards, he continued to roam in the Babylonian cities of Babylon and Sippar, before being appointed by his father as co-ruler in 530 BC, who set off to mount an expedition against the Massagetae of Central Asia, where he met his end. Cambyses thus became the sole ruler of the vast Achaemenid Empire, facing no noticeable opposition. relatively brief reign was marked by his conquests in Africa, notably Egypt, which he conquered after his victory over the Egyptian pharaoh Psamtik III (r. 526–525 BC) at the battle of Pelusium in 525 BC. After having established himself in Egypt, he expanded his holdings in Africa even further, such as his conquest of Cyrenaica. In the spring of 522 BC, Cambyses hurriedly left Egypt to deal with a rebellion in Persia. en route in Syria (Eber-Nari), he received a wound to the thigh, which was soon affected by gangrene. Cambyses died three weeks later at a location called Agbatana, which is most likely the modern city of Hama. He died childless, and was thus succeeded by his younger brother Bardiya, who ruled for a short period before being overthrown by Darius the Great (r. 522–486 BC), who went on to increase the power of the Achaemenids even further.

Jerusalem, 522 BC -520 BC, Dot 8, Zachariah, Prophet, building Temple concern
Jerusalem, BC 600-520 BC, Judean Prophet Zachariah; was a person in the Hebrew Bible and traditionally considered the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He was a prophet of the Kingdom of Judah, and, like the prophet Ezekiel, was of priestly extraction. book of Zechariah introduces the prophet as the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1). The book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo (Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14), but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father, and Iddo was his grandfather.[1] prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius, king of Persia (520 BC). His greatest concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple.[1] was probably not the "Zechariah" mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (23:35) and the Gospel of Luke (11:51); Zechariah ben Jehoiada was more likely intended.[2] Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8; Prophet Zachariah the Sickle-Seer ............................................., in the wondrous expression of church hymnology, “a spectator of supra-worldly visions.â€ Book of the Prophet Zachariah contains inspired details about the coming of the Messiah (Zach 6:12); about the last days of the Savior’s earthly life, about the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem on a young donkey (Zach 9:9); about the betrayal of the Lord for thirty pieces of silver and the purchase of the potter’s field with them (Zach 11:12-13); about the piercing of the Savior’s side (Zach 12:10); about the scattering of the apostles from the Garden of Gethsemane (Zach 13:7); about the eclipse of the sun at the time of the Crucifixion (Zach 14:6-7). “Enlightened by dawnings all above,â€ the Prophet Zachariah, “saw the future as it were the present.â€ According to Tradition, this “most true God-proclaimerâ€ lived to old age and was buried near Jerusalem, beside his illustrious contemporary and companion, the Prophet Haggai (December 16). The title “Sickle-Seerâ€ given Zachariah comes from a vision in which he saw a sickle flying in the air, destroying thieves and perjurors (Zach 5:1-3). Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Haggai; Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ;

Jerusalem, 522 BC-522 BC, Dot 8, King, Bardiya, either ruled Achaemenid Empire few months or was imporsonated until toppled by Darius
Jerusalem King, 522 BC-522 BC, Bardiya ; by Ctesias, was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. are sharply divided views on his life. Bardiya either ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BC, or was impersonated by a magus called Gaumāta, until he was toppled by Darius the Great.[4][5]

Jerusalem, 522BC-486 BC, Dot 8, Haggai, Judean Prophet, persuaded Jews rebuild tSecond Temple, so Messiah appear there
Jerusalem, BC 522-486 BC, Judean Prophet Haggai, command to rebuild the Temple, Levite, Prophecied aTime oDarius I Hystaspis and return oJews fMedes iPersia, persuaded second temple, proclaimed Messiah would apprear there; Jerusalem, BC 522-486 BC, Judean Prophet Haggaii; (/ˈhæɡaɪ/; Hebrew: חַגַּי‎ – Ḥaggay; Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; Latin: Aggaeus) was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of the Book of Haggai. is known for his prophecy in 520 BCE, commanding the Jews to rebuild the Temple.[1] name means "my holidays." was the first of three post-exile prophets from the Neo-Babylonian Exile of the House of Judah Zechariah, his contemporary, and Malachi, who lived about one hundred years later), belonged to the period of Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon. Scarcely anything is known of his personal history. He may have been one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. began God's prophecy about sixteen years after the return of the Jews to Judah (ca. 520 BCE). work of rebuilding the temple had been put to a stop through the intrigues of the Samaritans. having been suspended for eighteen years, the work was resumed through the efforts of Haggai and Zechariah.[2] exhorted the people, which roused them from their lethargy, and induced them to take advantage of a change in the policy of the Persian government under Darius I. The name Haggai, with various vocalizations, is also found in the Book of Esther, as a eunuch servant of the Queen. Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Prophet Haggai was the tenth of the Twelve Minor Prophets. was of the Tribe of Levi he prophesied during the times of the Persian emperor Darius Hystaspis (prior to 500 B.C.). the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity, persuaded the people to build the Second Temple at Jerusalem, he proclaimed that the Messiah would appear in this Temple in the last times. is believed that Haggai was buried with the priests at Jerusalem, since he was descended from Aaron.

Jerusalem, 522 BC-486 BC, Dot 8, King, Darius I
Jerusalem King, 522 BC-486 BC, Darius I ; Jerusalem King, 551 BC-530 BC, Cyrus the Great; Jerusalem, Prophet, 600 BC -520 BC, Haggai; Jerusalem, Persian Judan King, 539 BC -520 BC, Zerubbabel; Jerusalem, Persian Judeah, 539 BC -332 BC, Yehud Medinata ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8;

Jerusalem, 522BC-486BC, Dot 8, Darius I, Hystaspis (The Great), Archaemenid Emperor, lied, Marathon, Organizer
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 522BC-486 BC, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great); I , commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of West Asia, parts of the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans (Thrace-Macedonia, and Paeonia), most of the Black Sea coastal regions, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east and portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt (Mudrya), eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.[2][3] Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the legitimate Achaemenid monarch Bardiya, whom he later fabricated to be an imposter named Gaumata. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens and Eretria for their aid in the Ionian Revolt and subjugate Greece. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades and the island of Naxos and the sacking of the city of Eretria. Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized Achaemenid coinage as a new uniform monetary system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He also put the empire in better standing by building roads and introducing standard weights and measures. Through these changes, the empire was centralized and unified.[4] Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on Susa, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Babylon, and Egypt. He had the cliff-face Behistun Inscription carved to record his conquests, an important testimony of the Old Persian language. Darius is mentioned in the biblical books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezraâ€“Nehemiah. Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Jerusalem, 520 BC -520 BC, Dot 8, Meshallum, Persian Judean King
Jerusalem, Persian Judean King, 520 BC -520 BC, Meshallum ;

Jerusalem, 516 BC - 420 BC, Dot 8, Prophet, Malachi, 420BC for the book
Jerusalem, 516 BC - 420 BC, Malachi, Prophet, Right after the 70 Yrs, last of OT prophets, the seal, coming of Jesus and Forerunner, Last Judgement; Jerusalem, 516 BC, Prophet Malachi, During the 70 Yrs; is the traditional author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanakh. According to the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is possible that Malachi is not a proper name, but simply means "messenger".[1] editors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia implied that he prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah and speculated that he delivered his prophecies about 420 BC, after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia,[2] or possibly before his return. No allusion is made to him by Ezra, however, and he does not directly mention the restoration of the Second Temple. Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Holy Prophet Malachi lived 400 years before the Birth of Christ, at the time of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. was the last of the Old Testament prophets, therefore the holy Fathers call him “the seal of the prophets.” himself an image of spiritual goodness and piety, he astounded the nation and was called Malachi, i.e., an angel. prophetic book is included in the Canon of the Old Testament. In it he upbraids the Jews, foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ and His Forerunner, and also the Last Judgment (Mal 3:1-5; 4:1-6).

Jerusalem, 516 BC - 420 BC, Dot 8, Malach, last OT prophet, Right after t 70 Yrs, coming oJesus, Forerunner, Last Judgement

Jerusalem, 486 BC- 465 BC, Dot 8, Xerxes I, King
Jerusalem King, 486 BC- 465 BC, Xerxes I ;

Jerusalem, 465 BC- 424 BC, Dot 8, Artaxerxes I of Persia, King
Jerusalem King, 465 BC- 424 BC, Artaxerxes I of Persia;

Jerusalem, 424 BC- 424 BC, Dot 8, Xerxes II of Persia, King
Jerusalem King, 424 BC- 424 BC, Xerxes II of Persia;

Jerusalem, 424 BC- 423 BC, Dot 8, Sogdianus of Persia, King
Jerusalem King, 424 BC- 423 BC, Sogdianus of Persia ;

Jerusalem, 423 BC- 404 BC, Dot 8, Darius II, King
Jerusalem King, 423 BC- 404 BC, Darius II ;

Jerusalem King, 404 BC- 358 BC, Dot 8, Artaxerxes II of Persia
Jerusalem King, 404 BC- 358 BC, Artaxerxes II of Persia;

Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Dot 8&9, Saint Simeon the God Receiver
Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver ; Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver; Jerusalem King, 358 BC- 338 BC, Artaxerxes III; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated on February 3;

Jerusalem King, 358 BC- 338 BC, Dot 8, Artaxerxes III
Jerusalem King, 358 BC- 338 BC, Artaxerxes III;

Jerusalem King, 338 BC- 336 BC, Dot 8,Artaxerxes IV, Arses of Persia
Jerusalem King, 338 BC- 336 BC,Artaxerxes IV, Arses of Persia;

Jerusalem, 336 BC - 63 BC, Folder, Greek Period

Jerusalem, 336 BC-323 BC, Dot 8, Alexander III, the Great, Macedonian Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Macedonian Greek Emperor, 336 BC-323 BC, Alexander III, the Great;

Jerusalem, 323 BC-306 BC, Dot 8, Alexander IV of Macedon, Macedonian Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Macedonian Greek Emperor, 323 BC-306 BC, Alexander IV of Macedon;

Jerusalem, 306 BC-168 BC, Dot 8, Antigonid Greek Dynasty
Jerusalem, Antigonid Greek Dynasty, 306 BC-168 BC;

Jerusalem, 306 BC-168 BC, Dot 8, Seleucid Greek Empire
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Empire, 306 BC-168 BC;

Jerusalem, 306 BC-301 BC, Dot 8, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, Antigonid Greek King
Jerusalem, Antigonid Greek King, 306 BC-301 BC, Antigonus I Monophthalmus;

Jerusalem, 306 BC-281 BC, Dot 8, Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 306 BC-281 BC, Seleucus I Nicator;

Jerusalem, 294 BC-288 BC, Dot 8, Demetrius I of Macedon, Antigonid Greek King
Jerusalem, Antigonid Greek King, 294 BC-288 BC, Demetrius I of Macedon;

Jerusalem, 281 BC-261 BC, Dot 8, Antiochus I Soter, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 281 BC-261 BC, Antiochus I Soter

Jerusalem, 261 BC-246 BC, Dot 8, Antiochus II Theos, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 261 BC-246 BC, Antiochus II Theos;

Jerusalem, 246 BC-225 BC, Dot 9, Seleucus II Callinicus, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 246 BC-225 BC, Seleucus II Callinicus;

Jerusalem, 225 BC-223 BC, Dot 9, Seleucus III Ceraunus, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 225 BC-223 BC, Seleucus III Ceraunus;

Jerusalem, 223 BC-187 BC, Dot 9,Antiochus III the Great, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 223 BC-187 BC,Antiochus III the Great;

Jerusalem, 187 BC-175 BC, Dot 9, Seleucus IV Philopator, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 187 BC-175 BC, Seleucus IV Philopator;

Jerusalem, 175 BC-167 BC, Dot 9, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 175 BC-167 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes;

Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Mattathias Maccabeus, Priest Maccabean Householder
Jerusalem Priest Maccabean Householder, 167 BC-166 BC, Mattathias Maccabeus;

Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, wSons refused pork
Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, wSons refused pork, unflinching and stout-hearted mother watched each son speak before their torture, tongues cut off, skin removed from heads, hands feet off, frying pan, but mother encouraged them to passively resist; Woman with seven sons; woman with seven sons was a Jewish martyr described in 2 Maccabees 7 and other sources, who had seven sons that were arrested (along with her) by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, forced them to prove their respect to him by consuming pig meat. they refused, he tortured and killed the sons one by one in front of the unflinching and stout-hearted mother. story likely occurred around the beginning of the religious persecutions in 167-166 BCE. unnamed in 2 Maccabees, the mother is known variously as Hannah,[1] Miriam,[2] Solomonia,[3] and Shmouni.[4] Maccabees before the revolt of Judas Maccabeus (2 Maccabees 8), Antiochus IV Epiphanes arrested a mother and her seven sons, and tried to force them to eat pork. of the brothers said, on behalf of everyone, that even if they were all to die, they would not break the law. angry king ordered to heat up the pans and cauldrons, and he ordered the first brother to have his tongue cut off, the skin to be removed from the head and the ends of the limbs cut off – this was happening in front of the rest of the brothers and mother, who, in the meantime, encouraged each other to passively resist the tormentors' demands. the first martyr was inert and still breathing, Epiphanes ordered him to be thrown into a hot frying pan. he died, the next one was brought in and the skin was stripped from his head along with his hair. of the seven brothers endured the same torture. torment of the sons was watched by their tenacious and rather stoic mother, who had lost all her sons. narrator mentions that the mother "was the most remarkable of all, and deserves to be remembered with special honour. watched her seven sons die in the space of a single day, yet she bore it bravely because she put her trust in the Lord."[5] of the sons makes a speech as he dies, and the last one says that his brothers are "dead under God's covenant of everlasting life".[6] narrator ends by saying that the mother died, without saying whether she was executed, or died in some other way. Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Solomonia was the mother of the seven Maccabee brothers. She encouraged her sons to remain faithful to the Law of God even when threatened with death. admirable mother is honored and remembered for her great courage, for she watched all seven of her sons die in a single day. May we also be faithful to God’s commandments and the traditions of the Church.

Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Eleazar the Teacher otHoly 7 Maccabee Martyrs, scribe, at 90, virtue&courage example
Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Eleazar the Teacher of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, a scribe, volunteered torture at 90, virtue&courage example, king sent man to compel Jews depart from Law, Temple filled qRiot by Gentiles, Kings birthday jews made eat sacrifices and worship as Gentiles, Eleazar spit pork and came to torment, but liking him they wanted him to fake it, he willed them send him to the grave, so the young would not think he had changed religion, so they hated him, beaten by stripes in body, but in soul well content, because he feared God; Martyr Eleazar the Teacher of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Eleazar lived in the second century before Christ, was a scribe. the age of ninety he voluntarily endured torture and death rather than violate the Law of God by eating swine’s flesh. suffering death for the Law of Moses, he left young men, and the whole nation, an example of virtue and courage. story of Eleazar is found in II Maccabees, chapter 6. II Maccabees, chapter 6, Brenton Septuagint Translation; Not long after this the king sent an old man of Athens to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers, and not to live after the laws of God: and to pollute also the temple in Jerusalem, and to call it the temple of Jupiter Olympius; and that in Garizim, of Jupiter the defender of strangers, as they did desire that dwelt in the place. The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous to the people: for the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful. The altar also was filled with profane things, which the law forbiddeth. Neither was it lawful for a man to keep sabbath days or ancient feasts, or to profess himself at all to be a Jew. And in the day of the king's birth every month they were brought by bitter constraint to eat of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Bacchus was kept, the Jews were compelled to go in procession to Bacchus, carrying ivy. Moreover there went out a decree to the neighbour cities of the heathen, by the suggestion of Ptolemee, against the Jews, that they should observe the same fashions, and be partakers of their sacrifices: and whoso would not conform themselves to the manners of the Gentiles should be put to death. Then might a man have seen the present misery. For there were two women brought, who had circumcised their children; whom when they had openly led round about the city, the babes hanging at their breasts, they cast them down headlong from the wall. And others, that had run together into caves near by, to keep the sabbath day secretly, being discovered to Philip, were all burnt together, because they made a conscience to help themselves for the honour of the most sacred day. Now I beseech those that read this book, that they be not discouraged for these calamities, but that they judge those punishments not to be for destruction, but for a chastening of our nation. For it is a token of his great goodness, when wicked doers are not suffered any longer time, but forthwith punished. For not as with other nations, whom the Lord patiently forbeareth to punish, till they be come to the fulness of their sins, so dealeth he with us, lest that, being come to the height of sin, afterwards he should take vengeance of us. And therefore he never withdraweth his mercy from us: and though he punish with adversity, yet doth he never forsake his people. But let this that we have spoken be for a warning unto us. And now will we come to the declaring of the matter in a few words. Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged man, and of a well-favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine's flesh. But he, choosing rather to die gloriously, than to live stained with such an abomination, spit it forth, and came of his own accord to the torment. As it behoved them to come, that are resolute to stand out against such things as are not lawful for love of life to be tasted. But they that had the charge of that wicked feast, for the old acquaintance they had with the man, taking him aside, besought him to bring flesh of his own provision, such as was lawful for him to use, and make as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the sacrifice commanded by the king; that in so doing he might be delivered from death, and for the old friendship with them find favour. But he began to consider discreetly, and as became his age, and the excellency of his ancient years, and the honour of his gray head, whereunto he was come, and his most honest education from a child, or rather the holy law made and given by God: therefore he answered accordingly, and willed them straightways to send him to the grave. For it becometh not our age, said he, in any wise to dissemble, whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, being fourscore years old and ten, were now gone to a strange religion; and so they through mine hypocrisy, and desire to live a little time and a moment longer, should be deceived by me, and I get a stain to mine old age, and make it abominable. For though for the present time I should be delivered from the punishment of men: yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither alive, nor dead. Wherefore now, manfully changing this life, I will shew myself such an one as mine age requireth, and leave a notable example to such as be young to die willingly and courageously for the honourable and holy laws. And when he had said these words, immediately he went to the torment: they that led him changing the good will they bare him a little before into hatred, because the foresaid speeches proceeded, as they thought, from a desperate mind. But when he was ready to die with stripes, he groaned, and said, It is manifest unto the Lord, that hath the holy knowledge, that whereas I might have been delivered from death, I now endure sore pains in body by being beaten: but in soul am well content to suffer these things, because I fear him. And thus this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble courage, and a memorial of virtue, not only unto young men, but unto all his nation.

Jerusalem, 166 BC, Dot 9, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Antiocus IV at Antioch, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother s faithful, inspired Judas M
Jerusalem, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, at Antioch, Antiocus IV Epiphanes desecrated Temple, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother stayed faithful, tongue cut out, hands feet off, caldron, frying pan, these inspired Judas Maccabeus lead revolt and purify temple; Temple in Jerusalem; ,, Commemorated on August 1; seven holy Maccabee martyrs Abim, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar in the year 166 before Christ under the impious Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. foolish ruler loved pagan and Hellenistic customs, and held Jewish customs in contempt. He did everything possible to turn people from the Law of Moses and from their covenant with God. desecrated the Temple of the Lord, placed a statue of the pagan god Zeus there, and forced the Jews to worship it. people abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but there were also those who continued to believe that the Savior would come. ninety-year-old elder, the scribe and teacher Eleazar, was brought to trial for his faithfulness to the Mosaic Law. He suffered tortures and died at Jerusalem. disciples of Saint Eleazar, the seven Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomonia, also displayed great courage. were brought to trial in Antioch by King Antiochus Epiphanes. They fearlessly acknowledged themselves as followers of the True God, and refused to eat pig’s flesh, which was forbidden by the Law. eldest brother acted as spokesmen for the rest, saying that they preferred to die rather than break the Law. He was subjected to fierce tortures in sight of his brothers and their mother. tongue was cut out, he was scalped, and his hands and feet were cut off. a cauldron and a large frying pan were heated, and the first brother was thrown into the frying pan, and he died. next five brothers were tortured one after the other. seventh and youngest brother was the last one left alive. Antiochus suggested to Saint Solomonia to persuade the boy to obey him, so that her last son at least would be spared. the brave mother told him to imitate the courage of his brothers. child upbraided the king and was tortured even more cruelly than his brothers had been. all her seven children had died, Saint Solomonia, stood over their bodies, raised up her hands in prayer to God and died. martyric death of the Maccabee brothers inspired Judas Maccabeus, and he led a revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes. God’s help, he gained the victory, and then purified the Temple at Jerusalem. He also threw down the altars which the pagans had set up in the streets. All these events are related in the Second Book of Maccabees (Ch. 8-10). Fathers of the Church preached sermons on the seven Maccabees, including Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint Gregory Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom.

Jerusalem, 166 -160 BC, Dot 9, Judas Maccabeus, Priest and Maccabean Householder
Jerusalem Priest Maccabean Householder, 166 BC-160 BC, Judas Maccabeus;

Jerusalem, 160 BC-143 BC, Dot 9, Jonathan Apphus Maccabeus, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 160 BC-143 BC, Jonathan Apphus Maccabeus;

Jerusalem, 140 BC-37 BC, Dot 9, Hasmonaen Dynasty
Jerusalem Hasmonaen Dynasty, 140 BC-37 BC ;

Jerusalem, 142 BC-135 BC, Dot 9, Simon Thassi Maccabeus, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 142 BC-135 BC, Simon Thassi Maccabeus;

Jerusalem, 134 BC-104 BC, Dot 9, John Hyrcanus, Maccabeean Prince Only, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 134 BC-104 BC, John Hyrcanus, Maccabeean Prince Only;

Jerusalem, 104 BC-103 BC, Dot 9, Aristobulus I, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 104 BC-103 BC, Aristobulus I;

Jerusalem, 103 BC-76 BC, Dot 9, Alexander Jannaeus, Jewish State, Hasmonaen King, expansion, cruel, civil war
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 103 BC-76 BC, Alexander Jannaeus; Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai, born Jonathan Alexander) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judea from 103 to 76 BCE. A son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and married his brother's widow, Queen Salome Alexandra. his conquests to expand the kingdom to a bloody civil war, Alexander's reign has been generalised as cruel and oppressive with never-ending conflict.[1] The major historical sources of Alexander's life are Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War.[2] kingdom of Alexander Jannaeus was the largest and strongest known Jewish State outside of biblical sources, having conquered most of Palestine's Mediterranean coastline and regions surrounding the Jordan River. Alexander also had many of his subjects killed for their disapproval of his handling of state affairs. Due to his territorial expansion and interactions with his subjects, he was continuously embroiled with foreign wars and domestic turmoil.[3]

Jerusalem, 83 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Righteous Mary, mother of Anna, MOG Mary's Grand Mother
Jerusalem, 83 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Righteous Mary, mother of Anna, MOG Mary's Grand Mother; Righteous Mary, Commemorated on December 11; Mary is the mother of Saint Anna, and the grandmother of the Theotokos. Jerusalem Saint, 90 BC-11 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Jerusalem, 76 BC-67 BC, Dot 9, Salome Alexandra, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 76 BC-67 BC, Salome Alexandra

Jerusalem, 63 BC - 300 AD, Folder, Roman Period

Jerusalem, 63BC-1BC Folder, Joachim&Anna, Hasmonaen Kings, Herod tG&II, MOG Conception, James, Annunciation

Jerusalem, 63 BC - 3 BC, Dot 9, Joachim, Mary's Father, Jerusalem Saint, died at 80 2 yrs before Anna
Jerusalem Saint, 83 BC-3 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him. during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary. Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband. Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children. The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Jerusalem, 63 BC - 1 BC, Dot 9, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God
Jerusalem, 80 BC - 1 BC, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God; Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him. during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary. Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband. Saints Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children. Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Jerusalem, 60 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Anna, Mary's Mother, Jerusalem Saint, died at 79 right before Annunciation
Jerusalem Saint, 90 BC-11 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Jerusalem, 47BC-33AD, Joseph, tBetrothed, 7kids before chosen MOG's guardian, Angel told him Incarntn, sent him Egypt, 100yrOld
Galilee, 47BC-33AD, Joseph, the Betrothed, Jesus' step father, Nazareth, Galilee, J of King David's line, 4 sons 3 daughters from previous marriage, strict temperance as widower, chosen guardian oTheotokos, a virgin, Angel told him oIncarnation through her, present at Jesus' birth wAngels&Shepherds, Angel ordered him flee tEgypt, carpenter there till Herod's death, died at age 100; Nazareth; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 ; Joseph the Betrothed was of the lineage of King David. had four sons from his previous marriage: James, Judah, Joses, and Simon (or Symeon), three daughters: Esther, Martha, and Salome, who was the mother of Saint John the Theologian. he became a widower, Saint Joseph led a life of strict temperance. was chosen to be the husband and guardian of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had taken a vow of virginity. angel told him of the Incarnation of the Son of God through her. Joseph was present when the shepherds and the Magi worshiped the new-born divine Infant. the orders of the angel, he fled into Egypt with the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus, saving them from the wrath of King Herod. lived in Egypt with the Virgin Mary and the divine Child, working as a carpenter. Joseph reputedly died at the age of one hundred. Joseph is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity. If there is no Sunday between December 25 and January 1, his Feast is moved to December 26. Righteous Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.

Jerusalem, 47 BC-40 BC, Dot 9, Hyrcanus II, Hasmonaen King, long time high priest, short time king, coup by b A & Parthians
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 67 BC-40 BC, Hyrcanus II ; Hyrcanus II (died 30 BCE), a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was for a long time the Jewish High Priest in the 1st century BCE. He was also briefly King of Judea 67–66 BCE and then the ethnarch (ruler) of Judea, probably over the period 47–40 BCE.[1] was the eldest son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Alexandra Salome. After the death of Alexander in 76 BCE, his widow succeeded to the rule of Judea and installed her elder son Hyrcanus as High Priest. Alexander had numerous conflicts with the Pharisees.[2] However Hyrcanus was supported by the Pharisees, especially later in his tenure.[3] Salome died in 67 BCE, she named Hyrcanus as her successor as ruler of Judea as well,[4] but soon he and his younger brother, Aristobulus II, dissented over the right to the throne. had scarcely reigned three months when Aristobulus II rose in rebellion. Hyrcanus advanced against him at the head of his mercenaries and his followers. The brothers met in a battle near Jericho with many of Hyrcanus' soldiers going over to Aristobulus II, and thereby gave the latter the victory.[4][5] took refuge in the citadel of Jerusalem; but the capture of the Temple by Aristobulus II compelled Hyrcanus to surrender. A peace was then concluded in which Hyrcanus was to renounce the throne and the office of high priest, but was to enjoy the revenues of the latter office.[6] with the Nabataeans[edit] agreement did not last. Hyrcanus feared that Aristobulus was planning his death. Such fears were furthered by Hyrcanus' adviser, Antipater the Idumean. According to Josephus, Antipater sought to control Judea by putting the weak Hyrcanus back onto the throne.[4] Hyrcanus took refuge with Aretas III, King of the Nabataeans, who had been bribed by Antipater into supporting Hyrcanus' cause through the promise of returning Arabian towns taken by the Hasmoneans. Nabataeans advanced toward Jerusalem with an army of 50,000, took the city and besieged the Temple where Aristobulus had taken refuge for several months. During the siege, Josephus states that the adherents of Hyrcanus stoned the pious Onias, who had refused to pray for the demise of their opponents, and further angered the priests who were fighting along with Aristobulus by selling them cattle for the paschal sacrifice for the enormous price of one thousand drachmae and then refused to deliver the promised animals for the sacrifice.(Antiquities of the Jews Book 14, 2:2)[7] intervention[edit] Judea under Hyrcanus II the Roman civil war, the Roman general Pompey defeated armies of the kingdoms of Pontus and the Seleucids. He sent his deputy Marcus Aemilius Scaurus to take possession of Seleucid Syria. the Hasmoneans were allies of the Romans, both brothers appealed to Scaurus, each endeavouring through gifts and promises to win him over to his side. Scaurus, moved by a gift of 400 talents, decided in favour of Aristobulus and ordered Aretas to withdraw his army. During his retreat, the Nabateans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Aristobulus. Scaurus returned to Damascus.[8] Pompey arrived in Syria in 63 BCE, both brothers and a third party that desired the removal of the entire dynasty (according to some sources, these may have been the representatives of the Pharisees), sent their delegates to Pompey, who delayed making a decision. He favoured Hyrcanus over Aristobulus, deeming the elder, weaker brother a more reliable ally of the Roman Empire. suspicious of Pompey's intentions, entrenched himself in the fortress of Alexandrium, but when the Roman army approached Judea, he surrendered and undertook to deliver Jerusalem over to them. However, since many of his followers were unwilling to open the gates, the Romans besieged and captured the city by force, badly damaging city and the temple. Aristobulus was taken to Rome a prisoner and Hyrcanus restored as high priest in Jerusalem.[9] around 63 BCE, Hyrcanus had been restored to his position as High Priest but not to the Kingship. Political authority rested with the Romans whose interests were represented by Antipater, who primarily promoted the interests of his own house. In 47 BCE, Julius Caesar restored some political authority to Hyrcanus by appointing him ethnarch. This however had little practical effect, since Hyrcanus yielded to Antipater in everything.[8] also: Pompeian–Parthian invasion of 40 BC 40 BCE, Aristobulus' son Antigonus Mattathias allied himself with the Parthians and was proclaimed King and High Priest.[8] Hyrcanus was seized and his ears mutilated (according to Josephus, Antigonus bit his uncle's ears off) to make him permanently ineligible for the priesthood. Hyrcanus was taken by the Parthians into captivity in Babylonia,[10] where he lived for four years amid the Babylonian Jews, who paid him every mark of respect. to Jerusalem and death[edit] 36 BCE, Herod I, who had vanquished Antigonus with Roman help and feared that Hyrcanus might persuade the Parthians to help him regain the throne, invited the former High Priest to return to Jerusalem. Hyrcanus accepted and Herod received him with every mark of respect, assigning to him the first place at his table and the presidency of the state council. in 30 BCE Herod charged Hyrcanus with plotting with the Nabateans and put him to death. Josephus states that Hyrcanus was 80 years old at the time of his death. scholar Gregory Doudna proposed in 2013 that Hyrcanus II was the figure known as the Teacher of Righteousness in the Qumran Scrolls.[11][12] According to Doudna, Hyrcanus II’s sectarian orientation is now generally understood to have been Sadducee.

Jerusalem, 40 BC-37 BC, Dot 9, Antigonus II, Hasmonaen King, H brother, coup, Parthian support, k by Roman Herod
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 40 BC-37 BC, Antigonus II Mattathias; II Mattathias, also known as Antigonus the Hasmonean (died 37 BCE) was the last Hasmonean king of Judea. A puppet king installed by the Parthians,[1] he was the son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. In 37 BCE Herod handed him over to the Romans for execution, after Antigonus's three-year reign during which he led the Jews' fierce struggle for independence against the Romans. was the second son of Aristobulus II, and together with his father, were carried off as a prisoner to Rome by Pompey in 63 BCE. Antigonus eventually escaped and returned to Judaea in 57 BCE. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to oppose the Roman forces there, the senate released him, yet he refused to surrender his dynastic rights. After the death of his older brother Alexander, Antigonus claimed that his uncle Hyrcanus was a puppet of the Idumaean Antipater and attempted to overthrow him with the help and consent of the Romans. He visited Julius Caesar, who was in Syria in 47 BCE, and complained of the usurpation of Antipater and Hyrcanus. In 42 BCE, he attempted to seize the government of Judaea by force with the assistance of his brother-in-law, Ptolemy (son of Mennaeus), but was defeated by Herod.[2] support[edit] excessive taxation wrung from the people to pay for the extravagances of Antony and Cleopatra had awakened a deep hatred against Rome. Antigonus gained the adherence of both the aristocratic class in Jerusalem and the leaders of the Pharisees. The Parthians, who invaded Syria in 40 BCE, preferred to see an anti-Roman ruler on the throne of Judaea. When Antigonus promised them large sums of gold as well as five hundred female slaves, the Parthians put five hundred warriors at his disposal. After Antigonus, with Parthian help, conquered Jerusalem, Hyrcanus was sent to Babylon after having his ears mutilated, which rendered him unfit for the office of high priest. Herod fled from Jerusalem. In 40 BCE Antigonus was officially proclaimed king and high priest by the Parthians.[2] of Antigonus[edit] the conquest of Jerusalem by the Parthians, Herod fled quickly from Masada to Rome, where he was nominated in 40 BCE as the new king of Judea by the Senate on the recommendation of the triumvir Mark Antony.[3] On Herod's return to Judaea from Rome in 39 BCE he opened a campaign against Antigonus and laid siege to Jerusalem. In the spring of 38 BCE, Herod wrested control of the province of Galilee and eventually all of Judea other than Jerusalem. Due to the approach of winter, Herod postponed his siege of Jerusalem, where Antigonus and the remnants of his army took refuge, until spring. Herod and a supporting Roman army were kept out of Jerusalem for 3–5 months but the Romans did eventually capture the city. However, the supporters of Antigonus fought until the Romans reached the inner courtyard of the Temple.[4] Antigonus was taken to Antioch and executed,[5] ending Hasmonean rule.[2] states that Mark Antony beheaded Antigonus (Antiquities, XV 1:2 (8–9). Roman historian Cassius Dio says that he was crucified and records in his Roman History: "These people [the Jews] Antony entrusted to a certain Herod to govern; but Antigonus he bound to a cross and scourged, a punishment no other king had suffered at the hands of the Romans, and so slew him."[6] In his Life of Antony, Plutarch claims that Antony had Antigonus beheaded, "the first example of that punishment being inflicted on a king."[7] tomb in Jerusalem[edit] 1971, bulldozers removing earth in East Jerusalem for a construction project uncovered a tomb with an inscription that, according to some opinions, indicated that this was the tomb of King Antigonus, the last Hasmonean king.[8] However, according to anthropologist Joe Zias, former Curator of Archaeology and Anthropology for the Israel Antiquities Authority, this theory is just little more than an urban myth, since the only beheaded skeleton found in 1971 and at the later re-examination of the previously untouched tomb, belonged to an elderly woman. In his view, no other set of remains found there could be associated with King Antigonus II and it is only due to the efforts of the owner of the building located on top of the tomb that the myth is still being promoted (as seen here:[9]).[10][11] Scrolls connection[edit] scholar Gregory Doudna proposed in 2013 that Antigonus II Mattathias was the figure known as the Wicked Priest in the Qumran Scrolls.[12][13] According to Doudna, Antigonus was the figure underlying the 'Wicked Priest' of Pesher Habakkuk, and the doomed ruler of Pesher Nahum, the documents found at Qumran. Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25;

Jerusalem, 37 BC-4 AD, Dot 9, Herod T Great, Judean C King, c building p, o Innocents Massacre, Romans divided K after d
Jerusalem Judean King, 37 BC-4 AD, Herod The Great ; I (c. 72 - 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman client king of Judea,[3][4][5] referred to as the Herodian kingdom. is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renovation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the expansion of the Temple Mount towards its north,[6] the enclosure around the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima, the fortress at Masada, and Herodium. Vital details of his life are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman–Jewish historian Josephus.[7] also appears in the Christian Gospel of Matthew as the ruler of Judea who orders the Massacre of the Innocents at the time of the birth of Jesus, although most Herod biographers do not believe this event to have occurred.[8] Despite his successes, including singlehandedly forging a new aristocracy from practically nothing,[9] he has still garnered criticism from various historians. His reign polarizes opinion amongst scholars and historians, some viewing his legacy as evidence of success, and some as a reminder of his tyrannical rule.[7] Herod's death, the Romans divided his kingdom among three of his sons and his sister: Archelaus became ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea; Philip became tetrarch of territories north and east of the Jordan; and Salome I was given a toparchy including the cities of Jabneh, Ashdod, and Phasaelis. Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29;

Jerusalem, 16 BC, The Conception oMOG aJerusalem, took 20 yrs much prayer & Angel announcement, daughter tBless human race
Jerusalem, 16 BC, The Conception oMOG aJerusalem, Anna fBethlehem, Judea (south of Jerusalem 6 miles), Joachim fGalilee, C took 20 yrs, after much prayer A&J, Anna priests daughter Nathan, Levite, Joachim probably oIssachar, Angel announced daughter tA&J, blessing human race, Orthodox teaching MOG like everyone else, not exempt fAncestral sin consequences, death corruption sin etc, but she committed no personal sins, otherwise not truly himan &Christ's nature same &our salvation in doubt, conception tramples serpent, J&A in prayer eyes up tMOG standing iAir, serpent orb under foot, because s strives conquer universe, also other icons A holding MOG left arm, face oReverence, large ancient icon iRussia, Dubensk, Volhynia, painted oCanvas, Russian Pregnant Women venerate this feast; Bethlehem; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. married Saint Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee. a long time Saint Anna was childless, after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, would bring blessings to the whole human race. Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death, corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of Her Son. Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless, as Saint Ambrose of Milan teaches in Chapter Two of his Commentary on Luke. Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her mortality, and in being subject to temptation, although She committed no personal sins. was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity. If this were the case, She would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been truly human either. Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibility of our salvation is in doubt. Conception of the Virgin Mary by Saint Anna took place at Jerusalem. many icons depicting the Conception by Saint Anna show the Most Holy Theotokos trampling the serpent underfoot. “In the icon Saints Joachim and Anna are usually depicted with hands folded in prayer; their eyes are also directed upward and they contemplate the Mother of God, Who stands in the air with outstretched hands; under Her feet is an orb encircled by a serpent (symbolizing the devil), which strives to conquer all the universe by its power.” are also icons in which Saint Anna holds the Most Holy Virgin on her left arm as an infant. Saint Anna’s face is a look of reverence. large ancient icon, painted on canvas, is located in the village of Minkovetsa in the Dubensk district of Volhynia diocese. ancient times this Feast was especially venerated by pregnant women in Russia.

Jerusalem, 15BC-63, Dot 9, Apostle James, Lord's step, Nazarene, 1st Bishop of J, c many Jews, so thrown down f Temple top
If Joseph was 70 at Jesus' birth, then James was probably around 50, so he would have been 20 in 30BC. Jerusalem, 30BC-63AD, Apostle James, brother of the Lord, a Nazarene, became apostle in 30-33, 1st Bishop of J, council J in 51, converted many Jews, so thrown down from top of Temple; Jerusalem; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Jerusalem, 15BC-63, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee, approx 20yrs older than MOG, first bishop oJerusalem
Galilee, 15BC-40, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee (Kishon River drainage), approx 20yrs older than MOG, Solomonia's Son, flight to Egypt, probably to Bethlem Nativity also, thrown from roof of Temple Nazareth; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26; Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage with Solomonia. Apostle James is remembered after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ together with his father Joseph and the Prophet-King David, since he accompanied his family on the Flight into Egypt and lived there with the Infant Jesus, the Mother of God and Joseph. Later, he returned to Israel with them. the Ascension of the Lord, Saint James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, gaining the great esteem not only of Christians, but also of Jews. He was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple because he had publicly preached to the people about the God-Manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle James is also commemorated on October 23.

Jerusalem, 12 BC, Dot 9, Forefeast Theotokos Jerusalem Tempel Entry, 3 Temple Readings, Tabernacle, T Dedication, East Gate
Jerusalem, , Forefeast Theotokos entry to the Temple - Jerusalem, 3 Temple Readings, Tabernacle, T Dedication, East Gate; Temple in Jerusalem; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple has only one day of prefeast. The hymns for today praise Saint Anna for bringing her daughter, the living temple of God, to the Temple in Jerusalem. three Old Testament readings at Great Vespers refer to the Temple. first lesson (Exodus 40:1-5, 9-10, 16, 34-35) refers to the arrangement of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation (a portable sanctuary which was carried by the Israelites in their wanderings). second lesson (III Kings/I Kings 7:51; 8:1, 3-7, 9-11) describes the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. third lesson (Ezekiel 43:27-44:4) speaks of the gate of the sanctuary which faces east. God enters through this gate, which is shut so that no one else can enter by it. The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21;

Jerusalem, 15BC-107, Simeon, Lord's older Cousin, James' age, Joseph's brother Cleopas' son, otSeventy, age 120+, Bishop oJ
Jerusalem, 15BC-107, Simeon, Lord's older Cousin, James' age, Joseph's brother Cleopas' son, witnessed Jesus' miracles, believed, otSeventy, Suceeded James as Bishop oJ, executed as decentent of David at more than age 120, endured several days torture; Jerusalem; Hieromartyr Simeon, kinsman of the Lord, second Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 27; Holy Apostle and Hieromartyr Simeon, a kinsman of the Lord, the son of Cleopas, who was the younger brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. Thus, Saint Simeon is Joseph's nephew, and a cousin of the Lord. an adult, he witnessed the miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ, believed in Him, and became one of the 70 Apostles. Simeon proclaimed the teachings of Christ, was instructed in the truths of the holy Faith, and denounced idol worship. the murder of the Holy Apostle James (October 23), the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Christians chose the Apostle Simeon to succeed him. Emperors Vespasian and Domitian had ordered that all descendants of King David be put to death. Emperor Trajan (98-117) renewed that decree, and certain heretics and some others denounced Saint Simeon as a descendant of King David, as well as a Christian. pagans arrested Saint Simeon, who at that time was more than one hundred and twenty years old. He astonished the judge and his attendants by enduring several days of torture, and then he was crucified in the year 107, during Trajan's reign, when Atticus was consul. Parisian Codices contain a Service in honor of Saint Simeon, the poem of the hymnographer Theophanēs. (Some Synaxaristes also commemorate him on September 18).

Jerusalem, 12 BC, Dot 9, Theotokos Temple entry, age 3, virgin excort, 15 Steps, ran up s, High Priest led into Holy of Holies
Jerusalem, 12 BC, Theotokos entry to the Temple - Jerusalem, dedicated, age 3, virgin excort, High Priest, 15 Steps, psalms of ascent, strengthened by power of God, ran up steps, High Priest then led her into Holy of Holies, astonishment, remained in virgin quarters; Temple in Jerusalem; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21; to Holy Tradition, the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple took place in the following manner. The parents of the Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anna, praying for an end to their childlessness, vowed that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate it to the service of God. the Most Holy Virgin reached the age of three, the holy parents decided to fulfill their vow. gathered together their relatives and acquaintances, and dressed the All-Pure Virgin in Her finest clothes. Singing sacred songs and with lighted candles in their hands, virgins escorted Her to the Temple (Ps. 44/45:14-15). the High Priest and several priests met the handmaiden of God. In the Temple, fifteen high steps led to the sanctuary, which only the priests and High Priest could enter. (Because they recited a Psalm on each step, Psalms 119/120-133/134 are called “Psalms of Ascent.”) child Mary, so it seemed, could not make it up this stairway. But just as they placed Her on the first step, strengthened by the power of God, She quickly went up the remaining steps and ascended to the highest one. the High Priest, through inspiration from above, led the Most Holy Virgin into the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest entered once a year to offer a purifying sacrifice of blood. Therefore, all those present in the Temple were astonished at this most unusual occurrence. entrusting their child to the Heavenly Father, Joachim and Anna returned home. All-Holy Virgin remained in the quarters for virgins near the Temple. to the testimony of Holy Scripture (Exodus 38; 1 Kings 1: 28; Luke 2: 37), and also the historian Josephus Flavius, there were many living quarters around the Temple, in which those who were dedicated to the service of God dwelt. earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos from Her infancy until She was taken up to Heaven is shrouded in deep mystery. life at the Jerusalem Temple was also a secret. “If anyone were to ask me,” said Saint Jerome, “how the Most Holy Virgin spent the time of Her youth, I would answer that that is known to God Himself and the Archangel Gabriel, Her constant guardian.” there are accounts in Church Tradition, that during the All-Pure Virgin’s stay at the Temple, She grew up in a community of pious virgins, diligently read the Holy Scripture, occupied Herself with handicrafts, prayed constantly, and grew in love for God. From ancient times, the Church has celebrated the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Indications that the Feast was observed in the first centuries of Christianity are found in the traditions of Palestinian Christians, which say that the holy Empress Helen (May 21) built a church in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Gregory of Nyssa, in the fourth century, also mentions this Feast. In the eighth century Saints Germanus and Tarasius, Patriarchs of Constantinople, delivered sermons on the Feast of the Entry. Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple foretells God’s blessing for the human race, the preaching of salvation, the promise of the coming of Christ.

Jerusalem, 7 BC-34 AD, Dot 9, heir, Herod II, H oldest son, first husband of Herodius
Jerusalem heir, 27BC-34AD, Herod II ; II (ca. 27 BC – 33/34 AD)[1][2] was the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne II, the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. For a brief period he was his father's heir. Some writers call him Herod Philip I (not to be confused with Philip the Tetrarch, whom some writers call Herod Philip II). was the first husband of Herodias, and because the Gospel of Mark 6:17 states that Herodias was married to Philip, some scholars have argued that his name was actually Herod Philip. Because he was the grandson of the high priest Simon Boethus he is sometimes described as Herod Boethus, but there is no evidence he was actually called this.[3] The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Jerusalem, 4 BC-6 AD, Dot 9, Ethnarch, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom) Killed the Innocents
Jerusalem Ethnarch, 4BC-6AD, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom); Archelaus (Ancient Greek: ; 23 BC -AD 18) was ethnarch[1][2] of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea (biblical Edom), including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years[3] (c. 4 BC to AD 6). Archelaus was removed by Roman Emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, and was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod II. Archelaus (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father. A map depicting the domain of Herod Archelaus as was given to him by Augustus after the death of King Herod the Great. Josephus writes that Herod the Great (father of Archelaus) was in Jericho at the time of his death.[4] Just prior to his final trip to Jericho, he was deeply involved in a religious conflagration. Herod had placed a golden eagle over the Temple entrance which was perceived as blasphemous.[5] The eagle was chopped down with axes. Two teachers and approximately 40 other youths were arrested for this act and immolated. Herod defended his works and offered an attack on his predecessors, the dynastic Hasmoneans. Herod killed all male lineal successors of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees had long attacked the Hasmoneans as well, as having parentage from Greeks while under bondage. This racial slur was repeated by the Pharisees through the rule of Alexander Jannaeus and Queen Salome.[6] With this explicit background given, Josephus began an exposition of the days of Archelaus' reign before Passover of 4 BC. Archelaus dressed in white and ascended a golden throne and appeared to be kind to the populace in Jerusalem in order to appease their desires for lower taxes and an end to the (political) imprisonment of Herod's enemies. The demeanor of the questioning appeared to turn at some point, and the crowd began to call for the punishment of those of Herod's people who ordered the death of the two teachers and the 40 youths. They also demanded the replacement of the High Priest, from the appointed High Priest of Herod's to a High Priest, "of greater piety and purity".[7] Josephus does not tell who would be "of greater piety and purity". To this request, however, Archelaus acceded, although he was becoming angry at the presumptions of the crowds. Archelaus asked for moderation and told the crowds that all would be well if they would put aside their animosities and wait until he was confirmed as King by Caesar Augustus. Archelaus then left to feast with his friends. It was evening and as the darkness settled, a mourning and wailing begin over the city. Archelaus began to worry as people begin streaming into the Temple area and those who wailed for loss of the teachers continued their very loud mourning. The people were escalating in their threatening behavior. Henry St. John Thackeray's translation of Josephus here states it thus: "The promoters of the mourning for the doctors stood in the body of the temple, procuring recruits for their faction".[8] Josephus does not tell us who these "promoters of the mourning", who recruit from within a body inside the Temple, could be. Archelaus then sent a general, some other people and finally a "tribune in Command of a Cohort" to reason with these "Seditionists", to stop their "innovations" and wait until Archelaus could return from Rome and Caesar. Those who came from Archelaus were stoned, with many killed. After the stoning, those who stoned the soldiers returned to their sacrifices, as if nothing had happened. Josephus does not tell who performed the sacrifices in the Temple. It was after midnight, and Archelaus suddenly ordered the entire army into the city to the Temple. Josephus records the death toll at 3000. Archelaus sent heralds around the city announcing the cancellation of Passover. Archelaus quickly sailed to Caesar and faced a group of enemies – his own family. Antipas, the younger brother of Archelaus who was deposed from Herod's will days earlier, argued that Archelaus merely feigned grief for his father, crying during the day and involved with great "merriment" during the nights. The threats carried out by Archelaus ending in the death of 3000 in the Temple were not just threats to the worshipers in Jerusalem at Passover, but also amounted to a threat to Caesar himself, since Archelaus acted in every manner a King, before such title had been given by Caesar. At this point, Nicolaus of Damascus argued to Caesar that Archelaus acted appropriately and that Herod's will, supposedly written a few weeks prior (yielding the kingship to Archelaus and against Antipater), should be seen as valid. The change of this will in favor of Archelaus is given as Herod's true choice and, it is argued, occurred with Herod being in his right mind since he left the final decision to Caesar. The change of the will appears as one of Herod's last acts and it is attested from Jericho by one "Ptolemy", keeper of Herod's Seal. Nicholaus of Damascus had been Herod's confidant for years. He was loyal to Rome. Ptolemy was Nicholaus of Damascus' brother. Archelaus, at the conclusion of the arguments, fell at Caesar's feet. Caesar raised him up and stated that Archelaus "was worthy to succeed his father".[9] Caesar gave Archelaus the title of Ethnarch and divided the kingdom. Rome would consolidate its power later. Thus, Archelaus received the Tetrarchy of Judea through the last will of his father, though a previous will had bequeathed it to his brother Antipas. He was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Caesar Augustus in Rome. In Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the Jews, who feared his cruelty, based on the murder of 3000; but in 4 BC Augustus allotted to him the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea) with the title of ethnarch (a ruler of an ethnic group).[10][11] The first wife of Archelaus is given by Josephus simply as Mariamne,[12] perhaps Mariamne III, daughter of Aristobulus IV, whom he divorced to marry Glaphyra. She was the widow of Archelaus' brother Alexander, though her second husband, Juba, king of Mauretania, was alive. This violation of the Mosaic law, along with Archelaus' continued cruelty, roused the ire of the Jews, who complained to Augustus. Archelaus fell into disrepute and was deposed in his 10th year of reign as ethnarch, being banished to Vienna (today Vienne) in Gaul.[13][10] Samaria, Judea proper, and Idumea became the Roman province of Iudaea.[14] Biblical references[edit] Herod Archelaus from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (16th century depiction) Archelaus is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 2 verse 13–23). An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up and take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to avoid the Massacre of the Innocents. When Herod the Great died, Joseph was told by an angel in a dream to return to the land of Israel (presumably to Bethlehem). However, upon hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father as ruler of Judaea he "was afraid to go there" (Matthew 2:22), and was again warned in a dream by God "and turned aside to the region of" Galilee. This is Matthew's explanation of why Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea but grew up in Nazareth. The beginning and conclusion of Jesus' parable of the minas in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, may refer to Archelaus' journey to Rome. Some interpreters conclude from this that Jesus' parables and preaching made use of events familiar to the people as examples for bringing his spiritual lessons to life. Others read the allusion as arising from later adaptations of Jesus' parables in the oral tradition, before the parables were recorded in the gospels. A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return ... But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." ... "But as for these enemies of mine," [said the nobleman,] "who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me." (Luke 19:12, 19:14, 19:27) Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Jerusalem, 1 BC, Dot 9, Dormition of Anna, Her incorrupt relics in many places like Deutera, mother of MOG, Priest's d, d 79 before A
Jerusalem, 1 BC, Dormition of Anna, Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople) St Anne, mother of Theotokos, Priest's daughter, died at 79 before Annunciation, incorrupt r at Athos, Stavronikita, Anna's Skete, Koutloumousiou; Anna's monastery Lygaria, Lamia, Sourota, Crusaders saints relics, Church St Paul outside Rome; Deutera Rome (Second Rome, Constantinople); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Jerusalem, 1 BC, Dot 9, Angel Gabriel, announced both John and Jesus
Jerusalem, 1 BC, Angel Gabriel, announced both John and Jesus; the Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an archangel, first described in the Hebrew Bible. of Gabriel by Jan van Eyck, 1434. the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27). The archangel also appears in the Book of Enoch and other ancient Jewish writings. Alongside archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending its people against the angels of the other nations.[6] Gospel of Luke relates the stories of the Annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively (Luke 1:11–38). Many Christian traditions—including Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism—revere Gabriel as a saint.[1][7] regards Gabriel (Jibril) as an archangel sent by God to various prophets, including Muhammad.[8] The first five verses of the Al-Alaq, the 96th chapter of the Quran, is believed by Muslims to have been the first verses revealed by Jibreel to Muhammad.[citation needed] Statue of Archangel Gabriel (15th century), adorning the top of the northwest corner pillar of the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. Latter Day Saints hold that the angel Gabriel is the same individual as the prophet Noah in his mortal ministry.[9][10] consider Gabriel one of the Seven Mysteries, the heptad to which God entrusted the world and sometimes identified with Melek Taus.[11] to the ancient Gnostic manuscript, the Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit, Gabriel is a divine being and inhabitant of the Pleroma who existed prior to the Demiurge.[12] Jerusalem Saint, 1 BC-29 AD, John the Baptist, John the Forerunner; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; of the Holy Archangel Gabriel: The Archangel Gabriel was chosen by the Lord to announce to the Virgin Mary about the Incarnation of the Son of God from Her, to the great rejoicing of all mankind. Therefore, on the day after the Feast of the Annunciation, the day on which the All-Pure Virgin is glorified, we give thanks to the Lord and we venerate His messenger Gabriel, who contributed to the mystery of our salvation. the holy Archistrategos (Leader of the Heavenly Hosts), is a faithful servant of the Almighty God. He announced the future Incarnation of the Son of God to those of the Old Testament; he inspired the Prophet Moses to write the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), he announced the coming tribulations of the Chosen People to the Prophet Daniel (Dan. 8:16, 9:21-24); he appeared to Saint Anna (July 25) with the news that she would give birth to the Virgin Mary. holy Archangel Gabriel remained with the Holy Virgin Mary when She was a child in the Temple of Jerusalem, and watched over Her throughout Her earthly life. He appeared to the Priest Zachariah, foretelling the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist. Lord sent him to Saint Joseph the Betrothed in a dream, to reveal to him the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God from the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and warned him of the wicked intentions of Herod, ordering him to flee into Egypt with the divine Infant and His Mother. the Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His Passion, the Archangel Gabriel, whose very name signifies “Man of Godâ€ (Luke. 22:43), was sent from Heaven to strengthen Him. Myrrh-Bearing Women heard from the Archangel the joyous news of Christ’s Resurrection (Mt.28:1-7, Mark 16:1-8). of the manifold appearances of the holy Archangel Gabriel and of his zealous fulfilling of God’s will, and confessing his intercession for Christians before the Lord, the Orthodox Church calls upon its children to pray to the great Archangel with faith and love. Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel is also celebrated on July 13. All the angels are commemorated on November 8. THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT), Commemorated June 24; begins his Gospel by describing an aged, devout, childless couple, the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. As Zechariah is serving in the Temple, he sees the angel Gabriel, who tells him that he and his wife will have a son who will be a great prophet, and will go before the Lord "like Elijah." (The Jewish tradition had been that Elijah would herald the coming of the Messiah = Christ = Anointed = Chosen of God.) Zechariah went home, and his wife conceived. About six months later, Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, a kinswoman of Elizabeth, and told her that she was about to bear a son who would be called Son of the Most High, a king whose kingdom would never end. Thus Elizabeth gave birth to John, and Mary gave birth six months later to Jesus.

Jerusalem, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostles, MOG, JtBaptist, Lord Jesus, 3Shepherds, Magi, Anna&Simeon, MOG Dominion, Temple dest+

Jerusalem, 0000, FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY
Jerusalem, 0000, FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) at Jerusalem Temple, 40 days after Christmas, end of Mary's seclusion, buy back Jesus as first born male, met by 360 yr old Simeon, I will search Jerusalem with candels, Candlemas; Temple in Jerusalem; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; events commemorated today are recorded in Luke 2:22-39. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple forward from December 25 as Day One, we find that Day Forty is February 2. Jewish woman is in semi-seclusion for 40 days after giving birth to a son, accordingly it is on February 2 that we celebrate the coming of Mary and Joseph with the infant Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to offer sacrifice on behalf of Mary to mark the end of her seclusion (see Le 12:1-8), (2) to ransom or redeem (buy back) Jesus as a first-born male (see Ex 13:11-13; 22:29; Nu 18:15-16; Dt 15:19). they did so, they were greeted by the aged Simeon. a Sunday-School pageant, I once saw, the narrator said, now Simeon bursts into a spontaneous song of praise, assisted by the Temple Choir." song, called the Nunc Dimittis, has always had a prominent role in Christian worship. It has often been rendered in verse. append one example. Lord God, thou now hast set thy servant free, G-GGAGceddc-- to part in peace according to thy word. eefgGcBAAG-- Mine eyes have seen the Saviour, Christ the Lord ddef--cccfed-- prepared by thee for all the worlds to see; dpdBGceddc-- to shine on nations lost in darkest night, cfgaadggrg-- the glory of thy people, and their light. Gcdedfeddc-- The Presentation, by Fra Angelico(The versification is by Rae E Whitney, found in the Episcopal Hymnal 1982. The melody shown at the right is SONG 1 by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). Note that: We denote two octaves of white keys by CDEFGABcdefgab. We denote black keys (beginning with c sharp) by pqrst. We use a dash to continue the previous note for another beat.) an old reading for this festival contains the line (Zephaniah 1:12), will search Jerusalem with candles," day is also known as Candlemas, and sometimes observed with a candle-lit procession. the other hand, Groundhog Day ("If the groundhog (or woodchuck, a kind of marmot, which burrows and hibernates) sees his shadow on 2 February, there will be six more weeks of winter.") is strictly a secular holiday, brought to the United States and Canada by German immigrants. The Presentation, by Le BrunFIRST READING: Malachi 3:1-4 ("Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.") PSALM 84:1-6 ("O how amiable are thy dwellings, thou LORD of hosts!") EPISTLE: Hebrew 2:14-18 ("Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy the power of death.") THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 2:22-40 ("And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.") by James Kiefer

Jerusaslem, 0000, Meeting of our Lord and Savior in Jerusalem Temple, described in Luke 2, 40 days after His birth
Jerusaslem, 0000, Meeting of our Lord and Savior in Jerusalem Temple, described in Luke 2, 40 days after His birth, presented to the Lord, after MOG's purification, she offering young lamb, 2Turtledoves to the Lord, out of humility, requirements otLaw, same time divinely inspired 360 yr old Simeon came from Jerusalem, could not die till he received Messiah, he Septuagent writer, Lord not let me depart in peace, Virgin behold this child will fall and rise again, with many, for a sign, sword will pierce him and your own heart also, 84 yr old Anna also there, prophetess, daughter of saint Phanuel, this child has established heaven and earth, Righteous have awaited his coming by faith, Righteous S&A last OT righteous deemed worthy to meet him itTemple, this feast celebrated from the beginning, but really celebrated after Antioch earthquake 528, then plague 541, feast adorned with hymns icons MOG pierced wSwords from Simeon's prophecy ; Temple in Jerusalem; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Meeting of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is described in the third Gospel (Luke 2:22-40). days after His birth the Divine Child was brought to the Temple at Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord. to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple for forty days. the end of the time of her purification, the mother went to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb, two turtledoves, or pigeons to the Lord as a sacrifice. Most Holy Virgin had no need of purification, since she had given birth to the Source of purity and sanctity. of humility, however, she fulfilled the requirements of the Law. this time the righteous Elder Simeon (February 3) was living in Jerusalem. had been revealed to him that he would not die until he beheld the promised Messiah. divine inspiration, Saint Simeon went to the Temple at the very moment when the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Joseph had brought the Child Jesus to fulfill the Law. Simeon received the divine Child in his arms,1 giving thanks to God, he spoke the words repeated by the Church each evening at Vespers: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). Simeon said to the Most Holy Virgin: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). the Temple was an 84-year-old widow, Saint Anna the Prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel (February 3), “who did not leave the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day." arrived just when Saint Simeon met the Divine Child. also gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who were looking for redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). the icon of the Feast she holds a scroll which reads: “This Child has established Heaven and earth.” Christ was born, the righteous men and women lived by faith in the promised Messiah, and awaited His coming. Righteous Simeon and the Prophetess Anna, the last righteous persons of the Old Testament, were deemed worthy to meet Him in the Temple. Feast of the Meeting of the Lord is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. have sermons by the holy bishops Methodios of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilokhios of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), and John Chrysostom (+ 407). its early origin, this Feast was not celebrated so splendidly until the VI century. 528, during the reign of Justinian, an earthquake killed many people in Antioch. misfortunes followed this one. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, carrying off several thousand people each day. this time of widespread suffering, a solemn prayer service (Litia) for deliverence from evils was celebrated on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the plague ceased. thanks to God, the Church established a more solemn celebration of this Feast. hymnographers have adorned this Feast with their hymns: Andrew of Crete in the VII century; Cosmas Bishop of Maium, Saint John of Damascus, and Saint Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in the VIII century; Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessaloniki in the IX century. we also commemorate the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos known as “the Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy. ” The Mother of God is depicted without her Child, and seven swords piercing her breast: three from the left side, three from the right, and one from below. similar Icon, “Of the Seven Swords” (August 13) shows three swords on the left side and four from the right. "Softening of Evil Hearts” Is also commemorated on August 13. Icon “Simeon’s Prophecy” symbolizes the fulfillment of the prophecy of the righteous Elder Simeon: “a sword shall pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35). Constantinople, the Emperors would celebrate the Feast Day at the Blakhernae church during the All-Night Vigil. custom continued until the Fall of the Byzantine Empire. 1 For this reason, he is known as the God-Receiver (Θεοδόχος).

Jerusalem, 1-67, Mary, Mother of God (Most Holy Theotokos, MOG)
Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Ephesus, 30-100, St John the Theologian, of Patmos and Ephesus; the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. Martyr Hermione, daughter of Saint Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. He was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart. the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him. Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder, the youth actually did repent and turn his life around. John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. The Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ, as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Church commemorates Saint John on this day because of the annual pilgrimage to his grave. Saint John was more than one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disciples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. John’s main Feast is on September 26.

Jerusalem, 1-31, John tBaptist, tForerunner, he baptized Christ, called greatest prophet bJesus, bright morning star
Jerusalem, 1-31, Saint, John the Baptist, John the Forerunner, he baptized Christ, called greatest prophet bJesus, born 6mos bc, prepared in desert, fasting, prayer, sympathy fGod' people, preaching repentence a30, bright morning star, announcing dawn day oGrace, killed bHerod fSalome, body buried Sebaste, right hand given to Luke, which baptized Jesus, hand tAntioch wLuke, hand tChalcedon wMoslems seize A, tConstan 956 Theophany, 1200 Dobrynya or Anthony oNovgorod saw hand imperial palace there, 1263 Crusader capture oC one bone tCistercian Abby iFrance, 1453 locked up by Turks iImperial Treasury, 1484 given to Kinghts oRhodes bSultan's son, t their HQ aMalta, Napoleonic Threat 1799 transferred tRussia, Gatchina then Winter Palace, Forerunner celebrated on 6days; Jerusalem Saint, 1-31, John the Baptist, John the Forerunner; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, the history of the Old Testament opens the era of the New Testament. holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism. holy Prophet John, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth, was related to the Lord on His mother’s side. holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before Christ. Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him. the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people. the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. appeared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. church hymnology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ. baptized the sinless Lamb of God, Saint John soon died a martyr’s death, beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. (On Saint John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34, 3:22-26). Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios: body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. holy Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch. the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. special service was composed for this Feast. the Synaxis of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: 23, his Conception; 24, his Nativity; 29, his Beheading; 24, the First and Second Finding of his Head; 25, the Third Finding of his Head; 12, the Transfer of his Right Hand from Malta to Gatchina (1799).

Jerusalem, 1-33, Lord Jesus Christ
Jerusalem, 1AD-33 AD, Lord Jesus Christ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Jerusalem, 1AD, Circumcision oJesus&Naming, remind NewCovenant, OT Law sign Old C, Gabriel gave MOG tName, means Savior
Jerusalem, 1AD, Circumcision oJesus, Bethlehem, Judea (high point, south of Jerusalem 6 miles), 8th day, Old Testament Law, sign God's covenant wAbraham's descendants, given name Jesus (Savior) per Archangel Gabriel told Theotokos aAnnunciation, Lord's (creator otLaw) example how faithfully follow divine ordanances, also so no one doubt his human flesh, which heratics taught as illusion, in New Testament circumcision replaced by Baptism, C prefigured B, Cannon Circumcision Feast written by Steven oSavva, Name Jesus indicated his work oSalvation otWorld, C &Naming remind New Covenant wGod; Bethlehem; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. male infants underwent circumcision as a sign of God’s Covenant with the holy Forefather Abraham and his descendants [Genesis 17:10-14, Leviticus 12:3]. this ritual, the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, the Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos [Luke 1:31-33, 2:21]. Fathers of the Church explain that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order to give people an example of how faithfully the divine ordinances ought to be fulfilled. Lord was circumcised so that later no one would doubt that He had truly assumed human flesh, that His Incarnation was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics had taught. the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured [Colossians 2:11-12]. of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord continue in the Eastern Church right up through the fourth century. Canon of the Feast was written by Saint Stephen of the Saint Savva Monastery. addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a sign of God’s Covenant with mankind, also received the Name Jesus [Savior] on the eighth day after His Nativity an indication of His service, the work of the salvation of the world [Matthew 1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; Philippians 2:9-10]. two events -- the Lord’s Circumcision and Naming -- Christians that they have entered into a New Covenant with God “are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh the circumcision of Christ” [Colossians 2:11]. very name “Christian” is a sign of mankind’s entrance into a New Covenant with God. THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; January 1st, we celebrate the Circumcision of Christ. we are more squeamish than our ancestors, modern calendars often list it as the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, the other emphasis is the older. Jewish boy was circumcised (and formally named) on the eighth day of his life, so, one week after Christmas, we celebrate the occasion when Our Lord first shed His blood for us. is a fit close for a week of martyrs, and reminds us that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Him. FOR ALL YEARS FIRST READING: Exodus 34:1-8 (When the Israelites had broken the Law, God proclaimed His Name before Moses and renewed the Law.) PSALM 8 (O LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Thou hast crowned [the son of man] with glory, and put all things under his feet.) EPISTLE: Romans 1:1-7 (Jesus was Son of David by the rules of flesh, but was the Son of God by the power of the Spirit.) ALTERNATE EPISTLE (YEAR A ONLY): Philippians 2:9-13 ("at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow") THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 2:15-21 (The visit of the shepherds to the manger; the circumcision) by James Kiefer

Jerusalem, 1 AD, Three Shepherds, Bethlehem, Judea, Angel Gabriel, great joy to all people, they first to offer worship
Rome, 1 AD, Three Shepherds, Bethlehem, Judea, Angel Gabriel, great joy to all people, they first to offer worship; Bethlehem; Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. The Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). In the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). The humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, the Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea.

Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Judea, Agustus' census, born today, Lords' Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star
Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Bethlehem, Judea, Agustus' census, King David's house in Bethlehem, cave used as a stable, birth without travail, swaddling clothes, Manger, midnight, Gabriel announced to shepherds, great joy, all people, born today, Savior, the Lord, Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star; Bethlehem; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind.

Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Magi, from Persia to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, because Savior, Lord, Nativity revealed by wonderous star
Jerusalem, 1 AD, The Nativity, Bethlehem, Judea, Agustus' census, King David's house in Bethlehem, cave used as a stable, birth without travail, swaddling clothes, Manger, midnight, Gabriel announced to shepherds, great joy, all people, born today, Savior, the Lord, Nativity revealed to Magi by wonderous star; Bethlehem; The Adoration of the Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar, Commemorated on December 25; Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). names of the three Wise Men (Magi) do not appear in the Gospels. The tradition that there were three visitors from the east is very ancient, but their names are only mentioned in the Middle Ages. reputed to be the relics of the three kings have been in the cathedral at Cologne, Germany since 1164. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem during the reign of the emperor Augustus (Octavian). Caesar Augustus decreed that a universal census be made throughout his Empire, which then also included Palestinian Israel. Jews were accustomed to be counted in the city from where their family came. The Most Holy Virgin and the Righteous Joseph, since they were descended from the house and lineage of King David, had to go to Bethlehem to be counted and taxed. Bethlehem they found no room at any of the city’s inns. Thus, the God-Man, the Savior of the world, was born in a cave that was used as a stable. “I behold a strange and most glorious mystery,” the Church sings with awe, “Heaven, a Cave; the Virgin the Throne of the Cherubim; the Manger a room, in which Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain is laid.” (Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Nativity Canon). given birth to the divine Infant without travail, the Most Holy Virgin “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7). the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind. Besides the glad tidings to the Bethlehem shepherds, Nativity of Christ was revealed to the Magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Theophylactus, commenting on Saint Matthew’s Gospel, say that this was no ordinary star. Rather, it was “a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star.” Saint Demetrius of Rostov says it was a “manifestation of divine energy” (Narrative of the Adoration of the Magi). Entering the house where the Infant lay, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11). present Feast, commemorating the Nativity in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, was established by the Church. Its origin goes back to the time of the Apostles. In the Apostolic Constitutions (Section 3, 13) it says, “Brethren, observe the feastdays; and first of all the Birth of Christ, which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month.” In another place it also says, “Celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which unseen grace is given man by the birth of the Word of God from the Virgin Mary for the salvation of the world.” the second century Saint Clement of Alexandria also indicates that the day of the Nativity of Christ is December 25. In the third century Saint Hippolytus of Rome mentions the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and appoints the Gospel readings for this day from the opening chapters of Saint Matthew. 302, during the persecution of Christians by Maximian, 20,000 Christians of Nicomedia (December 28) were burned in church on the very Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In that same century, after the persecution when the Church had received freedom of religion and had become the official religion in the Roman Empire, we find the Feast of the Nativity of Christ observed throughout the entire Church. There is evidence of this in the works of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom and other Fathers of the Church of the fourth century. John Chrysostom, in a sermon which he gave in the year 385, points out that the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is ancient, and indeed very ancient. In this same century, at the Cave of Bethlehem, made famous by the Birth of Jesus Christ, the empress Saint Helen built a church, which her mighty son Constantine adorned after her death. In the Codex of the emperor Theodosius from 438, and of the emperor Justinian in 535, the universal celebration of the day of the Nativity of Christ was decreed by law. Thus, Nikēphóros Callistus, a writer of the fourteenth century, says in his History that in the sixth century, the emperor Justinian established the celebration of the Nativity of Christ throughout all the world. Anatolius of Constantinople in the fifth century, Sophronius and Andrew of Jerusalem in the seventh, Saints John of Damascus, Cosmas of Maium and Patriarch Germanus of Constantinople in the eighth, the Nun Cassiane in the ninth, and others whose names are unknown, wrote many sacred hymns for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, which are still sung by the Church on this radiant festival. the first three centuries, in the Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Cyprus, the Nativity of Christ was combined together with the Feast of His Baptism on January 6, and called “Theophany” (“Manifestation of God”). This was because of a belief that Christ was baptized on anniversary of His birth, which may be inferred from Saint John Chrysostom’s sermon on the Nativity of Christ: “it is not the day on which Christ was born which is called Theophany, but rather that day on which He was baptized.” support of such a view, it is possible to cite the words of the Evangelist Luke who says that “Jesus began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23) when He was baptized. The joint celebration of the Nativity of Christ and His Theophany continued to the end of the fourth century in certain Eastern Churches, and until the fifth or sixth century in others. present order of services preserves the memory of the ancient joint celebration of the Feasts of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On the eve of both Feasts, there is a similar tradition that one should fast until the stars appear. The order of divine services on the eve of both feastdays and the feastdays themselves is the same. Nativity of Christ has long been counted as one of the Twelve Great Feasts. It is one of the greatest, most joyful and wondrous events in the history of the world. “The angel said to the shepherds, ‘Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ Then suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, glorifying God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ Those who heard these things were astonished at what the shepherds told them concerning the Child. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:10-20). the Nativity of Christ, a most profound and extraordinary event, was accompanied by the wondrous tidings proclaimed to the shepherds and to the Magi. This is a cause of universal rejoicing for all mankind, “for the Savior is Born!” with the witness of the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, in their God-inspired writings, describe the Feast of the Nativity of Christ as most profound, and joyous, serving as the basis and foundation for all the other Feasts. is Born! Glorify Him! also: Discourse on the Nativity of Christ by Saint Gregory Thaumatourgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; the stillness of midnight (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15), the proclamation of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by three shepherds watching their flocks by night. angel of the Lord (Saint Cyprian says this was Gabriel) came before them and said: “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). humble shepherds were the first to offer worship to Him Who condescended to assume the form of a humble servant for the salvation of mankind.

Jerusalem, 1 AD (360BC-1AD), Simeon the God Receiver, Septuagint translator 360 BC, promised to see the Messiah before death
Jerusalem, 1 AD (360BC-1AD), Simeon the God Receiver, Sanhedrin wise man, Septuagint translator 360 BC, promised he would see the Messiah before death, a virgin will conceive; Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver ; Jerusalem, 360BC-1AD, Saint Simeon the God Receiver; Jerusalem King, 358 BC- 338 BC, Artaxerxes III; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3; Simeon the God-Receiver was, according to the testimony of the holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). promised him that he would not die until the promised Messiah, Christ the Lord, came into the world. historians tell us that the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.) wished to include texts of Holy Scripture in the famous Library at Alexandria. He invited scholars from Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin sent their wise men. The Righteous Simeon was one of the seventy scholars who came to Alexandria to translate the Holy Scriptures into Greek. The completed work was called “The Septuagint,” and is the version of the Old Testament used by the Orthodox Church. Simeon was translating a book of the Prophet Isaiah, and read the words: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a Son” (Is 7:14). He thought that “virgin” was inaccurate, and he wanted to correct the text to read “woman.” At that moment an angel appeared to him and held back his hand saying, “You shall see these words fulfilled. You shall not die until you behold Christ the Lord born of a pure and spotless Virgin.” this day, Saint Simeon lived in expectation of the Promised Messiah. One day, the righteous Elder received a revelation from the Holy Spirit, and came to the Temple. It was on the very day (the fortieth after the Birth of Christ) when the All-Pure Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph had come to the Temple in order to perform the ritual prescribed by Jewish Law. Saint Simeon beheld their arrival, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that the divine Child held by the All-Pure Virgin Mary was the Promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. The Elder took the Child in his arms and said, “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). is a Christian epigram (Number 46) in “The Greek Anthology” which is addressed to Saint Simeon. It tells the righteous Elder to receive the Child Who was born before Adam, and Who will deliver Simeon from this life and bring him to eternal life. A similar idea is expressed in the Aposticha (Slavic use) for the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord (December 24). There the Mother of God refers to her Son as “older than ancient Adam.” blessed the All-Pure Virgin and Saint Joseph, and turning to the Mother of God he said, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). holy Evangelist continues: “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38). holy righteous Simeon the God-Receiver died at a great age (Tradition says he was 360). His holy relics were transferred to Constantinople in the sixth century. His grave was seen by the Russian pilgrim Saint Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod (October 8) in 1200. Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated on February 3;

Jerusalem, 1 AD, Anna the Prophetess, Jerusalem Temple, widow 84 yrs in the Temple, at the presentation she prophesied of Jesus
Jerusalem, 1 AD, Anna the Prophetess, Jerusalem Temple, widow 84 yrs in the Temple, coming at the presentation gave thanks and prophesied of Jesus to those who looked for redemption; Temple in Jerusalem; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; to Saint Luke’s Gospel, “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Aser. was of a great age, and had lived with a husband for seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not leave the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming at that very hour, also gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption at Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Jerusalem, 1AD, Nativity oOur Lord Forefeast, begins Dec 20, Hymns concern Savior's birth, modified versions Holy Week H
Jerusalem, 000, Nativity oOur Lord Forefeast, Bethlehem, Judea (south of Jerusalem 6 miles), begins Dec 20, Liturgical Hymns concern Savior's birth, many slightly modified versions Holy Week Hymns, 20-23 Troparion Tone 4 “Prepare, O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened to all. Adorn yourself, O Ephratha, for the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the Divine Fruit; if we eat of it we shall live forever and not die like Adam. Christ comes to restore the image which He made in the beginning.”, Kontakion tone 3 “Today the Virgin comes to the cave to give birth ineffably to the pre-eternal Word. Hearing this, rejoice, O inhabited earth! With the angels and the shepherds glorify the pre-eternal God, Whose will it was to appear as a young child!; Bethlehem; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated on December 20 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord begins on December 20. From now on, most of the liturgical hymns will be concerned with the birth of the Savior. Many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns of Holy Week. December 20-23 we sing the Troparion (Tone 4) “Prepare, O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened to all. Adorn yourself, O Ephratha, for the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the Divine Fruit; if we eat of it we shall live forever and not die like Adam. Christ comes to restore the image which He made in the beginning.” also sing the Kontakion (Tone 3) “Today the Virgin comes to the cave to give birth ineffably to the pre-eternal Word. Hearing this, rejoice, O inhabited earth! With the angels and the shepherds glorify the pre-eternal God, Whose will it was to appear as a young child!

Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Jerusalem Saint and Teacher of the Law, Gamaliel
Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Jerusalem Saint and Teacher of the Law, Gamaliel; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathaea
Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathaea; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT);

Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Sanhedrin, Righteous Nicodemus
Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Sanhedrin, Righteous Nicodemus; Jerusalem, 1 - 62, Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathaea; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT);

Jerusalem, 2, The 14K Holy Innocents, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed
Jerusalem, 2, The 14K Holy Innocents, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed, at Incarnation Magi from Parthia Persia came tJerusalem &Bethlehem following an expected star that foretold the birth of a Judean King, they brought gifts for that king, all part of their religion, which included Astrology, the star took them tJerusalem, and Herod, he asked them to come back his way, then the star took them to Bethlehem, they worshiped Jesus, gave him his gifts, but did not return to Herod, but went home to Parthia, being warned by God in a dream, Herod realized his scheme to kill Jesus failed, so he ordered all male children 2yrs&younger near Bethlehem be killed, Jesus' parents sent tEgypd by God, those murdered infants first Martyrs fChrist, Herod gets horid disease eaten by worms, so Rage oHeod, killed Simeon God-receiver, and Zach who would not expose his son John tBaptist, killed chief priests&scribes, k his brother, sister, her husband, his own wife, his 3Sons, 70 wise men oSanhedrin, all so no one would rejoice at his death, relics otInnocents in Constantinople, Jerusalem, Mt Athos; Jerusalem, 002, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, Judea, when Magi did not return to him, Herod ordered all Bethlehem male children 2 and younger killed; Bethlehem; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. worshipped the divine Infant, they did not return to Jerusalem to Herod, as he had ordered them, being warned by God in a dream, they went back to their country by another way. finally realized that his scheme to find the Child would not be successful, and he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger at Bethlehem and its surroundings be killed. thought that the divine Infant, Whom he considered a rival, would be among the dead children. murdered infants thus became the first martyrs for Christ. rage of Herod fell also on Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3), who declared before everyone in the Temple that the Messiah had been born. the holy Elder died, Herod would not give permission for him to be properly buried. the orders of King Herod, the holy prophet and priest Zachariah was also killed. was murdered in Jerusalem between the Temple and the altar (Mt. 23:35) because he would not tell the whereabouts of his son John, the future Baptist of the Lord Jesus Christ. wrath of God soon fell upon Herod himself: horrid condition struck him down and he died, eaten by worms while still alive. his death, the impious king murdered the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, also his brother, his sister and her husband, also his own wife Mariam, three of his sons, seventy men of wisdom who were members of the Sanhedrin. initiated this bloodbath so that the day of his death would not be one of rejoicing, but one of mourning. Christian Church very rightly proclaimed these murdered children as Saints, because they died at an innocent age, and were, in some way, the first martyrs of Christianity. may not have been baptized in water, but they were baptized in the blessed blood of their martyrdom. but not least, the relics (or perhaps some) of the Holy Infants are found in Constantinople, the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, which was built by Emperor Justin. of their Holy Relics are at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. of their Holy Relics are also to be found in the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos. THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; read in Matthew 2 that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel -- "martyrs in fact though not in will." Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." a discussion of the historical background of the episode, consult the Web page (NOTE: Ignore what the file says about the Assumption of Moses.) by James Kiefer Slaughter of the Innocents, by Fra Angelico

Jerusalem, 2, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, when Magi did not return, Herod ordered all male children 2 and younger killed
Jerusalem, 002, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, Bethlehem, Judea, when Magi did not return to him, Herod ordered all Bethlehem male children 2 and younger killed; Bethlehem; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. They journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. worshipped the divine Infant, they did not return to Jerusalem to Herod, as he had ordered them, but being warned by God in a dream, they went back to their country by another way. finally realized that his scheme to find the Child would not be successful, and he ordered that all the male children two years old and younger at Bethlehem and its surroundings be killed. He thought that the divine Infant, Whom he considered a rival, would be among the dead children. murdered infants thus became the first martyrs for Christ. The rage of Herod fell also on Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3), who declared before everyone in the Temple that the Messiah had been born. When the holy Elder died, Herod would not give permission for him to be properly buried. On the orders of King Herod, the holy prophet and priest Zachariah was also killed. He was murdered in Jerusalem between the Temple and the altar (Mt. 23:35) because he would not tell the whereabouts of his son John, the future Baptist of the Lord Jesus Christ. wrath of God soon fell upon Herod himself: a horrid condition struck him down and he died, eaten by worms while still alive. Before his death, the impious king murdered the chief priests and scribes of the Jews, and also his brother, and his sister and her husband, and also his own wife Mariam, and three of his sons, and seventy men of wisdom who were members of the Sanhedrin. He initiated this bloodbath so that the day of his death would not be one of rejoicing, but one of mourning. Christian Church very rightly proclaimed these murdered children as Saints, because they died at an innocent age, and were, in some way, the first martyrs of Christianity. They may not have been baptized in water, but they were baptized in the blessed blood of their martyrdom. but not least, the relics (or perhaps some) of the Holy Infants are found in Constantinople, in the Church of Saint James the Brother of the Lord, which was built by Emperor Justin. Most of their Holy Relics are at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Portions of their Holy Relics are also to be found in the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos. THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; read in Matthew 2 that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel -- "martyrs in fact though not in will." Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves." a discussion of the historical background of the episode, consult the Web page (NOTE: Ignore what the file says about the Assumption of Moses.) by James Kiefer Slaughter of the Innocents, by Fra Angelico

Jerusalem, 6-39, King (Galilee and Perea), Herod Antipas, divorced first wife for brother's wife Herodias
Jerusalem King (Galilee), 6-39, Herod Antipas; Antipater (born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch"[1] and "King Herod"[2] in the New Testament, although he never held the title of king.[3] He is widely known today for accounts in the New Testament of his role in events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.[4] (Matthew 14:1–12) being recognized by Augustus upon the death of his father, Herod the Great (4 BC/), and subsequently by his brother, the ethnarch Herod Archelaus, Antipas officially ruled Galilee and Perea as a client state of the Roman Empire.[5][6] He was responsible for building projects at Sepphoris and Betharamphtha, and for the construction of his capital Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Named in honour of his patron, the emperor Tiberius, the city later became a centre of rabbinic learning after the Jewish-Roman wars (66-135 CE). divorced his first wife Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, in favour of Herodias, who had formerly been married to his half-brother Herod II. (Antipas was Herod the Great's son by Malthace, while Herod II was his son by Mariamne II.)[7][8] According to the New Testament Gospels, it was John the Baptist's condemnation of this arrangement that led Antipas to have him arrested; John was subsequently put to death in Machaerus. Besides provoking his conflict with John the Baptist, the tetrarch's divorce added a personal grievance to previous disputes with Aretas over territory on the border of Perea and Nabatea. The result was a war that proved disastrous for Antipas; a Roman counter-offensive was ordered by Tiberius, but abandoned upon that emperor's death in 37 AD. In 39 AD Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa I of conspiracy against the Roman emperor Caligula, who sent him into exile in Spain, according to Josephus. Accompanied there by Herodias, he died at an unknown date.[9] Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was first brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, since Pilate was the governor of Roman Judea, which encompassed Jerusalem where Jesus was arrested. Pilate initially handed him over to Antipas, in whose territory Jesus had been most active, but Antipas sent him back to Pilate's court. (Hérode), by French painter and Bible illustrator James Tissot, in the Brooklyn Museum life[edit] was a son of Herod the Great, who had become king of Judea, and Malthace, who was from Samaria.[10] His date of birth is unknown but was before 20 BC.[11] Antipas, his full brother Archelaus and his half-brother Philip, were educated in Rome.[12] was not Herod's first choice of heir. That honour fell to Aristobulus and Alexander, Herod's sons by the Hasmonean princess Mariamne. It was only after they were executed (c. 7 BC), and Herod's oldest son Antipater was convicted of trying to poison his father (5 BC), that the now elderly Herod fell back on his youngest son Antipas, revising his will to make him heir.[13] During his illness in 4 BC, Herod had yet another change of heart about the succession. According to the final version of his will, Antipas' elder brother Archelaus was now to become king of Judea, Idumea and Samaria, while Antipas would rule Galilee and Perea with the lesser title of tetrarch. Philip was to receive Gaulanitis (the Golan Heights), Batanaea (southern Syria), Trachonitis and Auranitis (Hauran).[14] of Judea's status as a Roman client kingdom, Herod's plans for the succession had to be ratified by Augustus. The three heirs therefore travelled to Rome to make their claims, Antipas arguing he ought to inherit the whole kingdom and the others maintaining that Herod's final will ought to be honoured. Despite qualified support for Antipas from Herodian family members in Rome, who favoured direct Roman rule of Judea but considered Antipas preferable to his brother, Augustus largely confirmed the division of territory set out by Herod in his final will. Archelaus had, however, to be content with the title of ethnarch rather than king.[15] 4 BC to c. 39 AD[edit] given to Herod Antipas, as Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, by Augustus in 4 BC the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, Augustus confirmed the testament of the dead king by making Antipas tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, a region he would rule for the next forty-two years.[16] The two territories were separated by the region of the Decapolis, with Galilee to the north and Perea to the south (see map). Threats to stability in both areas would have been clear to Antipas when he took office. While he had been making his case to Augustus in Rome, dissidents led by Judas, son of Hezekiah, had attacked the palace of Sepphoris in Galilee, seizing money as well as weapons which they used to terrorize the area.[17] In a counterattack ordered by Quinctilius Varus, Roman governor of Syria, Sepphoris was destroyed by fire and its inhabitants sold as slaves.[18] Perea, meanwhile, bordered on the kingdom of Nabatea, which had long had uneasy relations with Romans and Jews.[19] of Antipas' solution was to follow in his father's footsteps as a builder. He rebuilt and fortified Sepphoris, while also adding a wall to Betharamphtha in Perea.[20] The latter city was renamed Livias after Augustus' wife Livia, and later Julias after his daughter.[21] However, the tetrarch's most noted construction was his capital on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, so named to honour his patron Tiberius, who had succeeded Augustus as emperor in 14 AD.[22] Residents could bathe nearby at the warm springs of Emmaus, and by the time of the First Jewish-Roman War the city's buildings included a stadium, a royal palace and a sanctuary for prayer.[23] It gave its name to the sea and later became a centre of rabbinic learning after the Jewish-Roman wars.[24] However, pious Jews at first refused to live in it because it was built atop a graveyard and therefore a source of ritual impurity. Antipas had to colonize it with a mixture of foreigners, forced migrants, poor people, and freed slaves.[25] other times Antipas was more sensitive to Jewish tradition. His coins carried no images, which would have violated Jewish prescriptions against idolatry.[26] When Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD, caused offence by placing votive shields in the Antonia palace at Jerusalem, Antipas and his brothers successfully petitioned for their removal.[27] the Baptist and Jesus[edit] before Herod Antipas, Albrecht Dürer, 1509 to Herodias[edit] in his reign, Antipas had married the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea. However, on a visit to Rome he stayed with his half-brother Herod II and there he fell in love with his wife, Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great and Mariamne I, and the two agreed to marry after Herod Antipas had divorced his wife.[28] Aretas' daughter learned of the plan and asked permission to travel to the frontier fortress of Machaerus, whence Nabatean forces escorted her to her father. With his daughter safe in his custody, Aretas now could declare war on Herod.[29] is generally agreed that the war, in which Herod was defeated, occurred in 36 AD, a year before the death of the emperor Tiberius. A point of contention today is how long before this date Herod's marriage to Herodias took place. Some surmise that the marriage of Antipas and Herodias took place shortly before the war in about 34 AD, after the death of Philip,[30] but others have pointed to Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, chapter 5, paragraph 4) comment that Herodias "divorced herself from her husband while he was alive" to argue that it took place before Herod II's death, in about 27 AD, thus making it possible for Jesus to have been born in the reign of Herod the Great (as indicated by the Gospel of Matthew) and to have died in his early 30s (as indicated by the Gospel of Luke).[31] ministry and execution[edit] faced more immediate problems in his own tetrarchy after John the Baptist, in 28/29 AD according to the Gospel of Luke[32] (or 27 AD, if the co-regency of Augustus and Tiberius is included in Luke's reckoning of time, for which there is some evidence), began a ministry of preaching and baptism by the Jordan River, which marked the western edge of Antipas' territory of Perea. The Gospels state that John attacked the tetrarch's marriage as contrary to Jewish law (it was incestuous, as Herodias was also Antipas' niece, but also John criticized the fact that she was his brother's wife (Mark 6:18), (lending credence to the belief that Antipas and Herodias married while Herod II was still alive), while Josephus says that John's public influence made Antipas fearful of rebellion.[33] John was imprisoned in Machaerus and executed.[34] According to Matthew and Mark, Herod was reluctant to order John's death but was compelled by Herodias' daughter (unnamed in the text but named by Josephus as Salome), to whom he had promised any reward, up to half his kingdom, she chose as a result of her dancing for guests at his birthday banquet.[35] ministry and trial[edit] those baptized by John was Jesus of Nazareth, who began his own ministry in Galilee, causing Antipas, according to Matthew and Mark, to fear that John had been raised from the dead.[36] Luke alone among the Gospels states that a group of Pharisees warned Jesus that Antipas was plotting his death, whereupon Jesus denounced the tetrarch as a "fox" and declared that he, Jesus, would not fall victim to such a plot because "it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem".[37] Luke also credits the tetrarch with a role in Jesus' trial. According to Luke, Pilate, on learning that Jesus was a Galilean and therefore under Herod's jurisdiction, sent him to Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem at the time. Initially, Antipas was pleased to see Jesus, hoping to see him perform a miracle, but when Jesus remained silent in the face of questioning, Antipas mocked him and sent him back to Pilate. Luke says that these events improved relations between Pilate and Herod despite their earlier enmity.[38] aspects[edit] reason for Antipas' involvement has been debated. Theodor Mommsen argued that the normal legal procedure of the early Roman empire was for defendants to be tried by the authorities of their home provinces.[39] A. N. Sherwin-White re-examined the relevant legal texts and concluded that trials were generally based on the location of the alleged crimes, but that there was a possibility of referral to a province of origin in special cases.[40] If Pilate was not required to send Jesus to Antipas, he may have been making a show of courtesy to the tetrarch[41] and trying to avoid the need to deal with the Jewish authorities himself.[42] When Jesus was sent back, Pilate could still have represented Antipas' failure to convict as support for his own view (according to Luke) that Jesus was not guilty of a capital offence,[43] thus allowing him to avoid responsibility for Jesus' crucifixion.[44] of Gospel narrative[edit] to the lack of historical evidence, it has been suggested that Jesus' trial by Herod Antipas is unhistorical.[45] For example, Robin Lane Fox, an English historian, alleges that the story was invented based on Psalm 2, in which "the kings of the earth" are described as opposing the Lord's "anointed", and also served to show that the authorities failed to find grounds for convicting Jesus.[46] reign[edit] 34 and 36 AD[47][48] the conflict with Aretas of Nabatea, caused by Antipas' divorce from Aretas' daughter and the rulers' disagreement over territory, developed into open war. Antipas' army suffered a devastating defeat after fugitives from the former tetrarchy of Philip sided with the Nabateans, and Antipas was forced to appeal to Tiberius for help. The emperor ordered Lucius Vitellius, governor of Syria, to march against Aretas and ensure that he was captured or killed.[49] Vitellius obediently mobilized two legions, sending them on a detour around Judea while he joined Antipas in attending a festival at Jerusalem. While staying there he learned of the death of Tiberius (16 March 37 AD), concluded he lacked the authority to go to war, and recalled his troops.[50] implies that Vitellius was unwilling to cooperate with the tetrarch because of a grudge he bore from an earlier incident. According to his account, Antipas provided hospitality at a conference on the Euphrates between Vitellius and King Artabanus III of Parthia, and after Vitellius' diplomatic success anticipated the governor in sending a report to Tiberius.[51] However, other sources place the meeting between Vitellius and Artabanus under Tiberius' successor Caligula,[52] leading some historians to think that Josephus misdated it to the reign of Tiberius or conflated it with an earlier diplomatic meeting involving Antipas and Vitellius.[53] and death[edit] fall from power was due to Caligula and to his own nephew Agrippa, brother of Herodias. When Agrippa fell into debt during the reign of Tiberius despite his connections with the imperial family, Herodias persuaded Antipas to provide for him, but the two men quarrelled and Agrippa departed. After Agrippa was heard expressing to his friend Caligula his eagerness for Tiberius to die and leave room for Caligula to succeed him, he was imprisoned. When Caligula finally became emperor in 37 AD, he not only released his friend but granted him rule of Philip's former tetrarchy (slightly extended), with the title of king.[54] relates that Herodias, jealous at Agrippa's success, persuaded Antipas to ask Caligula for the title of king for himself. However, Agrippa simultaneously presented the emperor with a list of charges against the tetrarch: allegedly, he had conspired against Tiberius with Sejanus (executed in 31 AD) and was now plotting against Caligula with Artabanus. As evidence, Agrippa noted that Antipas had a stockpile of weapons sufficient for 70,000 men. Hearing Antipas' admission to this last charge, Caligula decided to believe the allegations of conspiracy. In the summer of 39 AD, Antipas' money and territory were turned over to Agrippa, while Antipas was exiled.[55] Spain was the place of his exile, as recorded by Josephus in Antiquities.[56] Caligula offered to allow Herodias, as Agrippa's sister, to retain her property. However, she chose instead to join her husband in exile.[57] died in exile.[58] The 3rd-century historian Cassius Dio seems to imply that Caligula had him killed, but this is usually treated with skepticism by modern historians.[59] Antipas as portrayed in the Nuremberg Chronicle the followers of Jesus and members of the early Christian movement mentioned in the New Testament are Joanna, the wife of one of Antipas' stewards, and Manaen, a "foster-brother" or "companion" of Antipas (both translations are possible for the Greek σύντροφος). It has been conjectured that these were sources for early Christian knowledge of Antipas and his court.[60] In any case, Antipas featured prominently in the New Testament in connection with the deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus. The pseudepigraphical Gospel of Peter went further, stating that it was Antipas rather than Pilate who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. In line with the work's anti-Judaic theme, it pointedly remarked that Herod and "the Jews", unlike Pilate, refused to "wash their hands" of responsibility for the death.[61] has appeared in a large number of representations of the passion of Jesus – most notably portrayed by Frank Thring in King of Kings (1961), José Ferrer in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), and Christopher Plummer in Jesus of Nazareth (1977). Often, as in the films Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), Antipas is portrayed as effeminate (Antipas was played in those films by Joshua Mostel and Luca De Dominicis respectively); the origin of this tradition may have been Antipas' manipulation by his wife Herodias, as well as Christ's description of him as a "fox" in Luke 13:32, using a feminine word in the original Greek.[62] In Salome (1953), he is portrayed by Charles Laughton, opposite Dame Judith Anderson as Herodias and Rita Hayworth in the title role. He features in Salomé (1923) by Mitchell Lewis. He also features in The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow. In Longfellow's view, he was not effeminate so much as rash, ineffective, and when backed into a corner by his furious ex-father-in-law, willing to do anything to save himself. Gustave Flaubert's "Herodias" (1877), Herodias uses her long-concealed daughter, Salome, to manipulate Herod sexually for her own political purposes. This conceit (original with Flaubert) inspired Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" (1891), the first version of the legend to show Salome with a will of her own, opposing her mother and lusting after John the Baptist herself. Naive and puzzled by her stepfather's lascivious attentions, the young girl arouses Herod in order to avenge herself on the prophet who has refused her advances. Flaubert's novella was turned into an opera by Jules Massenet (1881) in which Salome, ignorant of her royal parentage, becomes a disciple of the Baptist, who is then executed by the lustful and jealous Herod (a baritone). In Richard Strauss's operatic setting of Wilde's play (1905), Herod, one of the most difficult tenor roles in the repertory, is depicted as befuddled by both drink and lust, and in bitter conflict with his wife (as in Flaubert). At the end of the opera (as in Wilde's play), disgusted with Salome's behavior with the head of John, he orders her execution. novella was also, very roughly, the basis of the 1953 film "Salome," a Rita Hayworth vehicle directed by William Dieterle, in which the girl is implausibly unaware that her dancing will be used by her mother (Judith Anderson) to secure Herod's (Charles Laughton) consent to the execution of John the Baptist (Alan Badel). MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27, wife of Chusa, who worked for King Herod (the King Herod who killed John the baptist), who lived in Tiberias;,

Jerusalem, 20-100, JOHN, t theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, Jesus' friend, MOG care 34yrs, much more
Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; the Evangelist is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, or John the Presbyter,[2] although this has been disputed by most modern scholars.[3] Mount Tabor; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart. the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him. Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder, the youth actually did repent and turn his life around. John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ, as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ;

Jerusalem, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate
Jerusalem, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate; Pilate[b] was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from the year 26/27 to 36/37 AD. is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and later ordered his crucifixion. Pilate's importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. to the Gospels' portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as a martyr and saint, a belief historically shared by the Coptic Church.[7] Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources on his rule have survived. He appears to have belonged to the well-attested Pontii family of Samnite origin, but nothing is known for certain about his life before he became governor of Judaea, nor of the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship.[8] single inscription from Pilate's governorship has survived, the so-called Pilate stone, as have coins that he minted. Jewish historian Josephus, philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate's administration. Many of these involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus later also recorded this information. to Josephus, Pilate's removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this before Tiberius, though the emperor died before Pilate arrived. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this. the basis of a mention in the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.[9] historians have differing assessments of Pilate as an effective ruler; while some believe he was a particularly brutal and ineffective governor, others argue that his long time in office means he must have been reasonably competent. to one prominent post-war theory, Pilate was motivated by antisemitism in his treatment of the Jews, but this theory has been mostly abandoned.[10] Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Pilate became the focus of a large group of New Testament apocrypha expanding on his role in the Gospels. In many of these, particularly the earlier texts from the Eastern Roman Empire, Pilate was portrayed as a positive figure. In some, he became a Christian martyr. later, particularly Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain, with traditions surrounding his death by suicide featuring prominently. Pilate was also the focus of numerous medieval legends, which invented a complete biography for him and portrayed him as villainous and cowardly. Many of these legends connected Pilate's place of birth or death to particular locations around Western Europe. has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. Medieval art frequently portrayed scenes of Pilate and Jesus, often in the scene where he washes his hands of guilt for Jesus's death. the art of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Pilate is often depicted as a Jew. nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. He plays an important role in medieval passion plays, where he is often a more prominent character than Jesus. His characterization in these plays varies greatly, from weak-willed and coerced into crucifying Jesus to being an evil person who demands Jesus's crucifixion. authors who feature Pilate prominently in their works include Anatole France, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Chingiz Aitmatov, with a majority of modern treatments of Pilate dating to after the Second World War. Pilate has also frequently been portrayed in film. THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ;

Jerusalem, 26-46 AD, Claudia Procula, Pontius Pilate's wife, Christian, prophetic dream
Rome, 26-46 AD, Claudia Procula, Pontius Pilate's wife, Christian Martyr and Saint, prophetic dream; Saint Claudia Procula, Commemorated on October 27; Matthew is the only Evangelist to mention Pilate’s wife, who told him “Have nothing to do with that just man, because I have suffered many things in a dream today because of him” (Matthew 27:19). is not identified by name, but the author of the apocryphal Acts of Paul says that she received Baptism from the Apostle of the Gentiles. the apocryphal Gospel of Νikόdēmos she is called Procla, or Procula. in the late fourth, or early fifth century, she is known as Claudia Procula. Pilate would not free Christ, because he was afraid of the Jews, her husband’s death, Claudia Procula is said to have embraced Christianity. living her life in the utmost goodness and piety, she surrendered her soul in peace. There are other accounts, however, which say that she was a martyr. Jerusalem, 26-36 AD, Judean Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate; Pilate[b] was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from the year 26/27 to 36/37 AD. is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of Jesus and later ordered his crucifixion. Pilate's importance in modern Christianity is underscored by his prominent place in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. to the Gospels' portrayal of Pilate as reluctant to execute Jesus, the Ethiopian Church believes that Pilate became a Christian and venerates him as a martyr and saint, a belief historically shared by the Coptic Church.[7] Pilate is the best-attested governor of Judaea, few sources on his rule have survived. He appears to have belonged to the well-attested Pontii family of Samnite origin, but nothing is known for certain about his life before he became governor of Judaea, nor of the circumstances that led to his appointment to the governorship.[8] single inscription from Pilate's governorship has survived, the so-called Pilate stone, as have coins that he minted. Jewish historian Josephus, philosopher Philo of Alexandria and the Gospel of Luke all mention incidents of tension and violence between the Jewish population and Pilate's administration. Many of these involve Pilate acting in ways that offended the religious sensibilities of the Jews. Christian Gospels record that Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus at some point during his time in office; Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus later also recorded this information. to Josephus, Pilate's removal from office occurred because he violently suppressed an armed Samaritan movement at Mount Gerizim. He was sent back to Rome by the legate of Syria to answer for this before Tiberius, though the emperor died before Pilate arrived. Nothing is known about what happened to him after this. the basis of a mention in the second-century pagan philosopher Celsus and Christian apologist Origen, most modern historians believe that Pilate simply retired after his dismissal.[9] historians have differing assessments of Pilate as an effective ruler; while some believe he was a particularly brutal and ineffective governor, others argue that his long time in office means he must have been reasonably competent. to one prominent post-war theory, Pilate was motivated by antisemitism in his treatment of the Jews, but this theory has been mostly abandoned.[10] Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Pilate became the focus of a large group of New Testament apocrypha expanding on his role in the Gospels. In many of these, particularly the earlier texts from the Eastern Roman Empire, Pilate was portrayed as a positive figure. In some, he became a Christian martyr. later, particularly Western Christian texts, he was instead portrayed as a negative figure and villain, with traditions surrounding his death by suicide featuring prominently. Pilate was also the focus of numerous medieval legends, which invented a complete biography for him and portrayed him as villainous and cowardly. Many of these legends connected Pilate's place of birth or death to particular locations around Western Europe. has frequently been a subject of artistic representation. Medieval art frequently portrayed scenes of Pilate and Jesus, often in the scene where he washes his hands of guilt for Jesus's death. the art of the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Pilate is often depicted as a Jew. nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in depicting Pilate, with numerous images made. He plays an important role in medieval passion plays, where he is often a more prominent character than Jesus. His characterization in these plays varies greatly, from weak-willed and coerced into crucifying Jesus to being an evil person who demands Jesus's crucifixion. authors who feature Pilate prominently in their works include Anatole France, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Chingiz Aitmatov, with a majority of modern treatments of Pilate dating to after the Second World War. Pilate has also frequently been portrayed in film.

Jerusalem, 30, Theophany aka EPIPHANY, Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan, Kings Highway 13)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); (Arabic: meaning "baptism" or "immersion") is the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.[1] place has also been referred to as Bethany (Beyond the Jordan) and Bethabara. The name is currently used primarily for the eastern side of the site, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River. western side of the ancient site is currently known as Qasr el-Yahud. This article deals primarily with the eastern section, located in Jordan. includes two principal archaeological areas: the remnants of a monastery on a mound known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah's Hill) and an area close to the river with remains of churches, baptism ponds and pilgrim and hermit dwellings.[3] The two areas are connected by a stream called Wadi Kharrar.[4][5] strategic location between Jerusalem and the King's Highway is already evident from the Book of Joshua report about the Israelites crossing the Jordan there. Mar-Elias is traditionally identified as the site of the ascension of the prophet Elijah to heaven.[6] complete area was abandoned after the 1967 Six-Day War, when both banks of the Jordan became part of the frontline. The area was heavily mined then.[7] the signing of the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994, de-mining of area soon took place after an initiative of Jordanian royalty, namely Prince Ghazi.[8] site has then seen several archaeological digs, four papal visits and state visits, and attracts tourists and pilgrimage activity.[9] In 2015, the site was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, excluding the western side of the river. Approximately 81,000 people visited the site in 2016, mostly European, American, and Arab tourists.[10] Thousands flock to the site on January 6 to mark Epiphany.[9] Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; first day of the Forefeast of Theophany falls on January 2. Like the hymns for the Nativity, many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns of Holy Week. One of the hymns at Matins today says that the coming Feast of Theophany will be “even more radiant” than the Feast of the Nativity. Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Troparion — Tone 4 Prepare, O Zebulon, / and adorn yourself, O Naphtali; / river Jordan, cease flowing / and receive with joy the Master coming to be baptized. / Adam, rejoice with our First Mother / and do not hide yourself as you did of old in Paradise; / for having seen you naked, / He has appeared to clothe you with the first garment. / Christ has appeared to renew all creation. Kontakion — Tone 4 Today the Lord enters the Jordan and cries out to John: / “Do not be afraid to baptize me. / For I have come to save Adam, the first-formed man.” Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; is the Feast which reveals the Most Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son, the Son was baptized by Saint John the Forerunner, and the Holy Spirit descended upon the Son in the form of a dove. ancient times this Feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in the region of the shadow of death” (Mt.4:16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace. the ancient Church it was the custom to baptize catechumens at the Vespers of Theophany, so that Baptism also is revealed as the spiritual illumination of mankind. origin of the Feast of Theophany goes back to Apostolic times, and it is mentioned in The Apostolic Constitutions (Book V:13). From the second century we have the testimony of Saint Clement of Alexandria concerning the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and the night vigil before this Feast. is a third century dialogue about the services for Theophany between the holy martyr Hippolytus and Saint Gregory the Wonderworker. In the following centuries, from the fourth to ninth century, all the great Fathers of the Church: Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, John of Damascus, commented on the Feast of Theophany. monks Joseph the Studite, Theophanes and Byzantios composed much liturgical music for this Feast, which is sung at Orthodox services even today. Saint John of Damascus said that the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need for cleansing, but “to bury human sin by water,” to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify “the nature of water” and to offer us the form and example of Baptism. the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Church proclaims our faith in the most sublime mystery, incomprehensible to human intellect, of one God in three Persons. It teaches us to confess and glorify the Holy Trinity, one in Essence and Undivided. It exposes and overthrows the errors of ancient teachings which attempted to explain the Creator of the world by reason, and in human terms. Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ, and it inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism, keeping clean this priceless garb, for “As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). the day of Theophany, all foods are permitted, even if the Feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday. THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January), Commemorated January 6; ON THE READINGS: The readings from Isaiah and the Psalms, as given above, speak of kings bringing tribute. It is perhaps worth noting, that Matthew does not say that they were kings, or even that they were Gentiles, and, contrary to his usual practice in his Infancy Narrative, does not refer to these passages from the Jewish Scriptures. ON THE FEAST: "Epiphany" is a word of Greek origin, related to such English words as "theophany," "phenotype," and "phenomenon." It means an appearance, a displaying, a showing forth, a making clear or public or obvious. On this day, Christians have traditionally celebrated the making known of Jesus Christ to the world. The Visit of the Three Kings, by Roger van der Weyden events have been thought of as special instances of the making known of Our Lord, such as: His birth; the coming of the Magi; His Baptism; His first miracle at Cana. Current majority usage, at least in the West, celebrates His birth on 25 December, the coming of the Magi on 6 January, and His Baptism on the next Sunday. On the following Sundays up to the beginning of Lent, we remember Our Lord's public preaching of the kingdom, particularly the earlier stages of that preaching when opposition had not yet crystallized. On the Last Sunday after Epiphany (the Sunday before Lent), we commemorate the Transfiguration, the climax of this first phase of our Lord's public ministry. then, we commemorate the visit of the Magi, a token of the day when all the peoples of the earth will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, God, and Savior. The visit of the Magi is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew. Magi (magoi), the Latin (Greek) plural of magus (magos), referred originally to the priests of Parsiism, the monotheistic religion preached in Persia by Zoroaster in about the sixth century BC. In later years it came to mean magicians, priests, physicians, scribes, scholars, or learned men. From it we derive our word "magic." The KJV Bible translates the word as "wise men." Matthew tells us how they came to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem, and gave gifts to the infant Jesus. (For a discussion of whether this is a historical event, look for the document of that name on the Web page See also parts 2,3, and 4. Ignore the references to the Assumption of Moses. These are based on what turned out to be a bad translation.) In poem and picture, the wise men came to be thought of as three kings, and in many countries (particularly Spanish-speaking ones), children receive gifts, not on 25 December, but on 6 January in memory of the gifts that the wise men brought to the Holy Child. Christian writers have interpreted the gold as a sign that Jesus is King, the Frankincense as a sign that He is God, and the myrrh (used in embalming) as a sign that He is by His death and Resurrection the Savior of the world. This imagery is found in the song, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." The three gifts are also understood a a sign of three responses that we ought to make to Christ. See the following hymn: THE BLESSED BIRTH The Epiphany, by Hieronymous BoschThat so thy Blessed Birth, O Christ, might through the world be spread about, the star appeared in the East, whereby the Gentiles found thee out; and offered thee Myrrh, Incense, Gold, thy three-fold office to unfold. Tears that from true repentance drop, instead of Myrrh present will we: for Incense we will offer up our prayers and praises unto thee; and bring for Gold each pious deed, which doth from saving faith proceed. And as those wise men never went to visit Herod any more, so, finding thee, we will repent our courses followed heretofore; and that we homeward may retire the way by thee we will enquire. George Wither (1588-1667) in his HYMNES AND SONGS OF THE CHURCH, 1623 There is a musical setting by H. Walford Davies (1869-1941) FOR THE EPIPHANY SEASON Songs of thankfulness and praise, Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise, manifested by the star to the sages from afar; Branch of royal David's stem in thy birth at Bethlehem; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest at Jordan's stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; and at Cana, wedding guest, in thy Godhead manifest; manifest in power divine, changing water into wine; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest in making whole palsied limbs and fainting soul; manifest in valiant fight, quelling all the devil's might; manifest in gracious will, ever bringing good from ill; anthems be to thee addrest, God in man made manifest. Manifest on mountain height, shining in resplendent light, where disciples filled with awe thy transfigured glory saw. When from thence thou leddest them steadfast to Jerusalem, cross and Easter day attest God in man made manifest. Grant us grace to see thee, Lord, mirrored in thy holy word; may we imitate thee now, and be pure, as pure art thou; that we like to thee may be at thy great epiphany; and may praise thee, ever blest, God in man made manifest. Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885) Stanza Four by F. Bland Tucker (1895-1984) by James Kiefer Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, whom the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, concludes the history of the Old Testament and opens the era of the New Testament. The holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God, incarnate in the flesh. Saint John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in the waters of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the Theophany of the Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism. holy Prophet John, the son of the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth, was related to the Lord on His mother’s side. The holy Forerunner, John, was born six months before Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was to be born to him. the prayers offered beforehand, the child was filled with the Holy Spirit. Saint John prepared himself in the wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting, prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people. the age of thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He appeared on the banks of the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior of the world. In church hymnology, Saint John is called a “bright morning star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars, announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ. baptized the sinless Lamb of God, Saint John soon died a martyr’s death, beheaded by the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome. (On Saint John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34, 3:22-26). Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios: body of Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. The holy Evangelist Luke, who went preaching Christ in various cities and towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch. the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there, on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter. the year 1200, the Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became Saint Anthony, Archbishop of Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the imperial palace. From the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year 1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of Saint John the Baptist to Ottonus de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France. right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. the Russian Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special service was composed for this Feast. the Synaxis of the honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: September 23, his Conception; June 24, his Nativity; August 29, his Beheading; February 24, the First and Second Finding of his Head; May 25, the Third Finding of his Head; October 12, the Transfer of his Right Hand from Malta to Gatchina (1799). Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; sixth day of the Afterfeast of Theophany falls on January 12. Divine grace shines forth so that we might be freed from the power of the devil, and cleansed of our sins in Baptism. “He who once assumed the appearance of a malignant serpent and implanted death in the creation, is now cast into darkness by Christ’s coming in the flesh....” (Ode 3, second Canon at Matins). “Through the Spirit and by the grace that comes through water, He grants a new birth to all who acknowledge His divinity, delivering them from their faults” (Ode 6, first Canon at Matins). Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ;

Jerusalem, 30, Synaxis ot70 Apostles, they established churches&Bishops throughout 100% otWorlds Population based Navigation&Trade
Rome, 30, Synaxis ot70 Apostles, they established churches&Bishops throughout 100% of the Worlds Population (We know this because trade is required for population, trade needs roads and navagatible rivers, we know the Worlds navigatible rivers or drainages flowing into Oceans and Seas, for example China only has three of unnavigatable rivers and they were covered, Brazil only has one un-navitable and little trade, Same for Mexico, US and Canada, little trade), this Synaxis established to honor each equally, they sent two by two before Christ tCities he would visit, Descent otHoly Spirit they preached in various lands, some accompanied t12, many martyred, 100% otWorld, see below for their commemoration dates during the year; Rome; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (July 28); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8 ); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10 ); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10 ); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus, the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ.

Jerusalem, 30-, Jerusalem Apostles Folder

Jerusalem, 30BC-63AD, Apostle James, Lord's step, Nazarene, 1st Bishop of J, c many Jews, so thrown down f Temple top

Jerusalem, 30-34, STEVEN, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl S, Sanhedrin speach, stoned, forgive them
Jerusalem, 30-34, STEVEN, apostles can't both preach and administer, people chose 7 deacons incl S, spirit filled, sound judgement, hands laid, S eloquent fiery speaker, against temple service or defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate, fiery speach before Sanhedrin , stoned to d, forgive them, Paul there; Jerusalem; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; that we know about Stephen the Protomartyr (that is, the first martyr of the Christian Church) is found in chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts. early Christian congregations, like the Jewish synagogues, had a program of assistance for needy widows, and some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the Jerusalem congregation complained that their widows were being neglected. apostles replied: "We cannot both preach and administer financial matters. Choose seven men from among yourselves, respected, Spirit-filled, and of sound judgement, and let them be in charge of the accounts, and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." The people accordingly chose seven men, including Stephen, and the apostles laid their hands on them. are traditionally considered to be the first deacons, although the Scriptures do not use the word to describe them. Scriptures do refer to officials called deacons in the local congregations, without being very specific about their duties; and a century or more later, we find the organized charities of each local congregation in the hands of its deacons.) was an eloquent and fiery speaker, and a provocative one. readers have speculated that some of his fellow Christians wanted to put him in charge of alms in the hope that he would administer more and talk less.) blunt declarations that the Temple service was no longer the means by which penitent sinners should seek reconciliation with God enraged the Temple leaders, who caused him to be stoned to death. he died, he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." One of those who saw the stoning and approved of it was Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, who took an active part in the general persecution of Christians that followed the death of Stephen, but who was later led to become a Christian himself. remember Stephen on December 26, the day after Christmas. Hence the song Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen, an action of the king on the day after Christmas Day. The tune used with this song is older than the words and was previously used with a hymn often sung on the feasts of Stephen and other martyrs. It begins: Christian friends, your voices raise. Wake the day with gladness. God himself to joy and praise turns our human sadness: Joy that martyrs won their crown, opened heaven's bright portal, when they laid the mortal down for the life immortal. by James Kiefer Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen was the eldest of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called “archdeacon.” was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ when he was about thirty. In the words of Asterias, he was “the starting point of the martyrs, the instructor of suffering for Christ, the foundation of righteous confession, since Stephen was the first to shed his blood for the Gospel.” with the Holy Spirit, Saint Stephen preached Christianity and defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate. The Jews maligned Saint Stephen, saying that he had uttered blasphemy against God and against Moses. Saint Stephen came before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest to answer these charges. He gave a fiery speech, in which he recounted the history of the Jewish nation, and denounced the Jews for persecuting the prophets, and also for executing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts ch. 7). his speech, Saint Stephen suddenly saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God. The Jews shouted and covered their ears, and rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him, but the holy martyr prayed for his murderers. Far off on the heights stood the Mother of God with the holy Apostle John the Theologian, and She prayed fervently for the martyr. Before his death Saint Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Then he joyfully gave up his pure soul to Christ. body of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, left to be eaten by beasts, was secretly taken up by the Jewish teacher Gamaliel and his son Habib, who buried Stephen on his estate. They both believed in Christ, and later received holy Baptism. Saint Stephen is also commemorated on August 2 (Translation of his relics) and on September 15 (Uncovering of his relics in the year 415).

Jerusalem, 30-34, Steven, 1st Martyr&Archdeacon because oldest ot7, tInstructor fSuffering fChrist & righteous confession
Jerusalem, 30-34, Steven, 1st Martyr &Archdeacon because oldest ot7deacons chosen, age 30 when martyred, tInstructor fSuffering fChrist, tFoundation oRighteous Confession, preached Christianity defeating Jews in debate, they charged him wBlasphemy against God, fiery speach before Sanhedrin&High Priest, history Jews persecuting prophets & executing Messiah, sudden vision Jesus iHeaven right hand oGod, they stoned him, but he prayed fThem, on a hill John &MOG prayed fStephen, he joyfully gave his pure soul tChrist, his body taken bGamaliel&Son, buried on his estate, relics uncovered wG&Son in 415; Jerusalem, 30-34, STEVEN, apostles can't both preach and administer, people chose 7 deacons incl S, spirit filled, sound judgement, hands laid, S eloquent fiery speaker, against temple service or defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate, fiery speach before Sanhedrin , stoned to d, forgive them, Paul there; Jerusalem; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; that we know about Stephen the Protomartyr (that is, the first martyr of the Christian Church) is found in chapters 6 and 7 of the Book of Acts. early Christian congregations, like the Jewish synagogues, had a program of assistance for needy widows, and some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the Jerusalem congregation complained that their widows were being neglected. apostles replied: "We cannot both preach and administer financial matters. Choose seven men from among yourselves, respected, Spirit-filled, and of sound judgement, and let them be in charge of the accounts, and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." The people accordingly chose seven men, including Stephen, and the apostles laid their hands on them. are traditionally considered to be the first deacons, although the Scriptures do not use the word to describe them. Scriptures do refer to officials called deacons in the local congregations, without being very specific about their duties; and a century or more later, we find the organized charities of each local congregation in the hands of its deacons.) was an eloquent and fiery speaker, and a provocative one. readers have speculated that some of his fellow Christians wanted to put him in charge of alms in the hope that he would administer more and talk less.) blunt declarations that the Temple service was no longer the means by which penitent sinners should seek reconciliation with God enraged the Temple leaders, who caused him to be stoned to death. he died, he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." One of those who saw the stoning and approved of it was Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, who took an active part in the general persecution of Christians that followed the death of Stephen, but who was later led to become a Christian himself. remember Stephen on December 26, the day after Christmas. Hence the song Good King Wenceslas looked out On the feast of Stephen, an action of the king on the day after Christmas Day. The tune used with this song is older than the words and was previously used with a hymn often sung on the feasts of Stephen and other martyrs. It begins: Christian friends, your voices raise. Wake the day with gladness. God himself to joy and praise turns our human sadness: Joy that martyrs won their crown, opened heaven's bright portal, when they laid the mortal down for the life immortal. by James Kiefer Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen was the eldest of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called “archdeacon.” was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ when he was about thirty. In the words of Asterias, he was “the starting point of the martyrs, the instructor of suffering for Christ, the foundation of righteous confession, since Stephen was the first to shed his blood for the Gospel.” with the Holy Spirit, Saint Stephen preached Christianity and defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate. Jews maligned Saint Stephen, saying that he had uttered blasphemy against God and against Moses. Stephen came before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest to answer these charges. gave a fiery speech, in which he recounted the history of the Jewish nation, and denounced the Jews for persecuting the prophets, and also for executing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts ch. 7). his speech, Saint Stephen suddenly saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God. Jews shouted and covered their ears, and rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him, the holy martyr prayed for his murderers. off on the heights stood the Mother of God with the holy Apostle John the Theologian, She prayed fervently for the martyr. his death Saint Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Then he joyfully gave up his pure soul to Christ. body of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, left to be eaten by beasts, was secretly taken up by the Jewish teacher Gamaliel and his son Habib, who buried Stephen on his estate. They both believed in Christ, and later received holy Baptism. Saint Stephen is also commemorated on August 2 (Translation of his relics) and on September 15 (Uncovering of his relics in the year 415).

Jerusalem, 30-34, Nicanor, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl N, who died by stoning with Stephen
Jerusalem, 30-34, Nicanor, people chose 7 spirit filled deacons incl N, who died by stoning with Stephen; Jerusalem; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 28; Nicanor, Apostle of the Seventy was among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6: 1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and established them to serve as deacons. Holy Church celebrates their memory together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. Nicanor suffered on that day when the holy Protomartyr Stephen and many other Christians were killed by stoning.

Jerusalem, 30-62, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, tax c, Gospel early in 50 at Jersalem, then b James k, many lands to Eth
Rome, 30-62, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, tax c, Gospel early in 50 at Jersalem, then before James killed, many lands, Ethiopia, Fulvian-Matthew story; the Apostle,[a] also known as Saint Matthew and possibly as Levi, was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, a claim rejected by the majority of modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."[3] New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus, and was one of the witnesses of the Ascension of Jesus. Later Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries. Capernaum; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed Him, and became one of His twelve apostles. (See M 9:9-13 = P 2:13-17 = L 5:27-32) Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them. (Jesus numbered among his disciples persons of widely different backgrounds. They included not only Matthew, a former agent of the Roman government, but Simon the Zealot (not to be confused with Simon Peter). Josephus tells us that the Zealots were fanatical nationalists, determined to drive out the Romans by guerrilla tactics, ambushes, assassinations, terrorist methods, or whatever worked. Their motto was, "No king but Messiah, no tax but the Temple, no friend but the Zealot." It is not clear that Simon was, or had been, a member of the group that Josephus describes, but it seems clear that he would have regarded himself as at the opposite end of the political spectrum from Matthew.) The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. (It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.) Of Matthew's life after Pentecost the Scriptures tell us nothing. Later accounts of his life vary, some reporting that he was martyred, others that he died a natural death. The Christian community since early times has commemorated him as a martyr. the Apostle Matthew is also the Evangelist Matthew -- that is, whether the Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel that bears his name -- is disputed. The Gospel itself does not say who wrote it, but the designation "according to Matthew" is very old. In favor of his authorship it may be noted that (1) while Mark and Luke give the fourth pair of Apostles as "Matthew and Thomas," the Gospel of Matthew gives them as "Thomas and Matthew"; and (2) while Luke 5:29 explicitly states, and Mark 2:15 suggests, that Matthew gave a banquet for Jesus, Matthew 9:10 in describing the same banquet does not indicate who the host was. Both of these variations would be routine touches of modesty if Matthew was the author. On the other hand, the gospel (1) does not have the manner of an eyewitness, and (2) is thought by many scholars to contain material borrowed from Mark, whereas one would not expect someone who had been an eyewitness to borrow from someone who had not. (NOTE: The view that Mark is an older Gospel than Matthew is widespread and not long ago many scholars regarded the matter as settled. However, there is respectable opinion holding that Matthew is the earliest Gospel after all. See, for example, the comments in the Matthew volume of The Anchor Bible.) the Gospel was written by some early Christian, not an apostle, whose name was Matthew, and about whom nothing else is known. Early Christian readers, hearing the Gospel ascribed to "Matthew," would naturally associate it with the Apostle of that name, and so the ascribing of the work to the Apostle Matthew becomes common at an early date, by a perfectly natural misunderstanding. of Hierapolis, writing in the late first or early second century, says that Matthew compiled the sayings (Logia) of Jesus in Hebrew. Now the material common to Matthew and Luke, but not to Mark, includes sayings of Jesus but almost no narrative. It has therefore been conjectured that there was once a document (usually called Q), now lost, that is basically a collection of speeches by Jesus, and that Matthew (the evangelist) and Luke, had access to it while Mark did not. It has been suggested that Matthew (the apostle) is the author of this document Q, which may well have been first written in Hebrew (or Aramaic). Scripture readings associated with the day bear the themes of Matthew as a Gospel-writer (hence readings that speak of the Scriptures), Matthew as an Apostle, and Matthew as a sinner called by God's grace. by James Kiefer Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Jerusalem, 30-62, Apostle Matthew, city of Mirmena, staff tree fruit, Fulvian story
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron. Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. When Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. Christ and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. This event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. But the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). He was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. At the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the Messiah: as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), and finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Jerusalem, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified in Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis
Egypt, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified at Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis, proclaiming Gospel, healing, converting; Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle James the son of Alphaeus one of the Twelve Apostles, the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30), missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, Eleutheropolis, the Gospel, healing all sorts of sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. James finished his apostolic work In the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where he was crucified by the pagans.

Jerusalem, 30-63, Apostle James, Lord's brother, Nazarene, f bishop, Council p, conversions, off roof, stoning, litergy, book
Jerusalem, 30-63, Apostle James, brother of the Lord ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. He was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Jerusalem, 30-68, Apostle Justus, replaced Judas, Jesus step b, Bishop & martyred at Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads)
Jerusalem, 30-68, Apostle Justus martyred at Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads); Eleutheropolis (a crossroads); Eleutheropolis (Greek, "City of the Free") was a Roman city in Israel, some 53 km southwest of Jerusalem. Its remains still straddle the ancient road to Gaza. Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis. Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Justus, called Barsaba, a son of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, was chosen with Matthias to replace Judas. He was a bishop and died a martyr’s death at Eleutheropolis. Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; info and now deleted

Jerusalem, 30-63,Matthias,replaced Judas,studied u Simeon,many places,Survived poison, invisible, enemies engulfed, crucified
Jerusalem, 34-63, Matthias, Apostle, from Bethlehem, Judea, replaced Judas, studied under Simeon, preached in Jerusalem, Antioch, Tianum, Sinope, Amasea, Edessa, Sebaste, Pontine Ethiopia Georgia, Macedonia, Survived poison, left prison invisible, enemies engulfed by earth, crucified; Bethlehem; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called. Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63.

Jerusalem, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, first to proclaim his resurrection
Galilee, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan); Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. woman whose name has entered forever into the Gospel account was born and grew up in Magdala. The Gospel tells us nothing of Mary’s younger years, but Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2). From the moment of her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the Savior. Gospel relates that Mary followed after the Lord, when He went with the Apostles through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God. Together with the pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other women. The Evangelist Luke, evidently, has her in view together with the other women, stating that at the moment of the Procession of Christ onto Golgotha, when after the Scourging He took on Himself the heavy Cross, collapsing under its weight, the women followed after Him weeping and wailing, but He consoled them. The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord’s Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the Cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Evangelists also list among those standing at the Cross the mother of the Apostle James, and Salome, and other women followers of the Lord from Galilee, but all mention Mary Magdalene first. Saint John, in addition to the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This indicates how much she stood out from all the women who gathered around the Lord. was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, she was present at the Burial of the Lord. Before her eyes Joseph and Νikόdēmos went out to the tomb with His lifeless Body. She watched as they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, entombing the Source of Life. to the Law in which she was raised, Mary together with the other women spent the following day at rest, because it was the great day of the Sabbath, coinciding with the Feast of Passover. But all the rest of the peaceful day the women gathered spices to go to the Grave of the Lord at dawn on Sunday and anoint His Body according to the custom of the Jews. is necessary to mention that, having agreed to go on the first day of the week to the Tomb early in the morning, the holy women had no possibility of meeting with one another on Saturday. They went separately on Friday evening to their own homes. They went out only at dawn the following day to go to the Sepulchre, not all together, but each from her own house. Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the grave at dawn, or as the Evangelist Mark expresses, extremely early before the rising of the sun. The Evangelist John, elaborating upon these, says that Mary came to the grave so early that it was still dark. Obviously, she waited impatiently for the end of night, but it was not yet daybreak. She ran to the place where the Lord’s Body lay. went to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone pushed away from the cave, she ran away in fear to tell the close Apostles of Christ, Peter and John. Hearing the strange message that the Lord was gone from the tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the shroud and winding cloths, they were amazed. They went and said nothing to anyone, but Mary returned to the tomb and stood about the entrance to the tomb and wept. Here in this dark tomb so recently lay her lifeless Lord. proof that the tomb really was empty, she went down to it and saw a strange sight. She saw two angels in white garments, one sitting at the head, the other at the foot, where the Body of Jesus had been placed. They asked her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She answered them with the words which she had said to the Apostles, “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” At that moment, she turned around and saw the Risen Jesus standing near the grave, but she did not recognize Him. asked Mary, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?” She answered thinking that she was seeing the gardener, “Sir, if thou hast taken him, tell where thou hast put Him, and I will take Him away.” she recognized the Lord’s voice. This was the voice she heard in those days and years, when she followed the Lord through all the cities and places where He preached. He spoke her name, and she gave a joyful shout, “Rabbi” (Teacher). and love, fondness and deep veneration, a feeling of thankfulness and recognition at His Splendor as great Teacher, all came together in this single outcry. She was able to say nothing more and she threw herself down at the feet of her Teacher to wash them with tears of joy. But the Lord said to her: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: ‘I ascend to My Father, and your Father; to My God and to your God.’” came to herself and again ran to the Apostles, to do the will of Him sending her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the Apostles still remained in dismay, and proclaimed to them the joyous message, “I have seen the Lord!” This was the first preaching in the world about the Resurrection. Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves. Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection of Christ, but it is impossible to doubt, that if in the terrifying minutes of Christ’s Crucifixion she was at the foot of His Cross with His All-Pure Mother and Saint John, she must have stayed with them during the happier time after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Thus in the Acts of the Apostles Saint Luke writes that all the Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brethren. Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: “I have seen the Lord!” With this message she went all over Italy. relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ’s Resurrection. According to Tradition, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate. repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the vanity of life not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by the precious Blood of Christ. to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world. In one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of Saint Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: “Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering.” Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses “has bestowed much labor on us.” Evidently, she extensively served the Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching. to Church Tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, Saint Mary Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where the holy Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried. holy relics were transferred in the ninth century to Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of Saint Lazarus. In the era of the Crusader campaigns they were transferred to Italy and placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid church is built in her honor. Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of Saint Mary Magdalene, the woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. immersed in sin and having received healing, she sincerely and irrevocably began a new life and never wavered from that path. Mary loved the Lord Who called her to a new life. She was faithful to Him not only when He was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds and winning recognition as a miracle-worker, but also when all the disciples deserted Him in fear and He, humiliated and crucified, hung in torment upon the Cross. This is why the Lord, knowing her faithfulness, appeared to her first, and esteemed her worthy to be first to proclaim His Resurrection. Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan, between Capharnum and Tiberias); Matthew 15:29-39, Jesus Cures Many People, and Feeding the Four Thousand They returned to Magadan.; The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT);

Jerusalem, 30-70, Apostle Zacchaeus, Jericho, Benjamin, rich tax collector, Short, climbed Sycamore tree to see Jesus
Jerusalem, 30-70, Apostle Zacchaeus, Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem), rich tax collector, Short, climbed Sycamore tree to see Jesus, Accompanied Peter, Caesarea Palestine Bishop Jericho; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; holy Apostle Zacchaeus was a rich publican at Jericho. Since he was short of stature, he climbed a sycamore tree in order to see the Savior passing by. After the Ascension of the Lord, Saint Zacchaeus accompanied Saint Peter on his travels. Tradition says he became the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, where he died in peace. Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) describing Zacchaeus’ encounter with Christ is read on the Sunday before the Triodion begins.

Jerusalem, 30-84, Luke t Evangelist&Apostle, f Antioch, salvation preaching f Christ, Luke&Acts, icons h Grace&MOG mercy
Syria, 30-84, Luke the Evangelist and Apostle, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), hearing about Christ accepted salvation preaching from Christ, Luke and Acts, Paul's companion, physician, iconographer, MOG said his icons have Jesus' grace and MOG mercy, chronologica order L and A, council of Jerusalem in 51, Acts focus on Holy Spirit ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated October 18 ; as Below Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). After the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Saint Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Saint Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Luke is also commemorated on April 22. Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22; as Below Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). After the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Saint Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Saint Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Saint Luke is also commemorated on October 18. LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings. the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine guidance. see how the early Christians at first preached only to Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and fellowship of Christ. St. Luke, from an old Book of Common Prayer makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and noteworthy precision. mention just one example, he refers to two centurions by name, Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (Sergius Paulus in Acts 13;7) or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when speaking of civilian officials. is a distinction that would have been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had largely died out by, say, 70 AD. preserving it shows either that (1) he wrote fairly close to the events he described, or (2) he was describing persons and events on which he had good information, or (3) he was an expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding detail. is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem. ***** ***** ***** ***** writer wrote more pages of the New Testament than anyone else? If you say Paul, try again. In my pocket Bible, Acts and the Gospel of Luke occupy a total of sixty pages, while all the letters traditionally attributed to Paul (not counting Hebrews) total fifty-six. writer of the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts does not give his name in his writings. (Except for Nehemiah, no Biblical writer of a narrative book does.) does claim to be a traveling companion of Paul, and his interests and vocabulary suggest that he is a physician. Since Paul tells us that he had a companion named Luke who was a physician, the conclusion that Luke is the writer we are looking for is reasonable. the two-volume work Luke-Acts in fact written by a companion of Paul? Scholars are not agreed on the answer. and large, most German writers favor a negative answer. reasons are that (1) the chronology of Paul's life found in the Book of Acts presents certain apparent conflicts with that found in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and that (2) the writer seems unfamiliar with the geography of Israel. the other hand, most English scholars favor an affirmative answer. reasons are that the "We" sections in Acts (the sections in which the author explicitly claims to have been present at the events he describes) contain a wealth of circumstantial detail that make invention extremely unlikely. (Thus, for example, Mr. James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS, having sailed a vessel over the same route described in Acts 27-28, argues in his book, The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, that the account must have been written by someone who had sailed that route. It used to be a popular theory that the writer had somehow gotten his hands on a travel diary of the real "Luke" and incorporated it into his work. However, a detailed analysis of the writing style of various sections of the work shows none of the differences that would be expected on this theory. on the affirmative side generally answer the negative objections mentioned above by supposing that (1) the conferences mentioned in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 are not the same conference, and that (2) Luke uses the word "Judea" sometimes to mean the southern portion of the land of Israel, and sometimes to mean the whole land. some comments on the historical reliability of the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke, go to the following URLs: by James Kiefer

Jerusalem, 30-1st Century, Erastus of Corinth, of the Seventy, steward at Jerusalem, Paneas and C
Erastus of Corinth; of Corinth, also known as Erastus of Paneas, held the political office of steward, in Corinth, according to the Epistle to the Romans 16:23 of the New Testament. office is defined as "the manager of household or of household affairs" or, in this context, "treasurer".[1] King James Version uses the translation "chamberlain", while the New International Version uses "director of public works". person named Erastus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20 and Acts 19:22 is often taken to be the same person. However, whereas the Erastus mentioned in the second letter to Timothy may be the same person, it is unlikely that the Erastus referred to in the Book of Acts is the same Erastus. This Erastus was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul and accompanied him on his third missionary journey. It was on this third expedition that Paul penned the letter to the Roman believers in which he sent greetings from Erastus, the city treasurer. He could not have been the person in Paul's entourage. The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome while he was in Corinth (Romans 14:25-26, 27). to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, Erastus is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. He served as a deacon and steward of the Church at Jerusalem and later of Paneas in Palestine. The Church remembers St. Erastus on January 4 among the Seventy, and on November 10. Corinth;

Jerusalem, 33, Transfiguration, Jesus transfigured for Peter, James, John, with Moses and Elijah
Mount Tabor; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” and further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? That is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). But how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. However, the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. Thus, the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. Similarly, there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. It stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. Luke spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” But where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). Everywhere and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. That is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. Therefore, and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. Certainly, such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. But the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. In all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. He always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). Or, taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). Then He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). He answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” The Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); and from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). But the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses (let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). Rather, it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. Therefore, some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. This shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, and that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, and that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. True beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. However, our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. In this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. For it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), which is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. On Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). The Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. So also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, not taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. Rather, it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, but rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. They were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. So it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, and the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? Certainly, it was to show them something great and mysterious. What is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? Why would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? How could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? Indeed, in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? That is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. And the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). Is it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). But how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? What light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? Moreover, could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? Especially since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). And how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. We shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: the Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. Let us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves and encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, purifying our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. Let us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Jerusalem, 33-50, Loginius, Centurion at Cross & Sepulchre & then Cappadocia, his head story
Cappadocia, 033-050, Loginius the Centurion at the Cross and then Cappadocia ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ; Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion, a Roman soldier, served in Judea under the command of the Governor, Pontius Pilate. our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified, it was the detachment of soldiers under the command of Longinus which stood watch on Golgotha, at the very foot of the holy Cross. and his soldiers were eyewitnesses of the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord, and of the great and awesome portents that appeared at His death. events shook the centurion’s soul. Longinus believed in Christ and confessed before everyone, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). to Church Tradition, Longinus was the soldier who pierced the side of the Crucified Savior with a spear, and received healing from an eye affliction when blood and water poured forth from the wound. the Crucifixion and Burial of the Savior, Longinus stood watch with his company at the Sepulchre of the Lord. soldiers were present at the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ. The Jews bribed them to lie and say that His disciples had stolen away the Body of Christ, but Longinus and two of his comrades refused to be seduced by the Jewish gold. They also refused to remain silent about the miracle of the Resurrection. come to believe in the Savior, the soldiers received Baptism from the apostles and decided to leave military service. Longinus left Judea to preach about Jesus Christ the Son of God in his native land (Cappadocia), and his two comrades followed him. fiery words of those who had actually participated in the great events in Judea swayed the hearts and minds of the Cappadocians; Christianity began quickly to spread throughout the city and the surrounding villages. they learned of this, the Jewish elders persuaded Pilate to send a company of soldiers to Cappadocia to kill Longinus and his comrades. When the soldiers arrived at Longinus’s village, the former centurion himself came out to meet the soldiers and took them to his home. After a meal, the soldiers revealed the purpose of their visit, not knowing that the master of the house was the very man whom they were seeking. Then Longinus and his friends identified themselves and told the startled soldiers to carry out their duty. soldiers wanted to let the saints go and advised them to flee, but they refused to do this, showing their firm intention to suffer for Christ. holy martyrs were beheaded, and their bodies were buried at the place where the saints were martyred. The head of Saint Longinus, however, was sent to Pilate. gave orders to cast the martyr’s head on a trash-heap outside the city walls. After a while a certain blind widow from Cappadocia arrived in Jerusalem with her son to pray at the holy places, and to ask that her sight be restored. After becoming blind, she had sought the help of physicians to cure her, but all their efforts were in vain. woman’s son became ill shortly after reaching Jerusalem, and he died a few days later. The widow grieved for the loss of her son, who had served as her guide. Longinus appeared to her in a dream and comforted her. He told her that she would see her son in heavenly glory, and also receive her sight. He told her to go outside the city walls and there she would find his head in a great pile of refuse. led the blind woman to the rubbish heap, and she began to dig with her hands. As soon as she touched the martyr’s head, the woman received her sight, and she glorified God and Saint Longinus. up the head, she brought it to the place she was staying and washed it. next night, Saint Longinus appeared to her again, this time with her son. They were surrounded by a bright light, and Saint Longinus said, “Woman, behold the son for whom you grieve. See what glory and honor are his now, and be consoled. God has numbered him with those in His heavenly Kingdom. Now take my head and your son’s body, and bury them in the same casket. Do not weep for your son, for he will rejoice forever in great glory and happiness.” woman carried out the saint’s instructions and returned to her home in Cappadocia. There she buried her son and the head of Saint Longinus. Once, she had been overcome by grief for her son, but her weeping was transformed into joy when she saw him with Saint Longinus. She had sought healing for her eyes, and also received healing of her soul.

Jerusalem, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Jerusalem; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Jerusalem, 34-63,Matthias,replaced Judas,studied u Simeon,many places,Survived poison, invisible, enemies engulfed, crucified
Jerusalem, 34-63, Matthias, Apostle, from Bethlehem, Judea, replaced Judas, studied under Simeon, preached in Jerusalem, Antioch, Tianum, Sinope, Amasea, Edessa, Sebaste, Pontine Ethiopia Georgia, Macedonia, Survived poison, left prison invisible, enemies engulfed by earth, crucified; Bethlehem; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called. Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63.

Jerusalem, 41-44, Israel King, Herod Agrippa, Caligula's buddy, killed James, silver garment, eaten by worms
Jerusalem, Israel King, 41-44, Herod Agrippa ; Agrippa, also known as Herod II or Agrippa I (11 BC - AD 44), was a King of Judea from AD 41 to 44 and of Philip's tetrarchy from 39. He was the last ruler with the royal title reigning over Judea and the father of Herod Agrippa II, the last king from the Herodian dynasty. The grandson of Herod the Great and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice,[1] he is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles 12:1: "Herod (Agrippa)" (á¼©Ïá¿´Î´Î·Ï‚ á¼ˆÎ³ÏÎ¯Ï€Ï€Î±Ï‚.). territory comprised most of Palestine, including Judea, Galilee, Batanaea, and Perea.[citation needed] From Galilee his territory extended east to Trachonitis. minted by Herod Agrippa was born Marcus Julius Agrippa, so named in honour of Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. Josephus informs us that, after the execution of his father, young Agrippa was sent by his grandfather, Herod the Great, to the imperial court in Rome. There, Tiberius conceived a great affection for him and had him educated alongside his son Drusus, who also befriended him, and future emperor Claudius.[1] On the death of Drusus, Agrippa, who had been recklessly extravagant and was deeply in debt, was obliged to leave Rome, fleeing to the fortress of Malatha in Idumaea. There, it was said, he contemplated suicide.[2] a brief seclusion, through the mediation of his wife Cypros and his sister Herodias, Agrippa was given a sum of money by his brother-in-law and uncle, Herodias' husband, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, and was allowed to take up residence in Tiberias, and received the rank of aedile in that city, with a small yearly income. But after quarrelling with Antipas, he fled to Lucius Pomponius Flaccus, governor of Syria. Soon afterwards he was convicted, through information provided by his brother Aristobulus, of having received a bribe from the Damascenes, who wished to purchase his influence with the proconsul, and was again compelled to flee. As he was about to sail for Italy, he was arrested in connection with a debt which he owed to the treasury of Caesar, but made his escape, and reached Alexandria, where his wife succeeded in procuring a sum of money from Alexander the Alabarch. He then set sail, and landed at Puteoli. He was favourably received by Tiberius, who entrusted him with the education of his grandson Tiberius Gemellus. He also became friends with Caligula, then a popular favourite. However, one day he was overheard by his freedman Eutyches expressing a wish for Tiberius's death and the advancement of Caligula, and for this he was cast into prison.[1] and Claudius[edit] of Herod Agrippa I as given to him by Caligula Tiberius' death and the ascension of Agrippa's friend Caligula in AD 37, Agrippa was set free and made king of the territories of Gaulanitis (the Golan Heights), Auranitis, Batanaea, and Trachonitis, which his uncle Philip the Tetrarch had held, with the addition of Abila. Agrippa was also awarded the ornamenta praetoria and could use the title amicus Caesaris ("friend of Caesar"). Caligula also presented him with a gold chain equal in weight to the iron one he had worn in prison, which Agrippa dedicated to the Temple of Jerusalem on his return to his ancestral homeland. In AD 39, Agrippa returned to Rome, and arranged for the banishment of his uncle, Herod Antipas. He was then granted his uncle's tetrarchy, consisting of Galilee and Peraea. This created a Jewish kingdom, however one which did not include Judea at its centre.[3][4] the assassination of Caligula in AD 41, Agrippa was involved in the struggle over the accession between Claudius, the Praetorian Guard, and the Senate. How big a part Agrippa played is uncertain; the various sources differ. Cassius Dio simply writes that Agrippa cooperated with Claudius in his seeking to rule. Flavius Josephus gives us two versions. In The Jewish War, Agrippa is presented as only a messenger to a confident and energetic Claudius. But in The Antiquities of the Jews, Agrippa's role is central and crucial: he convinces Claudius to stand up to the Senate and convinces the Senate to avoid attacking Claudius.[3] After becoming Emperor, Claudius gave Agrippa dominion over Judea and Samaria and granted him the ornamenta consularia, and, at his request, gave the kingdom of Chalcis in Lebanon to Agrippa's brother Herod of Chalcis. Thus Agrippa became one of the most powerful kings of the east. His domain more or less equalled that which had been held by his grandfather Herod the Great.[5] the city of Berytus, Agrippa built a theatre and amphitheatre, baths and porticoes. He was equally generous in Sebaste, Heliopolis and Caesarea. Agrippa began the building of the third and outer wall of Jerusalem, but Claudius was not thrilled with the prospect of a strongly fortified Jerusalem, and he prevented him from completing the fortifications.[6] Agrippa's friendship was courted by many of the neighbouring kings and rulers,[1] some of whom he housed in Tiberias, which also caused Claudius some displeasure.[4] and death[edit] I prutah of Herod Agrippa's realm at its peak of Herod of Chalcis, showing Herod of Chalcis with brother Agrippa I crowning Roman Emperor Claudius I governed Judea to the satisfaction of the Jews. His zeal, private and public, for Judaism is recorded by Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and the rabbis.[5] Perhaps because of this, his passage through Alexandria in AD 38[7] instigated anti-Jewish riots.[4] At the risk of his own life, or at least of his liberty, he interceded with Caligula on behalf of the Jews, when that emperor was attempting to set up his statue in the Temple at Jerusalem shortly before his death in AD 41. Agrippa's efforts bore fruit and he persuaded Caligula to temporarily rescind his order, thus preventing the Temple's desecration.[8] However, Philo of Alexandria recounts that Caligula issued a second order to have his statue erected in the Temple,[9] which was only prevented by Caligula's death. Acts of the Apostles, chapter 12 (Acts 12:1–23), where Herod Agrippa is called "King Herod",[10] reports that he persecuted the Jerusalem church, having James son of Zebedee killed and imprisoning Peter around the time of a Passover. Blastus is mentioned in Acts as Herod's chamberlain (Acts 12:20). Passover in AD 44, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where he had games performed in honour of Claudius. In the midst of his speech to the public a cry went out that he was a god, and Agrippa did not publicly react. At this time he saw an owl perched over his head. During his imprisonment by Tiberius a similar omen had been interpreted as portending his speedy release and future kingship, with the warning that should he behold the same sight again, he would die.[5] He was immediately smitten with violent pains, scolded his friends for flattering him and accepted his imminent death. He experienced heart pains and a pain in his abdomen, and died after five days.[11] Josephus then relates how Agrippa's brother, Herod of Chalcis, and Helcias sent Aristo to kill Silas.[12] Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.2 343-361: "Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea he came to the city Caesarea, which was formerly called Strato's Tower; and there he exhibited spectacles in honor of Caesar, for whose well-being he'd been informed that a certain festival was being celebrated. At this festival a great number were gathered together of the principal persons of dignity of his province. On the second day of the spectacles he put on a garment made wholly of silver, of a truly wonderful texture, and came into the theater early in the morning. There the silver of his garment, being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays, shone out in a wonderful manner, and was so resplendent as to spread awe over those that looked intently upon him. Presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, (though not for his good) that he was a god; and they added, "Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature." Upon this the king neither rebuked them nor rejected their impious flattery. But he shortly afterward looked up and saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, just as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain arose in his belly, striking with a most violent intensity. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, "I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept what Providence allots, as it pleases God; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner." When he had said this, his pain became violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad everywhere that he would certainly die soon. The multitude sat in sackcloth, men, women and children, after the law of their country, and besought God for the king's recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation. Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground he could not keep himself from weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age and in the seventh year of his reign. He ruled four years under Caius Caesar, three of them were over Philip's tetrarchy only, and on the fourth that of Herod was added to it; and he reigned, besides those, three years under Claudius Caesar, during which time he had Judea added to his lands, as well as Samaria and Cesarea. The revenues that he received out of them were very great, no less than twelve millions of drachmae. But he borrowed great sums from others, for he was so very liberal that his expenses exceeded his incomes, and his generosity was boundless." 12 gives a similar account of Agrippa's death, adding that "an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms": Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him in a body; and after winning over Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for a reconciliation, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. 22 The people kept shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!â€ 23 And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. — Acts 12:20-23 The Jewish Encyclopedia speculated that Agrippa's "sudden death at the games in Cæsarea, 44, must be considered as a stroke of Roman politics."[13 of Absalom (western facade), showing the entrance to the Cave of Jehoshapat (left) behind it the Great's tomb reconstruction at Herodium gave Agrippa a positive legacy and related that he was known in his time as "Agrippa the Great".[14] The Talmud also has a positive view of his reign: The Mishnah explained how the Jews of the Second Temple era interpreted the requirement of Deuteronomy 31:10–13 that the king read the Torah to the people. At the conclusion of the first day of Sukkot immediately after the conclusion of the seventh year in the cycle, they erected a wooden dais in the Temple court, upon which the king sat. The synagogue attendant took a Torah scroll and handed it to the synagogue president, who handed it to the High Priest's deputy, who handed it to the High Priest, who handed it to the king. The king stood and received it, and then read sitting. King Agrippa stood and received it and read standing, and the sages praised him for doing so. When Agrippa reached the commandment of Deuteronomy 17:15 that “you may not put a foreigner over youâ€ as king, his eyes ran with tears, but they said to him, “Don’t fear, Agrippa, you are our brother, you are our brother!â€[15] The king would read from Deuteronomy 1:1 up through the shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), and then Deuteronomy 11:13–21, the portion regarding tithes (Deuteronomy 14:22–29), the portion of the king (Deuteronomy 17:14–20), and the blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 27–28). The king would recite the same blessings as the High Priest, except that the king would substitute a blessing for the festivals instead of one for the forgiveness of sin. (Mishnah Sotah 7:8; Babylonian Talmud Sotah 41a.) In a 2013 conference, Professor Gabriel Barkay suggested that the so-called Tomb of Absalom (of the 1st century C.E.) is in fact that it could be the tomb of Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, based in part on the similarity to Herod's newly discovered tomb at Herodium. The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16;

Jerusalem, 42&439, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration Jan 16 iRome&Constantinople, Kept 300 for Jerusalem healings
Jerusalem, 42 & 439, Peter's Precious Prison Chains Veneration, opened by Angel otLord, saved by christians, precious keepsakes, kept iJerusalem 300yrs, where they healed when approached in faith, 439 presented tEudokia by Patriarch Juvenal who transfered them tConstantinople, E send one chain tDaughter Eudoxia, Valerian's wife, in Rome, V built church on Esquiline hill, chain placed there with other of Peter's Roman chains, all Peter's chains venerated January 16; Jerusalem; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; Veneration of the Honorable Chains of the Holy and All-Praised Apostle Peter: about the year 42, on the orders of Herod Agrippa, the Apostle Peter was thrown into prison for preaching about Christ the Savior. prison he was held secure by two iron chains. the night before his trial, an angel of the Lord removed these chains from the Apostle Peter led him out from the prison (Acts 12:1-11). who learned of the miracle took the chains and kept them as precious keepsakes. three centuries the chains were kept in Jerusalem, and those who were afflicted with illness and approached them with faith received healing. Juvenal (July 2) presented the chains to Eudokia, wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger, she in turn transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople in either the year 437 or 439. sent one chain to Rome to her daughter Eudoxia (the wife of Valentinian), built a church on the Esquiline hill dedicated to the Apostle Peter and placed the chain in it. were other chains in Rome, with which the Apostle Peter was shackled before his martyrdom under the emperor Nero. were also placed in the church. January 16, the chains of Saint Peter are brought out for public veneration.

Jerusalem, 44-100, Idumean King, Herod Agrippa II, Agrippa II
Jerusalem Idumean King, 44-100, Herod Agrippa II, Agrippa II; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24;

Jerusalem, 45-67, Apostle Ananias, went to Eleutheropolis in 45 after healing Paul's eyes, stoned in E & prayed f stoners
Syria, 30-67, Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, bishop of Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), restored Paul's eyes & baptized him, went to Eleutheropolis, healed many, tortured, stoned, prayed for stoners; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Holy Apostle Ananias of the Seventy (October 1), the first Bishop of Damascus. Lord ordered him to restore the sight of Saul, the former persecutor of Christians, then baptize him (Acts 9:10-19, 22:12). became the great preacher and Apostle Paul. Ananias boldly and openly confessed Christianity before the Jews and the pagans, despite the danger. Damascus he went to preach at Eleutheropolis, he healed many of their infirmities. the prefect of the city, tried to persuade the holy one to offer sacrifice to idols. Because of Ananias’ staunch and solid confession of Christ, Lucian ordered that he be tortured. Harsh torments did not sway the witness of Truth. the torturers led him out beyond the city, where they stoned him. The saint prayed for those who put him to death. His relics were later transferred to Constantinople.

Jerusalem, 46-52, High Priest, Ananias, presided Paul's trial, violent, haughty, gluttonous, rapacious, admired by Jews
Jerusalem High Priest, 46-52, Ananias son of Nedebaios; son of Nebedeus (or Nedebeus) was a high priest who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, presided during the trials of the apostle Paul at Jerusalem (Acts 23:2) and Caesarea (Acts 24:1). Antiquities xx. 5. 2, called him "Ananias ben Nebedeus". He officiated as high priest from about AD 47 to 52. A. C. Hervey described him as "a violent, haughty, gluttonous, and rapacious man, and yet looked up to by the Jews".[1] Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ;

Jerusalem, 48, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, MOG, Gethsemane, transferred 463, 988, 1571, 1812, Dormition cathedral
Jerusalem, 48, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, MOG, at Gethsemane; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 12; Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord at Gethsemane. the year 463, the icon was transferred to Constantinople. Byzantine army carried the Jerusalem Icon into battle when they turned back an invasion of the Scythians. 988 the icon was transferred to Korsun and given to the holy Prince Vladimir. the people of Novgorod accepted Christianity, Saint Vladimir sent them this icon. 1571, Ivan the Terrible transferred the icon to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. the Napoleonic invasion of 1812, the original was stolen by the French and brought to Paris. An authenticated copy was placed in the Dormition cathedral. Jerusalem Icon is also commemorated on November 13, and on the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent.

Jerusalem, 51, Council of Jerusalem, rules for Gentile converts
Jerusalem, 51, Council of Jerusalem, At the center of the narrative (Book of Acts) is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29).; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23;

Jerusalem, 61, Epistle of St James, Brother of the Lord
Rome, 61, Epistle of St James, Brother of the Lord; Epistle of James, the Letter of James, or simply James (Ancient Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: Iakōbos), is a General epistle and one of the 21 epistles (didactic letters) in the New Testament. author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad" (James 1:1). The epistle is traditionally attributed to James the brother of Jesus (James the Just),[1][2] and the audience is generally considered to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel.[3][4] his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. He encourages and implores believers to humbly live by godly, rather than worldly wisdom and to pray in all situations. the most part, until the late 20th century, the epistle of James was relegated to benign disregard – though it was shunned by many early theologians and scholars due to its advocacy of Torah observance and good works.[5] Famously, Luther at one time considered the epistle to be among the disputed books, and sidelined it to an appendix,[6] although in his Large Catechism he treated it as the authoritative word of God.[7] epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience.[8] During the last decades, the epistle of James has attracted increasing scholarly interest due to a surge in the quest for the historical James,[9] his role within the Jesus movement, his beliefs, and his relationships and views. This James revival is also associated with an increasing level of awareness of the Jewish grounding of both the epistle and the early Jesus movement.[10] James, Brother of the Lord; the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord, was "a brother of Jesus", according to the New Testament. He was an early leader of the Jerusalem Church of the Apostolic Age. He died as a martyr in AD 62 or 69 after being stoned to death by order of High Priest Ananus ben Ananus. and Eastern Orthodox Christians, as well as some Anglicans and Lutherans, teach that James, along with others named in the New Testament as "brothers"[note 2] of Jesus, were not the biological children of Mary, but were possibly cousins of Jesus,[6] or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph (as related in the Gospel of James).[7][note 3] The Catholic tradition holds that this James is to be identified with James, son of Alphaeus, and James the Less.[11] It is agreed by most that he should not be confused with James, son of Zebedee also known as James the Great.[1] Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23; Apostle James, the Brother of God (Adelphotheos) was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos (December 26). his early years James was a Nazarene, a man especially dedicated to God. The Nazarenes vowed to preserve their virginity, to abstain from wine, to refrain from eating meat, and not to cut their hair. The vow of the Nazarenes symbolized a life of holiness and purity, commanded formerly by the Lord for all Israel. the Savior began to teach the nation about the Kingdom of God, Saint James believed in Christ and became His apostle. He was chosen as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem and his word was decisive (Acts 15). his thirty years as bishop, Saint James converted many of the Jews to Christianity. Annoyed by this, the Pharisees and the Scribes plotted together to kill Saint James. They led the saint up on the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple and asked what he thought of Jesus. The holy Apostle began to bear witness that Christ is the Messiah, which was not the response the Pharisees were expecting. Greatly angered, the Jewish teachers threw him off the roof. saint did not die immediately, but gathering his final strength, he prayed to the Lord for his enemies while they were stoning him. Saint James’ martyrdom occurred about 63 A.D. holy Apostle James composed a Divine Liturgy, which formed the basis of the Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. The Church has preserved an Epistle of Saint James, one of the books of the New Testament. 1853, Patriarch Hierotheus of Alexandria sent to Moscow a portion of the relics of Saint James. The Church distinguishes between the holy Apostle James the Brother of God, and Saint James the son of Zebedee (April 30) and Saint James the son of Alphaeus (October 9).

Jerusalem, 66 AD, Czestochowa Icon taken from Jerusalem when Romans took the city in 66
Jerusalem, 66 AD, Czestochowa Icon taken from Jerusalem when Romans took the city in 66; wonderworking Czestochowa Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is to be found in a Roman Catholic monastery at Yasna Gora near the city of Czestochowa, Petrov Province. It is believed to be one of the seventy icons painted by the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (October 18). Tradition says that the icon was taken from Jerusalem when the Romans conquered the city in the year 66, and was hidden in a cave near Pella. The icon was given to Saint Helen (May 21) when she visited the Holy Land in 326, and she brought it back to Constantinople with her. in the eighth century the icon traveled to various places, including Galicia, Bavaria, and Moravia. Prince Leo, who founded the city of Lvov, brought the icon to Russia and placed it in the fortress of Belz. There many miracles took place before the holy icon. Vladislav of Opolsk acquired the icon when the Poles captured southwestern Russia. At the time that Vladislav ruled in Poland, the Tatars invaded Russia and soon appeared before the gates of the fortress of Belz. The prince ordered the icon to be placed atop the city walls as the Tatars began their siege of the fortress. Blood began dripping from the icon where it had been struck by an arrow or some other projectile. Those who witnessed it were fearfully amazed at the sight. The Tatars began to retreat when a dark haze covered them, and many of them died. this miraculous deliverance, Prince Vladislav planned to take the icon to Siesia and to place it in his castle at Opolsk. As preparations for the transfer were being made, Vladislav was overcome with an inexplicable fear. He began to pray before the holy icon, and that night he was told in a vision to take the icon to Yasna Gora near Czestochowa. Vladislav built a monastery at Yasna Gora in 1382 and gave the icon to an order of Roman Catholic monks. years later, followers of John Hus attacked Czestochowa and plundered the monastery. When they attempted to carry the Czestochowa Icon away in a cart, the horses refused to move from the spot, held back by some invisible power. One of the Hussites became angry and threw the icon onto the ground, while another stabbed the face of the Virgin with his sword. The first man was struck dead, and the hand of the second man shriveled up. other invaders also suffered punishment from God. Some of them died on the spot, while others became blind. Although many of the monastery’s treasures were stolen by the Hussites, the wonderworking Czestochowa Icon was left behind. Carl X Gustav of Sweden occupied most of Poland in the seventeenth century, and his forces remained virtually undefeated until they fought a battle near Yasna Gora and the monastery where the icon was kept. With the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Poles were able to overcome the Swedes and end the war in 1656. At Lvov, King Jan Casimir officially decreed that Mother of God was the Queen of Poland, and that the nation was under her protection. miracles have been worked by the Czestochowa Icon, and are recorded in a book which is kept at the Czestochowa monastery. Copies of the icon are found in many Orthodox and Roman Catholic monasteries. Some of these copies are venerated in the village of Pisarevkain in the Volhynia Province (June 29 and September 8), at Verhnaya Syrovatka in the Kharkov Province, at Tyvrov in the Vinits Province (Holy Spirit day), in the Kazan Cathedral at Saint Petersburg, and in several other places. Czestochowa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 6;

Jerusalem, 67, Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane
Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane; the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies. and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand. in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end. this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world. came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God. began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance. Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; the Crucifixion and Death of the Savior he made bold to go to Pilate and ask him for the Body of the Lord, to Which he gave burial with the help of Righteous Νikόdēmos, who was also a secret disciple of the Lord. took down the Body of the Savior from the Cross, wrapped it in a winding-cloth, and placed it in a new tomb, in which no one had ever been buried, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the presence of the Mother of God and the holy Myrrh-Bearing Women (St Joseph had prepared this tomb for himself). Having rolled a heavy stone before the entrance of the tomb, they departed (John. 19: 37-42; Mt. 27: 57-61; Mark 15: 43-47; Luke. 24: 50-56) The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.

Jerusalem, 70 AD, Temple Destruction, Seige of Jerusalem, by the Romans
Jerusalem, 70 AD, Jerusalem Temple Destruction; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ;

Jerusalem, 70-324, Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins
Jerusalem, 70-324, Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16;

Jerusalem, 100, 2nd C Folder, Hadrian destroys Holy Places, Jews Christians out

Jerusalem, 132-135, Bar Kokhba revolt, third revolt, Jupiter Temple, Christians&Jews barred f Jerusalem, rabinnic Judism
Jerusalem, 135, Sack of Jerusalem in 135, Bar Kokhba revolt; Bar Kokhba revolt, known by Romans as the 'Jewish Expedition'[6], was a rebellion by the Jews of the Roman province of Judea, led by Simon bar Kokhba, against the Roman Empire. circa 132–136 CE,[7] it was the last of three major Jewish–Roman wars, so it is also known as The Third Jewish–Roman War or, The Third Jewish Revolt. Some historians also refer to it as the Second Revolt[8] of Judea, not counting the Kitos War (115–117 CE), which had only marginally been fought in Judea. revolt erupted as a result of religious and political tensions in Judea following on the failed First Revolt in 66–73 CE. tensions were related to the establishment of a large Roman military presence in Judea, changes in administrative life and the economy, together with the outbreak and suppression of Jewish revolts from Mesopotamia to Libya and Cyrenaica.[9] The proximate reasons seem to be the construction of a new city, Aelia Capitolina, over the ruins of Jerusalem and the erection of a temple to Jupiter on the Temple Mount.[10] The Church Fathers and rabbinic literature emphasize the role of Rufus, governor of Judea, in provoking the revolt.[11] 132, the revolt led by Bar Kokhba quickly spread from central Judea across the country, cutting off the Roman garrison in Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem).[12] Quintus Tineius Rufus, the provincial governor at the time of the erupting uprising, was attributed with the failure to subdue its early phase. Rufus is last recorded in 132, the first year of the rebellion; whether he died or was replaced is uncertain. Despite arrival of significant Roman reinforcements from Syria, Egypt, and Arabia, initial rebel victories over the Romans established an independent state over most parts of Judea Province for over three years, as Simon bar Kokhba took the title of Nasi ("head of state"). As well as leading the revolt, he was regarded by many Jews as the Messiah, who would restore their national independence.[13] setback, however, caused Emperor Hadrian to assemble a large-scale Roman force from across the Empire, which invaded Judea in 134 under the command of General Sextus Julius Severus. The Roman army was made up of six full legions with auxiliaries and elements from up to six additional legions, which finally managed to crush the revolt.[14] Bar Kokhba revolt resulted in the extensive depopulation of Judean communities, more so than during the First Jewish–Roman War of 70 CE.[15] According to Cassius Dio, 580,000 Jews perished in the war and many more died of hunger and disease, 50 fortresses and 985 villages were destroyed.[3] In addition, many Judean war captives were sold into slavery.[16] Some modern historians assert that Dio's numbers were somewhat exaggerated,[17] but other researchers support Dio's claim of massive depopulation.[18] The Jewish communities of Judea were devastated to an extent which some scholars describe as a genocide.[15][19] However, the Jewish population remained strong in other parts of Palestine, thriving in Galilee, Golan, Bet Shean Valley, and the eastern, southern, and western edges of Judea.[20] Roman casualties were also considered heavy – XXII Deiotariana was disbanded after serious losses.[21][22] In addition, some historians argue that Legio IX Hispana's disbandment in the mid-2nd century could have been a result of this war.[1] In an attempt to erase any memory of Judea or Ancient Israel, Emperor Hadrian wiped the name off the map and replaced it with Syria Palaestina.[23][24][25] However, there is only circumstantial evidence linking Hadrian with the name change and the precise date is not certain.[26] The common view is that the name change was intended to "sever the connection of the Jews to their historical homeland"; a few scholars dispute this.[27] Bar Kokhba revolt greatly influenced the course of Jewish history and the philosophy of the Jewish religion. Despite easing the persecution of Jews following Hadrian's death in 138 CE, the Romans barred Jews from Jerusalem, except for attendance in Tisha B'Av. Jewish messianism was abstracted and spiritualized, and rabbinical political thought became deeply cautious and conservative. The Talmud, for instance, refers to Bar Kokhba as "Ben-Kusiba", a derogatory term used to indicate that he was a false Messiah. It was also among the key events to differentiate Christianity as a religion distinct from Judaism.[28] Although Jewish Christians regarded Jesus as the Messiah and did not support Bar Kokhba,[29] they were barred from Jerusalem along with the other Jews.[30] JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Jerusalem, 135, Roman Emperor Hadrian destroys Holy Places in Jerusalem
Roman Emperor, 117-138, Hadrian ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335) ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14;

Jerusalem, 179-216, Narcissus, Patriarch, 80 in 179, Aelia Capitolina, Easter on Sunday, m miracles, water into oil
Jerusalem, 179-216, Patriarch, Narcissus of Jerusalem, 80 in 179, Aelia Capitolina, Easter on Sunday, many miracles, water into oil, false acusations, seclusion several years, coadjutor Alex ; Narcissus of Jerusalem (c. 99 (reputedly) – c. 216) was an early patriarch of Jerusalem. He is venerated as a saint by both the Western and Eastern Churches. In the Roman Catholic Church, his feast day is celebrated on October 29, while in the Eastern Orthodox Church it is celebrated on August 7. Life[edit] is inferred that the average reign of the bishops of Jerusalem was short, as evidenced by the episcopal reigns of those who followed Saint Simeon, the second bishop of Jerusalem, who was martyred in the year 117 by the Emperor Trajan.[1][2] Greek origin, tradition holds that Narcissus was born in the year 99 and was at least 80 when he was made the 30th bishop of Jerusalem.[1] than a century had then elapsed since the city was destroyed by the Romans, and it had since been rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina by the Emperor Hadrian. the year 195, St Narcissus, together with Theophitus or Theoctistus, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, presided over a council held by the bishops of Palestine in Caesarea, and it was decreed that Easter was to be always kept on a Sunday, and not with the Jewish Passover. to Eusebius, the bishop performed many miracles. One miracle of note, as Eusebius testified, had occurred during the Easter Vigil when Narcissus changed water into oil to supply all the lamps of the church.[3][4] was the subject of several serious allegations made by members of the Christian community, but these proved to be false. He forgave his accusers, but left Jerusalem and lived in seclusion for several years.[5][6] bishops governed the See of Jerusalem in succession during his absence. Upon his return to Jerusalem, the people unanimously sought him out and asked him to resume his episcopal duties. This he did, but owing to his extreme age and the weight of his duties, he made Saint Alexander his coadjutor bishop.[3] St Narcissus continued to serve his flock and other churches outside his jurisdiction by his constant prayer and his exhortations to the faithful for unity and peace.[7] St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16;

Jerusalem, 200, 3rd C Folder, Bishop Alexander, Patriarch Juneval, Cheriton oSouka Pharan Jericho, George's bones

Jerusalem, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop, first C Library at J, beasts refused to eat him, died in prison
Jerusalem Patriarch, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem (died 251 AD) was a third century bishop who is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. He died during the persecution of Emperor Decius.[1] Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 12 ; Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. At the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. In 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. Following the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God. hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on May 16. St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; story as above--------The Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God in the year 251. The hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on December 12.

Jerusalem, 270-350, Cheriton tConfessor of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, Robber's Cave Story
Jerusalem, 270-350, Saint Cheriton of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, fIconium, Lycaonia, endured Auirelian's fierce torture there through Thekla's example, released fPrison 275, dedicated life to Lord, grieved he had not martyred, tJerusalem Holy Places, Thieves intended to kill him in a cave, expecting death C prayed, but did not ask for deliverance, just God's will, while out a snake drank and threw up in their wine, which later poisoned tThieves, C thanked God, gave Thieves gold to poor, churches, monasteries, and began his astetic struggles there in the cave, built church&Pharan monastery there, many virtuous disciples, strict rule, fSolitude founded 2 more monasteries, Jerico (Cheriton's monastery) &Souka, brought many Jews and Pagans to the faith, C ended up on hill near Souka but did not cease guidance for all three, died 350, compiled tOffice otMonastic Tonsure, buried aPharan, grace-filled relics aRobber's cave; Souka Monastery of St Cheriton; The Judean Desert "the Land of Monasteries". You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; The Judean Desert " the Land of Monasteries You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Euthimius; Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28; Chariton the Confessor was born at Iconium in the province of Lycaonia, suffered there during a persecution against Christians in the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270-275). example of the holy Protomartyr Thekla (September 24), who was also a native of his city, encouraged him to confess Christ, since he had a great devotion to her. Chariton bravely denounced the pagan gods and staunchly confessed faith in the one True God, Christ the Savior. holy Confessor underwent fierce tortures but, by God's Providence, he survived. persecution ended after Aurelian's death in 275. Chariton was among the many Christians who were released from prison, he resolved to dedicate his entire life to the service of the Lord. he escaped death, he grieved because he had not received the crown of martyrdom. arriving at Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to the holy places, fell into the hands of thieves. tied him up and threw him in a cave, to kill him later. they left to find people to rob, the saint prayed fervently to God expecting to be put to death. did not ask God to deliver him, but instead he entreated Him to do with him as He wished. this time a snake crawled into the cave and began to drink wine from a vessel setting there. it vomited forth its deadly venom, poisoning the wine. they returned to the cave, the evil men drank the poisoned wine and they all perished. their wicked lives came to a fitting end. Chariton gave thanks to God, then he gave away the gold which the malefactors had stolen, it to the poor, to churches, and to monasteries. began his ascetic struggles in the place of his miraculous rescue, there he built a church. time a monastery was established: renowned Pharan Lavra in Palestine. Chariton's fame drew many disciples to him. governed them with paternal affection, he elevated them to the highest degrees of virtue. Chariton compiled a strict Rule for his monastery. for solitude, the monk withdrew farther into the desert in order to avoid the praise of men, he never rejected anyone who sought his spiritual guidance. founded two more monasteries: Jericho (called the Monastery of Saint Chariton) the Souka, which was called “the old Lavra.” also brought many Jews and pagans to the Faith. the end of his life, Saint Chariton struggled in a cave atop a hill near the Souka monastery, he did not cease to provide guidance for all three of the monasteries which he founded. fell asleep in the Lord peacefully and at an advanced age on September 28, 350. to Tradition, Saint Chariton compiled the Office of the Monastic Tonsure. Chariton was buried at the Pharan monastery, accordance with his last wishes. His grace-filled relics were enshrined in the church that had been built on the site of the robbers' cave.

Jerusalem, 280-305, Patriarch, Juneval of Jerusalem, Aelia Capitolina had been Caesarea See
Jerusalem Patriarch, 280-305 or 422-458, Juneval of Jerusalem ; Juvenal was a bishop of Jerusalem from about 422. In 451, on the See of Jerusalem being recognised as a Patriarchate by the Council of Chalcedon, he became the first Patriarch of Jerusalem, an office he occupied until his death in 458. the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 the city had been left in ruins, and after Hadrian's visit to the site in 135, a new Roman city was built, called Aelia Capitolina (Ælius was Hadrian's family nomen). Ælia was a town of little importance in the empire; the governor of the province resided at Caesarea. Caesarea became the metropolitan see; the Bishop of Ælia (Jerusalem) was merely one of its suffragans.[1] wanted to make Jerusalem into a patriarchate, but Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Pope Leo I opposed the separation of Jerusalem from Cæsarea and Antioch.[2] 429, Patriarch Juvenal consecrated the Laura of Euthymius, located on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho, and supplied it with presbyters and deacons.[3] 431, Juvenal sided with Cyril against Nestorius at the First Council of Ephesus.[4] 449, Juvenal was one of the leaders of the Second Council of Ephesus, being the first to sign it. This led to his name being removed from the diptychs of the churches that rejected the council. However he changed his stance at the Council of Chalcedon convened later, condemning the previous council.[5] 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Monophysite heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally absorbed by the divine nature. Juvenal was among those who condemned the heresy and affirmed the doctrine of the union of two natures in Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture.[4] When Dioscorus of Alexandria was tried for violation of canonical law, Juvenal voted for his condemnation.[citation needed] The attenders of the council consented to the establishment of the patriarchate of Jerusalem, but when Juvenal returned to his throne, Monophysites drove him from it and installed Theodosius as the patriarch. Theodosius reportedly filled Jerusalem with blood, then raised a military company to punish other rivals in the region like Severianus, Bishop of Scythopolis, whom he brutally executed in 452 or 453 AD.[6] Imperial troops restored Juvenal in 453, and he served in peace until his death in 458.[2][7] St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20;

Jerusalem, 280-303, St George, his bones are in Lod, his mother's home
Jerusalem Saint, 280-303, St George ; George (died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. to tradition he was a soldier in the Roman army. His parents were Christians of Greek origin. His father, Gerontius, was a Cappadocian serving in the Roman army. His mother, Polychronia, was a Christian from the city of Lod in Palestine. George was a soldier of Cappadocian Greek and Palestinian origins, member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He became one of the most venerated saints and megalomartyrs in Christianity, and he has been especially venerated as a military saint since the Crusades. hagiography, as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and one of the most prominent military saints, he is immortalized in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. memorial, Saint George's Day, is traditionally celebrated on 23 April. England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Catalonia and Aragon in Spain, Moscow in Russia, and several other states, regions, cities, universities, professions and organizations claim George as their patron. bones of Saint George are buried in the Church of Saint George, Lod, Israel.[citation needed] St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20;

Jerusalem, 300 - 1453, Folder, Byzantine Period

Jerusalem, 300, 4th C Folder, Finding tCross&Forerunner's head, Ressurection Church, Vision otCross, Earthquake, Wilderness Sts

Jerusalem, 313-323, Patriarch, Macarius I, searched for the cross w Helen
Jerusalem Patriarch, 313-323, Macarius I ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Jerusalem, 311-371, Saint Hilarion the Great, founder of Gaza and Judean Wilderness monasticism
Egypt, 311-371, Saint Hilarion ; the Great (291-“371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c.251-“356). St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, St Hilarion is considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism[1] and venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Jerusalem, 316-361, Armenian Saint, Nino, George&Juvenal's Kin, wanted kiss tRobe in Georgia, but MOG sent her tConvert Georgia
Armenia, 316-361, Armenian Saint, Nino, George's Kin, to Georgia for the Robe, virgin, fCappadocia, then Jerusalem a12, J Patriarch Junival's neice, father mother became monastics, raised by old woman who told her about Christ's robe ending up in Pagan Georgia, so Nino prayed MOG blessing travel tG tKiss Robe she had woven, MOG appeared in dream, Go that country assigned me by lot, Preach Gospel, he will send his grace, I will protect you, But Nino overwhelmed bResponsibility, How can I do it, How can I believe this vision, MOG gave her grapevine cross, receive this cross as a shield visible invisible enemies, Nino woke holding cross, rejoiced, told uncle J, he prayed for her to get to go preach Resurrection, guided by Lord, refuge, spiritual Father, Enlighten her like Apostles, with wisdom tProclaim glad tidings, Lord sent Nino tRome, she met&baptized princess Rhipsimia&hNurse, christian persecuter emperor Diocletian wanted marry R, but Nino, Rhipsima, nurse Gaiana & 50 other virgins escaped to Armenia, D sent soldiers after and warned A King Tridates, T found them and like D wanted marry R, But R refused so T had her tortured tDeath wG&50 other virgins, Nino, however, greater task, escaped hiding rose bushes, tGeorgia, greeted by Mtskhetan shepherds Lake Paravani, she received blessing preach Lake P Pagans, tUrbnisi, 1Month, tMtskheta wGeorgians going there tKiss pagan Idol, sad that people trembled before idol, she prayed Lord send mercy this nation that all nations glorify thee alone, suddenly violent wind&hail shattered pagan statues, worshipers fled across city, Nino made home beneath bramble bush Kings garden, wChildless Royal Gardener's family, through Nino's prayers God granted child, couple rejoice converted, followed Nino, many converted bNino's preaching, even terminally ill Queen Nana healed after her conversion, King Mirian not pleased, decided kill all Christians including wife, but while hunting it became very dark, greatly afraid prayed to Pagan gods, unanswered, lost hope, miraculously turned to Christ, illume this night, guide my footsteps, and I will declare your Name, erect a cross, and kiss it, and construct a temple, I vow obedient to Nino and faith Roman People, Suddenly sun shone radiantly and King Mirian thanked Creator, he returned city immediately told Nino his decision, So by equal tApostles Nino's labors Georgia established solidly as Christian nation, N reposed in Bodbe, eastern Georgia, Mirian erected church there; Armenian Saint, 316-340, Nino; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; virgin Nino of Cappadocia a relative of Great-martyr George the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, her mother, Sosana, the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. after, Nino’s father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan. Sosana had been separated from her husband, Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His suffering on earth. was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.” the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility answered, “How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, how can I believe that this vision is real?” response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines proclaimed, “Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies!” she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.) related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings.” Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but Saint Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard. Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry her. But Saint Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. Saint Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes. she finally arrived in Georgia, Saint Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region. the help of her acquaintances Saint Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. remained there a month, traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi. she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, the family of the royal gardener. gardener and his wife were childless, through Saint Nino’s prayers God granted them a child. couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, became disciples of Saint Nino. Saint Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana she declared Christ to be the True God. Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression Saint Nino’s preaching had made on the Georgian nation. day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ. to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope miraculously, he turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, I will declare Thy Holy Name. will erect a cross venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!” the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. he returned to the city, he immediately informed Saint Nino of his decision. a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. Mirian later erected a church in honor of Saint George over her grave.

Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Cross, Saint Helen andHieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Jerusalem, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch, Uncovered the Cross with Saint Helen, a Jew till discovery miracle
Jerusalem, 326-363, Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch, Uncovered the Cross with Saint Helen; Jerusalem, 326, Uncovering the Precious Cross and Nails, Saint Helen; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28; Hieromartyr Cyriacus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was a Jew who pointed out to the holy Empress Helen the place where the Life-Creating Cross of Christ lay buried (September 14). present at the discovery of the Cross, Cyriacus (before Baptism he was named Jude) sincerely came to believe in Christ the true God, and he became a Christian. because of his pure and virtuous life, was later chosen to be Patriarch of Jerusalem. He suffered martyrdom under the emperor Julian. the cruel persecution under Julian the Apostate, in the year 363, Saint Cyriacus accepted suffering for the Faith. He was killed after prolonged tortures. Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Holy Empress Helen uncovered the Precious Cross and Nails of the Lord at Jerusalem in 326. the beginning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first Roman emperor to recognize Christianity, he and his pious mother Saint Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with the Savior’s death and Resurrection from the foul taint of paganism. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold. Saint Constantine wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the restoring the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen began to destroy all the pagan temples and reconsecrate the places which had been defiled by the pagans. her quest for the Life-Creating Cross, she questioned several Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, an elderly Hebrew named Jude told her that the Cross was buried beneath the temple of Venus. Saint Helen ordered that the pagan temple be demolished, and for the site to be excavated. Soon they found Golgotha and the Lord’s Sepulchre. Not far from the spot were three crosses, a board with the inscription written by Pilate (John 19:19), and four nails which had pierced the Lord’s Body. the task was to determine on which of the three crosses the Savior had been crucified. Patriarch Macarius saw a dead person being carried to his grave, then he ordered that the dead man be placed upon each cross in turn. When the corpse was placed on the Cross of Christ, he was immediately restored to life. After seeing the raising of the dead man, everyone was convinced that the Life-Creating Cross had been found. With great joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius lifted the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about.

Jerusalem, 330&452, 1st&2nd finding Forerunner's Head, 1st 330 Mt Olives F told f monks, 2nd cave near Emesa 452 F showed c monk
Jerusalem, 330 & 452, First and second finding Forerunner's Head, Joanna wife of steward Chuza, Innocents Mt Olives Church and Cell, found head diggng foundation, signs of grace, hid it again same place, 330 Constantine time Forerunner appeared twice monks Jerusalem pilgrimage, way home potter carrying bag, Forerunner appeared ordering potter to flee from careless monks, gave it to sister in jug, heretic Eustathius buried it in cave near Emesa, monks settled in the cave and monastery arose, in 452 Forerunner appeared to Marcellus archmandrite and exposed head, second finding, to Emesa, to Constantinople ; Mount of Olives; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent. He built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. Thus occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. When his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Jerusalem, 330-32,330&452, 2 Findings otHead otForerunner, from his appearances in 330 and 452
Samaria, 330&452, First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Perophe, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, first found in Sebaste, Samaria, first hidden bHerodius in unclean place, Joanna, Herod's steward Chuza 's wife, christian, placed it into a vessel and buried it Herod's property on Mt of Olives, property passed into govt official possession, he became monk Innocent, built church there, discovered vessel and head, recognized the grace eminating from it, thus the first finding, but returend it to place found, 330 Forerunner appeared to two monks and told them where to look, they lost it to a potter who did not know what it was and put it in Camel hair sack, Forerunner appeared again but to the potter, told him flee from careless lazy monks, he preserved it with reverence in his home, gave it to his christian sister, then sucessfully preserved by Christians, until Arian Priest Eustathius posessed it, he hid it in a cave, Pious monks settled in the cave, started monastery there, 452 Forerunner appeared to archmandrite of the monastery Marcellus, told him where it was hidden, This is the second finding, it was transferred to Emesa and later to Constantinople; Sebaste, Samaria; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), took the holy head and placed it into a vessel buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official became a monk with the name of Innocent. built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. occurred the First Finding of the Head. preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, indicated where his head was hidden. became celebrated as the Second Finding. holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Jerusalem, 335, Resurrection Church Founded, after rebuilding Jerusalem, a Aelia Capitolinna, C of Tyre attends
Jerusalem, 335, Commemoration Resurrection Church Founding; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. When the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). It was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, he constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. Before the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. He did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, he and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. They also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, and Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples and reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. She was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. There they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. When the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. The holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: "Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. Therefore they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). The Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. After her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Therefore, at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. Hierarchs of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. The bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. On this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Jerusalem, 335, Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, using dead man location discovered by Helen in 326
Jerusalem, 335, Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, built by Constantine and Helen, 70 Titus c Jerusalem, razed city, destroyed Temple, foretold by JC, 129 Hadrian built Aelia Capitolina there, 119 Venus Temple, using dead man Helen found cross in 326, 335 Council of Tyre bishops attend; Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335; Church of the Resurrection; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Dedication of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem celebrates the dedication of the Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother, the empress Helen. the voluntary Passion and Death on the Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the holy place of His suffering was long trampled on by pagans. the Roman emperor Titus conquered Jerusalem in the year 70, he razed the city and destroyed the Temple of Solomon on Mount Moriah, leaving there not a stone upon a stone, as even the Savior foretold (Mt.13:1-2). on the zealous pagan emperor Hadrian (117-138) built on the site of the Jerusalem destroyed by Titus a new city named Aelia Capitolina for him (Hadrian Aelius). was forbidden to call the city by its former name. gave orders to cover the Holy Tomb of the Lord with earth and stones, and on that spot to set up an idol. On Golgotha, where the Savior was crucified, constructed a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in 119. the statues they offered sacrifice to demons and performed pagan rites, accompanied by wanton acts. Bethlehem, at the place the Savior was born of the All-Pure Virgin, the impious emperor set up an idol of Adonis. did all this intentionally, so that people would forget completely about Christ the Savior and that they would no loner remember the places where He lived, taught, suffered and arose in glory. the beinning of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337), the first of the Roman emperors to recognize the Christian religion, and his pious mother the empress Helen decided to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. also planned to build a church on the site of the Lord’s suffering and Resurrection, in order to reconsecrate and purify the places connected with memory of the Savior from the taint of foul pagan cults. empress Helen journeyed to Jerusalem with a large quantity of gold, Saint Constantine the Great wrote a letter to Patriarch Macarius I (313-323), requesting him to assist her in every possible way with her task of the renewing the Christian holy places. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress Helen destroyed all the pagan temples reconsecrated the places desecrated by the pagans. was zealous to find the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and she ordered the excavation of the place where the temple of Venus stood. they discovered the Sepulchre of the Lord and Golgotha, and they also found three crosses and some nails. order to determine upon which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius gave orders to place a dead person, who was being carried to a place of burial, upon each cross in turn. the dead person was placed on the Cross of Christ, he immediately came alive. With the greatest of joy the empress Helen and Patriarch Macarius raised up the Life-Creating Cross and displayed it to all the people standing about. holy empress quickly began the construction of a large church which enclosed within its walls Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, and the Sepulchre of the Lord, located near each other. holy Apostle and Evangelist John wrote about this: in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day, for the tomb was nearby" (John 19:41-42). Church of the Resurrection was ten years in building, and the holy empress Helen did not survive to see its completion. She returned to Constantinople, and reposed in the year 327. her arrival in Jerusalem, the holy empress built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, at Gethsemane and in many other places connected with the life of the Savior and events in the New Testament. construction of the church of the Resurrection, called "Martyrion" in memory of the sufferings of the Savior, was completed in the same year as the Council of Tyre, and in the thirtieth year of the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. at the assembly of September 13, 335, the consecration of the temple was particularly solemn. of Christian Churches in many lands: Bythnia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Palestine, and Egypt, participated in the consecration of the church. bishops who participated in the Council of Tyre, and many others, went to the consecration in Jerusalem. this day all the city of Jerusalem was consecrated. The Fathers of the Church established September 13 as the commemoration of this remarkable event.

Jerusalem, 335-386, Patriarch, St Cyrl of Jerusalem, exiled several times, Catechumen instructions, Litergy order
Jerusalem Patriarch, 335-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem was a theologian of the early Church (c. 313-“ 386 AD). the end of 350 AD he succeeded Maximus as Bishop of Jerusalem, but was exiled on more than one occasion due to the enmity of Acacius of Caesarea, and the policies of various emperors. Cyril left important writings documenting the instruction of catechumens and the order of the Liturgy in his day. is venerated as a saint within the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. In 1883, Cyril was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII. He is highly respected in the Palestinian Christian Community. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386) , Commemorated 18 March; of Jerusalem, from "Pictorial Lives of the Saints"Cyril was born in Jerusalem around 315, and became bishop of that city in about 349. The years between the Council of Nicea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381) were troubled years, in which the Church, having committed itself at Nicea, over the strenuous protests of the Arians, to the proposition that the Son is "one in being" (homo-ousios) with the Father, began to backtrack and consider whether there was some other formula that would adequately express the Lordship of Christ but not be "divisive." Experience with other ways of stating what Christians believed about the Son and his relation to the Father finally led the Church to conclude that the Nicene formulation was the only way of safeguarding the doctrine that Thomas spoke truly (John 20:28) when he said to Jesus, "My Lord and My God!" But this was not obvious from the beginning, and Cyril was among those who looked for a way of expressing the doctrine that would be acceptable to all parties. As a result, he was exiled from his bishopric three times, for a total of sixteen years, once by the Athanasians and twice by the Arians. He eventually came to the conclusion, as did most other Christians of the time, that there was no alternative to the Nicene formula, and in 381 he attended the Council of Constantinople and voted for that position. Cyril is author of the Catecheses, or Catechatical Lectures on the Christian Faith. These consist of an introductory lecture, then eighteen lectures on the Christian Faith to be delivered during Lent to those about to be baptized at Easter, and then five lectures on the Sacraments to be delivered after Easter to the newly baptized. These have been translated into English (F L Cross, 1951), and are the oldest such lectures surviving. (It is thought that they were used over and over by Cyril and his successors, and that they may have undergone some revision in the process.) Every year, thousands of Christian pilgrims came to Jerusalem, especially for Holy Week. It is probably Cyril who instituted the liturgical forms for that week as they were observed in Jerusalem at the pilgrimage sites, were spread to other churches by returning pilgrims, and have come down to us today, with the procession with palms on Palm Sunday, and the services for the following days, culminating in the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We have a detailed account of Holy Week observances in Jerusalem in the fourth century, thanks to a a Spanish nun named Egeria who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and kept a journal which is a historian's delight. by James Kiefer

Jerusalem, 341, Hieromartyr Milus, Bishop oTelepolis oSuza, fGeneral, devout ascetic so prophecy healing gifts
Persia, 341, Hieromartyr Milus, Bishop oTelepolis oSuza, Iran (Persian Gulf, Isfahan Crossroads North South), former General, devout ascetic so prophecy healing gifts, ordained bBo Geddegoupolis, pagans expelled M from Susa, tJerusalem, tAlexandria, met Anthony tG, 2yrs, back tPersia, arrested, death bSword, disciples bWooden clubs&stones; Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Persian Martyr Mίlos was once a General. he was chosen as the Bishop of Telepolis (Susa, or Shushan in Syriac), where the Prophet Daniel saw visions.1 of his devout ascetical life, Saint Mίlos received from God the gifts of prophecy and healing. was ordained by Bishop Bēthlapát of Geddēgoupólis. the pagans expelled him from the city of Susa, his episcopal See, he fled to Jerusalem. there, he went to Alexandria, where he met Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). two years the Hierarch returned to Persia, where he and his disciples were arrested by the ruler Basiliskos. Mίlos was put to death by the sword. disciples2 Ebórēs, Papas, and the Deacon Senóei (or Sebórēs), were killed with wooden clubs and stones. they all received the immortal crown of martyrdom in the year 341. Daniel 8:2 (LXX). Some sources say there were two disciples: Abrosim and Sinon. Others list three disciples: Ebórēs, Papas, and the Deacon Senóei (or Sebórēs). The difference in the names might be explained by alternate transcriptions of the Persian names into other languages. Papas may be a proper name, or it may be that Ebórēs was a priest. If that is the case, however, one would expect to see the title πρεσβύτερος.

Jerusalem, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit, calmly amiably conversing w beasts, prayer told huge lion to come
Galilee, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit; Martyr Zosimas the Desert Dweller lived during the fourth century. Once, while hunting, Dometian, the governor of Sicily, saw the Elder calmly and amiably conversing with the beasts around him. the hunters, the beasts fled. They then interrogated the Elder, asking who he was and why he lived in the wilderness. The Elder answered that he was a Christian called Zosimas, and that he could not live in the city with the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he lived alone among the wild animals. Dometian said threateningly: “If you worship the Nazarene, I shall subject you to fierce tortures at Nazareth, and you will renounce Christ.” asked what kind of magic he used to tame wild beasts, Saint Zosimas replied, “I am a Christian.” At Nazareth the tortures began. They tied the Elder head downwards, with a large stone around his neck, and they began to lacerate his body with iron hooks. torturers taunted the sufferer: “If the beasts do listen to you, tell one of them to come here, and then we will believe in your God.” The holy martyr turned to God in prayer, and suddenly a huge lion came forth. fled in terror, and the lion went up to the Elder, and began to lift the stone around the martyr’s neck with its paw in order to ease the suffering of the saint. The governor implored the martyr to keep the lion calm, and he gave orders to untie the saint, and to bring him to the emperor, but Saint Zosimas was already dead, having given up his pure soul to God. Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1; to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Jerusalem, 351, Vision of the Cross, brighter than sun, 51/2mi wide and tall, Golgotha to Mt Olives, whole week, not Arian
Jerusalem, 351, Vision of the Cross, Miraculous Portent, brighter than sun, 51/2mi wide and tall, Golgotha to Mt Olives, whole week, not Arian ; Jerusalem Patriarch, 350-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7 ; Precious Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem on the morning of May 7, 351 during the reign of the emperor Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine (May 21). that time the heresy of Arianism, which taught that Christ was merely a creature and not God, was causing great turmoil and division throughout the Empire. Even after the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, many people were drawn to this false teaching, and the Orthodox found themselves in the minority in many places. the ruler of the eastern part of the Empire, was a fervent supporter of Arianism. His brothers Constantine II and Constans, who were pious Orthodox Christians, ruled in the west. They were both killed in separate battles around 350, leaving Constantius as sole ruler. Also in 350, Saint Cyril (March 18) became Patriarch of Jerusalem and began his zealous struggle against Arianism. May of 351 a luminous Cross appeared over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, a distance of about five and a half miles. The Cross was wide as it was long, and shone more brightly than the sun. Many people left their homes and workplaces to gather in the church and glorify Christ. The historian Sozomen says that this wondrous sign led to the conversion of multitudes of pagans and Jews to Christianity. letter from Saint Cyril to the emperor describing this phenomenon, and admonishing him to become Orthodox, has been preserved. The apparition of the Cross remained over the city for a whole week. vision of the Cross over Jerusalem strengthened the Orthodox faithful and contributed to the return of many Arians to the Church. It is also a reminder of the awesome Second Coming of Christ, when œthe sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven (Matthew 24:30).

Jerusalem, 361, Earthquake, Final Destruction of Solomon's Temple
Jerusalem Patriarch, 350-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Jerusalem, 366-420, Porphyrius, Bishop oGaza, tNitrian desert, preserved Holy Cross aJerusalem per Jesus, converted Gaza
Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, fThessalonica, weathy, educated, inclined monastic life, tNitrian desert Egypt, under Marcarius tGreat, also met Jerome, tJerusalem fHoly Places, and tVenerate tLife Creating Holy Cross, then tCave in Jordanian wilderness, fPrayer&Ascetic deeds, 5yrs, then afflicted malady otLegs, to tHoly Places Jerusalem tPray for Healing, laying half conscious aFoot oGolgotha, in a trance, beheld Jesus descending ftCross, saying take this wood and preserve it, out of trance healthy free from pain, then gave all his money tPoor and Churches adornment, worked as shoemaker, at age 45 (391) savior's words fulfilled, ordained and assigned custodian otCross, 395 Gaza bishop died, with fear and trembling he accepted, tears before tCross, only 3 churches in Gaza, pagans predominant, harrasing christians, many temples&Idols, long spell without rain, pagan priests offerings tIdols dd not work, imposed fast all christians, all-night vigil, procession around tCith, immediately abundant rain, many pagans united tChurch, 237, but harrasment continued, no public office, taxes, tConstantinople wMet oCaesarea john tSeek redress fEmperor, John Chrysostom assisted them, Emperess Eusoxia had son, heir after Bishops prayed for her, offering intercede for us and Lord will send you a son who will reign during your lifetime, So Emperor ordered destruction of all tempels in Gaza, restoration oPrivileges tChristian, mone for new Church, replacing chief pagan temple, P's prayers brought numerous healings and miracles; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at Thessalonica. parents were people of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrius to receive a fine education. the inclination for monastic life, he left his native region at twenty-five years of age and set off for Egypt, he lived in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19). he also met Saint Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries. went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), he moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. five years, Saint Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. beheld Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and preserve it.” out of his trance, he found himself healthy and free from pain. he gave away all his money to the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. a time he supported himself by working as a shoemaker. words of the Savior were fulfilled when the saint was forty-five years old. Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint Porphyrius to the holy priesthood appointed him custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrius. fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience. Gaza there were only three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols. this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; then served an all-night Vigil, by a church procession around the city. the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ is indeed the only true God!” a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this. pagans continued to harass the Christians. passed them over for public office, burdened them with taxes. Saint and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. John Chrysostom (September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them. John and Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. a result of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza the restoration of privileges to Christians. the emperor gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple. Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years, reposed in 420 at an advanced age.

Jerusalem, 380-405, Saint John Cassian, from Dobrogea, Romania, The Roman, in Bethlehem
Jerusalem, 380-405, Saint John Cassian, from Dobrogea, Romania, The Roman; Saint Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Jerusalem, 387-417, Patriarch, John II, Bishop of Jerusalem, wrote five Mystagogical Catecheses
Jerusalem, 387-417, Patriarch, John II, Bishop of Jerusalem; II (c. 356 – 10 January 417) was bishop of Jerusalem from AD 387 to AD 417. John II succeeded to the episcopal throne of Jerusalem on the death of Cyril in 386 (or 387). He was the author, according to an increasing number of modern scholars,[1] of the five Mystagogical Catecheses traditionally ascribed to his predecessor Cyril. is revered as a saint by the Orthodox Church and his feast day is held on March 30.[2][3][4] He is also honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, which commemorates him on 10 January (Martyrologium Romanum, 2004, p. 92). Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2;

Jerusalem, 395-475, Saint, Gerasimus of the Jordan, Coutila Gorge
Jerusalem Saint, d. 475, Gerasimus of the Jordan; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ;

Jerusalem, 397-451, Saint, Theoctistus of Palestine, Kidron R down from Theran HP
Jerusalem, 397-451, Saint, Theoctistus of Palestine; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tG, wanted stillness but God said no, taught Monks, they followed his acceptance o ECouncils
Jerusalem, 397-473, Saint, Euthymius the Great, Tharan High Point, from Melitene Armenia, from barren parents, father died, given to priest uncle Eudoxius,responsible for monasteries but desired stillness, to Jerusalem desert cell Theran lava, wTheoctistus, desert of Coutila, steep gorge, cave on cliff, people came, monastic community, taught young monks, work, alms, meal silence, fasting same as others, avoid attention, E converted Arab leaders by healing sickness, people came for E's miracles, left tRouba Desert Mt Marda, Dead Sea, Wilderness of Ziph David's cave, monastery church, wanted solitude but Lord commanded him to not drive away, Lavra consecrated 429, 400 Armenians came, miraculous filling of stores to feed them, for 3mos, Auxentius insubordination, you will be rewarded, demon throw, healing, forgiveness asked and granted, obedience not sacrifice, it not the place but faith for sucess, transplanted tree not bear fruit, 431 3rd ECouncil Nestorian, 451 4th ECouncil Monophysite, E accepted these decisions and many monks followed, angels celebrated HE wHim, Clarivoyance discerning monks' hearts before Holy Mysteries, at 82 received Sava, time of death revealed at 90 Jan 473, wDomitian; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. Finally, they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”). Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. He presented the child to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. Seeing his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader. Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. Saint Euthymius often visited the monastery of Saint Polyeuctus, and during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, so he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. After venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert. there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. his neighbor Saint Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. They shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. They had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will. year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. Shepherds driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. They went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. a monastic community grew up around them. Several monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus. Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.” saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, then are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? We should not depend on strangers.” saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. When he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. He urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation. these years Saint Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. Among them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, both of whom Saint Euthymius healed of sickness. Aspebet received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs. of the miracles performed by Saint Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. this time Saint Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils. disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. Since he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. This would become the site of Saint Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave. Theoctistus went with his brethren to Saint Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, but the monk did not agree to this. However, he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery. Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. After some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. the year 429, when Saint Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church and supplied it with presbyters and deacons. lavra was poor at first, but the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. Seeing this, Saint Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. Euthymius, however, insisted. Going to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16). the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that Saint Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. The brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said Saint Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.” of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. He summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.” the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. Saint Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, but was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius. the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus who, in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, the divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). He taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature. Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. News of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of Saint Euthymius. of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Euthymius is called “the Great.” by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. After his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. When the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily. Saint Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Savva (the future Saint Savva the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. He foretold that Saint Savva would outshine all his other disciples in virtue. the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. Saint Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. He took leave of him and was present at his end. After burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra. revealed to Saint Euthymius the time of his death. On the eve of the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) Saint Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. When the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life. were filled with great sadness, but the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Love is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). Every virtue is made secure by love and humility. The Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. Therefore, we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.” “Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. If one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. Never refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.” having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery. Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven. multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, among whom was Saint Gerasimus. Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, as well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, as Saint Euthymius had foretold. remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. On the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple. “Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.” telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. He was buried beside Saint Euthymius. The relics of Saint Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, and the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, Great influence 3rd&4th EC Councils
Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, noble birth, parents childless dedicated him, vision&voice good cheer tChurches, so named Euthymius, given uncle Eudoxius fEd, tMetilene Bishop Eutroius, soon made Reader, later monk&priest, supervised all M monasteries, especially Polyeuctus m, tWilderness during Lent, but desired stillness, tJerusalem, kissed shrines then visited Desert Fathers, solitary cell Tharan Lavra, weaving baskets, near Theoctistus, shared soul, same zeal, each year tCoutila near Jerico, together found cave steep cliff, settled there, by Shepherds Lord revealed many came, monk community, E made T Igumen, E taught obedience, humility, mindful oDeath, fear judgement eternal fire, seek heavenly kingdom, physical labor while God thoughts, alms, sacrifice tGod, no depend oStrangers, silence iChurch&Meals, cut off own will, fast appointed time, no attract attention, these years many Arabs baptized, Saracen leaders Aspebet &Son Terebon, healed, people came fEverywhere, he cured them, but to avoid fame took Dometian tRouba desert Mt Marda Dead Sea, explored wilderness oZiph, settled David's cave, fonded m beside D's cave, built church, converted many Manichean heresy monks, healed&Delivered, for silence returned T's m, on the way found quiet level place on a hill, remained there, future site E's Lavra, cave cell &grave, T wanted him at T's monastery, but only agreed Sunday services, wanted seclustion but Lord's vision commanded accept those who came, organized Lavra like Tharan L, poor at first but Jerusalem Patriarch Juvenal supplied presbyters (priests) & Deacons, E believed God wProvide, 400 Armenians came on way to Jordan, E ordered steward feed them, s said not enough food, E insisted, plenty food & remained undimished 3 months, obstinate monk Auxentius refused his obedience, E shouted he be rewarded for his insubordination, Deamon siezed A, threw him to ground, brothers asked E to help, he delivered him, he asked forgiveness promised to correct, E said Obedience is a great virtue, Lord loves it more than sacrifice, disobedience leads to death, two brothers resolved to flee, E had vision they ensnared bDevil, told them never admit thoughts hating place, suggesting other place, its not place but faith and firm will for success, many transplanted tree will not bear fruit, 431 3rd EC iEphesus, for Nestorian heresy, E rejoiced Orthodoxy affirmed but grieved Antioch Archbishop defended Nestorius, 451 4th EC iChalcedon, for Dioscorus heresy, asserted Jesus only one nature, the divine, monophysite, that at incarnaton his human nature swollowed up by his divine nature, when E accepted 4th C decisions as Orthodox news spread quickly following E, so called E the Great, E went to Inner Desert for awhile, after return fire descended fHeaven &encircled him Divine Litergy, plus E said he often saw an Angel celebrating with him, E's clairvoyance gift, discern thoughts spiritual state from outward appearance, during divine litergy, at 82 Savva came, foretold Savva would outshine his other disciples, when E 90 Theoctistus became ill, with him aDeath, God told E Time oDeath, told his priests, because Lord calling him from earthly life, next day began instructing them, if you love me keep my commandments, love is hightest virtue and bond oPerfectness, every virtue made secure by love&humility, Lord humbled himself became man, so we ought praise him unceasingly, expecially since monks escape worldly distractions, preserve souls in purity, correct console instruct brethern, so not fall to devil's snares, never refuse hospitality, offer a bed, give whatever you can, Then he promised always to be with them in spirit, and those who followed them, Then he dismissed all but Dometian, remained at altar 3days, died Jan 20 473; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”). Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. presented the child to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader. Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. Euthymius often visited the monastery of Saint Polyeuctus, during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert. there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. his neighbor Saint Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will. year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. a monastic community grew up around them. monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus. Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.” saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? should not depend on strangers.” saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation. these years Saint Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, of whom Saint Euthymius healed of sickness. received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs. of the miracles performed by Saint Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. During this time Saint Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils. disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. would become the site of Saint Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave. Theoctistus went with his brethren to Saint Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, the monk did not agree to this. he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery. Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. the year 429, when Saint Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church supplied it with presbyters and deacons. lavra was poor at first, the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. this, Saint Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. Euthymius, however, insisted. to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16). the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that Saint Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said Saint Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.” of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.” the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius. the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature. Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of Saint Euthymius. of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Euthymius is called “the Great.” by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily. Saint Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Savva (the future Saint Savva the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. foretold that Saint Savva would outshine all his other disciples in virtue. the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. took leave of him and was present at his end. burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra. revealed to Saint Euthymius the time of his death. the eve of the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) Saint Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life. were filled with great sadness, the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). virtue is made secure by love and humility. Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.” “Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.” having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery. Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven. multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, whom was Saint Gerasimus. Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Saint Euthymius had foretold. remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple. “Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.” telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. was buried beside Saint Euthymius. relics of Saint Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius the Great, Wilderness of Judea, Clairvoyant, Fire from Heaven, Angels helping Divine Litergy, healings, deliverance
Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, noble birth, parents childless dedicated him, vision&voice good cheer tChurches, so named Euthymius, given uncle Eudoxius fEd, tMetilene Bishop Eutroius, soon made Reader, later monk&priest, supervised all M monasteries, especially Polyeuctus m, tWilderness during Lent, but desired stillness, tJerusalem, kissed shrines then visited Desert Fathers, solitary cell Tharan Lavra, weaving baskets, near Theoctistus, shared soul, same zeal, each year tCoutila near Jerico, together found cave steep cliff, settled there, by Shepherds Lord revealed many came, monk community, E made T Igumen, E taught obedience, humility, mindful oDeath, fear judgement eternal fire, seek heavenly kingdom, physical labor while God thoughts, alms, sacrifice tGod, no depend oStrangers, silence iChurch&Meals, cut off own will, fast appointed time, no attract attention, these years many Arabs baptized, Saracen leaders Aspebet &Son Terebon, healed, people came fEverywhere, he cured them, but to avoid fame took Dometian tRouba desert Mt Marda Dead Sea, explored wilderness oZiph, settled David's cave, fonded m beside D's cave, built church, converted many Manichean heresy monks, healed&Delivered, for silence returned T's m, on the way found quiet level place on a hill, remained there, future site E's Lavra, cave cell &grave, T wanted him at T's monastery, but only agreed Sunday services, wanted seclustion but Lord's vision commanded accept those who came, organized Lavra like Tharan L, poor at first but Jerusalem Patriarch Juvenal supplied presbyters (priests) & Deacons, E believed God wProvide, 400 Armenians came on way to Jordan, E ordered steward feed them, s said not enough food, E insisted, plenty food & remained undimished 3 months, obstinate monk Auxentius refused his obedience, E shouted he be rewarded for his insubordination, Deamon siezed A, threw him to ground, brothers asked E to help, he delivered him, he asked forgiveness promised to correct, E said Obedience is a great virtue, Lord loves it more than sacrifice, disobedience leads to death, two brothers resolved to flee, E had vision they ensnared bDevil, told them never admit thoughts hating place, suggesting other place, its not place but faith and firm will for success, many transplanted tree will not bear fruit, 431 3rd EC iEphesus, for Nestorian heresy, E rejoiced Orthodoxy affirmed but grieved Antioch Archbishop defended Nestorius, 451 4th EC iChalcedon, for Dioscorus heresy, asserted Jesus only one nature, the divine, monophysite, that at incarnaton his human nature swollowed up by his divine nature, when E accepted 4th C decisions as Orthodox news spread quickly following E, so called E the Great, E went to Inner Desert for awhile, after return fire descended fHeaven &encircled him Divine Litergy, plus E said he often saw an Angel celebrating with him, E's clairvoyance gift, discern thoughts spiritual state from outward appearance, during divine litergy, at 82 Savva came, foretold Savva would outshine his other disciples, when E 90 Theoctistus became ill, with him aDeath, God told E Time oDeath, told his priests, because Lord calling him from earthly life, next day began instructing them, if you love me keep my commandments, love is hightest virtue and bond oPerfectness, every virtue made secure by love&humility, Lord humbled himself became man, so we ought praise him unceasingly, expecially since monks escape worldly distractions, preserve souls in purity, correct console instruct brethern, so not fall to devil's snares, never refuse hospitality, offer a bed, give whatever you can, Then he promised always to be with them in spirit, and those who followed them, Then he dismissed all but Dometian, remained at altar 3days, died Jan 20 473; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”). Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. presented the child to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader. Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. Euthymius often visited the monastery of Saint Polyeuctus, during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert. there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. his neighbor Saint Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will. year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. a monastic community grew up around them. monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus. Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.” saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? should not depend on strangers.” saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation. these years Saint Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, of whom Saint Euthymius healed of sickness. received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs. of the miracles performed by Saint Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. During this time Saint Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils. disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. would become the site of Saint Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave. Theoctistus went with his brethren to Saint Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, the monk did not agree to this. he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery. Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. the year 429, when Saint Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church supplied it with presbyters and deacons. lavra was poor at first, the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. this, Saint Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. Euthymius, however, insisted. to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16). the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that Saint Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said Saint Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.” of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.” the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius. the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature. Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of Saint Euthymius. of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Euthymius is called “the Great.” by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily. Saint Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Savva (the future Saint Savva the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. foretold that Saint Savva would outshine all his other disciples in virtue. the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. took leave of him and was present at his end. burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra. revealed to Saint Euthymius the time of his death. the eve of the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) Saint Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life. were filled with great sadness, the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). virtue is made secure by love and humility. Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.” “Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.” having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery. Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven. multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, whom was Saint Gerasimus. Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Saint Euthymius had foretold. remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple. “Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.” telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. was buried beside Saint Euthymius. relics of Saint Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Jerusalem, 400, 5th C Folder, Simeon Stylites, Gamaliel appears tFind relics, Theodosius tG, Sabbas, Jerusalem Icon war hero

Jerusalem, 401-459, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Elder (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Syria, 400-459, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Elder (Queig (Aleppo) River 2); St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia; Venerable Shio Mgvime;

Jerusalem, 401-460, Thalelaeus oSyria, small cell after defeating demons from ruined temple, to avoid eternal punishment
Cilicia, 401-460, Thalelaeus tHermit oSyria, fCilicia Region oAsia Minor, an Unmercenary Physician, tSabbas m, ordained presbyter, later moved tSyria near Gabala (Jableh), tent near ruined pagan temple, demons there, praying day&night, complete solitude, frequently attacked, but he was ultimately victorius, no longer troubled, intensified efforts, built cell he could not sit up in, tall man, cramped conditions for 10yrs, why, because many sins and he might receive eternal punishment, so suffered voluntarily in his cell, gift oWonderworking, converted pagans, they helped him destroy pagan temple and build church with daily services, reposed advanced age 460; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Thalelaios (Thallélaios) lived during the fifth century, and is one of the Unmercenary Physicians. He was a native of Cilicia in Asia Minor, and entered the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified, there he was ordained as a presbyter. on, he moved to Syria, not far from the city of Gabala, he found a ruined pagan temple surrounded by pagan graves, he settled there in a tent. place had an evil reputation, the demons inhabiting the place frightened travellers and caused them much harm. Thalelaios lived, praying day and night in complete solitude. demons attacked the Saint frequently, trying to scare him with frightful apparitions and noises. by the power of God Thallélaios was ultimately victorious over the Enemy, which he was no longer troubled. he intensified his efforts even more: built a small cell measuring three feet high and two feet wide. he was a tall man, he was unable to sit up in it, but had to rest his head on his knees. remained in these cramped quarters for about ten years. Theodoret of Cyrrhus visited Saint Thalelaios one day and found him reading the Gospel. asked him why he had chosen live in such a way. Saint said that he had many sins, and that he might receive eternal punishment, he hoped to escape those torments by suffering voluntarily in his cell. Bishop left, greatly edified by this answer. Lord granted to the ascetic the gift of wonderworking, his miracles helped him to enlighten the pagan population. the help of those he had converted to Christianity, he destroyed the pagan temple, built a church in which there were daily Services. Thalelaios reposed at an advanced age around the year 460. the book entitled Leimonarion, or Pratum [The Meadow], written by the Greek monk John Moskhos (+ 622), Saint Thallélaios is mentioned: “Abba Thalelaios was a monk for sixty years he never ceased saying with tears, "Brethren, God has given us this time for repentance, and we must seek after Him’” (Chapter 59). Life is included in the Church History of Theodoret of Cyrrhus.

Jerusalem, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics
Byzantium, 415, Gamaliel appeared to priest Lucian, St Paul's instructor, Steven, Gamaliel and Nicodemos' relics Gamaliel's Home in Yavne, Way of the Sea 6, Palestine; Jamnia, 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 15; Finding of the relics of Saint Gamaliel, Commemorated on August 2; Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a doctor of the Law (Acts 5:34), and the teacher of Saint Paul (Acts 22:3). the year 415, Saint Gamaliel appeared to a priest named Lucian. He was a tall, venerable man with a long white beard. He was dressed in white clothing which was edged with gold and marked with crosses, and held a gold wand in his hand. called Father Lucian by name three times, then told him to go to Jerusalem and inform Bishop John to open the tomb where his relics and those of other saints were resting. The priest asked the stranger who he was. “I am Gamaliel, who instructed the apostle Paul in the Law,” he replied. Then he told the priest where to find the relics of Saint Stephen. He also revealed that he had taken Saint Stephen’s body and laid it in his own tomb after it had been lying exposed for a day and a night. Gamaliel also mentioned that Saint Νikόdēmos was buried at the same spot. “I received him into my house in the country,” he said, “and maintained him there until the end of his life. After his death, I buried him honorably near Stephen.” Gamaliel informed the priest that he and his twenty-year-old son Abibas were also buried there. Father Lucian was afraid to believe this vision right away, lest it be a temptation from the Evil One. However, when Saint Gamaliel appeared again and commanded him to obey his instructions, he did so. monk named Migetius also had a vision of Saint Gamaliel and told Father Lucian to search for the relics in a place called Debatalia. When the relics were uncovered, an ineffable fragrance was noticed. relics of Saints Stephen, Gamaliel, Abibas, and Νikόdēmos were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople in 428 and placed in the church of the holy deacon Laurence (August 10).

Jerusalem, 415, Uncovering Stephen's relics, S appeared 3 times, great earthquake fragrance w area angel voices, m made clear
Jerusalem, 415, Uncovering relics of Holy Protomartyr Stephen, Jerusalem, he appeared 3 times before 338 tLukianos who informed patriarch John of Jerusalem, 415 J went to the spot, great earthquake beautiful fragrance whole area, angelic voices from Heaven, made clear martyrdom for God's glory, then miracles of healing, subsequently transferred to Constantinople, hand to Trinity Sergius Lavra ; Jerusalem; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on September 15; the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), Saint Stephen appeared three times to a pious old priest named Lukianos revealed to him the place where his relics had been hidden. informed Patriarch John of Jerusalem, who went to the designated spot and found the sacred relics of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen. the Saint’s relics were discovered, there was a great earthquake and those who were present noticed a beautiful fragrance suffusing the whole area. is said that angelic voices were heard from Heaven saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will” (Luke 2:14). is to say, “Glory be to God in the highest places of Heaven, and here on this earth troubled by sin, may divine peace reign; for God has demonstrated His good will toward mankind, by the Incarnation of His Son.” the angels made it clear that the Protomartyr Stephen had endured martyrdom for the love and glory of God. 415, the relics of Saints Stephen, Gamaliel, and Νikόdēmos were miraculously discovered and solemnly transferred to Jerusalem by Archbishop John, with Bishops Eutonius of Sebaste and Eleutherius of Jericho. that time on, the relics began to work miracles of healing. in the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), the relics of the holy Protomartyr Stephen were transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople placed in the church dedicated to the holy Deacon Laurence (August 10), and were transferred there on August 2, until a church could be built in honor of Saint Stephen. Stephen’s right hand is kept in the Serapion Chamber of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

Jerusalem, 420-458, Patriarch, Juvenal, defended Orthodoxy against heresies, 451 Council
Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years. Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Jerusalem, 420, Saint Passarion, founded a Jerusalem monastery, vicar-bishop oPalestine, converser wEuthymius tGreat
Saint Passarion, Commemorated on August 11; Passarion pursued asceticism in the first half of the fifth century. founded a monastery in Jerusalem. was “chorepiskopos” [vicar-bishop] of Palestine, a converser with Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20).

Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics
Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics; (died 457) was one of the leading Christian monks of Palestine opposed to the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was installed as bishop of Jerusalem in opposition Juvenal in 451 or 452, but was forced into exile by the emperor Marcian in 453.[1][2] about his life comes mainly from the works of John Rufus. These include a biography of Peter the Iberian and a narration of Theodosius' exile and death, the Narratio de obitu Theodosii Hierosolymitani. The latter is a short text known only from the Syriac version in two manuscripts.[3] Rufus describes Theodosius as a confessor and martyr.[4] A complementary anti-Chalcedonian Syriac account is found in Pseudo-Zacharias Rhetor.[5] A Chalcedonian version of events is given in Cyril of Scythopolis' biography of Euthymius the Great.[2] Juvenal returned to Jerusalem from Chalcedon in 451, many monks and clergy tried to persuade him to recant his acceptance of the council's canons. When he refused, they elected Theodosius as bishop in opposition and Juvenal fled.[5] Theodosius consecrated many anti-Chalcedonian bishops, including Peter the Iberian in the diocese of Maiuma.[2] When Juvenal returned with imperial troops in August 453, there were briefly two active bishops in the city.[6] Theodosius, however, accepted a sentence of exile and did not fight.[2] The bishops he consecrated, except for Peter, were deposed.[7] first went to Egypt or perhaps Sinai.[4] He then went to Antioch, perhaps to secure the support of Symeon Stylites, but was arrested at the city gates. On the orders of Marcian, he was brought to Constantinople. When he refused Marcian's entreaties to accept Chalcedon, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Saint Dios. When the abbot of that house was unable to win him over, he moved him to a narrow unheated cell for the winter. Theodosius fell seriously ill. When Leo I succeeded Marcian, he turned Theodosius over to the custody of the anti-Chalcedonian monks of Sykai. The deposed bishop died only a few days later.[8] His body was taken to Cyprus to prevent the Chalcedonians from stealing it to claim he had changed his mind. It was buried in an anti-Chalcedonian monastery.[4] The Narratio records that Theodosius' companion, Abban Romanus, was recalled to Palestine after his death.[3] the Coptic Orthodox Church, Theodosius was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy against Chalcedonism. Two works are attributed to him, but both are late Coptic forgeries. The first, In Honor of Victor, is a biography of the martyr Victor Stratelates. It is a poorly written text describing the virtues of Victor and the miracles he performed at Jerusalem. It is preserved in a codex from the White Monastery. The second, The Miracles of Saint George, is a homily on the miracles of Saint George, mostly surrounding the construction of his shrine in Jaffa.[2] Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years.

Jerusalem, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint, hellenic writer
Jerusalem, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint; Eudocia Augusta (/ËˆiËliÉ™ juËËˆdoÊŠÊƒÉ™ É”ËËˆÉ¡ÊŒstÉ™/; Greek: Î•á½Î´Î¿ÎºÎ¯Î±; c. 401 – 460 AD), also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity existed side by side, with both pagans and non-orthodox Christians being persecuted.[1] 1 Early life 2 Life as an empress 2.1 Marriage 2.1.1 Blending Christianity with classical culture 2.2 Children 2.3 Pilgrimage to Jerusalem (438–439) 2.4 Banishment 2.5 In Jerusalem (443–460) 3 Literary work 3.1 Martyrdom of St. Cyprian 3.2 The Hamat Gader poem 3.3 Homeric centos 4 Legacy 5 See also 6 References 6.1 Citations 6.2 Sources 7 External links life Eudocia was born circa 400 in Athens into a family of Greek descent.[2][3][4][5][6] Her father, a Greek philosopher named Leontius,[5][6][7] taught rhetoric at the Academy of Athens, where people from all over the Mediterranean came to either teach or learn. Eudocia's given name was Athenais, chosen by her parents in honour of the city's protector, the pagan goddess Pallas Athena.[8] Her father was rich and had a magnificent house on the Acropolis with a large courtyard in which young Athenais frequently played as a child.[8] Athenais was 12 years old, her mother died and she became her father's comfort, taking on the responsibilities of household chores, raising her siblings and tending to her father. She had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law. In return for her household activities, her father spent time giving her a thorough training in rhetoric, literature and philosophy. He taught her the Socratic virtue of knowledge of moderation, and predicted that she would have a great destiny.[9] She had a gift for memorisation, and easily learned the poetry of Homer and Pindar, which her father would recite to her. Both as a teacher and a role model, he had a great impact on her, prepared her for her destiny and influenced the literary work she created after she became Empress. he died in 420, she was devastated. In his will, he left all his property to her brothers, with only 100 coins reserved for her, saying that sufficient for her is her destiny, which will be the greatest of any woman.[9] Athenais had been her father's confidante and had expected more than this meager 100-coin inheritance. She begged her brothers to be fair and give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused. after her father's death, at the age of 20, Athenais went to live with her aunt, who advised her to go to Constantinople and "ask for justice from the Emperor", confident she would receive her fair share of her father's wealth.[10] as an empress coin depicting a portrait of Aelia Eudocia, 425–429 AD. has it that when Theodosius (b. 401) was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sister Pulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was of either "patrician or imperial blood."[11] His longtime childhood friend, Paulinus, also helped Theodosius in his search.[11] Emperor's search had begun fortuitously at the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young woman, who had only 100 coins to her name, and when she met her, she was "astonished at her beauty and at the intelligence and sophistication with which she presented her grievance."[11] Upon reporting back to her brother, she told him she had "found a young girl, a Greek maid, very beautiful, pure and dainty, eloquent as well, the daughter of a philosopher", and young Theodosius, who was full of desire, fell in love instantly.[11] had been raised pagan, and upon her marriage to Theodosius II converted to Christianity and was renamed Eudocia.[12] They were married on 7 June 421, and there were "reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in the hippodrome".[13] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father's death, fled since they were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive when they learned that she became empress.[14] instead called them to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.[14] The emperor made Gessius praetorian prefect of Illyricum and made Valerius magister officiorum.[14] Both Gessius and Valerius were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mistreatment of her was part of her destiny.[14] Theodosius also honoured his best friend, Paulinus, with the title of magister officiorum, for he had helped find his wife.[14] rags-to-riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that the tale may have been twisted due to the detail of how the romance was portrayed. The earliest version of this story appeared more than a century after Eudocia's death in the "World Chronicle" of John Malalas, "an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs".[15] facts are that she was the daughter of Leontius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according to the contemporary historians Socrates of Constantinople, and Priscus of Panion; however, they leave out any mention of Pulcheria's role in playing match-maker for her brother.[13] The historians Sozomen and Theodoret did not include Eudocia in their respective historical works, perhaps because they wrote after 443 when Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[15] Christianity with classical culture on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in spring of 438, Eudocia stopped in Antioch, and during her stay she addressed the senate of that city in Hellenic style (i.e., an encomium cast in Homeric hexameters) and distributed funds for the repair of its buildings.[6][16] was very conscious of her Greek heritage, as demonstrated in her famous address to the citizens of Antioch where she quoted a famous line by Homer: (Of your proud line and blood I claim to be).[6][16][17][18] last words of Eudocia's oration brought loud acclaim from the listeners, which resulted in the citizens of Antioch celebrating the Empress Eudocia's Christian Hellenism and commemorating her by erecting a golden statue of her in the curia and a bronze statue in the museum.[17][18][19] On her return, her position was undermined by the jealousy of Pulcheria and the groundless suspicion of an intrigue with her protege, Paulinus, the master of the offices.[20] historical study Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982) by Kenneth Holum, further introduced the suggestion that her father, Leontius, was a native of Antioch rather than Athens, drawing from the "traditional link" between the two cities and their philosophers. argument is considered doubtful as the building activity of Eudocia in the 420s focused on Athens rather than Antioch.[21] Holum suggests that Eudocia may have been named after the great city of Athens, but she would have been born in Antioch. She even convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".[22] she also influenced state policy towards pagans and Jews under her husband's reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[22] also advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.[23] Eudocia had been raised and educated in traditional and classical sophist education from Athens, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity. This was her way of using her power as empress to honour teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life. also built the original Church of St. Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughter Anicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century. had three children with Theodosius II.[24][25] Licinia Eudoxia, born in 422, was the oldest. Licinia Eudoxia had been betrothed to her cousin, the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III since her birth, whom she married on 29 October 437.[26] The second child, Flaccilla, died in 431.[24] Arcadius was the only son and died in infancy. Only a year after she gave birth to her first child, Eudocia was proclaimed Augusta by her husband on 2 January 423.[27] to Jerusalem (438–439) mosaic depicting Eudocia in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria. being named Augusta, she succeeded her sister-in-law, Pulcheria, who had been Augusta since 414. The relationship between the two women consisted of rivalry over power. Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Eudocia could claim from her. Their relationship created a "pious atmosphere" in the imperial court, and probably explains why Eudocia travelled to the Holy Land in 438.[28] went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[24] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much pleading from Melania, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theodosius allowed her to go.[29] 443, Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained. One rumor has it that Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery. Theodosius suspected that she was having an affair with his long-time childhood friend and court advisor, Paulinus.[24] According to Malalas's account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very large Phrygian apple as a gift. One day Paulinus had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it. Eudocia's denials made the emperor believe that she had fallen in love with Paulinus and was having an affair, and had given his best friend the same apple he had given to her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinus executed and Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.[16] the other hand, Marcellinus' version suggests intrigues of Theodosius and Eudocia against each other: on Theodosius' orders, comes domesticorum Saturninus killed two allies of the empress, and in revenge, she went on to have Saturninus assassinated.[contradictory] Theodosius subsequently deprived Eudocia of her royal attendants, prompting her to leave the palace.[30] Whatever the cause of her departure may be, she still retained her wealth and the title Augusta. Jerusalem (443–460) returned to Jerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life. In Jerusalem she focused on her writing. Here she was accused of the murder of an officer sent to kill two of her followers,[contradictory] for which she suffered the loss of her imperial staff;[12] she nevertheless retained great influence. involved in the revolt of the Syriac Monophysites (453), she was ultimately reconciled to Pulcheria and readmitted into the Orthodox Church. died an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on 20 October 460,[2] having devoted her last years to literature.[20] She was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of Saint Stephen,[31] one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem[32] (modern St. Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site). The empress never returned to the imperial court in Constantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantial euergetistic programs."[33] work Eudocia. Colored stone inlay on marble from church of Lips monastery (Fenari Isa Mosque), Fatih, Istanbul. Archeological Museum. after her accession as an empress, Eudocia wrote a hexameter poem eulogizing the Roman performance in the Persian wars of 421–22. The work is now lost. While Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia "wrote in hexameters, which is the verse of epic poetry, on Christian themes".[24] She wrote a poem entitled The Martyrdom of St. Cyprian in three books, of which 900 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths at Hamat Gader.[24] Her most studied piece of literature is her Homeric cento, which has been analyzed recently by a few modern scholars, such as Mark Usher and Brian Sowers. Eudocia is an understudied poet and has been neglected due to "lack of complete and authoritative text".[34] of St. Cyprian are three books (or volumes) to this epic poem, which tells the story of how "Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magician Cyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversion of Cyprian, his swift rise to the rank of Bishop, and Justa becoming a deaconess, with the new name, Justina."[35] She later became known as Justina of Antioch. This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia's character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as both of them converted to Christianity and changed their names upon succeeding to power. Although some of the text has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased by Photius. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found in Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (2004) edited by Michael Ian Plant. The Hamat Gader poem poem inscribed on the baths at Hamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool. inscription of the poem I have seen many wonders in my life, countless, But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean, Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams. From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there, On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid. Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty. Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah, Antoninus the Good, Dewy Galatia, and Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small, Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's. For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting. But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom For the benefit of speaking mortals. — [36] line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names include Hygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holy Elijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.[37] centos Homeric centos that Eudocia composed are her most popular poems, as well as those most analyzed by modern scholars, because Homer was a popular choice on which to write a cento. Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.[35] These centos are a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in—an epic poem combining her Athenian classical educational background, but adding stories from the book of Genesis and the New Testament stories of the life of Jesus Christ. Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the Bible. She used themes from the Iliad and Odyssey because "they contained all Eudocia needed to tell the Gospel story. Whenever and wherever Eudocia needed to express greatness, pain, truthfulness, deceit, beauty, suffering, mourning, recognition, understanding, fear, or astonishment, there was an apt Homeric line or passage ready in her memory to be recalled."[38] Eudocia's Homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in the Eastern Roman Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent. She made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature to her Christian beliefs. is regarded as saint in non-Protestant Christianity. Her feast day is 13 August. plot of Antonio Vivaldi's opera Atenaide is based on the courtship and marriage of Eudocia and Theodosius. is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[39][40] Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics; (died 457) was one of the leading Christian monks of Palestine opposed to the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was installed as bishop of Jerusalem in opposition Juvenal in 451 or 452, but was forced into exile by the emperor Marcian in 453.[1][2] about his life comes mainly from the works of John Rufus. These include a biography of Peter the Iberian and a narration of Theodosius' exile and death, the Narratio de obitu Theodosii Hierosolymitani. The latter is a short text known only from the Syriac version in two manuscripts.[3] Rufus describes Theodosius as a confessor and martyr.[4] A complementary anti-Chalcedonian Syriac account is found in Pseudo-Zacharias Rhetor.[5] A Chalcedonian version of events is given in Cyril of Scythopolis' biography of Euthymius the Great.[2] Juvenal returned to Jerusalem from Chalcedon in 451, many monks and clergy tried to persuade him to recant his acceptance of the council's canons. When he refused, they elected Theodosius as bishop in opposition and Juvenal fled.[5] Theodosius consecrated many anti-Chalcedonian bishops, including Peter the Iberian in the diocese of Maiuma.[2] When Juvenal returned with imperial troops in August 453, there were briefly two active bishops in the city.[6] Theodosius, however, accepted a sentence of exile and did not fight.[2] The bishops he consecrated, except for Peter, were deposed.[7] first went to Egypt or perhaps Sinai.[4] He then went to Antioch, perhaps to secure the support of Symeon Stylites, but was arrested at the city gates. On the orders of Marcian, he was brought to Constantinople. When he refused Marcian's entreaties to accept Chalcedon, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Saint Dios. When the abbot of that house was unable to win him over, he moved him to a narrow unheated cell for the winter. Theodosius fell seriously ill. When Leo I succeeded Marcian, he turned Theodosius over to the custody of the anti-Chalcedonian monks of Sykai. The deposed bishop died only a few days later.[8] His body was taken to Cyprus to prevent the Chalcedonians from stealing it to claim he had changed his mind. It was buried in an anti-Chalcedonian monastery.[4] The Narratio records that Theodosius' companion, Abban Romanus, was recalled to Palestine after his death.[3] the Coptic Orthodox Church, Theodosius was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy against Chalcedonism. Two works are attributed to him, but both are late Coptic forgeries. The first, In Honor of Victor, is a biography of the martyr Victor Stratelates. It is a poorly written text describing the virtues of Victor and the miracles he performed at Jerusalem. It is preserved in a codex from the White Monastery. The second, The Miracles of Saint George, is a homily on the miracles of Saint George, mostly surrounding the construction of his shrine in Jaffa.[2] Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Repentence) The saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years.

Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea down from Bethlehem, 1st Cenobiarch
Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30;

Jerusalem, 443-529, Theodosius tGreat, 1st Cenobiarch, fArmenia, settled Magi's cave, defended ECs against heresy
Jerusalem, 443-529, Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, fCappadocia Armenia, splendid voice, church singing reading, early days tJerusalem Holy Land, met Simeon tStylite, wPredicted his service, settled Magi's cave 30 yrs, people came, cave too small, walked wCenser cold charcoal till it lit itself, there place for cenobitic Larva, poor aid, wanderer shelteer, famine relief woNeeding bread, miracle repeated, built home fStrangers, separate infirmaries monks laymen, dying shelter, services 3 languages, all gathered Greek service, Eutychius' heresy during Emperor Anastasius, no sacraments or Clergy, Emperor accepted, orthodox persecution, T's letter tEmperor, E slowed then renewed, T tChurch iJerusalem, whoever does not honor EC's be anathema, tPrison till E's death, during life many miracles healings, prayer destroyed locusts, soldiers sailors saved, predicted Antioch earthquake, foretold time oDeath, died a105; Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Theodosius the Great lived during the fifth-sixth centuries, was the founder of cenobitic monasticism. was born in Cappadocia of pious parents. with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him. for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance. the cave could no longer hold all the monks, Saint Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks. a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert. a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning “broad” or “populous”). the Lavra of Saint Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. to the final testament of Saint Theodosius, the Lavra rendered service to neighbor, giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. Theodosius was extremely compassionate. when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. miracle was repeated every time Saint Theodosius wanted to help the destitute. the monastery, Saint Theodosius built home for taking in strangers, infirmaries for monks and laymen, also a shelter for the dying. that people from various lands gathered at the Lavra, the saint arranged for services in the various languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian. gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in the large church, where divine services were chanted in Greek. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, recognized neither the sacraments nor the clergy. emperor accepted the false teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox teaching. emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox. holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: “Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!” this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor. Theodosius accomplished many healings and other miracles during his life, coming to the aid of the needy. his prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in Palestine. by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death, he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the desert. the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at prayer. told them, “The wrath of God draws near the East.” several days it became known that a strong earthquake had destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had summoned the brethren to prayer. his death, Saint Theodosius summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he would soon depart to the Lord. three days, he died at the age of 105. saint’s body was buried with reverence in the cave in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.

Jerusalem, 450, 5th C, Xenohon&Family oConstantinople, Sons lost and separated at Sea, reunited aJerusalem as monks, wonderwrkng
Jerusalem, 450, 5th C, Xenohon, wife Mary, sons Arcadius&John, rich noted citizens oConstantinople, simple souls good hearts, sent sons tBeiruit fEd, shipwreck, sons different places, became monks separated, presumed dead but Xenophon maintained firm hope, after several years pilgrimage holy places, found boys iJerusalem monasteries, reunited, Xenophon Maria tSeparate monasteries, Boys tWilderness, long toil, glorified bGifts wonderworking, discernment, Parents silence, strict fasting, gift oWonderworking; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem">Jerusalem; Venerable Xenophon, his wife, Mary, and their two sons, Arcadius and John, of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Xenophon, his wife Maria, and their sons Arcadius and John, noted citizens of Constantinople lived in the fifth century. their riches and position, they distinguished themselves by their simplicity of soul and goodness of heart. to give their sons John and Arcadius a more complete education, they sent them off to the Phoenician city of Beirut. divine Providence the ship on which both brothers sailed was wrecked. waves tossed the brothers ashore at different places. at being separated, the brothers dedicated themselves to God and became monks. a long time the parents had no news of their children and presumed them to be dead. however, already quite old, maintained a firm hope in the Lord and consoled his wife Maria, telling her not to be sad, but to believe that the Lord watched over their children. several years the couple made a pilgrimage to the holy places, at Jerusalem they met their sons, in asceticsm at different monasteries. joyful parents gave thanks to the Lord for reuniting the family. Xenophon and Maria went to separate monasteries and dedicated themselves to God. monks Arcadius and John, having taken leave of their parents, went out into the wilderness, after long ascetic toil they were glorified by gifts of wonderworking and discernment. Xenophon and Maria, laboring in silence and strict fasting, also received from God the gift of wonderworking.

Jerusalem, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, watercourse from Beth and Theo
Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 459-532, Sabbas tChild-Elder, he who loves God disdains corruptible things, many monasteries
Armenia, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, born in Cappadocia, Armenia, Christian Parents, father military commander, 5yr old S left wUncle iCappadocia, Flavian's m at 8, gifted child wHoly Scriptures, not want marriage, monk a17& miracles gift, tJerusalem a27, Euthymios' m, Theoktistos' m 3yrs t30, secluded in cave til Saturday after T's death, then full seclusion 5yrs, E led S tRouba Wilderness Jan 14-Palm Sunday, E called S Child-Elder, 473 tCave near Gerasimos otJordan, disciples gather, pillar oFire guides S to large cave, Cave looks like church, S founded several more monasteries, many miracles, spring welled, during draught abundant rain, deliverance, wrote first monk rule oChurch Services, Jerusalem Typikon, died 532, Savva's scroll, he who loves God disdains corruptible things, prefers knowledge of Him; Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Savva the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Savva the Sanctified was born in the fifth century Cappadocia of pious Christian parents, John and Sophia, his father was a military commander. to Alexandria on military matters, John and Sophia left their five-year-old son Savva in the care of an uncle. the boy was eight years old, he entered the nearby Monastery of Saint Flavian. gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. parents urged Saint Savva to return to the world and enter into marriage, but all in vain. he was seventeen years old he was tonsured as a monk, and attained such perfection in fasting and prayer that God found him worthy of the gift of working miracles. spending ten years at the Monastery of Saint Flavian, he went to Jerusalem, from there to the Monastery of Saint Euthymios the Great (January 20). Euthymios, however, sent the young man to Abba Theoktistos, the head of a nearby monastery with a strict cenobitic Rule. Savva lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of thirty. the death of Elder Theoktistos, his successor blessed Savva to seclude himself in a cave. on Saturdays, he left his hermitage and came to the Monastery, where he took part in the Divine Services and ate with the brethren. a certain time, Saint Savva received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he struggled in the cave for five years. Euthymios directed the young monk's life, and seeing his spiritual maturity, he began to take him to the Rouba wilderness with him. left on January 14, and remained there until Palm Sunday. Euthymios called Saint Savva a Child-Elder, and encouraged him to grow in the monastic virtues. Saint Euthymios fell asleep in the Lord (+ 473), Savva withdrew from the Lavra and moved to a cave near the monastery of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan (March 4). several years, disciples began to gather around Saint Savva. the number of monks increased, a Lavra sprang up. by a pillar of fire which appeared before him as he was walking, Saint Savva found a spacious cave in the form of a church. holy Elder founded several more monasteries. miracles took place through his prayers: at the Lavra, a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought there was abundant rain, and the sick and those possessed by demons were also healed. Savva composed the first monastic Rule of Church Services, the “Jerusalem Typikon," followed by all the Palestinian monasteries. Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 532. Savva is depicted holding a scroll which reads: "He who loves God disdains corruptible things, and prefers the knowledge of Him."

Jerusalem, 463, Luke's Jerusalem Icon, war hero Constantnpl 469 over huns, 988 Korsun and Novgorod, 1571 Moscow, 1812 France

Jerusalem, 474-558, Saint John the Silent, John the Hesychast
Jerusalem, 474-558, Saint John the Silent, John the Hesychast; Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Jerusalem, 474-558, John tSilent, built church, Bishop a28, but bright star tSabbas, hides rank, silent sentence, Lion story
Jerusalem, 474-558, John tSilent oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, born 454 Nicopolis, Armenia, wealthy, loved solitude&prayer, built church wInheritance, monk a18, at that church, Bishop oColonia a28 in 1482, influenced family fgood, but sister married bad Armenia Governor Pazinkos in 1492, P interferred Church spiritual ecclesiastical matters, John tConstantinople&Emperor Zeno unsuccessfully, overwhelmed worldly matters, tJerusalem, prayed, Bright Star leads John tSabbas, hiding Bishop rank accepted as Novice, under Savva, toiled obediently 4yrs, served guesthouse and monastery builders, when Savva saw his humility&labor he wanted to make him presbyter, so John had to reveal his rank tJerusalem Patriarch Elias, sentenced to live in silence, 4yrs in cell no visitors or church, then desiring solitude abstinence withdrew tDesert f9yrs, eating plants&grass, survived Saracens incursion Lord sent Lion, many miracles in desert, back tMonastery, 524 Savva died, not with him so grieved, Savva appeared foretold Origen heresy struggle, 66yrs at Sabbas, Holy Spirit grace acqiured, many miracles, clairvoyance, deliverance, invoking his name, even while alive, saved from destruction, beautiful shade fig tree story, seeds on barren rock, lived t104; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; John the Silent was born around 454 in the city of Nicopolis, Armenia the family of a military commander named Enkratius and his wife Euphemia. boy began to study Holy Scripture, and he loved solitude and prayer with all his heart. the inheritance his parents left him, John built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. eighteen years of age, John became a monk, living an ascetic life of fasting, prayer, and temperance with ten other monks at the church he had founded. the request of the citizens of Colonia, the Metropolitan of Sebaste consecrated the twenty-eight-year-old John as Bishop of Colonia. assumed the episcopal throne, the saint did not alter his strict ascetic manner of life. the influence of the saint his relatives, his brother Pergamios (an associate of the emperors Zeno and Anastasius) and his nephew Theodore (an associate of the emperor Justinian), also lived in a Christian manner. John’s tenth year as bishop, the governorship of Armenia was assumed by Pazinikos, the husband of the saint’s sister, Maria. new governor began to interfere in spiritual and ecclesiastical matters, and there was unrest in the Church. Saint John then went to Constantinople, and through Archbishop Euthymius, he entreated the emperor Zeno to defend the Armenian Church from the evil Governor. by worldly quarrels, John secretly left his diocese and sailed to Jerusalem. tears he besought God to show him a place where he might live and find salvation. bright star appeared, which led Saint John to the Lavra of Saint Savva. concealing his episcopal rank, was accepted in the community as a simple novice. the guidance of the igumen Saint Savva(December 5), John toiled obediently for more than four years at every task he was assigned. a guesthouse was built at the Lavra, Saint John served the workers, serving their food and assisting in the construction of the building. a cenobitic monastery for novices was being built, John was once again assigned to help the workers. Saint John’s humility and love of labor, Saint Savva deemed him worthy of ordination to presbyter. John was forced to reveal his rank to Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem (494-517), who told Saint Savva that John could not be ordained. he said that John was to live in silence, and that no one should trouble him. the Lord also revealed Saint John’s secret to Saint Savva. John spent four years in his cell, receiving no one and not going out even for church. ever greater solitude and increased abstinence, Saint John quit the Lavra and withdrew into the desert, where he spent more than nine years, plants and grass. survived a devastating incursion of the Saracens and did not perish, only because the Lord sent him a defender: a ferocious lion. When the enemy tried to harm the saint, the lion attacked them and they scattered in fright. speaks of many miracles Saint John performed during this time in the desert. Saint Savva returned after an extended stay in Scythopolis, he persuaded Saint John to forsake the wilderness and to live at the monastery. this, the Lord, in a miraculous way, revealed to everyone at the Lavra that the monk John was actually a bishop. Saint John reached age seventy, his holy and God-bearing spiritual Father Saint Savva died. saint grieved deeply over this, since he was not present at the time. Savva appeared to him in a vision, and having consoled him, he foretold that there would be much toil ahead in the struggle against heresy. John even had to leave his solitude to strengthen the brethren in the struggle with the Origenists. John the Silent spent sixty-six years at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. his constant ascetic efforts, by his untiring prayer and humble wisdom, Saint John acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. his prayers, many miracles took place, and he was able to discern the secret thoughts of people. He healed the sick and those possessed by demons. during his lifetime he saved those who invoked his name from certain destruction. he scattered fig seeds on barren rock, and a beautiful and fruitful tree sprang up. In time, the tree grew so much that it overshadowed the saint’s cell. John the Silent departed to the Lord in peace at the age of 104.

Jerusalem, 480-560, Saint, St Mary of Egypt with St Zosimas of Palestine
Egypt, 480-560, Saint, St Mary of Egypt with St Zosimas of Palestine; Palestine, 480-560, Saint, Zosimas of Palestine, with St Mary of Egypt; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1;

Jerusalem, 494-517, Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 494-517, Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem; St. John the Silent of St. Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3;

Jerusalem, 500, 6th C Folder, Christopher oPalestine, Dorotheus oGaza, Patriarch Marcarius, Sophronius oJerusalem

Jerusalem, 501-580, St Christopher of Palestine, Roman, Monastery of St. Theodosius, prayed and prostrated each night
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; Jerusalem, 471-576, Jerusalem Saint, Theodosius the Cenobiarch; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Christopher, a Roman, lived during the sixth century. He was tonsured into monasticism at the monastery of Saint Theodosius (January 11) in Palestine, near Jerusalem. The accounts of Abba Theodulus about Saint Christopher are contained in chapters 105 and 234 of the book The Spiritual Meadow (Limonarion) Saint Christopher went to Jerusalem to worship at the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord and at the Life-Creating Cross. At the gateway of the church he beheld a monk not moving from the spot. Two ravens flew before his face. Saint Christopher discerned that these were demons, which held the monk back from entering the church. asked the brother: “Why do you stand at the gate and not enter?” The brother answered: “Pardon me, Father, but within me struggle two thoughts. One says: go and venerate the Venerable Cross. The other says: don’t go in, make some excuse, and come to venerate the Cross another time.” Then Saint Christopher took the brother by the hand and led him into the church. The ravens immediately disappeared, and the brother venerated the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre. Saint Christopher told this story to someone who was distracted by his duties and neglected his prayers. day Saint Christopher fulfilled his monastic obedience, and by night he retired to a cave, where at an earlier time Saint Theodosius and other Fathers had prayed. At each of the 18 steps leading into the cave, he made 100 prostrations, and spent the greater part of the night in prayer, before the semantron was sounded for Orthros. spent eleven years doing this. time, descending into the cave, he beheld a multitude of lamps in it. Two radiant youths were tending them. “Why have you put the lamps here so that I cannot enter in and pray?” asked the monk. “These are the lamps of the Fathers,” they replied. “Tell me, does my lamp burn or not?” They said, “Pray, and we will light it.” “Pray?” he said, “What have I been doing up to now?” Then the saint said to himself: “Christopher, if you wish to be saved, greater effort is needed!” dawn he went from the monastery to Mount Sinai, taking nothing with him. The monk toiled there for fifty years at great exploits. Finally, he heard a voice saying, “Christopher! Go to the monastery where you struggled earlier, so that you might rest there with your Fathers.” Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24;

Jerusalem, 505-555, Conan oPethukla Monastery, baptized those sent fJerusalem, but no women, 2 Forrunner visits, dispassion
Cilicia, 505-555, Conan Abbot oPethukla Monastery (On the Jordan), young monk at Pethukla, presbyter, Jerusalem Archbishop sent people to him for Baptism, he baptized those who came and anointed with holy chrism, but would not baptize women, John tForerunner appeared to him promising help with his struggle wTemptations, Persian girl seeking baptism, beautiful, naked, so he could not baptize her, she waited 2days, he wanted pious woman to anoint her, could not find in this remote area, he left , Forerunner appeared again and told him to return, for I will relieve you of your conflict, he argued saying he promised that before but did not, Forerunner signed him with the cross, said he would receive reward for struggle wTemptations, then commanded him return wNo further doubts, anointed persian girl wChrism not noticing she was a woman, then lived at Monastery 20 yrs, perfect dispassion, peace sleep 555; Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Conan was born in Cilicia. still at an early age he became a monk at the Pethukla monastery near the Jordan River, he was ordained presbyter. Peter of Jerusalem learned about the strict ascetic and sent people to him for Baptism. Conan baptized those who came and anointed them with holy chrism, he would not baptize women. John the Forerunner appeared to him, promising to help him in his struggle with temptations. girl came from Persia seeking Baptism. was so beautiful that Saint Conan could not anoint her with the holy chrism, since she was naked. two days the girl remained without being baptized or anointed with the holy chrism. Conan wanted to find a pious woman to anoint her, it was difficult to find such a woman, since the area was so remote. ascetic decided to leave the monastery, on the way Saint John the Forerunner again appeared to him and said, “Return to your monastery, I shall relieve you of your conflict.- ” Saint Conan tried to argue and to refuse, saying that when Saint John the Forerunner had appeared before, had promised to free him from temptation. John the Baptist then signed the ascetic with the Sign of the Cross said that he would receive a reward for his struggle with temptations. he commanded him to return to the monastery and to have no further doubts. Conan obediently fulfilled the advice of Saint John, and he anointed the Persian maiden with chrism without even noticing that she was a woman. this the ascetic lived at the monastery for twenty years. achieved perfect dispassion, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord about the year 555. Feasts & Saints

Jerusalem, 505-620, Saint, Dorotheus of Gaza
Jerusalem Saint, 505-620, Dorotheus of Gaza; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5;

Jerusalem, 550, 6th C, Pardus tCamel Teamster Hermit, Jericho, boy killed, becomes monk, guilt, pokes lion, forgiveness
Jerusalem, 550, 6th C, Pardus tTeamster Hermit, Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem), a Camel Teamster, boy killed bHis Camels, becomes monk Mt Arion, thinking guilty murder, enters lion den, pokes lion, ignored, takes off clothes, lies lion's path, jumped over, realizes forgiveness, returned mt fasting prayer; Jericho; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Pardus the Hermit, a Roman, involved in his youth with the teamster’s craft. when he traveled to Jericho, a boy accidentally fell under the legs of his camels. The camels trampled the boy to death. Shaken by this occurrence, Pardus became a monk and withdrew to Mount Arion. himself as a murderer, and deserving of death, Saint Pardus entered the den of a lion. poked the wild beast and prodded it with a spear so that the lion would tear him apart, but the creature would not touch the hermit. Pardus then took off his clothes and lay down upon the path that the lion would take for water. But even here, the lion merely leaped over the hermit. the Elder then understood that he had been forgiven by the Lord. to his mountain, Saint Pardus dwelt there in fasting and prayer until the end of his days. He died in the sixth century.

Jerusalem, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop, his story important to tie history of Cross, Persian, Byzantine, & Arab control oJ
Armenia, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop oJerusalem, fSebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), his story important for history, tonsured Mt Sinai, Superior Theodosios tG m Judea, Locum tenens Gov Jerusalem Church 614, because Persians devastated Jerusalem, took The Cross, 90,000 C's killed, Patriarch Zacharias captured, M restored C shrines, incl Lord's tomb, buried Sava's monks, Z returned wCross 630, M permanent partiarch aZ, M dies a97yr old; Sebaste, Armenia ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Modestos (Módestos) was born into a Christian family at Sebásteia in Cappadocia (Asia Minor). toward a strict monastic life from his youth, the Saint was tonsured on Mount Sinai. he became the Superior of the Monastery of Saint Theodosios the Great in Palestine. the year 614, Syria and Palestine were attacked by the the army of the Persian king Chosroes. Christians were killed, and many Christian churches were destroyed. Zachariah of Jerusalem and a multitude of Christians were taken into captivity, with the Cross of the Lord. Modestos was appointed to govern the Jerusalem Church temporarily as locum tenens of the patriarchal kathedra. the help of Patriarch John the Merciful of Alexandria (November 12), Saint Modestos restored the devastated Christian shrines, which was the Lord's Tomb. also buried the murdered monks from the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified. fourteen years, Patriarch Zacharias returned from captivity with the Lord's Cross, after his death, Saint Modestos became the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Modestos reposed at the age of 97 in the year 634. head of Saint Modestós is located in the Athonite Monastery of Simonopetra.

Jerusalem, 563-574, Patriarch Macarius
Jerusalem, 563-574, Patriarch Macarius St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23;

Jerusalem, 580-638, Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 580-638, Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem; Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; Jerusalem, 471-576, Jerusalem Saint, Theodosius the Cenobiarch; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; St. Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11;

Jerusalem, 595-605, Dorotheus, visited by Theotokos while looking at Dread Last Judgement picture, she told him how to avoid it
Jerusalem, , Dorotheus, desire to go to Jerusalem from tales of father's servants, at Gethsemane, looking at Dread Last Judgment picture, visited by Theotokos, who explained Dread Last Judgement, &answered his question how to avoid eternal torments, Fast, eat no meat, pray constantly, then became invisible, strong impression, entered monastery, under Dorotheus, infirmary obedience, obedient, trained in abstinence, fasting, decreasing food each day, weaned from vexation and anger, reminded every unkind word to a sick person is to Jesus Christ himself, by revealing his thoughts to his elder and unhesitating obedience, he liberated his soul from passions, after 5 years tending the sick and obeying elder, he fell ill, prayed constantly, never complained, right before death he asked for pardon from Barsanuphius, said cannot live much longer, B replied, be patient my son, God's mercy is near, after several days sent another message, My master, I cannot live any longer. B blessed him to depart to God, plus he asked D to pray for all the bretheren when he stood before Trinity, Bretheren astonished the Great B had asked prayers of monk of only 5 years, without great astectic accomplishments, (they had not seen his vigils and abstinence), experienced astecetic praying where to put departed fathers, had vision of heaven with D in it, So, D given great glory in heaven for perfect obedience and cutting off his own will; Jerusalem; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Dositheus, a disciple of Saint Abba Dorotheus (June 5), during the sixth-seventh centuries, was raised in a rich and renowned family. Dositheus listened to tales of the holy city of Jerusalem from the servants of his grandfather, a military commander, this kindled within him the desire to go there. Soon his wish came true. Gethsemane, he gazed for a long time at a picture of the Dread Last judgment. he saw beside him a woman, who explained to him what was depicted in the image. youth asked, “How is it possible to avoid the eternal torments?” replied, “Fast, do not eat meat, and pray constantly to God.” this, his strange guide suddenly became invisible. who conversed with him had been the Most Holy Theotokos. appearance of the Mother of God produced a strong impression on the youth, he decided to enter a monastery headed by Abba Seridus (August 13), populated by such great ascetics as Saints Barsanuphius (February 6) and John (June 19). asking to be accepted among the brethren, was sent to the Elder Dorotheus. Dositheus fulfilled his obedience in the monastery infirmary, caring for all the sick. Dorotheus trained his disciple in abstinence and fasting, gradually decreasing the quantity of food he consumed each day. also weaned the youth from vexation and anger, constantly reminding him that every unkind word said to a sick person, is said to Jesus Christ Himself. revealing his thoughts to the Elder and through unhesitating obedience, Saint Dositheus liberated his soul from passions. five years of tending the sick and obeying his Elder, Saint Dositheus fell into serious sickness. enduring his sufferings, he prayed constantly and never complained. long before his death he asked a message be sent to Saint Barsanuphius: “Father, grant me pardon, I cannot live much longer.” replied, “Have patience, my son, for the mercy of God is near.” several days Saint Dositheus again sent this message to the Elder: “My master, I cannot live any longer.” Saint Barsanuphius blessed him to depart to God, he asked the dying one to pray for all the brethren when he stood before the Holy Trinity. brethren were astonished that the great Abba Barsanuphius would ask the prayers of a monk who had lived at the monastery for only five years any great ascetic accomplishments (they had not seen his vigils and his abstinence). after the death of the young monk, a certain experienced ascetic was praying that the final resting place of the departed fathers of the monastery might be revealed to him, in a dream he saw young Dositheus among these saints. Dositheus was given great glory in the Kingdom of Heaven for his perfect obedience to his Elder and for cutting off his own will. Greek usage, both Saints are commemorated on August 13.

Jerusalem, 600, 7th C Folder, Byzantine-Persian War, Persians Control J, carried Cross tPersia, 637 Rasidun Seige oJ, ctl t1096

Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite, Abbot, fCyprus, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Jerusalem, 601-650, George the Chozebite, his incorrupt relics here at his St George's Monastery
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; John of Thebes, John the Chozebite St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); Monastery of Saint George of Choziba (Arabic: دير القديس جورج, Greek: Μονή Αγίου Γεωργίου του Χοζεβίτου), known as Monastery of Choziba (or Hoziba) or Mar Jaris,[1] is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt in Area C of the eastern West Bank, in the Jericho Governorate of the State of Palestine. cliff-hanging complex, which emerged from a lavra established in the 420s and reorganised as a monastery around AD 500,[1] its ancient chapel and irrigated gardens, is active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. houses the relics of Saint George of Choziba, after whom the monastery is named, well as the relics of Saint John of Choziba[2] (420/450-520/530) those of Saint John of Choziba the Romanian [ro] (1913-1960) monastery is reached by a pedestrian bridge across Wadi Qelt, many believe to be Psalm 23's "valley of the shadow of death".[3] valley parallels the old Roman road to Jericho, backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37). The monastery is open to pilgrims and visitors.[4] during the Byzantine period near Jericho, was destroyed by the Persians in AD 614, in the 12th century during the Crusader period, after their defeat, rebuilt again by Greek monks starting at the end of the 19th century. location of the monastery has been associated with the lives of Elijah that of the parents of the Virgin Mary. allied with the Eastern Orthodox saints whose relics are kept in the monastery, both make it a site of intense pilgrimage. Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Jerusalem, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-628
Jerusalem, 602-628, Byzantine-Persian War of 602-628 ; Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Jerusalem, 609-632, Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, Sasanian prisoner 614-628, author Plague Cross Prayer
Jerusalem, 609-632, Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, Sasanian prisoner 614-628, author Plague Cross Prayer Saint Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 21; Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, lived from the end of the sixth to the early seventh centuries. became Patriarch of Jerusalem in 609. the year 614 the Persian emperor Chosroes fell upon Jerusalem, looted it, and led many Christians into captivity, including Saint Zacharias. also captured the Life-Creating Cross of Christ. the invasion, as many as 90,000 Christians perished. Chosroes was compelled to sue for peace with the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-641). Cross of the Lord was returned to Jerusalem. Christian captives who remained alive also were returned, among them Patriarch Zacharias, who died peacefully in the year 633. Saint Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem was the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Church of Jerusalem from 609 to 632. spent most of his patriarchate as a prisoner of the Sasanian Emperor Khosrow II following the Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem.[1] is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on February 21.[2][3] is also venerated in the Catholic Church, where he is known mostly for the sacramental called the "Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem".[4] early life of Zacharias is unknown. was elected patriarch in 609. the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, the Sasanians invaded Byzantine Syria, taking Jerusalem in 614. to Sebeos, they seized True Cross in addition to taking tens of thousands of Christian prisoners, including Zacharias. 627, after rebuilding his army, Heraclius counter-attacked into Persia. Winning a decisive victory at Nineveh, Heraclius compelled the Persians to return the True Cross and the surviving captives, including Patriarch Zacharias. Zacharias spent his remaining days in peace until his death in 632. Modestus, who had acted as locum tenens during Patriarch Zacharias's captivity succeeded him on the patriarchal throne. Western Christianity[edit] Plague Cross sacramental, worn as a cross necklace to offer protection during plagues Council of Trent (1545–1563) approved a "Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem" (also referred to as a plague cross), contains an acrostic for a prayer against plagues.[4][5] prayer, attributed to St Zacharias, is said to have been useful against pestilence in the time of the saint, the inscribed cross is said to have saved from a plague the participants at the Council of Trent.[6] cross, sometimes made of wood or inscribed on paper, cloth, or drawn with blessed chalk, and its associated blessing, are a sacramental used by Western Christians, have seen a resurgence of use during times of plagues and pestilence, such as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-22. crosses often take the form of a cross necklace (which is worn by believers) or a wall cross (which is hung on the walls of homes, hospitals, offices and churches).[4]

Jerusalem, 614-628, Persian Control of Jerusalem
Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12;

Jerusalem, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Jerusalem, 614, Chozroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Byzantine-“Sasanian War of 602-“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Jerusalem, 630, The Cross returned by Heraclius through East Gate after Angel miracle
Golden Gate in Jerusalem; Heraclius returned the Cross through Golden Gate or East Gate, but not before an Angel of the Lord made him get rid of the Pomp ; Heraclius was trying to return the true cross to Jerusalem, but an angel told him he had to do this first. 615 a Persian king captured Jerusalem and carried off the relic of the true cross of Jesus Christ that had been discovered by St. Helena. stayed with the Persians for roughly 14 years, until Byzantine Emperor Heraclius came and defeated their armies. found the relic of Jesus’ cross still preserved and resolved to return it to Jerusalem. he neared the gates of Jerusalem he intended to take the cross through the same gate Jesus used on his way to the crucifixion. Heraclius wanted to do it with great royal pageantry while riding on his horse. something miraculous happened that prevented Heraclius from going through the gate. The Golden Legend records what happened next. suddenly the stones of the gateway fell down and locked together, forming an unbroken wall. the amazement of everyone, an angel of the Lord, carrying a cross in his hands, appeared above the wall and said: “When the King of heaven passed through this gate to suffer death, there was no royal pomp. He rode a lowly ass, to leave an example of humility to his worshipers.” those words the angel vanished. was stunned and began to weep. He dismounted his horse and took off every article of royal clothing, expect for his simple undergarment. Then he took the relic of the true cross and walked slowly toward the gate. It instantly returned to its former position and allowed Heraclius to enter Jerusalem. caused him to burst out in prayer and exclaim to God, “O cross, more splendid than all the heavenly bodies, renowned throughout the world, deserving of all men’s love, holier than all things else! O cross, you were worthy to carry the ransom of the world! O sweet wood, sweet nails, sweet sword, sweet lance, you were the bearer of sweet burdens! Save the host gathered today in praise of you and signed with your banner!” the relic was returned to the basilica the miracles resumed, and according to tradition, “dead men were raised to life, four paralytics were cured, ten lepers were made clean, fifteen blind people received their sight, demons were driven out, and great numbers were delivered of various infirmities.” legendary in character, the stories highlight the power of the cross and its connection to humility, not royal pomp or outward show. Denial and self-sacrifice are required to carry the cross of Jesus Christ. If we wish to enter the heavenly Jerusalem, this is the only gate that is open to us.

Jerusalem, 637, Seige of Jerusalem, Rashidun Caliphate
Jerusalem, 637, Seige of Jerusalem; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Jerusalem, 680, Patriarch, Theodore

Jerusalem, 700, 8th C Folder,3 Hands Icon, Arab Civil War in Palestine

Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas
Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Judea, near Jerusalem, iconodule writer, slandered by Leo III to caliph, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey to Hilandar ; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands: The wonderworking icon, which Saint John of Damascus (December 4) received healing of his amputated hand, given by him to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. the thirteenth century the icon was in Serbia, afterwards it was miraculously transported to Athos to the Hilandar monastery. more detailed account about the icon is located under June 28. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28, where a more detailed account is to be found. Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, Of the Three Hands: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name Of Three Hands. iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon Of Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Jerusalem, 717-741, Stephen oKhenolakkos, distinguished by paternal admin moral influence, angelic escort tHeaven
Bithynia, 717-741, Stephen Wonderworker oKhenolakkos Monastery near Chalcedon, Triglia, Bithynia (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye), greatly impressed by holy ascetic's lives, visited many Palestine monasteries, Euthymios' m, Sabbas, Theodosios' m, then 714-741 Constantinople where Patriarch Germanos aided him building m iBithynia, for a monastic rule from his lessons many years experience, Monastery by the Goose Pond northeast Triglia, S distinguished by paternal admin& moral influence, foresaw his death, angelic escort tHeaven; Triglia Monastery (now Fatih Mosque, Tirilye) 720; Venerable Stephen, Abbot of Khenolakkos Monastery, near Chalcedon, Commemorated on January 14; Stephen lived during the eighth century, was born into a family in Cappadocia, who raised him in great piety. he reached maturity, he was greatly impressed by reading the lives of the holy ascetics, and so he visited many monasteries in Palestine in order to observe their way of life. In the wilderness he visited the monasteries of Saints Euthymios the Great (January 20), the Sanctified (December 5) Theodosios the Great (January 11), studying the Rule (Typikon) of each monastery. during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741), he visited Constantinople. holy Patriarch Germanos (May 12) had a high regard for Stephen, aided him in building a monastery in Bithynia in which he could establish a monastic Rule based on the great lessons that he had learned in the course of his many years of experience. Stephen founded the Monastery of Khenolakkos [“by the goose-pond”], was northeast of Triglia (near Moudania in Asia Minor). monks were drawn there by reports of his virtue. Stephen was distinguished for his paternal administration of the monastery, for his moral influence on the monks. many years as the Superior of the monastery, the holy ascetic foresaw his own death. he fell asleep in the Lord, some of the brethren were found worthy to behold the glorious departure of his soul into Heaven, by angels. Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Triglia, Commemorated on March 28; Stephen the Confessor, of Triglia Monastery, under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). a young age, the holy ascetic dedicated his life to God and received monastic tonsure. He later became head of the Triglia monastery near Constantinople. persecution again began against holy icons, the saintly igumen was summoned for questioning, and they tried to force him to sign a document rejecting the veneration of icons. Saint Stephen steadfastly refused to betray Orthodoxy and he boldly denounced the emperor for his impiety. They subjected the saint to cruel torments, after which they sent him to prison in the year 815. Weakened and sick, the holy Confessor Stephen soon died in prison from his sufferings.

Jerusalem, 793-796, Civil War in Palestine (Arabs)
Civil War in Palestine (793-“796) ; 792-“793 and 796 a Qays-Yaman war (also referred to as the War of the Watermelon[1][2]) took place in Palestine and Transjordan between the northern Arab tribal federation of Mudhar, also called Nizar or Qays, and the southern tribal confederation of Yaman and the latter's Abbasid allies. The conflict may have begun as early as 787/88, though specific outbreaks of the war are largely dated to 793 and 796. Some violence by Bedouin raiders in the Judean Desert also erupted in 797, though it is not clear if this was directly related to the Qaysi-Yamani conflict.

Jerusalem, 800, 9th C Folder, Abbasid Caliph Al-MaMum Byz War, Michael tBlack-Robed oSabbas, Theodore oEdessa&Sabbas

Jerusalem, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun, educated, algebra, Mutazilism, r persecution, Byz war
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid (14 September 786 - 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun, was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his half-brother al-Amin after a civil war, during which the cohesion of the Abbasid Caliphate was weakened by rebellions and the rise of local strongmen; of his domestic reign was consumed in pacification campaigns. educated and with a considerable interest in scholarship, al-Ma'mun promoted the Translation Movement, the flowering of learning and the sciences in Baghdad, and the publishing of al-Khwarizmi's book now known as "Algebra". is also known for supporting the doctrine of Mutazilism and for imprisoning Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the rise of religious persecution (mihna), and for the resumption of large-scale warfare with the Byzantine Empire. 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Jerusalem, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Queen Seida, King al-Mamun, no adultry, poison fails, Relics Plllar oFire
Jerusalem, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Lavra of St Sav, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, From Edessa, distributed inheritance, tJerusalem under Moslem Rule, tSabbas, kin Theodore, reed baskets, tJMarketplace, Queen Seida wants him, King al-Mamun, M rejects adultery, accused insulting Queen&enemy oIslam, debate wKing, Mohammad neither apostle of Jesus nor prophet, he a deceiver&antichrist forerunner, send me to my monastery, be baptized&reign forever, or send me to Christ tMartyrdom, sign oCross, deadly poison failed tHarm, decapitated, Theodore notified bLord, fight over relics, King decided go to Sabbas, Pillar oFire wRelics to Lavra, buried wMartyrs, many miracles, 12th century Daniel tTraveler sees relics; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Michael lived in the ninth century, and was from the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia, the son of Christian parents. After their death he distributed his inheritance to the poor, then went to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Places. The Holy Land at that time was under Moslem rule. remained in Palestine and settled in the Lavra of Saint Savva, he became the disciple of his relative, Saint Theodore of Edessa (July 9), who spent his time both in the monastery and living as an anchorite in the Judean desert. Theodore accepted him and tonsured him right away. The two made baskets of reeds together in order to support themselves. Saint Michael would take the baskets to the marketplace in Jerusalem in order to sell them. day while at the marketplace, the eunuch of the Muslim Queen Seida, seeing that the baskets were both fine and well-made, took him along to the Queen, who was visiting the city with her husband King al-Ma’mun (813-833). handsome monk aroused the desire of the Queen, who tried to lead him into the sin of adultery, but he did not accept her suggestions. enraged Seida told her husband to have the monk beaten with rods because he had insulted her, and accused him of being an enemy of Islam. was a debate about which faith is the true one, Christianity or Islam, and the king said, “Do as I tell you, and confess that Mohammed is a prophet and an apostle of Christ, then I will adopt you as my son.” Michael said, “Mohammad is neither an apostle nor a prophet, but a deceiver and the forerunner of the antichrist. send me back to my Elder at the monastery, or be baptized into our Christian faith and reign forever in the heavens, or send me to Christ through martyrdom.” king gave the Saint a cup with deadly poison to drink. Michael made the Sign of the Cross over the cup, and he drank it, but he remained unharmed, according to the promise of the Lord (Mark16:18). this the king ordered that he be decapitated. monks of the Lavra of Saint Savva wanted to take the Saint’s relics to their Lavra, but the Christians of Jerusalem would not permit this. They said that since he was martyred in Jerusalem, his relics ought to remain monks of the Lavra disagreed with them, saying that he was nurtured in the Lavra and so he should be buried there. There was such a heated argument that the king decided that the relics would go to the Lavra. the same day that Saint Michael was put to death, the Lord revealed this to Saint Theodore. informing the brethren, he sent some monks to bring the relics to the Lavra. the relics were carried to the Lavra, there was a pillar of fire from Heaven accompanying the relics, and it remained until they reached the Lavra. Theodore and the monks came out to meet the procession with lit candles, and singing hymns. holy relics were buried with the other holy Fathers who had endured martyrdom. miracles took place before the relics of Saint Michael, as a sign that he had found favor with God. the beginning of the twelfth century the relics of Saint Michael were seen by Daniel, the Igoumen of the Kiev Caves Monastery, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Michael is commemorated twice during the year: on May 23 (his repose) and July 29 (the transfer of his relics).

Jerusalem, 813-840, Theodore tBranded, fJeruslem then Sabbas wBro Theophanes, won debate wLeo, iconodule, tortured&exiled 3times
Jerusalem, 813-840, Theodore Graptus, the Branded, fJeruslem then Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, Chrisstian parents, shunned ammusements, attended church, sent wYounger bro Theophanes to Sabbas &Pious Priest fEducation, became monk&priest, Iconoclast emperor Leo V expelled Michael I, brothers sent tConstantinople by Jerusalem Patriarch tDefend icons, theo won debate wLeo, Leo ordered bros beaten&exiled, forbidding help, returned from exile bIconoclast Michael II & Iconodule Theolophilius, , returned, faces branded because would not communion wIconoclasts & exiled again tApamea, Bithynia, Theodore died there 840, bro became bishop Nicea&Author defending Orthodoxy, many healings Theodore's relics in Constantinople; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Theodore the Confessor, and his brother Theophanes (October 11) born in Jerusalem of Christian parents. early childhood Theodore shunned childish amusements and loved to attend church services. his younger brother Theophanes (October 11), he was sent to the Lavra of Saint Savva to be educated by a pious priest. brothers became monks, and Saint Theodore was ordained to the holy priesthood. iconoclast emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) expelled and replaced the pious ruler Michael I Rhangabe (811-813). the beginning, Leo concealed his heretical views, but later declared himself an iconoclast. Patriarch of Jerusalem sent the two brothers to Constantinople to defend the holy icons. refuted Leo’s arguments, proving the falseness of his beliefs. ordered that both brothers be beaten mercilessly, and then had them sent into exile, forbidding anyone to help them in any way. the subsequent emperors, Michael II (820-829), and particularly under the iconoclast Theophilus (829-842), both brothers returned from exile. they were urged to accept iconoclasm, but they bravely endured all the tortures. They were sent into exile once more, but later returned. time they were subjected to fierce torture, finally, their faces were branded with the verses of a poem which mocked the holy confessors. Therefore, the brothers were called “the Branded.” city prefect asked Saint Theodore to take communion with the iconoclasts just once, promising him freedom if he did. the holy martyr replied, “Your proposal is the same as saying: ‘Let me cut off your head once, and then you may go wherever you wish.’” torture the holy brothers were banished to Apamea in Bithynia, where Saint Theodore died around the year 840. Theophanes survived until the end of the iconoclast heresy, and died as Bishop of Nicea. Theophanes was author of many writings in defense of Orthodoxy. relics of Saint Theodore were transferred to Chalcedon, where they worked many healings.

Jerusalem, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, tSabbas, 36yrs solitude, dove miracle, 12yr bishop, converts Bagdad calif
Armenia, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), tSabbas a12, 36yrs solitude, bishop 12yrs, Consecration dove miracle, clairvoyant Stylite Theodosis his elder, tBagdad, converts calif Mavi, after healing him wDirt from Lord's grave, Mavi killed, fortells T's death, through 2 dreams tT and T tStylite, writings, read by 16-17th Century Rus; Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. his life the holy saint was a bright witness of the great deeds of God, glorified in His Saints. twelve years of age, after he lost his parents and gave away his inheritance to the poor, he went to Jerusalem, he was tonsured at the Lavra of the Saint Savva the Sanctified. twelve years of fervent monastic obedience and then another twenty-four years of full seclusion and great abstinence, the Lord called the valiant ascetic to be a bishop, so that he might enlighten the world. the death of the Bishop of Edessa, no worthier successor was found than Theodore, and with the mutual consent of the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem, and of the clergy and laity, this fine man was chosen bishop. was not easy for Saint Theodore to forsake his solitude, but he submitted himself to the will of God and undertook his pastoral guidance of the Edessa Church. occurred during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (842-855). the time of Saint Theodore’s episcopal consecration, there occurred a great miracle. The people beheld a dove, white as snow, flying about beneath the cupola of the church, which then alit upon the head of the newly-made bishop. Theodore devoted all his abilities to the governance of his flock. He was a model for the faithful in word, in life, in love. By the good example of his holy ascetic life, he guided the flock entrusted to him by God, onto the path of salvation. Theodore exerted much effort in the struggle with heretics, and with a firm hand he guarded the Church from temptations and false teachings. his consolation and support for Saint Theodore, the clairvoyant Elder Theodosius the Stylite also served the spiritual community while laboring in asceticism not far from the city, near the monastery of the holy Great Martyr George. the blessing of the Elder, Saint Theodore journeyed to Baghdad to the caliph Mavi to complain about unjust measures against the Orthodox. come to Mavi, the saint found him seriously ill. Calling on the help of the Lord, the holy bishop threw a bit of earth from the Sepulchre of the Lord into a vessel of water and gave it to the caliph to drink, and the sick one was healed. grateful Mavi, favorably disposed towards the saint, happily heard his teachings. Finally, together with three close associates, he accepted holy Baptism with the name John. afterwards for his open confession of faith in Christ before the Moslems, the caliph John was killed with his three associates. appeared in a dream simultaneously to Saint Theodore and to Theodosius the Stylite, he said that he had been granted to suffer for Christ, and was numbered among the ranks of the Martyrs. He promised that soon he would meet them in the Kingdom of Heaven. was an indication to the saint of God that his own end was approaching. 848, again in solitude at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified, he peacefully departed to the Lord. Theodore has left Christians his edifying writings. Life of Saint Theodore of Edessa was popular reading in Rus during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and was preserved in many manuscripts. Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Saint’s father was named Symeon, and his mother’s name was Maria. He received a good education and was distinguished for his philosophical knowledge, as well as for rhetoric. the age of ten he was left as an orphan and gave half of his parents’ wealth to his sister, and kept the other half himself. Sharing this with the poor, he departed for Jerusalem. There he venerated the holy places and, when he was nineteen years old, he became a monk in the Lavra of Saint Savva. Theodore remained there for twenty-four years, leading an ascetic and virtuous life, and became a renowned ascetic. of his great virtues, the Patriarch of Jerusalem made him Bishop of Edessa in 836. was an excellent Archpastor, with his vast theological knowledge, his many virtues, and above all, his great love, which he bestowed abundantly upon his flock. that time Edessa was plagued with many heresies: Arian, Nestorian, Eutychian, etc. holy hierarch instructed his flock in the Orthodox Faith in order to combat these errors. Theodore also went to see the Persian king in Babylon, asking him to protect the Orthodox Christians of Edessa from the malevolence of the heretics. King was very sick, but the Saint healed him and spoke to him about Christ. many days the King was baptized with the name John. returning to Edessa, Saint Theodore was informed in a vision that King John and his three bodyguards, who had been baptized with him, proclaimed their faith openly and received the unfading crown of martyrdom. the approach of death, Saint Theodore retired to the Lavra of Saint Savva. calling the clergy and laity of Edessa together and blessing them, he surrendered his holy soul to the Heavenly Father in the year 848. Basil of Emessa wrote the Saint’s life in Greek, which is preserved at the Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos.

Jerusalem, 843-859, Patriarch Sergius of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 843-859, Patriarch Sergius of Jerusalem (Sergius is on the list in Wikipedia, but not described) St. Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ;

Jerusalem, 900, 10th C Folder, Daniel the Confessor fSpain

Jerusalem, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, oNiverta Is, b monk, iRome, tJerusalem, great Schema, martyred bSaracens
Spain and Portugal, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, Perfect oNiverta Islands, disdained worldly glory, became monk, iRome, tJerusalem holy places, great Schema aStephen, martyred bSaracens ; Since these are the only Islands off the Spanish mainland, Niverta Island must be one of these Balearic Islands. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Daniel the Confessor, (in the schema Stephen) lived in the tenth century. was a Spanish dignitary, and prefect of the island of Niverta. worldly glory, he became a monk in Rome and went on pilgrimage to the holy places at Constantinople and Jerusalem, he received the Great Schema and the name Stephen. received the crown of martyrdom after he refused the Saracens’ demand that he renounce Christ and become a Moslem.

Jerusalem, 1000, 11th C Folder, Hakim despoiler otHoly Places, Knights otOrder oSt John, Knights Hospitaller

Jerusalem, 1009, Hakim, despoiler of the holy places, Fatmid Period Egypt
Jerusalem, 1009, Hakim, despoiler of the holy places, Hakim, Fatmid Period Egypt; Jerusalem, 1009, Hakim, despoiler of the holy places, Hakim, Fatmid Period Egypt The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Jerusalem, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery otCross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King 327, reconstructed by P 1027
Georgia, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327, reconstructed by P in 1027, 1015 1one year at Sabbas', 1025 Began Reconstruction, there Lot planted 3 trees, cyprus pine and ceday, they miraculously grew together, one large tree, cut for Soloman's Temple, not used, but used for Christ's Cross, 326 this land to Georgian King Mirian, 449 monastery Founded bVakhtang 1, destroyed several times by moslems 7th C- 9th C, 11th C Georgian King B Kuropalates gave much wealth t Prochorus to restore it, after beautification P gathered 80 monks, same rule as Sabbas', advanced age tWilderness with Disciple Giorgi, died 1066 ; Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Saint Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; Prochorus the Georgian, a descendant of the noble Shavteli family, was born at the end of the 10th century and grew up in a monastery. he reached manhood he was ordained a hieromonk and labored for one year at the Lavra of Saint Savva in Jerusalem. with the blessing of his spiritual father Ekvtime Grdzeli, he began the reconstruction of the Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem. to tradition, at this spot Abraham’s nephew Lot planted three trees—a cypress, a pine, and a cedar. these three trees miraculously grew into one large tree. the Temple of Solomon was being built, this tree was cut down but left unused. is said that the Cross on which Christ our Savior was crucified was constructed from the wood of this tree. the 4th century, the land on which the miraculous tree had grown was presented to Holy King Mirian, the first Christian king of Georgia. in the 5th century, during the reign of Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the Holy Cross Monastery was founded on that land. monastery was destroyed several times between the 7th and 9th centuries. in the 11th century, King Bagrat Kuropalates offered much of his wealth to Fr. Prochorus for the restoration of the monastery. Prochorus beautified the monastery, gathered eighty monks and established the typicon (the monastic rule) for the community in accordance with that of the Saint Savva Lavra. Saint Prochorus had labored long and lived to an advanced age, he chose his disciple Giorgi to be the monastery’s next abbot. he departed for the wilderness with two of his disciples, and after some time the righteous monk yielded up his spirit to God. this, little is known about the life of Saint Prochorus. to Georgian researchers and scholars, he was probably born sometime between 985 and 990. He spent the years 1010 to 1015 in Jerusalem, and labored at the Lavra of Saint Savva until 1025. He reposed in the year 1066, between the ages of 76 and 81.

Jerusalem, 1099-1291, Knights of the Catholic Order of Saint John, Knights Hospitaller
Knights of the Catholic Order of Saint John of Jerusalem; Translation from Malta to Gatchina: of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross, the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God, and the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12;

Jerusalem, 1200, 13th C Folder, Luke oHoly Cross Georgian Monastery, beheaded, severed head thanked God

Jerusalem, 1223-1261, Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 1223-1261, Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem; Leontius was Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1223-1261, according to Saint Gregory Palamas (Nov. 14) and Theodore, a monk of Constantinople Life was translated from Greek into the Russian language in an abridged form. It was translated a second time more fully by Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14), who says the death of the Patriarch actually occurred in 1175.

Jerusalem, 1229, Milkgiver Icon, Savva tSanctified before his death i532, pilgrim named Savva would come, give him my icon
Jerusalem, 1229, Milkgiver Icon oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas waercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, Savva tSanctified before his death foretold royal pilgrim same name would come, give him tWonderworking icon as a blessing, Savva oSerbia came 13th C, given Savva's staff, Milk Giver Icon, and 3Hands Icon, He took Milk Giver Icon to Hilandar, MG later named Typikonissa for rule (Typikon) oSavva preserved there; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; “Milk-Giver” Icon of the Mother of God was originally located at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem. his death, the holy founder of the Lavra foretold a royal pilgrim having the same name as himself would visit the Lavra. Savva told the brethren to give the wonderworking icon to that pilgrim as a blessing. the thirteenth century, Saint Savva of Serbia visited the Lavra. he approached the reliquary of Saint Savva the Sanctified, the saint’s staff fell at his feet. brethren asked the visitor his name, and he told them he was Archbishop Savva of Serbia. the instructions of their founder, the monks gave Saint Savva his staff, the “Milk-Giver” Icon, and the Icon “Of the Three Hands” (June 28 and July 12). holy archbishop took the icon to Hilandar on Mount Athos and put it on the right side of the iconostasis in the church of Saint Savva at the kellion of Karyes, which is attached to Hilandar. icon was later named Typikonissa, since the Rule (Typikon) of Saint Savva was preserved there.

Jerusalem, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God
Jerusalem, 1277, Luke & Fathers of Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 3 trees of the Cross, Luke followed his mother to Jerusalem, became monk there, became abbot, monks ousted, Luke confronted, beheaded, then severed head turned East and thanked God ; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Fathers & Luke Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; holy martyr Luka of Jerusalem lived in the 13th century. He was born to an honorable, pious Georgian family by the name of Mukhaisdze. After the repose of Luka’s father, his mother left her children and went to labor at a monastery in Jerusalem. Luka reached the age of twenty, he traveled to Jerusalem to visit his mother and venerate the holy places. After spending some time there he decided to remain and be tonsured a monk. was later ordained a deacon and became fluent in Arabic. Soon the brothers of the monastery recognized his wisdom and asked him to guide them as abbot. For three years Luka directed the monastery in an exemplary manner. the devil was envious of the holy father and provoked a certain Shekh-Khidar, an influential Persian at the court of Sultan Penducht, (Probably Sultan Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar of Egypt (1260-1277)) to take up arms against Saint Luka. Penducht then transferred possession of theHoly CrossMonastery to Shekh-Khidar, who “treated the Georgian monks in a beastly manner and finally ousted them from the monastery altogether.” his God-given duty, the blessed Luka insisted on personally confronting Shekh-Khidar in defense of his brotherhood. ’s Christian brothers and sisters warned him, saying, “Shekh-Khidar is threatening you.... Flee and hide fromhim!” But Luka paid no heed to their admonitions, certain that it was more fitting to die for Christ than to live for the world. As he had insisted, he himself approached and asked for the release of the imprisoned fathers. told him that he was prepared to accept any demands. The wicked Persian leader demanded nothing from Luka except that he convert to Islam, promising to make him emir if he consented. When he refused, the furious Shekh-Khidar ordered Saint Luka’s beheading. the terrible deed had been performed, Saint Luka’s severed head turned toward the east and gave thanks to God with an expression of pure peace. Soon after, his precious body was set on fire at the command of the bewildered Shekh-Khidar. This occurred in 1277. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; story as above

Jerusalem, 1300, 14th C Folder, Nicolas Dvali Klarjeti Wilderness Holy Cross Monastery trained in Martyrdom, Unburnt Bush Icon

Jerusalem, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Klarjeti W, H Cross M, Forerunner, Spiritual f, MOG, Damascus, h f 500 L, head 7 times
Jerusalem, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Nikoloz Dvali the Martyr was born at the end of the 13th century to a God-fearing couple who directed his path toward the spiritual life. the age of twelve Nikoloz traveled to the Klarjeti Wilderness and was tonsured a monk. From there he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained in the holy city, settling at the Holy Cross Monastery. Burning with desire for the apostolic life, Monk Nikoloz was determined to die a martyr’s death. Jerusalem a group of godless men arrested and tormented Saint Nikoloz for publicly confessing the Christian Faith, but a group of Christians succeeded in rescuing him from prison. in accordance with his abbot’s counsel, Saint Nikoloz relocated to a Georgian monastery on Cyprus. There the pious monk beseeched the Lord to make him worthy of the crown of martyrdom. One day, while he was praying before the icon of Saint John the Baptist, he heard a voice saying, “Nikoloz! Arise and go to Jerusalem. There you will find a Georgian monk who will teach you the way of righteousness and encourage you on the path of martyrdom. He has been appointed to guide you.” Saint Nikoloz returned to Jerusalem, met the monk whom God had appointed, and informed him of what had been revealed. Most Holy Theotokos and Saint John the Baptist appeared to Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father, who had been praying intensely for guidance, and told him that it was the Lord’s will for Nikoloz to journey to Damascus. in Damascus, the holy father entered a mosque and openly confessed Christ to be the Savior, reproving those present for their folly. The angry Muslims seized Saint Nikoloz, beat him, and cast him into prison. a great struggle, the metropolitan and local Christians succeeded in recovering him from captivity, but he immediately returned to the Muslims and began again to denounce their ungodly ways. Again they beat him mercilessly, lashed him five hundred times, and cast him in prison for a second time. the holy martyr’s wounds were healed through the miraculous intercession of Saint John the Baptist, and after two months he was released from prison. chance the emir of the city caught a glimpse of Saint Nikoloz as he was preparing to return to Jerusalem. The emir recognized him and sent him to Dengiz, the emir of emirs. Dengiz flattered him and offered to convert him to Islam, but Saint Nikoloz bravely defended his faith in Christ. In response, Dengiz ordered his execution. the hour appointed by Dengiz, the blessed martyr turned to the east, joyfully bowed his neck to the sword, and prayed, “Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who hast accounted me worthy to die for Thy name’s sake.” The sword pierced his neck, but the severed head glorified God seven times, crying out, “Glory to Thee, O Christ our God!” Persians burned the saint’s body, and for three days a pillar of light shone at the place where it lay. Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father heard about his martyrdom, he prayed to God to reveal to him whether Nikoloz would be numbered among the saints. Then one day while he was reading, he saw a vision of a host of saints standing atop a mountain, illumined and surrounded by a cloud of incense. Among them the Great-martyr George shone especially brightly, and he called Saint Nikoloz, saying, “Nikoloz! Come and see the monk, your spiritual father. He has shed many tears for you.” greeted his spiritual father, saying, “Behold me and the place where I am, and from this day cease your sorrowing for me.” Nikoloz Dvali was tortured to death on Tuesday, October 19, in the year 1314. The Georgian Church continues to commemorate him on that date. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Jerusalem, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb in Median, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit, to Russia 1390
Median, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Unburning Bush, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit and not consumed, to Russia 1390 from Palestine, 1812 riza return story, 1822 arson fires story; Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; of the Old Testament prototypes pointing to the Mother of God is the Unburnt Bush - the Bush which Moses saw on Mount Horeb. was on fire, but was not consumed (Exodus 3:2). Bush signifies the Mother of God's sinless conception of Christ when the Holy Spirit came upon her and she was overshadowed by the power of the Most High (Luke 1:35). the Angel "revealed the Holy Trinity by naming the Holy Spirit, the Power which is the Son (I Corinthians 1:24), and the Most High which is the Father" (Saint Theophylact, Commentary on the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, chapter 1). Theotokos was born into a fallen world, yet she was absolutely pure, and did not commit any personal sin. remained a Virgin before, during, and after giving birth. the Bush burned and was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth to Thee yet remained a Virgin" (Octoechos, Dogmatikon Tone 2, "The shadow of the Law"). ancient Unburnt Bush Icon shows a bush engulfed in flames. Virgin, with her Child in her arms, is seen above the Bush. image is rare. Icons depict an octagonal star with the Mother of God in the center with a circle of Cherubim around her. She is shown holding Jacob's Ladder, for she calls us to ascend from earth to Heaven. the gate and the rod are depicted as symbols of the Savior, Who in Church hymns is called "a rod from the root of Jesse." star is made up of two quadrangles. One is painted red, like a flame; the other is green, the color of the mysterious Bush seen by Moses. the red points of the star there are four symbols of the Evangelists: a man (Matthew), a lion (Mark), an ox (Luke), and an eagle (John). the rays are eight Angels: An Angel shows burning fire, for the earth will be destroyed by fire. The Spirit of wisdom and of the knowledge of God - spring, summer, autumn, and winter. He created all things for man's benefit. The Angel of Thunder shows Christ's second coming, for He shall come in thunder and lightning. The Angel of the spirit of piety. The cutting off of those who proclaim things contrary to the Faith. He holds the cup of the bitterness of God's wrath. The Spirit of the Lord for warmth amid winter, snow, frost, and ice. The Spirit of purification which sends forth dew and mist and rain. The Angel of Thunder and of the fear of God, revealing Christ's second coming, for He shall judge His servants at the end of the world. The Angel of lightning and scorching, i.e. He shall be the righteous Judge, for the lightning shall find all. the four corners of the Icon are the Prophets who prefigure the Virgin: and the Unburnt Bush (Exodus chapter 3); with the Seraphim touching his lips with a live coal (Isaiah 6:6); vision of the gate by which no one could enter except the Lord (Ezekiel 44:1), Jacob's vision of the Ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). to popular belief, this Icon protects the homes of the faithful from fire. a man happened to witness a great fire which engulfed many buildings. Among them was a wooden house which did not burn. A woman stood there motionless, holding an icon of the Unburnt Bush in her hands. Tears ran down her cheeks, but her face expressed complete calm and unshakable faith. She did not seem to be worried about her home, but she wept for the misfortune of others. The fire was intense, but the woman would not move. The man left, marveling at her faith, but he expected her house to be reduced to ashes by the flames. The next day he returned to the spot. the devastation of the fire only the woman's house remained standing, guarded by the power of the Icon. of the oldest icons of the Unburnt Bush is located in Moscow's Annunciation Cathedral. was brought to Russia by Palestinian foreigners in 1390 and, according to tradition, it was painted on a piece of the rock where Moses beheld the mysterious Bush. the Moscow church of the Unburnt Bush at Khamovniki, there is an Icon which was once in the Palace. The ancient writing is beautiful. The size of the Icon measures 1 arshin 12 vershkov long, and 1 arshin 7 vershkov wide. Icon is commemorated twice: on September 4, the Feast Day of the Prophet Moses, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man), because according to tradition, the Icon was transferred from the Kremlin to the newly-consecrated Khamovniki church on that day. was a wondrous event connected with the riza of this Icon, when Russia was attacked by Napoleon in 1812. leaving Moscow, a Polish soldier came to Father Alexei Vvedensky, the priest of the Novodevichii Monastery, and gave him the riza from the Unburnt Bush Icon, begging him to return it to the church from which it was taken. soldier confessed that ever since he took the riza, he had been unable to find peace, and he was tormented by an unbearable melancholia. the same church there is an Icon of the Unburnt Bush (which was donated in 1835) and a smaller, especially revered Icon dating from 1837. depicts someone praying before the Mother of God. In the church there is a special manuscript Service to the Icon with the note: "This Service is chanted on Holy Mount Sinai, whenever someone requests it, or whenever there is terrible lightning." 1822, in the city of Slavyansk, Kharkov gubernia, fires caused by arson became more frequent. residents were at a loss about what to do. it was revealed in a dream to a pious old woman named Belnitskaya that if they painted an Icon of the Unburnt Bush, and served a Moleben before it, the fires would stop. told the Archpriest about her dream, and the Icon was painted right away. After the Liturgy, a Moleben was served before it. that very day, there was another fire, and the arsonist was caught. crafty young woman named Maura had set all the fires. the fires ceased, and the grateful residents had a kiot made for the Icon with the inscription: "In remembrance of the city's deliverance from fire in 1822." The Icon is in the church of the Holy Trinity. is also a revered icon of the Unburnt Bush in the village of Kubenskoye, Vologda Province.

Jerusalem, 1453 - 1922, Folder, Ottoman Period

Jerusalem, 1453, Fall of Constantinople, end of Byzantine Empire
Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople (1453); Ottoman Empire; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, 1526-1579, Gerasimus, Patriarch, Patron saint of Kefalonia, G monastery, for poor
Jerusalem Patriarch, 1526-1579, Gerasimus of Kefalonia ; Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia is the patron saint of the island of Kefalonia in Greece. (1506–1579) came from the aristocratic and wealthy Notaras family. He was ordained a Monk at Mount Athos, went to Jerusalem for 12 years, spent some time in Crete and Zakynthos and in 1555 arrived on Kefalonia. He spent his first 5 years in a cave in the area known as Lassi. He subsequently cultivated the area where the monastery of Saint Gerasimos now exists near Valsamata. The monastery which he established cared for the poor and became a center for charity. Gerasimos is believed by natives of Kefalonia to protect them and to also heal them of illness. Many natives of the island name their children after Saint Gerasimos as a tribute to the saint who protects them. body of Saint Gerasimos is at the monastery, made available for veneration as it has never decomposed. After his death, his body was buried twice and exhumed intact, thus leading the church to ordain him as a saint. Kefalonians throughout the world still revere and pray to him. 1953, immediately after a powerful earthquake on the island of Kefalonia destroyed 90% of the island, there were many claimed sightings of Saint Gerasimos throughout the island who is believed to have comforted and tended to the injured trapped inside homes and buildings. the feasts of Saint Gerasimos – August 16th[note 1] and 20 October (translation of relics) – his body is passed over ill and sick persons for the purpose of healing them. His body is also displayed by the church during liturgy at the monastery on many occasions. church named after Saint Gerasimos was established in New York City by Kefalonians who emigrated to New York in the early 20th century. Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20; Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in the village of Trikkala in the Peloponessos. a young adult, he became a monk on the island of Zakynthos. the Holy Mountain he became a schemamonk and studied with the ascetics of Mt Athos. a blessing from the Elders, the monk went to Jerusalem to worship at the Life-bearing Tomb of the Savior. visiting many holy places in Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria and Egypt, he returned to Jerusalem where he became a lamp-lighter at the Sepulchre of the Lord. monk was ordained a deacon and then a priest by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Germanus (1534-1579). Gerasimus maintained the discipline of an ascetic. For soltitude he withdrew to the Jordan, where he spent forty days without respite. received the Patriarch’s blessing for a life of silence, Saint Gerasimus withdrew to Zakynthos in solitude, eating only vegetation. five years he was inspired to go the the island of Cephalonia, where he lived in a cave. restored a church at Omala, and he founded a women’s monastery where he lived in constant toil and vigil for thirty years. prayed on bent knees stretched out on the ground. For his exalted life he was granted a miraculous gift: the ability to heal the sick and cast out unclean spirits. 71 years of age, the venerable Gerasimus knew that he would soon die. He gave his blessing to the nuns and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1579. years later, his grave was opened and his holy relics were found fragrant and incorrupt with a healing power. the Feast of the Dormition falls on August 15, Saint Gerasimus is commemorated on August 16th. Today’s Feast celebrates the uncovering of his holy relics in 1581.

Jerusalem, 1534-1579, Gerasimus the New, Sepulchre Lamplighter, o by Gerasimus, silence, deliverance, myhrr, incorrupt r
Jerusalem Patriarch, 1534-1579, Gerasimus of Kefalonia ; Saint Gerasimos of Kefalonia is the patron saint of the island of Kefalonia in Greece. (1506–1579) came from the aristocratic and wealthy Notaras family. He was ordained a Monk at Mount Athos, went to Jerusalem for 12 years, spent some time in Crete and Zakynthos and in 1555 arrived on Kefalonia. He spent his first 5 years in a cave in the area known as Lassi. He subsequently cultivated the area where the monastery of Saint Gerasimos now exists near Valsamata. The monastery which he established cared for the poor and became a center for charity. Gerasimos is believed by natives of Kefalonia to protect them and to also heal them of illness. Many natives of the island name their children after Saint Gerasimos as a tribute to the saint who protects them. body of Saint Gerasimos is at the monastery, made available for veneration as it has never decomposed. After his death, his body was buried twice and exhumed intact, thus leading the church to ordain him as a saint. Kefalonians throughout the world still revere and pray to him. 1953, immediately after a powerful earthquake on the island of Kefalonia destroyed 90% of the island, there were many claimed sightings of Saint Gerasimos throughout the island who is believed to have comforted and tended to the injured trapped inside homes and buildings. the feasts of Saint Gerasimos – August 16th[note 1] and 20 October (translation of relics) – his body is passed over ill and sick persons for the purpose of healing them. His body is also displayed by the church during liturgy at the monastery on many occasions. church named after Saint Gerasimos was established in New York City by Kefalonians who emigrated to New York in the early 20th century. Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20; Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in the village of Trikkala in the Peloponessos. a young adult, he became a monk on the island of Zakynthos. the Holy Mountain he became a schemamonk and studied with the ascetics of Mt Athos. a blessing from the Elders, the monk went to Jerusalem to worship at the Life-bearing Tomb of the Savior. visiting many holy places in Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria and Egypt, he returned to Jerusalem where he became a lamp-lighter at the Sepulchre of the Lord. monk was ordained a deacon and then a priest by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Germanus (1534-1579). Gerasimus maintained the discipline of an ascetic. For soltitude he withdrew to the Jordan, where he spent forty days without respite. received the Patriarch’s blessing for a life of silence, Saint Gerasimus withdrew to Zakynthos in solituide, eating only vegetation. five years he was inspired to go the the island of Cephalonia, where he lived in a cave. restored a church at Omala, and he founded a women’s monastery where he lived in constant toil and vigil for thirty years. prayed on bent knees stretched out on the ground. For his exalted life he was granted a miraculous gift: the ability to heal the sick and cast out unclean spirits. 71 years of age, the venerable Gerasimus knew that he would soon die. He gave his blessing to the nuns and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1579. years later, his grave was opened and his holy relics were found fragrant and incorrupt with a healing power. the Feast of the Dormition falls on August 15, Saint Gerasimus is commemorated on August 16th. Today’s Feast celebrates the uncovering of his holy relics in 1581.

Jerusalem, 1669-1707, Patriarch, Dositheos II of Jerusalem
Jerusalem Patriarch, 1669-1707, Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Jerusalem, 1707-1727, Icon oBethlehem, Judea, iBasillica Christ's Nativity, luxurious fabrics, Empress Catherine
Jerusalem, 1707-1727, Icon oBethlehem, Judea, iBasillica Christ's Nativity, luxurious fabrics, Empress Catherine, infinite affection emanates from eyes of icon, & her serene gaze, sweetens and exalts hearts of faithful, also all Catherine's jewels on icon, forcing empresses not wear Jewels any more; “Bethlehem” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 26; the magnificent Basilica of Christ’s Nativity in Bethlehem, the wonderworking icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, known as Bethlehemitissa, stands out. is located in a prominent proskynitarion on the right side of the southern entrance of the Holy Cave of the Nativity. infinite affection which emanates from the eyes of the Panagia’s icon, and her serene gaze, sweetens and exalts the hearts of the faithful. clothing on the Icon of the Theotokos is covered with luxurious fabrics and precious gems, and makes a distinct impression. is no clear historical data concerning the origin of the icon. is speculation that it came from Russia, and pious tradition particularly links it to the Russian Empress Catherine, who visited the Holy Land and Bethlehem after a miracle performed by the Virgin. donated her imperial garments in order to clothe the “Mistress of the World” with them. to tradition, she also gave her jewelry to be placed on the sacred icon, empresses not to wear rubies (or diamonds, according to others) any longer, for this was the exclusive privilege of the “Queen of the Angels.” the Bethlehem Icon has a special place in the hearts of all the Orthodox. Virgin Mary, the Lady of the Holy Land, is the tender mother who obeyed God’s command and brought our Savior and Redeemer into the world; at the same time she is the mother of us all and an intercessor before her Son in all our appeals. is our guardian angel. our moments of difficulty, we turn spontaneously to face her icon and her grace, always invoking her as “our fervent protector and helper.” Bethlehem;

Jerusalem, 1857-1907 , Righteous Georgians, John, Stephen and Isaiah, Sepulchre guardians, Ottoman Period
Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; the multitude of saints we remember those Christians who dedicated their earthly lives to glorifying God and serving others. In a single lifetime they performed all the spiritual feats of the venerable and devout fathers, confessors, and martyrs. the saints canonized by the Georgian Church, only four have been called “Righteous.” They are Saint Ilia Chavchavadze, well known as the “father” and “uncrowned king” of the Georgian nation, and Saints John, Steven, and Isaiah the Georgians. is believed that Holy John, Steven, and Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and guarded the Tomb of our Lord. It is probable that the Georgian Orthodox Church proclaimed them deserving of exceptional honor in recognition of their dedicated service at the Tomb of the Savior. several centuries the Georgian Church has glorified the Righteous John, Steven, and Isaiah and asked for their intercessions before the Lord.

Jerusalem, 1922-1948, Folder, British Period

Jerusalem, 1948-Present, Folder, Israel Period

Jerusalem, Judah, 1948-Present, State of Israel

Jerusalem, Judah, 1973, Yom Kippor War
Jerusalem, Judah, 1973, Yom Kippor War; January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1974, Disengagement of Forces Agreement Yom Kippor War
Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1974, Disengagement of Forces Agreement Yom Kippor War; January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date;

Jerusalem, Judah, 1974, January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date
Jerusalem, Judah, 1974, January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date ; Jerusalem, Judah, 1973, Yom Kippor War;

Jerusalem, Patriarch Locations Abstract folder, including Judah and Benjamin
Patriarch Locations Abstract Folder, including Judah and Benjamin;

Jerusalem, Benjamin Folder (Jericho, Bethel and Gibeon)

Benjamin, Land of Benjamin (Bethel, Gibeon, Jericho and Jerusalem)
Benjamin; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; Prophet Azariah, Commemorated on February 3; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29;

Kingdom of Israel, Saul Reigned from Gibeah in Benjamin
Kingdom of Israel; Saul Reigned from Gibeah; Gibeah Location; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Jerudalem, Benjamin History Folder

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 2000 BC Dot 5, Sarah, Lot &Abraham between Bethel & Ai
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Abraham; Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son. Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson oAbraham, Patriarch 12 sons
Jerusalem, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson Abraham, Patriarch 12 sons; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 2000 BC Dot 5, Righteous Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son, Rachael's, bro of Joseph
Righteous Benjamin, youngest son of Jacob, bro of Joseph, son of Rachael, tribe of Benjamin ravenous wolf, devouring P in morning, dividing S in evening; Abstract of Jacob's son's locations. ; Benjamin; Righteous Benjamin, Commemorated on December 11; youngest son of Jacob, he was called Benoni and then Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-18). his death Jacob blessed him in a seemingly backhanded way, saying that “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, devouring his prey in the morning, and dividing the spoil in the evening” (Genesis 49:27). say this is not a reference to Benjamin himself, but to the warlike nature of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1634 BC-1544 BC, Leader, Joshua
Jerusalem Leader, 1634 BC-1544 BC, Joshua; Jerusalem Priest, 1400 BC-1500 BC, Phinehas; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1569BC, Gilgal, Tabernacle Location
Gilgal, 1569 BC, Tabernacle Location; Gilgal (2k NE of Jericho), 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1500BC Dot 6, Deborah, Judge at Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah) defeated Canaan&Sisera
Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah); Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead. On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him. Song of Deborah On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord! 3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to[c] the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. 4 “When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. 7 Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. 8 God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! 10 “You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider 11 the voice of the singers[d] at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel. “Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’ 13 “The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty. 14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[e] staff. 15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[f] to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. 18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields. 19 “Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver. 20 From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 21 The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! 22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds. 23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’ 24 “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. 26 Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead. 28 “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’ 29 The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?’ 31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” the land had peace forty years.

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1346 BC, Bethel, Tabernacle Location
Bethel, 1346 BC, Tabernacle Location; Bethel; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1100 BC, Nob, Tabernacle Location (near Gibea Saul's hometown)
Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown); Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown);

Jerusalem, 970 BC, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time
Jerusalem, 1000 BC, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time ;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 460-530, John of Thebes, John the Chozebite
John of Thebes, John the Chozebite; John of Choziba, originally known as John of Thebes, was a monk who was born in Egypt around the year 440–450 CE. He abandoned monophysitism around 480 and moved to Wadi Qelt, a wadi in the Judaean Desert, where he reorganized the existing lavra into a monastery known as the monastery of Choziba.[1] In 516, he became Bishop of Caesarea, but soon resigned and returned to the monastery of Choziba, where he died between 520 and 530.[2] He has been canonised as Saint John of Choziba.[3] St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; John the Chozebite, the son of Maxim and Catherine Jacob, was born July 23, 1913 in the Horodistea district of Moldavia. was named for the holy prophet Elias (July 20). In 1914, his father died in the war, and his mother succumbed to a disease, leaving Elias as an orphan. grandmother Maria raised him until he was eleven. She was a nun, so she was able to educate him in spiritual matters. died in 1924, so young Elias went to live with other relatives. He had a great love for Christ and His Church, and longed for the monastic life. entered Neamts Monastery on August 15, 1933 when he was twenty years old. his soul was nourished by the beauty of the services, the experienced spiritual instructors, and the silence of the mountains. young monk loved prayer, vigils, spiritual reading, and solitude, soon he surpassed many experienced monks in obedience, humility, and patience. his great love for spiritual books, the igumen made him the monastery’s librarian. gave comfort to many of the brethren by recommending specific books for each one to read. he would advise them to read the book carefully, make their confession, and not miss the services if they wanted to find peace. spiritual efforts attracted the notice of Archimandrite Valerie Moglan, recommended that Elias be permitted to receive monastic tonsure. He was tonsured on April 8, 1936 and received the name John. that time, the young monk intensified his spiritual efforts, conquering the temptations of the demons, and progressing on the path of salvation. John made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with two other monks in 1936, and they decided to remain there. The monk Damascene fell ill, however, and had to be taken back to Romania by the monk Claudius after eight months. first, Saint John lived in Bethlehem near Saint Savva’s Monastery. Romanian monks had lived at Saint Savva’s since the sixteenth century, and John struggled there for almost ten years. He was made librarian of the monastery, and he fulfilled this obedience for about seven years. 1945 Saint John longed for the peace and solitude of the desert, and so he went to live as a hermit. was ordained as a priest in 1947, and became igumen of the Romanian Skete of Saint John the Baptist by the Jordan. Pilgrims often came to him for Confession, Communion, and consolation. In his free time he composed religious poems and hymns. five years, he and his disciple went into the desert of Chozeba near Jericho. Here they lived in asceticism for eight years in the cave where, according to Tradition, Saint Anna had prayed. John Jacob died on August 5, 1960 at the age of forty-seven and was buried in his cave. August 8, 1980 his relics were found incorrupt and fragrant. They now rest in the Saint George the Chozebite Monastery. 1968 and 1970, Saint John’s book Spiritual Nourishment was published in two volumes, with the blessing of Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem. John Jacob was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 601-650, George the Chozebite, his incorrupt relics here at his St George's Monastery
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; John of Thebes, John the Chozebite St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); Monastery of Saint George of Choziba (Arabic: دير القديس جورج, Greek: Μονή Αγίου Γεωργίου του Χοζεβίτου), known as Monastery of Choziba (or Hoziba) or Mar Jaris,[1] is a monastery located in Wadi Qelt in Area C of the eastern West Bank, in the Jericho Governorate of the State of Palestine. cliff-hanging complex, which emerged from a lavra established in the 420s and reorganised as a monastery around AD 500,[1] its ancient chapel and irrigated gardens, is active and inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. houses the relics of Saint George of Choziba, after whom the monastery is named, well as the relics of Saint John of Choziba[2] (420/450-520/530) those of Saint John of Choziba the Romanian [ro] (1913-1960) monastery is reached by a pedestrian bridge across Wadi Qelt, many believe to be Psalm 23's "valley of the shadow of death".[3] valley parallels the old Roman road to Jericho, backdrop for the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29–37). The monastery is open to pilgrims and visitors.[4] during the Byzantine period near Jericho, was destroyed by the Persians in AD 614, in the 12th century during the Crusader period, after their defeat, rebuilt again by Greek monks starting at the end of the 19th century. location of the monastery has been associated with the lives of Elijah that of the parents of the Virgin Mary. allied with the Eastern Orthodox saints whose relics are kept in the monastery, both make it a site of intense pilgrimage. Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 601-650, George tChozebite, Abbot, fCyprus, fasting, vigil, physicalefforts example, angel on earth
Jerusalem, 601-650, George tChozebite Abbot oChozeba Wilderness monastery, Benjamin (Near Jericho), fCyprus, tPalestine, fasting, vigil, physical efforts example, angel on earth, died iPeace; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; George the Chozebite was born on the island of Cyprus toward the end of the sixth century. the death of his parents, he went to Palestine to worship at the holy places. he entered into the monastic community of Chozeba between the River Jordan and Jerusalem, he later became head of this monastery. George presented the monks example in fasting, vigil and physical efforts. lived as an angel upon the earth, he died in peace.

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1933-1960, John Jacob tChozebite, fMoldavia&Neamts, Sabbas, Skete btJordan, Desert oChozeba, incrpt relics
Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1933-1960, John Jacob the Chozebite, fMoldavia, Romania, orphan, raised bNun grandmother, Neamts a20, beauty oServices, experienced instructors, mountain silence, loved prayer vigils s reading solitude, surpassed obedience humility patience, monasteries' librarian, recommended books, read carefully, make confession, not miss services, tonsured monk 1936, John, Pilgrimage tHoly Land 1936, Sabbas 10yrs, desert hermit, priest 1947, igumen Skete St John tB by tJordan 5yrs, composed poems&Hymns, 1952 Desert oChozeba cave 8yrs where Anna had prayed, died 1980, books published 1968-70, 1980 relics found incorrupt; St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; John the Chozebite, the son of Maxim and Catherine Jacob, was born July 23, 1913 in the Horodistea district of Moldavia. was named for the holy prophet Elias (July 20). In 1914, his father died in the war, and his mother succumbed to a disease, leaving Elias as an orphan. grandmother Maria raised him until he was eleven. She was a nun, so she was able to educate him in spiritual matters. died in 1924, so young Elias went to live with other relatives. He had a great love for Christ and His Church, and longed for the monastic life. entered Neamts Monastery on August 15, 1933 when he was twenty years old. his soul was nourished by the beauty of the services, the experienced spiritual instructors, and the silence of the mountains. young monk loved prayer, vigils, spiritual reading, and solitude, soon he surpassed many experienced monks in obedience, humility, and patience. his great love for spiritual books, the igumen made him the monastery’s librarian. gave comfort to many of the brethren by recommending specific books for each one to read. he would advise them to read the book carefully, make their confession, and not miss the services if they wanted to find peace. spiritual efforts attracted the notice of Archimandrite Valerie Moglan, recommended that Elias be permitted to receive monastic tonsure. He was tonsured on April 8, 1936 and received the name John. that time, the young monk intensified his spiritual efforts, conquering the temptations of the demons, and progressing on the path of salvation. John made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with two other monks in 1936, and they decided to remain there. The monk Damascene fell ill, however, and had to be taken back to Romania by the monk Claudius after eight months. first, Saint John lived in Bethlehem near Saint Savva’s Monastery. Romanian monks had lived at Saint Savva’s since the sixteenth century, and John struggled there for almost ten years. He was made librarian of the monastery, and he fulfilled this obedience for about seven years. 1945 Saint John longed for the peace and solitude of the desert, and so he went to live as a hermit. was ordained as a priest in 1947, and became igumen of the Romanian Skete of Saint John the Baptist by the Jordan. Pilgrims often came to him for Confession, Communion, and consolation. In his free time he composed religious poems and hymns. five years, he and his disciple went into the desert of Chozeba near Jericho. Here they lived in asceticism for eight years in the cave where, according to Tradition, Saint Anna had prayed. John Jacob died on August 5, 1960 at the age of forty-seven and was buried in his cave. August 8, 1980 his relics were found incorrupt and fragrant. They now rest in the Saint George the Chozebite Monastery. 1968 and 1970, Saint John’s book Spiritual Nourishment was published in two volumes, with the blessing of Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem. John Jacob was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

John's Jericho Watercourse, down from north side of Chozeba High Point to Baptismal Site
High points have water or little lakes or springs because water moves up hill in the soil due to surface tension, like it goes up your pant leg. (1)
(1) Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball.

Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem)
Jericho; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated on January 8; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated September 1 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Euthymius the Great; Sunday of Zacchaeus; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Gilgal (2k NE of Jericho)
Gilgal (2k NE of Jericho), 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Temple - Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1569BC, Gilgal, Tabernacle Location
Gilgal, 1569 BC, Tabernacle Location; Gilgal (2k NE of Jericho), 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Gilgal Watercourse from Migdon outpost, past Gilgal, to Bethany Promised Land entry point

Zaretan, beside City of Adam
Zaretan, beside City of Adam;

City of Adam, beside Zaretan
Zaretan, beside City of Adam;

Promised Land Entry Point (Jordan River 4, Bethany baptismal site and Promised Land entry point)
Promised Land Entry Point (Jordan River 4, Bethany baptismal site and Promised Land entry point); Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1;

Baptismal Site Bethany, Benjamin (Beyond the Jordan)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Gerasimus' Watercourse down from Chozeba Hign Point to Jordan River
High points have water or little lakes or springs because water moves up hill in the soil due to surface tension, like it goes up your pant leg. (1)
(1) Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball.

Gerasimus of the Jordan's Monastery, midway on Gerasimus' watercourse, the Caves, 455, Theoctistus'
Gerasimus of the Jordan's Monastery, 455; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4;

Fools Simeon and John both tonsured by Nikon at Gerasimos' monastery
Both men received the monastic tonsure at the hands of the Abbot Nicon in the Monastery of St. Gerasimos; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, and his fellow ascetic Venerable John, Commemorated on July 21;

Coutila Caves (not far from Jericho) St Gerasimus' Watercourse down from Chozeba HP
Coutila Caves (not far from Jericho); Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Every year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). One day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. The Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. Shepherds driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. They went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4;

Caves near Monestary of St Gerasimus of Jordan, Coutila Gorge
Caves near Monestary of St Gerasimus of Jordan; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Every year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). One day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. The Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. Shepherds driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. They went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3;

Valley of Achor (trouble, Achan and his devoted things)
Valley of Achor (trouble, Achan and his devoted things); Joshua 7

Jordanian Wilderness, Benjamin, Jericho area, Jordan Monastery, watercourses go thru Jericho flats to Jordan R
Jordanian Wilderness is described in the story of Gerasimus of the Jordan;

Jordan Monastery, Jericho area, Jordanian Wilderness, 285
Jordanian Wilderness is described in the story of Gerasimus of the Jordan; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Jericho Monastery, 1 of 3 of St Cheriton, Jordan Monastery, 285, Temptation high point
Jericho Monastery; The Judean Desert "the Land of Monasteries" You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28;

St Cheriton's Jericho Monastery Watercourse (to Gilgal) from Migdon outpost

Chozeba High Point, Benjamin (Near Jericho)
Chozeba (Near Jericho); Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

Chozeba wilderness, Benjamin (high point between Jerusalem and Jericho)
Chozeba wilderness (between Jerusalem and Jericho); St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable John the Chozebite, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

St John and George's Choziba Monastery, Benjamin (C high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 480
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Pharan Monastery, 1 of 3 of St Cheriton, Benjamin (Chozeba high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 275
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); The Judean Desert " the Land of Monasteries" You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Tharan Monastery, Benjamin (Chozeba high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 275
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Bethel, Benjamin (High Point) El-Bireh
Bethel; (Hebrew: בֵּית אֵל, romanized: Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",[1] also transliterated Beth El, Beth-El, Beit El; Greek: Βαιθήλ; Latin: Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanctuary[2] frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. is first referred to in the bible as being near where Abram pitched his tent. Later, Bethel is mentioned as the location where Jacob dreams of a ladder leading to heaven, and which he therefore named Bethel, "House of God". The name is further used for a border city located between the territory of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin and that of the tribe of Ephraim, which first belonged to the Benjaminites and was later conquered by the Ephraimites. In the 4th century CE, Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome described Bethel as a small village that lay 12 Roman miles north of Jerusalem, to the right or east of the road leading to Neapolis.[3] scholars identify Bethel with the modern-day village of Beitin,[4] located in the West Bank, 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) northeast of Ramallah; few scholars prefer El-Bireh.[citation needed] In 1977, the biblical name was applied to the Israeli settlement of Beit El, founded nearby. In several countries—particularly in the United States—the name has been given to various locations (see Bethel (disambiguation)). Edward Robinson identified the Arab village of Beitin in the West Bank with ancient Bethel in Biblical Researches in Palestine, 1838–52. He based this assessment on its fitting the location described in earlier texts, and on the philological similarities between the modern and ancient name, arguing that the replacement of the Hebrew el with the Arabic in was not unusual.[5] Most academics continue to identify Bethel with Beitin.[4] Beitin in 1894, from the book Holy Land photographed by Daniel B. Shepp David Palmer Livingston contradicts this view, based on the lack of positive identification by means of inscriptions and relying on the distance from Jerusalem according to Eusebius and Jerome.[citation needed] He identifies Bethel with El-Bireh, suggesting that Beitin might be biblical Ophrah;[citation needed] however, Ophrah is commonly identified with the nearby village of Taybeh. the Hebrew Bible of Genesis Bethel is mentioned several times in Genesis. It is first mentioned in Genesis 12 and 13,[6] as a place near where Abram stayed and built an altar on his way to Egypt and on his return. It is said to be close to the Ai and just to the west of it. More famously it is mentioned again in Genesis 28,[7] when Jacob, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau, falls asleep on a stone and dreams of a ladder stretching between Heaven and Earth and thronged with angels; God stands at the top of the ladder, and promises Jacob the land of Canaan; when Jacob awakes he anoints the stone (baetylus) with oil and names the place Bethel. Another account, from Genesis 35[8] repeats the covenant with God and the naming of the place (as El-Bethel), and makes this the site of Jacob's own change of name to Israel. Both versions state that the original name of the place was Luz, a Canaanite name. of Jacob's dream at Bethel, by José de Ribera. of Joshua Bethel is mentioned again in the book of Joshua 7:2, 8:9 as being close to Ai and on the west side of it; in this episode Joshua sent men from Jericho to capture Ai. At 16:1 it is again said to be next to Luz, near Jericho, and part of the territory of the descendants of Joseph (that is Manasseh and Ephraim, cf. Joshua 16:4). of Judges In the book of Judges 1:22 the descendants of Joseph capture the city of Bethel, which again is said to have previously been called Luz. At Judges 4:5 the prophetess Deborah is said to dwell at Bethel under the palm-tree of Deborah (presumably a reference to Genesis 35:8, where another Deborah, the nurse of Jacob's mother Rebecca, is said to have been buried under a tree at Bethel). Bethel is said in Judges 4:5 to be in Mt. Ephraim. Judges 20:18, where the Hebrew Beth-El is translated in the King James Version as the 'House of God,' the people of Israel go to Bethel to ask counsel of God when they are planning to attack the Benjaminites at the battle of Gibeah. They make a second visit (Judges 20:26) after losing the battle. Bethel was evidently already an important religious centre at this time; it was so important, in fact, that the Ark of the Covenant was kept there, under the care of Phinehas the grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:27 f). At Judges 21:19, Bethel is said to be south of Shiloh. of Samuel At the next mention of the Ark, in 1 Samuel 4:3, it is said to be kept at Shiloh. the book 1 Samuel 7:16, it is said that the prophet Samuel, who resided at Ramah, used to make a yearly circuit of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah to judge Israel. At I Samuel 10:3, Samuel tells Saul to go to Bethel to visit the 'Hill of God,' where he will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a 'psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp.' It appears that there was a Philistine garrison there at that time. Bethel is mentioned again in 1 Samuel 13:2 and 2 Samuel 30:27. Book of Kings After the kingdom of Israel was split into two kingdoms on the death of King Solomon (c.931 BC), Jeroboam, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, made two golden calves (1 Kings 12:28 ff) and set one up in Bethel, and the other in Dan in the far north of his kingdom. This was apparently to make it unnecessary for the people of Israel to have to go to Jerusalem to worship in the temple there. It seems that this action provoked the hostility of the Judaeans. A story is told at 1 Kings 13:1 ff of how a man from Judah visited the shrine at Bethel and prophesied that it would eventually be destroyed by Josiah. Book of Kings According to 2 Kings 2:1ff, the prophets Elijah and Elisha visited Bethel on a journey from Gilgal to Jericho shortly before Elijah was taken up to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11). Later, when Elisha returned alone to Bethel, he was taunted by some young men (not 'young boys' as it is translated in some English Bibles)[citation needed] as he climbed up to the shrine, and cursed them; whereupon 42 of the young men were mauled by bears (2 Kings 2:23 ff). is next mentioned in connection with the tenth king of Israel, Jehu (c. 842-815 BC). Despite his killing of the prophets of Baal and destruction of their temple, it is said that Jehu continued to tolerate the presence of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan (2 Kings 10:29). The shrine at Bethel apparently avoided destruction in the Assyrian invasions of the Kingdom of Israel in c. 740 and 722, but was finally completely destroyed by King Josiah of Judah (c. 640-609 BC). of Ezra and Nehemiah Bethel is mentioned in Ezra 2:28 and Nehemiah 7:32 as being resettled at the time of the return of the exiles from Babylon. of Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah The shrine is mentioned with disapproval by the prophet Amos (c. 750): not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. — Amos, 5:5 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom. — Amos, 7:13 A few years later, the prophet Hosea (8th century BC) speaks (at least according to modern translations) of the "wickedness" of Bethel (Hosea 10:15) and Jeremiah (6th century BC) speaks of the "shame" which it brought on Israel (Jeremiah 48:13). Hosea 13:1–3 describes how the Israelites are abandoning Adonai for the worship of Baal, and accuses them of making or using images for 'idol' worship. Chief among these, it appears, was the image of the bull at Bethel, which by the time of Hosea was being worshipped as an image of Baal.[9] Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Bethel in Benjamin (High Point) Beitin
Bethel in Benjamin; (Hebrew: בֵּית אֵל, romanized: Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",[1] also transliterated Beth El, Beth-El, Beit El; Greek: Βαιθήλ; Latin: Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanctuary[2] frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. is first referred to in the bible as being near where Abram pitched his tent. Later, Bethel is mentioned as the location where Jacob dreams of a ladder leading to heaven, and which he therefore named Bethel, "House of God". The name is further used for a border city located between the territory of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin and that of the tribe of Ephraim, which first belonged to the Benjaminites and was later conquered by the Ephraimites. In the 4th century CE, Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome described Bethel as a small village that lay 12 Roman miles north of Jerusalem, to the right or east of the road leading to Neapolis.[3] scholars identify Bethel with the modern-day village of Beitin,[4] located in the West Bank, 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) northeast of Ramallah; few scholars prefer El-Bireh.[citation needed] In 1977, the biblical name was applied to the Israeli settlement of Beit El, founded nearby. In several countries—particularly in the United States—the name has been given to various locations (see Bethel (disambiguation)). Edward Robinson identified the Arab village of Beitin in the West Bank with ancient Bethel in Biblical Researches in Palestine, 1838–52. He based this assessment on its fitting the location described in earlier texts, and on the philological similarities between the modern and ancient name, arguing that the replacement of the Hebrew el with the Arabic in was not unusual.[5] Most academics continue to identify Bethel with Beitin.[4] Beitin in 1894, from the book Holy Land photographed by Daniel B. Shepp David Palmer Livingston contradicts this view, based on the lack of positive identification by means of inscriptions and relying on the distance from Jerusalem according to Eusebius and Jerome.[citation needed] He identifies Bethel with El-Bireh, suggesting that Beitin might be biblical Ophrah;[citation needed] however, Ophrah is commonly identified with the nearby village of Taybeh. the Hebrew Bible of Genesis Bethel is mentioned several times in Genesis. It is first mentioned in Genesis 12 and 13,[6] as a place near where Abram stayed and built an altar on his way to Egypt and on his return. It is said to be close to the Ai and just to the west of it. More famously it is mentioned again in Genesis 28,[7] when Jacob, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau, falls asleep on a stone and dreams of a ladder stretching between Heaven and Earth and thronged with angels; God stands at the top of the ladder, and promises Jacob the land of Canaan; when Jacob awakes he anoints the stone (baetylus) with oil and names the place Bethel. Another account, from Genesis 35[8] repeats the covenant with God and the naming of the place (as El-Bethel), and makes this the site of Jacob's own change of name to Israel. Both versions state that the original name of the place was Luz, a Canaanite name. of Jacob's dream at Bethel, by José de Ribera. of Joshua Bethel is mentioned again in the book of Joshua 7:2, 8:9 as being close to Ai and on the west side of it; in this episode Joshua sent men from Jericho to capture Ai. At 16:1 it is again said to be next to Luz, near Jericho, and part of the territory of the descendants of Joseph (that is Manasseh and Ephraim, cf. Joshua 16:4). of Judges In the book of Judges 1:22 the descendants of Joseph capture the city of Bethel, which again is said to have previously been called Luz. At Judges 4:5 the prophetess Deborah is said to dwell at Bethel under the palm-tree of Deborah (presumably a reference to Genesis 35:8, where another Deborah, the nurse of Jacob's mother Rebecca, is said to have been buried under a tree at Bethel). Bethel is said in Judges 4:5 to be in Mt. Ephraim. Judges 20:18, where the Hebrew Beth-El is translated in the King James Version as the 'House of God,' the people of Israel go to Bethel to ask counsel of God when they are planning to attack the Benjaminites at the battle of Gibeah. They make a second visit (Judges 20:26) after losing the battle. Bethel was evidently already an important religious centre at this time; it was so important, in fact, that the Ark of the Covenant was kept there, under the care of Phinehas the grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:27 f). At Judges 21:19, Bethel is said to be south of Shiloh. of Samuel At the next mention of the Ark, in 1 Samuel 4:3, it is said to be kept at Shiloh. the book 1 Samuel 7:16, it is said that the prophet Samuel, who resided at Ramah, used to make a yearly circuit of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah to judge Israel. At I Samuel 10:3, Samuel tells Saul to go to Bethel to visit the 'Hill of God,' where he will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a 'psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp.' It appears that there was a Philistine garrison there at that time. Bethel is mentioned again in 1 Samuel 13:2 and 2 Samuel 30:27. Book of Kings After the kingdom of Israel was split into two kingdoms on the death of King Solomon (c.931 BC), Jeroboam, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, made two golden calves (1 Kings 12:28 ff) and set one up in Bethel, and the other in Dan in the far north of his kingdom. This was apparently to make it unnecessary for the people of Israel to have to go to Jerusalem to worship in the temple there. It seems that this action provoked the hostility of the Judaeans. A story is told at 1 Kings 13:1 ff of how a man from Judah visited the shrine at Bethel and prophesied that it would eventually be destroyed by Josiah. Book of Kings According to 2 Kings 2:1ff, the prophets Elijah and Elisha visited Bethel on a journey from Gilgal to Jericho shortly before Elijah was taken up to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11). Later, when Elisha returned alone to Bethel, he was taunted by some young men (not 'young boys' as it is translated in some English Bibles)[citation needed] as he climbed up to the shrine, and cursed them; whereupon 42 of the young men were mauled by bears (2 Kings 2:23 ff). is next mentioned in connection with the tenth king of Israel, Jehu (c. 842-815 BC). Despite his killing of the prophets of Baal and destruction of their temple, it is said that Jehu continued to tolerate the presence of the golden calves in Bethel and Dan (2 Kings 10:29). The shrine at Bethel apparently avoided destruction in the Assyrian invasions of the Kingdom of Israel in c. 740 and 722, but was finally completely destroyed by King Josiah of Judah (c. 640-609 BC). of Ezra and Nehemiah Bethel is mentioned in Ezra 2:28 and Nehemiah 7:32 as being resettled at the time of the return of the exiles from Babylon. of Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah The shrine is mentioned with disapproval by the prophet Amos (c. 750): not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. — Amos, 5:5 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom. — Amos, 7:13 A few years later, the prophet Hosea (8th century BC) speaks (at least according to modern translations) of the "wickedness" of Bethel (Hosea 10:15) and Jeremiah (6th century BC) speaks of the "shame" which it brought on Israel (Jeremiah 48:13). Hosea 13:1–3 describes how the Israelites are abandoning Adonai for the worship of Baal, and accuses them of making or using images for 'idol' worship. Chief among these, it appears, was the image of the bull at Bethel, which by the time of Hosea was being worshipped as an image of Baal.[9]

Temple - Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1346 BC, Bethel, Tabernacle Location
Bethel, 1346 BC, Tabernacle Location; Bethel; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Luz (Bethel, Jacob's Ladder, where God speaks to Jacob)
Luz, where God speaks to Jacob, and Jacob's Ladder; Genesis 47:27-48:7, The Last Days of Jacob, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons; Bethel; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Ai (Bible)
Ai (Bible, Joshua 7 and 8) ; Joshua 7 The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment ; Joshua 8 Ai Captured [[by a Stratagem]] and Destroyed;

Migron, an outpost
Migron, an outpost north of Michmash and east of Bethel,

Michmash
Michmash, East of Bethen and South of Migron, on the road to Jerusalem, 1 Maccabees Ch 9

Israel (at Bethel, Benjamin)
Israel (the other 10 tribes) worshipped at Bethel, Benjamin. Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Geba (in the land of Benjamin)
Geba; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory;

Gilgal (11k north of and up from Bethel)
Gilgal (11k north of Bethel), 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Ephratha (from Bethel)
Ephratha (Ephratha from Bethel); Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah)
Palm of Deborah (between Bethel and Ramah); Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help. Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’” Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh. When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket. “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead. On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him. Song of Deborah On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: 2 “When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord! 3 “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to[c] the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song. 4 “When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. 7 Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. 8 God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! 10 “You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider 11 the voice of the singers[d] at the watering places. They recite the victories of the Lord, the victories of his villagers in Israel. “Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 12 ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’ 13 “The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty. 14 Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[e] staff. 15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[f] to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves. 18 The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields. 19 “Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver. 20 From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 21 The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong! 22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds. 23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’ 24 “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk. 26 Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead. 28 “Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’ 29 The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a woman or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?’ 31 “So may all your enemies perish, Lord! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” the land had peace forty years. Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Mizpah, Benjamin (opposite Jerusalem)
Mizpah, Benjamin (opposite Jerusalem) ; 1 Maccabees 3: The Early Victories of Judas, The Policy of Antiochus, Preparations for Battle; 1 Samuel 10:17-27, Saul Proclaimed King;

Gibeon
Gibeon, 1 Maccabees Ch 3; Joshua 9:3-21, We have come from a far country; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ;

Ramathaim-Zophim, Benjamin (Ramah in Benjamin)
Ramathaim-Zophim ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated August 20; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ;

Ebenezer, Benjamin (Beit Iksa)
Ebenezer; 1 Samuel 4:1-11, The Arc of God Captured;

Ebenezer (Dayr Aban)
Ebenezer (Dayr Aban); 1 Samuel 4:1-11 The Arc of God Captured;

Beth-shemesh, Home of the Ark of the Lord
Beth-shemesh, Home of the Ark of the Lord; 1 Samuel 6:1-16, The Ark Returned to Israel

Gamaliel's Estate, Beit Jimal
Gamaliel's Estate, Beit Jimal; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27;

Arimathea, Benjamin (near Jerusalem)
Arimathea; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ;

Ramah in Benjamin (High Point)
Ramah in Benjamin; (from Hebrew: "height"[1]) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a city in ancient Israel in the land allocated to the tribe of Benjamin. It was located near Gibeon and Mizpah to the West, Gibeah to the South, and Geba to the East. has been identified with modern Er-Ram, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Jerusalem.[2][3][4] accounts city is first mentioned in Joshua 18:25, near Gibeah of Benjamin. In the Book of Judges, a Levite came traveling to Gibeah, with Ramah just ahead (Judges 19:11–15). needed] is the town that was home to Samuel's mother Hannah and his father Elkanah, from which they journeyed to the sanctuary at Shiloh, where Hannah prayed to God to end her barrenness and give her a child (1 Samuel 1:1). Ramah is mentioned in 1 Samuel 8:4 in reference to a meeting place during Samuel's rule. was later fortified by Baasha, king of the northern kingdom, in order to control access to Jerusalem (1 Kings 15:17–22; 2 Chronicles 16:1–6). Asa, king of the southern kingdom of Judah, employed Ben-Hadad I, the Syrian king, successfully to attack Baasha at home and draw his forces away from this city (1 Kings 15:18). The biblical account states that the fortifications were later dismantled by decree of King Asa and the materials used to fortify Judah's defenses at nearby Geba and Mizpah (1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:6). Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, those taken captive were assembled in Ramah before being moved to Babylon (Jeremiah 40:1). said: voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more (Jeremiah 31:15 NIV).[5] – the ancestress of the three tribes, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin [6] – had so desired children that she considered herself dead without them (Genesis 30:1). Jeremiah said that she was figuratively weeping because of the loss of the people killed or taken in captivity.[7] And since she was the mother of Benjamin, it would fit because those in Ramah were Benjamites. the New Testament, Ramah is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (2:18), where it is stated that Jeremiah's prophecy about Rachel received "a second accomplishment" [8] in the slaughter of boy children carried out when Herod was king: what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.[9] Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27;

Adasa
Adasa, 1 Maccabees Ch 7;

Temple - Jerusalem, 970 BC, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time
Jerusalem, 970 BC, Tabernacle Location, Solomon's Time ;

Temple - Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1100 BC, Nob, Tabernacle Location (near Gibea Saul's hometown)
Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown); Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown);

Nob - Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1100 BC, Nob, Tabernacle Location (near Gibea Saul's hometown)
Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown); Nob, near Gibea, 1100 BC, Tabernacle Location (Saul's hometown);

Beth Horan
Beth Horan, HWY 443, 1 Maccabees Ch 3, Ch 7; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Kings against Gibeon, The Sun Stands Still;

Emmaus in the plain, near Jerusalem, in Benjamin, Road to Emmaus from Jerusalem
Emmaus 7 miles NW of present day Jerusalem.; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated October 18 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22;

Modein
Modein (1 Maccabees Ch 2), Ch 9;

Ajalon
Ajalon; Beth-Horan in 1 Maccabees Ch 3, Beth-Horan is on the Gebeon-Ajalon Road

Beth-dagon
Beth-dagon, 1 Maccabees Ch 10;

Emmaus Nicopolis, Road to Emmaus from Jerusalem
Emmaus Nicopolis; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22;

Valley Gate, Benjamin (Sha'ar HaGa)
Valley Gate, Benjamin (Sha'ar HaGa); Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, Nehemiah'™s Inspection of the Walls;

Timnath
Timnath, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Gazara
Gazara, 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 7, Ch 15;

Ekron
Ekron, 1 Maccabees Ch 10;

Azekah, Hailstones of the Lord, Battle with Joshua for Gibeon
Azekah, Hailstones of the Lord, Battle with Joshua for Gibeon; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities against Joshua for Gibeon, the Sun Stands Still, Hailstones of the Lord;

Colonia, Palestine, Benjamin, near Jerusalem
Colonia, Palestine; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Anathoth, Benjamin, near Jerusalem
Anathoth; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Jerusalem, Kidron Valley Folder

Kidron Valley 1 (Mt Zion)

Kidron Valley 1 Zion to Theodosios Monastery

Kidron Valley 1, Zion to Theodosius 2

Kidron Valley 2 (between Mt of Olives and Jerusalem Temple)

Kidron Valley 2 and 3, Between Mt Olives and Jerusalem, Zion River to Theodosius 3

Kidron Valley 3 (Wadi al-Joz)

Kidron Valley 3 (down to Wadi al-Joz)

Kidron Valley 4 (Road to Jericho)

Kidron Valley 4, Kidron River

Monastery of St. Theoctistus, Kidron Valley 4 (Deir Muqallik and or Wadi Og)
The Monastery of St. Theoctistus (Deir Muqallik and or Wadi Og); Deir Muqallik or Wadi Og; Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on September 29;

Kidron Valley 5 (Kidron Valley near Kedron)
Kidron Valley (Valley of Jehoshaphat);

Kedron (Kedar, above Kidron Valley 5)
Kedar, 1 Maccabees Ch 15; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

Kidron Valley 6 (Tharan Lavra, Euthymius' Monastery)

Watercourse South from Euthymius' Tharan high point to Kedron River
High points have water or little lakes or springs because water moves up hill in the soil due to surface tension, like it goes up your pant leg. (1)
(1) Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball.

Euthymius' Monastery, Benjamin (high point, Kidron Valley 6) 428
Laura of Euthymius; Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated September 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22;

Laura of Euthymius, 428 (high point, Kidron Valley 6)
Laura of Euthymius: Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated September 29 ;

Tharan lavra, high point 6 miles east of Jerusalem (Kidron Valley 6)
Per Euthymius the Great reference in Wikipedia below, Pharan or Tharan Lavra is about 6 miles east of Jerusalem. Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3;

Watercourse East and North from Theran to Jericho flats (like a sink that overflows)

Pharan Lavra, 1 of 3 of St Chariton (high point, Kidron Valley 6), Church otRobber's Cave
Per Euthymius the Great reference in Wikipedia below, Pharan or Tharan Lavra is about 6 miles east of Jerusalem. Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ;

Jerusalem, Judea Folder (Bethlehem and Hebron)

Judea (South of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel)
Judea; of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel, part of West Bank Patriarch Locations in the abstract; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Stephen of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated July 13 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated September 23 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Prophet Azariah, Commemorated on February 3; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Bethlehem, Judea (high point, south of Jerusalem 6 miles)
Bethlehem; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; St John Jacob the Chozebite; Prophet Micah; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Sunday before the Nativity, Commemorated December 18 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated on December 20 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 21 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Commemorated December 25; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 29 ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem; “Bethlehem” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 26;

Hebron, Judea (high point 19 miles south of Jerusalem, Trees of Mamre)
Hebron; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated close to December 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Gath, Philistia (couple miles South of Hebron) Goliath from Gad
Hebron; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated close to December 26; Holy Righteous David the King, Commemorated on December 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Saint Paula's Convent and Monastery, Bethlehem
Saint Paula's Convent and Monastery, Bethlehem; Saints Martinian, Zoe, and Photina of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13;

Judean Wilderness, watercourses go to Dead Sea
Judean Wilderness is West and Northwest of the Dead Sea; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3 ;

Souka Monastery, 1 of 3 of St Cheriton, 280, southern watercourse from Tekoa
Souka Monastery of St Cheriton; The Judean Desert the Land of Monasteries You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius; The Judean Desert “ the Land of Monasteries You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Euthimius; Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28; Venerable Cyriacus the Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on September 29;

Mt Marda, Dead Sea, Moab (AKA Masada) Euthymius The Great's
Mt Marda (AKA Masada); Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Rouba Desert contains Mt Marda, Dead Sea, Moab (AKA Masada) Euthymius The Great's
Mt Marda (AKA Masada); Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Souka Cheriton Watercourse from Souka down to Dead Sea

Judah (Kingdom of Judah, after Solomon)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Judaea (Roman province) incorporated Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, 6-135
Judaea (Roman province); (Roman province) incorporated Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, divided by Rome after Herod the Great MATTHEW; Zealotry; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated October 16;

Ephron (Hebron, Cave of Macphelah)
Ephron (Hebron, Cave of Macphelah), 1 Maccabees ch 5, largest city in West Bank; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Bethelhem Ephratha
Bethlehem Ephratha ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated on December 20 ;

Bethlehem to Theodosius Watercourse, down from Bethlehem high point

Wadi Eshcol
Wadi Eshcol, Numbers 13; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Beth-zur
Beth-zur, 1 Maccabees ch 6, King Antiochus' town, Ch 11;

Beth-zechariah
Beth-zechariah, 1 Maccabees ch 6;

Judean Hills
Judean Hills (turn up the gain to tools options 3 to better see these hills); Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated September 23;

St. George's Monastery, near Bethlehem (Al-Khader)
St. George's Monastery (Al-Khader); Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 327 and 1027, 3 trees of the Cross
Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Saint Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Georgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Saint Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Wilderness of Judea, watercourses go to Dead Sea
Wilderness of Judea, The wilderness of Judea mentioned in this verse is generally taken to refer to the region of Judea sloping down from the highlands to the Dead Sea. This was an arid area not well suited to habitation. ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT) ;

Monastery of St Theodosius the Great, Judea, 476, watercourse from Bethlehem
monastery of St Theodosius the Great in Palestine, near Bethlehem; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated January 11 ;

Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476 (watercourse between Sabbas and Bethlehem)
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; Jerusalem, 471-576, Jerusalem Saint, Theodosius the Cenobiarch; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24;

Magi's Cave on Monastery of St. Theodosius grounds, 1st night aGifts aAngel ordered return not tHerod
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476; of the Magi[edit] cave on the monastery grounds is, according to tradition, the place where the three Magi took shelter during the first night after delivering their gifts to the newborn Baby Jesus, an angel had appeared to them and ordered them to return home without reporting Jesus' location to King Herod. Cave of the Magi is called Metopa in Greek.[10]

Cenobitic monasticism - Theodosius' Home of Cenobitic monasticism
Cenobitic monasticism ; monastery of St Theodosius the Great in Palestine, near Bethlehem; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated January 11 ;

Sabbas Watercourse from Theodosius to Dead Sea

Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, 483
Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Stephen of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated July 13 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5; St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated September 22 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Stephen the Hymnographer of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Typikon, daily order of Orthodox service, just the order, established at Sabbas and Studion
Typikon, daily order of Orthodox service, established at Sabbas and Studion; It assumes the existence of liturgical books that contain the fixed and variable parts of these services. The Typikon (Greek: ÃÂÂÂ„ÃÂÂÂ…ÃÂÂÂ€Î¹ÎºÃÂÂÂŒÎ½/typikon, pl. ÃÂÂÂ„ÃÂÂÂ…ÃÂÂÂ€Î¹ÎºÎ¬/typika, lit. "following the order"; Slavonic: Ñ¹ÑÂÂÂÑ‚ÃÂÂÂ°ÃÂÂÂ²ÑŠ/ustav) is a book of directives and rubrics that establishes in the Orthodox Christian Church the order of divine services for each day of the year. It assumes the existence of liturgical books that contain the fixed and variable parts of these services. In monastic usage, the typikon of the monastery includes both the rule of life of the community and the rule of prayer. There are a number of major typikon traditions, but there are also many local variations, often codified into an official typikon. Saint Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4;

Hyrcania Fortress (the high point)
Hyrcania Fortress; Apostle Asyncritus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Watercourse down from Hyrcania Fortress high point to the south and Sabbas Watercourse

Watercourse down from Hyrcania Fortress to the sink

Wilderness of Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel
Hasideans, mighty warriors of Israel, 1 Maccabees Ch 2;

Qumran, Judea (living in the wilderness)
Qumran; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Qumran Watercourse

wilderness of Tekoa
wilderness of Tekoa, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Tekoa, high point
wilderness of Tekoa, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19;

Tekoa to Souka Chariton Watercourse, down from Tekoa high point

Old Lavra of Saint Chariton, Tekoa, Judea
Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Saint John of the Ancient Caves is so called because he lived during the eighth century in the Lavra of St Chariton (September 28). This was called the œOldÂ or ancient cave, since it was one the oldest of the Palestinian monasteries. The Lavra was situated not far from Bethlehem, near the Dead Sea.

Ancient Caves Lavra, Tekoa, Judea, 8th Century
Ancient Caves Lavra or Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa. Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Saint John of the Ancient Caves is so called because he lived during the eighth century in the Lavra of St Chariton (September 28). This was called the "œOld"Â or ancient cave, since it was one the oldest of the Palestinian monasteries. The Lavra was situated not far from Bethlehem, near the Dead Sea.

Rimmon south of Jerusalem
Rimmon south of Jerusalem (13 miles SW of Hebron); Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory;

Beersheba, Judah (Isaac's Well Sheba)
Beersheba, Numbers 13 ; Genesis 26:1-33, Isaac and Abimelech; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Gerar (not going down to Egypt, Isaac setteled in Gerar)
Gerar (not going down to Egypt, Isaac setteled in Gerar); Genesis 26:1-33, Isaac and Abimelech;

Simeon, Land of Simeon (around Beersheba, within Southwest Judah)
Land of Simeon, around Beersheba ; An abstract of Simeon within the lands of the Patriarchs, -Simeon is around Beersheba, within Southwest Judah; is around Beersheba, within Southwest Judah; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated December 2 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Carmel (Judean home of Nabal and Abigail)
Carmel, Judea; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 13 ;

Ziklag (East of Maon)
Carmel, Judea; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 13 ;

wilderness of Ziph (high point south of Hebron, southern West Bank)
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Ziph, wilderness of Ziph (high point south of Hebron, southern West Bank)
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Ziph, David's Cave monastery (high point south of Hebron, Euthymius')
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Maon (High Point 10mi south of Hebron, 5mi south of Ziph High Point)
Maon (10mi south of Hebron)

Succoh (on road east of Maon)

Atad (Abel-mizraim)
Atad; Abel-mizraim; Beyond the Jordon is west of the Jordan. Atad is near Hebron. This is the easiest road to Hebron. This is the first view of Hebron. Genesis 50: 7-14 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his fatherÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. 10When they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father for seven days. 11When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing-floor of Atad, they said, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;* it is beyond the Jordan. 12Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Adora
Adora, 1 Maccabees Ch 13;

Lachish, Judea (a fortress protecting Jerusalem)
Lachish (a fortress protecting Wadis leading up to Jerusalem); Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ;

Lachis, Judea (Lachish, a fortress protecting Jerusalem)
Lachis (Lachish, a fortress protecting wadis leading up to Jerusalem) ; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ;

Eglon, Judah, The Five Amorite Kings, The Sun Stands Still
Eglon, Judah; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still;

Mizpah (Judah)
Mizpah (Judah), 1 Maccabees Ch 3;

Shephlah, Judea (Moresheth is in this region)
Shephlah; Moresheth; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14;

Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads)
Eleutheropolis (a crossroads); Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Eleutheropolis (Greek, "City of the Free") was a Roman city in Israel, some 53 km southwest of Jerusalem. Its remains still straddle the ancient road to Gaza. Seven routes met at Eleutheropolis. Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated October 9 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated on February 8;

Adullam, Cave of Adullam, Judea (a flat hilltop)
Adullam, Cave of Adullam, Judea (a flat hilltop); 1 Samuel 22:1-23, David and His Followers at Adullam ;

Jerusalem, Judea History Folder

Jerusalem, Judea, 26-41, Perfect, Pontius Pilate
Jerusalem, Judea, 26-41, Perfect, Pontius Pilate; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29;

Jerusalem, Mt of Olives area Folder

Mount of Olives (near Jerusalem)
Mount of Olives; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep. ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7;

Watercourse down from Mt of Olives to North to Kedron River

Watercourse down from Mt of Olives South past Kedron town

Mount of the Assension, Chapel of the Assension, Mt of Olives, 384
Mount of the Assension, Chapel of the Assension; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31;

Ridge of Grace, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Ridge of Grace When the pilgrims were approaching the place called the œRidge of Grace,Â from which the holy city of Jerusalem becomes visible, St. David fell to his knees and glorified God with tears. Judging himself unworthy to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, he was satisfied to gaze upon the city from afar. St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Kedron Valley or Valley of Josaphat
Kedron Valley or Josaphat Valley; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Gethsemane, Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem
Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem ; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Righteous Josephof Arimathea; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 "; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Sepulchre, Holy Sepulchre (Tomb) of the Lord, Garden of Gethsemane
Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; the Crucifixion and Death of the Savior he made bold to go to Pilate and ask him for the Body of the Lord, to Which he gave burial with the help of Righteous Νikόdēmos, who was also a secret disciple of the Lord. took down the Body of the Savior from the Cross, wrapped it in a winding-cloth, and placed it in a new tomb, in which no one had ever been buried, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the presence of the Mother of God and the holy Myrrh-Bearing Women (St Joseph had prepared this tomb for himself). Having rolled a heavy stone before the entrance of the tomb, they departed (John. 19: 37-42; Mt. 27: 57-61; Mark 15: 43-47; Luke. 24: 50-56) The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane
Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane; the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies. and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand. in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end. this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world. came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God. began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance. Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; the Crucifixion and Death of the Savior he made bold to go to Pilate and ask him for the Body of the Lord, to Which he gave burial with the help of Righteous Νikόdēmos, who was also a secret disciple of the Lord. took down the Body of the Savior from the Cross, wrapped it in a winding-cloth, and placed it in a new tomb, in which no one had ever been buried, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the presence of the Mother of God and the holy Myrrh-Bearing Women (St Joseph had prepared this tomb for himself). Having rolled a heavy stone before the entrance of the tomb, they departed (John. 19: 37-42; Mt. 27: 57-61; Mark 15: 43-47; Luke. 24: 50-56) The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.

Bethphage, Mount of Olives
Bethphage, Mount of Olives; Matthew 21:1-11, Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Bethpage, Mount of Olives Steep Route, so Bethpage could really be located at Wadi Qadum on the more natural route to and from Jericho through Bethany. However, the steep route would have been triumphal.;

Bethany, Mt of Olives (on the road from Jericho)
Bethany; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the Tomb the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4;

Jerusalem, Jerusalem Gates area Folder

Jerusalem Temple
Temple in Jerusalem; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated September 5 ; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated December 29; Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 1; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 8; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated Febraury 7 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Temple - Jerusalem Temple
Temple in Jerusalem; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated September 5 ; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated December 29; Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 1; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 8; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated Febraury 7 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Jerusalem Gates - Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin)
Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin). Pashur hit Jerimiah the Prophet, then he placed him in the stocks in the high gate of Benjamin, where he remained all night; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Jerusalem Gates - City Gates - Jaffa Gate
Old Jerusalem City Wall Gates; Jaffa Gate; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Jerusalem Gates - Corner Gate (Zion Gate)
Corner Gate (Zion Gate) Old City (Jerusalem); Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Jerusalem Gates - Dung Gate, Jerusalem's Wall
Dung Gate, Jerusalem's Wall; Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, Nehemiah™s Inspection of the Walls; Nehemiah 12:27-31,42-47, Dedication of the City Wall, Temple Responsibilities;

Jerusalem Gates - Fountain Gate (Chain Gate)
Fountain Gate (Chain Gate) ; Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, Nehemiah™s Inspection of the Walls;

Jerusalem Gates - Eastern Gate - Golden Gate in Jerusalem, Walled up
Golden Gate in Jerusalem; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

King's Pool (Pool of Siloam)
King's Pool (Pool of Siloam); Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, Nehemiah™s Inspection of the Walls;

Tower of Hananel
Tower of Hananel; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ;

Mount Moriah, Jerusalem
Mount Moriah; Temple of Solomon; Wailing Wall; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13;

Solomon's Portico (Porch)
Solomon's Portico (Porch); Acts 5:12-26, The Apostles Heal Many, Then they were persecuted

Wailing Wall
Wailing Wall;

Pool of Siloam
Pool of Siloam ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ;

Potter's Field (Source of clay for making pots, Prophecy 597 BC)
Potter's Field, Jerusalem ; Potter's field, source of clay ; When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Tophet, Topheth, Gihinnom (Burying Sons and Daughters in the Fire, Evil)
Tophet, Topheth, Gihinnom (Burying Sons and Daughters in the Fire); Jeremiah 7:21-34, Tophet, Topheth, Gihinnom (Burying Sons and Daughters in the Fire, Evil in Judah) ;

Upper Room, Last Supper
Upper Room, Last Supper; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28) ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT);

Azal
Azal; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory;

Zion (Sion)
Zion; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], Commemorated July 30 ; Holy Land, Near East;

Upper Room, Last Supper
Upper Room, Last Supper; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28) ;

Mt Sion (Mt Zion)
Mt Sion (Mt Zion) ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ;

City of David (Royal Court, Just outside the gates)
City of David (Royal Court); Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25;

Royal Court, City of David, Just outside the gates)
City of David (Royal Court); Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Citadel (Tower of David)
The Citadel (Tower of David), 1 Maccabees ch 6;

King's Wine Presses
King's Wine Presses (see them in the picture); Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ;

Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem (where they found the Cross)
Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335) ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated October 16 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7;

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem
Church of the Holy Sepulchre; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ;

Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335
Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335; Church of the Resurrection; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13;

Russian Mission in Jerusalem (Russian Compound, Holy Trinity Cathedral) 1847
Russian Mission in Jerusalem; Russian Compound ; Icon of the Mother of God "œQuick to Hear"Â, Commemorated on November 9; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated January 10;

Tomb of the Lord, The Garden Tomb
Tomb of the Lord, The Garden Tomb; Garden Tomb is a rock-cut tomb in Jerusalem, which was unearthed in 1867 and is considered by some Protestants to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus.[1] The tomb has been dated by Israeli archaeologist Gabriel Barkay to the 8th–7th centuries BC.[2] The re-use of old tombs was not an uncommon practice in ancient times, but this would contradict the biblical text that speaks of a new, not reused, tomb made for himself by Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57-60, John 19:41). Also, the trough in front of the tomb and the nearby cistern, described by proponents of the Garden Tomb as part of the tomb's sealing system and as the surrounding garden's source of water, respectively, have both been archaeologically dated to the Crusader period (12th-13th century).[2] The organisation maintaining the Garden Tomb refrains from claiming that this is the authentic tomb of Jesus, while pointing out the similarities with the site described in the Bible, and the fact that the Garden Tomb better preserves its ancient outlook than the more traditional, but architecturally altered and time-damaged tomb from the mostly crowded Church of the Holy Sepulchre; for all of these reasons, they suggest that the Garden Tomb is more evocative of the events described in the Gospels.[3] Garden Tomb is adjacent to a rocky escarpment which since the mid-nineteenth century has been proposed by some scholars to be Golgotha. It has since been known as Skull Hill or Gordon's Calvary. In contradistinction to this modern identification, the traditional site where the death and resurrection of Christ are believed to have occurred has been the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at least since the fourth century. 1894, the Garden Tomb and its surrounding gardens have been maintained as a place of Protestant worship and reflection by a Protestant non-denominational charitable trust based in the United Kingdom named The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association.[4][5] As such, the Garden Tomb stands as a popular site of pilgrimage for many Christians, especially Evangelical Anglicans and other Protestants.[6][7][8] Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, and his fellow ascetic Venerable John, Commemorated on July 21; Monks Simeon, Fool-for-Christ, and his Fellow-Ascetic John were Syrians, and they lived in the sixth century at the city of Edessa. From childhood they were bound by close ties of friendship. The older of them, Simeon, was unmarried and lived with his aged mother. John, however, although he was married, lived with his father (his mother was dead) and with his young wife. Both friends belonged to wealthy families. When Simeon was thirty years old, and John twenty-four, they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord. On the journey home the friends spoke of the soul’s path to salvation. Dismounting their horses, they sent the servants on ahead with the horses, while they continued on foot. through Jordan, they saw monasteries on the edge of the desert. Both of them were filled with an irrepressible desire to leave the world and spend their remaining life in monastic struggles. They turned off from the road, which their servants followed to Syria, and they prayed zealously that God would guide them to the monasteries on the opposite side. They besought the Lord to indicate which monastery they should choose, and they decided to enter whichever monastery had its gates open. At this time the Lord informed Igumen Nikon in a dream to open the monastery gates, so that the sheep of Christ could enter in. great joy the comrades came through the open gates of the monastery, where they were warmly welcomed by the igumen, and they remained at the monastery. In a short while they received the monastic tonsure. remaining at the monastery for a certain time, Simeon desired to intensify his efforts, and to go into the desert to pursue asceticism in complete solitude. John did not wish to be left behind by his companion, and he decided to share with him the work of a desert-dweller. The Lord revealed the intentions of the companions to Igumen Nikon, and on that night when Saints Simeon and John intended to depart the monastery, he himself opened the gates for them. He prayed with them, gave them his blessing and sent them into the wilderness. they began their life in the desert, the spiritual brothers at first experienced the strong assaults of the devil. They were tempted by grief over abandoning their families, and the demons tried to discourage the ascetics, subjecting them to weakness, despondency and idleness. The brothers Simeon and John remembered their monastic calling, and trusting in the prayers of their Elder Nikon, they continued upon their chosen path. They spent their time in unceasing prayer and strict fasting, encouraging one another in their struggle against temptation. a while, with God’s help, the temptations stopped. The monks were told by God that Simeon’s mother and John’s wife had died, and that the Lord had vouchsafed them the blessings of Paradise. After this Simeon and John lived in the desert for twenty-nine years, and they attained complete dispassion (apathia) and a high degree of spirituality. Saint Simeon, through the inspiration of God, considered that now it was proper for him to serve people. To do this, he must leave the desert solitude and go into the world. Saint John, however, believing that he had not attained such a degree of dispassion as his companion, decided not to leave the wilderness. brethren parted with tears. Simeon journeyed to Jerusalem, and there he venerated the Tomb of the Lord and all the holy places. By his great humility the holy ascetic entreated the Lord to permit him to serve his neighbor in such a way that they should not acknowledge him. Saint Simeon chose for himself the difficult task of foolishness for Christ. Having come to the city of Emesa, he stayed there and passed himself off as a simpleton, behaving strangely, for which he was subjected to insults, abuse and beatings. In spite of this, he accomplished many good deeds. He cast out demons, healed the sick, delivered people from immanent death, brought the unbelieving to faith, and sinners to repentance. these things he did under the guise of foolishness, and he never received praise or thanks from people. Saint John highly esteemed his spiritual brother, however. When one of the inhabitants of the city of Emesa visited him in the wilderness, asking for his advice and prayers, he would invariably direct them to “the fool Simeon”, who was better able to offer them spiritual counsel. For three days before his death Saint Simeon ceased to appear on the streets, and he enclosed himself in his hut, where there was nothing except for bundles of firewood. Having remained in unceasing prayer for three days, Saint Simeon fell asleep in the Lord. Some of the city poor, his companions, had not seen the fool for some time. They went to his hut and found him dead. up the dead body, they carried him without church singing to a place where the homeless and strangers were buried. While they carried the body of Saint Simeon, several of the inhabitants heard a wondrous church singing, but could not understand from whence it came. Saint Simeon died, Saint John also fell asleep in the Lord. Shortly before his death, Saint Simeon saw a vision of his spiritual brother wearing a crown upon his head with the inscription: “For endurance in the desert.”

Jerusalem, Jordan River Folder

Jordan River

Jordan River Source (Mount Hermon, Golan Heights)
Jordan River Source (Mount Hermon, Golan Heights);

Jordan River 1 (Hula Valley)
Hula Valley;

Jordan River 2 (Sea of Galilee)

Jordan River 3 (Jabbok River)

Jordan River 4 (Bethany baptismal site and Promised Land entry point)

Baptismal Site Bethany (Jordan River 4)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Pethukla Monastery (On the Jordan)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Jordan River Mouth (Dead Sea)

Sodom (near Dead Sea across from Bethel and Ai)
Sodom (near Dead Sea across from Bethel and Ai); Lot chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12).;

Jerusalem, Jordan Rift Valley Folder

Jordan Rift - South
Jordan Rift Valley;

Jordan Rift - Middle
Jordan Rift Valley;

Jordan Rift - North
Jordan Rift Valley;

Jordan Rift Valley

Jerusalem (Clean), Roman Roads, local roads, watercourses Folder

Jerusalem (Clean), its Area
Jerusalem, its Area

Jerusalem (Clean), Judea, its Area
Judea, its Area

Jerusalem (Clean), Benjamin, its Area
Benjamin, its Area

Jerusalem (Clean), on the Arabian Plate, its Area

Idumea, its Area, aka Land of Uz, Ausis, Edom

Idumea (Edom, Ausis, Land of Esau)
Idumea is Edom;

Jerusalem
Jerusalem;

Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins
Jerusalem, 70-324, Aelia Capitolina, Roman City built over Jerusalem Ruins;

Jerusalem Temple
Temple in Jerusalem;

Kingdom of Judah (Judah, after Solomon, Capital Jerusalem, 930BC-587BC)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations;

Judah (Kingdom of Judah, after Solomon)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations;

Judaea (Roman province) incorporated Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, 6-135
Judaea (Roman province);

Jerusalem (Clean), Roads Folder

Hebron, Bethlehem Road to Jerusalem (Judea)
Judea (West Bank) Roman Road

Jericho Jerusalem Road by Bethany and Chozeba

Ridge of Grace, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem to Bethel or Anatoth intersection
Ridge of Grace When the pilgrims were approaching the place called the œRidge of Grace, from which the holy city of Jerusalem becomes visible, St. David fell to his knees and glorified God with tears. Judging himself unworthy to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, he was satisfied to gaze upon the city from afar.

Route from Jerusalem Temple Mount to Emmaus 29.5 Miles by Car

Wilderness Road South to Gaza and North to Hebron
Wilderness Road - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ˜Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.™ (This is a wilderness road.); Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ;

Jerusalem (Clean), Mt of Olives area Folder

Mount of Olives (near Jerusalem)
Mount of Olives;

Ridge of Grace, Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Ridge of Grace When the pilgrims were approaching the place called the œRidge of Grace,Â from which the holy city of Jerusalem becomes visible, St. David fell to his knees and glorified God with tears. Judging himself unworthy to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, he was satisfied to gaze upon the city from afar.

Gethsemane, Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem
Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem ;

St Mark's Mother Mary's Home, next to Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem
Garden of Gethsemane, Mt of Olives, near Jerusalem ;

Sepulchre, Holy Sepulchre (Tomb) of the Lord, Garden of Gethsemane
Holy Sepulchre of the Lord;

Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane
Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane;

Jerusalem (Clean), Benjamin Folder (Jericho, Bethel and Gibeon)

Bethlehem, Judea (high point, south of Jerusalem 6 miles)
Bethlehem;

Jerusalem (Clean), Benjamin, its Area

Kingdom of Israel, Saul Reigned from Gibeah in Benjamin
Kingdom of Israel; Saul Reigned from Gibeah; Gibeah Location;

Emmaus in the plain, near Jerusalem, in Benjamin
Emmaus 7 miles NW of present day Jerusalem.;

Watercourse John's Jericho Watercourse, down from north side of Chozeba High Point to Baptismal Site

Jericho, Benjamin (near Jerusalem)
Jericho;

Gilgal Watercourse from Migdon outpost, past Gilgal, to Bethany Promised Land entry point
Watercourse John's Jericho Watercourse, down from north side of Chozeba High Point to Baptismal Site

Baptismal Site Bethany, Benjamin (Beyond the Jordan)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan);

Watercourse Gerasimus' Watercourse down from Chozeba Hign Point to Jordan River

Watercourse East and North from Theran to Jericho flats (like a sink that overflows)
(1) World famous Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball (500 and 75 at 6 years old).
He knew the 70 high mountain lakes in Boundary County were spring fed, and he had worked in the smelter at Kellog, so he knew how lead floated in the smelter process.
US scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.
Bye the Way, this proves that soil (made out of dead stuff) was created, like oil (not fossil fuel), or there would not have been any way to water the earth with no springs.

Jordan Monastery, Jericho area, Jordanian Wilderness, 285
Jordanian Wilderness is described in the story of Gerasimus of the Jordan;

Watercourse St Cheriton's Jericho Monastery Watercourse (to Gilgal) from Migdon outpost

St John and George's Choziba Monastery, Benjamin (C high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 480
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank);

The Church of St George,St John and George's Choziba Monastery, Benjamin (C high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 480
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank);

Magatia Locusts, The Church of St George, Benjamin
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); Saint Theodore the Sykeote, Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Living in such a manner, he received from the Lord the power over wild animals. Bears and wolves came to him and took food from his hand. By the Saint’s prayers, those afflicted with leprosy were healed, and demons were cast out from entire districts. In the nearby village of Magatia, when locusts threatened the crops, people turned to Saint Theodore for help. He told them to go to the church. After he served the Divine Liturgy for them, the villagers returned home and learned that all the locusts had died during the Service.

Jerusalem (Clean), Judea Folder (Bethlehem and Hebron)

Judea (South of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel)
Judea;

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem;

Hebron, Judea (high point 19 miles south of Jerusalem, Trees of Mamre)
Hebron;

Gath, Philistia (couple miles South of Hebron) Goliath from Gad
Hebron;

Saint Paula's Convent and Monastery, Bethlehem
Saint Paula's Convent and Monastery, Bethlehem;

Judean Wilderness, watercourses go to Dead Sea
Judean Wilderness is West and Northwest of the Dead Sea;

Souka Monastery, 1 of 3 of St Cheriton, 280, southern watercourse from Tekoa
Souka Monastery of St Cheriton;

Mt Marda, Dead Sea, Moab (AKA Masada) Euthymius The Great's
Mt Marda (AKA Masada);

Rouba Desert contains Mt Marda, Dead Sea, Moab (AKA Masada) Euthymius The Great's
Mt Marda (AKA Masada);

Souka Cheriton Watercourse from Souka down to Dead Sea
(1) World famous Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball (500 and 75 at 6 years old).
He knew the 70 high mountain lakes in Boundary County were spring fed, and he had worked in the smelter at Kellog, so he knew how lead floated in the smelter process.
US scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.
Bye the Way, this proves that soil (made out of dead stuff) was created, like oil (not fossil fuel), or there would not have been any way to water the earth with no springs.

Ephron (Hebron, Cave of Macphelah)
Ephron (Hebron, Cave of Macphelah), 1 Maccabees ch 5, largest city in West Bank;

Bethelhem Ephratha
Bethlehem Ephratha ;

Judean Hills
Judean Hills (turn up the gain to tools options 3 to better see these hills);

St. George's Monastery, near Bethlehem (Al-Khader)
St. George's Monastery (Al-Khader);

Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 327 and 1027, 3 trees of the Cross
Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem;

Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327;

Georgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327;

Gorneye Convent in Jerusalem, Ein Karem
Gorneye Convent in Jerusalem, Ein Karem, John the Baptist's birthplace;

Gorneye Convent, Church of the Visitation, Elin Karem
Gorneye Convent, Church of the Visitation, Elin Karem;

Russian Mission in Jerusalem (Russian Compound, Holy Trinity Cathedral) 1847
Russian Mission in Jerusalem;

Wilderness of Judea, watercourses go to Dead Sea
Wilderness of Judea, The wilderness of Judea mentioned in this verse is generally taken to refer to the region of Judea sloping down from the highlands to the Dead Sea. This was an arid area not well suited to habitation. ;

Monastery of St Theodosius the Great, Judea, 476, watercourse from Bethlehem
monastery of St Theodosius the Great in Palestine, near Bethlehem;

Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476 (watercourse between Sabbas and Bethlehem)
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476;

Magi's Cave on Monastery of St. Theodosius grounds, 1st night aGifts aAngel ordered return not tHerod
Monastery of St. Theodosius, 476;

Cenobitic monasticism - Theodosius' Home of Cenobitic monasticism
Cenobitic monasticism ;

Watercourse, Sabbas Watercourse from Theodosius to Dead Sea
(1) World famous Soils Professor Dr. Jimmy Richardson from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Hiking partner who taught me how to play baseball (500 and 75 at 6 years old).
He knew the 70 high mountain lakes in Boundary County were spring fed, and he had worked in the smelter at Kellog, so he knew how lead floated in the smelter process.
US scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.
Bye the Way, this proves that soil (made out of dead stuff) was created, like oil (not fossil fuel), or there would not have been any way to water the earth with no springs.

Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, 483
Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas;

Typikon, daily order of Orthodox service, just the order, established at Sabbas and Studion
Typikon, daily order of Orthodox service, established at Sabbas and Studion; It assumes the existence of liturgical books that contain the fixed and variable parts of these services. The Typikon is a book of directives and rubrics that establishes in the Orthodox Christian Church the order of divine services for each day of the year. It assumes the existence of liturgical books that contain the fixed and variable parts of these services. In monastic usage, the typikon of the monastery includes both the rule of life of the community and the rule of prayer. There are a number of major typikon traditions, but there are also many local variations, often codified into an official typikon.

Hyrcania Fortress (the high point)
Hyrcania Fortress;

Qumran, Judea (living in the wilderness)
Qumran;

Watercourse, Qumran Watercourse

wilderness of Tekoa
wilderness of Tekoa, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Tekoa, high point
wilderness of Tekoa, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Old Lavra of Saint Chariton, Tekoa, Judea
Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa

Watercourse, Tekoa to Souka Chariton Watercourse, down from Tekoa high point

Ancient Caves Lavra, Tekoa, Judea, 8th Century
Ancient Caves Lavra or Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa.

Simeon, Land of Simeon (around Beersheba, within Southwest Judah)
Land of Simeon, around Beersheba ;

Carmel (Judean home of Nabal and Abigail)
Carmel, Judea;

Ziklag (East of Maon)
Carmel, Judea;

wilderness of Ziph (high point south of Hebron, southern West Bank)
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron;

Ziph, wilderness of Ziph (high point south of Hebron, southern West Bank)
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron;

Ziph, David's Cave monastery (high point south of Hebron, Euthymius')
wilderness of Ziph, the name Ziph is found on a hill 4 miles south of Hebron;

Atad (Abel-mizraim)
Atad; Abel-mizraim; Beyond the Jordon is west of the Jordan. Atad is near Hebron. This is the easiest road to Hebron. This is the first view of Hebron. Genesis 50: 7-14 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father'™s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. 10When they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father for seven days. 11When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing-floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians. ™ Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;* it is beyond the Jordan. 12Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

Lachish, Judea (a fortress protecting Jerusalem)
Lachish (a fortress protecting Wadis leading up to Jerusalem);

Lachis, Judea (Lachish, a fortress protecting Jerusalem)
Lachis (Lachish, a fortress protecting wadis leading up to Jerusalem) ;

Eglon, Judah, The Five Amorite Kings, The Sun Stands Still
Eglon, Judah;

Shephlah, Judea (Moresheth is in this region)
Shephlah;

Eleutheropolis (a Judean crossroads)
Eleutheropolis (a crossroads);

Adullam, Cave of Adullam, Judea (a flat hilltop)
Adullam, Cave of Adullam, Judea (a flat hilltop);

Jerusalem (Clean), Jerusalem Gates area Folder

Jerusalem (Clean), City Gates Area, Old City
Jerusalem, City Gates Area, Old City

Jerusalem (Clean) Temple Mount, its Area
Jerusalem Temple Mount, its Area

Temple - Jerusalem Temple
Temple in Jerusalem;

Jerusalem Gates - Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin)
Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin). Pashur hit Jerimiah the Prophet, then he placed him in the stocks in the high gate of Benjamin, where he remained all night; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ;

Jerusalem Gates - City Gates - Jaffa Gate
Old Jerusalem City Wall Gates; Jaffa Gate;

Jerusalem Gates - Corner Gate (Zion Gate)
Corner Gate (Zion Gate) Old City (Jerusalem); Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ;

Jerusalem Gates - Eastern Gate - Golden Gate in Jerusalem, Walled up
Golden Gate in Jerusalem;

Watercourse down from Mt of Olives South past Kedron town
US soiles scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.

Watercourse Bethlehem to Theodosius, down from Bethlehem high point

Watercourse, Sabbas Watercourse from Theodosius to Dead Sea
US soiles scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.

Mount Moriah, Jerusalem
Mount Moriah; Temple of Solomon; Wailing Wall;

Potter's Field (Source of clay for making pots, Prophecy 597 BC)
Potter's Field, Jerusalem ; Potter's field, source of clay ;

Upper Room, Last Supper
Upper Room, Last Supper;

Zion (Sion)
Zion;

Mt Sion (Mt Zion)
Mt Sion (Mt Zion) ;

City of David (Royal Court, Just outside the gates)
City of David (Royal Court);

Royal Court, City of David, Just outside the gates)
City of David (Royal Court);

Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem (where they found the Cross)
Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem ;

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem
Church of the Holy Sepulchre;

Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335
Church of the Resurrection, The Holy sepulchre, 335; Church of the Resurrection;

Russian Mission in Jerusalem (Russian Compound, Holy Trinity Cathedral) 1847
Russian Mission in Jerusalem; Russian Compound ;

Tomb of the Lord, The Garden Tomb
Tomb of the Lord, The Garden Tomb;

Watercource Gilgal Watercourse from Migdon outpost, past Gilgal, to Bethany Promised Land entry point

Chozeba High Point, Benjamin (Near Jericho)
Chozeba (Near Jericho);

Pharan Monastery, 1 of 3 of St Cheriton, Benjamin (Chozeba high point, Wadi Qelt, West Bank) 275
St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); The Judean Desert " the Land of Monasteries" You Can Still Visit, St Cheriton's 3 (Pharan, Jerico, and Souka) were the first, then Gerasimus and Euthimius;

Bethel in Benjamin (High Point) Beitin
Bethel in Benjamin;

Israel (at Bethel, Benjamin)
Israel (the other 10 tribes) worshipped at Bethel, Benjamin. Kingdom of Israel (Samaria);

Bethel, Benjamin
Bethel;

Other, May not be needed

Bethany, Mt of Olives (on the road from Jericho)
Bethany;

Luz (Bethel, Jacob's Ladder, where God speaks to Jacob)
Luz, where God speaks to Jacob, and Jacob's Ladder; Genesis 47:27-48:7, The Last Days of Jacob, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons; Bethel;

Ramah in Benjamin (High Point)
Ramah in Benjamin;

Tekoa High Point

Old Lavra of Saint Chariton, Tekoa, Judea
Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Saint John of the Ancient Caves is so called because he lived during the eighth century in the Lavra of St Chariton (September 28). This was called the œOld or ancient cave, since it was one the oldest of the Palestinian monasteries. The Lavra was situated not far from Bethlehem, near the Dead Sea.

Watercourse Souka Cheriton Watercourse from Souka down to Dead Sea

Watercourse Qumran Watercourse

Judean Wilderness
Judean Wilderness is West and Northwest of the Dead Sea; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3 ;

Watercourse down from Mt of Olives to North to Kedron River
US soiles scientists did not accept his theory, so he had to go to the Soviet Union to get it accepted. He is world famous because now everybody accepts it.

Euthymius' Monastery, Benjamin (high point, Kidron Valley 6) 428
Laura of Euthymius;

Pethukla Monastery (On the Jordan, next to John' Baptismal site)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan);

Watercourse Gilgal Watercourse fro Migdon outpost, past Gilgal, to Bethany Promised Land entry point

Jordanian Wilderness, Jericho area, Jordan Monastery
Jordanian Wilderness is described in the story of Gerasimus of the Jordan; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

USA Folder, US Capital, Washington, D.C., America

Potomac River Source (Fairfax Stone, North Branch Source)
Fairfax Stone

United States of America (USA)
United States; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America; FRANCIS ASBURY, Evangelist, 1816; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Washington, DC, US Capital
US Capital, Washington, DC; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Maria Steward of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879 Commemorated December 17 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2;

US, 1732-1778, Rousseau, modern thought, Facist, Nazi, Marxist, progressive

America (United States)
America (United States); Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

US History, Before the Presidents

United States - 13 Colonies North America area, New England

US, 1611-1643, ANNE HUTCHINSON, fBoston, pioneer 3 states, unauthorized minister, theology offended leaders, banished
US, 1611-1643, ANNE HUTCHINSON, fBoston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth), pioneer settler in 3 states, MA, RI, NY (then called New Netherlands), unauthorized minister, Bible meetings for men and women, her own theological interpretations of sermons, some offended leaders, major controversy, trial, banished from colony, predetermined trial, defended self skillfully, cornered, she judged the court, no power, for this verdict God will ruine you and your posterity, and this whole state; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Hutchinson (baptized July 20, 1591 – August 20, 1643) a pioneer settler in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Netherlands, the unauthorized minister of a dissident church discussion group. held Bible meetings for women that soon had great appeal to men as well. she went beyond Bible study to proclaim her own theological interpretations of sermons, of which offended the colony leadership. major controversy ensued, after a trial before a jury of officials and clergy in 1638, she was banished from her colony. the trial, Hutchinson skillfully defended herself until it was clear that there was no escape from the court’s predetermined judgment. she addressed the court with her own judgment: “...you have no power over my body, neither can you do me any harme, for I am in the hands of the eternall Jehovah my Saviour, I am at his appointment, the bounds of my habitation are cast in heaven, no further doe I esteeme of any mortal man than creatures in his hand, feare none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I doe verily beleeve that he will deliver me out of our hands, take heed how you proceed against me; for I know that for this you goe about to doe to me, God will ruine you and your posterity, and this whole state.” is a key figure in the study of the development of religious freedom in England's American colonies and the history of women in ministry. state of Massachusetts honors her with a State House monument calling her a "courageous exponent of civil liberty and religious toleration." — more from Wikipedia

US, 1611-1643, ANNE HUTCHINSON, Massachusetts Bay, Puritan spiritual advisor, banished to Rhode Island & Bronx, New Netherlands
US, 1611-1643, ANNE HUTCHINSON, fBoston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth), pioneer settler in 3 states, MA, RI, NY (then called New Netherlands), unauthorized minister, Bible meetings for men and women, her own theological interpretations of sermons, some offended leaders, major controversy, trial, banished from colony, predetermined trial, defended self skillfully, cornered, she judged the court, no power, for this verdict God will ruine you and your posterity, and this whole state; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Hutchinson (baptized July 20, 1591 – August 20, 1643) a pioneer settler in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Netherlands, the unauthorized minister of a dissident church discussion group. held Bible meetings for women that soon had great appeal to men as well. she went beyond Bible study to proclaim her own theological interpretations of sermons, of which offended the colony leadership. major controversy ensued, after a trial before a jury of officials and clergy in 1638, she was banished from her colony. the trial, Hutchinson skillfully defended herself until it was clear that there was no escape from the court’s predetermined judgment. she addressed the court with her own judgment: “...you have no power over my body, neither can you do me any harme, for I am in the hands of the eternall Jehovah my Saviour, I am at his appointment, the bounds of my habitation are cast in heaven, no further doe I esteeme of any mortal man than creatures in his hand, feare none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I doe verily beleeve that he will deliver me out of our hands, take heed how you proceed against me; for I know that for this you goe about to doe to me, God will ruine you and your posterity, and this whole state.” is a key figure in the study of the development of religious freedom in England's American colonies and the history of women in ministry. state of Massachusetts honors her with a State House monument calling her a "courageous exponent of civil liberty and religious toleration." — more from Wikipedia

US, 1623-1683, ROGER WILLIAMS, Rhode Island, religious toleration, separation oChurch&State, fair with Native Americans
US, 1623-1683, ROGER WILLIAMS, Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, English theologian, religious toleration proponent, including separation of Church and State, and fair dealings with Native Americans, 1644 received Charter creating Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, named for principal Island in Narrgansett Bay and Providence Plantation (a refuge for religious minorities), first table commandments not punished by magistrate (idolitry, sabbath breaking, false worship, blasphemy), and freedom of religion, first idea- magistrate not punish religious infractions, so, civil authority not same as religious authority, second idea- freedom of religious opinion (First Amendment US Constitution), first use of term "Wall of Separation", wrote study of American Native Language, wrote defending absolute liberty of conscience "The Bloody Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience"; Narragansett Bay; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Williams (December 21, 1603 – April 18, 1683) an English theologian, a notable proponent of religious toleration and the separation of church and state and an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans. 1644, he received a charter creating the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, for the principal island in Narragansett Bay and the Providence settlement which provided a refuge for religious minorities. is credited for originating either the first or second Baptist church established in America, he is known to have left soon afterwards, exclaiming, "God is too large to be housed under one roof." asserted that the magistrate may not punish any sort of "breach of the first table [of the Ten Commandments]," such as idolatry, Sabbath-breaking, false worship, and blasphemy, that every individual should be free to follow his own convictions in religious matters. first idea—that the magistrate should not punish religious infractions—meant that the civil authority should not be the same as the ecclesiastical authority. second idea—that people should have freedom of opinion on religious matters—he called "soul-liberty." It is one of the foundations for the religion clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. use of the phrase "wall of separation" in describing his preferred relationship between religion and other matters is credited as the first use of that phrase, and Thomas Jefferson's source in later writing of the wall of separation between church and state in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. career as an author began with A Key into the Language of America (London, 1643), written during his first voyage to England. It is the first study of an Indian language in English. Bloody Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience soon followed (London, 1644). is his most famous work, and was the ablest statement and defense of the principle of absolute liberty of conscience that had appeared in any language. It is in the form of a dialogue between Truth and Peace, and well illustrates the vigor of his style. — more from Wikipedia

US, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot, Anglican, and American Catechist school for slaves and indians in New York
France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot, Anglican, and American Catechist school for slaves and indians in New York ; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. ’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” ’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty. See also his biography from Holy Women, Holy Men. Elias Neau; Neau (1662 – 7 September 1722), born Élie Neau, in Moëze, Saintonge, was a French Huguenot. the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, he fled first to the French colony of Saint-Domingue, to Boston, where he became a prosperous merchant. 1692, he was captured by a French privateer near Jamaica, and for being a fugitive Protestant, was first sentenced to a life sentence as a galley slave, then imprisoned in Marseille.[1 He was released in 1697, following the intercession of King William III, whose ministers argued that Neau was an English subject.[1] [2] back in North America, Neau's story made him "probably the most famous refugee in British America at the time" because his refusal to gain his freedom by converting to Catholicism attracted "a wide Protestant readership in both French and English."[3][4] 1704, Neau cut his ties with the French Protestant church in New York and converted to Anglicanism. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel then appointed him as minister to black slaves in North America, and he established the first school open to African-Americans in New York City.[5][6] 1706, he secured passage of a bill in New York allowing slaves to be catechized.[7][8] Episcopal Church commemorates him as a "witness to the faith" on September 7.

US, 1696, THOMAS BRAY tMaryland in 1696, only 10 weeks, education, exams, slave&indian rights, prison reforms, debtors colony
US, 1696, THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY, tMaryland in 1696, only 10 weeks, radically renewed Church there, child instruction, systematic pastoral examination, 39 lending libraries in Maryland and England, wrote preached slaves rights and Indian land rights, English prison reforms, prison preaching missions, persuaded Gen Oglethorpe found Georgia Colony for debtors, founded both Society fPropogation otGospel (SPG) and educational publishing society, and SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), both still active; Maryland; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); in 1696 Thomas Bray, an English country parson, was commissioned to report on the condition of the Church in the colony of Maryland. spent only ten weeks in the colony, he radically re-organized and renewed the Church there, for the instruction of children the systematic examination of candidates for pastoral positions. founded thirty-nine lending libraries and numerous schools. in Maryland and upon his return to England, wrote and preached in defense of the rights of enslaved Africans, of Indians deprived of their land. in England, he worked for the reform of prison conditions, for the establishment of preaching missions to prisoners. persuaded General Oglethorpe to found a American colony (Georgia) for the settlement of debtors as an alternative to debtors' prison. founded a missionary society, the SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) an educational and publishing society, SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), of which are still active today. by James Kiefer

Mississippi River Folder, 1673

Mississippi River

Mississippi River Route

Mississippi River Source (Lake Itaska, MN)

Mississippi River 1 (Crow Wing and Fort Ripley, MN)

Mississippi River 2 (Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN)

Mississippi River 3 (La Crosse, WI)

Mississippi River 4 (Dubuque, IA)

Mississippi River 5 (Quad Cities, IA & IL)

Mississippi River 6 (Des Moines, IA and Hannibal, MO)

Mississippi River 7 (St. Louis, MO)

Mississippi River 8 (Cape Girardeau, MO)

Mississippi River 9 (Memphis, TN)

Mississippi River 10 (Little Rock, AR)

Mississippi River 11 (Jackson, MS)

Mississippi River 12 (Natches, MS)

Mississippi River 13 (Baton Rouge, LA)

Mississippi River 14 (New Orleans, LA)

Mississippi River Mouth (M. Delta, Gulf of Mexico)

US, 1712, New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway
New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway; New York Slave Revolt of 1712 was an uprising in New York City, in the Province of New York, of 23 enslaved Africans. They killed nine whites and injured another six before they were stopped. More than three times that number of black people, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. the early 18th century, New York City had one of the largest enslaved populations of any of the settlements in the Thirteen Colonies. Slavery in the city differed from some of the other colonies because there were no plantations producing cash crops. Slaves worked as domestic servants, artisans, dock workers, and various skilled laborers.[1] Enslaved Africans lived near each other, making communication easy. They also often worked among free black people, a situation that did not exist on most Southern plantations. Slaves in the city could communicate and plan a conspiracy more easily than among those on plantations.[2] the seizure of New Netherland in 1667 and it's incorporation into the Province of New York, the rights of the Free Negro social group were gradually eroded. In 1702, the first of the New York slave codes were passed, which further limited the rights enjoyed by the African community in New York; many of these legal rights, such as the right to own land and marry, were granted during the Dutch colonial period.[3] On December 13, 1711, the New York City Common Council established the city's first slave market near Wall Street for the sale and rental of enslaved Africans and Native Americans.[4][5] the early 1700s, about 20 percent of the population were enslaved black people. The colonial government in New York restricted this group through several measures: requiring slaves to carry a pass if traveling more than a mile (1.6 km) from home; discouraging marriage among them; prohibiting gatherings in groups of more than three persons; and requiring them to sit in separate galleries at church services.[6] group of more than twenty black slaves gathered on the night of April 6, 1712, and set fire to a building on Maiden Lane near Broadway.[2] While the white colonists tried to put out the fire, the enslaved blacks, armed with guns, hatchets, and swords, attacked the whites then ran off. Almost immediately all runaway slaves were captured and returned to their owners.[7] forces arrested seventy blacks and jailed them. Six are reported to have committed suicide. Twenty-seven were put on trial, 21 of whom were convicted and sentenced to death, including one woman with child.[7] Twenty were burned to death and one was executed on a breaking wheel.[8][citation needed] the revolt, the city and colony passed more restrictive laws governing black and Indian slaves. Slaves were not permitted to gather in groups of more than three, they were not permitted to carry firearms, and gambling was outlawed. Crimes of property damage, rape, and conspiracy to kill qualified for the death penalty. Free blacks were still allowed to own land, however. Anthony Portuguese (alternately spelled Portugies),[3] owned land that makes up a portion of present-day Washington Square Park; this continued to be owned by his daughter and grandchildren.[9] colony required slave owners who wanted to free their slaves to pay a tax of £200 per person, then an amount much higher than the cost of a slave. In 1715 Governor Robert Hunter argued in London before the Lords of Trade that manumission and the chance for a slave to inherit part of a master's wealth was important to maintain in New York. He said that this was a proper reward for a slave who had helped a master earn a lifetime's fortune, and that it could keep the slave from descending into despair.[7] ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, Commemoratedd 7 September; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. In that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. In addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. For the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. This benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. As early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. He himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. Neau’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. He succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” Further confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” Neau’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. For some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Yet Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” Not so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” The Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty.

US, 1716-1760, CONRAD WEISER, German PA pioneer, interpreter and Native American diplomat, lived w Iroquois at 16
Affstatt Village, Wurttemberg; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., a German Pennsylvanian pioneer, interpreter and effective diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native Americans. was a farmer, soldier, monk, tanner, and judge as well. He contributed as an emissary in councils between Native Americans and the colonies, especially Pennsylvania, during the French and Indian War. Weiser was born in 1696 in the small village of Affstätt in the Duchy of Württemberg (now part of Germany). Conrad Weiser and his family were among thousands of refugees who left German lands in 1709, many of them from the Palatine area. Weiser family eventually ended up in the Schoharie Valley of New York. age 16, Conrad's father agreed to a chief's proposal for the youth to live with the Mohawks in the upper Schoharie Valley. his stay in the winter and spring of 1712-1713, Weiser learned much about the Mohawk language and the customs of the Iroquois, while enduring hardships of cold, hunger, and homesickness. Conrad Weiser returned to his own people towards the end of July 1713. November 22, 1720, at the age of 24, Weiser married the young German girl Anna Eve Feck (Faeg). 1723 the couple followed the Susquehanna River south out of New York and settled their young family on a farm in Tulpehocken near present-day Reading, Pennsylvania. couple had fourteen children, but only seven reached adulthood. colonial service began in 1731. Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief and friend of Weiser, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Iroquois trusted him and considered him an adopted son of the Mohawks. impressed the Pennsylvania governor and council, which thereafter relied heavily on his services. signature the winter of 1737, Weiser attempted to broker a peace between southern tribes and the Iroquois. had to survive high snow, freezing temperatures and starvation rations just to make the six-week journey to the Iroquois capital of Onondaga (near persent-day Syracuse, NY). with his fortitude, the Iroquois named Weiser Tarachiawagon (Holder of the Heavens). violence from a war between the Iroquois and southern tribes such as the Catawba would have drawn first Virginia, and then Pennsylvania, into conflict with the Iroquois. this peace-brokering had a profound effect on Native American/colonial relations. his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. of his early experiences with the Iroquois, Weiser was inclined to be sympathetic to their interpretation of events, as opposed to the Lenape or the Shawnees. may have exacerbated Pennsylvanian-Lenape/Shawnee relations, with bloody consequences in the French and Indian Wars. for many years, Weiser helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British as opposed to the French. important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and the eventual victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars. 1734 and 1741, Weiser became a follower of Conrad Beissel, a German Seventh Day Baptist preacher. six years, he lived at the monastic settlement, Ephrata Cloister, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. was also teacher and a lay minister of the Lutheran Church; he was one of the founders of Trinity Church in Reading. died on his farm on July 13, 1760. his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness ... as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." shortly after Conrad Weiser's death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline. — more at Wikipedia and the Conrad Weiser Homestead State Park

US, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, organizer American Lutheranism, factionalism d, Free Church model from govt control m
Germany, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, Einbeck, Germany (Weser River 4), organizer of American Lutheranism, danger of factionalism, asking for pastor to take charge, transition to Free Church model from govt control model, famous sons ; Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178; Melchior Muhlenberg is the principal organizer of American Lutheranism. He was born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, studied at Goettingen and at Halle. in America at that time were found in a few scattered communities, of various national backgrounds, with no central organization, with a grave danger of factionalism. congregations wrote to Halle University, asking for a pastor to take charge. Francke, a Lutheran leader of the Pietist movement at Halle, chose Muhlenberg and sent him to America. arrived in Charleston on 23 September 1742. He was soon accorded widespread recognition by Lutheran churches, Swedish, and others, the senior Lutheran pastor in America. set the tone for the Lutheran community in what was to be the United States, almost all Lutheran Churches in America today use liturgies which are developed from the one that he proposed for American use. plans for local church government, to congregations that had been accustomed to a great deal of government control, the transition to the "free church" model, and form the basis for plans of local church government in American Lutheran churches today. of his sons, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, served as a general under George Washington in the War of Independence. Another, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, became a member of the Continental Congress, and first speaker of the House of Representatives. A great-grandson, William Augustus Muhlenberg, became an eminent Anglican priest (see 8 April). Melchior Muhlenberg died 7 October 1787, is buried at Trappe, Pennsylvania. epitaph (in Latin) reads: "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." by James Kiefer

US, 1734-1770, George Whitefield, Gloucester, England, US Methodist Episcopal Evangelist, Great Awakening & Slavery
US, 1734-1770, George Whitefield, Gloucester, England, US Methodist Episcopal Evangelist, fGloucester (Old Bell Inn), Pembrose College at Oxford, joined Holy Club there, wWesley brothers, then itinerant preacher&evangelist, 1740 tNorth America, series oGreat Awakening revivals, controversial methods, debates disputes wClergymen, preached 18,000 times, 10M listeners, drama, rhetoric, patriotism, theater actor, for re-enactments Bible Stories, Holy Club leader, cross-eyed vision, first sermon at home, 1738 tSavanah Georgia, Christ Church Parish Priest, Orphan House life's work, tEngland for funds&priest's orders, preached large congregations, Miners of Kingswood Bristol in open air, asked J Wesley take over Bristol, Kingswood&Blackheath, London, for Predestination, against Westley's Arminian Atonement, formed first Methodist conference, relinquished for evangelism, 3 Whitefield's Tabernacle churches wCountess Selina in Bristol, and London's Moorfields and Tottenham Court Rd, 1740 Bethesda Orphanage, Academy, Georgia, oldest charity in North America, , Gospel influence, wholesome, strong discipline, Trustees objected wrong method child discipline, praying crying all night, 1740 First Great Awakening revivals, Moravian Brethern fGeorgia to build Lehigh Valley Penn Orphanage for negro children, he dismissed them, they finished it, now Whitefield House, throughout colonies preaching every day large crowds for months, mostly New England, longest ride, like Johnathan Edwards preached moderate Calvinist theology, used print media, advancemen, audobiographical journals while away in England, William Seward wealthy publicist, large crowds in England 20-30K, plantation&slave owner, for funding orphanage, Westley's against slavery, God's providence a defense of slavery, Early Georgia slavery and Black people prohibited, Whitefield campaigned Black emigration, for their eternal salvation, Black slaves permitted 1751, his personal victory, Ben Franklin lifelong relationship, Whitfield Meeting House became UoPenn, statue removed in 2020, first to preach to slaves, visited America 7 times for 13 crossingst; England, , George Whitefield, Gloucester, England, US Methodist Episcopal Evangelist; Gloucester, England (on Wales border); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ; Whitefield, also known as George Whitfield, (December 16, 1714 - September 30, 1770), an Anglican itinerant minister who helped spread the Great Awakening in Great Britain especially, in the British North American colonies. ministry had tremendous impact on American ideology. was a very influential figure in the establishment of Methodism. was famous for his preaching in America which was a significant part of an 18th century movement of Christian revivals, sometimes called "The Great Awakening." from Wikipedia. Whitefield (27 December [O.S. 16 December] 1714 - 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.[1][2] in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at the University of Oxford in 1732. he joined the "Holy Club" and was introduced to the Wesley brothers, John and Charles, with whom he would work closely in his later ministry. was ordained after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree. immediately began preaching, but he did not settle as the minister of any parish. Rather he became an itinerant preacher and evangelist. 1740, Whitefield traveled to North America, where he preached a series of revivals that became part of the "Great Awakening". His methods were controversial and he engaged in numerous debates and disputes with other clergymen. received widespread recognition during his ministry; he preached at least 18,000 times to perhaps 10 million listeners in Great Britain and her American colonies. could enthrall large audiences through a potent combination of drama, religious rhetoric, and patriotism.[3] life[edit] The Old Bell Inn, Southgate Street, Gloucester was born on 27 December [O.S. 16 December] 1714 at the Bell Inn, Southgate Street, Gloucester in England. was the fifth son (seventh and last child) of Thomas Whitefield and Elizabeth Edwards, who kept an inn at Gloucester.[4] an early age, he found that he had a passion and talent for acting in the theatre, passion that he would carry on with the very theatrical re-enactments of Bible stories he told during his sermons. was educated at The Crypt School, Gloucester,[5] and Pembroke College, Oxford.[6][7] father died when he was still young and he help his mother with the inn. business at the inn had diminished, Whitefield did not have the means to pay for his tuition.[8] therefore came up to the University of Oxford as a servitor, the lowest rank of undergraduates. free tuition, he acted as a servant to Fellows and Fellow-commoners; including teaching them in the morning, helping them bathe, cleaning their rooms, carrying their books, and assisting them with work.[8] was a part of the "Holy Club" at the University with the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. illness, as well as Henry Scougal's The Life of God in the Soul of Man, influenced him to turn to the Church. a religious conversion, he became passionate for preaching his new-found faith. The Bishop of Gloucester ordained him a deacon.[1] preached his first sermon at St Mary de Crypt Church[2] in his home town of Gloucester, a week after his ordination. He had earlier become the leader of the Holy Club at Oxford when the Wesley brothers departed for Georgia.[9] had cross-eyed (strabismus) vision. 1738 he went to Savannah, Georgia, in the American colonies, as parish priest of Christ Church. While there he decided that one of the great needs of the area was an orphan house. He decided this would be his life's work. returned to England to raise funds, as well as to receive priest's orders. preparing for his return, he preached to large congregations. the suggestion of friends he preached to the miners of Kingswood, outside Bristol, in the open air. Because he was returning to Georgia he invited John Wesley to take over his Bristol congregations, and to preach in the open air for the first time at Kingswood and then at Blackheath, London.[10] accepted the Church of England's doctrine of predestination and disagreed with the Wesley brothers' Arminian views on the doctrine of the atonement.[11] However, Whitefield finally did what his friends hoped he would not do—hand over the entire ministry to John Wesley.[12] Whitefield formed and was the president of the first Methodist conference, but he soon relinquished the position to concentrate on evangelical work.[13] churches were established in England in his name—one in Penn Street, Bristol, and two in London, in Moorfields and in Tottenham Court Road—all three of which became known by the name of "Whitefield's Tabernacle". society meeting at the second Kingswood School at Kingswood, a town on the eastern edge of Bristol, was eventually also named Whitefield's Tabernacle. acted as chaplain to Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, and some of his followers joined the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, whose chapels were built by Selina, where a form of Calvinistic Methodism similar to Whitefield's was taught. Many of Selina's chapels were built in the English and Welsh counties.[14] One was erected in London—Spa Fields Chapel.[15][16] 1739, Whitefield returned to England to raise funds to establish the Bethesda Orphanage, now the Bethesda Academy. It is the oldest extant charity in North America.[17] Orphanage[edit]T endeavor to build an orphanage in Georgia was central to his preaching.[4] The Bethesda Orphanage and his preaching comprised the "two-fold task" that occupied the rest of his life.[18] On 25 March 1740, construction began. wanted the orphanage to be a place of strong Gospel influence, with a wholesome atmosphere and strong discipline.[19] raised the money by his preaching, Whitefield "insisted on sole control of the orphanage". refused to give the Trustees a financial accounting. Trustees also objected to Whitefield's using "a wrong Method" to control the children, who "are often kept praying and crying all the Night".[4] returning to North America in 1740, he preached a series of revivals that came to be known as the First Great Awakening. 1740 he engaged Moravian Brethren from Georgia to build an orphanage for negro children on land he had bought in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. a theological disagreement, he dismissed them and was unable to complete the building, which the Moravians subsequently bought and completed. This now is the Whitefield House in the center of the Moravian settlement of Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The Whitefield House is owned by the Moravian Historical Society, and operates as the Society's museum and administrative offices.[20][21] preached nearly every day for months to large crowds of sometimes several thousand people as he traveled throughout the colonies, especially New England. journey on horseback from New York City to Charleston, South Carolina, was at that time the longest in North America by a white man.[22] his contemporary and acquaintance, Jonathan Edwards, Whitefield preached staunchly Calvinist theology that was in line with the "moderate Calvinism" of the Thirty-nine Articles.[23] explicitly affirming God's sole agency in salvation, Whitefield freely offered the Gospel, saying at the end of his sermons: "Come poor, lost, undone sinner, come just as you are to Christ."[24] meetings[edit] Whitefield preaching. 1857 engraving Church of England did not assign him a pulpit, so he began preaching in parks and fields in England on his own, reaching out to people who normally did not attend church. Jonathan Edwards, he developed a style of preaching that elicited emotional responses from his audiences. Whitefield had charisma, and his loud voice, his small stature, and even his cross-eyed appearance (which some people took as a mark of divine favour) all served to help make him one of the first celebrities in the American colonies.[25] included slaves in his revivals and their response was positive. Historians see this as "the genesis of African-American Christianity."[26] Whitefield "the gospel message was so critically important that he felt compelled to use all earthly means to get the word out."[27] to widespread dissemination of print media, perhaps half of all colonists eventually heard about, read about, or read something written by Whitefield. employed print systematically, sending advance men to put up broadsides and distribute handbills announcing his sermons. He also arranged to have his sermons published.[28] sought to influence the colonies after he returned to England from his 1740 tour in America. contracted to have his autobiographical Journals published throughout America. These Journals have been characterized as "the ideal vehicle for crafting a public image that could work in his absence." depicted Whitefield in the "best possible light". When he returned to America for his third tour in 1745, he was better known than when he had left.[29] of Whitefield's publicity was the work of William Seward, a wealthy layman who accompanied Whitefield. Seward acted as Whitefield's "fund-raiser, business co-ordinator, and publicist". He furnished newspapers and booksellers with material, including copies of Whitefield's writings.[4] Whitefield returned to England in 1742, a crowd Whitefield estimated at 20,000 and William M'Culloch, the local minister, at 30,000, met him.[30] One such open-air congregation took place on Minchinhampton common. Whitefield preached to the "Rodborough congregation" - a gathering of 10,000 people - at a place now known as "Whitefield's tump." and advocate of slavery[edit] Staffordshire figure painted earthenware bust modelled and made by Enoch Wood, c. 1790 was a plantation owner and slaveholder, and viewed the work of slaves as essential for funding his orphanage's operations.[31][32] contemporary, John Wesley denounced slavery as "the sum of all villainies," and detailed its abuses.[33][34] defenses of slavery were common among 18th-century Protestants, especially missionaries who used the institution to emphasize God's providence.[35] was at first conflicted about slaves. He believed that they were human, and was angered that they were treated as "subordinate Creatures".[36] George whitefield and his friend, James Habersham, played an important role in the reintroduction of slavery to Georgia.[37] had been outlawed in the young colony of Georgia in 1735. 1747, Whitefield attributed the financial woes of his Bethesda Orphanage to Georgia's prohibition of black people in the colony.[35] argued that "the constitution of that colony [Georgia] is very bad, and it is impossible for the inhabitants to subsist" while blacks were banned.[31] 1748 and 1750, Whitefield campaigned for the legalisation of African-American emigration into the colony because the trustees of Georgia had banned slavery. Whitefield argued that the colony would never be prosperous unless slaves were allowed to farm the land.[38] Whitefield wanted slavery legalized not only for the prosperity of the colony, but also for the financial viability of the Bethesda Orphanage. "Had Negroes been allowed" to live in Georgia, he said, "I should now have had a sufficiency to support a great many orphans without expending above half the sum that has been laid out."[31] push for the legalization of slave emigration in to Georgia "cannot be explained solely on the basics of economics." It was also his hope for their adoption and for their eternal salvation.[39] slaves were permitted to live in Georgia in 1751.[38] saw the "legalization of (black residency) as part personal victory and part divine will."[40] Whitefield now argued a scriptural justification for black residency as slaves. He increased the number of the black children at his orphanage, using his preaching to raise money to house them. became "perhaps the most energetic, and conspicuous, evangelical defender and practitioner of the rights of black people.[4] By propagating such "a theological defense for" black residency Whitefield helped slaveholders prosper.[39] his death, Whitefield left everything in the orphanage to the Countess of Huntingdon. This included 4,000 acres of land and 50 black slaves.[4] against cruel treatment of slaves[edit] 1740, during his second visit to America, Whitefield published "an open letter to the planters of South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland" chastising them for their cruelty to their slaves. wrote, "I think God has a Quarrel with you for your Abuse of and Cruelty to the poor Negroes."[41] Furthermore, Whitefield wrote: "Your dogs are caressed and fondled at your tables; but your slaves who are frequently styled dogs or beasts, have not an equal privilege."[31] Whitefield "stopped short of rendering a moral judgment on slavery itself as an institution."[39] have claimed that the Bethesda Orphanage "set an example of humane treatment" of black people.[42] Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), who was a slave, wrote a poem On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield in 1770. The first line calls Whitefield a "happy saint".[43] Franklin and Whitefield[edit] Franklin attended a revival meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was greatly impressed with Whitefield's ability to deliver a message to such a large group. Franklin had previously dismissed as exaggeration reports of Whitefield preaching to crowds of the order of tens of thousands in England. listening to Whitefield preaching from the Philadelphia court house, Franklin walked away towards his shop in Market Street until he could no longer hear Whitefield distinctly—Whitefield could be heard over 500 feet. He then estimated his distance from Whitefield and calculated the area of a semicircle centred on Whitefield. Allowing two square feet per person he computed that Whitefield could be heard by over 30,000 people in the open air.[44][45] admired Whitefield as a fellow intellectual but thought Whitefield's plan to run an orphanage in Georgia would lose money. published several of Whitefield's tracts and was impressed by Whitefield's ability to preach and speak with clarity and enthusiasm to crowds. Franklin was an ecumenist and approved of Whitefield's appeal to members of many denominations, but, unlike Whitefield, was not an evangelical. After one of Whitefield's sermons, Franklin noted the: ... change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seem'd as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street. — Franklin 1888, p. 135 lifelong close friendship developed between the revivalist preacher and the worldly Franklin.[46] beyond their public images, one finds a common charity, humility, and ethical sense embedded in the character of each man. True loyalty based on genuine affection, coupled with a high value placed on friendship, helped their association grow stronger over time.[47] exchanged between Franklin and Whitefield can be found at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.[48] These letters document the creation of an orphanage for boys named the Charity School. in 1749, Franklin chose the Whitefield meeting house, with its Charity School, to be purchased as the site of the newly-formed Academy of Philadelphia which opened in 1751, followed in 1755 with the College of Philadelphia, both the predecessors of the University of Pennsylvania. statue of George Whitefield is located in the Dormitory Quadrangle, standing in front of the Morris and Bodine sections of the present Ware College House on the University of Pennsylvania campus.[49] 2 July 2020, the University of Pennsylvania announced they would be removing the statue due to Whitefield's connection to slavery. [50] Timeline of Whitefield's travel to America[51] 1738 First voyage to America, Spent three months in Georgia. 1740–1741 Second voyage to America. Established Bethesda Orphan House. Preached in New England. 1745–1748 Third voyage to America. In poor health. 1751–1752 Fourth voyage to America. 1754 Fifth voyage to America. 1763–1765 Sixth voyage to America. Traveled east coast. 1770 Seventh voyage to America. Wintered in Georgia, then traveled to New England where he died. is remembered as one of the first to preach to slaves.[32] Phillis Wheatley wrote a poem in his memory after he died, while she was still a slave.[52] an age when crossing the Atlantic Ocean was a long and hazardous adventure, he visited America seven times, making 13 ocean crossings in total. is estimated that throughout his life, he preached more than 18,000 formal sermons, of which 78 have been published.[53] addition to his work in North America and England, he made 15 journeys to Scotland—most famously to the "Preaching Braes" of Cambuslang in 1742—two journeys to Ireland, and one each to Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Netherlands.[54] In England and Wales, Whitefield's itinerary included every county.[55] went to the Georgia Colony in 1738 following John Wesley's departure, to serve as a colonial chaplain at Savannah.[56] While in Georgia, Whitefield served as minister for an orphanage and traveled extensively throughout both North America and Britain in an effort to raise money for the organization. He would often preach and attend public events during his travels, which served to further spread his message.[57] believe it is God's will that I should marry", George Whitefield wrote to a friend in 1740.[58] But he was concerned: "I pray God that I may not have a wife till I can live as though I had none." That ambivalence—believing God willed a wife, yet wanting to live as if without one—brought Whitefield a disappointing love life and a largely unhappy marriage.[58] wife Elizabeth, a widow previously Elizabeth James, née Gwynne, married Whitefield on 14 November 1741,[59] After their 1744–48 stay in America, she never accompanied him on his travels. Whitefield reflected that "none in America could bear her". His wife believed that she had been "but a load and burden" to him. Cornelius Winter, who for a time lived with the Whitefields, observed that Whitefield "was not happy in his wife". Thus, "her death set his mind much at liberty". died of a fever on 9 August 1768. She was buried in a vault at the Tottenham Court Road Chapel. At the end of the 19th century the Chapel needed restoration and all those interred there, except Augustus Toplady, were moved to Chingford Mount cemetery in north London.[4] [60] 1743 after four miscarriages, Elizabeth had bore the couple's only child, a son. The baby died at four months old.[58] 1770, the 55-year-old Whitefield continued preaching in spite of poor health. He said, "I would rather wear out than rust out." His last sermon was preached in a field "atop a large barrel".[61] The next morning Whitefield died in the parsonage of Old South Presbyterian Church,[62] Newburyport, Massachusetts, on 30 September 1770, and was buried, according to his wishes, in a crypt under the pulpit of this church.[4] A bust of Whitefield is in the collection of the Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery. George Whitefield's grave in the crypt of Old South Presbyterian Church, Newburyport, Massachusetts between Jonathan Parsons and Joseph Prince It was John Wesley who preached his funeral sermon in London, at Whitefield's request.[63] left almost £1,500 (equivalent to £209,000 in 2019) to friends and family. Furthermore, he had deposited £1,000 (equivalent to £140,000 in 2019) for his wife if he predeceased her and had contributed £3,300 (equivalent to £461,000 in 2019) to the Bethesda Orphanage. "Questions concerning the source of his personal wealth dogged his memory. His will stated that all this money had lately been left him 'in a most unexpected way and unthought of means.'"[4] to other Methodist leaders[edit] terms of theology, Whitefield, unlike John Wesley, was a supporter of Calvinism.[64] The two differed on eternal election, final perseverance, and sanctification, but were reconciled as friends and co-workers, each going his own way. is a prevailing misconception that Whitefield was not primarily an organizer like Wesley. However, as Wesleyan historian Luke Tyerman states, "It is notable that the first Calvinistic Methodist Association was held eighteen months before Wesley held his first Methodist Conference."[65] He was a man of profound experience, which he communicated to audiences with clarity and passion. His patronization by the Countess of Huntingdon reflected this emphasis on practice. and controversy[edit] welcomed opposition because as he said, "the more I am opposed, the more joy I feel".[66] He proved himself adept at creating controversy. In his 1740 visit to Charles Town, it "took Whitefield only four days to plunge Charles Town into religious and social controversy."[67] thought he might be martyred for his views. After he attacked the established church he predicted that he would "be set at nought by the Rabbies of our Church, and perhaps at last be killed by them".[4] versus other clergy[edit] Whitefield had a strained relationship with John Wesley (depicted in an engraving). chastised other clergy for teaching only "the shell and shadow of religion" because they did not hold the necessity of a new birth, without which a person would be "thrust down into Hell".[4] his 1740–1741 visit to America (as he had done in England), he attacked other clergy (mostly Anglican) calling them "God's persecutors". He said that Edmund Gibson, Bishop of London with supervision over Anglican clergy in America,[68] knew no "more of Christianity, than Mahaomet, or an Infidel".[4] Whitefield preached at St. Philip's, Charleston, the Commissary, Alexander Garden, suspended him as a "vagabond clergyman." After being suspended, Whitefield attacked all South Carolina's Anglican clergy in print.[4] Furthermore, Whitefield issued a blanket indictment of New England's Congregational ministers for their "lack of zeal".[4] 1740, Whitefield published attacks on "the works of two of Anglicanism's revered seventeenth-century authors". Whitefield wrote that John Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury (1691–1694), had "no more been a true Christian than had Muhammad". He also attacked Richard Allestree's The Whole Duty of Man, one of Anglicanism's most popular spiritual tracts. At least once Whitefield had his followers burn the tract "with great Detestation".[4] England and Scotland (1741–1744), Whitefield bitterly accused John Wesley of undermining his work. He preached against Wesley, arguing that Wesley's attacks on predestination had alienated "very many of my spiritual children". Wesley replied that Whitefield's attacks were "treacherous" and that Whitefield had made himself "odious and contemptible".[4] However, the two reconciled in later life. with Wesley, Whitefield had been influenced by the Moravian Church, but in 1753 he condemned them and attacked their leader, Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf, and their practices.[4] Joseph Trapp criticized Whitefield's Journals, Whitefield retorted that Trapp was "no Christian but a servant of Satan".[4] versus Whitefield[edit] Mezzotint of Whitefield after James Moore, after 1751 Scottish, and American clergy attacked Whitefield, often in response to his attacks on them and Anglicanism, as documented in this section. Early in his career, Whitefield criticized the Church of England. In response, clergy called Whitefield one of "the young quacks in divinity" who are "breaking the peace and unity" of the church. 1738 to 1741, Whitefield issued seven Journals.[69] A sermon in St Paul's Cathedral depicted them as "a medley of vanity, and nonsense, and blasphemy jumbled together". Joseph Trapp called the Journals "blasphemous" and accused Whitefield of being "besotted either with pride or madness".[4] England, by 1738 when he was ordained priest, Whitefield wrote that "the spirit of the clergy began to be much embittered" and that "churches were gradually denied me".[70] In response to Whitefield's Journals, the bishop of London, Edmund Gibson, published a 1739 pastoral letter criticizing Whitefield.[71][72] Whitefield responded by labeling Anglican clerics as "lazy, non-spiritual, and pleasure seeking". He rejected ecclesiastical authority claiming that 'the whole world is now my parish'.[4] 1740, Whitefield had attacked John Tillotson and Richard Allestree's The Whole Duty of Man. These attacks resulted in hostile responses and reduced attendance at his London open-air preaching.[4] 1741, Whitefield made his first visit to Scotland at the invitation of "Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, leaders of the breakaway Associate Presbytery. When they demanded and Whitefield refused that he preach only in their churches, they attacked him as a "sorcerer" and a "vain-glorious, self-seeking, puffed-up creature". In addition, Whitefield's collecting money for his Bethesda orphanage, combined with the hysteria evoked by his open-air sermons, resulted in bitter attacks in Edinburgh and Glasgow."[4] itinerant preaching throughout the colonies was opposed by Bishop Benson who had ordained him for a settled ministry in Georgia. Whitefield replied that if bishops did not authorize his itinerant preaching, God would give him the authority.[4] 1740, Jonathan Edwards invited Whitefield to preach in his church in Northampton. Edwards was "deeply disturbed by his unqualified appeals to emotion, his openly judging those he considered unconverted, and his demand for instant conversions". Whitefield refused to discuss Edwards' misgivings with him. Later, Edwards delivered a series of sermons containing but "thinly veiled critiques" of Whitefield's preaching, "warning against over-dependence upon a preacher's eloquence and fervency".[4] Whitefield's 1744–1748 visit to America, ten critical pamphlets were published, two by officials of Harvard and Yale. This criticism was in part evoked by Whitefield's criticism of "their education and Christian commitment" in his Journal of 1741. Whitefield saw this opposition as "a conspiracy" against him.[4] versus laity[edit] Whitefield preached in a dissenting church and "the congregation's response was dismal," he ascribed the response to "the people's being hardened" as were "Pharaoh and the Egyptians" in the Bible.[73] versus Whitefield[edit] New Englanders claimed that Whitefield destroyed "New England's orderly parish system, communities, and even families". The "Declaration of the Association of the County of New Haven, 1745" stated that after Whitefield's preaching "religion is now in a far worse state than it was".[4] After Whitefield preached in Charlestown, a local newspaper article attacked him as "blasphemous, uncharitable, and unreasonable."[74] Whitefield condemned Moravians and their practices, his former London printer (a Moravian), called Whitefield "a Mahomet, a Caesar, an imposter, a Don Quixote, a devil, the beast, the man of sin, the Antichrist".[4] the open air in Dublin, Ireland (1757), Whitefield condemned Roman Catholicism, inciting an attack by "hundreds and hundreds of papists" who cursed and wounded him severely and smashed his portable pulpit.[4] various occasions, a woman assaulted Whitefield with "scissors and a pistol, and her teeth". "Stones and dead cats" were thrown at him. A man almost killed him with a brass-headed cane. "Another climbed a tree to urinate on him."[75] In 1760, Whitefield was burlesqued by Samuel Foote in The Minor.[76] changes[edit] Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon made Whitefield her personal chaplain. In her chapel, it was noted that his preaching was "more Considered among persons of a Superior Rank" who attended the Countess's services. Whitefield was humble before the Countess saying that he cried when he was "thinking of your Ladyship's condescending to patronize such a dead dog as I am". He now said that he "highly esteemed bishops of the Church of England because of their sacred character". He confessed that in "many things" he had "judged and acted wrong" and had "been too bitter in my zeal". In 1763, in a defense of Methodism, Whitefield "repeated contrition for much contained in his Journals".[4] the nobility who heard Whitefield in the Countess of Huntingdon's home was Lady Townshend.[77] Regarding the changes in Whitefield, someone asked Lady Townshend, "Pray, madam, is it true that Whitefield has recanted?" She replied, "No, sir, he has only canted."[78] One meaning of cant is "to affect religious or pietistic phraseology, esp. as a matter of fashion or profession; to talk unreally or hypocritically with an affectation of goodness or piety.".[79] innovation[edit] the First Great Awakening, rather than listening demurely to preachers, people groaned and roared in enthusiastic emotion. Whitefield was a "passionate preacher" who often "shed tears". Underlying this was his conviction that genuine religion "engaged the heart, not just the head".[80] his preaching, Whitefield used a number of rhetorical ploys that were characteristic of theater, an artistic medium largely unknown in colonial America. Stout 1991 refers to him as a "divine dramatist" and ascribes his success to the theatrical sermons which laid foundations to a new form of pulpit oratory. Whitefield's "Abraham Offering His Son Isaac" is an example of a sermon whose whole structure resembles a theatrical play.[81] divinity schools opened to challenge the hegemony of Yale and Harvard; personal experience became more important than formal education for preachers. Such concepts and habits formed a necessary foundation for the American Revolution.[82] Whitefield's preaching bolstered "the evolving republican ideology that sought local democratic control of civil affairs and freedom from monarchial and parliamentary intrusion."[83] sermons were widely reputed to inspire his audience's enthusiasm. Many of them as well as his letters and journals were published during his lifetime. He was an excellent orator as well, strong in voice and adept at extemporaneity.[84] His voice was so expressive that people are said to have wept just hearing him allude to "Mesopotamia". His journals, originally intended only for private circulation, were first published by Thomas Cooper.[85][86] James Hutton then published a version with Whitefield's approval. His exuberant and "too apostolical" language were criticised; his journals were no longer published after 1741.[87] prepared a new installment in 1744–45, but it was not published until 1938. 19th-century biographies generally refer to his earlier work, A Short Account of God's Dealings with the Reverend George Whitefield (1740), which covered his life up to his ordination. In 1747 he published A Further Account of God's Dealings with the Reverend George Whitefield, covering the period from his ordination to his first voyage to Georgia. In 1756, a vigorously edited version of his journals and autobiographical accounts was published.[88][89] Whitefield was "profoundly image-conscious". His writings were "intended to convey Whitefield and his life as a model for biblical ethics ... , as humble and pious".[90] Whitefield's death, John Gillies, a Glasgow friend, published a memoir and six volumes of works, comprising three volumes of letters, a volume of tracts, and two volumes of sermons. Another collection of sermons was published just before he left London for the last time in 1769. These were disowned by Whitefield and Gillies, who tried to buy all copies and pulp them. They had been taken down in shorthand, but Whitefield said that they made him say nonsense on occasion. These sermons were included in a 19th-century volume, Sermons on Important Subjects, along with the "approved" sermons from the Works. An edition of the journals, in one volume, was edited by William Wale in 1905. This was reprinted with additional material in 1960 by the Banner of Truth Trust. It lacks the Bermuda journal entries found in Gillies' biography and the quotes from manuscript journals found in 19th-century biographies. A comparison of this edition with the original 18th-century publications shows numerous omissions—some minor and a few major.[91] also wrote several hymns. Charles Wesley composed a hymn in 1739, "Hark, how all the welkin rings". Whitefield revised the opening couplet in 1758 for "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing".[92]

US, 1735, JOHN & CHARLES WESLEY, both of Oxford University, preacher John, Georgia Secretary Charles, both saved by Moravians
England, 1723-1791, JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, both of Oxford University, John the preacher, Charles the hymn writer, both renewers of the Church, Book of Common Prayer Methodists, both to Georgia 1n 1735, both saved there by Moravians, John's influence of Classical Education; Oxford University; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); Wesley died 29 March 1788. John Wesley died 2 March 1791. Because Chad is remembered on 2 March, the Wesleys are remembered on 3 March.) Wesley Wesley brothers, John born in 1703 and Charles in 1707, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century. both attended Oxford University, and there they gathered a few friends with whom they undertook a strict adherence to the worship and discipline of the Book of Common Prayer, from which strict observance they received the nickname, "Methodists." been ordained, they went to the American colony of Georgia in 1735, John as a missionary and Charles as secretary to Governor Oglethorpe. They found the experience disheartening, and returned home in a few years. There, three days apart, they underwent a conversion experience. John, present with a group of Moravians who were reading Martin Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, received a strong emotional awareness of the love of Christ displayed in freely forgiving his sins and granting him eternal life. this experience, John and Charles, with others, set about to stir up in others a like awareness of and response to the saving love of God. Of the two, John was the more powerful preacher, and averaged 8000 miles of travel a year, mostly on horseback. At the time of his death he was probably the best known and best loved man in England. (Albert C. Outler, John Wesley's Sermons: An Introduction, p 79f) biblical world was, however, no enclave. Sola Scriptura was never a displacement of, or substitute for, classical learning: and this was natural enough in view of the fact that he had mastered the baseline curriculum of his Oxford education and had come to cherish the classical tradition as the font of Western civilization. In the sermons (and elsewhere, too) Wesley's favourite classical source was Horace; there are twenty-seven quotations from him in the sermons alone, some repeated in different contexts. One senses that he read Virgil with more personal pleasure, but he quotes from him only twenty-one times. Ovid follows with ten, Circero with nine, Juvenal with seven. Thirteen others are quoted at least once: Aristophanes, Hadrian, Homer, Lucan, Lucretius, Persius, Pindar, Sophocles, Suetonius, Symmachus, Terence, Velleius Paterculus. display was more than mere ornamentation; (My comment: this would have violated Wesley's doctrine of 'plain preaching'.) within these borrowings we find the germs of some of Wesley's most distinctive general ideas (e.g. his participation theme, his mind-body dualism, and his ideas about psycho-physical parallelism). These are major sources for his ideas about human nature, human volition, and the human passions. Out of this heritage had come his predilection for form over raw feelings, his concept of conscience as a universal moral sense. had bolstered his convictions about the ontological primacy of good over evil. The whole of the Greco-Roman tradition had stressed coherence as a criterion of rationality. Besides, these ancient authors were shrewd critics of human folly; thus Wesley found in them discerning witnesses to the flaws in contemporary proposals about 'natural' theology and ethics. It was in this sense that his long dialogue with the ancients was a genuine preparatio evangelica; one might even suppose that he might still commend it as such. Wesley although Wesley found it natural to approach the Gospel with habits of thought formed by a classical education, he was quick to recognize the value of other approaches. early Methodist meetings were often led by lay preachers with very limited education. On one occasion, such a preacher took as his text Luke 19:21, "Lord, I feared thee, because thou art an austere man." Not knowing the word "austere," he thought that the text spoke of "an oyster man." He spoke about the work of those who retrieve oysters from the sea-bed. The diver plunges down from the surface, cut off from his natural environment, into bone-chilling water. He gropes in the dark, cutting his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. Now he has the oyster, and kicks back up to the surface, up to the warmth and light and air, clutching in his torn and bleeding hands the object of his search. So Christ descended from the glory of heaven into the squalor of earth, into sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven, His torn and bleeding hands a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest. Twelve men were converted that evening. Afterwards, someone complained to Wesley about the inappropriateness of allowing preachers who were too ignorant to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. Wesley, simply said, "Never mind, the Lord got a dozen oysters tonight." was the better hymn-writer of the two. He wrote over 6000 hymns, including about 600 for the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Some of the better known are the following: A charge to keep I have And can it be that I should gain Author of life divine Christ the Lord is risen today Christ, whose glory fills the skies Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire Come, O Thou Traveller unknown Come, thou long expected Jesus Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go Gentle Jesus, meek and mild Hail the day that sees Him rise Hark, the herald angels sing, Jesus, Lover of my soul Let saints on earth in concert sing Lo, He comes with clouds descending Love Divine, all loves excelling O Jesus, full of pardoning grace O Love Divine, how sweet Thou art! O Thou who camest from above. Oh for a heart to praise my God Oh for a thousand tongues to sing Our Lord is risen from the dead Rejoice! the Lord is King Soldiers of Christ, arise! Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim Here are two of his hymns printed out at length: Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name. Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease; 'tis music in the sinner's ears, 'tis life, and health, and peace. He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free; his blood can make the foulest clean; his blood availed for me. He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive; the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe. In Christ, your head, you then shall know, shall feel your sins forgiven, anticipate your heaven below, and own that love in heaven. [Note that in the second line of this next hymn, the word "interest" is used in the older sense of "benefit" or "advantage." (Thus, in some contest, an uninterested person is one who is bored by the proceedings, but a disinterested person is one who has nothing to gain or lose personally by the outcome. We want a referee or judge to be disinterested, but not to be uninterested. The word "interested" is ambiguous, being the opposite of both.) Instead of "an interest in" in the second line, an editor seeking to modernize the language of this hymn might write "my healing from" or "redemption from" or "salvation from" or "a cleansing from" or the like.] And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood? Died He for me, who caused His pain-- for me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? 'Tis mystery all! Th' Immortal dies: Who can explore His strange design? In vain the first-born seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine. 'Tis mercy all! let earth adore, let angel minds inquire no more. He left His Father's throne above,-- so free, so infinite His grace-- emptied Himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race: 'Tis mercy all, immense and free; for, O my God, it found out me! Long my imprisoned spirit lay Fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,-- I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, thorugh Christ my own. was the intention of the Wesleys and their colleagues that their "Methodist Societies" should be a group within the existing structure of the Anglican Church, but after their deaths the Societies in America, and to a lesser extent in England, developed a separate status. by James Kiefer

US, 1740-1755, Great Awakening of 1740, First Great Awakening
Great Awakening of 1740, First Great Awakening; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

US, 1742-1787, Henry Muhlenberg, Patriarch of American Lutherans, from Einbeck and Halle Germany
Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178; Melchior Muhlenberg is the principal organizer of American Lutheranism. was born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, and studied at Goettingen and at Halle. Lutherans in America at that time were found in a few scattered communities, of various national backgrounds, with no central organization, and with a grave danger of factionalism. congregations wrote to Halle University, asking for a pastor to take charge. Hermann Francke, a Lutheran leader of the Pietist movement at Halle, chose Muhlenberg and sent him to America. arrived in Charleston on 23 September 1742. He was soon accorded widespread recognition by Lutheran churches, German, Swedish, and others, as the senior Lutheran pastor in America. He set the tone for the Lutheran community in what was to be the United States, and almost all Lutheran Churches in America today use liturgies which are developed from the one that he proposed for American use. plans for local church government, presented to congregations that had been accustomed to a great deal of government control, eased the transition to the "free church" model, and form the basis for plans of local church government in American Lutheran churches today. of his sons, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, served as a general under George Washington in the War of Independence. Another, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, became a member of the Continental Congress, and first speaker of the House of Representatives. A great-grandson, William Augustus Muhlenberg, became an eminent Anglican priest (see 8 April). Melchior Muhlenberg died 7 October 1787, and is buried at Trappe, Pennsylvania. His epitaph (in Latin) reads: "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." by James Kiefer

US, 1775, Wilderness Road Folder (Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, to Ohio)

Wilderness Road 1 (Kingsport, Tennessee)

Wilderness Road 2 (Moccasin Gap of Cinch Mt, VA)

Wilderness Road 3 (Kanes Gap, VA)
Wilderness Road 3 (Kanes Gap - 36.7326ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â‚ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â°N 82.8241ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â‚ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â°W)

Wilderness Road 4 (Cumberland Gap, TN)
Cumberland Gap of Wilderness Road;

Wilderness Road South Fork 6 (Nashville, TN)

Wilderness Road South to Nashville from Cumberland Gap

Wilderness Road North Fork 5 - Boonesborough (Boones' Lick for salt)

Wilderness Road North Fork to Boonesborough (for salt) from Cumberland Gap

Wilderness Road West Fork 5 (Falls of the Ohio, Louisville)
Falls of the Ohio;

Wilderness Road West Fork to Louisville, Falls of the Ohio from Cumberland Gap

Wilderness Road (Knoxville, Tennessee)

Wilderness Road - Gaps of the Allegheny Folder - only 5 ways west

1 of the 5 ways west, Around the top, Level Water Route to the Great lakes from Hudson River

2 of the 5 ways west - Gaps of the Allegheny Front Folder, Pennsylvania RWY

1 of the 3 Allegheny Front Gaps, Blair Gap, Gallitzin, PA
1 of the 3 Allegheny Front Gaps, Blair Gap, Gallitzin, PA;

2 of the 3 Allegheny Front Gaps, Kittanning Gap

3 of the 3 Allegheny Front Gaps, Kittanning Run Gap
3 of the 3 Allegheny Front Gaps, Kittanning Run Gap;

3 of the 5 ways west, Cumberland Narrows (National Road Route)
3 of the 5 ways west, Cumberland Narrows;

4 of the 5 ways West, Cumberland Gap (Wilderness Road Route)
4 of the 5 ways West, Cumberland Gap;

5 of 5 ways west, Around the bottom (plains or Piedmont area) in Georgia
5 of 5 ways west, Around the bottom (plains or Piedmont area) in Georgia;

US, 1765-1816, Francis Asbury, Hamstead Bridge, West Midlands, US Methodist Episcopal bishop
England, 1765-1816, Francis Asbury, Hamstead Bridge, West Midlands, US Methodist Episcopal bishop; Hamstead Bridge, West Midlands ; Francis Asbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15; Asbury (August 20, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1784 John Wesley named Asbury and Thomas Coke as co-superintendents of the work in America. This marks the beginning of the "Methodist Episcopal Church of the USA". For the next thirty-two years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America. Wesley, Asbury preached in all sorts of places: courthouses, public houses, tobacco houses, fields, public squares, wherever a crowd assembled to hear him. For the remainder of his life he rode an average of 6000 miles each year, preaching virtually every day and conducting meetings and conferences. Under his direction, the church grew from 1,200 to 214,000 members and 700 ordained preachers. from Wikipedia Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. his 45 years in the colonies and the newly independent United States, he devoted his life to ministry, traveling on horseback and by carriage thousands of miles to those living on the frontier. spread Methodism in British colonial America as part of the Second Great Awakening. He also founded several schools during his lifetime, although his own formal education was limited. His journal is valuable to scholars for its account of frontier society, with references to many towns and villages in Colonial America.[1] and adolescence Bishop Asbury Cottage, Asbury's boyhood home at Great Barr Asbury was born at Hamstead Bridge, Staffordshire, England on August 20 or 21, 1745, to Elizabeth and Joseph Asbury. The family moved to a cottage at Great Barr, Sandwell, the next year.[2] His boyhood home still stands and is open as Bishop Asbury Cottage museum.[3] after the family moved to Great Barr, in May 1748, Asbury's older sister, Sarah, died; he was less than three years old. Asbury wrote later that his mother Eliza was "very much a woman of the world"; with his sister's death, she "sank into deep distress....from which she was not relieved for many years," and was living "in a very, dark, dark, dark, day and place".[4] A few years later she found a renewed Christian faith as itinerant preachers, either Baptist or Methodists, visited Barr on a revival circuit. From then on she began to read the Bible every day and encouraged her son to do so as well.[4] deep faith may not have been shared by her husband, who seemed to have problems, possibly drink or gambling. Francis Asbury described his father as "industrious." The husband supported his wife in her faith and witness: he allowed Methodist meetings to be held each Sunday in the cottage.[5] Asbury's childhood the West Midlands was undergoing massive changes as the industrial revolution swept through the area. Waves of workers migrated into the area, attracted by jobs in the growing factories and workshops in Birmingham and the Black Country of the mines. Asburys lived in a cottage tied to a public house, on a main route between the mines and the factories. They would have been aware of the drinking, gambling, poverty and poor behaviour prevalent in the area.[6] Asbury attended a local endowed school in Snail's Green, a nearby hamlet. He did not get on well with his fellow pupils who ridiculed him because of his mother's religious beliefs. the 1740s there had been widespread anti-Methodist rioting in Wednesbury and the surrounding area, and into the 1750s a great deal of persecution. Nor did he like his teacher and left school at the first opportunity.[7] took a keen interest in religion, having "felt something of God as early as the age of seven".[8] He lived not far from All Saint's Church, Bromwich, which under the patronage of the Methodist Earl of Dartmouth, provided a living for Evangelical minister Edward Stillinghurst. Well connected, Stillinghurst invited as visiting preachers some of the foremost preachers and theologians of the day. These included John Fletcher, John Ryland, Henry Venn, John Cennick and Benjamin Ingham. His mother encouraged Francis to meet with the Methodists in Wednesbury, eventually joining a "band" with four other young men who would meet and pray together. For them a typical Sunday would be a preaching meeting at 5.00 am, communion at the parish church mid morning, and attending a preaching meeting again at 5.00 pm.[9] had his first formal job at age thirteen; he went "into service" for local gentry, whom he later described as "one of the most unGodly families in the parish". But he soon left them and is believed to have eventually worked for Thomas Foxall, at the Old Forge Farm,[10] where he made metal goods. He became great friends with Foxall's son, Henry.[11] They developed a friendship, which continued after Henry Foxall's emigration to Colonial America. There he continued working with metal and established the Foundry Church in Georgetown, now part of Washington, D.C. began to preach locally, and eventually became an itinerant preacher on behalf of the Methodist cause.[12] Asbury's preaching ministry in England is detailed in the section below: "Asbury's circuits in England". work in America the age of 22, Asbury's selection by John Wesley as a traveling lay preacher became official. Typically such positions were held by young, unmarried men, known as exhorters. In 1771 Asbury volunteered to travel to British North America. His first sermon in the Colonies took place with the Methodist congregation in Woodrow, Staten Island.[13] Within the first 17 days of being in the colonies, Asbury preached in both Philadelphia and New York. During the first year, he served as Wesley's assistant and preached in 25 different settlements. When the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, he and James Dempster were the only British Methodist lay ministers to remain in America.[14] "During his early years in North America, Asbury devoted his attention mainly to followers living on the eastern shore between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay. Bishop Asbury was a good friend of the Melsons and was their guest many times on his rounds. When the American revolution severed the traditional ties between the American Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain, Bishop Asbury, in the interest of his religious tenets and principles and in an attempt to remain aloof from the political and military fervor that swept the country, announced he would, to keep the embryonic Methodist congregations neutral, refrain from endorsing either Great Britain or the newly formed United States of America government and urged all his followers to do the same. This request placed almost all of his followers, especially those living in Maryland, in an untenable position. The State of Maryland had enacted a law requiring all citizens to take an Oath of Allegiance to the newly formed American Congress. In addition to this, it stipulated all non-residents within its boundaries also had to take and sign an Oath of Allegiance. Those refusing were summarily incarcerated for treason. Asbury, after proclaiming his neutrality, fled to Delaware, where taking an oath of allegiance was not a requirement. His adherents in Maryland suffered the rancor of the proponents of the Oath."[15] remained hidden during the war and ventured occasionally back into Maryland. Sometimes this had the effect of compromising his parishioners. Asbury did not become ordained or a bishop until December 1784. 1780, Asbury met the freedman Henry "Black Harry" Hosier, a meeting the minister believed "providentially arranged".[16] Hosier served as his driver and guide and, though illiterate, memorized long passages of the Bible as Asbury read them aloud during their travels. Hosier eventually became a famous preacher in his own right, the first African American to preach directly to a white congregation in the United States.[16] Camp Meeting the fall of 1800, Asbury attended one of the events of the Revival of 1800 as he travelled from Kentucky into Tennessee. The combined Presbyterian and Methodist communion observance made a deep impression on Asbury; it was as an early experience for him of multi-day meetings, which included attendees camping on the grounds or sleeping in their wagons around the meeting house. He recorded the events in his journal: it showed the relation between religious revivalism and camp meetings, later a staple of nineteenth-century frontier Methodism.[17] and Consecrated a bishop The Ordination of Bishop Asbury, an engraving of an 1882 painting of the scene 1784, John Wesley named Asbury and Thomas Coke as co-superintendents of the work in the United States. The Christmas Conference that year marked the beginning of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States. It was during this Conference that Asbury was ordained by Coke.[18] the next 32 years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America. However, his leadership did not go unchallenged. His idea for a ruling council was opposed by such notables as William McKendree, Jesse Lee, and James O'Kelly. Eventually, based on advice by Coke, he established in 1792 a General Conference, to which delegates could be sent, as a way of building broader support. journeys Wesley, Asbury preached in myriad of places: courthouses, public houses, tobacco houses, fields, public squares, wherever a crowd assembled to hear him. For the remainder of his life, he rode an average of 6,000 miles each year, preaching virtually every day and conducting meetings and conferences. Under his direction, the church grew from 1,200 to 214,000 members and 700 ordained preachers. Among the men he ordained was Richard Allen in Philadelphia, the first black Methodist minister in the United States who later founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent black denomination in the country. Another African American was Daniel Coker, who emigrated to Sierra Leone in 1820 and became the first Methodist minister there from the West. Bishop Asbury also ordained Peter Cartwright in the fall of 1806.[19] health and death 1813, Asbury wrote his will. This was a time when "the greatest membership gain in the history of the church" was achieved.[20] In 1814 his health started to fail and he became ill. In 1816 he started to regain strength and continued his preaching journey. He "preached his last Sermon in Richmond, Virginia" on March 24, "and died at the home of George Arnold near Fredericksburg" on March 31.[21] Asbury died in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, in Baltimore, near the graves of Bishops John Emory and Beverly Waugh. as a preacher an exciting time in American history, Asbury was reported to be an extraordinary preacher. Biographer Ezra Squier Tipple wrote: "If to speak with authority as the accredited messenger of God; to have credentials which bear the seal of heaven ... if when he lifted the trumpet to his lips the Almighty blew the blast; if to be conscious of an ever-present sense of God, God the Summoner, God the Anointing One, God the Judge, and to project it into speech which would make his hearers tremble, melt them with terror, and cause them to fall as dead men; if to be and do all this would entitle a man to be called a great preacher, then Asbury was a great preacher." habits Asbury had a great distrust of personal popularity, and equally marked distaste of personal publicity".[22] Not being a vain person, he did not care to have his image preserved. He had been in America for 23 years, and a bishop for 10 years before he had let a portrait be made of him. His friend James McCannon persuaded him to have it done. Asbury had had a portrait painted of him for his mother in 1797. His last portrait was made in 1813 by an unknown artist in Strasburgh, Pennsylvania. had times when he tended to have gloomy thoughts and opinions. He believed himself to be "a true prophet of evil tidings, as it suits my cast of mind".[23] Although he was pessimistic, those who knew him considered him an extremely sensitive person. In his journal he recorded more failures and misgivings than success in his ministry. He loved simplicity and had "frequent spells of morbid depression".[23] He tended to use cynical sarcasm in his preachings. One of the typical prayers he would say, even on his way to America, was "Lord, we are in thy hands and in thy work. Thou knowest what is best of us and for thy work; whether plenty or poverty. The hearts of all men are in thy hands. If it is best for us and for thy church that we should be cramped and straitened, let the people's hands and hearts be closed: If it is better for us; for the church,—and more to thy glory that we should abound in the comforts of life; do thou dispose the hearts of those we serve to give accordingly: and may we learn to be content whether we abound, or suffer need".[24] rose at 5 every morning to read the Bible. He was impatient with those who did not do the tasks assigned to them as soon as the task was assigned. He was "one of the wisest and most farseeing men of his day".[25] journal September 4, 1771, at the age of 26, Francis Asbury began his journey to Philadelphia from Pill near Bristol, England. "It cost him much to leave home and kindred, as is witnessed by his affectionate letters and sacrificial remittances home: but the call of God was not to be denied".[26] Before he left, he wrote a letter to his family. "I wonder sometimes how anyone will sit to hear me, but the Lord covers my weakness with his power…. I trust you will be easy and more quiet. As for me, I know what I am called to. It is to give up all, and to have my hands and heart in the work, yea, the nearest and dearest friends…. Let others condemn me as being without natural affection, disobedient to parents, or say what they please…. I love my parents and friends, but I love my God better and his service…. And tho' I have given up all, I do not repent, for I have found all".[27] On this voyage he began a journal. "In his journal he pours out the feelings and impulses of the moment, but often without giving a clue to either the offender or the offense".[28] He became seasick for the first week but had recovered. He was "poor in material things, but rich in the spiritual atmosphere created and maintained by his mother".[29] He also spent a lot of time studying and reading the Bible and books written by Wesley. On September 22, September 29, and October 6, he preached to the ship's company. Finally, on October 27, he landed at his destination in Philadelphia. His journal also contains some references to opinions of ministers who disagreed with the Methodist leadership, such as Rev. Charles Hopkins of Powhatan County, Virginia who had rejected the Methodist ideals several years before. journal also frequently mentioned Thomas S. Hinde who was the son of Dr. Thomas Hinde and founder of the city of Mount Carmel, Illinois.[30] circuits in England article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Francis Asbury" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) travels in America are amply noted in his three-volume journal, The Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury. However, his travels in England are much harder to piece together as very little information exists.[31] John Wigger provide some details in American Saint, his biography on Asbury.[32] 1763, Asbury began leading the class of about two dozen faithful at the West Bromwich Wesleyan society. In March 1765, his mentor, Wesleyan Alexander Mather asked Asbury to assist him. For the next 11 months, the twenty-year-old Asbury taught and preached around the Staffordshire circuit. The circuit consisted of small Wesleyan societies in West Bromwich, Wednesbury, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Billbrook. These areas were the foundation of Methodism in the Black Country. During this initial phase of his circuits around England, two Wesleyan preachers offered the majority of the young preachers mentoring. The first was the already mentioned Scottish itinerant, Mather. The second was an English preacher from Bedfordshire, James Glasbrook. These two taught Asbury, John Wesley's basic requirements for a Wesleyan itinerant preacher. January 1766, Mather offered him the opportunity to quit the forge and join the Wesleyan movement as a full-time itinerant on a trial basis. The twenty-one-year-old Asbury accepted.[citation needed] Part of his training as a full-time traveling preacher required that he read extensively from books suggested by Wesley, who made them available in London, Bristol and Newcastle. The list included several Divinity Books: the Bible, Wesley's tracts, the works of Boehm and Francke. There were also books on Natural Philosophy, Astronomy, History, Poetry and Latin Prose. There were also books on Latin Verse, Greek Prose, including the Greek New Testament, Greek Verse - including Homer's Iliad, and the Hebrew Bible. the next five months, during his circuits in England Asbury teamed with William Orpe, a young preacher who was the Hebrew teacher at Wesley's Kingswood School in Bristol. They covered the large Staffordshire circuit that encompassed not only Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Willenhall, Walsall, Wednesbury, Darlaston and Billbrook, but also an extended portion to the south in Worcestershire, Tewkesbury and Gloucestershire. Despite his happiness with his new career, Asbury struggled with a sense that his efforts were somewhat limited. He was still living with his parents, he was preaching in places that had heard him preach for the last five years. He looked for more travel and more responsibility. pressed Mather to assign Asbury to the low round of the Staffordshire circuit, and found it more grueling than he had anticipated. After twelve months Mather sent him home for a short break. Asbury then received instructions to head for London. The London conference of 1767 assigned Asbury to the Bedfordshire circuit. London, it is likely that Asbury met George Whitefield when he attended worship at Whitefield's Tabernacle. At the time of Asbury's arrival in London, Benjamin Franklin was staying in London and a guest of his friend Whitefield, whom he had met years earlier during one of Whitefield's trips to America. Along with Franklin at Whitefield's home were Connecticut colonial leaders including a Mohegan Indian named Samson Occum and his traveling companion, Princeton College Presbyterian minister, Nathaniel Whitaker, Lord Dartmouth, and the merchant Dennis De Bert. Occum and Whitaker were in England to raise money for their Indian Charity School in Lebanon, Connecticut. Spending a couple months in London before the August conference, it is likely that Asbury not only heard Samson Occum speak at The Tabernacle, but also had opportunity to meet this unique group. 18, 1767 the conference in London began at John and Charles Wesley's Foundry Church. At this conference, Wesley assigned Asbury to the sprawling Bedfordshire circuit. In addition to Bedfordshire, Asbury was officially admitted on trial and teamed with Bedfordshire native, James Glasbrook. The main locations were Hertford, Luton, Sundon, Millbrook, Bedford, Clifton and Northampton. It was a rural circuit made up of small societies whose total membership was just 208 people.[33] lieu of attending the 1768 conference in Bristol, Asbury is given instructions to wait in London to await his next assignment. Asbury's short stopover in London occurs at the same time that Benjamin Rush is staying with George Whitefield, having completed his medical studies in Edinburgh. After the Bristol conference in August 1768, Wesley assigns Asbury to the only circuit more difficult than the Staffordshire low Round, Colchester. Asbury will preach along the southern coastline of the River Stour, from Manningtree to Harwich. As beautiful as the scenery is, the area sours with rampant smuggling. Asbury is to preach against smuggling. out of worry for the young itinerant and the dangerous territory he travels, after two months on the Colchester circuit, Asbury receives word to relocate to the Wiltshire circuit. The three main cities of the Wiltshire circuit are Salisbury, Winchester and Portsmouth. In Portsmouth, it is likely that Asbury began his study of Hebrew through the large Jewish settlement that coexisted with the Portsmouth Methodists. In Portsmouth, the majority of the Jewish settlers reside in Portsea, also known as Portsmouth Common, the same area as the Methodists. For the next ten months, he remains on the Wiltshire circuit. 10, 1769, word from the Leeds Conference arrives for Asbury in Salisbury. Word from Wesley is that the next circuit is Oxfordshire. There he teams up with his friend from Staffordshire, Richard Whatcoat. In Oxford, Asbury and Whatcoat occasionally preach from St Giles Church. Asbury and Whatcoat remain in Oxford until Christmas. They are both assigned to preach the Bedfordshire circuit in the new year. In addition to returning to Northampton, Asbury will travel to the smaller Wesleyan societies in Towcester and Whittlebury. He also spends time in Weedon. For the next eight months, Asbury will preach on the western portion of the Bedfordshire circuit. March 1770, Wesley preached at West Bromwich. The news of Wesley draws Asbury to return home after nearly three years away. After his visit home, Asbury returns to the western portion of the Bedfordshire circuit. After the 1770 conference Wesley once again assigns Asbury to Wiltshire. It is during this assignment Asbury is abandoned by his assigned helper, John Catermole, who leaves the Wiltshire circuit after his dealing with a disorderly lay leader who threatens violence to Catermole and Asbury. A visit by Wesley to the struggling Wiltshire circuit results in Wesley asking Asbury to visit the Isle of Wight. It is at the August 1771 conference in Bristol where Asbury volunteers for the circuit simply called, America.

US, 1776-1837, Herman, Wonderworker, N Valaam Spruce Is Alaska, what do you love, 40 years & can't completely
Russia, St Petersburg, 1776-1837, Herman, Serpukhov merchants, Trinity-Sergius St Petersburg, Sarov, Nazarius, Sanaxar, Sergius Hermitage, Valaam on Lake Ladoga, Innocent, Serdobol marble q, Herman's wilderness, Aleutian Is, chain Kamchatka to N America, natives, 10 men selected, holy zeal several thousand accepted, school, church, Phoenix, The New Valaam — Spruce Island, his home, clothes, bed, blanket, pillow, food, fertilizer, visits, reestablish understandng in families, children, Epedemic, admonished fear, spiritual teacher, school, chapel near cell, powerful sermons w students singing, Sophia Vlasova lived there, Yanovsky, naval captain and educated men lost for an answer before him, one general question, what do you love above all, certainly we love god, but I have been trying 40 yrs, and can't love him completely, always remember him, try to please him, he talked of eternity, salvation, our destinies under God, lives of Saints, Prologue, nothing frivolous, description- short, pale, sparkly grey-blue eyes, few grey hairs, pleasant voice, Peter's martyrdom, Spanish Jesuit torture, saved by Monterey order, Supernatural gifts, icon stopping flood, moss fire break, epedemic unites the aleuts, I will not be forgotten, 30 yrs from now you will be old when I will be remembered, death prophecies; Valaam Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793 with volunteers from the monks of the Valaam Monastery. were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who had come under the sovereignty of Russia only ten years before. Saint Herman was one of the members of this mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow diocese. name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. There is a possibility, however, that his baptismal name was Gerasimus. had a great zeal for piety from his youth, and he entered monastic life at sixteen. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. also spent time at at Sarov, where he first met Father Nazarius, who became his Elder at Valaam. Later, Saint Herman followed him to Sanaxar where Saint Theodore (February 19) was their igumen. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward everything’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff), the Hieromonks, Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan and Nectarius, Hierodeacons, Nectarius and Stephen, and the monks Joasaph, and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman, himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself, “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors in behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. face was pale and covered with wrinkles. eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, on his head there were a few gray hairs. voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Herman. for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us!

US, 1776-1836, Herman of Alaska, miracle MOG healing, hesychast, peacemaker, prophet, animals, light pillar
Moscow, 1772-1836, Priest, Herman of Alaska; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission. Saint Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. This wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. With the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff); the hieromonks Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan, and Nectarius; hierodeacons Nectarius and Stephen; and the monks Joasaph and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself: “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. He wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors on behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” The Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). We who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Saint Herman.) for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; of Alaska (born 1756 or 1760 in Serpukhov, Russia – December 13 or November 15, 1837 on Spruce Island, Alaska) one of the first Eastern Orthodox missionaries to the New World, and is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the patron saint of the Americas. was born in the town of Serpukhov near Moscow around 1756. Herman is his name in monasticism; his birth name is unknown. 16, he entered the Russian Orthodox monastic life at the Trinity-St. Sergius Hermitage near St. Petersburg. he was tonsured a monk, though he was never ordained to the priesthood. request was made for a mission into the Alaskan territory. Herman was selected to go, along with seven other monks. and the other monks arrived on Kodiak Island on September 24, 1794. monks converted the native Aleuts, and as time progressed they found themselves protecting the natives from exploitation and abuse. of this moral stance the monks themselves were abused, arrested and physically threatened. time, enduring hardship, inclement weather, illness and more, Herman stood as the only remainder from the original band of missionaries, the others either being martyred for their faith, dying of natural causes or returning to Russia. eventually built a hermitage on Spruce Island, about a mile and a quarter from Kodiak Island. small chapel was built as well, along with a school and guest house. local people would visit him often. He devoted his life to prayer and to performing those services he could do as a simple monk who had not been ordained to the priesthood. died on November 15, 1837, but was not buried on Spruce Island until December 13 because a priest could not come to serve the funeral, and was forgotten until the first investigation of his life in 1867 by Bishop Peter of Alaska. was named a saint by the Orthodox Church in America on 9 August 1970. (more at Wikipedia) Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13;

US, 1777-1812, PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK Indian Nation, Long Island, NYC, on foot
US, 1777-1812, PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK Indian Nation, Long Island, NYC, on foot; Shinnecock Indian Nation; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ; on Long Island, little west of the junction of the old road to Riverhead is a small tract of land owned by the Shinnecock tribe of Indians, although how it came into their possession is unknown. Upon this tract is a plain marble tombstone, surrounded by a neat fence. This marks the last resting place of Rev. Paul Cuffee. tombstone tells its own story: "Erected by the New York Missionary Society, in memory of the Rev. Paul Cuffee, an Indian of the Shinnecock tribe, who was employed by the Society for the last thirteen years of his life, on the Eastern part of Long Island, where he labored the fidelity and success. pious and indefatigable in testifying the gospel of the grace of God, he finished his course with joy on the 7th of March, 1812, aged 55 years and 3 days". . . . The journeyings of Paul Cuffee extended from Poosepatuck to Montauk, and were made on foot. — from A History of Long Island, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Vol. 2, by William S Pelletreau (1905). more at Wikipedia Note that this Paul Cuffee should not be confused with a far better known, contemporaneous Paul Cuffee, who lived in the same general area (Westport, Mass.). That Paul Cuffee was a devout Quaker of mixed Indian / Black ancestry who worked to repatriate African-Americans to Sierra Leone.

US, 1786-1818, ABSALOM JONES, St. George's in Philadelphia, 1786 Blacks to the Balcony, Jones and Allen form new parish
US, 1786-1818, ABSALOM JONES, St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, 1786 Blacks to the Balcony, Jones and Allen walked out to form new parish, both ordained, African Methodist Episcopal (AME), AME Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal in the South (CME); St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia; ABSALOM JONES, (13 FEB 1818); 1786 the membership of St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia included both blacks and whites. the white members met that year and decided that thereafter black members should sit only in the balcony. black Sunday worshippers, Absalom Jones (1746-1818) and Richard Allen (1760-1831), whose enthusiasm for the Methodist Church had brought many blacks into the congregation, learned of the decision only when, on the following Sunday, ushers tapped them on the shoulder during the opening prayers, and demanded that they move to the balcony without waiting for the end of the prayer. They walked out, followed by the other black members. Absalom Jones conferred with William White, Episcopal Bishop of Philadelphia, who agreed to accept the group as an Episcopal parish. would serve as lay reader, and, after a period of study, would be ordained and serve as rector. wanted the group to remain Methodist, and in 1793 he left to form a Methodist congregation. In 1816 he left the Methodists to form a new denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). (ordained deacon and priest in 1795 and 1802) and Allen (ordained deacon and elder in 1799 and 1816) were the first two black Americans to receive formal ordination in any denomination. I am told by my Episcopal source. On the other hand, a Baptist correspondent tells me of the earlier ordination of a black American to the Baptist ministry. Perhaps my first source either did not know of this, or did not consider the Baptist ordination to be "formal." This is not a question of snobbery. Some congregations I know simply ask someone who they think is a good speaker to be their preacher for a year, and there is no ceremony beyond the vote and his saying, "I accept.") African Methodist Episcopal Church Zion (AME Zion) formed in New York in about 1796 for similar reasons. two groups were well organized before they heard of each other. Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, also historically black, was an offshoot in 1870 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. (The Methodists split into North and South before the War of 1861-1865, and have since re-united.) three black groups, and the United Methodist Church, and some other denominations of Methodist origin, are committed in principle to eventual union, but bureaucracies move slowly. Meanwhile, the groups are united in doctrine, and members of each are free to worship and to receive the Sacraments with members of the others. by James Kiefer

US, 1790-1840, Second Great Awakening
US, 1790-1840, Second Great Awakening; Great Awakening of 1740, First Great Awakening; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ; Francis Asbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15; Asbury (August 20, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1784 John Wesley named Asbury and Thomas Coke as co-superintendents of the work in America. This marks the beginning of the "Methodist Episcopal Church of the USA". For the next thirty-two years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America. Wesley, Asbury preached in all sorts of places: courthouses, public houses, tobacco houses, fields, public squares, wherever a crowd assembled to hear him. For the remainder of his life he rode an average of 6000 miles each year, preaching virtually every day and conducting meetings and conferences. Under his direction, the church grew from 1,200 to 214,000 members and 700 ordained preachers.

US, 1784, Samuel Seabury became Bishop of US Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland
Scotland, 1784, Samuel Seabury became Bishop of US Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland; Aberdeen, Scotland; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ; crucial date for members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the consecration of the first Bishop of the Anglican Communion in the United States. During the colonial era, there had been no Anglican bishops in the New World; and persons seeking to be ordained as clergy had had to travel to England for the purpose. After the achievement of American independence, it was important for the Church in the United States to have its own bishops, and an assembly of Connecticut clergy chose Samuel Seabury to go to England and there seek to be consecrated as a bishop. the English bishops were forbidden by law to consecrate anyone who would not take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. He accordingly turned to the Episcopal Church of Scotland. When the Roman Catholic king James II was deposed in 1688, some of the Anglican clergy (including some who had been imprisoned by James for defying him on religious issues) said that, having sworn allegiance to James as King, they could not during his lifetime swear allegiance to the new monarchs William and Mary. Those who took this position were known as non-Jurors (non-swearers), and they included almost all the bishops and clergy of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. Accordingly, the monarchs and Parliament declared that thenceforth the official church in Scotland should be the Presbyterian Church. The Episcopal Church of Scotland thereafter had no recognition by the government, and for some time operated under serious legal disablities. However, since it had no connection with the government, it was free to consecrate Seabury without government permission, and it did. This is why you see a Cross of St. Andrew on the Episcopal Church flag. Aberdeen, 14 November 1784, Samuel Seabury was consecrated to the Episcopate by the Bishop and the Bishop Coadjutor of Aberdeen and the Bishop of Ross and Caithness. He thus became part of the unbroken chain of bishops that links the Church today with the Church of the Apostles. In return, he promised them that he would do his best to persuade the American Church to use as its Prayer of Consecration (blessing of the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper) the Scottish prayer, taken largely unchanged from the 1549 Prayer Book, rather than the much shorter one in use in England. The aforesaid prayer, adopted by the American Church with a few modifications, has been widely regarded as one of the greatest treasures of the Church in this country. by James Kiefer

US Presidents Folder, 1789-1841, 1776 Declaration of Independence

US, 1776, December 1, 1776: Seal Date for the tribe of Manasseh
US, 1776, December 1, 1776: Seal Date for the tribe of Manasseh;

US, 1776, 1 Dec 1776 NS, United States Declaration of Independence
US, 1776, 1 Dec 1776 NS, United States Declaration of Independence ; US, 1776, December 1, 1776: Seal Date for the tribe of Manasseh; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26;

US, 1789-1797, President, George Washington, leader, general, statesman, won R war, P Const Conv, Father of Nation
US President, 1789-1797, George Washington ; Washington (February 22, 1732[b] – December 14, 1799) was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father of the United States, who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. led the Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War, and presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the Constitution of the United States and a federal government. Washington has been called the "Father of the Nation"[10] for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the country. first public office was serving as official Surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia from 1749 to 1750. Subsequently, he received his initial military training (as well as a command with the Virginia Regiment) during the French and Indian War. was later elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was named a delegate to the Continental Congress. he was appointed Commanding General of the Continental Army. With this title, he commanded American forces (allied with France) in the defeat and surrender of the British at the Siege of Yorktown during the American Revolutionary War. He resigned his commission after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783. played an indispensable role in adopting and ratifying the Constitution of the United States. He was then twice elected president by the Electoral College. He implemented a strong, well-financed national government while remaining impartial in a fierce rivalry between cabinet members Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. the French Revolution, he proclaimed a policy of neutrality while sanctioning the Jay Treaty. He set enduring precedents for the office of president, including the title "Mr. President", and his Farewell Address is widely regarded as a pre-eminent statement on republicanism. owned several hundred slaves, and he supported measures passed by Congress to protect slavery. Starting in 1778, he became troubled with the institution of slavery and freed William Lee, one of his slaves, in his will. He freed the other 123 slaves that he owned upon the death of his wife, Martha Washington. She decided to respect her husband's wishes and freed these slaves on January 1, 1801, before her death. He also freed in his will 33 more slaves that he acquired in a prior debt agreement with his brother-in-law Bartholomew Dandridge upon the death of Dandridge's widow.[11][12] endeavored to assimilate Native Americans into the Anglo-American culture but combated indigenous resistance during instances of violent conflict. was a member of the Anglican Church and the Freemasons, and he urged broad religious freedom in his roles as general and president. his death, he was eulogized as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".[13] He has been memorialized by monuments, a federal holiday, various media, geographical locations, including the national capital, the State of Washington, stamps, and currency, and many scholars and polls rank him among the greatest U.S. presidents. March 13, 1978, Washington was militarily ranked General of the Armies, an honor that has only been awarded twice in the history of the United States. PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787 ; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26;

US, 1794-1821, ELIZABETH SEATON, New York City, Founder US parochial schools, Catholic saint, anti-catholic laws
US, 1794-1821, ELIZABETH SEATON, New York City, Founder American Sisters of Charity, Baltimore, Episcopalian became catholic in Italy, C saint, anti-catholic laws, girls school, religious c, roots of 6 r communities. founder US parochial school system; Ann Bayley Seton, SC, (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was a Catholic religious sister in the United States and an educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. her death, she became the first person born in what would become the United States to be canonized by the Catholic Church (September 14, 1975).[1][2][3] also established the first Catholic girls' school in the nation in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where she likewise founded the first American congregation of religious sisters, the Sisters of Charity. life[edit] Ann Bayley was born on August 28, 1774, the second child of a socially prominent couple, a surgeon, Richard Bayley and Catherine Charlton of New York City.[4] Bayley and Charlton families were among the earliest European settlers in the New York area. Her father's parents were of French Huguenot and English descent and lived in New Rochelle, New York. Chief Health Officer for the Port of New York, Bayley attended to immigrants disembarking from ships onto Staten Island and cared for New Yorkers when yellow fever swept through the city (for example, killing 700 in four months).[5] later served as the first professor of anatomy at Columbia College.[6] Elizabeth's mother was the daughter of a Church of England priest who was rector of St. Andrew's Church on Staten Island for 30 years. Elizabeth was raised in what would eventually become (in the years after the American Revolution) the Episcopal Church. mother, Catherine, died in 1777 when Elizabeth was three years old, possibly due to complications from the birth of her namesake Catherine, who died early the following year. father then married Charlotte Amelia Barclay, a member of the Jacobus James Roosevelt family,[4] to provide a mother for his two surviving daughters. The new Mrs. Bayley participated in her church's social ministry and often took young Elizabeth with her on charitable rounds. They visited the poor in their homes to distribute food and needed items. Elizabeth Ann Seton, from Appleton's Cyclopaedia couple had five children, but the marriage ended in separation. During the breakup, their stepmother rejected Elizabeth and her older sister. Their father then traveled to London for further medical studies, so the sisters lived temporarily in New Rochelle with their paternal uncle, William Bayley, and his wife, Sarah Pell Bayley. Elizabeth endured a time of darkness, grieving the absence of a second mother, as she later reflected in her journals. In these journals, Elizabeth showed her love for nature, poetry, and music, especially the piano. Other entries expressed her religious aspirations and favorite passages from her reading, showing her introspection and natural bent toward contemplation. Elizabeth was fluent in French, a fine musician, and an accomplished horsewoman.[7] and motherhood[edit] January 25, 1794, at age 19, Elizabeth married William Magee Seton, aged 25, a wealthy businessman in the import trade. Samuel Provoost, the first Episcopal bishop of New York, presided at their wedding.[8] Her husband's father, William Seton (1746–1798), belonged to an impoverished noble Scottish family, emigrated to New York in 1758, and became superintendent and part-owner of the iron-works of Ringwood, New Jersey. loyalist, the senior William Seton was the last royal public notary for the city and province of New York. He brought his sons William (Elizabeth's husband) and James into the import-export mercantile firm, the William Seton Company, which became Seton, Maitland, and Company in 1793. younger William had visited important counting houses in Europe in 1788, was a friend of Filippo Filicchi (a renowned merchant in Leghorn, Italy, with whom his firm traded), and brought the first Stradivarius violin to America.[5] after they married, Elizabeth and William moved into a fashionable residence on Wall Street. Socially prominent in New York society, the Setons belonged to Trinity Episcopal Church, near Broadway and Wall Streets. devout communicant, Elizabeth took John Henry Hobart (later a bishop) as her spiritual director. Along with her sister-in-law Rebecca Mary Seton (1780–1804) (her soul-friend and dearest confidante), continued her former stepmother's social ministry—nursing the sick and dying among family, friends, and needy neighbors. by her father, she became a charter member of The Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children (1797) and served as its treasurer.[9] the elder William Seton died, the Seton family fortunes waned during the volatile economic climate preceding the War of 1812. The couple took in William's six younger siblings, ages seven to seventeen, in addition to their own five children: Anna Maria (Annina) (1795–1812), William II (1796–1868), Richard Seton (1798–1823), Catherine (1800–1891) (who was to become the first American to join the Sisters of Mercy) and Rebecca Mary (1802–1816). This necessitated a move to the larger Seton family residence.[5] and conversion to Catholicism[edit] The Seton home in New York City was located at the site on which a church now stands in her honor, with the adjacent James Watson House serving as the rectory. dispute between the United States of America and the French Republic from 1798 to 1800 led to a series of attacks on American shipping. The United Kingdom's blockade of France, and the loss of several of his ships at sea, led William Seton into bankruptcy, and the Setons lost their home at 61 Stone Street in lower Manhattan.[8] following summer, Elizabeth and the children stayed with her father, who was still the health officer for the Port of New York on Staten Island.[7] From 1801 to 1803, they lived in a house at 8 State Street, on the site of the present Church of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (built in 1964). most of their married life, William Seton suffered from tuberculosis. The stress worsened his illness; his doctors sent him to Italy for the warmer climate, with Elizabeth and their eldest daughter as his companions. landing at the port of Leghorn, they were held in quarantine for a month, for authorities feared they might have brought yellow fever from New York. William died on December 27, 1803,[6] and was buried in Italy's Old English Cemetery. and Anna Maria were received by the families of her late husband's Italian business partners, Filippo and Antonio Filicchi, who introduced her to Catholicism. St. Peter's, Barclay Street, 1785 to New York, the widow Seton was received into the Catholic Church on March 14, 1805, by Matthew O'Brien, pastor of St. Peter's Church,[9] the city's only Catholic church. (Anti-Catholic laws had been lifted just a few years before.) year later, she received the sacrament of confirmation from the Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll, the only Catholic bishop in the nation. support herself and her children, Seton had started an academy for young ladies, as was common for widows of social standing in that period. After news of her conversion to Catholicism spread, most parents withdrew their daughters from her school. In 1807, students attending a local Protestant Academy were boarded at her house on Stuyvesant Lane in the Bowery, near St. Mark's Church.[10] was about to move to Canada when she met a visiting priest, Louis William Valentine Dubourg, who was a member of the French émigré community of Sulpician Fathers and then president of St. Mary's College, Baltimore. Sulpicians had taken refuge in the United States from the religious persecution of the Reign of Terror in France. They were in the process of establishing the first Catholic seminary for the United States, in keeping with the goals of their society. For several years, Dubourg had envisioned a religious school to meet the educational needs of the new nation's small Catholic community.[9] living through many difficulties in life, in 1809, Seton accepted the Sulpicians' invitation and moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland. A year later, she established the Saint Joseph's Academy and Free School, a school dedicated to Catholic girls' education. This was possible due to the financial support of Samuel Sutherland Cooper,[6] a wealthy convert and seminarian at the newly established Mount Saint Mary's University, begun by John Dubois, S.S., and the Sulpicians. July 31, Seton established a religious community in Emmitsburg dedicated to the care of the children of the poor. This was the first congregation of religious sisters founded in the United States, and its school was the first free Catholic school in America. This modest beginning marked the start of the Catholic parochial school system in the United States.[11] The congregation was initially called the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's. From that point on, she became known as "Mother Seton." In 1811, the sisters adopted the rules of the Daughters of Charity, co-founded in France by Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. life and death[edit] Mother Seton's tomb in Emmitsburg remainder of Seton's life was spent leading and developing the new congregation. Seton was described as a charming and cultured lady. Her connections to New York society and the accompanying social pressures to leave the new life she had created for herself did not deter her from embracing her religious vocation and charitable mission. The most significant difficulties she faced were internal, stemming from misunderstandings, interpersonal conflicts, and the deaths of two daughters, other loved ones, and young sisters in the community. Ann Seton died on January 4, 1821, at the age of 46. Today, her remains are interred in the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Sign of the New York shrine Statue in St. Raymond's Cemetery, Bronx, New York 1830, the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's were running orphanages and schools as far west as Cincinnati and New Orleans and had established the first hospital west of the Mississippi in St. Louis.[11] had been Seton's original intention to join the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, but the embargo of France due to the Napoleonic Wars prevented this connection. It was only decades later, in 1850, that the Emmitsburg community took steps to merge with the Daughters and become their first American branch, as their foundress had envisioned.[11] six separate religious congregations trace their roots to the beginnings of the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg. In addition to the original community of Sisters at Emmitsburg (now part of the Vincentian order), they are based in New York City;[12] Cincinnati, Ohio;[13] Halifax, Nova Scotia;[14] Convent Station, New Jersey;[15] and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.[16] The community at Convent Station established the Academy of Saint Elizabeth in 1860 and the College of Saint Elizabeth in 1899. Ann Seton has also been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[17] In 1952, a miracle involving the healing of 4 year old Ann O'Neil from leukemia was attributed to the intercession of Seton after a nun prayed for the girl to Seton. The miracle was a factor in the beatification of Seton and Seton was beatified by Pope John XXIII on March 17, 1963. The pope said on the occasion, "In a house that was very small, but with ample space for charity, she sowed a seed in America which by Divine Grace grew into a large tree."[18] Paul VI canonized Seton on September 14, 1975, in a ceremony in St. Peter's Square. In his words, "Elizabeth Ann Seton is a saint. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is an American. All of us say this with special joy and with the intention of honoring the land and the nation from which she sprang forth as the first flower in the calendar of the saints. Elizabeth Ann Seton was wholly American! Rejoice for your glorious daughter. Be proud of her. And know how to preserve her fruitful heritage."[1] The miracle which led to the canonization of Seton involved the healing of a man in 1963, who was given hours to live after contracting meningitis and having encephalitis in his brain. Seton's feast day is January 4, the eleventh day of Christmastide and the anniversary of her death.[19] Seton is the patron saint of seafarers[20] and widows.[21] Elizabeth Ann Seton is honored[22] with a Lesser Feast on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America[23] on January 4.[24] institutions[edit] The Daughters of Charity Health Network established Bayley Seton Hospital in 1980 on the site of the former Marine Hospital Service hospital in Stapleton, Staten Island, New York.[25] Most of the property is now the Bayley Seton campus of Richmond University Medical Center, while a portion is used by New York Foundling, a Catholic social services organization. Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg, Maryland, is a direct descendant of the Saint Joseph's Academy and Free School.[26] It is located less than a mile from the site of the original school and is sponsored by the Daughters of Charity.[27] Mother Seton School is a private elementary school located in Emmitsburg and enrolls 306 students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. Mother Seton School is the 84th-largest private school in Maryland and the 3,381st-largest nationally. It has 15 students to every teacher.[28] the Philippines, the Elizabeth Seton School in BF Resort Village, Las Piñas was established in 1975, the year of Seton's canonization. It is the largest Catholic school in the city in terms of population.[29] Seton College, located in Yonkers, New York, was a college opened to assist young struggling women and men in need of furthering their education, offering Associate of Science or Associate of Occupational Science degrees. It merged with Iona College in 1989. Hall College (now known as Seton Hall University) in South Orange, New Jersey, was founded in 1856 by Seton's nephew Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt.[30] Seton Hall Prep is an all-boys High School in West Orange, New Jersey, was formerly associated with the University, but is now independent. Seton Hill Schools (now part of Seton Hill University), named for Seton, were founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1885. The university continues to operate in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. Elizabeth Seton High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Bladensburg, Maryland, sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, is named in honor of Seton. Seton Academy (1963–2016) was a high school in South Holland, Illinois. Seton Catholic High School (1900–2007) was a high school in Pittston, Pennsylvania.[31] Seton School in Manassas, Virginia is also named for Mother Seton. Seton Catholic School (K-8) Hudson, Ohio College of Mount Saint Vincent in Bronx, New York, was founded by the Sisters of Charity of New York and traces its lineage to Seton. It features the Elizabeth Seton Library and the Italian Renaissance-style Seton Hall, with a cornerstone set by John Cardinal Farley in November 1911. University in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls, also has a dormitory building named after her, called Seton Hall. Several Catholic churches are named for Seton. The first parish named in her honor, Blessed Elizabeth Ann Seton, was established in 1963 in Shrub Oak, New York, with a school opening in 1966, staffed by the Sisters of Charity. her canonization in 1975, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church was established in Crofton, Maryland,[32] in the same Archdiocese of Baltimore where she had founded Saint Joseph's Academy and Free School. of 2018, there are churches in her name in more than 40 states of the United States, plus Canada and Italy.[33] The College of Mount Saint Vincent in Bronx, New York, was founded by the Sisters of Charity of New York and traces its lineage to Seton. It features the Elizabeth Seton Library and the Italian Renaissance-style Seton Hall, with a cornerstone set by John Cardinal Farley in November 1911. University in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls, also has a dormitory building named after her, called Seton Hall. Seton Villa, a small charity for providing accommodation for women with disabilities, was established in 1966 by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul in Sydney, Australia.[34] New York City; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated January 4 ; Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 — January 4, 1821) was the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized in the Roman Catholic Church, on September 14, 1975. was born on August 28, 1774 to Richard Bayley of New York City. She was raised in the Episcopal Church. Her mother, daughter of an Episcopal priest, died when Elizabeth was three. At the age of nineteen, she married William Magee Seton, a wealthy businessman. Five children were born to the marriage. husband's business lost several ships at sea and the family ended up bankrupt. Soon after, her husband became ill and his doctors sent him to Italy for the warmer climate, with Elizabeth Seton accompanying him. Italy, they were held in quarantine, during which time her husband died. spent time with a wealthy family where she was exposed to Catholicism. Two years later she converted to Roman Catholicism, on March 14, 1805 and was received into the Church by the first bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll. support her children, she started a school in Baltimore, but it failed due to the anti-Catholic bigotry of the day. In 1809, after some trying and difficult years, Elizabeth moved to Emmitsburg, Maryland, where a year later she established Saint Joseph's Academy and Free School, a school dedicated to the education of Catholic girls, at the invitation of Samuel Sutherland Cooper. Elizabeth was able to establish a religious community in Emmitsburg, Maryland dedicated to the care of the children of the poor. It was the first religious community of apostolic women founded in the United States. The order was called the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. remainder of Elizabeth's life was spent in leading and developing the new order, which expanded to include the Sulpician priests of Baltimore. Today, six independent religious communities trace their roots to the humble beginnings of the Sisters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. more at Wikipedia

US, 1797-1801, President, John Adams, statesman, diplomat, writer, Founding Father, dec of Indep, MA const, Thoughts on govt
US President, 1797-1801, John Adams; Adams Jr. (October 30, 1735[a] - July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain, and he served as the first vice president of the United States. was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with many important figures in early American history, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson. lawyer and political activist prior to the revolution, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. As a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government. was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. During his single term, Adams encountered fierce criticism from the Jeffersonian Republicans and from some in his own Federalist Party, led by his rival Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared Quasi-War with France. his term, he became the first president to reside in the executive mansion now known as the White House. his bid for reelection, opposition from Federalists and accusations of despotism from Jeffersonians led to Adams losing to his former friend Thomas Jefferson, and he retired to Massachusetts. eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a correspondence that lasted fourteen years. and his wife generated a family of politicians, diplomats, and historians now referred to as the Adams political family, which includes their son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence – hours after Jefferson's death. Adams and his son are the only presidents of the first twelve that did not own slaves in their lives. Surveys of historians and scholars have favorably ranked his administration. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26;

US, 1801-1809, President, Thomas Jefferson, diplomat, architect, musician, founding father, Aliens&S, B pirates, L Pur
US President, 1801-1809, Thomas Jefferson; Jefferson (April 13, 1743[a] - July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, musician,[1] philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801, and as the first United States secretary of state under George Washington between 1790 to 1793. principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights for certain categories of people, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels. the American Revolution, Jefferson represented Virginia in the Continental Congress that adopted the Declaration of Independence. a Virginia legislator, he drafted a state law for religious freedom. served as the second Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, during the American Revolutionary War. 1785, Jefferson was appointed the United States Minister to France, and subsequently, the nation's first Secretary of State under President George Washington from 1790 to 1793. and James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party to oppose the Federalist Party during the formation of the First Party System. Madison, he anonymously wrote the provocative Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions in 1798 and 1799, which sought to strengthen states' rights by nullifying the federal Alien and Sedition Acts. president, Jefferson pursued the nation's shipping and trade interests against Barbary pirates and aggressive British trade policies. in 1803, Jefferson promoted a western expansionist policy, organizing the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the nation's land area. make room for settlement, Jefferson began a controversial process of Indian tribal removal from the newly acquired territory. a result of peace negotiations with France, his administration reduced military forces. was reelected in 1804. His second term was beset with difficulties at home, including the trial of former vice president Aaron Burr. 1807, American foreign trade was diminished when Jefferson implemented the Embargo Act in response to British threats to U.S. shipping. The same year, Jefferson signed the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves. while primarily a planter, lawyer and politician, mastered many disciplines, which ranged from surveying and mathematics to horticulture and mechanics. He was an architect in the classical tradition. Jefferson's keen interest in religion and philosophy led to his presidency of the American Philosophical Society; he shunned organized religion but was influenced by Christianity, Epicureanism,[2] and deism. A philologist, Jefferson knew several languages. He was a prolific letter writer and corresponded with many prominent people, including Edward Carrington, John Taylor of Caroline and James Madison. Among his books is Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), considered perhaps the most important American book published before 1800.[3] Jefferson championed the ideals, values, and teachings of the Enlightenment. his lifetime, Jefferson owned over 600 slaves, who were kept in his household and on his plantations. Since Jefferson's time, controversy has revolved around his relationship with Sally Hemings, a mixed-race enslaved woman, and his late wife's half-sister.[4] According to DNA evidence from surviving descendants and oral history, Jefferson fathered at least six children with Hemings, including four that survived to adulthood.[5] Evidence suggests that Jefferson started the relationship with Hemings when they were in Paris, where she arrived at the age of 14 when Jefferson was 44. By the time she returned to the United States at 16, she was pregnant.[6] retiring from public office, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. Jefferson and his colleague John Adams both died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Presidential scholars and historians generally praise Jefferson's public achievements, including his advocacy of religious freedom and tolerance in Virginia. Although some modern scholars have been critical of his stance on slavery, Jefferson continues to rank highly among the U.S. presidents, often in the top ten. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated December 4; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26;

US, 1803, Louisiana Purchase, From France, $15 Million, for European rights to the area
1803, Louisiana Purchase; Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from Napoleonic France in 1803. return for fifteen million dollars, or approximately eighteen dollars per square mile, the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000 sq mi (2,140,000 km2; 530,000,000 acres). However, France only controlled a small fraction of this area, most of it inhabited by Native Americans; for the majority of the area, what the United States bought was the "preemptive" right to obtain "Indian" lands by treaty or by conquest, to the exclusion of other colonial powers.[1][2] The total cost of all subsequent treaties and financial settlements over the land has been estimated to be around 2.6 billion dollars.[1][2] Kingdom of France had controlled the Louisiana territory from 1699 until it was ceded to Spain in 1762. In 1800, Napoleon, the First Consul of the French Republic, regained ownership of Louisiana as part of a broader project to re-establish a French colonial empire in North America. However, France's failure to put down a revolt in Saint-Domingue, coupled with the prospect of renewed warfare with the United Kingdom, prompted Napoleon to consider selling Louisiana to the United States. Acquisition of Louisiana was a long-term goal of President Thomas Jefferson, who was especially eager to gain control of the crucial Mississippi River port of New Orleans. Jefferson tasked James Monroe and Robert R. Livingston with purchasing New Orleans. Negotiating with French Treasury Minister François Barbé-Marbois (who was acting on behalf of Napoleon), the American representatives quickly agreed to purchase the entire territory of Louisiana after it was offered. Overcoming the opposition of the Federalist Party, Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison persuaded Congress to ratify and fund the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana Purchase extended United States sovereignty across the Mississippi River, nearly doubling the nominal size of the country. The purchase included land from fifteen present U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, including the entirety of Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska; large portions of North Dakota and South Dakota; the area of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide; the portion of Minnesota west of the Mississippi River; the northeastern section of New Mexico; northern portions of Texas; New Orleans and the portions of the present state of Louisiana west of the Mississippi River; and small portions of land within Alberta and Saskatchewan. At the time of the purchase, the territory of Louisiana's non-native population was around 60,000 inhabitants, of whom half were enslaved Africans.[3] The western borders of the purchase were later settled by the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty with Spain, while the northern borders of the purchase were adjusted by the Treaty of 1818 with Britain.

US, 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder

Lewis and Clark Expedition 1 (St Charles, Mo)
Lewis and Clark Expedition;

Lewis and Clark 2 (La Charrette, MO (near Marthasville))

Lewis and Clark 3 (Kansas City, MO)

Lewis and Clark 4 (Omaha, NB)

Lewis and Clark 5 (Sioux City, IA, Floyds Bluff)

Lewis and Clark 6 (Fort Mandan, ND)

Lewis and Clark Expedition (Yellowstone River Mouth)

Marias River

Lewis and Clark Expedition (Marias River Source)

Lewis and Clark Expedition (Marias River Mouth)

Missouri River Source (Brower's Spring)

Missouri River 1

Lewis and Clark 7 (Lemhi Pass, Continental Divide)

Selway River Source (southeast of Stripe Mountain)

Clearwater River Middle Fork (Selway and Lochsa Rivers)

Lewis and Clark Return Trip Camp Chopunnish (Kamiah, ID)
Camp Chopunnish;

Lewis and Clark 8 (Canoe Camp)
In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe Camp," five miles (8 km) downstream from Orofino.

Lewis and Clark 9 (Clearwater River Mouth, Snake River, Lewiston, ID)

Lewis and Clark 10 (Snake River Mouth, Columbia River, Pasco, WA)

Lewis and Clark 11 (Celilo Falls, The Dalles)

Lewis and Clark 12 (Portland, Willamett River Mouth)

Lewis and Clark 13 (Fort Clatsop, Astoria, OR)

Lewis and Clark Expedition

US, 1808-1850, ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, from Malden, MA, non-Buddhist Swaleen people received
Burma, 1808-1850, ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, from Malden, MA, non-Buddhist Swaleen people received Gospel easily, then converted Buddhists; Burma; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; Judson, Jr. (9 August 1788 – 12 April 1850) was a Baptist missionary from the United States who labored for almost forty years in Burma. the age of 25, Adoniram Judson was the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America, inspired many Americans to become or support missionaries, translated the Bible into Burmese, and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma. Judson is remembered as the first significant missionary there, as well as one of the group of the very first missionaries from America to travel overseas. was born on 9 August 1788 in Malden, Massachusetts, son of a Congregational minister of the same name. graduated as valedictorian of his class at Brown Univ. at the age of nineteen. He then attended The Andover Theological Seminary, and graduated in 1810. had joined an earnest group of mission-minded students at Andover who called themselves "the Brethren." Passionately eager to serve abroad, and convinced that "Asia with its idolatrous myriads, was the most important field in the world for missionary effort", they appeared before the Congregational Church's General Association to appeal for support to their missionary intentions. by the polite behavior of the four men and their sincerity, the elders in 1810 voted to form an "American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions." some mishaps and delays, Judson arrived in Calcutta on June 17, 1812. While aboard ship on route to India, he did a focused study on the theology of baptism. He came to the position that believer's baptism was theologically valid. September 6, 1812, he switched to the Baptist denomination along with his wife and they were baptized by immersion in Calcutta by an English missionary associate of William Carey. They were ordered out of India by the British East India Company, to whom American missionaries were even less welcome than British. The following year, on July 13, 1813, he moved to Burma. Burma, Judson was told by the Baptists, was impermeable to Christian evangelism. Judson, who already knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, immediately began studying the Burmese grammar but took over three years learning to speak it. This was due, in part, to the radical difference in structure between Burmese and that of "Western" languages. Four years passed before Judson dared even to hold a semi-public service. It wasn't until June, 1819, that he baptized his first Burmese convert. attempts by the Judsons to interest the natives of Rangoon with the Gospel of Jesus met with almost total indifference. By 1823, ten years after his arrival, membership of the little church had grown to eighteen, and Judson had finally finished the first draft of his translation of the entire text of the New Testament in Burmese. Karen people were a primitive, hunted minority group of ancient Tibeto-Burman ancestry scattered in the forests and jungles of the Salween River and in the hills along the southeast coast. was the first missionary to make contact with them about 1827 when he ransomed and freed a debt-slave from one of his early converts. The freed slave, Ko Tha Byu, was an illiterate, surly man who spoke almost no Burmese and was reputed to be not only a thief but also a murderer. In 1828 the former Karen bandit, "whose rough, undisciplined genius, energy and zeal for Christ" had caught the notice of the missionaries, was sent south with a new missionary couple, the Boardmans, into the territory of the strongly animistic, non-Buddhist Karen. There, he was no sooner baptized then he set off into the jungle alone to preach to his fellow tribespeople. Astonishingly, he found them strangely prepared for his preaching. the Boardmans and Ko Tha Byu were penetrating the jungles to the south, Adoniram Judson shook off a paralyzing year-long siege of depression that overcame him after the death of his wife, Ann, and set out alone on long canoe trips up the Salween River into the tiger-infested jungles to evangelize the northern Karen. trips he worked untiringly at his lifelong goal of translating the whole Bible into Burmese. When he finished it at last in 1834, he had been labouring on it for twenty-four years. It was printed and published in 1835. developed a serious lung disease and doctors prescribed a sea voyage as a cure. On 12 April 1850, Adoniram Judson died at age 61 on board ship in the Bay of Bengal and was buried at sea, having spent 37 years in missionary service abroad with only one home leave. — more at Wikipedia

US, 1809-1817, President, James Madison, statesman, diplomat, expansionist, founding father, father of the constitution, federalist papers, L Purchase
US President, 1809-1817, James Madison ; Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751[b] - June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution of the United States and the United States Bill of Rights. He co-wrote The Federalist Papers, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party, and served as the fifth United States Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809. into a prominent Virginia planter family, Madison served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Continental Congress during and after the American Revolutionary War. became dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation and helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution to supplant the Articles of Confederation. Virginia Plan served as the basis for the Constitutional Convention's deliberations, and he was one of the most influential individuals at the convention. Madison became one of the leaders in the movement to ratify the Constitution, and he joined with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in writing The Federalist Papers, a series of pro-ratification essays that was one of the most influential works of political science in American history. the ratification of the Constitution, Madison emerged as an important leader in the United States House of Representatives and served as a close adviser to President George Washington. was the main force behind the ratification of the United States Bill of Rights, which enshrines guarantees of personal freedoms and rights within the Constitution.[1] the early 1790s, Madison opposed the economic program and the accompanying centralization of power favored by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. with Thomas Jefferson, Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party, which was, alongside Hamilton's Federalist Party, one of the nation's first major political parties. Jefferson won the 1800 presidential election, Madison served as Secretary of State from 1801 to 1809. In that position, he supervised the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States. succeeded Jefferson with a victory in the 1808 presidential election. diplomatic protests and a trade embargo failed to end British seizures of American shipping, he led the United States into the War of 1812. The war was an administrative morass and ended inconclusively, but many Americans saw it as a successful "second war of independence" against Britain. The war convinced Madison of the necessity of a stronger federal government. presided over the creation of the Second Bank of the United States and the enactment of the protective Tariff of 1816. By treaty or war, Madison's presidency added 23 million acres of American Indian land to the United States. retired from public office in 1817 and died in 1836. Madison never privately reconciled his Republican beliefs with his slave ownership. Madison is considered one of the most important Founding Fathers of the United States, and historians have generally ranked him as an above-average president. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated December 4; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30;

US, 1809-1870, JACKSON KEMPER, started western college in St Louis, Nashota House and Racine College, urged Indian outreach
US, 1809-1870, JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, Pleasant Valley (town, near Poughkeepsie, NY, Hudson River 14), started western college in St Louis, and Nashota House and Racine College, urged Indian outreach, and translation to their languages; Pleasant Valley (town), New York; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870); Kemper was born 24 December 1789 in Pleasant Valley, New York, Columbia College, and was ordained a priest in 1814. 1835, the Episcopal Church undertook to consecrate missionary bishops to preach the Gospel west of the settled areas, and Kemper was the first to be chosen. promptly headed west. Having found that clergy who had lived all their lives in the settled East were slow to respond to his call to join him on the frontier, he determined to recruit priests from among men who were already in the West, and established a college in St. Louis, Missouri, for that purpose. went on to found Nashotah House and Racine College in Wisconsin. He constantly urged a more extensive outreach to the Indian peoples, and translations of the Scriptures and the services of the Church into Indian languages. From 1859 till his death in 1870, he was bishop of Wisconsin, but the effect of his labors covered a far wider area. House Seminary From a sermon preached before the Board of Missions in 1841 remarkably peculiar, how vastly important is the position of our Church! Possessing as we fully believe all those characteristics which distinguished the primitive fold:--A scriptural Liturgy--evangelical doctrines--and the apostolic succession--having the form of godliness and the power thereof--free from the false and worldly scruples and the time-serving policy of civil governments--independent-- respected and influential--in the midst of an intelligent, enterprising and commercial people--Brethren! may it not be OUR duty to convert the world--may not this high, this inestimable privilege be offered to US! And are we prepared--are we doing at the present moment EVEN ONE TENTH part of what we are capable? Our means and our power are extensive--and under the blessing of Him, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, our aim--our constant, undeviating, untiring aim should be great and lofty. "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." the talents we possess, (and for which, as good stewards, we must finally account, at that hour when no secrets can be hid), with the talents committed to our trust and the privileges we enjoy, cannot our faith, our liberality and our self-denial, GREATLY increase? Cannot our supplications be more fervent, our economy more strict, our love of souls more ardent? Have we, as individuals, or a Church, a deep and abiding interest in the success of missions? a brother here would I accuse of indifference or cowardice. But I would stir up, with God's permission, the pure mind of each one, by way of remembrance. It is the spirit of missions I earnestly and most affectionately advocate. division into Foreign and Domestic is often arbitrary, and might, without detriment, be abolished; for no one, I presume, would wish to withdraw our heralds of the cross from Africa, suspend our incipient efforts for Texas, or abandon the much injured aborigines to all the degrading vices they have learned from unprincipled men who claim to be civilized. Let us go where duty calls--where Providence points the way--and let us rejoice in the privilege, for we assuredly ought--Oh, let us rejoice in the privilege of sending forth in the name of the Lord and under the guidance of His Spirit all those who, thoroughly instructed in sacred truths, hear the cry, "Come over and help us"--and cannot resist the deep, the abiding conviction concerning their sphere of duty--whose hearts burn within them when they hear of people or nations wholly given to idolatry, or licentiousness, or worldly-mindedness. Cultivate, dear brethren of the clergy, cultivate with the utmost assiduity your own vineyard--love with the strongest affections your own spiritual children,--but close not your hearts to the sufferings and wants of your neighbors. collect refers to him as the first missionary bishop in the United States. Whether this is literally true, or means only first Anglican missionary bishop, I do not know.)

US, 1811, National Road Folder (Cumberland Road, National Pike)
National Road 1811-37;

National Road (Western Maryland to Central Illinois)
National Road 1811-37;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 1 (Cumberland, MD)
National Road (Cumberland Road); (Cumberland, MD);

National Road (Cumberland Road) 2 (Frostburg, MD)
National Road (Cumberland Road); Frostburg, MD;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 3 (Uniontown, PA)
National Road (Cumberland Road); Uniontown, Pennsylvania;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 4 (Washington, PA)
National Road (Cumberland Road); Washington, Pennsylvania;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 5 (Wheeling, WV)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; 2 (Wheeling, WV);

National Road (Cumberland Road) 6 (St. Clairsville, OH)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; St. Clairsville, Ohio;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 7 (Zanesville, OH)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Zanesville, Ohio;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 8 (Columbus, OH)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Columbus, Ohio;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 9 (Springfield, OH)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Springfield, Ohio;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 10 (Richmond, IN)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Richmond, Indiana;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 11 (Indianapolis, IN)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Indianapolis, Indiana;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 12 (Terre Haute, IN)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Terre Haute, Indiana;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 13 (Effingham, IL)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Effingham, Illinois;

National Road (Cumberland Road) 14 (Vandalia, IL)
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Vandalia, Illinois;

US, 1811, National Road Folder, 1811-Present (Cumberland Road, National Pike)

National Road (Western Maryland to Central Illinois)
National Road 1811-37

US, 1817-1879, St Innocent, Aleut Enlightener&Moscow Metropolitan, Apostle to t Americas, m more

US, 1818-1825, President, James Monroe, statesman, diplomat, founding father, Monroe doctrine opposing E in Americas
US President, 1818-1825, James Monroe; Monroe (April 28, 1758 - July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was the last president of the Virginia dynasty; his presidency coincided with the Era of Good Feelings. He is perhaps best known for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, a policy of opposing European colonialism in the Americas. also served as the governor of Virginia, a member of the United States Senate, the U.S. ambassador to France and Britain, the seventh Secretary of State, and the eighth Secretary of War. into a planter family in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Monroe served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. studying law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, he served as a delegate in the Continental Congress. a delegate to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, Monroe opposed the ratification of the United States Constitution. In 1790, he won election to the Senate, where he became a leader of the Democratic-Republican Party. left the Senate in 1794 to serve as President George Washington's ambassador to France but was recalled by Washington in 1796. won the election as Governor of Virginia in 1799 and strongly supported Jefferson's candidacy in the 1800 presidential election. President Jefferson's special envoy, Monroe helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase, through which the United States nearly doubled in size. fell out with his longtime friend James Madison after Madison rejected the Monroe–Pinkney Treaty that Monroe negotiated with Britain. unsuccessfully challenged Madison in the 1808 presidential election, but in April 1811 he joined Madison's administration as Secretary of State. the later stages of the War of 1812, Monroe simultaneously served as Madison's Secretary of State and Secretary of War. His wartime leadership established him as Madison's heir apparent, and he easily defeated Federalist Party candidate Rufus King in the 1816 presidential election. presidency was coterminous with the Era of Good Feelings, as the Federalist Party collapsed as a national political force. president, Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri as a slave state and banned slavery from territories north of the parallel 36°30′ north. foreign affairs, Monroe and Secretary of State John Quincy Adams favored a policy of conciliation with Britain and a policy of expansionism against the Spanish Empire. the 1819 Adams–Onís Treaty with Spain, the United States secured Florida and established its western border with New Spain. In 1823, Monroe announced the United States' opposition to any European intervention in the recently independent countries of the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine, which became a landmark in American foreign policy. was a member of the American Colonization Society, which supported the colonization of Africa by freed slaves, and Liberia's capital of Monrovia is named in his honor. his retirement in 1825, Monroe was plagued by financial difficulties, and died on July 4, 1831 in New York City. He has been generally ranked as an above-average president by historians. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated December 4; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30;

US, 1821-1825, Erie Canal Folder

Erie Canal

Erie Canal (Onondaga Formation (Escarpment))
Erie Canal; Onondaga Formation (Escarpment);

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Albany, New York, Hudson River;

Erie Canal 2 (Watervliet, New York)

Erie Canal 3 (Cohoes, New York)

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Erie Canal 7 (toward Oneida Lake)

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Erie Canal 10 (Rochester, New York)

Finger Lakes Region (Upstate New York)
Finger Lakes Region; Iroquois League; Mohawk Valley; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796;

Erie Canal 11 (Buffalo, New York, Lake Erie)
Buffalo, New York, Lake Erie;

US, 1821, Santa Fe Trail Folder

Santa Fe Trail 834 Miles

Santa Fe Trail Southern Route 787 Miles

Santa Fe Trail North to Trappers Trail and Morman Trail 293 Miles

Santa Fe Trail (Franklin, MO)

Santa Fe Trail (Missouri River Crossing, Arrow Rock, MO)

Santa Fe Trail (Marshall, MO)

Santa Fe Trail (Lexington, MO)

Santa Fe Trail (Fort Osage)

Santa Fe Trail (Independence, MO)

Santa Fe Trail (Olathe, KS)

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Santa Fe Trail (Burlingame, KS)

Santa Fe Trail (Council Grove, KS)

Santa Fe Trail (Lyons, KS)

Santa Fe Trail (Great Bend, KS)

Santa Fe Trail (Dodge City, KS)

Santa Fe Trail (Garden City, KS)

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Santa Fe Trail (La Junta, CO)

Santa Fe Trail (Ulysses, KS)

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Santa Fe Trail (Boise City, OK)

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Santa Fe Trail (Fort Laramie, WY, Trappers Trail, Mormon Trail)

Santa Fe Trail (Santa Fe, NM)

US, 1821, Rio Grande River Folder

Rio Grande River Source (Canby Mountain, Continental Divide)

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Rio Grande River 8 (Las Cruces, NM)

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Rio Grande River 10 (Rio Conchos River Mouth)

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Rio Grande River 13 (Rio Salado River Mouth, Mexico)

Rio Grande River 13 (Rio Alamo River Mouth)

Rio Grande River 13 (San Juan River Mouth, Rio Grande City)

Rio Grande River Mouth (Gulf of Mexico)
Rio Grande River;

Rio Grande River

US, 1822-1864, Alaskan Saint, Jacob Netsvetov
Alaskan Saint, 1828-1864, Jacob Netsvetov; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

US, 1822-1878, RICHARD UPJOHN, Architect, famous fGothic Revival Churches, Upjohn's Rural Architecture, New York Trinity Church
US, 1822-1878, RICHARD UPJOHN, English born Architect, emigrated tNew Bedford, MA (Acushnet River Mouth, Buzzards Bay), famous fGothic Revival Churches, 1852 influential book Upjohn's Rural Architecture, tBoston 1833, tNew York 1839 alterations&build Trinity Church i1846; New Bedford, Massachusetts; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Upjohn (22 January 1802 - 16 August 1878) was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. family initially settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts then moved on to Boston in 1833, where he worked in architectural design. had relocated to New York by 1839 where he worked on alterations to Trinity Church. alterations were later abandoned and he was commissioned to design a new church, completed in 1846. published his extremely influential book, rural architecture: Designs, working drawings and specifications for a wooden church, and other rural structures, in 1852. Notable projects included: Trinity Church, New York, in 1912 View of Trinity Church, New York, in 1912 Trinity Church in New York City (1839-46) The Church of the Ascension in New York City (1840-41) Grace Church, Providence, Rhode Island (1845; later remodelled by Ralph Adams Cram, above) St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Burlington, New Jersey (1846-54) Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh, North Carolina (1846-48) Grace Church in Newark, New Jersey (1847-48) St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, New York (1849-51) Zion Episcopal Church in Rome, New York (1850-1851) St. John Chrysostom Church in Delafield, Wisconsin (1851-56) St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland (1854) All Saint's Episcopal Church in Frederick, Maryland (1855) St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas) (1858) St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany, New York (1859) Church of the Holy Comforter in Poughkeepsie, New York (1860) St. Philip's Church in the Highlands in Garrison, New York (1860-61) St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Providence, Rhode Island (1860-62) Memorial Church of St. Luke The Beloved Physician, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1861) Trinity-St. Paul's Episcopal Church (New Rochelle, New York) (1862) All Saint's Memorial Church in Navesink, New Jersey (1863-64) St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Selma, Alabama (1871-75) more at Wikipedia

US, 1823-1879, MARIA STEWART, Hartford, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Black public speaker, writer, abolitionist, and feminist
US, 1823-1879, MARIA STEWART, Hartford, Boston, New York, Baltimore, African American public speaker, abolitionist, and feminist, fHartford CT, Orphan, Servant, tBostaon, Married 1831, cheated Inheritance, short writing speaking career, published Lloyd Garrison's Liberator, tNew York, tWashington, DC, head matron Freedman's Hospital, ; US, 1823-1879, MARIA STEWART, Hartford, CT (Connecticut River 24), African American public speaker, abolitionist, and feminist; W. Stewart (née Miller) (1803 - December 17, 1879) was a free-born African American who became a teacher, journalist, lecturer, abolitionist, and women's rights activist. first known American woman to speak to a mixed audience of men and women, white and black, she was also the first African-American woman to make public lectures, as well as to lecture about women's rights and make a public anti-slavery speech.[1] Liberator published two pamphlets by Stewart: Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, The Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build (which advocated abolition and black autonomy) in 1831, and another of religious meditations, Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart (1832). February 1833, she addressed Boston's African Masonic Lodge, which soon ended her brief lecturing career. Her claim that black men lacked "ambition and requisite courage" caused an uproar among the audience, and Stewart decided to retire from giving lectures. Seven months later, she gave a farewell address at a schoolroom in the African Meeting House ("Paul's Church"). this, she moved to New York City, then to Baltimore, and finally Washington, DC, where she worked as a schoolteacher, and then head matron at Freedmen's Hospital, where she eventually died. life was born Maria Miller, the child of free African-American parents in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1806, At the age of three she lost both parents and was sent to live with a minister and his family. She continued as a servant in that home until she was 15, without receiving any formal education. Between the ages of 15 and 20, Maria attended Sabbath School before church service on Sundays and developed a lifelong affinity for religious work.[2] August 10, 1826, Maria Miller married James W. Stewart, an independent shipping agent, before the Reverend Thomas Paul, pastor of the African Meeting House, in Boston, Massachusetts. She took not only his last name but his middle initial.[3] Their marriage lasted only three years and produced no children; James Stewart died in 1829. executors of his estate deprived Maria as his widow of any inheritance. This moment spurred Stewart to begin thinking about women's rights and the inequities they faced.[4] However, James had served in the War of 1812 and eventually a law was passed allowing veterans' widows their husbands' pensions.[5] speaking was the first American woman to speak to a mixed audience of men, women, whites and blacks (termed a "promiscuous" audience during the early 19th century).[6] first African-American woman to lecture about women's rights — Stewart focused particularly on the rights of black women — religion, and social justice among black people. was someone who could be called a Matronist: one of the matriarchs of black feminist thought during the Jim Crow era. also became the first African-American woman to make public anti-slavery speeches.[7] of the first African-American women to make public lectures for which there are still surviving copies, Stewart referred to her public lectures as "speeches" and not "sermons", despite their religious tone and frequent Biblical quotes. women preachers of the era, such as Jarena Lee, Julia Foote and Amanda Berry Smith, undoubtedly influenced Stewart, and Sojourner Truth later used a similar style in her public lectures.[8] delivered her speeches in Boston, to organizations including the African-American Female Intelligence Society.[9] Walker, a prosperous clothing shop owner, who was a well-known, outspoken member of the General Colored Association, also influenced Stewart. (A house at 81 Joy Street where from 1827 till 1829 Walker and his wife were tenants subsequently also became home to Stewart.)[10] A leader within Boston's African-American enclave, Walker wrote a very controversial piece on race relations entitled David Walker's Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World (1829). In 1830, he was found dead outside of his shop, just one year after Stewart's husband had died. events precipitated a "born again" spiritual experience for Stewart. She became a vocal and militant advocate for "Africa, freedom and God's cause".[7] However, she was far less militant than Walker, and resisted advocating violence. Instead, Stewart put forth African-American exceptionalism, the special bond she saw between God and African Americans, and advocated social and moral advancement, even as she vocally protested against social conditions African Americans experienced, and touched on several political issues. 1831, before her public speaking career began, Stewart published a small pamphlet entitled Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality, the Sure Foundation on Which We Must Build. In 1832, she published a collection of religious meditations, Meditations from the Pen of Mrs. Maria Stewart. She wrote and delivered four lectures between 1832 and 1833, including an adapted version of her Religion pamphlet delivered to the African American Female Intelligence Society in April 1832.[4] While her speeches were daring and not well received, William Lloyd Garrison, a friend and the central figure of the abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement, published all four in his newspaper, The Liberator, the first three individually, and later, all four together. Garrison also recruited Stewart to write for The Liberator in 1831.[7] public-speaking career lasted three years. She delivered her farewell lectures on September 21, 1833, in the schoolroom of the African Meeting House, known then as the Belknap Street Church, and as of 2019 part of Boston's Black Heritage Trail. Upon leaving Boston, she first moved to New York, where she published her collected works in 1835. She taught school and participated in the abolitionist movement, as well as literary organization. Stewart then moved to Baltimore and eventually to Washington, D.C., where she also taught school before becoming head matron (nurse) of the Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum in Washington, later the medical school of Howard University. She ultimately died at that hospital.[11] her writings, Stewart was very cogent when she talked about the plight of the Negro. She said, "Every man has a right to express his opinion. Many think, because your skins are tinged with a sable hue, that you are an inferior race of beings ... Then why should one worm say to another, Keep you down there, while I sit up yonder; for I am better than thou. It is not the color of the skin that makes the man, but it is the principle formed within the soul.[12]" She understood that education about God and country would lift the Negro out of ignorance and poverty. "She expressed concern for African Americans' temporal affairs and eternal salvation and urged them to develop their talents and intellect, live moral lives, and devote themselves to racial activism. Stewart challenged her audience to emulate the valor of the pilgrims and American revolutionaries in demanding freedom, and advised them to establish institutions such as grocery stores and churches to support their community.[13]" Stewart's radical point of view was not well received by her audience. William Lloyd Garrison said of her, whole adult life has been devoted to the noble task of educating and elevating your people, sympathizing with them in their affliction, and assisting them in their needs; and, though advanced in years, you are still animated with the spirit of your earlier life, and striving to do what in you lies to succor the outcast, reclaim the wanderer, and lift up the fallen. In this blessed work may you be generously assisted by those to whom you may make your charitable appeals, and who may have the means to give efficiency to your efforts.[12] wanted to help the black community to do and be better as they circumnavigated their way around a country where subjugation of the Negro was the law of the land. W. Stewart was humble and deeply determined to preach the word of God. She evangelized during a time when educated women, especially educated Negro women, were frowned upon. She once wrote, lost my position in Williamsburg, Long Island, and hearing the colored people were more religious and God-fearing in the South, I wended my way to Baltimore in 1852. But I found all was not gold that glistened; and when I saw the want of means for the advancement of the common English branches, with no literary resources for the improvement of the mind scarcely, I threw myself at the foot of the Cross, resolving to make the best of a bad bargain ...[14] was shocked that the conditions in the south for African Americans did not measure up to what she imagined. She eventually took a job as a teacher where she taught reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic. was paid 50 cents a month while other teachers were paid $1. Her salary was barely enough to cover her monthly expenses. She readily admitted she was not good at handling her finances and to some degree people took advantage. evangelists were often very poor and leaned on the kindness of strangers, friends and religious leaders to help sustain them. One such friend went by the name of Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave, seamstress and civil rights activist she wrote of fondly, "There was a lady, Mrs. Keckley, I knew, formerly from Baltimore, who proved to be an ardent friend to me in my great emergency. ..."[14] Stewart was born free and Keckley a slave, but both women saw a need to be active in the burgeoning civil rights movement of the late 19th century. preaching of God's word during the 1800s was seen in society as patrilineal, even among some Negro religious institutions. As one writer said: Women in the black churches were relegated to positions that posed no real threat to the power structure maintained by preachers, deacons, and other male leaders. Women were usually assigned roles of Sunday school teachers, exhorters, secretaries, cooks, and cleaners. Such positions paralleled those reserved for women within the domestic sphere of the home."[15] believed wholeheartedly that she was called to do God's work even at great peril to herself. She used her platform to talk about racial injustices and sexism by highlighting the contradictions between the message of peace and unity preached from the pulpits of the white churches verses the reality of the slavery. According to one writer: Stewart, this ... newly freed community ... barely one generation from slavery, yearning for a fully realized freedom rather than a nominal one. Given the small size of the free Black community,[16] it is easy to assume solidarity, cohesion, and unquestioned allegiance to the Black church. just as revolutionary Americans had to grapple with what it meant to be 'American,'... Blacks ... just 50 years from slavery in Massachusetts, were grappling with their identity as free people, and there were likely competing agendas being cast forth of what Blacks should 'do' and how they should operate."[17] loved her work and her people. She knew they could be successful if they had the proper tools to succeed. That is why she started a school for the children of runaway slaves. Stewart knew education and faith in God was the great equalizer. Stewart delivered four public lectures that The Liberator published during her lifetime, addressing women's rights, moral and educational aspiration, occupational advancement, and the abolition of slavery. delivered the lecture "Why Sit Ye Here and Die?" on September 21, 1832, at Franklin Hall, Boston, to the New England Anti-Slavery Society. She demanded equal rights for African-American women: have asked several individuals of my sex, who transact business for themselves, if providing our girls were to give them the most satisfactory references, they would not be willing to grant them an equal opportunity with others? Their reply has been—for their own part, they had no objection; but as it was not the custom, were they to take them into their employ, they would be in danger of losing the public patronage. And such is the powerful force of prejudice. Let our girls possess what amiable qualities of soul they may; let their characters be fair and spotless as innocence itself; let their natural taste and ingenuity be what they may; it is impossible for scarce an individual of them to rise above the condition of servants. Ah! why is this cruel and unfeeling distinction? Is it merely because God has made our complexion to vary? If it be, O shame to soft, relenting humanity! "Tell it not in Gath! publish it not in the streets of Askelon!" Yet, after all, methinks were the American free people of color to turn their attention more assiduously to moral worth and intellectual improvement, this would be the result: prejudice would gradually diminish, and the whites would be compelled to say, unloose those fetters! the same speech Stewart emphasized that African-American women were not so different from African-American men: at many of the most worthy and interesting of us doomed to spend our lives in gentlemen's kitchens. Look at our young men, smart, active and energetic, with souls filled with ambitious fire; if they look forward, alas! what are their prospects? They can be nothing but the humblest laborers, on account of their dark complexions ... continued the theme that African Americans were subjected not only to Southern slavery but to Northern racism and economic structures: have heard much respecting the horrors of slavery; but may Heaven forbid that the generality of my color throughout these United States should experience any more of its horrors than to be a servant of servants, or hewers of wood and drawers of water! Tell us no more of southern slavery; for with few exceptions, although I may be very erroneous in my opinion, yet I consider our condition but little better than that. Stewart critiqued Northern treatment of African Americans at a meeting in which Northerners gathered to criticize and plan action against Southern treatment of African Americans. challenged the supposed dichotomy between the inhumane enslavement of the South and the normal proceedings of capitalism in the North, arguing that the relegation of African Americans to service jobs was also a great injustice and waste of human potential. In doing so, she anticipated arguments about the intersection of racism, capitalism, and sexism that would later be advanced by womanist thinkers. Christian faith strongly influenced Stewart. She often cited Biblical influences and the Holy Spirit, and implicitly critiqued societal failure to educate her and others like her: after all, methinks there are no chains so galling as the chains of ignorance—no fetters so binding as those that bind the soul, and exclude it from the vast field of useful and scientific knowledge. O, had I received the advantages of early education, my ideas would, ere now, have expanded far and wide; but, alas! I possess nothing but moral capability—no teachings but the teachings of the Holy spirit. W. Stewart delivered the speech entitled "An Address: African Rights and Liberty" to a mixed audience at the African Masonic Hall in Boston on February 27, 1833.[18] It was not received well and it would be her last public address before she embarked on a life of activism. The speech says in part: of our color have been taught to stand in fear of the white man from their earliest infancy, to work as soon as they could walk, and to call "master" before they scarce could lisp the name of mother. Continual fear and laborious servitude have in some degree lessened in us that natural force and energy which belong to man; or else, in defiance of opposition, our men, before this, would have nobly and boldly contended for their rights ... give the man of color an equal opportunity with the white from the cradle to manhood, and from manhood to the grave, and you would discover the dignified statesman, the man of science, and the philosopher. But there is no such opportunity for the sons of Africa ... I fear that our powerful ones are fully determined that there never shall be ... O ye sons of Africa, when will your voices be heard in our legislative halls, in defiance of your enemies, contending for equal rights and liberty? ... Is it possible, I exclaim, that for the want of knowledge we have labored for hundreds of years to support others, and been content to receive what they chose to give us in return? Cast your eyes about, look as far as you can see; all, all is owned by the lordly white, except here and there a lowly dwelling which the man of color, midst deprivations, fraud, and opposition has been scarce able to procure. Like King Solomon, who put neither nail nor hammer to the temple, yet received the praise; so also have the white Americans gained themselves a name, like the names of the great men that are in the earth, while in reality we have been their principal foundation and support. We have pursued the shadow, they have obtained the substance; we have performed the labor, they have received the profits; we have planted the vines, they have eaten the fruits of them.[14] very powerful and thought provoking speech about the greatness of African-American people gives us today a glimpse into the mind of an important historical figure in African-American history.[citation needed] and legacy died at Freedmen's Hospital on December 17, 1879.[11] She was buried in Graceland Cemetery,[19] which was closed two decades later after extensive litigation and most of the land used by the Washington Electric Railway. The liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) remembers Maria Stewart annually, together with William Lloyd Garrison, on December 17. is included in Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent, edited by Margaret Busby (1992),[20] the title of which is inspired by Stewart's 1831 declaration,[21] in which she said: O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! awake! arise! no longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth to the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties.[22] Hartford, Connecticut; Maria Steward of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879 Commemorated December 17 ; Stewart (Maria Miller) (1803 – December 17, 1879) was an African American public speaker, abolitionist, and feminist. was born in Hartford, Connecticut and at the age of five became an orphan and was sent to live with a minister and his family, where she was a servant in their home. later moved to Boston, and married James W. Stewart. died after only three years of marriage, and she was cheated out of a considerable inheritance. then embarked on a short (1831-1833) writing and public speaking career, for which she is best known. most famous speech was Religion and the pure principles of Morality The sure Foundation on which We Must Build. and others were published in William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator. later moved to New York, and then to Washington, DC, where she was head matron of the Freedman's Hospital.

US, 1824, Saint Lawrence Seaway Folder, first locks 1824, Canada, huge US impact
Saint Lawrence Seaway;

Canada, Eastern Canada
Eastern Canada; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Saint Lawrence Seaway

Saint Lawrence Seaway (Western End)
Saint Lawrence Seaway;

Saint Lawarence Seaway (Sault Ste. Marie)
Saint Lawrence Seaway; Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie); John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie)
Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie); John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Ontario, Canada (Saint Lawarence Seaway and Hudson Bay)
Ontario, Canada (Saint Lawarence Seaway and Hudson Bay); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Ojibwa People, Ontario (Saultiers) and Michigan
Ojibwa People; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Ojibwe Lands (Outlet Lake Superior, Eastern Canada)
Ojibwe Lands: Because many Ojibwe were historically formerly located mainly around the outlet of Lake Superior, which the French colonists called Sault Ste. Marie, they referred to the Ojibwe as Saulteurs. Ojibwe who subsequently moved to the prairie provinces of Canada have retained the name Saulteaux. Ojibwe who were originally located about the Mississagi River and made their way to southern Ontario are known as the Mississaugas. ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Saint Lawrence Seaway (Welland Canal)
Welland Canal

Salford, Ontario
Salford, Ontario ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

Saint Lawrence Seaway (Montreal)

Saint Lawrence Seaway (Eastern End)

Newfoundland
Newfoundland; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

Great Northern Peninsula, Northern Newfoundland
Great Northern Peninsula; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

St Anthony, Great Northern Penninsula, Newfoundland
St Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940 ;

Indian Harbour, Labrador (Laurentian Divide 3)
Indian Harbour, Newfoundland; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940 ;

Canada, Saint Laurence Seaway North, Laurentian Divide 1-7 Folder, Northeastern CAN

Labrador (Laurentian Divide 2)
Labrador; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

Canada, Saint Laurence River Folder, Eastern CAN

Saint Laurence River

Saint Laurence River Source (Lake Ontario)
Saint Laurence River;

Saint Laurence River Mouth (Gulf of Saint Laurence)

Canada, St Laurence River Mouth, Rideau Canal Folder, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto

Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal ;

Rideau Canal (Montreal)
Rideau Canal ;

Rideau Canal (Ottawa)
Rideau Canal ;

Ottawa, Canad (Saint Laurence Seaway)
Canada; JOHN HORDEN MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; JOHN MUIR, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Rideau Canal (Kingston, Ontario)

Cataraqui River Mouth (Lake Ontario)
Cataraqui River ;

Little Cataraqui Creek Mouth (Lake Ontario)

Kingston, Ontario, Eastern Canada (Saint Laurence River Source)
Kingston, Ontario; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

St Pauls Anglican Church, 137 Queen St, Kingston, ON
St. Paul's Anglican Church, 137 Queen Street (at Montreal) , Kingston, ON K7K 1A8; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796. Commemorated April 16;

Cataraqui, near Kingston, Ontario (Saint Laurence River Source, Lake Ontario)
MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796;

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Rideau Canal, Saint Laurence River Source, Saint Laurence Seaway)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944, Commemorated January 24;

Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough)
Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough); ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Peterborough, Ontario (near Toronto)
Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough); ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Petersburg, Ontario (Wilmot, between London and Toronto)
Petersburg, Ontario (between London and Toronto); ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Canada, St Lawarence Divide Folder, Southeastern CAN

New Brunswick Province, Eastern Canada
New Brunswick Province, Canada; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ;

All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, New Brunswick Province, 1907
All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, 1907 ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

US, 1825-1829, President, John Quincy Adams, statesman, diplomat, ex federalist, ex anti mason, Whig, Florida, abolitionist
US President, 1825-1829, John Quincy Adams; Quincy Adams (July 11, 1767 - February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. previously served as the eighth United States Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825. During his long diplomatic and political career, Adams also served as an ambassador, and as a member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives representing Massachusetts. was the eldest son of John Adams, who served as the second U.S. president from 1797 to 1801, and First Lady Abigail Adams. Initially a Federalist like his father, he won election to the presidency as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and in the mid-1830s became affiliated with the Whig Party. in Braintree, Massachusetts[4] (now part of the town of Quincy), Adams spent much of his youth in Europe, where his father served as a diplomat. After returning to the United States, Adams established a successful legal practice in Boston. 1794, President George Washington appointed Adams as the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, and Adams would serve in high-ranking diplomatic posts until 1801, when Thomas Jefferson took office as president. leaders in Massachusetts arranged for Adams's election to the United States Senate in 1802, but Adams broke with the Federalist Party over foreign policy and was denied re-election. 1809, President James Madison, a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, appointed Adams as the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Adams held diplomatic posts for the duration of Madison's presidency, and he served as part of the American delegation that negotiated an end to the War of 1812. 1817, newly elected president James Monroe selected Adams as his Secretary of State. In that role, Adams negotiated the Adams–Onís Treaty, which provided for the American acquisition of Florida. also helped formulate the Monroe Doctrine, which became a key tenet of U.S. foreign policy. 1818, Adams was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.[5] Andrew Jackson, William H. Crawford, and Henry Clay — all members of the Democratic-Republican Party — competed in the 1824 presidential election. Because no candidate won a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives held a contingent election, which Adams won with the support of Clay. president, Adams called for an ambitious agenda that included federally funded infrastructure projects, the establishment of a national university, and engagement with the countries of Latin America, but Congress refused to pass many of his initiatives. Adams's presidency, the Democratic-Republican Party polarized into two major camps: the National Republican Party, which supported President Adams, and Andrew Jackson's Democratic Party. The Democrats proved to be more effective political organizers than Adams and his National Republican supporters, and Jackson trounced Adams in the 1828 presidential election, the second president (after his father) to fail to win re-election. than retiring from public service, Adams won election to the House of Representatives, where he would serve from 1831 to his death in 1848. remains the only ex-president to be elected to the chamber (although John Tyler was elected a Confederate representative, but died before he could take his seat). failing attempts at election as Governor of Massachusetts and re-election to the Senate, Adams joined the Anti-Masonic Party in the early 1830s before becoming a member of the Whig Party, which united those opposed to President Jackson. his time in Congress, Adams became increasingly critical of slavery and of the Southern leaders who he believed controlled the Democratic Party. He was particularly opposed to the annexation of Texas and the Mexican–American War, which he saw as a war to extend slavery and its political grip on Congress. He also led the repeal of the "gag rule", which had prevented the House of Representatives from debating petitions to abolish slavery. Historians concur that Adams was one of the greatest diplomats and secretaries of state in American history; they typically rank him as an average president, as he had an ambitious agenda but could not get it passed by Congress. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26; William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30;

US, 1825-1879, WILLIAM L GARRISON, Prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, social reformer
US, 1825-1879, WILLIAM L GARRISON, Newburyport, Massachusetts, Prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, social reformer, known for his newspaper The Liberator, published iBoston til abolition i1865, promoted no-governmentism, rejected tyrannical American Govt, fWar, Imperialism, slavery, first opposed violence, then Civil War abandoned principles supported Lincoln, Bible tSource oHis power, prayed constantly, prejudice all fixed forms worship, &authority human Govt, &every binding otSpirit tConform tHuman Law, all from his constant Bible reading, price on his head; Newburyport, Massachusetts; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ; Lloyd Garrison (December 10, 1805 – May 24, 1879) a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper The Liberator, he founded in 1831 and published in Boston until slavery in the United States was abolished by constitutional amendment in 1865. promoted "no-governmentism" and rejected the inherent validity of the American government on the basis that its engagement in war, imperialism, and slavery made it corrupt and tyrannical. initially opposed violence as a principle and advocated for Christian nonresistance against evil; the outbreak of the Civil War, he abandoned his previous principles and embraced the armed struggle and the Lincoln administration. was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society promoted immediate and uncompensated, as opposed to gradual and compensated, emancipation of slaves in the United States. source of Garrison's power was the Bible. his earliest days, he read the Bible constantly and prayed constantly. was with this fire that he started his conflagration. ... also, a prejudice against all fixed forms of worship, against the authority of human government, against every binding of the spirit into conformity with human law, – all these things grew up in Garrison's mind out of his Bible reading." the other major abolitionist printer-publisher, the martyred Elijah Lovejoy, a price was on his head; he was burned in effigy and a gallows was erected in front of his Boston office. more at Wikipedia

US, 1826, Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Folder, started 1826, completed 1834

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 1 (Philidelphia)
Pennsylvania Main Line Canal ;

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 2

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 3

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 4

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 5 (Hollidaysburg)

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 6 (Johnstown)

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 7 (Pittsburg)
Pennsylvania Main Line Canal

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal (Philadelphia to Pittsburg)

US, 1829-1837, President, Andrew Jackson, war hero, Dem party founder, expansionist, common man, no natnl debt
US President, 1829-1837, Andrew Jackson; Jackson (March 15, 1767 - June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. being elected to the presidency, Jackson gained fame as a general in the United States Army and served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. expansionist president, Jackson sought to advance the rights of the "common man"[1] against a "corrupt aristocracy"[2] and to preserve the Union. in the colonial Carolinas in the decade before the American Revolutionary War, Jackson became a frontier lawyer and married Rachel Donelson Robards. served briefly in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, representing Tennessee. resigning, he served as a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1798 until 1804. Jackson purchased a property later known as The Hermitage, and became a wealthy, slaveowning planter. In 1801, he was appointed colonel of the Tennessee militia and was elected its commander the following year. led troops during the Creek War of 1813–1814, winning the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The subsequent Treaty of Fort Jackson required the Creek surrender of vast lands in present-day Alabama and Georgia. the concurrent war against the British, Jackson's victory in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans made him a national hero. then led U.S. forces in the First Seminole War, which led to the annexation of Florida from Spain. briefly served as Florida's first territorial governor before returning to the Senate. He ran for president in 1824, winning a plurality of the popular and electoral vote. As no candidate won an electoral majority, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams in a contingent election. reaction to the alleged "corrupt bargain" between Adams and Henry Clay and the ambitious agenda of President Adams, Jackson's supporters founded the Democratic Party. ran again in 1828, defeating Adams in a landslide. Jackson faced the threat of secession by South Carolina over what opponents called the "Tariff of Abominations". The crisis was defused when the tariff was amended, and Jackson threatened the use of military force if South Carolina attempted to secede. Congress, Henry Clay led the effort to reauthorize the Second Bank of the United States. Jackson, regarding the Bank as a corrupt institution that benefited the wealthy at the expense of ordinary Americans, vetoed the renewal of its charter. After a lengthy struggle, Jackson and his allies thoroughly dismantled the Bank. 1835, Jackson became the only president to completely pay off the national debt, fulfilling a longtime goal. Jackson pursued numerous reforms designed to eliminate waste and corruption, his presidency marked the beginning of the ascendancy of the party "spoils system" in American politics. 1830, Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which forcibly removed most members of the major tribes of the Southeast to Indian Territory; these removals were subsequently known as the Trail of Tears. The relocation process dispossessed these nations of their land and resulted in widespread death and disease. opposed the abolitionist movement, which grew stronger in his second term. In foreign affairs, Jackson's administration concluded a "most favored nation" treaty with the United Kingdom, settled claims of damages against France from the Napoleonic Wars, and recognized the Republic of Texas. January 1835, he survived the first assassination attempt on a sitting president. his retirement, Jackson remained active in Democratic Party politics, supporting the presidencies of Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk. fearful of its effects on the slavery debate, Jackson advocated the annexation of Texas, which was accomplished shortly before his death. has been widely revered in the United States as an advocate for democracy and the common man. Many of his actions proved divisive, garnering both fervent support and strong opposition from many in the country. reputation has suffered since the 1970s, largely due to his anti-abolitionist views and policy of the forcible removal of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands. surveys of historians and scholars have ranked Jackson favorably among U.S. presidents. PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26; William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

US, 1830, Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) Jacksonville Beach, Florida to San Diego, California

Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 1830

Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) - Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) - San Diego, California to Jacksonville Beach, Florida;

Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) - San Diego, California to Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) - San Diego, California to Jacksonville Beach, Florida;

US, 1831-1896, HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER, Uncle Tom's Cabin, caused anti-slavery North & hatred South, underground railroad
US, 1831-1896, HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER, Litchfield, Connecticut (Naugatuck River West Branch), Uncle Tom's Cabin, caused anti-slavery North & hatred South, underground railroad, fugitive slave law inspired the book, mother of 7; Litchfield, Connecticut; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) depicted life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom and made the political issues of the 1850s regarding slavery tangible to millions, energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North, while provoking widespread anger in the South. Upon meeting Stowe, Abraham Lincoln allegedly remarked, "So you're the little lady who started this great war!" The quote is regarded as apocryphal. Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut on June 14, 1811. was the daughter of outspoken religious leader Lyman Beecher and Roxana Foote, a deeply religious woman who died when Stowe was four years old. was the sister of the educator and author, Catharine Beecher, clergymen Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, and Edward Beecher. enrolled in the seminary run by her eldest sister Catharine, where she received a traditionally "male" education. the age of 21, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to join her father, who had become the president of Lane Theological Seminary, in 1836 she married Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor at the seminary and an ardent critic of slavery. Stowes supported the Underground Railroad and housed several fugitive slaves in their home. They eventually moved to Brunswick, Maine, where Calvin taught at Bowdoin College. 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law, prohibiting assistance to fugitives. Stowe was moved to present her objections on paper, and in June 1851, the first installment of Uncle Tom's Cabin appeared in the antislavery journal National Era. 40-year-old mother of seven children sparked a national debate and, as Abraham Lincoln is said to have noted, a war. Stowe died on July 1, 1896, at age eighty-five, in Hartford, Connecticut. — more at Wikipedia

US, 1836-1896, ANNE AYRES, NYC and Long Island, founded first Episcopal religious order for women in US
US, , ANNE AYRES, St. Johnland, in King's Park, Long Island and St Luke's Hospital1836-1896, NYC, founded first Episcopal religious order for women in US; Saint Johnland House ; St Johnland Nursing Center, History; Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; ANNE AYRES, RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; Ayres (January 3, 1816 – February 9, 1896) was a nun and the founder of the first Episcopalian religious order for women. in London, she emigrated to the United States in 1836; settling in New York City. She tutored the daughters of wealthy families, and in 1845 she decided to follow a religious life, after hearing a speech by Episcopal clergyman William Augustus Muhlenberg. were no religious orders specifically for women in the Episcopal Church so Ayres was consecrated a “sister of the Holy Communion”. She gathered other women as teachers at a Parish school and as charity workers, and they formed the Sisterhood of the Holy Communion in 1852. order opened an infirmary in 1853, before moving to St. Luke's Hospital. Ayres helped Muhlenberg found St. Johnland, in King's Park, Long Island, which was intended to be a rural utopia for poor inner-city people. wrote a biography of William Augustus Muhlenberg, first published in 1880 as The Life and Work of William Augustus Muhlenberg. — from Wikipedia

US, 1837-1841, President, Martin VanBuren, Dutch, Democrat founder but Abolitionist, opposed Texas annexation as slave state,
US President, 1837-1841, Martin VanBuren ; Van Buren (December 5, 1782 - July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. founder of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the ninth governor of New York, the tenth United States secretary of state, and the eighth vice president of the United States. won the 1836 presidential election with the endorsement of popular outgoing President Andrew Jackson and the organizational strength of the Democratic Party. was the third incumbent vice president to be elected president, and the last until 1988. lost his 1840 reelection bid to the Whig nominee, William Henry Harrison, thanks in part to the poor economic conditions surrounding the Panic of 1837. Later in his life, Van Buren emerged as an elder statesman and an important anti-slavery leader who led the Free Soil Party ticket in the 1848 presidential election. Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York, where most residents were of Dutch descent and spoke Dutch as their primary language. was the first president to have been born after the American Revolution—in which his father served as a patriot—and is the only president to have spoken English as a second language. as a lawyer, he quickly became involved in politics as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and won a seat in the New York State Senate, and then in the United States Senate in 1821. the leader of the Bucktails faction, Van Buren emerged as the most influential politician from New York in the 1820s and established a political machine known as the Albany Regency. Following the 1824 presidential election, Van Buren led to re-establish a two-party system with partisan differences based on ideology rather than personalities or sectional differences; he supported Jackson's candidacy in the 1828 presidential election with this goal in mind. ran successfully for governor of New York to support Jackson's campaign, but resigned shortly after Jackson was inaugurated so that he could accept appointment as Jackson's secretary of state. his cabinet position, Van Buren became a key Jackson advisor, and built the organizational structure for the coalescing Democratic Party. He ultimately resigned to help resolve the Petticoat affair, and briefly served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. Jackson's behest, the 1832 Democratic National Convention nominated Van Buren for vice president of the United States, and he took office after the Democratic ticket won the 1832 presidential election. Jackson's strong support, Van Buren won the presidential nomination at the 1835 Democratic National Convention, and he defeated several Whig opponents in the 1836 presidential election. his presidency soon eroded with his response to the Panic of 1837, which centered on his Independent Treasury system, a plan under which the Federal government of the United States would store its funds in vaults rather than in banks; more conservative Democrats and Whigs in Congress ultimately delayed his plan from being implemented until 1840. presidency was further marred by the costly Second Seminole War (a result of continuing Jackson's Indian removal policy); and his refusal to admit Texas to the Union as a slave state, done as an attempt to avoid heightened sectional tensions. In 1840, a surge of new voters—who nicknamed him "Martin Van Ruin"—helped turn him out of office. Buren was initially the leading candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination again in 1844, but his continued opposition to the annexation of Texas angered Southern Democrats, leading to the nomination of James K. Polk. Buren was the newly formed Free Soil Party's presidential nominee in 1848, and his candidacy most likely helped Whig nominee Zachary Taylor defeat Democrat Lewis Cass. Van Buren returned to the Democrats after 1848, but grew increasingly opposed to slavery, and became one of the party's outspoken abolitionists. He supported Abraham Lincoln's policies during the American Civil War. He died in Kinderhook in July 1862, aged 79. historical rankings, historians and political scientists often rank Van Buren as an average or below-average U.S. president, due to his handling of the Panic of 1837. However, Van Buren is largely remembered today as a leader in the formation of the two-party system in the United States. PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

US, 1837-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement
Maryland, 1837-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement; Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. February 1817[a] - February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory[5] and incisive antislavery writings. Accordingly, he was described by abolitionists in his time as a living counterexample to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.[6][7] Likewise, Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave.[8] wrote three autobiographies, describing his experiences as a slave in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), which became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). Following the Civil War, Douglass was active campaigner for the rights of freed slaves and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, the book covers events both during and after the Civil War. Douglass also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Without his permission, Douglass became the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.[9] believed in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, as well as in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution.[10] When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union with Slaveholders", criticized Douglass's willingness to engage in dialogue with slave owners, he replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."[11] as a slave Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland. The plantation was between Hillsboro and Cordova;[12] his birthplace was likely his grandmother's cabin[b] east of Tappers Corner, (38.8845°N 75.958°W) and west of Tuckahoe Creek.[13][14][15] In his first autobiography, Douglass stated: "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it."[16] However, based on the extant records of Douglass's former owner, Aaron Anthony, historian Dickson J. Preston determined that Douglass was born in February 1818.[3] Though the exact date of his birth is unknown, he chose to celebrate February 14 as his birthday, remembering that his mother called him her "Little Valentine."[17][18] family was of mixed race, which likely included Native American[19] and African on his mother's side, as well as European.[20] In contrast, his father was "almost certainly white", according to historian David W. Blight in his 2018 biography of Douglass.[21] Douglass said his mother Harriet Bailey gave him his name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey and, after he escaped to the North in September 1838, he took the surname Douglass, having already dropped his two middle names.[22] later wrote of his earliest times with his mother:[23] The opinion was…whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing. … My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant. … It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. … I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day. She was with me in the night. She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone. separation from his mother during infancy, young Frederick lived with his maternal grandmother Betsy Bailey, who was also a slave, and his maternal grandfather Isaac, who was free.[24] Betsy would live until 1849.[25] mother remained on the plantation about 12 miles (19 km) away, only visiting Frederick a few times before her death when he was 7 years old. learning and experience Auld family of a series on Slavery the age of 6, Frederick was separated from his grandparents and moved to the Wye House plantation, where Aaron Anthony worked as overseer.[15] After Anthony died in 1826, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld, who sent him to serve Thomas' brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore. Douglass felt that he was lucky to be in the city, where he said slaves were almost freemen, compared to those on plantations. Douglass was about 12, Hugh Auld's wife Sophia began teaching him the alphabet. From the day he arrived, she saw to it that Douglass was properly fed and clothed, and that he slept in a bed with sheets and a blanket.[26] Douglass described her as a kind and tender-hearted woman, who treated him "as she supposed one human being ought to treat another."[27] Auld disapproved of the tutoring, feeling that literacy would encourage slaves to desire freedom. Douglass later referred to this as the "first decidedly antislavery lecture" he had ever heard. "'Very well, thought I,'" wrote Douglass. "'Knowledge unfits a child to be a slave.' I instinctively assented to the proposition, and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom."[28] her husband's influence, Sophia came to believe that education and slavery were incompatible and one day snatched a newspaper away from Douglass.[29] She stopped teaching him altogether and hid all potential reading materials, including her Bible, from him.[26] In his autobiography, Douglass related how he learned to read from white children in the neighborhood, and by observing the writings of the men he worked with.[30] continued, secretly, to teach himself to read and write. He later often said, "knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom."[31] As Douglass began to read newspapers, pamphlets, political materials, and books of every description, this new realm of thought led him to question and condemn the institution of slavery. later years, Douglass credited The Columbian Orator, an anthology that he discovered at about age 12, with clarifying and defining his views on freedom and human rights. First published in 1797, the book is a classroom reader, containing essays, speeches, and dialogues, to assist students in learning reading and grammar. He later learned that his mother had also been literate, about which he would later declare: I am quite willing, and even happy, to attribute any love of letters I possess, and for which I have got—despite of prejudices—only too much credit, not to my admitted Anglo-Saxon paternity, but to the native genius of my sable, unprotected, and uncultivated mother—a woman, who belonged to a race whose mental endowments it is, at present, fashionable to hold in disparagement and contempt.[32] Freeland Douglass was hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the New Testament at a weekly Sunday school. As word spread, the interest among slaves in learning to read was so great that in any week, more than 40 slaves would attend lessons. For about six months, their study went relatively unnoticed. While Freeland remained complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed about their slaves being educated. One Sunday they burst in on the gathering, armed with clubs and stones, to disperse the congregation permanently. Edward Covey In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from Hugh ("[a]s a means of punishing Hugh," Douglass later wrote). Thomas sent Douglass to work for Edward Covey, a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker". He whipped Douglass so frequently that his wounds had little time to heal. Douglass later said the frequent whippings broke his body, soul, and spirit.[33] The 16-year-old Douglass finally rebelled against the beatings, however, and fought back. After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey never tried to beat him again.[34][35] Recounting his beatings at Covey's farm in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass described himself as "a man transformed into a brute!"[36] Still, Douglass came to see his physical fight with Covey as life-transforming, and introduced the story in his autobiography as such: "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."[37] From slavery to freedom Douglass first tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him from his owner, but was unsuccessful. In 1837, Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore about five years his senior. Her free status strengthened his belief in the possibility of gaining his own freedom. Murray encouraged him and supported his efforts by aid and money.[38] Anna Murray Douglass, Douglass's wife for 44 years, portrait ca. 1860 On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a northbound train of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.[39] The area where he boarded was thought to be a short distance east of the train depot, in a recently developed neighborhood between the modern neighborhoods of Harbor East and Little Italy. This depot was at President and Fleet Streets, east of "The Basin" of the Baltimore harbor, on the northwest branch of the Patapsco River. Research cited in 2021, however, suggests that Douglass in fact boarded the train at the Canton Depot of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad on Boston Street, in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, further east.[40][41][42] Young Douglass reached Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County, in the northeast corner of the state, along the southwest shore of the Susquehanna River, which flowed into the Chesapeake Bay. Although this placed him only some 20 miles (32 km) from the Maryland–Pennsylvania state line, it was easier to continue by rail through Delaware, another slave state. Dressed in a sailor's uniform provided to him by Murray, who also gave him part of her savings to cover his travel costs, he carried identification papers and protection papers that he had obtained from a free black seaman.[38][43][44] Douglass crossed the wide Susquehanna River by the railroad's steam-ferry at Havre de Grace to Perryville on the opposite shore, in Cecil County, then continued by train across the state line to Wilmington, Delaware, a large port at the head of the Delaware Bay. From there, because the rail line was not yet completed, he went by steamboat along the Delaware River further northeast to the "Quaker City" of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an anti-slavery stronghold. He continued to the safe house of noted abolitionist David Ruggles in New York City. His entire journey to freedom took less than 24 hours.[45] Douglass later wrote of his arrival in New York City: I have often been asked, how I felt when first I found myself on free soil. And my readers may share the same curiosity. There is scarcely anything in my experience about which I could not give a more satisfactory answer. A new world had opened upon me. If life is more than breath, and the "quick round of blood," I lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe. In a letter written to a friend soon after reaching New York, I said: "I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions." Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.[46] Once Douglass had arrived, he sent for Murray to follow him north to New York. She brought the basics for them to set up a home. They were married on September 15, 1838, by a black Presbyterian minister, just eleven days after Douglass had reached New York.[45] At first they adopted Johnson as their married name, to divert attention.[38] Abolitionist and preacher Frederick Douglass, c. 1840s, in his 20s The couple settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, (an abolitionist center, full of former slaves), in 1838, moving to Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1841.[47] After meeting and staying with Nathan and Mary Johnson, they adopted Douglass as their married name:[38] Douglass had grown up using his mother's surname of Bailey; after escaping slavery he had changed his surname first to Stanley and then to Johnson. In New Bedford, the latter was such a common name that he wanted one that was more distinctive, and asked Nathan Johnson to choose a suitable surname. Nathan suggested "Douglass",[48] after having read the poem The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott, in which two of the principal characters have the surname "Douglas".[49] The home and meetinghouse of the Johnsons, where Douglass and his wife lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts Douglass thought of joining a white Methodist Church, but was disappointed, from the beginning, upon finding that it was segregated. Later, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, an independent black denomination first established in New York City, which counted among its members Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.[50] He became a licensed preacher in 1839,[51] which helped him to hone his oratorical skills. He held various positions, including steward, Sunday-school superintendent, and sexton. In 1840, Douglass delivered a speech in Elmira, New York, then a station on the Underground Railroad, in which a black congregation would form years later, becoming the region's largest church by 1940.[52] Douglass also joined several organizations in New Bedford, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. He subscribed to William Lloyd Garrison's weekly newspaper, The Liberator. He later said that "no face and form ever impressed me with such sentiments [of the hatred of slavery] as did those of William Lloyd Garrison." So deep was this influence that in his last biography, Douglass said "his paper took a place in my heart second only to The Bible."[53] Garrison was likewise impressed with Douglass, and had written about his anti-colonialist stance in The Liberator as early as 1839. Douglass first heard Garrison speak in 1841, at a lecture that Garrison gave in Liberty Hall, New Bedford. At another meeting, Douglass was unexpectedly invited to speak. After telling his story, Douglass was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. A few days later, Douglass spoke at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's annual convention, in Nantucket. Then 23 years old, Douglass conquered his nervousness and gave an eloquent speech about his rough life as a slave. William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist and one of Douglass's first friends in the North While living in Lynn, Douglass engaged in early protest against segregated transportation. In September 1841, at Lynn Central Square station, Douglass and friend James N. Buffum were thrown off an Eastern Railroad train because Douglass refused to sit in the segregated railroad coach.[47][54][55][56] In 1843, Douglass joined other speakers in the American Anti-Slavery Society's "Hundred Conventions" project, a six-month tour at meeting halls throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. During this tour, slavery supporters frequently accosted Douglass. At a lecture in Pendleton, Indiana, an angry mob chased and beat Douglass before a local Quaker family, the Hardys, rescued him. His hand was broken in the attack; it healed improperly and bothered him for the rest of his life.[57] A stone marker in Falls Park in the Pendleton Historic District commemorates this event. In 1847, Frederick Douglass explained to Garrison, "I have no love for America, as such; I have no patriotism. I have no country. What country have I? The Institutions of this Country do not know me—do not recognize me as a man."[58] Further information: Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts Autobiography Douglass's best-known work is his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts[59] and published in 1845. At the time, some skeptics questioned whether a black man could have produced such an eloquent piece of literature. The book received generally positive reviews and became an immediate bestseller. Within three years, it had been reprinted nine times, with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States. It was also translated into French and Dutch and published in Europe. Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 Narrative was his biggest seller, and probably allowed him to raise the funds to gain his legal freedom the following year, as discussed below. In 1855, Douglass published My Bondage and My Freedom. In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. Travels to Ireland and Great Britain Plaque to Frederick Douglass, West Bell St., Dundee, Scotland Douglass in 1847, around 29 years of age Douglass's friends and mentors feared that the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner, Hugh Auld, who might try to get his "property" back. They encouraged Douglass to tour Ireland, as many former slaves had done. Douglass set sail on the Cambria for Liverpool, England, on August 16, 1845. He traveled in Ireland as the Great Famine was beginning. The feeling of freedom from American racial discrimination amazed Douglass:[60] Eleven days and a half gone and I have crossed three thousand miles of the perilous deep. Instead of a democratic government, I am under a monarchical government. Instead of the bright, blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft, grey fog of the Emerald Isle [Ireland]. I breathe, and lo! the chattel [slave] becomes a man. I gaze around in vain for one who will question my equal humanity, claim me as his slave, or offer me an insult. I employ a cab—I am seated beside white people—I reach the hotel—I enter the same door—I am shown into the same parlour—I dine at the same table—and no one is offended ... I find myself regarded and treated at every turn with the kindness and deference paid to white people. When I go to church, I am met by no upturned nose and scornful lip to tell me, 'We don't allow niggers in here!' Still, Douglass was astounded by the extreme levels of poverty he encountered, much of it reminding him of his experiences in slavery. In a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass wrote "I see much here to remind me of my former condition, and I confess I should be ashamed to lift up my voice against American slavery, but that I know the cause of humanity is one the world over. He who really and truly feels for the American slave, cannot steel his heart to the woes of others; and he who thinks himself an abolitionist, yet cannot enter into the wrongs of others, has yet to find a true foundation for his anti-slavery faith."[61] He also met and befriended the Irish nationalist and strident abolitionist Daniel O'Connell,[62][63] who was to be a great inspiration.[64][65] Douglass spent two years in Ireland and Great Britain, lecturing in churches and chapels. His draw was such that some facilities were "crowded to suffocation". One example was his hugely popular London Reception Speech, which Douglass delivered in May 1846 at Alexander Fletcher's Finsbury Chapel. Douglass remarked that in England he was treated not "as a color, but as a man."[66] In 1846, Douglass met with Thomas Clarkson, one of the last living British abolitionists, who had persuaded Parliament to abolish slavery in Great Britain's colonies.[67] During this trip Douglass became legally free, as British supporters led by Anna Richardson and her sister-in-law Ellen of Newcastle upon Tyne raised funds to buy his freedom from his American owner Thomas Auld.[66][68] Many supporters tried to encourage Douglass to remain in England but, with his wife still in Massachusetts and three million of his black brethren in bondage in the United States, he returned to America in the spring of 1847,[66] soon after the death of Daniel O'Connell.[69] In the 21st century, historical plaques were installed on buildings in Cork and Waterford, Ireland, and London to celebrate Douglass's visit: the first is on the Imperial Hotel in Cork and was unveiled on August 31, 2012; the second is on the façade of Waterford City Hall, unveiled on October 7, 2013. It commemorates his speech there on October 9, 1845.[70] The third plaque adorns Nell Gwynn House, South Kensington in London, at the site of an earlier house where Douglass stayed with the British abolitionist George Thompson.[71] Douglass spent time in Scotland and was appointed "Scotland's Antislavery agent."[72] He made anti-slavery speeches and wrote letters back to the USA. He considered the city of Edinburgh to be elegant, grand and very welcoming. Maps of the places in the city that were important to his stay are held by the National Library of Scotland.[73][74] A plaque and a mural on Gilmore Place in Edinburgh mark his stay there in 1846. "A variety of collaborative projects are currently [in 2021] underway to commemorate Frederick Douglass’s journey and visit to Ireland in the 19th century."[75] Return to the United States Douglass circa 1847–52, around his early 30s After returning to the U.S. in 1847, using £500 (equivalent to $46,030 in 2019) given to him by English supporters,[66] Douglass started publishing his first abolitionist newspaper, the North Star, from the basement of the Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, New York.[76] Originally, Pittsburgh journalist Martin Delany was co-editor but Douglass didn't feel he brought in enough subscriptions, and they parted ways.[77] The North Star's motto was "Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."[78] The AME Church and North Star vigorously opposed the mostly white American Colonization Society and its proposal to send blacks back to Africa. Douglass also soon split with Garrison, perhaps because the North Star competed with Garrison's National Anti-Slavery Standard and Marius Robinson's Anti-Slavery Bugle. Besides publishing the North Star and delivering speeches, Douglass also participated in the Underground Railroad. He and his wife provided lodging and resources in their home to more than four hundred escaped slaves.[79] Douglass also came to disagree with Garrison. Earlier Douglass had agreed with Garrison's position that the Constitution was pro-slavery, because of the three-fifths clause its compromises related to apportionment of Congressional seats, based on partial counting of slave populations with state totals; and protection of the international slave trade through 1807. Garrison had burned copies of the Constitution to express his opinion. However, Lysander Spooner published The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (1846), which examined the United States Constitution as an anti-slavery document. Douglass's change of opinion about the Constitution and his splitting from Garrison around 1847 became one of the abolitionist movement's most notable divisions. Douglass angered Garrison by saying that the Constitution could and should be used as an instrument in the fight against slavery.[80] In September 1848, on the tenth anniversary of his escape, Douglass published an open letter addressed to his former master, Thomas Auld, berating him for his conduct, and inquiring after members of his family still held by Auld.[81][82] In the course of the letter, Douglass adeptly transitions from formal and restrained to familiar and then to impassioned. At one point he is the proud parent, describing his improved circumstances and the progress of his own four young children. But then he dramatically shifts tone: Oh! sir, a slaveholder never appears to me so completely an agent of hell, as when I think of and look upon my dear children. It is then that my feelings rise above my control. … The grim horrors of slavery rise in all their ghastly terror before me, the wails of millions pierce my heart, and chill my blood. I remember the chain, the gag, the bloody whip, the deathlike gloom overshadowing the broken spirit of the fettered bondman, the appalling liability of his being torn away from wife and children, and sold like a beast in the market.[83] In a graphic passage, Douglass asked Auld how he would feel if Douglass had come to take away his daughter Amanda as a slave, treating her the way he and members of his family had been treated by Auld.[81][82] Yet in his conclusion Douglass shows his focus and benevolence, stating that he has "no malice towards him personally," and asserts that, "there is no roof under which you would be more safe than mine, and there is nothing in my house which you might need for comfort, which I would not readily grant. Indeed, I should esteem it a privilege, to set you an example as to how mankind ought to treat each other."[83] Women's rights In 1848, Douglass was the only African American to attend the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, in upstate New York.[84][85] Elizabeth Cady Stanton asked the assembly to pass a resolution asking for women's suffrage.[86] Many of those present opposed the idea, including influential Quakers James and Lucretia Mott.[87] Douglass stood and spoke eloquently in favor of women's suffrage; he said that he could not accept the right to vote as a black man if women could not also claim that right. He suggested that the world would be a better place if women were involved in the political sphere. In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but the maiming and repudiation of one-half of the moral and intellectual power of the government of the world.[87] After Douglass's powerful words, the attendees passed the resolution.[87][88] In the wake of the Seneca Falls Convention, Douglass used an editorial in The North Star to press the case for women's rights. He recalled the "marked ability and dignity" of the proceedings, and briefly conveyed several arguments of the convention and feminist thought at the time. On the first count, Douglass acknowledged the "decorum" of the participants in the face of disagreement. In the remainder, he discussed the primary document that emerged from the conference, a Declaration of Sentiments, and the "infant" feminist cause. Strikingly, he expressed the belief that "[a] discussion of the rights of animals would be regarded with far more complacency...than would be a discussion of the rights of women," and Douglass noted the link between abolitionism and feminism, the overlap between the communities. His opinion as the editor of a prominent newspaper carried weight, and he stated the position of the North Star explicitly: "We hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man." This letter, written a week after the convention, reaffirmed the first part of the paper's slogan, "right is of no sex." After the Civil War, when the 15th Amendment giving Blacks the right to vote was being debated, Douglass split with the Stanton-led faction of the women's rights movement. Douglass supported the amendment, which would grant suffrage to black men. Stanton opposed the 15th Amendment because it limited the expansion of suffrage to black men; she predicted its passage would delay for decades the cause for women's right to vote. Stanton argued that American women and black men should band together to fight for universal suffrage, and opposed any bill that split the issues.[89] Douglass and Stanton both knew that there was not yet enough male support for women's right to vote, but that an amendment giving black men the vote could pass in the late 1860s. Stanton wanted to attach women's suffrage to that of black men so that her cause would be carried to success.[90] Douglass thought such a strategy was too risky, that there was barely enough support for black men's suffrage. He feared that linking the cause of women's suffrage to that of black men would result in failure for both. Douglass argued that white women, already empowered by their social connections to fathers, husbands, and brothers, at least vicariously had the vote. African-American women, he believed, would have the same degree of empowerment as white women once African-American men had the vote.[90] Douglass assured the American women that at no time had he ever argued against women's right to vote.[91] Ideological refinement Frederick Douglass in 1856, around 38 years of age Meanwhile, in 1851, Douglass merged the North Star with Gerrit Smith's Liberty Party Paper to form Frederick Douglass' Paper, which was published until 1860. On July 5, 1852, Douglass delivered an address to the ladies of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. This speech eventually became known as "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"; one biographer called it "perhaps the greatest antislavery oration ever given."[92] In 1853, he was a prominent attendee of the radical abolitionist National African American Convention in Rochester. Douglass's was one of five names attached to the address of the convention to the people of the United States published under the title, The Claims of Our Common Cause, along with Amos Noë Freeman, James Monroe Whitfield, Henry O. Wagoner, and George Boyer Vashon.[93] Like many abolitionists, Douglass believed that education would be crucial for African Americans to improve their lives; he was an early advocate for school desegregation. In the 1850s, Douglass observed that New York's facilities and instruction for African-American children were vastly inferior to those for whites. Douglass called for court action to open all schools to all children. He said that full inclusion within the educational system was a more pressing need for African Americans than political issues such as suffrage. John Brown Douglass argued against John Brown's plan to attack the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, painting by Jacob Lawrence See also: Shields Green On March 12, 1859, Douglass met with radical abolitionists John Brown, George DeBaptiste, and others at William Webb's house in Detroit to discuss emancipation.[94] Douglass met Brown again when Brown visited his home two months before leading the raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown penned his Provisional Constitution during his two-week stay with Douglass. Also staying with Douglass for over a year was Shields Green, a fugitive slave that Douglass was helping, as he often did. The secret meeting in the Chambersburg stone quarry Shortly before the raid, Douglass, taking Green with him, travelled from Rochester, via New York City, to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, John Brown's communications headquarters. He was recognized there by Blacks, who asked him for a lecture. Douglass agreed, although he said his only topic was slavery. John Brown, incognito, sat in the audience; Shields Green joined him on the stage. A white reporter, referring to "Nigger Democracy", called it a "flaming address" by "the notorious Negro Orator".[95] There, in an abandoned stone quarry for secrecy, Douglass and Green met with Brown and John Henri Kagi, to discuss the raid. After discussions lasting, as Douglass put it, "a day and a night", he disappointed Brown by declining to join him, considering the mission suicidal. To Douglass's surprise, Green went with Brown instead of returning to Rochester with Douglass. Anne Brown said that Green told her that Douglass promised to pay him on his return, but David Blight called this "much more ex post facto bitterness than reality.[96]: 172–174  Almost all that is known about this incident comes from Douglass. It is clear that it was of immense importance to him, both as a turning point in his life—not accompanying John Brown—and its importance in his public image. The meeting was not revealed by Douglass for 20 years. He first disclosed it in his speech on John Brown at Storer College in 1881, trying unsuccessfully to raise money to support a John Brown professorship at Storer, to be held by a Black man. He again referred to it stunningly in his last Autobiography. After the raid, which took place between October 16 and 18, 1859, Douglass was accused both of supporting Brown and of not supporting him enough.[97] He was nearly arrested on a Virginia warrant,[98][99][100] and fled for a brief time to Canada before proceeding onward to England on a previously-planned lecture tour, arriving near the end of November.[101] During his lecture tour of Great Britain, on March 26, 1860, Douglass delivered a speech before the Scottish Anti-Slavery Society in Glasgow, "The Constitution of the United States: Is It Pro-Slavery or Antislavery?", outlining his views on the American Constitution.[102] That month, on the 13th, Douglass's youngest daughter Annie died in Rochester, New York, just days shy of her 11th birthday. Douglass sailed back from England the following month, traveling through Canada to avoid detection. Douglass's Storer College address (1881) Years later, in 1881, Douglass shared a stage at Storer College in Harpers Ferry with Andrew Hunter, the prosecutor who secured Brown's conviction and execution. Hunter congratulated Douglass.[103] Photography Douglass considered photography very important in ending slavery and racism, and believed that the camera would not lie, even in the hands of a racist white, as photographs were an excellent counter to the many racist caricatures, particularly in blackface minstrelsy. He was the most photographed American of the 19th century, consciously using photography to advance his political views.[104][105] He never smiled, specifically so as not to play into the racist caricature of a happy slave. He tended to look directly into the camera to confront the viewer, with a stern look.[106][107] Religious views As a child, Douglass was exposed to a number of religious sermons, and in his youth, he sometimes heard Sophia Auld reading the Bible. In time, he became interested in literacy; he began reading and copying bible verses, and he eventually converted to Christianity.[108][109] He described this approach in his last biography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass: I was not more than thirteen years old, when in my loneliness and destitution I longed for some one to whom I could go, as to a father and protector. The preaching of a white Methodist minister, named Hanson, was the means of causing me to feel that in God I had such a friend. He thought that all men, great and small, bond and free, were sinners in the sight of God: that they were by nature rebels against His government; and that they must repent of their sins, and be reconciled to God through Christ. I cannot say that I had a very distinct notion of what was required of me, but one thing I did know well: I was wretched and had no means of making myself otherwise. I consulted a good old colored man named Charles Lawson, and in tones of holy affection he told me to pray, and to "cast all my care upon God." This I sought to do; and though for weeks I was a poor, broken-hearted mourner, traveling through doubts and fears, I finally found my burden lightened, and my heart relieved. I loved all mankind, slaveholders not excepted, though I abhorred slavery more than ever. I saw the world in a new light, and my great concern was to have everybody converted. My desire to learn increased, and especially, did I want a thorough acquaintance with the contents of the Bible.[110] Douglass was mentored by Rev. Charles Lawson, and, early in his activism, he often included biblical allusions and religious metaphors in his speeches. Although a believer, he strongly criticized religious hypocrisy[111] and accused slaveholders of wickedness, lack of morality, and failure to follow the Golden Rule. In this sense, Douglass distinguished between the "Christianity of Christ" and the "Christianity of America" and considered religious slaveholders and clergymen who defended slavery as the most brutal, sinful, and cynical of all who represented "wolves in sheep's clothing".[112][113] Notably, in a famous oration given in the Corinthian Hall of Rochester,[114] he sharply criticized the attitude of religious people who kept silent about slavery, and held that religious ministers committed a blasphemy when they taught it as sanctioned by religion. He considered that a law passed to support slavery was "one of the grossest infringements of Christian Liberty" and said that pro-slavery clergymen within the American Church "stripped the love of God of its beauty, and leave the throne of religion a huge, horrible, repulsive form", and "an abomination in the sight of God".[111] Of ministers like John Chase Lord, Leonard Elijah Lathrop, Ichabod Spencer, and Orville Dewey, he said that they taught, against the Scriptures, that "we ought to obey man's law before the law of God". He further asserted, "in speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. There are exceptions, and I thank God that there are. Noble men may be found, scattered all over these Northern States ... Henry Ward Beecher of Brooklyn, Samuel J. May of Syracuse, and my esteemed friend [Robert R. Raymonde]".[111] He maintained that "upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slave's redemption from his chains". In addition, he called religious people to embrace abolitionism, stating, "let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds."[111] During his visits to the United Kingdom between 1846 and 1848, Douglass asked British Christians never to support American churches that permitted slavery,[115] and he expressed his happiness to know that a group of ministers in Belfast had refused to admit slaveholders as members of the Church. On his return to the United States, Douglass founded the North Star, a weekly publication with the motto "Right is of no sex, Truth is of no color, God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren." Douglass later wrote a letter to his former slaveholder, in which he denounced him for leaving Douglass's family illiterate: Your wickedness and cruelty committed in this respect on your fellow creatures, are greater than all the stripes you have laid upon my back or theirs. It is an outrage upon the soul, a war upon the immortal spirit, and one for which you must give account at the bar of our common Father and Creator. — Letter to His Old Master. To my Old Master Thomas Auld.[60] Sometimes considered a precursor of a non-denominational liberation theology,[116][117] Douglass was a deeply spiritual man, as his home continues to show. The fireplace mantle features busts of two of his favorite philosophers, David Friedrich Strauss, author of "The Life of Jesus", and Ludwig Feuerbach, author of "The Essence of Christianity"[dubious – discuss]. In addition to several Bibles and books about various religions in the library, images of angels and Jesus are displayed, as well as interior and exterior photographs of Washington's Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.[52] Throughout his life, Douglass had linked that individual experience with social reform, and like other Christian abolitionists, he followed practices such as abstaining from tobacco, alcohol and other substances that he believed corrupted body and soul.[118] Civil War years Before the Civil War By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. His reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature. Fight for emancipation and suffrage A 1863 Broadside listing Douglass as a speaker calling men of color to arms Douglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the Civil War was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches. In August 1861 he published an account of the First Battle of Bull Run, noting that some blacks were already in the Confederate ranks. A few weeks later, Douglass brought the subject up again, quoting a witness to the battle who said they saw black Confederates "with muskets on their shoulders and bullets in their pockets."[119] Douglass conferred with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 on the treatment of black soldiers,[120] and with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage.[121] President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of all slaves in Confederate-held territory. (Slaves in Union-held areas were not covered by this war-measures act; slaves in Union-held areas and Northern states were freed with the adoption of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865.) Douglass described the spirit of those awaiting the proclamation: "We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky ... we were watching ... by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day ... we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries."[122] During the U.S. Presidential Election of 1864, Douglass supported John C. Frémont, who was the candidate of the abolitionist Radical Democracy Party. Douglass was disappointed that President Lincoln did not publicly endorse suffrage for black freedmen. Douglass believed that since African-American men were fighting for the Union in the American Civil War, they deserved the right to vote.[123] With the North no longer obliged to return slaves to their owners in the South, Douglass fought for equality for his people. He made plans with Lincoln to move liberated slaves out of the South. During the war, Douglass also helped the Union cause by serving as a recruiter for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. His eldest son, Charles Douglass, joined the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, but was ill for much of his service.[51] Lewis Douglass fought at the Battle of Fort Wagner.[124] Another son, Frederick Douglass Jr., also served as a recruiter. After Lincoln's death The post-war (1865) ratification of the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery. The 14th Amendment provided for citizenship and equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment protected all citizens from being discriminated against in voting because of race.[89] On April 14, 1876, Douglass delivered the keynote speech at the unveiling of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington's Lincoln Park. He spoke frankly about Lincoln, noting what he perceived as both positive and negative attributes of the late President. Calling Lincoln "the white man's president", Douglass criticized Lincoln's tardiness in joining the cause of emancipation, noting that Lincoln initially opposed the expansion of slavery but did not support its elimination. But Douglass also asked, "Can any colored man, or any white man friendly to the freedom of all men, ever forget the night which followed the first day of January 1863, when the world was to see if Abraham Lincoln would prove to be as good as his word?"[125] He also said: "Though Mr. Lincoln shared the prejudices of his white fellow-countrymen against the Negro, it is hardly necessary to say that in his heart of hearts he loathed and hated slavery ..." The crowd, roused by his speech, gave Douglass a standing ovation. Lincoln's widow Mary Lincoln supposedly gave Lincoln's favorite walking-stick to Douglass in appreciation. That walking-stick still rests in his final residence, "Cedar Hill", now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. delivering the speech, Frederick Douglass immediately wrote to the National Republican newspaper in Washington (which published five days later, April 19), criticizing the statue's design and suggesting the park could be improved by more dignified monuments of free Black people. "The negro here, though rising, is still on his knees and nude," Douglass wrote. "What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man."[126] era Frederick Douglass in 1876, around 58 years of age the Civil War, Douglass continued to work for equality for African-Americans and women. Due to his prominence and activism during the war, Douglass received several political appointments. He served as president of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank.[127] white insurgents had quickly arisen in the South after the war, organizing first as secret vigilante groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. Armed insurgency took different forms. Powerful paramilitary groups included the White League and the Red Shirts, both active during the 1870s in the Deep South. They operated as "the military arm of the Democratic Party", turning out Republican officeholders and disrupting elections.[128] Starting 10 years after the war, Democrats regained political power in every state of the former Confederacy and began to reassert white supremacy. They enforced this by a combination of violence, late 19th-century laws imposing segregation and a concerted effort to disfranchise African Americans. New labor and criminal laws also limited their freedom.[129] combat these efforts, Douglass supported the presidential campaign of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. In 1870, Douglass started his last newspaper, the New National Era, attempting to hold his country to its commitment to equality.[51] President Grant sent a Congressionally sponsored commission, accompanied by Douglass, on a mission to the West Indies to investigate if the annexation of Santo Domingo would be good for the United States. Grant believed annexation would help relieve the violent situation in the South by allowing African Americans their own state. Douglass and the commission favored annexation, however, Congress remained opposed to annexation. Douglass criticized Senator Charles Sumner, who opposed annexation, stating if Sumner continued to oppose annexation he would "regard him as the worst foe the colored race has on this continent."[130] Douglass's former residence in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. He built 2000–2004 17th Street, NW, in 1875. the midterm elections, Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also known as the Klan Act), and the second and third Enforcement Acts. Grant used their provisions vigorously, suspending habeas corpus in South Carolina and sending troops there and into other states. Under his leadership over 5,000 arrests were made. Grant's vigor in disrupting the Klan made him unpopular among many whites, but earned praise from Douglass. A Douglass associate wrote that African Americans "will ever cherish a grateful remembrance of [Grant's] name, fame and great services." 1872, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States, as Victoria Woodhull's running mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket. He was nominated without his knowledge. Douglass neither campaigned for the ticket nor acknowledged that he had been nominated.[9] In that year, he was presidential elector at large for the State of New York, and took that state's votes to Washington, D.C.[131] in early June of that year, Douglass's third Rochester home, on South Avenue, burned down; arson was suspected.[132][133] There was extensive damage to the house, its furnishings, and the grounds; in addition, sixteen volumes of the North Star and Frederick Douglass' Paper were lost.[134] Douglass then moved to Washington, D.C. the Reconstruction era, Douglass continued speaking, emphasizing the importance of work, voting rights and actual exercise of suffrage. His speeches for the twenty-five years following the war emphasized work to counter the racism that was then prevalent in In a November 15, 1867, speech he said "A man's rights rest in three boxes. The ballot box, jury box and the cartridge box. Let no man be kept from the ballot box because of his color. Let no woman be kept from the ballot box because of her sex."[136][137] Douglass spoke at many colleges around the country, including Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1873. 1881, Douglass delivered at Storer College, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a speech praising John Brown and revealing unknown information about their relationship, including their meeting in an abandoned stone quarry near Chambersburg shortly before the raid. [138] life Frederick Douglass after 1884 with his second wife Helen Pitts Douglass (sitting). The woman standing is her sister Eva Pitts. Further information: Douglass family and Anna Murray had five children: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr., Charles Remond Douglass, and Annie Douglass (died at the age of ten). Charles and Rosetta helped produce his newspapers. Douglass remained a loyal supporter of her husband's public work. His relationships with Julia Griffiths and Ottilie Assing, two women with whom he was professionally involved, caused recurring speculation and scandals.[139] Assing was a journalist recently immigrated from Germany, who first visited Douglass in 1856 seeking permission to translate My Bondage and My Freedom into German. Until 1872, she often stayed at his house "for several months at a time" as his "intellectual and emotional companion."[77]: 387, 290–291  held Anna Douglass "in utter contempt" and was vainly hoping that Douglass would separate from his wife. Douglass biographer David W. Blight concludes that Assing and Douglass "were probably lovers."[77]: 387, 290–291  Though Douglass and Assing are widely believed to have had an intimate relationship, the surviving correspondence contains no proof of such a relationship.[77]: 521–522, 529, 570, 572–574  Anna died in 1882, in 1884 Douglass married again, to Helen Pitts, a white suffragist and abolitionist from Honeoye, New York. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague and friend of Douglass's. graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then called Mount Holyoke Female Seminary), Pitts worked on a radical feminist publication named Alpha while living in Washington, D.C. She later worked as Douglass's secretary.[140] who had depression and was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, committed suicide in France in 1884 after hearing of the marriage.[141] Upon her death, Assing bequeathed Douglass $13,000, albums, and his choice of books from her library.[142] marriage of Douglass and Pitts provoked a storm of controversy, since Pitts was both white and nearly 20 years younger. Her family stopped speaking to her; his children considered the marriage a repudiation of their mother. feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton congratulated the couple.[143] Douglass responded to the criticisms by saying that his first marriage had been to someone the color of his mother, and his second to someone the color of his father.[144] years in Washington, D.C. Freedman's Savings Bank went bankrupt on June 29, 1874, just a few months after Douglass became its president in late March.[145] During that same economic crisis, his final newspaper, The New National Era, failed in September.[146] Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president, he named Douglass as United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, the first person of color to be so named. The Senate voted to confirm him on March 17, 1877.[147] Douglass accepted the appoint, which helped assure his family's financial security.[51] his tenure, Douglass was urged by his supporters to resign from his commission, since he was never asked to introduce visiting foreign dignitaries to the President, which is one of the usual duties of that post. However, Douglass believed that no covert racism was implied by the omission, and stated that he was always warmly welcomed in presidential circles.[148][149] Cedar Hill, Douglass's house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is preserved as a National Historic Site. 1877, Douglass visited his former slavemaster Thomas Auld on his deathbed, and the two men reconciled. Douglass had met Auld's daughter, Amanda Auld Sears, some years prior. She had requested the meeting and had subsequently attended and cheered one of Douglass's speeches. Her father complimented her for reaching out to Douglass. The visit also appears to have brought closure to Douglass, although some criticized his effort.[81] same year, Douglass bought the house that was to be the family's final home in Washington, D.C., on a hill above the Anacostia River. He and Anna named it Cedar Hill (also spelled CedarHill). They expanded the house from 14 to 21 rooms, and included a china closet. One year later, Douglass purchased adjoining lots and expanded the property to 15 acres (61,000 m2). The home is now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. 1881, Douglass published the final edition of his autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. That year he was appointed as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. His wife Anna Murray Douglass died in 1882, leaving the widower devastated. After a period of mourning, Douglass found new meaning from working with activist Ida B. Wells. He remarried in 1884, as mentioned above. also continued his speaking engagements and travel, both in the United States and abroad. With new wife Helen, Douglass traveled to England, Ireland, France, Italy, Egypt and Greece from 1886 to 1887. He became known for advocating Irish Home Rule and supported Charles Stewart Parnell in Ireland. addition to his travel abroad during those years, he lectured in small towns in the United States. On December 28, 1885, the aging orator spoke to the literary society in Rising Sun, a town in northeastern Maryland below the Mason–Dixon line.[150] The program, "The Self-Made Man," attracted a large audience including students from Lincoln University in Chester County, PA, the Oxford Press reported. "Mr. Douglass is growing old and has lost much of his fire and vigor of mind as well as body, but he is still able to interest an audience. He is a remarkable man and is a bright example of the capability of the colored race, even under the blighting influence of slavery, from which he emerged and became one of the distinguished citizens of the country," the Chester County PA newspaper remarked.[151] The gravestone of Frederick Douglass located in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester the 1888 Republican National Convention, Douglass became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote.[152][153][154] That year, Douglass spoke at Claflin College, a historically black college in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and the state's oldest such institution.[155] African Americans, called Exodusters, escaped the Klan and racially discriminatory laws in the South by moving to Kansas, where some formed all-black towns to have a greater level of freedom and autonomy. Douglass did not favor this, nor the Back-to-Africa movement. He thought the latter resembled the American Colonization Society which he had opposed in his youth. In 1892, at an Indianapolis conference convened by Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, Douglass spoke out against the separatist movements, urging blacks to stick it out.[51] He made similar speeches as early as 1879, and was criticized both by fellow leaders and some audiences, who even booed him for this position.[156] Speaking in Baltimore in 1894, Douglass said, "I hope and trust all will come out right in the end, but the immediate future looks dark and troubled. I cannot shut my eyes to the ugly facts before me."[157] Harrison appointed Douglass as the United States's minister resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti and Chargé d'affaires for Santo Domingo in 1889.[158] but Douglass resigned the commission in July 1891 when it became apparent that the American President was intent upon gaining permanent access to Haitian territory regardless of that country's desires.[159] In 1892, Haiti made Douglass a co-commissioner of its pavilion at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[160] 1892, Douglass constructed rental housing for blacks, now known as Douglass Place, in the Fells Point area of Baltimore. The complex still exists, and in 2003 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[161][162] Death February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and received a standing ovation. Shortly after he returned home, Douglass died of a massive heart attack.[163] He was 77. funeral was held at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Thousands of people passed by his coffin to show their respect. Although Douglass had attended several churches in the nation's capital, he had a pew here and had donated two standing candelabras when this church had moved to a new building in 1886. He also gave many lectures there, including his last major speech, "The Lesson of the Hour."[52] coffin was transported to Rochester, New York, where he had lived for 25 years, longer than anywhere else in his life. He was buried next to Anna in the Douglass family plot of Mount Hope Cemetery. Helen was also buried there in 1903.[164] JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911):;

US, 1838-1895, FREDERICK DOUGLASS, Priest, abolitionist, wmen's suffragist, editor, orator, author, reformer
US, 1838-1895, FREDERICK DOUGLASS, Anacostia (neighborhood), Washington DC, Priest, abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer, slave till 1838, 3 vautobiographies, educaton the key, conferred w Lincoln, women's sufferage Convention 1848, England&Ireland, important political positions after War; Anacostia (neighborhood of Washington, DC); FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, circa 1818 – February 20, 1895) an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. Called "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia", Douglass is one of the most prominent figures in African American and United States history. was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong." Douglass was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland. He was separated from his mother, Harriet Bailey, when he was still an infant. She died when Douglass was about seven and Douglass lived with his maternal grandmother Betty Bailey. Douglass was about twelve, his owner's wife started teaching him the alphabet, which was against the law. Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white children in the neighborhood and by observing the writings of men with whom he worked. As Douglass learned and began to read newspapers, political materials, and books of every description, he was exposed to a new realm of thought that led him to question and then condemn the institution of slavery. was hired out to a number of owners before finally escaping north to freedom in September 1838. Douglass continued traveling up to Massachusetts. There he joined various organizations in New Bedford, including a black church, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. best-known work is his first autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, published in 1845. The book received generally positive reviews and it became an immediate bestseller. Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 Narrative, which was his biggest seller, was followed by My Bondage and My Freedom in 1855. In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. produced some regular abolitionist newspapers, including The North Star. Its motto was "Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren." believed that education was key for African Americans to improve their lives. For this reason, he was an early advocate for desegregation of schools. conferred with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 on the treatment of black soldiers, and with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage. His early collaborators were the white abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. 1848, Douglass attended the first women's rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention, as the only African American. Elizabeth Cady Stanton asked the assembly to pass a resolution asking for women's suffrage. Many of those present opposed the idea, but Douglass stood and spoke eloquently in favor; he said that he could not accept the right to vote himself as a black man if woman could not also claim that right. His powerful words rang true with enough attendees that the resolution passed. the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature. the Civil War, Douglass was appointed to several important political positions. He served as President of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank; as marshal of the District of Columbia; as minister-resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti (1889–1891); and as chargé d'affaires for the Dominican Republic. was an ordained minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. — more from Wikipedia

US, 1838-1876, JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, Missionary, Queens, NY, 1844 Nashotah House WI, Chippewa Indians
US, 1838-1876, JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary, Flushing Institute, Flushing, Queens, NY, 1844 Nashotah House WI, Chippewa Indians ; Flushing Institute, Flushing, NY; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); was born 27 June 1818 near Philadelphia, and attended high school at the Flushing Institute, founded by William Augustus Muhlenberg (see 8 April), who inspired him to resolve at the age of sixteen to devote himself to missionary activity. 1844, by then a priest, he went to Wisconsin (then on the frontier) with two classmates, under the direction of Bishop Kemper, to found Nashotah House, intended as a monastic community, a seminary, and a center for theological work. It continues today as a seminary and representative of one traditional aspect of Anglican thought and practice. a letter to a friend, Breck described the seminary in his day as follows: The students boarding with us are all theological. They are chiefly young men, sons of the farmers, and all communicants of the Church. Our students, like ourselves, are poor, but not the less worthy for all that. They seek the Ministry, but are unable to attain it without aid. We have a house; for this we pay no rent; it belongs to the Church, and so do we. We have land. They work four hours a day for their board and washing, and we give them their education without cost. Thus their clothing is their only expense, and to enable them to purchase this, we give them six weeks vacation during the harvest, when they can earn the highest wages. Brother Adams and myself work four hours, except when we are teaching or doing Missionary labor. We must all work for our board. That is the only way in which they will feel it their duty to labor and to study, and the only way in which our people will feel their duty to the Church, and to ourselves as clergy of the same. We rise at 5am, Matins at 6. The Morning Service of the Church at 9. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the Litany at 12. On Thursdays, the Holy Eucharist at the same hour of 12. The Evening service of the Church at 3, and Family Prayer or Vespers at 6:30 or 7pm. Our students labor between 7 and 9 in the morning, and 1 and 3 in the afternoon. In 1850, Breck moved on to Minnesota, where he founded schools for boys and girls, and the Seabury Divinity School at Faribault (now part of Seabury-Western Seminary in Chicago). He also began mission work among the Chippewa Indians, and laid the foundation for work among them by Christian priests from their own people. In 1867 he moved on to California to build another seminary. He died there in 1876. by James Kiefer

US, 1839-1898, ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR, goes to Liberia, for black christian republic
US, 1839-1898, ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR, Diocese of Massachusets (Boston Common, Charles River 11), ordained Diocese MA, but excluded priests' meeting, goes to Cambridge, goes to Liberia, for black christian republic, returned to US, opposed separate black missionary district; Diocese of Massachusets is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Boston ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); Crummell was born in New York City in 1819, and wished to study for the priesthood, but received many rebuffs because he was black. was ordained in the Diocese of Massachusets in 1844, when he was 25 years old, was excluded from a meeting of priests of the diocese, and decided to go to England. graduating from Cambridge, he went to Liberia, an African country founded under American auspices for the repatriation of freed slaves. hoped to see established in Liberia a black Christian republic, combining the best of European and African culture, and led by a Western-educated black bishop. visited the United States and urged blacks to join him in Liberia and and swell the ranks of the church there. work in Liberia ran into opposition and indifference, and he returned to the United States, he undertook the founding and strengthening of urban black congregations that would provide worship, education, and social services for their communities. some bishops proposed a separate missionary district for black parishes, he organized a group, now known as the Union of Black Episcopalians, to fight the proposal. by James Kiefer [More information can be found on a site devoted to Black history; also available is a profile on him, from WEB DuBois' The Souls of Black Folk.]

US, 1840-1902, ENMEGAHBOWH, Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough), first Native American Episcopal priest
US, 1840-1902, ENMEGAHBOWH, Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough), first Native American Episcopal priest, Dakota War 1862, warned Ft Ripley, prevented Gull Lake band to join War; Rice Lake, Ontario (near Peterborough); ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12; (c. 1820 – June 12, 1902; from Enami'egaabaw, meaning "He that prays [for his people while] standing"; also known as John Johnson) the first Native American to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. around 1820, Enmegahbowh (pronounced En-meh-GAH-boe), was the only child of the chief of an Ojibwe Band on Rice Lake near Peterborough, Canada. He was raised in a Christian village near Petersburg which was affiliated with the Methodists. July 4, 1841 Enmegahbowh married Biwabikogeshigequay (a/k/a Iron Sky Woman and baptized Charlotte), niece of Hole-in-the-Day. met the Rev. Ezekiel Gilbert Gear, chaplain at Fort Snelling at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, and became an Episcopalian. eventually introduced Enmegahbowh to the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, a missionary who had arrived in Minnesota in 1851, and who baptised Enmegahbowh. Jackson Kemper ordained the youth a deacon in 1859, and Enmegahbowh went to Crow Wing, Minnesota to assist in founding St. Columba Mission. the Dakota War of 1862, which began as treaty payments were due for distribution to the starving Sioux at Fort Ridgely, the Gull Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa rose to attack near-by Fort Ripley. prevented other Ojibwa bands from joining the Gull Lake Band, for which the rebels imprisoned him. Enmegahbowh escaped and traveled thirty miles at night to warn Fort Ripley. This discouraged the Gull Lake Band from attacking the fort. 1867 Bishop Whipple ordained Enmegahbowh a priest. In 1869 he encouraged Chief White Cloud's mission to establish peace between the Ojibwe and the Sioux in 1869. died at the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota on June 12, 1902 at the age of 95, and is buried in St. Columba's churchyard. more at Wikipedia

US, 1840-1915, FANNY CROSBY oBrewster, NY, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer, and prolific hymnist
US, 1840-1915, FANNY CROSBY, HYMNWRITER, oBrewster, NY (Croton River Source, Hudson River 17) was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs,[a] with more than 100 million copies printed.[1] She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name; Brewster, NY ; Fanny Crosby early life and education; Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs,[a] with more than 100 million copies printed.[1] She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.[2] was known as the "Queen of Gospel Song Writers"[3] and as the "Mother of modern congregational singing in America",[4] most American hymnals containing her work.[5] gospel songs were "paradigmatic of all revival music",[6] Ira Sankey attributed the success of the Moody and Sankey evangelical campaigns largely to Crosby's hymns.[7] of Crosby's best-known songs include "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour", "Blessed Assurance", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", "Rescue the Perishing", and "To God Be the Glory". publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career.[8][b] also wrote more than 1,000 secular poems[9] and had four books of poetry published, well as two best-selling autobiographies. she co-wrote popular secular songs, as well as political and patriotic songs and at least five cantatas on biblical and patriotic themes, including The Flower Queen, the first secular cantata by an American composer. was committed to Christian rescue missions and was known for her public speaking. life and education[edit] Birthplace of Fanny Crosby Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820, in the village of Brewster, about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.[10][11] was the only child of John Crosby and his second wife Mercy Crosby, both of whom were relatives of Revolutionary War spy Enoch Crosby. was a widower who had a daughter from his first marriage.[12] to C. Bernard Ruffin, John and Mercy were possibly first cousins; "by the time Fanny Crosby came to write her memoirs [in 1906], the fact that her mother and father were related... had become a source of embarrassment, and she maintained that she did not know anything about his lineage".[13] (l to r) Mercy, Julia, and Caroline Morris and Fanny Crosby was proud of her Puritan heritage.[14] traced her ancestry from Anna Brigham and Simon Crosby who arrived in Boston in 1635[15][16] (and were among the founders of Harvard College);[17] their descendants married into Mayflower families,[14] making Crosby a descendant of Elder William Brewster, Edward Winslow, and Thomas Prence, and a member of the exclusive Daughters of the Mayflower.[18] was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Bridgeport, Connecticut,[19] writing the verses of the state song of the Connecticut branch.[20] Simon Crosby, Fanny was also a relative of Presbyterian minister Howard Crosby and his neoabolitionist son Ernest Howard Crosby,[21] as well as singers Bing and Bob Crosby.[22] six weeks old, Crosby caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. Mustard poultices were applied to treat the discharges.[23] to Crosby, this procedure damaged her optic nerves and blinded her, but modern physicians think that her blindness was more likely congenital and, given her age, may simply not have been noticed by her parents.[24][25] father died in November 1820 when Fanny was only six months old, so she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother Eunice Paddock Crosby (born about 1778; died about 1831).[26] women grounded her in Christian principles, helping her memorize long passages from the Bible, and she became an active member of the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Manhattan. Peach Pond Meeting House, North Salem, New York Crosby was three, the family moved to North Salem, New York, where Eunice had been raised.[27] April 1825, she was examined by the surgeon Valentine Mott, who concluded that her condition was inoperable and that her blindness was permanent.[28] age eight, Crosby wrote her first poem which described her condition.[29] She later stated: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."[30] also once said, "when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior".[31] to biographer Annie Willis, "had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education or have so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory".[32] 1828, Mercy and Fanny moved to the home of a Mrs. Hawley in Ridgefield, Connecticut.[33] residing in Ridgefield, they attended the Presbyterian church on the village green.[34] Edith L. Blumhofer described the Crosby home environment as sustained by "an abiding Christian faith".[35] memorized five chapters of the Bible each week from age 10, with the encouragement of her grandmother and later Mrs. Hawley; by age 15, she had memorized the four gospels, the Pentateuch,[32] the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and many of the Psalms.[36] From 1832, a music teacher came to Ridgefield twice a week to give singing lessons to her and some of the other children.[37] Around the same time, she attended her first Methodist church services at the Methodist Episcopal Church, and she was delighted by their hymns.[38] enrolled at the New York Institution for the Blind (NYIB) in 1835, just before her 15th birthday.[39] remained there for eight years as a student, and another two years as a graduate pupil,[40] which time she learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar, and became a good soprano singer. she was studying at NYIB in 1838, her mother Mercy remarried and the couple had three children together.[41] husband abandoned her in 1844.[42] FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; Jane Crosby (March 24 1820 – February 12 1915) known as Fanny Crosby, an American lyricist best known for her Protestant Christian hymns. lifelong Methodist, she was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing over 8,000 despite being blind since infancy. known for her preaching and speaking, her lifetime Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States. this day, the vast majority of American hymnals contain her work [but not the 1982 Episcopal Church Hymnal]. of her best known songs include "Blessed Assurance", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", and "To God Be the Glory". some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 100 different pseudonyms during her career. wrote her first hymn in 1863 for the composer William B. Bradbury, a respected musician and publisher. was called "There's a Cry from Macedonia". the years she wrote for Bradbury and for other composers, including Philip Phillips, Hubert P. Main, Robert Lowry, W. H. Doane, Ira D. Sankey, Philip P. Bliss, Mr. W. F. Sherwin, and Phoebe Knapp. was very well known during her time and often met with presidents, generals, and other dignitaries. played the hymn "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" at President Grant's funeral in 1885. her later years, she also became a popular public speaker. she died, her tombstone carried the words, "Aunt Fanny" and "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine." - more at Wikipedia

US Presidents Folder, 1841-1893

US, 1840-1915, Fanny Crosby, Brewster, NY, American lyricist best known for her (8,000) Protestant Christian hymns
US, 1840-1915, Fanny Crosby, Brewster, NY (Croton River Source, Hudson River 17), American lyricist best known for her (8,000) Protestant Christian hymns; Brewster, NY ; Fanny Crosby early life and education; Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820, in the village of Brewster, about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.[10][11] was the only child of John Crosby and his second wife Mercy Crosby, both of whom were relatives of Revolutionary War spy Enoch Crosby. was a widower who had a daughter from his first marriage.[12] According to C. Bernard Ruffin, John and Mercy were possibly first cousins; however, "by the time Fanny Crosby came to write her memoirs [in 1906], the fact that her mother and father were related... had become a source of embarrassment, and she maintained that she did not know anything about his lineage".[13] (l to r) Mercy, Julia, and Caroline Morris and Fanny Crosby was proud of her Puritan heritage.[14] She traced her ancestry from Anna Brigham and Simon Crosby who arrived in Boston in 1635[15][16] (and were among the founders of Harvard College);[17] their descendants married into Mayflower families,[14] making Crosby a descendant of Elder William Brewster, Edward Winslow, and Thomas Prence, and a member of the exclusive Daughters of the Mayflower.[18] was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Bridgeport, Connecticut,[19] writing the verses of the state song of the Connecticut branch.[20] Through Simon Crosby, Fanny was also a relative of Presbyterian minister Howard Crosby and his neoabolitionist son Ernest Howard Crosby,[21] as well as singers Bing and Bob Crosby.[22] six weeks old, Crosby caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. Mustard poultices were applied to treat the discharges.[23] According to Crosby, this procedure damaged her optic nerves and blinded her, but modern physicians think that her blindness was more likely congenital and, given her age, may simply not have been noticed by her parents.[24][25] father died in November 1820 when Fanny was only six months old, so she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother Eunice Paddock Crosby (born about 1778; died about 1831).[26] These women grounded her in Christian principles, helping her memorize long passages from the Bible, and she became an active member of the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Manhattan. Peach Pond Meeting House, North Salem, New York Crosby was three, the family moved to North Salem, New York where Eunice had been raised.[27] In April 1825, she was examined by the surgeon Valentine Mott, who concluded that her condition was inoperable and that her blindness was permanent.[28] age eight, Crosby wrote her first poem which described her condition.[29] She later stated: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."[30] She also once said, "when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior".[31] According to biographer Annie Willis, "had it not been for her affliction she might not have so good an education or have so great an influence, and certainly not so fine a memory".[32] 1828, Mercy and Fanny moved to the home of a Mrs. Hawley in Ridgefield, Connecticut.[33] While residing in Ridgefield, they attended the Presbyterian church on the village green.[34] Historian Edith L. Blumhofer described the Crosby home environment as sustained by "an abiding Christian faith".[35] Crosby memorized five chapters of the Bible each week from age 10, with the encouragement of her grandmother and later Mrs. Hawley; by age 15, she had memorized the four gospels, the Pentateuch,[32] the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and many of the Psalms.[36] From 1832, a music teacher came to Ridgefield twice a week to give singing lessons to her and some of the other children.[37] Around the same time, she attended her first Methodist church services at the Methodist Episcopal Church, and she was delighted by their hymns.[38] enrolled at the New York Institution for the Blind (NYIB) in 1835, just before her 15th birthday.[39] She remained there for eight years as a student, and another two years as a graduate pupil,[40] during which time she learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar, and became a good soprano singer. While she was studying at NYIB in 1838, her mother Mercy remarried and the couple had three children together.[41] Mercy's husband abandoned her in 1844.[42] FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; Jane Crosby (March 24 1820 – February 12 1915) usually known as Fanny Crosby, was an American lyricist best known for her Protestant Christian hymns. lifelong Methodist, she was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing over 8,000 despite being blind since infancy. Also known for her preaching and speaking, during her lifetime Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States. this day, the vast majority of American hymnals contain her work [but not the 1982 Episcopal Church Hymnal]. Some of her best known songs include "Blessed Assurance", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", and "To God Be the Glory". Because some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 100 different pseudonyms during her career. wrote her first hymn in 1863 for the composer William B. Bradbury, a respected musician and publisher. It was called "There's a Cry from Macedonia". Over the years she wrote for Bradbury and for other composers, including Philip Phillips, Hubert P. Main, Robert Lowry, W. H. Doane, Ira D. Sankey, Philip P. Bliss, Mr. W. F. Sherwin, and Phoebe Knapp. was very well known during her time and often met with presidents, generals, and other dignitaries. She played the hymn "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" at President Grant's funeral in 1885. In her later years, she also became a popular public speaker. she died, her tombstone carried the words, "Aunt Fanny" and "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine." Selected Works: "All the Way My Savior Leads Me"—bef. 1875, music by Robert Wadsworth Lowry "Blessed Assurance"—1873, music by Phoebe Knapp "The Bright Forever"—1871, music by Hubert P. Main "Close to Thee"—1874, music by Silas J. Vail "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home"—1883, music by George C. Stebbins "I Am Thine, O Lord"—bef. 1875, music by W. Howard Doane "My Savior First of All"—1891, music by John R. Sweney "Near the Cross"—bef. 1869, music by W. Howard Doane "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour"—1868, music by W. Howard Doane "Praise Him, Praise Him"—bef. 1869, music by Chester G. Allen "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It"—bef. 1882, William J. Kirkpatrick "Rescue the Perishing"—1869, music by W. Howard Doane "Safe in the Arms of Jesus"—1878, music by W. Howard Doane "Saviour, More Than Life to Me"—1875, music by W. Howard Doane "Tell Me the Story of Jesus"—bef. 1880, music by John R. Sweney "To God Be the Glory"—1875, music by W. Howard Doane "Draw me Nearer"—1875, words by Fanny Crosby [Words and music for these and some 500 more of her hymns may be found at the Cyberhymnal.] - more at Wikipedia

US, 1841-1845, President, John Tyler, VP, states rights, nationalist, manifest destiny, Texas annexation
US President, 1841-1845, John Tyler ; Tyler (March 29, 1790 - January 18, 1862)[1] was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845 after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841; he was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison. succeeded to the presidency after Harrison's death in April 1841, only a month after the start of the new administration. was a stalwart supporter and advocate of states' rights, and he adopted nationalistic policies as president only when they did not infringe on the powers of the states. unexpected rise to the presidency posed a threat to the presidential ambitions of Henry Clay and other politicians, and left Tyler estranged from both major political parties. was born to a prominent Virginia family. His family, like many prominent white Southern families in the U.S. at the time, were slaveholders. became a national figure at a time of political upheaval. In the 1820s, the nation's only political party was the Democratic-Republican Party, and it split into factions. was initially a Democrat, but he opposed Andrew Jackson during the Nullification Crisis, seeing Jackson's actions as infringing on states' rights, and he criticized Jackson's expansion of executive power during the Bank War. This led Tyler to ally with the Whig Party. served as a Virginia state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator. He was put on the 1840 presidential ticket to attract states' rights Southerners to a Whig coalition to defeat Martin Van Buren's re-election bid. Harrison died just one month after taking office, and Tyler became the first vice president to succeed to the presidency without election. He served longer than any other president in U.S. history not elected to the office. forestall constitutional uncertainty, Tyler immediately took the oath of office, moved into the White House, and assumed full presidential powers—a precedent that governed future successions and was codified in the Twenty-fifth Amendment. signed into law some of the Whig-controlled Congress's bills, but he was a strict constructionist and vetoed the party's bills to create a national bank and raise the tariff rates. believed that the president should set policy rather than Congress, and he sought to bypass the Whig establishment, led by Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. of Tyler's Cabinet resigned soon into his term, and the Whigs dubbed him His Accidency and expelled him from the party. was the first president to see his veto of legislation overridden by Congress. He faced a stalemate on domestic policy, although he had several foreign-policy achievements, including the Webster–Ashburton Treaty with Britain and the Treaty of Wanghia with Qing China. Republic of Texas separated from Mexico in 1836. Tyler was a firm believer in manifest destiny and saw its annexation as providing an economic advantage to the United States, so he worked diligently to make it happen. initially sought election to a full term as president, but failed to gain the support of either Whigs or Democrats and withdrew in support of Democrat James K. Polk, who also favored the annexation of Texas. Polk won the election, and when Tyler signed a bill to annex Texas three days before leaving office, Polk completed the process. the American Civil War began in 1861, Tyler sided with the Confederacy and won election to the Confederate House of Representatives shortly before his death. Some scholars have praised Tyler's political resolve, but historians have generally given his presidency a low ranking. Today, he is seldom remembered in comparison to other presidents and maintains only a limited presence in American cultural memory.[2] PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30;

US, 1841-1894, WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, noted fDeaconess Movement iUS, largest social program US
US, 1841-1894, WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, noted fDeaconess Movement iUS, fZelienople, PA, Gfather Basse arived fFrankfurt 1802, founded Zelienople, named for his mother Zelie, attended Jefferson College&Gettesburg Seminary, tBaltimore, MD 1842, published Lutheran Almanac & 1845 The Missionary, The Lutheran oPhilidelphia 1861, where he was co-editor many yrs, Pastor Christ Lutheran Baden PA 1858-1879, founded administered benevolent institutions, deaconesses 1849, Thiel College 1866, many other missions, hospitals, orphanages colleges seminaries in US, which became Lutheran Services iAmerica, largest church social program iUS; Zelienople, Pennsylvania; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ; A. Passavant (October 9, 1821 - January 3, 1894) a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones. was born in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of Phillipe Louis Passavant and Fredericka Wilhelmina Basse. mother, known as Zelie Passavant, was the daughter of Baron Dettmar Basse. Basse, a former diplomat, arrived during 1802 from Frankfurt, Germany to become the founder of the city of Zelienople, Pennsylvania. attended Jefferson College and later Gettysburg Seminary in preparation for a career in the ministry. Passavant began his ministry in Baltimore, Maryland in 1842. became a publisher of the first Lutheran Almanac and in 1845 The Missionary, which in 1861 was merged into The Lutheran of Philadelphia, where he remained for many years as coeditor. Passavant was pastor of Christ Lutheran Church of Baden, Pennsylvania from 1858 until 1879, a period of 21 years. life of William Passavant was devoted principally to the founding and administration of benevolent institutions. Passavant is credited with bringing the first deaconesses to the United States. a trip to Germany he came in contact with Pastor Theodore Fliedner who, as founder of the modern diaconate, had opened a hospital and training school for deaconesses in Kaiserswerth. Passavant's request, in 1849, Fliedner brought four German deaconesses to Pittsburgh to work in the Pittsburgh Infirmary (now Passavant Hospital). College, an independent institution related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America started in 1866 followed a meeting between the Rev. Dr. William A. Passavant and A. Louis Thiel. the Pittsburgh Synod convention in Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 1869, it was decided that Thiel Hall would become a college and serve western Pennsylvania. College began its corporate existence on September 1, 1870 would go on to found many other missions, hospitals, orphanages, colleges, and seminaries throughout the country. of the institutions he founded would later join together to help found the Lutheran Services in America, the largest church social program in the United States. from Wikipedia

US, 1842-1902, THOMAS GALLAUDET, Hartford, CT, deaf mother, father's school for deaf, GALLAUDET college f deaf, married deaf girl, ordained, deaf congregation
US, 1842-1902, THOMAS GALLAUDET, Hartford, CT, deaf mother, father's school for deaf, GALLAUDET college f deaf, married deaf girl, ordained, deaf congregation; Hartford, Connecticut; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Gallaudet was born in 1822, in Hartford, Connecticut. mother, Sophia was deaf, and his father, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, was the founder of the West Hartford School for the deaf, which was the principal institution for the education of the deaf in America from 1806 to 1857 (the year of the founding of Gallaudet College in Washington, DC). father had intended to become a priest, but had become an educator of the deaf instead. son also intended to seek ordination, but was persuaded by his father to work for a while first as a teacher of the deaf. did, and so met and married Miss Elizabeth Budd, who was deaf. was ordained in 1851, and the next year established St. Ann's Church in New York, especially for deaf persons, with services primarily in sign language. a result of his work, congregations for the deaf were established in many cities. (Alternatively, some congregations that are mostly hearing will have someone standing near the front and signing the service for the benefit of deaf parishioners.) died 27 August 1902. Photo of Henry Winter Syle (Photo courtesy Episcopal Conference of the Deaf) of Gallaudet's students and parishioners was Henry Winter Syle, deaf from an early age, who had attended Trinity College (Hartford, Conn), St John's (Cambridge, England), and Yale. encouraged him to become a priest, and in 1876 he became the first deaf person to be ordained by the Episcopal Church in the United States. He established a congregation for the deaf in 1888, and died 6 January 1890. HW Syle signature by James Kiefer Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ;

US, 1843, Oregon Trail Folder

Oregon Trail - Independence, MO to Oregon City, OR

Oregon Trail - Independence, MO to Little Blue River Mouth

Oregon Trail - Little Blue River to Kearny, NB

Oregon Trail - Platte River Section Kearney, NB to North Platte Mouth

Oregon Trail - North Platte River to Laramie, WY

Oregon Trail - Laramie-Casper-Sweetwater Valley-Blacks Fork-Fort Bridger

Oregon Trail - Bear River Section - Fort Bridger, UT to Soda Springs, ID

Oregon Trail - Big Hill Portion - Soda Springs, ID to Fort Hall (Pocatello, ID)

Oregon Trail - Snake River Section

Oregon Trail - Columbia River Section

Oregon Trail Points Folder

Oregon Trail 1 (Independence, Missouri River 23)

Oregon Trail 1b (St. Joseph, Missouri River 22)

Oregon Trail 2 (crossing Mt Oread, Lawarence, KS)

Oregon Trail 3 (Topeka, KS river crossing)

Oregon Trail 4 (Ash Hollow with Windlass Hill, North Platte River 5)
Oregon Trail (Ash Hollow with Windlass Hill);

Oregon Trail (Courthouse and Jail Rocks)
Oregon Trail (Courthouse and Jail Rocks);

Oregon Trail - Scotts Bluff National Monument
Scotts Bluff National Monument;

Oregon Trail (Scottsbluff)
Scotts Bluff National Monument;

Oregon Trail - Chimney Rock, NB
Oregon Trail - Chimney Rock, NB;

Oregon Trail 5 (Fort Laramie, WY)

Oregon Trail - Fort Laramie
Oregon Trail - Fort Laramie;

Oregon Trail 6 - Casper, WY

Oregon Trail - Sweetwater River Mouth (North Palatte River 4, Casper, WY )

Oregon Trail - Sweetwater River Valley 1

Oregon Trail - Independence Rock, Sweetwater River Valley 2

Oregon Trail - Sweetwater River Valley 3

Oregon Trail 7 - South Pass, Sweetwater River Valley 4

Oregon Trail (Fort Bridger)
Oregon Trail (Fort Bridger);

Oregon Trail (Fort Hall)
Oregon Trail (Fort Hall);

Oregon Trail Terminus (Oregon City, Oregon)

US, 1844-1898, CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, Memphis Medical College, Civil War Surgeon and Chaplin
US, 1844-1898, CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, Sewanee, Tennessee, University of the South, from Connecticut, Hugenot, NYU and Bellevue Hospital, Memphis Medical College, Civil War Surgeon and Chaplin; Sewanee: The University of the South ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; Todd Quintard (1824-1898) was the second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee and the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South at Sewanee. was born in Connecticut to a Huguenot family, studied medicine at University Medical College, New York University and Bellevue Hospital, and moved to Memphis to teach physiology and pathological anatomy at Memphis Medical College. Under the influence of Bishop James Hervey Otey, Quintard studied for holy orders and entered the priesthood in the 1850s. the American Civil War, he was a chaplain and a surgeon in Tennessee's Confederate army. — from Wikipedia

US, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Anglican monasteries, Cowley, Oxfordshire
England, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Cowley, Oxfordshire, Society of St. John the Evangelist, Anglican monasteries, wealthy family, private tutor, t Christ Church Oxford, a school, degree, ordination, curacy aSubiton, 1850 vicar aCrowley Oxford, High Church, 1858 priest retreat, 1859 built new parish church, planned mission tIndia but bishop declined, time of English convents, 2 priests joined him to begin community, not purely contemplative, external ministries, devine office daily, hour meditation, summer retreat 4wks, later 2wks, other retreat days&silence days, concentrated oEssentials like life-vows, regular confession, choir office, prayer&meditation, priestly ministry, recognized bishop's authority but not to private life together, 1870-93 Society spread tUS, India, South Africa, American mission tour, 1884 Benson drafted Constitution & Rule, 1886 resigned Parish Vicar, 1890 resigned Superior, 1yr in India, 8yrs Boston, last 16yrs back at Home, celebrated Eucharist as long as he could stand, then weeled in chair every morning, died 1915; Society of St. John the Evangelist; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; Meux Benson (1824–1915) was a priest in the Church of England founder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the first religious order of monks in the Anglican Communion since the Reformation. into a wealthy family of London in 1824, was taught at home by a private tutor and entered Christ Church, Oxford. his degree and ordination and a curacy at Surbiton, in 1850 he became vicar of Cowley, Oxford. was considered High Church. 1858 Benson conducted a retreat for priests using material taken in part from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. 1859, having erected a new parish church dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, planned a mission to India but abandoned the plan at the request of his bishop. the time there were convents of Anglican women in England, and in 1865 two priests joined Benson in Cowley to begin community life under the name of Mission Priests of St. John the Evangelist with Benson as Superior. form of religious life instituted by Benson was not purely contemplative — its members engaged in active external ministry — they recited the Divine Office together daily in choir, and Benson emphasized contemplation. brothers were to get an hour's meditation daily if possible, he gave the community a summer retreat of four weeks, later reduced to fortnight. He prescribed other retreat days and silence days. a religious founder, he concentrated on essentials, which he reckoned life-vows, taken with precautions as to maturity; confession; office, and meditation; priestly ministry. fully recognized the authority of his bishop over the priests of the community, who were clergy of the diocese, not as extending to their private life together. 1870 to 1883 the Society spread to the United States, India, and South Africa. himself made an American mission tour. 1884 the society adopted a Constitution and Rule drafted by Benson. the creation of the Society, Benson had maintained his duties as a parish vicar. 1886 he resigned this charge to devote all his attention to the Society and its mission. 1890 Benson stepped aside for another to be elected Superior. spent one year in India, eight years at the American house in Boston. last sixteen years of Benson's life were lived at home again. celebrated the Holy Eucharist as long as he could stand at the altar, then was wheeled in a chair to his Communion every morning. He died on January 14, 1915. Wikipedia More information on Richard Benson is available from Project Canterbury.

US, 1845-1849, President, James K. Polk, expansion, Oregon c, Mexican SW, independent treasury, tariff rates
US President, 1845-1849, James K. Polk Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the Speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841). A protégé of Andrew Jackson, he was a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate of Jacksonian democracy. Polk is chiefly known for extending the territory of the United States through the Mexican–American War; during his presidency, the United States expanded significantly with the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession following the American victory in the Mexican–American War. building a successful law practice in Tennessee, Polk was elected to the state legislature in 1823 and then to the United States House of Representatives in 1825, becoming a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson. serving as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he became Speaker of the House in 1835, the only president to have been speaker. left Congress to run for governor of Tennessee; he won in 1839 but lost in 1841 and 1843. was a dark horse candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 1844; he entered his party's convention as a potential nominee for vice president but emerged as a compromise to head the ticket when no presidential candidate could secure the necessary two-thirds majority. the general election, Polk defeated Henry Clay of the rival Whig Party. have praised Polk for having met during his four-year term every major domestic and foreign policy goal he had set. After a negotiation fraught with the risk of war, he reached a settlement with Great Britain over the disputed Oregon Country, the territory, for the most part, being divided along the 49th parallel. He provoked a war with Mexico in an attempt to expand the nation and succeeded in doing so, as it resulted in Mexico's cession of nearly all the American Southwest. He secured a substantial reduction of tariff rates with the Walker tariff of 1846. The same year, he achieved his other major goal, re-establishment of the Independent Treasury system. True to his campaign pledge to serve only one term, Polk left office in 1849 and returned to Tennessee, where he died three months after leaving the White House. relatively obscure today, scholars have ranked Polk favorably for his ability to promote and achieve the major items on his presidential agenda, despite limiting himself to a single term. He has also been criticized for leading the country into an aggressive war against Mexico and thus exacerbating divides between free and slave states. A property owner who used slave labor for most of his adult life, he kept a plantation in Mississippi and increased his slave ownership while president. The legacy of Polk's presidency of territorial expansion – with the United States reaching the Pacific coast and, roughly, its present contiguous borders – was a nation poised to become a world power, but with sectional divisions gravely exacerbated, setting the stage for the Civil War. PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

US, 1849, California Trail Folder

California Trail (City of Rocks to Wells and the down Humboldt River)

Salt Lake Cutoff (for both Oregon Trail and California Trail)

California Trail (Raft River Section)

California Trail 1 (Independence, Missouri River 23)

California Trail 1 (Fort Bridger)

California Trail 2 (Salt Lake City)

California Trail 3 (Bear River 10, Malad River Mouth)

California Trail 4 (City of Rocks)

California Trail 5 (Wells, Nevada and Humboldt River)

California Trail 6 (Elko, Nevada)

California Trail 7 (Battle Mountain)

California Trail 8 (Winnemucca, Nevada)

California Trail 9 (Humboldt River Mouth (Humbolt Sink))

California Trail (Nevada City, CA Route from Emigrant Gap, CA)
Nevada City Road;

California Trail - South Fork American River Section, Hwy 50

California Trail (Sonora Road, Carson River, West Walker River, Sonora Pass, Hwy 108)

US, 1849-1850, President, Zachary Taylor, war hero, preserving union when he died. issue was slavery in new mex & cal
US President, 1849-1850, Zachary Taylor ; Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. previously was a career officer in the United States Army, rose to the rank of major general and became a national hero as a result of his victories in the Mexican–American War. a result, he won election to the White House despite his vague political beliefs. His top priority as president was preserving the Union. He died sixteen months into his term, having made no progress on the most divisive issue in Congress, slavery. was born into a prominent family of plantation owners who moved westward from Virginia to Louisville, Kentucky, in his youth; he was the last president born before the adoption of the Constitution. was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1808 and made a name for himself as a captain in the War of 1812. He climbed the ranks, establishing military forts along the Mississippi River and entered the Black Hawk War as a colonel in 1832. His success in the Second Seminole War attracted national attention and earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready". 1845, during the annexation of Texas, President James K. Polk dispatched Taylor to the Rio Grande in anticipation of a battle with Mexico over the disputed Texas–Mexico border. The Mexican–American War broke out in April 1846, and Taylor defeated Mexican troops commanded by General Mariano Arista at the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma and drove his troops out of Texas. Taylor then led his troops into Mexico, where they defeated Mexican troops commanded by Pedro de Ampudia at the Battle of Monterrey. Defying orders, Taylor led his troops further south and, despite being severely outnumbered, dealt a crushing blow to Mexican forces under Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista. Taylor's troops were transferred to the command of Major General Winfield Scott, but Taylor retained his popularity. Whig Party convinced the reluctant Taylor to lead their ticket in the 1848 presidential election, despite his unclear political tenets and lack of interest in politics. At the 1848 Whig National Convention, Taylor defeated Scott and former Senator Henry Clay to take the nomination. He won the general election alongside New York politician Millard Fillmore, defeating Democratic Party candidates Lewis Cass and William Orlando Butler, as well as a third-party effort led by former president Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams, Sr. of the Free Soil Party. Taylor became the first president to be elected without having served in a prior political office. president, Taylor kept his distance from Congress and his cabinet, even though partisan tensions threatened to divide the Union. Debate over the status of slavery in the Mexican Cession dominated the political agenda and led to threats of secession from Southerners. Despite being a Southerner and a slaveholder himself, Taylor did not push for the expansion of slavery, and sought sectional harmony above all other concerns. To avoid the issue of slavery, he urged settlers in New Mexico and California to bypass the territorial stage and draft constitutions for statehood, setting the stage for the Compromise of 1850. Taylor died suddenly of a stomach disease on July 9, 1850, with his administration having accomplished little aside from the ratification of the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty. Fillmore served the remainder of his term. Historians and scholars have ranked Taylor in the bottom quartile of U.S. presidents, owing in part to his short term of office (16 months), though he has been described as "more a forgettable president than a failed one".[1] PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

US, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo
US, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo, fRichmond, VA, ordained iChina 1857, tNagasaki, Japan 1959, 1868 Japan opened tWest, 1874 Samuel I J Schereschewski tChina, 1877 CW tTokyo&founded St Pauls University, 1878 united Holy Catholic Church iJapan, 1889 bad health request relief, 1893 sucessor but CW stayed on helping new mission stations, 1908 returned US, died 1910; Richmond, Virginia; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1829, and ordained deacon in 1855. Episcopal Church sent him to China, where he was ordained priest in 1857. 1859 he was sent to Nagasaki, Japan, and in 1866 was consecrated Bishop of China and Japan. 1868 Japan was opened to far greater contact with the West than before, and he determined that he could achieve best results by concentrating his efforts on Japan. 1874 (or is that 1877?) a new bishop (Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewski, see October 14) was consecrated for China, Williams went to Tokyo (then called Edo or Yedo), where he founded what is now St Paul's University. 1878 he helped unite several mission efforts in the formation of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Holy Catholic Church in Japan. 1889 his health began to fail, and he asked to be relieved. In 1893 a successor was appointed, and Williams stayed on, living in Kyoto and helping to open new mission stations. returned to America in 1908 and died 2 December 1910. by James Kiefer

US, 1849-1911, JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLICi, Hispanola, Masonic Lodge leader
US, 1849-1911, JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLICi, Hispanola, 1st African American Episcopal Bishop, descendent of freed slaves, black abolitionist, shoemaker, teacher, principal, built Church in Haiti, Masonic Lodge leader ; Haiti, Republic of Haiti; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; Theodore Holly was tBp. James Holly he First African American Bishop in the Episcopal Church and Bishop of Haiti. in 1829 in Washington, DC, James Theodore Holly was the descendent of freed slaves. grandfather James Theodore Holly was a Scotsman in Maryland. He was master of several Holly slaves whom he freed in 1772, including his son and namesake James Theodore Holly. son married the daughter of an Irish Catholic whose last name was Butler, and they were the great grandparents of Bishop James Theodore Holly. Their son Rueben was Bishop Holly's grandfather. was baptized and raised a Catholic yet gradually he moved away from the Catholic Church. spent his early years in Washington, D. C. and Brooklyn, NY where he connected with Frederick Douglass and other Black abolitionists. was active in anti-slavery conventions in the free states, participating in abolitionist activities. Holly left the Roman Catholic Church over a dispute about ordaining local black clergy and joined the Episcopal Church in 1852. was a shoemaker, then a teacher and school principal before his own ordination at the age of 27. served as rector at St Luke’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut was one of the founders of the Protestant Episcopal Society for Promoting the Extension of the Church Among Colored People (a forerunner of UBE) in 1856. This group challenged the Church to take a position against slavery at General Convention. 1861 he left the United States with his family and a group of African Americans to settle in Haiti---the world’s first black republic. July 1863 Holly organized the Holy Trinity Church. He lost his family and other settlers to disease and poor living conditions but was successful in establishing schools and building the Church. trained young priests and started congregations and medical programs in the countryside. this time Haiti was split with the Vatican and most men of Haiti supported their religious sentiment through the symbolism and observance of the Masonic Lodge. an experienced Masonic leader and scholar, Holly visited the Masonic temples and made friends among their members. He was also willing to perform Masonic burial services. 1874 he was ordained bishop at Grace Church, New York City, by the mainstream Episcopal Church, who refused to ordain a black missionary bishop, but by the American Church Missionary Society, an Evangelical Episcopal branch of the Church. was named Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Episcopal Church of Haiti. attended the Lambeth Convention as a bishop of the Church. Holly was also given charge of the Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic from 1897-1911. died in Haiti in on March 13, 1911. adapted from St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, Buffalo, NY (reprinted with permission) Project Canterbury has a short Autobiography of Bp. Holly online.

US, 1850-1853, President, Millard Fillmore, for Kans-Nebr act, abandoned by dem party, northern dem, Lincoln critic
US President, 1850-1853, Millard Fillmore ; Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the unity of the nation, he alienated anti-slavery groups by supporting and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, yet these efforts failed to stem conflict between North and South. The South eventually seceded and the American Civil War began in 1861. Pierce was born in New Hampshire. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate until his resignation in 1842. His private law practice was a success, and he was appointed New Hampshire's U.S. Attorney in 1845. He took part in the Mexican–American War as a brigadier general in the Army. He was seen by Democrats as a compromise candidate uniting Northern and Southern interests and was nominated as the party's candidate for president on the 49th ballot at the 1852 Democratic National Convention. He and running mate William R. King easily defeated the Whig Party ticket of Winfield Scott and William A. Graham in the 1852 presidential election. president, Pierce simultaneously attempted to enforce neutral standards for civil service while also satisfying the diverse elements of the Democratic Party with patronage, an effort which largely failed and turned many in his party against him. was a Young America expansionist who signed the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico and led a failed attempt to acquire Cuba from Spain. signed trade treaties with Britain and Japan, while his Cabinet reformed their departments and improved accountability, but these successes were overshadowed by political strife during his presidency. popularity declined sharply in the Northern states after he supported the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which nullified the Missouri Compromise, while many whites in the South continued to support him. Passage of the act led to violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in the American West. administration was further damaged when several of his diplomats issued the Ostend Manifesto calling for the annexation of Cuba, a document which was roundly criticized. He fully expected to be renominated by the Democrats in the 1856 presidential election, but was abandoned by his party and his bid failed. His reputation in the North suffered further during the American Civil War as he became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln. was popular and outgoing, but his family life was difficult. His wife Jane suffered from illness and depression for much of her life and their three children died young.[1] Their last surviving son was killed in a train accident while the family was traveling, shortly before Pierce's inauguration. A heavy drinker for much of his life, Pierce died in 1869 of cirrhosis of the liver. Historians and scholars generally rank Pierce as one of the worst and least memorable U.S. presidents. PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; JAMES CHISHOLM, PRIEST, 15 Sept. 1855 ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

US, 1850-1912, CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC, WI, Oxford Movement, High Church, expanded Fond Du Lac diocese
US, 1850-1912, CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC, WI (Lake Winnebago, bottom of the lake), from Boston, Oxford Movement, High Church, Philips Academy, Andover MA, Harvard Law 1853, SSJE Cowley Fathers in England, controversial picture of priests, expanded diocese of Fond Du Lac; Fond du Lac; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912; Chapman Grafton SSJE (April 12, 1830 – August 30, 1912) was the second Episcopal Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. life and education on April 12, 1830, in Boston, Massachusetts,[1] he became an ardent supporter of the Oxford Movement, an affiliation of High Church Anglicans that led to Anglo-Catholicism in The Episcopal Church. graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover in 1846, in 1853 Grafton graduated from Harvard University with a degree in law,[1] but he found himself drawn toward the ordained ministry. Grafton studied theology under William Whittingham, Bishop of Maryland, and was ordained deacon on Dec. 23, 1855. began his ordained ministry as assistant at Reisterstown, Maryland.[1] On May 30, 1858, he was ordained priest.[1] He then served as curate at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Baltimore and chaplain of the deaconesses of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. the close of the Civil War, Grafton went to Britain. With Richard Meux Benson and Simeon Wilberforce O'Neill he co-founded the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE), also known as the Cowley Fathers. returned to the United States and, in 1872, became fourth rector of the Church of the Advent in Boston. A jurisdictional dispute concerning Grafton's overseas religious superior led to his withdrawal from the SSJE. Grafton also helped establish the American Congregation of Saint Benedict; and in 1888 he was a founder of the Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity, along with Mother Ruth Margaret. was consecrated bishop on April 25, 1889, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin by William E. McLaren, Bishop of Chicago; Alexander Burgess, Bishop of Quincy; and George F. Seymour, Bishop of Springfield. his tenure as bishop, Grafton spearheaded a great expansion the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, much of it driven by contributing much of his own personal wealth and soliciting contributions from many of his wealthy friends back east. also left behind a legacy of printed works, sermons and essays. 1900 Grafton was chief consecrator of Reginald Heber Weller as bishop coadjutor of Fond Du Lac. liturgy of the consecration was controversial. The Russian Orthodox bishop of Alaska, Saint Tikhon was present as well as Antoni Kozlowski [pl] of the Polish National Catholic Church. Grafton was photographed with these other bishops wearing copes and miters (which was not widely accepted in the Episcopal Church at that time). The photo became known as the "Fond du Lac Circus". grave in the Cathedral of Saint Paul the Apostle in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Grafton is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on August 30. Bibliography C. C. Grafton, The Works of the Rt Rev Charles C. Grafton, ed. B. T. Rogers (8 vols., 1914)

US, 1853-1857, President, Franklin Pierce, northern dem, against abolition, for Kans-Nebr Act, for fugitive slave act
US President, 1853-1857, Franklin Pierce; Pierce (November 23, 1804 – October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the unity of the nation, he alienated anti-slavery groups by supporting and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act, yet these efforts failed to stem conflict between North and South. The South eventually seceded and the American Civil War began in 1861. was born in New Hampshire. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate until his resignation in 1842. His private law practice was a success, and he was appointed New Hampshire's U.S. Attorney in 1845. He took part in the Mexican–American War as a brigadier general in the Army. He was seen by Democrats as a compromise candidate uniting Northern and Southern interests and was nominated as the party's candidate for president on the 49th ballot at the 1852 Democratic National Convention. He and running mate William R. King easily defeated the Whig Party ticket of Winfield Scott and William A. Graham in the 1852 presidential election. president, Pierce simultaneously attempted to enforce neutral standards for civil service while also satisfying the diverse elements of the Democratic Party with patronage, an effort which largely failed and turned many in his party against him. He was a Young America expansionist who signed the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico and led a failed attempt to acquire Cuba from Spain. He signed trade treaties with Britain and Japan, while his Cabinet reformed their departments and improved accountability, but these successes were overshadowed by political strife during his presidency. His popularity declined sharply in the Northern states after he supported the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which nullified the Missouri Compromise, while many whites in the South continued to support him. Passage of the act led to violent conflict over the expansion of slavery in the American West. Pierce's administration was further damaged when several of his diplomats issued the Ostend Manifesto calling for the annexation of Cuba, a document which was roundly criticized. He fully expected to be renominated by the Democrats in the 1856 presidential election, but was abandoned by his party and his bid failed. His reputation in the North suffered further during the American Civil War as he became a vocal critic of President Abraham Lincoln. was popular and outgoing, but his family life was difficult. His wife Jane suffered from illness and depression for much of her life and their three children died young.[1] Their last surviving son was killed in a train accident while the family was traveling, shortly before Pierce's inauguration. A heavy drinker for much of his life, Pierce died in 1869 of cirrhosis of the liver. Historians and scholars generally rank Pierce as one of the worst and least memorable U.S. presidents. WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; JAMES CHISHOLM, PRIEST, 15 Sept. 1855 ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

US, 1853-1907, CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST & CHIEF, lifelong Episcopalian, fought preserve Oneida lands, rights, moves further west
US, 1853-1907, CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, lifelong Episcopalian, fought to preserve indian lands, rights, attempts to move them further west; Nashota House; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; Hill (November 13, 1834 – January 25, 1907) or Onangwatgo (“Big Medicine”) the last hereditary chief of the Oneida Nation, and fought to preserve his people's lands and rights under various treaties with the United States government. lifelong Episcopalian, he was ordained a priest at age 69, and ministered to his people until shortly before his death. Hill was born on tribal lands in Wisconsin and baptised by missionary bishop Jackson Kemper. 1843, Episcopal missionary the Rev. James Lloyd Breck escorted the ten-year-old and two other boys to the newly established Nashotah House to learn English and be educated. a teenager, at a council of Oneida from New York, Canada and Wisconsin, Hill became a chief of his Bear Clan. settlers were moving into Wisconsin, and coveted tribal lands, which were held in common under an 1838 treaty. to the Dawes Act of 1887, the federal government allocated the tribe's Wisconsin land to individuals beginning in 1892, who were to be allowed to transfer that property after a 25-year waiting period. had happened in New York State, unscrupulous persons often tried to swindle tribal members out of their allocations. his life, Hill fought such dismemberment of tribal property, as well as government attempts to move his people further In 1893 after negotiations with the federal government, Hill, together with the Rev. Solomon S. Burleson (also a lawyer and doctor), secured a hospital and boarding school for the reservation. for years served as an organist and interpreter for Episcopal services by the Rev. Goodnough and his successors, as well as being his tribe's sachem and delegate to church councils, Hill thought ordination would bring additional authority among whites as well as help him become a bridge between the cultures. June 27, 1895, Bishop Charles C. Grafton ordained Hill a deacon. On June 24, 1903, Bishop Grafton ordained Hill as a priest, the first of his people; during the ceremony Hill repeated his vows in his native language. died on January 25, 1907, having fallen ill shortly before Christmas. After three requiems and funeral at the Church of the Holy Apostles attended by 800 persons, he was buried in the graveyard with other tribal members and the missionaries he assisted. information may be found at Wikipedia and in Chapter 25 of the book The Oneida, by Julia Keen Bloomfield.

US, 1855-1893, PHILLIPS BROOKS, author O Little Town of Bethlehem, greatest US Preacher o19th C, Bishop MA
US, 1855-1893, PHILLIPS BROOKS, Boston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth), author O Little Town of Bethlehem, greatest US Preacher o19th C, born 1835, Harvard, Virginia Tech Seminary, 2 Philidelphia Churches in 10 yrs, 1869-1891 Trinity Church Boston, Bishop of MA, died 1893; Boston; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; Brooks is best known today as the author of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” generations, however, accounted him the greatest American preacher of the nineteenth century (and not for lack of other candidates). sermons are still read. was born in Boston in 1835 educated at Harvard at Virginia Theological Seminary. ten years of ministry at two churches in Philadelphia, returned to Boston in 1869 was rector of Trinity Church there until 1891. was then elected Bishop of Massachusetts, and died two years later. by James Kiefer

US, 1855-1864, 1885, KING KAMEHAMEHA & QUEEN EMMA, spread c, English missionaries, t BCP & Hymns, Queen's Hospitl
Pacific Islands, 1855-1864, 1885, KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, Christian rulers, built schools & hospitals, spread christianity, avoided US, to England for missionaries, personally translated BCP & Hymnal, Queen's Hospital; Hawaii; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; Kamehameha IV and his wife Emma were Christian rulers who encouraged the building of Christian schools and hospitals, and who contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity among the Hawaiian people. King was worried by the growth of American political influence, directly connected with the work of American missionaries, many of whom openly favored annexation of the islands by the United States. accordingly invited the Church of England to send missionaries and to establish a presence in Hawaii. touring England as a prince, he had attended worship services, and had been favorably impressed.) although the King's support of the Church of England was perhaps politically motivated, his support of Christianity was not. and his wife were earnest in their devotion to both the material and the spiritual welfare of their people. King personally translated the Book of Common Prayer and much of the Hymnal into Hawaiian. only son died in 1863, and the King died, apparently of grief, on 30 November 1864. Queen devoted the remainder of her life to charitable endeavors (Queen's Hospital, the largest civilian hospital in Hawaii, is largely her doing). She died in 1885. of the television program, MAGNUM, P I, will be disappointed to learn that the King Kamehameha Club was probably named for King Kamehameha I, who was a somewhat different sort of ruler.) NOTE: successor, Kamehameha V, suspended the constitution and announced his intention to rule in the traditional autocratic manner. the end of his life, he was too fat to walk unaided. He was the last of his dynasty. In 1893 Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and a republic proclaimed. 1894, the republic acquired its first president, Sanford B. Dole. (His family is in the pineapple business.) 1898, the United States, (having just acquired Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in a brief war with Spain, and being in an expansionist mood) annexed the Republic of Hawaii at the request of the government thereof. US troops withdrew from Cuba (except for Guantanamo Naval Base) in 1902. The Philippines became independent in 1946. Puerto Rico, by vote of its inhabitants, has rejected both independence and becoming one of the United States, and has been since 1952 officially an "associated commonwealth," whose citizens are also citizens of the United States, free to travel between the two countries, voting in US elections when on the mainland, free of US taxes when on the island. Guam has been a self-governing unincorporated US territory since 1950. Since the 1970's, there has been talk of giving it the same status as Puerto Rico. Hawaii was made a territory in 1900 and a State in 1959. by James Kiefer

US, 1855-1910, JOHN LAFARGE, American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer
US, 1855-1910, JOHN LAFARGE, American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer, French & US honors, Mural Painter's President, ancient modern language knowledge, literature, art, cultured personality, reflective conversation, experimented w color problems, esp iStained glass, rivaled midieval windows& invented opalescent glass, original methods superimposing&welding, masterpiece list; Unity Church of North Easton, Massachusetts; North Easton, Massachusetts; Unity Church of North Easton John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer. labors in almost every type of art won for him from the French Government the Cross of the Legion of Honor and membership in the principal artistic societies of America, well as the presidency of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1899 through 1904. an extraordinary knowledge of languages (ancient and modern), literature, and art, by his cultured personality and reflective conversation he influenced many other people. naturally a questioner he venerated the traditions of religious art, and preserved always his Catholic faith and reverence. Farge experimented with color problems, especially in the medium of stained glass. succeeded not only in rivaling the gorgeousness of medieval windows, in adding new resources by his invention of opalescent glass his original methods of superimposing and welding his material. his many stained glass masterpieces are: LaFarge window at All Saints, Whitman, Mass. LaFarge window at the web author's former parish church, All Saints, Whitman, Mass.. two of his largest windows, the 1887 "Angel of Help" and the 1901 "Figure of Wisdom", in Unity Church in North Easton, Massachusetts. Sealing of the Twelve Tribes, Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, New York, 1889 two windows at the Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, Massachusetts 14 windows at the Judson Memorial Church, Greenwich Village, New York City four windows at the Trinity Church, Boston windows at the St. Paul's Chapel, Columbia University, NYC rose window at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

US, 1855-1931, Third Great Awakening, Social Gospel, worldwide missions, Holiness, JW's, Spiritualism, Christian Sci, revivals
US, 1855-1910, Third Great Awakening, Social Gospel, worldwide missions, Holiness, Nazarene, Pentecostal, JW's, Unitarians, Spiritualism, Christian Science, abolition, prohibition, revivals, child labor; Third Great Awakening refers to a historical period proposed by William G. McLoughlin that was marked by religious activism in American history and spans the late 1850s to the early 20th century.[1] influenced pietistic Protestant denominations and had a strong element of social activism.[2] gathered strength from the postmillennial belief that the Second Coming of Christ would occur after mankind had reformed the entire earth. was affiliated with the Social Gospel Movement, which applied Christianity to social issues and gained its force from the awakening, as did the worldwide missionary movement. groupings emerged, such as the Holiness movement and Nazarene and Pentecostal movements, and also Jehovah's Witnesses, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Thelema, and Christian Science.[3] era saw the adoption of a number of moral causes, such as the abolition of slavery and prohibition. Scott Latourette disputed the thesis that the United States had a Third Great Awakening.)[4][full citation needed] article focuses on the awakening that took place during the nineteenth century in America. far, it also includes material about Korea. A similar awakening took place in Britain, identified by J. Edwin Orr as starting in 1859 with its influence continuing through to the end of the century, impacting church growth, overseas mission, and social action.[5] American Protestant mainline churches were growing rapidly in numbers, wealth and educational levels, throwing off their frontier beginnings and becoming centered in towns and cities. and writers such as Josiah Strong advocated a muscular Christianity with systematic outreach to the unchurched in America and around the globe. Others built colleges and universities to train the next generation. denomination supported active missionary societies, and made the role of missionary one of high prestige.[6] names include Dwight L. Moody, Ira D. Sankey, William Booth and Catherine Booth (founders of the Salvation Army), Charles Spurgeon and James Caughey. Hudson Taylor began the China Inland Mission, and Thomas John Barnardo founded his famous orphanages. great majority of pietistic mainline Protestants (in the North) supported the Republican Party, and urged it to endorse prohibition and social reforms.[7] (See Third Party System). awakening in numerous cities in 1858 was interrupted by the American Civil War. the South, on the other hand, the Civil War stimulated revivals, especially the Confederate States Army revival in General Robert E. Lee's army.[8][full citation needed] the war, Dwight L. Moody made revivalism the centerpiece of his activities in Chicago, and founded the Moody Bible Institute. The hymns of Ira Sankey were especially influential.[9] the nation drys crusaded in the name of religion for the prohibition of alcohol. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union mobilized Protestant women for social crusades against liquor, pornography and prostitution, and sparked the demand for women's suffrage.[10] Gilded Age plutocracy came under sharp attack from Social Gospel preachers and reformers in the Progressive Era. historian Robert Fogel identifies numerous reforms, especially the battles involving child labor, compulsory elementary education, and the protection of women from exploitation in factories.[11] With Jane Addams's Hull House in Chicago as its center, the settlement house movement and the vocation of social work were deeply influenced by the Social Gospel.[12] 1880, the Salvation Army denomination arrived in America. Although its theology was based on ideals expressed during the Second Great Awakening, its focus on poverty was of the Third. the major denominations sponsored growing missionary activities, both inside the United States and around the world.[13][full citation needed] associated with churches rapidly expanded in number, size and quality of curriculum. promotion of "muscular Christianity" became popular among young men on campus and in urban YMCAs, well as in such denominational youth groups such as the Epworth League for Methodists and the Walther League for Lutherans.[14] baseball player Billy Sunday converted as a young man in the 1880s, became an evangelist, and is widely considered America's most influential evangelist of the first two decades in the 20th century. 1891, basketball was invented at the International Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. religions[edit] 1879 Mary Baker Eddy invented Christian Science, which gained a national following.[15] Society for Ethical Culture was established in New York in 1876 by Felix Adler and attracted a Reform Jewish clientele. Taze Russell founded the Bible Students movement. In July 1879, Russell began publishing a monthly religious journal, Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. He and his group of fellow students first identified themselves as The People's Pulpit Association, then in 1910 as The International Bible Students Association. 1931, after schisms within the Bible Students and gaining control of the legal entity Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Joseph Franklin Rutherford along with former members of the Bible Student movement would go on to adopt the name Jehovah's Witnesses. New Thought movement, which began in the 1830s, expanded as Unity and Church of Divine Science were founded. Holiness and Pentecostal Movements[edit] goal of the Holiness Movement in the Methodist Church was to move beyond the one-time conversion experience that the revivals produced, and reach entire sanctification.[16] Pentecostals went one step further, seeking what they called a "baptism in the spirit" or "baptism of the Holy Ghost" that enabled those with this special gift to heal the sick, perform miracles, prophesy, and speak in tongues.[17] re-discovered Pentecostal movement can be traced to the Ocoee mountains, near North Carolina in the upper Tennessee River valley, when a group led by Methodist minister Richard Spurling met in 1886-96 and called for holy living. At that time they experienced what is known as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, empowering Christians to live in holiness. is known of this movement because it happened in the mountains, compared to the Azusa street revival which happened in Los Angeles, California. the organization born from that group led by Spurling has grown to an international presence in over 200 countries around the world with a church membership of over 7 million Christians; it is known as the "Church of God", with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. The organization owns Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Parham in Topeka, Kansas, who was also a Methodist minister, resigned his ordination as a minister and began preaching about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. During a service on December 31, 1899 Parham laid hands on a woman named Agnes Ozman; she is supposed to have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and to have begun speaking in tongues and prophesying. This is the root of the better known "Azusa Street Revival" in Los Angeles, California (1906) led by William J. Seymour, an African American student of Parham's. on Korea[edit] See also: Manchurian revival Beh Im compared the evangelistic method and results of the Third Great Awakening in America with the Korean revivals of 1884–1910. Many techniques of the Second and Third Great Awakenings were transposed from America to Korea, including the circuit-riding system of the Methodists, the Baptist farmer preachers, the campus revivals of the eastern seaboard, the camp meetings in the West, the new measures of Charles G. Finney, the Layman's Prayer Revival, urban mass revivalism of D. L. Moody, and the Student Volunteer Movement. Im discovered four areas of influence from a comparison and analysis of the two countries' revivals: the establishment of tradition, the adoption of similar emphases, the incorporation of evangelistic methodologies, and the observation of the results of the revivals. The American revivals had a major influence on the Korean revivals, and the American revival tradition and enthusiasm toward missions helped Korean Christians develop their own religious experience and tradition. This tradition has influenced Korean churches even into the 21st century.[18]

US, 1857-1861, President, James Buchanan, for state's rights, for Supreme Court pro slavery Dred Scott Decison
US President, 1857-1861, James Buchanan; Buchanan Jr. (April 23, 1791 - June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvania in both houses of the U.S. Congress. was a states' rights advocate, and minimized the role of the federal government in the nation's final years of slavery. was a prominent lawyer in Pennsylvania and won his first election to the state's House of Representatives as a Federalist. was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1820 and retained that post for 11 years, aligning with Andrew Jackson's Democratic Party. served as Jackson's minister to Russia (1832). He won election in 1834 as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and also held that position for 11 years. Buchanan was appointed to serve as President James K. Polk's secretary of state in 1845, and eight years later was named as President Franklin Pierce's minister to the United Kingdom. 1846, Buchanan was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.[3] in 1844, Buchanan became a regular contender for the Democratic party's presidential nomination. He was finally nominated in 1856, defeating incumbent Franklin Pierce and Senator Stephen A. Douglas at the Democratic National Convention; benefited from the fact that he had been out of the country (as ambassador in London) and thus had not been involved in slavery issues. Buchanan and running mate John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky carried every slave state except Maryland, defeating anti-slavery Republican John C. Frémont and Know-Nothing former president Millard Fillmore to win the 1856 presidential election. President, Buchanan intervened in the Supreme Court to gather majority support of the pro-slavery and anti-black decision in the Dred Scott case. He did what Southern leaders wanted in attempting to engineer Kansas coming into the Union as a slave state under the Lecompton Constitution. He thereby angered not only the Republicans but also many Northern Democrats. honored his pledge to serve only one term, and supported Breckinridge's unsuccessful candidacy in the 1860 presidential election. He failed to reconcile the fractured Democratic party due to a simmering grudge against Stephen Douglas, leading to a four-way electoral split and the election of Republican and former Congressman Abraham Lincoln. weeks after Lincoln was elected as Buchanan's successor, Southern states began seceding from the Union, precipitating the American Civil War. Buchanan's bumbling leadership during his lame duck period was widely criticized. He simultaneously angered the North by not stopping secession, and the South by not acceding to their secession. He supported the ill-fated Corwin Amendment in an attempt to reconcile the country, but it was too little too late. He made an unsuccessful attempt to reinforce the defenders of Fort Sumter, but otherwise refrained from taking any action to prepare the military. His failure to forestall the Civil War has been described alternatively as incompetent inaction, or passive acceptance of the South. contemporaries blamed him for the war, and he was much reviled after his presidency. He spent his last years defending his reputation. In his personal life, Buchanan never married and as of 2021, he is the only U.S. president to remain a lifelong bachelor. Biographers have variously suggested that he was celibate, homosexual, or asexual. Buchanan died of respiratory failure in 1868, and was buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he had lived for nearly 60 years. historians and critics condemn him for not addressing the issue of slavery or forestalling the secession of the Southern states over it. Historians and scholars consistently rank Buchanan as one of the country's worst presidents. WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

US, 1859-1860, Mullan Road - Fort Benton Missouri River Steamship Port to Walla Walla

Mullan Road - Fort Benton to Walla Walla

Mullan Road - Fort Benton, MT
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Fort Benton, MT;

Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls, Montana;

Mullan Road - Mullan Pass (west of Helena)
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Pass (west of Helena);

Mullan Road - Garrison, MT
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Garrison, Montana (I90 Hwy 12 Intersection);

Mullan Road - Bearmouth, Mt
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Bearmouth, Montana;

Mullan Road - Missoula, Mt
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Missoula, Mt;

Fort Missoula, 1877
Fort Missoula, 1877;

Mullan Road - St. Regis, Mt
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - St. Regis, Montana;

Mullan Road - Henderson, MT
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Henderson, MT'

Mullan Road - Taft, Mt
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Taft, Montana;

Mullan Road -Sohon Pass aka St Regis Pass
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road -Sohon Pass aka St Regis Pass

Lookout Pass

Mullan Road - South End of Lake Coeur d'Alene
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - South End of Lake Coeur d'Alene;

Mullan Road - Benge, Washington
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Benge, Washington;

Mullan Road - Washtucna, WA
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Washtucna, Washington;

Mullan Road - Palouse River at Snake River
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Palouse River at Snake River;

Mullan Road - Fort Walla Walla
Mullan Road, 1859-1860; Mullan Road - Fort Walla Walla;

US, 1859, Fort Colville to fort Walla Walla Military Road - 1859
Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road -1859;

Fort Colville to Fort Walla Walla Military Road -1859

Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road - Fort Colvile
Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road -1859; Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road - Fort Colvile;

Chewelah

Loon Lake

Reardan, WA

Medical Lake

Fort Spokane - 1880
Fort Spokane 1880

Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road - Fort Walla Walla
Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road -1859; Fort Walla Walla–Fort Colville Military Road - Fort Walla Walla;

US, 1859, Central Overland Route Folder

Central Overland Route (Salt Lake City, UT to Carson City, NV)
Central Overland Route ;

Central Overland Route 1 (Fairfield, UT)

Central Overland Route 2

Central Overland Route 3 (Callao, UT)

Central Overland Route 4 (Ibapah, UT)

Central Overland Route 5 (Ely, NV)

Central Overland Route 6

Central Overland Route 7

Central Overland Route 21 (Fallon, NV)

Central Overland Route 22 (Fernley, NV)

Central Overland Route 23 (Silver Springs, NV)

Central Overland Route 24 (Dayton, NV)

Central Overland Route 25 (Carson City, NV)

US, 1859, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America (Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. and family Cady Stanton and her daughter, Harriot a young woman, Stanton traveled often to the home of her cousin, Gerrit Smith, who also lived in upstate New York. His views were very different from those of her conservative father. was an abolitionist and a member of the "Secret Six," a group of men who financed John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an armed uprising of enslaved African Americans.[11] At Smith's home, she met Henry Brewster Stanton, a prominent abolitionist agent. her father's reservations, the couple married in 1840, omitting the word "obey" from the marriage ceremony. Stanton later wrote, "I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I was entering into an equal relation."[12] uncommon, this practice was not unheard of; Quakers had been omitting "obey" from the marriage ceremony for some time.[13] took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but not Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. after returning from their European honeymoon, the Stantons moved into the Cady household in Johnstown. Henry Stanton studied law under his father-in-law until 1843, when the Stantons moved to Boston (Chelsea), Massachusetts, where Henry joined a law firm. While living in Boston, Elizabeth enjoyed the social, political, and intellectual stimulation that came with a constant round of abolitionist gatherings. Here, she was influenced by such people as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Ralph Waldo Emerson.[14] In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. Their house, which is now a part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park, was purchased for them by Elizabeth's father.[15] Stanton house in Seneca Falls couple had seven children. At that time, child-bearing was considered to be a subject that should be handled with great delicacy. Stanton took a different approach, raising a flag in front of her house after giving birth, a red flag for a boy and a white one for a girl.[16] One of her daughters, Harriot Stanton Blatch, became, like her mother, a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Because of the spacing of their children's births, one historian has concluded that the Stantons must have used birth control methods. Stanton herself said her children were conceived by what she called "voluntary motherhood." In an era when it was commonly held that a wife must submit to her husband's sexual demands, Stanton believed that women should have command over their sexual relationships and childbearing.[17] She also said, however, that "a healthy woman has as much passion as a man."[18] encouraged both her sons and daughters to pursue a broad range of interests, activities, and learning.[19] She was remembered by her daughter Margaret as being "cheerful, sunny and indulgent."[20] She enjoyed motherhood and running a large household, but she found herself unsatisfied and even depressed by the lack of intellectual companionship and stimulation in Seneca Falls.[21] the 1850s, Henry's work as a lawyer and politician kept him away from home for nearly 10 months out of every year. This frustrated Elizabeth when the children were small, because it made it difficult for her to travel.[22] The pattern continued in later years, with husband and wife living apart more often than together, maintaining separate households for several years. Their marriage, which lasted 47 years, ended with Henry Stanton's death in 1887.[23] Henry and Elizabeth were staunch abolitionists, but Henry, like Elizabeth's father, disagreed with the idea of female suffrage.[24] One biographer described Henry as, "at best a halfhearted 'women's rights man.'"[25]

US, 1860-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized Ls, Marianne replaced D
Belgium, 1816-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized burial, grow crops, choir, medical, built chapel, Marianne from Germany, replaced D, miraculously did not get Leprosy; Molokai; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ; the 1800's, the Hawaiian Islands suffered a severe leprosy epidemic, which was dealt with largely by isolating lepers on the island of Molokai. were simply dumped there and left to fend for themselves. The crews of the boats carrying them there were afraid to land, so they simply came in close and forced the lepers to jump overboard and scramble through the surf as best they could. Ashore, they found no law and no organized society, simply desperate persons waiting for death. Belgian missionary priest, Joseph Van Veuster (Damien of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart), born in 1840, came to Hawaii in 1863, and in 1873 was sent at his own request to Molokai to work among the lepers. organized burial details and funeral services, so that death might have some dignity. He taught the people how to grow crops and feed themselves better. He organized a choir, and got persons to sing who had not sung in years. He gave them medical attention. doctors had been making regular visits, but they were afraid of contagion, and would not come close to the patients. They inspected their sores from a distance and then left medicines on a table and fled. Damien personally washed and anointed and bandaged their sores.) was already a small chapel on the island. It proved too small, and with the aid of patients he built a larger one, which soon overflowed every Sunday. Damien contracted leprosy himself in 1885, and continued to work there until his death on 15 April 1889. — by James Kiefer; more at Wikipedia Marianne Cope Marianne Cope (January 23, 1838 – August 9, 1918), was a Franciscan nun of the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. in Heppenheim (Germany) and entered religious life in Syracuse, New York, she worked, lived and died for the lepers on the island of Moloka'i in Hawai'i. She was not herself afflicted by the disease, a fact arguably declared to be miraculous considering her close contact with the patients over the course of several years. the age of three her family moved from Germany to the United States, settling in Utica, New York. After joining the Franciscans, she spent nearly a decade as a teacher and then principal in newly established schools for German immigrants. She was also a founding member of two of the first Catholic hospitals in the United States. November 1883, Mother Marianne, then Provincial Mother, traveled from Syracuse to Honolulu with six other nuns to answer a call for aid to the Hansen's disease sufferers. In 1888, she moved to Kalaupapa to help the ailing Father Damien of Moloka'i. When the famed priest died, Mother Marianne Cope took over the care of the patients of Kalaupapa. She remained there until her death in 1918. — more at Wikipedia

US, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, direct evangelism, woman to w, china missionary 40 years, Chinese culture and clothes helped
Virginia, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia (Rivanna River 1), direct evangelism, woman to woman, southern slave plantation, master of Arts 1861, china missionary 40 years 1873-1912, taking on Chinese culture and clothes helped; Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virgini; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; Digges "Lottie" Moon (December 12, 1840 – December 24 , 1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years (1873-1912) helping the Chinese. As a teacher and evangelist she laid a foundation for traditionally solid support for missions among Baptists in America. was born to affluent parents who were staunch Baptists, on the family's ancestral fifteen-hundred-acre slave-labor tobacco plantation called Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Moon family valued education, and at age fourteen Lottie went to school at the Baptist-affiliated Virginia Female Seminary (high school, later Hollins Institute) and Albemarle Female Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. 1861 Moon received one of the first Master of Arts degrees awarded to a woman by a southern institution. underwent a spiritual awakening at the age of 18, after a series of revival meetings on the college campus. On July 7, 1873, the Foreign Mission Board officially appointed Lottie as a missionary to China. joined her sister Edmonia at the North China Mission Station in the treaty port of Dengzhou, and began her ministry by teaching in a girls school. (Edmonia had to return home a short time later for health reasons.) accompanying some of the seasoned missionary wives on “country visits” to outlying villages, Lottie discovered her passion: direct evangelism. mission work at that time was done by married men, but the wives of China missionaries Tarleton Perry Crawford and Landrum Holmes had discovered an important reality: women could reach Chinese women. Lottie soon became frustrated, convinced that her talent was being wasted and could be better put to use in evangelism and church planting. Lottie wrote: we wonder at the mortal weariness and disgust, the sense of wasted powers and the conviction that her life is a failure, that comes over a woman when, instead of the ever broadening activities that she had planned, she finds herself tied down to the petty work of teaching a few girls? in a family “of culture and means,” Lottie at first thought of the Chinese as an inferior people, and insisted on wearing American clothes to maintain a degree of distance from the “heathen” people. gradually she came to realize that the more she shed her westernized trappings and identified with the Chinese people, the more their simple curiosity about foreigners (and sometimes rejection) turned into genuine interest in the Gospel. began wearing Chinese clothes, adopted Chinese customs, learned to be sensitive to Chinese culture, and came to respect and admire Chinese culture and learning. In turn she gained love and respect from many Chinese people. Moon has come to personify the missionary spirit for Southern Baptists and many other Christians, as well. The annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Missions has raised a total of $1.5 billion for missions since 1888, and finances half the entire Southern Baptist missions budget every year. more from Wikipedia

US, 1861-1865, President, Abraham Lincoln, preserved Union, abolished slavery, modernized economy, killed
US President, 1861-1865, Abraham Lincoln ; Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War, the country's greatest moral, cultural, constitutional, and political crisis. He succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy. was born into poverty in a log cabin and was raised on the frontier primarily in Indiana. was self-educated and became a lawyer, Whig Party leader, Illinois state legislator, and U.S. Congressman from Illinois. 1849, he returned to his law practice but became vexed by the opening of additional lands to slavery as a result of the Kansas–Nebraska Act. reentered politics in 1854, becoming a leader in the new Republican Party, and he reached a national audience in the 1858 debates against Stephen Douglas. ran for President in 1860, sweeping the North in victory. Pro-slavery elements in the South equated his success with the North's rejection of their right to practice slavery, and southern states began seceding from the Union. secure its independence, the new Confederate States fired on Fort Sumter, a U.S. fort in the South, and Lincoln called up forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the Union. a moderate Republican, had to navigate a contentious array of factions with friends and opponents from both the Democratic and Republican parties. His allies, the War Democrats and the Radical Republicans, demanded harsh treatment of the Southern Confederates. Anti-war Democrats (called "Copperheads") despised Lincoln, and irreconcilable pro-Confederate elements plotted his assassination. He managed the factions by exploiting their mutual enmity, carefully distributing political patronage, and by appealing to the American people. His Gettysburg Address appealed to nationalistic, republican, egalitarian, libertarian, and democratic sentiments. scrutinized the strategy and tactics in the war effort, including the selection of generals and the naval blockade of the South's trade. He suspended habeas corpus in Maryland, and he averted British intervention by defusing the Trent Affair. engineered the end to slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation, including his order that the Army and Navy liberate, protect, and recruit former slaves. He also encouraged border states to outlaw slavery, and promoted the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which outlawed slavery across the country. managed his own successful re-election campaign. He sought to heal the war-torn nation through reconciliation. On April 14, 1865, just days after the war's end at Appomattox, he was attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife Mary when he was fatally shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. is remembered as a martyr and hero of the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history. SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

US, 1863-1869,Transcontinental Railroad, Alameda, CA, Council Bluffs, IA, New York, NY
US, 1863-1869,Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental Railroad, I80, Alameda, CA, Council Bluffs, IA, New York, NY

Alameda,Transcontinental Railroad, CA to Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB and on, Interstate 80
Alameda,Transcontinental Railroad, CA to Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB and on, Interstate 80 America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.[1] The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive US land grants.[2] Construction was financed by both state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company issued mortgage bonds.[3][4][5][N 1] The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 mi (212 km) of track from the road's western terminus at Alameda/Oakland to Sacramento, California. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) constructed 690 mi (1,110 km) east wm Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) built 1,085 mi (1,746 km) from the road's eastern terminus at the Missouri River settlements of Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska westward to Promontory Summit.[7][8][9] railroad opened for through traffic between Sacramento and Omaha on May 10, 1869, when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially tapped the gold "Last Spike" (later often referred to as the "Golden Spike") with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit.[10][11] [N 2] In the following six months, the last leg from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay was completed. The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West.[N 3][N 4] It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer and less expensive. first transcontinental rail passengers arrived at the Pacific Railroad's original western terminus at the Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, where they transferred to the steamer Alameda for transport across the Bay to San Francisco. The road's rail terminus was moved two months later to the Oakland Long Wharf, about a mile to the north, when its expansion was completed and opened for passengers on November 8, 1869.[15][16][N 5] Service between San Francisco and Oakland Pier continued to be provided by ferry. CPRR eventually purchased 53 miles (85 km) of UPRR-built grade from Promontory Summit (MP 828) to Ogden, Utah Territory (MP 881), which became the interchange point between trains of the two roads. The transcontinental line became popularly known as the Overland Route after the name of the principal passenger rail service to Chicago that operated over the length of the line until 1962.[19]

Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB, Transcontinental Railroad from Alameda, CA, on Interstate 80
Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB, Transcontinental Railroad from Alameda, CA, on Interstate 80 Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB, Transcontinental Railroad from Alameda, CA, on Interstate 80 America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.[1] The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive US land grants.[2] Construction was financed by both state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company issued mortgage bonds.[3][4][5][N 1] The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 mi (212 km) of track from the road's western terminus at Alameda/Oakland to Sacramento, California. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) constructed 690 mi (1,110 km) east wm Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) built 1,085 mi (1,746 km) from the road's eastern terminus at the Missouri River settlements of Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska westward to Promontory Summit.[7][8][9] railroad opened for through traffic between Sacramento and Omaha on May 10, 1869, when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially tapped the gold "Last Spike" (later often referred to as the "Golden Spike") with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit.[10][11] [N 2] In the following six months, the last leg from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay was completed. The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West.[N 3][N 4] It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer and less expensive. first transcontinental rail passengers arrived at the Pacific Railroad's original western terminus at the Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, where they transferred to the steamer Alameda for transport across the Bay to San Francisco. The road's rail terminus was moved two months later to the Oakland Long Wharf, about a mile to the north, when its expansion was completed and opened for passengers on November 8, 1869.[15][16][N 5] Service between San Francisco and Oakland Pier continued to be provided by ferry. CPRR eventually purchased 53 miles (85 km) of UPRR-built grade from Promontory Summit (MP 828) to Ogden, Utah Territory (MP 881), which became the interchange point between trains of the two roads. The transcontinental line became popularly known as the Overland Route after the name of the principal passenger rail service to Chicago that operated over the length of the line until 1962.[19]

New York, NY,Transcontinentla RWY, to Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB, to Alameda, CA, I80
New York, NY,Transcontinentla RWY, to Council Bluffs, IA/Omaha, NB, to Alameda, CA, I80 America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.[1] The rail line was built by three private companies over public lands provided by extensive US land grants.[2] Construction was financed by both state and US government subsidy bonds as well as by company issued mortgage bonds.[3][4][5][N 1] The Western Pacific Railroad Company built 132 mi (212 km) of track from the road's western terminus at Alameda/Oakland to Sacramento, California. The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California (CPRR) constructed 690 mi (1,110 km) east wm Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) built 1,085 mi (1,746 km) from the road's eastern terminus at the Missouri River settlements of Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska westward to Promontory Summit.[7][8][9] railroad opened for through traffic between Sacramento and Omaha on May 10, 1869, when CPRR President Leland Stanford ceremonially tapped the gold "Last Spike" (later often referred to as the "Golden Spike") with a silver hammer at Promontory Summit.[10][11] [N 2] In the following six months, the last leg from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay was completed. The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West.[N 3][N 4] It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer and less expensive. first transcontinental rail passengers arrived at the Pacific Railroad's original western terminus at the Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, where they transferred to the steamer Alameda for transport across the Bay to San Francisco. The road's rail terminus was moved two months later to the Oakland Long Wharf, about a mile to the north, when its expansion was completed and opened for passengers on November 8, 1869.[15][16][N 5] Service between San Francisco and Oakland Pier continued to be provided by ferry. CPRR eventually purchased 53 miles (85 km) of UPRR-built grade from Promontory Summit (MP 828) to Ogden, Utah Territory (MP 881), which became the interchange point between trains of the two roads. The transcontinental line became popularly known as the Overland Route after the name of the principal passenger rail service to Chicago that operated over the length of the line until 1962.[19]

US, 1863-1885, Central Pacific Railroad, western transcontinental, acquired by Southern Pacific 1885
Southern Pacific Railroad; Central Pacific Railroad

Chicago, IL Southern Pacific Railroad

St. Louis, MO, SPCSL, Souther Pacific Railroad

Chicago, St Louis, Kansas City, Southern Pacific Railroad

Kansas City, MO, SSW, Southern Pacific Railroad

Kansas City, Tucumcari, Southern Pacific Railroad

Tucumcari, NM, SSW, Southern Pacific Railroad

El Paso Tocumcari, Southern Pacific Railroad

El Paso, TX, SSW, Southern Pacific Railroad

Nogales, AZ, Southern Pacific Railroad

Nogales Loop, Southern Pacific Railroad

Tucson, AZ, Southern Pacific Railroad

Phoenix, AZ, Souther Pacific Railroad

El Paso to Yuma, Southern Pacific Railroad

Yuma, AZ, Southern Pacific Railroad

Yuma to Los Angeles, Southern Pacific Railroad

Los Angeles, CA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Yuma to San Diego Spur, Southern Pacific Railroad

San Diego, CA, Souther Pacific Railroad Spur

LA to Watsonville near Fresno, Southern Pacific Railroad

Watsonville to Willis, Southern Pacific Railway

Oakland, CA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Watsonville, Oakland, Sacramento to Klamath Falls, Southern Pacific Railroad

Sacramento, CA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Mount Shasta, CA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Klamath Falls, OR, Southern Pacific Railroad

Eugene, OR, Southern Pacific Railroad

Klamath, Eugene, Salem Beaverton to Portland, South Pacific Railroad

Portland, OR, Southern Pacific Railroad

New Orleans, LA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Baton Rouge, LA, Southern Pacific Railroad

Sabine River

Houston, TX, Southern Pacific Railroad

Brazos River

Colorado River (Texas)

San Antonio to New Orleans, Southern Pacific Railroad

San Antonio, TX, Southern Pacific Railroad

Devils River (Texas)

Pecos River

El Paso to San Antonio, Southern Pacific Railroad

El Paso, TX, Sunset Route, Southern Pacific Railroad

US, 1864-1924, Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, evangelism and healing hand in hand, trance-like spiritual experiences
US, 1864-1924, Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, New Lisbon, OH (Mahoning River Source), evangelism and healing hand in hand, trance-like spiritual experiences; New Lisbon, OH; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Buelah Woodworth-Etter (July 22, 1844–September 16, 1924) was an American healing evangelist. Her ministry style was a model for Pentecostalism.[1] was born in New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, as Mariah Beulah Underwood. was born again at the beginning of the Third Great Awakening at the age of thirteen. immediately heard the call of God and dedicated her life to the Lord. her calling she would later write, "I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and hedges and gather in the lost sheep." 1863, she married Philo Horace Woodworth, whom she divorced for infidelity in 1891. had six children with Woodworth, five of whom died young. 1902, she married Samuel Etter, who died in 1914.[2] studied the scriptures and began preaching the Lord's divine will in healing. It didn't take long to see that evangelism and healing went hand in hand as thousands were won to Christ as a result of seeing others healed. Sister Etter pioneered the way for Pentecostal manifestations that are so common in Charismatic and Pentecostal groups today. earliest exposure to religion was through a local Disciples of Christ congregation. After her marriage, she chose to enter evangelistic ministry. Prohibited from public preaching among the Disciples, she found support in a local Quaker meeting. was while associating with the Quakers that she received the baptism in the Holy Spirit while praying for an "anointing for service".[1] this experience, she began to preach. hundreds of conversions, her campaigns attracted reporters from across the country. She was briefly affiliated with the Brethren in Christ but eventually joined the Church of God of the General Eldership founded by John Winebrenner. was dismissed from the Church of God in 1904.[1] began to pray for the sick in 1885, believing that those with sufficient faith would be healed. Her meetings also became known for people falling to the floor in trance-like states. people would later report profound spiritual experiences while in such a state. she preached throughout the nation, her reputation grew, leading her to purchase an 8,000-seat tent in which to conduct her services. 1912 she joined the young Pentecostal movement and preached widely in Pentecostal circles until her death, helping found the Assemblies of God in 1914.[1][3] 1918 she founded what is today Lakeview Church (Temple) of Indianapolis, Indiana.[2]

US, 1865-1869, President, Andrew Johnson, southern democrat, chosen VP for national unity, tried to reverse reconstruction
US President, 1865-1869, Andrew Johnson ; Johnson (December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. was a Democrat who ran with Lincoln on the National Union ticket, coming to office as the Civil War concluded. He favored quick restoration of the seceded states to the Union without protection for the former slaves. This led to conflict with the Republican-dominated Congress, culminating in his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1868. He was acquitted in the Senate by one vote. was born into poverty in Raleigh, North Carolina, and he never attended school. He was apprenticed as a tailor and worked in several frontier towns before settling in Greeneville, Tennessee. served as alderman and mayor there before being elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. brief service in the Tennessee Senate, Johnson was elected to the House of Representatives in 1843, where he served five two-year terms. became governor of Tennessee for four years, and was elected by the legislature to the Senate in 1857. his congressional service, he sought passage of the Homestead Bill which was enacted soon after he left his Senate seat in 1862. slave states seceded to form the Confederate States of America, including Tennessee, but Johnson remained firmly with the Union. He was the only sitting senator from a Confederate state who did not resign his seat upon learning of his state's secession. 1862, Lincoln appointed him as Military Governor of Tennessee after most of it had been retaken. In 1864, Johnson was a logical choice as running mate for Lincoln, who wished to send a message of national unity in his re-election campaign; and became vice president after a victorious election in 1864. implemented his own form of Presidential Reconstruction, a series of proclamations directing the seceded states to hold conventions and elections to reform their civil governments. Southern states returned many of their old leaders and passed Black Codes to deprive the freedmen of many civil liberties, Congressional Republicans refused to seat legislators from those states and advanced legislation to overrule the Southern actions. Johnson vetoed their bills, and Congressional Republicans overrode him, setting a pattern for the remainder of his presidency.[1] opposed the Fourteenth Amendment which gave citizenship to former slaves. In 1866, he went on an unprecedented national tour promoting his executive policies, seeking to break Republican opposition.[2] the conflict grew between the branches of government, Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act restricting Johnson's ability to fire Cabinet officials. He persisted in trying to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, but ended up being impeached by the House of Representatives and narrowly avoided conviction in the Senate. He did not win the 1868 Democratic presidential nomination and left office the following year. returned to Tennessee after his presidency and gained some vindication when he was elected to the Senate in 1875, making him the only former president to serve in the Senate. He died five months into his term. strong opposition to federally guaranteed rights for black Americans is widely criticized; he is regarded by many historians as one of the worst presidents in American history. SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1869-1877, President, Ulysses S. Grant, stabilized post-war economy, supported black vote right, crushed Ku Klux Klan
US President, 1869-1877, Ulysses S. Grant ; S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; /ˈhaɪrəm juːˈlɪsiːz/ HY-rəm yoo-LIS-eez; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American military leader who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As president, Grant was an effective civil rights executive who created the Justice Department and worked with the Radical Republicans to protect African Americans during Reconstruction. As Commanding General, he led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865 and thereafter briefly served as Secretary of War. in Ohio, Grant possessed an exceptional ability with horses, which served him well through his military career. He was admitted to West Point, graduated 21st in the class of 1843 and served with distinction in the Mexican–American War. In 1848, he married Julia Dent, and together they had four children. Grant abruptly resigned his army commission in 1854 and returned to his family, but lived in poverty for seven years. joined the Union Army after the Civil War broke out in 1861 and rose to prominence after winning several early Union victories on the Western Theater. In 1863 he led the Vicksburg campaign, which gained control of the Mississippi River. Abraham Lincoln promoted him to lieutenant general after his victory at Chattanooga. For thirteen months, Grant fought Robert E. Lee during the high-casualty Overland Campaign and at Petersburg. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. A week later, Lincoln was assassinated and was succeeded by President Andrew Johnson, who promoted Grant to General of the Army in 1866. Grant openly broke with Johnson over Reconstruction policies; Grant used the Reconstruction Acts, which had been passed over Johnson's veto, to enforce civil rights for recently freed African Americans. war hero, drawn in by his sense of duty, Grant was unanimously nominated by the Republican Party and was elected president in 1868. president, Grant stabilized the post-war national economy, supported ratification of the 15th Amendment, and crushed the Ku Klux Klan. appointed African Americans and Jewish Americans to prominent federal offices. 1871, Grant created the first Civil Service Commission, advancing civil service more than any prior president. Liberal Republicans and Democrats united behind Grant's opponent in the presidential election of 1872, but Grant was handily re-elected. Native American policy was to assimilate Indians into the White culture; the Great Sioux War was fought during his term. foreign policy was mostly peaceful, without war, the Alabama claims against Great Britain skillfully resolved, but his prized Caribbean Dominican Republic annexation was rejected by the Senate. Grant administration is traditionally known for prevalent scandals, but modern scholarship has better appreciated Grant's appointed reformers and prosecutions. appointed reformers, such as John Brooks Henderson and David Dyer, who prosecuted the Whiskey Ring. Other reformers Grant appointed included Benjamin Bristow and Edwards Pierrepont, who served as Grant's anti-corruption team. Grant also prosecuted immoral Morman polygamists (1871) and abortionists (1873–1877). Panic of 1873 plunged the nation into a severe economic depression that allowed the Democrats to win the House majority. In the intensely disputed presidential election of 1876, Grant facilitated the approval by Congress of a peaceful compromise. his retirement, Grant was the first president to circumnavigate the world on his tour, dining with Queen Victoria and meeting many prominent foreign leaders. In 1880, Grant was unsuccessful in obtaining the Republican presidential nomination for a third term. In the final year of his life, facing severe financial reversals and dying of throat cancer, he wrote his memoirs, which proved to be a major critical and financial success. At the time of his death, he was memorialized as a symbol of national unity. Grant was a modern general and "a skillful leader who had a natural grasp of tactics and strategy". assessments of his presidency have improved over time; he was ranked 38th in 1994 and 1996 but ranked 21st in 2018 and 24th in 2021. Although critical of scandals and Grant's loyal defense of culprits, modern historians have emphasized his two-term presidential accomplishments. These included his protection of African American civil rights, prosecution of the Klan, innovative Native American policy, and the settlement of the Alabama claims. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); William Agustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1869,Transcontinental Railroad, Alameda, CA, Council Bluffs, IA, New York, NY

US, 1870-1883, Northern Pacific Railway - from Midwest to Bozeman Pass
Northern Pacific Railway; Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly forty million acres (62,000 sq mi; 160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former President Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on September 8, 1883. railroad had about 6,800 miles (10,900 km) of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. In addition, the NP had an international branch to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber, and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land. Northern Pacific was headquartered in Minnesota, first in Brainerd, then in Saint Paul. It had a tumultuous financial history; the NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Santa Fe Railway to become the BNSF Railway in 1996. Map of NPR Land Grant, c1890 chartered the Northern Pacific Railway Company on July 2, 1864, with the goals of connecting the Great Lakes with Puget Sound on the Pacific, opening vast new lands for farming, ranching, lumbering and mining, and linking Washington and Oregon to the rest of the country.[1] granted the railroad a potential 60 million acres (243,000 km2) of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory. Josiah Perham was elected its first president on December 7, 1864.[1] It could not use all the land and in the end took just under 40 million acres.[2] Cooke takes control[edit] the next six years, backers of the road struggled to find financing. Though John Gregory Smith succeeded Perham as president on January 5, 1865, groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Carlton, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota. backing and promotions of famed financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. The Minnetonka. Over the course of 1871, the Northern Pacific pushed westward from Minnesota into present-day North Dakota. Surveyors and construction crews had to maneuver through swamps, bogs, and tamarack forests. The difficult terrain and insufficient funding delayed by six months the construction phase in Minnesota.[3] NP also began building its line north from Kalama, Washington Territory, on the Columbia River outside of Portland, Oregon, towards Puget Sound. small construction engines were purchased, the Minnetonka, Itaska, Ottertail and St. Cloud, the first of which was shipped to Kalama by ship around Cape Horn. Minnesota, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad completed construction of its 155-mile (249 km) line stretching from Saint Paul to Lake Superior at Duluth in 1870. It was leased to the Northern Pacific in 1876, and was eventually absorbed by the Northern Pacific. The North Coast Limited was the Northern Pacific's flagship train and the Northern Pacific itself was built along the trail first blazed by Lewis and Clark.[4] Preferred Shares of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, issued 28. November 1881 Northern Pacific reached Fargo, Dakota Territory (N.D.), early in June 1872. The following year, in June 1873, the N.P. reached the shores of the Missouri River, at Edwinton (Bismarck) D.T. In the west, the track extended 25 miles (40 km) north from Kalama. Surveys were carried out in North Dakota protected by 600 troops under General Winfield Scott Hancock. Headquarters and shops were established in Brainerd, Minnesota, a town named for the President John Gregory Smith's wife Anna Elizabeth Brainerd. A severe stock market crash and financial collapse after 1873, led by the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the Union Pacific Railroad fraud, stopped further railroad building for twelve years. 1886, the company put down 164 miles (264 km) of main line across North Dakota, with an additional 45 miles (72 km) in Washington. November 1, General George Washington Cass became the third president of the company. Cass had been a vice-president and director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and would lead the Northern Pacific through some of its most difficult times. on survey parties and construction crews by Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa warriors in North Dakota and Minnesota became so prevalent that the company received protection from units of the U.S. Army.[5] 1886, the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Germany and Scandinavia, attracting farmers with cheap package transportation and purchase deals. The success of the NP was based on the abundant crops of wheat and other grains and the attraction to settlers of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota-North Dakota border between 1881 and 1890.[6] Northern Pacific reached Dakota Territory at Fargo in 1872, and began its career as one of the central factors in the economic growth of North Dakota. The climate, although very cold, was suitable for wheat, which was in high demand in the cities of the United States and Europe. Most of the settlers were German and Scandinavian immigrants who bought the land cheaply, and raised large families. They shipped huge quantities of wheat to Minneapolis, while buying all sorts of equipment and home supplies to be shipped in by rail.[7] NP used its federal land grants as security to borrow money to build its system.[8] federal government kept every other section of land, and gave it away free to homesteaders. first the railroad sold much of its holdings at low prices to land speculators in order to realize quick cash profits, and also to eliminate sizable annual tax bills. 1905 the railroad company's land policies changed, after it was judged a costly mistake to have sold much of the land at wholesale prices. better railroad service and improved methods of farming the Northern Pacific easily sold what had been heretofore "worthless" land directly to farmers at good prices. 1910 the railroad's holdings in North Dakota had been greatly reduced.[9][10] of 1873 and first bankruptcy[edit] 1873, Northern Pacific made impressive strides before a terrible stumble. Rails from the east reached the Missouri River on June 4. After several years of study, Tacoma, Washington, was selected as the road's western terminus on July 14, 1873. the previous three years the financial house of Jay Cooke and Company had been throwing money into the construction of the Northern Pacific. As with many western transcontinentals, the staggering costs of building a railroad into a vast wilderness had been drastically underestimated. Cooke had little success in marketing the bonds in Europe and overextended his house in meeting overdrafts of the mounting construction costs. Cooke overestimated his managerial skills and failed to appreciate the limits of a banker's ability to be also a promoter, and the danger of freezing his assets in the bonds of the Northern Pacific.[11] and Company went bankrupt on September 18, 1873. Soon the Panic of 1873 engulfed the United States, beginning an economic depression that ruined or nearly paralyzed newer railroads. Northern Pacific survived bankruptcy that year, due to austerity measures put in place by President Cass. In fact, working with last-minute loans from Director John C. Ainsworth of Portland, the Northern Pacific completed the line from Kalama to Tacoma (110 miles (180 km)) before the end of 1873. On December 16, the first steam train arrived in Tacoma. But in 1874 the company was moribund.[clarification needed] Pacific slipped into its first bankruptcy on June 30, 1875. Cass resigned to become receiver of the company, and Charles Barstow Wright became its fourth president. Frederick Billings, namesake of Billings, Montana, formulated a reorganization plan which was put into effect. 1874 to 1876, elements of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer operating out of Forts Abraham Lincoln and Rice in Dakota Territory conducted expeditions to protect the railroad survey and construction crews in Dakota and Montana Territories.[citation needed] Billings and first reorganization[edit] 1877, construction resumed in a small way. Northern Pacific pushed a branch line southeast from Tacoma to Puyallup, Washington and on to the coal fields around Wilkeson, Washington. Much of the coal was destined for export through Tacoma to San Francisco, California, where it would be thrown into the fireboxes of Central Pacific Railroad steam engines. small amount of construction was one of the largest projects the company would undertake in the years between 1874 and 1880. That same year the company built a large shop complex at Edison, Washington (now part of south Tacoma). For many years the shops at Brainerd and Edison would carry out heavy repairs and build equipment for the railroad. May 24, 1879, Frederick H. Billings became the president of the company. Billings' tenure would be short but ferocious. Reorganization, bond sales, and improvement in the U.S. economy allowed Northern Pacific to strike out across the Missouri River by letting a contract to build 100 miles (160 km) of railroad west of the river. The railroad's new-found strength, however, would be seen as a threat in certain quarters. Henry Villard, Gold Creek, Gold Spike[edit] Yellowstone Park Line Brochure 1904 and Transcontinental stock owned by Henry Villard. journalist Henry Villard had raised capital for western railroads in Europe from 1871 to 1873. After returning to New York in 1874 he invested on behalf of his clients in railroads in Oregon. Through Villard's work, most of these lines became properties of the European creditors' holding company, the Oregon and Transcontinental Company. the lines held by the Oregon and Transcontinental, the most important was the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, which ran east from Portland along the left bank of the Columbia River to a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad's Oregon Short Line at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Snake River near Wallula, Washington. a decade of his return, Villard was head of a transportation empire in the Pacific Northwest that had but one real competitor, the Northern Pacific. The Northern Pacific's completion threatened the holdings of Villard in the Northwest, and especially in Portland. Portland would become a second-class city if the Puget Sound ports at Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, were connected to the East by rail. who had been building a monopoly of river and rail transportation in Oregon for several years, now launched a daring raid. Using his European connections and a reputation for having "bested" Jay Gould in a battle for control of the Kansas Pacific years before, Villard solicited – and raised – $8,000,000 from his associates. This was his famous "Blind Pool," Villard's associates were not told what the money would be used for. In this case, the funds were used to purchase control of the Northern Pacific. a tough fight, Billings and his backers were forced to capitulate; he resigned the presidency June 9, 1881. Ashbel H. Barney, former President of Wells Fargo & Company, served briefly as interim caretaker of the railroad from June 19 to September 15, when Villard was elected president by the stockholders. For the next two years, Villard and the Northern Pacific rode the whirlwind. 1882, 360 miles (580 km) of main line and 368 miles (592 km) of branch line were completed, bringing totals to 1,347 miles (2,168 km) and 731 miles (1,176 km), respectively. October 10, 1882, the line from Wadena, Minnesota, to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, opened for service. The Missouri River was bridged with a million-dollar span on October 21, 1883. Until then, crossing of the Missouri had had to be managed with a ferry service for most of the year; in winter, when ice was thick enough, rails were laid across the river itself. Herman Haupt, another veteran of the Civil War and the Pennsylvania Railroad, organized the Northern Pacific Beneficial Association in 1881. A forerunner of the modern health maintenance organization, the NPBA ultimately established a series of four hospitals across the system in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Glendive, Montana; Missoula, Montana; and Tacoma, Washington, to care for employees, retirees, and their families. January 15, 1883, the first train reached Livingston, Montana, at the eastern foot of Bozeman Pass. Livingston, like Brainerd and South Tacoma before it, would grow to encompass a large backshop handling heavy repairs for the railroad. It would also mark the east–west dividing line on the Northern Pacific system. pushed hard for the completion of the Northern Pacific in 1883. His crews laid an average of a mile and half (2.4 km) of track each day. In early September, the line neared completion. celebrate, and to gain national publicity for investment opportunities in his region, Villard chartered four trains to carry guests from the East to Gold Creek in western Montana. No expense was spared and the list of dignitaries included Frederick Billings, Ulysses S. Grant, and Villard's in-laws, the family of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. On September 8, the Gold Spike was driven near Gold Creek.[12] to Puget Sound[edit] fall was swifter than his ascendancy. Like Jay Cooke, he was now consumed by the enormous costs of constructing the railroad. Street bears attacked the stock shortly after the Golden Spike, after the realization that the Northern Pacific was a very long road with very little business. himself suffered a nervous breakdown in the days after the driving of the Golden Spike, and he left the presidency of the Northern Pacific in January 1884. the presidency of the Northern Pacific was handed to a professional railroader, Robert Harris, former head of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. For the next four years, until the return of the Villard group, Harris worked at improving the property and ending its tangled relationship with the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. the mid-1880s, the Northern Pacific pushed to reach Puget Sound directly, rather than by means of a roundabout route that followed the Columbia River. of the Cascade Mountains, carried out intermittently since the 1870s, began anew. Virgil Bogue, a veteran civil engineer, was sent to explore the Cascades again. On March 19, 1881, he discovered Stampede Pass. 1883, John W. Sprague, the head of the new Pacific Division, drove the Golden Spike to mark the beginning of the railroad from what would become Kalama, Washington. He resigned a months later due to impaired health. 1884, after the departure of Villard, the Northern Pacific began building toward Stampede Pass from Wallula in the east and the area of Wilkeson in the west. By the end of the year, rails had reached Yakima, Washington in the east. A 77-mile (124 km) gap remained in 1886. January of that year, Nelson Bennett was given a contract to construct a 9,850-foot (1.866 mi; 3.00 km) tunnel under Stampede Pass. The contract specified a short amount of time for completion, and a large penalty if the deadline were missed. While crews worked on the tunnel, the railroad built a temporary switchback route across the pass. With numerous timber trestles and grades which approached six percent, the temporary line required two M class 2-10-0s — the two largest locomotives in the world (at that time) — to handle a tiny five-car train. On May 3, 1888, crews holed through the tunnel, and on May 27 the first train passed through directly to Puget Sound. and the Panic of 1893[edit] this success, the Northern Pacific, like many U.S. roads, was living on borrowed time. From 1887 until 1893, Henry Villard returned to the board of directors. Though offered the presidency, he refused. An associate of Villard dating back to his time on the Kansas Pacific, Thomas Fletcher Oakes, assumed the presidency on September 20, 1888. an effort to garner business, Oakes pursued an aggressive policy of branch line expansion. addition, the Northern Pacific experienced the first competition in the form of James Jerome Hill and his Great Northern Railway. The Great Northern, like the Northern Pacific before it, was pushing west from the Twin Cities towards Puget Sound, and would be completed in 1893. sparse traffic, and the Panic of 1893 sounded the death knell for the Northern Pacific and Villard's interest in railroading. The company slipped into its second bankruptcy on October 20, 1893. Oakes was named receiver and Brayton Ives, a former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, became president. labor dispute[edit] 1894, the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army was involved in protecting property of the Northern Pacific Railroad from striking workers.[13] Villard to Morganization[edit] the next three years, the Villard-Oakes interests and the Ives interest feuded for control of the Northern Pacific. Oakes was eventually forced out as receiver, but not before three separate courts were claiming jurisdiction over the Northern Pacific's bankruptcy. Things came to a head in 1896, when first Edward Dean Adams was appointed president, then less than two months later, Edwin Winter. the task of straightening out the muddle of the Northern Pacific was turned over to J. P. Morgan. Morganization of the Northern Pacific, a process which befell many U.S. roads in the wake of the Panic of 1893, was handed to Morgan lieutenant Charles Henry Coster. The new president, beginning September 1, 1897, was Charles Sanger Mellen.[14] James J. Hill had purchased an interest in the Northern Pacific during the troubled days of 1896, Coster and Mellen would advocate, and follow, a staunchly independent line for the Northern Pacific for the next four years. Only the early death of Coster from overwork, and the promotion of Mellen to head the Morgan-controlled New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1903, would bring the Northern Pacific closer to the orbit of James J. Hill.[15] Map of Northern Pacific's route circa 1900. Hill, Harriman and the Northern Pacific Corner[edit] the late 1880s, the Villard regime, in another one of its costly missteps, attempted to stretch the Northern Pacific from the Twin Cities to the all-important rail hub of Chicago, Illinois. A costly project was begun in creating a union station and terminal facilities for a Northern Pacific which had yet to arrive. than build directly down to Chicago, perhaps following the Mississippi River as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy had done, Villard chose to lease the Wisconsin Central. Some backers of the Wisconsin Central had long associations with Villard, and an expensive lease was worked out between the two companies which was only undone by the Northern Pacific's second bankruptcy. ultimate result was that the Northern Pacific was left without a direct connection to Chicago, the primary interchange point for most of the large U.S. railroads. Fortunately, the Northern Pacific was not alone. James J. Hill, controller of the Great Northern Railway, which was completed between the Twin Cities and Puget Sound in 1893, also lacked a direct connection to Chicago. Hill went looking for a road with an existing route between the Twin Cities and Chicago which could be rolled into his holdings and give him a stable path to that important interchange. the same time, E. H. Harriman, head of the Union Pacific Railroad, was also looking for a road which could connect his company to Chicago. The road both Harriman and Hill looked at was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Harriman, the Burlington was a road which paralleled much of his own, and offered tantalizing direct access to Chicago. For Hill as well, there was the possibility of a high-speed link directly with Chicago. Though the Burlington did not parallel the Great Northern or the Northern Pacific, it would give them a powerful railroad in the central West. was the first to approach the Burlington's aging leader, the irascible Charles Elliott Perkins. The price for control of the Burlington, as set by Perkins, was $200 a share, more than Harriman was willing to pay. met the price, and control of the Burlington was divided equally at about 48.5 percent each between the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. to be outdone, Harriman now came up with a crafty plan: Buy a controlling interest in the Northern Pacific and use its power on the Burlington to place friendly directors upon its board. On May 3, 1901, Harriman began his stock raid which would become known as the Northern Pacific Corner. the end of the day he was short just 40,000 shares of common stock. Harriman placed an order to cover this, but was overridden by his broker, Jacob Schiff, of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. on the other hand, reached the vacationing Morgan in Italy and managed to place an order for 150,000 shares of common stock. Though Harriman might be able to control the preferred stock, Hill knew the company bylaws allowed for the holders of the common stock to vote to retire the preferred. three days the Harriman-Hill imbroglio managed to wreak havoc on the stock market. Northern Pacific stock was quoted at $150 a share on May 6, and is reported to have traded as much as $1,000 a share behind the scenes. Harriman and Hill now worked to settle the issue for brokers to avoid panic. Hill, for his part, attempted to avoid future stock raids by placing his holdings in the Northern Securities Company, a move which would be undone by the Supreme Court in 1904 under the auspices of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. was not immune either; he was forced to break up his holdings in the Union Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad a few years later. Hill to Howard Elliott[edit] 1903, Hill finally got his way with the House of Morgan. Howard Elliott, another veteran of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, became president of the Northern Pacific on October 23. Elliott was a relative of the Burlington's crusty chieftain Charles Elliott Perkins, and more distantly the Burlington's great backer, John Murray Forbes. He had spent 20 years in the trenches of Midwest railroading, where rebates, pooling, expansion and rate wars had brought ruinous competition. Having seen the effects of having multiple railroads attempt to serve the same destination, he was very much in tune with James J. Hill's philosophy of "community of interest," a loose affiliation or collusion among roads in an attempt to avoid duplicating routes, rate wars, weak finances and ultimately bankruptcies and reorganizations. would be left to make peace with the Hill-controlled Great Northern; the Harriman-controlled Union Pacific; and, between 1907 and 1909, the last of the northern transcontinentals, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, more commonly known as the Milwaukee Road. A Northern Pacific train travels over Bozeman Pass in June 1939 the twentieth century[edit] the turn of the century the Northern Pacific had a record of steady improvement. Together with the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific also gained control of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, gaining important access to Chicago, the central Middle West and Texas, as well as the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, an important route through eastern and southern Washington. physical plant was upgraded continuously, with double-tracking in key areas, and automatic block signaling along its entire main line. This in turn gave way to centralized traffic control, microwave and radio communications as time progressed.[citation needed] Northern Pacific maintained and continuously upgraded its equipment and service. The road helped pioneer the 4-8-4 Northern type steam engine and the 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone. was among the first railroads in the country to adopt diesel power beginning with General Motors’ FTs in 1944.[citation needed] Despite this, with cheap (albeit low-quality) coal reserves in Wyoming it was among the last US railroads to complete dieselization, in 1960. NP depot at Wallace, Idaho, 2007 Northern Pacific's premier passenger train, the North Coast Limited was among the safest and finest in the nation, suffering only one passenger fatality in nearly seventy years of operation.[citation needed] 1900, most of the remaining land-grant holdings were located west of Montana, in the "western district." railroad still hoped to sell this land, both to provide operating funds and to populate the region to provide new markets to sustain the railroad. Nearly all the good farm land had been sold, leaving large tracts of grazing land or timber. The grazing acreage was poor quality, and difficult to sell. However, the timber lands were of high quality; much of these were sold to Frederick Weyerhaeuser.[16] of the Hill Lines[edit] later years, Louis W. Menk became president of the Northern Pacific, and then he brought it together with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 2, 1970, to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The merger was allowed despite a challenge in the Supreme Court, essentially reversing the outcome of the 1904 Northern Securities ruling. A 900 mi (1,400 km) portion of the former Northern Pacific mainline in Montana was spun off and is now operated by Montana Rail Link. Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (including M&I, G&P) Year Traffic 1925 6852 1933 3600 1944 14679 1960 11360 1967 13629 Source: ICC annual reports 1949, the Northern Pacific's headquarters in Saint Paul presided over a system of 6,889 miles (11,087 km), which 2,831 miles (4,556 km) of main line, 4,057 miles (6,529 km) of branch line under seven operating divisions. Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches. Paul[edit] in St. Paul, Minnesota in the company's Railroad and Bank Building, the St. Paul Division's main routes were from Saint Paul to Staples, Saint Paul to White Bear Lake, and Staples to Dilworth, Minnesota. The division encompassed 909 route miles; 310 in main line and 599 in branches. in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches. in Glendive, Montana, the Yellowstone Division's main routes were from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston, Montana. The division encompassed 875 route miles; 546 in main line and 328 in branches. Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana. in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches. in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17] the railroad expanded, immigrants, families, and single men moved to the Pacific Northwest. Tacoma's population grew rapidly: in 1880 there were 1,098 residents, and in 1889 there were 36,000.[18] service[edit] line encouraged people to make their homes in the Pacific Northwest by having an "immigration agent" and offering special excursion trains for prospective buyers during the winter months. North Coast Limited was the premier passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Butte, Montana and Homestake Pass. It commenced service on April 29, 1900, served briefly as a Burlington Northern train after the merger on March 2, 1970, and ceased operation on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak began service. The Chicago Union Station to Saint Paul leg of the train's route was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad along its Mississippi River mainline through Wisconsin. Northern Pacific's secondary transcontinental passenger train was the Alaskan, until it was replaced by the Mainstreeter on November 16, 1952.[19][page needed] Mainstreeter, which operated via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, continued in service through the Burlington Northern merger until Amtrak Day (May 1, 1971). It had been reduced to a Saint Paul to Seattle train after the last run of the former Burlington Route Black Hawk on April 12–13, 1970. Northern Pacific also participated in the Coast Pool Train service between Portland and Seattle with the Great Northern Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. NP and GN Coast Pool Trains lasted until Amtrak. were several other passenger trains which were discontinued before the Burlington Northern merger. These included: Saint Paul to International Falls, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Duluth, Minnesota (which at one time was also a pool operation, with Great Northern Railway and the Soo Line); Duluth to Staples, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Jamestown, North Dakota (the last remnant of the Alaskan); Fargo, North Dakota to Winnipeg, Manitoba; The Route of "the Great Big Baked Potato"[edit] Actress Lillian Russell and other Hollywood stars were hired to promote the railroad's potatoes. comic postcard circa 1910 to 1920 promoting "The Great Big Baked Potato". Hazen Titus was appointed as the line's dining car superintendent in 1908. He learned that Yakima Valley farmers were unable to sell their potato crops because the potatoes they were growing were simply too large; they fed them to the hogs. Titus learned that a single potato could weigh from two to five pounds, but that smaller potatoes were preferred by the end buyers of the vegetable because many people considered large potatoes inedible due to their thick, rough skin.[20] and his staff discovered the "inedible" potatoes were delicious after baking in a slow oven. He contracted to purchase as many potatoes as the farmers could produce that were more than two pounds in weight. Soon after the first delivery of "Netted Gem Bakers", they were offered to diners on the North Coast Limited beginning in early 1909. Word of the line's specialty offering traveled quickly, and before long it was using "the Great Big Baked Potato" as a slogan to promote the railroad's passenger service. Hollywood stars were hired to promote it.[21] When an addition was built for the Northern Pacific's Seattle commissary in 1914, a Railway Age reporter wrote, "A large trade mark, in the shape of a baked potato, 40 ft. long and 18 ft. in diameter, surmounts the roof. The potato is electric lighted and its eyes, through the electric mechanism, are made to wink constantly. A cube of butter thrust into its split top glows intermittently." Premiums such as postcards, letter openers, and spoons were also produced to promote "The Route of the Great Big Baked Potato"; the slogan served the Northern Pacific for about 50 years.[20]

Carlton, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota
Carlton, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota;

Kalama, Washington (just south of Longview)
Kalama, Washington;

NP St Paul to Deluth thru White Bear Lake, Lake Superior Division, NP Railroad
White Bear Lake
Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches.

Saint Paul, MN, St Paul Division, NP Railroad, to Staples and Dillworth from White Bear Lake
Saint Paul, Minnesota; Paul[edit] in St. Paul, Minnesota in the company's Railroad and Bank Building, the St. Paul Division's main routes were from Saint Paul to Staples, Saint Paul to White Bear Lake, and Staples to Dilworth, Minnesota. The division encompassed 909 route miles; 310 in main line and 599 in branches.

St Paul Division, NP Railroad, St Paul to Staples and Dillman near Fargo

Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota;

Red River Valley
Red River Valley;

Red River

Wadena, Minnesota

Detroit Lakes

Lake Park

Winnipeg Junction

Dillworth, MN
in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches.

Mandan, ND
in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches.
in Glendive, Montana, the Yellowstone Division's main routes were from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston, Montana. The division encompassed 875 route miles; 546 in main line and 328 in branches.

NP Railroad Fargo and Yellowstone River Divisions - Dillworth, MN to Livingston, MT
NP Railroad Yellowstone River Division
in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches.
in Glendive, Montana, the Yellowstone Division's main routes were from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston, Montana. The division encompassed 875 route miles; 546 in main line and 328 in branches.

Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota; in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches.

Bismarck, North Dakota (Missouri River)
Bismarck, North Dakota;

Glendive, Montana, Northern Pacific Beneficial Association (NPBA) Hospital
Glendive, Montana;

Yellowstone River

Billings, MT

Big Timber, MT

Livingston, Montana, large backshop for NP Repairs
Livingston, Montana; Rocky Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana.

Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Fergus Falls, Minnesota;

Bozeman Pass
Bozeman Pass;

Bozeman, MT

Missouri River

Deluth, MN Deluth Division of Northern Pacific RWY, to Ashland, to Staples, to White Bear Lake, MN
Deluth, MN
Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches.

Ashland, WN, Lake Superior Division
Ashland, WN
Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches.

Brainerd, Minnesota, NP Headquarters and Shops, Crow Wing County
Brainerd, Minnesota;

Staples, MN, Lake Superior Division, NP Railroad
Staples, MN

Deluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Lake Superior Division, NP Railroad, HWY 2

Deluth to Staples, MN thru Brainerd, NP Railroad Headquarters. Lake Superior Division

White Bear Lake, MN

Deluth to White Bear Lake, MN, and Saint Paul, Lake Superior Division, NP Railroad

St Croix River (WI MN Border)

US, 1872-1922, JULIA CHESTER EMERY, New York City, Womens Auxiliary of the Board of Missions, United Thank Offering UTO
US, 1872-1922, JULIA CHESTER EMERY, New York City, Womens Auxiliary of the Board of Missions, United Thank Offering UTO; New York City; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; father was a New England sea captain. Two of her brothers became priests. One sister, Helen, cared for another sister who was ill, and made a project of providing hospitality in her New York City home for missionaries on leave. Another sister, Mary, was National Secretary of the Women's Auxiliary of the Board of Missions for its first four years, from 1872 to 1876. At this point, Julia took over, and was National Secretary of the Auxiliary for forty years, from 1876 to 1916. visited every diocese in the United States, co-ordinating and encouraging work in support of missions. traveled to London as a delegate to the Pan-Anglican Congress. traveled to Japan, inland China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines to advance missionary work there, and to be able to report on it to the Episcopal women in the United States. was Julia who invented the United Thank Offering (UTO). This works (or used to work -- my political instincts tell me that not everyone today would be comfortable with the original arrangement) by giving each woman a small box with a slit in the top (a cardboard piggy bank), and encouraging her to drop a small contribution into it whenever she feels thankful about something. Once a year, the women of the parish present these at the Sunday service, and the money is sent to national headquarters to be used for missions. by James Kiefer

US, 1873-1949, JOHN ROBERTS, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming, Missionary, f Wales, Shoshone, Arapaho and Bannock Indians
US, 1873-1949, JOHN ROBERTS, Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming (Bighorn River 1), Welsh Anglican Priest, writer, and missionary in Bahamas and Wyoming, fLlewerilyd farm near Dyserth, north Wales, educated St David's College, Oxford U, graduated 1878, deacon by George Selwyn iLitchfield Cathedral, curate aDawley Magna, Shopshire, yearned tbMissionary, sailed tNassau, Bahamas, 1878, priest, chaplain St Matthew's Anglican, colored people and Lepers, but already christian, so American Indians, 1880 tNew York, wanted Shoshone and Bannock at Wind River the most difficult, but needed experience at Greeley, CO, coal miners first, then mixed community at Pueblo, smallpox epidemic, then dream job 1883, Shoshone and Arapaho tribes within 150 miles oFort Washakie, govt employee also as school principal, supported traditional customs, translated Bible into the languages, 1888 boarding school for girls, estab several churches still operating, from Satucket and Wyoming U: started by learning customs and beliefs, native languages, eventually translated New Testament, object of his work to make them self supporting, estab 2 schools, Indian Boarding school aFort Washakie and Shoshone Mission Boarding School, friendships wIndian leaders, later baptized Chief Washakie, Chief Black Coal, helped them negotiate with US Govt, gave him name Elder Brother, retired 1921, lived on Reservation till 1949, died 97 yrold ; Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming; Eastern Shoshone; Northern Arapaho; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; to minister to the Shoshone and Arapahos on the Wind River Reservation, set about his work by learning all he could about Native American customs and beliefs, that by knowing the people he hoped to minister to he would be more effective. also learned the native languages, eventually translating the gospel for his Native American congregates. often said the object of his work among the Indians was to make them self supporting. this in mind he established two schools, Indian Boarding School at Ft. Washakie the Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School. cultivated friendships with tribal leaders, including Chief Black Coal and Chief Washakie, whom he later baptized. earned the trust of the tribal leadership and was often involved in their negotiations with the agents of the federal government. Indians rewarded Roberts for his fairness in dealing with them by giving him the name "Elder Brother." also ministered to the non-natives of the state, Episcopal churches in towns across Wyoming. retired from active missionary work in 1921 continued to live on the reservation until his death in 1949 at the age of ninety-seven. — from the Univ. of Wyoming translation of the Gospel of Luke into Arapahoe is online at Project Gutenberg. Translations of the Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Ten Commandments, etc., into Arapaho and Shoshone are also online. Further information may be found on a page devoted to him and at Wikipedia. John Roberts (missionary); Roberts (31 March 1853 – 22 January 1949)[1] was a Welsh Anglican priest, writer and missionary in the Bahamas and Wyoming. was born in 1853 at Llewerllyd, a farm near the village of Dyserth, which was then in Flintshire but was later placed in Denbighshire, in north Wales. at Ruthin grammar school and St David's College, Lampeter (then affiliated with Oxford University), graduated in 1878. He was ordained a deacon by the Right Rev. George Augustus Selwyn in Lichfield Cathedral, briefly served as a curate at Dawley Magna in Shropshire. Roberts yearned to become a missionary, possibly because of Selwyn's work in New Zealand. year's end, Roberts had sailed to Nassau, Bahamas, he was ordained a priest and made chaplain of St. Matthew's Anglican Church. concentrated his ministry among "coloured people" and lepers. those were already Christian, and the priest wanted greater challenges, particularly among American Indians.[2] years later, Roberts sailed to New York and applied for the mission he always wanted, among American Indians. met Bishop John Spalding of Wyoming and Colorado, and asked for missionary work in the diocese's most difficult field. was told that was at the Shoshone and Bannock Indian Agency in Wyoming Territory (in what later became the Wind River Indian Reservation).[3] However, Bishop Spalding wanted the young priest to first gain experience, so sent him first to tend to the spiritual needs of coal miners in Greeley, Colorado, then to the mixed community in Pueblo. Roberts established Trinity mission in South Pueblo. a smallpox epidemic caused the community to be quarantined, Roberts worked at the hospital. that experience, Roberts secured his dream job in 1883, to the Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes and other people within 150 miles of Fort Washakie. was also a government employee, serving as the first principal of the reservation's school. became known for his interest in, and support for, traditional customs. also translated the Bible into the local languages. boarding school for girls that Chief Washakie and Roberts established in 1888 placed on the National Register of Historic Places, though it has not operated as a school since 1949. also established several churches in his territory, many of which still function. flag was presented to be flown in Washington National Cathedral in his honor.

US, 1874-1935, JAMES O S HUNTINGTON, Boston, MA, religious order founder, lower ease side, labor union movement, Henry George, land tax,
US, 1874-1935, JAMES O S HUNTINGTON, Boston, MA, religious order founder, lower ease side, labor union movement, Henry George, land tax; Boston; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935) ; Huntington was born in Boston in 1854, studied at Harvard and at St Andrew's Divinity School in Syracuse, was ordained to the priesthood around 1880, and served a working-class congregation. a few years, he felt called to found a monastic order for priests of the Episcopal Church, and with two companions he began working among poor immigrants on New York's Lower East Side. a slow start, he with others became the Order of the Holy Cross, which now has a monastery in West Park, New York, and priests involved in parish work and social work scattered elsewhere. was Superior of the order for several non-consecutive terms, but devoted himself chiefly to preaching, teaching, and counselling until his death on 28 June 1935. this is the feast of Irenaeus of Lyons, he is commemorated on the anniversary of the receiving of his monastic vows by the Bishop of New York on 25 November 1884. the course of his work, he became involved in the labor-union movement and the land-tax movement. The latter of these may require some explanation. (Those who have no interest in proposals for social reform may wish to skip to the closing prayer.) George, author of Progress and Poverty, argued that, while some forms of wealth are produced by human activity, and are rightly the property of the producers (or those who have obtained them from the previous owners by voluntary gift or exchange), land and natural resources are bestowed by God on the human race, and that every one of the N inhabitants of the earth has a claim to 1/Nth of the coal beds, 1/Nth of the oil wells, 1/Nth of the mines, and 1/Nth of the fertile soil. God wills a society where everyone may sit in peace under his own vine and his own fig tree. The Law of Moses undertook to implement this by making the ownership of land hereditary, with a man's land divided among his sons (or, in the absence of sons, his daughters), and prohibiting the permanent sale of land. (See Leviticus 25:13-17,23.) The most a man might do with his land is sell the use of it until the next Jubilee year, an amnesty declared once every fifty years, when all debts were cancelled and all land returned to its hereditary owner. Henry George's proposed implementation is to tax all land at about 99.99% of its rental value, leaving the owner of record enough to cover his bookkeeping expenses. The resulting revenues would be divided equally among the natural owners of the land, viz. the people of the country, with everyone receiving a dividend check regularly for the use of his share of the earth (here I am anticipating what I think George would have suggested if he had written in the 1990's rather than the 1870's). This procedure would have the effect of making the sale price of a piece of land, not including the price of buildings and other improvements on it, practically zero. The cost of being a landholder would be, not the original sale price, but the tax, equivalent to rent. A man who chose to hold his "fair share," or 1/Nth of all the land, would pay a land tax about equal to his dividend check, and so would break even. By 1/Nth of the land is meant land with a value equal to 1/Nth of the value of all the land in the country. Naturally, an acre in the business district of a great city would be worth as much as many square miles in the open country. Some would prefer to hold more than one N'th of the land and pay for the privilege. Some would prefer to hold less land, or no land at all, and get a small annual check representing the dividend on their inheritance from their father Adam. Note that, at least for the able-bodied, this solves the problem of poverty at a stroke. If the total land and total labor of the world are enough to feed and clothe the existing population, then 1/Nth of the land and 1/Nth of the labor are enough to feed and clothe 1/Nth of the population. A family of 4 occupying 4/Nths of the land (which is what their dividend checks will enable them to pay the tax on) will find that their labor applied to that land is enough to enable them to feed and clothe themselves. Of course, they may prefer to apply their labor elsewhere more profitably, but the situation from which we start is one in which everyone has his own plot of ground from which to wrest a living by the strength of his own back, and any deviation from this is the result of voluntary exchanges agreed to by the parties directly involved, who judge themselves to be better off as the result of the exchanges. Some readers may think this a very radical proposal. In fact, it is extremely conservative, in the sense of being in agreement with historic ideas about land ownership as opposed to ownership of, say, tools or vehicles or gold or domestic animals or other movables. The laws of English-speaking countries uniformly distinguish between real property (land) and personal property (everything else). In this context, "real" is not the opposite of "imaginary." It is a form of the word "royal," and means that the ultimate owner of the land is the king, as symbol of the people. Note that English-derived law does not recognize "landowners." The term is "landholders." The concept of eminent domain is that the landholder may be forced to surrender his landholdings to the government for a public purpose. Historically, eminent domain does not apply to property other than land, although complications arise when there are buildings on the land that is being seized. I will mention in passing that the proposals of Henry George have attracted support from persons as diverse as Felix Morley, Aldous Huxley, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy, William F Buckley Jr, and Sun Yat-sen. To the Five Nobel Prizes authorized by Alfred Nobel himself there has been added a sixth, in Economics, and the Henry George Foundation claims eight of the Economics Laureates as supporters, in whole or in part, of the proposals of Henry George (Paul Samuelson, 1970; Milton Friedman, 1976; Herbert A Simon, 1978; James Tobin, 1981; Franco Modigliani, 1985; James M Buchanan, 1986; Robert M Solow, 1987; William S Vickrey, 1996). The immediate concrete proposal favored by most Georgists today is that cities shall tax land within their boundaries at a higher rate than they tax buildings and other improvements on the land. (In case anyone is about to ask, "How can we possibly distinguish between the value of the land and the value of the buildings on it?" let me assure you that real estate assessors do it all the time. It is standard practice to make the two assessments separately, and a parcel of land in the business district of a large city very often has a different owner from the building on it.) Many cities have moved to a system of taxing land more heavily than improvements, and most have been pleased with the results, finding that landholders are more likely to use their land productively -- to their own benefit and that of the public -- if their taxes do not automatically go up when they improve their land by constructing or maintaining buildings on it. An advantage of this proposal in the eyes of many is that it is a Fabian proposal, "evolution, not revolution," that it is incremental and reversible. If a city or other jurisdiction does not like the results of a two-level tax system, it can repeal the arrangement or reduce the difference in levels with no great upheaval. It is not like some other proposals of the form, "Distribute all wealth justly, and make me absolute dictator of the world so that I can supervise the distribution, and if it doesn't work, I promise to resign." The problem is that absolute dictators seldom resign. For those who wish to inquire further, I recommend reading the book Progress and Poverty, by Henry George. It is available from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation or from your local bookstore or library. It should be on every list of Great Books of the Western World, or of books that every educated person is assumed to have read. Ask for their catalog, and make a similar request of the Henry George Foundation of America, 2000 Century Plaza, Suite 238, Columbia, MD 21044-3210 (Tel 1-410-740-1177). I repeat, this is not an argument for a political or economic proposal, but simply background material on the founder of a religious order. You did not expect me to tell you that James Huntington was a disciple of Henry George and leave you wondering who Henry George was, did you? by James Kiefer

US, 1875-1890, Henry Winter Syle, Hartford, CT, deaf f early age, became first deaf ordained, estab congregation f deaf 1888
US, 1875-1890, Henry Winter Syle, Hartford, CT (Connecticut River 24), deaf from early age, became first deaf ordained, estab congregation for deaf 1888, died 1890; Hartford, Connecticut; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Gallaudet was born in 1822, in Hartford, Connecticut. mother, Sophia was deaf, and his father, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, was the founder of the West Hartford School for the deaf, which was the principal institution for the education of the deaf in America from 1806 to 1857 (the year of the founding of Gallaudet College in Washington, DC). father had intended to become a priest, but had become an educator of the deaf instead. son also intended to seek ordination, but was persuaded by his father to work for a while first as a teacher of the deaf. did, and so met and married Miss Elizabeth Budd, who was deaf. was ordained in 1851, and the next year established St. Ann's Church in New York, especially for deaf persons, with services primarily in sign language. a result of his work, congregations for the deaf were established in many cities. (Alternatively, some congregations that are mostly hearing will have someone standing near the front and signing the service for the benefit of deaf parishioners.) died 27 August 1902. Photo of Henry Winter Syle (Photo courtesy Episcopal Conference of the Deaf) of Gallaudet's students and parishioners was Henry Winter Syle, deaf from an early age, who had attended Trinity College (Hartford, Conn), St John's (Cambridge, England), and Yale. encouraged him to become a priest, and in 1876 he became the first deaf person to be ordained by the Episcopal Church in the United States. He established a congregation for the deaf in 1888, and died 6 January 1890. HW Syle signature by James Kiefer

US, 1879-1964, ANNA J H COOPER, Educator, lived 105yrs, father wMother's master, academially gifted, PHD, A-A women&ed advocate
US, 1879-1964, ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator, fRaleigh, NC (on the fall line), lived 105yrs, father was mother's master, academially gifted, scholarship to St Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, Episcopal School founded to educate African-American teachers and clergy, so became Episcopalian, forced her way into Greek class designed for male theology students, married the instructor, who was the second A-A Episcopal priest in North Carolina, after his death 1879 Anna received degrees in math from Oberlin, then principal otOnly A-A high school in Washington, DC, 1906 denied reappointment, because would not lower her ed standards, throughout career emphasized importance of ed for A-A, and critical lack support from Church, A-A women advocate, Colored Women's League, first Colored Settlement House in DC, wrote&spoke widely on race&gender, active role national international orgs founded tAdvance A-A's, at 55 (1914) she adopted nephew's children, 1925 (65yr) 4th A-A woman PHD, from Sprbpmme in Paris, 1030-1942 (70-82) president oFrelinghuysen U in DC; Raleigh, North Carolina, on the fall line between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; Julia Haywood Cooper (August 10, c1859- February 27, 1964). Educator, advocate and scholar. in Raleigh, North Carolina to an enslaved woman and a white man, presumably her mother's master, Julia was an academically gifted child and received a scholarship to attend St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, a school founded by the Episcopal Church to educate African-American teachers and clergy. she began her membership in the Episcopal Church. forcing her way into a Greek class designed for male theology students, Anna Julia later married the instructor, George A.C. Cooper, the second African-American ordained to the Episcopal priesthood in North Carolina. her husband's death in 1879, Cooper received degrees in mathematics from Oberlin College, was made principal of the only African American high school in Washington D.C.. was denied reappointment in 1906 because she refused to lower her educational standards. her career, Cooper emphasized the importance of education to the future of African Americans, was critical of the lack of support they received from the church. advocate for African-American women, Cooper assisted in organizing the Colored Women's League and the first Colored Settlement House in Washington, D.C. wrote and spoke widely on issues of race and gender, and took an active role in national and international organizations founded to advance African Americans. the age of fifty-five she adopted the five children of her nephew. 1925, Cooper became the fourth African-American woman to complete a Ph.D degree, granted from the Sorbonne when she was sixty-five years old. 1930-1942, Cooper served as president of Frelinghuysen University. from the Episcopal Women's History Project is also an extensive article in Wikipedia. Note that the spelling of "Haywood" is not consistent.

US, 1881-1885, President, Chester A. Arthur, Easterner, VP, Civil Service R, US Navy, failed to spend surplus, retired
US President, 1881-1885, Chester A. Arthur; Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. Previously the 20th vice president, he succeeded to the presidency upon the death of President James A. Garfield in September 1881, two months after Garfield was shot by an assassin. was born in Fairfield, Vermont, grew up in upstate New York and practiced law in New York City. He served as quartermaster general of the New York Militia during the American Civil War. the war, he devoted more time to New York Republican politics and quickly rose in Senator Roscoe Conkling's political organization. Ulysses S. Grant appointed him to the post of Collector of the Port of New York in 1871, and he was an important supporter of Conkling and the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party. 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes fired Arthur as part of a plan to reform the federal patronage system in New York. U.S Representative James Garfield won the Republican nomination for president in 1880, Arthur was nominated for vice president to balance the successful ticket as an Eastern Stalwart. Four months into his term, an assassin shot Garfield, who died 11 weeks later. Arthur then assumed the presidency. the outset, Arthur struggled to overcome a negative reputation as a Stalwart and product of Conkling's organization. the surprise of reformers, he advocated and enforced the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act. He presided over the rebirth of the US Navy, but he was criticized for failing to alleviate the federal budget surplus which had been accumulating since the end of the Civil War. vetoed the first version of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, arguing that its twenty-year ban on Chinese immigrants to the United States violated the Burlingame Treaty, but he signed a second version, which included a ten-year ban.[2] from poor health, Arthur made only a limited effort to secure the Republican Party's nomination in 1884, and he retired at the end of his term. Journalist Alexander McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe."[3] Arthur's failing health and political temperament combined to make his administration less active than a modern presidency, yet he earned praise among contemporaries for his solid performance in office. The New York World summed up Arthur's presidency at his death in 1886: "No duty was neglected in his administration, and no adventurous project alarmed the nation."[4] Mark Twain wrote of him, "It would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration."[5] Despite this, modern historians generally rank Arthur as a mediocre president, as well as the least memorable. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1877-1881, President, Rutherford B. Hayes, abolitionist, electoral college win, compromise of 77 ends reconstruction
US President, 1877-1881, Rutherford B. Hayes; Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor of Ohio. the U.S. Civil War, Hayes was a lawyer and staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings. He served in the Union Army and the House of Representatives before assuming the presidency.[1] presidency represents a turning point in U.S. history, as historians consider it the formal end of Reconstruction. To placate the Democrats, Hayes ended all federal efforts to bring racial equality to the South.[2] an attorney in Ohio, Hayes served as city solicitor of Cincinnati from 1858 to 1861. At the start of the Civil War, he left a fledgling political career to join the Union Army as an officer. Hayes was wounded five times, most seriously at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. He earned a reputation for bravery in combat and was promoted to brevet major general. After the war, he served in Congress from 1865 to 1867 as a Republican. Hayes left Congress to run for governor of Ohio and was elected to two consecutive terms, from 1868 to 1872. He served half of a third two-year term from 1876 to 1877 before his swearing-in as president. 1877, the Electoral College made Hayes president after the 1876 United States presidential election, one of the most contentious in U.S. history. He lost the popular vote to Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, but narrowly won an intensely disputed electoral-college vote after a Congressional commission awarded him 20 contested electoral votes in the Compromise of 1877. The election was resolved with a backroom deal whereby the Democrats acquiesced to Hayes's election on the single condition that he withdraw direct federal support for Reconstruction in the former Confederate states. believed in meritocratic government and in equal treatment without regard to wealth, social standing or race. He used the military to resolve the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which remains the deadliest confrontation between striking workers and strikebreakers in US history. As president, Hayes implemented modest civil-service reforms that laid the groundwork for further reform in the 1880s and 1890s. He vetoed the Bland–Allison Act of 1878, which put silver money into circulation and raised nominal prices; Hayes saw maintenance of the gold standard as essential to economic recovery. His policy toward western Indians anticipated the assimilationist program of the Dawes Act of 1887. kept his pledge not to run for reelection, retired to his home in Ohio, and became an advocate of social and educational reform. Biographer Ari Hoogenboom has written that Hayes's greatest achievement was to restore popular faith in the presidency and to reverse the deterioration of executive power that had established itself after Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865. Supporters have praised his commitment to civil-service reform. His critics deride his leniency toward the former Confederate states and his withdrawal of federal support for African Americans' voting and civil rights.[3] Historians and scholars generally rank Hayes as an average to slightly below-average president.[4][5] WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS, THE MARTYRS OF MEMPHIS (9 SEP 1878) ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1880-1915, Raphael, Bishop oBrooklyn, Syrian Arab who worked with Russian Tikhon to bring Orthodox priests to America
US, 1880-1915, Raphael, Bishop oBrooklyn, NY, family fSyria, fled to Beruit, R born in B, no continuing city in life, 1861 family returned tDamascus, very well in Elementary school, 1874 father not able ed him, but future Met got him accepted in school fFuture priests, 1877 selected substitute teaching assistant, 1878 teacher oArabic and Turkish, tonsured 1879, and Patriarch's personal assistant, since Syrian Seminary closed 1840, selected to Constantinople's school oTheology aHalki, 1885 ordained deacon, 1886 Certificate oTheology & returned tSyria, Patriarch oAntioc Gerasimus impressed bR, took him on pastoral visits, substitute preacher for G, thirst more knowledge, asked G for graduate studies in Russia, promising return, to serve as russian language secretary, accepted Theological Academy Kiev, 1889 G ordered him head oAntiochian Church Moscow, ordained priest, same year raised rank oArchmandrite by Moscow Met, as head oAntiochian Representation Church iRussia, in 2yrs reduced their debt by 15k Rubles from 65k, also arranged 24 mor syrian students come to russia, hoping they return to teach others, When G (a Greek) resigned, Raphael saw a chance to have a Syrian as Patriarch oAntioch, freeing them from foreign hierarchs, campaign of letters to Antiochian bishops influentian laymen, but a Greek was elected, many arabs believed he had purchased the election distributing 10,000 lira to notable people iDamascus, R refused to commorate new patriarch, who suspended him, R accepted suispension but continued writing to Russian newspapers defending Antiochian cause, Antioch Constantinople Alexandria Jerusalem successfuylly petitioned Russian Tsar to forbid newspapers from printing the articles, so he published letters in book form, new Greek P then asked R's friend to persuade R to ask his forgiveness, He did so, suspension lifted, R allowed to transfer tChurch oRussia, he went tKazan fPosition instructor Arabic studies in K Theological Academy, til 1895 when invited tSyrian Orthodox Benevolent Society oNew York, come to be Pastor Arab Orthodox community, he set off on great missionary jouirney, chapel in Lower Manhattan in less than 2wks, furnished wEcclesiastical items he brought fRussia, soon learned oSmall communities Arab Christians throughout North America, concerned they turn away without Pastor, dialogue OK but clear distinction between Orthodox and heterodox, teachings o7Ecumenical Councils, spotless faith delivered to the saints, do not attend heterodox services, have household head read the hours, 1896 pastoral journeys across continent, 30 cities, preached where he stopped, marriages, baptisms, confessions, Divine Liturgy, 1898 produced Arab language service book, and used Isabell Hapgoods English Service book for the Children, 1898 2nd Pastoral tour, need for arabic speaking priests to Nicholas, brought qualified priests from Syria, sought educated laymen for ordination, only after blessing otRussian hierarch at American Mission, Raphael welcomed Tikhon when he replaced Nicholas, all orthodox united under Russian bishops omophorion, until Russian revolution, R ministered to Greeks, Russians, Arabs, weddings baptisms, regularizing weddings performed by non-orthodox, charismating children baptized by Catholic priests, restored calm in Johnstown ending bitter fued, while there received call than Syrian Arab had been elected Antioch Partiarch, first time in 168 yrs, refused to succeed him in Latakia, important work in America, 1901 same for Beruit, wanted build Church and Cemetery in New York, Olivet cemetery Long Island, declined bishopric Zahleh, need build Syrian temple in NY, 190 bought existing church in Brooklin and remodeled, Tikhon concecrated it, Reorganized diocese, too many parishes, Tikhon submitted plan to move See from San Francisco to New York, Tikhon made Archbishop Raphael his 2nd vicar bishop, Bishop oAlaska his 1st, 1903 Russians made Raphael bishop oBrooklyn, while remaining head Syro-Arab mission in North America, Antiochian Met Meletios pleased, Raphael accepted, meanwhile Father Innocent Pustynsky consecrated Bishop by Tikhon in St Petersburg, 1904 Raphael became 1st Orthodox Bishop consecrated on American soil, by Tikhon and Pustynsky, St Nicholas Cathedral Brooklyn, his new Bishop's vestments a gift from Russian Tsar Nicholas II, at end of 1904 R announced plans to publish magazine called The Wiord, Syro-Arab Mission's official pub, to link people and parishes closely gogether, needed this because he could not visit all parishes, so he could preach salvation to those he would never meet, first issue 1905, considered this equal to acquisition of cathedral and parish cemetery, 1905 consecrated St Tikhon's Monastery and blessed orphanage both in South Canaan, PA, 3 days later presided over conference Old Forge, PA becuase Tikhon in San Fran, with 3 saints, 2 of which Martyrs in Russia, growin flock, increase of children needing services in English, evening school for children, 1907 Tikhon returned to Russia, replaced by Platon, and honored, could not understand honor for doing his job, 1912 fell,. heart trouble that will eventually cause death, 1913-14 continued pastoral visits, 1915 fell ill again, several months at home, patiently bearing illness, died Feb 15, 1915; Brooklyn, NY; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn (+1915) on the Glorification of Our Holy Father Bishop RAPHAEL (30-Apr-2000) holy Father Raphael was born in Syria in 1860 to pious Orthodox parents, Michael Hawaweeny and his second wife Mariam, the daughter of a priest of Damascus. exact date of Raphael’s birth is not known, but he estimated it to be on or near his Name Day, Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven (November 8). to the violent persecution of Christians, at which time their parish priest, Saint Joseph of Damascus (July 10) and his companions were martyred, Hawaweeny family was forced to flee to Beirut for their safety. was here that the future saint first saw the light of day, and not in the city of his parents. as the child’s life unfolded, it was evident that he would have no continuing city in this world, but would seek the city which is to come (Heb 13:14). the Feast of Theophany in 1861, he was baptized with the name Rafla, and later that spring the family was able to return to Damascus. child attended elementary school, where he did very well, in 1874 it appeared that Michael Hawaweeny would no longer be able to afford his son’s tuition. help came from Deacon Athanasius Atallah (later Metropolitan of Homs), recommended to Patriarch Hierotheus of Antioch that Rafla be accepted as a student of the Patriarchate in preparation for the priesthood. was such a good student that he was selected to be a substitute teaching assistant in 1877. following year he was appointed as a teacher of Arabic and Turkish. March 28, 1879 he was tonsured as a monk by Patriarch Hierotheus, served as His Beatitude’s personal attendant. the Balamand Seminary had been closed in 1840, JOACHIM III of Constantinople invited the Patriarch of Antioch to send at least one deserving student to study on scholarship at the School of Theology at Halki, Saint Raphael was the one who was selected to go. December 8, 1885, he was ordained to the diaconate at the school chapel. July of 1886, the young deacon received his Certificate of Theology, and returned to his homeland in the hope of serving the Church there. Gerasimus of Antioch was impressed with Deacon Raphael, and often took him along on his pastoral visitations of his parishes. His Beatitude could not be present, Deacon Raphael was asked to preach the Word of God to the people. Raphael was not satisfied with the extent of his knowledge, and thirsted to learn even more. did not stem from personal pride or ambition, came from his fervent desire to benefit others. the words of King Solomon could be applied to Saint Raphael: “Give an opportunity to a wise man, and he will be wiser; instruct a just man, and he will receive more instruction” (Proverbs 9:9). he asked Patriarch Gerasimus to permit him to do graduate studies at a school in Russia, to return and serve as the Patriarch’s Russian-language secretary. Patriarch gave his blessing, and Deacon Raphael was accepted as a student at the Theological Academy of Kiev. 1889 Patriarch Gerasimus ordered the young deacon to take over as head of the Antiochian representation church in Moscow. was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop SYLVESTER, the rector of the Academy, at the request of Patriarch Gerasimus. month later, he was raised to the rank of archimandrite by Metropolitan IOANNIKII of Moscow, was confirmed as head of the Antiochian representation church. two years, Archimandrite Raphael was able to reduce the representation’s 65,000 ruble debt by 15,000 rubles. also arranged for twenty-four Syrian students to come to Russia to further their education, hoping that they would return to Syria and teach others. Patriarch Gerasimus resigned in order to accept the See of Jerusalem, Raphael regarded this as an opportunity to free the Church of Antioch from its domination by foreign hierarchs. with love for the Church of Antioch, and wishing to restore the administration of the church to its own native clergy and people, Raphael began a campaign of writing letters to some Antiochian bishops and influential laymen. also wrote articles in the Russian press, drawing attention to the plight of Antioch. courageous efforts did not meet with success, however, and there was a price to pay for his outspoken criticism. November of 1891 Metropolitan SPYRIDON, a Greek Cypriot, was elected as Patriarch of Antioch. Arabs believed that he had purchased the election by distributing 10,000 lira to several notable people in Damascus. Raphael refused to commemorate the new Patriarch during services at the representation church. a result, he was suspended from his priestly functions by Patriarch SPYRIDON. Raphael accepted his suspension, but continued to write articles in Russian newspapers in defense of the Antiochian cause. Patriarchs of Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Jerusalem successfully petitioned the Tsar to forbid Russian newspapers from publishing his articles. this door closed to him, Saint Raphael began to publish his writings in book form. Patriarch SPYRIDON wrote to the Assistant Overprocurator of Russia, a friend of Saint Raphael’s, asking him to persuade Father Raphael to ask for the Patriarch’s forgiveness. did so, and the suspension was lifted. Raphael was allowed to transfer from the jurisdiction of Antioch to the Church of Russia, and to remain there. went to Kazan, taking a position as instructor in Arabic studies at the theological academy. remained there until 1895 he was invited by the Syrian Orthodox Benevolent Society of New York to come to that city to be the pastor of the Arab Orthodox community. the holy Apostle Paul had a vision of a man entreating him to come to Macedonia to help them (Acts 16:10), he set off on a great missionary journey. Saint Raphael heard of the needs of his countrymen who were scattered in a strange land, he crossed the ocean to labor in yet another foreign country. Raphael arrived in New York on November 2, 1895, was welcomed by a delegation of Arab Christians who were awaiting their leader from Russia. November 5, his first Sunday in America, he assisted Bishop NICHOLAS in serving the Divine Liturgy at the Russian church in New York city. than two weeks after his arrival, Archimandrite Raphael found a suitable place in lower Manhattan to set up a chapel, furnished it with ecclesiastical items that he had brought with him from Russia. NICHOLAS blessed the new chapel, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. zealous pastor remained in New York teaching, preaching, and celebrating the divine services for his parishioners. was not long, however, before he heard of smaller communities of Arab Christians scattered throughout the length and breadth of North America. these Arab immigrants had no pastor to care for them, it was not surprising that some should turn to other Christian traditions, or completely neglect their religious duties. was an ongoing concern for Saint Raphael throughout the course of his ministry. he was not opposed to dialogue with non-Orthodox Christians, nor to friendly relations based on shared beliefs, Raphael never lost sight of the clear line of distinction that exists between the Orthodox and the heterodox. always insisted that any church unity must be based on the teachings of the seven Ecumenical Councils. Orthodoxy of Saint Raphael’s life and teaching was demonstrated over and over again by his words and his actions. always upheld and defended the spotless Faith which was “delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Although at first he did not understand the teachings of the heterodox, later discovered how far removed they were from Orthodox doctrine. he realized this, he took steps to protect his flock from harmful influences. directed his people not to attend heterodox services lest they become confused by “divers and strange doctrines” (Heb 13:9). believed it would be preferable for the head of the household to read the Hours at home from the Service Book when it was not possible to attend an Orthodox church. the summer of 1896, Saint Raphael undertook the first of several pastoral journeys across the continent. visited thirty cities between New York and San Francisco, out the Master’s lost sheep in cities, towns, and on isolated farms. fed the spiritually hungry people with the Word of God in each place where he stopped. performed marriages, baptisms, heard confessions, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the homes of the faithful where there was no church building. other words, he zealously fulfilled his ministry as a preacher of the Gospel, enduring many hardships and afflictions, and he was watchful in all things concerning the care of his flock (2 Tim 4:5). 1898, with the blessing of Bishop Nicholas, Saint Raphael produced his first book in the New World -- an Arabic language Service Book called The Book of True Consolation in the Divine Prayers. book of liturgical services and prayers was very useful to priests in celebrating the divine services, also to the people in their personal prayer life. English version published by Archimandrite Seraphim Nassar is still being used today. May-November 1898, Saint Raphael set off on his second pastoral tour. this trip he became convinced of the need for Arabic-speaking priests to serve in the new churches he had established. he returned to New York, he made a report to Bishop NICHOLAS expressing these concerns. Bishop NICHOLAS’s blessing Saint Raphael was able to bring qualified priests from Syria. also sought out educated laymen whom he could recommend for ordination. as an archimandrite and later as bishop, Saint Raphael would appoint pastors only after obtaining the blessing of the Russian hierarch who headed the American Mission. was the normal state of affairs in America at the time. Raphael welcomed Bishop Tikhon when the latter replaced Bishop NICHOLAS as the ruling bishop in America. December 15, Saint Tikhon came to serve the Liturgy at the Syrian church of Saint Nicholas. Raphael told his people that their new Archpastor was one who “has been sent here to tend the flock of Christ -- Russians, Slavs, Syro-Arabs, and Greeks -- which is scattered across the entire North American continent.” that time, of course, there were no parallel jurisdictions based on nationality. Church united those of diverse backgrounds under the omophorion of the Russian Archbishop. was the norm until the Russian Revolution disrupted church life in Russia, and also in America. March of 1899, Saint Raphael received permission from Bishop Tikhon to start collecting funds for a cemetery, and for building a new church to replace the chapel which was located in an old building on a dirty street. the spring he left on another pastoral tour of forty-three cities and towns. by land and sea, and undeterred by the obstacles and difficulties before him, he spent seven months in the northeastern, southern, and midwestern regions of the United States. Raphael ministered to Greeks and Russians as well as Arabs, weddings and baptisms, regularizing the weddings of Orthodox people who had been married by non-Orthodox clergy. also chrismated some children who had been baptized by Catholic priests. Johnstown, PA he reconciled those whose personal enmity threatened to divide the Arabic community. civil courts had been unable to make peace, Saint Raphael restored calm and put an end to the bitter feud. in Johnstown, he received a telegram informing him that Metropolitan Meletios (Doumani), had been elected Patriarch of Antioch. great joy Saint Raphael told his people that for the first time in 168 years, a native Arab had been chosen as primate of the Antiochian Church. the new Patriarch had been installed, Archimandrite Raphael was proposed to succeed Meletios as Metropolitan of Latakia. Patriarch, however, stated that the Holy Synod could not elect Father Raphael because of his important work in America. 1901, Metropolitan GABRIEL of Beirut wrote to Archimandrite Raphael asking him to be his auxiliary bishop, but he declined, saying that he could not leave his American flock. he wanted to build a permanent church, and to acquire a parish cemetery. The latter goal was achieved in August of 1901 when Father Raphael purchased a section of Mt Olivet cemetery on Long Island. December of 1901 Archimandrite Raphael was elected as Bishop of Zahleh. Meletios sent a telegram congratulating him and asking him to return. Raphael thanked the Patriarch, but again declined higher office. said that he wished to complete the project of building a temple for the Syrian community in New York. following year, he bought an existing church building on Pacific Street in Brooklyn, and had it remodeled for Orthodox worship. Tikhon consecrated the church to the great joy of the faithful in attendance. Thus, Saint Raphael’s second major project was finished. the number of parishes within the Diocese of North America was growing, Bishop Tikhon found it impossible to visit all of them. diocese had to be reorganized in order to administer it more efficiently. Bishop Tikhon submitted a plan to the Russian Holy Synod which would transfer the See from San Francisco to New York because most parishes and individuals were concentrated in the east. various ethnic groups required special attention and pastoral leadership, Bishop Tikhon proposed that Archimandrite Raphael be made his second vicar bishop (the Bishop of Alaska would be his first). 1903, the Holy Synod of Russia unanimously elected Archimandrite Raphael to be the Bishop of Brooklyn while retaining him as head of the Syro-Arab Orthodox Mission in North America. Holy Synod announced the election to Patriarch Meletios, who was pleased by their decision. Tikhon wrote to Saint Raphael to inform him of his election, and Father Raphael sent him a letter of acceptance. Father Innocent Pustynsky was consecrated as Tikhon’s first auxiliary bishop at Saint Petersburg’s cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan. the third Sunday of Lent in 1904, Saint Raphael became the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated on American soil. Tikhon and Bishop Innocent performed the service at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn. new bishop’s vestments were a gift from Tsar Nicholas II. his consecration, Bishop Raphael continued his pastoral labors, ordaining priests and assigning them to parishes, and helping Bishop Tikhon in the administration of the diocese. the end of 1904, Bishop Raphael announced his intention to publish a magazine called Al-Kalimat (The Word) as the official publication of the Syro-Arab mission. would help to link the people and parishes of his diocese more closely together. Raphael knew that he could not visit all Orthodox Christians across North America in person, but through the ministry of the printed word, he could preach the word of salvation even to people he would never meet. content was to be spiritual, moral, and churchly so that the magazine could reinforce people in their Faith. Word would focus on five primary topics: truths, teaching, and contemporary ecclesiastical subjects, chronicle of baptisms, weddings, etc., official pronouncements. first issue was printed in January 1905, and Saint Raphael considered this milestone as one equal in importance to the acquisition of Saint Nicholas Cathedral and the parish cemetery. July of 1905 Bishop Raphael consecrated the grounds for Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and blessed the orphanage at South Canaan, PA. days later, he presided at a conference of diocesan clergy at Old Forge, PA, because Archbishop Tikhon was in San Francisco. the clergy in attendance were three who would also be numbered among the saints: Father ALEXIS Toth, Father Alexander Hotovitzky, and Father John Kochurov last two would die as martyrs in Russia). the next ten years Bishop Raphael tended his growing flock. the growth of his New York community came an increase in the number of children, and he was concerned about their future. wanted to establish an evening school to educate them in a Christian atmosphere, because the future of the Church in this country depended upon the instruction of the youth. who did not speak Arabic were already going to non-Orthodox churches where Sunday school classes were conducted in English. Raphael saw the absolute necessity for using English in worship and in education for the future progress of the Syro-Arab Mission. heed of Saint Paul’s words to pray in a language that people understood (1 Cor.14:15-19), Raphael recommended the use of the Service Book of the Holy Orthodox Catholic Apostolic Church (translated by Isabel Hapgood) in all of his parishes. March of 1907 Saint Tikhon returned to Russia and was replaced by Archbishop PLATON. again Saint Raphael was considered for episcopal office in Syria, being nominated to succeed Patriarch GREGORY as Metropolitan of Tripoli in 1908. Holy Synod of Antioch removed Bishop Raphael’s name from the list of candidates, citing various canons which forbid a bishop being transferred from one city to another. the Sunday of Orthodoxy in 1911, Bishop Raphael was honored for his fifteen years of pastoral ministry in America. PLATON presented him with a silver-covered icon of Christ and praised him for his work. his humility, Bishop Raphael could not understand why he should be honored merely for doing his duty (Luke 17:10). He considered himself an “unworthy servant,” yet he did perfectly the work that fell to him (Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians). the end of 1912, Bishop Raphael became ill while working in his office. diagnosed him with a heart ailment that eventually caused his death. two weeks he felt strong enough to celebrate the Liturgy in his cathedral. 1913-1914 this missionary bishop continued to make pastoral visitations to various cities. 1915 he fell ill again and spent two months at home, bearing his illness with patience. 12:40 AM on February 14/27 he rested from his labors. They called him, but he did not answer. They shook him, but he was gone. his youth, Saint Raphael’s greatest joy was to serve the Church. When he came to America, he found his people scattered abroad, and he called them to unity. He never neglected his flock, but traveled throughout America, Canada, and Mexico in search of them so that he might care for them. He kept them from straying into strange pastures, and he protected them from spiritual harm. During twenty years of faithful ministry he nurtured them and helped them to grow. At the time of his death, the Syro-Arab Mission had thirty parishes with 25,000 faithful. was also a scholar, and the author of several books. He wrote many, if not most, of the articles that appeared in The Word. He served his own Arabic community, and also reached out to Greeks and Russians, speaking to them in their own language. He became fluent in English, and encouraged its use in church services and educational programs. Raphael came into contact with all sorts of people, and was a gentle father to them. He gained their love and respect by first loving them, and also through his charming personality and excellent character. He was always kind and merciful to others, but was strict with himself. He accomplished many good things during his earthly life, and now he joins the holy angels in offering ceaseless prayer and praise to God. the prayers of the holy Bishop Raphael, may we also be made worthy of the heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

US, 1880-1940, GREGORIO AGLIPAY, Illocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines, communist founder of Philipine Independent Church
Philipines, 1880-1940, GREGORIO AGLIPAY, Illocos Sur, Northern Luzon, Philippines, communist founder of Philipine Independent Church; Illocos Sur, Philippines; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; Labayan Aglipay (May 8, 1860 – September 1, 1940) the first Filipino Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church. was an activist Catholic priest from Ilocos Norte who, despite his intercession and defense of some of the Spanish Catholic clergy from liberal-nationalist Filipino revolutionaries, was excommunicated by the Vatican for inciting rebellion within the Filipino clergy. the brief interlude between independence from the Spanish and the subsequent reoccupation by the Americans, Isabelo de los Reyes (also known as Don Belong) and Aglipay reformed the Filipino Catholic clergy into the Philippine Independent Church, officially established in 1902. at Wikipedia) for inciting patriotic rebellion among the Filipino clergy, he was also a political activist who became acquainted with Isabelo de los Reyes, who would start an Independent Christian Filipino Church named after Aglipay in 1902. was previously excommunicated by Archbishop Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa of Manila in May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo XIII. later joined Freemasonry in May 1918, a society excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. later married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one year later. Followers of Aglipay through the church colloquially sometimes refer to their membership as Aglipayans. life in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Aglipay was an orphan who grew up in the tobacco fields in the last volatile decades of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. bore deep grievances against the colonial Spanish government of the islands, stemming from abuses within the agricultural system. at fourteen when a tobacco-picking worker for not meeting his tobacco quota, later moved to the capital of Manila to study law under the private tutelage of Julian Carpio.[1] two years of study under Carpio, Aglipay continued his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and at the University of Santo Tomas. obtaining his degree, he then entered the seminary in Ilocos Sur in 1883 and was ordained to the priesthood seven years later. began a career as an assistant priest in various parishes around the main northern island of Luzon. in Victoria, Tarlac, Aglipay gave aid to the revolutionaries and employed thirty carpenters who in reality were revolutionists in touch with the Katipunan group. Despite being a priest, Aglipay, like other revolutionaries, joined Freemasonry.[2] Revolution 1896, the Katipunan was led by the Supremo, Andrés Bonifacio. Bernardino Nozaleda asked Aglipay to confront the revolutionary leaders, offering them a level of autonomy in the future for the Philippines if they would end the rebellion. Aguinaldo, in turn, sent Colonel Luciano San Miguel to Aglipay with the intention of getting him to join the rebellion. the course of Aglipay's journey north, the Philippine–American War started. –American War Aglipay returned to Manila and discovered that the Americans had attacked, he joined the revolution. 20 October 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo appointed Aglipay Military Vicar General of the revolutionaries. Aglipay interpreted this as making him Ecclesiastical Superior to all Filipino priests who, as such, should all be appointed Military Chaplains for the duration of the war.[3] which broke out between the U.S. and Filipino forces on February 4, 1899 prompted Aglipay to withdraw to Ilocos Norte to organize an armed resistance. 29 April 1899, Aglipay was excommunicated for "usurpation of ecclesiastical jurisdiction.[4] the war the end of the war in 1902, Isabelo de los Reyes was working towards the formation of a national church, that is independent of Rome. 3 August he suggested that Aglipay be its first bishop. a devout Catholic at the time, was reluctant, but accepted de los Reyes' offer to establish an independent church. 18 January 1903, Aglipay was appointed Supreme Bishop of the "Philippine Independent Church". Supreme Bishop he allied himself with the nationalist and most radical political parties during his time like the Sakdalistas and later on even with the Socialist and Communist Parties.[4] the theological discussions while visiting other churches while travelling abroad, Aglipay rejected the belief in the Trinity, becoming theologically accepting of the main Unitarian belief however, his own church refused to accept his amended theology. unitarian and progressive theological ideas were evident in his "novena", "Pagsisiyam sa Birhen sa Balintawak", 1925[5] and its English translation, "Novenary of the Motherland", 1926.[6] Bishop Gregorio Aglipay bust (Samal, Bataan, "Iglesia Filipina Independiente" (Philippine Independent Church). life ran for elections as President of the Commonwealth along with the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas Norberto Nabong in a joined Republican-Communist Party ticket in 1935,[4] lost to Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña of the Nacionalista Party. married D. Pilar Jamias year in 1939 since his church permits married clergy, but Aglipay died the following year on 1 September 1940. is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States on 5 September.

US, 1881-1934, FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, PRISON REFORMER, Mississippi log cabin wGrandparents, tBro iNew Orleans, Straight College
US, 1881-1934, FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, Holmsville, MS and New Orleans, LA, born Mississippi log cabin, raised bGrandparents, tBro iNew Orleans, Straight College, widowed, dedicated tPrison reform, 1894 prayer meetings letters messages clothing for black&white prisoners, WCTU International delage tScotland 1900, first woman support juvenile offenders iLouisiana, founded juvenile court, founded Gaudet Norman&Industrial School/farm 105 acres, boarding school children wWorking mothers, donated school 1921 Episcopal Church, 1954 Gaudet Episcopal home African American children 4-16, St Lukes Community Center on North Dorgenious St; Holmsville, Mississippi; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER (30 December 1934) ; Joseph-Gaudet (1861- December 1934), reform worker and educator, born in a log cabin in Holmesville, Mississippi of African American and Native American descent. was raised by her grandparents. she went to live with a brother in New Orleans where she attended school and Straight College. early, she dedicated her life to prison reform. in 1894 she held prayer meetings, wrote letters, delivered messages, and secured clothing for black prisoners, and later for white prisoners as well. dedication to prisoners and prison reform won her the respect of prison officials, city authorities, the governor, and the Prison Reform Association. delegate to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union international convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1900, she worked for the reform of young blacks arrested for misdemeanor or vagrancy. was the first woman to support juvenile offenders in Louisiana, her efforts helped found the juvenile court. eventually purchased a farm and founded the Gaudet Normal and Industrial School. The school, which eventually expanded to 105 acres and numerous buildings, also served as a boarding school for children with working mothers. served as principal of the school until 1921 when she donated the school to the Episcopal Church of Lousiana. the school closed in 1950, the Gaudet Episcopal Home opened in the same location four years later to serve African American children ages four to sixteen. The endowment fund currently supports St. Luke’s Community Center on North Dorgenois Street, where a hall honors Frances Joseph-Gaudet. from the Episcopal Women's History Project

US, 1882-1953, CHARLES MENNINGER, PIONEER IN MEDICINE, Topeka, Kansas, Menninger Clinic 1925, first Psychiatric cures
US, 1882-1953, Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, Topeka, Kansas (Kansas River 2, Oregon Trail 3), Menninger Clinic w sons 1925, first Psychiatric cures, homwopath, saw Mayo Clinic collaborative group practice; Topeka, Kansas; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; F. Menninger (July 11, 1862 - Nov. 28, 1953), with his two sons, founded the Menninger Clinic in 1925 in Topeka, Kansas. This was one of the first places which sought to treat psychiatric maladies as illnesses which could be cured, rather than simply providing custodial care. was born in Tell City, Indiana, and received his initial medical degree from Hahnemann (homeopathic) Medical School in Chicago. He later moved to Kansas, teaching at Kansas Medical College. He set up a general medical practice in Topeka, gradually becoming interested in psychiatry. He sought collaboration with local Topeka doctors, who tended to reject him due to his homeopathic background. As a consequence, he became enamored of collaborative group practice, such as he saw at the Mayo Clinic. This would later strongly influence his own clinic.

US, 1882-1929, CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop, Luzon Island, Phillippines, helped non-christians
Phillippines, 1882-1929, CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop, Luzon Island, Phillippines, for non-christian muslims, chinese, Luzon Igorots, against opium traffic; Luzon Island, Phillippines; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); the Spanish-American War (1898), arising from a dispute over Cuba and Puerto Rico, the United States also acquired Guam and the Philippines. (For a brief note on the subsequent history of these territories, see Kamehameha, 28 November.) 1902, the Episcopal Church appointed Charles Brent (at that time serving as priest in charge of a slum parish in Boston) as Missionary Bishop of the Philippines. He arrived on the same ship with the American Governor, William H. Taft, and carried with him the unofficial but very real prestige of the American establishment. could easily have confined himself to providing a kind of ecclesiastical "home away from home" for American officials and others stationed in the Islands. he could have devoted himself chiefly to efforts to convert the Roman Catholics, both of Spanish and of Filipino ancestry, whom the previous government had left behind. he directed his efforts toward the non-Christians of his diocese: the pagan Igorots of the mountains of Luzon, the Muslims of the southern islands, the Chinese settlements in Manila, all areas in which he made considerable inroads and established thriving Christian communities. began a campaign against the opium traffic, and served on several international commissions devoted to stamping out international traffic in narcotics. World War I, he was the Senior Chaplain for the American Armed Forces in Europe. He declined three elections to bishoprics in the United States in order to continue his work in the Philippines, but in 1918, he accepted the position of Bishop of Western New York. experiences in the Philippines had aroused in him a strong concern for the cause of visible Christian unity. wrote: The unity of Christendom is not a luxury, but a necessity. The world will go limping until Christ's prayer that all may be one is answered. We must have unity, not at all costs, but at all risks. A unified Church is the only offering we dare present to the coming Christ, for in it alone will He find room to dwell. helped to organize the first World Conference on Faith and Order, which met in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1927. He died there in 1929, being 67 years minus 12 days old. following prayer, written by him, is widely used today: Lord Jesus Christ, who didst stretch out thine arms of love upon the hard wood of the Cross, that all men everywhere might come within the reach of thy saving embrace: So clothe us with thy Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know thee to the knowledge and love of thee; for the honor of thy Name. writer James Thayer Addison called him "a saint of disciplined mental vigor, one whom soldiers were proud to salute and whom children were happy to play with, who could dominate a parliament and minister to an invalid, a priest and bishop who gloried in the heritage of his Church, yet who stood among all Christian brothers as one who served." by James Kiefer

US, 1882-1937, EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, founded SCHC Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, offering retreat centers
US, 1882-1937, EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, fHartford, CT (Connecticut River 24), Founded Society otCompanions otHoly Cross, 1883 her friend Adelyn Howard became ill, and lonely invalid, no friends or family, next year Emily&Adalyn founded SCHC, allowing religious invalids to pray for others, work for social justice, simplicity oLife, part oDeaconess movement, 1889 she began her writing career 2yrs after moving tNew Haven, A Little White Shadow, proceeds to fund vacation homes for tired women, 1901 she purchased their headquarters and retreat center, Byfield, MA, named Alynrood, SCHC currently 800 members, offering retreat centers; Hartford, Connecticut; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Emily Malbone Morgan [Dec. 10, 1862-Feb. 27, 1937] the founder of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross (SCHC). was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the youngest child and only daughter born to merchant Henry Kirke Morgan and the former Emily Malbone Brinley. 1883, Morgan's childhood friend, Adelyn Howard, fell ill with a hip disease, which made her a lonely invalid in a town in which she had no friends or family. following year, Morgan, with Howard and Harriet Hastings of Wellesley, Massachusetts the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, allow the shut-in Adelyn—and other religious women who valued thanksgiving, intercessory prayer, and simplicity of life—to pray and work for social justice. 1889, two years after moving to New Haven, began her writing career, A Little White Shadow, the proceeds of which she used to fund vacation homes for "tired women, girls and children." such, Morgan can be considered part of the Deaconess movement in which over 5000 Protestant women participated circa 1890. 1901, Morgan purchased what became their headquarters and retreat center, in Byfield, Massachusetts, was named Adelynrood upon its renovation in 1915 both Howard, who had died in 1898, and an old word for "cross"). Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross currently has approximately eight hundred members and continues to operate retreat centers. information may be found at Project Canterbury, and also at Wikipedia.

US, 1883-1889, Northern Pacific Railway - Pacific Expansion from Bozeman Pass West through Stampede Pass (I90)
Northern Pacific Railway; Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly forty million acres (62,000 sq mi; 160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former President Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on September 8, 1883. railroad had about 6,800 miles (10,900 km) of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. In addition, the NP had an international branch to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber, and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land. Northern Pacific was headquartered in Minnesota, first in Brainerd, then in Saint Paul. It had a tumultuous financial history; the NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Santa Fe Railway to become the BNSF Railway in 1996. Map of NPR Land Grant, c1890 chartered the Northern Pacific Railway Company on July 2, 1864, with the goals of connecting the Great Lakes with Puget Sound on the Pacific, opening vast new lands for farming, ranching, lumbering and mining, and linking Washington and Oregon to the rest of the country.[1] granted the railroad a potential 60 million acres (243,000 km2) of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory. Josiah Perham was elected its first president on December 7, 1864.[1] It could not use all the land and in the end took just under 40 million acres.[2] Cooke takes control[edit] the next six years, backers of the road struggled to find financing. Though John Gregory Smith succeeded Perham as president on January 5, 1865, groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Carlton, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota. backing and promotions of famed financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. The Minnetonka. Over the course of 1871, the Northern Pacific pushed westward from Minnesota into present-day North Dakota. Surveyors and construction crews had to maneuver through swamps, bogs, and tamarack forests. The difficult terrain and insufficient funding delayed by six months the construction phase in Minnesota.[3] NP also began building its line north from Kalama, Washington Territory, on the Columbia River outside of Portland, Oregon, towards Puget Sound. small construction engines were purchased, the Minnetonka, Itaska, Ottertail and St. Cloud, the first of which was shipped to Kalama by ship around Cape Horn. Minnesota, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad completed construction of its 155-mile (249 km) line stretching from Saint Paul to Lake Superior at Duluth in 1870. It was leased to the Northern Pacific in 1876, and was eventually absorbed by the Northern Pacific. The North Coast Limited was the Northern Pacific's flagship train and the Northern Pacific itself was built along the trail first blazed by Lewis and Clark.[4] Preferred Shares of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, issued 28. November 1881 Northern Pacific reached Fargo, Dakota Territory (N.D.), early in June 1872. The following year, in June 1873, the N.P. reached the shores of the Missouri River, at Edwinton (Bismarck) D.T. In the west, the track extended 25 miles (40 km) north from Kalama. Surveys were carried out in North Dakota protected by 600 troops under General Winfield Scott Hancock. Headquarters and shops were established in Brainerd, Minnesota, a town named for the President John Gregory Smith's wife Anna Elizabeth Brainerd. A severe stock market crash and financial collapse after 1873, led by the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the Union Pacific Railroad fraud, stopped further railroad building for twelve years. 1886, the company put down 164 miles (264 km) of main line across North Dakota, with an additional 45 miles (72 km) in Washington. November 1, General George Washington Cass became the third president of the company. Cass had been a vice-president and director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and would lead the Northern Pacific through some of its most difficult times. on survey parties and construction crews by Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa warriors in North Dakota and Minnesota became so prevalent that the company received protection from units of the U.S. Army.[5] 1886, the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Germany and Scandinavia, attracting farmers with cheap package transportation and purchase deals. The success of the NP was based on the abundant crops of wheat and other grains and the attraction to settlers of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota-North Dakota border between 1881 and 1890.[6] Northern Pacific reached Dakota Territory at Fargo in 1872, and began its career as one of the central factors in the economic growth of North Dakota. The climate, although very cold, was suitable for wheat, which was in high demand in the cities of the United States and Europe. Most of the settlers were German and Scandinavian immigrants who bought the land cheaply, and raised large families. They shipped huge quantities of wheat to Minneapolis, while buying all sorts of equipment and home supplies to be shipped in by rail.[7] NP used its federal land grants as security to borrow money to build its system.[8] federal government kept every other section of land, and gave it away free to homesteaders. first the railroad sold much of its holdings at low prices to land speculators in order to realize quick cash profits, and also to eliminate sizable annual tax bills. 1905 the railroad company's land policies changed, after it was judged a costly mistake to have sold much of the land at wholesale prices. better railroad service and improved methods of farming the Northern Pacific easily sold what had been heretofore "worthless" land directly to farmers at good prices. 1910 the railroad's holdings in North Dakota had been greatly reduced.[9][10] of 1873 and first bankruptcy[edit] 1873, Northern Pacific made impressive strides before a terrible stumble. Rails from the east reached the Missouri River on June 4. After several years of study, Tacoma, Washington, was selected as the road's western terminus on July 14, 1873. the previous three years the financial house of Jay Cooke and Company had been throwing money into the construction of the Northern Pacific. As with many western transcontinentals, the staggering costs of building a railroad into a vast wilderness had been drastically underestimated. Cooke had little success in marketing the bonds in Europe and overextended his house in meeting overdrafts of the mounting construction costs. Cooke overestimated his managerial skills and failed to appreciate the limits of a banker's ability to be also a promoter, and the danger of freezing his assets in the bonds of the Northern Pacific.[11] and Company went bankrupt on September 18, 1873. Soon the Panic of 1873 engulfed the United States, beginning an economic depression that ruined or nearly paralyzed newer railroads. Northern Pacific survived bankruptcy that year, due to austerity measures put in place by President Cass. In fact, working with last-minute loans from Director John C. Ainsworth of Portland, the Northern Pacific completed the line from Kalama to Tacoma (110 miles (180 km)) before the end of 1873. On December 16, the first steam train arrived in Tacoma. But in 1874 the company was moribund.[clarification needed] Pacific slipped into its first bankruptcy on June 30, 1875. Cass resigned to become receiver of the company, and Charles Barstow Wright became its fourth president. Frederick Billings, namesake of Billings, Montana, formulated a reorganization plan which was put into effect. 1874 to 1876, elements of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer operating out of Forts Abraham Lincoln and Rice in Dakota Territory conducted expeditions to protect the railroad survey and construction crews in Dakota and Montana Territories.[citation needed] Billings and first reorganization[edit] 1877, construction resumed in a small way. Northern Pacific pushed a branch line southeast from Tacoma to Puyallup, Washington and on to the coal fields around Wilkeson, Washington. Much of the coal was destined for export through Tacoma to San Francisco, California, where it would be thrown into the fireboxes of Central Pacific Railroad steam engines. small amount of construction was one of the largest projects the company would undertake in the years between 1874 and 1880. That same year the company built a large shop complex at Edison, Washington (now part of south Tacoma). For many years the shops at Brainerd and Edison would carry out heavy repairs and build equipment for the railroad. May 24, 1879, Frederick H. Billings became the president of the company. Billings' tenure would be short but ferocious. Reorganization, bond sales, and improvement in the U.S. economy allowed Northern Pacific to strike out across the Missouri River by letting a contract to build 100 miles (160 km) of railroad west of the river. The railroad's new-found strength, however, would be seen as a threat in certain quarters. Henry Villard, Gold Creek, Gold Spike[edit] Yellowstone Park Line Brochure 1904 and Transcontinental stock owned by Henry Villard. journalist Henry Villard had raised capital for western railroads in Europe from 1871 to 1873. After returning to New York in 1874 he invested on behalf of his clients in railroads in Oregon. Through Villard's work, most of these lines became properties of the European creditors' holding company, the Oregon and Transcontinental Company. the lines held by the Oregon and Transcontinental, the most important was the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, which ran east from Portland along the left bank of the Columbia River to a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad's Oregon Short Line at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Snake River near Wallula, Washington. a decade of his return, Villard was head of a transportation empire in the Pacific Northwest that had but one real competitor, the Northern Pacific. The Northern Pacific's completion threatened the holdings of Villard in the Northwest, and especially in Portland. Portland would become a second-class city if the Puget Sound ports at Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, were connected to the East by rail. who had been building a monopoly of river and rail transportation in Oregon for several years, now launched a daring raid. Using his European connections and a reputation for having "bested" Jay Gould in a battle for control of the Kansas Pacific years before, Villard solicited – and raised – $8,000,000 from his associates. This was his famous "Blind Pool," Villard's associates were not told what the money would be used for. In this case, the funds were used to purchase control of the Northern Pacific. a tough fight, Billings and his backers were forced to capitulate; he resigned the presidency June 9, 1881. Ashbel H. Barney, former President of Wells Fargo & Company, served briefly as interim caretaker of the railroad from June 19 to September 15, when Villard was elected president by the stockholders. For the next two years, Villard and the Northern Pacific rode the whirlwind. 1882, 360 miles (580 km) of main line and 368 miles (592 km) of branch line were completed, bringing totals to 1,347 miles (2,168 km) and 731 miles (1,176 km), respectively. October 10, 1882, the line from Wadena, Minnesota, to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, opened for service. The Missouri River was bridged with a million-dollar span on October 21, 1883. Until then, crossing of the Missouri had had to be managed with a ferry service for most of the year; in winter, when ice was thick enough, rails were laid across the river itself. Herman Haupt, another veteran of the Civil War and the Pennsylvania Railroad, organized the Northern Pacific Beneficial Association in 1881. A forerunner of the modern health maintenance organization, the NPBA ultimately established a series of four hospitals across the system in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Glendive, Montana; Missoula, Montana; and Tacoma, Washington, to care for employees, retirees, and their families. January 15, 1883, the first train reached Livingston, Montana, at the eastern foot of Bozeman Pass. Livingston, like Brainerd and South Tacoma before it, would grow to encompass a large backshop handling heavy repairs for the railroad. It would also mark the east–west dividing line on the Northern Pacific system. pushed hard for the completion of the Northern Pacific in 1883. His crews laid an average of a mile and half (2.4 km) of track each day. In early September, the line neared completion. celebrate, and to gain national publicity for investment opportunities in his region, Villard chartered four trains to carry guests from the East to Gold Creek in western Montana. No expense was spared and the list of dignitaries included Frederick Billings, Ulysses S. Grant, and Villard's in-laws, the family of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. On September 8, the Gold Spike was driven near Gold Creek.[12] to Puget Sound[edit] fall was swifter than his ascendancy. Like Jay Cooke, he was now consumed by the enormous costs of constructing the railroad. Street bears attacked the stock shortly after the Golden Spike, after the realization that the Northern Pacific was a very long road with very little business. himself suffered a nervous breakdown in the days after the driving of the Golden Spike, and he left the presidency of the Northern Pacific in January 1884. the presidency of the Northern Pacific was handed to a professional railroader, Robert Harris, former head of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. For the next four years, until the return of the Villard group, Harris worked at improving the property and ending its tangled relationship with the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. the mid-1880s, the Northern Pacific pushed to reach Puget Sound directly, rather than by means of a roundabout route that followed the Columbia River. of the Cascade Mountains, carried out intermittently since the 1870s, began anew. Virgil Bogue, a veteran civil engineer, was sent to explore the Cascades again. On March 19, 1881, he discovered Stampede Pass. 1883, John W. Sprague, the head of the new Pacific Division, drove the Golden Spike to mark the beginning of the railroad from what would become Kalama, Washington. He resigned a months later due to impaired health. 1884, after the departure of Villard, the Northern Pacific began building toward Stampede Pass from Wallula in the east and the area of Wilkeson in the west. By the end of the year, rails had reached Yakima, Washington in the east. A 77-mile (124 km) gap remained in 1886. January of that year, Nelson Bennett was given a contract to construct a 9,850-foot (1.866 mi; 3.00 km) tunnel under Stampede Pass. The contract specified a short amount of time for completion, and a large penalty if the deadline were missed. While crews worked on the tunnel, the railroad built a temporary switchback route across the pass. With numerous timber trestles and grades which approached six percent, the temporary line required two M class 2-10-0s — the two largest locomotives in the world (at that time) — to handle a tiny five-car train. On May 3, 1888, crews holed through the tunnel, and on May 27 the first train passed through directly to Puget Sound. and the Panic of 1893[edit] this success, the Northern Pacific, like many U.S. roads, was living on borrowed time. From 1887 until 1893, Henry Villard returned to the board of directors. Though offered the presidency, he refused. An associate of Villard dating back to his time on the Kansas Pacific, Thomas Fletcher Oakes, assumed the presidency on September 20, 1888. an effort to garner business, Oakes pursued an aggressive policy of branch line expansion. addition, the Northern Pacific experienced the first competition in the form of James Jerome Hill and his Great Northern Railway. The Great Northern, like the Northern Pacific before it, was pushing west from the Twin Cities towards Puget Sound, and would be completed in 1893. sparse traffic, and the Panic of 1893 sounded the death knell for the Northern Pacific and Villard's interest in railroading. The company slipped into its second bankruptcy on October 20, 1893. Oakes was named receiver and Brayton Ives, a former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, became president. labor dispute[edit] 1894, the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army was involved in protecting property of the Northern Pacific Railroad from striking workers.[13] Villard to Morganization[edit] the next three years, the Villard-Oakes interests and the Ives interest feuded for control of the Northern Pacific. Oakes was eventually forced out as receiver, but not before three separate courts were claiming jurisdiction over the Northern Pacific's bankruptcy. Things came to a head in 1896, when first Edward Dean Adams was appointed president, then less than two months later, Edwin Winter. the task of straightening out the muddle of the Northern Pacific was turned over to J. P. Morgan. Morganization of the Northern Pacific, a process which befell many U.S. roads in the wake of the Panic of 1893, was handed to Morgan lieutenant Charles Henry Coster. The new president, beginning September 1, 1897, was Charles Sanger Mellen.[14] James J. Hill had purchased an interest in the Northern Pacific during the troubled days of 1896, Coster and Mellen would advocate, and follow, a staunchly independent line for the Northern Pacific for the next four years. Only the early death of Coster from overwork, and the promotion of Mellen to head the Morgan-controlled New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1903, would bring the Northern Pacific closer to the orbit of James J. Hill.[15] Map of Northern Pacific's route circa 1900. Hill, Harriman and the Northern Pacific Corner[edit] the late 1880s, the Villard regime, in another one of its costly missteps, attempted to stretch the Northern Pacific from the Twin Cities to the all-important rail hub of Chicago, Illinois. A costly project was begun in creating a union station and terminal facilities for a Northern Pacific which had yet to arrive. than build directly down to Chicago, perhaps following the Mississippi River as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy had done, Villard chose to lease the Wisconsin Central. Some backers of the Wisconsin Central had long associations with Villard, and an expensive lease was worked out between the two companies which was only undone by the Northern Pacific's second bankruptcy. ultimate result was that the Northern Pacific was left without a direct connection to Chicago, the primary interchange point for most of the large U.S. railroads. Fortunately, the Northern Pacific was not alone. James J. Hill, controller of the Great Northern Railway, which was completed between the Twin Cities and Puget Sound in 1893, also lacked a direct connection to Chicago. Hill went looking for a road with an existing route between the Twin Cities and Chicago which could be rolled into his holdings and give him a stable path to that important interchange. the same time, E. H. Harriman, head of the Union Pacific Railroad, was also looking for a road which could connect his company to Chicago. The road both Harriman and Hill looked at was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Harriman, the Burlington was a road which paralleled much of his own, and offered tantalizing direct access to Chicago. For Hill as well, there was the possibility of a high-speed link directly with Chicago. Though the Burlington did not parallel the Great Northern or the Northern Pacific, it would give them a powerful railroad in the central West. was the first to approach the Burlington's aging leader, the irascible Charles Elliott Perkins. The price for control of the Burlington, as set by Perkins, was $200 a share, more than Harriman was willing to pay. met the price, and control of the Burlington was divided equally at about 48.5 percent each between the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. to be outdone, Harriman now came up with a crafty plan: Buy a controlling interest in the Northern Pacific and use its power on the Burlington to place friendly directors upon its board. On May 3, 1901, Harriman began his stock raid which would become known as the Northern Pacific Corner. the end of the day he was short just 40,000 shares of common stock. Harriman placed an order to cover this, but was overridden by his broker, Jacob Schiff, of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. on the other hand, reached the vacationing Morgan in Italy and managed to place an order for 150,000 shares of common stock. Though Harriman might be able to control the preferred stock, Hill knew the company bylaws allowed for the holders of the common stock to vote to retire the preferred. three days the Harriman-Hill imbroglio managed to wreak havoc on the stock market. Northern Pacific stock was quoted at $150 a share on May 6, and is reported to have traded as much as $1,000 a share behind the scenes. Harriman and Hill now worked to settle the issue for brokers to avoid panic. Hill, for his part, attempted to avoid future stock raids by placing his holdings in the Northern Securities Company, a move which would be undone by the Supreme Court in 1904 under the auspices of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. was not immune either; he was forced to break up his holdings in the Union Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad a few years later. Hill to Howard Elliott[edit] 1903, Hill finally got his way with the House of Morgan. Howard Elliott, another veteran of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, became president of the Northern Pacific on October 23. Elliott was a relative of the Burlington's crusty chieftain Charles Elliott Perkins, and more distantly the Burlington's great backer, John Murray Forbes. He had spent 20 years in the trenches of Midwest railroading, where rebates, pooling, expansion and rate wars had brought ruinous competition. Having seen the effects of having multiple railroads attempt to serve the same destination, he was very much in tune with James J. Hill's philosophy of "community of interest," a loose affiliation or collusion among roads in an attempt to avoid duplicating routes, rate wars, weak finances and ultimately bankruptcies and reorganizations. would be left to make peace with the Hill-controlled Great Northern; the Harriman-controlled Union Pacific; and, between 1907 and 1909, the last of the northern transcontinentals, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, more commonly known as the Milwaukee Road. A Northern Pacific train travels over Bozeman Pass in June 1939 the twentieth century[edit] the turn of the century the Northern Pacific had a record of steady improvement. Together with the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific also gained control of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, gaining important access to Chicago, the central Middle West and Texas, as well as the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, an important route through eastern and southern Washington. physical plant was upgraded continuously, with double-tracking in key areas, and automatic block signaling along its entire main line. This in turn gave way to centralized traffic control, microwave and radio communications as time progressed.[citation needed] Northern Pacific maintained and continuously upgraded its equipment and service. The road helped pioneer the 4-8-4 Northern type steam engine and the 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone. was among the first railroads in the country to adopt diesel power beginning with General Motors’ FTs in 1944.[citation needed] Despite this, with cheap (albeit low-quality) coal reserves in Wyoming it was among the last US railroads to complete dieselization, in 1960. NP depot at Wallace, Idaho, 2007 Northern Pacific's premier passenger train, the North Coast Limited was among the safest and finest in the nation, suffering only one passenger fatality in nearly seventy years of operation.[citation needed] 1900, most of the remaining land-grant holdings were located west of Montana, in the "western district." railroad still hoped to sell this land, both to provide operating funds and to populate the region to provide new markets to sustain the railroad. Nearly all the good farm land had been sold, leaving large tracts of grazing land or timber. The grazing acreage was poor quality, and difficult to sell. However, the timber lands were of high quality; much of these were sold to Frederick Weyerhaeuser.[16] of the Hill Lines[edit] later years, Louis W. Menk became president of the Northern Pacific, and then he brought it together with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 2, 1970, to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The merger was allowed despite a challenge in the Supreme Court, essentially reversing the outcome of the 1904 Northern Securities ruling. A 900 mi (1,400 km) portion of the former Northern Pacific mainline in Montana was spun off and is now operated by Montana Rail Link. Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (including M&I, G&P) Year Traffic 1925 6852 1933 3600 1944 14679 1960 11360 1967 13629 Source: ICC annual reports 1949, the Northern Pacific's headquarters in Saint Paul presided over a system of 6,889 miles (11,087 km), which 2,831 miles (4,556 km) of main line, 4,057 miles (6,529 km) of branch line under seven operating divisions. Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches. Paul[edit] in St. Paul, Minnesota in the company's Railroad and Bank Building, the St. Paul Division's main routes were from Saint Paul to Staples, Saint Paul to White Bear Lake, and Staples to Dilworth, Minnesota. The division encompassed 909 route miles; 310 in main line and 599 in branches. in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches. in Glendive, Montana, the Yellowstone Division's main routes were from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston, Montana. The division encompassed 875 route miles; 546 in main line and 328 in branches. Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana. in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches. in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17] the railroad expanded, immigrants, families, and single men moved to the Pacific Northwest. Tacoma's population grew rapidly: in 1880 there were 1,098 residents, and in 1889 there were 36,000.[18] service[edit] line encouraged people to make their homes in the Pacific Northwest by having an "immigration agent" and offering special excursion trains for prospective buyers during the winter months. North Coast Limited was the premier passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Butte, Montana and Homestake Pass. It commenced service on April 29, 1900, served briefly as a Burlington Northern train after the merger on March 2, 1970, and ceased operation on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak began service. The Chicago Union Station to Saint Paul leg of the train's route was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad along its Mississippi River mainline through Wisconsin. Northern Pacific's secondary transcontinental passenger train was the Alaskan, until it was replaced by the Mainstreeter on November 16, 1952.[19][page needed] Mainstreeter, which operated via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, continued in service through the Burlington Northern merger until Amtrak Day (May 1, 1971). It had been reduced to a Saint Paul to Seattle train after the last run of the former Burlington Route Black Hawk on April 12–13, 1970. Northern Pacific also participated in the Coast Pool Train service between Portland and Seattle with the Great Northern Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. NP and GN Coast Pool Trains lasted until Amtrak. were several other passenger trains which were discontinued before the Burlington Northern merger. These included: Saint Paul to International Falls, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Duluth, Minnesota (which at one time was also a pool operation, with Great Northern Railway and the Soo Line); Duluth to Staples, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Jamestown, North Dakota (the last remnant of the Alaskan); Fargo, North Dakota to Winnipeg, Manitoba; The Route of "the Great Big Baked Potato"[edit] Actress Lillian Russell and other Hollywood stars were hired to promote the railroad's potatoes. comic postcard circa 1910 to 1920 promoting "The Great Big Baked Potato". Hazen Titus was appointed as the line's dining car superintendent in 1908. He learned that Yakima Valley farmers were unable to sell their potato crops because the potatoes they were growing were simply too large; they fed them to the hogs. Titus learned that a single potato could weigh from two to five pounds, but that smaller potatoes were preferred by the end buyers of the vegetable because many people considered large potatoes inedible due to their thick, rough skin.[20] and his staff discovered the "inedible" potatoes were delicious after baking in a slow oven. He contracted to purchase as many potatoes as the farmers could produce that were more than two pounds in weight. Soon after the first delivery of "Netted Gem Bakers", they were offered to diners on the North Coast Limited beginning in early 1909. Word of the line's specialty offering traveled quickly, and before long it was using "the Great Big Baked Potato" as a slogan to promote the railroad's passenger service. Hollywood stars were hired to promote it.[21] When an addition was built for the Northern Pacific's Seattle commissary in 1914, a Railway Age reporter wrote, "A large trade mark, in the shape of a baked potato, 40 ft. long and 18 ft. in diameter, surmounts the roof. The potato is electric lighted and its eyes, through the electric mechanism, are made to wink constantly. A cube of butter thrust into its split top glows intermittently." Premiums such as postcards, letter openers, and spoons were also produced to promote "The Route of the Great Big Baked Potato"; the slogan served the Northern Pacific for about 50 years.[20]

Tacoma, Washington, Headquarters Tacoma Division Northern Pacific RWY
Tacoma, Washington; in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17]

NP Railroad Tacoma Division Yakima to Tacoma over Stampede Pass through Auburn

Edison, Washington NP Repair Facility, Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington;

Puyallup, Washington

Puyallup River Folder

White River (Puyallup River, Stuck River) Mouth
White River (Puyallup River) Mouth;

White River Source, Mt Ranier
White River Source, Mt Ranier;

White River 1, Greenwater, WA
White River 1, Greenwater, WA;

White River 2, Buckley, WA
White River 2, Buckley, WA;

White River 2, Enumclaw, WA
White River 2, Enumclaw, WA;

White River 3, Pacific, WA
White River 3, Pacific, WA;

White River Source 2, Clearwater River

White River

Puyallup River Mouth, Commencement Bay Tacoma
Puyallup River Mouth, Commencement Bay Tacoma;

Puyallup River Source, Mt Ranier
Puyallup River Source, Mt Ranier;

Puyallup Glacier, North Puyallup River Source
Puyallup Glacier, North Puyallup River Source;

Tahoma Glacier, South Puyallup River Source
Tahoma Glacier, South Puyallup River Source;

Puyallup River Source 1 Tahoma Glacier, South Puyallup River

Puyallup River Source 1, Puyallup Glacier, North Puyallup River

Mowich River Mouth, Puyallup River 1
Mowich River Mouth, Puyallup River 1;

Mowich River Source, South Mowich Glacier
Mowich River Source, South Mowich Glacier;

Mowich River

Electron and Kapowsin, Puyallup River 2
Electron and Kapowsin, Puyallup River 2;

Orting, Washington, and Carbon River Mouth, Puyallup River 3
Orting, Washington, and Carbon River Mouth, Puyallup River 3; Carbon River;

Carbon River Source, Carbon Glacier, Mt Ranier
Carbon Glacier, Mt Ranier;

Carbon River

Puyallup River 4, White River Mouth, Sumner, WA
Puyallup River 4, White River Mouth, Sumner, WA;

Puyallup River 6, Fife, WA
Puyallup River 6, Fife, WA;

Puyallup River

Wilkeson, Washington, Coal Fields
Wilkeson, Washington

Wilkerson Coal Fields, Black Diamond to Meeker through Puyallup and Orting, NP Railroad

Missoula, Montana, Northern Pacific Beneficial Association (NPBA) Hospital
Missoula, Montana;

Gold Creek (Montana)
Gold Creek (Montana);

Stampede Pass
Stampede Pass;

Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington;

Clark Fork River

Arlee, MT

Missoula, Arlee, Jocko, Flathead River, Paradise, Spokane Divison, NP Railroad

Jocko, MT

Flathead River

Dixon, MT, Flathead River

Paradise, MT, Rocky Mt Division Livingston to Paradise Via Helena
Rocky Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana.

Paradise, MT, East End Idaho Division Northern Pacific Railroad
Paradise, MT
in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches.

Plains, MT

Eddy, MT

Thompson Falls, MT

Belknap, MT

Noxon, MT

Heron, MT

Clark Fork, ID

Hope, ID

Kootenai, ID

Granite, ID

Rathdrum, ID

Spokane, WA

Columbia River

Spokane, WA, Idaho Division Headquarters Northern Pacific Railroad
Spokane, WA
in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches.

Idaho Division Parradise Mt to Yakima, WA throuth Spokane, WA, Northern Pacific RWY

Marshall, WA

Cheney, WA

Pasco, WA

Lind, WA

Sprague, WA

Ritzville, WA

Connell, WA

Ellensburg, WA

Prosser, WA

Status, WA

Yakima, WA

Yakima, WA, West End Idaho Division Norther Pacific Railroad
Yakima, WA
in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches.

Yakima River

Rosa, WA

Hatton, WA

Meeker, WA Puyallup, WA

Auburn, WA

Franklin Ghost Town, Black Diamond, WA

Cle Elum, WA

Ronald, WA

Stampede, WA

Eagle Gorge, WA

Logan, MT
Rocky Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana.

NP Railroad - Rocky Mt Division - Logan to Garrison via Butte and Homestake Pass
Rocky Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana.

Helena, MT

NP Railroad Rock Mt Division - Livingston to Paradise via Helena

NP Railroad, Rocky Mt Division - Phillipsburg Mines, Smelter and Rock Creek

Elliston, MT

Avon, MT

Garrison, MT

Whitehall, MT

Homestake, MT Homestake Pass
Homestake, MT

Butte, MT

Anaconda, MT

Rumsley, MT

Deer Lodge, MT

Drummond, MT

Clinton, MT

Clark Fork River (Butte, Deer Lodge, Anaconda, Silver Bow Creek)

Clark Fork River (Warm Springs Creek)

US, 1885-1889, President, Grover Cleveland, honest, moral, unpopular but successful leader, policy maker
US President, 1885-1889, Grover Cleveland ; Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American history to serve two nonconsecutive terms in office.[b] He won the popular vote for three presidential elections—in 1884, 1888, and 1892—and was one of two Democrats (followed by Woodrow Wilson in 1912) to be elected president during the era of Republican presidential domination dating from 1861 to 1933. Born to a Presbyterian minister and his wife, Cleveland grew up in upstate New York. In 1881, he was elected mayor of Buffalo and later, governor of New York. Cleveland was the leader of the pro-business Bourbon Democrats who opposed high tariffs; Free Silver; inflation; imperialism; and subsidies to business, farmers, or veterans. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him an icon for American conservatives of the era.[1] Cleveland won praise for his honesty, self-reliance, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism.[2] He fought political corruption, patronage, and bossism. As a reformer, Cleveland had such prestige that the like-minded wing of the Republican Party, called "Mugwumps", largely bolted the GOP presidential ticket and swung to his support in the 1884 election.[3] As his second administration began, disaster hit the nation when the Panic of 1893 produced a severe national depression. It ruined his Democratic Party, opening the way for a Republican landslide in 1894 and for the agrarian and silverite seizure of the Democratic Party in 1896. The result was a political realignment that ended the Third Party System and launched the Fourth Party System and the Progressive Era.[4] was a formidable policymaker, and he also drew corresponding criticism. intervention in the Pullman Strike of 1894 to keep the railroads moving angered labor unions nationwide in addition to the party in Illinois; his support of the gold standard and opposition to Free Silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democratic Party.[5] Critics complained that Cleveland had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in his second term.[5] so, his reputation for probity and good character survived the troubles of his second term. Biographer Allan Nevins wrote, "[I]n Grover Cleveland, the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not."[6] By the end of his second term, public perception showed him to be one of the most unpopular U.S. presidents, and he was by then rejected even by most Democrats.[7] Cleveland is considered by most historians to have been a successful leader, and has been praised for honesty, integrity, adherence to his morals and defying party boundaries, and effective leadership. He is generally ranked among the upper-mid tier of American presidents. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1885-1890, Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad; Central Pacific Railroad

US, 1886-1949, HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, first formal orchestral arrangements for more than 100 Negro spirituals
US, 1886-1949, HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, St. George's Episcopal church, Midtown, Manhattan, NYC, COMPOSER, first formal orchestral arrangements for more than 100 Negro spirituals; St. George's Episcopal church in New York City; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949 ; "Harry" Thacker Burleigh (December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949), baritone, was an African American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer. 1894, he became a soloist for St. George's Episcopal church in New York City. was opposition to hiring Burleigh at the all-white church from some parishioners, because of his race, at a time when other white New York Episcopal churches were forbidding black people to worship. P. Morgan, a member of St. George's at that time, cast the deciding vote to hire Burleigh. spite of the initial problems obtaining the appointment, Burleigh became close to many of the members during his long tenure as a soloist at the church. also made the first formal orchestral arrangements for more than 100 Negro spirituals, including Nobody Knows (the Trouble I've Seen). best-known compositions are his arrangements of these spirituals, as art songs. were so popular during the late 1910s and 1920s, that almost no vocal recitalist gave a concert in a major city without occasionally singing them. many ways, the popularity of Burleigh's settings contributed to an explosion of popularity for the genre during the 1920s. the 1920s and 1930s, Burleigh continued to promote the spirituals through publications, lectures, and arrangements. life-long advocacy for the spiritual eclipsed his singing career, and his arrangements of art songs. was the first black composer to be instrumental in the development of a characteristically American music and he helped to make black music available to classically-trained artists both by introducing them to the music and by arranging the music in a more classical form. (more from Wikipedia)

US, 1885-1947, ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, first&only African American deaconess, mission founder, teacher, moral values
US, 1885-1947, ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia, African American deaconess, mission founder, teacher, moral values; Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; Ellison Butler Alexander (circa 1865 – September 24, 1947) the first and only African-American consecrated a Deaconess in the Episcopal Church. She served in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia during her entire career. Alexander was born in 1865 to recently-emancipated slaves on the Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia. father had been taught to read by the English actress Fanny Kemble (who later wrote an influential book condemning slave life there). Perhaps this encouraged Anna interest in education. Alexander family soon moved to Pennick, Georgia, just outside Brunswick, to take advantage of land south of the Altamaha River previously held by poor whites. father became a carpenter-builder and a community leader. first taught at the public school in Pennick. she moved to Darien, Georgia, where her sister Mary founded a school affiliated with St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, and all three sisters taught. 1894, with the cooperation of the Brunswick priest, Anna founded a mission in Pennick, while still teaching at Darien during the week, making a 40 mile round trip by boat and foot. mission faltered when Anna accepted a position at St. Paul's Normal and Industrial School (as well as enrolled in the new teachers college there) in Lawrenceville, Virginia. 1897, she returned to Pennick and revitalized the mission. congregation was renamed Church of the Good Shepherd, and Alexander also started a school. supported herself by taking in sewing, and managed to buy property in 1902, where her brother Charles Alexander and other men then erected a church. 1907, bishop Cleland Kinloch Nelson addressed the second annual meeting of the diocese's council of colored churchmen, held at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and consecrated Anna as a deaconess. became the first and only African-American deaconess. worked in the Altamaha River area for the rest of her life, teaching not only academic subjects, but also moral values. diocese of Georgia split in 1907 and Nelson chose to associate with the new Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. successor in the Diocese of Georgia, Frederick Focke Reese, excluded African-Americans from church government in the diocese, and extended almost no diocesan financial support to African-Americans. forced Alexander and others to make do, as well as seek support from outside the diocese, including from the Episcopal Board of Missions. the bad crop years of the late 1920s through the Great Depression, Alexander continued to work in her hardscrabble community, whose members built the current wooden church building in 1928. died on September 24, 1947 and was buried at the cemetery at Camp Reese, a diocesan camp on St. Simons where she had worked. 2004, she was reinterred at Good Shepherd Church in Pennick, which she had founded and where she had worked for many years. more at Wikipedia

US, 1886-1961, Charles Harrison (CH) Mason, Pentecostal Saint, COGIC, Memphis, Tongues, Yes Lord
Shelby, County, TN; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Charles Harrison Mason Sr. (September 8, 1866 – November 17, 1961) was an American Holiness–Pentecostal pastor and minister.[1][2] He was the founder and first Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, based in Memphis, Tennessee. It developed into what is today the largest Holiness Pentecostal church denomination and one of the largest predominantly African-American Christian denominations in the United States.[1][3] and early ministry was born the son of former slaves Jerry and Eliza Mason in Shelby County, Tennessee. He lived with his family in an unincorporated area near Bartlett. Mason worked with his family sharecropping and he did not receive an early formal education. As a child, Mason was greatly influenced by the religion of his parents. In at the age of fifteen Mason joined the Missionary Baptist Church in Shelby County; he was later baptized as a Christian by his older half-brother, Rev. I. S. Nelson.[4] had initially opposed pursuing ministry as a clergyman during his childhood and told his family he only wanted to remain a church lay member. Mason was 14 years old, he contracted tuberculosis, when a tuberculosis and yellow fever epidemic spread through Shelby County in 1880.[5] Because there were no medical centers or hospitals that would treat African Americans in Shelby County, and the small, poor medical centers that were owned and operated by African Americans proved to be of little help to the residents of Shelby County, Mason's father, Jerry died from the infectious disease, and the family was forced to relocate to Preston, Arkansas. moving to Arkansas, as his own health briefly worsened, when Mason's mother and siblings prayed for him and asked the parishioners at a local Baptist church to pray for him, Mason was reportedly miraculously healed and quickly recovered. After fully recovering from the tuberculosis, it was then when he told his family and the local parishioners of the Baptist church his family had joined (which would later be known as the Mount Gale Missionary Baptist Church), "he believed God had healed him for the express purpose of alerting him to his spiritual duty"; He acknowledged throughout his teenage and young adult years subsequently that he believed "God called him into full-time ministry from then on."[4][6][5] 1893, at the age of 27, Mason began his own ministerial career by accepting a local license from the Mount Gale Missionary Baptist Church in Preston, Arkansas. On November 1, 1893, Mason entered the Arkansas Baptist College, but withdrew after three months because of his dissatisfaction with their curriculum and methodology. He claimed his reason for leaving was because he believed "the teachings being promulgated at the particular Bible college were too liberal," and "...did not have a strong enough emphasis on the Word of God"; he was deeply disturbed by the particular hermeneutics and philosophical presuppositions that were underlying the curriculum set forth by the college and left in January 1894.[7][8] to Holiness and Pentecostalism this period Mason became enamored with the autobiography of Amanda Berry Smith, an African Methodist Episcopal church evangelist. Smith had converted to the new wave of Holiness that was spreading during the latter part of the nineteenth century.[4] Those who had accepted the Holiness message testified to being "entirely sanctified" and cleansed from sin. Mason claimed sanctification and began preaching the doctrine of Holiness and Sanctification in the local Baptist churches. In 1895, Mason also became acquainted with Charles Price Jones, a popular Baptist preacher from Mississippi who shared his enthusiasm for Holiness teachings, as well as J. E. Jeter from Little Rock, Arkansas, and W. S. Pleasant from Hazelhurst, Mississippi. These men spread the doctrine of Holiness and Sanctification throughout the African-American Baptist churches in Mississippi, Arkansas, and western Tennessee.[4][8][5] June 1896, these men conducted a revival, preaching the message of Sanctification and Holiness that eventually led to their expulsion from the local Baptist association.[7] In 1897, Mason and Jones formed a new fellowship of churches named simply "Church of God." Mason suggested the name "the Church of God in Christ," a name that he said came to him during a vision in Little Rock, Arkansas. The name could distinguish the new church from a number of "Church of God" groups that were forming at the time. March 1907, Mason was sent by the church to Los Angeles to investigate the Azusa Street Revival being led by Reverend William J. Seymour.[9] His stay lasted six weeks, and before it was over he experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues.[8][5][10] testimony of receiving the baptism with the Holy Ghost Main article: Baptism with the Holy Spirit following are excerpts from Elder Mason's personal testimony regarding his receiving the Holy Ghost. "The first day in the meeting I sat to myself, away from those that went with me. I began to thank God in my heart for all things, for when I heard some speak in tongues, I knew it was right though I did not understand it. Nevertheless, it was sweet to me. I also thank God for Elder Seymour who came and preached a wonderful sermon. His words were sweet and powerful and it seems that I hear them now while writing. When he closed his sermon, he said 'All of those that want to be sanctified or baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to the upper room; and all those that want to be justified, come to the altar.' I said that is the place for me, for it may be that I am not converted and if not, God knows it and can convert me..." "Glory!" "The second night of prayer I saw a vision. I saw myself standing alone and had a dry roll of paper in my mouth trying to swallow it. Looking up towards the heavens, there appeared a man at my side. I turned my eyes at once, then I awoke and the interpretation came. God had me swallowing the whole book and if I did not turn my eyes to anyone but God and Him only, He would baptize me. I said yes to Him, and at once in the morning when I arose, I could hear a voice in me saying, "I see..." "I got a place at the altar and began to thank God. After that, I said Lord if I could only baptize myself, I would do so; for I wanted the baptism so bad I did not know what to do. I said, Lord, You will have to do the work for me; so I turned it over into His hands." "Then, I began to ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:4("All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them") and Acts 2:41 ("Then they that gladly received His word were baptized"). Then I saw that I had a right to be glad and not sad." "The enemy said to me, there may be something wrong with you. Then a voice spoke to me saying, "If there is anything wrong with you, Christ will find it and take it away and marry you...Someone said, 'Let us sing.' I arose and the first song that came to me was 'He brought me out of the Miry Clay.' O Glory Hallelujah! Praise His most wonderful name! The Spirit came upon the saints and upon me...Then I gave up for the Lord to have His way within me. So there came a wave of Glory into me and all of my being was filled with the Glory of the Lord. So when He had gotten me straight on my feet, there came a light which enveloped my entire being above the brightness of the sun. When I opened my mouth to say Glory, a flame touched my tongue which ran down me. My language changed and no word could I speak in my own tongue. Oh! I was filled with the Glory of the Lord. My soul was then satisfied.[7] and Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ after his experience in Los Angeles, he returned to Mississippi preaching the new Pentecostal teachings on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. He found that Elder Jones, the general overseer of the group, was opposed to it. After much debate at the general convocation in June 1907, Mason was expelled from the church. Later in November, he established a new pentecosal group in Memphis. He was elected the General Overseer of his group. years of conflict, in 1915 Mason won the legal rights to the name and charter of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). In the years that followed, Mason directed his fledgling denomination. He commissioned traveling evangelists to spread COGIC's message, establishing working partnerships with various individuals, and particularly targeting the masses of African Americans headed for work in Northern cities in the Great Migration. He also founded two churches, Temple Church of God in Christ and St. Paul's Church of God in Christ. moving to Memphis and establishing it as the headquarters of COGIC, Mason founded and pastored the Temple COGIC. He established the annual "International Holy Convocation" to be held annually each year. As the church continued to grow, he established departments and auxiliaries including the Women's Department, Sunday School, and Young People Willing Workers (YPWW) which is known today as the International Youth Department (IYD). also appointed overseers and established dioceses of the church throughout the country. Mason's preaching was very practical and his delivery was spontaneous, often moving from teaching to preaching to singing and praying all in one presentation. he is most known for his consistent, disciplined and deliberate prayer life. In fact, COGIC prides itself as a church built on prayer and fasting. Mason is credited with writing the prayer chant, "Yes Lord" that has become known worldwide and sung not only by COGIC, but countless churches and other denominations and reformations. traveled the length and breadth of the country and many foreign lands preaching and establishing COGIC churches. Bishop Mason was not exclusive in his ministry, he preached in COGIC and non-COGIC churches alike. He also preached to interracial audiences as well. In fact Bishop Mason licensed several white Pentecostal ministers and in 1914 he preached at the founding meeting of the Assemblies of God. In 1911, he established the first auxiliaries and departments of the church including: Women, Young People Willing Workers (YPWW), and Sunday School. 1917, he was monitored by the government for speaking in opposition to America's entrance and support of World War I. His opposition, however, stemmed from the use of African-American men being called to fight for democracy abroad while having to face racism and discrimination here at home. 1917, he also purchased 400 acres in Lexington, MS to establish the Saints Industrial and Literary School. The school began classes in 1918 and eventually became Saint's College. The college was the major institution of higher learning for COGIC youth until closed in 1976.[5] 1926, Mason further organized COGIC by authorizing the church's constitution outlining the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the church. 1933, Bishop Mason set apart five overseers who became the first bishops in the church. 1945, Mason dedicated the now historic Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. At that time, it was the largest auditorium of any African-American religious group in the United States. In 1951, he set up a "special commission" and selected Bishop A. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O.M. Kelly as his assistants to help with the administration and oversight of the church. In 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson, Sr. to this commission. Also in 1952, Bishop Mason revised the constitution to determine the leadership and succession of the church after his demise.[7][8] life 1890, Mason dated, courted, and married Alice Saxton, the daughter of one of his mother's friends.[4] Two years later, they divorced, due to Saxton's disagreement over Mason's ministerial life. remarried years later.[4] Saxton would succumb to illness and die in 1904.[4] A year after the death of his first wife, he courted and married Lelia Washington in 1905,[5] and to this union were born seven children; Deborah Indiana Mason Patterson, Lelia Mason Byas, Robert Mason, Arthur Mason, Alice Mason Amos, Mary Ester Mason, Julia Mason Atkins, and Ruth Mason Lewis. 1943, after the death of his second wife in 1936, he married his third and final wife, Elsie Washington (no relation to Leila Washington), who died in 2006. Bishop Mason died on November 17, 1961 in Detroit, MI at the age of 97.[4][8] funeral was held during the International Holy Convocation in Memphis and he was entombed in Mason Temple. He served as Senior Bishop of COGIC for 54 years and is recognized as one of the longest serving founders of a religious organization. By the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had spread to every state in the Union and to many foreign countries; its membership was more than 400,000 and it had more than 4000 churches.[11] In the early 21st century, it is the largest Pentecostal Church in the United States, with an estimated membership of more than 7 million members and 12,000 churches. located in every state in the Union.[12] It is also located in more than 83 countries around the world. Its international membership is estimated to be between 1 and 3 million members and more than 25,000 churches.[13] Its worldwide membership is estimated to be between 6 and 8 million members.[14][15] COGIC began in 1907 with ten congregations in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The current leader and presiding bishop is Bishop Charles Blake of Los Angeles, California. The C. H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1970 and named in his honor. It is part of the Interdemoninational Theological Center (ITC). The C.H. Mason System of Bible Colleges in numerous US locations awards certificates and associate level degrees in theology and ministry.

US, 1889-1893, Great Northern Hi-Line Road

Hi-Line Road - US 2 - Great Northern RWY (Great Lakes to Spokane)

US, 1889-1893, Prest Ben Harrison, McKinley Tariff, protective trade rates, Sherman Antitrust A, 6 western states
US President, 1889-1893, Benjamin Harrison ; Harrison (August 20, 1833 – March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. was a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a founding father who signed the United States Declaration of Independence. was born on a farm by the Ohio River and graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After moving to Indianapolis, he established himself as a prominent local attorney, Presbyterian church leader, and politician in Indiana. During the American Civil War, he served in the Union Army as a colonel, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a brevet brigadier general of volunteers in 1865. Harrison unsuccessfully ran for governor of Indiana in 1876. The Indiana General Assembly elected Harrison to a six-year term in the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1881 to 1887. Republican, Harrison was elected to the presidency in 1888, defeating the Democratic incumbent, Grover Cleveland. Hallmarks of Harrison's administration included unprecedented economic legislation, including the McKinley Tariff, which imposed historic protective trade rates, and the Sherman Antitrust Act. Harrison also facilitated the creation of the national forest reserves through an amendment to the Land Revision Act of 1891. During his administration six western states were admitted to the Union. In addition, Harrison substantially strengthened and modernized the U.S. Navy and conducted an active foreign policy, but his proposals to secure federal education funding as well as voting rights enforcement for African Americans were unsuccessful. in large part to surplus revenues from the tariffs, federal spending reached one billion dollars for the first time during his term. The spending issue in part led to the defeat of the Republicans in the 1890 midterm elections. Cleveland defeated Harrison for reelection in 1892, due to the growing unpopularity of high tariffs and high federal spending. He returned to private life and his law practice in Indianapolis. In 1899 he represented Venezuela in its British Guiana boundary dispute with the United Kingdom. Harrison traveled to the court of Paris as part of the case and after a brief stay returned to Indianapolis. He died at his home in Indianapolis in 1901 of complications from influenza. Many have praised Harrison's commitment to African Americans' voting rights, but scholars and historians generally regard his administration as below average due to its corruption, as well as focused criticism on his signing of the McKinley Tariff. They rank him in the bottom half among U.S. presidents, though they do not question his commitment to personal and official integrity. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated December 3; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893); FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1889-1957, EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, first African American Bishop Episcopal Church, Mason, Tennessee and Southwest
US, 1889-1957, EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, first African American Bishop Episcopal Church, Mason, Tennessee (near Memphis, Wolf River Mouth and Mississippi River 9); Mason, Tennessee ; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Thomas Demby [Feb. 13, 1869-Oct. 14, 1957] was the first African American bishop in the Episcopal Church. He served his first parish in Mason, Tenn. became "Suffragan Bishop for Colored Work in Arkansas and the Province of the Southwest" in 1918. His career has been covered in a book, Black Bishop.

US, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland
US, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland; Graham Lake (March 18, 1870 – September 16, 1935) was a Canadian-American leader in the Pentecostal movement that began in the early 20th century, and is known as a faith healer, missionary, and with Thomas Hezmalhalch, co-founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa. his 1908–19 African missionary work, Lake played a decisive role in the spread of Pentecostalism in South Africa, the most successful southern African religious movement of the 20th century.[1]: 98 [2]: 34  completing his missionary work in Africa, Lake evangelized for 20 years, primarily along the west coast of the United States setting up "healing rooms" and healing campaigns, and establishing churches. was influenced by the healing ministry of John Alexander Dowie and the ministry of Charles Parham.[3] Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie); John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

US, 1890-1900, Northern Pacific Railway - at it's peak, fully developed
Northern Pacific Railway; Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly forty million acres (62,000 sq mi; 160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former President Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on September 8, 1883. railroad had about 6,800 miles (10,900 km) of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. In addition, the NP had an international branch to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber, and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land. Northern Pacific was headquartered in Minnesota, first in Brainerd, then in Saint Paul. It had a tumultuous financial history; the NP merged with other lines in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Santa Fe Railway to become the BNSF Railway in 1996. Map of NPR Land Grant, c1890 chartered the Northern Pacific Railway Company on July 2, 1864, with the goals of connecting the Great Lakes with Puget Sound on the Pacific, opening vast new lands for farming, ranching, lumbering and mining, and linking Washington and Oregon to the rest of the country.[1] granted the railroad a potential 60 million acres (243,000 km2) of land in exchange for building rail transportation to an undeveloped territory. Josiah Perham was elected its first president on December 7, 1864.[1] It could not use all the land and in the end took just under 40 million acres.[2] Cooke takes control[edit] the next six years, backers of the road struggled to find financing. Though John Gregory Smith succeeded Perham as president on January 5, 1865, groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Carlton, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth, Minnesota. backing and promotions of famed financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. The Minnetonka. Over the course of 1871, the Northern Pacific pushed westward from Minnesota into present-day North Dakota. Surveyors and construction crews had to maneuver through swamps, bogs, and tamarack forests. The difficult terrain and insufficient funding delayed by six months the construction phase in Minnesota.[3] NP also began building its line north from Kalama, Washington Territory, on the Columbia River outside of Portland, Oregon, towards Puget Sound. small construction engines were purchased, the Minnetonka, Itaska, Ottertail and St. Cloud, the first of which was shipped to Kalama by ship around Cape Horn. Minnesota, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad completed construction of its 155-mile (249 km) line stretching from Saint Paul to Lake Superior at Duluth in 1870. It was leased to the Northern Pacific in 1876, and was eventually absorbed by the Northern Pacific. The North Coast Limited was the Northern Pacific's flagship train and the Northern Pacific itself was built along the trail first blazed by Lewis and Clark.[4] Preferred Shares of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, issued 28. November 1881 Northern Pacific reached Fargo, Dakota Territory (N.D.), early in June 1872. The following year, in June 1873, the N.P. reached the shores of the Missouri River, at Edwinton (Bismarck) D.T. In the west, the track extended 25 miles (40 km) north from Kalama. Surveys were carried out in North Dakota protected by 600 troops under General Winfield Scott Hancock. Headquarters and shops were established in Brainerd, Minnesota, a town named for the President John Gregory Smith's wife Anna Elizabeth Brainerd. A severe stock market crash and financial collapse after 1873, led by the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the Union Pacific Railroad fraud, stopped further railroad building for twelve years. 1886, the company put down 164 miles (264 km) of main line across North Dakota, with an additional 45 miles (72 km) in Washington. November 1, General George Washington Cass became the third president of the company. Cass had been a vice-president and director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and would lead the Northern Pacific through some of its most difficult times. on survey parties and construction crews by Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa warriors in North Dakota and Minnesota became so prevalent that the company received protection from units of the U.S. Army.[5] 1886, the Northern Pacific also opened colonization offices in Germany and Scandinavia, attracting farmers with cheap package transportation and purchase deals. The success of the NP was based on the abundant crops of wheat and other grains and the attraction to settlers of the Red River Valley along the Minnesota-North Dakota border between 1881 and 1890.[6] Northern Pacific reached Dakota Territory at Fargo in 1872, and began its career as one of the central factors in the economic growth of North Dakota. The climate, although very cold, was suitable for wheat, which was in high demand in the cities of the United States and Europe. Most of the settlers were German and Scandinavian immigrants who bought the land cheaply, and raised large families. They shipped huge quantities of wheat to Minneapolis, while buying all sorts of equipment and home supplies to be shipped in by rail.[7] NP used its federal land grants as security to borrow money to build its system.[8] federal government kept every other section of land, and gave it away free to homesteaders. first the railroad sold much of its holdings at low prices to land speculators in order to realize quick cash profits, and also to eliminate sizable annual tax bills. 1905 the railroad company's land policies changed, after it was judged a costly mistake to have sold much of the land at wholesale prices. better railroad service and improved methods of farming the Northern Pacific easily sold what had been heretofore "worthless" land directly to farmers at good prices. 1910 the railroad's holdings in North Dakota had been greatly reduced.[9][10] of 1873 and first bankruptcy[edit] 1873, Northern Pacific made impressive strides before a terrible stumble. Rails from the east reached the Missouri River on June 4. After several years of study, Tacoma, Washington, was selected as the road's western terminus on July 14, 1873. the previous three years the financial house of Jay Cooke and Company had been throwing money into the construction of the Northern Pacific. As with many western transcontinentals, the staggering costs of building a railroad into a vast wilderness had been drastically underestimated. Cooke had little success in marketing the bonds in Europe and overextended his house in meeting overdrafts of the mounting construction costs. Cooke overestimated his managerial skills and failed to appreciate the limits of a banker's ability to be also a promoter, and the danger of freezing his assets in the bonds of the Northern Pacific.[11] and Company went bankrupt on September 18, 1873. Soon the Panic of 1873 engulfed the United States, beginning an economic depression that ruined or nearly paralyzed newer railroads. Northern Pacific survived bankruptcy that year, due to austerity measures put in place by President Cass. In fact, working with last-minute loans from Director John C. Ainsworth of Portland, the Northern Pacific completed the line from Kalama to Tacoma (110 miles (180 km)) before the end of 1873. On December 16, the first steam train arrived in Tacoma. But in 1874 the company was moribund.[clarification needed] Pacific slipped into its first bankruptcy on June 30, 1875. Cass resigned to become receiver of the company, and Charles Barstow Wright became its fourth president. Frederick Billings, namesake of Billings, Montana, formulated a reorganization plan which was put into effect. 1874 to 1876, elements of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer operating out of Forts Abraham Lincoln and Rice in Dakota Territory conducted expeditions to protect the railroad survey and construction crews in Dakota and Montana Territories.[citation needed] Billings and first reorganization[edit] 1877, construction resumed in a small way. Northern Pacific pushed a branch line southeast from Tacoma to Puyallup, Washington and on to the coal fields around Wilkeson, Washington. Much of the coal was destined for export through Tacoma to San Francisco, California, where it would be thrown into the fireboxes of Central Pacific Railroad steam engines. small amount of construction was one of the largest projects the company would undertake in the years between 1874 and 1880. That same year the company built a large shop complex at Edison, Washington (now part of south Tacoma). For many years the shops at Brainerd and Edison would carry out heavy repairs and build equipment for the railroad. May 24, 1879, Frederick H. Billings became the president of the company. Billings' tenure would be short but ferocious. Reorganization, bond sales, and improvement in the U.S. economy allowed Northern Pacific to strike out across the Missouri River by letting a contract to build 100 miles (160 km) of railroad west of the river. The railroad's new-found strength, however, would be seen as a threat in certain quarters. Henry Villard, Gold Creek, Gold Spike[edit] Yellowstone Park Line Brochure 1904 and Transcontinental stock owned by Henry Villard. journalist Henry Villard had raised capital for western railroads in Europe from 1871 to 1873. After returning to New York in 1874 he invested on behalf of his clients in railroads in Oregon. Through Villard's work, most of these lines became properties of the European creditors' holding company, the Oregon and Transcontinental Company. the lines held by the Oregon and Transcontinental, the most important was the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, which ran east from Portland along the left bank of the Columbia River to a connection with the Union Pacific Railroad's Oregon Short Line at the confluence of the Columbia River and the Snake River near Wallula, Washington. a decade of his return, Villard was head of a transportation empire in the Pacific Northwest that had but one real competitor, the Northern Pacific. The Northern Pacific's completion threatened the holdings of Villard in the Northwest, and especially in Portland. Portland would become a second-class city if the Puget Sound ports at Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, were connected to the East by rail. who had been building a monopoly of river and rail transportation in Oregon for several years, now launched a daring raid. Using his European connections and a reputation for having "bested" Jay Gould in a battle for control of the Kansas Pacific years before, Villard solicited – and raised – $8,000,000 from his associates. This was his famous "Blind Pool," Villard's associates were not told what the money would be used for. In this case, the funds were used to purchase control of the Northern Pacific. a tough fight, Billings and his backers were forced to capitulate; he resigned the presidency June 9, 1881. Ashbel H. Barney, former President of Wells Fargo & Company, served briefly as interim caretaker of the railroad from June 19 to September 15, when Villard was elected president by the stockholders. For the next two years, Villard and the Northern Pacific rode the whirlwind. 1882, 360 miles (580 km) of main line and 368 miles (592 km) of branch line were completed, bringing totals to 1,347 miles (2,168 km) and 731 miles (1,176 km), respectively. October 10, 1882, the line from Wadena, Minnesota, to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, opened for service. The Missouri River was bridged with a million-dollar span on October 21, 1883. Until then, crossing of the Missouri had had to be managed with a ferry service for most of the year; in winter, when ice was thick enough, rails were laid across the river itself. Herman Haupt, another veteran of the Civil War and the Pennsylvania Railroad, organized the Northern Pacific Beneficial Association in 1881. A forerunner of the modern health maintenance organization, the NPBA ultimately established a series of four hospitals across the system in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Glendive, Montana; Missoula, Montana; and Tacoma, Washington, to care for employees, retirees, and their families. January 15, 1883, the first train reached Livingston, Montana, at the eastern foot of Bozeman Pass. Livingston, like Brainerd and South Tacoma before it, would grow to encompass a large backshop handling heavy repairs for the railroad. It would also mark the east–west dividing line on the Northern Pacific system. pushed hard for the completion of the Northern Pacific in 1883. His crews laid an average of a mile and half (2.4 km) of track each day. In early September, the line neared completion. celebrate, and to gain national publicity for investment opportunities in his region, Villard chartered four trains to carry guests from the East to Gold Creek in western Montana. No expense was spared and the list of dignitaries included Frederick Billings, Ulysses S. Grant, and Villard's in-laws, the family of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. On September 8, the Gold Spike was driven near Gold Creek.[12] to Puget Sound[edit] fall was swifter than his ascendancy. Like Jay Cooke, he was now consumed by the enormous costs of constructing the railroad. Street bears attacked the stock shortly after the Golden Spike, after the realization that the Northern Pacific was a very long road with very little business. himself suffered a nervous breakdown in the days after the driving of the Golden Spike, and he left the presidency of the Northern Pacific in January 1884. the presidency of the Northern Pacific was handed to a professional railroader, Robert Harris, former head of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. For the next four years, until the return of the Villard group, Harris worked at improving the property and ending its tangled relationship with the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. the mid-1880s, the Northern Pacific pushed to reach Puget Sound directly, rather than by means of a roundabout route that followed the Columbia River. of the Cascade Mountains, carried out intermittently since the 1870s, began anew. Virgil Bogue, a veteran civil engineer, was sent to explore the Cascades again. On March 19, 1881, he discovered Stampede Pass. 1883, John W. Sprague, the head of the new Pacific Division, drove the Golden Spike to mark the beginning of the railroad from what would become Kalama, Washington. He resigned a months later due to impaired health. 1884, after the departure of Villard, the Northern Pacific began building toward Stampede Pass from Wallula in the east and the area of Wilkeson in the west. By the end of the year, rails had reached Yakima, Washington in the east. A 77-mile (124 km) gap remained in 1886. January of that year, Nelson Bennett was given a contract to construct a 9,850-foot (1.866 mi; 3.00 km) tunnel under Stampede Pass. The contract specified a short amount of time for completion, and a large penalty if the deadline were missed. While crews worked on the tunnel, the railroad built a temporary switchback route across the pass. With numerous timber trestles and grades which approached six percent, the temporary line required two M class 2-10-0s — the two largest locomotives in the world (at that time) — to handle a tiny five-car train. On May 3, 1888, crews holed through the tunnel, and on May 27 the first train passed through directly to Puget Sound. and the Panic of 1893[edit] this success, the Northern Pacific, like many U.S. roads, was living on borrowed time. From 1887 until 1893, Henry Villard returned to the board of directors. Though offered the presidency, he refused. An associate of Villard dating back to his time on the Kansas Pacific, Thomas Fletcher Oakes, assumed the presidency on September 20, 1888. an effort to garner business, Oakes pursued an aggressive policy of branch line expansion. addition, the Northern Pacific experienced the first competition in the form of James Jerome Hill and his Great Northern Railway. The Great Northern, like the Northern Pacific before it, was pushing west from the Twin Cities towards Puget Sound, and would be completed in 1893. sparse traffic, and the Panic of 1893 sounded the death knell for the Northern Pacific and Villard's interest in railroading. The company slipped into its second bankruptcy on October 20, 1893. Oakes was named receiver and Brayton Ives, a former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, became president. labor dispute[edit] 1894, the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army was involved in protecting property of the Northern Pacific Railroad from striking workers.[13] Villard to Morganization[edit] the next three years, the Villard-Oakes interests and the Ives interest feuded for control of the Northern Pacific. Oakes was eventually forced out as receiver, but not before three separate courts were claiming jurisdiction over the Northern Pacific's bankruptcy. Things came to a head in 1896, when first Edward Dean Adams was appointed president, then less than two months later, Edwin Winter. the task of straightening out the muddle of the Northern Pacific was turned over to J. P. Morgan. Morganization of the Northern Pacific, a process which befell many U.S. roads in the wake of the Panic of 1893, was handed to Morgan lieutenant Charles Henry Coster. The new president, beginning September 1, 1897, was Charles Sanger Mellen.[14] James J. Hill had purchased an interest in the Northern Pacific during the troubled days of 1896, Coster and Mellen would advocate, and follow, a staunchly independent line for the Northern Pacific for the next four years. Only the early death of Coster from overwork, and the promotion of Mellen to head the Morgan-controlled New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1903, would bring the Northern Pacific closer to the orbit of James J. Hill.[15] Map of Northern Pacific's route circa 1900. Hill, Harriman and the Northern Pacific Corner[edit] the late 1880s, the Villard regime, in another one of its costly missteps, attempted to stretch the Northern Pacific from the Twin Cities to the all-important rail hub of Chicago, Illinois. A costly project was begun in creating a union station and terminal facilities for a Northern Pacific which had yet to arrive. than build directly down to Chicago, perhaps following the Mississippi River as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy had done, Villard chose to lease the Wisconsin Central. Some backers of the Wisconsin Central had long associations with Villard, and an expensive lease was worked out between the two companies which was only undone by the Northern Pacific's second bankruptcy. ultimate result was that the Northern Pacific was left without a direct connection to Chicago, the primary interchange point for most of the large U.S. railroads. Fortunately, the Northern Pacific was not alone. James J. Hill, controller of the Great Northern Railway, which was completed between the Twin Cities and Puget Sound in 1893, also lacked a direct connection to Chicago. Hill went looking for a road with an existing route between the Twin Cities and Chicago which could be rolled into his holdings and give him a stable path to that important interchange. the same time, E. H. Harriman, head of the Union Pacific Railroad, was also looking for a road which could connect his company to Chicago. The road both Harriman and Hill looked at was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Harriman, the Burlington was a road which paralleled much of his own, and offered tantalizing direct access to Chicago. For Hill as well, there was the possibility of a high-speed link directly with Chicago. Though the Burlington did not parallel the Great Northern or the Northern Pacific, it would give them a powerful railroad in the central West. was the first to approach the Burlington's aging leader, the irascible Charles Elliott Perkins. The price for control of the Burlington, as set by Perkins, was $200 a share, more than Harriman was willing to pay. met the price, and control of the Burlington was divided equally at about 48.5 percent each between the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific. to be outdone, Harriman now came up with a crafty plan: Buy a controlling interest in the Northern Pacific and use its power on the Burlington to place friendly directors upon its board. On May 3, 1901, Harriman began his stock raid which would become known as the Northern Pacific Corner. the end of the day he was short just 40,000 shares of common stock. Harriman placed an order to cover this, but was overridden by his broker, Jacob Schiff, of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. on the other hand, reached the vacationing Morgan in Italy and managed to place an order for 150,000 shares of common stock. Though Harriman might be able to control the preferred stock, Hill knew the company bylaws allowed for the holders of the common stock to vote to retire the preferred. three days the Harriman-Hill imbroglio managed to wreak havoc on the stock market. Northern Pacific stock was quoted at $150 a share on May 6, and is reported to have traded as much as $1,000 a share behind the scenes. Harriman and Hill now worked to settle the issue for brokers to avoid panic. Hill, for his part, attempted to avoid future stock raids by placing his holdings in the Northern Securities Company, a move which would be undone by the Supreme Court in 1904 under the auspices of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. was not immune either; he was forced to break up his holdings in the Union Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad a few years later. Hill to Howard Elliott[edit] 1903, Hill finally got his way with the House of Morgan. Howard Elliott, another veteran of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, became president of the Northern Pacific on October 23. Elliott was a relative of the Burlington's crusty chieftain Charles Elliott Perkins, and more distantly the Burlington's great backer, John Murray Forbes. He had spent 20 years in the trenches of Midwest railroading, where rebates, pooling, expansion and rate wars had brought ruinous competition. Having seen the effects of having multiple railroads attempt to serve the same destination, he was very much in tune with James J. Hill's philosophy of "community of interest," a loose affiliation or collusion among roads in an attempt to avoid duplicating routes, rate wars, weak finances and ultimately bankruptcies and reorganizations. would be left to make peace with the Hill-controlled Great Northern; the Harriman-controlled Union Pacific; and, between 1907 and 1909, the last of the northern transcontinentals, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, more commonly known as the Milwaukee Road. A Northern Pacific train travels over Bozeman Pass in June 1939 the twentieth century[edit] the turn of the century the Northern Pacific had a record of steady improvement. Together with the Great Northern, the Northern Pacific also gained control of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, gaining important access to Chicago, the central Middle West and Texas, as well as the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, an important route through eastern and southern Washington. physical plant was upgraded continuously, with double-tracking in key areas, and automatic block signaling along its entire main line. This in turn gave way to centralized traffic control, microwave and radio communications as time progressed.[citation needed] Northern Pacific maintained and continuously upgraded its equipment and service. The road helped pioneer the 4-8-4 Northern type steam engine and the 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone. was among the first railroads in the country to adopt diesel power beginning with General Motors’ FTs in 1944.[citation needed] Despite this, with cheap (albeit low-quality) coal reserves in Wyoming it was among the last US railroads to complete dieselization, in 1960. NP depot at Wallace, Idaho, 2007 Northern Pacific's premier passenger train, the North Coast Limited was among the safest and finest in the nation, suffering only one passenger fatality in nearly seventy years of operation.[citation needed] 1900, most of the remaining land-grant holdings were located west of Montana, in the "western district." railroad still hoped to sell this land, both to provide operating funds and to populate the region to provide new markets to sustain the railroad. Nearly all the good farm land had been sold, leaving large tracts of grazing land or timber. The grazing acreage was poor quality, and difficult to sell. However, the timber lands were of high quality; much of these were sold to Frederick Weyerhaeuser.[16] of the Hill Lines[edit] later years, Louis W. Menk became president of the Northern Pacific, and then he brought it together with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, the Great Northern Railway, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 2, 1970, to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. The merger was allowed despite a challenge in the Supreme Court, essentially reversing the outcome of the 1904 Northern Securities ruling. A 900 mi (1,400 km) portion of the former Northern Pacific mainline in Montana was spun off and is now operated by Montana Rail Link. Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (including M&I, G&P) Year Traffic 1925 6852 1933 3600 1944 14679 1960 11360 1967 13629 Source: ICC annual reports 1949, the Northern Pacific's headquarters in Saint Paul presided over a system of 6,889 miles (11,087 km), which 2,831 miles (4,556 km) of main line, 4,057 miles (6,529 km) of branch line under seven operating divisions. Superior[edit] in Duluth, Minnesota, the Lake Superior Division's main routes were from Duluth to Ashland, Wisconsin, Duluth to Staples, Minnesota, and Duluth to White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The division encompassed 631 route miles; 356 in main line and 274 in branches. Paul[edit] in St. Paul, Minnesota in the company's Railroad and Bank Building, the St. Paul Division's main routes were from Saint Paul to Staples, Saint Paul to White Bear Lake, and Staples to Dilworth, Minnesota. The division encompassed 909 route miles; 310 in main line and 599 in branches. in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Division's main routes were from Dilworth to Mandan, North Dakota. The division encompassed 1,167 route miles; 216 in main line and 951 in branches. in Glendive, Montana, the Yellowstone Division's main routes were from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston, Montana. The division encompassed 875 route miles; 546 in main line and 328 in branches. Mountain[edit] in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain main routes were from Livingston to Paradise, Montana via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, from Logan, Montana, to Garrison, Montana, via Butte, Montana, and Homestake Pass. division encompassed 892 route miles; 563 in main line and 330 in branches. It was home to the principal central district repair facility at Livingston, Montana. in Spokane, Washington, the Idaho Division's main routes were from Paradise, Mont., to Yakima, Washington, via Pasco, Washington. The division encompassed 1,123 route miles; 466 in main line and 657 in branches. in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17] the railroad expanded, immigrants, families, and single men moved to the Pacific Northwest. Tacoma's population grew rapidly: in 1880 there were 1,098 residents, and in 1889 there were 36,000.[18] service[edit] line encouraged people to make their homes in the Pacific Northwest by having an "immigration agent" and offering special excursion trains for prospective buyers during the winter months. North Coast Limited was the premier passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Butte, Montana and Homestake Pass. It commenced service on April 29, 1900, served briefly as a Burlington Northern train after the merger on March 2, 1970, and ceased operation on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak began service. The Chicago Union Station to Saint Paul leg of the train's route was operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad along its Mississippi River mainline through Wisconsin. Northern Pacific's secondary transcontinental passenger train was the Alaskan, until it was replaced by the Mainstreeter on November 16, 1952.[19][page needed] Mainstreeter, which operated via Helena, Montana and Mullan Pass, continued in service through the Burlington Northern merger until Amtrak Day (May 1, 1971). It had been reduced to a Saint Paul to Seattle train after the last run of the former Burlington Route Black Hawk on April 12–13, 1970. Northern Pacific also participated in the Coast Pool Train service between Portland and Seattle with the Great Northern Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. NP and GN Coast Pool Trains lasted until Amtrak. were several other passenger trains which were discontinued before the Burlington Northern merger. These included: Saint Paul to International Falls, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Duluth, Minnesota (which at one time was also a pool operation, with Great Northern Railway and the Soo Line); Duluth to Staples, Minnesota; Saint Paul to Jamestown, North Dakota (the last remnant of the Alaskan); Fargo, North Dakota to Winnipeg, Manitoba; The Route of "the Great Big Baked Potato"[edit] Actress Lillian Russell and other Hollywood stars were hired to promote the railroad's potatoes. comic postcard circa 1910 to 1920 promoting "The Great Big Baked Potato". Hazen Titus was appointed as the line's dining car superintendent in 1908. He learned that Yakima Valley farmers were unable to sell their potato crops because the potatoes they were growing were simply too large; they fed them to the hogs. Titus learned that a single potato could weigh from two to five pounds, but that smaller potatoes were preferred by the end buyers of the vegetable because many people considered large potatoes inedible due to their thick, rough skin.[20] and his staff discovered the "inedible" potatoes were delicious after baking in a slow oven. He contracted to purchase as many potatoes as the farmers could produce that were more than two pounds in weight. Soon after the first delivery of "Netted Gem Bakers", they were offered to diners on the North Coast Limited beginning in early 1909. Word of the line's specialty offering traveled quickly, and before long it was using "the Great Big Baked Potato" as a slogan to promote the railroad's passenger service. Hollywood stars were hired to promote it.[21] When an addition was built for the Northern Pacific's Seattle commissary in 1914, a Railway Age reporter wrote, "A large trade mark, in the shape of a baked potato, 40 ft. long and 18 ft. in diameter, surmounts the roof. The potato is electric lighted and its eyes, through the electric mechanism, are made to wink constantly. A cube of butter thrust into its split top glows intermittently." Premiums such as postcards, letter openers, and spoons were also produced to promote "The Route of the Great Big Baked Potato"; the slogan served the Northern Pacific for about 50 years.[20]

US, 1892-1906. ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATOR, founded Denmark Industrial Institute, SC, a school for African-American youth
US, 1892-1906. ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATOR, founded Denmark (Vorhees) Industrial InstituteDenmark, South Carolina (Ashley River 2), a school for African-American youth, later became Vorhees College, historically black; Denmark, South Carolina; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ; Evelyn Wright (April 3, 1872 - December 14, 1906) founded Denmark Industrial Institute in Denmark, South Carolina, a school for African-American youth. is present-day Voorhees College, a historically black college. was a humanitarian and educator, founding several schools for black children. 1888, she matriculated at Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute as a night student. two years, Wright moved to Hampton County, South Carolina to assist in a rural school for black children. the school was burned, she returned to Tuskegee and graduated. 1897, she moved to Denmark in rural Bamberg County, South Carolina. she started a school over a store with the support of some influential people in the community. raised money for what she called Denmark Industrial School, modeled after Tuskegee Institute. Voorhees and his wife, philanthropists from Clinton, New Jersey, donated $5,000 for the purchase of land and construction of the school's first building. 1902 Voorhees Industrial School opened for male and female students at the elementary and high school levels, Wright was principal. provided additional gifts during the next few years, the General Assembly incorporated the school in his name. school was later affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church eventually became a fully accredited four-year college. — from Wikipedia

Wallula, Washington
Wallula, Washington;

Phillipsburg, MT
Phillipsburg, MT;

Rock Creek, MT, Phillipsburgs River

Missoula, MT

Stevensville, MT

Darby, MT

Grantsdale, MT

Conner, MT

Bitterroot River

Rocky Mt Division, Missoula to Darby and Connor, MT, NP Railroad

Kooskia, ID

Lolo, MT

Lolo Hot Springs, MT

Lolo Pass, Idaho

Lolo Pass to Moscow, Spokane Division, NP Railroad

Syringa, ID

NP Railroad, Rocky Mt Division - Paradise to Mullan Pass

Mullan Pass, ID

Coeur d'Alene, ID

Gravelles, WA

Wilbur, WA

Almira, WA

Coulee City, WA

HWY 2 Loop Cheney Cooley City Vanage, Spokane Division, NP Railroad

Okanogan, WA

Brewster, WA

Oroville, WA and Canadian Border to Kelowna and Vernon on the Okanogan Lake
Oroville, WA and Canadian Border

Okanogan River, Orville to Okanogan, Brewster, Spokane Division, NP Railroad

George, WA

Regis, MT

Lookout Pass, MT ID

Mullan, ID

Wallace, ID

Burke, ID

Wardner, ID

Greer, ID

Potlatch, ID

Moscow, Potlatch, Palouse, Colfax, Spokane Div, NP Railroad

Culdesac, ID

Lapwai, ID

Lewiston, ID

NP Railroad, Spokane Division, Lolo Pass to Lewiston to Moscow

Kendrick, ID

Moscow, ID

Troy, ID

Pullman, WA

Colfax, WA

Rosalia, WA

Spangle, WA

Genesee, ID

Pomeroy, WA

Dayton, WA

Waitsburg, WA

Walla Walla, WA

NP Railroad, Spokane Division, LewistonID to Walla Walla and Wallula, WA

Pendleton, OR

Pasco to Pendleton via Umatilla, Spokane Division, NP Railroad

Umatilla, OR

Bolles, WA

Riverside, WA

Eureka, WA

NP Railroad, Spokane Division, Bolles, WA to Pasco, WA

Lind to George and Vantage, Spokane Division, NP Railroad

Status Pass, WA

Willapa, WA

Wilappa River, Raymond, Wilappa, Tacoma Division, NP Railroad

Lebam, WA

Pe Ell, WA

Chehalis, WA

Kalama, WA

Kelso, WA

Vancouver, WA

Portland, OR
in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17]

Grays Harbor, WA

Cosmopolis, WA

Aberdeen, WA

Grays Harbor to Chahalis thru Gate City, Tacoma Division, NP Railroad

Gate City, WA

Gate City to Olympia to Tacoma, NP Railroad

Olympia, WA

Centralia, WA

Tenino, WA

Rainier, WA

Roy, WA

Portland to Tacoma, Tacoma Division, Northern Pacific Railroad
in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17]

Orting, WA

Puyallup, WA

Seattle, WA

Gilman, WA

Woodinville, WA

Seattle to Sumas, US Canada Border, Tacoma Division, NP Railroad
in Tacoma, Washington, the Tacoma Division's main routes were from Yakima to Stuck Junction, near future Auburn, Washington, Seattle, Washington to Sumas, Washington, on the border with British Columbia, Canada, and from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The division encompassed 1,034 route miles; 373 in main line and 661 in branches. It was home to the principal west end repair facility at South Tacoma, Washington.[17]

Nooksack River Folder

Acme, WA

Prarie Creek

Nooksack River Middle Fork

Sumas, WA

Sumas River Source, Sumas Mountain

Sumas River Mouth, Fraser River

Nooksack, WA

Sumas River

Nooksack River

Nooksack Cirque, North Fork Nooksack River

Nooksack River North Fork

Nooksack Falls

Welcome, WA

Nooksack River Mouth, Bellingham Bay
Nooksack River

Snohomish, WA

Arlington, WA

Stilaguamish River folder

Stillaguamish River

Stillaguamish River South Fork

Stillaguamish River North Fork

Darrington, WA

Hamilton and Darrington, Tacoma Division, NP Railroad

McMurray, WA

Sedro-Woolley, WA

Skagit River Folder

Skagit River

Skagit River Source (Allison Pass)
Allison Pass;

Skagit River Mouth (Fir Island, Skagit Bay, Puget Sound)

Sauk River North Fork

Sauk River

Sauk River 1, Darrington, WA
Darrington, WA

Sauk River Mouth, Rockport on the Skagit River

Hamilton, WA

Acme, WAAcme, WA
Acme, WA

US, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia Seminary, New York, San Francisco, Moscow, special spark from God
Russia, Volhynia, 1892-1937, Alexander Hotovitzky, Volhynia, son of rector of V T Seminary, educated there and Petersburg T A, New York, San Francisco, special spark from God, preaching, Tikhon, US missionary, Uniates from his home, Philidelphia, Yonkers, Passaic, publisher, mutual aid, St Nik Cathedral, Finland, proselytic Lutherans, Moscow, Tikhon, struggle to save the nation, Civil War, brotherhood, alms for Cathedral, arrests, confiscations, chruch donations for starving, however Church forbad sacred vessels surrender, court cases counter-revolutionary activities, draft resolution guaratee for starving, deemed c-r, executions, acknowleged main organizer, milder verdict 10 yrs, amnesty, interrogation, exile to Turuhan r, return, protopresbyter to Sergius, rector on Donskoy st, light in his eyes, 1937 arrest and martyrdom; Alexander Hotovitzky (or Hotovitsky), hieromartyr of the Bolshevik yoke, Missionary of America, was a Ukrainian who came to the United States in the 1890s as a lay missionary and was ordained to the priesthood while there. was active as a missionary among the emigrated Uniates in the northeastern United States before being ordered back to Europe 1914. was to become vicar of the congregation of the Russian Embassy in Berlin. of the outbreak of the First World War he was instead nominated as vicar of the Orthodox congregation in Helsinki, Finland, then a part of imperial Russia. 1917 he was assigned to Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. the Bolshevik coup he was subjected to many cruelties by the revolutionaries as he defended the Orthodox faith, his people, and church property. to many arrests and exile Father Alexander served his Church as best he could through these tumultuous times until after a final arrest he was executed during the Great Purge on August 19, 1937. glorification is celebrated on December 4. Kremenetz - Kremenetz city of Kremenetz district and rests 18 km north-east of the great Pochayiv Lavra ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; New Martyr of Russia Alexander Hotovitzky was born on February 11, 1872 in the city of Kremenetz, into the pious family of Archpriest Alexander, who was Rector of the Volhynia Theological Seminary and would later be long remembered in the hearts of the Orthodox inhabitants of Volhynia as a good shepherd. Alexander received a good Christian upbringing from his parents, who instilled in him love for the Orthodox Church and for the people of God. future pastor was educated at the Volhynia Seminary and the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, from which he graduated with a Master’s degree in 1895. graduation from the Academy, he was sent for missionary service to the Diocese of the Aleutians and North America, where he was assigned to the position of reader at the newly-established Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in New York City. his marriage to Maria Scherbuhina, a graduate of the Pavlovsk Institute in Saint Petersburg, the Hieromartyr Alexander was ordained to the diaconate, and soon after, on February 25, 1896, to the priesthood by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians, whom Father Alexander would always later remember with gratitude and love. ordination took place at the diocesan cathedral in San Francisco. In his address to the newly-ordained Father Alexander, Bishop Nicholas explained his selection of the new priest for ordained ministry in these words: “Your special sense of decency, your good upbringing, your noble idealism, and your sincere piety immediately caused me to look favorably upon you and compelled me to single you out among the young people, with whom you used to visit me in Saint Petersburg... could see that you had that special spark from God, which makes any service an action truly done for God’s sake, and without which a vocation becomes soul-less and dead work... first experience in preaching has shown you the power of this kind of inspiration: you saw how the people gathered around you and how attentively they stood and listened at length to your discourses... Why did these people listen to you rather than going to hear other preachers? Clearly the spark which burns within you attracts the hearts of these people like a magnet.” week after his ordination, the young priest returned to New York to assume the pastorate of the parish where he had previously served as reader. From 1898 to 1907, the New Martyr Alexander served as a pastor under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon. Tikhon, who, in the tragic year of 1917, was to be elevated by Divine Providence to the primatial see as Patriarch of Moscow, valued highly Father Alexander’s sincere piety, his gift of pastoral love, and his multifaceted theological erudition. spectrum of his activity in the United States was quite broad and very fruitful. He was successful in missionary service, primarily among Uniates newly-emigrated from Galicia and Carpathian Rus. was also one of the closest collaborators of the Orthodox archpastors in America and represented the Orthodox Church before American religious institutions and meetings. Alexander’s missionary work was not without many temptations and sorrows. later Metropolitan, Platon (Rozhdestvensky) expressed gratitude for the Passion-bearer Alexander’s labors in America in an address delivered at the Divine Liturgy on February 26, 1914. Bidding farewell to Father Alexander, the Archbishop said, “One morning, during the years we worked together, you came to my room and, without saying much, unbuttoned your shirt, revealing a very large, bluish, bloody abrasion on your chest. That wound from a fanatic, who in a fit of rage attacked you wildly with a stick, followed the meeting of Russian people at which you had encouraged your own ethnic brother to renounce the pernicious Unia with Rome... My entire being was shaken to the core and I was profoundly moved, for before me at that moment was a genuine example of witness for Christ.” Father Alexander’s efforts, Orthodox parishes were established in Philadelphia, Yonkers, and Passaic as well as other large and small towns throughout North America. The parishioners of these churches were cradle Orthodox whom fate had brought to the New World, as well as Carpatho-Russians converted from the Unia and former Protestant converts to the Orthodox Church. important contribution to the witness of the truth of Orthodoxy before heterodox American society was made by the American Orthodox Messenger, which was published in English and Russian under Father Alexander’s editorship. Articles by the editor regularly appeared in this journal. New Martyr Alexander actively participated in the establishment of an Orthodox diocesan mutual aid society and at various times, he served as treasurer, first secretary, and president of this organization. The society provided material aid to Austrian Carpatho-Russians, Macedonian Slavs, Russian troops in Manchuria, and to Russian prisoners of war in Japanese camps. Alexander also took upon himself the ascetical burden of constructing the architecturally remarkable and majestic Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York to replace the small parish church. cathedral was to become an adornment of the city. He visited Orthodox communities throughout America soliciting funds for the construction of the Cathedral. 1901, he also traveled to his homeland, Russia, for this purpose. the annals of Saint Nicholas Church, which in 1903 became the diocesan Cathedral, it is recorded that, “This Cathedral was established and constructed in the City of New York in North America, under the supervision and through the efforts and labors of the most honorable Archpriest Father Alexander Hotovitzky in the year of Our Lord 1902.” February 26, 1906, Orthodox America celebrated the tenth anniversary of priestly service of Archpriest Alexander, one of its most remarkable pastors. Bishop Tikhon greeted the jubilarian with these words: “As you remember your ordination as a priest of God at this anniversary, you are doubtless unwillingly contemplating how you have used your God-given talents, and asking yourself if the Grace of God was bestowed on you in vain and how far you have advanced on the path of moral perfection. you judge yourself in this way, you are at the same time the judge and the accused. In order for a judgment to be fair, the testimony of onlookers, the witnesses, must be heard. Now they are speaking before you—listen to them. Thanks be to the Lord! We just heard their eloquent and heartfelt testimony praising you. myself as your superior, I can testify that you have proven to be trustworthy, and have justified the expectations which were hoped for at your ordination.” sacrificial and dedicated pastoral service of the New Martyr Alexander in America was concluded on February 26, 1914, exactly eighteen years after his ordination to the priesthood. his farewell address, Father Alexander said, “Farewell, American Orthodox Rus—my dear Mother, the Holy American Church. I, your ever-grateful son, bow fully to the ground before you. You gave birth to me spiritually, you nurtured me, from your depths you inspired me by your strength. Through the shining witness of your founders, through the enlightened apostolic teachings of your preachers, through the fervor of your faithful flock, you have given me the greatest possible joy—to be your son.” 1914 to 1917, Father Alexander served as a priest in Helsinki, Finland, where the majority of the population was Protestant. Finland was then part of the Russian Empire, the Orthodox clergy there had to exert great efforts to protect the Orthodox Karelians from the proselytic expansionism of the Finnish Lutherans. In Finland, the New Martyr Alexander was a loyal, active, and dedicated assistant to his archpastor—Sergius (Stragorodsky), the future Patriarch. August 1917, Archpriest Alexander was transferred to Moscow and assigned as assistant pastor of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Here he was again under the direct guidance of Saint Tikhon, with whom he had already been closely associated in America. Passion-bearer Alexander participated in the deliberations of the Church Council of 1917-18. When the Council discussed the drafting of a message to the Orthodox flock concerning elections to the State Council, he stated that, as the fate of Russia was at stake, the Church and the Council in particular should not shy away from the struggle to save the nation. about the efforts of the Council to upbuild the Church, he outlined his preliminary plans for order and healing in the internal life of the Church and stated with some bitterness, “It seems as if there were builders who were furiously preparing blueprints, plans and so forth for the construction of an edifice and at the same time were calmly observing the destruction brick by brick of this edifice by enemies.” the difficult years of the Civil War, the New Martyr Alexander collaborated closely with Saint Tikhon in the administration of the Moscow diocese. 1918, under the spiritual leadership of the rector, Father Nicholas Arseniev, and the assistant pastor, Father Alexander, a brotherhood affiliated with Christ the Savior Cathedral was established. As its first activity, the brotherhood issued an appeal to the Orthodox flock, which Father Alexander helped write. document stated, “People of Russia! Christ the Savior Cathedral, the adornment of Moscow, the pride of Russia, the joy of the Orthodox Church has been condemned to slow destruction. This glorious monument to the great exploits of Russian warriors, who gave their lives for their native land and the Holy Orthodox Faith, has been denied state support...People of Russia! Will you really surrender this wonderful church of the Savior to mockery? it really true, as is claimed by the persecutors of the Holy Church, that the people of Russia no longer need holy things—Churches, sacraments, services, because all this is outdated and superstitious? Respond, you faithful! All of you, respond as one! Rise up and protect your holy things! May the generous and well-intentioned donations of the rich be added to the precious pennies of the faithful poor. Moscow, you are the heart of Russia! Preserve your holy shrine—your golden-domed Church of the Savior!...” response to this appeal, Orthodox inhabitants of Moscow joined the brotherhood of Christ the Savior Cathedral, and gave their alms to support the majestic church. service at that time was accompanied by much grief and danger. May 1920 and November 1921 Father Alexander was arrested for brief periods. He was accused of violating the decrees concerning the separation of the Church from the state, and the school from the Church, by holding church school for the children. 1922, the Church was subjected to harsh tribulations when, under the pretext of helping the starving, ecclesiastical treasures including sacred vessels, icons, and other holy things were violently confiscated by the state. the appeal of Her holy primate, the Orthodox Church made generous donations to assist the starving. when Saint Tikhon issued a statement to his flock throughout Russia forbidding the cooperation of the clergy in surrendering sacred vessels for non-ecclesiastical use based on canon law, slanderous campaign against the Church was begun in the press, Her primate was arrested, and a wave of court cases took place throughout Russia, in which servants of the Lord’s altar were accused of counter-revolutionary activity. During these trials many faithful servants of the Church of Christ were sentenced to death and shed their blood as hieromartyrs and martyrs. this difficult time for the Church, Father Alexander was unwaveringly guided by the statements of the Holy Patriarch to his flock and also followed his directives. to assist the starving were collected at Christ the Savior Cathedral. At the same time, measures were undertaken to protect the sacred objects of this church. of the clergy and parishioners of Christ the Savior Cathedral were held at Father Alexander’s apartment in order to draft a resolution of the general parish meeting concerning the state decree. draft of the resolution, prepared by Father Alexander, protested against the violent confiscation of church valuables. general meeting of parishioners was convened on March 23, 1922 at Christ the Savior Cathedral, presided by Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev. Alexander had already been arrested. meeting adopted the final text of the resolution, which demanded guarantees from the state that all donations be used to save the lives of the starving. The participants in the meeting protest the poisonous publications against the Church as well as insults against the hierarchy. The drafting of this document was deemed by the authorities to be criminal counter-revolutionary activity. two court cases against the Church, in Petrograd and Moscow, which resulted in the executions of hieromartyrs and martyrs, a new highly visible trial of clergy and laity began in Moscow on November 27, 1922, during which they were accused of supposedly “attempting to retain in their hands possession of church valuables and, through the resulting starvation, to topple the Soviet regime.” trial in this case were 105 clergy and laity. the main defendants were Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, dean of the second district of forty churches in Prechistenka, Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev, dean of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky, assistant pastor of this Cathedral, Ilya Gromoglasov, priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Lev Evgenievich Anohin, warden of this Cathedral, and Archpriest Simeon Golubev, rector of Saint John the Warrior Church. most significant part of the indictment submitted to the Court concerned the activity of the clergy and laity of Christ the Savior Cathedral. indictment stated, “The main organizers and leaders of this criminal activity were Priest Hotovitzky, chairman of the council of parishes in this area, Priest Arseniev, rector of the Cathedral, Priest Zotikov, Priest Gromoglasov, former lawyer Kayutov, former deputy minister Shchepkin, the merchant Golovkin, and engineer Anohin. the decree of the Supreme Central Executive Committee concerning the confiscation of church valuables was issued, they began their preliminary activities under the leadership of the priest Hotovitzky, who repeated to secretly gather the above named people at his apartment in order to plan with them the measures which they proposed to enact to achieve their criminal intentions.” case was in court for two weeks. After the detailed indictment was read, questioning of the defendants began. Father Alexander remained cool and calm during the questioning as he tried to protect the other defendants. did not admit any guilt, stating, “I consider that it is not counter-revolutionary to ask for a corresponding amount of metal in return for church valuables.” the interrogation of all the defendants and witnesses, at the Court session on December 6, the later infamous, sinister prosecutor Vishinsky delivered the concluding statement for the prosecution. He asked the court for a sentence of capital punishment for thirteen defendants including Archpriests Alexander Hotovitzky, Nicholas Arseniev, Sergius Uspensky, Priest Ilya Gromoglasov, Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya) of the Novodevichii Women’s Monastery and L.E. Anohin. Vishinsky requested that the other defendants be sentenced to prison terms of varying length. December 11, defendants were given an opportunity to say a final word to the court. his comments, Father Alexander attempted, first of all, to obtain the court’s leniency and mercy for his brother clergy, “I direct your attention to those who were at the meeting in my apartment: some of them are old and the others are very young and guilty of nothing. This was a completely ordinary meeting, it was not counter-revolutionary and it cannot by any means be characterized as a shady plot.” lengthiest final comments were delivered by the professor and priest Ilya Gromoglasov. This defendant attempted to gain the favor of the court by expounding on his former opposition to the Holy Synod. Concerning the conclusions of the prosecution, he said that he “knew nothing of the criminal organization headed by Hotovitzky.” December 13, the verdict of the revolutionary tribunal was announced. was milder than the bloodthirsty verdicts delivered at previous trials held in Petrograd and Moscow in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. of the main defendants—Abbess Vera (Pobedinskaya), Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, and Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky were sentenced to ten years in prison, the confiscation of their personal property and the deprivation of their civil rights for five years. others were sentenced to lesser terms of imprisonment. Appeals for pardon, made by those who were sentenced to the longest terms of imprisonment, including that of Archpriest Alexander, were rejected by the presidium of the Supreme Central Executive Committee on February 16, 1923. the holy Patriarch Tikhon resumed his administration of the Church and made several statements regarding loyalty to the governmental authorities, many hierarchs, clergy, church leaders and laity, who had previously received sentences from the judiciary in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables, were granted amnesty. Alexander was among those freed in October 1923. Following his liberation, he was not assigned to a parish but served by invitation at various churches in Moscow. remained free for only a short time. Already on September 4, 1924, E. Tuchkov, head of the 6th section of the Department of State Political Management, compiled a list of thirteen clergy and church leaders of Moscow and recommended that they be subjected to administrative exile. New Martyr Alexander, who was included in the list, was characterized as follows in this document, “A priest and preacher with a post-graduate education, very active, zealous and influential among the Tikhonites. His outlook is anti-Soviet.” September 9, 1924, the New Martyr Alexander was subjected to an interrogation. “In my religious convictions,” he said at that time, “I consider myself to be a Tikhonite. My relations with the Patriarch are intimate rather than just strictly administrative, but lately, I have avoided meeting with Patriarch Tikhon, as I felt that this might inconvenience him due to my conviction in conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables. I have never expressed an opinion concerning the restoration of the former government and such a thought has not even crossed my mind.” a decision of a special meeting of the administration of the Department of State Political Management, the New Martyr Alexander was exiled to the Turuhan region for a period of three years. His already failing health was further weakened by his sojourn in the far north. his return from exile, Father Alexander was raised to the rank of protopresbyter and became one of the closest assistants of the Deputy Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan (later Patriarch) Sergius, who knew him well since the time of his service in Finland. the 1930s, Protopresbyter Alexander served as rector of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe on Donskoy Street. One of the parishioners of this church recalls, “In 1936, Father Alexander did not preach, as he was apparently forbidden to do so. In 1936-7, I was present many times when Father Alexander served. He was a tall, gray-haired priest with gentle facial features, who looked extremely intelligent. Gray, trimmed hair, a small beard, very kind gray eyes, a high-pitched, loud tenor...pronounced exclamations distinctly and with inspiration...His appearance reminded me of many priests who were exiles from the western regions...Father Alexander had many parishioners who greatly revered him...Even today, I remember Father Alexander’s eyes. It seemed as if his glance penetrated your heart and embraced it with affection. I had the same feeling when I saw the holy Patriarch Tikhon...The same light also shining in Father Alexander’s eyes was testimony of his sanctity.” the fall of 1937, the New Martyr Alexander was arrested again. The documentary evidence about him at our disposal ends with this; however, a majority of oral reports testify to his death as a martyr. The Orthodox Church in America, on whose territory Protopresbyter Alexander served as a priest until 1914, venerates him as a passion-bearer, whose life as a confessor ended with sufferings for Christ. The place of his burial is unknown. Church of Russia also commemorates Saint Alexander on August 7, along with the Archpriests Alexei Vorobiev, Michael Plishevsky, John Voronets, the priests Demetrius Milovidov, and Peter Tokarev, the deacon Elisha Sholder, and Igumen Athanasius Egorov. photo gallery of the 1994 Glorification of Saint Alexander may be viewed here.

US, 1891-1938, JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, Jacksonville, Florida, novels, poems, folklore, NYU, Fisk U, NCAA mass tactics
US, 1891-1938, JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, Jacksonville, Florida (Saint Johns River Mouth), author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist, novels, poems, folklore, first black at NYU, p at Fisk U, opposed northern race riots & southern lynchings with NCAA mass tactics, promoted Harlem Renaissance; Jacksonville, Florida; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ; Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938) was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. is remembered best for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and collections of folklore. was also one of the first African-American professors at New York University. Later in life he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University. was born in Jacksonville, Florida, into a middle-class black family of Bahamian ancestry. graduated from Atlanta University and became the first African-American admitted to the Florida bar. 1906 to 1913 he was Consul in Venezuela and then Nicaragua; during this period he wrote the fictional Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. 1913 he returned to the U. S., lived in New York, and engaged initially in songwriting and the theater with his brother, but then became involved in political activism. the fall of 1916, because Johnson excelled as a reconciler of differences among those whose ideological agendas seemed to preclude unified, cooperative action, he was asked to become the national organizer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). race riots in northern cities and the lynchings that pervaded the South during and immediately after the end of World War I, Johnson engaged the NAACP in mass tactics, such as a silent protest parade down New York's Fifth Avenue in which ten thousand African Americans took part on July 28, 1917. 1920 Johnson was elected to manage the NAACP, the first African American to hold this position. serving the NAACP from 1914 through 1930 Johnson started as an organizer and eventually became the first black male secretary in the organization's history. the 1920s he was one of the major inspirations and promoters of the Harlem Renaissance trying to refute condescending white criticism and helping young black authors to get published. serving in the NAACP Johnson was involved in sparking the drive behind the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill of 1921. the 1930's, he had tired of politics, and "retired" as Professor of Creative Literature and Writing at Fisk University. died in an automobile accident in Maine in 1938. — more at Wikipedia and the Poetry Foundation Johnson is well-known as a poet and author. Some of his published works include: * To a Friend (1892) * A Brand (1893) * The Color Sergeant (1898) * Lift Every Voice and Sing (1899) * Sence You Went Away (1900) * The Black Mammy (1900) * O Black and Unknown Bards (1908) * Brothers (1916) * Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917) * The Creation (1919) * My City (1923) * God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (1927) * Saint Peter Relates an Incident (1935) * The Glory of the Day was in Her Face * Complete Poems (2000) works and collections: * The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912/1927) * Self-Determining Haiti * Second Book of Negro Spirituals * Black Manhattan * Negro Americans, What Now? * Along This Way (autobiography) * Essential Writings of James Weldon Johnson

US Presidents Folder, 1893-1921

US, 1893-1897, President Grover Cleveland, honest, moral, unpopular but successful leader, policy maker
US President, 1893-1897 Grover Cleveland; Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American history to serve two nonconsecutive terms in office.[b] He won the popular vote for three presidential elections—in 1884, 1888, and 1892—and was one of two Democrats (followed by Woodrow Wilson in 1912) to be elected president during the era of Republican presidential domination dating from 1861 to 1933. Born to a Presbyterian minister and his wife, Cleveland grew up in upstate New York. In 1881, he was elected mayor of Buffalo and later, governor of New York. Cleveland was the leader of the pro-business Bourbon Democrats who opposed high tariffs; Free Silver; inflation; imperialism; and subsidies to business, farmers, or veterans. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him an icon for American conservatives of the era.[1] Cleveland won praise for his honesty, self-reliance, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism.[2] He fought political corruption, patronage, and bossism. As a reformer, Cleveland had such prestige that the like-minded wing of the Republican Party, called "Mugwumps", largely bolted the GOP presidential ticket and swung to his support in the 1884 election.[3] As his second administration began, disaster hit the nation when the Panic of 1893 produced a severe national depression. It ruined his Democratic Party, opening the way for a Republican landslide in 1894 and for the agrarian and silverite seizure of the Democratic Party in 1896. The result was a political realignment that ended the Third Party System and launched the Fourth Party System and the Progressive Era.[4] was a formidable policymaker, and he also drew corresponding criticism. intervention in the Pullman Strike of 1894 to keep the railroads moving angered labor unions nationwide in addition to the party in Illinois; his support of the gold standard and opposition to Free Silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democratic Party.[5] Critics complained that Cleveland had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in his second term.[5] so, his reputation for probity and good character survived the troubles of his second term. Biographer Allan Nevins wrote, "[I]n Grover Cleveland, the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not."[6] By the end of his second term, public perception showed him to be one of the most unpopular U.S. presidents, and he was by then rejected even by most Democrats.[7] Cleveland is considered by most historians to have been a successful leader, and has been praised for honesty, integrity, adherence to his morals and defying party boundaries, and effective leadership. He is generally ranked among the upper-mid tier of American presidents. DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19 ; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27;

US, 1893-1929, Charles Parham, PENTECOSTAL, American Pentecostalism, evidential tongues, holiness, divine healing
US, 1893-1929, Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Muscatine, Iowa (Rock River Mouth, Mississippi River 5), American Pentecostalism, evidential tongues, age 15 religious services 1888, preaching w direct inspiration, holiness movement, divine healing, prayer for sick, healing home, Apostolic Faith mag, Faith basis no offerings, Bible School model from Frank Sandford's work, Agnes Ozman asked prayer to receive fullness of the Holy Spirit ; Muscatine, Iowa; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ; F. Parham (June 4, 1873 – c. January 29, 1929) was an American preacher and evangelist. with William J. Seymour, Parham was one of the two central figures in the development and early spread of American Pentecostalism. was Parham who associated glossolalia with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a theological connection crucial to the emergence of Pentecostalism as a distinct movement. was the first preacher to articulate Pentecostalism's distinctive doctrine of evidential tongues, and to expand the movement. life[edit] one of five sons of William and Ann Parham, was born in Muscatine, Iowa, on June 4, 1873 and moved with his family to Cheney, Kansas, by covered wagon in 1878. William Parham owned land, raised cattle, and eventually purchased a business in town. Parham's mother died in 1885. The next year his father married Harriet Miller, the daughter of a Methodist circuit rider. Harriet was a devout Christian, and the Parhams opened their home for "religious activities".[1] married Sarah Thistlewaite, the daughter of a Quaker. Their engagement was in summer of 1896,[2] and they were married December 31, 1896, in a Friends' ceremony.[3] ministry[edit] began conducting his first religious services at the age of 15. 1890, he enrolled at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, a Methodist affiliated school. He attended until 1893 when he came to believe education would prevent him from ministering effectively. then worked in the Methodist Episcopal Church as a supply pastor (he was never ordained).[4] Parham left the Methodist church in 1895 because he disagreed with its hierarchy. He complained that Methodist preachers "were not left to preach by direct inspiration".[2] Rejecting denominations, he established his own itinerant evangelistic ministry, which preached the ideas of the holiness movement and was well received by the people of Kansas.[5] Kansas[edit] after the birth of his son, Claude, in September 1897, both Parham and Claude fell ill. Attributing their subsequent recovery to divine intervention, Parham renounced all medical help and committed to preach divine healing and prayer for the sick.[6] 1898, Parham moved his headquarters to Topeka, Kansas, where he operated a mission and an office. It was also in Topeka that he established the Bethel Healing Home and published the Apostolic Faith magazine. Parham operated on a "faith" basis. He did not receive offerings during services, preferring to pray for God to provide for the ministry.[7] "deciding to know more fully the latest truths restored by the later day movements", took a sabbatical from his work at Topeka in 1900 and "visited various movements".[8] While he saw and looked at other teachings and models as he visited the other works, most of his time was spent at Shiloh, the ministry of Frank Sandford in Maine, and in an Ontario religious campaign of Sandford's.[2] From Parham's later writings, it appears he incorporated some, but not all, of the ideas he observed into his view of Bible truths (which he later taught at his Bible schools).[9] In addition to having an impact on what he taught, it appears he picked up his Bible school model, and other approaches, from Sandford's work.[2] he returned from this sabbatical, those left in charge of his healing home had taken over and, rather than fighting for control, Parham started Bethel Bible College at Topeka in October 1900. The school was modeled on Sandford's "Holy Ghost and Us Bible School", and Parham continued to operate on a faith basis, charging no tuition. He invited "all ministers and Christians who were willing to forsake all, sell what they had, give it away, and enter the school for study and prayer". About 40 people (including dependents) responded.[7] The only text book was the Bible, and the teacher was the Holy Spirit (with Parham as mouthpiece).[10] to starting his Bible school, Parham had heard of at least one individual in Sandford's work who spoke in tongues and had reprinted the incident in his paper. He had also come to the conclusion that there was more to a full baptism than others acknowledged at the time.[2] By the end of 1900, Parham had led his students at Bethel Bible School through his understanding that there had to be a further experience with God, but had not specifically pointed them to speaking in tongues. While Parham's account indicates that when classes were finished at the end of December, he left his students for a few days, asking them to study the Bible to determine what evidence was present when the early church received the Holy Spirit,[3] this is not clear from the other accounts.[2][9] The students had several days of prayer and worship, and held a New Year's Eve watchnight service at Bethel (December 31, 1900). The next evening (January 1, 1901) they also held a worship service, and it was that evening that Agnes Ozman felt impressed to ask to be prayed for to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.[2] Immediately after being prayed for, she began to speak in what they referred to as "in tongues", speaking in what was believed to be a known language.[9] Faith Movement[edit] controversial beliefs and aggressive style made finding support for his school difficult; the local press ridiculed Parham's Bible school calling it "the Tower of Babel", and many of his former students called him a fake. By April 1901, Parham's ministry had dissolved.[11] It was not until 1903 that his fortunes improved when he preached on Christ's healing power at El Dorado Springs, Missouri, a popular health resort. Mary Arthur, wife of a prominent citizen of Galena, Kansas, claimed she had been healed under Parham's ministry. She and her husband invited Parham to preach his message in Galena, which he did through the winter of 1903-1904 in a warehouse seating hundreds. In January, the Joplin, Missouri, News Herald reported that 1,000 had been healed and 800 had claimed conversion. In the small mining towns of southwest Missouri and southeastern Kansas, Parham developed a strong following that would form the backbone of his movement for the rest of his life.[12] of the Galena meetings, Parham gathered a group of young coworkers who would travel from town to town in "bands" proclaiming the "apostolic faith". Unlike other preachers with a holiness-oriented message, Parham encouraged his followers to dress stylishly so as to show the attractiveness of the Christian life. It was at this time in 1904 that the first frame church built specifically as a Pentecostal assembly was constructed in Keelville, Kansas. Other "apostolic faith assemblies" (Parham disliked designating local Christian bodies as "churches") were begun in the Galena area.[13] Parham's movement soon spread throughout Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. 1906 Parham began working on a number of fronts. In Houston, Parham's ministry included conducting a Bible school around 1906. Several African Americans were influenced heavily by Parham's ministry there, including William J. Seymour.[14] Both Parham and Seymour preached to Houston's African Americans, and Parham had planned to send Seymour out to preach to the black communities throughout Texas.[15] In September he also ventured to Zion, IL, in an effort to win over the adherents of the discredited John Alexander Dowie, although he left for good after the municipal water tower collapsed and destroyed his preaching tent. For about a year he had a following of several hundred "Parhamites", eventually led by John G Lake.[16] In 1906, Parham sent Lucy Farrow (a black woman who was cook at his Houston school, who had received "the Spirit's Baptism" and felt "a burden for Los Angeles"), to Los Angeles, California, along with funds, and a few months later sent Seymour to join Farrow in the work in Los Angeles, California, with funds from the school.[17][18] Seymour's work in Los Angeles would eventually develop into the Azusa Street Revival, which is considered by many as the birthplace of the Pentecostal movement. Seymour requested and received a license as a minister of Parham's Apostolic Faith Movement, and he initially considered his work in Los Angeles under Parham's authority.[14] However, Seymour soon broke with Parham over his harsh criticism of the emotional worship at Asuza Street and the intermingling of whites and blacks in the services.[19] commitment to racial segregation and his support of British Israelism have often led people to consider him as a racist. However, some have noted that Parham was the first to reach across racial lines to African Americans and Mexican Americans and included them in the young Pentecostal movement. He preached in black churches and invited Lucy Farrow, the black woman he sent to Los Angeles, to preach at the Houston "Apostolic Faith Movement" Camp Meeting in August 1906, at which he and W. Fay Carrothers were in charge. This incident is recounted by eyewitness Howard A. Goss in his wife's book, The Winds of God,[20] in which he states: "Fresh from the revival in Los Angeles, Sister Lucy Farrow returned to attend this Camp Meeting. Although a Negro, she was received as a messenger from the Lord to us, even in the deep south of Texas."[21] and decline of influence[edit] blow to his influence in the young Pentecostal movement were allegations of sexual misconduct in fall 1906. This was followed by his arrest in 1907 in San Antonio, Texas on a charge of "the commission of an unnatural offense," along with a 22-year-old co-defendant, J.J. Jourdan. Parham repeatedly denied being a practicing homosexual, but coverage was picked up by the press.[22] Finally, the District Attorney decided to drop the case. Parham and his supporters insisted that the charges had been false, and were part of an attempt by Wilbur Voliva to frame him.[23] Parham had previously stopped preaching at Voliva's Zion City church in order to set up his Apostolic Faith Movement. However, Parham's opponents used the episode to discredit both Parham and his religious movement. Posters with a supposed confession by Parham of sodomy were distributed to towns where he was preaching, years after the case against him was dropped. Parham was never able to recover from the stigma that had attached itself to his ministry, and his influence waned.[23][24][25][26] addition there were allegations of financial irregularity and of doctrinal aberrations.[27] In the aftermath of these events his large support base in Zion descended into a Salem-like frenzy of insanity, eventually killing three of their members in brutal exorcisms. Members of the group, who included John G Lake and Fred Bosworth, were forced to flee from Illinois, and scattered across America.[28] As the focus of the movement moved from Parham to Seymour, Parham became resentful. His attacks on emerging leaders coupled with the allegations alienated him from much of the movement that he began. He became "an embarrassment" to a new movement which was trying to establish its credibility.[27] a boy, Parham had contracted a severe rheumatic fever which damaged his heart and contributed to his poor health. At one time he almost died. Parham recovered to an active preaching life, strongly believing that God was his healer. While he recovered from the rheumatic fever, it appears the disease probably weakened his heart muscles and was a contributing factor to his later heart problems and early death.[2] By 1927 early symptoms of heart problems were beginning to appear, and by the fall and summer of 1928, after returning from a trip to Palestine (which had been a lifetime desire), Parham's health began to further deteriorate. early January 1929, Parham took a long car ride with two friends to Temple, Texas, where he was to be presenting his pictures of Palestine. On January 5, he collapsed while showing his slides. When his wife arrived, she found out that his heart was bad, and he was unable to eat. Against his wishes (he wanted to continue his preaching tour), his family brought him home to Baxter Springs, Kansas, where he died on the afternoon of January 29, 1929.[29] · [30] · [31] beliefs developed over time. Several factors influenced his theological ideas. He preferred to work out doctrinal ideas in private meditation, he believed the Holy Spirit communicated with him directly, and he rejected established religious authority. He focused on "salvation by faith; healing by faith; laying on of hands and prayer; sanctification by faith; coming (premillennial) of Christ; the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, which seals the bride and bestows the gifts".[6] evidence[edit] most important theological contributions were his beliefs about the baptism with the Holy Spirit. There were Christians groups speaking in tongues and teaching an experience of Spirit baptism before 1901, like for example, in 17th century, the Camisards[32][33] and the Quakers.[34] Parham was the first to identify tongues as the "Bible evidence" of Spirit baptism.[35] It is not clear when he began to preach the need for such an experience, but it is clear that he did by 1900. he understood the experience to have eschatological significance—it "sealed the bride" for the "marriage supper of the Lamb".[6] The bride of Christ consisted of 144,000 people taken from the church who would escape the horrors of the tribulation. It was Parham's desire for assurance that he would be included in the rapture that led him to search for uniform evidence of Spirit baptism. Parham would emphasize speaking in tongues and evangelism, defining the purpose of Spirit baptism as an "enduement with power for service".[10] Parham believed that the tongues spoken by the baptized were actual human languages, eliminating the need for missionaries to learn foreign languages and thus aiding in the spread of the gospel.[36] Some of Parham's followers even traveled to foreign countries in hopes of using glossolalia to communicate with the locals without learning the local languages. But after consistent failed attempts at xenoglossia "many of Parham's followers became disillusioned and left the movement."[37] beliefs[edit] believed in annihilationism—that the wicked are not eternally tormented in hell but are destroyed. According to this belief, immortality is conditional, and only those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior will live eternally. He stated in 1902, "Orthodoxy would cast this entire company into an eternal burning hell; but our God is a God of love and justice, and the flames will reach those only who are utterly reprobate".[5] He also believed in British Israelism, an ideology maintaining that the Anglo-Saxon peoples were among the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.[7] In addition, Parham subscribed to rather unorthodox views on creation. He believed God took two days to create humans—non-whites on the sixth day and whites on the eighth.[38] Parham also supported Theodor Herzl and the struggle for a Jewish homeland, lecturing on the subject often. Pentecostals would agree with Parham's belief that Spirit baptized (with the evidence of an unknown tongue) Christians would be taken in the rapture. But his teachings on British Israelism and the annihilation of the wicked were vehemently rejected.[19] originated the doctrine of initial evidence—that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues.[27] It was this doctrine that made Pentecostalism distinct from other holiness Christian groups that spoke in tongues or believed in an experience subsequent to salvation and sanctification. In a move criticized by Parham,[19] his Apostolic Faith Movement merged with other Pentecostal groups in 1914 to form the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America.[39] Today, the worldwide Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal denomination. In 1916, the fourth general council of Assemblies of God met in St. Louis, MO to decide on the mode of baptism they would use. All Apostolic Faith Movement ministers were baptized in Jesus' name by Charles F. Parham including Howard Goss, First Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International. After a vote, out of approximately 430 ministers, 133 were asked to leave because the majority ruled they would maintain the Catholic Trinitarian formula of baptism as the official baptism of the Assemblies of God. This move formally sparked the creation of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, which would eventually create the United Pentecostal Church International and the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

US, 1895-1969, HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, Seminole Tribe of Southern Florida
US, 1895-1969, HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, Seminole Tribe of Southern Florida, after first serving Cheyenne Indians at Whirlwind Mission in Oklahoma and then Stevens Village Alaska which moved to Tanana, but funds ran out with the depression; Bedell (March 19, 1875 – January 8, 1969) was an Episcopal deaconess and missionary to the Cheyenne in Oklahoma, Alaska Natives (spending 15 years at a missionary school), and the Seminole of Florida. She is remembered on the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with a minor feast day on January 8. Seminole Tribe of Florida ; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; Bedell, missionary and friend to the Seminole Indians of Florida, was born in Buffalo, New York on March 19, 1875. was trained as a schoolteacher but was inspired several years later by an Episcopalian missionary who spoke at her church describing the many needs of missionary work. 1906 she applied to, and was accepted by, the New York Training School for Deaconesses, where her one-year course of study included instruction in religious matters, missions, teaching, hygiene, and hospital nursing. her training she was sent as a missionary-teacher to the Cheyenne Indians at Whirlwind Mission in Oklahoma. duties at the Whirlwind Mission were many. She cared for the sick and the poor, organized social services for the tribe, performed the duties of the rector in his absence, and provided education for the women and children. She provided religious instruction, hoping to win the confidence of the Indians and convert them to Christianity. of her experience in both teaching and working with Indians, in 1916 an Episcopal bishop requested that she consider an assignment in a remote area of Alaska. by the prospect of leaving Oklahoma, she nevertheless accepted her new assignment in Stevens Village, Alaska. there, in 1922 she was finally made a deaconess in the church, instilling in her a new and profound dedication to her vocation. mission at Stevens Village was moved to Tanana so that a boarding school funded by church members' contributions could be established for the children who could not travel in the bad winter weather. by 1931, funds were so scarce that Deaconess Bedell traveled to New York to plea for more contributions. of the Great Depression, there was little available money, and although the church paid off the school's existing debt, there was little reason for Bedell to return to Alaska. Bedell speaking engagements following her service in Alaska, Bedell was invited to visit a Seminole Indian reservation in southern Florida. Appalled by their living conditions, she began her campaign to improve the quality of life among the Mikasuki-Seminole Indians by living and working with them, not merely teaching them. sought to revive the doll making and basket weaving skills which had become nearly extinct. encouraged the incorporation of the intricate patchwork designs made by Indian women into articles of clothing for both women and men. from the arts and crafts store at Blades Cross Mission helped to provide improved income for the Mikasuki-Seminoles. emphasized health and education rather than religious conversion in her work with the Seminoles; their spiritual and physical comfort was more important to her than religious conversion, and her work and friendship with the Seminoles of Florida reflected those values. from the Florida Memory Project

US, 1897-1901, Pres Will McKinley, expert on protective tarriffs, Spanish-American War, gold standard, rapid econ growth
US President, 1897-1901, William McKinley; McKinley (born William McKinley Jr., January 29, 1843 - September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. He was president during the Spanish–American War of 1898, raised protective tariffs to boost American industry, and rejected the expansionary monetary policy of free silver, keeping the nation on the gold standard. Republican, McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War; he was the only one to begin his service as an enlisted man, and end as a brevet major. After the war, he settled in Canton, Ohio, where he practiced law and married Ida Saxton. In 1876, McKinley was elected to Congress, where he became the Republican Party's expert on the protective tariff, which he promised would bring prosperity. His 1890 McKinley Tariff was highly controversial and, together with a Democratic redistricting aimed at gerrymandering him out of office, led to his defeat in the Democratic landslide of 1890. He was elected governor of Ohio in 1891 and 1893, steering a moderate course between capital and labor interests. With the aid of his close adviser Mark Hanna, he secured the Republican nomination for president in 1896 amid a deep economic depression. He defeated his Democratic rival William Jennings Bryan after a front porch campaign in which he advocated "sound money" (the gold standard unless altered by international agreement) and promised that high tariffs would restore prosperity. economic growth marked McKinley's presidency. He promoted the 1897 Dingley Tariff to protect manufacturers and factory workers from foreign competition and in 1900 secured the passage of the Gold Standard Act. He hoped to persuade Spain to grant independence to rebellious Cuba without conflict, but when negotiation failed, requested and signed Congress's declaration of war to begin the Spanish-American War of 1898. The United States victory was quick and decisive. As part of the peace settlement, Spain turned over to the United States its main overseas colonies of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines while Cuba was promised independence, but at that time remained under the control of the United States Army. The United States annexed the independent Republic of Hawaii in 1898 and it became a United States territory. regard McKinley's 1896 victory as a realigning election in which the political stalemate of the post-Civil War era gave way to the Republican-dominated Fourth Party System, beginning with the Progressive Era. McKinley defeated Bryan again in the 1900 presidential election in a campaign focused on imperialism, protectionism, and free silver. His achievements were cut short when he was fatally shot on September 6, 1901, by Leon Czolgosz, a second-generation Polish-American anarchist. McKinley died eight days later and was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt. As an innovator of American interventionism and pro-business sentiment, McKinley is generally ranked above average. His popularity was soon overshadowed by Roosevelt's. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1897-1958, F. F. Bosworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24
Nebraska, 1897-1958, F. F. Bosworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

US, 1898, Spanish-American War, US gets Guam, Phillipines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, R the Maine
Spanish-American War, 1898; Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898, Spanish: Guerra hispano-estadounidense or Guerra hispano-americana; Filipino: Digmaang Espanyol-Amerikano)[d] was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. The war led to the U.S. emerging predominant in the Caribbean region,[14] and resulted in U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. It led to U.S. involvement in the Philippine Revolution and later to the Philippine–American War. The main issue was Cuban independence. Revolts had been occurring for some years in Cuba against Spanish colonial rule. The U.S. backed these revolts upon entering the Spanish–American War. There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in 1873. But in the late 1890s, American public opinion swayed in support of the rebellion due to reports of concentration camps (death estimates range from 150,000 to 400,000 people) set up to control the populace.[15][16] Yellow journalism exaggerated the atrocities to further increase public fervor and to sell more newspapers and magazines.[17] business community had just recovered from a deep depression and feared that a war would reverse the gains. Accordingly, most business interests lobbied vigorously against going to war.[18] President William McKinley ignored the exaggerated news reporting and sought a peaceful settlement.[19] However, after the United States Navy armored cruiser Maine mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid. April 20, 1898, McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence.[20] In response, Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 21. On the same day, the U.S. Navy began a blockade of Cuba.[21] Both sides declared war; neither had allies. 10-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. As U.S. agitators for war well knew,[22] U.S. naval power would prove decisive, allowing expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already facing nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks and further wasted by yellow fever.[23] The invaders obtained the surrender of Santiago de Cuba and Manila despite the good performance of some Spanish infantry units, and fierce fighting for positions such as San Juan Hill.[24] Madrid sued for peace after two Spanish squadrons were sunk in the battles of Santiago de Cuba and Manila Bay, and a third, more modern fleet was recalled home to protect the Spanish coasts.[25] result was the 1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the U.S. which allowed it temporary control of Cuba and ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands. The cession of the Philippines involved payment of $20 million ($620 million today) to Spain by the U.S. to cover infrastructure owned by Spain.[26] defeat and loss of the Spanish Empire's last remnants was a profound shock to Spain's national psyche and provoked a thorough philosophical and artistic reevaluation of Spanish society known as the Generation of '98.[25] The United States gained several island possessions spanning the globe, which provoked rancorous debate over the wisdom of expansionism.[27] Philippine-“American War 1899-1902; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

US, 1900-1965, FRANCES PERKINS, Boston, MA, responsible for social security, unemployment ins, child labor laws, minimum wage
US, 1900-1965, FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, Boston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth), responsible for social security, unemployment ins, child labor laws, minimum wage.; Boston; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; Perkins (April 10, 1880– May 14, 1965) was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. a loyal supporter of her friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped pull the labor movement into the New Deal coalition. and Interior Secretary Harold Ickes were the only original members of the Roosevelt cabinet who remained in offices for his entire presidency. her term as Secretary of Labor, she was largely responsible for the U.S. adoption of social security, unemployment insurance, federal laws regulating child labor, and adoption of the federal minimum wage. was born in Boston, Massachusetts and spent much of her childhood in Worcester. She attended Worcester's Classical High School and was graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA degree in chemistry in 1902, and from Columbia University with a master's degree in sociology in 1910. achieved statewide prominence as head of the New York Consumers League in 1910 and in that position she lobbied with vigor for better working hours and conditions. The next year, she witnessed the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, a pivotal event in her life. In 1918, Perkins accepted Governor Al Smith's offer to join the New York State Industrial Commission, becoming its first female member. She became chairwoman of the commission in 1926. 1929 the newly-elected New York governor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, appointed Perkins as the state industrial commissioner. Having earned the cooperation and respect of various political factions, Perkins ably helped put New York in the forefront of progressive reform. She expanded factory investigations, reduced the workweek for women to 48 hours, and championed minimum wage and unemployment insurance laws. 1933 President Roosevelt appointed Perkins as Secretary of the Department of Labor, a position she held for twelve years, longer than any other Secretary of Labor. With few exceptions, President Roosevelt consistently supported the goals and programs of Secretary Perkins. In an administration filled with compromise, the president's support for the agenda of Frances Perkins was unusually constant. Secretary of Labor, Perkins played a key role in the cabinet by writing New Deal legislation, including minimum-wage laws. Her most important contribution, however, came in 1934 as chairwoman of the President's Committee on Economic Security. In this post, she was involved in all aspects of the reports and hearings that ultimately resulted in the Social Security Act of 1935. her tenure as Secretary of Labor, in 1945 Perkins was asked by President Harry Truman to serve on the United States Civil Service Commission, which she did until 1952, when her husband died and she resigned from federal service. During this period, she also published a memoir of her time in FDR's administration called The Roosevelt I Knew, which offered a sympathetic view of the president. her government service career, Perkins remained active as a teacher and lecturer at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University until her death in 1965 at age 85. — more at Wikipedia a young adult she discovered the Episcopal Church and was confirmed at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois, on June 11, 1905, and was a faithful and active Episcopalian for the remainder of her life. her time as Secretary of Labor, she would take time away from her duties on a monthly basis and make a retreat with the All Saints' Sisters of the Poor in nearby Catonsville, Maryland. — from Holy Women, Holy Men information is available from the Frances Perkins Center (particularly the page "Frances Perkins and Faith"), and from the New York State Oral History Project. The most recent biography of her is The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, by Kristin Downey.

US, 1901-1909, Pres Theo Roosevelt, Republican, anti-trust and Progressive policies, split helped P Woodrow Wilson
US President, 1901-1909, Theodore Roosevelt ; Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or his initials T. R., an American statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. previously served as the 33rd governor of New York from 1899 to 1900 and the 25th vice president of the United States from March to September 1901. emerged as a leader of the Republican Party and became a driving force for anti-trust and Progressive policies. was a sickly child with debilitating asthma but partly overcame his health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle. He integrated his exuberant personality, a vast range of interests and achievements into a "cowboy" persona defined by robust masculinity. was home-schooled and began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard. book The Naval War of 1812 (1882) established his reputation as a learned historian and popular writer. Upon entering politics, he became the leader of the reform faction of Republicans in New York's state legislature. wife and mother both died in rapid succession, and he began to frequent a cattle ranch in the Dakotas. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley but resigned to lead the Rough Riders during the Spanish–American War. Returning a war hero, he was elected governor of New York in 1898.[2] Vice President Garret Hobart died in 1899, the New York state party leadership convinced McKinley to accept Roosevelt as his running mate in the 1900 election. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously, and the McKinley–Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of peace, prosperity, and conservation. took office as vice president in 1901 and assumed the presidency at age 42 after McKinley was assassinated the following September.[3] He remains the youngest person to become President of the United States. Roosevelt was a leader of the progressive movement and championed his "Square Deal" domestic policies, promising the average citizen fairness, breaking of trusts, regulation of railroads, and pure food and drugs. He prioritized conservation and established national parks, forests, and monuments intended to preserve the nation's natural resources. In foreign policy, he focused on Central America where he began construction of the Panama Canal. He expanded the Navy and sent the Great White Fleet on a world tour to project American naval power. His successful efforts to broker the end of the Russo-Japanese War won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. was elected to a full term in 1904 and continued to promote progressive policies. He groomed his close friend William Howard Taft to succeed him in the 1908 presidential election. grew frustrated with Taft's brand of conservatism and belatedly tried to win the 1912 Republican nomination for president. He failed, walked out, and founded the Progressive Party. He ran in the 1912 presidential election and the split allowed the Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson to win the election. Following the defeat, Roosevelt led a two-year expedition to the Amazon basin where he nearly died of tropical disease. During World War I, he criticized Wilson for keeping the country out of the war; his offer to lead volunteers to France was rejected. He considered running for president again in 1920, but his health continued to deteriorate. He died in 1919. He is generally ranked in polls of historians and political scientists as one of the five best presidents. ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890); CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; Walter Rauschenbusch of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1905-1913, Los Angeles Aquaduct, Colorado Aquaduct 1933, California Aquaduct, 1963

Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1905-1913
Los Angeles Aqueduct; Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[6] Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland.[7] The system delivers water from the Owens River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles, California. as the California water wars, its construction was controversial from the start, as water diversions to Los Angeles eliminated the Owens Valley as a viable farming community.[8] The continued operation has led to public debate, legislation, and court battles over the environmental impacts of the aqueduct on Mono Lake and other ecosystems. Los Angeles Aqueduct[edit] aqueduct project began in 1905 when the voters of Los Angeles approved a US$1.5 million bond for the 'purchase of lands and water and the inauguration of work on the aqueduct'. On June 12, 1907, a second bond was passed with a budget of US$24.5 million to fund construction.[9][10] began in 1908 and was divided into eleven divisions and a cement plant. The number of men who were on the payroll the first year was 2,629 and this number peaked at 6,060 in May 1909. In 1910, employment dropped to 1,150 due to financial reasons but rebounded later in the year. Between 1911 and 1912 employment ranged from 2,800 to 3,800 workers. The number of laborers working on the aqueduct at its peak was 3,900.[11][12][13][14] In 1913, the City of Los Angeles completed construction of the first Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Caifornia Aqueduct, 1963-1968
Caifornia Aqueduct; Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California.[4] Named after California Governor Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown Sr., the over 400-mile (640 km) aqueduct is the principal feature of the California State Water Project. aqueduct begins at the Clifton Court Forebay at the southwestern corner of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. aqueduct then heads south, eventually splitting into three branches: the Coastal Branch, ending at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County; the West Branch, conveying water to Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County; and the East Branch, connecting Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) operates and maintains the California Aqueduct, including one pumped-storage hydroelectric plant, Gianelli Power Plant. Gianelli is located at the base of San Luis Dam, which forms San Luis Reservoir, the largest offstream reservoir in the United States. Castaic Power Plant, while similar and which is owned and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is located on the northern end of Castaic Lake, while Castaic Dam is located at the southern end.

Kings River

Kings River Middle Fork

Kings River Mouth (California Aqueduct)

Californai Aqueduct West Branch

California Aqueduct East Branch

California Aqueduct Coastal Branch

16 Miles South Southeast from Kettlerman City

Colorado River Aqueduct, 1933-1939
Colorado River Aqueduct; Colorado River Aqueduct, or CRA, is a 242 mi (389 km) water conveyance in Southern California in the United States, operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). aqueduct impounds water from the Colorado River at Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border, west across the Mojave and Colorado deserts to the east side of the Santa Ana Mountains. It is one of the primary sources of drinking water for Southern California. conceived by William Mulholland and designed by Chief Engineer Frank E. Weymouth of the MWD, it was the largest public works project in southern California during the Great Depression. The project employed 30,000 people over an eight-year period and as many as 10,000 at one time.[2] system is composed of two reservoirs, five pumping stations, 62 mi (100 km) of canals, 92 mi (148 km) of tunnels, and 84 mi (135 km) of buried conduit and siphons. Average annual throughput is 1,200,000 acre⋅ft (1.5 km3).[2]

Colorado River

US, 1906-1909, Milwalkee Road, Pacific Extension
US, 1909, Milwalkee Road, Pacific Extension the 1890s, the company's directors felt they had to extend the railroad to the Pacific to remain competitive with other railroads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $45 million (equal to $1.4 billion today). In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $60 million, equal to $1.73 billion today. The contract for the western part of the route was awarded to Horace Chapin Henry of Seattle. The subsidiary Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway Company was chartered in 1905 to build from the Missouri River to Seattle and Tacoma.[6] 1899 route map from Chicago to Lake Superior began in 1906 and was completed three years later. The route chosen was 18 miles (29 km) shorter than the next shortest competitor's, as well as better grades than some, but it was an expensive route, since the Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads. two main mountain ranges that had to be crossed, the Rockies and the Cascades, required major civil engineering works and additional locomotive power. completion of 2,300 miles (3,700 km) of railroad through some of the most varied topography in the nation in only three years was a major feat. company maps denote five mountain crossings: Belts, Rockies, Bitterroots, Saddles, and Cascades. These are slight misnomers as the Belt mountains and Bitterroots are part of the Rockies. route did not cross over the Little Belts or Big Belts, but over the Lenep-Loweth Ridge between the Castle Mountains and the Crazy Mountains. 1910, an enormous forest fire erupted in Idaho and many railroad bridges were burned, including a 725-mile long bridge.[citation needed] historians question the choice of route, since it bypassed some population centers and passed through areas with limited local traffic potential. of the line paralleled the Northern Pacific Railway. Trains magazine called the building of the extension, primarily a long-haul route, "egregious" and a "disaster."[7] George H. Drury listed the Pacific Extension as one of several "wrong decisions" made by the Milwaukee Road's management which contributed to the company's eventual failure.[8] in 1909, several smaller railroads were acquired and expanded to form branch lines along the Pacific Extension.[9]: 15  Montana Railroad formed the mainline route through Sixteen Mile Canyon as well as the North Montana Line which extended North from Harlowton to Lewistown. This branch led to the settlement of the Judith Basin and, by the 1970s, accounted for 30% of the Milwaukee Road's total traffic.[9]: 75  Gallatin Valley Electric Railway, originally built as an interurban line, was extended from Bozeman to the mainline at Three Forks. In 1927, the railroad built the Gallatin Gateway Inn, where passengers traveling to Yellowstone National Park transferred to buses for the remainder of their journey.[9]: 83  White Sulphur Springs & Yellowstone Park Railway, originally built by Lew Penwell and John Ringling, primarily carried lumber and agricultural products.[9]: 86  1920 Milwaukee Road timetable map. conditions in the mountain regions of the Pacific Extension proved difficult. Winter temperatures of −40 °F (−40 °C) in Montana made it challenging for steam locomotives to generate sufficient steam. line snaked through mountainous areas, resulting in "long steep grades and sharp curves". provided an answer, especially with abundant hydroelectric power in the mountains, and a ready source of copper in Anaconda, Montana.[10] 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road implemented a 3,000 volt direct current (DC) overhead system between Harlowton, Montana, and Avery, Idaho, a distance of 438 miles (705 km).[11] with the result, the Milwaukee electrified its route in Washington between Othello and Tacoma, a further 207 miles (333 km), between 1917 and 1920.[12] section traversed the Cascades through the 2¼ mile (3.6 km) Snoqualmie Tunnel, just south of Snoqualmie Pass and over 400 feet (120 m) lower in elevation. The single track tunnel's east portal at Hyak included an adjacent company-owned ski area (1937−1950).[13][14][15][16] the 1984 abandonment of the Pacific Extension, Tacoma Rail purchased all of Milwaukee's lines south of Tacoma. in 1990, the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad began operating over the section from Centralia to Curtis. In 2010 the line was sold to the Port of Chehalis and in 2019, The railroad purchased the line from Chehalis to Ruth. In 2021 the section from Highway 6 West to Curtis was leased. the 645 miles (1,038 km) of main-line electrification represented the largest such project in the world up to that time, and would not be exceeded in the US until the Pennsylvania Railroad's efforts in the 1930s.[17] two separate electrified districts were never unified, as the 216-mile (348 km) Idaho Division (Avery to Othello) was comparatively flat down the St. Joe River to St. Maries and through eastern Washington, and posed few challenges for steam operation.[12] Electrification cost $27 million, but resulted in savings of over $1 million per year from improved operational efficiency.[18] Boxcab electric locomotive pulling a passenger train in a canyon An EF-1 boxcab hauls the Olympian through Montana Canyon in 1925. The Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway was absorbed by the parent company on January 1, 1913.[6] The Pacific Extension, including subsequent electrification, cost the Milwaukee Road $257 million, over four times the original estimate of $60 million. To meet this cost, the Milwaukee Road sold bonds, which began coming due in the 1920s.[19] Traffic never met projections, and by the early 1920s, the Milwaukee Road was in serious financial condition. This state was exacerbated by the railroad's purchase of several heavily indebted railroads in Indiana. company declared bankruptcy in 1925 and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. In 1929, its total mileage stood at 11,248 miles (18,102 km).[20] 1927, the railroad launched its second edition of the Olympian as a premier luxury limited passenger train and opened its first railroad-owned tourist hotel, the Gallatin Gateway Inn in Montana, southwest of Bozeman, via a spur from Three Forks. company scarcely had a chance for success before the Great Depression hit. Despite innovations such as the famous Hiawatha high-speed trains that exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h), the railroad again filed for bankruptcy in 1935. The Milwaukee Road operated under trusteeship until December 1, 1945. WWII the CMSt.P&P sponsored one of the Army's MRS units the 757th Railroad Shop Battalion. Two Skytop Lounges in their fourth Milwaukee Road paint scheme, matching Union Pacific colors. These cars were part of the Twin Cities Hiawatha equipment pool. Milwaukee Road enjoyed temporary success after World War II. Out of bankruptcy and with the wartime ban on new passenger service lifted, the company upgraded its trains. Olympian Hiawatha began running between Chicago and the Puget Sound over the Pacific Extension in 1947,[21] and the Twin Cities Hiawatha received new equipment in 1948.[22] accelerated and was complete by 1956.[23][24] In 1955, the Milwaukee Road took over from the Chicago and North Western's handling of Union Pacific's Overland Route streamliners between Chicago and Omaha.[21] whole railroad industry found itself in decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s, but the Milwaukee Road was hit particularly hard. The Midwest was overbuilt with a plethora of competing railroads, while the competition on the transcontinental routes to the Pacific was tough. The premier transcontinental streamliner, the Olympian Hiawatha, despite innovative scenic observation cars, was mothballed in 1961, becoming the first visible casualty. resignation of President John P. Kiley in 1957 and his replacement with the fairly inexperienced William John Quinn was a pivotal moment. From that point onward, the road's management was fixated on merger with another railroad as the solution to the Milwaukee's problems. mergers had to be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964. The ICC asked for terms that the C&NW was not willing to agree to. The merger of the "Hill Lines" was approved at around the same time, and the merged Burlington Northern came into being. 1970s[edit] An electric locomotive with its pantographs down A Little Joe at Deer Lodge, Montana in October 1974 after the end of electrified operation. formation of Burlington Northern in 1970 from the merger of Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Burlington Route, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 3 created a stronger competitor on most Milwaukee Road routes. To boost competition, the ICC gave the Milwaukee Road the right to connect with new railroads in the West over Burlington Northern tracks. on its Pacific Extension increased substantially to more than four trains a day each way[25] as it began interchanging cars with Southern Pacific at Portland, Oregon and Canadian railroads at Sumas, Washington.[26] railroad's foothold on transcontinental traffic leaving the Port of Seattle increased such that the Milwaukee Road held a staggering advantage over BN, carrying nearly 80% of the originating traffic along with 50% of the total container traffic leaving the Puget Sound (prior to severe service declines after roughly 1974).[citation needed] 1970, the president of Chicago and North Western offered to sell the railroad to the Milwaukee Road outright. William John Quinn refused,[27] stating that it now believed only a merger with a larger system, not a slightly smaller one, could save the railroad. Almost immediately, the railroad filed unsuccessfully with the ICC to be included in the Union Pacific merger with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. the mid-1970s, deferred maintenance on Milwaukee Road's physical plant, which had been increasing throughout the 1960s as it attempted to improve its financial appearance for merger, was beginning to cause problems. railroad's financial problems were exacerbated by their practice of improving its earnings during that period by selling off its wholly owned cars to financial institutions and leasing them back. The lease charges became greater, and more cars needed to be sold to pay the lease payments. railroad's fleet of cars was becoming older because more money was being spent on finance payments for the old cars rather than buying new ones. This contributed to car shortages that turned away business. Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification. Its electric locomotive fleet was reaching the end of its service life, and newer diesel locomotives such as the EMD SD40-2 and the GE Universal Series were more than capable of handling the route. The final electric freight arrived at Deer Lodge, Montana on June 15, 1974.[28][29] 1976, the Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition. The ICC denied it on March 2, 1977.[30][31]

Milwalkee Road Chicago, Milwalkee, to Bozeman, Mt, I94 along the Missouri

Milwalkee Road Pacific Extension, Bozeman to Tacoma

Miles City, MT

Butte, Mt

Bonner, MT

Saint Regis, MT

East Portal, MT

East Portal, MT to Avery, ID and St Joe River

Avery, Idaho
Avery, Idaho;

Saint Joe River

St Joe, ID

Saint Maries, ID

Plummer, ID

Tekoa, WA

Revere, WA

Ralston, WA

Roxboro, WA

Warden, WA

Othello, WA
Othello, WA;

Smyrna, WA

Boylston, WA

Kittitas, WA

Thorp, WA

Easton, WA

Snoqualmie Tunnel
Snoqualmie Tunnel;

Cedar Falls, WA

Cedar River

Barneston, WA

Maple Valley, WA

Renton, WA

US, Milwalkee Road, Montana Railroad

Helena, Mt (Missouri River 3)

Lombard, MT, Milwalkee Road, Montana Route, 1895-1903, 1908
Lombard, MT, Milwalkee Road, Montana Route; Montana Railroad was an American railroad built and operated between the towns of Lombard and Lewistown, Montana, a distance of approximately 157 miles. railroad connected with the national railway network via a connection with the Northern Pacific Railway at Lombard. The Montana Railroad line was constructed between 1895 and 1903, and operated independently until 1908, when it was acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road"). The railroad was colloquially known as "the Jawbone", because of the contrast between the promising statements of the line's promoters and the company's perennially-weak financial position.[1] Montana Railroad was the brainchild of Richard A. Harlow, a Helena, Montana attorney and entrepreneur, who envisioned the construction of a railway eastward from Helena to serve the mining and agricultural regions of central Montana. His first attempt at such a project, the Montana Midland, began construction in 1893, but almost immediately failed due to the onset of the Panic of 1893. in 1894 Harlow organized the Montana Railroad, a project with similar goals. Construction work on the Montana Railroad began in 1895 at Lombard, a station on the Northern Pacific Railway 53 miles east of Helena. Montana Railroad route proceeded eastward from Lombard up Sixteen Mile Canyon towards the mining districts of the Castle Mountains, in southeastern Meagher County. railroad reached Leadborough, at the southern end of the mining district, in November 1896; unfortunately for the railroad, however, the region's mines were already past their peak by then.[2] the face of the declining mineral production in the Castle area, Harlow realized that his railroad needed a larger and more diversified traffic base. therefore announced plans to extend his railroad still farther, and in 1899 railway construction crews began working eastward down the Musselshell River valley. The Montana Railroad was completed to the new town of Harlowton (named after Harlow) in 1900. line's tracklayers then turned northward, finally reaching Lewistown in 1903.[2] 1908, the Montana Railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which was then in the process of constructing a new transcontinental line through the state of Montana. Lombard-Harlowton segment of the Montana Railroad became a part of this new Milwaukee line, although nearly all of the original route was heavily rebuilt, to reduce curvature and raise the Sixteen Mile Canyon trackage above the flood-prone canyon floor. to electrify the line began in 1914. The Montana's Harlowton-Lewistown route became a secondary main line for the Milwaukee; it was later extended to Great Falls and several branch lines were built.[2] all of the Milwaukee Road's trackage in the area was abandoned in 1980 due to bankruptcy, and today only a short segment of the former Montana Railroad (near Moore) remains in service. Milwaukee Road was absorbed by the Soo Line Railroad in 1986, which was later merged into the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1990. Most of the former grade can still be seen, however.[1] from the line, including steam trains, are captured in the 1930 film Danger Lights. The landslide scene is said to have been recorded in 16 Mile Canyon east of Lombard. This section required heavy engineering with many bridges and tunnels but the exact location of the scene remains a mystery.

16 Mile Creek, Missouri River 2.3, 13 Miles North of Three Forks

Lewiston, MT, Milwalkee Road, Montana Route
Lewiston, MT, Milwalkee Road, Montana Route; Montana Railroad was an American railroad built and operated between the towns of Lombard and Lewistown, Montana, a distance of approximately 157 miles. railroad connected with the national railway network via a connection with the Northern Pacific Railway at Lombard. The Montana Railroad line was constructed between 1895 and 1903, and operated independently until 1908, when it was acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("the Milwaukee Road"). The railroad was colloquially known as "the Jawbone", because of the contrast between the promising statements of the line's promoters and the company's perennially-weak financial position.[1] Montana Railroad was the brainchild of Richard A. Harlow, a Helena, Montana attorney and entrepreneur, who envisioned the construction of a railway eastward from Helena to serve the mining and agricultural regions of central Montana. His first attempt at such a project, the Montana Midland, began construction in 1893, but almost immediately failed due to the onset of the Panic of 1893. in 1894 Harlow organized the Montana Railroad, a project with similar goals. Construction work on the Montana Railroad began in 1895 at Lombard, a station on the Northern Pacific Railway 53 miles east of Helena. Montana Railroad route proceeded eastward from Lombard up Sixteen Mile Canyon towards the mining districts of the Castle Mountains, in southeastern Meagher County. railroad reached Leadborough, at the southern end of the mining district, in November 1896; unfortunately for the railroad, however, the region's mines were already past their peak by then.[2] the face of the declining mineral production in the Castle area, Harlow realized that his railroad needed a larger and more diversified traffic base. therefore announced plans to extend his railroad still farther, and in 1899 railway construction crews began working eastward down the Musselshell River valley. The Montana Railroad was completed to the new town of Harlowton (named after Harlow) in 1900. line's tracklayers then turned northward, finally reaching Lewistown in 1903.[2] 1908, the Montana Railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which was then in the process of constructing a new transcontinental line through the state of Montana. Lombard-Harlowton segment of the Montana Railroad became a part of this new Milwaukee line, although nearly all of the original route was heavily rebuilt, to reduce curvature and raise the Sixteen Mile Canyon trackage above the flood-prone canyon floor. to electrify the line began in 1914. The Montana's Harlowton-Lewistown route became a secondary main line for the Milwaukee; it was later extended to Great Falls and several branch lines were built.[2] all of the Milwaukee Road's trackage in the area was abandoned in 1980 due to bankruptcy, and today only a short segment of the former Montana Railroad (near Moore) remains in service. Milwaukee Road was absorbed by the Soo Line Railroad in 1986, which was later merged into the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1990. Most of the former grade can still be seen, however.[1] from the line, including steam trains, are captured in the 1930 film Danger Lights. The landslide scene is said to have been recorded in 16 Mile Canyon east of Lombard. This section required heavy engineering with many bridges and tunnels but the exact location of the scene remains a mystery.

Castle Mountain Mining District, Meagher County

Meagher County, MT

White Sulphur Springs, Meagher County, MT, Courthouse

Harlowton, MT

Judith Basin County, Montana
Judith Basin County, Montana;

Highway 12, 25 Miles North of Three Forks

Montana Railroad, up Sixteen Mile Canyon from Lombard and Missouri River to Lewiston, MT

Montana Railroad up Hwy 12

US, Milwalkee Road, Gallatin Valley Electric Railway

Three Forks, MT

Gallatin Valley Electric Railway

Gallatin Valley Electric Railway to Gallatin Gateway Inn

Gallatin Gateway Inn
Gallatin Gateway Inn;

Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park;

Annaconda, MT, Copper Capital
Annaconda, MT;

Tacoma, WA
Tacoma, WA;

US, 1907-1948, ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, at Cambridge, MA, first woman teacher at Episcopal Seminary, progressive, pacifist
Cambridge, MA; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, commemorated July 19; 10, 1887-July 19, 1948] First woman appointed to teach at an Episcopal seminary (Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, MA). Her interests were Christian education and social reform, and she took part in many educational, social and ecumenical movements including “The Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship.” — from Holy Women, Holy Men Dr. Case received her Ph. D. from Columbia and taught Religious Education there for many years before joining ETS later in her career. Her doctoral thesis, Liberal Christianity And Religious Education, was published as a book in 1924 and is still in print. Further information may be found in a short biography by Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook. Adelaide Teague Case, By Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Protestant; Teague Case Biography Contributions to Christian Education Bibliography Excerpts from Publications Recommended Readings Author Information Teague Case (1887-1948), an Episcopalian, was interested in "progressive" religious education from the perspective of the Christian active in the world. Some of her areas of interest included, the religious development of children, the teaching of religion for all ages, the Bible and religious education, social ethics, and peace education. became the first woman appointed to full professorial rank in any Episcopal or Anglican seminary in 1941 when she joined the faculty of Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts as professor of Christian Education. ETS, where she remained until her death in 1948, Case taught a variety of courses in religious education and directed field work. Life and Education Teague Case (1887-1948) was born on January 10, 1887 in St. Louis Missouri, with her twin sister, Mary Cushing Case. parents were Charles Lyman Case, American manger of the London Assurance Company, and Lois Teague Case; complete family included six children, three daughters and three sons. Adelaide was still an infant the family moved to New York - she considered herself a "native" New Yorker all her adult life-and eventually acquired a home in Bronxville, New York, and a summer residence in Paris Hill, Lake Sebago, Maine. was graduated from the Brearley School in New York City in 1904, and received a B.A. in mathematics and philosophy From Bryn Mawr College in 1908. began her illustrious teaching career in 1909, as a teacher of mathematics and Latin at St. Faith's School, an Episcopal girl's boarding school in Poughkeepsie, New York. a gifted student, Case began graduate studies in history and sociology at Columbia University in 1910, but was forced to withdraw within a year after a reoccurrence of childhood tuberculosis of the bone. spent nearly a year in treatment at Saranac Lake, New York, and then toured Europe with her parents as a semi-invalid. a statuesque woman in adulthood, with a keen intelligence and vibrant personality, Adelaide Teague Case battled ill health for most of her life, and withstood many operations on her legs. 1914 she re-entered the working world as volunteer librarian at the Episcopal Church Center in New York; she was eventually placed on salary and remained through 1916. her physical disability, Case had tremendous stamina, and worked tirelessly as an educator from the time she returned to graduate school at Columbia University in 1917, this time to study religious education, until her death. and confirmed in the Episcopal Church, Adelaide Teague Case's religious faith followed a conventional pattern until she experienced a conversion experience after college. the living Christ became the dominant force in her life and ministry. she continued within the Episcopal Church, Case became a devout Anglo-Catholic, and was strongly attracted spiritually to the sacramental and liturgical life of the church. in New York, she attended the Eucharist daily at St. Ignatius' Church. 1915 she became a member of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross, a society of lay women in the Episcopal Church dedicated to intercession, thanksgiving, simplicity of life, annual retreats, Christian unity, and social justice. Case remained an active member of the "Companions" during her lifetime, offering programs based on her teaching and publishing, including an annual retreat on the theme of "Thanksgiving in the Psalms." 1918 Case was one of a small group of Companions who wrote the Commission on Unity in support of an interdenominational petition for church unity. committed to the ministry of religious education, Adelaide Teague Case moved quickly through graduate study. She pursued her M.A. at Columbia University (1917-1919), while also serving as an instructor at the New York Training School for Deaconesses. In 1919 Case became a course assistant in the religious education department at Teachers College, Columbia; she was made an instructor in the same department in 1920, and received her Ph.D there in 1924. adviser at Columbia was theologian and educator George Albert Coe. Her dissertation, "Liberal Christianity and Religious Education," was later published as her first book. Her graduate studies focused on the recently developed "progressive" education movement and child-centered, as opposed to teacher-focused agenda and curricula. fundamentally believed that for religious education to be relevant to children, or to persons of any age for that matter, it must relate to their social environment. also developed related subspecialties in Christian social ethics, and the role of the Bible in education and worship. Teague Case's interest in social justice was further underscored in her involvement in the National Committee of the Episcopal League for Social Action, 1921-1948. and students alike praised Adelaide Teague Case for the deep sense of humanity and boundless compassion that emanated from her. all accounts, she was an amazing teacher. the influence of her adviser George Albert Coe, Case was influenced by the theory and teaching methods of John Dewey. from over fifty years ago not only remember details from Case's classes, they still have their research papers with her comments in their possession! As one former student noted, "She was a true believer in Christ and you saw him living in and through her." a teacher, Case had the ability to challenge students to do their most creative work. She was a genius at sensing student needs and creating a productive learning environment. A popular graduate student and instructor, Adelaide Teague Case was offered a faculty position as assistant professor at Teachers College after completing her doctorate; she was made associate professor in 1929. on the faculty, Case developed and offered courses in the principles of religious education, the use of the Bible in religious education, professional problems in religious education, as well as a course designed especially for directors of religious education. classes were popular with students from diverse religious backgrounds, including Protestants from a variety of traditions, Roman Catholic laity, clergy and religious, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews, as well as non-believers. Teague Case was appointed full professor and chair of the religious education department at Teachers College in 1935. previous year, Hobart College conferred an honorary Litt.D. upon Case in recognition of her contributions to scholarship. teaching, Case wrote all her books while on the faculty at Teachers College. These works include her doctoral dissertation, Liberal Christianity and Religious Education (1924), an extended bibliography for religious educators focused on books about Jesus, As Modern Writers See Jesus (1927), and two devotionally oriented books based on scripture, Seven Psalms (1935) and The Servant of the Lord (1940). continued to write chapters in books and sundry articles for publications throughout her career, yet it should be noted that professional writing was but one aspect of her ministry as a religious educator. her published output were the countless workshops, conferences, and lectures that Adelaide Teague Case conducted throughout her career - often in addition to a heavy teaching and student advisement load. From 1928 until her death, Case was on the board of Windham House, a training school for women church workers. in 1930 she also served as part-time educational advisor for the Woman's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Church. addition, Case was a voluminous correspondent to a global community of friends and colleagues, amounting to over 100 letters per month. her tremendously active professional life, Adelaide Teague Case was fueled by a deep interior life, nourished by corporate worship and private prayer and meditation. the 1930s Adelaide Teague Case became involved in peacemaking efforts and in peace education. For Case "peacemaking" was always more than an international concern; it was also practical and personal. a pacifist, she worked for peace in relationships, in the classroom as well as through international organizations. Case served on the executive board of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (1930-1934); as a member of the Peace Action Committee of the New York Federation of Churches (1936), as well as vice-president of the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship (1939-1948). In 1936 she and Paul Limbert conducted a study entitled "Around the World," that was the result of a survey completed by 373 school age children about their perceptions regarding other cultures and countries. "Around the World" was later published by the Associated Press. The resultant article, "Educating For Peace: A Study of Children's Opinion on World Affairs," was reissued in 1949 as part an of anthology on peacemaking dedicated posthumously to Adelaide Teague Case. Peace Is Possible: Essays Dedicated to The Memory of Adelaide T. Case, was published by Case's colleagues of the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship, and included essays from a diverse group of scholars, activists, and bishops. the early 1940s, Angus Dun, the dean of the Episcopal Theological School (ETS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts recognized Adelaide Teague Case as the foremost religious educator in the Episcopal Church - if not in the United States - and persuaded her to resign her position in New York. As a way of introducing her to the school and alumni, Dun asked Case to come to campus as Kellner Lecturer in 1940-1941 to offer a course on "A Parish Program of Religious Education "on Monday afternoons. She was elected "Professor of Christian Education" in 1941, thus becoming the first woman elected to a theological faculty in an Episcopal or Anglican seminary. Though other women, particularly in the field of religious education, had taught theological students before Adelaide Teague Case arrived on the scene, none held the rank of professor previous to her. problem of religious education" - as it was referred to by faculty administrators, alumni and trustees - was not a new concern at the Episcopal Theological School. The alumni urged the creation of a chair in "religious pedagogy" as early as 1917. By the time the trustees got the campaign underway in the 1920s, with $100,000 from the endowment set aside for the chair, the school couldn't find a "man" to fill it. The seminary experimented by hiring part-time lecturers, and recruited from the nearby Harvard School of education, but complained that the later lacked training in religion. As time passed and the financial pressures of the depression impacted the school, the intention of the trustees to set aside funding from the endowment was lost. It fell to Dean Dun to find both the funding and the scholar for the job. Teague Case's reputation as an educator, scholar, and religious leader, along with her work at ETS as the Kellner Lecturer convinced Dun that she was the "man" for the job, and he proceeded to raise enough funding from private donors to cover her salary for three years. Adelaide Teague Case later told friends that her years at ETS were some of the happiest of her life, there is evidence to suggest that establishing herself as a professor in the seminary community was a slippery slope. had the courage - in her fifties - to give up a professorship at Columbia University with a very good salary and students and colleagues who appreciated her, to move to Cambridge for a much lower salary at a seminary where some of the students refused to take her classes because she was a woman. his credit, Angus Dun used his position as dean to insist that students study with Professor Case. Still, as friends indicated after her death, the transition for Adelaide Teague Case to the seminary community was slow and painful. was Adelaide Teague Case's genius for religious education and her excellence as a teacher that eventually moved the Episcopal Theological School to recognize the jewel in their midst. students in the present day write that working with Case was the most positive part of their seminary experience. While at ETS Case took her place on the faculty preaching rotation, and offered a variety of courses, including an introduction to Christian education, a course on the religious development of children and youth, a course on curriculum, a course on adult education, a course on education and the sacramental life, a course on "newer methods," a course on types of religious schools, and directed advanced study and research. In addition, during her last two years at ETS, Case directed a field work program which required weekly meetings, reports, and reading with each student. In this capacity, Case took it upon herself to visit students at their different field sites. by students as "Dr. Adelaide" or "Dr. A," Case became one of the most popular professors at the seminary, and was a mentor, counselor, and unofficial confessor for many. She shared her large faculty home with student families, and offered assistance to others who found themselves in a crisis; she provided housing and friendship to African American, Japanese American and Jewish families who were homeless. last faculty report at ETS - featuring goals that she did not live to implement - urged the creation of improved field work sites with more opportunities for supervision, additional courses in Christian education to meet the growing demand among students, and a plea for further integration between Christian education and other areas of the curriculum, particularly theology and church history. her residence in Massachusetts, Adelaide Teague Case was a member of the Church of the Advent, Boston, where she served on the parish council and on the adult education committee. Rev. Whitney Hale, rector of the Church of the Advent, brought her the Eucharist daily during her final illness. Due to her health history, she dreaded hospitals, but nevertheless until the day of her death Adelaide Teague Case was teacher, mentor, and friend to many. Her last words to a member of her household, spoken the night before her death, were "What can I do for you?" Teague Case died at the age of sixty-one on June 19, 1948 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Bostom, of tuberculosis of the adrenal glands. remains were cremated and laid in the cemetery in Paris, Maine. The Burial Office was read at a simple service at the Episcopal Theological School on June 22; on June 23 a Requiem Mass was celebrated at the Church of the Advent, Boston. Cited Manuscript sources on Adelaide Teague Case are scattered. Some of her correspondence can be located in the files of the William Russell Collection, Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as in the George Albert Coe Collection and the Archives of the Religious Education Association at the Yale Divinity School. Files of papers related to Case and assorted clippings are located at Episcopal Divinity School (formerly Episcopal Theological School), the archives of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, the Episcopal Dioceses of Massachusetts, and the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. Reports from Case during her tenure as education adviser for the Woman's Auxiliary, and an account of her work at Windham House in the Oral History of Helen Turnbull, are located in the Archives of the Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas. Published biographical information on Adelaide Teague Case can be found in the following sources: Garraty, John A. &Mark C. Carnes (Eds.). (1999) American national biography. New York: Oxford University Press Ohles, John F. (Ed.) (1978). Biographical dictionary of American educators. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press Biography index. Vol, 1: January 1946-July 1949. New York: H.W. Wilson Company Wallace, Stewart (Comp.). (1988). A dictionary of American authors decreased before 1950. Toronto: Ryerson Press; Ireland Norma Olin (Ed.) (1988). Index of women of the world from ancient to modern times: A supplement. Norma Olin Ireland (Ed.) Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarerow Press James, Edward T.(Ed.). (1971). Notable American women, 1607-1950. Cambridge: Harvard University Press (1941). Religious leaders of America, Vol. II. New York: Oxford University Press. Smyth, Newman. (1932). A Story of Church Unity. New Haven: Yale University Press EDS Alumni Bulletin (1941). Obituaries and tributes, include ETS Bulletin (1984, July) XL, 4, 7-11; The Living Church (1948, July 11); School and Society (1948, July 3), 68, 1749; Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin (July 1948); Taylor, Charles L. (1948, August 8).Adelaide Teague Case: An appreciation. The Living Church ; Shepherd, Massy &Charles Taylor; (1948, June 19). Adelaide Teague Case. ETS, Minute for Faculty Meeting. Turnbull, Helen. (n.d.). Adelaide Teague Case: unpublished tribute, Society for the Companions of the Holy Cross; Obituaries found in the New York Times (1948, June 20); The Church Militant (1941, June); Boston Sunday Herald (1948, June 20); Bulletin of ETS (1948, July). For Case's vitae, see Temple, Sydney (Ed.). (1949). Peace is possible: Essays dedicated to the memory of Adelaide Teague Case.) Deep River, Connecticut: The New Era Press, p. v. For her appointment at Episcopal Theological School, see Muller, James Arthur. (1943). The Episcopal Theological School, 1867-1943. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Episcopal Theological School. The author wishes to express her thanks to the following who shared their materials on and recollections of Adelaide Teague Case: Peg Aldrich, Charles Case, Charles Lee Clark, Phillip Douglas, Morgan Porteus, Owen Thomas, Fredrica Harris Thompsett, David Siegenthaler, to Christian Education Adelaide Teague Case influenced a generation of religious educators and was the leading authority in the field in the Episcopal Church of her day. As a scholar, Case was a pioneer in "progressive" education as it relates to religious education, and in the development of child-centered, as opposed to teacher-focused methodologies. Her deep love for children, and for the Christian faith, were cornerstones of her work and research. Her concern for social justice was a key motivation behind her ministry; she had little tolerance for injustice and the misuse of power. She fundamentally believed in the need for education to be mindful of social context. Moreover, her genius as a teacher endowed her with the capacity to communicate effectively to vastly different groups; she influenced children and youth, parish folk, graduate students, seminarians, activists, and religious leaders with equal alacrity. Moreover, as a deeply spiritual person, Case enabled her students to make connections between the academy and the life of faith. Her capacity to embody her beliefs endowed her ministry as a religious educator with a deep integrity. During her twenty years as a popular professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, Case influenced an interfaith study body and gained an established place in the wider education scheme. There she advocated seven-day, child-centered, religious education, rather than the traditional and more narrow Sunday school approach. For instance, at a 1933 conference of the Religious Education Association, Case proposed - along with Rabbi Isaac Landman, editor of the American Hebrew --the abolition of Sunday school in favor of a community-based model that would maximize the leadership opportunities for a variety of individuals. While a professor at Teachers College, Adelaide Teague Case was much in demand nationally as a speaker and a lecturer, on a variety of topics, including "The Commonwealth of God," "The Mental Effects on Students of Military Drills," "Religious Education for the Modern Child," and, "The Place of the Church in Adult Education." At the same time, Case fused the roles of educator and activist as a leader of the Children's Peace Festival (1936) and educators against the peacetime draft (1940). As the first woman elected to the faculty of an Episcopal or Anglican seminary, Adelaide Teague Case brought the depth of her experience to a new "mission field." In the seven years before her death, Case's work at the Episcopal Theological School increased the demand for Christian education courses within the seminary curriculum, gained full status for the field within the overall curriculum, and moved toward greater integration of religious education with other theological disciplines, Moreover, Case's teaching and supervision of field work students at ETS paved the way for the development of a more comprehensive program, with a full-time faculty member in the future. While at ETS, Adelaide Teague Case's favorite courses, "Use of the Bible in Christian Education," and "Education and the Sacramental Life," became popular electives. Although her biblical methodology was not text critical scholarship, the strength of her work in this area was in her ability to adapt scripture for "the person in the pew" in the contexts of corporate worship and personal devotion. Adelaide Teague Case was a mentor for ETS students before their graduation and afterward. Given the unique circumstances of her appointment at the seminary, she was also an important mentor and symbol for women students. Earlier in her career, she was influential as a part-time educational adviser to the Woman's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Church for ten years, 1930-1940. Though she was a proponent for the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church, she did not write on the subject. Rather, Case used her position and status as a professor to provide women with greater access to a theological education. She kept the issue of opening the seminary's doors to women before the faculty, reminding her male colleagues that their admission was not simply a personal issue for her, but an issue for all theological educators. At a time when ETS did not accept women students into degree programs, Adelaide Teague Case proposed programs for women students or the admission of women into degree programs at least once a year from the time she arrived at the seminary until her death. Two of these creative proposals included a six-week summer session for women students, and a cooperative degree program with Radcilffe College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Further, Case taught many women as "special students," when a formal seminary education was denied them, and helped them find a place in the church where they could exercise their gifts. Case was instrumental in encouraging women to obtain training at Windham House, and through other programs. Overall, Adelaide Teague Case was a religious leader in a generation of women who sought vocations in the church, such as Dora Chaplin, Frances Young, and Helen Turnbull, but who found few role models and even less encouragement for their aspirations. Through her teaching and scholarship, Adelaide Teague Case brought to Episcopal Theological School a wealth of experience gained through years as an activist "in the real world" and member of religious and social welfare organizations. Always intolerant of racism and discrimination in any form, Case worked actively for the American Jewish Congress, the Women's Division of Beth Hayaled, the Riverside Colored Orphanage, and the National Y.W.C.A. Courageously, she housed and sponsored Japanese American students during the World War II internment camp period. She also served on the boards of the Religious Education Association, the Church League for Industrial Democracy (later, the Episcopal League for Social Action), the Childhood Education Association, the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship, Windham House, the International Council of Religious Education, the Federal Council of Churches, the Church Society for College Work, and the Student Christian Movement. Case also was one of the few women who served on the National Council of the Episcopal Church, 1946-1948. After her death in 1948, a memorial fund at the Episcopal Theological School (now the Episcopal Divinity School) was established in the name of Adelaide Teague Case. The fund was established as a living memorial in recognition of Case's contribution to the field of religious education; a student prize in her name is still given at the school today. Presently, the Episcopal Women's History project also gives an Adelaide Teague Case Award for achievement in writing, preserving and disseminating the history of women in the Episcopal Church. Cited A variety of sources speak to the legacy of Adelaide Teague Case, including: Adelaide Teague Case. (1948, July). ETS Bulletin, XL, 4, July 1948, p. 7-11 Taylor, Charles. (1948, August 8). Adelaide Teague Case: An appreciation. The Living Church. Episcopal women open sessions here. (1941, February 8). New York Times; Theological seminary called woman professor. 1941, June 14). New York World-Telegram; Educators assail peacetime draft. (1940, July 9). New York Times; Peace parade here in Spanish section. (1936, November 12). New York Times; $10,000 sought by churches in day. (1948, October 14). New York Times; Lead in education urged on churches. (1937, August 23). New York Times; Junior league to discuss child training in religion tomorrow." (1933, November 13) New York Times; Deny military drill had value in school." (1930, December 12). New York Times; 'The commonwealth of God' given at White Plains convention. (1923, October 28). New York Times; Propose abolition of Sunday schools. (1933, May 5). New York Times.. Faculty minutes, Episcopal Theological School, November 21, 1941; February 27, 1942; March 12, 1942; December 10, 1943; January 14, 1944. Episcopal Women's History Project, (Fall 1990). Timelines, X, 4. Numerous books written by her former students are dedicated to Adelaide Teague Case, for example, see Chaplin, Dora P. (1948). Children and Religion. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Books and Monographs (1924). Liberal Christianity and religious education. New York: Macmillian Company. (1927). As modern writers see Jesus: A descriptive bibliography of books about Jesus. Boston: the Pilgrim Press. (1935). Seven psalms: Suggestions for Bible study, meditation, and group worship. New York: The Womans Press. (1940). The servant of the Lord: A devotional commentary on the servant songs in second Isaiah. New York: The Womans Press. Chapters in Books (1929). When is education religious? In Walter M. Howlett (Ed.) Religion: The dynamic of education (pp. 109-122). New York: Harper and Brothers. (1932) Foreward. In Katharine E. Gladfelter (Ed.) Many moons ago and now. New York: Friendship Press. (1932). Religion and the child's life. In Dorothy Canfield Fisher and Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg (Eds.) Our children: A handbook for parents (pp.307-317). New York: Viking Press. (1934). The faith and education. In Frank Gavin (Ed.) Liberal Catholicism and the modern world (pp. 151-159). Vol. I. Milwaukee: Morehouse Publishing. (1936).Christian education. In Samuel McCrea Cavert and Henry Pitney Van Dusen (Eds.) The church through half a century: Essays in honor of William Adams Brown (pp. 229-247). New York: C. Scribner's sons. (1949). Educating for peace: A study of children's opinion on world affairs. In Sydney Temple (Ed.) Peace is possible: Essays dedicated to the memory of Adelaide Teague Case (pp.104-113). Deep River, Connecticut: The New Era Press. Selected Articles (1927, June). The religion of childhood. Findings in religious education, 3-6. (1942, February). Women in defense of the church. The Church Militant. 3-4. Excerpts from Publications (1924). Liberal Christianity and religious education. New York: the Macmillan Company. The liberal attitude toward the Bible and toward traditional theology has released Jesus of Nazareth alike from the machinery of a prearranged scheme of salvation and from the dead hand of pious superstition. (pg. 33) While the activities for social betterment are often undertaken by individuals and organizations not avowedly religious, liberal protestants ascribe a truly Christian character to all such service and call upon Christian people intelligently and energetically to support measures for better health, better housing, sufficient recreation, fair wages and kindred items of social welfare. (pg. 39) We need to know, not simply to guess, the information and attitudes of religious workers on such matters as: the use of the Bible in modern life, facts about the life of Jesus, the importance of religious dogmas, standards of sex relationship, war and peace, the organization and control of industry, property ownership, freedom of speech. (pg. 155) (1927). As modern writers see Jesus: A descriptive bibliography of books about Jesus. Boston: The Pilgrim Press. Many of us are convinced that the essential task of religious education is to make Jesus of Nazareth available for the students of our generation; to make it possible for children and young people in the modern world to share, as moderns, in the experience of Jesus, and to relate that shared experience to the problems of modern life. (pg. i ) Even in quarters where reforms in Sunday-school work are being carried out and there is genuine enthusiasm for up-to-date educational methods, one often finds the greatest unwillingness to adopt a free and intelligent attitude toward Christian history and literature. (pg. 73) (1929). When is Education Religious? In Walter M. Howlett (Ed.) Religion: The dynamic of education. New York: Harper &Brothers. pg. 109-10, 122. The question When is education religious?" has received four typical answers, each representing a major emphasis in everyday practice. Education is religious: When the Bible is being taught. When ideas of God are being shared and the experience of God is induced. When character is being developed in the direction of Christian ideals. When the teacher possesses a religious personality. (109-10) I confess that I am not very sanguine about the possibilities of the ordinary church school with its short sessions, artificial atmosphere, and conscripted teachers. Very little constructive teaching can be expected in the modern home. If we are to go forward, we must look for new leadership within the church. Surely the time has come for church to set up a seven-day plan for religious education which will utilize the public school, the home, the playground, and the church school, integrating the religious aspects of all these experiences and directing them toward the realization of Christian purposes. (pg. 122) (1932). Religion and the child's life. In Dorothy Canfield Fisher &Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg (Eds.) Our children: A handbook for parents (pp.307-317). New York: The Viking Press. In no area of life is it so true as in the area of religion that we are living suspended between two worlds - a past that has gone and a future that is yet to be. The paraphernalia and forms of our fathers' faiths are all about us, but they are like the furniture and ornaments of an empty house. Children see them, of course, and wonder about them. They hear words associated with religious experiences - "God," "Jesus," "the Sabbath," "the Bible." They see around them in familiar pictures representations of the Jewish-Christian epic - the cross, angels and figures of Christmas legends. At certain seasons of the year their environment takes on a special coloring which is in some vague way connected with religious tradition. Quaint tales and curious fables find their way to them through all sorts of unsupervised channels - their playmates at school, the cook's sister. They may perhaps have received some formal instruction and enjoy the authorized fellowship of a Sunday school or some other religious group. But that is usually a dull business. For most children the passion and the beauty and the practical serviceableness formerly associated with religious symbols and religious experiences are no longer accessible. The shell is there but not the substance. Religion is a deserted house. The people who used to live in it are in a foreign country camping on the hills; they have built for themselves other shelters and their adventures lead them in other directions. Devotion and despair speak a different tongue from the spiritual dialects of the past. And the mysteries of birth and death are quite without emotional house room. (pg. 307). Religious education is in somewhat the same situation today that sex education was several years ago. Most of the formal instruction is of a routine sort, without vitality and meaning. Parents and teachers are uninformed, embarrassed, double-minded, victims of their own miseducation. The result is that children's real learnings are of a causal and illicit nature, often inaccurate, exaggerated, unwholesome. Tremendous strides have been made in sex education. We need something of the same courageous attack on problems of religious education. (pg. 308) Among intelligent groups in America, religion has been one of the most neglected of all the possible subjects for adult education. Recently, however, a new interest has sprung up and a new freedom in discussion. This is distinctly encouraging, for it is not primarily the children of this generation who need religious education, but their elders. (pg. 317) (1934). The faith and education. In Frank Gavin (Ed.) Liberal Catholicism and the modern world (pp. 151-159). Vol. I. Milwaukee: Morehouse Publishing. As a matter of fact, American schools have been at the mercy of whatever happened to be the ruling passion of the social group of which they were a part. Nationalism, the cult of social success, the exploitation of individual prowess, racial and religious superiority: these the schools served to foster, not because of an conscious purpose to do so on the part of teachers and officials but because the ideals of education itself were ambiguous, not closely related to the civilization in which they were to function, academic and anemic. In an age of universal self-deception, educators were perhaps the most self-deceived people. (pg. 151) We can say with conviction that the Anglican Church in America has done little to put into practice the great educational principals of Catholicism. A patter of catechism; drill on ritualism; long lectures in biblical history; and in many parishes an elaborate graded system under inefficient teachers using a hodge-podge of material that reflects the well meaning, spiritual confusion of liberal Protestantism. This is about what we actually find. It is almost if not quite as bad as this! Yet every parish where the sacramental life of the Church is observed and where men and women draw with joy out of the wells of salvation is a potential center for religious education of the finest sort. In a few closely knit parishes, in Church boarding schools here and there, and in a handful of Church families, children are growing up in glad allegiance to the Catholic Church, finding freedom and expression within it. (pg. 158) (1935) Seven psalms: Suggestions for Bible study, meditation, and group worship. New York: The Womans Press. It is this central emphasis on the nature and purpose of God that makes the psalms so much needed in the present day. Surely we need to see our personal and social experiences in their Godward aspects. We need to find God in them. We need to learn to praise God in the midst of our common everyday life - not in spite of it, not outside it, but within in. (pg. 7) As we come to know the psalms better we see that they reflect just the sort of worship that we need desperately in this generation. They are a fine corrective for the narrow individualism that has crept into our devotion and corrupted popular religion. For the psalms are always the aspirations not of a solitary individual but of a group. In them we have a healthy collectivism - the priesthood of every believer - which at its best, as in many of these ancient poems, transcends narrow nationalism and embraces the whole of nature and history. (pg. 7) (1941?) Teaching that touches life. The Christian Register, n.p. This Christianity has been divorced from life both by its opponents and its adherents. This would be an unhappy state indeed were it not for a group representing another strain in our religious heritage, a group which has insisted in season and out of season that religion has a direct bearing upon the problems of human life. Here are the prophets of Israel and leaders and martyrs from the earliest days to the present time. They tell us that the heart of the Christian message is in its belief in radically transformed relationships, in its insistence on human brotherhood. They declare that only in relation to this fundamental teaching can the nature of God and the character of the spiritual life be understood. (n.p.) What then are the marks of Christian teaching which is in touch with life? It has at least these three characteristics, and it has them in all grades, from the kindergarten up to the adult classes. 1. It faces the ugly facts of our common life and judges them. 2. It encourages experiments in Christian brotherhood and participation in causes for social justice. 3. It studies our religious heritage as a great panorama of human experience where the will of God has been seeking to express itself. (n. p)(1949). Educating for peace: A study of children's opinion on world affairs. In Sydney Temple (Ed.) Peace is possible: Essays dedicated to the memory of Adelaide T. Case (pp.104-113). Deep River, Connecticut: The New Era Press. These children's sentiments when they salute the flag were for the most part (or at least they thought they ought to be!) in the direction of peaceful work of the United States as one among nations, although there were substantial minorities representing attitudes of jingoism and blind obedience to authority. (pg. 109) This set of responses seen in conjunction with the ignorance of important facts already noted, is a glaring commentary on the character of our education for peace. Apparently we encourage children to express fine sentiments but to stand pat on live issues, where these sentiments might be effective. The best that can be said is that we "mean well feebly." (pg. 111) But education, when it becomes socially dangerous, is surely beginning to be socially useful. (pg. 113) Readings Books (1924). Liberal Christianity and religious education. New York: The Macmillian Company. This book is a revised edition of Case's doctoral dissertation, and thus represents some of her earliest held ideas about religious education. The central question of the book is "To what extent has protestant religious education adopted the educational objectives implied in the liberal movement." Case finds a disconnect between the system of religious education at the time, and the attitudes and conducted implied by liberalism. Her analysis includes religious education organizations, curriculum objectives, and the competency of religious workers. Throughout the study reflects the influence of Case's dissertation adviser, George Alfred Coe, particularly in the application of scripture and the appeal for a fundamental restructuring of the Sunday school experience. (1927). As modern writers see Jesus. Boston: the Pilgrim Press. Written for religious education teachers, parents, librarians, and parish committees, this extended and annotated bibliography on major works focused on Jesus is intended to help the consumer sift through a variety of works for all ages. The individual entries for prose, poetry, plays, and pictures gives a brief synopsis of the work, along with Case's suggestions for its use. The book conveys a clear sense of some of Case's more pragmatic opinions regarding religious literature. (1935). Seven psalms: Suggestions for Bible study, meditation, and group worship. New York: The Womans Press. This is a plan for the study and use during worship of psalms 19, 46, 51, 73, 103, 107, 122. The focus throughout is the use of psalms as devotional literature, and the reader is encouraged to see through them the activity of God in their own lives and within human history. (1940). The servant of the Lord: A devotional commentary on the servant songs in second Isaiah. New York: The Womans Press. As a devotional commentary for Christians, this work focuses on the application of the Servant Songs in Isaiah II to everyday life. Case emphasizes some themes common to her work throughout, including the Incarnation, God's love for all humanity, and God's reign of justice and peace. Chapters in Books (1929). Religion and the child's life. In Dorothy Canfield Fisher &Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg (Eds.) Our children: A handbook for parents (pp. 307-317). New York: The Viking Press. In this article Case reiterates her belief in the centrality of religion to childhood experience, and argues for the need to find new ways to adapt the educational process to their needs with creativity and vitality. Case's dislike for boring educational methods unsuited to children's learning needs is evident here. Moreover, Case consciously writes for a religiously diverse audience, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, beseeching adults to be conscious in not passing along their narrow and ignorant prejudices to children. Rather than providing children with religion based in prohibitions, Case urges adults to become educated themselves, in order to meet their children's questions in a spirit of freedom and appreciation of other religious groups. (1932). When is education religious? In Walter M. Howlett (Ed.) Religion: The dynamic of education (pp.109-122). New York: Harper &Brothers. The focus of this collection of articles from a symposium on religious education sponsored by the Greater New York Federation of Churches is the relationship between religion and education in a country based on the separation of church and state. The guiding premise throughout the collection is that religion - as the integrating force that gives life its value - is either integral to education or both the individual and the state have lost something of deep value. Case's article describes the parameters of religious education, and suggests the need for a seven-day plan that will integrate religious education into all aspects of a child's life. (1934). The faith and education. In Frank Gavin (Ed.) Liberal Catholicism and the modern world (pp.151-159). Milwaukee: Morehouse Publishing. In this article Case presents her sense of the priorities for (Anglo-) Catholic religious education. She specifically advocates for a sympathetic understanding of the social goals of public education in religious circles; the need for leaders to present the need for such education to parish clergy and parents; and, raising of the level of religious education in those congregations which already represent themselves as part of the Catholic tradition. Case's commitment to the sacramental and liturgical life of the church, her distrust of nationalism, and her belief in the role of education within the social order are evident here. (1936). Christian education. In Samuel McCrea Cavert &Henry Pitney Van Dusen (Eds.) The church through half a century: Essays in honor of William Adams Brown (pp. 229-247). New York: C. Scribner's sons. This article presents Case's overview of the role of Christian education in the liberal movement and in the twentieth century. (1949). Educating for peace: A study of children's opinion on world affairs. In Sydney Temple (Ed.) Peace is possible: Essays dedicated to the memory of Adelaide T. Case (pp.104-113). Deep River, Connecticut: The New Era Press. This article was actually written thirteen years before its publication, prior to World War II. It is based on a report written by Case in 1936 with Paul Limbert entitled "Around the World," and published by the Associated Press. In the study, Case and Limbert surveyed 373 children about world issues. Case writes about the results of the study in this article, and makes a case for the importance of peace education in a world where future generations often receive erroneous information about world events. The collection of essays was published posthumously in Case's honor by colleagues in the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship. Selected Articles (1927, June). The religion of childhood. Findings in religious education, 3-6. A synopsis of Case's understandings of the religious world of children with practical suggestions for leaders. (1941?) Teaching that touches life. The Christian Register, n.p. In this article Case discusses the characteristics of Christian teaching that is in touch with contemporary life and the search for truth. The vitality and urgency with which Case viewed the teaching office infuses this short piece in which she decries "pseudo-progressivism" among liberal groups which trivializes religious teaching and makes trivial connections between faith and life. (1942, February). Women in defense of the church. The Church Militant, 3-4. Case's explication of the mission and ministry of Christian women during wartime. In the article she details how women can work to strengthen their parishes, their homes and families, as well as the larger world through prayer and action. Information Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Ed.D, Ph.D, is the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty and professor of practical theology and religious education at Claremont School of Theology. She also serves as professor of Anglican studies at Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont.

US, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, established orphanage in Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), pentecostal missionary, evangelist
Egypt, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), missionary, evangelist, established orphanage, in Assiout, Egypt, Nile Mother oEgypt, fFlorida&Georgia, Catholic then Filled with the Spirit at Bible College in South Carolina, pastored Pentacostal Church, traveled wEvangelist, returned tWork at Orphanage, broke engagement, felt called tAfrica, arrived Egypt wOnly $100, dying mother gave baby, man asks tCare for daughter, ordained Church oGod Cleveland TN, fFinancial prayer joined Assemblies oGod, worked 25 yrs 1929-1954 woFurlough, orphanage 1200 children ; Egypt, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), missionary, evangelist, established orphanage; Hunt Trasher (27 September 1887 – 17 December 1961) was a Christian missionary to Asyut, Egypt, as well as the founder of the first orphanage in Egypt. She is famed as the "Nile Mother" of Egypt. life was born in Jacksonville, Florida and was raised Roman Catholic in Brunswick, Georgia.[1] According to one account, her Quaker family had moved to the South after the Civil War.[2] still in her late teens, Trasher attended Bible college for one term, and then worked at Faith Orphanage in North Carolina in 1908–1910, after she failed to get a reporting job that she wanted. After becoming engaged to marry minister Tom Jordan, Trasher heard a missionary from India speak. Deciding that her mission lay in Africa, she broke off the engagement ten days before the wedding after her prospective husband failed to share her call. Trasher also taught at a second Bible school in South Carolina, pastored a Pentecostal church, and briefly travelled with an evangelist, but later returned to work again at the orphanage. 1910 after meeting Pastor Brelsford (or Perlsford) of Assiout, Egypt at a missionary conference, Trasher decided to defy her family's wishes and leave for that country.[3] Inspired as well by opening a bible to Acts 7:34, which referred to Egypt, Lilian and her sister Jennie sailed to Africa with less than 100 dollars in their pockets. in Egypt and starting the orphanage in Assiout, (some 230 miles south of Cairo), she soon met a man who came to the mission house seeking someone to attend to a dying woman nearby. Lillian and an older woman named Sela went to see the woman, who died shortly after they arrived, but left them her malnourished baby girl, clinging to life. When they arrived, their Arabic translator told Miss Trasher that the old woman then holding the baby (its grandmother) planned to throw it into the great river Nile. At the thought of this Lillian Trasher could not leave the baby, whom she named Fareida. Thus she defied her then-mission organization and began an orphanage.[4] By the turn of 1918 her orphanage family had grown to fifty children and eight widows. When Trasher returned to the States briefly in 1919 (Britain expelled foreigners during civil unrest) and saw the financial and prayer support to be found in the Assemblies of God, Trasher joined the missions-oriented movement. Upon returning to Egypt, she expanded her mission to include widows and the blind. Trasher worked 50 years among Egypt's orphans and other forgotten people, from 1911 to 1961, without a furlough, including through the Nazi occupation during World War II. and legacy the time she died in 1961, the Lillian Trasher Orphanage had grown to some 1200 children. Today, the institution is entirely the responsibility of the Assemblies of God of Egypt, with 85% of its daily needs being met by donations from the Presbyterian churches of Egypt, the Soul Salvation Society, and other Egyptian church bodies. Lillian lies buried on her orphanage's cemetery. In accordance with Egyptian law she was buried the same day that she died. The orphanage she founded still helps people to this day. is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on December 19. Assiout, Egypt; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; Hunt Trasher (27 September 1887–17 December 1961) was a Christian missionary to Assiout, Egypt, as well as the founder of the first orphanage in Egypt, famed as the “Nile Mother” of Egypt. was born in Florida, and grew up in Georgia. She followed Roman Catholicism as a young girl. In her teens, through Bible reading and Bible studies at a friend's house, she chose to make a personal commitment of her life to Jesus Christ. still in her late teens, Trasher attended Bible college for one term, and then worked at an orphanage in North Carolina. She received the infilling of the Holy Spirit at a second Bible school in South Carolina, and pastored a Pentecostal church. For a brief period, she traveled with an evangelist, but later returned to work again at the orphanage. was only ten days away from her wedding date when she broke her engagement to Tom Jordan. She felt called to Africa, he didn't, and in that same year of 1910 she defied her family's wishes and sailed to Africa with less than 100 dollars in her pocket. Her sister Jennie accompanied her, and was a valuable companion through decades of work overseas. in Egypt, Trasher had little idea what exactly she should do. That was decided for her when a dying Egyptian mother gave her baby to Trasher to care for. rented a home in the predominantly Christian city of Assiout (some 230 miles south of Cairo), and, after a period of a few months, a man came to her with his infant daughter whose mother was dying. The man asked her to take care of the girl for him, and this was the beginning of the Lillian Trasher Orphanage, accepting that her previous experience in that work was a sign of God's leading. 1912, the Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee ordained Trasher, and by 1916 her orphanage family had grown to fifty children. When she returned to the States in 1919 and saw the financial and prayer support to be found in the Assemblies of God, Trasher joined the very missions-minded new organization. Trasher worked 25 years--from 1929 to 1954--without a furlough. the time of her death in 1961, the Lillian Trasher Orphanage had grown to some 1200 children. the institution is entirely the responsibility of the Assemblies of God of Egypt, with some 85% of its daily needs being met by donations from the Presbyterian churches of Egypt, the Soul Salvation Society, and other Egyptian church bodies. Lillian lies buried in a simple Egyptian tomb several miles outside the city of Assiout. from Wikipedia

US, 1909-1913, Pres Will H Taft, Conservative Republican, P Roosevelt conflict helped P Wilson win, SCOTUS Chief
US President, 1909-1913, William Howard Taft; ---------------------William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 - March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921-1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected president in 1908, the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt, but was defeated for reelection by Woodrow Wilson in 1912 after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position he held until a month before his death. was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1857. His father, Alphonso Taft, was a U.S. attorney general and secretary of war. Taft attended Yale and joined the Skull and Bones, of which his father was a founding member. becoming a lawyer, Taft was appointed a judge while still in his twenties. He continued a rapid rise, being named solicitor general and a judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. 1901, President William McKinley appointed Taft civilian governor of the Philippines. 1904, Roosevelt made him Secretary of War, and he became Roosevelt's hand-picked successor. Despite his personal ambition to become chief justice, Taft declined repeated offers of appointment to the Supreme Court of the United States, believing his political work to be more important. Roosevelt's help, Taft had little opposition for the Republican nomination for president in 1908 and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency in that November's election. the White House, he focused on East Asia more than European affairs and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments. sought reductions to trade tariffs, then a major source of governmental income, but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests. His administration was filled with conflict between the Republican Party's conservative wing, with which Taft often sympathized, and its progressive wing, toward which Roosevelt moved more and more. over conservation and antitrust cases filed by the Taft administration served to further separate the two men. Roosevelt challenged Taft for renomination in 1912. Taft used his control of the party machinery to gain a bare majority of delegates and Roosevelt bolted the party. The split left Taft with little chance of reelection, and he took only Utah and Vermont in Wilson's victory. leaving office, Taft returned to Yale as a professor, continuing his political activity and working against war through the League to Enforce Peace. 1921, Harding appointed Taft chief justice, an office he had long sought. Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues, and under him there were advances in individual rights. poor health, he resigned in February 1930, and died the following month. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be interred there. Taft is generally listed near the middle in historians' rankings of U.S. presidents. SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (13 March 1911); CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13;

US, 1913, West Coast Railroad, After LA Aquaduct

US, 1913, West Coast Railroad, after LA Aquaduct, Vancouver to San Diego, I5 Corridor

US, 1913-1921, President Woodrow Wilson, progressive, southern dem, professor, income tax, fed reserve, WWI, segregation
President, 1913-1921, Woodrow Wilson ; Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of Princeton University and as the governor of New Jersey before winning the 1912 presidential election. As President, Wilson changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I in 1917. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism. grew up in the American South, mainly in Augusta, Georgia, during the Civil War and Reconstruction. After earning a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University, Wilson taught at various colleges before becoming the president of Princeton University and a spokesman for progressivism in higher education. As governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913, Wilson broke with party bosses and won the passage of several progressive reforms. To win the presidential nomination he mobilized progressives and Southerners to his cause at the 1912 Democratic National Convention. Wilson defeated incumbent Republican William Howard Taft and third-party nominee Theodore Roosevelt to easily win the 1912 United States presidential election, becoming the first Southerner to do so since 1848. allowed the continuing imposition of segregation inside the federal bureaucracy. His first term was largely devoted to pursuing passage of his progressive New Freedom domestic agenda. His first major priority was the Revenue Act of 1913, which lowered tariffs and began the modern income tax. Wilson also negotiated the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, which created the Federal Reserve System. Two major laws, the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, were enacted to promote business competition and combat extreme corporate power. the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the U.S. declared neutrality as Wilson tried to negotiate a peace between the Allied and Central Powers. He narrowly won re-election in the 1916 United States presidential election, boasting how he kept the nation out of wars in Europe and Mexico. April 1917, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany in response to its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare that sank American merchant ships. Wilson nominally presided over war-time mobilization and left military matters to the generals. instead concentrated on diplomacy, issuing the Fourteen Points that the Allies and Germany accepted as a basis for post-war peace. He wanted the off-year elections of 1918 to be a referendum endorsing his policies, but instead the Republicans took control of Congress. the Allied victory in November 1918, Wilson went to Paris where he and the British and French leaders dominated the Paris Peace Conference. successfully advocated for the establishment of a multinational organization, the League of Nations. It was incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles that he signed. Wilson had refused to bring any leading Republican into the Paris talks, and back home he rejected a Republican compromise that would have allowed the Senate to ratify the Versailles Treaty and join the League. had intended to seek a third term in office but suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 that left him incapacitated. His wife and his doctor controlled Wilson, and no significant decisions were made. his policies alienated German and Irish Democrats and the Republicans won a landslide in the 1920 presidential election. Scholars have generally ranked Wilson in the upper tier of U.S presidents, although he has been criticized for supporting racial segregation. His liberalism nevertheless lives on as a major factor in American foreign policy, and his vision of ethnic self-determination resonated globally. SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; Walter Rauschenbusch of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

US, 1913-1963, SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, Midtown, NYC, Episcopal Priest, co-founder Alcoholics Anonymous
US, 1913-1963, SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, atCalvary Church in New York City, Midtown, Episcopal Priest, insturmental in Oxford Group, his church was US Headquarters Oxford Group, Bill Wilson credited him as co-founder Alcoholics Anonymous, while in China with Frank Buchman and Princeton-in-China, learned of the 4 absolutes: honesty purity unselfishness & love,12 Steps AA from Sam, wrote over 30 books, last 10 yrs served in Calvary Church Pitsburg, foremost preacher, regular radio program, rebirth small group ministries in US, christianity into daily activities, interdenominational Pittsburg Experiment and Faith at Work, beginnings of Anglican Fellowship oPrayer; Calvary Church in New York City; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Shoemaker, DD, STD (1893-1963), was an Episcopal priest who was instrumental in the Oxford Group founding principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Samuel Moor Shoemaker was the rector of the Calvary Church in New York City, was the United States headquarters of the Oxford Group. Wilson attended Oxford Group meetings at the Calvary Church Sam was instrumental in assisting Bill Wilson with the writing of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (nickname: The Big Book). acknowledged this linkage when he wrote in the book, A.A. Comes of Age (page 39): 1917, Sam Shoemaker had been sent to China to start a branch of the YMCA to teach at the Princeton-in-China Program. in 1918, feeling discouraged, he first met Frank Buchman told him of the four absolutes, honesty, purity and unselfishness and love. Shoemaker would speak of the meeting as a major influence for the start of his ministry, being the time when he decided to let go of self and let God guide his life Wilson, in 1955, would later give credit to Sam Shoemaker whom he referred to as a co-founder of AA. It was from Sam Shoemaker, that we absorbed most of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of AA's way of life. Dr. Silkworth gave us the needed knowledge of our illness, but Sam Shoemaker had given us the concrete knowledge of what we could do about it, he passed on the spiritual keys by which we were liberated. The early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else." Shoemaker wrote over thirty books, at least half of which were circulating before A.A.’s 12 Steps were first published in the Big Book in 1939. by Shoemaker: Children of the Second Birth, 1927 If I Be Lifted Up, 1931 The Conversion of the Church, 1932 Twice-Born Ministers, 1929 Shoemaker's contributions and service to Alcoholics Anonymous and as a minister of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church of America have had a worldwide effect. The philosophy that Shoemaker codified, in conjunction with Bill Wilson, is used in almost every country around the world to treat alcoholism. — from Wikipedia leaving New York, Dr. Shoemaker served Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, for ten years before retiring in 1961. was known as one of the foremost preachers of his day, with a regularly-scheduled radio program. was also instrumental in the rebirth of small group ministries in the United States, led to (among other things) the Pittsburgh Experiment, and Faith at Work, both interdenominational program designed to bring Christianity into normal daily activities. he was involved in the beginnings of the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, actually started by his wife Helen in the 1950's.

US, 1914-1938, CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, martyred missionary, Dominican Republic, noted Haitians slaughter by Trujillo
US, 1914-1938, CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, martyred missionary, Dominican Republic, Hispanola, noted slaughter Haitians by Trujillo, also served PA, Belize, Honduras ; Dominican Republic; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; American missionary in the Dominican Republic, Reverend Charles Barnes spoke out against tyranny. raised awareness of the slaughter of thousands of Haitian innocents at the hand of the Dominican Republic's Trujillo regime by writing letters to contacts in the American State Department. by Trujillo's officials, Barnes' letters made him the target of the regime, and he was martyred for his advocacy in 1938. came to the Dominican Republic in April 1936, and served as Vicar of the Church of the Epiphany, where his remains are interred. was born in Camden, New Jersey, on March 17, 1894, received his graduate theological training at the General Theological Seminary in New York. to the priesthood in 1920, served in Pennsylvania, present-day Belize, and Honduras before coming to the Dominican Republic. a Eucharist celebrated at General Convention, 2015.

US, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbying, Paris, San Fran

US President's Folder, 1921-1933

US, 1921-1923, President Warren G. Harding, rep, very popular while alive, Teapot Dome bribery and other scandals after d
US President, 1921-1923, Warren G. Harding; Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 - August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular U.S. presidents to that point. After his death, a number of scandals, including Teapot Dome, came to light, as did his extramarital affair with Nan Britton; those eroded his popular regard. lived in rural Ohio all his life, except when political service took him elsewhere. As a young man, he bought The Marion Star and built it into a successful newspaper. He served in the Ohio State Senate from 1900 to 1904, then as lieutenant governor for two years. He was defeated for governor in 1910, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1914, the state's first direct election for that office. ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1920, and was considered a long shot until after the convention began. The leading candidates could not gain the needed majority, and the convention deadlocked. Harding's support gradually grew until he was nominated on the tenth ballot. He conducted a front porch campaign, remaining for the most part in Marion and allowing the people to come to him, and running on a theme of a return to normalcy of the pre-World War period. won in a landslide over Democrat James M. Cox and Socialist Party candidate Eugene Debs, to become the first sitting senator elected president. appointed a number of well-regarded figures to his cabinet, including Andrew Mellon at Treasury, Herbert Hoover at Commerce, and Charles Evans Hughes at the State Department. major foreign policy achievement came with the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–1922, in which the world's major naval powers agreed on a naval limitations program that lasted a decade. released political prisoners who had been arrested for their opposition to the World War. cabinet members Albert B. Fall (Interior Secretary) and Harry Daugherty (Attorney General) were each later tried for corruption in office; Fall was convicted though Daugherty was not. These and other scandals greatly damaged Harding's posthumous reputation; he is generally regarded as one of the worst presidents in U.S. history. Harding died of a heart attack in San Francisco while on a western tour, and was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge. Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming, as well as two locations in California, to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding.[1] The leases were the subject of a seminal investigation by Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Convicted of accepting bribes from the oil companies, Fall became the first presidential cabinet member to go to prison; no one was convicted of paying the bribes. the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the "greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics".[2] It damaged the reputation of the Harding administration, which was already severely diminished by its controversial handling of the Great Railroad Strike of 1922 and Harding's veto of the Bonus Bill in 1922.[3] Congress subsequently passed legislation, enduring to this day, giving subpoena power to the House and Senate for review of tax records of any U.S. citizen regardless of elected or appointed position.[4] These resulting laws are also considered to have empowered the role of Congress more generally.[5] ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13;

US, 1923-1929, President Calvin Coolidge, Northeast Rep, small govt conservative, popular
US President, 1923-1929, Calvin Coolidge; Coolidge[1] (July 4, 1872 - January 5, 1933) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Republican lawyer from New England, born in Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of Massachusetts. response to the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. next year, he was elected the 29th vice president of the United States, and he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative and also as a man who said very little and had a rather dry sense of humor.[2][3] restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity.[4] a Coolidge biographer wrote: "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."[5] have ranked Coolidge in the lower half of those presidents that they have assessed. He is praised by advocates of smaller government and laissez-faire economics, while supporters of an active central government generally view him less favorably, although most praise his stalwart support of racial equality.[6] ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; William Dwight Porter Bliss of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated January 29 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13;

US, 1926-1973, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, James Gordon Lindsay, Commemorated December 24
Illinois, 1926-1973, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, James Gordon Lindsay, Commemorated December 24 ; Zion, Illinois; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

US, 1927-1976, Kathryn Kuhlman, PS, American Christian Evangelist, referred to as a faith healer, estimated 2Million healed
US, 1927-1976, Kathryn Kuhlman, PS, fConcordia, Missouri (Missoiuri River 23), American Christian Evangelist, referred to as a faith healer, bible instruction at home from Methodist Parents, father was the mayor, spiritual experience at 14, itinerant preaching several years later in Idaho with elder sister and brother-in-law, later ordained Evangelical Church Alliance, traveled extensively around US and abroad healing meetings between 1940s and 70s, considered one of the most well known faith healers in the world, however she considered term faith healer to be offensive, 1955 heart condition in her late 40s, but she kept very busy schedule, across US and abroad, 2-6 hour meetings, often late into evening, 60s and 70s weekly national tv program I believe in Miracles, plus 30 minute radio program, her foundation estab 1954 in US, 1970 in Canada, she supported the Jesus Movement, 1970 moved to Las Angeles for healing services for thousands, often compared to Aimee Simple McPherson, gift of healing but no theological training, friendly wPat Robinson, CBN and 700 Club, sued 1975 for breach oContract, she increased number of services whene heart pain increased, estimated 2Million people healed, case study against but analysis criticised by believers, he attended only one service and did not follow up those healed there, no one claimed everyone healed, but significant recoveries occurred; Concordia, Missouri ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; Kuhlman (May 9, 1907 - February 20, 1976) was an American Christian evangelist who was referred to by her contemporaries and the press to be a 'faith healer'. life[edit] Johanna Kuhlman was born in 1907 near Concordia, Missouri, where her father was mayor.[1] was one of four children to German-American parents Joseph Adolph Kuhlman and Emma Walkenhorst.[2] received Bible instruction at home from her parents, who were both Methodist.[3][better source needed] had a spiritual experience at age 14, and several years later she began itinerant preaching with her elder sister and brother-in-law in Idaho. she was ordained by the Evangelical Church Alliance.[4] H. Williams of Brooklyn, New York helped to birth Kuhlman's healing ministry.[4] traveled extensively around the United States and abroad holding healing meetings between the 1940s and 1970s. was considered to be one of the most well-known faith healers in the world, the term "faith healer" was something she rejected as offensive.[citation needed] 1955, despite being told by doctors about a heart condition in her late 40s, Kuhlman kept a very busy schedule, often traveling across the US and abroad, holding two to six-hour long meetings which could last late into the evenings.[5] had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called I Believe In Miracles' that was aired nationally. also had a 30-minute nationwide radio program, which featured sermons and frequent excerpts from her healing services in music and message. foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970. in her life she was supportive of the nascent Jesus movement.[6] 1970 she had moved to Los Angeles, conducting healing services for thousands of people, was often compared to Aimee Semple McPherson.[7] became well known for her "gift of healing" despite, as she often noted, having no theological training.[7][dead link] was friendly with Christian television evangelist Pat Robertson and made guest appearances at his Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and on the network's flagship program The 700 Club. 1975, Kuhlman was sued by Paul Bartholomew, her personal administrator, who claimed that she kept $1 million in jewelry and $1 million in fine art hidden away and sued her for $430,500 for breach of contract.[8][9] former associates accused her in the lawsuit of diverting funds and of illegally removing records, which she denied and said the records were not private.[10] According to Kuhlman, the lawsuit was settled prior to trial.[11] devotion to her ministry was summed up in the 1976 biography Daughter of Destiny, written by Jamie Buckingham: television ministry itself required more than $30,000 a week. To stop, to even cut back, would mean she was beginning to fail. The same was true with the miracle services. As the pain in her chest grew almost unbearable, instead of holding fewer services, she increased the number." estimated two million people reported that they were healed in her meetings over the years.[12] a 1967 fellowship in Philadelphia, Dr. William A. Nolen conducted a case study of 23 people who said they had been cured during one of her services.[13][14][15][16] long term follow-ups concluded that there were no cures in those cases. woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer threw away her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the next day and she died four months later.[11][17] analysis of Kulhman came in for criticism from believers. Althouse, a physician, said that Nolen had attended only one of Kuhlman's services and did not follow up with all of those who said they had been healed there.[18] Richard Casdorph produced a book of evidence in support of miraculous healings by Kuhlman.[19] van der Breggen, a Christian philosophy professor, argued in favor of the claims.[20] Craig Keener concluded, "No one claims that everyone was healed, but it is also difficult to dispute that significant recoveries occurred, apparently in conjunction with prayer. may associate these with Kathryn Kuhlman's faith or that of the supplicants, or, as in some of Kuhlman's teaching, to no one's faith at all; but the evidence suggests that some people were healed, even in extraordinary ways.".[21] Richard Owellen, a member of the cancer‐research department of the Johns Hopkins Hospital who appeared frequently at Kuhlman's services, testified to various healings that he said he had investigated.[22] life[edit] met Texas evangelist Burroughs Waltrip in 1935, when he was a guest speaker at Kuhlman's Denver Revival Tabernacle, the two preachers soon found themselves in a romantic relationship with each other.[23] Waltrip divorced his first wife, left his family, moved to Mason City, Iowa, and started a revival center called Radio Chapel, Kuhlman and her pianist friend, Helen Gulliford, helped him raise funds for this new venture.[6] a romance between Waltrip and Kuhlman began, she told her friends that she could not "find the will of God in the matter", seemingly feeling guilt-ridden. friends tried to encourage her to not marry Waltrip. she reasoned that Waltrip's wife had left him, not the other way around. (The details of their separation are not clear.)[23] October 18, 1938, she secretly married "Mister," as she called him, in Mason City, but the wedding supposedly brought her no peace.[24] couple had no children and eventually separated in 1944, divorcing in 1948. Regarding her marriage, in a 1952 interview with the Denver Post, Kuhlman stated, "He charged—correctly—that I refused to live with him. I haven't seen him in eight years."[25] many occasions, Kuhlman expressed remorse for her part in the pain caused by the breakup of Waltrip's previous marriage, citing his children's heartbreak as particularly troubling to her. claimed it was the single greatest regret of her life, second only to the betrayal of her loving relationship with Jesus.[25] July 1975, a doctor diagnosed Kuhlman with a minor heart flare-up; in November, she had a relapse.[26] a result, Kuhlman underwent open-heart surgery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during which she died on February 20, 1976.[4] was reported in her biography that at the time of her passing in the hospital, a bright light was witnessed hovering over her corpse.[25] Kuhlman was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. plaque in her honor is in the main city park in Concordia, Missouri, a town in central Missouri on Interstate Highway 70.[citation needed] she died, her will led to controversy.[27] left $267,500, the bulk of her estate, to three members of her family and twenty of her employees. bequests were given to 19 other employees. to the Independent Press-Telegram, her employees were disappointed when they learned that "she did not leave most of her estate to the foundation as she had done under a previous 1974 will." Kathryn Kuhlman Foundation had continued, but due to lack of funding, it terminated its nationwide radio broadcast in 1982. Ultimately, the foundation closed its doors in April 2016.[28] believers uphold Kuhlman as an important forerunner to the present-day charismatic movement.[29] influenced faith healers Benny Hinn and Billy Burke. has adopted some of her techniques and he also wrote a book about Kuhlman, as he frequently attended her preaching services.[30] did meet her and was counseled by her, having claimed a miracle healing in her service as a young boy.[31] 1981, David Byrne and Brian Eno sampled one of Kuhlman's sermons for a track which they created during sessions for their collaborative album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. failing to clear the license to Kuhlman's voice from her estate, the track was reworked to use audio from an unidentified exorcism, with this modified version being released as "The Jezebel Spirit".[32] Kuhlman version was later included on the 1992 bootleg recording Ghosts, titled "Into the Spirit Womb".[citation needed] Kathryn Kuhlman, I Believe in Miracles, Prentice-Hall Publishers (1962) Kathryn Kuhlman, God Can Do It Again, (1969) Kathryn Kuhlman, Nothing Is Impossible With God, Bridge-Logos Publishers (1974) Kathryn Kuhlman, Never Too Late, Bridge-Logos Publishers (1975) Kathryn Kuhlman, The Greatest Power in the World: A Spirit-Filled Classic Bridge-Logos Publishers (2008) Kathryn Kuhlman, A Glimpse into Glory: A Spirit-Filled Classic Bridge Publishing INC International Concepts.,U.S. (1979) Kathryn Kuhlman, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Publisher - Kathryn Kuhlman (2022) Kathryn Kuhlman, Victory in Jesus and the Lord's Healing Touch, Leopold Classic Library (2015) Kathryn Kuhlman, Twilight and Dawn: The Great Physicians Second Opinion, Bridge-Logos Publishers (1979) Biography[edit] Buckingham, Jamie (1976). Daughter of Destiny: Kathryn Kuhlman...Her Story. Bridge-Logos Foundation. ISBN 0882703188. Wayne E. Warner, Kathryn Kuhlman, The Woman Behind the Miracles, Servant Publications/New Wine Press (1993) Artman, Amy Collier, The Miracle Lady: Kathryn Kuhlman and the Transformation of Charismatic Christianity, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., (2019)

US, 1929-1933, President Herbert Hoover, progressive rep, stock market crash, progressive recovery caused depression
US President, 1929-1933, Herbert Hoover; Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician, businessman, and engineer who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933. member of the Republican Party, he held office during the onset of the Great Depression. serving as president, Hoover led the Commission for Relief in Belgium, served as the director of the U.S. Food Administration, and served as the third U.S. secretary of commerce. to a Quaker family in West Branch, Iowa, he grew up in Oregon.[1] Hoover took a position with a London-based mining company after graduating from Stanford University in 1895. the outbreak of World War I, he became the head of the Commission for Relief in Belgium, an international relief organization that provided food to occupied Belgium. the U.S. entered the war, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover to lead the Food Administration, and Hoover became known as the country's "food czar". the war, Hoover led the American Relief Administration, which provided food to the inhabitants of Central and Eastern Europe. Hoover's war-time service made him a favorite of many progressives, and he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 1920 presidential election. the 1920 election, newly elected Republican President Warren G. Harding appointed Hoover as Secretary of Commerce; Hoover continued to serve under President Calvin Coolidge after Harding died in 1923. was an unusually active and visible cabinet member, becoming known as "Secretary of Commerce and Under-Secretary of all other departments". was influential in the development of air travel and radio. He led the federal response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. won the Republican nomination in the 1928 presidential election, and decisively defeated the Democratic candidate, Al Smith. stock market crashed shortly after Hoover took office, and the Great Depression became the central issue of his presidency. pursued a variety of policies in an attempt to lift the economy, but opposed directly involving the federal government in relief efforts. the midst of the economic crisis, Hoover was decisively defeated by Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. leaving office, Hoover's retirement was over 31 years long, one of the longest retirements of any U.S president, and he authored numerous works in subsequent decades. Hoover became increasingly conservative in this time, and he strongly criticized Roosevelt's foreign policy and New Deal domestic agenda. the 1940s and 1950s, Hoover's public reputation was slightly rehabilitated, because he served in various assignments for Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, including as chairman of the Hoover Commission. he managed somewhat to rehabilitate his legacy, Hoover is still widely regarded as a below average U.S. president, and most polls of historians and political scientists rank him in the bottom third overall. ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934); HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1929-1965, William Branham, PS, faith healer, led healing movement, led restorationists, largest meetings, worldwide
US, 1929-1965, William Branham, PS, fBurkesville, Cumberland County, KY(Wilderness Road South to Nashville, Cumberland River), an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to prelude Christ's second coming; some of his followers have been labeled a doomsday cult, a principal architect of restorationist thought, leading individual in the Second Wave of Pentecostalism, largest religious meetings ever at that time, America, Europe, Africa, India, angelic visions, many controversies; Burkesville, Cumberland County, KY ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to prelude Christ's second coming; some of his followers have been labeled a "doomsday cult".[1][2][3] He is credited as "a principal architect of restorationist thought" for charismatics by some Christian historians,[4] has been called the "leading individual in the Second Wave of Pentecostalism."[5] made a lasting influence on televangelism and the modern charismatic movement,[6] and his "stage presence remains a legend unparalleled in the history of the Charismatic movement".[7] the time they were held, his inter-denominational meetings were the largest religious meetings ever held in some American cities. was the first American deliverance minister to successfully campaign in Europe; his ministry reached global audiences with major campaigns held in North America, Europe, Africa, and India. claimed that he had received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry and launching his campaigning career in mid-1946. fame rapidly spread as crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitations and reports of miracles happening at his meetings. ministry spawned many emulators and set in motion the broader healing revival that later became the modern charismatic movement. the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, Branham was widely adored and "the neo-Pentecostal world believed Branham to be a prophet to their generation".[8] 1955, Branham's campaigning and popularity began to decline as the Pentecostal churches began to withdraw their support from the healing campaigns for primarily financial reasons. By 1960, Branham transitioned into a teaching ministry. his contemporaries, who followed doctrinal teachings which are known as the Full Gospel tradition, Branham developed an alternative theology which was primarily a mixture of Calvinist and Arminian doctrines, and had a heavy focus on dispensationalism and Branham's own unique eschatological views. While widely accepting the restoration doctrine he espoused during the healing revival, his divergent post-revival teachings were deemed increasingly controversial by his charismatic and Pentecostal contemporaries, who subsequently disavowed many of the doctrines as "revelatory madness".[9] His racial teachings on serpent seed and his belief that membership in a Christian denomination was connected to the mark of the beast alienated many of his former supporters. His closest followers, however, accepted his sermons as oral scripture and refer to his teachings as The Message. Despite Branham's objections, some followers of his teachings placed him at the center of a cult of personality during his final years. Branham claimed that he had converted over one million people during his career. His teachings continue to be promoted by the William Branham Evangelistic Association, which reported that about 2 million people received its material in 2018. Branham died following a car accident in 1965. his healing revivals, Branham was accused of committing fraud by investigative news reporters, fellow ministers, host churches, and governmental agencies. Numerous people pronounced healed died shortly thereafter, investigators discovered evidence suggesting miracles may have been staged, and Branham was found to have significantly embellished and falsified numerous stories he presented to his audiences as fact. Branham faced legal problems as a result of his practices. The governments of South Africa and Norway intervened in order to stop his healing campaigns in their countries. In the United States, Branham was charged with tax evasion for failing to account for the donations received through his ministry; admitting his liability, he settled the case out of court. The news media has linked Branham to multiple notorious figures. Branham was baptized and ordained a minister by Roy Davis, the National Imperial Wizard (leader) of the Ku Klux Klan; the two men maintained a lifelong relationship. Branham helped launch and popularize the ministry of Jim Jones. Paul Schäfer, Robert Martin Gumbura, Leo Mercer, the Malindi cult and other followers of William Branham's teachings have regularly been in the news due to the serious crimes which they committed. Followers of Branham's teachings in Colonia Dignidad were portrayed in the 2015 film Colonia. life[edit] A log cabin with some logs missing and a lean-to attached to its side The dirt-floor log cabin that was William Marrion Branham's birthplace as shown in his biography William Branham: A Man Sent From God M. Branham was born near Burkesville, Kentucky, on April 6, 1909,[10][11][12][a][b] son of Charles and Ella Harvey Branham, oldest of ten children.[15] claimed that at his birth, a "Light come [sic] whirling through the window, about the size of a pillow, and circled around where I was, and went down on the bed".[11] told his publicist Gordon Lindsay that he had mystical experiences from an early age;[10] and that at age three he heard a "voice" speaking to him from a tree telling him "he would live near a city called New Albany".[10][11] to Branham, that year his family moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana.[11] also said that when he was seven years old, God told him to avoid smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.[10][16] Branham stated he never violated the command.[10] told his audiences that he grew up in "deep poverty",[10] often not having adequate clothing, and that his family was involved in criminal activities.[12] neighbors reported him as "someone who always seemed a little different", but said he was a dependable youth.[10] explained that his tendency towards "mystical experiences and moral purity" caused misunderstandings among his friends, family, and other young people; he was a "black sheep" from an early age.[17] called his childhood "a terrible life."[16] father owned a farm near Utica, Indiana, and took a job working for O. H. Wathen, owner of R. E. Wathen Distilleries in nearby Louisville, Kentucky.[18] was a supplier for Al Capone's bootlegging operations.[19] told his audiences that he was required to help his father with the illegal production and sale of liquor during prohibition. March 1924, Branham's father was arrested for his criminal activities; he was convicted and sentenced to a prison.[20] Indiana Ku Klux Klan claimed responsibility for attacking and shutting down the Jeffersonville liquor producing ring.[21] was involved in a firearms incident and was shot in both legs in March 1924, at age 14; he later told his audiences he was involved in a hunting accident. Two of his brothers also suffered life-threatening injuries at the same time.[22] was rushed to the hospital for treatment. family was unable to pay for his medical bills, but members of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan stepped in to cover the expenses.[23] help of the Klan during his impoverished childhood had a profound impact on Branham throughout his life. As late as 1963, Branham continued to speak highly of the them saying, "the Ku Klux Klan, paid the hospital bill for me, Masons. I can never forget them. See? No matter what they do, or what, I still ... there is something, and that stays with me ...".[24] Branham would go on to maintain lifelong connections to the KKK.[25] and early influences[edit] William Branham c. 1930 told his audiences that he left home at age 19 in search of a better life, traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked on a ranch for two years and began a successful career in boxing.[10] Branham was away, his brother Edward aged 18, shot and killed a Jeffersonville man and was charged with murder.[26][27] Edward died of a sudden illness only a short time later.[28] returned to Jeffersonville in June 1929 to attend the funeral.[10][29] had no experience with religion as a child; he said that the first time he heard a prayer was at his brother's funeral.[30] Roy Davis, William Branham's first pastor. afterward, while he was working for the Public Service Company of Indiana, Branham was overcome by gas and had to be hospitalized.[30] said that he heard a voice speaking to him while he was recovering from the accident, which led him to begin seeking God.[30] thereafter, he began attending the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville, where he converted to Christianity.[31][10] church was pastored by Roy Davis, a founding member of the second Ku Klux Klan and a leading recruiter for the organization. Davis later became the National Imperial Wizard (leader) of the KKK. baptized Branham and six months later, he ordained Branham as an Independent Baptist minister and an elder in his church.[10] by the KKK's Imperial Kludd (chaplain) Caleb Ridley, Branham traveled with Davis and they participated together in revivals in other states.[32][33] the time of Branham's conversion, the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville was a nominally Baptist church which adhered to some Pentecostal doctrines, including divine healing and speaking in tongues; reported that his baptism at the church was done using the Jesus name formula of Oneness Pentecostalism.[34] claimed to have been opposed to Pentecostalism during the early years of his ministry. according to multiple Branham biographers, like Baptist historian Doug Weaver and Pentecostal historian Bernie Wade, Branham was exposed to Pentecostal teachings from his conversion.[35] claimed to his audiences he was first exposed to a Pentecostal church in 1936, which invited him to join, but he refused.[34][c] speculated that Branham may have chosen to hide his early connections to Pentecostalism to make his conversion story more compelling to his Pentecostal audiences during the years of the healing revival. Weaver identified several parts of Branham's reported life story that conflicted with historical documentation and suggested that Branham began significantly embellishing his early life story to his audiences beginning in the 1940s.[35] June 1933, Branham held tent revival meetings that were sponsored by Davis and the First Pentecostal Baptist Church.[10][37] June 2 that year, the Jeffersonville Evening News said the Branham campaign reported 14 converts.[38] followers believed his ministry was accompanied by miraculous signs from its beginning, and that when he was baptizing converts on June 11, 1933, in the Ohio River near Jeffersonville, a bright light descended over him and that he heard a voice say, "As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ, so your message will forerun His second coming".[39][40] in the baptismal story is a critical element of faith among Branham's followers.[41] In his early references to the event during the healing revival, Branham interpreted it to refer to the restoration of the gifts of the spirit to the church.[42] later years, Branham significantly altered how he told the baptismal story, and came to connect the event to his teaching ministry. He claimed reports of the baptismal story were carried in newspapers across the United States and Canada.[43] of the way Branham's telling of the baptismal story changed over the years, and because no newspaper actually covered the event, Weaver said Branham may have embellished the story after he began achieving success in the healing revival during the 1940s.[44] House of David commune in Michigan Roy Davis and the First Pentecostal Baptist Church, Branham reported interaction with other groups during the 1930s who were an influence on his ministry. the early 1930s, he became acquainted with William Sowders' School of the Prophets, a Pentecostal group in Kentucky and Indiana. Through Sowders' group, he was introduced to the British Israelite House of David and in the autumn of 1934, Branham traveled to Michigan to meet with members of the group.[45] ministry[edit] The front of a brick building with white double doors and windows on either side and a sign above the door Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle c. 1935 took over leadership of Roy Davis's Jeffersonville church in 1934, after Davis was arrested again and extradited to stand trial.[46] during March or April 1934, the First Pentecostal Baptist Church was destroyed by a fire and Branham's supporters at the church helped him organize a new church in Jeffersonville.[47] first Branham preached out of a tent at 8th and Pratt street, and he also reported temporarily preaching in an orphanage building.[48] 1936, the congregation had constructed a new church on the same block as Branham's tent, at the corner of 8th and Penn street. church was built on the same location reported by the local newspaper as the site of his June 1933 tent campaign.[38] Newspaper articles reported the original name of Branham's new church to be the Pentecostal Tabernacle. The church was officially registered with the City of Jeffersonville as the Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle in November 1936. Newspaper articles continued to refer to his church as the Pentecostal Tabernacle until 1943.[49][50][51][52][53][54][55] Branham served as pastor until 1946, and the church name eventually shortened to the Branham Tabernacle.[47] The church flourished at first, but its growth began to slow. Because of the Great Depression, it was often short of funds, so Branham served without compensation.[47] continued traveling and preaching among Pentecostal churches while serving as pastor of his new church. obtained a truck and had it painted with advertisements for his healing ministry which he toured in. September 1934, he traveled to Mishawaka, Indiana where he was invited to speak at the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC) General Assembly meetings organized by Bishop G. B. Rowe. was "not impressed with the multi-cultural aspects of the PAJC as it was contrary to the dogmas advanced by his friends in the Ku Klux Klan."[32][56][34] and his future wife Amelia Hope Brumbach (b. July 16, 1913) attended the First Pentecostal Baptist Church together beginning in 1929 where Brumbach served as young people's leader.[15] couple began dating in 1933.[48] Branham married Brumbach in June 1934.[57] Their first child, William "Billy" Paul Branham was born soon after their marriage; the date given for his birth varies by source. In some of Branham's biographies, his first son's birth date is reported as September 13, 1935, but in government records his birth date is reported as September 13, 1934.[57][58] wife became ill during the second year of their marriage. According to her death certificate, she was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in January 1936, beginning a period of declining health. her diagnosis, the couple had a second child, Sharon Rose, who was born on October 27, 1936.[57] In September 1936, the local news reported that Branham held a multi-week healing revival at the Pentecostal Tabernacle in which he reported eight healings.[59] following year, disaster struck when Jeffersonville was ravaged by the Ohio River flood of 1937.[34] congregation was badly impacted by the disaster and his family was displaced from their home.[60] By February 1937, the floodwaters had receded, his church survived intact and Branham resumed holding services at the Pentecostal Tabernacle. the January flood, Hope's health continued to decline, and she succumbed to her illness and died on July 22, 1937. Rose, who had been born with her mother's illness, died four days later (July 26, 1937).[60] obituaries reported Branham as pastor of the Pentecostal Tabernacle, the same church where their funerals were held.[61] frequently related the story of the death of his wife and daughter during his ministry and evoked strong emotional responses from his audiences. told his audiences that his wife and daughter had become suddenly ill and died during the January flood as God's punishment because of his failure to embrace Pentecostalism.[39][34] said he made several suicide attempts following their deaths.[39][34] Duyzer noted that Branham's story of the events surrounding the death of his wife and daughter conflicted with historical evidence; they did not die during the flood, he and his wife were both already Pentecostals before they married, and he was pastor of a Pentecostal church at the time of their deaths.[15] the summer of 1940, Branham had resumed traveling and held revival meetings in other nearby communities.[54] Branham married his second wife Meda Marie Broy in 1941, and together they had three children; Rebekah (b. 1946), Sarah (b. 1950), and Joseph (b. 1955).[15] revival[edit] is known for his role in the healing revivals that occurred in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s,[62] and most participants in the movement regarded him as its initiator.[63] writer John Crowder described the period of revivals as "the most extensive public display of miraculous power in modern history".[64] like Christian author and countercult activist Hank Hanegraaff, rejected the entire healing revival as a hoax and condemned the movement as cult in his 1997 book Counterfeit Revival.[65] healing is a tradition and belief that was historically held by a majority of Christians but it became increasingly associated with Evangelical Protestantism.[66] fascination of most of American Christianity with divine healing played a significant role in the popularity and inter-denominational nature of the revival movement.[67] held massive inter-denominational meetings, from which came reports of hundreds of miracles.[63] David Harrell described Branham and Oral Roberts as the two giants of the movement and called Branham its "unlikely leader."[63] campaigns[edit] Two middle-aged men stand side-by-side wearing overcoats and holding their hats in their hands William Branham and F. F. Bosworth, c. 1950 had been traveling and holding revival meetings since at least 1940 before attracting national attention.[54] popularity began to grow following the 1942 meetings in Milltown, Indiana where it was reported that a young girl had been healed of tuberculosis. news of the reported healing was slow to spread, but was eventually reported to a family in Missouri who in 1945 invited Branham to pray for their child who was suffering from a similar illness; Branham reported that the child recovered after his prayers.[68] of two events eventually reached W. E. Kidston. Kidston was intrigued by the reported miracles and invited Branham to participate in revival meetings that he was organizing. E. Kidston, was editor of The Apostolic Herald and had many contacts in the Pentecostal movement.[68] served as Branham's first campaign manager and was instrumental in helping organize Branham's early revival meetings.[68] held his first large meetings as a faith healer in 1946.[69] His healing services are well documented, and he is regarded as the pacesetter for those who followed him.[70] At the time they were held, Branham's revival meetings were the largest religious meetings some American cities he visited had ever seen;[71] reports of 1,000 to 1,500 converts per meeting were common.[71] name his June 1946 St. Louis meetings as the inauguration of the healing revival period.[72] said he had received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry.[73] In his later years, he also connected the angelic visitation with the establishment of the nation of Israel, at one point mistakenly stating the vision occurred on the same day.[74][74][d][e] first reported revival meetings of the period were held over 12 days during June 1946 in St. Louis.[68] Time magazine reported on his St. Louis campaign meetings,[77] and according to the article, Branham drew a crowd of over 4,000 sick people who desired healing and recorded him diligently praying for each.[68] Branham's fame began to grow as a result of the publicity and reports covering his meetings.[68] of Faith magazine which was edited by prominent Pentecostal minister Joseph Mattsson-Boze and published by Philadelphia Pentecostal Church in Chicago began following and exclusively publishing stories from the Branham campaigns, giving Branham wide exposure to the Pentecostal movement. the St. Louis meetings, Branham launched a tour of small Oneness Pentecostal churches across the Midwest and southern United States, from which stemmed reports of healing and one report of a resurrection.[68] August his fame had spread widely. He held meetings that month in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and drew a crowd of 25,000 with attendees from 28 different states.[78] size of the crowds presented a problem for Branham's team as they found it difficult to find venues that could seat large numbers of attendees.[78] Thousands of spectators in a large arena look towards a man standing behind a podium on a platform F. F. Bosworth counsels attendees on the doctrine of divine healing at a Branham Campaign meeting in Tacoma, Washington, April 1948. revivals were interracial from their inception and were noted for their "racial openness" during the period of widespread racial unrest.[79] African American minister participating in the St. Louis meetings claimed to be healed during the revival, helping to bring Branham a sizable African American following from the early days of the revival. held interracial meetings even in the southern states. To satisfy segregation laws when ministering in the south, Branham's team would use a rope to divide the crowd by race.[79] and researcher Patsy Sims noted that venues used to host campaign meetings also hosted KKK rallies just days prior to the revival meetings, which sometimes led to racial tensions. Sims, who attended both the KKK rallies and the healing revivals, was surprised to see some of the same groups of people at both events.[79] According to Steven Hassan, KKK recruitment was covertly conducted through Branham's ministry.[25] holding a very successful revival meeting in Shreveport during mid-1947, Branham began assembling an evangelical team that stayed with him for most of the revival period.[80] first addition to the team was Jack Moore and Young Brown, who periodically assisted him in managing his meetings.[81] Following the Shreveport meetings, Branham held a series of meetings in San Antonio, Phoenix, and at various locations in California.[80] invited his friend Gordon Lindsay to join the campaign team, which he did beginning at a meeting in Sacramento, California, in late 1947.[81] was a successful publicist and manager for Branham, and played a key role in helping him gain national and international recognition.[82][83] 1948, Branham and Lindsay founded Voice of Healing magazine, which was originally aimed at reporting Branham's healing campaigns.[82][f] The story of Samuel the Prophet, who heard a voice speak to him in the night, inspired Branham's name for the publication.[84] was impressed with Branham's focus on humility and unity, and was instrumental in helping him gain acceptance among Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal groups by expanding his revival meetings beyond the United Pentecostal Church to include all of the major Pentecostal groups.[85][77] The front page of the Voice of Healing magazine with headline stating; "Branham Campaign stirs Pensacola and Kansas City" The April 1948 cover of Voice of Healing magazine first meetings organized by Lindsay were held in northwestern North America during late 1947.[81][77] At the first of these meetings, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian minister Ern Baxter joined Branham's team.[81] Lindsay reported 70,000 attendees to the 14 days of meetings and long prayer lines as Branham prayed for the sick.[81] Hawtin, a Canadian Pentecostal minister, attended one of Branham's Vancouver meetings in November 1947 and was impressed by Branham's healings. Branham was an important influence on the Latter Rain revival movement, which Hawtin helped initiate.[86] January 1948, meetings were held in Florida;[81] F. F. Bosworth met Branham at the meetings and also joined his team.[87] Bosworth was among the pre-eminent ministers of the Pentecostal movement and a founding minister of the Assemblies of God; Bosworth lent great weight to Branham's campaign team.[87] He remained a strong Branham supporter until his death in 1958.[87] Bosworth endorsed Branham as "the most sensitive person to the presence and working of the Holy Spirit" he had ever met.[88][8] early 1947, a major campaign was held in Kansas City, where Branham and Lindsay first met Oral Roberts.[81] Roberts and Branham had contact at different points during the revival.[89] Roberts said Branham was "set apart, just like Moses".[89] Five men wearing suites stand side by side From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay; photo taken at Kansas City in 1948 spent many hours ministering and praying for the sick during his campaigns, and like many other leading evangelists of the time he suffered exhaustion.[90] one year of campaigning, his exhaustion began leading to health issues. Branham reported to his audiences that he suffered a nervous breakdown and required treatment by the Mayo Clinic.[91] Branham's illness coincided with a series of allegations of fraud in his healing revivals. Attendees reported seeing him "staggering from intense fatigue" during his last meetings.[81] as Branham began to attract international attention in May 1948, he announced that due to illness he would have to halt his campaign.[81][92] illness shocked the growing movement,[93] his abrupt departure from the field caused a rift between him and Lindsay over the Voice of Healing magazine.[81] insisted that Lindsay take over complete management of the publication.[81] With the main subject of the magazine no longer actively campaigning, Lindsay was forced to seek other ministers to promote.[81] He decided to publicize Oral Roberts during Branham's absence, and Roberts quickly rose to prominence, in large part due to Lindsay's coverage.[87] partially recovered from his illness and resumed holding meetings in October 1948; in that month he held a series of meetings around the United States without Lindsay's support.[87] Branham's return to the movement led to his resumed leadership of it.[87] November 1948, he met with Lindsay and Moore and told them he had received another angelic visitation, instructing him to hold a series of meetings across the United States and then to begin holding meetings internationally.[94] As a result of the meeting, Lindsay rejoined Branham's campaigning team.[94] Two men stand facing each other on a platform as thousands of spectators on the ground floor and a balcony watch Branham at a healing campaign meeting revivalists of the era were flamboyant but Branham was usually calm and spoke quietly, only occasionally raising his voice.[89] His preaching style was described as "halting and simple", and crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitation and "constant communication with God".[63] tailored his language usage to best connect to his audiences. When speaking to poor and working-class audiences, he tended to use poor grammar and folksy language; when speaking to more educated audiences and ministerial associations, he generally spoke using perfect grammar and avoided slang usage.[95] refused to discuss controversial doctrinal issues during the healing campaigns,[96][97] and issued a policy statement that he would only minister on the "great evangelical truths".[98] He insisted his calling was to bring unity among the different churches he was ministering to and to urge the churches to return to the roots of early Christianity.[89] the first part of his meetings, one of Branham's companion evangelists would preach a sermon.[81] Ern Baxter or F. F. Bosworth usually filled this role, but other ministers like Paul Cain also participated in Branham's campaigns in later years.[81] generally focused on bible teaching; Bosworth counseled supplicants on the need for faith and the doctrine of divine healing.[99] Following their build-up, Branham would take the podium and deliver a short sermon,[81] in which he usually related stories about his personal life experiences.[96] would often request God to "confirm his message with two-or-three faith inspired miracles".[99] Supplicants seeking healing submitted prayer cards to Branham's campaign team stating their name, address, and condition; Branham's team would select a number of submissions to be prayed for personally by Branham and organized a prayer line.[99] After completing his sermon, he would proceed with the prayer line where he would pray for the sick. Branham would often tell supplicants what they suffered from, their name, and their address.[100] would pray for each of them, pronouncing some or all healed. Branham generally prayed for a few people each night and believed witnessing the results on the stage would inspire faith in the audience and permit them to experience similar results without having to be personally prayed for.[100] Branham would also call out a few members still in the audience, who had not been accepted into the prayer line, stating their illness and pronouncing them healed.[89] A prayer card from a William Branham healing campaign. told his audiences that he was able to determine their illness, details of their lives, and pronounce them healed as a result of an angel who was guiding him. Describing Branham's method, Bosworth said "he does not begin to pray for the healing of the afflicted in body in the healing line each night until God anoints him for the operation of the gift, and until he is conscious of the presence of the Angel with him on the platform. Without this consciousness he seems to be perfectly helpless."[101] explained to his audiences that the angel that commissioned his ministry had given him two signs by which they could prove his commission.[101] described the first sign as vibrations he felt in his hand when he touched a sick person's hand, which communicated to him the nature of the illness, but did not guarantee healing.[101][102] Branham's use of what his fellow evangelists called a word of knowledge gift separated him from his contemporaries in the early days of the revival.[69][96] second sign did not appear in his campaigns until after his recovery in 1948, and was used to "amaze tens of thousands" at his meetings.[96] As the revival progressed, his contemporaries began to mirror the practice.[96] According to Bosworth, this gift of knowledge allowed Branham "to see and enable him to tell the many events of [people's] lives from their childhood down to the present".[96][103] caused many in the healing revival to view Branham as a "seer like the old testament prophets".[96] amazed even fellow evangelists, which served to further push him into a legendary status in the movement.[96] Branham's audiences were often awestruck by the events during his meetings.[89][104] At the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, Branham was widely adored and "the neo-Pentecostal world believed Branham to be a prophet to their generation".[8] fame and international campaigns[edit] A man stands at a podium with a light colored object above his head Branham at the Sam Houston Coliseum in 1950 January 1950, Branham's campaign team held their Houston campaign, one of the most significant series of meetings of the revival.[87] The location of their first meeting was too small to accommodate the approximately 8,000 attendees, and they had to relocate to the Sam Houston Coliseum.[87] On the night of January 24, 1950, Branham was photographed during a debate between Bosworth and local Baptist minister W. E. Best regarding the theology of divine healing.[105][94] argued in favor, while Best argued against.[105] The photograph showed a light above Branham's head, which he and his associates believed to be supernatural.[105][94] The photograph became well-known in the revival movement and is regarded by Branham's followers as an iconic relic.[106] Branham believed the light was a divine vindication of his ministry;[105] others believed it was a glare from the venue's overhead lighting.[107] January 1951, former US Congressman William Upshaw was sent by Roy Davis to a Branham campaign meeting in California.[g] Upshaw had limited mobility for 59 years as the result of an accident, and said he was miraculously healed in the meeting. The publicity of the event took Branham's fame to a new level.[106] Upshaw sent a letter describing his healing claim to each member of Congress.[108][106] The Los Angeles Times reported on the healing in an article titled "Ex-Rep. Upshaw Discards Crutches After 59 Years". Upshaw explained to reporters that he had been able to walk two or three steps without the aid of his crutches prior to attending Branham's meeting, but following Branham's prayer his strength increased so that he had walked four blocks.[109] Upshaw died in November 1952, at the age of 86.[110] to Pentecostal historian Rev. Walter Hollenweger, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world" during his five major international campaigns.[94][111] Branham held his first series of campaigns in Europe during April 1950 with meetings in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.[112][94] Attendance at the meetings generally exceeded 7,000 despite resistance to his meetings by the state churches.[98] Branham was the first American deliverance minister to successfully tour in Europe.[113] 1952 campaign in South Africa had the largest attendance in Branham's career, with an estimated 200,000 attendees.[98][7] According to Lindsay, the altar call at his Durban meeting received 30,000 converts.[98] During international campaigns in 1954, Branham visited Portugal, Italy, and India.[98] Branham's final major overseas tour in 1955 included visits to Switzerland and Germany.[114] meetings were regularly attended by journalists,[115] who wrote articles about the miracles reported by Branham and his team throughout the years of his revivals, and claimed patients were cured of various ailments after attending prayer meetings with Branham.[115] Durban Sunday Tribune and The Natal Mercury reported wheelchair-bound people rising and walking.[116][117] Winnipeg Free Press reported a girl was cured of deafness.[118] El Paso Herald-Post reported hundreds of attendees at one meeting seeking divine healing.[119] Despite such occasional glowing reports, most of the press coverage Branham received was negative.[111] of fraud[edit] his American audiences, Branham claimed several high profile events occurred during his international tours. Branham claimed to visit and pray for King George VI while en route to Finland in 1950. He claimed the king was healed through his prayers. Researchers found no evidence that Branham ever met King George; King George was chronically ill and died about a year after Branham claimed to heal him.[113][120] also claimed to pray for and heal the granddaughter of Florence Nightingale at a London airport. Branham's campaign produced photos of an emaciated woman who they claimed to be Nightingale's granddaughter. However, Florence Nightingale never married and had no children or grandchildren. Investigators of Branham's claim were unable to identify the woman in the photograph.[121] similarly claimed to pray for King Gustaf V while in Sweden in April 1950. Investigators found no evidence for the meeting; King Gustaf V died in October 1950. Branham claimed to stop in Egypt in 1954 while en route to India to meet with King Farouk; however Farouk had been deposed in 1952 and was not living in Egypt at the time. Branham claimed to visit the grave of Buddha while in India, however Buddha was cremated and has no grave. In total, critics of Branham identified many claims which appeared to be false when investigated. Weaver accused Branham of major embellishments.[44][122] faced criticism and opposition from the early days of the healing revival, and he was repeatedly accused of fraud throughout his ministry.[123] According to historian Ronald Kydd, Branham evoked strong opinions from people with whom he came into contact; "most people either loved him or hated him".[124][125] Kydd stated that it "is impossible to get even an approximate number of people healed in Branham's ministry."[126] No consistent record of follow-ups of the healing claims were made, making analysis of many claims difficult to subsequent researchers.[127][128] Additionally, Branham's procedures made verification difficult at the time of his revivals. Branham believed in positive confession. He required supplicants to claim to be healed to demonstrate their faith, even if they were still experiencing symptoms. He frequently told supplicants to expect their symptoms to remain for several days after their healing. This led to people professing to be healed at the meetings, while still suffering from the condition. Only follow up after Branham's waiting period had passed could ascertain the result of the healing.[127][128] A 1947 Vancouver Sun Headline about Branham Campaign the early days of the healing revival, Branham received overwhelmingly unfavorable coverage in the news media, which was often quite critical.[111] At his June 1947 revivals in Vandalia, Illinois, the local news reported that Beck Walker, a man who was deaf and mute from birth, was pronounced healed but failed to recover. Branham claimed Walker failed to recover his hearing because he had disobeyed Branham's instruction to stop smoking cigarettes. Branham was lambasted by critics who asked how it was possible the deaf man could have heard his command to stop smoking.[129] his 1947 meetings in Winnipeg, Branham claimed to have raised a young man from the dead at a Jeffersonville funeral parlor. Branham's sensational claim was reported in the news in the United States and Canada, leading to a news media investigation to identify the funeral home and the individual raised from the dead. Reporters subsequently found no evidence of a resurrection; no funeral parlor in the city corroborated the story.[130] The same year the news media in Winnipeg publicized Branham's cases of failed healing. In response, the churches which hosted Branham's campaign conducted independent follow-up interviews with people Branham pronounced healed to gather testimonies which they could use to counter the negative press. To their surprise, their investigation failed to confirm any cases of actual healing; every person they interviewed had failed to recover.[123][128][131] meetings in Vancouver during 1947, newspaper reporters discovered that one young girl had been in Branham's prayer lines in multiple cities posing as a cripple, but rising to walk after Branham pronounced her healed each time. An investigative reporter suspected Branham had staged the miracle. Reporters at the meeting also attempted to follow up on the case of a Calgary woman pronounced healed by Branham who had died shortly after he left the city. Reporters attempted to confront Branham over these issues, but Branham refused to be interviewed.[132] was also accused of fraud by fellow ministers and churches that hosted his meetings. In 1947, Rev. Alfred Pohl, the Missionary-Secretary of Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, served as Branham's guide and host at meetings across western Canada. Pohl stated that many people Branham pronounced as healed later died and produced witnesses to validate his allegations. Pohl stated that the numerous deaths "severely tested the faith" of many ministers who had trusted in Branham.[123][128] Pohl also claimed Branham was frequently given and accepted large financial gifts from individuals who he pronounced as healed, including those who subsequently died.[133] 1948, W. J. Taylor, a district superintendent with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, raised concerns again following another wave of Branham meetings and asked for a thorough investigation.[106] Taylor presented evidence that claims of the number of people healed were vastly overestimated, and that multiple people pronounced healed by Branham had subsequently died.[97] While he stated his personal admiration for Branham, the troubling number of deaths led him to suggest "there is a possibility that this whole thing is wrong".[134][106] in Canada continued to experience crises following Branham campaign meetings as they attempted to explain the numerous failed healings to their congregations.[128] At meetings in Regina, Branham pronounced the wife of a prominent minister healed of cancer. The minister and his wife were overjoyed, and the minister excitedly shared the details of the healing with his radio audience in Ontario later that week. To his surprise, his wife died only days later of her illness. The confusion created by the situation led ministers to claim Branham had deceived them.[135] to Kydd, "the controversy surrounding Branham deepened" with time.[97] Kydd reported that by watching films of the revival meetings, "the viewer would assume almost everyone was healed", but "results were less promising whenever follow-up was made."[127] One such case was Carol Strubler, who at age nine in 1954 was prayed for by Branham at a recorded revival in Washington, D.C., when he preached a sermon entitled "The Deep Calleth Unto The Deep". One newspaper reported, "Rev. William Branham of Jeffersonville, Ind., prayed for her and assured the heartbroken mother her daughter would live.[136] A week later the mother told this newspaper she was confident the evangelist's words were true and had cancelled a scheduled visit to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia." However, Strubbler died "of acute leukemia, just three weeks after [Branham] told her mother she was healed of the fatal sickness."[136] Another case was four-year-old Donny Morton, who was diagnosed with a rare brain condition. At recorded meetings in California during April 1951, Branham pronounced Morton healed, but the child subsequently died in October. His story was published in Reader's Digest.[137][138] allegations came from Branham's European campaigns. Rev. Walter Hollenweger, who served as a translator on Branham's European tours, reported that "very few were actually healed" in the campaigns, and the overwhelming majority pronounced healed by Branham failed to recover. Hollenweger said that while there were a few "well-attested cases of miraculous healing", Branham was "naïve" and "dishonest" and misled his audiences when he reported the number of people healed. Hollenweger was disappointed that Branham refused to acknowledge the numerous failed pronouncements of healings.[139][140] 1955, Leonard Steiner, pastor of a Pentecostal church in Zurich Switzerland that hosted a Branham meeting reported cases of failed healing and the negative consequences for members of his congregation.[141] Allegations in Norway led authorities to limit Branham's ability to hold meetings; the Directorate of Health forbade Branham from laying hands on the sick and sent police to his meetings to enforce the order.[142] allegations also were made following Branham's meetings in South Africa during 1952 and complaints were lodged with government authorities.[143] Michael Plaff, a doctor, was pronounced healed of cancer by Branham during one meeting. In February 1952, the Branham campaign published an article claiming Plaff had visited the hospital the day after he was prayed for and his cure was confirmed by medical tests. However, Plaff had died of his cancer just days after being pronounced healed.[144] A minister attending meetings in Durban with his congregation reported that over twenty people suffering from tuberculosis were pronounced healed by Branham, but all failed to recover. In another case, a woman suffering a heart condition was pronounced healed by Branham, but died less than a week later. A 23-year-old leukemia patient was pronounced healed by Branham, but failed to recover and died about thirteen months later.[144] Branham campaign published a book entitled "A Prophet Visit South Africa" to publicize the success of the tour. The book related the details of dozens of healings. Investigators in South Africa followed up on the reported healings and found that 46 of the people Branham said had been healed had failed to recover.[144] After reviewing the results of the investigation, one minister concluded "that the cures claimed are so largely exaggerated as to be almost fraudulent in their claim."[144] When Branham attempted to visit South Africa again in 1965, the South African government placed restrictions on his visa preventing him from holding any healing revivals while he was in the country.[143] Baxter, who participated in most of Branham's campaigns between November 1947 and 1953 including his tours to India and Europe, reflected on the exaggerated reports of miracles in the healing revival in a 1978 interview. He explained that the allegations eroded the trust of the crowds who attended the healing services.[145] remember in the beginning of the healing movement, simply to report a healing would produce great jubilation and praise from congregations. However, the cynicism became so deep that the people's confidence was diminished. Even to this day, people are affected. People began to circulate healing testimonies which, when they were checked out by reputable journalists and reporters, even those who were friendly to the movement, were found to be false. The percentage of healings that stood up after investigation was embarrassingly low.[145] — Ern Baxter attendees of Branham's meetings believed that some healings were staged and accused him of selectively choosing who could enter the prayer line.[146] Some people left his meetings disappointed after finding Branham's conviction that everyone in the audience could be healed without being in the prayer line proved incorrect.[146] Branham generally attributed the failure of supplicants to receive healing to their lack of faith.[147] According to Pohl, Hollenweger, and Steiner, Branham's practice of blaming the supplicant for lack of faith was severely damaging in multiple churches and left many people who failed to receive healing in despair.[128][148] expectations had been raised so high, only to be dashed after all the excitement was over. Some seemed to experience a momentary relief from pain, but all too many would discover no lasting benefit. And by that time the healer would be too far away to be questioned or to explain. The sick person would then simply be forced to accuse himself of lack of faith, or in some cases, throw his faith overboard.[149] — Alfred Pohl "word of knowledge" gift used by Branham was also subject to much criticism.[124] Hollenweger investigated Branham's use of the "word of knowledge gift" and found no instances in which Branham was mistaken in his often-detailed pronouncements.[124] Criticism of Branham's use of this gift was primarily around its nature; some asserted that it was a non-Christian practice and accused him of witchcraft and telepathy.[127] Branham was openly confronted with such criticisms and rejected the assertions.[127] alleged that Branham's discernments were not genuine. Many people Branham prayed for were required to first write their name, address, and what they were seeking prayer for on prayer cards. The cards were submitted to Branham's team who would choose the supplicants to be prayed for by Branham and organize the prayer line. Some critics accused Branham's team of sharing prayer card information with Branham before he began his prayer lines.[127][122] difficulties[edit] 1955, Branham's campaigning career began to slow following financial setbacks.[8][150] Even after he became famous, Branham continued to wear inexpensive suits and refused large salaries; he was not interested in amassing wealth as part of his ministry[12] and was reluctant to solicit donations during his meetings.[151] During the early years of his campaigns, donations had been able to cover costs, but from 1955, donations failed to cover the costs of three successive campaigns,[8] one of which incurred a $15,000 deficit. ($144,913 in 2020 dollars)[150] of Branham's business associates thought he was partially responsible because of his lack of interest in the financial affairs of the campaigns and tried to hold him personally responsible for the debt.[8] Branham briefly stopped campaigning and said he would have to take a job to repay the debt, but the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International ultimately offered financial assistance to cover the debt.[151] Branham became increasingly reliant on the Full Gospel Businessmen to finance his campaign meetings as the Pentecostal denominations began to withdraw their financial support.[151] became an issue again in 1956 when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) charged Branham with tax evasion.[8] The American government targeted the other leading revivalists with lawsuits during the same time period, including Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, and A. A. Allen.[152] The IRS asserted income reported by the ministers as non-taxable gifts was taxable,[150] despite the fact Branham had not kept the gifts for himself.[153] Except Allen, who won his legal battle, the evangelists settled their cases out of court.[150] IRS investigation showed Branham did not pay close attention to the amount of money flowing through his ministry,[154] and had failed to document gifts and donations he received or how the proceeds were used.[150] It also revealed that others assisting in his campaigns were taking financial advantage of the campaigns.[154] Branham reported his annual salary to the IRS as $7,000 ($66,633 in 2020 dollars) while his manager Gordon Lindsay's was reported at $80,000. ($761,518 in 2020 dollars)[150] Comparatively, Oral Roberts earned a salary of $15,000 in the same years.[155] Branham's case was eventually settled out of court when Branham admitted to tax evasion and agreed to pay of a $40,000 penalty. ($380,759 in 2020 dollars)[8][156] Branham was never able to completely pay off the tax liability.[8][156] of the revival[edit] the mid-1950s, dozens of the ministers associated with Branham and his campaigns had launched similar healing campaigns.[157] In 1956, the healing revival reached its peak, as 49 separate evangelists held major meetings.[158] Branham and Lindsay ineffectively attempted to encourage the other evangelists to help their local churches rather than launch national careers.[157] The Branham campaign held meetings across the United States in 1956, and a large meeting in Mexico City that had 20,000 in attendance. However the swelling number of competitors and emulators were further reducing attendance at Branham's meetings.[157] correspondence also decreased sharply. Whereas he had once received "a thousand letters a day", by 1956 his mail dropped to 75 letters a day. Branham thought the decline was temporary.[159] He continued expecting something greater, which he said "nobody will be able to imitate".[157] In 1955, he reported a vision of a renewed tent ministry and a "third pull which would be dramatically different" than his earlier career; he began to increasingly refer to the vision as his popularity began to decline.[157] the financial issues in 1956, Lindsay left Branham's campaign team. Branham eventually criticized the Voice of Healing magazine which he had helped create as a "massive financial organization" that put making money ahead of promoting good.[93] The loss of Lindsay as a manager and the publicity of Voice of Healing was a major setback for Branham. After 1956, attendance at Branham's meetings dwindled and his appeal became limited to the loyal following that developed around him during the earlier years. Branham came to depend on The Herald of Faith published by Joseph Mattsson-Bose as his primary publicity tool for the final years of his ministry.[93] also began to criticize other leading contemporaries in the healing revival leading to open hostilities between the evangelists. In 1957 Branham openly criticized A. A. Allen concerning the validity of a miracle reported in his campaigns. Allen replied by circulating a letter at the Christian Fellowship Convention criticizing Branham for creating divisions and suggesting Branham may soon die as a result of his actions. [160] Branham also began to criticize Oral Roberts and Billy Graham.[161] The bad feelings and breakdown of cooperation between the leaders of the movement contributed to the end of the healing revival.[160] the closing years of the revival, Branham helped launch and popularize the ministry of Jim Jones, the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple.[162] According to Historian Catherine Wessinger, while rejecting Christianity as a false religion, Jones covertly used popular Christian figures to advance his own ideology.[163] Jones needed a religious headliner to endorse his ministry and invited Branham to share the platform with him at a self-organized religious convention held at the Cadle Tabernacle auditorium in Indianapolis from June 11 to 15, 1956.[162] critics Peter Duyzer and John Collins reported that Branham "performed numerous miracles", drawing a crowd of 11,000.[164] Branham was an important influence on Jones, who copied many of his styles, methods, and teachings. Jones later became known for the mass murder and suicide at Jonestown in November 1978.[162] to Collins, Jim Jones and Paul Schäfer were influenced to move to South America by Branham's 1961 prophecy concerning the destruction of the United States in a nuclear war. Jones later said that he and Branham "did not see eye to eye", and accused Branham of being disingenuous.[165][166][h] among historians is that the healing revival ended in 1958.[127] By 1960, the number of evangelists holding national campaigns dropped to 11.[158] Several perspectives on the decline of the healing revival have been offered. Crowder suggested Branham's gradual separation from Gordon Lindsay played a major part in the decline.[167] Harrell attributed the decline to the increasing number of evangelists crowding the field and straining the financial resources of the Pentecostal denominations.[157] agreed that Pentecostal churches gradually withdrew their support for the healing revival, mainly over the financial stresses put on local churches by the healing campaigns.[168] The Assemblies of God were the first to openly withdraw support from the healing revival in 1953.[168] Weaver pointed to other factors that may have helped destroy the initial ecumenism of the revival; tension between the independent evangelists and the Pentecostal churches caused by the evangelists' fund-raising methods, denominational pride, sensationalism, and doctrinal conflicts – particularly between the Oneness and Trinitarian factions within Pentecostalism.[168] Weaver also believed that "fraud and chicanary" by the revivals evangelists also played a major role in the decline.[169] life[edit] ministry[edit] the healing revival began to wane, many of Branham's contemporaries moved into the leadership of the emerging Charismatic movement, which emphasized use of spiritual gifts.[150] The Charismatic movement is a global movement within both Protestant and non-Protestant Christianity that supports the adoption of traditionally Pentecostal beliefs, especially the spiritual gifts (charismata). The movement began in the teachings of the healing revival evangelists and grew as their teachings came to receive broad acceptance among millions of Christians.[170] the same time the Charismatic movement was gaining broad acceptance, Branham began to transition to a teaching ministry. He began speaking on the controversial doctrinal issues he had avoided for most of the revival.[171] By the 1960s, Branham's contemporaries and the Pentecostal denominations that had supported his campaigns regarded him as an extremely controversial teacher.[172] leadership of the Pentecostal churches pressed Branham to resist his urge to teach and to instead focus on praying for the sick.[173] Branham refused, arguing that the purpose of his healing ministry was to attract audiences and, having thus been attracted, it was time to teach them the doctrines he claimed to have received through supernatural revelation.[174] Branham argued that his entire ministry was divinely inspired and could not be selectively rejected or accepted, saying, "It's either all of God, or none of God".[173] first, Branham taught his doctrines only within his own church at Jeffersonville, but beginning in the 1960s he began to preach them at other churches he visited.[173] His criticisms of Pentecostal organizations, and especially his views on holiness and the role of women, led to his rejection by the growing Charismatic movement and the Pentecostals from whom he had originally achieved popularity.[175] Branham acknowledged their rejection and said their organizations "had choked out the glory and Spirit of God".[175] As a result of their view of his teachings, many Pentecostals judged that Branham had "stepped out of his anointing" and had become a "bad teacher of heretical doctrine".[176] his rejection by the growing Charismatic movement, Branham's followers became increasingly dedicated to him during his later life. Some even claimed he was the Messiah, treated him as deity, and began to baptise and pray in his name.[177] Branham quickly condemned their belief as heresy and threatened to stop ministering, but the belief persisted.[177] Many followers moved great distances to live near his home in Jeffersonville and, led by Leo Mercer, subsequently set up a colony in Arizona following Branham's move to Tucson in 1962.[177] believed the rapture was imminent and that it was necessary to be near Branham in Arizona to take part.[177] Branham lamented Mercer and the actions of his group as he worried that a cult was potentially being formed among his most fanatical followers.[177] Before he died, some of his followers had already begun compiling his sermons and treating them as oral scripture, with a significant minority of his followers believing in his divinity.[172] "Branhamism" redirects here. For Brahmanism, see historical Vedic religion. developed a unique theology and placed emphasis on a few key doctrines, including his eschatological views, annihilationism, oneness of the Godhead, predestination, eternal security, and the serpent's seed.[178] His followers refer to his teachings collectively as "The Message".[179] Kydd and Weaver have both referred to Branham's teachings as "Branhamology"; other sources refer to his teachings as "Branhamism".[180][179] of Branham's teachings have precedents within sects of the Pentecostal movement or in other non-Pentecostal denominations.[181] The doctrines Branham imported from non-Pentecostal theology and the unique combination of doctrines that he created as a result led to widespread criticism from Pentecostal churches and the Charismatic movement.[181][182] His unique arrangement of doctrines, coupled with the highly controversial nature of the serpent seed doctrine, caused the alienation of many of his former supporters.[181][182][183] Full Gospel tradition, which has its roots in Wesleyan Arminianism, is the theology generally adhered to by the Charismatic movement and Pentecostal denominations.[179] Branham's doctrines are a blend of both Calvinism and Arminianism, which are considered contradictory by many theologians; the teachings have been described as "jumbled and contradictory and difficult to categorize".[184] As a result, the theology he developed in the later years of his life seemed "complicated and bizarre" to many people who admired him personally during the years of the healing revival.[182] Many of his followers regard his sermons as oral scripture and believe Branham had rediscovered the true doctrines of the early church.[179] healing[edit] Further information: Faith healing § Christianity, and Deliverance ministry his ministry, Branham taught a doctrine of faith healing that was often the central teaching he espoused during the healing campaign.[185] He believed healing was the main focus of the ministry of Jesus Christ and believed in a dual atonement; "salvation for the soul and healing for the body".[185] He believed and taught that miracles ascribed to Christ in the New Testament were also possible in modern times.[185] believed that all sickness was a result of demonic activity and could be overcome by the faith of the person desiring healing.[185] Branham argued that God was required to heal when faith was present.[185] This led him to conclude that individuals who failed to be healed lacked adequate faith.[185] Branham's teaching on divine healing were within the mainstream of Pentecostal theology and echoed the doctrines taught by Smith Wigglesworth, Bosworth, and other prominent Pentecostal ministers of the prior generation.[185] Further information: Restorationism all of Branham's doctrines, his teachings on Christian restorationism have had the most lasting influence on modern Christianity.[186] Charismatic writer Michael Moriarty described his teachings on the subject as "extremely significant" because they have "impacted every major restoration movement since".[187] As a result, Moriarty concluded Branham has "profoundly influenced" the modern Charismatic movement.[188] Branham taught the doctrine widely from the early days of the healing revival, in which he urged his audiences to unite and restore a form of church organization like the primitive church of early Christianity.[186] teaching was accepted and widely taught by many of the evangelists of the healing revival, and they took it with them into the subsequent Charismatic and evangelical movements. Paul Cain, Bill Hamon, Kenneth Hagin, and other restoration prophets cite Branham as a major influence. They played a critical role in introducing Branham's restoration views to the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement, the Association of Vineyard Churches, and other large Charismatic organizations.[186] The Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival, and other nationwide revivals of the late 20th century have their roots in Branham's restorationist teachings.[186] teaching holds that Christianity should return to a form mirroring the primitive Christian church.[186] It supports the restoration of apostles and prophets, signs and wonders, spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare, and the elimination of non-primitive features of modern Christianity.[186] Branham taught that by the end of the first century of Christianity, the church "had been contaminated by the entrance of an antichrist spirit".[187] As a result, he believed that from a very early date, the church had stopped following the "pure Word of God" and had been seduced into a false form of Christianity.[187] stated the corruption came from the desire of early Christianity's clergy to obtain political power, and as a result became increasingly wicked and introduced false creeds.[187] This led to denominationalism, which he viewed as the greatest threat to true Christianity.[187] Branham viewed Martin Luther as the initiator of a process that would result in the restoration of the true form of Christianity, and traced the advancement of the process through other historic church figures.[189] He believed the rapture would occur at the culmination of this process.[189] Although Branham referred in his sermons to the culmination of the process as a future event affecting other people, he believed he and his followers were fulfilling his restoration beliefs.[9] Charles Parham, an early leader of Pentecostalism and preacher of annihilationism Further information: Annihilationism the doctrine that the damned will be totally destroyed after the final judgment so as to not exist, was introduced to Pentecostalism in the teachings of Charles Fox Parham (1873–1929).[190] Not all Pentecostal sects accepted the idea.[191] Prior to 1957, Branham taught a doctrine of eternal punishment in hell.[192] By 1957 he began promoting an annihilationist position in keeping with Parham's teachings.[190] believed that "eternal life was reserved only for God and his children".[190] In 1960, Branham claimed the Holy Spirit had revealed this doctrine to him as one of the end-time mysteries.[193] Promoting annihilationism led to the alienation of Pentecostal groups that had rejected Parham's teaching on the subject.[193] Further information: Oneness Pentecostalism other doctrines, the Godhead formula was a point of doctrinal conflict within Pentecostalism.[193] As Branham began offering his own viewpoint, it led to the alienation of Pentecostal groups adhering to Trinitarianism.[193] Branham shifted his theological position on the Godhead during his ministry.[193] Early in his ministry, Branham espoused a position closer to an orthodox Trinitarian view.[193] the early 1950s, he began to privately preach the Oneness doctrine outside of his healing campaigns.[193] By the 1960s, he had changed to openly teaching the Oneness position, according to which there is one God who manifests himself in multiple ways; in contrast with the Trinitarian view that three distinct persons comprise the Godhead.[172] came to believe that trinitarianism was tritheism and insisted members of his congregation be re-baptized in Jesus's name in imitation of Paul the Apostle.[194] Branham believed his doctrine had a nuanced difference from the Oneness doctrine and to the end of his ministry he openly argued that he was not a proponent of Oneness doctrine.[194] He distinguished his baptismal formula from the Oneness baptism formula in the name of Jesus by teaching that the baptismal formula should be in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.[194] He argued that there were many people named Jesus but there is only one Lord Jesus Christ.[194] By the end of his ministry, his message required an acceptance of the oneness of the Godhead and baptism in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.[184] to modern culture[edit] Further information: Holiness movement § Relation and reaction to Pentecostalism, and Asceticism § Christianity As Branham's ministry progressed, he increasingly condemned modern culture.[173] to Weaver, Branham's views on modern culture were the primary reason the growing Charismatic movement rejected him; his views also prevented him from following his contemporaries who were transitioning from the healing revival to the new movement.[173] He taught that immoral women and education were the central sins of modern culture.[195] Branham viewed education as "Satan's snare for intellectual Christians who rejected the supernatural" and "Satan's tool for obscuring the 'simplicity of the Message and the messenger'".[195] Weaver wrote that Branham held a "Christ against Culture" opinion,[195] according to which loyalty to Christ requires rejection of non-Christian culture.[196] inherited the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification and outward holiness from its founders, who came from Wesleyan-influenced denominations of the post-American Civil War era.[197] The rigid moral code associated with the holiness movement had been widely accepted by Pentecostals in the early twentieth century.[172][198] Branham's strict moral code echoed the traditions of early Pentecostalism but became increasingly unpopular because he refused to accommodate mid-century Pentecostalism's shifting viewpoint.[172][199] He denounced cigarettes, alcohol, television, rock and roll, and many forms of worldly amusement.[200] strongly identified with the lower-class roots of Pentecostalism and advocated living an ascetic lifestyle.[200] When he was given a new Cadillac, he kept it parked in his garage for two years out of embarrassment.[200] Branham openly chastised other evangelists, who seemed to be growing wealthy from their ministries and opposed the prosperity messages being taught.[200] Branham did not view financial prosperity as an automatic result of salvation.[200] He rejected the financial aspects of the prosperity gospel that originated in the teachings of Oral Roberts and A. A. Allen.[200] Branham condemned any emphasis on expensive church buildings, elaborate choir robes, and large salaries for ministers, and insisted the church should focus on the imminent return of Christ.[200][95] opposition to modern culture emerged most strongly in his condemnation of the "immorality of modern women".[200] He taught that women with short hair were breaking God's commandments and "ridiculed women's desire to artificially beautify themselves with makeup".[201] Branham believed women were guilty of committing adultery if their appearance was intended to motivate men to lust, and viewed a woman's place as "in the kitchen".[201] Citing the creation story in which Eve is taken from Adam's side, Branham taught that woman was not part of God's original creation, and she was a byproduct of man.[199] is nothing designed to stoop so low, or be filthy, but a woman. A dog can't do it, a hog can't do it, a bird can't do it. No animal is immoral, nor it can be, for it is not designed so it can be. A female hog can't be immoral, a female dog can't be immoral, a female bird can't be immoral. A woman is the only thing can do it. She is designed, alone, for filth and unclean living. ... A dog can't, and no other female can. It's just the woman that can. A dog or any other animals, once a year, and that for her babies; not for sexual pleasure, but for her babies. The old sow hog, the old slut dog, once a year, one moment, that's for her babies. But a woman is designed for any time she desires. ... A woman is a by-product of a man. She's not even in the original creation. That's exactly right. ... By her beauty and her sex control, her shape that was given to her by Satan, the by-product that Satan did, she is sent to deceive sons of God. And she can sway more of them to hell than any other instrument Satan has got. That's exactly right. Only a piece, scrap, made of a man, to deceive him by; God made it, right here has proved it. That's what she was made for. — William Branham, Marriage and Divorce, February 21, 1965 According to Weaver, "his pronouncements with respect to women were often contradictory".[199] Branham once told women who refused to dress according to his instructions "not to call themselves Christians" but qualified his denunciations by affirming that obedience to the holiness moral code was not a requirement for salvation.[199] While he did not condemn women who refused the holiness moral code to Hell, he insisted they would not be part of the rapture.[199] wrote that Branham's attitude to women concerning physical appearance, sexual drive, and marital relations was misogynistic,[202] and that Branham saw modern women as "essentially immoral sexual machines who were to blame for adultery, divorce and death. They were the tools of the Devil."[195] Some of Branham's contemporaries accused him of being a "woman hater", but he insisted he only hated immorality.[199] According to Edward Babinski, women who follow the holiness moral code Branham supported regard it as "a badge of honor".[203] seed, Predestination, & Race[edit] Further information: Serpent Seed, Original Sin, Conditional election, and Unconditional election taught an unorthodox doctrine on the source of original sin.[181] He believed that the story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden is allegorical and interpreted it to mean that the serpent had sexual intercourse with Eve, and their offspring was Cain.[181][204][25] Branham also taught the belief that Cain's modern descendants were masquerading as educated people and scientists,[205] and were "a big religious bunch of illegitimate bastard children"[206][103] who comprised the majority of society's criminals.[207] He believed that the serpent was an intelligent human-like ape he described as the missing link between the chimpanzee and man.[208][209] Branham believed that the serpent was transformed into a reptile snake after it was cursed by God.[210] believed the term "predestination" was widely misunderstood and preferred to use the word "foreknowledge" to describe his views. Branham's teachings on Predestination were deeply connected to his serpent seed doctrine.[211] Branham taught that humanity's choice in salvation was negated by their ancestry, and that genetics determined one's eternal destiny; the offspring of Cain were foreordained to damnation while the offspring of Seth were foreordained to salvation.[212] commented that Branham seemed unaware that his teachings conflicted with free will,[211] and that he taught a Calvinistic form of the doctrine of predestination and openly supported Calvin's doctrine of Eternal Security, both of which were at odds with the Arminian view of predestination held by Pentecostalism.[184] Unlike his views on the Godhead and Annihilationism, there was no precedent within Pentecostalism for his views on predestination, and opened him to widespread criticism.[194] Branham lamented that more so than any other teaching, Pentecostals criticized him for his predestination teachings.[211] to Steven Hassan, "Branham's sermons lay the foundation to believe that black people are the inferior race."[25] Branham used the term "hybrid" to describe anything he believed to be tainted by the serpent.[25] Branham accused Eve of producing a "hybrid" race, and he provided a way to trace the hybrid line of the Serpent's Seed to Africans and Jews through Ham the biblical progenitor of the African peoples, King Ahab, and Judas Iscariot.[209][210][122] --------------------------

US, 1930-1970, A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, faith healing, deliverance, prosperity, racial integration, black musical talent
US, 1930-1970, A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Sulphur Rock, Arkansas (White River 1), pentecostal evangelist, faith healing, deliverance, prosperity, racial integration, black musical talent, attacks on dead religion, Miracle Valley Property donation; Sulphur Rock, Arkansas ; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11; A. Allen (March 27, 1910 – June 11, 1970), better known as A. A. Allen, an American Pentecostal evangelist known for his faith healing and deliverance ministry. was, for a time, associated with the "Voice of Healing" movement founded by Gordon Lindsay and later started his own publication called "Miracle Magazine". died at the age of 60 in San Francisco, California, and was buried at his ministry headquarters in Miracle Valley, Arizona.[1] life[edit] A. Allen's early life was lived in an often unpleasant environment. Having been born of mixed race to white and Native American parents, his family was very poor and his father was an alcoholic.[2] the age of 23, Allen became a Christian at the Onward Methodist Church in Miller, Missouri.[3] he learned of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit from a Pentecostal preacher who was conducting meetings in his home. soon felt the call to preach and affiliated himself with the Assemblies of God, subsequently obtaining ordination from them in 1936. He then began to pastor a small church in Colorado. By 1947, Allen was pastoring a large Assemblies of God church in Corpus Christi, Texas.[2] attending a tent revival meeting hosted by Oral Roberts in 1949, Allen testified that as he left that meeting he hoped to form a divine healing ministry. Allen asked his church board to allow him to start a radio program, but they refused. Allen soon resigned from his church and began holding healing revival meetings.[2] in part from many reported healings, Allen established a large following.[4] became one of the first ministers to develop a national television ministry, which frequently included excerpts from his "healing line" ministry. the late 1960s, however, music formed an increasingly dominant part of Allen's programs, which was generally performed by African-American singer and choir leader Gene Martin.[5] 1955, Allen purchased a large tent for $8,500.[4] He was soon one of the major healing evangelists on the healing revival circuit. revival meetings were similar to the other leading evangelists of the time (such as Roberts, Jack Coe, and William Branham)[6] in that meetings were typically characterized by preaching, testimony, music, and praying for the sick.[5][7] was the case with other ministers of the time, Allen's healing ministry was facilitated by the use of "prayer cards" obtained in advance by those requesting prayer for healing.[8][9] continued on the revival circuit, and in 1958 he purchased a tent previously used by Coe that could seat over 22,000. became one of the first evangelists to propagate the prosperity gospel, calling poverty a "spirit" and expounding God's ability to perform miracles financially.[10] his peak, Allen appeared on fifty-eight radio stations daily, as well as forty-three television stations.[11] the time of his death, his headquarters in Miracle Valley, Arizona was 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) with its own airfield. that time, A. A. Allen Revivals, Inc. was publishing "well over" 60 million pieces of literature a year. The circulation of Miracle Magazine, published monthly by the Allen ministry, was 450,000 at the time of his death.[12] magazine included, at times, accounts of healings, but gave a disclaimer that the magazine does not "assume legal responsibility" of its accuracy.[3] W. King, the business manager of Miracle Valley, was quoted in 1969, shortly before Allen's death, as saying, "We take in $2 million a year, and our expenses are $2 million a year." He added that Miracle Valley's annual payroll was $84,000.[13] his television programs, Allen or his ministry associates made frequent mention of the fact that his meetings were racially integrated. sat alongside whites in the choir, the ministers' section, and the congregation. musical talent was frequently highlighted in Allen's television programs, especially in the 1960s. This racial attitude also found its expression in Allen's sermon record album titled, Did God Call the Apostle Paul to Preach the Gospel to the Black Man? The album cover refers to Allen as "no doubt the first evangelist on a great national or international scale to preach integration to huge crowds in the North and the South ..."[14] This was something of an exaggeration, though perhaps in keeping with Allen's personality. Mainstream revivalist Billy Graham, while not always consistent, had desegregated many of his revivals as early as 1953 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and integrated all his revivals following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.[15] major theme in Allen's ministry was his unrelenting attacks on what he characterized as dead, formal, denominational religion. This was a theme of a number of his televised messages and of such Miracle Valley publications as Allen's book titled Let My People Go![16] This was also the theme of a book authored by Clarence G. Mitchell and published by Allen's ministry, titled Starving Sheep and Overfed Shepherds (1963). Allen regarded "denominationalism" as a sin. This is reflected in the subtitle of Mitchell's book: "Takes the Cover Off! Brings the Sin of Denominationalism Out into the Open!" a revival meeting on January 1, 1958, in Phoenix, Arizona, recent convert Urbane Leiendecker approached Allen and offered him 1,280 acres (5.2 km2) of land.[17] This property, later expanded, was then named "Miracle Valley." As such, it served as the ministry headquarters for A. A. Allen Revivals, Inc. This location housed Miracle Valley Bible College and its dorms and classrooms; a domed church; administrative buildings; a large warehouse; a residential neighborhood called Miracle Valley Estates; a publishing and printing plant; a four-press phonograph record plant; and Miracle Valley Fellowship, which served as a ministerial fellowship with about 10,000 ministers as members.[12] In spite of the presence of its own print shop, however, Miracle Valley business manager Gerald King said in 1969 that the ministry spent $27,000 per month "farming out" jobs to other print shops that could not be handled on site.[13] 1963, A. A. Allen Revivals, Inc. successfully sued the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)[18] in an attempt to get the government to refund collections of the Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes for 1958–59.[19][20] A. Allen and his wife, Lexie E. (Scriven) Allen had three sons and one daughter. The third son, Paul Asa Allen, is the author of In the Shadow of Greatness – Growing Up Allen. Allen died at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco, California, on June 11, 1970, at the age of 60. Allen was buried at Miracle Valley, Arizona, on June 15, 1970.[21]

US Presidents Folder, 1933-2009

US, 1933-1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, progressive dem, 4 elections, Depression New Deal exec orders, WWII
US President, 1933-1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt; Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office. was born in Hyde Park, New York, to the Roosevelt family made well known by the reputation of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, as well as by the reputation of prominent businessman William Henry Aspinwall. graduated from the Groton School and Harvard College, and attended Columbia Law School but left after passing the bar exam to practice law in New York City. 1905, he married his fifth cousin once removed Eleanor Roosevelt. They had six children, of whom five survived into adulthood. He won election to the New York State Senate in 1910, and then served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. was James M. Cox's running mate on the Democratic Party's 1920 national ticket, but Cox was defeated by Republican Warren G. Harding. 1921, Roosevelt contracted a paralytic illness, believed at the time to be polio, and his legs became permanently paralyzed. While attempting to recover from his condition, Roosevelt founded a polio rehabilitation center in Warm Springs, Georgia. In spite of being unable to walk unaided, Roosevelt returned to public office by winning election as Governor of New York in 1928. He served as governor from 1929 to 1933, promoting programs to combat the economic crisis besetting the United States. the 1932 presidential election, Roosevelt defeated Republican incumbent Herbert Hoover in a landslide. Roosevelt took office in the midst of the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. During the first 100 days of the 73rd United States Congress, Roosevelt spearheaded unprecedented federal legislation and issued a profusion of executive orders that instituted the New Deal—a variety of programs designed to produce relief, recovery, and reform. created numerous programs to provide relief to the unemployed and farmers while seeking economic recovery with the National Recovery Administration and other programs. also instituted major regulatory reforms related to finance, communications, and labor, and presided over the end of Prohibition. used radio to speak directly to the American people, giving 30 "fireside chat" radio addresses during his presidency and became the first American president to be televised. With the economy having improved rapidly from 1933 to 1936, Roosevelt won a landslide reelection in 1936. After the 1936 election, Roosevelt sought passage of the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937 (the "court packing plan"), which would have expanded the size of the Supreme Court of the United States. bipartisan Conservative Coalition that formed in 1937 prevented passage of the bill and blocked the implementation of further New Deal programs and reforms. The economy then relapsed into a deep recession in 1937 and 1938. Major surviving programs and legislation implemented under Roosevelt include the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Social Security, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. was reelected in 1940 for his third term, making him the only U.S. president to serve for more than two terms. With World War II looming after 1938, the U.S. remained officially neutral, Roosevelt gave strong diplomatic and financial support to China, the United Kingdom, and eventually the Soviet Union. the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, an event he called "a date which will live in infamy", Roosevelt obtained a congressional declaration of war on Japan, and, a few days later, on Germany and Italy. by his top aide Harry Hopkins and with very strong national support, he worked closely with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek in leading the Allied Powers against the Axis Powers. supervised the mobilization of the U.S. economy to support the war effort, and implemented a Europe first strategy, making the defeat of Germany a priority over that of Japan. also initiated the development of the world's first atomic bomb and worked with other Allied leaders to lay the groundwork for the United Nations and other post-war institutions. It was under his wartime leadership that the United States would become a superpower on the world stage. won reelection in 1944, but with his physical health declining during the war years, he died in April 1945, less than three months into his fourth term. Axis Powers surrendered to the Allies in the months following Roosevelt's death, during the presidency of his successor, Harry S. Truman. Roosevelt is usually rated by scholars among the nation's greatest presidents, alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. However in the decades following his death, his legacy has come under scrutiny. THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; THE MARTYRS OF NEW GUINEA, (2 SEP 1942); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Theodore Ely of WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS and PRIEST, 8 October 1926, RICHARD THEODORE ELY, ECONOMIST, 4 October 1943; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935); THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1938-1956, Jack Coe, PENTACOSTAL, Evangelist, faith healer, the man of reckless faith, tent revivals in the south
US, 1938-1956, Jack Coe, PENTACOSTAL, Evangelist, faith healer, the man of reckless faith, tent revivals, the south, man oReckless faith, faith healer, touring tent, ordained 1944 Assemblies oGod, still Army WWII, center oControversy, employed 80, fOklahoma City, orphanage, left a17, heavy drinker, joined Army 1941, dynamic enthusiastic iBeliefs, impressed by size Oral Roberts' tent, ordered one bigger, said largest tent in world, larder Barnum Baily Circus tent, edited Gordon Lindsay's Voice oHealing mag til 1950, then began own mag, Herald oHealing. 1956 circulation 250K, opened orphanage, large church Dallas Revival Center, healing no medicines or doctors, expelled AOG misleading public, also extravegent lifestyle, printed pictures large homes AOG officials, smaller homes his & other revivalists, Polio boy not healed, charges dropped practicing medicine without license; Oklahoma City, OK (Canadian River 8); Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ; Coe (March 11, 1918 – December 16, 1956) was a Pentecostal evangelist, nicknamed "the man of reckless faith". He was one of the first faith healers in the United States with a touring tent ministry after World War II. was ordained in the Assemblies of God in 1944, and began to preach while still serving in World War II. the following twelve years, he traveled the U.S. organizing tent revivals to spread his message. was frequently the center of controversy, preached extensively through the South, and employed some 80 persons."[1] life Coe was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the seventh child of George Henry and Blanche Zoe (Mays) Coe of Pleasantville, Venango County, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma City.[citation needed] parents later placed him in an orphanage. He left there in 1935 at the age of 17. A heavy drinker, he joined the Army after World War II began. later claimed to have experienced a miracle during his time in the military that caused him to become a Christian minister. had close ties with the Assemblies of God, and preached several meetings while he was in the Army. He was ordained in 1944, and began his career as an itinerant preacher.[2] evangelist and ministries was dynamic and enthusiastic in his beliefs.[2] He knew Oral Roberts and was impressed by the size of Roberts' revival tent. One day Coe went to a Roberts' tent meeting and measured the tent; he then ordered a larger one.[3] Coe was not bashful about announcing that his tent was the largest in the world; bigger, he claimed, than the one Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus used.[4] was co-editor of fellow evangelist Gordon Lindsay's Voice of Healing magazine until 1950, when he began his own magazine, the Herald of Healing. By 1956 its circulation was approximately 250,000.[4] also opened a children's orphanage[5] and built a large church building known as the Dallas Revival Center.[6] with denomination and controversy ’s revival messages centered upon healing, and he was adamant about not taking medicines and not visiting doctors.[7] 1953, the Assemblies of God expelled him on the grounds that he was "misleading the public" and "antagonizing Dallas Civil Authorities". was also accused of having an extravagant lifestyle and home. hearing that, Coe printed pictures of four large homes owned by some top officials in the Assemblies of God the smaller homes of himself and three other revivalists. also charged that the Assemblies of God were "fighting divine healing". revivalists soon came into conflict with Pentecostal denominations as well.[8] arrest and case dismissed taught and preached fervently on divine healing, claiming to have healed visitors to his revivals. a 1955 revival service in Miami, Florida, Coe told the parents of a three-year-old boy that he had healed their son of polio.[9] Coe then told the parents to remove the boy's leg braces.[9] the boy was not cured, and removing the braces left him in constant pain.[9] a result, Coe was arrested and on February 6, 1956 and was charged with practicing medicine without a license, a felony in the state of Florida. judge dismissed the case on grounds that Florida exempts divine healing from the law.[10][11][12] November, a few months after the charges were dismissed, Coe became sick while in Hot Springs, Arkansas.[13] returned to Texas and underwent a tracheotomy to help his breathing after his muscles became paralyzed.[13] was diagnosed with bulbar polio, and died a few weeks later at Dallas' Parkland Hospital on December 16, 1956. He was 38.[14][15][16] his death, A. A. Allen bought his tent and continued to hold large tent meetings.[17] The Dallas Revival Center was later led by W. V. Grant.[18] wife, Rev. Juanita Geneva Scott of Lancaster, Texas, died on September 27, 1996, and was buried in Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.[19] Coe's son, Jack Coe, Jr., also became a preacher with a healing ministry.[20]

US, 1938-2009, Oral Roberts PS, Tulsa, OK, Charismatic televangelist, , first preach prosperity gospel, healing ministry
US, 1938-2009, Oral Roberts PS, Tulsa, OK, Charismatic Christian televangelist, first preach prosperity gospel, of most recognized US preachers, ordained Pentecostal Holiness and United Methodist churches, forerunner charismatic movement, founded Oral Roberts University, seed faith preaching, healing ministry most impact, also pioneered televangelism, laid foundation prosperity gospel & abundant life teachings, funding appeals critised, fPontotoc County, OK, Preachers kid, Cherokee mother, poverty, tuberculosis a17, 2yrs each Oklahoma Baptist&Phillips Universities, married preachers daughter, after College traveling faith healer w3k person tent, healing started 1945 aTaccoa GA, part time OK preacher till 1947, hundreds national conventions, 300 crusades on 6Continents, hands on 2M people, successful 1955 Johannesburg, S Africa, apartheid, for both black and white, whole year, Also that year direct mail campaigns of seed faith, 1980's at its peak Roberts led $120m/yr org employing 2,300, incl university, medical school, hospital, 50 acres of buildings valued at $500m, 1963 founded ORU, command fGod, students signed honor code, 1947 radio pioneer televangelist, television 1954 revivals, 1957 Abundant Life reaching 80%, and quarterly Prime Time Specials f1969-80, 1996 founded Golden Eagle Broadcasting, 1968 joined United Methodist from Pentecostal Holiness for more leeway, from 1968-87; Oral Roberts University ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ; Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009[1][2]) an American Charismatic Christian televangelist, was one of the first to propagate Prosperity Gospel Theology. was ordained in both the Pentecostal Holiness and United Methodist churches. is considered one of the forerunners of the charismatic movement, at the height of his career was one of the most recognized preachers in the US.[3] founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University. of the most well-known and controversial American religious leaders of the 20th century, preaching emphasized seed-faith.[4] ministries reached millions of followers worldwide spanning a period of over six decades.[5] healing ministry and his bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream had the most impact,[6] he also pioneered televangelism, and laid the foundations of the prosperity gospel[5] and abundant life teachings.[7] The breadth and style of his ministry, including his widely publicized funding appeals, made him a consistent subject of contention among critics and supporters.[5] life[edit] was born on January 24, 1918, in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, the fifth and youngest child of the Reverend Ellis Melvin Roberts (1881–1967) and Claudius Priscilla Roberts (née Irwin) (1885–1974).[8] an interview on Larry King Live, Roberts claimed his mother was of Cherokee descent.[9] Roberts also claimed Choctaw heritage. However, census records indicate that Roberts and his family are listed as "white", including his mother despite her claims to be "one-quarter Cherokee."[10] began life in poverty, and nearly died of tuberculosis when he was 17.[11] finishing high school, Roberts studied for two years each at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University. 1938, he married a preacher's daughter, Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock. became a traveling faith healer after ending his college studies without a degree. to a TIME Magazine profile of 1972, Roberts originally made a name for himself with a large mobile tent "that sat 3,000 on metal folding chairs".[12] and university[edit] 1945, Roberts resigned from his pastorate in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to hold revivals in the area and attend Oklahoma Baptist. But in the late summer of 1945, while preaching in a North Carolina camp meeting, Roberts was asked by Robert E. "Daddy" Lee of Toccoa, Georgia, to consider becoming pastor of his small, eighty-member church. Roberts suggested they pray about it, and unexpectedly, decided to accept. By the end of the year, Roberts resigned and moved back to Shawnee. Apparently, the Georgia conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church frowned on having a minister from outside its conference as a pastor. though it was, the Toccoa detour had a lasting effect on Roberts and his family. was there that their daughter Rebecca, then five years old, first met her future husband, Marshall. were also reportedly two instances of healing, which Roberts would later look back on as his first realization "that I was approaching 'my hour'."[13] 1947, Roberts struggled as a part-time preacher in Oklahoma, when he was 29, Roberts said he picked up his Bible and it fell open at the Third Epistle of John, where he read verse 2: "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." next day, he said, he bought a Buick and God appeared, directing him to heal the sick.[14] resigned his pastoral ministry with the Pentecostal Holiness Church to found Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association (OREA).[15] conducted evangelistic and faith healing drives across the United States and around the world, claiming he could raise the dead.[16][17] November 1947, he started Healing Waters, a monthly magazine as a means to promote his meetings.[18] of sick people waited in line to stand before Oral Roberts so he could pray for them. appeared as a guest speaker for hundreds of national and international meetings and conventions. Through the years, he conducted more than 300 "crusades" on six continents, and personally laid hands in prayer on more than 2 million people.[11][19][20] January 1955, Oral Roberts held a "salvation and healing" campaign in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was an era of apartheid. He was bitterly assailed by the Sunday Express for the hysteria and traffic jams of 20,000 people that packed big Wembley stadium and playing field. Other newspapers reported on the healings and 25,000 people saved. Roberts left behind a residual campaign fund in South Africa of $37,000 less expenses, with the hope that "his campaign will save 100,000 during the coming year".[21] Three of the four sponsoring churches were Pentecostal, including Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) and the Assemblies of God – White Group (AG). The campaign committee consisted entirely of white Afrikaner missionaries and ministers, H.R. Carter, D.D. Freeman, A.J. Schoeman (head of AFM), and W.F. Mullan (head of AG).[22] The campaign committee had plans to use the Oral Roberts' 100,000 Souls for Africa Campaign residual fund to hold revivals in 1955 to win souls for Christ, both Afrikaners (white) and Africans (black).[23] The campaign committee sponsored a young evangelist from the U.S.A. Emanuele Cannistraci,[24] and paid for his revivals in Johannesburg at the Fairview Assemblies Hall and a portion of Bethshan Tabernacle's costs for Cannistraci's revival in Durban South Africa, a congregation of mixed race.[25][26] Cannistraci's photos, including his claims of healing two deaf and dumb brothers during the revival, were published in Oral Roberts' America's Healing Magazine. also ran direct mail campaigns of seed-faith, which appealed to poor Americans, often from ethnic minorities. its peak in the early 1980s, Roberts was the leader of a $120 million-a-year organization employing 2,300 people. This included not only a university but also a medical school and hospital as well as buildings on 50 acres (200,000 m2) south of Tulsa valued at $500 million.[5][14] Another part of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, the Abundant Life Prayer Group (ALPG), was founded in 1958.[15] The Praying Hands, on the ORU campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma 1963, he founded Oral Roberts University (ORU)[15] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stating he was obeying a command from God. The university was chartered during 1963 and received its first students in 1965. Students were required to sign an honor code pledging not to drink, smoke, or engage in premarital sexual activities. The Prayer Tower, opened in 1967, is located at the center of the campus. From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay; photo taken at Kansas City in 1948 was a pioneer televangelist, and attracted a vast viewership. He began broadcasting by radio in 1947,[27][28] and began broadcasting his revivals by television in 1954.[5] His television ministry continued with The Abundant Life program reaching 80% of the United States by 1957, and quarterly Prime Time Specials from 1969 through 1980. In 1996, he founded Golden Eagle Broadcasting.[15] March 17, 1968, Roberts and his wife were received as members of the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Dr. Finis Crutchfield, its then pastor. United Methodist Church offered more leniency in doctrinal and moral issues than the Pentecostal Holiness Church had. granted Roberts some leeway, as it was expected that the strictness of the Pentecostal tradition may have impeded his rise in popularity.[29] Roberts' switch to Methodism, Crutchfield arranged a meeting between Roberts and Bishop William Angie Smith, at which the Bishop told Roberts, "We need you, but we need the Holy Spirit more than we need you and we've got to have the Holy Spirit in the Methodist Church."[30] became an elder in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. 1968 through 1987, Roberts was a member of the United Methodist Church's ministry.[31][32][33] affected the American Protestant community. According to one authority in conservative Protestant culture, his ministry's influence was second only to that of Billy Graham.[2][34][35] divine healing ministry called for prayer to heal the whole person—body, mind and spirit.[36] labeled him a faith healer, but he rejected this with the comment: "God heals—I don't."[2][6] played a major role in bringing American Pentecostal Christianity into the mainstream.[37] though Roberts was often associated with the prosperity gospel and the faith movement because of his close doctrinal and personal ties with Word-Faith teachers, his abundant life teachings did not fully identify him with that movement.[38] 1977, Roberts claimed to have had a vision from a 900-foot-tall Jesus who told him to build City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and the hospital would be a success.[39][40][41] 1980, Roberts said he had a vision that encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Oklahoma, which opened in 1981. the time, it was among the largest health facilities of its kind in the world and was intended to merge prayer and medicine in the healing process. City of Faith operated for eight years before closing in late 1989. Orthopedic Hospital of Oklahoma still operates on its premises. 1983 Roberts said Jesus had appeared to him in person and commissioned him to find a cure for cancer.[42][43] fundraising was controversial. In January 1987, during a fundraising drive, Roberts announced to a television audience that unless he raised $8 million by that March, God would "call him home."[44][45] the year before on Easter he had told a gathering at the Dallas Convention Center that God had instructed him to raise the money "by the end of the year" or he would die.[46] of this new March deadline and the fact that he was still $4.5 million short of his goal,[47] some were fearful that he was referring to suicide, given the impassioned pleas and tears that accompanied his statement. in March 1987, while Roberts was fasting and praying in the Prayer Tower, Florida dog track owner Jerry Collins donated $1.3 million.[48][49] Highly worried from what he perceived as Roberts threatening to starve himself, Collins said, "I did it in order to save the guy from going to heaven in a hurry. It's got nothing to do with religion. I've been a Baptist and a Methodist. I believe in religion and not just the church. You have to help one another."[50] Roberts raised a total of $9.1 million.[51] Later that year, he announced that God had raised the dead through his ministry.[52] Some of Roberts' fundraising letters were written by Gene Ewing, who headed a business writing donation letters for other evangelicals such as Don Stewart and Robert Tilton.[53] maintained his love of finery; one obituary claimed that even when times became economically hard, "he continued to wear his Italian silk suits, diamond rings and gold bracelets—airbrushed out by his staff on publicity pictures".[14][32] The CityPlex office complex, originally built as Oral Roberts' City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Tulsa stirred up controversy when Time reported in 1987 that his son Richard Roberts claimed that he had seen his father raise a child from the dead.[45] year, the Bloom County comic strip recast its character Bill the Cat as a satirized televangelist, "Fundamentally Oral Bill". 1987, Time stated that he was "re-emphasizing faith healing and [is] reaching for his old-time constituency."[45] the income of his organization continued to decrease (from $88 million in 1980 to $55 million in 1986, according to the Tulsa Tribune) and his largely vacant City of Faith Medical Center continued to lose money.[45] McNevin said that in 1988 the ORU Board of Regents "rubber-stamped" the "use of millions in endowment money to buy a Beverly Hills property so that Oral Roberts could have a West Coast office and house."[54] addition, he said a country club membership was purchased for the Roberts' home. lavish expenses led to McNevin's resignation from the Board. 1988, Oral Roberts and his son Richard were sued for $15 million in federal court by patients at City of Faith Medical Center, who claimed the two were frauds who did not visit or heal patients in the hospital.[55][56][57] organizations were also affected by scandals involving other televangelists[2] and the City of Faith hospital was forced to close in 1989 after losing money. was forced to respond with the sale of his holiday homes in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills as well as three of his Mercedes cars.[14] Roberts resigned from the presidency of ORU on November 23, 2007, after being named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging improper use of university funds for political and personal purposes, and improper use of university resources.[58][59] university was given a donation of $8 million by Hobby Lobby heir Mart Green, and although the lawsuit was still in process,[60] the school submitted to an outside audit, and with a good report an additional $62 million was given by Green.[61][62] Roberts continued in his role as ORU chancellor, helping in the leadership of ORU along with Billy Joe Daugherty, who was named as the executive regent to assume administrative responsibilities of the Office of the President by the ORU Board of Regents.[63] Roberts continued as the ORU chancellor until his death,[15] but in 2009, eleven months before his death, handed over the leadership of ORU to its incoming president, Mark Rutland.[64] Oklahoma Senate adopted a resolution honoring the life of Oral Roberts, and he accepted this honor in 2009 at the age of 91, seven months before his death.[65] Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) elected Roberts to the OAB Hall of Fame one month before his death.[28][66] life[edit] was married to Evelyn Lutman Fahnestock (1917–2005) for 66 years from December 25, 1938, until her death from a fall, at the age of 88, on May 4, 2005.[67][68] Their daughter Rebecca Nash died with her husband, businessman Marshall Nash, in an airplane crash on February 11, 1977.[69][70] Their elder son, Ronald Roberts, died by suicide on June 10, 1982, five months after receiving a court order to undergo counseling at a drug treatment center and six months after coming out as gay.[71][72][73] The other two Roberts children are son Richard, an evangelist and former president of Oral Roberts University, and daughter Roberta Potts, an attorney. died of complications from pneumonia on December 15, 2009,[74][75] at the age of 91. He had been "semi-retired" and living in Newport Beach, California.[76] He was interred next to his wife at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma (the same cemetery where T. L. Osborn would be interred nearly four years later).[77] to a 1987 article in The New York Review of Books by Martin Gardner, the "most accurate and best documented biography" is Oral Roberts: An American Life, an objective study by David Edwin Harrell Jr., a historian at Auburn University.

US, 1939-2010, G.A. Mangum, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Alexandria, Lousiana, large church, music, easter production
US, 1939-2010, G.A. Mangum, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Alexandria, Lousiana (near Red River Mouth), large church, music, easter production; Alexandria, Lousiana ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ; Archie Mangun (March 11, 1919 – June 17, 2010), usually known as G. A. Mangun, built one of the largest churches of the United Pentecostal Church International denomination in the city of Alexandria, Louisiana.[1] life[edit] was born in La Paz in Marshall County in northern Indiana, to Walter Mangun and the former Bertha Birk. He was one of seven children: Woodrow Riddle, Mildred (Mangun) Shock, Gladys (Mangun) Starkweather, Grace (Mangun) Coleman, Dr. Ruth (Mangun) Holland, and Martha (Mangun) Spencer. After graduating in 1938 from Lincoln High School in Plymouth, Indiana, Mangun attended Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained a minister in 1942.[2] ministry[edit] leaving Bible college, Mangun traveled to the American South, where he held a Christian revival in Lou-Ann, Arkansas. Occasions to minister began to open in Indiana and Ohio, then in Louisiana and Texas. He preached at many revivals in small towns in Louisiana such as Starks, Clarks, Eros, and Hodge. He next traveled to Diboll, Texas, where he met Vesta Layne Gibson, a preacher's daughter, whom he married on September 10, 1943.[3] they traveled from state to state for seven years, in places such as St. Louis, Missouri; West Monroe, Provençal, and Camp Eight, Louisiana; Zavalla and Lufkin, Texas; DeQuincy, Louisiana, and back to his home state of Indiana in Gary, Plymouth, and Mishawaka; and on to Sunbury, Pennsylvania, where he received a call from a Reverend Pardue to hold a revival in his church in Alexandria, Louisiana.[3] Manguns' only child, Anthony, was born in January 1950.[citation needed] the Legacy[edit] June 1950, Mangun was elected pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church in Alexandria, since renamed The Pentecostals of Alexandria. At that time the small church was located at 16th and Day Streets, and was home to a congregation of only thirty-eight adult members.[4] Today, the church is situated on Rapides Avenue, and includes a Family Life Center, the G. A. Mangun Center – an auditorium and education building - and the main sanctuary, which seats approximately 2,200. 1951 to 2007, Mangun served as the presbyter over the United Pentecostal churches in the Louisiana District's Section 7, comprising approximately thirty-five churches in the Central Louisiana area. He also served as a member of the District Board of the Louisiana District United Pentecostal Church. He was the longest tenured District Board member in any district in United Pentecostal Church history. Following his retirement he was named as an honorary member of that board.[5] It was about this time that the title of bishop was bestowed upon him, as his son, Anthony, became senior pastor of the Alexandria congregation. served the United Pentecostal Church International as a member of its Foreign Missions Board beginning in 1982. He also served a single term as an Executive Presbyter of the UPCI General Board during 1986–87.[5] September 2004, he was inducted into the United Pentecostal Church International's "Order of the Faith," – a prestigious award honoring him "for outstanding achievement and exemplary service."[5] Mangun's almost 60-year tenure as pastor of The Pentecostals of Alexandria, his congregation became known for its music and the Easter production, Messiah.[6] President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton attended once while he was governor of Arkansas, and Clinton himself made a return visit during his presidency.[7] Peter Jennings attended the production while researching the ABC special Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus.[8] service[edit] was formerly a chaplain for the Louisiana State Police (Troop E), the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department, and the Civil Air Patrol. He was a member of the Rapides Parish Airport Authority and the Alexandria Port Authority. He also served as a member of the St. Francis Cabrini Hospital’s Advisory Board.[5] He officiated at the first burial in Alexandria Memorial Gardens. Bishop Mangun’s 70th birthday, then Mayor Ned Randolph of Alexandria declared March 11, 1989 "G. A. Mangun Day." In 2002, the Louisiana National Guard presented Mangun with a Civilian Service Medal for his service to his community and nation.[5] June 23, 2010, U.S. Senator David Vitter entered into the Congressional Record a remembrance of G. A. Mangun for his community service.[9]

US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date
US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date ; US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1941-1945, US Policy, Lend-Lease Policy
US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 1943, DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS, England (Dorset Stour River 4), gave lives to save other soldiers
Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4); DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3; Four Chaplains were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out; 230 of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued. Life jackets offered little protection from hypothermia which killed most men in the water. Water temperature was 34 °F (1 °C) and air temperature was 36 °F (2 °C). By the time additional rescue ships arrived "...hundreds of dead bodies were seen floating on the water, kept up by their life jackets." chaplains, who all held the rank of lieutenant, were the Methodist Reverend George L. Fox, the Jewish Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, the Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington and the Reformed Church in America Reverend Clark V. Poling. were sailing on the USAT Dorchester troop transport on February 3, 1943, when the vessel, travelling in convoy, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 in the North Atlantic. As the vessel sank, the four chaplains calmed the frightened soldiers and sailors, aided in the evacuation of the ship, and helped guide wounded men to safety. The chaplains also gave up their own life jackets. I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets.—Grady Clark, survivor December 19, 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. The Four Chaplains' Medal was established by act of Congress on July 14, 1960, and was presented posthumously to their next of kin by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Ft. Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961. chaplains were also honored with a stamp, issued in 1948 and by an act of Congress designating February 3 as "Four Chaplains Day." Poling and Washington had served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. — from Wikipedia Fox, Goode, Poling, and Washington responded to a high calling from God to represent his love among men of war. On the day they died, they personified the words of Jesus found in John 15:13"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." — from Holy Women, Holy Men

US, 1943, DORCHESTER CHAPLINS, Fox, Goode, Poling and Washington, USAT Dorchester sunk by German Sub U-223, North Sea
US, 1943, DORCHESTER CHAPLINS, Fox, Goode, Poling and Washington, USAT Dorchester sunk by German Sub U-223, North Sea, Dorchester England English Channel (Dorset Stour River 4), 4 US Army Chaplains, gave up their lives to save others, helped them board lifeboats, gave up own lifejackets, 230 of 904 saved, hypothermia killed most; Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4); DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3; Four Chaplains were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II. helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out; of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued. Life jackets offered little protection from hypothermia which killed most men in the water. temperature was 34 °F (1 °C) air temperature was 36 °F (2 °C). the time additional rescue ships arrived "...hundreds of dead bodies were seen floating on the water, kept up by their life jackets." chaplains, who all held the rank of lieutenant, were Methodist Reverend George L. Fox, Jewish Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington the Reformed Church in America Reverend Clark V. Poling. were sailing on the USAT Dorchester troop transport on February 3, 1943, the vessel, travelling in convoy, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 in the North Atlantic. the vessel sank, the four chaplains calmed the frightened soldiers and sailors, aided in the evacuation of the ship, and helped guide wounded men to safety. chaplains also gave up their own life jackets. I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets.—Grady Clark, survivor December 19, 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. Four Chaplains' Medal was established by act of Congress on July 14, 1960, and was presented posthumously to their next of kin by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Ft. Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961. chaplains were also honored with a stamp, issued in 1948 and by an act of Congress designating February 3 as "Four Chaplains Day." Poling and Washington had served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. — from Wikipedia Fox, Goode, Poling, and Washington responded to a high calling from God to represent his love among men of war. the day they died, they personified the words of Jesus found in John 15:13"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." — from Holy Women, Holy Men

US, 1945-1953, President Harry S. Truman, Lib Dem, WWII End, Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine, NATO, Atomic Bomb
US President, 1945-1953, Harry S. Truman; S. Truman[b] (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953, succeeding upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt after serving as the 34th vice president in early 1945. implemented the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe and established the Truman Doctrine and NATO to contain communist expansion. He proposed numerous liberal domestic reforms, but few were enacted by the Conservative Coalition that dominated Congress. grew up in Independence, Missouri, and during World War I fought in France as a captain in the Field Artillery. Returning home, he opened a haberdashery in Kansas City, Missouri, and was later elected as a Jackson County official in 1922. was elected to the United States Senate from Missouri in 1934 and gained national prominence as chairman of the Truman Committee, which was aimed at reducing waste and inefficiency in wartime contracts. Soon after succeeding to the presidency, he authorized the first and only use of nuclear weapons in war. administration engaged in an internationalist foreign policy and renounced isolationism. He rallied his New Deal coalition during the 1948 presidential election and won a surprise victory that secured his own presidential term. the onset of the Cold War, Truman oversaw the Berlin Airlift and Marshall Plan in 1948. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, he gained United Nations approval to intervene in the Korean War. He did not ask for Congressional approval, and as the war stalemated his popularity fell. His administration successfully guided the U.S. economy through the postwar economic challenges; the expected postwar depression never happened. In 1948, he submitted the first comprehensive civil rights legislation. It did not pass, so he instead issued Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 to begin racial equality in federal agencies and the military. in the Truman administration became a central campaign issue in the 1952 presidential election. He was eligible for reelection in 1952, but with weak polls he decided not to run. Dwight D. Eisenhower attacked Truman's record and won easily. Truman went into a retirement marked by the founding of his presidential library and the publication of his memoirs. was long thought that his retirement years were financially difficult for Truman, resulting in Congress voting a pension for former presidents, but ample evidence eventually emerged that he amassed considerable wealth after leaving office. When he left office, Truman's presidency was heavily criticized, though critical reassessment of his tenure has been favorable. ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1949-1968, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader, Atlanta, GA (Flint River Source, Eastern Divide 8 )
US, 1949-1968, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader, Atlanta, GA (Flint River Source, Eastern Divide 8 ); Atlanta, GA; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesman and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. African American church leader and the son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. role in leading the cause of civil rights in the South differed in style from the previous accommodationist stances represented by Booker T. Washington and black-and-tan faction leader Perry Wilbon Howard II. participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights.[1] oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As president of the SCLC, he led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize some of the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The civil rights movement achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. SCLC put into practice the tactics of nonviolent protest with some success by strategically choosing the methods and places in which protests were carried out. There were several dramatic stand-offs with segregationist authorities, who sometimes turned violent.[2] times King would be jailed. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director J. Edgar Hoover considered King a radical and made him an object of the FBI's COINTELPRO from 1963, forward. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, spied on his personal life, and secretly recorded him, and in 1964, mailed King a threatening anonymous letter, which he interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.[3] October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. 1965, he helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. his final years, he expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty, capitalism, and the Vietnam War. 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. death was followed by national mourning, as well as anger leading to riots in many U.S. cities. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2003. Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the holiday was enacted at the federal level by legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor, and the most populous county in Washington State was rededicated for him. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011.

US, 1953-1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, NATO, anti communist, interstate HWY system, integration
US President, 1933-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower; David "Ike" Eisenhower GCB, OM, RE, GCS, CCLH, KC, NPk (October 14, 1890 - March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, and achieved the rare five-star rank of General of the Army. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–1943 and the successful invasion of Normandy in 1944–1945 from the Western Front. born David Dwight Eisenhower, was raised in Abilene, Kansas, in a large family of mostly Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. His family had a strong religious background. His mother became a Jehovah's Witness. Eisenhower, however, did not belong to any organized church until 1952. He graduated from West Point in 1915 and later married Mamie Doud, with whom he had two sons. During World War I, he was denied a request to serve in Europe and instead commanded a unit that trained tank crews. Following the war, he served under various generals and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1941. After the United States entered World War II, Eisenhower oversaw the invasions of North Africa and Sicily before supervising the invasions of France and Germany. After the war, he served as Army Chief of Staff (1945–1948), as president of Columbia University (1948–1953) and as the first Supreme Commander of NATO (1951–1952). 1952, Eisenhower entered the presidential race as a Republican to block the isolationist foreign policies of Senator Robert A. Taft; Taft opposed NATO and wanted no foreign entanglements. Eisenhower won that election and the 1956 election in landslides, both times defeating Adlai Stevenson II. Eisenhower's main goals in office were to contain the spread of communism and reduce federal deficits. In 1953, he considered using nuclear weapons to end the Korean War, and may have threatened China with nuclear attack if an armistice was not reached quickly. China did agree and an armistice resulted which remains in effect. His New Look policy of nuclear deterrence prioritized inexpensive nuclear weapons while reducing funding for expensive Army divisions. He continued Harry S. Truman's policy of recognizing Taiwan as the legitimate government of China, and he won congressional approval of the Formosa Resolution. His administration provided major aid to help the French fight off Vietnamese Communists in the First Indochina War. After the French left, he gave strong financial support to the new state of South Vietnam. He supported regime-changing military coups in Iran and Guatemala orchestrated by his own administration. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, he condemned the Israeli, British, and French invasion of Egypt, and he forced them to withdraw. He also condemned the Soviet invasion during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 but took no action. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, Eisenhower authorized the establishment of NASA, which led to the Space Race. He deployed 15,000 soldiers during the 1958 Lebanon crisis. Near the end of his term, he failed to set up a summit meeting with the Soviets when a U.S. spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. He approved the Bay of Pigs invasion, which was left to John F. Kennedy to carry out. the domestic front, Eisenhower was a moderate conservative who continued New Deal agencies and expanded Social Security. He covertly opposed Joseph McCarthy and contributed to the end of McCarthyism by openly invoking executive privilege. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and sent Army troops to enforce federal court orders which integrated schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. His largest program was the Interstate Highway System. He promoted the establishment of strong science education via the National Defense Education Act. His two terms saw unprecedented economic prosperity except for a minor recession in 1958. In his farewell address to the nation, he expressed his concerns about the dangers of massive military spending, particularly deficit spending and government contracts to private military manufacturers, which he dubbed "the military–industrial complex". Historical evaluations of his presidency place him among the upper tier of American presidents. W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969); SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; Anna Julia Haywood Cooper of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1954-2013, Paul Crouch, PS, Worlds Largest Religious Televison Net, TBN larger t CBS NBC FOX, K's worldwide 75 countries
US, 1954-2013, Paul Crouch, PENTECOSAL SAINT, Springfield, MO, Worlds Largest Religious Televison Network, missionary son, prophet of sending Gospel worldwide, theologian, TBN larger than CBS NBC FOX, Thousands stations worldwide in 75 countries, 5 films, affiliated networks ; Central Bible Institute and Seminary ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; Franklin Crouch /kraʊtʃ/ (March 30, 1934 – November 30, 2013) was an American television evangelist. and his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in 1973; the company has been described as "the world’s largest religious television network."[1] was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the third son of oft-traveling Assemblies of God missionaries, Andrew F. Crouch (January 7, 1889 – June 1, 1941) and wife, the former Sara Swingle (September 26, 1891 – September 29, 1976). had two older brothers, the Rev. Philip Crouch (1918–2005), and John Mark Crouch (1923–1991). whose father died when he was seven years old, was mainly raised by his mother with the help of his grandparents. soon became interested in amateur radio and announced he would use such technology to send the Gospel around the world. graduated from the Central Bible College (Assemblies of God) in Springfield, Missouri in 1955 with a degree in theology.[2] also received three honorary doctorates: a Doctor of Litterarum (D.Litt.) on May 29, 1981, from the California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale, California; a Doctor of Divinity on May 29, 1983, from the American Christian Theological Seminary, Anaheim, California; and a Doctor of Laws degree on May 5, 1985, from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma. and Janice Bethany met in 1957 and were married in Missouri. They have two sons, Paul Crouch, Jr. and Matthew Crouch. broadcasting career[edit] began his career in broadcasting by helping to build an educational AM station (KCBI) on campus while a student at Central Bible Institute and Seminary. 1957 he became a radio announcer at KRSD in Rapid City, South Dakota, and progressed rapidly to program director. thereafter he was promoted to manager of sister station KRSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Rapid City. 1961, he was appointed by the general council of the Assemblies of God to organize and operate their newly formed Department of Television and Film Production in Burbank, California, a position he held for four years. was responsible for the ongoing production of films focusing largely on foreign missions and foreign missionary works, as well as the Assemblies of God's large inventory of audiovisual materials and children's teaching aids. 1965 to 1970 Crouch was general manager of KREL radio in Corona, California. 1966, he purchased a minority stock interest in KREL. During his time at KREL, he successfully completed the station's application for an increase in power to 5,000 watts. leaving KREL in 1970, Crouch was invited to serve as general manager for KHOF-FM and KHOF-TV in San Bernardino, California. Broadcasting Network (TBN) history[edit] Main article: Trinity Broadcasting Network left KHOF in 1973 and with his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) along with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (the Bakkers left in 1975). 1974, TBN purchased its first TV station, KLXA-TV (now KTBN-TV). Since then, TBN has grown to become the United States' largest Christian television network,[3][4] the third largest group owner of broadcast TV stations in the U.S., CBS, FOX, and NBC holding fourth, fifth and sixth place, according to TV News Check's annual listing of the Top 30 Station Groups.[5] indicated that Paul F. Crouch had compensation of $402,244 in the Fiscal Year ending on 12/31/08.[6] is viewed globally on 70 satellites and over 18,000 TV and cable affiliates. is also seen on the web globally.[7] is carried on over 287 television stations in the U.S. and on thousands of other cable television and satellite systems around the world in over 75 countries, where their programming is translated into over eleven languages. was also executive producer for such Christian films as China Cry (1990), The Omega Code (1999), Carman: The Champion (2001), Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001), and Time Changer (2002). the U.S., TBN's coverage grew through agreements with national cable operators. TBN is viewed via major cable and satellite companies such as Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Verizon FIOS, DirecTV, AT&T, Dish Network, and Charter.[8] addition to TBN, Crouch and his wife developed and oversaw operations for TBN's affiliated television networks: Smile of a Child – children's channel,[9][better source needed] JCTV – youth network,[10] The Church Channel,[11] TBN Enlace USA – Spanish language network,[12][13][failed verification] TBNE-Italian, The Healing Channel – Arabic language network, TBN-Russia, TBN Nejat TV – Persian-language channel, and TBN-HD, TBN's new high definition network. died at his home in Orange, California, on November 30, 2013, after 10 years with degenerative heart disease.[14][15]

US, 1961-1963, President John F. Kennedy
US President, 1961-1963, John F. Kennedy; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1963-1969, President Lyndon B. Johnson
US President, 1963-1969, Lyndon B. Johnson; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City, Forgotten Martyr 1700yrs
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City, 302 West 91st Street, New York, NY 10024; Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs, 318-1967, asked Fr George Nsis, NYC to paint her Icon holding a cross, research found young woman blond blue eyes, since then many miracles, Kalamata church built 1993; Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa was born in Kalamata in 291 to devout and God-loving parents, Nicholas and Despina, were from the eastern part of Italy. Because of the persecution of Christians at that time, they fled to Kalamata in the Peloponnesos, where they had a farm outside the city, because her father was a farmer. a young age Saint Xenίa adorned her soul with fasting, temperance, silence, unceasing prayer, tears, vigils, and charity. Dometian, the eparch of that region, happened to meet the Saint, he was dazzled by her beauty and wanted to make her his wife. Xenίa absolutely refused to change her faith, or to become the wife of an idolater. Dometian had her arrested. The Saint was tortured mercilessly and then beheaded in 318. Thus, she entered into the joy of her Lord and received an unfading crown of glory from Christ God. George Nasis, the rector of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City from 1942-1967 praying one day when a beautiful woman appeared to him. She said her name was Xenίa, martyr who had been forgotten for almost 1700 years. She asked him to paint an icon, depicting her holding a cross. first Father George did not mention this to anyone, thinking that perhaps people would mock him. Then he decided to inform the Archbishop. Researchers tried to find references to Saint Xenίa of Kalamata, but they were not successful. they found her name in a list of Saints, where she is described as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. God's grace, the Saint has worked many miracles after her death. 1993, a new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in the western part of Kalamata, which has a chapel dedicated to Saint Xenia.

US, 1969-1974, President Richard Nixon
US President, 1969-1974, Richard Nixon; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1974-1976, President Gerald Ford
US President, 1974-1976, Gerald Ford; FIRST ORDINATION OF WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (29 JULY 1974) ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1976-1981, President Jimmy Carter
US President, 1976-1981, Jimmy Carter; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1981-1989, President Ronald Reagan
US President, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1989-1993, President George H. W. Bush
US President, 1989-1993, George H. W. Bush; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 1993-2001, President Bill Clinton
US President, 1993-2001, Bill Clinton; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Anne Hutchinson, woman minister, Elie Neau, taught Blacks&Indians

US, 1673, Mississippi River Folder, 1673

US, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Great Awakening, Declaration of I, Constitution, Presidents Washington and Adams

US, 1740, Great Awakening of 1740, First Great Awakening
Great Awakening of 1740, First Great Awakening; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

US, 1775, Wilderness Road Folder (Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, to Ohio)
Wilderness Road

Wilderness Road - Gaps of the Allegheny Folder - 3 of only 5 ways west

US, 1797-1801, President, John Adams, statesman, diplomat, writer, Founding Father, dec of Indep, 1780 MA const, Thoughts on govt
US President, 1797-1801, John Adams; Adams Jr. (October 30, 1735[a] - July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain, and he served as the first vice president of the United States. was a dedicated diarist and regularly corresponded with many important figures in early American history, including his wife and adviser Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson. lawyer and political activist prior to the revolution, Adams was devoted to the right to counsel and presumption of innocence. He defied anti-British sentiment and successfully defended British soldiers against murder charges arising from the Boston Massacre. was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress and became a leader of the revolution. He assisted in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. As a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain and secured vital governmental loans. Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which influenced the United States constitution, as did his essay Thoughts on Government. was elected to two terms as vice president under President George Washington and was elected as the United States' second president in 1796. He was the only president elected under the banner of the Federalist Party. During his single term, Adams encountered fierce criticism from the Jeffersonian Republicans and from some in his own Federalist Party, led by his rival Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts and built up the Army and Navy in the undeclared Quasi-War with France. his term, he became the first president to reside in the executive mansion now known as the White House. his bid for reelection, opposition from Federalists and accusations of despotism from Jeffersonians led to Adams losing to his former friend Thomas Jefferson, and he retired to Massachusetts. eventually resumed his friendship with Jefferson by initiating a correspondence that lasted fourteen years. and his wife generated a family of politicians, diplomats, and historians now referred to as the Adams political family, which includes their son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 – the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence – hours after Jefferson's death. Adams and his son are the only presidents of the first twelve that did not own slaves in their lives. Surveys of historians and scholars have favorably ranked his administration. JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852; ABSALOM JONES and Richard Allen, (13 FEB 1818) ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26;

US, 1800, 19th Century Folder, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War

US, 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder
Lewis and Clark Expedition;

US, 1817-1879, Innocent of Alaska, 45 yrs, 10,000 baptized, geography, alpahbet, Japan, Metropolitan of Moscow
Moscow, 1817-1879, Innocent of Alaska, Metropolitan of Moscow; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America (in the world John Popov-Veniaminov), was born on August 26, 1797 in the village of Anginsk in the Irkutsk diocese, into the family of a sacristan. boy mastered his studies at an early age and by age seven, he was reading the Epistle in church. In 1806 they sent him to the Irkutsk seminary. In 1814, the new rector thought it proper to change the surnames of some of the students. John Popov received the surname Veniaminov in honor of the deceased Archbishop Benjamin of Irkutsk (+ July 8, 1814). May 13, 1817 he was ordained deacon for the Irkutsk Annunciation church, and on May 18, 1821, he was ordained priest. missionary service of the future Apostle of America and Siberia began with the year 1823. John spent 45 years laboring for the enlightenment of the peoples of Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, North America, Yakutsk, the Khabarov frontier, performing his apostolic exploit in severe conditions and at great risks to life. Innocent baptized ten thousand people, and built churches, beside which he founded schools and he himself taught the fundamentals of the Christian life. His knowledge of various crafts and arts aided him in his work. John was a remarkable preacher. During the celebration of the Liturgy, memorial services and the all-night Vigil, he incessantly guided his flock. During his time of endless travels, Father John studied the languages, customs and habits of the peoples, among whom he preached. work in geography, ethnography and linguistics received worldwide acclaim. composed an alphabet and grammar for the Aleut language and translated the Catechism, the Gospel and many prayers into that language. of the finest of his works was the Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven (1833), translated into the various languages of the peoples of Siberia and appearing in more than 40 editions. to the toil of Father John, the Yakut people in 1859 first heard the Word of God and divine services in their own native language. November 29, 1840, after the death of his wife, Father John was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent by Saint Philaret, the Metropolitan of Moscow, in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. December 15, Archimandrite Innocent was consecrated Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurile and Aleutian Islands. On April 21, 1850 Bishop Innocent was elevated to the rank of archbishop. the Providence of God on January 5, 1868, Saint Innocent succeeded Metropolitan Philaret on the Moscow cathedra. Through the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Innocent consolidated the secular missionary efforts of the Russian Church (already in 1839 he had proposed a project for improving the organization of missionary service). the care of Metropolitan Innocent a Missionary Society was created, and the Protection monastery was reorganized for missionary work. 1870 the Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission headed by Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin [afterwards Saint Nicholas of Japan, (February 3)] was set up, with whom Saint Innocent had shared much of his own spiritual experience. guidance by Saint Innocent of the Moscow diocese was also fruitful, by his efforts, the church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos was built up into the Moscow Spiritual Academy. Innocent fell asleep in the Lord on March 31, 1879, on Holy Saturday, and was buried at the Holy Spirit Church of the Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra. October 6, 1977, Saint Innocent was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. His memory is celebrated three times during the year: on March 31, the day of his blessed repose, on October 5 (Synaxis of the Moscow Hierarchs), and on October 6, the day of his glorification. Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

US, 1821-1825, Erie Canal Folder
Erie Canal; Onondaga Formation (Escarpment);

US, 1821-1822, Santa Fe Trail Folder
Santa Fe Trail Folder, 1821-1822;

US, 1821-1822, Rio Grande River Folder
Rio Grande River, 1821-1822; Santa Fe Trail Folder, 1821-1822;

US, 1826, Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Folder, started 1826, completed 1834
Pennsylvania Main Line Canal ;

US, 1830, Old Spanish Trai, NM-CAl (same as auto trail - Jacksonville Beach, Florida to San Diego, California
Old Spanish Trail, 1830;

US, 1838-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement
Maryland, 1838-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement; Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. February 1817[a] - February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory[5] and incisive antislavery writings. Accordingly, he was described by abolitionists in his time as a living counterexample to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.[6][7] Likewise, Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave.[8] wrote three autobiographies, describing his experiences as a slave in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), which became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). Following the Civil War, Douglass was active campaigner for the rights of freed slaves and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, the book covers events both during and after the Civil War. Douglass also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Without his permission, Douglass became the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.[9] believed in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, as well as in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution.[10] When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union with Slaveholders", criticized Douglass's willingness to engage in dialogue with slave owners, he replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."[11] as a slave Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland. The plantation was between Hillsboro and Cordova;[12] his birthplace was likely his grandmother's cabin[b] east of Tappers Corner, (38.8845°N 75.958°W) and west of Tuckahoe Creek.[13][14][15] In his first autobiography, Douglass stated: "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it."[16] However, based on the extant records of Douglass's former owner, Aaron Anthony, historian Dickson J. Preston determined that Douglass was born in February 1818.[3] Though the exact date of his birth is unknown, he chose to celebrate February 14 as his birthday, remembering that his mother called him her "Little Valentine."[17][18] family was of mixed race, which likely included Native American[19] and African on his mother's side, as well as European.[20] In contrast, his father was "almost certainly white", according to historian David W. Blight in his 2018 biography of Douglass.[21] Douglass said his mother Harriet Bailey gave him his name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey and, after he escaped to the North in September 1838, he took the surname Douglass, having already dropped his two middle names.[22] later wrote of his earliest times with his mother:[23] The opinion was…whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing. … My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant. … It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. … I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day. She was with me in the night. She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone. separation from his mother during infancy, young Frederick lived with his maternal grandmother Betsy Bailey, who was also a slave, and his maternal grandfather Isaac, who was free.[24] Betsy would live until 1849.[25] mother remained on the plantation about 12 miles (19 km) away, only visiting Frederick a few times before her death when he was 7 years old. learning and experience Auld family of a series on Slavery the age of 6, Frederick was separated from his grandparents and moved to the Wye House plantation, where Aaron Anthony worked as overseer.[15] After Anthony died in 1826, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld, who sent him to serve Thomas' brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore. Douglass felt that he was lucky to be in the city, where he said slaves were almost freemen, compared to those on plantations. Douglass was about 12, Hugh Auld's wife Sophia began teaching him the alphabet. From the day he arrived, she saw to it that Douglass was properly fed and clothed, and that he slept in a bed with sheets and a blanket.[26] Douglass described her as a kind and tender-hearted woman, who treated him "as she supposed one human being ought to treat another."[27] Auld disapproved of the tutoring, feeling that literacy would encourage slaves to desire freedom. Douglass later referred to this as the "first decidedly antislavery lecture" he had ever heard. "'Very well, thought I,'" wrote Douglass. "'Knowledge unfits a child to be a slave.' I instinctively assented to the proposition, and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom."[28] her husband's influence, Sophia came to believe that education and slavery were incompatible and one day snatched a newspaper away from Douglass.[29] She stopped teaching him altogether and hid all potential reading materials, including her Bible, from him.[26] In his autobiography, Douglass related how he learned to read from white children in the neighborhood, and by observing the writings of the men he worked with.[30] continued, secretly, to teach himself to read and write. He later often said, "knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom."[31] As Douglass began to read newspapers, pamphlets, political materials, and books of every description, this new realm of thought led him to question and condemn the institution of slavery. later years, Douglass credited The Columbian Orator, an anthology that he discovered at about age 12, with clarifying and defining his views on freedom and human rights. First published in 1797, the book is a classroom reader, containing essays, speeches, and dialogues, to assist students in learning reading and grammar. He later learned that his mother had also been literate, about which he would later declare: I am quite willing, and even happy, to attribute any love of letters I possess, and for which I have got—despite of prejudices—only too much credit, not to my admitted Anglo-Saxon paternity, but to the native genius of my sable, unprotected, and uncultivated mother—a woman, who belonged to a race whose mental endowments it is, at present, fashionable to hold in disparagement and contempt.[32] Freeland Douglass was hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the New Testament at a weekly Sunday school. As word spread, the interest among slaves in learning to read was so great that in any week, more than 40 slaves would attend lessons. For about six months, their study went relatively unnoticed. While Freeland remained complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed about their slaves being educated. One Sunday they burst in on the gathering, armed with clubs and stones, to disperse the congregation permanently. Edward Covey In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from Hugh ("[a]s a means of punishing Hugh," Douglass later wrote). Thomas sent Douglass to work for Edward Covey, a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker". He whipped Douglass so frequently that his wounds had little time to heal. Douglass later said the frequent whippings broke his body, soul, and spirit.[33] The 16-year-old Douglass finally rebelled against the beatings, however, and fought back. After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey never tried to beat him again.[34][35] Recounting his beatings at Covey's farm in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass described himself as "a man transformed into a brute!"[36] Still, Douglass came to see his physical fight with Covey as life-transforming, and introduced the story in his autobiography as such: "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."[37] From slavery to freedom Douglass first tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him from his owner, but was unsuccessful. In 1837, Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore about five years his senior. Her free status strengthened his belief in the possibility of gaining his own freedom. Murray encouraged him and supported his efforts by aid and money.[38] Anna Murray Douglass, Douglass's wife for 44 years, portrait ca. 1860 On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a northbound train of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.[39] The area where he boarded was thought to be a short distance east of the train depot, in a recently developed neighborhood between the modern neighborhoods of Harbor East and Little Italy. This depot was at President and Fleet Streets, east of "The Basin" of the Baltimore harbor, on the northwest branch of the Patapsco River. Research cited in 2021, however, suggests that Douglass in fact boarded the train at the Canton Depot of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad on Boston Street, in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, further east.[40][41][42] Young Douglass reached Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County, in the northeast corner of the state, along the southwest shore of the Susquehanna River, which flowed into the Chesapeake Bay. Although this placed him only some 20 miles (32 km) from the Maryland–Pennsylvania state line, it was easier to continue by rail through Delaware, another slave state. Dressed in a sailor's uniform provided to him by Murray, who also gave him part of her savings to cover his travel costs, he carried identification papers and protection papers that he had obtained from a free black seaman.[38][43][44] Douglass crossed the wide Susquehanna River by the railroad's steam-ferry at Havre de Grace to Perryville on the opposite shore, in Cecil County, then continued by train across the state line to Wilmington, Delaware, a large port at the head of the Delaware Bay. From there, because the rail line was not yet completed, he went by steamboat along the Delaware River further northeast to the "Quaker City" of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an anti-slavery stronghold. He continued to the safe house of noted abolitionist David Ruggles in New York City. His entire journey to freedom took less than 24 hours.[45] Douglass later wrote of his arrival in New York City: I have often been asked, how I felt when first I found myself on free soil. And my readers may share the same curiosity. There is scarcely anything in my experience about which I could not give a more satisfactory answer. A new world had opened upon me. If life is more than breath, and the "quick round of blood," I lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe. In a letter written to a friend soon after reaching New York, I said: "I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions." Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.[46] Once Douglass had arrived, he sent for Murray to follow him north to New York. She brought the basics for them to set up a home. They were married on September 15, 1838, by a black Presbyterian minister, just eleven days after Douglass had reached New York.[45] At first they adopted Johnson as their married name, to divert attention.[38] Abolitionist and preacher Frederick Douglass, c. 1840s, in his 20s The couple settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, (an abolitionist center, full of former slaves), in 1838, moving to Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1841.[47] After meeting and staying with Nathan and Mary Johnson, they adopted Douglass as their married name:[38] Douglass had grown up using his mother's surname of Bailey; after escaping slavery he had changed his surname first to Stanley and then to Johnson. In New Bedford, the latter was such a common name that he wanted one that was more distinctive, and asked Nathan Johnson to choose a suitable surname. Nathan suggested "Douglass",[48] after having read the poem The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott, in which two of the principal characters have the surname "Douglas".[49] The home and meetinghouse of the Johnsons, where Douglass and his wife lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts Douglass thought of joining a white Methodist Church, but was disappointed, from the beginning, upon finding that it was segregated. Later, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, an independent black denomination first established in New York City, which counted among its members Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.[50] He became a licensed preacher in 1839,[51] which helped him to hone his oratorical skills. He held various positions, including steward, Sunday-school superintendent, and sexton. In 1840, Douglass delivered a speech in Elmira, New York, then a station on the Underground Railroad, in which a black congregation would form years later, becoming the region's largest church by 1940.[52] Douglass also joined several organizations in New Bedford, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. He subscribed to William Lloyd Garrison's weekly newspaper, The Liberator. He later said that "no face and form ever impressed me with such sentiments [of the hatred of slavery] as did those of William Lloyd Garrison." So deep was this influence that in his last biography, Douglass said "his paper took a place in my heart second only to The Bible."[53] Garrison was likewise impressed with Douglass, and had written about his anti-colonialist stance in The Liberator as early as 1839. Douglass first heard Garrison speak in 1841, at a lecture that Garrison gave in Liberty Hall, New Bedford. At another meeting, Douglass was unexpectedly invited to speak. After telling his story, Douglass was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. A few days later, Douglass spoke at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's annual convention, in Nantucket. Then 23 years old, Douglass conquered his nervousness and gave an eloquent speech about his rough life as a slave. William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist and one of Douglass's first friends in the North While living in Lynn, Douglass engaged in early protest against segregated transportation. In September 1841, at Lynn Central Square station, Douglass and friend James N. Buffum were thrown off an Eastern Railroad train because Douglass refused to sit in the segregated railroad coach.[47][54][55][56] In 1843, Douglass joined other speakers in the American Anti-Slavery Society's "Hundred Conventions" project, a six-month tour at meeting halls throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. During this tour, slavery supporters frequently accosted Douglass. At a lecture in Pendleton, Indiana, an angry mob chased and beat Douglass before a local Quaker family, the Hardys, rescued him. His hand was broken in the attack; it healed improperly and bothered him for the rest of his life.[57] A stone marker in Falls Park in the Pendleton Historic District commemorates this event. In 1847, Frederick Douglass explained to Garrison, "I have no love for America, as such; I have no patriotism. I have no country. What country have I? The Institutions of this Country do not know me—do not recognize me as a man."[58] Further information: Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts Autobiography Douglass's best-known work is his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts[59] and published in 1845. At the time, some skeptics questioned whether a black man could have produced such an eloquent piece of literature. The book received generally positive reviews and became an immediate bestseller. Within three years, it had been reprinted nine times, with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States. It was also translated into French and Dutch and published in Europe. Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 Narrative was his biggest seller, and probably allowed him to raise the funds to gain his legal freedom the following year, as discussed below. In 1855, Douglass published My Bondage and My Freedom. In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. Travels to Ireland and Great Britain Plaque to Frederick Douglass, West Bell St., Dundee, Scotland Douglass in 1847, around 29 years of age Douglass's friends and mentors feared that the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner, Hugh Auld, who might try to get his "property" back. They encouraged Douglass to tour Ireland, as many former slaves had done. Douglass set sail on the Cambria for Liverpool, England, on August 16, 1845. He traveled in Ireland as the Great Famine was beginning. The feeling of freedom from American racial discrimination amazed Douglass:[60] Eleven days and a half gone and I have crossed three thousand miles of the perilous deep. Instead of a democratic government, I am under a monarchical government. Instead of the bright, blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft, grey fog of the Emerald Isle [Ireland]. I breathe, and lo! the chattel [slave] becomes a man. I gaze around in vain for one who will question my equal humanity, claim me as his slave, or offer me an insult. I employ a cab—I am seated beside white people—I reach the hotel—I enter the same door—I am shown into the same parlour—I dine at the same table—and no one is offended ... I find myself regarded and treated at every turn with the kindness and deference paid to white people. When I go to church, I am met by no upturned nose and scornful lip to tell me, 'We don't allow niggers in here!' Still, Douglass was astounded by the extreme levels of poverty he encountered, much of it reminding him of his experiences in slavery. In a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass wrote "I see much here to remind me of my former condition, and I confess I should be ashamed to lift up my voice against American slavery, but that I know the cause of humanity is one the world over. He who really and truly feels for the American slave, cannot steel his heart to the woes of others; and he who thinks himself an abolitionist, yet cannot enter into the wrongs of others, has yet to find a true foundation for his anti-slavery faith."[61] He also met and befriended the Irish nationalist and strident abolitionist Daniel O'Connell,[62][63] who was to be a great inspiration.[64][65] Douglass spent two years in Ireland and Great Britain, lecturing in churches and chapels. His draw was such that some facilities were "crowded to suffocation". One example was his hugely popular London Reception Speech, which Douglass delivered in May 1846 at Alexander Fletcher's Finsbury Chapel. Douglass remarked that in England he was treated not "as a color, but as a man."[66] In 1846, Douglass met with Thomas Clarkson, one of the last living British abolitionists, who had persuaded Parliament to abolish slavery in Great Britain's colonies.[67] During this trip Douglass became legally free, as British supporters led by Anna Richardson and her sister-in-law Ellen of Newcastle upon Tyne raised funds to buy his freedom from his American owner Thomas Auld.[66][68] Many supporters tried to encourage Douglass to remain in England but, with his wife still in Massachusetts and three million of his black brethren in bondage in the United States, he returned to America in the spring of 1847,[66] soon after the death of Daniel O'Connell.[69] In the 21st century, historical plaques were installed on buildings in Cork and Waterford, Ireland, and London to celebrate Douglass's visit: the first is on the Imperial Hotel in Cork and was unveiled on August 31, 2012; the second is on the façade of Waterford City Hall, unveiled on October 7, 2013. It commemorates his speech there on October 9, 1845.[70] The third plaque adorns Nell Gwynn House, South Kensington in London, at the site of an earlier house where Douglass stayed with the British abolitionist George Thompson.[71] Douglass spent time in Scotland and was appointed "Scotland's Antislavery agent."[72] He made anti-slavery speeches and wrote letters back to the USA. He considered the city of Edinburgh to be elegant, grand and very welcoming. Maps of the places in the city that were important to his stay are held by the National Library of Scotland.[73][74] A plaque and a mural on Gilmore Place in Edinburgh mark his stay there in 1846. "A variety of collaborative projects are currently [in 2021] underway to commemorate Frederick Douglass’s journey and visit to Ireland in the 19th century."[75] Return to the United States Douglass circa 1847–52, around his early 30s After returning to the U.S. in 1847, using £500 (equivalent to $46,030 in 2019) given to him by English supporters,[66] Douglass started publishing his first abolitionist newspaper, the North Star, from the basement of the Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, New York.[76] Originally, Pittsburgh journalist Martin Delany was co-editor but Douglass didn't feel he brought in enough subscriptions, and they parted ways.[77] The North Star's motto was "Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."[78] The AME Church and North Star vigorously opposed the mostly white American Colonization Society and its proposal to send blacks back to Africa. Douglass also soon split with Garrison, perhaps because the North Star competed with Garrison's National Anti-Slavery Standard and Marius Robinson's Anti-Slavery Bugle. Besides publishing the North Star and delivering speeches, Douglass also participated in the Underground Railroad. He and his wife provided lodging and resources in their home to more than four hundred escaped slaves.[79] Douglass also came to disagree with Garrison. Earlier Douglass had agreed with Garrison's position that the Constitution was pro-slavery, because of the three-fifths clause its compromises related to apportionment of Congressional seats, based on partial counting of slave populations with state totals; and protection of the international slave trade through 1807. Garrison had burned copies of the Constitution to express his opinion. However, Lysander Spooner published The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (1846), which examined the United States Constitution as an anti-slavery document. Douglass's change of opinion about the Constitution and his splitting from Garrison around 1847 became one of the abolitionist movement's most notable divisions. Douglass angered Garrison by saying that the Constitution could and should be used as an instrument in the fight against slavery.[80] In September 1848, on the tenth anniversary of his escape, Douglass published an open letter addressed to his former master, Thomas Auld, berating him for his conduct, and inquiring after members of his family still held by Auld.[81][82] In the course of the letter, Douglass adeptly transitions from formal and restrained to familiar and then to impassioned. At one point he is the proud parent, describing his improved circumstances and the progress of his own four young children. But then he dramatically shifts tone: Oh! sir, a slaveholder never appears to me so completely an agent of hell, as when I think of and look upon my dear children. It is then that my feelings rise above my control. … The grim horrors of slavery rise in all their ghastly terror before me, the wails of millions pierce my heart, and chill my blood. I remember the chain, the gag, the bloody whip, the deathlike gloom overshadowing the broken spirit of the fettered bondman, the appalling liability of his being torn away from wife and children, and sold like a beast in the market.[83] In a graphic passage, Douglass asked Auld how he would feel if Douglass had come to take away his daughter Amanda as a slave, treating her the way he and members of his family had been treated by Auld.[81][82] Yet in his conclusion Douglass shows his focus and benevolence, stating that he has "no malice towards him personally," and asserts that, "there is no roof under which you would be more safe than mine, and there is nothing in my house which you might need for comfort, which I would not readily grant. Indeed, I should esteem it a privilege, to set you an example as to how mankind ought to treat each other."[83] Women's rights In 1848, Douglass was the only African American to attend the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, in upstate New York.[84][85] Elizabeth Cady Stanton asked the assembly to pass a resolution asking for women's suffrage.[86] Many of those present opposed the idea, including influential Quakers James and Lucretia Mott.[87] Douglass stood and spoke eloquently in favor of women's suffrage; he said that he could not accept the right to vote as a black man if women could not also claim that right. He suggested that the world would be a better place if women were involved in the political sphere. In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but the maiming and repudiation of one-half of the moral and intellectual power of the government of the world.[87] After Douglass's powerful words, the attendees passed the resolution.[87][88] In the wake of the Seneca Falls Convention, Douglass used an editorial in The North Star to press the case for women's rights. He recalled the "marked ability and dignity" of the proceedings, and briefly conveyed several arguments of the convention and feminist thought at the time. On the first count, Douglass acknowledged the "decorum" of the participants in the face of disagreement. In the remainder, he discussed the primary document that emerged from the conference, a Declaration of Sentiments, and the "infant" feminist cause. Strikingly, he expressed the belief that "[a] discussion of the rights of animals would be regarded with far more complacency...than would be a discussion of the rights of women," and Douglass noted the link between abolitionism and feminism, the overlap between the communities. His opinion as the editor of a prominent newspaper carried weight, and he stated the position of the North Star explicitly: "We hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man." This letter, written a week after the convention, reaffirmed the first part of the paper's slogan, "right is of no sex." After the Civil War, when the 15th Amendment giving Blacks the right to vote was being debated, Douglass split with the Stanton-led faction of the women's rights movement. Douglass supported the amendment, which would grant suffrage to black men. Stanton opposed the 15th Amendment because it limited the expansion of suffrage to black men; she predicted its passage would delay for decades the cause for women's right to vote. Stanton argued that American women and black men should band together to fight for universal suffrage, and opposed any bill that split the issues.[89] Douglass and Stanton both knew that there was not yet enough male support for women's right to vote, but that an amendment giving black men the vote could pass in the late 1860s. Stanton wanted to attach women's suffrage to that of black men so that her cause would be carried to success.[90] Douglass thought such a strategy was too risky, that there was barely enough support for black men's suffrage. He feared that linking the cause of women's suffrage to that of black men would result in failure for both. Douglass argued that white women, already empowered by their social connections to fathers, husbands, and brothers, at least vicariously had the vote. African-American women, he believed, would have the same degree of empowerment as white women once African-American men had the vote.[90] Douglass assured the American women that at no time had he ever argued against women's right to vote.[91] Ideological refinement Frederick Douglass in 1856, around 38 years of age Meanwhile, in 1851, Douglass merged the North Star with Gerrit Smith's Liberty Party Paper to form Frederick Douglass' Paper, which was published until 1860. On July 5, 1852, Douglass delivered an address to the ladies of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. This speech eventually became known as "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"; one biographer called it "perhaps the greatest antislavery oration ever given."[92] In 1853, he was a prominent attendee of the radical abolitionist National African American Convention in Rochester. Douglass's was one of five names attached to the address of the convention to the people of the United States published under the title, The Claims of Our Common Cause, along with Amos Noë Freeman, James Monroe Whitfield, Henry O. Wagoner, and George Boyer Vashon.[93] Like many abolitionists, Douglass believed that education would be crucial for African Americans to improve their lives; he was an early advocate for school desegregation. In the 1850s, Douglass observed that New York's facilities and instruction for African-American children were vastly inferior to those for whites. Douglass called for court action to open all schools to all children. He said that full inclusion within the educational system was a more pressing need for African Americans than political issues such as suffrage. John Brown Douglass argued against John Brown's plan to attack the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, painting by Jacob Lawrence See also: Shields Green On March 12, 1859, Douglass met with radical abolitionists John Brown, George DeBaptiste, and others at William Webb's house in Detroit to discuss emancipation.[94] Douglass met Brown again when Brown visited his home two months before leading the raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown penned his Provisional Constitution during his two-week stay with Douglass. Also staying with Douglass for over a year was Shields Green, a fugitive slave that Douglass was helping, as he often did. The secret meeting in the Chambersburg stone quarry Shortly before the raid, Douglass, taking Green with him, travelled from Rochester, via New York City, to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, John Brown's communications headquarters. He was recognized there by Blacks, who asked him for a lecture. Douglass agreed, although he said his only topic was slavery. John Brown, incognito, sat in the audience; Shields Green joined him on the stage. A white reporter, referring to "Nigger Democracy", called it a "flaming address" by "the notorious Negro Orator".[95] There, in an abandoned stone quarry for secrecy, Douglass and Green met with Brown and John Henri Kagi, to discuss the raid. After discussions lasting, as Douglass put it, "a day and a night", he disappointed Brown by declining to join him, considering the mission suicidal. To Douglass's surprise, Green went with Brown instead of returning to Rochester with Douglass. Anne Brown said that Green told her that Douglass promised to pay him on his return, but David Blight called this "much more ex post facto bitterness than reality.[96]: 172–174  Almost all that is known about this incident comes from Douglass. It is clear that it was of immense importance to him, both as a turning point in his life—not accompanying John Brown—and its importance in his public image. The meeting was not revealed by Douglass for 20 years. He first disclosed it in his speech on John Brown at Storer College in 1881, trying unsuccessfully to raise money to support a John Brown professorship at Storer, to be held by a Black man. He again referred to it stunningly in his last Autobiography. After the raid, which took place between October 16 and 18, 1859, Douglass was accused both of supporting Brown and of not supporting him enough.[97] He was nearly arrested on a Virginia warrant,[98][99][100] and fled for a brief time to Canada before proceeding onward to England on a previously-planned lecture tour, arriving near the end of November.[101] During his lecture tour of Great Britain, on March 26, 1860, Douglass delivered a speech before the Scottish Anti-Slavery Society in Glasgow, "The Constitution of the United States: Is It Pro-Slavery or Antislavery?", outlining his views on the American Constitution.[102] That month, on the 13th, Douglass's youngest daughter Annie died in Rochester, New York, just days shy of her 11th birthday. Douglass sailed back from England the following month, traveling through Canada to avoid detection. Douglass's Storer College address (1881) Years later, in 1881, Douglass shared a stage at Storer College in Harpers Ferry with Andrew Hunter, the prosecutor who secured Brown's conviction and execution. Hunter congratulated Douglass.[103] Photography Douglass considered photography very important in ending slavery and racism, and believed that the camera would not lie, even in the hands of a racist white, as photographs were an excellent counter to the many racist caricatures, particularly in blackface minstrelsy. He was the most photographed American of the 19th century, consciously using photography to advance his political views.[104][105] He never smiled, specifically so as not to play into the racist caricature of a happy slave. He tended to look directly into the camera to confront the viewer, with a stern look.[106][107] Religious views As a child, Douglass was exposed to a number of religious sermons, and in his youth, he sometimes heard Sophia Auld reading the Bible. In time, he became interested in literacy; he began reading and copying bible verses, and he eventually converted to Christianity.[108][109] He described this approach in his last biography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass: I was not more than thirteen years old, when in my loneliness and destitution I longed for some one to whom I could go, as to a father and protector. The preaching of a white Methodist minister, named Hanson, was the means of causing me to feel that in God I had such a friend. He thought that all men, great and small, bond and free, were sinners in the sight of God: that they were by nature rebels against His government; and that they must repent of their sins, and be reconciled to God through Christ. I cannot say that I had a very distinct notion of what was required of me, but one thing I did know well: I was wretched and had no means of making myself otherwise. I consulted a good old colored man named Charles Lawson, and in tones of holy affection he told me to pray, and to "cast all my care upon God." This I sought to do; and though for weeks I was a poor, broken-hearted mourner, traveling through doubts and fears, I finally found my burden lightened, and my heart relieved. I loved all mankind, slaveholders not excepted, though I abhorred slavery more than ever. I saw the world in a new light, and my great concern was to have everybody converted. My desire to learn increased, and especially, did I want a thorough acquaintance with the contents of the Bible.[110] Douglass was mentored by Rev. Charles Lawson, and, early in his activism, he often included biblical allusions and religious metaphors in his speeches. Although a believer, he strongly criticized religious hypocrisy[111] and accused slaveholders of wickedness, lack of morality, and failure to follow the Golden Rule. In this sense, Douglass distinguished between the "Christianity of Christ" and the "Christianity of America" and considered religious slaveholders and clergymen who defended slavery as the most brutal, sinful, and cynical of all who represented "wolves in sheep's clothing".[112][113] Notably, in a famous oration given in the Corinthian Hall of Rochester,[114] he sharply criticized the attitude of religious people who kept silent about slavery, and held that religious ministers committed a blasphemy when they taught it as sanctioned by religion. He considered that a law passed to support slavery was "one of the grossest infringements of Christian Liberty" and said that pro-slavery clergymen within the American Church "stripped the love of God of its beauty, and leave the throne of religion a huge, horrible, repulsive form", and "an abomination in the sight of God".[111] Of ministers like John Chase Lord, Leonard Elijah Lathrop, Ichabod Spencer, and Orville Dewey, he said that they taught, against the Scriptures, that "we ought to obey man's law before the law of God". He further asserted, "in speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. There are exceptions, and I thank God that there are. Noble men may be found, scattered all over these Northern States ... Henry Ward Beecher of Brooklyn, Samuel J. May of Syracuse, and my esteemed friend [Robert R. Raymonde]".[111] He maintained that "upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slave's redemption from his chains". In addition, he called religious people to embrace abolitionism, stating, "let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds."[111] During his visits to the United Kingdom between 1846 and 1848, Douglass asked British Christians never to support American churches that permitted slavery,[115] and he expressed his happiness to know that a group of ministers in Belfast had refused to admit slaveholders as members of the Church. On his return to the United States, Douglass founded the North Star, a weekly publication with the motto "Right is of no sex, Truth is of no color, God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren." Douglass later wrote a letter to his former slaveholder, in which he denounced him for leaving Douglass's family illiterate: Your wickedness and cruelty committed in this respect on your fellow creatures, are greater than all the stripes you have laid upon my back or theirs. It is an outrage upon the soul, a war upon the immortal spirit, and one for which you must give account at the bar of our common Father and Creator. — Letter to His Old Master. To my Old Master Thomas Auld.[60] Sometimes considered a precursor of a non-denominational liberation theology,[116][117] Douglass was a deeply spiritual man, as his home continues to show. The fireplace mantle features busts of two of his favorite philosophers, David Friedrich Strauss, author of "The Life of Jesus", and Ludwig Feuerbach, author of "The Essence of Christianity"[dubious – discuss]. In addition to several Bibles and books about various religions in the library, images of angels and Jesus are displayed, as well as interior and exterior photographs of Washington's Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.[52] Throughout his life, Douglass had linked that individual experience with social reform, and like other Christian abolitionists, he followed practices such as abstaining from tobacco, alcohol and other substances that he believed corrupted body and soul.[118] Civil War years Before the Civil War By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. His reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature. Fight for emancipation and suffrage A 1863 Broadside listing Douglass as a speaker calling men of color to arms Douglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the Civil War was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches. In August 1861 he published an account of the First Battle of Bull Run, noting that some blacks were already in the Confederate ranks. A few weeks later, Douglass brought the subject up again, quoting a witness to the battle who said they saw black Confederates "with muskets on their shoulders and bullets in their pockets."[119] Douglass conferred with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 on the treatment of black soldiers,[120] and with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage.[121] President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of all slaves in Confederate-held territory. (Slaves in Union-held areas were not covered by this war-measures act; slaves in Union-held areas and Northern states were freed with the adoption of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865.) Douglass described the spirit of those awaiting the proclamation: "We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky ... we were watching ... by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day ... we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries."[122] During the U.S. Presidential Election of 1864, Douglass supported John C. Frémont, who was the candidate of the abolitionist Radical Democracy Party. Douglass was disappointed that President Lincoln did not publicly endorse suffrage for black freedmen. Douglass believed that since African-American men were fighting for the Union in the American Civil War, they deserved the right to vote.[123] With the North no longer obliged to return slaves to their owners in the South, Douglass fought for equality for his people. He made plans with Lincoln to move liberated slaves out of the South. During the war, Douglass also helped the Union cause by serving as a recruiter for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. His eldest son, Charles Douglass, joined the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, but was ill for much of his service.[51] Lewis Douglass fought at the Battle of Fort Wagner.[124] Another son, Frederick Douglass Jr., also served as a recruiter. After Lincoln's death The post-war (1865) ratification of the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery. The 14th Amendment provided for citizenship and equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment protected all citizens from being discriminated against in voting because of race.[89] On April 14, 1876, Douglass delivered the keynote speech at the unveiling of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington's Lincoln Park. He spoke frankly about Lincoln, noting what he perceived as both positive and negative attributes of the late President. Calling Lincoln "the white man's president", Douglass criticized Lincoln's tardiness in joining the cause of emancipation, noting that Lincoln initially opposed the expansion of slavery but did not support its elimination. But Douglass also asked, "Can any colored man, or any white man friendly to the freedom of all men, ever forget the night which followed the first day of January 1863, when the world was to see if Abraham Lincoln would prove to be as good as his word?"[125] He also said: "Though Mr. Lincoln shared the prejudices of his white fellow-countrymen against the Negro, it is hardly necessary to say that in his heart of hearts he loathed and hated slavery ..." The crowd, roused by his speech, gave Douglass a standing ovation. Lincoln's widow Mary Lincoln supposedly gave Lincoln's favorite walking-stick to Douglass in appreciation. That walking-stick still rests in his final residence, "Cedar Hill", now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. delivering the speech, Frederick Douglass immediately wrote to the National Republican newspaper in Washington (which published five days later, April 19), criticizing the statue's design and suggesting the park could be improved by more dignified monuments of free Black people. "The negro here, though rising, is still on his knees and nude," Douglass wrote. "What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man."[126] era Frederick Douglass in 1876, around 58 years of age the Civil War, Douglass continued to work for equality for African-Americans and women. Due to his prominence and activism during the war, Douglass received several political appointments. He served as president of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank.[127] white insurgents had quickly arisen in the South after the war, organizing first as secret vigilante groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. Armed insurgency took different forms. Powerful paramilitary groups included the White League and the Red Shirts, both active during the 1870s in the Deep South. They operated as "the military arm of the Democratic Party", turning out Republican officeholders and disrupting elections.[128] Starting 10 years after the war, Democrats regained political power in every state of the former Confederacy and began to reassert white supremacy. They enforced this by a combination of violence, late 19th-century laws imposing segregation and a concerted effort to disfranchise African Americans. New labor and criminal laws also limited their freedom.[129] combat these efforts, Douglass supported the presidential campaign of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. In 1870, Douglass started his last newspaper, the New National Era, attempting to hold his country to its commitment to equality.[51] President Grant sent a Congressionally sponsored commission, accompanied by Douglass, on a mission to the West Indies to investigate if the annexation of Santo Domingo would be good for the United States. Grant believed annexation would help relieve the violent situation in the South by allowing African Americans their own state. Douglass and the commission favored annexation, however, Congress remained opposed to annexation. Douglass criticized Senator Charles Sumner, who opposed annexation, stating if Sumner continued to oppose annexation he would "regard him as the worst foe the colored race has on this continent."[130] Douglass's former residence in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. He built 2000–2004 17th Street, NW, in 1875. the midterm elections, Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also known as the Klan Act), and the second and third Enforcement Acts. Grant used their provisions vigorously, suspending habeas corpus in South Carolina and sending troops there and into other states. Under his leadership over 5,000 arrests were made. Grant's vigor in disrupting the Klan made him unpopular among many whites, but earned praise from Douglass. A Douglass associate wrote that African Americans "will ever cherish a grateful remembrance of [Grant's] name, fame and great services." 1872, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States, as Victoria Woodhull's running mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket. He was nominated without his knowledge. Douglass neither campaigned for the ticket nor acknowledged that he had been nominated.[9] In that year, he was presidential elector at large for the State of New York, and took that state's votes to Washington, D.C.[131] in early June of that year, Douglass's third Rochester home, on South Avenue, burned down; arson was suspected.[132][133] There was extensive damage to the house, its furnishings, and the grounds; in addition, sixteen volumes of the North Star and Frederick Douglass' Paper were lost.[134] Douglass then moved to Washington, D.C. the Reconstruction era, Douglass continued speaking, emphasizing the importance of work, voting rights and actual exercise of suffrage. His speeches for the twenty-five years following the war emphasized work to counter the racism that was then prevalent in In a November 15, 1867, speech he said "A man's rights rest in three boxes. The ballot box, jury box and the cartridge box. Let no man be kept from the ballot box because of his color. Let no woman be kept from the ballot box because of her sex."[136][137] Douglass spoke at many colleges around the country, including Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1873. 1881, Douglass delivered at Storer College, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a speech praising John Brown and revealing unknown information about their relationship, including their meeting in an abandoned stone quarry near Chambersburg shortly before the raid. [138] life Frederick Douglass after 1884 with his second wife Helen Pitts Douglass (sitting). The woman standing is her sister Eva Pitts. Further information: Douglass family and Anna Murray had five children: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr., Charles Remond Douglass, and Annie Douglass (died at the age of ten). Charles and Rosetta helped produce his newspapers. Douglass remained a loyal supporter of her husband's public work. His relationships with Julia Griffiths and Ottilie Assing, two women with whom he was professionally involved, caused recurring speculation and scandals.[139] Assing was a journalist recently immigrated from Germany, who first visited Douglass in 1856 seeking permission to translate My Bondage and My Freedom into German. Until 1872, she often stayed at his house "for several months at a time" as his "intellectual and emotional companion."[77]: 387, 290–291  held Anna Douglass "in utter contempt" and was vainly hoping that Douglass would separate from his wife. Douglass biographer David W. Blight concludes that Assing and Douglass "were probably lovers."[77]: 387, 290–291  Though Douglass and Assing are widely believed to have had an intimate relationship, the surviving correspondence contains no proof of such a relationship.[77]: 521–522, 529, 570, 572–574  Anna died in 1882, in 1884 Douglass married again, to Helen Pitts, a white suffragist and abolitionist from Honeoye, New York. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague and friend of Douglass's. graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then called Mount Holyoke Female Seminary), Pitts worked on a radical feminist publication named Alpha while living in Washington, D.C. She later worked as Douglass's secretary.[140] who had depression and was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, committed suicide in France in 1884 after hearing of the marriage.[141] Upon her death, Assing bequeathed Douglass $13,000, albums, and his choice of books from her library.[142] marriage of Douglass and Pitts provoked a storm of controversy, since Pitts was both white and nearly 20 years younger. Her family stopped speaking to her; his children considered the marriage a repudiation of their mother. feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton congratulated the couple.[143] Douglass responded to the criticisms by saying that his first marriage had been to someone the color of his mother, and his second to someone the color of his father.[144] years in Washington, D.C. Freedman's Savings Bank went bankrupt on June 29, 1874, just a few months after Douglass became its president in late March.[145] During that same economic crisis, his final newspaper, The New National Era, failed in September.[146] Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president, he named Douglass as United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, the first person of color to be so named. The Senate voted to confirm him on March 17, 1877.[147] Douglass accepted the appoint, which helped assure his family's financial security.[51] his tenure, Douglass was urged by his supporters to resign from his commission, since he was never asked to introduce visiting foreign dignitaries to the President, which is one of the usual duties of that post. However, Douglass believed that no covert racism was implied by the omission, and stated that he was always warmly welcomed in presidential circles.[148][149] Cedar Hill, Douglass's house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is preserved as a National Historic Site. 1877, Douglass visited his former slavemaster Thomas Auld on his deathbed, and the two men reconciled. Douglass had met Auld's daughter, Amanda Auld Sears, some years prior. She had requested the meeting and had subsequently attended and cheered one of Douglass's speeches. Her father complimented her for reaching out to Douglass. The visit also appears to have brought closure to Douglass, although some criticized his effort.[81] same year, Douglass bought the house that was to be the family's final home in Washington, D.C., on a hill above the Anacostia River. He and Anna named it Cedar Hill (also spelled CedarHill). They expanded the house from 14 to 21 rooms, and included a china closet. One year later, Douglass purchased adjoining lots and expanded the property to 15 acres (61,000 m2). The home is now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. 1881, Douglass published the final edition of his autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. That year he was appointed as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. His wife Anna Murray Douglass died in 1882, leaving the widower devastated. After a period of mourning, Douglass found new meaning from working with activist Ida B. Wells. He remarried in 1884, as mentioned above. also continued his speaking engagements and travel, both in the United States and abroad. With new wife Helen, Douglass traveled to England, Ireland, France, Italy, Egypt and Greece from 1886 to 1887. He became known for advocating Irish Home Rule and supported Charles Stewart Parnell in Ireland. addition to his travel abroad during those years, he lectured in small towns in the United States. On December 28, 1885, the aging orator spoke to the literary society in Rising Sun, a town in northeastern Maryland below the Mason–Dixon line.[150] The program, "The Self-Made Man," attracted a large audience including students from Lincoln University in Chester County, PA, the Oxford Press reported. "Mr. Douglass is growing old and has lost much of his fire and vigor of mind as well as body, but he is still able to interest an audience. He is a remarkable man and is a bright example of the capability of the colored race, even under the blighting influence of slavery, from which he emerged and became one of the distinguished citizens of the country," the Chester County PA newspaper remarked.[151] The gravestone of Frederick Douglass located in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester the 1888 Republican National Convention, Douglass became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote.[152][153][154] That year, Douglass spoke at Claflin College, a historically black college in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and the state's oldest such institution.[155] African Americans, called Exodusters, escaped the Klan and racially discriminatory laws in the South by moving to Kansas, where some formed all-black towns to have a greater level of freedom and autonomy. Douglass did not favor this, nor the Back-to-Africa movement. He thought the latter resembled the American Colonization Society which he had opposed in his youth. In 1892, at an Indianapolis conference convened by Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, Douglass spoke out against the separatist movements, urging blacks to stick it out.[51] He made similar speeches as early as 1879, and was criticized both by fellow leaders and some audiences, who even booed him for this position.[156] Speaking in Baltimore in 1894, Douglass said, "I hope and trust all will come out right in the end, but the immediate future looks dark and troubled. I cannot shut my eyes to the ugly facts before me."[157] Harrison appointed Douglass as the United States's minister resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti and Chargé d'affaires for Santo Domingo in 1889.[158] but Douglass resigned the commission in July 1891 when it became apparent that the American President was intent upon gaining permanent access to Haitian territory regardless of that country's desires.[159] In 1892, Haiti made Douglass a co-commissioner of its pavilion at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[160] 1892, Douglass constructed rental housing for blacks, now known as Douglass Place, in the Fells Point area of Baltimore. The complex still exists, and in 2003 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[161][162] Death February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and received a standing ovation. Shortly after he returned home, Douglass died of a massive heart attack.[163] He was 77. funeral was held at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Thousands of people passed by his coffin to show their respect. Although Douglass had attended several churches in the nation's capital, he had a pew here and had donated two standing candelabras when this church had moved to a new building in 1886. He also gave many lectures there, including his last major speech, "The Lesson of the Hour."[52] coffin was transported to Rochester, New York, where he had lived for 25 years, longer than anywhere else in his life. He was buried next to Anna in the Douglass family plot of Mount Hope Cemetery. Helen was also buried there in 1903.[164] JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911):;

US, 1843, Oregon Trail Folder
Oregon Trail - 1843;

US, 1849, California Trail Folder, followed Oregon Trail to avoid Mts
US, 1849, California Trail Folder;

US, 1859, Central Overland Route Folder, straight through high mountains, using passes
US, 1859, Central Overland Route Folder;

US, 1874-1935, JAMES O S HUNTINGTON, Boston, MA, religious order founder, lower ease side, labor union mvmt, H George, land tax
US, 1874-1935, JAMES O S HUNTINGTON, Boston, MA, religious order founder, lower ease side, labor union movement, Henry George, land tax; Boston; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935) ; Huntington was born in Boston in 1854, studied at Harvard and at St Andrew's Divinity School in Syracuse, was ordained to the priesthood around 1880, and served a working-class congregation. a few years, he felt called to found a monastic order for priests of the Episcopal Church, and with two companions he began working among poor immigrants on New York's Lower East Side. a slow start, he with others became the Order of the Holy Cross, which now has a monastery in West Park, New York, and priests involved in parish work and social work scattered elsewhere. was Superior of the order for several non-consecutive terms, but devoted himself chiefly to preaching, teaching, and counselling until his death on 28 June 1935. this is the feast of Irenaeus of Lyons, he is commemorated on the anniversary of the receiving of his monastic vows by the Bishop of New York on 25 November 1884. the course of his work, he became involved in the labor-union movement and the land-tax movement. The latter of these may require some explanation. (Those who have no interest in proposals for social reform may wish to skip to the closing prayer.) George, author of Progress and Poverty, argued that, while some forms of wealth are produced by human activity, and are rightly the property of the producers (or those who have obtained them from the previous owners by voluntary gift or exchange), land and natural resources are bestowed by God on the human race, and that every one of the N inhabitants of the earth has a claim to 1/Nth of the coal beds, 1/Nth of the oil wells, 1/Nth of the mines, and 1/Nth of the fertile soil. God wills a society where everyone may sit in peace under his own vine and his own fig tree. The Law of Moses undertook to implement this by making the ownership of land hereditary, with a man's land divided among his sons (or, in the absence of sons, his daughters), and prohibiting the permanent sale of land. (See Leviticus 25:13-17,23.) The most a man might do with his land is sell the use of it until the next Jubilee year, an amnesty declared once every fifty years, when all debts were cancelled and all land returned to its hereditary owner. Henry George's proposed implementation is to tax all land at about 99.99% of its rental value, leaving the owner of record enough to cover his bookkeeping expenses. The resulting revenues would be divided equally among the natural owners of the land, viz. the people of the country, with everyone receiving a dividend check regularly for the use of his share of the earth (here I am anticipating what I think George would have suggested if he had written in the 1990's rather than the 1870's). This procedure would have the effect of making the sale price of a piece of land, not including the price of buildings and other improvements on it, practically zero. The cost of being a landholder would be, not the original sale price, but the tax, equivalent to rent. A man who chose to hold his "fair share," or 1/Nth of all the land, would pay a land tax about equal to his dividend check, and so would break even. By 1/Nth of the land is meant land with a value equal to 1/Nth of the value of all the land in the country. Naturally, an acre in the business district of a great city would be worth as much as many square miles in the open country. Some would prefer to hold more than one N'th of the land and pay for the privilege. Some would prefer to hold less land, or no land at all, and get a small annual check representing the dividend on their inheritance from their father Adam. Note that, at least for the able-bodied, this solves the problem of poverty at a stroke. If the total land and total labor of the world are enough to feed and clothe the existing population, then 1/Nth of the land and 1/Nth of the labor are enough to feed and clothe 1/Nth of the population. A family of 4 occupying 4/Nths of the land (which is what their dividend checks will enable them to pay the tax on) will find that their labor applied to that land is enough to enable them to feed and clothe themselves. Of course, they may prefer to apply their labor elsewhere more profitably, but the situation from which we start is one in which everyone has his own plot of ground from which to wrest a living by the strength of his own back, and any deviation from this is the result of voluntary exchanges agreed to by the parties directly involved, who judge themselves to be better off as the result of the exchanges. Some readers may think this a very radical proposal. In fact, it is extremely conservative, in the sense of being in agreement with historic ideas about land ownership as opposed to ownership of, say, tools or vehicles or gold or domestic animals or other movables. The laws of English-speaking countries uniformly distinguish between real property (land) and personal property (everything else). In this context, "real" is not the opposite of "imaginary." It is a form of the word "royal," and means that the ultimate owner of the land is the king, as symbol of the people. Note that English-derived law does not recognize "landowners." The term is "landholders." The concept of eminent domain is that the landholder may be forced to surrender his landholdings to the government for a public purpose. Historically, eminent domain does not apply to property other than land, although complications arise when there are buildings on the land that is being seized. I will mention in passing that the proposals of Henry George have attracted support from persons as diverse as Felix Morley, Aldous Huxley, Woodrow Wilson, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Leo Tolstoy, William F Buckley Jr, and Sun Yat-sen. To the Five Nobel Prizes authorized by Alfred Nobel himself there has been added a sixth, in Economics, and the Henry George Foundation claims eight of the Economics Laureates as supporters, in whole or in part, of the proposals of Henry George (Paul Samuelson, 1970; Milton Friedman, 1976; Herbert A Simon, 1978; James Tobin, 1981; Franco Modigliani, 1985; James M Buchanan, 1986; Robert M Solow, 1987; William S Vickrey, 1996). The immediate concrete proposal favored by most Georgists today is that cities shall tax land within their boundaries at a higher rate than they tax buildings and other improvements on the land. (In case anyone is about to ask, "How can we possibly distinguish between the value of the land and the value of the buildings on it?" let me assure you that real estate assessors do it all the time. It is standard practice to make the two assessments separately, and a parcel of land in the business district of a large city very often has a different owner from the building on it.) Many cities have moved to a system of taxing land more heavily than improvements, and most have been pleased with the results, finding that landholders are more likely to use their land productively -- to their own benefit and that of the public -- if their taxes do not automatically go up when they improve their land by constructing or maintaining buildings on it. An advantage of this proposal in the eyes of many is that it is a Fabian proposal, "evolution, not revolution," that it is incremental and reversible. If a city or other jurisdiction does not like the results of a two-level tax system, it can repeal the arrangement or reduce the difference in levels with no great upheaval. It is not like some other proposals of the form, "Distribute all wealth justly, and make me absolute dictator of the world so that I can supervise the distribution, and if it doesn't work, I promise to resign." The problem is that absolute dictators seldom resign. For those who wish to inquire further, I recommend reading the book Progress and Poverty, by Henry George. It is available from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation or from your local bookstore or library. It should be on every list of Great Books of the Western World, or of books that every educated person is assumed to have read. Ask for their catalog, and make a similar request of the Henry George Foundation of America, 2000 Century Plaza, Suite 238, Columbia, MD 21044-3210 (Tel 1-410-740-1177). I repeat, this is not an argument for a political or economic proposal, but simply background material on the founder of a religious order. You did not expect me to tell you that James Huntington was a disciple of Henry George and leave you wondering who Henry George was, did you? by James Kiefer

US, 1875-1890, HENRY WINTER SYLE, Hartford, CT, deaf f early age, became first deaf ordained, estab congregation f deaf 1888
US, 1875-1890, Henry Winter Syle, Hartford, CT (Connecticut River 24), deaf from early age, became first deaf ordained, estab congregation for deaf 1888, died 1890; Hartford, Connecticut; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Gallaudet was born in 1822, in Hartford, Connecticut. mother, Sophia was deaf, and his father, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, was the founder of the West Hartford School for the deaf, which was the principal institution for the education of the deaf in America from 1806 to 1857 (the year of the founding of Gallaudet College in Washington, DC). father had intended to become a priest, but had become an educator of the deaf instead. son also intended to seek ordination, but was persuaded by his father to work for a while first as a teacher of the deaf. did, and so met and married Miss Elizabeth Budd, who was deaf. was ordained in 1851, and the next year established St. Ann's Church in New York, especially for deaf persons, with services primarily in sign language. a result of his work, congregations for the deaf were established in many cities. (Alternatively, some congregations that are mostly hearing will have someone standing near the front and signing the service for the benefit of deaf parishioners.) died 27 August 1902. Photo of Henry Winter Syle (Photo courtesy Episcopal Conference of the Deaf) of Gallaudet's students and parishioners was Henry Winter Syle, deaf from an early age, who had attended Trinity College (Hartford, Conn), St John's (Cambridge, England), and Yale. encouraged him to become a priest, and in 1876 he became the first deaf person to be ordained by the Episcopal Church in the United States. He established a congregation for the deaf in 1888, and died 6 January 1890. HW Syle signature by James Kiefer

US, 1880-1940, GREGORIO AGLIPAY, Illocos Sur, Luzon, Philippines, communist founder of Philippine Independent Church
Philipines, 1880-1940, GREGORIO AGLIPAY, Illocos Sur, Northern Luzon, Philippines, communist founder of Philipine Independent Church; Illocos Sur, Philippines; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; Labayan Aglipay (May 8, 1860 – September 1, 1940) the first Filipino Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church. was an activist Catholic priest from Ilocos Norte who, despite his intercession and defense of some of the Spanish Catholic clergy from liberal-nationalist Filipino revolutionaries, was excommunicated by the Vatican for inciting rebellion within the Filipino clergy. the brief interlude between independence from the Spanish and the subsequent reoccupation by the Americans, Isabelo de los Reyes (also known as Don Belong) and Aglipay reformed the Filipino Catholic clergy into the Philippine Independent Church, officially established in 1902. at Wikipedia) for inciting patriotic rebellion among the Filipino clergy, he was also a political activist who became acquainted with Isabelo de los Reyes, who would start an Independent Christian Filipino Church named after Aglipay in 1902. was previously excommunicated by Archbishop Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa of Manila in May 1899, upon the expressed permission of Pope Leo XIII. later joined Freemasonry in May 1918, a society excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. later married Pilar Jamias y Ver from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte in 1939 and then died one year later. Followers of Aglipay through the church colloquially sometimes refer to their membership as Aglipayans. life in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Aglipay was an orphan who grew up in the tobacco fields in the last volatile decades of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. bore deep grievances against the colonial Spanish government of the islands, stemming from abuses within the agricultural system. at fourteen when a tobacco-picking worker for not meeting his tobacco quota, later moved to the capital of Manila to study law under the private tutelage of Julian Carpio.[1] two years of study under Carpio, Aglipay continued his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and at the University of Santo Tomas. obtaining his degree, he then entered the seminary in Ilocos Sur in 1883 and was ordained to the priesthood seven years later. began a career as an assistant priest in various parishes around the main northern island of Luzon. in Victoria, Tarlac, Aglipay gave aid to the revolutionaries and employed thirty carpenters who in reality were revolutionists in touch with the Katipunan group. Despite being a priest, Aglipay, like other revolutionaries, joined Freemasonry.[2] Revolution 1896, the Katipunan was led by the Supremo, Andrés Bonifacio. Bernardino Nozaleda asked Aglipay to confront the revolutionary leaders, offering them a level of autonomy in the future for the Philippines if they would end the rebellion. Aguinaldo, in turn, sent Colonel Luciano San Miguel to Aglipay with the intention of getting him to join the rebellion. the course of Aglipay's journey north, the Philippine–American War started. –American War Aglipay returned to Manila and discovered that the Americans had attacked, he joined the revolution. 20 October 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo appointed Aglipay Military Vicar General of the revolutionaries. Aglipay interpreted this as making him Ecclesiastical Superior to all Filipino priests who, as such, should all be appointed Military Chaplains for the duration of the war.[3] which broke out between the U.S. and Filipino forces on February 4, 1899 prompted Aglipay to withdraw to Ilocos Norte to organize an armed resistance. 29 April 1899, Aglipay was excommunicated for "usurpation of ecclesiastical jurisdiction.[4] the war the end of the war in 1902, Isabelo de los Reyes was working towards the formation of a national church, that is independent of Rome. 3 August he suggested that Aglipay be its first bishop. a devout Catholic at the time, was reluctant, but accepted de los Reyes' offer to establish an independent church. 18 January 1903, Aglipay was appointed Supreme Bishop of the "Philippine Independent Church". Supreme Bishop he allied himself with the nationalist and most radical political parties during his time like the Sakdalistas and later on even with the Socialist and Communist Parties.[4] the theological discussions while visiting other churches while travelling abroad, Aglipay rejected the belief in the Trinity, becoming theologically accepting of the main Unitarian belief however, his own church refused to accept his amended theology. unitarian and progressive theological ideas were evident in his "novena", "Pagsisiyam sa Birhen sa Balintawak", 1925[5] and its English translation, "Novenary of the Motherland", 1926.[6] Bishop Gregorio Aglipay bust (Samal, Bataan, "Iglesia Filipina Independiente" (Philippine Independent Church). life ran for elections as President of the Commonwealth along with the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas Norberto Nabong in a joined Republican-Communist Party ticket in 1935,[4] lost to Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña of the Nacionalista Party. married D. Pilar Jamias year in 1939 since his church permits married clergy, but Aglipay died the following year on 1 September 1940. is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States on 5 September.

US, 1883-1942, RALPH ADAMS CRAM, Prolific influential Architect, collegiate&eccelsiastical buildings, often Gothic
US, 1883-1942, RALPH ADAMS CRAM, oPrinceton University, New Jersey, Prolific influential Architect, collegiate&eccelsiastical buildings, often Gothic, 1867 conversion iRome, fervent Anglo-Catholic, Gothic revival architecture, Collegiat Gothic, Princeton Doctor oLetters&supervising Architect, often mentioned in press, most prominect Episcopal layman; Princeton University; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 - September 22, 1942), a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. an 1887 Christmas Eve mass in Rome, he had a dramatic conversion experience. For the rest of his life, he remained a fervent Anglo-Catholic. leading proponent of disciplined Gothic Revival architecture in general and Collegiate Gothic in particular, is most closely associated with Princeton, where he was awarded a Doctor of Letters and served as Supervising Architect from 1907 to 1929. the 1920s Cram was a public figure and frequently mentioned in the press. New York Times called him "one of the most prominent Episcopalian laymen in the country". Cram's buildings include: All Saints' Church, Ashmont, Massachusetts, 1892 Church of St. John Evangelist, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1892 Emmanuel Church, Newport, Rhode Island, 1900 Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1904 Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, New York, with Henry Vaughan, 1904 All Saints' Chapel, Sewanee, begun 1904, finished 1959 Saint Thomas Church, New York City, 1905-1913 Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, Michigan, 1908 All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1910 Cathedral of St. John the Divine Cathedral of St. John the Divine Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, begun 1912, unfinished multiple buildings at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 1913-1927 Cole Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, 1917 Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas, 1919 St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Hastings, Nebraska, 1921-1929 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem, 1928 more at Wikipedia

US, 1885-1890, Southern Pacific Railroad, acquired Central Pacific 1885
Southern Pacific Railroad; Central Pacific Railroad

US, 1889-1893, Great Northern Hi-Line Road, b in stages, profitable lines, contests, Maris Pass, Steven's Pass
US, 1889-1893, Great Northern Hi-Line Road;

Marias Pass, through the Rocky Mountains, for the Great Northern RWY
Marias Pass, through the Rocky Mountains, for the Great Northern RWY;

US, 1898, Spanish-American War, US gets Guam, Phillipines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, R the Maine
Spanish-American War, 1898; Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898, Spanish: Guerra hispano-estadounidense or Guerra hispano-americana; Filipino: Digmaang Espanyol-Amerikano)[d] was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. The war led to the U.S. emerging predominant in the Caribbean region,[14] and resulted in U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. It led to U.S. involvement in the Philippine Revolution and later to the Philippine–American War. main issue was Cuban independence. had been occurring for some years in Cuba against Spanish colonial rule. The U.S. backed these revolts upon entering the Spanish–American War. There had been war scares before, as in the Virginius Affair in 1873. But in the late 1890s, American public opinion swayed in support of the rebellion due to reports of concentration camps (death estimates range from 150,000 to 400,000 people) set up to control the populace.[15][16] Yellow journalism exaggerated the atrocities to further increase public fervor and to sell more newspapers and magazines.[17] business community had just recovered from a deep depression and feared that a war would reverse the gains. Accordingly, most business interests lobbied vigorously against going to war.[18] President William McKinley ignored the exaggerated news reporting and sought a peaceful settlement.[19] However, after the United States Navy armored cruiser Maine mysteriously exploded and sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, political pressures from the Democratic Party pushed McKinley into a war that he had wished to avoid. April 20, 1898, McKinley signed a joint Congressional resolution demanding Spanish withdrawal and authorizing the President to use military force to help Cuba gain independence.[20] response, Spain severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 21. On the same day, the U.S. Navy began a blockade of Cuba.[21] Both sides declared war; neither had allies. 10-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. As U.S. agitators for war well knew,[22] U.S. naval power would prove decisive, allowing expeditionary forces to disembark in Cuba against a Spanish garrison already facing nationwide Cuban insurgent attacks and further wasted by yellow fever.[23] invaders obtained the surrender of Santiago de Cuba and Manila despite the good performance of some Spanish infantry units, and fierce fighting for positions such as San Juan Hill.[24] sued for peace after two Spanish squadrons were sunk in the battles of Santiago de Cuba and Manila Bay, and a third, more modern fleet was recalled home to protect the Spanish coasts.[25] result was the 1898 Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the U.S. which allowed it temporary control of Cuba and ceded ownership of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands. cession of the Philippines involved payment of $20 million ($620 million today) to Spain by the U.S. to cover infrastructure owned by Spain.[26] defeat and loss of the Spanish Empire's last remnants was a profound shock to Spain's national psyche and provoked a thorough philosophical and artistic reevaluation of Spanish society known as the Generation of '98.[25] The United States gained several island possessions spanning the globe, which provoked rancorous debate over the wisdom of expansionism.[27] Philippine-“American War 1899-1902; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

US, 1900, 20th Century Folder, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Viet Nam War, Gulf War

US, 1905-1913, Los Angeles Aquaduct, Colorado Aquaduct 1933, California Aquaduct, 1963
Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1905-1913; Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[6] Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland.[7] The system delivers water from the Owens River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles, California. as the California water wars, its construction was controversial from the start, as water diversions to Los Angeles eliminated the Owens Valley as a viable farming community.[8] The continued operation has led to public debate, legislation, and court battles over the environmental impacts of the aqueduct on Mono Lake and other ecosystems. Los Angeles Aqueduct[edit] aqueduct project began in 1905 when the voters of Los Angeles approved a US$1.5 million bond for the 'purchase of lands and water and the inauguration of work on the aqueduct'. On June 12, 1907, a second bond was passed with a budget of US$24.5 million to fund construction.[9][10] began in 1908 and was divided into eleven divisions and a cement plant. The number of men who were on the payroll the first year was 2,629 and this number peaked at 6,060 in May 1909. In 1910, employment dropped to 1,150 due to financial reasons but rebounded later in the year. Between 1911 and 1912 employment ranged from 2,800 to 3,800 workers. The number of laborers working on the aqueduct at its peak was 3,900.[11][12][13][14] In 1913, the City of Los Angeles completed construction of the first Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1905-1913
Los Angeles Aqueduct, 1905-1913; Los Angeles Aqueduct system, comprising the Los Angeles Aqueduct (Owens Valley aqueduct) and the Second Los Angeles Aqueduct, is a water conveyance system, built and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[6] Owens Valley aqueduct was designed and built by the city's water department, at the time named The Bureau of Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of the department's Chief Engineer William Mulholland.[7] The system delivers water from the Owens River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to Los Angeles, California. as the California water wars, its construction was controversial from the start, as water diversions to Los Angeles eliminated the Owens Valley as a viable farming community.[8] The continued operation has led to public debate, legislation, and court battles over the environmental impacts of the aqueduct on Mono Lake and other ecosystems. Los Angeles Aqueduct[edit] aqueduct project began in 1905 when the voters of Los Angeles approved a US$1.5 million bond for the 'purchase of lands and water and the inauguration of work on the aqueduct'. On June 12, 1907, a second bond was passed with a budget of US$24.5 million to fund construction.[9][10] began in 1908 and was divided into eleven divisions and a cement plant. The number of men who were on the payroll the first year was 2,629 and this number peaked at 6,060 in May 1909. In 1910, employment dropped to 1,150 due to financial reasons but rebounded later in the year. Between 1911 and 1912 employment ranged from 2,800 to 3,800 workers. The number of laborers working on the aqueduct at its peak was 3,900.[11][12][13][14] In 1913, the City of Los Angeles completed construction of the first Los Angeles Aqueduct.

US, 1913, West Coast Railroad, After LA Aquaduct
See Northern Pacific RWY

US, 1935-1968, THOMAS MERTON, monk, poet, spiritual writer, Trappist monastery of Gethsemani, Kentucky, silence
US, 1935-1968, THOMAS MERTON, monk, poet, spiritual writer, Trappist monastery of Gethsemani, Kentucky, American Parents, born iFrance, school iFrance&England, graduated Columbia 1938, MA 1939 Joined Roman Catholic Church & taught St Bonaventure 2yrs, 1941 monk Trappist Monastery Louisville, Ky, extremely strict silence except for communal prayer chanting, manual labor, study, developed interest in Buddhist mysticism end of life, died electrical accident at Christian Buddhist conference iBankok; Trappist monastery of Gethsemani near Louisville, KY.; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; Merton was born in 1915 in France, of American parents. early education was in France (Lycee de Montauban 1927-8) and England (Oakham School, 1929-32; Clare College, Cambridge, 1933-4). came to America and attended Columbia University, graduated in English in 1938, worked there one year as a teaching assistant, and got his M.A. in 1939. 1939 he joined the Roman Catholic Church, and taught at St Bonaventure for the next two years. 1941 he entered the Trappist monastery of Gethsemani near Louisville, Kentucky. Trappists, called more formally Cistercians of the Strict Observance, are (or were before Vatican II) an extremely strict Roman Catholic monastic order, devoted to communal prayer (they spend at least four hours a day in chapel, chanting the praises of God), to private prayer and contemplation, to study, and to manual labor. for those whose special duties require otherwise, they are vowed not to speak except in praise of God. Thus, when not singing in chapel, they are silent. the end of his life, Merton developed an interest in Buddhist and other Far Eastern approaches to mysticism and contemplation, and their relation to Christian approaches. He was attending an international conference on Christian and Buddhist monasticism in Bangkok, Thailand, when he was accidentally electrocuted on 10 December 1968. published books include the following. I have starred those that one biographer of his considers his best work. After some titles, I have inserted quotations from the work (from a selection made by another reader). 1944 Thirty Poems. 1946 a Man in the Divided Sea. 1947 Figures For an Apocalypse, a book of poems. * 1948 Seven Storey Mountain, a spiritual autobiography. This is the book that made him famous. 1949 Exile Ends in Glory. * 1949 Seeds of Contemplation, about prayer. * 1949 Waters of Siloe, a history of the Trappist order. "Siloe," More commonly spelled "Siloam," is a pool in Jerusalem. Jesus healed A blind man by daubing clay on his eyes and sending him to wash it off in the pool of Siloam. 1949 Tears of the Blind Lions. 1950 What Are These Wounds? 1951 the Ascent To Truth * 1953 Sign of Jonas 1953 Bread in the Wilderness 1954 Last of the Fathers * 1955 No Man Is an Island "Music and art and poetry attune the soul to God because they induce a kind of contact with the Creator and Ruler of the Universe." 1956 the Living Bread, about the Lord's Supper. 1957 the Silent Life 1957 the Strange Islands 1958 Thoughts in Solitude 1959 the Secular Journal of Thomas Merton 1959 Selected Poems of Thomas Merton 1960 Disputed Questions 1960 Spiritual Direction and Meditation 1961 Behavior of Titans 1961 Wisdom of the Desert 1962 a Thomas Merton Reader 1962 New Seeds of Contemplation 1962 Original Child Bomb 1963 Life and Holiness 1963 Emblems of a Season of Fury 1964 Seeds of Destruction 1965 Seasons of Celebration 1965 the Way of Chuang Tzu 1966 Raids On the Unspeakable * 1966 Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander "Businesses, are, in reality, quasi-religious sects. When you go to work in one, you embrace A New Faith. And if they are really big businesses, you progress from faith to a kind of mystique. Belief in the product, preaching the product, in the end the product becomes the focus of a transcendental experience. Through 'the product' one communes with the vast forces of life, nature, and history that are expressed in business." "Advertising treats all products with the reverence and the seriousness due to sacraments." "Technology is not in itself opposed to spirituality and to religion. But it presents a great temptation." 1967 Mystics and Zen Masters 1968 Cables To the Ace 1968 Faith and Violence 1968 Zen and the Birds of Appetite death occurs here. Later works were presumably edited by others after his death, and are either previously unpublished material or anthologies of work already published.) 1969 My Argument With the Gestapo 1969 the Geography of Lograire 1969 the Climate of Monastic Prayer 1969 Contemplative Prayer 1970 the True Solitude: Selections From the Writings of Thomas Merton. * 1971 Contemplation in a World of Action, a series of essays. 1971 Thomas Merton On Peace 1971 Opening the Bible 1973 the Asian Journals of Thomas Merton, a collection of his writings about Oriental philosophy and mysticism. 1980 Love and Living, a collection from his writings. superficial freedom to wander aimlessly here or there, to taste this or that, to make a choice of distractions (in Pascal's sense) is simply a sham. It claims to be a freedom of 'choice' when it has evaded the basic task of discovering who it is that chooses." danger of education, I have found, is that it so easily confuses means with ends. Worse than that, it quite easily forgets both and devotes itself merely to the mass production of uneducated gradtuates--people literally unfit for anything except to take part in an elaborate and completely artificial charade which they and their contemporaries have conspired to call 'life'." "The least of the work of learning is done in classrooms." who regards love as a deal made on the basis of 'needs' is in danger of falling into a purely quantitative ethic. If love is a deal, then who is to say that you should not make as many deals as possible?" publisher asked me to write something on 'The Secret of Success,' and I refused.] If I had a message to my contemporaries, I said, it was surely this: Be anything you like, be madmen, drunks, and bastards of every shape and form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success. ... If you have learned only how to be a success, your life has probably been wasted. If a university concentrates on producing successful people, it is lamentably failing in its obligation to society and to the students themselves." represents a vice that mankind would like to get rid of but which it cannot do without. Man is like an alcoholic who knows that drink will destroy him but who always has a reason for drinking. So with war." by James Kiefer

US, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy, US supplied UK, Soviet Union, France, China, free food, oil, material
US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 1961-1963, President John F. Kennedy, Bay of Pigs, Cold War Cuban Missle Chrisis, Space Race, tax rate down, tax revenue up
US President, 1961-1963, John F. Kennedy; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963, Commemorated August 3; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1963-1969, President Lyndon Johnson, 1964 War on Poverty, insured s loans, C Rights Act, Viet Nam esc, 1965 riots, 1968 Tet
US President, 1963-1969, Lyndon B. Johnson, his Great Society, War on Poverty domestic policy was to create programs to expand civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education and arts, urban and rural development, and public services, he bolstered the Space Program, he federally insured student loans, Immigration Act the groundwork for policy today, Civil Rights Act, Political Landscape transformed, (Christian) Democrats (and only one of the Dixicrats) moved Republican, African Americans moved to Democrat party, Cold War 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave Johnson power to launch full military campaign in Viet Nam, 1965 summer riots in major cities, crime rates soared, need for law and order, 1968 Tet Offensive inflamed Anti War Sentiment, he quit reelection bid in 1968 US President, 1963-1969, Lyndon B. Johnson; Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 - January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American educator and politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963 under President John F. Kennedy. Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative, U.S. senator and the Senate's majority leader. He holds the distinction of being one of the few presidents who served in all elected offices at the federal level. in a farmhouse in Stonewall, Texas, to a local political family, Johnson worked as a high school teacher and a congressional aide before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1937. won election to the United States Senate in 1948 after narrowly winning the Democratic Party's nomination.[2] was appointed to the position of Senate Majority Whip in 1951. He became the Senate Democratic leader in 1953 and majority leader in 1954. 1960 Johnson ran for the Democratic nomination for president. During the convention he came into conflict with the Democratic front-runner, fellow senator John F. Kennedy. The two men compromised and the Kennedy-Johnson ticket won in the 1960 presidential election. President Johnson would assume the presidency on November 22, 1963 after President Kennedy was assassinated. following year Johnson was elected to the presidency when he won in a landslide against Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Johnson received 61.1% of the popular vote in the 1964 presidential election; this makes his victory the largest share of the popular vote of any candidate since James Monroe's victory in 1820. domestic policy was aimed to create programs that would expand civil rights, public broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to education and the arts, urban and rural development, and public services. coined the term the "Great Society" in 1964 to describe these efforts. In addition, he sought to create better living conditions for low income Americans by spearheading a campaign unofficially called the "War on Poverty"; by a strong economy, the effort helped millions of Americans rise above the poverty line during his administration.[3] followed his predecessor's actions in bolstering the space program, and it was under his presidency that NASA's efforts became a top national priority and the Apollo Program was expanded. enacted the Higher Education Act of 1965 which established federally insured student loans. signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which laid the groundwork for U.S. immigration policy today. opinion on the issue of civil rights put him at odds with other white, southern Democrats. civil rights legacy was shaped by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. his presidency the American political landscape transformed significantly,[4] as white southerners who were Democratic stalwarts gradually moved to the Republican Party and African-Americans began moving towards the Democratic Party.[5] Because of his domestic agenda, Johnson's presidency marked the peak of modern liberalism in the United States.[6] presidency took place in Cold War America and thus he prioritized halting the expansion of Marxist-Leninist governments. Prior to 1964, the U.S. already had a noticeable presence in Vietnam by providing weapons, training, and aid to South Vietnam in order to stem the communist movement in the region. In 1964, following a naval skirmish, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted Johnson the power to launch a full military campaign in Southeast Asia, marking the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam War. The number of American military personnel in Vietnam increased dramatically, and as the war progressed, American casualties soared along with deaths of Vietnamese civilians. 1968, the Tet Offensive inflamed the anti-war movement and public opinion dramatically turned against the war. Many called an end to U.S. involvement, and opposition to the war surged among draft-age students on university campuses. home, Johnson faced further troubles when summer riots began in major cities in 1965 and crime rates soared. His political opponents seized the opportunity and raised demands for "law and order" policies. Johnson began his presidency with widespread approval, support for him declined as the public became frustrated with both the war and social unrest. the 1968 presidential election, he ended his bid for re-nomination after a disappointing result in the New Hampshire primary, and the election was eventually won by Republican candidate Richard Nixon. returned to his Texas ranch and kept a low profile until he died of a heart attack in 1973. of the most controversial presidents in American history, public opinion of his legacy has continuously evolved since his death. and scholars rank Johnson in the upper tier because of his domestic policies; his administration passed many major laws that made serious advancements in civil rights, health care, and welfare.[7] he is widely condemned for his role in escalating the Vietnam War and the consequences that came along with it, including the deaths of 58,220 American service members, dropping over 7.5 million tons of explosives over Vietnam, and the use of the noxious herbicide Agent Orange.[8][9][10][11] JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1969-1974, President Richard Nixon, ended Vietnam War, detente with Soviet Union and China, moon landings, and EPA, resigned
US President, 1969-1974, Richard Nixon, A member of the Republican Party, Nixon previously served as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, having risen to national prominence as a representative and senator from California, After five years in the White House that saw the conclusion to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the first manned moon landings, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, he became the only president to resign from the office, following the Watergate scandal; US President, 1969-1974, Richard Nixon; Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. member of the Republican Party, Nixon previously served as the 36th vice president from 1953 to 1961, having risen to national prominence as a representative and senator from California. five years in the White House that saw the conclusion to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, détente with the Soviet Union and China, the first manned moon landings, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, he became the only president to resign from the office, following the Watergate scandal. was born into a poor family of Quakers in a small town in Southern California. He graduated from Duke University School of Law in 1937 and returned to California to practice law. He and his wife Pat moved to Washington in 1942 to work for the federal government. He served on active duty in the Naval Reserve during World War II. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. His pursuit of the Hiss Case established his reputation as a leading anti-Communist which elevated him to national prominence. In 1950, he was elected to the Senate. He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party's presidential nominee in the 1952 election, subsequently serving for eight years as the vice president. He unsuccessfully ran for president in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy. Nixon then lost a race for governor of California to Pat Brown in 1962. In 1968, he ran for the presidency again and was elected, defeating Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace in a close election. ended American involvement in Vietnam in 1973, ending the military draft that same year. Nixon's visit to China in 1972 eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he gained the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year. His administration generally transferred power from federal control to state control. He imposed wage and price controls for 90 days, enforced desegregation of Southern schools, established the Environmental Protection Agency, and began the War on Cancer. He also presided over the Apollo 11 Moon landing, which signaled the end of the Space Race. He was re-elected in one of the largest electoral landslides in American history in 1972 when he defeated George McGovern. his second term, Nixon ordered an airlift to resupply Israeli losses in the Yom Kippur War, a war which led to the oil crisis at home. By late 1973, Watergate escalated, costing Nixon much of his political support. On August 9, 1974, facing almost certain impeachment and removal from office, he became the first American president to resign. Afterwards, he was issued a pardon by his successor, Gerald Ford. In 20 years of retirement, Nixon wrote his memoirs and nine other books and undertook many foreign trips, rehabilitating his image into that of an elder statesman and leading expert on foreign affairs. He suffered a debilitating stroke on April 18, 1994, and died four days later at age 81. Surveys of historians and political scientists have ranked Nixon as a below-average president.[2][3][4] However, evaluations of him have proven complex, with his successes as president contrasted against the circumstances of his departure from office. Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1974-1976, President, Gerald Ford
US President, 1974-1976, Gerald Ford; FIRST ORDINATION OF WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (29 JULY 1974) ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1976-1981, President, Jimmy Carter
US President, 1976-1981, Jimmy Carter; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1981-1989, President, Ronald Reagan
US President, 1981-1989, Ronald Reagan; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

US, 1989-1993, President, George H. W. Bush
US President, 1989-1993, George H. W. Bush; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 1993-2001, President, Bill Clinton
US President, 1993-2001, Bill Clinton; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

US, 2000, 21st Century Folder, Iraq and Afghanastan Wars

US, 2001-2009, President, George W. Bush
US President, 2001-2009, George W. Bush; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 12;

US Capitol, Washington, DC, 10 Mile Square Folder, Patomac and Anacostia Rivers

Potomac River Mouth (Chesapeake Bay)

Potomac River

Anacostia River Source (Prince George's County, MD)

Anacostia River 1

Anacostia River Mouth (Washington Channel, Potomac River)

Anaostia River

Orthodox Parish, Washington, DC, US Capital, 1950
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; US Capital, Washington, DC; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

District of Columbia (DC, inside the blue square)
District of Columbia; FREDERICK DOUGLASS;

Washington Monument
Washington Monument; This Satanic Masonic phallic symbol is at the heart of both Washington DC's ten mile square. In the spirit of Humanism and the One World Government, Religion and Economy of the Anti-Christ, the Satanic Masonic Casket the faces east to the sun rise and the Capitol Building. Masonic Deliverance - Exposing Freemasonry; Masonic Deliverance - Prayers;

Capitol Building
Capitol Building;

Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC
Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC ; THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674;

Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial;

1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr
1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968) ;

Jefferson Memorial
Jefferson Memorial;

Virginia Theological Seminary, near Washington, DC
Virginia Theological Seminary; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ;

Satanic Masonic Egyptian Coffin
All secret sin will be revealed. The Satanic Masonic Egyptian Coffin binds the initiate to the spirit of death and destruction. It symbolizes the ancient Egyptian death cult worshipping the god of the dead who is that ugly lord of the underworld. Masonic Deliverance - Exposing Freemasonry; Masonic Deliverance - Prayers;

Ten Mile Square Dedicated to Satan
Every mile of this Ten Mile Square has a monument dedicated with Satanic symbols. In other words, there are 40 monuments surrounding Washington, DC dedicated to Satan. These monuments are just like the Satanic Masonic Phallic monuments we see across the Canada US border and along the Mexico US border, four or five foot high Phallic Symbols like the Washington Monument in the center of the Satanic Masonic Egyptian Coffin at the center of the Ten Mile Square. Masonic Deliverance - Exposing Freemasonry; Masonic Deliverance - Prayers;

Frelinghuysen University, Washington D.C.
Frelinghuysen University; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ;

Freedmen's Hospital, Howard University Hospital
Freedmen's Hospital, Howard University Hospital; MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESS 1879, Commemorated December 17;

Howard University, Washington, DC
Howard University, Washington, DC; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Gallaudet College in Washington, DC, 1864
Gallaudet College in Washington, DC; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ;

White House
White House; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ;

America
America; RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600) ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Anacostia (neighborhood), Washington DC
Anacostia (neighborhood of Washington, DC); FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18;

Howard University School of Law, Washington, DC
Howard University School of Law; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

USA (Clean), Roads, Eastern Rivers, Western Railroads

United (Clean) States, Continental US, its Area
United States, Continental US, its Area

United (Clean) States, its Area, includes Russian Alaska, Hawaii Separate in Red
United States, its Area, includes Russian Alaska, Hawaii Separate in Red

United (Clean) States, 13 Colonies of England, New England, New World
New England; 13 Colonies;

United (Clean) States, Greenland etc. Potential For Defence
Greenland etc. Potential For Defence

USA, America (United States)
America (United States); Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

US and Canadian Western Railroads

Spokane (Clean) (Fort S) Waters, its Area (Spokane Co, WA, North ID, Eastern BC)

Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas River Mouth, Missouri River 23)
Kansas City, Missouri;

Concordia, Missouri (Missoiuri River 23, 55 miles east of Kansas City)
Concordia, Missouri ;

Canada, 1871, Dewney Trail, Southeast to Southwest BC, 80% of the trail is Crowsnest Highway
Dewney Trail, Southern BC; Dewdney Trail is a 720 km (450 mi) trail in British Columbia, Canada that served as a major thoroughfare in mid-19th century British Columbia. trail was a critical factor in the development and strengthening of the newly established British Colony of British Columbia, tying together mining camps and small towns that were springing up along the route during the gold rush era prior to the colony's joining Canadian Confederation in 1871. route's importance and urgency was prompted because many new gold finds were occurring at locations near the US border that were much more easily accessed from Washington Territory than via any practicable route from the barely settled parts of the Lower Mainland and Cariboo. approximately 80 percent of the former trail has been incorporated into the Crowsnest Highway. trail was built in southern British Columbia and linked what was then Fort Hope (now just Hope) in the southwest to what became Fort Steele in the southeast. Covering a distance of 720 kilometers (450 mi), its purpose was to secure British control of the parts of the colony flanking the US border, which included the new gold rush at Wild Horse Creek and at other points between such as Rock Creek. Approximately 80 per cent of what is now Highway 3 started life as the Dewdney Trail, but this is largely because the terrain allows for no other low-altitude transit of the regions involved. route very roughly parallels the Canada-US border along the 49th parallel, and at times reaches elevations of more than 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). passes through varied scenery, including four major mountain ranges (Cascades, Monashees, Selkirks and Purcells), some major river valleys (Skagit, Similkameen, Okanagan, Kettle, Columbia, Goat, Moyie and Kootenay) and historic townsites such as Hope, Princeton, Grand Forks, Trail, Creston, Yahk, Moyie and Cranbrook. and history[edit] the trail's construction was Edgar Dewdney, a Devonshire-born engineer. When gold was discovered in the Similkameen River and Rock Creek area, the governor of the newly established British colony of British Columbia, James Douglas, was anxious to protect British interests, and determined that a trail should be built to the Interior. After the Royal Engineers surveyed a route in 1860 from Ft. Hope to Vermilion Forks (now Princeton), Dewdney and Walter Moberly won the contract to build the trail. That first section was completed in 1861 and covered 120 km (75 mi). specifications for the trail were that it be 1.3 m (4 ft) wide, clear of trees and boulders, and any wet sections made passable. The middle 0.5 metre section (1.5 ft) was to be smooth and hard, and in areas where there were bluffs, slides or dangerous areas, there had to be enough space for animals and people to get through. Bridges over the many creeks and rivers were to be 4 metres (12 ft) wide. For this, the builders were paid $496 per mile. 1863, gold was discovered in Wild Horse Creek, in the East Kootenays. The new governor of British Columbia, Frederick Seymour, believed that the trail should be extended to Wild Horse Creek in order to keep the gold from being transported south via a shorter route into the US, rather than into British coffers. Thus in 1865, Dewdney, then 28 years old, was awarded the contract, and completed the much longer second section (300 miles, or 480 km.) in seven months, for a cost of $75,000. The second part of the trail passed through wilderness and required the builders to penetrate three mountain ranges. route was first surveyed by a crew of the Royal Engineers, with local First Nations hired to pack supplies over the mountains between Hope and Princeton, covering 11 km (6.8 mi) a day. However, at Allison’s Ranch, near Princeton, the First Nations porters refused to travel down the Similkameen River, so they were paid off, and Dewdney bought a dozen horses from the ranch. May 13, 1865, they had reached So-o-yoyos (called Osoyoos today). They climbed Anarchist Mountain and then down into the Kettle River Valley and the settlement of Rock Creek. Rock Creek had been founded during a gold rush, and had attracted around 5,000 people, but was nearly deserted when Dewdney and his team passed through. (While placer mining continued in Rock Creek until the 1930s, with $200,000 worth of gold being removed, it is believed that the mother lode was never found.) They released their exhausted horses in the Kettle River valley near Rock Creek, and with the aid of some Sinixt people, forged eastwards to Christina Lake. Just before the mountains west of present-day Rossland, the group split into two in order to determine the best way across. Dewdney sent former Royal Engineer George Turner and most of the crew up over what is now the Santa Rosa Pass through the Rossland Range to get to Fort Shepherd, built by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1858 on the Columbia River opposite the mouth of the Pend d'Oreille. headed north of Christina Lake with five men, walking over the Rossland Mountains farther north to emerge on the Lower Arrow Lake where they acquired a canoe and paddled down to rejoin the main party at Shepherd on May 27, 1865. While the crew rested, Dewdney and a couple of volunteers paddled back up the Columbia and up the Lower Kootenay River, portaging 14 times to get to the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. After exploring other possible options, Dewdney concluded that Kootenay Lake was too big a barrier to make it a viable route, so he returned to Fort Shepherd. ultimately found his way through the mountains, following valleys carved out by streams. He emerged near the spot where Rossland was eventually established. Then he followed what became known as Trail Creek, which emptied into the Columbia River – the city of Trail stands there today. of the crew were then set to working their way westward back up Trail Creek, roughing out the Trail over the Santa Rosa Pass and back to Rock Creek. Meanwhile, Dewdney, ex-Royal Engineer Robert Howell and a small crew crossed the Columbia and travelled up the Pend d’Oreille to the Salmon (now Salmo) River and then up the Lost Creek valley and across the Nelson Range by way of the Kootenay Pass. (Travellers on Highway 3 today still cross by this route, also known as the Salmo-Creston pass.) Then they headed down Summit Creek into what is now called the Creston Valley in the East Kootenays. they crossed the swampy territory of the Purcell Trench at the head of Kootenay Lake, before crossing the Purcell Mountains via Duck Creek. Travelling down the eastern side via the Goat River, they eventually intersected the Walla Walla Trail at Yahk in the Moyie River valley. The crew must have been elated to reach the Walla Walla Trail, since it was the main route into the US. From there it was a relatively easy walk along the Walla Walla, and they arrived at Galbraiths’ Ferry, near Fisherville, in early June. hired William Fernie and 65 men to start construction of the trail, heading back to the west. (The East Kootenay town of Fernie is named for Mr. Fernie.) He received $25,000 in cash and gold dust to pay the crew, and had a nasty moment after he had cached the money in a tree stump while guiding Chief Justice Matthew Baillie Begbie from Summit Creek over a particularly boggy area as Begbie travelled to Fisherville (a mining town that had grown up near the gold strike), where he was going to preside over court. When Dewdney returned for the purse, he initially thought it had been taken – it had vanished and the stump in which he had cached it was shattered. But it transpired that the weight of the purse had broken the stump, and Dewdney found it as he hacked frantically at the stump. September, pack trains were travelling the trail to Wild Horse. By 1866, the best of the gold was largely gone from the Wild Horse strike, and miners dismantled Fisherville to try to mine underneath it. In its heyday, the town boasted government offices, saloons, stores and a brewery, and housed 5,000 people or more.

Dewney Trail, Crows Nest Highway, 80% D is CN Highway

Canada, 1881-1885, Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway; with the Canadian Confederation, the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task originally undertaken as the National Dream by the Conservative government of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald (1st Canadian Ministry).[7] He was helped by Alexander Tilloch Galt, who was the owner of the North Western Coal and Navigation Company. British Columbia, a four-month sea voyage away from the East Coast, had insisted upon a land transport link to the East as a condition for joining Confederation (initially requesting a wagon road).[8] A. Macdonald 1873, John A. Macdonald and other high-ranking politicians, bribed in the Pacific Scandal, granted federal contracts to Hugh Allan's Canada Pacific Railway Company (which was unrelated to the current company) rather than to David Lewis Macpherson's Inter-Ocean Railway Company which was thought to have connections to the American Northern Pacific Railway Company. of this scandal, the Conservative Party was removed from office in 1873. The new Liberal prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, ordered construction of segments of the railway as a public enterprise under the supervision of the Department of Public Works led by Sandford Fleming. was carried out during the first years of a number of alternative routes in this virgin territory followed by construction of a telegraph along the lines that had been agreed upon.[9] Thunder Bay section linking Lake Superior to Winnipeg was commenced in 1875. By 1880, around 1,000 kilometres (700 mi) was nearly complete, mainly across the troublesome Canadian Shield terrain, with trains running on only 500 kilometres (300 mi) of track.[10] C.P.R. 2-6-0 locomotive no. 2000 and employees Macdonald's return to power on 16 October 1878, a more aggressive construction policy was adopted. confirmed that Port Moody would be the terminus of the transcontinental railway, and announced that the railway would follow the Fraser and Thompson rivers between Port Moody and Kamloops. 1879, the federal government floated bonds in London and called for tenders to construct the 206 km (128 mi) section of the railway from Yale, British Columbia, to Savona's Ferry, on Kamloops Lake. The contract was awarded to Andrew Onderdonk, whose men started work on 15 May 1880. After the completion of that section, Onderdonk received contracts to build between Yale and Port Moody, and between Savona's Ferry and Eagle Pass.[11] 21 October 1880, a new syndicate, unrelated to Hugh Allan's, signed a contract with the Macdonald government. Fleming was dismissed and replaced with Collingwood Schreiber as chief engineer and general manager of all government railways. They agreed to build the railway in exchange for $25 million (approximately $625 million in modern Canadian dollars) in credit from the Canadian government and a grant of 25 million acres (100,000 km2) of land. government transferred to the new company those sections of the railway it had constructed under government ownership, on which it had already spent at least $25 million. its estimates of the cost of the Rocky Mountain section alone was over $60 million.[12] The government also defrayed surveying costs and exempted the railway from property taxes for 20 years. Montreal-based syndicate officially comprised five men: George Stephen, James J. Hill, Duncan McIntyre, Richard B. Angus and John Stewart Kennedy. Donald A. Smith[13] and Norman Kittson were unofficial silent partners with a significant financial interest. 15 February 1881, legislation confirming the contract received royal assent, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was formally incorporated the next day.[14] Critics claimed that the government gave too large a subsidy for the proposed project but this was to incorporate uncertainties of risk and irreversibility of insurance. The large subsidy also needed to compensate the CPR for not constructing the line in the future, but rather right away even though demand would not cover operational costs.[15] beaver was chosen as the railway's logo in honour of Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, who had risen from factor to governor of the Hudson's Bay Company over a lengthy career in the beaver fur trade. Smith was a principal financier of the CPR.[13] staking much of his personal wealth to the venture. In 1885, he drove the last spike to complete the transcontinental line.[13] the railway, 1881–1886[edit] Canadian Pacific Railway Crew laying tracks at lower Fraser Valley, 1883 the railway took over four years. J. Hill in 1881 sent Alpheus Beede Stickney to be construction superintendent for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Canadian Pacific Railway began its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario (previously called Callander Station), where the first spike was driven into a sunken railway tie. Bonfield was inducted into Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002 as the CPR first spike location. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended.[16] CCR was owned by Duncan McIntyre, who amalgamated it with the CPR, and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke. It then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux-Rivières and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its final destination of Bonfield. McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington piloted the CPR expansion. Worthington continued on as the construction superintendent for the CPR past Bonfield. He remained with the CPR for about a year after which he left the company. McIntyre was uncle to John Ferguson who staked out future North Bay and who became the town's wealthiest inhabitant and mayor for four successive terms.[17] Unidentified engineers of the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey, 1872 was presumed that the railway would travel through the rich "Fertile Belt" of the North Saskatchewan River Valley and cross the Rocky Mountains via the Yellowhead Pass, a route suggested by Sandford Fleming based on a decade of work. the CPR quickly discarded this plan in favour of a more southerly route across the arid Palliser's Triangle in Saskatchewan and via Kicking Horse Pass and down the Field Hill to the Rocky Mountain Trench. This route was more direct and closer to the Canada–US border, making it easier for the CPR to keep American railways from encroaching on the Canadian market. this route also had several disadvantages. was that the CPR would need to find a route through the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia while, at the time, it was not known whether a route even existed. job of finding a pass was assigned to a surveyor named Major Albert Bowman Rogers. The CPR promised him a cheque for $5,000 and that the pass would be named in his honour. Rogers became obsessed with finding the pass that would immortalize his name. He discovered the pass in April 1881[18][19] and, true to its word, the CPR named it "Rogers Pass" and gave him the cheque. However, he at first refused to cash it, preferring to frame it, saying he did not do it for the money. He later agreed to cash it with the promise of an engraved watch.[20] Map from 1890 showing system of land survey and the lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Manitoba, Alberta, Assiniboia, and Saskatchewan. First Nations reserves are marked throughout with "I.R." for "Indian Reserve." obstacle was that the proposed route crossed land in Alberta that was controlled by the Blackfoot First Nation. This difficulty was overcome when a missionary priest, Albert Lacombe, persuaded the Blackfoot chief Crowfoot that construction of the railway was inevitable. In return for his assent, Crowfoot was famously rewarded with a lifetime pass to ride the CPR. more lasting consequence of the choice of route was that, unlike the one proposed by Fleming, the land surrounding the railway often proved too arid for successful agriculture. The CPR may have placed too much reliance on a report from naturalist John Macoun, who had crossed the prairies at a time of very high rainfall and had reported that the area was fertile.[21] greatest disadvantage of the route was in Kicking Horse Pass, at the Alberta-British Columbia border on the continental divide. In the first 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the 1,625 metres (5,331 feet) high summit, the Kicking Horse River drops 350 metres (1,150 feet). The steep drop would force the cash-strapped CPR to build a 7 km (4.3 mi) long stretch of track with a very steep 41⁄2 percent gradient once it reached the pass in 1884. This was over four times the maximum gradient recommended for railways of this era, and even modern railways rarely exceed a two-percent gradient. this route was far more direct than one through the Yellowhead Pass and saved hours for both passengers and freight. This section of track was the CPR's Big Hill. Safety switches were installed at several points, the speed limit for descending trains was set at 10 km per hour (6 mph), and special locomotives were ordered. Despite these measures, several serious runaways still occurred including the first locomotive, which belonged to the contractors, to descend the line. CPR officials insisted that this was a temporary expediency, but this state of affairs would last for 25 years until the completion of the Spiral Tunnels in the early 20th century.[22] Cornelius Van Horne 1881, construction progressed at a pace too slow for the railway's officials who, in 1882, hired the renowned railway executive William Cornelius Van Horne to oversee construction with the inducement of a generous salary and the intriguing challenge of handling such a difficult railway project. Horne stated that he would have 800 km (500 mi) of main line built in 1882. Floods delayed the start of the construction season, but over 672 km (418 mi) of main line, as well as sidings and branch lines, were built that year. Thunder Bay branch (west from Fort William) was completed in June 1882 by the Department of Railways and Canals and turned over to the company in May 1883, permitting all-Canadian lake and railway traffic from Eastern Canada to Winnipeg, for the first time in Canada's history. the end of 1883, the railway had reached the Rocky Mountains, just eight kilometres (five miles) east of Kicking Horse Pass. The construction seasons of 1884 and 1885 would be spent in the mountains of British Columbia and on the north shore of Lake Superior. C.P.R. trestle bridge thousands of navvies worked on the railway. Many were European immigrants. British Columbia, government contractors eventually hired 17000 workers from China, known as "coolies". A navvy received between $1 and $2.50 per day, but had to pay for his own food, clothing, transport to the job site, mail and medical care. After 21⁄2 months of hard labour, they could net as little as $16. Chinese labourers in British Columbia made only between 75 cents and $1.25 a day, paid in rice mats, and not including expenses, leaving barely anything to send home. They did the most dangerous construction jobs, such as working with explosives to clear tunnels through rock.[23] The exact number of Chinese workers who died is unknown but historians estimate the number is between 600 and 800. The victims of sickness and accidents were not given proper funerals. Most of the remains were buried into the railway and the families of the Chinese who were killed received no compensation, or even notification of loss of life. Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China, although Chinese labour contractors had promised that as part of their responsibilities.[24] Many spent years in isolated and often poor conditions. Yet the Chinese were hard working and played a key role in building the Western stretch of the railway; even some boys as young as twelve years old served as tea-boys. In 2006, the Canadian government issued a formal apology to the Chinese population in Canada for their treatment both during and following the construction of the CPR.[25] 1883, railway construction was progressing rapidly, but the CPR was in danger of running out of funds. In response, on 31 January 1884, the government passed the Railway Relief Bill, providing a further $22.5 million in loans to the CPR. The bill received royal assent on 6 March 1884.[26] Donald Smith, later known as Lord Strathcona, drives the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, at Craigellachie, 7 November 1885. Completion of the transcontinental railway was a condition of BC's entry into Confederation. March 1885, the North-West Rebellion broke out in the District of Saskatchewan. Van Horne, in Ottawa at the time, suggested to the government that the CPR could transport troops to Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan (Assiniboia) in 10 days. Some sections of track were incomplete or had not been used before, but the trip to Winnipeg was made in nine days and the rebellion quickly suppressed. because the government was grateful for this service, they subsequently reorganized the CPR's debt and provided a further $5 million loan. money was desperately needed by the CPR. this government loan later became controversial. Even with Van Horne's support with moving troops to Qu'Appelle, the government still delayed in giving its support to CPR. This was due to Macdonald putting pressure on George Stephen for additional benefits. himself later did admit to spending $1 million between 1881 and 1886 to ensure government support. This money went to buying a £40,000 necklace for Lady MacDonald and numerous other "bonifications" to government members.[27] Telegram to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald announcing the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 7 November 1885 7 November 1885, the last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, making good on the original promise. Four days earlier, the last spike of the Lake Superior section was driven in just west of Jackfish, Ontario. While the railway was completed four years after the original 1881 deadline, it was completed more than five years ahead of the new date of 1891 that Macdonald gave in 1881. successful construction of such a massive project, although troubled by delays and scandal, was considered an impressive feat of engineering and political will for a country with such a small population, limited capital, and difficult terrain. was by far the longest railway ever constructed at the time. It had taken 12,000 men and 5,000 horses to construct the Lake section alone.[28] in Eastern Canada, the CPR had created a network of lines reaching from Quebec City to St. Thomas, Ontario, by 1885 – mainly by buying the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa & Occidental Railway from the Quebec government and by creating a new railway company, the Ontario and Quebec Railway (O&Q). It also launched a fleet of Great Lakes ships to link its terminals. Through the O&Q, the CPR had effected purchases and long-term leases of several railways, and built a line between Perth, Ontario, and Toronto (completed on 5 May 1884) to connect these acquisitions. The CPR obtained a 999-year lease on the O&Q on 4 January 1884. In 1895, it acquired a minority interest in the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway, giving it a link to New York and the Northeast United States.[29] –1900[edit] The system in 1906, soon after the construction of the transcontinental railway The last spike in the CPR was driven on 7 November 1885, by one of its directors, Donald Smith.[13] first transcontinental passenger train departed from Montreal's Dalhousie Station, located at Berri Street and Notre Dame Street at 8 pm on 28 June 1886, and arrived at Port Moody at noon on 4 July 1886. This train consisted of two baggage cars, a mail car, one second-class coach, two immigrant sleepers, two first-class coaches, two sleeping cars and a diner (several dining cars were used throughout the journey, as they were removed from the train during the night, with another one added the next morning).[citation needed] First Transcontinental Train arrives in Port Arthur on 30 June 1886 that time, however, the CPR had decided to move its western terminus from Port Moody to Granville, which was renamed "Vancouver" later that year. The first official train destined for Vancouver arrived on 23 May 1887, although the line had already been in use for three months. CPR quickly became profitable, and all loans from the Federal government were repaid years ahead of time. 1888, a branch line was opened between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie where the CPR connected with the American railway system and its own steamships. That same year, work was started on a line from London, Ontario, to the Canada–US border at Windsor, Ontario. That line opened on 12 June 1890.[30] CPR also leased the New Brunswick Railway in 1891 for 991 years,[31] and built the International Railway of Maine, connecting Montreal with Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1889. The connection with Saint John on the Atlantic coast made the CPR the first truly transcontinental railway company in Canada and permitted trans-Atlantic cargo and passenger services to continue year-round when sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence closed the port of Montreal during the winter months. By 1896, competition with the Great Northern Railway for traffic in southern British Columbia forced the CPR to construct a second line across the province, south of the original line. Van Horne, now president of the CPR, asked for government aid, and the government agreed to provide around $3.6 million to construct a railway from Lethbridge, Alberta, through Crowsnest Pass to the south shore of Kootenay Lake, in exchange for the CPR agreeing to reduce freight rates in perpetuity for key commodities shipped in Western Canada.[citation needed] controversial Crowsnest Pass Agreement effectively locked the eastbound rate on grain products and westbound rates on certain "settlers' effects" at the 1897 level. Although temporarily suspended during the First World War, it was not until 1983 that the "Crow Rate" was permanently replaced by the Western Grain Transportation Act which allowed for the gradual increase of grain shipping prices. Crowsnest Pass line opened on 18 June 1898, and followed a complicated route through the maze of valleys and passes in southern British Columbia, rejoining the original mainline at Hope after crossing the Cascade Mountains via Coquihalla Pass.[32] Southern Mainline, generally known as the Kettle Valley Railway in British Columbia, was built in response to the booming mining and smelting economy in southern British Columbia, and the tendency of the local geography to encourage and enable easier access from neighbouring US states than from Vancouver or the rest of Canada, which was viewed to be as much of a threat to national security as it was to the province's control of its own resources. local passenger service was re-routed to this new southerly line, which connected numerous emergent small cities across the region. Independent railways and subsidiaries that were eventually merged into the CPR in connection with this route were the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway, the Kaslo and Slocan Railway, the Columbia and Kootenay Railway, the Columbia and Western Railway and various others.[31] and the settlement of western Canada[edit] One of the CPR's land offerings, 1883 CPR had built a railway that operated mostly in the wilderness. The usefulness of the prairies was questionable in the minds of many. The thinking prevailed that the prairies had great potential. Under the initial contract with the Canadian government to build the railway, the CPR was granted 25 million acres (100,000 km2). Proving already to be a very resourceful organization, Canadian Pacific began an intense campaign to bring immigrants to Canada. Canadian Pacific agents operated in many overseas locations. Immigrants were often sold a package that included passage on a CP ship, travel on a CP train and land sold by the CP railway. Land was priced at $2.50 an acre and up but required cultivation.[33] To transport immigrants, Canadian Pacific developed a fleet of over a thousand Colonist cars, low-budget sleeper cars designed to transport immigrant families from eastern Canadian seaports to the west.[34] –1928[edit] CPR advertisement highlighting "Free Farms for the Million" in western Canada, circa 1893 the first decade of the 20th century, the CPR continued to build more lines. In 1908, the CPR opened a line connecting Toronto with Sudbury. Previously, westbound traffic originating in southern Ontario took a circuitous route through eastern Ontario. Several operational improvements were also made to the railway in Western Canada. In 1909 the CPR completed two significant engineering accomplishments. The most significant was the replacement of the Big Hill, which had become a major bottleneck in the CPR's main line, with the Spiral Tunnels, reducing the grade to 2.2 percent from 4.5 percent. The Spiral Tunnels opened in August. In April 1908, the CPR started work to replace the Old Calgary-Edmonton Rail Bridge across the Red Deer River with a new standard steel bridge that was completed by March 1909.[35] Viaduct 3 November 1909, the Lethbridge Viaduct over the Oldman River valley at Lethbridge, Alberta, was opened. It is 1,624 metres (5,328 feet) long and, at its maximum, 96 metres (315 feet) high, making it one of the longest railway bridges in Canada. 1916, the CPR replaced its line through Rogers Pass, which was prone to avalanches (the most serious of which killed 62 men in 1910) with the Connaught Tunnel, an eight-kilometre-long (5-mile) tunnel under Mount Macdonald[36] that was, at the time of its opening, the longest railway tunnel in the Western Hemisphere.[37][38] C.P.R. railway locomotive 2860 21 January 1910, a passenger train derailed on the CPR line at the Spanish River bridge at Nairn, Ontario (near Sudbury), killing at least 43.[39][40] CPR acquired several smaller railways via long-term leases in 1912. On 3 January 1912, the CPR acquired the Dominion Atlantic Railway, a railway that ran in western Nova Scotia. This acquisition gave the CPR a connection to Halifax, a significant port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Dominion Atlantic was isolated from the rest of the CPR network and used the CNR to facilitate interchange; the DAR also operated ferry services across the Bay of Fundy for passengers and cargo (but not rail cars) from the port of Digby, Nova Scotia, to the CPR at Saint John, New Brunswick. DAR steamships also provided connections for passengers and cargo between Yarmouth, Boston and New York. On 1 July 1912, the CPR acquired the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, a railway on Vancouver Island that connected to the CPR using a railcar ferry. The CPR acquired the Quebec Central Railway on 14 December 1912.[31] the late 19th century, the railway undertook an ambitious programme of hotel construction, building Glacier House in Glacier National Park, Mount Stephen House at Field, British Columbia, the Château Frontenac in Quebec City and the Banff Springs Hotel. then, the CPR had competition from three other transcontinental lines, all of them money-losers. In 1919, these lines were consolidated, along with the track of the old Intercolonial Railway and its spurs, into the government-owned Canadian National Railways. CPR suffered its greatest loss of life when one of its steamships, the Empress of Ireland, sank after a collision with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad. On 29 May 1914, the Empress (operated by the CPR's Canadian Pacific Steamship Company) went down in the St. Lawrence River with the loss of 1,024 lives, of which 840 were passengers.[41] World War[edit] the First World War CPR put the entire resources of the "world's greatest travel system" at the disposal of the British Empire, not only trains and tracks, but also its ships, shops, hotels, telegraphs and, above all, its people. the war effort meant transporting and billeting troops; building and supplying arms and munitions; arming, lending and selling ships. CPR ships were pressed into service during World War I, carrying more than a million troops and passengers and four million tons of cargo.Twenty seven survived and returned to CPR. also helped the war effort with money and jobs. CPR made loans and guarantees to the Allies of some $100 million. As a lasting tribute, CPR commissioned three statues and 23 memorial tablets to commemorate the efforts of those who fought and those who died in the war.[42] the war, the Federal government created Canadian National Railways (CNR, later CN) out of several bankrupt railways that fell into government hands during and after the war. CNR would become the main competitor to the CPR in Canada. 1923, Henry Worth Thornton replaced David Blyth Hanna becoming the second president of the CNR, and his competition spurred Edward Wentworth Beatty, the first Canadian-born president of the CPR, to action.[43] During this time the railway land grants were formalized.[44] Depression and the Second World War, 1929–1945[edit] Strikers from unemployment relief camps climbing on boxcars as part of the On-to-Ottawa Trek, 1935 Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1939, hit many companies heavily. While the CPR was affected, it was not affected to the extent of its rival CNR because it, unlike the CNR, was debt-free. The CPR scaled back on some of its passenger and freight services, and stopped issuing dividends to its shareholders after 1932. Hard times led to the creation of new political parties such as the Social Credit movement and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, as well as popular protest in the form of the On-to-Ottawa Trek.[45] highlight of the late 1930s, both for the railway and for Canada, was the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their 1939 royal tour of Canada, the first time that the reigning monarch had visited the country. The CPR and the CNR shared the honours of pulling the royal train across the country, with the CPR undertaking the westbound journey from Quebec City to Vancouver. that year, the Second World War began. As it had done in World War I, the CPR devoted much of its resources to the war effort. It retooled its Angus Shops in Montreal to produce Valentine tanks and other armoured vehicles, and transported troops and resources across the country. As well, 22 of the CPR's ships went to war, 12 of which were sunk.[46] –1978[edit] The Multimark logo was used from 1968 to 1987, when it fell out of favour. It was sometimes referred to as the 'Pac-Man' logo, after the popular 1980s video game of the same name. CPR train step stool (Calgary station) c. 1950 the Second World War, the transportation industry in Canada changed. Where railways had previously provided almost universal freight and passenger services, cars, trucks and airplanes started to take traffic away from railways. This naturally helped the CPR's air and trucking operations, and the railway's freight operations continued to thrive hauling resource traffic and bulk commodities. However, passenger trains quickly became unprofitable. During the 1950s, the railway introduced new innovations in passenger service. In 1955, it introduced The Canadian, a new luxury transcontinental train. However, in the 1960s, the company started to pull out of passenger services, ending services on many of its branch lines. It also discontinued its secondary transcontinental train The Dominion in 1966, and in 1970, unsuccessfully applied to discontinue The Canadian. For the next eight years, it continued to apply to discontinue the service, and service on The Canadian declined markedly. On 29 October 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail, a new federal Crown corporation that is responsible for managing all intercity passenger service formerly handled by both CP Rail and CN. Via eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP's lines.[47] 1968, as part of a corporate reorganization, each of the major operations, including its rail operations, were organized as separate subsidiaries. The name of the railway was changed to CP Rail, and the parent company changed its name to Canadian Pacific Limited in 1971. Its air, express, telecommunications, hotel and real estate holdings were spun off, and ownership of all of the companies transferred to Canadian Pacific Investments. The slogan was: "TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD" The company discarded its beaver logo, adopting the new Multimark (which, when mirrored by an adjacent "multi-mark" creates a diamond appearance on a globe) that was used—with a different colour background—for each of its operations.[48]

Thompson River

Fraser River

Canadian Pacific Railroad

Canadian Pacific Railroad - Southern Route

Chicago, Illinois
Chicago; Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago;

Lake Forest Park, Illinois

Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana;

Angelus Temple, LA, California, 1923-Present
Angelus Temple ;

Foursquare Church, LA, California, 1923-Present
Foursquare Church, LA, California, 1923-Present; Angelus Temple ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

Victoria Hall, 16530 VENTURA Blvd Ste 400, ENCINO, CA 91436
Victoria Hall, 16530 VENTURA Blvd Ste 400, ENCINO, CA 91436; Aimee Semple McPherson;

Temple Auditorium, Los Angeles
Temple Auditorium, Los Angeles; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles ;

1925 Santa Barbara earthquake
1925 Santa Barbara earthquake; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

1933 Long Beach earthquake
1933 Long Beach earthquake; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

San Diego
San Diego; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

US, 1889-1893, Great Northern Hi-Line Road
US, 1889, Great Northern Hi-Line Road;

High Line - US 2 - Great Northern RWY

US, 1906-1909, Milwalkee Road, Pacific Extension
US, 1909, Milwalkee Road, Pacific Extension the 1890s, the company's directors felt they had to extend the railroad to the Pacific to remain competitive with other railroads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $45 million (equal to $1.4 billion today). In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $60 million, equal to $1.73 billion today. The contract for the western part of the route was awarded to Horace Chapin Henry of Seattle. The subsidiary Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway Company was chartered in 1905 to build from the Missouri River to Seattle and Tacoma.[6] 1899 route map from Chicago to Lake Superior began in 1906 and was completed three years later. The route chosen was 18 miles (29 km) shorter than the next shortest competitor's, as well as better grades than some, but it was an expensive route, since the Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads. two main mountain ranges that had to be crossed, the Rockies and the Cascades, required major civil engineering works and additional locomotive power. completion of 2,300 miles (3,700 km) of railroad through some of the most varied topography in the nation in only three years was a major feat. company maps denote five mountain crossings: Belts, Rockies, Bitterroots, Saddles, and Cascades. These are slight misnomers as the Belt mountains and Bitterroots are part of the Rockies. route did not cross over the Little Belts or Big Belts, but over the Lenep-Loweth Ridge between the Castle Mountains and the Crazy Mountains. 1910, an enormous forest fire erupted in Idaho and many railroad bridges were burned, including a 725-mile long bridge.[citation needed] historians question the choice of route, since it bypassed some population centers and passed through areas with limited local traffic potential. of the line paralleled the Northern Pacific Railway. Trains magazine called the building of the extension, primarily a long-haul route, "egregious" and a "disaster."[7] George H. Drury listed the Pacific Extension as one of several "wrong decisions" made by the Milwaukee Road's management which contributed to the company's eventual failure.[8] in 1909, several smaller railroads were acquired and expanded to form branch lines along the Pacific Extension.[9]: 15  Montana Railroad formed the mainline route through Sixteen Mile Canyon as well as the North Montana Line which extended North from Harlowton to Lewistown. This branch led to the settlement of the Judith Basin and, by the 1970s, accounted for 30% of the Milwaukee Road's total traffic.[9]: 75  Gallatin Valley Electric Railway, originally built as an interurban line, was extended from Bozeman to the mainline at Three Forks. In 1927, the railroad built the Gallatin Gateway Inn, where passengers traveling to Yellowstone National Park transferred to buses for the remainder of their journey.[9]: 83  White Sulphur Springs & Yellowstone Park Railway, originally built by Lew Penwell and John Ringling, primarily carried lumber and agricultural products.[9]: 86  1920 Milwaukee Road timetable map. conditions in the mountain regions of the Pacific Extension proved difficult. Winter temperatures of −40 °F (−40 °C) in Montana made it challenging for steam locomotives to generate sufficient steam. line snaked through mountainous areas, resulting in "long steep grades and sharp curves". provided an answer, especially with abundant hydroelectric power in the mountains, and a ready source of copper in Anaconda, Montana.[10] 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road implemented a 3,000 volt direct current (DC) overhead system between Harlowton, Montana, and Avery, Idaho, a distance of 438 miles (705 km).[11] with the result, the Milwaukee electrified its route in Washington between Othello and Tacoma, a further 207 miles (333 km), between 1917 and 1920.[12] section traversed the Cascades through the 2¼ mile (3.6 km) Snoqualmie Tunnel, just south of Snoqualmie Pass and over 400 feet (120 m) lower in elevation. The single track tunnel's east portal at Hyak included an adjacent company-owned ski area (1937−1950).[13][14][15][16] the 1984 abandonment of the Pacific Extension, Tacoma Rail purchased all of Milwaukee's lines south of Tacoma. in 1990, the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad began operating over the section from Centralia to Curtis. In 2010 the line was sold to the Port of Chehalis and in 2019, The railroad purchased the line from Chehalis to Ruth. In 2021 the section from Highway 6 West to Curtis was leased. the 645 miles (1,038 km) of main-line electrification represented the largest such project in the world up to that time, and would not be exceeded in the US until the Pennsylvania Railroad's efforts in the 1930s.[17] two separate electrified districts were never unified, as the 216-mile (348 km) Idaho Division (Avery to Othello) was comparatively flat down the St. Joe River to St. Maries and through eastern Washington, and posed few challenges for steam operation.[12] Electrification cost $27 million, but resulted in savings of over $1 million per year from improved operational efficiency.[18] Boxcab electric locomotive pulling a passenger train in a canyon An EF-1 boxcab hauls the Olympian through Montana Canyon in 1925. The Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway was absorbed by the parent company on January 1, 1913.[6] The Pacific Extension, including subsequent electrification, cost the Milwaukee Road $257 million, over four times the original estimate of $60 million. To meet this cost, the Milwaukee Road sold bonds, which began coming due in the 1920s.[19] Traffic never met projections, and by the early 1920s, the Milwaukee Road was in serious financial condition. This state was exacerbated by the railroad's purchase of several heavily indebted railroads in Indiana. company declared bankruptcy in 1925 and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. In 1929, its total mileage stood at 11,248 miles (18,102 km).[20] 1927, the railroad launched its second edition of the Olympian as a premier luxury limited passenger train and opened its first railroad-owned tourist hotel, the Gallatin Gateway Inn in Montana, southwest of Bozeman, via a spur from Three Forks. company scarcely had a chance for success before the Great Depression hit. Despite innovations such as the famous Hiawatha high-speed trains that exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h), the railroad again filed for bankruptcy in 1935. The Milwaukee Road operated under trusteeship until December 1, 1945. WWII the CMSt.P&P sponsored one of the Army's MRS units the 757th Railroad Shop Battalion. Two Skytop Lounges in their fourth Milwaukee Road paint scheme, matching Union Pacific colors. These cars were part of the Twin Cities Hiawatha equipment pool. Milwaukee Road enjoyed temporary success after World War II. Out of bankruptcy and with the wartime ban on new passenger service lifted, the company upgraded its trains. Olympian Hiawatha began running between Chicago and the Puget Sound over the Pacific Extension in 1947,[21] and the Twin Cities Hiawatha received new equipment in 1948.[22] accelerated and was complete by 1956.[23][24] In 1955, the Milwaukee Road took over from the Chicago and North Western's handling of Union Pacific's Overland Route streamliners between Chicago and Omaha.[21] whole railroad industry found itself in decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s, but the Milwaukee Road was hit particularly hard. The Midwest was overbuilt with a plethora of competing railroads, while the competition on the transcontinental routes to the Pacific was tough. The premier transcontinental streamliner, the Olympian Hiawatha, despite innovative scenic observation cars, was mothballed in 1961, becoming the first visible casualty. resignation of President John P. Kiley in 1957 and his replacement with the fairly inexperienced William John Quinn was a pivotal moment. From that point onward, the road's management was fixated on merger with another railroad as the solution to the Milwaukee's problems. mergers had to be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964. The ICC asked for terms that the C&NW was not willing to agree to. The merger of the "Hill Lines" was approved at around the same time, and the merged Burlington Northern came into being. 1970s[edit] An electric locomotive with its pantographs down A Little Joe at Deer Lodge, Montana in October 1974 after the end of electrified operation. formation of Burlington Northern in 1970 from the merger of Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Burlington Route, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 3 created a stronger competitor on most Milwaukee Road routes. To boost competition, the ICC gave the Milwaukee Road the right to connect with new railroads in the West over Burlington Northern tracks. on its Pacific Extension increased substantially to more than four trains a day each way[25] as it began interchanging cars with Southern Pacific at Portland, Oregon and Canadian railroads at Sumas, Washington.[26] railroad's foothold on transcontinental traffic leaving the Port of Seattle increased such that the Milwaukee Road held a staggering advantage over BN, carrying nearly 80% of the originating traffic along with 50% of the total container traffic leaving the Puget Sound (prior to severe service declines after roughly 1974).[citation needed] 1970, the president of Chicago and North Western offered to sell the railroad to the Milwaukee Road outright. William John Quinn refused,[27] stating that it now believed only a merger with a larger system, not a slightly smaller one, could save the railroad. Almost immediately, the railroad filed unsuccessfully with the ICC to be included in the Union Pacific merger with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. the mid-1970s, deferred maintenance on Milwaukee Road's physical plant, which had been increasing throughout the 1960s as it attempted to improve its financial appearance for merger, was beginning to cause problems. railroad's financial problems were exacerbated by their practice of improving its earnings during that period by selling off its wholly owned cars to financial institutions and leasing them back. The lease charges became greater, and more cars needed to be sold to pay the lease payments. railroad's fleet of cars was becoming older because more money was being spent on finance payments for the old cars rather than buying new ones. This contributed to car shortages that turned away business. Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification. Its electric locomotive fleet was reaching the end of its service life, and newer diesel locomotives such as the EMD SD40-2 and the GE Universal Series were more than capable of handling the route. The final electric freight arrived at Deer Lodge, Montana on June 15, 1974.[28][29] 1976, the Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition. The ICC denied it on March 2, 1977.[30][31] Milwalkee Road;

South (Clean), Idaho Folder, Snake River Drainage

South (Clean) Idaho, its Area, Snake River Drainage

Snake River

Malad River (Idaho)

Little Wood River

Big Wood River

Boise River

Boise River 2

South Idaho, Boise, Idaho (Snake River 12, Boise River Mouth)
Boise, Idaho;

Owyhee River

Payette River South Fork

Payette River

Weiser River

Salmon River Middle Fork

Salmon River

Grand Ronde River

Clearwater River North Fork

Clearwater River (Middle Fork is the main stem)

Clearwater River South Fork

Locsha River

Selway River

Southeast (Clean) Idaho Folder, Waters flowing into Utah

Southeast (Clean) Idaho, its Area, waters flowing south into Utah

Bear River, Bear Lake, ID, Soda Springs, Montpelier, Preston, ID

Little Bear River, Hyman, UT

Logan River, Logan, UT, Red Cub Lodge, ID

Malad River (Utah), Malad City

Logan River
Logan River;

Spokane (Clean) (Fort S) Upper Colombia River Drainage

Spokane (Fort S) Waters, its Area (Spokane County, WA, North ID, Eastern BC)

Kootenai River

Pend Oreille River

Spokane River

Lower (Clean) Columbia River Folder (Central WA, Central BC, Northern OR)

Lower (Clean) Columbia, its Area, (Central WA, Central BC, Northern OR)

Okanogan River

Wenatchee River

Stevens Pass Creek

Cowlitz River

Deschutes River

Willamette River

Ashley River

Saint Louis (Missouri River Mouth, Mississippi River 7)
Saint Louis both the Illinois and Missouri Rivers meet the Mississippi just north of Saint Louis;

Ashley River above the source

Cooper River

Charleston, SC (Ashley River, Cooper River, Charleston Harbor)
Charleston, South Carolina;

Cooper River source, Lake Moultrie to the fall line

Pee Dee River

Little Pee Dee River

Savanna River

Savannah, Georgia (First Great Awakening, Savanna River Mouth)
Savannah, Georgia ;

Bozeman Trail

Big Horn Mountains (WY and MT, between Bozeman Trail and Bighorn River)
Big Horn Mountains;

Beartooth Mountains, MT
Beartooth Mountains ;

Big Horn River

Shoshone, Eastern Shoshone
Eastern Shoshone ;

Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming (Bighorn River 1) 1868
Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming;

Wind River Range, WY
Wind River Range

Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School (Bighorn River 1) 1889
Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School;

Arapaho, Northern Arapaho people (Big Horn River 1)
Northern Arapaho people;

Absaroka Range, WY & MT (Big Horn and Yellowstone Rivers)
Absaroka Range;

Fort Washakie Indian Boarding School (Bighorn River 1) 1883
Washakie;

Tongue River

Powder River

Chippewa Indians around Leech Lake and Becker County
Chippewa Indians around Leech Lake and Becker County, Ojibwe people ;

Leech Lake Indian Reservation (Mississippi River Source, HWY 2, GN RWY)
Leech Lake Indian Reservation;

Becker County, Minnesota
Becker County, Minnesota ;

Pearl River

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

Tombigbee River

Androscoggin River

Brunswick, Maine (Androscoggin River Mouth)
Brunswick, Maine;

Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
Bowdoin College;

National Road (Cumberland Road)
National Road 1811-37

Columbus, Ohio (National Road 8, Olentangy River, Scioto River 3)
Columbus, Ohio;

Monocacy River

Gettysburg Seminary, South Eastern PA, 1826
Gettysburg Seminary; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Patapsco River

Lyric Opera House, Baltimore, MD
Lyric Opera House; Aimee Semple McPhearson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 27;

Episcopal General Convention 1871, Baltimore, MD
Provence 3 Episcopal Church of America;

Red River of the North

Wild Rice River

White Earth River

Minnesota River

Seabury Divinity School at Faribault, MN
Seabury Divinity School at Faribault ;

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (Zumbro River 1) 1864
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (Zumbro River 1);

Rochester, Minnesota (Zumbro River 1)
Rochester, Minnesota;

St Croix River

Pigeon River

Boundary Waters

Rainy River

Otter Trail River

Bois De Sioux River

James (Dakota) River

Black Rock River

Black Rock River Second Source

Black Rock River Third Source

Truckee River

California Trail (Truckee River Section)

Raft River

Humboldt River

Californai Trail - Forty Mile Desert Section

Reese River

Little Humbolt River

West Fork Carson River

California Trail West Fork Carson River to Carson Pass

Clear Creek

East Fork Carson River

West Fork Walker River

East Fork Walker River

Husdon River

Broadway 2.4 Miles

Broadway, another 15 miles up to Yonkers

Trinity Church, Wall Street and Broadway, Downtown Manhattan, NYC, 1696
Trinity Church Manhattan;

Wall Street, 8 Blocks

Hudson River East of Manhattan Island

Fifth Avenue, NYC

Tammany Hall, Park Ave S and E17th St, Boss Tweed, Democrats, 1858-1877
Tammany Hall; Boss Tweed, William M. Tweed;

Calvary Church in New York City, Midtown
Calvary Church in New York City;

Church of the Holy Communion, NYC, 1846
Church of the Holy Communion, New York City ;

University Medical College, New York University
University Medical College, New York University;

New York University, Midtown, NYC, 1831
New York University ;

New York City
New York City;

Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

The Bronx, NYC
The Bronx, NYC;

St Vladimir's Seminary in Yonkers, NY, 1938
St Vladimir's Seminary in NY;

Queens, NYC
Queens, NYC;

Corona, Queens
Corona, Queens; Aimee Semple McPherson;

Flushing Institute, Flushing, Queens, NY, 1827
Flushing Institute, Flushing, NY;

Flushing Institute, Flushing, NY (St Paul's College) 1828
Flushing Institute (later St Paul's College), a boys' school in Flushing, New York ;

Long Island, NYC
Long Island, NYC;

Shinnecock Indian Nation, Long Island, NYC
Shinnecock Indian Nation;

Poosepatuck Reservation, Long Island, NYC
Poosepatuck Reservation, New York;

Montauk, Long Island, NYC
Montauk, Long Island, NYC;

Riverhead, Long Island, NYC
Riverhead (town), New York;

Husdon River (Upstate NY)

Albany, NY (State Capital, Erie Canal 1, Hudson River 7)
Albany, NY ; JOHN HENRY HOBART BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

West Troy and Troy, NY (Hudson River 6 and Erie Canal 2)
Troy, NY; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY (Hudson River 14) 1861
Vassar College;

Episcopal General Convention 1874, New York, NY (5th Ave 2)
Provence 2 Episcopal Church of America;

Harlem, Uptown, NYC, (5th Avenue 3)
Harlem;

Harlem Renaissance (1920), Uptown NYC, 5th Ave 3
Harlem Renaissance (1920);

Mowhawk River

Schoharie Creek

Chenango River

Unadilla River

Susquehanna River

Lincoln University (South Central Pennsylvania) 1854, between Delaware and Sussquehanna Rivers
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania);

Chemung River

Delaware River

St Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, PA, 1905, 1938
St Tikhon Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania;

Cornell University, NY, 1865 (Ithaca, South End Finger Lakes, Erie Canal 10)
Cornell University;

Genesee River

Rochester, NY
Rochester, NY;

Rochester Theological Seminary
Rochester Theological Seminary;

Bishopric and Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, Buffalo
Bishopric of Western New York, Episcopal Diocese of Western New York;

Rio Pueblo de Taos River

River Lucero

San Juan River

Continental Divides, San Juan River Drainage

Chaco Wash

Animas River

Gila River

Phoenix, Arizona (Gila River 4)
Phoenix, Arizona (Gila River 4);

Canadian River

Vermejo River

Cimarron River (Canadian River)

Connecticut River

Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, Connecticut River 11) 1769
Dartmouth College;

Sugar River

Newport, New Hampshire (Sugar River 1)
Newport, New Hampshire;

Ashuelot River

Merrimack River

Byfield, MA, Adelynrood (near New Hampshire)
Adelynrood, Byfield, MA; Byfield, MA;

Passaic River

Brunswick Road, US Hwy 1 between NY and Philly

Princeton Road between NY and Philly

South Jersey (Lower Delaware, Philidelphia Influence)
South Jersey (Lower Delaware, Philidelphia Influence); CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

New Jersey Shore
New Jersey Shore; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

Atlantic City, NJ

Raleigh, NC (on the fall line)
Raleigh, North Carolina, on the fall line between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain ;

Durham, NC
Durham, NC ;

Goldsboro River

Goldsboro River Source, from Eno springs above the fall line

Rocky Mount Greenville River

Rocky Mount River Source (Rocky Mount), , from springs above the fall line

Yadkin River

Uwharrie River (from High Point, NC)

Instate Divide between Pee Dee and Cape Fear Rivers

Cape Fear River

Fort Bragg River

Deep River (from High Point, NC)

Catawba River in NC, Wateree River in SC

Catawba River

Wateree River in SC, Catawba River in NC

Roanoke River

Chowan River

Niobrara River

North Platte River

North Platte River Mouth (Platte River Source)

Platte River

Republican River

Big Blue River

Little Blue River

Green River

Hoback River

Grays River

Goose Creek

Cheyanne River

Blacks Fork River

Medicine Bow River

Sweetwater River

Laramie River

Crow Creek

Green River 2 from Stampede Pass

East Portal, MT to Avery, ID and St Joe River, Milwalkee Road

East Portal, MT to Avery, ID and St Joe River, Milwalkee Road 2

Snohomish River

Pilchuck River

Skykomish River

Skykomish River North Fork

Skykomish River South Fork

Snoqalmie River

Snoqualmie River South Fork

Snoqualmie River, Middle Fork

Snoqualmie River North Fork

Shenandoah River

James River

Jackson River

Cowpasture River

Bullpasture River

Maury River

Calfpasture River

Rivanna River

Appotomattox River

Chickahominy River

Pagan River

Nansemond River

Elizabeth River

Pequonnock River

Bridgeport, CT (Pequonnock River Mouth, Long Island Sound)
Bridgeport;

Housatonic River

Konkapot River

Still River

Shepaug River

Naugatuck River

Naugatuck River East Branch

Naugatuck River West Branch

Litchfield, Connecticut (Naugatuck River West Branch)
Litchfield, Connecticut;

Thames River

Quinebaug River

Putnam Elms, Brooklyn, CT
Brooklyn, Connecticut or Mortlake, Connecticut; Putnam Elms, Brooklyn, Connecticut;

Kingswood, Brooklyn, CT
Brooklyn, Connecticut or Mortlake, Connecticut; Kingswood, Brooklyn, Connecticut;

Shetucket River

Yantic River

Quinnipiac River

Mill River

New Haven, Connecticut
St Luke™s Church in New Haven, Connecticut;

West River

Oyster River

Metacomet Ridge

Connecticut
Connecticut;

Hartford, CT (Connecticut River 24)
Hartford, Connecticut;

Old Lyme, resort and artist's colony (Connecticut River Mouth)
Old Lyme (resort and artist's colony);

Sacramento River

Feather River

Feather River 1

Sutter By-Pass

North Fork Yuba River

Middle Fork Yuba River

South Fork Yuba River

Yuba River

Amerian River

Middle Fork American River

South Fork American River

South Fork American River Second Source

Sacramento, CA (American River Mouth, Sacramento River 9)
Sacramento, CA (American River Mouth, Sacramento River 9); William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

Sonora Pass
Sonora Pass;

San Joaquin River

San Joaquin River Middle Fork

San Joaquin River North Fork

Fresno, CA (San Joaquin River 3)
Fresno, San Joaquin Valley;

Merced River

Yosemite Valley (Merced River 1)
Yosemite Valley; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Merced, CA (Merced Mouth, San Joaquin 6.5)

Caifornia Aqueduct

Monterey, California (Monterey Bay)
Monterey, California (Monterey Bay); Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Peter the Aleut, Commemorated on September 24;

Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley;

San Francisco, California
San Francisco;

Los Angeles Aqueduct

Colorado River Aqueduct

South Platte River

Denver, CO (South Platte River 5)
Denver, CO;

Arkansas River

Assemblies of God, 1914, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Assemblies of God, 1914, Hot Springs, Arkansas;

Pueblo, Colorado (Arkansas River 4)
Pueblo, Colorado; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Salt Fork Arkansas River

Eagle River

Vail Pass

Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado;

Gore Creek, Vail, Colorado

Beaver Creek, Vail, Colorado

Maroon Bells at “Snowmass Wilderness, CO
Maroon Bells at “Snowmass Wilderness;

Maroon Bells River ? but not East Taylor River

Roaring Fork River

Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado ;

Gunnison River

Grand Junction, CO (Gunnison River Mouth, Colorado River, Grand Valley)
Grand Junction, CO

Taylor River

East Taylor River

Cimarron River from Northeast Side of Uncomphgre Peak

Little Cimarron River (Gunnison River)

Cimarron River (Gunnison River)

East Fork Cimarron River (Gunnison River)

West Fork Cimarron River (Gunnison River)

Middle Fork Cimarron River (Gunnison River)

Uncompahgre River

Uncompahgre River North Fork

Delores River

Schuylkill River

Philadelphia, PA (Schuykill River Mouth, Delaware River 9)
Philadelphia ;

Germantown, Philadelphia, PA
Germantown, Philadelphia aka Germantown, Pennsylvania; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26 ;

St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, 1769
St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia;

St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia);

African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia, 1792
African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26 ;

Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, Philadelphia, 1794
Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church ; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26 ;

Schuylkill River Western Source

Ohio River

Ohio River Route

Jeffersonville, Indiana (Ohio River 15, and Wilderness Road West Fork at Louisville, KY)
Jeffersonville, Indiana; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

Tell City, Indiana (Ohio River 17)
Tell City, Indiana;

Erie, Western Pennsylvania (Lake Erie)
Erie, Pennsylvania;

Alleghany River

Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, PA (Alleghany River Mouth, Ohio River Source) 1861
Calvary Church, Pittsburgh;

Monongahela River

Monongahela River West Fork

Youghiogheny River

Cheat River

Beaver River

Shenango River

Mahoning River

Rock River

Milwaukee, WI (Lake Michigan)
Milwaukee;

Racine College, WI, 1852
Racine College ;

Nashota House, Wisconsin, 1844
Nashota House;

Illinois River

Vermillion River

Streator, Illinois (Coal Mines, Vermillion River 9)
Streatorland;

Middle Fork Vermillion River

Middle Fork Vermillion River Mouth, Wabash River 2

Kaskaskia River

Illinois
Illinois;

Wabash River

Iowa River
Iowa River;

Cedar River (Iowa River tributary) of Minnesota and Iowa
Cedar River (Iowa River tributary) of Minnesota and Iowa;

Shell Rock River

Winnebago River

Mason City, Iowa (Winnebago River 2), Music Man's River City
Mason City, Iowa;

Saint Joseph River

Little River (Indiana)

Mississinewa River

White River (Illinois)

Indianapolis, Indiana (a crossroads, Cumberland Road and White River West Fork 3)
Indianapolis;

White River Central Fork

White River East Fork

Weber River

Jordan River (Utah)

Salt Lake, Utah (Jordan River Mouth, Great Salt Lake, California Trail 2)
Episcopal Diocese of Utah, St Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941) ;

American Fork River

Provo River

Provo, UT, Provo Mouth, Utah Lake

Hobble Creek

Spanish Fork River

Servier Lake and Basin

Beaver River (Utah)

Servier River

San Pitch River

Apalachiocola River

Suwannee River

Saint Johns River

Jacksonville, Florida (Saint Johns River Mouth)
Jacksonville, Florida;

Aleutian Islands, Southwest Alaska
Aleutian Islands;

Arkansas River North Source

Little Rock, AR (Arkansas River 14)
Little Rock, Arkansas ;

White River (Arkansas)

Sulphur Rock, Arkansas (White River 1)
Sulphur Rock, Arkansas ;

Tennessee River

Sewanee, Tennessee, University of the South (Tennessee River 2) 1857
Sewanee: The University of the South ;

Mobile River

Alabama River

Oostanaula River

Coosa River

Talapoosa River

Black Warrior River

Tonto River

Verde River

Agua Fria River

Santa Cruz River

Miracle Valley, Arizona (Santa Cruz River 1)
Miracle Valley, Arizona;

Santa Cruz River Source 2

Kansas River

Topeka, Kansas (Kansas River 2, Oregon Trail 3)
Topeka, Kansas;

Kansas Medical College, Topeka, Kansas
Kansas Medical College;

Smoky Hill River North Fork

Smoky Hill River

Saline River

Solomon River

Solomon River North Branch

Republican River 2

Wakarusa River

Cimarron River

Chisholm Trail

Dallas, TX (Chisholm Trail Source)
Dallas, TX;

Chisholm Trail to Ellsworth, Kansas

Wilderness Road South to Nashville

Wilderness Road North Fork to Boonesborough (for salt)

Wilderness Road West Fork to Louisville, Falls of the Ohio

Bluegrass Region

Cumberland Region

Jackson Purchase

Mississippi Plateau

Western Coal Fields

Cumberland River

Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee (Cumberland River 4)
Fisk University;

Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee in Nashville
Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee;

Kentucky River

Kentucky River Middle Fork

Kentucky River North Fork

Kentucky River South Fork

Goodnight-Loving Trail

Goodnight Trail to Cheyenne, Wyoming

Crow Creek 1 (Cheyenne, Wyoming)

Dodge City Trail

South Platte River 18 (Ogallala, NB)

Red River of the South

Shreveport, Louisiana (Red River of the South 4)
Shreveport, Louisiana;

Clarks, Louisiana (Caldwell Parish, 30 miles south of Monroe, 100 miles southeast of Shreveport)
Clarks, Louisiana ;

Hodge, Louisiana
Hodge, Louisiana;

West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe, Louisiana;

Sweetwater Creek, Texas

Cuyahoga River

Cuyahoga River East Branch

Miami River

Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio (Miami R mouth, Ohio R 12)
Lane Theological Seminary;

Corpus Christi, TX (Gulf of America, between Colorado River Mouth and Rio Grande Mouth)
Corpus Christi, TX;

Concho River

Concho River North

Concho River South

San Saba River

San Saba River North Fork

San Saba River Middle Fork

Llano River North Fork

Llano River

Balcones Fault - Edwards Aquifer

Wolf River

Mason, Tennessee (near Memphis, Wolf River Mouth and Mississippi River 9)
Mason, Tennessee ;

Holsten River

French Broad River

Clinch River

Cinch River 2

Martin's Fork Cumberland River, TN and KY

Clover Fork Cumberland River, KY

DeQuincy, Louisiana (near Texas-Louisiana border, Sabine River Mouth)
DeQuincy, Louisiana;

Diboll, Texas (west of middle of Sabine River and Texas-Louisiana border)
Diboll, Texas;

Lufkin, Texas (west of middle of Sabine River and Texas-Louisiana border)
Lufkin, Texas;

Wisconsin River

Chattahoochee River

Flint River

Atlanta, GA (Flint River Source, Chattahoochee 4, Eastern Divide 8 )
Atlanta, GA;

Atlanta University, Clark Atlanta University, 1865
Atlanta University;

Apalachiocola River, FL

Tugaloo River

Chatooga River

Tallulah River

Altamaha River

St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys, Georgia;

Oconee River

Ocmulgee River

Providence River

Woonasquatuchet River

Providence, Rhode Island (Narragansett Bay)
Providence, Rhode Island (Narragansett Bay); PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890 ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Moshassuck River

Blackstone River

Charles River

Andover Theological Seminary, MA (Charles River 5) 1778
Andover Theological Seminary;

Boston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth)
Boston;

Muddy River

Mystic River

Acushnet River
Acushnet River;

Neponset River

Swift River 1

Swift River 2

Swift River 3

Hawaiian Islands area

Japan Korea and Formosa (Taiwan) Folder

Japan
Japan; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597); St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

Japan, Korea, and Taiwan (Formosa) Area

Japan, 1467-1603, Sengoku period
Japan, 1467-1603, Sengoku period;

Japan, 1600-1868, Tokugawa shogunate Empire
Japan, 1600-1868, Tokugawa shogunate Empire;

Japan, 1868-1947, Empire of Japan
Japan, Empire of Japan, 1868-1947 ;

Korea (North and South)
Korea (North and South); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955;

Japan, 1467-Present, Japan Korea Formosa History Folder

Japan, 1467-1603, Sengoku Period

Japan, 1467-1603, Sengoku period, warring states period, samurai warlords fight for control, then 3 unifiers
Japan, 1467-1603, Sengoku period; Sengoku period (戦国時代, Sengoku Jidai, "Warring States period") is a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga Shogunate. Various samurai warlords and clans fought for control over Japan in the power vacuum, while the Ikkō-ikki emerged to fight against samurai rule. arrival of Europeans in 1543 introduced the arquebus into Japanese warfare, and Japan ended its status as a tributary state of China in 1549. Nobunaga dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573 and launched a war of political unification by force, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, until his death in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed his campaign to unify Japan and consolidated his rule with numerous influential reforms. launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but their eventual failure damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Ieyasu displaced Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and re-established the feudal system under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Sengoku period ended when Toyotomi loyalists were defeated at the siege of Osaka in 1615.[1][2] Sengoku period was named by Japanese historians after the similar but otherwise unrelated Warring States period of China.[3] Japan recognizes Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu as the three "Great Unifiers" for their restoration of central government in the country.

Japan, 1548-1600, Jesuits in Japan, J. invasion of Korea

Japan, 1548-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, original Jesuit, India, verses to music, Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts
France, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, a Basque, evangelist, original Jesuit, Goa India, verses to music, Sri Lanka India, Malacca Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts, died in China, tireless energy, many converts est 6 digits ; Biscay Region; Basque People; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Xavier, or Francisco do Yasu y Javier, was a Basque. Basques are a people from the region of Biscay in northern Spain, whose language is unrelated to any other known language.) was born in 1506 and studied at the University of Paris, where he met Ignatius Loyola and joined together with him and five others in dedicating their lives to the will and service of God, and forming the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1534. 1541 Francis sailed with two companions from Portugal to the Portuguese colony of Goa on the west coast of India (arriving in May 1542), where he set about learning the language and writing a catechism for the instruction of converts. visited the prisons and the hospitals, conducted worship services among the lepers, and walked the streets ringing a bell to call the children for religious instruction. chief method of instructing the people was to write verses in their language setting forth the truths of the Christian faith, and set them to music. Both words and tunes tended to be "catchy," and his doggerel instructions were extremely popular and were sung everywhere. He preached tirelessly, both to the native peoples and to the Europeans living there. found to his dismay that the Portuguese settlers and soldiers of the colony were brutal in their treatment of the natives, and that, even aside from this, their manner of life did not commend their nominal faith to the native observer. He wrote boldly to the King of Portugal to complain: "It is possible that when our Lord God calls your Highness to his Judgement that your Highness may hear angry words from him: "Why did you not punish those who were your subjects and owned your authority, and were enemies to me in India?'" five months in Goa, Francis went to the east coast of India, near Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where he preached to a people called the Paravas, with considerable success until the ruler of Jaffna in northern Ceylon became alarmed and suppressed his mission by force. most of 1545 to 1547, Francis preached in Malacca (another Portuguese possession) and other places on or near the Malay Peninsula. he encountered a Japanese expatriate (Anjiro, later baptized as Paul), and became interested in the possibility of a Japanese mission. After a brief return to Goa, he set out for Japan with another Jesuit priest and three Japanese converts. Here he learned the language, wrote a catechism, and preached. authorities welcomed him in some towns and prevented him from teaching in others. Altogether Francis, the first to preach the Gospel in Japan, made perhaps 2000 converts there. then determined to carry the Gospel to China, at that time closed to outsiders. He bribed a ship's captain to smuggle him into the country, but had barely arrived there when he was stricken with fever and died on 3 December 1552. His body was brought back to Goa and buried there. all acounts, he was a man who preached the Gospel with tireless energy, and with great power and effectiveness. Estimates of the number of converts that he personally baptized vary, but some of them are in the six-digit range. One biographer says that he preached to more persons than anyone else since New Testament times. wrote as follows in a letter to Ignatius: many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going around the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and crying out to the scholars: "What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven, thanks to you!" thought would certainly stir most of them to listen actively to what God is saying to them. They would forget their own desires and give themselves over entirely to God's will and his choice. They would cry out with all their heart: "Lord, here am I! Send me. Send me anywhere you like -- even to India!" by James Kiefer

Japan, 1585-1598, Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Unifier, K Invasion, Castles, Temples, gun control, Martyrs
Japan, 1585-1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi; Hideyoshi (17 March 1537 – 18 September 1598) was a Japanese politician of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.[1][2] rose from a peasant background as a retainer of the prominent lord Oda Nobunaga to become one of the most powerful men in Japan. succeeded Nobunaga after the Honno-ji Incident in 1582 and continued Nobunaga's campaign to unite Japan that led to the closing of the Sengoku period. became the de facto leader of Japan and acquired the prestigious positions of Chancellor of the Realm and Imperial Regent by the mid-1580s. launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592 to initial success, but eventual military stalemate damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori was displaced by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 which would lead to the founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate. rule covers most of the Azuchi–Momoyama period of Japan, partially named after his castle, Momoyama Castle. left an influential and lasting legacy in Japan, including Osaka Castle, the Tokugawa class system, the restriction on the possession of weapons to the samurai, and the construction and restoration of many temples some of which are still visible in Kyoto. THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597) ;

Japan, 1592-1598, Japanese Invasions of Korea
Japan, 1592-1598, Japanese Invasions of Korea ;

Japan, 1597, MARTYRS OF JAPAN, 16th C Jesuit & Franciscan m, 300,000 converts, 1597 6 F Friars 20 converts stabbed on crosses
Japan, 1597, MARTYRS OF JAPAN, Nagasaki, 16th Century Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, 300,000 converts, 1597 6 F Friars 20 converts tied to crosses and stabbed, church driven underground by 1630; Nagasaki, Japan; THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597); Christian faith was first introduced into Japan in the sixteenth century by Jesuit and later by Franciscan missionaries. By the end of that century, there were probably about 300,000 baptized believers in Japan. Unfortunately, this promising beginning met reverses, brought about by rivalries between different groups of missionaries and political intrigues by the Spanish and Portuguese governments, along with power politics among factions in the Japanese government itself. The result was a suppression of Christians. The first victims were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their converts, who were executed at Nagasaki on 5 February 1597. (They were tied to crosses, the crosses were raised to an upright position, and they were then quickly stabbed to death by a soldier with a javelin.) After a short interval of relative tolerance, many other Christians were arrested, imprisoned for life, or tortured and killed; and the Church was totally driven underground by 1630. However, when Japan was re-opened to Western contacts 250 years later, it was found that a community of Japanese Christians had survived underground, without clergy, without Scriptures, with only very sketchy instructions in the doctrines of the faith, but with a firm commitment to Jesus as Lord. (I remind you that 250 years is a long time -- 250 years ago Americans were loyal subjects of King George II. The preceding statement is valid only until 2010.) by James Kiefer

Japan, 1600-1868, Tokugawa shogunate Empire, Commodore Perry reopens J.

Japan, 1800, 19th C Folder, Channing Moore Williams, Commodore Perry, Emperor Komei, Archbishop Nicholas

Japan, 1846-1867, Emperor, Komei, US Commodore Perry forced reopening J after 220 years
Japan Emperor, 1846-1867, Emperor Komei; Komei (22 July 1831 - 30 January 1867) was the 121st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.[1][2] Komei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867, corresponding to the final years of the Edo period.[3] his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of Japan's first major contact with the United States, which occurred under Commodore Perry in 1853 and 1854, and the subsequent forced re-opening of Japan to western nations, ending a 220-year period of national seclusion. Komei did not care much for anything foreign, and he opposed opening Japan to Western powers. His reign would continue to be dominated by insurrection and partisan conflicts eventually culminating in the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate shortly after his death and the Meiji Restoration in the beginning of the reign of his son and successor Emperor Meiji.[4] Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japan, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo
US, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo, fRichmond, VA, ordained iChina 1857, tNagasaki, Japan 1959, 1868 Japan opened tWest, 1874 Samuel I J Schereschewski tChina, 1877 CW tTokyo&founded St Pauls University, 1878 united Holy Catholic Church iJapan, 1889 bad health request relief, 1893 sucessor but CW stayed on helping new mission stations, 1908 returned US, died 1910; Richmond, Virginia; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1829, and ordained deacon in 1855. Episcopal Church sent him to China, where he was ordained priest in 1857. 1859 he was sent to Nagasaki, Japan, and in 1866 was consecrated Bishop of China and Japan. 1868 Japan was opened to far greater contact with the West than before, and he determined that he could achieve best results by concentrating his efforts on Japan. 1874 (or is that 1877?) a new bishop (Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewski, see October 14) was consecrated for China, Williams went to Tokyo (then called Edo or Yedo), where he founded what is now St Paul's University. 1878 he helped unite several mission efforts in the formation of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Holy Catholic Church in Japan. 1889 his health began to fail, and he asked to be relieved. In 1893 a successor was appointed, and Williams stayed on, living in Kyoto and helping to open new mission stations. returned to America in 1908 and died 2 December 1910. by James Kiefer

Japan, 1854, Commodore Perry, Japan Reopened
Japan, 1854, Commodore Perry, Japan Reopened; Japan Emperor, 1846-1867, Emperor Komei Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japan, 1861-1912, Nicholas oJapan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan
Japan, 1861-1912, Nicholas of Japan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians, Enlightener oJapan, fBelsk oSmolensk, Belsk religious school, Smolensk Theological Seminary, 1857 St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1860 tonsured Nicolas, ordained deacon, ordained priest, later requested and assigned head of consular church in Hakodate, Japan, at first preaching in Japan seemed imposible, Japanese looked on foreigners as beasts in his own words, and on Christianity as villanous sect for villans and sorcerers, 8years studying country, language, manners, customs, 1868 at 32 and 8years Flock was 20 Japanese, 1869 reported in person to St Petersburg, 1870 special Russian Mission in Japan, for preaching, Nick archmandrite and Head oMission, 1871 return tJapan, Persecution in Hakodate, many arrested, 1873 free preaching possible, stone bldg Tokyo, church, school, for 50 men, and seminary in 1878, 1874 Bishoo arruved Tokyo to ordain priests recommended by Archmandrite Nick, 4 schools aTokyo mission: for catechists, women, chrch servers, & seminary, at Hakodate two separate schools for boys and girls, 1877 regular publication Church Herald, 1878 4115 Christians iJapan, number of communities wServices and classes in Japanese, 1880 Nick became Bishop at Nevsky Lavra St Pete, returned Japan, completed Tokyo Cathedral, translated service books, completed Orthodox dictionary in Japanese, 1904-05 Rus-Japan War great hardship for his flock, Nick elevated to Archbishop, 1911 50 yr, 33017 Christians 266 Communities, 1 Archbishop, 1 Bishop, 35 Priests, 6 Deacons, 14 singing instructors, 116 catechists, he died 1912, 76yr old, 1970 sainthood; Japan Saint, 1856-1912, Nicholas of Japan; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, born Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin on August 1, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk diocese, his father served as deacon. the age of five he lost his mother. completed the Belsk religious school, and afterwards the Smolensk Theological Seminary. 1857 Ivan Kasatkin entered the Saint Peterburg Theological Academy. June 24, 1860, in the academy temple of the Twelve Apostles, Bishop Nectarius tonsured him with the name Nicholas. June 29, the Feast of the foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the monk Nicholas was ordained deacon. next day, on the altar feast of the academy church, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. at his request, Father Nicholas was assigned to Japan as head of the consular church in the city of Hakodate. first, the preaching of the Gospel in Japan seemed completely impossible. Father Nicholas’s own words: “the Japanese of the time looked upon foreigners as beasts, on Christianity as a villainous sect, to which only villains and sorcerers could belong.” spent eight years in studying the country, the language, manners and customs of the people among whom he would preach. 1868, at 32 and 8 years, the flock of Father Nicholas numbered about twenty Japanese. the end of 1869 Hieromonk Nicholas reported in person to the Synod in Peterburg about his work. decision was made, on January 14, 1870, to form a special Russian Spiritual Mission for preaching the Word of God among the pagan Japanese. Nicholas was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed as head of this Mission. to Japan after two years in Russia, he transferred some of the responsibility for the Hakodate flock to Hieromonk Anatolius, and began his missionary work in Tokyo. 1871 there was a persecution of Christians in Hakodate. Many were arrested (among them, the first Japanese Orthodox priest Paul Sawabe). in 1873 did the persecution abate somewhat, and the free preaching of Christianity became possible. this year Archimandrite Nicholas began the construction of a stone building in Tokyo which housed a church, a school for fifty men, and later a religious school, which became a seminary in 1878. 1874, Bishop Paul of Kamchatka arrived in Tokyo to ordain as priests several Japanese candidates recommended by Archimandrite Nicholas. the Tokyo Mission, there were four schools: for catechists, for women, for church servers, and a seminary. At Hakodate there were two separate schools for boys and girls. the second half of 1877, the Mission began regular publication of the journal “Church Herald.” the year 1878 there already 4115 Christians in Japan, there were a number of Christian communities. services and classes in Japanese, publication of religious and moral books permitted the Mission to attain such results in a short time. Nicholas petitioned the Holy Synod in December of 1878 to provide a bishop for Japan. Nicholas was consecrated bishop on March 30, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. to Japan, he resumed his apostolic work with increased fervor. completed construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, translated the service books, compiled a special Orthodox theological dictionary in the Japanese language. hardship befell the saint and his flock at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. his ascetic labor during these difficult years, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. 1911, half a century had passed since the young hieromonk Nicholas had first set foot on Japanese soil. that time there were 33,017 Christians in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church, 1 Archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 singing instructors, and 116 catechists. February 3, 1912, Archbishop Nicholas departed peacefully to the Lord at the age of seventy-six. Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified him on April 10, 1970, the saint had long been honored in Japan as a righteous man, and a prayerful intercessor before the Lord.

Japan, 1868-1947, Empire of Japan, Orthodox Spiritual Mission

Japan, 1861, Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission, Nicholas Kasatkin
Japan,1870, Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission ; Christianity[edit] Holy Resurrection Cathedral article: Japanese Orthodox is estimated that the Japanese Orthodox Church has some 30,000 adherents today.[22] The current primate of Japan is Daniel Nushiro, Metropolitan of all Japan and Archbishop of Tokyo, who was elevated to the primacy in 2000.[23] primate's seat is the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Chiyoda, Tokyo. in 1891, the cathedral has been known as Nikolai-do in honor of its founder Nicholas Kasatkin, now venerated as St. Nicholas of Japan. cathedral serves as the seat of the national primate of Japan and continues to be the main center of Orthodox Christian worship in Japan. Orthodoxy was brought to Japan in the 19th century by St. Nicholas (baptized as Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin),[24] who was sent in 1861 by the Russian Orthodox Church to Hakodate, as priest to a chapel of the Russian Consulate.[25] St. Nicholas of Japan made his own translation of the New Testament and some other religious books (Lenten Triodion, Pentecostarion, Feast Services, Book of Psalms, Irmologion) into Japanese.[26] has since been glorified, (canonized as a saint), by the Patriarchate of Moscow in 1970, and is now recognized as St. Nicholas, Equal-to-the-Apostles to Japan. His commemoration day is February 16. Nikolsky, appointed the first Bishop of Kyoto and later martyred as the archbishop of Perm during the Russian Revolution, was also canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as a Saint and Martyr in the year 2000. Ecumenical Patriarchate is also present with the Greek Orthodox Exarchate of Japan under the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea. Nicholas Kasatkin, Nicholas of Japan; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6;

Japan, 1861-1912, Saint, Nicholas of Japan, Archbishop, Hakodate, Tokyo, 33,000 Christians
Japan Saint, 1861-1912, Nicholas of Japan; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, was born Ivan Dimitrievich Kasatkin on August 1, 1836 in the village of Berezovsk, Belsk district, Smolensk diocese, where his father served as deacon. the age of five he lost his mother. He completed the Belsk religious school, and afterwards the Smolensk Theological Seminary. In 1857 Ivan Kasatkin entered the Saint Peterburg Theological Academy. On June 24, 1860, in the academy temple of the Twelve Apostles, Bishop Nectarius tonsured him with the name Nicholas. June 29, the Feast of the foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the monk Nicholas was ordained deacon. The next day, on the altar feast of the academy church, he was ordained to the holy priesthood. Later, at his request, Father Nicholas was assigned to Japan as head of the consular church in the city of Hakodate. first, the preaching of the Gospel in Japan seemed completely impossible. In Father Nicholas’s own words: “the Japanese of the time looked upon foreigners as beasts, and on Christianity as a villainous sect, to which only villains and sorcerers could belong.” He spent eight years in studying the country, the language, manners and customs of the people among whom he would preach. 1868, the flock of Father Nicholas numbered about twenty Japanese. At the end of 1869 Hieromonk Nicholas reported in person to the Synod in Peterburg about his work. A decision was made, on January 14, 1870, to form a special Russian Spiritual Mission for preaching the Word of God among the pagan Japanese. Father Nicholas was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and appointed as head of this Mission. to Japan after two years in Russia, he transferred some of the responsibility for the Hakodate flock to Hieromonk Anatolius, and began his missionary work in Tokyo. 1871 there was a persecution of Christians in Hakodate. Many were arrested (among them, the first Japanese Orthodox priest Paul Sawabe). Only in 1873 did the persecution abate somewhat, and the free preaching of Christianity became possible. this year Archimandrite Nicholas began the construction of a stone building in Tokyo which housed a church, a school for fifty men, and later a religious school, which became a seminary in 1878. 1874, Bishop Paul of Kamchatka arrived in Tokyo to ordain as priests several Japanese candidates recommended by Archimandrite Nicholas. At the Tokyo Mission, there were four schools: for catechists, for women, for church servers, and a seminary. At Hakodate there were two separate schools for boys and girls. the second half of 1877, the Mission began regular publication of the journal “Church Herald.” By the year 1878 there already 4115 Christians in Japan, and there were a number of Christian communities. Church services and classes in Japanese, the publication of religious and moral books permitted the Mission to attain such results in a short time. Archimandrite Nicholas petitioned the Holy Synod in December of 1878 to provide a bishop for Japan. Nicholas was consecrated bishop on March 30, 1880 in the Trinity Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky Lavra. to Japan, he resumed his apostolic work with increased fervor. He completed construction on the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tokyo, he translated the service books, and compiled a special Orthodox theological dictionary in the Japanese language. hardship befell the saint and his flock at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. For his ascetic labor during these difficult years, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. 1911, half a century had passed since the young hieromonk Nicholas had first set foot on Japanese soil. At that time there were 33,017 Christians in 266 communities of the Japanese Orthodox Church, including 1 Archbishop, 1 bishop, 35 priests, 6 deacons, 14 singing instructors, and 116 catechists. February 3, 1912, Archbishop Nicholas departed peacefully to the Lord at the age of seventy-six. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified him on April 10, 1970, since the saint had long been honored in Japan as a righteous man, and a prayerful intercessor before the Lord.

Japan, 1867-1912, Emperor Meiji, old Japan, new Japan, after order to expel barbarians, Enlightened (Western) Rule
Japan Emperor, 1867-1912, Emperor Meiji ; Meiji[a] (or Meiji the Good, was the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death on 30 July 1912. presided over the Meiji era, a time of rapid change that witnessed the Empire of Japan's transformation from an isolationist, feudal state to an industrialized world power. the time of Emperor Meiji's birth in 1852, Japan was a feudal, pre-industrial country dominated by the isolationist Tokugawa shogunate and the daimy's subject to it, who ruled over the country's more than 250 decentralized domains.[citation needed] the time of his death in 1912, Japan had undergone an extensive political, economic and social revolution, and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage. New York Times summarized this transformation at the Emperor's funeral in 1912 with the words: "the contrast between that which preceded the funeral car and that which followed it was striking indeed. Before it went old Japan; after it came new Japan."[1] the modern era, when an Emperor of Japan dies he is given a posthumous name. Such a name is a combination of the era during which he reigned and coincides with the Emperor's contribution to the throne whilst he was alive. Therefore, while publicly known during his life merely as "The Emperor", he is historically known as "Emperor Meiji" after his death.[b] He obtained this current title in reference to the Meiji era, which spanned almost the entirety of his reign. His personal name (which is not used in any formal or official context, except for his signature) was Mutsuhito. and accession[edit] articles: Meiji era, Meiji Restoration, Government of Meiji Japan, and Meiji Constitution Meiji in 1873 the early 1860s, the shogunate was under several threats. Representatives of foreign powers sought to increase their influence in Japan. Many daimy's were increasingly dissatisfied with bakufu handling foreign affairs. Large numbers of young samurai, known as shishi or "men of high purpose", began to meet and speak against the shogunate. The shishi revered Emperor Komei and favoured direct violent action to cure societal ills. While they initially desired the death or expulsion of all foreigners, the shishi would later begin to advocate the modernisation of the country.[25] The bakufu enacted several measures to appease the various groups in an effort to drive a wedge between the shishi and daimy's.[26] was a major centre for the shishi and the shishi had influence over the Emperor Komei. In 1863, the shishi persuaded him to issue an "Order to expel barbarians". The Order placed the shogunate in a difficult position since they had no intention of enforcing the order because they did not have the power to carry it out.[27][circular reference] Several attacks were made on foreigners or their ships, and foreign forces retaliated. Bakufu forces were able to drive most of the shishi out of Kyoto, and an attempt by them to return in 1864 was driven back. Nevertheless, unrest continued throughout Japan.[26] prince's awareness of the political turmoil is uncertain.[28] During this time, he studied waka poetry, first with his father, then with the court poets.[29] In 1866, a new shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, took office as the prince continued his classical education. Tokugawa Yoshinobu was a reformer who desired to transform Japan into a Western-style state. Yoshinobu was the final shogun and met with resistance from among the bakufu, even as unrest and military actions continued. In mid-1866, a bakufu army set forth to punish rebels in southern Japan. The army was defeated.[30] Komei fell seriously ill at his age of 36 and died on 30 January 1867. British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow wrote, "it is impossible to deny that [Emperor Komei's] disappearance from the political scene, leaving as his successor a boy of fifteen or sixteen [actually fourteen], was most opportune".[31] a brief ceremony in Kyoto, the crown prince formally ascended to the throne on 3 February 1867.[32] The new Emperor continued his classical education, which did not include matters of politics. In the meantime, the shogun, Yoshinobu, struggled to maintain power. He repeatedly asked for the Emperor's confirmation of his actions, which he eventually received, but there is no indication that the young Emperor was himself involved in the decisions. The shishi and other rebels continued to shape their vision of the new Japan, and although they revered the Emperor, they had no thought of having him play an active part in the political process.[33] political struggle reached its climax in late 1867. An agreement was reached by which Yoshinobu would maintain his title and some of his power, but the lawmaking power would be vested in a bicameral legislature based on the British model. agreement fell apart and on 9 November 1867, Yoshinobu officially tendered his resignation to the Emperor and formally stepped down ten days later.[34] The following month, the rebels marched on Kyoto, taking control of the Imperial Palace.[35] On 4 January 1868, the Emperor ceremoniously read out a document before the court proclaiming the "restoration" of Imperial rule,[36] and the following month, documents were sent to foreign powers:[35] Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country. the title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Tycoon, in which the treaties have been made. are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. Mutsuhito[37] resisted only briefly, but it was not until late 1869 that the final bakufu holdouts were finally defeated.[35] In the ninth month of the following year, the era was changed to Meiji, or "enlightened rule", which was later used for the Emperor's posthumous name. marked the beginning of the custom of posthumously naming the Emperor after the era during which he ruled. Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japan, 1868-1947, Empire of Japan, fastest industrialization and militarization
Japan, Empire of Japan, 1868-1947 ; Japan underwent a period of industrialization and militarization, the Meiji Restoration being the fastest modernisation of any country to date The Empire of Japan [10] is a historical nation-state[nb 3] along with its colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the 1947 constitution and subsequent formation of modern Japan.[6] Under the slogans of "Enrich the Country, Strengthen her Armed Forces") and "Promote Industry", Japan underwent a period of industrialization and militarization, the Meiji Restoration being the fastest modernisation of any country to date, all of these aspects contributed to Japan's emergence as a great power and the establishment of a colonial empire following the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. Economic and political turmoil in the 1920s, including the Great Depression, led to the rise of militarism, nationalism and totalitarianism, eventually culminating in Japan's membership in the Axis alliance and the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific in World War II.[13] Japan's armed forces initially achieved large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-“1945) and the Pacific War. However, starting from 1942, particularly after the Battles of Midway and Guadalcanal, Japan was forced to adopt a defensive stance, and the American island hopping campaign meant that Japan was slowly losing all of the territory it had gained, and eventually, the Americans captured Iwo Jima and Okinawa Island, leaving the Japanese mainland completely unprotected. The U.S. forces had planned an invasion, but Japan surrendered following the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan on August 9, 1945, and subsequent invasion of Manchuria and other territories, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Pacific War officially came to a close on September 2, 1945. A period of occupation by the Allies followed. In 1947, with American involvement, a new constitution was enacted, officially bringing the Empire of Japan to an end, and Japan's Imperial Army was replaced with the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Occupation and reconstruction continued until 1952, eventually forming the current constitutional monarchy known as Japan. The Empire of Japan had three emperors, although it came to an end during Showa's reign. The emperors were given posthumous names, and the emperors are as follows: Emperor Meiji (1867-“1912) (Mutsuhito), Emperor Taisho (1912-“1926) (Yoshihito), and Emperor Showa (1926-“1989) (Hirohito).

Japan, 1874, St Paul's University, Tokyo (1874 in the foreign settlement) Channing Williams
Japan, St Paul's University, Tokyo (Rikkyo) ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ;

Japan, 1894-1895, First Sino-Japanese War
Japan, 1894-1895, First Sino-Japanese War; Japan Emperor, 1867-1912, Emperor Meiji ; Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japan, 1904, 1905, Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905
Siberia, Russo-Japanese war in 1904, 1905; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Japan, 1912-1926, Emperor, Taisho of Japan
Japan Emperor, 1912-1926, Taisho of Japan; Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

Japan, 1926-1989, Emperor, Hirohito
Japan Emperor, 1926-1989, Hirohito; Paul Shinji of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

Japan, 1927-1992, ORDINATION oFLORENCE LI TIM-OI, first woman Anglican priest, 1944, fBritish Hong Kong,1842-1997
England, 1927-1992, ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 1944, fHong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997, attended Canton Union Theological College, tHong Kong 1938, worked Kowloon church til 1940, helping refugees fChina fSecond Sino-Japanese War, sent tNeutral Macau bBishop Hall for refugese help, Ordained deaconess 1941 bHall, with Japanese occupation Hong Kong&parts oChina, impossible A Priests get tMacau where no resident A priest, 1944 Li traveled through Japanese teritory tSmall unoccupied town oHsinxing tMeet B Hal, they traveled tShaoqing, Li ordained there 1944, but 30 yrs till A women ordination regularized, after tWar protests, so she resigned her licence, but not her priest's orders, later Li moved tCanada when able to act as a priest; Hong Kong ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; Li Tim-Oi (5 May 1907 – 26 February 1992 ) the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion on 25 January 1944. Li, born in Hong Kong, Canton Union Theological College to receive her theological education returning to Hong Kong in 1938. working for two years in All Saints Church, in Kowloon, refugees in Hong Kong who fled mainland China in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War, was sent by Bishop Ronald Hall to help with refugees in Macau. months into her new post, she returned to Hong Kong to be ordained as a deaconess on 22 May 1941 by Bishop Hall. Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and of parts of China had made it impossible for Anglican priests to get to neutral Macau, there was no resident Anglican priest. January 1944, Li travelled through Japanese-occupied territory to the small town of Hsinxing, yet unoccupied by the Japanese, to meet with Bishop Hall; there they proceeded to Shaoqing he regularised her administration of the sacraments by ordaining her as a priest on 25 January 1944. was to be 30 years before any Anglican church regularised the ordination of women, unsurprisingly after the war there were protests concerning her ordination; avoid further controversy she resigned her licence, not her priest's orders. later moved to Canada where she was eventually able to exercise her role as a priest. more at Wikipedia

Japan, 1937-1945, Second Japan China War
Japan, 1937-1945, Second Japan China War ; Marco Polo Bridge Incident, 1937 (starts the war); ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 21;

Japan, 1947-Present, Constitution of Japan

Japan, Northern Japan Folder

Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Anglican Church in Japan
Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Anglican Church in Japan; PAUL SHINJI SASAKI , BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946 Oct. 31 ;

Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Hakodate, Hokkaido; Glorification of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Saint Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, Commemorated on February 3; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate; Glorification of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Saint Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, Commemorated on February 3; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission, St Nick of Japan
Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission, St Nick of Japan; Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate; Glorification of Saint Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6; Saint Nicholas, Enlightener of Japan, Commemorated on February 3; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16;

Japan, Central Japan Folder

Honshu Island, Japan
Honshu Island; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ;

Tokyo, Japan (Honshu Island)
Tokyo; PAUL SHINJI SASAKI , BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946 Oct. 31; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

St Paul's University, Tokyo (Rikkyo) 1874
St Paul's University, Tokyo (Rikkyo) ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ;

Holy Resurrection Cathedral, completed 1891
Holy Resurrection Cathedral; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan;

Presbyterian College in Tokyo
Presbyterian College in Tokyo; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

Japan, Southern Japan Folder

Nagasaki, Japan (Kyusu Island, Southern Japan)
Nagasaki, Japan; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597);

Kyushu Island, Japan
Kyushu Island; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597);

Kobe, Southern Japan
Kobe; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960;

Kyoto, Japan (central Honshu Island)
Kyoto; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; THE MARTYRS OF JAPAN, (5 FEBRUARY 1597);

Biwa River from Lake Biwa (Lake Biwa Canal)

Biwa River Source (Lake Biwa)

Japan (Clean), Roads, Rivers, Places Folder

Japan, its Area

Japan, Northern Japan Folder (Clean)

Japan, Northern Japan - its Area

Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Anglican Church in Japan
Nippon Sei Ko Kai, Anglican Church in Japan;

Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Hakodate, Hokkaido;

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate
Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church of Hakodate;

Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission, St Nick of Japan
Japanese Orthodox Spiritual Mission, St Nick of Japan;

Japan, Central Japan Folder (Clean)

Japan, Central Japan - Its Area

Honshu Island, Japan
Honshu Island;

Tokyo, Japan (Honshu Island)
Tokyo;

St Paul's University, Tokyo (Rikkyo) 1874
St Paul's University, Tokyo (Rikkyo) ;

Holy Resurrection Cathedral, completed 1891
Holy Resurrection Cathedral;

Presbyterian College in Tokyo
Presbyterian College in Tokyo;

Japan, Southern Japan Folder (Clean)

Japan, Southern Japan - its Area

Nagasaki, Japan (Kyusu Island, Southern Japan)
Nagasaki, Japan;

Kyushu Island, Japan
Kyushu Island;

Kobe, Southern Japan
Kobe;

Kyoto, Japan (central Honshu Island)
Kyoto;

Mongol Lands Folder, Mongolia, China, Scythia, Kazan, Perm, Crimea, Turkmenistan

Tartars (could be Mongols, Turks, Chinese, or Persians; Tartary was a huge area, much of the World)
Tartars (could be Mongols, Turks or Persians; Tartary was a huge area, much of the World); Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Tartars (From Gobi Desert Mongolia, like vikings, came down when it got cold)
Tartars (could be Mongols, Turks or Persians; Tartary was a huge area, much of the World);

Mongol (Clean) - Mongol Roads, Rivers, and Places Folder

Mongol (Clean), Russia, after1248 when Nevsky Submitted and given control of Scythia including Russia

Mongol (Clean), 3 - Scythia after 1248, its Area (includes Russia, but not Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia)
Russia, 3 - Scythia after 1248, its Area (includes Russia, but not Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia)

Mongol (Clean), 4 - Scythia after 1248, this Area, from Urals to Dniester River, defined Russia for 600 Years
Russia, 4 - Scythia after 1248, this Area, from Urals to Dniester River, defined Russia for 600 Years

Russia - Land of the Varangians Folder

White Lake Monestary; Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sabbatius the Wonderworker of Solovki; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9;

Sora, Vologda, Lake Kuben
Sora? Since the Sora river of Vologda and Lake Kuben is described as this river, the Sora would probably be this location. Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19;

Mongo (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Mongolia Folder

Mongol (Clean) Lands, Mongolia, its Area

Mongolia
Mongolia Mongolia;

Kherlen River

Khentii Mountains, South Slope, Source of the Kherlen Ruver

Kherlen River End, Hulun Lake
Hulun Lake;

Xanadu (Kubli Khan's Capitol, Inner Mongolia) 1260, summer only after 1271 and Peking
Xanadu, Mongolia;

Hulun Lake
Hulun Lake;

Orkhon River

Khangai Mountains, Orkhon River Source

Gobi Desert (Mongolian Steppes, Grasslands)
Gobi Desert;

Selenga River, Orkhon River Mouth, to Lake Baikal
Selenga River

Mongolian-Manchurian Steppes (Grassland)
Mongolian-Manchurian Steppes (Grassland) surround the Gobi Desert; Gobi Desert;

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Turkmenistan Folder

Mongol (Clean), Turkmanistan, its Area

Mongol (Clean), Afghanistan, its Area

Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Timurid Empire, Afghanistan, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, Ochus River Folder

Ochus River Source - Hari River

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, Oxus River Folder

Oxus River Source to Oxus River 5

Wakhan River

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, Afghanistan Folder, its Helmand rivers and Grand Trunk Road

Afghanistan, Helmand River Folder

Helmand River

Afghanistan, Arghastan River Folder

Arghastan River

Afghanistan, Arghastan River Mouth, Tarnak River Folder

Tarnak River
Tarnak River;

Afghanistan, Arghastan River Mouth, Arghandab River Folder

Arghandab River

Afghanistan, Grand Trunk Road Folder (between South China and Afganistan)

Kabul, Afghanistan (end of the Grand Trunk Road)

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Khzaria Folder

Mongol (Clean), Khzaria Folder, its Area

Mongol (Cleam), Khzaria, Western Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Mongo (Clean)l, Khzaria, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Mongol (Clean), Khazaria, Scythia Folder, in other words Kazaria sometimes means all of Scythia

Mongol, Khzaria, Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Mongol, Khzaria, Scythia, Lesser Scythia Folder (Dacia Pontica)

Mongol, Khzaria, Scythia, Volga River Folder

Mongol, Khzaria, Scythia, Ural River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Danube River Folder section

Danube River Trade Route from Germany's Black Forest to the Black Sea

Mongol (Clean), Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Bosporan Kingdom Folder, in Thaurica (Crimea), Roman Empire

Mongol (Clean), Khzarian Crimea, Bosporan Kingdom, its Area, Northern half

Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD
Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD; Bosporan Kingdom of the Roman Empire;

Cherson, Crimea,, Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD
Cherson, Crimea;

Crimea, Khzaria Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea
Crimea, Khzaria Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea;

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Kuban River Folder

Kuban River

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Northwestern Georgia Folder, Abkhazeti

Khobi River

Enguri River (Inguri)

River Atcharistsqah

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black Sea Region - Khazars, Commanded Western Silk Road

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black to Caspian Seas Region, Dagestan Folder

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black to Caspian Seas Region, Derbend Area Folder, West Caspian, North Caucusus

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black to Caspian Seas Region, Terek River Folder, Ossetia North

Terek River

Khevi Creek

Trinity Creek

Trinity Creek Upper Trinity Creek

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaijan,Terek River 3, Sunzha River Folder

Sunzha River

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black to Caspian Seas Region, Kuma River Folder

Kuma River

Kuma River Delta

Kuma River Delta 2

Kuma River Tributary

Dagestan, Kuma River 1.5, Podkumok River Folder

Podkumok River

Mongol, Khzaria, Great Roads and Rivers Folder

Right Side Danube River 11-17 (Khzaria, on Eastern End and Mouth)

Mongol (Clean), Perm Roads and Rivers Folder

Mongol (Clean), Perm, its Area

Mongol (Clean), Perm, Kama River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Perm, Kazanka River Folder, Kazan

Mongol (Clean), Perm, Volga River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Perm, Roman Roads or Mongol Roads and Rivers

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Scythia Folder

Mongol (Clean) Scythia, its Area, from Url Mountains to Deniester River

Mongol, Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Muslim White Horde
Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ;

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Don River Folder

Kuchkov, Kulikovo Field (Don River 1, Muravsky Trail 7, Kulikovo Pole)
Kulikovo Pole (Kulikovo Field); Intercession of the “Don” Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ;

Battle of Kulikovo Field, 1380, Russia over Mongol Golden Horde, Don River 1, Muravsky Trail 7
Battle of Kulikovo; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius;

Mongol, Scythia, Don River 4, Bystraya River Folder

Mongol, Scythia, Don River 8, Vorenezh River Folder

Tikha Sosna (Quiet Pine) River

Mongol, Scythia, Don River 11, Khopyor River Folder

Mongol, Scythia, Don River 13, Chira River Folder

Mongol, Scythia, Don River 14, Seversky Donets Folder

Mongol, Scythia, Don River, Muravsky Trail Folder

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Dniester River Folder (Eastern Moldovia)

Mongo (Clean), Scythia, Lesser Scythia Folder (Dacia Pontica)

Mongol (Clean) Lesser Scythia, its Area, Left Side and End of Danube River

Danube River 11-17 (Lesser Scythia on Eastern End and Mouth)

Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica, from Moldavia and Transylvania (Dacia) to Pontine)
Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica);

Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia)

Tomis, Lesser Scythia (Constantsa, in Dacia Pontica)
Tomis (Constantsa);

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Volga River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Ural River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Sarmatae, Lower Dnieper River Area of Ukraine

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Great Roads and Rivers

Mongol (Clean), Perm Folder, and its rivers, in Scythia, aka Tartarstan

Mongol (Clean), Perm in Scythia, its Area

Vogulani, Voguls, Perm, Land of the Voguls
Voguls; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19;

Mongol, Perm, Kazan Tartars 1241-1552
Kazan Tartars; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; a and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowa, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin Chernigov, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Mongol, Perm Kazan Tartars History Folder

Mongol, Perm, 600-1240, Volga Bulgaria Islamic Tartars Folder, 7th -13th Centuries

Mongol, Perm, 600-1240's, Kazan, Volga Bulgaria, Islamic Kazan Tartars
Perm, Kazan, Volga Bulgaria, 7th Century to 1240's (Islamic Kazan Tartars), Tartarstan, Islamic, Land of the Volga Bulgars) ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Mongol, Perm, 1221, Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars, Nizhny Novgorod
Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars (1219); Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Mongol, Perm, 1241-1552, Kazan Tartar's Folder

Mongol, Perm, 1227-1255, Kazan Tartar, Batu Khan of the Golder Horde Founder, Nvertsky's loyalty
Kazan Tartar Khan, 1227-1255, Batu Khan of the Golder Horde; Khan (c. 1205–1255),[note 1] also known as Sain Khan (Mongolian: Good Khan) and Tsar Batu,[2] was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a division of the Mongol Empire. was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde, which ruled Rus', Volga Bulgaria, Cumania, and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies of Poland and Hungary. or Bat literally means "firm" in the Mongolian language. After the deaths of Genghis Khan's sons, he became the most respected prince, called agha ("elder brother"), in the Mongol Empire. 1 Personality and appearance 2 Early years 3 Conquest of Kievan Rus' 4 Invasion of Central Europe 5 Viceroy and struggle with Güyük 6 Möngke and Batu 7 Family and legacy 8 Ancestry 9 Gallery 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 Books 14 External links and appearance[edit] to Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Batu was "kind enough to his own people, but he is greatly feared by them. is, however, most cruel in fight; he is very shrewd and extremely crafty in warfare, for he has been waging war for a long time."[3] of Rubruck described him as about the height of his lord John de Beaumont and his entire face was covered with reddish spots.[4] years[edit] his son Jochi's death, Genghis Khan assigned Jochi's appanages to his sons. the Great Khan installed Batu as Khan of the Golden Horde (also known as the Ulus of Jochi or Kipchak Khanate). eldest son, Orda Khan, also agreed that Batu should succeed their father. Genghis Khan's youngest brother Temüge attended the coronation ceremony as an official representative of Genghis.[5] Genghis Khan died in 1227, he left 4,000 Mongol men to Jochi's family. Jochi's lands were divided between Batu and his older brother Orda. White Horde ruled the lands roughly between the Volga river and Lake Balkhash, while Batu's Horde ruled the lands west of the Volga. 1229, Ogedei dispatched three tumens under Kukhdei and Sundei to conquer the tribes on the lower Ural River. to Abulghazi, Batu joined Ogedei's military campaign against the Jin dynasty in North China while his younger brother was fighting the Bashkirs, the Cumans, the Bulghars and the Alans in the west. heavy resistance of their enemies, the Mongols conquered major cities of the Jurchens (Manchuria, northeast China) and made the Bashkirs their ally. the 1230s, Ogedei distributed lands in Shanxi, China to Batu and the family of Jochi, but they appointed their officials under the supervision of the Imperial governor likewise in Khorasan, Persia.[6] of Kievan Rus'[edit] articles: Kievan Rus', Mongol invasion of Rus', and Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria showvte invasions and conquests the kurultai in Mongolia after the end of the Mongol-Jin War, the Great Khan Ogedei ordered Batu to conquer western nations. 1235 Batu, who earlier had directed the conquest of the Crimean Peninsula, was assigned an army of possibly 130,000 to oversee an invasion of Europe. relatives and cousins Guyuk, Büri, Möngke, Khulgen, Khadan, Baidar and notable Mongol generals Subutai (Subeedei), Borolday, and Mengguser joined him by the order of his uncle Ogedei. The army, actually commanded by Subutai, crossed the Volga and invaded Volga Bulgaria in 1236. It took them a year to extinguish the resistance of the Volga Bulgarians, Kypchaks, and Alani. of the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal by Mongol armies. From the medieval Russian annals November 1237 Batu Khan sent his envoys to the court of Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal and demanded his allegiance. Yuri refused to surrender the Mongols besieged Ryazan. After six days of bloody battle, the city was totally annihilated and never restored to its former glory. Alarmed by the news, Yuri II sent his sons to detain the horde, but they were soundly defeated. burnt Kolomna and Moscow, the horde laid siege to the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal on 4 February 1238. Three days later the city was taken and burnt to the ground. The royal family perished in the fire, while the grand prince hastily retreated northward. Crossing the Volga, he mustered a new army, which was totally exterminated by the Mongols on the Sit River on 4 March. Batu Khan divided his army into smaller units, which ransacked fourteen Rus' cities: Rostov, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kashin, Ksnyatin, Gorodets, Galich, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yuriev-Polsky, Dmitrov, Volokolamsk, Tver, and Torzhok. most difficult to take was the small town of Kozelsk, whose boy-prince Titus and inhabitants resisted the Mongols for seven weeks. As the story goes, at the news of Mongol approach, the city of Kitezh was submerged in a lake with all its inhabitants, where it may be seen to this day. Khadan and Buri stormed the city in three days after they joined Batu. only major cities to escape destruction were Smolensk, which submitted to the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute, and Novgorod with Pskov, which could not be reached by the Mongols on account of considerable distance and the intervening marshlands. of the Golden Horde sack Suzdal. Batu drank a cup of wine before the others at the victory banquet, Buri complained of the unfairness of Batu receiving such a vast and fertile steppe, and the Mongol army, along with Guyuk and others, ridiculed Batu as an "old woman with beard". They then left the banquet. Batu sent an envoy to his uncle Ogedei to complain of his cousins' rude behavior. Ogedei got angry on hearing the news and recalled Buri and Guyuk. to some sources, Buri, who was sent to his grandfather Chagatai, never returned to join the Mongol conquest of Europe; Guyuk returned to the Russian steppe after his father Ogedei harshly criticized him. the summer of 1238, Batu Khan devastated the Crimea and pacified Mordovia and the Kipchak-controlled steppe. the winter of 1239, he sacked Chernigov and Pereyaslav. several days of siege, the Mongols stormed Kiev in December 1240. fierce resistance by Danylo of Halych, Batu Khan managed to take the two principal capitals of his land, Halych and Volodymyr-Volynsky. Ruthenian principalities became vassals of the Mongol Empire. of Central Europe[edit] article: Mongol invasion of Europe Cuman refugees took shelter in the Kingdom of Hungary. Batu sent at least five messengers to Bela IV, the king of Hungary, but they were all killed. For the last time Batu demanded that Bela have the Cumans returned and warned: "It is much easier for the Cumans to escape than it is for you...you dwell in houses and have fixed towns and fortresses, so how will you escape me"?[7] Batu Khan then decided to "reach the ultimate sea", where the Mongols could proceed no further. Some modern historians speculate that Batu intended primarily to assure his flanks were safe for the future from possible interference from the Europeans, and partially as a precursor to further conquest. Most believe he intended the conquest of all Europe, as soon as his flanks were safe and his forces ready. IV flees from Mohi, detail from Chronicon Pictum devastated the various Rus principalities, Subutai and Batu sent spies into Poland, Hungary, and as far as Austria in preparation for an attack into the heartland of Europe. a clear picture of the European kingdoms, they brilliantly prepared an attack. Batu Khan was the overall leader, but Subutai was the actual commander in the field and as such was present in both the northern and southern campaigns against The Mongols invaded central Europe in three groups. One group invaded and devastated Poland, defeating a combined force under Henry II the Pious, Duke of Silesia and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order at Legnica. second crossed the Carpathian Mountains, a third followed the Danube. armies swept the plains of Hungary over the summer, and in the spring of 1242 they regained impetus and extended their control into Austria and Dalmatia, as well as invading Morava. the northern force under Ogedei's son Khadan and Baidar, the son of Chagatai, won the Battle of Legnica, and another army of Guyuk or Buri triumphed in Transylvania, Subutai was waiting for another victory over the Magyars, the Croats, and the Templars on the Hungarian plain. 1241, a Tatar (Mongol) army led by Bujek crossed the mountains of the Kara Ulagh ("Black Vlachs"); Bujek defeated the Vlachs and one of their leader named Mslav.[8] the siege of Pest, Batu's army withdrew to the Sajo River and inflicted a tremendous defeat on King Bela IV and his allies at the Battle of Mohi on 11 April. Baidar, and Orda went to Hungary, devastating Moravia en route. The Mongols appointed a darughachi in Hungary and minted coins in the name of the Khagan.[9] country of Bela was assigned to Orda by Batu as an appanage; Batu sent Khadan in pursuit of Bela, who fled to Croatia.[citation needed] Chinese drawing of young Batu Khan (14th century). Mongol battalions checked the forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Babenberg Austria.[10] his campaign in Central Europe, Batu demanded that Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, dethrone himself, and said: "I am coming to usurp your throne instead of you". The latter only replied that he would make a good falconer, for he understood birds very The Emperor and Pope Gregory IX called for a crusade against the Mongol Empire, but Europe was plagued by internal strife. achieved lasting fame with his victories in Europe, as he had in Eastern Persia. late 1241, Batu and Subutai were finalizing plans to invade Austria, Italy, and Germany when the news came of the death of Ogedei Khan, who died in December 1241. wanted to continue the war[citation needed], but Subutai reminded him of the law of Yassa (Ð˜Ñ… Ð—Ð°ÑÐ°Ð³)[citation needed]. Mongols withdrew in late spring of 1242, as the Princes of the blood, and Subutai, were recalled to Karakorum where the kurultai was held. Second Bulgarian Empire was forced to acknowledge Batu's supremacy. was a potential Great Khan, but when he failed to gain the title he turned to consolidate his conquests in Asia and the Urals. and struggle with Guyuk[edit] from Hungary, Batu made his camps along the banks of the Volga. When the Great Khatun Töregene invited him to elect the next Emperor of the Mongol Empire, Batu announced his inability to attend any immediate kurultai, thus delaying the succession for several years. Guyuk was elected Khagan in 1246, with Batu's brothers representing the Jochid lineage. As one of the oldest members of Chingisid Borjigin, Batu became a viceroy over all the western parts of the empire, controlling routine affairs among the Russian princes, nominating Jochid retainers as governors of Iran, and receiving in audience grandees from the Caucasus. At no point, however, did he openly challenge the authority of the Great Khan. the absence of Batu, the Mongols who were left behind put to death Mstislav, the prince of Rylsk, in Kievan Rus'. his return Batu summoned the Grand prince Yaroslav II of Vladimir to meet him. Yaroslav was well received by Batu, who confirmed him as suzerain over the other Russian princes, and gave him authority of Kiev. princes of Suzdal followed Yaroslav's example. Batu sent Yaroslav to the imperial court of Karakorum to assist at the inauguration of Guyuk Khan in 1246. Plano Carpini, who got approval from Batu to go further, noted that the Great Khan's aunt was executed. At the same time Yaroslav was poisoned in Mongolia. Michael of Chernigov was passed between fires in accordance with ancient Turco-Mongol tradition. Batu Khan stabbed him to death for his refusal to do obeisance to Genghis Khan's shrine in the pagan ritual. had commissaries in the various towns where the dependent Russian princes and other princes held their courts. princes from Russian states such as Vladimir Constantine, Boris, Gleb, Vasili, Constatantine, Vladimir Constantinovich, Vasilko and Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, went to the court of Batu in person. Michael of Chernigov, who had murdered the Mongol envoy in Kiev, arrived, the Mongol overseers were engaged in taking a census of the inhabitants for the poll tax. Michael was ordered to repair to Batu. When summoned before Batu, he was made to pass between two fires and ordered to prostrate himself before the tablets of Genghis Khan. replied that he did not object to do obeisance to Batu himself but to adore images of a dead man was repugnant. As he persisted in his refusal, Batu ordered his death. of Halych summoned to Batu and diplomatically made obeisance to the Mongols. Batu, addressing him, said "You have for a long time refused to come, but have effaced your ill conduct by your obedience" and saluted him with a draught of airag. exchanged hostages whereby 100 families of Keraites were re-settled in Carpathian-Galicia. the defeat of the Sultanate of Rum, Baiju freed David VII Ulu from Turkish imprisonment and sent him to Batu and Guyuk. Baiju's aggressive policy, Queen Rusudan of Georgia sent her son David VI Narin to Batu's court to get official recognition as heir apparent. supported David VI and granted him the rights above the Georgian and Armenian nobles and the Mongol tammachis. Guyuk made David Ulu the senior king of Georgia and ordered Batu's protege David Narin to be subordinate to David Ulu. between Batu and Guyuk increased, however, and Guyuk replaced the officials in Iran and the Caucasus with his own men, including Eljigidei. gave a good reception to Alexander Nevsky and Andrey II. Andrey was assigned the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal while Alexander was given southern Russia. Guyuk began moving west, Sorghaghtani Beki, the widow of Tolui, warned Batu that he was actually the Great Khan's target. Guyuk summoned Batu to appear before him, Batu moved slowly. Before meeting Batu, Guyuk died suddenly. According to William of Rubruck and a Muslim chronicle, one of Batu's brothers murdered or poisoned the Great Khan Guyuk and Batu then killed the imperial envoy, though this account is not completely confirmed by other major sources. öngke and Batu[edit] loyal vassal Alexander Nevsky in the Horde opportunity had arrived for deposing the House of Ogedei from the overlordship of the Mongols, and Batu was determined to avail himself of it. But Batu seemed to allow Oghul Qaimish to serve as regent. He also suggested unruly princes listen to her words. When Batu was ill, Mongke went to the Ulus of Jochi to greet him as his mother Sorghagtani advised. Batu was much delighted on seeing him. last, Batu called a kurultai on his own territory in 1250. Members of the Ogedeid and Chagataid families refused to attend the kurultai beyond the Mongolian heartland. The kurultai offered the throne to Batu Khan who had no interest in promoting himself as the new Grand Khan. Rejecting it, he instead nominated Mongke, who led a Mongol army in Russia, the Northern Caucasus, and Hungary. The pro-Tolui faction (Genghis 4th son, Yuan Dynasty) rose up and supported his choice. Given its limited attendance and location, this kurultai was of questionable validity. sent Mongke under the protection of his brothers, Berke and Tukhtemur, and his son Sartaq to assemble a formal kurultai at Kodoe Aral in the heartland. supporters of Mongke invited Oghul Qaimish and other main Ogedeid and Chagataid princes to attend the kurultai, but they refused each time, demanding descendants of Ogedei must be khan. In response, Batu accused them of killing his aunt Altalaun and defying Ogedei's nominee, Shiremun. the assembled throng proclaimed Mongke Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1251, he punished the Ogedeid and Chagataid families for the organized plot against him. sent Buri to Batu who had him executed by Buri's opponent general. Eljigidei was also ordered to be executed. Grand prince Andrey II allied with the rebellious-minded princes of western Rus, giving umbrage to the Mongols. sent a punitive expedition under Nevrui. On their approach, Andrey fled to Pskov and thence to Sweden. The Mongols spread over Vladimir and harshly punished the people there. Livonian Knights stopped their advance to Novgorod and Pskov on hearing the news about the Mongols. Thanks to his friendship with Sartaq, Alexander was installed as the Grand Prince of Vladimir (i.e., the supreme Russian ruler) by Batu in 1252. 1256 Andrey travelled to Sarai to ask pardon for his former infidelity and was shown mercy. the reign of Mongke, Batu's prestige as kingmaker and viceroy of the great khans in the west reached its height. Even so, Batu allowed Mongke's census takers to operate freely in his realm. to a Muslim chronicle and the History of Yuan, Batu had free access to the imperial treasury.[12] Of all the grandsons of Genghis Khan, he and Mongke seemed most capable and the most dedicated to following the spirit of Mongolian law.[13] dispatched a large Jochid delegation to participate in Hulagu's expedition in the Middle East. However, Berke's persuasion might have forced him to delay to strengthen Hulagu's force, little suspecting that it would result in eliminating the Jochid predominance there, for few years. Batu, Mongke, and other princely lines shared rule over the area from Afghanistan to Turkey. He left state affairs to his son Sartaq before Batu died in 1255. Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27;

Mongol, Perm, 1241-1552, Kazan Tartars
Kazan Tartars; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; a and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂƒÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â‚ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂƒÃƒÂƒÃ‚ Commemorated on February 5; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowa, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping Ilyin Chernigov, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Mongol, Perm, 1266-1280, Kazan Tartar Khan, Mengu-Timur of the Golder Horde, pro Orthodox
Kazan Tartar Khan, 1266-1280, Mengu-Timur of the Golder Horde; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27;

Mongol, Perm, 1360-1396, Saint Stephen of Perm
Perm, 1360-1396, Saint Stephen of Perm; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25;

Mongol, Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, BoPerm, incessant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps, killed by hVogul servant
Mongol Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus, Bishop oPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), worthily succeded Steven, Enlightener oPerm, who converted only part otZyryani, incessant Novgordian&Vogulian incursions, went tV camps urging stop plundering defenceless Christians oPerm, killed by his Vogul servant, strangeled bOmophorion; Perm (Kama River 6); St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Gerasimus was the third bishop of the Zyryan people, and a worthy successor of Saint Stephen, Enlightener of Perm. was elevated to the See of Perm sometime after the year 1416, only part of the Zyryani had been converted to Christianity. was concerned for his flock, which suffered incessant incursions from the Novgorodians and pagan Vogulians. went into the Vogul camps, urging them to stop plundering the defenseless Christians of Perm. one of these journeys in 1441, he was murdered by his Vogul servant (according to tradition he was strangled with his omophorion). was buried in the Annunciation church of the village of Ust-Vym not far from the city of Yarenga, at the River Vychegda (also January 24). ’s common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Gerasimus is also commemorated on January 24.

Mongol, Perm, 1416-1441, Gerasimus 3rd Bishop oEnlightened Zyryanians, respected aMoscow councils, Raids Vogulians oNovgorodians

Mongol, Perm, 1437-1445, Ulugh Muhammad, Crimea and Kazan Tartar Khan, Vytautas s, Ottoman s, Vasilly II, Golden Horde
Kazan Tartar Khan, 1437-1445, Ulugh Muhammad; Muhammad (1405-1445) was a medieval Tatar statesman, Gengisid, Khan of the Golden Horde (before 1436), ruler of Crimea (1437), and the founder of the Khanate of Kazan, which he ruled from 1438-1445. He was the son of the oglan Ichkile Hassan and the cousin of Tokhtamysh. He received the nickname "Ulugh", meaning older or large, in contrast to another Muhammed who was called "Kichi", meaning younger or small. Muhammad was Khan of the Golden Horde in 1419-1423, 1426, 1428. In 1428-1432 he waged a stubborn struggle for possession of the Ulug Ulus with the representatives of a minor branch of the Tukaytimurids (one of the branches of the Gengisids). being defeated, Ulugh Muhammad escaped to Volga Bulgaria vilayet in 1423. With the support Vytautas, Ulugh Muhammad was able to regain the throne of the Golden Horde in 1426. He succeeded in spreading the power of the Horde to Crimea and established friendly relations with the Ottoman Sultan Murad II. Muhammad sent an embassy to Egypt in 1428-1429. In 1431 the son and grandson of the ruler of Moscow, Dmitriy Donskoy came to the court to Ulugh Muhammad in order to reach a decision about princely succession. Ulugh Muhammad ruled in favour of the grandson, Vasiliy II . St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29;

Mongol, Perm, 1441-1455, Pitrim, Bishop oPerm&Ustiug, martyr, historian, converted Voguli, served vast area
Mongol, Perm, 1441-1455, Pitrim Bishop of Perm & Ustiug, Vologda (Yug and Skukhona Rivers, Northern Dvina Source), succeeded Gerasimus as B oPerm&Ustiug, even during his time Voguli attacked peaceful Zyryanis oPerm, 1447 appealed Great Prince to help Z's, wide territory, often visited flock, danger, privation, converted V's along Pechora river, so murdered by V leader Asyk, Pitrim compiled life of Alexis & Cannon fUncovering his relics, Common commemoration these three saints acknowledges their activity Eastern Russia; Ustiug, Vologda; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Pitirim succeeded Saint Gerasimus as bishop of Great Perm and Ustiug. during his time the Voguli had not ceased attacking the peaceful Zyryani, the settlers of Perm. Pitirim stood up for his flock just as his predecessor had done. 1447 he personally appealed to the Great Prince to help the Zyryani. saint often visited his flock, which was spread out over a wide territory, instructing them in the Word of God and assisting them in their misfortunes. undertook long journeys to enlighten the pagan Voguli, during which his life was frequently in danger, and he had to endure all sorts of privation. saint did not slacken his efforts, he enlightened and instructed people in their homes, in churches, and in the open places. his preaching he converted many of the Voguli who lived along the tributaries of the River Pechora, to Christianity. of this he aroused the terrible wrath of the leader of the Voguli, Asyk, who murdered the saint in a field as he was serving a Molieben. occurred not far from Ust-Vym on August 19, 1455. Pitirim compiled the Life of Saint Alexis and the Canon for the uncovering of his relics. relics of Saint Pitirim rest in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). common commemoration of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Pitirim is also commemorated on August 19.

Mongol, Perm, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm, after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, Idols eradicated, Churches built
Mongol, Perm, 1455-1470, Jonah, BoPerm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6), after Pitrim he converted remaining tribes of Perm, tribes along Vishera, Kama, Chusova and other rivers, Idols eradicated, Churches built, Experienced pastors sent tSchools aUs-Vym; Perm (Kama River 6); St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Saint Pitirim, Saint Jonah ascended the throne of Perm. He converted to Christianity the remaining part of Great Perm, i.e. the pagan tribes living along the Rivers Vishera, Kama, Chusova and others. his efforts the idols were eradicated and in their place churches were built. pastors were sent to teach the new converts at the church-run schools of Us-Vym. Jonah reposed on June 6, 1470. relics rest together with the relics of Saints Gerasimus and Pitirim in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district). commemoration in common of these three saints acknowledges their apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. Jonah is also commemorated on June 6.

Mongol, Perm, 1462, Saint Jonah, Bishop of Perm, Converted Great Perm to Christ
Saint Jonah, Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6; Jonah, Bishop of Great Perm, was successor to Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Perm (August 19), who was murdered by the Vogulani in 1455. In the year 1462 Saint Jonah converted the inhabitants of Great Perm to Christ. He journeyed throughout his extensive diocese to spread and consolidate the Christian Faith. The saint reposed on June 6, 1470 and was buried at Ust-Vym at the Annunciation cathedral.

Mongol, Perm, 1467-1479, Tartar Khan, Ibrahim of Kazan, Moscow wars then treaty with Ivan III
Mongol, Perm, 1467-1479, Tartar Khan, Ibrahim of Kazan; khan (died 1479) was the Khan of Kazan from 1467. He was the son of Mäxmüd. He was crowned after Xälil's death and was married to Nursoltan. 1467–1469 and 1478 he participated in wars against Muscovy. After concluding a treaty with Ivan III, all Russian prisoners of war held by the Khanate were released. He supported a policy of non-intervention into Muscovy's politics. Wars against Muscovy[edit] 1467 Ivan III began to wage war against the Kazan Khanate. In the fall he sent as a pretender oglan Kasim, Ibrahim's uncle, which was supported by a part of Kazan nobility. Ibrahim destroyed numerous Muscovite forces in the battle on the Idel(Volga). the head of opposition was mirza Gabgul-Mumin. The Russian campaign ended unsuccessfully, with the Russian army deciding to not cross the Volga to engage in combat with the Tatars. In response to this Ibrahim-khan in winter made a dragoon to the border areas of the enemy and plundered environs of Galich Merskoy. 1468 Ivan III sent strong garrisons to Nizhniy Novgorod, Murom, Kostroma, Galich and began military action on the territory of Khanate. This campaign accompanied by extreme violence against ordinary people with the purpose of provoking Kazan into a big war. sent its armies by two directions: Galich and Nizhniy Novgorod-Muromsk. On the first way, the Khanate's army was contributed by success. Tatars captured the Kichmeng town and two volosts of Kostroma were been occupied. On the second way Russians stopped Tatars defeating Khadzhi-Berdy's troop. opened a third front from Khlynov. Ushkuyniks went by boats to Kama from Vyatka and began robbing the hinterland of the Khanate (deep behind the lines). In response to this Tatars sent troops that captured the capital of Vyatka Land - Khlynov. Wars of Ivan III, 1467-1506; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1;

Mongol, Perm, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei
Moscow, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Mongol, Perm, 1524-1549, Khan, Safa Giray of Kazan
Perm Khan, 1524-1549, Safa Giray of Kazan ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated on January 24; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ;

Mongol, Perm, 1529, John of Kazan, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, to Kazan, slave to Khan's relative, killed

Mongol, Perm, 1550-1612, Hermogenes, Hiermartyr, Don Cossack, Kazan Icon 1579 account, b tartars, against uniates, starved
Russia, Moscow, 1550-1612, Hermogenes, Hiermartyr, Kazan, Perm, Don Cossack, priest, monk, archmandrite, metropolitan, Kazan Icon 1579 account, baptized tartars, against uniates and catholics, Tushino imposter killed by associate, H died by starvation ; Kazan ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, was born in Kazan around 1530, and was descended from the Don Cossacks. to the Patriarch’s own testimony, he served as priest in Kazan in a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (December 6 and May 9), near the Kazan bazaar. Soon he became a monk, and from 1582 was archimandrite of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery at Kazan. On May 13, 1589 he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan. he was the priest at Saint Nicholas, the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (July 8) was discovered in Kazan in 1579. With the blessing of Archbishop Jeremiah of Kazan, he carried the newly-appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Having remarkable literary talent, the saint in 1594 compiled an account describing the appearance of the wonderworking icon and the miracles accomplished through it. In 1591 the saint gathered newly-baptized Tatars into the cathedral church and for several days he instructed them in the Faith. relics of Saint Germanus, the second archbishop of Kazan (September 25, November 6, and June 23), who died at Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a plague, were transfered and buried in Saint Nicholas Church in 1592. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589-1605), Saint Hermogenes reburied the relics at the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. January 9, 1592 Saint Hermogenes addressed a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he asked for permission to commemorate in his See of Kazan those Orthodox soldiers who gave their lives for the Faith and the nation in a battle against the Tatars. In the past, it was customary to enter into the diptychs the names of all Orthodox warriors who had fallen in battle, and to commemorate them. the same time he mentioned three martyrs who had suffered at Kazan for their faith in Christ, one of whom was a Russian named John (January 24) born at Nizhny Novgorod and captured by the Tatars. The other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), were newly-converted Tatars. saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not inserted into the diptychs read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that “Memory Eternal” was not sung for them. In answer to Saint Hermogenes, the Patriarch issued a decree on February 25, which said: “to celebrate at Kazan and throughout all the Kazan metropolitanate a panikhida for all the Orthodox soldiers killed at Kazan and the environs of Kazan, on the Saturday following the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1), and to inscribe them in the great Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,” and also ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be inscribed in the Synodikon, leaving it to Saint Hermogenes to set the day of their memory. Saint Hermogenes circulated the Patriarchal decree throughout his diocese, and required all the churches and monasteries to serve Liturgies, Panikhidas and Lityas for the three Kazan martyrs on January 24. Hermogenes displayed zeal in the faith and firmness in the observance of Church traditions, and he devoted himself to the enlightenment of Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ. 1595, with the active participation of the Saint Hermogenes, the relics of the Kazan Wonderworkers Saint Gurias, the first archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Saint Barsanuphius bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11) were discovered and uncovered. Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584-1598) had given orders to erect at the Kazan Savior-Transfiguration monastery a new stone church on the site of the first one, where the saints were buried. the graves of the saints were discovered, Saint Hermogenes came with a gathering of clergy. He commanded the graves to be opened and, when he saw the incorrupt relics and clothing of the saints, he notified the Patriarch and the Tsar. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the Tsar, the relics of the newly-appeared wonderworkers were placed in the new church. Saint Hermogenes himself compiled the lives of hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius. been found worthy of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Hermogenes was elected to the primatial See, and on July 3, 1606 he was installed as Patriarch by the assembly of the holy hierarchs at Moscow’s Dormition cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore handed the Patriarch the staff of the holy hierarch Peter, Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar gave as a gift to the new Patriarch a panagia, embellished with precious stones, a white klobuk and staff. In the ancient manner, Patriarch Hermogenes made his entrance riding upon a donkey. activity of Patriarch Hermogenes coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state: the appearance of the false Tsarevich Demetrius and the Polish king Sigismund III. The first hierarch devoted all his powers to the service of the Church and the nation. Hermogenes was not alone in this exploit: his self-sacrificing fellow-countrymen followed his example and assisted him. With special inspiration His Holiness the Patriarch stood up against the traitors and enemies of the nation, who wanted to spread Uniatism and Western Catholicism throughout Russia and to wipe out Orthodoxy, while enslaving the Russian nation. the imposter arrived at Moscow and settled himself at Tushino, Patriarch Hermogenes sent two letters to the Russian traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You have forgotten the vows of our Orthodox Faith, in which we are born, baptized, nourished and raised. You have violated your oath and the kissing of the Cross to stand to the death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow realm, but have fallen for your false would-be Tsarevich ... My soul aches, my heart is sickened, all within me agonizes, and all my frame shudders; I weep and with sobbing I lament: Have mercy, have mercy, brethren and children, on your own souls and your parents departed and living ... Consider, how our nation is devastated and plundered by foreigners, who offer insult to the holy icons and churches, and how innocent blood is spilled, crying out to God. Think! Against whom do you take up arms: is it not against God, Who has created you? Is it not against your own brothers? Do you not devastate your own country?... I adjure you in the name of God, give up your undertaking, there is yet time, so that you do not perish in the end.” In the second document the saint appeals: “For the sake of God, come to your senses and turn around, gladden your parents, your wives and children; and we stand to pray God for you...” the righteous judgment of God fell upon the Brigand of Tushino: he was killed by his own close associates on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in peril, since the Poles and traitors, loyal to Sigismund III, remained in the city. The documents sent by Patriarch Hermogenes throughout the cities and villages, exhorted the Russian nation to liberate Moscow from the enemies and to choose a lawful Russian Tsar. Muscovites rose up in rebellion, and the Poles burned the city, shutting themselves up in the Kremlin. Together with Russian traitors they forcefully seized Patriarch Hermogenes from the patriarchal throne and imprisoned him in the Chudov monastery. Bright Monday in 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began the seige of the Kremlin, which continued for several months. Besieged within the Kremlin, the Poles often sent messengers to the Patriarch with the demand that he order the Russian militia to leave the city, threatening him with execution if he refused. saint firmly replied, “What are your threats to me? I fear only God. If all our enemies leave Moscow, I shall bless the Russian militia to withdraw from Moscow; but if you remain here, I shall bless all to stand against you and to die for the Orthodox Faith.” still in prison, the hieromartyr Hermogenes sent a final epistle to the Russian nation, blessing the liberating army to fight the invaders. The Russian commanders could not come to an agreement over a way to take the Kremlin and free the Patriarch. He languished more than nine months in dreadful confinement, and on February 17, 1612 he died a martyr’s death from starvation. liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible valor, was successfully achieved. The body of the hieromartyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov monastery, but in 1654 was transferred to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The glorification of Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint occurred on May 12, 1913.

Mongol, Perm, 1551-1568, Saint, Herman of Kazan, Volokolamsk, Staritsa and Svyazhsk, library, Moscow, Tsar d
Mongol, Perm, 1551-1568, Saint, Herman of Kazan, Volokolamsk, Staritsa and Svyazhsk, library, Moscow, Tsar d, fStaritsa novility, JV Monastery uGurias, copied books, Maximus tGreek friend, tStaritsa archman, St JoV Rule, left a2.5yrs tVolokolamsk solitary, Bashkin's tonsure, B sent to Herman at V, 1555 taking oKazan, Gurias' missionary monastery there, Dormition m of Sviyazhsk Herman igumen, cramped cell, library, enlightenment center, 1564 Bishop Kazan, built churches, light of Christ, 1566 Ivan ordered him to Moscow, first refused, injustive Tsar's inner circle, admonished Tsar, lived in disgrace 2yrs; Kazan Saint, 1551-1568, St Herman, Herman of Kazan and Svyazhsk; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6; Herman, Archbishop of Kazan, lived during the sixteenth century. He was born in the city of Staritsa, and was descended from the old boyar nobility of the Polevi. In his youth Gregory (his baptismal name) was tonsured at the Joseph-Volokolamsk monastery under Igumen Gurias, who later became Archbishop of Kazan (December 5). (Saint Gurias was head of the monastery from 1542 to 1551). the monastery Saint Herman occupied himself with copying books, and he was a close friend of Saint Maximus the Greek (January 21), who was living there in confinement. In 1551 the brethren of the Staritsa Dormition monastery, seeing his piety, chose him as their archimandrite. up the governance of this monastery with a pastoral zeal, Saint Herman concerned himself with its internal and external order, for he himself was a model of humility and meekness. He exhorted all to observe their monastic commitment strictly, and he introduced into his monastery the Rule of Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk (October 18). after two and a half years Archimandrite Herman left the Staritsa monastery, leaving its direction to the hieromonk Job (June 19), who afterwards was to become the first Patriarch of Moscow, and was an ascetic and sufferer for the Russian Land. Herman’s love for solitary struggles brought him to return to his original Volokolamsk monastery, he strove toward salvation as a simple monk. when the new heretic Matthew Bashkin (who refused to acknowledge the Holy Mysteries and denied faith in the Holy Trinity) appeared at Moscow, Herman and his own father (who had received tonsure at the Volokolamsk monastery with the name Philotheus) were summoned to the Moscow Council of 1553. Council censured the heretic Bashkin resolved to send him for correction to Saint Herman at the Volokolamsk monastery, since Saint Herman was known for his holy life and zeal for the faith in Christ. 1555, after the taking of Kazan, an archepiscopal See was established there. Gurias, the former igumen of Volokolamsk monastery, was chosen as archbishop. was entrusted with building the Dormition monastery in the city of Sviyazhsk for missionary purposes. decree of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was appointed as head of this new monastery in Sviyazhsk. A stone cathedral was built with a belltower and monastic cells. igumen of the monastery lived very frugally in a cramped cell beneath the cathedral belltower. Saint Herman particularly concerned himself with acquiring a library for the monastery. his monastery became famous for its good works, and it became a center of enlightenment for the Kazan region. March 12, 1564, after the repose of Saint Gurias, Saint Herman was consecrated Bishop of Kazan. short duration of his tenure there was marked nonetheless by his efforts to build churches and to enlighten the people of the region with the light of Christ. 1566, Ivan the Terrible summoned Saint Herman to Moscow and ordered that he be elected to the Metropolitan cathedra. first, Saint Herman refused to have this burden imposed upon him. Tsar would not tolerate any objection, however, and the saint was obliged to settle into the Metropolitan’s quarters until his elevation to the position of Metropolitan. injustice among those of the Tsar’s inner circle, Saint Herman, true to his pastoral duty, attempted to admonish the Tsar. “You are not yet elevated to Metropolitan, and already you place constraints upon my freedom,” the Tsar told him through his aides. He ordered Saint Herman expelled from the Metropolitan’s quarters and that he be kept under surveillance. saint lived in disgrace for about two years, and died on November 6, 1567. They buried him in the church of Saint Nicholas the Hospitable. In 1595, at the request of the inhabitants of Sviyazhsk, the relics of the saint were transferred from Moscow to the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. Saint Hermogenes, then Metropolitan of Kazan, visited his grave. Herman is also commemorated on September 25 (first translation of his relics in 1595) and June 23 (second translation of his relics in 1714).

Mongol, Perm, 1552, Kazan campaign 1552 Tsar Ivan the Terrible
Russo-Kazan Wars; Fall of Kazan 1552; Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27 ;

Mongol, Perm, 1552, Fall of Kazan Tartars 1552, to Russia
Fall of Kazan Tartars 1552; Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24;

Mongol, Perm, 1552 and on, became Christian and Russian

Mongol, Perm, 1555, Kazan Diocese Established
Mongol, Perm, 1555, Kazan Diocese Established; History[edit] Kazan Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established April 3, 1555, three years after the conquest of the Kazan Khanate. The first ruling bishop was the abbot of the monastery of Tver Selizharovo Guri, who went to Kazan with archimandrites Varsonofy and Germany. The most important events in the life of the Kazan diocese were acquiring in 1579 the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of Kazan participation in the militia of Minin and Pozharsky with the blessing of Patriarch Hermogenes, a former Metropolitan of Kazan and the glorification of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. During 1741 the missionaries were able to baptize the entire province of 9159 people, Tatars and Bashkirs were among these, only 143 (see A. Chuloshnikov). Anyway, missionary work in the Kazan region was in time rather weak character and the activities of the Kazan Theological Academy was limited mainly to the deeper study of the linguistic and cultural aspects of life of the peoples of the East. Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Archbishop Gurius of Kazan; Fall of Kazan Tartars 1552; Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Saints Jonah and Nectarius of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Gurias, first Archbishop of Kazan, and Saint Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24;

Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Archbishop Gurius of Kazan
Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Archbishop Gurius of Kazan; Fall of Kazan Tartars 1552; Tsar Ivan the Terrible took the icon of the Appearance of the Mother of God on his Kazan campaign (1552). Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Saints Jonah and Nectarius of Kazan, Commemorated on October 4; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Gurias, first Archbishop of Kazan, and Saint Barsanuphius, Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24;

Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Gurias, Archbishop, fRadonezh, 1555 Kazan Bishop bLot, 8yrs- 4Ms, 1Cathdrl, 10Cs, Gt Schema, incrrpt r
Mongol, Perm, 1555-1563, Gurias, Archbishop oKazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10), fRadonezh, not wealthy, served Prince as steward, accused improprieties Prince's wife, underground dungeon 2yrs, so health issues, wrote children's reader iPrison, tonsured Volokolamsk m, 1543 igumen, 1552 resigned, monk 2yrs, 1yr Selizharov m Tver igumen, 1555 chosen Bishop Kazan by lot, assisted bBarsanuphius, in 8yrs 4monastereis, 1Cathedra;. 10Churches, 1561 greviously ill, carried him tchurch, 1563 great schema fBarsanuphius & buried, 1595 incorrupt relics wBarnasuphius, 1613 relics transferred Annunciation Cathedral, present Kazan Theodore Murom church; Kazan ; ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan, (in the world Gregory Rugotin), the first archbishop of the Kazan diocese, established in 1555. was born in the town of Radonezh outside Moscow into the family of a courtier. parents were not wealthy, so from his early years he had to serve Prince Ivan Penkov as steward of his estates. his youth, Gregory was pious, humble and gentle, and he preserved his chastity. of improprieties with the prince’s wife, Gregory was locked up in an underground dungeon for two years. undermined his health, but it also intensified and deepened his religious fervor. prison, he wrote a small booklet to teach children how to read and write. donated the proceeds from his primer to the needy. from prison, Gregory was tonsured with the name Gurias at the Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk monastery, for its strict monastic rule. 1543, he was chosen by the brethren as igumen of this monastery. administered it for almost nine years, then he resigned as igumen and lived for two years as a simple monk. becoming bishop, Saint Gurias directed the Trinity Selizharov monastery in Tver diocese for one year. was chosen by lot to the See of Kazan. by Saint Barsanuphius (April 11), Saint Gurias devoted himself to missionary activity. his eight years as bishop there, four monasteries were organized, and the Annunciation cathedral church and ten more city churches were built. 1561 the saint fell grievously ill and could no longer perform the divine services himself. feastdays they carried him into the church, and he either sat or lay down, since he did not have the strength to walk or even stand. before his death (1563), he received the great schema from Saint Barsanuphius, he was buried in the Savior-Transfiguration monastery. October 4, 1595, the incorrupt relics of the holy hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius were uncovered. Hermogenes, Metropolitan of Kazan (May 12), was present at the uncovering of their relics, and he described this event in the lives of these saints. June 20, 1613, the relics of Saint Gurias were transferred from the Savior-Transfiguration monastery to the Annunciation cathedral church. present, the relics rest in Kazan in a cemetery church named for the holy Princes Theodore of Murom and his sons David and Constantine (May 21).

Mongol, Perm, 1579, Kazan Icon, discovered by 10 yr old girl's dream
after a fire destroyed Kazan in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, revealing the location where the icon lay hidden. The girl told the archbishop about the dream but she was not taken seriously. However, on 8 July 1579, after two repetitions of the dream, the girl and her mother recovered the icon on their own, buried under a destroyed house where it had been hidden to save it from the Tatars Mongol, Perm, 1579, Kazan Icon; Lady of Kazan, also called Mother-of-God of Kazan, was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan, and a palladium of all of Russia, known as the Holy Protectress of Russia. to legend, the icon was originally acquired from Constantinople, lost in 1438, and miraculously recovered in pristine state over 140 years later in 1579. Two major cathedrals, the Kazan Cathedral, Moscow, and the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, and they display copies of the icon, as do numerous churches throughout the land. The original icon in Kazan was stolen, and likely destroyed, in 1904. "Fátima image" is a 16th-century copy of the icon, or possibly the 16th-century original, stolen from St. Petersburg in 1917 and purchased by F. A. Mitchell-Hedges in 1953. It was housed in Fátima, Portugal from 1970 to 1993, then in the study of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican from 1993 to 2004, when it was returned to Kazan, where it is now kept in the Kazan Monastery of the Theotokos. Copies of the image are also venerated in the Catholic Church. days of Our Lady of Kazan are 21 July, and 4 November (which is also the Russian Day of National Unity). 1 History 1.1 Fátima image 2 See also 3 References 4 External links to tradition, the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was brought to Russia from Constantinople in the 13th century. After the establishment of the Khanate of Kazan (c. 1438) the icon disappeared from the historical record for more than a century. Hermogenes' chronicle, written at the request of Tsar Feodor in 1595, describes the recovery of the icon.[1][unreliable source?] According to this account, after a fire destroyed Kazan in 1579, the Virgin appeared to a 10-year-old girl, Matrona, revealing the location where the icon lay hidden. The girl told the archbishop about the dream but she was not taken seriously. However, on 8 July 1579, after two repetitions of the dream, the girl and her mother recovered the icon on their own, buried under a destroyed house where it had been hidden to save it from the Tatars.[2][1][unreliable source?] Monastery of the Theotokos where the icon was conserved until 1904, and the home of the "Fátima image" since 2004 Other churches were built in honour of the revelation of the Virgin of Kazan, and copies of the image were displayed at the Kazan Cathedral of Moscow (constructed in the early 17th century), at Yaroslavl, and at St. Petersburg. military commanders Dmitry Pozharsky (17th century) and Mikhail Kutuzov (19th century) credited invocation of the Virgin Mary through the icon with helping the country to repel the Polish invasion of 1612, the Swedish invasion of 1709, and Napoleon's invasion of 1812. The Kazan icon achieved immense popularity, and there were nine or ten separate miracle-attributed copies of the icon around Russia.[1][unreliable source?] the night of June 29, 1904, the icon was stolen from the Kazan Convent of the Theotokos [ru] in Kazan where it had been kept for centuries (the building was later blown up by the communist authorities[citation needed]). Thieves apparently coveted the icon's gold frame, which was ornamented with many valuable jewels. Several years later, Russian police apprehended the thieves and recovered the frame. The thieves originally declared that the icon itself had been cut to pieces and burnt, although one of them eventually confessed that it was housed in a monastery in the wilds of Siberia. This one, however, was believed to be a fake, and the Russian police refused to investigate, using the logic that it would be very unlucky to venerate a fake icon as though it were authentic.[3] The Orthodox Church interpreted the disappearance of the icon as a sign of tragedies that would plague Russia after the image of the Holy Protectress of Russia had been lost. Indeed, the Russian peasantry was wont to credit all the miseries of the Revolution of 1905, as well as Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, to the desecration of her image.[3] of Saint Nicolas and the Venerable Gerasimus holding the icon Lady of Kazan in Makaryev Monastery (17th century, photograph by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky) Lady of Kazan (1850s reproduction) Our Lady of Kazan. Mid 19th-century Our Lady of Kazan átima image[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Our Lady of Kazan" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Lady of Kazan (Fátima image) Cathedral, Kazan (1561–62) to the site of the icon's recovery, 21 July 2015. the Russian Revolution of 1917, there was speculation that the original icon was in fact preserved in St. Petersburg. Reportedly, an icon of Our Lady of Kazan was used in processions around Leningrad fortifications during the Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944) during World War II.[4] theory proposed that the Bolsheviks had sold the image abroad, although the Russian Orthodox Church did not accept such theories. The history of the stolen icon between 1917 and 1953 is unknown. In 1953 Frederick Mitchell-Hedges purchased an icon from Arthur Hillman. Although the status of the icon as the original Kazan icon remained disputed, Cyril G.E. Bunt concluded "that it is the work of a great icon painter of the 16th century [...] the pigments and the wood of the panel are perfectly preserved as exhaustive X-ray tests have proved, and have mellowed with age", suggesting that while it was a copy of the original icon, it was nevertheless the original icon carried by Pozharski in 1612. It was exhibited at the World Trade Fair in New York in 1964–1965. On 13 September 1965, members of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima spent the night in veneration of the icon in the pavilion in New York. The Blue Army eventually bought the icon from Anna Mitchell-Hedges for US$125,000 in January 1970, and the icon was enshrined in Fátima, Portugal. 1993 the icon from Fátima was given to the Vatican and Pope John Paul II had it installed in his study, where he venerated it for eleven years. In his own words, "it has found a home with me and has accompanied my daily service to the Church with its motherly gaze".[5] John Paul II wished to visit Moscow or Kazan so that he himself could return the icon to the Russian Orthodox Church. However the Moscow Patriarchate was suspicious that the Pope might have other motives, so he presented the icon to the Russian Church unconditionally in August 2004.[6] On August 26, 2004, it was exhibited for veneration on the altar of St. Peter's Basilica and then delivered to Moscow.[7] On the next feast day of the holy icon, July 21, 2005, Patriarch Alexius II and Mintimer Shaymiev, the president of Tatarstan, received it in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin [ru].[8] icon is now enshrined in the Cathedral of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, part of the Convent of the Theotokos (re-established as a monastery in 2005), on the site where the original icon of Our Lady of Kazan was found, and plans are underway to make the monastery's other buildings into an international pilgrimage centre. The Complicated History of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8/21 and October 22/November 4, Sergei Milov; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8; Icon œNot Made by Handsfrom Lydda, Commemorated on March 12;

Mongol, Perm, 1579, Appearance of the Kazan Icon, Kazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10)
Mongol, Perm, 1579, Appearance of the Kazan Icon, Kazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10); Kazan ; Bulgars and Tartars of Kazan; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8 ; Wonderworking Copy of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, found in 1579, in the Kazan cemetery church named for the holy Prince Theodore and his sons David and Constantine. The holy icon is venerated by the residents of the city.

Mongol, Perm, 1588-1611, Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon, MOG sent man tKazan &take K Icon t Romanov, stolen, r by Y, MOG YChurch, copy t R
Mongol, Perm, 1588, Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon, found 1588 by hand crippled Gerasimos because MOG told him go to place in Kazan, take icon to Romanov church, after that hand healed, Kazan icon stayed there 21 yrs until R taken by Polish-Lithuanian forces, L officer stole icon, Yaroslavl citizens begged officer for it, he wanted much cash, he rejected offers but suddenly brought it march 1609, as P-L troups attack Tver it was taken Yaroslavl i1609, MOG appeared twice to Eleazar commanding build church for icon, where many miracles, also womans monastery, 1610 Romanov begged Tsar Basin IV for it's return, same day new Yaroslavl healings, Tsar decided remain in Y, but Y make exact copy w metal cover for R, annually original brought to Romanov Kazan ; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was found in the year 1588 a man named Gerasimos, who had traveled to Kazan to pray before its famous Icon, because his right hand had become crippled. Mother of God appeared to him and ordered him to go to a certain place, and then to take her Icon and bring it to the city of Romanov and place it in a church. After the man had followed these directives to the letter, his hand was healed. holy Kazan Icon remained at Romanov for twenty-one years, but on March 9,1609 the city was taken by the Polish-Lithuanian forces. Lithuanian officer stole the Icon from the Kazan cathedral in Romanov. it was learned that the holy Icon had been found in the officer's home, the citizens of Yaroslavl begged him to let their city have it. said he would give it to them if they paid him a considerable sum of money. a long time the officer rejected their offers, but then suddenly, on March 18, he brought it to one of Yaroslav's most honorable citizens - Basil Lytkin. Icon was solemnly transferred to the country parish church of the "Laudation of the Virgin” Icon (Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). the Polish-Lithuanian troops attacked Tver that year the holy Icon was taken into the city to the church of the Nativity of the Lord on the banks of the Volga. the Mother of God appeared twice to Deacon Eleazar, commanding him to build a new church to house the Icon. people of Yaroslavl placed the wonderworking Kazan Icon in that church, and many miracles occurred. also worked most energetically to build a women's monastery for seventy-two sisters whose own monastery had been destroyed by the Polish-Lithuanian army. 1610, the residents of Romanov begged Tsar Basil IV Shuisky to allow the Icon to be taken from Yaroslavl and returned to Romanov. new healings took place before the Icon that same day. The nun Anysia, who was unable to move her hands or feet recovered, and a man named Constantine was delivered from his madness. view of these miracles, the citizens of Yaroslavl, in their turn, asked the Tsar to let the Icon remain at Yaroslavl. Moscow there came a request for detailed information about the Icon, and the Tsar decided that the Icon would remain at Yaroslavl. the people of Yaroslavl were ordered to make an exact copy of the Icon, and to adorn it with an oklad (metal cover), just like the one on the wonderworking Icon, and then send the copy to Romanov. this was done. 1611, the copy was taken to Romanov and it was placed in the Kazan church, where the wonderworking Icon had once stood. year the original wonderworking Icon was brought to the city of Romanov with great ceremony.

Mongol, Perm, 1598-1627, Procopius of Vyatka, Perm, Fool for Christ, Clairvoyant
Mongol, Perm, 1598-1627, Procopius of Vyatka, Perm, Fool for Christ, Clairvoyant, endured hunger cold mocking insults; Vyatka (Kirov); Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ; Procopius, Fool-for-Christ, of Vyatka, was the son of pious peasants. Procopius reached age twenty, they wanted him to marry, but he secretly went to the city of Khlynov and took upon himself the feat of foolishness. holy fool endured hunger, cold, mocking and insults. The Lord glorified him with the gift of clairvoyance. Procopius died at the age of forty-nine in 1627.

Mongol, Perm, 1615-1771, Seven Lakes Icon, Kazan, Perm, f Ustiug by Euthymius 1615, plague deliverances 1654,1655&1771
Mongol, Perm, 1615-1771, Seven Lakes Icon, Kazan, Perm, brought from Ustiug by Euthymius Seven Lakes M founder 1615, plague deliverances 1654,1655&1771; The Seven Lakes Hermitage of the Mother of God, 420099 Republic of Tatarstan; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 28; Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, of the Seven Lakes monastery. placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city. certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance. monk told the authorities about the vision. Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. seven days of prayer and processions, deadly pestilence began to abate. the monks asked to have their icon returned, was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. heavy snow storm came up, however, prevented them from leaving the church. was repeated three times, it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan a time. was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655. ’s Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God. Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26. Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 13; Seven Lakes Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, of the Seven Lakes Mother of God monastery. blessed the place of the future monastery with this icon. of the Seven Lakes Icon were established in memory of its transfer from Ustiug, memory of the deliverance of Kazan a plague epidemic in 1654 and 1655 (June 26), again from pestilence in 1771 (July 28).

Mongol, Perm, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, named after fr Dalmatos, Theotokos helped him , icon survives several fires
Croatia, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), named after fr Dalmatos, not Dalmatia, Croatia, he went to Nevyan Monastery in Tobolsk, rejected being Igumen, then to Perm, Tyumen Tatar Ilegei's land, I went to expel, Theotokos protected D, she appeared to I, ordered him to give land for the monastery, Kalmyks burn m, only D survives w icon, D begins to rebuild, people come, 1651 burned again by Siberian muslim Devlet-Girei, icon unscathed, scorched spot for muslim's hand, 1702 icon restored, monastery restored by D's son, 1800 icon adorned, 1852 another fire, icon unscathed ; Dalmatia; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Perm Gubernia, Shadrinsk county, on the banks of the Iseti River, is the Dalmatian Monastery of the Dormition. the cathedral church of this monastery is a wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which belonged to Father Dalmatios, the founder of this monastery. the first half of the XVII century, a certain resident of Tobolsk, a nobleman by the name of Demetrios Mokrinsky, left his wife and children, and went to the Nevyan Monastery (Tobolsk Diocese), where he was tonsured with the name Dalmatios, in honor of the fourth century ascetic Saint Dalmatios of Constantinople (August 3). Father Dalmatios was known for his exalted life of asceticism and virtue, the brethren of the Nev'yan Monastery wanted to choose him as their Igoumen, but out of humility, the Elder would not accept such an august position with all its responsibilities. He left the monastery, taking with him an Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. 1644 he arrived in Perm Gubernia, where he settled in a cave on land owned by the Tyumen Tatar Ilegei. When Iligei discovered that a monk had settled on his property, and even intended to establish a monastery there, he was indignant. Gathering his relatives, he went with the intention of expelling Dalmatios. Iligei spent the night near the cave, beyond the River Iseti, waiting for dawn to make an unexpected attack on the recluse. Dalmatios seemed to be in imminent danger of death, if he tried to resist or defend himself. He could not expect help from anyone anywhere, nor could he flee, since he did not know that an enemy lurked beyond the river in the darkness of night, ready to spill his blood at any moment. The monk did not require any human protection, however, for his protector was the Queen of Heaven. Iligei was asleep, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream, wearing a crown and dressed in a crimson robe, holding a flaming sword in her hands. The Most Holy Theotokos strictly forbade him to harm Father Dalmatios, and ordered Iligei to give the monk some land for a monastery. Awakened by this terrible vision, the Tatar went to Father Dalmatios, accompanied by all his companions, and gave him a piece of land on which to build a monastery. Queen of Heaven's wondrous protection of Dalmatios occurred in 1646. In that same year, the Dalmatian Monastery was founded. the end of 1646, the newly-established monastery was attacked by the Kalmyks. They set fire to the monastery's buildings; some of the monks who fled were killed, and some were taken captive. this time, only Dalmatios, the founder of the monastery, escaped death, saved by the wonderworking Icon. This was the same Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God which he brought with him from the Nevyan Monastery. the Kalmyks went away, Elder Dalmatios returned to the same site and began working alone to rebuild the monastery. A few years later, because of his diligence, a wooden church was already standing on the site of the ruined monastery, and nearby there were also cells for monks. Pilgrims began to visit and made donations for the adornment of the monastery and the temple. From that time, word of the monastery quickly spread all over, not only in the places close by, but also in very remote places. 1651, less than twenty years after the founding of the Dalmatian Monastery, it was attacked again. This time it was attacked by the Siberian Prince Devlet-Girei. He ransacked and burned the monastery. The Icon of the Mother of God, however, remained unscathed, although the church completely burned down. In just one place, on the back of the board, there was a scorched spot where a certain Muslim had put his hand. 1702, the icon was restored by the Tobolsk iconographer Ivan Nikitin. monastery was restored by Archimandrite Isaac, the son of Father Dalmatios. He built a stone church in 1707, and in it he placed the wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. the reign of Empress Catherine II, the monastery withstood a three-day siege by the troops of Emelian I. Pugachev, while the monks prayed before the Dalmatian Icon. 1800 the Icon was adorned with a gilded riza with silver crowns and precious gems, by order of Igoumen Gideon. In 1864 Archimandrite Methodios ordered a new silver and gilded riza from Moscow, decorated with precious stones. The Icon was in a special kiot, decorated with carvings, and was covered with a colorful silk curtain, which could be opened when necessary. April 19, 1852, many of the Monastery buildings, including the upper church, were destroyed by fire. again, the Dalmatian Icon remained damaged. year on February 15th, and again on August 15th, the Monastery's Altar Feast, great crowds would travel to the Dalmatian Monastery in order to venerate the wonderworking Icon. The sick receive healing, according to their faith, from this wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God. This custom continued until 1917. the early 1920s, after the monastery was abolished, the monks went to other monasteries, taking the Dalmatian Icon with them. At present, there is no information about the location of the Icon. who experience physical or spiritual suffering pray before the Dalmatian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos for deliverance.

Mongol, Perm, 1843, œthe Surety of sinners Icon, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), I am surety for my son entrusted me to hear them
Mongol, Perm, 1843, œthe Surety of sinners Icon, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), I am surety for my son entrusted me to hear them; Orlov; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners" of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Surety of sinners", Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints.

Mongol, Perm, 1843-1882, Ioannikios, Orlov, Church vision, C built there, Monk vision dream, Hesychast, much more
Mongol, Perm, 1843-1882, Hiermonk Ioannikios, Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2), large family, kept from church, Church vision story, Church built on his spot, at 16 Monasticism vision dream, come with us, it is God' will, ran away tM, but father brought him back, father died, mother released him, 1845 to Holy Mt M for life, very long story; Orlov; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10; Ioanikkios (in the world Trophimos N. Averkiev) was born in 1823 and was named Trophimos in Holy Baptism. parents were Government-owned peasants in Orlov Province, and they had a large family. was one of the younger children. The boy was quite bright and also very pious. He loved to be in church, and if his mother went to church for the Feast Days he always begged to go along. however, was not easy. The village where they lived was not near the church. had to cross a stream on the way, and the bridge was so old and rotten that once Trophimos fell in and caused his mother to be delayed. she did not always take him with her. Most of the time, she left him at home. When he stayed at home, Trophimos wept bitterly because she would not bring him to church. He felt drawn there by some “overpowering force,” as he expressed himself later in life. Sunday his father and mother went to church for the Divine Liturgy and took his older brothers, but they left him at home. After crying for some time, Trophimos went out into the yard, before which there was a field covered with grass. he noticed a beautiful stone church on a hillock. He was surprised to see it and wondered how it got there, so he started walking toward it in order to take a closer look at it. For a while he walked around the church, admiring its beauty. tried to enter, but the door was locked. When his hand touched the door knob, it vanished, and there he was, standing in the middle of an empty field! This astonished him even more, and he could not understand anything for a while. When his parents came home, he hastened to tell them what had happened. first, they paid no attention to him, but later, when his father mentioned this at a meeting of all the peasants in the village, an old man stated that he had also had seen a church on that very spot at dawn. peasants asked to see Trophimos and to hear the story from his own lips. When Trophimos was brought to the meeting, he told them in detail where he had seen the church in the field, and described what sort of church it was. showed them the exact spot, and the men marked the spot with four stakes. They decided to collect money and to build a stone church there. Indeed, a church was needed because the parish church was far away. In addition, there was the stream to be crossed. In the spring, when the stream was full, it became difficult and dangerous to cross. the peasants were wealthy, the required funds were soon collected, and they began to build a church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (July 8, Oct. 22). a few years the church was completed and consecrated, and on the outside it closely resembled the church that Trophimos had seen in a vision. the boy was sixteen years old, he wanted to enter a monastery, so he begged his parents to give their blessing for him to go to Tolshev’s Savior-Transfiguration Monastery. parents were very unhappy about this, especially his father. The young man became very sad and did not know what to do. night he had a dream wherein he saw a group of monks in a church in their mantiyas and klobuks. All of them went to the middle of the church and sang a divine hymn. Taking Trophimos by the hand they said, “Come with us, and do not be afraid of grieving your parents. It is God’s will that you be with us.” from his dream, he decided to run off to the monastery in secret. He got ready, placing a piece of bread in a shepherd’s sack. Dressed in an old peasant’s coat, and without shoes, he left for the Tolshev Monastery. road was not easy for him, but he arrived at the gates of the Monastery in the afternoon, and he saw a few monks standing there. Seeing the barefoot boy, they asked him why he had come. Trophimos replied that he had come in order to be a monk. monk, an Elder with a grey beard, volunteered to take him to the Superior’s cells. This was Hieromonk Jacob from Sarov Hermitage, where he had been known and loved by Batushka Seraphim. Jacob led an ascetical life, and was respected by the brethren. Trophimos now sat in the waiting room, fearfully awaiting the Superior’s decision concerning him. Superior, a short, grey-headed old man, was surprised at the young man’s appearance because he was dressed in rags. He thought that Trophimos was a beggar seeking alms. When Father Jacob started to tell him that the young man wanted to be a monk, the Superior said that he was much too young, and he would never be able to endure the labors and the sorrows of the monastic life. So he advised him to go back home. When this did not work, and the young man remained unshaken, the Superior pretended to be angry and ordered a bundle of rods to be brought over, saying; “Now I will teach you not to wander needlessly and leave home in order to avoid work. Take off your shirt and I will punish you so that you will remember our monastery.” young man immediately removed his shirt and lay on the ground before the Superior to receive his punishment. Seeing his readiness and weakness, the Superior and Father Jacob looked at each other and changed their tone. Superior told Trophimos to get up and to tell him in detail where he was from, and why he had come. Had he perhaps committed some crime and thought to hide in the monastery? After telling him everything in detail, Trophimos fell down on the floor, tearfully begging the Superior not to chase him away and to make him a monk. Superior ordered Father Jacob to take him to his cell and teach him the monastic Rule for novices. Jacob fed him and got him some clothes, making him his cell attendant. cell was the very cell which the wonderworker Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (August 13) had occupied when he lived at Tolshev Monastery in retirement. Here the holy bishop’s belongings were preserved. chair stood in the corner, covered up. Elder Jacob never dared to sit in the chair himself, but Trophimos, who did not know the value of the chair, once tried to sit in it when the Elder was out of the cell, but he was pushed away by some force he did not understand. Father Jacob returned Trophimos told him what had occurred. Father Jacob explained the chair’s significance to him and strictly forbade him to sit in it. his humility, obedience, and meekness, Trophimos soon won Father Jacob’s paternal love. Trophimos loved the order and customs of the monastery and had no time to become bored. He could only thank God and be happy that he lived in such a holy place. particular he loved being in church when the monks all came to the center in their mantiyas and klobuks. always wondered how he had been able to see all this in such detail in his dream. was especially attracted to the mantiya, and when Father Jacob was not in the cell he would put it on and walk around the cell with measured footsteps. greatest wish was to receive the mantiya and to be able to wear it to church. One day Father Jacob caught him in the cell wearing his mantiya. He forbade him to do this, explaining the spiritual meaning of the mantiya. He told him to pray to God, asking Him for His mercy, so that perhaps he might receive a mantiya in due time. was not destined to remain at Tolshev Hermitage, since his father did not wish it. He came to the monastery and bound his son’s legs so he could not get away. brought him home that way and punished him severely for running away. The poor young man had to submit to his parents’ wishes for the time being, waiting for the time to come when he might fulfill his heartfelt desire. had lived at Tolshev Monastery only three months, but in that short time it left its mark on the future course of his life. father’s death released Trophimos from his burdensome situation. Now the family’s finances were controlled by his mother and older brothers. mother no longer tried to hold him there against his will, but blessed him to be a monk. even gave him an icon of the Great Martyr George (April 23). He kept this icon as a great treasure and revered Saint George until the end of his life. After obtaining his identification papers, Trophimos went to Kiev to venerate the holy places. there, he went to the Holy Mountain Hermitage in Kharkhov Province with the intention of remaining there for the rest of his life. He arrived on October 10, 1845 and went to see Igumen (later Archimandrite) Arsenios. The latter asked him detailed questions concerning the events of his past life. Then he accepted him into the monastery and assigned him to the kitchen for his obedience. first, Trophimos lived in the attic with his knapsack for two weeks, until the cold forced him to move elsewhere. Hieromonk Theodosios, the Father Confessor of the monks, who had come from Glinsk Hermitage with Father Arsenios, took him into his cell as his cell attendant. Trophimos lived behind a thin wall in the narrow entryway. the beginning, Father Theodosios treated him sternly, testing his character and intentions. He would leave money lying around in the cell, or he would leave some tea or sugar, as though he had forgotten to put them away, or perhaps he would leave some honey on the table and go out. After seeing that nothing was ever touched, he stopped doing this and began to trust Trophimos. Hieromonk Theodosios, who had received his spiritual formation under the guidance of the well-known Igumen of Glina Hermitage, Saint Philaretos (March 31, 1841) of holy life, was himself a strict ascetic. He often went into the woods with his prayer rope, walking about with his mind focused on the Jesus Prayer. When he returned from the forest his face was always radiant. So much so that at first his novice Trophimos feared this radiance, and he was afraid to approach him or talk to him. Trophimos was illiterate, Father Theodosios saw to it that he learned to read. instructor was Father Philotheos, who worked in the monastery office. He was not yet old, but he led a life of strict asceticism. learned to read and write under his guidance. At the same time, he continued his careful study of the monastic Rule, taught by his Elder. the evening Prayer Rule, Father Theodosios would dismiss the monk who came to him for Confession. Trophimos a prayer rope, he made him repeat the Jesus Prayer slowly and in a loud voice. At first it was frightening for him to repeat the prayer under the watchful eye of his Elder, and his voice would tremble. The Elder noticed this and ordered him to be In this fear, Father Theodosios saw in this the work of the Enemy, who especially hated the Jesus Prayer. it happened, his fear soon disappeared and was replaced by a tender, compunctionate feeling, which produced abundant tears in him. Sometimes, because of these tears, he could scarcely say the words of the prayer. was a time of strict judgment for Trophimos under the Elder’s watchfulness. He would forget all the sins he had committed during the day, but all the details would come back to his mind during prayer. This brought about sincere repentance in him. After prayer, he would confess to his Elder and receive absolution. After this, Trophimos would feel an unusual lightness and joy in his soul. He went through all the trials of his novitiate before the eyes of his experienced Elder without concealing any of his transgressions from him. Almost unnoticed, he raised himself up. Psalter, the Holy Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles became his favorite books. He always read a certain amount from each of them every day. He tried to do this without fail, often cutting short his night’s rest if he had no time to read during the day. Seeing his zeal, simplicity, and loyalty, his Elder sometimes told him some of the things that happened to him. Once, for example, he came back from the woods with his riasson and prayer rope badly torn. As he sewed up the sleeves of the riasson, Trophimos was amazed and wondered how the Elder could have torn them so much. Elder said, “I was battling with the devils in the forest. They jumped me, a whole bunch of them, and they wanted to tear the prayer ropes from my hands, screaming that I must not say the Jesus Prayer. God helped me, however. I held on to the prayer ropes, even though they were torn in many places, but the riasson really got it from them.” Father Theodosios strictly forbade him to mention this to any of the monks. Theodosios did not have a bed, but slept on the floor. Noticing that there were bedbugs on the floor where the Elder slept, Trophimos brought a kettle of hot water, and wanted to pour it on them. The Elder would not allow this saying, “Their bites remind me of the never-resting worm which is ready for the sinners who have angered God. In this way they bring me to repentance. Do not deprive me of these insects so that I will not feel sorry later.” lived for about two and a half years in his obedience as cell attendant to Father Theodosios. In 1850, he was listed officially as a novice of the Holy Mountain Hermitage. On March 24, he was tonsured as a riassophore monk by Father Arsenios and was named Timon. At that time he was appointed as overseer of the caves. October 21, 1850 Hieromonk Theodosios, the Monastery’s Father Confessor, reposed. His death was a severe blow to his loyal spiritual son Timon, who shed bitter tears at the loss of his father, instructor, and benefactor. Father Arsenios gave him a wooden cross which belonged to Father Theodosios. He accepted it as a treasure in memory of his Elder. Later, Timon gave the cross to the Skete church, where it is a reminder of the labors and prayers of the great ascetic, Father Theodosios. the repose of Father Theodosios, he received a certain comfort when he was appointed to serve the recluse Hieromonk John in his cave. Timon was quite attached to the recluse. He did everything he could for him, watching over him, and fulfilling all of his requests, even the smallest. Later, when others replaced Timon, the recluse often remembered how Timon always pleased him and was always sincerely predisposed toward him. April 2, 1854, Timon was tonsured into the mantiya and renamed Ioannikios. After this he was appointed as the sacristan (ризничий). This was not an easy obedience, for it required a lot of work. After a while he was appointed to the caves, and once again he served Hieromonk John, who lived there. he was ordained to the diaconate, he became even more diligent toward the church services, while continuing his labors of fasting and prayer in his cell. He acquired a fair number of spiritual books and read them with fervor, increasing his knowledge, and using them as guides in his life. In his spare time he liked to go into the woods and converse with God in seclusion. He practiced the Jesus Prayer with attentiveness (π ρο σοχή), and it became more and more a part of his soul. During one of his walks he ventured deep into the forest, and was taken by its seclusion and beauty as he sat down beside the roots of a large spruce tree. As soon as he touched the moss with his hand, he felt heat coming from it, as if from a stove. He was amazed by this, so he began to inspect the place carefully, and discovered that the moss had been placed there skillfully to conceal the entrance of a cave. Inside he saw a a small stove, and a table, upon which was a Psalter. A lampada was burning before an icon, but the occupant of the cave was not at home, giving Father Ioannikios a chance to examine the cave. Except for some old dried bread, some dried fruit, and a pitcher of water, there was nothing in the cave that indicated the hermit’s life of strict fasting. For some time he had been hearing rumors in the Holy Mountain Hermitage about solitaries who lived nearby in the forest, unknown to the world. It was said that they were living there even before the monastery was rebuilt.1 Archimandrite Arsenios, the Superior, was very uneasy about this because he feared that the secular authorities might regard these unknown persons as vagabonds without identification papers, and this could cause trouble for the newly reopened monastery. Father Arsenios discovered two of these hermits, and so he sent them away from the monastery in a peaceful manner. These two happened to be aged Elders, and soon afterward they completed the course of their lives in nearby villages. their departure Father Arsenios felt somewhat more at ease and stopped searching for the others. The brethren of the monastery continued to wonder if there were more hermits were living in the forest, because they saw thin, blackened people at the church services who were dressed like peasants. They avoided all contact with the monks and left quickly after the service, heading in the direction of the nearest farm. Ioannikios realized that the cave he found must belong to one of these hermits, so he decided to wait for him to return. Soon a tall, very thin man of middle age arrived dressed in a white peasant’s shirt and carrying an armload of firewood from another part of the forest. The hermit was rather disturbed to find a guest waiting for him. He sighed deeply and said, “Apparently, it is God’s will that I leave here. I know you. You are the servant of God, Father Ioannikios. Perhaps you will not tell the Archimandrite about me, but I do not wish to place you in such a position. So tomorrow I shall leave here and go elsewhere.” he invited Father Ioannikios to sit down and offered to let him taste some of his cooked dried pears. The hermit told him that his name was Leontios, and he was a soldier who had deserted. He had been living in that vicinity for about twenty years. Here he found an Elder, who was also a hermit, and who taught him to fast, to pray and to sing Psalms. When the Elder was dying he left him this cave. Father Ioannikios loved the hermit and, in his simplicity, he tried to persuade him to stay in the monastery with them. Not understanding, he offered to go to Father Arsenios with him, saying that he would probably be accepted into the monastery. the hermit shook his head and said, “I am a runaway soldier and have no identification whatsoever. Your Superior will not take me in without papers, so it is useless to ask him to do what is impossible. I thank you, Father, for your love, for which the Lord will reward you in Heaven. But now demonstrate your love and do not say anything to anyone in the monastery until tomorrow about finding my cave and seeing me here until I can move to a place farther away from the monastery. Also bow down before the Father Confessor Epiphanios and say to him that by God’s will Leontios left here and went farther away from those who would pursue him.” leaving the hermit, Father Ioannikios did as he requested, and said nothing to anyone about seeing him. About two days later, he went into the woods again, to the cave, thinking that he might find the hermit still there. However, the entrance to the cave was filled in with dirt, and there was no sign that anyone had lived there. When Father Ioannikios described to Father Epiphanios how he had found the hermit, the Confessor felt sorry for him. He said that he had known him for a long time, and that he was his Spiritual Father. He called him a true servant of God, and an ascetic of lofty spiritual life. years later, a peasant came to Father Ioannikios from a nearby village, bringing him several pounds of beeswax. He said, “Leontios orders you to live a long life, and wishes you to know of his repose. The wax is given to you to make candles to be used in the services offered for the repose of his soul.” The hermit had lived beside the peasant’s beehives. He had lived a very strict ascetical life, and had departed to the Lord after a brief illness. Before his death, he had received the Holy Mysteries from the local priest. Arsenios organized a Skete on the Holy Mountain with a church dedicated to Saint Arsenios the Great (May 8). He wanted to place a few monks from his monastery there, monks who loved ascetical struggles and who would lay a firm foundation for this place of seclusion and prayer. Father Ioannikios was also assigned to the Skete as a deacon. This was very much to his liking, since he had an inclination for solitude. 1859, Archimandrite Arsenios passed away after a lengthy illness. Father Germanus (later Archimandrite) was chosen by the brethren to succeed him, and he completed the work of establishing the Skete. life of Father Ioannikios was peaceful and quiet, and he served in the church in his capacity as a deacon. He labored in fasting and prayer, not sparing himself, and so he grew weaker in body. He began to spit up blood; he lost weight, and became thin and pale. Finally, he was put to bed in the monastery’s infirmary where he remained for about six months. Several times he was so close to death that the doctor lost all hope for his recovery. than once during his illness he saw before him the icon of the Holy Napkin (Aug. 16) and the image of the Lord’s face was life-sized. A beautiful fragrance came forth from it, which brought him untold joy and made him forget his illness. Once, when he was especially ill, those around him awaited his death. He saw the holy icon again, and it came so close to him that it touched his face. He heard a soft voice say, “Get up! Be half-healthy, and benefit the souls of your neighbors.” that moment, he felt that the terrible pain in his chest and side had vanished; some of his strength began to return, and he started to get better, which bewildered the doctor who said long ago that he would die. Truly, he never became completely healthy, but only “half-healthy,“ thin, weak, and bent over. Frequently, he spat up blood, but he got out of bed and was able to walk around, praying and serving in order to benefit the souls of his neighbors. August 24, 1864, he was ordained as a priest. Though weak and sickly, Father Ioannikios labored along with other priests who were healthy, young, and strong. He often did more than they did, and soon he was appointed as the Father Confessor for the pilgrims to the monastery. He performed this duty without any respite or laziness. He frequently confessed the pilgrims who came to the Holy Mountain Hermitage for the better part of the day, especially during the summer. On Feast Days it was often the case that between 2000 and 5000 pilgrims received Holy Communion. Lord gave him a special gift to be a Father Confessor: he knew how to obtain people’s love and trust. He knew at once, from his experience, the spiritual illnesses of those who came to him, and he also knew how to apply the right spiritual medicine for them. There were times, however, when he sought the advice of the very experienced and knowledgeable Elder Kyprianos, who was also his Father Confessor. first, Father Ioannikios admitted that “many women, pilgrims and nuns, would bother me with their tales of the supposed visions and miracles they had seen. They did not say what needs to be said in Confession, but wasted time flaunting their alleged holiness before me. So, I asked Batushka Kyprianos how to deal with such penitents. “He advised me: ‘Order them to make prostrations for every vision or miracle that they disclose to you in a boastful way, and without need for it. Believe me; they will soon leave you in peace.’ “I began to follow his advice, and the women didn’t like it. They stopped coming to me for Confession, and went to other priests. They said I was rude. I was happy though, because they only caused difficulties without any benefit to anyone. Some would waste an hour telling of her visions, while others were waiting for Confession.” Ioannikios disliked hypocrisy and self-proclaimed holiness. He scolded to their face those who tried to conceal their sinfulness under the guise of false virtue and holiness. For those who repented sincerely, however, he avoided making harsh demands, and did not impose severe penances. He said that one might vex the soul of a sinner and thereby cause more harm than good. “It is not beneficial to deprive a penitent of Communion,” said Father Ioannikios. “Christianity is so weak now, especially among the learned, that even without depriving them, they seldom receive Communion. To deprive them would not be a punishment for them, but would only serve to make them weaker.” often substituted other means of penance, and even then with great care, according to each person’s strength and circumstances. addition to his duties as Father Confessor for the Monastery, Father Ioannikios was often sent to nearby villages to give Holy Communion, or to minister to those who were sick or dying. Here are some of the other things that Father Ioannikios related about his experience as a Father Confessor: “Once, a peasant came to me late at night and asked me to go with him at once to give Holy Communion to his brother who was dying. I said to him, ‘Can this wait until morning? It will be easier to make the trip then, and it is better to give Communion before a person has any food. ’ “The peasant insisted that we must go immediately; saying that his brother had told him that he would not live through the night. So we went! We travelled through forests and over fields, and we saw wolves whose eyes shone like candles in the dark. At long last, we arrived at a small secluded village and his brother’s home. I went in and saw that the house had been tidied up. The table was covered with a cloth, and on it were lighted candles. I did not see the sick man anywhere, however. “I was met by a thin and pale peasant, who was dressed decently in clean clothes. As it turned out, he was the one who wished to receive Holy Communion. I was amazed and said, ‘Since you are strong enough to be up, you could have waited to receive Communion in the morning, because only those who are dying may receive after eating food.’ “The man said that he was dying, and had very little time to live. He asked me to confess him right away and then give him Communion. He said, ‘I waited for you, Father. Glory be to God that I was able to wait this long. Please give me the Holy Mysteries now, for those who are sent for my soul are here, and are waiting until you do so.’ “After sending his family from the house, I started to confess him. I must admit that seldom have I heard such a Confession. His life was righteous, his feelings and his mind were so elevated and spiritual, his faith was so sincere, and his love for the Savior was so ardent that I was amazed how such an illiterate family man could acquire such virtues. He partook of the Holy Mysteries with great tenderness and heard the Prayers of Thanksgiving while sitting on a bench. He kissed the cross and my hand, and then peacefully gave his soul into God’s hands. “Later, after questioning his family and his grieving wife, I learned that he had been ill for just a few days. He was not confined to bed, but sat up most of the time. From the start of his illness he ate no food. He told his wife that his time was up and he would die. He asked for a priest to come and give him Communion. Seeing that he was sitting up, his family was in no hurry to do so. Only in the evening of the day before he reposed, they heeded his request and believed him when he said he wouldn’t live until morning. He led an abstinent life; he was kind and ready to help anyone with his last piece of bread. He was most fervent in prayer, and the Lord manifested His grace in him, which was revealed clearly by his righteous death.” “On another occasion, I was called to visit a sick woman. I entered the house and saw a woman, who was still young, standing before a mirror and putting a kerchief on her head. She was the sick person! I was quite upset and I reproached her sternly because she appeared to be healthy, but she wanted to receive the Holy Mysteries before she died. She listened to me meekly and said, ‘I asked you to come because I feel that my death is near. Do not think that you have been deceived because you found me by the mirror. I did not want to come to the holy chalice with my hair uncombed, so I did the best I could.’ “She asked me to confess her and give her Holy Communion. I began unwillingly, because I did not believe what she said, and she seemed to be completely healthy. She confessed and received Holy Communion with great reverence, as a true Christian ought to do. I didn’t even have time to put the holy chalice away and begin the Prayers of Thanksgiving. When I looked, she lay down and closed her eyes. I bent over her, but she had already departed to the Lord. She became sick after giving birth and had passed away, leaving an orphaned child.” the Holy Mountain Monastery lived a landowner, a family man, of advanced years. He had cancer, which covered his face in one large wound. He suffered very much, and had to be fed with a spoon. The local priest refused to give him Holy Communion because of the stench which came from the open wound. The family turned to Father Ioannikios for help because the man wanted very much to receive Holy Communion. He looked at the sick man and decided that he could place the Holy Communion right into his mouth with a long-handled spoon, since it had not been eaten away by the cancer. He made such a spoon, confessed the man, and gave him Holy Communion. This made the man very happy. that time on, the suffering man frequently sent for Father Ioannikios in order to receive the Holy Mysteries from him, for it was the one joy in his life. The effect on Father Ioannikios was not insignificant. Many of the monks at the monastery marveled at how he was able to bear the stench, or even the sight of this terrible wound. They even thought that he would become ill himself by visiting this man. Father Ioannikios, however, having complete hope in God, did not fear the stench or the possibility of becoming infected. He continued to bring the Holy Mysteries to the man until the very end. feeling of compassion for the sick and the suffering was especially strong in Father Ioannikios. Very many pilgrims came to Holy Mountain Monastery from everywhere in the summertime. People from all walks of life, from peasants to those who were educated; and many of these were afflicted or possessed, and were brought to the monastery by relatives in the hope of a cure from the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas. Seeing the suffering of these unfortunates, who often screamed loudly with tumultuous voices, or went into convulsions, especially in church during the Divine Liturgy. Knowing that prayers of exorcism are to be read in such cases, Saint Ioannikios was motivated by faith, and he began to pray in this manner over the possessed, anointing them with holy oil in the name of the Lord. of the monks did not approve of this, for they thought Father Ioannikios was too bold. However, Elder Kyprianos, the Father Confessor of the monastery, did not have enough nerve to pray over them himself, so he blessed the saint to do it with complete faith and humility of mind. Kyprianos said that Father Ioannikios, as a faster and a man of prayer, was fully capable of dealing with such afflicted persons, because according to the Lord, “This kind is never expelled except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21, Mark 9:29). In truth, the prayers of Father Ioannikios over these people, said with firm faith before the Almighty Lord, often brought visible cures. Far from the monastery word spread that the Father Confessor was a healer and that he was able to cure the possessed by his prayers. the summertime, he was often seen after the services in front of the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas, praying over the possessed, whose ferocious screaming could be heard at that time. Some cursed him with the most horrible words; others blasphemed terribly, and some even tried to beat him. He did suffer from beatings more than once. He endured all of this meekly, however, attacking the evil demons through fasting and prayer, with which he prepared himself beforehand. Usually, he succeeded, and the sufferers would calm down. They would become humble and meek, and would start praying to God and weep, or they threw up a malodorous liquid on the floor, after which they were completely healed. an enormous man, a Cossack soldier from the vicinity of the Kuban River, was brought to him with a wild expression on his face. His relatives, two strong men, had dragged him there with great difficulty. The possessed man roared with an inhuman voice like a bear, or a wolf, or a pig. All of these were heard from the man at the same time, and his eyes glared with unspeakable hatred. In front of the cathedral of the Holy Mountain Monastery, which is on top of a hill, there is a wide stone stairway leading to the small square where the cathedral is situated. The two men dragged the possessed man to the stairs, but were unable to make him climb the stairs by any means. One of these men went into the cathedral to speak to Father Ioannikios. Fearlessly, the saint came out of the cathedral in his epitracheilion, ready to pray over the man, who was lying on the ground. the man jumped up, seized Father Ioannikios, and threw him over his shoulder. He ran up the stairs and around the cathedral. Those who were present were terrified and did not know what to do. They ran after the man, and saw him on the ground by the cathedral’s western door. Father Ioannikios was all right and unharmed, and he sat on top of the man, holding him by his hair. His relatives ran up to bind the man’s hands and feet, but Father Ioannikios would not permit it. “Don’t touch him,” he said. “Leave him alone. He won’t run anymore. We’ve already had our battle, and you can see who won.” He pointed to the man, whose hair he held with a firm grip. Then he stood up and covered the man’s head with his epitracheilion, and began to read the prayers. The man lay quietly, breathing heavily, as though he were going to vomit. Finally, with a great effort, he threw up fetid, bloody foam so malodorous that those who stood nearby had to move away from him. this the man got up and began to make prostrations while facing the church and offering his heartfelt prayers. The next day he made his Confession to Father Ioannikios and partook of the Holy Mysteries, which he had avoided for the past five years. During Confession he explained that he had become possessed when he had dared to strike his mother. that moment, he experienced terrible suffering. He left the monastery, assured of his complete cure, and went home to Kuban. Later, he received instructions on how to conduct himself so that he would not become subjected to that same evil spirit again. Father Ioannikios said later that when the possessed man threw him over his shoulder and ran up the stairs, he suddenly felt a power within him which enabled him to overcome the man almost effortlessly, while calling upon the sweetest name of the Lord Jesus. was not only adults who were brought to Father Ioannikios, but even children who exhibited sure signs of possession. They spoke in foreign languages, foretold the future, and blasphemed so much that it was frightening. It was much easier to win them over than the adults, however. This was not simply because they were only children, but also because their innocent nature was much more receptive to God’s grace. There were cases where the possessed would relate in detail, and in a loud voice, whatever Father Ioannikios did or thought, or if he ate a little more than usual. They told him that all of his efforts to cast them out would be in vain. Therefore, he fasted even more, for he knew that prayer and fasting are the best weapons to use in healing those who are afflicted. only were the saint’s prayers effective against evil spirits, but also in healing many other illnesses of people who came to him with sincere faith. Once, a young man, the son of a merchant from a nearby town, visited him in his cell. He told him of his sorrow at being a drunkard, because this caused his parents intense grief. He fell down at the feet of Father Ioannikios, begging to be released from this destructive passion, by his prayers. Father Ioannikios put on his epitracheilion and read the prayer for the sick, and then he anointed him with holy oil. He ordered him to drink a little holy water every morning before eating or drinking anything else. a while, the young man visited Father Ioannikios again and said that from the time that he prayed over him and anointed him with the holy oil, he felt such revulsion for wine that he could no longer endure the smell of it. He gave fervent thanks to Father Ioannikios for this. The saint advised him to continue to drink the holy water, ascribing his cure to the grace of God. Later, the young man became interested in monasticism and entered a monastery in Kursk province. compassion for everyone, Saint Ioannikios was always ready to help a poor person in trouble and even went so far as to deny himself as much as possible. large throng of pilgrims usually visited the monastery on the Feast of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Nicholas on May 9, and the church was very crowded during the services. Once, two well-dressed, still young women from Rostov on the Don River came for this Feast. One of them was pregnant and was so pressed by those in the church that she felt that her child was about to be born. The other woman got her out of the church with some difficulty, and her son was born in the monastery guesthouse. This created a disturbance and so the manager told Father Ioannikios what had happened, and asked him what to do. He wondered if he should ask the women to go to the nearby village. “Why,” Father Ioannikios cried, “are we like animals to act in such a way?” went to the guesthouse himself and asked the other woman to come out and tell him right away about everything in detail. Then he sent other women pilgrims to the monastery to go and help them. He also sent for the parish priest to come and baptize the baby, because a Hieromonk is not permitted to do so, except in cases of great necessity. He himself became the child’s godfather2 and participated in this unforeseen event which befell these visitors so far from their home, for which they thanked him very much. The boy’s father, a wealthy merchant of Rostov, became a great benefactor of the Holy Mountain Hermitage and sincerely respected Father Ioannikios, keeping him informed about the child’s growth and accomplishments. of the saint’s extraordinary character traits was his love for children. Often, among the pilgrims, there were families with children, who received special attention from the Elder. He also had a child-like simplicity and trust, and he knew how to convey this to the youngsters so that they loved him and listened to him. He said, “The innocence of such children always evokes tenderness in me. One child looks like an angel of God, the purity of his soul just radiates from his face, especially at Holy Communion.” unfortunate persons, feeble-minded adults, may seem like children in their undeveloped minds. These also received the special love and protection of the kindly Father Ioannikios. We have already see how much he loved Theophilos, the blessed Fool for Christ (+ January 30, 1868), and how he cared for him during his illness, visiting him and gratifying all his wishes. was not the only one he befriended, however. Father Ioannikios always knew how to get along with those whose mental faculties were somewhat diminished. They always loved him and listened to him, and would frequently work along with the monks. Hieromonk Kyprianos, the monastery’s Father Confessor reposed, Father Ioannikios, in the humility and simplicity of his soul, did not wish to take his place. Some of the monks, however, desired this. Even Father Kyprianos himself pointed him out as a Confessor who was more experienced than anyone else. The Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, chose him as his own Father Confessor following the death of Father Kyprianos. This elevated him in the eyes of the entire monastery, but he always acted in such a way that he would not arouse anyone’s jealousy or give them cause to complain. he was sent out into the world by the Superior on the monastery’s business. Even though he was exposed to worldly turmoil, he preserved his spiritual tranquility by unceasing prayer. He also brought much benefit to those worldly people in whose company he happened to find himself. In particular, he loved to visit with his spiritual children who were living in the world. He completed his business quickly and in an expeditious manner. He did not like to sit around for very long. He performed his duties, and then went home to the monastery. His ill health also made such traveling and movement necessary for him. If he remained in his cell too long, the bleeding would start again. If he was traveling, it stopped right away. So it happened that he would leave the monastery feeling very weak, but when he returned he felt much stronger. Whether he was in a railroad car, at the train station, at an inn, or in the home of a peasant, he always tried to benefit his neighbor. cell was very simple. There were a few icons, a number of Church Service Books, some clothing, a poor man’s tea service, and a cheap clock. That was all. He always had books all over his cell. Some were opened, others had page markers. It was apparent that the Elder spent all his spare time in reading. A lampada always burned in his cell before the holy icons. He always advised people to prepare for, and to partake of, the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible. He would say, “Someone who often prepares himself for receiving Holy Communion will improve in his inward being unconsciously, and even that is a great accomplishment. Our union with Christ through partaking of His Mysteries makes even our poor and insufficient preparation better by His grace. It renews us and recreates us, transforming us from carnal creatures to spiritual beings. Every person who partakes of the Holy Mysteries frequently will soon discover this and feel it within himself. Do not tell me that you are not prepared, or are unworthy to partake often. You are not prepared because of laziness, and in this way you do what the Enemy likes. He cannot endure anyone who prepares himself and receives Communion often, because this person is frightening and inaccessible to him. You are not worthy! Who among us can claim to be worthy of receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord? All of us are unworthy of this gift of God’s mercy! If we deprive ourselves of this gift by saying that we are unworthy, then we sin grievously, because we are pushing God away from ourselves. If we acknowledge our unworthiness, if we repent, and if we thirst to partake of the Holy Mysteries, then we receive help from above, and this becomes the means by which we partake of the Holy Mysteries uncondemned.” he himself was cautious about manifestations from the spiritual world, Father Ioannikios always warned his Spiritual Children about believing in dreams or visions. simplicity was extraordinary, and often it was like that of a child. Since he was non-acquisitive, he always declined expensive gifts. If he was forced to accept, he would give all of it to the monastery, according to the strict cenobitic Rule. It was easy to make him happy with a small inexpensive gift. He preferred small sizes of books, such as the Psalter, the Holy Gospels, or the book of Canons. He had them in the smallest sizes one could obtain. His tea service was also quite small, almost like those made for children. Nothing made him happier than to be presented with a small drinking glass, or a tiny tea cup, or a small comb. events occurred to make his poor health even worse. Once, while passing through the monastery yard, he saw that the crank on the water well was not working properly, and that the novice who was sent to repair it was unable to do so. The Elder came, and without stopping to think about it, he started to help. He climbed to the top of the structure and fell down into the well, where he might have drowned if the pulley hadn’t kept his head above the water. He bruised his shoulder, arm, and side very seriously on the wooden sides of the well. The monks came running and pulled him out of the well nearly unconscious, and he was ill for a long time afterward. This fall made his health even worse and, as he said himself, it was the precursor of his approaching death. found himself in danger once again, on one of his trips by train. He was rushing, as quickly as ever, to get into the coach. He missed his step, however, and fell between the car and the station platform. He was saved by his slender build, which allowed the train to pass over him, brushing him slightly with the wheels. after this, he was sick for some time, and his side turned black and hard to the touch. As he lay beneath the train expecting to be killed, he prayed to the Mother of God asking her to deliver him from such a terrible death. Suddenly, he felt as if someone were pulling him toward the platform to a narrow space where he lay on his side and waited for the entire train to pass over him. “Yes, my time is near, perceptibly near,” he said. He began to ask his friends not to forget him after his death, and to remember his parents Nikḗtas and Martha as well. “If you love me,” he said, “do not forget my parents. In this way you will show your love for me.” February 1, 1882 he was visited by the Superior, Father Germanus after Vespers, who found the Elder very ill. They sent for a doctor, who diagnosed him with acute pneumonia, and stated that his condition was grave. His Confessor, Hieromonk Arkadios, brought him the Holy Mysteries every day, and visited him often. His neighbor in the next cell, Hieromonk Dometios, was with him almost all the time and looked after him with rare love and devotion. February 8, he received the Mystery of Holy Unction. Toward evening on February 10, he became much worse. Now his death was very near, indeed. His Confessor read the Prayer for the dying over him. Father Germanus came to visit and stayed until the end, which was not long in coming. At 7:00 P.M. he passed peacefully and quietly away. crowds in the monastery were very large. Memorial Services were sung over him, and everyone wanted to bid him farewell in his cell. It was very stuffy because of the crowds, but his body remained incorrupt. There was no odor of death, but he was so thin that his body on the table looked like bones covered with skin. February 11, his body was taken from his cell to the church of the Protecting Veil by Hieromonk Paisios, the Confessor for the monks. On February 12, in the same church, the Superior, Archimandrite Germanus, solemnly served the Liturgy with other priests, and the Funeral Service took place afterward. The coffin was taken to the underground church in the caves and was buried there. Ioannikios was glorified on July 12, 2008. 1 The monastery was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the French in 1812. 2 According to Canon 4 of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod, a monk may not intrude upon or meddle in ecclesiastical affairs. See The Pedalion p. 248. The Interpretation of this Canon says that “monks must not become godfathers to children being baptized (except in cases of urgent necessity...”) Pedalion page 249.

Mongol, Perm, 1855-1900, Meletios, Siberian Missionary Bishop, Translator, Muslim converter gRelics, Great Story

Mongol, Perm, 1905, All Blessed Icon Copy, sent to city oKazan, Russia
St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul; All Blessed Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) The original “All Blessed” (Pammakaristos) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is in Constantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. is a mosaic icon dating from the middle of the eleventh century. 1905, Patriarch Joachim III presented a copy of the icon to the city of Kazan in Russia.

Mongol, Perm, Kama River Folder

Perm, Great Perm Region (Kama River Basin including Chusovaya, Vishera, and Kolva Rivers)
Perm Krai, 29,000 Rivers in Great Perm Region (Perm Krai) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Kama River Source (Udmurtia)
Udmurtia;

Kama River 1

Kama River 2

Kama River 3

Ural Mountains, Perm, Mongol Lands
Ural Mountains; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye;

Vishera River Source (North Ural)

Vishera River 2

Vishera River 3

Vishera River 5 (Perm, Kolva River Mouth)

Vishera River (Perm Krai) Mouth (Kama River 4)

Kolva River Source (North Ural)

Kolva River Mouth (Greater Perm Region, Vishera River 5)

Visherka River Mouth (Kolva River 2)

Kama River 4 (Vishera River Mouth)

Chusovaya River Source (Eastern Slopes of Ural Mountains)

Chusovaya River 1

Chusovaya River Mouth (Kama Reservoir, Kama River 4)

Kama River 5 (Perm, Sylva River, Iren River)

Sylva River Source (along the border)

Sylva River Mouth (Kama River 6, Perm)

Iren River Source

Iren River Mouth (Sylva River)

Kama River 6 (Perm, Mulyanka River)

Perm (Mulyanka and Sylva Rivers, Kama River 6)
Perm (Kama River 6); Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on July 28; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; a and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on September 25 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye; St Tarasius of Glushetsa, Commemorated October 12 ; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, January 29 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; œMyrrh-BearingÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6 ; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on June 26; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Mulyanka River 1 (Merkushinsk)

Mulyanka River Mouth (Kama River 6)

Naberezhnye Chelny, Perm (Kama River 7)
Naberezhnye Chelny ; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ;

Kama River 8 (Vyatka River)

Vyatka River Source (northern Udmurtia)

Vyatka River 1 (Kirov and Vyatka)

Vyatka River 2 (Orlov)

Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2)
Orlov; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners, Commemorated on May 29;

Vyatka River 3

Vyatka River 4

Vyatka River Mouth (Kama River 8)

Kama River Mouth (Kazan, Volga River 10)

Mongol, Perm, Kazanka River Folder, Kazan

Kazanka River Source (Bimeri)

Kazanka River 1

Kazanka River 2 (Overview)

Kazanka River 3

Kazanka River Mouth (Kazan, Volga River 10)

Kazan, Perm (Kazanka and Kama Rivers, Volga River 10)
Kazan ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Bulgars and Tartars of Kazan; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ofSeven Lakes, Commemorated July 28 ; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; “All Blessed” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on September 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated October 13 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Icon "œNot Made by Hands" from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Mongol, Perm, Volga River Folder

Tartar Winter Camp (1232, Bolghar, Capital of Islamic Volga Bulgars)
In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Bolghar (1232, Tartar Winter Camp, Capital of Islamic Volga Bulgars)
In 1232 the Tatars made winter camp, having barely reached the capital of the Volga Bulgars. Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Mongol, Perm, Roman Roads or Mongol Roads or Major Rivers

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, China Folder

Mongol (Clean), China, its Area

Mongol, China, Yellow River Folder (North China Plain, Peking)

Yellow River

Yellow River from Source 2

Mongol, China, Yangtze River Folder (Shanghai)

Yangtze River

Mongol, China, Yangtze River 2, Yunnan Protected Areas Folder

Three Paralles Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas 1

Three Paralles Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas 2

Three Paralles Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas 3

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas;

Mongol, China, Yangtze River 3, Min River Folder, (Inland China)

Min River

Mongol, China, Yangtze River 10, Xiang River Folder

Xiang River

Mongol, China, Yangtze River 10, Han River Folder, Dengzhou

Han River

Mongol, China, Yangtze River 11, Gan River Folder

Gan River (Jiangxi)

Gan River Tributary

Mongol, China, Hong Kong Folder, Xi and Pearl Rivers

Mongol, China, Hong Kong, Xi River Folder, Macau

Xi River

Xi River Source (Li River)

Xi River Source 2

Xi River Source 3

Qian River

Chongzou River

Mongol, China, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong

Pearl (Canton) River

Pearl River 2

Mongol, China, Hai River Folder (Peking or Bejing, Far North China)

Hai River

Mongol, China, Great Wall of China Folder, 1368-1644, 13,170 Miles

Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China;

Great Wall of China - Dandong

Great Wall of China - Hushan Great Wall
Great Wall of China - Hushan Great Wall;

Great Wall of China - Liaoning Wall
Great Wall of China - Liaoning Wall;

Great Wall of China - Jinshanling
Great Wall of China - Jinshanling;

Great Wall of China - Mutianyu Great Wall
Great Wall of China - Mutianyu Great Wall;

Great Wall of China - Juyong Pass
Great Wall of China - Juyong Pass;

Great Wall of China - Badaling
Great Wall of China - Badaling;

Great Wall of China - Sihaiye in Yanqing County
Great Wall of China - Sihaiye in Yanqing County;

Great Wall of China - Pingxing Pass
Great Wall of China - Pingxing Pass;

Great Wall of China - Piantou Pass in Xinzhou
Great Wall of China - Piantou Pass in Xinzhou;

Great Wall of China - Yanmen Pass
Great Wall of China - Yanmen Pass;

Great Wall of China - Ordos Desert
Great Wall of China - Ordos Desert;

Great Wall of China - Yinchuan, Ningxia
Great Wall of China - Yinchuan; Hexi Corridor; Ningxia;

Great Wall of China - Jiayu Pass
Great Wall of China - Jiayu Pass;

Great Wall of China - Yang Pass
Great Wall of China - Yang Pass;

Great Wall of China - Yumen Pass
Great Wall of China - Yumen Pass;

Great Wall of China - Lop Lake
Great Wall of China - Lop Lake;

Mongol, China, Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Crimea Folder

Mongol (Clean) Crimea, Khzarian Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea, its Area

Crimea, Invasion Gateway to Russia both by Varangian Trade R and M Trail, always taken first
Crimea; Crimean Tartars;

Mongol (Clean) Crimea - Roman Roads or Great Roads and Rivers

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Persia Folder

Mongol (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Siberia Folder

Mongol (Clean) - Siberia, its Area, before 1600

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan Folder

Mongol (Clean), Kazakhastan, its Area, includes Uzbekhastan, Tarin Basin, Upper Orb River from Urals

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Zyryan Folder (Upper Eastside Irtysh River)

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 6, Iset River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tavada River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tura River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Irtysh River 11, Tobol River 7, Tura River 3, Nevya River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Ural River Folder

Mongol
Russia, Orenburg Oblast, its Area

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Lake Balkhash Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Western Siberia, Kazakhastan, Turkestan Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Southwestern Siberia, Uzbekistan Folder

Mongol (Clean), Uzbekistan, its Area

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Orb River Source, Katun and Biya Rivers Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Westcentral Siberia, Ob River 5, Tom River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Westentral Siberia, Ob River 6, Chulym River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Southern Siberia, Kyrgyzstan Folder, Tarim Basin

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Northcentral Siberia, Taz River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Taz River Region, Siberia, its Area
Taz River Region, its Area

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Central Siberia, Yenisei River Folder

Mongol (Clean), Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Source, Selenga River Folder

Mongol, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River Source, Barguzin River Folder, Buryatia

Mongol, Siberia, Central Siberia South, Yenisei River 5, Angara River 5, Ilim River Folder

Mongol, Mongolia Folder, including Tibet

Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongols; Tartars; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Mongolia History Folder

Mongol, Mongolia, 1180-1368, Mongol Empire Folder

Mongolia, 12th Century, Tartars (from Gobi Desert)
Mongolia, 12th Century, Tartars (from Gobi Desert), Tartars' original land: Northeastern Gobi Desert; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum
Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

1206-35 Mongol Tartar Capital - Avarga
1206-35 Mongol Tartar Capital - Avarga;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1206-1368, Mongol-Tartar Empire 1206-1368
Mongol-Tartar Empire ;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1206-1227, Genghis Khan, Founder of the Mongol Empire
Mongol, Mongolia, 1206-1227, Genghis Khan, Founder of the Mongol Empire; Mongol-Tartar Empire ; Repose of St. Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1227-1255, Mongol Khan, Batu Khan
Mongol Khan, 1227-1255, Batu Khan; Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1225-1241 (Mongol Origins of the Golden Horde)
Mongol Horde, 1225-1241 (Mongol Origins of the Golden Horde); Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1235-1260, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Karakorum, Mongolia
Mongol, Mongolia, 1235-1260, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Karakorum, Mongolia ;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan, Yuan Dynasty, China, Mongolia, Korea, Buddist, M Polo
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan ; (/ËˆkuËblaÉª/; Mongolian: Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹, romanized: Hubilai; Chinese: å¿½å¿…çƒˆ; pinyin: Hūbìliè; 23 September  1215 – 18 February 1294), also known as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan, was the fifth khagan-emperor[note 1] of the Mongol Empire (Ikh Mongol Uls), reigning from 1260 to 1294 (although after the division of the empire this was a nominal position). He also founded the Yuan dynasty in China as a conquest dynasty in 1271, and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death in 1294. was the fourth son of Tolui (his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki) and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He succeeded his older brother Möngke as Khagan in 1260, but had to defeat his younger brother Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War lasting until 1264. This episode marked the beginning of disunity in the empire.[2] Kublai's real power was limited to China and Mongolia, though as Khagan he still had influence in the Ilkhanate and, to a significantly lesser degree, in the Golden Horde.[3][4][5] If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, his realm reached from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, from Siberia to what is now Afghanistan.[6] 1271, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty, which ruled over present-day China, Mongolia, Korea, and some adjacent areas; he also amassed influence in the Middle East and Europe as a Khagan. He assumed the role of Emperor of China. By 1279, the Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty was completed and Kublai became the first non-Han emperor to unite all of China proper. imperial portrait of Kublai was part of an album of the portraits of Yuan emperors and empresses, now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. White, the color of the royal costume of Kublai, was the imperial color of the Yuan dynasty.[7] 1 Early years 2 Victory in North China 3 Enthronement and civil war 4 Reign 4.1 Great Khan of the Mongols 4.2 Emperor of the Yuan dynasty 4.2.1 Scientific developments and relations with minorities 4.2.2 Continuation of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices 5 Warfare and foreign relations 5.1 Tibet and Xinjiang 5.2 Kublai's annexation of Goryeo 5.3 Further naval expansion 5.4 Invasions of Japan 5.5 Invasions of Vietnam 5.6 Southeast Asia and South Seas 5.7 Europe 5.8 Africa 6 Capital City 6.1 Xanadu 7 Nayan's rebellion 8 Later years 9 Family 9.1 Wives and sons 9.2 Daughters 10 Poetry 11 Legacy 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 15.1 Citations 15.2 Sources 16 Further reading 17 External links years[edit] Khan was the fourth son of Tolui, and his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki. As his grandfather Genghis Khan advised, Sorghaghtani chose a Buddhist Tangut woman as her son's nurse, whom Kublai later honored highly. On his way home after the Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, Genghis Khan performed a ceremony on his grandsons Möngke and Kublai after their first hunt in 1224 near the Ili River.[8] Kublai was nine years old and with his eldest brother killed a rabbit and an antelope. After his grandfather smeared fat from killed animals onto Kublai's middle finger in accordance with a Mongol tradition, he said "The words of this boy Kublai are full of wisdom, heed them well – heed them all of you." The elderly Khagan (Mongol emperor) Genghis Khan would die three years after this event in 1227, when Kublai was 12. Kublai's father Tolui would serve as regent for two years until Genghis' successor, Kublai's third uncle Ogedei, was enthroned as Khagan in 1229.[citation needed] the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty, in 1236, Ogedei gave Hebei (attached with 80,000 households) to the family of Tolui, who died in 1232. Kublai received an estate of his own, which included 10,000 households. Because he was inexperienced, Kublai allowed local officials free rein. Corruption amongst his officials and aggressive taxation caused large numbers of Chinese peasants to flee, which led to a decline in tax revenues. quickly came to his appanage in Hebei and ordered reforms. Sorghaghtani sent new officials to help him and tax laws were revised. Thanks to those efforts, many of the people who fled returned.[citation needed] most prominent, and arguably most influential, component of Kublai Khan's early life was his study and a strong attraction to contemporary Chinese culture. Kublai invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China, to his ordo in Mongolia. When he met Haiyun in Karakorum in 1242, Kublai asked him about the philosophy of Buddhism. Haiyun named Kublai's son, who was born in 1243, Zhenjin (Chinese: True Gold).[9] Haiyun also introduced Kublai to the formerly Daoist (Taoist), and at the time Buddhist monk, Liu Bingzhong. Liu was a painter, calligrapher, poet, and mathematician, and he became Kublai's advisor when Haiyun returned to his temple in modern Beijing.[10] Kublai soon added the Shanxi scholar Zhao Bi to his entourage. Kublai employed people of other nationalities as well, for he was keen to balance local and imperial interests, Mongol and Turkic.[11] in North China[edit] of young Kublai by Anige, a Nepali artist in Kublai's court 1251, Kublai's eldest brother Möngke became Khan of the Mongol Empire, and Khwarizmian Mahmud Yalavach and Kublai were sent to China. received the viceroyalty over North China and moved his ordo to central Inner Mongolia. During his years as viceroy, Kublai managed his territory well, boosted the agricultural output of Henan, and increased social welfare spendings after receiving Xi'an. acts received great acclaim from the Chinese warlords and were essential to the building of the Yuan Dynasty. 1252, Kublai criticized Mahmud Yalavach, who was never highly valued by his Chinese associates, over his cavalier execution of suspects during a judicial review, and Zhao Bi attacked him for his presumptuous attitude toward the throne. Möngke dismissed Mahmud Yalavach, which met with resistance from Chinese Confucian-trained officials.[12] 1253, Kublai was ordered to attack Yunnan and he asked the Dali Kingdom to submit. The ruling Gao family resisted and killed Mongol envoys. The Mongols divided their forces into three. One wing rode eastward into the Sichuan basin. The second column under Subutai's son Uryankhadai took a difficult route into the mountains of western Sichuan.[13] Kublai went south over the grasslands and met up with the first column. While Uryankhadai travelled along the lakeside from the north, Kublai took the capital city of Dali and spared the residents despite the slaying of his ambassadors. The Dali King Duan Xingzhi (æ®µèˆˆæ™º) himself defected to the Mongols, who used his troops to conquer the rest of Yunnan. Duan Xingzhi, the last king of Dali, was appointed by Möngke Khan as the first tusi or local ruler; Duan accepted the stationing of a pacification commissioner there.[14] Kublai's departure, unrest broke out among certain factions. In 1255 and 1256, Duan Xingzhi was presented at court, where he offered Möngke Khan maps of Yunnan and counsels about the vanquishing of the tribes who had not yet surrendered. Duan then led a considerable army to serve as guides and vanguards for the Mongolian army. By the end of 1256, Uryankhadai had completely pacified Yunnan.[15] was attracted by the abilities of Tibetan monks as healers. In 1253 he made Drogön Chögyal Phagpa of the Sakya school, a member of his entourage. Phagpa bestowed on Kublai and his wife, Chabi (Chabui), an empowerment (initiation ritual). Kublai appointed Lian Xixian of the Kingdom of Qocho (1231–1280) the head of his pacification commission in 1254. Some officials, who were jealous of Kublai's success, said that he was getting above himself and dreaming of having his own empire by competing with Möngke's capital Karakorum. Möngke Khan sent two tax inspectors, Alamdar (Ariq Böke's close friend and governor in North China) and Liu Taiping, to audit Kublai's officials in 1257. They found fault, listed 142 breaches of regulations, accused Chinese officials and executed some of them, and Kublai's new pacification commission was abolished.[16] Kublai sent a two-man embassy with his wives and then appealed in person to Möngke, who publicly forgave his younger brother and reconciled with him.[citation needed] Daoists had obtained their wealth and status by seizing Buddhist temples. Möngke repeatedly demanded that the Daoists cease their denigration of Buddhism and ordered Kublai to end the clerical strife between the Daoists and Buddhists in his territory.[17] Kublai called a conference of Daoist and Buddhist leaders in early 1258. At the conference, the Daoist claim was officially refuted, and Kublai forcibly converted 237 Daoist temples to Buddhism and destroyed all copies of the Daoist texts.[18][19][20][21] Kublai Khan and the Yuan dynasty clearly favored Buddhism, while his counterparts in the Chagatai Khanate, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate later converted to Islam at various times in history – Berke of the Golden Horde being the only Muslim during Kublai's era (his successor did not convert to Islam).[citation needed] “The Emperor Kublai Khan in a tower carried by four elephants on the day of the battle“ French Engraving, 18th century. 1258, Möngke put Kublai in command of the Eastern Army and summoned him to assist with an attack on Sichuan. As he was suffering from gout, Kublai was allowed to stay home, but he moved to assist Möngke anyway. Before Kublai arrived in 1259, word reached him that Möngke had died. Kublai decided to keep the death of his brother secret and continued the attack on Wuhan, near the Yangtze. While Kublai's force besieged Wuchang, Uryankhadai joined him.[citation needed] The Song minister Jia Sidao secretly approached Kublai to propose terms. He offered an annual tribute of 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk, in exchange for Mongol agreement to the Yangtze as the frontier between the states.[22] Kublai declined at first but later reached a peace agreement with Jia Sidao. and civil war[edit] article: Toluid Civil War received a message from his wife that his younger brother Ariq Böke had been raising troops, so he returned north to the Mongolian plains.[23] he reached Mongolia, he learned that Ariq Böke had held a kurultai (Mongol great council) at the capital Karakorum, which had named him Great Khan with the support of most of Genghis Khan's descendants. and the fourth brother, the Il-Khan Hulagu, opposed this. Kublai's Chinese staff encouraged Kublai to ascend the throne, and almost all the senior princes in North China and Manchuria supported his candidacy.[24] returning to his own territories, Kublai summoned his own kurultai. Fewer members of the royal family supported Kublai's claims to the title, though the small number of attendees included representatives of all the Borjigin lines except that of Jochi. This kurultai proclaimed Kublai Great Khan, on April 15, 1260, despite Ariq Böke's apparently legal claim to become khan.[citation needed] Khan was chosen by his many supporters to become the next Great Khan at the Grand Kurultai in the year 1260. Kublai Khan and His Empress Enthroned, from a Jami al-Twarikh (or Chingiznama). Mughal dynasty, Reign of Akbar, 1596. Mughal Court. Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. India. Freer Gallery of Art. F1954.31 [1] led to warfare between Kublai and Ariq Böke, which resulted in the destruction of the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. In Shaanxi and Sichuan, Möngke's army supported Ariq Böke. Kublai dispatched Lian Xixian to Shaanxi and Sichuan, where they executed Ariq Böke's civil administrator Liu Taiping and won over several wavering generals.[25] To secure the southern front, Kublai attempted a diplomatic resolution and sent envoys to Hangzhou, but Jia broke his promise and arrested them.[26] Kublai sent Abishqa as new khan to the Chagatai Khanate. Ariq Böke captured Abishqa, two other princes, and 100 men, and he had his own man, Alghu, crowned khan of Chagatai's territory. the first armed clash between Ariq Böke and Kublai, Ariq Böke lost and his commander Alamdar was killed at the battle. In revenge, Ariq Böke had Abishqa executed. cut off supplies of food to Karakorum with the support of his cousin Kadan, son of Ögedei Khan. Karakorum quickly fell to Kublai's large army, but following Kublai's departure it was temporarily re-taken by Ariq Böke in 1261. Yizhou governor Li Tan revolted against Mongol rule in February 1262, and Kublai ordered his Chancellor Shi Tianze and Shi Shu to attack Li Tan. The two armies crushed Li Tan's revolt in just a few months and Li Tan was executed. armies also executed Wang Wentong, Li Tan's father-in-law, who had been appointed the Chief Administrator of the Central Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng) early in Kublai's reign and became one of Kublai's most trusted Han Chinese officials. incident instilled in Kublai a distrust of ethnic Hans. After becoming emperor, Kublai banned granting the titles of and tithes to Han Chinese warlords.[citation needed] Khan Alghu, who had been appointed by Ariq Böke, declared his allegiance to Kublai and defeated a punitive expedition sent by Ariq Böke in 1262. The Ilkhan Hulagu also sided with Kublai and criticized Ariq Böke. Böke surrendered to Kublai at Xanadu on August 21, 1264. The rulers of the western khanates acknowledged Kublai's victory and rule in Mongolia.[27] When Kublai summoned them to a new kurultai, Alghu Khan demanded recognition of his illegal position from Kublai in return. Despite tensions between them, both Hulagu and Berke, khan of the Golden Horde, at first accepted Kublai's invitation.[28][29] However, they soon declined to attend the kurultai. Kublai pardoned Ariq Böke, although he executed Ariq Böke's chief supporters. Khan of the Mongols[edit] invasions and conquests mysterious deaths of three Jochid princes in Hulagu's service, the Siege of Baghdad (1258), and unequal distribution of war spoils strained the Ilkhanate's relations with the Golden Horde. 1262, Hulagu's complete purge of the Jochid troops and support for Kublai in his conflict with Ariq Böke brought open war with the Golden Horde. Kublai reinforced Hulagu with 30,000 young Mongols in order to stabilize the political crises in the western regions of the Mongol Empire.[30] Hulagu died on February 8, 1264, Berke marched to cross near Tbilisi to conquer the Ilkhanate but died on the way. Within a few months of these deaths, Alghu Khan of the Chagatai Khanate also died. In the new official version of his family's history, Kublai refused to write Berke's name as the khan of the Golden Horde because of Berke's support for Ariq Böke and wars with Hulagu; however, Jochi's family was fully recognized as legitimate family members.[31] Khan named Abaqa as the new Ilkhan (obedient khan) and nominated Batu's grandson Mentemu for the throne of Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde.[32][33] The Kublaids in the east retained suzerainty over the Ilkhans until the end of their regime.[24][34] also sent his protege Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq to overthrow the court of the Oirat Orghana, the empress of the Chagatai Khanate, who put her young son Mubarak Shah on the throne in 1265, without Kublai's permission after her husband's death. Kaidu of the House of Ögedei declined to personally attend the court of Kublai. Kublai instigated Baraq to attack Kaidu. Baraq began to expand his realm northward; he seized power in 1266 and fought Kaidu and the Golden Horde. He also pushed out Great Khan's overseer from the Tarim Basin. When Kaidu and Mentemu together defeated Kublai, Baraq joined an alliance with the House of Ögedei and the Golden Horde against Kublai in the east and Abagha in the west. Meanwhile, Mentemu avoided any direct military expedition against Kublai's realm. The Golden Horde promised Kublai their assistance to defeat Kaidu whom Mentemu called the rebel.[35] This was apparently due to the conflict between Kaidu and Mentemu over the agreement they made at the Talas kurultai. The armies of Mongol Persia defeated Baraq's invading forces in 1269. When Baraq died the next year, Kaidu took control of the Chagatai Khanate and recovered his alliance with Mentemu.[citation needed] Kublai tried to stabilize his control over the Korean Peninsula by mobilizing another Mongol invasion after he enthroned Wonjong of Goryeo (r. 1260–1274) in 1259 on Ganghwado. Kublai also forced two rulers of the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate to call a truce with each other in 1270 despite the Golden Horde's interests in the Middle East and the Caucasus.[36] 1260, Kublai sent one of his advisors, Hao Ching, to the court of Emperor Lizong of Song to say that if Lizong submitted to Kublai and surrender his dynasty, he would be granted some autonomy.[37] Emperor Lizong refused to meet Kublai's demands and imprisoned Hao Ching and when Kublai sent a delegation to release Hao Ching, Emperor Lizong sent them back.[37] called two Iraqi siege engineers from the Ilkhanate in order to destroy the fortresses of Song China. After the fall of Xiangyang in 1273, Kublai's commanders, Aju and Liu Zheng, proposed a final campaign against the Song Dynasty, and Kublai made Bayan of the Baarin the supreme commander.[38] Kublai ordered Möngke Temür to revise the second census of the Golden Horde to provide resources and men for his conquest of China.[39] The census took place in all parts of the Golden Horde, including Smolensk and Vitebsk in 1274–75. The Khans also sent Nogai Khan to the Balkans to strengthen Mongol influence there.[40] renamed the Mongol regime in China Dai Yuan in 1271, and sought to sinicize his image as Emperor of China in order to win control of millions of Han Chinese people. he moved his headquarters to Khanbaliq, also called Dadu, at modern-day Beijing, there was an uprising in the old capital Karakorum that he barely contained. Kublai's actions were condemned by traditionalists and his critics still accused him of being too closely tied to Han Chinese culture. They sent a message to him: "The old customs of our Empire are not those of the Han Chinese laws ... What will happen to the old customs?"[41][42] Kaidu attracted the other elites of Mongol Khanates, declaring himself to be a legitimate heir to the throne instead of Kublai, who had turned away from the ways of Genghis Khan.[43][44] Defections from Kublai's Dynasty swelled the Ögedeids' forces. of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by Han Chinese court artist Liu Guandao, c. 1280. Song imperial family surrendered to the Yuan in 1276, making the Mongols the first non-Han Chinese peoples to conquer all of China. Three years later, Yuan marines crushed the last of the Song loyalists. The Song Empress Dowager and her grandson, Emperor Gong of Song, were then settled in Khanbaliq where they were given tax-free property, and Kublai's wife Chabi took a personal interest in their well-being. However, Kublai later had Emperor Gong sent away to become a monk to Zhangye.[citation needed] succeeded in building a powerful empire, created an academy, offices, trade ports and canals and sponsored science and the arts. The record of the Mongols lists 20,166 public schools created during Kublai's reign.[43] Having achieved real or nominal dominion over much of Eurasia, and having successfully conquered China, Kublai was in a position to look beyond China.[45] However, Kublai's costly invasions of Vietnam (1258), Sakhalin (1264), Burma (1277), Champa (1282), and Vietnam again (1285) secured only the vassal status of those countries. Mongol invasions of Japan (1274 and 1280), the third invasion of Vietnam (1287–8), and the invasion of Java (1293) failed. the same time, Kublai's nephew Ilkhan Abagha tried to form a grand alliance of the Mongols and the Western European powers to defeat the Mamluks in Syria and North Africa that constantly invaded the Mongol dominions. Abagha and Kublai focused mostly on foreign alliances, and opened trade routes. Khagan Kublai dined with a large court every day, and met with many ambassadors and foreign merchants.[citation needed] son Nomukhan and his generals occupied Almaliq from 1266 to 1276. In 1277, a group of Genghisid princes under Möngke's son Shiregi rebelled, kidnapped Kublai's two sons and his general Antong and handed them over to Kaidu and Möngke Temür. The latter was still allied with Kaidu who fashioned an alliance with him in 1269, although Möngke Temür had promised Kublai his military support to protect Kublai from the Ögedeids.[43] Kublai's armies suppressed the rebellion and strengthened the Yuan garrisons in Mongolia and the Ili River basin. However, Kaidu took control over Almaliq. of the letter of Arghun to Philip IV of France, in the Mongolian script, dated 1289. French National Archives. In 1279–80, Kublai decreed death for those who performed slaughtering of cattle according to the legal codes of Islam (dhabihah) or Judaism (kashrut), which offended Mongolian custom.[46] Tekuder seized the throne of the Ilkhanate in 1282, attempting to make peace with the Mamluks, Abaqa's old Mongols under prince Arghun appealed to Kublai. After the execution of Ahmad Fanakati, Kublai confirmed Arghun's coronation and awarded his commander in chief Buqa the title of chancellor.[citation needed] niece, Kelmish, who married a Khongirad general of the Golden Horde, was powerful enough to have Kublai's sons Nomuqan and Kokhchu returned. Three leaders of the Jochids, Tode Mongke, Köchü, and Nogai, agreed to release two princes.[47] The court of the Golden Horde returned the princes as a peace overture to the Yuan Dynasty in 1282 and induced Kaidu to release Kublai's general. Konchi, khan of the White Horde, established friendly relations with the Yuan and the Ilkhanate, and as a reward received luxury gifts and grain from Kublai.[48] Despite political disagreement between contending branches of the family over the office of Khagan, the economic and commercial system continued.[49][50][51][52] of the Yuan dynasty[edit] also: Timeline of the Yuan dynasty Yuan Dynasty of China, c. 1294 Khan considered China his main base, realizing within a decade of his enthronement as Great Khan that he needed to concentrate on governing there.[53] From the beginning of his reign, he adopted Chinese political and cultural models and worked to minimize the influences of regional lords, who had held immense power before and during the Song Dynasty. heavily relied on his Chinese advisers until about 1276. He had many Han Chinese advisers, such as Liu Bingzhong and Xu Heng, and employed many Buddhist Uyghurs, some of whom were resident commissioners running Chinese districts.[54] also appointed the Sakya lama Drogön Chögyal Phagpa ("the Phags pa Lama") his Imperial Preceptor, giving him power over all the empire's Buddhist monks. 1270, after the Phags pa Lama created the 'Phags-pa script, he was promoted to imperial preceptor. Kublai established the Supreme Control Commission under the Phags pa Lama to administer affairs of Tibetan and Chinese monks. During Phagspa's absence in Tibet, the Tibetan monk Sangha rose to high office and had the office renamed the Commission for Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs.[55][56] In 1286, Sangha became the dynasty's chief fiscal officer. However, their[whose?] corruption later embittered Kublai, and he later relied wholly on younger Mongol aristocrats. Antong of the Jalairs and Bayan of the Baarin served as grand councillors from 1265, and Oz-temur of the Arulad headed the censorate. Borokhula's descendant, Ochicher, headed a kheshig (Mongolian imperial guard) and the palace provision commission.[citation needed] the eighth year of Zhiyuan (1271), Kublai officially created the Yuan dynasty and proclaimed the capital as Dadu (Chinese: å¤§éƒ½; Wade–Giles: Ta-tu; lit. 'Grand Capital', known as Khanbaliq or Daidu to the Mongols, at modern-day Beijing) the following year. His summer capital was in Shangdu (Chinese: ä¸Šéƒ½; lit. 'Upper Capital', also called Xanadu, near what today is Dolon Nor). unify China,[57] Kublai began a massive offensive against the remnants of the Southern Song in 1274 and finally destroyed the Song in 1279, unifying the country at last at the Battle of Yamen where the last Song Emperor Zhao Bing committed suicide by jumping into the sea and ending the Song dynasty.[58] opera flourished during Yuan China. of the Yuan domains were administered as provinces, also translated as the "Branch Secretariat", each with a governor and vice-governor.[59] This included China proper, Manchuria, Mongolia, and a special Zhendong branch Secretariat that extended into the Korean Peninsula.[60][61] The Central Region (Chinese: è…¹è£) was separate from the rest, consisting of much of present-day North China. It was considered the most important region of the dynasty and was directly governed by the Zhongshu Sheng at Dadu. Tibet was governed by another top-level administrative department called the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs. promoted economic growth by rebuilding the Grand Canal, repairing public buildings, and extending highways. However, his domestic policy included some aspects of the old Mongol living traditions, and as his reign continued, these traditions would clash increasingly frequently with traditional Chinese economic and social culture. decreed that partner merchants of the Mongols should be subject to taxes in 1262 and set up the Office of Market Taxes to supervise them in 1268.[62] the Mongol conquest of the Song, the Muslim, Uighur and Chinese merchants expanded their operations to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.[62] In 1286, maritime trade was put under the Office of Market Taxes. The main source of revenue of the government was the monopoly of salt production.[63] Mongol administration had issued paper currencies from 1227 on.[64][65] In August 1260, Kublai created the first unified paper currency called Jiaochao; bills were circulated throughout the Yuan domain with no expiration date. To guard against devaluation, the currency was convertible with silver and gold, and the government accepted tax payments in paper currency. In 1273, Kublai issued a new series of state sponsored bills to finance his conquest of the Song, although eventually a lack of fiscal discipline and inflation turned this move into an economic disaster. was required to pay only in the form of paper money. To ensure its use, Kublai's government confiscated gold and silver from private citizens and foreign merchants, but traders received government-issued notes in exchange. Kublai Khan is considered to be the first fiat money maker. The paper bills made collecting taxes and administering the empire much easier and reduced the cost of transporting coins.[66] In 1287, Kublai's minister Sangha created a new currency, Zhiyuan Chao, to deal with a budget shortfall.[67] It was non-convertible and denominated in copper cash. Later Gaykhatu of the Ilkhanate attempted to adopt the system in Iran and the Middle East, which was a complete failure, and shortly afterwards he was assassinated.[citation needed] Sangha was a Tibetan.[68] A rich merchant from the Madurai Sultanate, Abu Ali, was associated closely with its royal family. After falling out with them, he moved to Yuan China and received a Korean woman as his wife and a job from the Mongol Emperor, the woman was formerly Sangha's wife and her father held the title of Chaesongnyeon during the reign of Chungnyeol of Goryeo according to the Dongguk Tonggam, Goryeosa and Liu Mengyan's ZhÅng'ÄnjÃ.[69][70] encouraged Asian arts and demonstrated religious tolerance. Despite his anti-Daoist edicts, Kublai respected the Daoist master and appointed Zhang Liushan as the patriarch of the Daoist Xuánjià, (Mysterious Order).[71] Under Zhang's advice, Daoist temples were put under the Academy of Scholarly Worthies. Europeans visited the empire, notably Marco Polo in the 1270s, who may have seen the summer capital Shangdu.[citation needed] the Southern Song, the descendant of Confucius at Qufu, Duke Yansheng Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to Quzhou, while the newly established Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng. From that time up until the Yuan dynasty, there were two Duke Yanshengs, once in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation, so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng.[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] The southern branch still remained in Quzhou where they lived to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000.[80] developments and relations with minorities[edit] "Muslim trebuchet" (or Huihui Pao) used to breach the walls of Fancheng and Xiangyang. Muslims served as high officials in the court of Kublai Khan. Eight of the dynasty's twelve administrative districts had Muslim governors appointed by Kublai Khan.[81] Among the Muslim governors was Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, who became administrator of Yunnan. He was a well learned man in the Confucian and Daoist traditions and is believed to have propagated Islam in China. Other administrators were Nasr al-Din (Yunnan) and Mahmud Yalavach (mayor of the Yuan capitol). Khan patronized Muslim scholars and scientists, and Muslim astronomers contributed to the construction of the observatory in Shaanxi.[82] Astronomers such as Jamal ad-Din introduced 7 new instruments and concepts that allowed the correction of the Chinese calendar. cartographers made accurate maps of all the nations along the Silk Road and greatly influenced the knowledge of Yuan dynasty rulers and merchants.[citation needed] physicians organized hospitals and had their own institutes of Medicine in Beijing and Shangdu. In Beijing was the renown Guang Hui Si "Department of extensive mercy", where Hui medicine and surgery were taught. Avicenna's works were also published in China during that period.[83] mathematicians introduced Euclidean Geometry, Spherical trigonometry and Arabic numerals in China.[84] brought siege engineers Ismail and Al al-Din to China, and together they invented the Muslim trebuchet (or Huihui Pao), which was utilized by Kublai Khan during the Battle of Xiangyang.[85] of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices[edit] Emperors like Kublai Khan forbade practices such as butchering according to Jewish (kashrut) or Muslim (dhabihah) legal codes and other restrictive decrees continued. Circumcision was also strictly forbidden.[86][87][88] and foreign relations[edit] also: Kublai Khan's campaigns, Mongol military tactics and organization, and Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty Yuan dynasty hand cannon Kublai restricted the functions of the kheshig, he created a new imperial bodyguard, at first entirely Chinese in composition but later strengthened with Kipchak, Alan (Asud), and Russian units.[89][90][91] Once his own kheshig was organized in 1263, Kublai put three of the original kheshigs under the charge of the descendants of Genghis Khan's assistants, Borokhula, Boorchu, and Muqali. Kublai began the practice of having the four great aristocrats in his kheshig sign jarligs (decrees), a practice that spread to all other Mongol khanates.[92] Mongol and Chinese units were organized using the same decimal organization that Genghis Khan used. The Mongols eagerly adopted new artillery and technologies. Kublai and his generals adopted an elaborate, moderate style of military campaigns in South China. Effective assimilation of Chinese naval techniques allowed the Yuan army to quickly conquer the Song.[citation needed] and Xinjiang[edit] 1285 the Drikung Kagyu sect revolted, attacking Sakya monasteries. The Chagatayid khan, Duwa, helped the rebels, laying siege to Gaochang and defeating Kublai's garrisons in the Tarim Basin.[93] Kaidu destroyed an army at Beshbalik and occupied the city the following year. Many Uyghurs abandoned Kashgar for safer bases back in the eastern part of the Yuan dynasty. After Kublai's grandson Buqa-Temür crushed the resistance of the Drikung Kagyu, killing 10,000 Tibetans in 1291, Tibet was fully pacified.[citation needed] annexation of Goryeo[edit] also: Korea under Yuan rule and Mongol invasions of Korea dragons chasing a flaming pearl was a symbol associated with Goryeo Sumiyabaatar/ Ð‘. Ð¡ÑƒÐ¼ÑŒÑÐ°Ð±Ð°Ð°Ñ‚Ð°Ñ€, "Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹ Ð˜Ñ… Ð¥Ð°Ð°Ð½Ñ‹ Ò¯ÐµÐ¸Ð¹Ð½ ÐœÐ¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾Ð» – Ð¡Ð¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾ÑÑ‹Ð½ Ñ…Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ð»Ñ†Ð°Ð°", "Relationship between Mongolia and Korea during Kubilai Khan rule", 439p, 2015, ISBN 978-99973-302-5-3 Kublai Khan invaded Goryeo (the state on the Korean Peninsula) and made it a tributary vassal state in 1260. After another Mongol intervention in 1273, Goryeo came under even tighter control of the Yuan.[94][95][96][97][98] Goryeo became a Mongol military base, and several myriarchy commands were established there. The court of the Goryeo supplied Korean troops and an ocean-going naval force for the Mongol campaigns.[citation needed] naval expansion[edit] Gangnido reflects the Chinese geographical knowledge during the Mongol Empire about countries in the West.[99] Despite the opposition of some of his Confucian-trained advisers, Kublai decided to invade Japan, Burma, Vietnam, and Java, following the suggestions of some of his Mongol officials. He also attempted to subjugate peripheral lands such as Sakhalin, where its indigenous people eventually submitted to the Mongols by 1308, after Kublai's death. These costly invasions and conquests and the introduction of paper currency caused inflation. From 1273 to 1276, war against the Song Dynasty and Japan made the issue of paper currency expand from 110,000 ding to 1,420,000 ding.[100] of Japan[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Japan Japanese samurai Suenaga facing Mongol arrows and bombs. MÅko ShÅ«rai Ekotoba (è’™å¤è¥²æ¥çµµè©ž), circa 1293. Kublai's court his most trusted governors and advisers appointed by meritocracy with the essence of multiculturalism were Mongols, Semu, Koreans, Hui and Chinese people.[81][101] Because the Wokou extended support to the crumbling Song dynasty, Kublai Khan initiated invasions of Japan. Khan twice attempted to invade Japan. It is believed that both attempts were partly thwarted by bad weather or a flaw in the design of ships that were based on river boats without keels, and his fleets were destroyed. The first attempt took place in 1274, with a fleet of 900 ships.[102] second invasion occurred in 1281 when Mongols sent two separate forces: 900 ships containing 40,000 Korean, Chinese, and Mongol troops were sent from Masan, while a force of 100,000 sailed from southern China in 3,500 ships, each close to 240 feet (73 m) long. The fleet was hastily assembled and ill-equipped to cope with maritime conditions. In November, they sailed into the treacherous waters that separate Korea and Japan by 180 kilometres (110 miles). The Mongols easily took over Tsushima Island about halfway across the strait and then Iki Island closer to Kyushu. The Korean fleet reached Hakata Bay on June 23, 1281 and landed its troops and animals, but the ships from China were nowhere to be seen. Mongolian landing forces were subsequently defeated at the Battle of Akasaka and the Battle of Torikai-Gata. Takezaki Suenaga's samurai attacked the Mongolian army and fought them, as reinforcements led by Shiraishi Michiyasu arrived and defeated the Mongolians, who suffered around 3500 dead.[103] samurai warriors, following their custom, rode out against the Mongol forces for individual combat but the Mongols held their formation. The Mongols fought as a united force, not as individuals, and bombarded the samurai with exploding missiles and showered them with arrows. Eventually, the remaining Japanese withdrew from the coastal zone inland to a fortress. The Mongol forces did not chase the fleeing Japanese into an area about which they lacked reliable intelligence. In a number of individual skirmishes, known collectively as the KÅan Campaign (å¼˜å®‰ã®å½¹) or the "Second Battle of Hakata Bay", the Mongol forces were driven back to their ships by the Samurai. The Japanese army was heavily outnumbered, but had fortified the coastal line with two-meter high walls, and was easily able to repulse the Mongolian forces that were launched against it.[citation needed] samurai boarding Yuan ships in 1281. archaeologist Kenzo Hayashida led the investigation that discovered the wreckage of the second invasion fleet off the western coast of Takashima District, Shiga. His team's findings strongly indicate that Kublai rushed to invade Japan and attempted to construct his enormous fleet in one year, a task that should have taken up to five years. This forced the Chinese to use any available ships, including river boats. Most importantly, the Chinese, under Kublai's control, built many ships quickly in order to contribute to the fleets in both of the invasions. theorizes that, had Kublai used standard, well-constructed ocean-going ships with curved keels to prevent capsizing, his navy might have survived the journey to and from Japan and might have conquered it as intended. October 2011, a wreck, possibly one of Kublai's invasion craft, was found off the coast of Nagasaki.[104] David Nicolle wrote in The Mongol Warlords, "Huge losses had also been suffered in terms of casualties and sheer expense, while the myth of Mongol invincibility had been shattered throughout eastern Asia." He also wrote that Kublai was determined to mount a third invasion, despite the horrendous cost to the economy and to his and Mongol prestige of the first two defeats, and only his death and the unanimous agreement of his advisers not to invade prevented a third attempt.[105] soldiers, second version ships, second version of a 14th-century prized Yuan dynasty junk of Vietnam[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Vietnam Khan invaded Äáº¡i Viá»‡t (now Vietnam) three times, each repelled by the ruling Tráº§n dynasty. The ancestors of the Tráº§n clan originated from the province of Fujian and migrated to Äáº¡i Viá»‡t under Tráº§n Kinh é™³äº¬ (Chén JÄ«ng),[106] where their mixed-blooded descendants later established the Tráº§n dynasty and came to rule Äáº¡i Viá»‡t; despite many intermarriages between the Tráº§n and several royal members of the Lý dynasty alongside members of their royal court as in the case of Tráº§n Lý[107][108] and Tráº§n Thá»«a,[109] some of the mixed-blood descendants of the clan could still speak Chinese, as evidenced when a Yuan dynasty envoy had a meeting with the Chinese-speaking Tráº§n prince Tráº§n Quá»‘c Tuáº¥n (later Supreme Commander Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o) in 1282.[110][111][112][113][114] first incursion was in 1257, but the Tráº§n dynasty was able to repel the invasion and ultimately re-established the peace treaty between the Mongols and Äáº¡i Viá»‡t in the twelfth lunar month of 1257. When Kublai became the Great Khan in 1260, the Tráº§n dynasty sent tribute every three years and received a darughachi.[115][116] However, their kings soon declined to attend the Mongol court in person. The Great Khan sent his envoys to order the Tráº§n king to open his land to allow the Yuan army to pass through to invade the kingdom of Champa, but the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t court refused. Kublai sent another envoy to the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t to demand that the Tráº§n king surrender his land and his kingship. The Tráº§n king assembled all his citizens, allowing all to vote on whether to surrender to the Yuan or to stand and fight for their homeland. The vote was a unanimous decision to stand and fight the invaders.[citation needed] his first failure, Kublai wanted to install Nhân Tông's brother Tráº§n Ãch Táº¯c – who had defected to the Mongols – as king of Annam (Äáº¡i Viá»‡t?), but hardship in the Yuan's supply base in Hunan and Kaidu's invasion forced Kublai to abandon his plans.[citation needed] second Mongol invasion of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t began late in 1284, when the Mongol Yuan forces under the command of Toghan, the prince of Kublai Khan, crossed the border and quickly occupied ThÄƒng Long (now Hanoi) in January 1285, after the victorious battle of Omar in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p (north east of Hanoi). At the same time Sogetu, second in command of the Yuan army, moved from Champa northward and rapidly marched to Nghe An in the north central region of Vietnam, where the army of the Tráº§n dynasty under general Tráº§n Kien was defeated and surrendered to him. However, the Tráº§n king and the commander-in-chief Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o changed their tactics from defence to attack and struck against the Mongols. In April, General Tráº§n Quang Kháº£i defeated Sogetu in ChÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng and the Tráº§n king won a battle in Tây Káº¿t, where Sogetu died. Soon after, general Tráº§n Nháºt Duáºt also won a battle in Hàm Tá» (now HÆ°ng Yên) and Toghan was defeated by General Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o. Thus Kublai failed in his first attempt to invade Äáº¡i Viá»‡t. Toghan hid himself inside a bronze pipe to avoid being killed by the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t archers; this act brought humiliation upon the Mongol Empire and Toghan himself.[citation needed] third Mongol invasion began in 1287. It was better organized than the previous effort; a large fleet and plentiful stocks of food were used. The Mongol Yuan forces, under the command of Toghan, moved to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p from the north west and met the infantry and cavalry of Kublai's Kipchak commander Omar (coming by another way along the Red River) and quickly won the battle. The naval fleet rapidly attained victory in Vân Äá»“n near Háº¡ Long Bay. However, the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t General Tráº§n Khánh DÆ° managed to intercept and captured the heavy, fully stocked cargo ships, filled with food and supplies for Toghan's army. As a result, the Mongolian army in ThÄƒng Long suffered an acute shortage of food. With no news about the supply fleet, Toghan ordered his army to retreat to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. The Äáº¡i Viá»‡t army began their general offensive and recaptured a number of locations occupied by the Mongols. Groups of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t infantry were ordered to attack the Mongols in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. Toghan had to split his army into two and retreated in 1288.[citation needed] early April 1288 the naval fleet, led by Omar and escorted by infantry, fled home along the Báº¡ch Äáº±ng river. As bridges and roads were destroyed and attacks were launched by Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops, the Mongols reached Báº¡ch Äáº±ng without an infantry escort. Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's small flotilla engaged in battle and pretended to retreat. The Mongols eagerly pursued the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops only to fall into their pre-arranged battlefield. Thousands of small Äáº¡i Viá»‡t boats quickly appeared from both banks, launched a fierce attack that broke the Mongols' combat formation. The Mongols, meeting such a sudden and strong attack, in panic tried to withdraw to the sea. The Mongols' boats were halted, and many were damaged and sank. At that time, a number of fire rafts quickly rushed toward the Mongols, who were frightened and jumped down to reach the banks where they were dealt a heavy blow by an army led by the Tráº§n king and Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o.[citation needed] Mongol naval fleet was totally destroyed and Omar was captured. At the same time, Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's army continuously attacked and smashed to pieces Toghan's army on its withdrawal through Láº¡ng SÆ¡n. Toghan risked his life to take a shortcut through thick forest in order to flee home. The crown prince was banished to Yangzhou for life by his father, Kublai Khan. Nevertheless, the Tráº§n king accepted Kublai Khan's supremacy as the Great Khan in order to avoid more conflicts. In 1292, Temür Khan, Kublai Khan's successor, returned all detained envoys and settled for a tributary relationship with the Tráº§n king, which continued to the end of the Yuan dynasty.[116][117] Asia and South Seas[edit] articles: First Mongol invasion of Burma and Mongol invasion of Java expeditions against Burma, in 1277, 1283, and 1287, brought the Mongol forces to the Irrawaddy Delta, whereupon they captured Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom and established their government.[118] Kublai had to be content with establishing a formal suzerainty, but Pagan finally became a tributary state, sending tributes to the Yuan court until the Mongols were expelled from China in the 1360s.[119] Mongol interests in these areas were commercial and tributary relationships.[citation needed] Khan maintained close relations with Siam, in particular with prince Mangrai of Chiangmai and king Ram Khamheng of Sukhothai.[120] In fact, Kublai encouraged them to attack the Khmers after the Thais were being pushed southwards from Nanchao.[120][121][122] This happened after king Jayavarman VIII of the Khmer Empire refused to pay tribute to the Mongols.[120][123][124] Jayavarman VIII was so insistent on not having to pay tribute to Kublai that he had Mongol envoys imprisoned.[120][124][122] These attacks from the Siamese eventually weakened the Khmer Empire. The Mongols then decided to venture south into Cambodia in 1283 by land from Champa.[125] They were able to conquer Cambodia by 1284.[126] Cambodia effectively became a vassal state by 1285 when Jayavarman VIII was finally forced to pay tribute to Kublai.[125][127][128] the last years of his reign, Kublai launched a naval punitive expedition of 20–30,000 men against Singhasari on Java (1293), but the invading Mongol forces were forced to withdraw by Majapahit after considerable losses of more than 3000 troops. Nevertheless, by 1294, the year that Kublai died, the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Chiang Mai had become vassal states of the Yuan dynasty.[118] articles: Marco Polo and Rabban Bar Sauma information: Europeans in Medieval China gives financial support to the Polo family. Kublai, direct contact between East Asia and Europe was established, made possible by Mongol control of the central Asian trade routes and facilitated by the presence of efficient postal services. In the beginning of the 13th century, Europeans and Central Asians – merchants, travelers, and missionaries of different orders – made their way to China. The presence of Mongol power allowed large numbers of Chinese, intent on warfare or trade, to travel to other parts of the Mongol Empire, all the way to Rus, Persia, and Mesopotamia.[citation needed] Bar Sauma, ambassador of Great Khan Kublai and Ilkhan Arghun, travelled from Dadu to Rome, Tuscany, Genoa, Paris, and Bordeaux to meet with European rulers in 1287–88. the 13th century, the Sultanate of Mogadishu through its trade with medieval China had acquired enough of a reputation in Asia to attract the attention of Kublai Khan.[129] According to Marco Polo, the Mongol Emperor sent an envoy to Mogadishu to spy out the Sultanate but the delegation was captured and imprisoned. Kublai Khan then sent another envoy to treat for the release of the earlier Mongol delegation sent to Africa.[130] City[edit] White Stupa of Dadu (or Khanbaliq; now Beijing) Kublai Khan was proclaimed Khagan at his residence in Xanadu on May 5, 1260, he began to organize the country. Zhang Wenqian, a central government official, was sent by Kublai in 1260 to Daming where unrest had been reported in the local population. A friend of Zhang's, Guo Shoujing, accompanied him on this mission. Guo was interested in engineering, was an expert astronomer and skilled instrument maker, and he understood that good astronomical observations depended on expertly made instruments. Guo began to construct astronomical instruments, including water clocks for accurate timing and armillary spheres that represented the celestial globe. Turkestani architect Ikhtiyar al-Din, also known as "Igder", designed the buildings of the city of the Khagan, Khanbaliq (Chinese Dadu).[131] Kublai also employed foreign artists to build his new capital; one of them, a Newar named Araniko, built the White Stupa that was the largest structure in Khanbaliq/Dadu.[132] advised Kublai that Guo was a leading expert in hydraulic engineering. Kublai knew the importance of water management for irrigation, transport of grain, and flood control, and he asked Guo to look at these aspects in the area between Dadu (now Beijing) and the Yellow River. To provide Dadu with a new supply of water, Guo found the Baifu spring in Mount Shen and had a 30 km (19 mi) channel built to move water to Dadu. He proposed connecting the water supply across different river basins, built new canals with sluices to control the water level, and achieved great success with the improvements he made. This pleased Kublai and Guo was asked to undertake similar projects in other parts of the country. In 1264 he was asked to go to Gansu to repair the damage that had been caused to the irrigation systems by the years of war during the Mongol advance through the region. Guo travelled extensively along with his friend Zhang taking notes of the work needed to be done to unblock damaged parts of the system and to make improvements to its efficiency. He sent his report directly to Kublai Khan.[citation needed] rebellion[edit] the conquest of the Jin, Genghis Khan's younger brothers received large appanages in Manchuria.[133] Their descendants strongly supported Kublai's coronation in 1260, but the younger generation desired more independence. Kublai enforced Ögedei Khan's regulations that the Mongol noblemen could appoint overseers and the Great Khan's special officials, in their appanages, but otherwise respected appanage rights. Kublai's son Manggala established direct control over Chang'an and Shanxi in 1272. In 1274, Kublai appointed Lian Xixian to investigate abuses of power by Mongol appanage holders in Manchuria.[134] The region called Lia-tung was immediately brought under the Khagan's control, in 1284, eliminating autonomy of the Mongol nobles there.[135] Yuan dynasty jade belt plaque featuring carved designs of the Azure Dragon, highly regarded as a symbol of Yuan dynasty China's maritime strength. by the advance of Kublai's bureaucratization, Nayan, a fourth-generation descendant of one of Genghis Khan's brothers, either Temüge or Belgutei, instigated a revolt in 1287. (More than one prince named Nayan existed and their identity is confused.[136]) Nayan tried to join forces with Kublai's competitor Kaidu in Central Asia.[137] Manchuria's native Jurchens and Water Tatars, who had suffered a famine, supported Nayan. Virtually all the fraternal lines under Hadaan, a descendant of Hachiun, and Shihtur, a grandson of Qasar, joined Nayan's rebellion,[138] and because Nayan was a popular prince, Ebugen, a grandson of Genghis Khan's son Khulgen, and the family of Khuden, a younger brother of Güyük Khan, contributed troops for this rebellion.[139] rebellion was crippled by early detection and timid leadership. Kublai sent Bayan to keep Nayan and Kaidu apart by occupying Karakorum, while Kublai led another army against the rebels in Manchuria. Kublai's commander Oz Temür's Mongol force attacked Nayan's 60,000 inexperienced soldiers on June 14, while Chinese and Alan guards under Li Ting protected Kublai. The army of Chungnyeol of Goryeo assisted Kublai in battle. After a hard fight, Nayan's troops withdrew behind their carts, and Li Ting began bombardment and attacked Nayan's camp that night. Kublai's force pursued Nayan, who was eventually captured and executed without bloodshed, by being smothered under felt carpets, a traditional way of executing princes.[139] Meanwhile, the rebel prince Shikqtur invaded the Chinese district of Liaoning but was defeated within a month. Kaidu withdrew westward to avoid a battle. However, Kaidu defeated a major Yuan army in the Khangai Mountains and briefly occupied Karakorum in 1289. Kaidu had ridden away before Kublai could mobilize a larger army.[38] but uncoordinated uprisings of Nayan's supporters continued until 1289; these were ruthlessly repressed. The rebel princes' troops were taken from them and redistributed among the imperial family.[140] Kublai harshly punished the darughachi appointed by the rebels in Mongolia and Manchuria.[141] This rebellion forced Kublai to approve the creation of the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat on December 4, 1287, while rewarding loyal fraternal princes.[citation needed] years[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Ilkhanate Persia, Ghazan converted to Islam and recognized Kublai Khan as his suzerain. Khan dispatched his grandson Gammala to Burkhan Khaldun in 1291 to ensure his claim to Ikh Khorig, where Genghis was buried, a sacred place strongly protected by the Kublaids. Bayan was in control of Karakorum and was re-establishing control over surrounding areas in 1293, so Kublai's rival Kaidu did not attempt any large-scale military action for the next three years. From 1293 on, Kublai's army cleared Kaidu's forces from the Central Siberian Plateau.[citation needed] his wife Chabi died in 1281, Kublai began to withdraw from direct contact with his advisers, and he issued instructions through one of his other queens, Nambui. Only two of Kublai's daughters are known by name; he may have had others. Unlike the formidable women of his grandfather's day, Kublai's wives and daughters were an almost invisible presence. Kublai's original choice of successor was his son Zhenjin, who became the head of the Zhongshu Sheng and actively administered the dynasty according to Confucian fashion. Nomukhan, after returning from captivity in the Golden Horde, expressed resentment that Zhenjin had been made heir apparent, but he was banished to the north. An official proposed that Kublai should abdicate in favor of Zhenjin in 1285, a suggestion that angered Kublai, who refused to see Zhenjin. Zhenjin died soon afterwards in 1286, eight years before his father. Kublai regretted this and remained very close to his wife, Bairam (also known as Kokejin).[citation needed] became increasingly despondent after the deaths of his favorite wife and his chosen heir Zhenjin. The failure of the military campaigns in Vietnam and Japan also haunted him. Kublai turned to food and drink for comfort, became grossly overweight, and suffered gout and diabetes. The emperor overindulged in alcohol and the traditional meat-rich Mongol diet, which may have contributed to his gout. Kublai sank into depression due to the loss of his family, his poor health and advancing age. Kublai tried every medical treatment available, from Korean shamans to Vietnamese doctors, and remedies and medicines, but to no avail. At the end of 1293, the emperor refused to participate in the traditional New Years' ceremony. Before his death, Kublai passed the seal of Crown Prince to Zhenjin's son Temür, who would become the next Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the second ruler of the Yuan dynasty. Seeking an old companion to comfort him in his final illness, the palace staff could choose only Bayan, more than 30 years his junior. Kublai weakened steadily, and on February 18, 1294, he died at the age of 78. Two days later, the funeral cortège took his body to the burial place of the khans in Mongolia.[citation needed] Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1260-1271, Xanadu (Kubli Khan's Capitol, Inner Mongolia) summer only after 1271 and Peking
Xanadu, Mongolia;

Mongol, Mongolia, 1271-“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing)
Mongol, Mongolia, 1260-“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing);

Mongol, Mongolia, 1368-Present, Enlightener Philotheos oTobolsk

Mongol, Mongolia, 1671-1727, Philotheos oTobolsk, enlightner oSiberia, great admin &successful apostle, 400,000 conversions

Khentii Mountains
Khentii Mountains ;

Mt Burkhan Khaldun (birthplace of Ghengis Khan)
Mt Burkhan Khaldun;

Kherlen River (Khentii Province)

Kherlen River (Choibalsan (city))
Choibalsan (city);

Kherlen River Mouth (Hulun Lake and Armur River)

Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Land of the Mongols
Inner Mongolia; Mongols; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Gobi Desert (Mongolian Steppes, Grasslands)
Gobi Desert; Mongolian-Manchurian Steppes (Grassland) surround the Gobi Desert; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Mongolian-Manchurian Steppes (Grassland)
Mongolian-Manchurian Steppes (Grassland) surround the Gobi Desert; Gobi Desert; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4;

Mongolia, Karakorum (Orkhum River 3)
Mongolia, Karakorum: Karakorum was the capital of the Mongul Empire. Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14;

Orkhon River Source (Khangai Mountains)

Orkhum River 1

Orkhum River 2

Orkhum River 3 (Karakorum)

Orkhum River 4

Orkhon River 5

Orkhon River 6 (Tamir River Mouth)

Tamir River Mouth (Orkhon River 6)

Orkhon River 8

Tuul River Mouth (Orkhon River 8)

Orkhon River 9

Orkhon River Mouth (Selenga River 9)

Lamaism, Home of Lamaism (Tibetan Buddhism)
Lamaism;

Tibet (Capitol Lhasa)
Tibet (Capitol Lhasa); St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Tibetan Plateau

Geladaindong Peak
Geladaindong Peak;

Mongol, Turkmenistan Folder, Central Asia, Ochus and Oxus Rivers, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia (between Ochus and Oxus Rivers, Afghanistan and Pakistan)
Turks; Turkmenistan; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Mongols; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Timurid Empire, Afghanistan, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, History Folder

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 750-1055, Oghuz Turks Folder, Founders of Ottoman Empire, Sunni and Shia

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 750-1055, Oghuz Turks, Founders of the Ottoman Empire
Turkmenistan, Oghuz Turks, 750-1055, Founders of the Ottoman Empire; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1077-1231, Khwarazm Dynasty Folder, Turks, Attacked Georgia, Sunni

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1227, 100K Martyrs, Tbilisi, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazm, repelled but inside m traitors opened gates at night
Georgia, 1227, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm, Turkmenistan attacked, Georgia repelled but inside moslem traitors opened the gates at night; Tbilisi; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia. the first day of the battle the Georgian army valorously warded off the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. night, however, a group of Persians who were living in Tbilisi secretly opened the gates and summoned the enemy army into the city. to one manuscript in which this most terrible day in Georgian history was described: “Words are powerless to convey the destruction that the enemy wrought: tearing infants from their mothers’ breasts, they beat their heads against the bridge, watching as their eyes dropped from their skulls....” river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children’s lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death. sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded. hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1370-1507, Tammerlane's Timurid Empire

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1395, Luke's Vladimir Icon, Grace of Jesus and MOG shall be with this Icon

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1395, Dormition Feast, Vladimir Icon sent to Moscow, same hour, meeting at Kuchkov, T's dream

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1500-1785, Khanate of Bukhara Folder, Persian, Sunni, refined

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1500-1785, Central Asia, Khanate of Bukhara
Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1500-1785, Khanate of Bukhara ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1511-1920, Khanate of Khiva, Khwarazm Folder, Turks, Sunni

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1511-1920, Khanate of Khiva
Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1511-1920, Khanate of Khiva; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1616, Eastern Georgia settled by Central Asian Turks
Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1616, Eastern Georgia settled by Central Asian Turks; Turks; Turkmenistan; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Mashhad (Silk Road)

Ochus (Panj) River Source (confluence
Parthia; Ochus River Map; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas;

Ochus River 1

Jam River Mouth (Ochus River 2)

Ochus River 3

Ochus River 4 (Turkmenistan)

Ochus River 4, Turkmenistan (Tejen or Tedzjen)

Ochus River 5

Ochus River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Oxus River Second Source (Parmir Mountains)

Pamir Mountains
Pamir Mountains;

Parmir River Source (Lake Zorkul)

Parmir River 1

Pamir River Mouth (Oxus (Panj) River 1)

Wakhjir Pass
Wakhjir Pass;

Wakhan River Mouth (Oxus (Panj) River Source)

Wakhan River Source (along the border)

Nisa, Turkmenistan (first Parthian capital)
Nisa, Turkmenistan (first Parthian capital) ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30 ;

Karakum Desert (a sink)

Oxus River 2

Oxus River 3

Oxus River 4

Tukhari Fortress, Turkmenistan
Tukhari Fortress; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ;

Oxus River 7 (Tukhari Fortress)

fortress of Gulab-Kala, Guldursun-Kala, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
fortress of Gulab-Kala, Guldursun-Kala, Uzbekistan; also Guldursun Qala, in modern Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, was an ancient fortress in Chorasmia built in the 12th century CE.[1] It is one of the largest fortresses of Khwarezm, with perimeter walls of about 1 kilometer in total length, and an internal area of about 6.4 hectares (64,000 square meters, or 15.8 acres). is part of the "Fifty fortresses oasis" in modern-day Uzbekistan.[2] It was last occupied by Muhammad II of Khwarazm (1169, 1200-20), before it fell to the Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire. Martyr Luarsab II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Abbas I received Saint Luarsab II amicably and, it would seem, was prepared to fulfill his promise. After a hunt together Shah Abbas invited him to Mazandaran, but Luarsab II refused to eat fish (since it was Great Lent), despite the threats and demands of the shah. The enraged shah began to insist that the Georgian emperor accept Islam, in return for which he promised to let him go with great treasures to Kartli, threatening death by torture if he did not. The emperor Luarsab II, having from his youth kept strict fast and constantly at prayer, without hesitation refused the demands of the shah. They seized him and imprisoned him in the impenetrable fortress of Gulab-Kala, near Shiraz. The Mrovel Bishop Nicholas relates, that the emperor Luarsab spent seven years imprisoned in chains, undergoing cruel torments and frequent beatings to force him to accept Islam. But the holy confessor remained faithful to the Holy Church of Christ and accepted a martyr’s death in the year 1622 at 35 years of age. Two of his faithful retainers were martyred with him. night the bodies of the holy martyrs were cast out of the prison without burial, but on the next day Christians committed them to earth in a common grave.

Khwarazm, Turkmenistan (near Oxus River Mouth)
Khwarazm, Turkmenistan (near Oxus River Mouth) ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, Hari River Folder

Hari River Source (Baba Mt Range)

Hari River, Afghanistan Mouth (Ochus River Source)
Hari River, Afghanistan ;

Afghanistan
Afghanistan; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Afghanistan 30-1256, Afghanistan History Folder

Afghanistan, 30-376, Kushan Empire, Buddaist and Zoroastrian, trade with R Empire, Persia, and China
India, 30-375, Kushan Empire, 30-376; Kushan Empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of modern-day territory of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India,[16] at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great.[17] Emperor Kanishka and the Kushans in general were great patrons of Buddhism, as well as Zoroastrianism.[18] They played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China. Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation,[19][20] an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian[21][22][23][24][25] origin, who migrated from northwestern China (Xinjiang and Gansu) and settled in ancient Bactria.[20] Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language.[7] Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China. Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire and the Han dynasty of China. The Kushan Empire was at the center of trade relations between the Roman Empire and China: according to Alain Danilou, "for a time, the Kushana Empire was the centerpoint of the major civilizations".[26] While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese.[27] Kushan empire fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sasanians invading from the west, establishing the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom in the areas of Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara. In the 4th century, the Guptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Kushano-Sasanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by invaders from the north, known as the Kidarites, and then the Hephthalites.[12]

Afghanistan, 1077-1256, Khwarazmian dynasty
Afghanistan, Khwarazmian dynasty, 1077-1256; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31;

Afghanistan, 1220-1231, Sultan, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazmian dynasty, Sunni Islam
Afghanistan Sultan, 1220-1231, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazmian dynasty, Sunni Islam; Afghanistan, Khwarazmian dynasty, 1077-1256; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31;

Afghanistan, 1370-1507, Timurid Empire, Tamurlane's Dynasty
Timurid Empire, 1370-1507, Tamurlane's Dynasty, founded by Tamur the Lame or Tamurlane; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26 ; Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. Awakening in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17;

Afghanistan, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)

Afghanistan, 1395, Luke's Vladimir Icon, Grace of Jesus and MOG shall be with this Icon

Afghanistan, 1395, Feast of the Dormition, Vladimir Icon sent to Moscow, same hour of meeting at Kuchkov, T's dream

Helmand River Source (along the border near Kabul)

Helmand River (Arghandab River Mouth)

Helmand River Sink (near Zabol)

Sistan Basin (a sink)

Arghastan River Source

Tarnak River Source

Arghandab River Source (NW of Ghazni)

Kandahar, Afganistan (Arghandab River Mouth)
Kandahar, Afganistan

Arghandab River (Dahla Dam)

Bagram, Afghanastan, capital of India's Kushan Empire, Grand Turk Road and Silk Road Intersection
Bagram, Afghanastan, capital of India's Kushan Empire; India and Afghanistan, 30-375, Kushan Empire, 30-376; Kushan Empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of modern-day territory of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India,[16] at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great.[17] Emperor Kanishka and the Kushans in general were great patrons of Buddhism, as well as Zoroastrianism.[18] They played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China. Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation,[19][20] an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian[21][22][23][24][25] origin, who migrated from northwestern China (Xinjiang and Gansu) and settled in ancient Bactria.[20] Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language.[7] Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China. Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire and the Han dynasty of China. The Kushan Empire was at the center of trade relations between the Roman Empire and China: according to Alain Danilou, "for a time, the Kushana Empire was the centerpoint of the major civilizations".[26] While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese.[27] Kushan empire fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sasanians invading from the west, establishing the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom in the areas of Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara. In the 4th century, the Guptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Kushano-Sasanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by invaders from the north, known as the Kidarites, and then the Hephthalites.[12]

Kushan Empire, out of Bagram, Afghanistan, 30-375, Grand Turk Road and Silk Road Intersection
Bagram, Afghanastan, capital of India's Kushan Empire; India and Afghanistan, 30-375, Kushan Empire, 30-376; Kushan Empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of modern-day territory of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India,[16] at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great.[17] Emperor Kanishka and the Kushans in general were great patrons of Buddhism, as well as Zoroastrianism.[18] They played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China. Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation,[19][20] an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian[21][22][23][24][25] origin, who migrated from northwestern China (Xinjiang and Gansu) and settled in ancient Bactria.[20] Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language.[7] Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China. Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire and the Han dynasty of China. The Kushan Empire was at the center of trade relations between the Roman Empire and China: according to Alain Danilou, "for a time, the Kushana Empire was the centerpoint of the major civilizations".[26] While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese.[27] Kushan empire fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sasanians invading from the west, establishing the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom in the areas of Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara. In the 4th century, the Guptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Kushano-Sasanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by invaders from the north, known as the Kidarites, and then the Hephthalites.[12]

Mongol, Khzaria Folder, Commands Western Silk Road, North Black Sea and Scythia

Mongol, Khazaria, 802-811, Nicholas, resisted inkeepr's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, spared, left world, clairvoyant
Mongols, Khzaria, 802-811, Nicholas, monk of Bulgaria, resisted inkeeper's daughter, fought Bulgars, only survivor, vison, spared because overcame temptation, left world, settled in cave, schemamonk, unceasing prayer for fallen soldiers, granted clairvoyance; Bulgars; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Nicholas the Former General was a military commander under the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I (802-811). He was ordered to lead his troops against the Bulgars. On the eve of battle he was approached by the innkeeper’s daughter, but he resisted her shameless attempts to seduce him. his comrades perished in the battle, but Nicholas remained alive. It was revealed to him in a vision that his life was spared because he had overcome temptation. After this Saint Nicholas left the world and settled into a cave. He became a schemamonk, and prayed unceasingly for his fallen soldiers. By his great ascetic efforts he so pleased the Lord, that he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Mongol, Khzaria, 965-969, Atil, Scythia. Capital of the Khazars
Atil, Scythia, 965-969. Capital of the Khazars; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Khazaria, Land of the Khzars, Dagestan , Derbent, North Caucusus, Above Silk Road
Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent ; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6;

Mongol, Khzaria, Western Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Mongol, Khzaria, Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Mongol, Khazaria, Scythia Folder

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Danube River Folder

Danube Mouth (Black Sea)
Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called;

Black Forest
Black Forest;

Danube Source (Germany's Black Forest)

Danube River 1 (near Lake Constance, and Bingen in Bavaria)

Danube River 2 (Ulm, Germany)

Danube River 3 (Munich (Isar) and Inn Rivers)

Danube River 4 (Linz, Austria)

Danube River 5 (Vienna, Amber Road 5)

Danube River 6 (Slovakian Hungarian border)

Danube Regions
Danube regions; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24;

Danube River 7 (Budapest, Hungary)

Danube River 8 (Srem Region)

Danube River 10 (Overview 2)

Danube River 16 (Galats, Siret River Mouth)

Danube River 17

Mongol, Khzaria, North Black Sea Region, Bosporan Kingdom Folder, in Thaurica (Crimea), Roman Empire

Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD
Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD; Bosporan Kingdom of the Roman Empire; Hieromartyrs of Cherson, 303-313 Diocletian Persecution; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7;

Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea, 303-313, Hieromartyrs of Cherson, 303-313 Diocletian Persecution
Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD; Bosporan Kingdom of the Roman Empire; Hieromartyrs of Cherson, 303-313 Diocletian Persecution; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7;

Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea,, 300-370, Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Crimea
Rome, 301-370, Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Crimea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD, North Black Sea Region from Danube to Dniper rivers, ruled by Roman Empire, The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called; Cherson, Crimea; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capiton carried the Gospel of Christ into the North Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dniper, including the Crimea. were bishops of Cherson at different times during the fourth century, and they sealed their apostolic activity with martyrdom. Only Aetherius died in peace. before the Baptism of Rus under Saint Vladimir, the Christian Faith had already spread into the Crimea, which in antiquity was called Tauridia and was ruled by the Roman Emperor. The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30). Church’s enemies unwillingly contributed to the further spread of Christianity. The Roman emperors often banished traitors to this area. During the first three centuries, Christians were regarded as traitors because they would not follow the state religion. In the reign of Trajan (98-117), Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome (November 25), was sent to work in a stone quarry near Cherson. There he continued his preaching, and suffered martyrdom. pagans inhabiting the Crimea stubbornly resisted the spread of Christianity. But the faith of Christ, through its self-sacrificing preachers, grew strong and was affirmed. Many missionaries gave their lives in this struggle. the beginning of the fourth century a bishop’s See was established at Cherson. This was a critical period when Cherson served as a base for the Roman armies which constantly passed through the area. During the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the Patriarch of Jerusalem sent many bishops to preach the Gospel in various lands. Two of them, Ephraim and Basil, arrived in Cherson and planted the Word of God there. on, Saint Ephraim went to the peoples living along the Danube, where he underwent many tribulations and sorrows. He was beheaded at the start of the persecution. The preaching at Cherson was continued by Saint Basil, Saint Ephraim’s companion. He set many idol-worshippers on the path of truth. Other wayward inhabitants of the city, enraged at his activity, rose up against him. The saint was arrested, mercilessly beaten and expelled from the city. went to a mountain and settled in a cave, where he unceasingly prayed to God for those who had driven him out, asking that He might illumine them with the light of true knowledge. And the Lord provided the unbelievers with a miracle. The only son of an important citizen of Cherson died. The dead child appeared to his parents in a dream and said that a certain man named Basil could resurrect him from the dead by his prayers. the parents had found the saint and entreated him to work the miracle, Saint Basil replied that he himself was a sinful man and had not the power to raise the dead, but the Lord Almighty could fulfill their request if they were to believe in Him. For a long time the saint prayed, invoking the Name of the Holy Trinity. Then he blessed water, and sprinkled it on the dead one, who was restored to life. The saint returned to the city with honor, and many believed and were baptized. by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311), the persecution against Christians spread with renewed force. The Christ-haters rose up also against Saint Basil. On March 7, 309 he was dragged from his house during the night. They tied him up, dragged him along the streets and beat him to death with stones and rods. The body of the saint was thrown out of the city to be eaten by dogs and birds, and for many days it was left unburied, but remained untouched. Then Christians secretly buried the body of the holy martyr in a cave. year after the martyrdom of Saint Basil, three of his companions, Bishops Eugene, Elpidius and Agathodorus, ceased their preaching in the Hellespont, and arrived at Cherson to continue his holy work. They endured many hardships for the salvation of human souls. All three bishops shared the fate of their predecessor: they were stoned to death by the pagans on March 7, 311. Constantine the Great (May 21) took the throne, Bishop Aetherius was sent by emperor Constantine to Cherson from Jerusalem. At first he also encountered hostility on the part of the pagans, but the holy emperor would not tolerate acts of violence against the preacher. He issued a decree permitting the Christians of Cherson to have church services without hindrance. Through the efforts of Saint Aetherius a church was built in the city, where the saint peacefully governed his flock. Aetherius journeyed to Constantinople to thank the emperor for protecting the Christians. He fell ill and died on the return trip. holy emperor Constantine then sent Bishop Capiton to Cherson to replace Saint Aetherius. The Christians met him with joy, but the pagans demanded a sign from the new bishop, so they might believe in the God Whom he preached. Placing all his hope on the Lord, Saint Capiton put on his omophorion and went into a burning furnace. He prayed in the fire for about an hour, and emerged from it unharmed. “Shall anyone bind fire in his bosom, and not burn his garments?” Solomon asks (Prov. 6:27). Saint Capiton carried red-hot coals in his phelonion, yet neither his body nor his garments were scorched. Many of the unbelievers were then persuaded in the power of the Christian God. miracle and the great faith of Saint Capiton were reported to Saint Constantine and the holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325), and they all glorified God. several years Saint Capiton journeyed to Constantinople on business, but the ship encountered a storm at the mouth of the Dniepr River. The local people (pagans) seized the ship and drowned all those on board, including Saint Capiton. Although this occurred on December 21, Saint Capiton is commemorated with the other hieromartyrs of Cherson on March 7.

Cherson, Crimea,, Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD
Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Crimea, Khzaria Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea
Crimea, Khzaria Border, 750-969, Northern Half of Crimea; St. John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26

Kuban River Source (18.5K ft Mount Elbrus)
Mount Elbrus;

Kuban River 1 (Karachayevsk)
Karachayevsk;

Kuban River 2 (Cherkessk)
Cherkessk;

Kuban River 3 (Nevinnomyssk)
Nevinnomyssk;

Kuban River 4 (Armavir, Russia)
Armavir, Russia;

Kuban River 5 (Ust-Labinsk)
Ust-Labinsk;

Kuban River 6 (Temryuk)
Temryuk;

Anapa, North Black Seacoast, near Kuban River mouth, Sochi and Crimea
Anapa, North Black Seacoast, near Kuban River mouth, Sochi and Crimea; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20;

Anapa, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, not tOrdinary people, Orthodox Social Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews, several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Kuban River Mouth

Colchis Region, Northwestern Georgia
Colchis Region; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ;

Abkhazeti Region (Northwest Georgia, Southwest Caucasus Mts)
Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Sochi, Russia (Northwestern Georgia, Alania)
Sochi; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2;

Alania, Land of the Bagrationi Dynasty, North Ossetia
Alania, Land of the Bagrationi Dynasty, North Ossetia; Georgia, 1187-1207, David Soslan Bagrationi, King Consort to Tamar; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Pityus in Abkhazia, Northwest Georgia on the Black Sea
Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ;

Pitindeia, Northwest Georgia (Pitsunda)
Pitindeia (Pitsunda); Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

New Athos monastery, Abkhazeti, Georgia, 1875
New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus; Icon of the Mother of God the "Deliveress", Commemorated October 17 ;

Simono-Kananitsk monastery, New Athos, in the Caucasus, 1875
New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus; Icon of the Mother of God the "Deliveress", Commemorated October 17 ;

Khobi River Source (near 18.5K ft Mt Elburs, Caucasus Mountains)

Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri, Khzaria, North Black Sea, Scythia (Khobi River 1)
Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ; St. Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21;

Khobi, Western Georgia
Khobi, Western Georgia ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ;

Lazika, Northwest Georgia (planned city, Black Sea)
Lazika (planned city, Black Sea); Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13;

Egrisi (now Samegrelo Province)
Egrisi (now Samegrelo Province); St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated October 13 ;

Samegrelo Province, Northwestern Georgia
Samegrelo Province; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16

Mingrelia (Samegrelo)
Mingrelia (Samegrelo); Georgia, 1621-1682, Queen Mariam Dadiani; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire, Northwestern Georgia
Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Bedia Cathedral, 999
Bedia Cathedral, 999; Georgia, 975-1014, Georgia King, Bagrat III, Bedia Cathedral ; Bedia Cathedral; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Enguri River Source (18.5K ft Mt Elburs, Caucasus Mountains)

Enguri River (Inguri) Mouth (Black Sea)

Egrisi, Northwestern Georgia
Egrisi; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated October 13 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30;

Tskhumi, Northwestern Georgia
Tskhumi, Northwestern Georgia Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated October 2 ;

Sokhumi, Northwestern Georgia
Sokhumi; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Bridge of Queen Tamar, Northwest Georgia
Bridge of Queen Tamar; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

River Atcharistsqali 1
River Atcharistsqali; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Mongol, Khazaria, North Black Sea Region, 650-1048, Khazars, Commanded Western Silk Road
Scythia, 650-1048, Khazars Scythia, Turks of Atil, 750-969, Khazars; Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Derbend, Dagestan
Derbend, Dagestan; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Caucasus, Greater Caucasus Mountains Southeast
Greater Caucasus Mountains;

Land of the Huns, 1st to 7th century AD, Caspian Sea and Cacausus Mts
Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ;

Albanus (Albanapolis, Derbent, Dagestan, Caspian Sea)
Albanus (Derbent, Dagestan, Caspian Sea) ; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ;

Dagestan, Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent, North Caucusus, West Caspian
Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent ; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6;

Sarir, Dagestan
Sarir, Dagestan; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ;

Terek River Source (SW of Mount Kazbek)

Mt. Kazbegi
Mt. Kazbegi; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated October 7 ;

Khevi Area (Kazbegi District, Ossetia North, and Mtskheta Region, Ossetia South)
Khevi Area; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated October 7 ;

Trinity Church, Gergeti (Ossetia Region, near Terek River Source) 1300-1399, 14th Century
Gergeti Trinity Church; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated October 7 ;

Trinity Church (a picture)
-˜
Stepantsminda-Sameba Georgia
http://www.heritagesites.ge/

Trinity Church, Gergeti, Tsminda samebo church, Georgia
Stepantsminda-Sameba,,Georgia

Bethlehem Cave, Betlemi in the rocks of Mt Mkinvartsveri (Georgia)
,,Georgia

Bethlehem Cave 13,450 feet on this trail to the peak?

Stepantsminda, Dagestan (Terek River Source)
Stepantsminda ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Terek River 1 (Terek, Ossetia)

Ossetia Region (North and South of the Caucasus, Ossetian Language)
Ossetia Region North and South; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia;

Terek, Ossetia or Vladikavkaz (capital of North Ossetia)
Terek, Ossetia or Vladikavkaz (capital of North Ossetia); St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ;

Ingushetia Region (Assa River Valley, Chechnya, North Caucasus, Dagestan)
Ingushetia Region; Located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas.

Chechnya
Chechnya; St. Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on September 25;

Alania, Christian Bagrationi's
Alania, Christian Bagrationi's; David Soslan, King Consort, Kingdom of Georgia, 1187-1189, 1207, Bagrationi, Husband of Queen Tamar; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

North Caucasus
North Caucasus ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Osetian land, Dagestani Persians, Alans
Ossetia: Ossetian Land is the area both north and south of the Caucasus Mountians ; Ossetians came from Persia (Iran). ; These persians were Alans; These Alans were Aryan or Indo-Persians; These Aryans were from northern Indian including Nepal, Pakistan and the Ganges River Area called Aryavarta; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ;

Ossetia North, Dagestan
Ossetia; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ;

North Ossetia-“Alania
North Ossetia-“Alania; Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280; Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, and his sons Saints David and Constantine, Commemorated on September 19;

North Osetia-Alania, Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280,
North Ossetia-“Alania; Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280; Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, and his sons Saints David and Constantine, Commemorated on September 19;

Terek River 2 (Ossetia)

Terek River 3 (Sunzha River Mouth)

Sunzha River Source (Greater Caucasus Mountains)

Caucasaus, Greater Caucasus Mountains
Greater Caucasus Mountains;

Sunzha River Mouth (Terek River 3)

Terek River 4 (Kizhar, Terek River Delta)

Kizliar, Dagestan (Terek River Delta, Caspian Sea)
Kizliar; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Terek River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Dagestan, Avar people (Caucasus)
Dagestan, Avar people (Caucasus) ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Kuma River Source (west of Kislovodsk)

Kislovodsk (Podkumok River 1)
Podkumok River 1 (Kislovodsk);

Kuma River 1 (Mineralnye Vody)
Kuma River 1 (Mineralnye Vody);

Podkumok River Source

Podkumok River 1 (Kislovodsk)
Podkumok River 1 (Kislovodsk);

Podkumok River 2 (Yessentuki)
Podkumok River 2 (Yessentuki);

Podkumok River 3 (Pyatigorsk)
Podkumok River 3 (Pyatigorsk);

Podkumok River 4 (Georgiyevsk)
Podkumok River 4 (Georgiyevsk);

Podkumok River Mouth (Kuma River 1.5)

Kuma River 2 (Zelenokumsk)
Kuma River 2 (Zelenokumsk);

Kuma River 3 (Budyonnovsk)
Kuma River 3 (Budyonnovsk);

Kuma River 4 (Neftekumsk)
Kuma River 4 (Neftekumsk);

Kuma River (Russia) Mouth
Kuma River (Russia) Mouth;

Mongol, Khzaria, Roman Roads, Rivers, and Places (Clean)

Scythia, Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica, from Moldavia and Transylvania (Dacia) to Pontine)
Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica);

Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus)

Niculitel and Cocosh Monastery, Lesser Scythia
Niculits›el;

Annunciation Monastery (Tolyatti, Volga River 12)
Annunciation Monastery (Tolyatti);

Atil, Scythia, 765-969. Capital of the Khazars (Volga River Mouth)
Atil, Scythia, 765-969. Capital of the Khazars;

Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan, the child Bogolep, schema
Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan

Bolghar, Scythia (Kama River Mouth, Volga River 10)
Bolghar or Bolgara;

Chelno-Vershinsky District, Scythia, just south of Perm (Volga River 11)
Chelno-Vershinsky District ;

Kazaria, Scythia (Volga River Mouth)
Kazaria;

Mongol, Scythia, Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, land of the Volga Bulgars;

Sarai (city), Scythia
Sarai (city);

Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, land of the Volga Bulgars;

Mongol, Perm Folder, and its rivers, Tartarstan

Mongol, Perm, its Area

Mongol, Scythia Folder, and its rivers

Scythia
Scythia; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Inna, Disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated January 20; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Scythia (Ural River, Aral Sea)
Scythia; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated August 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated on September 13 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on December 30 ; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11 ; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, Scythia, Mongol Lands (from Ural River to Dneister River)
Scythia; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated August 7 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated on September 13 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on December 30 ; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated September 13 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; Martyr Inna, Disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11 ; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, Scythia, Little Russia (Eastern Ukraine)
Scythia, Little Russia (Eastern Ukraine) ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ;

Mongol, Scythia (mostly along the Dneister River)
Scythia; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated on July 17; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated August 7 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated on September 13 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Icon of the Mother of God "Jerusalem", Commemorated October 12 ; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on December 30 ; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11 ; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, Scythia Minor (Lesser Scythia, Dacia Pontica)
Lesser Scythia (Scythia Minor); Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; Martyr Seleucus in Scythia, Commemorated on September 13 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Inna, Disciple of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, Scythia, Land of the Polovetsians AKA Cumanians
Scythia, Land of the Polovetsians AKA Cumanians, North of the Black Sea, along the Volga River ; Cumanians; Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and the Balkans 1055-1230 (175 years) ; Khan Bonyak; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Polovetsians AKA Cumanians, Mongol Scythia
Scythia, Land of the Polovetsians AKA Cumanians, North of the Black Sea, along the Volga River ; Cumanians; Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and the Balkans 1055-1230 (175 years) ; Khan Bonyak; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4;

Sarmatians (Scythia and Persia)
Sarmatians ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1st to 7th century AD, Land of the Huns
Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Mongol, Scythia, 420-469, Hunnic Empire under Attila (Rhine, Danube, Baltic and Ural)
Scythia, Hunnic Empire under Attila; Attila the Hun 434-458; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31;

Mongol, Scythia, Turks of Atil, 740-969, Khazars
Scythia, Turks of Atil, 750-969, Khazars; Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, Scythia, Khazar Jews, Mid to Late 9th Century (Volga River Mouth)
Khazar Jews ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Mongol, Scythia, Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia)
Scythia, Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Khazars; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on December 30; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Mongols, Scythia, 860-1091, Pechenegs, Moldovia to Bosnia
Mongols, Pechenegs, 860-1091, Russia, Kiev, 968, Seige of Kiev by Pechenegs; Kiev Rus King, 945-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Mongol, Scythia, 900-1220, Cumania, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation
Scythia, 900-1220, Cumania, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation ; Land of the Polovetsians, North of the Black Sea, along the Volga River, Cumania ; Cumanians; Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and the Balkans 1055-1230 (175 years) ; Khan Bonyak; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1220s - 1502, Golden Horde, Mongol Empire
Scythian Golden Horde, 1220s - 1502, Mongol Empire; Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the œKursk-RootÃ‚Â, Commemorated on September 8; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Scythia, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus, Conquest 1227
Scythia, 1223-1240, Mongol invasion of Rus, Conquest 1227; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂÂ, Commemorated on November 27; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1380, Battle of Kulikovo Field
Battle of Kulikovo; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius;

Mongol, Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Muslim White Horde
Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Mongol, Scythia History Folder

Mongol, Scythia, 91 - 650, Land of the Huns Folder, 1st to 7th Century

Mongol, Scythia, 1st to 7th century, Land of the Huns
Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Mongol Scythia, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Andrew's disciples, baptized many, killed b ice choking neck
Bulgaria, 46-60, Inna, Pinna and Rimma, Northern Scythia or Modern Bulgaria, disciples oAndrew tFirst Called, they preached and baptized many, local chieftain tried to get them to Idol sacrifice, horsecarts on frozen rivers, tied them tLogs on the ice, gradually lowered them into freezing water, ice reaching necks killed them Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20; transfer of the relics of Saints Inna, Pinna, and Rimma to Alushta took place during the first-second centuries. holy martyrs are also commemorated on January 20.

Mongol, Scythia, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew
Romania, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, ConstanÈ›a in Romania, Commemorated on July 7;

Mongol, Scythia, 360-381, Vetranion of Tomis, Romania & Scythia Minor, stood up to Arian Valens, Famous Letter to Basil tG
Romania, 360-381, Vetranion of Tomis, Romania (Constantsa, near Lalomita River Mouth, Danube River 16), 360 Bishop of all Scythia Minor, fCappadocia, stood up to Arian Valens (on his way to fight Sythian Goths, ), exiled, returned by public outcry, Sent Sava tGoth relics back to Basil the Great with his Famous letter, the Epistle of the Church of God in Gothia to the Church of God in Cappadocia, and to all the local churches of the holy catholic Church, 3rd ECouncil 381 ; Tomis (Constantsa); Saint Vetranion of Tomis, Commemorated on January 25; Vetranion (or Bretanion) lived during the IV century, was the Bishop of Tomis, (now Constanța, Romania) in the Province of Scythia Minor.1 is known about his life except that he came from Cappadocia, and was elected to the See of Tomis about the year 360.2 confessed the Orthodox Faith, and suffered a great deal from the heretical Emperor Valens (364 – 378), an adherent of the Arian heresy, and who persecuted the Church. During his reign, many Orthodox Christians were put to death. Vetranion, who possessed every virtue, was Bishop of all the cities of Scythia. to Sozomen (a Church historian of the V century), the Emperor Valens was campaigning against the Goths of Scythia, he stopped at Tomis and ordered its citizens to become Arians and to reject the Nicene Creed. with divine zeal, the courageous hierarch rebuked Valens for distorting the Faith, and for his unjust persecution of the saints. the Saint repeated the following words of the Prophet-King David: “I spoke of thy testimonies before kings, and was not ashamed” (Psalm 118/119:46).3 a result, Saint Vetranion was sent into exile. Valens was forced by the public outcry against the Bishop's banishment to let him return to his flock. 373 or 374, Saint Basil the Great requested Junius Soranus, the ruler of Scythia Minor, to send him some relics of the Saints from that region. sent the relics of Saint Savva the Goth (April 15) to Saint Basil along with a letter: the Epistle of the Church of God in Gothia to the Church of God in Cappadocia, and to all the local churches of the holy catholic Church. sending of the relics and the writing of the letter have been attributed to Bishop Vetranion. letter, written in Greek, is the oldest known document written on what is now Romanian soil. Bishop Vetranion did represent Tomis at the Third Ecumenical Council in 381; but it could be that his name was confused with that of Bishop Gerontius (or Terentius) of Tomis.

Mongol, Scythia, 380-435, John Cassian LScythian, years studying Jerusalem&Egypt monasticism, then writings teaching west
Mongol, Scythia, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman, well educated, Tomis Monastery, Germanus' relative, tJerusalem&Bethlehem 5yrs, tThebaid&Sketis f7rrs, CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS i24Chap, back Bethlehem 3yrs, back Egypt til 399, A Theopilus Nile M disturbances, tConstantnople to see Chrysostom, J C accepted John as disciple, o Deadon, in C 5yrs, 404 JC exiled & they went to Rome for Innocent case, priesthood, tGaul, Marselles G, 415 estab 2 Cenobic Monasteries, men&women, Castor of Aptia Julia requests THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE 12 books, 431 final work ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS, criticized Augustine's abstract reasoning, died 435, relics in Marselles; Romania, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; John Cassian the Roman was born around 360, probably in Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica). His pious Christian parents gave him an excellent classical education, and also instructed him in the Holy Scriptures and in the spiritual life. John entered a monastery in the diocese of Tomis, where his friend and relative Saint Germanus labored as an ascetic. 380, desiring to venerate the Holy Places, Saint John went to Jerusalem with his sister and his friend Saint Germanus. The two monks stayed at a Bethlehem monastery, not far from where the Savior was born. five years at the monastery, Saints John and Germanus traveled through the Thebaid and the desert monasteries of Sketis for seven years, drawing upon the spiritual experience of countless ascetics. Egyptian monks taught them many useful things about spiritual struggles, prayer, and humility. Like honeybees they journeyed from place to place, gathering the sweet nectar of spiritual wisdom. notes Saint John made formed the basis of his book called CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS in twenty-four chapters. to Bethlehem for a brief time, the spiritual brothers lived for three years in complete solitude. they went back to Egypt and lived there until 399. of the disturbances caused by Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria to the monasteries along the Nile, they decided to go to Constantinople, after hearing of the virtue and holiness of Saint John Chrysostom. The great hierarch ordained Saint John Cassian as a deacon and accepted him as a disciple. John and Germanus remained with Saint John Chrysostom for five years, learning many profitable things from him. Chrysostom was exiled from Constantinople in 404, Saints John Cassian and Germanus went to Rome to plead his case before Innocent I. was ordained to the holy priesthood in Rome, or perhaps later in Gaul. Chrysostom’s death in 407, Saint John Cassian went to Massilia [Marseilles] in Gaul (now France). There he established two cenobitic monasteries in 415, one for men and another for women, based on the model of Eastern monasticism. the request of Bishop Castor of Aptia Julia (in southern Gaul), Cassian wrote THE INSTITUTES OF CENOBITIC LIFE (De Institutis Coenobiorum) in twelve books, describing the life of the Palestinian and Egyptian monks. between 417-419, the volume included four books describing the clothing of the monks of Palestine and Egypt, their schedule of prayer and services, and how new monks were received into the monasteries. last eight books were devoted to the eight deadly sins and how to overcome them. his writings, Saint John Cassian provided Christians of the West with examples of cenobitic monasteries, and acquainted them with the asceticism of the Orthodox East. speaks as a spiritual guide about the purpose of life, about attaining discernment, about renunciation of the world, about the passions of the flesh and spirit, about the hardships faced by the righteous, and about prayer. John Cassian also wrote CONFERENCES WITH THE FATHERS (Collationes Patrum) in twenty-four books in the form of conversations about the perfection of love, about purity, about God’s help, about understanding Scripture, about the gifts of God, about friendship, about the use of language, about the four levels of monasticism, about the solitary life and cenobitic life, about repentance, about fasting, about nightly meditations, and about spiritual mortification. This last has the explanatory title “I do what I do not want to do.” 1-10 of the CONFERENCES describe Saint John’s conversations with the Fathers of Sketis between 393-399. Books 11-17 relate conversations with the Fathers of Panephysis, and the last seven books are devoted to conversations with monks from the region of Diolkos. 431 Saint John Cassian wrote his final work, ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD, AGAINST NESTORIUS (De Incarnationem Domini Contra Nestorium). In seven books he opposed the heresy, citing many Eastern and Western teachers to support his arguments. his works, Saint John Cassian was grounded in the spiritual experience of the ascetics, and criticized the abstract reasoning of Saint Augustine (June 15). John said that “grace is defended less adequately by pompous words and loquacious contention, dialectic syllogisms and the eloquence of Cicero (i.e. Augustine), than by the example of the Egyptian ascetics.” the words of Saint John of the Ladder (March 30), “great Cassian reasons loftily and excellently.” His writings are also praised in the Rule of Saint Benedict. John Cassian lived in the West for many years, but his spiritual homeland was the Orthodox East. He fell asleep in the Lord in the year 435. His holy relics rest in an underground chapel in the Monastery of Saint Victor in Marseilles. His head and right hand are in the main church.

Mongol, Scythia, 434-453, Attila the Hun, scared the Goths, with Ostrogoths, Alans, Bulgars, Cavalry, Plains, Tribute
Scythia, Attila the Hun 434-453; (/ˈætɪlə, É™ËˆtÉªlÉ™/; fl. c. 406–453), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Eastern Europe. ( For example: In 451 Attila gathered his vassals—Gepids, Ostrogoths, Rugians, Scirians, Heruls, Thuringians, Alans, Burgundians, among others–and began his march west. In 451, he arrived in Belgica with an army exaggerated by Jordanes to half a million strong. ) his reign, he was one of the most feared enemies of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. He crossed the Danube twice and plundered the Balkans, but was unable to take Constantinople. His unsuccessful campaign in Persia was followed in 441 by an invasion of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the success of which emboldened Attila to invade the West.[3] He also attempted to conquer Roman Gaul (modern France), crossing the Rhine in 451 and marching as far as Aurelianum (Orléans) before being stopped in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains. subsequently invaded Italy, devastating the northern provinces, but was unable to take Rome. He planned for further campaigns against the Romans, but died in 453. After Attila's death, his close adviser, Ardaric of the Gepids, led a Germanic revolt against Hunnic rule, after which the Hunnic Empire quickly collapsed. 1 Appearance and character 2 Etymology 3 Historiography and source 4 Early life and background 5 Campaigns against the Eastern Roman Empire 6 Solitary kingship 7 In the west 8 Invasion of Italy and death 8.1 Death 9 Later folklore and iconography 10 Depictions of Attila 11 See also 12 Notes 13 External links and character ór Than's painting The Feast of Attila, based on a fragment of Priscus is no surviving first-hand account of Attila's appearance, but there is a possible second-hand source provided by Jordanes, who cites a description given by Priscus.[4][5] was a man born into the world to shake the nations, the scourge of all lands, who in some way terrified all mankind by the dreadful rumors noised abroad concerning him. He was haughty in his walk, rolling his eyes hither and thither, so that the power of his proud spirit appeared in the movement of his body. He was indeed a lover of war, yet restrained in action, mighty in counsel, gracious to suppliants and lenient to those who were once received into his protection. Short of stature, with a broad chest and a large head; his eyes were small, his beard thin and sprinkled with grey; and he had a flat nose and swarthy skin, showing evidence of his origin.[6]:182–183 scholars have suggested that this description is typically East Asian, because it has all the combined features that fit the physical type of people from Eastern Asia, and Attila's ancestors may have come from there.[5][7]:202 Other historians also believed that the same descriptions were also evident on some Scythian people.[8][9] and source of Attila in a museum in Hungary life and background article: Huns in battle with the Alans. An 1870s engraving after a drawing by Johann Nepomuk Geiger (1805–1880). Huns were a group of Eurasian nomads, appearing from east of the Volga, who migrated further into Western Europe c. 370[19] and built up an enormous empire there. Their main military techniques were mounted archery and javelin throwing. They were in the process of developing settlements before their arrival in Western Europe, yet the Huns were a society of pastoral warriors[18]:259 whose primary form of nourishment was meat and milk, products of their herds. origin and language of the Huns has been the subject of debate for centuries. According to some theories, their leaders at least may have spoken a Turkic language, perhaps closest to the modern Chuvash language.[14]:444 One scholar suggests a relationship to Yeniseian.[20] According to the Encyclopedia of European Peoples, "the Huns, especially those who migrated to the west, may have been a combination of central Asian Turkic, Mongolic, and Ugric stocks".[21] father Mundzuk was the brother of kings Octar and Ruga, who reigned jointly over the Hunnic empire in the early fifth century. This form of diarchy was recurrent with the Huns, but historians are unsure whether it was institutionalized, merely customary, or an occasional occurrence.[16]:80 His family was from a noble lineage, but it is uncertain whether they constituted a royal dynasty. Attila's birthdate is debated; journalist Éric Deschodt and writer Herman Schreiber have proposed a date of 395.[22][23] However, historian Iaroslav Lebedynsky and archaeologist Katalin Escher prefer an estimate between the 390s and the first decade of the fifth century.[16]:40 Several historians have proposed 406 as the date.[24]:92[25]:202 grew up in a rapidly changing world. His people were nomads who had only recently arrived in Europe.[26] They crossed the Volga river during the 370s and annexed the territory of the Alans, then attacked the Gothic kingdom between the Carpathian mountains and the Danube. They were a very mobile people, whose mounted archers had acquired a reputation for invincibility, and the Germanic tribes seemed unable to withstand them.[18]:133–151 Vast populations fleeing the Huns moved from Germania into the Roman Empire in the west and south, and along the banks of the Rhine and Danube. In 376, the Goths crossed the Danube, initially submitting to the Romans but soon rebelling against Emperor Valens, whom they killed in the Battle of Adrianople in 378.[18]:100 Large numbers of Vandals, Alans, Suebi, and Burgundians crossed the Rhine and invaded Roman Gaul on December 31, 406 to escape the Huns.[16]:233 The Roman Empire had been split in half since 395 and was ruled by two distinct governments, one based in Ravenna in the West, and the other in Constantinople in the East. The Roman Emperors, both East and West, were generally from the Theodosian family in Attila's lifetime (despite several power struggles).[27]:13 Huns dominated a vast territory with nebulous borders determined by the will of a constellation of ethnically varied peoples. Some were assimilated to Hunnic nationality, whereas many retained their own identities and rulers but acknowledged the suzerainty of the king of the Huns.[27]:11 The Huns were also the indirect source of many of the Romans' problems, driving various Germanic tribes into Roman territory, yet relations between the two empires were cordial: the Romans used the Huns as mercenaries against the Germans and even in their civil wars. Thus, the usurper Joannes was able to recruit thousands of Huns for his army against Valentinian III in 424. It was Aëtius, later Patrician of the West, who managed this operation. They exchanged ambassadors and hostages, the alliance lasting from 401 to 450 and permitting the Romans numerous military victories.[18]:111 The Huns considered the Romans to be paying them tribute, whereas the Romans preferred to view this as payment for services rendered. The Huns had become a great power by the time that Attila came of age during the reign of his uncle Ruga, to the point that Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, deplored the situation with these words: "They have become both masters and slaves of the Romans".[18]:128 against the Eastern Roman Empire Empire of the Huns and subject tribes at the time of Attila death of Rugila (also known as Rua or Ruga) in 434 left the sons of his brother Mundzuk, Attila and Bleda, in control of the united Hun tribes. At the time of the two brothers' accession, the Hun tribes were bargaining with Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II's envoys for the return of several renegades who had taken refuge within the Eastern Roman Empire, possibly Hunnic nobles who disagreed with the brothers' assumption of leadership. following year, Attila and Bleda met with the imperial legation at Margus (PoÅ¾arevac), all seated on horseback in the Hunnic manner,[28] and negotiated an advantageous treaty. The Romans agreed to return the fugitives, to double their previous tribute of 350 Roman pounds (c. 115 kg) of gold, to open their markets to Hunnish traders, and to pay a ransom of eight solidi for each Roman taken prisoner by the Huns. The Huns, satisfied with the treaty, decamped from the Roman Empire and returned to their home in the Great Hungarian Plain, perhaps to consolidate and strengthen their empire. Theodosius used this opportunity to strengthen the walls of Constantinople, building the city's first sea wall, and to build up his border defenses along the Danube. Huns remained out of Roman sight for the next few years while they invaded the Sassanid Empire. They were defeated in Armenia by the Sassanids, abandoned their invasion, and turned their attentions back to Europe. In 440, they reappeared in force on the borders of the Roman Empire, attacking the merchants at the market on the north bank of the Danube that had been established by the treaty of 435. the Danube, they laid waste to the cities of Illyricum and forts on the river, including (according to Priscus) Viminacium, a city of Moesia. Their advance began at Margus, where they demanded that the Romans turn over a bishop who had retained property that Attila regarded as his. While the Romans discussed the bishop's fate, he slipped away secretly to the Huns and betrayed the city to them. the Huns attacked city-states along the Danube, the Vandals (led by Geiseric) captured the Western Roman province of Africa and its capital of Carthage. Carthage was the richest province of the Western Empire and a main source of food for Rome. The Sassanid Shah Yazdegerd II invaded Armenia in 441. Romans stripped the Balkan area of forces, sending them to Sicily in order to mount an expedition against the Vandals in Africa. This left Attila and Bleda a clear path through Illyricum into the Balkans, which they invaded in 441. The Hunnish army sacked Margus and Viminacium, and then took Singidunum (Belgrade) and Sirmium. During 442, Theodosius recalled his troops from Sicily and ordered a large issue of new coins to finance operations against the Huns. He believed that he could defeat the Huns and refused the Hunnish kings' demands. responded with a campaign in 443.[29] For the first time (as far as the Romans knew) his forces were equipped with battering rams and rolling siege towers, with which they successfully assaulted the military centers of Ratiara and Naissus (NiÅ¡) and massacred the inhabitants. Priscus said "When we arrived at Naissus we found the city deserted, as though it had been sacked; only a few sick persons lay in the churches. We halted at a short distance from the river, in an open space, for all the ground adjacent to the bank was full of the bones of men slain in war."[30] along the NiÅ¡ava River, the Huns next took Serdica (Sofia), Philippopolis (Plovdiv), and Arcadiopolis (Lüleburgaz). They encountered and destroyed a Roman army outside Constantinople but were stopped by the double walls of the Eastern capital. They defeated a second army near Callipolis (Gelibolu). unable to make effective armed resistance, admitted defeat, sending the Magister militum per Orientem Anatolius to negotiate peace terms. The terms were harsher than the previous treaty: the Emperor agreed to hand over 6,000 Roman pounds (c. 2000 kg) of gold as punishment for having disobeyed the terms of the treaty during the invasion; the yearly tribute was tripled, rising to 2,100 Roman pounds (c. 700 kg) in gold; and the ransom for each Roman prisoner rose to 12 solidi. demands were met for a time, and the Hun kings withdrew into the interior of their empire. Bleda died following the Huns' withdrawal from Byzantium (probably around 445). Attila then took the throne for himself, becoming the sole ruler of the Huns.[31] kingship 447, Attila again rode south into the Eastern Roman Empire through Moesia. The Roman army, under Gothic magister militum Arnegisclus, met him in the Battle of the Utus and was defeated, though not without inflicting heavy losses. The Huns were left unopposed and rampaged through the Balkans as far as Thermopylae. itself was saved by the Isaurian troops of magister militum per Orientem Zeno and protected by the intervention of prefect Constantinus, who organized the reconstruction of the walls that had been previously damaged by earthquakes and, in some places, to construct a new line of fortification in front of the old. Callinicus, in his Life of Saint Hypatius, wrote: barbarian nation of the Huns, which was in Thrace, became so great that more than a hundred cities were captured and Constantinople almost came into danger and most men fled from it. ... And there were so many murders and blood-lettings that the dead could not be numbered. Ay, for they took captive the churches and monasteries and slew the monks and maidens in great numbers. the west general path of the Hun forces in the invasion of Gaul 450, Attila proclaimed his intent to attack the Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse by making an alliance with Emperor Valentinian III. He had previously been on good terms with the Western Roman Empire and its influential general Flavius Aëtius. Aëtius had spent a brief exile among the Huns in 433, and the troops that Attila provided against the Goths and Bagaudae had helped earn him the largely honorary title of magister militum in the west. The gifts and diplomatic efforts of Geiseric, who opposed and feared the Visigoths, may also have influenced Attila's plans. Valentinian's sister was Honoria, who had sent the Hunnish king a plea for help—and her engagement ring—in order to escape her forced betrothal to a Roman senator in the spring of 450. Honoria may not have intended a proposal of marriage, but Attila chose to interpret her message as such. He accepted, asking for half of the western Empire as dowry. Valentinian discovered the plan, only the influence of his mother Galla Placidia convinced him to exile Honoria, rather than killing her. He also wrote to Attila, strenuously denying the legitimacy of the supposed marriage proposal. Attila sent an emissary to Ravenna to proclaim that Honoria was innocent, that the proposal had been legitimate, and that he would come to claim what was rightfully his. interfered in a succession struggle after the death of a Frankish ruler. Attila supported the elder son, while Aëtius supported the younger. (The location and identity of these kings is not known and subject to conjecture.) Attila gathered his vassals—Gepids, Ostrogoths, Rugians, Scirians, Heruls, Thuringians, Alans, Burgundians, among others–and began his march west. In 451, he arrived in Belgica with an army exaggerated by Jordanes to half a million strong. April 7, he captured Metz. Other cities attacked can be determined by the hagiographic vitae written to commemorate their bishops: Nicasius was slaughtered before the altar of his church in Rheims; Servatus is alleged to have saved Tongeren with his prayers, as Saint Genevieve is said to have saved Paris.[32] Lupus, bishop of Troyes, is also credited with saving his city by meeting Attila in person.[3][33] ëtius moved to oppose Attila, gathering troops from among the Franks, the Burgundians, and the Celts. A mission by Avitus and Attila's continued westward advance convinced the Visigoth king Theodoric I (Theodorid) to ally with the Romans. The combined armies reached Orléans ahead of Attila, thus checking and turning back the Hunnish advance. Aëtius gave chase and caught the Huns at a place usually assumed to be near Catalaunum (modern Châlons-en-Champagne). Attila decided to fight the Romans on plains where he could use his cavalry.[34] two armies clashed in the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, the outcome of which is commonly considered to be a strategic victory for the Visigothic-Roman alliance. Theodoric was killed in the fighting, and Aëtius failed to press his advantage, according to Edward Gibbon and Edward Creasy, because he feared the consequences of an overwhelming Visigothic triumph as much as he did a defeat. From Aëtius' point of view, the best outcome was what occurred: Theodoric died, Attila was in retreat and disarray, and the Romans had the benefit of appearing victorious. of Italy and death The Meeting between Leo the Great and Attila depicts Leo, escorted by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, meeting with the Hun emperor outside Rome. returned in 452 to renew his marriage claim with Honoria, invading and ravaging Italy along the way. Communities became established in what would later become Venice as a result of these attacks when the residents fled to small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. His army sacked numerous cities and razed Aquileia so completely that it was afterwards hard to recognize its original site.[35]:159 Aëtius lacked the strength to offer battle, but managed to harass and slow Attila's advance with only a shadow force. Attila finally halted at the River Po. By this point, disease and starvation may have taken hold in Attila's camp, thus hindering his war efforts and potentially contributing to the cessation of invasion.[36][citation needed] Valentinian III sent three envoys, the high civilian officers Gennadius Avienus and Trigetius, as well as the Bishop of Rome Leo I, who met Attila at Mincio in the vicinity of Mantua and obtained from him the promise that he would withdraw from Italy and negotiate peace with the Emperor.[37] Prosper of Aquitaine gives a short description of the historic meeting, but gives all the credit to Leo for the successful negotiation. Priscus reports that superstitious fear of the fate of Alaric gave him pause—as Alaric died shortly after sacking Rome in 410. had suffered from a terrible famine in 451 and her crops were faring little better in 452. Attila's devastating invasion of the plains of northern Italy this year did not improve the harvest.[35]:161 To advance on Rome would have required supplies which were not available in Italy, and taking the city would not have improved Attila's supply situation. Therefore, it was more profitable for Attila to conclude peace and retreat to his homeland.[35]:160–161 an East Roman force had crossed the Danube under the command of another officer also named Aetius—who had participated in the Council of Chalcedon the previous year—and proceeded to defeat the Huns who had been left behind by Attila to safeguard their home territories. Attila, hence, faced heavy human and natural pressures to retire "from Italy without ever setting foot south of the Po".[35]:163 As Hydatius writes in his Chronica Minora: Huns, who had been plundering Italy and who had also stormed a number of cities, were victims of divine punishment, being visited with heaven-sent disasters: famine and some kind of disease. In addition, they were slaughtered by auxiliaries sent by the Emperor Marcian and led by Aetius, and at the same time, they were crushed in their [home] settlements ... Thus crushed, they made peace with the Romans and all returned to their homes.[38] Huns, led by Attila, invade Italy (Attila, the Scourge of God, by Ulpiano Checa, 1887) was the successor of Theodosius, and he had ceased paying tribute to the Huns in late 450 while Attila was occupied in the west. Multiple invasions by the Huns and others had left the Balkans with little to plunder.[citation needed] Attila left Italy and returned to his palace across the Danube, he planned to strike at Constantinople again and reclaim the tribute which Marcian had stopped. However, he died in the early months of 453. conventional account from Priscus says that Attila was at a feast celebrating his latest marriage, this time to the beautiful young Ildico (the name suggests Gothic or Ostrogoth origins).[35]:164 In the midst of the revels, however, he suffered severe bleeding and died. He may have had a nosebleed and choked to death in a stupor. Or he may have succumbed to internal bleeding, possibly due to ruptured esophageal varices. Esophageal varices are dilated veins that form in the lower part of the esophagus, often caused by years of excessive alcohol consumption; they are fragile and can easily rupture, leading to death by hemorrhage.[39] account of his death was first recorded 80 years after the events by Roman chronicler Marcellinus Comes. It reports that "Attila, King of the Huns and ravager of the provinces of Europe, was pierced by the hand and blade of his wife".[40] One modern analyst suggests that he was assassinated,[41] but most reject these accounts as no more than hearsay, preferring instead the account given by Attila's contemporary Priscus, recounted in the 6th century by Jordanes: On the following day, when a great part of the morning was spent, the royal attendants suspected some ill and, after a great uproar, broke in the doors. There they found the death of Attila accomplished by an effusion of blood, without any wound, and the girl with downcast face weeping beneath her veil. Then, as is the custom of that race, they plucked out the hair of their heads and made their faces hideous with deep wounds, that the renowned warrior might be mourned, not by effeminate wailings and tears, but by the blood of men. Moreover a wondrous thing took place in connection with Attila's death. For in a dream some god stood at the side of Marcian, Emperor of the East, while he was disquieted about his fierce foe, and showed him the bow of Attila broken in that same night, as if to intimate that the race of Huns owed much to that weapon. This account the historian Priscus says he accepts upon truthful evidence. For so terrible was Attila thought to be to great empires that the gods announced his death to rulers as a special boon. body was placed in the midst of a plain and lay in state in a silken tent as a sight for men's admiration. The best horsemen of the entire tribe of the Huns rode around in circles, after the manner of circus games, in the place to which he had been brought and told of his deeds in a funeral dirge in the following manner: "The chief of the Huns, King Attila, born of his sire Mundiuch, lord of bravest tribes, sole possessor of the Scythian and German realms—powers unknown before—captured cities and terrified both empires of the Roman world and, appeased by their prayers, took annual tribute to save the rest from plunder. And when he had accomplished all this by the favor of fortune, he fell, not by wound of the foe, nor by treachery of friends, but in the midst of his nation at peace, happy in his joy and without sense of pain. Who can rate this as death, when none believes it calls for vengeance?" they had mourned him with such lamentations, a strava, as they call it, was celebrated over his tomb with great reveling. They gave way in turn to the extremes of feeling and displayed funereal grief alternating with joy. Then in the secrecy of night they buried his body in the earth. They bound his coffins, the first with gold, the second with silver and the third with the strength of iron, showing by such means that these three things suited the mightiest of kings; iron because he subdued the nations, gold and silver because he received the honors of both empires. They also added the arms of foemen won in the fight, trappings of rare worth, sparkling with various gems, and ornaments of all sorts whereby princely state is maintained. And that so great riches might be kept from human curiosity, they slew those appointed to the work—a dreadful pay for their labor; and thus sudden death was the lot of those who buried him as well as of him who was buried.[6]:254–259 sons Ellac, Dengizich and Ernak, "in their rash eagerness to rule they all alike destroyed his empire".[6]:259 They "were clamoring that the nations should be divided among them equally and that warlike kings with their peoples should be apportioned to them by lot like a family estate".[6]:259 Against the treatment as "slaves of the basest condition" a Germanic alliance led by the Gepid ruler Ardaric (who was noted for great loyalty to Attila[6]:199) revolted and fought with the Huns in Pannonia in the Battle of Nedao 454 AD.[6]:260–262 Attila's eldest son Ellac was killed in that battle.[6]:262 Attila's sons "regarding the Goths as deserters from their rule, came against them as though they were seeking fugitive slaves", attacked Ostrogothic co-ruler Valamir (who also fought alongside Ardaric and Attila at the Catalaunian Plains[6]:199), but were repelled, and some group of Huns moved to Scythia (probably those of Ernak).[6]:268–269 His brother Dengizich attempted a renewed invasion across the Danube in 468 AD, but was defeated at the Battle of Bassianae by the Ostrogoths.[6]:272–273 Dengizich was killed by Roman-Gothic general Anagast the following year, after which the Hunnic dominion ended.[10]:168 many children and relatives are known by name and some even by deeds, but soon valid genealogical sources all but dried up, and there seems to be no verifiable way to trace Attila's descendants. This has not stopped many genealogists from attempting to reconstruct a valid line of descent for various medieval rulers. One of the most credible claims has been that of the Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans for mythological Avitohol and Irnik from the Dulo clan of the Bulgars.[42]:103[15]:59, 142[43] folklore and iconography information: Attila in popular culture of the meeting between Attila and Pope Leo from the Chronicon Pictum, c. 1360 himself is said to have claimed the titles "Descendant of the Great Nimrod", and "King of the Huns, the Goths, the Danes, and the Medes"—the last two peoples being mentioned to show the extent of his control over subject nations even on the peripheries of his domain.[44] embellished the report of Priscus, reporting that Attila had possessed the "Holy War Sword of the Scythians", which was given to him by Mars and made him a "prince of the entire world".[45][46] the end of the 12th century the royal court of Hungary proclaimed their descent from Attila. Lampert of Hersfeld's contemporary chronicles report that shortly before the year 1071, the Sword of Attila had been presented to Otto of Nordheim by the exiled queen of Hungary, Anastasia of Kiev.[47] This sword, a cavalry sabre now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, appears to be the work of Hungarian goldsmiths of the ninth or tenth century.[48] anonymous chronicler of the medieval period represented the meeting of Pope Leo and Atilla as attended also by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, "a miraculous tale calculated to meet the taste of the time"[49] This apotheosis was later portrayed artistically by the Renaissance artist Raphael and sculptor Algardi, whom eighteenth-century historian Edward Gibbon praised for establishing "one of the noblest legends of ecclesiastical tradition".[50] to a version of this narrative related in the Chronicon Pictum, a mediaeval Hungarian chronicle, the Pope promised Attila that if he left Rome in peace, one of his successors would receive a holy crown (which has been understood as referring to the Holy Crown of Hungary). histories and chronicles describe him as a great and noble king, and he plays major roles in three Norse sagas: Atlakviða,[51] Volsunga saga,[52] and Atlamál.[51] The Polish Chronicle represents Attila's name as Aquila.[53] of Michelsberg and Otto of Freising pointed out that some songs as "vulgar fables" made Theoderic the Great, Attila and Ermanaric contemporaries, when any reader of Jordanes knew that this was not the case.[54] This refers to the so-called historical poems about Dietrich von Bern (Theoderic), in which Etzel (Attila) is Dietrich's refuge in exile from his wicked uncle Ermenrich (Ermanaric). Etzel is most prominent in the poems Dietrichs Flucht and the Rabenschlacht. Etzel also appears as Kriemhild's second noble husband in the Nibelungenlied, in which Kriemhild causes the destruction of both the Hunnish kingdom and that of her Burgundian relatives. 1812, Ludwig van Beethoven conceived the idea of writing an opera about Attila and approached August von Kotzebue to write the libretto. It was, however, never written.[55] In 1846, Giuseppe Verdi wrote the opera, loosely based on episodes in Attila's invasion of Italy. World War I, Allied propaganda referred to Germans as the "Huns", based on a 1900 speech by Emperor Wilhelm II praising Attila the Hun's military prowess, according to Jawaharlal Nehru's Glimpses of World History.[56] Der Spiegel commented on November 6, 1948, that the Sword of Attila was hanging menacingly over Austria.[57] writer Cecelia Holland wrote The Death of Attila (1973), a historical novel in which Attila appears as a powerful background figure whose life and death deeply impact the protagonists, a young Hunnic warrior and a Germanic one. name has many variants in several languages: Atli and Atle in Old Norse; Etzel in Middle High German (Nibelungenlied); Ætla in Old English; Attila, Atilla, and Etele in Hungarian (Attila is the most popular); Attila, Atilla, Atilay, or Atila in Turkish; and Adil and Edil in Kazakh or Adil ("same/similar") or Edil ("to use") in Mongolian. modern Hungary and in Turkey, "Attila" and its Turkish variation "Atilla" are commonly used as a male first name. In Hungary, several public places are named after Attila; for instance, in Budapest there are 10 Attila Streets, one of which is an important street behind the Buda Castle. When the Turkish Armed Forces invaded Cyprus in 1974, the operations were named after Attila ("The Attila Plan").[58] 1954 Universal International film Sign of the Pagan starred Jack Palance as Attila. Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31;

Mongol, Scythia, 454-469, Dengizich, Atilla's Son
Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12;

Mongol, Scythia, 469, Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns)
Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12;

Mongol, Scythia, 635-668, Bulgars Folder, 7th Century, Old Great Bulgaria

Mongol, Scythia, 7th Century, Land of the Bulgars (Pontic Steppe and Lower Danube)
Pontic Steppe; Bulgars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Mongol, Scythia, 650-1048, Khazars Folder

Mongol, Scythia, 650-1048, Khazars, Commanded Western Silk Road
Scythia, 650-1048, Khazars Scythia, Turks of Atil, 750-969, Khazars; Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Mongol, Scythia, 740-969, Turks of Atil, Khazars
Scythia, Turks of Atil, 750-969, Khazars; Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Mongol, Scythia, 800, 9th and 10th Century, Atil and the Land of the Khazars, (Volga Delta, Scythia)
Scythia, Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Khazars; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on December 30; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Mongol, Scythia, 841-861, Khagan, Zacharia, Khazar Jew then Christian after Cyril
Mongol, Scythia, 841-861, Khagan, Zacharia, Khazar Jew then Christian after Cyril; at the territory of the Khazars, the holy brothers spoke with them about the Christian Faith. Persuaded by the preaching of Saint Cyril, the Khazar prince together with all his people accepted Christianity. The grateful prince wanted to reward the preachers with rich presents, but they refused this and instead asked the prince to free and send home with them all the Greek captives. Saint Cyril returned to Constantinople together with 200 such captives set free. Khazar Jews ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of Saint Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14;

Mongol, Scythia, 860-899, Khazar Jews (Volga River Mouth)
Khazar Jews ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Mongol, Scythia, 860-1091, Land of the Pechenegs (Pontic Steppe) Turks
Pechenegs; Pontic Steppe; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15;

Mongol, Scythia, 965-969, Atil, Scythia. Capital of the Khazars
Atil, Scythia, 965-969. Capital of the Khazars; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Mongol, Scythia, 869-1091, Pecheneges Folder, Lesser Scythia to Bosnia

Mongols, Scythia, 860-1091, Pechenegs, Moldovia to Bosnia, also Turks
Mongols, Pechenegs, 860-1091, Russia, Kiev, 968, Seige of Kiev by Pechenegs; Kiev Rus King, 945-972, Sviatoslav I of Kiev; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Mongol, Scythia, 900-1220, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation Folder, Cumania

Mongol, Scythia, 900-1220, Polovtsian Confederation, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation
Polovtsian Confederation, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation Scythia, 900-1220, Cumania, Cuman-Kipchak Confederation ; Land of the Polovetsians, North of the Black Sea, along the Volga River, Cumania ; Cumanians; Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and the Balkans 1055-1230 (175 years) ; Khan Bonyak; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1055-1230, Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and Balkans (175 years)
Scythia, 1055-1230, Cuman (Polovetsian) Battles in Kievan Rus' and Balkans (175 years) ; Land of the Polovetsians, North of the Black Sea, along the Volga River, Cumania ; Cumanians; Khan Bonyak; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1060, Yelets Icon, 1060 Yelets-Chernigov I, 1395 Yelets I when MOG scared Tamerlane, s day Vladimir I in Moscow
Russia, Ryazan, 1060, Yelets (Elets) Icon, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4), same year as Yelets-Chernigov Icon, could be a copy, 1395 another Yelets Icon when MOG and Saints scared Tamerlane, same day residents prayed to Luke's Vladimir Icon in Moscow; Elets; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; only thing we known about this Icon is that it was located in the city of Yelts, Orlov Gubernia. addition, the annals record the year of its appearance - 1060, which is the same as that of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon (February 5). Researchers believe that the Yelets Icon is a late copy of the Yelets-Chernigov Icon. addition to the belt image of the Mother of God, there is another kind of Yelets Icon which depicts the appearance of the Queen of Heaven to Tamerlane in 1395 in the city of Yelets, before his march on Moscow. Holy Virgin appeared with a multitude of Saints, in a threatening vision to Tamerlane as he was resting in his tent on Mount Argamach. the same day (August 26) the residents of Moscow met the wonderworking Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, praying before it for deliverance from the terrible invasion. by the vision, Tamerlane exclaimed, "So, we shall not defeat the land of Russia!" and then he retreated with his horde. Yelets Icon is commemorated on January 11, and also on August 26, in remembrance of Tamerlane's retreat. The Elets-Chernigov (or Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated On February 5. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, “Henceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.” the year 1131, the icon was sent from Constantinople to Rus to holy Prince Mstislav (April 15) and was installed in the Devichi monastery in Vyshgorod, the ancient appanage city of the holy Equal of the Apostles Princess Olga. son of George Dolgoruky, Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky, brought the icon to the city of Vladimir in 1155 and installed it in the renowned Dormition cathedral which he built. At this time the icon received its name of “the Vladimir Icon.” The icon was first brought to Moscow in the year 1395. Thus, the blessing of the Mother of God established the spiritual bonds of Byzantium and Rus via Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow. festal celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos occurs several times during the year (21 May, 23 June and 26 August). The most solemn celebration occurs on August 26, the Feast established in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon upon its Transfer from Vladimir to Moscow. the year 1395, the fearsome conqueror Khan Tamerlane (Temir-Aksak) reached the Ryazan frontier, took the city of Elets and advancing towards Moscow he came near the banks of the River Don. Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich went with an army to Kolomna and halted at the banks of the River Oka. He prayed to the holy Hierarchs of Moscow and Saint Sergius for the deliverance of the Fatherland, and he wrote to the Metropolitan of Moscow Saint Cyprian (September 16), that the pending Dormition Fast should be devoted to zealous prayers for mercy and repentance. were sent to Vladimir, where the famed wonderworking Vladimir Icon was. After Divine Liturgy and a Molieben on the feast of the Dormition, they clergy took the icon and brought it to Moscow. Along the way, on both sides of the road, countless people prayed kneeling: “O Mother of God, save the land of Russia!” At that same hour, when the people of Moscow were meeting the Vladimir Icon on Kuchkov Field, Tamerlane was sleeping in his tent. Suddenly, he saw in a dream a great mountain, at the summit of which were the holy hierarchs with golden staffs coming towards him. Above them, in a brilliant radiance, was a Majestic Woman. She commanded him to leave the domains of Russia. in fright, Tamerlane asked the meaning of the vision. The experts answered that the Radiant Lady was the Mother of God, the great Protectress of Christians. Tamerlane then gave the order for his troops to retreat. In memory of this miraculous deliverance of the Russian Land from Tamerlane, they built the monastery of the Meeting on Kuchkov Field, where the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon took place. On August 26, the all-Russian celebration in honor of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God was established. important events in Russian Church history have occurred before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: the election and elevation of Saint Jonah, advocate of an Autocephalous Russian Church (1448), and of Saint Job, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1589), and of His Holiness Patriarch Saint Tikhon (1917). The enthronement of His Holiness Pimen, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, occurred on a day of celebration in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God on May 21 (O.S.), 1971. historical days of 21 May, 23 June and 26 August, connected with this holy icon, have become memorable days for the Russian Orthodox Church. Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Elets-Chernigov (Chernigov Spruce Tree) Icon of the Mother of God appeared on a spruce or fir tree near Chernigov in the year 1060, in the time of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich, as was recorded in the Synodikon of Bishop Zosimus Prokopovich of Chernigov (1655-1657). icon was placed in a church built in honor of the Elets-Spruce Icon of the Mother of God. Saint Anthony (July 10), while living an ascetical life on the Boldino Heights (1068-1069), had given his blessing to found a monastery at this place. 1238 the monastery was pillaged by the Tatars (Mongols), but the icon was hidden inside the monastery walls. In the year 1470, Prince Simeon Olelkovich of Kiev restored the monastery, and they placed the icon in the church. ultimate fate of the icon is unclear. According to one tradition, a descendant of the Chernigov princes, Baryatinsky, carried the icon to Moscow in the year 1579, when Chernigov fell into the hands of the Polish King Stephen Bathory. 1687, Prince Daniel Baryatinsky was returning from a campaign in the Crimea. At Kharkov he fell seriously ill, and before his death he bequeathed the Elets Icon to the nearby Kharkov Dormition church. to another tradition, the icon vanished from the monastery when it was sacked in the seventeenth century by the forces of Sigismund III. In 1676, Prince Constantine Ostrozhsky presented the Elets monastery a copy of the Elets Icon of the Mother of God, brought from Vladimir by the Kozel brothers. Archimandrite Joannicius (Golyatovsky) was at this time restoring the monastery and he described numerous miracles of this icon in his book, “Skorbnitsa” (or “Sokrovischnitsa”, i.e. “Consoler” or “Treasury”), published in 1676 in Novgorod. is still another Elets Icon of the Mother of God, also appearing in the year 1060. It received its name because it appeared in the city of Elets, in a cathedral church dedicated to the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The feastday of this icon was set for January 11.

Mongol, Scythia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder
Georgia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder, 16 yr old King, welfare of the Church responsibility, Church over feudal lords, vital role of Faith, repatriation, began in Kakheti, traitorous feudal lords, David's army God's hands, David himself fought, Turks eliminated, Mehmed I 100,000, 1,500 G to Trialeti, same time 1115 advisor Giorgi recaptured Rustavi Ravine, David's son Demetre, permanent standing army 45,000, Kipchaks recruited, his wife's father Atrak, Mahmud II coalition Muslim countries 600,000, Soldier's of Christ we will defeat Devil himself, greatest weapon covenant w God to die for his love, block retreat w branches, tactics and miracles terrified the enemy at Didgori, recaptured Tiblisi 1122 after 400 yrs, Gelati Monastery 1106; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; the end of the 11th century the Georgian Church underwent a trial of physically and spiritually catastrophic proportions. Seljuk sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah (1073-1092), captured the village of Samshvilde, imprisoned its leader, Ioane Orbeliani, son of Liparit, ravaged Kvemo (Lower) Kartli, and finally captured all of Georgia, despite the isolated victories of King Giorgi II (1072-1089). The fearful Georgians fled their homes to hide in the mountains and forests. and deeply distressed by the difficult times, the nation that had once vowed its unconditional love for Christ began to fall into sin and corruption. People of all ages and temperaments sinned against God and turned to the path of perdition. God manifested His wrath toward the Georgian people by sending a terrible earthquake that devastated their Paschal celebrations. the year 1089, during this period of devastation and despair, King Giorgi II abdicated, designating his sixteen-year-old only son, David (later known as “the Restorer”), heir to the throne. It is written that the Heavenly Father said: I have found David My servant, with My holy oil have I annointed him (Ps. 88:19). newly crowned King David took upon himself enormous responsibility for the welfare of the Church. He supported the efforts of the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi to restore and reinforce the authority of the Georgian Church and suppress the conceited feudal lords and unworthy clergymen. During King David’s reign, the government’s most significant activities were carried out for the benefit of the Church. At the same time, the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi reasserted the vital role of the Orthodox Faith in rescuing the Georgian people from the godless mire into which they had sunk. among King David’s goals at the beginning of his reign was the repatriation of those who had fled Georgia during the Turkish rule. The king summoned his noblemen and began to reunify the nation. The king’s efforts to reunify Georgia began in the eastern region of Kakheti-Hereti, but the Turks and traitorous feudal lords were unwilling to surrender the power they had gained in the area. Nevertheless, King David’s army was in God’s hands, and the Georgians fought valiantly against the massive Turkish army. King David himself fought like any other soldier: three of his horses were killed, but he mounted a fourth to finish the fight with a fantastic victory. The Turkish presence was eliminated from his country. however, the uncompromising Seljuk sultan Mehmed (Muhammad) I of Baghdad (1105-1118) ordered an army of one hundred thousand soldiers to march on Georgia. When King David heard of the enemy’s approach, he immediately assembled a force of fifteen hundred men and led them towards Trialeti. A battle began in the early morning, and with God’s help the enemy was defeated. the king’s adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, recaptured the town of Rustavi in 1115, as the Georgian army recovered the ravine of the Mtkvari River. of Chqondidi was King David’s teacher and closest adviser. He held the post of chancellor-procurator. At the council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, King David introduced a new law, combining the office of chancellor-procurator with the archbishopric of Chqondidi, the most influential episcopate in Georgia.) year later, the Turks, who had been encamped between the towns of Karnipori and Basiani, were banished from the country. The “Great Wars” continued, and the holy king was crowned with new victories. ’s son Demetre (later the venerable Damiane), a young man distinguished in “wisdom, holiness, appearance and courage,” was a great asset to his father. The prince led a war on Shirvan, captured Kaladzori, and returned to his father with slaves and great riches, the spoils of war in those days. One year later, the villages of Lore and Agarani were rejoined to Georgia. spite of his victories, King David knew that it would be difficult for his meager army to protect the recovered cities and fortresses, while continuing to serve as a permanent military force. Thus it became necessary to establish a separate, permanent standing army. The wise king planned to draft men from among the Qipchaks, a northern Caucasian tribe, to form this army. He was well acquainted with the character of these people, and confident that they were brave and seasoned in war. Furthermore, David’s wife, Queen Gurandukhti, was a daughter of Atrak, the Qipchaks’ ruler. Atrak joyfully agreed to the request of his son-in-law, the king. a true diplomat seeking to maintain peaceful relations with the Qipchaks, King David took his adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, and traveled to the region of Ossetia in the northern Caucasus. There Giorgi of Chqondidi, an “adviser to his master and participant in his great works and victories,” reposed in the Lord. Following this, the dispirited King David declared that his kingdom would grieve for forty days. But he accomplished what he had set out to do, and selected forty thousand Qipchaks to add to the five thousand Georgian soldiers he had already enlisted. From that point on King David had a standing army of forty-five thousand men. king’s enormous army finally uprooted the Turkish presence in and around Georgia permanently. The defeated Turks returned in shame to their sultan in Baghdad, draped in black as a sign of grief and defeat. Nevertheless, the unyielding sultan Mahmud II (1118-1131) rallied a coalition of Muslim countries to attack Georgia. The sultan summoned the Arab leader Durbays bin Sadaka, commanded his own son Malik (1152-1153) to serve him, gathered an army of six hundred thousand men, and marched once more towards Georgia. was August of 1121. Before heading off to battle, King David inspired his army with these words: “Soldiers of Christ! If we fight bravely for our Faith, we will defeat not only the devil’s servants, but the devil himself. will gain the greatest weapon of spiritual warfare when we make a covenant with the Almighty God and vow that we would rather die for His love than escape from the enemy. And if any one of us should wish to retreat, let us take branches and block the entrance to the gorge to prevent this. When the enemy approaches, let us attack fiercely!” of the soldiers thought of retreating. The king’s stunning battle tactics and the miracles of God terrified the enemy. As it is written, “The hand of God empowered him, and the Great-martyr George visibly led him in battle. The king annihilated the godless enemy with his powerful right hand.” battle at Didgori enfeebled the enemy for many years. The following year, in 1122, King David recaptured the capital city of Tbilisi, which had borne the yoke of slavery for four hundred years. The king returned the city to its mother country. In 1123 King David declared the village of Dmanisi a Georgian possession, and thus, at last, unification of the country was complete. victory followed another, as the Lord defended the king who glorified his Creator. 1106 King David had begun construction of Gelati Monastery in western Georgia, and throughout his life this sacred complex was the focus of his efforts on behalf of the revival of the Georgian Church. Gelati Monastery was the most glorious of all the existing temples to God. To beautify the building, King David offered many of the great treasures he had acquired as spoils of war. Then he gathered all the wise, upright, generous, and pious people from among his kinsmen and from abroad and established the Gelati Theological Academy. King David helped many people in Georgian churches both inside and outside his kingdom. The benevolent king constructed a primitive ambulance for the sick and provided everything necessary for their recovery. He visited the infirm, encouraging them and caring for them like a father. The king always took with him a small pouch in which he carried alms for the poor. intelligent and well-lettered king spent his free time reading the Holy Scriptures and studying the sciences. He even carried his books with him to war, soliciting the help of donkeys and camels to transport his library. When he tired of reading, King David had others read to him, while he listened attentively. One of the king’s biographers recalls, “Each time David finished reading the Epistles, he put a mark on the last page. At the end of one year, we counted that he had read them twenty-four times.” David was also an exemplary writer. His “Hymns of Repentance” are equal in merit to the works of the greatest writers of the Church. most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the Almighty God for forgiveness. David completed his will in 1125, and in the same year he abdicated and designated his son Demetre to be his successor. He entrusted his son with a sword, blessed his future, and wished him many years in good health and service to the Lord. The king reposed peacefully at the age of fifty-three. David the Restorer was buried at the entrance to Gelati Monastery. His final wish was carved in the stone of his grave: This is My rest for ever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen her (Ps. 131:15). St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Mongol, Scythia, 1095-1096, Cuman Chief Boniak Wars in Kiev, plundered Kiev K Caves, w Oleg, d Hungary
Kiev, 1095-1096, Cuman Chief Boniak Wars in Kiev; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on February 11; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28;

Mongol, Scythia, 1121, Atrak, the Cuman Qipchaks' ruler, Battle of Didgori, Christian
Qipchaks, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Mongol, Scythia, 1216, Battle of Lipitsa, for Vladimir, Mstislav and Konsantin beat Yuri and Yaroslav
Battle of Lipitsa (1216); Battle of Lipitsa (Russian: Ð›Ð¸ÌÐ¿Ð¸Ñ†ÐºÐ°Ñ Ð±Ð¸ÌÑ‚Ð²Ð°) was the decisive battle in the succession struggle over the Grand Princely throne of Vladimir-Suzdal following the death of Vsevolod the Big Nest. the battle, fought on April 22, 1216, the forces of Mstislav the Daring and Konstantin Vsevolodovich defeated those of Konstantin's younger brothers Yuri Vsevolodovich and Yaroslav. Konstantin took the throne of Vladimir and reigned as grand prince until his death two years later. large-scale battle typifies fratricidal strife that sapped the strength of the successor states to Kievan Rus before the Mongol invasion. detailed account first appeared in the older redaction of the Novgorodian First Chronicle and later in the Novgorodian Fourth Chronicle the Sofia First Chronicle and elsewhere.[1]

Mongol, Scythia, 1219, Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars
Scythia, 1219, Vladimir-Suzdal forces against Islamic Volga Bulgars ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4 ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Scythia, 1220-1582, Golden Horde Mongol Empire Folder

Mongol, Scythia, 1220-1299, 13th Century Folder, Golden Horde, Invasions of Bulgaria, China and Russia

Mongol, Scythia, 1220s - 1502, Scythian Golden Horde, Mongol Empire
Scythian Golden Horde, 1220s - 1502, Mongol Empire; Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Scythia, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde, Nevsky's loyalty
Scythia, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde; Khan (c. 1205–1255),[note 1] also known as Sain Khan (Mongolian: Good Khan) and Tsar Batu,[2] was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a division of the Mongol Empire. was a son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. His ulus was the chief state of the Golden Horde, which ruled Rus', Volga Bulgaria, Cumania, and the Caucasus for around 250 years, after also destroying the armies of Poland and Hungary. or Bat literally means "firm" in the Mongolian language. After the deaths of Genghis Khan's sons, he became the most respected prince, called agha ("elder brother"), in the Mongol Empire. 1 Personality and appearance 2 Early years 3 Conquest of Kievan Rus' 4 Invasion of Central Europe 5 Viceroy and struggle with Güyük 6 Möngke and Batu 7 Family and legacy 8 Ancestry 9 Gallery 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 Books 14 External links and appearance[edit] to Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Batu was "kind enough to his own people, but he is greatly feared by them. is, however, most cruel in fight; he is very shrewd and extremely crafty in warfare, for he has been waging war for a long time."[3] of Rubruck described him as about the height of his lord John de Beaumont and his entire face was covered with reddish spots.[4] years[edit] his son Jochi's death, Genghis Khan assigned Jochi's appanages to his sons. the Great Khan installed Batu as Khan of the Golden Horde (also known as the Ulus of Jochi or Kipchak Khanate). eldest son, Orda Khan, also agreed that Batu should succeed their father. Genghis Khan's youngest brother Temüge attended the coronation ceremony as an official representative of Genghis.[5] Genghis Khan died in 1227, he left 4,000 Mongol men to Jochi's family. Jochi's lands were divided between Batu and his older brother Orda. White Horde ruled the lands roughly between the Volga river and Lake Balkhash, while Batu's Horde ruled the lands west of the Volga. 1229, Ogedei dispatched three tumens under Kukhdei and Sundei to conquer the tribes on the lower Ural River. to Abulghazi, Batu joined Ogedei's military campaign against the Jin dynasty in North China while his younger brother was fighting the Bashkirs, the Cumans, the Bulghars and the Alans in the west. heavy resistance of their enemies, the Mongols conquered major cities of the Jurchens (Manchuria, northeast China) and made the Bashkirs their ally. the 1230s, Ogedei distributed lands in Shanxi, China to Batu and the family of Jochi, but they appointed their officials under the supervision of the Imperial governor likewise in Khorasan, Persia.[6] of Kievan Rus'[edit] articles: Kievan Rus', Mongol invasion of Rus', and Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria showvte invasions and conquests the kurultai in Mongolia after the end of the Mongol-Jin War, the Great Khan Ogedei ordered Batu to conquer western nations. 1235 Batu, who earlier had directed the conquest of the Crimean Peninsula, was assigned an army of possibly 130,000 to oversee an invasion of Europe. relatives and cousins Guyuk, Büri, Möngke, Khulgen, Khadan, Baidar and notable Mongol generals Subutai (Subeedei), Borolday, and Mengguser joined him by the order of his uncle Ogedei. The army, actually commanded by Subutai, crossed the Volga and invaded Volga Bulgaria in 1236. It took them a year to extinguish the resistance of the Volga Bulgarians, Kypchaks, and Alani. of the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal by Mongol armies. From the medieval Russian annals November 1237 Batu Khan sent his envoys to the court of Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal and demanded his allegiance. Yuri refused to surrender the Mongols besieged Ryazan. After six days of bloody battle, the city was totally annihilated and never restored to its former glory. Alarmed by the news, Yuri II sent his sons to detain the horde, but they were soundly defeated. burnt Kolomna and Moscow, the horde laid siege to the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal on 4 February 1238. Three days later the city was taken and burnt to the ground. The royal family perished in the fire, while the grand prince hastily retreated northward. Crossing the Volga, he mustered a new army, which was totally exterminated by the Mongols on the Sit River on 4 March. Batu Khan divided his army into smaller units, which ransacked fourteen Rus' cities: Rostov, Uglich, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kashin, Ksnyatin, Gorodets, Galich, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yuriev-Polsky, Dmitrov, Volokolamsk, Tver, and Torzhok. most difficult to take was the small town of Kozelsk, whose boy-prince Titus and inhabitants resisted the Mongols for seven weeks. As the story goes, at the news of Mongol approach, the city of Kitezh was submerged in a lake with all its inhabitants, where it may be seen to this day. Khadan and Buri stormed the city in three days after they joined Batu. only major cities to escape destruction were Smolensk, which submitted to the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute, and Novgorod with Pskov, which could not be reached by the Mongols on account of considerable distance and the intervening marshlands. of the Golden Horde sack Suzdal. Batu drank a cup of wine before the others at the victory banquet, Buri complained of the unfairness of Batu receiving such a vast and fertile steppe, and the Mongol army, along with Guyuk and others, ridiculed Batu as an "old woman with beard". They then left the banquet. Batu sent an envoy to his uncle Ogedei to complain of his cousins' rude behavior. Ogedei got angry on hearing the news and recalled Buri and Guyuk. to some sources, Buri, who was sent to his grandfather Chagatai, never returned to join the Mongol conquest of Europe; Guyuk returned to the Russian steppe after his father Ogedei harshly criticized him. the summer of 1238, Batu Khan devastated the Crimea and pacified Mordovia and the Kipchak-controlled steppe. the winter of 1239, he sacked Chernigov and Pereyaslav. several days of siege, the Mongols stormed Kiev in December 1240. fierce resistance by Danylo of Halych, Batu Khan managed to take the two principal capitals of his land, Halych and Volodymyr-Volynsky. Ruthenian principalities became vassals of the Mongol Empire. of Central Europe[edit] article: Mongol invasion of Europe Cuman refugees took shelter in the Kingdom of Hungary. Batu sent at least five messengers to Bela IV, the king of Hungary, but they were all killed. For the last time Batu demanded that Bela have the Cumans returned and warned: "It is much easier for the Cumans to escape than it is for you...you dwell in houses and have fixed towns and fortresses, so how will you escape me"?[7] Batu Khan then decided to "reach the ultimate sea", where the Mongols could proceed no further. Some modern historians speculate that Batu intended primarily to assure his flanks were safe for the future from possible interference from the Europeans, and partially as a precursor to further conquest. Most believe he intended the conquest of all Europe, as soon as his flanks were safe and his forces ready. IV flees from Mohi, detail from Chronicon Pictum devastated the various Rus principalities, Subutai and Batu sent spies into Poland, Hungary, and as far as Austria in preparation for an attack into the heartland of Europe. a clear picture of the European kingdoms, they brilliantly prepared an attack. Batu Khan was the overall leader, but Subutai was the actual commander in the field and as such was present in both the northern and southern campaigns against The Mongols invaded central Europe in three groups. One group invaded and devastated Poland, defeating a combined force under Henry II the Pious, Duke of Silesia and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order at Legnica. second crossed the Carpathian Mountains, a third followed the Danube. armies swept the plains of Hungary over the summer, and in the spring of 1242 they regained impetus and extended their control into Austria and Dalmatia, as well as invading Morava. the northern force under Ogedei's son Khadan and Baidar, the son of Chagatai, won the Battle of Legnica, and another army of Guyuk or Buri triumphed in Transylvania, Subutai was waiting for another victory over the Magyars, the Croats, and the Templars on the Hungarian plain. 1241, a Tatar (Mongol) army led by Bujek crossed the mountains of the Kara Ulagh ("Black Vlachs"); Bujek defeated the Vlachs and one of their leader named Mslav.[8] the siege of Pest, Batu's army withdrew to the Sajo River and inflicted a tremendous defeat on King Bela IV and his allies at the Battle of Mohi on 11 April. Baidar, and Orda went to Hungary, devastating Moravia en route. The Mongols appointed a darughachi in Hungary and minted coins in the name of the Khagan.[9] country of Bela was assigned to Orda by Batu as an appanage; Batu sent Khadan in pursuit of Bela, who fled to Croatia.[citation needed] Chinese drawing of young Batu Khan (14th century). Mongol battalions checked the forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Babenberg Austria.[10] his campaign in Central Europe, Batu demanded that Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, dethrone himself, and said: "I am coming to usurp your throne instead of you". The latter only replied that he would make a good falconer, for he understood birds very The Emperor and Pope Gregory IX called for a crusade against the Mongol Empire, but Europe was plagued by internal strife. achieved lasting fame with his victories in Europe, as he had in Eastern Persia. late 1241, Batu and Subutai were finalizing plans to invade Austria, Italy, and Germany when the news came of the death of Ogedei Khan, who died in December 1241. wanted to continue the war[citation needed], but Subutai reminded him of the law of Yassa (Ð˜Ñ… Ð—Ð°ÑÐ°Ð³)[citation needed]. Mongols withdrew in late spring of 1242, as the Princes of the blood, and Subutai, were recalled to Karakorum where the kurultai was held. Second Bulgarian Empire was forced to acknowledge Batu's supremacy. was a potential Great Khan, but when he failed to gain the title he turned to consolidate his conquests in Asia and the Urals. and struggle with Guyuk[edit] from Hungary, Batu made his camps along the banks of the Volga. When the Great Khatun Töregene invited him to elect the next Emperor of the Mongol Empire, Batu announced his inability to attend any immediate kurultai, thus delaying the succession for several years. Guyuk was elected Khagan in 1246, with Batu's brothers representing the Jochid lineage. As one of the oldest members of Chingisid Borjigin, Batu became a viceroy over all the western parts of the empire, controlling routine affairs among the Russian princes, nominating Jochid retainers as governors of Iran, and receiving in audience grandees from the Caucasus. At no point, however, did he openly challenge the authority of the Great Khan. the absence of Batu, the Mongols who were left behind put to death Mstislav, the prince of Rylsk, in Kievan Rus'. his return Batu summoned the Grand prince Yaroslav II of Vladimir to meet him. Yaroslav was well received by Batu, who confirmed him as suzerain over the other Russian princes, and gave him authority of Kiev. princes of Suzdal followed Yaroslav's example. Batu sent Yaroslav to the imperial court of Karakorum to assist at the inauguration of Guyuk Khan in 1246. Plano Carpini, who got approval from Batu to go further, noted that the Great Khan's aunt was executed. At the same time Yaroslav was poisoned in Mongolia. Michael of Chernigov was passed between fires in accordance with ancient Turco-Mongol tradition. Batu Khan stabbed him to death for his refusal to do obeisance to Genghis Khan's shrine in the pagan ritual. had commissaries in the various towns where the dependent Russian princes and other princes held their courts. princes from Russian states such as Vladimir Constantine, Boris, Gleb, Vasili, Constatantine, Vladimir Constantinovich, Vasilko and Sviatoslav Vsevolodovich of Vladimir, went to the court of Batu in person. Michael of Chernigov, who had murdered the Mongol envoy in Kiev, arrived, the Mongol overseers were engaged in taking a census of the inhabitants for the poll tax. Michael was ordered to repair to Batu. When summoned before Batu, he was made to pass between two fires and ordered to prostrate himself before the tablets of Genghis Khan. replied that he did not object to do obeisance to Batu himself but to adore images of a dead man was repugnant. As he persisted in his refusal, Batu ordered his death. of Halych summoned to Batu and diplomatically made obeisance to the Mongols. Batu, addressing him, said "You have for a long time refused to come, but have effaced your ill conduct by your obedience" and saluted him with a draught of airag. exchanged hostages whereby 100 families of Keraites were re-settled in Carpathian-Galicia. the defeat of the Sultanate of Rum, Baiju freed David VII Ulu from Turkish imprisonment and sent him to Batu and Guyuk. Baiju's aggressive policy, Queen Rusudan of Georgia sent her son David VI Narin to Batu's court to get official recognition as heir apparent. supported David VI and granted him the rights above the Georgian and Armenian nobles and the Mongol tammachis. Guyuk made David Ulu the senior king of Georgia and ordered Batu's protege David Narin to be subordinate to David Ulu. between Batu and Guyuk increased, however, and Guyuk replaced the officials in Iran and the Caucasus with his own men, including Eljigidei. gave a good reception to Alexander Nevsky and Andrey II. Andrey was assigned the throne of Vladimir-Suzdal while Alexander was given southern Russia. Guyuk began moving west, Sorghaghtani Beki, the widow of Tolui, warned Batu that he was actually the Great Khan's target. Guyuk summoned Batu to appear before him, Batu moved slowly. Before meeting Batu, Guyuk died suddenly. According to William of Rubruck and a Muslim chronicle, one of Batu's brothers murdered or poisoned the Great Khan Guyuk and Batu then killed the imperial envoy, though this account is not completely confirmed by other major sources. öngke and Batu[edit] loyal vassal Alexander Nevsky in the Horde opportunity had arrived for deposing the House of Ogedei from the overlordship of the Mongols, and Batu was determined to avail himself of it. But Batu seemed to allow Oghul Qaimish to serve as regent. He also suggested unruly princes listen to her words. When Batu was ill, Mongke went to the Ulus of Jochi to greet him as his mother Sorghagtani advised. Batu was much delighted on seeing him. last, Batu called a kurultai on his own territory in 1250. Members of the Ogedeid and Chagataid families refused to attend the kurultai beyond the Mongolian heartland. The kurultai offered the throne to Batu Khan who had no interest in promoting himself as the new Grand Khan. Rejecting it, he instead nominated Mongke, who led a Mongol army in Russia, the Northern Caucasus, and Hungary. The pro-Tolui faction (Genghis 4th son, Yuan Dynasty) rose up and supported his choice. Given its limited attendance and location, this kurultai was of questionable validity. sent Mongke under the protection of his brothers, Berke and Tukhtemur, and his son Sartaq to assemble a formal kurultai at Kodoe Aral in the heartland. supporters of Mongke invited Oghul Qaimish and other main Ogedeid and Chagataid princes to attend the kurultai, but they refused each time, demanding descendants of Ogedei must be khan. In response, Batu accused them of killing his aunt Altalaun and defying Ogedei's nominee, Shiremun. the assembled throng proclaimed Mongke Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1251, he punished the Ogedeid and Chagataid families for the organized plot against him. sent Buri to Batu who had him executed by Buri's opponent general. Eljigidei was also ordered to be executed. Grand prince Andrey II allied with the rebellious-minded princes of western Rus, giving umbrage to the Mongols. sent a punitive expedition under Nevrui. On their approach, Andrey fled to Pskov and thence to Sweden. The Mongols spread over Vladimir and harshly punished the people there. Livonian Knights stopped their advance to Novgorod and Pskov on hearing the news about the Mongols. Thanks to his friendship with Sartaq, Alexander was installed as the Grand Prince of Vladimir (i.e., the supreme Russian ruler) by Batu in 1252. 1256 Andrey travelled to Sarai to ask pardon for his former infidelity and was shown mercy. the reign of Mongke, Batu's prestige as kingmaker and viceroy of the great khans in the west reached its height. Even so, Batu allowed Mongke's census takers to operate freely in his realm. to a Muslim chronicle and the History of Yuan, Batu had free access to the imperial treasury.[12] Of all the grandsons of Genghis Khan, he and Mongke seemed most capable and the most dedicated to following the spirit of Mongolian law.[13] dispatched a large Jochid delegation to participate in Hulagu's expedition in the Middle East. However, Berke's persuasion might have forced him to delay to strengthen Hulagu's force, little suspecting that it would result in eliminating the Jochid predominance there, for few years. Batu, Mongke, and other princely lines shared rule over the area from Afghanistan to Turkey. He left state affairs to his son Sartaq before Batu died in 1255. Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30; Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Scythia, 1236, Invasion of Batu Khan (Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria 1223-1236)
Invasion of Batu Khan 1236 (Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria 1223-1236); Invasion of Batu Khan; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Mongol, Scythia, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Batu Khan, Battle of Sit (Sita) River
Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Battle of Sit River; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1241-1255, Horde of Batu (1241-1255)
Golden Horde, Horde of Batu; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30;

Mongol, Scythia, 1240-mid 1240's, Golden Horde, Old City (Sarai)
Golden Horde ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Scythia, 1250-1556, Golden Horde, New City (Sarai)
Golden Horde ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Scythia, 1251-1259, Golden Horde Khan, Mongke Khan, Christian, converted by Nevsky
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1251-1259, Mongke Khan; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Scythia, 1255-1256, Mongol Khan Sartaq, Christian, Nevsky's close friend, C by Nevsky
Scythia, 1255-1256, Mongol Khan Sartaq, Christian; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Scythia, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old, Christian
Scythia, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Scythia, 1257-1266, Batu's brother Berke Khan, Blue Horde and White Horde, moslem but allied w Nevsky
Scythia, 1257-1266, Berke Khan ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Scythia, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan, Yuan Dynasty, China, Mongolia, Korea, Buddist, M Polo
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan ; (/ËˆkuËblaÉª/; Mongolian: Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹, romanized: Hubilai; Chinese: å¿½å¿…çƒˆ; pinyin: Hūbìliè; 23 September  1215 – 18 February 1294), also known as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan, was the fifth khagan-emperor[note 1] of the Mongol Empire (Ikh Mongol Uls), reigning from 1260 to 1294 (although after the division of the empire this was a nominal position). He also founded the Yuan dynasty in China as a conquest dynasty in 1271, and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death in 1294. was the fourth son of Tolui (his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki) and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He succeeded his older brother Möngke as Khagan in 1260, but had to defeat his younger brother Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War lasting until 1264. This episode marked the beginning of disunity in the empire.[2] Kublai's real power was limited to China and Mongolia, though as Khagan he still had influence in the Ilkhanate and, to a significantly lesser degree, in the Golden Horde.[3][4][5] If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, his realm reached from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, from Siberia to what is now Afghanistan.[6] 1271, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty, which ruled over present-day China, Mongolia, Korea, and some adjacent areas; he also amassed influence in the Middle East and Europe as a Khagan. He assumed the role of Emperor of China. By 1279, the Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty was completed and Kublai became the first non-Han emperor to unite all of China proper. imperial portrait of Kublai was part of an album of the portraits of Yuan emperors and empresses, now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei. White, the color of the royal costume of Kublai, was the imperial color of the Yuan dynasty.[7] 1 Early years 2 Victory in North China 3 Enthronement and civil war 4 Reign 4.1 Great Khan of the Mongols 4.2 Emperor of the Yuan dynasty 4.2.1 Scientific developments and relations with minorities 4.2.2 Continuation of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices 5 Warfare and foreign relations 5.1 Tibet and Xinjiang 5.2 Kublai's annexation of Goryeo 5.3 Further naval expansion 5.4 Invasions of Japan 5.5 Invasions of Vietnam 5.6 Southeast Asia and South Seas 5.7 Europe 5.8 Africa 6 Capital City 6.1 Xanadu 7 Nayan's rebellion 8 Later years 9 Family 9.1 Wives and sons 9.2 Daughters 10 Poetry 11 Legacy 12 In popular culture 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 15.1 Citations 15.2 Sources 16 Further reading 17 External links years[edit] Khan was the fourth son of Tolui, and his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki. As his grandfather Genghis Khan advised, Sorghaghtani chose a Buddhist Tangut woman as her son's nurse, whom Kublai later honored highly. On his way home after the Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, Genghis Khan performed a ceremony on his grandsons Möngke and Kublai after their first hunt in 1224 near the Ili River.[8] Kublai was nine years old and with his eldest brother killed a rabbit and an antelope. After his grandfather smeared fat from killed animals onto Kublai's middle finger in accordance with a Mongol tradition, he said "The words of this boy Kublai are full of wisdom, heed them well – heed them all of you." The elderly Khagan (Mongol emperor) Genghis Khan would die three years after this event in 1227, when Kublai was 12. Kublai's father Tolui would serve as regent for two years until Genghis' successor, Kublai's third uncle Ogedei, was enthroned as Khagan in 1229.[citation needed] the Mongol conquest of the Jin dynasty, in 1236, Ogedei gave Hebei (attached with 80,000 households) to the family of Tolui, who died in 1232. Kublai received an estate of his own, which included 10,000 households. Because he was inexperienced, Kublai allowed local officials free rein. Corruption amongst his officials and aggressive taxation caused large numbers of Chinese peasants to flee, which led to a decline in tax revenues. quickly came to his appanage in Hebei and ordered reforms. Sorghaghtani sent new officials to help him and tax laws were revised. Thanks to those efforts, many of the people who fled returned.[citation needed] most prominent, and arguably most influential, component of Kublai Khan's early life was his study and a strong attraction to contemporary Chinese culture. Kublai invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China, to his ordo in Mongolia. When he met Haiyun in Karakorum in 1242, Kublai asked him about the philosophy of Buddhism. Haiyun named Kublai's son, who was born in 1243, Zhenjin (Chinese: True Gold).[9] Haiyun also introduced Kublai to the formerly Daoist (Taoist), and at the time Buddhist monk, Liu Bingzhong. Liu was a painter, calligrapher, poet, and mathematician, and he became Kublai's advisor when Haiyun returned to his temple in modern Beijing.[10] Kublai soon added the Shanxi scholar Zhao Bi to his entourage. Kublai employed people of other nationalities as well, for he was keen to balance local and imperial interests, Mongol and Turkic.[11] in North China[edit] of young Kublai by Anige, a Nepali artist in Kublai's court 1251, Kublai's eldest brother Möngke became Khan of the Mongol Empire, and Khwarizmian Mahmud Yalavach and Kublai were sent to China. received the viceroyalty over North China and moved his ordo to central Inner Mongolia. During his years as viceroy, Kublai managed his territory well, boosted the agricultural output of Henan, and increased social welfare spendings after receiving Xi'an. acts received great acclaim from the Chinese warlords and were essential to the building of the Yuan Dynasty. 1252, Kublai criticized Mahmud Yalavach, who was never highly valued by his Chinese associates, over his cavalier execution of suspects during a judicial review, and Zhao Bi attacked him for his presumptuous attitude toward the throne. Möngke dismissed Mahmud Yalavach, which met with resistance from Chinese Confucian-trained officials.[12] 1253, Kublai was ordered to attack Yunnan and he asked the Dali Kingdom to submit. The ruling Gao family resisted and killed Mongol envoys. The Mongols divided their forces into three. One wing rode eastward into the Sichuan basin. The second column under Subutai's son Uryankhadai took a difficult route into the mountains of western Sichuan.[13] Kublai went south over the grasslands and met up with the first column. While Uryankhadai travelled along the lakeside from the north, Kublai took the capital city of Dali and spared the residents despite the slaying of his ambassadors. The Dali King Duan Xingzhi (æ®µèˆˆæ™º) himself defected to the Mongols, who used his troops to conquer the rest of Yunnan. Duan Xingzhi, the last king of Dali, was appointed by Möngke Khan as the first tusi or local ruler; Duan accepted the stationing of a pacification commissioner there.[14] Kublai's departure, unrest broke out among certain factions. In 1255 and 1256, Duan Xingzhi was presented at court, where he offered Möngke Khan maps of Yunnan and counsels about the vanquishing of the tribes who had not yet surrendered. Duan then led a considerable army to serve as guides and vanguards for the Mongolian army. By the end of 1256, Uryankhadai had completely pacified Yunnan.[15] was attracted by the abilities of Tibetan monks as healers. In 1253 he made Drogön Chögyal Phagpa of the Sakya school, a member of his entourage. Phagpa bestowed on Kublai and his wife, Chabi (Chabui), an empowerment (initiation ritual). Kublai appointed Lian Xixian of the Kingdom of Qocho (1231–1280) the head of his pacification commission in 1254. Some officials, who were jealous of Kublai's success, said that he was getting above himself and dreaming of having his own empire by competing with Möngke's capital Karakorum. Möngke Khan sent two tax inspectors, Alamdar (Ariq Böke's close friend and governor in North China) and Liu Taiping, to audit Kublai's officials in 1257. They found fault, listed 142 breaches of regulations, accused Chinese officials and executed some of them, and Kublai's new pacification commission was abolished.[16] Kublai sent a two-man embassy with his wives and then appealed in person to Möngke, who publicly forgave his younger brother and reconciled with him.[citation needed] Daoists had obtained their wealth and status by seizing Buddhist temples. Möngke repeatedly demanded that the Daoists cease their denigration of Buddhism and ordered Kublai to end the clerical strife between the Daoists and Buddhists in his territory.[17] Kublai called a conference of Daoist and Buddhist leaders in early 1258. At the conference, the Daoist claim was officially refuted, and Kublai forcibly converted 237 Daoist temples to Buddhism and destroyed all copies of the Daoist texts.[18][19][20][21] Kublai Khan and the Yuan dynasty clearly favored Buddhism, while his counterparts in the Chagatai Khanate, the Golden Horde, and the Ilkhanate later converted to Islam at various times in history – Berke of the Golden Horde being the only Muslim during Kublai's era (his successor did not convert to Islam).[citation needed] “The Emperor Kublai Khan in a tower carried by four elephants on the day of the battle“ French Engraving, 18th century. 1258, Möngke put Kublai in command of the Eastern Army and summoned him to assist with an attack on Sichuan. As he was suffering from gout, Kublai was allowed to stay home, but he moved to assist Möngke anyway. Before Kublai arrived in 1259, word reached him that Möngke had died. Kublai decided to keep the death of his brother secret and continued the attack on Wuhan, near the Yangtze. While Kublai's force besieged Wuchang, Uryankhadai joined him.[citation needed] The Song minister Jia Sidao secretly approached Kublai to propose terms. He offered an annual tribute of 200,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk, in exchange for Mongol agreement to the Yangtze as the frontier between the states.[22] Kublai declined at first but later reached a peace agreement with Jia Sidao. and civil war[edit] article: Toluid Civil War received a message from his wife that his younger brother Ariq Böke had been raising troops, so he returned north to the Mongolian plains.[23] he reached Mongolia, he learned that Ariq Böke had held a kurultai (Mongol great council) at the capital Karakorum, which had named him Great Khan with the support of most of Genghis Khan's descendants. and the fourth brother, the Il-Khan Hulagu, opposed this. Kublai's Chinese staff encouraged Kublai to ascend the throne, and almost all the senior princes in North China and Manchuria supported his candidacy.[24] returning to his own territories, Kublai summoned his own kurultai. Fewer members of the royal family supported Kublai's claims to the title, though the small number of attendees included representatives of all the Borjigin lines except that of Jochi. This kurultai proclaimed Kublai Great Khan, on April 15, 1260, despite Ariq Böke's apparently legal claim to become khan.[citation needed] Khan was chosen by his many supporters to become the next Great Khan at the Grand Kurultai in the year 1260. Kublai Khan and His Empress Enthroned, from a Jami al-Twarikh (or Chingiznama). Mughal dynasty, Reign of Akbar, 1596. Mughal Court. Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. India. Freer Gallery of Art. F1954.31 [1] led to warfare between Kublai and Ariq Böke, which resulted in the destruction of the Mongolian capital at Karakorum. In Shaanxi and Sichuan, Möngke's army supported Ariq Böke. Kublai dispatched Lian Xixian to Shaanxi and Sichuan, where they executed Ariq Böke's civil administrator Liu Taiping and won over several wavering generals.[25] To secure the southern front, Kublai attempted a diplomatic resolution and sent envoys to Hangzhou, but Jia broke his promise and arrested them.[26] Kublai sent Abishqa as new khan to the Chagatai Khanate. Ariq Böke captured Abishqa, two other princes, and 100 men, and he had his own man, Alghu, crowned khan of Chagatai's territory. the first armed clash between Ariq Böke and Kublai, Ariq Böke lost and his commander Alamdar was killed at the battle. In revenge, Ariq Böke had Abishqa executed. cut off supplies of food to Karakorum with the support of his cousin Kadan, son of Ögedei Khan. Karakorum quickly fell to Kublai's large army, but following Kublai's departure it was temporarily re-taken by Ariq Böke in 1261. Yizhou governor Li Tan revolted against Mongol rule in February 1262, and Kublai ordered his Chancellor Shi Tianze and Shi Shu to attack Li Tan. The two armies crushed Li Tan's revolt in just a few months and Li Tan was executed. armies also executed Wang Wentong, Li Tan's father-in-law, who had been appointed the Chief Administrator of the Central Secretariat (Zhongshu Sheng) early in Kublai's reign and became one of Kublai's most trusted Han Chinese officials. incident instilled in Kublai a distrust of ethnic Hans. After becoming emperor, Kublai banned granting the titles of and tithes to Han Chinese warlords.[citation needed] Khan Alghu, who had been appointed by Ariq Böke, declared his allegiance to Kublai and defeated a punitive expedition sent by Ariq Böke in 1262. The Ilkhan Hulagu also sided with Kublai and criticized Ariq Böke. Böke surrendered to Kublai at Xanadu on August 21, 1264. The rulers of the western khanates acknowledged Kublai's victory and rule in Mongolia.[27] When Kublai summoned them to a new kurultai, Alghu Khan demanded recognition of his illegal position from Kublai in return. Despite tensions between them, both Hulagu and Berke, khan of the Golden Horde, at first accepted Kublai's invitation.[28][29] However, they soon declined to attend the kurultai. Kublai pardoned Ariq Böke, although he executed Ariq Böke's chief supporters. Khan of the Mongols[edit] invasions and conquests mysterious deaths of three Jochid princes in Hulagu's service, the Siege of Baghdad (1258), and unequal distribution of war spoils strained the Ilkhanate's relations with the Golden Horde. 1262, Hulagu's complete purge of the Jochid troops and support for Kublai in his conflict with Ariq Böke brought open war with the Golden Horde. Kublai reinforced Hulagu with 30,000 young Mongols in order to stabilize the political crises in the western regions of the Mongol Empire.[30] Hulagu died on February 8, 1264, Berke marched to cross near Tbilisi to conquer the Ilkhanate but died on the way. Within a few months of these deaths, Alghu Khan of the Chagatai Khanate also died. In the new official version of his family's history, Kublai refused to write Berke's name as the khan of the Golden Horde because of Berke's support for Ariq Böke and wars with Hulagu; however, Jochi's family was fully recognized as legitimate family members.[31] Khan named Abaqa as the new Ilkhan (obedient khan) and nominated Batu's grandson Mentemu for the throne of Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde.[32][33] The Kublaids in the east retained suzerainty over the Ilkhans until the end of their regime.[24][34] also sent his protege Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq to overthrow the court of the Oirat Orghana, the empress of the Chagatai Khanate, who put her young son Mubarak Shah on the throne in 1265, without Kublai's permission after her husband's death. Kaidu of the House of Ögedei declined to personally attend the court of Kublai. Kublai instigated Baraq to attack Kaidu. Baraq began to expand his realm northward; he seized power in 1266 and fought Kaidu and the Golden Horde. He also pushed out Great Khan's overseer from the Tarim Basin. When Kaidu and Mentemu together defeated Kublai, Baraq joined an alliance with the House of Ögedei and the Golden Horde against Kublai in the east and Abagha in the west. Meanwhile, Mentemu avoided any direct military expedition against Kublai's realm. The Golden Horde promised Kublai their assistance to defeat Kaidu whom Mentemu called the rebel.[35] This was apparently due to the conflict between Kaidu and Mentemu over the agreement they made at the Talas kurultai. The armies of Mongol Persia defeated Baraq's invading forces in 1269. When Baraq died the next year, Kaidu took control of the Chagatai Khanate and recovered his alliance with Mentemu.[citation needed] Kublai tried to stabilize his control over the Korean Peninsula by mobilizing another Mongol invasion after he enthroned Wonjong of Goryeo (r. 1260–1274) in 1259 on Ganghwado. Kublai also forced two rulers of the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate to call a truce with each other in 1270 despite the Golden Horde's interests in the Middle East and the Caucasus.[36] 1260, Kublai sent one of his advisors, Hao Ching, to the court of Emperor Lizong of Song to say that if Lizong submitted to Kublai and surrender his dynasty, he would be granted some autonomy.[37] Emperor Lizong refused to meet Kublai's demands and imprisoned Hao Ching and when Kublai sent a delegation to release Hao Ching, Emperor Lizong sent them back.[37] called two Iraqi siege engineers from the Ilkhanate in order to destroy the fortresses of Song China. After the fall of Xiangyang in 1273, Kublai's commanders, Aju and Liu Zheng, proposed a final campaign against the Song Dynasty, and Kublai made Bayan of the Baarin the supreme commander.[38] Kublai ordered Möngke Temür to revise the second census of the Golden Horde to provide resources and men for his conquest of China.[39] The census took place in all parts of the Golden Horde, including Smolensk and Vitebsk in 1274–75. The Khans also sent Nogai Khan to the Balkans to strengthen Mongol influence there.[40] renamed the Mongol regime in China Dai Yuan in 1271, and sought to sinicize his image as Emperor of China in order to win control of millions of Han Chinese people. he moved his headquarters to Khanbaliq, also called Dadu, at modern-day Beijing, there was an uprising in the old capital Karakorum that he barely contained. Kublai's actions were condemned by traditionalists and his critics still accused him of being too closely tied to Han Chinese culture. They sent a message to him: "The old customs of our Empire are not those of the Han Chinese laws ... What will happen to the old customs?"[41][42] Kaidu attracted the other elites of Mongol Khanates, declaring himself to be a legitimate heir to the throne instead of Kublai, who had turned away from the ways of Genghis Khan.[43][44] Defections from Kublai's Dynasty swelled the Ögedeids' forces. of Kublai Khan on a hunting expedition, by Han Chinese court artist Liu Guandao, c. 1280. Song imperial family surrendered to the Yuan in 1276, making the Mongols the first non-Han Chinese peoples to conquer all of China. Three years later, Yuan marines crushed the last of the Song loyalists. The Song Empress Dowager and her grandson, Emperor Gong of Song, were then settled in Khanbaliq where they were given tax-free property, and Kublai's wife Chabi took a personal interest in their well-being. However, Kublai later had Emperor Gong sent away to become a monk to Zhangye.[citation needed] succeeded in building a powerful empire, created an academy, offices, trade ports and canals and sponsored science and the arts. The record of the Mongols lists 20,166 public schools created during Kublai's reign.[43] Having achieved real or nominal dominion over much of Eurasia, and having successfully conquered China, Kublai was in a position to look beyond China.[45] However, Kublai's costly invasions of Vietnam (1258), Sakhalin (1264), Burma (1277), Champa (1282), and Vietnam again (1285) secured only the vassal status of those countries. Mongol invasions of Japan (1274 and 1280), the third invasion of Vietnam (1287–8), and the invasion of Java (1293) failed. the same time, Kublai's nephew Ilkhan Abagha tried to form a grand alliance of the Mongols and the Western European powers to defeat the Mamluks in Syria and North Africa that constantly invaded the Mongol dominions. Abagha and Kublai focused mostly on foreign alliances, and opened trade routes. Khagan Kublai dined with a large court every day, and met with many ambassadors and foreign merchants.[citation needed] son Nomukhan and his generals occupied Almaliq from 1266 to 1276. In 1277, a group of Genghisid princes under Möngke's son Shiregi rebelled, kidnapped Kublai's two sons and his general Antong and handed them over to Kaidu and Möngke Temür. The latter was still allied with Kaidu who fashioned an alliance with him in 1269, although Möngke Temür had promised Kublai his military support to protect Kublai from the Ögedeids.[43] Kublai's armies suppressed the rebellion and strengthened the Yuan garrisons in Mongolia and the Ili River basin. However, Kaidu took control over Almaliq. of the letter of Arghun to Philip IV of France, in the Mongolian script, dated 1289. French National Archives. In 1279–80, Kublai decreed death for those who performed slaughtering of cattle according to the legal codes of Islam (dhabihah) or Judaism (kashrut), which offended Mongolian custom.[46] Tekuder seized the throne of the Ilkhanate in 1282, attempting to make peace with the Mamluks, Abaqa's old Mongols under prince Arghun appealed to Kublai. After the execution of Ahmad Fanakati, Kublai confirmed Arghun's coronation and awarded his commander in chief Buqa the title of chancellor.[citation needed] niece, Kelmish, who married a Khongirad general of the Golden Horde, was powerful enough to have Kublai's sons Nomuqan and Kokhchu returned. Three leaders of the Jochids, Tode Mongke, Köchü, and Nogai, agreed to release two princes.[47] The court of the Golden Horde returned the princes as a peace overture to the Yuan Dynasty in 1282 and induced Kaidu to release Kublai's general. Konchi, khan of the White Horde, established friendly relations with the Yuan and the Ilkhanate, and as a reward received luxury gifts and grain from Kublai.[48] Despite political disagreement between contending branches of the family over the office of Khagan, the economic and commercial system continued.[49][50][51][52] of the Yuan dynasty[edit] also: Timeline of the Yuan dynasty Yuan Dynasty of China, c. 1294 Khan considered China his main base, realizing within a decade of his enthronement as Great Khan that he needed to concentrate on governing there.[53] From the beginning of his reign, he adopted Chinese political and cultural models and worked to minimize the influences of regional lords, who had held immense power before and during the Song Dynasty. heavily relied on his Chinese advisers until about 1276. He had many Han Chinese advisers, such as Liu Bingzhong and Xu Heng, and employed many Buddhist Uyghurs, some of whom were resident commissioners running Chinese districts.[54] also appointed the Sakya lama Drogön Chögyal Phagpa ("the Phags pa Lama") his Imperial Preceptor, giving him power over all the empire's Buddhist monks. 1270, after the Phags pa Lama created the 'Phags-pa script, he was promoted to imperial preceptor. Kublai established the Supreme Control Commission under the Phags pa Lama to administer affairs of Tibetan and Chinese monks. During Phagspa's absence in Tibet, the Tibetan monk Sangha rose to high office and had the office renamed the Commission for Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs.[55][56] In 1286, Sangha became the dynasty's chief fiscal officer. However, their[whose?] corruption later embittered Kublai, and he later relied wholly on younger Mongol aristocrats. Antong of the Jalairs and Bayan of the Baarin served as grand councillors from 1265, and Oz-temur of the Arulad headed the censorate. Borokhula's descendant, Ochicher, headed a kheshig (Mongolian imperial guard) and the palace provision commission.[citation needed] the eighth year of Zhiyuan (1271), Kublai officially created the Yuan dynasty and proclaimed the capital as Dadu (Chinese: å¤§éƒ½; Wade–Giles: Ta-tu; lit. 'Grand Capital', known as Khanbaliq or Daidu to the Mongols, at modern-day Beijing) the following year. His summer capital was in Shangdu (Chinese: ä¸Šéƒ½; lit. 'Upper Capital', also called Xanadu, near what today is Dolon Nor). unify China,[57] Kublai began a massive offensive against the remnants of the Southern Song in 1274 and finally destroyed the Song in 1279, unifying the country at last at the Battle of Yamen where the last Song Emperor Zhao Bing committed suicide by jumping into the sea and ending the Song dynasty.[58] opera flourished during Yuan China. of the Yuan domains were administered as provinces, also translated as the "Branch Secretariat", each with a governor and vice-governor.[59] This included China proper, Manchuria, Mongolia, and a special Zhendong branch Secretariat that extended into the Korean Peninsula.[60][61] The Central Region (Chinese: è…¹è£) was separate from the rest, consisting of much of present-day North China. It was considered the most important region of the dynasty and was directly governed by the Zhongshu Sheng at Dadu. Tibet was governed by another top-level administrative department called the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs. promoted economic growth by rebuilding the Grand Canal, repairing public buildings, and extending highways. However, his domestic policy included some aspects of the old Mongol living traditions, and as his reign continued, these traditions would clash increasingly frequently with traditional Chinese economic and social culture. decreed that partner merchants of the Mongols should be subject to taxes in 1262 and set up the Office of Market Taxes to supervise them in 1268.[62] the Mongol conquest of the Song, the Muslim, Uighur and Chinese merchants expanded their operations to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.[62] In 1286, maritime trade was put under the Office of Market Taxes. The main source of revenue of the government was the monopoly of salt production.[63] Mongol administration had issued paper currencies from 1227 on.[64][65] In August 1260, Kublai created the first unified paper currency called Jiaochao; bills were circulated throughout the Yuan domain with no expiration date. To guard against devaluation, the currency was convertible with silver and gold, and the government accepted tax payments in paper currency. In 1273, Kublai issued a new series of state sponsored bills to finance his conquest of the Song, although eventually a lack of fiscal discipline and inflation turned this move into an economic disaster. was required to pay only in the form of paper money. To ensure its use, Kublai's government confiscated gold and silver from private citizens and foreign merchants, but traders received government-issued notes in exchange. Kublai Khan is considered to be the first fiat money maker. The paper bills made collecting taxes and administering the empire much easier and reduced the cost of transporting coins.[66] In 1287, Kublai's minister Sangha created a new currency, Zhiyuan Chao, to deal with a budget shortfall.[67] It was non-convertible and denominated in copper cash. Later Gaykhatu of the Ilkhanate attempted to adopt the system in Iran and the Middle East, which was a complete failure, and shortly afterwards he was assassinated.[citation needed] Sangha was a Tibetan.[68] A rich merchant from the Madurai Sultanate, Abu Ali, was associated closely with its royal family. After falling out with them, he moved to Yuan China and received a Korean woman as his wife and a job from the Mongol Emperor, the woman was formerly Sangha's wife and her father held the title of Chaesongnyeon during the reign of Chungnyeol of Goryeo according to the Dongguk Tonggam, Goryeosa and Liu Mengyan's ZhÅng'ÄnjÃ.[69][70] encouraged Asian arts and demonstrated religious tolerance. Despite his anti-Daoist edicts, Kublai respected the Daoist master and appointed Zhang Liushan as the patriarch of the Daoist Xuánjià, (Mysterious Order).[71] Under Zhang's advice, Daoist temples were put under the Academy of Scholarly Worthies. Europeans visited the empire, notably Marco Polo in the 1270s, who may have seen the summer capital Shangdu.[citation needed] the Southern Song, the descendant of Confucius at Qufu, Duke Yansheng Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to Quzhou, while the newly established Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng. From that time up until the Yuan dynasty, there were two Duke Yanshengs, once in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation, so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng.[72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79] The southern branch still remained in Quzhou where they lived to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000.[80] developments and relations with minorities[edit] "Muslim trebuchet" (or Huihui Pao) used to breach the walls of Fancheng and Xiangyang. Muslims served as high officials in the court of Kublai Khan. Eight of the dynasty's twelve administrative districts had Muslim governors appointed by Kublai Khan.[81] Among the Muslim governors was Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, who became administrator of Yunnan. He was a well learned man in the Confucian and Daoist traditions and is believed to have propagated Islam in China. Other administrators were Nasr al-Din (Yunnan) and Mahmud Yalavach (mayor of the Yuan capitol). Khan patronized Muslim scholars and scientists, and Muslim astronomers contributed to the construction of the observatory in Shaanxi.[82] Astronomers such as Jamal ad-Din introduced 7 new instruments and concepts that allowed the correction of the Chinese calendar. cartographers made accurate maps of all the nations along the Silk Road and greatly influenced the knowledge of Yuan dynasty rulers and merchants.[citation needed] physicians organized hospitals and had their own institutes of Medicine in Beijing and Shangdu. In Beijing was the renown Guang Hui Si "Department of extensive mercy", where Hui medicine and surgery were taught. Avicenna's works were also published in China during that period.[83] mathematicians introduced Euclidean Geometry, Spherical trigonometry and Arabic numerals in China.[84] brought siege engineers Ismail and Al al-Din to China, and together they invented the Muslim trebuchet (or Huihui Pao), which was utilized by Kublai Khan during the Battle of Xiangyang.[85] of the restriction upon some Abrahamic ritual practices[edit] Emperors like Kublai Khan forbade practices such as butchering according to Jewish (kashrut) or Muslim (dhabihah) legal codes and other restrictive decrees continued. Circumcision was also strictly forbidden.[86][87][88] and foreign relations[edit] also: Kublai Khan's campaigns, Mongol military tactics and organization, and Mongol conquest of the Song dynasty Yuan dynasty hand cannon Kublai restricted the functions of the kheshig, he created a new imperial bodyguard, at first entirely Chinese in composition but later strengthened with Kipchak, Alan (Asud), and Russian units.[89][90][91] Once his own kheshig was organized in 1263, Kublai put three of the original kheshigs under the charge of the descendants of Genghis Khan's assistants, Borokhula, Boorchu, and Muqali. Kublai began the practice of having the four great aristocrats in his kheshig sign jarligs (decrees), a practice that spread to all other Mongol khanates.[92] Mongol and Chinese units were organized using the same decimal organization that Genghis Khan used. The Mongols eagerly adopted new artillery and technologies. Kublai and his generals adopted an elaborate, moderate style of military campaigns in South China. Effective assimilation of Chinese naval techniques allowed the Yuan army to quickly conquer the Song.[citation needed] and Xinjiang[edit] 1285 the Drikung Kagyu sect revolted, attacking Sakya monasteries. The Chagatayid khan, Duwa, helped the rebels, laying siege to Gaochang and defeating Kublai's garrisons in the Tarim Basin.[93] Kaidu destroyed an army at Beshbalik and occupied the city the following year. Many Uyghurs abandoned Kashgar for safer bases back in the eastern part of the Yuan dynasty. After Kublai's grandson Buqa-Temür crushed the resistance of the Drikung Kagyu, killing 10,000 Tibetans in 1291, Tibet was fully pacified.[citation needed] annexation of Goryeo[edit] also: Korea under Yuan rule and Mongol invasions of Korea dragons chasing a flaming pearl was a symbol associated with Goryeo Sumiyabaatar/ Ð‘. Ð¡ÑƒÐ¼ÑŒÑÐ°Ð±Ð°Ð°Ñ‚Ð°Ñ€, "Ð¥ÑƒÐ±Ð¸Ð»Ð°Ð¹ Ð˜Ñ… Ð¥Ð°Ð°Ð½Ñ‹ Ò¯ÐµÐ¸Ð¹Ð½ ÐœÐ¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾Ð» – Ð¡Ð¾Ð½Ð³Ð¾ÑÑ‹Ð½ Ñ…Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ð»Ñ†Ð°Ð°", "Relationship between Mongolia and Korea during Kubilai Khan rule", 439p, 2015, ISBN 978-99973-302-5-3 Kublai Khan invaded Goryeo (the state on the Korean Peninsula) and made it a tributary vassal state in 1260. After another Mongol intervention in 1273, Goryeo came under even tighter control of the Yuan.[94][95][96][97][98] Goryeo became a Mongol military base, and several myriarchy commands were established there. The court of the Goryeo supplied Korean troops and an ocean-going naval force for the Mongol campaigns.[citation needed] naval expansion[edit] Gangnido reflects the Chinese geographical knowledge during the Mongol Empire about countries in the West.[99] Despite the opposition of some of his Confucian-trained advisers, Kublai decided to invade Japan, Burma, Vietnam, and Java, following the suggestions of some of his Mongol officials. He also attempted to subjugate peripheral lands such as Sakhalin, where its indigenous people eventually submitted to the Mongols by 1308, after Kublai's death. These costly invasions and conquests and the introduction of paper currency caused inflation. From 1273 to 1276, war against the Song Dynasty and Japan made the issue of paper currency expand from 110,000 ding to 1,420,000 ding.[100] of Japan[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Japan Japanese samurai Suenaga facing Mongol arrows and bombs. MÅko ShÅ«rai Ekotoba (è’™å¤è¥²æ¥çµµè©ž), circa 1293. Kublai's court his most trusted governors and advisers appointed by meritocracy with the essence of multiculturalism were Mongols, Semu, Koreans, Hui and Chinese people.[81][101] Because the Wokou extended support to the crumbling Song dynasty, Kublai Khan initiated invasions of Japan. Khan twice attempted to invade Japan. It is believed that both attempts were partly thwarted by bad weather or a flaw in the design of ships that were based on river boats without keels, and his fleets were destroyed. The first attempt took place in 1274, with a fleet of 900 ships.[102] second invasion occurred in 1281 when Mongols sent two separate forces: 900 ships containing 40,000 Korean, Chinese, and Mongol troops were sent from Masan, while a force of 100,000 sailed from southern China in 3,500 ships, each close to 240 feet (73 m) long. The fleet was hastily assembled and ill-equipped to cope with maritime conditions. In November, they sailed into the treacherous waters that separate Korea and Japan by 180 kilometres (110 miles). The Mongols easily took over Tsushima Island about halfway across the strait and then Iki Island closer to Kyushu. The Korean fleet reached Hakata Bay on June 23, 1281 and landed its troops and animals, but the ships from China were nowhere to be seen. Mongolian landing forces were subsequently defeated at the Battle of Akasaka and the Battle of Torikai-Gata. Takezaki Suenaga's samurai attacked the Mongolian army and fought them, as reinforcements led by Shiraishi Michiyasu arrived and defeated the Mongolians, who suffered around 3500 dead.[103] samurai warriors, following their custom, rode out against the Mongol forces for individual combat but the Mongols held their formation. The Mongols fought as a united force, not as individuals, and bombarded the samurai with exploding missiles and showered them with arrows. Eventually, the remaining Japanese withdrew from the coastal zone inland to a fortress. The Mongol forces did not chase the fleeing Japanese into an area about which they lacked reliable intelligence. In a number of individual skirmishes, known collectively as the KÅan Campaign (å¼˜å®‰ã®å½¹) or the "Second Battle of Hakata Bay", the Mongol forces were driven back to their ships by the Samurai. The Japanese army was heavily outnumbered, but had fortified the coastal line with two-meter high walls, and was easily able to repulse the Mongolian forces that were launched against it.[citation needed] samurai boarding Yuan ships in 1281. archaeologist Kenzo Hayashida led the investigation that discovered the wreckage of the second invasion fleet off the western coast of Takashima District, Shiga. His team's findings strongly indicate that Kublai rushed to invade Japan and attempted to construct his enormous fleet in one year, a task that should have taken up to five years. This forced the Chinese to use any available ships, including river boats. Most importantly, the Chinese, under Kublai's control, built many ships quickly in order to contribute to the fleets in both of the invasions. theorizes that, had Kublai used standard, well-constructed ocean-going ships with curved keels to prevent capsizing, his navy might have survived the journey to and from Japan and might have conquered it as intended. October 2011, a wreck, possibly one of Kublai's invasion craft, was found off the coast of Nagasaki.[104] David Nicolle wrote in The Mongol Warlords, "Huge losses had also been suffered in terms of casualties and sheer expense, while the myth of Mongol invincibility had been shattered throughout eastern Asia." He also wrote that Kublai was determined to mount a third invasion, despite the horrendous cost to the economy and to his and Mongol prestige of the first two defeats, and only his death and the unanimous agreement of his advisers not to invade prevented a third attempt.[105] soldiers, second version ships, second version of a 14th-century prized Yuan dynasty junk of Vietnam[edit] article: Mongol invasions of Vietnam Khan invaded Äáº¡i Viá»‡t (now Vietnam) three times, each repelled by the ruling Tráº§n dynasty. The ancestors of the Tráº§n clan originated from the province of Fujian and migrated to Äáº¡i Viá»‡t under Tráº§n Kinh é™³äº¬ (Chén JÄ«ng),[106] where their mixed-blooded descendants later established the Tráº§n dynasty and came to rule Äáº¡i Viá»‡t; despite many intermarriages between the Tráº§n and several royal members of the Lý dynasty alongside members of their royal court as in the case of Tráº§n Lý[107][108] and Tráº§n Thá»«a,[109] some of the mixed-blood descendants of the clan could still speak Chinese, as evidenced when a Yuan dynasty envoy had a meeting with the Chinese-speaking Tráº§n prince Tráº§n Quá»‘c Tuáº¥n (later Supreme Commander Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o) in 1282.[110][111][112][113][114] first incursion was in 1257, but the Tráº§n dynasty was able to repel the invasion and ultimately re-established the peace treaty between the Mongols and Äáº¡i Viá»‡t in the twelfth lunar month of 1257. When Kublai became the Great Khan in 1260, the Tráº§n dynasty sent tribute every three years and received a darughachi.[115][116] However, their kings soon declined to attend the Mongol court in person. The Great Khan sent his envoys to order the Tráº§n king to open his land to allow the Yuan army to pass through to invade the kingdom of Champa, but the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t court refused. Kublai sent another envoy to the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t to demand that the Tráº§n king surrender his land and his kingship. The Tráº§n king assembled all his citizens, allowing all to vote on whether to surrender to the Yuan or to stand and fight for their homeland. The vote was a unanimous decision to stand and fight the invaders.[citation needed] his first failure, Kublai wanted to install Nhân Tông's brother Tráº§n Ãch Táº¯c – who had defected to the Mongols – as king of Annam (Äáº¡i Viá»‡t?), but hardship in the Yuan's supply base in Hunan and Kaidu's invasion forced Kublai to abandon his plans.[citation needed] second Mongol invasion of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t began late in 1284, when the Mongol Yuan forces under the command of Toghan, the prince of Kublai Khan, crossed the border and quickly occupied ThÄƒng Long (now Hanoi) in January 1285, after the victorious battle of Omar in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p (north east of Hanoi). At the same time Sogetu, second in command of the Yuan army, moved from Champa northward and rapidly marched to Nghe An in the north central region of Vietnam, where the army of the Tráº§n dynasty under general Tráº§n Kien was defeated and surrendered to him. However, the Tráº§n king and the commander-in-chief Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o changed their tactics from defence to attack and struck against the Mongols. In April, General Tráº§n Quang Kháº£i defeated Sogetu in ChÆ°Æ¡ng DÆ°Æ¡ng and the Tráº§n king won a battle in Tây Káº¿t, where Sogetu died. Soon after, general Tráº§n Nháºt Duáºt also won a battle in Hàm Tá» (now HÆ°ng Yên) and Toghan was defeated by General Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o. Thus Kublai failed in his first attempt to invade Äáº¡i Viá»‡t. Toghan hid himself inside a bronze pipe to avoid being killed by the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t archers; this act brought humiliation upon the Mongol Empire and Toghan himself.[citation needed] third Mongol invasion began in 1287. It was better organized than the previous effort; a large fleet and plentiful stocks of food were used. The Mongol Yuan forces, under the command of Toghan, moved to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p from the north west and met the infantry and cavalry of Kublai's Kipchak commander Omar (coming by another way along the Red River) and quickly won the battle. The naval fleet rapidly attained victory in Vân Äá»“n near Háº¡ Long Bay. However, the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t General Tráº§n Khánh DÆ° managed to intercept and captured the heavy, fully stocked cargo ships, filled with food and supplies for Toghan's army. As a result, the Mongolian army in ThÄƒng Long suffered an acute shortage of food. With no news about the supply fleet, Toghan ordered his army to retreat to Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. The Äáº¡i Viá»‡t army began their general offensive and recaptured a number of locations occupied by the Mongols. Groups of Äáº¡i Viá»‡t infantry were ordered to attack the Mongols in Váº¡n Kiáº¿p. Toghan had to split his army into two and retreated in 1288.[citation needed] early April 1288 the naval fleet, led by Omar and escorted by infantry, fled home along the Báº¡ch Äáº±ng river. As bridges and roads were destroyed and attacks were launched by Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops, the Mongols reached Báº¡ch Äáº±ng without an infantry escort. Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's small flotilla engaged in battle and pretended to retreat. The Mongols eagerly pursued the Äáº¡i Viá»‡t troops only to fall into their pre-arranged battlefield. Thousands of small Äáº¡i Viá»‡t boats quickly appeared from both banks, launched a fierce attack that broke the Mongols' combat formation. The Mongols, meeting such a sudden and strong attack, in panic tried to withdraw to the sea. The Mongols' boats were halted, and many were damaged and sank. At that time, a number of fire rafts quickly rushed toward the Mongols, who were frightened and jumped down to reach the banks where they were dealt a heavy blow by an army led by the Tráº§n king and Tráº§n HÆ°ng Äáº¡o.[citation needed] Mongol naval fleet was totally destroyed and Omar was captured. At the same time, Äáº¡i Viá»‡t's army continuously attacked and smashed to pieces Toghan's army on its withdrawal through Láº¡ng SÆ¡n. Toghan risked his life to take a shortcut through thick forest in order to flee home. The crown prince was banished to Yangzhou for life by his father, Kublai Khan. Nevertheless, the Tráº§n king accepted Kublai Khan's supremacy as the Great Khan in order to avoid more conflicts. In 1292, Temür Khan, Kublai Khan's successor, returned all detained envoys and settled for a tributary relationship with the Tráº§n king, which continued to the end of the Yuan dynasty.[116][117] Asia and South Seas[edit] articles: First Mongol invasion of Burma and Mongol invasion of Java expeditions against Burma, in 1277, 1283, and 1287, brought the Mongol forces to the Irrawaddy Delta, whereupon they captured Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom and established their government.[118] Kublai had to be content with establishing a formal suzerainty, but Pagan finally became a tributary state, sending tributes to the Yuan court until the Mongols were expelled from China in the 1360s.[119] Mongol interests in these areas were commercial and tributary relationships.[citation needed] Khan maintained close relations with Siam, in particular with prince Mangrai of Chiangmai and king Ram Khamheng of Sukhothai.[120] In fact, Kublai encouraged them to attack the Khmers after the Thais were being pushed southwards from Nanchao.[120][121][122] This happened after king Jayavarman VIII of the Khmer Empire refused to pay tribute to the Mongols.[120][123][124] Jayavarman VIII was so insistent on not having to pay tribute to Kublai that he had Mongol envoys imprisoned.[120][124][122] These attacks from the Siamese eventually weakened the Khmer Empire. The Mongols then decided to venture south into Cambodia in 1283 by land from Champa.[125] They were able to conquer Cambodia by 1284.[126] Cambodia effectively became a vassal state by 1285 when Jayavarman VIII was finally forced to pay tribute to Kublai.[125][127][128] the last years of his reign, Kublai launched a naval punitive expedition of 20–30,000 men against Singhasari on Java (1293), but the invading Mongol forces were forced to withdraw by Majapahit after considerable losses of more than 3000 troops. Nevertheless, by 1294, the year that Kublai died, the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Chiang Mai had become vassal states of the Yuan dynasty.[118] articles: Marco Polo and Rabban Bar Sauma information: Europeans in Medieval China gives financial support to the Polo family. Kublai, direct contact between East Asia and Europe was established, made possible by Mongol control of the central Asian trade routes and facilitated by the presence of efficient postal services. In the beginning of the 13th century, Europeans and Central Asians – merchants, travelers, and missionaries of different orders – made their way to China. The presence of Mongol power allowed large numbers of Chinese, intent on warfare or trade, to travel to other parts of the Mongol Empire, all the way to Rus, Persia, and Mesopotamia.[citation needed] Bar Sauma, ambassador of Great Khan Kublai and Ilkhan Arghun, travelled from Dadu to Rome, Tuscany, Genoa, Paris, and Bordeaux to meet with European rulers in 1287–88. the 13th century, the Sultanate of Mogadishu through its trade with medieval China had acquired enough of a reputation in Asia to attract the attention of Kublai Khan.[129] According to Marco Polo, the Mongol Emperor sent an envoy to Mogadishu to spy out the Sultanate but the delegation was captured and imprisoned. Kublai Khan then sent another envoy to treat for the release of the earlier Mongol delegation sent to Africa.[130] City[edit] White Stupa of Dadu (or Khanbaliq; now Beijing) Kublai Khan was proclaimed Khagan at his residence in Xanadu on May 5, 1260, he began to organize the country. Zhang Wenqian, a central government official, was sent by Kublai in 1260 to Daming where unrest had been reported in the local population. A friend of Zhang's, Guo Shoujing, accompanied him on this mission. Guo was interested in engineering, was an expert astronomer and skilled instrument maker, and he understood that good astronomical observations depended on expertly made instruments. Guo began to construct astronomical instruments, including water clocks for accurate timing and armillary spheres that represented the celestial globe. Turkestani architect Ikhtiyar al-Din, also known as "Igder", designed the buildings of the city of the Khagan, Khanbaliq (Chinese Dadu).[131] Kublai also employed foreign artists to build his new capital; one of them, a Newar named Araniko, built the White Stupa that was the largest structure in Khanbaliq/Dadu.[132] advised Kublai that Guo was a leading expert in hydraulic engineering. Kublai knew the importance of water management for irrigation, transport of grain, and flood control, and he asked Guo to look at these aspects in the area between Dadu (now Beijing) and the Yellow River. To provide Dadu with a new supply of water, Guo found the Baifu spring in Mount Shen and had a 30 km (19 mi) channel built to move water to Dadu. He proposed connecting the water supply across different river basins, built new canals with sluices to control the water level, and achieved great success with the improvements he made. This pleased Kublai and Guo was asked to undertake similar projects in other parts of the country. In 1264 he was asked to go to Gansu to repair the damage that had been caused to the irrigation systems by the years of war during the Mongol advance through the region. Guo travelled extensively along with his friend Zhang taking notes of the work needed to be done to unblock damaged parts of the system and to make improvements to its efficiency. He sent his report directly to Kublai Khan.[citation needed] rebellion[edit] the conquest of the Jin, Genghis Khan's younger brothers received large appanages in Manchuria.[133] Their descendants strongly supported Kublai's coronation in 1260, but the younger generation desired more independence. Kublai enforced Ögedei Khan's regulations that the Mongol noblemen could appoint overseers and the Great Khan's special officials, in their appanages, but otherwise respected appanage rights. Kublai's son Manggala established direct control over Chang'an and Shanxi in 1272. In 1274, Kublai appointed Lian Xixian to investigate abuses of power by Mongol appanage holders in Manchuria.[134] The region called Lia-tung was immediately brought under the Khagan's control, in 1284, eliminating autonomy of the Mongol nobles there.[135] Yuan dynasty jade belt plaque featuring carved designs of the Azure Dragon, highly regarded as a symbol of Yuan dynasty China's maritime strength. by the advance of Kublai's bureaucratization, Nayan, a fourth-generation descendant of one of Genghis Khan's brothers, either Temüge or Belgutei, instigated a revolt in 1287. (More than one prince named Nayan existed and their identity is confused.[136]) Nayan tried to join forces with Kublai's competitor Kaidu in Central Asia.[137] Manchuria's native Jurchens and Water Tatars, who had suffered a famine, supported Nayan. Virtually all the fraternal lines under Hadaan, a descendant of Hachiun, and Shihtur, a grandson of Qasar, joined Nayan's rebellion,[138] and because Nayan was a popular prince, Ebugen, a grandson of Genghis Khan's son Khulgen, and the family of Khuden, a younger brother of Güyük Khan, contributed troops for this rebellion.[139] rebellion was crippled by early detection and timid leadership. Kublai sent Bayan to keep Nayan and Kaidu apart by occupying Karakorum, while Kublai led another army against the rebels in Manchuria. Kublai's commander Oz Temür's Mongol force attacked Nayan's 60,000 inexperienced soldiers on June 14, while Chinese and Alan guards under Li Ting protected Kublai. The army of Chungnyeol of Goryeo assisted Kublai in battle. After a hard fight, Nayan's troops withdrew behind their carts, and Li Ting began bombardment and attacked Nayan's camp that night. Kublai's force pursued Nayan, who was eventually captured and executed without bloodshed, by being smothered under felt carpets, a traditional way of executing princes.[139] Meanwhile, the rebel prince Shikqtur invaded the Chinese district of Liaoning but was defeated within a month. Kaidu withdrew westward to avoid a battle. However, Kaidu defeated a major Yuan army in the Khangai Mountains and briefly occupied Karakorum in 1289. Kaidu had ridden away before Kublai could mobilize a larger army.[38] but uncoordinated uprisings of Nayan's supporters continued until 1289; these were ruthlessly repressed. The rebel princes' troops were taken from them and redistributed among the imperial family.[140] Kublai harshly punished the darughachi appointed by the rebels in Mongolia and Manchuria.[141] This rebellion forced Kublai to approve the creation of the Liaoyang Branch Secretariat on December 4, 1287, while rewarding loyal fraternal princes.[citation needed] years[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Ilkhanate Persia, Ghazan converted to Islam and recognized Kublai Khan as his suzerain. Khan dispatched his grandson Gammala to Burkhan Khaldun in 1291 to ensure his claim to Ikh Khorig, where Genghis was buried, a sacred place strongly protected by the Kublaids. Bayan was in control of Karakorum and was re-establishing control over surrounding areas in 1293, so Kublai's rival Kaidu did not attempt any large-scale military action for the next three years. From 1293 on, Kublai's army cleared Kaidu's forces from the Central Siberian Plateau.[citation needed] his wife Chabi died in 1281, Kublai began to withdraw from direct contact with his advisers, and he issued instructions through one of his other queens, Nambui. Only two of Kublai's daughters are known by name; he may have had others. Unlike the formidable women of his grandfather's day, Kublai's wives and daughters were an almost invisible presence. Kublai's original choice of successor was his son Zhenjin, who became the head of the Zhongshu Sheng and actively administered the dynasty according to Confucian fashion. Nomukhan, after returning from captivity in the Golden Horde, expressed resentment that Zhenjin had been made heir apparent, but he was banished to the north. An official proposed that Kublai should abdicate in favor of Zhenjin in 1285, a suggestion that angered Kublai, who refused to see Zhenjin. Zhenjin died soon afterwards in 1286, eight years before his father. Kublai regretted this and remained very close to his wife, Bairam (also known as Kokejin).[citation needed] became increasingly despondent after the deaths of his favorite wife and his chosen heir Zhenjin. The failure of the military campaigns in Vietnam and Japan also haunted him. Kublai turned to food and drink for comfort, became grossly overweight, and suffered gout and diabetes. The emperor overindulged in alcohol and the traditional meat-rich Mongol diet, which may have contributed to his gout. Kublai sank into depression due to the loss of his family, his poor health and advancing age. Kublai tried every medical treatment available, from Korean shamans to Vietnamese doctors, and remedies and medicines, but to no avail. At the end of 1293, the emperor refused to participate in the traditional New Years' ceremony. Before his death, Kublai passed the seal of Crown Prince to Zhenjin's son Temür, who would become the next Khagan of the Mongol Empire and the second ruler of the Yuan dynasty. Seeking an old companion to comfort him in his final illness, the palace staff could choose only Bayan, more than 30 years his junior. Kublai weakened steadily, and on February 18, 1294, he died at the age of 78. Two days later, the funeral cortège took his body to the burial place of the khans in Mongolia.[citation needed] Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Scythia, 1261, Through A Nevsky and Metrop Cyril III, at Sarai t capital, an Orthodox diocese was established
Sarai (city); St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1262-1299, Golden Horde General or co-ruler, Nogai Khan, Moslem+oR, pro orthodox, attacked Catholic WoDnieper
Scythian Golden Horde General, 1262-1299, Nogai Kha, Moslem; or Noğay (/noʊˈɡaɪ/; also spelled Nogay, Nogaj, Nohai, Nokhai, Noqai,[2] Ngoche, Noche, Kara Nokhai, and Isa Nogai;[3] died 1299/1300) was a general and kingmaker[4] of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Bo'al/Baul/Teval, the seventh son of Jochi. Nogai was also a notable convert to Islam. he never formally ruled the Golden Horde himself, he was effectively the co-ruler of the state alongside whatever khan was in power at the time had unrestricted control over the portions west of the Dnieper. his height, Nogai was one of the most powerful men in Europe and widely thought of as the Horde's true head. Russian chroniclers gave him the title of tsar, the Franciscan missionaries in the Crimea spoke of him as a co-emperor.[5] life under Batu and Berke was born to Tatar (Tutar), a son of Terval who was a son of Jochi. He would rule his grandfather's appanage after his father died. After the Mongol invasion of Europe, Batu Khan left Nogai with a tumen (10,000 warriors) in modern-day Moldavia and Romania as a frontier guard. He was a nephew of Berke Khan as well as Batu Khan and Orda Khan, and under his uncle, he became a powerful and ambitious warlord. Mongol invasion of Poland Main article: Second Mongol invasion of Poland his later years, Berke began to delegate more and more responsibility to his promising nephew. Nogai's leading role first appears, along with Talabuga, under famous Mongol general Burundai as a battle commander in 1259/1260. He was a young sub-commander during the second major Mongol raid against Poland, undertaken to pay for Berke's war against Hulegu. Here Nogai distinguished himself and plundered Sandomierz, Kraków and other cities.[6] to power in Golden Horde and Europe: 1262–1266 Nogai's father Tatar died when he was serving under Hulegu. –Hulagu War Main article: Berke–Hulagu war defeats Hulegu at the Battle of Terek in 1263. 1262, a civil war broke out between the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate, with Berke and Hulagu supporting separate claimants for the title of khagan. Nogai Khan was given a high role in the army of the Golden Horde; Rashid Al-Din describes him as Berke's "commander-in-chief".[7] He had a command of 30,000 men. He was first charged with raiding along the frontier into the territory of the Ilkhanate; Nogai made multiple reconnaissances in force into the Caucasus region, drawing Hulegu north with the bulk of his forces. He annihilated an advance guard under Shiramun, and raided as far as the Kur, but was himself repulsed near Shabran in December 1262, and forced to retreat.[8][9] Nogai then took on the task of repelling Hulegu's attempted invasion, as the latter was emboldened; Hulegu marched north with his army to invade Berke's territory, attempting to envelope Nogai's army at the Terek, but found only an abandoned camp. While Hulegu's men were looting the camp, Nogai's troops surprised Hulegu's at the Terek River, cutting down a great many of them in an ambush. Hulegu rallied his men and a day-long battle ensued; the fighting was fierce, but the Golden Horde's initial advantage was too great. The Ilkhanate army was routed and many thousands of them were drowned while trying to flee, and the survivors fled back into Azerbaijan. This victory greatly enhanced Nogai's reputation in the Horde, and he was already a trusted lieutenant of Berke.[10][11] August 1264, the war effectively ended when Kublai Khan was crowned khagan with the acknowledgement of Berke, Hulegu, and Chagatai. However the war was renewed between the Golden Horde and Ilkhanate in 1265. Nogai was given the task of leading an invasion of the Ilkhanate, now ruled by Hulegu's successor Abaqa Khan. He invaded Persia and plundered some areas before being met in battle by Abaqa on the Aksu. A fierce and severe battle ensued in which Nogai was personally injured (losing an eye) and his army was forced to retreat. Abaqa pursued Nogai's army across the Kur, hoping to wipe it out, but Abaqa was forced to withdraw when Berke arrived with reinforcements.[12] against the Byzantines 1265, Nogai led his army across the Danube, leading 20,000 men into Byzantine territory. He routed the Byzantine forces before him, and devastated the cities of Thrace. In 1266, the Emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus, anxious to make an alliance, gave his daughter Euphrosyne Palaiologina to Nogai as a wife. He gave much valuable fabric to the Golden Horde as tribute, and became an ally of the Horde, principally dealing with it through Nogai instead of the official khan.[13] He also gifted Nogai pearls, jewels, and valuable garments, temporarily causing Nogai to abandon the animal skins he usually wore outside of battle. Nogai did however slyly ask if the jewels and clothes could ward off lightning bolts, prevent headache, or promote good health, before praising the practicality of the dog skins his people wore.[12] facto rule: 1266–1294 died sometime in 1266. Despite his influence, Nogai did not try to seize rulership of the Golden Horde, settling for serving Mengu-Timur Khan. However he managed to exercise de facto control, with near-total control over the lands west of the Dnieper. In addition to his Turkic subjects he ruled the Ruthenians of Galicia-Volhynia, the Ossetians and part of the Vlachs directly. He also undertook his own foreign policy, sending envoys to the Mamluk Sultanate, forming marriage alliances with Byzantium and the Il-Khanate, and raiding various European kingdoms.[14] 1282, Nogai sent 4,000 Mongol soldiers to Constantinople, to help his father in law Emperor Michael suppress the rebels headed by John I Doukas of Thessaly. But Michael died and Andronikos II used the allied troops to fight against Serbia. of Bulgaria and of Eastern Roman Empire Main article: Uprising of Ivaylo 1271 and 1274, Nogai led raids against Bulgaria and Byzantium. In the first raid, the East Roman Emperor Michael VIII avoided the battle and offered his daughter as wife for Nogai[15] In 1277, a popular movement led by Ivaylo of Bulgaria gained the support of many soldiers and nobles and defeated a column of Mongols raiding into their territory. In 1278-79 Nogai, annoyed by the uprising, personally led a force into Bulgaria. He defeated the Bulgarians, raided the country, and besieged Ivaylo in Silistra, however he withdrew after three months. Ivaylo subsequently escaped the Mongol blockade and led a Bulgarian force to victory over Nogai's Byzantine allies at the Battle of Devina. In 1280 Ivaylo began to lose support among his followers, who were not interested in unending wars with the Byzantines, sections of the Bulgarian nobility, and Mongol raiding parties. The nobles subsequently elected George Terter I as emperor. Ivaylo decided to appeal to Nogai, personally appearing before him with a small group of followers asking the khan to make Ivaylo emperor again; Nogai at first received him warmly and invited him to a feast. But at the feast, with Ivaylo and Ivan Asen III seated to his sides, Nogai pointed at Ivaylo and said "He is an enemy of my father, the Emperor Michael VIII, and does not deserve to live." Ivaylo was executed on the spot by Nogai's guards.[16] considered executing Ivan as well, the second pretender to the Bulgarian throne, but his wife Euphrosyne requested he spare Ivan, and Nogai relented. Ivan was allowed to flee to Asia Minor.[17] Nogai made the new Bulgarian Emperor George Terter his vassal. After George's flight to Constantinople, Nogai set his close associate Smilets on the Bulgarian throne, keeping Bulgaria a vassal of the Golden Horde. Mongol invasion of Hungary Main article: Second Mongol invasion of Hungary the winter of 1285, Nogai and Talabuga Khan invaded Hungary with Mongol and Cuman troops, but unlike Subutai forty years earlier, they were defeated. They invaded on two fronts with a considerable army. Nogai had been told of the perilous political situation in Hungary by fleeing Cuman warriors (King Ladislaus IV's nobles were practically rebelling against him, and Hungary had just been weakened by a Cuman rebellion they had recently defeated), and planned to capitalize on it by launching a vast campaign against the apparently weakened kingdom. invasion plan was devised by Nogai, with two columns led by him and Talabuga. Talabuga's troops devastated Transylvania and raided as far as Pest, but the Hungarians' newly constructed fortification network gave them much trouble. The Mongol forces were unable to take any major stone castles or fortified cities and suffered from supply shortages, sallies by local Hungarian forces, and stiff resistance in any castle or town they assaulted. Eventually they were beaten by the Hungarian royal army under Ladislaus IV of Hungary near Pest, and the retreating Mongol forces were ambushed by the Székelys,[18] losing much of their invading force. was more successful than Talabuga, staying in Hungary into spring and retaining the bulk of his army, but still suffered several serious reverses at the hands of local Hungarian troops (primary Szekelys, Saxons, and Vlachs). He also failed to capture any major fortifications, with the exception of the Saxon castle of Ban Mikod. Nogai's column never came into contact with the royal army, as his losses to the local Hungarian forces in the areas he operated in were sufficiently serious to convince him to retreat prematurely. His column was also ambushed by the Szekelys on the return.[citation needed] the campaign was a severe defeat for the Golden Horde and one of Nogai's biggest setbacks; there would be no major incursions into Hungary after it, only raiding along the frontier.[citation needed] of Talabuga returning from their disastrous campaign in Hungary to the Horde's heartland in 1287, they found Tuda-Mengu Khan sunk in religious torpor. Later in the year, he relinquished the throne to his nephew, Talabuga. Eager to prove himself as a capable ruler and not a puppet of Nogai, and probably wanting to make up for his part of the loss in Hungary, Talabuga immediately launched an invasion against the Ilkhanate, attempting to seize the disputed territory of Azerbaijan. He failed, discrediting him and playing into the hands of his rival Nogai, who was still respected despite his own defeats in Transylvania. Nogai would remain a powerful ruler during Talabuga's brief term as khan of the Golden Horde.[19] Mongol invasion of Poland Main article: Third Mongol invasion of Poland and Talabuga made a third raid against Poland in 1287/1288 but were defeated by a contingency of Eastern European armies. on Circassia the unsuccessful raid on Poland, Nogai and Talabuga made another expedition, this time into Circassia. There they pillaged and killed at will. However, on their return to their winter quarters, heavy snows caused Talabuga's army to get lost on the return and suffer greatly. Nogai's army made their way to winter quarters safe and sound. Talabuga blamed this on Nogai.[20] with Talabuga and Talabuga had never gotten along, and their quarrelling during the invasions of Poland and Circassia is held by 19th-century Russian historian Nikolay Karamzin to be major reasons for the heavy losses taken in those expeditions. In autumn of 1290 Talabuga, thinking Nogai was conspiring against him, decided to muster an army and march against his general. Nogai decided to feign ignorance, though he knew full well Talabuga's distaste for him; he also sent letters to Talabuga's mother, saying he had personal advice to give to the khan that he could only do alone, essentially requesting a formal meeting of princes. Talabuga's mother advised him to trust Nogai, and subsequently, Talabuga disbanded most of his forces and showed up for a meeting with Nogai with only a small retinue. According to Rashid Al-Din, Nogai received Talabuga warmly and feigned illness to appear more harmless.[20] Nogai was duplicitous; he had arrived at the designated meeting spot accompanied by a large group of soldiers and Tokhta, as well as three sons of Mengu-Timur. While Nogai and Talabuga met, Nogai's men sprung out in an ambush, quickly capturing Talabuga and his supporters; Nogai, with the help of protégés, then strangled Talabuga to death. After this, he turned to the young Tokhta and said: "Talabuga has usurped the throne of your father, and your brothers who are with him have agreed to arrest you and put you to death. I deliver them up to you, and you may do with them as you will." Tokhta subsequently had them killed.[21] For his role in placing Tokhta on the throne, Nogai received the revenues of the Crimean trade cities.[22] Nogai then beheaded many of the Mongol nobles who were supporters of Talabuga, in order to consolidate the rule of his supposed puppet khan. Tokhta was declared khan in early 1291. with Tokhta and death: 1294–1300 Tokhta would prove a more headstrong ruler than either Tuda-Mengur or Talabuga. Nogai and Tokhta soon found themselves embroiled in a deadly rivalry; while they cooperated in raids against rebellious Rus' principalities, they remained in competition. Tokhta's father-in-law and wife often complained that Nogai seemed to consider himself superior to Tokhta, and Nogai repeatedly rejected any demands Tokhta made of him to attend his court. They also disagreed over the policy of trading rights for the Genoese and Venetian cities in Crimea. Two years after Nogai installed Tokhta, their rivalry came to a head and Tokhta set out to gather his supporters for a war against Nogai.[23][24] of Nerghi Plains with more control over the eastern portions of the empire, managed to gather a massive force, larger than Nogai's but reportedly less able at arms owing to the experience of Nogai's men in their wars in Europe. Marco Polo, drawing from Mongol sources, states that Nogai assembled 15 tumens (150,000 men) and Tokhta assembled 20 tumens (200,000 men), but these numbers are likely exaggerated. The two rulers made camp ten miles from each other on the plain of Nerghi in 1297,[25] halfway between Nogai's lands and Tokhta's. One day's rest later, a hard battle ensued lasting most of the day, in which Nogai and Tokhta both personally distinguished themselves in battle (despite the former's age). In the end Nogai was victorious in spite of his numerical disadvantage. Reportedly 60,000 of Tokhta's men were killed (nearly a third of his army), but Tokhta himself managed to escape.[26] of Kagamlik Tokhta was not yet finished. After a few years he managed to reform his army and raise a larger host with which he confronted Nogai deep within Nogai's own territory, at Kagamlik [uk], near the Dnieper. Here in 1299 or 1300, Tokhta finally prevailed, with his army defeating Nogai's. Nogai's sons escaped the battle with 1,000 horsemen, while Nogai was found fleeing with 17 when he was wounded by a Russian soldier in the service of Tokhta. He said: "I am Nogai. Take me to Toqta, who is the Khan." The soldier killed Nogai and brought his head to Tokhta; the enraged Tokhta, angered that a Mongol prince's blood had been shed (he planned to execute Nogai in a bloodless manner in keeping with tradition), had the soldier put to death. Nogai's sons were hunted down and executed soon after.[27][28][29] his power and prowess in battle, Nogai never attempted to seize the Golden Horde khanate for himself, preferring to act as a sort of kingmaker. He served under several Golden Horde Khans: Berke, Mengu-Timur, Tuda-Mengu, Talabuga, and Tokhta. and character Al-Din presents Nogai as both a capable general and as a wily old politician. He was content to remain a kingmaker and the power behind the throne, rather than seizing direct control of the Horde himself. Nogai self-consciously promoted Mongol ways, and took pride in his lineage. Despite this, his religious beliefs apparently followed his diplomatic needs; initially he was a devout Tengrist, like most of the Golden Horde, and remained one even after Berke's conversion to Islam. Later on, in a letter to Egypt in 1271, he claimed to have converted to Islam, and his name was included on a list of converts sent by Berke to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in 1263. Yet in 1288 he presented Buddhist relics to the Il-Khan Arghun. One of Nogai's wives, Yailaq, regularly visited a Franciscan convent in Qirim (Staryy Krym) and was baptized a Catholic. After Toqto’a ascended the throne, Nogai married his daughter Qiyat to Yailaq (no relation to Nogai's wife), a Buddhist and son of the tribe commander Salji'udai. Nogai's daughter Qiyat, after her marriage, converted to Islam (Nogai had evidently not raised her as a Muslim).[30][31] first wife was named Chubei, and his second was named Yailaq, along with the Byzantine princess Euphrosyne. Chubei was described by Rashid Al-Din as "clever and competent". Nogai had two sons by Chubei: Joge (the eldest) and Tige. He had one son named Torai by Yailaq. He also had a daughter named Quiyaq.[32] He had another wife named Alaka with which he had another son, Chaka, who ruled as the tsar of Bulgaria from 1299 to 1300. He was also close friends with Mankus, a Byzantine merchant from Crimea,[33] He arranged and held the marriage ceremony of Mankus's daughter Encona to Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria at his court, and his wife Euphrosyne became her god-mother.[33] St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, Scythia, 1266-1290, Theodore the Black, Prince of Smolensk, bored, went to Sarai, prominence in Golden Horde
Kiev, 1250-1298, Saint Theodore the Balck; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19; Finding of the relics of Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslavl, and his children, Commemorated on March 5;

Mongol, Scythia, 1266-1280, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Mengu-Timur, pro Orthodox
Scythian Golder Horde Tartar Khan, 1266-1280, Mengu-Timur ; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; North Ossetia-“Alania; Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280; Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, and his sons Saints David and Constantine, Commemorated on September 19; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, Scythia, 1291-1312, Golden Horde Tartar Khan, Toqta, anti Orthodox, anti Russian semi-independence, return to Batu time
Mongol, Scythia, 1291-1312, Golden Horde Tartar Khan, Toqta, anti Orthodox, anti Russian semi-independence, return to Batu time; (Toqta, Toktu, Tokhtai, Tochtu or Tokhtogha) (died c. 1312) was a khan of the Golden Horde, son of Mengu-Timur and great-grandson of Batu Khan. name "Tokhtokh" means "hold/holding" in the Mongolian language. reign under Nogai[edit] 1288, Tokhta was ousted by his cousins. In 1291, he reclaimed the throne with the help of Nogai Khan. then gave the Crimea to Nogai as a gift. Nogai subsequently beheaded many of the Mongol nobles who were supporters of Tulabuga, thanks to his new supposed puppet khan. wanted to eliminate the Russian princes' semi-independence. that effect, he had sent his brother Tudan to the Rus lands in 1293. Tudan's army would go on to devastate fourteen towns. Tokhta himself (known here as Tokhta-Temur) went to Tver, and forced Dmitry Alexandrovich, Nogai's ally, to abdicate. The Russians chroniclers depicted these events as "The harsh-time of Batu returns." Some sources have suggested that Tokhta and Nogai had worked together. afterwards, Tokhta and Nogai began a deadly rivalry. The Khan's father-in-law Saljiday of the Khunggirads, his wife Bekhlemish,[1] the granddaughter of Tolui, and other Chingisids in the Horde also complained about Nogai's contrariness to him. Nogai had refused to come to the court of the Khan. They also disagreed on trade rights of the Venetians and Genoese merchants as well. Tokhta's forces lost the first battle with Nogai in 1296–1297.[2] Nogai did not bother to chase after him, and he decided instead to return to his lands. Tokhta asked the Ilkhan Ghazan for his assistance. The latter refused because he did not want to be mixed up with their quarrels. In 1300, Tokhta finally defeated Nogai at the battle of the Kagamlyk River, south-southwest of the city of Poltava, and united the lands from the Volga to the Don under his authority. Nogai's son Chaka had fled first to the land of the Alans, and then to Bulgaria, where he reigned as their Czar. This had enraged Tokhta so much so that soon after Chaka's brother-in-law Theodore Svetoslav participated in a plot to overthrow him. Chaka was found strangled and his head was sent to Khan Tokhta to show his (Theodore Svetoslav's) and the Bulgarian nobility their allegiance. Tokhta then divided Nogai's lands, which had stretched from the Crimea and the Russian principalities to modern Romania, among his brother Sareibugha and his sons. reign[edit] The division of the Mongol Empire, c. 1300, with Golden Horde in yellow. While Tokhta was busy dealing with Nogai, Bayan Khan asked for his help against the rebels in the White Horde. Unfortunately, Tokhta was unable to send him any assistance. In 1301, Bayan was forced to flee to Tokhta. Tokhta then helped him to reassert his authority by attacking Kuruichik, who was backed by Qaidu. The forces of the Golden Horde then won the conflict with the Chagatai Khan Duwa and Qaidu's son Chapar. solidifying his control over the Russian Principalities and the Kipchak steppes, Tokhta demanded that the Ilkhan Ghazan give back the regions of Azerbaijan and the Arran. Ghazan refused his request and replied, "That land was conquered by our ancestors' Indian steel swords!" Tokhta then decided to restore the former alliance with the Mamluks of Egypt and sent them his envoys. During the reign of Oljeitu, the respective armies of the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate engaged in small border conflicts, but this was not to last long. 1304, messengers from the Chagatai Khanate and the Yuan dynasty arrived in Sarai. They introduced their masters' plan and idea of peace. Tokhta accepted the nominal supremacy of the Yuan Emperor Temür Öljeytü (Chengzong), the grandson of Kublai Khan; at the same time Muhammad Khudabanda Öljeitü ruled Ilkhanid Persia, just ceding the lands of Arran to Toqta and Duwa retained nominal sovereignty in the Chagatai Khanate. The postal system and trade routes were also restored. The Golden Horde sent two tumens (20,000) to buttress the Yuan frontier. Tokhta arrested the Italian residents of Sarai, and besieged the city of Caffa in 1307. The cause behind this was apparently Tokhta's displeasure at the Italian trade in Turkic slaves who were mostly sold as soldiers to the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate. The Genoese resisted for a year, but in 1308 set fire to their city and abandoned it. Relations between the Italians and the Golden Horde remained tense until 1312 when Tokhta died during preparations for a new military campaign against the Russian lands. Some sources claimed that he died without a male heir. But the Yuan shi and some Muslim sources stated that he had at least three sons and one of them was murdered by Khan Ozbeg's supporters. he was Shamanist, he was interested in Buddhism. He was the last non-Muslim khan of Golden Horde. 1297, Khan Tokhta married Maria Palaiologina, the illegitimate daughter of the Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos. Their daughter Marija later married Narimantas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, Scythia, 1300-1399, 14th Century Folder, Golden, White, Blue, Grey Hordes, Kulikovo

Mongol, Scythia, 1312-1341, Oz Beg, made Golden Horde Moslem for control, tolerant of C for control, rule zenith
Scythian Golder Horde Tartar Khan, 1312-1341, Oz Beg Khan, Khan Uzbek; Giyas al-Din Mohammed Oz Beg, better known as Uzbeg, Uzbek or Ozbeg (1292–1341), was the longest-reigning khan of the Golden Horde (1313–1341), under whose rule the state reached its zenith.[1] was succeeded by his son Tini Beg. He was the son of Toghrilcha and grandson of Mengu-Timur, who had been khan of the Golden Horde from 1267–1280. Beg Khan moved his residence to Mukhsha (today a village of Narovchat in Penza Oblast). and conversion to Islam by the horde[edit] of the Golden Horde, during the reign of Oz Beg Khan. Beg's father Togrilcha was one of the Genghisid princes that overthrew Tode-Mengu (r. 1280–1287). Later, he was executed by Tokhta (1291–1312). Tokhta took Togrilcha's wife and sent his son Oz Beg to exile in a distant region of the Golden Horde: either Khorazm or the country of Circassians. to Islam by Ibn Abdul Hamid, a Sunni Sufi Bukharan sayyid and sheikh of the Yasavi order, Oz Beg assumed the throne upon the death of his uncle Tokhta in January 1313 with the help of the former Khans' vizier Temur Qutlugh and of Bulaghan (or Bayalun) khatun. At first, many Mongol nobles were against him and organized a plot to kill the new khan. Oz Beg discovered the plot and crushed the rebels.[2] His adoption of Islam as a state religion led to a conspiracy of Shamanist and Buddhist princes, whom he subdued severely. Oz Beg determinedly spread Islam among the Golden Horde and allowed missionary activities to expand in the surrounding regions. Oz Beg found out that his competitor was backed by the envoys of the Great Khan Ayurbarwada Buyantu and this fact helped deteriorate his relationship with the Yuan Dynasty.[3] The last of his rebellious relatives was shamanist Ilbasan of the eastern half of the Golden Horde, who was murdered in 1320. Oz Beg installed the Muslim Mubarak Khwaja as a replacement to the throne of the White Horde, but he discouraged their independence. In the long run, Islam enabled the Khan to eliminate inter-factional struggles in the Horde and to stabilize state institutions. Russian scholar Lev Gumilev wrote that in this manner was Oz Beg able to turn the khanate into a sultanate.[4] Oz Beg urged the Mongol elite to convert to Islam, but at the same time, he preserved the lives of Christians and pagans such as Russians, Circassians, Alans, Finno-Ugric people, and Crimean Greeks as long as they continued to pay the jizyah in subjection to Islamic rule. Oz Beg onwards, the khans of the Golden Horde were all Muslim.[5] of Oz Beg Khan built in Crimea in 1314. Beg was very tolerant of Christians as exemplified by a letter of thanks he received from Pope John XXII in which the Christian leader thanked Oz Beg for his kind treatment of Christians.[6] Oz Beg had sent a letter to the Metropolitan Peter which stated: the will and power, the greatness and most high! Let no man insult the metropolitan church of which Peter is head, or his service or his churchman; let no man seize their property, goods or people, let no man meddle in the affairs of the church...Their laws, their churches and monasteries and chapels shall be respected; whoever condemns or blames this religion, shall not be allowed to excuse himself under any pretext, but shall be punished with death.[6] Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Mongol, Sythia, 1325-1362, Moses, 1325 Archbishop oNovogrod, first bishop by Moscow, built many N churches&M, incorrupt relics

Mongol, Scythia, 1342-1357, Jani Beg, G Horde, interfered with Rus and Lith politics, black plague attack of Crimea
Mongol, Scythia, 1342-1357, Golder Horde Tartar Khan,Jani Beg; Beg, also known as Djanibek Khan, was a Khan of the Golden Horde from 1342 to 1357, succeeding his father Oz Beg Khan's sons Din Muhammad, Wali Muhammad, Baki Muhammad and Imam Quly Khan, son of Din Muhammad. putting two of his brothers to death, Jani Beg crowned himself in Saray-Jük. He is known to have actively interfered in the affairs of Rus principalities and of Lithuania. The Grand Princes of Moscow, Simeon Gordiy and Ivan II, were under constant political and military pressure from Jani Beg. Beg commanded a massive Crimean Tatar force that attacked the Crimean port city of Kaffa in 1343. The siege was lifted by an Italian relief force in February. In 1345 Jani Beg again besieged Kaffa; however, his assault was again unsuccessful due to an outbreak of the Black Plague among his troops. Beg's army catapulted infected corpses into Kaffa in an attempt to use the Black Death to weaken the defenders. Infected Genoese sailors subsequently sailed from Kaffa to Genoa, Messina, and Constantinople, introducing the Black Death into Europe.[1] 1356 Jani Beg conducted a military campaign in Azerbaijan and conquered the city of Tabriz, installing his own governor. He also asserted Jochid dominance over the Chagatai Khanate, attempting to unite the three khanates of the Mongol Empire. After accepting surrender from Shaikh Uvais, Jani Beg boasted that three uluses (districts/nations) of the Mongol Empire were under his control. Soon after this, he faced an uprising in Tabriz resulting in the rise to power of the Jalayirid Dynasty, an offshoot of Ilkhanate, and ultimately in the death of the Khan. Chudov Monastery, founded at about the time of Jani Beg's fall by Metropolitan Aleksii and Sergei of Radonezh, was built on land that according to legend was granted to Aleksii by the Khan as thanks for the miraculous curing of his mother, Taidula, by the former. reign of Jani Beg was marked by the first signs of the feudal strife which would eventually contribute to the demise of the Golden Horde. Jani Beg's assassination in 1357 opened a quarter-century of political turmoil within the Golden Horde. Twenty-five khans succeeded each other between 1357 and 1378. Beg had three sons who successively inherited the throne.[2] Berdi Beg (r. 1357–1359) Qulpa (r. 1359–1360) Nawruz Beg (r. 1360–1361) also had a daughter, Shakar Beg, who married Aq Sufi Qongirat, the prince of the Sufi dynasty of Khwarezm. Their daughter Khanzada Begum later married into the Timurid dynasty.[3] See also: Family tree of Genghis Khan Genghis Khan Jochi Batu Khan Toqoqan Mengu-Timur Toghrilcha Uzbeg Khan Jani Beg St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12;

Mongol, Scythia, 1355-1380, Mamai, Golden Horde Warlord, regent, Lost Kulikovo, Crimea, western White Horde
Mongol, Scythia, 1355-1380, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Mamai; (1335–1380), of Kiyat descent, was a powerful military commander of the Golden Horde. Contrary to popular misconception, he was not a khan (king), but a warlord and a kingmaker for several khans, and the de facto regent of the Horde in the 1370s. His defeat in Battle of Kulikovo marked the beginning of the decline of the Horde, as well as his own. of Crimea[edit] became governor, sometime in the second half of the 1350s, of a territory that later would become the Crimean Khanate. During the rule of Berdi Beg (1357–59) Mamai was appointed as beqlar beg (beylerbey), a position simultaneously combining the duties of general of the army, minister of foreign affairs, and the head of the supreme court. after the assassination of Berdi Beg[edit] the assassination of Berdi Beg by Qulpa in 1359, Mamai associated himself with one of the coalitions formed to depose Qulpa. that period of time the Golden Horde was in relative chaos; numerous regional governors were striving to become the Khan. Qulpa eventually was killed by Nawruz Beg who was himself assassinated less than six months later. Mamai, who was not a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, played a key role in promoting and supporting rival khans of the White Horde (western part of Golden Horde). 1361 he supported Gabdullah, son of Uzbeg Khan, who became Khan in Crimea. Upon the death of Gabdullah in 1370, Mamai supported Bulak under regency of Tulun Beg Khanum, who only briefly enjoyed power before being replaced by his main opponent Urus in 1372. to subdue the Principalities of Rus[edit] being badly defeated by Russians under Dmitri Donskoi first in 1378 at the Battle of the Vozha River and then at the Battle of Kulikovo (1380), Mamai began to assemble a large force to punish Dmitri. But he was defeated by Tokhtamysh on the banks of the Kalka River and was either executed by Tokhtamysh or assassinated by the Genoese after fleeing to Caffa.[1] The death of Mamai paved the way for the next khan to reunify the Golden Horde. memory of Mamai has endured for centuries. Contemporary Russian language has an expression "как Мамай прошёл" (kak Mamaj prošjol), which translates roughly to "it's as if Mamai came through here", used to describe an utter mess. burial of Mamai was found by the native Crimean and famous Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Mamai was buried in a village of Şeyh Mamay (today Aivazovske, Kirovske Raion). descendants[edit] Mamatsios or Mamatzios, Mamatsou, Mamatsu (Mamai-son) Macedonie was a supposed son of Mamai. One of his sons, Manzur Kiyat, purportedly escaped to Lithuania, and, serving Grand Prince Vytautas the Great, received the title of Prince of Hlinsk with multiple estates around the modern city of Poltava (Ukraine). These legendary events could have taken place in the 15th century, although the first documented mention of the Glinski princes is made in 1437. Glinski was the most illustrious member of the family: he studied at the German university, took part as a knight in the Italian Wars, was the most powerful man in Lithuania in the 16th century, but later rebelled and ran away with his brothers to Muscovy and helped the Russians to retake the city of Smolensk. niece Elena Glinskaya was married to Vasily III, Grand Prince of Moscow, and Ivan the Terrible was her son. Battle of Kulikovo Field, 1380; Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated on July 28;

Mongol, Scythia, 1355-1380, Mamai, Mongol Blue Horde Khan, lost at Kulikovo
Scythia, 1355-1380, Mongol Blue Horde Khan Mami; Intercession of the œDon Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19;

Mongol, Scythia, 1360's, White,Blue, and Gray Hordes of the Golden Horde
White,Blue, Gray and Golden Hordes ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops M, Novgorod, Demetrius Donsky relative, set example & much more
Russia, Novgorod, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops Monastery, Novgorod, relative of Demetrius of the Don, 44yrs at Klops, setting example in monastic efforts, clairvoyant, denounced vices, summoned spring, grain supplies not diminished; Klops Monastery, Novgorod (Island at mouth of Verenda River) 1400; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; Michael of Klops was of noble lineage, and he was a relative of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389). took upon himself the exploit of foolishness for Christ to avoid the praise of men. Leaving Moscow dressed in rags, he arrived at the Klops monastery, near Novgorod. one knew how he got into the locked cell of the hieromonk Macarius, who was going round the cell censing during the Ninth Ode of the Canon. A man in monastic garb sat there beneath a candle, copying out the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After the end of Matins the igumen came with some of the brethren and asked the stranger who he was, and what his name was. But he responded only by repeating the questions, and did not reveal his origin. church the stranger sang in the choir and read the Epistle, and he also read the Lives of the Saints at meals. All who listened were moved by the beauty and spirituality of his reading. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Klops monastery was visited by Prince Constantine Dimitrievich (son of Great Prince Demetrius of the Don ). Communion he was in the trapeza with the princess, during which time the unknown stranger read from the Book of Job. Hearing the reading, the prince approached the reader and looked him over. Then he bowed down to him, calling his kinsman Michael Maximovich by name. The fool remarked, “Only the Creator knows me, and who I am,” but he confirmed that his name was Michael. Michael soon set an example for the brethren in all the monastic efforts. He lived at the Klops monastery for forty-four years, exhausting his body in work, vigils and various deprivations, and he received from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance. denounced the vices of people, not fearing the powerful of this world. He predicted the birth of Great Prince Ivan III on January 22, 1440, and his capture of Novgorod. He denounced Prince Demetrius Shemyaka for blinding his brother the Great Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462). a sandy spot Saint Michael summoned forth a spring of water, having written upon the earth: “I will take the cup of salvation (Ps. 115/116:13), let the well-spring show forth on this spot.” And during a time of famine, the supplies of bread at the monastery granary did not diminish, though they distributed grain abundantly to the hungry. indicated beforehand the place of his burial, the saint died on January 11, 1453.

Mongol, Scythia, 1376-1406, Tokhtamysh, B,W, and G Horde unifier, defeated Mamai 1380, lost to Timur, lost to Gen Edigei
Mongol, Scythia, 1376-1406, Tokhtamysh, Mongol Blue, White and Golden Horde Khan; [n 1] (c. 1342-“1406) was a prominent Khan of the Blue Horde who briefly unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into a single state. He has been cited as the last great ruler of the Golden Horde territories.[1][2] campaigns descended from Genghis Khan's grandson, Tuqa-Timur. He appears in history in 1376, trying to overthrow his uncle Urus Khan, ruler of the White Horde, and fleeing to the great Timur. Tokhtamysh outlived Urus and both his sons, and forcefully ascended to the throne of the White Horde in 1378, with Timur's backing. dreamt of emulating his ancestors and made plans to reunite the Golden Horde. 1380, he invaded the Blue Horde by fording across the Volga, and defeated Mamai during the Second Battle of the Kalka River. The ruler of the Blue Horde, Mamai, was killed shortly after the Battle of Kulikovo, marking Tokhtamysh's victory and the reunification of the Golden Horde. full extent of Tokhtamysh's authority. and the armies of the Golden Horde rally in front of Moscow, 1382. against Moscow Donskoy had raised a large army to defeat and suppress the Mongola “Tatar hordes, and, after defeating Mamai during the Battle of Kulikovo, could not raise another army against Tokhtamysh Khan. reunited the Blue and White Hordes into the Golden Horde, in 1382, Tokhtamysh led a successful campaign against Russia as a punishment for the Kulikovo defeat - setting back, though not ending, the Russian aspiration to free themselves of Tatar rule. In just six years, Tokhtamysh had reunified the lands of the Golden Horde from Crimea to Lake Balkhash. three days of siege, Tokhtamysh was faced with a stalemate, until Donskoy's brothers-in-law prince of Nizhnii Novgorod Dmitry of Suzdal tricked citizens into surrendering the city.[3] The destruction of Moscow led to Dimitry's surrender to the authority of Tokhtamysh at the end of 1382. Tokhtamysh also took Donskoy's son Vasily I of Moscow hostage.[4] started to act as a sovereign ruler, which must have worried his former suzerain Timur, who as a result invaded Tokhtamysh twice; in 1391 and in 1395, eventually supplanting him and imposing Temur Qutlugh as a khan of Golden Horde. Tokhtamysh took refuge in Lithuania, at the court of grand duke Vytautas.[5] 1397 both rulers signed a treaty in which Tokhtamysh confirmed Vytautas as a rightful ruler of Ruthenian lands that were once part of the Golden Horde, and now belonged to Lithuania, in exchange of military assistance. It is possible that the treaty required Vytautas to pay tribute from these lands once the khan regained his throne. Vytautas probably was planning to establish himself as overlord in Tatar lands.[6] This joint expedition, supported by Polish volunteers under Spytek of Melsztyn, was defeated on 12 August 1399 in the Battle of the Vorskla River by forces led by Temiir Kutlugh and Nogay emir Ediga. The defeat was disastrous, ending Vytautas's ambitious policy in the Pontic steppe and forcing Tokhtamysh to seek refuge again, this time in Siberia.[7] About twenty princes, among them Andrei of Polatk and Dmitry of Briansk were killed, along with many prominent lords, like Spytko.[8] died in Siberia in 1406. Siege of Moscow in 1382 gather during the Siege of Moscow of the Golden Horde attack Moscow. prepare for the Siege of Moscow against Tamerlane article: Tokhtamysh–Timur war and his troops gather to launch a war against the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. he could defeat the Ilkhanate Chobanids and capture the disputed territories of the Caucasus since the days of Berke Khan, in 1385 Tokhtamysh, with an army of 50,000 (or five tumens), invaded Persia and took Tabriz. Returning north they took 200,000 slaves from the Caucasus, including tens of thousands of Armenians from the districts of Parskahayk, Syunik, and Artsakh.[9] proved to be a fatal error for Tokhtamysh, who moved north from the Caucasus, thus allowing his Ilkhanate rivals to side with Timur, who annexed Persia to his own expanding kingdom. Furious, Tokhtamysh turned back and made war on his former ally. Tokhtamysh conceded defeat and withdrew to the steppe. However, in 1387 he suddenly invaded Transoxiana, the heart of Timur's realm. Unfortunately for Tokhtamysh, heavy snow forced him back to the steppe. 1395, the scenario reached its climax as Timur attacked the Golden Horde and defeated Tokhtamysh at the Terek. Timur sacked cities of the Golden Horde such as Azov (Tana), Astrakhan[10] and Tokhtamysh's capital, Sarai Berke. Timur captured artisans and craftsmen of the Golden Horde, and placed a puppet ruler, Koirichak, on the throne of the White Horde and appointed Temur Qutlugh khan of the Horde. escaped to the Ukrainian steppes and asked for help from the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania. In the great Battle of the Vorskla River (1399) the combined forces of Tokhtamysh and Vytautas were defeated by two of Timur's generals, khan Temur Qutlugh and emir (murza, visir) Edigei. The defeated Tokhtamysh was killed near present-day Tyumen by Edigei's men in 1406. was the last khan who minted coins with Mongolian script.

Mongol, Scythia, 1378-1419, Edgei, d master Tohkt in 78i, a w Timur 97, d T and Lith in 99, 06 k T, r V Bulg, 08 r Rus
Scythia, 1378-1419, Edgei, White Horde Mongol Khan, Tatar horde of Edigei; (or Edigey) (1352–1419) was a Turkic Muslim emir of the White Horde who founded a new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. was from the Crimean Manghud tribe, the son of Baltychak, a Turkic noble who was defeated and killed by Khan Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in 1378. He gained fame as a highly successful general of Tokhtamysh before turning the arms against his master. By 1396, he was a sovereign ruler of a large area stretching between the Volga and Ural (known locally as Yayyk) rivers, which would later be called the Nogai Horde. 1397 Edigu allied himself with Timur-Qutlugh and was appointed General and commander-in-chief of the Golden Horde armies. In 1399 he inflicted a crushing defeat on Tokhtamysh and Vytautas of Lithuania at the Vorskla River. Thereupon he managed to unite under his rule all Jochi's lands, albeit for the last time in history. 1406 he located his old enemy Tokhtamysh in Siberia. Edigu's agents killed Tokhtamysh. The following year he raided Volga Bulgaria. In 1408, he staged a destructive Tatar invasion of Russia, which hadn't paid the tribute due to the horde for several decades. Edigu burnt Nizhny Novgorod, Gorodets, Rostov, and many other towns but failed to take Moscow, though he had still burnt it. years later Edigu was dethroned in the Golden Horde and had to seek refuge in Khwarezm. Though he had previously had relations with the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, including marrying his daughter to the latter's son Muhammad Juki,[1] Shah Rukh later had Edigu expelled back to Sarai. There he was assassinated by one of Tokhtamysh's sons in 1419. Edigu's dynasty in the Nogai Horde continued for about two centuries, until his last descendants moved to Moscow, where they took baptism and became known as Princes Urusov and Yusupov. Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1380, Great Prince Dimitri of the Don - Battle of Kulikov on the Don
Great Prince Dimitri of the Don - Battle of Kulikov on the Don; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7;

Mongol, Scythia, 1380, Kulikovo Battle 1380 (Don River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Kulikovo Battle; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Demetrius Ioannovich of the Don; Alexander Peresvet; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1380, Battle of Kulikovo Pole, 1380 (Don River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Battle of Kulikovo Pole, 1380 (Don River 1) ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Mongol, Scythia, 1395, Tammerlane retreats after Dream, Vladimir Icon Mother of God (Don River 1, Kulikovo Pole)

Mongol, Scythia, 1395, Luke's Vladimir Icon, Grace of Jesus and MOG shall be with this Icon

Mongol, Scythia, 1395, Feast of the Dormition, Vladimir Icon sent to Moscow, same hour of meeting at Kuchkov, T's dream

Mongol, Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Muslim White Horde, Nogali
Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Mongol, Scythia, 1400, 15th and 16th Century, invasion of Russia then Fall to Russia and Ottomans

Mongol, Scythia, 1411-1412, Jalal al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh, fled to Lithuania, w Vytautas, k by his b
Mongol, Crimea, 1411-1412, Jalal al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh; al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh (1380-1412) was the Khan of the Golden Horde in 1411–1412. He was the son of Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde until 1395.[1] is also famous for his written history of the Mongol Empire. He is also known as the Green Sultan. tried to regain his Khanate with Lithuanian aid, but was defeated in 1399. He continued his campaign until he died c. 1405. Jalal al-Din then fled to Lithuania. He too sought assistance from the Lithuanian Grand Prince Vytautas the Great. In 1410, he fought under Vytautas in the victory at Grunwald against the Teutonic Order.[2] next year, while Edigu (the real power in the Khanate) was in Khwarezm, Jalal al-Din returned to the Golden Horde. With Lithuanian support, he overthrew Khan Temur (son of Temur Qutlugh), and retook the throne of Sarai. Sometime after 1411 he minted coins bearing his name. According to a Russian chronicle, Jalal reigned for about a year, until he was murdered by his brother Karim Berdi.

Mongol, Scythia, 1417-1419, Yeremferden, Tokhtamysh, Jabbar Berdi, with Vytautas
Mongol, Crimea, 1417-1419, Yeremferden ibn Tokhtamysh; (died 1419), also known as Jabbar Berdi, was a khan of the Golden Horde from 1417 to 1419. was one of the sons of Tokhtamysh who struggled for power after their father's death. His reign was marked by relative peace save for occasional struggles with Vytautas against Edigu and what would become the Nogai Horde. his death, control over the Horde was split between Dawlat Berdi, his son, and Ulugh Muhammad, his nephew.

Mongol, Scythia, 1437-1445, Ulugh Muhammad, Crimea & Kazan Khan, Vytautas s, Ottoman s, Vasilly II, Golden Horde
Kazan Tartar Khan, 1437-1445, Ulugh Muhammad; Muhammad (1405-1445) was a medieval Tatar statesman, Gengisid, Khan of the Golden Horde (before 1436), ruler of Crimea (1437), and the founder of the Khanate of Kazan, which he ruled from 1438-1445. He was the son of the oglan Ichkile Hassan and the cousin of Tokhtamysh. He received the nickname "Ulugh", meaning older or large, in contrast to another Muhammed who was called "Kichi", meaning younger or small. Muhammad was Khan of the Golden Horde in 1419-1423, 1426, 1428. In 1428-1432 he waged a stubborn struggle for possession of the Ulug Ulus with the representatives of a minor branch of the Tukaytimurids (one of the branches of the Gengisids). being defeated, Ulugh Muhammad escaped to Volga Bulgaria vilayet in 1423. With the support Vytautas, Ulugh Muhammad was able to regain the throne of the Golden Horde in 1426. He succeeded in spreading the power of the Horde to Crimea and established friendly relations with the Ottoman Sultan Murad II. Muhammad sent an embassy to Egypt in 1428-1429. In 1431 the son and grandson of the ruler of Moscow, Dmitriy Donskoy came to the court to Ulugh Muhammad in order to reach a decision about princely succession. Ulugh Muhammad ruled in favour of the grandson, Vasiliy II . St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29;

Mongol, Scythia, 1445-1466, Kazan Tartar Khan, Maxmud of Kazan
Mongol, Scythia, 1445-1466, Kazan Tartar Khan, Maxmud of Kazan; Repose of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31;

Mongol, Scythia, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos
Russia, Moscow, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos; The holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. Moscow Prince, 1440-1505, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, the Great; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Mongol, Scythia, 1465-1481, Golden Horde Mongol Khan, Ahmed Khan
Scythian Golden Horde Mongol Khan, 1465-1481, Ahmed Khan ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23;

Mongol, Scythia, 1480-1582 , The Fall, First to Ottomans, then to Russia
Mongol, Scythia, 1480-1582 , The Fall, First to Ottomans, then to Russia;

Mongol, Scythia, 1490 & 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831-48 Cholera, MOG appeared
Mongol, Scythia, 1490 & 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831 Cholera raging, MOG appeared, to Korotoyak, C ceased, again in 1847-48 ; Divnogorsk, Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna; Divnogorsk Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated on February 5; Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God received the first part of its title from where it was enshrined when it was glorified: the Dormition monastery of Divnogorsk, in the former Ostrogozhsk district in Voronezh governance. title of “Sicilian” comes from its place of origin, since by tradition this icon at Diva (i.e. “Wondrous Heights”) was brought from Sicily by the pious monastic Elders Xenophon and Joasaph. suggest that these saints were Orthodox Greeks by birth, and that they had arrived there not earlier than the end of the fifteenth century. and Joasaph founded a monastery at a scenic spot above the River Don, near the confluence of the River Tikha Sosna [Quiet Pine River]. The place was called Wondrous Heights by those struck by the form of the chalk columns throughout the hills. is said that Xenophon and Joasaph lived in a cave (where later the church of Saint John the Forerunner was built), and that they carved out the first church in a chalk column, into which also they put the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God which they had brought with them. Here is where they found their eternal repose. the Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, the Theotokos is depicted sitting in the clouds. In Her right hand is a white lily blossom, and with Her left arm She supports the Divine Infant, Who sits upright upon Her knees. The Savior holds a lily blossom in His left hand, and blesses with His right hand. Around the face of the Mother of God are eight angels. The two beneath are shown on bended knee and with hands upraised in prayer. Over the head of the Theotokos is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. special glorification of the icon began in the year 1831, when cholera was raging. At Korotoyak, 7-8 versts from the monastery, the Most Holy Virgin appeared (as She is depicted in the Divnogorsk Icon) to a certain elderly woman, Ekaterina Kolomenska, in a dream. She commanded that Her icon be brought and a Molieben be served before it. The wonderworking icon was brought to Korotoyak, and after a Molieben before the holy icon, the cholera ceased. the intercession of the Mother of God, the city of Ostrogozhsk also was saved from cholera. The people of Korotoyak and Ostrogozhsk were also saved from cholera in 1847 and 1848 through the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, which occurred after a church procession around these towns with the holy icon. to Tradition, the feastday of the wonderworking icon on February 5 was established already at its original habitation by Xenophon and Joasaph.

Mongol, Scythia, 1582- present, Part of Russia

Mongol, Scythia, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Child Schemamonk Bogolep

Mongol, Scythia, 1643-1703, Metrophanes o Voronezh, 117 churches, 2 m, stricter rule, funded fleet, made Peter remove p statues
Mongol, Scythia, 1643-1703, Metrophanes of Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8), monastic in 1663 after wife died, archmandrite 1675, 1681 dioceses created and his Voronezh bishoprick & cathedral, 20 yrs bishop, 182-239 churches, 2 new monasteries, stricter rule old m, friend Tambov's Pitrim, funded fleet, refused go pagan statues court, Peter 1 removed them; Voronezh; First finding of the St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, in the world Michael, was born November 8, 1623. the saint’s book of commemorations begins with persons of priestly rank, it is assumed that he was born into a priestly family. know from Saint Metrophanes’ will that he “was born of pious parents and was raised by them in the incorrupt piety of the Eastern Church, in the Orthodox Faith.” he was forty, the saint lived in the world. He was married, had a son John, and served as a parish priest. place of Father Michael’s pastoral activity was the village of Sidorovo, situated at the River Molokhta, a tributary of the Teza flowing to the Klyazma, not far from the city of Shui (now Vladimir district). his wife died, Father Michael received monastic tonsure with the name Metrophanes in the Zolotnikovskaya Dormition Monastery in 1663. the Synodikon of the monastery the entry for Saint Metrophanes begins with the words: “Origin of the black clergy Metrophanes of Sidorovo.” three years of monastic life the hieromonk Metrophanes was chosen igumen of the Saint Cosmas of Yakrom (February 18) monastery. guided the monastery for ten years, showing himself zealous as its head. By his efforts a church was built here in honor of the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands (August 16). Joachim (1674-1690), learning about the deep piety of Saint Metrophanes, raised him in 1675 to the rank of archimandrite of the Makariev-Unzha monastery. the supervision of the saint, a stone church was built there in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, together with a trapeza and bell-tower. the Moscow Council of 1681-1682 among the number of measures taken for the struggle against the old ritualist schism, and with the goal of improving Christian enlightenment among the Orthodox populace, was resolved to increase the number of dioceses, and to open up new cathedrals at Voronezh, Tambov, Kholmogor and Great Ustiug. Metrophanes was summoned to the capital and on April 2, 1682 was consecrated Bishop of Voronezh by Patriarch Joachim and sixteen archpastors. beginning of Saint Metrophanes’ tenure as bishop coincided with a dispute over the imperial succession, and a Church schism. his arrival at Voronezh the saint first of all sent an encyclical to the pastors of his diocese, in which he urged his pastors to moral improvement. “Venerable priests of God Most High,” he wrote, “leaders of the flock of Christ! You ought to possess clear eyes of the mind, illumined by the light of reason, in order to lead others on the correct path. In the words of the Lord, you must be the light yourselves: ‘you are the light of the world’ (Mt. 5:14). When Christ the Savior entrusted His flock to the Apostle Peter, He said to him three times: ‘feed my sheep.’ This is because pastors care for their flock in three ways: by the words of teaching, by prayer and the power of the Holy Mysteries, and by their way of life. You must also act by all three methods: teach the people, set an example of a righteous life, and pray for them. Strengthen them by the Holy Mysteries; above all enlighten the unbelievers by holy Baptism, and try to lead sinners to repentance. Take care of the sick, so that they do not depart from this life without receiving Holy Communion and Holy Unction.” Metrophanes began his archpastoral activity with the building of a new cathedral church in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, replacing an old wooden temple. 1692 the cathedral with chapels in honor of Saint Michael and Saint Nicholas was consecrated. In the twenty years that Saint Metrophanes was bishop, the number of churches increased from 182 to 239, and two monasteries were founded: the Korotoyaksk Ascension and the Bitiugsk Trinity monasteries. And in the existing monasteries, he concerned himself with eradicating the unseemly behavior and disorder, emphasizing a strict life according to the monastic rule. first Bishop of Voronezh eagerly concerned himself with the needs of his flock. consoled both the poor and the wealthy, was a defender of widows and orphans, and an advocate of the wronged. home served as a hostel for strangers a hospice for the sick. saint prayed not only for the living, but also for dead Christians, and particularly soldiers fallen for the Fatherland, inscribing their names in the cathedral’s memorial list. Remembering them at Proskomedia [priest’s preparation of the gifts before Liturgy], Saint Metrophanes said: “If this is a righteous soul, then there is a greater portion of worthiness. If he is a sinner, however, then there is a connection with God’s mercy.” was a great friendship between Saint Metrophanes and Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov (July 28). They not only kept up a correspondence, but also met for spiritual talks. founding of the Tregulyaev monastery of Saint John the Forerunner was connected with the friendship of the bishops. September 15, 1688 Saint Metrophanes visited Saint Pitirim. Three of them (the priest Basil was with them) took a stroll together to the Tambov archpastor’s place of solitary prayer, and there they chose the place for the future monastery. Metrophanes, an intensely patriotic man, by his own moral authority, kind-heartedness and prayers, contributed to the reforms of Peter I, the necessity and purpose of which he well understood. the building of a fleet at Voronezh for a campaign against Azov, Saint Metrophanes urged the nation to fully support Peter I. This was particularly important, since many regarded the construction of a fleet as useless. saint did not limit himself only to advice to the Tsar, but rendered also material support to the state treasury, which needed money for the construction of the fleet, and he provided all the means, aware that they would go for the benefit of the nation. saint’s patriotic feelings were combined in his soul with unflinching faith and strict Orthodox conviction, on account of which he did not fear incurring the Tsar’s wrath. The saint refused to go to court to see Peter I, since there were statues of pagan gods there, although disgrace threatened the saint for disobeying the imperial will, he remained uncompromising. Peter gave orders to remove the statues and from that time was filled with greater respect for the bishop. Metrophanes died in 1703 in extreme old age, taking the schema with the name Macarius before his death. funeral took place on December 4, conducted according to the saint’s monastic, not priestly rank. became the established practice for the burial of a bishop. Peter I himself carried the coffin from the cathedral to the tomb. Taking leave, he said: “I no longer have a holy Elder such as he. Memory eternal to him.” of the remarkable memorials of the life and activity of Saint Metrophanes is his Spiritual Testament. it he says: “By divine destiny I have arrived at old age and now I have exhausted my natural strength. Therefore I declare this my final writing ... When my sinful soul is released from its union with the flesh, I entrust it to God Who created it, that it might find favor as the work of His hands. My sinful bones I grant to the mother of all (the earth), in expectation of the resurrection of the dead.” Further on, addressing pastors and the flocks, the saint says: “The simple sinner gives answer to God for his soul alone, but priests can come to torment for many, in neglecting the sheep, from which they gather milk and wool... For everyone the rule of wise men is: do work, preserve a balance, and you will be rich. Drink temperately, eat little, and you will be healthy. Do good, shun evil, and you will be saved.” commemoration of Saint Metrophanes was established in 1832. On August 7, we celebrate the translation of his holy relics.

Mongol, Scythia, 1654-1655, Ozerianka icon, Scythia, painted during pestilnc, Smolensk icon copy, prayer while painted, ended p
Mongol, Scythia, 1654-1655, Ozerianka icon, Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2), painted during pestilence, in 1Weed, Smolensk icon copy, prayer while painted, placed in special church place, pestilence ended in Parish then in all tCity; Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2; Shuiu-Smolensk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the years 1654-1655 in the Resurrection parish of the city of Shuiu, an unrelenting pestilence raged. in the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, the parishioners of the Resurrection church commissioned a certain pious monk to paint the icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, icon long attributed with being a rescuer of the Russian people from enemies and misfortune. parishioners spent the whole week in prayer and fasting while the image was being painted. the icon was finished, the priest and the people took it to the church and set it in a specially built place. that time the pestilence began to ease, first in the area of the Resurrection parish, then also in all the city. the Icon of the Mother of God many miracles of healing took place, especially of eye diseases. icon is also celebrated on July 11, July 28, and Bright Tuesday.

Mongol, Scythia, 1662-1667, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, unusual traits, ilnesses, permit tonsure, promising spiritual presence
Mongol, Scythia, 1662-1667, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Astrakhan, Scythia (Volga River Mouth, North Caspian Sea), unusual traits, no milk Wed and Fri, cry church bells, to church or cried all day ate nothing, ilnesses, monks angelic garb, permit monastic tonsure, completely healthy, but new fever killed him, many appearances to people promicising spiritual presence w believers; Astrakhan (Volga River Mouth); Schemamonk, totally given up worldly life for Christ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24). was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. was known for his integrity. infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing. 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales. during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”). the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region. 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar. bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga. disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers. simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16). pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Mongol, Scythia, 1700, 18th C Folder, Joasaph oBelgorod

Mongol, Scythia, 1725-1754, Joasaph oBelgorod, great admin&Spiritual abilities, rebuilder, Athanasius appears fProtection sign
Mongol, Scythia, 1725-1754, Joasaph oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), fProluka, Poltava, Ukrainian Lineage, Kiev Spiritual Academy a7yrOld, 1725 rasophore against parents w aKiev Mezhigorsk m, 1727 monk Joasaph aKiev-Bratsk m, Kiev Archbishop Raphael Zaborovsky noticed abilities, assigned greater service, office oExaminer, 1734 hiermonk, or priest, fSchool tArchbishop's house, appointed Kiev religious consistory, correction clergy deficiencies, developed admin abilities, clergy good points&failings, his great spiritual efforts, seen in tConflict of tSeven Venerable Virtues with tSeven Deadly Sins, 1737 igumen Mgarsk m, bastion against Unia, Athanasius' relics, A appeareances, as protection sign, 1744 Archmandrite, tMoscow then tTrinity Sergiev Rostov for fire rebuilding, 1748 Bishop oBelgorod, emphasized piety, church condition, proper divine service, moral condition flock, education clergy, without health regard, 2time oDeath prophecies; Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Joasaph was born at Proluka, in the former Poltava governance, on September 8, 1705, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. was descended from the old and venerable Little Russian (Ukrainian) lineage of the Gorlenkovi. At Baptism he was named Joachim. 1712, his father enrolled the seven-year-old Joachim in the Kiev Spiritual Academy. the walls of the academy he felt attracted to monastic life. For seven years he studied it further, and finally revealed his intention to his parents. a long time his mother and father pleaded with their first-born son not to accept monastic tonsure. in 1725, unknown to them, he became a “rasophore” (“robe-wearing novice”) with the name Hilarion at the Kiev Mezhigorsk monastery, on 21 November 1727 he was tonsured in the mantya with the name Joasaph at the Kievo-Bratsk monastery. This event coincided with the completion of his studies at the spiritual academy. the death of His Grace Barlaam, the See of Kiev was governed by Archbishop Raphael Zaborovsky. Raphael noticed the abilities of the young ascetic and assigned him to greater service to the Church. was entrusted with the responsibility of the office of examiner of the Kiev archbishopric. November 1734, Archbishop Raphael ordained the hierodeacon Joasaph as hieromonk, he was transferred from the Bratsk monastery school to the Kiev-Sophia archbishop’s house. the same time, he was appointed a member of the Kiev religious consistory. fulfilling the office of examiner, he exerted much effort towards the correction of moral deficiencies among the parish clergy. saint’s service in the consistory office enabled him to develop his administrative abilities. this time, he made a good study of the needs of clergy-servers, noting both the good points and the failings of the diocese. talent for administration was combined with his great spiritual effort. He quickly ascended the ladder of spiritual perfection, can be seen in his work, “The Conflict of the Seven Venerable Virtues with the Seven Deadly Sins.” June 24, 1737 Hieromonk Joasaph was appointed head of the Holy Transfiguration Mgarsk monastery, and elevated to the rank of igumen. he worked with all his strength to put the monastery in good order, for it was an old bastion of Orthodoxy in the struggle with the Unia. this monastery were relics of Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Constantinople and Wonderworker of Lubny (May 2). times Saint Athanasius appeared to Igumen Joasaph, as a sign of his patronal protection. 1744 Metropolitan Raphael elevated Igumen Joasaph to the dignity of archimandrite. the end of that same year he was called to Moscow and soon, at the direction of the Most Holy Synod, he was appointed vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra monastery. this monastery of Saint Sergius he also unstintingly fulfilled obedience to the Church (this year required much exertion for the rebuilding of the monastery after a fire). June 2, 1748 at the Peter and Paul cathedral in Peterburg, Archimandrite Joasaph was ordained Bishop of Belgorod. the archbishop’s throne, Saint Joasaph strictly concerned himself with piety and the condition of the churches, with the proper celebration of divine services, and especially with the moral condition of his flock. saint devoted great attention to the education of the clergy, and the correct observance of churchly norms and traditions. as before, the saint worked with all his strength in his archpastoral service, without regard for his health. the eve of his repose, the saint forbade his cell attendant Stephen to aspire to the priesthood, and he predicted that if he did not obey him, he would meet with an untimely end. another cell attendant Basil, the saint indicated that he would be a deacon, but would never become a priest. this prediction was fulfilled. Saint Joasaph died on December 10, 1754, and was glorified on September 4, 1911.

Mongol, Scythia, 1739-1791, Theodore oSanaxar, Mordovia, exiled bJealous superiors, revived 2 Monasteries

Mongol, Scythia, 1800, 19th Century Folder, St Metrophanes, incorrupt relics

Mongol, Scythia, 1804-1840, Meletius oKharkov, interest in Iinstitutions of spiritual learning &clergy education &Siberia

Mongol, Scythia, 1831-48, Divnogorsk or Rescuer Icon, 1490 D Monastery Voronezh, 1831-48 Cholera, MOG appeared

Mongol, Scythia, 1832, Saint Metrophanes, Voronezh Cathedral, incorrupt relics, monastic schema
Voronezh Annunciation Cathedral; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Mongol, Scythia, 1843-1882, Ioannikios, Kharkhov, 1845 Holy Mt Monastery for life, Hesychast, much more

Mongol, Scythia, 1846, First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Sythia, Mongol Lands (Don River 5), incorrupt Relics
Zadonsk;Zadonsk Monestary; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14; incorrupt relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk were first uncovered in May 1846, during the construction of the new cathedral at Zadonsk. They were found beneath the altar of the old church. Tikhon is also commemorated on August 13.

Mongol, Scythia, 1851, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, relics transfer but slid into river where he had promised spiritual presence
Mongol, Scythia, 1851, Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan, 1750 his grave in church side altar, eroding river bank threatens church, 1851 attempted transfer his relics but slid into river, where he had continually appeared promising spiritual presence for believers; Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan Schemamonk, totally given up worldly life for Christ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. He was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24). was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. He was known for his integrity. From infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing. 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. The parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales. during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. The angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. The holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” The parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”). the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. But on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. (This church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region. 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar. bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. By the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. Finally, in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. The small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga. disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers. simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16). pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1) historian, incorrupt r
Mongol, Scythia, 1891-1918, Hieromartyr Nikodemos, Bishop of Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), from line of missionary priests itNorth, 1896 Superintendent of Petersburg TSchool & ctaker Pedagogical Courses, many awards, 1899 tKaluga arector KSpiritual seminary, 1909 r Olonets Seminary, taught students obey authorities, at least for awhile, Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom which he wrote in college, but genius write for genius, 1911 Bishop, 1913 BoBelogorod&Vicar of Kursk, composer church hymns, as spiritual writer&Church historian, author of books about ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, compiler Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety ot XVIII-XIX centuries, he wrote of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well ascetics Solovki Monastery, 1911 -he worked hard on discovery relics St. Joasaph of Belgorod, composed prayers, wrote miracle cases, 1918 martyred; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 28; Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod (in the world Alexander Mikhailovich Kononov) was born on June 18, 1871 in Arkhangelsk province, son of Father Michael Kononov and his wife Claudia. Kononov family traces its roots back to the XVII century, and there were many remarkable priests who served as missionaries in the north. Kononov graduated from the Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 1896 he was tonsured as a monk with the name Νikόdēmos, in honor of Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake (July 3), and he was ordained as a Hieromonk. the same time, he was appointed Superintendent of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School in St. Petersburg, as well as the caretaker of the St. Petersburg Pedagogical Courses. his work, Father Νikόdēmos received many awards. In 1901, he received a Bible from the Synod "in encouraging his love for children, which he showed in his deeds and in truth." On August 30 of that same year, he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite. three years, Father Νikόdēmos was sent to Kaluga as rector of the Kaluga Spiritual seminary, in 1909 he was appointed as rector of the Olonets Seminary. this time Archimandrite Νikόdēmos received thanks from the Kaluga bishop for his "vigilant labors, recently incurred, his impact on the excitable minds of the pupils, so that they stopped fermenting and the thought, if not forever, then for a long time - not to obey the lawful orders of the authorities," as the bishop declared in expressing his gratitude. Holy Synod blessed Archimandrite Νikόdēmos to compose an Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom, which was printed by the Synod for ecclesiastical use. Νikόdēmos had originally written the Akathist to Saint John Chrysostom while he was still a student of St. Petersburg Theological Academy. at that time the censor had rejected the Akathist in approximately these terms: "An Akathist to a genius ought to be written by a genius, not by some unknown Hieromonk." 1911, at St. Petersburg, Father Νikόdēmos was consecrated as a bishop by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) of Moscow and Kolomensk. 1913, Bishop Νikόdēmos became Bishop of Belgorod, and Vicar of the Kursk Diocese. the time of his pastoral activities, Vladyka was a composer of Church hymns, he composed Akathists to his patron Saint Νikόdēmos of Kozha Lake Monastery, Tryphon of Pechenga (December 15), and the Monastic Martyr Job the Gorge-dweller, wonderworker of Solovki (August 5). a spiritual writer and Church historian, Bishop Νikόdēmos was the author of books about the ascetics of Arkhangelsk and Olonets, he was also one of the main compilers of the multi-volume work "Biographies of the National Ascetics of Piety of the XVIII-XIX centuries." book "Elder Father Naum of Solovki, the Ascetic of Karelia" was published in 1910. addition, he wrote several collections of Lives of the Saints of the St. Petersburg.and Vologda dioceses, as well as those of the ascetics Solovki Monastery. also wrote a history of Eldership. worked hard in connection with the discovery of the holy relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod (on September 4, 1911). his service in the Diocese, he composed two prayers to Saint Joasaph, as well as his great opus "The Life, Glorification and Miracles of Saint Joasaph." the direction of Bishop Νikόdēmos, and with his direct participation, three volumes of consistory cases related to the activities of Saint Joasaph were published. chambers in the Holy Trinity Monastery were reconstructed, and a unique museum of Saint Joasaph was created, which contained an extensive collection of documents. 1918, on the second day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the Belgorod Hierarch was arrested right in the altar of Trinity Cathedral by the Red Commissar Saenko, for preaching against robbery and violence. the request of the faithful who demanded Vladyka's release, the local Chekists "released" him for one day, and those who those who requested it were arrested. of the groups of believers protesting against the Bishop's arrest was led by the wife of a priest, the head of the second women's gymnasium, Maria Dmitrievna Kiyanovskaya, who was arrested as a "leader of a counter-revolutionary demonstration" and was shot. next day, Vladyka was arrested again. days after his arrest on the orders of Commissar Saenko, Bishop Νikόdēmos was shot secretly and was buried in a common grave outside the city. the capture of Belgorod by the Volunteer White Army (six months after Vladyka's execution), his grave was opened. Medical examination of the remains found that in addition to the presence of a non-lethal gunshot wound in the Saint's chest, there was a skull fracture caused by a heavy blow with a blunt object, a huge bruise at the top of the head, and a break in the laryngeal cartilage, indicating that he had been strangled by someone. holy relics of Saint Νikόdēmos were given due honors, and were buried at Holy Trinity Monastery near the shrine of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod. October 29, 2017, Metropolitan John (Popov) performed the rite of the great consecration and the first Liturgy in the church dedicated to the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos (Kononov), located in the Belgorod Metropolis at the place where the relics of the Saint were found. This coincides with the 100th anniversary of the start of the persecution of the Church, and the fifth anniversary of the discovery of the relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos. Belgorod;

Mongol, Scythia, 1900, 20th Century Folder, St Metrophanes, second finding incorrupt relics

Mongol, Scythia, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, death 1703, first finding 1832, 2nd f 1989
Russia, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8), death 1703, first finding 1832, second finding 1989; Voronezh; Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh; or Mitrofan of Voronezh (1623 - 1703) was appointed in 1682 the first bishop of Voronezh. He is reputed to have possessed miracle-working powers.[1] (as he was then known) was born in the village of Antilokhovo, Savinsky District and took monastic vows after his wife's death in 1663. He managed the Kosmin Monastery near Yuryev-Polsky and the Unzha Monastery in Makaryev before being promoted to a bishop's see in 1682. He supported Peter the Great in his efforts to build the first Russian warships in Voronezh but was generally critical of his Westernization policies. was buried in the Annunciation Monastery in the Tsar's presence in 1703. When 14 years later his tomb was opened, Mitrofan's body was found to be "whole" and his relics were proclaimed to have healing powers. After he was formally canonized in 1832 and Nicholas I paid a visit to his shrine,[2] his fame increased and large numbers of pilgrims from Central Russia started flocking to his tomb in Voronezh.[3] The first Moscow church in his name was consecrated in 1895. Bolsheviks had Mitrofan's relics confiscated. It was in 1989 that the relics were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. There is an ornate statue of Saint Mitrofan in front of the Annunciation Cathedral where his relics have been kept since then. Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on September 4; Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh took place in 1989. March 22, 1998 Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow gave his blessing for the celebration of this Feast. First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Mongol, Scythia, 2000, 21st Century Folder, Nikodemos' Incorrupt Relics

Mongol, Scythia, 2012, Uncovering of Nikodemos' incorrupt Relics, Bishop oBelgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1), historian

Mongol, Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Don River Source (Novomoskovsk)
Novomoskovsk

Don River 1 (Kulikovo Field)

Don River 2 (near Kulikovo Field)

Don River 3

Don River 4 (Bystraya River Mouth)

Bystraya Sosna River Source (aloing the border)

Cheremis, Land of the Cheremis (Mari) People (Bystraya Sosna and Don Rivers)
Cheremis, Land of the Cheremis (Mari) People; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25;

Bystraya Sosna River 1 (Livny)

Livny (Liven), Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1)
Livny, Scythia (Bystraya Sosna River 1); St. Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on January 10;

Elets, Scythia (Muravsky Trail 6, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4)
Elets; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Bystraya Sosna River Mouth (Don River 4)

Don River 5 (Zadonsk and Elets)

Zadonsk, Sythia, Mongol Lands (Don River 5)
Zadonsk;Zadonsk Monestary; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Tikon of Zadonsk, Commemorated August 13 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; First opening of the relics of St Tikhon of Zadonsk, Commemorated on May 14;

Don River 6 (Zadonsk and Elets)

Don River 7

Don River 8 (Vorenezh)

Vorenezh River Source (along the border)

Vorenezh River 1

Voronezh River 2 (Lipitsa)

Voronezh River 3 (Voronezh)

Voronezh River Mouth (Voronezh, Don River 8)

Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8)
Voronezh; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on September 4; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Rescuer of the DrowningÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated Febraury 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unfading BloomÂ, Commemorated on April 3; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ;

Voronezh Annunciation Cathedral, 1718, Saint Metrophanes, incorrupt relics
Voronezh Annunciation Cathedral; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Voronezh Region, Scythia (Between the Don and Khopyor River)
Voronezh Oblast, Main rivers: Don Voronezh Bityug Khopyor ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Rescuer of the DrowningÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ;

Don River 9 (Ostrogozhsk)

Ostrogozhsk, Scythia (Don River 9)
Ostrogozhsk District; Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5; The Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God received the first part of its title from where it was enshrined when it was glorified: the Dormition monastery of Divnogorsk, in the former Ostrogozhsk district in Voronezh governance. Its title of "Sicilian" comes from its place of origin

Tikha Sosna [Quiet Pine] River Mouth (Don River 9)
Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5;

Divnogorsk, Scythia (Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna)
Divnogorsk, Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning"Â, Commemorated on February 5;

Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna
Wondering Heights, Chalk Clifts, Mouth of the Tikha Sosna; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Rescuer of the Drowning"Â, Commemorated on February 5;

Don River 10 (Bityug River Mouth)

Bityug River Mouth (Don River 10)

Don River 11 (Khopvor River Mouth)

Khopyor River Source (Volga Upland)

Khopyor River 1 (Balashov)

Khopror River 2 ( Borisoglebsk)

Khopror River 4 (Uryupinsk)

Kh River Mouth (Serafimovich)

Khopror River 3(Novokhopyorsk)

Verona River Source (Volga Upland)

Vorona River 1

Verona River 2

Verona (Ust) River 3

Vorona River Mouth (Khopyor River)

Boris and Gleb (Borisoglebsk) monastery
Borisoglebsk; St Paul of Rostov;

Khopyor River Mouth (Don River 11)

Don River 12 (Sarai)

Don River 13 (Greben)

Chir River Source
Chir River

Chira River Mouth (Greben, Don River 13)

Greben (Chira River Mouth at Don River)
Greben (Chira River Mouth at Don River); Icon of the Mother of God of Greben, Commemorated July 28 ; Greben Icon of the Mother of God, glorified by miracles and located in a church in the city of Greben (on the River Chira, flowing into the Don), was presented by the inhabitants of the city to Great Prince Demetrius of the Don upon his return from the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. 1471, after a successful campaign against Novgorod, Great Prince Ivan III built the church of the Dormition in Moscow at Lubyanka and placed in it the Greben icon of the Mother of God, which he had taken with him on the campaign. He adorned the icon with a silver riza covered with precious stones, and ordered an Akathist to be written in honor of the icon. When the church burned in 1617, the icon miraculously was preserved. The icon, almost a reverse image of the Iveron icon (February 12, March 31, October 13), is recognized by the distinctive folds of the Virgin’s omaphorion and the position of the Christ Child’s legs.

Pontic steppe
Pontic steppe;

Don River 14 (Novocherkassk, Rostov on Don)

Novocherkassk, Scythia (Don River 14)
Novocherkassk; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Rostov on Don (Don River 14)
Rostov on Don (Don River 14); St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated October 22 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30;

Rostov on Don Cathedral, 1860
Rostov on Don Cathedral, 1860;

Ascension Cathedral or Novocherkassk Cathedral, Rostov, Scythia, 1904
Ascension Cathedral or Novocherkassk Cathedral, Rostov, Scythia; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Rostov Oblast, Rostov on Don
Rostov Oblast;

Romanov, Rostov on Don, Russia (Don River 13.5)
Romanov, Rostov on Don, Russia; Kazan-Yaroslavl Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Ordinsk, Rostov on Don, Orlovsky
Ordinsk, Rostov, Orlovsky; Saint Peter, Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30; Peter, Prince of the Horde, was the nephew of Bergai Khan of the Golden Horde. the year 1253 Saint Cyril, Bishop of Rostov (May 21), went to the Horde to petition for church needs in his diocese and he told the khan about the Christian Faith, and of the miracles and healings worked by the relics of Saint Leontius of Rostov (May 23). the retinue was the young nephew of the khan, upon whom the holy bishop made a very strong impression. After some length of time the son of Bergai fell ill. the account of the Russian bishop about the healings, he summoned Saint Cyril, and through his prayers the sick one was healed. The khan richly rewarded Saint Cyril and sent him off to his diocese. the way the lad, the nephew of Bergai Khan, overtook the holy hierarch, and entreated him to take him along to Rostov. At Rostov the boy was baptized with the name Peter, and he married. Saint Peter distinguished himself with a love for silence, contemplation, and prayer. After a miraculous appearance to him of the Apostles Peter and Paul he built a monastery near Lake Nera in their honor. After the death of his wife, shortly before his own death in 1290, the saint embraced monasticism at the monastery he had founded. veneration of the holy Prince Peter began in the fourteenth century. A general celebration was established at the Council of 1547.

Seversky Donets River Source (Central Russian Upland)
Central Russian Upland;

Seversky Donets River 1 (Belogorod)

Belgorod, Scythia (Seversky Donets River 1)
Belgorod; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Νikόdēmos, Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on October 20; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30;

Kharkov, Scythia (High Point, Source of 3 Rivers, Seversky Donets River1)
Kharkov governance; Icon of the Mother of God of Ozerianka, Commemorated on October 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5; Saint Meletius, Archbishop of Khar'kov and Akhtyrsk, Commemorated on February 12; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Polovetsians (Cumans), Zmiiv, Muravsky Trail 3
Polovetsians (Cumans), Zmiiv, Muravsky Trail 3; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 20;

Seversky Donets River 2 (Sviyahsk Monastery)

Sviatogorsk ("Holy Hill") Dormition monastery (Seversky Donets River 2)
Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10;

Holy Mountain Hermitage in Kharkhov Province (Seversky Donets River 2)
Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk; Saint Ioannikios, Father Confessor of the Dormition Holy Mountain Hermitage, Commemorated on February 10;

Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery (Seversky Donets 2)
First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan;

Sviatogorsk, near Sloviansk ((Seversky Donets River 2)
city of Sviatogorsk, near Sloviansk ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sviatogorsk, Commemorated July 17 ;

Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2)
Ozeryanivka, Scythia (near Seversky Donets River 2); Ozerianka Icon of the Mother of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2;

Don Cossacks, Don River, Donbass Region, Donetsk Side
Don Cossacks, Donbass Region, Donetsk Side; Don Cossacks; Donbass Region, Both sides of the Seversky Donets River; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Seversky Donets River 3

Seversky Donets River Mouth (Don River 14)

Don Cossacks, Donbass Region, Luhansk Side
Don Cossacks, Donbass Region, Luhansk Side; Don Cossacks, Donbass Region, Donetsk Side; Don Cossacks; Donbass Region, Both sides of the Seversky Donets River; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Don River Mouth (Sea of Azov)

Azov, Scythia (Don River, Azov Sea)
Azov (Don River, Azov Sea); St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ;

Olshansk, Scythia (Azov, Don River, near Crimea)
Olshansk in the early 1500's was approximately the area Azov Governate of the 1700's; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Tula, Kaluga, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Mongol, Scythia, Dniester River Folder (Eastern Moldovia)

Dniester River 1 (Ukraine)

Galicia, Moldovia (Halychia, Eastern Europe, Dniester River 2)
Galicia (Eastern Europe); Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Galich, Moldovia (Halych) Ukraine (Dniester River 2) Vladimir the Great, 900's
Galich, (Halych) Ukraine (Dniester River 2); Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Halych, Moldovia (Galich) Ukraine (Dniester River 2) Vladimir the Great, 900's
Galich, (Halych) Ukraine (Dniester River 2); Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Khotyn, Ukraine (Dniester River 5)
Khotyn or Khutin; Venerable Barlaam of Khutin, Commemorated on June 24;

Kamenets Podolski, Moldovia or Ukraine (Smotrych Mouth, Dniester 5)
Kamenets Podolski, Ukraine or Moldovia ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ;

Podolia, Moldovia (Dniester River 7)
Podolia; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Gerbovets monastery (Dniester River 9, Bessarabia, Romania or Moldovia)
Gerbovets monastery (Bessarabia, Romania) ; Bessarabia, Romania, Bassarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ;

Kishinev, Bassarabia, Moldovia
Kishinev, Bassarabia, Moldovia; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1;

Bessarabia, Moldovia, Romania (area between Prut and Dniester Rivers)
Bessarabia, Moldovia, Romania; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1;

Mongol, Scythia, Lesser Scythia Folder (Dacia Pontica)

Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica, from Moldavia and Transylvania (Dacia) to Pontine)
Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia, Dacia (Transylvania) to Pontus)
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Tomis, Lesser Scythia (Constantsa, in Dacia Pontica)
Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated September 13 ; Saint Vetranion of Tomis, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Niculitel and Cocosh Monastery, Lesser Scythia
Niculits›el; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Noviodunum, Lesser Scythia (Isacea, Danube River 17)
Noviodunum (Isacea); Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Tulcea County, Lesser Scythia
Tulcea County; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Halmyris (in Lesser Scythia on Danube)
Halmyris (in Scythia on Danube); Epictetus and Astion, Commemorated July 8 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Mongol, Scythia, Volga River Folder

Astrakhan, Scythia (Volga River Mouth, North Caspian Sea)
Astrakhan (Volga River Mouth); Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11

Atil, Scythia, 765-969. Capital of the Khazars (Volga River Mouth)
Atil, Scythia, 765-969. Capital of the Khazars; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan, the child Bogolep, schema
Black Ravine (Chernyi Yar), about 250 K up the River from Astrackhan Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Child Schemamonk Bogolep was the son of a Moscow nobleman Iakov Lukich Ushakov and his wife Katherine. He was born in 1660 at Moscow. At Baptism they gave him the name Boris, in honor of the holy Passion-Bearer Boris (July 24). was appointed voevoda (military-commander) in the city of Chernyi Yar (Black Ravine), situated 250 versts from Astrakhan. He was known for his integrity. From infancy Boris displayed unusual traits. On Wednesdays and Fridays he would not drink milk from his mother’s breasts. When the bells pealed at the church, he began to cry, and became quiet only when they brought him into the church. When they did not take the infant to church, he cried all day and ate nothing. 1662 a deadly pestilence spread about in Russia. The child fell ill, and the pestilence afflicted him in the legs. He became lame, but continued to walk to church. The parents prayed for the health of their son and they tried everything in their power to heal him. But no sooner had the one illness gone, than upon his face there appeared another, called scales. during his illness the child saw a wandering monk who visited at their home. The angelic garb so impressed the child, that he began to implore his parents to sew him such clothing and permit him to receive monastic tonsure. The holy child proclaimed: “You will see for yourselves, when you tonsure and grant me the angelic garb, I shall be well.” The parents consented. The child was invested in the schema with the name Bogolep (the Russian version of the Greek name Theoleptos, meaning “similar to God”). the next day the child schemamonk was completely healthy, his face was clear and there remained no trace of the illness. But on the third day there was a new illness, he developed a fever, and it struck down the child. He died on August 1, 1667 and was buried at the left wall of the wooden Black Ravine church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. (This church was built after a great fire in Black Ravine, on July 24, 1652 the Feast of Saint Boris). A chapel was built over the grave of the child. Life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep was compiled under a vow by the Black Ravine merchant Savva Tatarinov during the years 1731-1732. of the saint, with the Troparion and Kontakion to him, were widely dispersed throughout the Astrakhan region. 1750 on the place of the wooden church a stone church was built with a side-altar in honor of the holy Martyr John the Warrior. The grave of the holy schemamonk was enclosed in this side altar. bank of the river, where the church of the Resurrection of Christ stood, was constantly eroding. By the mid-nineteenth century the structure of the church was threatened, and they removed all the holy things from it. For a long time the people of Black Ravine did not remove the chief holy object: the grave of the holy schemamonk. Finally, in 1851 when the water had already approached 4 ft. 8 inches, the people petitioned the Most Holy Synod with a request to transfer the holy relics of the Schemamonk Bogolep, and they received permission for this. The small child’s coffin was laid bare, but just when the city head took it into his hands, it slid out of his hands and disappeared into the waters of the Volga. disappearance of the relics just at the opening of the grave was accepted as the Will of God, since the holy child had repeatedly appeared to many either in sleep, or awake while walking along the river bank, or coming down the hill. He consoled them, promising that he would be present spiritually with believers. simple life of the holy Schemamonk Bogolep, full of the mysteries of God, illustrates the words of the Savior concerning children: “Let the children come unto Me and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10: 14-16). pray to Saint Bogolep for children, and also for protection against lightning.

Bolghar, Scythia (Kama River Mouth, Volga River 10)
Bolghar or Bolgara; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Kazaria, Scythia (Volga River Mouth)
Kazaria; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Mongol, Scythia, Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, land of the Volga Bulgars; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Samara, Scythia (Volga River 13)
Samara, Russia; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Sarai (city), Scythia
Sarai (city); St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Saratov, Scythia (Volga River 14)
Saratov (Volga River 14) ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ;

Scythia, Volga Region - Land of the Tartars
Volga Region - Land of the Tartars; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Volga Region - Land of the Tartars
Volga Region - Land of the Tartars; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Tetyakov, Sythia (Volga River 11)
Tetyushi; In 1277, the allied forces of the Russian princes, in union with the Tatar forces, took part in a campaign in the Osetian land and in the taking of "its famed city Tetyakov."; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ;

Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, land of the Volga Bulgars; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Volga-Kama Bulghar
Volga Bulgaria, land of the Volga Bulgars; Child Schemamonk Bogolep, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated September 18 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1;

Kamska Bulgars, Volga-Kama Bulghar

Mongol, Scythia, Ural River Folder

Orenburg, Scythia (Ural River 4)
Orenburg ; Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Orenburg Cossacks, Russia, 1734-1916
Russia, 1734-1916, Orenburg Cossacks; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Kartalin District, Scythia
Kartalin District; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ;

Kartaly (Kahetin), Scythia (a crossroads)
Kartaly (Kahetin), Scythia; Kartalin District; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ;

Ural River 1 (Magnitogorsk)

Ural River 2 (Orsk)

Ural River 3

Ural River 4 (Orenburg)

Sakmara River Mouth (Ural River 4)

Ural River 5

Mongol, Scythia, Sarmatae, Lower Dnieper River Area of Ukraine

Mongol, Scythia, Sarmatae, Lower Dnieper River Area, Not Asian
Mongol, Scythia, Sarmatae, Lower Dnieper River Area, Not Asian; Mongol, Scythia, Sarmatae, Lower Dnieper River Area of Ukraine; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6;

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, Roads, Rivers, interesting points Folder

Mongol (Clean) Scythia, its Area, from Ural River to Dniester River, after 1248

Mongol (Clean), Scythia, before 1248, not including Lesser Scythia
Mongol (Clean), Scythia, before 1248, not including Lesser Scythia which is separate area, but, includes Don River drainage and does not include Varangia and Original Russia

Mongol, China Folder, its major rivers

China (Mongol China)
China; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh, Commemorated on March 9; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Mongol, China, 1260-“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing)
1260-“1368 Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing); Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, China, 1368-1644, Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty;

Mongol, China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty
China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ;

Mongol, China, 1899-1901, Boxer Rebellion, Anti Christian
Boxer Rebellion; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Mongol, China, Republic of China, 1912-1949
China, Republic of China, 1912-1949; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31;

Mongol, China, 1915-1916, Empire of China
China, 1915-1916, Empire of China ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1927-1949, Chinese Civil War, Nationalist vs. Communist
Chinese Civil War 1927-1949;

Mongol, China History Folder

Mongol, China, 1260-1368, Mongol Tartar Capital Peking Folder, Yuan Dynasty, Christian then Pro Orthodox Muslim

Mongol, China, 1251-1259, Golden Horde Khan, Mongke Khan, Christian, converted by Nevsky
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1251-1259, Mongke Khan; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, China, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old, Christian
Scythia, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, China, 1257-1266, Batu's brother Berke (Bergai) Khan, Blue Horde and White Horde, Moslem, but allied w Nevsky
Scythia, 1257-1266, Berke Khan ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, China, 1260-“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing)
1260-“1368 Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing); Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, China, 1261, Through A Nevsky and Metrop Cyril III, at Sarai, GH capital, an Orthodox diocese was established
Sarai (city); St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Mongol, China, 1262-1300, Nogai Khan, a general and defacto ruler of GH, Moslem
Mongol, China, 1262-1300, Nogai Khan, a general and defacto ruler of GH;

Mongol, China, 1266-1280, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Mengu-Timur, pro Orthodox
Scythian Golder Horde Tartar Khan, 1266-1280, Mengu-Timur ; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; North Ossetia-“Alania; Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280; Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, and his sons Saints David and Constantine, Commemorated on September 19; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, China, 1280-1287, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Tode Mongke, pro Orthodox
Mongol, China, 1280-1287, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Tode Mongke, pro Orthodox; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, China, 1287-1291, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Talabuga, pro Orthodox
Mongol, China, 1287-1291, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Talabuga, pro Orthodox; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, China, 1291-1312, Golden Horde Tartar Khan, Toqta, pro Orthodox
Scythian Golden Horde Tartar Khan, 1291-1312, Toqta; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Michael, Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22;

Mongol, China, 1312-1341, Golder Horde Tartar Khan, Oz Beg Khan, Khan Uzbekm, Moslem
Scythian Golder Horde Tartar Khan, 1312-1341, Oz Beg Khan, Khan Uzbek; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21;

Mongol, China, 1325-1362, Moses, 1325 Archbishop oNovogrod, first bishop by Moscow, built many N churches&M, incorrupt relics

Mongol, China, 1342-1357, Golder Horde Tartar Khan,Jani Beg, Moslem
Mongol, Scythia, 1342-1357, Golder Horde Tartar Khan,Jani Beg; St. Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12;

Mongol, China, 1360's, White,Blue, and Gray Hordes of the Golden Horde
White,Blue, Gray and Golden Hordes ; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongol, China, 1363-1453, Michael, Fool for Christ of Klops M, Novgorod, Demetrius Donsky relative, set example & much more

Mongol, China, 1368-1644, Ming Dynasty Folder, Trade with Europe, Blue Horde Sunni Muslim

Mongol, China, 1368-1644, Ming Dynasty, 16th Century Trade with Europe
Ming Dynasty; Ming dynasty [7] officially the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by Han Chinese. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the Shun dynasty, soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty), numerous rump regimes ruled by remnants of the Ming imperial family ”collectively called the Southern Ming ”survived until 1662.[d] Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368-“1398) attempted to create a society of self-sufficient rural communities ordered in a rigid, immobile system that would guarantee and support a permanent class of soldiers for his dynasty:[8] the empire's standing army exceeded one million troops and the navy's dockyards in Nanjing were the largest in the world.[9] He also took great care breaking the power of the court eunuchs[10] and unrelated magnates, enfeoffing his many sons throughout China and attempting to guide these princes through the Huang-Ming Zuxun, a set of published dynastic instructions. This failed when his teenage successor, the Jianwen Emperor, attempted to curtail his uncles' power, prompting the Jingnan Campaign, an uprising that placed the Prince of Yan upon the throne as the Yongle Emperor in 1402. The Yongle Emperor established Yan as a secondary capital and renamed it Beijing, constructed the Forbidden City, and restored the Grand Canal and the primacy of the imperial examinations in official appointments. He rewarded his eunuch supporters and employed them as a counterweight against the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats. One, Zheng He, led seven enormous voyages of exploration into the Indian Ocean as far as Arabia and the eastern coasts of Africa. rise of new emperors and new factions diminished such extravagances; the capture of the Zhengtong Emperor during the 1449 Tumu Crisis ended them completely. The imperial navy was allowed to fall into disrepair while forced labor constructed the Liaodong palisade and connected and fortified the Great Wall of China into its modern form. Wide-ranging censuses of the entire empire were conducted decennially, but the desire to avoid labor and taxes and the difficulty of storing and reviewing the enormous archives at Nanjing hampered accurate figures.[8] Estimates for the late-Ming population vary from 160 to 200 million,[11] but necessary revenues were squeezed out of smaller and smaller numbers of farmers as more disappeared from the official records or "donated" their lands to tax-exempt eunuchs or temples.[8] Haijin laws intended to protect the coasts from "Japanese" pirates instead turned many into smugglers and pirates themselves. the 16th century, however, the expansion of European trade “ albeit restricted to islands near Guangzhou such as Macau “ spread the Columbian Exchange of crops, plants, and animals into China, introducing chili peppers to Sichuan cuisine and highly productive maize and potatoes, which diminished famines and spurred population growth. The growth of Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch trade created new demand for Chinese products and produced a massive influx of Japanese and American silver. This abundance of specie remonetized the Ming economy, whose paper money had suffered repeated hyperinflation and was no longer trusted. While traditional Confucians opposed such a prominent role for commerce and the newly rich it created, the heterodoxy introduced by Wang Yangming permitted a more accommodating attitude. Zhang Juzheng's initially successful reforms proved devastating when a slowdown in agriculture produced by the Little Ice Age joined changes in Japanese and Spanish policy that quickly cut off the supply of silver now necessary for farmers to be able to pay their taxes. Combined with crop failure, floods, and epidemic, the dynasty collapsed before the rebel leader Li Zicheng, who was himself defeated shortly afterward by the Manchu-led Eight Banner armies who founded the Qing dynasty.

Mongol, China, 1370-1380, Mongol Blue Horde Khan Mami, Sunni Moslem
Scythia, 1370-1380, Mongol Blue Horde Khan Mami; Intercession of the œDonÂ Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19;

Mongol, China, 1644-1912, Qing Dynasty Folder, 1685 Kangxi's Peking Spiritual Mission

Mongol, China, 1644-1699, 17th Century Folder, China Russia War of the Amur, Orthodox Peking Spiritual Mission

Mongol, China, 1643-1661, Qing dynasty Emperor, Shunzhi Emperor, chased Ming south, haircutting policy, small pox
Mongol, China, 1643-1661, Qing dynasty Emperor, Shunzhi Emperor ; Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638-5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1644 to 1661. committee of Manchu princes chose him to succeed his father, Hong Taiji (1592–1643), in September 1643, when he was five years old. The princes also appointed two co-regents: Dorgon (1612–1650), the 14th son of the Qing dynasty's founder Nurhaci (1559–1626), and Jirgalang (1599–1655), one of Nurhaci's nephews, both of whom were members of the Qing imperial clan. 1643 to 1650, political power lay mostly in the hands of Dorgon. Under his leadership, the Qing Empire conquered most of the territory of the fallen Ming dynasty (1368–1644), chased Ming loyalist regimes deep into the southwestern provinces, and established the basis of Qing rule over China proper despite highly unpopular policies such as the hair cutting command of 1645, which forced Qing subjects to shave their forehead and braid their remaining hair into a queue resembling that of the Manchus. After Dorgon's death on the last day of 1650, the young Shunzhi Emperor started to rule personally. He tried, with mixed success, to fight corruption and to reduce the political influence of the Manchu nobility. In the 1650s, he faced a resurgence of Ming loyalist resistance, but by 1661 his armies had defeated the Qing Empire's last enemies, seafarer Koxinga (1624–1662) and the Prince of Gui (1623–1662) of the Southern Ming dynasty, both of whom would succumb the following year. The Shunzhi Emperor died at the age of 22 of smallpox, a highly contagious disease that was endemic in China, but against which the Manchus had no immunity. He was succeeded by his third son Xuanye, who had already survived smallpox, and who reigned for sixty years under the era name Kangxi (hence he was known as the Kangxi Emperor). Because fewer documents have survived from the Shunzhi era than from later eras of the Qing dynasty, the Shunzhi era is a relatively little-known period of Qing history. was the name of this ruler's reign period in Chinese. This title had equivalents in Manchu and Mongolian because the Qing imperial family was Manchu and ruled over many Mongol tribes that helped the Qing to conquer the Ming dynasty. The emperor's personal name was Fulin, and the posthumous name by which he was worshipped at the Imperial Ancestral Temple was Shizu. China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Mongol, China, 1652-1695, China War of the Amur Region
Russia China War of the Amur Region (1652-1695) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Mongol, China, 1661-1722, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi, prosperous time, P spiritual mission
China, 1661-1722, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi Emperor; Kangxi Emperor (5 February 1654 – 20 December 1722), given name Xuanye, was the third Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. Kangxi Emperor's reign of 61 years (from 1661 until 1722) makes him the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history (although his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, had the longest period of de facto power) and one of the longest-reigning rulers in the world.[1] However, since he ascended the throne at the age of seven, actual power was held for six years by four regents and his grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Kangxi Emperor is considered one of China's greatest emperors.[2] He suppressed the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, forced the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan and assorted Mongol rebels in the North and Northwest to submit to Qing rule, and blocked Tsarist Russia on the Amur River, retaining Outer Manchuria and Outer Northwest China. Kangxi Emperor's reign brought about long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos. He initiated the period known as the "Prosperous Era of Kangxi and Qianlong" or "High Qing",[3] which lasted for several generations after his death. His court also accomplished such literary feats as the compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary. China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26;

Mongol, China, 1684-1686, Chinese Invasions of Albazin and Amur River
Siberia, Chinese Invasions of Albazin (1684-1686) ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Mongol, China, 1685, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi's Peking Spiritual Mission
China, 1661-1722, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26;

Mongol, China, 1700-1799, I8th Century Folder, China Russia War of the Amur, Orthodox Peking Spiritual Mission

Mongol, China, 1701-1731, Innocent oIrkutsk, deprivations fStrength, successfully produced 2Schools no funding, incorrupt rlcs
Mongol, China, 1701-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk, oNoble Descent, Kulchitsky family, Kiev Spiritual Academy, monk i1710, instructor Moscow Slav-Greek-Latin Academy, theology professor,t Petersburg Nevsky Lavra 1719, chief naval chaplain, 1720 vice-regent, 1721 Bishop oPereyaslavl & Peking Spiritual Mission, refused entry by China because spiritual, 3yrs aSelingin, deprivation&Grief, diplomat blunders, intrgues oIrkutsk archmandrite, other named China Archmandrite, Anthony named Irkutsk&Nerchinsk, location close to china, size, sparse population, many nationalities, unenlightened christians, lack roads, poverty, Plus no pay oFunding, but his monastery still maintained 2Schools (Mongol&Russian), toiled tirelesly, sermons Letters directives, deprivations provided strength, humility, insight, 1728 Baikal drought, grain famine 1727, weekly moliebens, saturday Akathist sunday M, to St Elias feast, the day drought ended, new stone church, expanded boundaries, robust health but died 1731, 1764 incorrupt, 1804 sainthood, relics moved tAnti-religious Yaroslav museum, moved again 1939, remains unknown man, 1990 Tolga Monastery Yaroslav, 1990 back to Irkutsk; Moscow, 1700-1731, Priest, Innocent of Irkutsk; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Innocent, Bishop of Irkutsk, (in the world John) was descended from the noble Kulchitsky family. parents moved from Volhynia to the Chernigov region in the mid-seventeenth century. saint was born in about the year 1680, educated at the Kiev Spiritual Academy. accepted monastic tonsure in 1710 was appointed an instructor at the Moscow Slavonic-Greek-Latin Academy as prefect and professor of theology. 1719 Saint Innocent transferred to the Saint Peterburg Alexander Nevsky Lavra, was appointed chief naval chaplain. 1720 he served as vice-regent of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. February 14, 1721, hieromonk Innocent was consecrated as Bishop of Pereyaslavl appointed to the Peking Spiritual Mission in China. the Chinese government refused to allow him to enter the country, the Senate Commission on External Affairs had indiscretely characterized him as “a spiritual personage, a great lord.” saint was compelled to spend three years at Selingin on the Chinese border, suffering much deprivation because of the uncertainty of his position, and grief from the disarray of the civil government in Siberia. blunders of the Russian Mission in China by Graf Raguzinsky, intrigues by the Irkutsk archimandrite Anthony Platkovsky led to the appointment of Archimandrite Anthony in China. decree of the Most Holy Synod Saint Innocent was named in 1727 to be Bishop of Irkutsk and Nerchinsk. so he entered into the governance of the newly-formed dioceses. proximity of the Chinese border, the expanse and sparsely-settled dioceses, the great number of diverse nationalities (Buryat, Mongol, and others), mostly unenlightened by the Christian Faith, the lack of roads and the poverty—all this made Saint Innocent’s pastoral work burdensome and his life full of deprivations. a strange oversight of the Senate, he did not receive any money until the time of his death, and he endured extreme want. these difficult conditions of scant funds, the Irkutsk Ascension monastery still maintained two schools opened under him, one Mongol and the other Russian. constant concern of the saint was directed towards the schools: the selection of worthy teachers, and providing the necessary books, clothing and other provisions for students. saint toiled tirelessly at organizing the diocese, and strengthening its spiritual life. many sermons, pastoral letters and directives bear witness to this. his work and deprivations Saint Innocent found spiritual strength, humility, and insight. the spring of 1728, the Baikal region began to suffer a drought. Famine from a poor grain harvest had threatened the diocese already back in 1727. the blessing of the holy hierarch, in May within the churches of Irkutsk and the Irkutsk region they began to include a Molieben for an end to the drought at each Liturgy. Saturdays they sang an Akathist to the Mother of God, on Sundays they served a Molieben. “The supplications,” said the saint, “should end on the Feast of Saint Elias” (July 20). on that very day a storm raged at Irkutsk with such strong rains, that in the streets of the city water stood up to people’s knees, and thus the drought ended. the efforts of Saint Innocent, construction was started on a stone church to replace the wooden one at the Ascension monastery, the boundaries of the diocese were expanded to include not only Selingin, but also the Yakutsk and Ilimsk surroundings. saint, not noted for robust health, and under the influence of the severe climate and his afflictions, departed to the Lord at a rather young age (51). He reposed on the morning of November 27, 1731. the year 1764, the body of the saint was discovered incorrupt during restoration work on the monastery’s Tikhvin church. miracles occurred not only at Irkutsk, but also in remote places of Siberia, for those who flocked to the saint with prayer. moved the Most Holy Synod to uncover the relics and to glorify the saint in the year 1800. the year 1804, a feastday was established to celebrate his memory throughout all Russia on November 26, the Sign Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on the actual day of his repose (November 27). Saint Innocent is also remembered on February 9. 1921, the relics of Saint Innocent were taken from their shrine and placed in a Soviet anti-religious museum. were moved to another museum in Yaroslav in 1939, and were exhibited as “mummified remains of an unknown man.” In 1990, they were brought to the newly-reopened Tolga Monastery in the Yaroslav diocese. September of 1990, the holy relics arrived in Irkutsk and were placed in the cathedral, to the joy of all the faithful. Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9;

Mongol, China, 1722-1735, Qing Emperor,Yongzheng, continued prosperous time and PSM, but blocked Innocent
China, 1722-1735, Qing dynasty Emperor,Yongzheng Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26;

Mongol, China, 1800-1899, 19th Century History Folder, Boxer Rebellion, War of the Amur, Peking Spiritual Mission

Mongol, China, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo
US, 1849-1910, CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, missionary to Asia, first China, then Japan, St Paul's Tokyo, fRichmond, VA, ordained iChina 1857, tNagasaki, Japan 1959, 1868 Japan opened tWest, 1874 Samuel I J Schereschewski tChina, 1877 CW tTokyo&founded St Pauls University, 1878 united Holy Catholic Church iJapan, 1889 bad health request relief, 1893 sucessor but CW stayed on helping new mission stations, 1908 returned US, died 1910; Richmond, Virginia; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1829, and ordained deacon in 1855. Episcopal Church sent him to China, where he was ordained priest in 1857. 1859 he was sent to Nagasaki, Japan, and in 1866 was consecrated Bishop of China and Japan. 1868 Japan was opened to far greater contact with the West than before, and he determined that he could achieve best results by concentrating his efforts on Japan. 1874 (or is that 1877?) a new bishop (Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewski, see October 14) was consecrated for China, Williams went to Tokyo (then called Edo or Yedo), where he founded what is now St Paul's University. 1878 he helped unite several mission efforts in the formation of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Holy Catholic Church in Japan. 1889 his health began to fail, and he asked to be relieved. In 1893 a successor was appointed, and Williams stayed on, living in Kyoto and helping to open new mission stations. returned to America in 1908 and died 2 December 1910. by James Kiefer

Mongol, China, 1850-1861, Qing dynasty, Xianfeng Emperor, Taiping and Nian Rebellions, Second Opium War
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1850-1861, Xianfeng Emperor; Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 - 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing, given name Yizhu, was the eigth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 to 1861. During his reign the Qing dynasty experienced several wars and rebellions including the Taiping Rebellion, Nian Rebellion, and Second Opium War (Arrow War). He was the last Chinese emperor to have total executive ruling power. After his death, the Qing dynasty was controlled by Empress Dowager Cixi. China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910);

Mongol, China, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, direct evangelism, woman to w, china missionary 40 yrs, Chinese culture&clothes helped
Virginia, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia (Rivanna River 1), direct evangelism, woman to woman, southern slave plantation, master of Arts 1861, china missionary 40 years 1873-1912, taking on Chinese culture and clothes helped; Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virgini; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; Digges "Lottie" Moon (December 12, 1840 – December 24 , 1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years (1873-1912) helping the Chinese. As a teacher and evangelist she laid a foundation for traditionally solid support for missions among Baptists in America. was born to affluent parents who were staunch Baptists, on the family's ancestral fifteen-hundred-acre slave-labor tobacco plantation called Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Moon family valued education, and at age fourteen Lottie went to school at the Baptist-affiliated Virginia Female Seminary (high school, later Hollins Institute) and Albemarle Female Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. 1861 Moon received one of the first Master of Arts degrees awarded to a woman by a southern institution. underwent a spiritual awakening at the age of 18, after a series of revival meetings on the college campus. On July 7, 1873, the Foreign Mission Board officially appointed Lottie as a missionary to China. joined her sister Edmonia at the North China Mission Station in the treaty port of Dengzhou, and began her ministry by teaching in a girls school. (Edmonia had to return home a short time later for health reasons.) accompanying some of the seasoned missionary wives on “country visits” to outlying villages, Lottie discovered her passion: direct evangelism. mission work at that time was done by married men, but the wives of China missionaries Tarleton Perry Crawford and Landrum Holmes had discovered an important reality: women could reach Chinese women. Lottie soon became frustrated, convinced that her talent was being wasted and could be better put to use in evangelism and church planting. Lottie wrote: we wonder at the mortal weariness and disgust, the sense of wasted powers and the conviction that her life is a failure, that comes over a woman when, instead of the ever broadening activities that she had planned, she finds herself tied down to the petty work of teaching a few girls? in a family “of culture and means,” Lottie at first thought of the Chinese as an inferior people, and insisted on wearing American clothes to maintain a degree of distance from the “heathen” people. gradually she came to realize that the more she shed her westernized trappings and identified with the Chinese people, the more their simple curiosity about foreigners (and sometimes rejection) turned into genuine interest in the Gospel. began wearing Chinese clothes, adopted Chinese customs, learned to be sensitive to Chinese culture, and came to respect and admire Chinese culture and learning. In turn she gained love and respect from many Chinese people. Moon has come to personify the missionary spirit for Southern Baptists and many other Christians, as well. The annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Missions has raised a total of $1.5 billion for missions since 1888, and finances half the entire Southern Baptist missions budget every year. more from Wikipedia

Mongol, China, 1861-1875, Qing Emperor, Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi Restoration, an unsuccessful modernization program
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1861-1875, Tongzhi Emperor; Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 -12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan,[1] was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, Empress Dowager Cixi. Although he had little influence over state affairs, the events of his reign gave rise to what historians call the "Tongzhi Restoration", an unsuccessful modernization program. China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906), Commemorated 14 October; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22;

Mongol, China, 1875-1908, Qing dynasty Emperor, Guangxu Emperor, Empress Coup
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1875-1908, Guangxu Emperor; Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 -“ 14 November 1908),[1] personal name Zaitian,[2] was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty,[3] and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, without Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898. He initiated the Hundred Days' Reform, but was abruptly stopped when the empress dowager launched a coup in 1898, after which he was put under house arrest until his death. His regnal name, "Guangxu", means "glorious succession". China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906), Commemorated 14 October; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22;

Mongol, China, 1899-1901, Boxer Rebellion (Shandong and North China Plain) against Christian Foreigners
Boxer Rebellion; The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-imperialist, anti-foreign, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty. was initiated by the Militia United in Righteousness, known in English as the Boxers because many of their members had practiced Chinese martial arts, also referred to in the Western world at the time as Chinese Boxing. in North China had been building resentment against Christian missionaries. immediate background of the uprising included severe drought and disruption by the growth of foreign spheres of influence after the Sino-Japanese War of 1895. several months of growing violence and murder in Shandong and the North China Plain against foreign and Christian presence in June 1900, Boxer fighters, convinced they were invulnerable to foreign weapons, converged on Beijing with the slogan "Support the Qing government and exterminate the foreigners." and Chinese Christians sought refuge in the Legation Quarter. response to reports of an invasion by the Eight Nation Alliance of American, Austro-Hungarian, British, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian troops to lift the siege, the initially hesitant Empress Dowager Cixi supported the Boxers on June 21 issued an Imperial Decree declaring war on the foreign powers. foreign civilians, and soldiers as well as Chinese Christians in the Legation Quarter were besieged for 55 days by the Imperial Army of China and the Boxers. officialdom was split between those supporting the Boxers and those favoring conciliation, led by Prince Qing. supreme commander of the Chinese forces, the Manchu General Ronglu (Junglu), later claimed he acted to protect the foreigners. in the Mutual Protection of Southeast China ignored the imperial order to fight against foreigners. Eight-Nation Alliance, after being initially turned back, brought 20,000 armed troops to China, defeated the Imperial Army, and arrived at Peking on August 14, relieving the siege of the Legations. Uncontrolled plunder of the capital and the surrounding countryside ensued, along with summary execution of those suspected of being Boxers. Boxer Protocol of 7 September 1901 for the execution of government officials who had supported the Boxers, for foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing, 450 million taels of silver ”approximately $10 billion at 2018 silver prices and more than the government's annual tax revenue ”to be paid as indemnity over the course of the next 39 years to the eight nations involved. Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made Flesh, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Mongol, China, 1900-1912, 20th History Folder, Boxer Rebellion, War of the Amur, Peking Spiritual Mission

Mongol, China, 1901, Chang Tzi-tzung +221 otPeking Mission tortured killed,received incorruptible crowns oGlory
Peking (Hai River and Northern tip of North China Plain); Hieromartyr Metrophanes (Chang Tzi-tzung), first Chinese priest and the martyrs of the Boxer Rising in China, Commemorated on June 11; the great and saving day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, as Christ had promised (John 16:7-15). unlearned fishermen were made wise by divine grace, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and teaching with authority. of them (except for Saint John the Theologian) sealed their labors with their own blood. was the beginning of the Church's mission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18), which continues even to the present day. 1685, the Russian Orthodox Church established an Orthodox mission in Peking (now Beijing). For more than two hundred years, some of the Chinese converted to Christianity, and married Russian spouses. of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, against the foreign powers occupying China, these Chinese Christians were given the choice of renouncing Christianity, or being tortured and killed. hundred and twenty-two members of the Peking Mission, led by their priest, Father Metrophanes Chang (Chang Tzi-tzung) refused to deny Christ, and received incorruptible crowns of glory. these Holy New Martyrs are Saint Metrophanes, his wife Tatiana, his sons John and Isaiah, Isaiah's fiancée Maria; the church school teachers Paul Wang and Ia Wen; and many others.

Mongol, China, 1908-1912, Qing dynasty Emperor, Puyi
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1908-1912, Puyi ; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22;

Mongol, China, 1912-1949, Republic of China Folder

Mongol, China, 1912-1923, Republic of China President, Yuan Shikai
China, Republic of China President, 1912-1923, Yuan Shikai ; China, Republic of China, 1912-1949; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31;

Mongol, China, 1913-1963, SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, Midtown, NYC, Episcopal Priest, co-founder Alcoholics Anonymous
US, 1913-1963, SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, atCalvary Church in New York City, Midtown, Episcopal Priest, insturmental in Oxford Group, his church was US Headquarters Oxford Group, Bill Wilson credited him as co-founder Alcoholics Anonymous, while in China with Frank Buchman and Princeton-in-China, learned of the 4 absolutes: honesty purity unselfishness & love,12 Steps AA from Sam, wrote over 30 books, last 10 yrs served in Calvary Church Pitsburg, foremost preacher, regular radio program, rebirth small group ministries in US, christianity into daily activities, interdenominational Pittsburg Experiment and Faith at Work, beginnings of Anglican Fellowship oPrayer; Calvary Church in New York City; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Shoemaker, DD, STD (1893-1963), was an Episcopal priest who was instrumental in the Oxford Group founding principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Samuel Moor Shoemaker was the rector of the Calvary Church in New York City, was the United States headquarters of the Oxford Group. Wilson attended Oxford Group meetings at the Calvary Church Sam was instrumental in assisting Bill Wilson with the writing of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (nickname: The Big Book). acknowledged this linkage when he wrote in the book, A.A. Comes of Age (page 39): 1917, Sam Shoemaker had been sent to China to start a branch of the YMCA to teach at the Princeton-in-China Program. in 1918, feeling discouraged, he first met Frank Buchman told him of the four absolutes, honesty, purity and unselfishness and love. Shoemaker would speak of the meeting as a major influence for the start of his ministry, being the time when he decided to let go of self and let God guide his life Wilson, in 1955, would later give credit to Sam Shoemaker whom he referred to as a co-founder of AA. It was from Sam Shoemaker, that we absorbed most of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of AA's way of life. Dr. Silkworth gave us the needed knowledge of our illness, but Sam Shoemaker had given us the concrete knowledge of what we could do about it, he passed on the spiritual keys by which we were liberated. The early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else." Shoemaker wrote over thirty books, at least half of which were circulating before A.A.’s 12 Steps were first published in the Big Book in 1939. by Shoemaker: Children of the Second Birth, 1927 If I Be Lifted Up, 1931 The Conversion of the Church, 1932 Twice-Born Ministers, 1929 Shoemaker's contributions and service to Alcoholics Anonymous and as a minister of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church of America have had a worldwide effect. The philosophy that Shoemaker codified, in conjunction with Bill Wilson, is used in almost every country around the world to treat alcoholism. — from Wikipedia leaving New York, Dr. Shoemaker served Calvary Church, Pittsburgh, for ten years before retiring in 1961. was known as one of the foremost preachers of his day, with a regularly-scheduled radio program. was also instrumental in the rebirth of small group ministries in the United States, led to (among other things) the Pittsburgh Experiment, and Faith at Work, both interdenominational program designed to bring Christianity into normal daily activities. he was involved in the beginnings of the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, actually started by his wife Helen in the 1950's.

Mongol, China, 1916-1923, Republic of China President, Li Yuanhong
China, Republic of China President, 1916-1923, Li Yuanhong ; China, Republic of China, 1912-1949; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31;

Mongol, China, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbying, Paris, San Fran

Mongol, China, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, China Archbishop, Shanghai, Large cathedral Bell tower Parish+, barefoot fool

Mongol, China, 1917-1923, President, Li Yuanhong, President of China
China President, 1917-1923, Li Yuanhong, President of China (off and on) ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1921, Peking Man Site
China, 1921, Peking Man Site; Even though the original fossils disappeared in 1941 during World War II, excellent casts and descriptions remain. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Here is the story of the discovery and identification before that disappearance (copied from Wikipedia, Peking Man Site): Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson and American palaeontologist Walter W. Granger came to Zhoukoudian, China in search of prehistoric fossils in 1921. They were directed to the site at Dragon Bone Hill by local quarrymen, where Andersson recognised deposits of quartz that were not native to the area. Immediately realising the importance of this find he turned to his colleague and announced, "Here is primitive man; now all we have to do is find him!" Excavation work was begun immediately by Andersson's assistant Austrian palaeontologist Otto Zdansky, who found what appeared to be a fossilised human molar. He returned to the site in 1923, and materials excavated in the two subsequent digs were sent to Uppsala University in Sweden for analysis. In 1926 Andersson announced the discovery of two human molars in this material, and Zdansky published his findings. Canadian anatomist Davidson Black of Peking Union Medical College, excited by Andersson and Zdansky'™s find, secured funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and recommenced excavations at the site in 1927 with both Western and Chinese scientists. Swedish palaeontologist Anders Birger Bohlin unearthed a tooth that fall, and Black placed it in a gold locket on his watch chain. Black published his analysis in the journal Nature, identifying his find as belonging to a new species and genus which he named Sinanthropus pekinensis, but many fellow scientists were skeptical about such an identification on the basis of a single tooth, and the foundation demanded more specimens before it grant additional money. A lower jaw, several teeth, and skull fragments were unearthed in 1928. Black presented these finds to the foundation and was rewarded with an $80,000 grant that he used to establish the Cenozoic Research Laboratory. Excavations at the site under the supervision of Chinese archaeologists Yang Zhongjian, Pei Wenzhong, and Jia Lanpo uncovered 200 human fossils (including six nearly complete skullcaps) from more than 40 individual specimens. These excavations came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. Fossils of Peking Man were placed in the safe at the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Peking Union Medical College. Eventually, in November 1941, secretary Hu Chengzi packed the fossils so that they could be sent to USA for safekeeping until the end of the war. The fossils vanished en route to the port city of Qinhuangdao in northern China. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those casts and descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Note: according to their stories, all these people involved already believed in evoluton and were looking for its proofs like missing links. Some were medical doctors, some were geologists, some were both, and much of their science actually derived from this type of search. Since evolution does not jive with the origin of sin and death, it is impossible to fear God and believe in Evolution. The Bible story is all about that original sin and and our salvation from sin and death through the life of Jesus Christ, both his current business as head of his Body the Church (our crosses) and his previous business on his cross. So to be understood, Life by Faith (the solution to sin and death) requires us to understand the origin of sin and death. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1921-1976, Communist China Leader, Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, Communist China Leader, 1921-1976; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1922-1926, Republic of China President, Yan Huiqing
China, Republic of China President, 1922-1926, Yan Huiqing, President or Premier Republic of China; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31;

Mongol, China, 1922-1945, ERIC LIDDEL, flying scotsman, Chariots of Fire, teacing wealthy chinese 1-12, Japan-China W prisoner
China, 1922-1945, ERIC LIDDELL, Tianjin, Far North China (Hai River Mouth, Five Rivers), flying scotsman, 400m Olympic Champion, Chariots of Fire, teacing wealthy chinese 1-12, China-Japan war 1941, 1943 prisoner at Weihsien, died 1945 brain tumor ; Tianjin (Hai River Source, Five Rivers); ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; Henry Liddell (16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945, was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international and missionary. was the winner of the Men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris. He was portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. in China, Liddell returned there as a Protestant missionary in later life. Liddell, often called the "Flying Scotsman", was born in Tianjin (formerly transliterated as Tientsin) in North China, second son of the Rev & Mrs James Dunlop Liddell who were Scottish missionaries with the London Missionary Society. Liddell became well-known for being the fastest runner in Scotland while at Eltham College. withdrew from the 100 meter race 1924 Olympics in Paris as he refused to run on a Sunday. Liddell spent the intervening months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. Even so, his success in the 400m was largely unexpected. He not only won the race, but broke the existing world record with a time of 47.6 seconds. returned to Northern China where he served as a missionary, like his parents, from 1925 to 1943 - first in Tianjin and later in the town of Xiaozhang. Liddell's first job as a missionary was as a teacher at an Anglo-Chinese College (grades 1-12) for wealthy Chinese students. It was believed that by teaching the children of the wealthy that they themselves would later become influential figures in China and promote Christian values. his first furlough in 1932, he was ordained as a minister of religion. On his return to China he married Florence Mackenzie of Canadian missionary parentage in Tianjin in 1934. 1941 life in China was becoming so dangerous that the British Government advised British nationals to leave. Florence and the children left for Canada to stay with her family when Liddell accepted a new position at a rural mission station in Shaochang, which gave service to the poor. Meanwhile, the Chinese and the Japanese were at war. When the fighting reached Shaochang the Japanese took over the mission station. In 1943, Liddell was interned at the Weihsien Internment Camp with the members of the China Inland Mission Chefoo School. He died there of a brain tumor on 21 February 1945, five months before liberation. — more at Wikipedia

Mongol, China, 1923-1924, Republic of China President, Cao Kun
China, Republic of China President, 1923-1924, Cao Kun ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1924-1927, Republic of China President, Wellington Koo
China, Republic of China President, 1924-1927, Wellington Koo ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1924-1926, Republic of China Chief Executive, Duan Qirui
China, Republic of China Chief Executive, 1924-1926, Duan Qirui ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1927-1928, Republic of China President, Zhang Zuolin
China, Republic of China President, 1927-1928, Zhang Zuolin; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1928-1975, Republic of China President, Chiang Kai-shek
China, Republic of China President, 1928-1975, Chiang Kai-shek ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1927-1992, ORDINATION oFLORENCE LI TIM-OI, first woman Anglican priest, 1944, fBritish Hong Kong,1842-1997
England, 1927-1992, ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 1944, fHong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997, attended Canton Union Theological College, tHong Kong 1938, worked Kowloon church til 1940, helping refugees fChina fSecond Sino-Japanese War, sent tNeutral Macau bBishop Hall for refugese help, Ordained deaconess 1941 bHall, with Japanese occupation Hong Kong&parts oChina, impossible A Priests get tMacau where no resident A priest, 1944 Li traveled through Japanese teritory tSmall unoccupied town oHsinxing tMeet B Hal, they traveled tShaoqing, Li ordained there 1944, but 30 yrs till A women ordination regularized, after tWar protests, so she resigned her licence, but not her priest's orders, later Li moved tCanada when able to act as a priest; Hong Kong ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; Li Tim-Oi (5 May 1907 – 26 February 1992 ) the first woman to be ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion on 25 January 1944. Li, born in Hong Kong, Canton Union Theological College to receive her theological education returning to Hong Kong in 1938. working for two years in All Saints Church, in Kowloon, refugees in Hong Kong who fled mainland China in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War, was sent by Bishop Ronald Hall to help with refugees in Macau. months into her new post, she returned to Hong Kong to be ordained as a deaconess on 22 May 1941 by Bishop Hall. Japanese occupation of Hong Kong and of parts of China had made it impossible for Anglican priests to get to neutral Macau, there was no resident Anglican priest. January 1944, Li travelled through Japanese-occupied territory to the small town of Hsinxing, yet unoccupied by the Japanese, to meet with Bishop Hall; there they proceeded to Shaoqing he regularised her administration of the sacraments by ordaining her as a priest on 25 January 1944. was to be 30 years before any Anglican church regularised the ordination of women, unsurprisingly after the war there were protests concerning her ordination; avoid further controversy she resigned her licence, not her priest's orders. later moved to Canada where she was eventually able to exercise her role as a priest. more at Wikipedia

Mongol, China, 1937-1945, Second Japan China War
Japan, 1937-1945, Second Japan China War ; Marco Polo Bridge Incident, 1937 (starts the war); ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 21;

Mongol, China, 1949-Present, Communist China Folder

Yellow River Source (Bayan Har Mountains)
Bayan Har Mountains;

Bayan Har Mountains
Bayan Har Mountains;

Yellow River Source 2 (Bayan Har Mountains)
Yellow River;

Yellow River 1

Yellow River 1b

Yellow River 1c

Yellow River 1d

Yellow River 1e

Qinghai lake, Qinghai Province
Qinghai lake ;

Yellow River 1f

Yellow River 2

Maijishan, Maijishan Grottoes
Maijishan, Maijishan Grottoes;

Yellow River 2b

Yellow River 2c

Yellow River 2d

Yellow River 2e

Yellow River 2f

Yellow River 2g

Yellow River 3

Yellow River 3b

Yellow River 3c

Yellow River 4d

Yellow River 4e

Xianyang, China (Silk Road North 2 Changan, Yellow River 4e)
Xianyang; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

Yellow River 5 Overview

North China (Yellow River Area)
North China; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Honan Province (Central Plains, Yellow River)
Honan Province; PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31 ;

Honan (Henan Province, Central Plain) - its Area

Central Plain of China
Central Plain of China;

North China Plain
North China Plain; The North China Plain is based on the deposits of the Yellow River and is the largest alluvial plain of eastern Asia. The plain is bordered on the north by the Yanshan Mountains and on the west by the Taihang Mountains edge of the Shanxi ('western mountains') plateau. To the south, it merges into the Yangtze Plain. From northeast to southeast, it fronts the Bohai Sea, the highlands of Shandong Peninsula, and the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River flows through the middle of the plain into Bohai Sea. ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Weihsien Internment Camp, Shandong, China (Yellow River 10) 1937
Weihsien Internment Camp; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

Shandong Province (South of Yellow River Mouth)
Shandong Province; North China Plain; Boxer Rebellion; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Yellow River Mouth (Bohai Sea)

Chefoo School, China Inland Mission, Yantai, near Yellow River Mouth
Chefoo School, China Inland Mission, Yantai; ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

British Empire - Weiihai - Strategic penninsula into Peking C across from Seoul K
British Empire - Weiihai - Strategic position penninsula into Peking, China across from Seoul, Korea; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Yangtze River Source (head of Dan Qu tributary)

Yangtze River 1 (Qinghai)

Yangtze River 2 (China Inland Mission, Yunnan)

China Inland Mission, China Burma border (China's Yangtze River 2, Burma's Salween River 1) 1865
China Inland Mission Dengyue; Dengyue is a treaty port; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Yalong River Mouth (Yangtze River 2)

Daen Lao Range
Daen Lao Range;

Tiger Leaping Gorge
Tiger Leaping Gorge ; Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Yunnan Province and Yunnan, China
Yunnan Province and Yunnan, China; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ;

Dengyue, China
Dengyue, Dengyue is a treaty port; China Inland Mission LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

Yangtze River 3 (Yibin)

Min River (Sichuan) Source (Min Mountains)

Min River 1 (Shaochang or Chengdu)

Shaochang (Changdu), (Min River 1)
Shaochang (Min River 1); ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

Inland China (Min Mts, north and east of Yunnan Province)
Inland China in Relation to Yunnan Province; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ;

Kangding, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River 1 of Yangtze 3)
Kangding, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River of Yangtze); Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Tagong, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River 1 of Yangtze River 3)
Tagong, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River of Yangtze River); Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Litang, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River 1 of Yangtze 3)
Litang, Sichuan (Inland China, Min River of Yangtze); Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Min River 2

Emeishan, Sichuan, China (Inland China, Min River 2 of Yangtze River 3)
Emeishan, Sichuan, China (Inland China, Min River of Yangtze River 3); Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Leshan, Sichuan (Inlane China, Min River 2 of Yangtze River 3)
Leshan, Sichuan; Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Min River (Sichuan) Mouth (Yangtze River 3)

Yangtze River 4 (Luzhou)

Tuo River Mouth (Yangtze River 4)

Yangtze River 5 (Chongqing)

Jialing River Mouth (Yangtze River 5)

Yangtze River 6 (Wanzhou)

Wu River Mouth (Wu Gorge, Yangtze River 6)

Three Gorges Dam (Yangtze River 7)

Yangtze River 7 (Yichang)

Yangtze River 8 (Jingzhou)

Yangtze River 9 (Yueyang)

Xiang River Mouth (Yangtze River 9)

Yangtze River 10 (Wuhan)

Xiang River Source (Haiyang Mountain, northeast of Guilin)
Haiyang Mountain;

Xaing River 1 (Hengyang)

Zi River Mouth (Xiang River 2, Yangtze River 9)

Dengzhou, China (a treaty port on Han River)
treaty port; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

North China Mission Station (Dengzhou)
Dengzhou is a treaty port; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

Han River Source (along the border)

Han River Mouth (Yangtze River 10)

Yangtze River 11 (Jiujiang)

Gan River Mouth (Yangtze River 11)

Gan River Source (along the border)

Gan River Source (South Central Jiangxi)

Yangtze River 12 (Anqing)

Yangtze River 13 (Tongling)

Yangtze River 14 (Wuhu)

Yangtze River 15 (Nanjing)

Yangtze River 16 (Zhenjiang)

Yangtze River 17 (Nantong)

Yangtze River 18 (Shanghai)

Huangpu River Mouth (Yangtze River 18)

Yangtze River Mouth (Shanghai, East China Sea)

Shanghai, China (Yangtze River Mouth, East China Sea)
Shanghai; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2;

Shanghai Orthodox Cathedral, 1946, large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches+
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; Shanghai; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

Saint John's University, Shanghai, 1859-1952
Saint John's University, Shanghai, 1859-1952; Shanghai; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ;

Mongol, China, Hong Kong History

Mongol, China, Hong Kong, 1842-1941 and 1945-1984, British Colony
Hong Kong, British Colony, 1842-1941 and 1945-1984; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Mongol, China, Hong Kong, 1941-1945, Japanese Occupation
Hong Kong, Japanese Occupation, 1941-1945 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Mongol, China, 1945-1984, Hong Kong, British Colony
Hong Kong, British Colony, 1945-1984 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Macau, China (Xi River Estuary)
Macau, China; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Macau Protestant Chapel, China, 1821
Macau Protestant Chapel; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Xi River Source (Xun River)

Xi River Mouth (Hong Kong, Pearl River Delta)

Yu River Source (Baise City)

Xun River Source (Qian and Yu Rivers)

Pearl (Canton) River Source (along the border)

Pearl River 2nd Source (along the border

Pearl River (Guangzhou or Canton)

Pearl (Canton) River Mouth

Pearl River Estuary

Hong Kong, China (Pearl River Estuary) 1998
Hong Kong ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997
Hong Kong ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

British Empire - Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997
Hong Kong ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Peking, Mongol Capitol since 1260, China (Hai River and North China Plain)
Peking (Hai River and Northern tip of North China Plain); Major rivers flowing through the municipality include the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, part of the Hai River system, and flow in a southerly direction. St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œThe Word was made Flesh"Â, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Hieromartyr Metrophanes (Chang Tzi-tzung), first Chinese priest and the martyrs of the Boxer Rising in China, Commemorated on June 11;

Peking Union Medical College, 1917
Peking Union Medical College; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Peking Man Site, 1921
China, 1921, Peking Man Site; Even though the original fossils disappeared in 1941 during World War II, excellent casts and descriptions remain. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Here is the story of the discovery and identification before that disappearance (copied from Wikipedia, Peking Man Site): Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson and American palaeontologist Walter W. Granger came to Zhoukoudian, China in search of prehistoric fossils in 1921. They were directed to the site at Dragon Bone Hill by local quarrymen, where Andersson recognised deposits of quartz that were not native to the area. Immediately realising the importance of this find he turned to his colleague and announced, "Here is primitive man; now all we have to do is find him!" Excavation work was begun immediately by Andersson's assistant Austrian palaeontologist Otto Zdansky, who found what appeared to be a fossilised human molar. He returned to the site in 1923, and materials excavated in the two subsequent digs were sent to Uppsala University in Sweden for analysis. In 1926 Andersson announced the discovery of two human molars in this material, and Zdansky published his findings. Canadian anatomist Davidson Black of Peking Union Medical College, excited by Andersson and Zdansky'™s find, secured funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and recommenced excavations at the site in 1927 with both Western and Chinese scientists. Swedish palaeontologist Anders Birger Bohlin unearthed a tooth that fall, and Black placed it in a gold locket on his watch chain. Black published his analysis in the journal Nature, identifying his find as belonging to a new species and genus which he named Sinanthropus pekinensis, but many fellow scientists were skeptical about such an identification on the basis of a single tooth, and the foundation demanded more specimens before it grant additional money. A lower jaw, several teeth, and skull fragments were unearthed in 1928. Black presented these finds to the foundation and was rewarded with an $80,000 grant that he used to establish the Cenozoic Research Laboratory. Excavations at the site under the supervision of Chinese archaeologists Yang Zhongjian, Pei Wenzhong, and Jia Lanpo uncovered 200 human fossils (including six nearly complete skullcaps) from more than 40 individual specimens. These excavations came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. Fossils of Peking Man were placed in the safe at the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Peking Union Medical College. Eventually, in November 1941, secretary Hu Chengzi packed the fossils so that they could be sent to USA for safekeeping until the end of the war. The fossils vanished en route to the port city of Qinhuangdao in northern China. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those casts and descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Note: according to their stories, all these people involved already believed in evoluton and were looking for its proofs like missing links. Some were medical doctors, some were geologists, some were both, and much of their science actually derived from this type of search. Since evolution does not jive with the origin of sin and death, it is impossible to fear God and believe in Evolution. The Bible story is all about that original sin and and our salvation from sin and death through the life of Jesus Christ, both his current business as head of his Body the Church (our crosses) and his previous business on his cross. So to be understood, Life by Faith (the solution to sin and death) requires us to understand the origin of sin and death. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Zhoukoudian (a cave system, Peking Man Site)
Zhoukoudian; Peking Man; Peking Man mystery; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Beijing
Beijing; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Metropolitan Philotheos of Tobolsk, Enlightener of Siberia, Commemorated on May 31;

Cenozoic Research Laboratory (Beijing) 1928
Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Tianjin, Far North China (Hai River Mouth, Five Rivers)
Tianjin (Hai River Source, Five Rivers); ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Hai River Source 2 ( Five Rivers)
The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five rivers, the Southern Canal, Ziya River, Daqing River, Yongding River, and the Northern Canal.

Hai River Source 1 (Peking)
The Northern Canal joins with the Bai He (or Chaobai River) at Tongzhou. The Northern Canal (sharing a channel with Bai He) is also the only waterway from the sea to Beijing. Therefore, early Westerners also called the Hai He the Bai He.

Hai River Mouth (Bohai Sea)

Mongol (Clean), China, its major Roads, Rivers and Places

Mongol (Clean), China, Natural China, no Hong Kong etc. - its Area

China (Mongol China)
China;

Mongol, China, 1260-“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing)
1260-“1368 Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing);

Mongol, China, 1899-1901, Boxer Rebellion, Anti Christian
Boxer Rebellion;

Mongol, China, Republic of China, 1912-1949
China, Republic of China, 1912-1949;

Mongol, China, 1915-1916, Empire of China
China, 1915-1916, Empire of China ;

Mongol (Clean), China, Silk Road Folder

Xianyang, China (Silk Road North 2 Changan)
Xianyang;

Bin County, Shaanxi, China (Includes Xiaozhang)
Bin County, Shaanxi (Includes Xiaozhang), and is part of Xianyang, Shaanxi, China;

Alma-Atu, Silk Road North 7, Turkestan, Kazakistan
Alma-Atu, Silk Road North 7, Turkestan, Kazakistan;

Mongol (Clean), China, Grand Trunk Road (between South China and Afganistan), Grand Trunk Road
Mongol (Clean), China, Grand Trunk Road (between South China and Afganistan) Grand Trunk Road

Mongol (Clean), China, Grand Trunk Road (between South China and Afganistan), Southern Silk Road

Mongol (Clean), China, Yellow River Folder (North China Plain, Peking)

Xianyang, China (Silk Road North 2 Changan, Yellow River 4e)
Xianyang;

North China (Yellow River Area)
North China;

Honan Province (Central Plains, Yellow River)
Honan Province;

North China Plain
North China Plain; The North China Plain is based on the deposits of the Yellow River and is the largest alluvial plain of eastern Asia. The plain is bordered on the north by the Yanshan Mountains and on the west by the Taihang Mountains edge of the Shanxi ('western mountains') plateau. To the south, it merges into the Yangtze Plain. From northeast to southeast, it fronts the Bohai Sea, the highlands of Shandong Peninsula, and the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River flows through the middle of the plain into Bohai Sea.

North China Plain

Weihsien Internment Camp, Shandong, China (Yellow River 10) 1937
Weihsien Internment Camp;

Shandong Province (South of Yellow River Mouth)
Shandong Province;

Chefoo School, China Inland Mission, Yantai, near Yellow River Mouth
Chefoo School, China Inland Mission, Yantai;

British Empire - Weiihai - Strategic penninsula into Peking C across from Seoul K
British Empire - Weiihai - Strategic position penninsula into Peking, China across from Seoul, Korea;

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River Folder (Shanghai)

China Inland Mission, China Burma border (China's Yangtze River 2, Burma's Salween River 1) 1865
China Inland Mission Dengyue; Dengyue is a treaty port;

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River 2, Yunnan Protected Areas Folder

Yunnan Province and Yunnan, China
Yunnan Province and Yunnan, China;

Dengyue, China
Dengyue, Dengyue is a treaty port; China Inland Mission

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River 3, Min River Folder, (Inland China)

Shaochang (Changdu), (Min River 1)
Shaochang (Min River 1);

Inland China (Min Mts, north and east of Yunnan Province)
Inland China in Relation to Yunnan Province;

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River 10, Xiang River Folder

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River 10, Han River Folder, Dengzhou

Hon River Source, Honwang Mountain

Dengzhou, China (a treaty port on Han River)
treaty port;

North China Mission Station (Dengzhou)
Dengzhou is a treaty port;

Mongol (Clean), China, Yangtze River 11, Gan River Folder

Shanghai, China (Yangtze River Mouth, East China Sea)
Shanghai;

Shanghai Orthodox Cathedral, 1946, large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches+
Shanghai;

Saint John's University, Shanghai, 1859-1952
Saint John's University, Shanghai, 1859-1952;

Mongol (Clean), China, Hong Kong Folder, Xi and Pearl Rivers

Mongol (Clean), China, Hong Kong, Xi River Folder, Macau

Macau, China (Xi River Estuary)
Macau, China;

Mongol (Clean), China, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China (Pearl River Estuary) 1998
Hong Kong ;

Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997
Hong Kong ;

British Empire - Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997
Hong Kong ;

Mongol (Clean), China, Hai River Folder (Peking or Bejing, Far North China)

Peking, Mongol Capitol since 1260, China (Hai River and North China Plain)
Peking (Hai River and Northern tip of North China Plain); Major rivers flowing through the municipality include the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, part of the Hai River system, and flow in a southerly direction.

Peking Union Medical College, 1917
Peking Union Medical College;

Peking Man Site, 1921
China, 1921, Peking Man Site;

Zhoukoudian (a cave system, Peking Man Site)
Zhoukoudian; Peking Man; Peking Man mystery;

Beijing
Beijing;

Cenozoic Research Laboratory (Beijing) 1928
Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China;

Tianjin, Far North China (Hai River Mouth, Five Rivers)
Tianjin (Hai River Source, Five Rivers);

Mongol (Clean), China, Great Wall of China Folder, 1368-1644, 13,170 Miles

Mongol (Clean), China's Grand Canal (these are the older ones (BC), hundreds more, flood control)
China's Grand Canal (these are the older ones (BC), hundreds more, flood control);

Grand Canal 01

Grand Canal 02

Grand Canal 03

Mongol, Crimea Folder

Crimea, Invasion Gateway to Russia both by Varangian Trade R and M Trail, always taken first
Crimea; Crimean Tartars; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15 ; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10 ; Intercession of the œDon Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated on August 19; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Mongol, Crimea History Folder

Mongol, Crimea, 375-581, 4th-6th Century, Crimean Goths Folder

Mongol, Crimean Goths, 4th to 16th Centuries, Cembalo

Mongol, Crimean Goths, 4th to 16th Centuries
Crimean Goths; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Mongol, Crimea, 375-383, Crimean Gothic King, Jungerich (Athanaric)

Mongol, Crimea, 581-980, Byzantine Era

Mongol, Crimea, 650-900, Khazar Eastern Crimea

Mongol, Crimea, Khazar Eastern Crimea, 650-900
Khazar Eastern Crimea, 650-900; The Khazars created what for its duration was the most powerful polity to emerge from the break-up of the Western Turkic Khaganate.[12] Astride a major artery of commerce between Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia, Khazaria became one of the foremost trading empires of the medieval world, commanding the western marches of the Silk Road and playing a key commercial role as a crossroad between China, the Middle East and Kievan Rus'.[13][14] For some three centuries (c. 650-“965) the Khazars dominated the vast area extending from the Volga-Don steppes to the eastern Crimea and the northern Caucasus.[15]; Khazaria long served as a buffer state between the Byzantine Empire and both the nomads of the northern steppes and the Umayyad Caliphate, after serving as Byzantium's proxy against the Sasanian Persian empire. The alliance was dropped around 900. Byzantium began to encourage the Alans to attack Khazaria and weaken its hold on Crimea and the Caucasus, while seeking to obtain an entente with the rising Rus' power to the north, which it aspired to convert to Christianity.[16] Between 965 and 969, the Kievan Rus' ruler Sviatoslav I of Kiev conquered the capital Atil and destroyed the Khazar state.

Mongol, Crimea, 680-745, Steven oSurozh, Crimea, 30yrs silent ascetic, humility, iconodule confssr, prison, rlcs convert Bravlin
Russia, Crimea, 680-745, Steven tConfessor, Archbishop oSurozh, Crimea, Russia, fCappadocia, educated iConstantinople, then 30 yrs in wilderness, hearing oHis humility Patriarch Germanus wished to see him, 711 consecrated him Bishop oS, 5yrs all pagans baptized &no heretics, then opposed 716-741 Leo III iconoclasm, imprisoned tortured til Leo died, back tS, Russian Prince Bravlin converted by miracles at his grave; Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Surrentium (Sourozh), a native of Cappadocia and was educated at Constantinople. receiving the monastic tonsure, he withdrew into the wilderness, where he lived for thirty years in ascetic deeds. Germanus of Constantinople (May 12) heard of Stephen’s humility and virtuous life, and wished to meet him. was so impressed with Stephen that he consecrated him bishop of the city of Surrentium (presently the city of Sudak in the Crimea). five years, Saint Stephen’s ministry was so fruitful that no heretics or unbaptized pagans remained in Surrentium or its environs. Stephen opposed the iconoclasm of the emperor Leo III the Isaurian (716-741). he refused to obey the orders of the emperor and the dishonorable Patriarch Anastasius to remove the holy icons from the churches, was brought to Constantinople. he was thrown into prison and tortured. was released after the death of the emperor. quite advanced in years, he returned to his flock in Surrentium, where he died. is an account of how the Russian prince Bravlin accepted Baptism at the beginning of the ninth century during a campaign into the Crimea, influenced by miracles at the saint’s crypt.

Mongol, Crimea, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven
Russia, 790, Prince Bravlin, conquered Crimea, and saved by St Steven ; St. Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Sourozh in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15;

Mongol, Crimea, 980-1199, 10th -12th Century, Byzantine Korsun falls to Russia and Vladimir for Anna

Mongol, Crimea, 1200-1408, 13th - 14th Century, Land of the Crimean Tartars

Mongol, Crimea, 1200 - 1699, Crimea and Uzbekistan - Land of the Crimean Tatars - 13th - 17th Century
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Mongol, Crimea, 1220's-1699, Crimean Tatars, 13th to 17th Centuries
Crimean Tatars; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Mongol, Crimea, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde, Conquered Crimea first, later allied w Nervsky
Scythia, 1223-1255, Mongol Khan Batu, Founder Golden Horde; Mongol Empire, 1206-1368, Capital Karakorum ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30; Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 1; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20;

Mongol, Crimea, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Batu Khan, Battle of Sit (Sita) River
Russia, Vladimir, 1238, Fall of Vladimir to the Tartar Army, Battle of Sit River; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God Elets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Mongol, Crimea, 1251-1259, Golden Horde Khan, Mongke Khan, Christian, Touli's son, converted by Nevsky
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1251-1259, Mongke Khan; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Crimea, 1255-1256, Mongol Khan Sartaq, Christian, Batu's son, Nevsky's close friend, converted by N
Scythia, 1255-1256, Mongol Khan Sartaq, Christian; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Crimea, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old, Christian
Scythia, 1256-1257, Ulaghchi, 11 years old; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Crimea, 1257-1266, Batu's bro Berke Khan, Blue Horde and White Horde, moslem, but allied w Nevsky
Scythia, 1257-1266, Berke Khan ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, Crimea, 1259-1294, Golden Horde Khan, Kublai Khan, Yuan Dynasty China, M Polo
Scythian Golden Horde Khan, 1259-1294, Kublai Khan ; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Mongol, Crimea, 1355-1380, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Mamai, lost at Kulikovo, S of Radonezh
Mongol Crimea, 1355-1380, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Mamai; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3;

Mongol, Crimea, 1376-1406, Tokhtamysh, Mongol Blue, White and Golden Horde Khan
Mongol, Scythia, 1376-1406, Tokhtamysh, Mongol Blue, White and Golden Horde Khan; [n 1] (c. 1342–1406) was a prominent Khan of the Blue Horde who briefly unified the White Horde and Blue Horde subdivisions of the Golden Horde into a single state. He has been cited as the last great ruler of the Golden Horde territories.[1][2] campaigns descended from Genghis Khan's grandson, Tuqa-Timur. He appears in history in 1376, trying to overthrow his uncle Urus Khan, ruler of the White Horde, and fleeing to the great Timur. Tokhtamysh outlived Urus and both his sons, and forcefully ascended to the throne of the White Horde in 1378, with Timur's backing. dreamt of emulating his ancestors and made plans to reunite the Golden Horde. 1380, he invaded the Blue Horde by fording across the Volga, and defeated Mamai during the Second Battle of the Kalka River. The ruler of the Blue Horde, Mamai, was killed shortly after the Battle of Kulikovo, marking Tokhtamysh's victory and the reunification of the Golden Horde. full extent of Tokhtamysh's authority. and the armies of the Golden Horde rally in front of Moscow, 1382. against Moscow Donskoy had raised a large army to defeat and suppress the Mongol–Tatar hordes, and, after defeating Mamai during the Battle of Kulikovo, could not raise another army against Tokhtamysh Khan. reunited the Blue and White Hordes into the Golden Horde, in 1382, Tokhtamysh led a successful campaign against Russia as a punishment for the Kulikovo defeat - setting back, though not ending, the Russian aspiration to free themselves of Tatar rule. In just six years, Tokhtamysh had reunified the lands of the Golden Horde from Crimea to Lake Balkhash. three days of siege, Tokhtamysh was faced with a stalemate, until Donskoy's brothers-in-law prince of Nizhnii Novgorod Dmitry of Suzdal tricked citizens into surrendering the city.[3] The destruction of Moscow led to Dimitry's surrender to the authority of Tokhtamysh at the end of 1382. Tokhtamysh also took Donskoy's son Vasily I of Moscow hostage.[4] started to act as a sovereign ruler, which must have worried his former suzerain Timur, who as a result invaded Tokhtamysh twice; in 1391 and in 1395, eventually supplanting him and imposing Temür Qutlugh as a khan of Golden Horde. Tokhtamysh took refuge in Lithuania, at the court of grand duke Vytautas.[5] 1397 both rulers signed a treaty in which Tokhtamysh confirmed Vytautas as a rightful ruler of Ruthenian lands that were once part of the Golden Horde, and now belonged to Lithuania, in exchange of military assistance. It is possible that the treaty required Vytautas to pay tribute from these lands once the khan regained his throne. Vytautas probably was planning to establish himself as overlord in Tatar lands.[6] This joint expedition, supported by Polish volunteers under Spytek of Melsztyn, was defeated on 12 August 1399 in the Battle of the Vorskla River by forces led by Temiir Kutlugh and Nogay emir Edigü. The defeat was disastrous, ending Vytautas's ambitious policy in the Pontic steppe and forcing Tokhtamysh to seek refuge again, this time in Siberia.[7] About twenty princes, among them Andrei of Polatk and Dmitry of Briansk were killed, along with many prominent lords, like Spytko.[8] died in Siberia in 1406. Siege of Moscow in 1382 gather during the Siege of Moscow of the Golden Horde attack Moscow. prepare for the Siege of Moscow against Tamerlane article: Tokhtamysh–Timur war and his troops gather to launch a war against the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. he could defeat the Ilkhanate Chobanids and capture the disputed territories of the Caucasus since the days of Berke Khan, in 1385 Tokhtamysh, with an army of 50,000 (or five tumens), invaded Persia and took Tabriz. Returning north they took 200,000 slaves from the Caucasus, including tens of thousands of Armenians from the districts of Parskahayk, Syunik, and Artsakh.[9] proved to be a fatal error for Tokhtamysh, who moved north from the Caucasus, thus allowing his Ilkhanate rivals to side with Timur, who annexed Persia to his own expanding kingdom. Furious, Tokhtamysh turned back and made war on his former ally. Tokhtamysh conceded defeat and withdrew to the steppe. However, in 1387 he suddenly invaded Transoxiana, the heart of Timur's realm. Unfortunately for Tokhtamysh, heavy snow forced him back to the steppe. 1395, the scenario reached its climax as Timur attacked the Golden Horde and defeated Tokhtamysh at the Terek. Timur sacked cities of the Golden Horde such as Azov (Tana), Astrakhan[10] and Tokhtamysh's capital, Sarai Berke. Timur captured artisans and craftsmen of the Golden Horde, and placed a puppet ruler, Koirichak, on the throne of the White Horde and appointed Temür Qutlugh khan of the Horde. escaped to the Ukrainian steppes and asked for help from the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania. In the great Battle of the Vorskla River (1399) the combined forces of Tokhtamysh and Vytautas were defeated by two of Timur's generals, khan Temur Qutlugh and emir (murza, visir) Edigu. The defeated Tokhtamysh was killed near present-day Tyumen by Edigu's men in 1406. was the last khan who minted coins with Mongolian script.

Mongol, Crimea, 1380-1419, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Edigu, White H, muslim, unpaid t, Nogali Tartar
Mongol, Crimea, 1380-1419, Golden Horde Crimean Governor, Edigu; (or Edigey) (also İdegäy or Edege Mangit) (1352–1419) was a Turkic Muslim emir of the White Horde who founded a new political entity, which came to be known as the Nogai Horde. was from the Crimean Manghud tribe, the son of Baltychak, a Turkic noble who was defeated and killed by Khan Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in 1378. He gained fame as a highly successful general of Tokhtamysh before turning the arms against his master. By 1396, he was a sovereign ruler of a large area stretching between the Volga and Ural (known locally as Yayyk) rivers, which would later be called the Nogai Horde. 1397 Edigu allied himself with Timur-Qutlugh and was appointed General and commander-in-chief of the Golden Horde armies. In 1399 he inflicted a crushing defeat on Tokhtamysh and Vytautas of Lithuania at the Vorskla River. Thereupon he managed to unite under his rule all Jochi's lands, albeit for the last time in history. 1406 he located his old enemy Tokhtamysh in Siberia. Edigu's agents killed Tokhtamysh. The following year he raided Volga Bulgaria. 1408, he staged a destructive Tatar invasion of Russia, which hadn't paid the tribute due to the horde for several decades. Edigu burnt Nizhny Novgorod, Gorodets, Rostov, and many other towns but failed to take Moscow, though he had still burnt it. years later (1410) Edigu was dethroned in the Golden Horde and had to seek refuge in Khwarezm. he had previously had relations with the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, including marrying his daughter to the latter's son Muhammad Juki,[1] Shah Rukh later had Edigu expelled back to Sarai. There he was assassinated by one of Tokhtamysh's sons in 1419. dynasty in the Nogai Horde continued for about two centuries, until his last descendants moved to Moscow, where they took baptism and became known as Princes Urusov and Yusupov. Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15;

Mongol, Crimea, 1408-1774, Crimean Khanate Folder, Muslim White Horde, Slave Traders

Mongol, Crimea, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Muslim White Horde, Nogali Tartar
Scythia, 1408, Khan Edigei (Edigu) Invasion of Russia, Destroying Rostov, New Novgorod, and Gorodets ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Mongol, Crimea, 1411-1412, Jalal al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh, fled to Lithuania, w Vytautas, k by his b
Mongol, Crimea, 1411-1412, Jalal al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh; al-Din Khan ibn Tokhtamysh (1380-1412) was the Khan of the Golden Horde in 1411–1412. He was the son of Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde until 1395.[1] is also famous for his written history of the Mongol Empire. He is also known as the Green Sultan. tried to regain his Khanate with Lithuanian aid, but was defeated in 1399. He continued his campaign until he died c. 1405. Jalal al-Din then fled to Lithuania. He too sought assistance from the Lithuanian Grand Prince Vytautas the Great. In 1410, he fought under Vytautas in the victory at Grunwald against the Teutonic Order.[2] next year, while Edigu (the real power in the Khanate) was in Khwarezm, Jalal al-Din returned to the Golden Horde. With Lithuanian support, he overthrew Khan Temur (son of Temur Qutlugh), and retook the throne of Sarai. Sometime after 1411 he minted coins bearing his name. According to a Russian chronicle, Jalal reigned for about a year, until he was murdered by his brother Karim Berdi.

Mongol, Crimea, 1417-1419, Yeremferden, Tokhtamysh, Jabbar Berdi, with Vytautas
Mongol, Crimea, 1417-1419, Yeremferden ibn Tokhtamysh; (died 1419), also known as Jabbar Berdi, was a khan of the Golden Horde from 1417 to 1419. was one of the sons of Tokhtamysh who struggled for power after their father's death. His reign was marked by relative peace save for occasional struggles with Vytautas against Edigu and what would become the Nogai Horde. his death, control over the Horde was split between Dawlat Berdi, his son, and Ulugh Muhammad, his nephew.

Mongol, Crimea, 1419-1445, Ulugh Muhammad, Crimea and Kazan Tartar Khan, Vytautas s, Ottoman s, Vasilly II
Kazan Tartar Khan, 1437-1445, Ulugh Muhammad; Muhammad (1405-1445) was a medieval Tatar statesman, Gengisid, Khan of the Golden Horde (before 1436), ruler of Crimea (1437), and the founder of the Khanate of Kazan, which he ruled from 1438-1445. He was the son of the oglan Ichkile Hassan and the cousin of Tokhtamysh. He received the nickname "Ulugh", meaning older or large, in contrast to another Muhammed who was called "Kichi", meaning younger or small. Muhammad was Khan of the Golden Horde in 1419-1423, 1426, 1428. In 1428-1432 he waged a stubborn struggle for possession of the Ulug Ulus with the representatives of a minor branch of the Tukaytimurids (one of the branches of the Gengisids). being defeated, Ulugh Muhammad escaped to Volga Bulgaria vilayet in 1423. With the support Vytautas, Ulugh Muhammad was able to regain the throne of the Golden Horde in 1426. He succeeded in spreading the power of the Horde to Crimea and established friendly relations with the Ottoman Sultan Murad II. Muhammad sent an embassy to Egypt in 1428-1429. In 1431 the son and grandson of the ruler of Moscow, Dmitriy Donskoy came to the court to Ulugh Muhammad in order to reach a decision about princely succession. Ulugh Muhammad ruled in favour of the grandson, Vasiliy II . St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29;

Mongol, Crimea, 1445-1466, Maxmud, Kazan Tartar Khan, defeated then supported Vassily II, then a Moscow 1448
Mongol, Scythia, 1445-1466, Kazan Tartar Khan, Maxmud of Kazan; Khan (?-1466) was the Khan of the Khanate of Kazan from 1445-1466. was the eldest son of Olug Moxammad, and is reputed to be one of the Khanate's founders. participated in his father's military campaigns against Muscovy and in 1445 was victorious at the Battle of Suzdal, taking the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II captive and forcing Muscovy to pay tribute (yasak). After the death of Olug Moxammad, Maxmud succeeded to the throne of Kazan. December 1446 he supported Vassily II in dethroning Dmitry Shemyaka. 1448 Maxmud attacked Moscow to preserve advantageous treaty conditions that were concluded after the battle of Suzdal. In that period, the Qasim Khanate, governed by Maxmud's relatives, was created as a buffer state between Muscovy and the Khanate of Kazan. Repose of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31;

Mongol, Crimea, 1441-1774, Crimean-Nogali Tartar Slave Raids
Mongol, Crimea, 1441-1774, Crimean-Nogali Tartar Slave Raids Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662 and destroyed it - Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Cossack Hetmanate ; Crimean-Nogai raids into East Slavic lands 1441-1774 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Mongol, Crimea, 1441-1466, Crimean Khan, Haca I Giray
Mongol, Crimea, 1441-1466, Crimean Khan, Haca I Giray; St. Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Mongol, Crimea, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos
Russia, Moscow, 1451, Miraculous deliverance of Moscow by Robe of Theotokos; The holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. Moscow Prince, 1440-1505, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, the Great; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3; Venerable Dositheus the Abbot of Verkneostrov, Pskov, Commemorated on October 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yakhrom, Commemorated on October 14; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on October 18; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; St Philip of Rabanga, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3; St Pachomius of Keno Lake, Commemorated on January 7; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 11; St Anthony of Krasny Kholm, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 20; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated on February 3; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Vorbozomsk, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Oshevensk, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16;

Mongol, Crimea, 1468-1515, Crimean Khan, Mengli I Giray, his nobles, Genoese mercenaries and Rus defeated G Horde
Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray; I Giray (1445–1515), also spelled as Mengli I Giray, was a khan of the Crimean Khanate (1466, 1469–1475, 1478–1515) and the sixth son of Hacı I Giray.[1] at the time of Mengli Girai for power (1466–1478)[edit] took Mengli twelve years to establish himself as khan. When Haji Girai died power went to his eldest son Nur Devlet. Mengli revolted. He was supported by the Crimean nobility while Nur Devlet was supported by the Great Horde. 1467 Mengli occupied the capital of Kyrk-Er but was soon driven out by Nur Devlet and fled to the Genoese at Kaffa. June 1468 a delegation of nobles elected him khan at Kaffa. He, the nobles and a Genoese detachment marched on the capital. After six months Nur Devlet was expelled and fled to the North Caucasus, but was captured and imprisoned in the Genoese fortress at Sudak. reign 1469–1475[edit] made an anti-Turkish alliance with Principality of Theodoro. In the summer of 1469 a Turkish fleet burned some villages near Kaffa. From late 1473 Eminek made himself head of the Shirin clan which held the eastern peninsula of Crimea. He became the second most powerful man in the country and was often hostile to Mengli. March 1475 the nobles replaced Mengli with his elder brother Hayder of Crimea. Mengli fled to Kaffa. In May 1475 a large Turkish fleet arrived at Kaffa seeking to subordinate the Genoese. They took Kaffa and other Genoese forts and the Principality of Theodoro. Mengli, who had supported the Genoese, was captured and taken to Constantinople. Nur Devlet was released from prison and restored as a Turkish vassal. Nur Devlet’s third reign (1475-78) was unsuccessful. In the winter of 1477/78 Crimea was briefly conquered by Janibeg, a nephew of Akhmed Khan of the Great Horde. Eminek wrote to the sultan asking that Mengli be restored. In the spring of 1478 Mengli was released and arrived at Crimea with a Turkish fleet and Turkish soldiers. He was joined by Eminek’s troops, Nur Devlet was driven out and Mengli became khan as a Turkish vassal. reign (1478–1515)[edit] made a great contribution to the development of Crimean Tatar statehood. He founded the fortress of Özü.[2] 1480, Menlii entered into a treaty of alliance with Ivan III, Grand Duke of Muscovy. The alliance was directed against Poland-Lithuania, the Great Horde and the Khanate of Astrakhan. was an important factor in the Great stand on the Ugra river which led to Russian independence from the Great Horde. 1502, Menlii defeated the last khan of the Golden Horde and took control over its capital, Saray. He proclaimed himself Khagan (Emperor), claiming legitimacy as the successor of the Golden Horde's authority over the Tatar khaganates in the Caspian-Volga region. was buried in the Durbe (or turbe) of Salaçıq in Bakhchysarai. In that city, he commissioned Zıncırlı Medrese (medrese with chains) in Salaçıq (1500), Durbe in Salaçıq (1501), and Demir Qapı (Iron Gate) portal in the Bakhchisaray Palace (by Aloisio Novi) (1503). often depended on troops from the Crimea's numerous Italian trading cities, and Genoese mercenaries formed a significant part of his army. his raids on Lithuania see Crimean-Nogai Raids for 1480–1511. Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Mongol, Crimea, 1478-1774 , Crimean Khanate, Sunni Muslim
Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Mengli I Giray; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2;

Mongol, Crimea, 1500, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr

Mongol, Crimea, 1512, Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga, Laurence, Fool for Christ
Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Mongol, Crimea, 1512-1515, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga, sharp axe, suddenly on board ship with prince, inspired soldiers
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; Crimean Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

Mongol, Crimea, 1512-1515, Laurence, Fool f Christ, Kaluga, sharp axe, suddenly board prince's ship, inspired soldiers

Mongol, Crimea, 1515-1523, Crimean Khan, Mehmed I Giray, control steppe nomads, b at Kazan, killed before
Mongol, Crimea, 1515-1523, Crimean Khan, Mehmed I Giray; I Giray (1465-1523, reigned 1515-1523) was khan of the Crimean Khanate. was preceded by his father Menli I Giray (r. 1478-1515) and followed by his son Gazi I Giray (1523-1524). gained control of the steppe nomads, put his brother on the throne of Kazan and was killed after taking Astrakhan. he not been killed he might have joined the three khanates with the Nogais and re-created something like the Golden Horde.[citation needed][dubious – discuss] Crimean Khan, 1468-1515, Mengli I Giray; Crimean Khanate, Capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr 1500 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11;

Mongol, Crimea, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei
Moscow, 1521, Invasion of Moscow by Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ;

Mongol, Crimea, 1529, John of Kazan, moslem tartars captured him from Nizhni Novgorod, tKazan, slave tKhan's relative, killed

Mongol, Crimea, 1551-1577, Khan, Devlet I Giray, invaded Rus 1591, Don Icon in Chapel w soldiers Story
Mongol, Crimea, 1551-1577, Khan, Devlet I Giray ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God.

Mongol, Crimea, 1574-1595, Khan, Murad III Giray, invaded Rus 1591, Don Icon in chapel w soldiers Story
Mongol, Crimea, 1574-1595, Khan, Murad III Giray; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God.

Mongol, Crimea, 1641-1666, Crimean Khan, Mehmed IV Giray
Crimean Khan, 1641-1666, Mehmed IV Giray; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Mongol, Crimea, 1662, Crimean-Nogali Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662
Tatars descended upon Chernigov in 1662 and destroyed it - Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Cossack Hetmanate ; Crimean-Nogai raids into East Slavic lands 1441-1774 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Mongol, Crimea, 1666-1671, Crimean Khan, Adil Giray, high taxes, placed on throne by Ottomans
Crimean Khan, 1666-1671, Adil Giray ; Giray, Adil Khan Girai was khan of the Crimean Khanate from 1666 to 1671. is said to have been the grandson of Fetih I Giray (see below). His father was killed in battle in 1624 when the Turks tried to overthrow Mehmed III Giray. None of his descendants were khans. His elder brother Fetih was nureddin in 1641-44 during the first reign of Mehmed IV Giray. His kalga and nuredddin were Devlet and Gazi, sons of his brother Fetih. Adil Giray was one of the many sons of Selaet I Giray. He served as nureddin under his brothers İslam III Giray and Mehmed IV Giray circa 1651 to before 1666. His son was Devlet III Giray (1716-1717). He was killed by a fall from a horse. 1666 he was placed on the throne by the Ottomans who were displeased with khan Mehmed IV. At the time he was in exile at Rhodes. [1] He came into conflict with his nobles, especially the Shirin clan, because of his questionable ancestry and high taxes. It is said he strongly supported the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and was one of the candidates in the Polish royal election of 1669.[2] For the complex events to the north, see The Ruin (Ukrainian history) and Petro Doroshenko. 1671 he was removed as khan by Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV, either when the sultan decided go to war with the Commonwealth[3] or because he had ravaged some villages loyal to the pro-Turkish Doroshenko.[4] He was exiled to Karnobat in modern Bulgaria and died the following year. grandfather and father[edit] story goes that some time between 1588 and 1597 [5] a noble Polish girl was captured during a Tatar raid and presented to Fetih Giray. Fetih wanted to marry her but she refused to betray her faith so she was held for ransom. A court servant named Haji Mustafa was sent take the girl to Poland and bring back the ransom. En route the girl gave birth to a son. Fetih indignantly denied responsibility and sent men to kill all three of them for the crime of fornication and insulting his good name. The girl died of childbirth and Haji Mustafa fled with the infant, whom he named Mustafa. After Fetih’s death in 1597 they settled in Crimea near Ak-Mesjid (Simferopol). Mustafa grew up as a simple shepherd and had two sons. In 1623 he was summoned to the capital by Mehmed III Giray. Mehmed recognized him as Fetih’s son, appointed him nureddin and made him take the name of Devlet Giray. His sons were to be called Fetih and Adil Giray in place of their lower class names of Kul-Bolda and Chul-Bolda. Because of this his family was called Choban or shepherd. The following year the Turks invaded Crimea and were defeated. While pursuing the defeated Turks Adil's father Mustafa-Devlet Giray-Choban was killed. (1880) differs from Gaivoronsky's account (above) as follows. The girl was called Maria Potoska. He has 'Haji Ahmed' for Haji Mustafa and 'Ahmed Giray' for Devlet Geray. He seems to think (p558) that Adil was another son of 'Choban Giray'. He says that Mustafa was adopted because Mehmed was childless. Purgstall (1856) says that the girl was 'probably Maria Potocka'. Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Mongol, Crimea, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray, 4 times Khan, first time lost to Pochaev Icon
Mongol, Crimea, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray; I Giray, Selim Khan Girai (Crimean Tatar: I Selim Geray, Turkish: 1. Selim Giray) was four times khan of the Crimean Khanate in the period from 1671 to 1704. During this time Crimean khans were regularly appointed and replaced by the Ottomans. The main events of the period were the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Azov and the Great Turkish War during which the Turks were pushed back from Vienna to about the line of Belgrade. Unlike other khans of the period, he ruled well and had no conflicts with his nobles. He was born in 1631. khans were the direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor. After the death of Genghis Khan (1227) the empire was partitioned and the part in East Europe and Northwest Asia was named Golden Horde. The Golden Horde khans embraced Islam. region which was also called Desht-i Qipchaq was the home of Kypchak Turks and the khanate was Turkified. the early 15th century Golden Horde was further partitioned. One of the parts was the Crimean Khanate founded in and around the Crimean Peninsula, modern Ukraine in 1441. 1478, Giray was the name of the dynasty of khans. However, after partitioning, the parts of the khanate were no longer the major powers in the East Europe and in 1478 after an Ottoman campaign to Cremea, the Crimean Khanate had to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Being the main Moslem vassal of the empire, Crimean Khanate had a privileged status in the Ottoman Empire. father Bahadır I Giray (1637) was one of the many sons of Selâmet I Giray (1608). Selyamet was the ancestor of most subsequent khans. He had 10 daughters and either 10 or 13 sons, five of whom were khans. Among his sons were Devlet II Giray (1699, 1709), Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707, 1713, 1730), Saadet IV Giray (1717), Meñli II Giray (1724, 1737) and Selâmet II Giray (1740) and Azamet, Adil, Muhamed, Shabaz, Maksud, Sahib and Safa. Most subsequent khans were descended from Devlet II, except for the sons of Saadet and Selyamet and the son and grandson of Qaplan. reign (1671-1678)[edit] was appointed as the khan in 1671 while he was in retirement at 'Cholmek' near Yambol in modern in Bulgaria. It is said that he obtained the khanship by bribing vizier Kologi.[1] His kalga and nureddin were his brother Selyamet and his cousin Safa. He was immediately called to fight in the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76). Howorth[2] says that he and his two sons contributed to the capture of Kamianets-Podilskyi. He captured many prisoners in Pokutia and Volhynia but was forced to abandon them by Jan Sobieski. When the Nogais near Akkerman revolted against the Porte Selim forced them to move to Crimea, but they drifted back. 1676 the pro-Turkish Doroshenko was defeated at Chyhyryn by the Russians and forced to abdicate. In 1677 Turkish and Crimean troops were sent to re-take Chyryhin. The Russians barely won the siege, Selim received part of the blame and was removed. See Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). He spent the winter in Kaffa and retired to Rhodes. was followed by Murad Giray and then Haci II Giray. In 1683 Murad was removed for his part in the Turkish defeat at Vienna. Haci was soon driven out by the Crimean nobles. reign (1684-1691)[edit] Turkish disaster at Vienna led to the so-called Great Turkish War (1683-1699) in which all the neighboring powers ganged up to push the Turks south. Russia’s role was to send two expeditions against Crimea (Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689). Both failed due to supply problems, but they kept Crimean troops away from the main fighting in the west. In 1688 Selim defeated some Austrians. In 1689 he was again successful near Belgrade, but his son was killed. He chose to resign the khanship and make the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his return he settled at an estate called ‘Kazikui near Silivri’. [3] was followed by Saadet III Giray who was removed after less than a year. The next khan, Safa Giray of Crimea, was replaced by Selim at Crimean request. Saadet failed the Turks militarily and Safa was accused of drunkenness, among other things, Reign (1692-1699)[edit] kalga was his son Devlet. His nureddin was Shahin, the son of his nephew Selyamet. His reign was dominated by three problems: fighting in the Balkans, raiding and fighting in Ukraine and the Russian capture of Azov. 1692 he was immediately called to fight in the Balkans. In September 1695 he was again called west and took part in the battle of Lippa or Lugos. (see de:Friedrich von Veterani) the Azov campaigns (1695–96) Peter the Great tried to capture Azov, the second campaign being successful. Russia held Azov until 1711. Crimeans raided Domanchov (1692), Poltava (1692,1693) and Pereiaslav (1694). In return the Cossacks raided Ochakov and Perekop. Following the Azov campaigns the Cossacks built forts near the mouth of the Don and Crimeans raided toward Lemburg (1697). Crimeans fought Poles at the Battle of Podhajce (1698). is not clear why Selim chose to leave the throne. He retired to an esate near Silivri. His departure roughly coincided with the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) which ended the Great Turkish War and the Treaty of Constantinople (1700) which ended Russian involvement in the same war. this time Selim suffered from gout and moved to various places near Istanbul in hope of a cure. Selim was followed by his son Devlet II Giray. Devlet was removed and replaced by his father (fourth reign) because of conflicts with his brothers and because of his provocative hostility to Russia. reign (1702–1704)[edit] 71-year old Selim appointed his sons Gazi and Qaplan as kalga and nureddin. In 1704 Selim warned the Porte of Russian expansionism, just as his son had done. He died in Bahçesaray, Crimea and was buried in the tomb of the mosque named after him (22 July 1704). He was followed by Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707) and Devlet II Giray again (1709). a war hero, Selim is also known for his talent as a poet and a musician. As a poet, he wrote the zafername (book of victories) about his victories against Russians at Perekop. During his frequent stays in İstanbul, he supported musicians like Hafız Post (1630–1694). Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Mongol, Crimea, 1675, Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, Zbarazh Castle, H R Source, Volhynia, W Ukraine

Mongol, Crimea, 1675, Turkish siege Pochaev on July 20-23, 1675

Mongol, Crimea, 1675, Pochaev Icon saves Pochaev Monastery from Tartars and Turks

Mongol, Crimea, 1774-1783, Independent Crimea Folder

Crimea, 1774-1776, Independent Crimea
Crimea, 1774-1776, Independent Crimea; Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Mongol, Crimea, 1783-1917, Crimea in the Russian Empire Folder

Mongol, Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire
Crimea, 1783, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5;

Mongol, Crimear, 1853-1856, Crimean War, East v Ottomans and West

Cherson, Mongol Crimea, Greek name
Cherson, Crimea; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Korsun, Mongol Crimea, Slavic name

Perekop Isthmus, Crimea (meaning to dig throughÂ)
Perekop Isthmus; between Crimea and Ukraine; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16 ;

Surozh, Crimea, Mongol Lands
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea;; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Mongol Crimea
Sudak (Surozha, Surrentium), Crimea; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ;

Korsun, Crimea, Mongol Lands
Korsun, Crimea ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Korsun, , the Greek name for Cherson; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11 and April 6 ; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

port of Alushta in the Crimea
port of Alushta in the Crimea; Martyrs Innas, Pinnas, and Rimmas, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20;

Mongol Crimea - Roman Roads or Great Roads and Rivers

Mongol, Persia Folder, Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire

Mongol, Persia, 1256-1353, History Folder, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire

Mongol, Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353
Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Mongol, Persia, 1257-1265, Ilkhan Emperor, Hulagu, civil wars, over m of western asia, Genghis gs
Persia, 1256-1265, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Hulagu Khan; Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulegu (c. 1215 - 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. Son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of Ariq Böke, Möngke Khan, and Kublai Khan. army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia, a precursor to the eventual Safavid dynasty, and then the modern state of Iran. Under Hulagu's leadership, the siege of Baghdad (1258) destroyed Baghdad's standing in the Islamic Golden Age and weakened Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluk Sultanate in Cairo and ended the Abbasid Dynasty. St. Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Mongol, Persia, 1265-1282, Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan, civil wars with Mongol Empire, invaded Syria unsuccessfully
Persia, 1265-1282, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan ; Khan (February 1234 - 4 April 1282, paternal uncle, also transliterated Abaġa), was the second Mongol ruler (Ilkhan) of the Ilkhanate. son of Hulagu Khan and Lady Yesünčin. He was the grandson of Tolui and reigned from 1265 to 1282 and was succeeded by his brother Ahmed Tekuder.[1] of Abaqa's reign was consumed with civil wars in the Mongol Empire, such as those between the Ilkhanate and the northern khanate of the Golden Horde. Abaqa also engaged in unsuccessful attempts at military invasion of Syria, including the Second Battle of Homs. was born in Mongolia[1] in February 1234, son of Ilkhanate founder Hulagu Khan. Abaqa was a Buddhist. A favoured son of Hulagu, he was made governor of Turkestan.[2] died from illness in 1265. Before his death, he had been negotiating with the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to add a daughter of the Byzantine imperial family to Hulagu's number of wives. VIII had selected his illegitimate daughter Maria Palaiologina, who was dispatched in 1265, escorted by the abbot of Pantokrator monastery, Theodosius de Villehardouin.[3] Historian Steven Runciman relates how she was accompanied by the Patriarch Euthymius of Antioch.[2] Hulagu died before she arrived, she was instead married to Hulagu's son, Abaqa. He received her hand in marriage when he was installed as Ilkhan. When Hulagu's wife Doquz Khatun also died in 1265, the role of spiritual leader transferred to Maria, who was called "Despina Khatun" by the Mongols. was Abaqa who decided on the permanent location for the Ilkhanate capital, Tabriz, which was in the northwestern grasslands that the Mongols preferred.[4] took power four months after the death of his father, and then spent the next several months redistributing fiefs and governorships.[2] of the coins from Abaqa's era display the Christian cross, and bear in Arabic the Christian inscription "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, only one God".[5] campaigns[edit] Horde[edit] Dinar of Abaqa Khan, Isfahan Mint. dirham of Abaqa Khan, struck at the Tiflis (Tbilisi) mint, dated 1265 Hulagu's reign, the Mongols of the Ilkhanate had been at war with the Mongols of the Golden Horde. This continued into Abaqa's reign, and the Golden Horde invaded the Ilkhanate in the Spring after his accession. The invasion was partly due to an alliance between the Golden Horde and the Egyptian Mamluks. As part of this alliance, the Golden Horde would attempt to distract Abaqa through an attack on his territories to keep him from invading Mamluk-held Syria.[2] hostilities continued until the death of the Golden Horde's khan Berke, in 1267. The Great Khan Kublai attempted to intervene to stop the civil war, and due to his influence, the Golden Horde's khan, Möngke Temür did not launch a major invasion into Abaqa's territory.[6] Möngke Temür still established an alliance with the Egyptian Mamluk sultan Baibars promising that he would attack Abaqa and share any conquered territories.[7] However, at the same time, Möngke Temür sent envoys to congratulate Abaqa when the Ilkhan defeated Ghiyas-ud-din Baraq.[8] In 1270, he allowed Mengu-Timur to collect his revenues from workshops in Iran.[9] Ögedei's grandson Kaidu, Batu's grandson Mengu-Timur and Baraq of the Chagatai Khanate formed an alliance against Kublai Khan and Abaqa in Talas. They appointed Kaidu a ruler of Central Asia. The Kaidu–Kublai war lasted for a few decades. 1270, Baraq Khan of the Chagataids tried to annex Iran, which started a new war against Abaqa in the city of Herat, though Abaqa was able to launch a successful defence and, also, defeated Baraq's relative Teguder in Georgia. In the following year, he retaliated by sending an army against the Chagatai Khanate. They plundered Bukhara and surrounding areas. There were small conflicts between Abaqha and Qara'unas under Chagatayd noyans until 1280. Ismailis[edit] Main articles: Mongol campaign against the Nizaris and Gerdkuh of Syria[edit] See also: Mongol invasions of Syria relations with Christians[edit] was one in a long line of Mongol rulers who attempted to secure Western co-operation against the Muslim Mamluks. He corresponded with Pope Clement IV during 1267-1268, and reportedly sent a Mongol ambassador in 1268, trying to form a Franco-Mongol alliance between his forces, those of the West, and those of his father-in-law Michael VIII. He received responses from Rome and from James I of Aragon, though it is unclear if this was what led to James's unsuccessful expedition to Acre in 1269.[10] Abaqa is recorded as having written to the Aragonese king, saying that he was going to send his brother, Aghai, to join the Aragonese when they arrived in Cilicia. Abaqa also sent embassies to Edward I of England, and in 1274 sent a Mongol delegation to Pope Gregory X at the Second Council of Lyons, where Abaqa's secretary Rychaldus read a report to the assembly, reminding them of Hulagu's friendliness towards Christians, and assuring them that Abaqa planned to drive the Muslims from Syria.[11] But neither this diplomatic mission, nor two further embassies to Europe in 1276 and 1277, brought any tangible results. during the Ninth Crusade (1271)[edit] operations (red) under Abaqa's general Samagar during the Ninth Crusade in 1271 also: Ninth Crusade VI of Antioch, under the influence of his father-in-law Hetoum I of Armenia, had voluntarily submitted to Mongol authority in 1260,[12] while Abaqa's father Hulagu was in power, making Antioch and Tripoli vassal states of the Ilkhanate. In 1268, the Mamluk leader Baibars captured Antioch,[13] and Bohemond obtained a truce with Baibars in order to avoid losing Tripoli.[14][15] response to the fall of Antioch, Edward I of England arrived in Acre in 1271, trying to lead a new Crusade. It was ultimately considered a military failure, but Edward was able to eventually secure a truce with the Mamluks before he had to return to England. Edward arrived in Acre, he had sent an embassy to Abaqa, led by Reginald Rossel, Godefroi of Waus and John of Parker, requesting military assistance from the Mongols.[16] Abaqa was occupied by other conflicts in Turkestan but responded positively to Edward's request, sending 10,000 Mongol horsemen under general Samagar from the occupation army in Seljuk Anatolia to Syria: talking over the matter, we have on our account resolved to send to your aid Cemakar (Samagar) at the head of a mighty force; thus, when you discuss among yourselves the other plans involving the aforementioned Cemakar be sure to make explicit arrangements as to the exact month and day on which you will engage the enemy." — Letter from Abaqa to Edward I, 4 September 1271.[17] Mongols, including some auxiliary Seljukid troops, ravaged the land from Aleppo southward. Though the force was relatively small, they triggered an exodus of the Muslim population (who remembered the previous campaigns of the Mongol general Kitbuqa) as far south as Cairo.[18] Edward, for his part, was never able to muster his own forces to coordinate actions with the Mongols or even achieve any military victories, so Abaqa's forces eventually withdrew. When Baibars mounted a counter-offensive from Egypt on 12 November, the Mongols had already retreated beyond the Euphrates. of 1280–1281[edit] Mamluk leader Baibars died in 1277. In 1280–1281, Abaqa promoted new attacks against Syria. In September 1280, the Mongols occupied Baghras and Darbsak, and took Aleppo on October 20. The Mongols sent envoys to Acre to request military support for their campaign, but the Crusaders were still in a 10-year truce with the Mamluks. The Vicar of the Patriarch declined Abaqa's request, saying that the city was suffering from hunger, and that the king of Jerusalem was embroiled in another war. The King of Cyprus Hugues III and Bohemond VII also mobilized their armies, but could not intervene because the Mamluks had already positioned themselves between them and the Mongols.[19] and Leo III urged the Franks to start a new Crusade, but only the Hospitallers and Edward I (who could not come for lack of funds) responded favourably.[20] The Hospitallers of Marqab made combined raids into the Buqaia, and won several engagements against the Sultan,[21] raiding as far as the Krak des Chevaliers in October 1280, and defeating the Mamluk army of the Krak in February 1281.[19] Mongols finally retreated, pledging to come back for the winter of 1281. They informed the Franks that they would bring 50,000 Mongol horsemen and 50,000 Mongol infantry, but the request apparently remained without a response.[21] of Autumn 1281[edit] of the Mongols (left) at the 1281 Battle of Homs. Egyptian Muslims had respected a 10-year truce with the Crusaders which began in 1271. On 3 May 1281, the new Muslim sultan Qalawun signed a new 10-year truce with the Barons of Acre and a second 10-year truce with Bohemond VII of Tripoli, on 16 July 1281.[22] announced Mongol invasion started in September 1281. They were joined by the Armenians under Leo III, and by about 200 Hospitalier knights from the fortress of Marqab,[23][24] who considered they were not bound by the truce with the Mamluks.[25] 30 October 1281, 50,000 Mongol troops, together with 30,000 Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and the Hospitalier Knights of Marqab fought against the Muslim leader Qalawun at the Second Battle of Homs, but were beaten back.[25] and succession[edit] died at Hamadan on 4 April 1282, probably in a state of delirium tremens. This illness was probably caused by too much consumption of alcohol, a habit common to many Mongol leaders. However, in 1285, his minister of finance Shams ad-Din Juvayni was accused of having had him poisoned.[26] Abaqa's death, his widow Maria fled back to Constantinople where her father, apparently wishing to spare his capital the fate that befell Baghdad, tried to marry her off again to another Mongol khan. Maria would not accept the offer, became a nun, and founded the church of Panagia Mouchliotissa around 1285. was succeeded by his brother Tekuder, who despite his earlier conflicts with the Egyptian Mamluks, had converted to Islam. Tekuder reversed Abaqa's pro-Christian policies and proposed an alliance with the Mamluk Sultan Qalawun, who resumed attacks on Frankish territory, capturing the northern fortress of Margat in 1285, Lattakia in 1287, and Tripoli in 1289.[27] In 1284, Abaqa's son Arghun led a successful revolt, backed by Kublai. Arghun had his uncle Tekuder executed and took power himself, returning to the pro-Christian policies of Abaqa. younger son, Gaykhatu, assumed the throne in 1291.[28][29][30] Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20; little information has come down to us about the holy martyr Salome of Jerusalem and Kartli, who lived in the XIII century at a women’s monastery in Jerusalem. She was arrested by the Persian Moslems because of her outspoken defense of Christ. Synaxarion of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, where she was martyred, tells us that at first, she gave in to the threats of the Persians and denied Christ. Later, however, she repented and publicly confessed Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Salome was tortured by the Persians because of her faith in Christ. Finally, she was beheaded and her holy relics were thrown into the fire. is believed that she was executed after the martyrdom of Saint Luka of Jerusalem, which occurred on February 12, 1277. St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Mongol, Persia, 1282-1284, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Tekuder
Persia, 1282-1284, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Tekuder; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Mongol, Persia, 1284-1291, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arghun
Persia, 1284-1291, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Arghun; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Mesopotamia Folder (Tigris and Euphrates)

Mesopotamia (Land of the Rivers)
Mesopotamia; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Venerable Julian the Hermit of Mesopotamia, Commemorated October 18 ; Saint Macarius the Roman of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Apostle Urban of the Seventy; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated December 7 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated on December 20 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Mesopotamia, 4,000 BC to 3,000 BC, Adam
Mesopotamia, 4,000 BC to 3,000 BC, Adam; Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Mesopotamia, 25th Century BC- 612 BC, Assryia (Assur) Assyrian Kingdom
Assryia (Assyrian Kingdom); Assur; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Mesopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Babylonian Empire
Mesopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Babylonian Empire;

Mesopotamia, 626BC-529BC, Neo-Babylonian Empire
Babylonian Neo-Babylonian Empire, 626BC-529BC; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17;

Mesopotamia, 750-1517, Abbasid, Caliphates, Arab, based in Baghdad, Shia
Abbasid, Caliphates, 750-1517, Arab, based in Baghdad, Shia; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Mesopotamia, Seljuk Empire, 1037-1194, Sunni, Turk
Messopotamia, Seljuk Empire, 1037-1194, Sunni, Turk; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Mesopotamia and Babylon History Folder

Mesopotamia, 4,000 BC - 2,500 BC, Babylon History Folder, Adam to Abraham

Mesopotamia, 4,000 BC to 3,000 BC, Adam
Messopotamia, 4,000 BC to 3,000 BC, Adam; Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Mesopotamia, 2500BC - 634 BC, Babylon History Folder, Assyria

Mesopotamia, 2500BC- 612 BC Dot 4, Assryia (Assur) Assyrian Kingdom

Mesopotamia, 2000BC Dot 5, Abraham, in Ur of Chaldea
Mesopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Abraham; Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamia, 2000BC Dot 5, Abraham, in Nahor near Haran
Mesopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Abraham; Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamia, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Abraham, 100 yr old father of vast nation

Mesopotamia, 2000 BC Dot 5, Sarah, Abraham's wife, 90 yr old mother of nations

Mesopotamia, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Lot
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9; Lot,Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son.

Mesopotamia, 2000 BC, Sarah and Abraham, from Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home, Ephrates River 12)
Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamia, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Mesopotamia, 2000BC, Dot5, Rebecca, Isaac's wife, Jacob & Esau's mother
Righteous Rebecca, Commemorated on December 11; was the wife of the Old Testament Patriarch Isaac, and the mother of Jacob and Esau. is mentioned in Genesis 22:23; Chapters 24-28; and Chapter 49:31. Saint Paul also mentions her (Romans 9:10). Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Mesopotamia, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson oAbraham, Patriarch 12 sons
Jerusalem, 2000BC Dot 5, Jacob, son oIsaac, bro oEsau, gson Abraham, Patriarch 12 sons; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Mesopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Dots 5&6, Babylonian Empire
Messopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Babylonian Empire;

Mesopotamia, 634 BC - 529 BC, Babylon History Folder, Neo-Babylonian Empire

Mesopotamia, 634 BC-562 BC, Dot 8, King Nebuchadnezzar - Hanging Gardens
Babylonian King, 634-562 BC, Nebuchadnezzar - Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Mesopotamia, 626BC-529BC, Dot 8, Neo-Babylonian Empire
Babylonian Neo-Babylonian Empire, 626BC-529BC; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17;

Mesopotamia, 626-605 BC, Dot 8, Babylonian King, Nabopolassar
Babylonian King, 626-605 BC, Nabopolassar ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Mesopotamia, 612 BC, Dot 8, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, to Babylonians and Medes
Persia, 612 BC, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, Persia ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Mesopotamia, 609 BC - 538 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Babylon, 609 BC - 538 BC, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Messopotamia, 586 BC - 516 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs, Major Prophet, 4th, Babylonian Captivity 597 BC, Hansom 4 Daniel, Ananias, Azarias &Misael, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Chaldean Language fine dress, 3yr order food kings table, but they refused his food&wine, they bread&water, they Lord's wisdom + Daniel granted insight dream interpretation, D trusted God' help, D surpassed C astrologers sorcerers wisdom so made Kings' confidant, King's strange dream, refused tell dream, ordered them executed for not knowing the dream, Daniel knew the dream & its meaning, revealed to him in vision, D elevated tRuler, &chief wise men, King's statue &order to worship it, 3 holy youths refused & thrown into furnace, flames killed Chaldeans standing near, but three unharmed singing psalms&prayer, Lord's Angel (Jesus) appeared cooled flames, Prophet Daniel identifies Angel as Jesus, emperor N converted, King Baltasar handwriting on wall interpreted by Daniel, downfall Babylonian empire, slandared D thrown tDen oHungry lions, but no touch, Mede Emperor Darius rejoices and ordered people serve D's God, D grieved fHis people, because they suffered B Captivity &Jerusalem destroyed for their sins, while Neb's dream Prophecied Kingdom oLord JC, the 70 weeks, 1st&2nd coming, connected t 70 wks; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Daniel is the fourth of the major prophets. the years following 600 B.C. Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians, the Temple built by Solomon was destroyed, and many of the Israelite people were led away into the Babylonian Captivity. the captives were also the illustrious youths Daniel, Ananias, Azarias and Misael. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered that they be instructed in the Chaldean language and wisdom, and dressed them in finery. children of princely lineage were often chosen to serve as pages in the palace. three years, they would be fed from food from the king’s table. this they would be allowed to stand before his throne. was renamed Baltasar, was called Shadrach, was called Mishach, Azarias was known as Abednego. they, cleaving to their faith, disdained the extravagance of court, refusing to defile themselves by eating from the king’s table and drinking his wine. they lived on vegetables and water. Lord granted them wisdom, and to Saint Daniel the gift of insight and the interpretation of dreams. holy Prophet Daniel preserved his faith in the one God and trusted in His almighty help. surpassed all the Chaldean astrologers and sorcerers in his wisdom, and was made a confidant to King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar had a strange dream which terrified him (Daniel 2:1-6). summoned magicians, sorcerers, and Chaldeans before him to interpret the dream. When they asked him what he had dreamt, the king refused to tell them. He said, “If you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins.” Babylonian wise men protested that no magician or sorcerer could be expected to do this. Only the gods could reveal the dream and its meaning, they told him. king ordered all the wise men of Babylon to be executed. they sought Daniel and his companions to put them to death, Daniel asked that the king’s sentence not be carried out. said that he could tell the king what he dreamt, for it had been revealed to him in a vision. was brought before the king and was able to reveal not only the content of the dream, but also its prophetic significance. this, the king elevated Daniel to be ruler of the whole province of Babylon, and the chief of all the wise men. these times King Nebuchadnezzar ordered a huge statue to be made in his likeness. was decreed that when people heard the sound of trumpets and other instruments, they should fall down and worship the golden idol. they refused to do this, the three holy youths Ananias, Azarias and Misael were cast into a fiery furnace. flames shot out over the furnace forty-nine cubits, felling the Chaldeans standing about, the holy youths walked in the midst of the flames, offering prayer and psalmody to the Lord (Daniel 3:26-90). Angel of the Lord appeared in the furnace and cooled the flames, and the young men remained unharmed. “Angel of Great Counsel,” as he is called in iconography, is identified with the Son of God (Daniel 3:25, Isaiah 9:6). the first Canon for the Nativity of the Lord (Ode 5), the Church sings: “Thou hast sent us Thine Angel of Great Counsel.” emperor, upon seeing this, commanded them to come out, and was converted to the true God. King Baltasar, Saint Daniel interpreted a mysterious inscription (“Mane, Thekel, Phares”), which had appeared on the wall of the palace during a banquet (Daniel 5:1-31), the downfall of the Babylonian kingdom. Under the Persian emperor Darius, Daniel was slandered by his enemies, and was thrown into a den with hungry lions, but they did not touch him, and he was not harmed. emperor Darius then rejoiced over Daniel ordered people throughout his realm to worship the God of Daniel, “since He is the living and eternal God, and His Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His dominion is forever” (Daniel 6:26). holy Prophet Daniel grieved deeply for his people, who then were undergoing righteous chastisement for a multitude of sins and offenses, transgressing the laws of God, resulting in the grievous Babylonian Captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem: “My God, incline Thine ear and hearken; open Thine eyes and look upon our desolation and that of Thy city, in which Thy Name is spoken; for we do not make our supplication before Thee because of our own righteousness, but because of Thy great mercy” (Dan 9:18). of Daniel’s righteous life and his prayers for the people’s iniquity, the destiny of the nation of Israel the fate of all the world was revealed to the holy prophet. interpreting the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, the holy, glorious Prophet Daniel spoke of a great and final kingdom, the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dan 2:44). prophetic vision about the seventy weeks (Dan 9:24-27) speaks about the signs of the First and the Second Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and is connected with those events (Daniel 12:1-12). Daniel interceded for his people before King Cyrus, who esteemed him highly, and who decreed freedom for the Israelite people. himself and his fellows Ananias, Azarias and Misael, all survived into old age, died in captivity. to the testimony of Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9), Saints Ananias, Azarias and Misael were beheaded on orders of the Persian emperor Chambyses. Daniel and the three holy youths are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, and on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Sunday before the Nativity).

Mesopotamia, 586 BC - 516 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, Three Holy Youthsl, thrown tFiery Furnace, preserved by AoLord, Jesus
Mesopotamia, 586 BC - 516 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, Three Holy Youthsl, thrown tFiery Furnace, preserved by AoLord, Jesus, Ananias (God is Gracious) became Shadrach (royal) in chaldean, Azarias (who God helps) became Abednego (servant oNego), and Misael (Who is what God is) became Meshack (guest), all from Judah, chosen serve iKings palace wDaniel, they were thrown into fiery furnace for refusing worship idol, preserved by angel otLord (Jesus), 7th 8th Odes ot9Biblical Odes at back of Orthodox Septagint Psalter; The Three Holy Youths: Ananias, Azarias and Misael, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Youths Ananias (“God is gracious”), Azarias (“whom God helps”), and Misael (“Who is what God is?”) were companions of the Holy Prophet Daniel. were chosen to serve in the king’s palace with Daniel (Daniel 1:6) and were all from the tribe of Judah. gave Ananias the Chaldean name Shadrach (“royal”), Azarias the Chaldean name Abednego (“servant of Nego”), and Misael the Chaldean name Meshach (“guest”). were thrown into a fiery furnace when they refused to worship the golden idol set up by King Nebuchadnezzar, but the angel of the Lord preserved them (Daniel 3:25). Seventh and Eighth Odes of the nine Biblical Odes at the back of the Psalter are taken from The Song of the Three Holy Youths (found in the Septuagint text of the Old Testament used by the Orthodox Church). Three Holy Youths and the Prophet Daniel are also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers. Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Mesopotamia, 553-539 BC, Dot 8, Babylon, Babylonian King, Baltasar (Handwriting on the Wall)
Babylonian King, 553-539 BC, Baltasar (Handwriting on the Wall); Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Mesopotamia, 500BC, Dot 8, Suzanna, Daniel Ch13, Babylon, StGarden, 2Judges lust, SFalsely accused, Daniel asks under what tree
Righteous Susanna, Commemorated on December 11; 64-verse story of Susanna is found in the Septuagint Greek as a Preamble to the Book of Daniel. Latin Vulgate, however, places the story of Susanna at the end of the Book of Daniel, which constitutes the book's thirteenth chapter. The Book of Suzanna, Daniel Ch 13; 1 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, 2 who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah; 3 her parents were righteous and had trained their daughter according to the law of Moses. 4 Joakim was very rich and he had a garden near his house. The Jews had recourse to him often because he was the most respected of them all. 5 That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges, of whom the Lord said, “Lawlessness has come out of Babylon, that is, from the elders who were to govern the people as judges.” 6 These men, to whom all brought their cases, frequented the house of Joakim. 7 When the people left at noon, Susanna used to enter her husband’s garden for a walk. 8 When the elders saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. 9 They perverted their thinking; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments. 10 Though both were enamored of her, they did not tell each other their trouble, 11 for they were ashamed to reveal their lustful desire to have her. 12 Day by day they watched eagerly for her. 13 One day they said to each other, “Let us be off for home, it is time for the noon meal.” So they went their separate ways. 14 But both turned back and arrived at the same spot. When they asked each other the reason, they admitted their lust, and then they agreed to look for an occasion when they could find her alone. 15 One day, while they were waiting for the right moment, she entered as usual, with two maids only, wanting to bathe in the garden, for the weather was warm. 16 Nobody else was there except the two elders, who had hidden themselves and were watching her. 17 “Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids, “and shut the garden gates while I bathe.” 18 They did as she said; they shut the garden gates and left by the side gate to fetch what she had ordered, unaware that the elders were hidden inside. 19 As soon as the maids had left, the two old men got up and ran to her. 20 “Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, no one can see us, and we want you. So give in to our desire, and lie with us. 21 If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was here with you and that is why you sent your maids away.” 22 “I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your power. 23 Yet it is better for me not to do it and to fall into your power than to sin before the Lord.” 24 Then Susanna screamed, and the two old men also shouted at her, 25 as one of them ran to open the garden gates. 26 When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden, they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her. 27 At the accusations of the old men, the servants felt very much ashamed, for never had any such thing been said about Susanna. 28 When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day, the two wicked old men also came, full of lawless intent to put Susanna to death. 29 Before the people they ordered: “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim.” When she was sent for, 30 she came with her parents, children and all her relatives. 31 Susanna, very delicate and beautiful, 32 was veiled; but those transgressors of the law ordered that she be exposed so as to sate themselves with her beauty. 33 All her companions and the onlookers were weeping. 34 In the midst of the people the two old men rose up and laid their hands on her head. 35 As she wept she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly. 36 The old men said, “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman entered with two servant girls, shut the garden gates and sent the servant girls away. 37 A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her. 38 When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this lawlessness, we ran toward them. 39 We saw them lying together, but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we; he opened the gates and ran off. 40 Then we seized this one and asked who the young man was, 41 but she refused to tell us. We testify to this.” The assembly believed them, since they were elders and judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. 42 But Susanna cried aloud: “Eternal God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to be: 43 you know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things for which these men have condemned me.” 44 The Lord heard her prayer. 45 As she was being led to execution, God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, 46 and he cried aloud: “I am innocent of this woman’s blood.” 47 All the people turned and asked him, “What are you saying?” 48 He stood in their midst and said, “Are you such fools, you Israelites, to condemn a daughter of Israel without investigation and without clear evidence? 49 Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.” 50 Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders said, “Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of old age.” 51 But he replied, “Separate these two far from one another, and I will examine them.” 52 After they were separated from each other, he called one of them and said: “How you have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins come to term: 53 passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty,a although the Lord says, ‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’ 54 Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you saw them together.” 55 “Under a mastic tree,”* he answered. “Your fine lie has cost you your head,” said Daniel; “for the angel of God has already received the sentence from God and shall split you in two.” 56 Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought. “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,” Daniel said to him, “beauty has seduced you, lust has perverted your heart. 57 This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel, and in their fear they yielded to you; but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your lawlessness. 58 Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.” 59 “Under an oak,” he said. “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,” said Daniel; “for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two so as to destroy you both.” 60 The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him. 61 They rose up against the two old men, for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness.b They condemned them to the fate they had planned for their neighbor: 62 in accordance with the law of Moses they put them to death. Thus was innocent blood spared that day. 63 Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joakim her husband and all her relatives, because she was found innocent of any shameful deed. 64 And from that day onward Daniel was greatly esteemed by the people. * [13:1–14:42] The short stories in these two chapters exist now only in Greek and other translations, but probably were first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic. They were never part of the Hebrew-Aramaic Book of Daniel, or of the Hebrew Bible. They are excluded from the Protestant canon of Scripture, but the Catholic Church has always included them among the inspired writings; they existed in the Septuagint, which was used as its Bible by the early church. * [13:55–59] The contrast between the mastic tree, which is small, and the majestic oak emphasizes the contradiction between the statements of the two elders. In the Greek text there is a play on words between the names of these two trees and the mortal punishment decreed by Daniel for the elders. The mastic tree (schinon) sounds like the verb “to split” (schisai). The oak tree (prinon) suggests a play on poisai (to saw). a. [13:53] Ex 23:7. b. [13:61] Dt 19:18–19. Babylon

Mesopotamia, 445 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nehemiah, Left Bablylon captivity from Persia for Jerusalem Babylon, Mesopotamia (between Tigris River 7 and Euphrates River 9)
Mesopotamia, 445 BC Dot 7, Prophet Nehemiah, Left Bablylon captivity from Persia for Jerusalem ; Prophet Nehemiah, Commemorated on December 11; Old Testament book of Nehemiah tells of how he returned from the Captivity in Babylon in the twentieth year of the Persian King Artaxerxes (445/444 B.C.) to rebuild Jerusalem and to govern the province. and Ezra purified the Jewish people by making known the Law of Moses, and forcing the men to divorce their pagan wives. Babylon

Mesopotamia, 312 BC - 240 BC, Babylon History Folder, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia

Messopotamia, 312 - 240 BC, Mesopotamia Babylon History, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia
Messopotamia Babylon History, 312 BC - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia; Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Mesopotamia, 240 BC - 656, Babyon History Folder, Roman Period

Mesopotamia, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances
India, 38-72, Apostle Thomas, Madras, absent when Jesus appeared on Easter Day, refused tBelieve resurrection, until he saw him and said My Lord..., Doubting Thomas, but previously proven loyal, let us also go..., at last supper said we don't know where you go, How do we know the way, Jesus said I am the way, preached in india, Kerla district, Madras, still Christians there connected to Thomas, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, ; East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6, From OCA Thomas fPansata Galilee, fisherman, hearing Jesus he left all and followed him, one of the 12, not present Pascha, unless I see his hands, 8days later My Lord My God, Thomas toiled more bravely zealously tirelessly than them all, he went to nearly al the earth's people, tPalestine Mesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India, died as martyr after converting wife son Perfect oMelipur, his relics to India Hungary Mt Athos, Arabian Icon appeared to him in Ethiopia Arabia & India; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada was a fisherman. the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6). THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Apostle Thomas (Hebrew or Aramaic for "twin") was also called "Didymus" (Greek for "twin"). was absent when the Risen Lord appeared to the other apostles on the evening of Easter Day, refused to believe that Christ had indeed risen until he had seen him for himself, when he had seen Him, he said to Him, "My Lord and My God." (John 20:19-29) of this episode, he has been known ever since as "Doubting Thomas." we ought also to remember his earlier words, when Jesus announced His intention of going to the Jerusalem area, aside the protests of His disciples that His life was in danger there, at which Thomas said to the others: us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:7,8,16) Thomas was pessimistic, he was also sturdily loyal. the Last Supper, Jesus said: "I go to prepare a place for you.... And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." replied: "Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?" this Jesus answered: "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:1-6) Thomas is mentioned again (John 21) as one of the seven disciples who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias) when the Risen Lord appeared to them. from this he appears in the New Testament only as a name on lists of the Apostles. couple of centuries later a story was circulating in the Mediterranean world that he had gone to preach in India; there is a Christian community in India (the Kerala district) that claims descent from Christians converted by the the preaching of Thomas. tradition among Christians in India is that Thomas was speared to death near Madras, accordingly he is often pictured holding a spear. Paintings of martyrs often show them holding or accompanied by the instruments with which they were put to death. recently discovered work called the Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus. I know of no scholarly support for the notion that it is the work of the Apostle Thomas, but some scholars think that some of the sayings in it may be authentic sayings of Jesus. POEM These things did Thomas hold for real: the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, the grain of wood, the heft of stone, the last frail twitch of blood and bone. His brittle certainties denied that one could live when one had died, until his fingers read like Braille the markings of the spear and nail. May we, O God, by grace believe and, in believing, still receive the Christ who held His raw palms out and beckoned Thomas from his doubt. (Thomas Troeger, 1984, Psalter/Hymnal of the Christian Reformed Church) by James Kiefer

Mesopotamia, 33-72, Apostle Thomas, went preaching nearly all earth, outside R Empire
Messopotamia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Mesopotamia, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians
Babylon, 243, Battle of Resaena, Romans defeat Persians; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on July 30;

Mesopotamia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Jacob, Gregory's Kin, Armenia (Tigris River 3)
Armenia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ;

Mesopotamia, 280-350, James oNisibis, great ascetic Armenia Persian border, clairvoyant, 18 Chapters Orthodox Faith, 1st EC
Armenia, 280-350, James oNisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3), Prince's son, educated, loved solitude, lived in mts around Nizba, Persian Roman Border, ascetic exploits, open sky, tree fruits greens food, goat skins dress, all time in prayer, 284-305 faith confession courage, 314 chosen bishop, glorified bZeal, miracles, clairvoyance, his prayers saved N fInvasion Persian Sapor, 325 1st EC Orthodox faith defender, teacher iHis public school, Great Armenia bishop Gregory requested he write about Orthodox faith, sent 18 chapters, faith, love, fasting, prayer, spiritual warfare, resurrection, pastor duties, circumcision, food choice, Christ as Son oGod, etc, a persuasive clear composition, died peacefully 350 ; Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; James, Bishop of Nisibis, was the son of prince Gefal (Armenia) and received a fine upbringing. the time of his youth he loved solitude, for a long time he lived in the mountains around about the city of Niziba (on the border of the Persian and Roman Empires), he carried out strict ascetic exploits: lived under the open sky, himself with tree fruits and greens, dressed himself in goat-skins. monk passed all this time in prayerful conversations with God. a persecution by the emperor Maximian (284-305) was glorified by a courageous confession of faith. of his strict and pious life the inhabitants of Nisibis chose him as their bishop (no later than the year 314). James was glorified by his ardent zeal for the Orthodox Faith, great miracles by the gift of clairvoyance. his prayers Nisibis was saved from an invasion by Sapor, the emperor of Persia. James, among the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, one of the prominent defenders of the Orthodox Faith. wise and educated pastor, he constructed a public school at Nisibis, which he himself was an instructor. made a strong impression on the hearts of his listeners by the high morality of his life. Gregory, bishop of great Armenia, turned to him with a request to write about the faith, the Nisibis pastor sent to him by way of reply a detailed Discourse (18 Chapters): the faith, love, warfare, resurrection of the dead, duties of pastors, circumcision (against the Jews), the choice of foods, Christ as the Son of God, and so on. His composition distinguishes itself by its persuasive clear exposition and warmth. James died peacefully in about the year 350.

Mesopotamia, 304, Athenodorus oSyrian Mesopotamia, arrested as Christian, Fierce tortures, miracles, many pagans converted
Mesopotamia, 304, Athenodorus oHaran, Upper Mesopotamia, near Edessa, Syrian Mesopotamia, Assryia, monk fYouth, as Christian arrested condemned tFierce tortures, miracles accompanied martyrtom which converted many pagans i304; Haran, Upper Messopotamia; (Arabic: حران, romanized: Ḥarrān), also known as Carrhae (Greek: Kάρραι, romanized: Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border crossing with Syria at Akçakale. was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. It was made a religiously and politically influential city through its association with the moon-god Sin; many prominent Mesopotamian rulers consulted with and renovated the moon-temple of Ekhulkhul in Harran. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 612–609 BC. city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University)[3][a] and the oldest mosque in Anatolia[b] (the Harran Grand Mosque [tr]).[5] Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate 744–750 and later under the Numayrid Emirate 990–1081. city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran retransitioned into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. Harran was a Turkish district until 1946, after when it was downgraded to a sub-district of the Akçakale district. It regained its status as a district in 1987.[6] Today, it is a major local tourist spot. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times. Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Holy Martyr Athenodorus, from Syrian Mesopotamia, led a monastic life from his youth. as a Christian, he was arrested and condemned to fierce tortures by the governor of the land, Eleusius. accompanied the martyrdom of the saint, converted many of the pagans to the Christian Faith. was beheaded in the year 304.

Mesopotamia, 326-373. Ephrem of Nisibis, Armenia, preached repentence, anti arian, St James, teacher, writer, hymns
Armenia, 326-373. Saint Ephrem of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Armenia, 280-337. Saint James of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ;

Mesopotamia, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death
Syria, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death, fKapersana on west bank Euphrates River 9. iSyria or Mesopotamia, loved solitary life, towns bishop wanted him for Priest, Archpastor ordered him dismantel part wall for his entry, spoke about priesthood grace, but S quiet, bishop departed with order to rebuild wall, S content wSilence, prayer, Word study, thus comforted bGod, led souls tChrist, both hometown people&P across the river wanted him&moved him, S did not complain or agree, still silent, dead to this world, seeking obey God's will, praying for himself&Other servants oGod, so he could say like Paul, no longer I who live but Christ in me, so I live by faith in Son oGod, who loved me and died for me, still silent, speaking only to God; Kapersana (Euphrates River 9) Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated January 23 ; Salamanēs (Σαλαμάνης) was from the town of Kapersana (Καπερσανά) in Syria, on the west bank of the Euphrates River. he loved the solitary life, he followed the path of monasticism, building his cell near the Euphrates River. Bishop of the town, who was informed of the virtue of the venerable one, to see him in order to ordain him to the priesthood. at the Saint's cell, the Archpastor ordered him to dismantle part of the wall so that he might enter. Bishop spoke to him about the grace of the priesthood, during the time he was in the cell, the Hierarch did not hear a single word from the Saint. he departed, after ordering him to rebuild the wall. Salamanēs was content with his silence, prayer, and study of the Word of God. comforted by God, he led people's souls to Christ. the Synaxarion it is said that people from the place where Saint Salamanēs was born went to his cell because they wanted him to live near them. did not protest their actions, nor agree to them, but maintained his silence. they picked him up and brought him to their town, they built a cell similar to the other one and enclosed him within. Saint also remained in this cell in silence and prayer. few days later, some people went there by night from a town on other side of the river, took the Saint and brought him to their town. did not object when they took him away, neither opposing nor agreeing to it. the inhabitants of the village on the other side of the river came at night to his new dwelling heard him say this prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and all the servants of Thy name, and those who worship Thee, our true God." Salamanēs was dead to this world, seeking only to obey the will of God. he could say with Saint Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20). ascetic did not interrupt his feat of silence, speaking only to God. Orthodox Church honors him as the first Saint to embrace complete silence, he maintained until his death († ca. 400).

Mesopotamia, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia, weeping, entreatd God, well dressed Angel Gabriel, great sin but g repent
Mesopotamis, 360-410, Marcarius tRoman oMesopotamia (Land of the Rivers), Senator's son, betrothed against will, fled pious widow, 7days weeping entreating God, Tobias' guide well dressed Angel Gabriel led him to a cave, beautiful girl decieved him, first time carnal desire, she disappeared, devil rejoiced, he wept bitterly, Gabe kept him from leaving, severe ascetic many years, great sin but great repentence, presence angels&saints; Mesopotamia; Saint Macarius the Roman of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 23 ; day, the cave where holy ascetic Makarios lived was found by three monks the Monastery of Saint Asclepius in Mesopotamia. Hyginos and Theophilos had left the monastery in order to wander through the world, seeking a sign from God which would be beneficial for their salvation. as they approached the cave, they noticed a marvelous fragrance issuing forth from it. they saw an old man walking toward them, covered only by his hair and a beard which reached his knees. threw himself to the ground and remained there for several minutes, until he was sure the three strangers were not really demons. When he was satisfied that he was not experiencing some sort of delusion, he invited them into his cave. oldest monk asked him to relate his story, which he did. Makarios told them that he was born in Rome was the son of a wealthy Senator named John. he was old enough to be married, his parents betrothed him against his will. There was a celebration following the wedding, instead of entering the bridal chamber, he fled to the home of a pious widow, he spent seven days secretly weeping and entreating God to help him. he left her house, Makarios met a well-dressed old man of noble demeanor. This man ordered Makarios to accompany him. Makarios did follow him for three years, until one day they came to a cave, and then the old man vanished. appeared to Makarios in a dream soon afterward and revealed that he was the Archangel Raphael, who had guided Tobias in his travels. he vanished, the Archangel entrusted him to God’s mercy. after he first moved into the cave, Makarios saw a most beautiful young woman standing before him, who said that she also had fled from an unwanted marriage in Rome. spite of his caution, Saint Makarios did not have sufficient discernment to escape the devil’s snare, and so he allowed the girl to spend the night in his cave. the first time in his life, he was assaulted by the fiery darts of carnal desire, and he sinned with the girl. Suddenly she disappeared, and the devil rejoiced because he had tempted the ascetic to sin. that moment Saint Makarios realized the seriousness of his fall. bitterly, he decided to leave the cave and find another place where he might do penance. the way, the Archangel Raphael appeared to him once again and urged him to return. told him that God would hear his prayers if he remained in the cave. So he went back and subjected his flesh to severe fasting, vigils and absolute self-denial for many years, so that he might recover the purity of his soul in order to contemplate God. he had edified the three brethren with the story of his struggles, Saint Makarios sent them on their way in peace. sin was very great, but so was his repentance; therefore, he fell asleep in the Lord in the presence of the angels and the saints. precise date of the saint’s repose is not known, but it was probably at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth.

Mesopotamia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, tPersian Shah twice, persuaded favorable Christian disposition, much more
Mesopotamia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Armenia (Tigris River 2), Bishop oTagrith (Martyropolis), city he founded, between Byzantine Empire and Persia, knowledge&piety fame, wrote about martyrs, suffered under Sapor, Syrian Language Commentary otGospel, Verses oMaruthas, 73 Cannons ot 325 EC at Nicea, Acts otCouncil, 381 2nd EC participant aConstantinople, against Macedonius, 383 attended Council oAntioch against Messalians, 403-404 off to Constantinople, plead Arcadius protect Persian Christians, two times sent by Theodosius tYounger to Shah in Izdegerd to secure peace, 414 persuaded Shah favorable disposition tChristians, for freedom Christians iPersia, located Persian saints relics, transferred them tMartyropolis, rebuilt Churches razed by Sapor, died iPersia 422, relics trans tEgypt, skete Monastery otMOG; Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Maruthas was Bishop of Tagrith (Martyropolis), city which he founded between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. was famed for his knowledge and his piety, wrote about the martyrs, he suffered for his faith in Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor. also left behind other works in the Syrian language, which the most famous are: “Commentary on the Gospel,” “Verses of Maruthas,” “Liturgy of Maruthas” “The 73 Canons of the Ecumenical Council at Nicea” (325) with an account of the acts of the Council. the year 381 Saint Maruthas participated in the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, against the heresy of Macedonius. 383, he attended the Council of Antioch against the Messalians. the years 403-404 Saint Maruthas set off to Constantinople plead with the emperor Arcadius to protect Persian Christians. was twice sent by the emperor Theodosius the Younger to the Shah Izdegerd to secure the peace between the Empire and Persia. the year 414 Saint Maruthas, having done his duty as envoy to the court of Izdegerd, the Shah to a favorable disposition towards Christians, and he assisted greatly in the freedom of Christians in Persia. rebuilt Christian churches razed during the persecution by the Persian ruler Sapor. also located relics of saints who had suffered martyrdom and transferred them to Martyropolis. died there in 422. relics of Saint Maruthas were later transferred to Egypt placed in a skete monastery of the Mother of God.

Mesopotamia, 656-661, Babylon History Folder, Rashidun Caliphate, Sunni

Mesopotamia, 656-661, Kufa, Mesopotamia (Capital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661)
Kufa, Messopotamia (Capital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Mesopotamia, 750-1517, Babylon History Folder, Abbasid Caliphate, Sunni

Mesopotamia, 750-1517, Abbasid, Caliphates, Arab, until 1261 based in Baghdad, Sunni
Abbasid, Caliphates, 750-1517, Arab, based in Baghdad, Shia; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Mesopotamia, 700-799, Abbasid Caliphate from Bagdad, Georgian attacks in Kartli and Artanuji

Mesopotamia, 750-754, Abbasid Caliph, As-Saffah
Abbasid Caliph, 750-754, As-Saffah; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Mesopotamia, 766-781, Abo tPerfumer, Bagdad, tTbilisi, amazed aPiety, baptized, tAbkhazeti, tTiblisi, Martyred wJoy, divine lght
Georgia, 766-781, Abo the Perfumer, Bagdad, to Tbilisi, amazed at piety, baptized, to Abkhazeti, to Tiblisi, Martyred w joy, Saracen's tyrannized Kartli, 1st step tGeorgia, tUproot Faith, 766 uprising iKakheti, 772 Kartli Governor Duke Nerse summoned tBagdad, 3yr captivity, met 17yr old Abo, both back tGeorgia, Abo liked piety Georgian people, attended services, talked tPriests, baptized iKhazaria accompanied bNerse, tAbkhazeti tEscape Saracen raids, entire population praised Jesus wOne heart, Nerse btKartli, Abkhaz King requested Abo stay tEscape torture, Soon Abo requests go declare faith tThose hate Christ, Abo preaches 3yrs iTiblisi, then hCountrymen captured him, but released bDuke, New emir, plotted caputre, Christians begged him conceal identity, Abo rejoiced, prepared torture &Death, captured, Judge tries return him tMoslem faith, cast prison, suffering fills Abo greater love, gave clothes, prepared death as though for feast, arms crossed joyfully bowed head beneath sword, swung 3times, not frightened, beheaded, defeated ashamed Executioners burned body garments earth blood in sack near Metekhi Cliff, put ashes in sheepskin, cast into river, that night shining star hung over river light reflecting where his remains rested, Later Abo's chapel built there; Tbilisi; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; the 8th century a Saracen army tyrannized Kartli as a first step towards overturning the Georgian nation. invaders were certain that the best way to conquer Georgia was to uproot the Christian Faith. Georgian people were alarmed, and the clergy and the best sons of Kartli sought desperately for a resolution to this calamity. blood was shed in 766 when the Muslim invaders crushed an uprising in the eastern region of Kakheti. 772, Caliph Al Mansur (754-775), dissatisfied with the provincial governor of Kartli, Duke Nerse, summoned him to Baghdad. spent the following three years in captivity. that time he became acquainted with a seventeen-year-old perfumer named Abo, when he was released he brought Abo back with him to Georgia. was amazed at the great piety of the Georgian people, and he began to learn the Georgian language, attend the divine services, and speak with local priests. sought with all his heart to become a Christian, and he was eventually baptized in Khazaria, while in the company of Duke Nerse. Abo accompanied the duke to Abkhazeti, to escape the Saracen raids. an entire population of Christians praising Jesus Christ with one heart and mouth, Abo gave great thanks to God for the opportunity to visit this area. later returned to Kartli, but Abo remained at the request of the Abkhaz king, who feared that the Saracens would torture Abo for his devout faith in Christ. however, Abo became restless and told the king, “Let me go, and I will freely declare my Christian Faith to those who hate Christ!” labored in Tbilisi for three years, preaching the Christian Faith. Then his own former countrymen betrayed and captured him, but he was released soon after at the request of the duke Stepanoz. new emir was appointed to rule in Tbilisi, and when the Christians heard that he was plotting to capture Abo, they begged him to conceal his identity. Abo simply rejoiced and told them, “I am prepared not only to be tortured for Christ, but to die for His sake as well.” predicted, the emir’s servants captured Abo and brought him before a judge. judge tried in vain to entice Abo to return to the faith of his ancestors. in a rage, he ordered that Abo be cast into prison and that his hands and feet be fettered in chains. his suffering for Christ filled the blessed Abo with even greater love, he asked his Christian brothers and sisters to sell his clothes and use the money earned to buy candles and incense for local churches. the day of his execution Abo washed his face, anointed it with holy oil, partook of the Holy Gifts, and prepared for his death as though preparing for a feast. “Weep not, but rejoice, for I am going to my Lord. Pray for me, and may the peace of God protect you,” he cheerfully told the faithful Christians who surrounded him in his last hours. his time had come, Saint Abo placed his arms on his breast in the form of a cross and joyously bowed his head beneath the sword. executioners swung their swords three times in hopes of frightening Abo into denying Christ, but the blessed Abo stood unyielding until his last breath. convinced that all their efforts and cunning were in vain, the executioners were given a sign and they beheaded the holy Abo. and ashamed, Abo’s godless executioners tossed his body, his garments, and the earth that had been soaked with his blood into a sack, dragged it outside the city, and burned it near the Mtkvari River. they wrapped his ashes in sheepskin and cast them into the river. the evening a sign was given from above. to the Metekhi Cliff, by the bridge, a shining star hung over the river with its bright light reflecting in the water where the remains of the saint rested. a chapel was built in honor of Saint Abo on the left bank of the Mtkvari.

Mesopotamia, 754-775, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur, real founder of the caliphate, Bagdad founder
Abbasid Caliph, 754-775, Al-Mansur; or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur (95AH – 158 AH (714 AD – 6 October 775 AD) was the second Abbasid Caliph reigning from 136 AH to 158 AH (754 AD – 775 AD) and succeeding Abu al-'Abbas as-Saffah. is generally regarded as the real founder of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the largest polities in world history, for his role in stabilizing and institutionalizing the dynasty.[1]:265 He is also known for founding the 'round city' of Madinat al-Salam which was to become the core of imperial Baghdad.[1]:270 St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Mesopotamia, 757-1258, Abbasid Caliphate from Bagdad
After 757 Khalil from Abbasid Caliphate from Bagdad (757-1258) ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Mesopotamia, 775-785, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mahdi, by future standards, a model of order and decorum, rightly guided
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 775-785, Al-Mahdi; Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Mansur ( 744 or 745 -785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdi ("He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his father, al-Mansur. father, Al-Mansur, died on the hajj to Mecca in 775. The throne then passed to Al-Mansur's chosen successor, his son Al-Mahdi. According to Marozzi, "[it] was, by the standards of the future, blood-soaked successions of the Abbasid caliphate, a model of order and decorum."[5] whose nickname means "Rightly-guided" or "Redeemer", was proclaimed caliph when his father was on his deathbed. His peaceful reign continued the policies of his predecessors. with the Alids in the Caliphate occurred under al-Mahdi's reign. The powerful Barmakid family, which had advised the Caliphs since the days of Abu al's as viziers, gained even greater powers under al-Mahdi's rule, and worked closely with the caliph to ensure the prosperity of the Abbasid state. of Al-Mahdi, 166 AH, Kirman, silver 2.95 g. reigned for ten years. He imprisoned his most trusted vizier Ya'qub ibn Dawud. In the year 167 AH/ 783 AD, al-Mahdi instituted an official inquisition which led to the execution of alleged Zindiq (heretics). He was fond of music and poetry and during his caliphate many musicians and poets received his patronage and he supported musical expression and poetry across his dominion; accordingly, his son Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi (779-“839) and his daughter ˜Ulayya bint al-Mahdi (777-825) were both noted poets and musicians.[6] 775, a Byzantine envoy, Tarath, travelled to Baghdad to convey the congratulations of the Byzantine emperor to Al-Mahdi on his accession to the throne. Tarath was so pleased with the hospitality he received that he offered to put his engineering knowledge to use and build a mill that would generate annual profits, of 500,000 dirhams, equal to the cost of its construction. On completion, the envoy's forecast proved to be correct, and so, delighted, Al-Mahdi ordered that all profits should be given to the envoy, even after he left Baghdad. It is believed this continued to his death, in 780.[7] 777 AD (160 AH) he put down the insurrection of Yusuf ibn Ibrahim in Khurasan. In the same year al-Mahdi deposed Isa ibn Musa as his successor and appointed his own son Musa al-Hadi in his place and took allegiance (bayah) for him from the nobles. In 778 AD (161 AH), he subdued the rebellion of Abdullah ibn Marwan ibn Muhammad, who was leading the Umayyad remnant in Syria. was poisoned by one of his concubines in 785 AD (169 AH). Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30;

Mesopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi, internal chaos, power struggles with mother
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi; Muhammad Musa ibn Mahdi al-Hadi (Arabic: Ø£Ø¨Ùˆ Ù…ØÙ…Ø¯ Ù…ÙˆØ³Ù‰ Ø¨Ù† Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù‡Ø¯ÙŠ الهادي‎; 26 April 764 CE – 14 September 786 CE)[1] was the fourth Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father Al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 AD) until his death in 170 AH (786 AD). His short reign ended with internal chaos and power struggles with his mother.[2]

Mesopotamia, 786-809, Abbasid Caliph, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia, Bagdad library, knowledge, Golden Age peak
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; al-Rashid ( "Aaron the Orthodox" or "Aaron the Rightly-Guided", 17 March 763 or February 766-“ 24 March 809 (148-“193 Hijri)[1] was the fifth Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided". ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in Baghdad in present-day Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.[2] his rule, the family of Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.[3] of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself.[4] Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious. of the Twelver sect of Shia Muslims blame Harun for his supposed role in the murder of their 7th Imam (Musa ibn Ja'far). New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Mesopotamia, 800-899, Abbasids in Bagdad, Bugha the Turk, Christian Caliph Mavi, Phrygian Martyrs

Mesopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 809-813, Al Amin, Shia
Abbasid Caliph, 809-813, Al Amin ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16;

Mesopotamia, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun, Martyrs of Ammoria
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Mesopotamia, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun, educated, algebra, Mutazilism, r persecution, Byz war
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid (14 September 786 - 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun, was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his half-brother al-Amin after a civil war, during which the cohesion of the Abbasid Caliphate was weakened by rebellions and the rise of local strongmen; of his domestic reign was consumed in pacification campaigns. educated and with a considerable interest in scholarship, al-Ma'mun promoted the Translation Movement, the flowering of learning and the sciences in Baghdad, and the publishing of al-Khwarizmi's book now known as "Algebra". is also known for supporting the doctrine of Mutazilism and for imprisoning Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the rise of religious persecution (mihna), and for the resumption of large-scale warfare with the Byzantine Empire. 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Mesopotamia, 819-861, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir
Messopotamia, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, 819-861, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Mesopotamia, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutasim, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 833-842, Al-Mutasim, Shia ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ;

Mesopotamia, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, tSabbas, 36yrs solitude, dove miracle, 12yr bishop, converts Bagdad calif
Armenia, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), tSabbas a12, 36yrs solitude, bishop 12yrs, Consecration dove miracle, clairvoyant Stylite Theodosis his elder, tBagdad, converts calif Mavi, after healing him wDirt from Lord's grave, Mavi killed, fortells T's death, through 2 dreams tT and T tStylite, writings, read by 16-17th Century Rus; Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. his life the holy saint was a bright witness of the great deeds of God, glorified in His Saints. twelve years of age, after he lost his parents and gave away his inheritance to the poor, he went to Jerusalem, he was tonsured at the Lavra of the Saint Savva the Sanctified. twelve years of fervent monastic obedience and then another twenty-four years of full seclusion and great abstinence, the Lord called the valiant ascetic to be a bishop, so that he might enlighten the world. the death of the Bishop of Edessa, no worthier successor was found than Theodore, and with the mutual consent of the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem, and of the clergy and laity, this fine man was chosen bishop. was not easy for Saint Theodore to forsake his solitude, but he submitted himself to the will of God and undertook his pastoral guidance of the Edessa Church. occurred during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (842-855). the time of Saint Theodore’s episcopal consecration, there occurred a great miracle. The people beheld a dove, white as snow, flying about beneath the cupola of the church, which then alit upon the head of the newly-made bishop. Theodore devoted all his abilities to the governance of his flock. He was a model for the faithful in word, in life, in love. By the good example of his holy ascetic life, he guided the flock entrusted to him by God, onto the path of salvation. Theodore exerted much effort in the struggle with heretics, and with a firm hand he guarded the Church from temptations and false teachings. his consolation and support for Saint Theodore, the clairvoyant Elder Theodosius the Stylite also served the spiritual community while laboring in asceticism not far from the city, near the monastery of the holy Great Martyr George. the blessing of the Elder, Saint Theodore journeyed to Baghdad to the caliph Mavi to complain about unjust measures against the Orthodox. come to Mavi, the saint found him seriously ill. Calling on the help of the Lord, the holy bishop threw a bit of earth from the Sepulchre of the Lord into a vessel of water and gave it to the caliph to drink, and the sick one was healed. grateful Mavi, favorably disposed towards the saint, happily heard his teachings. Finally, together with three close associates, he accepted holy Baptism with the name John. afterwards for his open confession of faith in Christ before the Moslems, the caliph John was killed with his three associates. appeared in a dream simultaneously to Saint Theodore and to Theodosius the Stylite, he said that he had been granted to suffer for Christ, and was numbered among the ranks of the Martyrs. He promised that soon he would meet them in the Kingdom of Heaven. was an indication to the saint of God that his own end was approaching. 848, again in solitude at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified, he peacefully departed to the Lord. Theodore has left Christians his edifying writings. Life of Saint Theodore of Edessa was popular reading in Rus during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and was preserved in many manuscripts. Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Saint’s father was named Symeon, and his mother’s name was Maria. He received a good education and was distinguished for his philosophical knowledge, as well as for rhetoric. the age of ten he was left as an orphan and gave half of his parents’ wealth to his sister, and kept the other half himself. Sharing this with the poor, he departed for Jerusalem. There he venerated the holy places and, when he was nineteen years old, he became a monk in the Lavra of Saint Savva. Theodore remained there for twenty-four years, leading an ascetic and virtuous life, and became a renowned ascetic. of his great virtues, the Patriarch of Jerusalem made him Bishop of Edessa in 836. was an excellent Archpastor, with his vast theological knowledge, his many virtues, and above all, his great love, which he bestowed abundantly upon his flock. that time Edessa was plagued with many heresies: Arian, Nestorian, Eutychian, etc. holy hierarch instructed his flock in the Orthodox Faith in order to combat these errors. Theodore also went to see the Persian king in Babylon, asking him to protect the Orthodox Christians of Edessa from the malevolence of the heretics. King was very sick, but the Saint healed him and spoke to him about Christ. many days the King was baptized with the name John. returning to Edessa, Saint Theodore was informed in a vision that King John and his three bodyguards, who had been baptized with him, proclaimed their faith openly and received the unfading crown of martyrdom. the approach of death, Saint Theodore retired to the Lavra of Saint Savva. calling the clergy and laity of Edessa together and blessing them, he surrendered his holy soul to the Heavenly Father in the year 848. Basil of Emessa wrote the Saint’s life in Greek, which is preserved at the Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos.

Mesopotamia, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Shia, Probably Christian Caliph Mavi
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 842-847, Al-Wathiq ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9;

Mesopotamia, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 847-861, Al-Mutawakkil, Shia; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 862-866, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Musta'in, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 862-866, Al-Musta'in, Shia; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Michael ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Black-RobedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Mesopotamia, 866-86, Abbasid Caliph9, Al-Mu'tazz
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 866-869, Al-Mu'tazz; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 870-892, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 870-892, Al-Mu'tamid ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 892-902, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 892-902, Al-Mu'tamid; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 900-999, Abbasid's in Bagdad

Mesopotamia, 902-908, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muktafi

Mesopotamia, 908-932, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muqtadir
Abbasid Caliph, 908-932, Al-Muqtadir ; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17;

Mesopotamia, 932-934, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Qahir

Mesopotamia, 934-940, Abbasid Caliph, Ar-Radi

Mesopotamia, 940-944, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi

Mesopotamia, 944-946, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mustakfi

Mesopotamia, 946-974, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muti, trouble, too friendly with Orthodox Sunni's
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 946-974, Al-Muti; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9;

Mesopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 974-991, At-Tai
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 974-991, At-Tai;

Mesopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 991-1031, Al-Qadir
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 991-1031, Al-Qadir; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 1261-1517, History Folder, Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo, Shia

Mesopotamia, 1261-1517, Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo, Shia
Messopotamia, 1261-1517, Abbasid Caliphate of Cairo, Shia;

Mesopotamia, 1037-1194, Babylon History Folder, Seljuk Empire, Sunni

Mesopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1037-1063, Tughril
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1037-1063, Tughril ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Mesopotamia, 1105-1118, Seljuk sultan, Mehmed I of Baghdad
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1105-1118, Mehmed I of Baghdad ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Mesopotamia, 1118-1152, Seljuk sultan, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1118-1153, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Mesopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1152-1153, Malik-Shah III
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1152-1153, Malik-Shah III; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Mesopotamia, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate)
Messopotamia, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate ; Further conquests: 1200ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“1800 ; Timur or Tamerlan;

Mesopotamia, Euphrates River Folder

Samosata, Mesopotamia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Carrhae, Mesopotamia (modern Harran, near Edessa)
Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ;

Haran, Upper Mesopotamia, near Edessa, Syrian Mesopotamia, Assryia
Haran, Upper Messopotamia; (Arabic: حران, romanized: Ḥarrān), also known as Carrhae (Greek: Kάρραι, romanized: Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border crossing with Syria at Akçakale. was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. It was made a religiously and politically influential city through its association with the moon-god Sin; many prominent Mesopotamian rulers consulted with and renovated the moon-temple of Ekhulkhul in Harran. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 612–609 BC. city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University)[3][a] and the oldest mosque in Anatolia[b] (the Harran Grand Mosque [tr]).[5] Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate 744–750 and later under the Numayrid Emirate 990–1081. city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran retransitioned into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. Harran was a Turkish district until 1946, after when it was downgraded to a sub-district of the Akçakale district. It regained its status as a district in 1987.[6] Today, it is a major local tourist spot. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times. Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Holy Martyr Athenodorus, from Syrian Mesopotamia, led a monastic life from his youth. as a Christian, he was arrested and condemned to fierce tortures by the governor of the land, Eleusius. accompanied the martyrdom of the saint, converted many of the pagans to the Christian Faith. was beheaded in the year 304.

Nahor, Upper Messopotamia, near Haran
Haran, Upper Messopotamia; (Arabic: حران, romanized: Ḥarrān), also known as Carrhae (Greek: Kάρραι, romanized: Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border crossing with Syria at Akçakale. was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. It was made a religiously and politically influential city through its association with the moon-god Sin; many prominent Mesopotamian rulers consulted with and renovated the moon-temple of Ekhulkhul in Harran. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 612–609 BC. city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University)[3][a] and the oldest mosque in Anatolia[b] (the Harran Grand Mosque [tr]).[5] Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate 744–750 and later under the Numayrid Emirate 990–1081. city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran retransitioned into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. Harran was a Turkish district until 1946, after when it was downgraded to a sub-district of the Akçakale district. It regained its status as a district in 1987.[6] Today, it is a major local tourist spot. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times. Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11;

Edessa, Messopotamia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ;

British Empire - Iraq, in the Fertile Crescent, Ephrates River, Bagdad
British Empire - Iraq, in the Fertile Crescent, Ephrates River, Bagdad; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Baghdadi, Iraq (Euphrates River 7)
Baghdadi;

Babylon, Mesopotamia (between Tigris River 7 and Euphrates River 9)
Babylon Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated July 21 ; Chaldean; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Parmenius the Presbyter in Babylon; Martyr Helimenas the Presbyter in Babylon; Martyr Chrysotelus the Presbyter in Babylon; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon. Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated December 2; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Prophet Malachi, Commemorated January 3 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Commemorated on March 3; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Kapersana, Mesopotamia (Euphrates River 9)
Kapersana (Euphrates River 9) Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated January 23 ;

Chaldea, Messopotamia
Chaldea; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ;

the country beyond the river
Bacchides, Governor of the country beyond the river ”Euphrates, 1 Maccabees ch 7;

Samara, Messopotamia (Euphrates River 11)
Samara (Samawah) on the Euphrates River ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ;

Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home, Ephrates River 12)
Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamia, Tigris River Folder

Martyropolis in Mesopotamia (Tigris River 2)
Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16;

Dara, Mesopotamia or Syria, (Tigris River 3)
Dara (Mesopotamia); Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Nisibis, Mesopotamia (Tigris River 3)
Nisibis (Mesopotamia); Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia (high point 70 miles West of Tigris River 3)
Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia; Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Anastasiopolis, Mesopotamia (Dura or Dara, Tigris River 3)
Anastasiopolis, Messopotamia (Dura or Dara) Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Tigris River 6 (Samarra)

Samarra, Messopotamia (Tigris River 6)
Samarra (Tigris River 6); Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Eden, Mesopotamia (Tigris River 7, Ephrates River 9)
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Garden of Eden, Tree of Life
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Baghdad, Mesopotamia (Tigris River 7)
Baghdad (Tigris River 7) ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Seleucia, Mesopotamia, Syria & Persia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Tigris River Mouth (Kuwait, Euphrates River 13)

Mesopotamia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, and mountains

Mesopotamia (Clean), its Area
Mesopotamia, its Area

Mesopotamia, Syrian Mesopotamia, its Area
Syrian Mesopotamia, its Area

Mesopotamia, Assyrian Empire Headquarters, its Area

Mesopotamia within Arabian Plate, its Area

Haran, Upper Mesopotamia, near Edessa, Syrian Mesopotamia, Assryia
Haran, Upper Messopotamia;

Babylon, Mesopotamia (between Tigris River 7 and Euphrates River 9)
Babylon;

Edessa, Messopotamia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria;

Samosata, Mesopotamia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata;

Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia (high point 70 miles West of Tigris River 3)
Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia;

Eden, Mesopotamia (Tigris River 7, Ephrates River 9)
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia ;

Garden of Eden, Tree of Life
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia;

Assyrian Empire, its Area

Samara, Messopotamia (Euphrates River 11)
Samara (Samawah) on the Euphrates River ;

Artashat Baptism in the Eiuphrates, Closest Eiuphrates point to Artashat

Bagrevandi, Armenia and Mesopotamia, near Euphrates place of Baptism
Bagrevandi, Armenia;

India Folder (including Pakistan)

India
India; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19 ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS;

British Empire - India
India; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19 ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS;

British Empire - Maldives Islands - Indian Ocean Southsouthwest of India
British Empire - Maldives Islands - Indian Ocean Southsouthwest of India; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836)

British Empire, India (including Pakistan)
British Empire; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POOR ÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

India, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas
India, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

India, 30-376, Kushan Empire,
India, 30-375, Kushan Empire, 30-376; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 1434-1961, Portuguese India
India, Portuguese India,1434-1961 ;

India, 1605-1825, Dutch India (Ceylon and Malabar Coast)
India,1605-1825, Dutch India ;

India, 1612-1947, British India
British India,1612-1947;

India, 1620-1869, Danish India, East Coast North to South
India,1620-1869, Danish India ;

India, 1769-1954, French India (Only 200 sq. miles on Southeast Coast
India,1769-1954, French India;

Bay of Bengal

Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean (near India)
Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean (full view from the center)
Indian Ocean

India 33-1967, India History Folder

India, 000, 1st Century Folder, Apostles Thomas and Bartholomew, Buddhist Kushan Empire till 376

India, 30-376, and Afghanistan, Kushan Empire, Buddaist and Zoroastrian, trade with R Empire, Persia, and China
India, 30-375, Kushan Empire, 30-376; Kushan Empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of modern-day territory of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India,[16] at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great.[17] Emperor Kanishka and the Kushans in general were great patrons of Buddhism, as well as Zoroastrianism.[18] They played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China. Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation,[19][20] an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian[21][22][23][24][25] origin, who migrated from northwestern China (Xinjiang and Gansu) and settled in ancient Bactria.[20] Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language.[7] Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China. Kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the Roman Empire, Sasanian Persia, the Aksumite Empire and the Han dynasty of China. The Kushan Empire was at the center of trade relations between the Roman Empire and China: according to Alain Danilou, "for a time, the Kushana Empire was the centerpoint of the major civilizations".[26] While much philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record of the empire's history today comes from inscriptions and accounts in other languages, particularly Chinese.[27] Kushan empire fragmented into semi-independent kingdoms in the 3rd century AD, which fell to the Sasanians invading from the west, establishing the Kushano-Sasanian Kingdom in the areas of Sogdiana, Bactria and Gandhara. In the 4th century, the Guptas, an Indian dynasty also pressed from the east. The last of the Kushan and Kushano-Sasanian kingdoms were eventually overwhelmed by invaders from the north, known as the Kidarites, and then the Hephthalites.[12]

India, 30-80, Kushan Emperor, Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan E
India, Kushan Emperor, 30-80, Kujula Kadphises; Kadphises (reigned 30-“80 CE, or 40-90 CE according to Bopearachchi[1]) was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor. According to the Rabatak inscription, he was the great grandfather of the great Kushan king Kanishka I. He is considered the founder of the Kushan Empire.[1]

India, 38-72, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances

India, 38-72, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas
Arabs, 38-43, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

India, 54-91, Saint, Bartholomew, some writers say he preached in India
have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew" (M 10:3; P 3:18; L 6:14; but A 1:15). gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently (M 9:9). This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons: (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (A historical novel which may not be well researched informs me that a first-century Jew would be likely to use the patronymic instead of the forename as a mark of respect in speaking to a significantly older Jew.) "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)." (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated. St. Bartholomew, by Michaelangelo have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis (now Derbent, 42:03 N 48:18 E) on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin. The face on the skin is generally considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. by James Kiefer Indian Saint, 54-91, Bartholomew; was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He has also been identified as Nathanael or Nathaniel,[2] who appears in the Gospel of John when introduced to Jesus by Philip (who also became an apostle; John 1:43–51), although many modern commentators reject the identification of Nathanael with Bartholomew.[3] to the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Bartholomew's martyrdom is commemorated on the first day of the Coptic calendar (i.e., the first day of the month of Thout), which currently falls on September 11 (corresponding to August 29 in the Julian calendar). Eastern Christianity honours him on June 11 and the Catholic Church honours him on August 24. the Apostle is remembered in the Church of England with a Festival on 24 August.[4][5] Armenian Apostolic Church honours Saint Bartholomew along with Saint Thaddeus as its patron saints. Bartholomew is English for Bar Talmai comes from the Aramaic: bar-Tolmay native to Hebrew "son of Talmai", or farmer, "son of the furrows".[6] Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve Apostles of Jesus in the three synoptic gospels: Matthew,[10:1–4] Mark,[3:13–19] and Luke,[6:12–16] and also appears as one of the witnesses of the Ascension;[Acts 1:4, 12, 13] on each occasion, however, he is named in the company of Philip. He is not mentioned by the name "Bartholomew" in the Gospel of John, nor are there any early acta,[a] the earliest being written by a pseudepigraphical writer, Pseudo-Abdias, who assumed the identity of Abdias of Babylon and to whom is attributed the Saint-Thierry (Reims, Bibl. mun., ms 142) and Pseudo-Abdias manuscripts.[7][8] art Bartholomew is most commonly depicted with a beard and curly hair at the time of his martyrdom. According to legends he was skinned alive and beheaded so is often depicted holding his flayed skin or the curved flensing knife with which he was skinned; thus he is remembered and approved as saint of leather makers. [9] Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew" (M 10:3; P 3:18; L 6:14; but A 1:15). gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently (M 9:9). This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons: (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (A historical novel which may not be well researched informs me that a first-century Jew would be likely to use the patronymic instead of the forename as a mark of respect in speaking to a significantly older Jew.) "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)." (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated. St. Bartholomew, by Michaelangelo have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis (now Derbent, 42:03 N 48:18 E) on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin. The face on the skin is generally considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. by James Kiefer Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.â€ And from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Saints John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

India, 54-91, Bartholomew, lot for Syria & Asia Minor, 10 cities in Armenia, healed King's daughter, crucified u d
Armenian Saint, 54-91, Bartholomew; also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew" (M 10:3; P 3:18; L 6:14; but A 1:15). gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently (M 9:9). This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons: (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (A historical novel which may not be well researched informs me that a first-century Jew would be likely to use the patronymic instead of the forename as a mark of respect in speaking to a significantly older Jew.) "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)." (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated. St. Bartholomew, by Michaelangelo have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis (now Derbent, 42:03 N 48:18 E) on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin. The face on the skin is generally considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. by James Kiefer Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.” And from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Saints John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

India, Kushan Emperor, 80-90, Vima Takto
India, Kushan Emperor, 80-90, Vima Takto ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 90-100, Vima Kadphises
India, Kushan Emperor, 90-100, Vima Kadphises; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 100, 2nd Century History Folder, Buddhist Kushan Empire

India, Kushan Emperor, 100-140, Kanishka, Buddist
India, Kushan Emperor, 100-140, Kanishka ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 140-180, Huvishka
India, Kushan Emperor, 140-180, Huvishka ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 180-232, Vasudeva I
India, Kushan Emperor, 180-232, Vasudeva I ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 200, 3rd Century History Folder, Buddhist, Christian, Sasanian Kushan Empire, Saints Barlaam, Josaphat

India, 224-242, Ardashir I, Kushan Sasanian Emperor
India, Kushan Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 224-242, Barlaam and Josaphat, Kushan Saints
India, Kushan Saints, 78-78, Barlaam and Josaphat ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 232-245, Kanishka II, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 232-245, Kanishka II ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 245-265, Vasiska, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 245-265, Vasiska; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 265-275, Kanishka III, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 265-275, Kanishka III ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 275-300, Vasudeva II, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 275-300, Vasudeva II ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 300, 4th Century History Folder, Buddhist Christian Kushan Empire

India, 300-350, Shaka Kushan, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 300-350, Shaka Kushan; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 323-337, Barlaam tMonk & Prince Ioasaph of India, B revelation to visit I, Gem story&more
India, 323-337, Barlaam tMonk & Prince Ioasaph of India, Constantine's time, K Abenner hated Christians, decree, monks expecially, prophecy aI's birth, not suceed but better Christ's kingdom, I separated in huge palace, tutors only, only pleasant things, Hieromonk Barlaam led by revelation to visit Ioasaph. disguised as merchant w precious gem approached h best friend tTutor. weak eyes would be ruined by seeing the gem. only strong eyes and virtue. B allowed to see I. I realiezed Christ the precious pearl, B witnessed and baptized. ; Saints Barlaam the monk and Prince Ioasaph of India, Commemorated on November 19; Christian monks are mentioned in The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Ioasaph (November 19), by Saint John of Damascus (December 4). suffered in the IV century when King Abenner ruled India. hated Christians because they were converting his people to Christ, and some of them even became monks. King issued a decree ordering all Christians to renounce their Faith at once, threatening to torture and kill them if they did not comply. He had a special hatred for the monks, and persecuted them without mercy. Some Christians, unable to endure the torments, submitted to the King's decree, but the monks rebuked him for his wickedness. Some of them fled into the deserts and mountains, while others chose martyrdom. his son Ioasaph was born, King Abenner rejoiced and prepared a feast for his people. the guests were fifty-five astrologers, who were asked to predict the child's future. They spoke in general terms of great riches and power, saying that he would surpass all who had ruled before him. of them, the wisest of all, said that the child would not succeed Abenner, but instead he would enter a better and greater kingdom. Moreover, the astrologer said that Ioasaph would become a Christian. the King heard this he was angry and sorrowful, and took steps to prevent this from happening. He built a huge palace, and kept his son there. He would not permit anyone to approach the child, except for a few carefully chosen instructors. He charged them not to speak to the Prince about unpleasant topics such as death, old age, sickness, poverty, etc. He wanted them to speak to Ioasaph only about pleasant things. Above all, he did not want his son to hear anything about Christ or His doctrines. the King learned that there were still some monks left, he commanded heralds to go into the city and throughout the countryside and to proclaim that after three days, no monk would be allowed to live there. If any monks were discovered after that time, they would be executed. Barlaam, an experienced monk who was filled with every divine virtue, was led by a revelation from God to visit Prince Ioasaph. conceal his monastic garb, he disguised himself as a merchant. he arrived in the city where the Prince's palace was he remained for several days asking about the Prince and who had access to him. that the Prince's tutor was also his closest friend, he approached him and said that he had a precious gem, which he had never shown to anyone. said, "Now I will reveal this secret to you, seeing that you are wise and prudent, so that you may bring me before the king's son, and I will present it to him." tutor asked Barlaam to show him the gem before he would consent to go to the Prince with such a dubious tale. told him that the gem could not be seen, except by one whose eyesight was strong and sound, and his body undefiled. anyone who lacked these qualities were to gaze upon this precious treasure, he would lose his sight and also his mind. mentioned to the tutor that he had studied medicine, and he could tell that the tutor's eyes were not healthy, and that he did not wish to be the cause of the tutor losing his sight. went on to say that he had heard that the Prince's were healthy, and that he led a life of sobriety. Therefore, Barlaam said that he would show the treasure to the Prince. the palace, the tutor went to the Prince and told him about the merchant and his gem. When the Prince heard these words, he was filled with joy and gladness. He told the tutor to bring the merchant to him. spoke to him of many things, preparing him with parables before revealing that his Master was Christ, the Son of God. also proved to him the futility of idolatry. he told the Prince how God had created the world and everything in it, and how Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, but God promised to send a Redeemer to save people from their sins. He also spoke of Moses, and how God led His people into the Promised land. Then he proceeded to tell Ioasaph about Christ's Incarnation, His Crucifixion, His Death and Resurrection, and His glorious Ascension. Ioasaph came to realize that Barlaam was not describing a marvelous gem, but rather Christ, the Priceless Pearl. continued his instructions for many days in preparation for the Prince's Baptism. Then he baptized the Prince in a garden pool, according to his wish. Afterward, they went into the palace, where Barlaam offered the Bloodless Sacrifice and Ioasaph partook of the Holy Mysteries. years later, the King sent his chief counsellor Araches into the wilderness to search for Saint Barlaam, who had baptized Ioasaph. searched the deserts and remote places without finding him. They did happen to encounter seventeen monks, however, walking at the foot of a mountain. They were seized by the soldiers, and Araches questioned them about Barlaam, but the monks refused to tell him where he was. Araches said that if they did not bring Barlaam to him, they would die. monks replied that they did not fear death, so he tortured them. When he saw that nothing would make them talk, he decided to bring them to the King. Several days afterward, they appeared before the King, who subjected them to further torments. that nothing would induce them to betray Barlaam, the King had their eyes gouged out, and then cut off their arms and legs. All the while, the monks exhorted one another to accept death for the sake of Christ, and so they received their crowns of glory from the Lord. Saint John of Damascus compares the seventeen monastic martyrs to the seven holy Maccabees of the Old Testament (August 1).

India, 323-337, Ioasaph, Indian King, after 20yrs saw hKingdom, sins dimed beauty, entire hhold converted, became monk 35yrs
India, 323-337, Barlaam tMonk & Prince Ioasaph of India, Constantine's time, K Abenner hated Christians, decree, monks expecially, prophecy aI's birth, not suceed but better Christ's kingdom, I separated in huge palace, tutors only, only pleasant things, Hieromonk Barlaam led by revelation to visit Ioasaph. disguised as merchant w precious gem approached h best friend tTutor. weak eyes would be ruined by seeing the gem. only strong eyes and virtue. B allowed to see I. I realiezed Christ the precious pearl, B witnessed and baptized. , Ioasaph, Indian King, after 20yrs saw hKingdom, sins dimed beauty, entire hhold converted, became monk 35yrs; India, 323-337, Ioasaph, Indian King, after 20yrs saw hKingdom, sins dimed beauty, entire hhold converted, became monk 35yrs; to tradition, in the time of Constantine the Great there lived in India a pagan king named Abenner, who had only one son, Joasaph. was a wise administrator and fearless warrior, loyal to the Indian code of honor, courage and the hatred of Christians. the Prince was born, astrologers and wise men were called to prophesy the Prince's destiny as king. All of them said the same: that he would be a wise and powerful king. But one dared to tell the truth: the Prince would become Christian and give up his throne. The King was furious. He ordered every Christian to be killed or banned from the kingdom, and he put the Prince in a private, guarded castle to shield him from any possible Christian influence. twenty years of his life -- his entire childhood and youth -- Joasaph was confined to the castle. During this time he was taught the skills of wisdom and warfare. The King visited his son often, and was pleased to find his boy qrowing into a fine, strong young man. convinced that the prophecy was false, Abenner agreed to let the Prince see his future kingdom. The impression Joasaph received seemed mixed. The world was indeed a very beautiful place, but the sins, sorrows and eventual death of man dimmed its beauty in Joasaph's eyes, and made him doubtful. longer content with his luxuries in the palace he strove to find a life that was soul-fulfilling, unlike what he felt succession to the throne would be. the same time, the holy monk Barlaam was told by God that he must bring the salvation of God's word to the Prince over 1,000 miles away. time Elder Barlaam arrived and, disguised as a merchant with a "pearl of great price," was able to get into the castle. explained the Orthodox Christian faith to the young Prince, in the form of parables, and then from the Holy Gospel and the Epistles. the instructions of Barlaam the youth reasoned that the "pearl of great price" is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he believed in Him and desired to accept holy Baptism. the months that followed the entire household was converted, including King Abenner who eventually became a hermit. left, Abenner reposed and Joasaph became king. But he was not content there and missed his spiritual father. he gave his kingdom to relatives and went away to the desert in search of his teacher Barlaam. For two years he wandered about through the wilderness, suffering dangers and temptations, until he found the cave of Barlaam, laboring in silence. The Elder and the youth began to struggle together. Barlaam’s death approached, he served the Divine Liturgy, partook of the Holy Mysteries and communed Joasaph, then he departed to the Lord. lived in the wilderness for seventy of his one hundred years. he buried the Elder, Joasaph remained in the cave and continued his ascetic efforts. He dwelt in the wilderness for thirty-five years, and fell asleep in the Lord at the age of sixty. Joasaph’s successor as king, with the help of a certain hermit, found the incorrupt and fragrant relics of both ascetics in the cave, and he brought them back to his fatherland and buried them in a church built by the holy king Joasaph. portion of the holy relic of Saint Joasaph is in the Athonite Monastery of Xeropotamou, among other places. Saint Joasaph is celebrated in the Greek Calendar on August 26th, Saints Joasaph, Barlaam and Abenner are celebrated together in the Slavic Calendar on November 19th. ascribes the authorship of the tale of Barlaam and Joasaph to Saint John of Damascus, but in actuality Saint Euthymios the Athonite, a Georgian monk, translated the Georgian epic Balavariani dating back to the 10th century, into Greek in the year 1028, basing the theology of the text on Saint John of Damascus. the Latin Church Joasaph is known as Josaphat Saints Barlaam the monk and Prince Ioasaph of India, Commemorated on November 19; Christian monks are mentioned in The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Ioasaph (November 19), by Saint John of Damascus (December 4). suffered in the IV century when King Abenner ruled India. hated Christians because they were converting his people to Christ, and some of them even became monks. King issued a decree ordering all Christians to renounce their Faith at once, threatening to torture and kill them if they did not comply. He had a special hatred for the monks, and persecuted them without mercy. Some Christians, unable to endure the torments, submitted to the King's decree, but the monks rebuked him for his wickedness. Some of them fled into the deserts and mountains, while others chose martyrdom. his son Ioasaph was born, King Abenner rejoiced and prepared a feast for his people. the guests were fifty-five astrologers, who were asked to predict the child's future. They spoke in general terms of great riches and power, saying that he would surpass all who had ruled before him. of them, the wisest of all, said that the child would not succeed Abenner, but instead he would enter a better and greater kingdom. Moreover, the astrologer said that Ioasaph would become a Christian. the King heard this he was angry and sorrowful, and took steps to prevent this from happening. He built a huge palace, and kept his son there. He would not permit anyone to approach the child, except for a few carefully chosen instructors. He charged them not to speak to the Prince about unpleasant topics such as death, old age, sickness, poverty, etc. He wanted them to speak to Ioasaph only about pleasant things. Above all, he did not want his son to hear anything about Christ or His doctrines. the King learned that there were still some monks left, he commanded heralds to go into the city and throughout the countryside and to proclaim that after three days, no monk would be allowed to live there. If any monks were discovered after that time, they would be executed. Barlaam, an experienced monk who was filled with every divine virtue, was led by a revelation from God to visit Prince Ioasaph. conceal his monastic garb, he disguised himself as a merchant. he arrived in the city where the Prince's palace was he remained for several days asking about the Prince and who had access to him. that the Prince's tutor was also his closest friend, he approached him and said that he had a precious gem, which he had never shown to anyone. said, "Now I will reveal this secret to you, seeing that you are wise and prudent, so that you may bring me before the king's son, and I will present it to him." tutor asked Barlaam to show him the gem before he would consent to go to the Prince with such a dubious tale. told him that the gem could not be seen, except by one whose eyesight was strong and sound, and his body undefiled. anyone who lacked these qualities were to gaze upon this precious treasure, he would lose his sight and also his mind. mentioned to the tutor that he had studied medicine, and he could tell that the tutor's eyes were not healthy, and that he did not wish to be the cause of the tutor losing his sight. went on to say that he had heard that the Prince's were healthy, and that he led a life of sobriety. Therefore, Barlaam said that he would show the treasure to the Prince. the palace, the tutor went to the Prince and told him about the merchant and his gem. When the Prince heard these words, he was filled with joy and gladness. He told the tutor to bring the merchant to him. spoke to him of many things, preparing him with parables before revealing that his Master was Christ, the Son of God. also proved to him the futility of idolatry. he told the Prince how God had created the world and everything in it, and how Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, but God promised to send a Redeemer to save people from their sins. He also spoke of Moses, and how God led His people into the Promised land. Then he proceeded to tell Ioasaph about Christ's Incarnation, His Crucifixion, His Death and Resurrection, and His glorious Ascension. Ioasaph came to realize that Barlaam was not describing a marvelous gem, but rather Christ, the Priceless Pearl. continued his instructions for many days in preparation for the Prince's Baptism. Then he baptized the Prince in a garden pool, according to his wish. Afterward, they went into the palace, where Barlaam offered the Bloodless Sacrifice and Ioasaph partook of the Holy Mysteries. years later, the King sent his chief counsellor Araches into the wilderness to search for Saint Barlaam, who had baptized Ioasaph. searched the deserts and remote places without finding him. They did happen to encounter seventeen monks, however, walking at the foot of a mountain. They were seized by the soldiers, and Araches questioned them about Barlaam, but the monks refused to tell him where he was. Araches said that if they did not bring Barlaam to him, they would die. monks replied that they did not fear death, so he tortured them. When he saw that nothing would make them talk, he decided to bring them to the King. Several days afterward, they appeared before the King, who subjected them to further torments. that nothing would induce them to betray Barlaam, the King had their eyes gouged out, and then cut off their arms and legs. All the while, the monks exhorted one another to accept death for the sake of Christ, and so they received their crowns of glory from the Lord. Saint John of Damascus compares the seventeen monastic martyrs to the seven holy Maccabees of the Old Testament (August 1).

India, 350-376, Gandhara, Kushan Emperor
India, Kushan Emperor, 350-376 Gandhara ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 1400, 15th and 16th Century Folder, Portuguese India

India, 1434-1961, Portuguese India, string of fortresses along Indian Ocean, right after sea route discovery
India, Portuguese India,1434-1961 ; The State of India (Portugese India), was a colonial state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a sea route to the Indian Subcontinent by the Kingdom of Portugal. The capital of Portuguese India served as the governing centre of a string of Portuguese fortresses and settlements scattered along the Indian Ocean. first viceroy, Francisco de Almeida, established his headquarters at what was then Cochim, the present-day Cochin (Kochi), subsequent Portuguese governors were not always of viceroy rank. After 1510, the capital of the Portuguese viceroyalty was transferred to Velhas Conquistas (Old Conquests area) of present-day Goa and Damaon.[1] Present-day Mumbai (Bombay) was part of Portuguese India as Bom Baim until it was ceded to the British Crown in 1661, who in turn leased Bombay to the East India Company. Until the 18th century, the Portuguese governor in Goa had authority over all Portuguese possessions in the Indian Ocean, from southern Africa to southeast Asia. In 1752, Mozambique got its own separate government, and in 1844 the Portuguese Government of India stopped administering the territory of Macau, Solor and Timor, and its authority was confined to the colonial holdings on the Konkan and Malabar coasts of Western India. the time of the British Raj's dissolution in 1947, Portuguese India was subdivided into three districts located on modern-day India's western coast, sometimes referred to collectively as Goa: namely Goa; Damao, which included the inland enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli; and Diu. Portugal lost effective control of the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1954, and finally the rest of the overseas territory in December 1961, when it was annexed by India under the Nehru Government. spite of this, Portugal only recognised Indian control in 1974, after the Carnation Revolution and the fall of the Estado Novo regime, by a treaty signed on 31 December 1974.[2]

India, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, original Jesuit, India, verses to music, Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts
France, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, a Basque, evangelist, original Jesuit, Goa India, verses to music, Sri Lanka India, Malacca Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts, died in China, tireless energy, many converts est 6 digits ; Biscay Region; Basque People; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Xavier, or Francisco do Yasu y Javier, was a Basque. Basques are a people from the region of Biscay in northern Spain, whose language is unrelated to any other known language.) was born in 1506 and studied at the University of Paris, where he met Ignatius Loyola and joined together with him and five others in dedicating their lives to the will and service of God, and forming the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1534. 1541 Francis sailed with two companions from Portugal to the Portuguese colony of Goa on the west coast of India (arriving in May 1542), where he set about learning the language and writing a catechism for the instruction of converts. visited the prisons and the hospitals, conducted worship services among the lepers, and walked the streets ringing a bell to call the children for religious instruction. chief method of instructing the people was to write verses in their language setting forth the truths of the Christian faith, and set them to music. Both words and tunes tended to be "catchy," and his doggerel instructions were extremely popular and were sung everywhere. He preached tirelessly, both to the native peoples and to the Europeans living there. found to his dismay that the Portuguese settlers and soldiers of the colony were brutal in their treatment of the natives, and that, even aside from this, their manner of life did not commend their nominal faith to the native observer. He wrote boldly to the King of Portugal to complain: "It is possible that when our Lord God calls your Highness to his Judgement that your Highness may hear angry words from him: "Why did you not punish those who were your subjects and owned your authority, and were enemies to me in India?'" five months in Goa, Francis went to the east coast of India, near Sri Lanka (Ceylon), where he preached to a people called the Paravas, with considerable success until the ruler of Jaffna in northern Ceylon became alarmed and suppressed his mission by force. most of 1545 to 1547, Francis preached in Malacca (another Portuguese possession) and other places on or near the Malay Peninsula. he encountered a Japanese expatriate (Anjiro, later baptized as Paul), and became interested in the possibility of a Japanese mission. After a brief return to Goa, he set out for Japan with another Jesuit priest and three Japanese converts. Here he learned the language, wrote a catechism, and preached. authorities welcomed him in some towns and prevented him from teaching in others. Altogether Francis, the first to preach the Gospel in Japan, made perhaps 2000 converts there. then determined to carry the Gospel to China, at that time closed to outsiders. He bribed a ship's captain to smuggle him into the country, but had barely arrived there when he was stricken with fever and died on 3 December 1552. His body was brought back to Goa and buried there. all acounts, he was a man who preached the Gospel with tireless energy, and with great power and effectiveness. Estimates of the number of converts that he personally baptized vary, but some of them are in the six-digit range. One biographer says that he preached to more persons than anyone else since New Testament times. wrote as follows in a letter to Ignatius: many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going around the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and crying out to the scholars: "What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven, thanks to you!" thought would certainly stir most of them to listen actively to what God is saying to them. They would forget their own desires and give themselves over entirely to God's will and his choice. They would cry out with all their heart: "Lord, here am I! Send me. Send me anywhere you like -- even to India!" by James Kiefer

India, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Dutch, British, Danish India

India,1605-1825, Dutch India
India,1605-1825, Dutch India ;

India,1620-1869, Danish India
India,1620-1869, Danish India ;

India, 1700, 18th Century History Folder, French India

India, 1769-1954, French India, mostly east coast
India,1769-1954, French India, mostly east coast, The enclaves were Pondichéry, Karikal, Yanaon (Andhra Pradesh) on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast and Chandernagor in Bengal. The French also possessed several loges ('lodges', tiny subsidiary trading stations) inside other towns, but after 1816, the British denied all French claims to these, which were not reoccupied. India,1769-1954, French India;

India, 1800, 19th Century History Folder, English and Gandhi

India, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Anglican monasteries, Cowley, Oxfordshire
England, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Cowley, Oxfordshire, Society of St. John the Evangelist, Anglican monasteries, wealthy family, private tutor, t Christ Church Oxford, a school, degree, ordination, curacy aSubiton, 1850 vicar aCrowley Oxford, High Church, 1858 priest retreat, 1859 built new parish church, planned mission tIndia but bishop declined, time of English convents, 2 priests joined him to begin community, not purely contemplative, external ministries, devine office daily, hour meditation, summer retreat 4wks, later 2wks, other retreat days&silence days, concentrated oEssentials like life-vows, regular confession, choir office, prayer&meditation, priestly ministry, recognized bishop's authority but not to private life together, 1870-93 Society spread tUS, India, South Africa, American mission tour, 1884 Benson drafted Constitution & Rule, 1886 resigned Parish Vicar, 1890 resigned Superior, 1yr in India, 8yrs Boston, last 16yrs back at Home, celebrated Eucharist as long as he could stand, then weeled in chair every morning, died 1915; Society of St. John the Evangelist; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; Meux Benson (1824–1915) was a priest in the Church of England founder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the first religious order of monks in the Anglican Communion since the Reformation. into a wealthy family of London in 1824, was taught at home by a private tutor and entered Christ Church, Oxford. his degree and ordination and a curacy at Surbiton, in 1850 he became vicar of Cowley, Oxford. was considered High Church. 1858 Benson conducted a retreat for priests using material taken in part from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. 1859, having erected a new parish church dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, planned a mission to India but abandoned the plan at the request of his bishop. the time there were convents of Anglican women in England, and in 1865 two priests joined Benson in Cowley to begin community life under the name of Mission Priests of St. John the Evangelist with Benson as Superior. form of religious life instituted by Benson was not purely contemplative — its members engaged in active external ministry — they recited the Divine Office together daily in choir, and Benson emphasized contemplation. brothers were to get an hour's meditation daily if possible, he gave the community a summer retreat of four weeks, later reduced to fortnight. He prescribed other retreat days and silence days. a religious founder, he concentrated on essentials, which he reckoned life-vows, taken with precautions as to maturity; confession; office, and meditation; priestly ministry. fully recognized the authority of his bishop over the priests of the community, who were clergy of the diocese, not as extending to their private life together. 1870 to 1883 the Society spread to the United States, India, and South Africa. himself made an American mission tour. 1884 the society adopted a Constitution and Rule drafted by Benson. the creation of the Society, Benson had maintained his duties as a parish vicar. 1886 he resigned this charge to devote all his attention to the Society and its mission. 1890 Benson stepped aside for another to be elected Superior. spent one year in India, eight years at the American house in Boston. last sixteen years of Benson's life were lived at home again. celebrated the Holy Eucharist as long as he could stand at the altar, then was wheeled in a chair to his Communion every morning. He died on January 14, 1915. Wikipedia More information on Richard Benson is available from Project Canterbury.

India, 1877, Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi, non violent freedom fighter
India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated January 12;

India, 1891-1940, CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, priest and friend of the poor in India, St. Stephen's College, Delhi, Gandi's associate
India, 1891-1940, CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, priest and friend of the poor in India, St. Stephen's College, Delhi, Gandi's associate, relationship Gospel and Justice, persuaded G to return to India from S Africa, Indian indentured laborers in Fiji, radical discipleship in England, leave freedom struggle to Indians; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND œFRIEND OF THE POOR IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; Freer Andrews (1871 – 1940) was an English priest, educator and Indian freedom fighter who is best known as an associate of Mahatma Gandhi. greatly admired the philosophy of the young Mohandas Gandhi and was instrumental in convincing him to return to India from South Africa, where Gandhi was a leading light in the Indian civil rights struggle there. was affectionately known as Christ's Faithful Apostle, and also, for his contributions to the Indian Independence Movement the Mahatma and his students at St. Stephen's College, Delhi named him, Deenabandhu, or 'Friend of the Poor'. had been involved in the Christian Social Union since college, and was interested in exploring the relationship between a commitment to the gospel and a commitment to justice, through which he was attracted to struggles for justice throughout the British Empire, especially in India. 1904 he joined the Cambridge Brotherhood in Delhi and arrived there to teach philosophy at St. Stephen's College, where he famously grew close to many of his Indian colleagues and students. Increasingly dismayed by the racist behavior and treatment of Indians by British officials and civilians, he supported Indian political aspirations, and soon became involved in the activities of the Indian National Congress. known for his persuasive ways, intellect and keen sense of moral firmness, he was asked by senior Indian political leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale to visit South Africa and help the Indian community there resolve their political disputes with the Government. He met there a young Gujarati lawyer, Mohandas Gandhi who was attempting to organize the Natal Indian Congress and the Indian community to protest the racial discrimination and police legislation that infringed upon their civil liberties. was deeply impressed with Gandhi's knowledge of Christian values, and his espousal of the concept of ahimsa, non-violence - something that Gandhi mixed with inspiration from elements of Christian anarchism. He helped Gandhi organize an Ashram in Natal and publish his famous magazine, The Indian Opinion. the advice of several Indian Congress leaders and, significantly, that of Principal S K Rudra of St. Stephen's College, Andrews was instrumental in persuading Gandhi to return to India with him in 1915. news reached India of the mistreatment of Indian indentured labourers in Fiji, the Indian Government, in September 1915, sent Andrews and W.W. Pearson to make inquiries. The two visited numerous plantations and interviewed indentured labourers, overseers and Government officials and on their return to India also interviewed returned labourers. In their report, Andrews and Pearson highlighted the ills of the indenture system which led to a stop of further transportation of Indian labour to the British colonies. made a second visit to Fiji in 1917 and although reported on some improvements, was still appalled at the moral degradation of the indentured labourers. He called for an immediate end to indenture and the system of Indian indentured labour was formally abolished in 1920. this time, Gandhi reasoned to Andrews that it was probably best for sympathetic Britons like himself to leave the freedom struggle to Indians. So, from 1935 onwards, Andrews began to spend more time back in Britain, teaching young people all over the country about Christ’s call to radical discipleship. Gandhi's affectionate nickname for Andrews was Christ’s Faithful Apostle, based on the initials of his name, "C.F.A". He was widely known as Gandhi's closest friend and was perhaps the only major figure to address Gandhi by his first name, Mohan. Andrews died on April 5, 1940 during a visit to Calcutta, and is buried there. He is widely commemorated and respected in India, and was a major character portrayed by British actor Ian Charleson in the 1982 film Gandhi by Richard Attenborough. - more at Wikipedia

India, 1894-1945, VEDANYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST iNDIAN BISHOP, from YMCA evangelist to Indian Clergy&ED maker
India, 1894-1945, VEDANYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST iNDIAN BISHOP, Dornakal (railway junction, between Kirshna 6 and Godavari 10), priest father&Scripture loving mother, YMCA evangelist a19, YMCA India Secretary early 20's, saw Church needed indigenous leadership, tReduce western influences, from evangelism to Indian Clergy&Education, avid ecumenist for United Church, died right before united Church oSouth India; Dornakal, a railway junction; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Azariah was born in 1874 in a small village in South India, father, Thomas Vedanayagam being a simple village priest and his mother Ellen having a deep love and understanding of the Scriptures. became a YMCA evangelist whilst still only nineteen, secretary of the organisation throughout South India a few years later. saw that, for the Church in India to grow and attract ordinary Indians to the Christian faith, had to have an indigenous leadership reduce the strong western influences and almost totally white leadership that pervaded it. was ordained priest at the age of thirty-five and bishop just three years later, work moving from primary evangelism forwarding his desire for more Indian clergy the need to raise their educational standards. was an avid ecumenist and was one of the first to see the importance to mission of a united Church. died on 1 January 1945, just two years before the creation of a united Church of South India. from Exciting Holiness A biographical sketch of him, made some 20 years before his death, is available from Project Canterbury.

India, Northwest of India, Pakistan and its Indus River Folder

Pakistan (Indus River Basin)
Pakistan; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND œFRIEND OF THE POOR IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Indus River, Pakistan

Indus River Source (Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar)
Indus River; Tibetan Plateau;

Mt Kailash
Mt Kailash; Margaurite's 2017 Trip

Dorma La pass
Dorma La pass Mt Kailash; Margaurite's 2017 Trip

Indus River 1 (Tibet, China and Pakistan border)

Leh, Ladakh
Leh, Ladakh ; Margaurite's 2017 Trip

Indus River 2 (Gahkuch, Pakistan)

Indus River 3 (Gilgit, Pakisan)

Indus River 4 (Chilas, Kashmir, Pakistan)

Indus River 5 (Tarbela Dam)

Indus River 6

Indus River 7

Hydaspes River in Punjab, India (Pakistan, Indus River 7)
Hydaspes River in Punjab, India (Pakistan); Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Hydaspes River

Indus River 8

Indus River Mouth (Arabian Sea)

India, Northern India Folder, Ganges River and Grand Trunk Road

India, Northern India, Grand Trunk Road Folder (between South China and Afganistan)

India, Northern India, Ganges River Folder

Ganges River

World Council of Churches 1961
New Delhi, India ; World Council of Churches 1961 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Ganges River Source 1 (Western Himalayas)
Ganges River; Himalayas; Ganga;

Himalayan Mountains
Himalayan Mountains;

Ganges River Source 2

Ganges River 1

Ganges River 2

Ganges River 3 (Gangetic Plain Begins)

India, Northern India, Ganges River 3, New Delhi Folder, Grand Trunk Road 9

Delhi and New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India ; World Council of Churches 1961 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India ; World Council of Churches 1961 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Upper Ganges Canal

Ganges Canal Irrigates Southwest

Lower Ganges Canal 1

St. Stephen's College, Delhi, 1881
St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Hindustan, India
Indo-Gangetic Plain ; Hindustan; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ;

Lower Ganges Canal

Lower Ganges Canal 2

Ganges Canal Branch 2

Ganges River 4

Ganges Canal Branch 1

India, Northern India, Ganges River 10, Son River Folder

Son River

Son River Source (Amarkantak)
Amarkantak;

Son River (Sidhi)
Sidhi;

Son River (Dehri)
Dehri;

Son River Mouth (Ganges River 10)
Son River;

Pataliputra (Patna, Traditional Capital (Palace) of India)
Pataliputra (Patna, Traditional Capital of India); Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19

Bankipur, Grand Trunk Road 6, Ganges 10, India, near Patna, Traditional Capital (Palace) of India
Bankipur, Grand Trunk Road, India, near Patna, Traditional Capital (Palace) of India; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated 5 April;

India, Northern India, Ganges River 10, Gandaki River Folder

Gandaki River

Gandaki River Source (Nhubine Himal Glacier, China)

Gandaki River (Lo Manthang, Nepal)
Lo Manthang;

Gandaki River (Jomsom, Mustang District, Nepal)
Jomsom, Mustang District ;

Gandaki River (Beni, Dhawalagiri Zone, Nepal)
Beni, Dhawalagiri Zone ;

Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu; Margaurite's 2017 Trip

Gandaki River (Bagaha, India)
Bagaha, India;

Gandaki River Mouth (Patna, Ganges River 10)
Gandaki River

Ganges River 12 (Hooghly River Source)

India, Northern India, Ganges River 12, Hooghly River Folder

Hooghly River

Hooghly River Source (Ganges River 12)

Hooghly River 1

Hooghly River 2

Hooghly River 3

Serampore Colony, India, Danish (Hooghly River 4)
Serampore Colony, India, Danish (Hooghly River 4); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834 ; William Carey (missionary); LIFE OF WILLIAM CAREY, Shoemaker & Missionary;

Hooghly River 5 (Calcutta)

Calcutta, India (Hooghly River 5)
Calcutta WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

St. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta, 1847
St. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta, 1847; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2;

Fort William College, Fort William, Calcutta, 1800
Fort William College, Fort William, Calcutta, 1800; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated October 19;

Hooghly River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)

Midnapore, Northern India, not far from Hooghly River Mouth
Midnapore, Northern India, not far from Hooghly River Mouth; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated October 19;

Brahmaputra River

Brahmaputra River, West Fork

Brahmaputra River, East Fork

Ganges River Mouth (Bay of Bengal Indian Ocean)

Punpun River

India, Northwest India Folder, Gujarat State

Gujarat State, Northwestern India
State of Gujarat; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND FRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Thar Desert, India
Thar Desert;

Sabarmati Ashram
Ashram; Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi stayed.; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; (Charles Freer Andrews) helped Gandhi organize an Ashram in Natal and publish his famous magazine, The Indian Opinion.

Natal, India (Ahmedabad)
Natal; Ashram; Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi stayed.; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; (Charles Freer Andrews) helped Gandhi organize an Ashram in Natal and publish his famous magazine, The Indian Opinion.

Sabarmati River

Sabarmati River Source (Aravalli Range)
Sabarmati River Source (Aravalli Range);

Sabarmati River Mouth (Gulf of Cambay, Arabian Sea)

Narmada River

Narmada River Source (upper Madhya Pradesh)
Madhya Pradesh;

Narmada River Mouth (Gulf of Cambay)
Narmada River;

Tapti River
Tapti River;

Tapti River Source (Saptura Range)
Saptura Range;

Tapati River (Panzara River Mouth)
Panzara River;

Tapti River Mouth (Gulf of Cambay)
Tapti River;

Arya Mahila Samaj Hostel, Mumbai, India, 1881
Arya Mahila Samaj Hostel, Mumbai, India; Station, Building No 10, Dr Kashibai Navrange Marg, Nana Chowk, Near, Gamdevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400007, India PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ;

India, Western India Folder, Goa and the Western Ghats

Goa, India - Portuguese colony of Goa
Portuguese colony of Goa on the west coast of India; Portuguese Conquest of Goa (1510); FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Goa River 1

Goa River 2

Goa River 3

Bastoria, Goa, India
Bastoria, Goa, India; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Western Ghats 1 of 3
Western Ghats;

Western Ghats 2 of 3
Western Ghats;

Western Ghats 3 of 3
Western Ghats;

India, Northcentral India Folder, Mahanadi and Brahmani Rivers

Kurnool district (Bay of Bengal, Brahmani and Hooghly Rivers)
Kurnool district; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Eastern Ghats 3 of 3
Eastern Ghats;

Chota Nagpur Plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau; Indo-Gangetic Plain;

Sankh River

Sankh River Source (along the border)

South Koel River

South Koel River Source (near Ranchi, Chota Nagpur Plateau)
South Koel River;

Brahmani River

Brahmani River Source (Sankh and South Koel Rivers)

Brahmani River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)
Brahmani River;

Mahanadi River

Mahamadi River 2

Mahanadi River Source (Sihawa, along the border)

Mahanadi River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)

India, South Central India Folder, Godavari, Kirshna and Penner Rivers

Eastern Ghats 2 of 3
Eastern Ghats;

India, South Central, Godavari River Folder

Godavari River

Godavari River Source (Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple)
Godavari River; Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple;

Godavari River 1

Godavari River 2

Godavari River 3

Dummagudem, District of Dummagudem, India (Godavari River 10)
District of Dummagudem; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Dornakal (railway junction, between Kirshna 6 and Godavari 10)
Dornakal, a railway junction; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Godavari River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)

Godavery district (Khammam District, Godavery River)
Godavery district (Khammam District, Godavery River); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

India, South Central, Kirshna River Folder

Kirshna River
Krishna River;

Krishna River Source (Mahabaleshwar, Western Ghats)
Mahabaleshwar; Krishna River;

Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission (PRMM), Prune, India, 1889
Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission (PRMM), Prune, India; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ;

Kirshna River 1 (Koyna River Mouth)
Koyna River;

Kirshna River 1.1 (Venna River Mouth)
Venna River;

Krishna River 2 (Sangli)
Sangli;

Kirshna River 3 (Malaprabha River Mouth)
Malaprabha River;

Kirshna River 4 (Bhima River Mouth)
Bhima River;

Telugu, South Central India, Land of the Telugu people, Andhra Pradesh Region
Land of the Telugu people; Pradesh (English: /ËŒÉ‘ËndrÉ™ prÉ™ËˆdÉ›Êƒ/ Telugu: [Ã£ËndÊ±rÊŒ prÊŒdeËÉ•] About this soundlisten (help·info)) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India.[12] It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of 162,975 km2 (62,925 sq mi)[6] and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants.[13][14] is bordered by Telangana to the north-west, Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the north-east, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east.[15] has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat, of about 974 km (605 mi).[16] Pradesh is the first state to be formed on a linguistic basis in India on 1 October 1953.[17] Pradesh was once a major Buddhist pilgrimage site in India and a Buddhist learning center which can be seen in many sites in the state in the form of ruins, chaityas and stupas[18][19] Pradesh is also known as the land of the world-famous diamond Koh-i-Noor and many other global known diamonds due to their presence in its Kollur Mine once.[20] is also known as the "rice bowl of India" for being a major producer of rice in India.[21] official language is Telugu; one of the classical languages of India, the fourth most spoken language in India and the 11th-most spoken language in the world.[22][23] inhabitants were known as the Andhras, tracing their history to the Vedic period when they were mentioned in the 8th century BCE Rigvedic text Aitareya Brahmana. to the Aitareya Brahmana, the Andhras left North India from the banks of river Yamuna and migrated to South India.[24][25] Assaka Mahajanapada (700–300 BCE) was an ancient kingdom located between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers in southeastern India accounts that people in the region are descended from the Viswamitra are found in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.[26][clarification needed] region also derives its name from Satavahanas who are also known as Andhras, the earliest kings of Andhra Pradesh and India.[27] peoples supported local art culture by building temples and sculptures of the Buddhist monuments in the state.[24] It was ruled by Satavahanas, Eastern Chalukyas, Andhra Ikshvakus, Vijayanagara Empire, Mauryan Empire, Cholas, Pallavas, Salankayanas, Vishnukundinas, Kakatiyas and In the 3rd century BCE, Andhra was a vassal kingdom of Ashoka but after his death Andhra became powerful and extended its empire to the whole of Maratha country and beyond.[28] Pradesh comprises two major regions, namely Rayalaseema in the south-west and Coastal Andhra bordering the Bay of Bengal in the east and The state has a total of thirteen districts, nine located in Coastal Andhra and four in Rayalaseema. The state also has a union territory, Yanam - a district of Puducherry which lies to the south of Kakinada in the Godavari delta on the eastern side of the state. It is the only state with three capitals. The largest city and commercial hub of the state, Visakhapatnam being the executive capital while Amaravati and Kurnool serve as legislative and judicial capitals respectively.[30] The Economy of Andhra Pradesh is the seventh-largest state economy in India with ₹9.33 trillion (US$130 billion) in gross domestic product and a higher than national average per capita GDP of ₹164,000 (US$2,300).[8] Andhra Pradesh ranks 27th among Indian states in Human Development Index (HDI).[9] Andhra Pradesh has a jurisdiction over almost 15,000 square kilometres (5,800 sq mi) of territorial waters.[6][31] Pradesh hosted 121.8 million visitors in 2015, a 30% growth in tourist arrivals over the previous year, making it the third most-visited state in India.[32] The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the world's most visited religious sites, with 18.25 million visitors per year.[33] The region is also home to a variety of other pilgrimage centres, such as the Pancharama Kshetras, Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga and Kodanda Rama Temple. state's natural attractions include the beaches of Visakhapatnam, hill stations such as the Araku Valley and Horsley Hills, and the delta of Konaseema in the Godavari River delta. VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Deccan Plateau, India
Deccan Plateau;

Krishna River 5 (Tungabhadra River Mouth)
Tungabhadra River;

Kistna district (Krishna District, Krishna River)
Kistna district (Krishna District) ; Krishna District; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Hyderabad State, South Central India, central river between Godavari and Kirshna
Hyderabad State ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Kirshna River 6 (Musi River Mouth)
Musi River;

Krishna River 7 (Vijayawada)
Vijayawada

Guntur (American Evangelical Lutheran Mission)
Guntur District; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Krishna River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)
Krishna River;

Noble College at Masulipatam (Kirshna River Mouth)
Noble College at Masulipatam ; Madras University, Machilipatnam; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

India, South Central, Penner River Folder

Pennar River

Penner River Source (Nandi Hills)

Pennar River 1 (Chitravathi River Mouth)

Chitravathi River

Pennar River 2 (Papagni River Mouth)

Kurnool District (northwest part of Andhra Pradesh State between Pennar and Kirshna rivers)
Kurnool District (northwest part of Andhra Pradesh State); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2;

Cuddapah District (Kadapa District, South of Penner River, Southern part of Andhra Pradesh State)
Cuddapah District (Kadapa District, Penner River) ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2;

Papagni River

Sagileru River

Penner River 3 (Cheyyeru River Mouth)

Cheyyeru River

Penner River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)

India, Southern India Folder with Ceylon, Tamraparni and Kaveri Rivers and Madras

South India
South India; Church of South India; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Eastern Ghats 1 of 3
Eastern Ghats;

Tamil, South India, Land of the Tamil People
Land of the Tamil People; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

India, Southern India, Madras and Meliapur Folder

Madras, India
Madras; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Paravas People of Southern India
Paravas People of Southern India; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3;

Meliapur, India
Meliapur, India ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ;

Dioceses of Saint Thomas of Mylapore
Dioceses of Saint Thomas of Mylapore ; Meliapur, India ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ;

India, Southern India, Kaveri River Folder

Kaveri River

Kaveri River Source (Western Ghats)
Kaveri River Western Ghats;

Talakaveri Temple (Source of the Kaveri River) 300 AD 4th Century
Talakaveri Temple;

Kaveri River Mouth (Bay of Bengal)

India, Southern India, Tamraparni River Folder

Tamraparni River

Tamraparni River Source (Pothigai Peak, Southern Ghats)
Tamraparni River;

Kerala district, southern India
Kerala district; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ;

Tamraparni River 1

Gadananathi River Mouth (Tamraparni River 1)

Pachaiyar River Mouth (Tamraparni River 1.5)

Tamraparni River 2 (Tinnevelly)

Tinnevelly (Tamraparni River 2)
Tinnevelly; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2;

Chittar River Mouth (Tamraparni River 2.5)

Tamraparni River 3

Tamraparni River Mouth (Palk Strait)

India, Southern India, Ceylon Folder

Sri Lanka, India (Ceylon)
Sri Lanka (Ceylon); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Ceylon, India (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka (Ceylon); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

British Empire - Ceylon, India (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka (Ceylon); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Jaffna, Celon, India
Jaffna; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ;

India (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Places Folder

India (Clean), its Area
India, its Area

India (Clean), Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal

India (Clean), Northwest of India, Pakistan and its Indus River Folder

India (Clean), Northern India Folder, Ganges River and Grand Trunk Road

Delhi and New Delhi, India, Grand Trunk Road 9
New Delhi, India ; World Council of Churches 1961 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Bankipur, Grand Trunk Road 6, Ganges 10, India, near Patna, Traditional Capital (Palace) of India
Bankipur, Grand Trunk Road, India, near Patna, Traditional Capital (Palace) of India;

Calcutta, India (Hooghly River 5)
Calcutta

India (Clean), Northwest India Folder, Gujarat State

Sabarmati Ashram
Ashram; Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi stayed.; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND œFRIEND OF THE POOR IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; (Charles Freer Andrews) helped Gandhi organize an Ashram in Natal and publish his famous magazine, The Indian Opinion.

India (Clean), Western India Folder, Goa and the Western Ghats

India (Clean), Northcentral India Folder, Mahanadi and Brahmani Rivers

India (Clean), South Central India Folder, Godavari, Kirshna and Penner Rivers

India (Clean), South Central, Godavari River Folder

Arya Mahila Samaj Hostel, Mumbai, India, 1881
Arya Mahila Samaj Hostel, Mumbai, India;

India (Clean), South Central, Kirshna River Folder

Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission (PRMM), Prune, India, 1889
Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission (PRMM), Prune, India;

India (Clean), South Central, Penner River Folder

India (Clean), Southern India Folder with Ceylon, Tamraparni and Kaveri Rivers and Madras

India (Clean), Southern India, Madras and Meliapur Folder

India (Clean), Southern India, Kaveri River Folder

India (Clean), Southern India, Tamraparni River Folder

India (Clean), Southern India, Ceylon Folder

Armenia Folder, its rivers and mountains, Greater A includes Pontine, Cappadocia, Edessa, Georgia

Armenia, 331 BC-428 AD, Great Armenia, including Christian Armenia from 1st Century
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Great Armenia, 331 BC-428 AD, buffer state between Roman Empire and Persia
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, Eastern part of the Roman Empire, Artaz Region, High Point, Ephrates River Source
Eastern part of the Roman Empire ; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28;

Armenia, Country between Kura and Tigrus Rivers
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, Greater Armenia Area till 461, Buffer State for Western Roman Empire

Armenia, a highland plateau, Aras River Valley, behind Mount Ararat
Armenia; Mount Ararat; Armenian Plateau; Aras River; 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated on July 10; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18 ; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915, April 24th ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Armenian History Folder

Armenia, 3000BC-2000BC, Dots 3-5, Noah and the Flood, Mt Ararat

Armenia, 3000BC-2000BC, Dots 3-5, Noah & the Flood, Mount Ararat, Armenia (south of Aras River 7)
Garden of Eden (Tigres River 7-8) & Ararat Mts; Walked with God Because Noah walked with God and stood blameless among the people of that time, God gave him specific instructions for building the ark by which Noah and his family would survive the coming flood. Location - Eden, Babylon, Chaldea? Building the Ark Noah followed the building instructions down to every detail. Then a week before the flood (Gen. 7:4), Noah led his family and all of the animals into the ark just as God directed Location - Eden? and The Flood After seven days, the rain began and lasted for 40 days. As he sought to know whether it was safe to leave the ark, he sent out first a raven and then a dove. When the dove returned with an olive leaf, Noah knew the water had receded. Location - Mt Ararat, Ararat Mts. - Eden? Lord’s covenant with Noah Once out of the ark, Noah built an altar and sacrificed clean animals as burnt offerings on the altar. Then the Lord promised never again to destroy living creatures as He had done in the flood and established a covenant with Noah and his sons and sealed that covenant with a rainbow. See Covenant Location - Mt Ararat, Ararat Mts ’s sin exposed The sinful nature of humanity is one thing that remained preserved on the ark. Once on dry ground, Noah planted a vineyard, drank of its wine, became drunk, and exposed himself in his tent. Ham informed Shem and Japheth about their father's nakedness. The latter two showed respect for their father and covered him. As a result, they received rich blessings for their descendants from Noah. Ham in turn received a curse for his descendant: Canaan. Noah lived another 350 years after the flood and died at the age of 950 years Location - Eden area? Righteous Noah, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Noah is mentioned in the Book of Genesis (chapters 5-9). the wicked deeds of men, God decided to destroy man from the earth, and even cattle, reptiles, and birds. But Noah found favor with the Lord, Who spared him, his sons and their wives. Therefore, God commanded Noah to build an ark and take two pairs of every creature into it. Then it rained for forty days and nights, and men and animals perished in the flood. The water remained on the earth for 150 days, then God blessed Noah and his sons, telling them to increase and multiply (Genesis 9:7). Noah's sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, the earth was repopulated, and God promised not to destroy the world by water again. Noah reposed at the age of 950 (Genesis 9:29). The ark is a figure of the Church, which is called the Ark of Salvation. speaking about the end of the world, the Savior told His disciples: "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man" (Matthew 24:37-39). Mount Ararat;

Armenia, 3000BC-2000BC, Dots 3-5, Noah's Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations
Noah's Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations;

Armenia, 321 BC - 600, Folder, Great Armenia to Great Christian Armenia

Armenia, 321 BC - 428 AD, Great Armenia
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, 4 BC - 50 AD, Armenian and Syrian King, Abgar V, Christian
Syrian King, BC 4 - AD 50, Abgar V; Translation of the Image Not-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Armenia, 000, 1st Century Folder, King Abgar, Apostle Andrew, King Tiridates, Apostle Jude

Armenia, 4 BC - 50 AD, Armenian and Syrian King, Abgar V, first Christian King, converted by Thaddeus
Syrian King, BC 4 - AD 50, Abgar V; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Armenia, 30-44. Apostle Thaddeus, from Edessa, Converted King Abgar, people and pagan priests
Armenia, 30-44. Apostle Thaddeus, Converted King Abgar, people and pagan priests; to Eastern Christian tradition, Thaddeus of Edessa [1] was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus. He is possibly identical with Thaddaeus, one of the Twelve Apostles.[2] From an early date his hagiography is filled with legends and fabrications. The saint himself may be entirely fictitious.[3] Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50). Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Armenia, 30-44, Apostle Thaddeus of 70 from Edessa, Armenia, converted Armenian King Agbar in Edessa, estab churches E&Beirut
Armenia, 30-44, Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy from Edessa, Armenia (abundant water), baptized by John, sent out by Jesus, home to convert Agbar, estab churches in E and Beirut; Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50).

Armenia, 30-67, Apostle Herodion, Patara, north to south Armenian Trade Route, Black Sea to Lake Van
Patara (Cappadocia); city lay on the major trade road from Trapezus on the Black Sea to Satala, and thence to Lake Van. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; looking up Patara in Herodion's story, I discovered the Armenian trade route North to South from Silk Road at Trebizond to Great Road at Melitene, Samosata and Edessa and then East to West from Edessa to Yerevan along the Upper Euphrates. still do not know if this is the correct Patera for Herodion's story, but it was an important high point and fort along an important Trade Route Herodion (Rodion), Agabus, Asyncritus, Rufus, Phlegon and Hermes were among the Seventy Apostles, chosen by Christ and sent out by Him to preach (Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles: January 4). holy Apostle Herodion was a relative of Saint Paul, and his companion on many journeys. When Christianity had spread to the Balkan Peninsula, the Apostles Peter and Paul established Saint Herodion as Bishop of Patara. Saint Herodion zealously preached the Word of God and converted many of the Greek pagans and Jews to Christianity. by the preaching of the disciple, the idol-worshippers and Jews with one accord fell upon Saint Herodion, and they began to beat him with sticks and pelt him with stones. One of the mob struck him with a knife, and the saint fell down. But when the murderers were gone, the Lord restored him to health unharmed. Herodion continued to accompany the Apostle Paul for many years. When the holy Apostle Peter was crucified (+ c. 67), Saint Herodion and Saint Olympos were beheaded by the sword at the same time. holy Apostle Agabus was endowed with the gift of prophecy. He predicted (Acts 11:27-28) the famine during the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-52), and foretold the suffering of the Apostle Paul at Jerusalem (Acts 21:11). Saint Agabus preached in many lands, and converted many pagans to Christ. Rufus, whom the holy Apostle Paul mentions in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 16:11-15), was bishop of the Greek city of Thebes. Saint Asyncritus (Rom. 16:14) was bishop in Hyrcania (Asia Minor). Saint Phlegon was bishop in the city of Marathon (Thrace). Saint Hermes was bishop in Dalmatia (there is another Apostle of the Seventy by the name of Hermas, who was bishop in the Thracian city of Philippopolis). these disciples for their intrepid service to Christ underwent fierce sufferings and were found worthy of a martyr’s crown.

Armenia, 30-80, Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, went m places, c on Mt Ararat, Armenia, Epistle of J, truth in a few words
Armenia, 30-80, Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, crucified on Mount Ararat, Armenia (south of Aras River 7), Joseph's first wife's son, did not believe until Jesus' ministry, other names, went to Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Idumaia, Arabia, Syria, Messopotamia, Edessa, Persia, Epistle of J, truth in a few words ; Mount Ararat; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,” offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows.

Armenia, 30-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Sinope, Pathlegonia, Armenia
Philologus of Sinope; Armenia, 30-70, Apostle Philologus of the Seventy; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26;

Armenia, 33-50, Loginius, Centurion at Cross & Sepulchre & then Cappadocia, his head story
Cappadocia, 033-050, Loginius the Centurion at the Cross and then Cappadocia ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ; Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion, a Roman soldier, served in Judea under the command of the Governor, Pontius Pilate. our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified, it was the detachment of soldiers under the command of Longinus which stood watch on Golgotha, at the very foot of the holy Cross. and his soldiers were eyewitnesses of the final moments of the earthly life of the Lord, and of the great and awesome portents that appeared at His death. events shook the centurion’s soul. Longinus believed in Christ and confessed before everyone, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). to Church Tradition, Longinus was the soldier who pierced the side of the Crucified Savior with a spear, and received healing from an eye affliction when blood and water poured forth from the wound. the Crucifixion and Burial of the Savior, Longinus stood watch with his company at the Sepulchre of the Lord. soldiers were present at the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ. The Jews bribed them to lie and say that His disciples had stolen away the Body of Christ, but Longinus and two of his comrades refused to be seduced by the Jewish gold. They also refused to remain silent about the miracle of the Resurrection. come to believe in the Savior, the soldiers received Baptism from the apostles and decided to leave military service. Longinus left Judea to preach about Jesus Christ the Son of God in his native land (Cappadocia), and his two comrades followed him. fiery words of those who had actually participated in the great events in Judea swayed the hearts and minds of the Cappadocians; Christianity began quickly to spread throughout the city and the surrounding villages. they learned of this, the Jewish elders persuaded Pilate to send a company of soldiers to Cappadocia to kill Longinus and his comrades. When the soldiers arrived at Longinus’s village, the former centurion himself came out to meet the soldiers and took them to his home. After a meal, the soldiers revealed the purpose of their visit, not knowing that the master of the house was the very man whom they were seeking. Then Longinus and his friends identified themselves and told the startled soldiers to carry out their duty. soldiers wanted to let the saints go and advised them to flee, but they refused to do this, showing their firm intention to suffer for Christ. holy martyrs were beheaded, and their bodies were buried at the place where the saints were martyred. The head of Saint Longinus, however, was sent to Pilate. gave orders to cast the martyr’s head on a trash-heap outside the city walls. After a while a certain blind widow from Cappadocia arrived in Jerusalem with her son to pray at the holy places, and to ask that her sight be restored. After becoming blind, she had sought the help of physicians to cure her, but all their efforts were in vain. woman’s son became ill shortly after reaching Jerusalem, and he died a few days later. The widow grieved for the loss of her son, who had served as her guide. Longinus appeared to her in a dream and comforted her. He told her that she would see her son in heavenly glory, and also receive her sight. He told her to go outside the city walls and there she would find his head in a great pile of refuse. led the blind woman to the rubbish heap, and she began to dig with her hands. As soon as she touched the martyr’s head, the woman received her sight, and she glorified God and Saint Longinus. up the head, she brought it to the place she was staying and washed it. next night, Saint Longinus appeared to her again, this time with her son. They were surrounded by a bright light, and Saint Longinus said, “Woman, behold the son for whom you grieve. See what glory and honor are his now, and be consoled. God has numbered him with those in His heavenly Kingdom. Now take my head and your son’s body, and bury them in the same casket. Do not weep for your son, for he will rejoice forever in great glory and happiness.” woman carried out the saint’s instructions and returned to her home in Cappadocia. There she buried her son and the head of Saint Longinus. Once, she had been overcome by grief for her son, but her weeping was transformed into joy when she saw him with Saint Longinus. She had sought healing for her eyes, and also received healing of her soul.

Armenia, 34-63,Matthias,replaced Judas,studied u Simeon,many places,Survived poison, invisible, enemies engulfed, crucified

Armenia, 40-50, Pancratius, First Century Saint , picked up by Peter in Pontus, Pontine
Pontine, 40-50, First Century Saint Pancratius Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9; Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina, was born when our Lord Jesus Christ yet lived upon the earth. parents of Pancratius were natives of Antioch. Hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, Pancratius’ father took his young son with him and went to Jerusalem in order to see the great Teacher for himself. The miracles astonished him, and when he heard the divine teaching, he then believed in Christ as the Son of God. He became close with the disciples of the Lord, especially with the holy Apostle Peter. It was during this period that young Pancratius got to know the holy Apostle Peter. the Ascension of the Savior, one of the Apostles came to Antioch and baptized the parents of Pancratius together with all their household. When the parents of Pancratius died, he left behind his inherited possessions and went to Pontus and began to live in a cave, spendng his days in prayer and deep spiritual contemplation. The holy Apostle Peter, while passing through those parts, visited Pancratius at Pontus. He took him along to Antioch, and then to Sicily, where the holy Apostle Paul then was. There the holy Apostles Peter and Paul made Saint Pancratius Bishop of Taormina in Sicily. Pancratius toiled zealously for the Christian enlightenment of the people. In a single month he built a church where he celebrated divine services. The number of believers quickly grew, and soon almost all the people of Taormina and the surrounding cities accepted the Christian Faith. Pancratius governed his flock peacefully for many years. However, pagans plotted against the saint, and seizing an appropriate moment, they fell upon him and stoned him. Thus, Saint Pancratius ended his life as a martyr. saint’s relics are in the church named for him in Rome. He is also commemorated on February 9.

Armenia, 44-60, Apostle Jude, Edessa, Jesus step bro, Edessa, took over after Thaddeus died
Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude; Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Himâ€ (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,â€ offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeusâ€ (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows. Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Armenia, 54-91, Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, fell out of window in Jerusalem
Armenia, 54-91, Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene; Malatya; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Armenia, 54-428, Arsacid dynasty of Armenia and Parthia, Christian
Armenia, Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, 54-428; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Healer"Â, Commemorated on September 18; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Armenia, 54-91, Bartholomew, lot for Syria & Asia Minor, 10 cities in Armenia, healed King's daughter, crucified u d
Armenian Saint, 54-91, Bartholomew; also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew" (M 10:3; P 3:18; L 6:14; but A 1:15). gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently (M 9:9). This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons: (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (A historical novel which may not be well researched informs me that a first-century Jew would be likely to use the patronymic instead of the forename as a mark of respect in speaking to a significantly older Jew.) "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)." (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated. St. Bartholomew, by Michaelangelo have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis (now Derbent, 42:03 N 48:18 E) on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin. The face on the skin is generally considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. by James Kiefer Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.” And from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Saints John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

Armenia, 54-91, Apostle Andrew, established churches, bishops, in East, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, North Black Sea, Armenia
Armenia, 54-91, Apostle Andrew; his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. By the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint Andrew became his closest disciple. Christ to be the Lamb of God, Saint John the Baptist himself sent to Christ his own two disciples, the future Apostles Andrew and John the Theologian. the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Saint Andrew went to the Eastern lands preaching the Word of God. He went through Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, he reached the River Danube, went along the coast of the Black Sea, through Crimea, the Black Sea region and along the River Dniepr he climbed to the place where the city of Kiev now stands. stopped overnight on the hills of Kiev. Rising in the morning, he said to those disciples that were with him: “See these hills? Upon these hills shall shine forth the beneficence of God, and there will be a great city here, and God shall raise up many churches.” The apostle went up around the hills, blessed them and set up a cross. Having prayed, he went up even further along the Dniepr and reached a settlement of the Slavs, where Novgorod was built. From here the apostle went through the land of the Varangians towards Rome for preaching, and again he returned to Thrace, where in the small village of Byzantium, the future Constantinople, he founded the Church of Christ. The name of the holy Apostle Andrew links the mother, the Church of Constantinople, with her daughter, the Russian Church. his journeys the First-Called Apostle endured many sufferings and torments from pagans: they cast him out of their cities and they beat him. Sinope they pelted him with stones, but remaining unharmed, the persistent disciple of Christ continued to preach to people about the Savior. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the Lord worked miracles. the labors of the holy Apostle Andrew, Christian Churches were established, for which he provided bishops and clergy. The final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. The miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. pagans remained at Patra, but among them was the prefect of the city, Aegeatos. The Apostle Andrew repeatedly turned to him with the words of the Gospel. But even the miracles of the Apostle did not convince Aegeatos. The holy Apostle with love and humility appealed to his soul, striving to reveal to him the Christian mystery of life eternal, through the wonderworking power of the Holy Cross of the Lord. The angry Aegeatos gave orders to crucify the apostle. The pagan thought he might undo Saint Andrew’s preaching if he were to put him to death on the cross. Andrew the First-Called accepted the decision of the prefect with joy and with prayer to the Lord, and went willingly to the place of execution. In order to prolong the suffering of the saint, Aegeatos gave orders not to nail the saint’s hands and feet, but to tie them to the cross. For two days the apostle taught the citizens who gathered about. The people, in listening to him, with all their souls pitied him and tried to take Saint Andrew down from the cross. Fearing a riot of the people, Aegeatos gave orders to stop the execution. But the holy apostle began to pray that the Lord would grant him death on the cross. Just as the soldiers tried to take hold of the Apostle Andrew, they lost control of their hands. The crucified apostle, having given glory to God, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.” Then a blazing ray of divine light illumined the cross and the martyr crucified upon it. When the light faded, the holy Apostle Andrew had already given up his holy soul to the Lord. Maximilla, the wife of the prefect, had the body of the saint taken down from the cross, and buried him with honor. few centuries later, under the emperor Constantine the Great, the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew were solemnly transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles beside the relics of the holy Evangelist Luke and Saint Paul’s disciple Saint Timothy. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Armenia, 54-62. Apostle James son of Alphaeus, of the 12, with Andrew first called in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, Eleutheropolis
Apostle James son of Alphaeus, of the 12; son of Alphaeus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, appearing under this name in all three of the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is often identified with James the Less and commonly known by that name in church tradition. He is also labelled "the minor", "the little", "the lesser", or "the younger", according to translation. He is distinct from James, son of Zebedee and in some interpretations also from James, brother of Jesus (James the Just).[3] He appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.[4] Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle James the son of Alphaeus one of the Twelve Apostles, was the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. He heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30), made missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, Eleutheropolis, proclaiming the Gospel, healing all sorts of sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. James finished his apostolic work In the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where he was crucified by the pagans.

Armenia, 54-80, Apostle Matthias, Tianum, Amasea, Edessa, Sebaste, and Sinope, miraculously freed by Andrew
Apostle Matthias of the Seventy; Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called. Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. According to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. When Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. Another time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. Using the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63. Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ;

Armenia, 54-91, King, Tiridates I, Christian
Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, 80, Apostle Jude, 1st Century, Mt Aarat
Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude; Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Himâ€ (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,â€ offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeusâ€ (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows. Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,” offered to share his portion with Him. came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James. Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time. the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words. Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this. Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows.

Armenia, 80-91, Plhilip's sister Mariamne, from Phrygia with Bartholomew, then to Lykaonia after his death
Lykaonia, 80-91, Plhilip's sister, Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia.; Lykaonia, 50-60 approx., Apostle Paul; Iconium; THECLA, 1ST CENTURY, Commemorated September 24; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Armenia, 91-123, Emperor, Artaxar (Sanatruk) Christian, dog's gift, succeded Tirdates I
Armenia, 88-123, Emperor, Artaxar (Sanatruk); was a member of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia who succeeded Tiridates I of Armenia as King of Armenia at the end of the 1st century. He was also King of Osroene (reigned 91–109), a historic kingdom located in Mesopotamia. Little or no information is available from either literary or numismatic sources regarding the successor of Tiridates.[1] the collation of various Classical and Armenian sources, Sanatruk is assumed to have reigned around the start of the 2nd century.[1] Certain scholars proposed that Sanatruk succeeded Tiridates between 75 and 110 but this hypothesis for which there is no explicit evidence has been rejected by others.[2] His merits are praised by Arrian in his Parthica where he is equated with the most illustrious Greeks and Romans. Hagiographic tradition blames him for the martyrdom of the Apostle St. Thaddeus in Armenia, as well as his own daughter, St. Sandukht the Virgin.[3] In 110 the throne of Armenia was held by Axidares, the son of the Parthian monarch of Atropatene, Pacorus II of Parthia who was deposed in 113 by Trajan. A number of sources have named Sanatruk as one of the leaders of the revolt against Trajan's occupation by 117.[2] of Chorene writes, that Sanatruk while being a child was taken by a sister of King Abgar of Edessa - Avde from Edessa to Armenia through the Kordvats Mountains, where they were caught in a sudden snow storm. They spent three days battling the storm and the child survived thanks to a white coated animal that kept him warm. It is thought that the animal must have been a white dog based on the etymology of the name Sanatruk that was soon after bestowed on the child (San - accusative form of Armenian Շուն (shun: dog) and truk (truk: tribute/gift ultimately from Armenian tur: give). A literal English translation of Sanatruk would be, Dog's gift. Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, 98-117, Sarbelus & Bebaia oEdessa, Martyred bTrajan, Pagan priest. both converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius
Armenia, 98-117, Sarbelus oEdessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), Martyred with his sister bTrajan, Pagan priest & sister Bebaia converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius; Edessa, Syria; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Holy Martyr Sarbelus was a pagan priest who lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and his sister Bebaia were converted by Barsimaius, the Bishop of Edessa. both received the crown of martyrdom. Saints Sarbelus and Bebaia are also commemorated on October 15.

Armenia, 98-117, Phocus, Bishop of Sinope, martyred enclosed in hot bath, not the Gardener
Armenia, 98-117, Phocus, Bishop of Sinope, martyred enclosed in hot bath, not the Gardener; Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas from Sinope to Constantinople occurred on July 22 in either the year 403 or 404. His life is found under September 22. Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Phocas was born in the city of Sinope. From youth he led a virtuous Christian life, and in his adult years he became Bishop of Sinope. Saint Phocas converted many pagans to faith in Christ. At the time of a persecution against Christians under the emperor Trajan (98-117), the governor demanded that the saint renounce Christ. After fierce torture they enclosed Saint Phocas in a hot bath, where he died a martyr’s death in the year 117. the year 404, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople (July 22). Hieromartyr Phocas is especially venerated as a defender against fires, and also as a helper of the drowning. Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Holy Martyr Phocas the Gardener came from the city of Sinope on the southern shore of the Black Sea. Having a small garden, he lived modestly. He sold what he grew, and supported himself on the proceeds. He helped the needy and paid for the housing of vagrants. The Christian piety of the saint had a great influence on other people. Even pagans deferred to him with deep respect. Under his influence they often abandoned their error and accepted the Christian Faith. governor of the district, aware that Saint Phocas was spreading Christian teachings, gave orders to find and kill him. The saint himself accidentally came upon those sent after him, and without revealing his name, he courteously received them, fed them and prepared a place for them to spend the night. night he went into the garden, then prepared a grave and a place for his burial. He even made arrangements for all his possessions to be distributed to the poor after his death. In the morning Saint Phocas declared to the strangers that it was he for whom they were searching, and told them to fulfill the duty entrusted to them. The visitors were distressed, not wanting to kill the kindly saint. They felt honor bound to spare Saint Phocas, but he would not hear of it, and humbly bent his head beneath the sword. buried the holy Martyr Phocas in the grave that he himself had prepared in the garden. The place of his burial was glorified by miracles, and later a church was built there. An accurate account of the martyr’s death was collected by Asterius of Amasea (+ 410). The holy Martyr Phocas is especially venerated by seafarers, and he is called upon by those traveling by sea. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ;

Armenia, 98-117, Hieromartyr Phocas of Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia, bishop, converted many, tortured in hot bath
Armenia, 98-117, Hieromartyr Phocas of Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia (Pontine Capital, near Kizilirmak River Mouth, Black Sea), bishop, converted many, tortured in hot bath; Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Phocas was born in the city of Sinope. youth he led a virtuous Christian life, and in his adult years he became Bishop of Sinope. Phocas converted many pagans to faith in Christ. the time of a persecution against Christians under the emperor Trajan (98-117), the governor demanded that the saint renounce Christ. After fierce torture they enclosed Saint Phocas in a hot bath, where he died a martyr’s death in the year 117. the year 404, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople (July 22). Hieromartyr Phocas is especially venerated as a defender against fires, and also as a helper of the drowning.

Armenia, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Hermias of Comona

Armenia, 101-117, Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Pagan Priest and his sister
Armenia, 101-117, Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Pagan Priest and his sister; Martyrs Sarbelius and Bebaia of Edessa, Commemorated on October 15; Holy Martyrs Sarbelus and Bebaia (Barbea) of Edessa were brother and sister, suffering in the second century under the emperor Trajan for confessing Christianity. Saint Sarbelus was a priest of the idols at Edessa, but was converted to Christ by a certain bishop, then he and his sister were baptized. Pagans tortured the saints for a long while, and then beheaded them. saints are also commemorated on January 29. Saint Sarbelus may be the same one who is commemorated on September 5.

Armenia, 115, Martyr Romulus, Great Armenia, Trajan found 11,000 t christians, sent to Armenia, Romulus reproached & confessed
Armenia, 115, Martyr Romulus & others, Great Armenia, 331 BC-428 AD, buffer state between Roman Empire and Persia, 107&115 Trajan found 11,000 christians in his troups, sent them to Armenia, commander Romulus reproached and confessed, beaten and beheaded; Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Romulus lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and was a confidant of the emperor by virtue of his office of military commander. the time, Trajan was waging war in the East to put down uprisings against the Romans by the Iberians, Sarmatians, and Arabs. the year 107, and again a second time in 115, the emperor conducted a review of the military strength of his army, and found in his troops upwards of 11,000 Christians. immediately sent these Christians into exile in Armenia in disgrace. Romulus, in view of this, reproached the emperor for his impiety and the sheer folly to diminish the army’s strength during a time of war. Romulus, moreover, acknowledged that he himself was a Christian. The enraged Trajan had the holy martyr subjected to a merciless beating, after which Saint Romulus was beheaded. Christian soldiers sent into exile in Armenia were killed by various forms of execution.

Armenia, 117-138, Eupsychius of Caesurea, tortured healed by angel released, wealth to poor even enemies, again cut w iron hooks
Armenia, 117-138, Eupsychius of Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), tortured healed by angel released, distributed wealth to poor, even his enemies, captured again, hung up & cut w iron hooks, cut off head; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Holy Martyr Eupsychius was born in Caesaria, Cappadocia. one of the Synaxaria he is called the son of a senator Dionysius. a time of a persecution against Christians under Hadrian, he was arrested and tortured. the torture they threw him into prison, where he was healed of his wounds by an angel. they set the martyr free, he distributed all his property to the poor. gave away a certain portion even to his enemies, who had reported him and given him over to torture. a new governor, Saint Eupsychius was again arrested. hung him up and cut his body with iron hooks, and then they cut off his head with a sword. The martyr died under the emperor Hadrian (117-138).

Armenia, 138-161, Martyr Hermias of Comana, Cappadocia, hot oven, poison, converted sorcerer, boiliing oil, gouged eyes, skinned, relics
Comana (Cappadocia); Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31; Martyr Hermias suffered for Christ in the city of Comana during the persecution under the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). The governor Sebastian, who was in Cappadocia to arrest Christians, urged the saint to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, promising him honors and mercy from the emperor. old soldier bravely confessed his faith in Christ. After long exhortation, the governor gave orders to torture the saint. They beat him on the face so that the skin peeled from his face, and they threw him into a red-hot oven. When the oven was opened after three days, the martyr Hermias emerged from it unharmed. governor Sebastian ordered the sorcerer Marus to poison Saint Hermias with a potion. The poisonous drink did the saint no harm. A second goblet with even stronger poison also failed to kill the saint. The sorcerer believed in Christ the Savior, and was immediately beheaded. Saint Marus was baptized in his own blood, and received a martyr’s crown. Hermias was subjected to even more terrible tortures. They raked his body with sharp instruments, threw him in boiling oil, and gouged out his eyes, but he gave thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they suspended the martyr head downward. For three days he hung in this position. sent by the governor to verify his death found him alive. Struck by the miracle, they were blinded with fright and began to call out to the saint to help them. The holy martyr ordered the blind to approach him, and healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ. anger the governor ordered the skin flayed from the saint’s body, but he remained alive. Then the crazed Sebastian beheaded him with his own sword. Christians secretly buried the body of the martyr Hermias, whose relics bestowed numerous healings.

Armenia, 138-161, Martyr Hermias at Comana, Armenia, tortured and recovered from many things
Armenia, 138-161, Martyr Hermias at Comana, Armenia (Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley), tortured and recovered from: skin pealed from face, red-hot oven 3 days, strong poison, sharp insturments, boiling oil, gouged out eyes, upside down 3 days, skin flayed again, then beheaded; Comana (Cappadocia); Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31; Martyr Hermias suffered for Christ in the city of Comana during the persecution under the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). governor Sebastian, who was in Cappadocia to arrest Christians, urged the saint to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, promising him honors and mercy from the emperor. old soldier bravely confessed his faith in Christ. After long exhortation, the governor gave orders to torture the saint. They beat him on the face so that the skin peeled from his face, and they threw him into a red-hot oven. When the oven was opened after three days, the martyr Hermias emerged from it unharmed. governor Sebastian ordered the sorcerer Marus to poison Saint Hermias with a potion. The poisonous drink did the saint no harm. A second goblet with even stronger poison also failed to kill the saint. The sorcerer believed in Christ the Savior, and was immediately beheaded. Saint Marus was baptized in his own blood, and received a martyr’s crown. Hermias was subjected to even more terrible tortures. They raked his body with sharp instruments, threw him in boiling oil, and gouged out his eyes, but he gave thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they suspended the martyr head downward. For three days he hung in this position. sent by the governor to verify his death found him alive. Struck by the miracle, they were blinded with fright and began to call out to the saint to help them. The holy martyr ordered the blind to approach him, and healed them in the Name of Jesus Christ. anger the governor ordered the skin flayed from the saint’s body, but he remained alive. Then the crazed Sebastian beheaded him with his own sword. Christians secretly buried the body of the martyr Hermias, whose relics bestowed numerous healings.

Armenia, 200, 3rd - 7th Century, Folder, Christian Armenia

Armenia, 200-299. 3rd Century Folder, Enlightener Gregory, Salome, King Tiridates III, Nino, George

Armenia, 201-252, Anak the Parthian, Armenian Parthian Prince, Gregory the Illuminator's father
Armenian Parthian Prince, 3rd Century-252, Anak the Parthian; the Parthian,[1] also known as Anak Pahlavi[2] (flourished 3rd century, died 252[3]), was a Parthian noble who lived during the time of Arsacid Armenia.[4] 1 Biography 2 Family 3 References 4 Sources was an Armenian Parthian nobleman,[5] who was a prince[6] said to be related to the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia[7] or was from the House of Suren,[8][9] one of the seven branches of the ruling Arsacid dynasty[10] of Sakastan.[11] is known of the life of Anak. He married a Parthian noblewoman called Okohe, who bore him sons. Among their children was Gregory.[12] I and his son, Shapur I, incited Anak[13] to murder King Khosrov II of Armenia, promising to return his own domain as a reward.[14] Ardashir I was alarmed by the military victories that Khosrov II with his late father, Tiridates II of Armenia had won against him,[15] as he wanted to expand the Sassanid Empire and to annex Armenia. had won the trust of Khosrov II and had travelled to Vagharshapat.[16] When Anak arrived in Vagharshapat he pretended to take refuge in the Armenian dominions from the persecution of Ardashir I.[17] Anak was hospitably received in Vagharshapat by Khosrov II and then stabbed the king in the heart, also killing Khosrov's wife. Anak was furiously pursued by Armenian soldiers, until he drowned in the Aras River.[18] Armenian army and nobles were outraged by the death of the reigning King and in turn wreaked their vengeance on the family of Anak.[19][20] The only child to survive from Anak’s family was his infant son Gregory,[21] who was taken to Cappadocia by his former caretakers Sopia and Yevtagh, who had escaped the slaughter of Anak’s family. I took possession of Armenia for himself and it became a part of his empire.[22] Troops loyal to Khosrov II, had his son, Tiridates III, taken to Rome for protection[23] where Tiridates III was raised and his daughter Khosrovidkuht was taken to be raised in Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia.[24] The foster parents of Khosrovidukht were Awtay, a nobleman from the family of the Amatuni, and Awtay’s wife, a noblewoman whose name is unknown, who was from the family of the Slkunik.[25] Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Armenia, 201-252, Khosrov II, C King, killed by Gregorys f Sassanian Anak, except for Gregory Anak's family killed
Armenian King, 3rd Century-252, Khosrov II of Armenia; Armenian Parthian Prince, 3rd Century-252, Anak the Parthian; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Armenia, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop, first C Library at J, beasts refused to eat him, died in prison
Jerusalem Patriarch, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem; of Jerusalem (died 251 AD) was a third century bishop who is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Roman Catholic Church. He died during the persecution of Emperor Decius.[1] Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 12 ; Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. At the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. In 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. Following the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God. hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on May 16. St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; story as above--------The Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, was a disciple of the great teacher and writer of the Church, Clement of Alexandria. the beginning of the third century he was chosen bishop of Flavia, Cappadocia. He was arrested during the reign of the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) and spent three years in prison. his release from prison he went to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, and was told to remain there through a divine revelation. 212 he was chosen as coadministrator with the elderly Patriarch Narcissus, an unusually rare occurrence in the ancient Church. the death of Saint Narcissus (August 7), Saint Alexander succeeded him and governed the Church of Jerusalem for thirty-eight years, working for the enlightenment of Christians. He also established the first library of Christian theological works at Jerusalem. Alexander was arrested during the persecution of the Church under the emperor Decius (249-251). The holy martyr was sent to Cappadocia, where he suffered many tortures. He was condemned to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Saint Alexander was cast into prison, where he surrendered his soul to God in the year 251. The hieromartyr Alexander is also commemorated on December 12.

Armenia, 220-270, Saint, Gregory Thaumaturgus of Neocaesarea, wonderworker, Origin, harlot, clairvoyant, prophet
Pontine Saint, 220-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus of Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. received a fine education, from his youth he strived for Truth, but the thinkers of antiquity were not able to quench his thirst for knowledge. Truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the youth became a Christian. the continuation of his studies Saint Gregory went to Alexandria, known then as a center for pagan and Christian learning. The youth, eager for knowledge, went to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught. Origen was a famous teacher, possessing a great strength of mind and profound knowledge. Saint Gregory became a student of Origen. Afterwards, the saint wrote about his mentor: “This man received from God a sublime gift, to be an interpreter of the Word of God for people, to apprehend the Word of God, as God Himself did use it, and to explain it to people, insofar as they were able to understand it.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with Origen, and was baptized by him. ascetic life of Saint Gregory, his continence, purity and lack of covetousness aroused envy among his conceited and sin-loving peers, pagans that they were, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. Once, when he was conversing with philosophers and teachers in the city square, a notorious harlot came up to him and demanded payment for the sin he had supposedly committed with her. At first Saint Gregory gently remonstrated with her, saying that she perhaps mistook him for someone else. But the profligate woman would not be quieted. He then asked a friend to give her the money. Just as the woman took the unjust payment, she immediately fell to the ground in a demonic fit, and the fraud became evident. Saint Gregory said a prayer over her, and the devil left her. This was the beginning of Saint Gregory’s miracles. returned to Neocaesarea, the saint fled from the worldly affairs into which influential townsmen persistently sought to push him. He went into the desert, where by fasting and prayer he attained to high spiritual accomplishment and the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory loved life in the wilderness and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord willed otherwise. bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasea, Thedimos, having learned of Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, decided to have him made Bishop of Neocaesarea. But having foreseen in spirit the intent of Bishop Thedimos, the saint hid himself from the messengers of the bishop who were entrusted to find him. Then Bishop Thedimos ordained the absent saint as Bishop of Neocaesarea, beseeching the Lord that He Himself would sanctify the unusual ordination. Saint Gregory perceived the extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and he did not dare to protest. This episode in the life of Saint Gregory was recorded by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). He relates that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the episcopal dignity only after Bishop Thedimos of Amasea performed all the canonical rites over him. this time, the heresy of Sabellius and Paul of Samosata began to spread. They taught falsely concerning the Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory prayed fervently and diligently imploring God and His most pure Mother to reveal to him the true faith. The All-Holy Virgin Mary appeared to him, radiant like the sun, and with Her was the Apostle John the Theologian dressed in archepiscopal vestments. the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how to correctly and properly confess the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory wrote down everything that Saint John the Theologian revealed to him. The Mystery of the Symbol of the Faith, written down by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great divine revelation in the history of the Church. The teaching about the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Theology is based on it. Subsequently it was used by the holy Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa. The Symbol of Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea was later examined and affirmed in the year 325 by the First Ecumenical Council, showing his enduring significance for Orthodoxy. become a bishop, Saint Gregory set off to Neocaesarea. Along the way from Amasea he expelled devils from a pagan temple, the priest of which he converted to Christ. The convert was witness to still another miracle of the saint, at his word a large stone shifted from its place. preaching of the saint was direct, lively and fruitful. He taught and worked miracles in the name of Christ: he healed the sick, he helped the needy, he settled quarrels and complaints. Two brothers sharing an inheritance were not able to agree over the property of their dead father. There was a large lake over which they argued, for each of the brothers wanted the lake for himself. They both gathered their friends together, and were ready to come to blows. Saint Gregory persuaded them to delay their fight until the following day, and he himself prayed all night long at the shore of the lake which sparked the quarrel. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the lake had dried up or gone underground. Through the intense prayer of the saint, now there was only a stream, and its course defined the boundary line. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded a hill to move and make room at the place of the foundation. a persecution against Christians began under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Gregory led his flock to a faraway mountain. A certain pagan, knowing about the hiding place of the Christians, informed the persecutors. Soldiers surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into an open place, raised up his hands to heaven and ordered to his deacon to do the same. The soldiers searched the whole mountain, and they went several times right past those praying, but not seeing them, they gave up and went away. In the city they reported that there was nowhere to hide on the mountain: no one was there, and only two trees stood beside each other. The informer was struck with amazement, he repented of his ways and became a fervent Christian. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea after the end of the persecution. By his blessing church Feasts were established in honor of the martyrs who had suffered for Christ. his saintly life, his effective preaching, working of miracles and graced guiding of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of converts to Christ. When Saint Gregory first ascended his cathedra, there were only seventeen Christians in Neocaesarea. At his death, only seventeen pagans remained in the city.

Armenia, 222-235, Martyr Theodota at Nicea, from Cappadocia, Armenia, felt no pain or scars from iron hooks
Bithynia, 222-235, Martyr Theodota at Nicea; Holy Martyr Theodota, a native of Cappadocia, suffered in the city of Nicea during the reign of the emperor Alexander Severus (222-235). At this time the governor of Cappadocia was a certain Symblicius. They told him that a rich woman named Theodota was confessing Christ. The governor summoned Theodota and for a long time urged her to turn from the true Faith. the futility of his attempts, he gave Theodota over to torture. They suspended her and began to rake her with iron hooks, but she did not feel any pain. Then they put her in chains and led her away to a prison cell. eight days, when they led the saint out for new tortures, only faint traces of the tortures already endured remained on her body. The governor was amazed and asked, “Who are you?” The saint answered: “Your mind is darkened, but if you were sober, then you would have realized that I am Theodota.” commanded the martyr to be cast into a red-hot furnace. Flames shot out from the furnace and scorched those standing nearby, while those remaining unharmed shut the furnace and scattered in fright. After a certain while, pagan priests came and opened the furnace to scatter the ashes of the martyr, but they too were burned by the flames. Those remaining unhurt saw Saint Theodota unharmed. She stood in the midst of the flames between two youths in white raiment, and was glorifying the Lord. This apparition so terrified the pagans that they fell down as if dead. Later, they returned the saint to prison. invincibility of the martyr gave Symblicius no peace. He made a journey to Byzantium, on the return trip he stopped over at Ancyra and tried to get the better of Theodota. He gave orders to throw her all at once onto red-hot iron, but again the martyr remained unharmed. Symblicius gave orders that the saint be taken to Nicea. There, in a pagan temple he wanted to compel her to offer sacrifice to the idols, but through the prayer of the saint, the idols fell and were shattered. The outraged governor gave orders to stretch the martyr out and saw through her body, but here also the power of God preserved the saint. The saw caused Theodota no harm, and the servants became exhausted. Finally, they beheaded the saint. Bishop Sophronius of Nicea buried her body. Nicea (Nicaea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Fathers of the First Six Councils; First Council of Nicaea; Second Council of Nicaea; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia; Saint Sava I, first Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 and January 14; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Armenia, 233-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker of Cappadocia, not the illuminator
Cappadocia, 233-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker ; St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Armenia, 233-270, St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, from John the Thelogian, Symbol of Faith Mystery, Foundational
Armenia, 233-270, St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught, demonic woman story, back to N, wilderness, gifts, L willed otherwise, absent ordination, acceptance, heresy, John t T, Symbol of Faith Mystery, Foundational Neocaesarea; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. received a fine education, from his youth he strived for Truth, but the thinkers of antiquity were not able to quench his thirst for knowledge. Truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the youth became a Christian. the continuation of his studies Saint Gregory went to Alexandria, known then as a center for pagan and Christian learning. The youth, eager for knowledge, went to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught. Origen was a famous teacher, possessing a great strength of mind and profound knowledge. Saint Gregory became a student of Origen. Afterwards, the saint wrote about his mentor: “This man received from God a sublime gift, to be an interpreter of the Word of God for people, to apprehend the Word of God, as God Himself did use it, and to explain it to people, insofar as they were able to understand it.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with Origen, and was baptized by him. ascetic life of Saint Gregory, his continence, purity and lack of covetousness aroused envy among his conceited and sin-loving peers, pagans that they were, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. when he was conversing with philosophers and teachers in the city square, a notorious harlot came up to him and demanded payment for the sin he had supposedly committed with her. At first Saint Gregory gently remonstrated with her, saying that she perhaps mistook him for someone else. But the profligate woman would not be quieted. He then asked a friend to give her the money. as the woman took the unjust payment, she immediately fell to the ground in a demonic fit, and the fraud became evident. Saint Gregory said a prayer over her, and the devil left her. This was the beginning of Saint Gregory’s miracles. returned to Neocaesarea, the saint fled from the worldly affairs into which influential townsmen persistently sought to push him. He went into the desert, where by fasting and prayer he attained to high spiritual accomplishment and the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory loved life in the wilderness and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord willed otherwise. bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasea, Thedimos, having learned of Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, decided to have him made Bishop of Neocaesarea. having foreseen in spirit the intent of Bishop Thedimos, the saint hid himself from the messengers of the bishop who were entrusted to find him. Then Bishop Thedimos ordained the absent saint as Bishop of Neocaesarea, beseeching the Lord that He Himself would sanctify the unusual ordination. Gregory perceived the extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and he did not dare to protest. This episode in the life of Saint Gregory was recorded by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). He relates that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the episcopal dignity only after Bishop Thedimos of Amasea performed all the canonical rites over him. this time, the heresy of Sabellius and Paul of Samosata began to spread. They taught falsely concerning the Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory prayed fervently and diligently imploring God and His most pure Mother to reveal to him the true faith. All-Holy Virgin Mary appeared to him, radiant like the sun, and with Her was the Apostle John the Theologian dressed in archepiscopal vestments. the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how to correctly and properly confess the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Gregory wrote down everything that Saint John the Theologian revealed to him. Mystery of the Symbol of the Faith, written down by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great divine revelation in the history of the Church. teaching about the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Theology is based on it. it was used by the holy Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa. Symbol of Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea was later examined and affirmed in the year 325 by the First Ecumenical Council, showing his enduring significance for Orthodoxy. become a bishop, Saint Gregory set off to Neocaesarea. Along the way from Amasea he expelled devils from a pagan temple, the priest of which he converted to Christ. The convert was witness to still another miracle of the saint, at his word a large stone shifted from its place. preaching of the saint was direct, lively and fruitful. He taught and worked miracles in the name of Christ: he healed the sick, he helped the needy, he settled quarrels and complaints. Two brothers sharing an inheritance were not able to agree over the property of their dead father. There was a large lake over which they argued, for each of the brothers wanted the lake for himself. They both gathered their friends together, and were ready to come to blows. Saint Gregory persuaded them to delay their fight until the following day, and he himself prayed all night long at the shore of the lake which sparked the quarrel. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the lake had dried up or gone underground. Through the intense prayer of the saint, now there was only a stream, and its course defined the boundary line. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded a hill to move and make room at the place of the foundation. a persecution against Christians began under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Gregory led his flock to a faraway mountain. A certain pagan, knowing about the hiding place of the Christians, informed the persecutors. Soldiers surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into an open place, raised up his hands to heaven and ordered to his deacon to do the same. The soldiers searched the whole mountain, and they went several times right past those praying, but not seeing them, they gave up and went away. In the city they reported that there was nowhere to hide on the mountain: no one was there, and only two trees stood beside each other. The informer was struck with amazement, he repented of his ways and became a fervent Christian. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea after the end of the persecution. By his blessing church Feasts were established in honor of the martyrs who had suffered for Christ. his saintly life, his effective preaching, working of miracles and graced guiding of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of converts to Christ. When Saint Gregory first ascended his cathedra, there were only seventeen Christians in Neocaesarea. At his death, only seventeen pagans remained in the city.

Armenia, 243-330, Great Martyr Irene, Magedon, Persia, wealthy, beautiful, high tower isolation, many miracles, much more
Persia, 243, Great Martyr Irene, Magedon, Persia (near Shiraz), wealthy, beautiful, high tower isolation from Christianity, 13 maidens w her, old C tutor Apellian, savior, faith, virtues , vision dove (superior education), olive branch (grace of God), eagle flowers, raven snake (suffering and sorrow), Lord wishes to betroth her, baptized Irene (peace), motionless horse hooves, horses remove fathers hand, she heals him, she preacher, Sedekias orders idol s, pit w vipers 10 days, unharmed, angel p and food, son Sapor, entire army blinded, healed, refused, lightning killed S, she converted 5,000, to Callinicus Syria, tortured 3 bronze oxen, 3rd ox walks, split, she emerged thousands c, to Constantina near Edessa, Armenia, beheaded buried by Saphor II in 330, raised by Angel, to Mesembria, king and subjects baptized, to Ephesus, received time of death, to cave; Magedon, Persia ; Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; ---------------------The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of Licinius, the pagan ruler of a certain small kingdom, and his wife Licinia, and at birth her parents named her Penelope. was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. old tutor by the name of Apellian was appointed to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her about the Christian Faith and Christian virtues. Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. One night Penelope beheld the following vision: a dove entered the tower with an olive branch in its beak, depositing it on the table. An eagle also flew in carrying a wreath of flowers, and left it on the table. Then a raven flew in through another window and dropped a snake on the table. In the morning Penelope woke up and wondered about the meaning of the things she had seen. She related them to her tutor Apellian and he explained that the dove symbolized her superior education, and that the olive branch represented the grace of God which is received in Baptism. The eagle and the olive branch indicated success in her future life. The snake signified that she would experience suffering and sorrow. the end of the conversation Apellian said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and he named her Irene (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly after being baptized, she smashed all her father’s idols to pieces. Saint Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but the horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him to death. This caused a great deal of confusion among the people there but Irene consoled them with the words of Christ: “All things are possible to the one who believes” (Mark 9: 23). And indeed, with wondrous faith, she prayed and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of many eyewitnesses with his hand intact. Then, Licinius and his wife were baptized as Christians, along with almost 3000 others who turned away from the worship of inanimate idols. Licinius abandoned his domain and lived in the tower he had built for his daughter. There he spent the rest of his life in repentance. Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to preach Christ among the pagans, leading them to the path of salvation. Sedekias (Yesdegerd), the new prefect of the city, heard of the miracles performed by the saint, he summoned Apellian and questioned him about Irene’s manner of life. Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians, lived in strict temperance, devoting herself to constant prayer and reading holy books. summoned the saint to him and urged her to stop preaching about Christ. He also attempted to force her to sacrifice to the idols. Saint Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the prefect, not fearing his wrath, and prepared to undergo suffering for Christ. order of Sedekias she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed, for an angel of the Lord protected her and brought her food. Sedekias ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected Saint Irene to many other tortures, but she remained unharmed. Under the influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ, and turned away from the worship of inanimate idols. was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Armenia, 243-330, Saint Irene or Penelope from Shiraz, Persia, to Sapor to end persecution, e army blinded
Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Armenia, 244-250, Mercurius of Cappadocia, roman soldier, barbarians, angel, sword, martyr, myrrh
Armenia, 244-250, Mercurius of Cappadocia, roman soldier, barbarians, angel, sword, martyr, myrrh, aScythian, Roman Soldier, Emperors Decius&Valerian decree worship pagan gods or death, Angel gives M sword&says fear not, do not forget God wVictorious, M kills king wins victory, D makes him entire army commander, honors riches, Angel appears again tRemind him& prophecy suffering&heavenly crown, M weeps he hadn't devoted life to God as his father&grandfather, Decius consulted on State Matters then suggested they honor Artemis, M avoids bReturning home, M denounced by nobleman, Emperor not believe, questioned him, M declared&threw down honors received, M again visited by angel in prison, endure, streached between 4 pillars, fire beneath, cut wKnives, blood puts out fire, healed bLords power back in prison, M worthy oVision oJesus promising quick release fSufferings, beheaded aCaesarea, body emitted myrrh&incense, many healed aTomb; Cappadocia, 244-250, Cappadocian Saint, Mercurius; Great Martyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Great Martyr Mercurius, a Scythian by descent, served as a soldier in the Roman army. The impious emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259) issued a decree ordering all Roman citizens to worship the pagan gods, and condemning Christians to torture and death unless they obeyed the decree. that time barbarians attacked the Roman empire, and the emperor Decius went on campaign with a large army. one of the battles an angel of the Lord appeared to Mercurius in the guise of a nobleman and presented him a sword saying, œFear not, Mercurius. Go forth bravely against the enemy, and when you are victorious, do not forget the Lord your God. this sword the holy warrior cut through the ranks of the barbarians. He also killed their king, winning victory for the Romans. grateful Emperor Decius rewarded Saint Mercurius for his bravery, and made him commander of the entire army. angel of the Lord appeared again to the holy warrior, who had received great honors and riches, and reminded him by Whom the victory had been given. also told General Mercurius that he would suffer for Christ, and would receive a crown of victory in His Kingdom. recalled that his father Gordian had also confessed the Christian Faith. Although the saint had been baptized, he felt he had not devoted his life to God as his father and grandfather had done. Thus, he was weeping and lamenting when he was summoned before the emperor. consulted Mercurius on matters of state, then suggested that they offer sacrifice in the temple of Artemis. Not wishing to do this, the saint returned to his home. He was denounced as a Christian by a nobleman, whose name was Catullus. The emperor would not believe this, however, until he himself had questioned the saint. Openly declaring himself a Christian, Mercurius threw down his military belt and cloak at the emperor™s feet, and he repudiated all the honors he had received. The angel of the Lord again appeared to Saint Mercurius in the prison, encouraging him to endure every suffering for Christ. stretched the holy martyr between four pillars and lit a fire beneath him. cut his body with knives, and so much blood flowed from his wounds that it extinguished the fire. they threw him back into the prison nearly dead from his wounds, Saint Mercurius was healed by the Lord, demonstrating the great power of Christ to the impious pagans. to death, the saint was deemed worthy of a vision of the Lord, Who promised him a quick release from his sufferings. Great Martyr Mercurius was beheaded at Caesarea in Cappadocia. holy body emitted a fragrance like myrrh and incense. Many of the sick were healed at his tomb. after his death the warrior of Christ performed a soldier’s service for the good of the earthly Church. Saint Basil the Great (January 1) once prayed before an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, upon which Saint Mercurius was depicted as a soldier holding a spear. He asked God not to permit the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) to return from his war against the Persians and resume his oppression of Christians. The image of the holy Great Martyr Mercurius, depicted on the icon beside the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, became invisible. It reappeared later with a bloodied spear. this very moment Julian the Apostate, on his Persian campaign, was wounded by the spear of an unknown soldier, who immediately disappeared. The mortally wounded Julian, as he lay dying, cried out, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!â€ Most Holy Theotokos, through the prayers of Saint Basil, had sent Saint Mercurius to defend the Christians from the apostate Julian. May we also be preserved from God’s foes, overcoming them through the prayers and assistance of Saint Mercurius. Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9;

Armenia, 249-251, Troadius oNeocaesarea, suffered under Decius enduring horrible tortures, Gregory oN foretold and witnessed in a vision, plus, he saw T's soul departing his body
Armenia, 249-251, Troadius oNeocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads), suffered under Decius enduring horrible tortures, Saint Gregory oN foretold and witnessed his martyrdom in a vision, plus he saw T's soul departing his body; Neocaesarea; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; Holy Martyr Troadius suffered for Christ in Neocaesarea, Pontus under the emperor Decius (249-251), enduring horrible tortures. Gregory of Neocaesarea (November 17) foretold his martyrdom and witnessed his sufferings in a vision. also saw the soul of Saint Troadius departing from his body and hastening joyfully to Heaven.

Armenia, 249-259, Polyeuktos1, first Melitene martyr, Armenia, tore up Decius' edict, trampled idols, baptized in his blood
Armenia, 249-259, Polyeuktos1, first Melitene martyr, Armenia, tore up Decius' edict, trampled idols, baptized in his blood, Decius' soldier, martyred bValerian, frined oNearkhos fellow soldier, firm christian, P remained Pagan, N said he would be tortured&separated, P said he saw Christ in dream, dressed him radiant garment, so now prepared to serve Jesus, tCity square, tore Decius' edict requiring idol worship, trampled 12 idols in procession, father-in Law responsible fEdict enforcement told him obey edict, but must obey God rather than men, baptized in own blood, during Constantine's reign church built iMelitene for him, many intercession miracles there incl Euthymios' parents praying fSon i376, and Bishop Akakios ot3rd EC, orthodoxy proponent, patron saint oVows&treaties; Malatya; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Polyeuktos1 was the first to be martyred for Christ in the Armenian city of Melitene. was a soldier during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251), and he later suffered martyrdom in the reign of Valerian (253-259). was a friend of Nearkhos a fellow-soldier and a firm Christian. Polyeuktos, however, although he led a virtuous life, he remained a pagan. the persecution against Christians began, Nearkhos said to Polyeuktos, Friend, soon we shall be separated, for they will take me to torture, and you, alas, will renounce your friendship with me. told him that he had seen Christ in a dream. The Savior took his soiled military cloak from him and dressed him in a radiant garment. Now, he said, I am prepared to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. with zeal, Saint Polyeuktos went to the city square, and tore up the edict of Decius which required everyone to worship the idols. few moments later, he met a procession carrying twelve idols through the streets of the city. Dashing the idols to the ground, he trampled them underfoot. father-in-law, the magistrate Felix, who was responsible for enforcing the imperial edict, was horrified at what Saint Polyeuktos had done and advised him to obey the imperial edict. told him that we must obey God rather than men. declared that Polyeuktos must die for this. Go then, bid farewell to your wife and children, he said. wept and urged her husband to renounce Christ. Felix also wept, but Saint Polyeuktos remained steadfast in his resolve to suffer for Christ. his head beneath the executioner's sword, he was baptized in his own blood. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, when the Church of Christ had triumphed throughout the Roman Empire, a church was built at Melitene in honor of Saint Polyeuktos. miracles were worked through his intercession. that same church, the parents of Saint Euthymios the Great (January 20) prayed fervently for a son. The birth of this great luminary of Orthodoxy occurred in the year 376, through the prayers of the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos. Polyeuktos was also venerated by Saint Akakios, the Bishop of Melitene (March 31), who participated in the Third Ecumenical Council, and was a great proponent of Orthodoxy. the East, as well as in the West, the Holy Martyr Polyeuktos is venerated as the patron Saint of vows and treaties. Polyeucte Overture of French composer Paul Dukas is only one of many pieces of classical music inspired by the Saints. It premiered in January of 1892. The French dramatist Pierre Corneille has also written a play, Polyeucte (1642), based on the Martyr’s life. The name Polyeuktos means much-desired.

Armenia, 250, 3rd C, Blaise fCaesurea, a shepherd, caldron boiling water, unharmed, governor jumped in, died, staff became tree
Armenia, 250, 3rd C, Blaise fCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), a shepherd, surrendered to torturers, beat him leather thongs, Lord healed, threw caldron boiling water, unharmed, pagan soldiers saw miracle, converted, governor jumpte in to prove water cold, died, Blaise converted many died peacefully, staff thrown into ground near relics became tree, branches covered church over relics; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Blaise of Caesarea lived in the third century. was from Caesarea in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) and was a shepherd. a persecution against Christians began, Saint Blaise surrendered himself into the hands of the torturers. subjected him to torture, and beat him with leather thongs, the Lord healed his wounds. then threw Blaise into a cauldron of boiling water, but he remained there unharmed. pagan soldiers, seeing this miracle, came to believe in Christ. governor, wishing to show that the martyr remained unharmed because the water had cooled, jumped into the cauldron and died. brought many to faith in Christ, Saint Blaise peacefully surrendered his soul to God. thrust the saint’s shepherd’s staff into the ground, and it grew up into a large tree, which covered with its branches a church built over his relics.

Armenia, 269, Adrian at Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital, Martyrdom under Bishop Firmilian, by sword
Armenia, 269, Adrian at Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), Martyrdom under Bishop Firmilian, by sword; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Adrian at Caesarea, Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 3; Adrian of Baneas of Caesarea in Cappadocia. suffered martyrdom under Governor Firmilianus. was put to death by the sword, but entered into eternal life.

Armenia, 275, Mamas, Child Martyr at 15, of Caesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, liberated by angel, Lion companion
Capadocia, 275, Child Martyr Saint Mammes of Caesarea; Mammes (Mamas, Mammas, Mammet) of Caesarea was a child-martyr of the 3rd century, who was martyred at Caesarea.[1] His parents, Theodotus and Rufina, were also martyred.[2] Mammes and Duke Alexander, tapestry by Jean Cousin the Elder, ca. 1541. in prison to parents who had been jailed for being Christians, Mammes became an orphan when his parents were executed.[3] After their death, Mammes was raised by a rich widow named Ammia, who died when Mammes was 15 years old. to legend, Mammes was tortured for his faith by the governor of Caesarea and was then sent before the Roman Emperor Aurelian, who tortured him again. The Mammes legend states that an angel then liberated him and ordered him to hide on a mountain near Caesarea. was later thrown to the lions, but he managed to make the beasts docile by preaching to them. Afterward, a lion remained with him as a companion. Accompanied by the lion, he visited Severus Alexander , who sentenced him to death.[4] He was struck in the stomach with a trident. Bleeding, Mammes dragged himself to a spot near a theater before his soul was carried into heaven by angels. Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12;

Armenia, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia, pit for 14 years, converted Tridates III, much more
Armenia, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia, pit for 14 years, converted Tridates III, Anak's son, to atone for Anak served Tridates, prince of Goths challanged Emperor, T defeats goth for emperor, T maded king of Armenia, G tortured for refusing to sacrifice, suspended down by neck stone and choked by smoke 3 days, iron sandels w nails, sang psalms, healed in prison, cheerful before T, hot tin snake pit, unharmed, fed by women 14 years, T kills virgins, T seems lose mind, face like wild boars, G from pit washed led to T, G asks T for V relics, people want church, relics into c, G leads T into church to ask relics pray Christ for T, T face healed, T baptized; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. the entire Gothic army was defeated. gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. prison the Lord healed all his wounds. Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaianḗ, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea. Armenia, 277-331, Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Greater Armenia; the Illuminator[1] (c. 257 -331) is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301. thus became the first nation to submit to Christianity as its official religion. was the son[2] of the Armenian Parthian nobles[3] Anak the Parthian and Okohe. His father, Anak, was a Prince said to be related to the Arsacid Kings of Armenia[4] or was from the House of Suren, one of the seven branches of the ruling Arsacid dynasty[5][6][7] of Sakastan.[8] Anak was charged with assassinating Khosrov II, one of the kings of the Arsacid dynasty and was put to death. Gregory narrowly escaped execution with the help of Sopia and Yevtagh, his caretakers. He was taken to Caesarea in Cappadocia where Sopia and Yevtagh hoped to raise him. Gregory was given to the Christian Holy Father Phirmilianos (Euthalius) to be educated and was brought up as a devout Christian.[citation needed] coming of age, Gregory married a woman called Miriam, a devout Christian who was the daughter of a Christian Armenian prince in Cappadocia. From their union, Miriam bore Gregory two children, their sons Vrtanes and Aristaces. Through Vrtanes, Gregory and Miriam would have further descendants and when Gregory died, Aristaces succeeded him. At some point, Miriam and Gregory separated in order that Gregory might take up a monastic life. Gregory left Cappadocia and went to Armenia in the hope of atoning for his father's crime by evangelizing his homeland.[8] that time Tiridates III, son of the late King Khosrov II, reigned. Influenced partly by the fact that Gregory was the son of his father's enemy, he ordered Gregory imprisoned for twelve (some sources indicate fourteen) years in a pit on the Ararat Plain under the present day church of Khor Virap located near the historical city Artashat in Armenia. Gregory was eventually called forth from his pit in c. 297 to restore to sanity Tiridates III, who had lost all reason after he was betrayed by Roman emperor Diocletian. Diocletian invaded and vast amounts of territory from western provinces of Greater Armenia became protectorates of Rome.[citation needed] of Christianity in Armenia[edit] 301 Gregory baptized Tiridates III along with members of the royal court and upper class as Christians. Tiridates III issued a decree by which he granted Gregory full rights to begin carrying out the conversion of the entire nation to the Christian faith. The same year Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.[9] The newly built cathedral, the Mother Church in Etchmiadzin became and remains the spiritual and cultural center of Armenian Christianity and center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Most Armenians were baptized in the Aratsani (upper Euphrates) and Yeraskh (Arax) rivers. Two princes from Ujjain, India had founded a large kingdom in Armenia in 165 BC and they established 22 cities covering most of modern Armenia including two Hindu temples dedicated to Gisane and Demetr. According to the account of Zenob Glak,[10] one of the first disciples of Gregory the Illuminator, the temples were destroyed and the priests killed along with 1038 defenders of the raid that was ordered by Gregory.[citation needed] of the pre-Christian (traditional Indo-European) festivals and celebrations such as Tyarndarach (Trndez, associated with fire worship) and Vardavar or Vadarvar associated with water worship, that dated back thousands of years, were preserved and continued in the form of Christian celebrations and chants. In 302, Gregory received consecration as Patriarch of Armenia from Leontius of Caesarea,[11] his childhood friend.[citation needed] and death[edit] 318, Gregory appointed his second son Aristaces as the next Catholicos[11] in line of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church to stabilize and continue strengthening Christianity not only in Armenia, but also in the Caucasus. Gregory also placed and instructed his grandson Gregory (one of the sons of Vrtanes) in charge of the holy missions to the peoples and tribes of all of the Caucasus and Caucasian Albania; the younger man was martyred by a fanatical mob while preaching in Albania.[citation needed] his later years, Gregory withdrew to a small sanctuary near Mount Sebuh (Mt. Sepuh) in the Daranali province (Manyats Ayr, Upper Armenia) with a small convent of monks, where he remained until his death.[citation needed] and Veneration[edit] his death his corpse was removed to the village of Thodanum (T'ordan, modern Doğanköy, near Erzincan). His relics were scattered near and far in the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno. In the 8th century, the iconoclast decrees in Greece caused a number of religious orders to flee the Byzantine Empire and seek refuge elsewhere. San Gregorio Armeno in Naples was built in that century over the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Ceres, by a group of nuns escaping from the Byzantine Empire with the relics of Gregory,[11] including his skull, a femur bone, his staff, the leather straps used in his torture and the manacles that held the saint.[12] The femur and manacles were returned by Pope John Paul II to Catholicos Karekin II and are now enshrined at Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan.[13] The Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos also claims to have the skull.[14] The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon each claim to have the right arm of the saint, in an arm-shaped reliquary, which is used for the blessing the Holy Myron every seven years.[citation needed] 20 February, 1743, Nardò, Italy was hit by a devastating earthquake that destroyed almost the entire city. The only structure to survive in tact after the quake was the city’s statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator. According to the city’s registers, only 350 out of the city’s 10,000 inhabitants died in the earthquake, leading the inhabitants to believe that St. Gregory saved the city. Every year, they mark the anniversary of the earthquake by holding three days of celebrations in his honor. Relics of the saint are kept at Nardò Cathedral.[citation needed] number of prayers, and about thirty of the canonical hymns of the Armenian Church, are ascribed to Gregory the Illuminator. Homilies of his appeared for the first time in a work called Haschacnapadum at Constantinople in 1737; a century afterwards a Greek translation was published at Venice by the Mekhiterists; and they have since been edited in German by J M Schmid (Ratisbon, 1872). The original authorities for Gregory's life are Agathangelos, whose History of Tiridates was published by the Mekhitarists in 1835; Moses of Chorene, Historiae Armenicae; and Symeon the Metaphrast.[citation needed] Life of Gregory by the Vartabed Matthew was published in the Armenian language at Venice in 1749 and was translated into English by Father Malan (1868).[citation needed] the calendar of the Armenian Church, the discovery of the relics of St. Gregory is an important feast and is commemorated on the Saturday before the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.[15] Gregory is commemorated on September 30 by the Orthodox Church, which styles him "Holy Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia." He is listed on September 30 in the Roman Martyrology of the Ordinary Form of the Catholic Church; his feast day is listed as October 1 in the Extraordinary Form. He is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on March 23.[citation needed] Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. the entire Gothic army was defeated. gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. prison the Lord healed all his wounds. Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaianḗ, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); ancient kingdom of Armenia was the first country to become Christian, and it recognizes Gregory as its apostle. was a buffer state between the powerful empires of Rome and Parthia (Persia), and both of them sought to control it. was born about 257. When he was still an infant, his father assassinated the King of Parthia, and friends of the family carried Gregory away for protection to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was reared as a Christian. 280 he returned to Armenia, where he was at first treated severely, but eventually by his preaching and example brought both King Tiridates and a majority of his people to the Christian faith. 300, Gregory was consecrated the first bishop of Armenia. He died about 332. Armenian Christians to this day remember him with honor and gratitude. by James Kiefer were the first people to adopt Christianity as the state religion. Tertullian and Eusebius of Caesaria suggest that Christianity was practiced in Armenia as early as the 2nd century. Eusebius also mentions an exchange of letters between Jesus Christ and the Armenian king of Edessa Abkar V (the Black) (9-46 A.D). Legend claims for Armenian the graves of four apostles: Bartholomew, Simon, Thaddaeus, and Jude. It was sometime between 288 and 301 that St. Gregory the Illuminator (Grigor Loussavorich : ca. 240-332), who had been subjected to cruel tortures and incarcerated in a deep well (Khor Virab) for 13 years for refusing to participate in pagan rites, converted King Tiridates (238-314). In 302, St. Gregory was ordained bishop, and in 303 he founded the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, near Mount Ararat, which, to this day, is the seat of the supreme patriarch or catholicos, the head of the Armenian Church. St. Gregory went on to evangelize several other Caucasian nations and baptized the kings of Iberia (Georgia), Lazes and Albania. Sometime before his death he retired to a solitary life in the wilderness. The patron saint of Armenia, he is now venerated in both the Eastern and Latin Church. from Armenia Online

Armenia, 278-312, Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy
Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy, born 258 Ancyra, Galatia, christian mother, adopted bSophia who fed clothed abandoned children, Clement taught them fBaptism, reader deacon, then priest at 18, Ancyra Bishop a20, then Diocletian Persecution 284, tortured healed in Ancyra, hung on tree raked sharp iron entrals visible, mouth smashed wStones, turned on wheel burned over low fire, sent tDiocletion in Rome who did not believe, more Roman torture, , tPrison, Prison became church, many executed, t Maximian iNicomedia, on ship joined by Agathangelus, Maximian sent them to governor Agrippina, inhuman torments, on-lookers pity, pelted torturers wStones, C&A set free, they healed inhabitant laying on oHands, they baptized&taught throngs, arrested sent home new ruler cyrenius tortured them, tAmasea proconsul Dometius, cruelty, whole day in hot lime, unharmed, flayed, beat iron rods, red-hot beds, sulfur on wounds, healed, sent tTarsus, on the way Clement revelation 28yrs suffer for Christ, there multitude of tortures then tPrison, A beheaded Nov 5, C freed tCave church, announced martyrdom at Liturgy, beheaded while serving Liturgy Jan 23; Ancyra; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ. woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own children, not having the means to feed them. took in these unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. Clement assisted her in this. He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. of them died as martyrs for Christ. Clement was made a reader, and later a deacon. he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. afterwards the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out. Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. the governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, Saint Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the tortures. suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. smashed his mouth with stones, they turned him on a wheel and burned him over a low fire. Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his lacerated body. Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. seeing the martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison. of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. flocked to Saint Clement in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was literally transformed into a church. word of this reached the emperor, many of these new Christians were executed. struck by the amazing endurance of Saint Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to his co-emperor Maximian. the ship, the saint was joined by his disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other confessors, who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop Clement. emperor Maximian in turn sent Saints Clement and Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones. been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to them in multitudes. again on orders of Maximian, they were sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known for his great cruelty. Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot lime. spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. flayed them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured sulfur on their bodies. this failed to harm the saints, they were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. the wilderness along the way Saint Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight years for Christ. having endured a multitude of tortures, the saints were locked up in prison. Agathangelus was beheaded with the sword on November 5. Christians of Ancyra freed Saint Clement from prison and took him to a cave church. after celebrating Liturgy, the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the persecution and his own martyrdom. January 23, the holy hierarch was killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with him, but no one else was harmed. Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra; Clement, Bishop of Ancyra or simply Clement of Ancyra (c. 258-312) (born in Ancyra present-day Turkey) a bishop who served during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian. He was arrested by Roman authorities and tried by Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian attempted to convert Clement to Paganism but Clement refused and withstood tremendous torture. was eventually beheaded by a Roman soldier whilst he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the year 312.[1] He is venerated on 23 January according to the Gregorian calendar and on 5 February according to the Julian calendar in some Eastern Orthodox countries together with his disciple Agathangelus of Rome. relics are in the saint's altar in the basilica of Our Lady of Trapani in Trapani.[2] Saint Clement Church is the only structure survived from the Byzantine era in Ankara.[3]

Armenia, 280-290, Rhipsime or Hripsime, God preserved her virginity from King Tridates, made her stronger
Armenia, 280-290, Rhipsime orHripsime; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Ripsimia suffered martyrdom in the year 292, during the reign of Diocletian (284-304). She was very beautiful in terms of her outward appearance, and modest in her character. those days, Diocletian sent men throughout the Empire to find a maiden fairer than all others for him to marry. found Saint Ripsimia, who had consecrated her virginity to Christ, and was living in a community of women in Asia Minor, of which Saint Gaiane was the Superior. messengers had a portrait of Ripsimia made and sent it to Diocletian. The Emperor was captivated by her beauty, and he sent her a letter, asking her to be his wife. Ripsimia, who had Christ as her heavenly Bridegroom, did not want to marry anyone else. Therefore, the nuns decided to take refuge in Arnenia. On the way, they endured hunger, thirst, and many other trials. settled in a vineyard on the slopes of Mount Ararat, and the stronger women would go into the city to work for people in order to earn money to purchase food and other necessities. All the women were willing to endure exile, and to bear every burden and sorrow for the sake of purity. Diocletian was informed that Ripsimia had fled to Armenia, he wrote to his friend King Tiridates saying, "If you find her, send her to me, or, if you wish, marry her yourself." sent his men to search for Ripsimia, and when they found her they surrounded the area so that she could not escape. When he learned how beautiful she was, Tiridates sent her presents and raiment worthy of a queen, so that she might appear before him in a suitable fashion. Ripsimia, however, acting in accordance with the instructions of Saint Gaiane, who had raised her from childhood, rejected these gifts and refused to go to the King. Saint Gaiane told the messengers that these virgins were already betrothed to Christ, and that it was impossible for them to enter into an earthly marriage. the messengers told Tiridates what had happened, he became very angry. He sent one of his princes and an army of soldiers to kill all the virgins and to bring Ripsimia to him by force. When she saw the soldiers approach the virgins with drawn swords, Saint Ripsimia told the Prince, "Take me to your King, but do not harm these virgins." Ripsimia was taken to the royal bedchamber, weeping and praying that God would preserve her virginity. Recalling how He had helped His servants in the past, how He saved Israel from Pharoah's hands, keeping Jonah in the belly of the whale for three days, and how He protected the Three Holy Youths in the fiery furnace, she believed that He would also rescue her from Tiridates. the King entered the chamber he attempted to rape her, but with God's help she became stronger than Tiridates, and he was not able to harm her. Leaving the chamber, the King commanded that Saint Gaiane be brought to him, since he had discovered that she had raised Ripsimia. The King told her to persuade Ripsimia to submit to him, but when the Eldress spoke to her she counseled her to preserve her virginity, which she had dedicated to Christ, and to remember the crown which her Bridegroom had prepared for her. Finally, she said that if the King should put her to death, she would enjoy even greater favor from Christ. that he had accomplished nothing, even though he had struggled with Ripsimia for a long time, the King began to tremble and roll around on the floor. That night, Saint Ripsimia escaped and fled from the city. She found the sisters and told them how she had remained undefiled. next morning some soldiers found Ripsimia and arranged a cruel death for her. First they cut out her tongue, stripped her, tied her hands and feet to columns, and burned her with candles. Then they tore her stomach open with a sharp stone, so that her entrails fell out. Finally, they plucked her eyes out and cut off her members. Having completed her contest, she departed to Christ, the bestower of crowns. Eldress Galane and two other virgins suffered even greater torments. The pagans drilled through their legs, suspended them upside down, and skinned them alive. Cutting their necks from behind, they pulled their tongues out and cut them off. Next, their stomachs were cut with sharp stones so that their entrails fell to the ground. Finally, they were beheaded. other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say there were thirty-five) suffered horrible tortures, and died by the sword, then their bodies were thrown to the wild animals. addition to these holy women, seventy men who were hiding in that area also suffered martyrdom. St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14;

Armenia, 280-350, James oNisibis, great ascetic Armenia Persian border, clairvoyant, 18 Chapters Orthodox Faith, 1st EC defender

Armenia, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Jacob, Gregory's Kin, Armenia (Tigris River 3)

Armenia, 282-284, Venerable Pelagia, Penitent, Edessa, Beautiful, Dance Troupe, Prostitute, monk disguise, g spiritual gifts
Armenia, 282-284, Venerable Pelagia the Penitent, Edessa; Edessa, Syria; Venerable Pelagia the Penitent, Commemorated on October 8; Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by Saint Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week). Before her acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch, living a life of frivolity and prostitution. day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her way past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers turned their faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after her. Struck by the outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the spiritual greatness within her, the saint prayed in his cell for a long time to the Lord for the sinner. He told his fellow bishops that the prostitute put them all to shame. He explained that she took great care to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the eyes of men. “We... take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,” he said. Saint Pelagia with Saint Nonnus the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came. The teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. With the fear of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. Seeing her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her. night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former life. The saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and the devil vanished. days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. The bishop ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” After this Saint Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell. Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Pelagia came from Antioch in Syria and was descended from a prominent family during the reign of Emperor Numerian (282- 284). When the ruler of Antioch discovered that Pelagia was a Christian, he sent soldiers to rape her. They had surrounded her house and were about to seize her. the Saint learned of this, she asked the soldiers to let her go and change her clothes. Lifting her hands and her eyes to heaven, she prayed fervently to God not to allow the soldiers to rape her, but that she might depart this life as a pure virgin. Then she opened a window and jumped out, sustaining fatal injuries. Thus, she delivered her pure soul to God, in order to preserve herself from being defiled by the boorish soldiers. She was just fifteen years old. John Chrysostom has written a famous encomium for this Saint, in which he suggests that when Saint Pelagia threw herself out of the window, she was probably hoping to escape in that way, even though she was risking her life because of the danger she was in, and not because she wanted to commit suicide. was a church at Antioch, and another in Constantinople, which were dedicated to Saint Pelagia.

Armenia, 284-305, Athanasia and her three young daughters, Edessa, Armenia, Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure
Armenia, 284-305, Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven, Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them; Edessa, Syria; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom.

Armenia, 284-305, Eustratius at Sebaste, Armenia, Commander, historian, openly confessed, iron nail sandals, forced march
Armenia, 284-305, Eustratius at Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1) Auxentius of Arabia, Commander Eustratius witnessed, historian, openly confessed, iron nail sandals, forced march, Mardarius, holes drilled in ankles, ropes, upside down, heated nails hammered, third hour prayer, Eugene, ripped out tongue, off hands & feet, beheaded, Orestes, red hot bead, frightened, encouraged, sign of cross, got in, died, Eustratius, burned alive, prayer for Sat. Midnight Office; Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes (the Five Companions) suffered for Christ under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) at Sebaste, in Armenia. the first Christians imprisoned and undergoing torture at that time was Saint Auxentius, a presbyter of the Arabian Church. of those who witnessed the steadfastness of the Christians was the noble military commander Saint Eusthoratius, the city prefect of Satalios, and archivist of the province. He was secretly a Christian, and when he openly confessed his faith, he was subjected to torture. They beat him, and put iron sandals studded with sharp nails on his feet, then forced him to march to the city of Arabrak. the arrival of Saint Eustratius in Arabrak, one of the common people, Saint Mardarius, confessed that he was also a Christian like Saint Eustratius. He was arrested and cast into prison. Holes were drilled in his ankles, and ropes were passed them. He was suspended upside down, then heated nails were hammered into his body. He died a short time later. To him is attributed the prayer “O Master Lord God, Father Almighty ...” (which is read at the end of the Third Hour). for Saint Eugene, they ripped out his tongue, they cut off his hands and feet, and then they beheaded him with a sword. Saint Auxentius was also arrested and beheaded. The young soldier Saint Orestes confessed himself a Christian and stood trial for this “crime.” He was sentenced to be stretched out upon a red-hot iron bed, and became frightened when he approached it. Encouraged by Saint Eustratius, he made the Sign of the Cross and got onto the heated bed, where he surrendered his soul to God. Eustratius was sentenced to be burned alive on December 13. As he was being led to his death, he prayed aloud (“I magnify Thee exceedingly, O Lord, for Thou hast regarded my lowliness...”). This prayer is still read at the Saturday Midnight Office.

Armenia, 284-305, Hieron, M Melitene, pious, conscripted, physical strength, dexterity, resist, not r, beheaded, incorrupt r
Armenia, 284-305, Hieron and Martyrs of Melitene, Armenia; Malatya; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; holy martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tiana in great Cappadocia. Raised by a pious mother, he was a kindly and good Christian. co-ruling emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305) sent a large military detachment headed by Lysias to Cappadocia to eradicate Christianity there, and also to conscript healthy and strong men into the imperial army. Among those pressed into service, Lysias also ordered his men to draft Hieron, who was distinguished by his great physical strength and dexterity. But Hieron refused to servebe emperors who persecuted Christians. When they attempted to seize him by force and bring him to Lysias, he took a stick and started beating the soldiers who had been sent to bring him. The soldiers scattered, ashamed of being defeated by a single man. Hieron then hid himself in a cave with eighteen other Christians. Lysias would not risk losing his soldiers by storming the cave. the advice of Cyriacus, one of Hieron’s friends, Lysias lifted the siege of the cave and withdrew his detachment. Then Cyriacus persuaded Hieron not to offer resistance to the authorities. He and the other new conscripts and accompanying soldiers were sent to the nearby city of Melitene. Hieron had a vision in his sleep, in which his impending martyrdom was foretold. Lysias told the soldiers gathered at Melitene to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Hieron and another thirty-two soldiers refused to do this, and openly confessed their faith in Christ. Then the persecutor gave orders to beat the martyrs, and to cut off Hieron’s arm at the elbow. After cruel tortures they threw the martyrs into prison barely alive, and they beheaded them four days later. certain rich and illustrious Christian by the name of Chrysanthus ransomed Hieron’s head from Lysias. When the persecutions finally ceased, he built a church on the place where they executed the holy martyrs, and he placed the venerable head in it. The bodies of all the executed saints were secretly buried by Christians. In reign of the emperor Justinian, during the construction of the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace), the venerable relics were uncovered and found incorrupt. other martyrs are: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodoulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus.

Armenia, 284-305, 33 Martyrs of Melitene, Armenia, Hieron's strength&d, drafted, resist, no r, vision, b, incorrupt r
Armenia, 284-305, Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2), Hieron's strength and dexterity, drafted, resisted seizure, persuaded no resist, martyrdom vision, arm cut off, beheaded, incorrupt relics; Malatya; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; holy martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tiana in great Cappadocia. Raised by a pious mother, he was a kindly and good Christian. co-ruling emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (284-305) sent a large military detachment headed by Lysias to Cappadocia to eradicate Christianity there, and also to conscript healthy and strong men into the imperial army. those pressed into service, Lysias also ordered his men to draft Hieron, who was distinguished by his great physical strength and dexterity. Hieron refused to serve emperors who persecuted Christians. they attempted to seize him by force and bring him to Lysias, he took a stick and started beating the soldiers who had been sent to bring him. The soldiers scattered, ashamed of being defeated by a single man. then hid himself in a cave with eighteen other Christians. would not risk losing his soldiers by storming the cave. the advice of Cyriacus, one of Hieron’s friends, Lysias lifted the siege of the cave and withdrew his detachment. Cyriacus persuaded Hieron not to offer resistance to the authorities. and the other new conscripts and accompanying soldiers were sent to the nearby city of Melitene. Hieron had a vision in his sleep, in which his impending martyrdom was foretold. told the soldiers gathered at Melitene to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Hieron and another thirty-two soldiers refused to do this, and openly confessed their faith in Christ. the persecutor gave orders to beat the martyrs, and to cut off Hieron’s arm at the elbow. After cruel tortures they threw the martyrs into prison barely alive, and they beheaded them four days later. certain rich and illustrious Christian by the name of Chrysanthus ransomed Hieron’s head from Lysias. the persecutions finally ceased, he built a church on the place where they executed the holy martyrs, and he placed the venerable head in it. bodies of all the executed saints were secretly buried by Christians. reign of the emperor Justinian, during the construction of the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace), the venerable relics were uncovered and found incorrupt. other martyrs are: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodoulus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodochus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus.

Armenia, 284-305, Hieromartyr Emilian, from Armenia to Spoleto, preached Gospel, to Trebium, showed Maximian power of prayer
Rome, 284-305, Hieromartyr Emilian, from Armenia to Spoleto (Nera River 4, foothills Apennine Mountains), preached Gospel to pagans, to Trebium, showed Maximian power of prayer, crippled man, pagan priests appealed to idols, E prayed and commanded, M convinced but Priests say magic, fierce tortures, Lord encouraged, wheel, hot tin, dunked, wild beasts, unharmed, 1000 believed, all martyred, beasts killed, brothers beheaded, E outside city, sword soft wax, prayed for soldiers, asked martyr's death, milky liquid from wounds ; Spoleto; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Emilian the Bishop, and with him Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus were born and lived in Armenia. the death of their parents, the hieromartyrs Emilian, Dionysius, and Hermippus (they were brothers), and their teacher Hilarion left their native land and arrived in Italy, in the city of Spoleto. Emilian began to preach the Gospel to the pagans. won the deep respect of the Christian community because of his strict and virtuous life, and he was chosen bishop of the city of Trebium. was consecrated by Marcellinus, the Bishop of Rome. moving to Trebium, Saint Emilian converted many pagans to Christ, for which he was brought to trial before the emperor Maximian (284-305). saint suggested that the emperor see for himself the power of prayer to Christ. man who had been crippled for a long time was brought before him. much the pagan priests tried to heal him by appealing to the idols, they accomplished nothing. Saint Emilian prayed to the Lord and commanded the crippled man, in the name of Jesus Christ, to get up. man stood up healthy and went home rejoicing. miracle was so convincing that the emperor was inclined to admit the truth about Christ, the pagan priests told him that the saint had worked magic. was subjected to fierce tortures, in which the Lord encouraged him, saying: “Fear not, Emilian, I am with you.” tied him to a wheel, threw him on hot tin, dunked him in a river, and put him in the arena to be eaten by wild beasts, but he remained unharmed. view of all these miracles the people began to shout: “Great is the Christian God! Free His servant!” this day 1000 men believed in Christ, and all received the crown of martyrdom. a rage, the governor ordered that the beasts be killed since they did not attack the saint. martyr gave thanks to the Lord because even the wild beasts accepted death for Christ. locked Saint Emilian in prison together with his brothers and teacher, and after fierce tortures the hieromartyrs Hilarion, Dionysius, and Hermippus were beheaded with the sword. Emilian was executed outside the city. the executioner struck the martyr on the neck with a sword, it became soft like wax, and did not wound the saint. fell on their knees to him asking forgiveness and confessing Christ as the True God. saint prayed on his knees for them and asked the Lord to grant him a martyr’s death. His prayer was heard, and another executioner cut off the saint’s head. a milky liquid flowing from his wounds, many of the pagans believed in Christ and they buried the martyr’s body with honor.

Armenia, 284-305, Carterius oCaesurea, Teacher iCaesarea, Serapis Idol shattered by his prayers tChrist, ordered tortured&beheaded
Armenia, 284-305, Carterius oCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), Diocletian's Reign, Teacher iCaesarea, Serapis Idol shattered by his prayers tChrist, ordered tortured&beheaded, however killed wSpear; Caesurea, Cappadocia; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; Carterius lived during the reign of Diocletian, was a teacher in Caesarea of Cappadocia. stood before a statue of Serapis and prayed to Christ, and the idol shattered to pieces. procurator Urbanus ordered Saint Carterius to be tortured and then beheaded. however, say he was killed with a spear.

Armenia, 284-305, Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Pontine, Armenia, confessed she was Christian, but lead others from deception
Armenia, 284-305, Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea), Orphaned but lived as daughter of Roman Christian Claudius, very pretty, sensible, kind, she imparted her love for Christ to others, saving many, meek, humble, obedient, silent, Christian aHeart but not yet baptized, she studied God's Law day& nitht, she vowed virginity, Pagan Roman Governor under Diocletian heard of her and wrote Cladius ordering him send C to him for questioning, Claudius knew what would happen, put on sackcloth, wept bitter tears, but Christina comforted him, rejoice, I am to be acceptable sacrifice for my sins and yours, Claudius replied, remember me when you stand before heavenly King with tMartyrs, judge asked her if true you are Christian and delude others, she said yes and no, I am C but I lead others from deception to truth, bringing them to Christ, then her hair cut off but grew right back by God's power, longer than before, then burning coals on her head, vinegar over scorched flesh, increasing pain, plus flaming sticks through her breasts & sides burnt wCandels, finally stone tied around her neck & thrown into sea, she cried this is my baptism, suddenly stone fell &God delivered her from the sea, unharmed, judge ordered her stripped naked for wheel over burning coals, an angel stopped tWheel, unharmed again, finger and toe nails torn out, teeth broken, then dissolute men to rape her, but she prayed God receive her soul before they take her virginity, as she prayed her soul surrendered tGod, body tSack of stones, into sea, body to shore 3days later, and Claudius found it, buried her wReverence, relics fragments found in Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus and Jerusalem Monastery oBoeotia, Greece; Amisus; Martyr Charitina of Amisos, Commemorated on October 5; Charitina (Charitίnē) was from Amisos (Amisós) in Pontus and lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). at a young age, she became the servant of a noble Roman Christian named Claudianus, or Claudius, brought her up as his own daughter. young girl was very pretty, sensible, and kind. She imparted her love for Christ to others, and brought many to the path of salvation. Charitina was meek, humble, obedient and silent. she was not yet baptized, she was a Christian at heart. studied the Law of God day and night, and vowed to preserve her virginity as a true bride of Christ. Saint Charitina brought many others to the Christian Faith, Dometius, one of Emperor Diocletian's governors, came to hear of her and sent a letter to Claudius, ordering him to send Charitina to him so that he might question her. had no doubts about the result of this interrogation. at the prospect of losing her, he put on sackcloth and wept bitter tears. comforted him, saying: "Do not grieve, my Master, but rejoice, for I am to become an acceptable sacrifice to God, for my sins and for yours." replied: "O Servant of God, remember me when you stand before the heavenly King in the ranks of the Holy Martyrs." Saint was brought before a judge at the tribunal. asked her: "Is it true that you are a Christian, and that you delude others by bringing them to your impious faith?" replied: "It is true that I am a Christian, but it is a lie that I delude others. the contrary, I lead them from deception to the path of truth, bringing them to my Christ." the judge ordered her hair to be cut off, but by the power of God, her hair grew back even longer than before. burning coals were placed on her head, and vinegar was poured over her scorched flesh, increasing her pain. drove flaming sticks through her breasts, and burnt her sides with candles. they tied a stone around her neck and threw her into the sea. cried out: "This is my Baptism." Suddenly, the stone was loosened and sank, and God delivered her from the sea unharmed. the judge saw her on the shore, he ordered his men to seize her and strip her naked, then tie her to a wheel which turned over burning coals, an Angel of God stopped the wheel and once again Saint Charitina remained unharmed. judge became furious and ordered that the nails of her hands and her feet be torn out, and that all her teeth be broken. the wicked judge sent many dissolute men to rape her. this dishonor, Saint Charitina prayed that God would receive her soul before these vile men could defile her virginal body; so, as she prayed, she surrendered her pure soul to God. the judge saw that she was dead, he had her body placed in a sack weighted with stones, and tossed it into the sea. Divine Providence, her body was brought to the shore three days later. master Claudius found her body and buried her with appropriate honor and reverence. of Saint Charitina's Holy Relics are found in the Monasteries of Kykkos, Cyprus, and Jerusalem of Boeotia.

Armenia, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia, Wonderworker, Healer, Salvation fMany
Phrygia, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), fCappadocia, pious God-Loving Parents, tSynnada Monastery while young, monk, loved bIgumen for Virtue, taught read write, received fGod gift working miracles, more than 100, killed great dragon by prayer, recruited bLicinus tArmy, there he saw martyrs Victor +many being tortured fChrist, wanted join them, but was preserved wounded by spear, so he could lead many tSalvation, Constantine heard A could heal by prayer, cured sick servant, asked C only return to Synnada M, devoted study Holy Gospel, ordained Priest, succeeded as Bishop, reposed in peace; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. By his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. Though they were perfected in Christ by the sword, was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace.

Armenia, 284-335, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia, gift of miracles, p killed dragon, recruited military, Consantine discharged him
Phrygia, 285-323, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), young monk from Cappadocia, Armenia, gift of working miracles, over 100, prayers killed dragon, recruited military, wanted to join martyrs but preserved for saving souls, Consantine discharged him, priesthood, bishop ; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia and was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, where he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life and so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. There he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. Right away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. they were perfected in Christ by the sword, he was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. His life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. The emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, but he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. His request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, and the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. After the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace

Armenia, 286-330, C King Tiridates III, The Great, first Christian state, C by Gregory
Armenian King, 286-330, Tiridates III of Armenia, The Great; Icon of the Mother of God œthe HealerÂ, Commemorated on September 18; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Armenia, 288 or 300, Dorothy aCaesurea, Cappadocia, Armenia, tortures, joy fHeaven, saved2apostate girls, Apples fHeaven saved m
Armenia, 288 or 300, Holy Martyr Dorothy aCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), with Martyrs Christina, Callista aTheophilus, pius christian maiden D, great beauty, humility, prudence, wisdom fGod tAstonished many, arrested confessed Christ tortures, endured, sent t2 women who had renounced Christ, ordered get D sacrifice tGods, but reverse happened, 2 returned tChrist, all 3 tied back to back & burned iVat oTar, sisters crowns of glory, but D survived, tortured again, endured, death sentence, D cried wJoy, thanking C for call tParadise and Heavenly bridal chamber, while led tExecution Theophilus laughed, said send me an Apple&Roses fParadise oYour Bridegroom, D said "I shall do that", aExecution place D requested time to pray, then angel appeared before her, iForm oHansome child presenting 3 apples& 3 roses on pure linen cloth, D requested they be given to Theophilus, then D beheaded, T confessed Christ true God, his friends wondered hJoking, not joking because it was February and Winter, Cappadocia covered ice frost, what do you think?, from where do they come? T beheaded, D's relics in her Rome church, Her head MOG's church in Rome; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Holy Martyr Dorothy, the Martyrs Christina, Callista and the Martyr Theophilus lived in Caesarea of Cappadocia and suffered under the emperor Diocletian in either the year 288 or 300. Dorothy was a pious Christian maiden, distinguished by her great beauty, humility, prudence, and God-given wisdom, which astonished many. upon orders of the governor Sapricius, she steadfastly confessed her faith in Christ and was subjected to tortures. to break the will of the saint, the governor sent to her two women, the sisters Christina and Callista, who once were Christians, but fearing torture, they renounced Christ and began to lead impious lives. ordered them to get Saint Dorothy to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, just the reverse happened. Saint Dorothy convinced them that the mercy of God is granted to all who repent, so they corrected themselves and returned to Christ. tormentors tied them back to back and burned them in a vat of tar. martyrdom, Christina and Callista atoned for their sin of apostasy, receiving from God not only forgiveness, but crowns of victory. Dorothy was again subjected to tortures, she gladly endured them and accepted the death sentence. cried out with joy, thanking Christ for calling her to Paradise and to the heavenly bridal chamber. they led the saint to execution Theophilus, one of the governor’s counselors, laughed and said to her, “Bride of Christ, send me an apple and some roses from the Paradise of your Bridegroom.” martyr nodded and said, “I shall do that.” the place of execution, the saint requested a little time to pray. she finished the prayer, an angel appeared before her the form of a handsome child presenting her three apples and three roses on a pure linen cloth. saint requested that these be given to Theophilus, which she was beheaded by the sword. received the gracious gift, the recent mocker of Christians was shaken, and he confessed Christ as the true God. friends were astonished, and wondered whether he were joking, or perhaps mad. assured them he was not joking. Then they asked the reason for this sudden change. asked what month it was. “February,” they replied. “In the winter, Cappadocia is covered with ice and frost, and the trees are bare of leaves. What do you think? where do these apples and flowers come?” being subjected to cruel tortures, Saint Theophilus was beheaded with a sword. relics of Saint Dorothy are in Rome in the church dedicated to her, her head is also at Rome, in a church of the Mother of God at Trastevero.

Armenia, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (Iris River in Pontus near Kelkit River and Neocaeserea)
Byzantium, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River) ; Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Armenia, 290-305, Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Comana, Fool f Christ, Coal Collier, then Bishop a Martyr
Komana (Comana), Pontica; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Alexander, Bishop of Comana, lived during the third century not far from Neocaesarea. He studied the Holy Scripture and knew many scientific disciplines. Taking upon himself the exploit of holy foolishness, the saint lived in poverty, selling coal in the city square. Many, seeing his face always black from the grime of the coal dust, sneered at him with contempt. the Bishop of Comana happened to die, then among the candidates put forth for election as new bishop -- one was a man illustrious, others were learned or eloquent, while yet others were rich. Then Saint Gregory Thaumaturgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea (November 17), having been invited for the ordination of their choice, pointed out, that a bishop ought to have not only outward worthiness and distinction, but foremost of all, a pure heart and holy life. These words caused some to laugh saying: “If outward appearance and nobility of origin be for naught, then even Alexander the collier might be made bishop”. Gregory perceived that it was not without the Providence of God that this man came to be mentioned, and he asked that they call him. The appearance of the saint at the gathering evoked laughter. Having respectfully bowed to Saint Gregory, Saint Alexander stood there deeply absorbed in himself and ignoring the sneering: Saint Gregory put him to the test, and the collier was obliged to reveal that he was formerly a philosopher, and had studied Holy Scripture, but that for the sake of God he had assumed upon himself voluntary poverty and humility. Saint Gregory then took the collier to his own lodging, where he washed off the grime, and gave him clean clothes. Returning then to the assembled people, Saint Gregory in front of everyone began to put to him questions from Holy Scripture, to which Saint Alexander answered like a knowledgeable and wise pastor. Seeing this, all were astonished at his humility and with one accord they elected him their bishop. Gregory ordained him priest, and later bishop. After the imposition of hands the new bishop preached a sermon to the people, full of power and the grace of God. And everyone rejoiced that the Lord had sent them such a wise pastor. Under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) the saint bravely confessed Christ, and refused to worship idols. After tortures they threw him into a fire, and there he departed to God. According to other sources, Saint Alexander suffered instead under the emperor Decius (249-251). St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Armenia, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin, Wonderworker, imperial guard commander, spoke Truth
Armenia, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia, Armenia, Nino's Kin, Victory Bearer, Wonderworker, Diocletian' imperial guard commander, spoke Truth (Jesus Christ) in the Senate, pushing spears became soft, you will grow tired before I will, intense tortures, wheel sharp iron, assumed dead, dark thunder, Lord's voice fear not, youthful angel, rejoice, healed, pagan temple w emperor, many believed, incl Emperess Alexandra, more tortures deep pit w lime, unharmed and cheerful, red hot iron sandals w nails, ox thongs, concluded magic, poisoned unharmed, not human understanding but power of God, believers no regard for tortures, do things Christ did, D asks what C did, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.”, D had him raise a dead man, Sorcerer confessed, beheaded w raised man, to prison, healings, Glycerius ox to life, G beheaded, Court of Apollo, deamons confessed, idols destroyed, George beheaded, Dragon slaying story, Many saints named george or yuri; Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family. His father was martyred for Christ when George was still a child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, moved there with her son and raised him in strict piety. he became a man, Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian (284-305) and joined the imperial guard with the rank of comites, or military commander. pagan emperor, who did much for the restoration of Roman might, was clearly concerned with the danger presented to pagan civilization by the triumph of the Crucified Savior, and intensified his persecution against the Christians in the final years of his reign. the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all his governors full freedom in their court proceedings against Christians, and he promised them his full support. George, when he heard the decision of the emperor, distributed all his wealth to the poor, freed his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. brave soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor’s designs. He confessed himself a Christian, and appealed to all to acknowledge Christ: “I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting in Him, I have come among you voluntarily, to bear witness concerning the Truth.” “What is Truth?” one of the dignitaries asked, echoing the question of Pontius Pilate. The saint replied, “Christ Himself, Whom you persecuted, is Truth.” by the bold speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who had loved and promoted George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and honors, but rather to offer sacrifice to the gods as was the Roman custom. The confessor replied, “Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God.” by order of the enraged emperor the armed guards began to push Saint George out of the assembly hall with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. the deadly steel became soft and it bent, just as the spears touched the saint’s body, and it caused him no harm. In prison they put the martyr’s feet in stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. next day at the interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor, “You will grow tired of tormenting me sooner than I will tire of being tormented by you.” Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to some very intense tortures. They tied the Great Martyr to a wheel, beneath which were boards pierced with sharp pieces of iron. As the wheel turned, the sharp edges slashed the saint’s naked body. first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted down, and did not utter even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and then went to a pagan temple to offer thanks. this very moment it got dark, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: “Fear not, George, for I am with you.” Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a radiant youth. He placed his hand upon the martyr, saying to him, “Rejoice!” Saint George stood up healed. the soldiers led him to the pagan temple where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought that he saw before him some other man or even a ghost. confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced that a miracle had occurred. Many then came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ. Immediately, without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. present in the pagan temple was Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she also knew the truth. She was on the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her and led her off to the palace. emperor became even more furious. He had not lost all hope of influencing Saint George, so he gave him over to new and fiercesome torments. After throwing him into a deep pit, they covered it over with lime. days later they dug him out, but found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and then drove him back to the prison with whips. the morning, they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healed feet, and the emperor asked if he liked his shoes. The saint said that the sandals had been just his size. Then they beat him with ox thongs until pieces of his flesh came off and his blood soaked the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding. emperor concluded that the saint was being helped by magic, so he summoned the sorcerer Athanasius to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets containing drugs. One of them would have quieted him, and the other would kill him. The drugs had no effect, and the saint continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify God as before. the emperor asked what sort of power was helping him, Saint George said, “Do not imagine that it is any human learning which keeps me from being harmed by these torments. I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. believes in Him has no regard for tortures and is able to do the things that Christ did” (John 14:12). asked what sort of things Christ had done. Martyr replied, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.” that they had never been able to resurrect the dead through sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, and wanting to test the saint, the emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person before his eyes. The saint retorted, “You wish to tempt me, but my God will work this sign for the salvation of the people who shall see the power of Christ.” they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out, “O Lord! Show to those here present, that You are the only God in all the world. Let them know You as the Almighty Lord.” Then the earth quaked, a grave opened, the dead one emerged from it alive. Having seen with their own eyes the Power of Christ, the people wept and glorified the true God. sorcerer Athanasius, falling down at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and asked forgiveness for his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his impiety thought otherwise. In a rage, he commanded both Athanasius and the man raised from the dead to be beheaded, and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. people, weighed down with their infirmities, began to visit the prison and they there received healing and help from the saint. A certain farmer named Glycerius, whose ox had collapsed, also visited him. The saint consoled him and assured him that God would restore his ox to life. When he saw the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerius was arrested and beheaded. exploits and the miracles of the Great Martyr George had increased the number of the Christians, therefore Diocletian made a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and as he slept, he saw the Lord, Who raised him up with His hand, and embraced him. The Savior placed a crown on Saint George’s head and said, “Fear not, but have courage, and you will soon come to Me and receive what has been prepared for you.” the morning, the emperor offered to make Saint George his co-administrator, second only to himself. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, “Caesar, you should have shown me this mercy from the very beginning, instead of torturing me. Let us go now to the temple and see the gods you worship.” believed that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed him to the pagan temple with his retinue and all the people. Everyone was certain that Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint went up to the idol, made the Sign of the Cross and addressed it as if it were alive: “Are you the one who wants to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?” demon inhabiting the idol cried out, “I am not a god and none of those like me is a god, either. The only God is He Whom you preach. We are fallen angels, and we deceive people because we are jealous.” George cried out, “How dare you remain here, when I, the servant of the true God, have entered?” Then noises and wailing were heard from the idols, and they fell to the ground and were shattered. was general confusion. In a frenzy, pagan priests and many of the crowd seized the holy martyr, tied him up, and began to beat him. They also called for his immediate execution. holy empress Alexandra tried to reach him. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out, “O God of George, help me, for You Alone are All-Powerful.” At the feet of the Great Martyr the holy empress confessed Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those who worshipped them. immediately pronounced the death sentence on the Great Martyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who followed Saint George to execution without resisting. Along the way she felt faint and slumped against a wall. There she surrendered her soul to God. George gave thanks to God and prayed that he would also end his life in a worthy manner. At the place of execution the saint prayed that the Lord would forgive the torturers who acted in ignorance, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy Great Martyr George bent his neck beneath the sword, receiving the crown of martyrdom on April 23, 303. pagan era was coming to an end, and Christianity was about to triumph. Within ten years, Saint Constantine (May 21) would issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to Christians. the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air. the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash. people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George. George went on to become a talented officer and to amaze the world by his military exploits. He died before he was thirty years old. He is known as Victory Bearer, not only for his military achievements, but for successfully enduring martyrdom. As we know, the martyrs are commemorated in the dismissal at the end of Church services as “the holy, right victorious martyr....” George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.” name of Saint George was also borne by the founder of Moscow, Yurii Dolgoruky (+ 1157), who was the builder of many churches dedicated to Saint George, and the builder of the city of Yuriev-Polsk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation against the Mongol Horde was led by the Great Prince Yurii (George) Vsevolodovich of Vladimir (February 4), who fell at the Battle at the Sita River. His memory, like that of Igor the Brave, and defender of his land, was celebrated in Russian spiritual poems and ballads. first Great Prince of Moscow, when Moscow had become the center of the Russian Land, was Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325), the son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory Bearer, depicted as a horseman slaying the serpent, appeared on Moscow’s coat of arms, and became an emblem of the Russian state. This has strengthened Russia’s connections with Christian nations, and especially with Iberia (Georgia, the Land of Saint George). GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; is a soldier and martyr who suffered around 303 at Lydda (Diospolis) in Palestine. The earliest surviving record of him is a church inscription in Syria, dated about 346. Commemorations of him are numerous, early, and widespread. However, no details of his life are known. In 495 his name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God." The best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. It should be noted that this story is unknown before the appearance in 1265 of a romance called the Golden Legend (Legendum Aureum), translated into English in 1483. the soldiers of the First Crusade were besieging Antioch in 1098, they had a vision of George and Demetrius (a deacon of Sirmium in Serbia, martyred under Maximian, and referred to as a "soldier of Christ," from which he was often understood to be a literal soldier) encouraging them to maintain the siege, which ultimately proved successful. I ("the Lion-Heart") of England, who fought in the Holy Land in 1191-1192, placed himself and his army under George's protection, and with the return home of the Crusaders, the popularity of George in England increased greatly. III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 under his patronage, his banner (a red cross on a white field) began to be used as the English national flag in 1284, and in 1415 Henry V spoke of him to rally the troops before the battle of Agincourt ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead. ... cry God for Harry, England, and St George!"), in the years following George was regarded as the special patron of England, of soldiers, and of the Boy Scouts, as well as of Venice, Genoa, Portugal, and Catalonia. is also remembered with enthusiasm in many parts of the East Orthodox Church. is a principal character in Edmund Spenser's allegorical poem The Faerie Queene, written in the late 1500's. — by James Kiefer

Armenia, 297, Holy Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian & Parigoreas, denounced senseless idol worship
Armenia, 297, Holy Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian and Parigoreas suffered in the year 297, during the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), denounced senseless idol worship, Their bodies were scraped with iron, heavy iron fetters were hung around their necks, and they were locked up in prison. Finally, nails were driven into their heads while they were suspended on crosses Samosata; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; Holy Martyrs Romanus, James, Philotheus, Hyperichius, Habib, Julian and Parigoreas suffered in the year 297, during the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Samosata (in Syria on the River Euphrates). bravely denounced the senseless worship of idols, for which they were arrested and given over to various terrible tortures. bodies were scraped with iron, heavy iron fetters were hung around their necks, and they were locked up in prison. Finally, nails were driven into their heads while they were suspended on crosses.

Armenia, 297-361, Salome & Perozhavra, both queens, helpers closest companions oNino, converted by her, they wrote her history
Armenia, 297-361, Georgian Saints Salome & Perozhavra, both queens, helpers closest companions oNino, both converted by her, they wrote her history, Salome wife oRevi, son oMirian, Perozhavra married to Kartli ruler, Nino taught them prayer fasting good works, social status helped Nino spread faith, After conversion oKartli, Nino inspired Salome erected cross iUjarma, Kakheti, bOrder oMiriam, Nino fell ill in Bodbe, queens stood by her bed, tell us our Queen, how did you come to our country, where were you raised, tell us how to continue, what shall we do, So, Salome&Perozhavra wrote Nino's life Armenia, Georgian Saint, 297-361, Salome of Armenia ; Venerable Salome oUjarma, Commemorated on January 15; Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia were the helpers and closest companions of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. Nino herself had converted them to the Christian Faith. was the wife of Revi, the son of King Mirian, Perozhavra was married to the ruler of the Kartli region. women were queens, they succeeded in serving Saint Nino while retaining their imperial roles. Nino taught them to pray, and the women fasted regularly and performed good works. As a result of their influential social status, the two queens were able to help Saint Nino tremendously in spreading the Christian Faith. the conversion of Kartli, with inspiration from Saint Nino and by the order of King Mirian, Saint Salome erected a cross in Ujarma in the Kakheti region. Saint Nino fell ill in the village of Bodbe, queens Salome and Perozhavra stood by her bed and wept bitterly at having to part with their beloved teacher and healer. entreated Saint Nino, who was finishing her last hours on this earth, saying, “Tell us, our Queen, how did you come to our country to free our souls, and where were you raised? us how to continue your good works. You who have delivered us from bondage to the enemy, us, what shall we do?” the information that Saint Nino then related to them, Salome and Perozhavra wrote The Life of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia commemorates them on January 15, the day following the commemoration of Saint Nino.

Armenia, 300-399, 4th Century Folder, St Theodore Stratelates of Pontus, St Peter of Sebaste

Armenia, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia, ministered in prison, confessed w 7 courageous women, fire water, beheaded
Armenia, 301-303, Irenarchus at Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1), ministered to martyrs in prison, marveled at women courage, by divine grace confessed Christ, fire water trials, beheaded w 7 women; Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Holy Martyr Irenarchus was from Sebaste, Armenia, and lived during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). he was young, he would minister to the martyrs in prison after they were tortured. once saw seven women being tortured for Christ, who bravely endured their torments. Saint Irenarchus marveled at this because they showed great courage in standing up to the tyrant, even though they were weak by nature. by divine grace, Saint Irenarchus confessed Christ. he endured trials by fire and water, then he was beheaded with the seven holy women in the year 303.

Armenia, 301, Kyriake of Nicomedia, at Melitene, Armenia, beautiful, wealthy, virgin dedicated to Christ, refused marriage
Armenia, 301, Kyriake of Nicomedia, at Melitene, Armenia, young and beautiful, wealthy parents, virgin dedicated to Christ, refused marriage, Diocletian, Maximian, suspended by hair, burned w torches, became more courageous, Christ appeared, healed, earthquake destroyed idols, Hilarion blasphemed and died on spot by lightning, fire, wild beasts, sword but angels took her soul; Armenia, 301, Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, at Melitene, Armenia; Kyriake was the only child of Dorotheus and Eusebia. Since she was born on a Sunday (Kyriake, in Greek), she was named Kyriake. day a wealthy magistrate wished to betroth Kyriake to his son. Not only was she young and beautiful, but her parents were wealthy, and the magistrate wished to control that wealth. The magistrate went to her parents to request her hand, but Saint Kyriake told him that she wished to remain a virgin, for she had dedicated herself to Christ. magistrate was angered by her words, so he went to the emperor Diocletian to denounce the saint and her parents as Christians who mocked the idols, and refused to offer sacrifice to them. sent soldiers to arrest the family and have them brought before him. He asked them why they would not honor the gods which he himself honored. They told him that these were false gods, and that Christ was the one true God. was beaten until the soldiers grew tired and were unable to continue. Since neither flattery nor torment had any effect, Diocletian sent Dorotheus and Eusebia to Melitene on the eastern border between Cappadocia and Armenia. Then he sent Saint Kyriake to be interrogated by his son-in-law and co-ruler Maximian at Nicomedia. urged her not to throw her life away, promising her wealth and marriage to one of Diocletian'™s relatives if she would worship the pagan gods. Kyriake replied that she would never renounce Christ, nor did she desire worldly riches. Enraged by her bold answer, Maximian had her flogged. The soldiers who administered this punishment became tired, and had to be replaced three times. by his failure to overcome a young woman, Maximian sent Saint Kyriake to Hilarion, the eparch of Bithynia, at Chalcedon. He told Hilarion to either convert Kyriake to paganism, or send her back to him. the same promises and threats that Diocletian and Maximian had made before, Hilarion was no more successful than they were. Kyriake challenged him to do his worst, because Christ would help her to triumph. The saint was suspended by her hair for several hours, while soldiers burned her body with torches. Not only did she endure all this, she also seemed to become more courageous under torture. Finally, she was taken down and put into a prison cell. night Christ appeared to her and healed her wounds. When Hilarion saw her the next day, he declared that she had been healed by the gods because they pitied her. Then Hilarion urged her to go to the temple to give thanks to the gods. She told him that she had been healed by Christ, but agreed to go to the temple. The eparch rejoiced, thinking that he had defeated her. the temple, Saint Kyriake prayed that God would destroy the soulless idols. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake which toppled the idols, shattering them to pieces. Everyone fled the temple in fear, leaving Hilarion behind. Instead of recognizing the power of Christ, the eparch blasphemed the true God as the destroyer of his pagan gods. He was struck by a bolt of lightning and died on the spot. Kyriake was tortured again by Apollonius, who succeeded Hilarion as eparch. When she was cast into a fire, the flames were extinguished. When she was thrown to wild beasts, they became tame and gentle. Therefore, Apollonius sentenced her to death by the sword. She was permitted time to pray, so she asked God to receive her soul, and to remember those who honored her martyrdom. as Saint Kyriake ended her prayer, angels took her soul before the soldiers could strike off her head. Pious Christians took her relics and buried them in a place of honor.

Armenia, 301-306, Gurias of Edessa, Armenia, Confessors, Samonas prayer, Habibus burned, unharmed body, Goth Soldier story
301-306, Gurias of Edessa, Armenia, Confessors, Martyrs, Samonas prayer, then years, Licinius, Habibus burned, unharmed body, Goth Soldier and pious virgin Euphemia, deception witness, slavery, miraculous return; Edessa, Syria; Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus, of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15; Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas and Habibus: during the persecution against Christians under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). The two friends Gurias and Samonas, preachers of the Word of God, were arrested in the city of Edessa. saints refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, and boldly confessed their faith in Christ. For this they were subjected to cruel tortures: they were beaten, hung up by their hands, heavy weights were tied to their feet, and they were cast into a stifling prison. martyrs endured everything with firmness and Samonas uttered a prayer to the Lord, which one of the witnesses to their death wrote down: “O Lord my God, against Whose will not a single sparrow falls into the snare. It was You Who made room for David in his sorrow (Ps. 4:1), Who proved the Prophet David stronger than lions (Dan. 6:16-24), and granted a child of Abraham to be victor over torture and flames (Dan. ch. 3, ch. 14). You know also, Lord, the infirmity of our nature, You see the struggle set before us. Our foe strives to snatch us, the work of Your right hand, away from You and to deprive us of the glory which is in You. With Your compassionate eye watching over us, preserve in us the inextinguishable light of Your Commandments. Guide our steps by Your light, and make us worthy of Your Kingdom, for You are blessed unto ages of ages.” night, they took the martyrs out beyond the city and beheaded them (+ 299-306). Christians buried their holy bodies with reverence. some years, the last pagan emperor, Licinius (311-324), began a persecution against Christians. a deacon of the Church of Edessa whom the emperor ordered to be arrested for his zealous spreading of the true Faith, presented himself before the executioners when he learned they were searching for him. The saint confessed his faith in Christ and was sentenced to be burned alive. The martyr went willingly into the fire and with a prayer surrendered his soul to the Lord. When the fire went out, the mother and relatives of the saint found his body unharmed. They buried the martyr next to Saints Gurias and Samonas. the death of the saints, numerous miracles were wrought by them for those who entreated their help with faith and love. a certain Gothic soldier, sent to serve at Edessa, took the pious virgin Euphemia as his wife. Before this the barbarian vowed to her mother Sophia at the graves of the Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus that he would do his spouse no harm, and would never insult her, but would always love and cherish her. the completion of his service in Edessa, he took Euphemia with him back to his native land. It turned out that he had deceived her, for he already had a wife at home, and Euphemia became her slave. Her evil husband threatened to kill her if she revealed to anyone that they were married. Euphemia suffered much abuse and humiliation. When she gave birth to a son, the jealous Gothic woman poisoned him. Euphemia turned with prayer to the holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus, the witnesses to the perjurer’s oath, and the Lord delivered Euphemia from her suffering and miraculously returned her to Edessa, where she was welcomed by her mother. a certain while the Goth was again sent to serve in Edessa. The whole city learned of his misdeeds after he was denounced by Sophia. The Goth was executed by order of the prefect of the city. an Akathist, the Holy Church addresses the martyrs: “Rejoice, Gurias, Samonas and Habibus, Heavenly Patrons of honorable marriage.” We pray to them for deliverance from family turmoil, and from marital difficulties, especially where one spouse hates the other without cause.

Armenia, 301-316, Blaise, Sebaste, Armenia , blessed&healed wild beasts, wolf returns small pig, walked on lake, 68 died trying
Armenia, 300-316, Blaise, Bishop o Sebaste, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 1, Iris River Source), righteous life, Diocletian and Licinius persecution, hid on mt in cave, wild beasts to him, blessed and healed them,looking for wild beasts to torture, they arested him, along the way he worked miracles, wolf returns small pig, he called gods devils, 7 holy women threw idols to deep lake, ordered to be thrown in lake he walked on it, 68 died trying it with gods help; Sebaste, Cappadocia, Armenia; Hieromartyr Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Hieromartyr Blaise (Blasius), Bishop of Sebaste, was known for his righteous and devout life. chosen by the people, he was consecrated Bishop of Sebaste. occurred during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Licinius (307-324), fierce persecutors of Christians. Blaise encouraged his flock, visited the imprisoned, and gave support to the martyrs. hid themselves from the persecutors by going off to desolate and solitary places. Saint Blaise also hid himself away on Mount Argeos, where he lived in a cave. Wild beasts came up to him and meekly waited until the saint finished his prayer and blessed them. The saint also healed sick animals by laying his hands upon them. refuge of the saint was discovered by servants of the governor Agrilaus, who had come to capture wild beasts to loose on the Christian martyrs. servants reported to their master that Christians were hiding on the mountain, and he gave orders to arrest them. But those sent out found there only the Bishop of Sebaste. Glorifying God Who had summoned him to this exploit, Saint Blaise followed the soldiers. the way the saint healed the sick and worked other miracles. a destitute widow complained to him of her misfortune. A wolf had carried off a small pig, her only possession. The bishop smiled and said to her, “Do not weep, your pig will be returned to you...” To the astonishment of everyone, the wolf came running back and returned his prey unharmed. greeting the bishop with words of deceit, called him a companion of the gods. The saint answer6ed the greeting, but he called the gods devils. Then they beat him and led him off to prison. the next day, they subjected the saint to tortures again. When they led him back to the prison, seven women followed behind and gathered up the drops of blood. They arrested them and tried to compel them to worship the idols. The women pretended to consent to this and said that first they needed to wash the idols in the waters of a lake. They took the idols and threw them in a very deep part of the lake, and after this the Christians were fiercely tortured. The saints stoically endured the torments, strengthened by the grace of God, their bodies were transformed and became white as snow. One of the women had two young sons, who implored their mother to help them attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and she entrusted them to the care of Saint Blaise. The seven holy women were beheaded. Blaise was again brought before Agrilaus, and again he unflinchingly confessed his faith in Christ. The governor ordered that the martyr be thrown into a lake. The saint, going down to the water, signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, and he walked on it as though on dry land. the pagans standing about on shore, he challenged them to come to him while calling on the help of their gods. Sixty-eight men of the governor’s retinue entered the water, and immediately drowned. The saint, however, heeding the angel who had appeared to him, returned to shore. was in a rage over losing his finest servants, and he gave orders to behead Saint Blaise, and the two sons of the woman martyr entrusted to him. Before his death, the martyr prayed for the whole world, and especially for those honoring his memory. This occurred in about the year 316. relics of the Hieromartyr Blaise were brought to the West during the time of the Crusades, and portions of the relics are preserved in many of the lands of Europe [and his memory traditionally honored there on February 3]. pray to Saint Blaise for the health of domestic animals, and for protection from wild beasts.

Armenia, 301-319, Theodore Stratelates, killed serpent, Heraclea commander&successful preacher, fruitful death, angel revived
Armenia, 301-319, Theodore Stratelates, Euchaita, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 2), endowed w many talents, handsome, charity, killed giant serpent, Heraclea commander & successful preacher, Licinius 311-324, come to me w your idols, smashed them and distributed to poor, tortured, iron rods, sharp spikes, fire, eyes, crucified, fruitful death, angel healed him, unharmed, voluntarily surrendered, encouraged no revenge, opened prison doors by word, beheaded; Euchaita; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe General, Commemorated on February 8; Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates came from the city of Euchaita in Asia Minor. was endowed with many talents, and was handsome in appearance. For his charity God enlightened him with the knowledge of Christian truth. The bravery of the saintly soldier was revealed after he, with the help of God, killed a giant serpent living on a precipice in the outskirts of Euchaita. The serpent had devoured many people and animals, terrorizing the countryside. Saint Theodore armed himself with a sword and vanquished it, glorifying the name of Christ among the people. his bravery Saint Theodore was appointed military commander [stratelatos] in the city of Heraclea, where he combined his military service with preaching the Gospel among the pagans subject to him. His gift of persuasion, reinforced by his personal example of Christian life, turned many from their false gods. Soon, nearly all of Heraclea had accepted Christianity. this time the emperor Licinius (311-324) began a fierce persecution against Christians. In an effort to stamp out the new faith, he persecuted the enlightened adherents of Christianity, who were perceived as a threat to paganism. Among these was Saint Theodore. Licinius tried to force Saint Theodore to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. The saint invited Licinius to come to him with his idols so both of them could offer sacrifice before the people. by his hatred for Christianity, Licinius trusted the words of the saint, but he was disappointed. Saint Theodore smashed the gold and silver statues into pieces, which he then distributed to the poor. Thus he demonstrated the vain faith in soulless idols, and also displayed Christian charity. Theodore was arrested and subjected to fierce and refined torture. He was dragged on the ground, beaten with iron rods, had his body pierced with sharp spikes, was burned with fire, and his eyes were plucked out. Finally, he was crucified. Varus, the servant of Saint Theodore, barely had the strength to write down the incredible torments of his master. however, in His great mercy, willed that the death of Saint Theodore should be as fruitful for those near him as his life was. An angel healed the saint’s wounded body and took him down from the cross. In the morning, the imperial soldiers found him alive and unharmed. Seeing with their own eyes the infinite might of the Christian God, they were baptized not far from the place of the unsuccessful execution. Saint Theodore became “like a day of splendor” for those pagans dwelling in the darkness of idolatary, and he enlightened their souls “with the bright rays of his suffering.” Unwilling to escape martyrdom for Christ, Saint Theodore voluntarily surrendered himself to Licinius, and discouraged the Christians from rising up against the torturer, saying, “Beloved, halt! My Lord Jesus Christ, hanging upon the Cross, restrained the angels and did not permit them to take revenge on the race of man.” to execution, the holy martyr opened up the prison doors with just a word and freed the prisoners from their bonds. People who touched his robe were healed instantly from sicknesses, and freed from demonic possession. By order of the emperor, Saint Theodore was beheaded by the sword. Before his death he told Varus, “ Do not fail to record the day of my death, and bury my body in Euchaita.” He also asked to be remembered each year on this date. Then he bent his neck beneath the sword, and received the crown of martyrdom which he had sought. This occurred on February 8, 319, on a Saturday, at the third hour of the day. Theodore is regarded as the patron saint of soldiers. He is also commemorated on June 8.

Armenia, 301-351, Paul oNeocaesarea, suffered under Licinius, hunger, red-hot iron on hands, 3EC, Constantine kissed hands
Armenia, 301-351, Paul, Bishop oNeocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3), suffered under Licinius, hunger, red-hot iron on hands, prison, after L executed i324 Constantine sole ruler, Christians freed, returned tNeocaesarea, tFirst EC, emperor kissed burned hand, lived long time; Neocaesarea; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Paul, Bishop of Neocaesarea, under the emperor Licinius (311-324). his trial he firmly confessed his faith, and was subjected to beatings. They tortured him also with hunger, but he remained steadfast. Then they scorched his hands with red-hot iron and locked him in a prison at the banks of the Euphrates. Licinius was executed in the year 324, Saint Constantine became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, Christians in prison received their freedom, Paul returned to his flock. was a participant at the First Ecmenical Council at Nicea, convened in the year 325, at which the Arian heresy was condemned and the Symbol of Faith adopted. the end of the Council, the Emperor Constantine solemnly received the Council participants and kissed Saint Paul’s burned hand. long years of guiding his flock, Saint Paul peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Armenia, 303, Eugene +3 aTrebizond, unharmed fOx Thong whippin, iron claw scraping, fire burning, red hot oven, So beheaded
Armenia, 303, Eugene +3 aTrebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River) &Harsit Hills, unharmed fOx Thong whippin, iron claw scraping, fire burning, salt&vinegar in wounds, red hot oven, So then beheaded; Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila, at Trebizond, Commemorated on January 21; Holy Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian and Aquila suffered for their faith in Christ during the reign of Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311), under the regimental commander Lycius. Candidus and Aquila had hidden themselves in the hills near Trebizond, preferring life among the wild beasts to living with the pagans. were soon found, however, and brought to Trebizond. their bold and steadfast confession of faith in Christ the holy martyrs were whipped with ox thongs, scraped with iron claws, then were burned with fire. days later Saint Eugene was also arrested, and subjected to the same tortures. they poured vinegar laced with salt into his wounds. these torments, they threw the four martyrs into a red-hot oven. they emerged from it unharmed, they were beheaded, receiving their incorruptible crowns from God.

Armenia, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children
Bithynia, 303, Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Nicomedia, Bithynia, Gangra, Pathlagonia, Armenia, fierce tortures, rich children; Nicea (Nicaea); Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; Holy Martyrs Eustathius, Thespesius and Anatolius, natives of the city of Gangra, were the children of a rich merchant. They were baptized by Bishop Anthimus of Nicomedia (September 3). They died as martyrs at Nicea, after suffering fierce tortures.

Armenia, 303-311, Barlaam of Caesarea, Cappadocia and Antioch, Syria, held on to the red hot censer, until hand fell off
Armenia, 303-311, Barlaam of Caesarea, Cappadocia and Antioch, Syria, held on to the red hot censer, until hand fell off, fAntioch Syria, Diocletian Persecution time 303-311, Aged, arrested, confessed, red-hot cencer over pagan altar, hand fell off then died; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; Holy Martyr Barlaam lived in Antioch of Syria. During Diocletian’s persecution against Christians, the aged Saint Barlaam was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed himself a Christian. judge, wanting to compel the saint to renounce Christ, ordered that Saint Barlaam be brought to the pagan altar. His right hand was placed over it, and a red-hot censer burning with incense was put into his hand. The torturer thought that a physically weak old man could not endure the pain and would drop it on the altar. In this way he would involuntarily be offering sacrifice to the idol. However, the saint held on to the censer until his hand fell off. After this, the holy Martyr Barlaam surrendered his soul to the Lord.

Armenia, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis, dedicated to God, survived torture, crucified
Cilicia, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis , Cilicia and (near Seyhan River Mouth) and Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia, Armenia, dedicated to God, survived iron rods, iron wheel, roasted, encouraged by mother, crucified upside down, buried w mother ; Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7; Holy Martyr Calliopius was born in Perge, Pamphylia of the pious woman Theoklia, wife of a renowned senator. Theoklia was childless for a long time. She fervently prayed for a son, vowing to dedicate him to God. after the birth of her son Theoklia was widowed. When Saint Calliopius reached adolescence, a fierce persecution against Christians began. Theoklia, learning that her son would be denounced as a Christian, sent him to Cilicia in Asia Minor. the saint arrived at Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia there was a celebration in honor of the pagan gods. They invited the youth to take part in the proceedings, but he said he was a Christian and refused. They reported this to the prefect of the city Maximus. Saint Calliopius was brought before him to be tried. At first, he attempted to persuade Calliopius to worship the gods, promising to give him his own daughter in marriage. After the youth rejected this offer, Maximus subjected him to terrible tortures. He ordered the martyr to be beaten on the back with iron rods, and on the stomach with ox-hide thongs. Finally, the prefect had him tied to an iron wheel, and he was roasted over a slow fire. After these tortures, they threw the martyr Calliopius into prison. Theoklia heard about the sufferings of her son, she wrote her last will, freed her slaves, distributed her riches to the poor, and hastened to Saint Calliopius. The brave mother gave money to the guard and got into the prison to see her son. There she encouraged him to endure suffering to the end for Christ. on the following day the saint refused to renounce Christ, Maximus gave orders to crucify the martyr. The day of execution happened to be Great Thursday, when the Savior’s last meal with His disciples is commemorated. begged the guard to crucify her son head downward, since she considered it unworthy for him to be crucified like the Lord. Her wish was granted. The holy martyr hung on the cross overnight and died on Great Friday in the year 304. the holy martyr was removed from the cross, Theoklia gave glory to the Savior. She embraced the lifeless body of her son and gave up her own spirit to God. Christians buried their bodies in a single grave.

Armenia, 304, Capitolina &Eroteis oCappadocia, Armenia, C rich, but no regard, E threw rock, both beheaded fConfessing Christ
Armenia, 304, Capitolina and Eroteis of Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), C rich, but no regard, E threw rock, both beheaded for confessing Christ; Cappadocia; Martyrs Capitolina and Eroteis of Cappadocia, Commemorated on October 27; Capitolina (Καπιτωλίνη) and Eroteis (Ερωτηίς) lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, when Zilikinthios (Ζιλικίνθιος) was the magistrate of Cappadocia (ca. 304). was a noble and wealthy lady, she had no regard for riches. she divided all of her property among the poor, and freed her slaves. she was arrested as a Christian and appeared before Zilikinthios, she confessed her faith in Christ. ordered her to be thrown into a nearby prison, and she was beheaded the next day. who was Capitolina’s servant, picked up some stones and threw them at the magistrate. he commanded his guards to beat her mercilessly with sticks. the grace of Christ, however, the Saint remained unharmed. he ordered them to behead her with a sword. this manner, both of these Saints, the lady and her servant, died by the sword, thereby winning imperishable crowns of glory from Christ.

Armenia, 304, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia, fTyana, soldier, tortured, Establish sign wMe to shame them, earthquake, 1685 vision arms&legs
Armenia, 304, Orestes oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), fTyana, soldier, devoted tChrist, refused pagan worship, Maximinus tTyana stamp out C, O refused riches, flogged naked, jail 7days, tPagan Temple, willing subject earthly matters but no king but true God, lashes, rods, rawhide, fire, Establish wMe aSign fGood, to shame who hate me, earthquake idols smashed Temple collapsed, prison 7days nFoodoDrink, resume torture 20 nails into legs, tied wild horse, dragged tDeath, 1685 vision Orestes says also both arms and both legs cut off; Cappadocia; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Orestes the Physician lived in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-311). was an illustrious and capable soldier, from his childhood he had been a devoted servant of Christ, a sacrifice of praise to God with a pure heart, and refusing to worship the demons which the pagans call "gods." the Emperor's command, the military officer Maximinus was sent to Tyana to stamp out Christianity, by then had spread throughout Cappadocia. was among the first brought to trial before Maximinus. Courageously, he confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. prosecutor offered the Saint riches, honors and fame if he would become an idolater, but Saint Orestes would not agree to this. tried in many ways, to force him to deny Christ. Even with the pressures they exerted upon him, they were unable to convince him to worship the idols. they stripped him naked, beat him up, and flogged him as a punishment. Afterward, he was put in jail for seven days. the end of the seventh day he was taken to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice and worship to the idols. asked him, "Do you still refuse to convert to the worship which is offered with such reverence by our august emperors?" replied that he was a willing subject when it came to political and earthly matters. Apart from that, however, he would not recognize any king except the one true God. ordered that Orestes be taken to a pagan temple and once again, demanded that he worship the idols. he refused, forty soldiers took turns, one after the other, beating the holy martyr with lashes, with rods, with rawhide, and then they tormented him with fire. Orestes cried out to the Lord, “Establish with me a sign for good, let those who hate me see it and be put to shame” (Psalm 85/86:17). Lord heard the prayer of His faithful servant. The earth began to tremble, and the idols toppled and were smashed. Everyone rushed out of the temple, and when Saint Orestes came out, the entire temple collapsed. Maximinus ordered the holy martyr to be locked up in prison for seven days giving him neither food nor drink, and to resume the torture on the eighth day. hammered twenty nails into the martyr’s legs, and then tied him to a wild horse. over the stones, the holy martyr departed to the Lord in the year 304, and his relics were thrown into the sea. 1685, when Saint Dēmḗtrios, later the Bishop of Rostov, (October 28) had just finished writing the Life of Saint Orestes to be printed by the Kiev Caves Lavra, he became tired and fell asleep. Orestes appeared to him one night in a dream, during the Nativity Fast, just before Matins. With a joyful countenance, he said, "I suffered more torments for Christ than these." the Martyr bared his chest and showed Saint Dēmḗtrios the deep wound in his left side. "Here," he said, "they pierced me with a spear." Saint Orestes showed him his right elbow and said, "Here they cut off my arm." he showed him his left arm with a similar wound, saying "They cut off this arm here." this he bent over and showed him one leg, and then the other, with wounds behind the knee. He said, "My legs were cut off with a scythe." this the Martyr stood up and looked the writer in the face, and declared, "Now you see that I suffered more torments for Christ than you have described.” humble monk wondered whether this was Saint Orestes, one of the Five Martyrs of Sebaste (December 13). if in answer to his thoughts the Martyr said, “I am not that Orestes, but him whose Life you have just finished writing.” then, the bells rang for Matins, and the vision ended.

Armenia, 304, Athenodorus oHaran, near Edessa, arrested as Christian, Fierce tortures, miracles, many pagans converted
Mesopotamia, 304, Athenodorus oHaran, Upper Mesopotamia, near Edessa, Syrian Mesopotamia, Assryia, monk fYouth, as Christian arrested condemned tFierce tortures, miracles accompanied martyrtom which converted many pagans i304; Haran, Upper Messopotamia; (Arabic: حران, romanized: Ḥarrān), also known as Carrhae (Greek: Kάρραι, romanized: Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border crossing with Syria at Akçakale. was founded at some point between the 25th and 20th centuries BC as a merchant colony by Sumerian traders from Ur. Over the course of its early history, Harran rapidly grew into a major Mesopotamian cultural, commercial and religious center. It was made a religiously and politically influential city through its association with the moon-god Sin; many prominent Mesopotamian rulers consulted with and renovated the moon-temple of Ekhulkhul in Harran. Harran came under Assyrian rule under Adad-nirari I (r. 1305–1274 BC) and became a provincial capital often second in importance only to the Assyrian capital of Assur itself. During the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Harran briefly served as the final capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire 612–609 BC. city continued to be prominent after the fall of Assyria and experienced varying degrees of foreign cultural influence during its time under the Neo-Babylonian (609–539 BC), Achaemenid (539–330 BC), Macedonian (330–312 BC) and Seleucid (312–132 BC) empires. During classical antiquity Harran was often contested between the Roman and Parthian (later Sasanian) empires. In 53 BC Harran was the site of the Battle of Carrhae, one of the worst military defeats in Roman history. The Harranian moon cult of Sin proved to be enduring and lasted long into the Middle Ages, known to have existed as late as the 11th century AD. Harran was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate in 640 and remained an important city in the Islamic period. It flourished as a center of science and learning and was the site of both the first Islamic university (the Harran University)[3][a] and the oldest mosque in Anatolia[b] (the Harran Grand Mosque [tr]).[5] Harran twice served as a capital city in the Middle Ages, first briefly under the Umayyad Caliphate 744–750 and later under the Numayrid Emirate 990–1081. city was conquered by the Mongol Empire in 1260 but was largely destroyed and left abandoned in 1271. Although Harran was kept as a military outpost under some later regimes, it has over the last five centuries mainly been used as a temporary settlement by local nomadic societies. Harran retransitioned into a semi-permanent village settlement in the 1840s but has only recently grown into a permanent town through advancements in local irrigation and agriculture. Harran was a Turkish district until 1946, after when it was downgraded to a sub-district of the Akçakale district. It regained its status as a district in 1987.[6] Today, it is a major local tourist spot. The town is particularly famous for its unique beehive houses, which are reminiscent of buildings that were already present at Harran in ancient Mesopotamian times. Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Holy Martyr Athenodorus, from Syrian Mesopotamia, led a monastic life from his youth. as a Christian, he was arrested and condemned to fierce tortures by the governor of the land, Eleusius. accompanied the martyrdom of the saint, converted many of the pagans to the Christian Faith. was beheaded in the year 304.

Armenia, 306, Theodore the Recruit, confessed Christ, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body not burned, 363 Kolva instead
Armenia, 306, Theodore the Recruit, Alasium, Pontine, Armenia, soldier, commanded to idol sacrifice, loudly confessed Christ, temple fire, starvation sentence, Jesus appearance, climed into fire, body not burned, 363 T appeared to warn of blood on food, Kolva instead; Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro "œthe Recruit"), Commemorated on February 17; Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (Tyro) was a soldier in the city of Alasium of the Pontine district (northeast province of Asia Minor, stretching along the coast of the Euxine, i.e. the Black Sea), under the command of a certain Brincus. commanded him to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Theodore firmly confessed his faith in Christ the Savior in a loud voice. The commander gave him several days to think it over, during which time Saint Theodore prayed. charged him with setting a pagan temple on fire, and threw him into prison to be starved to death. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him there, comforting and encouraging him. Brought to the governor, Saint Theodore boldly and fearlessly confessed his faith, for which he was subjected to new torments and condemned to burning. The martyr Theodore climbed onto the fire without hesitation, and with prayer gave up his holy soul to God. occurred in about the year 306 under the Roman emperor Galerius (305-311). by the fire, the body of Saint Theodore was buried in the city of Euchaita, not far from Amasium. His relics were afterwards transferred to Constantinople, to a church dedicated to him. His head is in Italy, in the city of Gaeto. on, fifty years after the death of Saint Theodore, the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), wanting to commit an outrage upon the Christians, commanded the city-commander of Constantinople during the first week of Great Lent to sprinkle all the food provisions in the marketplaces with the blood offered to idols. Saint Theodore appeared in a dream to Archbishop Eudoxius, ordering him to inform all the Christians that no one should buy anything at the marketplaces, but rather to eat cooked wheat with honey (kolyva). memory of this occurrence, the Orthodox Church annually celebrates the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit on the first Saturday of Great Lent. On Friday evening, at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts following the prayer at the ambo, the Canon to the holy Great Martyr Theodore, composed by Saint John of Damascus, is sung. After this, kolyva is blessed and distributed to the faithful. The celebration of the Great Martyr Theodore on the first Saturday of Great Lent was set by the Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople (381-397). Troparion to Saint Theodore is quite similar to the Troparion for the Prophet Daniel and the Three Holy Youths (December 17, Sunday Before Nativity). The Kontakion to Saint Theodore, who suffered martyrdom by fire, reminds us that he also had faith as his breastplate (see I Thessalonians 5:8). pray to Saint Theodore for the recovery of stolen articles.

Armenia, 308, Eutropius, Cleon & Basil brought pagans in prison to Christ, prayers to Jesus for endurance, tortured torurers
Armenia, 308, Eutropius oAmasya, Pontica, Armenia (Yesil (Iris) River 2), Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308, Basiliscus was Theodore tRecruit's nephew, they were comrades, in prison after T's death, their preaching brought pagans in prison to christian faith, T's torturer Governor Pubilus brought down by divine wrath, new gov Asclepiodotus more inhumane, brought to him, confessed Christ, mercilessly beaten, but Eutropius prayed loudly to Jesus, help us endure for martyrdom crown as you helped T, J himself appeared with his angels and T, angels said behold Savior come to help you, that you know life eternal, soldiers and many people saw Jesus, they urged A to stop tortures, to keep many from believing true God, A commanded they be taken away, A invited E to supper, urged public sacrifice while remain christian in soul, but E refused, next day comrads brought to pagan temple for forced sacrifice, E entreated Jesus: Lord be with us, destroy raging otPagans, grant on this place Bloodless sacrifice be offered to you, true God, right then earthquake began, temple walls collapsed, Artemis' statue smashed to bits, everyone fled temple, voice heard from on high in noise of earthquake: your prayer heard, house of Christaian prayer shall be built, when earthquake ended A ordered high wooden stakes, tie martyrs to them, pour boiling tar over them. martyrs prayed, E cried out: may Lord turn your deed against you, So, Tar flowed like water over marble, scorching torturers, those who saw this fled, but A ordered iron hooks rake bodies, sting wounds with mustard seed, salt and vinegar, saints endured wRemarkable firmness, before execution spending night in prayer, Jesus again appeared and strengthened them, Eutropius&Cleonicus crucified, but B returned to prison, then beheaded, thru body in river, but relics found, buried in ploughed field, later Komana church dedicated to Basilicus; Amasea; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; Holy Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308. brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, and Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (February 17), were comrades. the martyric death of Saint Theodore, they wound up in prison and by their preaching brought many of the pagans in prison with them to the Christian Faith. he tortured Saint Theodore, the governor Publius perished shamefully, struck down by divine wrath. was chosen as ruler of Amasea, and was more inhumane than his predecessor. the comrades of Saint Theodore the Recruit were all in prison, the governor commanded that they be brought to him. Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus thus firmly confessed their faith in Christ before this new governor. were mercilessly beaten, so that their bodies were entirely bruised. he was being tortured Saint Eutropius prayed loudly to the Savior, “Grant us, O Lord, to endure these wounds for the sake of the crown of martyrdom, and help us, as You helped Your servant Theodore.” answer to the saint’s prayer, the Lord Himself appeared to the martyrs with His angels and the holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, to them: “Behold, the Savior has come to help you, that you may know life eternal.” and many of the people standing nearby were also granted to behold the Savior. urged Asclepiodotus to halt the tortures. that the people were distraught and ready to believe in the true God, governor commanded the martyrs to be taken away. governor then invited Saint Eutropius to supper and urged him to offer public sacrifice to the pagan gods, yet remain a Christian in soul. refused this offer. the following day they brought the martyrs to a pagan temple, to force them to offer sacrifice. entreated the Savior: “Lord, be with us, and destroy the raging of the pagans. Grant that on this place the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Christians be offered to You, the true God.” sooner had these last words been spoken, than an earthquake began. walls of the temple collapsed, and the statue of the goddess Artemis was smashed to bits. fled from the temple to avoid being crushed among the rubble. the noise of the earthquake a voice was heard from on high: “Your prayer has been heard, and on this place a house of Christian prayer shall be built.” the earthquake ended, the governor Asclepiodotus, barely recovered from his fright, gave orders to drive high wooden stakes into the ground, tie the martyrs to them and pour boiling tar over them. saints began to pray to God, and Eutropius cried out turning to the torturers: “May the Lord turn your deed against you!” tar began to flow beside the bodies of the martyrs, like water over marble, scorching the torturers. seeing this fled in terror, the governor in his bitterness gave orders to rake their bodies with iron hooks and to sting their wounds with mustard mixed with salt and vinegar. saints endured these torments with remarkable firmness. night before their execution the saints spent their time at prayer, again the Lord appeared to them and strengthened them. the morning of March 3, Saints Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified, Basiliscus was left in prison. Basiliscus was executed on May 22 in the city of Komana. beheaded him, and threw his body into a river, Christians found his relics and buried them in a ploughed field. at Komana a church was built and dedicated to Saint Basiliscus. account of the life of the holy martyr is found under May 22.

Armenia, 308-324, Basil of Amasea, strengthened christians, opposed Licinius, Glaphyra's letter, Jesus, reattached head
Armenia, 308-324, Basil of Amasea; Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Basileus suffered during the reign of Licinius, the ruler of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. He was elected to the See of Amaseia in the IV century, and participated in the Synods of Ankyra and Neocaesarea in 314 and 315. Saint Athanasios called him "the Great" because Saint Basileus defended the Faith against heresy. He may have influenced Saint Constantine's decision to issue the Edict of Milan (313), granting religious toleration to Christians, Deceitfully, Licinius also signed the Edict, but he hated the Christians and continued to persecute them. Basileus was distinguished for his life of faith and his tireless activities in the performance of his duties. He was always preaching, giving counsel, comforting, supporting, and strengthening the souls of the Christians against the world of idol-worshippers. For this reason, the pagan priests and rulers hated him. In 322, when Licinius launched his persecution against the Christians, Bishop Basileus opposed him. further provoked the wrath of Constantine's co-Emperor Licinius by hiding the young virgin Glaphyra, the handmaiden of his wife Empress Constantia, the sister of Saint Constantine. The pious maiden, who came from a noble Italian family, angrily rejected the Emperor's advances, asking Empress Constantia for her help. She dressed Glaphyra in men's clothes and told her to leave Nikomedia in secret, giving her a large amount of gold, silver and precious stones. Those in the palace heard her tell Licinius that the girl had gone mad, and lay at death's door. a long journey, Saint Glaphyra found herself in Amaseia, where she found shelter in the house of a pious Christian. There she was visited by Saint Basileus who advised her to lead a secluded life, so as not to bring any trouble upon the local Christians from the ruler of the city. At the time, Bishop Basileus was building a church, and the righteous Glaphyra donated all her money to him. She wrote to Constantia telling her where she was, and asking for more gold to be sent to complete the work. The Empress gladly fulfilled her request, but Glaphyra's letter accidentally fell into the hands of Licinius. He ordered the ruler of Amaseia to send Saint Basileus and Saint Glaphyra to him at Nikomedia. However, Saint Glaphyra reposed before the order was received, and therefore, only Saint Basileus was sent to the Emperor. Two deacons, Parthenios and Theotimos accompanied him to Nikomedia. Nikomedia, Bishop Basileus was imprisoned, and the Deacons lodged with a Christian named Elpidophoros. On the eve of the trial Saint Basileus saw Elpidophoros and the Deacons, and told them how the Lord had appeared to him that night, informing him how he would be put to death. He asked the Deacons not to grieve for him and he told them to return to Amaseia. The holy hierarch predicted that Elpidophoros would receive a reward in Heaven for taking care of the Deacons. the trial, Licinius accused Saint Basileus of hiding Glaphyra, but promised him forgiveness and much honor if he would just sacrifice to their "gods." Having achieved nothing, Licinius ordered the soldiers to beat the Saint, and then behead him. Thus, he received a crown of glory from Christ God (ca. 322). the execution, soldiers placed the Martyr's body and head into a boat and, sailing far out to sea, they threw the relics into the water in different places, just as it was foretold to Saint Basileus in prison. That night an Angel appeared three times to Elpidophoros, saying that Saint Basileus was expecting his friends at Sinópē. While on his way to Sinópē the Angel appeared to him again with instructions as to where in the sea he should look for the Martyr's body. At the request of Elpidophoros, fishermen pulled the Saint's body out of the net. Miraculously, the head was reattached to the body. On the neck was there a scar made by the sword, and from the relics there came a wondrous fragrance. Some Christians took them to Amaseia and buried them in the church which the Saint had built. Greek Life of Saint Basileus was written by the priest John of Nikomedia, who visited the Martyr in prison and witnessed his execution. He also received information about Saint Basileus from Elpidophoros and the Deacons. The Life says that Saint Basileus was beheaded on March 28. His relics were found at sea after 25 days, i.e. April 21 or 22. They arrived in Amaseia and were buried five days later, on April 26. Basileus is also commemorated on April 30 (the transfer of his relics). Righteous Virgin Martyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of Saint Basil, Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30

Armenia, 308-324, Saint Glaphyra, Licinius' passion, wife's maid, to Armenia w money, Glaphyra' letter
Armenia, 308-324, Basil of Amasea; Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virgin Martyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Virgin Glaphyra. Licinius burned with passion for Glaphyra, a maidservant of his wife Constantia.The holy virgin reported this to the empress and sought her help. Dressing her in men’s attire and providing her with money, the empress Constantia sent her to Pontus in the company of a devoted servant. They told the emperor that Glaphyra had gone mad and lay near death. On her way to Armenia, Saint Glaphyra stopped in Amasea, where the local bishop, Saint Basil, gave her shelter. this time the saint was building a church in the city. Saint Glaphyra donated all the money that she had received from Constantia for its construction, and in a letter to the empress she asked her to send additional funds to complete the church. The empress fulfilled her request. However, Saint Glaphyra’s letter fell into the hands of the emperor. The enraged Licinius ordered the governor of Amasea to send him the hierarch and the maidservant. Saint Glaphyra died before the edict arrived in Amasea, and Saint Basil was sent to the emperor. Two deacons, Parthenius and Theotimos, followed after him and lodged near the prison where the saint was held. pious Christian Elpidephoros bribed the jailer and each night he visited the saint with Parthenius and Theotimos. On the eve of the saint’s trial, he sang Psalms and chanted, “if I should sojourn at the extremity of the sea... even there Thy hand would guide me, and Thy right hand would hold me” (Ps 138/139:9-10). These were prophetic words. times he broke down in tears. The deacons were afraid that the saint would not be able to endure the coming torments, but he calmed them. the trial Saint Basil resolutely refused the emperor’s offer to become a pagan priest, and so he was sentenced to death. Elpidephoros gave the soldiers money, and they allowed the saint to pray and to speak with his friends before execution. Then the saint said to the executioner, “Friend, do as you have been ordered.” Calmly, he bent his neck beneath the sword. the martyr had been beheaded, Elpidephoros tried to ransom his relics from the soldiers. But the soldiers were afraid of the emperor and they threw the saint’s body and head into the sea. After this, an angel of God appeared to Elpidephoros three times in a dream, saying, “Bishop Basil is in Sinope and awaits you.” this call, Elpidephoros and the deacons sailed to Sinope, and there they hired fishermen to lower their nets. When they lowered the net on the suggestion of the deacons Theotimos and Parthenius, they came up with nothing. Then Elpidephoros declared that he would ask them to lower the net in the name of the God Whom he worshiped. This time, the net brought up the body of Saint Basil. The saint’s head was attached to his body once more, and only the gash on his neck indicated the blow of the sword. The relics of Saint Basil were taken to Amasea and buried in the church he built.

Armenia, 313, 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, Christian Soldiers banned to prison, psalmody, persevere voice, stones came back, More
Armenia, 313, 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Armenia (Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1) Constantine recognizes Christianity, Co-Ruler Pagan Licinius bans Christian Soldiers, 40 distinguished Christian Soldiers to prison, prayer and psalmody, voice to persevere, stones came back, invisible power, voice live for imperishible crowns, into lake in winter, divine light warm water, radiant crowns martyrs heads, 39 crowns b dash for warm b house, guard Aggias becomes Christian, 40th crown, 40 still alive morning, fire, bones in water, bishop Peter commanded to bury relics, 40 skylarks; Sebaste, Armenia ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; the year 313 Saint Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius prepared his army to fight Constantine, he decided to remove Christians from his army, fearing mutiny. of the military commanders of that time in the Armenian city of Sebaste was Agricola, a zealous champion of idolatry. Under his command was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Agricola locked them up in prison. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, “Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.” the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor. days later, the renowned judge Licius arrived at Sebaste and put the soldiers on trial. The saints steadfastly answered, “Take not only our military insignia, but also our lives, since nothing is more precious to us than Christ God.” Licius then ordered his servants to stone the holy martyrs. But the stones missed the saints and returned to strike those who had thrown them. One stone thrown by Licius hit Agricola in the face, smashing his teeth. The torturers realized that the saints were guarded by some invisible power. In prison, the soldiers spent the night in prayer and again they heard the voice of the Lord comforting them: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Be brave and fear not, for you shall obtain imperishable crowns.” the following day the judge repeated the interrogation in front of the torturer, but the soldiers remained unyielding. was winter, and there was a severe frost. They lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, then he fell down dead. the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown. then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head. the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and broke their legs. During this horrible execution the mother of the youngest of the soldiers, Meliton, pleaded with her son to persevere until death. put the bodies of the martyrs on a cart and committed them to fire. Young Meliton was still breathing, and they left him on the ground. His mother then picked up her son, and on her own shoulders she carried him behind the cart. When Meliton drew his last breath, his mother put him on the cart with the bodies of his fellow sufferers. The bodies of the saints were tossed in the fire, and their charred bones were thrown into the water, so that Christians would not gather them up. days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to Saint Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop together with several clergy gathered up the relics of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor. is a pious custom of baking “skylarks” (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty “skylarks” are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs. names of the forty martyrs are: Cyrion (or Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunocius (Or Eunicus), Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthius, Helianus, Sisinius, Aggias, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontuis, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton.

Armenia, 313-320, Serbian, Martyr, Sebaste, Armenia, helped the 40 soldiers, his dead servant came to life 15 yrs
Armenia, 313-320, Serbian, Martyr, Sebaste, Armenia; Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Holy Martyr Severian (+ 320) suffered for Christ in Armenian Sebaste during the governorship of Licius, when Christians were persecuted under the emperor Licinius. Even before his martyr’s deed, Saint Severian had shown sincere compassion for 40 Christian soldiers, suffering for confessing the Name of Christ. He visited the captives in prison, raised their spirits, and appealed to their valor and stoic strength. These martyrs met their death at Lake Sebaste (March 9). a year later, Severian was also brought to trial for confessing the Christian Faith, and he was subjected to cruel tortures. Deeply devoted to the will of God, Saint Severian called out to the Lord during his torment, imploring Him for the strength to endure the suffering and to complete his deed of martyrdom. intense torture, and unbroken in his faith, the holy martyr was suspended from the city wall with one stone chained around his neck, and another chained to his feet, and so he died. His body was carried by Christians of Sebaste to his home, where the local inhabitants thronged to take their leave of him and to ask for his holy prayers. Amidst all this a dead man who had not yet been buried arose, a servant of Saint Severian, who got up from his deathbed to follow his master’s final path. He continued to live another fifteen years, never leaving the burial place of the holy martyr. 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; the year 313 Saint Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. But his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius prepared his army to fight Constantine, he decided to remove Christians from his army, fearing mutiny. of the military commanders of that time in the Armenian city of Sebaste was Agricola, a zealous champion of idolatry. Under his command was a company of forty Cappadocians, brave soldiers who had distinguished themselves in many battles. When these Christian soldiers refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, Agricola locked them up in prison. The soldiers occupied themselves with prayer and psalmody, and during the night they heard a voice saying, “Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.” the following morning, the soldiers were again taken to Agricola. This time the pagan tried flattery. He began to praise their valor, their youth and strength, and once more he urged them to renounce Christ and thereby win themselves the respect and favor of their emperor. days later, the renowned judge Licius arrived at Sebaste and put the soldiers on trial. The saints steadfastly answered, “Take not only our military insignia, but also our lives, since nothing is more precious to us than Christ God.” Licius then ordered his servants to stone the holy martyrs. But the stones missed the saints and returned to strike those who had thrown them. One stone thrown by Licius hit Agricola in the face, smashing his teeth. The torturers realized that the saints were guarded by some invisible power. In prison, the soldiers spent the night in prayer and again they heard the voice of the Lord comforting them: “He who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25). Be brave and fear not, for you shall obtain imperishable crowns.” the following day the judge repeated the interrogation in front of the torturer, but the soldiers remained unyielding. was winter, and there was a severe frost. They lined up the holy soldiers, threw them into a lake near the city, and set a guard to prevent them from coming out of the water. In order to break the will of the martyrs, a warm bath-house was set up on the shore. During the first hour of the night, when the cold had become unbearable, one of the soldiers made a dash for the bath-house, but no sooner had he stepped over the threshold, then he fell down dead. the third hour of the night, the Lord sent consolation to the martyrs. Suddenly there was light, the ice melted away, and the water in the lake became warm. All the guards were asleep, except for Aglaius, who was keeping watch. Looking at the lake he saw that a radiant crown had appeared over the head of each martyr. Aglaius counted thirty-nine crowns and realized that the soldier who fled had lost his crown. then woke up the other guards, took off his uniform and said to them, “I too am a Christian,” and he joined the martyrs. Standing in the water he prayed, “Lord God, I believe in You, in Whom these soldiers believe. Add me to their number, and make me worthy to suffer with Your servants.” Then a fortieth crown appeared over his head. the morning, the torturers saw with surprise that the martyrs were still alive, and their guard Aggias was glorifying Christ together with them. They led the soldiers out of the water and broke their legs. During this horrible execution the mother of the youngest of the soldiers, Meliton, pleaded with her son to persevere until death. put the bodies of the martyrs on a cart and committed them to fire. Young Meliton was still breathing, and they left him on the ground. His mother then picked up her son, and on her own shoulders she carried him behind the cart. When Meliton drew his last breath, his mother put him on the cart with the bodies of his fellow sufferers. The bodies of the saints were tossed in the fire, and their charred bones were thrown into the water, so that Christians would not gather them up. days later the martyrs appeared in a dream to Saint Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, and commanded him to bury their remains. The bishop together with several clergy gathered up the relics of the glorious martyrs by night and buried them with honor. is a pious custom of baking “skylarks” (pastries shaped like skylarks) on this day, because people believed that birds sing at this time to announce the arrival of spring. Forty “skylarks” are prepared in honor of the Forty Martyrs. names of the forty martyrs are: Cyrion (or Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunocius (Or Eunicus), Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Xanthius, Helianus, Sisinius, Aggias, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontuis, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton.

Armenia, 316-361, Armenian Saint, Nino, George&Juvenal's Kin, wanted kiss tRobe in Georgia, but MOG sent her tConvert Georgia
Armenia, 316-361, Armenian Saint, Nino, George's Kin, to Georgia for the Robe, virgin, fCappadocia, then Jerusalem a12, J Patriarch Junival's neice, father mother became monastics, raised by old woman who told her about Christ's robe ending up in Pagan Georgia, so Nino prayed MOG blessing travel tG tKiss Robe she had woven, MOG appeared in dream, Go that country assigned me by lot, Preach Gospel, he will send his grace, I will protect you, But Nino overwhelmed bResponsibility, How can I do it, How can I believe this vision, MOG gave her grapevine cross, receive this cross as a shield visible invisible enemies, Nino woke holding cross, rejoiced, told uncle J, he prayed for her to get to go preach Resurrection, guided by Lord, refuge, spiritual Father, Enlighten her like Apostles, with wisdom tProclaim glad tidings, Lord sent Nino tRome, she met&baptized princess Rhipsimia&hNurse, christian persecuter emperor Diocletian wanted marry R, but Nino, Rhipsima, nurse Gaiana & 50 other virgins escaped to Armenia, D sent soldiers after and warned A King Tridates, T found them and like D wanted marry R, But R refused so T had her tortured tDeath wG&50 other virgins, Nino, however, greater task, escaped hiding rose bushes, tGeorgia, greeted by Mtskhetan shepherds Lake Paravani, she received blessing preach Lake P Pagans, tUrbnisi, 1Month, tMtskheta wGeorgians going there tKiss pagan Idol, sad that people trembled before idol, she prayed Lord send mercy this nation that all nations glorify thee alone, suddenly violent wind&hail shattered pagan statues, worshipers fled across city, Nino made home beneath bramble bush Kings garden, wChildless Royal Gardener's family, through Nino's prayers God granted child, couple rejoice converted, followed Nino, many converted bNino's preaching, even terminally ill Queen Nana healed after her conversion, King Mirian not pleased, decided kill all Christians including wife, but while hunting it became very dark, greatly afraid prayed to Pagan gods, unanswered, lost hope, miraculously turned to Christ, illume this night, guide my footsteps, and I will declare your Name, erect a cross, and kiss it, and construct a temple, I vow obedient to Nino and faith Roman People, Suddenly sun shone radiantly and King Mirian thanked Creator, he returned city immediately told Nino his decision, So by equal tApostles Nino's labors Georgia established solidly as Christian nation, N reposed in Bodbe, eastern Georgia, Mirian erected church there; Armenian Saint, 316-340, Nino; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14; virgin Nino of Cappadocia a relative of Great-martyr George the only daughter of a widely respected and honorable couple. father was a Roman army chief by the name of Zabulon, her mother, Sosana, the sister of Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem. Nino reached the age of twelve, her parents sold all their possessions and moved to Jerusalem. after, Nino’s father was tonsured a monk. He bid farewell to his family and went to labor in the wilderness of the Jordan. Sosana had been separated from her husband, Juvenal ordained her a deaconess. left her daughter Nino in the care of an old woman, Sara Niaphor, raised her in the Christian Faith and related to her the stories of Christ’s life and His suffering on earth. was from Sara that Nino learned how Christ’s Robe had arrived in Georgia, a country of pagans. Nino began to pray fervently to the Theotokos, asking for her blessing to travel to Georgia be made worthy to venerate the Sacred Robe that she had woven for her beloved Son. Most Holy Virgin heard her prayers and appeared to Nino in a dream, saying, “Go to the country that was assigned to me by lot preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. will send down His grace upon you and I will be your protector.” the blessed Nino was overwhelmed at the thought of such a great responsibility answered, “How can I, a fragile woman, perform such a momentous task, how can I believe that this vision is real?” response, the Most Holy Theotokos presented her with a cross of grapevines proclaimed, “Receive this cross as a shield against visible and invisible enemies!” she awoke, Nino was holding the cross in her hands. dampened it with tears of rejoicing and tied it securely with strands of her own hair. (According to another source, the Theotokos bound the grapevine cross with strands of her own hair.) related the vision to her uncle, Patriarch Juvenal, revealed to him her desire to preach the Gospel in Georgia. led her in front of the Royal Doors, laid his hands on her, and prayed, “O Lord, God of Eternity, I beseech Thee on behalf of my orphaned niece: Grant that, according to Thy will, she may go to preach and proclaim Thy Holy Resurrection. Christ God, be Thou to her a guide, a refuge, and a spiritual father. as Thou didst enlighten the Apostles and all those who feared Thy name, do Thou also enlighten her with the wisdom to proclaim Thy glad tidings.” Nino arrived in Rome, she met and baptized the princess Rhipsimia and her nurse, Gaiana. At that time the Roman emperor was Diocletian, a ruler infamous for persecuting Christians. Diocletian (284-305) fell in love with Rhipsimia and resolved to marry her, but Saint Nino, Rhipsimia, Gaiana, and fifty other virgins escaped to Armenia. The furious Diocletian ordered his soldiers to follow them and sent a messenger to Tiridates, the Armenian king (286-344), to put him on guard. Tiridates located the women and, following Diocletian’s example, was charmed by Rhipsimia’s beauty and resolved to marry her. But Saint Rhipsimia would not consent to wed him, and in his rage the king had her tortured to death with Gaiana and the fifty other virgins. Saint Nino, however, was being prepared for a different, greater task, and she succeeded in escaping King Tiridates’ persecutions by hiding among some rose bushes. she finally arrived in Georgia, Saint Nino was greeted by a group of Mtskhetan shepherds near Lake Paravani, she received a blessing from God to preach to the pagans of this region. the help of her acquaintances Saint Nino soon reached the city of Urbnisi. remained there a month, traveled to Mtskheta with a group of Georgians who were making a pilgrimage to venerate the pagan idol Armazi. she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled before the idols. was exceedingly sorrowful and prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation...that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” a violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky, shattering the pagan statues. terrified worshipers fled, scattering across the city. Nino made her home beneath a bramble bush in the garden of the king, the family of the royal gardener. gardener and his wife were childless, through Saint Nino’s prayers God granted them a child. couple rejoiced exceedingly, declared Christ to be the True God, became disciples of Saint Nino. Saint Nino went, those who heard her preach converted to the Christian Faith in great numbers. Nino even healed the terminally ill Queen Nana she declared Christ to be the True God. Mirian, a pagan, was not at all pleased with the great impression Saint Nino’s preaching had made on the Georgian nation. day while he was out hunting, he resolved to kill all those who followed Christ. to his wicked scheme, even his wife, Queen Nana, would face death for failing to renounce the Christian Faith. in the midst of the hunt, it suddenly became very dark. alone, King Mirian became greatly afraid and prayed in vain for the help of the pagan gods. his prayers went unanswered, he finally lost hope miraculously, he turned to Christ: “God of Nino, illumine this night for me and guide my footsteps, I will declare Thy Holy Name. will erect a cross venerate it and I will construct for Thee a temple. vow to be obedient to Nino and to the Faith of the Roman people!” the night was transfigured, the sun shone radiantly, King Mirian gave great thanks to the Creator. he returned to the city, he immediately informed Saint Nino of his decision. a result of the unceasing labors of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, was established as a nation solidly rooted in the Christian Faith. Nino reposed in the village of Bodbe in eastern Georgia according to her will, she was buried in the place where she took her last breath. Mirian later erected a church in honor of Saint George over her grave.

Armenia, 320, Gordius, fCaesurea, Valiant skilled Christian Centurion, tSinai tPrepare tConfess aPagan Games, tortured, beheaded
Armenia, 320, Gordius, Caesurea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Centurion, to Sinai, identified self as christian, tormented, beheaded, born christian family, entered military, valor skill, centurion, left world Diocletian Persecution, tSinai desert, tPrepare tBe Confessor, 320 appeared before city perfect somewhere, where Pagan Games being held, Confessed as a Christian, arrested, tortured, beheaded ; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; Martyr Gordius was born at the end of the third century in the city of Caesarea of Cappadocia into a Christian family. he came of age, he entered military service. of his valor and military skill, he was made a centurion. the persecution of Christians at the beginning of the fourth century, left the world and settled in the Sinai desert to prepare himself for the good deed of confessing the Name of Christ the Savior. the year 320, Gordius openly appeared before the prefect of a city where pagan games were being held, and identified himself as a Christian. was arrested, suffered terrible torments, then was beheaded.

Armenia, 325, St Hypatius of Gangra, killed by Novatians after 325 E Council, m relics, appeared 1330 in Ipatiev, Russia

Armenia, 325-373, EPHREM OF NISIBIS, Armenia, defended Nicean faith 325, Hymnographer, by songs, commentaries, sermons
Armenia, 325-373, EPHREM OF NISIBIS, Armenia (Tigris River 3) defended Nicean faith 325, Hymnographer, by songs to spread faith, commentaries, sermons; Nisibis (Mesopotamia); EPHREM OF NISIBIS, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); (or Ephren or Ephraim or Ephrain) of Edessa [or Nisibis] was a teacher, poet, orator, and defender of the Faith. English-speakers, the most familiar form of his name will be "Ephraim." It is the name of the younger son of Joseph, son of Jacob (see Genesis 41:52), and is thus the name of one of the largest of the twelve tribes of Israel.) (now Urfa), a city in modern Turkey about 100 kilometers from Antioch (now Antakya), was a an early center for the spread of Christian teaching in the East. is said that in 325 he accompanied his bishop, James of Nisibis, to the Council of Nicea. his writings are an eloquent defense of the Nicene faith in the Deity of Jesus Christ. countered the Gnostics' practice of spreading their message through popular songs by composing Christian songs and hymns of his own, with great effect. He is known to the Syrian church as "the harp of the Holy Spirit." retired to a cave outside Edessa, where he lived in great simplicity and devoted himself to writing. He frequently went into the city to preach. During a famine in 372-3 he worked distributing food to the hungry, and organizing a sort of ambulance service for the sick. He worked long hours at this, and became exhausted and sick, and so died. Of his writings there remain 72 hymns, commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, and numerous sermons. Several hymns are available at: http://www.voskrese.info/spl/XefremSyria.html Orthodox he is best known for a fasting prayer: THE PRAYER OF ST EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN O Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk. (prostration) Instead, grace me, Your servant, with the spirit of modesty, humility, patience, and love. (prostration) Indeed, my Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults, and not condemn my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. (prostration) (Twelve deep bows, saying each time: O God, be gracious to me, a sinner.) [Translation by Fr James Silver, Drew University; posted on the Orthodox list] by James Kiefer

Armenia, 325-375, Saint Emmelίa oCaesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Mother o5 saint children
Armenia, 325-375, Saint Emmeleίa (Emmilia) oCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), fPious family, father martyr, 5 saint children, many sorrows but faith courage patience, taught by example; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Saint Emmeleίa, Commemorated on May 30; Emmeleia was from a pious family of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Her father became a Martyr during the last persecutions. life was a good root which produced sweet fruits children) who emerged as prominent members of society, and most of them were also Saints of the Church, such as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebasteίa, the nun Makrina, and the monk Naukratios. a holy root come holy shoots; that is, from holy parents come blessed and holy children. Emmeleίa experienced many sorrows in her life, as is usually the case with the elect. of these were the death of her parents, even before she married, death of her husband, soon as their son Peter was born, the untimely death of her son Naukratios, raising her children alone in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, she faced these with exemplary faith, courage, and patience. taught her children mainly by her own example. Along with her milk, she gave them the unadulterated milk of faith, and taught them the mysteries of the Church. ended her days in a Monastery, where her daughter Saint Makrina (July 19) was the Igoumeness. Emmeleίa is commemorated on January 1 in Slavic usage, and on May 30 in Greek usage.

Armenia, 325-375, Saint Emmelίa oCappadocia, 5 saint children, many sorrows but faith courage patience, taught bExample
Armenia, 325-375, Saint Emmeleίa (Emmilia) oCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), fPious family, father martyr, 5 saint children, many sorrows but faith courage patience, taught by example; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Saint Emmeleίa, Commemorated on May 30; Emmeleia was from a pious family of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Her father became a Martyr during the last persecutions. life was a good root which produced sweet fruits children) who emerged as prominent members of society, and most of them were also Saints of the Church, such as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebasteίa, the nun Makrina, and the monk Naukratios. a holy root come holy shoots; that is, from holy parents come blessed and holy children. Emmeleίa experienced many sorrows in her life, as is usually the case with the elect. of these were the death of her parents, even before she married, death of her husband, soon as their son Peter was born, the untimely death of her son Naukratios, raising her children alone in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, she faced these with exemplary faith, courage, and patience. taught her children mainly by her own example. Along with her milk, she gave them the unadulterated milk of faith, and taught them the mysteries of the Church. ended her days in a Monastery, where her daughter Saint Makrina (July 19) was the Igoumeness. Emmeleίa is commemorated on January 1 in Slavic usage, and on May 30 in Greek usage.

Armenia, 326-361, Georgian Saint, Salome of Armenia, helper and close companion of Nino, a Queen in Georgia
Armenia, Georgian Saint, 326-361, Salome of Armenia ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15; Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia were the helpers and closest companions of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. Saint Nino herself had converted them to the Christian Faith. was the wife of Revi, the son of King Mirian, and Perozhavra was married to the ruler of the Kartli region. Both women were queens, but they succeeded in serving Saint Nino while retaining their imperial roles. Saint Nino taught them to pray, and the women fasted regularly and performed good works. As a result of their influential social status, the two queens were able to help Saint Nino tremendously in spreading the Christian Faith. the conversion of Kartli, with inspiration from Saint Nino and by the order of King Mirian, Saint Salome erected a cross in Ujarma in the Kakheti region. Saint Nino fell ill in the village of Bodbe, the queens Salome and Perozhavra stood by her bed and wept bitterly at having to part with their beloved teacher and healer. They entreated Saint Nino, who was finishing her last hours on this earth, saying, “Tell us, our Queen, how did you come to our country to free our souls, and where were you raised? Tell us how to continue your good works. You who have delivered us from bondage to the enemy, tell us, what shall we do?” the information that Saint Nino then related to them, Saints Salome and Perozhavra wrote The Life of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. The Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia commemorates them on January 15, the day following the commemoration of Saint Nino. The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Armenia, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian, Hymn writer, theologian, popular, enter into yourself
Syria, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian; the Syrian (Classical Syriac:; c. 306 – 373), also known as Saint Ephrem, Ephrem of Edessa or Ephrem of Nisibis, ----------------------------------was a prominent Christian theologian and writer, who is revered as one of the most notable hymnographers of the Eastern Christianity. ------------------------------------ He was born in Nisibis, served as a deacon and later lived in Edessa.[1][2] is venerated as a saint by all traditional Churches. He is especially revered in Syriac Christianity, most notaby in the Syriac Orthodox Church, and also counted as a Venerable Father (i.e., a sainted Monk) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated on 28 January and on the Saturday of the Venerable Fathers. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose exegesis. These were works of practical theology for the edification of the Church in troubled times. So popular were his works, that, for centuries after his death, Christian authors wrote hundreds of pseudepigraphal works in his name. He has been called the most significant of all of the fathers of the Syriac-speaking church tradition.[3] The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28;

Armenia, 326-373. Saint Ephrem of Nisibis, preached repentence, anti arian, St James, teacher, writer, hymns
Armenia, 326-373. Saint Ephrem of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Armenia, 280-337. Saint James of Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3) Nisibis (Mesopotamia); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ; Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and embarked on the path of repentance and salvation. he was unjustly accused of stealing a sheep and was thrown into prison. He heard a voice in a dream calling him to repent and correct his life. After this, he was acquitted of the charges and set free. young man ran off to the mountains to join the hermits. This form of Christian asceticism had been introduced by a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great, the Egyptian desert dweller Eugenius. James of Nisibis (January 13) was a noted ascetic, a preacher of Christianity and denouncer of the Arians. Saint Ephraim became one of his disciples. Under the direction of the holy hierarch, Saint Ephraim attained Christian meekness, humility, submission to God’s will, and the strength to undergo various temptations without complaint. James transformed the wayward youth into a humble and conrite monk. Realizing the great worth of his disciple, he made use of his talents. He trusted him to preach sermons, to instruct children in school, and he took Ephraim with him to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (in the year 325). Saint Ephraim was in obedience to Saint James for fourteen years, until the bishop’s death in 338. the capture of Nisibis by the Persians in 363, Saint Ephraim went to a monastery near the city of Edessa. Here he saw many great ascetics, passing their lives in prayer and psalmody. Their caves were solitary shelters, and they fed themselves with a certain plant. became especially close to the ascetic Julian (October 18), who was of one mind with him. Saint Ephraim combined asceticism with a ceaseless study of the Word of God, taking from it both solace and wisdom for his soul. The Lord gave him a gift of teaching, and people began to come to him, wanting to hear his counsel, which produced compunction in the soul, since he began with self-accusation. Bot, wrh verbally and in writing, Saint Ephraim instructed everyone in repentance, faith and piety, and he denounced the Arian heresy, which at that time was causing great turmoil. Pagans who heard the preaching of the saint were converted to Christianity. also wrote the first Syriac commentary on the Pentateuch (i.e. “Five Books”) of Moses. He wrote many prayers and hymns, thereby enriching the Church’s liturgical services. Famous prayers of Saint Ephraim are to the Most Holy Trinity, to the Son of God, and to the Most Holy Theotokos. He composed hymns for the Twelve Great Feasts of the Lord (the Nativity of Christ, the Baptism, the Resurrection), and funeral hymns. Saint Ephraim’s Prayer of Repentance, “O Lord and Master of my life...”, is recited during Great Lent, and it summons Christians to spiritual renewal. ancient times the Church has valued the works of Saint Ephraim. His works were read publicly in certain churches after the Holy Scripture, as Saint Jerome tells us. At present, the Church Typikon prescribes certain of his instructions to be read on the days of Lent. Among the prophets, Saint David is the preeminent psalmodist; among the Fathers of the Church, Saint Ephraim the Syrian is the preeminent man of prayer. His spiritual experience made him a guide for monastics and a help to the pastors of Edessa. Saint Ephraim wrote in Syriac, but his works were very early translated into Greek and Armenian. Translations into Latin and Slavonic were made from the Greek text. many of Saint Ephraim’s works we catch glimpses of the life of the Syrian ascetics, which was centered on prayer and working in various obediences for the common good of the brethren. The outlook of all the Syrian ascetics was the same. The monks believed that the goal of their efforts was communion with God and the acquisition of divine grace. For them, the present life was a time of tears, fasting and toil. “If the Son of God is within you, then His Kingdom is also within you. Thus, the Kingdom of God is within you, a sinner. Enter into yourself, search diligently and without toil you shall find it. Outside of you is death, and the door to it is sin. Enter into yourself, dwell within your heart, for God is there.” spiritual sobriety, the developing of good within man’s soul gives him the possibility to take upon himself a task like blessedness, and a self-constraint like sanctity. The requital is presupposed in the earthly life of man, it is an undertaking of spiritual perfection by degrees. Whoever grows himself wings upon the earth, says Saint Ephraim, is one who soars up into the heights; whoever purifies his mind here below, there glimpses the Glory of God. In whatever measure each one loves God, he is, by God’s love, satiated to fullness according to that measure. Man, cleansing himself and attaining the grace of the Holy Spirit while still here on earth, has a foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven. To attain to life eternal, in the teachings of Saint Ephraim, does not mean to pass over from one realm of being into another, but rather to discover “the heavenly,” spiritual condition of being. Eternal life is not bestown on man through God’s one-sided efforts, but rather, it constantly grows like a seed within him by his efforts, toils and struggles. pledge within us of “theosis” (or “deification”) is the Baptism of Christ, and the main force that drives the Christian life is repentance. Saint Ephraim was a great teacher of repentance. The forgiveness of sins in the Mystery of Repentance, according to his teaching, is not an external exoneration, not a forgetting of the sins, but rather their complete undoing, their annihilation. The tears of repentance wash away and burn away the sin. Moreover, they (i.e. the tears) enliven, they transfigure sinful nature, they give the strength “to walk in the way of the the Lord’s commandments,” encouraging hope in God. In the fiery font of repentance, the saint wrote, “you sail yourself across, O sinner, you resurrect yourself from the dead.” Ephraim, accounting himself as the least and worst of all, went to Egypt at the end of his life to see the efforts of the great ascetics. He was accepted there as a welcome guest and received great solace from conversing with them. On his return journey he visited at Caesarea in Cappadocia with Saint Basil the Great (January 1), who wanted to ordain him a priest, but he considered himself unworthy of the priesthood. At the insistence of Saint Basil, he consented only to be ordained as a deacon, in which rank he remained until his death. Later on, Saint Basil invited Saint Ephraim to accept a bishop’s throne, but the saint feigned madness in order to avoid this honor, humbly regarding himself as unworthy of it. his return to his own Edessa wilderness, Saint Ephraim hoped to spend the rest of his life in solitude, but divine Providence again summoned him to serve his neighbor. The inhabitants of Edessa were suffering from a devastating famine. By the influence of his word, the saint persuaded the wealthy to render aid to those in need. From the offerings of believers he built a poor-house for the poor and sick. Saint Ephraim then withdrew to a cave near Edessa, where he remained to the end of his days. EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373), Commemorated June 10;

Armenia, 328-388, Nophon, oCyprus, sinful youth, black face, radiant face, passion struggles, St Paul appearance, bishop
Cyprus, 328-388, Nophon, Bishop oCyprus, Constantia, Cyprus, fPaphlagonia, ed iConstantinople, gentle kind child but wild sinful youth, came to senses but believed lost, friend stared at his black face, realized how far fallen, cried to MOG, ling time, then saw MOG's face radiant, started praying MOG incessantly, sin caused her face turn away, tears oRepentence caused her face turn back, finally turned life around, illnes healed, holy mysteries, tonsured monk, exhausting struggle wPassions, several years, demon attacks, gift o discerning defeat spirits, see soul departures, Bishop as old man, by St Paul's appearance, consecrate someone who looks like me, even if he resists, quickly made deacon, priest&bishop, governed short time, foresaw death 3days, visited bAthanasios tG, Angels, various Saints, &MOG; Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Niphon (Nḗphon), the Bishop of Constantia on the island of Cyprus, born in Paphlagonia in the IV century, was educated in Constantinople. a child, he was gentle and kind, and he often attended Church Services. in in his youth, he began to lead a wild and sinful life. when he came to his senses, he was horrified at the extent of his fall, believing that he was lost and could not be forgiven, he continued his wicked life. day he met a friend who gazed at his face for a long time in astonishment. Niphon asked why he was staring, the friend replied, “I have never seen your face like this before. It is black, like that of an Ethiopian.” words made Niphon realize how far he had fallen, he began to cry out to the Mother of God, asking for her intercession. praying for a long time, he saw that the face of the Mother of God on the Icon had become radiant, and she smiled. that time, Niphon prayed incessantly to the Queen of Heaven. he fell into sin, the face of the Mother of God turned away from him, but after he prayed with fervent tears of repentance, she seemed to show mercy and she looked at him again. Niphon completely turned his life around, and he began to spend his time in prayer and repentance. an illness, from which he was healed by the Mother of God, he partook of the Holy Mysteries. he was tonsured as a monk and intensified his ascetical labors, exhausting his body in his struggle with the passions. struggle lasted several years, and Saint Niphon was attacked many times by demons, but with God's help he was able to overcome them. he received from the Lord the gift of discerning the machinations of evil spirits, and how to defeat them. was even able to see the departure of souls after death. he was already an old man, he journeyed to Alexandria. that time a delegation from Constantia was in the city to ask Patriarch Alexander (May 29) to consecrate a new Bishop for them, because their Bishop Christopher had reposed. night Saint Paul appeared to Saint Alexander in a vision and told him to go to the church the next day with his clergy. Apostle said, "When you see someone who resembles me (except for being bald), consecrate him as the Bishop of Christ's flock, even if he does not wish it." the morning Patriarch Alexander told Niphon that he must not refuse to do what the Lord had appointed for him. protested that he was not worthy to be a Hierarch, yet he did not dare to oppose God's will. were made and Niphon was ordained as a deacon, then shortly afterward he was ordained to the priesthood; and finally, he was consecrated as a Bishop. days later, he set out for his diocese. governing his flock for a short time, Saint Niphon foresaw that he would die in three days. his repose he was visited by Saint Athanasios the Great. his deathbed, he was accounted worthy to behold the Holy Angels and various Saints: Martyrs, Prophets, Priests, Monks, and the Most Holy Theotokos. his flock learned of their Bishop's death there was weeping and lamentation throughout the city. Patriarch asked them to give thanks to God instead, for letting them have such a holy man as their Bishop. the funeral, Saint Niphon was laid to rest in the church of the Holy Apostles, and then everyone glorified God, Who is wondrous in His Saints.

Armenia, 330?-394, Egyptian John the Anchorite, the Hermit, lived 10 years in well with snakes, angel brought food through P
Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29; John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. time to time John secretly visited a nearby monastery, thereby placing himself in danger. Once, a pious old man advised him to find a more secluded place for prayer. Returning home, the saint told his mother that he was going to visit the Elder. Thinking that her son would soon return, she let him go. went to the desert-dweller Pharmutios and received his blessing to live alone in the wilderness. The young ascetic found an abandoned well, which was filled with snakes, scorpions and other vile creatures. He lowered himself into the well and lived there for ten years in fasting, vigil, and prayer. angel who brought food to the hermit Pharmutios also brought bread for Saint John. The angel did not bring the bread directly to John, however, lest the young ascetic become filled with pride. Food was sent to him through his spiritual Father, Pharmutios. John had many temptations from the devil to test him. Demons assumed the appearance of his mother, his sister, his relatives and acquaintances in order to sadden the ascetic and compel him to give up his ascetic struggles. With tears they approached the well one after the other, begging Saint John to leave with them. All this time the saint did not cease to pray. Finally he said, “Be gone from me,” and the demons vanished. John lived in the well until the time of his blessed repose. Through God’s providence Saint Chrysikhios, who had struggled in the desert for thirty years, came to bury him. On the eve of his repose, Saint John told Chrysikhios of his life and struggles for salvation. After his death, numerous miracles occurred at the place of his ascetic deeds.

Armenia, 330-339, C King, Khosrov III the Small, prosperity, Dvin the capital, 2 generals, Pro Sassanid groups
Armenia, 330-339, Khosrov III the Small; III the Small (Kotak means small, flourished second half of the 3rd century & first half of the 4th century, ruled 330–339) was a Prince who served as a Roman Client King of Arsacid Armenia. was the son and successor of King Tiridates III and Queen Ashkhen. His paternal aunt was the Princess Khosrovidukht; his sister was Princess Salome and had an unnamed sister who married St. Husik I, one of the earlier Catholicoi of the Armenian Apostolic Church. received the epithet Kotak because he was a man of short stature. He was the namesake of his paternal grandfather Khosrov II of Armenia, and the Parthian and Armenian monarchs of this name, see Khosrau. lacked the moral and physical vigour of his father,[1] yet he was very tactful, diplomatic and was backed by St. Vrtanes I.[2] under his rule enjoyed a period of prosperity. He founded a hunting ground (which was named after him) and the city of Dvin, which later became the Armenian capital.[3] Khosrov's reign, two generals, Vache Mamikonian and Vahan Amatuni, distinguished themselves for their valor in battle, often coming to help the king. During these years, pro-Sassanid and anti-Mamikonian sentiment grew in Armenia and so did anti-Roman sentiment. Pro-Sassanid groups gained popularity so much so that they were successful in assassinating Catholicos St. Aristaces I, second son of Gregory the Illuminator. The Sassanid King Shapur II of the Persians invaded Armenia twice and did gain some territory. Vache Mamikonian was killed in those battles and was later named a saint by the Armenian Apostolic Church for his sacrifice. Khosrov died in 339 and was succeeded by his son Tigranes VII (Tiran).

Armenia, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, Syrian Senator, gave all, Archimandrite 2 monasteries, died 380, strict ascetic monk 40yrs
Syria, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, fZeugma, Syria iGreater Armenia (Euphrates River 3), Syrian Senator, renounced world, gave possessions, became monk, ascetical life mountain cave Syrian wilderness, founded 2 monasteries, 1Greek, 1Syrian, so eventually Archimandrite, died 380, though elevated remained strict ascetic 40yrs; Zeugma, Syria; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Publius of Syria was born in the city of Zeugma on the Euphrates and was a senator. the world, he gave away his possessions, became a monk, and lived an ascetical life in a cave on a mountain in the Syrian wilderness. Publius founded two monasteries: one for Greeks, and another for Syrians. died in the year 380. his disciples, Saints Theoteknos, Theodotus, Gregory, and Aphthonius were particularly known for the sanctity of their life. Publius guided the monastery for over forty years and was eventually made an archimandrite. elevated in rank, he changed neither his garb nor his manner of life, but remained a strict ascetic.

Armenia, 331-383, Cappadocian Goth Arian Saint, Ulfilas
Cappadocia, 331-383, Cappadocian Goth Arian Saint, Ulfilas; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Armenia, 335-385, Theosebia tDeaconess, virgin, caring fSick, food fVagrants, raising Orphans, Prep women fBaptism, one of the 5
Armenia, 335-385, Theosebia tDeaconess, one of the 5, virgin, caring fSick, food fVagrants, raising Orphans, Prep women fBaptism, Sister oMacrina tYounger, Basil tGreat, Gregory oNyssa, & Peter oSebaste; Byzantium, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Theosebia the Deaconess the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory, afterwards Bishop of Nyssa , and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism. her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy. Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Armenia, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Archbishop, Orthodox Confessor, Exiled 4times bArians, tRome 2t, tPontus, tCucusus
Armenia, 337-350, Paul I, Patriarch, Archbishop, Orthodox Confessor, Exiled 4times bArians, tRome 2t, tPontus, tCucusus; Byzantine Patriarch, 337-350, Paul I of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, was chosen to the patriarchal throne after the death of Patriarch Alexander (+ 340), the Arian heresy had again flared up. of the Arians were present at the Council which selected the new Archbishop of Constantinople. They revolted in opposition to the choice of Saint Paul, but the Orthodox at the Council were in the majority. emperor Constantius, ruling over the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, was an Arian. was not in Constantinople for the election of the Archbishop, and so it took place without his consent. his return, he convened a council which illegally deposed Saint Paul, and the emperor banished him from the capital. place of the saint they elevated Eusebius of Nicomedia, an impious heretic. Paul withdrew to Rome, where other Orthodox bishops were also banished by Eusebius. did not rule the Church of Constantinople for long. he died, Saint Paul returned to Constantinople, and was greeted by his flock with love. Constantius exiled the saint a second time, and so he returned to Rome. Western emperor Constans wrote a harsh letter to his Eastern co-ruler, which he sent to Constantinople along with the holy exiled archpastor. threats worked, and Saint Paul was reinstated upon the archepiscopal throne. soon the pious emperor Constans, a defender of the Orthodox, was treacherously murdered during a palace coup. again banished Saint Paul from Constantinople and this time sent him off in exile to Armenia, to the city of Cucusus, where he endured a martyr’s death. the Archbishop was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Arians rushed upon him by force and strangled him with his own omophorion. occurred in the year 350. 381, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Paul the Confessor from Cucusus to Constantinople. 1326, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice. Athanasius the Great, a contemporary of Saint Paul, writes briefly about his exiles, “Saint Paul the first time was sent by Constantine to Pontus, second time he was fettered with chains by Constantius, and then he was locked up in Mesopotamian Syngara and there moved to Emesus, the fourth time to Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness.”

Armenia, 339-350, C King, Tiran, lukewarm christian, Arian, k st Husic I, Shapur II hostage, blinded, nobles Rome d S II
Armenia, 339-350, Tigranes II, Tiran of Armenia; (flourished second half of the 3rd century & first half of the 4th century) known also as Tigranes VII or Tigranes[1] and Diran[2] was a Prince who served as a Roman Client King of Arsacid Armenia from 339 until 350. He was a contemporary and is associated with the life of Saint Sarkis the Warrior and his son, Saint Mardiros. was the son, successor and was among the children born to Khosrov III Kotak[3][4] by an unnamed mother, thus was a grandson of Tiridates III of Armenia[3] and his wife, Ashkhen. He was the maternal uncle of St. Nerses I who would become a future Catholicos of Armenia. Tiran was named in honor of the monarchs named Tigranes of the Artaxiad Dynasty. The name Tigranes, was the most common royal name in the Artaxiad Dynasty and was among the most ancient names of the Kings of Armenia.[5] his father died in 339, Tiran succeeded his father as King of Armenia. Little is known on life, prior to becoming King of Armenia. was a lukewarm Christian[1] and was the first Arsacid ruling monarch to aggressively pursue a policy on Arianism.[6] Although Tiran was endorsed by the Christian aristocrats of Armenia, the King was a disappointment, intellectually and morally.[4] The reign of Tiran was blemished by conflicts both internally and externally. had antagonised the clergy and the great Mamikonian family, who had been the mainstay to the throne.[4] He had many disagreements with the reigning Catholicos and his relation St. Husik I. St. Husik I had criticised Tiran on his public and private conduct.[4] This led Tiran in ordering the death of St. Husik I who was beaten to death on Tiran's orders, because the Catholicos denied him entry to a church in Sophene on a feast day[4] in 347. massacred two leading Armenian families the Ardzruni and Reshtuni, who he accused in having secret relations with the Sassanids and tried on various occasions which failed to crush the power of the Armenian feudal lords[7] which were among his acts of committed barbarity.[7] Tiran's foreign policy he was mainly concerned with the Sassanid King Shapur II.[3] Shapur II launched a war on Rome and her allies, firstly by persecuting the Christians that lived in Persia and Mesopotamia.[7] Shapur II's war by capturing these territories began to dealt a severe blow to Roman prestige in the East.[7] II invaded Armenia with his army and eventually took Tiran, his Queen and their family as hostages.[7][3] Tiran and his family were betrayed by his chamberlain to Shapur II.[7][3] Tiran and his family became Sassanid political prisoners, which Tiran was blinded and thrown into prison, after Tiran was accused by Shapur II of collusion with Rome.[7] Armenian nobles infuriated by the brutality of Shapur II and his treatment of Tiran and his family, took up arms and fought against Shapur II and his army with assistance from the Romans.[7] They successfully drove Shapur II and his army out from Armenia. After Shapur II was defeated, he had signed a treaty and agreed to release Tiran and his family from prison. As Tiran was depressed and blinded, he abdicated his throne and his second son Arsaces II (Arshak II), succeeded him father as Armenian King in 350. married an unnamed woman by whom he had three sons and a daughter, who were: Artaxias,[8] Arsaces II (Arshak II),[8] Tiridates[8] and Eranyak.[9]

Armenia, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium, Lykaonia, disciple of Gregory & Basil, 40 yr wild ascetic, made bishop by angels
Lykaonia, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), disciple of Gregory and Basil, 40 yr wilderness ascetic, made bishop by Angels, 381 council, fought heresies, Arian, Eunomian, Macedonian ; Iconium; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia, city which has given the world some of the greatest Fathers and teachers of the Orthodox Church. was a first cousin to Saint Gregory the Theologian, a close friend of Saint Basil the Great. was their disciple, follower and of like mind with them. Amphilochius toiled hard in the field of Christ. lived in the wilderness as a strict ascetic for about forty years, the time when the Lord summoned him for hierarchic service. the year 372 the Bishop of Iconium died. Angels of the Lord thrice appeared in visions to Saint Amphilochius, summoning him to go to Iconium to be the bishop. truthfulness of these visions was proven when the angel, appearing to him the third time, sang together with the saint the angelic song: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth.” heavenly messenger led the saint to the nearest church, where an assembly of angels consecrated Amphilochius bishop. saint, on the way back to his cell, encountered seven bishops who were seeking him at the command of God, in order to establish him as archpastor of Iconium. Saint Amphilochius told them that he was already consecrated by the angels. many years Saint Amphilochius tended the flock of Iconium entrusted to him by the Lord. prayer of the righteous one was so intense that he was able to ask the Lord to heal the spiritual and bodily infirmities of his flock. wise archpastor, gifted as writer and preacher, unceasingly taught piety to his flock. strict Orthodox theologian, the saint relentlessly confronted the Arian and Eunomian heresies. participated in the Second Ecumenical Council (381), and he headed the struggle against the heresy of Macedonius. and treatises of Saint Amphilochius are preserved, which are profoundly dogmatic and apologetic in content. holy Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium departed peacefully to the Lord in the year 394.

Armenia, 340-379, Syrian Eusebius of Samosata, Orthodox, consiliatory decree, both hands, concealed identity, deposed 2x
Syrian Saint, 340-379, Eusebius of Samosata ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. For this he underwent persecution by the Arians, being repeatedly deprived of his see and banished. The emperor Constantius (337-361), patron of the Arians, learned that Saint Eusebius kept a conciliar decree regarding the election of the Orthodox Archbishop Meletius to the See of Antioch. He commanded him to give up the decree. The saint boldly refused to do as ordered. The enraged emperor sent a message that if he did not give up the decree, then his right hand would be cut off. Saint Eusebius stretched out both hands to the emissary saying, “Cut them off, but I will not give up the Decree of the Council, which denounces the wickedness and iniquity of the Arians.” The emperor Constantius marveled at the audacity of the bishop, but did not harm him. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), even more difficult times ensued, and an open persecution against Christians began. Eusebius, having concealed his identity, went about in the garb of a soldier across the whole of Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, urging Christians to the Orthodox Faith. He established priests and deacons in desolated churches, and he consecrated bishops who renounced the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate’s death, he was succeeded by the pious emperor Jovian (363-364), during whose reign the persecutions stopped. Returning from exile, Saint Meletius (February 12) convened a local Council at Antioch in the year 379 on the advice of Saint Eusebius. Twenty-seven bishops participated, and it reaffirmed the Orthodox teaching of the First Ecumenical Council. Arians signed the conciliar definition, fearing the steadfast defenders of Orthodoxy, the holy hierarchs Meletius, Eusebius and Pelagios, who had great influence with the emperor. the death of Jovian the Arian Valentinian (364-378) came to power.The Orthodox were again subjected to persecution. Saint Meletius was banished to Armenia, Saint Pelagius to Arabia, and Saint Eusebius was condemned to exile in Thrace. Having received the imperial decree, Saint Eusebius left Samosata by night so as to prevent tumult among the people that esteemed him. Having learned of of the bishop’s departure, believers followed after him and with tears entreated him to return. The saint refused the entreaty of those who had come, saying that he had to obey the authorities. The saint urged his flock to hold firm to Orthodoxy, blessed them and set off to the place of exile. The Arian Eunomios became Bishop of Samosata, but the people did not accept the heretic. The Orthodox would not go to the church and avoided meeting with him. The heretical Arian perceived that it was impossible to attract the independent flock to him. emperor Gracian (375-383) came upon the throne, and all the Orthodox hierarchs banished under the Arians were brought back from exile. Saint Eusebius also returned to Samosata and continued with the task of building up the Church. Together with Saint Meletius he supplied Orthodox hierarchs and clergy to Arian places. the year 380 he arrived in the Arian city of Dolikhina to establish the Orthodox bishop Marinus there. An Arian woman threw a roof tile at the holy bishop’s head. As he lay dying, he asked her for wine and requested those around not to do her any harm. The body of Saint Eusebius was taken to Samosata and was buried by his flock. The saint’s nephew, Antiochus, succeeded him and the Samosata Church continued to confess the Orthodox Faith, firmly spread through the efforts of the holy Hieromartyr Eusebius.

Armenia, 349-389, Gregory tTheologian, Grt Teacher otChurch, defeated heretic majority with devine lit gift, his only treasure
Armenia, 349-389, Gregory tTheologian, Archbishop oConstantinople, Great Father & Teacher otChurch, fArianzos near Nazianzos, his father also named Gregory Jan 1, but Son G is G oN in Patristic theology, was bishop oN, his mother Nonna Aug 5 childless prayed for a Son & dedicated him after prayer answered, gave him Holy Scripture when learned to read, complete ed, warked with uncle Amphilochius Nov 23, teacher oRhetoric, then studied aNazianzos, Caesarea, Alexandria, he decided then go to Athens with terrible 20 day storm on the way, vowed dedication, saved when used Name of the Lord, 6yrs in Athens studying Rhetoric, poetry, geometry, astronomy, from renouned pagan rhetoricians, close friend Basil oCaesarea Jan 1 later Archbishop there also, with Apostate Julian, Emperor 361-63, G taught Rhetoric iAthens till 358 returned Nazianzus, baptized a33 by his father, now bishop oN, G ordained priest against his will, fled to Basil's monastery in Pontus several yrs to avoid becoming bishop oN, returned home when brother Caesarius Mar9 died, Arian heresy there, condemned by locals, his father had signed ambiguous faith interpretation, son G convinced father G Arianism pernicious nature, fake orthodox Anthimus became Met of Tyana, so Basil made Gregory Bishop oSasima between Caesarea & Tyana, but G remained in Nazianzos helping dying father, 378 G invited tC tFight heretics there, Basil consented, 379 pastored small church called Anastasis or Resurrection, Heretics in majority (Arians, Macedonians, Appolinarians), like fighting Philistines with a sling, but successful, 379 while baptizing, wounded by heretics, worthy truth preacher, lit gift, offered to God, only this my treasure, I give up everything else at command otSpirit, to obtain pearl great price, comforted by it, companion of my life, good councilor, converser, guide, fervent co-ascetic, To preach he carefully prepared and revised his works, Hi five sermons, Orations, first defines character of a theologian: experienced, successful at contemplation, pure oSoul&body, utterly selfless, ferver&reverence, God has concealed his essence from mankind & logic only, mind and reason have to become godlike and divine, the image must ascend to the Archetype, OT patriarchs&prophets NT Apostles demo essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man, much more like this, need theosis; Nazianzos; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25; Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople, a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus. The son is the Saint Gregory Nazianzus encountered in Patristic theology. pious mother, Saint Nonna (August 5), prayed to God for a son, vowing to dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayer was answered, and she named her child Gregory. the child learned to read, his mother presented him with the Holy Scripture. Gregory received a complete and extensive education: working at home with his uncle Saint Amphilochius (November 23), an experienced teacher of rhetoric, then studied in the schools of Nazianzos, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and Alexandria. the saint decided to go to Athens to complete his education. the way from Alexandria to Greece, a terrible storm raged for many days. Saint Gregory, who was just a catechumen at that time, feared that he would perish in the sea before being cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Gregory lay in the ship’s stern for twenty days, beseeching the merciful God for salvation. He vowed to dedicate himself to God, was saved when he invoked the name of the Lord. Gregory spent six years in Athens studying rhetoric, poetry, geometry, and astronomy. teachers were the renowned pagan rhetoricians Gymorias and Proeresias. Basil, the future Archbishop of Caesarea (January 1) also studied in Athens with Saint Gregory. were such close friends that they seemed to be one soul in two bodies. the future emperor (361-363) and apostate from the Christian Faith, was studying philosophy in Athens at the same time. completing his education, Saint Gregory remained for a certain while at Athens as a teacher of rhetoric. was also familiar with pagan philosophy and literature. 358 Saint Gregory quietly left Athens and returned to his parents at Nazianzus. thirty-three years of age, he received Baptism from his father, who had been appointed Bishop of Nazianzus. his will, Saint Gregory was ordained to the holy priesthood by his father. when the elder Gregory wished to make him a bishop, he fled to join his friend Basil in Pontus. Saint Basil had organized a monastery in Pontus and had written to Gregory inviting him to come. Gregory remained with Saint Basil for several years. his brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) died, he returned home to help his father administer his diocese. local church was also in turmoil because of the Arian heresy. Gregory had the difficult task of reconciling the bishop with his flock, who condemned their pastor for signing an ambiguous interpretation of the dogmas of the faith. Gregory convinced his father of the pernicious nature of Arianism, and strengthened him in Orthodoxy. this time, Bishop Anthimus, who pretended to be Orthodox but was really a heretic, became Metropolitan of Tyana. Basil had been consecrated as the Archbishop of Caesarea, Cappadocia. wished to separate from Saint Basil and to divide the province of Cappadocia. Basil the Great made Saint Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. Saint Gregory remained at Nazianzos in order to assist his dying father, he guided the flock of this city for a while after the death of his father in 374. the death of Patriarch Valentus of Constantinople in the year 378, a council of bishops invited Saint Gregory to help the Church of Constantinople, which at this time was ravaged by heretics. the consent of Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory came to Constantinople to combat heresy. the year 379 he began to serve and preach in a small church called “Anastasis” (“Resurrection”). David fighting the Philistines with a sling, Saint Gregory battled against impossible odds to defeat false doctrine. were in the majority in the capital: Arians, Macedonians, and Appolinarians. more he preached, the more did the number of heretics decrease, and the number of the Orthodox increased. the night of Pascha (April 21, 379) when Saint Gregory was baptizing catechumens, a mob of armed heretics burst into the church and cast stones at the Orthodox, killing one bishop and wounding Saint Gregory. the fortitude and mildness of the saint were his armor, and his words converted many to the Orthodox Church. Gregory’s literary works (orations, letters, poems) show him as a worthy preacher of the truth of Christ. had a literary gift, and the saint sought to offer his talent to God the Word: “I offer this gift to my God, I dedicate this gift to Him. Only this remains to me as my treasure. I gave up everything else at the command of the Spirit. I gave all that I had to obtain the pearl of great price. Only in words do I master it, as a servant of the Word. I would never intentionally wish to disdain this wealth. I esteem it, I set value by it, I am comforted by it more than others are comforted by all the treasures of the world. It is the companion of all my life, a good counselor and converser; a guide on the way to Heaven and a fervent co-ascetic.” order to preach the Word of God properly, the saint carefully prepared and revised his works. five sermons, or “Theological Orations,” Saint Gregory first of all defines the characteristics of a theologian, and who may theologize. those who are experienced can properly reason about God, those who are successful at contemplation and, most importantly, who are pure in soul and body, and utterly selfless. reason about God properly is possible only for one who enters into it with fervor and reverence. that God has concealed His Essence from mankind, Saint Gregory demonstrates that it is impossible for those in the flesh to view mental objects without a mixture of the corporeal. about God in a positive sense is possible only when we become free from the external impressions of things and from their effects, when our guide, the mind, does not adhere to impure transitory images. the Eunomians, who would presume to grasp God’s Essence through logical speculation, the saint declared that man perceives God when the mind and reason become godlike and divine, i.e. when the image ascends to its Archetype. (Or. 28:17). the example of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets and also the Apostles has demonstrated, that the Essence of God is incomprehensible for mortal man. Gregory cited the futile sophistry of Eunomios: “God begat the Son either through His will, or contrary to will. If He begat contrary to will, then He underwent constraint. If by His will, then the Son is the Son of His intent.” such reasoning, Saint Gregory points out the harm it does to man: “You yourself, who speak so thoughtlessly, were you begotten voluntarily or involuntarily by your father? involuntarily, then your father was under the sway of some tyrant. Who? You can hardly say it was nature, for nature is tolerant of chastity. it was voluntarily, then by a few syllables you deprive yourself of your father, for thus you are shown to be the son of Will, and not of your father” (Or. 29:6). Gregory then turns to Holy Scripture, with particular attention examining a place where it points out the Divine Nature of the Son of God. Gregory’s interpretations of Holy Scripture are devoted to revealing that the divine power of the Savior was actualized even when He assumed an impaired human nature for the salvation of mankind. first of Saint Gregory’s Five Theological Orations is devoted to arguments against the Eunomians for their blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. examining everything that is said in the Gospel about the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the saint refutes the heresy of Eunomios, which rejected the divinity of the Holy Spirit. comes to two fundamental conclusions. in reading Holy Scripture, it is necessary to reject blind literalism and to try and understand its spiritual sense. in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit operated in a hidden way. “Now the Spirit Himself dwells among us and makes the manifestation of Himself more certain. was not safe, as long as they did not acknowledge the divinity of the Father, to proclaim openly that of the Son; as long as the divinity of the Son was not accepted, they could not, to express it somewhat boldly, impose on us the burden of the Holy Spirit” (Or. 31:26). divinity of the Holy Spirit is a sublime subject. “Look at these facts: Christ is born, the Holy Spirit is His Forerunner. is baptized, the Spirit bears witness to this... works miracles, the Spirit accompanies them. ascends, the Spirit takes His place. great things are there in the idea of God which are not in His power? titles appertaining to God do not apply also to Him, except for Unbegotten and Begotten? tremble when I think of such an abundance of titles, and how many Names they blaspheme, those who revolt against the Spirit!” (Or. 31:29). Orations of Saint Gregory are not limited only to this topic. He also wrote (public praise) on Saints, Orations, invectives against Julian the Apostate, “two pillars, on which the impiety of Julian is indelibly written for posterity,” various orations on other topics. all, forty-five of Saint Gregory’s orations have been preserved. letters of the saint compare favorably with his best theological works. All of them are clear, yet concise. his poems as in all things, Saint Gregory focused on Christ. “If the lengthy tracts of the heretics are new Psalters at variance with David, and the pretty verses they honor are like a third testament, we also shall sing Psalms, and begin to write much and compose poetic meters,” said the saint. his poetic gift the saint wrote: “I am an organ of the Lord, and sweetly... do I glorify the King, all a-tremble before Him.” fame of the Orthodox preacher spread through East and West. the saint lived in the capital as though he still lived in the wilderness: “his food was food of the wilderness; clothing was whatever necessary. made visitations without pretense, though in proximity of the court, he sought nothing from the court.” saint received a shock when he was ill. whom he considered as his friend, the philosopher Maximus, was consecrated at Constantinople in Saint Gregory’s place. by the ingratitude of Maximus, the saint decided to resign the cathedral, his faithful flock restrained him from it. people threw the usurper out of the city. November 24, 380 the holy emperor Theodosius arrived in the capital and, in enforcing his decree against the heretics, the main church was returned to the Orthodox, Saint Gregory making a solemn entrance. attempt on the life of Saint Gregory was planned, instead the assassin appeared before the saint with tears of repentance. the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, Saint Gregory was chosen as Patriarch of Constantinople. the death of Patriarch Meletius of Antioch, Saint Gregory presided at the Council. Hoping to reconcile the West with the East, he offered to recognize Paulinus as Patriarch of Antioch. who had acted against Saint Gregory on behalf of Maximus, Egyptian and Macedonian bishops, late for the Council. did not want to acknowledge the saint as Patriarch of Constantinople, since he was elected in their absence. Gregory decided to resign his office for the sake of peace in the Church: “Let me be as the Prophet Jonah! was responsible for the storm, I would sacrifice myself for the salvation of the ship. me and throw me... was not happy when I ascended the throne, and gladly would I descend it.” telling the emperor of his desire to quit the capital, Saint Gregory appeared again at the Council to deliver a farewell address (Or. 42) to be allowed to depart in peace. his return to his native region, Saint Gregory turned his attention to the incursion of Appolinarian heretics into the flock of Nazianzus, he established the pious Eulalius there as bishop, he himself withdrew into the solitude of Arianzos so dear to his heart. saint, zealous for the truth of Christ, continued to affirm Orthodoxy through his letters and poems, while remaining in the wilderness. died on January 25, 389, and is honored with the title “Theologian,” given to the holy Apostle and Evangelist John. his works Saint Gregory, like that other Theologian Saint John, directs everything toward the Pre-eternal Word. John of Damascus (December 4), in the first part of his book An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, followed the lead of Saint Gregory the Theologian. Gregory was buried at Nazianzos. In the year 950, his holy relics were transferred to Constantinople into the church of the Holy Apostles. on, a portion of his relics was transferred to Rome. appearance, the saint was of medium height and somewhat pale. He had thick eyebrows, and a short beard. contemporaries already called the archpastor a saint. Orthodox Church, honors Saint Gregory as a second Theologian and insightful writer on the Holy Trinity. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Armenia, 349-390, GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, Cappadocia, Gregory the Theologian
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; of Nazianzus (c. 329[4] - 25 January 390,[4][5]), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople and theologian. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age.[6] As a classically trained orator and philosopher, he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.[6] made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the "Trinitarian Theologian". Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers. of Nazianzus is a saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity. In the Catholic Church he is numbered among the Doctors of the Church; in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches he is revered as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs, along with Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. He is considered one of the Great Fathers in both Eastern and Western Christianity. He was considered the patron saint of Kotromanić dynasty and medieval Bosnia during the first half of the 15th century, while Saint George, the miracle-worker, has been the patron saint since at least mid-13th century, although confirmed by the papacy much later in 1461. St. Gregory the Great was also considered the patron of both, the state and dynasty in the late 15th century.[7][8] is also one of only three men in the life of the Orthodox Church who have been officially designated "Theologian" by epithet,[9] the other two being John the Theologian (the Evangelist), and Symeon the New Theologian. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); is a traditional list of eight great Doctors (Teachers, Theologians) of the ancient Church. lists four Western (Latin) Doctors -- Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Jerome of Strido, and Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory I) -- and four Eastern (Greek) Doctors -- Athanasius of Alexandria, John Chrysostom of Antioch and Constantinople, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus (also called Gregory Nazianzen). this list is constantly referred to, but I have no idea when or where or by whom it was drawn up. of Nazianzus, his friend Basil the Great, and Basil's brother Gregory of Nyssa, are jointly known as the Cappadocian Fathers (Cappadocia is a region in what is now Central Turkey). lived in a turbulent time. In 312, Constantine, having won a battle that made him Emperor of the West, issued a decree that made it no longer a crime to be a Christian. In 325 he summoned a council of Bishops at Nicea, across the straits from Byzantium (Constantinople, Istanbul), to settle the dispute between those (led by Athanasius) who taught that the Logos (the "Word" of John 1:1, who "was made flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth) was completely God, in the same sense in which the Father is God, and those (led by Arius) who taught that the Logos is a being created by God the Father. The bishops assembled at Nicea declared that the view of Athanasius was that which they had received from their predecessors as the true Faith handed down from the Apostles. (The Athanasian view is held today by Roman Catholics, East Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterian and Reformed, Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, and most other Protestant groups. The Arian view is held by the Watchtower Society, also called J------'s Witnesses, and by a few other groups, including some conservative Unitarians.) Arians did not accept defeat quietly. They created a sufficient disturbance so that Constantine, at first inclined to support the decision of the Council, decided that peace could best be obtained by adopting a Creed which simply evaded the issue. After his death in 336, he was succeeded by various of his relatives, some of whom sided with the Athanasians and some with the Arians, and one of whom (Julian the Apostate, Emperor 361-363) attempted to restore paganism as the religion of the Empire. The situation was complicated by the fact that missionaries to the Goths were first sent out in large numbers during the reign of an Arian Emperor, with the result that the Goths were converted to Arian Christianity. Since the professional Army was composed chiefly of Goth mercenaries, and the Army held the balance of power, this was a real problem. of Nazianzus was born about 330. He went to school in Athens with his friend Basil, and with the aforesaid Julian. He and Basil compiled an anthology, called the Philokalia, of the works of the great (but somewhat erratic) Alexandrian theologian, philosopher, and scholar of the previous century, Origen. Later, he went home to assist his father, a bishop, in his struggles against Arianism. Meanwhile, his friend Basil had become Archbishop of (Cappadocian) Caesarea. Faced with a rival Arian bishop at Tyana, he undertook to consolidate his position by maneuvering Gregory into the position of Bishop of Sasima, an unhealthy settlement on the border between the two jurisdictions. Gregory called Sasima "a detestable little place without water or grass or any mark of civilization." He felt "like a bone flung to dogs." He refused to reside at Sasima. Basil accused him of shirking his duty. He accused Basil of making him a pawn in ecclesiastical politics. Their friendship suffered a severe breach, which took some time to heal. Gregory suffered a breakdown and retired to recuperate. 379, after the death of the Arian Emperor Valens, Gregory was asked to go to Constantinople to preach there. For thirty years, the city had been controlled by Arians or pagans, and the orthodox did not even have a church there. Gregory went. He converted his own house there into a church and held services in it. There he preached the Five Theological Orations for which he is best known, a series of five sermons on the Trinity and in defense of the deity of Christ. People flocked to hear him preach, and the city was largely won over to the Athanasian (Trinitarian, catholic, orthodox) position by his powers of persuasion. The following year, he was consecrated bishop of Constantinople. He presided at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which confirmed the Athanasian position of the earlier Council of Nicea in 325. Having accomplished what he believed to be his mission at Constantinople, and heartily sick of ecclesiastical politics, Gregory resigned and retired to his home town of Nazianzus, where he died in 389. Five Theological Orations are available in several series of works of the Ancient Fathers. The best-known recent biography of him is Gregory of Nazianzus, Rhetor and Philosopher (Oxford U Press, 1969), by Rosemary Radford Reuther. I was in her Sunday School class back when she was writing it, until I was kicked out for asking too many awkward questions. She writes well, nonetheless. by James Kiefer

Armenia, 349-379, BASIL THE GREAT, Caesurea Armenia, Cappadocian Capital, Basilian Monks & litergy, defended Nicean Creed
Armenia, 349-379, Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), studied law at Athens w Julian Apostate & Gregory of Nazi, founded monastery, Basilian Monks, fed Jews and Christians, hospice, defended Nicean Creed, famous writings, litergy of B ; Caesurea, Cappadocia; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); died on 1 January 379. He is accordingly commemorated on that day in the East. The traditional Western date is 14 June, the anniversary of his consecration. The Roman usage has adopted 2 January.) icon of St. Basil was born in Caesarea of Cappadocia, a province in what is now central Turkey (more or less directly north of the easternmost part of the Mediterranean, but with no seacoast). was born in 329, after the persecution of Christians had ceased, but with parents who could remember the persecutions and had lived through them. originally planned to become a lawyer and orator, and studied at Athens (351-356), two of his classmates were Gregory of Nazianzus (who became a close friend) and the future Emperor Julian the Apostate. he returned home, the influence and example of his sister Macrina led him to seek the monastic life instead, after making a tour of the monasteries of Egypt in 357, he founded a monastic settlement near his home. remained there only five years, but the influence of his community was enormous. in the West there are numerous monastic orders (Benedictines, Carthusians, etc.), in the East all monks are Basilian monks. His Longer Rules and Shorter Rules for the monastic life remain the standard. expresses a definite preference for the communal life of the monastery over the solitary life of the hermit, arguing that the Christian life of mutual love and service is communal by its nature. 367-8, when Cappadocia suffered a severe and widespread famine, Basil sold his family's very extensive land holdings in order to buy food for the starving, persuading many others to follow his example, and putting on an apron to work in the soup kitchen himself. this crisis, he absolutely refused to allow any distinction to be made between Jew and Christian, saying that the digestive systems of the two are indistinguishable. also built a hospital for the care of the sick, housing for the poor, and a hospice for travelers. were the years between the First Ecumenical Council (Nicea, 325) and the Second (Constantinople, 381), in which it was uncertain whether the Church would stand by the declaration made at Nicea that the Logos (the "Word" -- see John 1:1) was fully God, equally with the Father, or seek a more flexible formula in the hope of reconciliation with the Arians, who declared themselves unalterably opposed to the Nicene wording. had been ordained priest in 362 in order to assist the new Bishop of Caesarea, whom he succeeded in 370. (Since Caesarea was the capital, or metropolis, of the province of Cappadocia, its bishop was automatically the metropolitan of Cappadocia, which included about fifty dioceses (bishoprics). metropolitan was roughly what we would call an archbishop, although in ancient terminology an "archbishop" was one step above a metropolitan.) By that time, an Arian emperor, Valens, was ruling. made it his policy to try to unite the so-called semi-Arians with the Nicene party against the outright Arians, making use of the formula "three persons (hypostases) in one substance (ousia)," thus explicitly acknowledging a distinction between the Father and the Son (a distinction that the Nicene party had been accused of blurring), and at the same time insisting on their essential unity. the emperor Valens passed through Caesarea in 371, he demanded the theological submission of Basil, who flatly refused. imperial prefect expressed astonishment at Basil's defiance, to which Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never met a real bishop before." retaliated by dividing the province of Cappadocia into two provinces, with the result that the Arian Bishop of Tyana became metropolitan of the new province of Western Cappadocia. responded by going political. He ramrodded his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus into bishoprics that they did not want, and for which they were totally unsuited, so that he would have the votes of those bishoprics when he needed them. Gregory ever quite forgave him for this.) interests were not exclusively theological: he denounced and excommunicated those who owned houses of prostitution, he worked to secure justice for the poor against those who oppressed them, and he severely disciplined clergy who used their office to accumulate money or to live too well at the expense of the faithful. most famous writings include the Hexaemeron ("The Six Days"), a series of nine sermons on the days of creation, in which he speaks of the beauties of the created world as revelations of the splendor of God. Against Eunomius defends the deity of Christ against an Arian writer, his On the Holy Spirit speaks of the deity of the Third Person of the Trinity, and the rightness of worshipping Him together with the Father and the Son. his Address to Young Men (originally written for his nephews), he urges Christians to make themselves acquainted with pagan philosophy and literature, arguing that this will often lead to a deeper understanding of Christian truth. personality comes through most clearly in his letters, of which more than three hundred have been preserved. Some deal with points of theology or ethics, some with canon law, and many simply with everyday affairs. times a year the Eastern churches use the Liturgy of St Basil rather than the more usual Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. It differs chiefly in having a more elaborate Anaphora (the prayer of consecration offered over the bread and wine), expressing some of his characteristic turns of thought, probably dating back to his time and used by him, and possibly composed by him personally. died in 379, shortly after the death in battle of the Arian Valens removed the chief threat to the Nicene faith to which Basil had devoted his life. was mourned by the entire city, and the weeping crowds at his funeral included Christians, Jews, and pagans. is counted (with the two Gregories) as one of the three Cappadocian Fathers, and (with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom) as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs. the West, he is reckoned (with Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, and Athanasius) as one of the Four Greek (Eastern) Doctors of the Undivided Church. (The Four Latin (Western) Doctors are Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great.) by James Kiefer Many of his writings are available online from CCEL.

Armenia, 350-379, Basil tGreat, Archbishop oCaesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, but belongs to tChurch&Time worldwide, best teacher
Armenia, 350-379, Basil tGreat, Archbishop oCaesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, but belongs to tWhole Church&Time all lands&Cities worldwide, tMost salvific teacher, illustrious lineage, eminence&wealth&Zealous christians, Grandfather Grandmother father's side hid iForests oPontus 7yrs under Diocletian, his Mom St Emilia daughter oMartyr, his father aLawyer &famous rhetorician fCassarea, they had 10 children incl 5 saints, Macrina, Gregory oNyssa, Peter oSebaste, deaconess Theosebia &Himself, Basil lived oEstate River Isis iPontus near Neocasarea Crossroads tKelkit River, rasied under his Mother&Grandmother Macrina tElder's supervision, they remembered Gregory tWonderworker oCappadocia, initial ed under hFather, then finest teachers Caesarea, where he met Gregory tTheologian (oNazianzus), later ed aConstantinople, eminent orators philosophers, then ed aAthens, center oClassical enlightenment f4o5yrs, master oAll disciplines, Philosopher, philologist (language history), orator, jurist, naturalist, astronomer, math, medicine, close friendship wGregory, 1 soul 2 bodies, hopes guided us, 2Paths, 1 temples&teachers 2 disciplines beyond, 357 back tCaesarea&Rhetoric, but soon ascetic life, after Dad's death Mom&Sis Macrina& servants tfamily estate iPontus fAscetic life, Basil baptized&Reader iCaesarea, read&explained, later tEgypt Syria&Palestine tMeet Great Ascetics, copied them iC, gave wealth, settled near Mom&Macrina, other side river, gathered monks, cenobitic (group) life, letters tGregory, joined him, strict abstinence, no roof or fireplace, humble food, calloused hands hard work, tunic mantle hair shirt aNight, intense study scripture, guided bFathers otPast, like good writings oOrigen, Philokalia anthology bThem, monks requested Rules fVirtuous Life, preaching&example fCappadocia&Pontus, Men&Women monasteries combining cenobitic&Solitary lifestyle, tCaesarea, 362 deacon, 364 priest, B honored by everyone, caused weak bishop Eusebius jealousy, monks defended B, B withdrew his Pontus monastery, new emperor Valens 364-378 anArian, trouble fOrthodoxy, Eusebius called him back, advisor, representative, Word oGod expounder, staff ftAged, support iIntermal matters, Church governance passed tSubordinate Basil, Preached daily oTwiceDaily, composed Liturgy, wrote On 6 Days oCreation (Hexaemeron), Prophet Isaiah i16 Chapters, work oPsalms, 2nd Monastic Rules, also 3 books Against Eunomius, aristotelian reason logical scheme rational concepts Arian teacher, B caring fDestitute, taking in Strangers, virgin supervision, written unwritted monastic rules, arrangement oPrayers (Liturgy), a oAltars+, 370 Bishop after Eusebius, newest o50 bishops i50 provinces, Athanasius tGreat welcomed him, Valen's Arians held various opinions about divinity Son oGod, Holy Spirit questions, Basil taught HS equal wFather&Son, for full explanation wrote On The Holy Spirit, circumstances, Cappadocia divided 2Provincial districts, then Antioch schism, negative haughty attitude oWestern bishops when attempts draw them in to Arian struggle, plus departure oBasil's close friendEustathius tArian side, B's letters tChurches encouraged Orthodox, summoned bravery, challanged Arian hostility&Intrigues, a Bee stinging enemies while nourishing tFlock wTeaching honey, suddenly Valens appeared in C tSend B into exile, Sent perfect Modestus, threated property confiscation, banishment, beatings, death, but if you take my possessions, not enrich you and not make me pauper, same for clothing books, Exile means nothing, my place is not mine, where you send me will be mine, better to say every place is God's, where I would not be stranger or sojourner, who can torture me, first blow insensible, death would be kindness, sooner tGod tWhom I hasten, Official stunned, no one spoken so audaciously tMe, Perhaps that is because you never spoke bishop before, we are meek most humble oAll, but when people rise against God we look to him alone and fire sword wild beasts iron rods serve to fill us with joy rather than fear, Emperor we stand defeated by Church leader, so Valens did not give in tArians demanding exile, Valens entered a full Church on Theophany, mixing wCrowd showing unity, but Psalms singing like thunder to his hearing, while Basil in front acknowledged nothing but focus on God & Altar, Clergy serving there in awe&reverence ; Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330[8] – 1 or 2 January 379), a bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position. addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity. together with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. He is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet Ouranophantor (Greek: Οὐρανοφάντωρ), "revealer of heavenly mysteries".[9] Icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great (left), John Chrysostom (center) and Gregory the Theologian (right)—from Lipie, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland. 362, Bishop Meletius of Antioch ordained Basil as a deacon. Eusebius then summoned Basil to Caesarea and ordained him as presbyter of the Church there in 365. Ecclesiastical entreaties rather than Basil's desires thus altered his career path.[24] and Gregory Nazianzus spent the next few years combating the Arian heresy, which threatened to divide Cappadocia's Christians. In close fraternal cooperation, they agreed to a great rhetorical contest with accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors.[34] In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Gregory and Basil that their futures lay in administration of the Church.[34] Basil next took on functional administration of the city of Caesarea.[30] Eusebius is reported as becoming jealous of the reputation and influence which Basil quickly developed, and allowed Basil to return to his earlier solitude. Later, however, Gregory persuaded Basil to return. Basil did so, and became the administrator for the Diocese of Caesarea.[35] 370, Eusebius died, and Basil was chosen to succeed him, and was consecrated bishop on 14 June 370.[36] His new post as bishop of Caesarea also gave him the powers of exarch of Pontus and metropolitan of five suffragan bishops, many of whom had opposed him in the election for Eusebius's successor. It was then that his great powers were called into action. Hot-blooded and somewhat imperious, Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought.[27] letters show that he actively worked to reform thieves and prostitutes. They also show him encouraging his clergy not to be tempted by wealth or the comparatively easy life of a priest, and that he personally took care in selecting worthy candidates for holy orders. He also had the courage to criticize public officials who failed in their duty of administering justice. At the same time, he preached every morning and evening in his own church to large congregations. In addition to all the above, he built a large complex just outside Caesarea, called the Basiliad,[37] which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital, and was compared by Gregory of Nazianzus to the wonders of the world.[38] zeal for orthodoxy did not blind him to what was good in an opponent; and for the sake of peace and charity he was content to waive the use of orthodox terminology when it could be surrendered without a sacrifice of truth. The Emperor Valens, who was an adherent of the Arian philosophy, sent his prefect Modestus to at least agree to a compromise with the Arian faction. Basil's adamant negative response prompted Modestus to say that no one had ever spoken to him in that way before. Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never yet had to deal with a bishop." Modestus reported back to Valens that he believed nothing short of violence would avail against Basil. Valens was apparently unwilling to engage in violence. He did however issue orders banishing Basil repeatedly, none of which succeeded. Valens came himself to attend when Basil celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany), and at that time was so impressed by Basil that he donated to him some land for the building of the Basiliad. This interaction helped to define the limits of governmental power over the church.[39] then had to face the growing spread of Arianism. This belief system, which denied that Christ was consubstantial with the Father, was quickly gaining adherents and was seen by many, particularly those in Alexandria most familiar with it, as posing a threat to the unity of the church.[40] Basil entered into connections with the West, and with the help of Athanasius, he tried to overcome its distrustful attitude toward the Homoiousians. The difficulties had been enhanced by bringing in the question as to the essence of the Holy Spirit. Although Basil advocated objectively the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, he belonged to those, who, faithful to Eastern tradition, would not allow the predicate homoousios to the former; for this he was reproached as early as 371 by the Orthodox zealots among the monks, and Athanasius defended him. corresponded with Pope Damasus in the hope of having his aid and encouragement against triumphant Arianism; the pope, however, cherished some degree of suspicion against the Cappadocian Doctor.[41 Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, “belongs not to the Church of Caesarea alone, merely to his own time, was he of benefit only to his own kinsmen, rather to all lands and cities worldwide, to all people he brought and still brings benefit, for Christians he always was and will be a most salvific teacher.” spoke Saint Basil’s contemporary, Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (November 23). Basil was born in the year 330 at Caesarea, the administrative center of Cappadocia. was of illustrious lineage, for its eminence and wealth, zealous for the Christian Faith. saint’s grandfather and grandmother on his father’s side had to hide in the forests of Pontus for seven years during the persecution under Diocletian. Basil’s mother Saint Emilia was the daughter of a martyr. On the Greek calendar, she is commemorated on May 30. Basil’s father was also named Basil. He was a lawyer and renowned rhetorician, and lived at Caesarea. children were born to the elder Basil and Emilia: five sons and five daughters. of them were later numbered among the saints: the Great; Macrina (July 19) was an exemplar of ascetic life, and exerted strong influence on the life and character of Saint Basil the Great; Gregory, afterwards Bishop of Nyssa (January 10); Peter, Bishop of Sebaste (January 9); and Theosebia, a deaconess (January 10). Basil spent the first years of his life on an estate belonging to his parents at the River Iris, he was raised under the supervision of his mother Emilia and grandmother Macrina. were women of great refinement, remembered an earlier bishop of Cappadocia, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker (November 17). received his initial education under the supervision of his father, then he studied under the finest teachers in Caesarea of Cappadocia, it was here that he made the acquaintance of Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25 and January 30). Basil transferred to a school at Constantinople, he listened to eminent orators and philosophers. complete his education Saint Basil went to Athens, the center of classical enlightenment. a four or five year stay at Athens, Basil had mastered all the available disciplines. “He studied everything thoroughly, more than others are wont to study a single subject. studied each science in its very totality, as though he would study nothing else.” philologist, orator, jurist, naturalist, possessing profound knowledge in astronomy, mathematics and medicine, “he was a ship fully laden with learning, to the extent permitted by human nature.” Athens a close friendship developed between Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzus), which continued throughout their life. fact, they regarded themselves as one soul in two bodies. Later on, in his eulogy for Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian speaks with delight about this period: “Various hopes guided us, and indeed inevitably, in learning... Two paths opened up before us: the one to our sacred temples and the teachers therein; the other towards preceptors of disciplines beyond.” the year 357, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where for a while he devoted himself to rhetoric. soon, refusing offers from Caesarea’s citizens who wanted to entrust him with the education of their offspring, Saint Basil entered upon the path of ascetic life. the death of her husband, Basil’s mother, her eldest daughter Macrina, and several female servants withdrew to the family estate at Iris and there began to lead an ascetic life. was baptized by Dianios, the Bishop of Caesarea, was tonsured a Reader (On the Holy Spirit, 29). first read the Holy Scriptures to the people, then explained them. on, “wishing to acquire a guide to the knowledge of truth”, the saint undertook a journey into Egypt, Syria and Palestine, to meet the great Christian ascetics dwelling there. returning to Cappadocia, he decided to do as they did. distributed his wealth to the needy, then settled on the opposite side of the river not far from his mother Emilia and sister Macrina, around him monks living a cenobitic life. his letters, Basil drew his good friend Gregory the Theologian to the monastery. Basil and Gregory labored in strict abstinence in their dwelling place, which had no roof or fireplace, and the food was very humble. themselves cleared away the stones, planted and watered the trees, and carried heavy loads. hands were constantly calloused from the hard work. clothing Basil had only a tunic and monastic mantle. wore a hairshirt, but only at night, so that it would not be obvious. their solitude, Saints Basil and Gregory occupied themselves in an intense study of Holy Scripture. were guided by the writings of the Fathers and commentators of the past, the good writings of Origen. all these works they compiled an anthology called Philokalia. at this time, at the request of the monks, Saint Basil wrote down a collection of rules for virtuous life. his preaching and by his example Saint Basil assisted in the spiritual perfection of Christians in Cappadocia and Pontus; and many indeed turned to him. were organized for men and for women, which places Basil sought to combine the cenobitic (koine bios, or common) lifestyle with that of the solitary hermit. the reign of Constantius (337-361) the heretical teachings of Arius were spreading, and the Church summoned both its saints into service. Basil returned to Caesarea. the year 362 he was ordained deacon by Bishop Meletius of Antioch. 364 he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea. “But seeing,” as Gregory the Theologian relates, “that everyone exceedingly praised and honored Basil for his wisdom and reverence, through human weakness, succumbed to jealousy of him, and began to show dislike for him. ” The monks rose up in defense of Saint Basil. avoid causing Church discord, Basil withdrew to his own monastery and concerned himself with the organization of monasteries. the coming to power of the emperor Valens (364-378), who was a resolute adherent of Arianism, a time of troubles began for Orthodoxy, onset of a great struggle. Saint Basil hastily returned to Caesarea at the request of Bishop Eusebius. the words of Gregory the Theologian, he was for Bishop Eusebius “a good advisor, a righteous representative, an expounder of the Word of God, a staff for the aged, a faithful support in internal matters, and an activist in external matters.” this time church governance passed over to Basil, though he was subordinate to the hierarch. preached daily, and often twice, in the morning and in the evening. this time Saint Basil composed his Liturgy. wrote a work “On the Six Days of Creation” (Hexaemeron) another on the Prophet Isaiah in sixteen chapters, another on the Psalms, also a second compilation of monastic rules. Basil wrote also three books “Against Eunomius,” an Arian teacher who, with the help of Aristotelian concepts, had presented the Arian dogma in philosophic form, converting Christian teaching into a logical scheme of rational concepts. Gregory the Theologian, speaking about the activity of Basil the Great during this period, points to “the caring for the destitute and the taking in of strangers, the supervision of virgins, written and unwritten monastic rules for monks, the arrangement of prayers [Liturgy], the felicitous arrangement of altars and other things.” the death of Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil was chosen to succeed him in the year 370. Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great was the newest of fifty bishops in eleven provinces. Athanasius the Great (May 2), with joy and with thanks to God welcomed the appointment to Cappadocia of such a bishop as Basil, famed for his reverence, deep knowledge of Holy Scripture, great learning, and his efforts for the welfare of Church peace and unity. Valens, the external government belonged to the Arians, held various opinions regarding the divinity of the Son of God, and were divided into several factions. dogmatic disputes were concerned with questions about the Holy Spirit. his books Against Eunomios, Saint Basil the Great taught the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son. in order to provide a full explanation of Orthodox teaching on this question, Basil wrote his book “On the Holy Spirit” at the request of Saint Amphilochius, the Bishop of Iconium. Basil’s difficulties were made worse by various circumstances: was divided in two under the rearrangement of provincial districts. at Antioch a schism occurred, occasioned by the consecration of a second bishop. was the negative and haughty attitude of Western bishops to the attempts to draw them into the struggle with the Arians. there was also the departure of Eustathius of Sebaste over to the Arian side. had been connected to him by ties of close friendship. the constant perils Saint Basil gave encouragement to the Orthodox, confirmed them in the Faith, summoning them to bravery and endurance. holy bishop wrote numerous letters to the churches, to bishops, to clergy and to individuals. the heretics “by the weapon of his mouth, and by the arrows of his letters,” an untiring champion of Orthodoxy, Saint Basil challenged the hostility and intrigues of the Arian heretics all his life. has been compared to a bee, stinging the Church’s enemies, yet nourishing his flock with the sweet honey of his teaching. emperor Valens, mercilessly sending into exile any bishop who displeased him, and having implanted Arianism into other Asia Minor provinces, appeared in Cappadocia for this same purpose. sent the prefect Modestus to Saint Basil. began to threaten the saint with the confiscation of his property, banishment, beatings, and even death. Basil said, “If you take away my possessions, you will not enrich yourself, nor will you make me a pauper. have no need of my old worn-out clothing, nor of my few books, of which the entirety of my wealth is comprised. means nothing to me, since I am bound to no particular place. place in which I now dwell is not mine, and any place you send me shall be mine. to say: every place is God’s. Where would I be neither a stranger and sojourner (Ps. 38/39:13)? can torture me? am so weak, that the very first blow would render me insensible. would be a kindness to me, for it will bring me all the sooner to God, for Whom I live and labor, and to Whom I hasten.” official was stunned by his answer. “No one has ever spoken so audaciously to me,” he said. “Perhaps,” the saint remarked, “ that is because you’ve never spoken to a bishop before. all else we are meek, the most humble of all. when it concerns God, and people rise up against Him, then we, counting everything else as naught, look to Him alone. fire, sword, wild beasts and iron rods that rend the body, serve to fill us with joy, rather than fear.” to Valens that Saint Basil was not to be intimidated, said, “Emperor, we stand defeated by a leader of the Church.” the Great again showed firmness before the emperor and his retinue made such a strong impression on Valens that the emperor dared not give in to the Arians demanding Basil’s exile. “On the day of Theophany, amidst an innumerable multitude of the people, Valens entered the church and mixed in with the throng, in order to give the appearance of being in unity with the Church. the singing of Psalms began in the church, it was like thunder to his hearing. emperor beheld a sea of people, and in the altar and all around was splendor; front of all was Basil, who acknowledged neither by gesture nor by glance, that anything else was going on in church.” Everything was focused only on God and the altar-table, and the clergy serving there in awe and reverence.

Armenia, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Armenia, Basil the Great, of the 5
Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Armenia, 350-368, C King, Arsak II (Arshak), Arian, Roman peace allows Sassanians to take Armenia 368, prison suicide
Armenia, 350-368, Prince, Arsak II (Arshak II); II[1] (Armenian: Արշակ Բ, flourished 4th century, died 369 or 370), also known as Arsaces II[2] and Arsak II[3] was a prince who was a Roman client king of Arsacid Armenia from 350 until 368. life[edit] II was the second born son to Tiran (Tigranes VII)[4] by an unnamed mother. His father served as a Roman client king of Arsacid Armenia from 339 until 350. His date of birth is unknown and little is known on his early life. Sometime during his father's reign, the Sassanid King Shapur II launched a war on Rome and her allies, firstly by persecuting the Christians that lived in Persia and Mesopotamia.[5] Shapur II, by capturing these territories, began to deal a severe blow to Roman prestige in the East.[5] Sometime into his father's reign, Shapur II with his army had invaded Armenia; eventually taking Arshak II with members of his family as hostages[5][6] as they were betrayed to Shapur II by his father's chamberlain.[5][6] Arshak II, along with members of his family, had become Sassanid political prisoners in which his father was blinded and thrown into prison after Shapur II accused his father of collusion with Rome.[5] nobles of Armenia were infuriated by the brutality of Shapur II and his treatment of Arshak II with members of his family, took up arms and fought against Shapur II and his army with assistance from the Romans.[5] They successfully drove Shapur II and his army out from Armenia. After Shapur II was defeated, he signed a treaty, and Arshak II and members of his family were released from prison. As Arshak II's father was depressed and blinded from his experience in captivity, he abdicated his throne, and Arshak II succeeded his father as Armenian King in 350. II, like his father, strongly pursued a policy in favor of Arianism.[7] the early years of his reign, Arshak II found himself courted by the Roman Empire and Sassanid Empire, both of which hoped to win Armenia to their side in the ongoing conflicts between them. 358, Arshak II had married a Greek noblewoman Olympias, the daughter of the late consul Ablabius. The historian Ammianus Marcellinus (XXV. vii, 9-13; vol. II, pp. 532/3-534/5) described Arshak II as a "steadfast and faithful friend" to the Romans. King of Sassanid Persia, Shapur II, intensified his efforts to conquer Armenia once and for all. He was able to bribe two Armenian noblemen, Vahan Mamikonian and Meruzhan Artsruni, and had them join his royal court. II focused on strengthening the army. He rewarded loyal generals and severely punished disloyal ones. He crafted an ambitious plan in which all criminals that settled in his newly founded city of Arshakavan were given complete amnesty. Approximately 150,000 individuals were settled in the city. His hope was to create a large army directly under his command, but many in the Armenian nobility did not agree with the plan and subsequently destroyed the city and killed its inhabitants. Romans and the Persians clashed again. Roman Emperor Jovian, being in a very difficult position, negotiated an undesirable peace with Shapur II in which he allowed the Persians to take over the fortresses of Nisbis, Castra Maurorum, and Singara along with a part of Armenia. Arshak II found himself abandoned by the Romans and left to defend Armenia all alone. The Persians swiftly attacked, but were unsuccessful, partly due to the leadership of the sparapet (general-in-chief) Vasak Mamikonian. Shapur II, seeing that brute force was not going to subjugate Arshak II, turned to treachery. Arshak II was invited by the Persian king for peace talks. When Arshak II arrived with Vasak Mamikonian, he was taken prisoner and his general was skinned. Armenia under Arshak II and suicide[edit] in a Sasanian prison named the Castle of Oblivion, Arshak II was unable to stop the Sasanian invasion of Armenia. Shapur II conquered Armenia and tried to convert Christian Armenians to Zoroastrianism, the main religion of the Sassanid Empire. in 369 or 370, an Armenian named Drastamat visited the imprisoned Arshak II. The king reminisced about his glory days and, feeling depressed, took his visitor's knife and killed himself. Drastamat, moved by what he had just witnessed, took the knife from Arshak II's chest and stabbed himself as well. having a troublesome reign, Arshak II was able to improve many aspects of his kingdom. The chief architect of the reforms was his cousin, the catholicos Saint Nerses I the Great. They included: the establishment of many monasteries, to isolate monks from the stress of everyday life and helped spread the gospel; the building of hospitals; the founding of many schools that would teach Assyrian and Greek, since the Holy Bible was read in those languages at that time; the interdiction of inbred marriages, polygamy, divorce, pagan rituals, drunkenness and revenge killings; strongly encouraging slave-owners to be merciful to slaves and treat them as equals. II was named in honor of his Parthian, Pontian and Armenian ancestors who ruled under this name as king, in particular he was named in honor of Arshak I, also known as Arsaces I, the founder of the Arsacid Parthian dynasty and the first ruler of the Parthian Empire. letter of Vagharshak, king of Armenia, to Arshak the Great, king of Parthia, Arshak, king of earth and sea, whose person and image are as those of our gods, whose fortune and destiny are superior to those of all kings, and whose amplitude of mind is as that of the sky above the earth, from Vagharshak your younger brother.[8] appearance[edit] to the Armenian 5th-century historian Faustus of Byzantium in his writings History of the Armenians (Book IV, Chapter 15), states Pharantzem[clarification needed] in describing Arshak II as, “physically, he is hairy, and his color is dark”. and issue[edit] II appeared to have three known wives. Prior to his Armenia kingship, Arshak II married an unknown woman who appeared to have died before 358. His first wife bore him a son: Anob[9] By 358, he married the Greek noblewoman Olympias.[10] They were married until her death in 361[10] They had no children. In 360, he married the Armenian noblewoman Pharantzem, the widow of Arshak II's nephew, the Arsacid Prince Gnel.[10][11] Pharantzem remained with Arshak II until his death. She bore Arshak II a son: Papas (Pap).[11] He was born in 360 and is the only known child born to Arshak II during his reign. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25;

Armenia, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (Iris River near Pontus and Neocasearea on the Keltek) of the 5
Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Armenia, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, Cappadocia, younger brother of Gregory of N, Physician Politician, but ascetic
Cappadocia, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, younger brother of Gregory; of Nazianzus (c. 331 – 368) was a prominent physician and politician. He is best known as the younger brother of Gregory of Nazianzus. He is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Church.[1] younger son of Gregory the Elder, bishop of Nazianzus, and his wife, Nonna, Caesarius was born at the family villa of Arianzus, near Nazianzus. probably studied at Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia in preparation for the elite schools of Alexandria in Egypt. favourite studies there were geometry, astronomy and especially medicine. In the last-named science, he surpassed all his fellow students.[2] 355 he came to the imperial capital Constantinople, and had already acquired a great reputation for his medical skill, his brother Gregory, homeward bound from Athens, appeared there about 358. sacrificed a remunerative and honourable post to return home with Gregory. capital soon proved to be too great an attraction for him, and he eventually became an eminent physician at the Byzantine court of Constantius II and, much to the regret of his family, at that of Julian the Apostate.[3] Julian failed in his efforts to win him over to briefly restored Paganism. more appreciative of his faith than of imperial favour, ultimately left the court, but returned to Constantinople after Julian's death in 363.[2] the Emperor Valens Caesarius became quaestor of Bithynia, a position which included treasury and tax collection responsibilities.[4] escaping from the earthquake which shook Nicaea (11 October, 368), his brother wrote to him, pleading for him to leave his political position and withdraw to a religious life.[5] Caesarius was suddenly killed by the widespread plague which followed the earthquake, shortly after having received baptism, which he, like many others at the period, had deferred until late in life. his death, his very considerable estate was rapidly pillaged by servants and creditors.[6] brother Gregory insisted that what remained of the estate be distributed to the poor and to surviving relatives. remains were interred at Nazianzus, where his brother pronounced the funeral oration in the presence of his parents. the oration, "On His Brother: St. Caesarius", Gregory portrays his brother as a model Christian and ascetic, providing the main source for the details of his life and setting the groundwork for his eventual canonization.[7] John McGuckin maintains that, while Caesarius and his brother Gregory were very close, they were very different characters. Gregory pursued a religious life, his vivacious, outgoing brother was at home in the world of Byzantine politics.[8] two were complementary figures; Gregory relied on his brother to guide him through trouble, while Caesarius encouraged his brother's literary and rhetorical interests.[8] assertion that this Caesarius was the same as that Caesarius, Prefect of Constantinople, who in 365 was thrown into the prison by Procopius, rests on an assumption made by Jacques Godefroy (1587-1652), the editor of the Theodosian Code (Lyon, 1665), and not on any solid historical ground.[2] four Dialogues of one hundred and ninety-seven questions and answers which were traditionally ascribed to Caesarius and are to be found in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, XXXVIII, 851–1190, can hardly be from his pen, owing to their nature, contents and anachronisms. They are generally looked upon as spurious. St. Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25;

Armenia, 352-370, Gorgonia, Gregory tTheologian's Sis, blended married state w unmaried state, all that is good, virtuous woman
Lykaonia, 352-370, Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Iconium, Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), blended married state w unmaried state, all that is good, Solomon's virtuous woman ; Iconium; Saint Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on February 23; of the information about Saint Gorgonia (Γοργονία) comes from her brother, Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 25) in his Oration VIII, "On his Sister Gorgonia," which was delivered sometime after their brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) went to the Lord in 369, and before the repose of their father, the elder Saint Gregory Nazianzus, in 374. was the daughter of Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 1) and Saint Nonna (August 5), and was named for her maternal grandmother Gorgonia. Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us that she derived her existence and her reputation from their parents, because they sowed in her the seeds of piety. praising her virtues, Saint Gregory states that her modesty surpassed those of her own time, and those who lived before her. She blended the excellence of the married state with that of the unmarried state, avoiding the disadvantages of each, while combining all that is best in both. Thus, Saint Gorgonia proved that "neither of them absolutely binds us to, or separates us from, God or the world." It is the mind which nobly presides over marriage and virginity, arranging and working on them as "the raw material of virtue." Gorgonia had consecrated herself to God, and also won her husband Alypios to her side. He was from the city of Iconium, where Faustinus was the bishop. She made Alypios "a good fellow servant, instead of an unreasonable master." This pious couple had five children; two sons who became bishops, and three daughters: Alypianḗ, Eugenia, and Nonna. Moreover, she made her children and their children's children the fruit of her spirit, dedicating to God not only her soul, but also her entire family and household. As long as she lived, she showed herself as an example of all that is good. Her devoted brother even compared her to King Solomon's virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10-31). daughter of a saintly family took both her natural and spiritual parents as her models of virtue, and they were the source of her goodness. She did not wear fine clothes or expensive jewelry, nor did she use pigments to enhance her beauty. The only red coloring dear to her was the blush of modesty; and her only white coloring was the tint of temperance. adorned the churches with offerings, and thereby presented herself to God as a living temple. She opened her house to members of her family who were in want, and even to strangers. She was sympathetic to those in trouble, and compassionate toward widows. She "dispersed abroad" and "gave to the poor" (Psalm 111/112:9). The only wealth she left to her children was the excellence of her example. her fasting, her chanting of the Psalms, her vigils, her tears, and her prayers, she surpassed not only women, but also the most devout men, thereby demonstrating that the distinction between male and female is one of body, not of soul. day, as Saint Gorgonia was riding in her carriage, the mules bolted and the carriage was overturned. She was dragged over the ground and suffered serious injury. Those who were not Christians were scandalized that God would permit such a thing to happen to this righteous woman. Although she was bruised in her bones and limbs, she would not allow a physician to examine her, in order to preserve her modesty. She trusted that God would heal her, and He did. Seeing her unexpected recovery, people concluded that the accident had occurred so that by her patient endurance and her miraculous healing, God would be glorified. Gorgonia longed for death, preferring to be with Christ rather than remain on earth. She had a vision in which the day of her death was revealed to her so that she might prepare herself. As that time drew near she took to her bed, and spent her last day giving instructions to her husband, her children, and her friends. After discoursing about spiritual matters, she reposed in the year 370 at the age of thirty-eight. Her last words were, “I will both lie down in peace and sleep” (Psalm 4:8).

Armenia, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia, Father of Fathers, 2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5
Armenia, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia, Father of Fathers, anti arian, bishop 372, deposed twice, restored 378, b basil died 379, completed his work on first 6 days, Hexaemeron, Antioc council on MOG, 2nd E Council on Nicene Creed, of the 5; Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great (January 1). birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height. Having received an excellent education, he was at one time a teacher of rhetoric. the year 372, he was consecrated by Saint Basil the Great as bishop of the city of Nyssa in Cappadocia. Gregory was an ardent advocate for Orthodoxy, and he fought against the Arian heresy with his brother Saint Basil. was persecuted by the Arians, by whom he was falsely accused of improper use of church property, and thereby deprived of his See and sent to Ancyra. the following year Saint Gregory was again deposed in absentia by a council of Arian bishops, but he continued to encourage his flock in Orthodoxy, wandering about from place to place. the death of the emperor Valens (378), Saint Gregory was restored to his cathedra and was joyously received by his flock. His brother Saint Basil the Great died in 379. with difficulty did Saint Gregory survive the loss of his brother and guide. He delivered a funeral oration for him, and completed Saint Basil’s study of the six days of Creation, the Hexaemeron. same year Saint Gregory participated in the Council of Antioch against heretics who refused to recognize the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God. Others at the opposite extreme, who worshipped the Mother of God as being God Herself, were also denounced by the Council. visited the churches of Arabia and Palestine, which were infected with the Arian heresy, to assert the Orthodox teaching about the Most Holy Theotokos. On his return journey Saint Gregory visited Jerusalem and the Holy Places. the year 381 Saint Gregory was one of the chief figures of the Second Ecumenical Council, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius, who incorrectly taught about the Holy Spirit. At this Council, on the initiative of Saint Gregory, the Nicean Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was completed. with the other bishops Saint Gregory affirmed Saint Gregory the Theologian as Archpastor of Constantinople. the year 383, Saint Gregory of Nyssa participated in a Council at Constantinople, where he preached a sermon on the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 386, he was again at Constantinople, and he was asked to speak the funeral oration in memory of the empress Placilla. Again in 394 Saint Gregory was present in Constantinople at a local Council, convened to resolve church matters in Arabia. Gregory of Nyssa was a fiery defender of Orthodox dogmas and a zealous teacher of his flock, a kind and compassionate father to his spiritual children, and their intercessor before the courts. He was distinguished by his magnanimity, patience and love of peace. reached old age, Saint Gregory of Nyssa died soon after the Council of Constantinople. Together with his great contemporaries, Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, Saint Gregory of Nyssa had a significant influence on the Church life of his time. His sister, Saint Macrina, wrote to him: “You are renowned both in the cities, and gatherings of people, and throughout entire districts. Churches ask you for help.” Saint Gregory is known in history as one of the most profound Christian thinkers of the fourth century. Endowed with philosophical talent, he saw philosophy as a means for a deeper penetration into the authentic meaning of divine revelation. Gregory left behind many remarkable works of dogmatic character, as well as sermons and discourses. He has been called “the Father of Fathers.”

Armenia, 355-395, GREGORY OF NYSSA, Armenia, Cappadocian Father, major Orthodox force 381 E Council, 1 of the 5, more
Armenia, 355-395, GREGORY OF NYSSA, Cappadocia, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5), G of N, Basil the Great's b, B friend Gregory of Nazianzus, Cappadocian Fathers major force for Athanasian position at 381 E Council, 1 of the 5, 40 Martyrs Sebaste relics impressed him to total commitment, professional orator, forced to be bishop, not suited, book Life of Moses; Nyssa, Cappadocia; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); of Nyssa, his brother Basil the Great (14 June), and Basil's best friend Gregory of Nazianzus (9 May), are known collectively as the Cappadocian Fathers. They were a major force in the triumph of the Athanasian position at the Council of Constantinople in 381. Gregory of Nyssa tends to be overshadowed by the other two. of Nyssa was born in Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia (central Turkey) in about 334, the younger brother of Basil the Great and of Macrina (19 July), and of several other distinguished persons. As a youth, he was at best a lukewarm Christian. However, when he was twenty, some of the relics of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (10 March) were transferred to a chapel near his home, and their presence made a deep impression, on him, confronting him with the fact that to acknowledge God at all is to acknowledge His right to demand a total commitment. Gregory became an active and fervent Christian. He considered the priesthood, decided it was not for him, became a professional orator like his father, married, and settled down to the life of a Christian layman. However, his brother Basil and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus persuaded him to reconsider, and he became a priest in about 362. (This did not affect his marriage.) brother Basil, who had become archbishop of Caesarea in 370, was engaged in a struggle with the Arian Emperor Valens, who was trying to stamp out belief in the deity of Christ. Basil desperately needed the votes and support of Athanasian bishops, and he maneuvered his friend Gregory into the bishopric of Sasima, and (in about 371) his brother Gregory into the bishopric of Nyssa, a small town about ten miles from Caesarea. Neither one wanted to be a bishop, neither was suited to be a bishop, and both were furious with Basil.) Gregory did not get along well with his flock, was falsely accused of embezzling church funds, fled the scene in about 376, and did not return until after the death of Valens about two years later. 379, Basil died, having lived to see the death of Valens and the end of the persecution. Shortly thereafter, Macrina died. Gregory was with her in the last few days of her life. Afterwards, he took to writing sermons and treatises on theology and philosophy. His philosophy was a form of Christian Platonism. In his approach to the Scriptures, he was heavily influenced by Origen, and his writings on the Trinity and the Incarnation build on and develop insights found in germ in the writings of his brother Basil. But he is chiefly remembered as a writer on the spiritual life, on the contemplation of God, not only in private prayer and meditation, but in corporate worship and in the sacramental life of the Church. treatise On the Making of Man deals with God as Creator, and with the world as a good thing, as something that God takes delight in, and that ought to delight us. His Great Catechism is esteemed as a work of systematic theology. His Commentary on the Song of Songs is a work of contemplative, devotional, mystical theology. book The Life of Moses is available from the Paulist Press in the series The Classics of Western Spirituality. The reader who is expecting a straightforward biography will be startled -- not necessarily disappointed. An example of his treatment is the following: Numbers 13 and 14 we read that when Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt and to the borders of Canaan, he sent twelve spies into the land to look it over. They returned to report two things: (1) The inhabitants of the land were fierce warriors and would prove a formidable enemy. (2) The land was a good land, with fertile soil and an abundance of natural resources. As proof, they brought back a cluster of grapes so large that they hung it from a wooden pole that two men carried horizontally between them. Ten of the spies said that the enemy was too strong to be defeated, and that the Israelites ought to turn back, but the remaining two, Joshua and Caleb, urged the people to remember that the LORD was with them, and had shown Himself mighty to save. The people listened to the ten and prepared to turn back. At this the LORD was angry and said, "Very well, you shall wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all the men of this generation have died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Only then shall the next generation go in to possess the homeland that I promised to Abraham for his descendants." Hence the well-known child's nursery rhyme that goes in part: Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh Were the only two who ever got thru to the land of milk and honey. (following the example of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10) treats the Exodus as a type of our deliverance from the bondage of sin, and the Promised Land as a type of Heaven. He comments that the Israelites had been guilty of idolatry, of fornication, of repeated rebellions against Moses, of various disobediences to the commands of God, but that none of these moved God to deny them entrance into the Promised Land. It was only when they came to the Land, and God showed them what a good land He had prepared for them, and gave them a token of that goodness in the form of the cluster of grapes, hanging from a wooden pole between two spies, and they refused to trust in the promise of God to save them from their enemies, that they were turned back (indeed, that they turned themselves back). So, it is not failure to live virtuous lives that can keep us out of Heaven, but a refusal to believe in the mercy of God, and to trust His gracious declarations of His good will toward us, concretely expressed in the saving blood of Christ, Who is the True Vine, and Who for our sakes hung on the wood of the cross between two thieves, as the grape cluster hung on the wood of the pole between two spies, showing forth in His own Person the sign of God's good will to us and His assurance that He is ready to overcome all our enemies. you see, it is not really a biography of Moses, and it will not be to everyone's taste, not even to every Christian's taste. And even Christians who find this approach helpful will grant that it has its pitfalls. Clearly anyone who follows Gregory's example runs the risk of being led on a random walk by the will-o-the-wisp of his own imagination. But many Christians have received spiritual nourishment from this way of reading the Scriptures, and the example of St. Paul, as aforesaid, favors the view that this approach is at least sometimes of legitimate value. by James Kiefer

Armenia, 357-381, Meletius oAntioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised 3 fingers, withdrawing 2
Syria, 357-381, Meletius of Antioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised three fingers, withdrawing two, explaining three hypostaties and one nature,381 led 2nd EC and passed away there, 357 Bishop oSebaste, Armenia, summoned to Antioch bConstantius tCombat Arians, C then became Arian, and deposed M twice, M extraordinary gentle, led by example, virtue&kind disposition, so true teaching would sprout, M ordained Basil tGreat, baptized John Chrysostom, Julian tApostate expelled M, 363 Jovian and M wrote his "Exposition oFaith" treatise, it converted many Arians, 381 Theodosius convened 2nd EC aConstantinople, presided by M, before it began m explained 3 hypostases and 1 nature with his fingers, and lightening fire, M died during the council, Gregory oNyssa eulogy, M's treatises on consubstantiality of Jesus with his father, letter tJovian about Trinity, Relics tansferred to Antioch; Syria, 357-381, Syrian Saint, Meletius of Antioch; St. Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. Meletius struggled zealously against the Arian error, through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra by the Emperor Constantius had become surrounded by the Arians and had accepted their position. all this Saint Meletius was distinguished by an extraordinary gentleness, he constantly led his flock by the example of his own virtue and kindly disposition, that the seeds of the true teaching sprout more readily on such soil. Meletius was the one who ordained the future hierarch Saint Basil the Great as deacon. Meletius also baptized and encouraged another of the greatest luminaries of Orthodoxy, Saint John Chrysostom, later eulogized his former archpastor. Constantius, the throne was occupied by Julian the Apostate, the saint again was expelled, to hide himself in secret places for his safety. under the emperor Jovian in the year 363, Saint Meletius wrote his theological treatise, “Exposition of the Faith,” which facilitated the conversion of many of the Arians to Orthodoxy. the year 381, under the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), the Second Ecumenical Council was convened. the year 380 the saint had set off on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, came to preside over it. the start of the Council, Saint Meletius raised his hand displaying three fingers, then withdrawing two fingers and leaving one extended he blessed the people, proclaiming: “We understand three hypostases, and we speak about a single nature.” this declaration, fire surrounded the saint like lightning. the Council Saint Meletius fell asleep in the Lord. Gregory of Nyssa honored the memory of the deceased with a eulogy. Meletius has left treatises on the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, a letter to the emperor Jovian concerning the Holy Trinity. relics of Saint Meletius were transferred from Constantinople to Antioch.

Armenia, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus, Basil tGreat's disciple, also rich, served Emperor, then 40 yr Antioch Cave
Armenia, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis and Kelkit Rivers), Basil tGreat's disciple, fRich family, served Emperor Valens, delivered imperial edicts, left world tAntioch cave upon V's death, 40 yrs there sloitude cleansing soul, church each Sunday, no bed fireplace or lamp, old rags, bread&water, tedious tWell in city, borrowed holy books fSpiritual counciled, filled wSpiritual Grace but considered self poor in Spirit, died beginning 5th C; Eupatoria (Pontus); Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno, the disciple of Saint Basil the Great, born in the city of Pontus into a rich family. served at the court of the emperor Valens (364-378), among the soldiers who were sent out to deliver the imperial edicts. the death of Valens, Saint Zeno left the world and settled in a cave near the city of Antioch. forty years he lived in this cave, and he lived an austere life in complete solitude, cleansing his soul, and meditating on God. Zeno went to church each Sunday and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. his cell he had neither bed, nor fireplace, nor lamp. The ascetic wore old rags, and ate only bread and water, for which he had to make a tedious journey into the city to the well. Zeno was particularly fond of holy books, which he borrowed from those who came to him for spiritual counsel. his deep humility the blessed ascetic, filled with the gifts of grace, considered himself poor in spirit. Zeno died at the beginning of the fifth century.

Armenia, 360-381, Theosebia, the deaconess, virgin, the younger sister, of the 5
Cappadocia, 360-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus); also known as Theosebia the Deaconess, was a 4th-century Christian leader, who is honored as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a saint she is referred to as Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess. Her life and identification is ambiguous: her years of birth and death are uncertain (probably subsequent to 381). However, she is thought to have played an important role in the church in Nyssa, where she was called diakonissa, the deaconess or wife of a deacon. Nazianzen wrote a letter of condolence[1] on her death to Gregory of Nyssa in which Gregory Nazianzen mentioned "your sister Theosebia" and "true yoke-fellow of a priest". comes the ambiguity of her identification. Some historians supposed Theosebia was the wife of Gregory of Nyssa, others suppose she was one of his sisters like Macrina the Younger.[2] If so, then Theosebia was the sister of Basil the Great as well. of Nyssa—unlike the other Cappadocian Fathers—was married, according to his own testimony in his work On Virginity[3] that he could not benefit from the subject of his own work. combined with Nazianzen's statement that Theosebia was buried by the other Gregory in the aforementioned letter, suggest that she was indeed either Gregory of Nyssa's wife or sister, whose funeral he would have been obliged to oversee. St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality is in Oxford.[4][5] Donald Allchin was director of the centre from 1987 to 1994.[6] Cappadocian Gregory of Nazianzus wrote to Gregory of Nyssa about Theosebia, “the pride of the church, the ornament of Christ, the finest of our generation, the free speech of women, Theosebia, the most illustrious among the brethren, outstanding in beauty of soul. Theosebia, truly a priestly personage, the colleague of a priest, equally honored and worthy of the great sacraments."[7] Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Theosebia the Deaconess was the sister of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Peter, Bishop of Sebaste. She was a virgin and served the Holy Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick, distributing food to vagrants, raising orphans and preparing women for holy Baptism. her brother, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was in exile for three years, Saint Theosebia was with him and she shared in all the tribulations of a life of wandering. Saint Theosebia died in 385, and Saint Gregory the Theologian praised her in a eulogy. Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Armenia, 360-391, Peter, Bishop oSebaste, Armenia, Macrina's gson, of the 5
Armenia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia, Macrina's gson, of the 5, Basil tG&Gregory oNyssa's bro, raused by sis Macrina tYounger, attended 2nd EC 381 aConstantinople against Macedonius' heresy; Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, was a brother of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 1 and January 10). older sister, Saint Macrina (July 19) played a large role in his upbringing. Basil the Great ordained Saint Peter as presbyter, and later he was made Bishop of Sebaste (in Armenia). Peter was present at the Second Ecumenical Council in the year 381, convened at Constantinople against the heresy of Macedonius. Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Armenia, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, riled Julian aAncyra, Red Hot belt walk tEdessa, pierced&mutilated, but baptism cHeals
Armenia, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage), tormented fDenunciating Julian tApostate, iAncyra, had to walk wRed hot iron belt tEdessa, there limbs pierced wWooden stakes, then hung oPost&Mutilated, endured, continued revile Julian, tortured, let go, still able walk, met priest, baptized, instantly all healed, then Julian had him crucified, secretly buried bChristians; Paphlagonia Region; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Holy Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia was subjected to cruel tortures for his staunch denunciation of the emperor Juilan the Apostate (361-363) in the city of Ancyra (Galatia). red-hot iron belt was placed around his waist. he was ordered to accompany the impious Julian on his journey. they reached Edessa in Mesopotamia, he was stretched out on the ground and his limbs were pierced with wooden stakes. he was hung on a post and mutilated. the tortures, the saint continued to revile the emperor. being subjected to even more horrible torments, they let him go. was still able to walk and speak, so he went on his way until he met a priest. entreated the priest to baptize him, and when he emerged from the water, his wounds were all healed. of this miracle, Julian ordered that Saint Gemellus be crucified. victorious athlete of Christ gave up his soul to God, and his body was secretly taken down and buried by Christians.

Armenia, 363, Battle of Samarra v Persia, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Armenia, 363, Helladius the Bishop, Artaz Region, high point, Armenia, not harmed by fire, healed by Jesus
Armenia, 363, Helladius the Bishop in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire, Artaz Region, high point, Armenia, not harmed by fire, healed by Jesus; Eastern part of the Roman Empire ; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop was thrown into fire because of his faith in Christ, but he remained unharmed. He died as a martyr from the terrible beating inflicted upon him. the Service to Saint Helladius it is said that the Lord Jesus Christ visited him in prison and healed him of his wounds. According to certain sources, Saint Helladius suffered under the Persians during their invasion into the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the fourth century.

Armenia, 369-374, Pap, Client King, arian, robust, escape to Valens'. killed traitors, d Shapur II, k Nerses, V k Pap
Armenia, 369-374, King, Pap of Armenia; also known as Papas[1] (353–374) was a Prince who served as the Roman Client King of Arsacid Armenia from 370 until 374. and early life[edit] was the son born to the Arsacid monarch Arsaces II (Arshak II) and his wife Pharantzem (Parandzem),[2] who was his third known wife. Prior to his father's Armenian kingship, Arsaces II married an unnamed woman who appeared to have died before the year 358 by whom he had a son called Anob,[3] thus was Pap's older paternal half-brother. The father of Pap served as Roman Client King of Armenia from 350 until 368. Pap is the only known child born to Arsaces II during his Armenian Kingship. was born and raised in Armenia and little is known on his early life. Armenian historian of the 5th century Faustus of Byzantium in his writings History of the Armenians (Book IV, Chapter 15), states that the parents of Pap nourished him during his childhood and when he reached puberty he became robust. Nerses I was named in honor of Pap, a brief Catholicos in 348 who was Pap's late paternal relative and the first son of Saint Husik. Saint Husik was the grandfather of the Catholicos, St. Nerses I.[4] to the throne[edit] Sassanid King Shapur II's invasion of the Kingdom of Armenia, Pharantzem and Pap were holed up with the Armenian treasure in the fortress of Artogerassa defended by a troop of Azats.[2] According to Ammianus Marcellinus, the Persian invasion force was commanded by two Armenian defectors, Cylaces (Glak) and Artabanes (Vahan). Shapur II's intention was to replace the Armenian Arsacid monarchy with a non-Arsacid but still Armenian nakharar diarchy. Faustus of Byzantium in his Epic Histories also mentions two Armenian nakharars, Meruzhan Artsruni and Vahan Mamikonian in leadership positions under Shapur II's suzerainty as well as Zik and Karen who carried Persian noble titles. This also implies that Shapur II might have intended to combine Sassanid administrative rule (Zik and Karen) with that of nakharar rule (Artsruni and Mamikonian).[2] the siege, Arsaces II's wife Pharantzem appealed to Cylaces and Artabanes in the name of her husband who defected back to the Arsacid monarchy and engineered the escape of Pap. Themistius reported of Pap's arrival at Valens' court in Marcianopolis where the Emperor was wintering.[2] Valens bade him to stay at Neocaesarea in Pontus Polemoniacus three hundred kilometers from the Armenian border. In 369, Pap returned to Armenian territory at the request of the nobility. He was accompanied by the comes et dux Terentius but was not yet endowed with a royal rank.[5] of Armenia[edit] was reluctant to bestow a royal title upon Pap in order not to violate an earlier treaty signed by Jovian in July 363.[5] Valens dispatched his magister peditum praesentalis Arinthaeus to Armenia just as Shapur II invaded the country in pursuit of Pap who was hiding near the Roman frontier in Lazica. Meanwhile, Terentius restored Sauromaces to the throne of Iberia, but the king appointed by the Persians, Aspacures retained control of the eastern part of that kingdom. Instead of going after Pap, Shapur II concentrated his attack on the now long besieged fortress of Artogerassa which fell in the winter of 370, the royal treasure was captured by the Persians and Pharantzem, raped and murdered.[2] Shapur II also began systematically persecuting the local Christians by forcing apostasy to Mazdaism, a form of Orthodox Zoroastrianism.[2] II contacted Pap who was still in hiding and tried to persuade him to come over to his side. Under Shapur II's influence Pap murdered the duplicitous Cylaces and Artabanes and sent their heads to the shahanshah as a sign of loyalty. In the spring of 370 Shapur II prepared a massive invasion of Armenia which was realized in the spring of 371. Valens' generals Traianus and Vadomarius met the Persian force in Armenia at Bagrevand not far from the village called Dzirav and came off victorious. Faustus of Byzantium gives considerable credit for the victory to sparapet Mushegh I Mamikonian. Moses of Chorene of Armenia and Roman Ammianus Marcellinus noted that the Valens' generals did not participate in the battle actively but rather were engaged in protecting the King. During the ensuing battles more Armenian territories were reclaimed from the Persians, including Arzanene and Corduene which were ceded to Persians by Jovian in 363.[2] the end of the summer Shapur II retreated to his capital at Ctesiphon and Valens went back to Antioch. Shapur II was unable to confront the massive Roman build up in Armenia as a result of his preoccupation with Kushan attacks in the eastern realm of his empire. While peace prevailed with Persia, the situation inside Armenia began to crumble. like his father, aggressively pursued a policy of Christian Arianism.[6] He was struggling to rule a kingdom that was recently dismantled by Shapur II; his actions to keep a tight grip on power led to his downfall. Pap poisoned the popular Armenian Catholicos Nerses in 373, who was a very close Roman ally.[2] The poisoning of Nerses was one of the measures that Pap took to restrain the excessive power of the Church, which included the confiscation of rich estates which were attached to the Holy See. Pap had nominated a certain Husik as a replacement and sent him for consecration in Caesarea. The bishop of Caesarea Basil refused to consecrate the nominee but Valens requested that Basil quickly resolve the situation by finding a new nominee acceptable to Pap. Basil failed to do so and the Roman see of Caesarea effectively lost its traditional role of consecrating the Catholicos of Armenia.[2] Pap's refusal to cooperate with Basil angered Valens. In addition, Pap demanded control over Caesarea and twelve other Roman cities including Edessa as former Arsacid domains while openly courting Persia. Valens decided to execute Pap and invited him to a meeting in Tarsus. Pap arrived with 300 mounted escorts but quickly became anxious when he found out the Emperor was not there in person, fleeing back to Armenia.[7] sent two generals with scutarii (shielded cavalry) familiar with the local terrain after Pap, an Armenian named Danielus and an Iberian named Barzimeres who failed to capture and execute Pap.[2] Both generals gave an excuse that Pap had used magical powers to avoid capture and used a dark cloud to mask his party. Faustus in his Epic Histories also claimed that Pap was possessed by devs (demons). This could have simply been an attack against Pap's sympathies towards Arians and pagans. Valens then assigned Traianus to gain Pap's confidence and murder him. Traianus murdered Pap in 374 during a banquet which he had organized for the young king.[8] Marcellinus Ammianus drew parallels between the treacherous murder of the Quadi King Gabinius by Valentinian I and the murder of Pap by Valens,[9] who also wrote that the murder of Pap haunted Valens prior to the Battle of Adrianople. Armenian nakharars still loyal to Pap did little to protest as a result of a large Roman army present in Armenian territory. The new Roman nominee for a king was accepted virtually by everyone. It was another Arsacid and nephew of Pap, who grew up in Rome named Varasdates (Varazdat) that began to rule under the regency of Mushegh Mamikonian.[2] The Mamikonians were notoriously pro-Roman. Shapur II had long been courting Pap and he was infuriated when Pap was murdered and a new Arsacid placed on the Armenian throne instead. and issue[edit] married an Armenian noblewoman called Zarmandukht, who through marriage became queen consort of Armenia.[10] Zarmandukht bore Pap two sons:[11] Arsaces III (Arshak III) and Vologases.

Armenia, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached
Armenia, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached word of God to them, died 370; Edessa, Syria; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Aphraates, a Persian who came to believe in Christ, disavowed his illustrious lineage and left his pagan countrymen by going to Edessa, and then to Antioch. attracted many by his holy life, and preached the Word of God to them. He died in the year 370.

Armenia, 370-430, Alexander, founder 2 Unsleeping Ones Monasteries, prayed 3yrs to make sure, preached the original gospel
Armenia, 370-430, Alexander, founder Unsleepinge Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia, (Euphrates River 3), educated iConstantinople, some military service, called to desert monastery near Antioch, under Elias, monastic obedience, blessed to dwell wilderness, took only Holy Gospel with him, not the Gospels?, then Lord summoned him to preach tPagans, converted local leader who became bishop oEdessa 30 years, Alex settled not far from Euphrates, Monks gathered, monastery o400 monks, A decided offer never ceasing prayer, but first prayed 3yrs to make sure, divine revelation God said yes, Monks divided 24 watches oPrayer, shifts each hour, 2 Choirs sang Psams both Day and Night, except for divine services time, named Unsleeping Ones, unceasing praise tGod, A guided this monastery 12yrs, left Trphimus as igumen, left to preach Gospel to cities on Persian border, with chosen brothers, arrives at Constantinople and established another Unsleeping monastery with rule of unceasing praise, died 430 after 50 yrs a monk; Venerable Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones”, Commemorated on February 23; Alexander, Founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones,” was born in Asia and received his education at Constantinople. spent some time in military service sensing a calling to other service, he left the world and received monastic tonsure in one of the desert monasteries near Antioch under the guidance of Igumen Elias. advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy Gospel with him. the Lord summoned him to preach to pagans. converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank of bishop, and for thirty years, he occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the city of Edessa. Saint Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful asceticism and spiritual experience. monastery of 400 monks eventually sprang up there. the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by night. three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule. received an answer by divine revelation. the monks were divided into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine services were celebrated in church. the name “Monastery of Unsleeping Ones,” since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God. Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years. having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on Persia, to preach the Gospel. arrived at Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there with his Rule of unceasing praise. abba died at a great old age after fifty years of monastic struggles. death occurred in the year 430. Saint Alexander is also commemorated on July 3.

Armenia, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, tPersian Shah twice, persuaded favorable Christian disposition, much more

Armenia, 374-378, C King, Varazdat, arian, Oly champ, assgnd by Valens, w Goths Valens threat, Goths revolt, R withdraw
Armenia, 374-378, Client King, Varazdat; (flourished 4th century) was a king of Arsacid Armenia from 374 until 378.[1] from Middle Persian waraz meaning "boar" combined with Middle Persian datan "to give", the name Varazdat roughly means "given by boars" or "giver of boars,"[2] a boar being a symbol for valor and fierceness. & early life was the nephew and successor of the previous Arsacid Armenian king Papas (Pap)[3] who reigned from 370 until 374. According to Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the priest and historiographer of the Catholicos Nerses the Great, names the father of Varazdat as Anob, while the identity of the mother of Varazdat is unknown. The father of Varazdat, Anob who was an Arsacid prince was the older paternal half-brother of Papas. Also, according to Faustus of Byzantium (Book IV, Chapter 37), Varazdat proclaims himself as the nephew of Papas and the historian reveals Varazdat's relations to the Armenian Arsacids. Hence the paternal grandfather of Varazdat was the Arsacid monarch Arsaces II (Arshak II), who ruled as Roman client king of Armenia from 350 until 368 as his paternal grandmother was an unnamed woman whom Arsaces II married prior to his Armenian kingship, who died before the year 358. Little is known of his early life. at Olympic Games before his Armenian kingship, Varazdat participated in the Olympic Games in Greece. He is often regarded as one of the last competitors in the Ancient Olympic Games.[4] Varazdat's victory in the bare-knuckle boxing event (pugilat) is recorded in Moses of Chorene's History of Armenia (3.40). Since he reigned from 374 until 378, conjecture places his victory in the 360s.[5] Varazdat is the second recorded Armenian to participate in the Olympic Games, while the first was his ancestor Tiridates III of Armenia, before he served in his Armenian kingship.[6] Varazdat's victory is also known from a surviving memorandum which is now kept at the Olympic Museum in Olympia, Greece.[6] to the "Chronicle of Eusebius," the Olympic Games were banned in 394 by Emperor Theodosius as pagan. Accurate evidence of the latest games are missing: it is believed that the 293rd Olympic Games did not take place. Thus, the Armenian king Varazdat was one of the last winners of the ancient games.[7] initiative from the Armenian National Olympic Committee on May 8, 1998 a statue bust of Varazdat was installed at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece.[8] The sculptor of Varazdat's statue bust was Levon Tokmajyan.[8] to the Arsacid throne the assassination of his uncle Papa, Roman emperor Valens sent Varazdat, who as a young man was highly reputed for his mental and physical gifts, to occupy the Armenian throne. At that time, Varazdat had been living in Rome for an unknown period of time. Varazdat began to rule under the regency of Musel I Mamikonian, whose family were pro-Roman. Sasanian emperor Shapur II, having failed on the battlefield, now proposed to Valens in 375 that Armenia which he called the perpetual source of trouble, be evacuated or that Roman forces be withdrawn from the western part of Caucasian Iberia ruled by Sauromaces.[9] emperor rejected the proposal but sent two legates, the magister equitum Victor Magistrianus and Urbicius the dux of Mesopotamia to the Persian king to discuss the question. II was told that his demands were unjust because the inhabitants of Armenia had been granted the right to live according to their decisions.[10] Shapur II was also told that unless Roman troops assigned to protect the Iberian king in the west were allowed to pass unhindered, Shapur II would be forced into war with Rome. was confident of this threat because he was counting on filling the ranks of his army with auxiliaries from the Goths that he had permitted to settle in Thrace. two legates made a blunder during their return trip by accepting two regions (Asthianene and Belabitene) under Roman rule without proper authorization. gave Shapur II a new bargaining chip to revive negotiations and in late 376 he sent Suren with an embassy offering Valens these two regions illegally accepted by the legates in exchange for Roman concessions. was sent back with the message that Rome was unwilling to negotiate and would launch a tripartite invasion of Persia the following spring in 377.[9] II responded by seizing back Asthianene and Belabitene and harassed the Roman troops in western Iberia. Goths revolted in early 377 and Valens was forced to negotiate, eventually withdrawing Roman forces from Armenia in order to use them against the Goths. Valens himself died fighting the Goths in August 378 during the Battle of Adrianople. like his uncle, aggressively promoted Arian Christianity.[11] and banishment situation in Armenia deteriorated even further. Sometime after the withdrawal of the Roman forces, Varazdat killed the regent Mushegh Mamikonian. vacant position of sparapet was quickly filled by Manuel Mamikonian who had served under Shapur II in the most recent Kushan war. took up arms against Varazdat and forced him to flee from Armenia in 378, after four years of reign. Varazdat sought refuge in Rome.[9] together with Papas' widow Zarmandukht, and their first son Arsaces III (Arshak III) formed a new provisional government allied with Persia. II garrisoned a 10,000 man army in Armenia under Suren, much like Valens in 377. Eventually Manuel revolted against Persia and defended Armenian sovereignty against both Rome and Persia throughout the 380s until his death.[9] sent Varazdat to the British Isles.[12] Varazdat most probably died in exile and the date of his death is unknown.

Armenia, 378-387, Arshak III, last Roman (Byz) Client King of Armenia, Mamikonian govt, arian
Armenia, 378-387, Client King, Arshak III; III,[1] also known as Arsaces III, Arsak III[2] and Arshak III-Vagharshak[3] (flourished 4th century – died 387), was a prince who served as a Roman client king of Arsacid Armenia from 378 until 387. III is often known as the last serving Roman client king of Armenia. During his reign, the part of Armenia that Arshak III governed was under Roman rule from the Peace of Acilisene. and early life III was the first-born son of the previous Roman client Armenian King Papas (Pap), who reigned from 370 until 374, and his wife, the Armenian noblewoman called Zarmandukht.[4] He had a younger brother[5] called Vologases. His known grandparents, both from his paternal side, were the previous ruling Arsacid monarchs Arsaces II (Arshak II) and his wife Pharantzem.[6] III was named in honor of his late paternal grandfather; several of his Parthian, Pontian and Armenian ancestors ruled with this name as King. Arshak III was born at an unknown date during his father's reign and was raised in Armenia. Following the assassination of his father in 374, as Arshak III and his brother were too young to rule, the Roman emperor Valens sent their paternal first cousin Varasdates (Varazdat) to occupy the Armenian throne. Their cousin, who was a young man highly reputed for his mental and physical gifts, had lived in Rome for an unknown period of time. Varasdates began his rule under the regency of Mushegh I Mamikonian, whose family were pro-Roman. to the Throne 378, following the failed reign of Varasdates and the murder of his regent Mushegh Mamikonian, the brother of Mushegh, Manuel Mamikonian,[7] filled his late brother's position of Sparapet. Manuel bore a grudge against the Armenian king, and raised a military force which drove Varasdates out of Armenia[8] and back to Rome. He then raised Arshak III and Vologases to the throne as co-kings of Armenia, under the nominal regency of their mother Zarmandukht.[9] end the political anarchy in the country, as Manuel was now the powerful regent-in-charge of Armenia, he married Arsaces III to his daughter Vardandukht[10] and Vologases to the daughter of Sahak from the Bagratuni Dynasty.[11] Mamikonian government brought peace and stability to Armenia, as Manuel guided the country wisely.[12] Manuel treated Arshak III, Vologases and Zarmandukht with honor.[13] He brought up Arshak III and Vologases[14] and nurtured them as if they were his own children.[15] III, like his paternal ancestors, aggressively pursued policies based on Christian Arianism.[16] In 386, Vologases died without leaving an heir and Arshak III became the sole ruler of Armenia. As Manuel Mamikonian died at the same time as Vologases did, the authority of Arshak III became lessened by the Sassanid invasions from Persia of Armenia. In 387, the last year of his kingship, Arshak III resided in Ekeleac’, also known as Ekeghiats, in Western Armenia,[17] as he then ruled only Western Armenia along a line from Erzurum to Mush. Later that year Arshak died without leaving an heir. Western Armenia was annexed to and became a province of the Byzantine Empire. Eastern Armenia was annexed by the Sassanid Empire and the subsequent ruling Arsacid monarchs in Eastern Armenia became client kings of Armenia under Sassanid rule.

Armenia, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, resigned position, gave wealth, ate once aWeek as Stylite
Armenia, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), resigned position, gave wealth tPoor, became monk, ate once aWeek as Stylite; Edessa, Syria; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Theodoulus was an eparch during the reign of Theodosius the Great. resigned his position because he did not want to be distracted by vain worldly cares. his wife’s death, Saint Theodoulus gave his wealth away to the poor and became a monk. traveled to Edessa and lived on top of a pillar for thirty years, eating only once a week. Theodoulus the Stylite departed to the Lord around 440.

Armenia, 386-412, Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Sumela Monastery, founded by them, from Athens
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Asia Minor, Commemorated on August 18; Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius were Athenians who lived on Mount Mela near Trebizond in Asia Minor. They died in the year 412.

Armenia, 386-412, Directress Icon, aMela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke iconographer, AKA Panagia Gorgoepekoos
Armenia, 386-412, Directress Icon, at Mela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke the iconographer, AKA Panagia Gorgoepekoos; Armenia, 386-412, Directress Icon, at Mela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, Apostle Luke the iconographer, AKA Panagia Gorgoepekoos; Panagia Hodegetria or "Directress" icon depicts the Virgin Mary presenting her son on her left arm to the viewer and with her hand she is gesturing towards him, pointing to Christ as 'The Way'. on the other hand, has his right hand raised in a gesture of blessing with the index and middle fingers joined (to refer to the two natures of Christ) and his thumb locks over the other fingers (to signify the Holy Trinity). term 'Hodegetria' is Greek and translates to 'the One who Shows the Way'. In this icon, although the Virgin Mary is the largest subject, the principal image in the icon is Christ. His presence is like that of an adult. features of the Hodegetria include the starburst on one or both shoulders and on the part of the blue mantle that covers the forehead. fringe on the mantle indicates imperial status, as does the throne that is occasionally included in the image. Virgin Mary's frontal gaze is also a key feature of the Hodegetria type. odd letters on the left and right and level with the top of the Virgin's head appear to be an adaptation of the usual inscription that occupies this position in other Hodegetrias: "MP θY" -- the first and last Greek letters of the Greek words for "Mother of God." name Hodegetria also refers to the Hodegon Monastery in Constantinople, which has such an icon. Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Directress Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 18; Hodegetria (or “Directress”) Icon of the Mother of God. to Tradition, this icon in the Mela monastery near Trebizond was painted by the Evangelist Luke.

Armenia, 397, John Chrysostom, Pontus, City of Pontus, Pontine, Armenia
Eupatoria (Pontus); St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; the Capital after 397----The saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. He established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30.

Armenia, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, fMelitene (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Jerusalem, 397-473, Euthymius tGreat, Tharan High Point, f Melitene Armenia, noble birth, parents childless dedicated him, vision&voice good cheer tChurches, so named Euthymius, given uncle Eudoxius fEd, tMetilene Bishop Eutroius, soon made Reader, later monk&priest, supervised all M monasteries, especially Polyeuctus m, tWilderness during Lent, but desired stillness, tJerusalem, kissed shrines then visited Desert Fathers, solitary cell Tharan Lavra, weaving baskets, near Theoctistus, shared soul, same zeal, each year tCoutila near Jerico, together found cave steep cliff, settled there, by Shepherds Lord revealed many came, monk community, E made T Igumen, E taught obedience, humility, mindful oDeath, fear judgement eternal fire, seek heavenly kingdom, physical labor while God thoughts, alms, sacrifice tGod, no depend oStrangers, silence iChurch&Meals, cut off own will, fast appointed time, no attract attention, these years many Arabs baptized, Saracen leaders Aspebet &Son Terebon, healed, people came fEverywhere, he cured them, but to avoid fame took Dometian tRouba desert Mt Marda Dead Sea, explored wilderness oZiph, settled David's cave, fonded m beside D's cave, built church, converted many Manichean heresy monks, healed&Delivered, for silence returned T's m, on the way found quiet level place on a hill, remained there, future site E's Lavra, cave cell &grave, T wanted him at T's monastery, but only agreed Sunday services, wanted seclustion but Lord's vision commanded accept those who came, organized Lavra like Tharan L, poor at first but Jerusalem Patriarch Juvenal supplied presbyters (priests) & Deacons, E believed God wProvide, 400 Armenians came on way to Jordan, E ordered steward feed them, s said not enough food, E insisted, plenty food & remained undimished 3 months, obstinate monk Auxentius refused his obedience, E shouted he be rewarded for his insubordination, Deamon siezed A, threw him to ground, brothers asked E to help, he delivered him, he asked forgiveness promised to correct, E said Obedience is a great virtue, Lord loves it more than sacrifice, disobedience leads to death, two brothers resolved to flee, E had vision they ensnared bDevil, told them never admit thoughts hating place, suggesting other place, its not place but faith and firm will for success, many transplanted tree will not bear fruit, 431 3rd EC iEphesus, for Nestorian heresy, E rejoiced Orthodoxy affirmed but grieved Antioch Archbishop defended Nestorius, 451 4th EC iChalcedon, for Dioscorus heresy, asserted Jesus only one nature, the divine, monophysite, that at incarnaton his human nature swollowed up by his divine nature, when E accepted 4th C decisions as Orthodox news spread quickly following E, so called E the Great, E went to Inner Desert for awhile, after return fire descended fHeaven &encircled him Divine Litergy, plus E said he often saw an Angel celebrating with him, E's clairvoyance gift, discern thoughts spiritual state from outward appearance, during divine litergy, at 82 Savva came, foretold Savva would outshine his other disciples, when E 90 Theoctistus became ill, with him aDeath, God told E Time oDeath, told his priests, because Lord calling him from earthly life, next day began instructing them, if you love me keep my commandments, love is hightest virtue and bond oPerfectness, every virtue made secure by love&humility, Lord humbled himself became man, so we ought praise him unceasingly, expecially since monks escape worldly distractions, preserve souls in purity, correct console instruct brethern, so not fall to devil's snares, never refuse hospitality, offer a bed, give whatever you can, Then he promised always to be with them in spirit, and those who followed them, Then he dismissed all but Dometian, remained at altar 3days, died Jan 20 473; Malatya; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”). Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. presented the child to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader. Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. Euthymius often visited the monastery of Saint Polyeuctus, during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert. there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. his neighbor Saint Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will. year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there. seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. a monastic community grew up around them. monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus. Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.” saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? should not depend on strangers.” saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation. these years Saint Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, of whom Saint Euthymius healed of sickness. received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs. of the miracles performed by Saint Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea. his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. During this time Saint Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils. disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. would become the site of Saint Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave. Theoctistus went with his brethren to Saint Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, the monk did not agree to this. he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery. Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. the year 429, when Saint Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church supplied it with presbyters and deacons. lavra was poor at first, the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. this, Saint Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. Euthymius, however, insisted. to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16). the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that Saint Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said Saint Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.” of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.” the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius. the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature. Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of Saint Euthymius. of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Euthymius is called “the Great.” by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily. Saint Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Savva (the future Saint Savva the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of Saint Theoctistus. foretold that Saint Savva would outshine all his other disciples in virtue. the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. took leave of him and was present at his end. burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra. revealed to Saint Euthymius the time of his death. the eve of the Feast of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) Saint Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life. were filled with great sadness, the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). virtue is made secure by love and humility. Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.” “Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.” having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery. Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven. multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, whom was Saint Gerasimus. Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Saint Euthymius had foretold. remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple. “Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.” telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. was buried beside Saint Euthymius. relics of Saint Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Armenia, 399-501, Stylianus oPaphlagonia Region, gave fortune, monastery jealousy, cave, child healings, S icon, divine light
Armenia, 399-501, Paphlagonia Region, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage), gave fortune, Monastery, jealousy, cave, sought after, child healings, S icon painted each time, death time divine light; Paphlagonia Region; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Stylianus was born in Paphlagonia of Asia Minor sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries. inherited a great fortune from his parents when they died, but he did not keep it. He gave it away to the poor according to their need, desiring to help those who were less fortunate. left the city and went to a monastery, where he devoted his life to God. he was more zealous and devout than the other monks, he provoked their jealousy and had to leave. left the monastery to live alone in a cave in the wilderness, where he spent his time in prayer and fasting. goodness and piety of the saint soon became evident to the inhabitants of Paphlagonia, and they sought him out to hear his teaching, or to be cured by him. Many were healed of physical and mental illnesses by his prayers. Stylianus was known for his love of children, and he would heal them of their infirmities. after his death, the citizens of Paphlagonia believed that he could cure their children. Whenever a child became sick, an icon of Saint Stylianus was painted and was hung over the child’s bed. the hour of his death, the face of Saint Stylianus suddenly became radiant, and an angel appeared to receive his soul. as a protector of children, Saint Stylianus is depicted in iconography holding an infant in his arms. Pious Christians ask him to help and protect their children, and childless women entreat his intercession so that they might have children.

Armenia, 400-499, 5th Century Folder, Conquered by Persia, Queen Shushanik

Armenia, 407-460, Kanides, Cappadocia, attracted tSolitary life as small child, age 7 lived iCave, one meal per week, age 73
Armenia, 407-460, St Kanides, Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), mother no fatty foods, attracted tSolitary life as small child, age 7 lived iCave, fasting Praying, one meal per week, uncooked vegetables, hair fell out dampness oCave, age 73 Cappadocia; Saint Kanides the Monk of Cappadocia, Commemorated on June 10; Kanides was born during the reign of Emperor Theodosios the Great (ca. 379). was the son of godly parents, Theodotos and Theophano, lived in Cappadocia. to Tradition, the Saint’s mother did not eat any fatty foods during the nine months when she was pregnant; and even when the saint was still a child, she was careful about what she ate. he was yet a small child, he became attracted to the solitary life, at the age of seven he went to a mountain where he lived in a cave, fasting and praying. is said that he ate only one meal of uncooked vegetables per week. of the great dampness of this cave, all the hair of his head and his beard fell out. living an ascetical and righteous life, he reposed in peace at the age of seventy-three, in the year 460.

Armenia, 420-480, Daniel t Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, Thrace w
Syria, 420-480, Daniel the Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), mother dedicated him, after 5 yrs received name, left for manastery at 12, angelic garb, Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, ascetic life, S place vision, Thrace wilderness, on p 33 yrs, healing, prayers for B Emperors, great fire prophecy, gracious words, 80 yrs; Samosata; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Daniel the Stylite was born in the village of Bethara, near the city of Samosata in Mesopotamia. mother Martha was childless for a long while and in her prayers she vowed that if she had a child, she would dedicate him to the Lord. Her prayers were heard, and Martha soon gave birth to a son, who was without a name until he was five years of age. boy’s parents desired that since he was born through the good-will of God, he should also receive his name from God. took their son to a monastery located nearby and approached the igumen. The igumen gave orders to take down one of the service books, and unrolled it at random. He found the Prophet Daniel (December 17) mentioned in it. Thus did the boy receive his name. parents asked that he might remain at the monastery, but the igumen would not accept him, since he was still only a small boy. At twelve years of age, saying nothing to anyone, the child left home for the monastery. parents were happy when they learned where their son was, and they went to the monastery. Seeing that he was still going about in his worldly clothes, they besought that the igumen should clothe him in the angelic garb. That Sunday the igumen fulfilled their request, but permitted them often to visit their son. The brethren of the monastery were astonished at the saint’s ascetical efforts. Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1) visited the monastery. He foretold to the young monk that he too would undertake the feat of pillar-dwelling. Daniel continued with his ascetic life in seclusion. the place of a new exploit was revealed to him in a vision, he withdrew into the Thracian wilderness together with two disciples. They set up a pillar, upon which Saint Daniel dwelt for 33 years. thronged to the pillar, the unfortunate and those who were sick, and all received help and healing from Saint Daniel. emperors also sought the prayers of the holy ascetic. most notable of the saint’s predictions was about a great fire in Constantinople. Saint Daniel possessed also the gift of gracious words. He guided many onto the path of correcting their lives. The monk reposed in his eightieth year.

Armenia, 428, Conquered by Persia
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ;

Armenia, 438, Translation relics of Chrysostom, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia
Armenia, 438, Translation relics of Chrysostom, Comana, Armenia to Constantinople, due to Proclus' homily at Hagia Sophia after 30 yrs.; Comana (Cappadocia); Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; John Chrysostom, the great ecumenical teacher and hierarch, died in the city of Comana in the year 407 on his way to a place of exile. He had been condemned by the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia because of his daring denunciation of the vices of those ruling over Constantinople. The transfer of his venerable relics was made in the year 438, thirty years after the death of the saint, during the reign of Eudoxia’s son emperor Theodosius II (408-450). John Chrysostom had the warm love and deep respect of the people, and grief over his untimely death lived on in the hearts of Christians. Saint John’s disciple, Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (434-447), during services in the Church of Hagia Sophia, preached a sermon praising Saint John. He said, “O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint.” who were present in church, deeply touched by the words of Saint Proclus, did not allow him even to finish his sermon. With one accord they began to entreat the Patriarch to intercede with the emperor, so that the relics of Saint John might be brought back to Constantinople. emperor, overwhelmed by Saint Proclus, gave his consent and gave the order to transfer the relics of Saint John. But those he sent were unable to lift the holy relics until the emperor realized that he had sent men to take the saint’s relics from Comana with an edict, instead of with a prayer. He wrote a letter to Saint John, humbly asking him to forgive his audacity, and to return to Constantinople. After the message was read at the grave of Saint John, they easily took up the relics, carried them onto a ship and arrived at Constantinople. coffin with the relics was placed in the Church of Holy Peace (Hagia Eirene). When Patriarch Proclus opened the coffin, the body of Saint John was found to be incorrupt. The emperor approached the coffin with tears, asking forgiveness for his mother, who had banished Saint John. All day and night people did not leave the coffin. the morning the coffin was brought to the Church of the Holy Apostles. The people cried out, “Father, take up your throne.” Then Patriarch Proclus and the clergy standing by the relics saw Saint John open his mouth and say, “Peace be to all.” Many of the sick were healed at his tomb. celebration of the transfer of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom was established in the ninth century.

Armenia, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, from Cappadocia, Armenia
Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; St. Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30;

Armenia, 443-529, Theodosius tGreat, 1st Cenobiarch, fArmenia, settled Magi's cave, defended ECs against heresy
Jerusalem, 443-529, Theodosius the Great, Judea, Cenobiarch, fCappadocia Armenia, splendid voice, church singing reading, early days tJerusalem Holy Land, met Simeon tStylite, wPredicted his service, settled Magi's cave 30 yrs, people came, cave too small, walked wCenser cold charcoal till it lit itself, there place for cenobitic Larva, poor aid, wanderer shelteer, famine relief woNeeding bread, miracle repeated, built home fStrangers, separate infirmaries monks laymen, dying shelter, services 3 languages, all gathered Greek service, Eutychius' heresy during Emperor Anastasius, no sacraments or Clergy, Emperor accepted, orthodox persecution, T's letter tEmperor, E slowed then renewed, T tChurch iJerusalem, whoever does not honor EC's be anathema, tPrison till E's death, during life many miracles healings, prayer destroyed locusts, soldiers sailors saved, predicted Antioch earthquake, foretold time oDeath, died a105; Jerusalem, 443-529, Saint Theodosius the Great, Judea; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11; Theodosius the Great lived during the fifth-sixth centuries, was the founder of cenobitic monasticism. was born in Cappadocia of pious parents. with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him. for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance. the cave could no longer hold all the monks, Saint Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks. a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert. a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning “broad” or “populous”). the Lavra of Saint Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. to the final testament of Saint Theodosius, the Lavra rendered service to neighbor, giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. Theodosius was extremely compassionate. when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. miracle was repeated every time Saint Theodosius wanted to help the destitute. the monastery, Saint Theodosius built home for taking in strangers, infirmaries for monks and laymen, also a shelter for the dying. that people from various lands gathered at the Lavra, the saint arranged for services in the various languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian. gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in the large church, where divine services were chanted in Greek. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, recognized neither the sacraments nor the clergy. emperor accepted the false teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox teaching. emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox. holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: “Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!” this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor. Theodosius accomplished many healings and other miracles during his life, coming to the aid of the needy. his prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in Palestine. by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death, he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the desert. the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at prayer. told them, “The wrath of God draws near the East.” several days it became known that a strong earthquake had destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had summoned the brethren to prayer. his death, Saint Theodosius summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he would soon depart to the Lord. three days, he died at the age of 105. saint’s body was buried with reverence in the cave in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.

Armenia, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), 7'10", unity for faith motherland, Ossetia v, Byz v, autocephalous Peter
Georgia, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), Kartli (town, Tbilisi), K at 15, 7'10", unity selflessness for faith motherland, Ossetia v, Caucasian mt tribe treaties, Byz v in west, life to God, warhorse cary up mt, outrun deer, stress calm, autocephalous c, first catholicos peter, Jerusalem monastery, G forts churches diocese monasteries strongholds royal residence capital Tiblisi, political creed church union w Byz, independence, church nation union, died 502 Pesia battle; Kartli; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; holy and right-believing king Vakhtang I ascended the throne of Kartli at the age of fifteen. that time Kartli was continually being invaded by the Persians from the south and by the Ossetians from the north. situation was no better in western Georgia: the Byzantines had captured all the lands from Egrisi to Tsikhegoji. his coronation, the young King Vakhtang summoned his court and addressed his dedicated servants with great wisdom. said that the sorrowful circumstances in which the nation had found itself were a manifestation of God’s anger at the sins of the king and the people. called upon everyone to struggle in unity and selflessness on behalf of the Faith and motherland. Vakhtang led a victorious campaign against the Ossetians, freed the captive princess (his older sister), and signed several treaties with the Caucasian mountain tribes to secure their cooperation in the struggle against foreign conquerors. he carried out another campaign in western Georgia, freed that region from the Byzantines, reinforced the authority of King Gubaz, and returned in triumph to Kartli. Vakhtang was remarkable in faith, wisdom, grace, virtue, and appearance (he towered above all others at a stately seven feet ten inches). spent many nights in prayer and distributed alms to the poor, in this way dedicating his life to God. Vakhtang could fight tirelessly in battle. in armor and fully armed, he could carry a war-horse on his shoulders and climb from Mtskheta to the Armazi Fortress in the mountains outside the city. foot he could outrun a deer. holy king was judicious in politics, displayed great composure, and preserved a sense of calm even when critical decisions needed to be made. the brow of Vakhtang’s military helmet was depicted a wolf, and on the back, a lion. a glimpse of the helmet with the wolf and lion, the Persians would cry out to one another: “Dar’ az gurgsar!” (“Beware of the wolf’s head!”) This was the source of King Vakhtang’s appellation “Gorgasali.” King Vakhtang’s reign the Georgian Church was first recognized as autocephalous. the holy king banished the pagan fire-worshippers from Georgia, he also sent a certain Bishop Michael—who was inclined to the Monophysite heresy, which had been planted in Georgia by the Persians—to Constantinople to be tried by the patriarch. bishop had disgracefully cursed the king and his army for rising up against the Monophysites. In fact, he was so infuriated that when King Vakhtang approached him to receive his blessing, he kicked him in the mouth and broke several of his teeth. patriarch of Constantinople subsequently defrocked Bishop Michael and sent him to a monastery to repent. importantly perhaps, the patriarch and the Byzantine emperor then sent to the patriarch of Antioch several clergymen whom King Vakhtang had chosen for consecration. Antioch the patriarch consecrated twelve of these clergymen as bishops and enthroned a certain Petre as the first Catholicos of Georgia. fulfilled the will of Holy King Mirian by founding the Georgian Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. addition, he replaced a wooden church that had been built in Mtskheta at the time of Saint Nino with a church made of stone. his reign several new dioceses were founded. Vakhtang built a cathedral in Nikozi (Inner Kartli) and established a new diocese there, to which he translated the holy relics of the Protomartyr Razhden. Vakhtang built fortresses at Tukhari, Artanuji, and Akhiza; monasteries in Klarjeti at Artanuji, Mere, Shindobi, and Akhiza; established many other strongholds, churches, and monasteries as well. built a new royal residence in Ujarma laid the foundations of the new Georgian capital, Tbilisi. political creed consisted of three parts: an equal union of the Georgian Church with the Byzantine Church, national independence, and the unity of the Church and nation. the year 502 the sixty-year-old King Vakhtang was obliged to defend his country for the last time. In a battle with the Persians he was fatally wounded when a poisoned arrow pierced him under the arm. Before he died, King Vakhtang summoned the clergy, his family and his court and urged them to be strong in the Faith and to seek death for Christ’s sake in order to gain eternal glory. of Georgia mourned the passing of the king. His body was moved from the royal residence in Ujarma to Mtskheta, to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which he had himself built. There he was buried with great honor. fifteen centuries later, with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, an addition was built onto the Sioni Patriarchal Cathedral in Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s name, and a cathedral in his honor was founded in the city of Rustavi.

Armenia, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, from Cappadocia, Armenia
Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Armenia, 459-532, Sabbas tChild-Elder, he who loves God disdains corruptible things, many monasteries
Armenia, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, born in Cappadocia, Armenia, Christian Parents, father military commander, 5yr old S left wUncle iCappadocia, Flavian's m at 8, gifted child wHoly Scriptures, not want marriage, monk a17& miracles gift, tJerusalem a27, Euthymios' m, Theoktistos' m 3yrs t30, secluded in cave til Saturday after T's death, then full seclusion 5yrs, E led S tRouba Wilderness Jan 14-Palm Sunday, E called S Child-Elder, 473 tCave near Gerasimos otJordan, disciples gather, pillar oFire guides S to large cave, Cave looks like church, S founded several more monasteries, many miracles, spring welled, during draught abundant rain, deliverance, wrote first monk rule oChurch Services, Jerusalem Typikon, died 532, Savva's scroll, he who loves God disdains corruptible things, prefers knowledge of Him; Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Savva the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Savva the Sanctified was born in the fifth century Cappadocia of pious Christian parents, John and Sophia, his father was a military commander. to Alexandria on military matters, John and Sophia left their five-year-old son Savva in the care of an uncle. the boy was eight years old, he entered the nearby Monastery of Saint Flavian. gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. parents urged Saint Savva to return to the world and enter into marriage, but all in vain. he was seventeen years old he was tonsured as a monk, and attained such perfection in fasting and prayer that God found him worthy of the gift of working miracles. spending ten years at the Monastery of Saint Flavian, he went to Jerusalem, from there to the Monastery of Saint Euthymios the Great (January 20). Euthymios, however, sent the young man to Abba Theoktistos, the head of a nearby monastery with a strict cenobitic Rule. Savva lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of thirty. the death of Elder Theoktistos, his successor blessed Savva to seclude himself in a cave. on Saturdays, he left his hermitage and came to the Monastery, where he took part in the Divine Services and ate with the brethren. a certain time, Saint Savva received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he struggled in the cave for five years. Euthymios directed the young monk's life, and seeing his spiritual maturity, he began to take him to the Rouba wilderness with him. left on January 14, and remained there until Palm Sunday. Euthymios called Saint Savva a Child-Elder, and encouraged him to grow in the monastic virtues. Saint Euthymios fell asleep in the Lord (+ 473), Savva withdrew from the Lavra and moved to a cave near the monastery of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan (March 4). several years, disciples began to gather around Saint Savva. the number of monks increased, a Lavra sprang up. by a pillar of fire which appeared before him as he was walking, Saint Savva found a spacious cave in the form of a church. holy Elder founded several more monasteries. miracles took place through his prayers: at the Lavra, a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought there was abundant rain, and the sick and those possessed by demons were also healed. Savva composed the first monastic Rule of Church Services, the “Jerusalem Typikon," followed by all the Palestinian monasteries. Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 532. Savva is depicted holding a scroll which reads: "He who loves God disdains corruptible things, and prefers the knowledge of Him."

Armenia, 460-475, Georgian Saint, Armenian Queen Shushanik
Armenia, 460-475, Georgian Saint, Armenian Queen Shushanik ; Shushanik, born Vardeni Mamikonian (c. 440 -“ 475) was a Christian Armenian woman who was tortured to death by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia. Since she died defending her right to profess Christianity, she is regarded as a martyr. Her martyrdom is described in her confessor Jacob'™s hagiographic work, the oldest extant work of Georgian language literature. The hagiography details extensive resistance to forms of imprisonment, isolation, torture and cruelty by Shushanik. was a daughter of the Armenian military commander Vardan Mamikonian and married the Mihranid ruler Varsken, son of Arshusha II. was a defiant vassal of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, King of Kartli (Iberia), and took a pro-Persian position, renouncing Christianity and adopting Zoroastrianism. killed his spouse after she refused to submit to his order to abandon her Christian faith. Varsken himself was put to death by King Vakhtang in 483. has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church and is venerated by the Armenian Apostolic Church. Her feast day is celebrated on October 17 in Georgia and Tuesday between September 20-“26 in Armenia. Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Armenia, 460-505, Peter, 1st Georgia Catholicos, f Byz, close to Vakhtang I, autocephaly, harmony b church & state
Georgia, 460-505, Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia in Kartli (town, Tbilisi), Gregory's pupil in Byz, close to Vakhtang I, so Geo close w Byz, autocephaly, harmony between church and state, respect for king; Kartli; Hierarch Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; Peter was the first catholicos of Georgia. He led the Church of Kartli from the 460s through the beginning of the 6th century. to God’s will, Saint Peter inaugurated the dynasty of the chief shepherds of Georgia. is written in the biography of Holy King Vakhtang IV Gorgasali that the king was introduced to Peter, a pupil of Saint Gregory the Theologian, during one of his visits to Byzantium, and he became very close to him. At that time he was also introduced to the future catholicos Samuel. close spiritual bond of the holy king and the catholicos, combined with their concerted efforts on behalf of the Church, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of friendly political relations between Georgia and Byzantium and the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Georgian Apostolic Church. returned to his own capital, King Vakhtang sent an envoy to Byzantium to find him a wife. He also sent a request that the hierarch Peter be elevated as catholicos and that the priest Samuel be consecrated bishop. He pleaded with the patriarch to hasten the arrival of Catholicos Peter and the twelve bishops with him. patriarch of Constantinople approved King Vakhtang’s request to institute the rank of catholicos of Georgia. Since the Georgian Church was still under the jurisdiction of Antioch, Peter and Samuel were sent to the Antiochian patriarch himself to be elevated. The autocephaly of the Georgian Church was proclaimed upon the arrival of the holy fathers in Georgia. Peter ruled the Church according to the principle of autocephaly and established a form of self-rule that would later help to increase the authority of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church. mutual respect and cooperation of the catholicos and the holy king laid the foundations for future, harmonious relations between secular and Church authorities in Georgia. Their example defined the authority of the Church and a national love and respect for the king. accompanied Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali to war with the Persians in 502. It is written that “the fatally wounded king Vakhtang summoned the catholicos, the queen, his sons and all the nobility.” Saint Peter heard the king’s last confession, granted the remission of his sins, presided at his funeral service, and blessed the prince Dachi (502-514) to succeed him as king of Kartli. Catholicos Peter led the Georgian Church with great wisdom to the end of his days. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized the holy catholicos Peter and the holy catholicos Samuel on October 17, 2002.

Armenia, 470-520, Abraham, Bishop oCarrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa), deep piety, taught his priests by example
Armenia, 470-520, Abraham, Bishop oCarrhae, Armenia (modern Harran, near Edessa), fCyrrhus, tMonastery as youth, then hermit iLebanon, many pagans there, vexation because pagans not want him there, paid taxes for those beaten by collector, they accepted christ later, christians built church fervently besought Abe to pastor, he did, after encouraging them in the faith Abe left them another priest and went tMonastery, deep piety, Bishop oCharres, taught his pastors by his God-pleasing life, never used cooked food, EmperorTheodosis tYounger invited him tConstantinople, he died there, remains tCharres; Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Abraham, Bishop of Charres, lived during the mid-fourth and early fifth centuries, was born in the city of Cyrrhus. his youth he entered a monastery. he became a hermit in Lebanon, a place where many pagans lived. Abraham suffered much vexation from the pagans, who wanted to expel him from their area. once saw tax-collectors beating those who were unable to pay. Moved to pity, he paid the taxes for them, and those people later accepted Christ. Christian inhabitants of this village built a church and they fervently besought Saint Abraham to accept the priesthood and become their pastor. monk fulfilled their wish. encouraged his flock in the faith, he left them another priest in place of himself, and he again retired to a monastery. his deep piety he was made bishop of Charres; saint constantly taught his pastors by his God-pleasing life. the time of his accepting of the priesthood, he never used cooked food. The emperor Theodosius the Younger wanted to meet the bishop and made him an invitation. he arrived in Constantinople, Saint Abraham soon died. remains were solemnly transferred to the city of Charres and there given over to burial.

Armenia, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, young monk iSyrian deserts, later Phonicia, spiritual gifts, monasteries, man oPrayer
Syria, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, Syria (Euphrates River 3), excellent ed, young monk struggling iDeserts&Mountains, like Elias&John tBaptist, later tPhoencia, long time asceticism, received spiritual gifts, Emperor Zeno gave him money to help build manastery with Bishop John oBeriut, monks of new monestery converted nearby pagans, Under Anastasius, Zeno's successor, Rabulas came to Constantinople, built several more monasteries in various places with A's help, one named Rabulas' m, Rabulas whole life at work, gentle, Kind, well-disposed towards people, man oGreat Prayer, lived to 80, to 530; Samosata; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Rabulas was born in the Syrian city of Samosata he received an excellent education. still young, he became a monk and struggled in the deserts and on the mountains, the example of the holy Prophet Elias (July 20) and Saint John the Baptist of the Lord (January 7, February 24, May 25, June 24, August 29, September 23, October 12). later, Saint Rabulas went to Phoenicia, for a long while he lived in asceticism and was glorified by spiritual gifts. emperor Zeno gave Saint Rabulas monetary help to build a monastery, with the assistance of Bishop John of Beruit. the new monastery lived many pagans, who were gradually converted to Christianity through the efforts of the monks. Xeno’s successor Anastasius (491-518), Saint Rabulas came to Constantinople, having received financial help from the emperor, he built several more monasteries in various places. One of them was named after the holy ascetic. Rabulas spent all his life at work, and he was gentle and kind and well-disposed towards people. was also a man of great prayer. lived to be eighty, before his death he heard a voice: “Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden” (Mt. 11:28). Rabulas fell asleep in the Lord around the year 530 after a short illness.

Armenia, 474-558, John tSilent, built church, Bishop a28, but bright star tSabbas, hides rank, silent sentence, Lion story
Jerusalem, 474-558, John tSilent oSabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, born 454 Nicopolis, Armenia, wealthy, loved solitude&prayer, built church wInheritance, monk a18, at that church, Bishop oColonia a28 in 1482, influenced family fgood, but sister married bad Armenia Governor Pazinkos in 1492, P interferred Church spiritual ecclesiastical matters, John tConstantinople&Emperor Zeno unsuccessfully, overwhelmed worldly matters, tJerusalem, prayed, Bright Star leads John tSabbas, hiding Bishop rank accepted as Novice, under Savva, toiled obediently 4yrs, served guesthouse and monastery builders, when Savva saw his humility&labor he wanted to make him presbyter, so John had to reveal his rank tJerusalem Patriarch Elias, sentenced to live in silence, 4yrs in cell no visitors or church, then desiring solitude abstinence withdrew tDesert f9yrs, eating plants&grass, survived Saracens incursion Lord sent Lion, many miracles in desert, back tMonastery, 524 Savva died, not with him so grieved, Savva appeared foretold Origen heresy struggle, 66yrs at Sabbas, Holy Spirit grace acqiured, many miracles, clairvoyance, deliverance, invoking his name, even while alive, saved from destruction, beautiful shade fig tree story, seeds on barren rock, lived t104; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; John the Silent was born around 454 in the city of Nicopolis, Armenia the family of a military commander named Enkratius and his wife Euphemia. boy began to study Holy Scripture, and he loved solitude and prayer with all his heart. the inheritance his parents left him, John built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. eighteen years of age, John became a monk, living an ascetic life of fasting, prayer, and temperance with ten other monks at the church he had founded. the request of the citizens of Colonia, the Metropolitan of Sebaste consecrated the twenty-eight-year-old John as Bishop of Colonia. assumed the episcopal throne, the saint did not alter his strict ascetic manner of life. the influence of the saint his relatives, his brother Pergamios (an associate of the emperors Zeno and Anastasius) and his nephew Theodore (an associate of the emperor Justinian), also lived in a Christian manner. John’s tenth year as bishop, the governorship of Armenia was assumed by Pazinikos, the husband of the saint’s sister, Maria. new governor began to interfere in spiritual and ecclesiastical matters, and there was unrest in the Church. Saint John then went to Constantinople, and through Archbishop Euthymius, he entreated the emperor Zeno to defend the Armenian Church from the evil Governor. by worldly quarrels, John secretly left his diocese and sailed to Jerusalem. tears he besought God to show him a place where he might live and find salvation. bright star appeared, which led Saint John to the Lavra of Saint Savva. concealing his episcopal rank, was accepted in the community as a simple novice. the guidance of the igumen Saint Savva(December 5), John toiled obediently for more than four years at every task he was assigned. a guesthouse was built at the Lavra, Saint John served the workers, serving their food and assisting in the construction of the building. a cenobitic monastery for novices was being built, John was once again assigned to help the workers. Saint John’s humility and love of labor, Saint Savva deemed him worthy of ordination to presbyter. John was forced to reveal his rank to Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem (494-517), who told Saint Savva that John could not be ordained. he said that John was to live in silence, and that no one should trouble him. the Lord also revealed Saint John’s secret to Saint Savva. John spent four years in his cell, receiving no one and not going out even for church. ever greater solitude and increased abstinence, Saint John quit the Lavra and withdrew into the desert, where he spent more than nine years, plants and grass. survived a devastating incursion of the Saracens and did not perish, only because the Lord sent him a defender: a ferocious lion. When the enemy tried to harm the saint, the lion attacked them and they scattered in fright. speaks of many miracles Saint John performed during this time in the desert. Saint Savva returned after an extended stay in Scythopolis, he persuaded Saint John to forsake the wilderness and to live at the monastery. this, the Lord, in a miraculous way, revealed to everyone at the Lavra that the monk John was actually a bishop. Saint John reached age seventy, his holy and God-bearing spiritual Father Saint Savva died. saint grieved deeply over this, since he was not present at the time. Savva appeared to him in a vision, and having consoled him, he foretold that there would be much toil ahead in the struggle against heresy. John even had to leave his solitude to strengthen the brethren in the struggle with the Origenists. John the Silent spent sixty-six years at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. his constant ascetic efforts, by his untiring prayer and humble wisdom, Saint John acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. his prayers, many miracles took place, and he was able to discern the secret thoughts of people. He healed the sick and those possessed by demons. during his lifetime he saved those who invoked his name from certain destruction. he scattered fig seeds on barren rock, and a beautiful and fruitful tree sprang up. In time, the tree grew so much that it overshadowed the saint’s cell. John the Silent departed to the Lord in peace at the age of 104.

Armenia, 500-599, 6th Century Folder, 13 Assyrian Fathers, including John of Zedezeni, David Gareji, and St. Shio

Armenia, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (St Shio, John of Zedazeni, David Gareji, Joseph of Alaverdi)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Armenia, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (under St John of Zedazeni)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Armenia, 540's, Abibus, Nekressi Bishop, of 13 Fathers, Dagestani's also, watered fire god, Jesus sign, d escape, incorrupt r
Georgia, 540's, Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi , Georgia (Alazani River 2), of t 13 Armenian Fathers, converted Dagestani's also, Persian rule, fire altars everywhere, water on the fire, Stylite Simeon sign from Jesus, strengthened, declined escape, shattered skull, wild beasts, body guard, but Christian burial, incorrupt relics, relic miracles; Nekressi ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Abibus of Nekresi was one of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who arrived in Georgia in the 6th century under the leadership of Saint John of Zedazeni. the blessing of his instructor, Saint Abibus began his apostolic activity in Nekresi, a village set among the hills in the eastern region of Kakheti. his virtuous deeds, Saint Abibus was soon consecrated bishop of his diocese. to the chronicle Life of Kartli, Saint Abibus converted not only Georgians but also most of the mountain tribes—including the Dagestani/Didoians—to the Christian Faith. with apostolic zeal, Saint Abibus journeyed throughout the villages of his diocese, preaching the Truth and calling upon all to strengthen the true Faith. time that Saint Abibus was serving as bishop coincided with a dark period of Persian rule in eastern Georgia. Persians exerted every effort to implant their faith—the worship of fire—and everywhere erected altars where the fire burned without ceasing. in the village of Rekhi the holy hierarch, finding a group of fire-worshipers forcing the Georgian faithful to worship the flame, poured water on their fire to extinguish it. enraged pagan priests bound Saint Abibus, beat him cruelly, locked him up, and reported the incident to the marzban. The marzban ordered that the bishop be brought to him at once. Abibus was a friend of the holy wonderworker Simeon the Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain. Simeon received a sign from God of the imminent martyrdom of Saint Abibus and, in order to console him, sent him a letter, an evlogia (a blessing—probably a piece of prosphoron or some other holy object) and a staff. Abibus was being escorted to the marzban, in the village of Ialdo he met a messenger from Antioch who presented him with Saint Simeon’s gifts. letter and gifts gladdened the holy hierarch and strengthened him for his martyrdom. Saint Abibus was approached by a group of Christians who offered to help him escape, but he graciously declined. arrived in Mtskheta, the saint prayed at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, requested that the guards permit him to meet with Saint Shio of Mgvime. Persians granted his request, and the spiritual brothers greeted one another with love and prayed together to the Lord. Abibus was brought before the dread marzban and asked how he could dare raise his hand against the Persian god. replied with complete composure, saying, “I did not kill any god; rather I extinguished a fire. Fire is not a god, but a part of nature, which is created by God. Your fire was burning wood, and a little water was enough to extinguish it. The water turned out to be stronger. Your fury amazes me. Isn’t it humiliating to call something a god which has no soul?” at this response, the marzban ordered the holy hierarch’s execution. executioners mercilessly beat the blessed Abibus and shattered his skull with stones. Then they dragged his body through the city, cast it to the beasts, and assigned a guard to ensure that the Christians did not come to steal it. that night the priests and monks of Rekhi came, took the body of the holy martyr, and buried it with great honor at Samtavisi Monastery (located midway between Mtskheta and Gori). miraculous healings have taken place over the grave of Saint Abibus. the rule of Prince Stepanoz of Kartli, the incorrupt relics of Saint Abibus were translated from Samtavisi to Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta, according to the decree of Catholicos Tabori. They were buried under the holy altar at Samtavro Church.

Armenia, 540's, Holy Fathers of Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia, great story, dove, spring prayer, obedient bear, cup in air
Georgia, 540's, Holy Fathers of Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8), 13 Syrian Fathers, Blessed by MOG, arrived Georgia 540's, Zedazeni Mt, prayer&fasting, John ofZ's good works throughout Georgia, Founding many monasteries active today, revived G monastic life, Shio, nobleman fAntioch, to nearby Sarkineti Mts, deserted highlands, dove b food, ruler Evagre of Tsikhedidi found him w hunting, financed &joined him, became igumen, great ascetic Ila stayed w John carrying water all way up from river, Z Mt no water, John asked God for a spring and got it, cup left suspended in air at ShioM, Bear scares Ila, J commands bear and his kind to not harm anyone on Z Mt. C still in effect; Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); Holy Fathers of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, Commemorated on January 4; Thirteen Syrian fathers arrived in Georgia in the 6th century, having received a blessing for their journey from the Most Holy Theotokos. settled on Zedazeni Mountain, living an ascetic life of prayer and fasting. spiritual leader, Ioane (John), then sent them to perform good works throughout various regions of Georgia. founding of many monasteries and the revival of monastic life in Georgia today are linked to the names of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers. Ioane sent one of his disciples, Shio, the son of a God-fearing Antiochian nobleman, to take up his abode in the nearby Sarkineti Mountains. the grace of God, a dove brought food to Saint Shio in the deserted highlands where he labored. certain ruler, Evagre of Tsikhedidi, would often go hunting in the area where Saint Shio lived. one of his excursions he happened upon venerable Shio and was so awed by his wondrous way of life that he decided to remain there with him. Evagre gave up all his possessions and was found worthy to be appointed abbot at the time of Saint Shio’s death. Ioane remained on Zedazeni Mountain with only one disciple, the holy deacon Ilia. Fr. Ilia was a great consolation to Saint Ioane in his infirmities. Saint Ilia was also a great ascetic in his own right, laboring in prayer, fasting, and mortification of the flesh. mountain on which they lived was completely lacking water. Ilia labored in the sweat of his brow carrying water from the Aragvi River, which flows around the foot of Zedazeni Mountain. the great ascetic labors of his disciple, Saint Ioane besought God with tears that He would supply them with a spring of water on top of this high mountain. God heard the prayer of His servant and a spring of delicious water began to flow. Ilia the Deacon often accompanied Saint Ioane on his travels. Ioane once took him to the monastery of Saint Shio, and Ilia the Deacon, as requested, presented Saint Ioane with a cup of wine in the refectory. The blessed Ioane made the sign of the Cross over the cup, raised it aloft, prayed to God, and left the cup suspended in the air. It remained where he had placed it, as if supported by an invisible hand. day Saint Ilia went to the spring to draw water. Glancing up he saw opposite him a bear of enormous size approaching the spring. was terrified and, leaving his bucket, turned and fled to the great schemamonk Ioane to tell him about the bear. Saint Ioane followed his disciple to the well and saw the bear drinking water. Saint Ioane meekly said, “Drink if you are thirsty and go away from here. But I tell you that henceforth, you and your kind shall never dare to cause any harm to anyone on this mountain.” the words of the saint and inclining its head like an obedient servant, the bear immediately left the spring. And to this day the animals continue to obey Saint Ioane’s command. holy deacon Ilia remained with Saint Ioane the rest of his life. Georgian Apostolic Church beseeches the protection of the venerable Evagre, Ilia the Deacon, and all the blessed and pious elders who dwelt with the Thirteen Syrian Fathers and continued laboring in holiness to the end of their lives.

Armenia, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia, Syrian Father, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath
Georgia, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia (Narekvavi River 1), o13 Syrian Fathers, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath; Tsilkani, Georgia (Town near T. Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1); St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Jesse of Tsilkani arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the other Syrian fathers and companions of Saint John of Zedazeni. the recommendation of Saint John of Zedazeni, Catholicos Evlavios of Kartli consecrated Saint Jesse as bishop of Tsilkani. holy father traveled throughout his diocese preaching the Holy Gospel. from city to city, from valley to mountain and back, the kind shepherd worked wonders, healed the infirm, cleansed lepers, cast out demons and raised those who were confined to their beds. with the blessing of his teacher Saint John of Zedazeni, Saint Jesse performed a miracle to strengthen the people in their Faith. descended to the bank of the Ksani River, followed by Saint John and a multitude of people. made the sign of the Cross over the river, touched his staff to the water and commanded: “In the name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, I command you, river: follow me!” the river reversed its current and began to flow backwards, following in Saint Jesse’s footsteps right up to Tsilkani Church. living near Mtskheta and Tsilkani who witnessed this miracle glorified the Lord Jesus Christ for bestowing upon one of His children the gift of wonderworking. the Lord made known to the saint the day of his repose, he gathered his disciples and church servitors, bade them farewell, blessed them, partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and reposed in peace. last words were “Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit!” Jesse of Tsilkani is buried in the Tsilkani Church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Armenia, 540's, Evagrisi, Shio's disciple, ruler Tsikhedidi, holy envy, river crossing test, returning world like Dog tHis vomit
Georgia, 540's, Evagrisi, Shio's disciple, oTsikhedidi Village, across Kura River from Caves of Shio, Mgvime Monastery, Parents read to him scripture earliest years, became Tsikhedidi, while hunting saw bird bringing food to Shio's cave. Sarkineti Mts, located cave next day, saw asceticism, filled holy envy, desired emulate, told him he wouldn't leave, Shio advised him of hasty decision, tested his faith with his staff, put my staff in Mtkvari River, it will part, secure your home and return to me, use staff on M on way back, if it fails not God's will, E obeyed, staff worked both ways, distributed possessions, secured home, returned to Shio, tonsured, cave near Shio, learned patience, prayer, acquired other virtues from ascetic labors, S anticipate monks coming, built church place God revealed, many pilgrims, King Parsman heared his beloved army chief a monk he came, tBring E back to the world, E says that would be like Dog coming back to his vomit, news of holy strugglers spread throughout Georgia, many entered monastic life, after many years S announced his pending death, you must chose replacement among you, I will now labor in the well prepared for my grave, brothers pleaded, asked S appoint, S appointed E, humble E objected, considered self unworthy, “If you consent to our will, you will receive a joyous reward from God: when He returns in His glory, repaid for obedience, E accepted Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4; Evagrisi was born to God-fearing and pious parents who read the Holy Scriptures to him from the earliest years of his childhood. he reached manhood, Evagrisi became ruler of Tsikhedidi. day Evagrisi went hunting in the Sarkineti Mountains where Shio of Mgvime had settled. he was hunting, his companions dispersed in various directions, and he was left alone to survey his surroundings. he beheld a bird, resembling a dove, on its way to bring food to Fr. Shio, and noted the place where it landed. next day he located the hermit’s cave dwelling. at Fr. Shio’s strict asceticism, Saint Evagrisi was filled with holy envy, having a desire to emulate the hermit, and he told him, “God is truly alive. I will not leave you, I will not go back.” Shio advised him to be wary of such an impulsive decision, since it would be quite difficult for a man who had grown up in luxury to suddenly begin a new life in the wilderness. Evagrisi answered him firmly, “Even if it means I must die here with you today, I will not depart from this place.” order to test his faith, Saint Shio entrusted Evagrisi with his staff and instructed him, saying, “Put my staff in the Mtkvari River; it will part the water and clear a path for you to cross. your home and return to me. your return when you reach the Mtkvari, use my staff again to clear a path for yourself. it fails, then continue on your way as before. That would mean that it is not God’s will to fulfill your desire.” obediently took Saint Shio’s staff and touched it to the water of the Mtkvari. river parted, and he crossed confidently to the other side. returned to the palace, Evagrisi distributed all his possessions to the poor, secured his home, and set off again to find Fr. Shio. performed the same miracle on his return: the river parted in two, and the faithful Evagrisi passed through. Shio tonsured Evagrisi into the monastic life, and the former ruler settled near the holy father’s cave. he learned to be patient and watchful and how to pray, while acquiring other virtues as fruits of his ascetic labors. Shio anticipated that the number of monks in the wilderness would multiply, he built a church for them in a place that God had revealed. great gifts of the holy fathers were soon made known, and many pilgrims journeyed to the Sarkineti Mountains to receive their blessings. King heard, belatedly, that his beloved army chief had been tonsured a monk, he became sorrowful and personally traveled to Saint Shio’s wilderness. His hope was to bring Evagrisi back into the world, but the blessed father responded with monastic composure: “O King! Why are you disturbing me, a man born to serve God, by asking me to become like a dog who returns to his own vomit (c.f. Prov. 26:11)?” news of Saint Shio, Evagrisi, and the other holy strugglers spread throughout Georgia, and many laymen were inspired to enter the monastic life. many years Saint Shio grew old, and he gathered the brotherhood of monks around him. “You must choose one from among you to lead this community. now on I will labor in the well that I have prepared for my grave,” he told them. brothers were exceedingly sorrowful at having to part with their beloved teacher, in vain they pleaded with him to remain at the monastery. last they asked Fr. Shio to appoint a successor, he chose Evagrisi as the monastery’s next abbot. humble, gracious Evagrisi objected to this appointment, considering himself unfit to fulfill such a difficult responsibility. begged Saint Shio to reconsider his decision, but the elder simply responded, “If you consent to our will, you will receive a joyous reward from God: when He returns in His glory, will repay you for your obedience.” last Saint Evagrisi accepted his teacher’s counsel, and he directed the monastery’s activity with the help of God from that day forward.

Armenia, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers
Georgia, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers. tPreach Gospel iKakheti wilderness, tPreach tGospel, deer visited every evening to feed him, one day arrived early, frightened, injured fawn, retracing he discovered nobleman, who feared him, ordered hands cut off, smith readying the sword fell down, arms like wood, became mute, Anthony's sign otCross healed him, nobleman perceived holiness, tell me what you need, only single piece oSalt, brought 2 large blocks, broke small piece, placed near deer, built monastery fMany who visited, attention burdensome, fled tMountain pea, fLast 15yrs, God revealed time oDeath to the day,gathered pupils, imparted wisdom, blessed them&reposed on his knees in front oHis icon, body taken down fPillar, burried iHis Monastery before Theotokis icon; Martkopi, Georgia; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; holy father Anton of Martqopi arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the rest of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers settled in Kakheti to preach the Gospel of Christ. always carried with him an icon of the Savior “Not-Made-By-Hands.” made his home in the wilderness, deer visited him every evening to nourish him with their milk. day the deer arrived earlier than expected, they were followed by a wounded fawn. Clearly something had frightened them. Anton retraced the animals’ path, he discovered a nobleman, the head of a nearby village, hunting in the fields. to see the old monk with his icon, standing amidst a gathering of deer, the nobleman, being a pagan, became convinced that he was dangerous and ordered his servants to take him to a smith and chop off his hands. was led at once to the smith, but when the craftsman heated his sword and drew it above the monk’s hands in preparation, fell down suddenly his arms became like wood. daunted smith fell mute, blessed Anton made the sign of the Cross over him he was immediately healed. heard about this miracle, the nobleman perceived that Abba Anton was truly holy, and he began to hold him in reverence. me what you need, and I will provide it for you,” he told Elder Anton. monk requested a single piece of salt, they brought him two large blocks. broke off a small piece and placed it near his cell for the deer. the incident at the smith’s, many people began to visit Anton, the holy father constructed a monastery for the faithful. before long their attention became burdensome, Elder Anton fled from the world to the peak of a mountain. he began to preach from the top of a pillar, he would remain the last fifteen years of his life. God revealed to Fr. Anton the day of his repose, monk-stylite gathered his pupils, imparted to them a few last words of wisdom, blessed them, and died on his knees in front of his beloved icon. Anton’s body was taken down from the pillar buried in the monastery that he had founded, the icon of the Theotokos.

Armenia, 551-600, Florus, Bishop oAmisus, Armenia, Pontine, after family died small pox solitary life before chosen Bishop
Armenia, 551-600, Florus, Bishop oAmisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea), fine education, courtly service tEmperor, Patrician, wife childred died small pox, left world tSolitary life near Constantinople, chosen bishop Amisus, died peacefully;; Amisus; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Florus, Bishop of Amisus, was the son of the Christians Florus and Euphemia, provided him a fine education. entered courtly service for the Byzantine Emperor and was elevated to the rank of patrician; was also married and had children. his wife and children died from smallpox, he left the world and withdrew to the outskirts of Constantinople, he led a solitary and pious life. on he was chosen Bishop of Amisus (in Asia Minor). Florus wisely guided his flock and died peacefully at the beginning of the seventh century.

Armenia, 553 and 787, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Armenia, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop, his story important to tie history of Cross, Persian, Byzantine, & Arab control oJ

Armenia, 559-640, Alypius t Stylite of Adrianopolis, Paphlagonia, Euphemia monastery vision, pillar there 57 yrs, 14yr igumen
Armenia, 559-640, Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Paphlagonia, Euphemia vision to build her monastery, done, pillar next to it, 57 yrs, then 14yrs igumen ; Paphlagonia Region; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Alypius the Stylite was born in the city of Adrianopolis in Paphlagonia. mother, a Christian, was widowed early, and she sent her son to be educated by Bishop Theodore. She distributed her substance to the poor, then began to live an ascetic life near the church as a deaconess. Alypius, from his early years, wanted to devote his life to God and yearned for the solitary life, although Bishop Theodore would not give him permission to do so. when Saint Alypius was accompanying his bishop to Constantinople, the holy Martyr Euphemia (September 16) appeared to him in a vision, summoning Saint Alypius to return to Adrianopolis and found a church in her name. contributions offered by believers in Adrianopolis, Saint Alypius did build a church in the name of the holy Martyr Euphemia, on the site of a dilapidated pagan temple infested by legions of devils. the church, under the open sky, the saint erected a pillar over a pagan tomb. fifty-three years Saint Alypius struggled upon the pillar, praying to God and teaching those who came to him. demons which infested the pagan cemetery fell upon the ascetic by night and pelted him with stones. Saint Alypius, wanted nothing to stand in the way of the attacks of the spirits of darkness, then even took down the boards that served him as a roof, protecting him from the rain and wind. In the face of the saint’s conquering steadfastness, the demons forever fled the place, which had been sanctified by his deed of voluntary martyrdom. years before his death, Saint Alypius was no longer able to stand. He was compelled to lie on his side because of the weakness of his legs, and endured grievous sufferings with humble gratitude. the saint’s pillar two monasteries sprang up: a men’s monastery on the one side, and a women’s monastery on the other. Alypius introduced strict monastic rules for both monasteries and he directed both monasteries until his death. Saint Alypius reposed in the year 640, at age 118. The body of the venerable stylite was buried in the church he founded in honor of the holy Martyr Euphemia. The relics of the saint of God healed many of those who came in faith.

Armenia, 565-601, Dometian, Bishop oMelitene, Armenia, wise zealous fFaith, strong word&deed, giving, miracles before&after d
Armenia, 565-601, Dometian, Bishop oMelitene, Armenia (Intersection Roads from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2), time Justin II, married widowed, monk, Bishop a30, wise zealous fFaith, strong word&deed, famous pastor, Govt commissions iPersia for Greeks, distributed his rich gifts tPoor, miracles before&after death; Malatya; Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, born and lived during the sixth century, in the time of the emperor Justin the Younger. was married but was widowed, and thereafter he became a monk and lived a strict and holy life. thirty years of age he was chosen bishop of the city of Melitene (in Armenia). and zealous in questions of faith, strong in word and deed, Saint Dometian quickly gained fame as a good and dedicated pastor. than once he carried out government commissions in Persia to avoid conflict with the Greeks. by all, Saint Dometian often received rich gifts, which he distributed to the poor. during his life and after his death in 601, Saint Dometian was glorified by God with miracles.

Armenia, 599, Miraculous Transfer Bartholomew's Relics Trebizond, Armenia, Black Sea to Lipari Island, Sicily
Lipari, Italy ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Armenia, 639 - 1920, Arab Muslim Armenia, Folder, Genocide by Turkey

Armenia, 600, 7th C Folder, 639 Arab Muslim conquest oArmenia, Leo oCappadocia took monk's place, Catholicos Nerses III tBuilder

Armenia, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Armenia, 639, Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia, Dvin, Armenia
Dvin; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Armenia, 639- , Leo oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), took sickly monks place, love thy neighbor, beheaded by Saracens
Armenia, 639-, Leo oCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia), took sickly monks place, love thy neighbor, beheaded by Saracens; Cappadocia; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Leo of Cappadocia fulfilled the commandment to love his neighbor by suggesting to the Saracens, who had captured three sickly monks, that he take the place of these infirm captives with himself, since he was healthy and able to work. journeying in the desert, Saint Leo weakened and was not able to go any farther. He was beheaded with the sword, thereby laying down his life for his neighbor.

Armenia, 641-661, Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, ended up in Tao-Klarjeti
Armenia, 641-661, Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, ended up in Tao-Klarjeti; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5;

Armenia, 641-668, St Christopher oGazara and Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saint Christopher of Gazara, Commemorated on August 18; Christopher was born in Gazara, near Trebizond. He was the head of a monastery on Mount Mela in the second half of the seventh century (641-668).

Armenia, 700, 8th C folder,UmayyadMarwan tBlind attacked Armenia 735, but 6 Miraculous stories this century

Armenia, 700-759, Anthusa, Abbess of Mantinea, Paphlagonia, & 90 sisters, tortured f icons, saved by emperor's wife f prophecy
Armenia, 700-759, Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea, Paphlagonia, Pontine, and her 90 sisters, tortured for venerating icons, saved by emperor's wife for prophecy; Mantinea Asia Minor is somewhere in the Paphlagonia Region; Mantinea in Greece ; Regions of Ancient Greece - Asia Minor; Asia Minor; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27; Anthusa the Confessor lived at Mantinea, Paphlygonia in Asia Minor during the eighth century. the world at a young age, Saint Anthusa lived in asceticism in the mountains in complete solitude. received monastic tonsure from the hieromonk Sisinius, and became abbess of a monastery of ninety nuns. The nuns were known for their obedience to their abbess and for their spiritual discipline. Anthusa and her nuns suffered during the reign of the emperor Constantine Copronymos, demanded that they renounce the veneration of holy icons. Saint Anthusa and her nuns were subjected to torture, since they disobeyed the emperor’s order. those who witnessed the torture was the emperor’s wife, for whom the saint predicted the birth of a son and daughter. Saint Anthusa’s prediction was fulfilled, she was allowed to return to her convent, where she died in great old age. daughter born to the emperor’s wife was named Anthusa (April 12). lived a life pleasing to God, she reposed in 759 and now lives with Him forever. She was buried in her cell. 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27 ; as above

Armenia, 713-762, Theodora oCaesarea, Nun dedicated by childless p's, miraculously saved fMarriage by attack killing husband
Armenia, , Theodora of Caesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Dedicated by rich childless parents, entered monastery, but iconoclast Leo tIsaurian arranged marriage tHis Aide, miraculously Scythians attacked during wedding feast, husband killed first skirmish, she sailed back tConvent, imperial emissary found she already tonsured a Nun, Therefore could not be forced to leave monastery, rest of life fasting vigil prayer heavy iron chains; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Theodora of Caesarea, living during the eighth century, the daughter of the patrician Theophilus and his wife Theodora. parents for a long time had been childless, and grieved over this. prayed and vowed that if a child were born to them, it would be dedicated to God. their daughter was of age, her mother took her to the monastery of Saint Anna in Caesarea, where the maiden entered under the guidance of an abbess. she became familiar with spiritual literature. emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741), an iconoclast heretic, wanted to give the maiden Theodora into marriage to one of his aides. took her from the monastery against her will and brought her to Constantinople, where everything was already prepared for the wedding celebration. during the wedding feast the Scythians attacked the capital, and Saint Theodora’s husband, sent to help beat back the attack of the enemy, perished in the very first skirmish. advantage of the general confusion, Saint Theodora got on a ship and returned to her convent. an imperial emissary followed her there, he saw that she had already been tonsured a nun. she could not be forced to leave the women’s monastery. spent the remaining years of her life in fasting, vigil, and prayer. wore heavy iron chains on her body, not removing them until death.

Armenia, 717-741, Stephen oKhenolakkos, distinguished by paternal admin moral influence, angelic escort tHeaven

Armenia, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful, rich man loved poor, giving all, always rewarded, wife&children eventually learn a90 yrs
Armenia, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful oAmnia, Paphlagonia, Armenia, Rich&Illustrious, but did not hoard wealth, famed for love oPoor, Ishmaelites (Arabs) attached, little left fHim but continued to give, rich wife Theoseba complained, jeers oChildren, he said riches hidden away enough 100 yrs wOut working, his gifts would multiply for recipient, knowing this man asks for calf, cow missed calf, wife complains, but P praises her and gives cow tMan, famine came so p took donkey to borrow 6bushels wheat, poor man asks for some wheat, P tells T give him 1bushel, T says give 4bushels to family, P gives man last 2bushels, T says give half the load, P given him 1 more bushel fHalf tLoad, T says give him the bag too, T says to spite me give him all, P givel all 6, man can't lift 6B so T tells P give him donkey, T &Children hungry, wept, Lord rewarded P friends gave him 40 bushels, T kept most, P gave his share, when eating P went to T&Children for food, T grumbled how long treasure hidden, Empress Irene seeking bride for her son, envoys in Amneia, P happy, T sad because not enough food, P tells T light fire decorate, Neighbors bring everything required, Envoys impressed, select granddaughter Maria, marries Constantine, became Emperess, Emperor C rewards P, P alms&feast fPoor, P&family serve poor aFeast, P orders servant fill 3 bags, 1Gold, 1Silver, 1 copper coins, reach in give as God wills, P refused fine clothes, no imperial rank, just call me grandfather oEmperess, 90 yrs knew death coming, tJudgement Monastery, gave gold, asked buried there, i10days, 10th day exhorted family love poor fSalvation, died 792, miracle after death, T restores monasteries churches a barbarian invasion; Amnia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River); Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Philaret the Merciful, son of George and Anna, was raised in piety and the fear of God. lived during the eighth century in the village of Amnia in the Paphlagonian district of Asia Minor. wife, Theoseba, was from a rich and illustrious family, they had three children: a son John, and daughters Hypatia and Evanthia. was a rich and illustrious dignitary, he did not hoard his wealth. that many people suffered from poverty, he remembered the words of the Savior about the dread Last Judgment and about “these least ones” (Mt. 25:40); Apostle Paul’s reminder that we will take nothing with us from this world (1 Tim 6:7); the assertion of King David that the righteous would not be forsaken (Ps 36/37:25). whose name means “lover of virtue,” was famed for his love for the poor. day Ishmaelites [Arabs] attacked Paphlagonia, devastating the land and plundering the estate of Philaret. remained only two oxen, a donkey, a cow with her calf, some beehives, and the house. he also shared them with the poor. wife reproached him for being heartless and unconcerned for his own family. yet firmly he endured the reproaches of his wife and the jeers of his children. “I have hidden away riches and treasure,” he told his family, “so much that it would be enough for you to feed and clothe yourselves, even if you lived a hundred years without working.” saint’s gifts always brought good to the recipient. received anything from him found that the gift would multiply, and that person would become rich. this, a certain man came to Saint Philaret asking for a calf so that he could start a herd. cow missed its calf and began to bellow. Theoseba said to her husband, “You have no pity on us, you merciless man, but don’t you feel sorry for the cow? You have separated her from her calf.” saint praised his wife, and agreed that it was not right to separate the cow and the calf. he called the poor man to whom he had given the calf and told him to take the cow as well. year there was a famine, so Saint Philaret took the donkey and went to borrow six bushels of wheat from a friend of his. he returned home, a poor man asked him for a little wheat, so he told his wife to give the man a bushel. said, “First you must give a bushel to each of us in the family, then you can give away the rest as you choose.” then gave the man two bushels of wheat. Theoseba said sarcastically, “Give him half the load so you can share it.” saint measured out a third bushel and gave it to the man. Theoseba said, “Why don’t you give him the bag, too, so he can carry it?” gave him the bag. The exasperated wife said, “Just to spite me, why not give him all the wheat.” Saint Philaret did so. the man was unable to lift the six bushels of wheat, so Theoseba told her husband to give him the donkey so he could carry the wheat home. Blessing his wife, Philaret gave the donkey to the man, who went home rejoicing. and the children wept because they were hungry. Lord rewarded Philaret for his generosity: the last measure of wheat was given away, an old friend sent him forty bushels. kept most of the wheat for herself and the children, the saint gave away his share to the poor and had nothing left. his wife and children were eating, he would go to them and they gave him some food. grumbled saying, “How long are you going to keep that treasure of yours hidden? Take it out so we can buy food with it.” this time the Byzantine empress Irene (797-802) was seeking a bride for her son, the future emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797). emissaries were sent throughout all the Empire to find a suitable girl, and the envoys came to Amneia. Philaret and Theoseba learned that these most illustrious guests were to visit their house, was very happy, but Theoseba was sad, for they did not have enough food. Philaret told his wife to light the fire and to decorate their home. neighbors, knowing that imperial envoys were expected, brought everything required for a rich feast. envoys were impressed by the saint’s daughters and granddaughters. Seeing their beauty, their deportment, their clothing, and their admirable qualities, the envoys agreed that Philaret’s granddaughter, Maria was exactly what they were looking for. Maria exceeded all her rivals in quality and modesty and indeed became Constantine’s wife, and the emperor rewarded Philaret. fame and riches returned to Philaret. just as before, this holy lover of the poor generously distributed alms and provided a feast for the poor. and his family served them at the meal. Everyone was astonished at his humility and said: “This is a man of God, a true disciple of Christ.” ordered a servant to take three bags and fill one with gold, one with silver, and one with copper coins. a beggar approached, Philaret ordered his servant to bring forth one of the bags, whichever God’s providence would ordain. he would reach into the bag and give to each person, as much as God willed. Philaret refused to wear fine clothes, nor would he accept any imperial rank. said it was enough for him to be called the grandfather of the Empress. saint reached ninety years of age and knew his end was approaching. went to the Rodolpheia (“The Judgment”) monastery in Constantinople. gave some gold to the Abbess and asked her to allow him to be buried there, saying that he would depart this life in ten days. returned home and became ill. On the tenth day he summoned his family, he exhorted them to imitate his love for the poor if they desired salvation. Then he fell asleep in the Lord. He died in the year 792 and was buried in the Rodolpheia Judgment monastery in Constantinople. appearance of a miracle after his death confirmed the sainthood of Righteous Philaret. they bore the body of the saint to the cemetery, a certain man, possessed by the devil, followed the funeral procession and tried to overturn the coffin. they reached the grave, the devil threw the man down on the ground and went out of him. other miracles and healings also took place at the grave of the saint. the death of the righteous Philaret, his wife Theoseba worked at restoring monasteries and churches devastated during a barbarian invasion.

Armenia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Blind) attacked Armenia
Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf); Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Armenia, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, on the Black Sea, example of God-pleasing
Armenia, 770-805, St George, Bishop of Amastris, Pontus, Armenia, on the Black Sea; Amastridia; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; George was born at Kromne near Amastris in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea in 750. He was the son of pious parents, Theodosios and Megethousa. completing his primary studies in his homeland, he left for the mountain of Syrikes or Serikes. There he found an old ascetic who taught him about the solitary life and tonsured him. the repose of his Elder, George went to Vonitsa in Akarnania, where he continued his ascetical struggles. 788, the Bishop of Amastris fell asleep in the Lord, and the Church rewarded George's virtues. Against his will, he was elected as the Bishop of that city, but in the end he submitted to this as God's will. He was consecrated at Constantinople by Patriarch Tarasios (February 25). his return to Amastris, Saint George was like a lamp which is not placed under a bushel, but put on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all those in the house (Matthew 5:15). He instructed his flock, he beautified several churches, defended widows and orphans, and fed the poor. In all things, he was an example of a God-pleasing life. the power of his prayers he drove away the Saracens who were ravaging the countryside near Amastris. He also rescued some Amastrian merchants who had been wrongfully condemned to death in the city of Trebizond. also composed several Canons in honor of the Saints, which are sung on February 7 and 26; April 13; August 1; October 8, etc. George went to the Lord peacefully in 805, during the reign of Emperor Nikēphoros I, after shepherding the flock which had been entrusted to him by Christ in a God-pleasing manner. He performed many miracles, both during his lifetime, and after his blessed repose. Slavic usage, Saint George is commemorated on February 21. In Greek usage he is commemorated on October 25.

Armenia, 770-805, George oAmastris, learned solitary life fOld ascetic, Bishop, many miracles before after death, God pleasing
Armenia, 770-805, George, Bishop oAmastris, Pontus, fKromne near Amastris, Paphlagonia on Black Sea, pious parents, after primary studies, tSyrikes Mt, learned solitary life fOld ascetic, tonsured, after his death tVonitsa iAkarnania, 788 became Bishop oAmastris, against his will, but submitted, consecrated aConstantinople, patrarch Tarasios, returned, like lamp not placed under bushel, on a lampstand, instructed, beautified churches, defended widows and orphans, fed poor, God-pleasing example iAll things, by prayer drove Saracens, composed canons, died peacefully 805, preformed many miracles before and after death ; Amastridia; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; George was born at Kromne near Amastris in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea in 750. was the son of pious parents, Theodosios and Megethousa. completing his primary studies in his homeland, he left for the mountain of Syrikēs, or Sērikḗs (Συρίκης ή Σηρικής). he found an old ascetic who taught him about the solitary life and tonsured him. the repose of his Elder, George went to Vonitsa in Akarnania, where he continued his ascetical struggles. 788, the Bishop of Amastris fell asleep in the Lord, and the Church rewarded George's virtues. his will, he was elected as the Bishop of that city, but in the end he submitted to this as God's will. was consecrated at Constantinople by Patriarch Tarasios (February 25). his return to Amastris, Saint George was like a lamp which is not placed under a bushel, but put on a lampstand, so that it gives light to all those in the house (Matthew 5:15). instructed his flock, he beautified several churches, defended widows and orphans, and fed the poor. all things, he was an example of a God-pleasing life. the power of his prayers he drove away the Saracens who were ravaging the countryside near Amastris. also rescued some Amastrian merchants who had been wrongfully condemned to death in the city of Trebizond. also composed several Canons in honor of the Saints, which are sung on February 7 and 26; April 13; August 1; October 8, etc. George went to the Lord peacefully in 805, during the reign of Emperor Nikēphoros I, shepherding the flock which had been entrusted to him by Christ in a God-pleasing manner. performed many miracles, both during his lifetime, and after his blessed repose. Slavic usage, Saint George is commemorated on February 21. Greek usage he is commemorated on October 25.

Armenia, 772-846, Joannicius, no ed, all day prayer, cross over cattle, military, seclusion, levitation, invisible
Bithynia, 772-846, Saint, Joannicius The Great; St. Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4; Joannicius the Great was born in Bithynia in the year 752 in the village of Marikat. His parents were destitute and could not provide him even the basics of an education. From childhood he had to tend the family cattle, their sole wealth. for God and prayer completely dominated the soul of the child Joannicius. Often, having shielded the herd with the Sign of the Cross, he went to a secluded place and spent the whole day praying, and neither thieves nor wild beasts came near his herd. order of the emperor Leo IV (775-780), a multitude of officials went through the cities and towns to draft young men for military service. Young Joannicius was also drafted into the imperial army. earned the respect of his fellow soldiers for his good disposition, but he was also a brave soldier who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. Joannicius served in the imperial army for six years. More than once he was rewarded by his commanders and the emperor. But military service weighed heavily on him; his soul thirsted for spiritual deeds and solitude. Joannicius, having renounced the world, longed to go at once into the wilderness. However, on the advice of an Elder experienced in monastic life, he spent a further two years at the monastery. Here the saint became accustomed to monastic obedience, to monastic rules and practices. He studied reading and writing, and he learned thirty Psalms of David by heart. this, commanded by God to go to a certain mountain, the monk withdrew into the wilderness. For three years he remained in deep solitude in the wilderness, and only once a month a shepherd brought him some bread and water. The ascetic spent day and night in prayer and psalmody. After each verse of singing the Psalms Saint Joannicius made a prayer, which the Orthodox Church keeps to this day in a somewhat altered form, “The Father is my hope, the Son is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my protection.” chance, he encountered some of his former companions from military service. The saint fled the wilderness and withdrew to Mount Kountourea to hide himself from everyone. after twelve years of ascetic life did the hermit accept monastic tonsure. The saint spent three years in seclusion after being tonsured. Then he went to a place called Chelidon to see the great ascetic Saint George (February 21). The ascetics spent three years together. During this time Saint Joannicius learned the entire Psalter by heart. As he grew older, Saint Joannicius settled in the Antidiev monastery and dwelt there in seclusion until his death. Joannicius spent seventy years in ascetic deeds and attained to a high degree of spiritual perfection. Through the mercy of God the saint acquired the gift of prophecy, as his disciple Pachomius has related. The Elder also levitated above the ground when he prayed. Once, he crossed a river flooded to overflowing. The saint could make himself invisible for people and make others also hidden from sight. Saint Joannicius led Greek captives out of prison under the very eyes of the guards. Poison and fire, with which the envious wanted to destroy the saint, did him no harm, and predatory beasts did not touch him. He freed the island of Thasos from a multitude of snakes. Saint Joannicius also saved a young nun who was preparing to leave the monastery to marry; he took upon himself the agonized maiden’s suffering of passion, and by fasting and prayer, he overcame the seductive assault of the devil. his death, Saint Joannicius fell asleep in the Lord on November 4, 846, at the age of 94.

Armenia, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery, Haragenes seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion, beheaded
Armenia, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia, Haragenes (Saracens) seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion, beheaded; Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia; Martyr Michael, Abbot in Armenia, and 36 Fathers with him, Commemorated on October 1; Monastic Martyr Michael was the Igoumen of Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia. he labored in asceticism with thirty-six other monks at the end of the VIII century, the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI and his mother Empress Irene. the land was invaded by the Hagarenes (Saracens). Alim seized the Monastery and tried to persuade the monks to to deny Christ and convert to Mohammedanism. However, strengthened from above, the Holy Fathers paid no attention to the words of the infidels. in the midst of his monks, Saint Michael encouraged them to face death courageously for the sake of Christ. the monks were beheaded with swords, and then Saint Michael was tortured and beheaded. Thus, they all received crowns of glory from Christ around the year 790.

Armenia, 800, 9th C Folder, Michael tBlack-Robed oSabbas, Eustratius tWonderwrkr, Eudocimus oCharsianon, Theodore oSabbas

Armenia, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Queen Seida, King al-Mamun, no adultry, poison fails, Relics Plllar oFire
Jerusalem, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Lavra of St Sav, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, From Edessa, distributed inheritance, tJerusalem under Moslem Rule, tSabbas, kin Theodore, reed baskets, tJMarketplace, Queen Seida wants him, King al-Mamun, M rejects adultery, accused insulting Queen&enemy oIslam, debate wKing, Mohammad neither apostle of Jesus nor prophet, he a deceiver&antichrist forerunner, send me to my monastery, be baptized&reign forever, or send me to Christ tMartyrdom, sign oCross, deadly poison failed tHarm, decapitated, Theodore notified bLord, fight over relics, King decided go to Sabbas, Pillar oFire wRelics to Lavra, buried wMartyrs, many miracles, 12th century Daniel tTraveler sees relics; Edessa, Syria; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Michael lived in the ninth century, and was from the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia, the son of Christian parents. After their death he distributed his inheritance to the poor, then went to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Places. The Holy Land at that time was under Moslem rule. remained in Palestine and settled in the Lavra of Saint Savva, he became the disciple of his relative, Saint Theodore of Edessa (July 9), who spent his time both in the monastery and living as an anchorite in the Judean desert. Theodore accepted him and tonsured him right away. The two made baskets of reeds together in order to support themselves. Saint Michael would take the baskets to the marketplace in Jerusalem in order to sell them. day while at the marketplace, the eunuch of the Muslim Queen Seida, seeing that the baskets were both fine and well-made, took him along to the Queen, who was visiting the city with her husband King al-Ma’mun (813-833). handsome monk aroused the desire of the Queen, who tried to lead him into the sin of adultery, but he did not accept her suggestions. enraged Seida told her husband to have the monk beaten with rods because he had insulted her, and accused him of being an enemy of Islam. was a debate about which faith is the true one, Christianity or Islam, and the king said, “Do as I tell you, and confess that Mohammed is a prophet and an apostle of Christ, then I will adopt you as my son.” Michael said, “Mohammad is neither an apostle nor a prophet, but a deceiver and the forerunner of the antichrist. send me back to my Elder at the monastery, or be baptized into our Christian faith and reign forever in the heavens, or send me to Christ through martyrdom.” king gave the Saint a cup with deadly poison to drink. Michael made the Sign of the Cross over the cup, and he drank it, but he remained unharmed, according to the promise of the Lord (Mark16:18). this the king ordered that he be decapitated. monks of the Lavra of Saint Savva wanted to take the Saint’s relics to their Lavra, but the Christians of Jerusalem would not permit this. They said that since he was martyred in Jerusalem, his relics ought to remain monks of the Lavra disagreed with them, saying that he was nurtured in the Lavra and so he should be buried there. There was such a heated argument that the king decided that the relics would go to the Lavra. the same day that Saint Michael was put to death, the Lord revealed this to Saint Theodore. informing the brethren, he sent some monks to bring the relics to the Lavra. the relics were carried to the Lavra, there was a pillar of fire from Heaven accompanying the relics, and it remained until they reached the Lavra. Theodore and the monks came out to meet the procession with lit candles, and singing hymns. holy relics were buried with the other holy Fathers who had endured martyrdom. miracles took place before the relics of Saint Michael, as a sign that he had found favor with God. the beginning of the twelfth century the relics of Saint Michael were seen by Daniel, the Igoumen of the Kiev Caves Monastery, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Michael is commemorated twice during the year: on May 23 (his repose) and July 29 (the transfer of his relics).

Armenia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, tAbgar m a20, igumen bread water only, prayer nights, think future life
Cilicia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), tAbgar m a20, ascetic life bread water only nights iPrayer, igumen, hid from Leo tArmenian 813-320, then returned, constantly repeated Lord, have mercy, don't focus earthly blessings, think future life, commended his spirit to Lord's hands&died a95; Tarsus; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 9 ; Eustratius came from the city of Tarsus. twenty years of age he secretly left his parents’ home and settled in the Abgar monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor). he lived a strict ascetic life, eating only bread and water, and spending his nights at prayer. a certain while he was chosen as igumen of the monastery. the reign of the Iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), Saint Eustratius hid from pursuit by roaming the hills and the wilds. the death of the emperor he returned to the monastery. was always on his lips, and he constantly repeated the words: “Lord, have mercy!” his death he gave instructions to the monks not to be attracted towards earthly blessings, constantly to think about the future life. himself with the Sign of the Cross, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit” and he died in peace at age 95.

Armenia, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, Cappadocia, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh
Armenia, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, Cappadocia, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh; Charsianon (Charsia); Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31 ; Eudocimus, a native of Cappadocia (Asia Minor), lived during the ninth century during the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842). He was the son of the pious Christians Basil and Eudokia, an illustrious family known to the emperor. They raised their son “in discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6: 4), planting in his soul a sincere faith and holy virtues. righteous life of Saint Eudocimus was devoted to pleasing God and serving his neighbor. Having given a vow to remain unmarried and chaste, he avoided conversation with women and did not look at them. He would speak only with his own mother, whom he greatly respected. The emperor valued his virtue and talents, so he appointed Saint Eudocimus as governor of Chorziane, Armenia. Fulfilling his duty as a servant of God, Saint Eudocimus governed the people justly and with kindness. He concerned himself with the unfortunate, and with orphans and widows, and he was a defender of the common people. His personal Christian exploits which he did in secret, were known only to God. pleased God by his blameless life, and the Lord called him at age 33. Lying on his deathbed, Saint Eudocimus gave final instructions to place him in the grave in those clothes in which he would meet death. Then he sent everyone out of the room and entreated the Lord that no one would see his end, just as no one saw his secret efforts during life. His attendants buried him as he had instructed them. Right after the death of Saint Eudocimus miracles took place at his grave. Many sick people were healed, and the news of the miraculous healings spread. 18 months, the mother of Saint Eudocimus came from Constantinople to venerate his relics. She gave orders to remove the stone, dig up the ground, and open the grave. Everyone beheld the face of the saint, bright as if alive, altogether untouched by decay. A great fragrance came from him. They took up the coffin with the relics from the earth, and they dressed the saint in new clothes. His mother wanted to take the relics of her son to Constantinople, but the Kharsian people would not clear a path for their holy one. After a certain time the hieromonk Joseph, having lived and served at the grave of the saint, transported the relics of Saint Eudocimus to Constantinople. There they were placed in a silver reliquary in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, built by the parents of the saint. Eudocimus is considered by the Russian Church to be one of the special protectors and intercessors before God of the family hearth. He was, as his name implies, truly successful in every virtue.

Armenia, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, tSabbas, 36yrs solitude, dove miracle, 12yr bishop, converts Bagdad calif
Armenia, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), tSabbas a12, 36yrs solitude, bishop 12yrs, Consecration dove miracle, clairvoyant Stylite Theodosis his elder, tBagdad, converts calif Mavi, after healing him wDirt from Lord's grave, Mavi killed, fortells T's death, through 2 dreams tT and T tStylite, writings, read by 16-17th Century Rus; Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. his life the holy saint was a bright witness of the great deeds of God, glorified in His Saints. twelve years of age, after he lost his parents and gave away his inheritance to the poor, he went to Jerusalem, he was tonsured at the Lavra of the Saint Savva the Sanctified. twelve years of fervent monastic obedience and then another twenty-four years of full seclusion and great abstinence, the Lord called the valiant ascetic to be a bishop, so that he might enlighten the world. the death of the Bishop of Edessa, no worthier successor was found than Theodore, and with the mutual consent of the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem, and of the clergy and laity, this fine man was chosen bishop. was not easy for Saint Theodore to forsake his solitude, but he submitted himself to the will of God and undertook his pastoral guidance of the Edessa Church. occurred during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (842-855). the time of Saint Theodore’s episcopal consecration, there occurred a great miracle. The people beheld a dove, white as snow, flying about beneath the cupola of the church, which then alit upon the head of the newly-made bishop. Theodore devoted all his abilities to the governance of his flock. He was a model for the faithful in word, in life, in love. By the good example of his holy ascetic life, he guided the flock entrusted to him by God, onto the path of salvation. Theodore exerted much effort in the struggle with heretics, and with a firm hand he guarded the Church from temptations and false teachings. his consolation and support for Saint Theodore, the clairvoyant Elder Theodosius the Stylite also served the spiritual community while laboring in asceticism not far from the city, near the monastery of the holy Great Martyr George. the blessing of the Elder, Saint Theodore journeyed to Baghdad to the caliph Mavi to complain about unjust measures against the Orthodox. come to Mavi, the saint found him seriously ill. Calling on the help of the Lord, the holy bishop threw a bit of earth from the Sepulchre of the Lord into a vessel of water and gave it to the caliph to drink, and the sick one was healed. grateful Mavi, favorably disposed towards the saint, happily heard his teachings. Finally, together with three close associates, he accepted holy Baptism with the name John. afterwards for his open confession of faith in Christ before the Moslems, the caliph John was killed with his three associates. appeared in a dream simultaneously to Saint Theodore and to Theodosius the Stylite, he said that he had been granted to suffer for Christ, and was numbered among the ranks of the Martyrs. He promised that soon he would meet them in the Kingdom of Heaven. was an indication to the saint of God that his own end was approaching. 848, again in solitude at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified, he peacefully departed to the Lord. Theodore has left Christians his edifying writings. Life of Saint Theodore of Edessa was popular reading in Rus during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and was preserved in many manuscripts. Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Saint’s father was named Symeon, and his mother’s name was Maria. He received a good education and was distinguished for his philosophical knowledge, as well as for rhetoric. the age of ten he was left as an orphan and gave half of his parents’ wealth to his sister, and kept the other half himself. Sharing this with the poor, he departed for Jerusalem. There he venerated the holy places and, when he was nineteen years old, he became a monk in the Lavra of Saint Savva. Theodore remained there for twenty-four years, leading an ascetic and virtuous life, and became a renowned ascetic. of his great virtues, the Patriarch of Jerusalem made him Bishop of Edessa in 836. was an excellent Archpastor, with his vast theological knowledge, his many virtues, and above all, his great love, which he bestowed abundantly upon his flock. that time Edessa was plagued with many heresies: Arian, Nestorian, Eutychian, etc. holy hierarch instructed his flock in the Orthodox Faith in order to combat these errors. Theodore also went to see the Persian king in Babylon, asking him to protect the Orthodox Christians of Edessa from the malevolence of the heretics. King was very sick, but the Saint healed him and spoke to him about Christ. many days the King was baptized with the name John. returning to Edessa, Saint Theodore was informed in a vision that King John and his three bodyguards, who had been baptized with him, proclaimed their faith openly and received the unfading crown of martyrdom. the approach of death, Saint Theodore retired to the Lavra of Saint Savva. calling the clergy and laity of Edessa together and blessing them, he surrendered his holy soul to the Heavenly Father in the year 848. Basil of Emessa wrote the Saint’s life in Greek, which is preserved at the Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos.

Armenia, 900, 10th C Folder, Tranx Gregory's incorrupt rlcs tC, Nikon Metanoeite repent preacher, Athanasius' Athos Great Larva

Armenia, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road fEphesus) to Constantinople
Armenia, 911, Transfer Theolgn Gregory's incrrpt Relics Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus) to Constantinople, incorrupt relics uncovered 3times, 395,408, 911, transferred 911 to Constantinople churches: Hagia Sophia, Hagia Sophia, &Holy Resurrection, Kept there till 1204 Latin Catholic Invasion; Nazianzos; The transfer of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on January 19; to some researchers, the uncovering of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian (Jan. 25) occurred (3times) Nazianzus during the reign of Emperor Arkadios (395-408), of Theodosios II (408-450), (at the transfer to C) that of Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (911 - 959) they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. His honorable head is reverently kept in Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. the year 1204, when the Western Crusaders captured Constantinople, portions of Saint Gregory’s relics were kept in the church of Hagia Sophia, in the church of the Holy Apostles, and in the church of the Holy Resurrection. St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ;

Armenia, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus founder Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island n Troy, giving, dispassion, clairvoyance
Troy, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus and Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx., fCappadocia, wealthy powerful parents, 925 tMt Kyminas, met monk John heladites, elder of great virtue, brought home few months, returned, alone in cave, 5days fasting prayer, 2days services, after John reposed used great inheritance built Larva Kyminas, gave it all to poor & suffering, high degree dispassion, clairvoyance, very compassionate, many miracles, cenobitic m, many great ascetics through there, Athanasios the Athonite of Great Larva, Kyminas calligraphers, copying, new remote monastery (Dry Lake), Kyminas covered monastic communities, constant prayers for whole world, surrendered soul advanced age while still vigorus; Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Michael lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine VI (913-959) until the reign of Basil II, the Bulgar-slayer (976 - 1025). was born in Cappadocia to devout and wealthy parents, Eudókimos and Anastasó (Ἀναστασῶ). Eustáthios, paternal grandfather, was a patrician; and his maternal grandfather, Adrálestos, held the rank of General of the East. ḗl (the Saint's name in the world) was brought up in the east, but soon he realized the futility of worldly honors and goods. the year 925, he fled to Mount Kyminas (Όρος Κύμινας) in Bithynia. he met a monk named John Heladites, an Elder of great virtue, and asked him if he might stay nearby. Elder accepted him, but after a while, his father discovered where he was, and after many entreaties, he brought him home. a few months, however, and with this permission of his parents, he returned to his Elder, who received him with great joy. he begged Father John to allow him to live alone in a cave, and the Elder blessed him to do this. five days of the week he devoted himself to fasting, vigil, and prayer. On Saturday and Sunday he came to the monastery to participate in the Divine Services, and to partake of the Holy Mysteries. three years of probation, Manouḗl was tonsured as a monk with the name Michael. after Elder John had reposed, Father Michael took the great inheritance he had received from his family and gave it away to the poor and the suffering. Michael was deemed worthy of ordination to the priesthood. From the Holy Scriptures, he showed how the priesthood ought to be combined with monasticism. attained a high degree of dispassion, and he also received the gift of clairvoyance. He was very compassionate and kind toward people. He could not bear to let those who were in need or sorrow remain without help and consolation. By his ardent prayers, he performed many miracles. Michael also founded the famous Lavra of Kyminas, where many brethren received their spiritual formation. had organized it as a cenobitic monastery, suffusing it with fraternal love. great ascetics passed through this Monastery, whom was Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5), the founder of the Greatest Lavra (Μεγίστη Λαύρα) on the Holy Mountain. Monastery was also renowned for its calligraphers, and for copying spiritual books. the monastery was secure, Saint Michael went to an even more remote place, where he built a new monastery. his efforts, the whole mountain of Kyminas was covered with monastic communities, where constant prayers were offered for the entire world before the Throne of the Most High. an advanced age, but still vigorous in faith and in spirit, Saint Michael surrendered his holy soul to God in the year 962.

Armenia, 920-998, Nikon Metanoeite, gifted repentence Preacher, Pontus to Sparta, little heed, then miracles, sorrow b confessn
Armenia, 920-998, Nikon Metanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Pontus Polemoniacus Area (Kelkit River 2), wealthy son, to monastery, gifted preacher, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, Peloponnesus, repent, little heed, then miracles & loving nature, true sorrow for sins by prayer self denial confession, cave outside sparta, downtown sparta; Pontus Polemoniacus Area; Venerable Nikon Metanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Nikon Metanoeite (“the Preacher of Repentance”) was born at Pontus Polemoniacus at the beginning of the tenth century. was the son of a wealthy landowner, and he was given the name Nicetas in Baptism. he had no desire to take over the management of his family’s wealth and estates, Nicetas entered the monastery of Chrysopetro, where he shone forth in prayer and asceticism. he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new name symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new man (Ephesians 4:24). monk is expected to stop associating himself with the old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote himself entirely to God. Nikon had a remarkable gift for preaching. he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters, his listeners were filled with heartfelt compunction and love for God. words produced such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to travel through the eastern regions to preach. visited Armenia, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” was the message of Saint John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew 4:17). was also the message of Saint Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with “Repent,” hence he was called “Nikon Metanoeite,” or “Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.” first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving nature. stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one’s sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one’s spiritual Father. sowing the seeds of piety, Saint Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world. Saint Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church. Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles. Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece, however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to Saint Nikon was composed by Father Daniel Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint’s Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of Saint Nikon’s Monastery in 1142. Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was dedicated to Saint Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.

Armenia, 940-1003, Athanasius of Athos, born in Trebizond, baptised Abraham, raised by nun's habits, founded Great Larva
Armenia, 940-1003, Athanasius of Athos, born in Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River) baptised Abraham, orphaned, raised by nun, raised monastic habits, fasting prayer, smart, court of Romanus the Elder w Nikephorus, he hated his place for a year then divine light made him love it, N came & paid for his monastery, ran out of food, MOG at spring of A turned him around and promised to lead ; Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer. Doing his lessons came easily and he soon outpaced his peers in study. the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the Byzantine emperor Romanus the Elder, and was enrolled as a student under the renowned rhetorician Athanasius. In a short while the student attained the mastery of skill of his teacher and he himself became an instructor of youths. Reckoning as the true life that of fasting and vigilance, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, he slept little and then only sitting upon a stool, and barley bread and water were his nourishment. When his teacher Athanasius through human weakness became jealous of his student, blessed Abraham gave up his teaching position and went away. these days there had arrived at Constantinople Saint Michael Maleinos (July 12), igumen of the Kyminas monastery. Abraham told the igumen about his life, and revealed to him his secret desire to become a monk. holy Elder, discerning in Abraham a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, became fond of him and taught him much in questions of salvation. One time during their spiritual talks Saint Michael was visited by his nephew, Nikēphóros Phocas, a military officer and future emperor. Abraham’s lofty spirit and profound mind impressed Nikēphóros, and all his life he regarded the saint with reverent respect and with love. Abraham was consumed by his zeal for the monastic life. Having forsaken everything, he went to the Kyminas monastery and, falling down at the feet of the holy igumen, he begged to be received into the monastic life. The igumen fulfilled his request with joy and tonsured him with the name Athanasius. long fasts, vigils, bending of the knees, with works night and day Athanasius soon attained such perfection, that the holy igumen blessed him for the exploit of silence in a solitary place not far from the monastery. Later on, having left Kyminas, he made the rounds of many desolate and solitary places, and guided by God, he came to a place called Melanos, at the very extremity of Athos, settling far off from the other monastic dwellings. Here the monk made himself a cell and began to live an ascetical life in works and in prayer, proceeding from exploit to exploit towards higher monastic attainment. enemy of mankind tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred for the place chosen by him, and assaulted him with constant suggestions in thought. The ascetic decided to suffer it out for a year, and then wherever the Lord should direct him, he would go. On the last day of this year’s length of time, when Saint Athanasius set about to prayer, a heavenly light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with an indescribable joy, all the thoughts dissipated, and from his eyes welled up graced tears. From that moment Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness , and he became as strongly fond of the place of his solitude as he had formerly loathed it. this time Nikēphóros Phocas, having had enough of military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and from his means he besought Saint Athanasius to build a monastery, i.e., to build cells for him and the brethren, and a church where the brethren could commune of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays. to shun cares and worries, Saint Athanasius at first would not agree to accept the hateful gold, but seeing the fervent desire and good intent of Nikēphóros, and discerning in this the will of God, he set about the building of the monastery. He built a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and another church at the foot of a hill, in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around the church were the cells, and a wondrous monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. In it were a trapeza (dining area), a hospice for the sick and for taking in wanderers, and other necessary structures. flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other lands, simple people and illustrious dignitaries, desert-dwellers having labored in asceticism for long years in the wilderness, igumens from many monasteries and hierarchs wanting to become simple monks in the Athos Lavra of Saint Athanasius. saint established at the monastery a cenobitic monastic Rule on the model of the old Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were served with all strictness, and no one was so bold as to talk during the services, nor to come late or leave the church without necessity. Heavenly Patroness of Athos, the All-Pure Mother of God Herself, was graciously disposed towards the saint. Many times he was privileged to see Her with his own eyes. God’s dispensation, there once occurred such a hunger, that the monks one after the other quit the Lavra. The saint remained all alone and, in a moment of weakness, he also considered leaving. Suddenly he beheld a Woman beneath an ethereal veil, coming to meet him. “Who are you and where are you going?” She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius from an innate deference halted. “I am a monk from here,” Saint Athanasius replied, and spoke about himself and his worries. “Would you forsake the monastery which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? around, and I shall help you.” “Who are you?” asked Athanasius. “I am the Mother of the Lord,” She answered, and bid Athanasius to strike his staff upon a stone. From the fissure there gushed forth a spring of water, which exists even now, in remembrance of this miraculous visitation. brethren grew in number, and the construction work at the Lavra continued. Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his impending end and besought the brethren not to be troubled over what he foresaw. “For Wisdom disposes otherwise than as people judge.” The brethren were perplexed and pondered the words of the saint. giving the brethren his final guidance and comforting all, Saint Athanasius entered his cell, put on his mantiya and holy kukolion (head covering), which he wore only on great feasts, and emerged after prolonged prayer. and joyful, the holy igumen went up with six of the brethren to the top of the church to inspect the construction. through the imperceptible will of God, the top of the church collapsed. Five of the brethren immediately gave up their souls to God. Saint Athanasius and the architect Daniel, thrown upon the stones, remained alive. heard the saint call out to the Lord, “Glory to Thee, O God! Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!” The brethren with great weeping began to dig out their father from the rubble, but they found him already dead.

Armenia, 976-979, Army of Asia Minor Commander, Bardas Skleros, Melitene
Army of Asia Minor Commander, 976-979, Bardas Skleros, Melitene, Bardas Skleros Commanded Asian Rebellion against Byzantine Emperor Basil II; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Armenia, 1000, 11th C Folder, Arab Muslim Conquest, Battle oManzikert Turks over Byzantine Empire

Armenia, 1060-1360, Arab Muslim Conquest of Anatolia
Armenia, 1060-1360, Arab Muslim Conquest of Anatolia;

Armenia, 1071, Battle of Manzikert, Turks over Byzantine Empire
Armenia, Battle of Manzikert 1071;

Armenia, 1100, 12th C Folder,

Armenia, 1200, 13th C Folder, Battle oBassian, Georgia over Turks

Armenia, 1203, Battle of Basian, Georgia and Tamar over Sunni Persian Turks
Armenia, Battle of Basian, 1203; Basiani is 60 km Northeast of Erzurum; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Armenia, 1300, 14th C Folder, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond Empire

Armenia, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexius III, rich monastery endowments, subdued nobles&Turks, gave Daughters fSecurity
Armenia, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos, Alexius III, most famous Treb ruler, religious grants, literary creations, son oBasil&Irene, hansome blond, stout well formed, gay liberal, tConstantinoople wMom wDad died, raised Byzanine Court, 1349 b tTreb a11 tReplace deposed gUncle Regent Michael, accepted by nobility incl Niketas woOpposition, name fJohn tAlexios, crowned wMom&John Lazaropoulos, confining Michael tMonastery, married B Emperor relative Theodora K, despaired aristocrats squabbles retired tTripolis, supported bMom&loyal Generals, courtiers incl historian, subdued insubordinate nobles 1by1, fostered peace wTurks, wMarriage alliances, improved position, less reliance kingmaker Niketas, N fled tKerasous, prepared fleet, sailed against Treb, turned away, Alex sailed against Kerasous wMom&Metropolitan &won, N imprisoned, Civil war over but assaaaination attempt, arrested noble assasins, Met Niphon deposed fcomplicity, replaced bJohn L, despite his victory he still granted Nobles Land charters, external, lost tTurks 1355, gave daughters to muslim princes &Georgian King, tried to displace Genoese&Venitians dominant Treb trade positions, Venice had lost t Genoa 1349, 1360 he attempted restore Venitian Treb commerce to offset Genoa position, but Venitians not content &Quarreled wGenoese, another concession failed also, 1373 Venicians&Genoa enemy Dobrotitsa oDobruja conspired to impose son-in Law Michael Palaioglogos, son oJohn V, on Treb throne, abandoned a5days, A died 1390, he had repaired physical damage tTreb, gave rich monastery endowments, like Soumela, founded Dionysiou m oAthos, ; Pontine, 1349-1390, Trebizond Emperor, Alexios III Megas Komnenos; III Megas Komnenos (5 October 1338 – 20 March 1390),[1] or Alexius III, Emperor of Trebizond from December 1349 until his death. is perhaps the best-documented ruler of that country, his reign is distinguished by a number of religious grants and literary creations. was the son of Emperor Basil of Trebizond and his second (and bigamous) wife, Irene of Trebizond. III was originally named John, and took the name Alexios either in memory of his older brother who had died prematurely or of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Alexios II of Trebizond. personal appearance was described by George Finlay as "extremely noble". Finlay contributes the following details: "He was , blonde, and regular-featured, with an aquiline nose, which, his flatterers often reminded him, was considered by Plato to be a royal feature. person he was stout and well formed; disposition he was gay and liberal; his enemies reproached him with rashness, violence, and brutal passions."[2] life and reign[edit] Basil died on April 6, 1340, and his first wife Irene Palaiologina succeeded him, she sent all the children of her dead husband to Constantinople together with their mother.[3] was raised at the Byzantine court. he was eleven years old, he was sent to Trebizond by Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos to replace his deposed great-uncle Michael, who had been an instrument of the regency Kantakouzenos had displaced. arrived in Trebizond on December 22, 1349,[4] and was accepted as emperor by the nobility headed by megas doux Niketas Scholares without opposition. was at this point that he adopted the name Alexios, and he was crowned on January 21, 1350, in the company of his mother Irene and of John Lazaropoulos.[5] position was safeguarded by confining the deposed Emperor Michael to a monastery. 1351 the connection to John VI Kantakouzenos was strengthened by further diplomatic initiatives. deposed Emperor Michael was exiled to Constantinople, on September 20, 1351, Alexios III married Theodora Kantakouzene, a relative of the Byzantine Emperor, the newly rebuilt Church of St. Eugenios. the time being, Alexios was accepted as emperor because of his youth to quote William Miller, "not calculated to bring peace to the state, distracted for the previous decade by the jealousies and ambitions of rival gangs of noble place-hunters".[6] the aristocrats squabbled with each other, Alexios despaired of security in his capital retired to the coastal castle of Tripolis.[7] young emperor was supported by his mother and some loyal generals and courtiers, Michael Panaretos, whose laconic chronicle is the principal source on the political history of the Empire of Trebizond. them he subdued insubordinate nobles one by one. and his court further strengthened their position by fostering peaceful relations with the Turkmen marriage alliances as that between the emperor's oldest sister Maria and Fahreddin Kutlubeg of Aq Qoyunlu in 1352.[8] Alexios' position improved, he relied less on the kingmaker Niketas. June 1354 the megas doux was forced to flee to Kerasous, where he prepared a fleet consisting of one galley and eleven smaller vessels that sailed against Trebizond in March 1355. rebels realized that they would be unable to win and abandoned their expedition. fitted out his own fleet of galleys and several smaller crafts, and in May sailed to Kerasous with the company of his mother and the Metropolitan of Trebizond, and conquered the town in the absence of Niketas. emperor's cavalry besieged the last fortress loyal to the megas doux, Kenchrina, and obtained its surrender. and his aristocratic supporters were taken captive and brought to Trebizond, where he died in 1360.[9] the imprisonment of Niketas, Michael Panaretos' leaves off writing of the civil war. writers conclude this means the civil war itself ended, an attempt by the Kabasites and other nobles to assassinate Alexios III in 1363 may be part of that conflict. escaped their ambush and later, with the help of loyal soldiers, arrested all of them. Metropolitan Niphon was deposed for his complicity in the plot and died confined in a monastery the following year.[10] was replaced with the emperor's supporter John Lazaropoulos, who became Metropolitan of Trebizond under the monastic name Joseph. spite of his victories over the nobles, Alexios showed restraint and willingness to compromise by granting charters to noble families confirming them in possession of their lands.[11] affairs[edit] III began dealing with strengthening the frontier against the Turkmen before the end of the civil unrest. this he was less successful, and suffered a major defeat in battle in 1355. and Panaretos barely escaped with their lives.[12] raid on Matzouka by Hajji 'Umar, the emir of Chalybia, was neutralized by diplomacy, and he was married to Alexios' sister Theodora in 1358. continued this policy of seeking diplomatic alliances with the neighboring Muslim princes, the marriages of four of his daughters; fifth, Anna Megale Komnene, became the second wife of King Bagrat V of Georgia.[13] was also unable to displace the Genoese and Venetians from their dominant position in Trebizond's commerce. position of Venice had declined following the concession of Leonkastron to the Genoese in 1349, in 1360 Alexios attempted to restore commercial relations with Venice to offset the power of the Genoese. 1364 he confirmed to the Venetians their old privileges and assigned them a depot "below the monastery of the holy martyr, Theodore Gabras". the Venetians were not content with their gains and jealously quarreled with the Genoese. concession to Venice followed in 1367, and gradually lowered some of the dues levied on Venetian commerce.[14] Alexios' attempt to exploit the commerce of the Italian republics resulted in considerable resentment. 1373 the Venetians conspired with the despotes Dobrotitsa of Dobruja (an enemy of the Genoese) to impose his son-in-law Michael Palaiologos, a younger son of Emperor John V Palaiologos, upon the throne of Trebizond. Palaiologos appeared before Trebizond with two large ships and a small one, and remained there for five days until he abandoned the plan and left.[15] with Venice were patched up, but although Alexios further reduced the dues he collected from the Venetians in 1381, their trade with Trebizond continued to decline. III died on March 20, 1390, was succeeded by his son Manuel III. his long reign, Alexios III had repaired the physical damage to the capital, gave rich endowments to several monasteries, especially Soumela Monastery, and founded the Dionysiou monastery at Mount Athos.[16] Bryer explains this largesse was due a series of confiscations following the defeat of the notables who had opposed a strong central government, forth a timeline showing how as archontes were executed and their properties reverted to the crown, could refound monasteries such as St. Phokas in Kordyle (1362), Soumela (1364), Dionysiou (1374), and Theoskepastos (1376). sequence of recovery, or expansion, of the imperial demesne, which is the clue to Alexios III's triumph over his landowning rivals, is clear enough."[17] Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Armenia, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, 1375 igumen Philotheou, then Met Trebizond Empire
Greece, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, fKoritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle), Constantinople monk a18, tPhilotheou oAthos, 1375 igumen there, then Met oTrebizond in Trebizond Empire, then persuaded John Alexius Komnenos build Dionsious oAthos, died 1392; Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Theodosius, Metropolitan of Trebizond, born in the village of Koritsa, near the Kastorian hills. eighteen years of age he became a monk at Constantinople went to the Philotheou monastery on Mount Athos, where he led a strict ascetic life. was chosen igumen of the monastery in 1375, afterwards was made Metropolitan of Trebizond because of the holiness of his life. He persuaded John Alexius Komnenos to build the monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos. a God-pleasing life, he died in Trebizond in 1392.

Armenia, 1700, 18th C Folder, New Martyr Theocharis, starvation sentence, not feel hunger

Armenia, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, refused Islam&daughter, starvation sentence, not feel hunger, stoned&hanged
Armenia, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, at Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia, Roman Roads Intersection Great Road across Turkey and to Cilicia, Governor decreed Christian boys tConcentration camps, including T, but Judge liked him, brought him home, offered wed his daughter, if convert tIslam, T refused, starvation sentence, nourished bPrayer, not feel hunger, satisfied little water, refused again, stoned and hanged, 1923 right hand tThessaloniki; Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia; Holy New Martyr Theocharis, Commemorated on August 20; the year 1740 Sultan Ahmed and Ibrahim Pasha, the governor of Asia Minor, a decree was issued that Christian boys should be placed in concentration camps. orphan Theocharis was among them. a certain day, however, the judge of Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, saw Theocharis in the camp, he liked him, and brought him home to care for his animals. ’s piety and comeliness prompted the judge to suggest that he become his son-in-law, after first becoming a Moslem. answered courageously, “My master, I was born a Christian, and I cannot deny the faith of my Savior and of my fathers.” Ottoman judge considered the answer to be offensive and threatened him with torture, and then he sentenced him to death by starvation. went to church to confess and to partake of the spotless Mysteries, and then returned to his master. When he repeated his refusal and confessed his faith, they threw him into prison without food for many days. was nourished by prayer, however and did not feel hunger; he was satisfied with a little water once in a while. the judge repeated his offer to let him marry his daughter, Theocharis firmly refused. Then, after frightful torture, they took him an hour’s journey from the city of Neapolis, where he was stoned and then hanged at noon on a white poplar tree on August 20, 1740. 1923, the right hand of St. Theocharis was brought to Thessaloniki and was placed in the Church of St. Katherine, where it remains today.

Armenia, 1800, 19th C Folder, Theodore oAtchara, Georgia&Trebizond

Armenia, 1801-1822, Theodore oAtchara, islamization, Trebizond exile, tGeorgian m iSmyrna, deputy abbot, killed oAthos pilgrmage
Georgia, 1801-, Hieromartyr Theodore oAtchara (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia), one oMany Atcharians martyred by Ottomans, his family fled to Trebizond, many killed in A, forced Islamization, annihilated those resisting, began to evict those arrousing suspecians even though they had accepted Islam, from childhood he watched countrymen forceably converted secretly retain christian way oLife, he received Christianity, tGeorgian monastery in Smyrna, t monk, deputy abbot, converted his nephew, 1822 Pilgrimage tAthos, but Ottomans attempting crush Greek Independence, Athos surrounded by Ottomans, he was captured, killed, body into sea, cannonized in 2002; Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia); Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara belongs to the glorious multitude of Atcharan faithful who were martyred at the hands of the Ottomans. Theodore was born in the late 18th century. that time the Ottoman invaders had nearly completed the forced Islamization of the Atcharan region. had already annihilated those who resisted the conversion were beginning to evict those who, in spite of their apparent acceptance of Islam, continued to “arouse suspicions.” abandoned their native region and fled to foreign lands. Theodore was born to a family that had been forced into exile. his childhood he watched his fellow countrymen, who had been forcibly converted to Islam, secretly retain their Christian way of life. is unclear how the saint’s family settled in Trebizond (modern Trabzon). is known, however, that Saint Theodore managed to free himself from Islam, receive Christianity, and find refuge at a Georgian monastery in Smyrna (now Izmir). he was tonsured a monk and later raised to the rank of proigoumenos (deputy abbot). is also known that Saint Theodore converted his nephew to Christianity during that time. 1822 Saint Theodore set out on a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos. at the same time the Ottomans were attempting to crush the Greek independence movement, the Holy Mountain was surrounded by Ottoman soldiers. captured the faithful pilgrim and killed him. they tossed the holy martyr’s body into the sea. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Holy Martyr Theodore on October 17, 2002.

Armenia, 1900, 20th C Folder, WWI Commander Quarters, Armenian Genocide, Wilsonian Armenia tPontus, Paisios otHoly Mt

Armenia, 1914, World War I quarters of supreme commander-in-chief in 1914
World War I quarters of supreme commander-in-chief in 1914 Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Caucasus Campaign, 1914 ;

Armenia, 1915-1923, Armenian Genocide, by Turkey, series of massacres and starvation 1.5M by Ottomans
Armenia, 1915-1923, Armenian Genocide, by Turkey, series of massacres and starvation 1.5M by Ottomans; 1915 Armenian Genocide; Genocide Remembrance Day or Armenian Genocide Memorial Day[5] is a public holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh and is observed by the Armenian diaspora on 24 April.[5][6] is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915. It was a series of massacres and starvation of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottomans. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, hundreds of thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame. Genocide memorial in Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Tehran date 24 April commemorates the deportation of Armenian intellectuals on 24 April 1915 from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The first commemoration, organised by a group of Armenian Genocide survivors, was held in Istanbul in 1919 at the local St. Trinity Armenian church.[7] Many prominent figures in the Armenian community participated in the commemoration. Following its initial commemoration in 1919, the date became the annual day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.[7] 9 April 1975, the US House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 148 designating 24 April as a National Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man.[8] The Resolution commemorated the victims of genocide, especially those of Armenian ancestry who succumbed to the genocide perpetrated in 1915, The resolution however failed to pass in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee due to President Gerald R. Ford’s strong opposition to what he saw as a threat to the country's strategic alliance with Turkey.[9] 1988, Soviet Armenia formally adopted 24 April as a public day of commemoration.[10]: 215  1997 in the US, the California State Assembly declared 24 April as a Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923, and for the victims of the Sumgait Pogroms of 1988 and Baku Riots of 1990.[10]: 232  2007, Argentina passed National Law 26199, designating 24 April as "Day of Action for Tolerance and Respect among Peoples", in which Armenian Argentines are excused from work.[4][11] 2015, the House of Commons of Canada unanimously passed Motion M-587, proposed by Brad Butt, marking April to be Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month, and designating 24 April as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.[12] 2019, France marked its first national commemoration of the genocide,[13][14] with French president Emmanuel Macron declaring 24 April "a national day of remembrance of the Armenian genocide", fulfilling a campaign pledge. 2021, US President Joe Biden recognized the genocide on 24 April, fulfilling a campaign pledge.[15][16] GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; Remembrance Day is observed by Armenians in dispersed communities around the world on April 24. It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923. date 24 April commemorates the Armenian notables deported from the Ottoman capital in 1915, of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, most of whom would be executed, which was a precursor to the ensuing events. this date is specifically a remembrance of the Armenian genocide, it is clear from the collects that it is intended here to cover all genocides: the killing or harming of people simply because of which ethnic, religious, or national group to which they happen to belong. — more at Wikipedia

Armenia, 1920, Wilsonian Armenia, unimplemented, but went to Trabzon and Pontus
Wilsonian Armenia; Armenia refers to the unimplemented boundary configuration of the First Republic of Armenia in the Treaty of Sèvres, as drawn by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Department of State.[1] Treaty of Sèvres was a peace treaty that had been drafted and signed between the Western Allied Powers and the defeated government of the Ottoman Empire in August 1920, but it was never ratified and was subsequently superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne. proposed boundaries of Wilsonian Armenia incorporated portions of the Ottoman vilayets of Erzurum, Bitlis, Van, and Trabzon, which had Armenian populations of varying sizes. inclusion of portions of Trabzon Vilayet was intended to provide the First Republic of Armenia with an outlet to the Black Sea at the port of Trabzon. proposed Republic of Pontus was discussed at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, but the Greek government of Eleftherios Venizelos feared the precarious position of such a state, so a portion of it was instead included in the proposed state of Wilsonian Armenia. United States Senate rejected the mandate for Armenia in 1920. outbreak of the Turkish War of Independence led to the Ottoman Empire not ratifying the Treaty of Sèvres. in that year, the Turkish–Armenian War broke out. Armenia was defeated and signed the Treaty of Alexandropol on November 2, renouncing its territorial integrity under the Sèvres Treaty. The Treaty of Kars was negotiated between Soviet Russia and Turkey following the annexation of the Democratic Republic of Armenia by the Soviet Army in December 2, 1920, and signed between the Soviet government in Armenia on October 23, 1921. latter was never accepted, either by the overthrown Armenian government nor later by the Republic of Armenia. The government of Soviet Russia separately negotiated a similar border between what it considered its territory of Armenia and Turkey in the Treaty of Moscow (1921). Great Armenia; Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia. Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24;

Armenia, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia, Great Road, saw tLord a15, special blessing lElisha, visions
Armenia, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), saw the Lord at 15, carpenter at 15, Soldier Greek Civil War 1945-49, to Greece exchange of populations, Kephalonia Is, special blessing bArsenios, monk prophesy, Konitsa in Epeiros, repelled demonic assault wPhilotimo thought, humble t, tἘsphigmenou MAthos, tPhilotheou, idiorhythmic, alone, small schema, professed monastic, tMonastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, tMt Sinai, St Catherins's M, false dLight, beloved bBedouins, cookies fChildren, cross handiwork, more grace, rtMA, Earth sojourner, devine mysteries, conversed wSaints appearing before him, Guardian Angel vision, angelic hymns, shone wHeavenly light, 1966 illness, part lungs r, Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki, btKatounakia, Lavriote keli oHypatios (Vlachika), uncreated light vision, saints, MOG, &Christ, discussed church matters wEuphemia, illness lMA, returned, Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes, many visitors, 1980s leli aKoutloumousiou, 1993 hemorage, hospitalized, tSourote, tumor large intestine, no medicine painkillers; Cappadocia; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Father Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain was born to devout parents, Pródromos and Eulampίa Enzepίdē, Phárasa in Cappadocia on July 25, 1924. before the family left for Greece because of the exchange of populations,1 he was baptized by Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia (November 10). godfather wanted to name the child Christos, after his grandfather, Archimandrite Arsenios, the parish priest, refused saying, "Not so! He shall be called Arsenios. You shall have many other children, but I am a monk; I will have no children. I want him to be a reminder of me." Arsenios, a man who lived a most holy life, also foretold that he was leaving a monk in his place. gave the child a special blessing, and so, like Elijah and Elisha,2 grace passed from the Spiritual Father to his child. also predicted that he himself would not live more than forty days after he arrived in Greece. Forty days after their arrival in Greece, Saint Arsenios went to the Lord and was buried on the island of Kephaloniá. Greece, the family of little Arsenios settled in Konitsa in Epeiros, he spent his childhood and youth. Nurtured with stories about the wondrous life of Saint Arsenios, the boy, at the age of five, declared that he would become a monk. he learned to read, he was loved by those who had not been taught. went into the forest to study and pray in silence. in the Lives of the Saints, he tried to imitate their ascetical contests with fervent zeal and astonishing exactness. At the same time, he cultivated the virtues of humility and love. completing his studies, Arsenios did not wish to continue with his education, preferring to imitate Christ, and so he learned the trade of a carpenter, which he practiced with diligence and skill. the age of fifteen, he was deemed worthy of seeing the Lord, because of one philotimo3 thought, by which he repelled a demonic assault and a temptation toward impiety. From that time, the fire of God's love increased in him even more, as well as a longing for the monastic life. of turmoil and upheaval followed for Greece, because of foreign occupation and civil war (1945-1949). However, he was both a citizen and a soldier during his service, displaying unparalleled courage and self-sacrifice. Sometimes he volunteered to take the place of married men with families, who were about to be sent to the Front. He was willing to give every moment, and even his life, to save others. In fact, he was often in the line of fire. Not only did he protect many soldiers by his fervent prayers, but he also guarded himself in a miraculous way. most of his military service Arsenios served as a radio operator. He said that they all felt secure only when they communicated with their Division every hour. "When our communication was limited to every two hours," he revealed later, "we felt a bit insecure. Sometimes, when we could be in touch with them just twice a day, we felt uncomfortable, lonely, and lost. The same thing applies to our prayers. The more we pray, the more we feel secure, on a spiritual basis, of course." all these things, he wanted to embrace the angelic life of monasticism, which gives wings of divine love.4 Thus, he went to the Holy Mountain seeking a guide to a life of godly silence. However, he did not manage to fulfill his desire right away. At the same time, people found themselves in great economic difficulty when they called on him for help. Thus, he returned to Konitsa and worked as a carpenter. In 1953, at the age of 29, he forsook the world and went to the Holy Mountain. visiting various Skḗtēs and Kalyves,5 the Saint finally followed the advice of a venerable Elder and joined the brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Ἐsphigmenou, known at the time for its strictness. There he lived in the midst of everyone and engaged in severe asceticism, surpassing the others in his labors for the grace of Christ and his brethren. Then, on March 27, 1954, he was tonsured and received the name Averkios. But desiring a stricter life of asceticism, he received the Igoumen's blessing and went to live in the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, which was then idiorhythmic. Under the guidance of a hermit, they lived a very strict ascetical life. When his Elder reposed, he left and went to another hermit. This Elder would greet people he had never met by name, and that is what he did with Father Averkios. However, he did not permit Father to live with him. Instead, he told him to take care of another old and sick hermit, and then come back to him for Confession. In this way, Father Averkios prepared himself for the eremitic life, under the guidance of a wise monk, Elder Simeon. March 12, 1956 he was tonsured into the Small Schema and received the name Paϊsios (which means "child"), thanks to Metropolitan Paϊsios II of Caesarea, who was also his compatriot. August 1958, heeding divine counsel, he did not move to the desert, for which he was being prepared, but into the ruined Monastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, which is located near Konitsa. There he lived for four years, living an angelic life, struggling with temptation, working for the people of the region, saving many from the false teachings of Protestant sects who were actiive in their midst, and restored the Monastery with a great deal of labor. 1962, when the work of restoration and the danger from heterodox groups was ended, he left. The Saint pleaded fervently with God to remove the temptations which besieged him every day, and to show him the path he must follow. So, he accepted the invitation of a certain Hierodeacon to accompany him to the God-trodden Mount Sinai. In this waterless place, in the kelli6 of Saints Galaktion and Epistḗmē (November 5) near Saint Katherine's Monastery, living in solitude and in asceticism. One day, as he searched for matches to light his lamp in order to read, a light shone in his cell showing where the matches were. Father Paϊsios did not trust this, so he made the Sign of the Cross, and the light disappeared. At last he lived as he had wanted to live for years, alone and near God. was beloved by the Bedouins, giving them food and money which he earned by selling to the pilgrims wooden crosses that he made himself. The Arab children in the area often visited Father Paϊsios. He wished that he had something to give them, but when he brought his handiwork to the Monastery he asked for some cookies and was told that he had to bring more handiwork to obtain cookies. Father Paϊsios shortened his Prayer Rule and spent more time for his handiwork so that he might have cookies for the children. By this act of love, he discerned that he received even more grace from God. to Mount Athos in 1964, he did not cease his ascetical contests despite his bodily ailments, but maintained his former fervor in his soul. So, living as a stranger and a sojourner on the earth (Genesis 23:4, LXX), he became a citizen of the Heavens. He attained the heights and became a partaker of divine mysteries, with the blessing of the Mother of God. In addition, he conversed with the Saints who appeared before him, and he had a vision of his Guardian Angel. He also heard angelic hymns, and he shone with heavenly light. 1966 he became seriously ill and was admitted to the Center for Thoracic Diseases of Northern Greece (Papanikolaou Hospital). He had a major operation, which resulted in the partial removal of his lungs. Some young women who wished to become nuns donated their blood for his operation. When he recovered he helped them to establish their Convent at Sourotḗ, and was able return to the Holy Mountain. He recuperated at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist in Sourotḗ in Thessaloniki, and returned to the Holy Mountain after his recovery. 1967, he moved to Katounákia, specifically to the Lavriote kelli of Hypatios (Vlachika), where he had a vision of the Uncreated Light. He also saw various Saints, the Mother of God, and even Christ Himself. On one occasion, he was visited by Saint Euphēmίa, with whom he discussed certain Church matters. August 12, 1968, Saint Paϊsios came to the Holy Monastery of Stavronikita and lived alone in the kelli of the Holy Cross. There he was tonsured into the Great Schema by the Russian Elder Tikhon, who had the gift of tears. After the latter's repose, Father Paϊsios would visit the Elder's grave to ask him questions, and Father Tikhon would reply from the grave. Paϊsios became ill shortly afterward, and had to leave the Holy Mountain. Then he lived for a time in a monastery in northern Greece. As a consolation, he took with him the relics of Saint Arsenios, who had baptized him. Father Paϊsios did return to Mount Athos and settled in a cell. 1979 he left Holy Cross and, looking for a kelli, went to the Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes. He worked hard to create a kelli with a "Confessor", where he stayed until the end of his life. From the time he settled in Panagouda, a large number of people visited him. In fact, it got so crowded that there were special markers showing the way to his cell, so that the monks would not be disturbed by so many visitors. He also received too many letters. As the Saint said, he became very upset by reading the letters, because he learned only about divorces and mental or physical illnesses. Despite his busy schedule, he continued his intense ascetical life, pausing to rest only two or three hours a day. But he continued to receive and help visitors. He also used to make small printed icons which he gave to them as a blessing. the daily fatigue of Saint Paϊsios, some health problems were added, which tormented him. In the final years of his life, the pains of various diseases such as colitis, which left him permanently dyspeptic, an inguinal hernia, and especially from the cancer with which he had been diagnosed. There was more and more of this, nevertheless, he was calm and did not complain at all. On the contrary, he continued to pray for everyone. the early 1980s he moved near Karyes, to a kelli at Koutloumousίou. 1993 he began to hemorrhage, for which he was hospitalized, saying that "everything will be done, it is convenient for me." In November of the same year, he left the Holy Mountain for the last time, and went to Sourotḗ, to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian for its Feast Day; and later for the Feast of Saint Arsenios (November 10). He stayed for a few days, but when he was preparing to leave, he fell ill and was taken to Theageneio, where he was diagnosed with a tumor in the large intestine. asked God to grant him bodily and spiritual health. On February 4, 1994, he underwent surgery. The disease was not halted, but it metastasized to the lungs and to the liver. The Saint announced his desire to return to the Holy Mountain on June 13, but a high fever and shortness of breath forced him to remain. At the end of June, his doctors announced that he had only two or three weeks to live at most. On Monday, July 11, 1994 (the Feast of Saint Euphēmίa), Father Paϊsios received Holy Communion for the last time, kneeling by his bed. In the last days of his life he decided not to take medicines or painkillers, despite the horrible pains of his sickness. He reposed on Tuesday, July 12, 1994 at 11:00 and was buried in the Holy Hesychasterion of Saint John the Theologian in Sourotḗ, Thessaloniki, next to Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose Life was written by Saint Paϊsios. January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople met and decided to include Saint Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church. May his blessing be upon us. 1 Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Greeks living in Asia Minor were forced to move to Greece, and Turks living in Greece had to return to Turkey. 2 4 Kings 2:15 (Septuagint). 3 According to Saint Paϊsios, philotimo is a reverent distribution of goodness, the love shown by humble persons, from which every trace of self (ego) has been rooted out. Their hearts are filled with gratitude toward God and to their fellow man; and out of spiritual sensitivity, they try to repay the slightest good which others do to them. 4 "Life is blessed for those in the wilderness, as they fly upon the wings of divine love" (Sunday Matins: Hymn of Degrees, Tone 5, First Antiphon). 5 Skḗtē: Typically a settlement of hermits near a common church, known as the kyriakon. Kalyva: cells gathered around a church. 6 A monk's cell, or a monastic establishment consisting of a building with a chapel in it, and some land. Usually, a kelli was inhabited by three monks.

Armenia, 9999, unknown C Folder

Armenia, 9999, Eubulus aCaesurea, Armenia, tC to visit Christians in Prison, thrown to wild beasts by Firmilianus, martyrdom
Armenia, , Eubulus aCaesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4), fBaneas like Adrian, to Caesarea to visit Christians in Prison, arrested by Firmilianus, thrown to wild beasts, thereby martyrdom; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 3 ; Eubulus, like Saint Adrian, was from Baneas, in Caesarea of Cappadocia. went to Caesarea to visit Christians in prison, and was arrested by Governor Firmilianus. was thrown to the wild beasts, and thereby received the crown of martyrdom.

Armenia, Lycus River Folder, Farwestern Armenia

Amastridia, Pontus
Amastridia;

Armenia, Ceyhan River Folder, Eastern Cilicia

Ceyan River Source (along the border)

Lake Zagura, Cilicia
Lake Zagura; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Miasena Monastery Celicia, near Melitene Armenia
Miasena Monastery ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Ceyhan River Source 2

Ceyan River 1

Ceyan River 2 (Cucusus)

Cucusus, Armenia and Cilicia (near Ceyan River 2), Remote place of several exiles
Cucusus, Syria (near Ceyan River 2), Remote place of several exiles; St. Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Ceyan River 3

Ceyan River 4

Arabian Plate and Cilicia
Arabian Plate and Cilicia; Martyr and Unmercenary Cosmas and his brother in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 17;

Amanus Mountains, Cilicia
Amanus Mountains

Gulf of Isska, Eastern Cilicia, Armenia, near the city of Ossos
Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos; Saint Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11;

Ceyan River 10 (Anazarbus)

Anazarbus, Cilicia (Aleian plain, Ceyhan River 10)
Anazarbus (Aleian plain, Ceyhan River); Martyr Domnina of Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 12 ; Marinus the Elder at Anazarbus, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16

Aleian plain, Cilicia
Aleian plain;

Isso (Sis), Cilicia (Aleian River Plain, Ceyhan River 10)
Sis (Isso), Cilicia (Aleian River Plain, Ceyhan River 10); Isso in Cilicia, Sis (Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia) ; St. Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated September 3 ;

Ceyan River 11 (Adana)

Ceyan River 12 (Colophon)

Colophon, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth)
Colophon, Cilicia ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ;

Ceyhan (Prymus) River Mouth (Mediterranean Sea)
Ceyhan River;

Aegeae, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth)
Aegeae, Cilicia; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21; Martyr Claudius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 29; Martyr Zenobia of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Armenia, Northeast Turkey and West Georgia, Laze Folder

Chorokhi River

Chorokhi River 4 (Nigali Gorge)

Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin (Chorokhi River 4)
Laz People, Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Atchara, Armenia (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia)
Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Gallows and a guillotine were erected in the villages of Atcharistsqali, Keda, Chakvi, Khulo, Machakhela, and Gonio. The documents preserved in the manuscript collection at Akhaltsikhe Museum describe in even more horrific detail the martyrdom of the Atcharan Christians. Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Armenia, Tigris River Folder

Martyropolis, Armenia (Tigris River 2)
Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16;

Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3)
Nisibis (Mesopotamia); Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated January 28 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Sivapolis (Assur, Assyria)
Sivapolis (Assur, Assyria); Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Dura, Armenia (Tigress River 3)
Dura (Anastasiopolis or Dara, Messopotamia) ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Anastasiopolis, Armenia (Dura or Dara, Tigris River 3)
Anastasiopolis, Messopotamia (Dura or Dara) Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, Iris Rivers Folder (Central and Southeastern Pontine)

Sebaste, Armenia (high point, Kizilirmak River 1, Iris River Source)
Sebaste, Armenia ; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; St. John the Silent of St. Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Iris River Source (Lake Sebastea)

Kharsian People, Pontine (Charsianon Area, Iris River Source) Armenia
Kharsian People Charsianon Area and Fortress; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated July 31 ;

Charsianon Area, Armenia, Pontine (Kharsian People, Iris River Source) Armenia
Charsianon Area and Fortress; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated July 31 ;

Charsianon Fortress, Armenia, Pontaine (high point, Iris River Source)
Charsianon (Charsia); Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31 ;

Malenius Family Home at Charsianon, Armenia, Pontine
Malenius; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31;

Iris (Yesil) River 1 (Cekerek River Mouth)

Heracleopolis, Pontus, Armenia (Cekerek River 2)
Heracleopolis, Turkey ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16;

Iris (Yesil) River 2 (Tokat)

Tokat, Pontaine, Armenia (Iris or Yesil River 1.7)
Tokat (Iris or Yesil River) ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ;

Zela, Pontine, Armenia, high point, site of Ancient Battles
Zela, Pontine, high point, site of Ancient Battles; Transfer of the Holy Zone of Theotokos to Constantinople Commemorated on April 12;

Zeta, Pontus, Armenia, and Northern Cappadocia (high point, famous Roman Armenian Persian battles)
Zeta, Armenia; anciently known as Zela (Greek: Ζῆλα) (still as Latin Catholic titular see), is a city and a district of Tokat Province, Turkey. Zile lies to the south of Amasya and the west of Tokat in north-central Turkey. The city has a long history, including as former bishopric and the site of the Battle of Zela, which prompted the phrase "Veni, vidi, vici."[3] Today the city is a center for agricultural marketing and tourism. Contents History Veni Vidi Vici Historically, Zile has been known as Zela (Greek: Ζῆλα), Zelitis (Greek: Ζηλίτις), Zelid, Anzila, Gırgırıye (Karkariye), Zīleh, Zilleli, Zeyli, and Silas (Greek: Σίλας). Zile castle, the only solid castle in Anatolia, was built by Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The castle contains the Amanos temple, and is called silla, meaning "respected". In Semra Meral's Her Yönüyle Zile, she claims that the name "Zile" came from "Zela", stemming from "Silla".[4] City to recent archaeological research, there is evidence of human habitation since Neolithic times in Zile.[5] his book Geographica, Strabo claimed that Zela was founded by Semiramis, a legendary Assyrian queen.[6] 548 BC, Zela and greater Anatolia were under the rule of Achaemenid Persian Empire. Persian rule saw construction of a portion of the Royal Road in the area, and of temples to the Persian gods Anahita, Vohu-Mano, and Anadates in the city itself.[3] I of Persia divided the largest Anatolian state of that time, Cappadocia, into two, with Zela remaining in Pontus Cappadocia, the northern region. Era roughly 200 years of Persian rule, Alexander the Great captured Zela from Darius III of Persia as a result of the Battle of the Granicus (334 BC). Alexander's death in 323 BC and the collapse of his empire, Zela passed to the Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic successor state of Alexander the Great's dominion. controlled the area for 200 years, but by 100 BC, its power in the region started to collapse. a consequence, King Mithridates VI of Pontus attacked and took Zela in 88 BC, and ordered the killing of all Romans living there. led the nearby Cappadocians to call on Rome for help. The Roman army, under Sulla's command, fought and defeated Mithradates in the First Mithridatic War. attacked Zela again in 67 BC with the help of his Armenian ally Tigranes the Great, king of Greater Armenia, initiating the Third Mithridatic War,[7] which ended with victory by the Romans under Pompeius Magnus and the suicide of Mithridates in 63 BC. Pompey's settlement of Pontus, Zela received a civic constitution and a sizable territory thus transforming from its previous status as a temple domain to a city.[8] 49 BC, civil war broke out between Julius Caesar and Pompey. the Romans were distracted by this, Pharnaces II of Pontus, son of Mithridates, decided to seize the opportunity and take revenge for his father. attack on Zela was halted by Julius Caesar in the bloody Battle of Zela (47 BC).[9] Caesar's army suffered great losses, Pharnaces's was completely destroyed in five hours. After this victory, Caesar sent his famous message to the Roman Senate: "Veni Vidi Vici", meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered".[3] Caesar's words were written on a cylindrical marble column and placed in the city castle.[10] to Strabo, Zela had the temple of Anaïtis, who was also revered by the Armenians.[11] Ages 241, the Sassanid king Shapur I, attacked the Romans and defeated Roman Emperor Valerian, thus capturing Zela. From 241 to 1071, Zile was conquered many times by the Byzantines and Sasanids. Under Byzantine rule, Zile became a (now Titular Latin) bishopric of Asia Minor, suffragan of Amasya in the former Roman province of Helenopontus (see below). was conquered by Danishmend Melik Ahmet Gazi in 1071 and, since, has belonged to the Turks, who suppressed the bishopric.[3] In 1174, Anatolian Seljuks captured the city from Danishmends under Izzettin II Kılıçaslan. After the collapse of the Anatolian Seljuks, the Eretna Emirate was founded in Zile's district in 1335. The Ottomans defeated Ertans in 1397 under the rule of Sultan Bayezid I, integrating Zile into their empire. History the course of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 (also known as Turkish War of Independence), some supporters of Sharia (strict Islamic law) seized power in Zile and attacked the barracks of new Turkish Republic's army. The soldiers were forced to retreat to the city castle and consequently asked for help from the Çorum battalion. The battalion reached the city in four days and upon their arrival they started bombing the city so as to force the rebels to surrender. As a result of heavy bombardment, Zile suffered a great fire which led to the loss of two thirds of its infrastructure and most of its forest cover. Finally, the army managed to put down the rebellion and regained control. Since then, Zile has been a rural district in Tokat province of the Republic of Turkey. history in the Roman province of Helenopontus (civil diocese of Pontus), was a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Amasea, in the sway of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The following Suffragan Bishops of Zela are historically documented : Heraclius took part in the Council of Ancyra in 314 and in the ecumenical First Council of Nicaea in 325 ’’ Bitinicusus, an Arian (heretic), participated in the synod of Gangra in 340 and intervened at the Arian 'conciliabolum' at Philippopolis in 343/344 Atticus attended the Council of Chalcedon in 451 Hyperechius signed in 458 the letter of the episcopate of Helenopontus to Byzantine emperor Leo I the Thracian after Coptic mobs lynched Patriarch Proterius of Alexandria Georgius was at the ‘Robber’ Council in Trullo in 692 Constantinus took part in the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 Paulus attended the Council of Constantinople in 869-870 and the Council of Constantinople of 879-880 which rehabilitated Patriarch Photius of Constantinople. Titular see The diocese was nominally restored no later than the 18th century as Latin Titular bishopric of Zela (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Zeliten(us) It has been vacant for decades. Transfer of the Holy Zone of Theotokos to Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12;

Comana (Komana), Pontica Armenia (Iris River 2.3)
Komana (Comana), Pontica; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Alexander, Bishop of Comana, lived during the third century not far from Neocaesarea. He studied the Holy Scripture and knew many scientific disciplines. Taking upon himself the exploit of holy foolishness, the saint lived in poverty, selling coal in the city square. Many, seeing his face always black from the grime of the coal dust, sneered at him with contempt. the Bishop of Comana happened to die, then among the candidates put forth for election as new bishop -- one was a man illustrious, others were learned or eloquent, while yet others were rich. Then Saint Gregory Thaumaturgos, Bishop of Neocaesarea (November 17), having been invited for the ordination of their choice, pointed out, that a bishop ought to have not only outward worthiness and distinction, but foremost of all, a pure heart and holy life. These words caused some to laugh saying: “If outward appearance and nobility of origin be for naught, then even Alexander the collier might be made bishop”. Gregory perceived that it was not without the Providence of God that this man came to be mentioned, and he asked that they call him. The appearance of the saint at the gathering evoked laughter. Having respectfully bowed to Saint Gregory, Saint Alexander stood there deeply absorbed in himself and ignoring the sneering: Saint Gregory put him to the test, and the collier was obliged to reveal that he was formerly a philosopher, and had studied Holy Scripture, but that for the sake of God he had assumed upon himself voluntary poverty and humility. Saint Gregory then took the collier to his own lodging, where he washed off the grime, and gave him clean clothes. Returning then to the assembled people, Saint Gregory in front of everyone began to put to him questions from Holy Scripture, to which Saint Alexander answered like a knowledgeable and wise pastor. Seeing this, all were astonished at his humility and with one accord they elected him their bishop. Gregory ordained him priest, and later bishop. After the imposition of hands the new bishop preached a sermon to the people, full of power and the grace of God. And everyone rejoiced that the Lord had sent them such a wise pastor. Under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) the saint bravely confessed Christ, and refused to worship idols. After tortures they threw him into a fire, and there he departed to God. According to other sources, Saint Alexander suffered instead under the emperor Decius (249-251). St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Komana (Comana), Pontica Armenia (Iris River 2.3)
Komana (Comana), Pontica; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Iris River 2, the Crossroads ( Pontus on the Iris, and Neocaesarea on the Kelkit)
MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1

Iris River Crossroads ( Pontus on Iris, and Neocaesarea on Kelkit) Macrina and Basil)
MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1

Pontus, City of Pontus, Armenia (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis River 3, Kelkit River 3)
Eupatoria (Pontus); Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Iris (Yesil) River 3 (Amasea)

Alasium, Pontine, Armenia (Amasea, Iris River 3)
Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro "œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17;

Pontica, Amasea, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 3)
Amasea; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30;

Amasea, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 3)
Amasea; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30;

Amasya, Pontica, Armenia (Yesil (Iris) River3)
Amasea; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22;

Euchaita, Pontine, Armenia (west of Iris River 3)
Euchaita; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated January 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Amisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea)
Amisus; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Charitina of Amisos, Commemorated on October 5; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20;

Armenia, Harsit River Folder (Far Eastern Pontine)

Harsit River Source (Pontic Mountains)
Pontic Mountains or Pontine district of Northeast Asia Minor; Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila, at Trebizond, Commemorated on January 21;

Pontic Mountains, Pontine District of Northeast Asia Minor
Pontic Mountains or Pontine district of Northeast Asia Minor; Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila, at Trebizond, Commemorated on January 21; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17;

Lazeti, Armenia, Pontine (Harsit River Source)
Lazeti; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin (Nigali Valley, Chorokhi River 4)
Laz People, Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Kordila, Pontine, Armenia (Rize Province Georgia, Harsit River Area Pontine)
Kordila (Rize Province); Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Chaneti, Pontine (Harsit River, Eastern Pontine)
Chaneti ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Zigana Pass, Pontine, Armenia (Harsit River 4)
Zigana Pass; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Asia Minor, Commemorated on August 18; Saint Christopher of Gazara, Commemorated on August 18; Directress Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 18;

Mela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius
Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saints Barnabas and Sophronius of Asia Minor, Commemorated on August 18; Saint Christopher of Gazara, Commemorated on August 18; Directress Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 18;

Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond, Commemorated January 21; Martyrs Eugene, Candidus, Valerian, and Aquila, at Trebizond, Commemorated on January 21; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond Empire, 13th-15th Centuries, Pontaine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River); Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Martyr Eugene at Trebizond; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Armenia, Kelkit River Folder (Eastern Pontine)

Nicopolis, Armenia, Pontaine (Kelkit River 1)
Nicopolis (Pontus); 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated July 10 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ;

Colonia, Pontine, Armenia (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis, Kelkit River1)
Colonia in Armenia (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis); St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3 ;

Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory
Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. received a fine education, from his youth he strived for Truth, but the thinkers of antiquity were not able to quench his thirst for knowledge. Truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the youth became a Christian. the continuation of his studies Saint Gregory went to Alexandria, known then as a center for pagan and Christian learning. The youth, eager for knowledge, went to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught. Origen was a famous teacher, possessing a great strength of mind and profound knowledge. Saint Gregory became a student of Origen. Afterwards, the saint wrote about his mentor: “This man received from God a sublime gift, to be an interpreter of the Word of God for people, to apprehend the Word of God, as God Himself did use it, and to explain it to people, insofar as they were able to understand it.” Saint Gregory studied for eight years with Origen, and was baptized by him. ascetic life of Saint Gregory, his continence, purity and lack of covetousness aroused envy among his conceited and sin-loving peers, pagans that they were, and they decided to slander Saint Gregory. Once, when he was conversing with philosophers and teachers in the city square, a notorious harlot came up to him and demanded payment for the sin he had supposedly committed with her. At first Saint Gregory gently remonstrated with her, saying that she perhaps mistook him for someone else. But the profligate woman would not be quieted. He then asked a friend to give her the money. Just as the woman took the unjust payment, she immediately fell to the ground in a demonic fit, and the fraud became evident. Saint Gregory said a prayer over her, and the devil left her. This was the beginning of Saint Gregory’s miracles. returned to Neocaesarea, the saint fled from the worldly affairs into which influential townsmen persistently sought to push him. He went into the desert, where by fasting and prayer he attained to high spiritual accomplishment and the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. Saint Gregory loved life in the wilderness and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord willed otherwise. bishop of the Cappadocian city of Amasea, Thedimos, having learned of Saint Gregory’s ascetic life, decided to have him made Bishop of Neocaesarea. But having foreseen in spirit the intent of Bishop Thedimos, the saint hid himself from the messengers of the bishop who were entrusted to find him. Then Bishop Thedimos ordained the absent saint as Bishop of Neocaesarea, beseeching the Lord that He Himself would sanctify the unusual ordination. Saint Gregory perceived the extraordinary event as a manifestation of the will of God and he did not dare to protest. This episode in the life of Saint Gregory was recorded by Saint Gregory of Nyssa (January 10). He relates that Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea received the episcopal dignity only after Bishop Thedimos of Amasea performed all the canonical rites over him. this time, the heresy of Sabellius and Paul of Samosata began to spread. They taught falsely concerning the Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory prayed fervently and diligently imploring God and His most pure Mother to reveal to him the true faith. The All-Holy Virgin Mary appeared to him, radiant like the sun, and with Her was the Apostle John the Theologian dressed in archepiscopal vestments. the command of the Mother of God, the Apostle John taught the saint how to correctly and properly confess the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Gregory wrote down everything that Saint John the Theologian revealed to him. The Mystery of the Symbol of the Faith, written down by Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea, is a great divine revelation in the history of the Church. The teaching about the Holy Trinity in Orthodox Theology is based on it. Subsequently it was used by the holy Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa. The Symbol of Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea was later examined and affirmed in the year 325 by the First Ecumenical Council, showing his enduring significance for Orthodoxy. become a bishop, Saint Gregory set off to Neocaesarea. Along the way from Amasea he expelled devils from a pagan temple, the priest of which he converted to Christ. The convert was witness to still another miracle of the saint, at his word a large stone shifted from its place. preaching of the saint was direct, lively and fruitful. He taught and worked miracles in the name of Christ: he healed the sick, he helped the needy, he settled quarrels and complaints. Two brothers sharing an inheritance were not able to agree over the property of their dead father. There was a large lake over which they argued, for each of the brothers wanted the lake for himself. They both gathered their friends together, and were ready to come to blows. Saint Gregory persuaded them to delay their fight until the following day, and he himself prayed all night long at the shore of the lake which sparked the quarrel. When dawn broke, everyone saw that the lake had dried up or gone underground. Through the intense prayer of the saint, now there was only a stream, and its course defined the boundary line. Another time, during the construction of a church, he commanded a hill to move and make room at the place of the foundation. a persecution against Christians began under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Gregory led his flock to a faraway mountain. A certain pagan, knowing about the hiding place of the Christians, informed the persecutors. Soldiers surrounded the mountain. The saint went out into an open place, raised up his hands to heaven and ordered to his deacon to do the same. The soldiers searched the whole mountain, and they went several times right past those praying, but not seeing them, they gave up and went away. In the city they reported that there was nowhere to hide on the mountain: no one was there, and only two trees stood beside each other. The informer was struck with amazement, he repented of his ways and became a fervent Christian. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea after the end of the persecution. By his blessing church Feasts were established in honor of the martyrs who had suffered for Christ. his saintly life, his effective preaching, working of miracles and graced guiding of his flock, the saint steadily increased the number of converts to Christ. When Saint Gregory first ascended his cathedra, there were only seventeen Christians in Neocaesarea. At his death, only seventeen pagans remained in the city. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Martyr Troadius of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on March 2; Holy Martyr Troadius suffered for Christ in Neocaesarea, Pontus under the emperor Decius (249-251), enduring horrible tortures. Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea (November 17) foretold his martyrdom and witnessed his sufferings in a vision. He also saw the soul of Saint Troadius departing from his body and hastening joyfully to Heaven. Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18;

Basil's Monastery at Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory
Basil's Monastery at Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Kelkit River Mouth (Yesil River 3)

Armenia, Aras River Folder

Aras River

Lake Van, Taron Region
Lake Van; Taron Region; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Aras River Source (near Erzurum, Turkey)

Eastern part of the Roman Empire, Armenia, Artaz Region, High Point, Ephrates River Source
Eastern part of the Roman Empire ; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28;

Basiani, Armenia (Aras River Source)
Basiani, Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Bassiani, Armenia (Aras River Source)
Bassiani, Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Armenia, Aras River Source, Euphrates River Source Folder

Artaz region, Armenia (high point, Aras River Source, Euphrates River Source)
Artaz region, South of Erzurum, North of Bingol; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Theodosiopolis, Armenia (high point, Aras River Source)
Theodosiopolis, Armenia Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1;

Tsikhedidi (Kaledibi), Aras Region, (high point, Rivers Aras and Euphrates Source)
Tsikhedidi (Kaledibi), Aras Region, (high point, Rivers Aras and Euphrates Source) Erzurum, Turkey (NATO Cold War airforce post) ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated August 24 ; Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1;

Aras River 1

Aras River 2

Bagrevand Region, Armenia (Aras River 1 and 2)
Bagrevand; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15;

Mount Sukaketi (Aras River 2)
Because it is the mountain of the Bagrevand region, this mountain is probably Mount Sukaketi in the story of Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia. Bagrevand; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15;

Aras River 3 (Akhurian River Mouth)

Armenia, Aras River 3, Akhurian River Folder

Akhurian River

Akhurian River Source (Lake Tseli)

Akhurian River 1 (Gyumri, Armenia)

Akhurian River 2 (Yerazgavors, Armenia)

Tsilkan, Armenia
Tsilkan (Tsilkar), Armenia; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ;

Akhurian River 2 (Ani, Armenia)

Anis-Shirakavan, Armenia
Anis-Shirakavan, Armenia ; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30

Akhurian River 3 (Bagaran, Armenia)

Akhurian River 4 (Yervandashat, Armenia)

Akhurian River Mouth (Aras River 3)

Aras River 4 (Metsamor River Mouth)

Armenia, Aras River 4, Metsamor River Folder

Metsamor River

Metsamor River Mouth (Aras River 4)

Aras River 5 (Hrazdan, Azat Rivers)

Armenia, Aras River 5, Hrazdan River Folder

Hrazdan River

Armenian Plateau
Armenian Plateau ; Armenia; Mount Ararat; Aras River; Martyr Romulus and with him many others; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance; St James the Bishop of Nisibis; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia; Venerable Euthymius the Great; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Hrazdan River Mouth, Aras River 5)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene); Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Alaverdi, Armenia or Georgia (Transcaucasus)
Alaverdi; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia; Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, Armenia (Hrazdan River Mouth, Aras River 5)
Cathedral of Etchmiadzin; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Hrazdan River Mouth (Aras River 5)

Armenia, Aras River 5, Azat River Folder

Azat River

Azat River 1

Battle of Garni or Garnisi (Azat River 1.5, Aras River 5)
Battle of Garni or Garnisi; Saint Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17; During the reign of Queen Tamar’s daughter Rusudan (1222-1245), the armies of Sultan Jalal al-Din stormed into Georgia. Rusudan rallied the Georgian forces and appointed a new commander-in-chief by the name of John Atabeg. Six thousand Georgians confronted a Muslim army of two hundred thousand near the village of Garnisi. Command of the advance guard was entrusted to the brave and valorous brothers Shalva and John of Akhaltsikhe, while John Atabeg remained with the main body of the army for the decisive battle. The advance guard fought fearlessly, though the enemy’s army greatly surpassed it in number. The brothers fought with great devotion, hoping for support from the commander-in-chief, but John Atabeg was seized with envy—rather than fear—and never offered them his help. “O envy, source of every evil!” wrote one chronicler of the incident. The enemy devastated the Georgian army, killing four thousand of its most valiant soldiers. Among them was John of Akhaltsikhe, whose brother Shalva was captured and delivered as a slave to Jalal al-Din.

Azat River 2

Azat River Mouth (Aras River 5)

Artashat, Armenian Capital (Azat River Mouth, Aras River 5)
Artashat; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15;

Aras River 6

Khor Virab (deep well) monestary, Armenia (Aras River 6)
Khor Virab (deep well) monestary; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Mount Ararat, Armenia (south of Aras River 7)
Mount Ararat; Tobit Chapter 1: Courage in Burying the Dead: 16 In the days of Shalmaneser* I performed many acts of charity to my kindred, those of my tribe. 17I would give my food to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw the dead body of any of my people thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury it. 18I also buried any whom King Sennacherib put to death when he came fleeing from Judea in those days of judgement that the king of heaven executed upon him because of his blasphemies. For in his anger he put to death many Israelites; but I would secretly remove the bodies and bury them. So when Sennacherib looked for them he could not find them. 19Then one of the Ninevites went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. But when I realized that the king knew about me and that I was being searched for to be put to death, I was afraid and ran away. 20Then all my property was confiscated; nothing was left to me that was not taken into the royal treasury, except my wife Anna and my son Tobias. ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Midznadzori Wilderness, Armenia (Aras River 19)
Midznadzori Wilderness, Azerbaijan; Zangilan District; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Armenia, Aras River 20, Kalebar River Folder

Kaleybar River

Kaleybar River Source

Kaleybar River 1

Kaleybar River 2

Kaleybar River 3

Kaleybar River Mouth (Aras River 20)

Armenia, Aras River 20, Vorotan River Folder

Vorotan River

Hereti Kingdom, 893-1020. from Azerbaijan to Kakheti, capital, Shaki, Armenia (Vorotan River 1, Aras River 20)
Hereti Kingdom with a capital of Shaki in Armenia; Kingdom of Hereti was a medieval monarchy which emerged in Caucasus on the Iberian-Albanian frontier. Nowadays it roughly corresponds to the southeastern corner of Georgia's Kakheti region and a portion of Azerbaijan's northwestern districts. to traditional accounts, the name of the province originated from the legendary patriarch "Heros", the son of Thargamos, who founded the city of Hereti (later known as Khoranta) at the Alazani River. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29;

Vorotan River Mouth (Aras River 20)

Aras River Mouth (Kura River 12)

Alban (Baku), Greater Armenia (Aras River Mouth)
Alban (Baku); Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4)
Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Martyr Adrian at Caesarea, Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 3; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Saint Emmeleίa, Commemorated on May 30; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4;

Sebaste, Armenia (high point, Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1)
Sebaste, Cappadocia; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; Saint Modestos, Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Cappadocia, Greater Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River)
Cappadocia; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Meletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Igantius the Abbot in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyrs Capitolina and Eroteis of Cappadocia, Commemorated on October 27; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; Saint Kanides the Monk of Cappadocia, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Comana, Armenia (on Roman Road, Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)
Comana (Cappadocia); Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31;

Cucusus, Armenia, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness
Cucusus, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness; Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia
Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia; Martyr Michael, Abbot in Armenia, and 36 Fathers with him, Commemorated on October 1;

Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Nazianzos; The transfer of the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on January 19; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Saint Caesarius, brother of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on March 9; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Tyana, Armenia, Cappadocia, on Roman Road to Cilicia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia, Roman Roads Intersection Great Road across Turkey and to Cilicia
Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia; Holy New Martyr Theocharis, Commemorated on August 20;

Nyssa, Cappadocia, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5, Roman Road)
Nyssa, Cappadocia; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated November 17 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia (Euphreates River 1 & Silk Road Great Road Trade Route)
Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Roads from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated July 7; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Saint Dometian, Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God Commemorated on March 17 St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Armenia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Armenia (Clean), Pontine, its Area (includes Paphlagonia)
Pontine, its Area (includes Paphlagonia)

Armenia (Clean), Paphlagonia, in Pontine, its Area
Armenia, Paphlagonia, its Area

Armenia (Clean), Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent
Zargos Mountains, around the Fertile Crescent;

Armenia (Clean), extends into Arabian Plate, its Area
Arabian Plate, its Area

Armenia (Clean), next to Constantinople, its Area
Armenia, next to Constantinople, its Area

Armenia (Clean), Lycus River Folder, Farwestern Armenia

Bithyninum, Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ;

Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones, Gommon, Northeastern Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ;

Claudiopolis, Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Claudiopolis (Bithynia);

Soreus, Bithynia (Bolu (Bithynium) near Lycus River of Bithynia)
Soreus, Bithynia (Bolu (Bithynium));

Limna, Bithynia near Soreus near Claudiopolis near Bolu
Limna, Bithynia near Soreus near Claudiopolis near Bolu;

Armenia (Clean), Euphrates Kizilirmak Rivers Folder, Great Road, Syria

Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata;

Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia (Euphreates River 1 & Silk Road Great Road Trade Route)
Arabrak (Arabraces), Armenia ;

Armenia (Clean), Paphlagonia Folder, Western Pontine

Paphlagonia Region, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage)
Paphlagonia Region;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Lycus River Folder, Farwestern Pontine (Clean)

Amastris, Pontus, Armenia
Amastridia; Martyr Hyacinthus of Amastris, Commemorated on July 18 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26;

Amastridia, Pontus, Armenia

Heraclea, Pontica, Armenia (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea)
Heraclea Pontica (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea) ;

Armenia (Clean), Paphlagonia, Lower Kizilirmak River Folder

Mantinea in Paphlagonia, Pontine, Armenia, Asia Minor
Mantinea Asia Minor is somewhere in the Paphlagonia Region; Mantinea in Greece ; Regions of Ancient Greece - Asia Minor; Asia Minor; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27 ;

Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia
Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia; The exact location of Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia is 45 km north of Kastamonu, to the north of Ta, in the valley of the Grmak (Roman name Amnias, or Amneus). Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7;

Adrianopolis, Paphlogonia
Adrianopolis, Paphlogonia;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Pontine, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Gangra River Folder (Clean)

Gangra, Paphlagonia, Armenia (rich well watered valley, Gangra River)
Gangra;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Pontine, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Amnia River Folder (Clean)

Amnia, Paphlagonia, Armenia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River)
Amnia (probably here at the mouth of the Amnia River); Amnia River Region is on the Amnia River near the Battle of Amnia; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ;

Armenia (Clean), Tigris River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Tigris River Route
Tigris River Route

Nisibis, Armenia (Tigris River 3)
Nisibis (Mesopotamia);

Armenia (Clean), Aras River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Aras River

Basiani, Armenia (Aras River Source)
Basiani, Georgia;

Erzurum, Turkey (NATO Cold War airforce post)
Erzurum, Turkey (NATO Cold War airforce post) ;

Armenia (Clean), Aras River Source, Euphrates River Source Folder

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 3, Akhurian River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 4, Metsamor River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 5, Hrazdan River Folder

Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Hrazdan River Mouth, Aras River 5)
Erevan (Yerevan Fortress, Melitene);

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 5, Azat River Folder

Artashat, Armenian Capital (Azat River Mouth, Aras River 5)
Artashat;

Mount Ararat, Armenia (south of Aras River 7)
Mount Ararat;

Midznadzori Wilderness, Armenia (Aras River 19), Zanglan District
Midznadzori Wilderness, Azerbaijan; Zangilan District;

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 20, Kalebar River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Aras River 20, Vorotan River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Edessa and Melitene area Folder

Armenia (Clean), Edessa and Melitene, its Area

Armenia (Clean), Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River Folder, Great Road

Edessa, Syria;

Edessa, Armenia (abundant water)
Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa;

Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Roads from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya;

Armenia (Clean), Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River 4, Sajur River Folder

Armenia (Clean), Northeast Turkey and West Georgia, Laze Folder

Armenia (Clean), Chorokhi River

Armenia (Clean), Harsit River Folder (Far Eastern Pontine)

Lazeti, Pontine (Harsit River Source)
Lazeti;

Armenia (Clean), Kelkit River Folder (Eastern Pontine)

Kelkit River Source (Gumushane (Silver House))
Kelkit River Source (Gumushane (Silver House)) Kelkit River, the road from Armenia to Bithynia; North Anatolian Fault;

Nicopolis, Armenia, Pontaine (Kelkit River 1)
Nicopolis (Pontus);

Colonia, Pontine, Armenia (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis, Kelkit River1)
Colonia in Armenia (Koyluhisar or Nicopolis);

Pontus Polemoniacus Area, Armenia (Kelkit River 2)
Pontus Polemoniacus Area;

Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory
Neocaesarea;

Basil's Monastery at Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory
Basil's Monastery at Neocaesarea, Pontus, Armenia (Kelkit River 3, Iris River Crossroads) Saint Gregory;

Kelkit River Mouth (Iris (Yesil) River 3)
Kelkit River Mouth (Iris (Yesil) River 3) Kelkit River, the road from Armenia to Bithynia;

Armenia (Clean), Silk Road Folder (China to Turkey at Trabezon Armenia

Armenia (Clean), Trebizond, Pontine, Armenia (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ;

Armenia (Clean), Iris Rivers Folder (Far Western, Central and Southeastern Pontine)

Armenia (Clean), Iris (Yesil) River

Komana (Comana), Pontica Armenia (Iris River 1)
Komana (Comana), Pontica;

Amasea, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 3)
Amasea;

Armenia (Clean), Ankara-Amasea Road, Euchaita was important stop

Euchaita, Pontus, Armenia (Iris River 2)
Euchaita;

Lake Sebastea, Iris River Source

Sebaste, Pontine, Armenia (high point, Kizilirmak River 1, Iris River Source)
Sebaste, Armenia ;

Pontus, City of Pontus, Armenia (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis River 3, Kelkit River 3)
Eupatoria (Pontus);

Iris River Crossroads ( Pontus on Iris, and Neocaesarea on Kelkit) Macrina and Basil)
MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Zela, Pontine, Armenia, high point, site of Ancient Battles
Zela, Pontine, high point, site of Ancient Battles;

Armenia (Clean), Roman Roads to Cilicia

Roman Road to Cilicia

Tyana, Armenia, Cappadocia, on Roman Road to Cilicia
Tyana the Hittite Capital;

Roman Road to Cilicia - From the East, Connection to Great Road

Roman Road to Cilicia - From the West, Connection to the Great Road through Cicilian Gates

Roman Road to Cilicia - Connecting Tarsus and Antioch, Cilicia (Adana, Incirlik)

Roman Road to Cilicia - Connecting Comana or Cucusus with Antioch, Cilicia and Syria

Roman Roads to Cilicia, Connecting Antioch Cilicia with Antioch, Syria, Lebanon, and Kings Hwy

Comana, Armenia (Pontica, Armenia, Cappadocia or Cilicia, on a Roman Road, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)
Comana (Cappadocia);

Armenia (Clean), Zamanti River in Cappadocia (Source of the Seyhan)

Roman Road to Cilicia - Connecting Antioch Cilicia with Comona and Great Road

Roman Road to Cilicia - Cicilian Gates
Cicilian Gates

Armenia (Clean), Kizilirmak River Folder, Great Road from Ephesus to Euphrates, Cappadocia

Armenia (Clean), Cappadocia, its Area
Armenia, Cappadocia, its Area

Cappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia)
Cappadocia;

Caesurea (Kayseri), Armenia, Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4)
Caesurea, Cappadocia;

Armenia (Clean) Kizilirmak River

Nyssa, Armenia (Kizilirmak River 5)
Nyssa, Cappadocia;

Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Armenia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Nazianzos;

Sebaste, Cappadocia, Armenia (high point, Kizilirmak River 1, Iris River Source)
Sebaste, Armenia ;

Armenia (Clean), Great Road from Ephesus thru Colossae to the Euphrates at Melitine

Armenia (Clean), Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Armenia (Clean), Silk Road Great Road Trade Route

Trebizond, Pontine (Black Sea, Silk Road, Harsit River)
Trebizond (Black Sea, Silk Road) ;

Armenia (Clean), Great Road To Yerevan Trade Route Folder - via Upper Euphrates

Armenia (Clean), Great Road to Yerevan Armenia Trade Route via Upper Euphrates River

Armenia (Clean), Melitene, Armenia (Intersection Roads from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya;

Armenia (Clean), Edessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria;

Armenia (Clean), Euphrates River Route

Armenia (Clean), Syrian Roads Near Armenia

Syria, Roman Road, Sajur River in Syria, connecting Cilicia and Euphrates River 4 at Hieropolis and Pelion

Syria, Roman Road, Syria to Lebanon Pass, Orantes River Headwaters to Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse

Syria, Roman Road, Kings Highway (Nile River, Egypt to Euphrates River, Syria)

Albania Folder, its rivers and mountains

Albania
Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia; Martyr Nicodemus of Elbassan Albania, Commemorated on July 10 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Stephen of Serbia, "the blind one", Commemorated October 9 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10: Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated December 15 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; Saint Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11;

Albania 0030-1520, Albania History Folder

Albania, 000, 1st Century Folder, Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium, Apostle Caesar

Albania, 30-1st Century, Apostle Caesar, of the 70, Dirrachium, Albania (Roman Road, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia)
Albania, 30-, Apostle Caesar, Dirrachium, Albania (K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia) Dirrachium, Albania Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Caesar preached at and was bishop of Dyrrhachium, a district of the Peloponnesos in Greece.

Albania, 30-68, Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Apollonia, John Mark, the Evangelist, Barnabas' cousin
Albania, 30-68, Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Mark is named in the Acts of the Apostles as an assistant accompanying Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys. Traditionally he is regarded as identical with Mark the Evangelist, the traditional writer of the Gospel of Mark. account 6th-century Syriac inscription at the Monastery of St. Mark on Zion, beginning, "This is the house of Mary, mother of John Mark." Lion of St Mark outside Bishop's Palace -- Galveston, Texas times the Acts of the Apostles mentions a certain "John, who was also called Mark" or simply "John": And when [Peter] had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.Acts 12:12 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.Acts 12:25 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had John to their minister.[Acts 13:5] Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.[Acts 13:13] And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whise surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabus took Mark, and sailed unto Cypress; And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the Grace of God. [Acts 15:37–40] these passages it may be gathered that John's mother Mary had a large house in Jerusalem to which Peter fled after escaping prison; that John assisted Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Cyprus and as far as Perga in Pamphylia, but then returned to Jerusalem; and that later controversy over receiving John Mark back led to Paul and Barnabas parting ways, with Barnabas taking Mark back to Cyprus and both thereafter disappearing from the narrative of Acts. The reasons for John Mark's departure to Jerusalem and the subsequent disagreement between Paul and Barnabas have been subject to much speculation. Matthew Henry, for example, suggested that John Mark had departed "without [Barnabas and Paul's] knowledge, or without their consent".[2] However, there is simply too little data to regard any explanation with confidence.[3] scholars have argued that John Mark's negative portrayal in Acts is a polemic against the presumptive author of the Gospel of Mark, Luke's primary source for his own Gospel. Adela Collins suggests, "Since the author of Acts also wrote the Gospel according to Luke, it could be that this critical portrait was intended to undercut the authority of the second Gospel."[4] Michael Kok notes that "Mark's Gospel was a bit of an embarrassment to the refined literary and theological tastes of an educated Christian like Luke."[5] was common for Jews of the period to bear both a Semitic name such as John (Hebrew: Yochanon) and a Greco-Roman name such as Mark.[6] But since John was one of the most common names among Palestinian Jews,[7] and Mark was the most common in the Roman world,[8] caution is warranted in identifying John Mark with any other John or Mark. sources in fact consistently distinguish John Mark from the other Marks of the New Testament and style him Bishop of Byblos.[1][9][10][11] Nor was John Mark identified in antiquity with any other John, apart from rare and explicit speculation.[10][12][13] sources, on the other hand, increasingly regarded all New Testament references to Mark as Mark the Evangelist, and many modern scholars have agreed in seeing a single Mark.[14] The very fact that various writings could refer simply to Mark without further qualification has been seen as pointing to a single Mark.[15] there is Mark the cousin of Barnabas, mentioned by Paul as a "fellow worker" in the closings of three Pauline epistles.[16] In antiquity he was regarded as a distinct Mark, Bishop of Apollonia.[11] If, on the other hand, these two Marks are to be identified, the fact that these epistles were written after the departure of John Mark with Barnabas in Acts must suppose some later reconciliation. But a majority of scholars, noting the close association of both Marks with Paul and Barnabas, indeed regard them as likely the same person. Biblical scholars Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles Augustus Briggs identified Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, with John Mark,[17] as do John R. Donahue and Daniel J. Harrington.[18] the Evangelist, however, is known only from the patristic tradition, which associates him only with Peter and makes no mention of Paul.[19] Jerome alone suggests that the Mark of whom Paul speaks may be the Evangelist.[20][21] But modern scholars have noted that as Peter fled to the house of John Mark's mother, the two men may have had a longstanding association.[22] minority of modern scholars have argued, on the other hand, for identifying John the Evangelist or John the Elder with John Mark.[23] sources Acts of Barnabas, apparently an apocryphal work of the 5th century,[24] purport to be written by John Mark and to detail the missionary journey and martyrdom of Barnabas in Cyprus, thus picking up where the account of Acts leaves off.[25] Encomium of the Apostle St. Barnabas, written by Alexander the Monk in the 6th century, also gives an extensive account of the activity of Barnabas and John Mark in Cyprus. After the death of Barnabas, John Mark leaves for Ephesus, and the account then continues by identifying him with Mark the Evangelist.[10] Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; Mark, also called John, (Acts 12:12), was a nephew of Saint Barnabas, and was Bishop of Apollonia (Col. 4:10). It was in the house of his mother Maria that the persecuted disciples found shelter after the Ascension of the Lord. Mark the Evangelist; the Evangelist is the traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark. Mark is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria, one of the most important episcopal sees of early Christianity. His feast day is celebrated on April 25, and his symbol is the winged lion.[3] identity[edit] See also: Four Evangelists Mark the Evangelist's symbol is the winged lion, the Lion of Saint Mark. Inscription: PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS ("peace be upon you, Mark, my evangelist"). The same lion is also symbol of Venice (on illustration) to William Lane (1974), an "unbroken tradition" identifies Mark the Evangelist with John Mark,[4] and John Mark as the cousin of Barnabas.[5] Hippolytus of Rome in On the Seventy Apostles distinguishes Mark the Evangelist (2 Tim 4:11), John Mark (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37), and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10; Phlm 1:24).[6] to Hippolytus, they all belonged to the "Seventy Disciples" who were sent out by Jesus to disseminate the gospel (Luke 10:1ff.) in Judea. to Eusebius of Caesarea (Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1–4), Herod Agrippa I, in his first year of reign over the whole of Judea (AD 41), killed James, son of Zebedee and arrested Peter, planning to kill him after the Passover. Peter was saved miraculously by angels, and escaped out of the realm of Herod (Acts 12:1–19). went to Antioch, then through Asia Minor (visiting the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, as mentioned in 1 Peter 1:1), and arrived in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius (AD 42; Eusebius, Eccl, Hist. 2.14.6). on the way, Peter encountered Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark the Evangelist wrote down the sermons of Peter, thus composing the Gospel according to Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15–16), before he left for Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (AD 43).[7] to the Acts 15:39, Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem. to tradition, in AD 49, about 19 years after the Ascension of Jesus, Mark travelled to Alexandria and founded the Church of Alexandria – today, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church trace their origins to this original community.[8] Aspects of the Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself.[9] He became the first bishop of Alexandria and he is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa.[10] to Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. 2.24.1), Mark was succeeded by Anianus as the bishop of Alexandria in the eighth year of Nero (62/63), probably, but not definitely, due to his coming death. Later Coptic tradition says that he was martyred in 68.[1][11][12][13][14] modern Bible scholars argue the Gospel of Mark was written by an anonymous author, rather than direct witnesses to the reported events.[15][16][17][18][19] Biblical and traditional information[edit] St Mark in the Nuremberg Chronicle for Mark the Evangelist's authorship of the Gospel that bears his name originates with Papias.[20][21] Scholars of the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School are "almost certain" that Papias is referencing John Mark.[22] Modern mainstream Bible scholars discard Papias's information as unreliable.[23] Eusebius had a "low esteem of Papias' intellect".[24] Mark the Evangelist with John Mark also led to identifying him as the man who carried water to the house where the Last Supper took place (Mark 14:13),[25] or as the young man who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51–52).[26] Coptic Church accords with identifying Mark the Evangelist with John Mark, as well as that he was one of the Seventy Disciples sent out by Christ (Luke 10:1), as Hippolytus confirmed.[27] tradition also holds that Mark the Evangelist hosted the disciples in his house after Jesus's death, that the resurrected Jesus Christ came to Mark's house (John 20), and that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples at Pentecost in the same house.[27] Mark is also believed to have been among the servants at the Marriage at Cana who poured out the water that Jesus turned to wine (John 2:1–11).[27] to the Coptic tradition, Mark was born in Cyrene, a city in the Pentapolis of North Africa (now Libya). tradition adds that Mark returned to Pentapolis later in life, after being sent by Paul to Colossae (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24. however, think these actually refer to Mark the Cousin of Barnabas), and serving with him in Rome (2 Tim 4:11); from Pentapolis he made his way to Alexandria.[28][29] Mark returned to Alexandria, the pagans of the city resented his efforts to turn the Alexandrians away from the worship of their traditional gods.[citation needed] In AD 68, they placed a rope around his neck and dragged him through the streets until he was dead.[30] Festa del bocoło (rosebud festival) in St Mark's Square, Venice (Italy) Feast of St Mark is observed on April 25 by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. For those Churches still using the Julian Calendar, April 25 according to it aligns with May 8 on the Gregorian Calendar until the year 2099. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes the Feast of St Mark on Parmouti 30 according to the Coptic Calendar which always aligns with April 25 on the Julian Calendar or May 8 on the Gregorian Calendar. John Mark is distinguished from Mark the Evangelist, John Mark is celebrated on September 27 (as in the Roman Martyrology) and Mark the Evangelist on April 25. is remembered in the Church of England and in much of the Anglican Communion, with a Festival on 25 April.[31] of Saint Mark[edit] mosaic of St Marks body welcomed into Venice, at St Mark's Basilica, Venice. Saint Mark, 1411–1413, by Donatello (Orsanmichele, Florence). 828, relics believed to be the body of Saint Mark were taken from Alexandria (at the time controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate) by two Venetian merchants with the help of two Greek monks and taken to Venice.[32] mosaic in St Mark's Basilica depicts sailors covering the relics with a layer of pork and cabbage leaves. Since Muslims are not permitted to eat pork, this was done to prevent the guards from inspecting the ship's cargo too closely.[33] Nicol explained this act as "motivated as much by politics as by piety", and "a calculated stab at the pretensions of the Patriarchate of Aquileia." Instead of being used to adorn the church of Grado, which claimed to possess the throne of Saint Mark, it was kept secretly by Doge Giustiniano Participazio in his modest palace. Possession of Saint Mark's remains was, in Nicol's words, "the symbol not of the Patriarchate of Grado, nor of the bishopric of Olivolo, but of the city of Venice." In his will, Doge Giustiniano asked his widow to build a basilica dedicated to Saint Mark, which was erected between the palace and the chapel of Saint Theodore Stratelates, who until then had been patron saint of Venice.[34] 1063, during the construction of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Saint Mark's relics could not be found. However, according to tradition, in 1094, the saint himself revealed the location of his remains by extending an arm from a pillar.[35] The newfound remains were placed in a sarcophagus in the basilica.[36] believe that the head of Saint Mark remains in a church named after him in Alexandria, and parts of his relics are in Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo. The rest of his relics are in Venice.[1] Every year, on the 30th day of the month of Paopi, the Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the commemoration of the consecration of the church of Saint Mark, and the appearance of the head of the saint in the city of Alexandria. This takes place inside St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria.[37] June 1968, Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria sent an official delegation to Rome to receive a relic of Saint Mark from Pope Paul VI. The delegation consisted of ten metropolitans and bishops, seven of whom were Coptic and three Ethiopian, and three prominent Coptic lay leaders. relic was said to be a small piece of bone that had been given to the Roman pope by Giovanni Cardinal Urbani, Patriarch of Venice. Pope Paul, in an address to the delegation, said that the rest of the relics of the saint remained in Venice. delegation received the relic on June 22, 1968. The next day, the delegation celebrated a pontifical liturgy in the Church of Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in Rome. The metropolitans, bishops, and priests of the delegation all served in the liturgy. Members of the Roman papal delegation, Copts who lived in Rome, newspaper and news agency reporters, and many foreign dignitaries attended the liturgy.

Albania, 98-117, Astius Bishop of Dirrachium, Albania (on Via Egnatia)
Albania, 98-117, Astius Bishop of Dirrachium, Albania (on Via Egnatia) Dirrachium, Albania Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated July 7 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7;

Albania, 98-117, Hieromartyr Astius, Dirrachium, (Via Egnatia), suffering dream, leaden rods oxhide whips, honey hornets, cruci
Albania, 98-117, Hieromartyr Astius, Dirrachium, Albania (near Shkumbiin River Mouth, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia), his dream impending and death for Christ, beaten leaden rods, oxhide whips, smeared honey for hornets, crucified ; Dirrachium, Albania Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Astius was bishop of the city of Dyrrachium (Macedonia) during the time of the emperor Trajan (98-117), a persecutor of Christians. saint once had a dream, a foreboding of his impending suffering and death for Christ. He was arrested and beaten fiercely with leaden rods and oxhide whips, but Saint Astius did not renounce Christ. They smeared his body with honey, so as to increase his suffering with the stings of hornets and flies, and crucified him. The martyr’s body was reverently buried by Christians.

Albania, 500, 6th Century Folder, Astius of Dirrachium on Via Egnatia, Durras Castle

Albania, 491-518, Albanian Anastasius 1 , Byzantine Emperor (491-518), Durras Castle, Albania
Anastasius 1 (491-518), Byzantine Emperor, Durras Castle, Albania; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Albania, 800, 9th Century Folder, Clement and Nahum of Ohrid

Albania, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria

Albania, 850-916, Nahum of Ochrid, Cyril&Methodius, monastery w Clement of O, wonderworker, slavonic translator

Albania, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Seige of Berat, HRE over Orthodox

Albania, 1280, HRE, Siege of Berat (1280-1281), HRE over Orthodox Byzantines, Charles I of Anjou
Siege of Berat (1280-1281), HRE over Orthodox Byzantines, Charles I of Anjou; 26 Monastic Martyrs of Zographou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

Albania, 1385-1912, Ottoman Albania Folder

Albania, 1385-1912, Ottoman Albania
Albania, 1385-1912, Ottoman Albania;

Albania, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Stephen the Blind and Angelina of Serbia

Albania, 1443-1468, Albanian Prince, George Skenderbeg
Albanian Prince, 1443-1468, George Skenderbeg; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Albania, 1458-1459, Serbian Prince, Stephen Brancovich (Stephen the Blind)
Serbian Prince, 1458-1459, Stephen Brancovich; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Albania, 1458-1520, Albanian Serbian Saint, Saint Angelina of Serbia
Serbian Saint, 1458-1520, Saint Angelina of Serbia; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18;

Albania, 1700, 18th Century Folder, New Martyr Nicodemus

Albania, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, wMt Athos, bk tConfess wGod's power, no fear, survived precipice, incorrupt fragrant relics
Albania, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, raised christian, became moslem, forced children follow, except one son who went Mt Athos, traveled M A in anger, but repented there and became monk, strict fast 3 yrs, weeping, begging, desire go back confess there, Akakios oKausokalyvia for instructions, addressed him by name not knowing him, withdrew to pray, light fHeaven shining like star on face, take tStaff before pasha, power oGod you will complete martyrdom well, ready to leave but weak fFasting, asked break fast, no, now more tEver must fast, walk much as yCan, Lord wStrengthen walk wEase, I fear deamons however, Fear God, Demons no authority of their own, hope Christ help you witness tHim, survived being pushed off precipice, Turks tortured 3days&nights, beheaded, showing no sign of fear, incorrupt fragrant relics still preserved, relics Skete St Anne; Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos came from Elbasan, a town of Epirus (Albania) was raised by devout parents. he reached a suitable age, he married a Christian woman and they had several children. he associated with Turks, he was influenced by them and became a Moslem. even forced his children to follow his example, for one son, who was abducted by certain Christians and sent to Mount Athos. There he was tonsured as a monk. for the young man in order to convert him to Islam, the wretched father learned that he was on the Holy Mountain. traveled to Athos in great anger, vowing to cause serious trouble for the monasteries if he found his son there. Who desires that all may be saved, effected his salvation in a marvelous way. of finding his son and converting him, he himself came to his senses and repented. both Islam and the world, he became a monk at the Skete of Saint Anne, in the Kalyva (isolated cell) of the Ascension, with the new name of Νikόdēmos. repentance was such that he kept a strict fast for three years, weeping and begging God to forgive his terrible sin of apostasy. day he heard some of the Fathers saying that whoever denies Christ must go back to the same place and confess Him before men. that moment, he burned with a desire for martyrdom. he prepared himself through asceticism, fasting, and prayer. of Saint Akakios (April 12) of the Skete of Kausokalyvia [Καυσοκαλύβια], Νikόdēmos visited him in order to receive his blessing and his instructions. soon as Νikόdēmos beheld the Saint, he fell down at his feet and wept for a long time. Akakios took him by the hand and addressed him by name, although he did not know him. him up, he comforted him. Then he withdrew for a short distance and began to pray. who were present saw a light from Heaven, shining like a star, which illumined the Saint's face. he turned to Νikόdēmos and whispered something to him, and then the radiance disappeared. with contrition and by divine grace, Νikόdēmos cried out with a loud voice. Then he went into the cave and wept for a considerable time. he returned to Saint Akakios and asked for his blessing to go forth to martyrdom. him and placing a staff in his hand, the Saint said, "Take this staff and go before the pasha. By the power of God, you will complete your martyrdom well." Νikόdēmos took the staff, and was ready to leave at once to achieve his goal. weakened by fasting, he was not capable of walking all the way back to Elbasan. Therefore, he asked Saint Akakios if he might break his fast in order to strengthen himself for the journey. Saint replied, "Now, more than ever, you must fast, Brother, for soon you will be struggling for Christ. Walk as much as you can, and the Lord Who said 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4), shall strengthen you to walk with ease." Martyr answered, "O Father, by your prayers, may our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, and enable me to confess the good confession (I Timothy 6:12). I fear the demons, however." Akakios chided him, "Fear God, Brother, and not the demons who have no authority of their own over us. place all your hope in Christ, not only to vanquish the demons, but also to help you in bearing witness to Him." this, Νikόdēmos wept tears of joy. down to the ground and kissing the Saint's feet, he received his blessing and went on his way. he was still on the Holy Mountain, the Lord appeared to Νikόdēmos and encouraged him. He revealed all the trials that he would face, and even the site of his execution. by Christ, Νikόdēmos arrived at Elbasan. he was recognized by the Turks, arrested, and brought before the pasha, who tried to make him return to Islam. Νikόdēmos rejected the religion of the Turks and courageously confessed Christ. they took him to a high precipice and pushed him off. Miraculously, he floated down gently and landed on his feet. to the palace, he appeared before the pasha, who was terrified to see him alive. almost released Νikόdēmos, but fearing the mob of Turks, he turned the Martyr over to them. They tortured him for three days and nights before leading him to the place of execution. Along the way, they made him kneel several times, as if they intended to behead him. they reached the place which the Lord had revealed to him, Christ's Martyr showed no sign of fear. He bent his neck and was beheaded with a sword, and his soul went to Heaven with the crown of martyrdom on July 11, 1722. After the Saint's martyrdom, Christians buried him in the church of the Theotokos, his incorrupt and fragrant relics are still preserved, working miracles for those who run to him with faith. piece of his relics is also kept in the Skete of Saint Anne, where there is a manuscript with his Church Service. A new Service was composed by the monk John Danielidis and others.

Albania, 1728-1748, Kristo tGardener oAlbania, tConstantinople, Turks lies sentenced him, refused food to hunger thirst fChrist
Albania, 1728-1748, Kristo tGardener oAlbania, at 40 went tConstantinople for better business, one day Turk wanted buy all his apples, unable agree price, angry lying turk accused Kristo wanting become Moslem, lying false Moslem wittnesses found to testify, that he had stated intension to convert, Kristo's testimony discounted because he christian and Moslem witnesses had contradicted, beaten tortured the next day, but remained steadfast, visited by well known monk author Kaisarios Dapontes, freed from chains, brought food but K refused to eat, because did not expect to live and wanted to hunger thirst for Christ, sentenced beheaded because refused abandon Christ, K gave K D metal file to sell for memorial services for him, beheaded Feb 12, 1748; Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; Saint Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated on February 12; holy New Martyr Kristo was an Albanian who worked in a vegetable garden. the age of forty, he decided to go to Constantinople to seek better business opportunities. day he was negotiating with a Turk who wished to purchase his entire stock of apples, they were unable to agree on a price. Turk became angry and accused Kristo of expressing a desire to become a Moslem. was brought before the authorities, and false witnesses were found to testify that he had indeed stated his intention to convert. declared that he never said that he wished to become a Moslem. testimony was discounted, however, because he was a Christian, and Moslem witnesses had contradicted him. saint was beaten and tortured the next day, remained steadfast in his confession of Christ. Dapontes, a well known monk and author, visited Saint Kristo and got him freed from the place where he was chained. brought food for him, but he refused to eat. “Why should I eat?” he asked. “I do not expect to live, so I may as well die hungering and thirsting for Christ.” he refused to abandon the Orthodox Faith, Saint Kristo was sentenced to be beheaded. they led him away, Kristo gave Dapontes a metal file and told him to sell it and use the money to have memorial services offered for him. February 12, 1748 Saint Kristo the Gardener was beheaded, thereby receiving an imperishable crown of glory from Christ.

Albania, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia, Albanian Turk slavery, no convert. extreme tortures &resistence 15yr old martyr
Greece, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia (Malbasia) Monestary, Southern Greece, Geraki &Gouves, only 12 in 1770 when priest father killed bAlbanian Turks, with mother into slavery at Larisa, at first separate then by same master, who wanted to adopt him, but he would not convert. extreme tortures and resistence 15yr old martyr; Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; John was born in 1758 near the city of Monemvasia. father was a priest from Geraki, and his mother was from the neighboring village of Gouves. was in Gouves that John's father was assigned as a priest, and there John was born. a young age John tried to emulate his father by helping him work in the church. He was known for his exemplary behavior, and referred to by other children as the "priest's son." the year 1770 the army of the Albanian Hatzi Osman defeated the Greek resistance, and arriving in Monemvasia they killed John's father and enslaved both him and his mother. were taken to Larisa, where they were sold separately two or three times. two years they were bought by the same man, a Turkish landowner. Turk had no children, and recognizing John's good qualities (he was exceptionally intelligent for his age, obedient, and a hard worker), the man wanted to adopt John after converting him to Islam. Every day they tried to persuade him to abandon the Christian Faith and become a Turk. Initially, they used flattery and promises, but later they used terrible tortures to overcome John's steadfastness (he was only 15 years old), but he remained unwavering in his Christian faith. day his master, tired of trying to convince him to convert, and in anger led him to the courtyard of the mosque. Many Muslims were gathered there, and with blows and terrible threats they urged him to convert and become a Turk. John's response was clear: "I am not a Turk, I am a Christian and I shall die as a Christian." addition, the Turk and his wife tried every day with magic and evil spells to make the Saint lose his mind and give in to carnal desires, and then to become a Turk. But John remained pure, for the grace of Christ protected him from all of the diabolical devices of the Turk's wife. came the fifteen days of fasting before the Dormition of the Theotokos. The Turk realized that John did not wish to break the fast, so he locked him up in a barn. He kept him there for the entire fifteen days and hung him up, lighting a fire in the straw beneath him to cause smoke, and struck him with the flat of his sword, all the while trying to make him eat their abominable foods and break the fast. Saint John did not even taste the food, but prayed to the Mother of God, in whose honor the Fast is observed, asking her to help him keep the fast, for he preferred to die rather than break his fast. master, seeing that he remained unconvinced, left him without food for two and three days at a time. His mother, seeing him weakened by the tortures and the fasting, tried to convince him to give in, saying: "Eat these foods, my son, so that you do not perish. God and the Panagia will forgive you, because you would not be doing this voluntarily, but out of necessity. Pity me, your poor mother. Do not die and leave me alone in this foreign land, for by having you here, I feel as if I am not a slave." replied: "Why are you doing this, Mother, and why are you crying? Why don't you emulate the Patriarch Abraham, who for the love of God wanted to sacrifice his only son, yet you only cry and weep. I am a priest's son and I should be keeping the laws and customs of our Church more than the sons of laymen, for if we don't keep the small things [of the faith], how can we keep the larger things?" after this response the furious Turk stabbed him in the heart on October 19, 1773. After two days Saint John died and received the crown of martyrdom. John's skull and portions of his hand and feet are located at the Zermbitsa Monastery in Sparta, and other portions of his relics are in the churches of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in Larisa and Voulkanou Monastery in Messenia.

Albania, 9999, Unknown Century Folder, Gregory tWise oOchrid

Albania, 9999, Gregory tWise oOchrid, Albania (largest city on Lake Ochrid), faithful teacher&shepherd Christ's Flock
Albania, 9999, Gregory tWise oOchrid, Albania (largest city on Lake Ochrid), faithful teacher&shepherd Christ's Flock; Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Venerable Gregory of Ochrid, Commemorated on January 8 Gregory was a faithful teacher and shepherd of Christ’s flock. inscription in the church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Ochrid refers to him as “Gregory the Wise.”

Albania, Aous River Folder, K Triangle of Roman Roads, Southern ALB

Illyria, Albania (North of Aous R, West of Dinara Mts - Bosnia Herzgovina, Montenegro, Dalmatia)
Illyria; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23;

Aous River

Aous River Source (Vovousa, Pindus Mts, Epirus)

Pindus Mountains
Pindus Mountains;

Pindus Range
Pindus Range;

Aous River 1 (Epirus and Konitsa, Greece)

Euroea, Epirus, Albania (Aous River 1)
Euroea in Epiro; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Aous River 2 (Carshove, Albania)

Aous River 3 (Permet, Albania)

Aous River 4 (Kelcyre Gorge)

Aous River 5 (Tepelene, Albania)

Aous River 6 (Memaliaj)

Aous River 7 (Selenice)

Aous River 8 (Novosele)

Aous River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Apollonia (Albania) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia, K Triangle, Roman Road Via Egnatia
Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30;

Albania, Shkumbin River Folder, Via Egnatia Entrance, Central ALB

Kutmichevitsa, Albania or Southwest Macedonia (K Triangle Area)
Kutmichevitsa, (K Triangle Area), the northwestern part of the region of Macedonia and the southern part of Albania, broadly taken to be the area included in the triangle ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ;

Shkumbin River

Shkumbin River Source (Pogradec District)
Pogradec District (southwest Lake Okhrida);

Mount Tomorr
Mount Tomorr;

Shkumbin River 1

Shkumbin River 2

Shkumbin River 3 (Elbesan)

Elbasan, a town of Epirus (Albania), K Triangle, Roman Road Via Egnatia
E;lbasan, a town of Epirus (Albania) ; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11;

Elbesan, Albania (Roman Road Via Egnatia, Shkumbin River 3)
Elbesan; Martyr Nicodemus of Elbassan Albania, Commemorated on July 10 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Shkumbin River 4

Berat, Albania ( Roman Roads, Molisht River Mouth, Osum River)
Berat, Albania; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greter Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ;

Charles I of Anjou, HRE, Siege of Berat (1280-“1281), HRE over Orthodox Byzantines
Charles I of Anjou, HRE, Siege of Berat (1280-“1281), HRE over Orthodox Byzantines; 26 Monastic Martyrs of Zographou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

Shkumbin River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Dirrachium, Albania (near Shkumbiin River Mouth, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia)
Dirrachium, Albania Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated July 7 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7;

Durras Castle, Dirrachium, Albania (near Shkumbiin River Mouth)
Dirrachium, Albania Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated July 7 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7;

Albania, Drilon River Folder, Northern ALB

Drilon River

Lake Skadar
Lake Skadar;

Drilon River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

White Drilon River

Dinaric Alps, Albania
Dinaric Alps; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15;

Prokletije Range
Prokletije Range;

White Drilon (Drin) River Source (Frieze Lake)

White Drilon (Drin) River 1

White Drilon (Drin) River 2 (Drilon River Source)

White Drilon (Drin) River 3a

White Drilon (Drin) River 3b

White Drilon River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Black Drilon River

Black Drilon (Drin) River Source (Lake Ohrid)

Black Drilon (Drin) River 1

Black Drilon (Drin) River 2

Black Drilon (Drin) River 3

Black Drilon (Drin) River Mouth (Frieze Lake, White Drilon River)

Albania, Lake Ochrid area Folder, Eastern ALB

Lake Okhrida, Albania
Lake Okhrida; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Ochrid, Albania and Greater Macedonia (Roman Roads, largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid); Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; Slavs; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Gregory of Ochrid; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Saint Clement's Cathedral and Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, Ochrid, 890
Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon Monastery and Cathedral, Ochrid, 890; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; St. Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; St. Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St. Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23;

Pojani, Albania (near Lake Ochrid, on Via Egnatia of K Triangle)
Pojani, Albania; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4;

Moscopole, Albania
Moscopole; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2;

Upper Valachia (Moscopole and Metsovon)
Upper Valachia; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2;

Prespa Lakes Region, Albania and Macedonia, Greece
Prespa Lakes (Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15;

Albania (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Albania (Clean), its Area
Albania, its Area

Albania (Clean), Aous River Folder, K Triangle of Roman Roads, Southern ALB

Apollonia (Albania) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia, K Triangle, Roman Road Via Egnatia
Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia;

Euroea, Epirus, Albania (Aous River 1)
Euroea in Epiro;

Albania (Clean), Shkumbin River Folder, Via Egnatia Entrance, Central ALB

Elbesan, Albania or Illyria (Roman Road Via Egnatia, Shkumbin River 3)
Elbesan;

Albania (Clean), Drilon River Folder, Northern ALB

Dinaric Alps, Albania
Dinaric Alps;

Albania (Clean), Lake Ochrid area Folder, Eastern ALB

Albania (Clean), Roman Roads, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle)

Dirrachium, Albania (near Shkumbiin River Mouth, K Triangle Via Egnatia, Macedonia)
Dirrachium, Albania

Ochrid, Albania (largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid);

Africa Folder

Africa (Clean), its Area
Africa, its Area

Africa (Clean) Roman Province of Africa

Hippo, Roman Province of Africa
Hippo;

Cyrene in Roman Province of Africa
Cyrene in Libya;

Pentapolis, Roman Province of Africa (Benhgazi)
Pentapolis, Roman Province of Africa (Benhgazi) ;

Necropolis. Roman Province of Africa (an example of large Christian graveyards, Tripoli)
Necropolis (an example): these large Christian graveyards (Jedars or walls) were throughout northern Algeria and Libya.

Africa, North Africa Folder

North Africa
North Africa; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated on July 16 ; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated January 12 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 13 ; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ;

Africa, North Africa, 146 BC - 429 AD, Roman province
Africa (Roman province); 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23; St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Africa, North Africa, 429 - 643, Vandal Kingdom, Hippo and Carthage
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; Africa (Roman province); 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23; St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Africa, North Africa, 643-1581, Medieval Arabic Africa
Similar to the Roman Province Africa, Africa (Medieval Arabic Africa); Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ; 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated December 8 ; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated December 8; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Africa, North Africa 146 BC-1581AD, Folder

Africa, North Africa, 146BC - 429AD, Roman Province

Africa, North Africa, 000, 1st Century Folder, Ephenetus of Carthage

Africa, North Africa, 30-64, Ephenetus, from Achaia, bishof of Carthage
Africa, North Africa, 30-64, Ephenetus, from Achaia, bishof of Carthage; or Epaentus is a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, considered one of the seventy disciples and may have been the first Bishop of Carthage or Cartagena. In the 16th chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans, Epenetus is referred to by Saint Paul as "my beloved" and given the great distinction of being named the "first convert in the Province of Asia".[2] Epaentus was a convert to Christianity in Ephesus. In the lists of the seventy disciples by the Pseudo-Dorotheus and Pseudo-Hippolytus, Epaenetus figures as Bishop of Carthage or Cartagena.[3] The Greek Orthodox Church remembers Epenetus on January 4[4] among the Seventy, and on July 30 with Apostles Silas and Silvanus, Crescens, and Andronicus.[3] Carthage; Carthagian Empire; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5).

Africa, North Africa, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Tertullian

Africa, North Africa, 175-240, Tertullian, Christian Author, Latin, Western Theology, not saint
Africa, North Africa, 175-240, Christian Author, Tertullian; (c. 155 AD - c. 220 AD)[1] was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.[2] He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He was an early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy, including contemporary Christian Gnosticism.[3] Tertullian has been called "the father of Latin Christianity"[4][5] and "the founder of Western theology."[6] originated new theological concepts and advanced the development of early Church doctrine. He is perhaps most famous for being the first writer in Latin known to use the term trinity (Latin: trinitas). was never recognized as a saint by the Eastern or Western Catholic churches. Several of his teachings on issues such as the clear subordination of the Son and Spirit to the Father,[7][8] as well as his condemnation of remarriage for widows and of fleeing from persecution, contradict the doctrines of these traditions, and his later rejection of orthodoxy for Montanism has led these communions to refrain from considering him a Church father, important ecclesiastical writer though he was. Africa, North Africa, 220-258, Saint, Cyprian; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31;

Africa, North Africa, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Cyprian

Africa, North Africa, 203, Perpetua, Carthage, catechumens, baptized after arrest, visions strengthened them, amphitheatre
Africa, North Africa, 203, Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis), catechumens, baptized after arrest, visions from God strengthened them, amphitheatre, lion and bear, wild heifer, leopard, she guided his hand to her throat; Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; Holy Martyrs Perpetua, Felicitas and those with them. Vibia Perpetua was from a patrician family, and lived in Carthage. She came to believe in Christ, and was baptized after her arrest as a Christian. A few days later, the twenty-two-year-old woman was taken to prison with her infant son. Arrested with her were her brother Saturus, the servants Felicitas, Revocatus, Saturninus and Secundulus, who were also catechumens. the exhortations of her father, who persistently appealed to her maternal feelings, the widowed Saint Perpetua refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. their execution, Saints Perpetua and Saturus had visions from God, which strengthened their souls. Saint Felicitas, who was eight months pregnant, gave birth to a baby girl while in prison. She rejoiced because now she would be permitted to die with her companions. There was a law forbidding the execution of pregnant women. martyrs were led from the prison into the amphitheatre. Saturninus and Revocatus had to face a leopard and a bear. Saints Perpetua and Felicitas were brought to the arena in nets, and they were pitted against a wild heifer. After being tossed to the ground by the heifer, the two women were led out of the arena. Saturus was bitten by a leopard, but did not die. The martyrs were then led to a certain spot to be killed by the sword. The young gladiator who was to execute Saint Perpetua was inexperienced and did not kill her with the first blow. She herself took his hand and guided it to her throat, and so she received the crown of martyrdom. This occurred in about the year 203. amphitheatre where these saints perished is located a few miles from the city of Tunis. In 1881, a room was discovered opposite the modern entrance into the arena. Some say this was a cell where the victims waited to be brought into the arena.

Africa, North Africa, 220-258, Saint, Cyprian, true life, apostles faith, virtue foundation of Love
Africa, North Africa, 220-258, Saint, Cyprian; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Saint Cyprian was finally baptized, he wrote in the Treatise To Donatus: “When the water of regeneration cleansed the impurity of my former life, a light from on high shone into my heart... and the Spirit transformed me into a new man by a second birth. Then at once, in a miraculous manner, certainty replaced doubt, mysteries were revealed, and darkness became light.... Then it was possible to acknowledge that what was born of the flesh and lived for sin was earthly, but what the Holy Spirit had vivified began to be of God.... In God and from God is all our strength.... Through Him we, while living upon the earth, have a hint of future bliss.” Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was born in about the year 200 in the city of Carthage (Northern Africa), where all his life and work took place. Thascius Cyprianus was the son of a rich pagan senator, and received a fine secular education becoming a splendid orator, and a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy in the school of Carthage. He often appeared in the courts to defend his fellow citizens. afterwards recalled that for a long time “he remained in a deep dark mist.., far from the light of Truth.” His fortune, received from his parents and from his work, was spent on sumptuous banquets, but they were not able to quench in him the thirst for truth. He became acquainted with the writings of the Apologist Tertullian, and became convinced of the truth of Christianity. The holy bishop later wrote that he thought it was impossible for him to attain to the regeneration promised by the Savior, because of his habits. was helped by his friend and guide, the presbyter Cecilius, who assured him of the power of God’s grace. At 46 years of age the studious pagan was received into the Christian community as a catechumen. Before accepting Baptism, he distributed his property to the poor and moved into the house of the presbyter Cecilius. Saint Cyprian was finally baptized, he wrote in the Treatise To Donatus: “When the water of regeneration cleansed the impurity of my former life, a light from on high shone into my heart... and the Spirit transformed me into a new man by a second birth. Then at once, in a miraculous manner, certainty replaced doubt, mysteries were revealed, and darkness became light.... Then it was possible to acknowledge that what was born of the flesh and lived for sin was earthly, but what the Holy Spirit had vivified began to be of God.... In God and from God is all our strength.... Through Him we, while living upon the earth, have a hint of future bliss.” years after his Baptism, the saint was ordained to the priesthood. When Bishop Donatus of Carthage died, Saint Cyprian was unanimously chosen as bishop. He gave his consent, having complied with his guide’s request, and was consecrated Bishop of Carthage in the year 248. saint first of all concerned himself about the welfare of the Church and the eradication of vices among the clergy and flock. The saintly life of the archpastor evoked in everyone a desire to imitate his piety, humility and wisdom. The fruitful activity of Saint Cyprian became known beyond the bounds of his diocese. Bishops from other sees often turned to him for advice on how to deal with various matters. persecution by the emperor Decius (249-251), revealed to the saint in a vision, forced him to go into hiding. His life was necessary to his flock for the strengthening of faith and courage among the persecuted. Before his departure from his diocese, the saint distributed the church funds among all the clergy for the aid of the needy, and in addition he sent further funds. kept in constant touch with the Carthaginian Christians through his epistles, and he wrote letters to presbyters, confessors and martyrs. Some Christians, broken by torture, offered sacrifice to the pagan gods. These lapsed Christians appealed to the confessors, asking to give them what is called a letter of reconciliation, i.e. a certificate for accepting them back into the Church. Saint Cyprian wrote a general letter to all the Carthaginian Christians, stating that those who lapsed during a time of persecution might be admitted into the Church, but this must be preceded by an investigation of the circumstances under which the falling away came about. It was necessary to determine the sincerity of contrition of the lapsed. To admit them was possible only after penance, and with the permission of the bishop. Some of the lapsed insistently demanded their immediate re-admittance into the Church and caused unrest in the whole community. Saint Cyprian wrote the bishops of other dioceses asking their opinion, and from all he received full approval of his directives. his absence the saint authorized four priests to examine the lives of persons preparing for ordination to the priesthood and the deaconate. This met with resistance from the layman Felicissimus and the presbyter Novatus, roused to indignation against their bishop. Saint Cyprian excommunicated Felicissimus and six of his followers. In his letter to the flock, the saint touchingly admonished all not to separate themselves from the unity of the Church, to be subject to the lawful commands of the bishop and to await his return. This letter kept the majority of Carthaginian Christians faithful to the Church. a short while, Saint Cyprian returned to his flock. The insubordination of Felicissimus was put to an end at a local Council in the year 251. This Council decreed that it was possible to receive the lapsed back into the Church after a penance, and it affirmed the excommunication of Felicissimus. this time there occurred a new schism, led by the Roman presbyter Novatian, and joined by the Carthaginian presbyter Novatus, a former adherent of Felicissimus. Novatian asserted that those who lapsed during a time of persecution could not be readmitted, even if they repented of their sin. Besides this, Novatian with the help of Novatus convinced three Italian bishops during the lifetime of the lawful Roman bishop Celerinus to place another bishop on the Roman cathedra. Against such iniquity, Saint Cyprian wrote a series of encyclicals to the African bishops, and later a whole book, On the Unity of the Church. the discord in the Carthage church began to quiet down, a new calamity began: a pestilential plague flared up. Hundreds of people fled from the city, leaving the sick without help, and the dead without burial. Saint Cyprian, providing an example by his firmness and his courage, tended the sick and buried the dead himself, not only Christians but also pagans. The plague was accompanied by drought and famine. A horde of barbarian Numidians, taking advantage of the misfortune, fell upon the inhabitants, taking many into captivity. Saint Cyprian moved many rich Carthaginians to offer up means for feeding the starving and ransoming captives. a new persecution against Christians spread under the emperor Valerian (253-259), the Carthaginian proconsul Paternus ordered the saint to offer sacrifice to idols. He steadfastly refused to do this. He also refused to give the names and addresses of the presbyters of the church of Carthage. They sent the saint to the city of Curubis, and Deacon Pontus voluntarily followed his bishop into exile. the day the saint arrived at the place of exile he had a vision, predicting for him a quick martyr’s end. While in exile, Saint Cyprian wrote many letters and books. Desiring to suffer at Carthage, he returned there. Taken before the court, he was set at liberty until the following year. Nearly all the Christians of Carthage came to take leave of their bishop and receive his blessing. the trial, Saint Cyprian calmly and firmly refused to offer sacrifice to idols and was sentenced to beheading with a sword. Hearing the sentence, Saint Cyprian said, “Thanks be to God!” All the people cried out with one voice, “Let us also be beheaded with him!” to the place of execution, the saint again gave his blessing to all and arranged to give twenty-five gold coins to the executioner. He then tied a handkerchief over his eyes, and gave his hands to be bound to the presbyter and archdeacon standing near him and lowered his head. Christians put their cloths and napkins in front of him so as to collect the martyr’s blood. Saint Cyprian was executed in the year 258. The body of the saint was taken by night and given burial in a private crypt of the procurator Macrobius Candidianus. say that his holy relics were transferred to France in the time of King Charles the Great (i.e. Charlemagne, 771-814). Cyprian of Carthage left the Church a precious legacy: his writings and 80 letters. The works of Saint Cyprian were accepted by the Church as a model of Orthodox confession and read at two Ecumenical Councils (Ephesus and Chalcedon). the writings of Saint Cyprian the Orthodox teaching about the Church is stated: It has its foundation upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and was proclaimed and built up by the Apostles. The inner unity is expressed in an unity of faith and love, and the outer unity is actualized by the hierarchy and sacraments of the Church. the Church Christ comprises all the fulness of life and salvation. Those having separated themselves from the unity of the Church do not have true life in themselves. Christian love is shown as the bond that holds the Church together. “Love is the foundation of all the virtues, and it continues with us eternally in the Heavenly Kingdom.”

Africa, North Africa, 220-258, CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, North Africa, rhetorition, bishop, hid Decius persecution, unity essays
Africa, 220-258, CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, North Africa, trial lawyer, rhetoric teacher, bishop, hid Decius persecution, favored lapsed received back after penance, reconizing baptisms, unity essays ; Carthage; Carthagian Empire; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; was born around 200 AD in North Africa, of pagan parents. was a prominent trial lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. 246 he became a Christian, and in 248 was chosen Bishop of Carthage. year later the persecution under the Emperor Decius began, and Cyprian went into hiding. was severely censured for this (unjustly on my view -- see Mt 2:13; 10:23; 24:16). the persecution had died down, it remained to consider how to deal with the lapsed, meaning with those Christians who had denied the faith under duress. held that they ought to be received back into full communion after suitable intervals of probation and penance, adjusted to the gravity of the denial. In this he took a middle course between Novatus, who received apostates with no probation at all, and Novatian, who would not receive them back at all, and who broke communion with the rest of the Church over this issue, forming a dissident group particularly strong in Rome and Antioch. (Novatus, somewhat surprisingly, ended up joining the party of Novatian.) who held the same position as the Bishop of Rome on the treatment of the lapsed, wrote urging the Christians of Rome to stand with their bishop. Later, the question arose whether baptisms performed by heretical groups ought to be recognized as valid by the Church, or whether converts from such groups ought to be rebaptized. favored re-baptism, and Bishop Stephen of Rome did not. The resulting controversy was not resolved during Cyprian's lifetime. the reign of the Emperor Valerian, Carthage suffered a severe plague epidemic. organized a program of medical relief and nursing of the sick, available to all residents, this did not prevent the masses from being convinced that the epidemic resulted from the wrath of the gods at the spread of Christianity. persecution arose, and this time Cyprian did not flee. He was arrested, tried, and finally beheaded on 14 September 258. (Because 14 is Holy Cross Day, he is usually commemorated on a nearby open day.) We have an account of his trial and martyrdom. of his writings have been preserved. essay On the Unity of the Catholic Church stresses the importance of visible, concrete unity among Christians, and the role of the bishops in guaranteeing that unity. It has greatly influenced Christian thought, have his essays and letters on Baptism and the Lord's Supper. has been quoted both for and against the Roman Catholic claims for Papal authority. by James Kiefer

Africa, North Africa, 284-305, Mertius oMauretania, soldier, Emperor demanded idol sacrifice, refused, no sound when tortured
Africa, North Africa, 284-305, Mertius oMauretania, North Africa, soldier, Emperor demanded sacrifice tIdols, refused, fierce torments, not making sound, tPrison, died from hunger&wounds; Mauretania; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated January 12 ; Holy Martyr Mertius was a soldier. suffered for Christ in Africa during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). emperor demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, when he refused, gave him over to torture. saint suffered fierce torments, not making a sound. was thrown into prison, where he died from hunger and his wounds.

Africa, North Africa, 300, 4th Century Folder, Augustine of Hippo

Africa, North Africa, 304, Crispina, Thacora Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, interesting back and forth with Judge
Africa, North Africa, 304, Crispina, Thacora Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, again and again I am ready to endure, fThacora (Tagora), arrested professing Christ, trial aTheveste (Tebessa) 304, judge asked her if aware required sac tGods fEmperors' welfare, did not know but faith not allow sac false gods, turn away but she knew no other God, torture threatened but she gladly endure this fChrist, stop & obey edict, I will obey Christ's edict, but entire province has obeyed edict, but never sac to demons, may those gods who did not make heaven earth perish, I am looking out for my safety, let your gods speak and I will believe, I order her executed, thanks be to God who has freed me from your hands; Africa, North Africa, 304, Crispina, Thacora (Tagora) Algeria, gladly endured torture for Christ, again and again I am ready to endure, head shaved, beheaded; Crispina (died December 5, 304) was a martyr of Africa who suffered during the Diocletian persecution. She was born at Thagara, a town in the Roman province of Numidia, located in Taoura, Algeria. (The Tabula Peutingeriana calls it Thacora) in North Africa.) She died by beheading at Theveste, in Numidia. belonged to a distinguished family and was a wealthy matron with children. At the time of the persecution she was brought before the proconsul Annius Anullinus; on being ordered to sacrifice to the gods she declared she honored only one God. When threatened with death, Crispina replied: “I care not for the present life, and am only anxious for the life of my soul. I fear eternal torments only.” [1] head was shaved at the command of the judge, and she was exposed to public mockery, but she remained steadfast in her faith and was not moved even by the tears of her children. When condemned to death, she thanked God and offered her head with joy for execution.[2] Acts of her martyrdom, written not long after the event, form a valuable historical document of the period of the persecution. The day of St. Crispina's death was observed in the time of Augustine of Hippo; in his sermons Augustine repeatedly mentions her name, as well known in Africa and worthy to be held in the same veneration as the names of Saint Agnes and St. Thecla.[3] In his Sermon on Psalm 120, Augustine says: "The persecutors turned their rage against Crispina, whose birthday we celebrate today. They unleashed their savagery against a rich woman delicately nurtured; but she was strong, because the Lord was for her a better defense than the hand of her right hand, and He was guarding her. Is there anyone in Africa who does not know about these events, brothers and sisters? Scarcely, for she was extremely famous, of noble stock and very wealthy."[4]: 510  Ruinart in his collection of the Acts of the martyrs gives the account of her examination.[2] Alphonsus Liguori provided a version of these acts in his Victories of the Martyrs. Thacora (Tagora) in Africa; Numidia; St Crispina; Crispina lived at Thacora (Tagora) in Africa, and was arrested for professing Christianity. The proconsul Annius Anullinus presided at her trial at Theveste (or Tebessa) in December of 304. asked her if she was aware that she was required by law to offer sacrifice to the gods for the welfare of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. said that she did not know of this decree, and that her Christian faith would not allow her to offer sacrifice to false gods. “Turn away from this superstition,” Anullinus said, “and submit to the sacred rites of the Roman gods.” Crispina replied that she knew no other god but the God worshiped by Christians. The proconsul threatened her with torture, and the saint said that she would gladly endure this for the sake of Christ. told her to stop being stubborn and to obey the edict. Crispina answered, “I will obey the edict given me by my Lord Jesus Christ.” proconsul repeated his threat of torture, saying that she would be forced to obey the edict. He also pointed out that the entire province of Africa had offered sacrifice, but Saint Crispina remained firm in her faith, saying that she would never offer sacrifice to demons. that she would not accept the pagan gods, Anullinus said that she would be forced to bow before the idols and to offer incense. The courageous woman retorted that she would never do so as long as she lived. the proconsul sought to persuade her that it would not be a sacrilege to offer sacrifice to the gods as required by law. She said, “May those gods, who have not made heaven and earth, perish.” urged Crispina to respect the Roman religion, but she said, “I have told you again and again that I am ready to endure any tortures rather than worship the idols which are the work of men’s hands.” told her that she spoke blasphemy and was not acting in a way which would ensure her safety. He then tried to humiliate her by ordering her head to be shaved. The holy martyr replied, “If I were not seeking my own well-being, I would not be on trial before you now. Let your gods speak, then I shall believe.” proconsul told her she could either live a long life, or die in agony before being beheaded. Saint Crispina told him, “I would thank my God if I obtained this. I would gladly lose my head for the Lord’s sake, for I refuse to offer sacrifice to those ridiculous deaf and dumb statues.” lost patience with her and ordered that the minutes of the trial be read back before he pronounced sentence. “Since Crispina persists in her superstition and refuses to offer sacrifice to the gods in accordance with our law, I order her to be executed by the sword.” Crispina said, “Thanks be to God, Who has deigned to free me from your hands.” She made the Sign of the Cross and stretched forth her neck to the executioner. Crispina was beheaded on December 5, 304 in accordance with the fourth edict of Diocletian. Saint Augustine mentions her in Sermons 286 and 354.

Africa, North Africa, 305, Callistratus&49, tortured f praying, dolphin, bolstered p spirits, bonds in lake, equake breaks idol
Africa, North Africa, 305, Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis), Chriatian ancestors from Jesus' time, tortured for praying, dolphin freed him from drowning, bolstered prisoners spirits, bonds broke in lake, idol broken by earthquake, cut to pieces; Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Commemorated on September 27; Callistratus was a native of Carthage. ancestor of Saint Callistratus, Neochorus, had served under the emperor Tiberius in Palestine, under the command of Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea, and was a witness to the suffering on the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, His voluntary death and glorious Resurrection. saint’s father was a Christian, and he raised his son in faith and piety. Also like his father, Saint Callistratus became a soldier and excelled among his pagan military comrades by his good conduct and gentle disposition. night when everyone slept, he usually stayed up at prayer. a soldier sleeping nearby heard Saint Callistratus invoking the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he reported this to the military commander, who in turn summoned Callistratus, interrogated him and wanted to make him offer sacrifice to idols. saint resolutely refused to do this, so the military commander ordered that the saint be beaten. Then, covered with wounds, the saint was dragged over sharp stones. The beating and the torments did not sway the firm will and brave endurance of the sufferer. saint was sewn up in a leather sack and drowned in the sea. God’s mercy, however, the sack struck a sharp rock and was torn open. Saint Callistratus came to dry land unharmed, carried by dolphins. such a miracle, forty-nine soldiers came to believe in Christ. the military commander threw Saint Callistratus and the believing soldiers into prison. Before this, all of them were subjected to innumerable floggings. jail Saint Callistatus continued to preach the Word of God to the soldiers and he bolstered their spirits for martyrdom. again before the military commander, the sufferers firmly confessed their faith in Christ, after which they were bound hand and foot and thrown into the depths of a great lake behind a dam. there their bonds broke, and with bright faces the holy martyrs stood in the water, rejoicing in their Baptism, which coincided with the act of martyrdom. bright crowns appeared over their heads, and all heard a voice: “Be brave, Callistratus, with your company, and come rest in the eternal habitations.” the same time, the earth shuddered and an idol standing nearby fell down and smashed. this, another 135 soldiers also believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. military commander, fearing a mutiny in the army, did not put them on trial, but again imprisoned Saint Callistratus with his 49 companions, where they fervently prayed and gave thanks to the Creator for giving them power to endure such sufferings. night the martyrs were cut to pieces with swords by order of the military commander. holy relics were buried by the 135 soldiers who remained alive. Later, a church was built on the spot of their sufferings, as Saint Callistatus had foretold.

Africa, North Africa, 310-370, Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert, contrition to repenters, clairvoyant warning
Africa, North Africa, 310-370, Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert, built up through me, but contrition to repenters, clairvoyantly said careful your words humble you, anchorites have come to a woman by nature, but not by worth, lived above river but never looked out to see it, by giving alms for whatever reason will do it eventually for God, died peacefully at 80; Scetis ; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; is written in The Paradise of the Fathers that Mother Sarah spoke these words: “If I were to ask God that all people might be built up through me, I would be found expressing contrition at the door of each one who repents. But I pray to God especially that my heart may be pure with Him and with everyone.” two great Elders and anchorites left Mount Pelusium (in the northeastern Nile Delta) and went to see Amma Sarah. among themselves they said, “Let us humble this old woman.” they came to her she said, “Be careful, you may be humbled by the words you have spoken. Behold, anchorites have come to one who is a woman. According to nature, I am a woman, but not according to my worth.” she went to Sketis, and she was offered some food. She did not eat any of the best food however, she ate only the plain food. This was because she did not want to use her journey and her visit as an excuse to relax her fasting. Then they said to her, “Truly, you are like those who dwell at Sketis.” was said of Amma Sarah, the ascetic of Sketis, that the blessed one lived above a river for sixty years, but she never looked out from her abode to see it. Sarah said, “It is a good thing for a person to give alms, even if he does so in order to win the approval of others, because by doing this, he will come to do it for God’s sake.” Sarah brought many women to monasticism by the example of her holy and God-pleasing life. She reposed in peace in the year 370 at the age of eighty.

Africa, North Africa, 373-431, Paulinus oNola, Roman Senator, Baptized a25, gave all, adopted orphans, ransomed Vandal captives
Naples, 373-431, Paulinus tMerciful oNola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines), fBordeaux, France, Roman Senator a20, counsul, Governor oCampagna, Italy, Baptized wWife at 25, changed life, gave property, scorn fServants&friends, adopted poor orphans, raised them tFear God, secluded tBarcelona, ascetic, soon tNola, elected Bishop, ransomed Vandal Italian captives, fAfrica, all but one poor son of a widow, Paulinus replaced him, served Vandal King aGardener, idenity revealed tKing in a dream, sent back home tCamania with all captives, also known as Church builder and Poet, 32 poems 51 letters survive, Relics iRome; Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola, descended from an aristocratic and wealthy family of Bordeaux (France). virtue of his extensive education and upbringing, twenty-year-old youth was chosen to become a Roman senator, he became consul finally, governor of the region of Campagna in Italy. twenty-five years of age, he and his wife were converted to Christ and were baptized. this he completely changed his manner of life. disposed of all his property, distributed the money to the needy, which he endured the scorn of his friends and servants. having children of their own, the pious couple adopted poor orphans and raised them in the fear of God. his searchings for a secluded life, Saint Paulinus went to the Spanish city of Barcelona. of his ascetic life spread about, and in 393 they asked him to be ordained as a priest. he left Spain and went on to the city of Nola in Italy, where he was elected bishop. the Vandal barbarians invaded Italy and carried off many people to Africa in captivity, Saint Paulinus used church funds to ransom the captives. he did not have enough money to ransom the son of a certain poor widow from slavery in the household of the Prince of the Vandals. he volunteered to take his place. Dressed as a slave, Saint Paulinus began to serve the Vandal prince as a gardener. his identity was revealed to the ruler, King Riga, in a dream. only did he receive his own freedom, he also won the release of all the other prisoners from Campania, and returned home with them. Paulinus is known both as a builder of churches and as a Christian poet. his many virtues, his love for mankind and his compassion for the poor and needy deserve special mention. died at seventy-eight years of age on June 22, 431. of his poems and fifty-one of his letters survive. contain various moral discourses filled with deep piety. relics are in Rome, in the church of the holy Apostle Bartholomew.

Africa, North Africa, 374-430, AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, Algeria, bishop and theologian, combated Donatist, Manichaean and Pelagian h
Africa, North Africa, 374-430, AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, Algeria, North Africa, bishop and theologian, wrote many works devoted to combating the Donatist, Manichaean and Pelagian heresies; Hippo; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; Augustine was born in the city of Thagaste in northern Africa. was raised by his mother, Saint Monica (May 4), and he received his education at Carthage. the capacity of professor of rhetoric, Augustine arrived at Milan, Italy where Saint Ambrose (December 7) was bishop. the guidance of Saint Ambrose, Augustine studied the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God produced in his soul a radical crisis; he accepted holy Baptism, gave all his wealth to the poor and was tonsured as a monk. the year 391 Valerian, Bishop of Hippo, ordained Saint Augustine a priest, and in 395, appointed him vicar bishop of the see of Hippo. After the death of Bishop Valerian, Saint Augustine took his place. his 35 years as bishop, Saint Augustine wrote many works devoted to combating the Donatist, Manichaean and Pelagian heresies. Augustine wrote many works (according to his student and biographer Possidias, the number approached 1030). Of his works the best known are: The City of God (De civitate Dei), The Confessions, 17 Books against the Pelagians and Handbook of Christian Knowledge (The Enchiridion). Augustine was concerned above all else that his writings be intelligent and edifying. “It is better,” he said, “for them to condemn our grammar, than for people not to understand.” Saint Augustine died on August 28, 430. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); (Aurelius Augustinus) was one of the greatest theologians of Western Christianity. his day the Mediterranean world consisted of an Eastern, Greek-speaking half and a Western, Latin-speaking half, with different ways of looking at things, and different habits of thought.) was born 13 November 354 in North Africa, about 45 miles south of the Mediterranean, in the town of Tagaste in Numidia (now Souk-Ahras in Algeria), near ancient Carthage (modern Tunis). mother, Monnica, was a Christian (see 4 May), and his father for many years a pagan (although he became a Christian before his death). mother undertook to bring him up as a Christian, and on one level he always found something attractive about Christ, but in the short run he was more interested in the attractions of sex, fame, and pride in his own cleverness. a moderate amount of running around as a teen-ager, he took a mistress, who bore him a son when he was about eighteen. was a long-term relationship, apparently with faithfulness on both sides, and the modern reader is left wondering why he did not simply marry the girl. He never tells us this (and in fact never tells us her name), so that we can only guess. It seems likely that she was a freedwoman, and the laws forbade marriage between a free-born Roman citizen and a slave, or an ex-slave. he was 19 and a student at Carthage, he read a treatise by Cicero that opened his eyes to the delights of philosophy. was from the beginning a brilliant student, with an eager intellectual curiosity, he never mastered Greek -- he tells us that his first Greek teacher was a brutal man who constantly beat his students, and Augustine rebelled and vowed never to learn Greek. By the time he realized that he really needed to know Greek, it was too late; and although he acquired a smattering of the language, he was never really at home in it. his mastery of Latin was another matter. He became an expert both in the eloquent use of the language and in the use of clever arguments to make his points. became a teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, but was dissatisfied. It was the custom for students to pay their fees to the professor on the last day of the term, and many students attended faithfully all term, and then did not pay. In his late twenties, Augustine decided to leave Africa and seek his fortune in Rome. Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli Augustine teaching in Rome, by Gozzoli a long time Augustine was attracted by the teachings of Manicheeism, named for Mani, a Persian who had preached kind of synthesis of Christianity with Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia. had taught the existence of a power of light, God, the supreme Creator, and of a dark and evil power that opposed him. the Zoroastrian (Parsi) view, the dark power was a rebel against his creator, and doomed to ultimate defeat. on the other hand, was a thoroughgoing dualist, who taught that there are two gods of equal power and eternity, and that the universe is the scene of an unending battle between light and darkness, good and evil, knowledge and ignorance, soul and body, etc. Manichees as they moved west into the Roman Empire adopted many traits of what is generically called Gnosticism. In particular, they advertised themselves as being not an alternative to Christianity but as the advanced version of Christianity, as the faith for the spiritually mature, the intellectually gifted. claimed that their beliefs were based on reason rather than authority, and that they had answers for everything, at least as soon as the learner was sufficiently advanced to comprehend them. differed from the classical Gnostics by not contrasting spirit with matter. On their view, everything was composed of material particles, but these were either light or dark. the mind was composed of light particles, imprisoned in the body, a cage made of dark particles, something like the Gnostic contrast between spirit and matter was there. were divided into an inner circle, the "elect," who were expected to be celibate and vegetarian, so as to avoid all those dark particles, the "learners," of whom considerably less was expected. signed up as a learner. He was at first completely captivated, but then met with a series of disappointments. rank and file of the movement did not seem to be very clear thinkers. He met the leaders, who were advertised as the Towering Intellects of the Ages, and was not impressed. prospered in Rome, and was eventually appointed chief professor of rhetoric for the city of Milan, at that time the capital city of the Empire in the West. should be noted that this was an extremely prestigious appointment. In classical times, when laws were often made and issues voted on by huge public assemblies, when even juries typically had several hundred members, and when a man's public influence, or even on occasion his life, depended on his ability to sway large audiences, rhetoric -- the art of manipulating an audience -- was a skill that few men thought they could afford to neglect. was one of the few, and we know what happened to him!) art, at first intensely practical, had by Augustine's day become a display form admired for its own sake. However, the admiration was there. Every lawyer, arguing a case, was expected to give an eloquent speech, full of classical allusions and standard rhetorical flourishes. And Augustine was at the top of the field. St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli Milan Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, and was startled to find in him a reasonableness of mind and belief, a keenness of thought, and an integrity of character far in excess of what he had found elsewhere. For the first time, Augustine saw Christianity as a religion fit for a philosopher. after his arrival in Milan, Augustine was plunged into two crises. First, his mother arrived from Africa, and persuaded him that he ought to give up his mistress and get married. He agreed to a betrothal to a suitable young lady; but his betrothed was too young for immediate marriage, and so the actual wedding was postponed for two years. Meanwhile the mistress had been sent back to Africa. Augustine, not ready for two years of sexual abstinence, lapsed back into promiscuity. The second crisis was that Augustine became a neo-Platonist. Plato, as interpreted by his later spokesmen, in particular by Plotinus, taught that only God is fully real, and that all other things are degenerations in varying degrees from the One--things are progressively less good, less spiritual, and less real as one goes rung by rung down the cosmic ladder. By contemplating spiritual realities, directing one's attention first to one's own mind and then moving up the ladder rung by one to the contemplation of God, one acquires true wisdom, true self-fulfilment, true spirituality, and union with God, or the One. Augustine undertook this approach, and believed that he had in fact had an experience of the presence of God, but found that this only made him more aware of the gulf between what he was and what he realized that he ought to be. he continued to hear Bishop Ambrose. And finally, partly because Ambrose had answers for his questions, partly because he admired Ambrose personally, and chiefly (or so he believed) because God touched his heart, he was converted to Christianity in 386 and was baptised by Ambrose at Easter of 387. 12 years later he wrote an account of his life up to a time shortly after his conversion, a book called the Confessions, a highly readable work available in English. Ostensibly an autobiography, it is more an outpouring of penitence and thanksgiving. "Take and Read", by Gozzoli "Take and Read", by Gozzoli a well-known chapter, Augustine describes his conversion. His intellectual objections had lost their force, and he was at a point where the difficulty was that he seemed unable to make a commitment to living chastely, or unable to make a commitment, period. He heard of a group of young men, Christians, one of whom decided to become a desert hermit, whereupon the others, one at a time, made the same commitment, encouraged and inspired by the examples of those in the group who had already done so. (In many circles at that time, becoming a desert hermit had the same overtones as joining the Peace Corps did for many young persons in the 1960's, or joining the armed forces for many in the weeks immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor.) Augustine went aside to ponder the question, "How is it that these young men can make so drastic a commitment, and I cannot take even the first step of declaring myself a Christian?" He heard what seemed to be a child's voice coming from next door, saying over and over, "Tolle, lege; tolle, lege," or, "Pick up and read; pick up and read." Since he could not think of any reason why a child would be saying that, he took it as an omen, and picked up a copy of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. As he opened it, his eye fell on the end of the thirteenth chapter: The night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. he read, he experienced this as God speaking directly to him, convicting him of his past sins, and offering him forgiveness; calling him to amend his life, and promising him the grace and power to do it. He burst into tears, and surrendered. Later, he wrote: Late have I loved Thee, O Lord; and behold, Thou wast within and I without, and there I sought Thee. Thou was with me when I was not with Thee. Thou didst call, and cry, and burst my deafness. Thou didst gleam, and glow, and dispell my blindness. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for Thy peace. For Thyself Thou hast made us, and restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease. Late have I loved Thee, Thou Beauty ever old and ever new. Thou hast burst my bonds asunder; unto Thee will I offer up an offering of praise. written as an account of his life, the Confessions keeps digressing into speculations about the nature of time, the nature of causality, the nature of free will, the motives of human action, etc. deWohl has written a novel about Augustine, based mostly on the Confessions, called The Restless Flame. It is an excellent introduction to the man. his conversion, Augustine went back to his native Africa in 387, where he was ordained a priest in 391 and consecrated bishop of Hippo in 396. It was not his intention to become a priest. He was visiting the town of Hippo (or Hippo Regius, now Annaba, 36:55 N 7:47 E), was in church hearing a sermon, and the bishop, without warning, said, "This congregation is in need of more priests, and I believe that the ordination of Augustine would be to the glory of God." Willing hands dragged Augustine forward, and the bishop together with his council of priests laid hands on Augustine and ordained him to the priesthood. (The experience may have colored Augustine's perception of such questions as, "Does a man come to God because he has chosen to do so, or because God has chosen him, and drawn him to Himself?") A few years later, when the Bishop of Hippo died, Augustine was chosen to succeed him. was a diligent shepherd of his flock, but he also found time to write extensively. He was an admirer of Jerome, and wrote him a letter hoping to establish a friendship, but the letter went astray. (In those days there was no public post office, and if you wanted to send a letter to a friend in Athens, you entrusted it to someone you knew who was travelling to Athens, or at least in that general direction, with instructions to deliver it or pass it on to someone else who would oblige.) Jerome did not get the letter, and the contents became public knowledge before he heard of it. Augustine, in addition to saying how much he admired Jerome, had offered some criticisms of something Jerome had written. Jerome was furious, and came close to writing Augustine off altogether. However, Augustine wrote him a second letter, apologizing and explaining what had happened, and Jerome was mollified. They had a long and intellectually substantial correspondence. written output was vast, and largely responsible for the fact that the entry for him in the index of the Encyc. Brit. is more than a column long. His surviving works (and it is assumed that the majority did not survive) include 113 books and treatises, over 200 letters, and over 500 sermons. His work greatly influenced Luther and Calvin, to the point where for a while Roman Catholic speakers and writers were wary of quoting him lest they be suspected of Protestant tendencies. have already mentioned his Confessions. A second great work of his is the book, De Civitatae Dei (The City of God). This was written after Rome had been sacked by invaders led by Alaric the Visigoth. It is a reply to those who said that the Roman Empire was falling apart because the Christians had taken over; he discusses the work of God in history, and the relation between the Christian as citizen of an earthly commonwealth and the Christian as citizen of Heaven. third great work is his De Trinitate (On the Trinity). Here, he discusses the doctrine of the Trinity by undertaking to compare the mind of man with the mind of God, since man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Augustine begins by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of knowing something. He continues by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of self-awareness. He concludes by pointing out a Trinitarian structure in the act of religious contemplation by which man sees himself as made in the image of God. AND THE DONATISTS a century before Augustine was born, the Church in Africa had been torn apart by the Donatist controversy. For a brief account of this controversy (and the Pelagian and other controversies of the day), but a longer one than I am prepared to give here, I refer the reader to the relevant section of the book, Sketches of Church History, by Canon Robertson. the persecution of the Church by the Emperor Decius, some Christian clergymen in Africa, or so it was alleged, had stood firm against threat of torture, imprisonment and death more consistently and nobly than others. The Donatists maintained that their clergy derived their ordinations from clergy with very good records of constancy under persecution, and that they were the Church of the Martyrs, as opposed to the Church of the Sell-outs, which was everybody else. They further held that sacraments received at the hands of unworthy ministers were of no value. Or at least it seems that they held this. Augustine had a long correspondence and controversy with them, and at one point they apparently replied that they did not hold this, to which Augustine replied, "In that case, will you kindly tell me what the controversy is all about, and what you and I have been debating for the last eighteen months, and what your bishops and ours have been out of fellowship with each other about for the last century?" The controversy dragged on, with part of the dispute historical (whether Bishop so-and-so, now seventy years dead, had really done what he was accused of doing), and part theological. It seems clear that the Donatists, at least most of the time, argued that the holiness of the Church depended on the holiness of its members, especially its clergy. Against them, Augustine maintained that the holiness of the Church is not derived from the average level of virtue of its individual members, but is derived from the Holiness of its Head, who is Christ. AND THE PELAGIANS Augustine's day, a man from Britain named Morgan, or in Latin Pelagius (means "islander" -- consider the words "pelagic" and "archipelago"), began to preach, denouncing what he saw as a slackening of moral standards. He saw professed Christians living less than exemplary lives, and offering human frailty as an excuse. His reply was: "Nonsense. God has given you free will. You can choose to follow the example of Adam, or you can choose to follow the example of Christ. God has given everyone the grace he needs to be good. If you are not good, you simply need to try harder." Augustine asked him about original sin, and he replied that there is no such thing. Augustine asked him why, in that case, it was the universal custom to baptize infants, and he had no answer. Augustine saw the teaching of Pelagius as totally undermining the doctrine that God is the ultimate source of all good, and encouraging the virtuous and well-behaved Christian to feel that he had earned God's approval by his own efforts. Pelagius was condemned by Pope Innocent I, and then re-instated by Pope Zosimus. Augustine refused to accept the judgement of Zosimus, and ultimately won the day. the end of his life, the Vandals, a barbarian people with a reputation for wanton destructiveness (hence our modern term "vandal"), who had earlier invaded Spain from the north and settled down there (hence the province of Spain called "Andalusia"), became involved in a civil war in Northern Africa, and their troops invaded Africa in huge numbers. The leader of the losing side took refuge in the town of Hippo, and the Vandals were besieging the town (which they ultimately captured) when Augustine, bishop of Hippo, died 28 August 430, aged 75. by James Kiefer [Several of Augustine's works can also be found online at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.] MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); know about Monnica almost entirely from the autobiography (the Confessions) of her son Augustine, a major Christian writer, theologian and philosopher (see 28 August). was born in North Africa, near Carthage, in what is now Tunisia, perhaps around 331, of Christian parents, and was a Christian throughout her life. Her name has usually been spelled "Monica," but recently her tomb in Ostia was discovered, and the burial inscription says "Monnica," a spelling which all AC (Archaeologically Correct) persons have hastened to adopt. (On the other hand, it may simply be that the artisan who carved the inscription was a bad speller.) As a girl, she was fond of wine, but on one occasion was taunted by a slave girl for drunkenness, and resolved not to drink thereafter. She was married to a pagan husband, Patricius, a man of hot temper, who was often unfaithful to her, but never insulted or struck her. It was her happiness to see both him and his mother ultimately receive the Gospel. soon recognized that her son was a man of extraordinary intellectual gifts, a brilliant thinker and a natural leader of men (as a youngster he was head of a local gang of juvenile delinquents), and she had strong ambitions and high hopes for his success in a secular career. Indeed, though we do not know all the circumstances, most Christians today would say that her efforts to steer him into a socially advantageous marriage were in every way a disaster. However, she grew in spiritual maturity through a life of prayer, and her ambitions for his worldly success were transformed into a desire for his conversion. He, as a youth, rejected her religion with scorn, and looked to various pagan philosophies for clues to the meaning of life. He undertook a career as an orator and teacher of the art of oratory (rhetoric), and moved from Africa to Rome and thence to Milan, at that time the seat of government in Italy. His mother followed him there a few years later. In Milan, Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, from whom he learned that Christianity could be intellectually respectable, and under whose preaching he was eventually converted and baptised on Easter Eve in 387, to the great joy of Monnica. his baptism, Augustine and a younger brother Navigius and Monnica planned to return to Africa together, but in Ostia, the port city of Rome, Monnica fell ill and said, "You will bury your mother here. All I ask of you is that, wherever you may be, you should remember me at the altar of the Lord. Do not fret because I am buried far from our home in Africa. Nothing is far from God, and I have no fear that he will not know where to find me, when he comes to raise me to life at the end of the world." by James Kiefer

Africa, North Africa, 379-429, Domnica oConstantinople, fCarthage, miracles moved people tLife eternal, old age spotless life
Africa, North Africa, 379-429, Domnica oConstantinople, fCarthage, North Africa, monastic, high spiritual perfection, healing, power over nature, prophecy, miracles moved people tLife eternal, tSoul, old age spotless life; Carthage; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; Domnica came from Carthage to Constantinople in the time of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great. she was baptized by Patriarch Nectarius and entered a women’s monastery. strict and prolonged ascetic effort she attained to high spiritual perfection. saint healed the sick, demonstrated power over the natural elements, and predicted the future. her miracles the saint moved inhabitants of the capital towards concerns about life eternal and the soul. by virtues, the saint departed this life a spotless virgin in her old age.

Africa, North Africa, 400, 5th 6th Century Folder, Vandals

Africa, North Africa, 428-477, Vandal King, Genseric (Guneric)
North Africa, 428-477, Vandal King, Genseric (Guneric) ; (c. 389 25 January 477),[1] also known as Geiseric or Genseric was King of the Vandals and Alans (428-“477), a kingdom he established, was one of the key players in the difficulties faced by the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century. his nearly 50 years of rule, he raised a relatively insignificant Germanic tribe to the status of a major Mediterranean power. most famous exploit, however, was the capture and plundering of Rome in June 455. also defeated two major efforts by the Romans to overthrow him, the first one by the emperor Majorian in 460 or 461, and another by Basiliscus at the Battle of Cape Bon in 468. After dying in Carthage, Gaiseric was succeeded by his son Huneric. 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8;

Africa, North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; The Vandal Kingdom (Latin: Regnum Vandalum) or Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans (Latin: Regnum Vandalorum et Alanorum) was established by the Germanic Vandal people under Gaiseric. It ruled in North Africa and the Mediterranean 435-“534 CE. In 429 CE, the Vandals, estimated to number 80,000 people, had crossed by boat from Hispania to North Africa. They advanced eastward, conquering the coastal regions of what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In 435, the Roman Empire, then ruling North Africa, allowed the Vandals to settle in the provinces of Numidia and Mauretania when it became clear that the Vandal army could not be defeated by Roman military forces. In 439 the Vandals renewed their advance eastward and captured Carthage, the most important city of North Africa. The fledgling kingdom then conquered the Roman-ruled islands of Mallorca, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica in the western Mediterranean. In the 460s, the Romans launched two unsuccessful military expeditions by sea in an attempt to overthrow the Vandals and reclaim North Africa. The conquest of North Africa by the Vandals was a blow to the beleaguered Western Roman Empire as North Africa was a major source of revenue and a supplier of grain (mostly wheat) to the city of Rome. Although primarily remembered for the sack of Rome in 455 and their persecution of Nicene Christians in favor of Arian Christianity, the Vandals were also patrons of learning. Grand building projects continued, schools flourished, and North Africa fostered many of the most innovative writers and natural scientists of the late Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire.[5] The Vandal Kingdom ended in 534, when it was conquered by Belisarius in the Vandalic War and incorporated into the Eastern Roman Empire (or Byzantine Empire). 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8;

Africa, North Africa, 455, Vandal Sack of Rome
North Africa, 455, Vandal Sack of Rome; The sack of 455 was the third of four ancient sacks of Rome; it was conducted by the Vandals and the Moors, who were then at war with the usurping Western Roman Emperor Petronius Maximus. Background[edit] In the 440s, the Vandal king Genseric and the Roman Emperor Valentinian III had betrothed their children, Huneric and Eudocia,[2] to strengthen their alliance, reached in 442 with a peace treaty (the marriage was delayed as Eudocia was too young). In 455 Valentinian was killed, and Petronius Maximus rose to the throne. Petronius married Valentinian's widow, Licinia Eudoxia, and had his son Palladius marry Eudocia; in this way Petronius was to strengthen his bond with the Theodosian dynasty. Unhappy, however, with her husband's murder and the usurpation of Maximus, Eudoxia turned to aid from the Vandals to remove Maximus from his undeserved throne. The overture was favorably met, because Maximus' revolution was damaging to Genseric's ambitions. The king of the Vandals claimed that the broken betrothal between Huneric and Eudocia invalidated his peace treaty with Valentinian, and set sail to attack Rome, landing at Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber.[3] The sack[edit] Before approaching the city, the Vandals knocked down all of the city's aqueducts. At the sight of the approaching Vandals, Maximus and his soldiers tried to flee the city, but he was spotted and killed by a Roman mob outside the city,[4] possibly together with his son Palladius. Upon the Vandal arrival, according to the chronicler Prosper of Aquitaine, Pope Leo I requested that Genseric not destroy the ancient city nor murder its inhabitants. Genseric agreed and the gates of Rome were thrown open to him and his men. While Genseric kept his promise not to burn the city and slaughter its inhabitants, he did carry some off to be slaves, and during that time Genseric managed to capture Empress Licinia Eudoxia, Valentinian's widow, and her daughters, Eudocia and Placidia as they tried to escape.[5] Eudoxia and her children were the last of Rome's imperial family. Eudocia would later marry Huneric. Aftermath[edit] A 16th century perception of the Vandals, illustrated in the manuscript "ThÃ©Ã¢tre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by Lucas d'Heere in the 2nd half of the 16th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.[6] It is accepted that Genseric looted great amounts of treasure from the city, damaging objects of cultural significance such as the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus by stripping away the gilt bronze roof tiles.[a][8] There is, however, some debate over the severity of the Vandal sack. The sack of 455 is generally seen as being more thorough than the Visigothic sack of 410,[9] because the Vandals plundered Rome for fourteen days whereas the Visigoths spent only three days in the city. Interpretation[edit] A cause of significant controversy is the claim that the sack was relatively "clean", in that there was little murder and violence, and the Vandals did not burn the buildings of the city. This interpretation seems to stem from Prosper's claim that Pope Leo I managed to persuade Genseric to refrain from violence. However, Victor of Vita records that a number of shiploads of captives arrived in Africa from Rome, with the purpose of being sold into slavery. Similarly, the Byzantine historian Procopius reports that a church was burned down. Some modern historians like John Henry Haaren stated that temples, public buildings, private houses and even the emperor's palace were sacked.[10] Besides taking many Romans as slaves, the Vandals also committed other depredations like taking immense quantities of gold, silver, jewels and furniture, destroying works of art, and killing a number of citizens.[citation needed] St. Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23;

Africa, North Africa, 477, 62 Clergy&300 Laypeople Killed by Genseric, remained voluntarily, 60 preached after tongues cut out
Africa, North Africa, 477, 62 Clergy and 300 Laypeople Martyred by Genseric (Guneric), some fled but remained voluntarily, 60 preached after tongues cut out; 362 Martyrs of Africa (62 Clergy and 300 Laypeople), Commemorated on December 8; faithful servants of Christ suffered martyrdom during the reign of Emperor Zeno (474-491). Guneric, the ruler of the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, began a savage persecution of the Orthodox, at the instigation of the Arian bishops Cyril and Balinardes. faithful had gathered secretly in one of the churches for the Divine Liturgy, when suddenly barbarian soldiers burst into the church. Some of the worshippers fled, but 300 remained voluntarily, and so they were tortured and beheaded. Of the 62 clergy, two were burnt alive, and sixty had their tongues cut out. By the miraculous power of God, they continued to preach and to refute the Arian heresy. Among them were old men, young men, and heads of families, but all of them remained faithful to Christ and His Holy Church. They were beheaded in the year 477. Slavic usage, these holy martyrs are commemorated on December 8; while in Greek usage, they are commemorated on December 7. North Africa, 428-477, Vandal King, Genseric (Guneric) ; (c. 389 25 January 477),[1] also known as Geiseric or Genseric was King of the Vandals and Alans (428-“477), a kingdom he established, was one of the key players in the difficulties faced by the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century. his nearly 50 years of rule, he raised a relatively insignificant Germanic tribe to the status of a major Mediterranean power. most famous exploit, however, was the capture and plundering of Rome in June 455. also defeated two major efforts by the Romans to overthrow him, the first one by the emperor Majorian in 460 or 461, and another by Basiliscus at the Battle of Cape Bon in 468. After dying in Carthage, Gaiseric was succeeded by his son Huneric. 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8;

Africa, North Africa, 495-552, Gregory, Archbishop oHomer (Omrits), called tHomer bMiracles, Converted Jews bDebate&Jesus appearing
Arabs, 495-552, Gregory Archbishop oOmirits (Wadi Nejran), Bishop oHomer (Omrits), as a youth filled wGrace oGod Gifts Healing Wonderworking, Deacon aMilan, hermit gives him prophecy, confirmed bElder schemamonk oMountain, fiery column, was him, standing iAir, Go Rome Boniface Aglaida church, then Alexandria tbBishop, Then tNegran in Homer tPreach, felt unworthy, wished remain wElder, but Elder knew his secret, G had seen vision Peter Paul placing Bishop's robe on him, tCarchage, tRome, Boniface Aglaida church, Tomb St Peter, his vision told him walk virtue live God's will, Paul dream cup oOil, receive priesthood&Episcopacy, during this time Emperor Elesbaan' armies oEthiopia vanquished Himyarite Dunaan a Jew, Negran liberated, christianity restored, but no christians, E asked Alexandria fBishop&Clergy, while praying Apostle Mark appeared tPatriarch told him find Deacon named Gregory who tBe Priest&Bishop, send him to Elesbaan, miracle during the service, face shone wGrace Holy Spirit, vestments fragrance oMyrrh filling whole church, iHomer G preaching tPagans&Jews, after 3yrs E returned Ethiopia, leftAbramus as king, G crowned A, A ordered all baptized, Jews say better believe willingly, requested debate, Jews given 40 days prepare, debate lasted several days, G refuted all Jew arbuments using OT, Rabbi Ervan vision Moses worshiping Jesus, M saying E would be defeated being in oposition tTruth, Christian Truth prevaied iDebate but E needed to see Jesus, G said request impertinent but Lord can do to convince you, G prays aloud, recalling incarnation, miracles, 3day resurrection, ascention and invoked power oLife-creating Cross, Show thyself to these people, Glorify thy Holy Name, Earthquaked, heavens opened in East, iRadiant cloud oLight Jesus came down, Lords Voice, through G's prayer, He whom your fathers put to death will heal you, Jews struck blind, healed receiving baptism, Gregory guided Homer 30 more years til 552; Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. He made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, North Africa, 600, 7th-16th Century Folder, Medieval Arabic Africa, Moslem

Africa, North Africa, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Africa, North Africa, 647, Arab Conquest of Exarchate of Africa 647
Arab Conquest of Exarchate of Africa 647; Exarchate of Africa, Carthage as Capital;

Africa, North Africa, 800, 9th-10th Century Folder, Aghlabids dynasty, Sunni

Africa, North Africa, 800-909, Aghlabids dynasty, Sunni
North Africa, Aghlabids dynasty, 800-909, Sunni ; Aghlabids Emir, 800-812, Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab ibn Salim, Sunni Islam; Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Africa, North Africa, 800-812, Aghlabids Emir, Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab ibn Salim
North Africa, Aghlabids Emir, 800-812, Ibrahim I ibn al-Aghlab ibn Salim; Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Africa, North Africa, 1800, 19th Century Folder, French Colonization

Africa, North Africa, 1866-1920, Nectarius, Met oPentapolis, engine start, wind stop, Malice, deposed, S director, incorrupt r
Africa, North Africa, 1866-1920, Nectarius Kephalas, Met oPentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi), great wonderworker, modern times, fSelebria, Thrace, poor, tConstan fWork, captain tried start engines, nothing happened, A allowed on boat for free, job w tobacco merchant, wrote spiritual maxims on tBags, wrote letter to christ for shoes&apron, man sent him money, employer beat him but man told employer, holy land pilgrimage, storm, dipped his cross&commanded sea be still, it worked, however cross fell, knocking sounds, cross found, monk in 1875, Nea Moni in Chios, Deacon, Malice fOther Mets&bishops, deposed but not deranked, weddings baptisms wPermission, bore trial wPatience, others demanded reason, he left Alexandria for Athens, false rumors, no food, mistreatment by MoReligion, friend got him humble job aVitineia&Euboea, scandal followed, laughter wispers, returned tAthens, director Rizarios Seminary 1894-1908, retired to Aegina abandoned monastery, nun community, lighthouse for you, his holy relics, died at 74 in Athens hospital, paralyzed man next bed healed by his sweater, incorrupt relics in his Aegina grave, thousands of miracles before after death; Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi) ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Nectarius, the great wonderworker of modern times, was born Anastasius Kephalas in Selebria, Thrace on October 1, 1846. his family was poor, Anastasius went to Constantinople when he was fourteen in order to find work. he had no money, he asked the captain of a boat to take him. The captain told him to take a walk and then come back. Anastasius understood, and sadly walked away. captain gave the order to start the engines, but nothing happened. After several unsuccessful attempts, he looked up into the eyes of Anastasius who stood on the dock. Taking pity on the boy, the captain told him to come aboard. Immediately, the engines started and the boat began to move. found a job with a tobacco merchant in Constantinople, who did not pay him very much. In his desire to share useful information with others, wrote down short maxims from spiritual books on the paper bags and packages of the tobacco shop. The customers would read them out of curiosity, and might perhaps derive some benefit from them. boy went about barefoot and in ragged clothing, but he trusted in God. that the merchant received many letters, Anastasius also wanted to write a letter. To whom could he write? Not to his parents, because there were no mail deliveries to his village. Not to his friends, because he had none. he decided to write to Christ to tell Him of his needs. “My little Christ,” he wrote. “I do not have an apron or shoes. You send them to me. You know how much I love you.” sealed the letter and wrote on the outside: “To the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.” On his way to mail the letter, he ran into the man who owned a shop opposite the one in which he worked. The man asked him where he was going, and Anastasius whispered something in reply. Seeing the letter in his hands, the man offered to mail it for him, since he was on his way to the post office. merchant put the letter in his pocket and assured Anastasius that he would mail it with his own letters. The boy returned to the tobacco shop, filled with happiness. he took the letter from his pocket to mail it, the merchant happened to notice the address. Astonished and curious, the man could not resist opening the letter to read it. by the boy’s simple faith, the merchant placed some money in an envelope and sent it to him anonymously. Anastasius was filled with joy, and he gave thanks to God. few days later, seeing Anastasius dressed somewhat better than usual, his employer thought he had stolen money from him and began to beat him. Anastasius cried out, “I have never stolen anything. My little Christ sent me the money.” the commotion, the other merchant came and took the tobacco seller aside and explained the situation to him. he was still a young man, Anastasius made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. the voyage, the ship was in danger of sinking in a storm. looked at the raging sea, and then at the captain. He went and stood beside the captain and took the helm, praying for God to save them. he took off the cross his grandmother had given him (containing a piece of the Cross of Christ) and tied it to his belt. Leaning over the side, he dipped the cross into the water three times and commanded the sea, “Silence! Be still.” once, the wind died down and the sea became calm. was saddened, however, because his cross had fallen into the sea and was lost. As the boat sailed on, sounds of knocking seemed to come from the hull below the water line. When the ship docked, the young man got off and started to walk away. the captain began shouting, “Kephalas, Kephalas, come back here.” The captain had ordered some men into a small boat to examine the hull in order to discover the source of the knocking, and they discovered the cross stuck to the hull. was elated to receive his “Treasure,” and always wore it from that time forward. There is a photograph taken many years later, showing the saint in his monastic skufia. The cross is clearly visible in the photo. November 7, 1875, Anastasius received monastic tonsure at the Nea Moni Monastery on Chios, and the new name Lazarus. Two years later, he was ordained a deacon. On that occasion, his name was changed to Nectarius. when he was a priest, Father Nectarius left Chios and went to Egypt. There he was elected Metropolitan of Pentapolis. Some of his colleagues became jealous of him because of his great virtues, because of his inspiring sermons, and because of everything else which distinguished Saint Nectarius from them. Metropolitans and bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria became filled with malice toward the saint, they told Patriarch Sophronius that Nectarius was plotting to become patriarch himself. told the patriarch that the Metropolitan of Pentapolis merely made an outward show of piety in order to win favor with the people. the patriarch and his synod removed Saint Nectarius from his See. Patriarch Sophronius wrote an ambiguous letter of suspension which provoked scandal and speculation about the true reasons for the saint’s removal from his position. Nectarius was not deposed from his rank, however. He was still allowed to function as a bishop. If anyone invited him to perform a wedding or a baptism he could do so, as long as he obtained permission from the local bishop. Nectarius bore his trials with great patience, but those who loved him began to demand to know why he had been removed. that this was causing a disturbance in the Church of Alexandria, he decided to go to Greece. arrived in Athens to find that false rumors about him had already reached that city. His letter of suspension said only that he had been removed “for reasons known to the Patriarchate,” and so all the slanders about him were believed. the state and ecclesiastical authorities would not give him a position, the former Metropolitan was left with no means of support, and no place to live. Every day he went to the Minister of Religion asking for assistance. They soon tired of him and began to mistreat him. day, as he was leaving the Minister’s office, Saint Nectarius met a friend whom he had known in Egypt. Surprised to find the beloved bishop in such a condition, the man spoke to the Minister of Religion and Education and asked that something be found for him. Saint Nectarius was appointed to be a humble preacher in the diocese of Vitineia and Euboea. The saint did not regard this as humiliating for him, even though a simple monk could have filled that position. He went to Euboea to preach in the churches, eagerly embracing his duties. even here, the rumors of scandal followed him. while he was preaching, people began to laugh and whisper. the blameless one resigned his position and returned to Athens. then some people had begun to realize that the rumors were untrue, because they saw nothing in his life or conversation to suggest that he was guilty of anything. their help and influence, Saint Nectarius was appointed Director of the Rizarios Seminary in Athens on March 8, 1894. He was to remain in that position until December of 1908. saint celebrated the services in the seminary church, the students, wrote several edifying and useful books. he was a quiet man, Saint Nectarius did not care for the noise and bustle of Athens. He wanted to retire somewhere where he could pray. the island of Aegina he found an abandoned monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which he began to repair with his own hands. gathered a community of nuns, appointing the blind nun Xenia as abbess, while he himself served as Father Confessor. he had a gift for spiritual direction, many people came to Aegina to confess to him. Eventually, the community grew to thirty nuns. He used to tell them, “I am building a lighthouse for you, and God shall put a light in it that will shine forth to the world. Many will see this light and come to Aegina. ” They did not understand what he was telling them, that he himself would be that beacon, and that people would come there to venerate his holy relics. September 20, 1920 the nun Euphemia brought an old man in black robes, who was obviously in pain, to the Aretaieion Hospital in Athens. This was a state hospital for the poor. The intern asked the nun for information about the patient. “Is he a monk?” he asked. “No, he is a bishop.” intern laughed and said, “Stop joking and tell me his name, Mother, so that I can enter it in the register.” “He is indeed a bishop, my child. He is the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Pentapolis.” intern muttered, “For the first time in my life I see a bishop without a panagia or cross, and more significantly, without money.” the nun showed the saint’s credentials to the astonished intern who then admitted him. For two months Saint Nectarius suffered from a disease of the bladder. At ten thirty on the evening of November 8, 1920, he surrendered his holy soul to God. He died in peace at the age of seventy-four. the bed next to Saint Nectarius was a man who was paralyzed. As soon as the saint had breathed his last, the nurse and the nun who sat with him began to dress him in clean clothing to prepare him for burial at Aegina. They removed his sweater and placed it on the paralyzed man’s bed. Immediately, the paralytic got up from his bed, glorifying God. Nectarius was buried at the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina. Several years later, his grave was opened to remove his bones (as is the custom in Greece). His body was found whole and incorrupt, as if he had been buried that very day. was sent to the Archbishop of Athens, who came to see the relics for himself. Archbishop Chrysostomos told the nuns to leave them out in the sun for a few days, then to rebury them so that they would decay. A month or two after this, they opened the grave again and found the saint incorrupt. Then the relics were placed in a marble sarcophagus. years later, the holy relics dissolved, leaving only the bones. The saint’s head was placed in a bishop’s mitre, and the top was opened to allow people to kiss his head. Nectarius was glorified by God, since his whole life was a continuous doxology to the Lord. Both during his life and after his death, Saint Nectarius has performed thousands of miracles, especially for those suffering from cancer. There are more churches dedicated to Saint Nectarius than to any other modern Orthodox saint.

Africa, North Africa, 1878-1916, CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Geographer, Trappist, Algeria, Taureg dictionary, inspired Little Brothers
France, 1878-1916, CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Algeria, North Africa, French officer, Geographer, mapped Morocco oases, conversion, Trappist monk, solitary hermit in Palestine,Tamanrasset Algeria, Taureg dictionary, blue people, saharan desert, killed by anti-french, then Little Brothers of Jesus, live among as christians; Algeria; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; Eugene, viscount of Foucauld, was born in 1858. served as a French Army officer in Algieria beginning in 1881, and prepared a mapping of oases in Morocco in 1883. 1886 he underwent a religious conversion, and in 1890 he joined a Trappist monastery, but soon left to become a solitary hermit in Palestine. 1901 he went to Algeria, where he eventually settled at Tamanrasset and there lived the life of a missionary priest prepared a Taureg dictionary. was killed in an anti-French uprising on 1 December 1916, by those who said that his goodness tended to create friendly feelings toward the French. 1933 and 1939 respectively, groups of dedicated Christians were formed in Algeria known as the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus, inspired by his ideas and example. of these groups went to live in small communities, called fraternities, in areas where the people were largely poor. supported themselves by doing the same kind of work as their neighbors. made no explicit attempt to convert their neighbors or to debate with them. purpose is simply to live among them as Christians. say that Christ did not come to earth primarily to teach (there were already teachers) but to share our human lot. They seek to express the love of Christ for the wretched of the earth by living among them and sharing their lives and their hardships. For example, on one occasion a brother became ill, and it would have been possible to send him home where he would have received European-style medical care and would almost certainly have recovered. However, this would have been an option not open to those who lived around them. Accordingly, the brother stayed in the fraternity, receiving only the treatment that a native of the area would have received, knowing that this meant that he would soon die, which he did. by James Kiefer

Africa, North Africa, 9999, Unknown Century Folder

Africa, North Africa, 9999, Martyr Theophilus tDeacon & Theophilus, in Libya, North Africa, tortured & slain after confessing
Martyr Theophilus tDeacon & Theophilus, in Libya, North Africa, tortured & slain after confessing before Lybia Governor; Libya Martyr Theophilus the Deacon, in Libya, Commemorated January 8 ; Theophilus the deacon suffered with Saint Helladius. confessing Christ before the governor of Libya, they were tortured and slain.

Africa, North Africa, Carthage and Tunis Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Carthage and Tunis Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Carthage and Tunis, its Area
Africa, North Africa, Carthage and Tunis, its Area

Carthage, North Africa
Carthage;

Vandal Kingdom, Hippo and Carthage, North Africa, 429 - 643,
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; Africa (Roman province);

Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, 429-534,
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa;

Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis)
Carthage (modern Tunis) ;

Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa
Tunis, Tunisia, Africa;

Exarchate of Africa, Carthage as Capital
Exarchate of Africa, Carthage as Capital;

Tunisia, North Africa
Tunisia;

Africa (The Continent Africa)
Africa;

Thacora (strategic point)
Thacora (Tagora) in Africa;

Curubis, Tunisia, North Africa
Curubis or Korba, Tunisia

Carthage, North Africa
Carthage; Carthagian Empire; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated on July 16 ; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31 ; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Commemorated on September 27; Martyr Terence and 39 ohers of Carthage, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Vandal Kingdom, Hippo and Carthage, North Africa, 429 - 643,
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; Africa (Roman province); 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23; St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ;

Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, 429-534,
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; The Vandal Kingdom (Latin: Regnum Vandalum) or Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans (Latin: Regnum Vandalorum et Alanorum) was established by the Germanic Vandal people under Gaiseric. It ruled in North Africa and the Mediterranean 435-“534 CE. 429 CE, the Vandals, estimated to number 80,000 people, had crossed by boat from Hispania to North Africa. They advanced eastward, conquering the coastal regions of what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In 435, the Roman Empire, then ruling North Africa, allowed the Vandals to settle in the provinces of Numidia and Mauretania when it became clear that the Vandal army could not be defeated by Roman military forces. In 439 the Vandals renewed their advance eastward and captured Carthage, the most important city of North Africa. The fledgling kingdom then conquered the Roman-ruled islands of Mallorca, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica in the western Mediterranean. In the 460s, the Romans launched two unsuccessful military expeditions by sea in an attempt to overthrow the Vandals and reclaim North Africa. The conquest of North Africa by the Vandals was a blow to the beleaguered Western Roman Empire as North Africa was a major source of revenue and a supplier of grain (mostly wheat) to the city of Rome. primarily remembered for the sack of Rome in 455 and their persecution of Nicene Christians in favor of Arian Christianity, the Vandals were also patrons of learning. Grand building projects continued, schools flourished, and North Africa fostered many of the most innovative writers and natural scientists of the late Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire.[5] Vandal Kingdom ended in 534, when it was conquered by Belisarius in the Vandalic War and incorporated into the Eastern Roman Empire (or Byzantine Empire). 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8;

Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis)
Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated on July 16 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Martyr Callistratus and 49 companions, Commemorated on September 27; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202) ; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa
Tunis, Tunisia, Africa; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270); Martyrs Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, and the Catechumens: Saturus, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundulus and Felicitas, Commemorated on February 1;

Tunisia, North Africa
Tunisia; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387);

Africa (The Continent Africa)
Africa; LILLIAN TRASHER MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19 ; Martyr Callistratus, Commemorated on September 27 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ;

Thacora (strategic point)
Thacora (Tagora) in Africa; Numidia; St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ;

Curubis, Tunisia, North Africa
Curubis or Korba, Tunisia Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated August 31 ;

Africa, North Africa, Algeria Folder, Algiers and Hippo

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Algeria Folder, Algiers and Hippo

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Algeria, its Area
Algeria, its Area

Algeria, North Africa
Algeria;

Tamanrasset, Algeria
Tamanrasset;

Tolga, Algeria
Tolga;

Thacora (Tagora) Algeria, North Africa
Thacora (Tagora) in Africa;

Numidia (Algeria) and Numidians
Numidia (Algeria) and Numidians;

Vandal Kingdom North Africa, Hippo and Carthage
Vandal Kingdom North Africa;

Hippo, Algeria, North Africa
Hippo;

Hippo Regius, Vandal Capital in North Africa, 435-439
Hippo Regius, Vandal Capital in North Africa, 435-439 Saint Paulinus the Merciful, Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23;

Hippo Regius, Vandal Capital in North Africa, 435-439

Tagaste in Numidia, Algeria, North Africa
Tagaste in Numidia, North Africa ;

Theveste, North Africa (a crossroads)
Theveste (or Tebessa);

Algeria, North Africa
Algeria; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ;

Tamanrasset, Algeria
Tamanrasset; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ;

Tolga, Algeria
Tolga; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga ;

Thacora (Tagora) Algeria, North Africa
Thacora (Tagora) in Africa; Numidia; St Crispina;

Numidia (Algeria) and Numidians
Numidia (Algeria) and Numidians; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31;

Vandal Kingdom North Africa, Hippo and Carthage
Vandal Kingdom North Africa; 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8 ; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8 ;

Hippo, Algeria, North Africa
Hippo; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29; of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo the Holy Church piously remembers the sufferings of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul. Peter, the fervent follower of Jesus Christ, for the profound confession of His Divinity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,â€ was deemed worthy by the Savior to hear in answer, “Blessed art thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this stone [petra] I build My Churchâ€ (Mt.16:16-18). On “this stoneâ€ [petra], is on that which thou sayest: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living Godâ€ it is on this thy confession I build My Church. Wherefore the “thou art Peterâ€: it is from the “stoneâ€ [petra] that Peter [Petrus] is, and not from Peter [Petrus] that the “stoneâ€ [petra] is, just as the Christian is from Christ, and not Christ from the Christian. Do you want to know, from what sort of “rockâ€ [petra] the Apostle Peter [Petrus] was named? Hear the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I do not want ye to be ignorant,â€ says the Apostle of Christ, “how all our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christâ€ (1 Cor.10: 1-4).... Lord Jesus Christ, in the final days of His earthly life, in the days of His mission to the race of man, chose from among the disciples His twelve Apostles to preach the Word of God. Among them, the Apostle Peter for his fiery ardor was vouchsafed to occupy the first place (Mt.10:2) and to be as it were the representative person for all the Church. Therefore it is said to him, preferentially, after the confession: “I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in the heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth: shall be loosed in heavenâ€ (Mt.16: 19). Therefore it was not one man, but rather the One Universal Church, that received these “keysâ€ and the right “to bind and loosen.â€ And that it was actually the Church that received this right, and not exclusively a single person, turn your attention to another place of the Scriptures, where the same Lord says to all His Apostles, “Receive ye the Holy Spiritâ€ and further after this, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, are retainedâ€ (John 20: 22-23); or: “whatsoever ye bind upon the earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosened in heavenâ€ (Mt.18:18). Thus, it is the Church that binds, the Church that loosens; the Church, built upon the foundational cornerstone, Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:20), doth bind and loosen. Let both the binding and the loosening be feared: the loosening, in order not to fall under this again; the binding, in order not to remain forever in this condition. Therefore “Iniquities ensnare a man, and everyone is bound in the chains of his own sins,â€ says Wisdom (Prov 5:22); and except for Holy Church nowhere is it possible to receive the loosening. His Resurrection the Lord entrusted the Apostle Peter to shepherd His spiritual flock not because, that among the disciples only Peter alone was pre-deserved to shepherd the flock of Christ, but Christ addresses Himself chiefly to Peter because, that Peter was first among the Apostles and as such the representative of the Church; besides which, having turned in this instance to Peter alone, as to the top Apostle, Christ by this confirms the unity of the Church. “Simon of Johnâ€ -- says the Lord to Peter -- “lovest thou Me?â€ -- and the Apostle answered: “Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Theeâ€; and a second time it was thus asked, and a second time he thus answered; being asked a third time, seeing that as it were not believed, he was saddened. But how is it possible for him not to believe That One, Who knew his heart? And wherefore then Peter answered: “Lord, Thou knowest all; Thou knowest that I love Thee.â€ “And sayeth Jesus to himâ€ all three times “Feed My sheepâ€ (John 20:15-17). this, the triple appealing of the Savior to Peter and the triple confession of Peter before the Lord had a particular beneficial purpose for the Apostle. That one, to whom was given “the keys of the kingdomâ€ and the right “to bind and to loose,â€ bound himself thrice by fear and cowardice (Mt.26:69-75), and the Lord thrice loosens him by His appeal and in turn by his confession of strong love. And to shepherd literally the flock of Christ was acquired by all the Apostles and their successors. “Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,â€ the Apostle Paul urges church presbyters, “over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own bloodâ€ (Acts 20:28); and the Apostle Peter to the elders: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when is appeared the Prince of pastors, ye will receive unfading crowns of gloryâ€ (1 Pet. 5:2-4). is remarkable that Christ, having said to Peter: “Feed My sheep,â€ did not say: “Feed thy sheep,â€ but rather to feed, good servant, the sheep of the Lord. “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?â€ (1 Cor.1:13). “Feed My sheepâ€. Wherefore “wolfish robbers, wolfish oppressors, deceitful teachers and mercenaries, not being concerned about the flockâ€ (Mt.7:15; Acts 20:29; 2 Pet 2:1; John 10:12), having plundered a strange flock and making of the spoils as though it be of their own particular gain, they think that they feed their flock. Such are not good pastors, as pastors of the Lord. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheepâ€ (John 10:11), entrusted to Him by the chief Shepherd Himself (1 Pet 5:4). And the Apostle Peter, true to his calling, gave his soul for the very flock of Christ, having sealed his apostleship by a martyr’s death, is now glorified throughout all the world. Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, was changed from a robbing wolf into a meek lamb. Formerly he was an enemy of the Church, then is manifest as an Apostle. Formerly he stalked it, then preached it. Having received from the high priests the authority at large to throw all Christians in chains for execution, he was already on the way, he breathed out “threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lordâ€ (Acts 9:1), he thirsted for blood, but “He that dwells in the Heavens shall laugh him to scornâ€ (Ps 2:4). When he, “having persecuted and vexedâ€ in such manner “the Church of Godâ€ (1Cor.15:9; Acts 8:5), he came near Damascus, and the Lord from Heaven called to him: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?â€ and I am here, and I am there, I am everywhere: here is My head; there is My body. There becomes nothing of a surprise in this; we ourselves are members of the Body of Christ. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me; it is hard for thee to kick against the goadâ€ (Acts 9:4-5). Saul, however, “trembling and frightenedâ€, cried out: “Who art Thou, Lord?â€ The Lord answered him, “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest.â€ Saul suddenly undergoes a change: “What wantest Thou me to do?â€ -- he cries out. And suddenly for him there is the Voice: “Arise, and go to the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must doâ€ (Acts 9:6). Here the Lord sends Ananias: “Arise and go into the streetâ€ to a man, “by the name of Saul,â€ and baptize him, “for this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israelâ€ (Acts 9: 11, 15, 18). This vessel must be filled with My Grace. “Ananias, however, answered: Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy Nameâ€ (Acts 9:13-14). But the Lord urgently commands Ananias: “Search for and fetch him, for this vessel is chosen by Me: for I shall show him what great things he must suffer for My name’s sakeâ€ (Acts 9:11, 15-16). actually the Lord did show the Apostle Paul what things he had to suffer for His Name. He instructed him the deeds; He did not stop at the chains, the fetters, the prisons and shipwrecks; He Himself felt for him in his sufferings, He Himself guided him towards this day. On a single day the memory of the sufferings of both these Apostles is celebrated, though they suffered on separate days, but by the spirit and the closeness of their suffering they constitute one. Peter went first, and Paul followed soon after him. Formerly called Saul, and then Paul, having transformed his pride into humility. His very name (Paulus), meaning “small, little, less,â€ demonstrates this. What is the Apostle Paul after this? Ask him, and he himself gives answer to this: “I am,â€ says he, “the least of the Apostles... but I have labored more abundantly than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with meâ€ (1 Cor.15:9-10). so, brethren, celebrating now the memory of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, remembering their venerable sufferings, we esteem their true faith and holy life, we esteem the innocence of their sufferings and pure confession. Loving in them the sublime quality and imitating them by great exploits, “in which to be likened to themâ€ (2 Thess 3: 5-9), and we shall attain to that eternal bliss which is prepared for all the saints. The path of our life before was more grievous, thornier, harder, but “we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnessesâ€ (Heb 12: 1), having passed by along it, made now for us easier, and lighter, and more readily passable. First there passed along it “the author and finisher of our faith,â€ our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 12: 2); His daring Apostles followed after Him; then the martyrs, children, women, virgins and a great multitude of witnesses. Who acted in them and helped them on this path? He Who said, “Without Me ye can do nothingâ€ (John 15: 5).

Hippo, Roman Province of Africa
Hippo; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29; of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo the Holy Church piously remembers the sufferings of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul. Peter, the fervent follower of Jesus Christ, for the profound confession of His Divinity: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,â€ was deemed worthy by the Savior to hear in answer, “Blessed art thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this stone [petra] I build My Churchâ€ (Mt.16:16-18). On “this stoneâ€ [petra], is on that which thou sayest: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living Godâ€ it is on this thy confession I build My Church. Wherefore the “thou art Peterâ€: it is from the “stoneâ€ [petra] that Peter [Petrus] is, and not from Peter [Petrus] that the “stoneâ€ [petra] is, just as the Christian is from Christ, and not Christ from the Christian. Do you want to know, from what sort of “rockâ€ [petra] the Apostle Peter [Petrus] was named? Hear the Apostle Paul: “Brethren, I do not want ye to be ignorant,â€ says the Apostle of Christ, “how all our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christâ€ (1 Cor.10: 1-4).... Lord Jesus Christ, in the final days of His earthly life, in the days of His mission to the race of man, chose from among the disciples His twelve Apostles to preach the Word of God. Among them, the Apostle Peter for his fiery ardor was vouchsafed to occupy the first place (Mt.10:2) and to be as it were the representative person for all the Church. Therefore it is said to him, preferentially, after the confession: “I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in the heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth: shall be loosed in heavenâ€ (Mt.16: 19). Therefore it was not one man, but rather the One Universal Church, that received these “keysâ€ and the right “to bind and loosen.â€ And that it was actually the Church that received this right, and not exclusively a single person, turn your attention to another place of the Scriptures, where the same Lord says to all His Apostles, “Receive ye the Holy Spiritâ€ and further after this, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, are retainedâ€ (John 20: 22-23); or: “whatsoever ye bind upon the earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosened in heavenâ€ (Mt.18:18). Thus, it is the Church that binds, the Church that loosens; the Church, built upon the foundational cornerstone, Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 2:20), doth bind and loosen. Let both the binding and the loosening be feared: the loosening, in order not to fall under this again; the binding, in order not to remain forever in this condition. Therefore “Iniquities ensnare a man, and everyone is bound in the chains of his own sins,â€ says Wisdom (Prov 5:22); and except for Holy Church nowhere is it possible to receive the loosening. His Resurrection the Lord entrusted the Apostle Peter to shepherd His spiritual flock not because, that among the disciples only Peter alone was pre-deserved to shepherd the flock of Christ, but Christ addresses Himself chiefly to Peter because, that Peter was first among the Apostles and as such the representative of the Church; besides which, having turned in this instance to Peter alone, as to the top Apostle, Christ by this confirms the unity of the Church. “Simon of Johnâ€ -- says the Lord to Peter -- “lovest thou Me?â€ -- and the Apostle answered: “Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Theeâ€; and a second time it was thus asked, and a second time he thus answered; being asked a third time, seeing that as it were not believed, he was saddened. But how is it possible for him not to believe That One, Who knew his heart? And wherefore then Peter answered: “Lord, Thou knowest all; Thou knowest that I love Thee.â€ “And sayeth Jesus to himâ€ all three times “Feed My sheepâ€ (John 20:15-17). this, the triple appealing of the Savior to Peter and the triple confession of Peter before the Lord had a particular beneficial purpose for the Apostle. That one, to whom was given “the keys of the kingdomâ€ and the right “to bind and to loose,â€ bound himself thrice by fear and cowardice (Mt.26:69-75), and the Lord thrice loosens him by His appeal and in turn by his confession of strong love. And to shepherd literally the flock of Christ was acquired by all the Apostles and their successors. “Take heed, therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,â€ the Apostle Paul urges church presbyters, “over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own bloodâ€ (Acts 20:28); and the Apostle Peter to the elders: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when is appeared the Prince of pastors, ye will receive unfading crowns of gloryâ€ (1 Pet. 5:2-4). is remarkable that Christ, having said to Peter: “Feed My sheep,â€ did not say: “Feed thy sheep,â€ but rather to feed, good servant, the sheep of the Lord. “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?â€ (1 Cor.1:13). “Feed My sheepâ€. Wherefore “wolfish robbers, wolfish oppressors, deceitful teachers and mercenaries, not being concerned about the flockâ€ (Mt.7:15; Acts 20:29; 2 Pet 2:1; John 10:12), having plundered a strange flock and making of the spoils as though it be of their own particular gain, they think that they feed their flock. Such are not good pastors, as pastors of the Lord. “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheepâ€ (John 10:11), entrusted to Him by the chief Shepherd Himself (1 Pet 5:4). And the Apostle Peter, true to his calling, gave his soul for the very flock of Christ, having sealed his apostleship by a martyr’s death, is now glorified throughout all the world. Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, was changed from a robbing wolf into a meek lamb. Formerly he was an enemy of the Church, then is manifest as an Apostle. Formerly he stalked it, then preached it. Having received from the high priests the authority at large to throw all Christians in chains for execution, he was already on the way, he breathed out “threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lordâ€ (Acts 9:1), he thirsted for blood, but “He that dwells in the Heavens shall laugh him to scornâ€ (Ps 2:4). When he, “having persecuted and vexedâ€ in such manner “the Church of Godâ€ (1Cor.15:9; Acts 8:5), he came near Damascus, and the Lord from Heaven called to him: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?â€ and I am here, and I am there, I am everywhere: here is My head; there is My body. There becomes nothing of a surprise in this; we ourselves are members of the Body of Christ. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me; it is hard for thee to kick against the goadâ€ (Acts 9:4-5). Saul, however, “trembling and frightenedâ€, cried out: “Who art Thou, Lord?â€ The Lord answered him, “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest.â€ Saul suddenly undergoes a change: “What wantest Thou me to do?â€ -- he cries out. And suddenly for him there is the Voice: “Arise, and go to the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must doâ€ (Acts 9:6). Here the Lord sends Ananias: “Arise and go into the streetâ€ to a man, “by the name of Saul,â€ and baptize him, “for this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israelâ€ (Acts 9: 11, 15, 18). This vessel must be filled with My Grace. “Ananias, however, answered: Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy Nameâ€ (Acts 9:13-14). But the Lord urgently commands Ananias: “Search for and fetch him, for this vessel is chosen by Me: for I shall show him what great things he must suffer for My name’s sakeâ€ (Acts 9:11, 15-16). actually the Lord did show the Apostle Paul what things he had to suffer for His Name. He instructed him the deeds; He did not stop at the chains, the fetters, the prisons and shipwrecks; He Himself felt for him in his sufferings, He Himself guided him towards this day. On a single day the memory of the sufferings of both these Apostles is celebrated, though they suffered on separate days, but by the spirit and the closeness of their suffering they constitute one. Peter went first, and Paul followed soon after him. Formerly called Saul, and then Paul, having transformed his pride into humility. His very name (Paulus), meaning “small, little, less,â€ demonstrates this. What is the Apostle Paul after this? Ask him, and he himself gives answer to this: “I am,â€ says he, “the least of the Apostles... but I have labored more abundantly than all of them: yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with meâ€ (1 Cor.15:9-10). so, brethren, celebrating now the memory of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, remembering their venerable sufferings, we esteem their true faith and holy life, we esteem the innocence of their sufferings and pure confession. Loving in them the sublime quality and imitating them by great exploits, “in which to be likened to themâ€ (2 Thess 3: 5-9), and we shall attain to that eternal bliss which is prepared for all the saints. The path of our life before was more grievous, thornier, harder, but “we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnessesâ€ (Heb 12: 1), having passed by along it, made now for us easier, and lighter, and more readily passable. First there passed along it “the author and finisher of our faith,â€ our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Heb 12: 2); His daring Apostles followed after Him; then the martyrs, children, women, virgins and a great multitude of witnesses. Who acted in them and helped them on this path? He Who said, “Without Me ye can do nothingâ€ (John 15: 5).

Tagaste in Numidia, Algeria, North Africa
Tagaste in Numidia, North Africa ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Theveste, North Africa (a crossroads)
Theveste (or Tebessa); St Crispina, Commemorated December 5 ;

Africa, North Africa, Morocco Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Morocco Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Morocco, its Area (Not including West Saharan Desert)
Africa, North Africa, Morocco, its Area (Not including West Saharan Desert)

Morocco, North Africa
Morocco;

Barbary Pirates, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Barbary Coast of the Moors;

Barbary Coast of the Moors, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Barbary Coast of the Moors;

Moors of the Barbary Coast, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Moors of the Barbary Coast ;

Mauretania, North Africa
Mauretania;

Morocco, North Africa
Morocco; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Barbary Pirates, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Barbary Coast of the Moors; Moors of the Barbary Coast ; Morocco; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Barbary Coast of the Moors, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Barbary Coast of the Moors; Moors of the Barbary Coast ; Morocco; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Moors of the Barbary Coast, North Africa (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, Libya, Mauritania)
Moors of the Barbary Coast ; Barbary Coast of the Moors; Morocco; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mauretania, North Africa
Mauretania; Martyr Mertius of Mauretania, Commemorated January 12 ;

Africa, North Africa, Libya Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Libya Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, Libya, its Area
Libya, its Area

Libya, North Africa
Libya

Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert
Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert;

Africa, North Africa, 310-370, , Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert,
Scetis ;

Necropolis (an example of large Christian graveyards, Tripoli)
Necropolis (an example): these large Christian graveyards (Jedars or walls) were throughout northern Algeria and Libya.

Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi)
Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi) ;

Cyrene in Libya, North Africa
Cyrene in Libya;

Libya, North Africa
Libya Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated October 5 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon, in Libya, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert
Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert; 407, a tribe of barbarian raiders known as Mazices came sweeping off the Libyan desert and devastated one of the first great centers of Christian monasticism, the settlement of Scetis. was located in a remote desert valley west of the Nile and had been founded around 330 by one of the pioneers of the monastic movement, Macarius the Egyptian (d. 390). the attack, it had enjoyed an international reputation for its ascetic rigor and incisive wisdom. of the devastation spread rapidly, even to the Latin West. Augustine knew of it and counted it among the great disasters of the time. when the sack of Rome took place a couple of years later, in 410, one of Scetis’s survivors, Abba Arsenius, would link the two events: “The world has lost Rome and the monks have lost Scetis.” ’s destruction marked a turning point in the history of early Christian monasticism. site would be resettled a few years later, and in fact would suffer other barbarian raids, notably in 434, 444, and 570. But after this first one, many of its leading monks dispersed and never returned. This diaspora proved providential. A group of seven brothers led by Abba Poemen and Abba Anoub fled initially to Terenuthis on the Nile. They first took refuge in an abandoned pagan temple. after arriving, Anoub asked the group to spend a week in silent retreat. Each morning he would throw rocks at one of the temple’s stone statues, and each evening he would kneel down and ask it to forgive him. He did the same all week. At week’s end, Abba Poemen asked Anoub to explain his behavior. He answered: “I did this for you. When you saw me throwing stones at the face of the statue, did it speak? Or did it get angry?” “No,” Poemen replied. So Anoub continued, “Now there are seven of us. If all of you want to live together, let us be like this statue-unmoved whether one beats on it or flatters it. If you do not wish to live like this, there are four doors here in the temple. Let each one go out the one he wishes.” The group accepted Anoub’s proposal and bound themselves to one another. decision would prove momentous, for, as we will see, Abba Poemen and his circle would play a decisive role in creating one of the great classics of monastic spirituality: the Apophthegmata patrum, or Sayings of the Fathers. It is an extraordinary anthology. In its pages, one finds “a motley band of colourful characters, wild adventures, and stinging, memorable ‘one-liners.'” Its publication would mark an important milestone in the literature of late antiquity. As Peter Brown has noted, “the Sayings provided a remarkable new literary genre, close to the world of parable and folk-wisdom…. In these Sayings, the peasantry of Egypt spoke for the first time to the civilized world.” Scetis ; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Achilles, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Daniel of Sketis, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Africa, North Africa, 310-370, , Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert,
Scetis ; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; is written in The Paradise of the Fathers that Mother Sarah spoke these words: “If I were to ask God that all people might be built up through me, I would be found expressing contrition at the door of each one who repents. But I pray to God especially that my heart may be pure with Him and with everyone.” two great Elders and anchorites left Mount Pelusium (in the northeastern Nile Delta) and went to see Amma Sarah. among themselves they said, “Let us humble this old woman.” they came to her she said, “Be careful, you may be humbled by the words you have spoken. Behold, anchorites have come to one who is a woman. According to nature, I am a woman, but not according to my worth.” she went to Sketis, and she was offered some food. She did not eat any of the best food however, she ate only the plain food. This was because she did not want to use her journey and her visit as an excuse to relax her fasting. Then they said to her, “Truly, you are like those who dwell at Sketis.” was said of Amma Sarah, the ascetic of Sketis, that the blessed one lived above a river for sixty years, but she never looked out from her abode to see it. Sarah said, “It is a good thing for a person to give alms, even if he does so in order to win the approval of others, because by doing this, he will come to do it for God’s sake.” Sarah brought many women to monasticism by the example of her holy and God-pleasing life. She reposed in peace in the year 370 at the age of eighty.

Necropolis (an example of large Christian graveyards, Tripoli)
Necropolis (an example): these large Christian graveyards (Jedars or walls) were throughout northern Algeria and Libya. Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Necropolis. Roman Province of Africa (an example of large Christian graveyards, Tripoli)
Necropolis (an example): these large Christian graveyards (Jedars or walls) were throughout northern Algeria and Libya. Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi)
Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi) ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ;

Pentapolis, Roman Province of Africa (Benhgazi)
Pentapolis, Roman Province of Africa (Benhgazi) ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ;

Cyrene in Libya, North Africa
Cyrene in Libya; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ;

Cyrene in Roman Province of Africa
Cyrene in Roman Province of Africa; Hieromartyr Theodore the Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, Commemorated July 4 ;

Africa (Clean), North Africa Folder

Africa (Clean), North Africa, its Area
Africa, North Africa, its Area

Africa (Clean) North Africa, Algeria, Numidia, its Area

North Africa
North Africa;

Thacora (strategic point)
Thacora (Tagora) in Africa; Numidia;

Africa, South Africa Folder

South Africa
South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

British Empire - South Africa
South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Capetown, South Africa (Cape of Good Hope)
Capetown, South Africa; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Boer republics of South Africa (1850-1902)
Boer republics of South Africa; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16;

Africa, South Africa 1880-1967, Folder

Africa, South Africa, 1800, 19th and 20th Century Folder, Boer Wars, Gandhi

South Africa, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Anglican monasteries, Cowley, Oxfordshire
England, 1844-1912, RICHARD MEUX BENSON, founder Society oSt John tEvangelist 1866, Cowley, Oxfordshire, Society of St. John the Evangelist, Anglican monasteries, wealthy family, private tutor, t Christ Church Oxford, a school, degree, ordination, curacy aSubiton, 1850 vicar aCrowley Oxford, High Church, 1858 priest retreat, 1859 built new parish church, planned mission tIndia but bishop declined, time of English convents, 2 priests joined him to begin community, not purely contemplative, external ministries, devine office daily, hour meditation, summer retreat 4wks, later 2wks, other retreat days&silence days, concentrated oEssentials like life-vows, regular confession, choir office, prayer&meditation, priestly ministry, recognized bishop's authority but not to private life together, 1870-93 Society spread tUS, India, South Africa, American mission tour, 1884 Benson drafted Constitution & Rule, 1886 resigned Parish Vicar, 1890 resigned Superior, 1yr in India, 8yrs Boston, last 16yrs back at Home, celebrated Eucharist as long as he could stand, then weeled in chair every morning, died 1915; Society of St. John the Evangelist; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; Meux Benson (1824–1915) was a priest in the Church of England founder of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the first religious order of monks in the Anglican Communion since the Reformation. into a wealthy family of London in 1824, was taught at home by a private tutor and entered Christ Church, Oxford. his degree and ordination and a curacy at Surbiton, in 1850 he became vicar of Cowley, Oxford. was considered High Church. 1858 Benson conducted a retreat for priests using material taken in part from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. 1859, having erected a new parish church dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, planned a mission to India but abandoned the plan at the request of his bishop. the time there were convents of Anglican women in England, and in 1865 two priests joined Benson in Cowley to begin community life under the name of Mission Priests of St. John the Evangelist with Benson as Superior. form of religious life instituted by Benson was not purely contemplative — its members engaged in active external ministry — they recited the Divine Office together daily in choir, and Benson emphasized contemplation. brothers were to get an hour's meditation daily if possible, he gave the community a summer retreat of four weeks, later reduced to fortnight. He prescribed other retreat days and silence days. a religious founder, he concentrated on essentials, which he reckoned life-vows, taken with precautions as to maturity; confession; office, and meditation; priestly ministry. fully recognized the authority of his bishop over the priests of the community, who were clergy of the diocese, not as extending to their private life together. 1870 to 1883 the Society spread to the United States, India, and South Africa. himself made an American mission tour. 1884 the society adopted a Constitution and Rule drafted by Benson. the creation of the Society, Benson had maintained his duties as a parish vicar. 1886 he resigned this charge to devote all his attention to the Society and its mission. 1890 Benson stepped aside for another to be elected Superior. spent one year in India, eight years at the American house in Boston. last sixteen years of Benson's life were lived at home again. celebrated the Holy Eucharist as long as he could stand at the altar, then was wheeled in a chair to his Communion every morning. He died on January 14, 1915. Wikipedia More information on Richard Benson is available from Project Canterbury.

Africa, South Africa, 1880-1881, Boer War 1 (Transvaal Republic, 1899)
Boer Wars; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Africa, South Africa, 1881-1896, BERNARD MIZEKI, Capetown, Cowley Fathers convert, translated languages, many converts
Africa, South Africa, 1881-1896, BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA, Capetown, South Africa (Cape of Good Hope), Society of St John (SSJE) convert, Cowley Fathers, Mastered translated languages, used their monotheistic faith, many converts, killed by black african nationalists because missionary for England; Capetown, South Africa; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896); Mizeki was born in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) in about 1861. he was twelve or a little older, he left his home and went to Capetown, South Africa, where for the next ten years he worked as a laborer, living in the slums of Capetown, but (perceiving the disastrous effects of drunkenness on many workers in the slums) firmly refusing to drink alcohol, and remaining largely uncorrupted by his surroundings. his day's work, he attended night classes at an Anglican school. Under the influence of his teachers, from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE, an Anglican religious order for men, popularly called the Cowley Fathers), he became a Christian and was baptized on 9 March 1886. the fundamentals of European schooling, he mastered English, French, high Dutch, and at least eight local African languages. time he would be an invaluable assistant when the Anglican church began translating its sacred texts into African languages. graduating from the school, he accompanied Bishop Knight-Bruce to Mashonaland, a tribal area in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), to work there as a lay catechist. In 1891 the bishop assigned him to Nhowe, the village of paramount-chief Mangwende, and there he built a mission-complex. He prayed the Anglican hours each day, tended his subsistence garden, studied the local language (which he mastered better than any other foreigner in his day), and cultivated friendships with the villagers. eventually opened a school, and won the hearts of many of the Mashona through his love for their children. moved his mission complex up onto a nearby plateau, next to a grove of trees sacred to the ancestral spirits of the Mashona. Although he had the chief's permission, he angered the local religious leaders when he cut some of the trees down and carved crosses into others. he opposed some local traditional religious customs, Bernard was very attentive to the nuances of the Shona Spirit religion. He developed an approach that built on people's already monotheistic faith in one God, Mwari, and on their sensitivity to spirit life, while at the same time he forthrightly proclaimed the Christ. Over the next five years (1891-1896), the mission at Nhowe produced an abundance of converts. black African nationalists regarded all missionaries as working for the European colonial governments. During an uprising in 1896, Bernard was warned to flee. He refused, since he did not regard himself as working for anyone but Christ, and he would not desert his converts or his post. 18 June 1896, he was fatally speared outside his hut. His wife and a helper went to get food and blankets for him. They later reported that, from a distance, they saw a blinding light on the hillside where he had been lying, and heard a rushing sound, as though of many wings. they returned to the spot his body had disappeared. The place of his death has become a focus of great devotion for Anglicans and other Christians, and one of the greatest of all Christian festivals in Africa takes place there every year around the feast day that marks the anniversary of his martyrdom, June 18. James Kiefer

Africa, South Africa, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi
India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated January 12;

Africa, South Africa, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland
US, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland; Graham Lake (March 18, 1870 – September 16, 1935) was a Canadian-American leader in the Pentecostal movement that began in the early 20th century, and is known as a faith healer, missionary, and with Thomas Hezmalhalch, co-founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa. his 1908–19 African missionary work, Lake played a decisive role in the spread of Pentecostalism in South Africa, the most successful southern African religious movement of the 20th century.[1]: 98 [2]: 34  completing his missionary work in Africa, Lake evangelized for 20 years, primarily along the west coast of the United States setting up "healing rooms" and healing campaigns, and establishing churches. was influenced by the healing ministry of John Alexander Dowie and the ministry of Charles Parham.[3] Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie); John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Africa, South Africa, 1899-1902, Boer War 2 (Orange Free State, 1880)
Boer Wars; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Africa, South Africa, 1900, 20th Century, Albert Lutuli, Sharpeville massacre, Nelson Mandela

Africa, South Africa, 1918-1967, ALBERT LITULI, Politician, preacher, teacher, nonviolent, christian, anti Apartheid
Africa, South Africa, 1918-1967, Politician, Albert Lutuli, preacher, teacher, nonviolent, christian, opposed white minority government, apartheid, 1960 Nobel Peace Prize, ; Apartheid, South African racial segregation system; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John Lutuli (commonly spelled Luthuli), also known by his Zulu name "Mvumbi" (c. 1898 – 21 July 1967), was a South African teacher and politician. Lutuli was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), at the time an umbrella organisation that led opposition to the white minority government in South Africa. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the non-violent struggle against apartheid. third son of Seventh-day Adventist missionary John Bunyan Lutuli and Mtonya Gumede, Albert Lutuli was born near Bulawayo in what was then called Rhodesia, around 1898. His father died, and he and his mother returned to her ancestral home of Groutville in KwaDukuza (Stanger), Natal, South Africa. was confirmed in the Methodist church and became a lay preacher. He joined the Adams College, staff and in 1928 he became secretary of the African Teacher's Association and in 1933 its president. He was also active in missionary work. 1944 Lutuli joined the African National Congress (ANC). In 1945 he was elected to the Committee of the KwaZulu Province Provincial Division of ANC and in 1951 to the presidency of the Division. The next year he joined with other ANC leaders in organizing nonviolent campaigns to defy discriminatory apartheid laws. month later Lutuli was elected president-general of ANC. Responding immediately, the government imposed two two-year bans on Lutuli's movement. When the second ban expired in 1956, he attended an ANC conference only to be arrested and charged with treason a few months later, along with 155 others. In December 1957, after nearly a year in custody during the preliminary hearings, Lutuli was released and the charges against him and sixty-four of his compatriots were dropped. Another five year ban confined him to a fifteen-mile radius of his home. The ban lifted in March 1960, to permit his arrest for publicly burning his pass following the Sharpeville massacre. In the ensuing state of emergency he was arrested, found guilty, fined, given a suspended jail sentence and returned to Groutville. One final time the ban was lifted, this time for ten days in early December 1961 to permit Lutuli and his wife to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo. December 1961, without Lutuli's sanction, Nelson Mandela of the Provincial ANC publicly launched Umkhonto we Sizwe at the All In Conference, where delegates from several movements had convened to discuss cooperation. Mandela's charisma and the global publicity surrounding his trial and imprisonment upstaged Lutuli, who grew increasingly despondent in isolation. 1962 he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow by the students, serving until 1965. Since he was banned from travelling to Glasgow the Luthuli Scholarship Fund was setup by the Student Representative Council to enable a black South African student to study at Glasgow University. fourth ban to run for five years confining Lutuli to the immediate vicinity of his home was issued in May 1964, to run concurrently with the third ban. July 1967, at the age of 69, he was fatally injured in an accident near his home in Stanger.

Africa, South Africa, 1938-2013 , Nelson Mandella, revolution, dismantiling apartheid, institutionalised racism, socialist
Africa, South Africa, 1938-2013 , Nelson Mandella; Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 - 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. Xhosa speaker, Mandela was born to the Thembu royal family in Mvezo, Union of South Africa. He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg. There he became involved in anti-colonial and African nationalist politics, joining the ANC in 1943 and co-founding its Youth League in 1944. After the National Party's white-only government established apartheid, a system of racial segregation that privileged whites, he and the ANC committed themselves to its overthrow. Mandela was appointed president of the ANC's Transvaal branch, rising to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial. Influenced by Marxism, he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party (SACP). Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 and led a sabotage campaign against the government. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state following the Rivonia Trial. served 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. Amid growing domestic and international pressure and fears of racial civil war, President F. W. de Klerk released him in 1990. Mandela and de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid, which resulted in the 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and became president. Leading a broad coalition government which promulgated a new constitution, Mandela emphasised reconciliation between the country's racial groups and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Economically, Mandela's administration retained its predecessor's liberal framework despite his own socialist beliefs, also introducing measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty and expand healthcare services. Internationally, he acted as mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999. He declined a second presidential term and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela became an elder statesman and focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the charitable Nelson Mandela Foundation. was a controversial figure for much of his life. Although critics on the right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the far left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid's supporters, he gained international acclaim for his activism. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name, Madiba, and described as the "Father of the Nation".

Africa, South Africa, 1960, Sharpeville massacre
Sharpeville massacre; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21;

Africa (Clean), South Africa, Roads, Rivers, Places Folder

Africa (Clean), South Africa, its Area
South Africa, its Area

Africa (Clean), South Africa, Orange River Folder

Orange River

Africa, South Africa, Orange River 4, Vaal River Folder, Johannesburg

Vaal River

Witwatersrand Mountains, Ridge of White Waters
Witwatersrand Mountains

Blesbokspruit River

Wilge River

Mooi River

Vals River

Vet River

Hart River

Lime River

Riet River

Modder River

Modder River Upper Modder

Africa (Clean), South Africa, Gourits River Folder, Natal Province, Capetown

Gourits River

Africa, South Africa, Gourits River Source, Olifants and Gamka Rivers Folder

Olifants River

Gamka River

Africa (Clean), South Africa, Limpopo River Folder, Transvaal Colony, Mozambique

Limpopo River

Africa, South Africa, Limpopo River Sources, Marico and Crocodile Rivers Folder

Marico River

Crocodile River

Africa, South Africa, Orange River Folder

Orange River Source (Lesotho, Drakensberg Mountains)

British Empire - Basutoland - Orange River Source - South Africa
British Empire - Basutoland - Orange River Source - South Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Drakensberg Mountains (11,400 feet)
Drakensberg Mountains

Orange River 1

Orange River 2 (Gariep Dam)

Philippoplis, South Africa (Orange River 2.5)
Philippoplis, South Africa ;

Orange River 3 (Vanderkloof Dam)

Orange River 4 (Vaal River Mouth)

Vaal River Source (Mpumalanga, Drakensberg Mountains)

Vaal River 1 (Blesbokspruit Mouth)

Blesbokspruit River Source

Vaal River 2 (Johannesburg)

Johannesburg, South Africa (Orange River 4, Vaal River 2)
Johannesburg, South Africa ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (Johannesburg) 1908
Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Doornfontein, Johanasburg Suburb
Doornfontein, Johanasburg Suburb; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ;

Vaal River 3 (Wilge River Mouth, Vaal Dam)

Wilge River Source

Vaal River 4 (Vaal Dam)

Sharpeville massacre 1960 (Vaal River 4, 35 miles south of Johannesburg)
Sharpeville massacre; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21;

Vaal River 5 (Mooi River Mouth)

Mooi River Source

Vaal River 6 (Vals River Mouth)

Vals River Source

Vaal River 7 (Vet River Mouth)

Vet River Source

Vaal River 8 (Harts River Mouth)

British Empire - Bechuanaland - Vaal River, South Africa
British Empire - Bechuanaland - Vaal River, South Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Vaal River 9 (Lime River Mouth)

Vaal River 10 (Riet River Mouth)

Reit River 1 (Modder River Mouth)

Riet River 2

Vaal River Mouth (Orange River 4)

Hart River Source

Orange River 5

Orange River 6 (Upington)

Orange River 7

Orange River 8 (Aggeneys)

Orange River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Africa, South Africa, Gourits River Folder, Natal Province, Capetown

Gourits River Source (Gamka and Olifants Rivers)

Gourits River Mouth (Gouritsmond, Indian Ocean)

Capetown, South Africa (Cape of Good Hope) Bernard Mizeki
Capetown, South Africa; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Natal Province, South Africa, Albert John Lutuli, Charles Freer Andrews
Natal Province, South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Stanger, Natal, South Africa, Albert John Lutuli
Stanger, South Africa ; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John Lutuli (commonly spelled Luthuli), also known by his Zulu name "Mvumbi" (c. 1898 – 21 July 1967), was a South African teacher and politician. Lutuli was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), at the time an umbrella organisation that led opposition to the white minority government in South Africa. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the non-violent struggle against apartheid. third son of Seventh-day Adventist missionary John Bunyan Lutuli and Mtonya Gumede, Albert Lutuli was born near Bulawayo in what was then called Rhodesia, around 1898. His father died, and he and his mother returned to her ancestral home of Groutville in KwaDukuza (Stanger), Natal, South Africa. was confirmed in the Methodist church and became a lay preacher. He joined the Adams College, staff and in 1928 he became secretary of the African Teacher's Association and in 1933 its president. He was also active in missionary work. 1944 Lutuli joined the African National Congress (ANC). In 1945 he was elected to the Committee of the KwaZulu Province Provincial Division of ANC and in 1951 to the presidency of the Division. The next year he joined with other ANC leaders in organizing nonviolent campaigns to defy discriminatory apartheid laws. month later Lutuli was elected president-general of ANC. Responding immediately, the government imposed two two-year bans on Lutuli's movement. When the second ban expired in 1956, he attended an ANC conference only to be arrested and charged with treason a few months later, along with 155 others. In December 1957, after nearly a year in custody during the preliminary hearings, Lutuli was released and the charges against him and sixty-four of his compatriots were dropped. Another five year ban confined him to a fifteen-mile radius of his home. The ban lifted in March 1960, to permit his arrest for publicly burning his pass following the Sharpeville massacre. In the ensuing state of emergency he was arrested, found guilty, fined, given a suspended jail sentence and returned to Groutville. One final time the ban was lifted, this time for ten days in early December 1961 to permit Lutuli and his wife to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo. December 1961, without Lutuli's sanction, Nelson Mandela of the Provincial ANC publicly launched Umkhonto we Sizwe at the All In Conference, where delegates from several movements had convened to discuss cooperation. Mandela's charisma and the global publicity surrounding his trial and imprisonment upstaged Lutuli, who grew increasingly despondent in isolation. 1962 he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow by the students, serving until 1965. Since he was banned from travelling to Glasgow the Luthuli Scholarship Fund was setup by the Student Representative Council to enable a black South African student to study at Glasgow University. fourth ban to run for five years confining Lutuli to the immediate vicinity of his home was issued in May 1964, to run concurrently with the third ban. July 1967, at the age of 69, he was fatally injured in an accident near his home in Stanger.

Groutville, Natal, South Africa, Albert John Lutuli
Groutville, South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John Lutuli (commonly spelled Luthuli), also known by his Zulu name "Mvumbi" (c. 1898 – 21 July 1967), was a South African teacher and politician. Lutuli was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), at the time an umbrella organisation that led opposition to the white minority government in South Africa. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the non-violent struggle against apartheid. third son of Seventh-day Adventist missionary John Bunyan Lutuli and Mtonya Gumede, Albert Lutuli was born near Bulawayo in what was then called Rhodesia, around 1898. His father died, and he and his mother returned to her ancestral home of Groutville in KwaDukuza (Stanger), Natal, South Africa. was confirmed in the Methodist church and became a lay preacher. He joined the Adams College, staff and in 1928 he became secretary of the African Teacher's Association and in 1933 its president. He was also active in missionary work. 1944 Lutuli joined the African National Congress (ANC). In 1945 he was elected to the Committee of the KwaZulu Province Provincial Division of ANC and in 1951 to the presidency of the Division. The next year he joined with other ANC leaders in organizing nonviolent campaigns to defy discriminatory apartheid laws. month later Lutuli was elected president-general of ANC. Responding immediately, the government imposed two two-year bans on Lutuli's movement. When the second ban expired in 1956, he attended an ANC conference only to be arrested and charged with treason a few months later, along with 155 others. In December 1957, after nearly a year in custody during the preliminary hearings, Lutuli was released and the charges against him and sixty-four of his compatriots were dropped. Another five year ban confined him to a fifteen-mile radius of his home. The ban lifted in March 1960, to permit his arrest for publicly burning his pass following the Sharpeville massacre. In the ensuing state of emergency he was arrested, found guilty, fined, given a suspended jail sentence and returned to Groutville. One final time the ban was lifted, this time for ten days in early December 1961 to permit Lutuli and his wife to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo. December 1961, without Lutuli's sanction, Nelson Mandela of the Provincial ANC publicly launched Umkhonto we Sizwe at the All In Conference, where delegates from several movements had convened to discuss cooperation. Mandela's charisma and the global publicity surrounding his trial and imprisonment upstaged Lutuli, who grew increasingly despondent in isolation. 1962 he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow by the students, serving until 1965. Since he was banned from travelling to Glasgow the Luthuli Scholarship Fund was setup by the Student Representative Council to enable a black South African student to study at Glasgow University. fourth ban to run for five years confining Lutuli to the immediate vicinity of his home was issued in May 1964, to run concurrently with the third ban. July 1967, at the age of 69, he was fatally injured in an accident near his home in Stanger.

Sneeuberge (Snow Mountains)

Olifants River Source (north of Swartberg)

Olifants River Mouth (Gourits River Source)

Gamka River Source (north of Beaufort West)

Gamka River Mouth (Gourits River Source)

Africa, South Africa, Limpopo River Folder, Transvaal Colony, Mozambique

Limpopo River Source

Marico River Source

Marico River Mouth (Source of the Limpopo River)

Crocodile River Source

Crocodile River (Limpopo)

Limpopo River 1

Limpopo River 2

Limpopo River 3

Transvaal Colony, Limpopo River, South Africa
Transvaal Colony; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ;

Limpopo River Mouth (Indian Ocean)

Portuguese South East Africa (Mozambique)
Portuguese South East Africa (Mozambique); BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

British Empire - Swaziland - Next to Mozambique, Limpopo River, South Africa
British Empire - Swaziland; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Africa, Central Africa Folder

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Rhodesia, Botswana Folder

Africa, Central Africa 1700-Present, Congo Basin Folder

Congo Basin
Congo Basin;

British Empire - Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean
Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean across from Congo Basin Central Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Africa, Central Africa, 1700, 18th-21st Century History Folder, Mangwende Dynasty

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, 1710-present, Mangwende Dynasty
Mangwende Dynasty, 1710-present; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Africa, Central Africa, 1800, 19th 20th Century Folder, Mungate Mangwende

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, 1880-1924, Chief Mungate Mangwende, Mangwende Dynasty
Mangwende Dynasty, 1710-present; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Limpopo River Folder

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Zambezi River Folder

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Zambezi, Outside the Arc Folder

Mozambique Island, Zambezi River Mouth, Straight of Madagascar
Mozambique, Zambezi River Mouth, Straight of Madagascar;

Rodesia, Northern Rhodesia (outside the Zambezi River arc)
Northern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Northern Rhodesia (outside the Zambezi River arc)
Northern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Nyasaland - Outside the Z River Arc 'Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia
British Empire - Nyasaland - Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Zambezi, Inside the Arc Folder

Mashonaland (inside Zambezi River arc)
Mashonaland; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Nhowe (tribe of the Murehwa District, Mashonaland)
Nhowe (somewhere in Murehwa district, the area of the Nhowe people), Mukarakate is the Great ancestor of the Nhowe tribe, Murehwa is the place name; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Rodesia, Southern Rhodesia (inside the Zambezi River arc)
Southern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

British Empire - Southern Rhodesia (inside the Zambezi River arc)
Southern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Bulawayo Rhodesia (inside the arc, between Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers) Albert John Lutuli
Bulawayo Rhodesia (between Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers); ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; John Lutuli (commonly spelled Luthuli), also known by his Zulu name "Mvumbi" (c. 1898 – 21 July 1967), was a South African teacher and politician. Lutuli was elected president of the African National Congress (ANC), at the time an umbrella organisation that led opposition to the white minority government in South Africa. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the non-violent struggle against apartheid. third son of Seventh-day Adventist missionary John Bunyan Lutuli and Mtonya Gumede, Albert Lutuli was born near Bulawayo in what was then called Rhodesia, around 1898. His father died, and he and his mother returned to her ancestral home of Groutville in KwaDukuza (Stanger), Natal, South Africa. was confirmed in the Methodist church and became a lay preacher. He joined the Adams College, staff and in 1928 he became secretary of the African Teacher's Association and in 1933 its president. He was also active in missionary work. 1944 Lutuli joined the African National Congress (ANC). In 1945 he was elected to the Committee of the KwaZulu Province Provincial Division of ANC and in 1951 to the presidency of the Division. The next year he joined with other ANC leaders in organizing nonviolent campaigns to defy discriminatory apartheid laws. month later Lutuli was elected president-general of ANC. Responding immediately, the government imposed two two-year bans on Lutuli's movement. When the second ban expired in 1956, he attended an ANC conference only to be arrested and charged with treason a few months later, along with 155 others. In December 1957, after nearly a year in custody during the preliminary hearings, Lutuli was released and the charges against him and sixty-four of his compatriots were dropped. Another five year ban confined him to a fifteen-mile radius of his home. The ban lifted in March 1960, to permit his arrest for publicly burning his pass following the Sharpeville massacre. In the ensuing state of emergency he was arrested, found guilty, fined, given a suspended jail sentence and returned to Groutville. One final time the ban was lifted, this time for ten days in early December 1961 to permit Lutuli and his wife to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo. December 1961, without Lutuli's sanction, Nelson Mandela of the Provincial ANC publicly launched Umkhonto we Sizwe at the All In Conference, where delegates from several movements had convened to discuss cooperation. Mandela's charisma and the global publicity surrounding his trial and imprisonment upstaged Lutuli, who grew increasingly despondent in isolation. 1962 he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow by the students, serving until 1965. Since he was banned from travelling to Glasgow the Luthuli Scholarship Fund was setup by the Student Representative Council to enable a black South African student to study at Glasgow University. fourth ban to run for five years confining Lutuli to the immediate vicinity of his home was issued in May 1964, to run concurrently with the third ban. July 1967, at the age of 69, he was fatally injured in an accident near his home in Stanger.

Zambezi River 3 (Chavuma Falls)

Zambezi River

Zambezi River Source (Mwinilunga, Zambezi)
Mwinilunga, Zambezi ;

Zambezi River 1

Zambezi River 2

Zambezi River 3

Zambezi River 8 (Ngonye Falls )

Zambezi River 14 (Victoria Falls)

Zambezi River 20 (Lake Kariba)

Zambezi River 26 (Lake Cahora Bassa)

Mozambique, Portuguese East Africa (right side Zambezi River Mouth)
Mozambique, Portuguese East Africa (right side Zambezi River Mouth); BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896), Commemorated June 18 ;

Zambezi River Mouth (Straight of Madagascar)

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Okavango River Folder

Okavango River

Okavango (Cubango) River Source (Angola)

Okavango River 1

Okavango River 2

Okavango (Cubango) River 3

Okavango River 4

Okavango River Mouth (Moremi Game Reserve)

Komana, Botswana (Okavango River Mouth (Moremi Game Reserve))
Komana; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Kalahari Desert
Kalahari Desert;

British Empire - South West Africa
British Empire - South West Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Africa, Central Africa, Congo Basin, Congo River Folder

Congo River

Boga-Zaire (Congo)
Boga-Zaire (Congo); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Gabala (Angola)
St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople;

Mitumba Mountains
Mitumba Mountainsl

Congo River Source (along the border)

Congo River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Lukuga River

Lukuga River Source (Kalemie, Lake Tanganyika)

Lukuga River Mouth (Congo River)

Africa (Clean), Central Africa, Congo Basin, Congo River Folder

Africa (Clean) Centeral Africa, Congo Basin, Congo River, its Area

Boga-Zaire (Congo)
Boga-Zaire (Congo);

Africa, East Africa Folder

East Africa
East Africa; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated on January 14; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983) THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886); ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Albertine Rift

East African Rift

Mount Elgon, between Uganda and Kenya
Mount Elgon

Africa, East Africa 1000BC-2005, Folder

Africa, East Africa, 1000BC-700, East African Arabs

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 910 BC-870 BC, Dot 7, Prophet Azariah, Juda King Asa's Ethiopian War story
Jerusalem, 910-870 BC, Prophet Azariah, oJudea (South of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel), w King Asa, fSembatha Land, urged no false god worship, remain Lord's covenant faithful, One True God, removed Altars, pilars& groves down, told people seek God of tFathers& obey The Commandments, people removed altars&idols, commanded them fortify city w walls&towers, Asa's war wEthiopia, Asa's 300k from Judah &280K from Benjamin, against Zera's 1Million. A's fervent prayer, Lord Smote them, A perused them to E & destroyed towns&pillaged cities, A returned to J, Lord's spirit came on Az, Hear me Asa&all people, Lord with you as you with him & vise-versa. When seek him you w find him, Az died old man; Judea; Prophet Azariah, Commemorated on February 3; Holy Prophet Azariah1 was son of Oded (or Addo) lived during the reign of King Asa (910-870 B.C. See 2 Chronicles 15:1) was the son and successor of Abijah in the kingdom of Judah. came from the land of Sembatha and urged the people not to worship false “gods,” but to remain faithful to the Covenant with the Lord. worshiped the one true God, and removed the altars of foreign “gods” from his land, tearing down the pillars and cutting down their sacred groves. told the people to seek earnestly the God of their fathers, and to obey the Law and the Commandments. removing the pagan altars and idols from all the cities of Judah he commanded his people to fortify their cities with walls and towers. Asa had 300,000 warriors in Judah, and 280,000 mighty warriors in the land of Benjamin. to the narratives of 2 Chronicles chapters 14 and 15, Zerah the Ethiopian2 went out against Judah with a million men. prayed fervently to God, asking that he might prevail, even against such overwhelming odds. Lord smote the Ethiopians and Asa’s army pursued them and crushed them. He destroyed their towns and pillaged their cities, and then he returned to Jerusalem. King Asa had won the victory, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azariah. went out to meet Asa and said, “Hear me, King Asa, and all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Lord will be with you as long as you are with Him, worshiping His name and observing His commandments. When you seek Him you will find Him; if you forsake Him, He will also forsake you.” These words ought to be esteemed by every State and by all people. Prophet Azariah reposed in peace and was buried in his field. In iconography he is depicted as an old man with curly hair. The name Azariah means “whom God helps.” 1 It is said that Azariah was actually son of Ananias (Tobit 5:12); perhaps an error for Zachariah the son of Addo (1 Esdras 6:1). 2 Zerah is a Hebrew name, and is not Ethiopian or Egyptian, as some have said.

Africa, East Africa, 600 BC - 8th Century, East African Egyptian Arabs, Blemmyes Nubian Kingdom
East African Egyptian Arabs, 600 BC - 8th Century, Blemmyes Nubian Kingdom; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated on January 14;

Africa, East Africa, 000, 1st Century Folder, Arabs, Apostles Thomas, Matthew

Ethiopia, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances

Africa, East Africa, 33-72, Apostle Thomas
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Africa, East Africa, 33-38, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas
Arabs, 38-43, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Apostle Matthew, tax c, Gospel early in 50, many lands, Ethiopia, Fulvian-Matthew story
Galilee, 30-90, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee; the Apostle,[a] also known as Saint Matthew and possibly as Levi, was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, a claim rejected by the majority of modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."[3] New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus, and was one of the witnesses of the Ascension of Jesus. Later Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries. Capernaum; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed Him, and became one of His twelve apostles. (See M 9:9-13 = P 2:13-17 = L 5:27-32) Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them. (Jesus numbered among his disciples persons of widely different backgrounds. They included not only Matthew, a former agent of the Roman government, but Simon the Zealot (not to be confused with Simon Peter). Josephus tells us that the Zealots were fanatical nationalists, determined to drive out the Romans by guerrilla tactics, ambushes, assassinations, terrorist methods, or whatever worked. Their motto was, "No king but Messiah, no tax but the Temple, no friend but the Zealot." It is not clear that Simon was, or had been, a member of the group that Josephus describes, but it seems clear that he would have regarded himself as at the opposite end of the political spectrum from Matthew.) The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. (It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.) Of Matthew's life after Pentecost the Scriptures tell us nothing. Later accounts of his life vary, some reporting that he was martyred, others that he died a natural death. The Christian community since early times has commemorated him as a martyr. the Apostle Matthew is also the Evangelist Matthew -- that is, whether the Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel that bears his name -- is disputed. The Gospel itself does not say who wrote it, but the designation "according to Matthew" is very old. In favor of his authorship it may be noted that (1) while Mark and Luke give the fourth pair of Apostles as "Matthew and Thomas," the Gospel of Matthew gives them as "Thomas and Matthew"; and (2) while Luke 5:29 explicitly states, and Mark 2:15 suggests, that Matthew gave a banquet for Jesus, Matthew 9:10 in describing the same banquet does not indicate who the host was. Both of these variations would be routine touches of modesty if Matthew was the author. On the other hand, the gospel (1) does not have the manner of an eyewitness, and (2) is thought by many scholars to contain material borrowed from Mark, whereas one would not expect someone who had been an eyewitness to borrow from someone who had not. (NOTE: The view that Mark is an older Gospel than Matthew is widespread and not long ago many scholars regarded the matter as settled. However, there is respectable opinion holding that Matthew is the earliest Gospel after all. See, for example, the comments in the Matthew volume of The Anchor Bible.) the Gospel was written by some early Christian, not an apostle, whose name was Matthew, and about whom nothing else is known. Early Christian readers, hearing the Gospel ascribed to "Matthew," would naturally associate it with the Apostle of that name, and so the ascribing of the work to the Apostle Matthew becomes common at an early date, by a perfectly natural misunderstanding. of Hierapolis, writing in the late first or early second century, says that Matthew compiled the sayings (Logia) of Jesus in Hebrew. Now the material common to Matthew and Luke, but not to Mark, includes sayings of Jesus but almost no narrative. It has therefore been conjectured that there was once a document (usually called Q), now lost, that is basically a collection of speeches by Jesus, and that Matthew (the evangelist) and Luke, had access to it while Mark did not. It has been suggested that Matthew (the apostle) is the author of this document Q, which may well have been first written in Hebrew (or Aramaic). Scripture readings associated with the day bear the themes of Matthew as a Gospel-writer (hence readings that speak of the Scriptures), Matthew as an Apostle, and Matthew as a sinner called by God's grace. by James Kiefer Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena, Jesus, wooden rod, spring, Matthew burned at stake, Fulvianus-Matthew
Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa), Jesus, wooden rod, plant it in Mirmena, sprouted immediately, delicious fruit, spring welled up, healing waters, Matthew burned at stake, Fulvianus-Matthew ; Saint Fulvianus (in Baptism Matthew), Prince of Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 16; is believed that after the day of Pentecost, the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew preached the Gospel first in Palestine, and then in Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia and finally, Ethiopia. holds that the Lord appeared to Saint Matthew, giving him a wooden rod and instructing him to plant it in a particular place in Ethiopia. his arrival at the place in Ethiopia described by the Lord, he met a Bishop named Platon. rod was planted, as the Lord had instructed, and almost immediately it sprouted leaves and grew into a beautiful tree, the fruit of which was delicious. spring also welled up nearby, the water of which could heal the sick. Ethiopians were won over to Christ, although the local sovereign Prince, Fulvianus, a dedicated pagan, was violently opposed to this and, by his order, Saint Matthew was arrested and burned at the stake. time, however, Fulvianus came to doubt his action and agonized over his horrific act. His conscience beckoned him towards Christ. Ultimately, he embraced the Christian faith and was baptized, taking the name "Matthew." the elderly Bishop Platon reposed, Saint Fulvianus-Matthew was consecrated to the episcopacy and succeeded him. He spent his remaining years preaching the Gospel and winning his people to the Church.

Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Apostle Matthew, Jesus gave him staff, plant it, spring for washing wild ways, Fluvian's story
Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Apostle Matthew, finished in Mirmena, Ethiopia, Jesus gave him staff, plant it, fruit and spring from tree, for washing, lost wild ways, Fluvian's wife and Son but F executed M, F saved w coffin comes to shore, bishop F ; Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), he left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. This event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). He was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the Messiah: Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Africa, East Africa, 100, 2nd-10th Century Folder, Arabs, Christian Axum Kingdom, Orthodox

Africa, East Africa, 100-940, Abyssinian (Ethiopian) Kingdom of Axum, Christian
East Africa, Abyssinia, 100-940, Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum, Christian; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24;

Africa, East Africa, Arabs, 300-399, St Frumentius and Kings Ella Amida, Ezana,

Africa, East Africa, Arabs, 320-333, King, Ella Amida aka Ousanas
East Africa, 320-333, King, Ella Amida aka Ousanas; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Arabs, 323-383, Frumentius t Archbishop of Abyssinia, Northwest Ethiopia, miracles from priesthood grace
Africa, East Africa, 323-383, Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia (Ethiopian Empire, Northwest Ethiopia, north of the rift, Ethiopian Highlands), miracles from grace of priesthood; Abyssinia: the Ethiopian Empire. Ethiopian Highlands ; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated November 30 ; Frumentius, Archbishop of Inda (Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia), a native of the city of Tyre. still a child, he came to Abyssinia by divine Providence. up near the imperial court, he became a friend and chief counselor of the Abyssinian emperor, and afterwards tutor to his son, who ascended the throne while still a minor after the death of his father. the consent of the new emperor, Saint Frumentius journeyed to his native land and afterwards visited Alexandria and its patriarch, Saint Athanasius the Great (May 2). the blessing of Saint Athanasius, Frumentius was elevated to become Bishop of Abyssinia and he returned to that country, which had sheltered him from his childhood. he returned from his consecration, Frumentius began to perform miracles, bringing many people to the Church. emperor said to him, “You have lived among us for many years, yet we never saw you perform such wonders. is it that you do so now?” saint replied, “This has nothing to do with me, but is due to the grace of the priesthood.” the emperor and many of his subjects received holy Baptism. accomplished the apostolic task of converting the Abyssinian nation to Christ, Saint Frumentius zealously and fruitfully guided the Church entrusted him by God for many years, then peacefully departed to the Lord in great old age.

Africa, East Africa, Arabs, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum
East Africa, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Arabs, 500-599, 6th Century Folder, Elesbaan and Abyssinia

Africa, East Africa, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits, many detailed accurate prophecies & visions, many travels, Ethiopia, converts fourfold people
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, East Africa, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, E lost Dunaan war, recluse visit, revenge, vow, victory, crown to J
Africa, East Africa, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, Dunaan ruled Arabia & killed christians, E unsuccessful war against D, revelation to visit recluse, lost because unrighteous revenge, vow to serve then victory, then abdication, service, and crown to Jerusalem Christ's Tomb; Ethiopia; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24 ; Elesbaan1 was the Emperor of what is now Ethiopia, lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, an oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to stand by while those who believed in Christ were being massacred. declared war on Dunaan, but his first military campaign was not successful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, inspired by a revelation from above, visited a recluse named Zenon. revealed to the Emperor that he had acted unrighteously in his desire to take revenge against Dunaan, for the Lord has said, “Vengeance is mine, I shall repay!” (Hebrews 10:30). holy ascetic urged Elesbaan to promise that he would devote the rest of his life to God, if he wished to escape His wrath for his self-willed revenge, and then he would defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made that vow to the Lord, in 520 he and his army confronted the enemy. This time, he defeated, captured, and executed Dunaan. to the Roman Martyrology, after Elesbaan defeated the enemies of Christ, he sent his royal diadem to Jerusalem to be hung near the Life-Giving tomb of Christ, during the reign of Emperor Justin. his victory, the Saint kept his word and abdicated as Emperor, himself in a monastery. the next fifteen years he lived a life of strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. His name is given as Kaleb on his coins and inscriptions.

Africa, East Africa, 520-540, Elesbaan, King, Ethiopia, pious christian, took revenge, defeated, vow, victory, monastery
Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian Kingdom of Axum (100-940); Blessed Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Elesbaan, King of what is now Ethiopia lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, the oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to look on indifferently as believers in Christ were being massacred. He declared war on Dunaan, but his military campaign was unsuccessful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, with prompting from above, turned to a certain hermit. He revealed to the emperor that he had proceeded unrighteously in deciding to take revenge against Dunaan, since the Lord had said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!” (Heb 10:30). hermit counseled Saint Elesbaan make a vow to devote his final days of life to God, to escape the wrath of God for his self-willed revenge, and then to defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made a vow to the Lord, and marching off with his army against the enemy, he defeated, captured and executed him. After the victory the saint resigned as emperor, secluded himself within a monastery and for fifteen years he dwelt in strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Africa, East Africa, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during this time Gregory with Elesbaan, Ethiopia, Jesus revealed to Jews
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during time Gregory with Elesbaan ; -------------------During this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, East Africa, 900-1270, Christian Ethiopian Zagwe Dynasty

Africa, East Africa, 900-1270, Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, Christian
East Africa, Abyssinia, 900-1270, Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, Christian; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, 1137-1974, Christian Ethopian Empire, Orthodox

Africa, East Africa, Abyssinia, 1137-1974, Ethiopian Empire, Christian, Orthodox
East Africa, Abyssinia, 1137-1974, Ethiopian Empire, Christian, Orthodox; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Uganda History Folder, 1856-1979

Africa, East Africa, 1800, 19th 20th Century Folder, Uganda, Homosexual Mwanga War, British Protectorate

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1856-1884, Ugandan King, Muteesa I of Buganda, Christian
Ugandan King, 1856-1884, Muteesa I of Buganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1884-1897, Ugandan King, Mwanga II of Buganda, Pagan
Ugandan King, 1884-1897, Mwanga II of Buganda; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, 1884-1886, JAMES HANNINGTON & MARTYRS OF UGANDA, East Africa, Anglican & Catholic martyrs killed by Mwanga
Africa, East Africa, 1884-1886, JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, East Africa, Anglican and Catholic martyrs killed by Mwanga, after Christian father Mutesa; Uganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; the new nations of Africa, Uganda is the most predominantly Christian. work began there in the 1870's with the favor of King Mutesa, who died in 1884. his son and successor, King Mwanga, opposed all foreign presence, including the missions. Hannington, born 1847, was sent out from England in 1884 by the Anglican Church as missionary Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa. he was travelling toward Uganda, he was apprehended by emissaries of King Mwanga. and his companions were brutally treated and, a week later, 29 October 1885, most of them were put to death. last words were: "Go tell your master that I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood." first native martyr was the Roman Catholic Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembe, who was beheaded after having rebuked the king for his debauchery and for the murder of Bishop Hannington. 3 June 1886, a group of 32 men and boys, 22 Roman Catholic and 10 Anglican, were burned at the stake. of them were young pages in Mwanga's household, from their head-man, Charles Lwanga, to the thirteen-year-old Kizito, who went to his death "laughing and chattering." and many other Ugandan Christians suffered for their faith then and in the next few years. 1977, the Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum and many other Christians suffered death for their faith under the tyrant Idi Amin. largely to their common heritage of suffering for their Master, Christians of various communions in Uganda have always been on excellent terms. by James Kiefer THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886) ; 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith. martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. began in 1885. first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity. Matryrs of Uganda Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa. years ago I heard an African clergyman, born of pagan parents, tell of his conversion. He said: afternoon I was bicycling along a road and met a young man about my own age bicycling in the opposite direction. He promptly turned about and began to ride beside me and to talk. spoke with great enthusiasm about Jesus, whom I had never heard of before, and how He had destroyed the power of death and evil by dying and rising again, and how He was God become man to reconcile man with God. heard what my companion had to say, and before we parted I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Now, the young man who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to me that afternoon had himself heard of Jesus for the first time that morning. persecution of Christians in the 1970's by the military dictatorship of Idi Amin proved the vitality of the example of the Namugongo martyrs. the thousands of new martyrs, both Anglican and Roman, was Janani Luwum, Archbishop of the (Anglican) Church of Uganda. by James Kiefer

Africa, East Africa, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga
Uganda, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga ; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1894-1962, British Protectorate
Uganda, 1894-1962, British Protectorate; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, 1900, 20th Century Folder, Uganda, Milton Obote, Idi Amin

Africa, East Africa, 1942-1977, JANANI LUWUM, Revival, independence 1962, 1966 Obote, 1971 Idi Amin, 1974 J archbishop, killed
Africa, East Africa, 1942-1977, JANANI LUWUM, Buwalasi Theological College, Sironko District, Uganda, Revival Movement, Bishop, independent country 1962, 1966 Obote control, 1971 General Idi Amin, repression, Asians expulsion, christians killed, 1974 J archbishop, widespread terror, killed, centennial, return to christianity ; Buwalasi Theological College, Sironko District, Uganda, East Africa; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); Luwum was born in 1922. His father was a convert to Christianity. Janani was sent to school and eventually became a schoolteacher. In 1948 he was converted. He became very active in the East African revival movement, and became a lay reader, then a deacon, and then a priest in 1956. He was chosen to study for a year at St Augustine's College in Canterbury, England. He returned to Uganda, worked as a parish priest, and then taught at Buwalasi Theological College. He made a second visit to Britain to study at the London College of Divinity, returning to Uganda to become Principal of Buwalasi. In 1969 he was consecrated bishop of Northern Uganda. Church in Uganda began with the deaths of martyrs (see Martyrs of Uganda, 3 June 1886, and James Hannington and his Companions, Martyrs, 29 October 1885). Around 1900, Uganda became a British protectorate, with the chief of the Buganda tribe as nominal ruler, and with several other tribes included in the protectorate. In 1962 Uganda became an independent country within the British Commonwealth, with the Bugandan chief as president and Milton Obote, of the Lango tribe, as Prime Minister. In 1966, Obote took full control of the government. In 1971, he was overthrown by General Idi Amin, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Almost immediately, he began a policy of repression, arresting anyone suspected of not supporting him. Hundreds of soldiers from the Lango and Acholi tribes were shot down in their barracks. Amin ordered the expulsion of the Asian population of Uganda, about 55,000 persons, mostly small shopkeepers from India and Pakistan. Over the next few years, many Christians were killed for various offenses. A preacher who read over the radio a Psalm which mentioned Israel was shot for this in 1972. 1974 Janani Luwum he became Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga-Zaire. As we have seen, it was a time of widespread terror. Archbishop Luwum often went personally to the office of the dreaded State Research Bureau to help secure the release of prisoners. between Church and state worsened in 1976. Religious leaders, including Archbishop Luwum, jointly approached Idi Amin to share their concern. They were rebuffed. But Archbishop Luwum continued to attend Government functions. One of his critics accused him of being on the Government side and he replied: "I face daily being picked up by the soldiers. While the opportunity is there I preach the Gospel with all my might, and my conscience is clear before God that I have not sided with the present Government which is utterly self-seeking. I have been threatened many times. Whenever I have the opportunity I have told the President the things the churches disapprove of." in 1977, there was a small army rebellion that was put down with only seven men dead. However, Amin determined to stamp out all traces of dissent. His men killed thousands, including the entire population of Milton Obote's home village. On Sunday, 30 January, Bishop Festo Kivengere preached on "The Preciousness of Life" to an audience including many high government officials. He denounced the arbitrary bloodletting, and accused the government of abusing the authority that God had entrusted to it. The government responded on the following Saturday (5 February) by an early (1:30am) raid on the home of the Archbishop, Janani Luwum, ostensibly to search for hidden stores of weapons. Archbishop called on President Amin to deliver a note of protest, signed by nearly all the bishops of Uganda, against the policies of arbitrary killings and the unexplained disappearances of many persons. Amin accused the Archbishop of treason, produced a document supposedly by former President Obote attesting his guilt, and had the Archbishop and two Cabinet members (both committed Christians) arrested and held for military trial. 16 February, the Archbishop and six bishops were tried on a charge of smuggling arms. Archbishop Luwum was not allowed to reply, but shook his head in denial. The President concluded by asking the crowd: "What shall we do with these traitors?" The soldiers replied "Kill him now". The Archbishop was separated from his bishops. As he was taken away Archbishop Luwum turned to his brother bishops and said: "Do not be afraid. I see God's hand in this." three (the Archbishop and the two Cabinet members) met briefly with four other prisoners who were awaiting execution, and were permitted to pray with them briefly. Then the three were placed in a Land Rover and not seen alive again by their friends. The government story is that one of the prisoners tried to seize control of the vehicle and that it was wrecked and the passengers killed. The story believed by the Archbishop's supporters is that he refused to sign a confession, was beaten and otherwise abused, and finally shot. His body was placed in a sealed coffin and sent to his native village for burial there. However, the villagers opened the coffin and discovered the bullet holes. In the capital city of Kampala a crowd of about 4,500 gathered for a memorial service beside the grave that had been prepared for him next to that of the martyred bishop Hannington. In Nairobi, the capital of nearby Kenya, about 10,000 gathered for another memorial service. Bishop Kivengere was informed that he was about to be arrested, and he and his family fled to Kenya, as did the widow and orphans of Archbishop Luwum. following June, about 25,000 Ugandans came to the capital to celebrate the centennial of the first preaching of the Gospel in their country, among the participants were many who had abandoned Christianity, but who had returned to their Faith as a result of seeing the courage of Archbishop Luwum and his companions in the face of death. by James Kiefer

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1966-1971, President, Milton Obote
East Africa, Ugandan President, 1966-1971, Milton Obote; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1971-1979, President, Idi Amin
East Africa, Ugandan President, 1971-1979, Idi Amin; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Africa, East Africa, Sudan Folder, 1983 - 2005

Sudanese Diaspora - Martyrs of South Sudan 1983 - 2005
Sudanese Diaspora - Martyrs of South Sudan 1983 ; MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983) ; Christian bishops, chiefs, commanders, clergy and people of Sudan declared, on May 16, 1983, that they would not abandon God as God had revealed himself to them under threat of Shariah Law imposed by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Khartoum. a peace treaty was signed on January 9, 2005, the Episcopal Church of the Province of the Sudan suffered from persecution and devastation through twenty-two years of civil war. and a half million people were killed, half of whom were members of this church. Many clergy and lay leaders were singled out because of their religious leadership in their communities. buildings, including churches and schools, are left standing in an area the size of Alaska. Four million people are internally displaced, and a million are scattered around Africa and beyond in the Sudanese Diaspora. of the twenty-four dioceses exist in exile in Uganda or Kenya, and the majority of the clergy are unpaid. 5% of the population of Southern Sudan was Christian in 1983. Today over 85% of that region of six million is now mostly Episcopalian or Roman Catholic. faith rooted deeply in the mercy of God has renewed their spirits through out the years of strife and sorrow.

Africa, East Africa, Blue Nile River Folder

Blue Nile River

Blue Nile Source (Lake Tana, Ethiopia)
Blue Nile;

Blue Nile Spring Mt Gish (sacred source of the Nile)
Mt Gish Blue Nile Spring (sacred source of the Nile, at 9,000 ft elevation, in Ethiopia); Gish Abay Spring;

Blue Nile 1 (Blue Nile Falls)
Blue Nile Falls;

Blue Nile 2

Blue Nile 3

Blue Nile 4

Blue Nile 18 (Ethopia)

Blue Nile 19 (Sudan)

Blue Nile 27 (Khartoum, Nile River Source)

Africa, East Africa, White Nile Folder

White Nile River

White Nile Source (Lake Victoria)
White Nile; Lake Victoria;

White Nile 1 (Buganda and Namugongo, Uganda)

White Nile 2 (Victoria Nile section)

White Nile 3 (Albert Lake, Albert Nile section)

White Nile 4 (Sudan-Uganda Border)

White Nile 5 (Juba, Sudan)

White Nile 6

White Nile 7

White Nile 8 (Lake No, South Sudan)

White Nile 9

White Nile 10 (Sudan-Egypt border)

White Nile Mouth (Kartoum, Blue Nile, Nile River Source)

Africa, East Africa, Albert Nile Folder

Albert Nile (Semliki) River

Diocese of Boga-Zaire, Congo
Diocese of Boga-Zaire, Congo; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Albert Nile Source (Lake Albert, Uganda)

Semliki River Mouth (Lake Albert)

Rwenzori Mountains

Semliki River Source (Lake Edward)

Mitumba Mountains (North Kivu)
Mitumba Mountainsl

Rutshura River

Rutshuru River Source (Lake Mutanda)

Rutshuru River Mouth (Lake Edward)

Virunga Mountains
Virunga Mountains;

Africa, East Africa, Sudan Folder

Sudan, East Africa
Sudan; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983);

British Empire - Sudan, East Africa
Sudan; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983);

Sudan History Folder

Nubia (Sudan)
Nubia; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT);

Khartoum, Sudan, East Africa (Nile River Source, Blue Nile, White Nile)
Khartoum; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983);

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia Folder

Ethiopia, East Africa
Ethiopia; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated November 16 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5;

British Empire - British Somaliland - East Africa, Gulf of Aden
British Empire - British Somaliland - East Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia History Folder

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 33-34, Apostle Philip, Deacon Evangelist, Converted Ethiopian Queen's Minister on road to Gaza
East Africa, Ethiopia, 33-34, Apostle Philip, Deacon Evangelist, Converted Ethiopian Queen's Minister on road to Gaza; the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out (from Samaria) upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). Ethiopia; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be confused with Saint Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons, they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. The eldest among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. the persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr Stephen. Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13) the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). holy disciple Philip tirelessly preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining Palestine. Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. Saint Philip died in old age.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 33-38, Apostle Thomas, established Ehtiopian church or churches, Arab Icon
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 33-38, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 80-90, Apostle Matthew, city of Mirmena, staff tree fruit, Fulvian story
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron. Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. When Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. Christ and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. This event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. But the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). He was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. At the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the Messiah: as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), and finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 80-90, Apostle Matthew, many lands, Ethiopia, Fulvian-Matthew story
Galilee, 30-90, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee; the Apostle,[a] also known as Saint Matthew and possibly as Levi, was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. to Christian traditions, he was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, a claim rejected by the majority of modern biblical scholars, though the "traditional authorship still has its defenders."[3] New Testament records that as a disciple, he followed Jesus, and was one of the witnesses of the Ascension of Jesus. Later Church fathers such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria claim that Matthew preached the Gospel to the Jewish community in Judea, before going to other countries. Capernaum; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); day Jesus was walking and saw a tax collector named Matthew sitting at a tax collection post, and said to him, "Follow me." And Matthew stood up and followed Him, and became one of His twelve apostles. (See M 9:9-13 = P 2:13-17 = L 5:27-32) Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. Matthew brought many of his former associates to meet Jesus, and social outcasts in general were shown that the love of Jesus extended even to them. (Jesus numbered among his disciples persons of widely different backgrounds. They included not only Matthew, a former agent of the Roman government, but Simon the Zealot (not to be confused with Simon Peter). Josephus tells us that the Zealots were fanatical nationalists, determined to drive out the Romans by guerrilla tactics, ambushes, assassinations, terrorist methods, or whatever worked. Their motto was, "No king but Messiah, no tax but the Temple, no friend but the Zealot." It is not clear that Simon was, or had been, a member of the group that Josephus describes, but it seems clear that he would have regarded himself as at the opposite end of the political spectrum from Matthew.) The name "Matthew" means "gift of the LORD." Mark and Luke, in the story of his calling, name him "Levi." Perhaps this was his original name, and he received a new name from Jesus when he became a disciple. (It has also been suggested that he was simply a member of the tribe of Levi.) Of Matthew's life after Pentecost the Scriptures tell us nothing. Later accounts of his life vary, some reporting that he was martyred, others that he died a natural death. The Christian community since early times has commemorated him as a martyr. the Apostle Matthew is also the Evangelist Matthew -- that is, whether the Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel that bears his name -- is disputed. The Gospel itself does not say who wrote it, but the designation "according to Matthew" is very old. In favor of his authorship it may be noted that (1) while Mark and Luke give the fourth pair of Apostles as "Matthew and Thomas," the Gospel of Matthew gives them as "Thomas and Matthew"; and (2) while Luke 5:29 explicitly states, and Mark 2:15 suggests, that Matthew gave a banquet for Jesus, Matthew 9:10 in describing the same banquet does not indicate who the host was. Both of these variations would be routine touches of modesty if Matthew was the author. On the other hand, the gospel (1) does not have the manner of an eyewitness, and (2) is thought by many scholars to contain material borrowed from Mark, whereas one would not expect someone who had been an eyewitness to borrow from someone who had not. (NOTE: The view that Mark is an older Gospel than Matthew is widespread and not long ago many scholars regarded the matter as settled. However, there is respectable opinion holding that Matthew is the earliest Gospel after all. See, for example, the comments in the Matthew volume of The Anchor Bible.) the Gospel was written by some early Christian, not an apostle, whose name was Matthew, and about whom nothing else is known. Early Christian readers, hearing the Gospel ascribed to "Matthew," would naturally associate it with the Apostle of that name, and so the ascribing of the work to the Apostle Matthew becomes common at an early date, by a perfectly natural misunderstanding. of Hierapolis, writing in the late first or early second century, says that Matthew compiled the sayings (Logia) of Jesus in Hebrew. Now the material common to Matthew and Luke, but not to Mark, includes sayings of Jesus but almost no narrative. It has therefore been conjectured that there was once a document (usually called Q), now lost, that is basically a collection of speeches by Jesus, and that Matthew (the evangelist) and Luke, had access to it while Mark did not. It has been suggested that Matthew (the apostle) is the author of this document Q, which may well have been first written in Hebrew (or Aramaic). Scripture readings associated with the day bear the themes of Matthew as a Gospel-writer (hence readings that speak of the Scriptures), Matthew as an Apostle, and Matthew as a sinner called by God's grace. by James Kiefer Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena, Jesus, wooden rod, spring, Matthew burned, Fulvianus-Matthew
Africa, East Africa, 80-90, Saint Fulvianus, Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa), Jesus, wooden rod, plant it in Mirmena, sprouted immediately, delicious fruit, spring welled up, healing waters, Matthew burned at stake, Fulvianus-Matthew ; Saint Fulvianus (in Baptism Matthew), Prince of Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 16; is believed that after the day of Pentecost, the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew preached the Gospel first in Palestine, and then in Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia and finally, Ethiopia. holds that the Lord appeared to Saint Matthew, giving him a wooden rod and instructing him to plant it in a particular place in Ethiopia. his arrival at the place in Ethiopia described by the Lord, he met a Bishop named Platon. rod was planted, as the Lord had instructed, and almost immediately it sprouted leaves and grew into a beautiful tree, the fruit of which was delicious. spring also welled up nearby, the water of which could heal the sick. Ethiopians were won over to Christ, although the local sovereign Prince, Fulvianus, a dedicated pagan, was violently opposed to this and, by his order, Saint Matthew was arrested and burned at the stake. time, however, Fulvianus came to doubt his action and agonized over his horrific act. His conscience beckoned him towards Christ. Ultimately, he embraced the Christian faith and was baptized, taking the name "Matthew." the elderly Bishop Platon reposed, Saint Fulvianus-Matthew was consecrated to the episcopacy and succeeded him. He spent his remaining years preaching the Gospel and winning his people to the Church.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 100-940, Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum, Christian
Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum, 100-940, Christian; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 323-383, Bishop Frumentius, grace of the priesthood
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 323-383, Bishop Frumentius, grace of the priesthood; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30; he returned from his consecration, Saint Frumentius began to perform miracles, bringing many people to the Church. The emperor said to him, “You have lived among us for many years, yet we never saw you perform such wonders. Why is it that you do so now?” The saint replied, “This has nothing to do with me, but is due to the grace of the priesthood.” Then the emperor and many of his subjects received holy Baptism. Frumentius, Archbishop of Inda (Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia), was a native of the city of Tyre. still a child, he came to Abyssinia by divine Providence. up near the imperial court, he became a friend and chief counselor of the Abyssinian emperor, and afterwards tutor to his son, who ascended the throne while still a minor after the death of his father. the consent of the new emperor, Saint Frumentius journeyed to his native land and afterwards visited Alexandria and its patriarch, Saint Athanasius the Great (May 2). the blessing of Saint Athanasius, Frumentius was elevated to become Bishop of Abyssinia and he returned to that country, which had sheltered him from his childhood. he returned from his consecration, Saint Frumentius began to perform miracles, bringing many people to the Church. The emperor said to him, “You have lived among us for many years, yet we never saw you perform such wonders. Why is it that you do so now?” The saint replied, “This has nothing to do with me, but is due to the grace of the priesthood.” Then the emperor and many of his subjects received holy Baptism. accomplished the apostolic task of converting the Abyssinian nation to Christ, Saint Frumentius zealously and fruitfully guided the Church entrusted him by God for many years, then peacefully departed to the Lord in great old age.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 323-383, Frumentius, Abyssinia St, emperor's boyhood friend, bishop, of Tyre, grace ot priesthood
East Africa, Abyssinia, 323-383, Ethiopian Saint, Frumentius; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30; Frumentius, Archbishop of Inda (Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia), was a native of the city of Tyre. still a child, he came to Abyssinia by divine Providence. up near the imperial court, he became a friend and chief counselor of the Abyssinian emperor, and afterwards tutor to his son, who ascended the throne while still a minor after the death of his father. the consent of the new emperor, Saint Frumentius journeyed to his native land and afterwards visited Alexandria and its patriarch, Saint Athanasius the Great (May 2). the blessing of Saint Athanasius, Frumentius was elevated to become Bishop of Abyssinia and he returned to that country, which had sheltered him from his childhood. he returned from his consecration, Saint Frumentius began to perform miracles, bringing many people to the Church. The emperor said to him, “You have lived among us for many years, yet we never saw you perform such wonders. Why is it that you do so now?” The saint replied, “This has nothing to do with me, but is due to the grace of the priesthood.” Then the emperor and many of his subjects received holy Baptism. accomplished the apostolic task of converting the Abyssinian nation to Christ, Saint Frumentius zealously and fruitfully guided the Church entrusted him by God for many years, then peacefully departed to the Lord in great old age.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 333-356, Ezana of Axum, King
East Africa, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum; was ruler of the Kingdom of Axum, an ancient kingdom located in what is now Eritrea and Ethiopia. (320s -c. 360 AD). himself employed the style (official title) "king of Saba and Salhen, Himyar and Dhu-Raydan".[1] states that ‘Ezana succeeded his father Ella Amida (Ousanas) as king while still a child but his mother, Sofya then served as regent until he came of age. He conquered the Kingdom of Kush around the year 350 AD. St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 350-405, Moses the Black, Ethiopian Saint
Egyptian Saint, 350-405, Moses the Black; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Ethiopian of Scete, Commemorated on August 28;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits, many detailed accurate prophecies & visions, many travels, converts fourfold people
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 520-540, Elesbaan, King, pious christian, took revenge, defeated, vow, victory, monastery
Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian Kingdom of Axum (100-940); Blessed Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Elesbaan, King of what is now Ethiopia lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, the oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to look on indifferently as believers in Christ were being massacred. He declared war on Dunaan, but his military campaign was unsuccessful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, with prompting from above, turned to a certain hermit. He revealed to the emperor that he had proceeded unrighteously in deciding to take revenge against Dunaan, since the Lord had said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!” (Heb 10:30). hermit counseled Saint Elesbaan make a vow to devote his final days of life to God, to escape the wrath of God for his self-willed revenge, and then to defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made a vow to the Lord, and marching off with his army against the enemy, he defeated, captured and executed him. After the victory the saint resigned as emperor, secluded himself within a monastery and for fifteen years he dwelt in strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during this time Gregory with Elesbaan, Jesus revealed to Jews
Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during time Gregory with Elesbaan ; -------------------During this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits was the purported archbishop of Ẓafar, the capital of the kingdom of Ḥimyar, in the mid-6th century, according to a hagiographical dossier compiled in the 10th century. This compilation is essentially legendary and fictitious, although a few parts of it are of historical value. Written in Greek, it survives also in a Slavonic translation.[2] The three works in the dossier are conventionally known as the Bios (Life), Nomoi (Laws) and Dialexis (Debate).[3] The whole dossier is sometimes known as the Acts of Gregentios.[4] name Gregentios is unknown apart from the Bios and related texts. According to the Bios, he received his name from a local holy man. Several later scribes, encountering an unheard of name, changed it to Gregorios (Gregory).[5] This is the name that appears in all the Slavonic versions, as well as an Arabic translation of the Dialexis.[2][5] It also appears in the fresco depicting Gregentios in the monastery of Koutsovendis on Cyprus, painted between 1110 and 1118.[6] Other scribal emendations are Gregentinos and Rhegentios.[5] name has a Latin ending, which may indicate a western origin for the name, but such suffixes had entered vernacular Greek by the time the Bios was written. The name may be derived from Agrigentius, "man from Agrigento", or from a combination of the name Gregory with either Agrigentius or the name of Saint Vincentius. The biography of Gregory of Agrigento was a major source used by the author of the Bios, and an itinerary of Vincentius may also have been used.[5] only known persons named after Gregentios are two 19th-century monks of Mount Athos. The first was the archimandrite of Vatopedi in April 1842 and the second a monk of the Skete of Saint Anne who died in 1879 aged 69. Both monastic communities had copies of the Bios and Dialexis of Gregentios.[5] Bios, which Jean-Marie Sansterre called a "hagiographical romance", is divided into nine chapters. While the first eight are vague in their chronology and geography, the ninth draws on superior historical sources and contains more precise details.[7] The early part, which includes an Avar raid on his hometown, may also reflect authentic conditions in the northern Balkans during the later 6th century.[8] The Bios was completed either at Constantinople in the 10th century or in Rome in the 9th century.[7] The Nomoi and Dialexis are later additions. The whole collection, which presents as a unity, was not brought together before the 10th century. The Nomoi may contain some authentic information, since it shares characteristics with legal inscriptions from pre-Islamic South Arabia.[2] The Dialexis, which is a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban, was the most popular part of the work and circulated independently into modern times.[4] life in Avaria start of the Bios of Gregentios, from a copy made in 1180 and now in Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai[9] to his Bios, Gregentios was born on 6 December in the late 5th century in the town of Lyplianes (Ljubljana) in the land of the Avars.[2][7][10] father was named Agapios and his mother Eusebia. At his baptism, he was named after a sage who lived on a nearby mountain. His schooling begins at the age of seven. At the age of ten, he is pushed into a river by a deer. Miraculously saved from drowning, he retires to the desert, where he receives instruction and prophecies about his future from a holy man.[11] his mother dies, Gregentios is placed in the custody of the married but childless priest who baptised him. During a barbarian invasion, the townspeople flee to the fortress of Korada. Gregentios, who was in the vineyards at the time, manages to sneak in through the Rhomanesios gate while the fortress is besieged. After the barbarians retreat, both Gregentios and his foster mother have prophetic dreams about him. At the urging of a certain Sergios, his foster mother tells her dream to an elder named Niketas, who interprets it as saying that Gregentios will one day convert a fourfold people.[11] next traveled extensively in northern and central Italy and Sicily before sailing to Alexandria in Egypt.[2][7] The Bios presents him as travelling from Lyplianes to Moryne (Murano), Antenora (Padua) and Agrigento, then by boat to Pavia, then to Milan and Carthage, then by foot to Rome, then to Augustopolis (either Augusta or Koper) and finally Alexandria. In its order, timing and means of travel, this itinerary is absurd.[12] and Sicily first departs with the holy man from the desert. They reach Moryne in a single day. There they stay with a man named Sabbatios, where a holy fool named Peter informs Gregentios that his foster parents are searching for him. The holy man and Gregentios leave Moryne after the local bishop learns of the latter's spiritual gifts. In Antenora, they stay in the house of Theodoretos, while the bishop of Moryne searches for him. Bishop Eulogios of Antenora makes Gregentios a deacon and lector. A holy woman named Theodora informs him again of his foster parents' search.[10] the holy man, Gregentios moves on to Agrigento, leaving the bishop of Antenora also to send searchers after him. He is hosted by the priest Stephanos in the church of the Mother of God outside the walls. He visits the grave of the hermit Eirene, who appears to him and talks to him. He visits two churches in the city, and a woman preaching to a crowd from a balcony predicts that he will go to Egypt and Ḥimyar. The holy man then appears and whisks Gregentios away to Milan. Going by boat, they pass Rome on the way.[10] Milan, Gregentios stays with one Niketas, while the holy man moves on to Largention (Piacenza). He visits the grave of Saint Ambrose and begins reading his works. He takes on as a disciple a boy of fourteen named Leon, who later becomes governor of Melike (either Ravenna or the land of the Melingoi) and is assassinated. Gregentios has a vision of the underworld in which he sees Leon among those who died before their time awaiting the Last Judgement. The holy man then returns and the two travel to Carthage, where they stay with one Constantine.[10] and Rome Carthage, Gregentios meets a woman named Philothea who is regarded as a mute who only barks and sighs. The holy man reveals that this is merely a gift God gave her to ward off a man who tried to seduce her. She speaks to Gregentios clearly and lucidly. his time in Carthage, he befriends a young man named George and they visit a church dedicated to Saint Anastasia. There, a holy woman identifies Gregentios by name and birthplace. When George asks for the same treatment, she reproaches and names the women he has been sinning with. young man, a Thracian named Pothetos, asks Gregentios for spiritual advice. Gregentios writes sixteen homilies that make Pothetos regret his marriage, but Gregentios convinces him to go home to his wife.[10] Carthage, the holy man takes Gregentios to Rome. On the way, he has a vision of the devil in the valley of Patherolymna. Rome, they stay with a man named Benedict near the Great Portico. He owns a slave named Elizabeth, who is sexually abused by a demon every night. After Gregentios writes a formula on a piece of papyrus and gives it to her, she is freed from the demon.[10] day, Gregentios is visited by Saint Peter, who had been absent from his grave when Gregentios visited it, for he had gone to give comfort to the persecuted Christians of Negra (Najrān). tells Gregentios that the time has not yet come for the holy man's identity to be revealed. a woman identifies Gregentios by name as the prophet of the Ḥimyarites. He is also identified by name by the monk Abramios. At the request of a beggar named Zacharias, he heals the eye of a youth named Basil. In ecstasy at the tomb of Saint Paul, he sees a vision of the saint bringing him a pallium.[10] visits a church dedicated to Saint Boniface, whose feast day he will come to share. He meets a fool for Christ named John who throws stones at passersby. visits a hermit named Michael, who sends him on to a hermit named Artados, who lives atop a mountain beyond the Dry Lakes. Artados prophesies in detail about Gregentios' future in Egypt and Ḥimyar, where he will convert four peoples: pagans, Jews, Ḥimyarites and Maurousians. a stay of two days, Gregentios returns to Rome, where he meets Pope Felix IV (526–530). The holy man rejoins him and they go to Augustopolis.[10] Augustopolis, Gregentios stays with a widow named Euphemia. In the market, he meets an Armenian from Artazat (Artaxata), who prophesies his future. a few days, the holy man and Gregentios board a ship from Leukas for Alexandria. There, Gregentios is greeted by name by a female slave, whose prophesies how the patriarch will call him to be an archbishop. He stays in the house of one Leontios. In Alexandria, he visits a monastery led by a eunuch-abbot named Epiphanios. His prayers chase away a devil who throws stones at a monk named Kosmas. A woman named Archontia greets him by name.[10] in South Arabia last part of the Bios "contains the only clear historical information scattered through the whole" of the Gregentios materials.[13] 523, the Ḥimyarite king Dhū Nuwās massacres the Christians of Najrān and its leader, Arethas. Emperor Justin I asks the Ethiopian (Aksumite) king Elesboam (Caleb) to lead an expedition against Dhū Nuwās. writes to the patriarch of Alexandria, Proterios, for a bishop to evangelize the Ḥimyarites.[14] (The actual patriarch at this time was Timothy IV.[2]) Mark informs Proterios of Gregentios in a dream. The patriarch consecrates Gregentios as bishop and send him back with the Ethiopian envoys.[14] This takes place after the successful Ethiopian conquest of Ḥimyar (525).[2] Ethiopia, Gregentios stays for a time in the capital, Amlem (Aksum), before crossing the sea to Medekion (Maddaban) and then heading to Taphar (Ẓafār) and finally Najrān, where he meets the king. consecrates the churches that the kings has built and installs priests in them at Najrān, Ẓafār, Akana, Atarph, Legmia , Azaki and Iouze.[14][15] Bios describes Elesboam's retirement to a monastery and the miraculous invocation of his name. Gregentios threatens the Ḥimyarites with the death penalty for all those who do not convert, whereupon the hole country becomes Christian. The Dialexis is interposed here, and the end of the Bios follows.[14] remains in Ḥimyar for thirty years, assisting Elesboam's appointed viceroy, Abraha, in building churches. Shortly after Abraha dies and is succeeded by his son Seridos (Masrūq), Gregentios dies on 19 December. He is buried in the cathedral.[16] He is commemorated in the Synaxarion of Constantinople on 19 December.[2] Start of the Nomoi in a manuscript copied in Gaza in 1487[17] Nomoi ton Homeriton, also known in Latin as Leges Homeritarum,[18] is usually regarded as a fictional law code containing some amount of authentic pre-Islamic South Arabian material. The laws are not arranged thematically, but may be subsumed under eight headings: (1) morals, marriage and family; (2) slavery; (3) right of employment; (4) culture and social life; (5) cruelty against animals; (6) rental laws; (7) officeholders; and (8) miscellaneous. Within the last class are laws concerning sorcery, poisoning, perjury, theft, extrajudicial punishments, infringing ecclesiastical asylum, workhouses for criminals and prohibitions on begging. The Nomoi do not come near to being a comprehensive law code. There is, for example, no law of inheritance.[19] Nomoi prescribes harsh punishments for transgressions, often mutilation, and mitigating factors are nowhere admitted. Its strong prohibitions of wife-beating and cruelty to animals stand out, however, since Byzantine law knew no restriction on the treatment of animals. The laws seem concerned strictly with an urban community like Najrān. Administration and taxation are governed in a clearly Byzantine manner. The prohibitions on dancing, singing, gambling and gaming may be taken from the canons of the Quinisext Council (691/692). On the whole, the influence of canon law is limited, but Christian theological justifications are provided for the laws. Although the Nomoi is a civil law code, it presents itself as having been promulgated by a supernatural force to the geitoniarchai (administrators of Najrān's 36 districts). It bears the unmistakable stamp of a Christian monk of a strong ascetic spirit. In the words of J. B. Bury, the laws "illustrate the kind of legislation at which the ecclesiastical spirit, unchecked, would have aimed."[20] and authorship authenticity of the Nomoi was first put in doubt by Cardinal Jean-Baptiste-François Pitra in 1864. He was followed by many, including Louis Duchesne, but in 1969 Nina Pigulevskaya defended a 6th-century origin. She thought the code was written in the Byzantine Empire and never actually came into force in Ḥimyar. Irfan Shahîd and A. K. Irvine have also defended the authenticity of the code.[21] Garth Fowden considers that it contains some authentic material.[18] It mentions a slave market at a place called Trikanos or Trikanon, a place not attested anywhere else.[21] features of the Nomoi that would be unusual in 6th-century Byzantium have been ascribed to South Arabian influence. They may, however, reflect a later date of composition. Mutilation was an uncommon punishment in Byzantine law prior to Leo III's Ecloga (741). One of the most unusual and cruel punishments in the Nomoi—suspending a convict upside down and smoking him to death with burning hay—is actually attested in an 8th-century Byzantine source (Nikephoros's Breviarium). Some prescriptions regarding marriage in the Nomoi became a part of Byzantine law during the reign Leo VI (886–912).[22] Similarities between the Najrān of the Nomoi and Constantinople under the Macedonian dynasty suggest that the Nomoi was probably written at Constantinople in the 10th century.[23] The Nomoi may be compared with other pseudepigraphal texts of supposed supernatural origin from Byzantium, such as the Didascalia Apostolorum and Letter of Christ Fallen from Heaven.[24] earliest manuscript witness to the Nomoi, a copy made in 1180 on Cyprus, shows some Western influence in its terminology. It is probable that it was copied from a manuscript made shortly before in Crusader Syria. Some of its terminology does not appear in Greek again until the Assizes of Cyprus in the 14th century.[24] Dialexis purports to be a record written around 550 or 560 of a debate between Gregentios and a Jew named Herban that took place before the royal court of Ḥimyar around 520 or 530. The author does not claim to have been present or to have known Gregentios, but does claim to have had access to a record of the proceedings written at the time by the notary Palladios. [25] The text, however, shows clear evidence of having been composed after the start of the controversies over monothelitism (7th century), iconoclasm (8th century) and the filioque clause, which only became a live controversy in the Byzantine Empire after 860.[26] is a treatise against the Azymites in the form of a letter that is ascribed to Gregentios in one manuscript. Given the issue it discusses, it can have no connection to the time in which Gregentios supposedly lived. In 1660, some "letters of Gregentios"—possibly the same treatise—were catalogued as part of the library of Denis Pétau that had been purchased after his death by Queen Christina of Sweden. There is no further record of these letters and they appear to be lost.[27] Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Aksum (Axum or Abyssinia)
Aksum (Axum or Abyssinia); Elesbaan, or Kaleb of Axum (Axum is in Eritrea. Capital of Eritrea is Aksum; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa), Ethiopia, important port, very hot, Apostle Matthew story
Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa); is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago.[2] It has represented a historically important port for many centuries. was the capital of the Italian Colony of Eritrea until the seat of the colonial government was moved to Asmara in 1897.[3] has an average temperature of 30 °C/86 °F, which is one of the highest found in the world, and is "one of the hottest marine coastal areas in the world."[4] Historical map of Massawa was originally a small seaside village, lying in lands coextensive with the Kingdom of Axum—also known as Kingdom of Zula in antiquity—and overshadowed by the nearby port of Adulis about 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south.[5] Massawa has been ruled or occupied by a succession of polities during its history, including the Aksumite Empire, Abyssinia and Italian Eritrea. Following the fall of Axum in the 8th century, the area around Massawa and the town itself fell under the occupation of the Umayyad Caliphate from 702 to 750 CE. The Beja people would also come to rule within Massawa during the Bajag Kingdom of Eritrea from the year 740 to the 14th century. Massawa was situated between the sultanates of Qata, Baqulin, and Dahlak. Midri-Bahri, an Eritrean kingdom (14th–19th centuries), gained leverage at various times and ruled over Massawa. The port city would also come under control of the Balaw people during the Balaw Kingdom of Eritrea (12th–15th centuries). At this time, the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque, one of the country's oldest mosques, was built on Massawa Island. The city reportedly has the oldest mosque in Africa, that is the Mosque of the Companions. It was reportedly built by companions of Muhammad who escaped persecution by Meccans.[6] Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), left everything and followed the Savior. and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal. who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven. received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands. the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it. Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3). preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27). theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25). Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20). holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop. the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good. the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him. put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord. ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God. night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God. Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

Upper Blue Nile region (Ethiopia)
Previously, Ethiopia referred to Upper Nile region, Blue Nile and White Nile; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Upper Nile region (Ethiopia)
Previously, Ethiopia referred to Upper Nile region, Blue Nile and White Nile. PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian);;

Abyssinia (Ethiopian Empire, Northwest Ethiopia, north of the rift, Ethiopian Highlands)
Abyssinia: the Ethiopian Empire. Ethiopian Highlands ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated November 30 ;

Abyssinia (Ethiopian Empire, Northwest Ethiopia, north of the rift, Ethiopian Highlands)
Abyssinia: the Ethiopian Empire. Ethiopian Highlands ;

Afar, Ethiopia (Semera), saint Gregory's extraordinary miracle which showed them the Lord Jesus
Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, Saint Gregory
Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Africa, East Africa, Kenya Folder

Kenya, East Africa
Kenya; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983); ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

British Empire - Kenya, East Africa
Kenya; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983); ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa
Nairobi; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Amimos, Kenya, East Africa
Amimos, Kenya ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ;

Africa, East Africa, Uganda Folder

Uganda, East Africa
Uganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886) ;

British Empire - Uganda, East Africa
Uganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886) ;

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1856-1884, Ugandan King, Muteesa I of Buganda, Christian
Ugandan King, 1856-1884, Muteesa I of Buganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886); 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. In the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith. martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Introduced by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. His successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. Martyrdoms began in 1885. Mwanga first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity. of UgandaThe Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. The martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. Most of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. Uganda now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1884-1897, Ugandan King, Mwanga II of Buganda, Pagan
Ugandan King, 1884-1897, Mwanga II of Buganda; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886); 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. In the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith. martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Introduced by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. His successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. Martyrdoms began in 1885. Mwanga first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity. of UgandaThe Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. The martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. Most of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. Uganda now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1884-1886, JAMES HANNINGTON & MARTYRS OF UGANDA, East Africa, Anglican & Catholic, k by Mwanga
Africa, East Africa, 1884-1886, JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, East Africa, Anglican and Catholic martyrs killed by Mwanga, after Christian father Mutesa; Uganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; the new nations of Africa, Uganda is the most predominantly Christian. work began there in the 1870's with the favor of King Mutesa, who died in 1884. his son and successor, King Mwanga, opposed all foreign presence, including the missions. Hannington, born 1847, was sent out from England in 1884 by the Anglican Church as missionary Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa. he was travelling toward Uganda, he was apprehended by emissaries of King Mwanga. and his companions were brutally treated and, a week later, 29 October 1885, most of them were put to death. last words were: "Go tell your master that I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood." first native martyr was the Roman Catholic Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembe, who was beheaded after having rebuked the king for his debauchery and for the murder of Bishop Hannington. 3 June 1886, a group of 32 men and boys, 22 Roman Catholic and 10 Anglican, were burned at the stake. of them were young pages in Mwanga's household, from their head-man, Charles Lwanga, to the thirteen-year-old Kizito, who went to his death "laughing and chattering." and many other Ugandan Christians suffered for their faith then and in the next few years. 1977, the Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum and many other Christians suffered death for their faith under the tyrant Idi Amin. largely to their common heritage of suffering for their Master, Christians of various communions in Uganda have always been on excellent terms. by James Kiefer THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886) ; 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith. martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. began in 1885. first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity. Matryrs of Uganda Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa. years ago I heard an African clergyman, born of pagan parents, tell of his conversion. He said: afternoon I was bicycling along a road and met a young man about my own age bicycling in the opposite direction. He promptly turned about and began to ride beside me and to talk. spoke with great enthusiasm about Jesus, whom I had never heard of before, and how He had destroyed the power of death and evil by dying and rising again, and how He was God become man to reconcile man with God. heard what my companion had to say, and before we parted I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Now, the young man who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to me that afternoon had himself heard of Jesus for the first time that morning. persecution of Christians in the 1970's by the military dictatorship of Idi Amin proved the vitality of the example of the Namugongo martyrs. the thousands of new martyrs, both Anglican and Roman, was Janani Luwum, Archbishop of the (Anglican) Church of Uganda. by James Kiefer

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga
Uganda, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga ; Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa (1868 - 8 May 1903)[1] was Kabaka of Buganda from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the 31st Kabaka of Buganda. 1 Claim to the throne 2 Reign 3 Final years 4 Married life 5 Issue 6 Quotes 6.1 Quotes about Mwanga II 7 Succession table: First time 8 Succession table: Second time 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links to the throne[edit] was born at Nakawa in 1868. His father was Muteesa I of Buganda, who reigned between 1856 and 1884. His mother was Abakyala Abisagi Bagalayaze, the 10th of his father's 85 wives. ascended to the throne on 18 October 1884, after the death of his father. He established his capital on Mengo Hill. Mwanga on stained glass at Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine. came to the throne at the age of 16. He increasingly regarded the greatest threat to his rule coming from the Christian missionaries who had gradually penetrated Buganda . His father had played-off the three religions, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims, against each other and thus balanced the influence of the European colonial powers that were backing each group in order to extend their reach into Africa. Mwanga II took a much more aggressive approach, expelling missionaries and insisting that Christian converts abandon their faith or face death. A year after becoming king he executed Yusufu Rugarama, Makko Kakumba, and Nuuwa Sserwanga, who had converted to Christianity. On 29 October 1885, he had the incoming archbishop James Hannington assassinated on the eastern border of his kingdom. Mwanga, the ultimate humiliation was the insolence he received from the (male) pages of his harem when they resisted his sexual advances. According to old tradition the king was the centre of power and authority, and he could dispense with any life as he felt. It was unheard of for mere pages to reject the wishes of a king. Given those conflicting values Mwanga was determined to rid his kingdom of the new teaching and its followers. Mwanga therefore precipitated a showdown in May 1886 by ordering converts in his court to choose between their new faith and complete obedience to his orders and kingdom.[2] is believed that at least 30 Catholic and Protestant neophytes went to their deaths.[citation needed] Twenty-two of the men, who had converted to Catholicism, were burned alive at Namugongo in 1886 and later became known as the Uganda Martyrs. Among those executed were two Christians who held the court position of Master of the Pages, Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe and Charles Lwanga. They had repeatedly defied the king by rescuing royal pages in their care from sexual exploitation by Mwanga which they believed contrary to Christian teaching.[3] murders and Mwanga's continued resistance alarmed the British, who backed a rebellion by Christian and Muslim groups who supported Mwanga's half brother and defeated Mwanga at Mengo in 1888. Mwanga's brother, Kiweewa Nnyonyintono, was elevated to the throne. He lasted exactly one month and was replaced on the throne by another brother, Kabaka Kalema Muguluma. However, Mwanga escaped and negotiated with the British. In exchange for handing over some of his sovereignty to the British East Africa Company, the British changed their backing to Mwanga, who swiftly removed Kalema from the throne in 1889. He later converted to Christianity and was baptised. years[edit] 26 December 1890, Mwanga signed a treaty with Lord Lugard, granting certain powers over revenue, trade and the administration of justice to the Imperial British East Africa Company. These powers were transferred to the crown on 1 April 1893. 27 August 1894, Mwanga accepted for Buganda to become a Protectorate. However, on 6 July 1897 he declared war on the British and launched an attack but was defeated on 20 July 1897, in Buddu (in today's Masaka District). He fled into German East Africa (modern-day Tanzania), where he was arrested and interned at Bukoba. was deposed in absentia on 9 August 1897. Tenacious as he was, he escaped and returned to Buganda with a rebel army, but was again defeated on 15 January 1898. He was captured and in April 1899 was exiled to the Seychelles. While in exile, he was received into the Anglican Church and was baptized with the name of Danieri (Daniel). He spent the rest of his life in exile. He died in the Seychelles on 8 May 1903, aged 34 or 35. On 2 August 1910, his remains were repatriated and buried at Kasubi.[1] JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886); 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. In the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith. martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Introduced by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. His successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. Martyrdoms began in 1885. Mwanga first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity. of UgandaThe Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. The martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. Most of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. Uganda now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
Kampala, Uganda; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Namugongo, Uganda
Namugongo; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Buganda, Central Uganda, East Africa
Buganda; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Northern Uganda, East Africa
Northern Uganda; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Acholi tribe, Northern Uganda, South Sudan, East Africa
Acholi tribe, Northern Uganda, South Sudan, East Africa; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977) ; Lord's Resistance Army; MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983)

Lango Tribe, Northern Uganda, East Africa
Lango; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977) ;

Buwalasi Theological College, Sironko District, Uganda, East Africa
Buwalasi Theological College, Sironko District, Uganda, East Africa; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Africa, East Africa, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania Folder

Rwanda, East Africa
Rwanda, East Africa; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Burundi, East Africa
Burundi, East Africa; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,341 ft or 5,895 meters)
Mount Kilimanjaro;

East African Community (EAC), Tanzania
East Africa; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

British Empire - Tanganyika, Tanzania, East Africa, Zanzibar, Indian Ocean
British Empire - Tanganyika, Tanzania, East Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - British Indian Ocean Territory - halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia
British Empire - British Indian Ocean Territory - ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Zanzibar, Indian Ocean Islands right next to Tanganyika, East Africa
British Empire - Zanzibar, Indian Ocean Island right next to Tanganyika, East Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Seychelles - Islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa
British Empire - Seychelles - Islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836)

Mitumba Mountains Mt Kahuzi 10,850 ft
Mitumba Mountains Mt Kahuzi

Ruzizi River

Ruzizi River Source (Lake Kivu)

Ruzizi River Mouth (Lake Tanganyika)

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania Folder

Africa (Clean) Rwuanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, its Area

Africa (Clean), Rwanda, its Area

Africa (Clean), Burundi, its Area

Africa (Clean), Tanzania, its Area

Rwanda, East Africa
Rwanda, East Africa;

Burundi, East Africa
Burundi, East Africa;

East African Community (EAC), Tanzania
East Africa;

British Empire - Tanganyika, Tanzania, East Africa, Zanzibar, Indian Ocean
British Empire - Tanganyika, Tanzania, East Africa;

British Empire - British Indian Ocean Territory - halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia
British Empire - British Indian Ocean Territory - ;

British Empire - Zanzibar, Indian Ocean Islands right next to Tanganyika, East Africa
British Empire - Zanzibar, Indian Ocean Island right next to Tanganyika, East Africa;

British Empire - Seychelles - Islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa
British Empire - Seychelles - Islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa;

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Africa, East Africa, its Area

East Africa
East Africa;

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Uganda Folder

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, its Area

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Uganda, Northern Uganda, its Area

Kampala, Uganda, East Africa
Kampala, Uganda;

Buganda, Central Uganda, East Africa
Buganda;

Acholi tribe, Northern Uganda, South Sudan, East Africa
Acholi tribe, Northern Uganda, South Sudan, East Africa;

Lango Tribe, Northern Uganda, East Africa
Lango;

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Kenya Folder

Africa, East Africa, Kenya, its Area

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Ethiopia Folder

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, its Area

Ethiopia, East Africa
Ethiopia;

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Sudan Folder

Africa, East Africa, Sudan, its Area

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Albert Nile Folder

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Albert Nile, its Area
Africa, East Africa, Albert Nile, its Area

Diocese of Boga-Zaire, Congo
Diocese of Boga-Zaire, Congo;

Africa (Clean), East Africa, White Nile Folder

Africa, East Africa, White Nitle, its Area

Africa (Clean), East Africa, Blue Nile River Folder

Africa, East Africa, Blue Nile River, its Area

Africa, West Africa Folder

West Africa
West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Africa, West Africa 1200-Present, Folder, Niger River History

Africa, West Africa, 1200, 13th 14th Centurys Folder, Mali Empire

Niger River, 1235-1600, Mali Empire
Niger River, 1235-1600, Mali Empire;

Africa, West Africa, 1400, 15th 16th Century Folder, Songhai Empire

Niger River, 1464-1591, Songhai Empire, Gao the capital
Niger River, 1464-1591, Songhai Empire, Gao the capital ;

Africa, West Africa, 1600, 17th- 19th Century Folder, Bamana Empire

Niger River, 1640-1861, Bamana Empire
Niger River, 1640-1861, Bamana Empire ;

Africa, West Africa, 1700, 18th-19th Century Folder, Fulani Imamate of Futa Jallon, Sunni, Slave Traders

Africa, West Africa, 1725-1896, Niger River, Fulani Imamate of Futa Jallon, Sunni
Niger River, 1725-1896, Fulani Imamate of Futa Jallon, Sunni ; of Futa Jallon or Jalon (French: Fouta Djallon; Pular: Fuuta Jaloo or Fuuta Jalon)[1] was a West African theocratic state based in the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern Guinea. The state was founded around 1727 by a Fulani jihad and became part of the French Third Republic's colonial empire in 1896. 1 Origin 2 Organization 3 Dominance 4 Decline 5 See also 6 References section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Fouta Djallon region was settled by the semi-nomadic FulÉ“e over successive generations between the 13th and 16th centuries. Initially, they followed a traditional African religion.[citation needed] In the 16th century an influx of Muslim FulÉ“e from Macina, Mali changed the fabric of Fula society. in the Imamate of Futa Toro, the Muslim and traditionalist Fula of Futa Jallon lived side-by-side. Then, according to traditional accounts, a 17th-century holy war erupted. In 1725, the Muslim FulÉ“e took complete control of Futa Jallon after the battle of Talansan and set up the first of many Fula theocratic states to come. Karamokho Alfa was appointed Emir al-Mu'minin ("Commander of the Faithful") and first Almami of the Imamate of Futa Jalon. He died in 1751 and was succeeded by Emir Ibrahim Sori, who consolidated the power of the Islamic state. Futa Jallon's theocratic model would later inspire the Fula state of Futa Toro. new Imamate of Futa Jallon was governed under a strict interpretation of Sharia with a central ruler in the city of Timbo, near present-day Mamou. The Imamate contained nine provinces called diwe, which all held a certain amount of autonomy. These diwe were: Timbo, Timbi, Labè, Koîn, Kolladhè, Fugumba, Kèbaly, Fodé Hadji and Murya, Massi. The meeting of the rulers of these diwè at Timbi decided to introduce Alpha Ibrahima from Timbo as first Almamy Fuuta Jallonke with residence at Timbo. Timbo then became the capital of Fuuta Jallon until the arrival of French colonialists. The objective of the constitution of this Imamate was to convince local communities to become Muslim. It became a regional power through war and negotiation, wielding influence and generating wealth. As a sovereign state, it dealt with France and other European powers as a diplomatic peer while championing artistic and literary achievement in Islamic learning at centers such as the holy city of Fugumba. Muslims of Futa Jallon became divided into factions. The clerical faction took the name of the Alfaya out of respect to the legacy of Karamokho Alfa, while the secular faction called themselves the Soriya after his successor Ibrahima Sori. two factions came to an agreement that power should alternate between leaders of the two factions.[2] The rulers of the two cities of Timbo and Fugumba were descended from the same original family, and later all competition for the position of almami was between these two cities.[3] Africa circa 1875 Imamate of Futa Jallon became a multiethnic, multilingual society,[citation needed] ruled by Muslim FulÉ“e and backed by powerful free and slave armies. The FulÉ“e of Futa Jallon and Futa Toro were able to take advantage of the growing Atlantic slave trade with the Europeans on the coast, particularly the French and Portuguese. The twin Fula states also supplied valuable grain, cattle and other goods to their European neighbors on the coast. The Almaami would demand gifts in return for trade rights and could enforce his will with a well-supplied army. In 1865, Futa Jallon supported an invasion of the Mandinka kingdom of Kaabu, resulting in its demise at the Battle of Kansala in 1867. It conquered the remnants of the Kingdom of Jolof in central Senegambia in 1875. French were not satisfied with mere dominance of the coast and increasingly one-sided trade with the Fulbe. They began making inroads into Futa Jallon by capitalizing on its internal struggles. Finally, in 1896, at the Battle of Porédaka, the French defeated the last Almaami of Futa Jallon, Bokar Biro. SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Africa, West Africa, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Fulani War, Massina, Toucouleur, and Wassoulou Empires, French w Barnana

Africa, West Africa, 1804-1808, Fulani War, Sokoto Caliphate
Fulani War; Fulani War of 1804–1808, also known as the Fulani Jihad or Jihad of Usman dan Fodio, was a military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman Danfodiyo, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled from Gobir by the King Yunfa, one of his former students. Danfodiyo assembled a Islamics army to lead in jihad against the Hausa Kingdoms of the north of Nigeria. The forces of Usman Danfodiyo slowly took over more and more of the Hausa kingdoms, capturing Gobir in 1808 and executing Yunfa. The war resulted in the creation of the Sokoto Caliphate, headed by Usman Danfodiyo, which became one of the largest states in Africa in the 19th century. His success inspired similar jihads in Western Africa. 1 Background 2 Lead up to war 3 Battles 4 Founding of the Sokoto Caliphate 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 References Background[edit] Kanem-Bornu Empire had been in decline in the area from the mid-18th century. The result was the rise of a number of independent Hausa kingdoms throughout the region. Two prominent Hausa kingdoms were Gobir and Zamfara. However, warfare between the Hausa states and with other states were constant for the latter 18th century, resulting in a harsh system of conscription and taxation.[1] The Fulani, a largely pastoral people, were often the victims of Hausa taxation, land control, and other feudal practices.[2] up to war[edit] dan Fodio, born in 1754, joined a growing number of traveling Islamic scholars through the Hausa kingdoms in the 1770s and became quite popular in the 1790s.[1] Originally, dan Fodio's preaching received the support of the leadership of Gobir; however, as his influence increased and as he began to advocate for self-defense arming by his followers, his favor with the leadership decreased. Sarkin Gobir Nafata, the king of Gobir, placed a series of restrictions on dan Fodio's preaching.[1] In 1801, Sarkin Gobir Yunfa, a former pupil of dan Fodio, replaced Nafata as king of Gobir. However, Yunfa increased the restrictions on dan Fodio and exiled him from Gobir to the village of Degel. A crisis developed later in 1803 when Yunfa attacked and captured many of the followers of a group associated with dan Fodio. Yunfa then marched the prisoners through Degel, enraging many of dan Fodio's followers, who attacked the army and freed the prisoners. Yunfa gave dan Fodio the option of exile before destroying Degel, which led to the large-scale hijra of dan Fodio's community to Gudu. So many people went with dan Fodio throughout the state that on February 21, 1804, Yunfa declared war on dan Fodio and threatened punishment to anyone joining him.[1] Followers of dan Fodio declared him to be the Amir al-Mu'minin, commander of the faithful, and denounced their allegiance to Gobir. minor skirmishes preceded the forces meeting at the Battle of Tsuntua. Although Yunfa was victorious and dan Fodio lost a number of men, the battle did not diminish his force. He retaliated by capturing the village of Matankari, which resulted in the battle of Tafkin Kwattoa, a major action between Yunfa and dan Fodio's forces. Although outnumbered, dan Fodio's troops were able to prevent Yunfa from advancing on Gunu and thus convince larger numbers of people to join his forces.[1] 1805, the forces of dan Fodio, the jihadists, captured the Hausa kingdom of Kebbi. By 1807, the jihadists had taken over the states of Katsina, Daura, and Kano. In 1808, the jihadists captured Gobir, killing Yunfa in the battle.[1] the capture of Gobir, the jihadists saw that they were part of a wider regional struggle. They continued with battles against a number of Hausa kingdoms, and the Sokoto Caliphate expanded over the next two years. The last major expansion of the jihadists was the toppling of the Sayfawa dynasty in 1846.[1] of the Sokoto Caliphate[edit] Bello, the son of Usman dan Fodio, transformed the semi-permanent camp of Sokoto into a city in 1809, during the Fulani war.[3] Dan Fodio ruled from Sokoto as the religious leader of the Fulani jihad states from that point until 1815, when he retired from administrative duties.[1] The Caliphate appointed various Emirs to govern the various states of the empire. These men were often veterans of the Fulani wars.[2] success of the jihad inspired a number of later West African jihadists, including Massina Empire founder Seku Amadu, Toucouleur Empire founder Umar Tall, Wassoulou Empire founder Samori Ture, and Adamawa Emirate founder Modibo Adama. Sokoto Caliphate has continued to the present. Since the British conquest of the Caliphate in 1903, and later Nigerian independence under a constitutional government in 1960, the Caliphate's political authority has diminished. But the position still has considerable spiritual authority. Land of the Fulani People is a 1,000 mile wide streach of land across Africa south of the Sahara Desert; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Africa, West Africa, 1818-1862, Niger River, Massina Empire
Niger River, 1818-1862, Massina Empire ;

Africa, West Africa, 1848-1893, Niger River, Toucouleur Empire
Niger River, 1848-1893, Toucouleur Empire;

Africa, West Africa, 1829-1891, SAMUEL AJAYI CROWDER, Nigeria, linguist, bishop, recalled to England, ordained, translated Bible
Africa, West Africa, 1829-1891, SAMUEL AJAYI CROWDER, Nigeria, linguist, bishop, captured by muslim Fulani slave traders at 12, sold to Portugese slave traders, saved by British Royal Navy, taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone and released, there Anglican Missionary Society, taught, converted, baptized in 1825, mission on Niger River, recalled to England, trained ordained, returned opened mission Abeokuta, Ogun State, translated Bible, dictionary, Book Common Prayer, 1824 first African Anglican Bishop, other languages; Ajayi Crowther (c. 1809–31 December 1891), was a Yoruba linguist, Sierra Leonean-Nigerian clergyman, and the celebrated first African Anglican bishop of West Africa. Born in Osogun (in what is now Ado Awaye, Oyo State, Nigeria), he and his family were captured by Fulani slave raiders when he was about twelve years old.[2] was freed from slavery at a coastal port by the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, which was enforcing the British ban against the Atlantic slave trade. The liberated peoples were resettled in Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, Ajayi adopted an English name of Samuel Crowther, and began his education in English.[3] He adopted Christianity and also identified with Sierra Leone's then ascendant Krio ethnic group. He studied languages and was ordained as a minister in England, where he later received a doctoral degree from Oxford University. He prepared a Yoruba grammar and translation of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer into Yoruba, also working on a Yoruba version of the Bible, as well as other language projects.[4] Osogun, Yorubaland; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31; Samuel Ajayi Crowther (c. 1809 – 31 December 1891) was a linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. He was born in Osogun, Yorubaland (in today's Oyo State, Nigeria). was in his 12th year when he was captured, along with his entire village, by Muslim Fulani slave raiders in 1821 and sold to Portuguese slave traders. Before leaving port, his ship was boarded by a Royal Navy ship under the command of Captain Henry Leeke, and Crowther was taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone and released. there, Crowther was cared for by the Anglican Church Missionary Society, who taught him English. He converted to Christianity, was baptized by Rev. John Raban, and took the name Samuel Crowther in 1825. 1841 Crowther was selected to accompany the missionary James Frederick Schön on an expedition along the Niger River. The goal of the expedition was to spread commerce, teach agricultural techniques, spread Christianity, and help end the slave trade. the expedition, Crowther was recalled to England, where he was trained as a minister and ordained by the bishop of London. He returned to Africa in 1843 and with Henry Townsend, opened a mission in Abeokuta, in today's Ogun State, Nigeria. Dr. Crowther began translating the Bible into the Yoruba language and compiling a Yoruba dictionary. A Yoruba version of the Book of Common Prayer followed later. 1864, Crowther was ordained as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church. That same year he also received a Doctor of Divinity from Oxford University. Dr. Crowther's attention was directed more and more to languages other than Yoruba, but he continued to supervise the translation of the Yoruba Bible, which was completed in the mid-1880s, a few years before his death. In 1891, Crowther suffered a stroke and died on the last day of that year. more from Wikipedia A biography written just after his death is online, thanks to Project Canterbury.

Africa, West Africa, 1818-1845, Seku Amadu. Massina Empire Founder, Niger River, Massina Almami
Niger River, Massina Almami, 1818-1845, Seku Amadu. Massina Empire Founder; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Africa, West Africa, 1878-1898, Wassoulou Empire, Niger River, Sunni Islam, Mandinka people
Niger River, 1878-1898, Wassoulou Empire, Sunni Islam, Mandinka people ; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Africa, West Africa, 1890-1896, Bokar Biro, Fulani Iman, Sunni, Niger River
Niger River, Fulani Iman, 1890-1896, Bokar Biro, Sunni; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Africa, West Africa, 1893-1900, The French allied with Bamana Empire, Niger River
Niger River, 1893-1893, The French allied with Bamana Empire; Niger River, 1640-1861, Bamana Empire ; The French Scramble for Africa

Africa, West Africa, 1900, 20th Century Folder, French Colony of Niger, 1930 Revival

Niger River, 1900-1960, The French Colony of Niger
Niger River, 1900-1960, The French Colony of Niger;

Niger River Mouth, Ogun River, The Great Revival of 1930
The Great Revival of 1930 ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Africa, West Africa, Liberia, Saint Paul, Mesurado and Cavalla Rivers Folder, Liberia

Liberia, West Africa
Liberia; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Saint Paul River

Saint Paul River Source (Guinea Highlands)
Saint Paul River;

Nimba Range of Guinea Highlands
Guinea Highlands;

Saint Paul River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Mesurado River

Mesurado River Source

Cuttington University, Liberia
Cuttington University; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ;

Mesurado River 1

Mesurado River 2

Mesurado River Mouth and Cape

Liberia College
Liberia College; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ;

Monrovia, Liberia
Monrovia; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ;

Cavalla River

Cavalla River Source (Guinea Highlands)

Cavalla River 1

Cavalla River 2

Cavalla River 3

Cavalla River Mouth (Cape Palmas, Atlantic Ocean)

Cape Palmas, Liberia (Cavalla River Mouth, Atlantic Ocean)
Cape Palmas; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ;

Africa, West Africa, Guiana Rivers Folder, Sierra Leone and Freetown

Guiana River 1 Boke River

Guiana River 2 Telimele River

Guiana River 3 Telimele River

Guiana River 4 Fria River

Guiana River 5 Kindia River

Guiana River 6 Pita River

Guiana River 7 Koullan River

Guiana River 8

Guiana River 9

Guiana River 10

Guiana River 11 Kindia River

Freetown, Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

British Empire - Sierra Leone, West Africa
Sierra Leone; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Guiana River 15 Farmoyeya River

Africa, West Africa, Fulani Folder, Upper Niger River

Fulani, Land of the Fulani People (Sierra Leone, Timbuktu, Upper Niger River)
Land of the Fulani People is a 1,000 mile wide streach of land across Africa south of the Sahara Desert; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Niger River

Niger River Source (Guinea Highlands)
Guinea Highlands;

Niger River 1

Niger River 2

Niger River 3 (Inland Delta)

Niger River (Overview)

Niger River 4 (Timbuktu)

Timbuktu (Niger River 4)
Timbuktu; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Niger River 5

Kaduna River Mouth (Niger River)

Niger Delta or Mouth (Gulf of Guinea)

Africa, West Africa, Niger River Folder

Africa, West Africa, Niger River 3, Bani River Folder

Bani River

Bani River Source (Baoule and Bagoe Rivers Convergence)

Bani River 1

Bani River 2

Bani River 3

Bani River Mouth (Niger River 3)

Africa, West Africa, Niger River 6, Sokoto River Folder

Sokoto River

Sokoto River Source
Sokoto River

Fulani Empire (Upper Niger River)
Fulani Empire; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Sokoto River 1

Fulani Capital

Sokoto River Mouth (Niger River 6)

Africa, West Africa, Niger River 8, Benue (Chadda) River Folder

Benue (Chadda) River

Benue (Chadda) River Source (Adamawa Plateau)
Benue River; Adamawa Plateau ;

Benue (Chadda) River 1

Benue (Chadda) River 2

Benue (Chadda) River 3

Benue (Chadda) River Mouth (Niger River 8)

NIGER TERRITORIES, Niger Delta, Between Forcados and Brasse Rivers
NIGER TERRITORIES, Niger Delta, Between Forcados and Brasse Rivers; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Forcados River

Brasse River

Africa, West Africa, Niger River Mouth, Ogun River Folder

Nigeria
Nigeria; Land of the Fulani People is a 1,000 mile wide streach of land across Africa south of the Sahara Desert; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

British Empire - Nigeria - Ogun River, West Africa
Nigeria; Land of the Fulani People is a 1,000 mile wide streach of land across Africa south of the Sahara Desert; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Yorubaland (Nigeria, Benin andTogo)
Yorubaland (Nigeria, Benin andTogo); Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Ogun River

Ogun River Source (near Shaki)

Kwara State, Nigeria (Ogun River Source, Niger River 7)
Kwara State, Nigeria ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Ogun River 1 (Ikere Gorge Dam)

Osogun, Yorubaland (Ogun River 1)
Osogun, Yorubaland; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Ogun River 2 (Abeokuta)

Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State
Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Joseph Ayo Babalola University, 2006
Joseph Ayo Babalola University; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT; Ayo Babalola (25 April 1904 – 26 July 1959) was the first General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church, popularly called CAC in Nigeria. He was credited with healing powers. life was born of Yoruba parents at Odo-Owa, Kwara State, Nigeria.[1] He was brought up as an Anglican. He was registered at an elementary school at Oto-Awori on Badagry Road, Lagos State, in 1914.[1] He got to standard four, before he became a blacksmith's apprentice and he learned it for two years, before he became a steamroller operator under the PWD (Public Works Department), then under the control of Great Britain, learning to become a steamroller driver. After 15 days of learning to drive the caterpillar, he was able to drive it without any assistance. After nine months; he became a master in his class. A steamroller was first given to him on 1 April 1928 to work on the Osogbo – Ilesha road. On June 14, 1928, he was transferred to Akure – Ilesha road.[1] Babalola was baptized in Lagos lagoon in December 1929.[2][3] Ministry and healing 1931 Faith Tabernacle affiliated with The Apostolic Church with general headquarters in the United Kingdom (and not British Apostolic Church, as erroneously called by some authors).[4] Then following a schism in The Apostolic Church about 1940, Babalola went with a group led by Pastors J.B. Akinyele and D.O. Odubanjo to form a new independent church,[5] Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where he continued his healing and revivalistic activities until his death. The CAC regards Babalola as an apostle, while in actual sense by real church ordination he was not at any time historically ordained into that office. A CAC retreat center was built at Ipo Arakeji, Osun State where Babalola was first called in 1928. However, Babalola was not the sole founder of CAC as many claims today but one of the trio of CAC Founding Fathers.[6] Christ Apostolic Church has not died along with Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola in 1959. In fact, it has grown rapidly over the years, with many churches under the Christ Apostolic Church name but each church with a specific branch name. The Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) a private Nigerian university located in Ipo Arakeji and Ikeji-Arakeji, two neighbouring communities in Osun State, established by the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide is named after him, located at the place where he says he was called by God in 1928. He was buried at Erekesan street at the Mausoleum in Efon Alaaye town in Ekiti state.

Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria
Akure, Nigeria; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Akure-Ilesha road
Akure-“ Ilesha road Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Wesley Hospital, Ilesa
Wesley Hospital, Ilesa; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Osogbo, Nigeria
Osogbo, Nigeria; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Osogbo-Ilesa Road
Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Abeokuta, Nigeria (Ogun River 2)
Abeokuta; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Ogun River Mouth (Lagos Lagoon)

Lagos State, Nigeria
Lagos State, Nigeria ; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Christ Apostolic Church, Logos, Nigeria
Christ Apostolic Church, Logos, Nigeria; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT; Ayo Babalola (25 April 1904 – 26 July 1959) was the first General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church, popularly called CAC in Nigeria. He was credited with healing powers. life was born of Yoruba parents at Odo-Owa, Kwara State, Nigeria.[1] He was brought up as an Anglican. He was registered at an elementary school at Oto-Awori on Badagry Road, Lagos State, in 1914.[1] He got to standard four, before he became a blacksmith's apprentice and he learned it for two years, before he became a steamroller operator under the PWD (Public Works Department), then under the control of Great Britain, learning to become a steamroller driver. After 15 days of learning to drive the caterpillar, he was able to drive it without any assistance. After nine months; he became a master in his class. A steamroller was first given to him on 1 April 1928 to work on the Osogbo – Ilesha road. On June 14, 1928, he was transferred to Akure – Ilesha road.[1] Babalola was baptized in Lagos lagoon in December 1929.[2][3] Ministry and healing 1931 Faith Tabernacle affiliated with The Apostolic Church with general headquarters in the United Kingdom (and not British Apostolic Church, as erroneously called by some authors).[4] Then following a schism in The Apostolic Church about 1940, Babalola went with a group led by Pastors J.B. Akinyele and D.O. Odubanjo to form a new independent church,[5] Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where he continued his healing and revivalistic activities until his death. The CAC regards Babalola as an apostle, while in actual sense by real church ordination he was not at any time historically ordained into that office. A CAC retreat center was built at Ipo Arakeji, Osun State where Babalola was first called in 1928. However, Babalola was not the sole founder of CAC as many claims today but one of the trio of CAC Founding Fathers.[6] Christ Apostolic Church has not died along with Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola in 1959. In fact, it has grown rapidly over the years, with many churches under the Christ Apostolic Church name but each church with a specific branch name. The Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) a private Nigerian university located in Ipo Arakeji and Ikeji-Arakeji, two neighbouring communities in Osun State, established by the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide is named after him, located at the place where he says he was called by God in 1928. He was buried at Erekesan street at the Mausoleum in Efon Alaaye town in Ekiti state.

Badagry, Nigeria (Ogun River Mouth)
Badagry, Nigeria; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT;

Africa, West Africa, 18 Countries of West Africa Filder

Benin, West Africa
Benin, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Burkina Faso, West Africa
Burkina Faso, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Cape Verde, West Africa
Cape Verde, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Gambia, West Africa
Gambia, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Gambia, West Africa
Gambia, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Ghana, West Africa
Ghana, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Ghana School of Law
Ghana School of Law; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Guinea, West Africa
Guinea, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
Guinea-Bissau, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Ivory Coast, West Africa
Ivory Coast, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Liberia, West Africa
Liberia, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Mali, West Africa
Mali, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Mauritania, West Africa
Mauritania, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Niger, West Africa
Niger, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Nigeria, West Africa
Nigeria, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Nigeria, West Africa
Nigeria, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Saint Helena, West Africa
Saint Helena, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Saint Helena Island, Southern Atlantic Ocean off West Africa
Saint Helena, West Africa ; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Senegal, West Africa
Senegal, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Sierra Leone, West Africa
Sierra Leone, West Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

British Empire - Sierra Leone, West Africa
Sierra Leone, West Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Sao Tome and Principe, West Africa
Sao Tome and Principe, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Togo, West Africa
Togo, West Africa; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2;

Austria Folder, its rivers and mountains

Austria
Austria; Austria-Hungary; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18 ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Austria (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Important points

Austria, its Area

Austria, Danube River Folder, Northern AUT

Danube River in Austria

Austria, Danube River 4, Amber Road Folder

Vienna, Austria (Morava River Mouth, Danube River 5, Amber Road 1)
Vienna (Danube River);

Austria, Inn River Folder (Switzerland, Austria, Germany) Western AUT

Inn River

Austria, Salzach River Folder, West Central AUT

Salzach River

Kitzbuhel Alps
Kitzbuhel Alps ;

Salzach River (Salzburg)

Austria, Enns River Folder, East Central AUT

River Enns

Bavarian Alps
Bavarian Alps;

Austria, Mur River Folder (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary) Eastern AUT

Mur River

Mur River Mouth (Drava River 16)

Austria, Drava River Folder (Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary) South Southeastern AUT

Puster Valley
Puster Valley;

Drava River Mouth (Danube River 8)

Austria, Tyrol, Western Austria and Northern Italy

Austria, 1438-1917, Austria History Folder

Austria, 1438-1740, Hapsburg Dynasty, HRE

Austria, 1438-1740, House of Austria, Hapsburg Castle, actually in Switzerland
House of Austria, House of Hapsburg, Hapsburg Castle, actually in Switzerland; Hapsburg Castle; House of Hapsburg;

Austria, 1500, 16th Century History Folder, Don Juan over Turks

Austria, 1571, Don Juan of Austria, Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth, over the Turks
Austria, 1571, Don Juan of Austria, Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12;

Austria, 1591-1630, Johannes Kepler, Scientist, laws of planetary motion
Austria, 1591-1630, Johannes Kepler, Scientist Kepler ([3][4] 27 December 1571 - 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer. is a key figure in the 17th-century scientific revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation. was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, where he became an associate of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. Later he became an assistant to the astronomer Tycho Brahe in Prague, and eventually the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II. also taught mathematics in Linz, and was an adviser to General Wallenstein. he did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting (or Keplerian) telescope, and was mentioned in the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei. He was a corresponding member of the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.[5] lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, but there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction and belief that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.[6] described his new astronomy as "celestial physics",[7] as "an excursion into Aristotle's Metaphysics",[8] and as "a supplement to Aristotle's On the Heavens",[9] transforming the ancient tradition of physical cosmology by treating astronomy as part of a universal mathematical physics.[10] Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;;

Austria, 1591-1630, JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMER, Graz, Austria, scientific revoluton, math teacher, optics, refracting telescope
St John of Galesh; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;; Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. They also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation. During his career, Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, Austria, assistant to astronomer Tycho Brahe, the imperial mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II and his two successors Matthias and Ferdinand II, mathematics teacher in Linz, Austria, an adviser to General Wallenstein. also did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting telescope (the Keplerian Telescope), helped to legitimize the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei. lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason. Kepler's first major astronomical work, Mysterium Cosmographicum (The Cosmographic Mystery, 1596), was the first published defense of the Copernican system. As he indicated in the title, Kepler thought he had revealed God’s geometrical plan for the universe. Much of Kepler’s enthusiasm for the Copernican system stemmed from his theological convictions about the connection between the physical and the spiritual; the universe itself was an image of God, with the Sun corresponding to the Father, the stellar sphere to the Son, and the intervening space between to the Holy Spirit. His first manuscript of Mysterium contained an extensive chapter reconciling heliocentrism with biblical passages that seemed to support geocentrism. extended line of research that culminated in Astronomia nova (A New Astronomy)—including the first two laws of planetary motion—began with the analysis, under Tycho's direction, of Mars' orbit. Based on measurements of the aphelion and perihelion of the Earth and Mars, he created a formula in which a planet's rate of motion is inversely proportional to its distance from the Sun; by late 1602 Kepler reformulated the proportion in terms of geometry: planets sweep out equal areas in equal times—Kepler's second law of planetary motion. He then set about calculating the entire orbit of Mars, using the geometrical rate law and assuming an egg-shaped ovoid orbit. After approximately 40 failed attempts, in early 1605 he at last hit upon the idea of an ellipse, which he had previously assumed to be too simple a solution for earlier astronomers to have overlooked. Finding that an elliptical orbit fit the Mars data, he immediately concluded that all planets move in ellipses, with the sun at one focus—Kepler's first law of planetary motion. was convinced "that the geometrical things have provided the Creator with the model for decorating the whole world." In Harmonices Mundi (Harmony of the Worlds), he attempted to explain the proportions of the natural world—particularly the astronomical and astrological aspects—in terms of music. Among many other harmonies, Kepler articulated what came to be known as the third law of planetary motion. He then tried many combinations until he discovered that (approximately) "The square of the periodic times are to each other as the cubes of the mean distances." When conjoined with Christian Huygens' newly discovered law of centrifugal force it enabled Isaac Newton and others to demonstrate independently that the presumed gravitational attraction between the Sun and its planets decreased with the square of the distance between them. 1615, he completed the first of three volumes of Epitome astronomia Copernicanae (Epitome of Copernican Astronomy). Despite the title, which referred simply to heliocentrism, Kepler's textbook culminated in his own ellipse-based system. The Epitome became Kepler's most influential work. It contained all three laws of planetary motion and attempted to explain heavenly motions through physical causes. It was read by astronomers throughout Europe, and following Kepler's death it was the main vehicle for spreading Kepler's ideas. In the late 17th century, a number of physical astronomy theories drawing from Kepler's work—notably those of Giovanni Alfonso Borelli and Robert Hooke—began to incorporate attractive forces (though not the quasi-spiritual motive species postulated by Kepler) and the Cartesian concept of inertia. This culminated in Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica (1687), in which Newton derived Kepler's laws of planetary motion from a force-based theory of universal gravitation. — more at Wikipedia

Austria, 1600, 17th Century History Folder, End of Ottoman Control, Established Hapsburg Momarchy

Austria, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy
Austria, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy;

Austria, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Treaty of Szatmar ending progressive war of independence from Hap D

Austria, 1711, 7 Mar 1711 OS, Treaty of Szatmar
Austria, 1711, 7 Mar 1711 OS, Treaty of Szatmar; Austria, 1711, March 18, 1711 NS: Asher's Seal Date; Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI;

Austria, 1711, March 18, 1711 NS: Asher's Seal Date
Austria, 1711, March 18, 1711 NS: Asher's Seal Date; Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI;

Austria, 1711-1740, Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI, spent all his effort on Maria's assencion
Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Austria, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa, history, S wars, S reform, laws, vaccines, finance r, standing a, large govt, N tax
Hungary, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa; Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (13 May 1717 - 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress. Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740. VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). upon his death, Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the seven-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession. defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg Monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during the Seven Years' War. she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers. Theresa promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. she despised the Jews and the Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church and refused to allow religious pluralism. Consequently, her regime was criticized as intolerant by some contemporaries. and early life[edit] Painting of three-year-old Maria Theresa in the gardens of Hofburg Palace second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Archduchess Maria Theresa was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna, a year after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold,[1] and was baptised on that same evening. dowager empresses, her aunt Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg and grandmother Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, were her godmothers.[2] descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia, the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I, before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia.[3] was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them,[3] even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, had his sons sign the Mutual Pact of Succession, which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother.[4] Her father was the only surviving male member of the House of Habsburg and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling.[4] Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as heir presumptive to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in the line of succession.[5] sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the Treaty of Vienna (1731), Great Britain demanded that Austria abolish the Ostend Company in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction.[6] In total, Great Britain, France, Saxony, United Provinces, Spain, Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Sardinia, Bavaria and the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction.[7] France, Spain, Saxony, Bavaria and Prussia later reneged. Archduchess Maria Theresa, by Andreas Möller more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, Maria Anna, and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724.[8] portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna.[9] The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with a slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body.[10] many other members of the House of Habsburg, neither Maria Theresa's parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other.[a] Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony. The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education was overseen by Jesuits. Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well.[11] Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors.[b] Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, who taught her etiquette. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort.[12] father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her.[13] Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign.[14] question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. Leopold Clement of Lorraine was first considered to be the appropriate suitor, and he was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. These plans were forestalled by his death from smallpox.[15] Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen, was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand,[16] the Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Protestant prince Frederick of Prussia.[17] In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain. Other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Queen of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese. Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved.[18][19] Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast, by Martin van Meytens. Charles VI (in the red-plumed hat) is seated at the center of the table. Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of Lorraine,[17] but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the War of the Polish Succession.[20] XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, Stanislaus I, who had been deposed as King of Poland.[c] Francis Stephen was to receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of childless Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici.[21] The couple were married on 12 February 1736.[22] Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive.[23] The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal.[24][25] She was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage,[26] with Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg, as his best-known mistress.[27] Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. A triumphal arch was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in Florence was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany.[28] the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo-Turkish War. The Turks reversed Austrian gains in Serbia, Wallachia and Bosnia. The Viennese rioted at the cost of the war. Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy.[29] The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade.[30] Maria Theresa's procession through the Graben, 22 November 1740. The pregnant queen is on way to hear High Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral before receiving homage.[31] VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. He had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had urged him to concentrate on filling the treasury and equipping the army rather than on acquiring signatures of fellow monarchs.[5] The Emperor, who spent his entire reign securing the Pragmatic Sanction, left Austria in an impoverished state, bankrupted by the recent Turkish war and the War of the Polish Succession;[32] the treasury contained only 100,000 gulden, which were claimed by his widow.[33] The army had also been weakened due to these wars; instead of the full number of 160,000, the army had been reduced to about 108,000, and they were scattered in small areas from the Austrian Netherlands to Transylvania, and from Silesia to Tuscany. They were also poorly trained and discipline was lacking. Later Maria Theresa even made a remark: "as for the state in which I found the army, I cannot begin to describe it."[34] Theresa found herself in a difficult situation. She did not know enough about matters of state and she was unaware of the weakness of her father's ministers. She decided to rely on her father's advice to retain his counselors and to defer to her husband, whom she considered to be more experienced, on other matters. Both decisions later gave cause for regret. Ten years later, Maria Theresa recalled in her Political Testament the circumstances under which she had ascended: "I found myself without money, without credit, without army, without experience and knowledge of my own and finally, also without any counsel because each one of them at first wanted to wait and see how things would develop."[14] dismissed the possibility that other countries might try to seize her territories and immediately started ensuring the imperial dignity for herself;[14] since a woman could not be elected Holy Roman Empress, Maria Theresa wanted to secure the imperial office for her husband, but Francis Stephen did not possess enough land or rank within the Holy Roman Empire.[d] order to make him eligible for the imperial throne and to enable him to vote in the imperial elections as elector of Bohemia (which she could not do because of her sex), Maria Theresa made Francis Stephen co-ruler of the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740.[35] It took more than a year for the Diet of Hungary to accept Francis Stephen as co-ruler, since they asserted that the sovereignty of Hungary could not be shared.[36] Despite her love for him and his position as co-ruler, Maria Theresa never allowed her husband to decide matters of state and often dismissed him from council meetings when they disagreed.[37] first display of the new queen's authority was the formal act of homage of the Lower Austrian Estates to her on 22 November 1740. It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. The oath of fealty to Maria Theresa was taken on the same day in the Ritterstube of the Hofburg.[31] of the Austrian Succession[edit] Main article: War of the Austrian Succession Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg Theresa as the Queen of Hungary after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heir broke their promises. Queen Elisabeth of Spain and Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria, married to Maria Theresa's deprived cousin Maria Amalia and supported by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, coveted portions of her inheritance.[33] Maria Theresa did secure recognition from King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who had not accepted the Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740.[38] December, Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral-rich province.[39] Frederick even offered a compromise: he would defend Maria Theresa's rights if she agreed to cede to him at least a part of Silesia. Francis Stephen was inclined to consider such an arrangement, but the Queen and her advisers were not, fearing that any violation of the Pragmatic Sanction would invalidate the entire document.[40] Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia,[e] and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria".[41] resulting war with Prussia is known as the First Silesian War. invasion of Silesia by Frederick was the start of a lifelong enmity; she referred to him as "that evil man".[42] Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg, who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War.[43] Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741.[44] France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain: Bohemia and Upper Austria would be ceded to Bavaria, and the Elector would become emperor, whereas Moravia and Upper Silesia would be granted to the Electorate of Saxony, Lower Silesia and Glatz to Prussia, and the entire Austrian Lombardy to Spain.[45] Belle-Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz. Vienna was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors had expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain.[46] Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations.[47] to all expectations, the young Queen gained significant support from Hungary.[48] Her coronation as Queen of Hungary suo jure took place in St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg (today's Bratislava), on 25 June 1741. She had spent months honing the equestrian skills necessary for the ceremony and negotiating with the Diet. To appease those who considered her gender to be a serious obstacle, Maria Theresa assumed masculine titles. Thus, in nomenclature, Maria Theresa was archduke and king; normally, however, she was styled as queen.[49][50] July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. Maria Theresa's ally, the Elector of Saxony, now became her enemy,[51] and George II declared the Electorate of Hanover to be neutral.[52] she needed troops from Hungary in order to support the war effort. Although she had already won the admiration of the Hungarians, the number of volunteers was only in the hundreds. Since she required them in thousands or even tens of thousands, she decided to appear before the Hungarian Diet on 11 September 1741 while wearing the crown of St Stephen. She began addressing the Diet in Latin, and she asserted that "the very existence of the Kingdom of Hungary, of our own person and children, and our crown, are at stake. Forsaken by all, we place our sole reliance in the fidelity and long-tried valor of the Hungarians."[53] response was rather boorish, with the queen being questioned and even heckled by members of the Diet; someone cried that she "better apply to Satan than the Hungarians for help."[54] she managed to show her gift for theatrical displays by holding her son and heir, Joseph, while weeping, and she dramatically consigned the future king to the defense of the "brave Hungarians".[54] This act managed to win the sympathy of the members, and they declared that they would die for Maria Theresa.[54][55] Engraved by Gustav Adolph Müller after Martin van Mytens, the Younger, Maria Theresa of Austria, 1742, engraving, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that the Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria to her as sovereign. Maria Theresa, desperate and burdened by pregnancy, wrote plaintively to her sister: "I don't know if a town will remain to me for my delivery."[56] She bitterly vowed to spare nothing and no one to defend her kingdom when she wrote to the Bohemian chancellor, Count Philip Kinsky: "My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia."[57][f] 26 October, the Elector of Bavaria captured Prague and declared himself King of Bohemia. Maria Theresa, then in Hungary, wept on learning of the loss of Bohemia.[58] Albert was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor on 24 January 1742, which made him the only non-Habsburg to be in that position since 1440.[59] Queen, who regarded the election as a catastrophe,[60] caught her enemies unprepared by insisting on a winter campaign;[61] the same day he was elected emperor, Austrian troops under Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller captured Munich, Charles Albert's capital.[62] has, as you well know, a terrible hatred for France, with which nation it is most difficult for her to keep on good terms, but she controls this passion except when she thinks to her advantage to display it. She detests Your Majesty, but acknowledges your ability. She cannot forget the loss of Silesia, nor her grief over the soldiers she lost in wars with you. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Great[g] Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. With the First Silesian War at an end, the Queen soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority.[63] French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral suo jure.[64] became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick again invaded Bohemia, beginning a Second Silesian War; Prussian troops sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles Albert died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May.[65] Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised the loss of Silesia by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, ending the Second Silesian War.[66] wider war dragged on for another three years, with fighting in northern Italy and the Austrian Netherlands; however, the core Habsburg domains of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia remained in Maria Theresa's possession. Treaty of Aachen, which concluded the eight-year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia, and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain.[67] France had successfully conquered the Austrian Netherlands, but Louis XV, wishing to prevent potential future wars with Austria, returned them to Maria Theresa.[68] Years' War[edit] Main article: Seven Years' War battle of Kolin, 1757 of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began a Third Silesian War and sparked the wider Seven Years' War. Theresa and Kaunitz wished to exit the war with possession of Silesia.[69] Before the war started, Kaunitz had been sent as an ambassador to Versailles from 1750–1753 to win over the French. Meanwhile, the British rebuffed requests from Maria Theresa to aid her in reclaiming Silesia, and Frederick II himself managed to secure the Treaty of Westminster (1756) with them. Maria Theresa sent Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg to negotiate an agreement with France, and the result was the First Treaty of Versailles of 1 May 1756. the efforts of Kaunitz and Starhemberg managed to pave a way for a Diplomatic Revolution; previously, France was one of Austria's archenemies together with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, but after the agreement, they were united by a common cause against Prussia.[70] historians have blamed this treaty for France's devastating defeats in the war, since Louis XV was required to deploy troops in Germany and to provide subsidies of 25–30 million pounds a year to Maria Theresa that were vital for the Austrian war effort in Bohemia and Silesia.[71] 1 May 1757, the Second Treaty of Versailles was signed, whereby Louis XV promised to provide Austria with 130,000 men in addition to 12 million gulden yearly. They would also continue the war in Continental Europe until Prussia could be compelled to abandon Silesia and Glatz. In return, Austria would cede several towns in the Austrian Netherlands to the son-in-law of Louis XV, Philip of Parma, who in turn would grant his Italian duchies to Maria Theresa.[71] von Browne commanded the Austrian troops. Following the indecisive Battle of Lobositz in 1756, he was replaced by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Maria Theresa's brother-in-law.[72] However, he was appointed only because of his familial relations; he turned out to be an incompetent military leader, and he was replaced by Leopold Joseph von Daun, Franz Moritz von Lacy and Ernst Gideon von Laudon.[73] Frederick himself was startled by Lobositz; he eventually re-grouped for another attack in June 1757. Battle of Kolin that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before the battle was over, he had left the scene.[74] Subsequently, Prussia was defeated at Hochkirch in Saxony on 14 October 1758, at Kunersdorf in Brandenburg on 12 August 1759, and at Landeshut near Glatz in June 1760. and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. Austrian and Russian troops even occupied Berlin for several days in August 1760. these victories did not enable the Habsburgs to win the war, as the French and Habsburg armies were destroyed by Frederick at Rossbach in 1757.[73] the defeat in Torgau on 3 November 1760, Maria Theresa realised that she could no longer reclaim Silesia without Russian support, which vanished after the death of Tsaritsa Elizabeth in early 1762. the meantime, France was losing badly in America and India, and thus they had reduced their subsidies by 50%. Since 1761, had tried to organise a diplomatic congress to take advantage of the accession of George III of the United Kingdom, as he did not really care about Germany. the war was concluded by the Treaty of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. Austria had to leave the Prussian territories that were occupied.[73] Although Silesia remained under the control of Prussia, a new balance of power was created in Europe, and Austrian position was strengthened by it thanks to its alliance with the Bourbons in Madrid, Parma and Naples. Maria Theresa herself decided to focus on domestic reforms and refrain from undertaking any further military operations.[75] life[edit] Maria Theresa with her family, 1754, by Martin van Meytens the course of twenty years, Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy. The first child, Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), was born a little less than a year after the wedding. The child's sex caused great disappointment and so would the births of Maria Anna, the eldest surviving child, and Maria Carolina (1740–1741). fighting to preserve her inheritance, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son, Joseph, named after Saint Joseph, to whom she had repeatedly prayed for a male child during the pregnancy. Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina, was born on her 25th birthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army in Chotusitz. Five more children were born during the war: (the second) Maria Elisabeth, Charles, Maria Amalia, Leopold and (the second) Maria Carolina (b. & d. 1748). this period, there was no rest for Maria Theresa during pregnancies or around the births; the war and child-bearing were carried on simultaneously. Five children were born during the peace between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War: Maria Johanna, Maria Josepha, (the third) Maria Carolina, Ferdinand and Maria Antonia. She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis, during the Seven Years' War, aged 39.[76][77] Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself.[42] Illnesses and deaths[edit] Mural by Franz Anton Maulbertsch in the Hofburg, Innsbruck, commissioned by Maria Theresa in remembrance of her daughters who died in childhood: Maria Johanna (1750–1762), Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), Maria Carolina (1740–1741) and Maria Carolina (1748–1748) Four of Maria Theresa's children died before reaching adolescence. Her eldest daughter Maria Elisabeth died from stomach cramps at the age of three. Her third child, the first of three daughters named Maria Carolina, died shortly after her first birthday. The second Maria Carolina was born feet first in 1748. As it became evident that she would not survive, preparations were hastily made to baptize her while still living; according to traditional Catholic belief, unbaptized infants would be condemned to eternity in limbo. Maria Theresa's physician Gerard van Swieten assured her that the infant was still living when baptized, but many at court doubted this.[78] Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. Four years later, Maria Theresa's governess, Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, died. She showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family.[79] Smallpox was a constant threat to members of the royal family. In July 1749, Maria Christina survived a bout of the disease, followed in January 1757 by Maria Theresa's eldest son Joseph.[80] In January 1761, the disease killed her second son Charles at the age of fifteen.[81] In December 1762, her twelve-year-old daughter Johanna likewise died in agony from the disease.[80] In November 1763, Joseph's first wife Isabella died from the disease.[82] Joseph's second wife Empress Maria Josepha likewise caught the disease in May 1767 and died a week later. Maria Theresa ignored the risk of infection and embraced her daughter-in-law before the sick chamber was sealed to outsiders.[83][84] Maria Theresa in fact contracted smallpox from her daughter-in-law. Throughout the city prayers were made for her recovery, and the sacrament was displayed in all churches. Joseph slept in one of his mother's antechambers and hardly left her bedside. On 1 June, Maria Theresa was given the last rites. When the news came in early June that she had survived the crisis, there was huge rejoicing at the court and amongst the populace of Vienna.[85] In October 1767, Maria Theresa's fifteen-year-old daughter Josepha also showed signs of the disease. It was assumed that she had caught the infection when she went with her mother to pray in the Imperial Crypt next to the unsealed tomb of Empress Maria Josepha (Joseph's wife). Archduchess Josepha started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting the crypt and soon died. Maria Carolina was to replace her as the pre-determined bride of King Ferdinand IV of Naples. Maria Theresa blamed herself for her daughter's death for the rest of her life because, at the time, the concept of an extended incubation period was largely unknown and it was believed that Josepha had caught smallpox from the body of the late empress.[h][86] The last in the family to be infected with the illness was the fourteen-year-old Elisabeth. Although she recovered, she was badly scarred with pock marks from the illness.[86] Maria Theresa's losses to smallpox, especially in the epidemic of 1767, were decisive in her sponsoring trials to prevent the illness through inoculation, and subsequently insisting on members of the royal family receiving inoculation.[87] Dynastic marriage policy[edit] Shortly after giving birth to the younger children, Maria Theresa was confronted with the task of marrying off the elder ones. She led the marriage negotiations along with the campaigns of her wars and the duties of state. She used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state.[88] A devoted but self-conscious mother, she wrote to all of her children at least once a week and believed herself entitled to exercise authority over her children regardless of their age and rank.[89] The dowager empress with family, 1776, by Heinrich Füger In April 1770, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter, Maria Antonia, married Louis, Dauphin of France, by proxy in Vienna. Maria Antonia's education was neglected, and when the French showed an interest in her, her mother went about educating her as best she could about the court of Versailles and the French. Maria Theresa kept up a fortnightly correspondence with Maria Antonia, now called Marie Antoinette, in which she often reproached her for laziness and frivolity and scolded her for failing to conceive a child.[89] Maria Theresa was not just critical of Marie Antoinette. She disliked Leopold's reserve and often blamed him for being cold. She criticized Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organization, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. The only child she did not constantly scold was Maria Christina, who enjoyed her mother's complete confidence, though she failed to please her mother in one aspect – she did not produce any surviving children.[89] One of Maria Theresa's greatest wishes was to have as many grandchildren as possible, but she had only about two dozen at the time of her death, of which all the eldest surviving daughters were named after her, with the exception of Princess Carolina of Parma, her eldest granddaughter by Maria Amalia.[89][i] Religious views and policies[edit] Maria Theresa and her family celebrating Saint Nicholas, by Archduchess Maria Christina, in 1762 all members of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic, and a devout one. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious toleration. She even advocated for a state church[j] and contemporary adversary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted, intolerant and superstitious.[90] However, she never allowed the Church to interfere with what she considered to be prerogatives of a monarch and kept Rome at arm's length. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots.[91] Overall, the ecclesiastical policies of Maria Theresa were enacted to ensure the primacy of State control in Church-State relations.[92] She was also influenced by Jansenist ideas. One of the most important aspects of Jansenism was the advocation of maximum freedom of national churches from Rome. Although Austria had always stressed the rights of the state in relation to the church, Jansenism provided new theoretical justification for this.[93] Theresa promoted the Greek Catholics and emphasized their equal status with Latin Church Catholics.[94] Although Maria Theresa was a very pious person, she also enacted policies that suppressed exaggerated display of piety, such as the prohibition of public flagellantism. Furthermore, she significantly reduced the number of religious holidays and monastic orders.[95] relationship with the Jesuits was complex. Members of this order educated her, served as her confessors, and supervised the religious education of her eldest son. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. However, the queen's ministers convinced her that the order posed a danger to her monarchical authority. Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued a decree that removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly. She forbade the publication of Pope Clement XIII's bull, which was in favour of the Jesuits, and promptly confiscated their property when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order.[96] Joseph, Maria Theresa's eldest son and co-ruler, in 1775, by Anton von Maron Theresa regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them.[97][98] She was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. This was a product of deep religious devotion and was not kept secret in her time. In 1777, she wrote of the Jews: "I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided."[99] Her hatred was so deep that she was willing to tolerate Protestant businessmen and financiers in Vienna, such as the Swiss-born Johann Fries, since she wanted to break free from the Jewish financiers.[100] December 1744, she proposed to her ministers the expulsion of Jews from Austria and Bohemia. Her first intention was to deport all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers, who were concerned by the number of future deportees that could reach 50,000, had the deadline postponed to June.[101] The expulsion orders were only retracted in 1748 due to pressures from other countries, including Great Britain.[100] She also ordered the deportation of around 20,000 Jews from Prague amid accusations that they were disloyal at the time of the Bavarian-French occupation during the War of the Austrian Succession. The order was then expanded to all Jews of Bohemia and major cities of Moravia, although the order was later retracted except for Prague Jews that had already been expelled.[102] the third decade of her reign, influenced by her Jewish courtier Abraham Mendel Theben, Maria Theresa issued edicts that offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. Her actions during the late stages of her reign contrast her early opinions. She forbade the forcible conversion of Jewish children to Christianity in 1762, and in 1763 she forbade Catholic clergy from extracting surplice fees from her Jewish subjects. In 1764, she ordered the release of those Jews who had been jailed for a blood libel in the village of Orkuta.[103] Notwithstanding her strong dislike of Jews, Maria Theresa supported Jewish commercial and industrial activity in Austria.[104] There were also parts of the realm where the Jews were treated better, such as Trieste, Gorizia and Vorarlberg.[105] contrast to Maria Theresa´s efforts to expel the Jews, she aimed to convert the Protestants (whom she regarded as heretics) to Roman Catholicism.[106] Commissions were formed to seek out secret Protestants and intern them in workhouses, where they would be given the chance to subscribe to approved statements of Catholic faith. If they accepted, they were to be allowed to return to their homes. However, any sign of a return to Protestant practice was treated harshly, often by exile.[107] Theresa exiled Protestants from Austria to Transylvania, including 2,600 from Upper Austria in the 1750s.[100] Her son and co-ruler Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous".[97] her policies, practical, demographic and economic considerations prevented her from expelling the Protestants en masse. 1777, she abandoned the idea of expelling Moravian protestants after Joseph, who was opposed to her intentions, threatened to abdicate as emperor and co-ruler. [105] In February 1780, after a number of Moravians publicly declared their faith, Joseph demanded a general freedom to worship. However, Maria Theresa refused to grant this up until the time of her death. In May 1780, a group of Moravians who had assembled for a worship service on the occasion of her birthday were arrested and deported to Hungary.[108] Freedom of religion was granted only in the Declaration of Tolerance issued by Joseph immediately after Maria Theresa´s death.[109] Orthodox Christians[edit] Confirmation of Serbian Privileges, issued by Maria Theresa in 1743 Further information: Metropolitanate of Karlovci and Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation policies of Maria Theresa's government toward their Eastern Orthodox subjects were marked by special interests, relating not only to complex religious situations in various southern and eastern regions of the Habsburg Monarchy, inhabited by Eastern Orthodox Christians, mainly Serbs and Romanians, but also regarding the political aspirations of the Habsburg court toward several neighbouring lands and regions in Southeastern Europe still held by the declining Ottoman Empire and inhabited by an Eastern Orthodox population.[110] Theresa's government confirmed (1743) and continued to uphold old privileges granted to their Eastern Orthodox subjects by previous Habsburg monarchs (emperors Leopold I, Joseph I and Charles VI), but at the same time, new reforms were enforced, establishing much firmer state control over the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Those reforms were initiated by royal patents, known as Regulamentum privilegiorum (1770) and Regulamentum Illyricae Nationis (1777), and finalized in 1779 by the Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation, a comprehensive document that regulated all major issues relating to the religious life of their Eastern Orthodox subjects and the administration of the Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Maria Theresa's Rescript of 1779 was kept in force until 1868.[111][112] Maria Theresa in 1762, by Jean-Étienne Liotard Theresa was as conservative in matters of state as in those of religion, but she implemented significant reforms to strengthen Austria's military and bureaucratic efficiency.[113] She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million gulden extracted from crown lands. central government was responsible for funding the army, although Haugwitz instituted taxation of the nobility, who had never before had to pay taxes.[114] after Haugwitz was appointed the head of the new central administrative agency, dubbed the Directory, (Directorium in publicis et cameralibus) in 1749, he initiated a radical centralization of state institutions down to the level of the District Office (Kreisamt).[115] Thanks to this effort, by 1760 there was a class of government officials numbering around 10,000. Lombardy, the Austrian Netherlands and Hungary were almost completely untouched by this reform.[115] In the case of Hungary, Maria Theresa was particularly mindful of her promise that she would respect the privileges in the kingdom, including the immunity of nobles from taxation.[116] light of the failure to reclaim Silesia during the Seven Years' War, the governing system was once again reformed to strengthen the state.[117] The Directory was transformed into the United Austrian and Bohemian Chancellery in 1761, which was equipped with a separate, independent judiciary and separate financial bodies.[117] She also refounded the Hofkammer in 1762, which was a ministry of finances that controlled all revenues from the monarchy. In addition to this, the Hofrechenskammer, or exchequer, was tasked with the handling of all financial accounts.[118] in 1760, Maria Theresa created the Council of State (Staatsrat), composed of the state chancellor, three members of the high nobility and three knights, which served as a committee of experienced people who advised her. The council of state lacked executive or legislative authority; nevertheless, it showed the difference between the form of government employed by Maria Theresa and that of Frederick II of Prussia. Unlike the latter, Maria Theresa was not an autocrat who acted as her own minister. Prussia would adopt this form of government only after 1807.[119] Theresa doubled the state revenue from 20 to 40 million gulden between 1754 and 1764, though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful.[113][120] financial reforms greatly improved the economy.[121] After Kaunitz became the head of the new Staatsrat, he pursued a policy of "aristocratic enlightenment" that relied on persuasion to interact with the estates, and he was also willing to retract some of Haugwitz's centralization to curry favour with them. Nonetheless, the governing system remained centralised, and a strong institution made it possible for Kaunitz to increase state revenues substantially. In 1775, the Habsburg Monarchy achieved its first balanced budget, and by 1780, the Habsburg state revenue had reached 50 million gulden.[122] Maria Theresa recruited Gerard van Swieten from the Netherlands, he also employed a fellow Dutchman named Anton de Haen, who founded the Viennese Medicine School (Wiener Medizinische Schule).[123] Maria Theresa also banned the creation of new burial grounds without prior government permission, thus countering wasteful and unhygienic burial customs.[124] the smallpox epidemic of 1767, she promoted inoculation, which she had learned of through her correspondence with Maria Antonia, the Electress of Saxony (who in turn probably knew of it through her own correspondence with the Prussian king Frederick II). After unsuccessfully inviting the Sutton brothers from England to introduce their technique in Austria, Maria Theresa obtained information on current practices of smallpox inoculation in England. overrode the objections of Gerard van Swieten (who doubted the effectiveness of the technique), and ordered that it be tried on thirty-four newborn orphans and sixty-seven orphans between the ages of five and fourteen years. The trial was successful, establishing that inoculation was effective in protecting against smallpox, and safe (in the case of the test subjects). empress therefore ordered the construction of an inoculation centre, and had herself and two of her children inoculated. She promoted inoculation in Austria by hosting a dinner for the first sixty-five inoculated children in Schönbrunn Palace, waiting on the children herself. Maria Theresa was responsible for changing Austrian physicians' negative view of inoculation.[125][126] 1770, she enacted a strict regulation of the sale of poisons, and apothecaries were obliged to keep a poison register recording the quantity and circumstances of every sale. If someone unknown tried to purchase a poison, that person had to provide two character witnesses before a sale could be effectuated. Three years later, she prohibited the use of lead in any eating or drinking vessels; the only permitted material for this purpose was pure tin.[127] is most unusually ambitious and hopes to make the House of Austria more renowned than it has ever been. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick II of Prussia[128] centralization of the Habsburg government necessitated the creation of a unified legal system. Previously, various lands in the Habsburg realm had their own laws. These laws were compiled and the resulting Codex Theresianus could be used as a basis for legal unification.[129] 1769, the Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana was published, and this was a codification of the traditional criminal justice system since the Middle Ages. This criminal code allowed the possibility of establishing the truth through torture, and it also criminalised witchcraft and various religious offenses. Although this law came into force in Austria and Bohemia, it was not valid in Hungary.[130] was particularly concerned with the sexual morality of her subjects. Thus, she established a Chastity Commission (Keuschheitskommission) in 1752[131] to clamp down on prostitution, homosexuality, adultery and even sex between members of different religions.[132] This Commission cooperated closely with the police, and the Commission even employed secret agents to investigate private lives of men and women with bad reputation.[133] They were authorised to raid banquets, clubs, and private gatherings, and to arrest those suspected of violating social norms.[134] The punishments included whipping, deportation, or even the death penalty.[132] 1776, Austria outlawed torture, particularly at the behest of Joseph II. Much unlike Joseph, but with the support of religious authorities, Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture. Born and raised between Baroque and Rococo eras, she found it difficult to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment, which is why she only slowly followed humanitarian reforms on the continent.[135] an institutional perspective, in 1749, she founded the Supreme Judiciary as a court of final appeal for all hereditary lands.[118] her reign, Maria Theresa made the promotion of education a priority. Initially this was focused on the wealthier classes. She permitted non-Catholics to attend university and allowed the introduction of secular subjects (such as law), which influenced the decline of theology as the main foundation of university education.[113] educational institutions were created to prepare officials for work in the state bureaucracy: the Theresianum was established in Vienna in 1746 to educate nobles' sons, a military school named the Theresian Military Academy was founded in Wiener Neustadt in 1751, and an Oriental Academy for future diplomats was created in 1754.[136] the 1770s, reform of the schooling system for all levels of society became a major policy. Stollberg-Rilinger notes that the reform of the primary schools in particular was the most long-lasting success of Maria Theresa's later reign, and one of the few policy agendas in which she was not in open conflict with her son and nominal co-ruler Joseph II.[137] The need for the reform became evident after the census of 1770–71, which revealed the widespread illiteracy of the populace. Theresa thereupon wrote to her rival Frederick II of Prussia to request him to allow the Silesian school reformer Johann Ignaz von Felbiger to move to Austria. first proposals were made law by December 1774.[138] Austrian historian Karl Vocelka observed that the educational reforms enacted by Maria Theresa were "really founded on Enlightenment ideas," although the ulterior motive was still to "meet the needs of an absolutist state, as an increasingly sophisticated and complicated society and economy required new administrators, officers, diplomats and specialists in virtually every area."[139] Theresa's reform established secular primary schools, which children of both genders from the ages of six to twelve were required to attend.[140][139] curriculum focused on social responsibility, social discipline, work ethic and the use of reason rather than mere rote learning.[141] was to be multilingual; children were to be instructed first in their mother tongue and then in later years in German.[142] Prizes were given to the most able students to encourage ability. Attention was also given to raising the status and pay of teachers, who were forbidden to take on outside employment. Teacher training colleges were established to train teachers in the latest techniques.[143] education reform was met with considerable opposition. Predictably, some of this came from peasants who wanted the children to work in the fields instead.[141] Theresa crushed the dissent by ordering the arrest of all those opposed.[140] However, much of the opposition came from the royal court, particularly amongst aristocrats who saw their power threatened by the reformers those who feared that that greater literacy would expose the population to Protestant or Enlightenment ideas. Felbiger´s reforms were nevertheless pushed through, as a result of the consistent support of Maria Theresa and her minister Franz Sales Greiner.[144] reform of the primary schools largely met Maria Theresa´s aim of raising literacy standards, as evidenced by the higher proportions of children who attended school; this was particularly the case in the Archdiocese of Vienna, where school attendance increased from 40% in 1780 to a sensational 94% by 1807.[137] high rates of illiteracy persisted in some parts of Austria, half of the population was illiterate well into the 19th century,[139] The teacher training colleges (in particular the Vienna Normal School) produced hundreds of new teachers who spread the new system over the following decades. However, the number of secondary schools decreased, since the quantity of new schools founded failed to make up for the numbers of Jesuit schools abolished. As a result, secondary schooling became more exclusive.[145] regime was also known for institutionalising censorship of publications and learning. author Sir Nathaniel Wraxall once wrote from Vienna: "[T]he injudicious bigotry of the Empress may chiefly be attributed the deficiency [in learning]. It is hardly credible how many books and productions of every species, and in every language, are proscribed by her. Not only Voltaire and Rousseau are included in the list, from the immoral tendency or licentious nature of their writings; but many authors whom we consider as unexceptionable or harmless, experience a similar treatment."[146] censorship particularly affected works that were deemed to be against the Catholic religion. Ironically, for this purpose, she was aided by Gerard van Swieten who was considered to be an "enlightened" man.[146] Maria Theresa endeavoured to increase the living standards of the people, since she could see a causal link between peasant living standards, productivity and state revenue.[147] Habsburg government under her rule also tried to strengthen its industry through government interventions. After the loss of Silesia, they implemented subsidies and trade barriers to encourage the move of Silesian textile industry to northern Bohemia. In addition, they cut back guild privileges, and internal duties on trade were either reformed or removed (such as the case for the Austrian-Bohemian lands in 1775).[141] Maria Theresa depicted on her Thaler the late part of her reign, Maria Theresa undertook reform of the system of serfdom, which was the basis for agriculture in eastern parts of her lands (particularly Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary and Galicia). Maria Theresa had initially been reluctant to meddle in such affairs, government interventions were made possible by the perceived need for economic power and the emergence of a functioning bureaucracy.[148] census of 1770–71 gave the peasants opportunity to express their grievances direct to the royal commissioners and made evident to Maria Theresa the extent to which their poverty was the result of the extreme demands for forced labour (called "robot" in Czech) by the landlords. some estates, the landlords demanded that the peasants work up to seven days per week in tilling the nobles´ land, so that the only time available for the peasants to till their own land was at night.[149] additional prompt to reform was the famine which afflicted the empire in the early 1770s. Bohemia was particularly hard hit. Maria Theresa was increasingly influenced by the reformers Franz Anton von Blanc and Tobias Philipp von Gebler, called for radical changes to the serf system to allow the peasants to make a living.[150] 1771–1778, Maria Theresa issued a series of "Robot Patents" (i.e. regulations regarding forced labour), which regulated and restricted peasant labour only in the German and Bohemian parts of the realm. goal was to ensure that peasants not only could support themselves and their family members, but also help cover the national expenditure in peace or war.[151] late 1772, Maria Theresa had decided on more radical reform. 1773, she entrusted her minister Franz Anton von Raab with a model project on the crown lands in Bohemia: he was tasked to divide up the large estates into small farms, convert the forced labour contracts into leases, and enable the farmers to pass the leaseholds onto their children. Raab pushed the project through so successfully that his name was identified with the program, which became known as Raabisation. the success of the program on the crown lands, Maria Theresa had it also implemented on the former Jesuit lands, as well as crown lands in other parts of her empire.[152] Maria Theresa´s attempts to extend the Raab system to the great estates belonging to the Bohemian nobles were fiercely resisted by the nobles. claimed that the crown had no right to interfere with the serf system, since the nobles were the original owners of the land and had allowed the peasants to work it on stipulated conditions. nobles also claimed that the system of forced labour had no connection with the peasants´ poverty, which was a result of the peasants´ own wastefulness and the increased royal taxes. surprisingly, the nobles were supported by Maria Theresa´s son and co-ruler Joseph II, who had earlier called for the abolition of In a letter to his brother Leopold, of 1775, Joseph complained that his mother intended to "abolish serfdom entirely and arbitrarily destroy the centuries-old property relations." He complained that "no consideration was being taken for the landlords, who were threatened with the loss of more than half their income. For many of them, who are carrying debts, this would mean financial ruin."[154] 1776, the court was polarized: on one side was a small reform party (including Maria Theresa, Raab, Blanc, Gebler and Greiner); on the conservative side were Joseph and the rest of the court.[154] argued that it was difficult to find a middle way between the interests of the peasants and nobles; he suggested instead that the peasants negotiate with their landlords to reach an outcome.[155] Joseph´s biographer Derek Beales calls this change of course "puzzling".[156] In the ensuing struggle, Joseph forced Blanc to leave the court. Because of the opposition, Maria Theresa was unable to carry out the planned reform and had to settle on a compromise.[157] system of serfdom was only abolished after Maria Theresa´s death, in the Serfdom Patent (1781) issued (in another change of course) by Joseph II as sole emperor.[151] reign[edit] Theresa as a widow in 1773, by Anton von Maron. Peace holds the olive crown above her head, reaffirming Maria Theresa's monarchical status. This was the last commissioned state portrait of Maria Theresa.[158] Emperor Francis died on 18 August 1765, while he and the court were in Innsbruck celebrating the wedding of his second surviving son, Leopold. Maria Theresa was devastated. eldest son, Joseph, became Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Theresa abandoned all ornamentation, had her hair cut short, painted her rooms black and dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. completely withdrew from court life, public events, and theater. Throughout her widowhood, she spent the whole of August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber, which negatively affected her mental health.[159] She described her state of mind shortly after Francis's death: "I hardly know myself now, for I have become like an animal with no true life or reasoning power."[160] his accession to the imperial throne, Joseph ruled less land than his father had in 1740, since he had given up his rights over Tuscany to Leopold, and thus he only controlled Falkenstein and Teschen. Believing that the emperor must possess enough land to maintain his standing as emperor,[161] Maria Theresa, who was used to being assisted in the administration of her vast realms, declared Joseph to be her new co-ruler on 17 September 1765.[162] From then on, mother and son had frequent ideological disagreements. The 22 million gulden that Joseph inherited from his father was injected into the treasury. Maria Theresa had another loss in February 1766 when Haugwitz died. She gave her son absolute control over the military following the death of Leopold Joseph von Daun.[163] to Austrian historian Robert A. Kann, Maria Theresa was a monarch of above-average qualifications but intellectually inferior to Joseph and Leopold. Kann asserts that she nevertheless possessed qualities appreciated in a monarch: warm heart, practical mind, firm determination and sound perception. Most importantly, she was ready to recognise the mental superiority of some of her advisers and to give way to a superior mind while enjoying support of her ministers even if their ideas differed from her own. Joseph, however, was never able to establish rapport with the same advisers, even though their philosophy of government was closer to Joseph's than to Maria Theresa's.[164] relationship between Maria Theresa and Joseph was not without warmth but was complicated and their personalities clashed. Despite his intellect, Maria Theresa's force of personality often made Joseph cower.[165] Sometimes, she openly admired his talents and achievements, but she was also not hesitant to rebuke him. She even wrote: "We never see each other except at dinner ... His temper gets worse every day ... Please burn this letter ... I just try to avoid public scandal."[166] In another letter, also addressed to Joseph's companion, she complained: "He avoids me ... I am the only person in his way and so I am an obstruction and a burden ... Abdication alone can remedy matters."[166] After much contemplation, she chose not to abdicate. Joseph himself often threatened to resign as co-regent and emperor, but he, too, was induced not to do so. Her threats of abdication were rarely taken seriously; Maria Theresa believed that her recovery from smallpox in 1767 was a sign that God wished her to reign until death. It was in Joseph's interest that she remained sovereign, for he often blamed her for his failures and thus avoided taking on the responsibilities of a monarch.[167] and Prince Kaunitz arranged the First Partition of Poland despite Maria Theresa's protestations. Her sense of justice pushed her to reject the idea of partition, which would hurt the Polish people.[168] She even once argued, "What right have we to rob an innocent nation that it has hitherto been our boast to protect and support?"[169] The duo argued that it was too late to abort now. Besides, Maria Theresa herself agreed with the partition when she realised that Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia would do it with or without Austrian participation. Maria Theresa claimed and eventually took Galicia and Lodomeria; in the words of Frederick, "the more she cried, the more she took".[170] few years after the partition, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). Following the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774 that concluded the war, Austria entered into negotiations with the Sublime Porte. Thus, in 1775, the Ottoman Empire ceded the northwestern part of Moldavia (subsequently known as Bukovina) to Austria.[171] Subsequently, on 30 December 1777, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria died without leaving any children.[170] As a result, his territories were coveted by ambitious men, including Joseph, who tried to swap Bavaria for the Austrian Netherlands.[172] This alarmed Frederick II of Prussia, and thus the War of Bavarian Succession erupted in 1778. Maria Theresa very unwillingly consented to the occupation of Bavaria, and a year later she made peace proposals to Frederick II despite Joseph's objections.[173] Although Austria managed to gain the Innviertel area, this "Potato War" caused a setback to the financial improvement that the Habsburg had made.[172] The 500,000 gulden in annual revenue from 100,000 inhabitants of Innviertel were not comparable to the 100,000,000 gulden that were spent during the war.[173] Theresa and her husband are interred in the double tomb which she had inscribed as a widow. is unlikely that Maria Theresa ever completely recovered from the smallpox attack in 1767, as 18th-century writers asserted. She suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, distress, necrophobia and insomnia. She later developed edema.[174] Theresa fell ill on 24 November 1780. Her physician, Dr. Störk, thought her condition serious, although her son Joseph was confident that she would recover in no time. By 26 November, she asked for the last rites, and on 28 November, the doctor told her that the time had come. On 29 November, she died surrounded by her remaining children.[175][176] Her body is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna next to her husband in a coffin she had inscribed during her lifetime.[177] longtime rival Frederick the Great, on hearing of her death, said that she had honored her throne and her sex, and though he had fought against her in three wars, he never considered her his enemy.[178] With her death, the House of Habsburg died out and was replaced by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph II, already co-sovereign of the Habsburg dominions, succeeded her and introduced sweeping reforms in the empire; Joseph produced nearly 700 edicts per year (or almost two per day), whereas Maria Theresa issued only about 100 edicts annually.[179] Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection in her subjects; a notable example was how she projected dignity and simplicity to awe the people in Pressburg before she was crowned as Queen of Hungary.[180] Her 40-year reign was considered to be very successful when compared to other Habsburg rulers. Her reforms had transformed the empire into a modern state with a significant international standing.[181] She centralised and modernised its institutions, and her reign was considered as the beginning of the era of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria, with a brand new approach toward governing: the measures undertaken by rulers became more modern and rational, and thoughts were given to the welfare of the state and the people.[182] Many of her policies were not in line with the ideals of the Enlightenment (such as her support of torture), and she was still very much influenced by Catholicism from the previous era.[183] Vocelka even stated that "taken as a whole the reforms of Maria Theresa appear more absolutist and centralist than enlightened, even if one must admit that the influence of enlightened ideas is visible to a certain degree."[184] St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21;

Austria, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa, history, Catholics only, no Jews, Orthodox or Protestants tolerated
Hungary, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa; Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (13 May 1717 - 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Holy Roman Empress. Theresa started her 40-year reign when her father, Emperor Charles VI, died in October 1740. VI paved the way for her accession with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 and spent his entire reign securing it. He neglected the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who believed that a strong military and a rich treasury were more important than mere signatures. Charles VI left behind a weakened and impoverished state, particularly due to the War of the Polish Succession and the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). upon his death, Saxony, Prussia, Bavaria, and France all repudiated the sanction they had recognised during his lifetime. II of Prussia (who became Maria Theresa's greatest rival for most of her reign) promptly invaded and took the affluent Habsburg province of Silesia in the seven-year conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession. defiance of the grave situation, she managed to secure the vital support of the Hungarians for the war effort. During the course of the war, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg Monarchy, apart from the loss of Silesia and a few minor territories in Italy. Maria Theresa later unsuccessfully tried to recover Silesia during the Seven Years' War. she was expected to cede power to her husband, Emperor Francis I, and her eldest son, Emperor Joseph II, who were officially her co-rulers in Austria and Bohemia, Maria Theresa was the absolute sovereign who ruled with the counsel of her advisers. Theresa promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms, with the assistance of Wenzel Anton of Kaunitz-Rietberg, Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz and Gerard van Swieten. She also promoted commerce and the development of agriculture, and reorganised Austria's ramshackle military, all of which strengthened Austria's international standing. she despised the Jews and the Protestants, and on certain occasions she ordered their expulsion to remote parts of the realm. She also advocated for the state church and refused to allow religious pluralism. Consequently, her regime was criticized as intolerant by some contemporaries. and early life[edit] Painting of three-year-old Maria Theresa in the gardens of Hofburg Palace second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Archduchess Maria Theresa was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna, a year after the death of her elder brother, Archduke Leopold,[1] and was baptised on that same evening. dowager empresses, her aunt Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg and grandmother Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, were her godmothers.[2] descriptions of her baptism stress that the infant was carried ahead of her cousins, Maria Josepha and Maria Amalia, the daughters of Charles VI's elder brother and predecessor, Joseph I, before the eyes of their mother, Wilhelmine Amalia.[3] was clear that Maria Theresa would outrank them,[3] even though their grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, had his sons sign the Mutual Pact of Succession, which gave precedence to the daughters of the elder brother.[4] Her father was the only surviving male member of the House of Habsburg and hoped for a son who would prevent the extinction of his dynasty and succeed him. Thus, the birth of Maria Theresa was a great disappointment to him and the people of Vienna; Charles never managed to overcome this feeling.[4] Theresa replaced Maria Josepha as heir presumptive to the Habsburg realms the moment she was born; Charles VI had issued the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 which had placed his nieces behind his own daughters in the line of succession.[5] sought the other European powers' approval for disinheriting his nieces. They exacted harsh terms: in the Treaty of Vienna (1731), Great Britain demanded that Austria abolish the Ostend Company in return for its recognition of the Pragmatic Sanction.[6] In total, Great Britain, France, Saxony, United Provinces, Spain, Prussia, Russia, Denmark, Sardinia, Bavaria and the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire recognised the sanction.[7] France, Spain, Saxony, Bavaria and Prussia later reneged. Archduchess Maria Theresa, by Andreas Möller more than a year after her birth, Maria Theresa was joined by a sister, Maria Anna, and another one, named Maria Amalia, was born in 1724.[8] portraits of the imperial family show that Maria Theresa resembled Elisabeth Christine and Maria Anna.[9] The Prussian ambassador noted that she had large blue eyes, fair hair with a slight tinge of red, a wide mouth and a notably strong body.[10] many other members of the House of Habsburg, neither Maria Theresa's parents nor her grandparents were closely related to each other.[a] Theresa was a serious and reserved child who enjoyed singing and archery. She was barred from horse riding by her father, but she would later learn the basics for the sake of her Hungarian coronation ceremony. The imperial family staged opera productions, often conducted by Charles VI, in which she relished participating. Her education was overseen by Jesuits. Contemporaries thought her Latin to be quite good, but in all else, the Jesuits did not educate her well.[11] Her spelling and punctuation were unconventional and she lacked the formal manner and speech which had characterised her Habsburg predecessors.[b] Theresa developed a close relationship with Countess Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, who taught her etiquette. She was educated in drawing, painting, music and dancing – the disciplines which would have prepared her for the role of queen consort.[12] father allowed her to attend meetings of the council from the age of 14 but never discussed the affairs of state with her.[13] Even though he had spent the last decades of his life securing Maria Theresa's inheritance, Charles never prepared his daughter for her future role as sovereign.[14] question of Maria Theresa's marriage was raised early in her childhood. Leopold Clement of Lorraine was first considered to be the appropriate suitor, and he was supposed to visit Vienna and meet the Archduchess in 1723. These plans were forestalled by his death from smallpox.[15] Clement's younger brother, Francis Stephen, was invited to Vienna. Even though Francis Stephen was his favourite candidate for Maria Theresa's hand,[16] the Emperor considered other possibilities. Religious differences prevented him from arranging his daughter's marriage to the Protestant prince Frederick of Prussia.[17] In 1725, he betrothed her to Charles of Spain and her sister, Maria Anna, to Philip of Spain. Other European powers compelled him to renounce the pact he had made with the Queen of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese. Theresa, who had become close to Francis Stephen, was relieved.[18][19] Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast, by Martin van Meytens. Charles VI (in the red-plumed hat) is seated at the center of the table. Francis Stephen remained at the imperial court until 1729, when he ascended the throne of Lorraine,[17] but was not formally promised Maria Theresa's hand until 31 January 1736, during the War of the Polish Succession.[20] XV of France demanded that Maria Theresa's fiancé surrender his ancestral Duchy of Lorraine to accommodate his father-in-law, Stanislaus I, who had been deposed as King of Poland.[c] Francis Stephen was to receive the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of childless Grand Duke Gian Gastone de' Medici.[21] The couple were married on 12 February 1736.[22] Duchess of Lorraine's love for her husband was strong and possessive.[23] The letters she sent to him shortly before their marriage expressed her eagerness to see him; his letters, on the other hand, were stereotyped and formal.[24][25] She was very jealous of her husband and his infidelity was the greatest problem of their marriage,[26] with Maria Wilhelmina, Princess of Auersperg, as his best-known mistress.[27] Gian Gastone's death on 9 July 1737, Francis Stephen ceded Lorraine and became Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1738, Charles VI sent the young couple to make their formal entry into Tuscany. A triumphal arch was erected at the Porta Galla in celebration, where it remains today. Their stay in Florence was brief. Charles VI soon recalled them, as he feared he might die while his heiress was miles away in Tuscany.[28] the summer of 1738, Austria suffered defeats during the ongoing Russo-Turkish War. The Turks reversed Austrian gains in Serbia, Wallachia and Bosnia. The Viennese rioted at the cost of the war. Stephen was popularly despised, as he was thought to be a cowardly French spy.[29] The war was concluded the next year with the Treaty of Belgrade.[30] Maria Theresa's procession through the Graben, 22 November 1740. The pregnant queen is on way to hear High Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral before receiving homage.[31] VI died on 20 October 1740, probably of mushroom poisoning. He had ignored the advice of Prince Eugene of Savoy who had urged him to concentrate on filling the treasury and equipping the army rather than on acquiring signatures of fellow monarchs.[5] The Emperor, who spent his entire reign securing the Pragmatic Sanction, left Austria in an impoverished state, bankrupted by the recent Turkish war and the War of the Polish Succession;[32] the treasury contained only 100,000 gulden, which were claimed by his widow.[33] The army had also been weakened due to these wars; instead of the full number of 160,000, the army had been reduced to about 108,000, and they were scattered in small areas from the Austrian Netherlands to Transylvania, and from Silesia to Tuscany. They were also poorly trained and discipline was lacking. Later Maria Theresa even made a remark: "as for the state in which I found the army, I cannot begin to describe it."[34] Theresa found herself in a difficult situation. She did not know enough about matters of state and she was unaware of the weakness of her father's ministers. She decided to rely on her father's advice to retain his counselors and to defer to her husband, whom she considered to be more experienced, on other matters. Both decisions later gave cause for regret. Ten years later, Maria Theresa recalled in her Political Testament the circumstances under which she had ascended: "I found myself without money, without credit, without army, without experience and knowledge of my own and finally, also without any counsel because each one of them at first wanted to wait and see how things would develop."[14] dismissed the possibility that other countries might try to seize her territories and immediately started ensuring the imperial dignity for herself;[14] since a woman could not be elected Holy Roman Empress, Maria Theresa wanted to secure the imperial office for her husband, but Francis Stephen did not possess enough land or rank within the Holy Roman Empire.[d] order to make him eligible for the imperial throne and to enable him to vote in the imperial elections as elector of Bohemia (which she could not do because of her sex), Maria Theresa made Francis Stephen co-ruler of the Austrian and Bohemian lands on 21 November 1740.[35] It took more than a year for the Diet of Hungary to accept Francis Stephen as co-ruler, since they asserted that the sovereignty of Hungary could not be shared.[36] Despite her love for him and his position as co-ruler, Maria Theresa never allowed her husband to decide matters of state and often dismissed him from council meetings when they disagreed.[37] first display of the new queen's authority was the formal act of homage of the Lower Austrian Estates to her on 22 November 1740. It was an elaborate public event which served as a formal recognition and legitimation of her accession. The oath of fealty to Maria Theresa was taken on the same day in the Ritterstube of the Hofburg.[31] of the Austrian Succession[edit] Main article: War of the Austrian Succession Maria Theresa being crowned Queen of Hungary, St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg Theresa as the Queen of Hungary after her accession, a number of European sovereigns who had recognised Maria Theresa as heir broke their promises. Queen Elisabeth of Spain and Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria, married to Maria Theresa's deprived cousin Maria Amalia and supported by Empress Wilhelmine Amalia, coveted portions of her inheritance.[33] Maria Theresa did secure recognition from King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, who had not accepted the Pragmatic Sanction during her father's lifetime, in November 1740.[38] December, Frederick II of Prussia invaded the Duchy of Silesia and requested that Maria Theresa cede it, threatening to join her enemies if she refused. Maria Theresa decided to fight for the mineral-rich province.[39] Frederick even offered a compromise: he would defend Maria Theresa's rights if she agreed to cede to him at least a part of Silesia. Francis Stephen was inclined to consider such an arrangement, but the Queen and her advisers were not, fearing that any violation of the Pragmatic Sanction would invalidate the entire document.[40] Maria Theresa's firmness soon assured Francis Stephen that they should fight for Silesia,[e] and she was confident that she would retain "the jewel of the House of Austria".[41] resulting war with Prussia is known as the First Silesian War. invasion of Silesia by Frederick was the start of a lifelong enmity; she referred to him as "that evil man".[42] Austria was short of experienced military commanders, Maria Theresa released Marshall Neipperg, who had been imprisoned by her father for his poor performance in the Turkish War.[43] Neipperg took command of the Austrian troops in March. The Austrians suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Mollwitz in April 1741.[44] France drew up a plan to partition Austria between Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Spain: Bohemia and Upper Austria would be ceded to Bavaria, and the Elector would become emperor, whereas Moravia and Upper Silesia would be granted to the Electorate of Saxony, Lower Silesia and Glatz to Prussia, and the entire Austrian Lombardy to Spain.[45] Belle-Isle joined Frederick at Olmütz. Vienna was in a panic, as none of Maria Theresa's advisors had expected France to betray them. Francis Stephen urged Maria Theresa to reach a rapprochement with Prussia, as did Great Britain.[46] Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to negotiations.[47] to all expectations, the young Queen gained significant support from Hungary.[48] Her coronation as Queen of Hungary suo jure took place in St. Martin's Cathedral, Pressburg (today's Bratislava), on 25 June 1741. She had spent months honing the equestrian skills necessary for the ceremony and negotiating with the Diet. To appease those who considered her gender to be a serious obstacle, Maria Theresa assumed masculine titles. Thus, in nomenclature, Maria Theresa was archduke and king; normally, however, she was styled as queen.[49][50] July, attempts at conciliation had completely collapsed. Maria Theresa's ally, the Elector of Saxony, now became her enemy,[51] and George II declared the Electorate of Hanover to be neutral.[52] she needed troops from Hungary in order to support the war effort. Although she had already won the admiration of the Hungarians, the number of volunteers was only in the hundreds. Since she required them in thousands or even tens of thousands, she decided to appear before the Hungarian Diet on 11 September 1741 while wearing the crown of St Stephen. She began addressing the Diet in Latin, and she asserted that "the very existence of the Kingdom of Hungary, of our own person and children, and our crown, are at stake. Forsaken by all, we place our sole reliance in the fidelity and long-tried valor of the Hungarians."[53] response was rather boorish, with the queen being questioned and even heckled by members of the Diet; someone cried that she "better apply to Satan than the Hungarians for help."[54] she managed to show her gift for theatrical displays by holding her son and heir, Joseph, while weeping, and she dramatically consigned the future king to the defense of the "brave Hungarians".[54] This act managed to win the sympathy of the members, and they declared that they would die for Maria Theresa.[54][55] Engraved by Gustav Adolph Müller after Martin van Mytens, the Younger, Maria Theresa of Austria, 1742, engraving, Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC 1741, the Austrian authorities informed Maria Theresa that the Bohemian populace would prefer Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria to her as sovereign. Maria Theresa, desperate and burdened by pregnancy, wrote plaintively to her sister: "I don't know if a town will remain to me for my delivery."[56] She bitterly vowed to spare nothing and no one to defend her kingdom when she wrote to the Bohemian chancellor, Count Philip Kinsky: "My mind is made up. We must put everything at stake to save Bohemia."[57][f] 26 October, the Elector of Bavaria captured Prague and declared himself King of Bohemia. Maria Theresa, then in Hungary, wept on learning of the loss of Bohemia.[58] Albert was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor on 24 January 1742, which made him the only non-Habsburg to be in that position since 1440.[59] Queen, who regarded the election as a catastrophe,[60] caught her enemies unprepared by insisting on a winter campaign;[61] the same day he was elected emperor, Austrian troops under Ludwig Andreas von Khevenhüller captured Munich, Charles Albert's capital.[62] has, as you well know, a terrible hatred for France, with which nation it is most difficult for her to keep on good terms, but she controls this passion except when she thinks to her advantage to display it. She detests Your Majesty, but acknowledges your ability. She cannot forget the loss of Silesia, nor her grief over the soldiers she lost in wars with you. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick the Great[g] Treaty of Breslau of June 1742 ended hostilities between Austria and Prussia. With the First Silesian War at an end, the Queen soon made the recovery of Bohemia her priority.[63] French troops fled Bohemia in the winter of the same year. On 12 May 1743, Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia in St. Vitus Cathedral suo jure.[64] became anxious at Austrian advances on the Rhine frontier, and Frederick again invaded Bohemia, beginning a Second Silesian War; Prussian troops sacked Prague in August 1744. The French plans fell apart when Charles Albert died in January 1745. The French overran the Austrian Netherlands in May.[65] Stephen was elected Holy Roman Emperor on 13 September 1745. Prussia recognised Francis as emperor, and Maria Theresa once again recognised the loss of Silesia by the Treaty of Dresden in December 1745, ending the Second Silesian War.[66] wider war dragged on for another three years, with fighting in northern Italy and the Austrian Netherlands; however, the core Habsburg domains of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia remained in Maria Theresa's possession. Treaty of Aachen, which concluded the eight-year conflict, recognised Prussia's possession of Silesia, and Maria Theresa ceded the Duchy of Parma to Philip of Spain.[67] France had successfully conquered the Austrian Netherlands, but Louis XV, wishing to prevent potential future wars with Austria, returned them to Maria Theresa.[68] Years' War[edit] Main article: Seven Years' War battle of Kolin, 1757 of Prussia's invasion of Saxony in August 1756 began a Third Silesian War and sparked the wider Seven Years' War. Theresa and Kaunitz wished to exit the war with possession of Silesia.[69] Before the war started, Kaunitz had been sent as an ambassador to Versailles from 1750–1753 to win over the French. Meanwhile, the British rebuffed requests from Maria Theresa to aid her in reclaiming Silesia, and Frederick II himself managed to secure the Treaty of Westminster (1756) with them. Maria Theresa sent Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg to negotiate an agreement with France, and the result was the First Treaty of Versailles of 1 May 1756. the efforts of Kaunitz and Starhemberg managed to pave a way for a Diplomatic Revolution; previously, France was one of Austria's archenemies together with Russia and the Ottoman Empire, but after the agreement, they were united by a common cause against Prussia.[70] historians have blamed this treaty for France's devastating defeats in the war, since Louis XV was required to deploy troops in Germany and to provide subsidies of 25–30 million pounds a year to Maria Theresa that were vital for the Austrian war effort in Bohemia and Silesia.[71] 1 May 1757, the Second Treaty of Versailles was signed, whereby Louis XV promised to provide Austria with 130,000 men in addition to 12 million gulden yearly. They would also continue the war in Continental Europe until Prussia could be compelled to abandon Silesia and Glatz. In return, Austria would cede several towns in the Austrian Netherlands to the son-in-law of Louis XV, Philip of Parma, who in turn would grant his Italian duchies to Maria Theresa.[71] von Browne commanded the Austrian troops. Following the indecisive Battle of Lobositz in 1756, he was replaced by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Maria Theresa's brother-in-law.[72] However, he was appointed only because of his familial relations; he turned out to be an incompetent military leader, and he was replaced by Leopold Joseph von Daun, Franz Moritz von Lacy and Ernst Gideon von Laudon.[73] Frederick himself was startled by Lobositz; he eventually re-grouped for another attack in June 1757. Battle of Kolin that followed was a decisive victory for Austria. Frederick lost one third of his troops, and before the battle was over, he had left the scene.[74] Subsequently, Prussia was defeated at Hochkirch in Saxony on 14 October 1758, at Kunersdorf in Brandenburg on 12 August 1759, and at Landeshut near Glatz in June 1760. and Croat light hussars led by Count Hadik raided Berlin in 1757. Austrian and Russian troops even occupied Berlin for several days in August 1760. these victories did not enable the Habsburgs to win the war, as the French and Habsburg armies were destroyed by Frederick at Rossbach in 1757.[73] the defeat in Torgau on 3 November 1760, Maria Theresa realised that she could no longer reclaim Silesia without Russian support, which vanished after the death of Tsaritsa Elizabeth in early 1762. the meantime, France was losing badly in America and India, and thus they had reduced their subsidies by 50%. Since 1761, had tried to organise a diplomatic congress to take advantage of the accession of George III of the United Kingdom, as he did not really care about Germany. the war was concluded by the Treaty of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. Austria had to leave the Prussian territories that were occupied.[73] Although Silesia remained under the control of Prussia, a new balance of power was created in Europe, and Austrian position was strengthened by it thanks to its alliance with the Bourbons in Madrid, Parma and Naples. Maria Theresa herself decided to focus on domestic reforms and refrain from undertaking any further military operations.[75] life[edit] Maria Theresa with her family, 1754, by Martin van Meytens the course of twenty years, Maria Theresa gave birth to sixteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy. The first child, Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), was born a little less than a year after the wedding. The child's sex caused great disappointment and so would the births of Maria Anna, the eldest surviving child, and Maria Carolina (1740–1741). fighting to preserve her inheritance, Maria Theresa gave birth to a son, Joseph, named after Saint Joseph, to whom she had repeatedly prayed for a male child during the pregnancy. Theresa's favourite child, Maria Christina, was born on her 25th birthday, four days before the defeat of the Austrian army in Chotusitz. Five more children were born during the war: (the second) Maria Elisabeth, Charles, Maria Amalia, Leopold and (the second) Maria Carolina (b. & d. 1748). this period, there was no rest for Maria Theresa during pregnancies or around the births; the war and child-bearing were carried on simultaneously. Five children were born during the peace between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War: Maria Johanna, Maria Josepha, (the third) Maria Carolina, Ferdinand and Maria Antonia. She delivered her last child, Maximilian Francis, during the Seven Years' War, aged 39.[76][77] Maria Theresa asserted that, had she not been almost always pregnant, she would have gone into battle herself.[42] Illnesses and deaths[edit] Mural by Franz Anton Maulbertsch in the Hofburg, Innsbruck, commissioned by Maria Theresa in remembrance of her daughters who died in childhood: Maria Johanna (1750–1762), Maria Elisabeth (1737–1740), Maria Carolina (1740–1741) and Maria Carolina (1748–1748) Four of Maria Theresa's children died before reaching adolescence. Her eldest daughter Maria Elisabeth died from stomach cramps at the age of three. Her third child, the first of three daughters named Maria Carolina, died shortly after her first birthday. The second Maria Carolina was born feet first in 1748. As it became evident that she would not survive, preparations were hastily made to baptize her while still living; according to traditional Catholic belief, unbaptized infants would be condemned to eternity in limbo. Maria Theresa's physician Gerard van Swieten assured her that the infant was still living when baptized, but many at court doubted this.[78] Maria Theresa's mother, Empress Elisabeth Christine, died in 1750. Four years later, Maria Theresa's governess, Marie Karoline von Fuchs-Mollard, died. She showed her gratitude to Countess Fuchs by having her buried in the Imperial Crypt along with the members of the imperial family.[79] Smallpox was a constant threat to members of the royal family. In July 1749, Maria Christina survived a bout of the disease, followed in January 1757 by Maria Theresa's eldest son Joseph.[80] In January 1761, the disease killed her second son Charles at the age of fifteen.[81] In December 1762, her twelve-year-old daughter Johanna likewise died in agony from the disease.[80] In November 1763, Joseph's first wife Isabella died from the disease.[82] Joseph's second wife Empress Maria Josepha likewise caught the disease in May 1767 and died a week later. Maria Theresa ignored the risk of infection and embraced her daughter-in-law before the sick chamber was sealed to outsiders.[83][84] Maria Theresa in fact contracted smallpox from her daughter-in-law. Throughout the city prayers were made for her recovery, and the sacrament was displayed in all churches. Joseph slept in one of his mother's antechambers and hardly left her bedside. On 1 June, Maria Theresa was given the last rites. When the news came in early June that she had survived the crisis, there was huge rejoicing at the court and amongst the populace of Vienna.[85] In October 1767, Maria Theresa's fifteen-year-old daughter Josepha also showed signs of the disease. It was assumed that she had caught the infection when she went with her mother to pray in the Imperial Crypt next to the unsealed tomb of Empress Maria Josepha (Joseph's wife). Archduchess Josepha started showing smallpox rash two days after visiting the crypt and soon died. Maria Carolina was to replace her as the pre-determined bride of King Ferdinand IV of Naples. Maria Theresa blamed herself for her daughter's death for the rest of her life because, at the time, the concept of an extended incubation period was largely unknown and it was believed that Josepha had caught smallpox from the body of the late empress.[h][86] The last in the family to be infected with the illness was the fourteen-year-old Elisabeth. Although she recovered, she was badly scarred with pock marks from the illness.[86] Maria Theresa's losses to smallpox, especially in the epidemic of 1767, were decisive in her sponsoring trials to prevent the illness through inoculation, and subsequently insisting on members of the royal family receiving inoculation.[87] Dynastic marriage policy[edit] Shortly after giving birth to the younger children, Maria Theresa was confronted with the task of marrying off the elder ones. She led the marriage negotiations along with the campaigns of her wars and the duties of state. She used them as pawns in dynastic games and sacrificed their happiness for the benefit of the state.[88] A devoted but self-conscious mother, she wrote to all of her children at least once a week and believed herself entitled to exercise authority over her children regardless of their age and rank.[89] The dowager empress with family, 1776, by Heinrich Füger In April 1770, Maria Theresa's youngest daughter, Maria Antonia, married Louis, Dauphin of France, by proxy in Vienna. Maria Antonia's education was neglected, and when the French showed an interest in her, her mother went about educating her as best she could about the court of Versailles and the French. Maria Theresa kept up a fortnightly correspondence with Maria Antonia, now called Marie Antoinette, in which she often reproached her for laziness and frivolity and scolded her for failing to conceive a child.[89] Maria Theresa was not just critical of Marie Antoinette. She disliked Leopold's reserve and often blamed him for being cold. She criticized Maria Carolina for her political activities, Ferdinand for his lack of organization, and Maria Amalia for her poor French and haughtiness. The only child she did not constantly scold was Maria Christina, who enjoyed her mother's complete confidence, though she failed to please her mother in one aspect – she did not produce any surviving children.[89] One of Maria Theresa's greatest wishes was to have as many grandchildren as possible, but she had only about two dozen at the time of her death, of which all the eldest surviving daughters were named after her, with the exception of Princess Carolina of Parma, her eldest granddaughter by Maria Amalia.[89][i] Religious views and policies[edit] Maria Theresa and her family celebrating Saint Nicholas, by Archduchess Maria Christina, in 1762 all members of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was a Roman Catholic, and a devout one. She believed that religious unity was necessary for a peaceful public life and explicitly rejected the idea of religious toleration. She even advocated for a state church[j] and contemporary adversary travelers criticized her regime as bigoted, intolerant and superstitious.[90] However, she never allowed the Church to interfere with what she considered to be prerogatives of a monarch and kept Rome at arm's length. She controlled the selection of archbishops, bishops and abbots.[91] Overall, the ecclesiastical policies of Maria Theresa were enacted to ensure the primacy of State control in Church-State relations.[92] She was also influenced by Jansenist ideas. One of the most important aspects of Jansenism was the advocation of maximum freedom of national churches from Rome. Although Austria had always stressed the rights of the state in relation to the church, Jansenism provided new theoretical justification for this.[93] Theresa promoted the Greek Catholics and emphasized their equal status with Latin Church Catholics.[94] Although Maria Theresa was a very pious person, she also enacted policies that suppressed exaggerated display of piety, such as the prohibition of public flagellantism. Furthermore, she significantly reduced the number of religious holidays and monastic orders.[95] relationship with the Jesuits was complex. Members of this order educated her, served as her confessors, and supervised the religious education of her eldest son. The Jesuits were powerful and influential in the early years of Maria Theresa's reign. However, the queen's ministers convinced her that the order posed a danger to her monarchical authority. Not without much hesitation and regret, she issued a decree that removed them from all the institutions of the monarchy, and carried it out thoroughly. She forbade the publication of Pope Clement XIII's bull, which was in favour of the Jesuits, and promptly confiscated their property when Pope Clement XIV suppressed the order.[96] Joseph, Maria Theresa's eldest son and co-ruler, in 1775, by Anton von Maron Theresa regarded both the Jews and Protestants as dangerous to the state and actively tried to suppress them.[97][98] She was probably the most anti-Jewish monarch of her time, having inherited the traditional prejudices of her ancestors and acquired new ones. This was a product of deep religious devotion and was not kept secret in her time. In 1777, she wrote of the Jews: "I know of no greater plague than this race, which on account of its deceit, usury and avarice is driving my subjects into beggary. Therefore as far as possible, the Jews are to be kept away and avoided."[99] Her hatred was so deep that she was willing to tolerate Protestant businessmen and financiers in Vienna, such as the Swiss-born Johann Fries, since she wanted to break free from the Jewish financiers.[100] December 1744, she proposed to her ministers the expulsion of Jews from Austria and Bohemia. Her first intention was to deport all Jews by 1 January, but having accepted the advice of her ministers, who were concerned by the number of future deportees that could reach 50,000, had the deadline postponed to June.[101] The expulsion orders were only retracted in 1748 due to pressures from other countries, including Great Britain.[100] She also ordered the deportation of around 20,000 Jews from Prague amid accusations that they were disloyal at the time of the Bavarian-French occupation during the War of the Austrian Succession. The order was then expanded to all Jews of Bohemia and major cities of Moravia, although the order was later retracted except for Prague Jews that had already been expelled.[102] the third decade of her reign, influenced by her Jewish courtier Abraham Mendel Theben, Maria Theresa issued edicts that offered some state protection to her Jewish subjects. Her actions during the late stages of her reign contrast her early opinions. She forbade the forcible conversion of Jewish children to Christianity in 1762, and in 1763 she forbade Catholic clergy from extracting surplice fees from her Jewish subjects. In 1764, she ordered the release of those Jews who had been jailed for a blood libel in the village of Orkuta.[103] Notwithstanding her strong dislike of Jews, Maria Theresa supported Jewish commercial and industrial activity in Austria.[104] There were also parts of the realm where the Jews were treated better, such as Trieste, Gorizia and Vorarlberg.[105] contrast to Maria Theresa´s efforts to expel the Jews, she aimed to convert the Protestants (whom she regarded as heretics) to Roman Catholicism.[106] Commissions were formed to seek out secret Protestants and intern them in workhouses, where they would be given the chance to subscribe to approved statements of Catholic faith. If they accepted, they were to be allowed to return to their homes. However, any sign of a return to Protestant practice was treated harshly, often by exile.[107] Theresa exiled Protestants from Austria to Transylvania, including 2,600 from Upper Austria in the 1750s.[100] Her son and co-ruler Joseph regarded his mother's religious policies as "unjust, impious, impossible, harmful and ridiculous".[97] her policies, practical, demographic and economic considerations prevented her from expelling the Protestants en masse. 1777, she abandoned the idea of expelling Moravian protestants after Joseph, who was opposed to her intentions, threatened to abdicate as emperor and co-ruler. [105] In February 1780, after a number of Moravians publicly declared their faith, Joseph demanded a general freedom to worship. However, Maria Theresa refused to grant this up until the time of her death. In May 1780, a group of Moravians who had assembled for a worship service on the occasion of her birthday were arrested and deported to Hungary.[108] Freedom of religion was granted only in the Declaration of Tolerance issued by Joseph immediately after Maria Theresa´s death.[109] Orthodox Christians[edit] Confirmation of Serbian Privileges, issued by Maria Theresa in 1743 Further information: Metropolitanate of Karlovci and Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation policies of Maria Theresa's government toward their Eastern Orthodox subjects were marked by special interests, relating not only to complex religious situations in various southern and eastern regions of the Habsburg Monarchy, inhabited by Eastern Orthodox Christians, mainly Serbs and Romanians, but also regarding the political aspirations of the Habsburg court toward several neighbouring lands and regions in Southeastern Europe still held by the declining Ottoman Empire and inhabited by an Eastern Orthodox population.[110] Theresa's government confirmed (1743) and continued to uphold old privileges granted to their Eastern Orthodox subjects by previous Habsburg monarchs (emperors Leopold I, Joseph I and Charles VI), but at the same time, new reforms were enforced, establishing much firmer state control over the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Those reforms were initiated by royal patents, known as Regulamentum privilegiorum (1770) and Regulamentum Illyricae Nationis (1777), and finalized in 1779 by the Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation, a comprehensive document that regulated all major issues relating to the religious life of their Eastern Orthodox subjects and the administration of the Serbian Metropolitanate of Karlovci. Maria Theresa's Rescript of 1779 was kept in force until 1868.[111][112] Maria Theresa in 1762, by Jean-Étienne Liotard Theresa was as conservative in matters of state as in those of religion, but she implemented significant reforms to strengthen Austria's military and bureaucratic efficiency.[113] She employed Friedrich Wilhelm von Haugwitz, who modernised the empire by creating a standing army of 108,000 men, paid for with 14 million gulden extracted from crown lands. central government was responsible for funding the army, although Haugwitz instituted taxation of the nobility, who had never before had to pay taxes.[114] after Haugwitz was appointed the head of the new central administrative agency, dubbed the Directory, (Directorium in publicis et cameralibus) in 1749, he initiated a radical centralization of state institutions down to the level of the District Office (Kreisamt).[115] Thanks to this effort, by 1760 there was a class of government officials numbering around 10,000. Lombardy, the Austrian Netherlands and Hungary were almost completely untouched by this reform.[115] In the case of Hungary, Maria Theresa was particularly mindful of her promise that she would respect the privileges in the kingdom, including the immunity of nobles from taxation.[116] light of the failure to reclaim Silesia during the Seven Years' War, the governing system was once again reformed to strengthen the state.[117] The Directory was transformed into the United Austrian and Bohemian Chancellery in 1761, which was equipped with a separate, independent judiciary and separate financial bodies.[117] She also refounded the Hofkammer in 1762, which was a ministry of finances that controlled all revenues from the monarchy. In addition to this, the Hofrechenskammer, or exchequer, was tasked with the handling of all financial accounts.[118] in 1760, Maria Theresa created the Council of State (Staatsrat), composed of the state chancellor, three members of the high nobility and three knights, which served as a committee of experienced people who advised her. The council of state lacked executive or legislative authority; nevertheless, it showed the difference between the form of government employed by Maria Theresa and that of Frederick II of Prussia. Unlike the latter, Maria Theresa was not an autocrat who acted as her own minister. Prussia would adopt this form of government only after 1807.[119] Theresa doubled the state revenue from 20 to 40 million gulden between 1754 and 1764, though her attempt to tax clergy and nobility was only partially successful.[113][120] financial reforms greatly improved the economy.[121] After Kaunitz became the head of the new Staatsrat, he pursued a policy of "aristocratic enlightenment" that relied on persuasion to interact with the estates, and he was also willing to retract some of Haugwitz's centralization to curry favour with them. Nonetheless, the governing system remained centralised, and a strong institution made it possible for Kaunitz to increase state revenues substantially. In 1775, the Habsburg Monarchy achieved its first balanced budget, and by 1780, the Habsburg state revenue had reached 50 million gulden.[122] Maria Theresa recruited Gerard van Swieten from the Netherlands, he also employed a fellow Dutchman named Anton de Haen, who founded the Viennese Medicine School (Wiener Medizinische Schule).[123] Maria Theresa also banned the creation of new burial grounds without prior government permission, thus countering wasteful and unhygienic burial customs.[124] the smallpox epidemic of 1767, she promoted inoculation, which she had learned of through her correspondence with Maria Antonia, the Electress of Saxony (who in turn probably knew of it through her own correspondence with the Prussian king Frederick II). After unsuccessfully inviting the Sutton brothers from England to introduce their technique in Austria, Maria Theresa obtained information on current practices of smallpox inoculation in England. overrode the objections of Gerard van Swieten (who doubted the effectiveness of the technique), and ordered that it be tried on thirty-four newborn orphans and sixty-seven orphans between the ages of five and fourteen years. The trial was successful, establishing that inoculation was effective in protecting against smallpox, and safe (in the case of the test subjects). empress therefore ordered the construction of an inoculation centre, and had herself and two of her children inoculated. She promoted inoculation in Austria by hosting a dinner for the first sixty-five inoculated children in Schönbrunn Palace, waiting on the children herself. Maria Theresa was responsible for changing Austrian physicians' negative view of inoculation.[125][126] 1770, she enacted a strict regulation of the sale of poisons, and apothecaries were obliged to keep a poison register recording the quantity and circumstances of every sale. If someone unknown tried to purchase a poison, that person had to provide two character witnesses before a sale could be effectuated. Three years later, she prohibited the use of lead in any eating or drinking vessels; the only permitted material for this purpose was pure tin.[127] is most unusually ambitious and hopes to make the House of Austria more renowned than it has ever been. Prussian ambassador's letter to Frederick II of Prussia[128] centralization of the Habsburg government necessitated the creation of a unified legal system. Previously, various lands in the Habsburg realm had their own laws. These laws were compiled and the resulting Codex Theresianus could be used as a basis for legal unification.[129] 1769, the Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana was published, and this was a codification of the traditional criminal justice system since the Middle Ages. This criminal code allowed the possibility of establishing the truth through torture, and it also criminalised witchcraft and various religious offenses. Although this law came into force in Austria and Bohemia, it was not valid in Hungary.[130] was particularly concerned with the sexual morality of her subjects. Thus, she established a Chastity Commission (Keuschheitskommission) in 1752[131] to clamp down on prostitution, homosexuality, adultery and even sex between members of different religions.[132] This Commission cooperated closely with the police, and the Commission even employed secret agents to investigate private lives of men and women with bad reputation.[133] They were authorised to raid banquets, clubs, and private gatherings, and to arrest those suspected of violating social norms.[134] The punishments included whipping, deportation, or even the death penalty.[132] 1776, Austria outlawed torture, particularly at the behest of Joseph II. Much unlike Joseph, but with the support of religious authorities, Maria Theresa was opposed to the abolition of torture. Born and raised between Baroque and Rococo eras, she found it difficult to fit into the intellectual sphere of the Enlightenment, which is why she only slowly followed humanitarian reforms on the continent.[135] an institutional perspective, in 1749, she founded the Supreme Judiciary as a court of final appeal for all hereditary lands.[118] her reign, Maria Theresa made the promotion of education a priority. Initially this was focused on the wealthier classes. She permitted non-Catholics to attend university and allowed the introduction of secular subjects (such as law), which influenced the decline of theology as the main foundation of university education.[113] educational institutions were created to prepare officials for work in the state bureaucracy: the Theresianum was established in Vienna in 1746 to educate nobles' sons, a military school named the Theresian Military Academy was founded in Wiener Neustadt in 1751, and an Oriental Academy for future diplomats was created in 1754.[136] the 1770s, reform of the schooling system for all levels of society became a major policy. Stollberg-Rilinger notes that the reform of the primary schools in particular was the most long-lasting success of Maria Theresa's later reign, and one of the few policy agendas in which she was not in open conflict with her son and nominal co-ruler Joseph II.[137] The need for the reform became evident after the census of 1770–71, which revealed the widespread illiteracy of the populace. Theresa thereupon wrote to her rival Frederick II of Prussia to request him to allow the Silesian school reformer Johann Ignaz von Felbiger to move to Austria. first proposals were made law by December 1774.[138] Austrian historian Karl Vocelka observed that the educational reforms enacted by Maria Theresa were "really founded on Enlightenment ideas," although the ulterior motive was still to "meet the needs of an absolutist state, as an increasingly sophisticated and complicated society and economy required new administrators, officers, diplomats and specialists in virtually every area."[139] Theresa's reform established secular primary schools, which children of both genders from the ages of six to twelve were required to attend.[140][139] curriculum focused on social responsibility, social discipline, work ethic and the use of reason rather than mere rote learning.[141] was to be multilingual; children were to be instructed first in their mother tongue and then in later years in German.[142] Prizes were given to the most able students to encourage ability. Attention was also given to raising the status and pay of teachers, who were forbidden to take on outside employment. Teacher training colleges were established to train teachers in the latest techniques.[143] education reform was met with considerable opposition. Predictably, some of this came from peasants who wanted the children to work in the fields instead.[141] Theresa crushed the dissent by ordering the arrest of all those opposed.[140] However, much of the opposition came from the royal court, particularly amongst aristocrats who saw their power threatened by the reformers those who feared that that greater literacy would expose the population to Protestant or Enlightenment ideas. Felbiger´s reforms were nevertheless pushed through, as a result of the consistent support of Maria Theresa and her minister Franz Sales Greiner.[144] reform of the primary schools largely met Maria Theresa´s aim of raising literacy standards, as evidenced by the higher proportions of children who attended school; this was particularly the case in the Archdiocese of Vienna, where school attendance increased from 40% in 1780 to a sensational 94% by 1807.[137] high rates of illiteracy persisted in some parts of Austria, half of the population was illiterate well into the 19th century,[139] The teacher training colleges (in particular the Vienna Normal School) produced hundreds of new teachers who spread the new system over the following decades. However, the number of secondary schools decreased, since the quantity of new schools founded failed to make up for the numbers of Jesuit schools abolished. As a result, secondary schooling became more exclusive.[145] regime was also known for institutionalising censorship of publications and learning. author Sir Nathaniel Wraxall once wrote from Vienna: "[T]he injudicious bigotry of the Empress may chiefly be attributed the deficiency [in learning]. It is hardly credible how many books and productions of every species, and in every language, are proscribed by her. Not only Voltaire and Rousseau are included in the list, from the immoral tendency or licentious nature of their writings; but many authors whom we consider as unexceptionable or harmless, experience a similar treatment."[146] censorship particularly affected works that were deemed to be against the Catholic religion. Ironically, for this purpose, she was aided by Gerard van Swieten who was considered to be an "enlightened" man.[146] Maria Theresa endeavoured to increase the living standards of the people, since she could see a causal link between peasant living standards, productivity and state revenue.[147] Habsburg government under her rule also tried to strengthen its industry through government interventions. After the loss of Silesia, they implemented subsidies and trade barriers to encourage the move of Silesian textile industry to northern Bohemia. In addition, they cut back guild privileges, and internal duties on trade were either reformed or removed (such as the case for the Austrian-Bohemian lands in 1775).[141] Maria Theresa depicted on her Thaler the late part of her reign, Maria Theresa undertook reform of the system of serfdom, which was the basis for agriculture in eastern parts of her lands (particularly Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary and Galicia). Maria Theresa had initially been reluctant to meddle in such affairs, government interventions were made possible by the perceived need for economic power and the emergence of a functioning bureaucracy.[148] census of 1770–71 gave the peasants opportunity to express their grievances direct to the royal commissioners and made evident to Maria Theresa the extent to which their poverty was the result of the extreme demands for forced labour (called "robot" in Czech) by the landlords. some estates, the landlords demanded that the peasants work up to seven days per week in tilling the nobles´ land, so that the only time available for the peasants to till their own land was at night.[149] additional prompt to reform was the famine which afflicted the empire in the early 1770s. Bohemia was particularly hard hit. Maria Theresa was increasingly influenced by the reformers Franz Anton von Blanc and Tobias Philipp von Gebler, called for radical changes to the serf system to allow the peasants to make a living.[150] 1771–1778, Maria Theresa issued a series of "Robot Patents" (i.e. regulations regarding forced labour), which regulated and restricted peasant labour only in the German and Bohemian parts of the realm. goal was to ensure that peasants not only could support themselves and their family members, but also help cover the national expenditure in peace or war.[151] late 1772, Maria Theresa had decided on more radical reform. 1773, she entrusted her minister Franz Anton von Raab with a model project on the crown lands in Bohemia: he was tasked to divide up the large estates into small farms, convert the forced labour contracts into leases, and enable the farmers to pass the leaseholds onto their children. Raab pushed the project through so successfully that his name was identified with the program, which became known as Raabisation. the success of the program on the crown lands, Maria Theresa had it also implemented on the former Jesuit lands, as well as crown lands in other parts of her empire.[152] Maria Theresa´s attempts to extend the Raab system to the great estates belonging to the Bohemian nobles were fiercely resisted by the nobles. claimed that the crown had no right to interfere with the serf system, since the nobles were the original owners of the land and had allowed the peasants to work it on stipulated conditions. nobles also claimed that the system of forced labour had no connection with the peasants´ poverty, which was a result of the peasants´ own wastefulness and the increased royal taxes. surprisingly, the nobles were supported by Maria Theresa´s son and co-ruler Joseph II, who had earlier called for the abolition of In a letter to his brother Leopold, of 1775, Joseph complained that his mother intended to "abolish serfdom entirely and arbitrarily destroy the centuries-old property relations." He complained that "no consideration was being taken for the landlords, who were threatened with the loss of more than half their income. For many of them, who are carrying debts, this would mean financial ruin."[154] 1776, the court was polarized: on one side was a small reform party (including Maria Theresa, Raab, Blanc, Gebler and Greiner); on the conservative side were Joseph and the rest of the court.[154] argued that it was difficult to find a middle way between the interests of the peasants and nobles; he suggested instead that the peasants negotiate with their landlords to reach an outcome.[155] Joseph´s biographer Derek Beales calls this change of course "puzzling".[156] In the ensuing struggle, Joseph forced Blanc to leave the court. Because of the opposition, Maria Theresa was unable to carry out the planned reform and had to settle on a compromise.[157] system of serfdom was only abolished after Maria Theresa´s death, in the Serfdom Patent (1781) issued (in another change of course) by Joseph II as sole emperor.[151] reign[edit] Theresa as a widow in 1773, by Anton von Maron. Peace holds the olive crown above her head, reaffirming Maria Theresa's monarchical status. This was the last commissioned state portrait of Maria Theresa.[158] Emperor Francis died on 18 August 1765, while he and the court were in Innsbruck celebrating the wedding of his second surviving son, Leopold. Maria Theresa was devastated. eldest son, Joseph, became Holy Roman Emperor. Maria Theresa abandoned all ornamentation, had her hair cut short, painted her rooms black and dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. completely withdrew from court life, public events, and theater. Throughout her widowhood, she spent the whole of August and the eighteenth of each month alone in her chamber, which negatively affected her mental health.[159] She described her state of mind shortly after Francis's death: "I hardly know myself now, for I have become like an animal with no true life or reasoning power."[160] his accession to the imperial throne, Joseph ruled less land than his father had in 1740, since he had given up his rights over Tuscany to Leopold, and thus he only controlled Falkenstein and Teschen. Believing that the emperor must possess enough land to maintain his standing as emperor,[161] Maria Theresa, who was used to being assisted in the administration of her vast realms, declared Joseph to be her new co-ruler on 17 September 1765.[162] From then on, mother and son had frequent ideological disagreements. The 22 million gulden that Joseph inherited from his father was injected into the treasury. Maria Theresa had another loss in February 1766 when Haugwitz died. She gave her son absolute control over the military following the death of Leopold Joseph von Daun.[163] to Austrian historian Robert A. Kann, Maria Theresa was a monarch of above-average qualifications but intellectually inferior to Joseph and Leopold. Kann asserts that she nevertheless possessed qualities appreciated in a monarch: warm heart, practical mind, firm determination and sound perception. Most importantly, she was ready to recognise the mental superiority of some of her advisers and to give way to a superior mind while enjoying support of her ministers even if their ideas differed from her own. Joseph, however, was never able to establish rapport with the same advisers, even though their philosophy of government was closer to Joseph's than to Maria Theresa's.[164] relationship between Maria Theresa and Joseph was not without warmth but was complicated and their personalities clashed. Despite his intellect, Maria Theresa's force of personality often made Joseph cower.[165] Sometimes, she openly admired his talents and achievements, but she was also not hesitant to rebuke him. She even wrote: "We never see each other except at dinner ... His temper gets worse every day ... Please burn this letter ... I just try to avoid public scandal."[166] In another letter, also addressed to Joseph's companion, she complained: "He avoids me ... I am the only person in his way and so I am an obstruction and a burden ... Abdication alone can remedy matters."[166] After much contemplation, she chose not to abdicate. Joseph himself often threatened to resign as co-regent and emperor, but he, too, was induced not to do so. Her threats of abdication were rarely taken seriously; Maria Theresa believed that her recovery from smallpox in 1767 was a sign that God wished her to reign until death. It was in Joseph's interest that she remained sovereign, for he often blamed her for his failures and thus avoided taking on the responsibilities of a monarch.[167] and Prince Kaunitz arranged the First Partition of Poland despite Maria Theresa's protestations. Her sense of justice pushed her to reject the idea of partition, which would hurt the Polish people.[168] She even once argued, "What right have we to rob an innocent nation that it has hitherto been our boast to protect and support?"[169] The duo argued that it was too late to abort now. Besides, Maria Theresa herself agreed with the partition when she realised that Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine II of Russia would do it with or without Austrian participation. Maria Theresa claimed and eventually took Galicia and Lodomeria; in the words of Frederick, "the more she cried, the more she took".[170] few years after the partition, Russia defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). Following the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774 that concluded the war, Austria entered into negotiations with the Sublime Porte. Thus, in 1775, the Ottoman Empire ceded the northwestern part of Moldavia (subsequently known as Bukovina) to Austria.[171] Subsequently, on 30 December 1777, Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria died without leaving any children.[170] As a result, his territories were coveted by ambitious men, including Joseph, who tried to swap Bavaria for the Austrian Netherlands.[172] This alarmed Frederick II of Prussia, and thus the War of Bavarian Succession erupted in 1778. Maria Theresa very unwillingly consented to the occupation of Bavaria, and a year later she made peace proposals to Frederick II despite Joseph's objections.[173] Although Austria managed to gain the Innviertel area, this "Potato War" caused a setback to the financial improvement that the Habsburg had made.[172] The 500,000 gulden in annual revenue from 100,000 inhabitants of Innviertel were not comparable to the 100,000,000 gulden that were spent during the war.[173] Theresa and her husband are interred in the double tomb which she had inscribed as a widow. is unlikely that Maria Theresa ever completely recovered from the smallpox attack in 1767, as 18th-century writers asserted. She suffered from shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, distress, necrophobia and insomnia. She later developed edema.[174] Theresa fell ill on 24 November 1780. Her physician, Dr. Störk, thought her condition serious, although her son Joseph was confident that she would recover in no time. By 26 November, she asked for the last rites, and on 28 November, the doctor told her that the time had come. On 29 November, she died surrounded by her remaining children.[175][176] Her body is buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna next to her husband in a coffin she had inscribed during her lifetime.[177] longtime rival Frederick the Great, on hearing of her death, said that she had honored her throne and her sex, and though he had fought against her in three wars, he never considered her his enemy.[178] With her death, the House of Habsburg died out and was replaced by the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Joseph II, already co-sovereign of the Habsburg dominions, succeeded her and introduced sweeping reforms in the empire; Joseph produced nearly 700 edicts per year (or almost two per day), whereas Maria Theresa issued only about 100 edicts annually.[179] Theresa understood the importance of her public persona and was able to simultaneously evoke both esteem and affection in her subjects; a notable example was how she projected dignity and simplicity to awe the people in Pressburg before she was crowned as Queen of Hungary.[180] Her 40-year reign was considered to be very successful when compared to other Habsburg rulers. Her reforms had transformed the empire into a modern state with a significant international standing.[181] She centralised and modernised its institutions, and her reign was considered as the beginning of the era of "enlightened absolutism" in Austria, with a brand new approach toward governing: the measures undertaken by rulers became more modern and rational, and thoughts were given to the welfare of the state and the people.[182] Many of her policies were not in line with the ideals of the Enlightenment (such as her support of torture), and she was still very much influenced by Catholicism from the previous era.[183] Vocelka even stated that "taken as a whole the reforms of Maria Theresa appear more absolutist and centralist than enlightened, even if one must admit that the influence of enlightened ideas is visible to a certain degree."[184] St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21;

Austria, 1746, Martyr Moses the Confessor, Bucharest, received by Maria Theresa, thrown to Kufstein prison
Romania, 1746, Martyr Moses the Confessor, received by Maria Theresa, thrown to Kufstein prison; Bucharest; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ; Moses Macinic was ordained to the holy priesthood in Bucharest around 1746, and worked to oppose the Unia. Because of his activities he was arrested and jailed in Sibiu for seventeen months. Ultimately, he was released with the understanding that he would cease to function as a priest, and live as an ordinary peasant. 1752 he was chosen to go to Vienna with Saint Oprea Nicholas of Salistie to deliver a petition to Empress Maria Theresa. The petition asked her to recognize the rights of the Orthodox Church in Transylvania. She received them, but she had them thrown into the Kufstein Prison in the Tyrolean Mountains. representatives from Transylvania repeatedly asked the Hapsburg rulers to free the two saints, they denied all knowledge of them. Moses Macinic was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Austria, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Ms, renewer Athos&Paisian hesyc tradts

Austria, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures, bishop, resisted Hapsburg conversion to Catholic plans, imprisoned
Hungary, Transylvania, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures; Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Romania; is a commune in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: Adrianu Mare / Nagyadorján Adrianu Mic / Kisadorján Bedeni / Bede Gălești Maiad / Nyomát Sânvăsii / Nyárádszentlászló (established 2004) Troița / Szentháromság commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 2,940 of which 93.61% or 2,752 are Hungarian.[citation needed] Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; John of Galesh was a priest who was consecrated bishop at Bucharest, since there was no bishop for Transylvania. resisted the plans of the Hapsburg authorities to persuade Orthodox Christians to convert to Catholicism. was arrested and thrown into prison at Sibiu in 1756, then Empress Maria Theresa ordered him confined in the prison of Deva Castle until he died. John was transferred to a prison in Graz, Austria at the end of 1757. Later, he was brought to the notorious Kufstein Prison, where many Orthodox from Transylvania ended their lives. 1780, Gennady Vassie, a Serb who was incarcerated there, was able to send a letter to Empress Catherine II of Russia asking her to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox prisoners. In his letter he mentioned a Romanian priest named John, who had been kept there for twenty-four years because of his Orthodox faith. John of Galesh died in prison, and was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Austria, 1804-1918, Austrian Empire

Austria, 1804-1918, Austrian Empire, including Austro-Hungarian Compromise 1867
Austria, 1804-1918, Austrian Empire, including Austro-Hungarian Compromise 1867;

Austria, 1804-1835, Austrian Emperor, Francis I aka Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Austria, Austrian Emperor, 1804-1835, Francis I aka Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17;

Austria, 1835-1848, Ferdinand I of Austria, the Benign or Benevolent, mental deficiency, abdicated for Franz Joseph
Austria, 1835-1848, Ferdinand I of Austria; I (19 April 1793 - 29 June 1875) was the Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. was also King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy–Venetia and holder of many other lesser titles (see grand title of the Emperor of Austria). to his rocky, passive but well-intentioned character, he gained the sobriquet The Benign or The Benevolent.[2] succeeded on the death of his father Francis I on 2 March 1835. He was incapable of ruling his empire because of a mental deficiency, so his father, before he died, made a will promulgating that Ferdinand should consult his uncle Archduke Louis on all aspects of internal policy and urged him to be influenced by Prince Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister.[3] the Revolutions of 1848, Ferdinand abdicated on 2 December 1848. He was succeeded by his nephew, Franz Joseph. Following his abdication, he lived in Hradčany Palace, Prague, until his death in 1875.[4] married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child of Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. They had no children.

Austria, 1835-1888, JOHN BOSCO, Turin, Salesian Society, work w disadvantaged youth, priest, educator, writer
Northern Italy, 1835-1888, JOHN BOSCO, Turin (Po River 1), the Salesian Society, work w disadvantaged youth, priest, educator, writer; Turin (Po River 1); JOHN BOSCO, Commemorated January 31 ; Bosco (16 August 1815 — 31 January 1888), born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, also called Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest and educator, who put into practice the dogma of his religion, employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment. He placed his works under the protection of Francis de Sales, thus his followers styled themselves the Salesian Society. Bosco succeeded in establishing a network of centers to carry on his work. In recognition of his work with disadvantaged youth, he was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. more from Wikipedia Melchior Bosco (16 August 1815,- 1 January 1888),[5][6][7] popularly known as Don Bosco,[8] was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill-effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.[9] follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Francis de Sales, Bosco was an ardent devotee of Mary, mother of Jesus, under the title Mary Help of Christians. He later dedicated his works to de Sales when he founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.[10] Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, now commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls. He taught Dominic Savio, of whom he wrote a biography that helped the young boy be canonized. is one of the pioneers of Mutual Aid Societies that were initiated as collaborative financial support to young migrant Catholic Workers in the city of Turin. In 1850 he drew up regulations to assist apprentices and their companions when any of them was involuntary without work or fell ill.[11] 18 April 1869, one year after the construction of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, Don Bosco established the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) connecting it with commitments easily fulfilled by most common people, to the spirituality and the mission of the Salesian Congregation (CG 24 SDB, 1996, NR. 80). The ADMA was founded to promote the veneration of the Most Holy Sacrament and Mary Help of Christians (Don Bosco, Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, San Benigno Canavese, 1890, page 33).[12] 1875, he began to publish the Salesian Bulletin.[13][14] The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.[13] In 1876, Bosco founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor.[15] established a network of organizations and centres to carry on his work. Following his beatification in 1929, he was canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in 1934. the archives of the Salesian Congregation is a contract of apprenticeship, dated November 1851; another one on stamped paper costing 40 cents, dated 8 February 1852; and others have later dates. They are among the first contracts of apprenticeship to be found in Turin. All of them are signed by the employer, the apprentice, and Don Bosco. In those contracts, Don Bosco touched on many sensitive issues. Some employers customarily made servants and scullery boys of the apprentices. Don Bosco obliged them to agree to employ the boys only in their acknowledged trade. Employers used to beat the boys. Don Bosco required them to agree that corrections be made only verbally. He cared for their health and demanded that they be given rest on feast days and an annual holiday. Despite all the efforts and contracts, however, the situation of the apprentices of the time remained difficult.[30] influential friend was Piedmontese Justice Minister Urbano Rattazzi. He was anticlerical in his politics but saw some value in Bosco's work.[32][33] While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardanian legislature to suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on how to get around the law. He found a religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder's death.[32] Bosco had been thinking about that problem too and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose "Congregation of St. Francis de Sales". He was also training select older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter of the idea to establish a religious order to carry out Bosco's vision was the reigning pope, Pope Pius IX. in 1934.

Austria, 1848-1916, Franz Joseph I of Austria, longest reign, Hungary revolution 1848, reactionary, resisted constutionalism
Austria, 1848-1916, Franz Joseph I of Austria, longest reign, Hungary revolution 1848, reactionary, resisted constutionalism, Austria Hungary 1867, 45 yr peaceful reign, but personal tragedies, Bosnian Crisis and WWI; Austria, 1848-1916, Franz Joseph I of Austria; Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (18 August 1830 - 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 2 December 1848 until his death.[1] From 1 May 1850 to 24 August 1866 he was also President of the German Confederation. He was the longest-reigning ruler of Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the longest-reigning emperor and sixth-longest-reigning monarch of any country in history.[2] December 1848, Franz Joseph's uncle Emperor Ferdinand abdicated the throne at Olomouc, as part of Minister President Felix zu Schwarzenberg's plan to end the Revolutions of 1848 in Hungary. Joseph then acceded to the throne. Largely considered to be a reactionary, he spent his early reign resisting constitutionalism in his domains. Austrian Empire was forced to cede its influence over Tuscany and most of its claim to Lombardy–Venetia to the Kingdom of Sardinia, following the Second Italian War of Independence in 1859 and the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866. Franz Joseph ceded no territory to the Kingdom of Prussia after the Austrian defeat in the Austro-Prussian War, the Peace of Prague (23 August 1866) settled the German Question in favour of Prussia, which prevented the unification of Germany from occurring under the House of Habsburg.[3] Joseph was troubled by nationalism during his entire reign. He concluded the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which granted greater autonomy to Hungary and transformed the Austrian Empire into the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. ruled peacefully for the next 45 years, but personally suffered the tragedies of the execution of his brother Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico in 1867, the suicide of his son Crown Prince Rudolf in 1889, the assassination of his wife Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") in 1898, and the assassination of his nephew and heir-presumptive, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. the Austro-Prussian War, Austria-Hungary turned its attention to the Balkans, which was a hotspot of international tension because of conflicting interests with the Russian Empire. Bosnian Crisis was a result of Franz Joseph's annexation in 1908 of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been occupied by his troops since the Congress of Berlin (1878). On 28 June 1914, the assassination of his nephew Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo resulted in Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against the Kingdom of Serbia, which was an ally of the Russian Empire. That activated a system of alliances which resulted in World War I. The Emperor died in 1916, after ruling his domains for almost 68 years. He was succeeded by his grandnephew Charles I & IV. Icon of the Mother of God "œSokolsky"Â, Commemorated on February 1;

Austria, 1867-1917, Austria-Hungary, great power in Central Europe till WWI, Cisleitania, Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia
Austria, 1867-1917, Austria-Hungary; often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe[a] between 1867 and 1918.[6][7] It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and was dissolved shortly after its defeat in the First World War. its core was the dual monarchy which was a real union between Cisleithania, the northern and western parts of the former Austrian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary. A third component of the union was the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, an autonomous region under the Hungarian crown, which negotiated the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement in 1868. From 1878, Austria-Hungary jointly governed Bosnia-Herzegovina, which it annexed in 1908. Austria-Hungary was ruled by the House of Habsburg and constituted the last phase in the constitutional evolution of the Habsburg Monarchy. The union was established by the Austro-Hungarian Compromise on 30 March 1867 in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War. Following the 1867 reforms, the Austrian and Hungarian states were co-equal in power. The two states conducted common foreign, defense, and financial policies, but all other governmental faculties were divided among respective states. was a multinational state and one of Europe's major powers at the time. Austria-Hungary was geographically the second-largest country in Europe after the Russian Empire, at 621,538 km2 (239,977 sq mi)[5] and the third-most populous (after Russia and the German Empire). The Empire built up the fourth-largest machine building industry in the world, after the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.[8] Austria-Hungary also became the world's third-largest manufacturer and exporter of electric home appliances, electric industrial appliances, and power generation apparatus for power plants, after the United States and the German Empire.[9][10] Austro-Hungarian Compromise remained bitterly unpopular among the ethnic Hungarian voters[11] because ethnic Hungarians did not vote for the ruling pro-compromise parties in the Hungarian parliamentary elections. Therefore, the political maintenance of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (thus Austria-Hungary itself) was mostly a result of the popularity of the pro-compromise ruling Liberal Party among ethnic minority voters in the Kingdom of Hungary. 1878, Bosnia and Herzegovina came under Austro-Hungarian military and civilian rule[12] until it was fully annexed in 1908, provoking the Bosnian crisis among the other powers.[13] The northern part of the Ottoman Sanjak of Novi Pazar was also under de facto joint occupation during that period, but the Austro-Hungarian army withdrew as part of their annexation of Bosnia.[14] The annexation of Bosnia also led to Islam being recognized as an official state religion due to Bosnia's Muslim population .[15] was one of the Central Powers in World War I, which began with an Austro-Hungarian war declaration on the Kingdom of Serbia on 28 July 1914. It was already effectively dissolved by the time the military authorities signed the armistice of Villa Giusti on 3 November 1918. The Kingdom of Hungary and the First Austrian Republic were treated as its successors de jure, whereas the independence of the West Slavs and South Slavs of the Empire as the First Czechoslovak Republic, the Second Polish Republic, and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, respectively, and most of the territorial demands of the Kingdom of Romania were also recognized by the victorious powers in 1920.

Danube River 3 (Germany Austria border Inn River)

Danube River 4 (Linz, Austria, Enns River Mouth)

Linz, Austria (Danube River 4)
Linz, Austria; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Danube River 5 (Vienna, Austria, Amber Road 5, Morava River, border)

Pottendorf, Austria (outside Vienna)
Pottendorf; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Vienna, Austria (Morava River Mouth, Danube River 5, Amber Road 1)
Vienna (Danube River); Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Lower Austria
Lower Austria; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Karlstetten, Lower Austria
Karlstetten, Lower Austria; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Eastern Goths (Ostrogoths)
Eastern Goths (Ostrogoths); Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30;

Inn River Source (Maloja Pass, Swis Alps)
Maloja Pass;

Inn River 1 (Lake Sills, Switzerland)
Lake Sils

Inn River 2 (Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland)
Lake Silvaplana;

Inn River 3 (St Moritz, Switzerland)
St Moritz;

La Spedla Peak

Inn River 4 (Engadin Valley, Switzerland)
Engadin Valley;

Inn River 5 (Landeck, St Anton, Austria)
Landeck;

Inn River 6 (Solden, Austria)
Solden, Austria ;

Inn River 7 (Innsbruck, Austria)
Inn River (Innsbruck (Bridge over the Inn));

Inn River 8 (Kufstein, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol on Bavarian Border)
Kufstein, Tyrol on Bavarian Border;

Kufstein Fortress and prison, Tyrol, Austria (Inn River 8, Kitzbuhel) 1205
Kufstein prison ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated October 21 ; St John of Galesh, Commemorated October 21

Inn River 9 (Burghausen, Germany, Salzach River Mouth)
Burghausen, Germany;

Inn River Mouth (Passau, Germany, Danube River 3)
Inn River;

Pinzgau Region of the Alps
Pinzgau Region of the Alps ;

Berchtesgaden Alps
Berchtesgaden Alps ;

Salzach River Source (Kitzbuhel Alps near Krimml)

Salzach River Mouth (Inn River, north of Salzburg)

River Enns Source (Radstadt Tauern Mts, near Flachau)
Radstadt Tauern;

River Enns 1 (Flachau, Austria)

River Enns 1 (Schladming, Austria)

Celtic People, from Hallstatt, Austria
Celtic People, from Hallstatt, Austria; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899);

Totes Gebirge Mountains
Totes Gebirge Mountains ;

River Enns Mouth (Danube River 4)

Mur River Source (Hohe Tauern)
Hohe Tauern (High Pass) Park ;

Mur River 1

Frauenberg Cathedral (Mur River 1.9)
Frauenberg Cathedral (Mur River 1.9) ; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;;

Mur River 2 (Graz, Austria)

Graz, Austria (Mur River 2)
St John of Galesh; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;;

Mur River 3 (Austria Slovenia Border)

Mur River 4 (Overview)

Mur River 5 (Slovenia)

Mur River 6

Mur River 7

Mur River 8 (Croatia Slovenia Border)

Mur River 9 (Hungary Slovenia Croatia Border)

Drava River Source (Toblach, Cortina, Italy)

Drava River 1 (Lienz, Austria)

Drava River 2 (Mosel, Austria)

Drava River 3 (Villach, Austria)

Drava River 4 (Vokermarkt, Austria)

Drava River 5 (Dravograd, Slovenia)

Drava River 6 (Overview 1)

Drava River 7 (Ozbalt, Slovenia)

Drava River 8 (Ruse, Slovenia)

Drava River 9 (Maribor, Slovenia)

Drava River 10 (Ptuj, Slovenia)

Drava River 11 (border Slovenia and Croatia)

Drava River 12 (Ormoz, Slovenia)

Drava River 13 (Croatia)

Drava River 14 (Croatia)

Drava River 15 (Croatia)

Drava River 16 (border Croatia and Hungary, Mur River Mouth)

Drava River 17 (border Croatia and Hungary)

Drava River 18 (Hungary)

Drava River 19 (Hungary)

Drava River 20 (border Slovenia (Croatia) and Hungary)

Drava River 21 (Hungary)

Arab Lands Folder (Saracens, Hagarenes, Pre-Islamic Arabia, Havilah)

Arab History Folder

Arabs, 600 BC - 8th Century, Folder, East African Egyptian Arabs, Nubian Kingdom

Arabs, 600 BC - 8th Century, East African Egyptian Arabs, Blemmyes Nubian Kingdom
East African Egyptian Arabs, 600 BC - 8th Century, Blemmyes Nubian Kingdom; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated on January 14;

Arabs, 400BC-106AD, Nabataean Kingdom, Edom

Arabs, 400BC - 106AD, Nabataean Kingdom, Edom
Arab Nabataean Kingdom, 400BC - 106AD; Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Arabs, 9BC - 40AD, Nabataean King, Aretas IV Philopatris, Edom
Arab Nabataean King, 9BC - 40AD, Aretas IV Philopatris; Arab Nabataean Kingdom, 400BC - 106AD; Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Arabs, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Busra, Hauran ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Arabs, 106, Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, annexed by Trajan in 106
Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Arabs, 110 BC - 622 AD, History Folder, Himyarite Kingdom Pre Islam

Arabs, 110 BC-520 AD, Arabian Himyarite Kingdom, Historical Dhafar, Yemen, Havila
Himyarite Kingdom; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Arabs, 000, 1st Century Folder, Apostles Thomas,

Arabs, 33-72, Apostle Thomas, Arabia, all outside Roman Empire, Arabia, India, Ethiopia, not fearing
East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus' resurrection when first told of it (as related in the Gospel of John alone); later, he confessed his faith ("My Lord and my God") on seeing Jesus' crucifixion wounds. to traditional accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians of modern-day Kerala in India, Thomas is believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Tamilakam which is in South India.[1][5][6][7] According to their tradition, Thomas reached Muziris of Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in Kerala State, India) in AD 52.[8][9][1] In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Ortona, in Abruzzo, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle.[10] He is often regarded as the patron saint of India among its Christian adherents,[11][12] and the Feast of Saint Thomas on July 3 is celebrated as Indian Christian Day by believers belonging to many Christian denominations.[13][14] The name Thomas remains quite popular among the Saint Thomas Christians of the Indian subcontinent. Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” (“A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) and “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6). Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Arabs, 38-43, Arabian Icon, Roman Province of Arabia (Capital Petra), 3 circles instead of 3 stars
Roman Province of Arabia; Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Arapet, or “Arabian” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and India. of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God), outer garment of the Theotokos has three circles with the head of an angel inside each one. this feature, it resembles the icons “In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity” “A Virgin Before and After Giving Birth”) (October 17) “O All-Hymned Mother” (October 6).

Arabs, 38-43, Arab Icon, Appeared to Apostle Thomas

Arabs, 200-299, 3rd Century, Wonderworker Unmercenary Cyrus

Arabs, 284-305, Wonderworker Unmercenary Cyrus, his disciple John, gift to heal every sickness, encouraged Athanasia&d
Egypt, 284-305, Wonderworker Unmercenary Cyrus, his disciple John, oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, C was noted Alexandrian physician, treated sick without charge, curing bodies & spiritual infirmities, he said sin often cause oIllness, he converted many, tArabia during Diocletian p, became monk, continued tHeal, received gift to heal every sickness, in Edessa was soldier John, pious christian, D persecution J went to Jerusalem, there J heard about C, J searched for C first in Alexandria then Arabia, found him and remained faithful follower, they heard Athanasia & daughters arrest, went prison to help them, concerned might renounce, encouraged endure, so Ruler arrested C&J, brought A&d witness C&J torture, all forms torture, women not frightened, courageously continued witness, flogged beheaded, crowns martyrdom, A&d buried with C&J in Canopis, relics tManuphin, then tRome, then tMunich, C&J invoked for sleeping difficulty; Alexandria; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.” the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping.

Arabs, 300-399, 4th Century Folder, Himyarite King Abu Karab

Arabs, 350-390, Simeon tAncient, oSinai iArab Lands, Arab Syrian Deserts, extreme ascetic child, 2Monasteries Aman, wonderworker
Arabs, 350-390, 4th C, Simeon tAncient oSinai / Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs. the elder not the stylite, 5th Century Ascetic iSyria, lived cave Syrian wilderness as child, complete solitude, Unceasing prayer, meditation, and contemplation of God were his constant occupation, ate only grass about his cave, to preserve silence left cave when people came, tMts oAman Range, but many visitors, tMt Sinai where Moses received revelation, short stay by divine province, returned Aman, founded 2Monasteries, one on top, other at base Mt Aman, guided monks, warned wiles otEnemy, taught struggle temptations, encouraged ascetic deeds, rousing salvation thoughts, Simeon received wonderworking gift, departed 390 ; Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); St Simeon “the Ancientâ€ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; Simeon the Elder was so named in order to distinguish him from Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). practiced asceticism in Syria in the fifth century, in his childhood years went out into the Syrian wilderness and lived in a cave in complete solitude. prayer, meditation, and contemplation of God were his constant occupation. ascetic ate only the grass which grew about his cave. people began to come to him to receive guidance, he wished to preserve his silence, he left his cave and settled on one of the mountains of the Aman range. here also his solitude was disturbed by many visitors. Simeon withdrew to Mount Sinai, formerly the Prophet Moses (September 4) received a revelation from God. divine Providence, the holy ascetic returned to Aman after a short stay on Sinai founded two monasteries: one at the top of the mountain, the other at its base. head of these monasteries, Saint Simeon guided the monks, them about the wiles of the Enemy of mankind, and he taught them how to struggle against temptations. inspired and encouraged them in ascetic deeds, rousing them to think of their salvation. of the holiness of his life Saint Simeon received from God the gift of wonderworking. the many labors of his ascetic life, Saint Simeon departed to God around the year 390.

Arabs, 379-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas, silence, loin chains, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace
Arabs, 379-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas of Syria, Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Syrian Desert, Pre Islamic Arabia), inner prayer & silence, hermit 38 yrs, barefoot, loin chains, never sat or lay down, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace; Saracens; Saint Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22; Agabbas was by birth an Ishmaelite (Arab) and pursued asceticism in Syria. was a novice under the Monk Eusebius, from whom he learned inner prayer and silence, he lived thirty-eight years as a hermit. saint always went barefoot, wore chains on his loins and never sat nor lay down. Agabbas spent both day and night standing or kneeling, constantly at prayer. finished his ascetic life in peace.

Arabs, 390-420, Arabian Jewish Himyarite King, Abu Karab
Arabs, 390-420, Arabian Jewish Himyarite King, Abu Karab; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12;

Arabs, 397-473, Arab Bishop, Aspebet-Peter
Jerusalem, 397-473, Arab Bishop, Aspebet aka Peter ; Jerusalem Saint, 397-473, Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Arabs, 400-499, 5th Century Folder, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas of Syria

Arabs, 401-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas, silence, loin chains, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace
Arabs, 401-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas of Syria, Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Syrian Desert, Pre Islamic Arabia), inner prayer & silence, hermit 38 yrs, barefoot, loin chains, never sat or lay down, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace; Saracens; Saint Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22; Agabbas was by birth an Ishmaelite (Arab) and pursued asceticism in Syria. was a novice under the Monk Eusebius, from whom he learned inner prayer and silence, he lived thirty-eight years as a hermit. saint always went barefoot, wore chains on his loins and never sat nor lay down. Agabbas spent both day and night standing or kneeling, constantly at prayer. finished his ascetic life in peace.

Arabs, 495-552, Gregory, Archbishop oHomer (Omrits), called tHomer bMiracles, Converted Jews bDebate&Jesus appearing
Arabs, 495-552, Gregory Archbishop oOmirits (Wadi Nejran), Bishop oHomer (Omrits), as a youth filled wGrace oGod Gifts Healing Wonderworking, Deacon aMilan, hermit gives him prophecy, confirmed bElder schemamonk oMountain, fiery column, was him, standing iAir, Go Rome Boniface Aglaida church, then Alexandria tbBishop, Then tNegran in Homer tPreach, felt unworthy, wished remain wElder, but Elder knew his secret, G had seen vision Peter Paul placing Bishop's robe on him, tCarchage, tRome, Boniface Aglaida church, Tomb St Peter, his vision told him walk virtue live God's will, Paul dream cup oOil, receive priesthood&Episcopacy, during this time Emperor Elesbaan' armies oEthiopia vanquished Himyarite Dunaan a Jew, Negran liberated, christianity restored, but no christians, E asked Alexandria fBishop&Clergy, while praying Apostle Mark appeared tPatriarch told him find Deacon named Gregory who tBe Priest&Bishop, send him to Elesbaan, miracle during the service, face shone wGrace Holy Spirit, vestments fragrance oMyrrh filling whole church, iHomer G preaching tPagans&Jews, after 3yrs E returned Ethiopia, leftAbramus as king, G crowned A, A ordered all baptized, Jews say better believe willingly, requested debate, Jews given 40 days prepare, debate lasted several days, G refuted all Jew arbuments using OT, Rabbi Ervan vision Moses worshiping Jesus, M saying E would be defeated being in oposition tTruth, Christian Truth prevaied iDebate but E needed to see Jesus, G said request impertinent but Lord can do to convince you, G prays aloud, recalling incarnation, miracles, 3day resurrection, ascention and invoked power oLife-creating Cross, Show thyself to these people, Glorify thy Holy Name, Earthquaked, heavens opened in East, iRadiant cloud oLight Jesus came down, Lords Voice, through G's prayer, He whom your fathers put to death will heal you, Jews struck blind, healed receiving baptism, Gregory guided Homer 30 more years til 552; Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. He made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Arabs, 500-599, Arabian Jewish Warlord Dunaan

Arabs, 501-555, Saint Gregory of Homer or Omrits, many detailed accurate prophecies & visions, many travels, Ethiopia, converts fourfold people

Arabs, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, E lost Dunaan war, recluse visit, revenge, vow, victory, crown to J
Africa, East Africa, 501-555, Elesbaan of Ethiopia, Dunaan ruled Arabia & killed christians, E unsuccessful war against D, revelation to visit recluse, lost because unrighteous revenge, vow to serve then victory, then abdication, service, and crown to Jerusalem Christ's Tomb; Ethiopia; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24 ; Elesbaan1 was the Emperor of what is now Ethiopia, lived when Arabia was ruled by Dunaan, an oppressor of Christians. pious Elesbaan was unable to stand by while those who believed in Christ were being massacred. declared war on Dunaan, but his first military campaign was not successful. to learn the reason for his defeat, Elesbaan, inspired by a revelation from above, visited a recluse named Zenon. revealed to the Emperor that he had acted unrighteously in his desire to take revenge against Dunaan, for the Lord has said, “Vengeance is mine, I shall repay!” (Hebrews 10:30). holy ascetic urged Elesbaan to promise that he would devote the rest of his life to God, if he wished to escape His wrath for his self-willed revenge, and then he would defeat Dunaan. Elesbaan made that vow to the Lord, in 520 he and his army confronted the enemy. This time, he defeated, captured, and executed Dunaan. to the Roman Martyrology, after Elesbaan defeated the enemies of Christ, he sent his royal diadem to Jerusalem to be hung near the Life-Giving tomb of Christ, during the reign of Emperor Justin. his victory, the Saint kept his word and abdicated as Emperor, himself in a monastery. the next fifteen years he lived a life of strict fasting and asceticism. Elesbaan reposed around 553-555. His name is given as Kaleb on his coins and inscriptions.

Arabs, 517, Martyr Arethas and 4299 who suffered at Negran (Najran), Homer, Omrits, Arabia
Arabs, 517, Martyr Arethas and 4299 who suffered at Negran (Najran), Arabia; Negran (Najran); Martyr Arethas and 4,299 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all followers of Christ were to be put to death. the inhabitants of Negran remained faithful to the Lord, Dunaan came with a large army to destroy the city. At the city walls of Negran the king’s heralds announced that Dunaan would only spare those who renounced Christ and referred to His Cross as a “sign of malediction.” daring to assault the Christian city by force, Dunaan resorted to a ruse. Dunaan swore an oath that he would not force the Christians into Judaism, but would merely collect a tribute from Negran. The inhabitants of the city would not heed the advice of Saint Arethas, and putting their trust in Dunaan, they opened the city gates. very next day Dunaan gave orders to light an immense fire and throw all the clergy of the city into it in order to frighten the rest of the Christians. 427 men were burned. He also threw the prefect Arethas and the other chief men into prison. Then the oppressor sent his messengers through the city to convert the Christians to Judaism. Dunaan himself conversed with those inhabitants brought from the prisons, saying, “I do not demand that you should renounce the God of heaven and earth, nor do I want you to worship idols, I want merely that you do not believe in Jesus Christ, since the Crucified One was a man, and not God.” holy martyrs replied that Jesus is God the Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who for the salvation of mankind was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Those suffering said, “We shall not abjure Christ, since He is Life for us. To die for Him is to find Life.” than four thousand Christians, men, women, both the aged and children, from the city of Negran and surrounding villages suffered martyrdom for Christ.

Arabs, 517&525, Ethiopian incursion into Yemen (in support of Arabian Christians)
Yemen; Saint Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia; Dunaan, Jewish king in Yemen; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Arabs, 517-525, Arabian Jewish Warlord, Dunaan, killed by Ethiopian King Elesbaan
Arabian Jewish Warlord, 517-525, Dunaan; Nuwas, ,[1] was a Jewish king of Himyar between 517 and 525–527 AD, who came to renown on account of his persecutions of peoples of other religions, notably Christians, living in his kingdom. Hisham's Sirat Rasul Allah (better known in English as the Life of Muhammad), describes the exploits of Yūsuf Dhū Nuwās. Ibn Hisham explains that Yūsuf was a convert Jew who grew out his sidelocks (nuwas), and who became known as "he of sidelocks." historicity of Dhū Nuwās is affirmed by Philostorgius and by Procopius (in the latter's Persian War). Procopius writes that in 525, the armies of the Christian Kingdom of Axum in Ethiopia invaded Yemen at the request of the Byzantine Emperor, Justin I, to take control of the Jewish kingdom in Ḥimyar, then under the leadership of Yūsuf Dhū Nuwās, who rose to power in 522, probably after he assassinated Dhu Shanatir. Hisham explains the same sequence of events under the name of "Yūsuf Dhū Nuwās." Indeed, with this invasion, the Ḥimyarites were smitten, and as such the supremacy of the Jewish religion in the Kingdom of Ḥimyar, as well as in all of Yemen, came to an abrupt end. Imrū al-Qays, the famous Yemeni poet from the same period, in his poem entitled taqūl lī bint al-kinda lammā ‘azafat, laments the death of two great men of Yemen, one of them being Dhū Nuwās, whom he regards as the last of the Himyarite kings: Art thou not saddened how fate has become an ugly beast, the betrayer of its generation, he that swalloweth up people? It has removed Dhū Nuwās from the fortresses who once ruled in the strongholds and over men [2] Syriac source appears to suggest that the mother of Dhū Nuwās may have been herself a Jew hailing from the Mesopotamian city of Nisibis.[3][4] If so, this would place her origins within the Sassanid imperial sphere, and would illuminate possible political reasons for his later actions against the Christians of Arabia, who were natural allies of the Byzantine Empire.[3] Many modern historians, with the exception of Christopher Haas, have argued that her son's conversion was a matter of tactical opportunism, since Judaism would have provided him with an ideological counterweight to the religion of his adversary, the Kingdom of Aksum, and also allowed him to curry favour with the Sassanid shahanshah.[5] Martyrs of Najran[edit] to Ibn Ishaq, the king of Himyar named Dhu Nuwas had burned the Christians in Najran, and an invading army from Aksum (Habashah) occupied Yemen. Dhu Nuwas decided to kill himself by drowning himself in the sea. Arab tradition states that Dhū Nuwās committed suicide by riding his horse into the Red Sea. The Himyarite kingdom is said to have been ruled prior to Dhu-Nuwas by the Du Yazan dynasty of Jewish converts, as early as the late fourth century.[5] to a number of medieval historians, who depend on the account of John of Ephesus, Dhū Nuwās announced that he would persecute the Christians living in his kingdom because Christian states persecuted his fellow co-religionists in their realms; a letter survives written by Simon, the bishop of Beth Arsham in 524 CE, recounting Dimnon (who is probably Dhū Nuwās') persecution in Najran in Arabia.[6] on other contemporary sources, after seizing the throne of the Ḥimyarites in ca. 518 or 523 Dhū Nuwās attacked Najran and its inhabitants, capturing them and burning their churches. After accepting the city's capitulation, he massacred those inhabitants who would not renounce Christianity. According to the Arab historians, Dhū Nuwās then proceeded to write a letter to the Lakhmid king Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Nu'man of al-Ḥīrah and King Kavadh I of Persia, informing them of his deed and encouraging them to do likewise to the Christians under their dominion. Al-Mundhir received this letter in January 519, as he was receiving an embassy from Constantinople seeking to forge a peace between the Roman Empire and al-Ḥīrha.[7] He revealed the contents of the letter to the Roman ambassadors who were horrified by its contents. Word of the slaughter quickly spread throughout the Roman and Persian realms, and refugees from Najran even reached the court of the Roman emperor Justin I himself, begging him to avenge the martyred Christians. and names[edit] name Yūsuf 'As'ar Yath'ar (believed to be Joseph Dhū-Nuwas) appears in an old South Arabian inscription.[8] Related inscriptions from the same period were also deciphered by Jamme and Ryckmans, showing that in the ensuing wars with his non-Jewish subjects, the combined war booty (excluding deaths) from campaigns waged against the Abyssinians in Ẓafār, the fighters in ’Ašʻarān, Rakbān, Farasān, Muḥwān (Mocha), and the fighters and military units in Najran, amounted to 12,500 war trophies, 11,000 captives and 290,000 camels and bovines and sheep.[9] to ‘Irfan Shahid's Martyrs of Najran – New Documents, Dhu-Nuwas sent an army of some 120,000 soldiers to lay siege to the city of Najran, which siege lasted for six months, and the city taken and burnt on the 15th day of the seventh month (i.e. the lunar month Tishri). city had revolted against the king and they refused to deliver it up unto the king. About three-hundred of the city’s inhabitants surrendered to the king’s forces, under the assurances of an oath that no harm would come to them, and these were later bound, while those remaining in the city were burnt alive within their church. The death toll in this account is said to have reached about two-thousand. However, in the Sabaean inscriptions describing these events, it is reported that by the month Dhu-Madra'an (between July and September) there were "1000 killed, 1500 prisoners [taken] and 10,000 head of cattle."[10] Ryckmans, who deciphered the Sabaean inscriptions, writes in his La Persécution des Chrétiens Himyarites, that Sarah'il Yaqbul-Yaz'an was both the tribal chief and the lieutenant of Yusuf 'As'ar (the king) at the time of the military campaign, and that he was sent out by the king to take the city of Najran, while the king watched for a possible Abyssinian/Ethiopian incursion along the coastal plains of Yemen near Mokhā (al-Moḫâ) and the strait known as Bāb al-Mandab. It is to be noted that the Ethiopian church in Ẓafar, which had been built by the Himyarite King some years earlier following the proselytizing mission of Theophilos the Indian and another church built by him in Aden (see: Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius, Epitome of Book III, chapter 4), had been seen by Constantius II during the embassage to the land of the Ḥimyarites (i.e. Yemen) in circa 340 CE. This church was set on fire and razed to the ground, and its Abyssinian inhabitants killed. Later, foreigners (presumably Christians) living in Haḏramawt were also put to death before the king’s army advanced to Najran in the far north and took it. Yusuf Asar Yathar, described in an inscription as "king of all nations," had led the major tribes of Yemen (Hamedan, Madh'hij, Kindah, Murad) and successfully defeated the Abyssinian forces in Ẓafar, Mokha and Najran. Dhi Yazan leader, Samu Yafa', become the successor of Yusuf in 527 and the Abyssinian forces led by Abraha had invaded Yemen again in 531.[citation needed] inscription (518 CE):[11][12] who owns the heavens and the earth bless king Yusuf Asar Yathar, king of all nations and bless the Aqials they stand with their master, King Yusuf Asar Yathar, when he burned the church and killed the Habashah (Abyssinians) in Dhofar and war on (Habashah) in Ash'aran and Rakban (regions) and Farasan king has succeeded in these battles in the killing of 12,500 and capturing 11,090 of two hundred thousand camels, cows, sheep, and this Misnad (inscription) was written by Shrahal Dhi Yazan when camped in Najran the nation of Hamedan and the Arabs and the Yazaniin fighters and the A'rab (Nomads) of Kinda and Murad and Madh'hij and his brothers the Aqials who camped with the king the sea from the side of Habashah (Abyssinia) And they set up a series of fortifications in the Bab al-Mandab and all who mentioned in this Musnad they fought and took booty and camped in this mission they returned in the history of thirteen and Rahman (god) bless Sharhabal Ekml and Wh'an and Asar Bni Lhi't Yemen; Saint Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia; Dunaan, Jewish king in Yemen; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Arabs, 519, Dunaan, Himyarite King and Jewish Warlord in Yemen
Himyarite king Dunaan ; Himyarite Kingdom (110BC-520AD); St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Arabs, 519-525, Arabian Himyarite King, Dunaan, Jewish Warlord
Himyarite king Dunaan ; Himyarite Kingdom (110BC-520AD); Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Arabs, 520-540, Elesbaan, King, Ethiopia, pious christian, took revenge, defeated, vow, victory, monastery

Arabs, 523-540, Saint Gregory of Homer, during this time Gregory with Elesbaan, Ethiopia, Jesus revealed to Jews

Arabs, 600-699, Himyarite Kingdom continued, 614 Raid on Savas Monastery

Arabs, 614, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, sleep, repose of both body and soul
Phyriga, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, down to sleep, repose of both body and soul; Galatia; St Antiochus, Commemorated December 24 ; Antiochus was from Galatia, and lived during the reign of Heraclius (610-641). witnessed the martyrdom of the monks of Saint Savva’s Monastery (May 16) by the Saracens, and recorded their sufferings. also wrote another book, called Pandect of the Scriptures. Divided into 130 chapters, the book examines the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures. quote attributed to Saint Antiochus is found in the Evergetinos (Book 3:39). One of his best-known prayers is recited during Compline, “And grant us, Master, as we lay down to sleep, repose of both body and soul....”

Arabs, 622-632, History Folder, Muhammad

Arabs, 557-634, Modestus, Archbishop, his story important tTie history of Cross, Persian, Byzantine, & Arab control oJ

Arabs, 622-632, Muhammad's Raids on Meccan caravans
Arabia, Raids on Meccan caravans 622-632;

Arabs, 622-632, Military career of Muhammad
Military career of Muhammad 622-632; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24;

Arabs, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa
Syria, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16;

Arabs, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus
Syria, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Caesarius at Damascus, Commemorated on November 1 ; Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, and Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century.

Arabs, 632-661, History Folder, Rashidun Caliphate, Sunni and Shia

Arabs, 632-661, Arab Caliphates, Rashidun, based in Medina and Kufa, Messopotamia
Arab Caliphates, 632-661, Rashidun, based in Medina and Kufa, Messopotamia ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ;

Arabs, 656-661, Kufa, Mesopotamia (Caital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661)
Kufa, Messopotamia (Capital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Arabs, 634-644, Umar I, Rashidun Caliph
Arab Caliph, 634-644, Umar I, 2nd caliph of Rashidun Caliphate, 634-644 ; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Arabs, 637, Seige of Jerusalem
Arabia, 637, Seige of Jerusalem; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Arabs, 639, Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia, Dvin, Armenia
Dvin; Arab Muslim Conquest of Armenia 639;

Arabs, 640-641, Arab Conqest of Babylon Fortress Egypt
Arab Muslim Conqest of Babylon Fortress Egypt 640

Arabs, 641, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded
Egypt, 640, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded; Tanis or Tathnis; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyr Mirax was born into a Christian family living in the city of Tanis (Egypt) during the seventh century. was raised in piety, but yielded to demonic temptation and trampled on a cross. went to the Emir, the ruler of Egypt, and taking his sword in hand, he declared himself a Moslem. parents, grieving over the terrible downfall of their son, incessantly prayed for him. And then the grace of God illumined the heart of the prodigal. deeply repented and returned home. His parents counselled him to acknowledge his fall into darkness and to show his repentance. Mirax obeyed them. He went before the Emir and announced that he had become a Christian once more. ruler condemned him to tortures, after which the saint was beheaded and cast into the sea (this occurred around the year 640). Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Arabs, 641-668, St Christopher oGazara, head oSumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks
Arabs, 641-668, St Christopher oGazara and Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond, founded by Athenian Monks Barnabas and his nephew Sophronius; Sumela Monastery, Mt Mela near Trebizond; It is not known when the monastery was founded, but the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism places the date around AD 386, during the reign of the emperor Theodosius I (375–395).[7][8] According to William Miller, two Athenian monks named Barnabas and Sophronios founded the monastery. It became famous for an icon of the Theotokos known as the Panagia Gorgoepekoos, said to have been painted by the Apostle Luke.[9] Saint Christopher of Gazara, Commemorated on August 18; Christopher was born in Gazara, near Trebizond. He was the head of a monastery on Mount Mela in the second half of the seventh century (641-668).

Arabs, 642, Arab Muslim Conquest of Alexandria
Arab Muslim Conquest of Alexandria 642;

Arabs, 644-656, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 644-656, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Arabs, 656-661, Ali, First Shia Iman, fourth and Last Rashidun Caliph
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 656-661, Ali (First Shia Iman, fourth and Last Rashidun Caliph); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Arabs, 661-750, History Folder, Umayyad Caliphate, Sunni

Arabs, 661-750, Umayyad Caliphate based in Damascus, Sunni, after first M Civil War, Large, Spain, Cordoba
Arab Caliphates, 661-750, Umayyad, based in Damascus, Sunni ; Umayyad Caliphate (661-“750 CE)[4] was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty (The third caliph of Rashidun Caliphate, Uthman ibn Affan (r. 644-“656), was also a member of the Umayyad clan. The family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of al-Sham (Greater Syria), who became the sixth caliph after the end of the First Muslim Civil War in 661. Mu'awiyah's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in a Second Civil War[5] and power eventually fell into the hands of Marwan I from another branch of the clan. The region of Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, and Damascus was their capital. Umayyads continued the Muslim conquests, incorporating the Transoxiana, Sindh, the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) into the Muslim world. At its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate covered 11,100,000 km2 (4,300,000 sq mi),[1] making it one of the largest empires in history in terms of area. The dynasty was eventually overthrown by a rebellion led by the Abbasids in 750. Survivors of the dynasty established themselves in Cordoba which, in the form of an emirate and then a caliphate, became a world centre[6][7] of science, medicine, philosophy and invention, ushering in the period of the Golden Age of Islam. Umayyad Caliphate ruled over a vast multiethnic and multicultural population. Christians, who still constituted a majority of the caliphate's population, and Jews were allowed to practice their own religion but had to pay a head tax (the jizya) from which Muslims were exempt.[8] There was, however, the Muslim-only zakat tax, which was earmarked explicitly for various welfare programmes.[8][9] Prominent positions were held by Christians, some of whom belonged to families that had served in Byzantine governments. The employment of Christians was part of a broader policy of religious accommodation that was necessitated by the presence of large Christian populations in the conquered provinces, as in Syria. This policy also boosted Muawiya's popularity and solidified Syria as his power base.[10][11] The Umayyad era is often considered the formative period in Islamic art.[12] Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ;

Arabs, 661-680, Muawiyah I, Caliph in Damascus and Egypt, Sunni, Syria's Christian beauracracy
Arab Caliph, 661-680, Muawiyah I ; Muawiyah I (597, 603 or 605-680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, serving from 661 until his death. became caliph less than 30 years following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and very shortly after the reign of the four "rightly guided" (Rashidun) caliphs. Although considered to be lacking in the justice and piety of the Rashidun, Muawiyah was also the first caliph whose name appeared on coins, inscriptions, or documents of the nascent Islamic empire.[1] and his father Abu Sufyan had opposed Muhammad, their distant Qurayshite kinsman, until the latter captured Mecca in 630, after which Muawiyah became one of Muhammad's scribes. He was appointed by Caliph Abu Bakr (r. 632-“634) the commander of the vanguard of his brother Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan's army during the conquest of Syria and he moved up the ranks until becoming governor of Syria during the reign of Caliph Uthman (r. 644-“656). He allied with the province's powerful Banu Kalb tribe, developed the defenses of its coastal cities and directed the war efforts against the Byzantine Empire, including the first Muslim naval campaigns. After Uthman's assassination in 656, Muawiyah took up the cause of avenging the caliph and opposed his successor, Ali. During the First Muslim Civil War, the two led their armies to a stalemate at the Battle of Siffin in 657, prompting an abortive series of arbitration talks to settle the war. Afterward, Muawiyah gained recognition as caliph by his Syrian supporters and his ally Amr ibn al-As, who conquered Egypt from Ali's governor in 658. After the assassination of Ali in 661, Muawiyah compelled Ali's son and successor Hasan to abdicate in Kufa and Muawiyah's suzerainty was acknowledged throughout the Caliphate. Muawiyah relied on loyalist Syrian tribes and Syria's Christian-dominated bureaucracy. is credited with establishing government departments responsible for the postal route, correspondences and chancellery. he engaged his troops in almost yearly land and sea raids against the Byzantines, including a failed siege of Constantinople, though the tide turned against the Arabs toward the end of his reign and he sued for a truce. the provinces of Iraq and the eastern Caliphate, he delegated authority to the powerful governors al-Mughira and Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, the latter of whom he controversially adopted as his brother. Ziyad restarted the eastward Arab conquests in Khurasan and Sijistan and reformed Iraq's army and tax administrations. Muawiyah's direction, the Muslim conquest of Ifriqiya (central North Africa) was launched by the commander Uqba ibn Nafi in 670. Muawiyah confined the influence of his Umayyad clan to the governorship of Medina, he nominated his own son, Yazid I, as his successor. It was an unprecedented move in Islamic politics and opposition to it by prominent Muslim leaders, including Ali's son Husayn and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, persisted after Muawiyah's death, culminating with the outbreak of the Second Muslim Civil War. St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 685-705, Abdul Malek, Umayyad Caliph, Damascus, born Muslim, centralized r, Dome of Rock, 2nd Civil War
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 685-705, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus, Greater Syria; Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( July/August 644 or June/July 647 -“ 9 October 705) was the fifth Umayyad caliph, ruling from April 685 until his death. A member of the first generation of born Muslims, his early life in Medina was occupied with pious pursuits. He held administrative and military posts under Caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661-“680), founder of the Umayyad Caliphate, and his own father, Caliph Marwan I (r. 684-“685). By the time of Abd al-Malik's accession, Umayyad authority had collapsed across the Caliphate as a result of the Second Muslim Civil War and had been reconstituted in Syria and Egypt during his father's reign. a failed invasion of Iraq in 686, Abd al-Malik focused on securing Syria before making further attempts to conquer the greater part of the Caliphate from his principal rival, the Mecca-based caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. To that end, he concluded an unfavorable truce with the reinvigorated Byzantine Empire in 689, quashed a coup attempt in Damascus by his kinsman, al-Ashdaq, the following year, and reincorporated into the army the rebellious Qaysi tribes of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) in 691. then conquered Zubayrid Iraq and dispatched his general, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to Mecca where he killed Ibn al-Zubayr in late 692, thereby reuniting the Caliphate under Abd al-Malik's rule. The war with Byzantium resumed, resulting in Umayyad advances into Anatolia and Armenia, the destruction of Carthage and the recapture of Kairouan, the launchpad for the later conquests of western North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in 698. In the east, Abd al-Malik's viceroy, al-Hajjaj, firmly established the caliph's authority in Iraq and Khurasan, stamping out opposition by the Kharijites and the Arab tribal nobility by 702. Abd al-Malik's final years were marked by a domestically peaceful and prosperous consolidation of power. a significant departure from his predecessors, rule over the Caliphate's provinces was centralized under Abd al-Malik, following the elimination of his rivals. loyalist Arab troops from Syria were tasked with maintaining order in the provinces as dependence on less reliable, local Arab garrisons receded. Tax surpluses from the provinces were forwarded to Damascus the traditional military stipends to veterans of the early Muslim conquests and their descendants were abolished, salaries being restricted to those in active service. most consequential of Abd al-Malik's reforms were the introduction of a single Islamic currency in place of Byzantine and Sasanian coinage and the establishment of Arabic as the language of the bureaucracy in place of Greek and Persian in Syria and Iraq, respectively. His Muslim upbringing, the conflicts with external and local Christian forces and rival claimants to Islamic leadership all influenced Abd al-Malik's efforts to prescribe a distinctly Islamic character to the Umayyad state. manifestation of this initiative was his founding of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the earliest archaeologically attested religious monument built by a Muslim ruler and the possessor of the earliest epigraphic proclamations of Islam and the prophet Muhammad. The foundations established by Abd al-Malik enabled his son and successor, al-Walid I (r. 705--“715), who largely maintained his father's policies, to oversee the Umayyad Caliphate's territorial and economic zenith. Abd al-Malik's centralized government became the prototype of later medieval Muslim states. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Flesly form God blessed Matter fHis service
Syria, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Last otFathers, son oChristian official court oMoslem Khalif, succeeded father's office, Iconoclast Iconodule dispute, Iconoclast Byzantne Emperor Leo III, John's Iconodule writings, protected by being under Moslem Khalif, not Byzantine, even though Moslems were Iconoclasts, 2 oHis Hymns sung in English, many more sung Eastern Church, major writing tFount oKnowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, both Greek &Latin churches Iconodule, Iconoclasts &2nd Commandment about images, Iconodules things changed, God flesly form blessed matter fit for manifesting divine splendor, reclaimed everything fHis service, incl eucharist bread wine, plus painting, sculpture, music, spoken word, daily tasks, pleasures, 16th century Protestants denounce images, sermon about mental images that mind can grasp, vs not thinking at all, like tapioca pudding story, description Eastern Orthodox iconostasis & incense on people, every person image oGod; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); is generally accounted "the last of the Fathers". was the son of a Christian official at the court of the moslem khalif Abdul Malek, and succeeded to his father's office. In his time there was a dispute among Christians between the Iconoclasts (image-breakers) and the Iconodules (image-venerators or image-respectors). Emperor, Leo III, was a vigorous upholder of the Iconoclast position. wrote in favor of the Iconodules with great effectiveness. he was able to do this chiefly because he had the protection of the moslem khalif because the moslems have a strong prohibition against the religious use of pictures or images). John is also known as a hymn-writer. of his hymns are sung in English at Easter ("Come ye faithful, raise the strain" and "The Day of Resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad!"). Many more are sung in the Eastern Church. His major writing is The Fount of Knowledge, of which the third part, The Orthodox Faith, is a summary of Christian doctrine as expounded by the Greek Fathers. dispute about icons was not a dispute between East and West as such. Both the Greek and the Latin churches accepted the final decision. The Iconoclasts maintained that the use of religious images was a violation of the Second Commandment ("Thou shalt not make a graven image... thou shalt not bow down to them"). The Iconodules replied that the coming of Christ had radically changed the situation, and that the commandment must now be understood in a new way, just as the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath Day" must be understood in a new way since the Resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week. Before the Incarnation, it had indeed been improper to portray the invisible God in visible form; God, by taking fleshly form in the person of Jesus Christ, had blessed the whole realm of matter and made it a fit instrument for manifesting the Divine Splendor. had reclaimed everything in heaven and earth for His service, had made water and oil, bread and wine, means of conveying His grace to men. had made painting and sculpture and music and the spoken word, and indeed all our daily tasks and pleasures, the common round of everyday life, a means whereby man might glorify God and be made aware of Him. I always use "man" in the gender-inclusive sense unless the context plainly indicates otherwise.) the use of images and pictures in a religious context is open to abuse, and in the sixteenth century abuses had become so prevalent that some (not all) of the early Protestants reacted by denouncing the use of images altogether. Many years ago, I heard a sermon in my home parish (All Saints' Church, East Lansing, Michigan) on the Commandment, "Thou shalt not make a graven image, nor the likeness of anything in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth -- thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them." (Exodus 20:4-5 and Deuteronomy 5:8-9) preacher (Gordon Jones) pointed out that, even if we refrain completely from the use of statues and paintings in representing God, we will certainly use mental or verbal images, will think of God in terms of concepts that the human mind can grasp, since the alternative is not to think of Him at all. I digress to note that, if we reject the images offered in Holy Scripture of God as Father, Shepherd, King, Judge, on the grounds that they are not literally accurate, we will end up substituting other images -- an endless, silent sea, a dome of white radiance, an infinitely attenuated ether permeating all space, an electromagnetic force field, or whatever, which is no more literally true than the image it replaces, and which leaves out the truths that the Scriptural images convey. of the best books I know on this subject is Edwyn Bevan's Symbolism and Belief, Beacon Press, originally a Gifford Lectures series.[note - now out of print]) C S Lewis repeats what a woman of his acquaintance told him: that as a child she was taught to think of God as an infinite "perfect substance," with the result that for years she envisioned Him as a kind of enormous tapioca pudding. To make matters worse, she disliked tapioca. Back to the sermon.) sin of idolatry consists of giving to the image the devotion that properly belongs to God. No educated man today is in danger of confusing God with a painting or statue, but we may give to a particular concept of God the unconditional allegiance that properly belongs to God Himself. does not, of course, mean that one concept of God is as good as another, or that it may not be our duty to reject something said about God as simply false. concepts, of God matter, because it matters how we think about God. The danger is one of intellectual pride, of forgetting that the Good News is, not that we know God, but that He knows us (1 Corinthians 8:3), not that we love Him, but that He loves us (1 John 4:10). (Incidentally, it was customary in my parish in those days for the preacher to preach a short "Children's Sermon," after which the children were dismissed for Sunday School, and the regular sermon and the rest of the service followed. What I have described above was the Children's Sermon. I remained for the regular sermon, but found it a bit over my head -- a salutary correction to my intellectual snobbery.) the East Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional representations are seldom used. The standard icon is a painting, highly stylized, and thought of as a window through which the worshipper is looking into Heaven. the background of the picture is almost always gold leaf.) an Eastern church, an iconostasis (icon screen) flanks the altar on each side, with images of angels and saints (including Old Testament persons) as a sign that the whole church in Heaven and earth is one body in Christ, and unites in one voice of praise and thanksgiving in the Holy Liturgy. At one point in the service, the minister takes a censer and goes to each icon in turn, bows and swings the censer at the icon. He then does the same thing to the congregation -- ideally, if time permits, to each worshipper separately, as a sign that every Christian is an icon, made in the image and likeness of God, an organ in the body of Christ, a window through whom the splendor of Heaven shines forth. by James Kiefer

Arabs, 701-781, John oDamascus, zealous Icon defender, wrote t Fount of Knowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, a hymnographer
Syria, 701-781, John oDamascus, born 680, Christian father treasurer fCaliph, foster brother saint Cosmas, both good education fSlave Cosmas oCalabria, both mastered secular spiritual sciences, John took father's post, became city perfect, Iconoclasm quickly spreads iConstantinople, Iconoclast Byzantine Emperor Leo III Isaurian, John's 3Iconodule treatises, enraged Leo, but J not Byzantine subject, Leo slandered J tKaliph, letter tLeo fJ offering help in conquering Damascas, Kaliph immediately ordered J removed hand cut off led through D in chains, same evening hand returned tJ, pressed to wrist he prayed MOG heal him so he could defend Orthodoxy and write again, heard voice iSleep commanding him toil w restored hand, awake saw hand restored thin red line around wrist sign oMiracle, silver model hand put on Icon in thanksgiving, of t3Hands Icon, Caliph heard of tMiracle & wanted restore J but J went to Sabbas wComas, only very Experienced Elder would guide him, do nothing to own will, offer God all labors & prayers, & shed tears to wash sins, once sent to Damascus to sell baskets inflated price, dressed in rags, not recognized except for his steward, sold baskets, monk died and J asked to compose consolation, refused but finally submitted, wrote What earthly delight & All human vanity & others, but for disobedience Elder banished him from Elder's cell, Elder refuses forgiveness fJ &All tMonks, then a monk asks fPenance sentence, wash chamber pots &Latrines wBare hands, after while Elder commanded bMOG allow J write again, Jerusalem Patriarch ordained J & mace him preacher at his Cathedral, but J returned to Sabbas, writing spiritual books&hymns, 754 Council Constantinople he denounced Iconoclasts, died 780 more than 100yrOld; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; John of Damascus was born about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria into a Christian family. father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer at the court of the Caliph. had also a foster brother, the orphaned child Cosmas (October 14), whom Sergius had taken into his own home. the children were growing up, Sergius saw that they received a good education. the Damascus slave market he ransomed the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity and entrusted to him the teaching of his children. boys displayed uncommon ability and readily mastered their courses of the secular and spiritual sciences. the death of his father, John occupied ministerial posts at court and became the city prefect. Constantinople at that time, the heresy of Iconoclasm had arisen and quickly spread, by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). up in defense of the Orthodox veneration of icons [Iconodoulia], Saint John wrote three treatises entitled, “Against Those who Revile the Holy Icons.” wise and God-inspired writings of Saint John enraged the emperor. since the author was not a Byzantine subject, the emperor was unable to lock him up in prison, or to execute him. emperor then resorted to slander. A forged letter to the emperor was produced, supposedly from John, in which the Damascus official was supposed to have offered his help to Leo in conquering the Syrian capital. letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to the Saracen Caliph by Leo the Isaurian. Caliph immediately ordered that Saint John be removed from his post, that his right hand be cut off, and that he be led through the city in chains. same evening, they returned the severed hand to Saint John. The saint pressed it to his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to heal him so that he could defend the Orthodox Faith and write once again in praise of the Most Pure Virgin and Her Son. a time, he fell asleep before the icon of the Mother of God. He heard Her voice telling him that he had been healed, and commanding him to toil unceasingly with his restored hand. awakening, he found that his hand had been attached to his arm once more. Only a small red mark around his wrist remained as a sign of the miracle. in thanksgiving for being healed, Saint John had a silver model of his hand attached to the icon, which became known as “Of the Three Hands.” unlearned painters have given the Mother of God three hands instead of depicting the silver model of Saint John’s hand. Icon “Of the Three Hands” is commemorated on June 28 and July 12. he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John’s innocence, the Caliph asked his forgiveness wanted to restore him to his former office, but the saint refused. gave away his riches to the poor, and went to Jerusalem with his stepbrother and fellow-student, Cosmas. he entered the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified as a simple novice. was not easy for him to find a spiritual guide, because all the monks were daunted by his great learning and by his former rank. one very experienced Elder, who had the skill to foster the spirit of obedience and humility in a student, would consent to do this. Elder forbade John to do anything at all according to his own will. also instructed him to offer to God all his labors and supplications as a perfect sacrifice, to shed tears which would wash away the sins of his former life. he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the monastery, and commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price, far above their actual value. undertook the long journey under the searing sun, dressed in rags. No one in the city recognized the former official of Damascus, for his appearance had been changed by prolonged fasting and ascetic labors. Saint John was recognized by his former house steward, who bought all the baskets at the asking price, showing compassion on him for his apparent poverty. of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged Saint John to compose something consoling for the burial service. John refused for a long time, but out of pity he yielded to the petition of the grief-stricken monk, and wrote his renowned funeral troparia (“What earthly delight,” “All human vanity,” and others). this disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. fell at his feet and asked to be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. the monks began to plead for him to allow John to return, but he refused. one of the monks asked the Elder to impose a penance on John, and to forgive him if he fulfilled it. Elder said, “If John wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all the chamber pots in the lavra, and clean the monastery latrines with his bare hands.” rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. a certain while, the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and Most Holy Theotokos to allow Saint John to write again. the Patriarch of Jerusalem heard of Saint John, he ordained him priest and made him a preacher at his cathedral. Saint John soon returned to the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he spent the rest of his life writing spiritual books and church hymns. left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at the Constantinople Council of 754. subjected him to imprisonment and torture, but he endured everything, and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died in about the year 780, more than 100 years old. John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of Orthodoxy. His most important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The third section of this work, “On the Orthodox Faith,” is a summary of Orthodox doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since he was known as a hymnographer, we pray to Saint John for help in the study of church singing.

Arabs, 705-715, Al-Walid I, Umayyad Caliph, continued reforms, Byzntne Raids, public works, U peak, Turkistan, Pakistan
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 705-715, Al-Walid I; Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ( c. 674 -23 February 715), commonly known as al-Walid I , was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death. He was the eldest son of his predecessor Caliph Abd al-Malik (r. 685-“705). a prince, he led annual raids against the Byzantines from 695 to 698 and built or restored fortifications along the Syrian Desert route to Mecca. became the heir apparent after the death of Abd al-Malik's brother and designated successor, Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan, in 704. largely continued his father's policies of centralization and expansion, and heavily depended on al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, his father's powerful viceroy over the eastern half of the Caliphate. his reign, Umayyad armies conquered the Maghreb, Hispania, Sind and Transoxiana, expanding the Caliphate to its greatest territorial extent. spoils from the conquests allowed al-Walid to finance public works of great magnitude, including the Great Mosque of Damascus, the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. was the first caliph to institute programs for social welfare, aiding the poor and handicapped in Syria. Although it is difficult to ascertain al-Walid's direct role in the affairs of his caliphate, his reign was marked by domestic peace and prosperity and likely represented the peak of Umayyad power. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 713-762, Theodora oCaesarea, Nun dedicated by childless p's, miraculously saved fMarriage by attack killing husband
Armenia, , Theodora of Caesarea, Cappadocia, Armenia, Dedicated by rich childless parents, entered monastery, but iconoclast Leo tIsaurian arranged marriage tHis Aide, miraculously Scythians attacked during wedding feast, husband killed first skirmish, she sailed back tConvent, imperial emissary found she already tonsured a Nun, Therefore could not be forced to leave monastery, rest of life fasting vigil prayer heavy iron chains; Caesurea, Cappadocia; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Theodora of Caesarea, living during the eighth century, the daughter of the patrician Theophilus and his wife Theodora. parents for a long time had been childless, and grieved over this. prayed and vowed that if a child were born to them, it would be dedicated to God. their daughter was of age, her mother took her to the monastery of Saint Anna in Caesarea, where the maiden entered under the guidance of an abbess. she became familiar with spiritual literature. emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741), an iconoclast heretic, wanted to give the maiden Theodora into marriage to one of his aides. took her from the monastery against her will and brought her to Constantinople, where everything was already prepared for the wedding celebration. during the wedding feast the Scythians attacked the capital, and Saint Theodora’s husband, sent to help beat back the attack of the enemy, perished in the very first skirmish. advantage of the general confusion, Saint Theodora got on a ship and returned to her convent. an imperial emissary followed her there, he saw that she had already been tonsured a nun. she could not be forced to leave the women’s monastery. spent the remaining years of her life in fasting, vigil, and prayer. wore heavy iron chains on her body, not removing them until death.

Arabs, 717-720, Umar II, Umayyad Caliph, scholars, Hadiths, education, China and Tibet
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 717-720, Umar II ; Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (2 November 682 -5 February 720), commonly known as Umar II, was the eighth Umayyad caliph, who possessed the largest empire in Islamic history[1](alongside al-Mutawakkil). He made various significant contributions and reforms to the society, and he has been described as "the most pious and devout" of the Umayyad rulers and was often called the first Mujaddid and the fifth righteous Caliph of Islam.[2] was also a cousin of the former caliph, being the son of Abd al-Malik's younger brother, Abd al-Aziz. He was also a matrilineal great-grandson of the second caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab. with great scholars, he is credited with having ordered the first official collection of Hadiths and encouraged education to everyone. He also sent out emissaries to China and Tibet, inviting their rulers to accept Islam. At the same time, he remained tolerant with non-Muslim citizens. According to Nazeer Ahmed, it was during the time of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz that the Islamic faith took roots and was accepted by huge segments of the population of Persia and Egypt. Umar is sometimes deemed a pacifist, since he ordered the withdrawal of the Muslim army in places such as Constantinople and Central Asia despite being a good military leader. Under his rule, the Islamic Spain conquered good amount of territories from the Christian Kingdoms, but he removed troops from Septimania, modern France. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus hand, MOG heals h, t Sabbas, t Serbia, donkey igumen story

Arabs, 720-724, Yazid II, Umayyad Caliph, financial crisis, reversing reforms, raising taxes failed
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 720-724, Yazid II; Yazid bin Abd al-Malik (690/91 -” 28 January 724), also referred to as Yazid II, was the ninth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 9 February 720 until his death in 724. did not possess military or administrative experience before his reign.[1] and military policies[edit] expenses of enforcing Umayyad rule in Iraq and the expansionist war efforts along multiple fronts, including the enormous cost of the failed sieges of Constantinople in 717-“718, had erased much of the monetary gains from the conquests of Transoxiana, Sind and the Iberian Peninsula under al-Walid I and caused a financial crisis in the Caliphate.[33] Among the solutions of Yazid's predecessor to the fiscal burden were the withdrawal of the Syrians from Iraq, a halt on conquests and near elimination of grants to Umayyad princes, as well as an unrealized goal to withdraw Arab troops altogether from Transoxiana, the Iberian Peninsula and Cilicia.[33] most significant reforms of Umar II granted equality to the mawa in Khurasan, Sind, Ifriqiya and the Iberian Peninsula by abolishing the jizya, the poll tax traditionally exacted on non-Muslim subjects but in practice extended to non-Arab Muslim converts, and instituting equal pay for mawa in the ranks of the Caliphate's Arab-dominated armies.[1][34] According to Blankinship, the reforms favoring the mawa may have been guided by Umar II's piety, but also a fiscal consideration: if equal treatment with the Arabs made the government popular with the mawa iit could translate into delegating an increased security role for the mawa in their native provinces and their enthusiastic defense of the Caliphate's frontiers, thereby reducing the expense of deploying and garrisoning Arab troops.[33] attempted to reverse, with limited success, the reforms of Umar II, which were opposed by the Arab militarist camp in the Caliphate and the Umayyad ruling family.[1] During Umar II's rule the militarist camp led by Maslama may have accepted a temporary pause in activity to recover from the Constantinople debacle.[35] Under Yazid, Maslama and his proteges, including Ibn Hubayra, were restored or appointed to senior commands, Syrian garrisons were reintroduced to Iraq, the traditional annual raids against the Byzantines and the war with the Khazars were restarted, and the grants of estates or generous sums to Umayyad princes resumed.[36] Although Yazid's policies were presumably meant to gain the backing of the ruling elite and restore the flow of war spoils, they proved insufficient to finance the Caliphate's troops, particularly as booty had become increasingly difficult to obtain by the Arab expeditionary forces.[36] fill the depleted coffers of the caliphal treasury Yazid turned to the fifth of provincial tax revenues officially owed to the caliph. Historically, the provinces neglected to forward the revenues if political conditions allowed and governors often pilfered such funds. To ensure the flow of revenues to the treasury, Yazid appointed governors based on the example set by al-Hajjaj, i.e. upright, meticulously loyal and ruthless in the collection of taxes.[36] Unlike the era of al-Hajjaj, however, Yazid applied this principle for the first time to Ifriqiya, Khurasan, Sind and the Iberian Peninsula.[36] A major aspect of his policy was the reinstatement of the jizya on the mawa,[36] which alienated the mawa in the aforementioned provinces.[1] Ifriqiya, the caliph's governor Yazid ibn Abi Muslim, himself a mawa from Iraq and prota of al-Hajjaj, was assassinated by his Berber guard in 720, shortly after his appointment, for attempting to reinstate the jizya.[1] Many, if not most, Berbers had embraced Islam and commanded a strong position in the army unlike mawa in other parts of the Caliphate.[37] The Berbers reinstalled Ibn Abi Muslim's predecessor Ismail ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Muhajir and notified Yazid, who approved the change.[38] The incident in Ifriqiya was a blow to the Caliphate's prestige in North Africa and served as a harbinger for the Berber Revolt in 740-“743.[1] The reinstatement of the jizya in Khurasan in 721/22 by Ibn Hubayra's deputy Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi led to revolts and wars in the province that continued for twenty years and partly contributed to the Abbasid Revolution.[1] In Egypt pay increases to the indigenous mawa sailors of the Muslim fleet were reversed.[36] groups began to gain power among the disaffected. Al-Tabari records that Abbasids were promoting their cause in A.H. 102 (720-721 CE). They were already building a power base that they would later use to topple the Umayyads in 750 CE. same year Yazid's governor in Medina, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Dahhak, incurred the caliph's displeasure because the governor was exerting undue pressure trying to force a woman to marry him. She appealed to Yazid who replaced Abd al-Rahman with Abd al-Walid ibn Abdallah.[39] against the Khazars[edit] March 722 the Syrian army of Yazid's governor in Armenia and Adharbayjan, Mi'laq ibn Saffar al-Bahrani, was routed by the Khazars in Armenia, south of the Caucasus. The defeat marked the culmination of the Caliphate's winter campaign against the Khazars and resulted in considerable Syrian losses.[40] To avenge this defeat, Yazid II sent al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at the head of a 25,000-strong army of Syrians, who pushed into the Caucasus homeland of the Khazars and took their capital of Balanjar on 22 August.[41] The main body of the highly mobile Khazars avoided the Muslims' pursuit and their presence compelled al-Jarrah to withdraw to Warthan south of the Caucasus and request reinforcements of from Yazid.[41] In 723 he led another raid north of Balanjar, but made no remarkable gains.[41] edict[edit] to Greek sources, including Patriarch John V of Jerusalem (d. 735), Theophanes the Confessor (d. 818) and Patriarch Nikephoros I of Constantinople (d. 828), Yazid issued an edict ordering the destruction of all icons in Christian churches across the Caliphate under the influence a Jewish magician from Tiberias, variously called Beser or Tessarakontapechys, who promised Yazid a long life of fortune in return.[42] Syriac sources further note that Yazid entrusted Maslama to execute the order and that the edict influenced the Byzantine emperor Leo III (r. 717-“741) to enact his own iconoclastic policy in the Byzantine Empire.[43] The Egypt-based Arabic historians al-Kindi (d. 961), Bishop Severus ibn al-Muqaffa (d. 987) and al-Maqrizi (d. 1442) also make note of the edict and describe its execution in Egypt.[44] The medieval historians cite different years for Yazid's edict, but the modern historian Alexander Vasiliev holds that July 721, the date cited by Patriarch John V, is the most reliable.[45] The order was reversed by Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 724-“743).[44] Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 722-792, Philaret tMerciful, rich man loved poor, giving all, always rewarded, wife&children eventually learn a90 yrs

Arabs, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad Caliph, effective rule
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik; ibn Abd al-Malik (691-6 February 743) was the tenth Umayyad caliph who ruled from 724 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his father named him after his mother. the caliphate from his brother Yazid II, Hisham was ruling an empire with many different problems. He would, however, be effective in attending to these problems, and in allowing the Umayyad empire to continue as an entity. His long rule was an effective one, and it saw a rebirth of reforms that were originated by Umar bin Abd al-Aziz. his brother al-Walid I, Hisham was a great patron of the arts, and he again encouraged arts in the empire. He also encouraged the growth of education by building more schools, and perhaps most importantly, by overseeing the translation of numerous literary and scientific masterpieces into Arabic. He returned to a stricter interpretation of the Sharia as Umar had, and enforced it, even upon his own family. His ability to stand up to the Umayyad clan may have been an important factor in his success, and may point to why his brother Yazid was ineffective. to tradition, Hisham ordered the hadith scholar Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d.742) to commit the hadith he had memorized to writing. activities[edit] the military front his empire suffered a series of setbacks, especially in the Caucasus against the Khazars (the Battle of Marj Ardabil) and in Transoxiana against the Turgesh (the "Day of Thirst" and the Battle of the Pass). Hisham sent armies to end the Hindu rebellion in Sindh, and was successful when the Hindu ruler Jai Singh was killed. This allowed the Umayyads to reassert their rule over some portions of their provinces in India. Some invasions of Indian kingdoms were led by the Arab governors of Sindh but they were unsuccessful. Hisham's rule, regular raids against the Byzantine Empire continued. One regular commander of Arab forces was the redoubtable Maslama, Hisham's half-brother. He fought the Byzantines in 725-“726 CE (A.H. 107) and the next year captured Caesarea Mazaca. He also fought the Khazars in the Caucasus. In 728, he fought for a month against the Khaqan there and defeated him. Hisham's son Mu'awiyah ibn Hisham was another Arab commander in the almost-annual raids against the Byzantine Empire. In 728, he took the fort of Samalu in Cilicia. The next year Mu'awiyah thrust left and Sa'id ibn Hisham right, in addition to a sea raid. In 731, Mu'awiyah captured Kharsianon in Cappadocia. raided the Byzantine Empire in 731-“732 (A.H. 113). The next year he captured Aqrun (Akroinos), while Abdallah al-Battal took a Byzantine commander prisoner. Mu'awiyah raided Byzantium from 734-“737. In 737, al Walid ibn al Qa'qa al-Absi led the raid against the Byzantines. The next year Sulayman ibn Hisham captured Sindirah (Sideroun). In 738-“739, Maslama captured some of Cappadocia and also raided the Avars. Theophanes the Confessor (p. 103) states that while some Arabs raided successfully in 739 and returned home safely, others were soundly defeated at the Battle of Akroinon. He records that internal Byzantine strife (the struggle between Constantine V and the usurper Artabasdos) facilitated Arab raids by Sulayman ibn Hisham in 741-“742 (p. 106) that made many Byzantines Arab captives. Al-Tabari refers to the same raid.[2] North Africa, Kharijite teachings combined with natural local restlessness to produce a significant Berber revolt. In 740, a large Berber force surrounded a loyal army at Wadi Sherif, where the loyalists fought to the death. Hisham dispatched a force of 27,000 Syrians, which was destroyed in 741. In 742 Handhala ibn Safwan began successfully, but soon was besieged in Qairawan. He led a desperate sortie from the city that scattered the Berbers, killing thousands and re-establishing Umayyad rule. also faced a revolt by the armies of Zayd ibn Ali, grandson of Husayn bin Ali, which was put down because of the betrayal of the Kufans. The Kufans encouraged Zayd to revolt. Zayd was ordered to leave Kufah and though he appeared to set out for Mecca, he returned and dwelt secretly in Kufah moving from house to house and receiving the allegiance of many people. Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi, Iraq's governor, learned of the plot, commanded the people to gather at the great mosque, locked them inside and began a search for Zayd. Zayd with some troops fought his way to the mosque and called on people to come out. He then pushed back Yusuf's troops, but was felled by an arrow. Although his body was initially buried, the spot was pointed out and it was extracted, beheaded and the head sent to Hisham and later to Medina. Umayyad coin issued by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Spain, the internal conflicts of the years past were ended, and Hisham's governor, Abd ar Rahman ibn Abdallah, assembled a large army that went into France. He besieged Bordeaux and pushed to the Loire. This marked the limit of Arabic conquest in Western Europe. The wave was halted at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel who ruled the kingdom of the Franks. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 735-736, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf), Umayyad Caliph, fought all across Georgia East to West
Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf); ibn Muhammad's invasion of Georgia took place from 735 to 737. It was initiated by the Umayyad Caliphate. The goals of the campaign are disputed among historians. The Georgian historiography insists its main purpose was to finally break the stiff Georgian resistance against Arab rule,[1] however, the western historians such as Cyril Toumanoff,[2] and Ronald Suny,[3] view it as a general campaign directed at both the Byzantine Empire, who exerted dominion over Western Georgia, and the Khazars, whose repeated raids affected not only Iberia (Eastern Georgia) and the whole Caucasus, but had in 730 reached Arab lands all the way to Mosul. invasion[edit] invasion was led by Marwan ibn Muhammad, who later became the last Umayyad caliph Marwan II. He first campaigned in Kartli, after which he led his armies to the west and besieged the fortress of Anakopia, where Archil of Kakheti and his brother Mihr, who were assisted by Leon I of Abkhazia, were stationed. The Arabs failed to take the fortress and were forced to retreat. Fearing an onslaught, large numbers of Georgians fled to the mountainous regions. Marwan later invaded Samtskhe, encamped in Odzrkhe and led his forces against the princes of Argveti, Constantine and David, from whom, upon their capture, he demanded unconditional conversion to Islam, which both refused. He tortured and then killed them for their refusal. After that, Marwan took Tshkumi (modern Sukhumi) and Tsikhegoji and again turned to Anakopia. The Georgians fought fiercely and the Arabs were powerless to take the fortress, especially after heavy rains and floods began. The Arabs retreated with heavy losses. cruelty and ruthlessness was epitomized by the Georgians by naming him Murvan Qru ("Marwan the Deaf"). After his campaign, most major settlements were utterly ruined and people faced starvation. If Georgian historiography insists that Kartli was devastated by the invasion, Toumanoff, relying on local and Arab sources, claims that most of the damage in the Eastern part of the country was actually the result of the previous Khazar raids, and that the local Georgian prince, Guaram III of Iberia, actually sided with the Arabs in order to repeal them beyond the Caucasian range.[4] In any case, the Arab intervention gave them more power over Iberia than they had managed to attain in almost a century of previous conquests. They established the Emirate of Tbilisi to exert direct control over Iberia, even though the Principate of Iberia was not abolished, and local nobility retained most of their power. Because civil instability and foreign enemies were plaguing the caliphate, it was unable to launch another invasion and until 786 settled upon receiving irregular tributes from the Georgian local princes. Arab general Marwan the Deaf; ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (691 - 6 August 750), usually known simply as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until he was killed in 750. of his reign was dominated by a civil war, and he was the last Umayyad ruler to rule the united Caliphate before the Abbasid Revolution toppled the Umayyad dynasty. and background[edit] ibn Muhammad was a member of the Marwanid household of the Umayyad Caliphate. His grandmother, named Zaynab. Marwan's father, Muhammad ibn Marwan, who was the son of the fourth Umayyad Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685), and hence half-brother to fifth Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. 685–705).[1][2] mother was a woman who's mostly unnamed, however sometimes is called Rayya or Tarubah, and is likely of non-Arab origin (a Kurd according to some accounts). Some have referenced that his mother was already pregnant with Marwan before his legal father, Muhammad, bed her, thus making the child not his.[3] A couple sources report that Muhammad had taken her captive during the suppression of Ibn al-Zubayr's revolt.[4] There is much doubt and dispute on his mother's name but she was most commonly known as Umm Marwan (meaning "Mother of Marwan"). life[edit] 732–733 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia. In 735–736 Marwan invaded Georgia, devastated it and then took three fortresses of the Alans and made peace with Tumanshah. In 739-740 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. 744-745, on hearing news of the plot to overthrow al-Walid II, Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging this. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well-being of the Umayyad house. Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death (Yazid named his brother Ibrahim as his successor. Yazid fell ill of a brain tumour[5]), Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim, and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah. Old map of western Eurasia and northern Africa showing the expansion of the Caliphate from Arabia to cover most of the Middle East, with the Byzantine Empire outlined in green The expansion of the Muslim Caliphate until 750, from William R. Shepherd's Historical Atlas. Muslim state at the death of Muhammad Expansion under the Rashidun Caliphate Expansion under the Umayyad Caliphate Byzantine Empire named his two sons Ubaydallah and Abdullah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, the anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran and Iraq. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together. took Emesa (Homs) after a bitter ten-month siege. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated the Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's center and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell into fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then, reinforced, the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India. Khurasan there was internal discord, with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition, Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervor and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan of 747 (16 May – 14 June), the Abbasids unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken, and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back. continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on 9 November 748 at the age of eighty-five. campaigned in Egypt in 749 to quell the Bashmuric Revolt and secure his rear, but his campaign was a failure.[6] The Abbasids, meanwhile, achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Great Zab, called Battle of the Zab. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt, where he was caught and killed on 6 August 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to modern Eritrea. Abdallah died in fighting there. death signaled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East and was followed by the mass killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the prince Abd ar-Rahman who escaped to Spain and founded an Umayyad dynasty there. In Egypt, Marwan's tongue was fed to a cat.[7] Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; 8th century was extremely difficult for the Georgian people. Marwan bin Muhammad (called “the Deaf” by the Georgians and “the Blind” by the Armenians), the Persian ruler and military leader for the Arab caliph, invaded eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire, then Armenia and Georgia. fire and the sword he fought his way across Georgia from the east to the city of Tskhumi (now Sokhumi) in the region of Abkhazeti. The princes David and Constantine Mkheidze of Argveti were faithful Christians and skilled military leaders. When they heard about the enemy’s invasion, the brothers prayed to God for protection, assembled their armies, and urged their people to pray fervently for God’s help. Persian warriors approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked the Georgians on Persati Mountain. The Georgian army won the battle, with David and Constantine leading the resistance against the fearsome conquerors. before long the enraged Marwan the Deaf gathered an enormous army and marched toward Argveti to take revenge. This time the enemy routed the Georgian army. Many were killed and those who survived were forced to flee to the forests. The commanders David and Constantine were taken captive. Persian soldiers bound David and Constantine and brought them before Marwan the Deaf, who began to mock them. But they reacted with complete composure, saying, “Your laughter and boasting are in vain, since earthly glory is fleeting and soon fades away. It is not your valor that has captured us, but our own sins. For the atonement of these sins have we fallen into the hands of the godless enemy!” furious Marwan ordered that the brothers be beaten without mercy, but they steadfastly endured the suffering. Stunned by the brothers’ resolve, Marwan decided to win them over with flattery instead. Promising him great honors and command of the armies, he turned to the older brother, David, saying, “I have heard of your valor, and I advise you to abandon your erroneous faith and submit yourself to the faith of Muhammad!” David crossed himself and answered, “Let not this disgrace come upon us, that we would depart from the light and draw nearer to the darkness!” Then he condemned the error of the Islamic faith: “Muhammad converted you from the worship of fire, but he could not instill in you the knowledge of the True God. Therefore it appears as though you suffered a shipwreck and saved yourselves from the depths of the sea, but drowned in the shallow waters of the coast.” at this reply, Marwan turned to the younger brother, Constantine, hoping to win him over to his side. But Constantine was also unbending, and he fearlessly glorified the Most Holy Trinity: “My brother David and I believe and follow the one Faith and one doctrine in which we have been instructed. Our faith is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we will die for the sake of the One True God!” ordered that the brothers be starved to death. After they had suffered for ten days, Marwan sent sorcerers and charmers to arouse in them a desire to convert to Islam, but their efforts were in vain. Finally the holy brothers David and Constantine were led to the riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There they were brutally beaten and bound. Heavy rocks were hung from their necks, and they were drowned in the river. night three beams of light descended from the heavens and lit up the place where the brothers had been drowned. According to God’s holy will, the ropes binding the holy martyrs were loosed, and their bodies floated to the surface. A group of faithful Christians carried them out of the river and buried them on the bank of the Tsqaltsitela River, in a church that Marwan the Deaf had devastated. place of their burial remained concealed until the beginning of the 12th century, during the reign of King Bagrat the Great (1072-1117). Then, in fulfillment of King Bagrat’s decree, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Motsameta) was built over that place, and the incorrupt relics of the Great Martyrs are still preserved there. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Arabs, 740, Damascus Icon aka 3Hands, iconodule John oD slandered bIconoclast, MOG heals hand, Silver hand oHer Icon
Syria, 740 & 1237, Damascus Icon or 3Hands Icon, Syria, John oDamascus venerated icons, slandered by iconoclast Leo III Isaurian, Caliph cut off his hand, tMarketplace, asked for hand put it on joint prayed tMOG at her icon, hand had written Orthodoxy defense, saw MOG in dream promised quick healing, before this MOG bid him toil without fail with this hand, woke wHealed hand, in thankfulness put silver hand on Icon, 3hands Icon, wrote thanksgiving hymn All Creation Rejoices in You O Full oGrace, in Basil' Liturgy place It is Truly Meet, John oD monk at Sabbas, there gave icon, 1237 icon tSerbia aSava's Monastery, icon put on donkey during Turk invasion, donkey tSerbian Monastery Hilandar oAthos, MOG made Icon Hilandar Igumen by MOG; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Damascene Icon of the Mother of God, by ancient tradition, was painted by Saint John of Damascus gratitude to the Theotokos for the miraculous healing of his right hand, off through the perfidy of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. icon is also known as “Of the Three Hands” Icon of the Mother of God (June 28, and July 12). the ninth century in the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.” iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene received monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Hands” in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience.

Arabs, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf or Blind), Umayyad Caliph, Third M Civil War
Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf) invasion of Georgia; ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (691 -“ 6 August 750), also called Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until he was killed in 750. Much of his reign was dominated by the Third Muslim Civil War, and he was the last Umayyad ruler to rule the united Caliphate before the Abbasid Revolution toppled the Umayyad dynasty. A.H. 114 (732-“733) Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In A.H. 117 (735-“736) Marwan invaded Georgia, devastated it and then took three fortresses of the Alans and made peace with Tumanshah. In A.H. 121 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. In A.H. 126, on hearing news of the plot to overthrow al-Walid II, Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging this. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well-being of the Umayyad house. Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death, Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah. named his two sons Ubaydillah and Abdullah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran and Iraq. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together. took Emesa (Homs) after a bitter ten-month siege. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated the Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's centre and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell in fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then, reinforced, the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India. Khurasan there was internal discord with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervour and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan 747 (May 16-“June 14), they unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back. continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on November 9, 748 at the age of eighty-five. campaign in Egypt in 749 to quell the Bashmuric Revolt and secure his rear, but his campaign was a failure.[3] The Abbasids, meanwhile, achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-'Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Great Zab called Battle of the Zab. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt, where he was caught and killed on August 6, 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to modern Eritrea. Ubaydallah died in fighting there. death signalled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East, and was followed by the mass-killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the talented prince Abd ar-Rahman who escaped to Spain and founded an Umayyad dynasty there. In Egypt, Marian's tongue was fed to a cat.[4] Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Arabs, 750-1517, History Folder, Abbasid Caliphate, Sunni

Arabs, 750-1517, Abbasid Caliphate, first b in Baghdad, then took Fatmids 1171, Sunni, Revolution, Persian bureaucrats
Arab Caliphates, 750-1517, Abbasid, based in Baghdad, Shia ; The Abbasid Caliphate was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566-“653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name.[2] They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Sasanian capital city of Ctesiphon. Abbasid period was marked by reliance on Persian bureaucrats (notably the Barmakid family) for governing the territories as well as an increasing inclusion of non-Arab Muslims in the ummah (national community). customs were broadly adopted by the ruling elite, and they began patronage of artists and scholars.[3] became a center of science, culture, philosophy and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. this initial cooperation, the Abbasids of the late 8th century had alienated both non-Arab mawali (clients)[4] and Iranian bureaucrats.[5] were forced to cede authority over al-Andalus (Spain) to the Umayyads in 756, Morocco to the Idrisids in 788, Ifriqiya and Southern Italy to the Aghlabids in 800, Khorasan and Transoxiana to the Samanids and Persia to the Saffarids in the 870s, and Egypt to the Isma'ili-Shia caliphate of the Fatimids in 969. political power of the caliphs was limited with the rise of the Iranian Buyids and the Seljuq Turks, who captured Baghdad in 945 and 1055, respectively. Abbasid leadership over the vast Islamic empire was gradually reduced to a ceremonial religious function in much of the Caliphate, the dynasty retained control over its Mesopotamian domain. Abbasids' period of cultural fruition and its (reduced) territorial control ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan and the execution of Al-Musta'sim. Abbasid line of rulers, and Muslim culture in general, re-centred themselves in the Mamluk capital of Cairo in 1261. lacking in political power (with the brief exception of Caliph Al-Musta'in of Cairo), the dynasty continued to claim religious authority until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.[6] Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Arabs, 750-799, 8th Century History Folder, Abbasids in Baghdad

Arabs, 749-810s, Khuzayma ibn Khazim, Dzhidzhum-Asim, Abbasid military leader, great influence role to power
Arabs, 749-810s, Abbasid military leader, Khuzayma ibn Khazim, Dzhidzhum-Asim ; ibn Khazim ibn Khuzayma al-Tamimi (died 818/9) was a powerful grandee in the early Abbasid Caliphate. The son of the distinguished military leader Khazim ibn Khuzayma, he inherited a position of privilege and power, and served early on in high state offices. was crucial in securing the accession of Harun al-Rashid in 786, and was an influential figure throughout his reign. During the civil war of 811-“813 he sided with al-Amin, but finally defected to the camp of al-Amin's brother al-Ma'mun and played a decisive role in ending the year-long siege of Baghdad in a victory for al-Ma'mun's forces. was the son of Khazim ibn Khuzayma, a Khurasani Arab who became an early follower of the Abbasids and played an instrumental role in their rise to power both during and after the Abbasid Revolution. Through Khazim, the family achieved a prominent place among the Khurasaniyya, the Khurasani soldiers who had come west during the Revolution and formed the main power-base of the early Abbasid regime.[1] In his youth, Khuzayma participated in the Revolution alongside his father, and according to al-Dinawari was named governor of Tabaristan in 760.[2] After Khazim's death (the date is unknown, but sometime after 765[3]), his position and influence were mostly inherited by Khuzayma.[4] Khuzayma served as sahib al-shurta (chief of police) of Baghdad under Caliph al-Mahdi (r. 775-“785).[5] power was shown in 786, at the death of al-Hadi (r. 785-“786), when he was instrumental in securing the accession of al-Hadi's younger brother Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-“809) against the claims of al-Hadi's son Ja'far. At the time of his sudden death on 14 September, al-Hadi was planning to remove Harun from the succession in favour of Ja'far, but he had not yet done so. Thus, on the night when al-Hadi died, Harun's supporters hastened to acclaim him as Caliph, while others gave the oath of allegiance to Ja'far. Although Khuzayma had been a staunch supporter of al-Hadi, the Caliph's decision to strip his brother Abdallah from the post of sahib al-shurta probably alienated him. Khuzayma reportedly gathered and armed 5,000 of his own followers, dragged the young prince from his bed and forced him to publicly renounce his claims in favour of Harun.[3][6][7] Khuzayma and his brother Abdallah enjoyed great influence and occupied senior provincial governorships under Harun; Khuzayma's wealth was such that he built a magnificent palace in Baghdad.[3] Khuzayma served as governor of Basra,[2] as well as twice as governor (ostikan) of Arminiya (a large province encompassing the whole of Transcaucasia) the first time for 14 months in 786-“787, and again for an unknown period of time around 804. According to Arab sources, his first tenure was distinguished for his sound government, but according to Armenian sources he launched repeated and bloody persecutions of the semi-autonomous local princes in both Armenia and Iberia, executing many of their number (among them Archil of Kakheti).[8] After the 799 Khazar invasion of Arminiya, Khuzayma and Yazid ibn Mazyad were tasked with confronting the Khazars. Yazid led the troops against the Khazar invaders, while Khuzayma remained in reserve near Nisibis.[9] In 808, when Harun journeyed east to deal with the revolt of Rafi ibn al-Layth in Khurasan, Khuzayma was appointed as the guardian and tutor over Harun's third son, al-Qasim, who was governor of the frontier zone with the Byzantine Empire.[10][11] Towards the end of Harun's reign, he also served as the Caliph's shahib al-shurta.[2] the death of Harun and the rise to the throne of al-Amin (r. 809–813), Khuzayma was appointed as Qasim's deputy for the Jazira, and in 810, when Qasim was recalled to Baghdad and placed under virtual house arrest, Khuzayma succeeded him as governor of both the Jazira and the Byzantine frontier.[12] In the period leading up to the civil war between al-Amin and his half-brother al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833), at the time heir-apparent and governor of Khurasan, Khuzayma was among those who advised al-Amin to avoid openly breaking relations with al-Ma'mun by removing him from the line of succession.[2][13] By this time, Khuzayma was in very advanced age and almost blind. Like most of the Khurasaniyya and the traditional Abbasid elites, he and his brothers initially supported al-Amin, who was based at Baghdad, against al-Ma'mun, who was based in Khurasan. After the victories of al-Ma'mun's troops, however, Baghdad itself came under a year-long siege. As the siege progressed, the elites' support for al-Amin began to waver, and in September 813, Khuzayma was contacted by al-Ma'mun's general, Tahir ibn Husayn. The talks bore fruit, and on the night of 21 September, Khuzayma's servants cut the main bridge over the Tigris linking the eastern and western quarters of Baghdad. The eastern part surrendered the very next day, while Tahir's troops stormed and captured most of the western city, resulting in al-Amin's flight, capture and execution by Tahir's men.[14][15] Khuzayma remained an important personage and was involved in the tumultuous politics of Baghdad during the next few years, being one of the leaders of the uprising of Baghdad against al-Ma'mun's governor, al-Hasan ibn Sahl, in 816.[2][16] He died in 818/9.[17] After his death, and with the end of the civil war and the rise of new elites under al-Ma'mun, his family, like most of the Khurasaniyya, lost its previous power.[3] Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 Holy Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia belonged to the dynasty of the Chosroidoi, and he was a direct descendant of the holy emperor Saint Mirian (+ 342). the reign of Archil II, Georgia was subjected to a devastating invasion by Murvana-Kru (“the Wildâ€), so called by the Georgian people for his inexorable cruelty. The position of the Georgian people was desperate, and the emperor Archil II, together with his brother Myro, the ruler of Western Georgia, tearfully implored the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and She showed forth Her mercy. a battle by the Rivers Abasha and Tskhenis-Tskhali the Georgian forces miraculously gained the victory over the significantly superior forces of Murvana-Kru. this victory the emperor Archil II was occupied with the restoration of the Georgian kingdom. He rebuilt the city of Nukhpatis, rebuilt ruined churches in Mtskheta and furthered the acceptance of Christianity by many of the mountain tribes. But soon Georgia suffered a new Arab invasion with the sudden appearance of Dzhidzhum-Asim (Jijum-Asim). Having paid a tribute to the Arabs, the emperor did not expect this invasion. In order to deliver the land from new devastation and avert the intrusion of Islam upon it, he deemed it beneficial to go himself to Dzhizhum-Asim, and subject formerly independent Georgia to the Arabs, and ask for peace. Placing all his hope on the mercy of God and ready to offer up his soul for his holy Faith and for his nation, Saint Archil went to the camp of the Arabs. Dzhidzhum-Asim received him hospitably and promised his suzerainty, but insisted on acceptance of Mohammedanism. As the “Georgian Chronicleâ€ relates, the holy emperor Archil calmly said, “It will not be, that I should forsake Christ, the True God, Who for our salvation took upon Himself human flesh. I know, if I obey you, then I shall die a spiritual death and shall suffer eternally. If for my firmness you put me to death, I shall then rise as did my Lord, and I shall go to Himâ€. these words, Dzhidzhum-Asim gave orders to seize the confessor and take him off to prison. But neither tortures nor promises could make the eighty-year-old emperor Archil apostasize. March 20, 744 the holy emperor Archil was beheaded. The body of the martyr was secretly taken by Georgian Christians to the locale Ertso and buried in Kakhetia, in the Notkor church built by the holy emperor himself.

Arabs, 750-754, As-Saffah, Abbasid Caliph, first A caliph, ruthless, long rule
Abbasid Caliph, 750-754, As-Saffah; -10 June 754) was the first caliph of the Abbasid caliphate, one of the longest and most important caliphates (Islamic dynasties) in Islamic history. (Due to different methods of romanising Arabic names, the spellings As-Saffah and Al-Saffah may both be found.) meaning "the Blood-Shedder" for his ruthless tactics and perhaps also to instill fear in his enemies. St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 754-775, Al-Mansur, Abbasid Caliph, real founder of the caliphate, Bagdad founder
Abbasid Caliph, 754-775, Al-Mansur; or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur (95AH – 158 AH (714 AD – 6 October 775 AD) was the second Abbasid Caliph reigning from 136 AH to 158 AH (754 AD – 775 AD) and succeeding Abu al-'Abbas as-Saffah. is generally regarded as the real founder of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the largest polities in world history, for his role in stabilizing and institutionalizing the dynasty.[1]:265 He is also known for founding the 'round city' of Madinat al-Salam which was to become the core of imperial Baghdad.[1]:270 St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 766-781, Abo tPerfumer, Bagdad, tTbilisi, amazed aPiety, baptized, tAbkhazeti, tTiblisi, Martyred wJoy, divine lght
Georgia, 766-781, Abo the Perfumer, Bagdad, to Tbilisi, amazed at piety, baptized, to Abkhazeti, to Tiblisi, Martyred w joy, Saracen's tyrannized Kartli, 1st step tGeorgia, tUproot Faith, 766 uprising iKakheti, 772 Kartli Governor Duke Nerse summoned tBagdad, 3yr captivity, met 17yr old Abo, both back tGeorgia, Abo liked piety Georgian people, attended services, talked tPriests, baptized iKhazaria accompanied bNerse, tAbkhazeti tEscape Saracen raids, entire population praised Jesus wOne heart, Nerse btKartli, Abkhaz King requested Abo stay tEscape torture, Soon Abo requests go declare faith tThose hate Christ, Abo preaches 3yrs iTiblisi, then hCountrymen captured him, but released bDuke, New emir, plotted caputre, Christians begged him conceal identity, Abo rejoiced, prepared torture &Death, captured, Judge tries return him tMoslem faith, cast prison, suffering fills Abo greater love, gave clothes, prepared death as though for feast, arms crossed joyfully bowed head beneath sword, swung 3times, not frightened, beheaded, defeated ashamed Executioners burned body garments earth blood in sack near Metekhi Cliff, put ashes in sheepskin, cast into river, that night shining star hung over river light reflecting where his remains rested, Later Abo's chapel built there; Tbilisi; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; the 8th century a Saracen army tyrannized Kartli as a first step towards overturning the Georgian nation. invaders were certain that the best way to conquer Georgia was to uproot the Christian Faith. Georgian people were alarmed, and the clergy and the best sons of Kartli sought desperately for a resolution to this calamity. blood was shed in 766 when the Muslim invaders crushed an uprising in the eastern region of Kakheti. 772, Caliph Al Mansur (754-775), dissatisfied with the provincial governor of Kartli, Duke Nerse, summoned him to Baghdad. spent the following three years in captivity. that time he became acquainted with a seventeen-year-old perfumer named Abo, when he was released he brought Abo back with him to Georgia. was amazed at the great piety of the Georgian people, and he began to learn the Georgian language, attend the divine services, and speak with local priests. sought with all his heart to become a Christian, and he was eventually baptized in Khazaria, while in the company of Duke Nerse. Abo accompanied the duke to Abkhazeti, to escape the Saracen raids. an entire population of Christians praising Jesus Christ with one heart and mouth, Abo gave great thanks to God for the opportunity to visit this area. later returned to Kartli, but Abo remained at the request of the Abkhaz king, who feared that the Saracens would torture Abo for his devout faith in Christ. however, Abo became restless and told the king, “Let me go, and I will freely declare my Christian Faith to those who hate Christ!” labored in Tbilisi for three years, preaching the Christian Faith. Then his own former countrymen betrayed and captured him, but he was released soon after at the request of the duke Stepanoz. new emir was appointed to rule in Tbilisi, and when the Christians heard that he was plotting to capture Abo, they begged him to conceal his identity. Abo simply rejoiced and told them, “I am prepared not only to be tortured for Christ, but to die for His sake as well.” predicted, the emir’s servants captured Abo and brought him before a judge. judge tried in vain to entice Abo to return to the faith of his ancestors. in a rage, he ordered that Abo be cast into prison and that his hands and feet be fettered in chains. his suffering for Christ filled the blessed Abo with even greater love, he asked his Christian brothers and sisters to sell his clothes and use the money earned to buy candles and incense for local churches. the day of his execution Abo washed his face, anointed it with holy oil, partook of the Holy Gifts, and prepared for his death as though preparing for a feast. “Weep not, but rejoice, for I am going to my Lord. Pray for me, and may the peace of God protect you,” he cheerfully told the faithful Christians who surrounded him in his last hours. his time had come, Saint Abo placed his arms on his breast in the form of a cross and joyously bowed his head beneath the sword. executioners swung their swords three times in hopes of frightening Abo into denying Christ, but the blessed Abo stood unyielding until his last breath. convinced that all their efforts and cunning were in vain, the executioners were given a sign and they beheaded the holy Abo. and ashamed, Abo’s godless executioners tossed his body, his garments, and the earth that had been soaked with his blood into a sack, dragged it outside the city, and burned it near the Mtkvari River. they wrapped his ashes in sheepskin and cast them into the river. the evening a sign was given from above. to the Metekhi Cliff, by the bridge, a shining star hung over the river with its bright light reflecting in the water where the remains of the saint rested. a chapel was built in honor of Saint Abo on the left bank of the Mtkvari.

Arabs, 775-785, Al-Mahdi, Abbasid Caliph, by future standards, a model of order and decorum, rightly guided
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 775-785, Al-Mahdi; Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Mansur ( 744 or 745 -785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdi ("He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his father, al-Mansur. father, Al-Mansur, died on the hajj to Mecca in 775. The throne then passed to Al-Mansur's chosen successor, his son Al-Mahdi. According to Marozzi, "[it] was, by the standards of the future, blood-soaked successions of the Abbasid caliphate, a model of order and decorum."[5] whose nickname means "Rightly-guided" or "Redeemer", was proclaimed caliph when his father was on his deathbed. His peaceful reign continued the policies of his predecessors. with the Alids in the Caliphate occurred under al-Mahdi's reign. The powerful Barmakid family, which had advised the Caliphs since the days of Abu al's as viziers, gained even greater powers under al-Mahdi's rule, and worked closely with the caliph to ensure the prosperity of the Abbasid state. of Al-Mahdi, 166 AH, Kirman, silver 2.95 g. reigned for ten years. He imprisoned his most trusted vizier Ya'qub ibn Dawud. In the year 167 AH/ 783 AD, al-Mahdi instituted an official inquisition which led to the execution of alleged Zindiq (heretics). He was fond of music and poetry and during his caliphate many musicians and poets received his patronage and he supported musical expression and poetry across his dominion; accordingly, his son Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi (779-“839) and his daughter ˜Ulayya bint al-Mahdi (777-825) were both noted poets and musicians.[6] 775, a Byzantine envoy, Tarath, travelled to Baghdad to convey the congratulations of the Byzantine emperor to Al-Mahdi on his accession to the throne. Tarath was so pleased with the hospitality he received that he offered to put his engineering knowledge to use and build a mill that would generate annual profits, of 500,000 dirhams, equal to the cost of its construction. On completion, the envoy's forecast proved to be correct, and so, delighted, Al-Mahdi ordered that all profits should be given to the envoy, even after he left Baghdad. It is believed this continued to his death, in 780.[7] 777 AD (160 AH) he put down the insurrection of Yusuf ibn Ibrahim in Khurasan. In the same year al-Mahdi deposed Isa ibn Musa as his successor and appointed his own son Musa al-Hadi in his place and took allegiance (bayah) for him from the nobles. In 778 AD (161 AH), he subdued the rebellion of Abdullah ibn Marwan ibn Muhammad, who was leading the Umayyad remnant in Syria. was poisoned by one of his concubines in 785 AD (169 AH). Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30;

Arabs, 784, Theophilus the New, Senator&Commander from Constantinople, captive by Arabs, imprisoned&beheaded on Cyprus Island
Cyprus; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Holy Martyr Theophilus the New was born and raised in Constantinople. was a commander of the Greek armies and a senator. a time of war with enemies of the Byzantine Empire, Saint Theophilus was taken captive. Arabs demanded he renounce Christ, but he remained faithful to Orthodoxy. Theophilus was imprisoned on Cyprus, where he spent four years, which he was beheaded in the year 784.

Arabs, 785-786, Al-Hadi, Abbasid Caliph, internal chaos, power struggles with mother
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi; Muhammad Musa ibn Mahdi al-Hadi ( 6 April 764 CE – 14 September 786 CE)[1] the fourth Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father Al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 AD) until his death in 170 AH (786 AD). short reign ended with internal chaos and power struggles with his mother.[2] Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29;

Arabs, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph, Shia, Bagdad library, knowledge, Golden Age peak
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; al-Rashid ( "Aaron the Orthodox" or "Aaron the Rightly-Guided", 17 March 763 or February 766-“ 24 March 809 (148-“193 Hijri)[1] was the fifth Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided". ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in Baghdad in present-day Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.[2] his rule, the family of Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.[3] of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself.[4] Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious. of the Twelver sect of Shia Muslims blame Harun for his supposed role in the murder of their 7th Imam (Musa ibn Ja'far). New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Arabs, 788-854, King Constantine of Khandzta, commander wSon vs 853-4 Burga tTurk invasion capture, tSamarra, body on pillar
Georgia, 788-854, Prince Constantine of Khandzta and Kartli, King of Georgia, Arab Muslims Kartli havoc, forced conversions fire sword, many tempted, from Kakhi, Jerusalem pilgrimage distributed gifts, jordan wilderness, holy fathers blessings, inner joy, returned, 30k silver pieces per yr, 853-4 Burga tTurk invasion, 85yr old C commanded army w son Tarkhuj, both captive outside Gori, tSamarra, beheaded, body on pillar, buried, translated back to Georgia, sainthood; Georgia, Arab Military Slave, 819-845, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; 9th century was one of the most difficult periods in Georgian history. Arab Muslims wreaked havoc throughout the region of Kartli, forcibly converting many to Islam with fire and the sword. of the destitute and frightened were tempted to betray the Faith of their fathers. that time the valorous aristocrat and faithful Christian, Prince Constantine, was living in Kartli. was the descendant of Kakhetian princes, hence his title “Kakhi.” is meet for a Christian believer, Saint Constantine considered himself the greatest of sinners and often said, “There can be no forgiveness of my sins, except through the spilling of my blood for the sake of Him Who shed His innocent blood for us!” on a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem, Constantine distributed generous gifts to the churches, visited the wilderness of the Jordan, received blessings from the holy fathers, and returned to his motherland filled with inner joy. After that time Constantine would send thirty thousand pieces of silver to Jerusalem each year. the years 853 to 854, when the Arab Muslims invaded Georgia under the command of Buga-Turk, the eighty-five-year-old Prince Constantine commanded the army of Kartli with his son Tarkhuj. the city of Gori an uneven battle took place between the Arabs and the Georgians. Despite their fierce resistance, the Georgians suffered defeat, and Constantine and Tarkhuj were taken captive. captive Constantine-Kakhi was sent to Samarra (a city in central Iraq) the caliph Ja’far al Mutawakkil (847-861). ’far was well aware of the enormous respect Constantine-Kakhi received from the Georgians and all the Christian people who knew him. received him with honor, he proposed that Constantine renounce the Christian Faith and threatened him with death in the case of his refusal. by divine grace, the courageous prince fearlessly answered, “Your sword does not frighten me. am afraid of Him Who can destroy my soul and body and Who has the power to resurrect and to kill, for He is the true God, the almighty Sovereign, Ruler of the world, and Father unto all ages!” enraged caliph ordered the beheading of Saint Constantine-Kakhi. on his knees, the holy martyr lifted up a final prayer to the Lord. Saint Constantine-Kakhi was martyred on November 10, 852, the day on which Great-martyr George is commemorated. holy martyr’s body was hung from a high pillar to intimidate the Christian believers, but after some time it was buried. few years later a group of faithful Georgians translated Saint Constantine’s holy relics to his motherland and reburied them there with great honor. In that same century the Georgian Orthodox Church numbered Prince Constantine-Kakhi of Kartli among the saints.

Arabs, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery, Haragenes seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion, beheaded
Armenia, 790, Michael, Abbot iArmenia + 36, Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia, Haragenes (Saracens) seized monastery, M and 36 resisted conversion, beheaded; Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia; Martyr Michael, Abbot in Armenia, and 36 Fathers with him, Commemorated on October 1; Monastic Martyr Michael was the Igoumen of Zobē Monastery (Μονή Ζώβη), near Sebastopol in Armenia. he labored in asceticism with thirty-six other monks at the end of the VIII century, the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI and his mother Empress Irene. the land was invaded by the Hagarenes (Saracens). Alim seized the Monastery and tried to persuade the monks to to deny Christ and convert to Mohammedanism. However, strengthened from above, the Holy Fathers paid no attention to the words of the infidels. in the midst of his monks, Saint Michael encouraged them to face death courageously for the sake of Christ. the monks were beheaded with swords, and then Saint Michael was tortured and beheaded. Thus, they all received crowns of glory from Christ around the year 790.

Arabs, 800-899, 9th Century History Folder, Abbasid Anarchy, Shia Sunni battles

Arabs, 809-813, Al-Amin, Abbasid Caliph, pure Persian, Barmakids d, abna central power, taxes, Civil War
Arabs, 809-813, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Amin; Musa Muhammad ibn Harun al-Rashid (April 787 - 24/25 September 813), better known by his regnal name of al-Amin, was the sixth Abbasid Caliph. He succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid, in 809 and ruled until he was deposed and killed in 813, during the civil war by his half-brother, al-Ma'mun. life and the issue of succession[edit] the future al-Amin, was born in April 787 to the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809) and Zubayda, herself descended from the second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur (r. 754–775). [1] had an elder half-brother, Abdallah, the future al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833), who had been born in September 786. However, Abdallah's mother was a Persian slave concubine, and his pure Abbasid lineage gave Muhammad seniority over his half-brother.[1][2] Indeed, he was the only Abbasid caliph to claim such descent.[2] Already in 792, Harun had Muhammad receive the oath of allegiance (bay'ah) with the name of al-AmÄ«n ("The Trustworthy"), effectively marking him out as his main heir, while Abdallah was not named second heir, under the name al-MaÊ¾mÅ«n ("The Trusted One") until 799.[1][2] brothers were assigned members of the powerful Barmakid family as tutors: al-Amin's tutor was al-Fadl ibn Yahya, while al-Ma'mun's was Ja'far ibn Yahya.[2][3] coinage, naming al-Amin as governor of Khurasan, c. 796–801 arrangements were confirmed and publicly proclaimed in 802, when Harun and the most powerful officials of the Abbasid government made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Al-Amin would succeed Harun in Baghdad, but al-Mamun would remain al-Amin's heir and would additionally rule over an enlarged Khurasan.[1][2] was an appointment of particular significance, as Khurasan had been the starting-point of the Abbasid Revolution which brought the Abbasids to power, and retained a privileged position among the Caliphate's provinces. the Abbasid dynasty relied heavily on Khurasanis as military leaders and administrators. Many of the original Khurasani Arab army (Khurasaniyya) that came west with the Abbasids were given estates in Iraq and the new Abbasid capital, Baghdad, and became an elite group known as the abna al dawla (ons of the state/dynasty").[4][5] large-scale presence of an Iranian element in the highest circles of the Abbasid state, with the Barmakid family as its most notable representatives, was certainly a factor in the appointment of al-Mamun, linked through his mother with the eastern Iranian provinces, as heir and governor of Khurasan.[6] stipulations of the agreement, which were recorded in detail by the historian al-Tabari, accorded al-Mamun's Khurasani viceroyalty extensive autonomy. However, modern historians consider that these accounts may have been distorted by later apologists of al-Mamun in the latter's favour.[7] third heir, al-Mutamin, received responsibility over the frontier areas with the Byzantine Empire in Upper Mesopotamia and Syria.[2][3] complex arrangements, sealed with mutual judicial and religious oaths, clearly demonstrate that Harun was conscious of their precariousness, in view of the profound differences between al-Amin and al-Mamun, both in character and in interests.[1] quickly, this latent rivalry had important repercussions: almost immediately after the court returned to Baghdad in January 803, the Abbasid elites were shaken by the abrupt fall of the Barmakid family from power. On the one hand, this event may reflect the fact that the Barmakids had become indeed too powerful for the Caliph's liking, but its timing suggests that it was tied to the succession issue as well: with al-Amin siding with the abna and al-Mamun with the Barmakids, and the two camps becoming more estranged every day, if al-Amin was to have a chance to succeed, the power of the Barmakids had to be broken.[2][8][9] Indeed, the years after the fall of the Barmakids saw an increasing centralization of the administration and the concomitant rise of the influence of the abna, many of whom were now dispatched to take up positions as provincial governors and bring these provinces under closer control from Baghdad.[9] This led to unrest in the provinces, especially Khurasan, where local elites had a long-standing rivalry with the abna and their tendency to control of the province (and its revenues) from Iraq.[10] The harsh taxation imposed by a prominent member of the abna, Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan, even led to a revolt under Rafi ibn al-Layth, which eventually forced Harun himself, accompanied by al-Mamun and the powerful chamberlain (hajib) and chief minister al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi, to travel to the province in 808. Al-Mamun was sent ahead with part of the army to Marv, while Harun stayed at Tus, where he died on 24 March 809.[2][9][11] article: Fourth Fitna towards al-Mamun[edit] had distrusted al-Amin before their father's death and convinced Harun to take him with him on Harun's last journey east. Although Harun had instructed the Baghdad commanders of this expedition to remain with al-Mamun, after Harun's death they returned to Baghdad. Al-Amin sought to turn al-Mamun's financial agent in Rayy against al-Mamun and he ordered al-Mamun to acknowledge al-Amin's son Musa as heir and return to Baghdad. Al-Mamun replaced his agent in Rayy and refused the orders. His mother was Persian and he had strong support in Iran. brothers had different mothers. Al-Amin was prompted to move against al-Mamun by meddlesome ministers, especially al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi'. He had Harun's succession documents brought from Mecca to Baghdad, where he destroyed them. Then, he sent agents east to stir opposition to al-Mamun. However, a careful watch at the frontier denied them the opportunity. Al-Amin denied al-Mamun's request for his family and money and kept them in Baghdad. March 811 Al-Amin dispatched an army under Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan against Al-Mamun. Ali advanced on Rayy. Mamun's capable general Tahir bin Husain met and defeated Ali, who was killed. rebellions[edit] faced unrest in Syria. He sent Abd al-Malik ibn Salih to restore order there. There was fierce fighting and Abd al-Malik died. Al-Amin sent Ahmad ibn Mazyad and Abdallah ibn Humayd east, each with an army (al-Tabari v. 31 p. 100 says each had 20,000 men). However, Tahir's agents sowed discord and these two armies fought against each other. faced an uprising in Baghdad led by Ali ibn Isa's son Husayn. This was quelled and Husayn was killed. took Ahwaz and gained control of Bahrayn and parts of Arabia. Basra and Kufa swore allegiance to al-Mamun. Tahir advanced on Baghdad and defeated a force sent against him. Mecca, Dawud ibn Isa reminded worshippers that al-Amin had destroyed Harun ar Rashid's succession pledges and led them in swearing allegiance to al-Mamun. Dawud then went to Marv and presented himself to al-Mamun. Al-Ma'mun confirmed Dawud in his governorship of Mecca and Medina. relationships, death and succession[edit] article: Siege of Baghdad (812–813) is recorded as having two wives, Arib bint al-Ma'muniyyah, and LubÄna bint ‘Alī ibn al-MahdÄ« (who was noted for her exceptional beauty).[12] However, Al-Amin died before the consummation of his marriage to Lubanah; her attested poetry includes a lament for his death: 'Oh hero lying dead in the open, betrayed by his commanders and guards. I cry over you not for the loss of my comfort and companionship, but for your spear, your horse and your dreams. I cry over my lord who widowed me before our wedding night'.[13] 812, Tahir advanced and set up camp near Baghdad's Anbar Gate and besieged the city. The effects of this siege were made more intense by the rampaging prisoners who broke out of jail. There were several vicious battles, such as at al-Amin's palace of Qasr Halih, at Darb al- Hijarah and the al-Shammasiyyah Gate. In that last one Tahir led reinforcements to regain positions lost by another officer. Overall the situation was worsening for al-Amin and he became depressed. Tahir pushed into the city, al-Amin sought to negotiate safe passage out. Tahir reluctantly agreed on the condition al-Amin turn over his sceptre, seal and other symbols of office. Al-Amin tried to leave on a boat, apparently with these symbols, rejecting warnings to wait. However, Tahir noticed the boat, and Al-Amin was thrown into the water, swam to shore, was captured and then brought to a room, where he was executed. His head was placed on the Anbar Gate. Al-Tabari (v. 31 pp. 197–202) quotes Tahir's letter to al-Mamun informing him of al-Amin's capture and execution and the state of peace resulting in Baghdad. had appealed to his mother to arbitrate the succession after his death and champion his cause and lineage as Aisha had done two centuries before. Zubaida, however, refused to do so. As al-Ma'mun refused to acknowledge Al-Amin's son Musa as heir, the throne went to al-Mamun. Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; al-Rashid ( "Aaron the Orthodox" or "Aaron the Rightly-Guided", 17 March 763 or February 766-“ 24 March 809 (148-“193 Hijri)[1] was the fifth Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided". ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in Baghdad in present-day Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.[2] his rule, the family of Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.[3] of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself.[4] Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious. of the Twelver sect of Shia Muslims blame Harun for his supposed role in the murder of their 7th Imam (Musa ibn Ja'far). Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Arabs, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun, Abbasid Caliph, of concubine, educated, algebra, Mutazilism, r persecution, Byz war
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; al-Abbas Abdallah ibn Harun al-Rashid (14 September 786 - 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun, was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. He succeeded his half-brother al-Amin after a civil war, during which the cohesion of the Abbasid Caliphate was weakened by rebellions and the rise of local strongmen; of his domestic reign was consumed in pacification campaigns. educated and with a considerable interest in scholarship, al-Ma'mun promoted the Translation Movement, the flowering of learning and the sciences in Baghdad, and the publishing of al-Khwarizmi's book now known as "Algebra". is also known for supporting the doctrine of Mutazilism and for imprisoning Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the rise of religious persecution (mihna), and for the resumption of large-scale warfare with the Byzantine Empire. 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Arabs, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Queen Seida, King al-Mamun, no adultry, poison fails, Relics Plllar oFire
Jerusalem, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Lavra of St Sav, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, From Edessa, distributed inheritance, tJerusalem under Moslem Rule, tSabbas, kin Theodore, reed baskets, tJMarketplace, Queen Seida wants him, King al-Mamun, M rejects adultery, accused insulting Queen&enemy oIslam, debate wKing, Mohammad neither apostle of Jesus nor prophet, he a deceiver&antichrist forerunner, send me to my monastery, be baptized&reign forever, or send me to Christ tMartyrdom, sign oCross, deadly poison failed tHarm, decapitated, Theodore notified bLord, fight over relics, King decided go to Sabbas, Pillar oFire wRelics to Lavra, buried wMartyrs, many miracles, 12th century Daniel tTraveler sees relics; Edessa, Syria; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Michael lived in the ninth century, and was from the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia, the son of Christian parents. After their death he distributed his inheritance to the poor, then went to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Places. The Holy Land at that time was under Moslem rule. remained in Palestine and settled in the Lavra of Saint Savva, he became the disciple of his relative, Saint Theodore of Edessa (July 9), who spent his time both in the monastery and living as an anchorite in the Judean desert. Theodore accepted him and tonsured him right away. The two made baskets of reeds together in order to support themselves. Saint Michael would take the baskets to the marketplace in Jerusalem in order to sell them. day while at the marketplace, the eunuch of the Muslim Queen Seida, seeing that the baskets were both fine and well-made, took him along to the Queen, who was visiting the city with her husband King al-Ma’mun (813-833). handsome monk aroused the desire of the Queen, who tried to lead him into the sin of adultery, but he did not accept her suggestions. enraged Seida told her husband to have the monk beaten with rods because he had insulted her, and accused him of being an enemy of Islam. was a debate about which faith is the true one, Christianity or Islam, and the king said, “Do as I tell you, and confess that Mohammed is a prophet and an apostle of Christ, then I will adopt you as my son.” Michael said, “Mohammad is neither an apostle nor a prophet, but a deceiver and the forerunner of the antichrist. send me back to my Elder at the monastery, or be baptized into our Christian faith and reign forever in the heavens, or send me to Christ through martyrdom.” king gave the Saint a cup with deadly poison to drink. Michael made the Sign of the Cross over the cup, and he drank it, but he remained unharmed, according to the promise of the Lord (Mark16:18). this the king ordered that he be decapitated. monks of the Lavra of Saint Savva wanted to take the Saint’s relics to their Lavra, but the Christians of Jerusalem would not permit this. They said that since he was martyred in Jerusalem, his relics ought to remain monks of the Lavra disagreed with them, saying that he was nurtured in the Lavra and so he should be buried there. There was such a heated argument that the king decided that the relics would go to the Lavra. the same day that Saint Michael was put to death, the Lord revealed this to Saint Theodore. informing the brethren, he sent some monks to bring the relics to the Lavra. the relics were carried to the Lavra, there was a pillar of fire from Heaven accompanying the relics, and it remained until they reached the Lavra. Theodore and the monks came out to meet the procession with lit candles, and singing hymns. holy relics were buried with the other holy Fathers who had endured martyrdom. miracles took place before the relics of Saint Michael, as a sign that he had found favor with God. the beginning of the twelfth century the relics of Saint Michael were seen by Daniel, the Igoumen of the Kiev Caves Monastery, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Michael is commemorated twice during the year: on May 23 (his repose) and July 29 (the transfer of his relics).

Arabs, 813-840, Theodore tBranded, fJeruslem then Sabbas wBro Theophanes, won debate wLeo, iconodule, tortured&exiled 3times
Jerusalem, 813-840, Theodore Graptus, the Branded, fJeruslem then Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, Chrisstian parents, shunned ammusements, attended church, sent wYounger bro Theophanes to Sabbas &Pious Priest fEducation, became monk&priest, Iconoclast emperor Leo V expelled Michael I, brothers sent tConstantinople by Jerusalem Patriarch tDefend icons, theo won debate wLeo, Leo ordered bros beaten&exiled, forbidding help, returned from exile bIconoclast Michael II & Iconodule Theolophilius, , returned, faces branded because would not communion wIconoclasts & exiled again tApamea, Bithynia, Theodore died there 840, bro became bishop Nicea&Author defending Orthodoxy, many healings Theodore's relics in Constantinople; Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Theodore the Confessor, and his brother Theophanes (October 11) born in Jerusalem of Christian parents. early childhood Theodore shunned childish amusements and loved to attend church services. his younger brother Theophanes (October 11), he was sent to the Lavra of Saint Savva to be educated by a pious priest. brothers became monks, and Saint Theodore was ordained to the holy priesthood. iconoclast emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) expelled and replaced the pious ruler Michael I Rhangabe (811-813). the beginning, Leo concealed his heretical views, but later declared himself an iconoclast. Patriarch of Jerusalem sent the two brothers to Constantinople to defend the holy icons. refuted Leo’s arguments, proving the falseness of his beliefs. ordered that both brothers be beaten mercilessly, and then had them sent into exile, forbidding anyone to help them in any way. the subsequent emperors, Michael II (820-829), and particularly under the iconoclast Theophilus (829-842), both brothers returned from exile. they were urged to accept iconoclasm, but they bravely endured all the tortures. They were sent into exile once more, but later returned. time they were subjected to fierce torture, finally, their faces were branded with the verses of a poem which mocked the holy confessors. Therefore, the brothers were called “the Branded.” city prefect asked Saint Theodore to take communion with the iconoclasts just once, promising him freedom if he did. the holy martyr replied, “Your proposal is the same as saying: ‘Let me cut off your head once, and then you may go wherever you wish.’” torture the holy brothers were banished to Apamea in Bithynia, where Saint Theodore died around the year 840. Theophanes survived until the end of the iconoclast heresy, and died as Bishop of Nicea. Theophanes was author of many writings in defense of Orthodoxy. relics of Saint Theodore were transferred to Chalcedon, where they worked many healings.

Arabs, 819-861, Bugha the Turk, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, Subdued Great Armenia and Georgia, selected al-Musta'in
Messopotamia, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, 819-861, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; al-Kabir (Bugha the Greater/Elder), also known as Bugha al-Turki (Bugha the Turk), was a 9th-century Turkic general who served the Abbasid Caliphate. was of Turkic origin, and was acquired along with his sons as a military slave (ghulam) by al-Mu'tasim in 819/820.[1] He is first mentioned in 825, and then again in 835, when he led reinforcements in the fight against the Khurramite rebels of Babak Khorramdin. Bugha also participated in Mu'tasim's Amorium campaign in 838, where he led the rearguard, and later served as the Caliph's chamberlain.[2] In 844/845, he suppressed a revolt of the Bedouin tribes of central Arabia.[3] he played an important role in crushing the Armenian revolt of 850–855: in 852 he was entrusted by the Caliph al-Mutawakkil with its suppression. Setting out from his base at Diyar Bakr, he first focused on the southern half of Armenia, i.e. the regions of Vaspurakan and Lake Van, before moving north to Dvin, Iberia and Albania. During these campaigns, he also defeated the renegade Emir of Tiflis, Ishaq ibn Isma'il, and sacked and burned Tiflis. By the end of 853, he had subdued the country and made many Caucasian magn ates and princes (the eristavi and nakharar) captive, including Grigor-Derenik Artsruni, his uncle Gurgen and his father Ashot I, all sent to caliphal capital of Samarra.[4][5] was dispatched to the frontier (thughur) against the Byzantine Empire in 857/8, where he distinguished himself and where he remained for the next few years.[5] He was thus absent from Samarra at the time of Mutawwakil's assassination, but returned immediately upon hearing of it. Following the death of Mutawwakil's heir, al-Muntasir, a few months later, Bugha and the other Turkic commanders of the Abbasid army selected al-Musta'in as his successor (see the "Anarchy at Samarra").[3] Bugha died a few months later, in August 862, reportedly at an age of "over 90 [lunar] years".[1][2] His son Musa, and his sons in turn, rose to the senior court and military offices in Samarra during the late 9th century.[3][6] Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 820, Luke of Sicily, Tauromenium, left parents and fiancee for wilderness, revelation founded monastery
Sicily, 820, Luke of Sicily, Tauromenium, left parents and fiancee for wilderness, revelation founded monastery, many yrs fasting prayer, Mt Aetna, visited many monasteries searching for Rule, Died Corinth; Taormina; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; Luke of Sicily was a native of the Sicilian city of Tauromenium. In his youth he left his parents and fiancée and went into the wilderness, where he spent many years in fasting and prayer. He lived the ascetic life at Mount Aetna. the end of his life Saint Luke, because of a revelation to him, founded a monastery. In order to become familiar with the rule and life of other monasteries, he visited many other cities. He died at Corinth in 820.

Arabs, 827, Arab Muslim Conquest of Sicily and Southern Italy 827
Arab Muslim Conquest of Southern Italy 827 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Arabs, 827-1061, Muslim Rule of Sicily and Southern Italy 827

Arabs, 833-842, Al-Mutasim, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, warrior c, private army of Turk slaves (ghilman), d Theophilus
Arabs, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tasim; Isá¸¥aq Muá¸¥ammad ibn Harun al-RashÄ«d (October 796 - 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutaá¹£im bilah (he who seeks refuge in God), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842.[1] younger son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he rose to prominence through his formation of a private army composed predominantly of Turkic slave-soldiers (ghilman). This proved useful to his half-brother, Caliph al-Mamun, who employed al-Mutasim and his Turkish guard to counterbalance other powerful interest groups in the state, as well as employing them in campaigns against rebels and the Byzantine Empire. al-Mamun died unexpectedly on campaign in August 833, al-Mutasim was thus well placed to succeed him, overriding the claims of al-Mamun's son al-Abbas. continued many of his brother's policies, such as the partnership with the Tahirids, who ruled Khurasan and Baghdad on behalf of the Abbasids. With the support of the powerful chief qadi, Ahmad ibn Abi Duwad, he continued to implement the rationalist Islamic doctrine of Mutazilism and the persecution of its opponents through the inquisition (miá¸¥na). Although not personally interested in literary pursuits, al-Mutasim also nurtured the scientific renaissance begun under al-Mamun. In other ways, his reign marks a departure and a watershed moment in Islamic history, with the creation of a new regime centred on the military, and particularly his Turkish guard. 836, a new capital was established at Samarra to symbolize this new regime and remove it from the restive populace of Baghdad. power of the caliphal government was increased by centralizing measures that reduced the power of provincial governors in favour of a small group of senior civil and military officials in Samarra, and the fiscal apparatus of the state was more and more dedicated to the maintenance of the professional army, which was dominated by Turks. Arab and Iranian elites that had played a major role in the early period of the Abbasid state were increasingly marginalized, and an abortive conspiracy against al-Mutasim in favour of al-Abbas in 838 resulted in a widespread purge of their ranks. strengthened the position of the Turks and their principal leaders, Ashinas, Wasif, Itakh, and Bugha. Another prominent member of al-Mutasim's inner circle, the prince of Ushrusana, al-Afshin, fell afoul of his enemies at court and was overthrown and killed in 840/1. The rise of the Turks would eventually result in the troubles of the Anarchy at Samarra and lead to the collapse of Abbasid power in the mid-10th century, but the ghulam-based system inaugurated by al-Mutasim would be widely adopted throughout the Muslim world. reign was marked by continuous warfare. The two major internal campaigns of the reign were against the long-running Khurramite uprising of Babak Khorramdin in Adharbayjan, which was suppressed by al-Afshin in 835–837, and against Mazyar, the autonomous ruler of Tabaristan, who had clashed with the Tahirids and risen up in revolt. his generals led the fight against internal rebellions, al-Mutasim himself led the sole major external campaign of the period, in 838 against the Byzantine Empire. His armies defeated Emperor Theophilos and sacked the city of Amorium. The Amorium campaign was widely celebrated, and became a cornerstone of caliphal propaganda, cementing al-Mutasim's reputation as a warrior-caliph. 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 842-847, Al-Wathiq, Abbasid Caliph, Mutazila muslim, Probably Christian Caliph Mavi
Arabs, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Mutazila muslim; St. Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Arabs, 846-881, Theoctiste oLesbos, hid 35yrs in prayer fArabs, died aTaking gifts, no leave till hand returned, empty grave
Lesbos, Isle of Lesbos (Between Troy and Ephesus), fMethymna, Lesbos, orphaned, tMonasatery, loved m life, 846 18yr old T visited sister nearby, village captured by Arabs, tParos is, Lord helped T escape, lived there 35 yrs in old church, sunflower seeds food, prayer all time, hunter discovers her, she tells him her story and asks for particle reserved gifts, he does 1881, she dies next day, he cuts off hand, can't leave until hand returned, told companions, return to venerate but she not in grave; Isle of Lesbos; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; Theoktίstē was born in the city of Methymna on the island of Lesbos. was orphaned at an early age, so her relatives sent her to a monastery to be raised by the nuns. girl was quite happy to forsake this sinful world. She loved the monastic life, the long Church Services, monastic obedience, the strict fasting, and unceasing prayer. She learned much of the chants, prayer, and psalmody by heart. the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection in the year 846, when Theoktίstē was eighteen years old, she left the Monastery with the blessing of the Igoumeness, and went to a nearby village to visit her sister, remaining there overnight. Arabs invaded the settlement, captured all the inhabitants, and forced them onto a ship. By morning, they were at sea. brigands took the captives to the desolate island of Paros so that they might examine them in order to set a price on each when they were sold at the slave market. Lord helped the young maiden to escape, and the Arabs did not catch her. Saint Theoktίstē lived on the island for the next 35 years. An old church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos served as her abode, her food was sunflower seeds. spent all her time in prayer. a group of hunters landed upon the island. One of them, pursuing his prey, went far from the coast into the forest, and suddenly he saw the church and went inside in order to pray. the hunter saw what seemed to be a human form in a dim corner, not far from the holy altar table, Brushing aside thick cobwebs. drew nearer and heard a voice say, “Stay there, and come no closer, for I am a naked woman, and I am ashamed.” hunter gave the woman his outer garment and she came out from her place of concealment. He saw a grey-haired woman with worn face, who called herself Theoktίstē. a faint voice, she told him of her life, which she had devoted to God. Saint Theoktίstē finished her story, she asked the hunter, if he should happen to come to this island again, to bring her a particle of the reserved Gifts. In all the time she had lived in the wilderness, she had not been able to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ even once. year later, in 881, the hunter returned to the island and brought a small vessel with a particle of the Holy Mysteries. Theoktίstē approached the Holy Gifts and fell to the ground, praying with tears for a long time. Standing up, she took the vessel and received the Body and Blood of Christ "with faith, reverence, and in the fear of God." next day, the hunter found the dead body of Saint Theoktίstē in the church. After digging a shallow grave, he placed her in it. brazenly, he cut off one of her hands, in order to take a relic of the Saint with him. night the ship was tossed upon a tempestuous sea. In the morning, it ended up at the very place from which it started. the man realized that his taking the relic was not pleasing to God. to the grave, he placed the hand with the Saint's body. the ship was able to sail away without difficulty. .On the journey, the hunter told his companions all that had happened on the island. hearing his story, they all decided to return to Paros at once, that they might venerate the relics of the great ascetic, they did not find her holy body in the grave.

Arabs, 847-861, Al-Mutawakkil, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, assasinated by his son
Arabs, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Sunni; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae,Commemorated on July 2;

Arabs, 862-866, Al-Musta'in, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, Anarchy of Samarra
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 862-866, Al-Musta'in, Shia; ’l-ʿAbbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mu'tasim (836 - 17 October 866), better known by his regnal title Al-Musta'in (836 - 17 October 866) was the Abbasid caliph from 862 to 866, during the Anarchy at Samarra. the death of previous Caliph, Al-Muntasir (who had not appointed any successors), the Turkic military leaders held a council to select his successor. They were not willing to have Al-Mu'tazz or his brothers; so they elected Ahmad ibn Muhammad, a grandson of Al-Mu'tasim, who took the regnal name Al-Mustaʿin bi-llah (he who looks for help to God). and other troops based in Baghdad, displeased at the choice, attacked the assembly, broke open the prison, and plundered the armory. They were attacked by the Turkic and Berber soldiers, and after some fighting in which many died, succumbed. Baghdad had yet to learn that the Caliphate no longer depended on the opinions of the Arabians, but had passed into other hands. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robedof St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Arabs, 866-869, Al-Mu'tazz, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, Anarchy of Samarra
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 866-869, Al-Mu'tazz; ū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar (847 - 16 July 869), better known by his regnal title al-Muʿtazz bi-ʾllāh (He who is strengthened by God) was the Abbasid caliph from 866 to 869, during a period of extreme internal instability within the Abbasid Caliphate, known as the "Anarchy at Samarra". named as the second in line of three heirs of his father al-Mutawakkil, al-Mu'tazz was forced to renounce his rights after the accession of his brother al-Muntasir, and was thrown in prison as a dangerous rival during the reign of his cousin al-Musta'in. was released and raised to the caliphate in January 866, during the civil war between al-Musta'in and the Turkish military of Samarra. Al-Mu'tazz was capable and determined to reassert the authority of the caliph over the Turkish military, but had only limited success. by the vizier Ahmad ibn Isra'il, he managed to remove and kill the leading Turkish generals, Wasif al-Turki and Bugha al-Saghir, but the decline of the Tahirids in Baghdad deprived him of their role as a counterweight to the Turks. Faced with the assertive Turkish commander Salih ibn Wasif, and unable to find money to satisfy the demands of his troops, he was deposed and died of ill treatment a few days later, on 16 July 869. reign marks the apogee of the decline of the Caliphate's central authority, and the climax of centrifugal tendencies, expressed through the emergence of the autonomous dynasties of the Tulunids in Egypt and the Saffarids in the East, Alid uprisings in Hejaz and Tabaristan, and the first stirrings of the great Zanj Rebellion in lower Iraq. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 870-892, Al-Mu'tamid, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, start Abbasid Restoration, end Anarchy at Samarra, c and succeeded by b
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 870-892, Al-Mu'tamid ; ’l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar (c. 842 – 14 October 892), better known by his regnal name Al-Muʿtamid ʿalā ’llāh (Dependent on God), was the Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 870 to 892. reign marks the end of the Anarchy at Samarra and the start of the Abbasid restoration, but he was a largely a ruler in name only. was held by his brother al-Muwaffaq, who held the loyalty of the military. Al-Mu'tamid's authority was circumscribed further after a failed attempt to flee to the domains controlled by Ahmad ibn Tulun in late 882, and he was placed under house arrest by his brother. In 891, when al-Muwaffaq died, loyalists attempted to restore power to the Caliph, but were quickly overcome by al-Muwaffaq's son al-Mu'tadid, who assumed his father's powers. When al-Mu'tamid died in 892, al-Mu'tadid succeeded him as caliph. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 892-902, Al-Mu'tadid, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni, regent then c, close army relations, m active, restored Abasid power
Arabs, 892-902, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tadid, Sunni; Ahmad ibn Talha al-Muwaffaq (853/4 or 860/1 – 5 April 902), better known by his regnal name al-Mu'tadid bi-llah (Seeking Support in God[1]), was the Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 892 until his death in 902. was the son of al-Muwaffaq, who was the regent and effective ruler of the Abbasid state during the reign of his brother, Caliph al-Mu'tamid. As a prince, the future al-Mu'tadid served under his father during various military campaigns, most notably in the suppression of the Zanj Rebellion, in which he played a major role. When al-Muwaffaq died in June 891 al-Mu'tadid succeeded him as regent. quickly sidelined his cousin and heir-apparent al-Mufawwid; when al-Mu'tamid died in October 892, he succeeded to the throne. his father, al-Mu'tadid's power depended on his close relations with the army. These were first forged during the campaigns against the Zanj and were reinforced in later expeditions which the Caliph led in person: al-Mu'tadid would prove to be the most militarily active of all Abbasid caliphs. Through his energy and ability, he succeeded in restoring to the Abbasid state some of the power and provinces it had lost during the turmoil of the previous decades. a series of campaigns he recovered the provinces of Jazira, Thughur, and Jibal, and effected a rapprochement with the Saffarids in the east and the Tulunids in the west that secured their—albeit largely nominal—recognition of caliphal suzerainty. These successes came at the cost of gearing the economy almost exclusively towards the maintenance of the army, which resulted in the expansion and rise to power of the central fiscal bureaucracy and contributed to the Caliph's lasting reputation for avarice. Al-Mu'tadid was renowned for his cruelty when punishing criminals, and subsequent chroniclers recorded his extensive and ingenious use of torture. His reign saw the permanent move of the capital back to Baghdad, where he engaged in major building activities. A firm supporter of Sunni traditionalist orthodoxy, he nevertheless maintained good relations with the Alids, and was interested in natural sciences, renewing caliphal sponsorship of scholars and scientists. his successes, al-Mu'tadid's reign was ultimately too short to effect a lasting reversal of the Caliphate's fortunes, and the revival that he spearheaded was too dependent on the presence of capable personalities at the helm of the state. The brief reign of his less able son and heir, al-Muktafi, still saw some major gains, notably the annexation of the Tulunid domains, but his later successors lacked his energy, and new enemies appeared in the form of the Qarmatians. In addition, factionalism within the bureaucracy, which had become apparent during the later years of al-Mu'tadid's reign, would debilitate the Abbasid government for decades to come, eventually leading to the subjugation of the Caliphate by a series of military strongmen, culminating in the conquest of Baghdad by the Buyids in 946. St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 892, Theodora&dTheopiste, tThessalonica from Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery aHusbands' death, virtuous life
Greece, 892, Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, moved tThessalonica due to Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery after husbands death, virtuous life; Aegina Island; Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Commemorated on August 3; Theodora was born in Aegina. her marriage, she and her husband moved to Thessaloniki because of the raids of the Saracens. her husband's death she entered the Monastery of Saint Stephen with her daughter Theopiste. lived a life of great virtue and reposed in the year 892. the commemoration of these saints is on August 29, their celebration was moved to August 3 because of the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

Arabs, 900-999, 10th Century History Folder, Sunni Said Georgia Invasion

Arabs, 908-932, Al-Muqtadir, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni
Abbasid Caliph, 908-932, Al-Muqtadir ; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17;

Arabs, 914, Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia, and Kvelistsikhe Fortress
Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Arabs, 960's, Al-Muttaqi, Abbasid Caliph, Sunni
Arabs, 960's, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi, Sunni; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos ”10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9;

Arabs, 964-, Euthymius&Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou, Mt Athos, Arabs attack, rebuilt, expanded, protos
Greece, Mt Athos, 960's, Euthymius & Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, f aristocracy, Athanasius' friend, then disciple (novice), his steward, settled Daphne, monastery, attention towards self, tStirrings of tSoul, explaining tStruggle, Saracens (Arabs) attack, tForest, monastery razed, rebuilt, Neophyt companion Emperor Nikephoros Phocas, came Mt Athos uncle Euthymius' m, became igumen, asked Emperor N to support, that enlarged m t prent size, N became protos oHoly Mt at Kyres many years, then returned to D; Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos—10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9; Euthymius and Neophytus, founders of the Dochiariou Monastery on Mount Athos, an uncle and his nephew, to the highest Byzantine aristocracy. Euthymius, while still in the world, was the friend of Saint Athanasius of Mount Athos (July 5), and he later became a novice and disciple of the great ascetic. his sincere love of the brethren, gentleness and his particular zeal in the ascetic life, Saint Athanasius granted the monk the duty of steward, which Saint Euthymius fulfilled as though entrusted to him by God Himself. Euthymius settled with several of the monks in the locale of Daphne, he founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which he called Dochiariou in memory of his obedience. his own younger brethren, Saint Euthymius taught the necessity of attention towards self, to all the stirrings of the soul, that the struggle of Christians, according to the Apostle Paul, is not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and against powers, and against the world-rulers of this darkness” (Eph 6:12). peaceful ascetic life of the monks was disturbed by the Saracens. monk led all the brethren into the forest. they found the monastery razed to its very foundations. Euthymius did not lose heart, and the monastery was rebuilt. Neophytus, in the world, was a companion of the emperor Nikēphóros Phocas (963-969). the death of his parents he came to Mount Athos, where he was tonsured in the monastery of his uncle Saint Euthymius. his death, Saint Euthymius handed over the administration of the monastery to his nephew. the spiritual guidance of Saint Neophytus, the small monastery grew into a Lavra. the emperor Nikēphóros to become a benefactor of the monastery, Neophytus enlarged the monastery to its present size. Neophytus was deigned to be chosen “protos” (head of the governing Council of Elders of the Holy Mountain) for many years he labored there. taking leave of the Council in his declining years, he returned to the Dochiariou monastery, where peacefully he fell asleep in the Lord.

Arabs, 970-994, Vitalius oCastronovo, Sicily, wealthy, pilbrimages, Rome&Calabria, Demena, Bari, Sardinia, monastery iRapolla
Sicily, 970-994, Vitalius of Castronovo, Sicily, Palermo Provence, wealthy, fled tMonastery early, asceticism, virtue f15yrs, Rome&Calabria Pilgrimages, met Luke oDemena, went to Bari, settled on Mt Turri, Sardinia, built monastery in Rapolla, gathered monks, died 994; Castronovo, Sicily; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9; Vitalius was born in the Sicilian town of Castronovo in the X century to wealthy and pious parents, Sergius and Chrysonίkḗ, who raised him according to God's Word, and saw that he received a good education. an early age, Vitalius loved Christ and the monastic state, which is why he fled to the monastery of Saint Philip at Agira (Ancient Agyrion). he became a monk and received the Angelic Schema after living a life of asceticism, and by making progress in virtue for fifteen years. this time, he made pilgrimages to Rome, Calabria and other holy places. he returned to Calabria and engaged in further ascetical struggles on the mountain of Liporachos. There he met the ascetic Anthony and lived with him for a short time. he moved from mountain to mountain, until at last he settled in the monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone. several years, he went to a cave between the mountains of Turri and Armento. The Saint struggled day and night, praying and ascending to great spiritual heights. Even the wild beasts of the mountain approached him docilely in order to receive his blessing. he was visited by Saint Luke of Demena, Sicily (October 13, February 5), with whom he prayed and discussed spiritual matters.1 the Saint went to Bari with his nephew Elias and settled on Mount Turri, where he built a small church. The final abode of Saint Vitalius was in the region of Rapolla,where he built a monastery. There he spent the rest of his life, gathering a multitude of monks around him. Vitalius reposed peacefully in the year 994. 1 San Luca d’Armento (October 13, February 5) was a monk in Lucania, Sicily. He founded the monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasios the Persian (January 22) at Carbone, Italy and served as its first Igoumen. Saint Luke based his Rule for the monastic life on the Greek Typika.

Arabs, 1200-1299, 13th Century History Folder, Abbasid Mamluk Sultanate, Cairo Egypt, Crusades

Arabs, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), Sunni Islam
Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Sunni Islam;

Arabs, 1259-1260, Mamluk Sultan, Qutuz, or al-Malik al-Muzaffar Saif ad-Din Qutuz
Egypt, 1259-1260, Mamluk Sultan, Qutuz, or al-Malik al-Muzaffar Saif ad-Din Qutuz ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated on October 19;

Arabs, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 1260-1277, Abbasid Sultan, Rukn al-Din Baibars, Sunni
Egypt, 1260-1277, Abbasid Sultan, Rukn al-Din Baibars, Sunni; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Arabs, 1261-1517, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate), Sunni, from Cairo, Egypt
Egypt, 1261-1517, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate), Sunni, from Cairo, Egypt ; Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), 1250-1517

Arabs, 1277-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Said Barakah, Sunni
Egypt, 1277-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Said Barakah, Sunni;

Arabs, 1279-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Solamish, Sunni
Egypt, 1279-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Solamish, Sunni;

Arabs, 1279-1290, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Qalawun, Sunni
Egypt, 1279-1290, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Qalawun, Sunni; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8;

Arabs, 1290-1293, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil, Sunni
Egypt, 1290-1293, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil, Sunni ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8;

Arabs, 1400-1499. 15th Century History Folder, Abbasid, Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt

Arabs, 1497-1508, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mustamsik, Sunni
Egypt, 1497-1508, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mustamsik, Sunni; St. Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27;

Arabs, 888-1037, Sajid & Sallarid dynasties Folder, from Persia into Geogria, Sunni

Arabs, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria, Sunni
Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria; Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Arabs, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims
Georgia, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims; Zedazeni Monastery. This location is only approximate. Zedazeni Monestary is located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. ; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated December 12 ; life of the holy martyr John, Abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, has not been preserved, but the list recalling “the names of the holy fathers who reposed at Zedazeni Monastery after John of Zedazeni,” which was compiled by Catholicos Arsenius II, tells us that Abbot John was “murdered at Zedazeni by Muslims.” Saint John was martyred in the 9th century.

Arabs, 889-901, Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran;

Arabs, 901-929, Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran
Saiid Dynasty in Ardabil, Iran;

Arabs, 914, Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia and Kvelistsikhe Fortress
Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Georgia, 985-1034, Macarius tFaster oKhakhuli M, spiritual guide tMany wonderworking fathers, great ascetic teacher&prophet
Georgia, 985-1034, Macarius tFaster oKhakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3), spiritual guide tMany wonderworking fathers, great ascetic teacher&prophet, young George otHoly Mt called M's spiritual son, tFaster for his exceptional fasting&prayer, divine light he shone like morning sun, entire Tao-Klarjeti region, reposed 1034; Khakhuli Monastery; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ; the second half of the 10th century King Davit Kuropalates constructed the Khakhuli Church in southern Georgia. also founded Khakhuli Monastery, which in later centuries would become a center of spirituality, science, and education. this monastery is located on Turkish territory, but the grace of the ascetic labors of the fathers who labored there in the past pours forth hope upon the Georgian people to this day. holy and wonderworking fathers labored at Khakhuli Monastery, including Saint Basil the son of King Bagrat III, brothers George and Saba of Khakhuli, Hilarion of Tvali and many other God-fearing ascetics, whose righteousness and spiritual feats were guided by the holy abbot Macarius. Macarius was a great ascetic, teacher, and prophet. and wise, experienced elders alike flocked to him for advice and blessings. young monk George, later the great ascetic George of the Holy Mountain, was brought to Saint Macarius to receive his blessing. Saint Macarius called George his spiritual son. the grace of God, Saint Macarius reconciled his responsibilities as abbot of the monastery with the great spiritual labor of solitude. earned the title “the Faster” for his exceptional ascesis in fasting and prayer. is said that, as abbot of Khakhuli Monastery, “he shone like the morning sunrise and guided the spiritual activity and secular life of the entire Tao-Klarjeti region.” Macarius reposed around the year 1034.

Arabs, 909-1171, 10th-12th Century Folder, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia

Arabs, 905-955, Paul oLatros, for ascetic deeds gifts oClairvoyance&Wonderworking, counciled Emperor, estab&restor monasteries
Ephesus, 905-955, Paul oLatros, fPergamun, Mysia, Lydia (near Ephesus, Caicus River 1), ed iPhrygia, after mom's death monk aMt Latra near Miletos, then in a cave, gifts oClairvoyance wonderworking, counciled Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, withdrew twice tSamos, estab m, restored 3 monassteries Arabs ravaged, foretold time oDeath, 955; Pergamun; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15 ; Paul of Latros was a native of the city of Aelen in Pergamum. bereft of his father, he was educated at the monastery of Saint Stephen in Phrygia. the death of his mother, he devoted himself completely to monastic deeds at a monastery on Mount Latra, near Miletos. even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. his ascetic deeds he gained the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (912-959) often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries ravaged by the Hagarenes (Arabs). his end, the monk reposed in the year 955.

Arabs, 909-1171, m's d, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia Islam, all of North Africa, Egypt in 969, Levant, Sicily
Egypt, 909-1171, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia Islam Fatimid Caliphate, an Ismaili Shia caliphate of the 10th to the 12th centuries AD, spanned a large area of North Africa, from the Red Sea in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Fatimid dynasty, of Arab origin,[4] ruled territories across the Mediterranean coast of Africa and ultimately made Egypt the center of the caliphate. At its height the caliphate included - in addition to Egypt - varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hijaz. Fatimid caliphate represented the peak of Ismaili political success. Ismailis had faithful supporters in the lands governed by the Fatimids' rivals, and areas with a significant Ismaili population and presences were able to set up their own independently-administered polities, which were loyal to the Imam in Egypt.[5] Fatimids claimed descent from Fatimah, the daughter of the prophet Muhammad. The Fatimid state took shape among the Kutama, Berbers living in the west of the North African littoral (in Kabylie in present-day Algeria). In 909, using the military resources of the Kutama, the Fatimids occupied Raqqada, the Aghlabid capital. In 921 the Fatimids established the Tunisian city of Mahdia as their new capital. In 948 they shifted their capital to al-Mansuriyya, near Kairouan in Tunisia. In 969 they conquered Egypt, and in 973 they established Cairo as the capital of their caliphate. Egypt became the political, cultural, and religious centre of their empire, which developed a new and "indigenous Arabic" culture.[6] ruling class belonged to the Ismai'li branch of Shi'a Islam, as did the leaders of the dynasty. The existence of the caliphate marked the only time the descendants of Ali and Fatimah were united to any degree (except for the final period of the Rashidun Caliphate under Ali himself from 656 to 661) and the name "Fatimid" refers to Fatimah. Orientalist authors sometimes use the separate term Fatimi (or "Fatimite") to refer to the caliphate's subjects. its initial conquests, the caliphate often allowed a degree of religious tolerance towards non-Shia sects of Islam, as well as to Jews, Maltese Christians, and Copts.[7] However, its leaders made little headway in persuading the Egyptian population to adopt its religious beliefs.[8][need quotation to verify] the late eleventh and twelfth centuries the Fatimid caliphate declined rapidly, and in 1171 Saladin invaded its territory. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty and incorporated the Fatimid state into the Abbasid Caliphate.[9]

Arabs, 909-934, Fatmid Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah, Fatmah and Ali's son, Umayyads rejected, as usurpers, Abbasids r, not Ali's sons, occultation, millenialist ex
Egypt, 909-934, Fatmid Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah; Muhammad Ubayd Allah ibn al-Husayn (873 -“ 4 March 934), better known by his regnal name Abu Muhammad Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah , was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islamic history, and the eleventh imam of the Isma'ili faith. in the late 9th century since the murder of Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, in 661, which led to the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, a large part of the Muslim community rejected the Umayyads as usurpers and called for the establishment of a regime led by a member of the Ahl al-Bayt, the Family of Muhammad. Abbasids, who claimed descent from Muhammad's paternal uncle Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, profited from this during their rise to power against the Umayyads; but their claim too was rejected by the Shi'a, who insisted on the exclusive right of the descendants of al-Husayn and Hasan, Ali's sons by Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.[1] A line of imams emerged from the offspring of Husayn, who did not openly lay claim to the caliphate, but were considered by their followers as the true representatives of God on earth.[1] The sixth imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, had appointed his son Isma'il ibn Ja'far as his successor, but Isma'il died before his father, and when al-Sadiq himself died in 765, the succession was left open. One faction of Shi'a held that al-Sadiq had designated another son, Musa al-Kazim, as his heir. followed other sons, Muhammad and Abdallah al-Aftah ”shortly after his death, they went over to Musa's camp ”or even refused to believe that al-Sadiq had died, and expected his return as a messiah.[2] Musa's adherents, who constituted the majority of al-Sadiq's followers, followed his line down to the twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who vanished in 874.[1][3] branch believed that Ja'far was followed by a seventh imam, who also had gone into hiding; hence this party is known as the Seveners. The exact identity of that seventh imam was disputed, but by the late 9th century had commonly been identified with Muhammad, son of Isma'il and grandson of al-Sadiq. From Muhammad's father, Isma'il, the sect receives its name of "Isma'ili".[1][4][5] Neither Isma'il's nor Muhammad's lives are well known, and after Muhammad's death during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), the history of the early Isma'ili movement becomes obscure.[6] Both the Twelvers and the Seveners held that their final imams were not dead, but had simply gone into hiding ("occultation"), and that they would soon return as a messiah, a mahdÄ« ("the Rightly Guided One") or qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m ("He Who Arises"), to usher in the end times.[1][7] The mahdÄ« would rapidly overthrow the usurping Abbasids and destroy their capital Baghdad, restore the unity of the Muslims, conquer Constantinople, ensure the final triumph of Islam and establish a reign of peace and justice.[8] The Isma'ilis in particular believed that the mahdÄ« would reveal the true, "inner" (bÄÂÂá¹ÂÂin) meaning of religion, which was until then reserved for a few selected initiates. The mahdÄ« would dissolve the outer forms and strictures of Islam, since henceforth the true religion, the religion of Adam, would be manifested without the need for symbols and other mediating devices.[9] Secret leadership of the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa at Salamiya While the mahdÄ« Muhammad ibn Isma'il remained hidden, however, he would need to be represented by agents, who would gather the faithful, spread the word (daÊ¿wa, "invitation, calling"), and prepare his return. The head of this secret network was the living proof of the imam's existence, or "seal" (á¸¥ujja).[10] The first known á¸¥ujja was a certain Abdallah al-Akbar ("Abdallah the Elder"), a wealthy merchant from Askar Mukram, in what is now southwestern Iran. Apart from improbable stories circulated by later anti-Isma'ili polemicists, his exact origin is unknown.[11] His teachings led to his being forced to flee his native city to escape persecution by the Abbasid authorities, and seek refuge in Basra, where he claimed to belong to the Aqil branch of the Banu Hashim, the clan of Muhammad. Once again, his teachings attracted the attention of the authorities and he moved on to the small town of Salamiya on the western edge of the Syrian Desert.[12] There he settled as a merchant from Basra, and had two sons, Ahmad and Ibrahim. When Abdallah died c. 827/8, Ahmad succeeded his father as the head of the Isma'ili movement, and was in turn succeeded by his younger son, Muhammad, known as Abu'l-Shalaghlagh.[13][14] During the late 9th century, millenialist expectations increased in the Muslim world, coinciding with a deep crisis of the Abbasid Caliphate during the decade-long Anarchy at Samarra, the rise of breakaway and autonomous regimes in the provinces, and the large-scale Zanj Rebellion, whose leader claimed Alid descent and proclaimed himself as the mahdÄ«.[15] In this chaotic atmosphere, where the Abbasids were preoccupied with suppressing the uprising, the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa spread rapidly, aided by dissatisfaction among Twelver adherents with the political quietism of their leadership and the recent disappearance of the twelfth imam.[16] Missionaries (dÄÂÂ'Ä«s) like Hamdan Qarmat and his brother-in-law Abu Muhammad Abdan spread the network of agents to the area round Kufa in the late 870s, and from there to Yemen (Ibn Hawshab, 882) and thence India (884), Bahrayn (Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi, 899), Persia, and the Maghreb (Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, 893).[17][18] The real leadership remained hidden at Salamiya, and only the chief dÄÂÂ'Ä«s of each region, such as Hamdan Qarmat, knew and corresponded with it.[19] The true head of the movement remained hidden even from the senior missionaries, however, and a certain Fayruz functioned as chief missionary (dÄÂÂ'Ä« al-duÊ¿ÄÂÂt) and "gateway" (bÄÂÂb) to the hidden leader.[20] Early life The future caliph al-Mahdi Billah was born as Sa'id, the son of Ahmad's elder son, al-Husayn, who died around 880.[21] The official biography gives the date of birth as 31 July 874, although a different tradition gives a date exactly one year earlier.[22] After his father's death, he was fostered by his uncle Abu'l-Shalaghlagh, who was without an heir of his own—his son and grandchild were reportedly captured and imprisoned by the Abbasids. Sa'id was thus designated as his successor, and given his uncle's daughter in marriage.[22] Most of the information about Sa'id's early life comes from the memoirs of the eunuch chamberlain Ja'far, who was a few months older than Sa'id and came with him to the household at Salamiya. The two were reared by the same wet-nurse, and Ja'far became a close confidant of Sa'id until his death.[23] Sa'id's only child, Abd al-Rahman, the future al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, was born in March or April 893.[22] While ostensibly merely the stewards for the absent imam, Ja'far reports that Abu'l-Shalaghlagh—perhaps encouraged by the rapid progress of the daÊ¿wa, now establishing armed strongholds—secretly declared himself to senior members of the daÊ¿wa not as the á¸¥ujja for Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but the actual imam; and that he claimed for his nephew the title of mahdÄ«, and the latter's infant son the title of qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m.[24] Various genealogies were later put forth by the Fatimids to justify this claim (see below). In the most common, Abdallah the Elder was proclaimed to be the son of Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but even in pro-Isma'ili sources, the succession and names of imams who supposedly preceded Ahmad is not the same; for example, Sa'id himself in a letter claimed descent not from Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but from the latter's older brother Abdallah. Anti-Isma'ili Sunni and Twelver sources of course reject any Fatimid descent from the Alids altogether and consider them impostors. The situation is further complicated by the use of the title qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m, normally a synonym for the mahdÄ«, for Sa'id's son. This has led to suggestions (first by Bernard Lewis) of two parallel lines of imams, one public (and of non-Alid descent), serving as trustees of the hidden, real one. In this interpretation, Sa'id was the last representative of the former line, and his "son" was the genuine imam.[25][26] Leadership of the daÊ¿wa When Abu'l-Shalaghlagh died around 899, Sa'id became the new head of the movement.[27] Soon after, the letters from Salamiya revealed changes in the official doctrine of the daÊ¿wa. This worried Hamdan Qarmat, who sent his brother-in-law to Salamiya to investigate the matter. It was there that Abdan learned that Sa'id claimed that the imam was not Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but Sa'id's father al-Husayn, and now Sa'id himself. This caused a major rift in the movement: Hamdan denounced the leadership in Salamiya, gathered the Iraqi dÄÂÂ'Ä«s and ordered them to cease the missionary effort. Shortly after he disappeared from his headquarters.[28][29] It was Al-Shi'i's success which was the signal to Al Mahdi to set off from Salamyah disguised as a merchant. In 905 he started proselytising. However, he was captured by the Aghlabid ruler Ziyadat-Allah due to his Ismaili beliefs and thrown into a dungeon in Sijilmasa. In early 909 Al-Shi'i sent a large expedition force to rescue Al Mahdi, conquering the Khariji state of Tahert on its way there. After gaining his freedom, Al Mahdi became the leader of the growing state and assumed the position of imam and caliph. Al Mahdi then led the Kutama Berbers who captured the cities of Qairawan and Raqqada. By March 909, the Aghlabid Dynasty had been overthrown and replaced with the Fatimids. As a result, the last stronghold of Sunni Islam in North Africa was removed from the region. Reign Al-Mahdi established himself at the former Aghlabid residence at Raqqada, Al-Qayrawan (in what is now Tunisia). After that his power grew. At the time of his death he had extended his reign over the Maghreb, but campaigns into Egypt (in 914–915 and 919–921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. The historian Heinz Halm has described the early Fatimid regime as being little more than a "hegemony of the Kutama".[30] The position of these semi-civilized tribesmen as the chosen warriors of the imam-caliph was greatly resented, not only by the other Berber tribes, but chiefly by the inhabitants of the cities, where the Arabic culture predominated.[31] As Halm writes, the situation was similar to a scenario where, "in the early eighteenth-century North America, the Iroquois, converted to Catholicism by Jesuit missionaries, had overrun the Puritan provinces of New England, installed their chieftains as governors in Boston, Providence and Hartford, and proclaimed a European with dubious credentials as King of England".[31] The first years of Fatimid rule in Ifriqiya, Sicily, and Tripolitania were marked by revolts by the local inhabitants against the arrogance and exactions of the Kutama.[32] Al-Mahdi founded the capital of his empire, al-Mahdiyyah, on the Tunisian coast sixteen miles south-east of Al-Qayrawan, which he named after himself. The city was located on a peninsula on an artificial platform "reclaimed from the sea", as mentioned by the Andalusian geographer Al-Bakri. The Great mosque of Mahdia was built in 916 on the southern side of the peninsula.[33] Al-Mahdi took up residence there in 920. In 922 the Bulgarian emperor Simeon I sent envoys to al-Mahdi to propose a joint attack on the Byzantine capital Constantinople with the Bulgarians providing a large land army, and the Arabs a navy. It was proposed that all spoils would be divided equally, with the Bulgarians keeping Constantinople and the Fatimids gaining the Byzantine territories in Sicily and South Italy.[34] As a result of the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927, by 922 the Bulgarians controlled almost the whole Balkan peninsula but Simeon I's main objective to capture Constantinople remained out of his reach because he lacked a navy. Although the Byzantines and the Fatimids had concluded a peace treaty in 914, since 918 the Fatimids had renewed their attacks on the Italian coast.[34] Al-Mahdi accepted the proposal and sent back his own emissaries to conclude the agreement.[34] On the way home the ship was captured by the Byzantines near the Calabrian coast and the envoys of both countries were sent to Constantinople.[34] When the Byzantine emperor Romanos I learned about the secret negotiations, the Bulgarians were imprisoned, while the Arab envoys were allowed to return to Al-Mahdiyyah with rich gifts for the caliph. The Byzantines then sent their own embassy to North Africa to outbid Simeon I and eventually the Fatimids agreed not to aid Bulgaria.[35] After his death, Al-Mahdi was succeeded by his son, Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Al-Qaim, who continued his expansionist policy. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im, reconquest of Sicily
Egypt, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im; Muhammad ibn Abdallah (April 893 -“ 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah , was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith. was born in Salamiyah in Syria in 895 with the name Muhammad. After his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (910-934) seized power in Ifriqiya he was named heir to the throne in 912, and helped put down several revolts. However, campaigns into Egypt (in 914-“915 and 919-“921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. In 934 Al-Qa'im succeeded his father as Caliph, after which he never again left the royal residence at Mahdia. Nevertheless, the Fatimid realm became an important power in the Mediterranean. After the re-conquest of Sicily the Byzantine province of Calabria and the Ligurian coast was plundered and the city of Genoa sacked. From 944 to 947 the realm was plunged into crisis by the revolt of Abu Yazid, who had united the Kharijite Berber tribes of the Aurals Mountains of eastern Algeria and overrun Ifriqiya. Imam Al-Qa'im was able to hold out in Mahdia with the help of the navy for over a year, but died (13th Shawwal 334 AH (Mahdiyya)/17 May 946) before the revolt could be put down. was succeeded by his son Ismail al-Mansur (r. 946-953). Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah, supressed the large-scale Kharijite rebellion
Egypt, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah; Tahir Isma'il (January 914 -18 March 953), better known by his regnal name al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah, was the third caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya, ruling from 946 until his death. He presided over a period of crisis, having to confront the large-scale Kharijite rebellion of Abu Yazid. He succeeded in suppressing the revolt and restoring the stability of the Fatimid regime. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, oNiverta Is, b monk, iRome, tJerusalem, great Schema, martyred bSaracens
Spain and Portugal, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, Perfect oNiverta Islands, disdained worldly glory, became monk, iRome, tJerusalem holy places, great Schema aStephen, martyred bSaracens ; Since these are the only Islands off the Spanish mainland, Niverta Island must be one of these Balearic Islands. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Daniel the Confessor, (in the schema Stephen) lived in the tenth century. was a Spanish dignitary, and prefect of the island of Niverta. worldly glory, he became a monk in Rome and went on pilgrimage to the holy places at Constantinople and Jerusalem, he received the Great Schema and the name Stephen. received the crown of martyrdom after he refused the Saracens’ demand that he renounce Christ and become a Moslem.

Arabs, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, Fatmid center moved to Cairo from Tunis in 969
Egypt, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah; Tamim Ma'ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah (; 26 September 932 -19 December 975) was the fourth Fatimid Caliph and 14th Ismaili imam, reigning from 953 to 975. was during his caliphate that the center of power of the Fatimid dynasty was moved from Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) to Egypt. The Fatimids founded the city of al-Qhirah (Cairo) "the Victorious" in 969 as the new capital of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt.[1] Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah, good admin, econ, but extrav, Katuma Berbers west, Turks east, replacng slaves, into Syria, empl Ch Jews, not sunnis
Egypt, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah; Mansur Nizar (10 May 955 -“ 14 October 996), known by his regnal name as al-Aziz Billah, was the fifth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, from 975 to his death in 996. Nizar, the future al-Aziz Billah, was born on 10 May 955, the third son of the fourth Fatimid Caliph, al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (r. 95-“975).[1][2] His mother, Durzan, usually known as al-Sayyida al-Mu'izz" the chief concubine of al-Mu'izz, and likely of Bedouin origin. She was known for her beautiful singing voice, which earned her the nickname Taghr ("Twitter").[3] She died in 995.[4] 974 his older brother Abdallah ibn al-Mu'izz ”who had been the designated heir in preference to the oldest of al-Mu'izz's sons, Tamim”died, and Nizar found himself as his father's designated successor (walahd).[5] The succession was not confirmed in front of the members of the dynasty and court, however, until a day before al-Mu'izz's death on 18 December 975.[1] His official proclamation as caliph was delayed until 9 August 976.[1] Administration and economy[edit] According to the sources, al-Aziz Billah was "tall, with red hair and blue eyes, generous, brave, fond of horses and hunting and very humane and tolerant in disposition".[1] He was marked for his skill as an administrator, reforming the finances of the Fatimid state, standardizing and streamlining the payment of officials, and taking steps to ensure their integrity.[1] At the same time, he was known for his extravagant lifestyle and obsession for precious objects and materials, rare animals and delicacies; it is said that on one occasion, he had carrier pigeons bring him cherries from Ba'albek.[6] The Egyptian economy was also nurtured, and tax revenue thereby increased, through the expansion of streets and canals and the establishment of a stable currency. The general economic well-being was also apparent in an elaborate building programme. The most influential official during most of his reign was Ya'qub ibn Killis, who was the first in Fatimid history to be designated as "vizier", in 979. Apart from two brief periods when Ibn Killis fell into disgrace ”in 979 and 984 ”he remained al-Aziz's chief minister until his death in 991.[1] Just like his master, Ibn Killis lived in great luxury, facilitated by a salary of 100,000 gold dinars.[7] Ibn Killis is credited with the capable administration of the public finances, which ensured a full treasury despite the vast sums expended by the luxury-loving Caliph,[8] but also for his role as a patron of men of letters, and the author of a book that codified Fatimid laws.[1] In contrast, his successors did not long remain in office, and in the short space of five years, the post of vizier was occupied by six men: Ali ibn Umar al-Addas, Abu'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn al-Furat, al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Baziyar, Abu Muhammad ibn Ammar, al-Fadl ibn Salih, and Isa ibn Nasturus ibn Surus.[1] reforms[edit] Al-Aziz also undertook major military reforms. Berbers, and especially the Kutama tribe, had traditionally provided the mainstay of the Fatimid armies, and had played the main role in the takeover of Ifriqiya and the conquest of Egypt and the southern Levant under al-Aziz's predecessors.[9] Until the 970s, the Kutama provided the cavalry, with the infantry composed of Slavic, Greek and Black African slaves.[10][11] the forays into the Levant revealed the inadequacies of an army based solely on the Kutama, and from 978, al-Aziz, began to introduce mercenaries from the Islamic East, especially Turks and Daylamites. The adoption of the ghilmn system had far-reaching repercussions, as the Turkish ghilmn assumed senior positions in the state and began to rival the Kutama for influence, especially as the flow of new recruits from the Kutama homeland ebbed after c.987/88.[12][13] Consequently, a fierce antagonism developed between the two groups, termed Magriba ("Westerners") and Mashriqa ("Easterners") respectively, which would erupt in open warfare after al-Aziz's death.[14][15][16] policies[edit] employment of the Christian Ibn Nesturus, just as that of the Jew Manashsha as Secretary for Syria, was a prominent example of the Fatimids' tolerance in religious matters, further encouraged under al-Aziz by his Melkite Christian wife. Two of her brothers, Orestes and Arsenius, were appointed as Patriarch of Jerusalem and metropolitan bishop of Cairo, respectively.[1] The Coptic Christians also benefited from the Caliph's favour, allowing them to rebuilt the Saint Mercurius Church despite Muslim opposition, or refusing to punish a Muslim man who converted to Christianity.[1] This leniency, crowned by the appointment to high office of Ibn Nesturus and Manashsha, was resented by the Muslim populace, with Muslim opinion incensed by hostile tracts circulating among them. The Caliph was briefly forced to depose his two ministers and imprison them, but soon their undoubted skill ensured their release and reinstatement.[1] Anti-Christian animus was most evident in 996, when merchants from Amalfi were suspected of being responsible for a fire that destroyed the arsenal at Cairo; in a city-wide anti-Christian pogrom, the Amalfitans were murdered and churches were ransacked.[1] tolerance did not extend towards the Sunni Muslim population, however, as al-Aziz followed a fervently Isma'ili agenda: he erected inscriptions denouncing the Companions of the Prophet, abolished the Tarawih prayers in 982, and initiated the celebration of the Ashura festival in Cairo. In 991, a man found in possession of the Sunni legal treatise Muwatta Imam Malik was executed.[1] reign of Al-Aziz was also culturally significant. Ibn Killis founded the al-Azhar University in Cairo (988) which went on to become the most important centre of learning in the Islamic world. Likewise a library with 200,000 volumes was built in Cairo. According to Professor Samy S. Swayd Fatimid missionaries made their Dawah in China during the reign of Al-Aziz.[17] Expansion into Syria[edit] Map of Early Islamic Syria and its provinces in the 9th-“10th centuries In foreign affairs, al-Aziz concentrated on the extension of Fatimid control over Syria,[7] whose conquest had begun immediately after the Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969.[18][19] of Syria, and particularly Palestine, was a constant foreign policy objective for many rulers of Egypt both before and after the Fatimids, to foreclose the most likely invasion route into the country by the powers of Western Asia.[20] the Fatimid case, this drive was given additional impetus by their ambitions to lead the entire Islamic world and unseat the Abbasid Caliphate by conquering Iraq and the eastern Islamic lands, which was possible only via Syria.[7][21] the same time, the balance of power in the region was altered with the simultaneous expansion of the Byzantine Empire into northern Syria against the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo, culminating in the capture of Antioch in 969. Fatimids used the Byzantine advance as a major item in their propaganda, claiming to be the only power capable of championing the jihad against the "infidel" threat.[22] However, policy with regard to Syria during the early part of al-Aziz's reign was dominated by the vizier Ibn Killis, who, according to historian Hugh N. Kennedy, "believed that the Fatimids should concentrate on controlling Palestine and southern Syria, while leaving the north of the Hamdanids and their successors to form a buffer state against the Byzantines, with whom the caliph should try to keep on good terms".[21] initial successes, the initial Fatimid invasion of Syria, under the Kutama general Ja'far ibn Fallah, quickly came to a halt through a combination of rebellions by the citizens of Damascus and the Bedouin tribes of the Syrian Desert.[23][24] August 971, the Fatimids were defeated in battle against the Bedouin and their Qarmatian allies, leading to the near total collapse of Fatimid control in southern Syria and Palestine, and even a short-lived Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.[18][25][26] al-Aziz came to power, Damascus was ruled by the Turk Alptakin, who with only 300 of his fellow Turks had taken power by exploiting the unpopularity of the Fatimids' Kutama troops, gained popular support by restoring order in the city, and held it against the Fatimids, recognizing Abbasid suzerainty.[7][21] Further south, Palestine was under Fatimid control, but the powerful Bedouin chieftain of the Banu Tayy tribe, Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn al-Jarrah, was opposed to them and held the provincial capital Ramla.[7] of Damascus[edit] Commander of the Faithful, maintain peace with the Byzantines as long as they maintain peace with you. Be satisfied if the Hamdanids [of Aleppo] recognize you in the mint and the [Friday] oration. Do not spare Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn Jarrah, [however], if you get hold of him." Advice of Ya'qub ibn Killis to al-Aziz on his deathbed.[27] 975 al-'Aziz took control of Baniyas in an attempt to subdue the anti-Fatimid agitation of the Sunni Mahammad b. Ahmad al-Nablusi and his followers.[28] 976, the Fatimid general Jawhar, the conqueror of Egypt, campaigned against Damascus, but after two months of clashes before the city he had to retreat due to the arrival of Alptakin's Qarmatian allies.[7] Followed by Alptakin's forces, Jawhar was pushed back to Tiberias, Ramla and finally Ascalon, where he was besieged.[7] The siege lasted for seventeen months and ended in early 978 with a negotiated agreement, which abandoned the entire territory from Ascalon to Damascus to Alptakin. Only Gaza remained under direct Fatimid control, although Alptakin was prepared to acknowledge the nominal suzerainty of al-Aziz over the territories he ruled. Jawhar and his men had also to undergo the humiliation of passing under a sword and lance in token of their defeat while departing Ascalon for Egypt.[7][29] Fatimid court could not accept this humiliating agreement, which not only left Egypt vulnerable to attack, but also deprived senior members of the Fatimid elite ”including Ibn Killis himself ”of important properties around Damascus.[30] a result, al-Aziz took the field in person and, at the head of an enormous army, defeated and captured Alptakin in August 978.[7][30] The Qarmatians were bribed with promises of an annual payment of tribute to retreat to Bahrayn, thus bringing an end to their incursions into Syria.[7][30] The events of the previous years also demonstrated to Ibn Killis the dangers of continuing to rely on the Kutama. As a result, the Caliph unexpectedly showed clemency to Alptakin, taking him and his Turkish followers into Fatimid service.[7][30] Alptakin himself was taken to Cairo, where he was lavishly honoured by the Caliph, arousing the envy of Ibn Killis, who had Alptakin poisoned.[7] Nevertheless, as noted before, this event was of momentous importance and marked a major departure from previous Fatimid practice; especially in Syria, the Turkish ghilmÄÂÂn remained influential and often occupied the position of governor of Damascus.[13] itself was taken over by one of Alptakin's lieutenants, Qassam, with the support of the local population and the city militia, who wished to avoid a renewed Berber occupation.[7][30] Fatimid general al-Fadl ibn Salih, a protage of Ibn Killis, was sent with a Berber army against Qassam, but other than a show of force against the coastal cities failed to achieve anything and retreated to Palestine.[7][31] Matters became complicated with the arrival of Abu Taghlib, the ousted Hamdanid ruler of Mosul, who contacted al-Aziz with an offer to capture the city if they supported him with troops. This was opposed by Ibn al-Jarrah, who feared lest the Hamdanid and his followers form the Banu Uqayl tribe, rivals to the Tayy, threaten his own position, particularly his possession of Ramla and the pasture lands of his tribe. Al-Fadl apparently played a duplicitous game, encouraging Abu Taghlib in his designs on Ramla in an effort to sow dissension among the Arab tribes and strengthen Fatimid authority; however, in August 979, when Ibn al-Jarrah attacked Abu Taghlib and his men at Ramla, al-Fadl came to his aid with his own troops. Abu Taghlib was taken captive and executed.[7][32][33] This battle established Ibn al-Jarrah and his Tayy as a major player in the region's power politics: despite his recognition of Fatimid suzerainty, the Tayy chieftain was a virtually independent ruler and remained a constant nuisance for the Fatimid government for decades.[31] fragment with a mounted warrior, 11th century continued to resist Fatimid attempts to capture it, notably under the Kutama chieftain Sulayman ibn Ja'far ibn Fallah in 979/80,[7][31] while, despite al-Fadl's efforts to use the Uqayl to contain them, the Tayy and their unchecked depredations grew to be a menace to the settled and agrigultural districts of southern Syria: Ramla was "reduced to a ghost town", in the words of Kennedy, and the Ghuta plain around Damascus and the Hawran region were so devastated that Damascus faced famine, alleviated only through supplies sent from Homs, ruled by the Turk Bakjur for the Hamdanids of Aleppo.[31] As a result of the successive failures of Berber commanders to capture Damascus and restore order in the province, the Fatimid court appointed a Turk, Baltakin, a former follower of Alptakin, as commander of the next expedition into Syria. Baltakin defeated Ibn al-Jarrah, who fled north to Antioch and the protection of the Byzantines, while Qassam was finally forced to surrender Damascus in early 983, albeit under generous terms that allowed him to remain in control under a Fatimid-appointed governor.[7][31] for Aleppo[edit] securing Fatimid rule in central and southern Syria, Caliph al-Aziz aimed to capture Aleppo as well, but was restrained by Ibn Killis while he lived.[7] The question of Aleppo was complicated, as it risked provoking a direct confrontation with Byzantium.[34] Since 969, the Hamdanid emirate had been tributary to the Byzantines. Its ruler, Sa'd al-Dawla (r. 967-“991), resented this dependence, but was forced to abide with it in order to prevent an outright Fatimid conquest. As a result, his policy vacillated between the two powers.[35][36] Nevertheless, the Fatimids benefited from the weakness of the Hamdanids, as many Hamdanid supporters began entering Fatimid service. For example, Raja al-Siqlabi defected with 300 of his men, and was appointed governor of Acre and Caesarea.[11] The most important such defection was that of the Hamdanid governor of Homs, Bakjur, in 983. Bakjur contacted al-Aziz directly and offered to enter Fatimid service against Aleppo in exchange for the governorship of Damascus.[7][11] Attracted by the possibility of taking over not only Homs but possibly Aleppo as well, al-Aziz agreed to Bakjur's offer over the vehement opposition of Ibn Killis, who was briefly deposed and imprisoned in conjunction with a harvest failure that led to famine in the capital.[11] The Caliph provided Bakjur with an army, with which he attacked Aleppo in September. Sa'd al-Dawla was forced to appeal to the Byzantine emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) for help, who sent his general Bardas Phokas the Younger to assist Aleppo. Forewarned of the Byzantines' approach by the exiled Ibn al-Jarrah, Bakjur raised the siege and fled to Fatimid territory. The Byzantines proceeded to sack Homs in October, and returned the city to Hamdanid control.[7][37] In 987/8, a seven-year truce was concluded with the Byzantines. It stipulated an exchange of prisoners, the recognition of the Byzantine emperor as protector of Christians under Fatimid rule and of the Fatimid Caliph as protector of Muslims under Byzantine control, and the replacement of the name of the Abbasid caliph with that of the Fatimid caliph in the Friday prayer in the mosque at Constantinople.[38] Despite his failure, Bakjur was named governor of Damascus by al-Aziz, and was joined by Ibn al-Jarrah. Ibn Killis, who was released and restored to his office after barely two months, immediately began working against the two. Bakjur gradually made himself unpopular to the Damascenes due to his cruelty, and after several failed efforts, in 989 Ibn Killis finally persuaded al-Aziz to replace Bakjur with one of the vizier's personal ghilmÄÂÂn, Ya'qub al-Siqlabi. Bakjur fled to Raqqa, from where he continued his unsuccessful attacks on Aleppo.[7][11] At the same time, Baltakin was sent to pacify the Bedouin tribes who were raiding the Hajj caravans, leading to the establishment of a Fatimid garrison at Wadi al-Qura, north of Medina.[11] Ibn Killis' death in 991 freed al-Aziz to pursue a more aggressive stance in the Aleppo question. Immediately he dismissed Ibn Killis' protégé and appointed the Turk Manjutakin as governor of Damascus.[7][39] Manjutakin's use of Damascus as his base during the subsequent campaigns shows the consolidation of Fatimid control in the area, but also, as Hugh Kennedy remarks, the changes it brought to the "political and economic geography of Syria": given the continued insecurity of the overland routes due to the depredations of the Bedouin, the Fatimids supplied their forces in Syria by sea—notably via Tripoli—and as a result the chief coastal towns rose in importance, as centres of Fatimid control and administration as well as commerce, experiencing a revival which continued into the 12th century.[40] Manjutakin invaded the Hamdanid emirate, defeated a Byzantine force under the doux of Antioch, Michael Bourtzes, in June 992, and laid siege to Aleppo. However, he failed to pursue the siege with vigour and the city was easily able to resist until, in the spring of 993, after thirteen months of campaigning, Manjutakin was forced to return to Damascus due to lack of supplies.[41] In spring 994, Manjutakin launched another invasion, again defeated Bourtzes at the Battle of the Orontes in September and again besieged Aleppo. The blockade was far more effective this time and soon caused a severe lack of food, but the city's defenders held out until the sudden arrival of the Byzantine emperor, Basil II, in person in April 995.[41] Basil crossed Asia Minor in only sixteen days at the head of an army; his sudden arrival, and the exaggerated numbers circulating for his army, caused panic in the Fatimid army. Manjutakin burned his camp and retreated to Damascus without giving battle.[41] The Byzantines besieged Tripoli but failed to capture it; nevertheless, the Fatimids lost control of the city, which became independent under its qadi.[38] The Byzantine emperor then occupied and fortified Tartus.[38] Al-Aziz himself now prepared to take the field against the Byzantines himself, beginning large-scale preparations at Cairo.[42][43] Byzantine and Hamdanid embassies carrying proposals for a truce were received in September 995, but rejected.[42] Al-Aziz's preparations were set back when the fleet being prepared at Cairo was destroyed by a fire, which set off an anti-Christian pogrom in the city.[44] Manjutakin was ordered to recapture Tartus, but its Armenian garrison was able to fend off his attacks; and a Fatimid fleet sent to assist the siege was lost in a storm off the coast.[38][44] Al-Aziz died on 14 October 996, before setting out on his campaign.[45] The Byzantine–Fatimid conflict continued under his successor until the conclusion of a ten-year truce in 1000.[46] Arabia and North Africa[edit] Along with Syria, al-Aziz presided over an expansion of Fatimid influence in the Arabian peninsula. The Hajj—at least those caravans setting off from Cairo with the pilgrims of the western Islamic world—was placed under Fatimid control and protection, despite the considerable cost.[47] The emirs of Mecca, although de facto autonomous, recognized the Fatimids' suzerainty, in token of which the Fatimids enjoyed the prestigious privilege of furnishing each year the new cover of the Kaaba (the kiswa).[47] Finally, in 992 the Fatimids were acknowledged as caliphs in the Yemen,[47] and even their old enemies, the Qarmatians of Bahrayn, came around to acknowledge their claims.[47] According to Kennedy, these diplomatic victories were the result of the more energetic foreign policy pursued by al-Aziz, particularly after the death of Ibn Killis, which bolstered his credentials by demonstrating "his ability and willingness to undertake the two major public responsibilities of a caliph, to safeguard the Hajj and to lead the Muslims against the infidel Byzantines".[47] On the other hand, North Africa, including the former Fatimid heartland of Ifriqiya, was mostly neglected.[7] Effective power there had passed to the Zirid viceroy of Ifriqiya, Buluggin ibn Ziri (r. 972–984), who was confirmed in office by al-Aziz, as was his son al-Mansur (r. 984–996).[7] In 992, al-Aziz even confirmed al-Mansur's son Badis as heir-apparent, thereby strengthening the Zirids' claim to dynastic succession.[47] Indeed, as Kennedy remarks, "nothing is more striking than the speed with which [the Fatimids] were prepared to allow North Africa to go its own way";[47] apart from diplomatic exchanges of gifts,[47] the Zirids governed their domains increasingly independently from the Fatimid court, even to the point of warring with the Kutama, the erstwhile mainstay of the Fatimid regime.[7] In a similar manner, al-Aziz contended himself with recognizing the succession of the Kalbid emirs of Sicily after the event.[7] Nearer to Egypt, the governor of Barqa (Cyrenaica) is known to have brought presents to the court of Cairo, but otherwise there are no indications of the Fatimids' exercising any control over him.[47] Al-Aziz died on 13 October 996. His son Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (996-1021) succeeded him as Caliph.

Arabs, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), important Shia, two views of him
Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), despoiler of the Holy Places ; (13 August 985-13 February 1021), [1]), the sixth Fatimid caliph[2] and 16th Ismaili[3] imam (996-“1021). is an important figure in a number of Shia Ismaili religions, such as the world's 15 million Nizaris and 1-2 million Musta™lis, in addition to the 2 million Druze of the Levant whose eponymous founder ad-Darazi proclaimed him as the incarnation of God in 1018.[4][5] of al-Hakim can prove controversial, as diverse views of his life and legacy exist.[6][7] Paul Walker writes: "Ultimately, both views of him, mad and despotic tyrant (like Germanic and Roman despots) irrationally given to killing those around him on a whim, the ideal supreme ruler, divinely ordained and chosen, whose every action was just and righteous, were to persist, one among his enemies and those who rebelled against him, the other in the hearts of true believers, who, while perhaps perplexed by events, nonetheless remained avidly loyal to him to the end."[8] The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ;

Arabs, 1037-1194, Folder, Seljuk Empire, Battle of Baghdad, 600,000 men to Georgia, Sunni

Arabs, 1037-1194, Seljuk Empire, Sunni, Turk
Messopotamia, Seljuk Empire, 1037-1194, Sunni, Turk; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Arabs, 1037-1063, Seljuk sultan, Tughril
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1037-1063, Tughril ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 1063-1072, Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan, Heroic Lion, expanded South and Northwest into Anatolia
Arabs, 1063-1072, Seljuk sultan, Alp Arslan; Arslan (20 January 1029 – 15 December 1072), real name Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. Sultan, Alp Arslan greatly expanded Seljuk territory and consolidated power, defeating rivals to his south and northwest. victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 ushered in the Turkoman settlement of Anatolia.[1] his military prowess and fighting skills he obtained the name Alp Arslan, which means "Heroic Lion" in Turkish.

Arabs, 1073-1092, Seljuk sultan, Malik-Shah I, established order in the Caucasus, poisoned
Arabs, 1073-1092, Seljuk sultan, Malik-Shah I; Äl al-Dawla Muiizz al-Dunya Wal-Din Abull-Fatá¸¥ ibn Alp Arslan (8 August 1055 – 19 November 1092, better known by his regnal name of Malik-Shah I, was sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092. his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, along the latter's vizier Nizam al-Mulk. one of such campaigns in 1072, Alp Arslan was fatally wounded and died only a few days later. After that, Malik-Shah was crowned as the new sultan of the empire, Malik-Shah did not access the throne peacefully, and had to fight his uncle Qavurt, who claimed the throne. Although Malik-Shah was the nominal head of the Seljuk state, Nizam al-Mulk held near absolute power during his reign.[2] spent the rest of his reign waging war against the Karakhanids on the eastern side, and establishing order in the Caucasus. death to this day remains under dispute; according to some scholars, he was poisoned by Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi, while others say that he was poisoned by the supporters of Nizam al-Mulk. Blessed David IV, King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Arabs, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder
Georgia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder, 16 yr old King, welfare of the Church responsibility, Church over feudal lords, vital role of Faith, repatriation, began in Kakheti, traitorous feudal lords, David's army God's hands, David himself fought, Turks eliminated, Mehmed I 100,000, 1,500 G to Trialeti, same time 1115 advisor Giorgi recaptured Rustavi Ravine, David's son Demetre, permanent standing army 45,000, Kipchaks recruited, his wife's father Atrak, Mahmud II coalition Muslim countries 600,000, Soldier's of Christ we will defeat Devil himself, greatest weapon covenant w God to die for his love, block retreat w branches, tactics and miracles terrified the enemy at Didgori, recaptured Tiblisi 1122 after 400 yrs, Gelati Monastery 1106; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; the end of the 11th century the Georgian Church underwent a trial of physically and spiritually catastrophic proportions. Seljuk sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah (1073-1092), captured the village of Samshvilde, imprisoned its leader, Ioane Orbeliani, son of Liparit, ravaged Kvemo (Lower) Kartli, and finally captured all of Georgia, despite the isolated victories of King Giorgi II (1072-1089). The fearful Georgians fled their homes to hide in the mountains and forests. and deeply distressed by the difficult times, the nation that had once vowed its unconditional love for Christ began to fall into sin and corruption. People of all ages and temperaments sinned against God and turned to the path of perdition. God manifested His wrath toward the Georgian people by sending a terrible earthquake that devastated their Paschal celebrations. the year 1089, during this period of devastation and despair, King Giorgi II abdicated, designating his sixteen-year-old only son, David (later known as “the Restorer”), heir to the throne. It is written that the Heavenly Father said: I have found David My servant, with My holy oil have I annointed him (Ps. 88:19). newly crowned King David took upon himself enormous responsibility for the welfare of the Church. He supported the efforts of the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi to restore and reinforce the authority of the Georgian Church and suppress the conceited feudal lords and unworthy clergymen. During King David’s reign, the government’s most significant activities were carried out for the benefit of the Church. At the same time, the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi reasserted the vital role of the Orthodox Faith in rescuing the Georgian people from the godless mire into which they had sunk. among King David’s goals at the beginning of his reign was the repatriation of those who had fled Georgia during the Turkish rule. The king summoned his noblemen and began to reunify the nation. The king’s efforts to reunify Georgia began in the eastern region of Kakheti-Hereti, but the Turks and traitorous feudal lords were unwilling to surrender the power they had gained in the area. Nevertheless, King David’s army was in God’s hands, and the Georgians fought valiantly against the massive Turkish army. King David himself fought like any other soldier: three of his horses were killed, but he mounted a fourth to finish the fight with a fantastic victory. The Turkish presence was eliminated from his country. however, the uncompromising Seljuk sultan Mehmed (Muhammad) I of Baghdad (1105-1118) ordered an army of one hundred thousand soldiers to march on Georgia. When King David heard of the enemy’s approach, he immediately assembled a force of fifteen hundred men and led them towards Trialeti. A battle began in the early morning, and with God’s help the enemy was defeated. the king’s adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, recaptured the town of Rustavi in 1115, as the Georgian army recovered the ravine of the Mtkvari River. of Chqondidi was King David’s teacher and closest adviser. He held the post of chancellor-procurator. At the council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, King David introduced a new law, combining the office of chancellor-procurator with the archbishopric of Chqondidi, the most influential episcopate in Georgia.) year later, the Turks, who had been encamped between the towns of Karnipori and Basiani, were banished from the country. The “Great Wars” continued, and the holy king was crowned with new victories. ’s son Demetre (later the venerable Damiane), a young man distinguished in “wisdom, holiness, appearance and courage,” was a great asset to his father. The prince led a war on Shirvan, captured Kaladzori, and returned to his father with slaves and great riches, the spoils of war in those days. One year later, the villages of Lore and Agarani were rejoined to Georgia. spite of his victories, King David knew that it would be difficult for his meager army to protect the recovered cities and fortresses, while continuing to serve as a permanent military force. Thus it became necessary to establish a separate, permanent standing army. The wise king planned to draft men from among the Qipchaks, a northern Caucasian tribe, to form this army. He was well acquainted with the character of these people, and confident that they were brave and seasoned in war. Furthermore, David’s wife, Queen Gurandukhti, was a daughter of Atrak, the Qipchaks’ ruler. Atrak joyfully agreed to the request of his son-in-law, the king. a true diplomat seeking to maintain peaceful relations with the Qipchaks, King David took his adviser, Giorgi of Chqondidi, and traveled to the region of Ossetia in the northern Caucasus. There Giorgi of Chqondidi, an “adviser to his master and participant in his great works and victories,” reposed in the Lord. Following this, the dispirited King David declared that his kingdom would grieve for forty days. But he accomplished what he had set out to do, and selected forty thousand Qipchaks to add to the five thousand Georgian soldiers he had already enlisted. From that point on King David had a standing army of forty-five thousand men. king’s enormous army finally uprooted the Turkish presence in and around Georgia permanently. The defeated Turks returned in shame to their sultan in Baghdad, draped in black as a sign of grief and defeat. Nevertheless, the unyielding sultan Mahmud II (1118-1131) rallied a coalition of Muslim countries to attack Georgia. The sultan summoned the Arab leader Durbays bin Sadaka, commanded his own son Malik (1152-1153) to serve him, gathered an army of six hundred thousand men, and marched once more towards Georgia. was August of 1121. Before heading off to battle, King David inspired his army with these words: “Soldiers of Christ! If we fight bravely for our Faith, we will defeat not only the devil’s servants, but the devil himself. will gain the greatest weapon of spiritual warfare when we make a covenant with the Almighty God and vow that we would rather die for His love than escape from the enemy. And if any one of us should wish to retreat, let us take branches and block the entrance to the gorge to prevent this. When the enemy approaches, let us attack fiercely!” of the soldiers thought of retreating. The king’s stunning battle tactics and the miracles of God terrified the enemy. As it is written, “The hand of God empowered him, and the Great-martyr George visibly led him in battle. The king annihilated the godless enemy with his powerful right hand.” battle at Didgori enfeebled the enemy for many years. The following year, in 1122, King David recaptured the capital city of Tbilisi, which had borne the yoke of slavery for four hundred years. The king returned the city to its mother country. In 1123 King David declared the village of Dmanisi a Georgian possession, and thus, at last, unification of the country was complete. victory followed another, as the Lord defended the king who glorified his Creator. 1106 King David had begun construction of Gelati Monastery in western Georgia, and throughout his life this sacred complex was the focus of his efforts on behalf of the revival of the Georgian Church. Gelati Monastery was the most glorious of all the existing temples to God. To beautify the building, King David offered many of the great treasures he had acquired as spoils of war. Then he gathered all the wise, upright, generous, and pious people from among his kinsmen and from abroad and established the Gelati Theological Academy. King David helped many people in Georgian churches both inside and outside his kingdom. The benevolent king constructed a primitive ambulance for the sick and provided everything necessary for their recovery. He visited the infirm, encouraging them and caring for them like a father. The king always took with him a small pouch in which he carried alms for the poor. intelligent and well-lettered king spent his free time reading the Holy Scriptures and studying the sciences. He even carried his books with him to war, soliciting the help of donkeys and camels to transport his library. When he tired of reading, King David had others read to him, while he listened attentively. One of the king’s biographers recalls, “Each time David finished reading the Epistles, he put a mark on the last page. At the end of one year, we counted that he had read them twenty-four times.” David was also an exemplary writer. His “Hymns of Repentance” are equal in merit to the works of the greatest writers of the Church. most valiant, powerful, and righteous Georgian king left his heirs with a brilliant confession when he died. It recalled all the sins he had committed with profound lamentation and beseeched the Almighty God for forgiveness. David completed his will in 1125, and in the same year he abdicated and designated his son Demetre to be his successor. He entrusted his son with a sword, blessed his future, and wished him many years in good health and service to the Lord. The king reposed peacefully at the age of fifty-three. David the Restorer was buried at the entrance to Gelati Monastery. His final wish was carved in the stone of his grave: This is My rest for ever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen her (Ps. 131:15). St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Arabs, 1092-1195, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq
Persia, 1092-1195, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Arabs, 1105-1118, Seljuk sultan, Mehmed I of Baghdad
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1105-1118, Mehmed I of Baghdad ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Arabs, 1118-1152, Seljuk sultan, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia, ruled over Iraq and Persia
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1118-1153, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia ; II (c. 1105 – 1131) was the Seljuk sultan of Baghdad from 1118–1131 following the death of his father Muhammad I Tapar.[1] At the time Mahmud was fourteen, and ruled over Iraq and Persia. Mahmud's early reign, his vassal king Garshasp II, who was a favorite of his father Muhammad I, fell into disgrace. Slander about him spread to the court that made him lose confidence, and made Mahmud send a military force to Yazd where Garshasp was arrested and jailed in Jibal, while Yazd was granted to the royal cupbearer. Garshasp, however, escaped and returned to Yazd, where he requested protection from Mahmud's rival Ahmad Sanjar (Garshasp's wife was the sister of Ahmad). Garshasp urged Ahmad to invade the domains of Mahmud in Central Persia, and gave him information on how to march to Central Persia, and the ways to combat Mahmud. Ahmad accepted and advanced with an army to the west in 1119, where he together with five kings defeated Mahmud at Saveh.[1] The kings who aided Ahmad during the battle were Garshasp II himself, the emirs of Sistan and of Khwarazm,[1] and two other unnamed kings. After being victorious, Ahmad then restored the domains of Garshasp II.[2] then proceeded as far as Baghdad, whereupon Mahmud was married to one of Sanjar's daughters, made his uncle's heir, and forced to give up strategic territories in northern Persia.[1] younger brother Mas'ud revolted against him in 1120, but the civil war ended the following year due to the intervention of the atabeg of Mosul, Aqsunqur al-Bursuqi, and Mas'ud was pardoned. In 1126, al-Bursuqi was murdered by Assassins, believed have been under orders from Mahmud. In 1127, he appointed Anushirvan ibn Khalid as his vizier, but had him removed from the office the following year. In 1129 Mahmud officially recognized the authority of Zengi, who had supported him against a revolt led by al-Mustarshid, caliph of Baghdad, in Syria and northern Iraq. then aged 26, died in 1131. His death was followed by a civil war between his son Dawud, and his brothers Mas'ud, Suleiman-Shah, and Toghrul II. His other son Alp Arslan ibn Mahmud was ruler of Mosul with atabeg Zengi. Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Arabs, 1152-1153, Seljuk sultan, Malik-Shah III, 600,000 Men to Georgia
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1152-1153, Malik-Shah III; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Arabs, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), joined by Crusaders, Sunni

Arabs, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Crusaders join Mmluk Baibars to Plunder Athoninte Monasteries

Arabs, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), Sunni Islam, Owned slave, freed a training, but loyal to master
Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Sunni Islam; Mamluk Sultanate was a medieval realm spanning Egypt, the Levant and Hejaz that established itself as a caliphate. lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. have traditionally broken the era of Mamluk rule into two periods, one covering 1250–1382 and the other 1382–1517, named after the ruling dynasties of the respective eras. Modern sources also refer to the same divisions as the Turkis and Circassian periods to stress the change in the ethnic origins of most Mamluks.[5][6][7][8][9] term Mamluk Sultanat is a modern historiographical term.[10] The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, soldiers predominantly of Cuman-Kipchaks (from Crimea),[11] Circassian, Abkhazian,[12] Oghuz Turks[13] Albanian, Slavic, Greek, Armenian and Georgian slave origin.[14][15] Mamluks were purchased, their status was above that of ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. were considered to be true lords, with social status above citizens of Egypt. it declined towards the end of its existence, at its height the sultanate represented the zenith of medieval Egyptian and Levantine political, economic, and cultural glory in the Islamic Golden Age.[16] See also: Mamluk A Mamluk nobleman from Aleppo mamluk was an owned slave, distinguished from the ghulam, or household slave. After thorough training in various fields such as martial arts, court etiquette and Islamic sciences, these slaves were freed. they were still expected to remain loyal to their master and serve his household.[19] had formed a part of the state or military apparatus in Syria and Egypt since at least the 9th century, rising to become governing dynasties of Egypt and the Levant during the Tulunid and Ikhshidid periods.[20] regiments constituted the backbone of Egypt's military under Ayyubid rule in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, beginning with Sultan Saladin (r. 1174–1193) who replaced the Fatimids' black African infantry with mamluks.[21] Ayyubid sultan and high-ranking emir had a private mamluk corps.[22] of the mamluks in the Ayyubids' service were ethnic Kipchak Turks from Central Asia, who, upon entering service, were converted to Sunni Islam and taught Arabic.[21] mamluk was highly committed to his master, to whom he often referred as "father", and was in turn treated more as a kinsman than as a slave.[21] as-Salih Ayyub (r. 1240–1249), the last of the Ayyubid sultans, had acquired some 1 000 mamluks (some of them free-born) from Syria, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula by 1229, while serving as na'ib (viceroy) of Egypt during the absence of his father, Sultan al-Kamil (r. 1218–1238). These mamluks were called the "Salihiyyah" (singular "Salihi") after their master.[23] A Mamluk training with a lance, early 16th century became sultan of Egypt in 1240, and, upon his accession to the Ayyubid throne, he manumitted and promoted large numbers of his original and newly recruited Mamluks on the condition that they remain in his service.[23] provision his mamluks, as-Salih forcibly seized the iqtaʿat (fiefs; singular iqtaʿ) of his predecessors' emirs.[23] As-Salih sought to create a paramilitary apparatus in Egypt loyal to himself, and his aggressive recruitment and promotion of mamluks led contemporaries to view Egypt as "Salihi-ridden", according to historian Winslow William Clifford.[24] his close relationship with his mamluks, tensions existed between as-Salih and the Salihiyyah, and a number of Salihi mamluks were imprisoned or exiled throughout as-Salih's reign.[25] historian Stephen Humphreys asserts that the Salihiyyah's increasing dominance of the state did not personally threaten as-Salih due to their fidelity to him, Clifford believes that the Salihiyyah developed an autonomy within the state that fell short of such loyalty.[26] among the Salihiyyah to as-Salih rose when the latter ordered the assassination of his brother Abu Bakr al-Adil in 1249, a task that affronted many of the Salihiyyah and by whom was rejected; four of the Salihiyyah ultimately agreed to execute the controversial operation.[25] to power[edit] with the Ayyubids[edit] between As-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub and his mamluks came to a head later in 1249 when Louis IX of France's forces captured Damietta in their bid to conquer Egypt during the Seventh Crusade.[25] As-Salih believed Damietta should not have been evacuated and was rumored to have threatened punitive action against the Damietta garrison. The rumor, accentuated by the execution of civilian notables who evacuated Damietta, provoked a mutiny by the garrison of his camp in al-Mansurah, which included numerous Salihi mamluks.[25] The situation was calmed after the intervention of the atabeg al-askar (commander of the military), Fakhr ad-Din ibn Shaykh al-Shuyukh.[25] the Crusaders advanced, as-Salih died and was succeeded by his son al-Muazzam Turanshah,[27] who was in al-Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) at the time. Initially, the Salihiyyah welcomed Turanshah's succession, with many greeting him and requesting confirmation of their administrative posts and iqtaʿ assignments at his arrival to the Egyptian frontier.[28] However, Turanshah sought to challenge the dominance of the Salihiyyah in the paramilitary apparatus by promoting his Kurdish retinue from Upper Mesopotamia ("al-Jazira" in Arabic) and the Levant as a counterweight to the predominantly Turkic Salihiyyah.[28] to Turanshah's arrival at the front facing the French, the Bahriyyah, a junior regiment of the Salihiyyah commanded by Baibars al-Buduqdari, defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of al-Mansurah on 11 February 1250. On 27 February, Turanshah, as new sultan, arrived in Egypt from Hasankeyf (Turkish for "rock fortress"), where he had been Emir (Arabic for "Prince") of Hisn Kayfa (Arabic for "rock fortress") since AH 636 (1238/1239 CE), and went straight to al-Mansurah to lead the Egyptian army. On 5 April 1250, covered by the darkness of night, the Crusaders evacuated their camp opposite al-Mansurah and began to flee northward towards Damietta. The Egyptians followed them into the Battle of Fariskur where the Egyptians utterly destroyed the Crusaders on 6 April. King Louis IX and a few of his surviving nobles surrendered and were taken as prisoners, effectively ending the Seventh Crusade.[29] proceeded to place his own entourage and mamluks, known as the "Mu'azzamiyah",[27] in positions of authority to the detriment of Salihi interests. On 2 May 1250,[27] a group of disgruntled Salihi officers had Turanshah assassinated at his camp in Fariskur.[30] to Humphreys, as-Salih's frequent wars against his Ayyubid relatives likely voided the Salihiyyah's loyalty to other members of the Ayyubid dynasty.[31] Nonetheless, the Salihiyyah were careful not to depict the assassination of Turanshah as an assault against Ayyubid legitimacy, but rather an act against a deviant of the Muslim polity.[32] Moreover, an electoral college dominated by the Salihiyyah convened to choose a successor to Turanshah among the Ayyubid emirs, with opinion largely split between an-Nasir Yusuf of Damascus and al-Mughith Umar of al-Karak. Ultimately, however, consensus settled on as-Salih's widow, Shajar ad-Durr.[32] ad-Durr ensured the Salihiyyah's dominance of the paramilitary elite, and ushered in a process of establishing patronage and kinship ties with the Salihiyyah. In particular, she cultivated close ties with the Jamdari (pl. Jamdariyyah) and Bahri (pl. "Bahriyyah") elements of the Salihiyyah, by distributing to them iqtaʿ and other benefits.[33] The Bahriyya were named after the Arabic word bahr, meaning "sea" or "large river", because their barracks was located on the Nile River island of Rawda. They were mostly drawn from among the Cumans-Kipchaks who controlled the steppes north of the Black Sea.[22] Shajar al-Durr's efforts and the lingering desire among the military in Egypt to maintain the Ayyubid state was made evident when the Salihi mamluk and atabeg al-askar, Aybak, attempted to claim the sultanate, but was prevented from monopolizing power by the army and the Bahriyyah and Jamdariyyah, which asserted that only an Ayyubid could exercise sultanic authority.[32][33] The Bahriyyah compelled Aybak to share power with al-Ashraf Musa, a grandson of Sultan al-Kamil.[34] power struggles[edit] was one of the oldest of the Salihi mamluks and a senior member of as-Salih's inner circle, despite only being an emir awsat (middle-ranked emir).[35] He served as the principal bulwark against the more junior Bahri and Jamdari elements of the Salihiyyah, and his promotion to atabeg al-askar was met by Bahri rioting in Cairo, the first of many examples of intra-Salihi tensions surrounding Aybak's ascendancy.[36] The Bahriyyah and Jamdariyyah were represented by their patron, Faris ad-Din Aktay, a principal organizer of Turanshah's assassination and the recipient of Fakhr ad-Din's large estate by Shajar al-Durr; the latter saw Aktay as a counterweight to Aybak.[36] Aybak moved against the Bahriyyah in 1251 by shutting down their Rawda headquarters in a bid to sap Aktay's power base. Aybak was still unable to promote his own mamluks, known as the "Mu'izziyah", to senior posts until 1252. That year, he managed to dispatch Aktay to Upper Egypt to suppress an Arab uprising.[37] Instead of isolating Aktay as was Aybak's intention, the assignment allowed Aktay to impose extortionate taxes in Upper Egypt and provide him the personal funds to finance his patronage of the Bahriyyah. In 1254, Aybak had his Mu'izzi mamluks assassinate Aktay in the Citadel of Cairo.[38] Aybak proceeded to purge those in his retinue and in the Salihiyyah whom he believed were disloyal to him, causing a temporary exodus of Bahri mamluks, most of whom settled in Gaza, but also in Upper Egypt and Syria.[34][39] The purge led to a dearth of military support for Aybak, which in turn led to Aybak's recruitment of new supporters from among the army in Egypt and the Turkic Nasiri and Azizi mamluks from Syria, who had defected from their Ayyubid masters, namely an-Nasir Yusuf, and moved to Egypt in 1250.[39] The Syrian mamluks were led by their patron Jamal ad-Din Aydughdi and were assigned most of the iqtaʿ of Aktay and his allies. However, Aydughdi's growing ambitions made Aybak view him as a threat. After Aybak learned that Aydughdi was plotting to topple him and recognize an-Nasir Yusuf as Ayyubid sultan, which would likely leave Aydughdi in virtual control of Egypt, Aybak had Aydughdi imprisoned in Alexandria in 1254 or 1255.[40] the Bahriyya faction in Gaza commanded by Baybars sought to enlist their services with an-Nasir Yusuf. In an attempt to dislodge Aybak, the Bahriyyah petitioned an-Nasir Yusuf to claim the Ayyubid throne and invade Egypt, but an-Nasir Yusuf initially refused. However, in 1256, he dispatched a Bahri-led expedition to Egypt, but no battle occurred when Aybak met an-Nasir Yusuf's army.[41] Aybak was assassinated on 10 April 1257,[41] possibly on the orders of Shajar al-Durr,[42] who was assassinated a week later.[41] Their deaths left a relative power vacuum in Egypt, with Aybak's teenage son, al-Mansur Ali, as heir to the sultanate.[41] While al-Mansur Ali was sultan, the strongman in Egypt was Aybak's former close aide, Sayf ad-Din Qutuz,[43] who also had hostile relations with the Salihiyyah, including the Bahri mamluks.[44] the time of Aybak's death, the Bahriyyah had entered the service of al-Mughith Umar of al-Karak, who agreed to invade Egypt and claim the Ayyubid sultanate, but al-Mughith's small Bahri-dominated invading force was routed at the frontier with Egypt in November.[41] The Bahriyyah and al-Mughith launched a second expedition in 1258, but were again defeated.[43] The Bahriyyah subsequently raided areas around Syria, threatening an-Nasir Yusuf's power in Damascus. After a first attempt to defeat the Bahriyyah near Gaza failed, an-Nasir Yusuf launched a second expedition against them with al-Mansur Muhammad II of Hama, resulting in a Bahriyyah defeat at Jericho.[43] An-Nasir Yusuf proceeded to besiege al-Mughith and the Bahriyyah at al-Karak, but the growing threat of a Mongol invasion of Syria ultimately led to a reconciliation between an-Nasir Yusuf and al-Mughith, and Baybars's defection to the former.[43] Qutuz deposed al-Mansur Ali in 1259. Afterward, he purged and/or arrested the Mu'izziyah and any Bahri mamluks he could locate in Egypt in a bid to eliminate dissent towards his rule.[44] The surviving Mu'izzi and Bahri mamluks made their way to Gaza, where Baybars had created a virtual shadow state in opposition to Qutuz.[44] lancers, early 16th century (etching by Daniel Hopfer) While various mamluk factions competed for control of Egypt and Syria, the Mongols under the command of Hulagu Khan had sacked Baghdad, the intellectual and spiritual center of the Islamic world, in 1258, and proceeded westward, capturing Aleppo and Damascus.[45] Qutuz sent military reinforcements to his erstwhile enemy an-Nasir Yusuf in Syria, and reconciled with the Bahriyyah, including Baybars, who was allowed to return to Egypt, to face the common Mongol threat.[46] Hulagu sent emissaries to Qutuz in Cairo, demanding submission to Mongol rule. Qutuz had the emissaries killed, an act which historian Joseph Cummins called the "worst possible insult to the Mongol throne".[45] Qutuz then prepared Cairo's defenses to ward off the Mongols' threatened invasion of Egypt, but after hearing news that Hulagu withdrew from Syria to claim the Mongol throne, Qutuz began preparations for the conquest of Syria. He mobilized a force of some 120,000 soldiers and gained the support of his main Mamluk rival, Baybars.[47] Mamluks entered Palestine to confront the Mongol army that Hulagu left behind under the command of Kitbuqa.[47] In September 1260, the two sides met in the plains south of Nazareth in a major confrontation known as the Battle of Ain Jalut.[48] Qutuz had some of his cavalry units hide in the hills around Ain Jalut (Goliath's Spring), while directing Baybars's forces to advance past Ain Jalut against Kitbuqa's Mongols. In the ensuing half-hour clash, Baybars's men feigned a retreat and were pursued by Kitbuqa. The latter's forces fell into a Mamluk trap once they reached the springs of Ain Jalut, with Baybars's men turning around to confront the Mongols and Qutuz's units ambushing the Mongols from the hills.[47] The battle ended in a Mongol rout and Kitbuqa's capture and execution. Afterward, the Mamluks proceeded to recapture Damascus and the other Syrian cities taken by the Mongols.[49] Upon Qutuz's triumphant return to Cairo, he was assassinated in a Bahri plot. Baybars subsequently assumed power in Egypt in late 1260,[46] and established the Bahri Mamluk sultanate.[50]

Arabs, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate)
Messopotamia, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate ; Further conquests: 1200-“1800 ; Timur or Tamerlan;

Arabs, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated on October 19; St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 1270, Mamluk Sultan Baibars expels Crusaders from Palestine
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20;

Arabs, 1270, Crusaders and Mamluk Sultan Baibars join to Loot and Plunder Athonite Monasteries
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20;

Arabs, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God
Jerusalem, 1277, Luke & Fathers of Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem, 3 trees of the Cross, Luke followed his mother to Jerusalem, became monk there, became abbot, monks ousted, Luke confronted, beheaded, then severed head turned East and thanked God ; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Fathers & Luke Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; holy martyr Luka of Jerusalem lived in the 13th century. He was born to an honorable, pious Georgian family by the name of Mukhaisdze. After the repose of Luka’s father, his mother left her children and went to labor at a monastery in Jerusalem. Luka reached the age of twenty, he traveled to Jerusalem to visit his mother and venerate the holy places. After spending some time there he decided to remain and be tonsured a monk. was later ordained a deacon and became fluent in Arabic. Soon the brothers of the monastery recognized his wisdom and asked him to guide them as abbot. For three years Luka directed the monastery in an exemplary manner. the devil was envious of the holy father and provoked a certain Shekh-Khidar, an influential Persian at the court of Sultan Penducht, (Probably Sultan Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar of Egypt (1260-1277)) to take up arms against Saint Luka. Penducht then transferred possession of theHoly CrossMonastery to Shekh-Khidar, who “treated the Georgian monks in a beastly manner and finally ousted them from the monastery altogether.” his God-given duty, the blessed Luka insisted on personally confronting Shekh-Khidar in defense of his brotherhood. ’s Christian brothers and sisters warned him, saying, “Shekh-Khidar is threatening you.... Flee and hide fromhim!” But Luka paid no heed to their admonitions, certain that it was more fitting to die for Christ than to live for the world. As he had insisted, he himself approached and asked for the release of the imprisoned fathers. told him that he was prepared to accept any demands. The wicked Persian leader demanded nothing from Luka except that he convert to Islam, promising to make him emir if he consented. When he refused, the furious Shekh-Khidar ordered Saint Luka’s beheading. the terrible deed had been performed, Saint Luka’s severed head turned toward the east and gave thanks to God with an expression of pure peace. Soon after, his precious body was set on fire at the command of the bewildered Shekh-Khidar. This occurred in 1277. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; story as above

Arabs, 1293-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni, 3 Reigns
Arabs, 1293-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni;

Arabs, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Slave SoldierMamluks and their RINO's

Arabs, 1304-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni, 3 Reigns
Arabs, 1293-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni;

Arabs, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Klarjeti W, H Cross M, Forerunner, Spiritual f, MOG, Damascus, h f 500 L, head 7 times
Jerusalem, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Nikoloz Dvali the Martyr was born at the end of the 13th century to a God-fearing couple who directed his path toward the spiritual life. the age of twelve Nikoloz traveled to the Klarjeti Wilderness and was tonsured a monk. From there he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained in the holy city, settling at the Holy Cross Monastery. Burning with desire for the apostolic life, Monk Nikoloz was determined to die a martyr’s death. Jerusalem a group of godless men arrested and tormented Saint Nikoloz for publicly confessing the Christian Faith, but a group of Christians succeeded in rescuing him from prison. in accordance with his abbot’s counsel, Saint Nikoloz relocated to a Georgian monastery on Cyprus. There the pious monk beseeched the Lord to make him worthy of the crown of martyrdom. One day, while he was praying before the icon of Saint John the Baptist, he heard a voice saying, “Nikoloz! Arise and go to Jerusalem. There you will find a Georgian monk who will teach you the way of righteousness and encourage you on the path of martyrdom. He has been appointed to guide you.” Saint Nikoloz returned to Jerusalem, met the monk whom God had appointed, and informed him of what had been revealed. Most Holy Theotokos and Saint John the Baptist appeared to Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father, who had been praying intensely for guidance, and told him that it was the Lord’s will for Nikoloz to journey to Damascus. in Damascus, the holy father entered a mosque and openly confessed Christ to be the Savior, reproving those present for their folly. The angry Muslims seized Saint Nikoloz, beat him, and cast him into prison. a great struggle, the metropolitan and local Christians succeeded in recovering him from captivity, but he immediately returned to the Muslims and began again to denounce their ungodly ways. Again they beat him mercilessly, lashed him five hundred times, and cast him in prison for a second time. the holy martyr’s wounds were healed through the miraculous intercession of Saint John the Baptist, and after two months he was released from prison. chance the emir of the city caught a glimpse of Saint Nikoloz as he was preparing to return to Jerusalem. The emir recognized him and sent him to Dengiz, the emir of emirs. Dengiz flattered him and offered to convert him to Islam, but Saint Nikoloz bravely defended his faith in Christ. In response, Dengiz ordered his execution. the hour appointed by Dengiz, the blessed martyr turned to the east, joyfully bowed his neck to the sword, and prayed, “Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who hast accounted me worthy to die for Thy name’s sake.” The sword pierced his neck, but the severed head glorified God seven times, crying out, “Glory to Thee, O Christ our God!” Persians burned the saint’s body, and for three days a pillar of light shone at the place where it lay. Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father heard about his martyrdom, he prayed to God to reveal to him whether Nikoloz would be numbered among the saints. Then one day while he was reading, he saw a vision of a host of saints standing atop a mountain, illumined and surrounded by a cloud of incense. Among them the Great-martyr George shone especially brightly, and he called Saint Nikoloz, saying, “Nikoloz! Come and see the monk, your spiritual father. He has shed many tears for you.” greeted his spiritual father, saying, “Behold me and the place where I am, and from this day cease your sorrowing for me.” Nikoloz Dvali was tortured to death on Tuesday, October 19, in the year 1314. The Georgian Church continues to commemorate him on that date. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Arabs, 1341-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Abu Bakr, Sunni, deposed by his father's emir Qawsun
Arabs, 1341-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Abu Bakr, Sunni, deposed by his father's emir Qawsun;

Arabs, 1341-1342, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Kujuk, Sunni, controlled by Qawsun
Arabs, 1341-1342, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Kujuk, Sunni, controlled by Qawsun ;

Arabs, 1342-1342, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, stayed in Karak Transjordan, killed
Arabs, 1342-1342, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, stayed in Karak Transjordan, killed because he did not want to go to Egypt.;

Arabs, 1342-1345, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Ismail, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Killed brothers, mamluk slave soldiers, sick and died
Arabs, 1342-1342, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, stayed in Karak Transjordan, killed because he did not want to go to Egypt.;

Arabs, 1345-1346, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Kamil Sha'ban, Sunni, Killed in brother's revolt
Arabs, 1345-1346, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Kamil Sha'ban, Sunni, Killed in brother's revolt;

Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, loved sports, killed by his Mamluks
Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, love of sports, killed by his Mamluk slave soldiers;

Arabs, 1347-1361, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Hasan, Sunni, 2 reigns by Mamluks, Killed and k by Mamluks
Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, love of sports, killed by his Mamluk slave soldiers; Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Arabs, 1361-1363, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Muhammad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk ruler in name only, adolescent
Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, love of sports, killed by his Mamluk slave soldiers;

Arabs, 1363-1377, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Sha'ban, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, but with partisans and commoners tried to kill Mamluks
Arabs, 1363-1377, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Sha'ban, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, but with partisans and commoners tried to kill Mamluks emirs;

Arabs, 1377-1381, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Ali II, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, died still and adolescent
Arabs, 1377-1381, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Ali II, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, died still and adolescent;

Arabs, 1382,1389, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Hajji, Sunni, Mamluk RINO
Arabs, 1382,1389, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Hajji, Sunni, Mamluk RINO;

Arabs, 1382-1399, Abbasid Sultan, Barquq, Sunni, a Mamluk Sultan, Slave Soldier
Arabs, 1382-1399, Abbasid Sultan, Barquq, Sunni, a Mamluk Sultan, Slave Soldier, Timur enemy, joined Ottoman Empire in 1393;

Arabs, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb in Median, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit, to Russia 1390

Arabs, 1400. 15th Century History Folder, Abbasid, Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt

Arab Lands, Big Picture Folder, Kings Highway, Havilah Line, Ishmaelites

Arabian Penninsula
Arabian Peninsula; Arabian Plate and Cilicia; Martyr and Unmercenary Cosmas and his brother in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 17 ; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Arabia or Havilah - Land of the Ishmaelites - Havilah, Shur to Assur
Havilah is both a point (Habala) and this line east of the Jordan Rift from Habala to Wilderness of Shur to Assur (Mosel, Ninevah, Assyria, Persia). That line and the area it describes (between the Red Sea and the Jordan Rift) defines the Land of the Ishmaelites.; In addition to the region described in Genesis 2 in the Garden of Eden description, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.[2] The other sons of Cush are associated with eastern Africa, while Joktan's other sons are often associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites as being "from Havilah to Shur, opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria"; and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there.[3]. The Amalekites also fought Moses et all near Mt Sinai-Horeb in Median of Arabia.

Arabia, Roman Province of Arabia (Capital Petra)
Roman Province of Arabia; Arapet Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25;

Havilah or Arabia - Land of the Ishmaelites - Havilah, Shur to Assur
Havilah is both a point (Habala) and this line east of the Jordan Rift from Habala to Wilderness of Shur to Assur (Mosel, Ninevah, Assyria, Persia). That line and the area it describes (between the Red Sea and the Jordan Rift) defines the Land of the Ishmaelites.; In addition to the region described in Genesis 2 in the Garden of Eden description, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.[2] The other sons of Cush are associated with eastern Africa, while Joktan's other sons are often associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites as being "from Havilah to Shur, opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria"; and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there.[3]. The Amalekites also fought Moses et all near Mt Sinai-Horeb in Median of Arabia.

Havilah - Land of the Arab Muslims (Pre-Islamic Arabia, Havilah)
Havilah, Circle from Havilah to Shur to Assur ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Saracen, Roman Province of Arabia
Saracen; Roman Province of Arabia;

Roman Province of Arabia (Capital Petra)
Roman Province of Arabia; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25;

Saracens (Hagarenes), Arabs, Saracen Land (the original Saracens north of the Euphrates River)
Saracens, Both Hippolytus and Uranius mention three distinct peoples in Arabia during the first half of the third century: the Saraceni, the Taeni and the Arabes.[2] The Taeni, later identified with the Arabic speaking people called Tayy, were located around the Khaybar oasis north of Medina, and also in an area stretching up to the Euphrates river, while the Saraceni were placed north of them.[2] These Saracens located in the northern Hejaz appeared as people with a certain military ability who were opponents of the Roman Empire and who were characterized by the Romans as barbarians.[2]; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Hagarenes (Saracens), Arabs, Saracen Land (the original Saracens north of the Euphrates River)
Saracens, Both Hippolytus and Uranius mention three distinct peoples in Arabia during the first half of the third century: the Saraceni, the Taeni and the Arabes.[2] The Taeni, later identified with the Arabic speaking people called Tayy, were located around the Khaybar oasis north of Medina, and also in an area stretching up to the Euphrates river, while the Saraceni were placed north of them.[2] These Saracens located in the northern Hejaz appeared as people with a certain military ability who were opponents of the Roman Empire and who were characterized by the Romans as barbarians.[2]; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Pre-Islamic Arabia 1 (Kings Highway)
Pre-Islamic Arabia ; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian);;

Pre-Islamic Arabia 2 (Havilah)
Pre-Islamic Arabia ; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian), Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God Arapet (Arabian);;

Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Havilah)
Havilah, Havila is the curved area around the East side of the Dead Sea from Shur (North Sinai) toward Asshur the first capital of Assyria- the area of Ishmael's Twelve Tribes ; Saracens; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Syrian Desert, Pre Islamic Arabia)
Saracens; Saint Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Bedouin Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Sarah, Capital Petra)
Bedouin Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Sarah, Capital Petra); St. Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridon, Commemorated on June 15;

Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Sarah, Muslims, Capital Petra)
Saracens, Land of the Saracens (Sarah, Muslims, Capital Petra); St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Arab Lands, Big Picture, Roman Road, Kings Highway Folder

Kings Highway 1 (Heliopolis, Egypt)

Kings Highway 2 (Clysma, Egypt)

Kings Highway 3 (Mitla Pass, Egypt)

Kings Highway 4 (Nekhel Fortress, Egypt)

Kings Highway 5 (Eilat and Aquaba, Israel)

Kings Highway 6 (Arabah of the Jordan Rift)

Kings Highway 7 (Petra, Jordan)

Kings Highway 8 (Maan, Jordan)

Kings Highway 9 (Shaubak, Bozrah, Jordan)

Kings Highway 10 (Sela, Edom, Jordan)

Kings Highway 11 (Kerak, Moab, Jordan)

Kings Highway 12 (Madaba, Jordan)

Kings Highway 13 (Moab, Jordan)

Kings Highway 14 (Rabbah Ammon/Philadelphia, Jordan)

Philadelphia, Arabia (Amman, Jordan, Kings Highway 14)
Philadelphia, Arabia (Amman, Jordan); Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22 ;

Kings Highway 15 (Gerasa, Jordan)

Kings Highway 16 (Bosra, Syria)

Kings Highway 17 (Damascus, Syria)

Kings Highway 18 (Tadmor, Syria)

Kings Highway 19 (Resafa, Syria, (Euphrates River 5))

Arab Lands, Big Picture, Tigris River Folder

Arab Lands, Big Picture, Euphrates River Folder

Arab Lands, Bashan Folder, and its vicinity

Bashan 1500BC-636, Bashan History Folder

Bashan, 1500 BC, Edrei, Bashan (King Og Defeated)
Edrei, Bashan; Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35, King Og Defeated; 33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan; and King Og of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34But the Lord said to Moses, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Do not be afraid of him; for I have given him into your hand, with all his people, and all his land. You shall do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 35So they killed him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left; and they took possession of his land. Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35

Bashan, 636, Battle of Yarmouk (Yarmouk River)
Bashan, 636, Battle of Yarmouk (Yarmouk River);

Bashan, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Busra, Hauran ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Arab Lands, Bashan, Hauran Plateau Yarmouk River Folder

Yarmouk River

Yarmouk River Source (Hauran Plateau)

Edrei, Bashan (King Og Defeated)
Edrei, Bashan; Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35, King Og Defeated; 33 Then they turned and went up the road to Bashan; and King Og of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34But the Lord said to Moses, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Do not be afraid of him; for I have given him into your hand, with all his people, and all his land. You shall do to him as you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 35So they killed him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left; and they took possession of his land. Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35

Busra, Bashan (Kings Highway 16, Hauran Plateau, Decapolis)
Busra, Hauran ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Peter of Capetolis. Commemorated October 4 Busra, Hauran; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated December 30 ;

Carnaim, Bashan
Carnaim, Bashan, 1 Maccabees ch 5;

Yarmouk River Mouth (Jordan River 2)

Gadara, Bashan (up from Yarmouk River Mouth)
Gadara; Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ;

Capitolias, Bashan, Decapolis
Capitolias, Palestine; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arab Lands, Median Folder, Moses, Horeb, Desert of Sin, Mt Sinai, 12 Wells

Midian (Northwest Arabian Penninsula, and Western Havilah)
Midian; is a geographical place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and Quran. William G. Dever states that biblical Midian was in the "northwest Arabian Peninsula, on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea", an area which he notes was "never extensively settled until the 8th–7th century B.C."[1] to the Book of Genesis, the Midianites were the descendants of Midian, who was a son of Abraham and his wife Keturah: "Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah" (Genesis 25:1–2, King James Version).[2] Median and Mt Sinai; map of Median and Mt. Sinai Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses 1] was the most important prophet in Judaism,[4][5] and an important prophet in Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, and a number of other Abrahamic religions. In the biblical and quranic[6] narrative, he was the leader of the Israelites and lawgiver to whom the authorship, or "acquisition from heaven", of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is attributed. to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in population and, as a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they might ally themselves with Egypt's enemies.[7] Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of the Israelites. the Pharaoh's daughter (identified as Queen Bithia in the Midrash), the child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile river and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. killing an Egyptian slave-master who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the Angel of the Lord,[8] speaking to him from within a burning bush on Mount Horeb, which he regarded as the Mountain of God. sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. said that he could not speak eloquently,[9] so God allowed Aaron, his elder brother,[10] to become his spokesperson. the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at biblical Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land on Mount Nebo. Moses is seen as a legendary figure, whilst retaining the possibility that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE.[11][12][13][14][15] Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE;[16] Jerome suggested 1592 BCE,[17] and James Ussher suggested 1571 BCE as his birth year.[18][note 2] Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ; Holy Prophet and God-Seer Moses was of the tribe of Levi, the son of Abram and Jochabed (Exodus 6:20). His life is described in the Bible (Exodus 2 through Deuteronomy 34:12). was born in Egypt around 1689 B.C. When Pharaoh ordered all male children of the Hebrew slaves to be killed (Exodus 1:22), Moses’ mother placed him in a basket of papyrus coated with pitch, and set him adrift on the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own son. the age of eighty, Moses fled to Midian, where he spoke to God in the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3:2). God chose Moses to lead His people from the slavery of Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land, and for forty years they wandered in the desert. in the land of Moab, Moses went to the top of Mt. Nabau, or Nebo (Deuteronomy 32:49), which is called Phasga (Deut. 34:1). There, according to the will of God, he died in 1569 B.C. at the age of 120 without entering the Promised Land. first two Biblical Odes are attributed to Moses: “Let us sing to the Lord...” (Exodus 15:1-9), which was sung on the shores of the Red Sea after the Hebrews had crossed it. “Attend, O heaven...” (Deut. 32:1-43) was sung in the land of Moab, a few days before Moses’ death. He is also regarded as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). holy Prophet Moses performed many miracles during his lifetime, and also after his death. He appeared on Tabor with the Prophet Elias at the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6). the day that Saint John of the Ladder (March 30) was installed as abbot of Mt. Sinai, the Prophet Moses was seen going around and giving orders to the cooks, stewards, and servants. When the guests had gone and the monks were sitting at table, they wondered what had become of the stranger who had been giving orders. Saint John said, “Our Lord Moses does nothing strange by serving in the place which belongs to him.” Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Land of the Kenites (Midian), Jethro and Heber
Land of the Kenites (Midian) ; to the Hebrew Bible, the Kenites were a nomadic tribe in the ancient Levant. Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers.[1] They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel. of the most recognized Kenites is Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who was a shepherd and a priest in the land of Midian. Judges 1:16 says that Moses had a father-in-law who was a Kenite, but it is not clear from the passage if this refers to Jethro. Certain groups of Kenites settled among the Israelite population, including the descendants of Moses' brother-in-law,[2] although the Kenites descended from Rechab maintained a distinct, nomadic lifestyle for some time. is a rendition of Hebrew Cain. According to Gesenius, the name is kabbalistically derived from the name Cain.[3] According to A. H. Sayce, the name Kenite or Qeni, is identical to an Aramaic word meaning a smith, which in its turn is a cognate of Hebrew Qayin, with the meaning ‘a lance’.[4] to the Kenite hypothesis, Yahweh was historically a Midian deity, and the association of Moses' father-in-law with Midian reflects the historical adoption of the Midianite cult by the Hebrews.[1][5][6] Moses apparently identified Jethro's concept of God, Yahweh, with the Israelites' God El Shaddai.[1] Midian, land of Jethro and Heber, Moses' father in law and brother in law.; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Moses' Father In-Law's Home - Jeptha
Median and Mt Sinai; map of Median and Mt. Sinai and Jethro's home

Paran, Western Arabia, Hejaz
Paran, Western Arabia; Desert of Paran or Wilderness of Paran (also sometimes spelled Pharan or Faran; Hebrew: מִדְבַּר פָּארָן, Midbar Pa'ran), is a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the places where the Israelites spent part of their 40 years of wandering after the Exodus, and was also a home to Ishmael, and a place of refuge for David. Islamic tradition, it has often been equated with an area of the Hejaz. Western Arabia Hejaz is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu and Taif. It is also known as the "Western Province" in Saudi Arabia.[1] is bordered in the west by the Red Sea, in the north by Jordan, in the east by the Najd, and in the south by the 'Asir Region.[2] largest city is Jeddah (the second largest city in Saudi Arabia), with Makkah and Madinah being the fourth and fifth largest cities respectively in the country. Hejaz is the most cosmopolitan region in the Arabian Peninsula.[3] Hejaz is significant for being the location of the Islamic holy cities of Makkah[4] and Madinah,[5][6][7] the first and second holiest sites in Islam, respectively. the site of the two holiest sites in Islam, the Hejaz has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape. The region of Hejaz is the most populated region in Saudi Arabia,[8] Arabic is the predominant language as in the rest of Saudi Arabia, with Hejazi Arabic being the most widely spoken dialect in the region. Hejazis are of ethnically diverse origins.[3] region, according to Islamic tradition, is the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was born in Makkah, which is locally considered to have been founded by the Islamic prophets Abraham and Ishmael, and matriarch Hagar.[9][10] The area became part of his empire through the early Muslim conquests, and it formed part of successive caliphates, first the Rashidun Caliphate, followed by the Umayyad Caliphate, and finally the Abbasid Caliphate. The Ottoman Empire held partial control over the area; after its dissolution, an independent Kingdom of Hejaz existed briefly in 1925 before being conquered by the neighbouring Sultanate of Nejd, creating the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd.[11] In September 1932, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd joined the Saudi dominions of Al-Hasa and Qatif, creating the unified Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[12][13]

Highway 5 ( and 394), Moses potentian route from Kings Highway to home of Jeptha, 137k or 85m

high point Highway 5 (and 394)

Desert of Sin
Desert of Sin; Ron Wyatt's work there, Mt Horeb is up from the Desert of Sin, on the backside of the Desert of Sin; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder;

Sinai Desert, Median, Arabia, Desert of Sin
Desert of Sin; Ron Wyatt's work there, Mt Horeb is up from the Desert of Sin, on the backside of the Desert of Sin; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3;

Watercourse route to Mount Horeb, Median (up from the Desert of Sin) 119m or 192k
Watercourse Route;

Red Sea Crossing Path (8 mile gulf, 2 mile wide ADA compliant path under the water, 5,000 ft deep on either side)

King Solomon's crossing monument still there in the 1980's but since removed

Watercourse Route from Kings Highway to Neviot and Moses' Red Sea Crossing

Goshen to Red Sea Crossing at Nevitot 531K
Distance: 531 km (about 8 hours 16 mins)
Map data 011 ORION-ME

Mara in the Wilderness of Shur, against Egypt in Median
Mara in the Wilderness of Shur, against Egypt in Median;

Wilderness of Paran (Hejaz, along the Red Sea)
Wilderness of Paran (Hejaz, along the Red Sea); Wilderness of Paran; Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness of Paran;

Horeb, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Burning Bush
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Elijah's Cave, Median, Arabia (Near Mt Horeb)
Elijah's Cave is on Mount Horeb in Median.; Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated November 19 ;

Split Rock oHoreb, w Word of God (Jesus) commanded Moses to hit rock for water
Split Rock of Horeb;

Mt Sinai, Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Sinai / Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon œthe Ancientof Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Jordanian Desert, Wadi Rum, Jordan near Saudi Arabia
Jordanian Desert, Wadi Rum;

Mt Sinai (Horeb) in Median 12 Pillars, 12 Wells, Gold Calf, Altar Folder

Gold Calf
Holy Precinct of Mt Sinai; Ron Wyatt's work there;

12 Pillars (Wells)
Holy Precinct of Mt Sinai; 12 Pillars (Wells) ;

Altar
Holy Precinct of Mt Sinai; Ron Wyatt's work there;

Arab Lands, Medina Folder

Medina, Yathrib (City and Land of the Hagarenes)
Medina (City and Land of the Hagarenes); New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20;

Yathrib Region (Medina, Land of the Hagarenes)
Yathrib Region (Land of the Hagarenes); New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ;

Arab Lands, Mecca Folder

Mecca, Arab Lands
Mecca; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Wilderness of Paran
Wilderness of Paran, Mentioned in Numbers 12 Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Paran Desert, Wilderness of Paran, Mecca
Wilderness of Paran, Mentioned in Numbers 12 Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Asir Mountains
Asir Mountains;

Arab Lands, Havilah and Najran River Folder

Habala, Land of the Arabs
Habala; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Havilah (Habala)
Havilah is both this point (Habala) and a line east of the Jordan Rift from Habala to Wilderness of Shur to Assur (Mosel, Ninevah, Assyria, Persia). That line and the area it describes defines the Land of the Ishmaelites.; In addition to the region described in Genesis 2 (the Garden of Eden description), two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.[2] The other sons of Cush are associated with eastern Africa, while Joktan's other sons are often associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites as being "from Havilah to Shur, opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria"; and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there.[3]. The Amalekites also fought Moses et all near Mt Sinai-Horeb in Median of Arabia. Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Habala; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ;

Najran River Lower

Najran River Upper

Najran River Source (Asir Mountains)

Najran River Sink (Najran Desert)

Wadi Najran (Valley of Najran River)
Wadi Najran;

Omirits (Wadi Nejran, Nejran River 1)
Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Negran (Najran), Arabia (Najran River 1)
Negran (Najran); Martyr Arethas and 4,299 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all followers of Christ were to be put to death. the inhabitants of Negran remained faithful to the Lord, Dunaan came with a large army to destroy the city. At the city walls of Negran the king’s heralds announced that Dunaan would only spare those who renounced Christ and referred to His Cross as a “sign of malediction.” daring to assault the Christian city by force, Dunaan resorted to a ruse. Dunaan swore an oath that he would not force the Christians into Judaism, but would merely collect a tribute from Negran. The inhabitants of the city would not heed the advice of Saint Arethas, and putting their trust in Dunaan, they opened the city gates. very next day Dunaan gave orders to light an immense fire and throw all the clergy of the city into it in order to frighten the rest of the Christians. 427 men were burned. He also threw the prefect Arethas and the other chief men into prison. Then the oppressor sent his messengers through the city to convert the Christians to Judaism. Dunaan himself conversed with those inhabitants brought from the prisons, saying, “I do not demand that you should renounce the God of heaven and earth, nor do I want you to worship idols, I want merely that you do not believe in Jesus Christ, since the Crucified One was a man, and not God.” holy martyrs replied that Jesus is God the Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who for the salvation of mankind was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Those suffering said, “We shall not abjure Christ, since He is Life for us. To die for Him is to find Life.” than four thousand Christians, men, women, both the aged and children, from the city of Negran and surrounding villages suffered martyrdom for Christ. Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated on October 24 ; Dunaan; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Homer, Land of Homer, Omirits (Najran River, Wadi Nejran)
Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Arab Lands, Yeman Folder

Southern Arabia
Southern Arabia; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Yemen (Southern Arabia)
Yemen; Dunaan; Martyr Arethas and 4,299 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all followers of Christ were to be put to death. the inhabitants of Negran remained faithful to the Lord, Dunaan came with a large army to destroy the city. At the city walls of Negran the king’s heralds announced that Dunaan would only spare those who renounced Christ and referred to His Cross as a “sign of malediction.” daring to assault the Christian city by force, Dunaan resorted to a ruse. Dunaan swore an oath that he would not force the Christians into Judaism, but would merely collect a tribute from Negran. The inhabitants of the city would not heed the advice of Saint Arethas, and putting their trust in Dunaan, they opened the city gates. very next day Dunaan gave orders to light an immense fire and throw all the clergy of the city into it in order to frighten the rest of the Christians. 427 men were burned. He also threw the prefect Arethas and the other chief men into prison. Then the oppressor sent his messengers through the city to convert the Christians to Judaism. Dunaan himself conversed with those inhabitants brought from the prisons, saying, “I do not demand that you should renounce the God of heaven and earth, nor do I want you to worship idols, I want merely that you do not believe in Jesus Christ, since the Crucified One was a man, and not God.” holy martyrs replied that Jesus is God the Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who for the salvation of mankind was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Those suffering said, “We shall not abjure Christ, since He is Life for us. To die for Him is to find Life.” than four thousand Christians, men, women, both the aged and children, from the city of Negran and surrounding villages suffered martyrdom for Christ. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

British Empire - Aden, port city and capital of Yemen, Southern Arabia
British Empire - Aden, port city and capital of Yemen; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Socotra - Island at the mouth of Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea
British Empire - Socotra - Island at the mouth of Gulf of Aden; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Zafar, Yemen
Zafar, Yemen; Martyr Arethas and 4,299 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all followers of Christ were to be put to death. the inhabitants of Negran remained faithful to the Lord, Dunaan came with a large army to destroy the city. At the city walls of Negran the king’s heralds announced that Dunaan would only spare those who renounced Christ and referred to His Cross as a “sign of malediction.” daring to assault the Christian city by force, Dunaan resorted to a ruse. Dunaan swore an oath that he would not force the Christians into Judaism, but would merely collect a tribute from Negran. The inhabitants of the city would not heed the advice of Saint Arethas, and putting their trust in Dunaan, they opened the city gates. very next day Dunaan gave orders to light an immense fire and throw all the clergy of the city into it in order to frighten the rest of the Christians. 427 men were burned. He also threw the prefect Arethas and the other chief men into prison. Then the oppressor sent his messengers through the city to convert the Christians to Judaism. Dunaan himself conversed with those inhabitants brought from the prisons, saying, “I do not demand that you should renounce the God of heaven and earth, nor do I want you to worship idols, I want merely that you do not believe in Jesus Christ, since the Crucified One was a man, and not God.” holy martyrs replied that Jesus is God the Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who for the salvation of mankind was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Those suffering said, “We shall not abjure Christ, since He is Life for us. To die for Him is to find Life.” than four thousand Christians, men, women, both the aged and children, from the city of Negran and surrounding villages suffered martyrdom for Christ. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Mocha, Yemen
Mocha, Yemen; Martyr Arethas and 4,299 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas and with him 4299 Martyrs suffered for the Lord Jesus Christ in the sixth century. Arethas was prefect of the Christian city of Negran in Arabia. The Arabian (or Omirite) king, Dunaan, who was Jewish, decided to eliminate Christianity from the land. He issued an edict that all followers of Christ were to be put to death. the inhabitants of Negran remained faithful to the Lord, Dunaan came with a large army to destroy the city. At the city walls of Negran the king’s heralds announced that Dunaan would only spare those who renounced Christ and referred to His Cross as a “sign of malediction.” daring to assault the Christian city by force, Dunaan resorted to a ruse. Dunaan swore an oath that he would not force the Christians into Judaism, but would merely collect a tribute from Negran. The inhabitants of the city would not heed the advice of Saint Arethas, and putting their trust in Dunaan, they opened the city gates. very next day Dunaan gave orders to light an immense fire and throw all the clergy of the city into it in order to frighten the rest of the Christians. 427 men were burned. He also threw the prefect Arethas and the other chief men into prison. Then the oppressor sent his messengers through the city to convert the Christians to Judaism. Dunaan himself conversed with those inhabitants brought from the prisons, saying, “I do not demand that you should renounce the God of heaven and earth, nor do I want you to worship idols, I want merely that you do not believe in Jesus Christ, since the Crucified One was a man, and not God.” holy martyrs replied that Jesus is God the Word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Who for the salvation of mankind was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Those suffering said, “We shall not abjure Christ, since He is Life for us. To die for Him is to find Life.” than four thousand Christians, men, women, both the aged and children, from the city of Negran and surrounding villages suffered martyrdom for Christ. St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar. Gregory, Bishop of Homer (Omirits), the son of Agapius and Theodota, was filled with the grace of God and possessed gifts of healing and wonderworking even in his youth. Providence of God led him to hierarchical service. While still a deacon at Mediolanum (Milan) he heard the foretelling of his destiny from a hermit, and then he received confirmation of these words from another spirit-bearing Elder who lived an ascetic life in the mountains. Gregory went to this holy schemamonk for guidance, a miracle occurred. As he approached the mountain, he saw a fiery column in the air. He soon realized that the fiery column was actually the man of God coming toward him. That night he saw the Elder standing in the air above the ground. Elder revealed to Saint Gregory that he must go to Rome to pray in the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida. he would go to Alexandria and to become a bishop. he would arrive in the city of Negran in the land of Homer (in southern Arabia) to proclaim the Gospel. Gregory felt himself unworthy of this, and wished to remain with the ascetic as his disciple. that Gregory should have no doubts of the veracity of his words, the Elder revealed that he knew a secret about him. In a vision, Gregory had seen the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, and they had placed a bishop’s omophorion upon him. Gregory stayed a short time in Carthage (North Africa) serving as a deacon, then arrived in Rome. He went to the church of Saints Boniface and Aglaida, then to the tomb of Saint Peter. There he was granted a vision of the holy Apostle, who told him to walk the path of virtue and to live according to God’s will. That night he saw the Apostle Paul in a dream bringing to him a cup filled with oil, foretelling that he should receive the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy. this time the armies of the Ethiopian emperor Elesbaan (October 24) vanquished the Himyarite king Dunaan, who was of Jewish background. city of Negran was liberated, and Christianity restored in the land of Homer. But all the clergy had been cruelly exterminated by Dunaan, and therefore Elesbaan sent emissaries to the Patriarch of Alexandria asking him to send a bishop to Negran, and clergy for the churches. he was praying, the holy Apostle Mark appeared to the patriarch, bidding him to find a deacon named Gregory, who was to be ordained to the priesthood, consecrated as a bishop, and then to be sent to Elesbaan. patriarch did this. During the service a miracle took place. Saint Gregory’s face shone with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and from his vestments came a sweet fragrance like myrrh or incense, filling the whole church with the scent. in Homer, Saint Gregory began to set the Church in order, preaching to both pagans and Jews. After three years Elesbaan returned to Ethiopia, leaving the noble Abramius behind as King of Homer. Gregory crowned and anointed Abramius as king. he issued a decree that all his subjects be baptized. certain prominent Jews turned to the emperor saying that it was better for people to believe willingly rather than under compulsion. requested that he should permit a debate on faith to be held between them and the Christians, vowing that if the Christians proved victorious in this debate, the Jews would then accept Baptism. Jews were given forty days to prepare for the debate, which lasted for several days. Gregory refuted all the arguments of the head of the Hebrew elder, Rabbi Ervan, using only texts from the Old Testament. a vision Ervan beheld the holy Prophet Moses, who worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet told Ervan that Ervan was in opposition to the truth and would be defeated. the grace of God Christian truth prevailed in the debate, but Ervan would not acknowledge his defeat. made a last desperate attempt. He said, “If you want me to believe in your Christ, and to acknowledge that yours is the true God, then show Him to me, bishop!” saint replied: “Your request is impertinent. It is not with man that you contend now, but with God. However, the Lord can do what you have asked in order to convince you. waited to see what would happen. Saint Gregory, having steadfast faith in God and trusting in Him, began to pray aloud. He recalled the mystery of the Incarnation of God the Word, the miracles of His earthly life, the Three-day Resurrection and the Ascension into Heaven, and he invoked the power of the Life-Creating Cross. “Show Thyself to these people, O Lord,” he prayed, “and glorify Thy holy Name!” he finished the prayer, the earth quaked, and in the east the heavens were opened, and in a radiant cloud of light the Lord Jesus Christ came down on earth, and the Voice of the Lord was heard: “Through the prayers of Bishop Gregory, He Whom your fathers put to death will heal you.” Saul, who was struck blind by the Heavenly light on the road to Damascus, the Jews were struck blind. Then they believed in Christ and they implored the holy bishop to heal them. Upon receiving holy Baptism, all of them were healed. Rabbi Ervan received the Christian name Leo (meaning “lion”). this most extraordinary miracle, Saint Gregory guided the flock of Homer for another thirty years. He reposed in the year 552 and was buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Afar.

Land of the Sabeans (Yemen)
Land of the Sabeans (Yemen) ; Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on Job'™s Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Arab Lands, Qatar. Bahrain, Al-Hasa Oasis Folder

Bahrain, Island of Arad, Arab Lands
Bahrain, Island of Arad, Arab Lands ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Bahrain, Island of Arad, Arab Lands, Persian Gulf
Bahrain, Island of Arad, Arab Lands ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Kewait, North end of the Persian Gulf, Arabia
British Empire - Kewait, North end of the Persian Gulf, Arabia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Qatar, large penninsula in Persian Gulf, Arabia
British Empire - Qatar, large penninsula in Persian Gulf, Arabia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Oasim, Al-Hasa Oasis, Arabia
Al-Hasa the largest oasis in Arabia ; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ;

Al-Hasa Oasis, Arabia
Al-Hasa the largest oasis in Arabia ; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ;

Arad Island, Bahrain, Arab Lands
Arad Island, Bahrain, Arab Lands; St. Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25;

Arab Lands, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi, Liwa Oasis Folder

British Empire - Trucical States, 7, became UAE, Southern Persian Gulf, Arabia
British Empire - Trucical States, 6, UAE, Southern Persian Gulf, Arabia; 1 December 1971. The following day six of the sheikhdoms (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) formed the United Arab Emirates; the seventh ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“ Ras Al Khaimah ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“ joined the Federation on 10 February 1972. CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Western Liwa Oasis Area, Arabia
Liwa Oasis ; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ;

Eastern Liwa Oasis Area, Arabia
Liwa Oasis ; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ;

British Empire - Oman, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabia
British Empire - Oman, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Arab Lands, Rouba Desert

Rouba desert, huge desert middle Arabia
Rouba desert, middle Arabia; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Arab (Clean) Lands, Roads and Rivers - centered Arabia, a Roman Province

Arabia (Clean), aka Saracen, Roman Province of Arabia, capital Petra, its Area
Saracen, Roman Province of Arabia, capital Petra, its Area

Arabia (Clean), Arabian Plate, its Area
Arabian Plate, its Area

Arabia (Clean), Arab Lands, its Area, Havilah
Arab Lands, its Area

Arabia, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent
Zargos Mountains, around the Fertile Crescent;

Saracen, Roman Province of Arabia, capital Petra
Saracen; Roman Province of Arabia;

Petra, Roman Province of Arabia, capital Petra
Saracen; Roman Province of Arabia;

Arab Lands, Syrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens)
Syrian Deserts;

Arab Lands or Havilah - Land of the Ishmaelites - Havilah, Shur to Assur
Havilah is both a point (Habala) and this line east of the Jordan Rift from Habala to Wilderness of Shur to Assur (Mosel, Ninevah, Assyria, Persia). That line and the area it describes (between the Red Sea and the Jordan Rift) defines the Land of the Ishmaelites.; In addition to the region described in Genesis 2 in the Garden of Eden description, two individuals named Havilah are listed in the Table of Nations which lists the descendants of Noah, who are considered eponymous ancestors of nations. They are mentioned in Genesis 10:7,29, 1 Chronicles 1:9,23. One is the son of Cush, the son of Ham; the other, a son of Joktan and descendant of Shem.[2] The other sons of Cush are associated with eastern Africa, while Joktan's other sons are often associated with the Arabian desert. Such a land in the Arabian desert is mentioned in Genesis 25:18, where it defines the territory inhabited by the Ishmaelites as being "from Havilah to Shur, opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria"; and in 1 Samuel 15:7, which states that king Saul of Israel attacked the Amalekites who were living there.[3]. The Amalekites also fought Moses et all near Mt Sinai-Horeb in Median of Arabia.

Havilah or Arab Lands - Land of the Ishmaelites - Havilah, Shur to Assur

Negran (Najran), Arabia (Najran River 1)
Negran (Najran);

Omrits, its Area

Denmark Folder

Denmark (Danes)
Danish people refer to the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ; ALFRED THE GREAT; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914. Commemorated July 2;

North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age
North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age, collapsed i35 upon Cnut's death, ended 42 Harthacnut death England inherited by Wessex Anglo Saxon Edward tConvessor, tune upon his death in 1066 with no heirs by relative French Norman William tConqueror 1066; Viking North Sea Empire; North Sea Empire, also known as the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire, was the personal union of the kingdoms of England, Denmark[a] and Norway for most of the period between 1013 and 1042 towards the end of the Viking Age.[1] ephemeral Norse-ruled empire was a thalassocracy, its components only connected by and dependent upon the sea.[2] first king to unite all three kingdoms was Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark since 986 and of Norway since 1000, when he conquered England in 1013. died in the following year, and his realm was divided. son Cnut the Great acquired England in 1016, Denmark in 1018 and Norway in 1028. died in 1035 and his realm was again divided, but his successor in Denmark, Harthacnut, inherited England in 1040 and ruled it until his death in 1042. the height of his power, when Cnut ruled all three kingdoms (1028–1035), he was the most powerful ruler in western Europe after the Holy Roman Emperor.[b] See also: History of Anglo-Saxon England and Cnut the Great's invasion of England was the younger son of the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard. When his father died on 3 February 1014 during an invasion of England, Cnut, who had been left in command of the fleet in the River Trent while Sweyn was in the south of England, was acclaimed by the Danes. However, the invasion fell apart: the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey, who had promised to supply horses for a tactical raid, were not ready before the English nobles had reinstalled King Æthelred (whom they had previously sent into exile), after forcing him to agree to govern less harshly.[8] brother Harald became the King of Denmark, but with help from Eric Haakonsson of Norway, Cnut raised a new invasion fleet of his own and returned to England in the summer of 1015. The English were divided by intrigue among the king, his sons, and other nobles; within four months one of Æthelred's sons had pledged allegiance to Cnut and he controlled Wessex, the historic heart of the kingdom. Before the decisive battle for London could be fought, Æthelred died on 23 April 1016. The Londoners chose his son Edmund as their king, while most of the nobles met at Southampton and swore fealty to Cnut. Cnut blockaded London, but was forced to leave to replenish his supplies and was beaten by Edmund at the Battle of Otford; however, following the Danes as they raided into Essex, Edmund was in turn defeated at the Battle of Assandun. He and Cnut struck an agreement under which Edmund would retain Wessex and Cnut would rule all of England north of the River Thames. However, on 30 November 1016, Edmund in turn died, leaving Cnut as the King of England.[9] the summer of 1017 he cemented his power by marrying Æthelred's widow, Emma, although he had previously married an English noblewoman, Ælfgifu of Northampton.[10] In 1018 he paid off his fleet (with money especially from the citizens of London) and was fully recognised as King of England.[11] See also: History of Denmark § Middle Ages the Great Harald died childless in 1018 or 1019, leaving the country without a king. Cnut was his brother's heir and went to Denmark in 1019 to claim it. While there he sent his subjects in England a letter saying he was abroad to avert an unspecified "danger",[12] and he only returned to quell incipient rebellions.[13] One Danish chronicle states that the Danes had previously deposed Harald in favour of Cnut, then brought back Harald because of Cnut's frequent absences, until Cnut finally became king permanently after his brother's death.[14] Olaf II of Norway and King Anund Jacob of Sweden, seeing the combined Anglo-Danish kingdom as a threat – Cnut's father Sweyn had asserted power over both their countries – took advantage of Cnut's being in England to attack Denmark in 1025 or 1026, and were joined by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's Danish regent, and his brother. Cnut took Olaf's fleet by surprise and took the battle to the Swedish fleet at the Battle of the Helgeå.[15] The precise outcome is disputed, but Cnut came out best; Olaf fled and the threat to Denmark was dispelled.[16] 1027, Cnut travelled to Rome, partly to expiate his sin for having Jarl Ulf killed the previous Christmas, partly to attend the coronation of Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor and to demonstrate his importance as a ruler. He secured relaxation of tolls levied on pilgrims journeying to Rome from Northern Europe, and on Papal fees for English archbishops receiving their pallium; he also began a relationship with Conrad that led to the Emperor's son Henry marrying Cnut's daughter Gunnhild and before that to the Emperor ceding to Denmark Schleswig and a strip of ancient Danish territory between Hedeby and the Eider that the Germans had occupied as a buffer zone against the Danes.[17] also: Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) Olaf II had extended his power throughout Norway while Jarl Erik was with Cnut in England.[18] Cnut's enmity with him extended further back: Æthelred had returned to England in a fleet provided by Olaf.[19] In 1024 Cnut had offered to let Olaf govern Norway as his vassal;[20] but after Helgeå, he set about undermining his unpopular rule with bribes, and in 1028 set out with 50 ships to subjugate Norway. A large contingent of Danish ships joined him, and Olaf withdrew into the Oslo Fjord while Cnut sailed along the coast, landing at various points and receiving oaths of allegiance from the local chieftains. Finally at Nidaros, now Trondheim, he was acclaimed king at the Eyrathing, and in a few months Olaf fled to Sweden.[21] 1030, Olaf attempted to return, but the people of the Trondheim area did not want him back and he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stiklestad. of Sweden[edit] See also: History of Sweden (800–1521) Helgeå, Cnut also claimed to rule "part of Sweden" together with England, Denmark, and Norway.[7] He may have had coins minted either in the capital, Sigtuna, or in Lund, then part of Denmark, with the inscription CNVT REX SW ("Cnut King of the Swedes"). Western Geatland or Blekinge have been suggested.[22] It was probably either overlordship or disputed rule; Cnut did not have to be present in Sweden to order the minting of coins, coins were also minted asserting he ruled Ireland.[23] These coins are however usually regarded as copies of coins minted in Denmark (curiously, coins stating that the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung was King of England have also been found in Sigtuna).[24][25] Irish coinage and Swedish history at this early date is very uncertain.[26] Anglo-Saxon sources state Anund Jakob won the Battle of Helgeå.[27] If the Danes controlled Sweden they did only control Svealand for a maximum of 3 years before Anund ousted Cnut. In 1030 Anund is again in firm control according to sources of Sweden. Since Anund Jakob decided on bishops for all of Sweden 1030 in Adam of Bremens source. Adam does not mention a Danish conquest in his description of Anunds reign 1030. Rather Anund Jakob and Sweden militarily supported Olaf the second in his attempts to regain the Norwegian throne from Cnut 1030.[27][28] areas[edit] addition to part of Sweden, of which he or the person who wrote the heading to his letter claimed he was king part of, Cnut received tribute from the Wends and was allied with the Poles; in 1022, together with Godwin and Ulf Jarl, he took a fleet east into the Baltic to confirm his overlordship of the coastal areas that the Danish kings dominated from Jomsborg.[29] after his return from Rome, Cnut led an army into Scotland and made vassals of Malcolm, the high king of Scotland, and two other kings,[30] one of whom, Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, was a sea-king whose lands included Galloway and the Isle of Man and would become king of Dublin in 1036. All these and likely also the Welsh[31] paid tribute, on the model of the Danegeld that Æthelred had instituted to pay off the Danes; and Cnut was thus reasserting the dominion over the Celtic kingdoms that recent English kings had had to let lapse, as well as punishing those who had supported Olaf against him.[20] A verse by the Icelandic skald Óttarr svarti calls Cnut "king of the Danes, the Irish, the English and the Islanders"; presumably Norway is omitted because Cnut had not yet come to power there.[32] also: Christianization of Scandinavia By the early 11th century, England had been Christian for centuries; the Danelaw was in transition from paganism to Christianity,[33] but the Scandinavian countries were still predominantly pagan.[34] Cnut's father, Sweyn, had initially been pagan but in later life had been basically Christian.[35] In England, Cnut assiduously promoted the interests of the Church, and this brought him acceptance from the Christian rulers of Europe that no other Scandinavian king had previously been accorded.[36] In Norway, in contrast, he built churches and was both respectful and generous to the clergy, but also made allies of the heathen chieftains, and unlike Olaf, did not make laws benefitting the Church until his power was on a solid footing.[20] See also: Thing (assembly) and Witenagemot Earldoms of England c. 1025 Penny of Cnut the Great in 1017, probably because he was king by right of conquest not more normal means, Cnut divided England into four earldoms on the Scandinavian model: Wessex he governed directly, and of his allies Thorkell the Tall became Earl of East Anglia, Eric Haakonsson retained Northumbria, which Cnut had already given him, and Eadric Streona became Earl of Mercia. But the last was disgraced and executed within a year. In 1018 Cnut revived at least two earldoms in Wessex and at a meeting at Oxford, his followers and representatives of the English agreed that he would govern under the laws of King Edgar.[37] historian Frank Stenton points out that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has relatively little to say about Cnut's reign except to note his frequent travels abroad, indicating that he was in strong control of England. Thorkell likely acted as his regent during his absences,[38] until they had a falling out and he was outlawed in 1021. The terms of their reconciliation in Denmark in 1023, with an exchange of sons for fosterage and Thorkell becoming Cnut's regent in Denmark, suggests that Thorkell had won them with an armed force.[39] it was left to another of Cnut's earls, Siward, to protect his earldom of Northumbria by consolidating English power in Scotland; at his death in 1055 he, not the king, was overlord of all the territory that the Kingdom of Strathclyde had annexed early the previous century.[30] Danes had more reason to grumble about Cnut's absences than the English; he reigned primarily from England, leaving regents in charge in Denmark.[40] He replaced Thorkell as his primary advisor in England with Godwin, an Englishman whom he made Earl of Wessex,[41] while within three years of their reconciliation he had also been replaced as regent of Denmark, by Ulf Jarl, Cnut's sister's husband, whom Cnut also made guardian of his son by Emma, Harthacnut.[42] Ulf in turn proved less than loyal, first conspiring against him with the kings of Sweden and Norway, then making a power play by having the nobles swear fealty to Harthacnut (thus effectively to him); Cnut returned to Denmark at Christmas 1026, ordered his housecarls to kill Ulf, and it was done in Trinity church at Roskilde.[41] By the end of his life, he had entirely replaced the Scandinavian inner circle who advised him with Englishmen.[43] Norway, Cnut stayed into the new year and then left Jarl Erik's son Hakon in charge as his regent (he had served Sweyn Forkbeard in the same capacity), but he drowned the following winter.[44] As his replacement Cnut sent Swein, the younger of his two sons by Ælfgifu and thus known as Sveinn Alfífuson in Norway – along with his mother as guardian. They were delayed in southern Norway while Olaf's return was rebuffed, but became even more unpopular than he had been. Ælfgifu tried to impose new taxation and stricter controls on a people who valued their independence and especially resented that the new customs were Danish.[44][45] also prepared to hand over Denmark to one of his sons: upon taking power in Norway, he held a great court in Nidaros and proclaimed Harthacnut, his son by Emma, king of Denmark.[46] As Stenton points out, by appointing different sons his heirs in different countries, he demonstrated that he did not have "the deliberate intention of founding a northern empire . . . [which] would remain united after his death."[47] It may have been simply the custom of his people.[48] In any event, it was clear throughout Cnut's reign that the weakness of his empire lay in the impossibility of finding loyal and competent regents to govern when he could not be present.[49] And his sons could not hold it together. Cnut's death[edit] North Sea Empire collapsed immediately once Cnut died in 1035. In Norway, it was already collapsing: by the winter of 1033, Swein and Ælfgifu were so unpopular that they were forced to leave Trondheim. In 1034, the leader of the army that had rebuffed and killed King Olaf at Stiklestad went together with one of the king's loyal followers to bring his young son Magnus back from Gardariki to rule,[50] and in autumn 1035, a few weeks before Cnut's death, Swein and his mother had to flee the country altogether and go to Denmark.[47] Swein died shortly afterwards. Denmark, Harthacnut was already ruling as king, but he was unable to leave for three years because of the threat that Magnus of Norway would invade to exact revenge. In the meantime the English nobles, divided between him and Cnut's younger son by Ælfgifu, Harold Harefoot, decided to compromise by having Harold rule as regent; by the end of 1037, Ælfgifu had persuaded the most important nobles to swear allegiance to Harold, who was firmly ensconced as Harold I – and Harthacnut's own mother, Queen Emma, had been forced to take refuge in Flanders.[51] prepared an invasion fleet to wrest England from his half-brother, but the latter died in 1040 before it could be used. Harthacnut then became king of England, reuniting it with Denmark, but made a generally bad impression as king. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle said of him that he never did anything royal during his entire reign.[52] He died suddenly in June 1042 "as he stood at his drink" at the wedding feast of Tovi the Proud, one of the Danish thegns of his father's court. At first glance Harthacnut's death seems to have brought about the end of the North Sea Empire.[53] However, Magnus of Norway, utilising the agreement he had made with Harthacnut in 1040, took control of Denmark and had plans to invade England and reunite the kingdoms and Empire. In consolidating his power in Denmark he crushed a Wendish invasion at the battle of Lyrskov Hede initiated shortly after he had destroyed the Jomsviking heartlands. This may have been an effective own goal, as it destroyed one of the key political and military components of Sveyn Forkbeard and Cnut the Great's rise to dominence. While Magnus had ejected Sveyn Estridsson from Denmark in 1046, Adam of Bremen briefly notes that Sveyn and an Earl Tovi removed Magnus from Denmark in 1047. This is confirmed by the contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which reports that in 1047 Sveyn asked England for 50 ships to help in the battle against Magnus. "And then Sveyn expelled Magnus from Denmark and entered the country by a huge carnage, and the Danes paid him a large sum of money and recognized him as king. And the same year Magnus died.'[54]

Danes (Denmark)
Danish people refer to the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ; ALFRED THE GREAT; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914. Commemorated July 2;

Denmark, 1524-1814, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway
Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814;

Denmark, 1814-1905, Union between Sweden and Denmark-Norway
Denmark, 1814-1905, Union between Sweden and Norway

Denmark History Folder

Denmark, 800, 9th Century History Folder, Denmark-Norway-England King Harld Fairhair

Denmark, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
France, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Saxony (north Germany), Westphalia, Jutland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar,[3] Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the "Apostle of the North" because of his travels and the See of Hamburg received the missionary mandate to bring Christianity to Northern Europe.[4][5] was the son of a noble Frankish family, born near Amiens (present day France).[5][6] After his mother's early death, Ansgar was brought up in Benedictine monastery of Corbie in Picardy.[5] According to the Vita Ansgarii ("Life of Ansgar"), when the little boy learned in a vision that his mother was in the company of Mary, mother of Jesus, his careless attitude toward spiritual matters changed to seriousness.[7] His pupil, successor, and eventual biographer Rimbert considered the visions (of which this was the first) to have been Ansgar's main life motivator. acted in the context of the phase of Christianization of Saxony (present day Northern Germany) begun by Charlemagne and continued by Charlemagne's son and successor, Louis the Pious. 822 Ansgar became one of many missionaries sent to found the abbey of Corvey (New Corbie) in Westphalia, where he became a teacher and preacher. group of monks including Ansgar were sent further north to Jutland with the king Harald Klak, who had received baptism during his exile. Harald's downfall in 827 and Ansgar's companion Autbert having died, their school for the sons of courtiers closed and Ansgar returned to Germany. in 829, after the Swedish king Björn at Hauge requested missionaries for his Swedes, King Louis sent Ansgar, now accompanied by friar Witmar from New Corbie as his assistant. preached and made converts, particularly during six months at Birka, on Lake Mälaren, where the wealthy widow Mor Frideborg extended hospitality. Ansgar organized a small congregation with her and the king's steward, Hergeir, as its most prominent members. 831 Ansgar returned to Louis' court at Worms and was appointed to the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. This was a new archbishopric, incorporating the bishoprics of Bremen and Verden and with the right to send missions into all the northern lands, as well as to consecrate bishops for them. received the mission of evangelizing pagan Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The King of Sweden decided to cast lots as to whether to admit the Christian missionaries into his kingdom. Ansgar recommended the issue to the care of God, and the lot was favorable.[5] was consecrated as a bishop in November 831, with the approval of Gregory IV. Before traveling north once again, Ansgar traveled to Rome to receive the pallium directly from the pope's hands, and was formally named legate for the northern lands. Archbishop of Reims had previously received a similar commission, but would be deposed twice before his death in 851, and never actually traveled so far north, so the jurisdiction was divided by agreement, with Ebbo retaining Sweden for himself. a time Ansgar devoted himself to the needs of his own diocese, which was still a missionary territory and had few churches. He founded a monastery and a school in Hamburg. Although intended to serve the Danish mission further north, it accomplished little. Louis the Pious died in 840, his empire was divided and Ansgar lost the abbey of Turholt, which Louis had given to endow Ansgar's work. in 845, the Danes unexpectedly raided Hamburg, destroying all the church's treasures and books. Ansgar now had neither see nor revenue, and many helpers deserted him. The new king, Louis' third son, Louis the German, did not re-endow Turholt to Ansgar, but in 847 he named the missionary to the vacant diocese of Bremen, where Ansgar moved in 848. However, since Bremen had been suffragan to the Bishop of Cologne, combining the sees of Bremen and Hamburg presented canonical difficulties. After prolonged negotiations, Pope Nicholas I would approve the union of the two dioceses in 864. this political turmoil, Ansgar continued his northern mission. The Danish civil war compelled him to establish good relations with two kings, Horik the Elder and his son, Horik II. Both assisted him until his death; Ansgar was able to secure permission to build a church in Sleswick north of Hamburg and recognition of Christianity as a tolerated religion.[8] did not forget the Swedish mission, and spent two years there in person (848–850), averting a threatened pagan reaction. In 854, Ansgar returned to Sweden when king Olof ruled in Birka. According to Rimbert, he was well disposed to Christianity. On a Viking raid to Apuole (current village in Lithuania) in Courland, the Swedes plundered the Curonians. and legacy[edit] was buried in Bremen in 865. His successor as archbishop, Rimbert, wrote the Vita Ansgarii. He noted that Ansgar wore a rough hair shirt, lived on bread and water, and showed great charity to the poor. Adam of Bremen attributed the Vita et miracula of Willehad (first bishop of Bremen) to Ansgar in Gesta Hammenburgensis ecclesiæ; Ansgar is also the reputed author of a collection of brief prayers Pigmenta (ed. J. M. Lappenberg, Hamburg, 1844).[9] Pope Nicholas I declared Ansgar a saint shortly after the missionary's death. The first actual missionary in Sweden and the Nordic countries (and organizer of the Catholic church therein), Ansgar was later declared "Patron of Scandinavia".[5] are located in Hamburg in two places: St. Mary's Cathedral (Ger.: Domkirche St. Marien) and St. Ansgar's and St. Bernard's Church (Ger.: St. Ansgar und St. Bernhard Kirche).[10] Statues of Bishop Ansgar stand in Hamburg, Copenhagen and Ribe, as well as a stone cross at Birka. His feast day (Lesser Festival) is 3 February, as it is in the Church of England.[11] Saint Ansgar statue in Hamburg a historical document and primary source written by a man whose existence can be proven historically, the Vita Ansgarii ("The Life of Ansgar") aims above all to demonstrate Ansgar's sanctity. It is partly concerned with Ansgar's visions, which, according to the author Rimbert, encouraged and assisted Ansgar's remarkable missionary feats. the course of this work, Ansgar repeatedly embarks on a new stage in his career following a vision. According to Rimbert, his early studies and ensuing devotion to the ascetic life of a monk were inspired by a vision of his mother in the presence of Mary, mother of Jesus. Again, when the Swedish people were left without a priest for some time, he begged King Horik to help him with this problem; then after receiving his consent, consulted with Bishop Gautbert to find a suitable man. The two together sought the approval of King Louis, which he granted when he learned that they were in agreement on the issue. Ansgar was convinced he was commanded by heaven to undertake this mission and was influenced by a vision he received when he was concerned about the journey, in which he met a man who reassured him of his purpose and informed him of a prophet that he would meet, the abbot Adalhard, who would instruct him in what was to happen. In the vision, he searched for and found Adalhard, who commanded, "Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest peoples", which Ansgar interpreted as God's will that he go to the Scandinavian countries as "most of that country consisted of islands, and also, when 'I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth' was added, since the end of the world in the north was in Swedish territory".[12] Corbie (Somme River 4); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); (in Latin, Ansgarius) was a monk of Saxon family, born in Corbie, France, in 801 (the year after the crowning of Charlemagne). In 826, when King Harald of Denmark asked Charlemagne's successors for missionaries, Anskar led a group to Denmark, and a few years later to Sweden. Because of unsettled political conditions, his work ran into difficulties, and Anskar withdrew into Germany, where he served as first Archbishop of Hamburg. Later, however, he helped to consecrate Gotbert, the first bishop of Sweden. The Church of Sweden honors him as its apostle, and he serves as symbol of the historic friendship and present-day connection between the Anglican Churches and the Church of Sweden. by James Kiefer the north of Germany, in Denmark, and in Sweden, Anskar, who had been a monk at Corbey, on the Weser, laboured for thirty-nine years with earnest devotion and with great success (AD 826-865). In addition to preaching the Gospel of salvation, he did much in such charitable works as the building of hospitals and the redemption of captives; and he persuaded the chief men of the country north of the Elbe to give up their trade in slaves, which had been a source of great profit to them, but which Anskar taught them to regard as contrary to the Christian religion. Anskar was made archbishop of Hamburg and Bremen, and is styled "The Apostle of the North." But he had to suffer many dangers and reverses in his endeavours to do good. At one time, when Hamburg was burnt by the Northmen, he lost his church, his monastery, his library, and other property; but he only said, with the patriarch Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" Then he set to work again, without being discouraged by what had befallen him, and he even made a friend of the heathen king who had led the attack on Hamburg. Anskar died in the year 865. It is told that when some of his friends were talking of miracles which he was supposed to have done, he said, "If I were worthy in my Lord's sight, I would ask of Him to grant me one miracle--that He would make me a good man." Sketches of Church History, by J. C. Robertson, publ. 1904 by SPCK, London available, "Saint Anschar", from The Catholic Encyclopedia, and The Life of Anskar, by his successor, Rimbert (also available from the Internet Archive).

Denmark, 826 or 872-930, King Denmark-Norway-England, Harald Fairhair, Harald I
Denmark, 826 or 872-930, King Denmark-Norway, Harald Fairhair; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ;

Denmark, 855-870, Edmund oEast Anglia, King otEnglish, w Edward tConfessor Patron saint oEngland till George i1400's, Bury St Ed
England, 855-870, Edmund of East Anglia, King of the English, w Edward t Confessor Patron saint till George, when Anglo Saxons invaded they established seven kingdoms, Essex, Wessex, Sussex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia, Kent, or 3 oSaxons (East, West, South) 3 oAngles, and 1 oJutes, same borders today, different accents, Celt &Continental missionaries, all 7 became Christian, Then Dane invaders, offered Edmund tbVassel if deny Christ, he would not deny C, Bury St Edmunds; England, 855-870, Edmund of East Anglia (Edmund the Martyr), King of the English, w Edward t Confessor Patron saint till George ; the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869)[note 1] was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death. cult flourished in the Early and High Middle Ages, and he and Edward the Confessor were regarded as England's patron saints until they were replaced by Saint George in the fifteenth century.[2] nothing is known about Edmund. He is thought to have been of East Anglian origin and was first mentioned in an annal of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written some years after his death. kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by the Vikings, who destroyed any contemporary evidence of his reign. writers produced fictitious accounts of his life, asserting that he was born in 841, the son of Aethelweard, an obscure East Anglian king, whom it was said Edmund succeeded when he was 14 (or alternatively that he was the youngest son of a Germanic king named Alcmund). Later versions of Edmund's life relate that he was crowned on 25 December 855 at Burna (probably Bures St Mary in Suffolk), which at that time functioned as the royal capital,[3] and that he became a model king. 869, the Great Heathen Army advanced on East Anglia and killed Edmund. According to Asser and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he died in battle,[4] but by later tradition, he met his death at an unidentified place known as Haegelisdun, after he refused the Danes' demand that he renounce Christ: the Danes beat him, shot him with arrows and then beheaded him, on the orders of Ivar the Boneless and his brother Ubba. According to one legend, his head was then thrown into the forest, but was found by searchers following the cries of an ethereal wolf calling out in Latin, "Hic, Hic, Hic" – "Here, Here, Here". coinage commemorating Edmund was minted from around the time East Anglia was absorbed by the kingdom of Wessex and a popular cult emerged. In about 986, Abbo of Fleury wrote of his life and martyrdom. The saint's remains were temporarily moved from Bury St Edmunds to London for safekeeping in 1010. His shrine at Bury was visited by many kings, including Canute, who was responsible for rebuilding the abbey: the stone church was rebuilt again in 1095. During the Middle Ages, when Edmund was regarded as the patron saint of England, Bury and its magnificent abbey grew wealthy, but during the Dissolution of the Monasteries his shrine was destroyed. Medieval manuscripts and works of art relating to Edmund include Abbo's Passio Sancti Eadmundi, John Lydgate's 14th-century Life, the Wilton Diptych, and a number of church wall paintings. EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); the heathen Anglo-Saxons invaded Christian Britain in the 400's, they eventually established seven kingdoms: Essex, Wessex, Sussex (East Saxons, West Saxons, and South Saxons), Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia (three kingdoms of the Angles), and the Jute kingdom of Kent. (The borders between these ancient kingdoms are still borders between regions speaking English with different accents today.) the influence of missionaries from the Celts and from continental Europe, these peoples became Christian, only to be faced themselves by a wave of heathen invaders. The finding of Edmund's head. See Abbo of Fleury's Life. was born about 840, became King of East Anglia in about 855, and in 870 faced a horde of marauding Danes, who moved through the countryside, burning churches and slaughtering villages wholesale. On reaching East Anglia, their leaders confronted Edmund and offered him peace on condition that he would rule as their vassal and forbid the practice of the Christian faith. refused this last condition, fought, and was captured. He was ill-treated and killed. His burial place is the town of Bury St. Edmunds. by James Kiefer

Denmark, 900, 10th Century History Folder, Denmark-Norway Christian King Olaf Tryggvason

Denmark, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Denmark-Norway
Norway, 995-1000, Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Denmark, 995-1045, Brihtwald oWilton, Wiltshire (Wessex), last bishop Ramsbury, Wilthsire, monk oGlastonbury, visions prophecies
England, 995-1045, Brihtwald oWilton, Wiltshire (Wessex), last bishop Ramsbury, Wilthsire (995-1045), monk oGlastonbury, visions prophecies, died 1045, buried Glastonbury; Wilton, Wiltshire (Wessex) ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ; Brihtwald (Berhtwald) was the last Bishop of Ramsbury, Wiltshire. his death, the See was transferred to Old Sarum. a monk of Glastonbury, he was renowned for his visions and prophecies. Brihtwald died in 1045 and was buried in Glastonbury Abbey.

Denmark, 1000, 11th Century, North Sea Empire, Norway, England, Denmark

Denmark, 1002, English King Aethelred, ordered St. Brice's Day Danish settler massacre, causing Forkbeard's invasion 1013
England, 978-1016, King of England, Aethelred the Unready ; chief problem of Aehelred's reign was conflict with the Danes. After several decades of relative peace, Danish raids on English territory began again in earnest in the 980s, becoming markedly more serious in the early 990s. Following the Battle of Maldon in 991, Aethelred paid tribute, or Danegeld, to the Danish king. 1002, Aethelred ordered what became known as the St. Brice's Day massacre of Danish settlers. 1013, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded England, as a result of which Aethelred fled to Normandy in 1013 and was replaced by Sweyn. However, he returned as king for two years after Sweyn's death in 1014. (c. 966 - 23 April 1016), known as the Unready, was King of the English from 978 to 1013 and again from 1014 until his death in 1016. epithet does not derive from the modern word "unready", but rather from the Old English unræd meaning "poorly advised"; it is a pun on his name, which means "well advised". was the son of King Edgar and Queen Aelfthryth. came to the throne at about the age of 12, following the assassination of his older half-brother, Edward the Martyr. His brother's murder was carried out by supporters of his own claim to the throne, although he was too young to have any personal involvement.[citation needed] chief problem of Aehelred's reign was conflict with the Danes. After several decades of relative peace, Danish raids on English territory began again in earnest in the 980s, becoming markedly more serious in the early 990s. Following the Battle of Maldon in 991, Aethelred paid tribute, or Danegeld, to the Danish king. 1002, Aethelred ordered what became known as the St. Brice's Day massacre of Danish settlers. 1013, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded England, as a result of which Aethelred fled to Normandy in 1013 and was replaced by Sweyn. However, he returned as king for two years after Sweyn's death in 1014. 37-year combined reign was the longest of any Anglo-Saxon king of England, and was only surpassed in the 13th century, by Henry III. was briefly succeeded by his son, Edmund Ironside, but he died after a few months and was replaced by Sweyn's son, Cnut. Another of Aethelred's sons, Edward the Confessor, became king in 1042.

Denmark, 1013-66, North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, end oViking Age

Denmark, 1013-1014, Swein Forkbeard, 1st Dane English King, Denmark Norway K, revolt against Harald I, f of H II & Cnute
England, 1013-1014, King of England, Swein Forkbeard ; Forkbeard (17 April 963[1] - 3 February 1014) was king of Denmark from 986 to 1014. He was the father of King Harald II of Denmark, King Cnut the Great and Queen Estrid Svendsdatter. the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father, Harald Bluetooth, and seized the throne. Harald was driven into exile and died shortly afterwards in November 986 or 987.[3] 1000, with the allegiance of Trondejarl and Eric of Lade, Sweyn ruled most of Norway. 1013, shortly before his death, he became the first Danish king of England after a long effort. ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Denmark, 1016-1016, Edmund Ironside, English King, resisted the Danes, then Wessex only to E, Cnute all the rest
England, 1016-1016, King of England, Edmund Ironside; fought five battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat on 18 October at the Battle of Assandun, after which they agreed to divide the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country. died shortly afterwards on 30 November, leaving two sons, Edward and Edmund; however, Cnut became the king of all England, and exiled the remaining members of Edmund's family. Ironside (c. 990 - 30 November 1016; sometimes also known as Edmund II[a]) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. was the son of King Aethelred the Unready and his first wife, Aelfgifu of York. reign was marred by a war he had inherited from his father; his cognomen "Ironside" was given to him "because of his valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great.[1] was not expected to be King of England; however, by June 1014 two elder brothers had died, making him heir apparent. the end of the same year, England was conquered by Sweyn Forkbeard, who died shortly thereafter. Aethelred was able to reclaim the throne, despite opposition. son, Cnut, was defeated and returned to Denmark, where he assembled an invasion force to re-conquer England. It would not arrive for another year. regaining the throne, the royal family set about strengthening its hold on the country with the assistance of Eadric Streona (Edmund's brother-in-law). who had sided with the Danes in 1014 were punished, and some were killed. In one case, two brothers, Morcar and Sigeferth, were killed and their possessions were taken by Aethelred. Sigeferth's widow Ealdgyth was imprisoned within a monastery, but she had already captured Edmund's attention. returned to England in August 1015. Over the next few months, Cnut pillaged most of England. Edmund joined Aethelred to defend London, but in 1016 Edmund unofficially named himself the Earl of the East Midlands and raised a revolt against his father. the king's permission he took Ealdgyth from the monastery, and married her; it would have been a politically advantageous marriage, since she was a member of one of the strongest families in the Midlands. died on 23 April 1016, making Edmund king. It was not until the summer of 1016 that any serious fighting was done: fought five battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat on 18 October at the Battle of Assandun, after which they agreed to divide the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country. died shortly afterwards on 30 November, leaving two sons, Edward and Edmund; however, Cnut became the king of all England, and exiled the remaining members of Edmund's family. MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ;

Denmark, 1016-1035, Cnut the Great, Dane effective King of All England, Denmark and Norway also, North Sea Empire
England, 1016-1035, King of England, Cnut the Great ; the Great (died 12 November 1035), also known as Canute, was King of England, Denmark and Norway, often referred to together as the North Sea Empire during his rule. a Danish prince, Cnut won the throne of England in 1016 in the wake of centuries of Viking activity in northwestern Europe. His later accession to the Danish throne in 1018 brought the crowns of England and Denmark together. Cnut sought to keep this power-base by uniting Danes and English under cultural bonds of wealth and custom, as well as through sheer brutality. After a decade of conflict with opponents in Scandinavia, Cnut claimed the crown of Norway in Trondheim in 1028. The Swedish city Sigtuna was held by Cnut (he had coins struck there that called him king, but there is no narrative record of his occupation).[3] In 1031, Malcolm II of Scotland also submitted to him, though Anglo-Norse influence over Scotland was weak and ultimately did not last by the time of Cnut's death.[4][5] of England lent the Danes an important link to the maritime zone between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, where Cnut, like his father before him, had a strong interest and wielded much influence among the Norse–Gaels.[6] possession of England's dioceses and the continental Diocese of Denmark—with a claim laid upon it by the Holy Roman Empire's Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen—was a source of great prestige and leverage within the Catholic Church and among the magnates of Christendom (gaining notable concessions such as one on the price of the pallium of his bishops, though they still had to travel to obtain the pallium, as well as on the tolls his people had to pay on the way to Rome). his 1026 victory against Norway and Sweden, and on his way back from Rome where he attended the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, Cnut, in a letter written for the benefit of his subjects, deemed himself "King of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and of some of the Swedes".[7] Anglo-Saxon kings used the title "king of the English". Cnut was ealles Engla landes cyning—"king of all England". Medieval historian Norman Cantor called him "the most effective king in Anglo-Saxon history".[8] St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

Denmark, 1028-1095, Wulfstan oWorchester submitted tWilliam tC, became trusted advisor, opposed slave trade
England, 1028-1095, Wulfstan of Worchester, English Saint, when William tNorman conquered England i1066 he replaced Anglo-Saxib bishops with clergy fNormandy, except for Wolfstan who submitted to him after Harolds death, even though had supported King Harold, became William's trusted advisor,opposed slave trade iWestern England; England, 1062-1095, Saint of England, Wulfstan of Worchester; (c. 1008 – 20 January 1095) Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop. Wulfstan is a saint in the Western Christian churches. denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester. however, does not prevent confusion, since the first Bishop Wulfstan – his maternal uncle – is also called Wulfstan II to denote that he was the second Archbishop of York called Wulfstan.[1] See also: History of Worcestershire § Medieval, and Anglican Diocese of Worcester § History was born about 1008 at Long Itchington in the English county of Warwickshire.[2] family lost their lands around the time King Cnut of England came to the throne.[3] was probably named after his uncle, Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York. his uncle's influence, he studied at monasteries in Evesham and Peterborough, becoming a clerk at Worcester. this time, his superiors, noting his reputation for dedication and chastity, urged him to join the priesthood. 1034 Wulfstan served as incumbent at St Mary’s Church in Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire. was here that he experienced an incident which changed his life. at his devotions he was distracted by the smell of a goose cooking in the kitchen nearby. he resolved never to touch meat again and became a vegetarian. was ordained shortly thereafter, in 1038, soon joined a monastery of Benedictines at Worcester. served as treasurer and prior of Worcester, from 1034 onwards served as the parish priest of Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire.[4][5][6] Ealdred, the bishop of Worcester as well as the Archbishop of York, was required to relinquish Worcester by Pope Nicholas, decided to have Wulfstan appointed to Worcester. addition, Ealdred continued to hold a number of the manors of the diocese.[7] was consecrated Bishop of Worcester on 8 September 1062,[8] by Ealdred. would have been more proper for him to have been consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose province Worcester was in.[7] had deliberately avoided consecration by the current archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, Stigand's own consecration had been uncanonical. still acknowledged that the see of Worcester was a suffragan of Canterbury. made no profession of obedience to Ealdred, offering a profession of obedience to Stigand's successor Lanfranc.[9] was a confidant of Harold Godwinson, who helped secure the bishopric for him.[10] social reformer, Wulfstan struggled to bridge the gap between the old and new regimes, and to alleviate the suffering of the poor. was a strong opponent of the slave trade, and together with Lanfranc, was mainly responsible for ending the trade from Bristol.[11] the Norman conquest of England, Wulfstan was the only English-born bishop to retain his diocese for any significant time after the Conquest (all others had been replaced or succeeded by Normans by 1075).[12][13] of Malmesbury, whose early 12th century work Vita Wulfstani provides much of our knowledge of the bishop, that pastoral care of his diocese was Wulfstan's principal interest. 1072 Wulfstan signed the Accord of Winchester. 1075, Wulfstan and the Worcestershire fyrd militia countered the Revolt of the Earls, when various magnates attempted a rebellion against William the Conqueror. founded the Great Malvern Priory, undertook much large-scale rebuilding work, Worcester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and many other churches in the Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester areas. famously wept upon the destruction of the old Worcester Cathedral to make way for the new Romanesque building, decrying the loss of a building in which "so many holy and devout men have served god".[14] the Norman Conquest, he claimed that the Oswaldslow, a "triple hundred" administered by the bishops of Worcester, was free of interference by the local sheriff. right to exclude the sheriff was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. also administered the diocese of Lichfield when it was vacant between 1071 and 1072.[15] bishop, he often assisted the archbishops of York with consecrations, as they had few suffragan bishops. 1073 Wulfstan helped Thomas of Bayeux consecrate Radulf as Bishop of Orkney, and in 1081 helped consecrate William de St-Calais as Bishop of Durham.[7] Stained glass depicting Wulfstan at the church of the Holy Trinity, Long Itchington was responsible for the compilation by Hemming of the second cartulary of Worcester.[16] was close friends with Robert Losinga, the Bishop of Hereford, who was well known as a mathematician and astronomer.[15] the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop, died 20 January 1095 after a protracted illness, whilst washing the feet of parishioners as was his custom. [17] After his death, an altar was dedicated to him in Great Malvern Priory, next to those of Thomas Cantilupe and King Edward the Confessor. Easter of 1158, Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine visited Worcester Cathedral and placed their crowns on the shrine of Wulfstan, vowing not to wear them again. Their son King John is buried at Worcester Cathedral.[18] after Wulfstan's death, a hagiography, or saint's life, was written about him in English by his former chancellor Colman. was translated into Latin by the medieval chronicler and historian William of Malmesbury.[19] was canonized on 14 May 1203 by Pope Innocent III.[4] became the Patron Saint of Peasants and Vegetarians. of the miracles attributed to Wulfstan was the curing of King Harold's daughter. recently founded Victorine priory in Celbridge, Ireland (paid for by Adam de Hereford) was named St. Wolstan's Priory in his honour.[20] 2008, the millennial anniversary of Wulfstan’s birth, the Friends of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hawkesbury, where Wulfstan served from 1034, commissioned a stained glass window to his memory. commission was carried out by a local artist, Caroline Pederick and it was dedicated in 2011 by Bishop Michael Pelham of Gloucester. three roundels, it depicts features from Wulfstan’s life; the broken chains of slavery, the goose, many vegetables and the bishop’s crosier and mitre. 2021, St. Mary's Church installed a ring of eight bells in their tower. The largest bell, weighing 600 kg, is named in honour of Wulfstan.[5] is remembered in the Church of England with a lesser festival[21] and on the Episcopal Church calendar[22] on 19 January. ^ Sometimes Wulfstan II, also known as Wolstan, Wulstan and Ulfstan WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095); William the Norman conquered England in 1066, replaced most of the native Anglo-Saxon bishops with clergy from his own Normandy. most conspicuous exception was Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (pronounced "Wooster"), had been a supporter of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, who submitted to William after Harold's death, became one of the King's most trusted advisors. is best remembered for his opposition to the slave trade in western England. by James Kiefer More information about Wulfstan of Worcester (who should not be confused with the slightly earlier Wulfstan, Archbishop of York) may be found on a site about the Norman conquest and at Wikipedia.

Denmark, 1035-1040, Harold Harefoot, fleet of foot, Dane King of England, Cnute's son, blinded and k b, body in fen by b
England, 1035-1040, King of England, Harold Harefoot ; I (died 17 March 1040), also known as Harold Harefoot, was King of England from 1035 to 1040. nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth century in the history of Ely Abbey, and according to some late medieval chroniclers it meant that he was "fleet of foot".[a][1] son of Cnut the Great and Aelfgifu of Northampton, was elected regent of England following the death of his father in 1035. He initially ruled England in place of his brother Harthacnut, who was stuck in Denmark due to a rebellion in Norway which had ousted their brother Svein. Harold had wished to be crowned king since 1035, Aethelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to do so. It was not until 1037 that Harold, supported by earl Leofric and many others, was officially proclaimed king. same year, Harold's two step-brothers Edward and Alfred returned to England with a considerable military force. Alfred was captured by Earl Godwin, who had him seized and delivered to an escort of men loyal to Harefoot. While en route to Ely, he was blinded and soon after died of his wounds. died in 1040, having ruled just five years; his half-brother Harthacnut soon returned and took hold of the kingdom peacefully. Harold was originally buried in Westminster, but Harthacnut had his body dragged up and thrown into a fen, as well as then thrown into the river Thames, but it was after a short time picked up by a fisherman, immediately taken to the Danes, and honourably buried by them in their cemetery at London. St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

Denmark, 1040-1042, Harthacnut, last Dane King of England, K of Denmark, son of Cnute, lost Norway
England, 1040-1042, King of England, Harthacnut; ( c. 1018 - 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of England from 1040 to 1042. was the son of King Cnut the Great (who ruled Denmark, Norway, and England) and Emma of Normandy. Cnut died in 1035, Harthacnut struggled to retain his father's possessions. Magnus I took control of Norway, but Harthacnut succeeded as King of Denmark and became King of England in 1040 after the death of his half-brother Harold Harefoot. died suddenly in 1042 and was succeeded by Magnus in Denmark and Edward the Confessor in England. Harthacnut was the last Dane to rule England. St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

Denmark, 1042-1066, Edward the Confessor, English King, Anglo Saxon, long reign, no heirs, House of Wessex end
England, 1042-1066, King of England, Edward the Confessor; the Confessor[a] ( c. 1003 - 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. was the son of Aethelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeeded Cnut the Great's son – and his own half-brother – Harthacnut. restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut conquered England in 1016. Edward died in 1066, he was succeeded by Harold Godwinson, who was defeated and killed in the same year by the Normans under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. young great-nephew Edgar the Aetheling of the House of Wessex was proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 but was never crowned and was peacefully deposed after about eight weeks. disagree about Edward's fairly long 24-year reign. His nickname reflects the traditional image of him as unworldly and pious. Confessor reflects his reputation as a saint who did not suffer martyrdom as opposed to his uncle, King Edward the Martyr. Some portray Edward the Confessor's reign as leading to the disintegration of royal power in England and the advance in power of the House of Godwin, because of the infighting that began after his death with no heirs to the throne. Frank Barlow and Peter Rex, on the other hand, portray Edward as a successful king, one who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless; they argue that the Norman conquest shortly after his death tarnished his image.[1][2] Richard Mortimer argues that the return of the Godwins from exile in 1052 "meant the effective end of his exercise of power", citing Edward's reduced activity as implying "a withdrawal from affairs".[3] a century later, in 1161, Pope Alexander III canonised the king. Edward was one of England's national saints until King Edward III adopted George of Lydda as the national patron saint in about 1350. Saint Edward's feast day is 13 October, celebrated by both the Church of England and the Catholic Church. MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109); St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

Denmark, 1066-1072, Norman Conquest of England, by French Provinces led by William oNormandy
England, 1066-1072, Norman Conquest of England, Normans Bretons, Flemish, other French Provinces, led bWilliam oNormandy, William related to childless Anglo Saxon Edward, Ed may have encouraged Will, Ed suceeded by bro in-law, Norwegian Harald Hardrada invaded northern England 20 Sept 1066, but defeated killed 25th, Will invaded Sussex 28 Sept, Dane Harold south tMeet him, Harold defeated bWill tConqueror Oct 14th, but rebuilding&Not secure till 72, English lands confiscated given tFollowers, strategic castles built, Domesday Book-Great Survey completed 1086, eliminated slavery but govt form same, and chg composition upper classes; England, 1066, Norman Conquest of England; Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Bretons, Flemish, and men from other French provinces, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqueror. claim to the English throne derived from his familial relationship with the childless Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor, who may have encouraged William's hopes for the throne. died in January 1066 and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson. Norwegian king Harald Hardrada invaded northern England in September 1066 and was victorious at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September, Godwinson's army defeated and killed Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. Three days later on 28 September, William's invasion force of thousands of men and hundreds of ships landed at Pevensey in Sussex in southern England. marched south to oppose him, leaving a significant portion of his army in the north. Harold's army confronted William's invaders on 14 October at the Battle of Hastings. William's force defeated Harold, who was killed in the engagement, and William became king. William's main rivals were gone, he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on the English throne until after 1072. lands of the resisting English elite were confiscated; some of the elite fled into exile. To control his new kingdom, William granted lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints throughout the land. Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales, was completed by 1086. effects of the conquest included the court and government, the introduction of the Norman language as the language of the elites, and changes in the composition of the upper classes, as William enfeoffed lands to be held (property for service pledge) directly from the king. gradual changes affected the agricultural classes and village life: the main change appears to have been the formal elimination of slavery, which may or may not have been linked to the invasion. There was little alteration in the structure of government, as the new Norman administrators took over many of the forms of Anglo-Saxon government. England, 1066-1087, King of England, William the Conqueror, Norman King ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109); WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095);

Denmark, 1200, 13th Century History Folder, Catholic Denmark with the Germans at Pskov

Denmark, 1259-“1286, King, Eric V of Denmark
Denmark, 1259-“1286, King, Eric V of Denmark; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Denmark, 1500-1900, 16th to 20th Century History Folder, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway

Denmark, 1766-1906, Kings Folder, Denmark-Norway Kings, Union with Sweden in 1814

Denmark, 1766-1808, Denmark-Norway King, Christian VII of Denmark
Denmark-Norway King, 1766-1808, Christian VII of Denmark; Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872;

Denmark, 1808-1839, Denmark-Norway King, Frederick VI of Denmark
Denmark-Norway King, 1808-1839, Frederick VI of Denmark; Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated October 19;

Denmark-Norway King, 1839-1848, Christian VIII of Denmark
Denmark-Norway King, 1839-1848, Christian VIII of Denmark; Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855;

Denmark-Norway King, 1848-1863, Frederick VII of Denmark
Denmark-Norway King, 1848-1863, Frederick VII of Denmark; Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855;

Denmark-Norway King, 1863-1906, Christian IX of Denmark
Denmark-Norway King, 1863-1906, Christian IX of Denmark; Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark-Norway, 1524-1814; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872;

Copenhagen, Denmark (Oresund Strait)
Copenhagen, Denmark ; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

University of Copenhagen, 1479
University of Copenhagen ; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SO˜REN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ;

Jutland Peninsula
Jutland Peninsula; Land of the Jutes: Jutland Penninsula and Friesland) ALFRED THE GREAT;

Jutland Peninsula and Friesland, Land of the Jutes
Land of the Jutes: Jutland Penninsula and Friesland); Jutland Peninsula; ALFRED THE GREAT (26 Oct 899); AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Ribe, Denmark
Ribe, Denmark; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914. Commemorated July 2 ;

Anglen, Denmark - Land of the Angels
Angels from Anglen; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22;

Denmark Folder (Clean)

Denmark, its Folder

Denmark (Danes)
Danish people refer to the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.;

Danes (Denmark)
Danish people refer to the nation and ethnic group that is native to Denmark, and who speak Danish.;

North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age
North Sea Empire, aka Anglo Scandanavian E, England Denmark&Norway, 1013-42 or66, only 29 or 53yrs, end oViking Age, collapsed i35 upon Cnut's death, ended 42 Harthacnut death England inherited by Wessex Anglo Saxon Edward tConvessor, tune upon his death in 1066 with no heirs by relative French Norman William tConqueror 1066;

Copenhagen, Denmark (Oresund Strait)
Copenhagen, Denmark ;

University of Copenhagen, 1479
University of Copenhagen ;

Jutland Peninsula
Jutland Peninsula;

Jutland Peninsula and Friesland, Land of the Jutes
Land of the Jutes: Jutland Penninsula and Friesland); Jutland Peninsula;

Ribe, Denmark
Ribe, Denmark;

Anglen, Denmark - Land of the Angels
Angels from Anglen;

France Folder, its rivers and mountains

France (Paris)
France; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated on August 25; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated August 31 ; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2 ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemrated December 10 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3 ; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 30 ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; DAMIEN of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889, Commemorated April 15 ; ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, 21 April 1109 ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS) (2 JUNE 177); Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

France (center of France)
France; Gaul; THOMAS MERTON; France; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4;

Lutetia Parisiorum (ancient name for Paris)
Lutetia Parisiorum (ancient name for Paris); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3;

Angevin Empire, 1154-1214, Half oFrance, All oEngland, Wales, Parts oIreland
Angevin Empire, Half oFrance, All oEngland, Wales, Parts oIreland, 1152 Henry II married Eleanor oAquitaine, 1154 inherited England fMother Matilda, Court in Anjou&Touraine, Conflicted wFrench Capet kings, H's son John defeated by Philip II oFrance Anglo-French War 1213-1214, he lost all continental possessions but Gascony iSouthern Aquitaine, that led to 100 Yrs War; Angevin Empire; term Angevin Empire describes the possessions of the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, they ruled over an area covering roughly half of France, all of England, and parts of Ireland and Wales, and had further influence over much of the remaining British Isles. may be described as an early example of a composite monarchy.[3] empire was established by Henry II of England, who succeeded his father Geoffrey as Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou (from which the term Angevins is derived). married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, acquiring the Duchy of Aquitaine, inherited his mother Empress Matilda's claim to the English throne, succeeding his rival Stephen in 1154. their title of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, Plantagenets held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou, at Chinon in Touraine. influence and power of the House of Anjou brought them into conflict with the kings of France of the House of Capet, whom they also owed feudal homage for their French possessions, bringing in a period of rivalry between the dynasties. the extent of Angevin rule, Henry's son John was defeated in the Anglo-French War (1213–1214) by Philip II of France following the Battle of Bouvines. lost control of most of his continental possessions, apart from Gascony in southern Aquitaine. defeat set the scene for further conflicts between England and France, leading up to the Hundred Years' War.

France, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France
Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France ; Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

France, 481-843, Frankish Empire, from Paris 508-768
Frankish Empire, 481-843, from Paris 508-768; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20;

France, 800-924, Carolingian Empire, Holy Roman Empire
France, 800-924, Carolingian Empire, Holy Roman Empire;

France, 987-1848, Capetian France, HRE, direct and indirect decendants of Hugh Capet
France, 987-1848, Capetian France; House of Capet (French: Maison capétienne) or the Direct Capetians (Capétiens directs), also called the House of France (la maison de France), or simply the Capets, the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. in the 19th century came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet (c. 939 – 996). did not use the name "Capetian" (see House of France). The Capets were sometimes called "the third race of kings" (following the Merovingians and the Carolingians). The name "Capet" derives from the nickname (of uncertain meaning) given to Hugh, the first Capetian king.[1] direct line of the House of Capet came to an end in 1328, when the three sons of Philip IV (reigned 1285–1314) all failed to produce surviving male heirs to the French throne. the death of Charles IV (reigned 1322–1328), the throne passed to the House of Valois, descended from a younger brother of Philip IV. power would later pass (1589) to another Capetian branch, the House of Bourbon, descended from the youngest son of Louis IX (reigned 1226–1270), (from 1830) to a Bourbon cadet branch, the House of Orléans, always remaining in the hands of agnatic descendants of Hugh Capet, except for the 10-year reign of Emperor Napoleon.

France, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy
France, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy; Avignon; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

France, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with England to control France
France, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with England to control France;

France, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

France, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe
France, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

France, 16th Century, Hugenots, the French Reformed Church
France: original Land of the French Reformed Church: the Hugenots; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ;

France, 1529-1564, John Calvin
France, 1529-1564, John Calvin ; France, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

France, 1600-1660, Saint Vincent DePaul
France, 1600-1660, Saint Vincent DePaul; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660;

France, 1754-1763, French and Indian War
France, 1754-1763, French and Indian War; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16;

France, 1789-1799, French Revolution
France, 1789-1799, French Revolution; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12;

France, 1792-1804, French First Republic
France, 1792-1804, French First Republic; France, 1789-1799, French Revolution; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12;

France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire
France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

France, 1814-1830, Bourbon Restoration
France, 1814-1830, Bourbon Restoration; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

France, 1830-1848, July Monarchy, Orleans Monarchy
France, 1830-1848, July Monarchy, Orleans Monarchy ;

France, 1848, French Revolution of 1848
France, 1848, French Revolution of 1848;

France, 1848-1852, French Second Republic
France, 1848-1852, French Second Republic;

France, 1852-1870, Second French Empire
Second French Empire 1852-1870; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ;

France, 1870-1940, French Third Republic
France, 1870-1940, French Third Republic;

France, 1940-1944, Vichy France
France, 1940-1944, Vichy France;

France, 1944-1946, Provisional Government of the French Republic
France, 1944-1946, Provisional Government of the French Republic;

France, 1946-1958, French Fourth Republic
France, 1946-1958, French Fourth Republic;

French History Folder

France, 40-99, 1st Century Folder, Dionysis the Aeropygite, Lucian of Beauvais

France, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian, sent to Gaul, then to Belgium, c all Belgium, heavenly light, picked up head
France, 40-96, Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais, France (Avalon River Mouth, Therain River 4), converted by Peter, preached in Italy, Clement sent him to Gaul, then to Belgium, very successful, by words and life example, strict ascetic, c all Belgium, beheaded, heavenly light, picked up head and carried to his grave; Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Hieromartyr Lucian lived in Rome, and his pagan name was Lucius. was converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, and was baptized. Saint Peter’s death, Saint Lucian preached the Gospel in Italy. Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), a disciple of Saint Paul, arrived in Rome at this time. the request of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25), he agreed to preach the Gospel in the West, and gathered companions and helpers for this task. Clement consecrated Saint Lucian a bishop, then sent him off with Saint Dionysius, Saints Marcellinus and Saturninus, the Presbyter Maximian, and the Deacon Julian. holy preachers sailed from Italy to Gaul (modern France). Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Saturninus went to Gaul, Saint Dionysius and the others went to the region of Paris. there Saint Lucian went to Belgium with Maximian and Julian. Lucian’s preaching was very successful. By the power of his words and the example of his life, he converted a large number of pagans to Christianity. Lucian was a strict ascetic, and all day long he ate only a morsel of bread and some water. the converted he was kindly, always joyful and cheerful of face. almost all the settlements of Belgium were converted to Christ. this period, the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96) initiated a second persecution against Christians (after that of Nero, 54-68), and he issued an edict prescribing torture and execution for anyone who refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. officials were sent to Belgium to carry out the edict. Lord revealed to Saint Lucian the ordeal facing him. He gathered the flock together, urging them not to fear threats, tortures or death, and then he gave thanks to God for granting him the possibility of joining the company of the holy martyrs. After praying, Saint Lucian and the priest Maximian and Deacon Julian withdrew to the summit of a hill, where he continued to teach the people who came with him. the soldiers of the emperor came upon the saints and led them away for trial. Saints Maximian and Julian were urged to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols, but both refused and were beheaded. the judge began to interrogate Saint Lucian, accusing him of sorcery and disobedience to the emperor and Senate. The saint replied that he was not a sorcerer, but rather a servant of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he refused to offer sacrifice to idols made by human hands. saint was subjected to fierce beatings, during which he repeated, “Never will I cease to praise Christ, the Son of God, in my heart, and with my lips.” Then the holy martyr was beheaded. heavenly light shone over his body, and the Voice of the Savior was heard, summoning the valiant sufferer into the heavenly Kingdom to receive the martyr’s crown. the power of God the saint stood up, picked up his severed head, and crossed over the river. Reaching the burial spot he had chosen, he lay down upon the ground and reposed in peace. of this great miracle about 500 pagans were converted to Christ. Later, a church was built over Saint Lucian’s grave, to which the relics of the martyrs Maximian and Julian were transferred.

France, 40-96, Dionysis the Aeropygite, sent to Gaul w Lucian and others by Clement
Areopagus Council, Athens (Athenian high court, Hill of Ares); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). When the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels The account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave. Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Hieromartyr Lucian lived in Rome, and his pagan name was Lucius. was converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, and was baptized. Saint Peter’s death, Saint Lucian preached the Gospel in Italy. Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), a disciple of Saint Paul, arrived in Rome at this time. the request of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25), he agreed to preach the Gospel in the West, and gathered companions and helpers for this task. Clement consecrated Saint Lucian a bishop, then sent him off with Saint Dionysius, Saints Marcellinus and Saturninus, the Presbyter Maximian, and the Deacon Julian. holy preachers sailed from Italy to Gaul (modern France). Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Saturninus went to Gaul, Saint Dionysius and the others went to the region of Paris. there Saint Lucian went to Belgium with Maximian and Julian. Lucian’s preaching was very successful. By the power of his words and the example of his life, he converted a large number of pagans to Christianity. Lucian was a strict ascetic, and all day long he ate only a morsel of bread and some water. the converted he was kindly, always joyful and cheerful of face. almost all the settlements of Belgium were converted to Christ. this period, the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96) initiated a second persecution against Christians (after that of Nero, 54-68), and he issued an edict prescribing torture and execution for anyone who refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. officials were sent to Belgium to carry out the edict. Lord revealed to Saint Lucian the ordeal facing him. He gathered the flock together, urging them not to fear threats, tortures or death, and then he gave thanks to God for granting him the possibility of joining the company of the holy martyrs. After praying, Saint Lucian and the priest Maximian and Deacon Julian withdrew to the summit of a hill, where he continued to teach the people who came with him. the soldiers of the emperor came upon the saints and led them away for trial. Saints Maximian and Julian were urged to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to idols, but both refused and were beheaded. the judge began to interrogate Saint Lucian, accusing him of sorcery and disobedience to the emperor and Senate. The saint replied that he was not a sorcerer, but rather a servant of the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he refused to offer sacrifice to idols made by human hands. saint was subjected to fierce beatings, during which he repeated, “Never will I cease to praise Christ, the Son of God, in my heart, and with my lips.” Then the holy martyr was beheaded. heavenly light shone over his body, and the Voice of the Savior was heard, summoning the valiant sufferer into the heavenly Kingdom to receive the martyr’s crown. the power of God the saint stood up, picked up his severed head, and crossed over the river. Reaching the burial spot he had chosen, he lay down upon the ground and reposed in peace. of this great miracle about 500 pagans were converted to Christ. Later, a church was built over Saint Lucian’s grave, to which the relics of the martyrs Maximian and Julian were transferred.

France, 96, Death of Dionysius the Areopagite in Lutetai (Paris)
Lutetia (ancient name for Paris); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3;

France, 100-491, Early Church Folder, Gaul and Western Roman Empire

France, 100, 2nd Century History Folder, Iraneus in Lyon, Gaul

France, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France, from Smyrna and Polycarp, anti Gnostic writer
Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France ; Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). He received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. He was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). While he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. After the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.” Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

France, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons
France, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4), from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons, wrote of Orthodox faith against gnosis; Lyons; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.”

France, 161-180, Zealot Seusippus oTriplet martyrs, converted by grandmother iGaul, burnt but bodies not destroyed
Gaul, 161-180, Martyr Seusippus, his brothers, grandmother iGaul (France, Western Germany, and Northwest Italy) before the year 486, GM Leonilla baptized old age bPolycarp disciples, converted triplet grandsons, these zealot brothers pulled down idols&reproached pagans, judge ordered Leonilla go prison convert gsons, but she praised them, flogged fire but bodies not destroyed by flames, L beheaded, others witnessed, converted, martyred or recorded story; Gaul and Roman Gaul; Martyred brothers Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and those with them, in Gaul, Commemorated on January 16; Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and their grandmother Leonilla together with Neon, Turbo and Jonilla suffered in Gaul (by another account, in Cappadocia) in the second century, during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius (161-180). received Baptism in her old age from one of the disciples of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, she afterwards converted her three grandsons (who were triplets) to Christ. brothers, in their zeal for the Lord, pulled down idols and reproached the pagans for their folly. judge ordered Leonilla to go to the prison and tell her grandchildren to renounce Christ and worship the idols. she praised them for their bravery and their firm confession of faith. three were hanged on a tree, then flogged. Finally, the martyrs were thrown into a fire, but their bodies were undamaged by the flames. the torture and death of her grandchildren, Saint Leonilla was beheaded with a sword. Jonilla also suffered with her. She saw the steadfast faith of the holy martyrs and said that she too was a Christian. The torturers hung her up by the hair, lacerated her body, then beheaded her. left behind her husband and young son. Neon witnessed the exploits of the holy brothers, and wrote an account of their sufferings. gave his manuscript to Turbo, and openly confessed himself a Christian, for which he was fiercely beaten and died from his beating. Turbo, after he copied out the exploits of the passion-bearers, also ended his life by martyrdom. martyrs are particularly revered in Spain, where many churches are dedicated to them. relics of the holy martyrs were given by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to a French nobleman from the city of Langres, where they now rest.

France, 177, BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), slaves tortured for confessions & lies
France, 177, BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4), slaves tortured for confessions and lies of cannibalism and incest, these charges aroused city, put to death in arena; Lyons; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177); Lyons and Vienne, in Gaul, there were missionary centers which had drawn many Christians from Asia and Greece. Persecution began in 177. Martyrs of Lyons, by JL Gerome painting by JL Gérôme first, Christians were excluded from the public baths, the market place, and from social and public life. They were subject to attack when they appeared in public, many Christian homes were vandalized. this point the government became involved, and began to take Christians into custody for questioning. slaves from Christian households were tortured to obtain confessions, and were induced to say that Christians practiced cannibalism and incest. charges were used to arouse the whole city against the Christians, particularly against Pothinus, the aged bishop of Lyons; Sanctus, a deacon; Attalus; Maturus, a recent convert; and Blandina, a slave. was beaten and then released, to die of his wounds a few days later. Sanctus was tormented with red-hot irons. Blandina, tortured all day long, would say nothing except, "I am a Christian, and nothing vile is done among us." Finally, the survivors were put to death in the public arena. by James Kiefer

France, 200, 3rd Century History Folder, Denis in Paris, Gaul

France, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France
Paris, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop. Commemorated on October 9; Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as the patron saint of France. is believed that Saint Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). A later legend claims that Saint Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as Saint Denis. The abbey of Saint-Denis, where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their martyrdom. identification of this Saint Dionysius with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century writer.

France, 300, 4th Century History Folder, St Hilliary and St Martin, Black Plague

France, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul, the Athanasius of the West, exiled, wrote essays, sent back, persuaded Arian bishop
Gaul, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul (Clain River 3) the Athanasius of the West. He was bishop of Poitiers, exiled to Phrygia 357, wrote essays, sent back to Gaul, to Milan persuaded Arian bishop ; Poitiers; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. When the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Saint Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. Because of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. There he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. His holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." He was bishop of Poitiers, when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. His exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. Finally the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. In 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways.

France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, Arien opponent wHiliary, against Priscillian or any heretic execution
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, served army unwillingly, at Amiens gave half cloak cold beggar, Jesus appeared wearing his cloak, Heard Jesus say only catechumen, but clothed me, baptized, barbarians invaded Gaul, asked permission resign commission, cowardice charce, offered stand front line, protected by cross, cross caused barbarians surrender without fight, allowed to leave, time as hermit and travels, Hiliary's friend, Poitiers, exorcist, bishop Tours 371, still ascetic, monastery, French monasticism founder, conversed wAngels, Peter Paul visions, died 397, many western churches dedicated middle ages, most his relics lost French Revolution, MARTIN with Hiliary an opponent of the Ariens, from Illyricum publicly scourged&exiled, driven fMilan, returned Gaul, converted pagans wFir Tree story, intervened release prisoners, heretic Priscillian guilty bishops court, excommunication adequate, state no power to punish, but executed, he Ex bishops, took them back for pardons, concession botherd him; France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; was born around 330 of pagan parents. His father was a soldier, who enlisted Martin in the army at the age of fifteen. winter day he saw an ill-clad beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. Martin had no money to give, but he cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. (Paintings of the scene, such as that by El Greco, show Martin, even without the cloak, more warmly clad than the beggar, which rather misses the point.) a dream that night, Martin saw Christ wearing the half-cloak. had for some time considered becoming a Christian, and this ended his wavering. He was promptly baptized. the end of his next military campaign, he asked to be released from the army, saying: "Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ." was accused of cowardice, and offered to stand unarmed between the contending armies. He was imprisoned, but released when peace was signed. became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a chief opponent in the West of the Arians, who denied the full deity of Christ, and who had the favor of the emperor Constantius. to his parents' home in Illyricum (Yugoslavia, approximately), he opposed the Arians with such effectiveness that he was publicly scourged and exiled. was subsequently driven from Milan, and eventually returned to Gaul. he founded the first monastary in Gaul, which lasted until the French Revolution. 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. His was a mainly pagan diocese, but his instruction and personal manner of life prevailed. one instance, the pagan priests agreed to fell their idol, a large fir tree, if Martin would stand directly in the path of its fall. He did so, and it missed him very narrowly. an officer of the Imperial Guard arrived with a batch of prisoners who were to be tortured and executed the next day, Martin intervened and secured their release. of ToursIn the year 384, the heretic (Gnostic) Priscillian and six companions had been condemned to death by the emperor Maximus. bishops who had found them guilty in the ecclesiastical court pressed for their execution. Martin contended that the secular power had no authority to punish heresy, and that the excommunication by the bishops was an adequate sentence. this he was upheld by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. He refused to leave Treves until the emperor promised to reprieve them. No sooner was his back turned than the bishops persuaded the emperor to break his promise; Priscillian and his followers were executed. This was the first time that heresy was punished by death. was furious, and excommunicated the bishops responsible. But afterwards, he took them back into communion in exchange for a pardon from Maximus for certain men condemned to death, and for the emperor's promise to end the persecution of the remaining Priscillianists. never felt easy in his mind about this concession, and thereafter avoided assmblies of bishops where he might encounter some of those concerned in this affair. died on or about 11 November 397 (my sources differ) and his shrine at Tours became a sanctuary for those seeking justice. Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an earthly sovereign, and then elisted in the service of Christ, also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War. On it we remember those who have risked or lost their lives in what they perceived as the pursuit of justice and peace. by James Kiefer St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours, was born at Sabaria in Pannonia (modern Hungary) in 316. his father was a Roman officer, he also was obliged to serve in the army. did so unwillingly, for he considered himself a soldier of Christ, though he was still a catechumen. the gates of Amiens, he saw a beggar shivering in the severe winter cold, so he cut his cloak in two and gave half to the beggar. night, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the saint wearing Martin’s cloak. He heard the Savior say to the angels surrounding Him, “Martin is only a catechumen, but he has clothed Me with this garment.” The saint was baptized soon after this, and reluctantly remained in the army. years later, the barbarians invaded Gaul and Martin asked permission to resign his commission for religious reasons. The commander charged him with cowardice. Saint Martin demonstrated his courage by offering to stand unarmed in the front line of battle, trusting in the power of the Cross to protect him. The next day, the barbarians surrendered without a fight, and Martin was allowed to leave the army. traveled to various places during the next few years, spending some time as a hermit on an island off Italy. became friendly with Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (January 14), who made Martin an exorcist. several years of the ascetic life, Saint Martin was chosen to be Bishop of Tours in 371. As bishop, Saint Martin did not give up his monastic life, and the place where he settled outside Tours became a monastery. fact, he is regarded as the founder of monasticism in France. conversed with angels, and had visions of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29) and of other saints. is called the Merciful because of his generosity and care for the poor, and he received the grace to work miracles. a life of devoted service to Christ and His Church, the saint fell ill at Candes, a village in his diocese, where he died on November 8, 397. was buried three days later (his present Feast) at Tours. the Middle Ages, many Western churches were dedicated to Saint Martin, including Saint Martin’s in Canterbury, and Saint Martin-in-the-Fields in London. 1008, a cathedral was built at Tours over the relics of Saint Martin. This cathedral was destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution, together with the relics of Saint Martin and Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17). new cathedral was built on the site many years later. Some fragments of the relics of Saint Martin were recovered and placed in the cathedral, but nothing remains of Saint Gregory’s relics. Martin’s name appears on many Greek and Russian calendars. His commemoration on October 12 in the Russian calendar appears to be an error, since ancient sources give the November date.

France, 336-397, Martin of Tours, cold beggar cloak story, Jesus appeared, front line cross story, conversed wAngels&saints

France, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary oPoitiers, great arianism oponnent, exiled tPhrygia, orthodox champion there
France, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers, great arianism oponnent, raised pagan, adult conversion, bishop i350, opposed Constantius II's arianism, 356 exiled tPhrygia, great orthodox champion there, so returned to his diocese, continued fight till death 368, relics in Hiliary Cathedral Poitiers, Hiliary term in courts & universities begin near his feast day; France, 330 - 367, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers; Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated on January 13; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." was bishop of Poitiers, and when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways. by James Kiefer

France, 348, Black Plague in France
France, 348, Black Plague in France; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

France, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra) Deliverance&Clairvoyance
Gaul, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra), fDistinquished Roman Family, pilgrimage Greece&Rome, then Hermit Ise oLerins, Joined by 3 Saints&Others, Sts Lupus oTroyes, Eucherius oLyons, Hilary oArles, depleted youthful vigor wFasting&asceticism, so body made way for spirit, same as those younger&stronger, visitng sick when sicker, treated spiritual diseases, freeing vice enslavement, clairvoyant insight into character, for appropriate remedies, consecrated bishop and died 429; Arles (Rhone River 8); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Honoratus was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, came from a distinguished Roman family. a pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, he became a hermit on the isle of Lerins, he was joined by Saints Lupus of Troyes (July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (November 16), and Hilary of Arles (May 5), among others. saint depleted his youthful vigor through fasting and asceticism, so “the powers of the body made way for the power of the spirit.” in poor health, he managed to follow the same rule of fasting and keeping vigil as those who were younger and stronger than he. would visit the sick when he was even sicker than they were, offering consolation for body and soul. fearing he had not done enough for them, he would review each case in his mind to determine how he could ease their suffering. with virtues, Saint Honoratus treated a variety of spiritual diseases, many from their enslavement to vice. insight into each person’s character him to apply the appropriate remedies for restoring souls to spiritual health. Honoratus died in 429 after being consecrated as Bishop of Arles. Hilary, his relative and successor, delivered a eulogy which still survives.

France, 400-481, 5th Century History Folder, Atilla the Hun, Remi of Rheims Gaul

France, 404-456, Vincent oLerins, Soldier, Monk, Author, true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos
France, 404-456, Vincent of Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) Soldier, Monk, Author, Commonitorium (anti heresy), follow true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos; Lerins monestary; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24; in the late fourth century in Toulouse in Gaul, Vincent initially served in the military, later left the world to become a monk at the renowned Lérins Monastery, he was ordained to the priesthood. is widely known for his work, Commonitorium, which he wrote around the year 434 AD, which he differentiated between the Church's teachings and the heresies of his time. is remembered for writing that Christians must follow the true faith that has been held “everywhere, always, and by all.” also defended the term “Theotokos” with regard to the Mother of God in opposition to the teachings of Nestorius that were condemned at the Third Ecumenical Council. Vincent died peacefully in 456 AD. His relics are preserved at Lérins.

France, 410-455, Prosper oAquitaine, Heresies Eradicator, renowned lay theolog, writings echoed Augustine, science joined virtue
France, 410-455, Prosper of Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7), Eradicator of Heresies, renowned lay theologian, many his writings echoed Augustine on grace, science joined virtue, math, astronomy, chronology, one soul wHis wife, convinced her Num, entered monastery ; Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7); Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Commemorated on July 7; Prosper (Prosper Tiro), Eradicator of Heresies," as Saint Photios (February 6) calls him, born in the Aquitaine around the year 390. was a renowned lay theologian, although few details of his life are known. know Saint Prosper chiefly from his writings. A contemporary writer described him as "a holy and venerable man. Many of Saint Prosper's writings echo the teaching of Saint Augustine (June 15) on grace. Saint Augustine, Saint Prosper was also an opponent of the Pelagian heresy. This wise man seems to have spent his life embroiled in controversies with heretics. For the semi-Pelagians in particular, Prosper was one of their most fearsome adversaries. Saint Prosper, science was joined to virtue. It is evident that he applied himself to literature, and especially to acquiring knowledge of Holy Scripture. He was no less an expert in human sciences than he was in theology. He excelled particularly in mathematics, astronomy, and chronology. His great learning and holiness made him well known throughout the entire Church. Prosper has sometimes been identified, mistakenly, with Saint Paulinus of Reggio (June 25), who was a bishop. Everything we know about him leads us to believe that Saint Prosper was not a bishop, nor even a priest. a poem to his wife he wrote: "Lift me up again if I fall; correct yourself if I point out some fault. Let it never be sufficient for us to be one body, let us also be one soul." 428, Saint Prosper persuaded his wife to become a nun, and he entered a monastery at Marseilles. Saint Leo the Great was chosen as the Bishop of Rome in 440, he sent for Prosper to become his secretary. Many historians believe that the admirable treatise "On the Incarnation of the Word," which is ascribed to Saint Leo, is actually the work of Saint Prosper. is possible, however, that Saint Leo may have reworked it in his own style. Prosper reposed in Rome, sometime after 455. icon of Saint Prosper depicts him holding a scroll which reads: "The Orthodox Faith subdues the monster of heresy."

France, 442-512, Genevieve oParis, Germanus noticed her a7 aProphecied she lead many tSalvatn, clairvoyant &M gifts, eSat Vigil
France, 442-512, Genevieve oParis, fNanterre, Gaul (Seine River 5, Paris Area), tended sheep Mt Valerien, Germanus noticed her a7, he placed his hand on her head aProphecied she lead many tSalvation, she wished tDedicate, he gave brass medal oCross, he told never wear bracelets etc, 417 tParis monastery a15, fasting prayer, clairvoyance&Miracles gifts, people recognized holy vessel, years later 451 Atilla tHun approched, she & nuns prayed, Atilla left, she emphasized Saturday Virgil because it symbolizes the Lord wFind us ready, one stormy saturday night her light went out on way, she made Cross sign, it burned wBright flame, relics destroyed French Revolution, Wine Maker Saint; Nanterre (Seine River 5) ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; Genevieve (Geneviève) was born of wealthy parents in Gaul (modern France) in the village of Nanterre, near Paris, around 422. father’s name was Severus, and her mother was called Gerontia. to the custom of the time, she often tended her father’s sheep on Mount Valerien. the child was about seven years old, Saint Germanus of Auxerre (July 31) noticed her as he was passing through Nanterre. the Service that night the Bishop placed his hand on her head and told her parents that she would become great in the sight of God, and would lead many to salvation. Genevieve told him that she wished to dedicate herself to Christ, he gave her a brass medal with the image of the Cross to wear around her neck. Germanus told her never to wear bracelets, or necklaces made with pearls, gold, or silver, and to avoid wearing any other ornaments around her neck, or on her fingers. she was fifteen, Genevieve was taken to Paris to enter the monastic life. fasting,vigil and prayer, she progressed in monasticism, received from God the gifts of clairvoyance and of working miracles. the people of Paris and the surrounding area regarded Genevieve as a holy vessel (2 Timothy 2:21). later, Saint Genevieve was told that Attila the Hun was approaching Paris, and the other nuns prayed and fasted, entreating God to spare the city. the barbarians turned away from Paris and went off in another direction. Genevieve considered the Saturday night Vigil service to be very important, since it symbolizes how our entire life should be. “We must keep vigil in prayer and fasting so that the Lord will find us ready when He comes,” she said. was on her way to church with her nuns one stormy Saturday night when the wind extinguished her lantern. nuns could not find their way without a light, since it was dark and stormy, and the road was rough and muddy. Genevieve made the Sign of the Cross over the lantern, and the candle within burned with a bright flame. In this manner they were able to make their way to the church for the service. is a tradition that the church which Saint Genevieve suggested King Clovis should build in honor of Saints Peter and Paul, would become her own resting place when she fell asleep in the Lord around 512 at the age of eighty-nine. holy relics were later transferred to the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. of her relics, and those of other saints, were destroyed at the time of the French Revolution. the Middle Ages, Saint Genevieve was regarded as the patron Saint of wine makers.

France, 451, Attila the approaching Paris - Orleans, Atilla in Gaul 451
Attila the approaching Paris - Orleans; Atilla in Gaul 451 Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ;

France, 451, Battle of the Catalaunian Plains 451 (Atilla vs Gaul)
Battle of the Catalaunian Plains 451 ; Attila the Hun defeated; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ;

France, 457-752, Frankish Mergovian Dynasty
France, 457-752, Frankish Mergovian Dynasty; France, 558-567, Frankish King, Charibert I; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27l

France, 458-530, Saint Remigius of Rheims, Remi, baptized Clovis of the Franks and 4,000 in 496
France, 458-530, Saint Remigius of Rheims, Remi; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530); (Latin Remigius) was born about 438 and became bishop of Rheims about 460, at the remarkably young age of 22. (Both he and the city were named for his tribe, the Remi.) his time, the Roman Empire and the Christian church were jointly faced with a serious practical problem -- the barbarian invasions. series of droughts in central Asia had driven its inhabitants out in all directions in search of more livable territory. brought the Goths, for example, across the Danube in the early 300's. the Emperor Constantine had died in 337, and during his lifetime the Church had debated the question of whether the Logos, the Word who was made flesh for our salvation in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, was (as Arius taught) the first and greatest of the beings created by God, but nevertheless not eternal, and not God; or was (as Athanasius taught) fully God, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father. the Council of Nicea in 325, the Athanasian position had been endorsed by an overwhelming majority of the bishops assembled from throughout the Christian world. the Arians refused to accept the decision, and there were attempts to re-negotiate and find a compromise that would make everyone happy. Constantine died, and his Empire was divided among his sons, with Constantius Emperor of the East, and eventually of the whole Empire. And Constantius was an Arian, and made a serious attempt to stamp out the Athanasian position by banishing its leaders and pressuring churches into electing or accepting Arian bishops. his reign, missionaries, led by one Bishop Ulfilas, were sent to convert the Goths. And naturally, Ulfilas was an Arian. He preached with great vigor and eloquence among the Goths, and translated the Bible into their language (omitting, we are told, the wars of the Hebrews, on the grounds that the Goths were quite warlike enough without further encouragement). In fact, the portions of his translation that have survived are the only material we have in the Gothic language, and as such are highly valued by students of the history of languages. the Goths became Arian Christians, and so did the Vandals. And these two highly warlike peoples were most of the time either making war on the settled peoples of the Empire or hiring out as mercenaries to defend the borders of the Empire from the next wave of invaders. may remember that Ambrose, bishop of Milan (died 397, remembered 7 December), was commanded by the Empress Mother to hand over a church for the use of her soldiers, who were Goths and Arians, and that Ambrose refused, and filled the church with members of his congregation, who sang hymns composed by Ambrose for the occasion, and the soldiers did not attack. may also remember that when Augustine lay on his deathbed in his town of Hippo in North Africa (near Carthage or modern Tunis), the city was under attack by Vandal troops, who had come into Africa out of Spain, and who captured and vandalized (that is where we get the term) the cities of North Africa, and Sicily and Sardinia and Corsica (which they made into bases for piracy) and the southern part of Italy. Long after Arianism had died out elsewhere, it was the religion of the Goths and Vandals and related peoples, and being an Arian was the mark of a good Army man. a new people appeared on the scene, a pagan warrior tribe called the Franks. In the late 400's, they were led by a chief called Clovis, a pagan but married to a Christian wife, Clotilda. His wife and Bishop Remi (remember him?) spoke to him about the Christian faith, but he showed no particular signs of interest until one day when he was fighting a battle against the Alemanni, and was badly outnumbered and apparently about to lose the battle. He took a vow that if he won, he would turn Christian. tide of battle turned, and he won. Two years later, he kept his vow and was baptized by Remi at Rheims on Christmas Day, 496, together with about 3000 of his followers. became the traditional and "proper" place for a French king to be crowned, as we learn from the story of Joan of Arc. It remained so until the French Revolution.) Clovis was converted to the Athanasian (or orthodox, or catholic) faith rather than the Arian, and this fact changed the religious history of Europe. The clergy he brought to his court were catholic, and when the Franks as a whole became Christians, which did not happen overnight, they became catholic Christians, meaning in this context that they were Athanasian rather than Arian, and accepted the belief that it was God himself, and not a particularly prominent angel, who came down from heaven and suffered for our salvation. the preceding century, the Arians had had a near-monopoly on military power, and now this was no longer true. The conversion of the Franks brought about the conversion of the Visigoths, and eventually (about 300 years later) the empire of Charlemagne and the beginning of the recovery of Western Europe from the earlier collapse of government and of city life under the impact of plague, lead poisoning, currency inflation, confiscatory taxation, multiple invasions, and the assorted troubles of the Dark Ages. Remigius and the demons noted above, Clot(h)ilda, a Christian princess of Burgundy, married the pagan Clovis, King of the Franks, thus preparing the way for his baptism by Remi in 496, and for the conversion of the Franks. Their great-grandaughter, Bertha, married the pagan Ethelbert, King of Kent, thus preparing the way for his baptism by Augustine of Canterbury in 601, and for the eventual conversion of southeast England. Bertha and Ethelbert's daughter, Ethelburga, married the pagan Edwin, King of Northumbria, thereby preparing the way for his baptism by Paulinus in 627, and for the eventual conversion of many in the North of England. James Kiefer

France, 481-843, Frankish Empire Folder, Dark Ages, Charles Martel, 718-41

France, 481-499, 5th Century History Folder, Frankish Empire, Clovis 1, Clotilde

France, 481-511, Frankish King, Clovis I, the beginning of France after Gaul, Orthodox
Belgium,486-511, Frankish King, Clovis I; (Latin: Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: *Hlodowig; c. 466 – 27 November 511)[1] was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of royal chieftains to rule by a single king and ensuring that the kingship was passed down to his heirs.[2] He is considered to have been the founder of the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled the Frankish kingdom for the next two centuries. succeeded his father, Childeric I, as a king of Salian Franks in 481, and eventually came to rule an area extending from what is now the southern Netherlands to northern France, corresponding in Roman terms to Gallia Belgica (northern Gaul). At the Battle of Soissons (486) he established his military dominance of the rump state of the fragmenting Western Roman Empire which was then under the command of Syagrius. By the time of his death in either 511 or 513, Clovis had conquered several smaller Frankish tribes in the northeast of Gaul or modern day France. Clovis also conquered the Alemanni tribes in eastern Gaul, and the Visigothic kingdom of Aquitania in the southwest. These campaigns had added significantly to Clovis's domains, and established his dynasty as a major political and military presence in western Europe. is important in the historiography of France as "the first king of what would become France".[3] is also significant due to his conversion to Catholicism in 496, largely at the behest of his wife, Clotilde, who would later be venerated as a saint for this act, celebrated today in both the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Clovis was baptized on Christmas Day in 508.[4] The adoption by Clovis of Catholicism (as opposed to the Arianism of most other Germanic tribes) led to widespread conversion among the Frankish peoples; to religious unification across what is now modern-day France, Belgium and Germany; three centuries later, to Charlemagne's alliance with the Bishop of Rome; and in the middle of the 10th century under Otto I the Great, to the consequent birth of the early Holy Roman Empire. Frankish Empire, 481-843, Belgium (Francia or Frankland): the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks;

France, 495-545, Saint, Clotilde (Clovis' wife)
France, 495-545, Saint, Clotilde (Clovis' wife); Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Near Paris, Commemorated on September 7;

France, 500-599, 6th Century History Folder, Childebert 1, Mergovian Dynasty

France, 511-558, Frankish King, Childebert I, Mergovian Dynasty, English Queen Bertha's father
Frankish King, 511-558, Childebert I ; Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Near Paris, Commemorated September 7 ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28 ;

France, 540-560, Venerable Cloud the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Abby (near Paris), raised by gmother Clotilde
France, 540-560, Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Abby (near Paris, Seine River 4), Clotilde gmother, brothers murdered by Childebert and Clotaire to prevent succession, Cloud renounced calim & lived as hermit, later priest; Nogent-Sur-Seine, France (near Paris, Seine River 4); abbey of Nogent-sur-Seine was destroyed during the French Revolution. Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Near Paris, Commemorated September 7 ; Cloud was born in 520. his father was killed in battle in 524 he and his brothers were brought up by their grandmother Saint Clotilde (June 3). brothers were murdered by their uncles Childebert and Clotaire to prevent them from succeeding to the Frankish throne. Cloud escaped and lived as a hermit, renouncing any claim to the throne. Saint Cloud was ordained to the holy priesthood, and lived a life of virtue and good works. died around 560.

France, 700-799, 8th Century Folder, Martel, Charlemagne, Alcuin of York

France, 701-754, Boniface, Sacred Oak at Geismar, from Cornwall, evangelized Netherlands, France, and West Germany
BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. Although his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), whence he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. It is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. He asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. He persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Many Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. On June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar;

France, 701-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall, greatest English influence in Europe
England, 700-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall (a crossroads in Creedy River Valley), at 5 resolved to convert pagans on Continent, monastery school at 7, director Nursing school, first Latin grammar, lecturers, to Friesland at 30, F war w Christian Charles Martel, to Hesse and Bavaria in 710, supported by Pope and CM, cut Oak of Geismar in Hesse, bishop of Germany, synods in France for Church reform, not hightest bidder for bishop, back to Friesland, greatest English influence in Europe; Crediton, Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837.[1] The town is situated in the narrow vale of the River Creedy, between two steep hills and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town. ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. Manuscript illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. Boiniface felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. by James Kiefer

France, 718-741, Charles Martel, Frankish Statesman, the Hammer, reestablished Franks in Gaul, d Moslems at Tours, Aquitaine
France, 718-741, Charles Martel, Frankish Statesman, Military Leader, the Hammer, reestablished Franks in Gaul, d Moslems at Tours, Aquitaine; Martel (c. 688 - 22 October 741)[3] was a Frankish statesman and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death.[4][5][6] was a son of the Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and Pepin's mistress, a noblewoman named Alpaida. Charles, also known as “The Hammerâ€ (in old French, Martel), successfully asserted his claims to power as successor to his father as the power behind the throne in Frankish politics. and building on his father's work, he restored centralized government in Francia and began the series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. According to a near-contemporary source, the Liber Historiae Francorum, Charles was "a warrior who was uncommonly [...] effective in battle".[7] defeated an Umayyad invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours. The Umayyad Caliphate controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula. his military endeavours, Charles has been traditionally credited with a seminal role in the development of the Frankish system of feudalism.[8][9] the end of his reign, Charles divided Francia between his sons, Carloman and Pepin. The latter became the first king of the Carolingian dynasty. grandson, Charlemagne, extended the Frankish realms, and became the first emperor in the West since the fall of Rome.[10] BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754), Commemorated June 5;

France, 750-804, Alcuin, Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, rev Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque
England, 750-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, revised Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque; England, 755-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne; York; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); was an Englishman from York, born into a noble family about 730, and educated by a pupil of Bede. become a deacon, he was made head of the cathedral school at York around 770. 781 he was asked by the Emperor Charlemagne to become his minister of education. He accepted, and established schools at many cathedrals and monasteries, and promoted learning in every way he could. the preceding years of constant wars and invasions, many ancient writings had been lost. Alcuin established scriptoria, dedicated to the copying and preservation of ancient manuscripts, both pagan and Christian. we have as much as we do of the writings of classical Roman authors is largely due to Alcuin and his scribes. is credited with the invention of cursive script, in which the letters are connected for greater speed of writing.) Alcuin, backed by Charlemagne, belongs much of the credit for the revision and organization of the Latin liturgy, the preservation of many of the ancient prayers, and the development of plainchant. and his fellow theologians at Charlemagne's capital of Aachen (or Aix-le-Chappelle) were important advocates of the doctrine that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son jointly. the East, which regarded the Emperor at Byzantium as the sole Emperor, resented Charlemagne's assumption of the title of Holy Roman Emperor, and this hardened their opposition to the aforesaid doctrine, thus contributing to the rift between East and West. by James Kiefer Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

France, 768-814, Charlemagne, Frankish King
Frankish King, 768-814, Charlemagne; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

France, 780-804, Alcuin of York, England, called to Carolingian France by Charlemagne, intellectual
France, 780-804, Alcuin of York; of York (c. 735 - 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was an English scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York. the invitation of Charlemagne, he became a leading scholar and teacher at the Carolingian court, where he remained a figure in the 780s and 790s. "The most learned man anywhere to be found", according to Einhard's Life of Charlemagne[2] (c. 817-833), is considered among the most important intellectual architects of the Carolingian Renaissance. Among his pupils were many of the dominant intellectuals of the Carolingian era. this period, he perfected Carolingian minuscule, an easily read manuscript hand using a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters.[3] Latin paleography in the eighth century leaves little room for a single origin of the script, and sources contradict his importance as no proof has been found of his direct involvement in the creation of the script.[4] Carolingian minuscule was already in use before Alcuin arrived in Francia.[5] Most likely he was responsible for copying and preserving the script[6] while at the same time restoring the purity of the form.[7] wrote many theological and dogmatic treatises, as well as a few grammatical works and a number of poems. In 796, he was made abbot of Marmoutier Abbey, in Tours, where he remained until his death. ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

France, 800-1789, Folder, Holy Roman Empire to French Revolution

France, 800, 9th Century Folder, Middle Ages begin, HRE begins, Carolingian Empire

Frankish King, 768-814, Charlemagne
Frankish King, 768-814, Charlemagne; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ;

France, 800-924, Carolingian Empire, HRE, Francia, between Loire and Rhine rivers, first phase of HRE
France, 800-924, Carolingian Empire, Holy Roman Empire; Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the early Middle Ages. was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lombards in Italy from 774. In 800, the Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III in an effort to transfer the Roman Empire from east to west. Carolingian Empire is considered the first phase in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted until 1806. a civil war (840–843) following the death of Emperor Louis the Pious, the empire was divided into autonomous kingdoms, with one king still recognised as emperor, but with little authority outside his own kingdom. The unity of the empire and the hereditary right of the Carolingians continued to be acknowledged. 884, Charles the Fat reunited all the Carolingian kingdoms for the last time, but he died in 888 and the empire immediately split up. With the only remaining legitimate male of the dynasty a child, the nobility elected regional kings from outside the dynasty or, in the case of the eastern kingdom, an illegitimate Carolingian. The illegitimate line continued to rule in the east until 911, while in the western kingdom the legitimate Carolingian dynasty was restored in 898 and ruled until 987 with an interruption from 922 to 936. size of the empire at its inception was around 1,112,000 square kilometres (429,000 sq mi), with a population of between 10 and 20 million people.[2] heartland was Francia, the land between the Loire and the Rhine, where its symbolic capital, Aachen, was located. In the south it crossed the Pyrenees and bordered the Emirate of Córdoba and, after 824, the Kingdom of Pamplona; to the north it bordered the kingdom of the Danes; to the west it had a short land border with Brittany, which was later reduced to a tributary; and to the east it had a long border with the Slavs and the Avars, who were eventually defeated and their land incorporated into the empire. southern Italy, the Carolingians' claims to authority were disputed by the Byzantines (eastern Romans) and the vestiges of the Lombard kingdom in the Principality of Benevento. term "Carolingian Empire" is a modern convention and was not used by its contemporaries. The language of official acts in the empire was Latin. The empire was referred to variously as universum regnum ("the whole kingdom", as opposed to the regional kingdoms), Romanorum sive Francorum imperium[a] ("empire of the Romans and Franks"), Romanum imperium ("Roman empire"), or even imperium christianum ("Christian empire").[3]

France, 814-840, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis the Pious, civil war after his death
France, 814-840, Holy Roman Emperor, Louis the Pious; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ;

France, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Sweden, Denmark, Norway

France, 840-877, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles the Bald
France, 840-877, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles the Bald; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865) ;

France, 881-887, Charles the Fat, Charles III, HRE Emperor, Lst Carolingian, L Frank
Germany, 881-887, Charles the Fat, Charles III, Holy Roman Emperor; St. Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

France, 900, 10th Century Folder, Capetian France

France, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France, golden age of C, independent of kings, over 2000 Abbys, translated koran
France, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France (Grosne River 1), golden age of Cluny, under Pope, independent of kings, silence, simple diet, chasity, C over 2000 Abbys, translated koran ; Cluny; Cluny Abbey; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; monastery of Cluny (in France, northwest of Lyons) was a center for the reform and spiritual renewal of Western monasticism in the tenth and eleventh centuries. was founded in 909 under Abbot Berno, as a reformed monastery, observing the Benedictine Rule with a strictness unusual at the time. Many monasteries in Europe at that time were dominated by a nearby king or nobleman. It was intended that Cluny should be independent of all but papal jurisdiction. second abbot was Odo (born 879 at Tours, monk in 909, abbot in 927, died 18 November 942--one of my sources says 944). He obtained papal and royal charters which guaranteed the monastery freedom from outside interference. Under his guidance Cluny attracted many men seeking to follow its discipline, and Abbot Odo was instrumental in introducing the Cluniac observances into many Italian monasteries as well. He insisted on silence, simplicity of diet, and strict observance of chastity for his monks, but he was not rigid of temperament: many stories survive of his generosity to the poor and to prisoners. Because he had no wordly ambitions, he was often called to mediate disputes between men in power. third abbot was Aylward, who held office from 942 to 965. He was blind from 954 on. (or Maieul or Maiolus) was born at Avignon around 906, became a clergyman, was made archdeacon of Macon, and fled to Cluny in order to avoid being made bishop of Besancon. At Cluny, he was made librarian and bursar. When Abbot Aylward became blind, he appointed Maiolus his assistant, and in 965 at the death of Aylward he became abbot. Under his guidance, Cluniac influence expanded, but by example and advice rather than by jurisdiction. Maiolus had the support and admiration of the Emperors Otto I and Otto II, and the latter wanted to make him Pope in 974, but he refused. When old, he chose Odilo as his successor, and retired to contemplation and penance. He died on 11 May 994. the fifth abbot, was born around 962, became a monk as a young man, was made assistant to Mayeul in 991, and became abbot in 994. He held office for 55 years, during which time thirty abbeys accepted Cluny as their mother house, and its practices were adopted by many more which did not affiliate. Thus the Cluniac reform spread through Burgundy, Provence, Auvergne, Poitou, and much of Italy and Spain. The abbot of Cluny appointed priors for the daughter houses, which were thus permanently under a central jurisdiction, making the Cluniac monasteries (or some of them) into the first monastic order in the modern sense. In Abbot Odilo's day, there was a great deal of fighting of minor wars, raids, and skirmishes between feudal lords and others. Odilo reduced the effect of this by persuading the combatants throughout most of France and some other regions to agree that churches and monastic holdings were strictly off limits in fighting, and that there was to be a truce from Fridays to Mondays, as well as throughout all of Advent and Lent, to enable all parties to worship unmolested. Odilo wrote many sermons and poems on the mystery of the Incarnation, and his references to the role of Mary as the means through whom the Incarnation took place greatly influenced Bernard of Clairvaux a century later. Odilo instituted the observance of 2 November as All Souls' Day, a day of prayer at first for the dead brothers of the Abbey and later for all who had died in the faith of Christ. In the years from 1028 to 1033, when crop failures created great hunger among the poor in the vicinity of Cluny, he melted down and sold most of the treasures of Cluny to relieve them. As an abbot, he held both himself and his monks to a strict observance of the Rule, but he said that he would rather be damned for being too merciful than for being too severe. He died in 1049 at the age of 87. the sixth abbot, was born in 1024, the oldest son of a Burgundian nobleman (the count of Semur), entered Cluny when about 16, and became abbot when only 25 years old. He was abbot for 60 years, during which time the number of monastic houses that recognized Cluny as their mother house grew from about 60 to about 2000. It was under his abbacy that the Cluniac reform was introduced into England (at Lewes in Sussex in 1077). He increased the control of the mother house over the daughter houses (at the cost, as some have thought, of a certain flagging in their spiritual enthusiasm). Hugh was an accomplished diplomat sent at various times by nine different popes to conduct delicate negotiotiations in Hungary, Toulouse, Spain, and all over Europe. He mediated between pope and emperor in the confrontation at Canossa, and must be reckoned as one of the most influential figures of his day. He died 29 April 1109. seventh abbot, Pons (or Pontius), was a secular-minded, contentious nobleman, unsuited to be an abbot. He took office in 1109, and by 1122 had created such a turmoil and so many factions that the Pope asked him to resign. eighth Abbot of Cluny was Peter the Venerable, born in 1092, prior of Vezelay in 1112, and elected abbot of Cluny in 1122. In 1125, when Peter was away, Pons returned with a band of armed men and seized control of the monastery. The Pope intervened and imprisoned Pons, who died in prison the following year. Peter was then involved in a dispute with Bernard of Clairvaux (see 20 August), the spokesman of the Cistercian monasteries, and disposed to view the Cluniac monasteries as in some sense a rival organization, who accused the Cluniac houses of being insufficiently strict in their monastic observances. Peter, instead of replying indignantly, considered the complaints, made some changes where he thought that changes were needed, and ignored the complaints that he considered ill-grounded. In 1140, when Bernard had succeeded in having the views of Abelard condemned (see 21 April), Peter gave Abelard shelter at Cluny, persuaded the Pope to deal mildly with Abelard, and reconciled Abelard and Bernard. He refused to have anything to do with the preaching of the Second Crusade, saying that the moslems should be met, not with armies, but with scholars prepared for rational dialogue. He sponsored the first translation of the Koran into Latin, so that Christian missionaries could understand what the moslems they were about to meet believed. He served as papal envoy to Aquitaine, England, and various states in Italy. He wrote religious tracts, poems, hymns, and many letters, of which about 200 survive. He defended the Jews against persecution and false accusations. He was abbot for thirty-four years, during which time Cluny was the most influential abbey in Europe. He died 25 December 1156, and with his death the golden age of Cluny was over. But it had lasted for well over two centuries, and had done much to advance Western civilization, both in spiritual and in secular terms.

France, 1000, 11th Century Folder, 1st Crusade, Norman Vikings

France, 1028-1095, Wulfstan oWorchester submitted tWilliam tC, became trusted advisor, opposed slave trade
England, 1028-1095, Wulfstan of Worchester, English Saint, when William tNorman conquered England i1066 he replaced Anglo-Saxib bishops with clergy fNormandy, except for Wolfstan who submitted to him after Harolds death, even though had supported King Harold, became William's trusted advisor,opposed slave trade iWestern England; England, 1062-1095, Saint of England, Wulfstan of Worchester; (c. 1008 – 20 January 1095) Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop. Wulfstan is a saint in the Western Christian churches. denomination as Wulfstan II is to indicate that he is the second Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester. however, does not prevent confusion, since the first Bishop Wulfstan – his maternal uncle – is also called Wulfstan II to denote that he was the second Archbishop of York called Wulfstan.[1] See also: History of Worcestershire § Medieval, and Anglican Diocese of Worcester § History was born about 1008 at Long Itchington in the English county of Warwickshire.[2] family lost their lands around the time King Cnut of England came to the throne.[3] was probably named after his uncle, Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York. his uncle's influence, he studied at monasteries in Evesham and Peterborough, becoming a clerk at Worcester. this time, his superiors, noting his reputation for dedication and chastity, urged him to join the priesthood. 1034 Wulfstan served as incumbent at St Mary’s Church in Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire. was here that he experienced an incident which changed his life. at his devotions he was distracted by the smell of a goose cooking in the kitchen nearby. he resolved never to touch meat again and became a vegetarian. was ordained shortly thereafter, in 1038, soon joined a monastery of Benedictines at Worcester. served as treasurer and prior of Worcester, from 1034 onwards served as the parish priest of Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire.[4][5][6] Ealdred, the bishop of Worcester as well as the Archbishop of York, was required to relinquish Worcester by Pope Nicholas, decided to have Wulfstan appointed to Worcester. addition, Ealdred continued to hold a number of the manors of the diocese.[7] was consecrated Bishop of Worcester on 8 September 1062,[8] by Ealdred. would have been more proper for him to have been consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose province Worcester was in.[7] had deliberately avoided consecration by the current archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, Stigand's own consecration had been uncanonical. still acknowledged that the see of Worcester was a suffragan of Canterbury. made no profession of obedience to Ealdred, offering a profession of obedience to Stigand's successor Lanfranc.[9] was a confidant of Harold Godwinson, who helped secure the bishopric for him.[10] social reformer, Wulfstan struggled to bridge the gap between the old and new regimes, and to alleviate the suffering of the poor. was a strong opponent of the slave trade, and together with Lanfranc, was mainly responsible for ending the trade from Bristol.[11] the Norman conquest of England, Wulfstan was the only English-born bishop to retain his diocese for any significant time after the Conquest (all others had been replaced or succeeded by Normans by 1075).[12][13] of Malmesbury, whose early 12th century work Vita Wulfstani provides much of our knowledge of the bishop, that pastoral care of his diocese was Wulfstan's principal interest. 1072 Wulfstan signed the Accord of Winchester. 1075, Wulfstan and the Worcestershire fyrd militia countered the Revolt of the Earls, when various magnates attempted a rebellion against William the Conqueror. founded the Great Malvern Priory, undertook much large-scale rebuilding work, Worcester Cathedral, Hereford Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and many other churches in the Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester areas. famously wept upon the destruction of the old Worcester Cathedral to make way for the new Romanesque building, decrying the loss of a building in which "so many holy and devout men have served god".[14] the Norman Conquest, he claimed that the Oswaldslow, a "triple hundred" administered by the bishops of Worcester, was free of interference by the local sheriff. right to exclude the sheriff was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. also administered the diocese of Lichfield when it was vacant between 1071 and 1072.[15] bishop, he often assisted the archbishops of York with consecrations, as they had few suffragan bishops. 1073 Wulfstan helped Thomas of Bayeux consecrate Radulf as Bishop of Orkney, and in 1081 helped consecrate William de St-Calais as Bishop of Durham.[7] Stained glass depicting Wulfstan at the church of the Holy Trinity, Long Itchington was responsible for the compilation by Hemming of the second cartulary of Worcester.[16] was close friends with Robert Losinga, the Bishop of Hereford, who was well known as a mathematician and astronomer.[15] the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop, died 20 January 1095 after a protracted illness, whilst washing the feet of parishioners as was his custom. [17] After his death, an altar was dedicated to him in Great Malvern Priory, next to those of Thomas Cantilupe and King Edward the Confessor. Easter of 1158, Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine visited Worcester Cathedral and placed their crowns on the shrine of Wulfstan, vowing not to wear them again. Their son King John is buried at Worcester Cathedral.[18] after Wulfstan's death, a hagiography, or saint's life, was written about him in English by his former chancellor Colman. was translated into Latin by the medieval chronicler and historian William of Malmesbury.[19] was canonized on 14 May 1203 by Pope Innocent III.[4] became the Patron Saint of Peasants and Vegetarians. of the miracles attributed to Wulfstan was the curing of King Harold's daughter. recently founded Victorine priory in Celbridge, Ireland (paid for by Adam de Hereford) was named St. Wolstan's Priory in his honour.[20] 2008, the millennial anniversary of Wulfstan’s birth, the Friends of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Hawkesbury, where Wulfstan served from 1034, commissioned a stained glass window to his memory. commission was carried out by a local artist, Caroline Pederick and it was dedicated in 2011 by Bishop Michael Pelham of Gloucester. three roundels, it depicts features from Wulfstan’s life; the broken chains of slavery, the goose, many vegetables and the bishop’s crosier and mitre. 2021, St. Mary's Church installed a ring of eight bells in their tower. The largest bell, weighing 600 kg, is named in honour of Wulfstan.[5] is remembered in the Church of England with a lesser festival[21] and on the Episcopal Church calendar[22] on 19 January. ^ Sometimes Wulfstan II, also known as Wolstan, Wulstan and Ulfstan WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095); William the Norman conquered England in 1066, replaced most of the native Anglo-Saxon bishops with clergy from his own Normandy. most conspicuous exception was Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (pronounced "Wooster"), had been a supporter of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, who submitted to William after Harold's death, became one of the King's most trusted advisors. is best remembered for his opposition to the slave trade in western England. by James Kiefer More information about Wulfstan of Worcester (who should not be confused with the slightly earlier Wulfstan, Archbishop of York) may be found on a site about the Norman conquest and at Wikipedia.

France, 1053-1109, ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, from Bec Abbey, Seine River 8, Western age of reason
England, 1053-1109, ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, Monastery of Bec, Normandy, France (Bec Abbey, Seine River 8) most important western theologian between Augustine and Aquinas, also focused on reason; Monastery of Bec (Bec Abbey) ; ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, 21 April 1109 ; - ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109): is the most important Christian theologian in the West between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. two great accomplishments are his Proslogium (in which he undertakes to show that Reason requires that men should believe in God), and his Cur Deus Homo? (in which he undertakes to show that Divine Love responding to human rebelliousness requires that God should become a man). was born in Italy about 1033, and in 1060 he entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy to study under Stephen Lanfranc, whom he succeeded in office, first as prior of Bec, and later as Archbishop of Canterbury. 1078 he was elected abbot of Bec. The previous year, he completed a work called the Monologium, in which he argues for the existence of God from the existence of degrees of perfection (Aquinas's Fourth Way is a variation of this argument). 1087, while still at Bec, he produced his Proslogium, an outline of his "ontological argument" for the existence of God. Taking as his text the opening of Psalm 14 ("The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God."), undertakes to show that the fool is contradicting himself -- that the concept of God is unique in that anyone who understands what is meant by the question, "Does God exist?" will see that the answer must be "Yes." The argument has received mixed reviews from the start. at once another theologian, Gaunilon, wrote, "A Reply on Behalf of the Fool." Thomas Aquinas rejected Anselm's argument as inconclusive (and is followed in this by most Roman Catholic writers today). Kant practically made his reputation as a philosopher by explaining in detail what he thought was wrong with Anselm's argument. the other hand, Leibniz and others have thought it valid. William II of England had no fondness for the Church, and at the death of Lanfranc he kept the See of Canterbury vacant until he was gravely ill, whereon he promised to let Anselm be made Archbishop. Anselm was made Archbishop (4 December 1093), the King recovered, and the two began to dispute the extent of the King's right to intervene in Church matters. Anselm went into exile in 1097 and remained in Italy for three years until the King died in 1100. During that time Anselm was instrumental in settling the doubts of the Greek bishops of southern Italy about the doctrine of the Filioque. For a discussion of the Filioque (the principal doctrinal difference between Eastern and Western Christians), see article in the Christia library. He also devoted the time to writing a book known as Cur Deus Homo? (meaning Why did God become Man?). In it he puts forward the "satisfaction theory" of the Atonement. Man's offence of rebellion against God is one that demands a payment or satisfaction. Fallen man is incapable of making adequate satisfaction, and so God took human nature upon Him, in order that a perfect man might make perfect satisfaction and so restore the human race. The success of his work may be gauged by the fact that many Christians today not only accept his way of explaining the Atonement, but are simply unaware that there is any other way. For a discussion of Anselm's theory of the Atonement and a comparison with Abelard's theory, consult the Web page mentioned above. For several other theories of the Atonement, read the Essays GEN05 RUFF, GEN06 RUFF, and GEN07 RUFF, found at the same location. five works Proslogium, Monologium, Gaunilon's Reply, Anselm on Gaunilon, and Cur Deus Homo? are available in a single paperback volume from Oxford Univ. Press. the death of King William II in 1100, Anselm returned to England at the invitation of the new king Henry I, only to quarrel with Henry about the lawful extent of the king's control over the selection of bishops and abbots (it must be remembered that these officials had civil as well as religious authority). Anselm was again in exile from 1103 to 1106. In 1107 a compromise was reached, and Anselm returned home to Canterbury, where he lived his last few years in peace, dying 21 April 1109. of Anselm is his reversal of a tendency among English bishops after the Norman Conquest to ignore or downgrade the Anglo-Saxon saints as representatives of the conquered race. Lanfranc had proposed to remove even Dunstan and Alphege from the calendar, the latter on the grounds that he had not died as a martyr for refusing to deny the Christian faith. Anselm argued that, if he was not a martyr to faith, he was a martyr to justice and to charity. From the Preface to the Proslogium: I have written the little work that follows... in the role of one who strives to raise his mind to the contemplation of God and one who seeks to understand what he believes. I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that you have created your image in me, so that I may remember you, think of you, love you. But this image is so obliterated and worn away by wickedness, it is so obscured by the smoke of sins, that it cannot do what it was created to do, unless you renew and reform it. I am not attempting, O Lord, to penetrate your loftiness, for I cannot begin to match my understanding with it, but I desire in some measure to understand your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this too I believe, that "unless I believe, I shall not understand." (Isa. 7:9) A PRAYER OF ANSELM My God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you. And if I may not do so fully in this life let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness ... Let me receive That which you promised through your truth, that my joy may be full A SONG OF ANSELM Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you: you are gentle with us as a mother with her children; Often you weep over our sins and our pride: tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement. You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds: in sickness you nurse us, and with pure milk you feed us. Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life: by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy. Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness: through your gentleness we find comfort in fear. Your warmth gives life to the dead: your touch makes sinners righteous. Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us: in your love and tenderness remake us. In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness: for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us. (text edited) by James Kiefer

France, 1059-1108, King of France, Philip I, first Crusade 1095
France, King of France, 1059-1108, Philip I ; I (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous,[1] was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recovery from the low it reached in the reign of his father and he added to the royal demesne the Vexin[2] and Bourges. 1 Early life 2 Personal rule 3 Death 4 Issue 5 References 6 Sources life[edit] was born 23 May 1052 at Champagne-et-Fontaine, the son of Henry I and his wife Anne of Kiev.[3] Unusually for the time in Western Europe, his name was of Greek origin, being bestowed upon him by his mother. he was crowned king at the age of seven,[4] until age fourteen (1066) his mother acted as regent, the first queen of France ever to do so. Baldwin V of Flanders also acted as co-regent.[2] rule[edit] under Philip I the death of Baldwin VI of Flanders, Robert the Frisian seized Flanders.[5] Baldwin's widow, Richilda, requested aid from Philip, who was defeated by Robert at the battle of Cassel in 1071.[2] first married Bertha of Holland in 1072.[6] Although the marriage produced the necessary heir, Philip fell in love with Bertrade de Montfort, the wife of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou. repudiated Bertha (claiming she was too fat) and married Bertrade on 15 May 1092.[7] 1094, he was excommunicated by Hugh of Die, for the first time;[7] after a long silence, Pope Urban II repeated the excommunication at the Council of Clermont in November 1095.[8] Several times the ban was lifted as Philip promised to part with Bertrade, but he always returned to her, but in 1104 Philip made a public penance and must have kept his involvement with Bertrade discreet.[9] In France, the king was opposed by Bishop Ivo of Chartres, a famous jurist.[10] appointed Alberic first Constable of France in 1060. A great part of his reign, like his father's, was spent putting down revolts by his power-hungry vassals. In 1077, he made peace with William the Conqueror, who gave up attempting the conquest of Brittany.[11] In 1082, Philip I expanded his demesne with the annexation of the Vexin, in reprisal against Robert Curthose's attack on William's heir, William Rufus. Then in 1100, he took control of Bourges.[12] was at the aforementioned Council of Clermont that the First Crusade was launched. Philip at first did not personally support it because of his conflict with Urban II. Philip's brother Hugh of Vermandois, however, was a major participant. effigy of King Philip I died in the castle of Melun and was buried per his request at the monastery of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire[13] – and not in St Denis among his forefathers. He was succeeded by his son, Louis VI, whose succession was, however, not uncontested. to Abbot Suger: Philip daily grew feebler. For after he had abducted the Countess of Anjou, he could achieve nothing worthy of the royal dignity; consumed by desire for the lady he had seized, he gave himself up entirely to the satisfaction of his passion. So he lost interest in the affairs of state and, relaxing too much, took no care for his body, well-made and handsome though it was. The only thing that maintained the strength of the state was the fear and love felt for his son and successor. When he was almost sixty, he ceased to be king, breathing his last breath at the castle of Melun-sur-Seine, in the presence of the [future king] Louis... They carried the body in a great procession to the noble monastery of St-Benoît-sur-Loire, where King Philip wished to be buried; there are those who say they heard from his own mouth that he deliberately chose not to be buried among his royal ancestors in the church of St. Denis because he had not treated that church as well as they had, and because among those of so many noble kings, his own tomb would not have counted for much. ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109);

France, 1095-1099, 1st Crusade, Levant and Anatolia
France, 1095-1099, 1st Crusade, Levant and Anatolia; France, King of France, 1059-1108, Philip I ; ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109);

France, 1100, 12th C Folder, 2nd&3rd Crusades, Henry I&II oEngland, Angevin Empire, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Hugh oLincoln

France, 1101-1135, King Henry I of England, son of Conqueror, fought with b and french kings for Normandy, harsh but effective
England, 1100-1135, King of England, Henry I of England; I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, Henry was left landless. He purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy from Robert, but his brothers deposed him in 1091. He gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William against Robert. at the place where his brother William died in a hunting accident in 1100, Henry seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. married Matilda of Scotland and they had two surviving children, William Adelin and Empress Matilda; he also had many illegitimate children by his many mistresses. who invaded in 1101, disputed Henry's control of England; this military campaign ended in a negotiated settlement that confirmed Henry as king. peace was short-lived, and Henry invaded the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and 1106, finally defeating Robert at the Battle of Tinchebray. kept Robert imprisoned for the rest of his life. Henry's control of Normandy was challenged by Louis VI of France, Baldwin VII of Flanders and Fulk V of Anjou, who promoted the rival claims of Robert's son, William Clito, and supported a major rebellion in the Duchy between 1116 and 1119. Following Henry's victory at the Battle of Brémule, a favourable peace settlement was agreed with Louis in 1120. by contemporaries to be a harsh but effective ruler, Henry skillfully manipulated the barons in England and Normandy. England, he drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxation, but also strengthened it with additional institutions, including the royal exchequer and itinerant justices. was also governed through a growing system of justices and an exchequer. Many of the officials who ran Henry's system were "new men" of obscure backgrounds, rather than from families of high status, who rose through the ranks as administrators. encouraged ecclesiastical reform, but became embroiled in a serious dispute in 1101 with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, which was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105. supported the Cluniac order and played a major role in the selection of the senior clergy in England and Normandy. son William drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120, throwing the royal succession into doubt. took a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, in the hope of having another son, but their marriage was childless. response to this, he declared his daughter Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou. relationship between Henry and the couple became strained, and fighting broke out along the border with Anjou. Henry died on 1 December 1135 after a week of illness. his plans for Matilda, the king was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois, resulting in a period of civil war known as the Anarchy. 1 Early life, 1068–1099 1.1 Childhood and appearance, 1068–86 1.2 Inheritance, 1087–88 1.3 Count of the Cotentin, 1088–90 1.4 Fall and rise, 1091–99 2 Early reign, 1100–06 2.1 Taking the throne, 1100 2.2 Marriage to Matilda, 1100 2.3 Treaty of Alton, 1101–02 2.4 Conquest of Normandy, 1103–06 3 Government, family and household 3.1 Government, law and court 3.2 Relations with the Church 4 Later reign, 1107–35 4.1 Continental and Welsh politics, 1108–14 4.2 Rebellion, 1115–20 4.3 Succession crisis, 1120–24 4.4 Planning the succession, 1125–34 5 Death and legacy 5.1 Death 5.2 Historiography 6 Family and children 6.1 Legitimate 6.2 Illegitimate 6.3 Family tree 7 Notes 8 References 9 Bibliography life, 1068–1099[edit] and appearance, 1068–86[edit] was probably born in England in 1068, in either the summer or the last weeks of the year, possibly in the town of Selby in Yorkshire.[1][nb 1] His father was William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy who had invaded England in 1066 to become the king of England, establishing lands stretching into Wales. The invasion had created an Anglo-Norman ruling class, many with estates on both sides of the English Channel.[2] These Anglo-Norman barons typically had close links to the Kingdom of France, which was then a loose collection of counties and smaller polities, under only the nominal control of the king.[3] Henry's mother, Matilda of Flanders, was the granddaughter of Robert II of France, and she probably named Henry after her uncle, King Henry I of France.[4] was the youngest of William and Matilda's four sons. Physically he resembled his older brothers Robert Curthose, Richard and William Rufus, being, as historian David Carpenter describes, "short, stocky and barrel-chested," with black hair.[5] As a result of their age differences and Richard's early death, Henry would have probably seen relatively little of his older brothers.[6] He probably knew his sister Adela well, as the two were close in age.[7] There is little documentary evidence for his early years; historians Warren Hollister and Kathleen Thompson suggest he was brought up predominantly in England, while Judith Green argues he was initially brought up in the Duchy.[8][nb 2] He was probably educated by the Church, possibly by Bishop Osmund, the King's chancellor, at Salisbury Cathedral; it is uncertain if this indicated an intent by his parents for Henry to become a member of the clergy.[10][nb 3] It is also uncertain how far Henry's education extended, but he was probably able to read Latin and had some background in the liberal arts.[11] He was given military training by an instructor called Robert Achard, and Henry was knighted by his father on 24 May 1086.[12] 1087–88[edit] century picture ------------------13th-century depiction of Henry 1087, William was fatally injured during a campaign in the Vexin.[13] Henry joined his dying father near Rouen in September, where the King partitioned his possessions among his sons.[14] The rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, primogeniture, in which the eldest son would inherit a title, was growing in popularity.[15] In other parts of Europe, including Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands – usually considered to be the most valuable – and younger sons given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates.[15] dividing his lands, William appears to have followed the Norman tradition, distinguishing between Normandy, which he had inherited, and England, which he had acquired through war.[16] William's second son, Richard, had died in a hunting accident, leaving Henry and his two brothers to inherit William's estate. Robert, the eldest, despite being in armed rebellion against his father at the time of his death, received Normandy.[17] England was given to William Rufus, who was in favour with the dying king.[17] Henry was given a large sum of money, usually reported as £5,000, with the expectation that he would also be given his mother's modest set of lands in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire.[18][nb 4] William's funeral at Caen was marred by angry complaints from a local man, and Henry may have been responsible for resolving the dispute by buying off the protester with silver.[20] returned to Normandy, expecting to have been given both the Duchy and England, to find that William Rufus had crossed the Channel and been crowned king.[21] The two brothers disagreed fundamentally over the inheritance, and Robert soon began to plan an invasion of England to seize the kingdom, helped by a rebellion by some of the leading nobles against William Rufus.[22] Henry remained in Normandy and took up a role within Robert's court, possibly either because he was unwilling to side openly with William Rufus, or because Robert might have taken the opportunity to confiscate Henry's inherited money if he had tried to leave.[21][nb 5] William Rufus sequestered Henry's new estates in England, leaving Henry landless.[24] 1088, Robert's plans for the invasion of England began to falter, and he turned to Henry, proposing that his brother lend him some of his inheritance, which Henry refused.[25] Henry and Robert then came to an alternative arrangement, in which Robert would make Henry the count of western Normandy, in exchange for £3,000.[25][nb 6] Henry's lands were a new countship created by a delegation of the ducal authority in the Cotentin, but it extended across the Avranchin, with control over the bishoprics of both.[27] This also gave Henry influence over two major Norman leaders, Hugh d'Avranches and Richard de Redvers, and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, whose lands spread out further across the Duchy.[28] Robert's invasion force failed to leave Normandy, leaving William Rufus secure in England.[29] of the Cotentin, 1088–90[edit] of Bishop Odo (wielding club at centre) who imprisoned Henry from 1088–89. From the Bayeux Tapestry. Henry quickly established himself as count, building up a network of followers from western Normandy and eastern Brittany, whom historian John Le Patourel has characterised as "Henry's gang".[30] His early supporters included Roger of Mandeville, Richard of Redvers, Richard d'Avranches and Robert Fitzhamon, along with the churchman Roger of Salisbury.[31] Robert attempted to go back on his deal with Henry and re-appropriate the county, but Henry's grip was already sufficiently firm to prevent this.[32] Robert's rule of the duchy was chaotic, and parts of Henry's lands became almost independent of central control from Rouen.[33] this period, neither William nor Robert seems to have trusted Henry.[34] Waiting until the rebellion against William Rufus was safely over, Henry returned to England in July 1088.[35] He met with the King but was unable to persuade him to grant him their mother's estates, and travelled back to Normandy in the autumn.[36] While he had been away, however, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who regarded Henry as a potential competitor, had convinced Robert that Henry was conspiring against the duke with William Rufus.[37] On landing, Odo seized Henry and imprisoned him in Neuilly-la-Forêt, and Robert took back the county of the Cotentin.[38] Henry was held there over the winter, but in the spring of 1089 the senior elements of the Normandy nobility prevailed upon Robert to release him.[39] no longer formally the Count of Cotentin, Henry continued to control the west of Normandy.[40] The struggle between his brothers continued. William Rufus continued to put down resistance to his rule in England, but began to build a number of alliances against Robert with barons in Normandy and neighbouring Ponthieu.[41] Robert allied himself with Philip I of France.[42] In late 1090 William Rufus encouraged Conan Pilatus, a powerful burgher in Rouen, to rebel against Robert; Conan was supported by most of Rouen and made appeals to the neighbouring ducal garrisons to switch allegiance as well.[43] issued an appeal for help to his barons, and Henry was the first to arrive in Rouen in November.[44] Violence broke out, leading to savage, confused street fighting as both sides attempted to take control of the city.[44] Robert and Henry left the castle to join the battle, but Robert then retreated, leaving Henry to continue the fighting.[45] The battle turned in favour of the ducal forces and Henry took Conan prisoner.[45] Henry was angry that Conan had turned against his feudal lord. He had him taken to the top of Rouen Castle and then, despite Conan's offers to pay a huge ransom, threw him off the top of the castle to his death.[46] Contemporaries considered Henry to have acted appropriately in making an example of Conan, and Henry became famous for his exploits in the battle.[47] and rise, 1091–99[edit] of Mont St Michel ----------------- Mont Saint-Michel, site of the 1091 siege the aftermath, Robert forced Henry to leave Rouen, probably because Henry's role in the fighting had been more prominent than his own, and possibly because Henry had asked to be formally reinstated as the count of the Cotentin.[48] In early 1091, William Rufus invaded Normandy with a sufficiently large army to bring Robert to the negotiating table.[49] The two brothers signed a treaty at Rouen, granting William Rufus a range of lands and castles in Normandy. In return, William Rufus promised to support Robert's attempts to regain control of the neighbouring county of Maine, once under Norman control, and help in regaining control over the duchy, including Henry's lands.[49] They nominated each other as heirs to England and Normandy, excluding Henry from any succession while either one of them lived.[50] now broke out between Henry and his brothers.[51] Henry mobilised a mercenary army in the west of Normandy, but as William Rufus and Robert's forces advanced, his network of baronial support melted away.[52] Henry focused his remaining forces at Mont Saint-Michel, where he was besieged, probably in March 1091.[53] The site was easy to defend, but lacked fresh water.[54] The chronicler William of Malmesbury suggested that when Henry's water ran short, Robert allowed his brother fresh supplies, leading to remonstrations between Robert and William Rufus.[55] The events of the final days of the siege are unclear: the besiegers had begun to argue about the future strategy for the campaign, but Henry then abandoned Mont Saint-Michel, probably as part of a negotiated surrender.[56][nb 7] He left for Brittany and crossed over into France.[57] next steps are not well documented; one chronicler, Orderic Vitalis, suggests that he travelled in the French Vexin, along the Normandy border, for over a year with a small band of followers.[58] By the end of the year, Robert and William Rufus had fallen out once again, and the Treaty of Rouen had been abandoned.[59] In 1092, Henry and his followers seized the Normandy town of Domfront.[60] Domfront had previously been controlled by Robert of Bellême, but the inhabitants disliked his rule and invited Henry to take over the town, which he did in a bloodless coup.[61] Over the next two years, Henry re-established his network of supporters across western Normandy, forming what Judith Green terms a "court in waiting".[62] By 1094, he was allocating lands and castles to his followers as if he were the Duke of Normandy.[63] William Rufus began to support Henry with money, encouraging his campaign against Robert, and Henry used some of this to construct a substantial castle at Domfront.[64] Rufus crossed into Normandy to take the war to Robert in 1094, and when progress stalled, called upon Henry for assistance.[65] Henry responded, but travelled to London instead of joining the main campaign further east in Normandy, possibly at the request of the King, who in any event abandoned the campaign and returned to England.[66][nb 8] Over the next few years, Henry appears to have strengthened his power base in western Normandy, visiting England occasionally to attend at William Rufus's court.[68] In 1095 Pope Urban II called the First Crusade, encouraging knights from across Europe to join.[67] Robert joined the Crusade, borrowing money from William Rufus to do so, and granting the King temporary custody of his part of the Duchy in exchange.[69] The King appeared confident of regaining the remainder of Normandy from Robert, and Henry appeared ever closer to William Rufus. They campaigned together in the Norman Vexin between 1097 and 1098.[70] reign, 1100–06[edit] the throne, 1100[edit] Pontificals --------------A 17th-century manuscript drawing of Henry's coronation. the afternoon of 2 August 1100, King William went hunting in the New Forest, accompanied by a team of huntsmen and a number of the Norman nobility, including Henry.[71] An arrow, possibly shot by the baron Walter Tirel, hit and killed William Rufus.[72] Numerous conspiracy theories have been put forward suggesting that the King was killed deliberately; most modern historians reject these, as hunting was a risky activity, and such accidents were common.[73][nb 9] Chaos broke out, and Tirel fled the scene for France, either because he had shot the fatal arrow, or because he had been incorrectly accused and feared that he would be made a scapegoat for the King's death.[72] rode to Winchester, where an argument ensued as to who now had the best claim to the throne.[75] William of Breteuil championed the rights of Robert, who was still abroad, returning from the Crusade, and to whom Henry and the barons had given homage in previous years.[76] Henry argued that, unlike Robert, he had been born to a reigning king and queen, thereby giving him a claim under the right of porphyrogeniture.[77] Tempers flared, but Henry, supported by Henry de Beaumont and Robert of Meulan, held sway and persuaded the barons to follow him.[78] He occupied Winchester Castle and seized the royal treasury.[79] was hastily crowned king in Westminster Abbey on 5 August by Maurice, the bishop of London, as Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, had been exiled by William Rufus, and Thomas, the archbishop of York, was in the north of England at Ripon.[80] In accordance with English tradition and in a bid to legitimise his rule, Henry issued a coronation charter laying out various commitments.[81] The new king presented himself as having restored order to a trouble-torn country.[82] He announced that he would abandon William Rufus's policies towards the Church, which had been seen as oppressive by the clergy; he promised to prevent royal abuses of the barons' property rights, and assured a return to the gentler customs of Edward the Confessor; he asserted that he would "establish a firm peace" across England and ordered "that this peace shall henceforth be kept".[83] addition to his existing circle of supporters, many of whom were richly rewarded with new lands, Henry quickly co-opted many of the existing administration into his new royal household.[84] William Giffard, William Rufus's chancellor, was made the bishop of Winchester, and the prominent sheriffs Urse d'Abetot, Haimo Dapifer and Robert Fitzhamon continued to play a senior role in government.[84] By contrast, the unpopular Ranulf Flambard, the bishop of Durham and a key member of the previous regime, was imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with corruption.[85] The late king had left many Church positions unfilled, and Henry set about nominating candidates to these, in an effort to build further support for his new government.[86] The appointments needed to be consecrated, and Henry wrote to Anselm, apologising for having been crowned while the archbishop was still in France and asking him to return at once.[87] to Matilda, 1100[edit] ------------Picture of Matilda first wife, Matilda of Scotland 11 November 1100 Henry married Matilda, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland.[88] Henry was now around 31 years old, but late marriages for noblemen were not unusual in the 11th century.[89] The pair had probably first met earlier the previous decade, possibly being introduced through Bishop Osmund of Salisbury.[90] Historian Warren Hollister argues that Henry and Matilda were emotionally close, but their union was also certainly politically motivated.[91][nb 10] Matilda had originally been named Edith, an Anglo-Saxon name, and was a member of the West Saxon royal family, being the niece of Edgar the Ætheling, the great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside and a descendant of Alfred the Great.[93] For Henry, marrying Matilda gave his reign increased legitimacy, and for Matilda, an ambitious woman, it was an opportunity for high status and power in England.[94] had been educated in a sequence of convents, however, and may well have taken the vows to formally become a nun, which formed an obstacle to the marriage progressing.[95] She did not wish to be a nun and appealed to Anselm for permission to marry Henry, and the Archbishop established a council at Lambeth Palace to judge the issue.[95] Despite some dissenting voices, the council concluded that although Matilda had lived in a convent, she had not actually become a nun and was therefore free to marry, a judgement that Anselm then affirmed, allowing the marriage to proceed.[95][nb 11] Matilda proved an effective queen for Henry, acting as a regent in England on occasion, addressing and presiding over councils, and extensively supporting the arts.[97] The couple soon had two children, Matilda, born in 1102, and William Adelin, born in 1103; it is possible that they also had a second son, Richard, who died young.[98][nb 12] Following the birth of these children, Matilda preferred to remain based in Westminster while Henry travelled across England and Normandy, either for religious reasons or because she enjoyed being involved in the machinery of royal governance.[100] had a considerable sexual appetite and enjoyed a substantial number of sexual partners, resulting in many illegitimate children, at least nine sons and 13 daughters, many of whom he appears to have recognised and supported.[101] It was normal for unmarried Anglo-Norman noblemen to have sexual relations with prostitutes and local women, and kings were also expected to have mistresses.[102][nb 13] Some of these relationships occurred before Henry was married, but many others took place after his marriage to Matilda.[103] Henry had a wide range of mistresses from a range of backgrounds, and the relationships appear to have been conducted relatively openly.[100] He may have chosen some of his noble mistresses for political purposes, but the evidence to support this theory is limited.[104] of Alton, 1101–02[edit] of Henry -----------Early 14th-century depiction of Henry early 1101, Henry's new regime was established and functioning, but many of the Anglo-Norman elite still supported his brother Robert, or would be prepared to switch sides if Robert appeared likely to gain power in England.[105] In February, Flambard escaped from the Tower of London and crossed the Channel to Normandy, where he injected fresh direction and energy to Robert's attempts to mobilise an invasion force.[106] By July, Robert had formed an army and a fleet, ready to move against Henry in England.[107] Raising the stakes in the conflict, Henry seized Flambard's lands and, with the support of Anselm, Flambard was removed from his position as bishop.[108] The King held court in April and June, where the nobility renewed their oaths of allegiance to him, but their support still appeared partial and shaky.[109] the invasion imminent, Henry mobilised his forces and fleet outside Pevensey, close to Robert's anticipated landing site, training some of them personally in how to counter cavalry charges.[110] Despite English levies and knights owing military service to the Church arriving in considerable numbers, many of his barons did not appear.[111] Anselm intervened with some of the doubters, emphasising the religious importance of their loyalty to Henry.[112] Robert unexpectedly landed further up the coast at Portsmouth on 20 July with a modest force of a few hundred men, but these were quickly joined by many of the barons in England.[113] However, instead of marching into nearby Winchester and seizing Henry's treasury, Robert paused, giving Henry time to march west and intercept the invasion force.[114] two armies met at Alton, Hampshire, where peace negotiations began, possibly initiated by either Henry or Robert, and probably supported by Flambard.[114] The brothers then agreed to the Treaty of Alton, under which Robert released Henry from his oath of homage and recognised him as king; Henry renounced his claims on western Normandy, except for Domfront, and agreed to pay Robert £2,000 a year for life; if either brother died without a male heir, the other would inherit his lands; the barons whose lands had been seized by either the King or the Duke for supporting his rival would have them returned, and Flambard would be reinstated as bishop; the two brothers would campaign together to defend their territories in Normandy.[115][nb 14] Robert remained in England for a few months more with Henry before returning to Normandy.[117] the treaty, Henry set about inflicting severe penalties on the barons who had stood against him during the invasion.[118] William de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, was accused of fresh crimes, which were not covered by the Alton amnesty, and was banished from England.[119] In 1102 Henry then turned against Robert of Bellême and his brothers, the most powerful of the barons, accusing him of 45 different offences.[120] Robert escaped and took up arms against Henry.[121] Henry besieged Robert's castles at Arundel, Tickhill and Shrewsbury Castles, pushing down into the south-west to attack Bridgnorth.[122] His power base in England broken, Robert accepted Henry's offer of banishment and left the country for Normandy.[123] of Normandy, 1103–06[edit] of Tinchebray ------The village of Tinchebray in 2008 network of allies in Normandy became stronger during 1103.[124] He arranged the marriages of his illegitimate daughters, Juliane and Matilda, to Eustace of Breteuil and Rotrou III, Count of Perche, respectively, the latter union securing the Norman border.[125] Henry attempted to win over other members of the Norman nobility and gave other English estates and lucrative offers to key Norman lords.[126] Duke Robert continued to fight Robert of Bellême, but the Duke's position worsened, until by 1104, he had to ally himself formally with Bellême to survive.[127] Arguing that the Duke had broken the terms of their treaty, the King crossed over the Channel to Domfront, where he met with senior barons from across Normandy, eager to ally themselves with him.[128] He confronted the Duke and accused him of siding with his enemies, before returning to England.[129] continued to disintegrate into chaos.[130] In 1105, Henry sent his friend Robert Fitzhamon and a force of knights into the Duchy, apparently to provoke a confrontation with Duke Robert.[131] Fitzhamon was captured, and Henry used this as an excuse to invade, promising to restore peace and order.[130] Henry had the support of most of the neighbouring counts around Normandy's borders, and King Philip of France was persuaded to remain neutral.[132] Henry occupied western Normandy, and advanced east on Bayeux, where Fitzhamon was held.[133] The city refused to surrender, and Henry besieged it, burning it to the ground.[133] Terrified of meeting the same fate, the town of Caen switched sides and surrendered, allowing Henry to advance on Falaise, Calvados, which he took with some casualties.[134] His campaign stalled, and the King instead began peace discussions with Robert.[135] The negotiations were inconclusive and the fighting dragged on until Christmas, when Henry returned to England.[136] invaded again in July 1106, hoping to provoke a decisive battle.[137] After some initial tactical successes, he turned south-west towards the castle of Tinchebray.[138] He besieged the castle and Duke Robert, supported by Robert of Bellême, advanced from Falaise to relieve it.[138] After attempts at negotiation failed, the Battle of Tinchebray took place, probably on 28 September.[139][nb 15] The battle lasted around an hour, and began with a charge by Duke Robert's cavalry; the infantry and dismounted knights of both sides then joined the battle.[141] Henry's reserves, led by Elias I, Count of Maine, and Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, attacked the enemy's flanks, routing first Bellême's troops and then the bulk of the ducal forces.[142] Duke Robert was taken prisoner, but Bellême escaped.[142] mopped up the remaining resistance in Normandy, and Duke Robert ordered his last garrisons to surrender.[143] Reaching Rouen, Henry reaffirmed the laws and customs of Normandy and took homage from the leading barons and citizens.[144] The lesser prisoners taken at Tinchebray were released, but the Duke and several other leading nobles were imprisoned indefinitely.[145] The Duke's son, William Clito, was only three years old and was released to the care of Helias of Saint-Saens, a Norman baron.[146] Henry reconciled himself with Robert of Bellême, who gave up the ducal lands he had seized and rejoined the royal court.[147] Henry had no way of legally removing the Duchy from his brother, and initially Henry avoided using the title "duke" at all, emphasising that, as the King of England, he was only acting as the guardian of the troubled Duchy.[148] family and household[edit] Government, law and court[edit] Henry's royal seal, showing the King on horseback (l) and seated on his throne (r) information on English government during this period: England in the Middle Ages § High Middle Ages (1066–1272) inherited the kingdom of England from William Rufus, giving him a claim of suzerainty over Wales and Scotland, and acquired the Duchy of Normandy, a complex entity with troubled borders.[149] The borders between England and Scotland were still uncertain during Henry's reign, with Anglo-Norman influence pushing northwards through Cumbria, but his relationship with King David I of Scotland was generally good, partially due to Henry's marriage to his sister.[150] In Wales, Henry used his power to coerce and charm the indigenous Welsh princes, while Norman Marcher Lords pushed across the valleys of South Wales.[151] Normandy was controlled via various interlocking networks of ducal, ecclesiastical and family contacts, backed by a growing string of important ducal castles along the borders.[152] Alliances and relationships with neighbouring counties along the Norman border were particularly important to maintaining the stability of the Duchy.[153] ruled through the various barons and lords in England and Normandy, whom he manipulated skilfully for political effect.[154] Political friendships, termed amicitia in Latin, were important during the 12th century, and Henry maintained a wide range of these, mediating between his friends in various factions across his realm when necessary, and rewarding those who were loyal to him.[155] He also had a reputation for punishing those barons who stood against him, and he maintained an effective network of informers and spies who reported to him on events.[156] Henry was a harsh, firm ruler, but not excessively so by the standards of the day.[157] Over time, he increased the degree of his control over the barons, removing his enemies and bolstering his friends until the "reconstructed baronage", as historian Warren Hollister describes it, was predominantly loyal and dependent on the King.[158] itinerant royal court comprised various parts.[159] At the heart was his domestic household, called the domus; a wider grouping was termed the familia regis, and formal gatherings of the court were termed curia.[160] The domus was divided into several parts. The chapel, headed by the chancellor, looked after the royal documents, the chamber dealt with financial affairs and the master-marshal was responsible for travel and accommodation.[161] The familia regis included Henry's mounted household troops, up to several hundred strong, who came from a wider range of social backgrounds, and could be deployed across England and Normandy as required.[162] Initially Henry continued his father's practice of regular crown-wearing ceremonies at his curia, but they became less frequent as the years passed.[163] Henry's court was grand and ostentatious, financing the construction of large new buildings and castles with a range of precious gifts on display, including his private menagerie of exotic animals, which he kept at Woodstock Palace.[164] Despite being a lively community, Henry's court was more tightly controlled than those of previous kings.[165] Strict rules controlled personal behaviour and prohibited members of the court from pillaging neighbouring villages, as had been the norm under William Rufus.[165] was responsible for a substantial expansion of the royal justice system.[166][nb 16] In England, Henry drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxes, but strengthened it with additional central governmental institutions.[168] Roger of Salisbury began to develop the royal exchequer after 1110, using it to collect and audit revenues from the King's sheriffs in the shires.[169] Itinerant justices began to emerge under Henry, travelling around the country managing eyre courts, and many more laws were formally recorded.[170] Henry gathered increasing revenue from the expansion of royal justice, both from fines and from fees.[171] The first Pipe Roll that is known to have survived dates from 1130, recording royal expenditures.[172] Henry reformed the coinage in 1107, 1108 and in 1125, inflicting harsh corporal punishments to English coiners who had been found guilty of debasing the currency.[173][nb 17] In Normandy, he restored law and order after 1106, operating through a body of Norman justices and an exchequer system similar to that in England.[175] Norman institutions grew in scale and scope under Henry, although less quickly than in England.[176] Many of the officials that ran Henry's system were termed "new men", relatively low-born individuals who rose through the ranks as administrators, managing justice or the royal revenues.[177][nb 18] with the Church[edit] information on religion in England during this period: Religion in Medieval England and the King[edit] of seal seal of Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury ability to govern was intimately bound up with the Church, which formed the key to the administration of both England and Normandy, and this relationship changed considerably over the course of his reign.[179] William the Conqueror had reformed the English Church with the support of his Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, who became a close colleague and advisor to the King.[180][nb 19] Under William Rufus this arrangement had collapsed, the King and Archbishop Anselm had become estranged and Anselm had gone into exile. Henry also believed in Church reform, but on taking power in England he became embroiled in the investiture controversy.[182] argument concerned who should invest a new bishop with his staff and ring: traditionally, this had been carried out by the King in a symbolic demonstration of royal power, but Pope Urban II had condemned this practice in 1099, arguing that only the papacy could carry out this task, and declaring that the clergy should not give homage to their local temporal rulers.[183] Anselm returned to England from exile in 1100 having heard Urban's pronouncement, and informed Henry that he would be complying with the Pope's wishes.[184] Henry was in a difficult position. On one hand, the symbolism and homage was important to him; on the other hand, he needed Anselm's support in his struggle with his brother Duke Robert.[185] stuck firmly to the letter of the papal decree, despite Henry's attempts to persuade him to give way in return for a vague assurance of a future royal compromise.[186] Matters escalated, with Anselm going back into exile and Henry confiscating the revenues of his estates. Anselm threatened excommunication, and in July 1105 the two men finally negotiated a solution.[187] A distinction was drawn between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates, under which Henry gave up his right to invest his clergy, but retained the custom of requiring them to come and do homage for the temporalities, the landed properties they held in England.[188] Despite this argument, the pair worked closely together, combining to deal with Duke Robert's invasion of 1101, for example, and holding major reforming councils in 1102 and 1108.[189] long-running dispute between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York flared up under Anselm's successor, Ralph d'Escures.[190] Canterbury, traditionally the senior of the two establishments, had long argued that the Archbishop of York should formally promise to obey their Archbishop, but York argued that the two episcopates were independent within the English Church and that no such promise was necessary. Henry supported the primacy of Canterbury, to ensure that England remained under a single ecclesiastical administration, but the Pope preferred the case of York.[190] The matter was complicated by Henry's personal friendship with Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, and the King's desire that the case should not end up in a papal court, beyond royal control.[190] Henry needed the support of the Papacy in his struggle with Louis of France, however, and therefore allowed Thurstan to attend the Council of Rheims in 1119, where Thurstan was then consecrated by the Pope with no mention of any duty towards Canterbury.[191] Henry believed that this went against assurances Thurstan had previously made and exiled him from England until the King and Archbishop came to a negotiated solution the following year.[192] after the investiture dispute, Henry continued to play a major role in the selection of new English and Norman bishops and archbishops.[193] He appointed many of his officials to bishoprics and, as historian Martin Brett suggests, "some of his officers could look forward to a mitre with all but absolute confidence".[194] Henry's chancellors, and those of his queens, became bishops of Durham, Hereford, London, Lincoln, Winchester and Salisbury.[195] Henry increasingly drew on a wider range of these bishops as advisors – particularly Roger of Salisbury – breaking with the earlier tradition of relying primarily on the Archbishop of Canterbury.[196] The result was a cohesive body of administrators through which Henry could exercise careful influence, holding general councils to discuss key matters of policy.[197] This stability shifted slightly after 1125, when he began to inject a wider range of candidates into the senior positions of the Church, often with more reformist views, and the impact of this generation would be felt in the years after Henry's death.[198] beliefs and piety[edit] of Reading Abbey ruined chapter house of Reading Abbey in 2008 other rulers of the period, Henry donated to the Church and patronised various religious communities, but contemporary chroniclers did not consider him an unusually pious king.[199] His personal beliefs and piety may, however, have developed during the course of his life. Henry had always taken an interest in religion, but in his later years he may have become much more concerned about spiritual affairs.[200] If so, the major shifts in his thinking would appear to have occurred after 1120, when his son William Adelin died, and 1129, when his daughter's marriage teetered on the verge of collapse.[201][nb 20] a proponent of religious reform, Henry gave extensively to reformist groups within the Church.[203] He was a keen supporter of the Cluniac order, probably for intellectual reasons.[204] He donated money to the abbey at Cluny itself, and after 1120 gave generously to Reading Abbey, a Cluniac establishment.[204] Construction on Reading began in 1121, and Henry endowed it with rich lands and extensive privileges, making it a symbol of his dynastic lines.[205] He also focused effort on promoting the conversion of communities of clerks into Augustinian canons, the foundation of leper hospitals, expanding the provision of nunneries, and the charismatic orders of the Savigniacs and Tironensians.[206] He was an avid collector of relics, sending an embassy to Constantinople in 1118 to collect Byzantine items, some of which were donated to Reading Abbey.[207] reign, 1107–35[edit] and Welsh politics, 1108–14[edit] faced an increased threat from France, Anjou and Flanders after 1108.[208] King Louis VI succeeded to the French throne in 1108 and began to reassert central royal power.[208] Louis demanded Henry give homage to him and that two disputed castles along the Normandy border be placed into the control of neutral castellans.[209] Henry refused, and Louis responded by mobilising an army.[210] After some arguments, the two kings negotiated a truce and retreated without fighting, leaving the underlying issues unresolved.[210][nb 21] Fulk V assumed power in Anjou in 1109 and began to rebuild Angevin authority.[212] He inherited the county of Maine, but refused to recognise Henry as his feudal lord and instead allied himself with Louis.[213] Robert II of Flanders also briefly joined the alliance, before his death in 1111.[214] of coin coin of Henry's rival, Louis VI of France 1108, Henry betrothed his six-year-old daughter, Matilda, to Henry V, the future Holy Roman Emperor.[215] For King Henry, this was a prestigious match; for Henry V, it was an opportunity to restore his financial situation and fund an expedition to Italy, as he received a dowry of £6,666 from England and Normandy.[216][nb 22] Raising this money proved challenging, and required the implementation of a special "aid", or tax, in England.[218] Matilda was crowned German queen in 1110.[219] responded to the French and Angevin threat by expanding his own network of supporters beyond the Norman borders.[220] Some Norman barons deemed unreliable were arrested or dispossessed, and Henry used their forfeited estates to bribe his potential allies in the neighbouring territories, in particular Maine.[221] Around 1110, Henry attempted to arrest the young William Clito, but William's mentors moved him to the safety of Flanders before he could be taken.[222] At about this time, Henry probably began to style himself as the duke of Normandy.[223][nb 23] Robert of Bellême turned against Henry once again, and when he appeared at Henry's court in 1112 in a new role as a French ambassador, he was arrested and imprisoned.[225] broke out in France and Anjou between 1111 and 1113, and Henry crossed into Normandy to support his nephew, Count Theobald II, Count of Champagne, who had sided against Louis in the uprising.[226] In a bid to isolate Louis diplomatically, Henry betrothed his young son, William Adelin, to Fulk's daughter Matilda, and married his illegitimate daughter Matilda to Duke Conan III of Brittany, creating alliances with Anjou and Brittany respectively.[227] Louis backed down and in March 1113 met with Henry near Gisors to agree a peace settlement, giving Henry the disputed fortresses and confirming Henry's overlordship of Maine, Bellême and Brittany.[228] the situation in Wales was deteriorating. Henry had conducted a campaign in South Wales in 1108, pushing out royal power in the region and colonising the area around Pembroke with Flemings.[229] By 1114, some of the resident Norman lords were under attack, while in Mid-Wales, Owain ap Cadwgan blinded one of the political hostages he was holding, and in North Wales Gruffudd ap Cynan threatened the power of the Earl of Chester.[230] Henry sent three armies into Wales that year, with Gilbert Fitz Richard leading a force from the south, Alexander, King of Scotland, pressing from the north and Henry himself advancing into Mid-Wales.[230] Owain and Gruffudd sued for peace, and Henry accepted a political compromise.[231] He reinforced the Welsh Marches with his own appointees, strengthening the border territories.[232] 1115–20[edit] pennies of Henry I, struck at the Oxford mint about the succession, Henry sought to persuade Louis VI to accept his son, William Adelin, as the legitimate future Duke of Normandy, in exchange for his son's homage.[233] Henry crossed into Normandy in 1115 and assembled the Norman barons to swear loyalty; he also almost successfully negotiated a settlement with Louis, affirming William's right to the Duchy in exchange for a large sum of money. However, Louis, backed by his ally Baldwin of Flanders, instead declared that he considered William Clito the legitimate heir to the Duchy.[234] broke out after Henry returned to Normandy with an army to support Theobald of Blois, who was under attack from Louis.[235] Henry and Louis raided each other's towns along the border, and a wider conflict then broke out, probably in 1116.[235][nb 24] Henry was pushed onto the defensive as French, Flemish and Angevin forces began to pillage the Normandy countryside.[237] Amaury III of Montfort and many other barons rose up against Henry, and there was an assassination plot from within his own household.[237] Henry's wife, Matilda, died in early 1118, but the situation in Normandy was sufficiently pressing that Henry was unable to return to England for her funeral.[238] responded by mounting campaigns against the rebel barons and deepening his alliance with Theobald.[239] Baldwin of Flanders was wounded in battle and died in September 1118, easing the pressure on Normandy from the north-east.[240] Henry attempted to crush a revolt in the city of Alençon, but was defeated by Fulk and the Angevin army.[241] Forced to retreat from Alençon, Henry's position deteriorated alarmingly, as his resources became overstretched and more barons abandoned his cause.[242] Early in 1119, Eustace of Breteuil and Henry's daughter, Juliana, threatened to join the baronial revolt.[243] Hostages were exchanged in a bid to avoid conflict, but relations broke down and both sides mutilated their captives.[244] Henry attacked and took the town of Breteuil, Eure, despite Juliana's attempt to kill her father with a crossbow.[244][nb 25] In the aftermath, Henry dispossessed the couple of almost all of their lands in Normandy.[246] situation improved in May 1119 when he enticed Fulk to switch sides by finally agreeing to marry William Adelin to Fulk's daughter, Matilda, and paying Fulk a large sum of money.[247] Fulk left for the Levant, leaving the County of Maine in Henry's care, and the King was free to focus on crushing his remaining enemies.[248] During the summer Henry advanced into the Norman Vexin, where he encountered Louis's army, resulting in the Battle of Brémule.[249] Henry appears to have deployed scouts and then organised his troops into several carefully formed lines of dismounted knights.[250] Unlike Henry's forces, the French knights remained mounted; they hastily charged the Anglo-Norman positions, breaking through the first rank of the defences but then becoming entangled in Henry's second line of knights.[251] Surrounded, the French army began to collapse.[250] In the melee, Henry was hit by a sword blow, but his armour protected him.[252] Louis and William Clito escaped from the battle, leaving Henry to return to Rouen in triumph.[253] war slowly petered out after this battle, and Louis took the dispute over Normandy to Pope Callixtus II's council in Reims that October.[254] Henry faced a number of French complaints concerning his acquisition and subsequent management of Normandy, and despite being defended by Geoffrey, the Archbishop of Rouen, Henry's case was shouted down by the pro-French elements of the council.[255] Callixtus declined to support Louis, however, and merely advised the two rulers to seek peace.[256] Amaury de Montfort came to terms with Henry, but Henry and William Clito failed to find a mutually satisfactory compromise.[257] In June 1120, Henry and Louis formally made peace on terms advantageous to the King of England: William Adelin gave homage to Louis, and in return Louis confirmed William's rights to the Duchy.[258] crisis, 1120–24[edit] of White Ship 14th-century depiction of the sinking of the White Ship at Barfleur on 25 November 1120 succession plans were thrown into chaos by the sinking of the White Ship on 25 November 1120.[259] Henry had left the port of Barfleur for England in the early evening, leaving William Adelin and many of the younger members of the court to follow on that night in a separate vessel, the White Ship.[260] Both the crew and passengers were drunk and, just outside the harbour, the ship hit a submerged rock.[261][nb 26] The ship sank, killing as many as 300 people, with only one survivor, a butcher from Rouen.[261] Henry's court was initially too scared to report William's death to the King. When he was finally told, he collapsed with grief.[263] disaster left Henry with no legitimate son, his various nephews now the closest possible male heirs.[264] Henry announced he would take a new wife, Adeliza of Louvain, opening up the prospect of a new royal son, and the two were married at Windsor Castle in January 1121.[265][nb 27] Henry appears to have chosen her because she was attractive and came from a prestigious noble line. Adeliza seems to have been fond of Henry and joined him in his travels, probably to maximise the chances of her conceiving a child.[267] The White Ship disaster initiated fresh conflict in Wales, where the drowning of Richard, Earl of Chester, encouraged a rebellion led by Maredudd ap Bleddyn.[268] Henry intervened in North Wales that summer with an army and, although he was hit by a Welsh arrow, the campaign reaffirmed royal power across the region.[268] alliance with Anjou – which had been based on his son William marrying Fulk's daughter Matilda – began to disintegrate.[269] Fulk returned from the Levant and demanded that Henry return Matilda and her dowry, a range of estates and fortifications in Maine.[269] Matilda left for Anjou, but Henry argued that the dowry had in fact originally belonged to him before it came into the possession of Fulk, and so declined to hand the estates back to Anjou.[270] Fulk married his daughter Sibylla to William Clito, and granted them Maine.[271] Once again, conflict broke out, as Amaury de Montfort allied himself with Fulk and led a revolt along the Norman-Anjou border in 1123.[271] Amaury was joined by several other Norman barons, headed by Waleran de Beaumont, one of the sons of Henry's old ally, Robert of Meulan.[272][nb 28] dispatched Robert of Gloucester and Ranulf le Meschin to Normandy and then intervened himself in late 1123.[274] He began the process of besieging the rebel castles, before wintering in the Duchy.[275] In the spring of 1124, campaigning began again. In the battle of Bourgthéroulde, Odo Borleng, castellan of Bernay, Eure, led the King's army and received intelligence that the rebels were departing from the rebel base in Beaumont-le-Roger allowing him to ambush them as they traversed through the Brotonne forest. Waleran charged the royal forces, but his knights were cut down by Odo's archers and the rebels were quickly overwhelmed.[276] Waleran was captured, but Amaury escaped.[276] Henry mopped up the remainder of the rebellion, blinding some of the rebel leaders – considered, at the time, a more merciful punishment than execution – and recovering the last rebel castles.[277] He paid Pope Callixtus a large amount of money, in exchange for the Papacy annulling the marriage of William Clito and Sibylla on the grounds of consanguinity.[278][nb 29] the succession, 1125–34[edit] and Adeliza did not conceive any children, generating prurient speculation as to the possible explanation, and the future of the dynasty appeared at risk.[280][nb 30] Henry may have begun to look among his nephews for a possible heir. He may have considered Stephen of Blois as a possible option and, perhaps in preparation for this, he arranged a beneficial marriage for Stephen to a wealthy heiress, Matilda.[282] Theobald of Blois, his close ally, may have also felt that he was in favour with Henry.[283] William Clito, who was King Louis's preferred choice, remained opposed to Henry and was therefore unsuitable.[284] Henry may have also considered his own illegitimate son, Robert of Gloucester, as a possible candidate, but English tradition and custom would have looked unfavourably on this.[285] plans shifted when the Empress Matilda's husband, the Emperor Henry, died in 1125.[286] The King recalled his daughter to England the next year and declared that, should he die without a male heir, she was to be his rightful successor.[287] The Anglo-Norman barons were gathered together at Westminster at Christmas 1126, where they swore to recognise Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have.[287][nb 31] Putting forward a woman as a potential heir in this way was unusual: opposition to Matilda continued to exist within the English court, and Louis was vehemently opposed to her candidacy.[289] conflict broke out in 1127, when the childless Charles I, Count of Flanders, was murdered, creating a local succession crisis.[290] Backed by King Louis, William Clito was chosen by the Flemings to become their new ruler.[291] This development potentially threatened Normandy, and Henry began to finance a proxy war in Flanders, promoting the claims of William's Flemish rivals.[292] In an effort to disrupt the French alliance with William, Henry mounted an attack into France in 1128, forcing Louis to cut his aid to William.[293] William died unexpectedly in July, removing the last major challenger to Henry's rule and bringing the war in Flanders to a halt.[294] Without William, the baronial opposition in Normandy lacked a leader. A fresh peace was made with France, and Henry was finally able to release the remaining prisoners from the revolt of 1123, including Waleran of Meulan, who was rehabilitated into the royal court.[295] Henry rebuilt his alliance with Fulk of Anjou, this time by marrying Matilda to Fulk's eldest son, Geoffrey.[296] The pair were betrothed in 1127 and married the following year.[297] It is unknown whether Henry intended Geoffrey to have any future claim on England or Normandy, and he was probably keeping his son-in-law's status deliberately uncertain. Similarly, although Matilda was granted a number of Normandy castles as part of her dowry, it was not specified when the couple would actually take possession of them.[298] Fulk left Anjou for Jerusalem in 1129, declaring Geoffrey the Count of Anjou and Maine.[299] The marriage proved difficult, as the couple did not particularly like each other and the disputed castles proved a point of contention, resulting in Matilda returning to Normandy later that year.[300] Henry appears to have blamed Geoffrey for the separation, but in 1131 the couple were reconciled.[301] Much to the pleasure and relief of Henry, Matilda then gave birth to a sequence of two sons, Henry and Geoffrey, in 1133 and 1134.[302] and legacy[edit] of Henry 14th-century depiction of Henry mourning the death of his son between Henry, Matilda, and Geoffrey became increasingly strained during the King's final years. Matilda and Geoffrey suspected that they lacked genuine support in England. In 1135 they urged Henry to hand over the royal castles in Normandy to Matilda whilst he was still alive, and insisted that the Norman nobility swear immediate allegiance to her, thereby giving the couple a more powerful position after Henry's death.[303] Henry angrily declined to do so, probably out of concern that Geoffrey would try to seize power in Normandy.[304] A fresh rebellion broke out amongst the barons in southern Normandy, led by William III, Count of Ponthieu, whereupon Geoffrey and Matilda intervened in support of the rebels.[305] campaigned throughout the autumn, strengthening the southern frontier, and then travelled to Lyons-la-Forêt in November to enjoy some hunting, still apparently healthy.[306] There he fell ill – according to the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon, he ate too many ("a surfeit of") lampreys against his physician's advice – and his condition worsened over the course of a week.[307] Once the condition appeared terminal, Henry gave confession and summoned Archbishop Hugh of Amiens, who was joined by Robert of Gloucester and other members of the court.[308] In accordance with custom, preparations were made to settle Henry's outstanding debts and to revoke outstanding sentences of forfeiture.[309] The King died on 1 December 1135, and his corpse was taken to Rouen accompanied by the barons, where it was embalmed; his entrails were buried locally at the priory of Notre-Dame du Pré, and the preserved body was taken on to England, where it was interred at Reading Abbey.[310] Henry's efforts, the succession was disputed. When news began to spread of the King's death, Geoffrey and Matilda were in Anjou supporting the rebels in their campaign against the royal army, which included a number of Matilda's supporters such as Robert of Gloucester.[15] Many of these barons had taken an oath to stay in Normandy until the late king was properly buried, which prevented them from returning to England.[311] The Norman nobility discussed declaring Theobald of Blois king.[312] Theobald's younger brother, Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed from Boulogne to England, however, accompanied by his military household.[313] Hugh Bigod dubiously testified that Henry, on his deathbed, had released the barons from their oath to Matilda,[314] and with the help of his brother, Henry of Blois, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned king on 22 December.[315] Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, appealing at first to the Pope against the decision to allow the coronation of Stephen,[314] and then invading England to start a prolonged civil war, known as the Anarchy, between 1135 and 1153.[316] AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

France, 1101-1142, Philosopher, Peter Abelard, forerunner of Rousseau
France, 1100-1142, Philosopher, Peter Abelard; Abelard (c. 1079 - 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet.[4] philosophy he is celebrated for his logical solution to the problem of universals via nominalism and conceptualism and his pioneering of intent in ethics.[5] Often referred to as the "Descartes of the twelfth century", he is considered a forerunner of Rousseau, Kant, and Spinoza.[6] He is sometimes credited as a chief forerunner of modern empiricism.[7] history and popular culture, he is best known for his passionate and tragic love affair and intense philosophical exchange with his brilliant student and eventual wife, Heloise d'Argenteuil. Apologist of women and of their education, Abelard founded in 1131 the first feminine monastery, meeting point of learned women, for whom he composed music. After having sent Heloise to a convent in Brittany to protect her from her abusive uncle who did not want her to pursue this forbidden love, he was castrated by men sent by this uncle. Still considering herself as his spouse even though both retired to monasteries after this event, Heloise publicly defended him when his doctrine was condemned by Pope Innocent II and Abelard was therefore considered, at that time, as a heretic. Among these opinions, Abelard professed the innocence of a woman who commits a sin out of love.[8] Catholic theology, he is best known for his development of the concept of limbo, and his introduction of the moral influence theory of atonement. He is considered (alongside Augustine) to be the most significant forerunner of the modern self-reflective autobiographer. He paved the way and set the tone for later epistolary novels and celebrity tell-alls with his publicly distributed letter, The History of My Calamities and public correspondence. law, Abelard stressed that, because the subjective intention determines the moral value of human action, the legal consequence of an action is related to the person that commits it and not merely to the action. With this doctrine, Abelard created in the Middle Ages the idea of the individual subject central to modern law. This eventually gave to School of Notre-Dame de Paris (later the University of Paris) a recognition for its expertise in the area of Law (and later led to the creation of a faculty of law in Paris). PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

France, 1112-1153, Bernard of Clairvaux, Philosopher, Abbot, Judge, revitalization of monasticism, pope ordered crusades
Bernard of Clairvaux; of Clairvaux (Latin: Bernardus Claraevallensis; 1090 – 20 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was a Burgundian abbot and a major leader in the revitalization of Benedictine monasticism through the nascent Cistercian Order. was sent to found Clairvaux Abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val d'Absinthe, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Bar-sur-Aube. In the year 1128, Bernard attended the Council of Troyes, at which he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar,[a] which soon became an ideal of Christian nobility. the death of Pope Honorius II in 1130, a schism arose in the church. Bernard was a major proponent of Pope Innocent II, arguing effectively for his legitimacy over the Antipope Anacletus II. 1139, Bernard attended the Second Council of the Lateran and criticized Peter Abelard vocally. Bernard advocated crusades in general and convinced many to participate in the unsuccessful Second Crusade, notably through a famous sermon at Vézelay (1146). was canonized just 21 years after his death by Pope Alexander III. In 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church. France, 1100-1142, Philosopher, Peter Abelard; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); third son of a Burgundian nobleman, was born in 1090. His brothers were trained as soldiers, but Bernard from youth was destined for scholarship. One Christmas Eve as a child he had a dream about the infant Christ in the manger; and the memory of it, and consequent devotion to the mystery of the Word made flesh, remained with him throughout his life. Bernard had good prospects of success as a secular scholar, but he began to believe that he was called to the monastic life, and after a period of prayer for guidance, he decided at age 22 to enter the monastery of Citeaux (Latin Cistercium, appearing on modern maps as Corcelles-les-Citeaux), an offshoot of the Benedictines which had adopted a much stricter rule than theirs, and became the founding house of the Cistercian (Trappist) order. (Actually, the Trappists are a reformed (i.e. stricter) offshoot of the Cistercians, who are a stricter offshoot of the Benedictines.) He persuaded four of his brothers, one uncle, and 26 other men to join him. They were the first novices that Citeaux had had for several years. After three years, the abbot ordered Bernard to take twelve monks and found a new house at La Ferte. The first year was one of great hardship. They had no stores and lived chiefly on roots and barley bread. Bernard imposed such severe discipline that his monks became discouraged, but he realized his error and became more lenient. The reputation of the monastery, known as Clairvaux (48:09 N 4:47 E), spread across Europe. Many new monks joined it, and many persons wrote letters or came in person to seek spiritual advice. By the time of his death, 60 new monasteries of the Cistercian order were established under his direction. For four years after 1130 Bernard was deeply involved with a disputed papal election, championing the claims of Innocent II against his rival Anacletus II. He travelled throughout France, Germany, and Italy mustering support for his candidate (and, it should be added, preaching sermons denouncing injustices done to Jews), and returned from one of these journeys with Peter Bernard of Paganelli as a postulant for the monastery. The future Pope Eugenius III spent the next year stoking the monastery fires. Years later, Bernard wrote a major treatise of advice to Eugenius on the spiritual temptations of spiritual power. The papal election was not the only dispute in which Bernard became involved. He was highly critical of Peter Abelard, one of the most brilliant theologians of the day (see 21 April). Bernard believed that Abelard was too rationalistic in his approach, and failed to allow sufficiently for the element of mystery in the faith. When Abelard rejected some of the ways of stating Christian doctrines to which Bernard was accustomed, Bernard concluded, perhaps too hastily, that this was equivalent to rejecting the doctrine itself. A conference was scheduled at Sens, where Abelard's views were to be examined, but soon after it began Abelard decided that he was not about to get a fair hearing, announced that he was appealing to Rome, and left. He set out for Rome and got as far as Cluny, where he stopped. Peter the Venerable, the abbot (see 30 April), was a friend of both Abelard and Bernard, and managed to reconcile them before they died. of ClairvauxOne of Bernard's most influential acts, for better or worse, was his preaching of the Second Crusade. The First Crusade had given the Christian forces control of a few areas in Palestine, including the city of Edessa. When Moslem forces captured Edessa, now called Urfa and located in eastern Turkey) in 1144, King Louis VII of France (not to be confused with St. Louis IX, also a Crusader, but more than a century later) was eager to launch a crusade to retake Edessa and prevent a Moslem recapture of Jerusalem. He asked Bernard for help, and Bernard refused. He then asked the Pope to order Bernard to preach a Crusade. The pope gave the order, and Bernard preached, with spectacular results. Whole villages were emptied of able-bodied males as Bernard preached and his listeners vowed on the spot to head for Palestine and defend the Sacred Shrines with their lives. The preaching of the Crusade had an ugly side-effect. In the Rhineland, a monk named Raoul wandered about telling crowds that if they were going to fight for the faith, the logical first step was to kill the Jews who were near at hand. There were anti-Jewish riots in Mainz, (in the Rhineland), where the archbishop sheltered the Jews, or many of them, in his palace, and sent an urgent message to Bernard to come before both he and they were killed. Bernard came. He called Raoul arrogant and without authority, a preacher of mad and heretical doctrines, a liar and a murderer. Then he got nasty. Raoul sneaked off the scene, and the riots were over. From that day to this, Bernard has been remembered among Rhineland Jews and their descendants as an outstanding example of a "righteous Gentile," and many of them (e.g. Bernard Baruch) bear his name. As for the Crusade, things went wrong from the start. The various rulers leading the movement were distrustful of one another and not disposed to work together. Of the soldiers who set out (contemporary estimates vary from 100,000 to 1,500,000), most died of disease and starvation before reaching their goal, and most of the remainder were killed or captured soon after their arrival. The impact on Bernard was devastating, and so was the impact on Europe. In 1153, Bernard journeyed to reconcile the warring provinces Metz and Lorraine. He persuaded them to peace and to an agreement drawn up under his mediation, and then, in failing health, returned home to die. Bernard in controversy was fierce and not always fair, it was partly because he was a man of intense feeling and dedication, quick to respond to any real or supposed threat to what he held sacred. It is his devotional writings, not his polemical ones, that are still read today. Among the hymns attributed to him are the Latin originals of "O Sacred Head, sore wounded," "Jesus, the very thought of Thee," "O Jesus, joy of loving hearts," "Wide open are Thy hands (to pay with more than gold the awful debt of guilt and sin, forever and of old--see the Lutheran Book of Worship et alibi)," and "O Jesus, King most wonderful." His sermons on the Song of Songs, treated as an allegory of the love of Christ, are his best-known long work. by James Kiefer

France, 1112-1153, BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX&Trappists, Word flesh mystery, Abelard too rational, jews named Bernard
France, 1112-1153, BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, Burgundy, France (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage), Scholarship, childhood dream of word becoming flesh mystery, Citeaux 1112, founded Cistercian (Trappist) order 1115 LaFerte, 60 T monasteries by death, 1130-34 d Papal election, S Innocent II, wrote temptations of spiritual power, thought Abelard too rational, not allow mystery, Pope forced preaching 2nd Crusade, stopped anti Jew riots and Raoul, jews named Bernard, failed Crusade, hymns, sermons; Burgundy; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); third son of a Burgundian nobleman, was born in 1090. brothers were trained as soldiers, but Bernard from youth was destined for scholarship. Christmas Eve as a child he had a dream about the infant Christ in the manger; and the memory of it, and consequent devotion to the mystery of the Word made flesh, remained with him throughout his life. had good prospects of success as a secular scholar, but he began to believe that he was called to the monastic life, after a period of prayer for guidance, he decided at age 22 (1112) to enter the monastery of Citeaux (Latin Cistercium, appearing on modern maps as Corcelles-les-Citeaux), offshoot of the Benedictines which had adopted a much stricter rule than theirs, and became the founding house of the Cistercian (Trappist) order. the Trappists are a reformed (i.e. stricter) offshoot of the Cistercians, who are a stricter offshoot of the Benedictines.) He persuaded four of his brothers, one uncle, and 26 other men to join him. were the first novices that Citeaux had had for several years. three years (1115), the abbot ordered Bernard to take twelve monks and found a new house at La Ferte. first year was one of great hardship. They had no stores and lived chiefly on roots and barley bread. imposed such severe discipline that his monks became discouraged, but he realized his error and became more lenient. reputation of the monastery, known as Clairvaux (48:09 N 4:47 E), spread across Europe. Many new monks joined it, and many persons wrote letters or came in person to seek spiritual advice. the time of his death, 60 new monasteries of the Cistercian order were established under his direction. four years after 1130 (1130-34) Bernard was deeply involved with a disputed papal election, the claims of Innocent II against his rival Anacletus II. travelled throughout France, Germany, and Italy mustering support for his candidate it should be added, preaching sermons denouncing injustices done to Jews) and returned from one of these journeys with Peter Bernard of Paganelli as a postulant for the monastery. future Pope Eugenius III spent the next year stoking the monastery fires. Years later, Bernard wrote a major treatise of advice to Eugenius on the spiritual temptations of spiritual power. papal election was not the only dispute in which Bernard became involved. was highly critical of Peter Abelard, one of the most brilliant theologians of the day (see 21 April). believed that Abelard was too rationalistic in his approach, and failed to allow sufficiently for the element of mystery in the faith. Abelard rejected some of the ways of stating Christian doctrines to which Bernard was accustomed, Bernard concluded, perhaps too hastily, that this was equivalent to rejecting the doctrine itself. conference was scheduled at Sens, where Abelard's views were to be examined, but soon after it began Abelard decided that he was not about to get a fair hearing, announced that he was appealing to Rome, and left. set out for Rome and got as far as Cluny, where he stopped. the Venerable, the abbot (see 30 April), was a friend of both Abelard and Bernard, and managed to reconcile them before they died. Bernard of Clairvaux of Bernard's most influential acts, for better or worse, was his preaching of the Second Crusade. First Crusade had given the Christian forces control of a few areas in Palestine, including the city of Edessa. Moslem forces captured Edessa, now called Urfa and located in eastern Turkey) in 1144, King Louis VII of France to be confused with St. Louis IX, also a Crusader, but more than a century later) eager to launch a crusade to retake Edessa and prevent a Moslem recapture of Jerusalem. asked Bernard for help, and Bernard refused. then asked the Pope to order Bernard to preach a Crusade. pope gave the order, and Bernard preached, with spectacular results. Whole villages were emptied of able-bodied males as Bernard preached and his listeners vowed on the spot to head for Palestine and defend the Sacred Shrines with their lives. preaching of the Crusade had an ugly side-effect. the Rhineland, a monk named Raoul wandered about telling crowds that if they were going to fight for the faith, the logical first step was to kill the Jews who were near at hand. were anti-Jewish riots in Mainz, (in the Rhineland), where the archbishop sheltered the Jews, or many of them, in his palace, and sent an urgent message to Bernard to come before both he and they were killed. came. He called Raoul arrogant and without authority, a preacher of mad and heretical doctrines, a liar and a murderer. Then he got nasty. sneaked off the scene, and the riots were over. From that day to this, Bernard has been remembered among Rhineland Jews and their descendants as an outstanding example of a "righteous Gentile," many of them (e.g. Bernard Baruch) bear his name. for the Crusade, things went wrong from the start. various rulers leading the movement were distrustful of one another and not disposed to work together. the soldiers who set out estimates vary from 100,000 to 1,500,000) most died of disease and starvation before reaching their goal, and most of the remainder were killed or captured soon after their arrival. impact on Bernard was devastating, and so was the impact on Europe. 1153, Bernard journeyed to reconcile the warring provinces Metz and Lorraine. He persuaded them to peace and to an agreement drawn up under his mediation, then, in failing health, returned home to die. Bernard in controversy was fierce and not always fair, it was partly because he was a man of intense feeling and dedication, quick to respond to any real or supposed threat to what he held sacred. is his devotional writings, not his polemical (critical) ones, that are still read today. the hymns attributed to him are the Latin originals of "O Sacred Head, sore wounded," "Jesus, the very thought of Thee," "O Jesus, joy of loving hearts," "Wide open are Thy hands (to pay with more than gold the awful debt of guilt and sin, forever and of old--see the Lutheran Book of Worship et alibi)," and "O Jesus, King most wonderful." sermons on the Song of Songs, treated as an allegory of the love of Christ, are his best-known long work. by James Kiefer

France, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships
England, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships, fDurham, tScottish Court, for Ed, asNoble&Courtier, Suceeded but unsatisfied, master otHousehold oScottish King, tCistercian monaster aRievaulx iYorkshire, a24, Bernard oClairvaux encouraged write first work The Mirror oCharity, follow Christ all things, 1147 abbot oRievaulx till death kidney disease a57, most famous work Spiritual Friendship, OK to have special friendships, some believe only christian charity for love so no special friendships, some believe monks can not have special friendships, even no special preferences food drink, but Jesus loved John, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, even though he said All who do will oMy Father are my family ; Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; was born in 1109 at Durham, and was sent to the Scottish court for an education that would ensure his future as a noble and courtier. succeeded, to the extent of being made Master of the Household of the King of Scotland. he found success at the court of an earthly king unsatisfying, at the age of 24 he entered the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. of Clairvaux encouraged him to write his first work, The Mirror of Charity, which deals with seeking to follow the example of Christ in all things. 1147 he became abbot of Rievaulx, a post which he held until his death of kidney disease twenty years later at the age of 57. most famous work is called Spiritual Friendship (both it and the Mirror have been published in English by the Cistercian Press). Jesus was told that his family was waiting to see him, he replied, "All who do the will of my Father are my family." this, some Christians have drawn the conclusion that the only kind of love permissible to a Christian is Charity that is: (a) the universal benevolence that wills the good of all persons, (b) the bond that unites the Christian with Christ and through Christ with all other Christians. that Universal Benevolence is extended equally to all persons (we are to love Jones because God made him), that the bond of Christian Unity unites us equally with all our fellow Christians who are in a state of grace (we are to love Jones because Christ dwells in him). leaves any room for particular friendships, for liking Jones more than Smith because Jones shares our interest in hockey, or because Jones and we like the same sort of jokes, or come from the same part of the country and have similar childhood memories, or because Jones is an easy-going type and it is easy to relax and feel comfortable around him, or because Jones and we have a special bond of friendship, loyalty, and trust. Particular friendships are out! who do not think that every Christian must renounce particular friendships believe that every monastic must do so. many religious houses, where the monks or nuns walk two by two into chapel or the dining hall or while pacing about during the daily hour of recreation, the superior will make a point of constantly shifting partners, anyone form a liking for onepartner more than another. does not apply just to friends. It is sometimes held that no monk ought to allow himself any preferences in food or drink.) this view, Aelred wrote that it is compatible with the highest degree of Christian perfection to take special pleasure in the company of particular friends. point out that we are told that Jesus loved John, and Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, and that this probably means that he found their company congenial. by James Kiefer

France, 1135-1154, King, Stephen. of Blois, Boulogne, Normandy, Anarchy, long Civil War w Matilda and Henry
England, 1135-1154, King of England, Stephen, King of England ; (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death. A younger son of the Count of Blois, he was Count of Boulogne jure uxoris from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 until 1144. His reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda, whose son, Henry II, succeeded Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England. was born in the County of Blois in central France; his father, Count Stephen-Henry, died while Stephen was still young, and he was brought up by his mother, Adela, daughter of William the Conqueror. Placed into the court of his uncle, Henry I of England, Stephen rose in prominence and was granted extensive lands. He married Matilda of Boulogne, inheriting additional estates in Kent and Boulogne that made the couple one of the wealthiest in England. Stephen narrowly escaped drowning with Henry I's son, William Adelin, in the sinking of the White Ship in 1120; William's death left the succession of the English throne open to challenge. When Henry died in 1135, Stephen quickly crossed the English Channel and with the help of his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester and Abbot of Glastonbury, took the throne, arguing that the preservation of order across the kingdom took priority over his earlier oaths to support the claim of Henry I's daughter, the Empress Matilda. early years of Stephen's reign were largely successful, despite a series of attacks on his possessions in England and Normandy by David I of Scotland, Welsh rebels, and the Empress Matilda's husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. In 1138, the Empress's half-brother Robert of Gloucester rebelled against Stephen, threatening civil war. Together with his close advisor, Waleran de Beaumont, Stephen took firm steps to defend his rule, including arresting a powerful family of bishops. When the Empress and Robert invaded in 1139, Stephen was unable to crush the revolt rapidly, and it took hold in the south-west of England. Captured at the battle of Lincoln in 1141, he was abandoned by many of his followers and lost control of Normandy. He was freed only after his wife and William of Ypres, one of his military commanders, captured Robert at the Rout of Winchester, but the war dragged on for many years with neither side able to win an advantage. became increasingly concerned with ensuring that his son Eustace would inherit his throne. The King tried to convince the Church to agree to crown Eustace to reinforce his claim; Pope Eugene III refused, and Stephen found himself in a sequence of increasingly bitter arguments with his senior clergy. In 1153, the Empress's son Henry invaded England and built an alliance of powerful regional barons to support his claim for the throne. The two armies met at Wallingford, but neither side's barons were keen to fight another pitched battle. Stephen began to examine a negotiated peace, a process hastened by the sudden death of Eustace. Later in the year Stephen and Henry agreed to the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognised Henry as his heir in exchange for peace, passing over William, Stephen's second son. Stephen died the following year. Modern historians have extensively debated the extent to which his personality, external events, or the weaknesses in the Norman state contributed to this prolonged period of civil war. AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

France, 1137-1180, King, Louis VII, disastrous 2nd Crsde, greater centralization, French Gothic, Notre-Dame de P
France, 1137-1180, King of France, Louis VII ; VII (1120 - 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young, was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI and married Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe. The marriage temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees, but was annulled in 1152 after no male heir was produced. after the annulment of her marriage, Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, to whom she conveyed Aquitaine and produced five male heirs. Henry became King of England in 1154, as Henry II, he ruled as king, duke or count over a large empire of kingdoms, duchies and counties that spanned from Scotland to the Pyrenees. efforts to preserve and expand on this patrimony for the Crown of England would mark the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England. VII's reign saw the founding of the University of Paris and the disastrous Second Crusade. Louis and his famous counselor, Abbot Suger, pushed for a greater centralization of the state and favoured the development of French Gothic architecture, notably the construction of Notre-Dame de Paris. died in 1180 and was succeeded by his son Philip II. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

France, 1137-1204, Q Consort, Eleanor of A, rich, married Louis, no sons, married Henry, 5 sons, prison by H, r by Rich
France, 1137-1204, Eleanor of Aquitaine; of Aquitaine (1122 – 1 April 1204) (French: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, pronounced [ˈaˌli.ˌɛˈnɔʀ ˈdaˌkiˈten]) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the consort of King Louis VII,[1] Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from 1137 until her death in 1204. As the heir of the House of Poitiers, rulers in southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. She was patron of literary figures such as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn. She led armies several times in her life and was a leader of the Second Crusade. was the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. She became duchess upon her father's death in April 1137, and three months later she married Louis, son of her guardian King Louis VI of France. after the wedding, her husband acceded as the French king. They had two daughters, Marie and Alix. As queen of France, Eleanor participated in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. Soon afterwards, she sought an annulment of her marriage,[2] but her request was rejected by Pope Eugene III.[3] Eventually, Louis agreed to an annulment, as 15 years of marriage had not produced a son.[4] marriage was annulled on 21 March 1152 on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her. soon as the annulment was granted, Eleanor became engaged to her third cousin Henry, Duke of Normandy. The couple married on Whitsun, 18 May 1152. Henry and Eleanor became king and queen of England in 1154. They had five sons and three daughters. However, Henry and Eleanor eventually became estranged. Henry imprisoned her in 1173 for supporting the revolt of their eldest son, Henry, against him. She was not released until 6 July 1189, when her husband died and their third son, Richard I, ascended the throne. As queen dowager, Eleanor acted as regent while Richard went on the Third Crusade. She lived well into the reign of her youngest son, John. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

France, 1139-1170, THOMAS BECKET, Canterbury, court jurisdiction, church protection, no death penalty for clerics or readers
England, 1139-1170, THOMAS BECKET, Canterbury, court jurisdiction, protecting the church, not tried twice for same crime, no death penalty for clerics, anybody who can read; Becket, also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London[1] and later Thomas à Becket[note 1] (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. Canterbury (crossraods of 4 Roman roads); THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, Commemorated December 29 ; December 29, we remember Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, slain in his own cathedral in 1170, for his defiance of King Henry II. death of Thomas reminds us that a Christian, even when safe from pagans, can be in danger from his fellow-Christians. also reminds us that one can be martyred in a cause where the merits of the particular issue at hand are not obvious to all men of good will. issue here, or one of the issues, was one of court jurisdiction. Henry claimed that a cleric accused of an ordinary crime ought to be tried in the King's Courts like any layman. who was Henry's Chancellor and his close friend, vigorously upheld the king's position. when he was made Archbishop of Canterbury with the king's support, he reversed himself completely and upheld the right of clergy to be tried only in Church courts, which could not inflict capital punishment. reversal does not imply fickleness or treachery. As Chancellor, Thomas was bound to serve the king. Now, as Archbishop, he was bound to defend the Church.) wanted an arrangement by which (for example) a priest accused of murder would be tried by a Church Court, which if it found him guilty would degrade him to the rank of a layman, whereupon a King's Court would try him, and if it found him guilty would order him hanged. Thomas objected that a man could not be tried and punished twice for the same offense. Digression: In the United States, what is often counted as the first bloodshed of the War of Independence was that of the Boston Massacre (5 March 1770), when a mob threw stones at a group of sentries, who eventually fired at them, killing five. The soldiers were tried for murder, and defended by John Adams (later the 2nd President of the United States). The jury acquitted all but two, whom it found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder, and Adams promptly said, "I claim for my clients the benefit of clergy." Under law, the penalty for murder was "death without benefit of clergy," whereas the penalty for manslaughter was simply "death." The former penalty was supposed by Mark Twain (see his novels The Prince and the Pauper (about England in 1547) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court) to mean that the accused was to have no access to a clergyman before being killed, and that the law thus sought to destroy his soul as well as his body. Naturally, Twain was horrified. However, the law was not what he thought it was. In fact, "death without benefit of clergy" meant simply that anyone convicted of murder was to be put to death even if a cleric. On the other hand, conviction of manslaughter meant death only if the accused was a layman. But what was the legal definition of a cleric (or clerk, or scholar)? The courts had developed the principle that in order to claim benefit of clergy it was sufficient to be able to read. Moreover, the literacy test had become extremely standardized. The convicted man approached the court clerk, who opened a Bible, pointed to a verse, and said, "Read this." The verse pointed to, known as the Neck Verse, was Psalm 56:13 "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living." (The Hebrew word "nephesh," here translated "soul," is derived, like our word "spirit," from a root meaning "breath," and can also, where the context permits, be translated "throat" or "neck," a translation that would make the verse even more appropriate than it already is. I must check to see whether there are any old translations that so render it.) The accused would read the verse, or recite it from memory, and be certified as a clerk. He would then be branded on the thumb with a hot iron, as a sign that he was now a convicted felon, and could never claim the benefit of clergy again. That is why, when one takes an oath in court, one holds up one's right hand. The court must see that the witness has no brand on the hand, and is therefore not a convicted felon, and is therefore presumed to be trustworthy under oath. Thus some remnants of the issue disputed between Henry and Thomas were with us (in English-speaking countries at least) until the 1700's, and others are still with us. End of digression. Back to Thomas.] Picture of stained glass from Christ Church Cathedral Stained glass depicting the murder of Thomas a Becket, at Christ Chruch Cathedral, Oxford. being angered at opposition from someone whom he had counted on for support, was heard to exclaim in anger, "This fellow who has eaten my bread has lifted up his heel against me [see Psalm 41:9]. Have I no friend who will rid me of this upstart priest?" Four of his knights promptly rode to Canterbury, where they confronted the Archbishop and demanded that he back down. When he did not, they killed him. Public reaction was immediate and vigorous, and reckoned Thomas as a saint and a martyr, and Henry as a blaspheming murderer. Henry swore that he had not intended his remark to be taken seriously, and had himself publicly whipped at the tomb of Thomas. Thomas was very soon canonized, and his tomb was one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in Europe for the next three-and-a-half centuries. During a war between England and France, a King of France obtained a cease-fire to enable him to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is concerned with a group of pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Thomas. chief moral that I draw from Thomas's life and death is that when a man seeks to serve God, God graciously accepts that service, even if the man is quite wrong about what it is that God expects of him. vI close by quoting a section from T.S. Eliot's play, "Murder in the Cathedral," which deals with the death of Thomas. Note that the words are Eliot's and not Thomas's. I quote it not as applicable simply to Thomas, but as applicable to all martyrs (and thus appropriate during the Witness Days) and indeed as directed to all Christians in their understanding of the Christian life, and how it involves both sorrow and joy. The Archbishop preaches in the Cathedral on Christmas morning, 1170. to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The fourteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Luke. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. children of God, my sermon this morning will be a very short one. I wish only that you should ponder and meditate on the deep meaning and mystery of our masses of Christmas Day. For whenever Mass is said, we re-enact the Passion and Death of Our Lord; and on this Christmas Day we do this in celebration of His Birth. So that at the same moment we rejoice in His coming for the salvation of men, and offer again to God His Body and Blood in sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. It was in this same night that has just passed, that a multitude of the heavenly host appeared before the shepherds at Bethlehem, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men"; at this same time of all the year that we celebrate at once the Birth of Our Lord and His Passion and Death upon the Cross. Beloved, as the World sees, this is to behave in a strange fashion. For who in the World will both mourn and rejoice at once and for the same reason? For either joy will be overcome by mourning or mourning will be cast out by joy; so that it is only in these our Christian mysteries that we can rejoice and mourn at once for the same reason. But think for a while on the meaning of this word "peace." Does it seem strange to you that the angels should have announced Peace, when ceaselessly the world has been stricken with War and the fear of War? Does it seem to you that the angelic voices were mistaken, and that the promise was a disappointment and a cheat? now, how Our Lord Himself spoke of Peace. He said to His disciples: "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." Did He mean peace as we think of it: the kingdom of England at peace with its neighbors, the barons at peace with the King, the householder counting over his peaceful gains, the swept hearth, his best wine for a friend at the table, his wife singing to the children? Those men His disciples knew no such things: they went forth to journey afar, to suffer by land and sea, to know torture, imprisonment, disappointment, to suffer death by martyrdom. What then did He mean? If you ask that, remember that He said also, "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you." So then, He gave to his disciples peace, but not peace as the world gives. also one thing of which you have probably never thought. Not only do we at the feast of Christmas celebrate at once Our Lord's Birth and His Death: but on the next day we celebrate the martyrdom of his first martyr, the blessed Stephen. Is it an accident, do you think, that the day of the first martyr follows immediately the day of the Birth of Christ? By no means. Just as we rejoice and mourn at once, in the Birth and Passion of Our Lord; so also, in a smaller figure, we both rejoice and mourn in the death of martyrs. We mourn, for the sins of the world that has martyred them; we rejoice, that another soul is numbered among the Saints in Heaven, for the glory of God and for the salvation of men. we do not think of a martyr simply as a good Christian who has been killed because he is a Christian: for that would be solely to mourn. We do not think of him simply as a good Christian who has been elevated to the company of the Saints: for that would be simply to rejoice: and neither our mourning nor our rejoicing is as the world's is. A Christian martyrdom is no accident. Saints are not made by accident. Still less is a Christian martyrdom the effect of a man's will to become a Saint, as a man by willing and contriving may become a ruler of men. Ambition fortifies the will of man to become ruler over other men: it operates with deception, cajolery, and violence, it is the action of impurity upon impurity. Not so in Heaven. A martyr, a saint, is always made by the design of God, for His love of men, to warn them and to lead them, to bring them back to His ways. A martyrdom is never the design of man; for the true martyr is he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom. So thus as on earth the Church mourns and rejoices at once, in a fashion that the world cannot understand; so in Heaven the Saints are most high, having made themselves most low, seeing themselves not as we see them, but in the light of the Godhead from which they draw their being. have spoken to you today, dear children of God, of the martyrs of the past, asking you to remember especially our martyr of Canterbury, the blessed Archbishop Elphege; because it is fitting, on Christ's birthday, to remember what is that peace which he brought; and because, dear children, I do not think that I shall ever preach to you again; and because it is possible that in a short time you may have yet another martyr, and that one perhaps not the last. I would have you keep in your hearts these words that I say, and think of them at another time. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. [End of sermon] by James Kiefer

France, 1147-1149, Second Crusade, Edessa, Iberia, Levant, Egypt, Anatolia
France, 1147-1149, Second Crusade, Iberia, Levant, Egypt, Anatolia; France, 1137-1180, King of France, Louis VII ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

France, 1154-1189, King Henry II, Norman, Angevin Empire, Common Law, Matilda's son, Brittany, Anjou, Maine, Touraine
England, 1154-1189, King of England, Henry II of England ; II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (French: Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 to his death. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. Louis VII of France made him Duke of Normandy in 1150. Henry became Count of Anjou and Maine upon the death of his father, Geoffrey of Anjou, in 1151. marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII had recently been annulled, made him Duke of Aquitaine. became Count of Nantes by treaty in 1185. he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France—an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire. At various times, Henry also partially controlled Scotland, Wales and the Duchy of Brittany. became actively involved by the age of 14 in the efforts of his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later. Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign the younger Henry restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine. Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket's murder in 1170. Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII, and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire at Louis's expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. and Eleanor had eight children—three daughters and five sons. Three of his sons would be king, though Henry the Young King was named his father's co-ruler rather than a stand-alone king. As the sons grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard (later a king) and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Brittany, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John (later a king), but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. By 1189, Young Henry and Geoffrey were dead, and Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry II would make John king, leading to a final rebellion. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon Castle in Anjou. He died soon afterwards and was succeeded by Richard. empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his son John (who succeeded Richard), but many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule had long-term consequences. Henry's legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales, and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems. Historical interpretations of Henry's reign have changed considerably over time. In the 18th century, scholars argued that Henry was a driving force in the creation of a genuinely English monarchy and, ultimately, a unified Britain. During the Victorian expansion of the British Empire, historians were keenly interested in the formation of Henry's own empire, but they also expressed concern over his private life and treatment of Becket. Late-20th-century historians have combined British and French historical accounts of Henry, challenging earlier Anglocentric interpretations of his reign. HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (29 DEC 1170); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

France, 1154-1214, Angevin Empire, Half oFrance, All oEngland, Wales, Parts oIreland
Angevin Empire, Half oFrance, All oEngland, Wales, Parts oIreland, 1152 Henry II married Eleanor oAquitaine, 1154 inherited England fMother Matilda, Court in Anjou&Touraine, Conflicted wFrench Capet kings, H's son John defeated by Philip II oFrance Anglo-French War 1213-1214, he lost all continental possessions but Gascony iSouthern Aquitaine, that led to 100 Yrs War; Angevin Empire; term Angevin Empire describes the possessions of the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, they ruled over an area covering roughly half of France, all of England, and parts of Ireland and Wales, and had further influence over much of the remaining British Isles. may be described as an early example of a composite monarchy.[3] empire was established by Henry II of England, who succeeded his father Geoffrey as Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou (from which the term Angevins is derived). married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, acquiring the Duchy of Aquitaine, inherited his mother Empress Matilda's claim to the English throne, succeeding his rival Stephen in 1154. their title of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, Plantagenets held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou, at Chinon in Touraine. influence and power of the House of Anjou brought them into conflict with the kings of France of the House of Capet, whom they also owed feudal homage for their French possessions, bringing in a period of rivalry between the dynasties. the extent of Angevin rule, Henry's son John was defeated in the Anglo-French War (1213–1214) by Philip II of France following the Battle of Bouvines. lost control of most of his continental possessions, apart from Gascony in southern Aquitaine. defeat set the scene for further conflicts between England and France, leading up to the Hundred Years' War.

France, 1176-1200, Hugh of Lincoln, Carthusian, Henry II a friend and sponsor, E Monastery, Land comensation, vacant bisoprics, Lincoln, forresters, meaningless lucrative post, Falaise glove
England, 1176-1200, Hugh of Lincoln, Carthusian, Henry II friend and sponsor, Monastery, Land comensation, vacant bisoprics, Lincoln, forresters, meaningless lucrative post, Falaise glove, faced riots against Jews, refused money grant for King Richard the Lion Hearted, legal precedent, King John's amulet, wit, temper, love for defenceless, washed lepers, animals loved him; Avalon, France; Chartreuse Mountains (Carthusians); Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); a sign of his remorse for his role in the murder of the Archbishop Thomas a Becket, King Henry II founded the first house in England of the strict monastic order called the Carthusians. Difficulties arose with the first two priors, and a French noble recommended Hugh de Avalon, who at that time had been a monk at the mother house of the order for 17 years. his arrival in England in 1176, Hugh found that the building of the monastery had not begun. Worse, no compensation had been paid to those who would have to lose their lands and property to make room for it. refused to take office until these persons had been paid "to the last penny." He intervened again on behalf of the builders, whose pay was not forthcoming. Henry loved him for his plain speaking. "I do not despair of you," Hugh said to him at their first interview; "I know how much your many occupations interfere with the health of your soul." impressed by his frankness, swore that while he lived he should not leave his kingdom, and took so much pleasure in his conversation, and paid so much heed to his counsels, that a rumor arose that Hugh was his son. biographer wrote that "of all men only Hugh could bend that rhinosceros to his will." Henry was in danger of shipwreck, he cried out, "If only my Carthusian Hugh were awake and at prayer, God would not forget me." This affection never diminished, though Hugh dared to oppose the king, particularly in the matter of keeping bishoprics vacant in order that their revenues might fall to the king's treasury. of the worst examples was Lincoln, which, except for a few months, had been without a bishop for eighteen years. Hugh was elected to the post in 1186, and his monastic superiors ordered him to accept. After so long a period of neglect, there was great need of reform. employed priests of great piety and learning, and made the fullest use of his authority in disciplining his clergy. He took a stern view of the ill-treatment of the poor by the royal foresters, and when a subject of the church of Lincoln suffered at their hands he excommunicated their chief. He also refused to appoint a royal favorite to a meaningless but lucrative post. Henry was furious, and summoned him to his presence. He came, and Henry turned away his face and would not speak, but by way of ignoring his presence took out a torn glove and began to sew it. At last Hugh said, "How like you are to your relations at Falaise." king might have resented this allusion to the humble birth of William the Conqueror's mother, the daughter of a glove-maker, but he only laughed, and the quarrel was made up. against the Jews broke out in England at the time of the Third Crusade. In defence of the persecuted, Hugh faced armed mobs in Lincoln, Stamford and Northampton and compelled their submission. refused to raise money for the foreign wars of King Richard the Lion-Heart, calmed the king's rage with a kiss, and persisted in his refusal: was the first clear example on record of the refusal of a money-grant demanded directly by the crown, and an important legal precedent. Richard said, "If all bishops were like my lord of Lincoln, not a prince among us could raise his head against them." His relations with King John were less happy. John showed him an amulet, which he said was sacred and would preserve him. Hugh replied, "Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ." following Easter he preached at length on the duties of kings, and the king slipped out partway through. tireless, and forgetful of self, Hugh also had wit, a temper that he described as "more biting than pepper," and a great love and concern for children and the defenceless. He visited leper-houses and washed the ulcerous limbs of their inmates. He was fond of animals, and they of him. Birds and squirrels came readily to his hand. He had a swan that would feed from his hand, follow him about, and keep guard over his bed, so that no one could approach it without being attacked. In 1200 the king sent him on an embassy to France. His mission was a success, but he took ill and returned to England to die on 16 November 1200. John Ruskin called him "the most beautiful sacerdotal (priestly) figure known to me in history." by James Kiefer

France, 1179-1223, King of France, Philip II of France
France, King of France, 1179-1223, Philip II of France; France, 1189-1192, Third Crusade, Levant and Anatolia; Henry II of England;

France, 1189-1192, Third Crusade, Levant and Anatolia
France, 1189-1192, Third Crusade, Levant and Anatolia; Philip II of France; Henry II of England;

France, 1189-1199, King Richard I, Lion Heart, French and English hero, only 6 mos in England
England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and seemed unlikely to become king, but all his brothers except the youngest, John, predeceased their father. Richard is known as Richard CÅ“ur de Lion (Norman French: Le quor de lion) or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.[1] troubador Bertran de Born also called him Richard Oc-e-Non (Occitan for Yes and No), possibly from a reputation for terseness.[2] the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father.[1] Richard was an important Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and achieving considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he finalized a peace treaty and ended the campaign without retaking Jerusalem.[3] probably spoke both French and Occitan.[4] He was born in England, where he spent his childhood; before becoming king, however, he lived most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine, in the southwest of France. his accession, he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England. Most of his life as king was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending his lands in France. than regarding his kingdom as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, he has been perceived as preferring to use it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies.[5] Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects.[6] He remains one of the few kings of England remembered more commonly by his epithet than his regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.[7] HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

France, 1189-1192, Third Crusade and Richard the Lion Heart
England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade; England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

France, 1189-1192, Third Crusade riots against Jews, stopped by Hugh of Lincoln
England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade riots against Jews, stopped by Hugh of Lincoln England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade; England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

France, 1190-1221, Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominicans, preachers in poverty, philosophy, theology, logical argument, OP
Spain, 1190-1221, Saint Dominic, Founder of the Dominicans; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. He entered the priesthood, and eventually became prior of the canons of the cathedral chapter (the clergy who formed the staff of the cathedral and conducted the daily worship services) at Osma (42:52 N 3:03 W). turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. These were a heretical sect more or less directly descended from the early Gnostics and Manichees. They were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter. The material universe is the creation of the bad god. The good god made the souls of men, and the bad god kidnapped them and imprisoned them in bodies of flesh. their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. Dominic engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was. Dominic and his bishop undertook to study the Albigensian beliefs and to engage in public debates with their opponents. They seemed to be making some progress, but in 1207 the bishop died, and in the same year the murder by Albigenses of the papal legate moved the pope to declare a crusade against the Albigenses, which lasted about five years. continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine by logical argument rather than by the use of force. was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy, which made plausible the accusation that they were concerned for their purses and not for the glory of God, and made workers indisposed to hear them. He therefore determined that the brothers of his order should live lives of poverty and simplicity, being no better off materially than those they sought to convert. he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" Dominic turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'" He got the permission he was seeking, and the order grew and flourished. Officially known as the Order of Preachers (hence the letters O.P. after the name of a member), it was informally known as the Dominicans, or the Blackfriars (from the color of their cloaks). Two of their best-known members are Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great, 1200-1280, see 15 Nov), who was famous for his learning in numerous fields, and his pupil Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274, see 28 Jan), who wrote reconciling Christian theology with the philosophy of Aristotle, which was then being rediscovered in western Europe, and was thought by many to be a threat to Christianity. In later years, the Order forgot its commitment to "logic and persuasion, not force" as the means of bringing men to Christian truth, and many of its members were active in the Inquisition. St. Dominic & St. Catherine St. Dominic & St. Catherine was three times offered a bishopric, and refused, believing that he was called to another work. He died in 1220 in Bologna, Italy, after a preaching mission to Hungary. His emblem in art is a dog with a torch in its mouth, a pun on his name (the Dominicans are sometimes called the "Domini canes", the hounds of the Lord), and a reference to his relying on the power of preaching. by James Kiefer

France, 1194-1240, Edmund Rich (Edmund of Abingdon), Canterbury Archbishop, promoted Aristotle study, reason, for 6th Crusade
Edmund Rich (Edmund of Abingdon); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253) Richard of Wyche;

France, 1195-1253, Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, scholar, Theologian, removed clergy for neglecting duties
England, 1195-1253, Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, scholar, Theologian, removed clergy neglecting duties; Lincoln, Yorkshire, England; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; the leaders of the thirteenth century heeded this preacher, many of the disasters of the following three centuries might have been avoided. was a peasant lad from Suffolk, born about 1175. distinguished himself at Oxford in law, medicine, languages, natural sciences, and theology. He became what is now called Chancellor of Oxford University. 1235, he was elected Bishop of Lincoln, in area the largest diocese in England. He promptly visited all the churches in the diocese and quickly removed many of the prominent clergy because they were neglectng their pastoral duties. vigorously opposed the practice by which the Pope appointed Italians as absentee clergy for English churches (collecting salaries from said churches without ever setting foot in the country). insisted that his priests spend their time in the service of their people, in prayer, and in study. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome, where he spoke out boldly against ecclesiastical abuses. Back in England, he spoke against unlawful usurpations of power by the monarch, and was one of those present at the signing of the Magna Carta. scholarly writings embraced many fields of learning. He translated into Latin the Ethics of Aristotle and the theological works of John of Damascus and of the fifth-century writer known as Dionysius the Areopagite. was skilled in poetry, music, architecture, mathematics, astronomy, optics, and physics (one of his pupils was Roger Bacon). writings on the first chapter of Genesis include an interesting anticipation of modern cosmological ideas. (He read that the first thing created was light, and said that the universe began with pure energy exploding from a point source.) knew Hebrew and Greek, and his Biblical studies were a notable contribution to the scholarship of the day. by James Kiefer RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253) Richard of Wyche ;

France, 1199-1216, King John, collapse of Angevin E, to Capetian France, Magna Carta, Villain
England, 1199-1216, King of England, John, King of England; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

France, 1200, 13th Century Folder, 4th-9th Crusades, Treaty of Paris, Union of Lyon

France, 1202-1204, Fourth Crusade, Balkans, against Eastern Christians
France, 1202-1204, Fourth Crusade, Balkans, against Eastern Christians; Philip II of France;

France, 1209-1229, Albigensian Crusade (Languedoc Region, Albi, France)
Albigensian Crusade; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

France, 1213-1221, Fifth Crusade, Levant and Egypt
France, 1213-1221, Fifth Crusade, Levant and Egypt; Andrew II of Hungary; Leopold VI, Duke of Austria;

France, 1221-1274, Robert de Sorbonne, Educator
France, 1221-1274, Robert de Sorbonne, Educator; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270);

France, 1226-1270, Louis IX, saint & King, fair, succesful, arbitrator, worked for the political unification of France
France, 1226-1270, King of France, Louis IX; IX (25 April 1214 -“ 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, is the only King of France to be canonized in the Catholic Church. was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the death of his father Louis VIII; his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled the kingdom as regent until he reached maturity. During Louis' childhood, Blanche dealt with the opposition of rebellious vassals and obtained a definitive victory in the Albigensian Crusade, which had started 20 years earlier. an adult, Louis IX faced recurring conflicts with some of his realm's most powerful nobles, such as Hugh X of Lusignan and Peter of Dreux. Simultaneously, Henry III of England attempted to restore the Angevin continental possessions, but was promptly routed at the Battle of Taillebourg. Louis annexed several provinces, notably parts of Aquitaine, Maine and Provence. IX is one of the most notable European monarchs of the Middle Ages. His reign is remembered as a medieval golden age in which the Kingdom of France reached an economic as well as political peak. His fellow European rulers esteemed him highly, not only for his pre-eminence in arms or the unmatched wealth of his kingdom, but also for his reputation of fairness and moral integrity: he was often asked to arbitrate their disputes.[1] was a reformer and developed French royal justice, in which the king was the supreme judge to whom anyone could appeal for the amendment of a judgment. He banned trials by ordeal, tried to end the scourge of private wars, and introduced the presumption of innocence in criminal procedure. To enforce his new legal system, Louis IX created provosts and bailiffs. a vow he had made while praying for recovery during a serious illness, Louis IX led the Seventh and Eighth crusades against the Ayyubids, Bahriyya Mamluks and Hafsid Kingdom. was captured in the first and ransomed. He died from dysentery during the latter, and was succeeded by his son Philip III. the eyes of his many admirers through the centuries, Louis IX has been regarded as the ideal Christian ruler, though contemporaries occasionally rebuked him as a "monk king".[2][3] He is seen as inspired by Christian zeal and Catholic devotion, a just king who exacted his due but strove to be fair to all, from the lowest peasant to the proudest noble. in his habits, reasonable, brave, kind, chivalrously polite and charming, he was a splendid knight beloved by all. Valuing Catholic orthodoxy, his laws punished blasphemy by mutilation of the tongue and lips.[4] He is the only canonized king of France, and there are consequently many places named after him. LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; was born in 1214 and became King of France when twelve years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England (no, not the couple from A Lion in Winter--that was Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: this is two generations later). worked for the political unification of France, yielding Limoge, Cahors, and Perigeux to Henry in exchange for Henry's renunciation of all claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (Treaty of Paris, 1259). He yielded French claims to Rousillon and Barcelona in exchange for the yielding of Spanish claims to Provence and Languedoc (Treaty of Corbeil, 1258). He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. He promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. (Trial by combat decided the guilt or innocence of the accused by a combat between the accused and the accuser, either personally or by proxy, with God being called on to uphold the right. Trial by ordeal required the accused to prove his innocence by, for example, walking across a bed of hot coals. Both were hold-overs from pre-Christian Frankish Law, and were vigorously denounced by many clergy, but took a long time to die out.) His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes. founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts (the Fifteen Score, originally for 300 inmates). His reign coincided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table. (Once, it is said, Thomas dropped out of the conversation, lost in thought, and then suddenly struck the table with his fist and exclaimed, "That is a decisive argument against the Manichees!" Louis at once called for writing materials, so that Thomas could record the argument before he had a chance to forget it.) of Louis in Tunis, from an illuminated mauscript of the history of FranceHe fought in two Crusades, both of which were total failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus, and was there joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from looting. Disease ravaged the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville, is available in English in Chronicles of the Crusades, Penguin Paperbacks. by James Kiefer

France, 1228-1229, Sixth Crusade, Cyprus and Jerusalem Control (Near East)
France, 1228-1229, Sixth Crusade, Cyprus and Jerusalem (Near East); The Sixth Crusade, commonly known as the Crusade of Frederick II (1228â€“1229), was a military expedition to recapture the city of Jerusalem. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade and involved very little actual fighting. The diplomatic maneuvering of the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, Frederick II, resulted in the Kingdom of Jerusalem regaining some control over Jerusalem for much of the ensuing fifteen years (1229â€“1239, 1241â€“1244)[1] as well as over other areas of the Holy Land. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor; Andrew II of Hungary; Leopold VI, Duke of Austria;

France, 1248-1254, 7th Crusade to Cyprus and Egypt, then Palestine trip, Louis ransomed
France, 1248-1254, 7th Crusade to Cyprus and Egypt, then Palestine trip; The Seventh Crusade was a crusade led by Louis IX of France from 1248 to 1254. Louis' Christian army was defeated by the Ayyubid army led by Fakhr al-Din ibn Shaykh al-Shuyukh and their allies, the Bahriyya Mamluks, led by Faris ad-Din Aktai, Baibars al-Bunduqdari, Qutuz, Aybak and Qalawun. Shaykh al-Shuyukh was killed in the war, and Louis was captured. Approximately 800,000 bezants were paid in ransom for his return.[3][4][5] France, 1226-1270, King of France, Louis IX; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270);

France, 1259, Treaty of Paris 1259, France and England, caused 100 yr war
France, 1259, Treaty of Paris 1259; France, 1226-1270, King of France, Louis IX; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270);

France, 1270, 8th Crusade to Tunis, Louis IX died
France, 1270, 8th Crusade to Tunis; The Eighth Crusade was a crusade launched by Louis IX of France against the Hafsid dynasty in 1270. The Eighth Crusade is sometimes counted as the Seventh, if the Fifth and Sixth Crusades of Frederick II are counted as a single crusade. The Ninth Crusade is sometimes also counted as part of the Eighth. The crusade is considered a failure after Louis died shortly after arriving on the shores of Tunisia, with his disease-ridden army dispersing back to Europe shortly afterwards.[1] France, 1226-1270, King of France, Louis IX; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270);

France, 1270-1285, King of France, Philip III of France, expanded French infuuence
France, 1270-1285, King of France, Philip III of France; Philip III (1 May 1245 -“ 5 October 1285), called the Bold[a][b] (French: le Hardi), was king of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and was anointed king at Reims in 1271. Philip inherited numerous territorial lands during his reign, the most notable being the County of Toulouse, which was returned to the royal domain in 1271. With the Treaty of Orleans, he expanded French influence into the Kingdom of Navarre and following the death of his brother Peter during the Sicilian Vespers, the County of Aleneon was returned to the crown lands. Following the Sicilian Vespers, Philip led the Aragonese Crusade in support of his uncle. Initially successful, Philip, his army racked with sickness, was forced to retreat and died from dysentery in Perpignan in 1285. He was succeeded by his son Philip IV. Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5;

France, 1271-1272, 9th Crusade, Jerusalem (Near East), Edward I of England
France, 1271-1272, 9th Crusade, Jerusalem (Near East); Lord Edward's crusade,[1] sometimes called the Ninth Crusade,[2] was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of the future King Edward I of England in 1271â€“1272. It was an extension of the Eighth Crusade and was the last of the Crusades to reach the Holy Land before the fall of Acre in 1291 brought an end to the permanent crusader presence there. The Ninth Crusade saw Edward clash with Baibars, with both achieving limited victories. The Crusaders were ultimately forced to withdraw, since Edward had pressing concerns at home and felt unable to resolve the internal conflicts within the remnant Outremer territories. It is arguable that the Crusading spirit was nearly "extinct" by this period as well.[3] It also foreshadowed the imminent collapse of the last remaining crusader strongholds along the Mediterranean coast. Edward I of England;

France, 1274, Union of Lyons convoked in 1272, convened 1274, peace among Christians, revoked
France, 1272, Union of Lyons 1272; The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274.[1] Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West.[2] The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots[3] and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators, among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given "leave to depart with the blessing of God" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions, but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain.[4] In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily[5] were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, the "realm of Dacia" and the duchy of Poland. In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. This innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II,[2] heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognized Rudolf I as Holy Roman Emperor, ending the interregnum.[2] 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21;

France, 1285-1314, King of France, Philip IV of France, Philip the Fair, centralized state, Avignon Papacy
France, 1285-1314, King of France, Philip IV of France, Philip the Fair; IV (April-“June 1268 -“ 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (French: Philippe le Bel), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Philip I from 1284 to 1305, as well as Count of Champagne. Although Philip was known as handsome, hence the epithet le Bel, his rigid and inflexible personality gained him (from friend and foe alike) other nicknames, such as the Iron King (French: le Roi de fer). His fierce opponent Bernard Saisset, bishop of Pamiers, said of him: "he is neither man nor beast. He is a statue."[2][a] relied on skilful civil servants, such as Guillaume de Nogaret and Enguerrand de Marigny, to govern the kingdom rather than on his nobles. Philip and his advisors were instrumental in the transformation of France from a feudal country to a centralized state.[3] The king, who sought an uncontested monarchy, compelled his vassals by wars and restricted feudal usages.[4] His ambitions made him highly influential in European affairs. His goal was to place his relatives on foreign thrones. Princes from his house ruled in Naples and Hungary. He tried and failed to make another relative the Holy Roman Emperor. He began the long advance of France eastward by taking control of scattered fiefs.[5] most notable conflicts of Philip's reign include a dispute with the English over King Edward I's fiefs in southwestern France, and a war with the Flemish, who had rebelled against French royal authority and humiliated Philip at the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. The war with the Flemish resulted in Philip's ultimate victory with which he received a significant portion of Flemish cities, which were added to the crown lands along with a vast sum of money. In 1306, Philip expelled the Jews from France, and in 1307 he annihilated the order of the Knights Templar. He was in debt to both groups and saw them as a "state within the state". To further strengthen the monarchy, Philip tried to take control of the French clergy, leading to a violent conflict with Pope Boniface VIII. This conflict resulted in the transfer of the papal court to the enclave of Avignon in 1309. final year saw a scandal amongst the royal family, known as the Tour de Nesle affair, in which Philip's three daughters-in-law were accused of adultery. His three sons were successively kings of France: Louis X, Philip V, and Charles IV. Their deaths without surviving sons of their own would compromise the future of the French royal house, which until then seemed secure, precipitating a succession crisis that would eventually lead to the Hundred Years' War (1337-“1453). CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Avignon Papacy, 100 Yr War,

France, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy, 7 Popes resided in Avignon, Arles
France, 1309-1377, Avignon Papacy; The Avignon Papacy, also known as the Babylonian Captivity, was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon (then in the Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire, now in France) rather than in Rome.[1] The situation arose from the conflict between the papacy and the French crown, culminating in the death of Pope Boniface VIII after his arrest and maltreatment by Philip IV of France. Following the further death of Pope Benedict XI, Philip forced a deadlocked conclave to elect the French Clement V as pope in 1305. Clement refused to move to Rome, and in 1309 he moved his court to the papal enclave at Avignon, where it remained for the next 67 years. This absence from Rome is sometimes referred to as the "Babylonian captivity of the Papacy".[2][3] A total of seven popes reigned at Avignon, all French,[4][5] and all under the influence of the French Crown. In 1376, Gregory XI abandoned Avignon and moved his court to Rome (arriving on January 17, 1377). But after Gregory's death in 1378, deteriorating relations between his successor Urban VI and a faction of cardinals gave rise to the Western Schism. This started a second line of Avignon popes, subsequently regarded as illegitimate. The last Avignon antipope, Benedict XIII, lost most of his support in 1398, including that of France; after five years besieged by the French, he fled to Perpignan in 1403. The schism ended in 1417 at the Council of Constance, after two popes had reigned in opposition to the papacy in Rome.[6] Avignon; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

France, 1314-1316, King of France, Louis X of France, Quarrelsome, Headstrong, Stubborn, serfs buy freedom, abolished slavery, Jews back
France, 1314-1316, King of France, Louis X of France; X (4 October 1289 – 5 June 1316), called the Quarrelsome, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn (French: le Hutin), was King of France from 1314 to 1316, succeeding his father Philip IV. After the death of his mother, Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Louis I from 1305 until his death in 1316. short reign in France was marked by tensions with the nobility, due to fiscal and centralization reforms initiated by Enguerrand de Marigny, the Grand Chamberlain of France, under the reign of his father. Louis' uncle—Charles of Valois, leader of the feudalist party—managed to convince the king to execute Enguerrand de Marigny. allowed serfs to buy their freedom (which was the first step towards the abolition of serfdom), abolished slavery, and readmitted French Jews into the kingdom. 1305, Louis married Margaret of Burgundy, with whom he had Joan II of Navarre. Margaret was later convicted of adultery and died in prison, possibly murdered by strangulation.[citation needed] In 1315, Louis married Clementia of Hungary, who gave birth to John I of France five months after the king's death. The infant John's death a few days later led to a disputed succession.[2][3] CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1316-1322, King of France, Philip V of France, the Long, first a regent, Salic law, no male heir
France, 1316-1322, King of France, Philip V of France; V (c. 1293 – 3 January 1322), known as the Tall (French: Philippe le Long), was King of France and Navarre (as Philip II). He reigned from 1316 to 1322. the second son of king Philip IV, he was granted an appanage, the County of Poitiers, while his elder brother, Louis X, inherited the throne in 1314. When Louis died in 1316, he left a daughter and a pregnant wife, Clementia of Hungary. Philip the Tall successfully claimed the regency. Queen Clementia gave birth to a boy, who was proclaimed king as John I, but the infant king lived only for five days. the death of his nephew, Philip immediately had himself crowned at Reims. However, his legitimacy was challenged by the party of Louis X's daughter Joan. Philip V successfully contested her claims for a number of reasons, including her youth, doubts regarding her paternity (her mother was involved in the Tour de Nesle Affair), and the Estates General's determination that women should be excluded from the line of succession to the French throne. The succession of Philip, instead of Joan, set the precedent for the French royal succession that would be known as the Salic law. V restored somewhat good relations with the County of Flanders, which had entered into open rebellion during his father's rule, but simultaneously his relations with Edward II of England worsened as the English king, who was also Duke of Guyenne, initially refused to pay him homage. A spontaneous popular crusade started in Normandy in 1320 aiming to liberate the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. Instead the angry populace marched to the south attacking castles, royal officials, priests, lepers, and Jews. V engaged in a series of domestic reforms intended to improve the management of the kingdom. These reforms included the creation of an independent Court of Finances, the standardization of weights and measures, and the establishment of a single currency. V died from dysentery in 1322 without a male heir and was succeeded by his younger brother Charles IV. CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1322-1328, King of France, Charles IV of France, the Fair, peasant revolt in Flanders, no male Heir
France, 1322-1328, King of France, Charles IV of France; IV[note 1] (18/19 June 1294 - 1 February 1328), called the Fair (le Bel) in France and the Bald (el Calvo) in Navarre, was last king of the direct line of the House of Capet, King of France and King of Navarre (as Charles I) from 1322 to 1328. Charles was the third son of Philip IV; like his father, he was known as "the fair" or "the handsome".[1][2] in 1323 Charles was confronted with a peasant revolt in Flanders, and in 1324 he made an unsuccessful bid to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. As Duke of Guyenne, King Edward II of England was a vassal of Charles, but he was reluctant to pay homage to another king. In retaliation, Charles conquered the Duchy of Guyenne in a conflict known as the War of Saint-Sardos (1324). In a peace agreement, Edward II accepted to swear allegiance to Charles and to pay a fine. In exchange, Guyenne was returned to Edward but with a much-reduced territory. Charles IV died without a male heir, the senior line of the House of Capet, descended from Philip IV, became extinct. He was succeeded in Navarre by his niece Joan II and in France by his paternal first cousin Philip of Valois. However, the dispute on the succession to the French throne between the Valois monarchs descended in male line from Charles's grandfather Philip III of France, and the English monarchs descended from Charles's sister Isabella, was a factor of the Hundred Years' War. CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1328-1350, King of France, Philip VI of France, the Fortunate, Edward's claim, began 100 yrs war, Navy lost, continental war, black death
France, 1328-1350, King of France, Philip VI of France; VI ( 17 November 1293 - 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (French: le Fortuné) and of Valois, was the first King of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death. reign was dominated by the consequences of a succession dispute. When King Charles IV died in 1328, the nearest male relative was his nephew Edward III of England, but the French nobility preferred Charles's paternal cousin Philip. At first, Edward seemed to accept Philip's succession, but he pressed his claim to the throne of France after a series of disagreements with Philip. The result was the beginning of the Hundred Years' War in 1337. initial successes at sea, Philip's navy was annihilated at the Battle of Sluys in 1340, ensuring that the war would occur on the continent. The English took another decisive advantage at the Battle of Crécy (1346), while the Black Death struck France, further destabilizing the country. 1349, Philip VI bought the Dauphiné from its ruined ruler Humbert II and entrusted the government of this province to his grandson Charles. Philip VI died in 1350 and was succeeded by his son John II, the Good. CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with England to control France, on the continent
France, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with England to control France;

France, 1350-1364, King of France, John II of France, black death, Jacqueries, free companies, English aggression
France, 1350-1364, King of France, John II of France; II (French: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: Jean le Bon), was King of France from 1350 until his death. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed nearly half of its population; popular revolts known as Jacqueries; free companies (Grandes Compagnies) of routiers who plundered the country; and English aggression that resulted in catastrophic military losses, including the Battle of Poitiers of 1356, in which John was captured. John was a prisoner in London, his son Charles became regent and faced several rebellions, which he overcame. To liberate his father, he concluded the Treaty of Brétigny (1360), by which France lost many territories and paid an enormous ransom. In an exchange of hostages, which included his second son Louis, Duke of Anjou, John was released from captivity to raise funds for his ransom. Upon his return to France, he created the franc to stabilize the currency and tried to get rid of the free companies by sending them to a crusade, but Pope Innocent VI died shortly before their meeting in Avignon. When John was informed that Louis had escaped from captivity, he voluntarily returned to England, where he died in 1364. He was succeeded by his son Charles V. CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1364-1380, King of France, Charles V of France, the Wise, regent for captured Father, raised taxes, Jacquerie peasant revolt, success in HY War
France, 1364-1380, King of France, Charles V of France; V (21 January 1338 - 16 September 1380), called the Wise (French: le Sage; Latin: Sapiens), was King of France from 1364 to his death. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory held by the English, and successfully reversed the military losses of his predecessors. became regent of France when his father John II was captured by the English at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. To pay for the defense of the kingdom, Charles raised taxes. As a result, he faced hostility from the nobility, led by Charles the Bad, King of Navarre; the opposition of the French bourgeoisie, which was channeled through the Estates-General led by Étienne Marcel; and with a peasant revolt known as the Jacquerie. Charles overcame all of these rebellions, but in order to liberate his father, he had to conclude the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, in which he abandoned large portions of south-western France to Edward III of England and agreed to pay a huge ransom. became king in 1364. With the help of talented advisers, his skillful management of the kingdom allowed him to replenish the royal treasury and to restore the prestige of the House of Valois. He established the first permanent army paid with regular wages, which liberated the French populace from the companies of routiers who regularly plundered the country when not employed. Led by Bertrand du Guesclin, the French Army was able to turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War to Charles' advantage, and by the end of Charles' reign, they had reconquered almost all the territories ceded to the English in 1360. Furthermore, the French fleet, led by Jean de Vienne, managed to attack the English coast for the first time since the beginning of the Hundred Years' War. V died in 1380. He was succeeded by his son Charles VI, whose disastrous reign allowed the English to regain control of large parts of France. CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

France, 1367-1380, CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER & SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy
Rome, 1367-1380, SCATHERINE OF SIENA, (a Tuscan hill town, irrigation), REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER, vision of Christ at 6, leprosy cancer nurse, Avigon Papacy, persuaded Gregory XI back to R, ambassador to Florence, retired to Sienna, Dialog book visions advice, arrogant Urban VI, new Clement VII at Avigon, papal Schism till 1417; Siena; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); Benincasa, born in 1347, was the youngest (one of my sources says the 23rd) of twenty-five children of a wealthy dyer of Sienna (or Siena). the age of six, she had a vision of Christ in glory, surrounded by His saints. that time on, she spent most of her time in prayer and meditation, over the opposition of her parents, who wanted her to be more like the average girl of her social class. they gave in, and at the age of sixteen she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic (First Order = friars, Second Order = nuns, Third Order = laypersons), where she became a nurse, caring for patients with leprosy and advanced cancer whom other nurses disliked to treat. began to acquire a reputation as a person of insight and sound judgement, and many persons from all walks of life sought her spiritual advice, both in person and by letter. have a book containing about four hundred letters from her to bishops, kings, scholars, merchants, and obscure peasants.) persuaded many priests who were living iacn luxury to give away their goods and to live simply. her day, the popes, officially Bishops of Rome, had been living for about seventy years, not at Rome but at Avignon in France, where they were under the political control of the King of France Avignon Papacy, sometimes called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, began when Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope in 1303). visited Avignon in 1376 and told Pope Gregory XI that he had no business to live away from Rome. He heeded her advice, and moved to Rome. then acted as his ambassador to Florence, and was able to reconcile a quarrel between the Pope and the leaders of that city. She then retired to Sienna, where she wrote a book called the Dialog, an account of her visions and other spiritual experiences, with advice on cultivating a life of prayer. Gregory's death in 1378, the Cardinals, mostly French, elected an Italian Pope, Urban VI, who on attaining office turned out to be arrogant and abrasive and tyrannical, and perhaps to have other faults as well. Cardinals met again elsewhere, declared that the first election had been under duress from the Roman mob and therefore invalid, and elected a new Pope, Clement VII, who established his residence at Avignon. worked tirelessly, both to persuade Urban to mend his ways letters to him are respectful but severe and uncompromising -- as one historian has said, she perfected the art of kissing the Pope's feet while simultaneously twisting his arm), to persuade others that the peace and unity of the Church required the recognition of Urban as lawful Pope. Despite her efforts, the Papal Schism continued until 1417. greatly weakened the prestige of the Bishops of Rome, and thus helped to pave the way for the Protestant Reformation a century later. is known (1) as a mystic, a contemplative who devoted herself to prayer, (2) as a humanitarian, a nurse who undertook to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the sick; (3) as an activist, a renewer of Church and society, who took a strong stand on the issues affecting society in her day, and who never hesitated (in the old Quaker phrase) "to speak truth to power"; (4) as an adviser and counselor, with a wide range of interests, who always made time for troubled and uncertain persons who told her their problems -- large and trivial, religious and secular. by James Kiefer

France, 1370-1378, Gregory XI, Pope, in Avignon, France
Pope, 1370-1378, Gregory XI, the last of the Avignon Popes; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380) ;

France, 1380-1422, King of France, Charles VI, the Beloved, then the Mad, mental illness, lost Agincourt
France, 1380-1422, King of France, Charles VI; VI (3 December 1368 - 21 October 1422), called the Beloved (French: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (French: le Fol or le Fou), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic episodes which plagued him throughout his life. Charles's reign would see his army crushed at the Battle of Agincourt, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Troyes, which made his future son-in-law Henry V of England his regent and heir to the throne of France. However, Henry would die shortly before Charles, which gave the House of Valois the chance to continue the fight against the English, leading to their eventual victory and the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453. JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

France, 1389-1394, Antipope Clement VII
France, Pope, 1389-1394, Antipope Clement VII; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380) ;

France, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, denounced church abuses not theological, burned after E's promise , Moravians
Czech Lands, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, Western Czech Republic, denounced church abuses in discipline and practice, not theological, church spritual govenors, not earthly, found guilty for saying pope not divine office, burned right after Council of Constance, followers became Moravians; Bohemia; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415; Huss (Jan Hus) was born in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) in about 1371. received a master's degree from Charles University in Prague in 1396, became a professor of theology in 1398, was ordained to the priesthood in 1400, was made rector of the University in 1402, and in 1404 received a bachelor's degree in theology (presumably a more advanced degree than the term suggests today). his day, there was a crisis of authority in the Western Church. 1305, under pressure from the King of France, the seat of the Popes was moved from Rome to Avignon in France, where it remained for 70 years. period is called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, suggesting the 70 years that Jerusalem lay desolate after when the Jews were deported to Babylon.) 1376, the then pope returned to Rome. When he died soon after, the cardinals, mostly French, were disposed to elect a French Pope, but the people of Rome objected, fearing that a French Pope would move the Papacy back to France. cardinals therefore elected an Italian Pope, and then fled elsewhere, where they elected a French Pope and said that the first election had been under duress, and was void. there were two (later three) claimants for the Papal Office. Council of Constance was called to settle the matter. One claimant recognized the Council and then abdicated. The Council responded by proclaiming that he had been the true Pope. It then deposed the other two, and elected a new Pope, thus healing the schism. Hus had begun to denounce various church abuses in his sermons. His disputes with authority did not concern basic theological issues, but rather matters of church discipline and practice. custom had arisen, at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, of distributing the consecrated bread to all Christians in good standing who desired to receive it, but restricting the chalice to the celebrant alone. denounced this restriction as contrary to Holy Scripture and to the ancient tradition of the Church. also held that Church officials ought to exercise spiritual powers only, and not be earthly governors. 1412 his archbishop excommunicated him, not for heresy, but for insubordination. real problem was that Hus supported one papal claimant and the archbishop another. Hus's candidate was ultimately declared to be the true pope.) came to a head when one claimant (later declared unfit) proclaimed a sale of indulgences to raise money for a war against his rivals. was horrified at the idea of selling spiritual benefits to finance a war between two claimants to the title "Servant of the Servants of God," and said so. 1414 he was summoned to the Council of Constance, with the Emperor guaranteeing his personal safety even if found guilty. was tried, and ordered to recant certain heretical doctrines. replied that he had never held or taught the doctrines in question, and was willing to declare the doctrines false, but not willing to declare on oath that he had once taught them. one point on which Hus could be said to have a doctrinal difference with the Council was that he taught that the office of the pope did not exist by Divine command, but was established by the Church that things might be done in an orderly fashion (a view that he shared with Thomas More). Council, having just narrowly succeeded in uniting Western Christendom under a single pope after years of chaos, was not about to have its work undone. It accordingly found him guilty of heresy, and he was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. his death, his followers continued to insist on the importance of administering the Holy Communion in both kinds, and defeated several armies sent against them. 1436 a pact was signed, by which the Church in Bohemia was authorized to administer Chalice as well as Host to all communicants. followers of John Huss and his fellow martyr Jerome of Prague became known as the Czech Brethren and later as the Moravians. Moravian Church survives to this day, and has had a considerable influence on the Lutheran movement. Luther suddenly became famous after the publication of his 95 Theses, cartoons and graffiti began to appear implying that Luther was the spiritual heir of John Huss. When Luther encountered the Pope's representative Johannes Eck, in a crucial debate, Eck sidestepped the questions of indulgences and of justification by faith, and instead asked Luther whether the Church had been right to condemn Hus. Luther, after thinking it over, said that Hus had been unjustly condemned, the whole question of the authority of Popes and Councils was raised. — by James Kiefer

France, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Loss to English at Agincourt, Joan of Arc

France, 1415, Battle of Agincourt in 100 Years War with France
Battle of Agincourt; Hundred Years War (1337-1453); GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

France, 1422-1461, K of France, Charles VII (The Dauphin)
France, 1422-1461, King of France, Charles VII (The Dauphin); JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

France, 1429-1431, Saint, Joan of Arc, France parilyzed by Queen's oath, Joan led France to fight for the Dauphin
France, 1429-1431, Saint, Joan of Arc; Orleans; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ; of Arc was born in France, near the border of Burgundy, on 6 January 1412. In her time the King of England claimed the crown of France by the laws of inheritance, and English troops were fighting in France to support that claim. (The English King inherited through a woman, and the French claimants, the House of Valois, asserted that French law did not allow the crown to be inherited by or through a woman.) Henry V of England won a decisive victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 (see Shakespeare's play Henry V, filmed in 1944 starring Laurence Olivier and in 1993 starring Kenneth Branagh, who emphasizes the darker aspects of war), and signed an agreement with the Valois monarch Charles VI, providing that Charles should keep his crown during his lifetime, that his daughter Catherine should marry Henry, and that Henry should be the next king. VI had a son (the Dauphin), but the Queen took an oath that she had been unfaithful to her husband, and that the Dauphin was not the King's son, and therefore had no right to inherit the throne. 1422, Henry V died, leaving an infant son who became Henry VI of England. England claimed the throne of France in his name. Duke of Burgundy supported the English claim, and was allied with England. The French claimant, the Dauphin (later Charles VII), had not been crowned. Since many Frenchmen thought that his mother the Queen might be telling the truth about his illegitimacy, the story largely paralyzed the national will to fight for Charles. this situation came Joan. When she was thirteen, she began to hear voices telling her that she was called to save France. Eventually she identified these voices as those of Michael the Archangel (mentioned in the Bible in Daniel and Jude and Revelation), and Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch, two early virgin martyrs about whom little is known historically (the accounts of their lives as we have them contain many blatant improbabilities, and even among thoroughly conservative Roman Catholics, they are widely thought to be fictional persons), but who were popular in France at that time. as she said, under direction from her voices, she persuaded a local baron to send her to the castle of Charles at Chinon, where she spoke with the Dauphin (French word for the heir to the throne until he is officially crowned king), and convinced him that her message was genuine. The city of Orleans was under siege by the English. Joan and an army marched to the scene and raised the siege (8 May 1429). She then proceeded to win other battles, and to bring Charles to Rheims to be crowned king. the king refused to take her advice that he should press the military advantage. When she attempted to recapture Paris from the English, he denied her adequate support, and the attempt failed. of Arc being interrogated by an English cardinal, by Ingres May 1430 she was taken prisoner in battle, and tried on an accusation of sorcery and heresy. Charles made no effort to ransom her or rescue her, although her first captors would almost certainly have accepted a ransom. She was convicted and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, being then a little less than nineteen and a half years old. The French, however, eventually went on to win the war and to expel the English from France. King Charles, perhaps because it was not to his advantage to have it said that he had been crowned by a witch and a heretic, and that he owed his victories and his kingdom to a pact with the Devil, pressured the Church courts for a review of the verdict against Joan, and got her condemnation annulled in 1456. She came to be regarded as a French national hero, and was eventually canonized by the Pope in May 1920. Her day (or a Sunday close to it) is a French national holiday. She is ranked with Denis of Paris and Remi of Rheims as one of France's three great national saints. She is honored by the Church, not for winning military victories, or even because her visions were necessarily authentic, but because, being persuaded of the will of God for her life, she responded in faith and obedience to that will as she understood it. many literary works inspired by the life of Joan, I mention three: Bernard Shaw has written a play about her, Saint Joan. It has a preface for the reader which should not be skipped Twain has a novel, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, supposedly related by a follower of Joan. Twain is a devoted and uncritical admirer of Joan. von Schiller, friend of Goethe and eminent German playwright, has a play, Die Jungfrau von Orleans, which has been highly praised. It is available in translation. — by James Kiefer

France, 1429-1431, JOAN OF ARC, called to save France by voices, Angel Michael and see the girls accounts below
France, 1429-1431, JOAN OF ARC, Burgundy, France (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage), called to save France by voices, Angel Michael, Catherine of Alexandria, Marina of Pisidia, see the girls accounts below, Joan was successful in uniting France, but burned at the stake for being a witch; Burgundy; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; of Arc was born in France, near the border of Burgundy, on 6 January 1412. her time the King of England claimed the crown of France by the laws of inheritance, and English troops were fighting in France to support that claim. English King inherited through a woman, and the French claimants, the House of Valois, asserted that French law did not allow the crown to be inherited by or through a woman.) V of England won a decisive victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 (see Shakespeare's play Henry V, filmed in 1944 starring Laurence Olivier and in 1993 starring Kenneth Branagh, who emphasizes the darker aspects of war) and signed an agreement with the Valois monarch Charles VI, providing that Charles should keep his crown during his lifetime, that his daughter Catherine should marry Henry, and that Henry should be the next king. VI had a son (the Dauphin), but the Queen took an oath that she had been unfaithful to her husband, and that the Dauphin was not the King's son, and therefore had no right to inherit the throne. 1422, Henry V died, leaving an infant son who became Henry VI of England. England claimed the throne of France in his name. Duke of Burgundy supported the English claim, and was allied with England. French claimant, the Dauphin (later Charles VII), had not been crowned. Since many Frenchmen thought that his mother the Queen might be telling the truth about his illegitimacy, the story largely paralyzed the national will to fight for Charles. this situation came Joan. she was thirteen, she began to hear voices telling her that she was called to save France. she identified these voices as those of Michael the Archangel (mentioned in the Bible in Daniel and Jude and Revelation), Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch, two early virgin martyrs about whom little is known historically as we have them contain many blatant improbabilities, and even among thoroughly conservative Roman Catholics, they are widely thought to be fictional persons. (for the real accounts of their lives (see Orthodox accounts below, they are both normal christian saint stories) but who were popular in France at that time. as she said, under direction from her voices, she persuaded a local baron to send her to the castle of Charles at Chinon, where she spoke with the Dauphin (French word for the heir to the throne until he is officially crowned king), and convinced him that her message was genuine. city of Orleans was under siege by the English. Joan and an army marched to the scene and raised the siege (8 May 1429). then proceeded to win other battles, and to bring Charles to Rheims to be crowned king. However, the king refused to take her advice that he should press the military advantage. When she attempted to recapture Paris from the English, he denied her adequate support, and the attempt failed. Joan of Arc being interrogated by an English cardinal, by Ingres May 1430 she was taken prisoner in battle, and tried on an accusation of sorcery and heresy. made no effort to ransom her or rescue her, although her first captors would almost certainly have accepted a ransom. was convicted and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, being then a little less than nineteen and a half years old. French, however, eventually went on to win the war and to expel the English from France. Charles, perhaps because it was not to his advantage to have it said that he had been crowned by a witch and a heretic, and that he owed his victories and his kingdom to a pact with the Devil, pressured the Church courts for a review of the verdict against Joan, and got her condemnation annulled in 1456. came to be regarded as a French national hero, and was eventually canonized by the Pope in May 1920. day (or a Sunday close to it) is a French national holiday. She is ranked with Denis of Paris and Remi of Rheims as one of France's three great national saints. is honored by the Church, not for winning military victories, or even because her visions were necessarily authentic, but because, being persuaded of the will of God for her life, she responded in faith and obedience to that will as she understood it. many literary works inspired by the life of Joan, I mention three: Bernard Shaw has written a play about her, Saint Joan. It has a preface for the reader which should not be skipped Twain has a novel, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, supposedly related by a follower of Joan. Twain is a devoted and uncritical admirer of Joan. von Schiller, friend of Goethe and eminent German playwright, has a play, Die Jungfrau von Orleans, which has been highly praised. It is available in translation. — by James Kiefer 0717 - Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia; Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. learning that his daughter had become a Christian, the father angrily disowned her. the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), when she was fifteen years old, Saint Marina was arrested and locked up in prison. With firm trust in the will of God and His help, the young prisoner prepared for her impending fate. governor Olymbrios, charmed with the beautiful girl, tried to persuade her to renounce the Christian Faith and become his wife. But the saint, unswayed, refused his offers. The vexed governor gave the holy martyr over to torture. Having beaten her fiercely, they fastened the saint with nails to a board and tore at her body with tridents. The governor himself, unable to bear the horror of these tortures, hid his face in his hands. But the holy martyr remained unyielding. Thrown for the night into prison, she was granted heavenly aid and healed of her wounds. stripped her and tied her to a tree, then burned the martyr with fire. Barely alive, the martyr prayed: “Lord, You have granted me to go through fire for Your Name, grant me also to go through the water of holy Baptism.” the word “water”, the governor gave orders to drown the saint in a large cauldron. martyr besought the Lord that this manner of execution should become for her holy Baptism. they plunged her into the water, there suddenly shone a light, and a snow-white dove came down from Heaven, bearing in its beak a golden crown. The fetters put upon Saint Marina came apart by themselves. The martyr stood up in the fount of Baptism glorifying the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Saint Marina emerged from the fount completely healed, without any trace of burns. at this miracle, the people glorified the True God, and many came to believe. This brought the governor into a rage, and he gave orders to kill anyone who might confess the Name of Christ. 15,000 Christians perished there, and the holy Martyr Marina was beheaded. The sufferings of the Great Martyr Marina were described by an eyewitness of the event, named Theotimos. until the taking of Constantinople by Western crusaders in the year 1204, the relics of the Great Martyr Marina were in the Panteponteia monastery. According to other sources, they were located in Antioch until the year 908 and from there transferred to Italy. Now they are in Athens, in a church dedicated to the holy Virgin Martyr. Her venerable hand was transferred to Mount Athos, to the Batopedi monastery. 1124 - Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria; Holy Great Martyr Katherine was the daughter of Konstos, the governor of Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximian (305-313). in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Katherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own Spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. After listening to Katherine, the Elder said that he knew of someone who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.” description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced an ardent desire in the soul of the holy maiden to see Him. "If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder gave Katherine an icon of the Theotokos with the Divine Child on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and she would hear Katherine and grant her heart’s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said to her Divine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Katherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” the Child turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.” returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. then received the Mystery of Holy Baptism from him. Again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with her Child. Now the Lord looked at her tenderly and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time Emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blaze of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. love for the Christian martyrs, and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings, compelled her to speak to the pagan priest and to Emperor Maximian. herself, the Saint confessed her faith in the One True God, and exposed the errors of the pagans. beauty of the maiden captivated the Emperor. In order to convince her of the superiority of pagan wisdom, the Emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt alive by order of the Emperor. to persuade the Saint, Maximian tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Hearing her angry refusal, the Emperor ordered his men to subject the Saint to terrible tortures, and then throw her in prison. Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the Saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrios to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The Empress was impressed by Katherine's strong spirit, and her face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian Faith to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day, they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and to offer sacrifice to the "gods." The Saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she was taken to be tortured on four wheels with sharp iron spikes, an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. seeing this miracle, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrios and 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ before everyone, and they were beheaded. tried again to entice the holy martyr, offering to marry her, and again he was refused. Saint Katherine remained faithful to her heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and after praying to Him, she laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Katherine were taken by the Angels to Mount Sinai. the VI century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to the newly-constructed church of the Monastery on Mount Sinai, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Katherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mount Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit. Katherine is commemorated on November 25 in Greek usage.

France, 1461-1483, K of France, Louis XI, rebelled his father, the cunning, the spider, eliminated rebellious vassals
France, 1461-1483, King of France, Louis XI of France; XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (French: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the Praguerie in 1440. The king forgave his rebellious vassals, including Louis, to whom he entrusted the management of the Dauphiné, then a province in southeastern France. Louis's ceaseless intrigues, however, led his father to banish him from court. From the Dauphiné, Louis led his own political establishment and married Charlotte of Savoy, daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy, against the will of his father. Charles VII sent an army to compel his son to his will, but Louis fled to Burgundy, where he was hosted by Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, Charles' greatest enemy. Charles VII died in 1461, Louis left the Burgundian court to take possession of his kingdom. His taste for intrigue and his intense diplomatic activity earned him the nicknames "the Cunning" (Middle French: le rusé) and "the Universal Spider" (Middle French: l'universelle aragne), as his enemies accused him of spinning webs of plots and conspiracies. 1472, the subsequent Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, took up arms against his rival Louis. However, Louis was able to isolate Charles from his English allies by signing the Treaty of Picquigny (1475) with Edward IV of England. The treaty formally ended the Hundred Years' War. With the death of Charles the Bold at the Battle of Nancy in 1477, the dynasty of the dukes of Burgundy died out. Louis took advantage of the situation to seize numerous Burgundian territories, including Burgundy itself and Picardy. direct foreign threats, Louis was able to eliminate his rebellious vassals, expand royal power, and strengthen the economic development of his country. He died on 30 August 1483, and was succeeded by his minor son Charles VIII.

France, 1483-1498, K of France, Charles VIII, affable, regent sister, Mad War, Anne of Brittany, c Italian Penninsula
France, 1483-1498, King of France, Charles VIII of France; VIII, called the Affable ((30 June 1470 - 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.[1] His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Duke of Bourbon[1][2] until 1491 when the young king turned 21 years of age. Anne's regency, the great lords rebelled against royal centralisation efforts in a conflict known as the Mad War (1485–1488), which resulted in a victory for the royal government. a remarkable stroke of audacity, Charles married Anne of Brittany in 1491 after she had already been married by proxy to the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in a ceremony of questionable validity. by the problematic succession in the Kingdom of Hungary, Maximilian failed to press his claim. Upon his marriage, Charles became administrator of Brittany and established a personal union that enabled France to avoid total encirclement by Habsburg territories. secure his rights to the Neapolitan throne that René of Anjou had left to his father, Charles made a series of concessions to neighbouring monarchs and conquered the Italian peninsula without much opposition. A coalition formed against the French invasion of 1494–98 finally drove out Charles' army, but Italian Wars would dominate Western European politics for over 50 years. died in 1498 after accidentally striking his head on the lintel of a door at the Château d'Amboise, his place of birth. Since he had no male heir, he was succeeded by his 2nd cousin once removed, Louis XII from the Orléans cadet branch of the House of Valois.

France, 1490-1528, Matthias Grunewald, painter of religious works, ignored classicism, antithesis to Durer
Colmar, Alsace, on the Maginot Line, France; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DÜRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August, Commemorated August 5; Grunewald, (c. 1470 - August 31, 1528), was an important German Renaissance painter of religious works, who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the expressive and intense style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century. Only ten paintings—several consisting of many panels—and thirty-five drawings survive, all religious, although many others were lost at sea in the Baltic on their way to Sweden as war booty. His reputation was obscured until the late nineteenth century, and many of his paintings were attributed to Albrecht Dürer, who is now seen as his stylistic antithesis. His largest and most famous work is the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar, Alsace. (More at Wikipedia)

France, 1498-1515, K of France, Louis XII, Mad War oppont, Itallian War commander, union Brittany France, Milan, Naples, lost N
France, 1498-1515, King of France, Louis XII of France ; XII (27 June 1462 - 1 January 1515) was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orleans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the time, Charles VIII, who died without direct heirs in 1498. his accession to the throne of France, he was known as Louis of Orleans and was compelled to be married to his disabled and supposedly sterile cousin Joan by his second cousin, King Louis XI. By doing so, Louis XI hoped to extinguish the Orleans cadet branch of the House of Valois.[1][2] of Orleans was one of the great feudal lords who opposed the French monarchy in the conflict known as the Mad War. At the royal victory in the Battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier in 1488, Louis was captured, but Charles VIII pardoned him and released him. He subsequently took part in the Italian War of 1494–1498 as one of the French commanders. Louis XII became king in 1498, he had his marriage with Joan annulled by Pope Alexander VI and instead married Anne of Brittany, the widow of his cousin Charles VIII. This marriage allowed Louis to reinforce the personal Union of Brittany and France. persevered in the Italian Wars, initiating a second Italian campaign for the control of the Kingdom of Naples. Louis conquered the Duchy of Milan in 1500 and pushed forward to the Kingdom of Naples, which fell to him in 1501. Proclaimed King of Naples, Louis faced a new coalition gathered by Ferdinand II of Aragon and was forced to cede Naples to Spain in 1504. XII did not encroach on the power of local governments or the privileges of the nobility, in opposition with the long tradition of the French kings to attempt to impose absolute monarchy in France. A popular king, Louis was proclaimed "Father of the People" in 1506 by the Estates-General of Tours for his reduction of the tax known as taille, legal reforms, and civil peace within France. who remained Duke of Milan after the second Italian War, was interested in further expansion in the Italian Peninsula and launched a third Italian War (1508–1516), which was marked by the military prowess of the Chevalier de Bayard. XII died in 1515 without a male heir. He was succeeded by his cousin and son-in-law Francis from the Angoulême cadet branch of the House of Valois.

France, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Luther's 95 Theses, Hugenots, Calvin, Jesuits

France, 1501, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe
France, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

France, 1511-1556, Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits
France, 1511-1556, Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3;

France, 1515-1547, King, Francis I, Arts, Mona Lisa, Americas, Colonies
France, 1515-1547, King of France, Francis I of France; I (12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed Louis XII, who died without a son. prodigious patron of the arts, he promoted the emergent French Renaissance by attracting many Italian artists to work for him, including Leonardo da Vinci, who brought the Mona Lisa with him, which Francis had acquired. Francis' reign saw important cultural changes with the growth of central power in France, the spread of humanism and Protestantism, and the beginning of French exploration of the New World. Jacques Cartier and others claimed lands in the Americas for France and paved the way for the expansion of the first French colonial empire. his role in the development and promotion of a standardized French language, he became known as le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres (the 'Father and Restorer of Letters').[1] He was also known as François au Grand Nez ('Francis of the Large Nose'), the Grand Colas, and the Roi-Chevalier (the 'Knight-King')[1] for his personal involvement in the wars against his great rival Emperor Charles V, who was also King of Spain. the policy of his predecessors, Francis continued the Italian Wars. The succession of Charles V to the Burgundian Netherlands, the throne of Spain, and his subsequent election as Holy Roman Emperor, meant that France was geographically encircled by the Habsburg monarchy. In his struggle against Imperial hegemony, Francis sought the support of Henry VIII of England at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.[2] When this was unsuccessful, he formed a Franco-Ottoman alliance with the Muslim sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a controversial move for a Christian king at the time.[3] FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552;

France, 1517+, 16th Century, Hugenots, the French Reformed Church
France: original Land of the French Reformed Church: the Hugenots; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ;

France, 1526-1552, FRANCIS XAVIER, original Jesuit, India, verses to music, Malay Penninsula, 2000 Japan converts

France, 1534-1540, Society of Jesus, Jesuits
France, 1540, Society of Jesus, Jesuits ; Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions with the approval of Pope Paul III in 1540. The members are called Jesuits .[2] The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue. Society of Jesus is consecrated under the patronage of Madonna Della Strada, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is led by a Superior General.[3][4] The headquarters of the society, its General Curia, is in Rome.[5] The historic curia of Ignatius is now part of the Collegio del Ges¹ attached to the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuit mother church. Society of Jesus as a congregation had some militaristic tendencies. This was so because St. Ignatius who was its leading founder was a nobleman who had a military background. An example of these military tendencies is that members of the society were expected to accept orders to go anywhere in the world, where they might be required to live in extreme conditions. Accordingly, the opening lines of the founding document declared that the society was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God[a] to strive especially for the defence and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine".[7] Jesuits are thus sometimes referred to colloquially as "God's soldiers",[8] "God's marines",[9] or "the Company", which evolved from references to Ignatius' history as a soldier and the society's commitment to accepting orders anywhere and to endure any conditions.[10] The society participated in the Counter-Reformation and, later, in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3;

France, 1547-1559, King, Henry II, pursued f's policies, art, war, religion, Wars against Habsburg, suppress Protestant Reformation, Huguenots increasing
France, 1547-1559, King of France, Henry II of France ; II (31 March 1519 - 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder brother Francis III, Duke of Brittany, in 1536. a child, Henry and his elder brother spent over four years in captivity in Spain as hostages in exchange for their father. Henry pursued his father's policies in matters of art, war, and religion. He persevered in the Italian Wars against the House of Habsburg and tried to suppress the Protestant Reformation, even as the Huguenot numbers were increasing drastically in France during his reign. Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559), which put an end to the Italian Wars, had mixed results: France renounced its claims to territories in Italy, but gained certain other territories, including the Pale of Calais and the Three Bishoprics. In addition, even if the Habsburgs maintained a position of primacy, France managed to change the European balance of power by forcing Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor to abdicate during the Eighth Italian War and divide the Habsburg Empire between Spain and Austria. suffered an untimely death in a jousting tournament held to celebrate the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis. The king's surgeon, Ambroise Paré, was unable to cure the infected wound inflicted by Gabriel de Montgomery, the captain of his Scottish Guard. He was succeeded in turn by three of his sons, whose ineffectual reigns helped to spark the French Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552;

France, 1559-1560, King of France, Frances II of France, French wars of religion
France, 1559-1560, King of France, Frances II of France ; II (19 January 1544 - 5 December 1560) was King of France from 1559 to 1560. was also King consort of Scotland as a result of his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1558 until his death in 1560. ascended the throne of France at age 15 after the accidental death of his father, Henry II, in 1559. His short reign was dominated by the first stirrings of the French Wars of Religion. the royal age of majority was 14, his mother, Catherine de' Medici, entrusted the reins of government to his wife Mary's uncles from the House of Guise, staunch supporters of the Catholic cause. were unable to help Catholics in Scotland against the progressing Scottish Reformation, however, and the Auld Alliance was dissolved. was succeeded by two of his brothers in turn, both of whom were also unable to reduce tensions between Protestants and Catholics.

France, 1560-1574, King of France, Charles IX of France
France, 1560-1574, King of France, Charles IX of France;

France, 1574-1575, King of France, Henry III of France
France, 1574-1575, King of France, Henry III of France;

France, 1575-1610, King of France,Henry IV of France
France, 1575-1610, King of France,Henry IV of France; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660;

France, 1598, Edict of Nantes, Brittany (Liore River 31), Granted Rights to the French Protestants aka Huguenots
Nantes, Brittany ; Edict of Nantes; Edict of Nantes (French: édit de Nantes) was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. the edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity.[a] The edict separated civil from religious unity, treated some Protestants for the first time as more than mere schismatics and heretics and opened a path for secularism and tolerance. offering a general freedom of conscience to individuals, the edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants, such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their civil rights, including the right to work in any field, even for the state, and to bring grievances directly to the king. marked the end of the French Wars of Religion, which had afflicted France during the second half of the 16th century. Edict of St. Germain, promulgated 36 years earlier by Catherine de Médici, had granted limited tolerance to Huguenots but was overtaken by events, as it was not formally registered until after the Massacre of Vassy on 1 March 1562, which triggered the first of the French Wars of Religion. Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes in October 1685, was promulgated by Louis XIV, the grandson of Henry IV. This act drove an exodus of Protestants and increased the hostility of Protestant nations bordering France.

France, 1600, 17th Century Folder, St Vincent DePaul, Centralized Power, Versailles

France, 1610-1643, King of France, Louis XIII of France
France, 1610-1643, King of France, Louis XIII of France; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660;

France, 1643-1715, King of France, Louis XIV of France
France, 1643-1715, King of France, Louis XIV of France; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660;

France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot, Anglican, and American Catechist school for slaves and indians in New York
France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot, Anglican, and American Catechist school for slaves and indians in New York ; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. ’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” ’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty. See also his biography from Holy Women, Holy Men. Elias Neau; Neau (1662 – 7 September 1722), born Élie Neau, in Moëze, Saintonge, was a French Huguenot. the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, he fled first to the French colony of Saint-Domingue, to Boston, where he became a prosperous merchant. 1692, he was captured by a French privateer near Jamaica, and for being a fugitive Protestant, was first sentenced to a life sentence as a galley slave, then imprisoned in Marseille.[1 He was released in 1697, following the intercession of King William III, whose ministers argued that Neau was an English subject.[1] [2] back in North America, Neau's story made him "probably the most famous refugee in British America at the time" because his refusal to gain his freedom by converting to Catholicism attracted "a wide Protestant readership in both French and English."[3][4] 1704, Neau cut his ties with the French Protestant church in New York and converted to Anglicanism. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel then appointed him as minister to black slaves in North America, and he established the first school open to African-Americans in New York City.[5][6] 1706, he secured passage of a bill in New York allowing slaves to be catechized.[7][8] Episcopal Church commemorates him as a "witness to the faith" on September 7.

France, 1685, Revocation Edict of Nantes, Brittany (Liore River 31), Granted Rights to the French Protestants aka Huguenots
Nantes, Brittany ; Edict of Nantes; Edict of Nantes (French: édit de Nantes) was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. the edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity.[a] The edict separated civil from religious unity, treated some Protestants for the first time as more than mere schismatics and heretics and opened a path for secularism and tolerance. offering a general freedom of conscience to individuals, the edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants, such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their civil rights, including the right to work in any field, even for the state, and to bring grievances directly to the king. marked the end of the French Wars of Religion, which had afflicted France during the second half of the 16th century. Edict of St. Germain, promulgated 36 years earlier by Catherine de Médici, had granted limited tolerance to Huguenots but was overtaken by events, as it was not formally registered until after the Massacre of Vassy on 1 March 1562, which triggered the first of the French Wars of Religion. Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes in October 1685, was promulgated by Louis XIV, the grandson of Henry IV. This act drove an exodus of Protestants and increased the hostility of Protestant nations bordering France.

France, 1700-1789, 18th Century Folder, Versailles to the French Revolution

France, 1715-1774, King of France, Louis XV of France, returned netherlands, New France in A to GB&S, corruption, useless wars
France, 1715-1774, King of France, Louis XV of France; XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved,[1] was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defined as his 13th birthday) on 15 February 1723, the kingdom was ruled by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, as Regent of France. Cardinal Fleury was chief minister from 1726 until his death in 1743, at which time the king took sole control of the kingdom. reign of almost 59 years (from 1715 to 1774) was the second longest in the history of France, exceeded only by his predecessor, Louis XIV, who had ruled for 72 years (from 1643 to 1715).[2] 1748, Louis returned the Austrian Netherlands, won at the Battle of Fontenoy of 1745. He ceded New France in North America to Great Britain and Spain at the conclusion of the disastrous Seven Years' War in 1763. He incorporated the territories of the Duchy of Lorraine and the Corsican Republic into the Kingdom of France. generally criticise his reign, citing how reports of his corruption embarrassed the monarchy, while his wars drained the treasury while producing little gain. His grandson and successor Louis XVI would inherit a kingdom in need of financial and political reform which would ultimately lead to the French Revolution of 1789.

France, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

France, 1754-1763, French and Indian War, New France v New England, outnumbered french, indians both sides,
France, 1754-1763, French and Indian War; French and Indian War (1754–1763) pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France, each side supported by military units from the parent country and by Native American allies. At the start of the war, the French colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British colonies.[4] The outnumbered French particularly depended on the natives.[5] European nations declared a wider war upon one another overseas in 1756, two years into the French and Indian War, and many view the French and Indian War as being merely the American theater of the worldwide Seven Years' War of 1756–63; however, the French and Indian War is viewed in the United States as a singular conflict which was not associated with any European war.[6] French Canadians call it Guerre de la Conquête ('War of the Conquest').[7][8] British colonists were supported at various times by the Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee tribes, and the French colonists were supported by Wabanaki Confederacy member tribes Abenaki and Mi'kmaq, and the Algonquin, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot tribes.[9] Fighting took place primarily along the frontiers between New France and the British colonies, from the Province of Virginia in the south to Newfoundland in the north. It began with a dispute over control of the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River called the Forks of the Ohio, and the site of the French Fort Duquesne at the location that later became Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The dispute erupted into violence in the Battle of Jumonville Glen in May 1754, during which Virginia militiamen under the command of 22-year-old George Washington ambushed a French patrol.[10] 1755, six colonial governors met with General Edward Braddock, the newly arrived British Army commander, and planned a four-way attack on the French. None succeeded, and the main effort by Braddock proved a disaster; he lost the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755, and died a few days later. British operations failed in the frontier areas of the Province of Pennsylvania and the Province of New York during 1755–57 due to a combination of poor management, internal divisions, effective Canadian scouts, French regular forces, and Native warrior allies. In 1755, the British captured Fort Beauséjour on the border separating Nova Scotia from Acadia, and they ordered the expulsion of the Acadians (1755–64) soon afterwards. Orders for the deportation were given by Commander-in-Chief William Shirley without direction from Great Britain. The Acadians were expelled, both those captured in arms and those who had sworn the loyalty oath to the King. Natives likewise were driven off the land to make way for settlers from New England.[11] British colonial government fell in the region of Nova Scotia after several disastrous campaigns in 1757, including a failed expedition against Louisbourg and the Siege of Fort William Henry; this last was followed by the Natives torturing and massacring their colonial victims. William Pitt came to power and significantly increased British military resources in the colonies at a time when France was unwilling to risk large convoys to aid the limited forces that they had in New France, preferring to concentrate their forces against Prussia and its allies who were now engaged in the Seven Years' War in Europe. The conflict in Ohio ended in 1758 with the British–American victory in the Ohio Country. Between 1758 and 1760, the British military launched a campaign to capture French Canada. They succeeded in capturing territory in surrounding colonies and ultimately the city of Quebec (1759). The following year the British were victorious in the Montreal Campaign in which the French ceded Canada in accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1763). also ceded its territory east of the Mississippi to Great Britain, as well as French Louisiana west of the Mississippi River to its ally Spain in compensation for Spain's loss to Britain of Spanish Florida. (Spain had ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for the return of Havana, Cuba.) France's colonial presence north of the Caribbean was reduced to the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, confirming Great Britain's position as the dominant colonial power in northern America. MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16;

France, 1774-1791, King of France, Louis XVI of France, enlightened reforms, caused hostility on both sides, and his execution
France, 1774-1791, King of France, Louis XVI of France; XVI (23 August 1754 - 21 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. was referred to as Citizen Louis Capet during the four months just before he was executed by guillotine. In 1765, upon the death of his father, Louis, Dauphin of France, he became the new Dauphin. Upon his grandfather Louis XV's death on 10 May 1774, he assumed the title King of France and Navarre, until 4 September 1791, when he received the title of King of the French until the monarchy was abolished on 21 September 1792. first part of his reign was marked by attempts to reform the French government in accordance with Enlightenment ideas. These included efforts to abolish serfdom, remove the taille (land tax) and the corvée (labour tax),[1] and increase tolerance toward non-Catholics as well as abolish the death penalty for deserters.[2][3] French nobility reacted to the proposed reforms with hostility, and successfully opposed their implementation. implemented deregulation of the grain market, advocated by his economic liberal minister Turgot, but it resulted in an increase in bread prices. In periods of bad harvests, it led to food scarcity which, during a particularly bad harvest in 1775, prompted the masses to revolt. 1776, Louis XVI actively supported the North American colonists, who were seeking their independence from Great Britain, which was realised in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. ensuing debt and financial crisis contributed to the unpopularity of the Ancien Régime. This led to the convening of the Estates-General of 1789. Discontent among the members of France's middle and lower classes resulted in strengthened opposition to the French aristocracy and to the absolute monarchy, of which Louis and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette, were viewed as representatives. Increasing tensions and violence were marked by events such as the storming of the Bastille, during which riots in Paris forced Louis to definitively recognize the legislative authority of the National Assembly. indecisiveness and conservatism led some elements of the people of France to view him as a symbol of the perceived tyranny of the Ancien Régime, and his popularity deteriorated progressively. His unsuccessful flight to Varennes in June 1791, four months before the constitutional monarchy was declared, seemed to justify the rumors that the king tied his hopes of political salvation to the prospects of foreign intervention. The credibility of the king was deeply undermined, and the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic became an ever-increasing possibility. growth of anti-clericalism among revolutionaries resulted in the abolition of the dîme (religious land tax) and several government policies aimed at the dechristianization of France. a context of civil and international war, Louis XVI was suspended and arrested at the time of the Insurrection of 10 August 1792. month later, the absolute monarchy was abolished and the First French Republic was proclaimed on 21 September 1792. Louis was then tried by the National Convention (self-instituted as a tribunal for the occasion), found guilty of high treason, and executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793, as a desacralized French citizen under the name of Citizen Louis Capet, in reference to Hugh Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty – which the revolutionaries interpreted as Louis's surname. XVI was the only king of France ever to be executed, and his death brought an end to more than a thousand years of continuous French monarchy. Both of his sons died in childhood, before the Bourbon Restoration; his only child to reach adulthood, Marie Thérèse, was given over to the Austrians in exchange for French prisoners of war, eventually dying childless in 1851.

France, 1789-1940, Folder, French Revolution to WWII

France, 1789-1799, 18th Century Folder, French Revolution

France, 1789-1799, French Revolution
France, 1789-1799, French Revolution; French Revolution began in May 1789 when the Ancient Regime was abolished in favour of a constitutional monarchy. Its replacement in September 1792 by the First French Republic led to the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793, and an extended period of political turmoil. This culminated in the appointment of Napoleon as First Consul in November 1799, which is generally taken as its end point. Many of its principles are now considered fundamental aspects of modern liberal democracy.[1] intellectual origins of the Revolution came from a global network of European and Aerican 'patriots', who shared ideas and political principles, contacts accelerated by the American Revolution.[2] Together, they marked the beginning of the Age of Revolution, which continued into the mid-19th century and impacted much of Europe and the Americas.[3] However, the French quickly discarded the American Revolution as a reference point, and the two revolutions are generally viewed as distinct events, with different causes.[4] 1700 and 1789, the French population increased from 18 million to 26 million, leading to large numbers of unemployed, accompanied by sharp increases in food prices caused by years of bad harvests.[5] Widespread social distress led to the convocation of the Estates General in May 1789, the first since 1614. In June, the Estates were converted into a National Assembly, which swept away the existing establishment in a series of radical measures. These included the abolition of feudalism, state control of the Catholic Church and extending the right to vote. next three years were dominated by the struggle for political control, exacerbated by economic depression and social unrest. External powers like Austria, Britain and Prussia viewed the Revolution as a threat, leading to the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in April 1792. Disillusionment with Louis XVI led to the establishment of the First French Republic on 22 September 1792, followed by his execution in January 1793. In June, an uprising in Paris replaced the Girondins who dominated the Assembly with a Committee of Public Safety under Maximilien Robespierre. sparked the Reign of Terror, an attempt to eradicate alleged "counter-revolutionaries"; by the time it ended in July 1794, over 16,600 had been executed in Paris and the provinces. As well as external enemies, the Republic faced a series of internal Royalist and Jacobin revolts; in order to deal with these, the Directory took power in November 1795. Despite military success, the cost of the war led to economic stagnation and internal divisions, and in November 1799, the Directory was replaced by the Consulate. This is generally viewed as marking the end of the Revolutionary period. Revolutionary symbols such as La Marseillaise and phrases like Liberty fraternity reappeared in other revolts, such as the 1917 Russian Revolution.[6] Over the next two centuries, its key principles like equality would inspire campaigns for the abolition of slavery and universal suffrage.[7] Its values and institutions dominate French politics to this day, and many historians regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human history.[8] Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12;

France, 1792-1804, French First Republic
France, 1792-1804, French First Republic; In the history of France, the First Republic, was founded on 22 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First Empire in 1804 under Napoleon, although the form of the government changed several times. This period was characterized by the fall of the monarchy, the establishment of the National Convention and the Reign of Terror, the Thermidorian Reaction and the founding of the Directory, and, finally, the creation of the Consulate and Napoleon's rise to power. France, 1789-1799, French Revolution; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12;

France, 1798, French Conquest of Malta, Hide the Relics
France, 1798, French Conquest of Malta, Hide the Relics; Siege of Malta, also known as the Siege of Valletta or the French Blockade, was a two-year siege and blockade of the French garrison in Valletta and the Three Cities, the largest settlements and main port on the Mediterranean island of Malta, between 1798 and 1800. had been captured by a French expeditionary force during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, and garrisoned with 3,000 men under the command of Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois. After the British Royal Navy destroyed the French Mediterranean Fleet at the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798, the British were able to initiate a blockade of Malta, assisted by an uprising among the native Maltese population against French rule. its retreat to Valletta, the French garrison faced severe food shortages, exacerbated by the effectiveness of the British blockade. Although small quantities of supplies arrived in early 1799, there was no further traffic until early 1800, by which time starvation and disease was having a disastrous effect on health, morale, and combat capability of the French troops. February 1800, a significant convoy under Contre-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perree sent from Toulon made a determined effort to resupply the garrison. The blockade squadron under Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson intercepted the convoy within sight of the starving troops on Malta. Perree was killed and his flagship captured in the ensuing and brief Battle of the Malta Convoy (1800); no supplies reached Malta. The following month, the ship of the line Guillaume Tell set sail from Valletta to Toulon, laden with soldiers, but this too was intercepted and in a hard-fought battle was forced to surrender to a larger British squadron. These defeats rendered the French position on Valletta untenable, and its surrender inevitable. Although Vaubois held out for another five months, he eventually surrendered on 4 September and Malta was taken by Britain. Malta ; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John (no Wiki link);

France, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Napoleonic Wars, 1st and 2nd French Empires, 1st 3 Republics

France, 1803-1815, Napoleonic Wars
France, 1803-1815, Napoleonic Wars; Napoleonic Wars (1803-“1815) were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European powers formed into various coalitions. It produced a brief period of French domination over most of continental Europe. The wars stemmed from the unresolved disputes associated with the French Revolution and its resultant conflict. The wars are often categorised into five conflicts, each termed after the coalition that fought Napoleon: the Third Coalition (1805), the Fourth (1806-“07), the Fifth (1809), the Sixth (1813-“14), and the Seventh (1815). upon ascending to First Consul of France in 1799, had inherited a republic in chaos; he subsequently created a state with stable finances, a strong bureaucracy, and a well-trained army. In 1805, Austria and Russia formed the Third Coalition and waged war against France. In response, Napoleon defeated the allied Russo-Austrian army at Austerlitz in December 1805, which is considered his greatest victory. At sea, the British severely defeated the joint Franco-Spanish navy in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. This victory secured British control of the seas and prevented the invasion of Britain itself. Concerned about increasing French power, Prussia led the creation of the Fourth Coalition with Russia, Saxony, and Sweden, and the resumption of war in October 1806. Napoleon quickly defeated the Prussians at Jena and the Russians at Friedland, bringing an uneasy peace to the continent. The peace failed, though, as war broke out in 1809, when the badly prepared Fifth Coalition, led by Austria, was quickly defeated at Wagram. to isolate and weaken Britain economically through his Continental System, Napoleon launched an invasion of Portugal, the only remaining British ally in continental Europe. After occupying Lisbon in November 1807, and with the bulk of French troops present in Spain, Napoleon seized the opportunity to turn against his former ally, depose the reigning Spanish royal family and declare his brother King of Spain in 1808 as Jose I. The Spanish and Portuguese revolted with British support and expelled the French from Iberia in 1814 after six years of fighting. Russia, unwilling to bear the economic consequences of reduced trade, routinely violated the Continental System, prompting Napoleon to launch a massive invasion of Russia in 1812. The resulting campaign ended in disaster and the near destruction of Napoleon's Grande Armies. by the defeat, Austria, Prussia, and Russia formed the Sixth Coalition and began a new campaign against France, decisively defeating Napoleon at Leipzig in October 1813 after several inconclusive engagements. The Allies then invaded France from the east, while the Peninsular War spilled over into southwestern France. Coalition troops captured Paris at the end of March 1814 and forced Napoleon to abdicate in April. He was exiled to the island of Elba, and the Bourbons were restored to power. But Napoleon escaped in February 1815, and reassumed control of France for around one hundred days. After forming the Seventh Coalition, the Allies defeated him permanently at Waterloo in June 1815 and exiled him to Saint Helena, where he died six years later.[30] Congress of Vienna redrew the borders of Europe and brought a period of relative peace. The wars had profound consequences on global history, including the spread of nationalism and liberalism, the rise of Britain as the world's foremost naval and economic power, the appearance of independence movements in Latin America and subsequent collapse of the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire, the fundamental reorganisation of German and Italian territories into larger states, and the introduction of radically new methods of conducting warfare but also civil law. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ;

France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire, aka Republic
France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire; First French Empire,[4] officially the French Republic (until 1809) then the French Empire (French: Empire Francais; Latin: Imperium Francicum),[b] was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Although France had already established a colonial empire overseas since the early 17th century, the French state had remained a kingdom under the Bourbons and a republic after the French Revolution. Historians refer to Napoleon's regime as the First Empire to distinguish it from the restorationist Second Empire (1852-“1870) ruled by his nephew Napoleon III. 18 May 1804, Napoleon was granted the title Emperor of the French by the French (Senate) and was crowned on 2 December 1804,[8] signifying the end of the French Consulate and of the French First Republic. Despite his coronation, the empire continued to be called the œFrench RepublicÂ until 1809. The French Empire achieved military supremacy in mainland Europe through notable victories in the War of the Third Coalition against Austria, Prussia, Russia, and allied nations, notably at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.[9] French dominance was reaffirmed during the War of the Fourth Coalition, at the Battle of Jena-“Auerstedt in 1806 and the Battle of Friedland in 1807,[10] before Napoleon's final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. series of wars, known collectively as the Napoleonic Wars, extended French influence to much of Western Europe and into Poland. At its height in 1812, the French Empire had 130 departments, ruled over 44 million subjects, maintained an extensive military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Duchy of Warsaw, and counted Austria and Prussia as nominal allies.[11] Early French victories exported many ideological features of the Revolution throughout Europe: the introduction of the Napoleonic Code throughout the continent increased legal equality, established jury systems and legalized divorce, and seigneurial dues and seigneurial justice were abolished, as were aristocratic privileges in all places except Poland.[12] France's defeat in 1814 (and then again in 1815), marked the end of the Empire. Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

France, 1804-1814, Napoleon I Bonaparte, statesman and m leader, french revolution, wars, and empire
France, 1804-1814, Napoleon I Bonaparte; Bonaparte (15 August 1769 -“ 5 May 1821) was a French statesman and military leader who led many successful campaigns during the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars, and was Emperor of the French (as Napoleon I) from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions during the Napoleonic Wars. He won many of these wars and a vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over much of continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. Napoleon is regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history, and his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. His political and cultural legacy has made him one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in human history.[2][3] Napoleone di Buonaparte in Corsica a few months after the young independent republic was annexed by the Kingdom of France, Napoleon's modest family descended from minor Italian nobility. He was serving as an artillery officer in the French Royal Army when the French Revolution erupted in 1789. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the military, seizing the new opportunities presented by the Revolution and becoming a general at age 24. The French Directory eventually gave him command of the Army of Italy after he suppressed the 13 Vendemiaire revolt against the government by royalist insurgents. At age 26, he began his first military campaign against the Austrians and the Italian monarchs aligned with the Habsburgs in the War of the First Coalition, ”winning virtually every battle, conquering the Italian Peninsula in a year while establishing "sister republics" with local support, and becoming a war hero in France. 1798, he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He orchestrated a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. After the Peace of Amiens in 1802, Napoleon turned his attention to France's colonies. He sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States, and he attempted to restore slavery to the French Caribbean colonies. However, while he was successful in restoring slavery in the eastern Caribbean, Napoleon failed in his attempts to subdue Saint-Domingue, and the colony that France once proudly boasted of as the "Pearl of the Antilles" became independent as Haiti in 1804. Napoleon's ambition and public approval inspired him to go further, and he became the first Emperor of the French in 1804. The balance of power in Europe shattered, intractable differences with the British meant that the French were soon facing a Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon emerged triumphant over this coalition with decisive victories in the Ulm Campaign and a historic success over the Russian Empire and Austrian Empire at the Battle of Austerlitz which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. formed the Franco-Persian alliance and wanted to re-establish the Franco-Indian alliances with the Muslim Indian emperor Tipu Sultan by providing a French-trained army during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, with the continuous aim of having an eventual open way to attack the British in India.[4][5] In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him because Prussia became worried about French continental expansion. Napoleon quickly defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, then marched his Grande Armie deep into Eastern Europe and annihilated the Russians in June 1807 at the Battle of Friedland. France then forced the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to sign the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, bringing an uneasy peace to the continent. Tilsit signified the high-water mark of the French Empire. In 1809, the Austrians and the British challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram in July. then occupied the Iberian Peninsula, hoping to extend the Continental System and choke off British trade with the European mainland, and declared his brother Joseph Bonaparte the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted with British support. The Peninsular War lasted six years, featured extensive guerrilla warfare, and ended in victory for the Allies in 1814. The Continental System caused recurring diplomatic conflicts between France and its client states, especially Russia. The Russians were unwilling to bear the economic consequences of reduced trade and routinely violated the Continental System, enticing Napoleon into another war. The French launched a major invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The campaign destroyed Russian cities, but did not yield the decisive victory Napoleon wanted. It resulted in the collapse of the Grande Armie and inspired a renewed push against Napoleon by his enemies. 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in the War of the Sixth Coalition against France. A lengthy military campaign culminated in a large Allied army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, but his tactical victory at the minor Battle of Hanau allowed retreat onto French soil. The Allies then invaded France and captured Paris in the spring of 1814, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany, and the Bourbon dynasty was restored to power. Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and took control of France once again. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition which defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in June. He was exiled to the remote British island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later at the age of 51. influence on the modern world brought liberal reforms to the numerous territories that he conquered and controlled, such as the Low Countries, Switzerland, and large parts of modern Italy and Germany. He implemented fundamental liberal policies in France and throughout Western Europe. His Napoleonic Code has influenced the legal systems of more than 70 nations around the world. British historian Andrew Roberts states: "The ideas that underpin our modern world-”meritocracy, equality before the law, property rights, religious toleration, modern secular education, sound finances, and so on- ”were championed, consolidated, codified and geographically extended by Napoleon. To them he added a rational and efficient local administration, an end to rural banditry, the encouragement of science and the arts, the abolition of feudalism and the greatest codification of laws since the fall of the Roman Empire".[6] Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ;

France, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era, Roman Catholic, but Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Orthodox
Croatia, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era; in the Napoleonic Era[edit] Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy from 1806 to 1810 included the Dalmatia that had belonged to Venice until 1797 as a part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1811 in 1797, in the treaty of Campo Formio, Napoleon I gave Dalmatia to Austria in return for Belgium. republics of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) and Poljica (central Dalmatia near Omis) retained their independence, and Ragusa grew rich by its neutrality during the earlier Napoleonic wars. the Peace of Pressburg in 1805, Istria, Dalmatia and the Bay of Kotor (Montenegro) were handed over to France. 1805 Napoleon created his Kingdom of Italy around the Adriatic sea, annexing to it the former Venetian Dalmatia from Istria to Cattaro (Kotor). 1806, the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) finally succumbed to foreign (French) troops under general Marmont, the same year a Montenegrin force supported by the Russians tried to contest the French by seizing Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor, Montenegro). The allied forces have pushed the French to Ragusa. The Russians induced the Montenegrins to render aid and they proceeded to take the islands of Korula and Bra (both central Dalmatian archipelago) but made no furtherprogress, and withdrew in 1807 under the treaty of Tilsit. The Republic of Ragusa was officially annexed to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1808. 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition broke out, and French and Austrian forces also fought in the Dalmatian Campaign (1809). the summer, Austrian forces retook Dalmatia, but this lasted only until the Treaty of Schunbrunn, when Austria ceded a number of additional provinces north of Dalmatia to France, so Napoleon removed Dalmatia from his Kingdom of Italy and created the Illyrian Provinces. major part of the Dalmatian population was Roman Catholic. St. Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

France, 1809, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn, harsh French terms, ended 5th coalition
France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn; The Treaty of Schonbrunn , sometimes known as the Peace of Schonbrunn or Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at Schonbrunn Palace near Vienna on 14 October 1809. The treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars, after Austria had been defeated at the decisive Battle of Wagram on 5-6 July. France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date of 10 Oct 1809 NS; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1809, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date or 10 Oct 1809 NS
France, 1809, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date or 10 Oct 1809 NS; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1812, French Invasion of Russia, Russian Patriotic War of 1812
France, 1812, French Invasion of Russia, Russian Patriotic War of 1812 France, 1804-1815, Napolionic Era, First French Empire; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13;

France, 1812, Laurence, Fool for Christ, Kaluga became limit of French offensive and beginning of enemy's retreat
Russia, Kaluga,1512, Laurence, Fool for Christ at Kaluga; the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. Tartar War at Kaluga 1512; Blessed Laurence the Fool-For-Christ at Kaluga, Commemorated on August 10; Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ and Wonderworker of Kaluga, lived at the beginning of the XVI century at a distance of half a verst from old Kaluga, near a forest church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, set upon a high hill. was a long underground entrance from his dwelling place to the church, where he attended services. He also lived at the home of the Kaluga Prince Simeon. It is thought that Blessed Laurence was descended from the noble Khitrov family, since his name is at the head of their memorial at the Peremyshl’sk Liutykov Monastery in the Kaluga diocese. Laurence went barefoot both winter and summer, dressed in a shirt and sheepskin coat. By his ascetical struggles he had risen to such heights of virtue that during his lifetime, he was glorified by gifts of grace. He healed many diseases of the eyes through his prayers. the Crimean Tatars attacked Kaluga in May 1512, Blessed Laurence, then in the Prince's home, suddenly shouted in a loud voice: “Give me my sharp axe, for the curs are attacking Prince Simeon and I must defend him!” Saying this, he grabbed the axe and left. Suddenly, he was on board a ship next to the Prince. The Holy Fool Laurence inspired and encouraged the soldiers, and at that very hour they defeated the enemy. he is depicted on icons with an axe in his right hand, set upon a long handle. It is certain that Prince Simeon (+ 1518), who owed his life to Blessed Laurence, built a monastery on the site of the Saint’s ascetical struggles and dedicated it to him. Laurence reposed on August 10, 1515, on his Name Day. The Saint is also commemorated on July 8, perhaps in remembrance of his first posthumous miracle in Kaluga in 1621.1 that year, the paralyzed boyar Lev Andreevich Kologrivov, who could not move his hands and legs, and was unable to speak, was placed near the tomb of Saint Laurence. During a Moleben, as the Gospel was read, the paralyzed man spoke and began to believe. Raising his right hand, he made the Sign of the Cross; then he stood up, went to the tomb and attached himself to it. By the end of the Moleben, he was able to speak normally, and became perfectly healthy. Laurence seems to have been glorified in the second half of the XVI century. Tsar Ivan the Terrible wrote the following on a deed granting land to the monastery in 1565: “To the Monastery of the Nativity of Christ, where Laurence, the Fool-for-Christ lies." the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, the intercession of Blessed Lawrence for his native land was shown in a vivid manner. Kaluga became "the limit of the (French) offensive and the beginning of the enemy's retreat and destruction," according to an inscription on the Maloyaroslavets monument commemorating the battle on October 12, 1812. August 2018, some of Saint Laurence's relics were discovered in a storeroom of the Moscow Central Museum of the Armed Forces. On August 10/23, a portion of the holy relics was given to the Monastery in Kaluga where the body of Saint Laurence was once buried.

France, 1812, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God stolen to Paris, Replaced by copy
Russia, Crimea, 988, Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God transferred to Korsun and Vladimir the Great; Vladimir the Great; Battle of Bassianae (Byzantine (Gothic, Roman) victory over the Huns) 469; The war ended in 469. Marcellinus Comes shortly recorded "The head of Dinzic, son of Attila, king of the Huns, was brought to Constantinople".[14] The Chronicon Paschale recounts "Dinzirichus, Attila's son, was killed by Anagastes, general in Thrace. His head was brought to Constantinople, carried in procession through the Middle Street, and fixed on a pole at the Wooden Circus. The whole city turned out to look at it".[14] Jordanes recounts events in c. 468: "Now after firm peace was established between Goths and Romans, the Goths found that what they received from the emperor was not sufficient for them. Furthermore, they were eager to display their wonted valor, and so began to plunder the neighboring peoples around them, first attacking the Sadagis[nb 1] who held the interior of Pannonia. When Dintzic, king of the Huns, a son of Attila, learned this, he gathered to him the few who still seemed to have remained under his sway, namely, the Ultzinzures[nb 2] the Angisciri[nb 3] the Bittugures[nb 4] and the Bardores[nb 5] Coming to Bassianae (see Battle of Bassianae), a city of Pannonia, he beleaguered it and began to plunder its territory. When the Goths learned this, they abandoned the expedition they had planned against the Sadagis and turned upon the Huns and drove them so ingloriously from their own land that those who remained have been in dread of the arms of the Goths from that time down to the present day."[22] Dengizich, Atilla's Son; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12;

France, 1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine, trade r, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland, 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace
Russia, Kiev,1812, Sven Icon of Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 2, First Great Abatis Line 1566, trade r, Smolensk, Br, Ch, Kiev, Vohly to Poland), 1812 Napoleonic War delivernace; Briansk, Ukraine (Desna River 1) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Sven Icon of the Mother of God of the Caves has two festal celebrations: May 3 (the day of the reopse of Saint Theodosius of the Caves), and August 17 (the day of the repose of Saint Alypius), who painted the icon. The August 17 celebration was established in the year 1815 in thanksgiving for the deliverance of the city of Briansk (around which the icon appeared in 1288) from invasion during the 1812 Napoleonic War.

France, 1814-1830, Bourbon Restoration, after Napoleon fell at Waterloo in 1815
France, 1814-1830, Bourbon Restoration; Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history following the first fall of Napoleon in 1814 and his final defeat in the Hundred Days in 1815, until the July Revolution of 1830. brothers of the executed Louis XVI, namely Louis XVIII and Charles X, successively mounted the throne and instituted a conservative government aiming to restore the proprieties, if not all the institutions, of the Ancien Regime. supporters of the monarchy returned to France. They were nonetheless unable to reverse most of the changes made by the French Revolution and Napoleon. by decades of war, the nation experienced a period of internal and external peace, stable economic prosperity and the preliminaries of industrialization.[1] St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

France, 1830-1848, July Monarchy, Orleans Monarchy
France, 1830-1848, July Monarchy, Orleans Monarchy ; The July Monarchy (French: Monarchie de juillet, officially the Kingdom of France, French: Royaume de France) was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under Louis Philippe I, starting with the July Revolution of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848. It marks the end of the Bourbon Restoration (1814-“1830). It began with the overthrow of the conservative government of Charles X, the last king of the House of Bourbon. Louis Philippe, a member of the more liberal Orleans branch of the House of Bourbon, proclaimed himself as Roi des Francais ("King of the French") rather than "King of France", emphasizing the popular origins of his reign. The king promised to follow the juste milieu, or the middle-of-the-road, avoiding the extremes of both the conservative supporters of Charles X and radicals on the left. The July Monarchy was dominated by wealthy bourgeoisie and numerous former Napoleonic officials. It followed conservative policies, especially under the influence (1840-“48) of Fransois Guizot. The king promoted friendship with Great Britain and sponsored colonial expansion, notably the French conquest of Algeria. By 1848, a year in which many European states had a revolution, the king's popularity had collapsed, and he was overthrown.

France, 1848, French Revolution of 1848
France, 1848, French Revolution of 1848; The 1848 Revolution in France, sometimes known as the February Revolution, was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France the revolutionary events ended the July Monarchy (1830-“1848) and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. Following the overthrow of King Louis Philippe in February 1848, the elected government of the Second Republic ruled France. In the months that followed, this government steered a course that became more conservative. On 23 June 1848, the people of Paris rose in insurrection,[1] which became known as June Days uprising , a bloody but unsuccessful rebellion by the Paris workers against a conservative turn in the Republic's course. On 2 December 1848, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon III) was elected president of the Second Republic, largely on peasant support. Exactly three years later he suspended the elected assembly, establishing the Second French Empire, which lasted until 1870. Louis Napoleon went on to become the de facto last French monarch. The February revolution established the principle of the "right to work" (droit au travail), and its newly established government created "National Workshops" (ateliers nationaux) for the unemployed. At the same time a sort of industrial parliament was established at the Luxembourg Palace, under the presidency of Louis Blanc, with the object of preparing a scheme for the organization of labor. These tensions between liberal Orleanist and Radical Republicans and Socialists led to the June Days Uprising.

France, 1848-1852, French Second Republic
France, 1848-1852, French Second Republic; French Second Republic was a short-lived republican government of France under President Louis-Napoeon Bonaparte. It lasted from the 1848 Revolution to the 1851 coup by which the president made himself Emperor Napoleon III and initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto of the First Republic, Liberty Fraternity. The Second Republic witnessed the tension between the "Social and Democratic Republic" and a liberal form of republicanism, which exploded during the June Days uprising of 1848. The Republic would ultimately last four years, one of the shortest regimes in French history.

France, 1852-1870, Second French Empire
Second French Empire 1852-1870; was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France. Historians in the 1930s and 1940s often disparaged the Second Empire as a precursor of fascism.[4] That interpretation is no longer promulgated, and by the late 20th century they were celebrating it as leading example of a modernising regime.[5][6] Historians have generally given the Empire negative evaluations on its foreign policy, and somewhat more positive evaluations of domestic policies, especially after Napoleon III liberalised his rule after 1858. He promoted French business and exports. The greatest achievements came in material improvements, in the form of a grand railway network that facilitated commerce and tied the nation together and centered it on Paris. It had the effect of stimulating economic growth, and bringing prosperity to most regions of the country. The Second Empire is given high credit for the rebuilding of Paris with broad boulevards, striking public buildings, and very attractive residential districts for upscale Parisians. In international policy, Napoleon III tried to emulate his uncle, engaging in numerous imperial ventures around the world as well as several wars in Europe. Using very harsh methods, he built up the French Empire in North Africa and in Southeast Asia. Napoleon III also sought to modernise the Mexican economy and bring it into the French orbit, but this ended in a fiasco. He badly mishandled the threat from Prussia, and by the end of his reign, Napoleon III found himself without allies in the face of overwhelming German force.[7] Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ;

France, 1852-1870, Emperor of France, Napoleon III
Emperor of France, 1852-1870, Napoleon III ; the nephew of Napoleon I, was the first president of France, from 1848 to 1852, and the last French monarch, from 1852 to 1870. First elected president of the French Second Republic in 1848, he seized power by force in 1851, when he could not constitutionally be re-elected, and became the emperor of the French. He founded the Second French Empire and was its only emperor until the defeat of the French Army and his capture by Prussia and its allies in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He worked to modernize the French economy, rebuilt the center of Paris, expanded the French overseas empire, and engaged in the Crimean War and the Second Italian War of Independence. Second French Empire 1852-1870; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ;

France, 1864-1879, Bernadette of Lourdes, Southwest France (Healing Spring, on Way of St James, Spain) Virgin Mary messages
France, 1864-1879, Bernadette of Lourdes, Southwest France (Healing Spring, East of Oloron, France on Way of St James, Spain) Virgin Mary messages; Lourdes; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ; Kiefer's Christian Biographies - Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary 16 April 1879: Bernarde ("Bernadette") Soubirous was born in 1844, the first of six children of a miller whose family lived in extreme poverty. She was malnourished when young, and ailing and asthmatic throughout her life. As a child, she was cheerful and pleasant, but was generally considered backward. 11 February and 16 July in 1858, when she was fourteen, she is said to have had a series of remarkable experiences in a shallow cave near a spot where she and two companions had gone to gather sticks for firewood. eighteen occasions she saw a lady who identified herself as the Virgin Mary and gave her a message for the world. content of the message was an exhortation to prayer and penitence. The lady pointed out a spring of water and told her to drink from it. spring now produces 27,000 (British) gallons of water a week (roughly 13 liters a minute), and pilgrims come from all over the world to bathe in its waters, to pray, and to seek healing from various ailments. committee of doctors (not all of them Roman Catholic) investigates reports of healings that are claimed to be miraculous, and publishes accounts of those that seem most noteworthy. reports of her visions subjected her to much skepticism, and to much curiosity. She retired to a convent, at first as a visitor, taking formal vows as a nun in 1866, and dying 16 April 1879, after a life of chronic illness patiently borne. was urged to go to Lourdes and ask for healing at the shrine that had been built in response to her visions there; but she said that the healings there were for others, not for her, and that her business was to bear her illness.) should be understood that the Church of Rome does not officially certify any revelations said to have been made since the time of the Apostles, and that therefore it is possible to be a devout Roman Catholic in good standing and yet completely disbelieve in the genuineness of the appearances at Lourdes and the subsequent healings. best known English account is the novel The Song Of Bernadette, by Franz Werfel (1942), later made into a movie. Its historical accuracy has been questioned by B. Lebbe in The Soul Of Bernadette (1947). (traditional language) Gracious Father, whose Son Jesus Christ went about healing the sick: We praise thee for the gift of healing, whether granted directly or through the ministration of dedicated physicians, surgeons, and nurses; and we humbly beseech thee to keep us ever grateful for deliverance from illness whenever it shall please thee to heal us, and patient and cheerful in affliction when for any reason thou dost call us to endure it; the which we ask through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. (contemporary language) Gracious Father, whose Son Jesus Christ went about healing the sick: We praise you for the gift of healing, whether granted directly or through the work of dedicated physicians, surgeons, and nurses; and we pray you to keep us always grateful for deliverance from illness whenever it pleases you to heal us, and patient and cheerful in affliction when for any reason you call us to endure it; and this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.

France, 1866-1920, Nectarius, Met oPentapolis, engine start, wind stop, Malice, deposed, S director, incorrupt r
Africa, North Africa, 1866-1920, Nectarius Kephalas, Met oPentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi), great wonderworker, modern times, fSelebria, Thrace, poor, tConstan fWork, captain tried start engines, nothing happened, A allowed on boat for free, job w tobacco merchant, wrote spiritual maxims on tBags, wrote letter to christ for shoes&apron, man sent him money, employer beat him but man told employer, holy land pilgrimage, storm, dipped his cross&commanded sea be still, it worked, however cross fell, knocking sounds, cross found, monk in 1875, Nea Moni in Chios, Deacon, Malice fOther Mets&bishops, deposed but not deranked, weddings baptisms wPermission, bore trial wPatience, others demanded reason, he left Alexandria for Athens, false rumors, no food, mistreatment by MoReligion, friend got him humble job aVitineia&Euboea, scandal followed, laughter wispers, returned tAthens, director Rizarios Seminary 1894-1908, retired to Aegina abandoned monastery, nun community, lighthouse for you, his holy relics, died at 74 in Athens hospital, paralyzed man next bed healed by his sweater, incorrupt relics in his Aegina grave, thousands of miracles before after death; Pentapolis, North Africa (Benhgazi) ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Nectarius, the great wonderworker of modern times, was born Anastasius Kephalas in Selebria, Thrace on October 1, 1846. his family was poor, Anastasius went to Constantinople when he was fourteen in order to find work. he had no money, he asked the captain of a boat to take him. The captain told him to take a walk and then come back. Anastasius understood, and sadly walked away. captain gave the order to start the engines, but nothing happened. After several unsuccessful attempts, he looked up into the eyes of Anastasius who stood on the dock. Taking pity on the boy, the captain told him to come aboard. Immediately, the engines started and the boat began to move. found a job with a tobacco merchant in Constantinople, who did not pay him very much. In his desire to share useful information with others, wrote down short maxims from spiritual books on the paper bags and packages of the tobacco shop. The customers would read them out of curiosity, and might perhaps derive some benefit from them. boy went about barefoot and in ragged clothing, but he trusted in God. that the merchant received many letters, Anastasius also wanted to write a letter. To whom could he write? Not to his parents, because there were no mail deliveries to his village. Not to his friends, because he had none. he decided to write to Christ to tell Him of his needs. “My little Christ,” he wrote. “I do not have an apron or shoes. You send them to me. You know how much I love you.” sealed the letter and wrote on the outside: “To the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven.” On his way to mail the letter, he ran into the man who owned a shop opposite the one in which he worked. The man asked him where he was going, and Anastasius whispered something in reply. Seeing the letter in his hands, the man offered to mail it for him, since he was on his way to the post office. merchant put the letter in his pocket and assured Anastasius that he would mail it with his own letters. The boy returned to the tobacco shop, filled with happiness. he took the letter from his pocket to mail it, the merchant happened to notice the address. Astonished and curious, the man could not resist opening the letter to read it. by the boy’s simple faith, the merchant placed some money in an envelope and sent it to him anonymously. Anastasius was filled with joy, and he gave thanks to God. few days later, seeing Anastasius dressed somewhat better than usual, his employer thought he had stolen money from him and began to beat him. Anastasius cried out, “I have never stolen anything. My little Christ sent me the money.” the commotion, the other merchant came and took the tobacco seller aside and explained the situation to him. he was still a young man, Anastasius made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. the voyage, the ship was in danger of sinking in a storm. looked at the raging sea, and then at the captain. He went and stood beside the captain and took the helm, praying for God to save them. he took off the cross his grandmother had given him (containing a piece of the Cross of Christ) and tied it to his belt. Leaning over the side, he dipped the cross into the water three times and commanded the sea, “Silence! Be still.” once, the wind died down and the sea became calm. was saddened, however, because his cross had fallen into the sea and was lost. As the boat sailed on, sounds of knocking seemed to come from the hull below the water line. When the ship docked, the young man got off and started to walk away. the captain began shouting, “Kephalas, Kephalas, come back here.” The captain had ordered some men into a small boat to examine the hull in order to discover the source of the knocking, and they discovered the cross stuck to the hull. was elated to receive his “Treasure,” and always wore it from that time forward. There is a photograph taken many years later, showing the saint in his monastic skufia. The cross is clearly visible in the photo. November 7, 1875, Anastasius received monastic tonsure at the Nea Moni Monastery on Chios, and the new name Lazarus. Two years later, he was ordained a deacon. On that occasion, his name was changed to Nectarius. when he was a priest, Father Nectarius left Chios and went to Egypt. There he was elected Metropolitan of Pentapolis. Some of his colleagues became jealous of him because of his great virtues, because of his inspiring sermons, and because of everything else which distinguished Saint Nectarius from them. Metropolitans and bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria became filled with malice toward the saint, they told Patriarch Sophronius that Nectarius was plotting to become patriarch himself. told the patriarch that the Metropolitan of Pentapolis merely made an outward show of piety in order to win favor with the people. the patriarch and his synod removed Saint Nectarius from his See. Patriarch Sophronius wrote an ambiguous letter of suspension which provoked scandal and speculation about the true reasons for the saint’s removal from his position. Nectarius was not deposed from his rank, however. He was still allowed to function as a bishop. If anyone invited him to perform a wedding or a baptism he could do so, as long as he obtained permission from the local bishop. Nectarius bore his trials with great patience, but those who loved him began to demand to know why he had been removed. that this was causing a disturbance in the Church of Alexandria, he decided to go to Greece. arrived in Athens to find that false rumors about him had already reached that city. His letter of suspension said only that he had been removed “for reasons known to the Patriarchate,” and so all the slanders about him were believed. the state and ecclesiastical authorities would not give him a position, the former Metropolitan was left with no means of support, and no place to live. Every day he went to the Minister of Religion asking for assistance. They soon tired of him and began to mistreat him. day, as he was leaving the Minister’s office, Saint Nectarius met a friend whom he had known in Egypt. Surprised to find the beloved bishop in such a condition, the man spoke to the Minister of Religion and Education and asked that something be found for him. Saint Nectarius was appointed to be a humble preacher in the diocese of Vitineia and Euboea. The saint did not regard this as humiliating for him, even though a simple monk could have filled that position. He went to Euboea to preach in the churches, eagerly embracing his duties. even here, the rumors of scandal followed him. while he was preaching, people began to laugh and whisper. the blameless one resigned his position and returned to Athens. then some people had begun to realize that the rumors were untrue, because they saw nothing in his life or conversation to suggest that he was guilty of anything. their help and influence, Saint Nectarius was appointed Director of the Rizarios Seminary in Athens on March 8, 1894. He was to remain in that position until December of 1908. saint celebrated the services in the seminary church, the students, wrote several edifying and useful books. he was a quiet man, Saint Nectarius did not care for the noise and bustle of Athens. He wanted to retire somewhere where he could pray. the island of Aegina he found an abandoned monastery dedicated to the Holy Trinity, which he began to repair with his own hands. gathered a community of nuns, appointing the blind nun Xenia as abbess, while he himself served as Father Confessor. he had a gift for spiritual direction, many people came to Aegina to confess to him. Eventually, the community grew to thirty nuns. He used to tell them, “I am building a lighthouse for you, and God shall put a light in it that will shine forth to the world. Many will see this light and come to Aegina. ” They did not understand what he was telling them, that he himself would be that beacon, and that people would come there to venerate his holy relics. September 20, 1920 the nun Euphemia brought an old man in black robes, who was obviously in pain, to the Aretaieion Hospital in Athens. This was a state hospital for the poor. The intern asked the nun for information about the patient. “Is he a monk?” he asked. “No, he is a bishop.” intern laughed and said, “Stop joking and tell me his name, Mother, so that I can enter it in the register.” “He is indeed a bishop, my child. He is the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Pentapolis.” intern muttered, “For the first time in my life I see a bishop without a panagia or cross, and more significantly, without money.” the nun showed the saint’s credentials to the astonished intern who then admitted him. For two months Saint Nectarius suffered from a disease of the bladder. At ten thirty on the evening of November 8, 1920, he surrendered his holy soul to God. He died in peace at the age of seventy-four. the bed next to Saint Nectarius was a man who was paralyzed. As soon as the saint had breathed his last, the nurse and the nun who sat with him began to dress him in clean clothing to prepare him for burial at Aegina. They removed his sweater and placed it on the paralyzed man’s bed. Immediately, the paralytic got up from his bed, glorifying God. Nectarius was buried at the Holy Trinity Monastery on Aegina. Several years later, his grave was opened to remove his bones (as is the custom in Greece). His body was found whole and incorrupt, as if he had been buried that very day. was sent to the Archbishop of Athens, who came to see the relics for himself. Archbishop Chrysostomos told the nuns to leave them out in the sun for a few days, then to rebury them so that they would decay. A month or two after this, they opened the grave again and found the saint incorrupt. Then the relics were placed in a marble sarcophagus. years later, the holy relics dissolved, leaving only the bones. The saint’s head was placed in a bishop’s mitre, and the top was opened to allow people to kiss his head. Nectarius was glorified by God, since his whole life was a continuous doxology to the Lord. Both during his life and after his death, Saint Nectarius has performed thousands of miracles, especially for those suffering from cancer. There are more churches dedicated to Saint Nectarius than to any other modern Orthodox saint.

France, 1870-1940, French Third Republic (FTR)
France, 1870-1940, French Third Republic; was the system of government adopted in France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 after France's defeat by Nazi Germany in World War II led to the formation of the Vichy government in France.

France, 1870-1871, FTR President, Napoleon III
France, French Third Republic President, 1870-1871, Napoleon III; the nephew of Napoleon I, was the first president of France, from 1848 to 1852, and the last French monarch, from 1852 to 1870. First elected president of the French Second Republic in 1848, he seized power by force in 1851, when he could not constitutionally be re-elected, and became the emperor of the French. He founded the Second French Empire and was its only emperor until the defeat of the French Army and his capture by Prussia and its allies in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He worked to modernize the French economy, rebuilt the center of Paris, expanded the French overseas empire, and engaged in the Crimean War and the Second Italian War of Independence. JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1871-1873, FTR President, Adolphe Thiers, historian, journalist, liberal
France, French Third Republic President, 1871-1873, Adolphe Thiers; was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France, and the first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Revolution of 1830, which overthrew the Bourbon monarchy, and the French Revolution of 1848, which established the Second French Republic. He served as a prime minister in 1836, 1840 and 1848, dedicated the Arc de Triomphe, and arranged the return to France of the remains of Napoleon from Saint-Helena. He was first a supporter, then a vocal opponent of Louis-NapolÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©on Bonaparte (who served from 1848 to 1852 as President of the Second Republic and then reigned as Emperor Napoleon III from 1852 to 1871). When Napoleon III seized power, Thiers was arrested and briefly expelled from France. He then returned and became an opponent of the government. Following the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, which Thiers opposed, he was elected chief executive of the new French government and negotiated the end of the war. When the Paris Commune seized power in March 1871, Thiers gave the orders to the army for its suppression. At the age of seventy-four, he was named President of the Republic by the French National Assembly in August 1871. His chief accomplishment as president was to achieve the departure of German soldiers from most of French territory two years ahead of schedule. Opposed by the monarchists in the French assembly and the left wing of the Republicans, he resigned on 24 May 1873, and was replaced as President by Patrice de MacMahon. When he died in 1877, his funeral became a major political event; the procession was led by two of the leaders of the republican movement, Victor Hugo and Leon Gambetta, who, at the time of his death, were his allies against the conservative monarchists. He was also a notable literary figure, the author of a very successful ten-volume history of the French Revolution (Histoire de la RÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©volution franÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§aise) and a twenty-volume history of the Consulate and Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte (Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire). In 1834 he was elected to the AcadÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©mie FranÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§aise. JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1873-1879, FTR President, Patrice de MacMahon, General, Conservative, Constitution guard
France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; MacMahon led the main French army in the war against the Germans in 1870. He was trapped and wounded at the Battle of Sedan in September 1870. The army surrendered to the Germans, including MacMahon and Emperor Napoleon III. Thus France lost the war and the Emperor went into exile. After convalescence MacMahon was appointed head of the Versailles Army, which defeated the Paris Commune revolt in May 1871 and set the stage for his political career. MacMahon was a devout conservative Catholic, a traditionalist who despised socialism and strongly distrusted the secular Republicans. He took seriously his duty as the neutral guardian of the Constitution and rejected suggestions of a monarchist coup d'ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©tat. He also refused to meet with Gambetta, the leader of the Republicans. He moved for a parliamentary system in which the assembly selected the ruling government of the Third Republic, but he also insisted on an upper chamber. He later dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, resulting in public outrage and a Republican electoral victory. Soon after MacMahon resigned and retired to private life. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, MONASTIC AND MARTYR, 1916, Commemorated December 1; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn, France and Austria, after Austrian defeat
France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn; France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date
France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1878-1916, CHARLES FOUCAULD, Geographer, Trappist, Algeria, Taureg dictionary, inspired Little Brothers of Jesus
France, 1878-1916, CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Algeria, North Africa, French officer, Geographer, mapped Morocco oases, conversion, Trappist monk, solitary hermit in Palestine,Tamanrasset Algeria, Taureg dictionary, blue people, saharan desert, killed by anti-french, then Little Brothers of Jesus, live among as christians; Algeria; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1 ; Eugene, viscount of Foucauld, was born in 1858. served as a French Army officer in Algieria beginning in 1881, and prepared a mapping of oases in Morocco in 1883. 1886 he underwent a religious conversion, and in 1890 he joined a Trappist monastery, but soon left to become a solitary hermit in Palestine. 1901 he went to Algeria, where he eventually settled at Tamanrasset and there lived the life of a missionary priest prepared a Taureg dictionary. was killed in an anti-French uprising on 1 December 1916, by those who said that his goodness tended to create friendly feelings toward the French. 1933 and 1939 respectively, groups of dedicated Christians were formed in Algeria known as the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus, inspired by his ideas and example. of these groups went to live in small communities, called fraternities, in areas where the people were largely poor. supported themselves by doing the same kind of work as their neighbors. made no explicit attempt to convert their neighbors or to debate with them. purpose is simply to live among them as Christians. say that Christ did not come to earth primarily to teach (there were already teachers) but to share our human lot. They seek to express the love of Christ for the wretched of the earth by living among them and sharing their lives and their hardships. For example, on one occasion a brother became ill, and it would have been possible to send him home where he would have received European-style medical care and would almost certainly have recovered. However, this would have been an option not open to those who lived around them. Accordingly, the brother stayed in the fraternity, receiving only the treatment that a native of the area would have received, knowing that this meant that he would soon die, which he did. by James Kiefer

France, 1879-1887, FTR President, Jules Grevey, a Mason, so Separation of Church and State
France, French Third Republic President, 1879-1887, Jules Grevey; Judith Paul Gracvy (15 August 1807-“ 9 September 1891) was President of France from 1879 to 1887, and one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republican faction. Given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Gracvy is seen as the first real republican President of France.[1][2] at Mont-sous-Vaudrey in the Jura Mountains, he became an advocate in 1837 distinguishing himself at the Conference du barreau de Paris, and, having steadily maintained republican principles under the Orleans monarchy, was elected by his native department to the Constituent Assembly of 1848. Foreseeing that Louis Bonaparte would be elected president by the people, he proposed to vest the chief authority in a president of the Council elected and removable by the Assembly, or in other words, to suppress the Presidency of the Republic. After the coup d'tat this proposition gained Greveu a reputation for sagacity, and upon his return to public life in 1868 he took a prominent place in the Republican party. at "La Constante in Arras,[3] his Masonic activity is inseparable from his political action,[4] specially in the struggle for separation of Church and State that marked the beginning of the Third Republic and MacMahon resignation. the fall of the Empire he was chosen president of the Assembly on 16 February 1871, and occupied this position until 2 April 1873, when he resigned on account of the opposition of the Right, which blamed him for having called one of its members to order in the session of the previous day. On 8 March 1876 he was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies, a post which he filled with such efficiency that upon the resignation of Marshal MacMahon he seemed to step naturally into the Presidency of the Republic (30 January 1879), and was elected without opposition by the republican parties.[5] shrewd, attentive to the public interest and his own, but without any particular distinction, he would have left an unblemished reputation if he had not accepted a second term (18 December 1885). Shortly afterwards, his son-in-law, Daniel Wilson, was found to be trafficking in the awards of the Legion of Honour. Grevey was not accused of personal participation in these scandals, but he was somewhat obstinate in refusing to realize that he was indirectly responsible for the misuse his relative had made of access to the Elysae, and it had to be unpleasantly impressed upon him that his resignation was inevitable (2 December 1887).[6] This political matter was the first one to feed anti-Masonic opinion in France.[7] CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1887-1894, FTR President, Marie Francois Sadi Carrnot, scientific engineer, assinated
France, French Third Republic President, 1887-1894, Marie Francois Sadi Carrnot; Marie Fransois was the son of the statesman Hippolyte Carnot and was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne. His third given name Sadi was in honour of his uncle Nicolas Laonard Sadi Carnot, the engineer who formulated the second law of thermodynamics and is generally regarded as the founder of the subject, named after the famed Persian poet Sadi of Shiraz. Like his uncle, Marie Francois too came to be known as Sadi Carnot. In his scientific-mindedness and Republican leanings, he resembled his grandfather, Lazare Carnot, the military modernizer and member of the post-Revolutionary French Directory. Marie Francois was educated as a civil engineer and was a highly distinguished student at both the cole Polytechnique and the cole des Ponts et Chausses. After his academic course, he obtained an appointment in the public service. His hereditary republicanism caused the government of national defence to entrust him in 1870 with the task of organizing resistance in the departements of the Eure, Calvados and Seine-Inferieure, and he was made prefect of Seine-Infrieure in January 1871. In the following month he was elected to the French National Assembly by the dpartement Cete-d'Or. He joined the Opportunist Republican parliamentary group, Gauche republicaine. In August 1878 he was appointed secretary to the minister of public works. He became minister in September 1880 and again in April 1885, moving almost immediately to the ministry of finance, which post he held under both the Ferry and the Freycinet administrations until December 1886.[2] Presidency[edit] Depiction of Carnot's assassination appearing in Le Petit Journal Illustrte When the Daniel Wilson scandals occasioned the downfall of Jules Grevy in December 1887, Carnot's reputation for integrity made him a candidate for the presidency, and he obtained the support of Georges Clemenceau and many others, so that he was elected by 616 votes out of 827. He assumed office at a critical period, when the republic was all but openly attacked by General Boulanger.[2] President Carnot's ostensible part during this agitation was confined to augmenting his popularity by well-timed appearances on public occasions, which gained credit for the presidency and the republic. When, early in 1889, Boulanger was finally driven into exile, it fell to Carnot to appear as head of the state on two occasions of special interest, the celebration of the centenary of the French Revolution in 1889 and the opening of the Paris Exhibition of the same year.[3] The success of both was regarded as a popular ratification of the republic, and though continually harassed by the formation and dissolution of ephemeral ministries, by socialist outbreaks, and the beginnings of anti-Semitism, Carnot had only one serious crisis to surmount, the Panama scandals of 1892, which, if they greatly damaged the prestige of the state, increased the respect felt for its head, against whose integrity none could breathe a word.[2] Carnot was in favour of the Franco-Russian Alliance and received the Order of St Andrew from Alexander III. Death[edit] Carnot was reaching the zenith of his popularity, when, on 24 June 1894, after delivering a speech at a public banquet in Lyon in which he appeared to imply that he would not seek re-election, he was stabbed by an Italian anarchist named Sante Geronimo Caserio.[2] Carnot died shortly after midnight on 25 June.[4] The stabbing aroused widespread horror and grief, and the president was honoured with an elaborate funeral ceremony in the Pantheon on 1 July 1894.[5] Caserio called the assassination a political act, and was executed on 16 August 1894.[6] CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated December 1;

France, 1894-1895, FTR President, Jean Casimir-Perier, short term, ignored by his ministers
France, French Third Republic President, 1894-1895, Jean Casimir-Perier; On 24 June 1894, after the assassination of President Carnot, he was elected President of the Republic by 451 votes against 195 for Henri Brisson and 97 for Charles Dupuy. His presidency lasted only six months. The resignation of the Dupuy ministry on 14 January 1895 was followed the next day by that of the President. Casimir-Perier explained his action by the fact that he found himself ignored by the ministers, who did not consult him before taking decisions, and did not keep him informed upon political events, especially in foreign affairs. As of 2020, of all Presidents of France through its history, Casimir-Perier had the shortest presidency. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated Dec;ember 1;

France, 1895-1899, FTR President, Felix Faure, Someone who offended no one
France, French Third Republic President, 1895-1899, Felix Faure; CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated Dec;ember 1; Wealthy tanner, He became more prominent in French politics up until unexpectedly becoming president, during which time France's relations with Russia improved. Interested in matters concerning economics, railways and the navy. He became under-secretary for the colonies. In 1894 he obtained cabinet rank as minister of marine in the administration of Charles Dupuy. In the following January he was unexpectedly elected President of the Republic upon the resignation of President Casimir-Perier. Someone who offended no one. Faure answered perfectly to this description.

France, 1899-1906, FTR President, Emile Loubet, successful Paris exposition, one world G, served full term
France, French Third Republic President, 1899-1906, Emile Loubet ; Trained in law, he became mayor of Montelimar, where he was noted as a forceful orator. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1876 and the Senate in 1885. He was appointed as a Republican minister under Carnot and Ribot. He was briefly Prime Minister of France in 1892. As President (1899-“1906), he saw the successful Paris Exhibition of 1900, and the forging of the Entente Cordiale with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, resolving their sharp differences over the Boer War and the Dreyfus Affair. His reputation as an orator of great force and lucidity of exposition and as a safe and honest statesman procured for him president of the republic in succession to Felix Faure . He was marked out for fierce opposition and bitter insult, as the representative of that section of the Republican party which sought the revision of the Dreyfus affair. The president was struck on the head with a cane by an anti-Dreyfusard. In that month President Loubet summoned Waldeck-Rousseau to form a cabinet, and at the same time entreated Republicans of all shades of opinion to rally to the defence of the state. By the efforts of Loubet and Waldeck-Rousseau the Dreyfus affair was settled, when Loubet, acting on the advice of General Galliffet, minister of war, remitted the ten years' imprisonment to which Dreyfus was condemned at Rennes.[1] Loubet's presidency saw an acute stage of the clerical question, which was attacked by Waldeck-Rousseau and in still more drastic fashion by the Combes ministry. The French ambassador was recalled from the Vatican in April 1905, and in July the separation of church and state was voted in the Chamber of Deputies. Feeling had run high between France and Britain over the mutual criticisms passed on the conduct of the South African War and the Dreyfus affair respectively. These differences were composed, by the Anglo-French entente, and in 1904 a convention between the two countries secured the recognition of French claims in Morocco in exchange for non-interference with the British occupation of Egypt. President Loubet belonged to the peasant-proprietor class, and had none of the aristocratic proclivities of President Faure. He inaugurated the Paris Exhibition of 1900, received the emperor Nicholas II of Russia at the French maneuvers of 1901 and paid a visit to Russia in 1902.[1] Loubet also exchanged visits with King Edward VII, with the king of Portugal, the king of Italy and the king of Spain. During the king of Spain's visit in 1905, an attempt was made on his life, a bomb being thrown under his carriage as he and with his guest left the Opera. When his presidency came to an end in January 1906, he became the first President of the Third Republic to have served a full term and without resigning a second one.[1] He retired into private life and died on 20 December 1929 at the age of 90. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated Dec;ember 1;

France, 1900-1940, 20th Century Folder, 3rd French Republic

France, 1906-1913, 3rd Republic, Armand Fallieres, socialist union of the left, opponent of the death penalty
France, French Third Republic President, 1906-1913, Armand Fallieres; Clement Armand Fallieres ( 6 November 1841 -“ 22 June 1931) was a French statesman who was President of France from 1906 to 1913. He was born at Mezin in the departement of Lot-et-Garonne, France, where his father was clerk of the peace. He studied law and became an advocate at Nerac, beginning his public career there as municipal councilor (1868), afterwards mayor (1871), and as councillor-general of the department of Lot-et-Garonne (1871). Being an ardent Republican, he lost this position in May 1873 upon the fall of Thiers, but in February 1876 was elected deputy for Nerac. In the chamber he sat with the Opportunist Republican parliamentary group, Gauche republicaine, signed the protestation of 18 May 1877, and was re-elected five months later. In 1880 he became under-secretary of state in the department of the interior in Jules Ferry's ministry (May 1880 to November 1881). From 7 August 1882 to 20 February 1883 he was minister of the interior, and for a month (from 29 January 1883) was prime minister. His ministry had to face the question of the expulsion of the pretenders to the throne of France, owing to the proclamation by Prince Napoleon (January 1883). Falliees, who was ill at the time, was not able to face the storm of opposition, and resigned when the senate rejected his project. The following November, however, he was chosen as minister of public instruction by Jules Ferry, and carried out various reforms in the school system.[1] He resigned in March 1885, becoming minister of the interior in Maurice Rouvier's cabinet two years later. He exchanged his portfolio in December for that of the department of justice. He returned again to the ministry of the interior in February 1889, and finally retook the department of justice from March 1890 to February 1892. In June 1890 his departement (Lot-et-Garonne) elected him to the senate by 417 votes to 23. There Fallieres remained independent of party struggles, although maintaining his influence among the Republicans. In March 1899 he was elected president of the senate, and retained that position until January 1906, when he was chosen by a union of the groups of the Left in both chambers as candidate for the presidency of the republic. He was elected on the first ballot by 449 votes against 371 for his opponent, Paul Doumer. Fallieres was an outspoken opponent of the death penalty and commuted the sentences of many prisoners sentenced to death.[citation needed] CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated Dec;ember 1; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1913-1920, 3rd Republic, Raymond Poincare, Democratic Republican, Paris Peace Conference after WWI
France, French Third Republic President, 1913-1920, Raymond Poincare ; Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincare (20 August 1860 -e“ 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served three times as 58th Prime Minister of France, and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Trained in law, Poincare was elected as a Deputy in 1887 and served in the cabinets of Dupuy and Ribot. In 1902, he co-founded the Democratic Republican Alliance, the most important centre-right party under the Third Republic, becoming Prime Minister in 1912 and serving as President of the Republic from 1913 to 1920. He purged the French government of all opponents and critics and single-handedly controlled French foreign policy from 1912 to the beginning of World War I. He was noted for his strongly anti-German attitudes, shifting the Franco-Russian Alliance from the defensive to the offensive, visiting Russia in 1912 and 1914 to strengthen Franco-Russian relations, and giving France's support for Russian military mobilization during the July Crisis of 1914. From 1917, he exercised less influence as his political rival Georges Clemenceau had become Prime Minister. At the Paris Peace Conference, he advocated Allied occupation of the Rhineland for at least 30 years and French support for Rhenish separatism. In 1922 Poincare returned to power as Prime Minister. In 1923 he ordered the Occupation of the Ruhr to enforce payment of German reparations. By this time Poincare was seen, especially in the English-speaking world, as an aggressive figure who had helped to cause the war in 1914 and who now favoured punitive anti-German policies. His government was defeated by the Cartel des Gauches at the elections of 1924. He served a third term as Prime Minister in 1926-“1929. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Hermit and Servant of the Poor, 1916, Commemorated Dec;ember 1; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbying, Paris, San F

France, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze), philosopher, theologian, saved Georgian manuscripts from Reds and Nazis in Paris
Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, of Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia, philosopher, theologian, Berlin, Bonn, Louvain, Oxford, Paris, Warsaw, found ancient Georgian manuscripts, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy, England, 1920's taken to Paris for savekeeping from Red Army, 1940 from Nazis in Paris, arrested for sheltering Jews; Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory (Peradze) was born August 31, 1899, in the village of Bakurtsikhe, in the Sighnaghi district of Kakheti. His father, Roman Peradze, was a priest. 1918, Gregory completed his studies at the theological school and seminary in Tbilisi and enrolled in the philosophy department at Tbilisi University. years later, in 1921, he began to teach at the university, but the Georgian Church soon sent him to Germany to study theology. 1922 to 1925, Gregory studied theology and eastern languages at the University of Berlin, and in 1925 he transferred to the philosophy department at the University of Bonn, he received a doctoral degree in philosophy for his dissertation “The Monastic Life in Georgia from Its Origins to 1064.” continued to attend lectures in theology at the University of Louvain until 1927. 1927, Gregory moved to England to continue his career in academia, and there he became acquainted with the old patristic manuscripts that were preserved in the library collections of the British Museum and Oxford University. July of that year, Gregory was named an associate professor at the University of Bonn, and he returned there to lecture on the history of Georgian and Armenian literature. 1931, Gregory was tonsured a monk, ordained a priest, and appointed dean of the Georgian church in Paris. year later he was invited to Oxford to lecture on Georgian history. new period in Saint Gregory’s life began later in 1932, when the Metropolitan of all Poland, Dionysius Waledinsky, invited him to be a professor of Patrology and the chair of Orthodox Theology at Warsaw University. often delivered lectures at academic conferences and in academic centers throughout Europe. sought tirelessly for ancient Georgian manuscripts and historical documents on the Georgian Church. His searches took him to Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy and England. As a result of his labors, many long-lost Georgian manuscripts surfaced again. and industriousness characterized the Hieromartyr Gregory throughout his life. In difficult moments he often repeated the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for all things!” the 1920s, as the Red Army was securing its occupation of Georgia, the nation’s treasures were carried away to France for safekeeping. in the 1940s, Georgian society was unaware that, due to Saint Gregory’s efforts alone, many treasures of Georgian national culture were spared confiscation by the Nazis in Paris. execution at the hands of a firing squad, Saint Gregory wrote in the official documentation presented to the Nazis that these items were of no particular value but were precious to the Georgians as part of their national consciousness. did most of Georgian society know that, in Paris, Archimandrite Gregory had founded a Georgian church in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino and a parish journal called Jvari Vazisa, or “The Cross of Vines.” May of 1942, Saint Gregory was arrested by the Gestapo. The priceless Georgian manuscripts he had preserved and many sacred objects that had been crafted by ancient Georgian masters and collected by Saint Gregory during his travels (in hopes of returning them to Georgia) disappeared after his apartment was searched. Gregory was arrested for sheltering and aiding Jews and other victims of the fascist persecutions. He was incarcerated at Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, and deported to Auschwitz at the beginning of November. the camp an inmate killed a German officer. The guards drove everyone out of the barracks absolutely naked, forcing them to stay in the below-freezing temperatures until someone confessed. Gregory decided to take the blame for the murder, thus saving innocent prisoners from freezing to death. The guards let loose the dogs on the martyr, poured gasoline over him, and lit him on fire. Then they said, “Poles, go warm yourselves around him, your intercessor.” to the official German documentation, Gregory Peradze died on December 6, 1942 [November 23, old style], at 4:45 in the afternoon. (According to another account, the martyr entered the gas chamber in place of a Jewish man with a large family. This was reported by a former prisoner, who, after being liberated, visited Metropolitan Dionysius and gave him Saint Gregory’s cross.) In the end, like Christ Himself, Archimandrite Gregory died for having taken upon himself the sin of another.

France, 1920-1920, 3rd Republic, Paul Deschanel, progressive, mental illness then elected again, no executions
France, French Third Republic President, 1920-1920, Paul Deschanel; Eugene Louis Deschanel (13 February 1855, in Schaerbeek - 28 April 1922) was a French statesman. He served as President of France from 18 February to 21 September 1920. Deschanel, the son of Emile Deschanel (1819-1904), professor at the College de France and senator, was born in Brussels, where his father was living in exile (1851-1859), owing to his opposition to Napoleon III.[1] He is one of only two French Presidents (the other is Valery Giscard d'Estaing) who were born outside France (Deschanel in Belgium, Giscard in Koblenz, Germany). Deschanel studied law, and began his career as secretary to Deshayes de Marcere (1876) and to Jules Simon (1876–1877). In October 1885, he was elected deputy for Eure-et-Loir. From the first, he took an important place in the chamber, as one of the most notable orators of the Progressist Republican group. In January 1896, he was elected vice-president of the chamber, and henceforth devoted himself to the struggle against the Left, not only in parliament, but also in public meetings throughout France. addresses at Marseille on 26 October 1896, at Carmaux on 27 December 1896, and at Roubaix on 10 April 1897, were triumphs of clear and eloquent exposition of the political and social aims of the Progressist party.[1] June 1898, he was elected president of the chamber, and was re-elected in 1901, but rejected in 1902. Nevertheless, he came forward brilliantly in 1904 and 1905 as a supporter of the law on the separation of church and state.[1] He also gained a position on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, and was president of the committee when the Franco-German treaty of 1911 came before Parliament.[2] was re-elected deputy in 1910, and on 23 May 1912 was chosen to be the President of the Chamber. In this role he played a great part during World War I as the national orator; he delivered orations more frequently than he made speeches. He served until he was elected President of France on 17 January 1920 by an overwhelming majority, having beaten Georges Clemenceau in the preliminary party ballot.[2] aspired to a much more active role as president than had been de rigueur under the Third Republic; but, for reasons of his own mental health, was unable to put his ideas to the test. president, his eccentric behaviour caused some consternation; on one occasion, after a delegation of schoolgirls had presented him with a bouquet, he tossed the flowers back at them. It all culminated when, late one night, 24 May 1920, he fell out of a large window of the presidential train near Montargis after taking some sleeping pills and was found wandering in his nightshirt by a platelayer, who took him to the nearest level-crossing keeper's cottage. Soon afterwards, Deschanel walked out of a state meeting, straight into a lake, fully clothed. His resignation was offered on 21 September 1920, and he was placed in a sanatorium at Rueil-Malmaison for three months. After his release he was elected to the senate in January 1921, serving until his death. the death penalty was abolished in 1981, he was the only French head of state during whose term in office no persons in France were executed. Deschanel himself was a longtime death penalty opponent.[3] PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1920-1924, 3rd Republic, A Millerand, freemason, republican socialist, discredited politicians, min wage max work
France, French Third Republic President, 1920-1924, Alexandre Millerand; Millerand (10 February 1859 – 6 April 1943) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the start of the 20th century, alongside the Marquis de Galliffet who had directed the repression of the 1871 Paris Commune, sparked a debate in the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and in the Second International about the participation of socialists in bourgeois governments. activism[edit] in Paris, he was educated for the bar and was elected Secretaire of the Conference des avocats du barreau de Paris. He made his reputation through his defence, in company with Georges Laguerre, of Ernest Roche and Duc-Quercy, the instigators of the strike at Decazeville in 1883. He then took Laguerre's place on Georges Clemenceau's newspaper, La Justice. He was a freemason[1] between 1883 and 1905. was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the Seine departement in 1885 as a Radical Socialist. He was associated with Clemenceau and Camille Pelletan as an arbitrator in the Carmaux strike (1892). He had long had the ear of the Chamber in matters of social legislation, and after the Panama scandals had discredited so many politicians, his influence grew. was chief of the Independent Socialist faction, a group which then mustered sixty members. Until 1896, he edited their organ in the press, La Petite Republique. His programme included the collective ownership of the means of production and the international association of labour. minister[edit] June 1899 he entered Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet of republican defence as Minister of Commerce. In contrast to his earlier activism, he now limited himself to practical reforms, devoting his attention to the improvement of the merchant marine, to the development of trade, of technical education, of the postal system, and to the amelioration of the conditions of labour. Labour questions were entrusted to a separate department, the Direction du Travail, and the pension and insurance office was also raised to the status of a direction. 1902, he did not join fellow independent socialist Jean Jaures in forming the Parti Socialiste Francais, but in 1907 instead formed the small Independent Socialist Party, which became the Republican-Socialist Party (PRS) in 1911. His influence with the far-left had already declined, for it was said that his departure from the true Marxist tradition had disintegrated the movement. 1909/1910, he served as Minister of Public Works, Posts and Telegraphs. labour minister[when?], he was responsible for the introduction of a wide range of reforms, including the reduction in the maximum workday from 11 to 10 hours in 1904, the introduction of an 8-hour workday for postal employees, the prescribing of maximum hours and minimum wages for all work undertaken by public authorities, the bringing of workers' representatives into the Conseil superieur de travail, the establishment of arbitration tribunals and inspectors of labour, and the creation of a labour section inside his Ministry of Commerce to tackle the problem of social insurance. introduction of trade union representatives on the Supreme Labour Council, the organisation of local labour councils, and instructions to factory inspectors to put themselves in communication with the councils of the trade unions were valuable concessions to labour. He further secured the rigorous application of earlier laws devised for the protection of the working class. His name was especially associated with a project for the establishment of old age pensions, which became law in 1905. In 1898, he became editor of La Lanterne. twice served as Minister of War, first from 1912 to 1913 and again, during the early stages of World War I, from 1914 to 1915. minister[edit] continued to move to the right, being appointed Prime Minister by the conservative President, Paul Deschanel. During his time as Prime Minister, a decree of February 1920 introduced the eight-hour day for seamen. and later years[edit] Deschanel had to resign later in 1920 due to his mental disorder, Millerand emerged as a compromise candidate for President between the Bloc National and the remnants of the Bloc des gauches. Millerand appointed Georges Leygues, a politician with a long career of ministerial office, as Prime Minister and attempted to strengthen the executive powers of the Presidency. This move was resisted in the Chamber of Deputies and the French Senate, and Millerand was forced to appoint a stronger figure, Aristide Briand. Briand's appointment was welcomed by both left and right, although the Socialists and the left wing of the Radical Party did not join his government. Millerand dismissed Briand after just a year, and appointed the conservative republican Raymond Poincaré. was accused of favouring conservatives in spite of the traditional neutrality of French Presidents and the composition of the legislature. On 14 July 1922, Millerand escaped an assassination attempt by Gustave Bouvet, a young French anarchist. Two years later, Millerand resigned in the face of growing conflict between the elected legislature and the office of the President, following the victory of the Cartel des Gauches. Gaston Doumergue, who was the president of the Senate at the time, was chosen to replace Millerand. grave in the Passy Cemetery. died in 1943 at Versailles, and was interred in the Passy Cemetery. He was awarded Serbian Order of Karađorđe's Star.[2] PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1924-1931, 3rd Republic, Gaston Doumergue, popular, protestant, concervative
France, French Third Republic President, 1924-1931, Gaston Doumergue; Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue (French pronunciation: ​[ɡastɔ̃ dumɛʁɡ]; 1 August 1863 in Aigues-Vives, Gard – 18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He served as President of France from 13 June 1924 to 13 June 1931. c. 1910–1915 came from a Protestant family and was a freemason.[1][2][3] Beginning as a Radical, he turned more towards the political right in his old age. He served as prime minister from 9 December 1913 to 2 June 1914. He held the portfolio for the colonies through the ministries of Rene Viviani and Aristide Briand until Alexandre Ribot's ministry of March 1917, when he was sent to Russia to persuade Alexander Kerensky's government not to make a separate peace with Germany and Austria-Hungary. He was elected as the 13th French President on 13 June 1924, the only Protestant to hold that office. He served until 13 June 1931 and again was Prime Minister in a conservative national unity government, after the riots of 6 February 1934. That government lasted from 6 February to 8 November 1934. was widely regarded as one of the most popular French presidents, particularly after the controversial Alexandre Millerand, who had been his predecessor. Doumergue was single when he was elected and became the first President of France to marry in office.[4] PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1931-1932, 3rd Republic, Paul Doumer, Viet Nam G, taxes, Vs refused and land to French, a
France, French Third Republic President, 1931-1932, Paul Doumer; Athanase Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer (French pronunciation: ​[pɔl dumɛːʀ]; 22 March 1857 – 7 May 1932), was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination on 7 May 1932. Contents Biography[edit] Joseph Athanase Doumer was born in Aurillac, in the Cantal département, in France on 22 March 1857, into a family of modest means. Alumnus of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers,[1] he became a professor of mathematics at Mende in 1877. In 1878 Doumer married Blanche Richel, whom he had met at college. They had eight children, four of whom were killed in the First World War (including the French air ace René Doumer). From 1879 until 1883 Doumer was professor at Remiremont, before leaving on health grounds. He then became chief editor of Courrier de l'Aisne, a French regional newspaper. Initiated into Freemasonry in 1879, at "L'Union Fraternelle" lodge, he became Grand Secretary of Grand Orient de France in 1892.[2][3][4] Paul Doumer in a photograph by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri He made his debut in politics in 1885 as chef de cabinet to Charles Floquet, then president of the Chamber of Deputies (a post equivalent to the speaker of the House of Commons). In 1888, Doumer was elected Radical deputy for the department of Aisne. Defeated in the general elections of September 1889, he was elected again in 1890 by the arrondissement of Auxerre. He was briefly Minister of Finance of France (1895–1896) when he tried without success to introduce an income tax.[5] was Governor-General of French Indochina from 1897 to 1902. Upon his arrival the colonies were losing millions of francs each year. Determined to put them on a paying basis he levied taxes on opium, wine and the salt trade. The Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians who could or would not pay these taxes, lost their houses and land, and often became day laborers. He established Indochina as a market for French products and a source of profitable investment by French businessmen.[6] set about outfitting Indochina, especially Hanoi, the capital, with modern infrastructure befitting property of France. Tree-lined avenues and a large number of French Colonial buildings were constructed in Hanoi during his governance. The Long Bien Bridge and the Grand Palais in Hanoi were among large-scaled projects built during his term; the bridge was originally named after him. palace was destroyed by airstrikes toward the end of World War 2. The bridge survived, became a well-known landmark and target for US pilots during the Vietnam War. returning from French Indochina, Doumer was elected by Laon to the Chamber of Deputies as a Radical. He refused, however, to support the ministry of Emile Combes, and formed a Radical dissident group, which grew in strength and eventually caused the fall of the ministry.[5] He then served as President of the Chamber from 1902 to 1905. became Minister of Finance of France again in 1925 when Louis Loucheur resigned.[7] He then served as President of the French Senate from 1927 until the 1931 presidential election. He was elected President of the French Republic on 13 May 1931, defeating the better known Aristide Briand, and replacing Gaston Doumergue.[8] of Paul Doumer (Le Petit Journal, 15 May 1932). 6 May 1932, Paul Doumer was in Paris at the opening of a book fair at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, talking to the author Claude Farrere. Suddenly several shots were fired by Paul Gorguloff, a Russian emigre. Two of the shots hit Doumer, at the base of the skull and in the right armpit, and he fell to the ground. Claude Farrere wrestled with the assassin before the police arrived. Doumer was rushed to the hospital in Paris, where he died at 04:37 AM on 7 May. He is the only French president to die of a gunshot wound. Maurois was an eyewitness to the assassination, having come to the book fair to autograph copies of his book, and later described the scene in his autobiography, "Call No Man Happy". As Maurois notes, because the President was assassinated at a meeting of writers, it was decided that writers - Maurois himself among them - should stand guard over his body while he lay in state at the Elysee.[9] PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1932-1940, 3rd Republic, Albert Francois Lebrun, left republican
France, French Third Republic President, 1932-1940, Albert Francois Lebrun; François Lebrun (French: (29 August 1871 - 6 March 1950) was a French politician, President of France from 1932 to 1940. He was the last president of the Third Republic. He was a member of the center-right Democratic Republican Alliance (ARD). life[edit to a farming family in Mercy-le-Haut, Meurthe-et-Moselle, he attended the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines de Paris, graduating from both at the top of his class. He then became a mining engineer in Vesoul and Nancy, but left that profession at the age of 29 to enter politics. gained a seat in the Chamber of Deputies in 1900 as a member of the Left Republican Party, later serving on the cabinet as Minister for the Colonies from 1912–1914, Minister of War in 1913 and Minister for Liberated Regions, 1917–1919. Joining the Democratic Alliance, he was elected to the French senate from Meurthe-et-Moselle in 1920, and served as Vice President of the Senate from 1925 through 1929. He was president of that body from 1931–1932. was elected President of France following the assassination of President Paul Doumer by Pavel Gurgulov on 6 May 1932. Re-elected in 1939, largely because of his record of accommodating all political sides, he exercised little power as President. June 1940, with the military collapse of France imminent, Lebrun wrote "the uselessness of the struggle was demonstrated. An end must be made."[1] the Cabinet wanting to ask for an armistice, on 17 June 1940 Prime Minister Paul Reynaud resigned, recommending to President Lebrun that he appoint Marechal Philippe Petain in his place, which he did that day.[2] General Sir Edward Spears, who was present with the French cabinet during this crisis wrote "it is clear that the President had made up his mind that France was free of her obligations to Britain, and was at liberty to ask for an armistice [with Germany] if she deemed it to be in her interests to do so."[3] On 10 July 1940, Lebrun enacted the Constitutional Law of 10 July 1940, which the National Assembly had voted for by 569 votes to 80,[4] allowing Prime Minister Philippe Petain to promulgate a new constitution.[5] 11 July, Lebrun was replaced by Pétain as head of state.[6] He then fled to Vizille (Isère) on 15 July, but was later captured, on 27 August 1943, when the Germans moved into the region and was sent into captivity at the Itter Castle in Tyrol. On 10 October 1943 he was allowed to return to Vizille due to illness, but was kept under constant surveillance. 9 August 1944, Lebrun met with Charles de Gaulle and acknowledged the General's leadership, and conveniently forgetting the new Constitutional Law he had enacted in 1940, said that he had not formally resigned as President because the dissolution of the National Assembly had left nobody to accept his resignation.[citation needed] Whether or not de Gaulle accepted this lie is unknown. During the post-war Petain trial "all the available celebrities of the Third Republic testified, including Lebrun, all whitewashing themselves"[7] Lebrun argued again that he had never officially resigned. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1940-1999, Folder, Vichy France, Fourth and Fifth Republics

France, 1941-1944, Vichy France, Nazi control
France, 1940-1944, Vichy France; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1944-1946, Provisional Government of the French Republic, Charles De Gaulle
France, 1944-1946, Provisional Government of the French Republic; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1946-1958, French Fourth Republic
France, 1946-1958, French Fourth Republic; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1947-1954, 4th Republic, Vincent Auriol, f resistance, socialist, UN, finance issues, devalued franc,
France, Fourth Republic President,1947-1954, Vincent Auriol; Jules Auriol (French pronunciation: ​[vɛ̃sɑ̃ oʁjɔl]; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. life and politics[edit] was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Auriol (1855–1933), a baker nicknamed Paul, and Angelique Virginie Durand (1862–1945).[1] great-grandmother, Anne Auriol, was a first cousin of English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He earned a law degree at the College de Revel in 1904 and began his career as a lawyer in Toulouse. A committed socialist, Auriol co-founded the newspaper Le Midi Socialiste in 1908; he was head of the Association of Journalists in Toulouse at this time. 1914, Auriol entered the Chamber of Deputies as a Socialist Deputy for Muret, a position he retained until 1942.[2] He also served as Mayor of Muret from 3 May 1925 to 17 January 1947,[1] and as a member of the Conseil General of Haute-Garonne from 1928 to 17 January 1947. In December 1920, after the breakup of the SFIO, Auriol refused to join the newly created SFIC and became one of the leaders of the new SFIO (the remaining socialist minority), along with Leon Blum. in 1927. became the party's leading spokesman on financial issues. He chaired the Finance Committee in the Chamber of Deputies from 1924–1926. His first cabinet post was as Minister of Finance under Leon Blum, in which Auriol controversially devalued the French franc 30% against the United States dollar, leading to capital flight and greater economic unease. This and Blum's proposals for greater regulatory restrictions on industry led to Blum's resignation as Premier; in the next government, led by Camille Chautemps, Auriol was made Minister of Justice, then Minister of Coordination of Services of the Presidency of the Council in Blum's short-lived government in 1938. Edouard Daladier's conservative–Radical government formed on 10 April 1938 returned Auriol to the Chamber of Deputies. was one of the 80 deputies who voted against the extraordinary powers given to Prime Minister Philippe Petain on 10 July 1940 that brought about the Nazi-backed Vichy government. As a result, he was placed under house arrest until he escaped to the French Resistance in October 1942, and fought with the resistance for a year. Auriol fled to London in October 1943. He represented the Socialists at the Free French Consultative Assembly (organized by Charles de Gaulle in Algiers later that year). In July 1944, he represented France at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference at Bretton Woods, United States. life and presidency[edit] World War II, Auriol served as Minister of State in de Gaulle's provisional government. He was a member of the Constituent Assemblies which drafted the constitution of the short-lived French Fourth Republic, and was President of the Assemblies. He lobbied for a "third force" as an alternative to both Communism and Gaullism. Auriol led the French delegation to the United Nations and was France's first representative on the United Nations Security Council in 1946. He served as a Deputy for Haute-Garonne in the National Assembly from 1946 until 31 December 1947.[2] Meanwhile, the National Assembly elected him on 16 January 1947 as the first President of the Fourth Republic by a wide margin, receiving 452 votes (51.19%) against the 242 (27.41%) for the People's Republican Movement (MRP) candidate, Auguste Champetier de Ribes. in 1946 president, Auriol pursued a relatively weak presidency like the office under the Third Republic. He attempted to reconcile political factions within France and warm relations between France and its allies. He was criticized for France's ailing economy and political turmoil in the postwar period, and the war in Indochina. A series of debilitating strikes were waged across France in 1947, initiated by the Confédération Générale du Travail. The strikes escalated into violence in November of that year, leading, on 28 November, to the government deploying 80,000 French Army reservists to face the "insurrection". The Communist Party, who often supported the strikes, were expelled from the legislature in early December. The strikes ended on 10 December, but more would come in 1948, and again in 1953 in response to the Joseph Laniel government's austerity program. from the inconclusive war in Indochina, France's colonial empire decayed under Auriol's presidency. Clashes in Morocco, Madagascar, Algeria, and Tunisia became more frequent; an Algerian independence movement, the Front de Libération Nationale, was founded in 1951, and in 1953 the French overthrew Mohammed V, the Sultan of Morocco, after he demanded greater autonomy. France waged a brutal war of repression in Madagascar, and imprisoned Tunisian independence leader Habib Bourguiba in 1952. Auriol's term as president expired, he did not run for re-election, and was succeeded by René Coty as President of France on 16 January 1954. Auriol commented on leaving office: "The work was killing me; they called me out of bed at all hours of the night to receive resignations of prime ministers"[3] (there were eighteen different governments during his seven years as President.) his presidency, Auriol assumed the role of elder statesman, and wrote articles on political topics. Auriol became a member of the Constitutional Council of France in 1958 at the establishment of the French Fifth Republic; he resigned from the SFIO in the same year. He unsuccessfully lobbied against the constitution in the 1958 national referendum, and resigned from his position on the Constitutional Council in 1960 to protest the growing power of Charles de Gaulle's presidency. In 1965, he endorsed François Mitterrand for the Presidency. 1 January 1966, Vincent Auriol died in hospital in the 7th arrondissement of Paris[4] and was buried at Muret, Haute-Garonne. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1954-1959, 4th Republic, Rene Coty, Radical Party, Republican Left, then Republican Union, Algerian question
France, Fourth Republic President,1954-1959, Rene Coty; Gustave René Coty (20 March 1882 - 22 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. life and politics[edit] é Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at the University of Caen, where he graduated in 1902, receiving degrees in law and philosophy. He worked as a lawyer in his hometown of Le Havre, specialising in maritime and commercial law. also became involved in politics, as a member of the Radical Party, and in 1907 was elected as a district councillor. The following year he was elected to the communal council of Le Havre as a member of the Republican Left group. He retained both of these positions until 1919. Coty also served as a member of the Conseil General of Seine-Inferieure from 1913 to 1942, holding the post of Vice President from 1932. the First World War broke out, Coty volunteered for the army, joining the 129th Infantry Regiment. He fought at the Battle of Verdun. entered the Chamber of Deputies in 1923, succeeding Jules Siegfried as Deputy for Seine-Inferieure. However, by this stage of his political career Coty had moved away from the Radical Party, and sat as a member of the Republican Union. Between 13 and 23 December 1930 he served as Under-secretary of State for the Interior in the government of Theodore Steeg. 1936, Coty was elected to the Senate for Seine-Inferieure. He was one of the French parliamentarians who, on 10 July 1940, voted to give extraordinary powers to Philippe Petain, thereby bringing about the Nazi-backed Vichy government. Coty remained relatively inactive during the Second World War, although he was rehabilitated after the war. life and presidency[edit] was a member of the Constituent National Assembly from 1944 to 1946, and chaired the right-wing Independent Republican group, which later became part of the National Center of Independents and Peasants. Coty was elected to the National Assembly in 1946 as a Deputy for Seine-Inferieure, and from November 1947 to September 1948, he served as Minister for Reconstruction and Urban Planning in the governments of Robert Schuman and Andre Marie. Coty was elected as a member of the Council of the Republic in November 1948, and served as Vice President of the Council from 1952. stood as a candidate for President in 1953, although it was thought unlikely that he would be elected. Nonetheless, and despite twelve successive ballots, right-wing favourite Joseph Laniel failed to obtain the absolute majority required. Following the withdrawal of another key right-wing candidate, Louis Jacquinot, Coty was finally elected in the thirteenth ballot on 23 December 1953, winning 477 votes against the 329 of socialist Marcel-Edmond Naegelen. He succeeded Vincent Auriol as President on 16 January 1954. President of the Republic, Coty was even less active than his predecessor in trying to influence policy. His presidency was troubled by the political instability of the Fourth Republic and the Algerian question. With the deepening of the crisis in 1958, on 29 May of that year, President Coty appealed to Charles de Gaulle, the "most illustrious of Frenchmen" to become the last Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic. Coty had threatened to resign if de Gaulle's appointment was not approved by the National Assembly. Gaulle drafted a new constitution, and on 28 September, a referendum took place in which 79.2% of those who voted supported the proposals, which led to the Fifth Republic. De Gaulle was elected as President of the new Republic by parliament in December, and succeeded Coty on 9 January 1959. Coty was a member of the Constitutional Council from 1959 until his death in 1962. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10;

France, 1959-Present, French Fifth Republic

France, 1959-1969, 5th Republic, Charles de Gaulle, free french, progressive, p of grandeur, socialist, retired twice
France, Fifth Republic President, 1959-1969, Charles de Gaulle; Andre Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 1890 - 9 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to reestablish democracy in France. 1958, he came out of retirement when appointed President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) by President Rene Coty. He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum. He was elected President of France later that year, a position to which he was reelected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969. in Lille, he graduated from Saint-Cyr in 1912. He was a decorated officer of the First World War, wounded several times and later taken prisoner at Verdun. During the interwar period, he advocated mobile armoured divisions. During the German invasion of May 1940, he led an armoured division which counterattacked the invaders; he was then appointed Undersecretary for War. to accept his government's armistice with Germany, de Gaulle fled to England and exhorted the French to resist occupation and to continue the fight in his Appeal of 18 June. He led the Free French Forces and later headed the French National Liberation Committee against the Axis. Despite frosty relations with the United States, he generally had Winston Churchill's support and emerged as the undisputed leader of Free France. He became head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic in June 1944, the interim government of France following its liberation. As early as 1944, de Gaulle introduced a dirigiste economic policy, which included substantial state-directed control over a capitalist economy which was followed by 30 years of unprecedented growth, known as the Trente Glorieuses. by the return of petty partisanship in the new Fourth Republic, he resigned in early 1946 but continued to be politically active as founder of the Rassemblement du Peuple Francais (RPF; "Rally of the French People"). He retired in the early 1950s and wrote his War Memoirs, which quickly became a staple of modern French literature. the Algerian War was ripping apart the unstable Fourth Republic, the National Assembly brought him back to power during the May 1958 crisis. founded the Fifth Republic with a strong presidency, and he was elected to continue in that role. He managed to keep France together while taking steps to end the war, much to the anger of the Pieds-Noirs (ethnic French born in Algeria) and the military; both previously had supported his return to power to maintain colonial rule. He granted independence to Algeria and acted progressively towards other French colonies. the context of the Cold War, de Gaulle initiated his "politics of grandeur" asserting that France as a major power should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. To this end, he pursued a policy of "national independence" which led him to withdraw from NATO's military integrated command and to launch an independent nuclear development program that made France the fourth nuclear power. He restored cordial Franco-German relations to create a European counterweight between the Anglo-American and Soviet spheres of influence through the signing of the Elysee Treaty on 22 January 1963. he opposed any development of a supranational Europe, favouring Europe as a continent of sovereign nations. Gaulle openly criticised the United States intervention in Vietnam and the "exorbitant privilege" of the United States dollar. In his later years, his support for the slogan "Vive le Quebec libre" and his two vetoes of Britain's entry into the European Economic Community generated considerable controversy in both North America and Europe. reelected to the presidency in 1965, he faced widespread protests by students and workers in May 1968, but had the Army's support and won an election with an increased majority in the National Assembly. Gaulle resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum in which he proposed more decentralisation. He died a year later at his residence in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, leaving his presidential memoirs unfinished. French political parties and figures claim a Gaullist legacy; many streets and monuments in France were dedicated to his memory after his death.

France, Somme River Siegfried and Maginot Lines Folder (Northern France)

Colmar(Rhine River 1.5) Ballon d'Alsace Mts in Vosages Mts, on the Maginot Line, France
Colmar, Alsace, on the Maginot Line, France; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DÜRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August, Commemorated August 5; Grunewald, (c. 1470 - August 31, 1528), was an important German Renaissance painter of religious works, who ignored Renaissance classicism to continue the expressive and intense style of late medieval Central European art into the 16th century. Only ten paintings—several consisting of many panels—and thirty-five drawings survive, all religious, although many others were lost at sea in the Baltic on their way to Sweden as war booty. His reputation was obscured until the late nineteenth century, and many of his paintings were attributed to Albrecht Dürer, who is now seen as his stylistic antithesis. His largest and most famous work is the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar, Alsace. (More at Wikipedia)

Somme River Source (former Forest of Arrouaise)

Somme River 1

Somme River 2

Somme River 3

Somme River 4 (Corbie)

Corbie, France (Somme River 4)
Corbie (Somme River 4); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865);

Somme River 5 (Amiens)

Amiens, France (a former crossroads, Somme River 5)
Amiens (a former crossroads); MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ;

Somme River Mouth (English Channel)

France, Seine River Folder (North Central France)

Aube Department
Aube Department; Martyr Patroclus of Troyes, Commemorated August 17 ;

Seine River Source (Source-Seine, Burgundy)
Source-Seine;

Seine River 1

Seine River 2 (Troyes)

Troyes, France (Seine River 2)
Troyes (Seine River 2), City of Tricassinum (Troyes); Martyr Patroclus of Troyes, Commemorated August 17 ;

Seine River 3 (Aube River)

France, Seine River 3, Aube River Folder

Aube River

Clairvaux (Aube River 1) 1115
Clairvaux Abbey ; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Aube River Source

Aube River Mouth (Seine River 3)

Seine River 4 (Yonne River)

France, Seine River 4, Yonne River Folder

Yonne River

Yonne River Source (Morvan Hills)
Morvan Hills;

Morvan Hills

Yonne River 1 (Vezelay Abby)

Vezelay Abby (near Yonne River 1 in Burgandy) 750 approx.
Vezelay Abby ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Yonne River 2 (Auxerre)

Auxerre, France (Yonne River 2)
Auxerre, France (Yonne River) ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31 ; Gaul; Britain; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Auxerre Cathedral, 1215
Auxerre Cathedral; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31 ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Joigny (Yonne River 2.5)
VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660;

Yonne River 3 (Sens, Vanne River Mouth)

Sens, Northern France (Vanne River Mouth, Yonne River 3)
Sens; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Vanne River Mouth (Sens, Yonne River 3)

Vanne River

Yonne (river) Mouth (Seine River 4)

Seine River 5 (Paris, Oise River, Marne River)

France, Seine River 5, Marne River Folder

Marne River

Champagne-Ardenne Region, France (Marne and Ainse Rivers)
Champagne-Ardenne Region of France; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

Haute-Marne Department, France (High Marne)
Haute-Marne; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

Marne Department, France
Marne Department;

Langres Cathedral, France (Champagne-Ardenne, Marne River Source)
Langres Cathedral; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ;

Marne River Source (Champagne-Ardenne)

Marne River Mouth (Paris, Seine River 5)

Lagny-sur-Marne monastery or Lagny Abbey (Marne River Mouth) 644
Lagny-sur-Marne monastery or Lagny Abbey (Marne River Mouth); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

France, Seine River 5, Paris Area Folder

Paris, France (Seine River 5)
Paris; NATHAN SA–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2;

Prison (Priory of) Saint-Lazare
VINCENT DE PAUL; Prison Saint-Lazare;

Priory (Prison of) Saint-Lazare
VINCENT DE PAUL; Prison Saint-Lazare;

Argenteuil (near Paris)
Argenteuil near Paris; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Nanterre, France (Seine River 5, Paris Area)
Nanterre (Seine River 5) ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ;

Valerien, Mount Valerien
Valerien, Mount Valerien; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3;

Abbey of St Denis (Paris, France) 1144
Abbey of St Denis in France; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9 ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9;

Vicus Catulliacus, now known as St Denis, Paris, 1144
Vicus Catulliacus, now known as St Denis; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9 ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Swedish Embassy, Paris
Embassy of Sweden, Paris; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; NATHAN SODERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated June 14 ;

Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs)
Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs) ; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated October 9 ;

University of Paris (Sarbonne) 1150
University of NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); NATHAN SODERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated June 14 ; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Sorbonne, Paris (University of Paris) 1150, 1257
Sorbonne; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; NATHAN SODERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931;

Bastille Prison, Paris
Bastille Prison; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20 France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot and American Catechist; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722;

Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France

Luxembourg Gardens
75006 Paris, France
Luxembourg Gardens - Garden
75006 Paris
France
Le Jardin du Luxembourg, or the Luxembourg Garden, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, was created beginning in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France, for a new residence she constructed, the Luxembourg Palace.
Wikipedia
Did you know: Created in 1612 by Marie de' Medici, the 25-hectare Jardin du Luxembourg is the second largest public park in Paris.
Construction started: 1612
17th-century park with formally laid-out gardens, trees planted in patterns & statues on pedestals.
senat.fr

Saint-Germain-des-Pres Cathedral, 542
Saint-Germain-des-Pres Cathedral, 542; St. Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28;

Saint Etienne du Mont Church, Paris
Saint Etienne du Mont Church; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3;

French National Museum of Natural History, 1635
Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Museum of Natural History, Paris, 1635
Natural History Museum in Paris; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Quinze-Vingts Hospital
Quinze-Vingts Hospital ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Conciergerie Prison, Paris
Conciergerie Prison, Paris ; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660 ;

Leville Cemetary, France
Leville Cemetary; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3 ;

Leville, France, Leuville-sur-Orge (Seine River 4.5)
Leville, France, Leuville-sur-Orge (Seine River 4.5); Saint Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3;

House of Capet, Direct Capetians, Paris and Seine River
House of Capet, Direct Capetians; House of Capet or the Direct Capetians, also called the House of France, or simply the Capets, ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. Historians in the 19th century came to apply the name "Capetian" to both the ruling house of France and to the wider-spread male-line descendants of Hugh Capet (c. 939 – 996). Contemporaries did not use the name "Capetian" (see House of France). The Capets were sometimes called "the third race of kings" (following the Merovingians and the Carolingians). The name "Capet" derives from the nickname (of uncertain meaning) given to Hugh, the first Capetian king.[1] direct line of the House of Capet came to an end in 1328, when the three sons of Philip IV (reigned 1285–1314) all failed to produce surviving male heirs to the French throne. the death of Charles IV (reigned 1322–1328), the throne passed to the House of Valois, descended from a younger brother of Philip IV. power would later pass (1589) to another Capetian branch, the House of Bourbon, descended from the youngest son of Louis IX (reigned 1226–1270), and (from 1830) to a Bourbon cadet branch, the House of Orléans, always remaining in the hands of agnatic descendants of Hugh Capet.

Nogent-Sur-Seine, France (near Paris, Seine River 4)
Nogent-Sur-Seine, France (near Paris, Seine River 4); Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Near Paris, Commemorated September 7 ;

France, Seine River 5, Oise River Folder

Oise River

Oise River Source (south of Chimay, Belgium)

Oise River 1 (Hirson, Aisne)

Oise River 2 (Guise, Aisne)

Oise River 3 (Chauny, Aisne)

Oise River 4 (Noyon, Oise)

Noyon, France (Oise River 4)
Noyon, France (Oise River 4); JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28;

Oise River 5 (Compiegne, Aisne River Mouth)

France, Seine River 5, Oise River 5, Ainse River Folder

Ainse River

Aisne River Source (Rembercourt-Sommaisne, Argonne Forest)

Aisne River 1 (Meuse Department)

Forest of Argonne (East of Aisne River)
Forest of Argonne;

Aisne River 2

Aisne River 3

Aisne River 4

Aisne River 8 (Sainte-Menehould, Marne Dept)

Aisne River 26 (Falaise)

Aisne River 27 (Vouziers, Ardennes)

Aisne River 28 (Rethel, Ardennes)

Aisne River 29 (Rheims)

Rheims (near Aisne River 29, Champagne-Ardenne, Marne Department)
Rheims (near Aisne River 29) ; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

Aisne River 30 (Soissons, Aisne)

Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons, France (Aisne River 30) 557
Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Ainse River 31

Aisne River Mouth (Oise River 5)

Oise River 6 (Overview)

House of Valois, Vez, Oise, France (Includes Orleans, Anjou, Burgundy and Alencon)
House of Valois Region; House of Valois[a] was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. Junior members of the family founded cadet branches in Orléans, Anjou, Burgundy, and Alençon. Valois descended from Charles, Count of Valois (1270–1325), the second surviving son of King Philip III of France (reigned 1270–1285). Their title to the throne was based on a precedent in 1316 (later retroactively attributed to the Merovingian Salic law) which excluded females (Joan II of Navarre), as well as male descendants through the distaff line (Edward III of England), from the succession to the French throne. After holding the throne for several centuries the Valois male line failed and the House of Bourbon succeeded the Valois to the throne as the senior-surviving branch of the Capetian dynasty. JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431;

France, Seine River 5, Oise River 6, Therain River Folder

Therain River

Therain River Source (between Grumesnil and St Michael d'Halescourt)

Therain River 1

Therain River 2 (Songeons)

Therain River 3 (Milly)

Therain River 4 (Beauvais)

Therain River 5 (Hermes)

Beauvais, France (Avalon River Mouth, Therain River 4) 1225
Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Therain River 6 (Mouy)

Therain River Mouth (Oise River 6)

Oise River 7 (Creil, Oise)

Oise River 8 (Overview)

Oise River 9 (Auvers, Val-d'Oise)

Oise River 10 (Pontoise, Val d'Oise)

Oise River 11 (Cergy, Val d'Oise)

Oise River 12 (Jouy-le-Moutier, Val d'Oise)

Oise River Mouth (Paris, Seine River 5)

Seine River 6

Seine River 7

France, Seine River 7.5, Eure River Folder, Chartres Cathedral

Eure River from Loire

Eure River from Eure

Eure River Source (Marchanville)

Eure River 1, Eure-et-Loir Dept, Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral (Eure Liore River 1, betweeen Paris and Orleans, on a hill, 1194-1220
Chartres Cathedral; Chartres, France; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Eure River 2, Eure Dept

Eure River Mouth (Seine River 7.5)
Eure River;

Seine River 8 (Rouen and Bec Abbey)

Bec, Monastery of Bec, Normandy, France (Bec Abbey, Seine River 8) 1034
Monastery of Bec (Bec Abbey) ; ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, 21 April 1109 ;

Seine River Mouth (Le Havre, English Channel)

France, Seine River Mouth, Normandy Folder, Cotentin Peninsula

Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy
Cotentin Peninsula

Falaise, Calvados, Normandy, France
Falaise, Calvados, birthplace of William the Conqueror; HUGH OF LINCOLN BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200) ;

Battle of Falaise Gap, 1944
Battle of Falaise Gap, 1944;

France, Loire River Folder (Central France)

Loire River Source (Cevennes, Mt Mont Gerbier de Jonc)
Loire River, it flows north to Orleans then west to the Atlantic Ocean;

Mont Gerbier de Jonc (its springs the source of the Loire)
Mont Gerbier de Jonc; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon on the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon (Liore River Source)
Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, on the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Andre and Magda Trocm, Commemorated July 16 ;

Loire River 1 (Monistrol)

Loire River 2 (Aurec)

Loire River 3 (Andrezieux-Boutheon)

Loire River 4 (Balbigny)

Loire River 5 (Roanne)

Loire River 6 (Marcigny)

Loire River 7 (Digoin, near Cluny Abby)

Loire River 8

Loire River 9

Loire River 10

Loire River 11 (Nevers)

Liore River 12

Liore River 13

Liore River 14

Loire River 20 (Orleans)

Dominican house in Orleans
Dominican house in Orleans ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253);

Orleans, France (Loire River 20)
Orleans; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

Loire River 22 (Tours)

Tours, France (Loire River 22)
Tours; Battle of Tours 732; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804) ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

Touraine Region, Tours (part of Paris Basin; Loire, Cher and Indre Rivers)
Touraine; Traversed by the Loire and its tributaries the Cher, the Indre and the Vienne, the Touraine makes up a part of the Paris Basin.

Liore River 23 (Tours, Cher River Mouth)

France, Loire River 23, Cher River Folder

Cher River

Cher River Source (Massif Central)
Massif Central;

Fathers of the Sacred Heart, Issoudun, France (Cher River 2)
Fathers of the Sacred Heart; DAMIEN of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889, Commemorated April 15 ;

Cher River Mouth (Tours, Loire River 23)

Liore River 24 (Indre River Mouth)

France, Loire River 24, Indre River Folder

Indre River

Indre River Source

Indre River Mouth (Loire River 24)

Liore River 25 (Vienne River Mouth)

France, Loire River 25, Vienne River Folder

Vienne River

Vienne River Source (Plateau de Millevaches)
Plateau de Millevaches;

Plateau de Millevaches

Vienne River 1 (Limoges)

Vienne River 1

Limoge (high point, Vienne River 1 Source)
Limoges (Vienne River); LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Vienne River 2 (Clain River)

France, Loire River 25, Vienne River 2, Clain River Folder

Clain River 1

Clain River 2

Clain River 3 (Poitiers and Vienne)

Poitiers, France (Clain River 3)
Poitiers; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ;

Poitevin Marshland, Marais Poitevin (a large marshland western France)
Marais Poitevin; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Vienne, France (Claine River 3)
Vienne, France; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177) ;

Clain River Mouth (Vienne River 2)

Vienne River Mouth (Loire River 25)

Chinon, France (near Vienne River Mouth and Loire River 25)
Chinon; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

Candes-Saint-Martin (Loire River 25, Vienne River)
Candes-Saint-Martin; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Liore River 27 (Anjou)

Liore River 28 (Maine and Sarthe Rivers)

France, Liore River 28, Maine and Sarthe Rivers Folder

Maine River

Maine River Source

Maine River 1

Mayenne River Mouth (Maine River)

Maine River Mouth (Loire River 28)

Sarthe River

Sarthe River Source

Sarthe River 1

Sarthe River 2

Sarthe River 3

Sarthe River 5 (LeMans, Cenomanis)

Cenomanis, France and Gaul (Le Mans, Sarthe River 5)
Cenomanis, Gaul (Le Mans, Sarthe River 5); St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ;

Maine County (Maine River, Sarthe River)
Maine County (Maine River) ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Sarthe River 7 (Overview)

Sarthe River Mouth (Maine River)

Anjou (both sides, Lower Loire Valley Western France)
Anjou; Serbia, 1245-1314, Helen of Anjou, Saint Helen of Serbia; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; St. Helen of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30;

Armorica, France (now Brittany, Liore River 30)
Armorica (now Brittany), and Nantes is the largest city in Brittany; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31 ;

Liore River 31 (Nantes)

Nantes, Brittany (Liore River 31)
Nantes, Brittany ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

France, 1598, Edict of Nantes, Brittany (Liore River 31), Granted Rights to the French Protestants or
Nantes, Brittany ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Liore River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Celts, Land of the Celtic People (Brittany, Britain, Scotland, Wales, Ireland)
Land of the Celtic People (Brittany, Britain, Scotland, Wales, Ireland); HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870);

France, Massif Central Folder (Central France)

Orcines, Massif Central, France
Orcines; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Auvergne , France (Massif Central Volcano, west of the upper Loire)
Auvergne Province ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Clermont-Ferrand (Puy de Dome region)
Clermont-Ferrand; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

House of Burbon, Central France, Navarre, Luxembourg, Spain, Naples, Sicily and Parma
House of Burbon, Central France; House of Bourbon is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish Bourbon dynasty held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma. Spain and Luxembourg have monarchs of the House of Bourbon. royal Bourbons originated in 1272, when the youngest son of King Louis IX married the heiress of the lordship of Bourbon.[2] The house continued for three centuries as a cadet branch, serving as nobles under the Direct Capetian and Valois kings. senior line of the House of Bourbon became extinct in the male line in 1527 with the death of Charles III, Duke of Bourbon. This made the junior Bourbon-Vendôme branch the genealogically senior branch of the House of Bourbon. In 1589, at the death of Henry III of France, the House of Valois became extinct in the male line. Under the Salic law, the Head of the House of Bourbon, as the senior representative of the senior-surviving branch of the Capetian dynasty, became King of France as Henry IV.[2] Bourbon monarchs then united to France the small kingdom of Navarre, which Henry's father had acquired by marriage in 1555, ruling both until the 1792 overthrow of the monarchy during the French Revolution. Restored briefly in 1814 and definitively in 1815 after the fall of the First French Empire, the senior line of the Bourbons was finally overthrown in the July Revolution of 1830. A cadet Bourbon branch, the House of Orléans, then ruled for 18 years (1830–1848), until it too was overthrown. Princes of Condé was a cadet branch of the Bourbons descended from an uncle of Henry IV, and the Princes of Conti was a cadet line of the Condé branch. Both houses were prominent French noble families, well known for their participation in French affairs, even during exile in the French Revolution, until their respective extinctions in 1830 and 1814. 1700, at the death of Charles II of Spain, the Spanish Habsburgs became extinct in the male line. Under the will of the childless Charles II, the second grandson of Louis XIV of France was named as his successor, to preclude the union of the thrones of France and Spain. The prince, then Duke of Anjou, became Philip V of Spain.[2] Permanent separation of the French and Spanish thrones was secured when France and Spain ratified Philip's renunciation, for himself and his descendants, of the French throne in the Treaty of Utrecht in 1714, and similar arrangements later kept the Spanish throne separate from those of the Two Sicilies and Parma. The Spanish House of Bourbon (rendered in Spanish as Borbón [boÉ¾ËˆÎ²on]) has been overthrown and restored several times, reigning 1700–1808, 1813–1868, 1875–1931, and since 1975. Bourbons ruled in Naples from 1734 to 1806 and in Sicily from 1734 to 1816, and in a unified Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1816 to 1860. They also ruled in Parma from 1731 to 1735, 1748–1802 and 1847–1859. Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (ruled 1919-1964) married a cadet of the Parmese line and thus her successors, who have ruled Luxembourg since her abdication in 1964, have also been members of the House of Bourbon. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, regent for her father, Pedro II of the Empire of Brazil, married a cadet of the Orléans line and thus their descendants, known as the Orléans-Braganza, were in the line of succession to the Brazilian throne and expected to ascend its throne had the monarchy not been abolished by a coup in 1889. legitimate, living members of the House of Bourbon, including its cadet branches, are direct agnatic descendants of Henry IV through his son Louis XIII of France.

France, Brittany Folder (Western France)

monastery of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, Brittany, 570 approx.
monastery of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys ; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers Folder (Southwest France)

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Dordogne River Folder

Dordogne 1 (Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne)

Dordogne River Source (Plateau de Millevaches)

Dordogne River 2 (Vezere River Mouth)

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Dordogne River 2, Vezere River Folder

Vezere River

Vezere River Source (Plateau De Millevaches)

Vezere River 1 (Thenon)

Thenon, France (Gironde area, N-S and E-W Crossroads, Vezere River 1)
Thenon (N-S and E-W Crossroads) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ;

Vezere River Mouth (Dordogne River 2)

Dordogne River 3 (Isle River Mouth)

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Dordogne River 3, Isle River Folder

Isle River

Isle River Source (Plateau de Millevaches)

Isle River 1 (Perigeaux)

Perigeux (high point, Isle River 1)
Perigeux (Isle River) ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Isle River Mouth (Dordogne River)

Dordogne River Mouth (Gironde Estuary)

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Garonne River Folder

Garonne River Source (Aran Valley)
Aran Valley;

Lourdes, Southwest France (Healing Spring, West of Garonne River Source)
Lourdes; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ;

Garonne River 1 (Toulouse)

Toulouse, Southern France, Langedoc - high point, Capital of the Visigoths (Garonne River 1)
Capital of the Visigoths - Toulouse; Toulouse; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24;

Languedoc Region (Toulouse, south central France, East of Garonne River)
Languedoc Region, The province of Languedoc covered an area in the central part of southern France, roughly the region between the Rhne River (border with Provence) and the Garonne River (border with Gascony), extending northwards to the Cvennes and the Massif Central (border with Auvergne); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; Bernadette of Lourdes, Nun and Visionary, 16 April 1879 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Albigensian Crusade, 1209-1229 (Languedoc Region, Albi, France)
Albigensian Crusade; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221);

Garonne River 2 (Tarn River Mouth)

Gascony, Southwest France (Basque Country, West of Garonne River)
Gascony; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Garonne River 2, Tarn River Folder

Tarn River

Tarn River Source (Mt Lozere)

Cevennes Range
Cevennes Range;

Tarn River 1

Tarn River 2 (Tarn Gourges)

Tarn River 3

Languedoc (Tarn and Upper Garonne Rivers)
Languedoc; Albigenses; Catharism; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221)

Tarn River 4

Tarn River 5 (Montauban)

Lycee de Montauban, Montauban, France (Tarn River 5)
Montauban, France (Tarn River 5) THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemrated December 10 ;

Montauban, France (Tarn River 5)
Montauban, France (Tarn River 5) THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemrated December 10 ;

Tarn River Mouth (Garonne River 2)

Garonne River 3 (Lot River Mouth)

Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7)
Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7); Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Commemorated on July 7;

Aquitaine Region, France (Southwest Coast, west of Garonne River)
Aquitaine Region, France (Southwest Coast, west of Garonne River); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1142-1204;

Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1142-1204
Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1142-1204; Aquitaine Region, France (Southwest Coast, west of Garonne River); HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

France, Gironde Estuary Rivers, Garonne River 3, Lot River Folder

Lot River

Lot River Source (Plateau de Millevaches)

Lot River 1 (Cahors)

Cahors, France (high point, Lot River 1)
Cahors (Lot River); LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Lot River Mouth (Garonne River 3)

Garonne River Mouth (Gironde Estuary Bay of Biscay Atlantic Ocean)

Moeze Saintonge, Poitevin Marshland, Western France, Gironde Estuary
Moeze Saintonge, Poitevin Marshland, Western France, Gironde Estuary; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, commemorated Sept. 7

Bordeaux, France (Garonne River Mouth)
Bordeaux, France; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ;

France, Aude River Folder (Southeastern France)

France, Southern France (south of Marais Poitevin)
France, Southern France (south of Marais Poitevin, a large marshland); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Marais Poitevin (a large marshland western France)
Marais Poitevin; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Aude River Source (Pyrenees mountains)
Pyrenees mountains;

Aude River 1

Aude River 2

Aude River 3

Rousillon County, Catalonia, France (Aude River)
Rousillon County; Saint Anna of Leukadio, Commemorated on July 23; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Aude River Mouth (Mediterranean Sea)

Leukadio or Leukate, France (south of Aude River Mouth, Leukate Lagoon, Southeast France)
Leukadio or Leukate, France; Saint Anna of Leukadio, Commemorated on July 23;

Narbonum, France (Aude River Mouth, Mediterranean Sea)
Narbonum; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated December 18;

France, French Rivierra Folder (Southeastern France)

Cimella, France (Cimelum, near Nice)
Cimella (Cimelum) near Nice; Martyr Pontious at Cimella in France ; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated August 4 ; Hieromartyr Fabian the Pope of Rome

Lerins Islands, Southeastern France
Lerins Islands, Southeastern France ; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) 410
Lerins monestary; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

France, Rhone and Saone Rivers Folder (Eastern France)

Rhone River (Fos Harbor)

Rhone River (Marseille)

Rhone River Source (Rhone Glacier, Switzerland)
Rhone Glacier;

Rhone River 1 (near Crans-Montana, Switzerland)

Rhone River 2 (Geneva, Switzerland, Lake Geneva)

Rhone River 3 (near Val-d'Isere, Courchevel, Meribel, France)

Chartreuse Mountains (Rhone River 3, Carthusians)
Chartreuse Mountains (Carthusians); Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse (Rhone River 3)
Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

Avalon, France, birthplace of Hugh of Lincoln (Chartreuse Mts, Carthusians, Rhone River 3)
Avalon, France; Chartreuse Mountains (Carthusians); Carthusians - Grande Chartreuse; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); a sign of his remorse for his role in the murder of the Archbishop Thomas a Becket, King Henry II founded the first house in England of the strict monastic order called the Carthusians. Difficulties arose with the first two priors, and a French noble recommended Hugh de Avalon, who at that time had been a monk at the mother house of the order for 17 years. his arrival in England in 1176, Hugh found that the building of the monastery had not begun. Worse, no compensation had been paid to those who would have to lose their lands and property to make room for it. refused to take office until these persons had been paid "to the last penny." He intervened again on behalf of the builders, whose pay was not forthcoming. Henry loved him for his plain speaking. "I do not despair of you," Hugh said to him at their first interview; "I know how much your many occupations interfere with the health of your soul." impressed by his frankness, swore that while he lived he should not leave his kingdom, and took so much pleasure in his conversation, and paid so much heed to his counsels, that a rumor arose that Hugh was his son. biographer wrote that "of all men only Hugh could bend that rhinosceros to his will." Henry was in danger of shipwreck, he cried out, "If only my Carthusian Hugh were awake and at prayer, God would not forget me." This affection never diminished, though Hugh dared to oppose the king, particularly in the matter of keeping bishoprics vacant in order that their revenues might fall to the king's treasury. of the worst examples was Lincoln, which, except for a few months, had been without a bishop for eighteen years. Hugh was elected to the post in 1186, and his monastic superiors ordered him to accept. After so long a period of neglect, there was great need of reform. employed priests of great piety and learning, and made the fullest use of his authority in disciplining his clergy. He took a stern view of the ill-treatment of the poor by the royal foresters, and when a subject of the church of Lincoln suffered at their hands he excommunicated their chief. He also refused to appoint a royal favorite to a meaningless but lucrative post. Henry was furious, and summoned him to his presence. He came, and Henry turned away his face and would not speak, but by way of ignoring his presence took out a torn glove and began to sew it. At last Hugh said, "How like you are to your relations at Falaise." king might have resented this allusion to the humble birth of William the Conqueror's mother, the daughter of a glove-maker, but he only laughed, and the quarrel was made up. against the Jews broke out in England at the time of the Third Crusade. In defence of the persecuted, Hugh faced armed mobs in Lincoln, Stamford and Northampton and compelled their submission. refused to raise money for the foreign wars of King Richard the Lion-Heart, calmed the king's rage with a kiss, and persisted in his refusal: was the first clear example on record of the refusal of a money-grant demanded directly by the crown, and an important legal precedent. Richard said, "If all bishops were like my lord of Lincoln, not a prince among us could raise his head against them." His relations with King John were less happy. John showed him an amulet, which he said was sacred and would preserve him. Hugh replied, "Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ." following Easter he preached at length on the duties of kings, and the king slipped out partway through. tireless, and forgetful of self, Hugh also had wit, a temper that he described as "more biting than pepper," and a great love and concern for children and the defenceless. He visited leper-houses and washed the ulcerous limbs of their inmates. He was fond of animals, and they of him. Birds and squirrels came readily to his hand. He had a swan that would feed from his hand, follow him about, and keep guard over his bed, so that no one could approach it without being attacked. In 1200 the king sent him on an embassy to France. His mission was a success, but he took ill and returned to England to die on 16 November 1200. John Ruskin called him "the most beautiful sacerdotal (priestly) figure known to me in history." by James Kiefer

Arc River of Savoie

Arc (Savoie) River Source, near Bonneville sur Arc and Val d' Isere

Arc River in Savoie

Rhone River 4 (Lyon, Saone River Mouth)

France, Rhone River 4, Saone River Folder

Saone River Source (Vosges Mt Range)

Saone River 1 (Darney)

Saone River 2 (Monthureux-sur-Saone)

Saone River 3 (Chatillon-sur-Saone)

France, Rhone River 4, Saone River 3, Grosne River Folder

Grosne River

Grosne River Source (Saint-Bonnet-des-Bruyeres)
Grosne River;

Grosne River 1 (Cluny Abbey)

Cluny Abbey, France (Grosne River 1) 910
Cluny; Cluny Abbey; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Grosne River Mouth (Saone River 3)

La Fert Abbey (Grosne River Mouth, Saone River 3)
La Fert Abbey (Grosne River Mouth, Saone River 3) BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Saone River 4 (Jussey)

Luxeuil Abbey, France
Luxeuil Abbey (Burgendy, France, between Rhine and Meuse Rivers); Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Saone River 5 (Cistercian, Citeaux, Abby)

Cistercian abbey, France (Saone River 5) 1098
Cistercian abbey; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Citeaux Abby, 1098
Citeaux Abby; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Corcelles-les-Citeaux
Corcelles-les-Citeaux; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Autun (Saone-and-Loire Rivers Department)
Autun; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28 ;

Autun Cathedral, 1120
Autun Cathedral; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28;

St Symphorian'™s monastery, Autun, Saone, 452
St Symphorian'™s monastery; Autun Cathedral; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28 ;

Burgundy, France (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage)
Burgundy; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Burgundian State, a very large area, Upper Seine, Upper Loire, Upper Saone, Luxemborg, Belgium, Holland
Burgundian State, a very large area, Upper Seine, Upper Loire, Upper Saone, Luxemborg, Belgium, Holland Burgundy; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

France, Rhone River 4, Saone River 5, Doubs River Folder

Doubs River

Doubs River Source (Mouthe)
Mouthe;

Doubs River 1 (Montbeliard)
Montbiliard;

Besancon, France (Doubs River 2)
Besancon, France on the Doubs River; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Doubs River 2 (Besancon)

Doubs River Mouth (Saone River 5)
Doubs River;

Saone River 6 (Saone-et-Loire)

Macon, France (Saone River 6.7)
Macon ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Saone River 7 (Belleville et Saone

Mongre, Notre Dame de Mongre High School (Saone River 7.3) 1848
Notre Dame de Mongr High School; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Villefranche-sur-Saone (Saone River 7.3)
Villefranche-sur-Saone ; Notre Dame de Mongr High School; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Saone River 8 (Caluire-et-Cuire)

Saone River Mouth (Lyons, Rhone River 4)

Lyons, France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4)
Lyons; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; POLYCARP; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177); IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

Clairvaux Abby, 1115
Clairvaux Abbey ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

La Ferte or Clairvaux (48:09 N 4:47 E) 1115
Clairvaux Abbey ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Rhone River 5 (Vienne)

Isere River

Isere River Source, Vald'Isere Ski Resort

Isere River Mouth, Rhone River 5.8

Rhone River 6 (near Grenoble, France)

Rhone River 7 (Avignon)

Avignon, France (Rhone River 7)
Avignon; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Rhone River 8 (Arles)

Arles, France (Rhone River 8)
Arles (Rhone River 8); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Rhone River Mouth (Marseille, Gulf of Lyon)

Rhone River Mouth (Fos Harbor)

Rhone River Mouth (Marseille)

Marseille, France (Rhone River Mouth)
Marseille; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Hiram "Harry" Bingham IV; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Monastery of St Victor in Marseilles
Monastery of St Victor in Marseilles;

Aix-en-Provence (Rhone River Mouth, Marseille)
Aix-en-Provence; Provence-Alpes-Cate d'Azur; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Provence (Southeastern France, east of Rhone River)
Provence Region; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Provence-Alpes-Cate d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Cate d'Azur; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Arc (Provence) River

Arc (Provence) River Source

Arc (Provence) River Mouth

France, Maginot Line, Northeast France between France and Germany

Strasbourg, France (Maginot Line)
Strasbourg, France; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

El'zasa in German Empire, or Alsace, France, Maginot Line
Alsace; Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome, Commemorated on September 17;

France (Clean), Roman Roads or Major Rivers Folder

France (Clean), its Area
France, its Area

France (Clean), Britany, its Area
France, Britany, its Area

France (Clean) Angevin Empire, its Area 1154-1214
Angevin Empire, its Area;

France (Clean), North Sea Empire, its Area, 1013-66, 53 years
North Sea Empire, its Area, 1013-66, 53 years

Chartres Cathedral, 1194-1220
Chartres Cathedral;

Abbey of St Denis (Paris, France) 1144
Abbey of St Denis in France;

Paris, France (Seine River 5)
Paris;

Dominican house in Orleans (Loire River 20)
Dominican house in Orleans ;

Massif Central (Central France)
Massif Central;

Puy de Dome (dormant lava dome of a volcano)
Puy de Dome (dormant lava dome of a volcano);

Brittany or Breton Region, France
Brittany;

Breton or Brittany Region, France
Brittany;

France (Clean), Normandy, its Area
France, Normandy, its Area

Normandy, France (Lower Seine to Cotentin Peninsula)
Normandy; Duchy of Normandy;

Nantes, Brittany (Liore River 31)
Nantes, Brittany ;

France (Clean), Pitou Region (Poitevan Marsh, Poitiers, Limoge high point, Clain River)

Poitou Region, (Poitiers, Limoge high point, Poitevan Marsh, Clain River)
Poitevan Marsh;

Poitiers, France (Clain River 3)
Poitiers;

Bordeaux, France (Garonne River Mouth)
Bordeaux, France;

Avignon, France (Rhone River 7)
Avignon;

Arles, France (Rhone River 8)
Arles (Rhone River 8);

Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) 410
Lerins monestary;

Lerins Islands, Southeastern France
Lerins Islands, Southeastern France ;

Lyons, France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4)
Lyons;

Cistercian abbey, France (Saone River 5) 1098
Cistercian abbey;

Lourdes, Southwest France (Healing Spring, East of Oloron, France on Way of St James, Spain)
Lourdes;

Germany Folder, its Rivers, forests and mountains

Germany
Germany; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Johann Sebastian Bach of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DuœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRueœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DrueœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DuœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUEÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, Poet, Commemorated August 7 ; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ; William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945); OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

German History Folder

Germany, 000 1st C Folder, Dionysius the Aeropygite

Germany, 70-96, Dionysis the Aeropygite, important Orthodox writer, divine knowledge, purity of heart, true prayer
Areopagus Council, Athens (Athenian high court, Hill of Ares); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave.

Germany, 200, 3rd C Folder, Ripuarian Franks, Meuse and Moselle Valleys, Gaul

Germany, 274-496, Ripuarian Franks, Meuse and Moselle River Valleys
Germany, 274-496, Ripuarian Franks, Meuse and Moselle River Valleys; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6;

Germany, 274-761 History Folder, Metz was the capital of the Franks

Germany, 300, 4th C Folder, Gaul Caesar, Constantine's Father, Zebulon Enlightener of Gaul

Germany, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great
England, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Germany, 303-323, Zebulon, Enlightener of the Franks and Gaul, Father of St Nino Enlightner of Georgia
Belgium, 303-323 (about 20 years from his relative Great-martyr George's death in 303), Zebulon, Enlightener of the Franks and Gaul, Father of St Nino Enlightner of Georgia; Francia: the Frankish Empire, the capital later (508) moved to Paris; Franks; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28;

Germany, 306-337, Caesar and Emperor, Constantine the Great, Legal Christianity
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¦sarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Germany, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Germany, 400, 5th C Folder, Gaul, Upper Rhine River, Clovis, Franks, Swabia

Germany, 496, Upper Rhine River, Land of the Alemanni, Clovis, Franks, Swabia
Alemanni, 496, Upper Rhine River, Land of the Alemanni, Clovis, Franks; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Germany, 500, 6th C Folder, Austrasia, Metz, Franks Homeland

Franks, 567-761 (Austrasia, Metz, Germany was the Capital, Homeland of the Franks)
Austrasia (Metz, Germany was the Capital, Homeland of the Franks) ; Franks; Francia; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Germany, 600, 7th C Folder, Austrasia, Metz, Franks

Germany, 700, 8th C Folder, Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar

Germany, 701-754, Boniface, Sacred Oak at Geismar, from Cornwall, evangelized Netherlands, France, and West Germany
BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. Although his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), whence he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. It is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. He asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. He persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Many Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. On June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar;

Germany, 701-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall, greatest English influence in Europe
England, 700-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall (a crossroads in Creedy River Valley), at 5 resolved to convert pagans on Continent, monastery school at 7, director Nursing school, first Latin grammar, lecturers, to Friesland at 30, F war w Christian Charles Martel, to Hesse and Bavaria in 710, supported by Pope and CM, cut Oak of Geismar in Hesse, bishop of Germany, synods in France for Church reform, not hightest bidder for bishop, back to Friesland, greatest English influence in Europe; Crediton, Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837.[1] The town is situated in the narrow vale of the River Creedy, between two steep hills and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town. ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. Manuscript illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. Boiniface felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. by James Kiefer

Germany, 723, Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar, St Boniface
Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Germany, 750-804, Alcuin, Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, rev Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque
England, 750-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne, York Deacon, scriptoria, cursive, revised Latin liturgy, plainchant, Filioque; England, 755-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne; York; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); was an Englishman from York, born into a noble family about 730, and educated by a pupil of Bede. become a deacon, he was made head of the cathedral school at York around 770. 781 he was asked by the Emperor Charlemagne to become his minister of education. He accepted, and established schools at many cathedrals and monasteries, and promoted learning in every way he could. the preceding years of constant wars and invasions, many ancient writings had been lost. Alcuin established scriptoria, dedicated to the copying and preservation of ancient manuscripts, both pagan and Christian. we have as much as we do of the writings of classical Roman authors is largely due to Alcuin and his scribes. is credited with the invention of cursive script, in which the letters are connected for greater speed of writing.) Alcuin, backed by Charlemagne, belongs much of the credit for the revision and organization of the Latin liturgy, the preservation of many of the ancient prayers, and the development of plainchant. and his fellow theologians at Charlemagne's capital of Aachen (or Aix-le-Chappelle) were important advocates of the doctrine that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son jointly. the East, which regarded the Emperor at Byzantium as the sole Emperor, resented Charlemagne's assumption of the title of Holy Roman Emperor, and this hardened their opposition to the aforesaid doctrine, thus contributing to the rift between East and West. by James Kiefer Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Germany, 768-814, HRE Emperor, Charlemagne, a Frank
Belgium, 800-814, Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, a Frank, Belgium ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God "œIveron", Commemorated on February 12; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

Germany, 800, 9th C Folder, Sons of Charlemagne

Germany, 814-840, HRE Emperor, Louis the Pious, v over muslim Barcelona, sons' civil war
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 814-840, Louis the Pious; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6;

Germany, 821-865, ANSKAR, Corbie, France (Somme River 4) Apostle to the North, encouraged by visions, Sweden, Denmark, Norway

Germany, 840-855, HRE Emperor, Lothair I, governed Bavaria, civil war led to Ger and Fra
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 840-855, Lothair I; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865); St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Germany, 843-876, Louis the German, Louis II, Bavaria then East Francia
Louis the German, Bavaria then East Francia, 843-876, Grandson of Charlemagne; Kingdom of Bavaria; East Francia or Germany (West Francia was beginning of France); St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11;

Germany, 875-877, HRE Emperor, Charles the Bald, heir to Gaul a
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 875-877, Charles the Bald; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Germany, 876-879, Carloman of Bavaria
Germany, 876-879, Carloman of Bavaria;

Germany, 879-882, Louis the Younger, Louis III
Germany, 879-882, Louis the Younger, Louis III ;

Germany, 881-887, Charles the Fat, Charles III, HRE Emperor, Lst Carolingian, L Frank
Germany, 881-887, Charles the Fat, Charles III, Holy Roman Emperor; St. Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25;

Germany, 900, 10th C Folcer, Ottos I, II, and III, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation

Germany, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France, golden age of C, independent of kings, over 2000 Abbys, translated koran
France, 909-1156, EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY Abbey, France (Grosne River 1), golden age of Cluny, under Pope, independent of kings, silence, simple diet, chasity, C over 2000 Abbys, translated koran ; Cluny; Cluny Abbey; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; monastery of Cluny (in France, northwest of Lyons) was a center for the reform and spiritual renewal of Western monasticism in the tenth and eleventh centuries. was founded in 909 under Abbot Berno, as a reformed monastery, observing the Benedictine Rule with a strictness unusual at the time. Many monasteries in Europe at that time were dominated by a nearby king or nobleman. It was intended that Cluny should be independent of all but papal jurisdiction. second abbot was Odo (born 879 at Tours, monk in 909, abbot in 927, died 18 November 942--one of my sources says 944). He obtained papal and royal charters which guaranteed the monastery freedom from outside interference. Under his guidance Cluny attracted many men seeking to follow its discipline, and Abbot Odo was instrumental in introducing the Cluniac observances into many Italian monasteries as well. He insisted on silence, simplicity of diet, and strict observance of chastity for his monks, but he was not rigid of temperament: many stories survive of his generosity to the poor and to prisoners. Because he had no wordly ambitions, he was often called to mediate disputes between men in power. third abbot was Aylward, who held office from 942 to 965. He was blind from 954 on. (or Maieul or Maiolus) was born at Avignon around 906, became a clergyman, was made archdeacon of Macon, and fled to Cluny in order to avoid being made bishop of Besancon. At Cluny, he was made librarian and bursar. When Abbot Aylward became blind, he appointed Maiolus his assistant, and in 965 at the death of Aylward he became abbot. Under his guidance, Cluniac influence expanded, but by example and advice rather than by jurisdiction. Maiolus had the support and admiration of the Emperors Otto I and Otto II, and the latter wanted to make him Pope in 974, but he refused. When old, he chose Odilo as his successor, and retired to contemplation and penance. He died on 11 May 994. the fifth abbot, was born around 962, became a monk as a young man, was made assistant to Mayeul in 991, and became abbot in 994. He held office for 55 years, during which time thirty abbeys accepted Cluny as their mother house, and its practices were adopted by many more which did not affiliate. Thus the Cluniac reform spread through Burgundy, Provence, Auvergne, Poitou, and much of Italy and Spain. The abbot of Cluny appointed priors for the daughter houses, which were thus permanently under a central jurisdiction, making the Cluniac monasteries (or some of them) into the first monastic order in the modern sense. In Abbot Odilo's day, there was a great deal of fighting of minor wars, raids, and skirmishes between feudal lords and others. Odilo reduced the effect of this by persuading the combatants throughout most of France and some other regions to agree that churches and monastic holdings were strictly off limits in fighting, and that there was to be a truce from Fridays to Mondays, as well as throughout all of Advent and Lent, to enable all parties to worship unmolested. Odilo wrote many sermons and poems on the mystery of the Incarnation, and his references to the role of Mary as the means through whom the Incarnation took place greatly influenced Bernard of Clairvaux a century later. Odilo instituted the observance of 2 November as All Souls' Day, a day of prayer at first for the dead brothers of the Abbey and later for all who had died in the faith of Christ. In the years from 1028 to 1033, when crop failures created great hunger among the poor in the vicinity of Cluny, he melted down and sold most of the treasures of Cluny to relieve them. As an abbot, he held both himself and his monks to a strict observance of the Rule, but he said that he would rather be damned for being too merciful than for being too severe. He died in 1049 at the age of 87. the sixth abbot, was born in 1024, the oldest son of a Burgundian nobleman (the count of Semur), entered Cluny when about 16, and became abbot when only 25 years old. He was abbot for 60 years, during which time the number of monastic houses that recognized Cluny as their mother house grew from about 60 to about 2000. It was under his abbacy that the Cluniac reform was introduced into England (at Lewes in Sussex in 1077). He increased the control of the mother house over the daughter houses (at the cost, as some have thought, of a certain flagging in their spiritual enthusiasm). Hugh was an accomplished diplomat sent at various times by nine different popes to conduct delicate negotiotiations in Hungary, Toulouse, Spain, and all over Europe. He mediated between pope and emperor in the confrontation at Canossa, and must be reckoned as one of the most influential figures of his day. He died 29 April 1109. seventh abbot, Pons (or Pontius), was a secular-minded, contentious nobleman, unsuited to be an abbot. He took office in 1109, and by 1122 had created such a turmoil and so many factions that the Pope asked him to resign. eighth Abbot of Cluny was Peter the Venerable, born in 1092, prior of Vezelay in 1112, and elected abbot of Cluny in 1122. In 1125, when Peter was away, Pons returned with a band of armed men and seized control of the monastery. The Pope intervened and imprisoned Pons, who died in prison the following year. Peter was then involved in a dispute with Bernard of Clairvaux (see 20 August), the spokesman of the Cistercian monasteries, and disposed to view the Cluniac monasteries as in some sense a rival organization, who accused the Cluniac houses of being insufficiently strict in their monastic observances. Peter, instead of replying indignantly, considered the complaints, made some changes where he thought that changes were needed, and ignored the complaints that he considered ill-grounded. In 1140, when Bernard had succeeded in having the views of Abelard condemned (see 21 April), Peter gave Abelard shelter at Cluny, persuaded the Pope to deal mildly with Abelard, and reconciled Abelard and Bernard. He refused to have anything to do with the preaching of the Second Crusade, saying that the moslems should be met, not with armies, but with scholars prepared for rational dialogue. He sponsored the first translation of the Koran into Latin, so that Christian missionaries could understand what the moslems they were about to meet believed. He served as papal envoy to Aquitaine, England, and various states in Italy. He wrote religious tracts, poems, hymns, and many letters, of which about 200 survive. He defended the Jews against persecution and false accusations. He was abbot for thirty-four years, during which time Cluny was the most influential abbey in Europe. He died 25 December 1156, and with his death the golden age of Cluny was over. But it had lasted for well over two centuries, and had done much to advance Western civilization, both in spiritual and in secular terms.

Germany, 962-1806 History Folder, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation

Germany, 962-1806 and 2009-, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation
Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, 962-1806 and 2009-; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869);

Germany, 962-967, HRE Emperor, Otto I, German Ottonian Dynasty, over Hungarian Magyars
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 962-967, Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Germany, 967-996, HRE Emperor, Otto II, German Ottonian Dy, annexed Italy from Byzantium
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 967-996, Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Germany, 996-1014, HRE Emperor, Otto III, German Ottonian, first German Pope after Rmn Rebellion
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 996-1014, Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Germany, 1000, 11th C Folder, HRE Henry II, HRE Henry IV, Walk to Canosa, appointed commoners

Germany, 1014-1024, HRE Emperor, Henry II, HRE Emperor,
Belgium, 1014-1024, HRE Emperor, Henry II, HRE Emperor; Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 996-1014, Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Germany, 1084-1105, Henry IV, HRE Emperor, German, controversial, appointed commoners, walk to C, Inv c
Roman Emperor, 1084-1105, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor; IV (German: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 - 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. was the son of Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor—the second monarch of the Salian dynasty—and Agnes of Poitou. his father's death on 5 October 1056, Henry was placed under his mother's guardianship. She made grants to German aristocrats to secure their support. Unlike her late husband, she could not control the election of the popes, thus the idea of the "liberty of the Church" strengthened during her rule. Taking advantage of her weakness, Archbishop Anno II of Cologne kidnapped Henry in April 1062. He administered Germany until Henry came of age in 1065. endeavoured to recover the royal estates that had been lost during his minority. He employed low-ranking officials to carry out his new policies, causing discontent in Saxony and Thuringia. Henry crushed a riot in Saxony in 1069 and overcame the rebellion of the Saxon aristocrat Otto of Nordheim in 1071. appointment of commoners to high office offended German aristocrats, and many of them withdrew from Henry's court. insisted on his royal prerogative to appoint bishops and abbots, although the reformist clerics condemned this practice as simony (a forbidden sale of church offices). Pope Alexander II blamed Henry's advisors for his acts and excommunicated them in early 1073. Henry's conflicts with the Holy See and the German dukes weakened his position and the Saxons rose up in open rebellion in the summer of 1074. Taking advantage of a quarrel between the Saxon aristocrats and peasantry, he forced the rebels into submission in October 1075. adopted an active policy in Italy, alarming Pope Alexander II's successor, Gregory VII, who threatened him with excommunication for simony. Henry persuaded most of the German bishops to declare the Pope's election invalid on 24 January 1076. In response, the Pope excommunicated Henry and released his subjects from their allegiance. German aristocrats who were hostile to Henry called for the Pope to hold an assembly in Germany to hear Henry's case. prevent the Pope from sitting in judgement on him, Henry went to Italy as far as Canossa to meet with the Pope. His penitential "Walk to Canossa" was a success and Gregory VII had no choice but to absolve him in January 1077. Henry's German opponents ignored his absolution and elected an antiking, Rudolf of Rheinfelden, on 14 March 1077. Pope was initially neutral in the two kings' conflict, enabling Henry to consolidate his position. Henry continued to appoint high-ranking clerics, for which the Pope again excommunicated him on 7 March 1080. Most German and northern Italian bishops remained loyal to Henry and they elected the antipope Clement III. Rudolf of Rheinfelden was killed in battle and his successor, Hermann of Salm, could only exert royal authority in Saxony. From 1081, Henry launched a series of military campaigns to Italy, and Clement III crowned him emperor in Rome on 1 April 1084. of Salm died and Henry pacified Saxony with the local aristocrats' assistance in 1088. launched an invasion against the pope's principal Italian ally, Matilda of Tuscany, in 1089. She convinced Henry's elder son, Conrad II, to take up arms against his father in 1093. Her alliance with Welf I, Duke of Bavaria, prevented Henry's return to Germany until 1096 when he was reconciled with Welf. After Clement III's death, Henry did not support new antipopes, but did not make peace with Pope Paschal II. proclaimed the first Reichsfriede (imperial peace) which covered the whole territory of Germany in 1103. younger son, Henry V, forced him to abdicate on 31 December 1105. He tried to regain his throne with the assistance of Lotharingian aristocrats, but became ill and died without receiving absolution from his excommunication. preeminent role in the Investiture Controversy, his "Walk to Canossa" and his conflicts with his sons and wife established his controversial reputation, with some regarding him as the stereotype of a tyrant, and others describing him as an exemplary monarch who protected the poor. Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10; Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Germany, 1100, 12th C Folder, Saint Hildegard oBingen, writer composer mystic vissionary

Germany, 1118-1179, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, writer, composer, mystic, visionary
Germany, 1118-1179, Saint Hildegard of Bingen; of Bingen (1098 - 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic and visionary during the High Middle Ages.[1][2] She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, as well as the most recorded in modern history.[3] She has been considered by many in Europe to be the founder of scientific natural history in Germany.[4] convent elected her as magistra in 1136; she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and Eibingen in 1165. wrote theological, botanical, and medicinal texts, as well as letters, hymns and antiphons for the liturgy[2] and poems, while supervising miniature illuminations in the Rupertsberg manuscript of her first work, Scivias.[5] are more surviving chants by Hildegard than by any other composer from the entire Middle Ages, and she is one of the few known composers to have written both the music and the words.[6] of her works, the Ordo Virtutum, is an early example of liturgical drama and arguably the oldest surviving morality play.[7] She is also noted for the invention of a constructed language known as Lingua Ignota. the history of her formal canonization is complicated, regional calendars of the Roman Catholic Church have listed her as a saint for centuries. On 10 May 2012, Pope Benedict XVI extended the liturgical cult of Hildegard to the entire Catholic Church in a process known as "equivalent canonization". On 7 October 2012, he named her a Doctor of the Church, in recognition of "her holiness of life and the originality of her teaching."[8] was born around the year 1098, although the exact date is uncertain. Her parents were Mechtild of Merxheim-Nahet and Hildebert of Bermersheim, a family of the free lower nobility in the service of the Count Meginhard of Sponheim.[9] Sickly from birth, Hildegard is traditionally considered their youngest and tenth child,[10] although there are records of only seven older siblings.[11][12] In her Vita, Hildegard states that from a very young age she had experienced visions.[13] early childhood, long before she undertook her public mission or even her monastic vows, Hildegard's spiritual awareness was grounded in what she called the umbra viventis lucis, the reflection of the living Light. Her letter to Guibert of Gembloux, which she wrote at the age of seventy-seven, describes her experience of this light with admirable precision: my early childhood, before my bones, nerves and veins were fully strengthened, I have always seen this vision in my soul, even to the present time when I am more than seventy years old. In this vision my soul, as God would have it, rises up high into the vault of heaven and into the changing sky and spreads itself out among different peoples, although they are far away from me in distant lands and places. And because I see them this way in my soul, I observe them in accord with the shifting of clouds and other created things. I do not hear them with my outward ears, nor do I perceive them by the thoughts of my own heart or by any combination of my five senses, but in my soul alone, while my outward eyes are open. So I have never fallen prey to ecstasy in the visions, but I see them wide awake, day and night. And I am constantly fettered by sickness, and often in the grip of pain so intense that it threatens to kill me, but God has sustained me until now. The light which I see thus is not spatial, but it is far, far brighter than a cloud which carries the sun. I can measure neither height, nor length, nor breadth in it; and I call it "the reflection of the living Light." And as the sun, the moon, and the stars appear in water, so writings, sermons, virtues, and certain human actions take form for me and gleam.[14] life[edit] because of Hildegard's visions, or as a method of political positioning (or both), Hildegard's parents offered her as an oblate to the Benedictine monastery at the Disibodenberg, which had been recently reformed in the Palatinate Forest. The date of Hildegard's enclosure at the monastery is the subject of debate. Her Vita says she was professed with an older woman, Jutta, the daughter of Count Stephan II of Sponheim, at the age of eight.[15] However, Jutta's date of enclosure is known to have been in 1112, when Hildegard would have been fourteen.[16] Their vows were received by Bishop Otto Bamberg on All Saints' Day, 1112. Some scholars speculate that Hildegard was placed in the care of Jutta at the age of eight, and the two women were then enclosed together six years later.[17] any case, Hildegard and Jutta were enclosed together at the Disibodenberg, and formed the core of a growing community of women attached to the male monastery. Jutta was also a visionary and thus attracted many followers who came to visit her at the cloister. Hildegard tells us that Jutta taught her to read and write, but that she was unlearned and therefore incapable of teaching Hildegard sound biblical interpretation.[18] The written record of the Life of Jutta indicates that Hildegard probably assisted her in reciting the psalms, working in the garden and other handiwork, and tending to the sick.[19] This might have been a time when Hildegard learned how to play the ten-stringed psaltery. Volmar, a frequent visitor, may have taught Hildegard simple psalm notation. The time she studied music could have been the beginning of the compositions she would later create.[20] Jutta's death in 1136, Hildegard was unanimously elected as magistra of the community by her fellow nuns.[21] Abbot Kuno of Disibodenberg asked Hildegard to be Prioress, which would be under his authority. Hildegard, however, wanted more independence for herself and her nuns and asked Abbot Kuno to allow them to move to Rupertsberg.[22] This was to be a move towards poverty, from a stone complex that was well established to a temporary dwelling place. When the abbot declined Hildegard's proposition, Hildegard went over his head and received the approval of Archbishop Henry I of Mainz. Abbot Kuno did not relent until Hildegard was stricken by an illness that kept her paralyzed and unable to move from her bed, an event that she attributed to God's unhappiness at her not following his orders to move her nuns to a new location in Rupertsberg. It was only when the Abbot himself could not move Hildegard that he decided to grant the nuns their own monastery.[23] Hildegard and about twenty nuns thus moved to the St. Rupertsberg monastery in 1150, where Volmar served as provost, as well as Hildegard's confessor and scribe. In 1165 Hildegard founded a second monastery for her nuns at Eibingen.[24] Hildegard's death, a problem arose with the clergy of Mainz. A man buried in Rupertsberg had died after excommunication from the Catholic Church. Therefore, the clergy wanted to remove his body from the sacred ground. Hildegard did not accept this idea, replying that it was a sin and that the man had been reconciled to the church at the time of his death.[25] said that she first saw "The Shade of the Living Light" at the age of three, and by the age of five she began to understand that she was experiencing visions.[26] She used the term 'visio' (the Latin for "vision") to describe this feature of her experience and recognized that it was a gift that she could not explain to others. Hildegard explained that she saw all things in the light of God through the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.[27] Hildegard was hesitant to share her visions, confiding only to Jutta, who in turn told Volmar, Hildegard's tutor and, later, secretary.[28] Throughout her life, she continued to have many visions, and in 1141, at the age of 42, Hildegard received a vision she believed to be an instruction from God, to "write down that which you see and hear."[29] Still hesitant to record her visions, Hildegard became physically ill. The illustrations recorded in the book of Scivias were visions that Hildegard experienced, causing her great suffering and tribulations.[30] In her first theological text, Scivias ("Know the Ways"), Hildegard describes her struggle within: I, though I saw and heard these things, refused to write for a long time through doubt and bad opinion and the diversity of human words, not with stubbornness but in the exercise of humility, until, laid low by the scourge of God, I fell upon a bed of sickness; then, compelled at last by many illnesses, and by the witness of a certain noble maiden of good conduct [the nun Richardis von Stade] and of that man whom I had secretly sought and found, as mentioned above, I set my hand to the writing. While I was doing it, I sensed, as I mentioned before, the deep profundity of scriptural exposition; and, raising myself from illness by the strength I received, I brought this work to a close – though just barely – in ten years. […] And I spoke and wrote these things not by the invention of my heart or that of any other person, but as by the secret mysteries of God I heard and received them in the heavenly places. And again I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, 'Cry out, therefore, and write thus!'[31] was between November 1147 and February 1148 at the synod in Trier that Pope Eugenius heard about Hildegard's writings. It was from this that she received Papal approval to document her visions as revelations from the Holy Spirit, giving her instant credence.[32] 17 September 1179, when Hildegard died, her sisters claimed they saw two streams of light appear in the skies and cross over the room where she was dying.[33] Sanctae Hildegardis[edit] hagiography, Vita Sanctae Hildegardis, was compiled by the monk Theoderic of Echternach after Hildegard's death.[34] He included the hagiographical work Libellus or "Little Book" begun by Godfrey of Disibodenberg.[35] Godfrey had died before he was able to complete his work. Guibert of Gembloux was invited to finish the work; however, he had to return to his monastery with the project unfinished.[36] Theoderic utilized sources Guibert had left behind to complete the Vita. I.6: The Choirs of Angels. From the Rupertsberg manuscript, fol. 38r. works include three great volumes of visionary theology;[37] a variety of musical compositions for use in liturgy, as well as the musical morality play Ordo Virtutum; one of the largest bodies of letters (nearly 400) to survive from the Middle Ages, addressed to correspondents ranging from popes to emperors to abbots and abbesses, and including records of many of the sermons she preached in the 1160s and 1170s;[38] two volumes of material on natural medicine and cures;[39][40] an invented language called the Lingua ignota ("unknown language");[41] and various minor works, including a gospel commentary and two works of hagiography.[42] manuscripts of her works were produced during her lifetime, including the illustrated Rupertsberg manuscript of her first major work, Scivias (lost since 1945); the Dendermonde Codex, which contains one version of her musical works; and the Ghent manuscript, which was the first fair-copy made for editing of her final theological work, the Liber Divinorum Operum. At the end of her life, and probably under her initial guidance, all of her works were edited and gathered into the single Riesenkodex manuscript.[43] theology[edit] most significant works were her three volumes of visionary theology: Scivias ("Know the Ways", composed 1142–1151), Liber Vitae Meritorum ("Book of Life's Merits" or "Book of the Rewards of Life", composed 1158–1163); and Liber Divinorum Operum ("Book of Divine Works", also known as De operatione Dei, "On God's Activity", composed 1163/4 to 1172 or 1174). In these volumes, the last of which was completed when she was well into her seventies, Hildegard first describes each vision, whose details are often strange and enigmatic, and then interprets their theological contents in the words of the "voice of the Living Light."[44] Church, the Bride of Christ and Mother of the Faithful in Baptism. Illustration to Scivias II.3, fol. 51r from the 20th-century facsimile of the Rupertsberg manuscript, c. 1165–1180 permission from Abbot Kuno of Disibodenberg, she began journaling visions she had (which is the basis for Scivias). Scivias is a contraction of Sci vias Domini (Know the Ways of the Lord), and it was Hildegard's first major visionary work, and one of the biggest milestones in her life. Perceiving a divine command to "write down what you see and hear,"[45] Hildegard began to record and interpret her visionary experiences. In total, 26 visionary experiences were captured in this compilation.[32] is structured into three parts of unequal length. The first part (six visions) chronicles the order of God's creation: the Creation and Fall of Adam and Eve, the structure of the universe (famously described as the shape of an "egg"), the relationship between body and soul, God's relationship to his people through the Synagogue, and the choirs of angels. The second part (seven visions) describes the order of redemption: the coming of Christ the Redeemer, the Trinity, the church as the Bride of Christ and the Mother of the Faithful in baptism and confirmation, the orders of the church, Christ's sacrifice on the cross and the Eucharist, and the fight against the devil. Finally, the third part (thirteen visions) recapitulates the history of salvation told in the first two parts, symbolized as a building adorned with various allegorical figures and virtues. It concludes with the Symphony of Heaven, an early version of Hildegard's musical compositions.[46] early 1148, a commission was sent by the Pope to Disibodenberg to find out more about Hildegard and her writings. The commission found that the visions were authentic and returned to the Pope, with a portion of the Scivias. Portions of the uncompleted work were read aloud to Pope Eugenius III at the Synod of Trier in 1148, after which he sent Hildegard a letter with his blessing.[47] This blessing was later construed as papal approval for all of Hildegard's wide-ranging theological activities.[48] Towards the end of her life, Hildegard commissioned a richly decorated manuscript of Scivias (the Rupertsberg Codex); although the original has been lost since its evacuation to Dresden for safekeeping in 1945, its images are preserved in a hand-painted facsimile from the 1920s.[5] Vitae Meritorum[edit] her second volume of visionary theology, composed between 1158 and 1163, after she had moved her community of nuns into independence at the Rupertsberg in Bingen, Hildegard tackled the moral life in the form of dramatic confrontations between the virtues and the vices. She had already explored this area in her musical morality play, Ordo Virtutum, and the "Book of the Rewards of Life" takes up that play's characteristic themes. Each vice, although ultimately depicted as ugly and grotesque, nevertheless offers alluring, seductive speeches that attempt to entice the unwary soul into their clutches. Standing in our defence, however, are the sober voices of the Virtues, powerfully confronting every vicious deception.[49] the work's innovations is one of the earliest descriptions of purgatory as the place where each soul would have to work off its debts after death before entering heaven.[50] Hildegard's descriptions of the possible punishments there are often gruesome and grotesque, which emphasize the work's moral and pastoral purpose as a practical guide to the life of true penance and proper virtue.[51] from the manuscript "Liber divinorum operum". Manufactured in the 12th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.[52] Divinorum Operum[edit] Man illumination from Hildegard's Liber Divinorum Operum, I.2. Lucca, MS 1942, early 13th-century copy. last and grandest visionary work had its genesis in one of the few times she experienced something like an ecstatic loss of consciousness. As she described it in an autobiographical passage included in her Vita, sometime in about 1163, she received "an extraordinary mystical vision" in which was revealed the "sprinkling drops of sweet rain" that John the Evangelist experienced when he wrote, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). Hildegard perceived that this Word was the key to the "Work of God", of which humankind is the pinnacle. The Book of Divine Works, therefore, became in many ways an extended explication of the Prologue to John's Gospel.[53] ten visions of this work's three parts are cosmic in scale, to illustrate various ways of understanding the relationship between God and his creation. Often, that relationship is established by grand allegorical female figures representing Divine Love (Caritas) or Wisdom (Sapientia). The first vision opens the work with a salvo of poetic and visionary images, swirling about to characterize God's dynamic activity within the scope of his work within the history of salvation. The remaining three visions of the first part introduce the famous image of a human being standing astride the spheres that make up the universe and detail the intricate relationships between the human as microcosm and the universe as macrocosm. This culminates in the final chapter of Part One, Vision Four with Hildegard's commentary on the Prologue to John's Gospel (John 1:1–14), a direct rumination on the meaning of "In the beginning was the Word" The single vision that constitutes the whole of Part Two stretches that rumination back to the opening of Genesis, and forms an extended commentary on the seven days of the creation of the world told in Genesis 1–2:3. This commentary interprets each day of creation in three ways: literal or cosmological; allegorical or ecclesiological (i.e. related to the church's history); and moral or tropological (i.e. related to the soul's growth in virtue). Finally, the five visions of the third part take up again the building imagery of Scivias to describe the course of salvation history. The final vision (3.5) contains Hildegard's longest and most detailed prophetic program of the life of the church from her own days of "womanish weakness" through to the coming and ultimate downfall of the Antichrist.[54] in recent decades to women of the medieval Catholic Church has led to a great deal of popular interest in Hildegard's music. In addition to the Ordo Virtutum, sixty-nine musical compositions, each with its own original poetic text, survive, and at least four other texts are known, though their musical notation has been lost.[55] This is one of the largest repertoires among medieval composers. O frondens virga MENU0:00 Problems playing this file? See media help. of her better-known works, Ordo Virtutum (Play of the Virtues), is a morality play. It is uncertain when some of Hildegard's compositions were composed, though the Ordo Virtutum is thought to have been composed as early as 1151.[56] It is an independent Latin morality play with music (82 songs); it does not supplement or pay homage to the Mass or the Office of a certain feast. It is, in fact, the earliest known surviving musical drama that is not attached to a liturgy.[6] Ordo virtutum would have been performed within Hildegard's monastery by and for her select community of noblewomen and nuns. It was probably performed as a manifestation of the theology Hildegard delineated in the Scivias. The play serves as an allegory of the Christian story of sin, confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Notably, it is the female Virtues who restore the fallen to the community of the faithful, not the male Patriarchs or Prophets. This would have been a significant message to the nuns in Hildegard's convent. Scholars assert that the role of the Devil would have been played by Volmar, while Hildegard's nuns would have played the parts of Anima (the human souls) and the Virtues.[57] The devil's part is entirely spoken or shouted, with no musical setting. All other characters sing in monophonic plainchant. This includes Patriarchs, Prophets, A Happy Soul, A Unhappy Soul and A Penitent Soul along with 16 female Virtues (including Mercy, Innocence, Chasity, Obedience, Hope, and Faith).[58] addition to the Ordo Virtutum, Hildegard composed many liturgical songs that were collected into a cycle called the Symphonia armoniae celestium revelationum. The songs from the Symphonia are set to Hildegard's own text and range from antiphons, hymns, and sequences, to responsories.[59] Her music is monophonic, that is, consisting of exactly one melodic line.[60] Its style has been said to be characterized by soaring melodies that can push the boundaries of traditional Gregorian chant, and to stand outside the normal practices of monophonic monastic chant.[61] Researchers are also exploring ways in which it may be viewed in comparison with her contemporaries, such as Hermannus Contractus.[62] Another feature of Hildegard's music that both reflects twelfth-century evolution of chant, and pushes that evolution further, is that it is highly melismatic, often with recurrent melodic units. Scholars such as Margot Fassler, Marianne Richert Pfau, and Beverly Lomer also note the intimate relationship between music and text in Hildegard's compositions, whose rhetorical features are often more distinct than is common in twelfth-century chant.[63] As with all medieval chant notation, Hildegard's music lacks any indication of tempo or rhythm; the surviving manuscripts employ late German style notation, which uses very ornamental neumes.[64] The reverence for the Virgin Mary reflected in music shows how deeply influenced and inspired Hildegard of Bingen and her community were by the Virgin Mary and the saints.[65] and medicinal writings[edit] of Bingen and her nuns medicinal and scientific writings, though thematically complementary to her ideas about nature expressed in her visionary works, are different in focus and scope. Neither claim to be rooted in her visionary experience and its divine authority. Rather, they spring from her experience helping in and then leading the monastery's herbal garden and infirmary, as well as the theoretical information she likely gained through her wide-ranging reading in the monastery's library.[40] As she gained practical skills in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, she combined physical treatment of physical diseases with holistic methods centered on "spiritual healing."[66] She became well known for her healing powers involving the practical application of tinctures, herbs, and precious stones.[67] She combined these elements with a theological notion ultimately derived from Genesis: all things put on earth are for the use of humans.[68] In addition to her hands-on experience, she also gained medical knowledge, including elements of her humoral theory, from traditional Latin texts.[66] catalogued both her theory and practice in two works. The first, Physica, contains nine books that describe the scientific and medicinal properties of various plants, stones, fish, reptiles, and animals. This document is also thought to contain the first recorded reference of the usage of hops in beer as a preservative.[69][70] The second, Causae et Curae, is an exploration of the human body, its connections to the rest of the natural world, and the causes and cures of various diseases.[71] Hildegard documented various medical practices in these books, including the use of bleeding and home remedies for many common ailments. She also explains remedies for common agricultural injuries such as burns, fractures, dislocations, and cuts.[66] Hildegard may have used the books to teach assistants at the monastery. These books are historically significant because they show areas of medieval medicine that were not well documented because their practitioners (mainly women) rarely wrote in Latin. Her writings were commentated on by Mélanie Lipinska, a Polish scientist.[72] addition to its wealth of practical evidence, Causae et Curae is also noteworthy for its organizational scheme. Its first part sets the work within the context of the creation of the cosmos and then humanity as its summit, and the constant interplay of the human person as microcosm both physically and spiritually with the macrocosm of the universe informs all of Hildegard's approach.[40] Her hallmark is to emphasize the vital connection between the "green" health of the natural world and the holistic health of the human person. Viriditas, or greening power, was thought to sustain human beings and could be manipulated by adjusting the balance of elements within a person.[66] Thus, when she approached medicine as a type of gardening, it was not just as an analogy. Rather, Hildegard understood the plants and elements of the garden as direct counterparts to the humors and elements within the human body, whose imbalance led to illness and disease.[66] the nearly three hundred chapters of the second book of Causae et Curae "explore the etiology, or causes, of disease as well as human sexuality, psychology, and physiology."[40] In this section, she gives specific instructions for bleeding based on various factors, including gender, the phase of the moon (bleeding is best done when the moon is waning), the place of disease (use veins near diseased organ or body part) or prevention (big veins in arms), and how much blood to take (described in imprecise measurements, like "the amount that a thirsty person can swallow in one gulp"). She even includes bleeding instructions for animals to keep them healthy. In the third and fourth sections, Hildegard describes treatments for malignant and minor problems and diseases according to the humoral theory, again including information on animal health. The fifth section is about diagnosis and prognosis, which includes instructions to check the patient's blood, pulse, urine and stool.[66] Finally, the sixth section documents a lunar horoscope to provide an additional means of prognosis for both disease and other medical conditions, such as conception and the outcome of pregnancy.[40] For example, she indicates that a waxing moon is good for human conception and is also good for sowing seeds for plants (sowing seeds is the plant equivalent of conception).[66] Elsewhere, Hildegard is even said to have stressed the value of boiling drinking water in an attempt to prevent infection.[73] Hildegard elaborates the medical and scientific relationship between the human microcosm and the macrocosm of the universe, she often focuses on interrelated patterns of four: "the four elements (fire, air, water, and earth), the four seasons, the four humors, the four zones of the earth, and the four major winds."[40] Although she inherited the basic framework of humoral theory from ancient medicine, Hildegard's conception of the hierarchical inter-balance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) was unique, based on their correspondence to "superior" and "inferior" elements – blood and phlegm corresponding to the "celestial" elements of fire and air, and the two biles corresponding to the "terrestrial" elements of water and earth. Hildegard understood the disease-causing imbalance of these humors to result from the improper dominance of the subordinate humors. This disharmony reflects that introduced by Adam and Eve in the Fall, which for Hildegard marked the indelible entrance of disease and humoral imbalance into humankind.[40] As she writes in Causae et Curae c. 42: happens that certain men suffer diverse illnesses. This comes from the phlegm which is superabundant within them. For if man had remained in paradise, he would not have had the flegmata within his body, from which many evils proceed, but his flesh would have been whole and without dark humor [livor]. However, because he consented to evil and relinquished good, he was made into a likeness of the earth, which produces good and useful herbs, as well as bad and useless ones, and which has in itself both good and evil moistures. From tasting evil, the blood of the sons of Adam was turned into the poison of semen, out of which the sons of man are begotten. And therefore their flesh is ulcerated and permeable [to disease]. These sores and openings create a certain storm and smoky moisture in men, from which the flegmata arise and coagulate, which then introduce diverse infirmities to the human body. All this arose from the first evil, which man began at the start, because if Adam had remained in paradise, he would have had the sweetest health, and the best dwelling-place, just as the strongest balsam emits the best odor; but on the contrary, man now has within himself poison and phlegm and diverse illnesses.[74] ignota and Litterae ignotae[edit] by Hildegard von Bingen, Litterae ignotae, which she used for her language Lingua Ignota also invented an alternative alphabet. Litterae ignotae (Alternate Alphabet) was another work and was more or less a secret code, or even an intellectual code – much like a modern crossword puzzle today. Lingua ignota (Unknown Language) consisted of a series of invented words that corresponded to an eclectic list of nouns. The list is approximately 1000 nouns; there are no other parts of speech.[75] The two most important sources for the Lingua ignota are the Wiesbaden, Hessische Landesbibliothek 2 (nicknamed the Riesenkodex)[75] and the Berlin MS.[41] In both manuscripts, medieval German and Latin glosses are written above Hildegard's invented words. The Berlin MS contains additional Latin and German glosses not found in the Riesenkodex.[41] The first two words of the Lingua as copied in the Berlin MS are: Aigonz (German, goth; Latin, deus; [English God) and Aleganz (German engel; Latin angelus; [English angel]).[76] Newman believes that Hildegard used her Lingua Ignota to increase solidarity among her nuns.[77] Sarah Higley disagrees and notes that there is no evidence of Hildegard teaching the language to her nuns. She suggests that the language was not intended to remain a secret; rather, the presence of words for mundane things may indicate that the language was for the whole abbey and perhaps the larger monastic world.[41] Higley believes that "the Lingua is a linguistic distillation of the philosophy expressed in her three prophetic books: it represents the cosmos of divine and human creation and the sins that flesh is heir to."[41] text of her writing and compositions reveals Hildegard's use of this form of modified medieval Latin, encompassing many invented, conflated and abridged words.[13] Because of her inventions of words for her lyrics and use of a constructed script, many conlangers look upon her as a medieval precursor.[78] her lifetime[edit] claims that it is likely Hildegard learned simple Latin and the tenets of the Christian faith but was not instructed in the Seven Liberal Arts, which formed the basis of all education for the learned classes in the Middle Ages: the Trivium of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric plus the Quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.[79] The correspondence she kept with the outside world, both spiritual and social, transcended the cloister as a space of spiritual confinement and served to document Hildegard's grand style and strict formatting of medieval letter writing.[80][81] to Christian European rhetorical traditions, Hildegard "authorized herself as a theologian" through alternative rhetorical arts.[80] Hildegard was creative in her interpretation of theology. She believed that her monastery should exclude novices who were not from the nobility because she did not want her community to be divided on the basis of social status.[82] She also stated that "woman may be made from man, but no man can be made without a woman."[33] preaching tours of church limitation on public, discursive rhetoric, the medieval rhetorical arts included preaching, letter writing, poetry, and the encyclopedic tradition.[83] Hildegard's participation in these arts speaks to her significance as a female rhetorician, transcending bans on women's social participation and interpretation of scripture. The acceptance of public preaching by a woman, even a well-connected abbess and acknowledged prophet, does not fit the stereotype of this time. Her preaching was not limited to the monasteries; she preached publicly in 1160 in Germany. (New York: Routledge, 2001, 9). She conducted four preaching tours throughout Germany, speaking to both clergy and laity in chapter houses and in public, mainly denouncing clerical corruption and calling for reform.[84] abbots and abbesses asked her for prayers and opinions on various matters.[1] She traveled widely during her four preaching tours.[85] She had several devoted followers, including Guibert of Gembloux, who wrote to her frequently and became her secretary after Volmar's death in 1173. Hildegard also influenced several monastic women, exchanging letters with Elisabeth of Schönau, a nearby visionary.[86] corresponded with popes such as Eugene III and Anastasius IV, statesmen such as Abbot Suger, German emperors such as Frederick I Barbarossa, and other notable figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux, who advanced her work, at the behest of her abbot, Kuno, at the Synod of Trier in 1147 and 1148. Hildegard of Bingen's correspondence is an important component of her literary output.[87] was one of the first persons for whom the Roman canonization process was officially applied, but the process took so long that four attempts at canonization were not completed and she remained at the level of her beatification. Her name was nonetheless taken up in the Roman Martyrology at the end of the 16th century. Her feast is 17 September.[88] Numerous popes have referred to Hildegard as a saint, including Pope John Paul II[89] and Pope Benedict XVI.[90] Hildegard's parish and pilgrimage church in Eibingen near Rüdesheim houses her relics.[91] 10 May 2012, Pope Benedict XVI extended the veneration of Saint Hildegard to the entire Catholic Church[92] in a process known as "equivalent canonization,"[93] thus laying the groundwork for naming her a Doctor of the Church.[94] On 7 October 2012, the feast of the Holy Rosary, the pope named her a Doctor of the Church.[95] He called Hildegard "perennially relevant" and "an authentic teacher of theology and a profound scholar of natural science and music."[96] of Bingen also appears in the calendar of saints of various Anglican churches, such as that of the Church of England, in which she is commemorated on 17 September.[97][98] interest[edit] German 10 DM commemorative coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany (1998): Hildegard of Bingen writing the book (Liber), 'Sci vias Domini', inspired by the hand of the Lord German 10 DM commemorative coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany (1998) designed by Carl Vezerfi-Clemm on the 900th anniversary of Hildegard of Bingen's birth engraving by W. Marshall recent years, Hildegard has become of particular interest to feminist scholars.[99] They note her reference to herself as a member of the weaker sex and her rather constant belittling of women. Hildegard frequently referred to herself as an unlearned woman, completely incapable of Biblical exegesis.[100] Such a statement on her part, however, worked to her advantage because it made her statements that all of her writings and music came from visions of the Divine more believable, therefore giving Hildegard the authority to speak in a time and place where few women were permitted a voice.[101] Hildegard used her voice to amplify the church's condemnation of institutional corruption, in particular simony. has also become a figure of reverence within the contemporary New Age movement, mostly because of her holistic and natural view of healing, as well as her status as a mystic. Though her medical writings were long neglected, and then studied without reference to their context,[102] she was the inspiration for Dr. Gottfried Hertzka's "Hildegard-Medicine", and is the namesake for June Boyce-Tillman's Hildegard Network, a healing center that focuses on a holistic approach to wellness and brings together people interested in exploring the links between spirituality, the arts, and healing.[103] Her reputation as a medicinal writer and healer was also used by early feminists to argue for women's rights to attend medical schools.[102] Hildegard's reincarnation has been debated since 1924 when Austrian mystic Rudolf Steiner lectured that a nun of her description was the past life of Russian poet-philosopher Vladimir Soloviev,[104] whose Sophianic visions are often compared to Hildegard's.[105] Sophiologist Robert Powell writes that hermetic astrology proves the match,[106] while mystical communities in Hildegard's lineage include that of artist Carl Schroeder[107] as studied by Columbia sociologist Courtney Bender[108] and supported by reincarnation researchers Walter Semkiw and Kevin Ryerson.[109] and performances of Hildegard's music have gained critical praise and popularity since 1979. There is an extensive discography of her musical works. following modern musical works are directly linked to Hildegard and her music or texts: Sofia Gubaidulina: Aus den Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen, for contra alto solo, after a text of Hildegard of Bingen, 1994. Peter Janssens: Hildegard von Bingen, a musical in 10 scenes, text: Jutta Richter, 1997. Cecilia McDowall: Alma Redemptoris Mater. Tilo Medek: Monatsbilder (nach Hildegard von Bingen), twelve songs for mezzo-soprano, clarinet and piano, 1997. David Lynch with Jocelyn Montgomery: Lux Vivens (Living Light): The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen, 1998. Alois Albrecht: Hildegard von Bingen, a liturgical play with texts and music by Hildegard of Bingen, 1998. Christopher Theofanidis: Rainbow Body, for orchestra (2000)[110] Wolfgang Sauseng: De visione secunda for double choir and percussion, 2011. Ludger Stühlmeyer: O splendidissima gemma. 2012. For alto solo and organ, text: Hildegard of Bingen. Commissioned composition for the declaration of Hildegard of Bingen as Doctor of the Church.[111] Devendra Banhart: Für Hildegard von Bingen, single from the 2013 album Mala.[112] Gordon Hamilton: The Trillion Souls quotes Hildegard's O Ignee Spiritus[113] The artwork The Dinner Party features a place setting for Hildegard.[114] In space, the minor planet 898 Hildegard is named for her.[115] In film, Hildegard has been portrayed by Patricia Routledge in a BBC documentary called Hildegard of Bingen (1994),[116] by Ángela Molina in Barbarossa (2009)[117] and by Barbara Sukowa in the film Vision, directed by Margarethe von Trotta.[118] Hildegard was the subject of a 2012 fictionalized biographic novel Illuminations by Mary Sharatt.[119] The plant genus Hildegardia is named after her because of her contributions to herbal medicine.[120] Hildegard makes an appearance in The Baby-Sitters Club #101: Claudia Kishi, Middle School Drop-Out by Ann M. Martin, when Anna Stevenson dresses as Hildegard for Halloween.[121] A feature documentary film, The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard, was released by American director Michael M. Conti in 2014.[122] The off-Broadway musical In the Green, written by Grace McLean, followed Hildegard's story.[123] In his book “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”, neurologist Oliver Sacks devotes a chapter to Hildegard and concludes her visions were migrainous.[124] HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Germany, 1200, 13th C Folder

Germany, 1300, 14th C Folder, Sigismund oBavaria, Bohemia, Brandenburg, JAN HUS, Bohemia, Thomas of Kempis

Germany, 1378-1437, Sigismund of Bavaria, Bohemia, Brandenburg (Berlin), Lux, Croats, Serbs, Italy, & Hungry, Crusade, Hussites
Belgium, 1378-1437, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund of Luxembourg ; of Bohemia (15 February 1368 - 9 December 1437), also known as Sigismund of Luxembourg, was prince-elector of Brandenburg from 1378 until 1388 and from 1411 until 1415, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1387, king of Germany from 1411, king of Bohemia from 1419, king of Italy from 1431, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until 1437, and the last male member of the House of Luxembourg.[1] was born in Nuremberg, the son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and Elizabeth of Pomerania. He married Queen Mary of Hungary in 1385 and was crowned King of Hungary soon after. He fought to restore and maintain authority to the throne. Mary died in 1395, leaving Sigismund the sole ruler of Hungary. 1396, Sigismund led the Crusade of Nicopolis, but was decisively defeated by the Ottoman Empire. Afterwards, he founded the Order of the Dragon to fight the Turks and secured the thrones of Croatia, Germany and Bohemia. Sigismund was one of the driving forces behind the Council of Constance (1414-1418) that ended the Papal Schism, but which also led to the Hussite Wars that dominated the later period of his life. In 1433, Sigismund was crowned Holy Roman Emperor and ruled until his death in 1437. life in Nuremberg, Sigismund was the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, and of his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania, who was the granddaughter of King Casimir III of Poland and the great-granddaughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas. He was named after Saint Sigismund of Burgundy, the favourite saint of Sigismund's father. From Sigismund's childhood he was nicknamed the "ginger fox" in the Crown of Bohemia, on account of his hair colour. first wife, Mary I, Queen of Hungary. Louis the Great of Hungary and Poland always had a good and close relationship with Emperor Charles IV, and Sigismund was betrothed to Louis' eldest daughter, Mary, in 1374, when he was six years old. his father's death in 1378, young Sigismund became Margrave of Brandenburg and was sent to the Hungarian court, where he soon learnt the Hungarian language and way of life, and became entirely devoted to his adopted country.[2] King Louis named him as his heir and appointed him his successor as King of Hungary. 1381, the then 13-year-old Sigismund was sent to Krakow by his eldest half-brother and guardian Wenceslaus, King of Germany and Bohemia, to learn Polish and to become acquainted with the land and its people. King Wenceslaus also gave him Neumark to facilitate communication between Brandenburg and Poland. disagreement between Polish landlords of Lesser Poland on one side and landlords of Greater Poland on the other, regarding the choice of the future King of Poland, finally ended in choosing the Lithuanian side. The support of the lords of Greater Poland was however not enough to give Prince Sigismund the Polish crown. Instead, the landlords of Lesser Poland gave it to Mary's younger sister Jadwiga I of Poland, who married Jogaila of Lithuania. of Hungary coin of Sigismund of Hungary with his coat of arms (right), the image of the King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary (left). Standard of Hungary under the rule of Sigismund (1387–1437). the death of her father in 1382, his betrothed, Mary, became queen of Hungary and Sigismund married her in 1385 in Zolyom (today Zvolen). The next year, he was accepted as Mary's future co-ruler by the Treaty of Gyor. However, Mary was captured, together with her mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia, who had acted as regent, in 1387 by the rebellious House of Horvat, Bishop Paul Horvat of Macva, his brother John Horvat and younger brother Ladislav. Sigismund's mother-in-law was strangled, while Mary was liberated. secured the support of the nobility, Sigismund was crowned King of Hungary at Szekesfehervar on 31 March 1387.[3] Having raised money by pledging Brandenburg to his cousin Jobst, margrave of Moravia (1388), he was engaged for the next nine years in a ceaseless struggle for the possession of this unstable throne.[2] The central power was finally weakened to such an extent that only Sigismund's alliance with the powerful Czillei-Garai League could ensure his position on the throne.[4] It was not for entirely selfless reasons that one of the leagues of barons helped him to power: Sigismund had to pay for the support of the lords by transferring a sizeable part of the royal properties. (For some years, the baron's council governed the country in the name of the Holy Crown). The restoration of the authority of the central administration took decades of work. The bulk of the nation headed by the House of Garai was with him; but in the southern provinces between the Sava and the Drava, the Horvathys with the support of King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, Mary's maternal uncle, proclaimed as their king Ladislaus, king of Naples, son of the murdered Charles II of Hungary. Not until 1395 did Nicholas II Garai succeed in suppressing them.[2] Mary died heavily pregnant in 1395. ease the pressure from Hungarian nobles, Sigismund tried to employ foreign advisors, which was not popular, and he had to promise not to give land and nominations to anyone other than Hungarian nobles. However, this was not applied to Stibor of Stiboricz, who was Sigismund's closest friend and advisor. On a number of occasions, Sigismund was imprisoned by nobles, but with help of the armies of Garai and Stibor of Stiboricz, he would regain power. of Nicopolis Sigismund of Hungary during the battle of Nicopolis in 1396. Painting by Ferenc Lohr (1896), main hall of the Castle of Vaja. 1396, Sigismund led the combined armies of Christendom against the Turks, who had taken advantage of the temporary helplessness of Hungary to extend their dominion to the banks of the Danube. This crusade, preached by Pope Boniface IX, was very popular in Hungary. The nobles flocked in their thousands to the royal standard, and were reinforced by volunteers from nearly every part of Europe. The most important contingent being that of the French led by John the Fearless, son of Philip II, Duke of Burgundy. Sigismund set out with 90,000 men and a flotilla of 70 galleys. After capturing Vidin, he camped with his Hungarian armies before the fortress of Nicopolis. Bayezid I raised the siege of Constantinople and, at the head of 140,000 men, completely defeated the Christian forces in the Battle of Nicopolis fought between the 25 and 28 September 1396.[2] returned by sea and through the realm of Zeta, where he ordained a local Montenegrin lord Durad II with the islands of Hvar and Korčula for resistance against the Turks; the islands were returned to Sigismund after Durad's death in April 1403. disaster at Nicopolis angered several Hungarian lords, leading to instability in the kingdom. Deprived of his authority in Hungary, Sigismund then turned his attention to securing the succession in Germany and Bohemia, and was recognized by his childless half-brother Wenceslaus IV as Vicar-General of the whole Empire. However, he was unable to support Wenceslaus when he was deposed in 1400, and Rupert of Germany, Elector Palatine, was elected German king in his stead.[2] of Luxembourg, official imprint. to Hungary his return to Hungary in 1401, Sigismund was imprisoned once and deposed twice. In 1401, Sigismund helped an uprising against Wenceslaus IV, during the course of which the Bohemian king was taken prisoner, and Sigismund ruled Bohemia for nineteen months. He released Wenceslaus in 1403. In the meantime, a group of Hungarian noblemen swore loyalty to the last Anjou monarch, Ladislaus of Naples, putting their hands on the relic of Saint Ladislas of Hungary in Nagyvarad (today Oradea). Ladislaus was the son of the murdered Charles II of Hungary, and thus a distant relative of the long dead King Louis I of Hungary. Ladislaus captured Zara (today Zadar) in 1403, but soon stopped any military advance. This struggle in turn led to a war with the Republic of Venice, as Ladislaus had sold the Dalmatian cities to the Venetians for 100,000 ducats[2] before leaving for his own land. In the following years Sigismund acted indirectly to thwart Ladislaus' attempts to conquer central Italy, by allying with the Italian cities resisting him and by applying diplomatic pressure on him. to his frequent absences attending to business in the other countries over which he ruled, he was obliged to consult Diets in Hungary with more frequency than his predecessors and institute the office of Palatine as chief administrator while he was away.[5] In 1404, Sigismund introduced the Placetum Regium. According to this decree, Papal bulls could not be pronounced in Hungary without the consent of the king. his long reign, the royal castle of Buda became probably the largest Gothic palace of the late Middle Ages. of Croatia horn of Sigismund of Luxembourg, before 1408. about 1406, Sigismund married Mary's cousin Barbara of Celje, daughter of Count Hermann II of Celje. Hermann's mother Catherine (of the House of Kotromanic) and Mary's mother Queen Elisabeth of Bosnia were sisters, or cousins who were adoptive sisters. managed to establish control in Slavonia. He did not hesitate to use violent methods (see Bloody Sabor of Krizevci), but from the river Sava to the south his control was weak. Sigismund personally led an army of almost 50,000 "crusaders" against the Bosnians, culminating with the Battle of Dobor in 1408, a massacre of about 200 noble families. in Serbia by Ottoman expansion, king Sigismund managed to strengthen the security of southern Hungarian borders by entering into a defensive alliance with despot Stefan Lazarevic of Serbia. In 1403, Hungarian possessions in northwestern regions of Serbia (city of Belgrade and the Banate of Macso), were given to despot Stefan, who pledged his allegiance to king Sigismund, remaining the king's loyal vassal until death in 1427. Stefan's successor George Branković of Serbia also pledged his allegiance to Sigismund, returning Belgrade to the king. By maintaining close relations with Serbian rulers, Sigismund succeeded in securing southern borders of his realm.[6][7] of the Dragon founded his personal order of knights, the Order of the Dragon, after the victory at Dobor. The main goal of the order was fighting the Ottoman Empire. Members of the order were mostly his political allies and supporters. The main members of the order were Sigismund's close allies Nicholas II Garay, Hermann II of Celje, Stibor of Stiboricz, and Pippo Spano. The most important European monarchs became members of the order. He encouraged international trade by abolishing internal duties, regulating tariffs on foreign goods and standardizing weights and measures throughout the country. of the Romans the death of King Rupert of Germany in 1410, Sigismund – ignoring the claims of his half-brother Wenceslaus – was elected as successor by three of the electors on 10 September 1410, but he was opposed by his cousin Jobst of Moravia, who had been elected by four electors in a different election on 1 October. Jobst's death 18 January 1411 removed this conflict and Sigismund was again elected king on 21 July 1411. His coronation was deferred until 8 November 1414, when it took place at Aachen.[2] alliances a number of occasions, and in 1410 in particular, Sigismund allied himself with the Teutonic Knights against Władysław II of Poland. In return for 300.000 ducats he would attack Poland from the south after the truce on St. John's Day, 24 June expired. Sigismund ordered his most loyal friend Stibor of Stiboricz to set up the attack on Poland. Stibor of Stiboricz was of Polish origin and from the main line of the powerful Clan of Ostoja that had also been against choosing Jagiello as King of Poland. With the support of Sigismund, Stibor become one of the most influential men in late medieval Europe, holding titles as Duke of Transylvania and owning about 25% of modern-day Slovakia, including 31 castles of which 15 were situated around the 406 km long Váh river with surrounding land that was given to him by Sigismund. In the diplomatic struggle to prevent war between Poland-Lithuania, which was supported by the Muscovites, and the Teutonic Knights, Sigismund used Stibor's fine diplomacy to gain financially. The Polish side appointed several negotiators and most of them were also from the Clan of Ostoja, distant relations of the Stibors. However, those "family meetings" could not prevent the war and an alliance of twenty-two western states formed an army against Poland in the Battle of Grunwald in July 1410. Stibor attacked then Nowy Sącz and burned it to the ground, but after that he returned with his army back to the Beckov Castle. After the Polish-Lithuanian victory in the Battle of Grunwald, the Teutonic knights had to pay a huge sum of silver to Poland as reparation and again, through diplomacy of his friend Stibor, Sigismund was able to borrow all this silver from King Władysław II of Poland on good conditions. In the light of facts about the diplomatic work of Stibor and the Clan of Ostoja that was following the politics of King Sigismund, one can question whether Sigismund actually joined the anti-Polish alliance.[8] of Constance and Barbara of Celje at the Council of Constance. 1412 to 1423, Sigismund campaigned against the Venetians in Italy. The king took advantage of the difficulties of Antipope John XXIII to obtain a promise that a council should be called in Constance in 1414 to settle the Western Schism. He took a leading part in the deliberations of this assembly, and during the sittings made a journey to France, England and Burgundy in a vain attempt to secure the abdication of the three rival popes. council ended in 1418, solving the Schism and — of great consequence to Sigismund's future career — having the Czech religious reformer, Jan Hus, burned at the stake for heresy in July 1415. The complicity of Sigismund in the death of Hus is a matter of controversy. He had granted him a safe-conduct and protested against his imprisonment;[2] and Hus was burned during Sigismund's absence. at one point during the council a cardinal corrected Sigismund's Latin, Sigismund replied Ego sum rex Romanus et super grammaticam ("I am king of the Romans and above grammar").[9] Thomas Carlyle nicknamed Sigismund "Super Grammaticam".[10][11] alliance with England against France, and a failed attempt, owing to the hostility of the princes, to secure peace in Germany by a league of the towns,[2] were his main acts during these years. Also, Sigismund granted control of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (which he had received back after Jobst's death) to Frederick I of Hohenzollern, burgrave of Nuremberg in 1415. This step made the Hohenzollern family one of the most important in Germany. began to shift his alliance from France to England after the French defeat at the Battle of Agincourt. The signing of the Treaty of Canterbury on 15 August 1416 culminated diplomatic efforts between Henry V of England and Sigismund and resulted in a defensive and offensive alliance against France. This, in turn, led the way to the resolution of the papal schism.[12] The close relationship that developed between Henry V and the Emperor resulted in Sigismund being inducted into the Order of the Garter.[13] Wars of Emperor Sigismund, painted by Albrecht Dürer after the emperor's death. 1419, the death of Wenceslaus IV left Sigismund titular King of Bohemia, but he had to wait for seventeen years before the Czech Estates would acknowledge him. Although the two dignities of King of the Romans and King of Bohemia added considerably to his importance, and indeed made him the nominal temporal head of Christendom, they conferred no increase of power and financially embarrassed him. It was only as King of Hungary that he had succeeded in establishing his authority and in doing anything for the order and good government of the land. Entrusting the government of Bohemia to Sofia of Bavaria, the widow of Wenceslaus, he hastened into Hungary.[2] Bohemians, who distrusted him as the betrayer of Hus, were soon in arms; and the flame was fanned when Sigismund declared his intention of prosecuting the war against heretics. Three campaigns against the Hussites ended in disaster although the army of his most loyal ally Stibor of Stiboricz and later his son Stibor of Beckov could hold the Hussite side away from the borders of the Kingdom. The Turks were again attacking Hungary. The king, unable to obtain support from the German princes, was powerless in Bohemia. His attempts at the diet of Nuremberg in 1422 to raise a mercenary army were foiled by the resistance of the towns; and in 1424 the electors, among whom was Sigismund's former ally, Frederick I of Hohenzollern, sought to strengthen their own authority at the expense of the king. Although the scheme failed, the danger to Germany from the Hussites led to the Union of Bingen, which virtually deprived Sigismund of the leadership of the war and the headship of Germany.[2] years 1428, Sigismund led another campaign against the Turks, but again with few results. In 1431, he went to Milan where on 25 November he received the Iron Crown as King of Italy; after which he remained for some time at Siena, negotiating for his coronation as emperor and for the recognition of the Council of Basel by Pope Eugenius IV. He was crowned emperor in Rome on 31 May 1433, and after obtaining his demands from the Pope returned to Bohemia, where he was recognized as king in 1436, though his power was little more than nominal.[2] Shortly after he was crowned, Pope Eugenius began attempts to create a new anti-Ottoman alliance.[14] This was sparked[citation needed] by an Albanian revolt against the Ottomans, which had begun in 1432. In 1435, Sigismund sent Fruzhin, a Bulgarian nobleman, to negotiate an alliance with the Albanians. He also sent Daud, a pretender to the Ottoman throne, in early 1436.[15] However, following the defeat of the rebels in 1436, plans for an anti-Ottoman alliance ended.[15] died on 9 December 1437 at Znojmo, Moravia (now Czech Republic), and as ordered in life, he was buried at Nagyvárad, Hungary (today Oradea, Romania), next to the tomb of the king Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, who was the ideal of the perfect monarch, warrior and Christian for that time and was deeply venerated by Sigismund.[16] By his second wife, Barbara of Celje, he left an only daughter, Elisabeth of Luxembourg, who was married to Albert V, duke of Austria (later German king as Albert II) whom Sigismund named as his successor. As he left no sons, his line of the House of Luxembourg became extinct on his death.[2] and issue married twice but had little luck in securing the succession to his crowns. Each of his two marriages resulted in the birth of one child. His first-born child, probably a son, was born prematurely as a result of a horse riding accident suffered by Queen Mary of Hungary when she was well advanced in pregnancy. Mother and child both died shortly after the birth in the hills of Buda on 17 May 1395. This caused a deep succession crisis because Sigismund ruled over Hungary by right of his wife, and although he managed to keep his power, the crisis lasted until his second marriage to Barbara of Celje. Barbara's only child, born in the purple on 7 October 1409, probably in the castle of Visegrád, was Elisabeth of Luxembourg, the future queen consort of Hungary, Germany, and Bohemia. Queen Barbara was unable to give birth to any further issue. Elisabeth of Bohemia was thus the only surviving legitimate offspring of Sigismund. affiliations of arms of John Hunyadi. was known to speak fluent Hungarian, wore Hungarian-style royal clothes, and even grew his beard in the Hungarian fashion.[17] He also spent huge amounts of money during his reign to rebuild the Gothic castles of Buda and Visegrád in the Kingdom of Hungary, ordering the transportation of materials from Austria and Bohemia.[18] many affairs with women led to the birth of several legends, as the one that existed decades later during the reign of the King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. According to this, John Hunyadi was Sigismund's illegitimate son. Sigismund gave a ring to the boy's mother when he was born, but one day in the forest a raven stole it from her, and the ring was only recovered after the bird was hunted down. It is said that this incident inspired the coat of arms of the Hunyadis, and later also appeared in the coat of arms of Matthias "Corvinus".[19] adopted the Hungarian reverence for Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary, who was considered to be an ideal Christian knight at that time. He went on pilgrimage several times to his tomb in Nagyvárad. Before Sigismund died, in Znaim, Moravia, he ordered to be buried next to the king saint.[20] Sigismundi Main article: Reformatio Sigismundi Reformatio Sigismundi appeared in connection with efforts to reform the Holy Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Sigismund (1410–1437). It was presented in 1439 at the Council of Basel, published by an anonymous author, and referred to the injustice of the German rulers. It included a vision of Sigismund's about the appearance of a priest-king, Frederick, as well as plans for a wide reform of the monarchy and emperorship and the German empire. Sigismund, by the grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany, of Hungary, Bohemia, Italy, Dalmatia, Croatia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Cumania and Bulgaria; Duke of Silesia and Luxembourg; Margrave of Moravia, Lusatia and Brandenburg.[21][failed verification – see discussion] Heraldry of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Coat of Arms of the King of the Romans (c.1433-1486).svg Coat of arms of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.svg Coat of arms as King of the Romans (1433–1437) Coat of arms as Holy Roman Emperor (1433–1437), king of Hungary and Bohemia Sigismund Arms Hungarian Czech per pale.svg Sigismund Arms.svg Arms of the House of Luxembourg-Hungary-Bohemia Coat of Arms of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.png Coat of arms as Knight of the Garter THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Venerable Theophilus the Abbot of Omutch, Pskov, Commemorated on October 21; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415 ;

Germany, 1391-1415, JAN HUS, Bohemia, denounced church abuses not theological, burned after E's promise , Moravians

Germany, 1392-1471, Thomas A Kempis, Priest, Monk, Writer, Kempen, Germany
Germany, 1400, Thomas A Kempis, Priest, Monk, Writer, Kempen, Germany ; à Kempis (c. 1380 - 25 July 1471;[2] German: Thomas von Kempen; Dutch: Thomas van Kempen[3]) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", Kempen being his home town. was a member of the Modern Devotion, a spiritual movement during the late medieval period, and a follower of Geert Groote and Florens Radewyns, the founders of the Brethren of the Common Life.[4] was born in Kempen in the Rhineland.[5] His surname at birth was Hemerken (or Hammerlein), meaning the family's profession, "little hammer," Latinized into "Malleolus."[6] His father, Johann, was a blacksmith and his mother, Gertrud, was a schoolmistress.[5] 1392, Thomas followed his brother, Johann, to Deventer in the Netherlands in order to attend the noted Latin school there. While attending this school, Thomas encountered the Brethren of the Common Life, followers of Gerard Groote's Modern Devotion. He attended school in Deventer from 1392 to 1399.[5] leaving school, Thomas went to the nearby city of Zwolle to visit his brother again, after Johann had become the prior of the Monastery of Mount St. Agnes there. This community was one of the Canons Regular of the Congregation of Windesheim, founded by disciples of Groote in order to provide a way of life more in keeping with the norms of monastic life of the period. Thomas himself entered Mount St. Agnes in 1406. He was not ordained a priest, however, until almost a decade later. He became a prolific copyist and writer. Thomas received Holy Orders in 1413[7] and was made sub-prior of the monastery in 1429.[8] first tenure of office as subprior was interrupted by the exile of the community from Agnetenberg (1429). A dispute had arisen in connection with an appointment to the vacant See of Utrecht. Pope Martin V rejected the nomination of Bishop-elect Rudolf van Diepholt, and imposed an interdict. The Canons remained in exile in observance of the interdict until the question was settled (1432). During this time, Thomas was sent to Arnhem to care for his ailing brother. He remained there until his brother died in November, 1432.[7] Thomas spent his time between devotional exercises in writing and in copying manuscripts. He copied the Bible no fewer than four times,[7] one of the copies being preserved at Darmstadt, Germany, in five volumes. In its teachings he was widely read and his works abound with biblical quotations, especially from the New Testament. subprior he was charged with instructing novices, and in that capacity wrote four booklets between 1420 and 1427, later collected and named after the title of the first chapter of the first booklet: The Imitation of Christ. Thomas More said it was one of the three books everybody ought to own.[9] Thirteen translations of the Imitatio Christi and three paraphrases in English seem to have been published between 1500 and 1700.[10] died near Zwolle in 1471. Opera spirituale, 1568. Kempis's 1441 autograph manuscript of The Imitation of Christ is available in the Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels (shelfmark: MS 5455-61).[11] also wrote the biographies of New Devotion members—Gerard Groote, Floris Radewijns, Jan van de Gronde, and Jan Brinckerinck.[11] important works include a series of sermons to the novices of St. Augustine Monastery, including Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ, Meditations on the Incarnation of Christ, Of True Compunction of Heart, Soliloquy of the Soul, Garden of Roses, Valley of Lilies, and a Life[12] of St. Lidwina of Schiedam. The following quotes are attributed to him: "Without the Way, there is no going, Without the Truth, there is no knowing, Without the Life, there is no living." "If thou wilt receive profit, read with humility, simplicity, and faith, and seek not at any time the fame of being learned." "At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done." — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 3 "For man proposes, but God disposes" — The Imitation of Christ, Book I, ch. 19 "If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. " — The Imitation of Christ, Book II, ch. 7 "In angello cum libello" (with slight variations), "In a little corner with a little book" — Shortened form of a motto often ascribed to, or associated with, Thomas a Kempis. The complete saying as reported by an early biographer is a mixture of Latin and Dutch and runs as follows: "In omnibus requiem quaesivi, sed non inveni, nisi in hoexkens ende boexkens", "I have sought everywhere for peace, but I have found it not, save in nooks and in books."[13][a] monument was dedicated to his memory in the presence of the archbishop of Utrecht in St Michael's Church, Zwolle, on November 11, 1897. In 1964, this church closed, causing his shrine to be moved to a new St. Michael's Church outside the centre of Zwolle. In 2005, this church also closed and his shrine was moved to the Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Hemelopneming kerk (Assumption of Mary church) in the centre of Zwolle.[14] Kempen, Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) ; THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ;

Germany, 1400, 15th C Folder, HRE Sigismund, HRE Frederick III, first Hapsburg, Painters Matthias Grunewald, ALBRECHT DURER, and Lucas Cranch tElder, Northern Renaissance

Germany, 1433-1437, HRE Emperor, Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Germany, 1433-1437, Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor; St. Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Germany, 1437-1493, HRE Emperor, Frederick III, first Hapsburg, reuniting Hapsburg Lands of Austria, then Hungary, Burgundy
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1437-1493, Frederick III Holy Roman Emperor; III (21 September 1415 - 19 August 1493) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death. was the first emperor of the House of Habsburg, and the fourth member of the House of Habsburg to be elected King of Germany after Rudolf I of Germany, Albert I in the 13th century and his predecessor Albert II of Germany. He was the penultimate emperor to be crowned by the Pope, and the last to be crowned in Rome. to his imperial coronation, he was duke of the Inner Austrian lands of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola from 1424, and also acted as regent over the Duchy of Austria (as Frederick V) from 1439. He was elected and crowned King of Germany (as Frederick IV) in 1440.[1] He was the longest-reigning German monarch when in 1493, after ruling his domains for more than 53 years, he was succeeded by his son Maximilian I. his reign, Frederick concentrated on re-uniting the Habsburg "hereditary lands" of Austria and took a lesser interest in Imperial affairs. Nevertheless, by his dynastic entitlement to Hungary as well as by the Burgundian inheritance, he laid the foundations for the later Habsburg Empire. as "Arch-Sleepyhead of the Holy Roman Empire" (German: Erzschlafmütze) during his lifetime,[2] he is today increasingly seen as an effective ruler. - THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DEÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GREÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated on October 21; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14;

Germany, 1490-1528, Matthias Grunewald, painter of religious works, ignored classicism, antithesis to Durer

Germany, 1491-1528, ALBRECHT DUœRER of Nuremberg, painter, printmaker, woodcuts, writer, theorist
Germany, , ALBRECHT DUœRER of Nuremberg (Rhein-Maine Danube Canal 2) Albrecht Durer, painter, printmaker, woodcuts, writer, theorist, principles of math, perspective, ideal proportions, important figure of Northern Renaissance; Nuremberg; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Durer (May 21, 1471 - April 6, 1528) was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Renaissance in Northern Europe ever since. well-known works include the Apocalypse woodcuts, Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Saint Jerome in his Study (1514) and Melencolia I (1514), which has been the subject of extensive analysis and interpretation. watercolors mark him as one of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium. ürer's introduction of classical motifs into Northern art, through his knowledge of Italian artists and German humanists, have secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. is reinforced by his theoretical treatise which involve principles of mathematics, perspective and ideal proportions. (More at Wikipedia)

Germany, 1492-1553, Lucas Cranch the elder, protestant, painter, printmaker, woodcut, engraving, portraits
Saxony; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DuœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRuœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Cranach the Elder, 4 October 1472 - 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is best known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a close friend of Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from mythology and religion. He had a large workshop and many works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger, and others, continued to produce versions of his father's works for decades after his death. (More at Wikipedia) NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, 1497 and after, Northern Renaissance, France, Germany, England, Low Countries and Poland
Northern Renaissance, 1497 and after, France, Germany, England, Low Countries and Poland; Nuremberg; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August;

Germany, 1500, 16th C Folder, MARTIN LUTHER 95 Theses, HRE Hapsburg Empire Austria, HRE Fertinand 1, Spaniard, Bohemian, Johannes Kepler

Germany, 1500-1546, Clergyman and Scholar, Martin Luther
German Clergyman and Scholar, 1500-1546, Martin Luther; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Germany, 1503-1546, Martin Luther, Protestant
Germany, 1503-1546, Martin Luther, Protestant ; Wittenberg, Germany ; Lutherhaus; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Germany, 1503-1546, MARTIN LUTHER, Martin's catechism, council of trent- sale of indulgences&church offices, clergy education
Germany, 1503-1546, MARTIN LUTHER, Erfurt, Germany (Ilm River 3), Church spiritual low, church offices sold, Christian doctrine not taught, no seminaries, only monastic schools for monks, Martin's catechism, common tongue scriptures, prodigious writer, book every 2 wks, real problems, resentment , everyone agreed on free gift of salvation, council of trent- financial abuses, sale of indulgences & church offices, clergy education; City of Erfurt; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); once heard a priest say: "Sometimes in a sermon, I have occasion to quote some comment by Martin Luther which bears on the point I want to make. But there are those in my congregation who would wonder what I was doing quoting a notorious Protestant. So I simply refer to him as Brother Martin of Erfurt, and they smile and nod. He said a lot of remarkably good things." LutherBrother Martin of Erfurt, born in 1483 of German peasant stock, was a monk (more exactly, a regular canon) of the Order of Saint Augustine, and a Doctor of Theology. his day, the Church was at a spiritual low. offices were openly sold to the highest bidder, not nearly enough was being done to combat the notion that forgiveness of sins was likewise for sale. many Christians, both clergy and laity, were most inadequately instructed in Christian doctrine. as it seems to us today, there were then no seminaries for the education of the clergy. were monastic schools, but they concentrated on the education of their own monks. priests, ordinarily having no monastic background, were in need of instruction themselves, and in no way prepared to instruct their congregations. Brother Martin set out to remedy this. wrote a simple catechism for the instruction of the laity which is still in use today, is his translation of the Scriptures into the common tongue. energy as a writer was prodigious. From 1517, when he first began to write for the public, until his death, he wrote on the average one book a fortnight. Today, his criticisms of the laxness and frequent abuses of his day are generally recognized on all sides as a response to very real problems. was perhaps inevitable, however, that they should arouse resentment in his own day (Brother Martin, and for that matter many of his opponents, had controversial manners that my high school speech teacher and debate coach would never have tolerated!), and he spent much of his life in conflict with the ecclesiastical authorities. disputes were complicated by extraneous political considerations on both sides, and, as one of his admirers has observed, each side was at its best when proclaiming what the other side, well considered and in a cool hour, did not really deny. Martin, for example, was most ardent in maintaining that salvation was a free gift of God, and that all attempts to earn or deserve it are worse than useless. But he was not alone in holding this. When his followers met in 1540 with Cardinal Contarini, the Papal delegate, in an effort to arrive at an understanding, there was complete agreement on this point. Cardinal, by a study of the Epistle to the Romans, had arrived in 1511 at the same position as Brother Martin in 1517. So had Cardinal Pole, the Archbishop of Canterbury (who had, ironically, been appointed to combat Brother Martin's influence). So had the Archbishop of Cologne, and so had many other highly placed Church officials. In Brother Martin's own judgement, his greatest achievement was his catechism, by the use of which all Christians without exception might be instructed in at least the rudiments of the Faith. of his admirers, however, would insist that his greatest achievement was the Council of Trent, which he did not live to see, but which he was arguably the greatest single factor in bringing about. the Council's doctrinal pronouncements were not all that Brother Martin would have wished, it did take very much to heart his strictures on financial abuses, and undertook considerable reforms in those areas banned the sale of indulgences and of church offices, and took steps to provide for the systematic education of the clergy. it another way, if I were arguing with an adherent of the Pope, and I wanted to point out to him that many Popes have been, even by ordinary grading-on-a-curve standards, wicked men, cynically exploiting their office for personal gain, I would have no difficulty in finding examples from the three centuries immediately preceding Brother Martin and the Council of Trent. I were restricted to the centuries afterward, I should have more of a problem. And this is, under God, due in some measure to Brother Martin's making himself a nuisance. Thanks be to God for an occasional nuisance at the right time and place. Behold, Lord An empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it I am weak in the faith; Strengthen me. I am cold in love; Warm me and make me fervent, That my love may go out to my neighbor... O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you... With me, there is an abundance of sin; In You is the fullness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with You, Whom I can receive, But to Whom I may not give. Martin Luther by James Kiefer

Germany, 1508-1519, HRE Emperor, Maximilian I, second Hapsbgh, married Burgendy, Jews cancelled, lost Swis&Italy
Holy Roman Emperor, 1486-1519, Maximilian I ; I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was always too risky. He was instead proclaimed emperor elect by Pope Julius II at Trent, thus breaking the long tradition of requiring a Papal coronation for the adoption of the Imperial title. was the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and Eleanor of Portugal. He ruled jointly with his father for the last ten years of the latter's reign, from c. 1483 until his father's death in 1493. expanded the influence of the House of Habsburg through war and his marriage in 1477 to Mary of Burgundy, the heiress to the Duchy of Burgundy, though he also lost his family's original lands in today's Switzerland to the Swiss Confederacy. marriage of his son Philip the Handsome to eventual queen Joanna of Castile in 1498, Maximilian helped to establish the Habsburg dynasty in Spain, which allowed his grandson Charles to hold the thrones of both Castile and Aragon.[2] 1 Background and childhood 2 Reign in Burgundy and the Netherlands 3 Reign in the Holy Roman Empire 3.1 Peaceful Recapture of Austria 3.2 Italian and Swiss wars 3.3 Banning of Jewish literature and expulsion of Jews 3.4 Reforms 4 Tu felix Austria nube 5 Succession 6 Death and legacy 7 Ancestry 8 Official style 8.1 Chivalric order 9 Marriages and offspring 10 Triumphal woodcuts 11 See also 12 References 13 Bibliography 14 External links and childhood[edit] III and Eleanor of Portugal. was born at Wiener Neustadt on 22 March 1459. His father, Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, named him for an obscure saint, Maximilian of Tebessa, who Frederick believed had once warned him of imminent peril in a dream. his infancy, he and his parents were besieged in Vienna by Albert of Austria. One source relates that, during the siege's bleakest days, the young prince wandered about the castle garrison, begging the servants and men-at-arms for bits of bread.[3] The young prince was an excellent hunter, his favorite hobby was hunting for birds as a horse archer. the time, the dukes of Burgundy, a cadet branch of the French royal family, with their sophisticated nobility and court culture, were the rulers of substantial territories on the eastern and northern boundaries of France. The reigning duke, Charles the Bold, was the chief political opponent of Maximilian's father Frederick III. Frederick was concerned about Burgundy's expansive tendencies on the western border of his Holy Roman Empire, and, to forestall military conflict, he attempted to secure the marriage of Charles' only daughter, Mary of Burgundy, to his son Maximilian. After the Siege of Neuss (1474–75), he was successful. The wedding between Maximilian and Mary took place on 19 August 1477.[4] in Burgundy and the Netherlands[edit] hommage ceremony of the estates to the emperor (depiction from the Liber missarum of Margaret of Austria, 1515) gold-and-silver coin featuring the bust of a crowned man in armour, holding a sceptre and a sword. The bust is surrounded with the text 'Maximilianus Dei Gra Rex & Imper Augustus'. A gold-and-silver coin featuring five coats of arms, three crowned, and the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The coin is surrounded by text. coin with the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece wife had inherited the large Burgundian domains in France and the Low Countries upon her father's death in the Battle of Nancy on 5 January 1477. Already before his coronation as the King of the Romans in 1486, Maximilian decided to secure this distant and extensive Burgundian inheritance to his family, the House of Habsburg, at all costs.[5] Duchy of Burgundy was also claimed by the French crown under Salic Law,[6] with Louis XI of France vigorously contesting the Habsburg claim to the Burgundian inheritance by means of military force. Maximilian undertook the defence of his wife's dominions from an attack by Louis XI and defeated the French forces at Guinegate, the modern Enguinegatte, on 7 August 1479.[7] and Mary's wedding contract stipulated that their children would succeed them but that the couple could not be each other's heirs. Mary tried to bypass this rule with a promise to transfer territories as a gift in case of her death, but her plans were confounded. After Mary's death in a riding accident on 27 March 1482 near the Wijnendale Castle, Maximilian's aim was now to secure the inheritance to his and Mary's son, Philip the Handsome.[5] of the Netherlander provinces were hostile to Maximilian, and, in 1482, they signed a treaty with Louis XI in Arras that forced Maximilian to give up Franche-Comté and Artois to the French crown.[6] They openly rebelled twice in the period 1482–1492, attempting to regain the autonomy they had enjoined under Mary. Flemish rebels managed to capture Philip and even Maximilian himself, but they were defeated when Frederick III intervened.[8][9] Maximilian continued to govern Mary's remaining inheritance in the name of Philip the Handsome. After the regency ended, Maximilian and Charles VIII of France exchanged these two territories for Burgundy and Picardy in the Treaty of Senlis (1493). Thus a large part of the Netherlands (known as the Seventeen Provinces) stayed in the Habsburg patrimony.[6] in the Holy Roman Empire[edit] Recapture of Austria[edit] was elected King of the Romans on 16 February 1486 in Frankfurt-am-Main at his father's initiative and crowned on 9 April 1486 in Aachen. Much of Austria was under Hungarian rule, as a result of the Austrian-Hungarian War (1477-1488). After the death of king Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, the Habsburgs were able to occupy the Austrian territories without military conflict. Maximilian entered Vienna without siege in 1490. The peaceful Habsburg annexation of Austrian territories was possible after Maximilian and the newly elected Hungarian King Vladislaus II signed the peace treaty of Pressburg. Maximilian became ruler of the Holy Roman Empire upon the death of his father in 1493. and Swiss wars[edit] of Maximilian I, c. 1490–95, by Lorenz Helmschmid, Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Golden Roof" residence in Innsbruck, Tyrol the Treaty of Senlis had resolved French differences with the Holy Roman Empire, King Louis XII of France had secured borders in the north and turned his attention to Italy, where he made claims for the Duchy of Milan. In 1499/1500 he conquered it and drove the Sforza regent Lodovico il Moro into exile.[10] This brought him into a potential conflict with Maximilian, who on 16 March 1494 had married Bianca Maria Sforza, a daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan.[6][10] However, Maximilian was unable to hinder the French from taking over Milan.[10] The prolonged Italian Wars resulted[6] in Maximilian joining the Holy League to counter the French. In 1513, with Henry VIII of England, Maximilian won an important victory at the battle of the Spurs against the French, stopping their advance in northern France. His campaigns in Italy were not as successful, and his progress there was quickly checked. situation in Italy was not the only problem Maximilian had at the time. The Swiss won a decisive victory against the Empire in the Battle of Dornach on 22 July 1499. Maximilian had no choice but to agree to a peace treaty signed on 22 September 1499 in Basel that granted the Swiss Confederacy independence from the Holy Roman Empire. addition, the County of Tyrol and Duchy of Bavaria went to war in the late 15th century. Bavaria demanded money from Tyrol that had been loaned on the collateral of Tyrolean lands. In 1490, the two nations demanded that Maximilian I step in to mediate the dispute. In response, he assumed control of Tyrol and its debt. Because Tyrol had no law code at this time, the nobility freely expropriated money from the populace, which caused the royal palace in Innsbruck to fester with corruption. After taking control, Maximilian instituted immediate financial reform. In order to symbolize his new wealth and power, he built the Golden Roof, a canopy overlooking the town center of Innsbruck, from which to watch the festivities celebrating his assumption of rule over Tyrol. The canopy is made entirely from golden shingles. Gaining theoretical control of Tyrol for the Habsburgs was of strategic importance because it linked the Swiss Confederacy to the Habsburg-controlled Austrian lands, which facilitated some imperial geographic continuity. of Jewish literature and expulsion of Jews[edit] 1496, Maximilian issued a decree which expelled all Jews from Styria and Wiener Neustadt.[11] Similarly, in 1509 he passed the "Imperial Confiscation Mandate" which ordered the destruction of all Jewish literature apart from the Bible.[12] However he still conducted financial business with Jews like Abraham of Bohemia. article: Imperial Reform personally led his troops at the battle of Wenzenbach in 1504. the Holy Roman Empire, Maximilian faced pressure from local rulers who believed that the King's continued wars with the French to increase the power of his own house were not in their best interests. There was also a consensus that deep reforms were needed to preserve the unity of the Empire.[13] The reforms, which had been delayed for a long time, were launched in the 1495 Reichstag at Worms. A new organ was introduced, the Reichskammergericht, that was to be largely independent from the Emperor. A new tax was launched to finance it, the Gemeine Pfennig, though its collection was never fully successful.[13] The local rulers wanted more independence from the Emperor and a strengthening of their own territorial rule. This led to Maximilian agreeing to establish an organ called the Reichsregiment, which met in Nuremberg and consisted of the deputies of the Emperor, local rulers, commoners, and the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The new organ proved politically weak, and its power returned to Maximilian in 1502.[10] to the difficult external and internal situation he faced, Maximilian also felt it necessary to introduce reforms in the historic territories of the House of Habsburg in order to finance his army. Using Burgundian institutions as a model, he attempted to create a unified state. This was not very successful, but one of the lasting results was the creation of three different subdivisions of the Austrian lands: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, and Vorderösterreich.[10] was always troubled by financial shortcomings; his income never seemed to be enough to sustain his large-scale goals and policies. For this reason he was forced to take substantial credits from Upper German banker families, especially from the Baumgarten, Fugger and Welser families. Jörg Baumgarten even served as Maximilian's financial advisor. The Fuggers, who dominated the copper and silver mining business in Tyrol, provided a credit of almost 1 million gulden for the purpose of bribing the prince-electors to choose Maximilian's grandson Charles V as the new Emperor. At the end of Maximilian's rule, the Habsburgs' mountain of debt totalled six million gulden, corresponding to a decade's worth of tax revenues from their inherited lands. It took until the end of the 16th century to repay this debt. 1508, Maximilian, with the assent of Pope Julius II, took the title Erwählter Römischer Kaiser ("Elected Roman Emperor"), thus ending the centuries-old custom that the Holy Roman Emperor had to be crowned by the Pope. felix Austria nube[edit] Weisskunig: Maximilian on horseback in besieged town part of the Treaty of Arras, Maximilian betrothed his three-year-old daughter Margaret to the Dauphin of France (later Charles VIII), son of his adversary Louis XI. Under the terms of Margaret's betrothal, she was sent to Louis to be brought up under his guardianship. Despite Louis's death in 1483, shortly after Margaret arrived in France, she remained at the French court. The Dauphin, now Charles VIII, was still a minor, and his regent until 1491 was his sister Anne.[14][15] shortly after signing the Treaty of Le Verger, Francis II, Duke of Brittany, left his realm to his daughter Anne. In her search of alliances to protect her domain from neighboring interests, she betrothed Maximilian I in 1490. About a year later, they married by proxy.[16][17][18] Charles and his sister wanted her inheritance for France. So, when the former came of age in 1491, and taking advantage of Maximilian and his father's interest in the succession of their adversary Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary,[19] Charles repudiated his betrothal to Margaret, invaded Brittany, forced Anne of Brittany to repudiate her unconsummated marriage to Maximilian, and married Anne of Brittany himself.[20][21][22] then remained in France as a hostage of sorts until 1493, when she was finally returned to her father with the signing of the Treaty of Senlis.[23][24] the same year, as the hostilities of the lengthy Italian Wars with France were in preparation,[25] Maximilian contracted another marriage for himself, this time to Bianca Maria Sforza, daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, with the intercession of his brother, Ludovico Sforza,[26][27][28][29] then regent of the duchy after the former's death.[30] talking to German knights (depiction from the contemporary Weisskunig) later, in order to reduce the growing pressures on the Empire brought about by treaties between the rulers of France, Poland, Hungary, Bohemia, and Russia, as well as to secure Bohemia and Hungary for the Habsburgs, Maximilian met with the Jagiellonian kings Ladislaus II of Hungary and Bohemia and Sigismund I of Poland at the First Congress of Vienna in 1515. There they arranged for Maximilian's granddaughter Mary to marry Louis, the son of Ladislaus, and for Anne (the sister of Louis) to marry Maximilian's grandson Ferdinand (both grandchildren being the children of Philip the Handsome, Maximilian's son, and Joanna of Castile).[31][32] The marriages arranged there brought Habsburg kingship over Hungary and Bohemia in 1526.[33][34] Both Anne and Louis were adopted by Maximilian following the death of Ladislaus.[citation needed] Maximilian through his own marriages and those of his descendants (attempted unsuccessfully and successfully alike) sought, as was current practice for dynastic states at the time, to extend his sphere of influence.[34] The marriages he arranged for both of his children more successfully fulfilled the specific goal of thwarting French interests, and after the turn of the sixteenth century, his matchmaking focused on his grandchildren, for whom he looked away from France towards the east.[34][35] These political marriages were summed up in the following Latin elegiac couplet: Bella gerant aliÄ«, tÅ« fÄ“lix Austria nÅ«be/ Nam quae Mars aliÄ«s, dat tibi regna Venus, "Let others wage war, but thou, O happy Austria, marry; for those kingdoms which Mars gives to others, Venus gives to thee."[36] policies in Italy had been unsuccessful, and after 1517 Venice reconquered the last pieces of their territory. began to focus entirely on the question of his succession. His goal was to secure the throne for a member of his house and prevent Francis I of France from gaining the throne; the resulting "election campaign" was unprecedented due to the massive use of bribery.[37] The Fugger family provided Maximilian a credit of one million gulden, which was used to bribe the prince-electors.[38] However, the bribery claims have been challenged.[39] At first, this policy seemed successful, and Maximilian managed to secure the votes from Mainz, Cologne, Brandenburg and Bohemia for his grandson Charles V. The death of Maximilian in 1519 seemed to put the succession at risk, but in a few months the election of Charles V was secured.[10] and legacy[edit] cenotaph, Hofkirche, Innsbruck 1501, Maximilian fell from his horse and badly injured his leg, causing him pain for the rest of his life. Some historians have suggested that Maximilian was "morbidly" depressed: from 1514, he travelled everywhere with his coffin.[40] Maximilian died in Wels, Upper Austria, and was succeeded as Emperor by his grandson Charles V, his son Philip the Handsome having died in 1506. For penitential reasons, Maximilian gave very specific instructions for the treatment of his body after death. He wanted his hair to be cut off and his teeth knocked out, and the body was to be whipped and covered with lime and ash, wrapped in linen, and "publicly displayed to show the perishableness of all earthly glory".[41] Although he is buried in the Castle Chapel at Wiener Neustadt, an extremely elaborate cenotaph tomb for Maximilian is in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck, where the tomb is surrounded by statues of heroes from the past.[42] Much of the work was done in his lifetime, but it was not completed until decades later.[citation needed] was a keen supporter of the arts and sciences, and he surrounded himself with scholars such as Joachim Vadian and Andreas Stoberl (Stiborius), promoting them to important court posts. Many of them were commissioned to assist him complete a series of projects, in different art forms, intended to glorify for posterity his life and deeds and those of his Habsburg ancestors.[43][44] He referred to these projects as Gedechtnus ("memorial"),[44][45] which included a series of stylised autobiographical works: the epic poems Theuerdank and Freydal, and the chivalric novel Weisskunig, both published in editions lavishly illustrated with woodcuts.[43] In this vein, he commissioned a series of three monumental woodblock prints: The Triumphal Arch (1512–18, 192 woodcut panels, 295 cm wide and 357 cm high – approximately 9'8" by 11'8½"); and a Triumphal Procession (1516–18, 137 woodcut panels, 54 m long), which is led by a Large Triumphal Carriage (1522, 8 woodcut panels, 1½' high and 8' long), created by artists including Albrecht Dürer, Albrecht Altdorfer and Hans Burgkmair.[46][47] had a great passion for armour, not only as equipment for battle or tournaments, but as an art form. The style of armour that became popular during the second half of his reign featured elaborate fluting and metalworking, and became known as Maximilian armour. It emphasized the details in the shaping of the metal itself, rather than the etched or gilded designs popular in the Milanese style. Maximilian also gave a bizarre jousting helmet as a gift to King Henry VIII – the helmet's visor features a human face, with eyes, nose and a grinning mouth, and was modelled after the appearance of Maximilian himself.[48] It also sports a pair of curled ram's horns, brass spectacles, and even etched beard stubble.[48] had appointed his daughter Margaret as both Regent of the Netherlands and the guardian and educator of his grandsons Charles and Ferdinand (their father, Philip, having predeceased Maximilian), and she fulfilled this task well. Through wars and marriages he extended the Habsburg influence in every direction: to the Netherlands, Spain, Bohemia, Hungary, Poland, and Italy. This influence lasted for centuries and shaped much of European history. The Habsburg Empire survived as the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it was dissolved 3 November 1918 – 399 years 11 months and 9 days after the passing of Maximilian. Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546) ; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28;

Germany, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Germany, 1519-1556, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V from Ghent, Belgium
Holy Roman Emperor, 1519-1556, Charles V from Ghent, Belgium; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546) ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Germany, 1526-1804, Holy Roman Empire, Hapsburg Empire, Austria
Belgium, Holy Roman Empire, 1526-1804, Hapsburg Empire, Austria; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21;

Germany, 1556-1564, HRE Emperor, Ferdinand I, Spaniard, Bohemian, German, wars w M's and P's
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1556-1564, Ferdinand I; I (Spanish: Fernando I) (10 March 1503-“ 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1527, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.[1][2] Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Also, he often served as Charles' representative in Germany and developed encouraging relationships with German princes. The key events during his reign were the contest with the Ottoman Empire, which in the 1520s began a great advance into Central Europe, and the Protestant Reformation, which resulted in several wars of religion. Ferdinand was able to defend his realm and make it somewhat more cohesive, but he could not conquer the major part of Hungary. His flexible approach to Imperial problems, mainly religious, finally brought more result than the more confrontational attitude of his brother.[3] Ferdinand's motto was Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus: "Let justice be done, though the world perish".[4] Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated on August 14; TERESA OF AVILA, REFORMER AND CONTEMPLATIVE (15 OCT 1582); Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Germany, 1591-1630, Rennaissance Man, Johannes Kepler
Germany, 1591-1630, Rennaissance Man, Johannes Kepler; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Germany, 1600, 17th C Folder, Protestant v Catholic 30 yrs war, August H Francke,

Germany, 1618-1648, Thirty Years War, Protestant vs Catholic
Thirty Years War, Battlle of White Mountain, 1620; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, 1620, Thirty Years War, Battlle of White Mountain, imperial v early in the war, but emperor lost power in the war
Thirty Years War, Battlle of White Mountain, 1620 Thirty Years War; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, 1663-1727, Clergyman and Scholar, August Hermann Francke
German Clergyman and Scholar, 1663-1727, August Hermann Francke; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy
Austria, 1699, Treaty of Karlowitz, Ended Ottoman Contorl Central Europe, Established Hapsburg Monarchy;

Germany, 1700, 18th C Folder, HRE's Joseph 1, Charles VI, Charles VII, Francis I, Maria Theresa, Joseph II, and last one Francis II

Germany, 1705-1711, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Germany, Holy Roman Emperor, 1705-1711, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28;

Germany, 1711-1740, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI
Germany, Holy Roman Emperor, 1711-1740, Charles VI; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Germany, 1716-1760, CONRAD WEISER, German PA pioneer, interpreter and Native American diplomat, lived w Iroquois at 16
Affstatt Village, Wurttemberg; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., a German Pennsylvanian pioneer, interpreter and effective diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native Americans. was a farmer, soldier, monk, tanner, and judge as well. He contributed as an emissary in councils between Native Americans and the colonies, especially Pennsylvania, during the French and Indian War. Weiser was born in 1696 in the small village of Affstätt in the Duchy of Württemberg (now part of Germany). Conrad Weiser and his family were among thousands of refugees who left German lands in 1709, many of them from the Palatine area. Weiser family eventually ended up in the Schoharie Valley of New York. age 16, Conrad's father agreed to a chief's proposal for the youth to live with the Mohawks in the upper Schoharie Valley. his stay in the winter and spring of 1712-1713, Weiser learned much about the Mohawk language and the customs of the Iroquois, while enduring hardships of cold, hunger, and homesickness. Conrad Weiser returned to his own people towards the end of July 1713. November 22, 1720, at the age of 24, Weiser married the young German girl Anna Eve Feck (Faeg). 1723 the couple followed the Susquehanna River south out of New York and settled their young family on a farm in Tulpehocken near present-day Reading, Pennsylvania. couple had fourteen children, but only seven reached adulthood. colonial service began in 1731. Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief and friend of Weiser, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Iroquois trusted him and considered him an adopted son of the Mohawks. impressed the Pennsylvania governor and council, which thereafter relied heavily on his services. signature the winter of 1737, Weiser attempted to broker a peace between southern tribes and the Iroquois. had to survive high snow, freezing temperatures and starvation rations just to make the six-week journey to the Iroquois capital of Onondaga (near persent-day Syracuse, NY). with his fortitude, the Iroquois named Weiser Tarachiawagon (Holder of the Heavens). violence from a war between the Iroquois and southern tribes such as the Catawba would have drawn first Virginia, and then Pennsylvania, into conflict with the Iroquois. this peace-brokering had a profound effect on Native American/colonial relations. his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture. was a key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies towards Native Americans. of his early experiences with the Iroquois, Weiser was inclined to be sympathetic to their interpretation of events, as opposed to the Lenape or the Shawnees. may have exacerbated Pennsylvanian-Lenape/Shawnee relations, with bloody consequences in the French and Indian Wars. for many years, Weiser helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British as opposed to the French. important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and the eventual victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars. 1734 and 1741, Weiser became a follower of Conrad Beissel, a German Seventh Day Baptist preacher. six years, he lived at the monastic settlement, Ephrata Cloister, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. was also teacher and a lay minister of the Lutheran Church; he was one of the founders of Trinity Church in Reading. died on his farm on July 13, 1760. his death, one Iroquois Indian noted to a group of colonists, "We are at a great loss and sit in darkness ... as since his death we cannot so well understand one another." shortly after Conrad Weiser's death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline. — more at Wikipedia and the Conrad Weiser Homestead State Park

Germany, 1720-1756, Erdmuthe Dorothea of Reuss-Ebersdorf
Erdmuthe Dorothea of Reuss-Ebersdorf; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, 1731-1787, Henry Muhlenberg, Patriarch of American Lutherans, from Einbeck and Halle Germany
Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178; Melchior Muhlenberg is the principal organizer of American Lutheranism. was born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, and studied at Goettingen and at Halle. Lutherans in America at that time were found in a few scattered communities, of various national backgrounds, with no central organization, and with a grave danger of factionalism. congregations wrote to Halle University, asking for a pastor to take charge. Hermann Francke, a Lutheran leader of the Pietist movement at Halle, chose Muhlenberg and sent him to America. arrived in Charleston on 23 September 1742. He was soon accorded widespread recognition by Lutheran churches, German, Swedish, and others, as the senior Lutheran pastor in America. He set the tone for the Lutheran community in what was to be the United States, and almost all Lutheran Churches in America today use liturgies which are developed from the one that he proposed for American use. plans for local church government, presented to congregations that had been accustomed to a great deal of government control, eased the transition to the "free church" model, and form the basis for plans of local church government in American Lutheran churches today. of his sons, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, served as a general under George Washington in the War of Independence. Another, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, became a member of the Continental Congress, and first speaker of the House of Representatives. A great-grandson, William Augustus Muhlenberg, became an eminent Anglican priest (see 8 April). Melchior Muhlenberg died 7 October 1787, and is buried at Trappe, Pennsylvania. His epitaph (in Latin) reads: "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." by James Kiefer

Germany, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, organizer American Lutheranism, factionalism d, Free Church model from govt control m
Germany, 1731-1787, HENRY MUHLENBERG, Einbeck, Germany (Weser River 4), organizer of American Lutheranism, danger of factionalism, asking for pastor to take charge, transition to Free Church model from govt control model, famous sons ; Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178; Melchior Muhlenberg is the principal organizer of American Lutheranism. He was born in Einbeck, Germany, in 1711, studied at Goettingen and at Halle. in America at that time were found in a few scattered communities, of various national backgrounds, with no central organization, with a grave danger of factionalism. congregations wrote to Halle University, asking for a pastor to take charge. Francke, a Lutheran leader of the Pietist movement at Halle, chose Muhlenberg and sent him to America. arrived in Charleston on 23 September 1742. He was soon accorded widespread recognition by Lutheran churches, Swedish, and others, the senior Lutheran pastor in America. set the tone for the Lutheran community in what was to be the United States, almost all Lutheran Churches in America today use liturgies which are developed from the one that he proposed for American use. plans for local church government, to congregations that had been accustomed to a great deal of government control, the transition to the "free church" model, and form the basis for plans of local church government in American Lutheran churches today. of his sons, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, served as a general under George Washington in the War of Independence. Another, Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg, became a member of the Continental Congress, and first speaker of the House of Representatives. A great-grandson, William Augustus Muhlenberg, became an eminent Anglican priest (see 8 April). Melchior Muhlenberg died 7 October 1787, is buried at Trappe, Pennsylvania. epitaph (in Latin) reads: "Who and what he was, future ages will know without a stone." by James Kiefer

Germany, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

Germany, 1740-1745, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VII, German House of Wittelsbach
Germany, Holy Roman Emperor, 1740-1745, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor ; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Germany, 1744, 13 Jan 1743 OS, Treaty of Breslau/Treaty of Berlin
Germany, 1744, 13 Jan 1743 OS, Treaty of Breslau/Treaty of Berlin; Germany, 1744, January 24, 1744 NS: Naphtali's Seal Date; Germany, 1740-1745, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor;

Germany, 1744, 13 Jan 1743 OS, Treaty of Berlin
Germany, 1744, 13 Jan 1743 OS, Treaty of Berlin Germany, 1744, 13 Jan 1743 OS, Treaty of Breslau/Treaty of Berlin; Germany, 1744, January 24, 1744 NS: Naphtali's Seal Date; Germany, 1740-1745, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor;

Germany, 1744, January 24, 1744 NS: Naphtali's Seal Date
Germany, 1744, January 24, 1744 NS: Naphtali's Seal Date; Germany, 1740-1745, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor;

Germany, 1745-1765, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I
Germany, Holy Roman Emperor, 1745-1765, Francis I; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Germany, 1745-1765, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperess Maria Theresa
Germany, Holy Roman Emperor, 1745-1765, Emperess Maria Theresa; Holy Roman Emperor, 1745-1765, Francis I; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel of of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28; St John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; St Moses (Macinic), Martyr and Confessor, Commemorated on October 21; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Germany, 1765-1790, HRE Emperor, Joseph II, Francis and Theresa's son, enlightened absolutism
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1765-1790, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; Martyr Oprea of Salistie in Romania, Commemorated on October 21; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Germany, 1790-1792, HRE Emperor, Leopold II, brother of Joseph II, enlightened absolutism, no capital punishment
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1790-1792, Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor;

Germany, 1792-1806, HRE Emperor, Francis II, Last HRE, attacked and lost to Napoleon
Belgium, Holy Roman Emperor, 1792-1806, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated on October 12; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated on October 12; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated on December 17; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17; Damien of DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15;

Germany, 1800, 19th C Folder, Austrian Confederations and German Empire

Germany, 1815-1866 History Folder, German Confederation, Hanover Kingdom

Germany, 1814-1866, Kingdom of Hanover, Congress of Vienna after Napoleon, a Viceroy, no queens, lost to Prussia in 66
Germany, 1814-1866, Kingdom of Hanover; Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover (known formally as the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg), and joined 38 other sovereign states in the German Confederation in June 1815. The kingdom was ruled by the House of Hanover, a cadet branch of the House of Welf, in personal union with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland since 1714. Since its monarch resided in London, a viceroy, usually a younger member of the British Royal Family, handled the administration of the Kingdom of Hanover. personal union with the United Kingdom ended in 1837 upon the accession of Queen Victoria because semi-Salic law prevented females from inheriting the Hanoverian throne while a dynastic male was still alive. uncle thus became the ruler of Hanover, which backed the losing side in the Austro-Prussian War and was conquered by Prussia in 1866. It then became a Prussian province. with the rest of Prussia, Hanover became part of the German Empire upon the unification of Germany in January 1871. Briefly revived as the State of Hanover in 1946, the state was later merged with some smaller states to form the current state of Lower Saxony in West Germany. England, 1830-1837, King of Great Britain, William IV of the United Kingdom ; IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover. served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending time in North America and the Caribbean, and was later nicknamed the "Sailor King".[1][2] 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. In 1827, he was appointed as Britain's first Lord High Admiral since 1709. As his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all of the British Empire, and the British electoral system refashioned by the Reform Act 1832. William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a British prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. He granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. the time of his death, William had no surviving legitimate children, but he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for twenty years. Late in life, he married and apparently remained faithful to the young princess who would become Queen Adelaide. was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom, and his brother King Ernest Augustus in Hanover. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Germany, 1815-1866, German Confederation, Replaced HRE with 39 German Speaking States
German Confederation, 1815-1866; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878;

Germany, 1830-1837, William IV, King, Great Britain & Hanover, reforms, child labor, slavery, electoral sys
England, 1830-1837, King of Great Britain, William IV of the United Kingdom ; IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover. served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending time in North America and the Caribbean, and was later nicknamed the "Sailor King".[1][2] 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. In 1827, he was appointed as Britain's first Lord High Admiral since 1709. As his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all of the British Empire, and the British electoral system refashioned by the Reform Act 1832. William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a British prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. He granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. the time of his death, William had no surviving legitimate children, but he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for twenty years. Late in life, he married and apparently remained faithful to the young princess who would become Queen Adelaide. was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom, and his brother King Ernest Augustus in Hanover. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Germany, 1835-1848, German President, Ferdinand I of Austria
German President, 1835-1848, Ferdinand I of Austria; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906);

Germany, 1835-1848, Ferdinand I, Emperor of Austria, mental problem
Austria, 1835-1848, Ferdinand I of Austria; I (German: Ferdinand I. 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) the Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. ruler of Austria, he was also President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy–Venetia and holder of many other lesser titles (see grand title of the Emperor of Austria). to his rocky, passive but well-intentioned character, he gained the sobriquet The Benign or The Benevolent.[2] succeeded on the death of his father Francis II and I on 2 March 1835. was incapable of ruling his empire because of a mental deficiency, so his father, before he died, made a will promulgating that Ferdinand should consult his uncle Archduke Louis on all aspects of internal policy and urged him to be influenced by Prince Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister.[3] the Revolutions of 1848, Ferdinand abdicated on 2 December 1848. He was succeeded by his nephew, Franz Joseph. Following his abdication, he lived in Hradčany Palace, Prague, until his death in 1875.[4] married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child of Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia. They had no children.

Germany, 1848-1916, President, Franz Joseph I of Austria
German President, 1848-1916, Franz Joseph I of Austria; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910);

Germany, 1867-1871 History Folder, North German Confederation

Germany, 1867-1871, North German Confederation
North German Confederation, 1867-1871; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878;

Germany, 1871-1918 History Folder, German Empire

Germany, 1871-1918, German Empire
Germany, German Empire, 1871-1918; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Germany, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Traveling Preacher
Estonia, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, fPootsi in Pätnu county, Priest, Traveling Preacher, Bishop i1917, 1918 German Occupation, still traveled to all parishes that summer, 1919 arrested shot by athiest Russian communist regime, then also 2 Archpriests Bezhanitsky&Bleive were shot; Estonia; Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Commemorated on January 14; holy Hieromartyr Platon (Πλάτων) was born on July 13, 1869, at Pootsi in Pätnu county, Estonia. At Holy Baptism, he received the name Paul. attending various theological schools, Paul Kulbusch was ordained as a priest. Father Paul travelled about, preaching the Word of God in the Orthodox churches of Estonia. December 31, 1917 he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Estonia, engaging in numerous activities in his efforts to elevate the Orthodox parishes. than two months after his consecration, Estonia was occupied by the German army. At that time it was very difficult to travel, but that did not stop the Bishop from visiting almost all of the Orthodox parishes in Estonia during that summer. 1919, he was arrested by the atheist regime in Moscow and, after being tortured, he was shot on January 14, 1919. Afterward, Archpriest Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Archpriest Michael Bleive were also put to death. Saint Platon's relics rest in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Tallinn. the Church also commemorates all the New Martyrs of Estonia: Priests, Deacons and laymen. Platon, Archpriests Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Michael Bleive were glorified as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1982, and by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2000. Church Service in honor of Saint Platon was composed by Metropolitan Joel of Edessa.

Germany, 1900, 20th C Folder

Germany, 1901-1942, Gorazd oPrague, Catholic but became Orthodox when religious freedom aWWI, built churches, took blame
Czech Lands, 1901-1942, Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia, Czech Lands (Vltava River 3, Elbe River 4), born Catholic but when religious freedom after WWI became Orthodox, Priest&Bishop, Serbian Church Belgrade, in Prague built 11 churches 2 chapels, translating service books tCzech, incl Carpatho-Russians, 1938 under Berlin Met, 1942 German Ruler of Czech assinated by Czech resistance, who hid in Cathedral, great danger for Church so Gorazd took blame, tortured firing squad 550 people, churches closed; Prague, Czech Republic (Vltava River 3) ; Gorazd Pavlik; of Prague, given name Matěj Pavlík (26 May 1879 – 4 September 1942), the hierarch of the revived Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia after World War I. World War II, having provided refuge for the assassins of SS-Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich, called The Hangman of Prague, in the cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Prague, took full responsibility for protecting the patriots after the Schutzstaffel found them in the crypt of the cathedral, hoping to minimize Nazi reprisals on his congregation. act guaranteed his execution, thus his martyrdom, during the reprisals that followed. His feast day is celebrated on 22 August (OC) or 4 September (NC). ěj Pavlík was born on 26 May 1879, in the Moravian village of Hrubá Vrbka in what would later be the Czech Republic. into the Roman Catholic society of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Matthias entered the Faculty of Theology in Olomouc after finishing his earlier education. was subsequently ordained a priest. his studies, he was interested in the mission of Cyril and Methodius and of Eastern Orthodoxy. of Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of the First World War brought complete religious freedom. this environment, many people left the Catholic Church. many left the religion completely, some looked either to old Czech Protestant churches or, as Pavlík, to Eastern Orthodoxy. Serbian Orthodox Church provided a shelter for those looking to Orthodoxy. As a leader in Moravia, the Serbian Orthodox Church agreed to consecrate Pavlík to the episcopate for his homeland. On 24 September 1921, he was consecrated bishop with the name of Gorazd. his monastic name of Gorazd was significant as it was the name of the bishop who succeeded Methodius as Bishop of Moravia after he died in 885. Pope Stephen V drove the disciples of Methodius from Moravia as the Latin rite was imposed. by the choice of his monastic name of Gorazd, the continuity of the Orthodox Church in Moravia from some 1,100 years before was recognized. Gorazd was named Bishop of Moravia and Silesia on 24 September 1921, and consecrated bishop on the next day at the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, by Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije. the next decade or so, Gorazd and his faithful followers organized parishes and built churches in Bohemia. In all they built eleven churches and two chapels. had the essential service books translated and published in Czech, which was the language used in the church services. With Carpathian Ruthenia and Slovakia part of Czechoslovakia, he assisted many who had returned to their ancestral Eastern Orthodox faith, helping the creation of the Eparchy of Mukačevo and Prešov in 1931. the conquest of Czechoslovakia by the Nazis in 1938, the church was placed under the Metropolitan in Berlin, Germany. Heydrich was appointed as ruler of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. 27 May 1942, a group of Czech resistance fighters assassinated Heydrich. In making their escape, the group found refuge in the crypt of the Cathedral. Gorazd found out a few days later, he recognized the serious burden this placed on the Czech Orthodox Church. he left for the consecration to the episcopate of John Gardner in Berlin, he asked that the resistance fighters move elsewhere as soon as possible. on June 18, the Nazis found the hiding places after a betrayal by two members of the resistance group, and all the members of the group were killed. came quickly. The two priests and the senior lay church officials were arrested. wishing to help his fellow believers and the Czech Church itself, took the blame for the actions in the Cathedral on himself, even writing letters to the Nazi authorities. 27 June 1942, he was arrested and tortured. On 4 September 1942, Gorazd, the Cathedral priests and the lay officials were executed by firing squad at Kobylisy Shooting Range. His body was disposed of at Strašnice Crematorium.[1] reprisals went much further as the Nazis conducted widespread roundups of Czechs, including the whole village of Lidice, then summarily killed the men and children, while they placed the women in concentration camps. Orthodox churches in Moravia and Bohemia were closed and the church forbidden to operate. Metropolitan Seraphim courageously refused to issue any statement condemning Bishop Gorazd. It was not until the end of the war that the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia would function again. Icon. Hieromartyr Gorazd Bohemian, Transcarpathia, Mukachevo, 2012 these actions the Orthodox Faithful, led by their bishop, proved the qualities of their little church in bravery and devotion to matters of justice and showed how firmly it was connected to the Czech nation. On 4 May 1961, the Serbian Orthodox Church recognized Gorazd as a new martyr, and on 24 August 1987, he was glorified in the Olomouc Orthodox Church in Moravia. Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated on September 4; “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” [John 10:11]. “O Lord, make this man also, who has been proclaimed a steward of the episcopal grace, to be an imitator of You, the true Shepherd, Who laid down Your life for Your sheep....” [Prayer of Consecration of a Bishop]. September 25, 1921, these words were prayed over Father Gorazd Pavlik as he was consecrated the Bishop of Moravia and Silesia. It is doubtful that anyone in attendance that day, including the new bishop, expected that he would be called upon to live that prayer in a literal way. Pavlik was born in 1879 in the Moravian town of Hrubavrbka in what would later become the Czech Republic. was born into a Roman Catholic family, completed the Roman Catholic seminary in Olomouc and was ordained a priest. the end of World War I and the formation of the new nation of Czechoslovakia from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the laws requiring observance of the Catholic religion were loosened. Matthias, along with thousands of others left the Catholic Church with many seeking a home in the Orthodox Church, in that region was then under the protection of the Orthodox Church of Serbia. monastic vows, he assumed the name “Gorazd” who was a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius and who succeeded Saint Methodius as the bishop of Moravia. the age of 42, Father Gorazd was consecrated an Orthodox bishop in Belgrade, Serbia by the Serbian Patriarch Dimitri along with the illustrious Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky of Kiev and several other bishops, including Bishop Dositheus of Zagreb. Dositheus was a key figure in the re-birth of the Orthodox Church among Carpatho-Rusyns and was glorified as a saint of the Orthodox Church in May, 2000. Gorazd immediately set to work building up the Orthodox Faith, building eleven churches and two chapels, translating service books into the Czech language. paid particular attention to the Carpatho-Rusyns in the eastern part of the Czech Republic who were also returning to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. that region, in 1934 he took part in the 20th anniversary commemoration of the Marmarosh-Sigotsky trial. This trial occurred in 1914 when 94 Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox, together with their priest, Saint Alexis Kabaluk, were tried for treason for renouncing the Greek Catholic Faith and embracing Orthodoxy. twenty years, the bishop faithfully cared for his flock as a good shepherd. He remained faithful to the Orthodox Faith despite attempts by many Catholics to persuade him to renounce Orthodoxy. many Roman Catholic priests rose up against him, the Catholic Bishop Stoian said, “Leave Pavlik alone, you are not worthy to tie his laces, it would be good if everyone were like Pavlik.” the German Nazis invaded and conquered Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Orthodox Church was placed under the Orthodox metropolitan of Berlin, Germany, Metropolitan Seraphim (Liade). German ruler of Czechoslovakia, Reinhard Heydrich, was assassinated on May 27, 1942 by a group of Czech resistance fighters then were allowed to hide in the crypt of Saints Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Cathedral. Bishop Gorazd learned of this he realized what great danger he and his flock were in if the Nazis uncovered this hiding place. leaving for Berlin to take part in the consecration of Father Philip Gardner as a bishop, he insisted that the resistance fighters leave the Cathedral and find another place of refuge. on June 18, the hiding place was revealed after a betrayal and torture, and all members of the group were killed. Nazis immediately began massive reprisals. The two Cathedral priests and senior lay officials were arrested. Gorazd, trying to save his people and his church from destruction, wrote letters to the Nazi authorities taking the blame for the actions in the Cathedral, in which he stated, “I am giving myself up to the authorities and am prepared to face any punishment, including death.” Gorazd was arrested on June 27, 1942, tortured and executed by firing squad at the Kobylisz Shooting Range on September 4. was 63 years old. The two Cathedral priests were also shot. Along with the priests and bishop, a total of 550 people were executed by the Nazis in reprisal for the assassination. In one particularly heinous act, the entire village of Lidice was exterminated. All of the men were executed, the women and children placed in labor camps, and all village dwellings destroyed. the martyrdom of the bishop, the Orthodox Church in Bohemia and Moravia was suppressed and all churches closed. Orthodox priests were exiled to forced labor camps in Germany. Bishop Gorazd willingly laid down his life in order to protect his flock, he was recognized by the Orthodox Church of Serbia as a new martyr on May 4, 1961. August 24, 1987 he was glorified in the Cathedral of Saint Gorazd in Olomouc, Moravia. feast day is observed on the day of his martyrdom, September 4. at the site of his martyrdom at the Kobylisz Shooting Range, a monument has been erected in his memory and those others who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Father Edward Pehanich Posted with permission, the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, Johnstown, PA

Germany, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich, Aust-Hung Catholic monk to Rus Orthodox priest, shot for continuing services
Poland, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich oZdynia, Poland in the Beskids (Vistula River Source), Austro-Hungarian Catholic Monk iKrakow, attempts to denationalize Russians and Latinize Eastern Rite, went tPochaev monastery, Orthodox, potential recognized, sent to Zhitomir seminary 1911, married&ordained, Lemko region Orthodox movement tAncestors faith, Home tHrab, Vysovatka, Dovhe, Dec 1911 Austrians ordered O services stop b Russian sympathies, M continued O services iHomes, repeatedly fined temp arrest, 1912 prison 2yrs Lviv, not guilty trial, continued O services, Aug 1914 WWI arrested, no trial, shot, family sent to Talerhof CCamp, son M born, future Lemko Rusyn priest, glorification 1994, relics transfered 2007; Zdynia, Poland; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Maxim was born in 1886 in Zdynia in the Lemko region of Carpatho-Rus which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in present day Poland. father, Tymofej, was the cantor of Zydnia’s Greek Catholic church. completing his education in the nearby town of Jaslo and Nowy Sacz, he entered the Greek Catholic Basilian monastery in Krakow. with the attempts to Latinize the Eastern rite to make it more acceptable to the Roman Catholic majority and also attempts to denationalize the Rusyns, he crossed the border into the Russian empire and entered the famed Orthodox monastery at Pochaev. was while at the monastery that his outstanding potential attracted the attention of the illustrious Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) who enrolled him in the Orthodox seminary in Zhitomir. completed his seminary studies in 1911 that same year married Pelagia Grigoryuk and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. that time in the Lemko region there was a growing movement away from the Greek Catholic Church to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. Maxim returned home to serve the Orthodox faithful in the villages of Hrab, Vysovatka and Dovhe. serving his first Divine Liturgy in Hrab on December 2, 1911, the Austrian authorities, suspicious of the Orthodox Faith for its alleged “Russian sympathies,” issued an order forbidding any further Orthodox services. Maxim ignored the order and continued to conduct services in village homes. was repeatedly fined and held under temporary arrest. Before Pascha in 1912, he was again arrested with his friend and spiritual father, Father Ignatij Hudyma, held in prison for two years in a Lviv prison until their trial began on March 9, 1914. being found not guilty he immediately returned to his native village and continued minister to his Orthodox parishioners. the outbreak of World War I, Father Maxim was again arrested and imprisoned on August 4, 1914 along with his entire family. Maxim, his father, mother, brother, and wife were forced to travel on foot to the prison while being prodded by the bayonets of the soldiers. prison they were placed in separate cells and denied the opportunity to see each other. time, however, there would be no court trial. the morning of September 6, Father Maxim awoke in his cell and read his morning prayers as usual. soldiers led the twenty-eight year old priest from his cell to a wall in the prison courtyard where he was bound and blindfolded. he was being led from his cell Father Maxim realized where they were taking him and humbly and with dignity asked, “Be so good as not to hold me. I will go peacefully wherever you wish.” they ripped his priestly cross from his chest and threw it to the dirt, marking an “X” with chalk over his heart for a target. the command to execute the priest was given, Father Maxim was heard to shout: “Long live the Rus’ people, long live Orthodoxy!” the shots rang out the martyr slumped to the ground. To assure that he was dead three more blasts of a revolver were emptied into his head. September 12, Saint Maxim’s father, his pregnant wife, and brother were sent to the concentration camp at Talerhof in the far western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. in the camp Pelagia gave birth to a son she named Maxim in honor of his father. his father, the younger Maxim also entered the priesthood serving the Lemko Rusyn people faithfully until his death in 1991. Canonization September 1994, the official glorification of Saint Maxim began in the courtyard of the Gorlice Court House where the saint had been martyred, a bronze plaque marking the tragic event was placed on the wall. this service, a procession of hierarchs, including our Metropolitan Nicholas of blessed memory, clergy and faithful entered the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice for the service of glorification. the glorification of a saint, ordinarily the saint’s relics would be exhumed from their grave and transferred in procession to the church. bishops of the Orthodox Church of Poland decided to delay the transfer, fearing it would provoke the areas’ Roman Catholics who reluctantly tolerate the Orthodox presence. on September 5-6, 2007, the martyr’s relics were transferred from the village cemetery in Zdynia to the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice, Poland where they are enshrined on the right side of the icon screen. Witness of Martyrs Lord said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). life of this new hieromartyr (priest-martyr) echo the words of Jesus. Maxim had no fear of threats from the government, imprisonment, abuse, insults and even a firing squad. this newly-ordained priest was arrested for serving an Orthodox Divine Liturgy his first action on being freed was to immediately return to his flock and resume his priestly ministry. Lord’s words in the Book of Revelation apply well to Saint Maxim: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). my many years working as a hospice chaplain I have often been summoned by doctors and nurses to the bedside of a terminally ill patient who is fearful of his approaching death. medical professionals assume, rightly so, that it is primarily an active faith that can help a person face this fear. promise of the Lord Jesus to us is that if we believe in Him and our lives are joined to His we have nothing to fear in death. while the death and resurrection of our Savior have removed our fear of death, Jesus does not desire that all of our fears vanish. does want us to be afraid of something! He wants us to be afraid of the right things, to be fearful of things that should be fear: “...fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). life of Saint Maxim Sandovich, faithful priest shines forth this truth! — Father Edward Pehanich

Germany, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, not tOrdinary people, Orthodox Soc Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews escape Auschwitz, for her several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Germany, 1914-1918, World War I
Germany, 1914-1918, World War I; Germany, German Empire, 1871-1918; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Germany, 1919-1933 History Folder, Weimar Republic

Germany, 1918-1919, German Revolution of 1918-“19
Germany, 1918-1919, German Revolution of 1918-“19; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Germany, 1919-1933, Weimar Republic
Germany, 1919-1933, Weimar Republic; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Germany, 1926-1945, DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, Confessing Church, underground seminary, overthrow Hitler
Germany, 1926-1945, DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, University of Berlin, lecturer systematic theology, Confessing Church, underground seminary, overthrow Hitler group, Military Intelligence Dept, Buchenwald and Schoenberg prisons, hung; University of Berlin; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945); was born in 1906, son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. was an outstanding student, and at the age of 25 became a lecturer in systematic theology at the same University. Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. organized and for a time led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost of Descipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning grace used as an excuse for moral laxity. had been taught not to "resist the powers that be," but he came to believe that to do so was sometimes the right choice. 1939 his brother-in-law introduced him to a group planning the overthrow of Hitler, and he made significant contributions to their work. (He was at this time an employee of the Military Intelligence Department.) was arrested in April 1943 and imprisoned in Berlin. After the failure of the attempt on Hitler's life in April 1944, he was sent first to Buchenwald and then to Schoenberg Prison. His life was spared, because he had a relative who stood high in the government; but then this relative was himself implicated in anti-Nazi plots. Sunday 8 April 1945, he had just finished conducting a service of worship at Schoenberg, when two soldiers came in, saying, "Prisoner Bonhoeffer, make ready and come with us," the standard summons to a condemned prisoner. As he left, he said to another prisoner, "This is the end -- but for me, the beginning -- of life." He was hanged the next day, less than a week before the Allies reached the camp. works in print (paperback) include the following: The Martyred Christian (160 readings from his works, 288p) Letters and Papers from Prison Creation and Fall and Temptation Meditating on the Word Life Together The Cost of Discipleship Ethics Spiritual Care The Psalms: Prayer Book of the Bible Christ the Center of his later writings insist that many Christians do not take seriously enough the existence and power of evil. Because of this and other statements of his, some theological advocates of "secularist Christianity" in the 1960's attempted to claim him as their own. In my judgement, a study of his writings (even his later writings) as a whole does not support this claim. However, it is true that he never had a chance to edit his prison letters and papers, or put them into context, and accordingly it is not surprising that they contain some statements that baffle the reader. following hymn was written by him in the concentration camp, shortly before his death. By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered, and confidently waiting come what may, we know that God is with us night and morning, and never fails to greet us each new day. Yet is this heart by its old foe tormented, still evil days bring burdens hard to bear; Oh, give our frightened souls the sure salvation for which, O Lord, You taught us to prepare. And when this cup You give is filled to brimming with bitter suffering, hard to understand, we take it thankfully and without trembling, out of so good and so beloved a hand. Yet when again in this same world You give us the joy we had, the brightness of Your Sun, we shall remember all the days we lived through, and our whole life shall then be Yours alone. hymn appears in the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal (695). The translator is F. Pratt Green (1903- ) listed in hymnal indexes sometimes under Green and sometimes under Pratt Green. The translation copyright is Hope Publishing Company 1974. hymn appears as 637 in the current Finnish Hymnal, translated by Anna-Maija Raittila, and beginning "Hyvyyden voiman ihmeelliseen suojaan". LEADERS REMEMBER DIETRICH BONHOEFFER (ENI) years after the execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the age of 39 on April 9, 1945, at the hands of one of Hitler's special commandos in the concentration camp of Flossenbuerg, church leaders have paid tribute to the German Lutheran theologian who joined the political opposition to Hitler. At a recent memorial service in Flossenbuerg, Klaus Engelhardt, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), described how Bonhoeffer refused to be placed on the prayer list of the Confessing Church after his imprisonment in 1943. "Bonhoeffer believed that only those who were imprisoned because of their proclamation or actions in the service of the church belonged on the prayer list, but not those imprisoned as political conspirators," he said. Engelhardt asserted that the church today should think again about how it supports those who exercise their resistance to injustice through political means. "Is our Protestant church not in the position and not prepared to support or pray for those who take the path of political resistance to inhumanity or the perversion of law and order?" he asked. "They are among those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and whom Jesus praises in the beatitudes." by James Kiefer

Germany, 1900, 20th C Folder, Empire, Weimar R, WWI, Nazi Germany, WWII, East and West Germany, United

Germany, 1933-1945 History Folder, Nazi Germany

Germany, 1933-1945, Nazi Germany
Germany, 1933-1945, Nazi Germany; Holy New Martyr Ignatius (Bazyluk), Commemorated on August 9;

Germany, 1933-1945, German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler
German Chancellor, 1933-1945, Adolf Hitler ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Germany, 1934, Barmen Declaration, rejects subordination of Church to state and Word of God to Church
1934 Barmen Declaration ; Bergisches Land; GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ;

Germany, 1937-1945, Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Operation Queen, 1944, Siegfried Line (Otterbach to Steinfeld), WWII
Operation Queen, WWII, Siegfried Line in the Wissembourg Gap, a formidable defense to block the natural gateway to the Fatherland.;

Germany, 1945-Present History Folder, Federal Republic of Germany

German Chancellor, 1945-Present, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
German Chancellor, 1945-Present, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Germany, 1960- , Reinhard Bonnke, Pentecostal Evangelist
Germany, 1960- , Reinhard Bonnke, Pentecostal Evangelist; George Jeffreys (pastor);

Germany, Eastern Germany, Order River Folder, Germany Poland Border

Germany, Eastern Germany, Order River 18, Lusatian Neisse River Folder

Lusatian Neisse River

Jizera Mountains
Jizera Mountains;

Lusatian Mountains, Germany and Czech Republic
Lusatian Mountains;

Sokol Peak (Lusatian Mountains)
Sokol Peak (Lusatian Mountains);

Lusatian Neisse River Source (Jizera Mountains)

Lusatian Neisse River 1

Lusatian Neisse River 2 (Berthelsdorf, Hernhut and Gorlitz)

Lusatian Neisse River 3

Lusatian Neisse River 4

Lusatian Neisse River Mouth (Oder River 18)

Zittau, Germany (tripoint Poland, Chech, and Germany)

Gorlitz, Germany (Lusatian Neisse River 2)
Gorlitz, Germany (Lusatian Neisse River 2) ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Berthelsdorf, Germany (Lusatian Neisse River 2)
Berthelsdorf; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Herrnhut, Germany (Lusatian Neisse River 2)
Herrnhut; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Zinzendorf, Herrnhut (Lusatian Neisse River 2)
Zinzendorf (Herrnhut); NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Germany, Eastern Germany, Berlin Folder ( Elbe River 18.5, Spree and Havel Rivers)

Spree River

Spree River Source (Upper Lusatia)

Spree River 1 (Ebersbach, Gorlitz)
Spree River 1 (Ebersbach, Gorlitz);

Spree River 2 (Oppach)
Spree River 2 (Oppach);

Spree River 3 (Bautzen)
Spree River 3 (Bautzen);

University of Berlin, Germany, 1810
University of Berlin; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Spree River 4 (Spremberg)
Spree River 4 (Spremberg);

Spree River 5 (Cottbus)
Spree River 5 (Cottbus);

Spree River 6 (Lubbenau, Spreewald Wetlands)
Spree River 6 (Lubbenau, Spreewald Wetlands);

Spree River 7 (Leibsch)
Spree River 7 (Leibsch);

Spree River 8 (Furstenwalde)
Spree River 8 (Furstenwalde);

Spree River 9 (Dameritzsee)
Spree River 9 (Dameritzsee);

Spree River 10 (Lake Muggelsee)
Spree River 10 (Lake Muggelsee);

Spree River 11 (Kopenick)
Spree River 11 (Kopenick, River Dahme Mouth);

Spree River Mouth (Havel River 1)

Berlin, Capitol of Germany (Spree River Mouth, Havel River 1)
Berlin; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945); NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Havel River

Havel River Source (Mecklenburg)
Havel River Source (Mecklenburg Lake Plateau);

Ravensbruck Concentration Camp (Havel River Source)
Ravensbruck Concentration Camp; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20;

Havel River 1 (Spandau, Berlin)
Havel River 1 (Spandau);

Havel River 2 (Brandenburg an der Havel)
Havel River 1 (Brandenburg an der Havel);

Havel River Mouth (Elbe River 18.5)
Havel River Mouth (Elbe River 18.5);

Germany, North Central Germany, Elbe River Folder

Elbe River 5 (Vltava River Mouth)

Elbe River 6 (Czech Republic)

Elbe River 7 (Czech Republic)

Elbe River 8 (Czechoslovakia)

Elbe River 9 (Germany)

Elbe River 10 (Dresden, Saxony)

Dresden, Saxony, Germany (Elbe River 10) Catherine Winkworth, Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf
Dresden; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Saxony, Germany (Upper Elbe River) Lucas Cranch, Nikolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf
Saxony; Lucas Cranach of ALBRECHT DuœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRuœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Cranach the Elder, 4 October 1472 - 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is best known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a close friend of Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from mythology and religion. He had a large workshop and many works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger, and others, continued to produce versions of his father's works for decades after his death. (More at Wikipedia) NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Elbe River 11 (Germany)

Elbe River 12 (Germany)

Elbe River 13 (Wittenberg)

Wittenberg, Germany, Lutherhaus (Elbe River 13)
Wittenberg, Germany ; Lutherhaus; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546); OLAVUS PETRI, Priest 19 April 1552, Laurentius Petri, Archbishop of Uppsala 1573, Commemorated April 19 ;

Elbe River 15 (Saale River Mouth)

Germany, Central Germany, Elbe River 15, Saale River Folder

Saale River

Saale River Source (Waldstein Ridge)
Waldstein Ridge;

Saale River 1

Hof, Bavaria (Saale River 1)
Hof, Bavaria (Saale River 1) ; George Fredrick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Saale River 2 (Ebersdorf)

Ebersdorf, Thuringa, Germany (Saale River 2)
Ebersdorf, Saale River; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Saale River 3

Saale River 4

Saale River 9 (Weisse Elster and Parthe Rivers)

Germany, Central Germany, Elbe River 15, Saale River 9, Ilm River Folder

Ilm (Thuringia) River

Weimar, Thuringa (Ilm (Thuringa) River 4)
Weimar (Ilm (Thuringa) River 4) ; John Sebastian Bach of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Buchenwald concentration camp (Ilm River 4) 1937
Buchenwald concentration camp; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Erfurt, Germany (Ilm River 3)
City of Erfurt; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest;

Ilm (Thuringia) River Source (Thuringian Forest)
Ilm (Thuringia) River Source (near this point somewhere)

Ilm (Thuringia) River 1

Ilm (Thuringia) River 2

Ilm (Thuringia) River 3 (Erfurt)

Ilm (Thuringia) River 4 (Weimar, Erfut and Buchenwald)

Ilm (Thuringia) River Mouth (Saale River 9)

Germany, Central Germany, Elbe River 15, Saale River 9, Weisse Elster, Parthe and Pleisse Rivers Folder

Weisse Elster River

Weisse Elster River Source (along the border)

Weisse Elster River 1

Weisse Elster River 2

Weisse Elster River 3

Weisse Elster River Mouth (Saale River 9)

Parthe River

Parthe River Source (along the border)

Parthe River 1

Parthe River 2

Parthe River 3 (Pleisse River Mouth)

Parthe River Mouth (Halle, Saale River 9)

Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (Saale River 9, Parthe River Mouth)
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt ; George Fredrick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Halle on the Saale river
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt ; George Fredrick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Halle University (Parthe River Mouth, Saale River 9) 1502
Halle University; George Fredrick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787;

Pleisse River

Pleisse River Source

Pleisse River 1

Pleisse River 2

Pleisse River 3

Pleisse River Mouth (Parthe River 3)

Leipzig (four rivers, Pleisse, Parthe,Weisse, and Saale)
Leipzig (three rivers: Parthe, Pleisse, and Saale); George Fredrick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Saale River Mouth (Elbe River 15)

Coethen (Anhalt region, Saale Mouth, Elbe River 14)
Coethen (Anhalt region, Saale Mouth, Elbe River 14); Johann Sebastian Bach of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Elbe River 17 (near Berlin)

Elbe River 20 (Techin)

Elbe River 21 (Hamburg)

Hamburg, Germany (Elbe River 21, Port of Hamburg)
Hamburg (Elbe River 21, Port of Hamburg); ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865);

Elbe River Mouth (North Sea)

Germany, Northeastern Germany, North German Plain Folder

North German Plain
North German Plain;

Saxonia (North German Plain)
The Saxons were a confederation of tribes from the Northern German Plain; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

Techin (North German Plain, Elbe River 20)
Techin - Lake Boissow and Lake Neuenkirchen South Nature Reserve has an area of ca. 86 hectares and incorporates part of the town of Zarrentin am Schaalsee in the local subdistricts (Germarkungen) of Boissow, Techin, Neuhof and Neuenkirchen. Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16;

Germany, Central Germany, Harz Mountains Area Folder

Harz Mountains
Harz Mountains;

Germany, South Central Germany, Weser River Folder

Weser River

Weser River Source (Rivers Fulda and Werra)

Germany, South Central Germany, Weser River Source, Werra River Folder

Werra River

Werra River Source (Thuringian Forest)

Werra River 1

Werra River 2

Werra River 3

Werra River 6 (Wartburg and Eisenach, Thuringia)

Wartburg, Thuringa, Germany (Werra River 6)
Wartburg is a castle. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231);

Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany (Werra River 6)
Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ; Johann Sebastian Bach of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ;

Werra River 7 (Geismar)

Geismar, Germany (Werra River 7, Harz Mts, Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar, Boniface)
Geismar; Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. It is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. It was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. He asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching.

Werra River Mouth (Fulda River Mouth, Weser River Source)

Germany, South Central Germany, Weser River Source, Fulda River Folder

Fulda River

Fulda River Source (Rhon Mountains)

Rhon Mountains

Fulda River 1

Fulda River 2

Fulda River 3 (Overview)

Knull Mountains
Knull Mountains;

Fulda River 4

Fulda River Mouth (Werra River Mouth, Weser River Source)

Weser River 1

Goettingen University, Germany (Weser River 1) 1734
Goettingen University; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Weser River 2 (Overview)

Weser River 3

Weser River 4

Einbeck, Germany (Weser River 4)
Einbeck, Germany HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 178;

Weser Uplands
Weser Uplands;

Munster, University of Munster (not far from Weser River 6) 1780
University of Munster ; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Halle (Westfalen), Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Halle (Westfalen), Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany;

Wiehen Hills
Wiehen Hills;

Halle, Bentheim, Lower Saxony, Germany

Weser River 11 (Bremen)

Bremen, Germany (Weser River 11)
Bremen (Weser River 11); Hanseatic League; ANSKAR, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY TO DENMARK AND SWEDEN (3 FEB 865);

Oldenburg (City), Lower Saxony, Germany (Weser River 11.6)
Oldenburg (City); Hieromartyr Philosophos of St. Petersburg, Commemorated on May 31;

Weser River Mouth (North Sea)

Bremerhaven, Germany (Weser River Mouth, North Sea)
Bremerhaven, Germany (Weser River Mouth, North Sea); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Germany, Southern Germany, Danube Area Folder

Southern Germany (Danube River)
Southern Germany; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179) ;

Affstatt Village, Wurttemberg (Danube River Source)
Affstatt Village, Wurttemberg; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

Tubingen, Southern Germany (Danube River Source)
Tubingen, Southern Germany (Danube River Source); England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Swabia, Angle of the Rhine and Danube Area, Alemanni People
Swabia, Angle of the Rhine and Danube Area, Alemanni People; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Bingen, Baden-Warttemberg
Bingen, Baden-Warttemberg; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN

Germany, Southern Germany, Danube 3, Isar River Folder (Bavaria, Munich

Munich, Germany (Isar River, Bavaria)
Munich (Isar River, Bavaria); Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated January 31; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Munich (Isar) River

Bavaria (German Bavarian Alps, Munich area, Danube and Isar Rivers)
Bavaria; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Karwendel Range Northern Alps
Karwendel Range Northern Alps ;

Dachau Death Camp, near Munich, Germany
Dachau Death Camp; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Munich (Isar) River Source (Karwendel Alps, Austria)

Munich (Isar) River 1 (Munich)

Munich (Isar) River Mouth (Danube River 3)

Loisach River

Loisach River Source (Zugspitze, near Ehrwald, Germany)
Loisach River;

Loisach River 1 (Garmish-Partenkirchen, Loisach Valley)

Loisach River Mouth (Munich (Isar) River)

Germany, Southern Germany, Danube 3, German Czech Border Folder

Schoenberg Prison (Bohemian Forest) 1938
Schoenberg Prison is also Flossenberg Concentration Camp . DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Flossenberg Concentration Camp (Bohemian Forest) 1938
Schoenberg Prison is also Flossenberg Concentration Camp. DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge Mountains, German Czech Border)
Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge Mountains)

Bohemian Forest (Bohmerwald Mountains, Southern Germany)
Bohemian Forest;

Germany, West Germany, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus
Frontier (Limes) Germanticus;

Germany, German Frontier, Lower Rhine Frontier Folder

Germany, German Frontier, Upper Rhine Frontier Folder

Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der Hathe, Germany
Roman German Frontier - Bad Homburg vor der Hahe, Hesse, Germany;

Germany, German Frontier, Rhaetian Frontier Folder
Roman Province of Rhaetia; Reschen Pass;

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River Folder

Rhine River

Rhine River Trade Route

Rhine River Source (Grisons, Switzerland)
Grisons, Switzerland; Grison Alps;

Vosges Mt Range, France
Vosges Mt Range

Rhine River 1 (Basel, Switzerland)

Rhine River 2 (Strausburg, France)

Strausburg, France (Rhine River 2, German Border)
Strausburg, Alsace, France ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28 ;

Alemanni, Land of the Alemanni, Upper Rhine River, Swabia
Alemanni, 496, Upper Rhine River, Land of the Alemanni, Clovis, Franks; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Rhine River 3 (Karlsruhe, Germany)

Palatinate Forest

Bad Bergzabern, Rhineland Palintate, Siegfried Line, Germany (Rhine River 3)
Bad Bergzabern, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Rhine River 4 (Mannheim)

Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg (Rhein River 4) 1386
Heidelberg University; RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943;

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 4, Speyer, Walk to Canossa in 1077 Folder

Palatinate Region (Rhine River 4)
Palatinate (region); CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; Pennsylvania Dutch from Palantine Region;

Worms, West Germany (Rhine River 4)
Worms (Rhine River 4) ; William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Heppenheim, Germany (in the Rhine rift)
Heppenheim; Rhine rift; DAMIEN of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889, Commemorated April 15 ; MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, RELIGIOUS 1918;

Heppenheim, Hesse, Germany (Rhine River 4.1)
Heppenheim, Hesse, Germany; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15;

Mount St Disibode Monastery, Rhineland-Palatinate, Rhine 4, 640, Missionary for Ireland, Hildegard for 39 yrs
Mount St Disibode and Disbodenburg; is a monastery ruin in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was founded by Saint Disibod. Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote Disibod's biography "Vita Sancti Disibodi", lived in Disibodenberg for 39 years. 640, Disibod came as a missionary from Ireland to Francia. After working for 10 years in Vosges and Ardennes, he arrived near Odernheim am Glan and started teaching there. After his death, the monastery was founded. The Normans and the Hungarians plundered and destroyed the site several times, but Archbishop Willigis of Mainz rebuilt the church and monastery in the 10th century. It was home to famed saint Hildegard Von Bingen throughout much of the 12th century. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179);

Rhine River 5 (Mainz)

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 5, Main River Folder, Hesse, Frankfort

Main River

Fichtel mountains
Fichtel mountains;

Main River Source (Waldstein Ridge)

Waldstein Ridge
Waldstein Ridge;

Main River 1

Main River 4

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 5, Main River 4, Rhine-Main-Danube Canal Folder, 793

Rhine-Main-Danube Canal 1 (Bamberg)

Rhein-Main-Danube Canal 2 (Nuremberg)

Rhine-Main-Danube Canal 3
Rhine-Main-Danube Canal;

Rhein-Main-Danube Canal 4 (Kelheim)

Rhein-Main-Danube Canal

Nuremberg (Rhein-Maine Danube Canal 2) Albrecht Durer
Nuremberg; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DUœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August; Durer (May 21, 1471 - April 6, 1528) was a German painter, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Renaissance in Northern Europe ever since. His well-known works include the Apocalypse woodcuts, Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Saint Jerome in his Study (1514) and Melencolia I (1514), which has been the subject of extensive analysis and interpretation. His watercolors mark him as one of the first European landscape artists, while his ambitious woodcuts revolutionized the potential of that medium. Dürer's introduction of classical motifs into Northern art, through his knowledge of Italian artists and German humanists, have secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. This is reinforced by his theoretical treatise which involve principles of mathematics, perspective and ideal proportions. (More at Wikipedia)

Northern Renaissance, 1497 and after, France, Germany, England, Low Countries and Poland
Northern Renaissance, 1497 and after, France, Germany, England, Low Countries and Poland; Nuremberg; Albrecht Durer of ALBRECHT DÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553,ARTISTS, 5 August;

Main River 7

Castell, Bavaria (Main River 8)
Castell, Bavaria; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Main River 19 (Frankfurt)

Frankfurt, Germany (Main River 19, Hesse Region)
Frankfurt, Germany Franconia, Frankfurt is located on an ancient ford (German: Furt) on the Main river. As a part of early Franconia, the inhabitants were the early Franks, thus the city's name reveals its legacy as being "the ford of the Franks on the Main river"; Matthias Grunewald of ALBRECHT DUÂœRER, 1528, MATTHIAS GRUÂœNEWALD, 1529, LUCAS CRANACH the ELDER, 1553, ARTISTS, 5 August ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Hesse (Region and State, between Rhein, Main and Rhur Rivers, Frankfort)
Hesse (Region and State, Frankfort and Weisbaden); Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Marburg, University town, Hesse Region, (north of Frankfort, Main River 19)
Marburg, University town, Hesse Region; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, commemorated December 10;

Marburg, University town, Hesse Region, Elizabeth of Hungary's Marburg Hospital
Marburg, University town, Hesse Region; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); numerous "St. Elizabeth's Hospitals" throughout the world are for the most part named, not for the Biblical Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but for this princess of Hungary. was concerned for the relief of the poor and the sick, and with her husband's consent she used her dowry money for their relief. During a famine and epidemic in 1226, while her husband was away in Italy, she sold her jewels and established a hospital where she nursed the sick, and opened the royal granaries to feed the hungry. her husband's death in 1227, her inlaws, who opposed her "extravagances," expelled her from Wartburg. an arrangement was negotiated with them that gave her a stipend. became a Franciscan tertiary (lay associate) and devoted the remainder of her life to nursing and charity. She sewed garments to clothe the poor, and went fishing to feed them. by James Kiefer KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, commemorated December 10;

Principality of Orange-Nassau
Principality of Orange-Nassau ;

Rhine Frontier, Gaul and Roman Empire (Limes Germanicus, Roman Line of Forts in Germany)
Rhine Frontier, Gaul and Roman Empire (Limes Germanicus, German Line of Forts); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Main River Mouth (Rhine River 5)

Main River Mouth (Wiesbaden, Rhine River 5)

Mainz (Main River Mouth, Rhine River 5)
Mainz; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Hesse (central Rhine and lower Mainz River Valleys)
Hesse; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Hesse District, Weisbaden and Frankfurt (Main River at Rhein River 5)
Hesse District, Weisbaden and Frankfurt (Main River at Rhein River 5) ; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17;

Bingen, Germany (Rhine River 5, between Main and Moselle Rivers)
Bingen am Rhein ; Bingen Famous people Hildegard of Bingen (1098-“1179), abbess and author, mystic, writer, composer, musician, and medic. After her the Bingen girls™ school (Gymnasium and vocational school), the Hildegardisschule , is named. Hildegard is said to be a people'™s saint; she has, however, never been beatified or canonized by the Vatican. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179) ;

Rhineland-Palatinate (Rhine River and Palatinate Forest)
Rhineland-Palatinate (Rhine River and Palatinate Forest); BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Rhine River 6 (Koblenz)

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 6, Moselle River Folder, Metz, Franks, Luxemburg

Moselle River

Lorraine Region, Germany (Moselle River)
Lorraine (region); BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Ballon d'Alsace Mountain in the Vosages Mountains
Ballon d'Alsace Mountain in the Vosages Mountains;

Moselle River Source (western slope Ballon d'Alsace)

Moselle River 1 (Epinal, France)

Moselle River 2 (Nancy, France)

Moselle River 3 (Metz, Germany)

Metz, Germany (Seille River Mouth at Moselle River 3) Capitol of the Franks
Metz, Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153);

Moselle River 4 (Chateau de Meinsberg)

Moselle River 4 (Chateau Fort du Sierck-les-Bains)

Moselle River 4 (Schloss Berg Castle)

Germany, German French Border Folder (Moselle River 4)

Luxemburg
Luxemburg; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ;

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 6, Moselle River 5, Saar River Folder

Saar River

Saar River Source (Vosges Mountains)

Saar River 1 (Abreschviller)

Saar River 2 (Lorquin)

Saar River 3 (Sarrebourg)

Saar River 4 (Fenetrange)

Saar River 5 (Sarre-Union)

Saar River 6 (Sarralbe)

Saar River 7 (Sarreguemines)

Saar River 8 (Saarbrucken)

Saar River 9 (Volklingen)

Saar River 10 (Saarlouis)

Saar River 11 (Merzig)

Saar River 12 (Saarburg)

Saar River Mouth (Moselle River 5, Trier)
Saar River;

Treves, Gaul (Trier Germany), (Saar River Mouth, Moselle River 5)
Trier in Germany; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Emperor Maximian (305-311) ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Trier, Germany (Saar River Mouth, Moselle River 5)
Trier in Germany; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Emperor Maximian (305-311) ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Trier monastery
Trier monastery The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Moselle River 5 (Alte Burg Manor House)

Moselle River 6 (Schloss Lieser Palace)

Moselle River 6 (Burg Landshut Castle)

Moselle River 6 (Grevenburg Castle)

Moselle River 7 (Marienburg Castle

Moselle River 7 (Burg Arras)

Moselle River 8 (Burg Metternich Castle)

Moselle River 8 (Cochem Castle)

Moselle River 9 (Burg Eltz Castle)

Moselle River 9 (Ehrenburg Castle)

Moselle River 9 (Burg Thurant Castle)

Moselle River Mouth (Rhine River 6, Koblenz)
Moselle River;

Rhine River 7 (Bonn)

Bonn, University of Bonn, Germany (Rhine River 7) 1818
University of Bonn; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

University of Bonn, Germany (Rhine River 7) 1818
University of Bonn; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Rhine River 8 (Cologne)

Cologne (Koln), Germany (Rhine River 8)
Cologne (Rhine River 8); St Melchior of the Magi, Commemorated December 25 ; St Gaspar of the Magi, Commemorated December 25 ; St Balthasar of the Magi, Commemorated December 25 ; MARTIN LUTHER, EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546) ;

Rhine River 9 (Dusseldorf and Kaiserswerth)

Rhineland, Germany (Middle and Lower Rhine River)
Rhineland; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

Franks, Land of the Franks (Lower and Middle Rhine River, Germany and Belgium)
Land of the Franks (Lower and Middle Rhine River); Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

Rhine River 10 (Ruhr River Mouth, Duisberg and Essen)

Germany, Western Germany, Rhine River 10, Rhur River Folder

Rhur River

Rhur River Source (along the border)

Schwarzenau Brethren (Rhur River Source)
Schwarzenau; Schwarzenau Brethren; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

Rhur River 1

Rhur River 4

Rhur River 7

Rhur District
Rhur District;

Kamen, Germany (Rhur River 7)

North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia;

Barmen (1934 Barmen Declaration, Ruhr River Mouth, Rhine River 10)
Bergisches Land; Barmen Declaration ; GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ;

Rhur River Mouth (Rhine River 10, Duisburg and Essen)

Kaiserswerth, Germany (Rhur River Mouth, Rhine River 9)
Kaiserswerth, Germany; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Kempen, Germany (North Rhine Westphalia, Rhur River)
Kempen, Germany (North Rhine Westphalia) ; THOMAS A KEMPIS, PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER (24 JULY 1471) ;

Wesel, Germany (Rhine River 10.3)
Wesel, Germany (Rhine River 10.5); England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Rhine River 11 (Arnhem, Netherlands)

Rhine River 12 (Nijmegen)

Rhine River 13 (Utrecht)

Rhine River 14 (Rotterdam and The Hague)

Rhine River Mouth (North Sea)

Germany (Clean), Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Germany (Clean), its Area
Germany, its Area

Germany (Clean), Eastern Germany, Order River Folder

Germany (Clean), Eastern Germany, Berlin Folder

Germany (Clean), North Central Germany, Elbe River Folder

Germany (Clean), Northeastern Germany, North German Plain Folder

Germany (Clean), Central Germany, Harz Mountains Area Folder

Germany (Clean), South Central Germany, Weser River Folder

Germany (Clean), Southern Germany, Danube Area Folder, aka Bavaria

Germany (Clean), Southern Germany, or Bavaria, its Area, Alps, Danube 0 - 3, Munich (Isar) River

Southern Germany (Danube River), aka Bavaria
Southern Germany;

Bavaria (German Bavarian Alps, Munich area, Danube and Isar Rivers)
Bavaria;

Germany (Clean), Bavaria, its Area

Munich, Germany (Isar River, Bavaria)
Munich (Isar River, Bavaria);

Schoenberg Prison (Bohemian Forest) 1938
Schoenberg Prison is also Flossenberg Concentration Camp .

Flossenberg Concentration Camp (Bohemian Forest) 1938
Schoenberg Prison is also Flossenberg Concentration Camp.

Germany (Clean), West Germany, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River Folder (Clean)

Hesse Region, its Area, between Rhur and Main on the Rhine

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 4, Speyer, Walk to Canossa in 1077 Folder

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 5, Main River Folder, Hesse, Frankfort

Germany (Clean), Hesse Region, its Area, between Rhur and Main Rivers, north of Rhine 5-10
Hesse Region, its Area, between Rhur and Main on the Rhine

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 5, Main River 4, Rhine-Main-Danube Canal Folder, 793

Germany (Clean), Rhein-Main-Danube Canal

Nuremberg (Rhein-Maine Danube Canal 2)
Nuremberg;

Golden Bull of Nuremburg and Metz, 1356, HRE Emperors elected
Golden Bull of Nuremburg and Metz, 1356; JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415 , commemorated on July6;

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 6, Moselle River Folder, Metz, Franks, Luxemburg

Metz, Germany (Seille River Mouth at Moselle River 3) Capitol of the Franks
Metz, Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.;

Golden Bull of Metz and Nuremburg, 1356, HRE Emperors elected
Golden Bull of Metz and Nuremburg, 1356 Metz, Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.;

Germany (Clean), German French Border Folder (Moselle River 4)

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 6, Moselle River 5, Saar River Folder

Cologne (Koln), Germany (Rhine River 8)
Cologne (Rhine River 8);

Germany (Clean), Western Germany, Rhine River 10, Rhur River Folder

Greece Folder

Greece (Clean), its Area, Macedonia, Epirus, Greater Achaia, and Cyclades Islands

Hellas (Greece)
Hellas or Greece, Hellenistic period - after Alexander and before Rome; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Greece, 9999, Illyricus of Mount Myrsinon or Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese (fortified high point above Sparta, Capital of Despotate Morea) wonderworker, mountain ascetic
Greece, 9999, Illyricus of Mount Myrsinon or Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese (fortified high point above Sparta, Capital of Despotate Morea) wonderworker, mountain ascetic; Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese; Saint Illyricus of Mount Myrsinon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 3; Illyricus the Wonderworker devoted himself to ascetic struggles on Mount Myrsinon in the Peloponnesus. The dates of his birth and death are unknown.

Greece History Folder

Greece, 510 BC - 323 BC, Folder, Greek Classical Period

Greece, 510BC-323BC, Greek Classical period, Macedonia
Macedonia, Greek Classical period, 510BC-323BC;

Greece, 364 BC - 322 BC, Greek Philosopher and Scientist Aristotle
Greece, 364 BC - 322 BC, Greek Philosopher and Scientist Aristotle; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Greece, 359BC-336BC, Philip II of Macedon, Macedonian King
Macedonian King, 359BC-336BC, Philip II of Macedon; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 359BC-336BC, Antiochus, Macedonian Commander (father of Seleucus I Nicator)
Macedonian Commander, 359BC-336BC, Antiochus (father of Seleucus I Nicator, cities named after him); 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 336 BC-323 BC, Dot 8, Alexander III, the Great, Macedonian Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Macedonian Greek Emperor, 336 BC-323 BC, Alexander III, the Great;

Greece, 323 BC - 313 BC, Folder, Helenistic Period

Greece, 323BC-313BC, Macedonian Hellenistic period
Macedonian Hellenistic period, 323BC-313BC; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 323 BC-306 BC, Dot 8, Alexander IV of Macedon, Macedonian Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Macedonian Greek Emperor, 323 BC-306 BC, Alexander IV of Macedon;

Greece, 312 BC- 63 BC, Folder, Seleucid Empire in Messopotamia

Greece, 312BC-63BC, Macedonian Seleucid Empire in Messopotamia
Macedonian Seleucid Empire in Messopotamia, 312BC-63BC ; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 306 BC-168 BC, Dot 8, Antigonid Greek Dynasty
Jerusalem, Antigonid Greek Dynasty, 306 BC-168 BC;

Greece, 306 BC-168 BC, Dot 8, Seleucid Greek Empire
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Empire, 306 BC-168 BC;

Greece, 306BC-281BC, Seleucus I Nicator, Macedonian Seleucid King
Macedonian Seleucid King, 306BC-281BC, Seleucus I Nicator; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 294 BC-288 BC, Dot 8, Demetrius I of Macedon, Antigonid Greek King
Jerusalem, Antigonid Greek King, 294 BC-288 BC, Demetrius I of Macedon;

Greece, 281BC-261BC, Antiochus I Soter, Macedonian Seleucid King
Macedonian Seleucid King, 281BC-261BC, Antiochus I Soter; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 281 BC-261 BC, Dot 8, Antiochus I Soter, Seleucid Greek Emperor
Jerusalem, Seleucid Greek Emperor, 281 BC-261 BC, Antiochus I Soter

Greece, 261BC-246BC, Antiochus II Theos, Macedonian Seleucid King
Macedonian Seleucid King, 261BC-246BC, Antiochus II Theos; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 246BC-225BC, Seleucus II Callinicus, Macedonian Seleucid Emperor
Macedonian Seleucid King, 246BC-225BC, Seleucus II Callinicus; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 225BC-223BC, Seleucus III Ceraunus, Macedonian Seleucid Emperor
Macedonian Seleucid King, 225BC-223BC, Seleucus III Ceraunus; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 223BC-187BC, Antiochus III the Great, Macedonian Seleucid Emperor
Macedonian Seleucid King, 223BC-187BC, Antiochus III the Great; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 197 BC, Battle of Cynoscephalae, Rome vs Macedonia
Battle of Cynoscephalae;

Greece, 187BC-175BC, Seleucus IV Philopator ,Macedonian Seleucid Emperor
Macedonian Seleucid King, 187BC-175BC, Seleucus IV Philopator; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 175BC-164BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Macedonian Seleucid Emperor
Macedonian Seleucid King, 175BC-164BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Mattathias Maccabeus, Priest Maccabean Householder
Jerusalem Priest Maccabean Householder, 167 BC-166 BC, Mattathias Maccabeus;

Greece, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, wSons refused pork
Jerusalem, 167 BC-166 BC, Dot 9, Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, wSons refused pork, unflinching and stout-hearted mother watched each son speak before their torture, tongues cut off, skin removed from heads, hands feet off, frying pan, but mother encouraged them to passively resist; Woman with seven sons; woman with seven sons was a Jewish martyr described in 2 Maccabees 7 and other sources, who had seven sons that were arrested (along with her) by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, forced them to prove their respect to him by consuming pig meat. they refused, he tortured and killed the sons one by one in front of the unflinching and stout-hearted mother. story likely occurred around the beginning of the religious persecutions in 167-166 BCE. unnamed in 2 Maccabees, the mother is known variously as Hannah,[1] Miriam,[2] Solomonia,[3] and Shmouni.[4] Maccabees before the revolt of Judas Maccabeus (2 Maccabees 8), Antiochus IV Epiphanes arrested a mother and her seven sons, and tried to force them to eat pork. of the brothers said, on behalf of everyone, that even if they were all to die, they would not break the law. angry king ordered to heat up the pans and cauldrons, and he ordered the first brother to have his tongue cut off, the skin to be removed from the head and the ends of the limbs cut off – this was happening in front of the rest of the brothers and mother, who, in the meantime, encouraged each other to passively resist the tormentors' demands. the first martyr was inert and still breathing, Epiphanes ordered him to be thrown into a hot frying pan. he died, the next one was brought in and the skin was stripped from his head along with his hair. of the seven brothers endured the same torture. torment of the sons was watched by their tenacious and rather stoic mother, who had lost all her sons. narrator mentions that the mother "was the most remarkable of all, and deserves to be remembered with special honour. watched her seven sons die in the space of a single day, yet she bore it bravely because she put her trust in the Lord."[5] of the sons makes a speech as he dies, and the last one says that his brothers are "dead under God's covenant of everlasting life".[6] narrator ends by saying that the mother died, without saying whether she was executed, or died in some other way. Martyr Solomonia, mother of the Holy Seven Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Solomonia was the mother of the seven Maccabee brothers. She encouraged her sons to remain faithful to the Law of God even when threatened with death. admirable mother is honored and remembered for her great courage, for she watched all seven of her sons die in a single day. May we also be faithful to God’s commandments and the traditions of the Church.

Greece, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Antiocus IV at Antioch, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother s faithful, inspired Judas M
Jerusalem, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, at Antioch, Antiocus IV Epiphanes desecrated Temple, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother stayed faithful, tongue cut out, hands feet off, caldron, frying pan, these inspired Judas Maccabeus lead revolt and purify temple; Temple in Jerusalem; ,, Commemorated on August 1; seven holy Maccabee martyrs Abim, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar in the year 166 before Christ under the impious Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. foolish ruler loved pagan and Hellenistic customs, and held Jewish customs in contempt. He did everything possible to turn people from the Law of Moses and from their covenant with God. desecrated the Temple of the Lord, placed a statue of the pagan god Zeus there, and forced the Jews to worship it. people abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but there were also those who continued to believe that the Savior would come. ninety-year-old elder, the scribe and teacher Eleazar, was brought to trial for his faithfulness to the Mosaic Law. He suffered tortures and died at Jerusalem. disciples of Saint Eleazar, the seven Maccabee brothers and their mother Solomonia, also displayed great courage. were brought to trial in Antioch by King Antiochus Epiphanes. They fearlessly acknowledged themselves as followers of the True God, and refused to eat pig’s flesh, which was forbidden by the Law. eldest brother acted as spokesmen for the rest, saying that they preferred to die rather than break the Law. He was subjected to fierce tortures in sight of his brothers and their mother. tongue was cut out, he was scalped, and his hands and feet were cut off. a cauldron and a large frying pan were heated, and the first brother was thrown into the frying pan, and he died. next five brothers were tortured one after the other. seventh and youngest brother was the last one left alive. Antiochus suggested to Saint Solomonia to persuade the boy to obey him, so that her last son at least would be spared. the brave mother told him to imitate the courage of his brothers. child upbraided the king and was tortured even more cruelly than his brothers had been. all her seven children had died, Saint Solomonia, stood over their bodies, raised up her hands in prayer to God and died. martyric death of the Maccabee brothers inspired Judas Maccabeus, and he led a revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes. God’s help, he gained the victory, and then purified the Temple at Jerusalem. He also threw down the altars which the pagans had set up in the streets. All these events are related in the Second Book of Maccabees (Ch. 8-10). Fathers of the Church preached sermons on the seven Maccabees, including Saint Cyprian of Carthage, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint Gregory Nazianzus and Saint John Chrysostom.

Greece, 166 -160 BC, Dot 9, Judas Maccabeus, Priest and Maccabean Householder
Jerusalem Priest Maccabean Householder, 166 BC-160 BC, Judas Maccabeus;

Greece, 160 BC-143 BC, Dot 9, Jonathan Apphus Maccabeus, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 160 BC-143 BC, Jonathan Apphus Maccabeus;

Greece, 140 BC-37 BC, Dot 9, Hasmonaen Dynasty
Jerusalem Hasmonaen Dynasty, 140 BC-37 BC ;

Greece, 142 BC-135 BC, Dot 9, Simon Thassi Maccabeus, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 142 BC-135 BC, Simon Thassi Maccabeus;

Greece, 134 BC-104 BC, Dot 9, John Hyrcanus, Maccabeean Prince Only, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 134 BC-104 BC, John Hyrcanus, Maccabeean Prince Only;

Greece, 104 BC-103 BC, Dot 9, Aristobulus I, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 104 BC-103 BC, Aristobulus I;

Greece, 103 BC-76 BC, Dot 9, Alexander Jannaeus, Jewish State, Hasmonaen King, expansion, cruel, civil war
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 103 BC-76 BC, Alexander Jannaeus; Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai, born Jonathan Alexander) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judea from 103 to 76 BCE. A son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and married his brother's widow, Queen Salome Alexandra. his conquests to expand the kingdom to a bloody civil war, Alexander's reign has been generalised as cruel and oppressive with never-ending conflict.[1] The major historical sources of Alexander's life are Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War.[2] kingdom of Alexander Jannaeus was the largest and strongest known Jewish State outside of biblical sources, having conquered most of Palestine's Mediterranean coastline and regions surrounding the Jordan River. Alexander also had many of his subjects killed for their disapproval of his handling of state affairs. Due to his territorial expansion and interactions with his subjects, he was continuously embroiled with foreign wars and domestic turmoil.[3]

Greece, 100 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Righteous Mary, mother of Anna, MOG Mary's Grand Mother
Jerusalem, 100 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Righteous Mary, mother of Anna, MOG Mary's Grand Mother Righteous Mary, Commemorated on December 11; Mary is the mother of Saint Anna, and the grandmother of the Theotokos. Jerusalem Saint, 90 BC-11 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Greece, 83 BC - 3 BC, Dot 9, Joachim, Mary's Father, Jerusalem Saint, died at 80 2 yrs before Anna
Jerusalem Saint, 83 BC-3 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him. during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary. Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband. Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children. The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Greece, 80 BC-1 BC, Dot 9, Anna, Mary's Mother, Jerusalem Saint, died at 79 right before Annunciation
Jerusalem Saint, 90 BC-11 BC, Anna, Mary's Mother ; Jerusalem Saint, 100 BC-13 BC, Joachim, Mary's Father ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8;

Greece, 76 BC-67 BC, Dot 9, Salome Alexandra, Hasmonaen King
Jerusalem Hasmonaen King, 76 BC-67 BC, Salome Alexandra

Greece, 305 BC - 133 BC, Folder, Lysimachian Empire

Macedonian Lysimachian Empire,305BC-133BC, in Thrace, and Pergamom, Attalid dynasty
Macedonian Lysimachian Empire, 305BC-133BC, in Thrace, and Pergamom, Attalid dynasty 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Macedonian Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms,256BC-10AD, in Afghanistan and N India
Macedonian Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek Kingdoms,256BC-10AD, in Afghanistan and N India; Indo-Greek Kingdom, 180BC-10AD; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Macedonian Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, 305BC-303BC
Macedonian Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, 305BC-303BC 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 181 BC - 30 BC, Folder, Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt

Macedonian Ptolemaic Egyptian Pharaoh, 181BC-145BC, Ptolemy VI Philometor
Macedonian Ptolemaic Egyptian Pharaoh, 181BC-145BC, Ptolemy VI Philometor 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Macedonia, 181 BC-30 BC, Ptolemaic Egyptian Empire
Macedonia, 181 BC-30 BC, Ptolemaic Egyptian Empire; 1 Maccabees 1:1-28, 1 MACCABEES, Alexander the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes and Renegade Jews, Antiochus in Egypt, Persecution of the Jews;

Greece, 30 BC - 1450, Folder, Roman and Byzantine Period

Greece, 000, 1st Century Folder, Peter, Philip, Andrew, Dionisius, and Quadratus

Greece, 30-68, Rodion or Herodion, Apostle of the Seventy, Bishop of Patra, K in Rome with Peter
Greece, 30-68, Rodion or Herodion, Apostle of the Seventy, Bishop of Patra, K in Rome with Peter of Patras (also Herodian or Rodion) was a relative of Saint Paul whom Paul greets in Romans 16:11. to tradition, he was numbered among the Seventy Disciples and became bishop of Patras, where he suffered greatly. beating, stoning, and stabbing him, they left him for dead, but St. Herodion arose and continued to serve the Apostles. was beheaded with Olympas in Rome while they were serving Saint Peter on the same day that St. Peter was crucified. His feast days are celebrated on January 4 among the Seventy, April 8, and November 10. Patras; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Greece, 30-70, Andrew first called, to Patra, Thrace, Macedonia, Danube, Black Sea, Crimea, Dniepr, Kiev, Novgorod, Sinope

Greece, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, Bishop, Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly

Greece, 30-70, Onesiphorus of the Seventy, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia, and Corinth, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium
Cilicia, 30-68, Onesiphorus of the Seventy Apostles, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth), and later Corinth, Greece, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium on the Hellespont; Colophon, Cilicia ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Greece, 30-70, Apostle Onesiphorus ot70, Bishop oCorinth
Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Corinth; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Greece, 30-100, Apostle Silas, Corinth, Bishop fo Corinth, speaker, with Paul in Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea
Greece, Corinth, 30-100, Apostle Silas, Bishop fo Corinth; or Silvanus (1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who first accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.[1] and etymologies is traditionally assumed to be the same as the Silvanus mentioned in four epistles. Some translations, including the New International Version, call him "Silas" in the epistles. Paul, Silas, and Timothy are listed as co-authors of the two letters to the Thessalonians. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians mentions Silas as having preached with Paul and Timothy to the church in Corinth (1:19), and the First Epistle of Peter describes Silas as a "faithful brother" (5:12). narrative is first mentioned in Acts 15:22, where he and Judas Barsabbas (known often as 'Judas') were selected by the church elders to return with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch following the Jerusalem Council. and Judas are mentioned as being leaders among the brothers, prophets and encouraging speakers. Silas was selected by Paul to accompany him on his second mission after Paul and Barnabas split over an argument involving Mark's participation. was during the second mission that he and Paul were imprisoned briefly in Philippi, where an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Silas is thus sometimes depicted in art carrying broken chains.[4] Acts 16:25-37. to Acts 17–18, Silas and Timothy travelled with Paul from Philippi to Thessalonica, where they were treated with hostility in the synagogues by some traditional Jews. harassers followed the trio to Berea, threatening Paul's safety, and causing Paul to separate from Silas and Timothy. travelled to Athens, and Silas and Timothy later joined him in Corinth.[5] events can be dated to around AD 50: the reference in Acts 18:12 to Proconsul Gallio helps ascertain this date (cf. Gallio inscription).[6] According to Acts 18:6–7, Paul ceased to attend the synagogue in Corinth as a result of Jewish hostility, Silas is not mentioned thereafter in the Acts narrative. appears in the salutation of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and is referred to in 2 Corinthians 1:19. This is as expected, as we read of his involvement in Paul's mission when these cities were visited. He also appears in the conclusion of 1 Peter at 5:12, and is perhaps the amanuensis. Peter says he regards Silas as "a faithful brother." Corinth; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silas was a disciple of the Savior. Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the “chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the question of whether Gentile Christian converts should be required to observe the Mosaic Law. The Apostles sent a message with Paul and Barnabas to the Christians of Antioch, giving the decision of the Council that Christians of Gentile origin did not have to observe the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. Nonetheless, they were told that they must refrain from partaking of foods offered to idols, from things strangled and from blood, to refrain from fornication (Acts 15:20-29). Together with Saints Paul and Barnabas, the Council of the Apostles sent Saints Silas and Jude to explain the message in greater detail, since they both were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Saint Jude was later sent back to Jerusalem, but Saint Silas remained at Antioch and zealously assisted Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, on his missionary journeys preaching the Gospel. They visited Syria, Cilicia, and Macedonia. the city of Philippi they were accused of inciting unrest among the people, and for this they were arrested, beaten with rods, and then thrown into prison. At midnight, when the saints were at prayer, suddenly there was a strong earthquake, their chains fell off from them and the doors of the prison opened. The prison guard, supposing that the prisoners had fled, wanted to kill himself, but was stopped by the Apostle Paul. Then, he fell down trembling at the feet of the saints, and with faith accepted their preaching about Christ. He then led them out of the prison and took them to his own home, where he washed their wounds, and was baptized together with all his household. Philippi Saints Paul and Silas proceeded on to the cities of Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica. In each city they made new converts to Christ and built up the Church. Corinth the holy Apostle Silas was consecrated as bishop, and worked many miracles and signs, and there he finished his life.

Greece, 30-129, Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Athens and Magnesia, Thessaly
Greece, 30-129, Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21;

Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, born and died in Athens, Greece, Bishop of Beirut
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, born and died in Athens, Greece, Bishop of Beirut; (Greek: Κούαρτος, romanized: Kouartos) was an early Christian who is mentioned in the Bible. to church tradition, he is known as Quartus of Berytus[1] and is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. Furthermore, he was Bishop of Beirut and suffered for the faith. He converted many to the Christian faith. His feast day is 10 November. was born in the city of Athens, and was one of its wealthy and learned nobles. He believed in the Lord Christ and served him. Having received the grace of the Comforter on the day of Pentecost, he preached the gospel in many countries. He entered the city of Magnis and preached there. The people of the city believed; he baptized them and taught them the commandments. Then he returned to Athens, to preach there also, but they stoned him and tortured him severely. Finally they cast him into the fire; thus, he received the crown of martyrdom. Beirut; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Athens; Apostle of the Seventy: Quartus, died in Athens, Commemorated on November 10; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died. Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, converted many in Magnis, city of Magnesia
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, converted many in Magnis, city of Magnesia; (Greek: Κούαρτος, romanized: Kouartos) was an early Christian who is mentioned in the Bible. to church tradition, he is known as Quartus of Berytus[1] and is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. Furthermore, he was Bishop of Beirut and suffered for the faith. He converted many to the Christian faith. His feast day is 10 November. was born in the city of Athens, and was one of its wealthy and learned nobles. He believed in the Lord Christ and served him. Having received the grace of the Comforter on the day of Pentecost, he preached the gospel in many countries. He entered the city of Magnis and preached there. The people of the city believed; he baptized them and taught them the commandments. Then he returned to Athens, to preach there also, but they stoned him and tortured him severely. Finally they cast him into the fire; thus, he received the crown of martyrdom. Beirut; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Athens; Apostle of the Seventy: Quartus, died in Athens, Commemorated on November 10; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died. Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Greece, 30-1st Century, Erastus of Corinth, of the Seventy, steward at Jerusalem, Paneas and C
Erastus of Corinth; of Corinth, also known as Erastus of Paneas, held the political office of steward, in Corinth, according to the Epistle to the Romans 16:23 of the New Testament. office is defined as "the manager of household or of household affairs" or, in this context, "treasurer".[1] King James Version uses the translation "chamberlain", while the New International Version uses "director of public works". person named Erastus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20 and Acts 19:22 is often taken to be the same person. However, whereas the Erastus mentioned in the second letter to Timothy may be the same person, it is unlikely that the Erastus referred to in the Book of Acts is the same Erastus. This Erastus was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul and accompanied him on his third missionary journey. It was on this third expedition that Paul penned the letter to the Roman believers in which he sent greetings from Erastus, the city treasurer. He could not have been the person in Paul's entourage. The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome while he was in Corinth (Romans 14:25-26, 27). to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, Erastus is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. He served as a deacon and steward of the Church at Jerusalem and later of Paneas in Palestine. The Church remembers St. Erastus on January 4 among the Seventy, and on November 10. Corinth;

Greece, 30-1st Century, Sylvanus,, Apostle of the Lord, Bishop of Thessalonica, Martyr
Greece, 30- ,Thessalonica, Sylvanus, Apostle of the Lord, Bishop of Thessalonica, Martyr ; is a traditional figure in Eastern Orthodox tradition assumed to be one of the Seventy Apostles, those followers of Jesus sent out by him in Luke 10. According to Orthodox tradition he later became Bishop of Thessalonika and died a martyr.[1][citation needed] is to be distinguished from the Silvanus, better known as Silas who is mentioned in the New Testament (Acts, various letters of Paul, and 1 Peter) as a co-writer or transcriber of some of these works. Thessalonica; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30 ; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silvanus was a disciple of the Savior. Holy Apostle Silvanus preached the Word of God together with the chief Apostles Peter and Paul. In his First Epistle, the holy Apostle Peter makes mention of him: “By Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I suppose, I have written briefly...” (1 Peter 5:12). Saint Silvanus was made bishop at Thessalonica and died there a martyr, having undergone many sorrows and misfortunes for the Lord’s sake.

Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens, made by Philip
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Bishop of Athens, made by Philip; Athens; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Narcissus, one of the Seventy Apostles, was made Bishop of Athens by the Apostle Philip. Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. They were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (28 July); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. Some accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus,the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. Many of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ.

Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Bishop of Macedonia, Greece, St Andrew ordained Urban, martyr
Greece, 30-1st Century, Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Macedonia, Greece; of Macedonia is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. Along with the Apostles Ampliatus, Stachys, Narcissus of Athens, Apelles of Heraklion and Aristobulus of Britannia (all of these names are mentioned together by St. Paul in Romans 16:8-11, which cannot be casual) he assisted Saint Andrew. St. Andrew ordained Urban bishop in Macedonia. He died a martyr, and his feast day is October 31. is venerated as saint by Eastern Orthodox Church (January 4, October 31), Roman Catholic Church (July 13) and other Christian Churches. Macedonia ancient kingdom; Macedonia Region; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; Urban, one of the Seventy Apostles, was made a bishop by Saint Andrew (November 30), and was active in Macedonia. He was killed by Jews and pagan Greeks because of his zeal in preaching the Gospel.

Greece, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop
Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop; Alexandria; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apollos (September 10) was a native of Alexandria and was a man of erudition. The chief place of his service was at Corinth. He toiled there for a long time and converted many to Christ. Towards the end of his life he preached on the island of Crete and was Bishop of Caesarea. Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; the Acts of the Holy Apostles we read the following: “A certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, eloquent and well-versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Hearing him, Aquila and Priscilla took him and more precisely explained to him the way of the Lord. And when he resolved to go to Achaia, the brethren wrote and asked the disciples to receive him. When he got there, he greatly helped those who believed by grace, for he powerfully confounded the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:24-28). Holy Apostle Apollos assisted the Apostle Paul. Saint Paul speaks about the spread of Christianity among the Corinthians, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor.3:6). Saint Apollos was later bishop at Smyrna (Asia Minor). Apollos is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, Commemorated on December 8;

Greece, 35-101, Clement of Rome, Corinthian Letter, great story, sea moves 3 mi one day, for 700yr, Rus baptism
Rome, 35-101, Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, sermon II Clement, anchor, rich, unsatisfied, heard about christ, went to Alexandria, Barnabas, Palestine, Peter, Bishop of Rome, 424 conversions one day, banishment to Cherson by Trajan, stone quarry, prayed for water, lamb revealed spring, hundreds converted each day, church, ordered drowned with anchor in 101, prayer to see his body, sea drew back 3 miles, marble cave angelic church, each year sea would withdraw on that date, till 805, 50 year hiatis, 855 began again, taken to Rome by Cyril and Methodius, later to Kiev by Vladimir, Baptism of the Rus; Clement I (died 99), also known as Saint Clement of Rome, is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as the fourth bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 AD to his death in 99 AD.[2] He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church, one of the three chief ones together with Polycarp and Ignatius of Antioch.[3] details are known about Clement's life. Clement was said to have been consecrated by Peter the Apostle,[3] and he is known to have been a leading member of the church in Rome in the late 1st century. Early church lists place him as the second or third[2][a] bishop of Rome after Peter. The Liber Pontificalis states that Clement died in Greece in the third year of Emperor Trajan's reign, or 101 AD. only genuine extant writing is his letter to the church at Corinth (1 Clement) in response to a dispute in which certain presbyters of the Corinthian church had been deposed.[2] He asserted the authority of the presbyters as rulers of the church on the ground that the Apostles had appointed such.[2] His letter, which is one of the oldest extant Christian documents outside the New Testament, was read in church, along with other epistles, some of which later became part of the Christian canon. These works were the first to affirm the apostolic authority of the clergy.[2] A second epistle, 2 Clement, was once controversially attributed to Clement, although recent scholarship suggests it to be a homily by another author.[2] In the legendary Clementine literature, Clement is the intermediary through whom the apostles teach the church.[2] to tradition, Clement was imprisoned under the Emperor Trajan; during this time he is recorded to have led a ministry among fellow prisoners. Thereafter he was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea.[2] Clement is recognized as a saint in many Christian churches and is considered a patron saint of mariners. He is commemorated on 23 November in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity his feast is kept on 24 or 25 November. Rome; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; is counted as the third bishop of Rome (after the apostles). predecessors are Linus and Cletus (or Anacletus, or Anencletus), about whom almost nothing is known. They are simply names on a list. is a little more than this, chiefly because he wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which was highly valued by the early church, and has been preserved to the present day. The letter itself does not carry his name, but is merely addressed from the congregation at Rome to the congregation at Corinth. a letter from Corinth to Rome a few decades later refers to "the letter we received from your bishop Clement, which we still read regularly." early writers are unanimous in attributing the letter to Clement. Perhaps because this letter made his name familiar, he has had an early anonymous sermon (commonly called II Clement) attributed to him, and is a character in some early religious romances (e.g. the Clementine Recognitions). story about Clement is that he was put to death by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. Accordingly, he is often depicted with an anchor, and many churches in port towns intended to minister chiefly to mariners are named for him. Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (also called I Clement) can be found in collections of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, such as the Penguin Paperback Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. letter is commonly dated around 96 AD, but an earlier date is suggested by John Robinson in his Redating the New Testament. letter is occasioned by the fact that a group of Christians at Corinth had banded together against their leaders and had deposed them from office. Clement writes to tell them that they have behaved badly, and to remind them of the importance of Christian unity and love. speaks at length of the way in which each kind of official in the church has his own function for the good of the whole. The letter is an important witness to the early Christian understanding of Church government, but an ambiguous witness in that we are never told precisely why the Corinthians had deposed their leaders, and therefore the letter can be read as saying that presbyters ought not to be deposed without reasonable grounds, or as saying that they cannot be deposed on any grounds at all. letter refers only to the presbyters of Corinth, and makes no reference to the bishop of Corinth. Moreover, there is no mention of a bishop at Rome--the letter is sent as from the Church at Rome collectively, and Clement's name does not appear. this, some have inferred that the office of bishop had not yet developed at either Rome or Corinth, and that in both congregations the office of presbyter was the highest office known. probable alternate explanation, however, is that the troubles in Corinth had arisen when the bishop of that congregation had died, and the congregation had split into factions, none containing both a majority of the presbyters and a majority of the congregation. letter makes no apology for intervening in what might be thought an internal affair of the congregation at Corinth. On the contrary, the writer apologizes for the delay in commenting, as if an earlier intervention might have been expected. this, some have inferred that, even at this early date (96 AD or, some think, earlier), when the Apostle John was perhaps still alive, the authority and jurisdiction of the Roman congregation over every other congregation of the Christian Church was already universally conceded. a perfectly reasonable alternative explanation is that the congregation at Corinth, torn by division, had agreed to settle their disputes by inviting another congregation, or the head of another congregation, to act as arbitrator. would be a reasonable thing to do, and the choice of Rome as that congregation was natural, partly because of the prestige of the city, and the prestige of one of the largest congregations in the Church, and because the Corinth of Clement's day had been built as a Roman colony, with a special dependence directly on the city of Rome (a civil relation that might affect the habits of thought of the Corinthians on matters ecclestiastical as well), but also because Rome was far enough away so that it could be assumed to be impartial and not affected by local personalities. Clement's Letter to the Corinthians: the one truly possessed by the love of Christ keep his commandments. Who can express the binding power of divine love? Who can find words for the splendor of its beauty? Beyond all description are the heights to which it lifts us. Love unites us to God; "it cancels innumerable sins," has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms or form cliques, but always acts in harmony with others. By it all God's chosen ones have been sanctified; without it, it is impossible to please him. Out of love the Lord took us to himself; because he loved us and it was God's will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life's blood for us -- he gave his body for our body, his soul for our soul. then, beloved, what a great and wonderful thing love is, and how inexpressible its perfection. Who are worthy to possess it unless God makes them so? To him therefore we must turn, begging of his mercy that there may be found in us a love free from human partiality and beyond reproach. Every generation from Adam's time to ours has passed away; but those who by God's grace were made perfect in love and have a dwelling now among the saints, and when at last the kingdom of Christ appears, they will be revealed. "Take shelter in your rooms for a little while," says Scripture, "until my wrath subsides. Then I will remember the good days, and will raise you from your graves." are we, beloved, if love enables us to live in harmony and in the observance of God's commandments, for then it will also gain for us the remission of our sins. Scripture pronounces "happy those whose transgressions are pardoned, whose sins are forgiven. Happy the one," it says, "to whom the Lord imputes no fault, on whose lips there is no guile." This is the blessing given those whom God has chosen through Jesus Christ our Lord. To him be glory for ever and ever. * * * * us fix our attention on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to God his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world. we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has "offered the opportunity of repentance" to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God's message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God's forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God's people. the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God's grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe himself spoke of repentance with an oath: "As I live," says the Lord, "I do not wish the death of the sinner but the sinner's repentance." He added this evidence of his goodness: "House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell my people: If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to me with your whole heart and say, `Father,' and I will listen to you as to a holy people." other words, God wanted all his beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and he confirmed this desire by his own almighty will. That is why we should obey his sovereign and glorious will and prayerfully entreat his mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before him and turn to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death. should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride, and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: "The wise must not glory in wisdom nor the strong in strength nor the rich in riches. Rather, let the one who glories glory in the Lord, by seeking him and doing what is right and just." Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance. "Be merciful," he said, "so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving will be the measure of your receiving." these commandments and precepts strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: "Whom shall I look upon with favor except the humble, peaceful one who trembles at my words?" then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe, and hold fast to his splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all his blessings. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was born at Rome into a rich and illustrious family. from his parents from childhood by force of circumstances, Clement was raised by strangers. in Rome, the youth received a fine education, he was surrounded by luxury, and had access to the imperial court. But these comforts brought him no joy, and pagan wisdom failed to attract him. He began to ponder the meaning of life. the news of Christ and His teaching began to reach the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and went to the lands where the Apostles were preaching. Alexandria Saint Clement met the holy Apostle Barnabas, listening to his words with deep attention, and perceiving the power and truth of the Word of God. in Palestine, Saint Clement was baptized by the holy Apostle Peter and became his zealous disciple and constant companion, sharing his toil and sufferings with him. Shortly before his own sufferings and death, Saint Peter consecrated Saint Clement as Bishop of Rome. the death of the Apostle Peter, Saint Linus (67-79) was the next Bishop of Rome, succeeded by Saint Anacletus (79-91), and then Saint Clement (92-101). virtuous life, charitable works and prayerful activity of Saint Clement converted many to Christ. He once baptized 424 people on the day of Pascha. Among the baptized were people of all social classes: slaves, officials, and even members of the imperial family. pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, denounced Saint Clement to the emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of insulting the pagan gods. The emperor banished Saint Clement from the capital, sending him to the Crimea, to work at a stone quarry near the city of Cherson. Many of the saint’s disciples followed after him voluntarily, preferring to go into exile rather than live without their spiritual Father. he arrived at the place of exile, Saint Clement found many Christian believers there, sentenced to labor under harsh conditions amidst a scarcity of water. prayed together with the condemned, and the Lord appeared to him in the form of a lamb and revealed the location of a spring, from which gushed forth a veritable river of water. miracle attracted a multitude of people to Saint Clement. Hearing the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans were converted to Christ. Each day 500 or more men were baptized. And there in the stone quarry, a church was built, in which he served as priest. apostolic activity of the saint aroused the wrath of the emperor Trajan, and he ordered that Saint Clement be drowned. They threw the martyr into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck. This occurred in the year 101. saint’s faithful disciples Cornelius and Fibius asked the people to pray that the Lord would permit them to see the martyr’s body. The sea drew back a distance of three miles from the shore and the people walked out on the seabed until they found a marble cave shaped like a church. they found the incorrupt body of their archpastor in this “Angelic Church” formed by God. After this, each year on the anniversary of Saint Clement’s martyric death the sea receded, and for seven days Christians were able to venerate his holy relics. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Nikēphóros (802-811), by divine providence, the sea failed to withdraw, and the relics of Saint Clement became inaccessible for fifty years. the time of the emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Saints Cyril and Methodius visited Cherson. When they learned of the concealed relics of Saint Clement, they asked Bishop George of Cherson to pray that the Lord would show them the relics of the hieromartyr. Cyril and Methodius walked along the shore in procession with the clergy who came with them from Constantinople. Through the fervent prayers of everyone gathered there, the holy relics of Saint Clement miraculously appeared on the surface of the sea at midnight. They solemnly took them to the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. portion of the relics were then brought to Rome by Saints Cyril and Methodius, a large portion of the relics was later brought to Kiev by the holy Prince Vladimir (July 15) and placed in the Desyatin-Tithe church, together with the relics of Saint Fibius, where a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement had been built. hieromartyr Clement is widely venerated in Russia. From ancient times, many churches have been dedicated to him. Clement, who belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, has left to us a spiritual legacy (two Epistles to the Corinthians) the first written examples of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles.

Greece, 35-61, Apostle Sosthenes, Jew aCorinth then Bishop oCaeserea
Greece, 35, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea ; Sosthenes /ˈsɒsθə.niːz/ (Greek: Σωσθένης, Sōsthénēs, "safe in strength") was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12–17). The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] Some historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother" (Greek: Σωσθένης ὁ ἀδελφός, Sōsthénēs ho adelphos, literally "Sosthenes the brother"), a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1–2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rückert, and de Wette".[2] It has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] He is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Corinth; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Sosthenes, before accepting Christianity, was head of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth. a riot against the Apostle Paul, he too suffered a beating. was converted by Paul to faith in Christ and afterwards became bishop at Caesarea.

Greece, 40, 1st Century, Apostle Philip, Athens, from Galilee to Greece to preach to Jews, Jews struck blind
Greece, 1st Century, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. He had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. The Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Greece, 40, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle in Macedonia
Bulgaria, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Greece, 40, Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas ot70, refreshed Paul's spirit, P's first fruits in Akhaia Province
Greece, 40, Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Achaea, West Greece, they refreshed Paul's spirit and the Corinthians, Paul's first fruits in Akhaia Province, devoted to serving tSaints; Achaea; Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Commemorated on June 15; Fortunatus, Akhaikos and Stephanas of the 70 Apostles were coworkers of the Apostle Paul, who, with all their heart and soul, helped to spread the Gospel among the nations. Paul mentions these three men in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (16:17): I rejoice in the presence of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Akhaikos, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Therefore, give recognition to such men." household of Stephanas were among the first fruits of the province of Akhaia ( I Corinthians 16:15), and were baptized by Saint Paul, declares that they devoted themselves to serving the saints. is perhaps the Latin name of Tykhikos (Τυχικός), in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, state that he came from Asia and accompanied Paul, along with others (Acts 20:5). man Tykikos delivered two of Saint Paul's Epistles (see Ephesians 6:21-22; Colossians 4:7). is not certain, however, that Fortunatus and Tykikos are the same individual.

Greece, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart
Syria, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, little boy Jesus hugged, bore God in his heart, prayed unceasingly, antiphonal singing, by angels example, Trajan 107, I came to him, T sent I to Rome for wild beasts to I joy, from Seleucia to Smyrna and Polycarp, to Troas, to Neapolis, to Philippi, visited churches, wrote 7 epistles to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philidelphia, Smyrna, to Polycarp; joy of roman christians meeting, lions tore him to pieces leaving heart w gold JC, Trajan stopped persecution, relics to Antioch then to San Clemente church Rome; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). The saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. As Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Saint Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Saint Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Greece, 52, Damaris oAthens, Greece, with the few who accepted Christ on Aeropagus in 52, first woman by Paul in Athens
Greece, 52, Damaris oAthens, Greece, with the few who accepted Christ on Aeropagus in52, first woman by Paul in Athens; Athens; Saint Damaris of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Damaris was the first Athenian woman to believe in Christ, the preaching of the Apostle Paul. is mentioned in Acts 17:34: “Some men joined him and believed; among whom were both Dionysios the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.” name Damaris (“heifer”) is not Greek, but may be a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Thamar (“palm tree”). The name Thamar appears in both the Old and New Testaments (Genesis 38:6, and Matthew 1:3). her name, it may be inferred that Saint Damaris was not a Greek by nationality, but she may have been a Jewish woman who moved to Athens. Saint Paul left Beroia and visited Athens in the year 52 AD, Saint Damaris had the opportunity to hear him preach Christianity to the Athenians on the Areopagus. a few people accepted Saint Paul’s message, but Saint Damaris was one of them. do not know anything for certain concerning her life beyond that. have speculated that she came from a wealthy Jewish family of social prominence, but there is no documentation of this. is there any concrete evidence for the opinion of some patristic writers, and of Saint Dimitry of Rostov, that she was married to Saint Dionysios the Areopagite, that they were baptized by Saint Paul, together with their two sons, and their entire household.

Greece, 52-90, Hieromartyr Hierotheus, 1st Bishop oAthens, member oAthenian Areopagos, converted bPaul wDionysius tAreopagite
Greece, 52-90, Hieromartyr Hierotheus, 1st Bishop oAthens, member oAthenian Areopagos, converted by Paul with Dionysius tAreopagite, present aTheotokos Dormitian, martyr sometime in 1st C; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 4; Hierotheus, the first Bishop of Athens, a member of the Athenian Areopagos was converted to Christ by the Apostle Paul together with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3). saint was consecrated by the Apostle Paul to the rank of bishop. to Tradition, Bishop Hierotheus was present with Saint Dionysius at the funeral of the Most Holy Theotokos. Hierotheus died a martyr’s death in the first century.

Greece, 52-96, Dionysius the Areopagite, Athens, Saint, important Orthodox writer, purity of heart brings close to God, MOG

Greece, 60, Apostle Andrew, Patra in Achaia, Martyrdom in Patra
Greece, 1st Century, Patra in Achaia, Apostle Andrew; The final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. The Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. The miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. Patras; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Greece, 60-70 approx., Apostle Peter
Greece, Patra in Achaia, 60-70 approx., Apostle Peter; Patras; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated September 23;

Greece, 63-110, Apostles Sosipater&Jason, Corfu Island, Epirus, Kerkyra story, J&S boiling tar story, Island converted
Lyconia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia ; is a person mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as Sopater mentioned in Acts 20:4. church tradition, he is known as Sosipater of Iconium, and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Sosipater's feast days are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St. Jason; 10 with saints Erastus, Olympas, Herodian, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St Paul the Apostle died on the 25th of June in Beroea. was born in Achaea. According to legend, he was Bishop in Iconium[1] (prior to the Apostle Tertius) by his relative the Apostle Paul. the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. governor's daughter, the virgin Cercyra [uk], having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were baptized upon seeing this miracle. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. The Apostle Sosipater was a native of Patra, Achaia. He is thought to be the same Sosipater mentioned in Acts 20:4. They both became disciples of Saint Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and Saint Sosipater in Iconium. traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned of this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves: Saturninus, Iakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The Apostles converted them to Christ. For their confession of Christ, the seven prisoners died as martyrs in a cauldron of molten tar, wax and sulfur. prison guard, after witnessing their martyrdom, declared himself a Christian. For this they cut off his left hand, then both feet and finally his head. The governor ordered the Apostles Jason and Sosipater to be whipped and again locked up in prison. the daughter of the governor of Kerkyra (Korfu), the maiden, learned how Christians were suffering for Christ, she declared herself a Christian and gave away all her finery to the poor. The infuriated governor attempted to persuade his daughter to deny Christ, but Saint Kerkyra stood firm against both persuasion and threats. Then the enraged father devised a terrible punishment for his daughter: he gave orders that she be placed in a prison cell with the robber and murderer Murinus, so that he might defile the betrothed of Christ when the robber approached the door of the prison cell, a bear attacked him. Saint Kerkyra heard the noise and she drove off the beast in the name of Christ. Then, by her prayers, she healed the wounds of Murinus. Then Saint Kerkyra enlightened him with the faith of Christ, and Saint Murinus declared himself a Christian and was executed. governor gave orders to burn down the prison, but the holy virgin remained alive. Then on her enraged father’s order, she was suspended upon a tree, choked with bitter smoke and shot with arrows. After her death, the governor decided to execute all the Christians on the island of Kerkyra. The Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis, after being enlightened by Saints Jason and Sosipater, were burned alive. inhabitants of Kerkyra, escaping from the persecution, crossed to an adjoining island. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar. When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, “O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!” been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian. With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching. They lived there until they reached old age. Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Greece, 81-96, Rusticus and Eleutherius, disciples of Dionysius tAreopagite, martyred iAthens, Greece, by Domitian
Greece, 81-96, Rusticus and Eleutherius, disciples of Dionysius tAreopagite, martyred iAthens, Greece, by Domitian; Athens; Martyrs Rusticus the Presbyter and Eleutherius the Deacon, Commemorated on October 3; Rusticus and Eleutherius were disciples of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. They suffered martyrdom in Athens during the persecution of the emperor Domitian (81-96).

Greece, 100, 2nd Century Folder, Clement of Alexandria

Greece, 150, 2nd C, Danax tReader, Macedonia, martyred during Pagan invasion while hiding church vessels
Greece, 150, 2nd C, Danax tReader, Macedonia, Greece, during Pagan invasion, while hiding church vessels, seized bSoldiers, refused worship loathsome idols, stabbed; Macedonia ancient kingdom; Macedonia Region; Macedonian Slavs, Republic of Macedonia; Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia, Commemorated on January 16 ; Holy Martyr Danax lived during the second century and served as reader at a church in Auleneia in Macedonia. an invasion by pagans, the saint took the church vessels and intended to hide them, but he was seized by soldiers. to worship their loathsome idols, he was stabbed with a sword.

Greece, 161-192, Athenagoras oAthens, Greece, Philosopher, affirms Orthodox teaching Holy Trinity and divine inspired Scriptures
Greece, 161-192, Athenagoras oAthens, Greece, Philosopher, Middle Platonism, Stoic philosophy, literary excellence, clear eloquent style, attended school oRhetoric, affirms Orthodox teaching Holy Trinity and divine inspired Scriptures, strict ascetical moral life; Athens; Saint Athenagoras of Athens, Commemorated on July 24; Athenogoras was a Christian philosopher and apologist of the second century A.D. probably came from Athens where he studied Middle Platonism and Stoic philosophy. flourished during the time of the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius (161-180) and Commodus (180 - 192). are some basic facts about Saint Athenagoras, formation and his work which are drawn from his two works, preserved in a codex from the year 914, which was produced in the literary workshop of Arethas: “Embassy (or Supplication) for the Christians" and "On the Resurrection of the dead.” Athenagoras stands out among the apologists of his day because of his literary excellence and his clear and eloquent style. writings contain quotes from poets and philosophers, and from the rhythm of his sentences, the arrangement of his material, we can deduce that he attended a school of rhetoric. the field of theology he affirms Orthodox teachings about the Holy Trinity, the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and reveals a strict ascetical position concerning the moral life of Christians. work has an important place in the ecclesiastical writings of the first two centuries.

Greece, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens
Egypt, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not Catholic saint, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens, converted bPantaenus tFounder Catechetical School oAlexandria, succeeded P 180, 20yrs apoligist&catechist otFaithful, Greek science philosophy prep fGospel, so school liberal education, speculative theology scholarly defense, meet scholars own grounds, gave Christianity good rep iLearning world, prepared way fOrigen, tMost eminent Greek theologian; Greece, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not a saint, Cathetical School head about 180, theologian and philosopher, taught Origen and Alex of Jerusalem, influenced by Helenistic philosophy more than others, Plato and the Stoics, Jewish esotericism, Gnosticism, taught Torah a preparation for the Gospel, for sound liberal education; Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - c. 215 AD),[5] was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A convert to Christianity, he was an educated man who was familiar with classical Greek philosophy and literature. his three major works demonstrate, Clement was influenced by Hellenistic philosophy to a greater extent than any other Christian thinker of his time, and in particular, by Plato and the Stoics.[6] secret works, which exist only in fragments, suggest that he was familiar with pre-Christian Jewish esotericism and Gnosticism as well. one of his works he argued that Greek philosophy had its origin among non-Greeks, claiming that both Plato and Pythagoras were taught by Egyptian scholars.[7] is usually regarded as a Church Father. He is venerated as a saint in Coptic Christianity, Eastern Catholicism, Ethiopian Christianity, and Anglicanism. was revered in Western Catholicism until 1586, when his name was removed from the Roman Martyrology by Pope Sixtus V on the advice of Baronius. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially stopped any veneration of Clement of Alexandria in the 10th century. Athens; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; a native of Athens, was converted to Christianity by Pantaenus, founder of the Catechetical School at Alexandria (then the intellectual capital of the Mediterranean world), succeeded his teacher as head of the School about 180. over 20 years he labored effectively as an apologist for the faith and catechist of the faithful. regarded the science and philosophy of the Greeks as being, like the Torah of the Hebrews, a preparation for the Gospel, and the curriculum of his School undertook to give his students both a knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and a sound liberal education. speculative theology, his scholarly defense of the faith and his willingness to meet non-Christian scholars on their own grounds, helped to establish the good reputation of Christianity in the world of learning and prepare the way for his pupil, Origen, the most eminent theologian of Greek Christianity. is not on the present Roman calendar (having been removed by Bellarmine at the time of Galileo, when the Roman See was undergoing a period of wariness about intellectual venturesomeness), but is on the Eastern calendar and many modern revisions of the Anglican calendar. His influence has been considerable. by James Kiefer

Greece, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Martyr Alex at Thessalonica

Greece, 251, Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikephoros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth, Greece
Greece, 251, Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikēphóros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth, Greece, Victor&Nikephoros were tied to a stone mortar &crushed by a huge stone pestle, Claudius died after his hands and feet were cut off, Diodorus was burned, Serapion beheaded, & Papias was drowned; Corinth; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Holy Martyrs Victorinus, Victor, Nikēphóros, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, and Papias suffered at Corinth in 251, a persecution under the emperor Decius (249-251). Victorinus, Victor and Nikēphóros were tied to a stone mortar and crushed by a huge stone pestle. Claudius died after his hands and feet were cut off. Diodorus was burned, Serapion beheaded, Saint Papias was drowned in the sea.

Greece, 258-299, Domninus oThessalonica, mocked emperor while being mutilated, legs cut off at knee, lived 7 days, gave thanks
Greece, 258-299, Domninus oThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), Galerius building palaces, D arrested for preaching & refused idol sacrifice, G ordered D body mutilated, D mocked G while, legs cut off at knee out of city, lived 7days, gave thanks; Thessalonica; Martyr Domninus of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 1 ; Domnίnus was from Thessaloniki and lived at the end of the III century (circa 288). Maximian Galerius (258-311) was building royal palaces in that city, the Saint was arrested as a Christian and for preaching the Word of God. was brought before Emperor Maximian, who demanded to know how Domnίnus dared to confess any God, other than those the Emperor worshipped. advised him to sacrifice to the idols, if he wished to live. Domnίnus refused, and so the Emperor ordered that his body be mutilated. As he was being tortured, Domnίnus mocked the tyrant. Maximian ordered that he be driven out of the city and have his legs cut off at the knee. holy martyr remained alive for seven whole days without eating anything. Then, after giving thanks, he surrendered his holy soul to God.

Greece, 284-305, Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, when told to offer he overturned idols, Angel came forth
Greece, 284-305, Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, when told to offer he overturned idols, Angel came forth, executioner& emperor saw Angel& permitted burial whonor; Thessalonica; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica was arrested by pagans for confessing the Christian Faith. Under the emperor Maximian (284-305) he not only admitted being a Christian, but when told to offer sacrifice to the gods, he overturned the idolatrous sacrifice in indignation. The emperor gave orders to behead the saint. the execution was done, the emperor and the executioner saw how an angel came forth bearing the soul of the holy Martyr Alexander up to the heavens. The emperor permitted Christians to bury the body of the saint with honor in the city of Thessalonica, which they did with joy.

Greece, 286-305, Anysia, Virginmartyr oThessalonica, gave wealth, resisted gently, grabbed, then spit in soldiers face
Greece, 286-305, Anysia, Virginmartyr oThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads) under Roman Co-Emperor Maximian, gave wealth tPoor, fasting&prayer, vigil (awake at night), Max allowed anyone kill christians, many bodies, pagan soldier demanded she go festival otSun, she resisted gently, soldier grabbed her, she spit in his face, said Jesus forbids you, he killed her wSword, people complained against emperor, she buried near city gates, chapel over grave; Thessalonica; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Anysia lived in the city of Thessalonica the reign of the the co-Emperor Maximian (286-305). the death of her parents, who had raised her in Christian piety, Anysia sold everything she owned, distributing her riches to the poor, she began to lead a strict life of fasting, vigil, and prayer. his persecution against Christians, Maximian issued an edict stating that anyone had the right to kill Christians with no fear of punishment. there were many bodies to be found in cities, towns, and by the roadside. when Saint Anysia was on her way to church, a pagan soldier stopped her and demanded that she come along to the festival of the sun to offer sacrifice. Anysia gently pulled herself away from him. the soldier boldly grabbed her and attempted to tear the veil from her head, she shoved him, spit in his face and said, “My Lord Jesus Christ forbids you!” anger, the soldier ran her through with his sword. gathering over her body wept and loudly complained against the cruel emperor for issuing an edict that resulted in the death of many innocent people. buried the martyr near the city gates, and a chapel was built over her grave.

Greece, 300, 4th Century Folder, Demetrius, Nestor and Porphyrius, of Thessalonika

Greece, 301-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki, myrrh-gusher, secret christian appointed to kill c, converted many
Macedonian Saint, 290-306, Demetrius of Thessaloniki; (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki (Greek: Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, Hágios Dēmḗtrios tēs Thessaloníkēs[a]), also known as the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte (meaning 'the Myrrh-Gusher' or 'Myrrh-Streamer';[b] 3rd century – 306), was a Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints, often paired with George of Lydda. His feast day is 26 October for Eastern Orthodox Christians, which falls on 8 November [NS] for those following the old calendar. In the Roman Catholic church he is most commonly called "Demetrius of Sermium" and his memorial falls on 8 October. Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Greece, 301-306, Nestor, Macedonian of Thessaloniki, Demetrios' protege, defeated giant Lyaios
Macedonian Saint, 306, Nestor of Thessaloniki; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; holy Martyr Nestor was very young in age, handsome in appearance, and he was known to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios (October 26), for he had instructed Nestor in the faith. Emperor was visiting Thessaloniki, and he built a high platform in the midst of the city so that a gigantic barbarian named Lyaios could wrestle there and be seen by everyone. Beneath the platform many spears and other sharp weapons were placed pointing upward. When Lyaios defeated his opponents, he threw them down onto the spears and they died. Many Christians were forced to fight Lyaios, and were killed. When Nestor saw how Emperor Maximian rejoiced over the victories of his champion, he disdained his pride. Seeing the miracles of Saint Demetrios, however, he took courage and went to the prison where the holy Martyr was confined, and fell at his feet. “Pray for me, O Servant of God Demetrios,” he said, “that by your prayers, God may help me to beat Lyaios, and put an end to him who brings reproach upon the Christians.” Saint, after sealing Nestor with the Sign of the Cross, told him that he would prevail over Lyaios, and then suffer for Christ. Nestor mounted the platform without fear and exclaimed: “Help me, O God of Demetrios.” After he defeated Lyaios, he hurled him down onto the spears, where he gave up his wretched soul. became enraged and ordered that both Nestor and Demetrios should be put to death. Saint Demetrios was stabbed with spears, and Saint Nestor was beheaded. Thus, by his example Saint Nestor teaches us that in every human challenge we must say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me.” (Psalm 117/118:6, Hebrews 13:6).

Greece, 301-307, Lupus, slave of Demetrius of T, soaked with D's blood, took ring, worked miracles, destroyed idols
Martyr Lupus, slave of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God. Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword. Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrh-gusher of Thessaloniki was the son of a Roman proconsul in Thessaloniki. Three centuries had elapsed and Roman paganism, spiritually shattered and defeated by the multitude of martyrs and confessors of the Savior, intensified its persecutions. parents of Saint Demetrios were secret Christians, and he was baptized and raised in the Christian Faith in a secret church in his father’s home. the time Demetrios had reached maturity and his father had died, Emperor Galerius Maximian had ascended the throne (305). Maximian, confident in Demetrios's education as well as his administrative and military abilities, appointed him to his father’s position as proconsul of the Thessaloniki district. The young commander's principal duties were to defend the city from barbarians and to eradicate Christianity. The Emperor's policy regarding Christians was expressed simply: “Put to death anyone who calls on the name of Christ.” The Emperor did not suspect that by appointing Demetrios he had provided him with the opportunity to bring many people to Christ. the appointment, Demetrios returned to Thessaloniki and confessed and glorified our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of persecuting and executing Christians, he began to teach the Christian Faith openly to the inhabitants of the city and to overthrow pagan customs and the worship of idols. The compiler of his Life, Saint Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), says that because of his teaching zeal he became “a second Apostle Paul” for Thessaloniki, particularly since “the Apostle to the Gentiles” founded the first community of believers in the city (1 Thess. and 2 Thess.). Lord also destined Saint Demetrios to follow Saint Paul on the path to martyrdom. When Maximian learned that the newly-appointed proconsul was a Christian, and that he had converted many Roman subjects to Christianity, the Emperor's rage knew no bounds. Returning from a campaign in the area of the Black Sea, the Emperor decided to lead his army through Thessaloniki, determined to massacre the Christians. of this, Saint Demetrios ordered his faithful servant Lupus to give his wealth to the poor saying, “Distribute my earthly riches among them, for we shall seek heavenly riches for ourselves.” He began to pray and fast, preparing himself for martyrdom. the Emperor came into the city, he summoned Demetrios, who boldly confessed himself a Christian and denounced the falsehood and futility of Roman polytheism. Maximian ordered Demetrios to be thrown into prison. An Angel appeared to him, comforting and encouraging him. the Emperor amused himself by staging games in the circus. His champion was a German by the name of Lyaeos. He challenged Christians to wrestle with him on a platform built over the upturned spears of the victorious soldiers. A brave Christian named Nestor went to the prison to Saint Dēmḗtrios, his instructor in the Faith, asking for his blessing to fight the barbarian. With the blessing and prayers of Saint Demetrios, Nestor defeated the fierce German and hurled him from the platform onto the spears of the soldiers, just as the murderous pagan would have done with the Christian. The enraged commander ordered the execution of the holy Martyr Nestor (October 27) and sent a guard to the prison to kill Saint Demetrios. At dawn on October 26, 306 soldiers appeared in the Saint's underground prison and ran him through with lances. His faithful servant, Saint Lupus, gathered up the blood-soaked garment of Saint Dēmḗtrios he took the imperial ring from his finger, a symbol of his high status, and dipped it in the blood. With the ring and other holy things sanctified the blood of Saint Demetrios, Saint Lupus began to heal the infirm. The Emperor ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill him. body of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios was cast out for wild animals to devour, but the Christians took it and secretly buried it in the earth. the reign of Saint Constantine (306-337), a church was built over the grave of Saint Demetrios. A hundred years later, during the construction of a majestic new church on the old spot, the incorrupt relics of the holy martyr were uncovered. Since the seventh century a miraculous flow of fragrant myrrh has been found beneath the crypt of the Great Martyr Demetrios, so he is called “the Myrrh-gusher.” times, those venerating the holy wonderworker tried to bring his holy relics, or a part of them, to Constantinople. Invariably, Saint Demetrios made it clear that he would not permit anyone to remove even a portion of his relics. is interesting that among the barbarians threatening the Romans, Slavs occupied an important place, in particular those settling upon the Thessalonian peninsula. Some even believe that the parents of Saint Dēmḗtrios were of Slavic descent. While advancing towards the city, pagan Slavs were repeatedly turned away by the apparition of a threatening radiant youth, going around on the walls and inspiring terror in the enemy soldiers. Perhaps this is why the name of Saint Demetrios was particularly venerated among the Slavic nations after they were enlightened by the Gospel. On the other hand, Greeks dismiss the idea that Saint Demetrios was a Slavic saint. very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, “This is not Oleg, but rather Saint Demetrios sent upon us from God.” Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrios was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in Russia began shortly after the Baptism of Rus. Toward the beginning of the 1070s the Dimitriev monastery at Kiev, known afterwards as the Mikhailov-Zlatoverkh monastery, was founded, The monastery was built by the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Great Prince Izyaslav, Demetrios in Baptism (+ 1078). The mosaic icon of Saint Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral of the Dimitriev monastery has been preserved up to the present day, and is in the Tretiakov Gallery. the years 1194-1197 the Great Prince of Vladimir, Vsevolod III the Great-Nest (Demetrios in Baptism) “built at his court a beautiful church of the holy martyr Dēmḗtrios, and adorned it wondrously with icons and frescoes.” The Dimitriev cathedral also reveals the embellishment of ancient Vladimir. The wonderworking icon of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki from the cathedral iconostasis is located even now in Moscow, at the Tretiakov gallery. It was painted on a piece of wood from the grave of the holy Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios, brought from Thessaloniki to Vladimir in 1197. of the most precious depictions of the saint, a fresco on a column of the Vladimir Dormition cathedral, was painted by the holy Iconographer Andrew Rublev (July 4). family of Saint Alexander Nevsky (November 23 also venerated Saint Demetrios. Saint Alexander named his eldest son in honor of the holy Great Martyr. His younger son, Prince Daniel of Moscow (March 4), built a church dedicated to the holy Great Martyr Demetrios in the 1280s. This was the first stone church in the Moscow Kremlin. Later in 1326, under Ivan Kalita, it was taken down and the Dormition cathedral was built in its place. memory of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki is historically associated in Rus with the military, patriotism and the defense of the country. This is apparent by the saint’s depiction on icons as a soldier in plumed armor, with a spear and sword in hand. There is a scroll (in later depictions) on which is written the prayer of Saint Dēmḗtrios for the salvation of the people of Thessaloniki, “Lord, do not permit the city or the people to perish. If You save the city and the people, I shall be saved with them. If they perish, I will perish with them.” the particular spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Demetrios of the Don (May 19). “An Account of the Life and Repose of the Great Prince Dēmḗtrios of the Don, Tsar of Russia,” written in the year 1393, already regards the Great Prince as a Saint, as other old Russian histories do. Great Prince Demetrios was a spiritual son and disciple of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), and a disciple and associate of other great figures of prayer in the Russian Land: Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September 25), Demetrios of Priluki (February 11), Saint Theodore of Rostov (November 28). The Account states: [Great Prince Demetrios] worried a great deal about the churches of God, and he held the territory of the Russian land by his bravery: he conquered many enemies who had risen against us, and he protected his glorious city Moscow with wondrous walls. ...The land of Russia prospered during the years of his reign. the time of the building of the white-walled Kremlin (1366) by Great Prince Demetrios, Moscow was called “White-Stoned.” the prayers of his Heavenly patron, the holy warrior Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, Great Prince Demetrios, in addition to his brilliant military victories, also gained the further prominence of Russia. He repelled the onslaught of the Lithuanian armies of Olgerd, he routed the Tatar army of Begich at the River Vozha (1378), and he smashed the military might of all the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him Dēmḗtrios of the Don, became the first Russian national exploit, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronios of Ryazem (1381) is devoted to this event. Demetrios of the Don had a great reverence for the holy Great Martyr Demetrios. In 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, he solemnly transferred from Vladimir to Moscow the most holy object in the Vladimir Dimitriev cathedral: the icon of the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios of Thessaloniki, painted on a board from the grave of the saint. A chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Dēmḗtrios was built at Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral. Saint Demetrios Memorial Saturday was established for church-wide remembrance of the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo. This memorial service was held for the first time at the Trinity-Saint Sergius monastery on October 20, 1380 by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, in the presence of Great Prince Demetrios of the Don. It is an annual remembrance of the heroes of the Battle of Kulikovo, among whom are the Schema-monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrew (Oslyab). Dēmḗtrios is regarded as a protector of the young, and is also invoked by those struggling with lustful temptations. Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27;

Greece, 304, Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Martyrs, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia, from Asia, holy relics brought to Thasos
Greece, 304, Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Martyrs, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia, from Asia, holy relics brought to Thasos; Isle of Thasos; Martyrs Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Commemorated on October 27; Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine were from Asia. were arrested by the idolaters in the year 304 because they were Christians. enduring many tortures, they were dragged over sharp stones until they were dead. their holy relics were brought to the island of Thasos, which lies between Thrace and the Athonite peninsula. holy martyrs are commemorated on October 24 in Greek usage.

Greece, 318, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs
Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs, 318-1967, asked Fr George Nsis, NYC to paint her Icon holding a cross, research found young woman blond blue eyes, since then many miracles, Kalamata church built 1993; Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa was born in Kalamata in 291 to devout and God-loving parents, Nicholas and Despina, were from the eastern part of Italy. Because of the persecution of Christians at that time, they fled to Kalamata in the Peloponnesos, where they had a farm outside the city, because her father was a farmer. a young age Saint Xenίa adorned her soul with fasting, temperance, silence, unceasing prayer, tears, vigils, and charity. Dometian, the eparch of that region, happened to meet the Saint, he was dazzled by her beauty and wanted to make her his wife. Xenίa absolutely refused to change her faith, or to become the wife of an idolater. Dometian had her arrested. The Saint was tortured mercilessly and then beheaded in 318. Thus, she entered into the joy of her Lord and received an unfading crown of glory from Christ God. George Nasis, the rector of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City from 1942-1967 praying one day when a beautiful woman appeared to him. She said her name was Xenίa, martyr who had been forgotten for almost 1700 years. She asked him to paint an icon, depicting her holding a cross. first Father George did not mention this to anyone, thinking that perhaps people would mock him. Then he decided to inform the Archbishop. Researchers tried to find references to Saint Xenίa of Kalamata, but they were not successful. they found her name in a list of Saints, where she is described as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. God's grace, the Saint has worked many miracles after her death. 1993, a new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in the western part of Kalamata, which has a chapel dedicated to Saint Xenia.

Greece, Thessaly, 325-330, Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Thessaly, denounced Arius at first council, deliverance
Greece, Thessaly, 325-330, Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth), denounced Arius at first council, deliverance ; Larissa; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15; Achilles, Bishop of Larissa, lived during the fourth century, during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great. Glorified for his holiness of life and erudition, he was made Bishop of Larissa in Thessaly. Achilles participated in the First Ecumenical Council, where he boldly denounced the heretic Arius. In his city he strove to promote Christianity, destroyed idolatrous pagan temples, and he built and adorned churches. Achilles had the gift of healing sickness, especially demonic possession, and he worked many miracles. The saint died peacefully in about the year 330. His relics have remained in Prespa, in today's Republic of Macedonia, since 978.

Greece, 350-401, Julius of Aegina, studied wBasil&Gregory iAthens, pGospel wJulius biAengina, bMany Gentiles, longLife
Greece, 350-401, Julius of Aegina Island (between Athens and Corinth), wealth, Athens study w Basil&Gregory, preached w Deacon Julian back in Aegina, apostolic staves, ordained Priest, proclaimed Gospel, Baptized many Gentiles, Withdrew to Kousion on Lake Orta, died age 71; Aegina Island; Saint Julius of Aegina, Commemorated on January 31; Julius was born in 330 on the island of Aegina to wealthy and pious parents who nurtured him in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). learned to read and write, and then he studied in Athens with Saints Basil (January 1) and Gregory (January 25). returning to Aegina, he and Deacon Julian decided to emulate Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and to preach Christ. two Saints took up their apostolic staves (Mark 6:8) offered themselves to the Lord. was ordained as a priest by the Bishop of Athens. with the grace of the priesthood, he set off with Deacon Julian to proclaim the Gospel and to baptize many Gentiles. the end of his life he withdrew to Kousion on Lake Orta, after a life of asceticism and prayer, he reposed peacefully in 401 at the age of 71.

Greece, 361-363, Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, destroyed pagan temple, rebuild demanded, tortured, no pain, set free
Greece, 361-363, Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa (Mygdonia, Axios River Mouth), destroyed pagan temple, Apostate Julian, demanded rebuild payment, foot-press, torn hair, slashed body, swamp, cut w knives, cut off ears, honey and greece for bees wasps hornets, did not notice the pain, set free, christians came back ; Arethusa (Mygdonia); Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). order of the emperor Constantine (May 21), Saint Mark had once destroyed a pagan temple and built a Christian church. Julian came to the throne, he persecuted Christians and tried to restore paganism. Some citizens of Arethusa renounced Christianity and became pagans. Then Saint Mark’s enemies decided to take revenge on him. The old bishop hid himself from the persecutors at first, but then gave himself up when he learned that the pagans had tortured many people in their search for him. holy Elder was led through the city and given over to torture. They tore out his hair, slashed his body, dragged him along the street, dumped him in a swamp, tied him up, and cut him with knives. pagans demanded that the holy bishop pay them a large sum of money to rebuild the pagan temple, and he refused to do so. The persecutors invented several new torments: they squeezed the Elder in a foot-press, and they cut off his ears with linen cords. Finally, they smeared the holy martyr’s body with honey and grease, then hung him up in a basket in the hot mid-day sun to be eaten by bees, wasps, and hornets. Saint Mark did not seem to notice the pain, and this irritated the tormentor all the more. pagans kept lowering the price he had to pay for their temple, but Saint Mark refused to give them a single coin. Admiring him for his courage and endurance, the pagans stopped asking him for money and set him free. Many of them returned to Christ after hearing his talks. Gregory the Theologian (January 25) describes the sufferings of Saint Mark in his First Oration against Julian. Theodoritus of Cyrrhus also mentions him in his Church History (Book 3, Ch. 6)

Greece, 367-420, Thesalonica Saint, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza, Archbishop
Byzantium, 367-420, Byzantine Saint, Porphyrios, Porphyry of Gaza; St. Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26;

Greece, 395, Ekoumenios, Wonderworker oTrikala Fortress, Thessaly, well educated, writer, bishop, water fStone tProve Truth
Greece, 995, Ekoumenios, Wonderworker of Trikala, Thessaly (Pineios River 2), educated, writer, bishop, fCappadocia, Achilles' nephew, 395, 325 ECouncil, made water gush forth from stone to prove true faith, Trikala Fortress shrine fE; Trikkala; Saint Ekouménios, Wonderworker of Trikala, Commemorated on May 3; is much disagreement about Saint Ekouménios (Οικουμένιος), concerning his identity and exactly when he lived. to prevailing opinion, Saint Ekouménios lived in the late X century (ca. 995). studied all the Fathers of the Church and became an excellent interpreter of Holy Scripture. the same time, he wrote Commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles, the fourteen Epistles of Saint Paul, as well as his seven catholic Epistles. contemporaries esteemed him for his blameless character and his excellent education. he was chosen for the episcopal throne of Trikala (in Thessaly), where he proved himself as a faithful Archpastor and disciple of the Lord Christ. reposed in peace. according to another strong and persistent local tradition, Saint Ekoumenios lived in the IV century, as the learned Metropolitan Anthony of Larίsa mentions in the Encomium he wrote for Saint Ekoumenios in the XIV century. to this Encomium, Saint Ekouménios was from Cappadocia, and was the nephew of Saint Achilles of Larίsa (May 15) and the cousin of Saint Rēgίnos, Bishop of Skopelos (February 25). He followed his Spiritual Father and teacher Achilles to Larίsa, and finally he was elected Bishop of Trίkkē, thus fulfilling his uncle's great desire to see him enthroned as a Hierarch. of them participated in the First Ecumenical Synod (in 325), where they performed a miracle to prove which was the true Faith (they made water gush forth from a stone). Ekoumenios reposed full of days, and was shown to be a wonderworker. honored relics of Saint Ekouménios were kept in a shrine in the church of the Archangel Michael, which was located in the fortress (Trikala). the village of Haϊdeménē, Trίkkē there is a church dedicated to Saint Ekouménios opposite Refuge hill, where according to Tradition Saint Ekouménios withdrew for solitude.

Greece, 400, 5th Century Folder, Kathariotissa Icon

Greece, 401, Kathariotissa Icon, Ithaca, West Greece, Epirus shepherds flee w Luke's birth icon, lost, clearing fire, not burned
Ithaka Island; Icon of the Mother of God Kathariotissa, Commemorated September 8 ; wonderworking icon depicting the Nativity of the Theotokos is venerated on the Greek island of Ithaca. Monastery of Kathara; Monastery of the Kathara, pilgrimage and reference point for all inhabitants of Ithaca, built on the south-eastern peak of the Homeric Mount Nirito in a nice corner, 600m from the sea and 15 km. from Vathy. history of the monastery begins in 1696. history of the image of the Virgin is even older, reported by Father Theodosius Dendrinos in the second edition of his book 'The Monastery of Our Lady of Kathara, Ithaca'. local dialect the name “Kathara” means the twigs and small shrubs which are cut and burned to clear some place. says that shepherds from Epirus were persecuted by the Albanians so they had to leave their homes and flee to Ithaca where they settled on Mount Nirito at Mazos location, 400 approximately opposite the current monastery. realized that the miraculous picture depicting the Genesis of the Virgin was missing. night they saw a blinding light at the location where there is now the church of the monastery. all the research they never found anything there. same phenomenon was repeated for several nights, so they decided to cut and burn the bushes and twigs to clean the place to see what is going on there. the fire was extinguished they saw a picture that was not burned. was the painting of Genesis of the Virgin. They decided to built a small church so they could place the painting inside. version of how the church got its name is that it was founded by followers of the Catholic heresy of the Cathars. According to archaeologist-author W. Gell in his book "The geography and antiquities of Ithaca," the site was dedicated to Apollo. theory concerning the name comes from author Ms. Rita Tsintili- Vlisma who says that there used to be a pagan temple (probably of Goddess Athena) at the location where the church is today. One of the many nicknames of the Goddess was ''Kathara”. little further from the monastery there is a bell tower and the chapel of Saints Constantine and Helen. During the years of occupation and mainly because of the earthquakes of 1953, the bell tower was destroyed and rebuilt. The view from the bell tower is breathtaking: You can see the southern part of the island, part of eastern Kefalonia, in the far left you can see Echinades Islands, the west coast of Aitoloakarnania, and far in the distance when visibility is good you can see the Peloponnese and Zakynthos on the right. painting of the Virgin is attributed to St. Luke and represents the birth of the Virgin. early 1993 monk Theodosius (aka Elias Vlismas) comes to the monastery and offers his services to the grace of Mary. is a patron and protector of the island and is celebrated on September 8th every year. Bibliography: 'The Monastery of Our Lady of Kathara Ithaca' (second edition) Father Theodosius Dendrinos. Source: Municipality of Ithaca Website

Greece, 450 4th&5th C Folder, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, 90 as solitary, great writer, English PHILOKALIA, fAthens
Greece, 450 4th&5th C Folder, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, fAthens, Greece, Nitrain Desert monk, it said he knew whole Bible by Heart, 9 of 30 discourses down to us, 3 in English PHILOKALIA, Byzantines said sell everything and buy Mark, noted for gentle pure soul, known as the "Ascetic" for abstinence, solitary 90 yrs, lived 120 yrs; Athens; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Mark the Ascetic was born in Athens during the fifth century, and became a monk in the Nitrian desert (Lower Egypt). his youth his fondest pursuit was the reading of Holy Scripture. It is said that he knew the whole Bible by heart. of his thirty discourses have come down to us. of them are in Volume I of the English PHILOKALIA. Byzantines had such a high regard for his writings that they said, “Sell everything and buy Mark.” was noted for his gentleness and purity of soul. was known as “the Ascetic” because of his abstinence. He lived for ninety years as a solitary, then surrendered his soul to God when he was one hundred and twenty years old.

Greece, 500, 6th C Folder, Palladius oThessalonica&Alexandria

Greece, 590-620approx, Palladius of Thessalonica&Alexandria, not Palladius oGalatia, limited info
Venerable Palladius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 27; in Thessaloniki, he contended in asceticism in Alexandria at the end of the VI and the beginning of the VII century. His Service is sung at Compline. Saint should not be confused with the fourth century Saint Palladius of Galatia (January 28), the author of the Lausiac History, which contains the Lives of the Egyptian ascetics.

Greece, 600, 7th Century Folder, St Peter the Athonite

Greece, 681, Saint Peter the Athonite
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 681, Saint Peter the Athonite ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Greece, 700 8th Century Folder, Axion Estin Hymn Icon

Greece, 717-41&982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople
Greece, Mt Athos, 717-741 &982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn on tile 982, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople tMt Athos, after soldier slashed it 717-41, tile tC, expanded hymn Axion Estin in Divine Liturgy; Protaton Church Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11; to Tradition, during the iconoclast persecution of Leo III the Isaurian (717-741), Icon of the Theotokos was slashed by the sword of one of the Emperor’s soldiers. Blood flowed from the Icon into the sea. Shaken by this sign, the repentant sinner fled to Mount Athos. day he saw the Icon, which had floated from Constantinople, lying on the shore, it was still bleeding and dyeing the water red. ran toward it and, with fear and trembling, he carried it to the Protaton church. the Icon stopped bleeding, indicating that the Panagia had forgiven him for desecrating her holy Icon. (Greek: Παναγία, fem. of panágios, pan- + hágios, the All-Holy, or the Most Holy; pronounced Greek pronunciation: (also transliterated Panaghia or Panajia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Most Greek churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary are called Panagia; the standard western Christian designation of "St. Mary" is rarely used in the Orthodox East, as Mary is considered the holiest of all created beings and therefore of higher status than the Saints.) years later, a certain Elder and his disciple were living in a cave near Karyes. a Saturday night in 982, the Elder went to attend the All-Night Vigil at Karyes, leaving his disciple behind to read the service in their cell. it was dark, an unknown monk came to the cell. He said that his name was Gabriel, and the disciple invited him to come in. it was time for the Vigil, the two monks began to pray before the Icon of the Mother of God. they finished the eighth Ode of the Canon, the disciple began to chant: “My soul magnifies the Lord...” and then he sang the Irmos of Saint Cosmas the Hymnographer (Oct. 14): “More honorable than the Cherubim...” visitor then chanted the next verse: “For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” instead of singing “More honorable...” the visitor prefaced it with: “It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever blessed and most pure, and the Mother of our God.” he continued with “More honorable.” the singing of this hymn, the Icon was illumined with a heavenly light, the disciple was moved to tears He asked his guest to write down the new words, but there was no paper. stranger took a roofing tile and wrote the entire hymn upon it with his finger, as though it were made of wax. disciple then realized that this was no ordinary monk, but the Archangel Gabriel. The heavenly visitor told him, “Sing the hymn this way, and all of the Orthodox as well.” Then, he disappeared. light continued to shine forth from the Icon for a long time. Eleousa (Merciful) Icon of the Mother of God, before which the hymn “It Is Truly Meet” was first sung, was transferred to the katholikon at Karyes. tile, with the hymn written on it by the Archangel Gabriel, was taken to Constantinople when Saint Nicholas Chrysoberges (December 16) was Patriarch. copies of the “It Is Truly Meet” Icon are revered in Russian churches. At the Galerna Harbor of St. Petersburg a church with five cupolas was built in honor of the “Merciful” Mother of God, and into it they placed a grace-bearing copy of the “Axion Estin” Icon sent from Mount Athos. inscription on the scroll held by Christ reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Axion Estin Icon kept at the High Place in the sanctuary of the Holy Dormition katholikon at Karyes, the capital of Mount Athos. on the Igoumen's stone chair, the Icon is an object of great veneration. church is known as Protaton because it was the first church to be built on the Holy Mountain in 843 by Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5) iconography of the church was done in the XIII century by the renowned iconographer Emmanuel Panselinos. Icon takes its name from the hymn we sing after the epiklesis during the Divine Liturgy. cell where the miracle took place is known today by the name “Axion Estin.” miracle occurred on June 11, 982 on a Sunday. miraculous tile on which was the hymn was transcribed was transferred to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and was displayed for veneration by the faithful in the imperial palace Church of Saint Stephen. that time on, the expanded hymn Axion Estin became part of the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Church. Icon is especially honored with festivities and a procession on Bright Monday, and many miracles take place on that day. Icon itself is a bit faded, but is now covered by a silver riza. has been restored recently and is in good condition. is an inscription: “Μήτηρ Θεού Καρυώτισσα” or “Mother of God Karyotissa (of Karyes).” it came from Constantinople, and belongs to the Panagia Eleousa type, which was first painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. the one thousand year anniversary of Mount Athos in 1963, the Axion Estin Icon left the Holy Mountain for the first time to be venerated in Athens by thousands of faithful. 1985 it was brought to Thessaloniki aboard a military ship and received there with the same honors as a Head of State.

Greece, 779-830, Joseph, BoThessalonica, Bro oTheodore tStudite, both tortured&exiled fOrthodoxy, hymn&sermon writer
Constantinople, 779-830, Joseph, Bishop oThessalonica, Brother oTheodore tStudite, both ascetics at Sakkudion, they exiled to a barren island for opposing emperor Constantine VI unlawful marriage, freed by E Michael Rangabes, tortured&imprisoned by Iconoclast Leo V Armenian, freed by Iconodule Michael tStammerer, then lived aStudion final years, renowned hymnographer and sermon writer; The Studion Monestary ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11), together they pursued a life of asceticism under the guidance of Saint Platon (April 5) in the monastery at Sakkudion, Bithynia. of his ascetic life, Saint Joseph was unanimously chosen archbishop of the city of Thessalonica. and his brother opposed the unlawful marriage of the emperor Constantine VI (780-797), which he was tortured then banished to a barren island. emperor Michael Rangabes (811-813) freed Saint Joseph from imprisonment. the emperor Leo V the Armenian (813-820) the holy hierarch and his brother Saint Theodore suffered once more for their veneration of holy icons. they subjected him to torture, he remained steadfast in his faith. iconoclast emperor ordered him to sign the iconoclast confession of faith, and when he refused they threw him into an even more foul prison. the emperor Michael the Stammerer (820-829) Saint Joseph was set free, together with other monks who had suffered for their veneration of icons. He spent his final years at the Studion Monastery, where he died in 830. Joseph is renowned as a hymnographer. He composed triodia for Holy Week, several stikhera of the LENTEN TRIODION, a Canon for the Sunday of Prodigal Son (which is filled with the spirit of profound repentance), and other hymns. wrote several sermons for feastdays, of which the best known is the Sermon on the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

Greece, 800, 9th Century Folder, Clement of Ochrid

Greece, 807, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside
Greece, 807 & 950, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside, Vatopedi (bush otChild) because Emperor Theodosius's son fell off ship and MOG saved him, found sleeping in a bush, in gratitude E Theodosius endowed Vatopeddi, perpetual flame honoring event ; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Vatopedi “Comfort” or “Consolation” Icon of the Mother of God is in the old Vatopedi monastery on Athos, in the church of the Annunciation. was called “Vatopedi” because near this monastery Arcadius, the son of Empreor Theodosius the Great, fell off a ship into the sea, and by the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God he was carried to shore safe and unharmed. was found sleeping by a bush, not far from the monastery. this event the name “Vatopedi” (“batos paidion,” “the bush of the child”) is derived. holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (January 17), in gratitude for the miraculous deliverance of his son, embellished and generously endowed the Vatopedi monastery. the Vatopedi Icon, the Mother of God is depicted with Her face turned towards Her right shoulder. is because on January 21, 807 She turned Her face towards the igumen of the monastery, who was standing near the holy icon, about to hand the keys of the monastery to the porter. voice came from the icon and warned him not to open the monastery gates, pirates intended to pillage the monastery. the Holy Child placed His hand over His Mother’s lips, saying, “Do not watch over this sinful flock, Mother, but let them fall under the sword of the pirates.” Holy Virgin took the hand of Her Son and said again, “Do not open the gates today, but go to the walls and drive off the pirates.” igumen took precautionary measures, and the monastery was saved. memory of this miraculous event a perpetual lamp burns in front of the wonderworking icon. day a Canon of Supplication is chanted in honor of the icon, on Fridays the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Mt. Athos this icon is called “Paramythia,” “Consolation” (“Otrada”), or “Comfort” (“Uteshenie”). Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Greece, 825-875, Georgian Hilarion, Wworker of Thesslnc, MOG vision Georgia, then stayed in Thess, m relics shrine, to Romana
Greece, Macedonia, Thessalonica, 825-875, Georgian Hilarion, Monk & Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), to D G Wilderness of Georgia, famous, to Jerusalem, Elijah's cave, vision MOG mt Olives, return to home, prepare meal for Lord, founded Georgia convent and monastery, to Olympus in AM, To C & Rome, stopped in Thess along the way, healed boy, convinced to stay by boy's f t perfect, miraculous shrine for h relics there, Emperor w move relics to C, but not city, Romana Monastery for his elders; Thessalonica; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hilarion the Georgian was the son of a Kakheti aristocrat. were other children in the family, but only Hilarion was dedicated to God from his very birth. Hilarion’s father built a monastery on his own land, and there the boy was raised. the age of fourteen Hilarion left the monastery and his father’s guardianship and settled in a small cave in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness. he remained for ten years. report spread through all of eastern Georgia of the angelic faster and tireless intercessor in prayer. Crowds flocked to his cave to receive instruction, blessings, and counsel. When the bishop of Rustavi came to visit Hilarion, he ordained him a priest. Soon he was made abbot of Saint Davit of Gareji Lavra. his ordination, the holy father was praised even more among his people, and he decided to leave his motherland. Hilarion chose one of the brothers to replace him as abbot of the monastery and set off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. the way Venerable Hilarion was attacked by a band of vicious thieves. They sought to kill the holy father, but their hands suddenly withered. When the terrified thieves realized that God had punished them for raising their hands to kill the saint, they fell to their knees before Saint Hilarion and begged his forgiveness. The venerable father blessed them with the sign of the Cross, healed them and let them depart in peace. Hilarion venerated the holy places in Jerusalem, then settled in a cave in the Jordan wilderness (according to tradition, the holy prophet Elijah had dwelt in that same cave). night Saint Hilarion saw a vision: He was standing before the Most Holy Theotokos, in the midst of twelve men, on the Mount of Olives, the place of our Lord’s Ascension. The Holy Virgin said to him, “Hilarion! Return to your home and prepare a meal for the Lord, my Son!” waking, Hilarion understood this vision with both his heart and mind and immediately set off for his motherland. he returned to Georgia, Saint Hilarion learned of the repose of his father and brothers. His mother gave her only living son the family inheritance. Hilarion founded a convent with the resources he had inherited, donated lands to the monastic community, and established its rules. Then he gathered seventy-six worthy monk-ascetics and founded a monastery for men. He distributed his remaining property to the poor and disabled. before, the news of Saint Hilarion’s virtuous deeds spread quickly through all of Georgia. Again many desired to receive his blessing and counsel, but when the clergy announced their intention to consecrate him a bishop, he abandoned Georgia for the second time. He took two companions and journeyed to Constantinople. the long journey, Hilarion and his companions finally reached Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor and settled in a small, forsaken church. During the evening services on Cheese-fare Saturday, the lamplighter from the Monastery of Saint Ioannicius the Great came to the church to light an icon lamp, and seeing that several people had settled there, he brought them some food. next Saturday, the feast of Saint Theodore the Tyro, the same monk returned to the church and saw that the brothers had gone the whole week eating nothing but a few lentils. They had not touched the food he had brought them. So the monk asked Saint Hilarion what they needed, and Hilarion requested prosphora and wine for the Bloodless Sacrifice. Then Saint Hilarion celebrated the Liturgy at the appropriate time, received Holy Communion, and served the Holy Gifts to the brothers. the abbot of the Great Lavra heard that a service had been celebrated by an unknown priest in a language other than Greek, he was infuriated and ordered his steward and several of the monks to chase the strangers off the monastery property. But Saint Hilarion responded to the steward in Greek and asked for permission to spend the night in the church, promising to depart in the morning. night the Theotokos appeared to the abbot of the lavra in a vision. She stood at the foot of his bed and rebuked him, saying, “Foolish one! What has moved you to cast out these strangers, who left their own country for the love of my Son and God? Why have you broken the commandment to receive and show mercy to strangers and the poor? Do you not know that there are many living on this mountain that speak the same language as they? They are also praising God here. He who fails to receive them is my enemy, for my Son entrusted me to protect them and to ensure that their Orthodox Faith is not shaken. They believe in my Son and have been baptized in His name!” next day the elder fell to his knees before Saint Hilarion, begged forgiveness for his impertinence, and requested that he remain at the monastery. Saint Hilarion consoled the elder and agreed to stay. Hilarion spent five years on Mt. Olympus, then journeyed again to Constantinople, to venerate the Life-giving Cross of our Lord. From there he traveled to Rome to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. the way to Rome his prayers healed a paralyzed man. After spending two years in Rome, Saint Hilarion set off again for Constantinople. the way, in the city of Thessalonica, the blessed Hilarion stopped for a rest at the home of the prefect. he arrived, a servant woman was carrying a paralyzed fourteen-year-old boy out of the house, and she laid him in the sun. The saint asked the woman for water, and when she had gone to bring it, he blessed the child with the sign of the Cross and healed him. the boy ran to his mother, and Saint Hilarion quickly departed from that place. the prefect, the boy’s father, had witnessed the miracle, and he ordered that the wonderworker be found. When he had been brought before him, the prefect begged Saint Hilarion to remain in Thessalonica and choose for himself a place to continue his miraculous works. the prefect to be a true lover of God, the saint heeded his entreaty and agreed to remain. The prefect built a church in the place that Hilarion had chosen, and before long the entire city had heard about Saint Hilarion and his miracles. Hilarion spent the remainder of his days in Thessalonica. When the Lord made known to him the day of his repose, he called for the prefect, thanked him, and instructed him to love the monks and all the suffering and to be just and merciful. saint reposed on November 19, 875, and the sorrowful prefect prepared a marble shrine for him. Those who were sick and who approached Saint Hilarion’s grave with faith were healed of their infirmities. prefect and the archbishop of Thessalonica informed the Byzantine emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886) about the miracles that had occurred at the holy father’s grave. emperor in turn informed the monks who came to him from Mt. Olympus, among whom was the elder who once had tried to chase Saint Hilarion out of the church. Basil became intrigued with Saint Hilarion’s disciples and fellow countrymen through the stories of Hilarion’s miracles. Hilarion’s three disciples were presented to him, and the emperor was so struck by their holiness that he sent them to the patriarch of Constantinople to receive his blessing. Recognizing immediately that the three elders were filled with divine favor, the patriarch advised the emperor to confer great honors upon them. response, Emperor Basil invited the elders to choose for themselves and their countrymen one of the monasteries in Constantinople and make it their own. fathers graciously declined since they did not wish to live in the populous city. the monks asked the emperor to build cells for them outside the capital. Emperor Basil built a large church dedicated to the Holy Apostles in a place that the Georgian fathers had chosen in a certain ravine, where a spring of cold water flowed from beneath a little hill, and he carved a cell for himself as well. monastery was called “Romana,” after the nearby brook. the emperor sent his own two sons, Leo and Alexander, to be raised by the holy fathers. Basil sought to bury Saint Hilarion’s holy relics in the capital, but the people of Thessalonica would not allow the relics to be taken away. the end, it was necessary for the emperor’s envoys to conceal the sacred shrine and carry it back to Constantinople in secret. emperor, the patriarch, and all the people met the arrival of Saint Hilarion’s relics with glorious hymns and prayers. the special burial vault had been built, the emperor kept Saint Hilarion’s holy relics in his own chamber. nights after the relics had arrived, Basil awoke to an unusual fragrance. No one in the court could discover its source. the emperor dozed off again, Saint Hilarion appeared to him in his vestments and said, “You have done a good deed by preparing a shelter for my remains. the sweet fragrance you smell was acquired in the wilderness, not in the city. if you desire to receive the divine blessings in full, take me away to the wilderness!” emperor reported this wondrous turn of events to the patriarch and the prefect, and with their consent he brought the holy relics of Saint Hilarion to the Monastery of Romana.

Greece, 829, Battle of Thasos, almost entire Byzantine imperial fleet lost, Cretan Arab victory, Cyclades pillaged &Athos dev
Battle of Thasos 829; Battle of Thasos was fought on October 829 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the newly founded Emirate of Crete. Cretan Arabs scored a major victory: Theophanes Continuatus records that almost the entire imperial fleet was lost. success opened up the Aegean to the Saracens' raids. Cyclades and other islands were pillaged, and Mount Athos was so devastated that it was deserted for a long time.

Greece, 829-842, Iviron Icon, Nicean widow, spear, blood flowed, on water to Iveron, Gabriel on water, icon at gate
Greece, Mt Athos, 829-842, Iviron Icon, iconoclasm heresy, soldiers searching for icons, Nicean widow, spear into her icon, blood flowed, soldiers fled, virgil all night, cast it upon water, levitated upright, sailed westward, to Iveron, pillar of light, Theotokos, Gabriel alone worthy to receive icon, Gabriel walks out on water to receive it, cold sweet spring where Icon stood, then icon hanging near entrance gate; Iviron monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God Iveron, Commemorated on February 12; the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842) the Byzantine Empire raged with the heresy of iconoclasm. In accordance with the emperor’s command, thousands of soldiers pillaged the empire, searching every corner, city, and village for hidden icons. the city of Nicaea there lived a certain pious widow who had concealed an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Before long the soldiers discovered it, and one of them thrust his spear into the image. by God’s grace his terrible deed was overshadowed by a miracle: blood flowed forth from the wound on the face of the Mother of God. frightened soldiers quickly fled. widow spent the whole night in vigil, praying before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the morning, according to God’s will, she took the icon to the sea and cast it upon the water. The holy icon stood upright on the waves and began to sail westward. passed, and one evening the monks of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos beheld a pillar of light, shining upon the sea like the sun (ca. 1004). The miraculous image lasted several days, while the fathers of the Holy Mountain gathered together, marveling. Finally they descended to the edge of the sea, where they beheld the pillar of light standing above the icon of the Theotokos. But when they approached it, the icon moved farther out to sea. that time a Georgian monk named Gabriel was laboring at the Iveron Monastery. The Theotokos appeared to the fathers of the Holy Mountain and told them that Gabriel alone was worthy to retrieve the holy icon from the sea. the same time, she appeared to Gabriel and told him, “Enter the sea, and walk out upon the waves with faith, and all will witness my love and mercy for your monastery.” monks of Mt. Athos found Gabriel at the Georgian monastery and led him down to the sea, chanting hymns, and censing with holy incense. Gabriel walked out upon the water as though upon dry land, took the icon in his arms, and obediently carried it back to shore. miracle occurred on Bright Tuesday. the monks were celebrating a paraklesis of thanksgiving, a cold, sweet spring miraculously gushed forth from the ground where the icon stood. Afterwards they took the icon to a church and set it down in the sanctuary with great reverence. the next morning one of the monks came to light a lamp and discovered that the icon was no longer where they had left it; now it was hanging on a wall near the entrance gate. The disbelieving monks took it down and returned it to the sanctuary, but the next day the icon was again found at the monastery gate. This miracle recurred several times, until the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Gabriel, saying, “Announce to the brothers that from this day they should not carry me away. For what I desire is not to be protected by you; rather I will overshadow you, both in this life and in the age to come. As long as you see my icon in the monastery, the grace and mercy of my Son shall never be lacking!” with exceeding joy, the monks erected a small church near the monastery gate to glorify the Most Holy Theotokos and placed the wonderworking icon inside. The holy icon came to be known as the “Ivḗron Mother of God” and, in Greek, Portaitissa. By the grace of the miraculous Ivḗron Icon of the Theotokos, many miracles have taken place and continue to take place throughout the world. ------------------------------------------------------

Greece, 829-842, Luke's Prousos Icon, Iconoclasts, MOG saved it, chanting light fCave, moved but MOG returned it, Great Story
Greece, Thessaly, 829-842, Prousos Icon, Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi, Evrytania, Thessaly, cave carved out monastery temple, Luke's Icon, young nobleman from Prousa, Bithynia, Iconoclast Theophilos time, ordered icons destroyed, he disregarded order, took icon tGreece, lost it aGallipoli, MOG put icon in Eurytania cave, where shepherd found it, he settled iNew Patra, heard oMiraculous Eurytania events, shepherd boy heard chanting from cave, pillar light reaching up tHeaven, Pyrsos fLight iCave, many people came, found icon source of light in cave, young man went there to get his icon, took it but MOG returned it by telling him to and for him to stay, he built chapel in cave, Hodegetria type, gilded cover from 1821 General who stayed there, monastery devastated many times bTurks but not the cave temple, Germans tried to burn it, but officer punished by MOG (Panagia), 1948 Greek civil war icon moved to acropolis of Naupaktos, 9th Division soldiers see MOG in Cave Temple, she identified when they saw the Icon, ; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; upon the fir-covered mountain peaks of southwestern Eurytania, wedged between vertical grayish rocks in savage majesty, is the Holy Monastery of Proussos. is an historic stauropegial monastery, with magnificent three-storey building among them a cave has been carved out, inside of which is the first ancient temple of the monastery. it is kept the wonderworking Icon of the Panagia (the All-Holy Virgin), called Prousiotissa, and her Feast Day is celebrated with grandeur and solemnity on August 23. to Tradition, this wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos is believed to have been painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), came from Prousa in Asia Minor (according to manuscript 3 of the codex of the Holy Monastery of Prousiotissa). was taken from Prousa by a young nobleman in the reign of the last iconoclastic Emperor Theophilos (October 2, 829 – January 20, 842). ordered all the icons to be removed from the churches and destroyed. Orthodox people protected and hid the holy icons, even though the penalty for this "crime" was exile or death. the Emperor's decree was read in the city of Proussa, the son of a member of the imperial court chose to disregard it. the the Holy Icon, he sought refuge on the Greek mainland, because the persecution was not quite as severe there, on the islands, or on the coast of Asia Minor. the way to Greece, however, the young man lost the Icon at Gallipoli in Thrace, which caused him great sorrow. “Woe is me, the wretched one," he cried. “The Mother of God has abandoned me because of my sins." Icon had returned miraculously to a cave in a wild part of Eurytania (in the vicinity of Litza and Agrapha, where the monastery and the Icon's shrine are at present), and where it was revealed to some local shepherds on the night of August 22-23. young man chose not to go back, because he could not bear to live among the iconoclasts. continued on his journey and settled in the city of New Patre, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos. went by, and then one day he heard rumors about certain miraculous events in the region of Aitola. to these reports, the son of a local shepherd was tending his father's flock in a rugged, inaccessible spot in the mountains. There were no homes or villages, but only a shelter for the shepherds. night, as the child was sleeping, he was awakened by heavenly chanting coming from a cave behind him. much apprehension he turned and saw a fiery pillar of light coming from the cave and reaching up to Heaven. is why the Icon is also called Pyrsos - because of the place where it was hidden. the boy went to inform his father what he had seen. father thought that his son had been dreaming, and told him not to fear things that weren't real. young man insisted, however, that what he had heard and seen was real. next night, the child brought his father to the same place where he had seen the pillar of light, so that he could see this phenomenon for himself. man saw exactly what his son had described, but he did not dare to look in the cave. next day he took other people there, and all of them saw the same vision. searching the area they discovered the Holy Icon in the cave, radiant and luminous. with joy, they venerated the Icon, and decided to keep it there. discovery of her Holy Icon was the first miracle of Panagia Prousiotissa. the young man who had lost the Icon heard about an Icon of the Theotokos which had been revealed by a pillar of light. and his servants left at once, and after two days they arrived at the cave where the Icon was kept. moment he saw the Icon he knew it was the same one he had lost. venerating the Icon, he gave gifts to the shepherds and started back to New Patre with it. shepherds’ joy turned to sorrow when they realized they were being deprived of the Icon. They pleaded with the young man to leave the Holy Icon with them. told them that the Icon belonged to him, and that he had given them rich gifts to compensate them for their loss. he said that the mountain was not a good place to build a church or to accommodate pilgrims. Then he took the Icon and left. he and his companion were tired and had to rest, they stopped at a certain place. fell asleep and when they woke up, they couldn't find the Icon. that the shepherds had stolen it while they were sleeping, they retraced their steps. they came to a narrow spot near the river, the young man heard a voice, saying, young man, be saved! Go in peace and do not labor any more. It pleases me to remain here with the shepherds and peasants, but not to be in the cities with people who preach heresy. you wish to remain with me, then come to the place where you found me. This will be for your benefit." the young man was able to hear the voice. obedience to the Mother of God, he freed his servants, gave away all of his possessions, and went back to the cave where he had found the Icon, accompanied by one of his servants, who decided to remain with him. was convinced that it was the will of the Panagia that she should remain there. young man built a chapel in the cave for the Icon. and his servant both received the monastic tonsure from Hieromonk Raphael, who came from the hermitage of Saint Demetrios. was tonsured with the name Demetrios, and his servant received the name Timothy. he built a cell opposite the chapel in a quiet place, where they repented for their sins. Demetrios reposed there in peace, after living a God-pleasing life. His disciple Timothy buried his body in the church he had built, and his blessed soul flew to Heaven. was the beginning of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Prousa (or Prousiotissa). Icon of the All-Holy Virgin is of the Hodēgḗtria type has a gilded silver-plated metal cover, the gift of General George Karaiskakis, who was housed in the Monastery during the Revolution of 1821. metal cover was made by the goldsmith George Karanikas in 1824, as is shown by the embossed inscription above the right shoulder of the Mother of God: "The Pantanassa. Through the generosity of General George Karaiskakis, made by the hand of George Karanikas, 1824." Monastery's records show that it had been devastated many times during the Turkish occupation. last act of vandalism (by the Germans in 1944) reduced the buildings into piles of rubble. the buildings fell, an officer wanted to burn down the church. He tried to do so many times, but to no avail. he was standing outside and giving orders, he was punished by the Panagia, as an example to others. invisible force threw him violently onto the pavement. The impact was very powerful, and the German was unable to get up. The soldiers lifted him and placed him upon an animal in order to carry him to Agrinio. the temple remained unharmed, just as it has been preserved intact through the centuries. years passed, and a civil war was raging in the Greek countryside. inhabitants of Eurytania and Naupaktos left their villages, seeking safety in other parts of Greece. brought their wonderworking Icon with them. She also shared the fate of her children, and was carried by the monks of Proussos to the acropolis of Naupaktos. monastery remains completely deserted. a long time, the army's operations began. Ninth Division launched an attack to wipe out Eurytania. sections passed through Proussos. officers and soldiers approached the dark church of the cave and went in to pray. Inside, they beheld a strange sight. In front of the iconostasis, to the left of the Beautiful Gate, was a lit candle and a nun was kneeling there. The soldiers were amazed. How could this nun be living there at a time when Eurytania was completely abandoned by its residents? How did she live, what did she eat, where did she get oil for the lamp? When they asked her, she replied modestly and with pain: "My children, I've been living here alone for two and a half years. For my own life, I don't need food and bread. It is enough for me to have my lamp lit." soldiers grew tired of this business, and were in a hurry to leave, so they paid no attention to her words. But the next day, when they thought about it, they realized that this was a wondrous thing. when they passed through Naupaktos, they begged their commanding officer for permission to visit Metropolitan Christophoros of Naupaktos and Eurytania. The hierarch welcomed them with love, and after hearing their story, he was able to shed some light on the mystery. temple that you visited," he told them, "belongs to the now abandoned Prousiotissa Monastery, whose wonderworking Icon has been kept here for more than two years, in the chapel of our metropolis, at Saint Dionysios. Go there and venerate it, and then you will understand." did go to venerate the Icon. Then suddenly, everyone understood the mystery. the Icon of the Mother of God, they recognized the nun they had met in the chapel of the cave, high above Proussos!

Greece, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, sole survivor Generl, became serious monk, prayer killed snake, igumen, stillness, angel fed
Ephesus, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, Mt Latros Monestary (north side mt, near Ephesus, Meander River 6), fConstantinople, wealthy pious parents, Patrician&General, sole survivor many ship wreck, became monk, mortified flesh, Later tLatros Mt, killed poison snake wPrayer&Sign oCross, settled north side mt, Igumen, longed fStillness, tCave, off Beasts wPrayer, fed bAngel, miracles like changing bitter water tSweed wStaff, begged return, but not live wMonks, small cell 6days week no food, wBros 1day and eat, foresaw repose went Lord iPeace, continues miracles after death; Mt Latros Monestary; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated December 13 ; Arsenios lived in Constantinople during the VIII and IX centuries1 was the son of wealthy, illustrious, and devout parents. was made Patrician and General of the Kibyrraiote (Κιβυρραιωτῶν)2Military Theme. while traveling by sea with his soldiers, there was a storm and all the ships sank. Saint Arsenios was the only surviver. he became a monk, and mortified his flesh by austere fasting, vigils, and hardships. he came to a certain place on Mount Latros (in Asia Minor), he killed a poisonous viper by his prayers and by making the Sign of the Cross. he settled in the nearby Kelliboria Monastery (Μονὴ Κελλιβάρων) on the north side of the mountain, he was chosen as Igoumen. by many distractions and by people who wanted to see him, he longed for stillness. Saint Arsenios left the Monastery and went to live in a cave, where he drove off the wild beasts with prayer. Arsenios had attained such perfection that he was fed by an Angel. was also granted the grace of performing miracles. example, was able to stir bitter water with his staff and change it into sweet water. brethren of the Monastery begged him to come back to them. did return, but not to live with the other monks. lived alone in a small cell, and for six days of the week he did not eat any food, nor would he converse with anyone. Only on Sundays would he consent to see the brethren and eat with them. the day of his repose, Saint Arsenios summoned all the monks of the Monastery, and after advising them to put aside all worldly cares and vanities, he went to the Lord in peace. The Saint continues to work miracles even after his death. 1 Some sources say he reposed in the XI century. 2 The Byzantine Empire was divided into 29 Themes, or districts.

Greece, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra, regent for son Michael
Constantinople, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), Regent for her minor Son Michael in 842 when Theo died, her council anathematized Iconoclasts, Icon veneration reinstated, annual Triumph oOrthodoxy, Great Fast 1st Sunday, fostered Orthodoxy devotion in son Michael, last 8years in Euphrosyne monastery, reading, astecic struggles, copying Gospels, died 867, 1460 relics given by Turks to people of Kerkyra ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11 ; Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. convened a Council, at which the Iconoclasts were anathematized, the veneration of icons was reinstated. Saint Theodora established the annual celebration of this event, Triumph of Orthodoxy, on the first Sunday of the Great Fast. Theodora did much for Holy Church fostered a firm devotion to Orthodoxy in her son Michael. Michael came of age, she was retired from governing spent eight years in the monastery of Saint Euphrosynē, she devoted herself to ascetic struggles, and reading books that nourished her soul. copy of the Gospels, copied in her own hand, is known to exist. died peacefully around the year 867. 1460, her relics were given by the Turks to the people of Kerkyra (Corfu).

Greece, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, from Nicea, standing on water to I, fiery pillar, G w on water, to g protecting I
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos) from Nicea, standing on water to Athos, fiery pillar, Gabriel w on water, to gate protecting Iveron Monastery; Iviron monastery ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. During the time of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. When the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. The icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. They came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. After a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron monastery, Saint Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. So he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. This was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. Therefore this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). This comes from the Akathist “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. It is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, October 13 (its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel).

Greece, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery, chosen by MOG to walk on water tRetrieve Iveron Icon
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos), silence aIveron winter only, summer inaccessible clifts roots herbs, heavenly man earthly angel, icon arrives Iveron, pillar oLight oSea, several days, floating upright, drifted away fBoat, prayed, MOG appeared, told Gabriel only one worthy, appeared tGabriel, told him walk on water tGet it, image drew near, see Feb 12th; Iviron monastery ; Venerable Gabriel the Georgian of Mount Athos, Commemorated on July 12; Gabriel was a monk of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. summer he would withdraw to the inaccessible cliffs, and in winter he would return to the monastery and observe a strict rule of silence. in a coarse robe and eating nothing but roots and herbs, Saint Gabriel was truly a “heavenly man and an earthly angel.” at dusk, the monks of the monastery beheld a pillar of light shining forth upon the sea. vision lasted for several days, and finally monks from every monastery on the Holy Mountain gathered and descended together to the sea. beheld an icon of the Mother of God shining brilliantly and floating upright upon the surface of the water. fathers lowered a boat onto the water, hoping to bring the icon back with them to the shore, but each time their boat approached the icon, it drifted farther out to sea. the frustrated monks offered prayers and supplications to God in order to discern His will, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in a divine revelation told them that the monk Gabriel alone was worthy to bring the icon bearing her image out from the sea. the same time, she appeared to the God-fearing Gabriel and told him, “Enter onto the sea and walk out upon the waves with faith, and I will send my love and mercy upon all the monks of this monastery.” elders of Mt. Athos located the rocky dwelling of the hermit Gabriel not far from the Iveron Monastery. brought Gabriel with them and went down to the sea with hymns and censing. stepped out onto the water and, walking upon the waves as upon dry land, approached the icon. the same time, the holy image drew nearer to him. the holy icon to his breast, Gabriel crossed back over the waves and delivered the icon safely to the shore. story of the miraculous Iveron Icon of the Theotokos is recounted in detail in the commemorations for February 12.) Gabriel reposed peacefully on Mt. Athos.

Greece, 845-885, CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO SLAVS, f Thessalonica, Greece, Clement's relics, Cirilic a, Slavic litergy

Greece, 850-916, Clement of Ochrid, Bulgaria&Macedonia, Cyril&Method disciple, Slavonic s, Slavery, ransomed, Bulgaria

Greece, 850 9th Century, Martyr Barbarus, a robber, Larissa, Thessaly, repentence, death inevitability& last judgement, Myrrh
Greece, 850 9th Century, Martyr Barbarus, who was a robber, Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth), Lord turned him to repentence, thought of inevitability of death and last judgement, robber hanging beside Jesus, his eneffable mercy, Left his treasures behind, confessed to priest, lived w his cattle, absolution, 12 yrs in woods, received sign of forgiveness & Martyrdom, shot by merchant's arrows, heavenly light, currative myrrh, relics at the monastery of Kellios in Thessaly, near Larissa; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larissa">Larissa; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; Holy Martyr Barbarus, formerly a robber, lived in Greece and for a long time he committed robberies, extortions and murders. the Lord, Who does not desire the death of a sinner, turned him to repentance. when Barbarus was sitting in a cave and gazing upon his stolen possessions, the grace of God touched his heart. thought about the inevitability of death, and about the dread Last Judgment. over the multitude of his wicked deeds, he was distressed in his heart and he decided to make a beginning of repentance, saying, “The Lord did not despise the prayer of the robber hanging beside Him. May He spare me through His ineffable mercy.” left all his treasures behind in the cave and he went to the nearest church. He did not conceal his wicked deeds from the priest, and he asked to be accepted for repentance. priest gave him a place in his own home, and Saint Barbarus followed him, going about on his hands and knees like a four-legged animal, since he considered himself unworthy to be called a man. the household of the priest he lived with the cattle, eating with the animals and considering himself more wicked than any creature. received absolution from his sins from the priest, Barbarus went into the woods and lived there for twelve years, naked and without clothing, suffering from the cold and heat. His body became dirty and blackened all over. Saint Barbarus received a sign from on high that his sins were forgiven, and that he would die a martyr’s death. merchants came to the place where Saint Barbarus labored. In the deep grass before them they saw something moving. Thinking that this was an animal, they shot several arrows from their bows. Coming closer, they were terrified to see that they had mortally wounded a man. Saint Barbarus begged them not to grieve. He told them about himself and he asked that they relate what had happened to the priest at whose house he had once lived. this, Saint Barbarus yielded up his spirit to God. The priest, who had accepted the repentance of the former robber, found his body shining with a heavenly light. The priest buried the body of Saint Barbarus at the place where he was killed. a curative myrrh began to issue forth from the grave of the saint, which healed various maladies. His relics are located at the monastery of Kellios in Thessaly, near the city of Larissa.

Greece, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, saintly child, commander, allies fled, rushed center, killed beast on way home
Bulgaria, 855-867, Michael t soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3, across river from Trnovo), saintly child, commander, Greek allies fled, prayed, rushed center, killed lake beast on way home, died, relics healed, 1800 r transferred to Wallacia; Potuka; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Michael the Soldier of Bulgaria, among the first of the Bulgarians to become Christian, lived in the city of Potuka during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael III (855-867). still an infant, he was known as a “saintly child.” his youth he led a blameless life, possessed the fear of God, fasted, generously distributed alms to the poor, visited the sick, and was meek and humble. twenty-four years of age Saint Michael was made commander of a troop of soldiers. that time, the Turks were warring against Christians, and Saint Michael inspired his troops by his bravery in battle. the allies of the Bulgarians, the Greeks, fled from the field of battle, he fell to the ground and prayed with tears for the deliverance of the Christians. he led his own soldiers against the enemy. Rushing into the center of the enemy formation, he put them into disarray, and remained unharmed himself. homeward after a battle, he rescued the inhabitants of a certain city in the Raipha wilderness from a huge beast which emerged from a lake and attacked children. came to see this brave soldier when they heard that he had slain the beast they once worshiped as a god. He preached the Gospel to them, and turned them from demon worship and human sacrifice. after he returned home, Saint Michael surrendered his soul to the Lord, Whom he had loved since his youth. He wrought many miracles after death, healing those who came to him with faith. transfer of the relics of the saint from Potuka to Trnovo occurred in the year 1206, and at the beginning of the nineteenth century, they were transferred to Wallachia.

Greece, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra, fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, wisdom glory, miracles
Epiros, Greece, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, glorified bWisdom, defender f wrath oConstantine, widows deferder, orphans father, so gift oMiracles, composed sanctification oOil Canon (Criterion fJudging), several letters tPhotius survive ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Arsenius, Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), a native of Palestine lived in the ninth century. led a strict ascetic life, was a highly educated man renowned spiritual writer. was glorified by wisdom, constantly defended his flock from the wrath of the emperor Constantine (979-1028). of his great virtue, Saint Arsenius was consecrated as Archbishop of Kerkyra. became a defender of widows, a father to orphans, and a comfort for the sorrowful, so God rewarded him with the gift of miracles. fell asleep in the Lord toward the end of the ninth century. relics were placed in the cathedral at Kerkyra, many miracles and healings took place at his tomb. Arsenius composed the Canon chanted during the Sanctification of Oil, Panegyric (a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something) on the Apostle Andrew, a Discourse on the Suffering of the Great Martyr Barbara. of his letters to Saint Photius (February 6) still survive.

Greece, 892, Theodora&dTheopiste, tThessalonica from Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery aHusbands' death, virtuous life
Greece, 892, Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, moved tThessalonica due to Saracen Raids on Aegina Island, tMonastery after husbands death, virtuous life; Aegina Island; Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Commemorated on August 3; Theodora was born in Aegina. her marriage, she and her husband moved to Thessaloniki because of the raids of the Saracens. her husband's death she entered the Monastery of Saint Stephen with her daughter Theopiste. lived a life of great virtue and reposed in the year 892. the commemoration of these saints is on August 29, their celebration was moved to August 3 because of the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

Greece, 900, 10th 11th Century Folder, Russians, Mt Athos Georgians

Greece, 907, Russian incursion into Greece in 907
Russian incursion into Greece in 907 (Rus-“Byzantine War (907)); The very first pages of the Russian Primary Chronicle, as foreordained by God, is bound up with the name of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Chronicle relates that when Oleg the Wise threatened the Greeks at Constantinople (907), the Greeks became terrified and said, œThis is not Oleg, but rather St Demetrius sent upon us from God.Â Russian soldiers always believed that they were under the special protection of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius. Moreover, in the old Russian barracks the Great Martyr Demetrius was always depicted as Russian. Thus this image entered the soul of the Russian nation. Russian Primary Chronicle; Timeline of Russian history; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Oleg of Kiev and Novgorod (Little Russia); Little Russia (Ukraine);

Greece, 916-946, Luke oHellas, fPeloponissos, child miracles, levitation, constant prayer, solitary, obedient, humble, foresight
Greece, 916-946, Luke of Hellas (Greece) fKastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E, son oPoor farmers, toiled much iChildhood, Farming&Shepherding, obedient tParents, temperate iEating, gave food clothing tPoor, parent reproach, example gave almost all seed, but best harvest ever, as child prayed fervently often, mother saw him standing in air more than once while praying, after father's death tAthens monastery, mother's prayers miraculously returned him, 4mos then mother sent him solitary place, Ioannou mt, 7yrs, constant prayer fasting, tonsured monk there, foresight gift, tCorinth tAvoid Bulgarian invasion, tPatras stylite 10 yrs, served him iObedience Humility, returned thome land, tIoannou, but throngs people disturbed quietude, Elder blessed him tMore remont Kalamion, 3yrs, tAmpelon Island, desolate arid, because Turk invasion, tSteiris, small monastery grew up, church built tGreat Martyr Barbara, many miracles, healing souls and bodies, foresaw his own end, tHis cell 3mo, prepared his departure, replied throw my body ravine to be eaten wild animals, bretheren begged, then bury body where I lay, into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit; Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; Luke of Hellas was a native of the Greek village of Kastorion. son of poor farmers, the saint from childhood had toiled much, working in the fields and shepherding the sheep. was very obedient to his parents very temperate in eating. often gave his own food and clothing to the poor, which he suffered reproach from his parents. once gave away almost all the seed which was needed for planting in the fields. Lord rewarded him for his charity, and the harvest gathered was greater than ever before. a child, he prayed fervently and often. mother saw him more than once standing not on the ground, but in the air while he prayed. the death of his father, he left his mother and went to Athens, where he entered a monastery. through the prayers of his mother, who was very concerned about him, the Lord returned him to his parental home in a miraculous manner. spent four months there, then with his mother’s blessing he went to a solitary place on a mountain called Ioannou (or Ioannitsa). there was a church dedicated to the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, he lived an ascetical life in constant prayer and fasting. was tonsured there by some Elders who were on pilgrimage. this, Saint Luke redoubled his ascetic efforts, which the Lord granted him the gift of foresight. a seven years on Ioannou, the saint moved to Corinth because of an invasion of the Bulgarian armies. about the exploits of a certain stylite at Patras, he went to see him, remained for ten years to serve the ascetic with humility and obedience. the saint returned again to his native land again began to pursue asceticism on Mount Ioannou. throngs of people flocking there disturbed his quietude, with the blessing of his Elder Theophylactus, Luke went with his disciple to a still more remote place at Kalamion. three years, he settled on the desolate and arid island of Ampelon of an invasion of the Turks. was another place of his ascetic efforts. brethren gathered to the monk, and a small monastery grew up, church of which was dedicated to the Great Martyr Barbara. in the monastery, the saint performed many miracles, healing sicknesses of soul and of body. his end, the saint confined himself in a cell and for three months prepared for his departure. asked where he was to be buried, the monk replied, “Throw my body into a ravine to be eaten by wild beasts.” the brethren begged him to change these instructions, he commanded them to bury his body on the spot where he lay. his eyes to heaven, he said, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!” Luke fell asleep in the Lord on February 7, 946. a church was built over his tomb. flowed from his holy relics, and many healings occurred.

Greece, 920-998, Nikon Metanoeite, gifted repentence Preacher, Pontus to Sparta, little heed, then miracles, sorrow b confessn
Armenia, 920-998, Nikon Metanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Pontus Polemoniacus Area (Kelkit River 2), wealthy son, to monastery, gifted preacher, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, Peloponnesus, repent, little heed, then miracles & loving nature, true sorrow for sins by prayer self denial confession, cave outside sparta, downtown sparta; Pontus Polemoniacus Area; Venerable Nikon Metanoeite, the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Nikon Metanoeite (“the Preacher of Repentance”) was born at Pontus Polemoniacus at the beginning of the tenth century. was the son of a wealthy landowner, and he was given the name Nicetas in Baptism. he had no desire to take over the management of his family’s wealth and estates, Nicetas entered the monastery of Chrysopetro, where he shone forth in prayer and asceticism. he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new name symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new man (Ephesians 4:24). monk is expected to stop associating himself with the old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote himself entirely to God. Nikon had a remarkable gift for preaching. he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters, his listeners were filled with heartfelt compunction and love for God. words produced such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to travel through the eastern regions to preach. visited Armenia, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” was the message of Saint John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew 4:17). was also the message of Saint Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with “Repent,” hence he was called “Nikon Metanoeite,” or “Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.” first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving nature. stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one’s sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one’s spiritual Father. sowing the seeds of piety, Saint Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world. Saint Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church. Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles. Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece, however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to Saint Nikon was composed by Father Daniel Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint’s Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of Saint Nikon’s Monastery in 1142. Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was dedicated to Saint Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.

Greece, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles, Prochorus oPshina persued asceticism iBransk wilderness aRiver Pshina, founded monastery there, renouned as one otGreat ascetics, died end 10th C, miracles fHis relics, pious King Milutin 1276-1320 built Prochorus' Church
Greece, 930-990, Prochorus the Abbot, Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness, founded a monastery, great ascetic, relics miracles, Prochorus oPshina persued asceticism iBransk wilderness aRiver Pshina, founded monastery there, renouned as one otGreat ascetics, died end 10th C, miracles fHis relics, pious King Milutin 1276-1320 built Prochorus' Church; Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) St. Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the River Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Prochorus of Pshina pursued asceticism in the Bransk wilderness at the River Pshina, and he founded a monastery there. is renowned as one of the great ascetics of monastic life. He died at the end of the tenth century. Miracles occurred from the saint’s relics. According to the Serbian Chronicles, the pious King Milutin (1276-1320) built a church in honor of Saint Prochorus.

Greece, 940-1003, Macedonia, Athanasius the Athonite
Macedonia, 940-1003, Athanasius the Athonite; Macedonia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Greece, 940-1003, Athanasius of Athos, spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, MOG stops Athanasius & promises to lead his monastery
Greece, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon, The spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 5 or 6 Miles, MOG stops Athanasius from leaving and promises to build and lead his monastery; Athanasius of Athos; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Economissa (or Stewardess) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne, with Her Son on her left knee. Saint Athanasius of Mt Athos (July 5) stands on her right, holding a model of the Great Lavra. On her left is Saint Michael of Synnada (May 23). Two angels hold a crown above her head. Mother of God has been considered the Stewardess of the Holy Mountain ever since the tenth century when the Great Lavra was being built. Athanasius of Mt Athos was abandoned by his monks because there was a shortage of food and money. He also left the half-built Lavra, and began walking toward Karyes, intending to ask for advice about whether or not to beg the emperor for the funds needed to complete the building. After about two hours, he saw a beautiful woman standing before him wearing a long blue veil. “I know your sorrow,” She said, “and I would like to help. Where are you going?” Athanasius explained everything that had happened, and She asked, “Have you deserted your monastery for a morsel of bread? Go back! You will have everything you need in abundance, if you do not abandon your monastery.” “Who are you?” the astonished saint inquired. “I am the Mother of your Lord,” She replied. Athanasius hesitated to believe Her, afraid of being deceived by the Evil One. Then he asked Her how he could be sure that Her words were true. “Do you see this rock?” she asked, pointing to the side of the path. “Strike it with your staff in the name of the Holy Trinity, and you will know who is speaking to you. Do not appoint a steward at any time, for from this time forward, I shall be the Stewardess of your monastery.” Athanasius did as he was told, and the rock split open. A stream of water began to flow out of the crack. When he turned to face the Mother of God and to ask forgiveness for his doubt, She had disappeared. to the monastery, Saint Athanasius found all the storerooms filled to capacity with food, wine, and oil. The building was completed, and soon the Lavra was filled with monks once again. this day, the Lavra does not have a steward. There is, however, a monk who serves as an assistant steward to the Mother of God. The Economissa Icon rests on a throne in the narthex of the main church, and She remains the Stewardess of the Lavra. Pilgrims venerate the Icon before entering the side chapel with the saint’s tomb. spring of Saint Athanasius still flows with healing water. Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer. Doing his lessons came easily and he soon outpaced his peers in study. the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the Byzantine emperor Romanus the Elder, and was enrolled as a student under the renowned rhetorician Athanasius. In a short while the student attained the mastery of skill of his teacher and he himself became an instructor of youths. Reckoning as the true life that of fasting and vigilance, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, he slept little and then only sitting upon a stool, and barley bread and water were his nourishment. When his teacher Athanasius through human weakness became jealous of his student, blessed Abraham gave up his teaching position and went away. these days there had arrived at Constantinople Saint Michael Maleinos (July 12), igumen of the Kyminas monastery. Abraham told the igumen about his life, and revealed to him his secret desire to become a monk. The holy Elder, discerning in Abraham a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, became fond of him and taught him much in questions of salvation. One time during their spiritual talks Saint Michael was visited by his nephew, Nikēphóros Phocas, a military officer and future emperor. Abraham’s lofty spirit and profound mind impressed Nikēphóros, and all his life he regarded the saint with reverent respect and with love. Abraham was consumed by his zeal for the monastic life. Having forsaken everything, he went to the Kyminas monastery and, falling down at the feet of the holy igumen, he begged to be received into the monastic life. The igumen fulfilled his request with joy and tonsured him with the name Athanasius. long fasts, vigils, bending of the knees, with works night and day Athanasius soon attained such perfection, that the holy igumen blessed him for the exploit of silence in a solitary place not far from the monastery. Later on, having left Kyminas, he made the rounds of many desolate and solitary places, and guided by God, he came to a place called Melanos, at the very extremity of Athos, settling far off from the other monastic dwellings. Here the monk made himself a cell and began to live an ascetical life in works and in prayer, proceeding from exploit to exploit towards higher monastic attainment. enemy of mankind tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred for the place chosen by him, and assaulted him with constant suggestions in thought. The ascetic decided to suffer it out for a year, and then wherever the Lord should direct him, he would go. On the last day of this year’s length of time, when Saint Athanasius set about to prayer, a heavenly light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with an indescribable joy, all the thoughts dissipated, and from his eyes welled up graced tears. From that moment Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness , and he became as strongly fond of the place of his solitude as he had formerly loathed it. this time Nikēphóros Phocas, having had enough of military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and from his means he besought Saint Athanasius to build a monastery, i.e., to build cells for him and the brethren, and a church where the brethren could commune of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays. to shun cares and worries, Saint Athanasius at first would not agree to accept the hateful gold, but seeing the fervent desire and good intent of Nikēphóros, and discerning in this the will of God, he set about the building of the monastery. He built a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and another church at the foot of a hill, in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around the church were the cells, and a wondrous monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. In it were a trapeza (dining area), a hospice for the sick and for taking in wanderers, and other necessary structures. flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other lands, simple people and illustrious dignitaries, desert-dwellers having labored in asceticism for long years in the wilderness, igumens from many monasteries and hierarchs wanting to become simple monks in the Athos Lavra of Saint Athanasius. saint established at the monastery a cenobitic monastic Rule on the model of the old Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were served with all strictness, and no one was so bold as to talk during the services, nor to come late or leave the church without necessity. Heavenly Patroness of Athos, the All-Pure Mother of God Herself, was graciously disposed towards the saint. Many times he was privileged to see Her with his own eyes. God’s dispensation, there once occurred such a hunger, that the monks one after the other quit the Lavra. The saint remained all alone and, in a moment of weakness, he also considered leaving. Suddenly he beheld a Woman beneath an ethereal veil, coming to meet him. “Who are you and where are you going?” She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius from an innate deference halted. “I am a monk from here,” Saint Athanasius replied, and spoke about himself and his worries. “Would you forsake the monastery which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? around, and I shall help you.” “Who are you?” asked Athanasius. “I am the Mother of the Lord,” She answered, and bid Athanasius to strike his staff upon a stone. From the fissure there gushed forth a spring of water, which exists even now, in remembrance of this miraculous visitation. brethren grew in number, and the construction work at the Lavra continued. Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his impending end and besought the brethren not to be troubled over what he foresaw. “For Wisdom disposes otherwise than as people judge.” The brethren were perplexed and pondered the words of the saint. giving the brethren his final guidance and comforting all, Saint Athanasius entered his cell, put on his mantiya and holy kukolion (head covering), which he wore only on great feasts, and emerged after prolonged prayer. and joyful, the holy igumen went up with six of the brethren to the top of the church to inspect the construction. through the imperceptible will of God, the top of the church collapsed. Five of the brethren immediately gave up their souls to God. Saint Athanasius and the architect Daniel, thrown upon the stones, remained alive. heard the saint call out to the Lord, “Glory to Thee, O God! Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!” The brethren with great weeping began to dig out their father from the rubble, but they found him already dead.

Greece, 950-990, Philotheus tFounder of Philotheou Monastery oMt Athos, 990
Philotheou monastery; or Filotheou Monastery (Greek: Μονή Φιλοθέου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It stands on the north-eastern side of the peninsula. was founded by the Blessed Philotheus, in the end of the 10th century. The monastery ranks twelfth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. the end of the 15th century, according to the Russian pilgrim Isaiah, the monastery was Albanian.[1] 1539–1540 the monastery was renovated with funds from the Georgian kings, Levan of Kakheti and his son Alexander II of Kakheti, frescos of whom are depicted in the refectory.[2] library holds 250 manuscripts, and 2500 printed books (of which 500 are in Russian and Romanian). monastery contains 60 working monks. Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; Philotheus, the founder of the Philotheou Monastery on Mount Athos, lived toward the end of the tenth century.

Greece, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, Macedonia, Mt Athos, First Larva of Mt Athos, Georgian
Macedonia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Greece, 963, Economissa Icon, spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, MOG stops Athanasius & promises to lead his monastery
Greece, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon, The spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 5 or 6 Miles, MOG stops Athanasius from leaving and promises to build and lead his monastery; Athanasius of Athos; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Economissa (or Stewardess) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne, with Her Son on her left knee. Saint Athanasius of Mt Athos (July 5) stands on her right, holding a model of the Great Lavra. On her left is Saint Michael of Synnada (May 23). Two angels hold a crown above her head. Mother of God has been considered the Stewardess of the Holy Mountain ever since the tenth century when the Great Lavra was being built. Athanasius of Mt Athos was abandoned by his monks because there was a shortage of food and money. He also left the half-built Lavra, and began walking toward Karyes, intending to ask for advice about whether or not to beg the emperor for the funds needed to complete the building. After about two hours, he saw a beautiful woman standing before him wearing a long blue veil. “I know your sorrow,” She said, “and I would like to help. Where are you going?” Athanasius explained everything that had happened, and She asked, “Have you deserted your monastery for a morsel of bread? Go back! You will have everything you need in abundance, if you do not abandon your monastery.” “Who are you?” the astonished saint inquired. “I am the Mother of your Lord,” She replied. Athanasius hesitated to believe Her, afraid of being deceived by the Evil One. Then he asked Her how he could be sure that Her words were true. “Do you see this rock?” she asked, pointing to the side of the path. “Strike it with your staff in the name of the Holy Trinity, and you will know who is speaking to you. Do not appoint a steward at any time, for from this time forward, I shall be the Stewardess of your monastery.” Athanasius did as he was told, and the rock split open. A stream of water began to flow out of the crack. When he turned to face the Mother of God and to ask forgiveness for his doubt, She had disappeared. to the monastery, Saint Athanasius found all the storerooms filled to capacity with food, wine, and oil. The building was completed, and soon the Lavra was filled with monks once again. this day, the Lavra does not have a steward. There is, however, a monk who serves as an assistant steward to the Mother of God. The Economissa Icon rests on a throne in the narthex of the main church, and She remains the Stewardess of the Lavra. Pilgrims venerate the Icon before entering the side chapel with the saint’s tomb. spring of Saint Athanasius still flows with healing water. Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer. Doing his lessons came easily and he soon outpaced his peers in study. the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the Byzantine emperor Romanus the Elder, and was enrolled as a student under the renowned rhetorician Athanasius. In a short while the student attained the mastery of skill of his teacher and he himself became an instructor of youths. Reckoning as the true life that of fasting and vigilance, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, he slept little and then only sitting upon a stool, and barley bread and water were his nourishment. When his teacher Athanasius through human weakness became jealous of his student, blessed Abraham gave up his teaching position and went away. these days there had arrived at Constantinople Saint Michael Maleinos (July 12), igumen of the Kyminas monastery. Abraham told the igumen about his life, and revealed to him his secret desire to become a monk. The holy Elder, discerning in Abraham a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, became fond of him and taught him much in questions of salvation. One time during their spiritual talks Saint Michael was visited by his nephew, Nikēphóros Phocas, a military officer and future emperor. Abraham’s lofty spirit and profound mind impressed Nikēphóros, and all his life he regarded the saint with reverent respect and with love. Abraham was consumed by his zeal for the monastic life. Having forsaken everything, he went to the Kyminas monastery and, falling down at the feet of the holy igumen, he begged to be received into the monastic life. The igumen fulfilled his request with joy and tonsured him with the name Athanasius. long fasts, vigils, bending of the knees, with works night and day Athanasius soon attained such perfection, that the holy igumen blessed him for the exploit of silence in a solitary place not far from the monastery. Later on, having left Kyminas, he made the rounds of many desolate and solitary places, and guided by God, he came to a place called Melanos, at the very extremity of Athos, settling far off from the other monastic dwellings. Here the monk made himself a cell and began to live an ascetical life in works and in prayer, proceeding from exploit to exploit towards higher monastic attainment. enemy of mankind tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred for the place chosen by him, and assaulted him with constant suggestions in thought. The ascetic decided to suffer it out for a year, and then wherever the Lord should direct him, he would go. On the last day of this year’s length of time, when Saint Athanasius set about to prayer, a heavenly light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with an indescribable joy, all the thoughts dissipated, and from his eyes welled up graced tears. From that moment Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness , and he became as strongly fond of the place of his solitude as he had formerly loathed it. this time Nikēphóros Phocas, having had enough of military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and from his means he besought Saint Athanasius to build a monastery, i.e., to build cells for him and the brethren, and a church where the brethren could commune of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays. to shun cares and worries, Saint Athanasius at first would not agree to accept the hateful gold, but seeing the fervent desire and good intent of Nikēphóros, and discerning in this the will of God, he set about the building of the monastery. He built a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and another church at the foot of a hill, in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around the church were the cells, and a wondrous monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. In it were a trapeza (dining area), a hospice for the sick and for taking in wanderers, and other necessary structures. flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other lands, simple people and illustrious dignitaries, desert-dwellers having labored in asceticism for long years in the wilderness, igumens from many monasteries and hierarchs wanting to become simple monks in the Athos Lavra of Saint Athanasius. saint established at the monastery a cenobitic monastic Rule on the model of the old Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were served with all strictness, and no one was so bold as to talk during the services, nor to come late or leave the church without necessity. Heavenly Patroness of Athos, the All-Pure Mother of God Herself, was graciously disposed towards the saint. Many times he was privileged to see Her with his own eyes. God’s dispensation, there once occurred such a hunger, that the monks one after the other quit the Lavra. The saint remained all alone and, in a moment of weakness, he also considered leaving. Suddenly he beheld a Woman beneath an ethereal veil, coming to meet him. “Who are you and where are you going?” She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius from an innate deference halted. “I am a monk from here,” Saint Athanasius replied, and spoke about himself and his worries. “Would you forsake the monastery which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? around, and I shall help you.” “Who are you?” asked Athanasius. “I am the Mother of the Lord,” She answered, and bid Athanasius to strike his staff upon a stone. From the fissure there gushed forth a spring of water, which exists even now, in remembrance of this miraculous visitation. brethren grew in number, and the construction work at the Lavra continued. Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his impending end and besought the brethren not to be troubled over what he foresaw. “For Wisdom disposes otherwise than as people judge.” The brethren were perplexed and pondered the words of the saint. giving the brethren his final guidance and comforting all, Saint Athanasius entered his cell, put on his mantiya and holy kukolion (head covering), which he wore only on great feasts, and emerged after prolonged prayer. and joyful, the holy igumen went up with six of the brethren to the top of the church to inspect the construction. through the imperceptible will of God, the top of the church collapsed. Five of the brethren immediately gave up their souls to God. Saint Athanasius and the architect Daniel, thrown upon the stones, remained alive. heard the saint call out to the Lord, “Glory to Thee, O God! Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!” The brethren with great weeping began to dig out their father from the rubble, but they found him already dead.

Greece, 963-1003, Athanasius the Athonite, Macedonia, Mt Athos, Saint, Georgian
Greece, Macedonia, Mt. Athos, 940-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite; St. Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St. Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, 963-969, Byzantine Emperor, Nikephorus Phokas
Byzantine Emperor, 963-969, Nikephorus Phokas ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God œQuick to Hear, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Greece, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos
Macedonia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissa, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Greece, 964-, Euthymius&Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou, Mt Athos, Arabs attack, rebuilt, expanded, protos
Greece, Mt Athos, 960's, Euthymius & Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, f aristocracy, Athanasius' friend, then disciple (novice), his steward, settled Daphne, monastery, attention towards self, tStirrings of tSoul, explaining tStruggle, Saracens (Arabs) attack, tForest, monastery razed, rebuilt, Neophyt companion Emperor Nikephoros Phocas, came Mt Athos uncle Euthymius' m, became igumen, asked Emperor N to support, that enlarged m t prent size, N became protos oHoly Mt at Kyres many years, then returned to D; Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos—10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9; Euthymius and Neophytus, founders of the Dochiariou Monastery on Mount Athos, an uncle and his nephew, to the highest Byzantine aristocracy. Euthymius, while still in the world, was the friend of Saint Athanasius of Mount Athos (July 5), and he later became a novice and disciple of the great ascetic. his sincere love of the brethren, gentleness and his particular zeal in the ascetic life, Saint Athanasius granted the monk the duty of steward, which Saint Euthymius fulfilled as though entrusted to him by God Himself. Euthymius settled with several of the monks in the locale of Daphne, he founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which he called Dochiariou in memory of his obedience. his own younger brethren, Saint Euthymius taught the necessity of attention towards self, to all the stirrings of the soul, that the struggle of Christians, according to the Apostle Paul, is not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and against powers, and against the world-rulers of this darkness” (Eph 6:12). peaceful ascetic life of the monks was disturbed by the Saracens. monk led all the brethren into the forest. they found the monastery razed to its very foundations. Euthymius did not lose heart, and the monastery was rebuilt. Neophytus, in the world, was a companion of the emperor Nikēphóros Phocas (963-969). the death of his parents he came to Mount Athos, where he was tonsured in the monastery of his uncle Saint Euthymius. his death, Saint Euthymius handed over the administration of the monastery to his nephew. the spiritual guidance of Saint Neophytus, the small monastery grew into a Lavra. the emperor Nikēphóros to become a benefactor of the monastery, Neophytus enlarged the monastery to its present size. Neophytus was deigned to be chosen “protos” (head of the governing Council of Elders of the Holy Mountain) for many years he labored there. taking leave of the Council in his declining years, he returned to the Dochiariou monastery, where peacefully he fell asleep in the Lord.

Greece, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator, Georgian
Macedonia, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator ; Son of Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Greece, 980-983, Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, (Georgia, Caucasian Iberia )
Caucasian Iberia; Caucasian Iberia (Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, Macedonia); Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, 980-1002, Saint, John the Iberian, John of Georgia
Georgia, Iberian Saint, 980-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Greece, 982&717-41, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople

Greece, 995, Ekoumenios, Wonderworker oTrikala Fortress, Thessaly, well educated, writer, bishop, water fStone tProve Truth
Greece, 995, Ekoumenios, Wonderworker of Trikala, Thessaly (Pineios River 2), educated, writer, bishop, fCappadocia, Achilles' nephew, 395, 325 ECouncil, made water gush forth from stone to prove true faith, Trikala Fortress shrine fE; Trikkala; Saint Ekouménios, Wonderworker of Trikala, Commemorated on May 3; is much disagreement about Saint Ekouménios (Οικουμένιος), concerning his identity and exactly when he lived. to prevailing opinion, Saint Ekouménios lived in the late X century (ca. 995). studied all the Fathers of the Church and became an excellent interpreter of Holy Scripture. the same time, he wrote Commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles, the fourteen Epistles of Saint Paul, as well as his seven catholic Epistles. contemporaries esteemed him for his blameless character and his excellent education. he was chosen for the episcopal throne of Trikala (in Thessaly), where he proved himself as a faithful Archpastor and disciple of the Lord Christ. reposed in peace. according to another strong and persistent local tradition, Saint Ekoumenios lived in the IV century, as the learned Metropolitan Anthony of Larίsa mentions in the Encomium he wrote for Saint Ekoumenios in the XIV century. to this Encomium, Saint Ekouménios was from Cappadocia, and was the nephew of Saint Achilles of Larίsa (May 15) and the cousin of Saint Rēgίnos, Bishop of Skopelos (February 25). He followed his Spiritual Father and teacher Achilles to Larίsa, and finally he was elected Bishop of Trίkkē, thus fulfilling his uncle's great desire to see him enthroned as a Hierarch. of them participated in the First Ecumenical Synod (in 325), where they performed a miracle to prove which was the true Faith (they made water gush forth from a stone). Ekoumenios reposed full of days, and was shown to be a wonderworker. honored relics of Saint Ekouménios were kept in a shrine in the church of the Archangel Michael, which was located in the fortress (Trikala). the village of Haϊdeménē, Trίkkē there is a church dedicated to Saint Ekouménios opposite Refuge hill, where according to Tradition Saint Ekouménios withdrew for solitude.

Greece, 1000, 11th Century Folder, George of Athos, Stylite Clement of Boethia

Greece, 1001-1065, George of Mt Athos, sent to Iveron to finish Ekvtime's work translating into Georgian, received Bagrat 1V's wealth
Georgia, 101-1065, George of Mt Athos, w Sabiana 7-10, 10-25 Khakhuli and Constantinople w philosophers and rhetoricians, back to Khakhuli, then to Jerusalem, black mts n Antioch, found spiritual father guide George the Recluse for 3 yrs, great schema, sent him to Iveron to continue translation into Georgian, failed to continue Ekvtime's work, rebuked by Tevdore, became abbot of I, resigned to translate, returned to Recluse, to I, finally to King Bagrat 1V and Georgia, returned to I after 5 yrs with Bagrat's wealth and 80 orphans, stopped in C and died, E took care of orphans; Georgia, 960-1000, Sabiana, Abbess of Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery, the tree is known by its fruit, nuns of the Georgian Monasteries, Thekla, her b George the Lesser; Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery; Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27; George’s family had its roots in the region of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. George was born in Trialeti to the pious Jacob and Mariam. George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. after, Prince Peris Jojikisdze of Trialeti invited George’s uncle, George the Scribe, to stay with him, and George’s uncle took his young nephew with him. the Byzantine emperor Basil II subsequently summoned Peris and his family to Constantinople, accused him of conspiring against the throne, and had him beheaded. (At that time Trialeti was under the jurisdiction of Byzantium.) Peris’ faithful wife remained in Constantinople for twelve years and sent the young George to study with the finest philosophers and rhetoricians of that time. Emperor Basil was moved with compassion for the prince’s family and permitted them to return to Georgia. The twenty-five-year-old George returned to Khakhuli Monastery and “bowed his neck to the sweet yoke of monastic life.” George secretly left the monastery and, clad in beggars’ rags, journeyed to Jerusalem. After enduring many deprivations and overcoming a great number of obstacles, he reached the Black Mountains near Antioch and, after venerating the holy places and visiting several elders, began to search for a spiritual father and guide. He found the great Georgian elder Saint George the Recluse (the God-bearer) in an isolated cave and remained there with him for three years. Saint George the Recluse tonsured his disciple, “who had reached perfection of age, wisdom and understanding,” into the great schema and sent him to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. to his teacher’s counsel, George then moved from Jerusalem to the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos to continue the work of Saint Ekvtime—the translation of theological texts from the Greek to the Georgian language. considered himself unworthy and unqualified to continue Saint Ekvtime’s great work, but Saint George the Recluse was insistent, so he set off for the Holy Mountain in humble obedience. monks of the Ivḗron Monastery received Saint George with great joy. But instead of translating the patristic texts as his spiritual father had advised him, George soon grew slothful and for seven years performed only the work of a novice. When Saint George the Recluse heard this, he sent his disciple Tevdore to Mt. Athos to rebuke him and remind him of the reason he had been sent there. Finally George of the Holy Mountain obeyed the will of his teacher, and soon he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery. that time on Saint George of the Holy Mountain pursued his work with great earnestness. He gathered information on Saints Ekvtime and John, compiled their Lives, translated their holy relics to ornate burial vaults covered in precious jewels, and enhanced the life of the monastery in many other ways. a visit to the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus, the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalates offered George the opportunity to return to Georgia to be consecrated bishop of Chqondidi and serve as his own spiritual adviser. But George declined, having already been drawn far from the vanity of the world. of the monastery was demanding, and George was forced to choose between his literary work and the life of the monastery. resigned as abbot and returned to Saint George the Recluse for counsel. But his teacher blessed him to return to the Ivḗron Monastery, so George set off again for Mt. Athos. God-fearing king Bagrat IV Kuropalates continued to ask Saint George to return to Georgia, and he finally consented to the will of the king and the catholicos. accordance with their request, the pious father instituted general guidelines for the qualifications and conduct of the clergy and wisely administered the affairs of the Church. Five years later Saint George returned to the Ivḗron Monastery. Before he departed, King Bagrat bestowed upon him much of his own wealth and saw him off with great respect. for Mt. Athos, Blessed George took with him eighty orphans. En route he stopped in Constantinople, and sensing that the day of his repose was near, he arranged for the orphans to be received in the emperor’s court. He personally requested that the emperor make provision for the orphaned children. George of the Holy Mountain reposed peacefully the next day, the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His Athonite brothers buried him on the monastery grounds with great reverence. Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. nuns of Georgian monasteries have historically been outstanding in their diligence. God entrusted them with the special duties of ceaseless prayer, fasting, needlework, and the raising of orphans. Nuns have been regarded as vessels of sanctity and wisdom, and even royalty would kneel before them. Georgian noblemen would send their children to nuns to be brought up in the Christian Faith. According to the great church figure George the Lesser, when the parents of Saint George of the Holy Mountain decided to have their first-born daughter, Thekla, raised by nuns, they sent her to the “worthy and holy” Sabiana, who at that time was abbess of the Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery in southern Georgia. Sabiana welcomed Thekla and raised her as though she were her own natural daughter. long Thekla’s brother, the seven-year-old George, was also brought to the monastery, and Saint Sabiana spent three years educating and instructing him in the spiritual life. information on the life and labors of Saint Sabiana has sadly not been preserved. But as the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew attests, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt. 12:33). The high level of monastic life during Saint Sabiana’s abbacy and the pious lives of her spiritual children attest to the great spiritual heights she attained.

Greece, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou, tears begging supplies before icon, dream foretold oil&full pantry
Greece, Mt Athos, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou Monastery, Mt Athos, Macedonia, Feast Day approaching, supplies depleted, so much can't light church, fell asleep begging for church in front oIcon, heard voice in dream, oil vessels and pantry filled, virgil&MOG praise, icon now Foreteller; Konstamonitou Monastery; Foreteller Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 1 ; "Foreteller"1 Icon of the Mother of God is located in the katholikon (cathedral church) of Konstamonitou Monastery on Mount Athos, it became famous in the following way. August 1, 1020, the eve of the monastery’s Feast Day (The Transfer of the Relics of the Protomartyr Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople), Ecclesiarch Father Agathon, (Zacharias in the Schema) was overcome with great sorrow. Monastery’s Altar Feast was approaching, and its supplies were so depleted that there was not enough oil to light the church lamps for the solemn celebration. night, Father Agathon prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God with fervent tears. earnestly did he beg her to help the monastery that he became exhausted. down before the Icon, he fell asleep at once. a dream he heard a voice coming from the holy Icon telling him not to grieve, because the church vessels were now filled with oil, and the pantries contained everything that was necessary for the monastery's continued existence. Father Agathon awoke, he wondered if what he had been told in his dream was true. to the vessel where the oil was stored, he was overjoyed when he saw that it was filled to the brim. once, he reported his vision to Igoumen Hilarion, the Superior of Konstamonitou Monastery, and to all the brethren. went to inspect the pantries and discovered that all the necessary supplies were there in abundance. rejoiced because now, unexpectedly, they could light the church lamps for the service. by Igoumen Hilarion, they served the Vigil and sang praises to the Queen of Heaven for the miracle she had performed. this event, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, before which Father Agathon had prayed, was known as the "Foreteller." she is placed in the Monastery's katholikon, on the wall, on the right hand side. Ever since this miracle took place, an "unsleeping" oil lamp remains lit before the Icon. his most informative book Bogomater (an account of the earthly life of the Mother of God, and of her wonderworking Icons), Poselyanin (+ February 13, 1931) states that there are two other Icons of the Theotokos on the Holy Mountain which are also called "Foreteller" - the "Paramythia," or "Consolation" Icon of Vatopaidi Monastery (January 21), and the Zographou Icon "Of the Akathist" (October 10).

Greece, 1061-1111, Clement the Stylite, Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata, narrow pillar, Many yrs, levitation
Greece, 1061-1111, Clement the Stylite, Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata, works of light, solitary, silence, from Athens, Myoupolis Monastery, Narrow Pillar, many years, levitation, Mt Segmata Monastery; Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27; holy ascetic is not mentioned in the Synaxaristes nor in the Menaion. His Church Service, however, is found in the Laurentian Codex E 152 f. 332 a and Γ 12f. 82 β. his Service he is praised as one who "appeared as a most ascetical spirit-bearer, ascending a tall pillar, as a steadfast pillar of the hermits, and the support of monastics who perform works of light."1 his Kontakion it is stated that he contested alone "most willingly on the mountain of Ságmata on a narrow pillar [and] you adorned the choir of the ascetics, O Most Righteous Clement." Clement lived during the XII century and performed many miracles. Saint Clement the Stylite of Mt Sagmata (+1111); pictures, levitation and approximate age

Greece, 1067-1097, Gabriel, Large inheritance, founded Lesnov m, then left tHide in mine 30yr asceticism, relic healings
Bulgaria, 1067-1097, Gabriel, founder oLesnov Monastery, Bulgaria (High Point, Strumitza River Source), near Kratov, Macedonia, large inheritance, rejected marriage, monk on Mt at Lesnov, built Church, gathered monks, appointed igumen, gave inheritance tMonastery, lift tHide in mine, asceticism 30 yrs, conquering demonic temptations, returned tLesnov m, died iPeace, 30 yrs later relics uncovered, relic healings, long afterwards relics tTrnovo, Bulgaria; Lesnov Monastery, Bulgaria; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15; Gabriel, founder of the Lesnov monastery (in 1067) the city of Kratov. a large inheritance after the death of his parents, he rejected marriage and became a monk on a mountain at Lesnov. he built a church in the name of the Archangel Michael, and gathered many monks around him. appointed an igumen, and left all his inheritance to the monastery. then hid himself in a mine, where he lived in asceticism for thirty years, conquering demonic temptations through prayer and fasting. then returned to the Lesnov monastery and ended his life in peace. thirty years, his relics were uncovered, and healings worked through them. afterwards, they were transferred to Trnovo [Tirnova] in Bulgaria.

Greece, 1079, Niketas oThebes, Boeotia, Greece, charism oWorking Miracles, gift of hospitality, rest by spiritual guidance
Greece, 1079, Niketas oThebes of Boeotia, Greece, northeast of Corinth, Monk at 16, charismatic character, purity, charism oWorking Miracles, tPatras&Daniel, gift of hospitality, rest by spiritual guidance, clairvoyance, full oDays; Thebes, A Greek City State in Boetia ; Boetian Plain; Thebes of Boeotia; Nikḗtas of Thebes and those with him, Commemorated on June 23; Nikḗtas of Thebes was a resident of the seven-gated (Επτάπυλη) city of Thebes in Boetia. the age of sixteen, he was tonsured as a monk, other ascetics were drawn to him by reports of his spiritual character and moral purity. these were the monks Daniel, Theodore, and Gregory. Venerable Nikḗtas was deemed worthy of the charism of working miracles. He reposed in the Lord, full of days, in the year 1079. the Life of Saint Nikḗtas it is said that he once traveled to Patras, where he met Saint Daniel, a great ascetic and a man of prayer. had received from God the gift of hospitality, like that of Abraham; that is, to receive people, offering them rest by giving them spiritual guidance.

Greece, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Founding Serbian Bulgarian Hilandar Monastery, Hilandar's 3Hands Icon

Greece, 1198, Founding of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian and Bulgarian)
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Handson Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, 1198-1261, Icon of Three Hands on Mt Athos, Hilandar monastery, donkey from Serbia story, icon igumen
Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Judea, near Jerusalem, iconodule writer, slandered by Leo III to caliph, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey to Hilandar, Icon became Igumen ; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands: The wonderworking icon, which Saint John of Damascus (December 4) received healing of his amputated hand, given by him to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. the thirteenth century the icon was in Serbia, afterwards it was miraculously transported to Athos to the Hilandar monastery. more detailed account about the icon is located under June 28. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28, where a more detailed account is to be found. Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, Of the Three Hands: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name Of Three Hands. iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon Of Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Greece, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar, heretical priest, carried this icon, fell into sea&drowned

Greece, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Simon tMyrrhgusher &his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra m, Crusaders at Bulgarian Zographou

Greece, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade

Greece, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Holy Roman Crusaders rule Constantinople; Constantinople, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Greece, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185-“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081-“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. Like the term "Byzantine Empire", "Latin Empire" was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania ("Land of the Romans") had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Greece, 1204-1261, Nicean Empire, Bithynia, temporary Roman Empire after Crusaders took Constatninople
Empire, temporary Roman Empire after Crusaders took Constatninople Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire[1] is the conventional historiographic name for the largest of the three Byzantine Greek[2][3] rump states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade. the Empire of Trebizond and the Empire of Thessalonica, it claimed to be the continuation of the Roman Empire. by the Laskaris family,[3] it lasted from 1204 to 1261, when the Nicaeans restored the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople. Nicea (Nicaea);

Greece, 1205-1215, Emperor, Michael I Komnenos Doukas, rebelled, fled to Turks, Diverted 4th Crusade to C to regain power
Byzantine Emperor, 1205-1215, Michael I Komnenos Doukas; I Komnenos Doukas, Latinized as Comnenus Ducas (Greek: ÎœÎ¹Ï‡Î±Î®Î» ÎšÎ¿Î¼Î½Î·Î½ÏŒÏ‚ Î”Î¿ÏÎºÎ±Ï‚, romanized: MikhaÄ“l KomnÄ“nos Doukas), and in modern sources often recorded as Michael I Angelos, a name he never used,[1] was the founder and first ruler of the Despotate of Epirus from c. 1205 until his assassination in 1214/15. c. 1170, Michael was a descendant of Alexios I Komnenos and a cousin of emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. He began his public career in 1190, as a hostage to the Third Crusade, and went on to serve as governor of the province of Mylasa and Melanoudion in the 1190s and again in c. 1200/01. the latter tenure he rebelled against Alexios III but was defeated and forced to flee to the Seljuk Turks. the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, he attached himself to Boniface of Montferrat. Soon, however, he abandoned the Crusader leader and went to Epirus, where he established himself as ruler, apparently through marriage with the daughter or widow of a local magnate. domain in Epirus became a refuge and centre of resistance of the Greeks against the Latin Crusaders. At about the same time, according to some modern scholars, he may have led the abortive Greek resistance to the Crusaders in the Peloponnese, which was crushed at the Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras; according to other views, he may have led a campaign there between 1207 and 1209. order to avoid invasion and buy time to consolidate his position in Epirus, Michael soon entered into negotiations with Pope Innocent III, and concluded treaties with the Latin Empire and the Republic of Venice. the meantime, his rule received a boost in legitimacy when he ransomed the deposed Alexios III from captivity. According to later chroniclers, Alexios III conferred the hereditary rule of Epirus to Michael and his descendants. 1210, Michael was secure enough to launch an attack against the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica, in conjunction with the Bulgarians. Repelled by the intervention of the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders, Michael quickly switched sides and joined the Latins to prevent the city from falling into Bulgarian hands. In 1212, he conquered most of Thessaly from the Lombard lords of Thessalonica. At about the same time, his troops briefly took over the Lordship of Salona. He then went on to recover Dyrrhachium and the island of Corfu from the Venetians in 1213–1214, but was thwarted in his attempt to push further north into Zeta. He was assassinated soon after in his sleep, and was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas. Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Greece, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople
Greece, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Greece, 1205, Zurvia (Survias) Monastery, aka Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205
Zurvia (Survias), Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205; Saint Gerasimus, Commemorated on September 15;

Greece, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastey, Mt Athos, many miracles

Greece, 1224-1246, Empire of Thessalonica, ruled by Komnenos Doukas d of Epiris, v Crusader Latin Empire of C
Greece, 1224-1246, Empire of Thessalonica; of Thessalonica (Greek: ) is a historiographic term used by some modern scholars[1] to refer to the short-lived Byzantine Greek state centred on the city of Thessalonica between 1224 and 1246 (sensu stricto until 1242) and ruled by the Komnenodoukas dynasty of Epirus. At the time of its establishment, the Empire of Thessalonica, under the capable Theodore Komnenos Doukas, rivaled the Empire of Nicaea and the Second Bulgarian Empire as the strongest state in the region, and aspired to capturing Constantinople, putting an end to the Latin Empire, and restoring the Byzantine Empire that had been extinguished in 1204. ascendancy was brief, ending with the disastrous Battle of Klokotnitsa against Bulgaria in 1230, where Theodore Komnenos Doukas was captured. Reduced to a Bulgarian vassal, Theodore's brother and successor Manuel Komnenos Doukas was unable to prevent the loss of most of his brother's conquests in Macedonia and Thrace, while the original nucleus of the state, Epirus, broke free under Michael II Komnenos Doukas. Theodore recovered Thessalonica in 1237, installing his son John Komnenos Doukas, and after him Demetrios Angelos Doukas, as rulers of the city, while Manuel, with Nicaean support, seized Thessaly. The rulers of Thessalonica bore the imperial title from 1225/7 until 1242, when they were forced to renounce it and recognize the suzerainty of the rival Empire of Nicaea. The Komnenodoukai continued to rule as Despots of Thessalonica for four more years after that, but in 1246 the city was annexed by Nicaea. Greece, 1224-1230, Empire of Thessalonica, Theodore Komnenos Doukas ; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Greece, 1224-1230, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, Empire of Thessalonica, Serbia, Epirus, Macdnia, Thrace, v Latin E
Greece, 1224-1230, Empire of Thessalonica, Theodore Komnenos Doukas ; Theodore Komnenos Doukas (died c. 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most of Macedonia and western Thrace from 1224 to 1230. He was also the power behind the rule of his sons John and Demetrios over Thessalonica in 1237-“1246. Theodore was the scion of a distinguished Byzantine aristocratic family related to the imperial Komnenos, Doukas, and Angelos dynasties. Nevertheless, nothing is known about Theodore's life before the conquest of Constantinople and dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Following the fall of Constantinople, he served Theodore I Laskaris, founder of the Empire of Nicaea, for a few years before being called to Epirus, where his bastard half-brother Michael I Komnenos Doukas had founded an independent principality. When Michael died in 1215, Theodore sidelined his brother's underage and illegitimate son Michael II and assumed the governance of the Epirote state. Theodore continued his brother's policy of territorial expansion. Allied with Serbia, he expanded into Macedonia, threatening the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica. The capture of the Latin Emperor Peter II of Courtenay in 1217 opened the way to the gradual envelopment of Thessalonica, culminating in the city's fall in 1224. As ruler of Thessalonica, Theodore quickly declared himself emperor, challenging the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes's claims to the Byzantine imperial throne. In 1225, he advanced to the outskirts of Constantinople, but his final attack against the seat of the much-reduced Latin Empire was delayed until 1230. In that year, Theodore amassed an army to besiege Constantinople, but then diverted it against Bulgaria, an ambivalent ally which threatened his northern flank. Theodore was defeated and captured at the Battle of Klokotnitsa, and spent the next seven years in captivity. In the meantime, he was succeeded by his brother Manuel. Manuel quickly lost Thrace, most of Macedonia, and Albania to the Bulgarian Emperor John Asen II. Thessalonica itself became a Bulgarian vassal, while in Epirus proper power was seized by Michael II, returning from exile. Theodore was released in 1237 when his daughter Irene married John Asen II, and quickly managed to regain control of Thessalonica, ousting Manuel. Having been blinded during his captivity and thus disqualified from occupying the throne again, he installed his eldest son John as emperor, but remained the de facto regent of the state. Manuel tried to regain Thessalonica with Nicaean support, but a negotiated settlement was reached which gave him Thessaly and left Thessalonica and its environs to Theodore and John. In 1241, John III Vatatzes invited Theodore to visit Nicaea. He was welcomed and treated with great honour, but was effectively detained there until the spring of next year, when Vatatzes marched on Thessalonica with Theodore in tow. Theodore was sent in to negotiate with his son and convince him to accept demotion to the rank of Despot and to recognize the suzerainty of Nicaea. John died in 1244 and was succeeded by Theodore's younger son Demetrios. In 1246, Vatatzes overthrew the unpopular Demetrios and annexed Thessalonica. Theodore influenced his nephew Michael II to launch an attack on Thessalonica in 1251, but in 1252, Vatatzes campaigned against them and forced Michael to come to terms. Theodore was taken prisoner and sent into exile in Nicaea, where he died around 1253. Greece, 1224-1246, Empire of Thessalonica; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Greece, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou, hesychast, known for ascetic life & miracles, truly obedient, kept orders otFathers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou monastery, Mt Athos, hesychast, in a skete between Esphigmenou and Hillandar, on Mt Samareia, in a cave Russian oAnthony otCaves, known for ascetic life and miracles, truly obedient, kept injunctions (special orders) of the Fathers,; Esphigmenou monastery; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian lived in the thirteenth century. was a hesychast on Mt. Athos, struggled in the skete of Esphigmenou monastery, a mountain called Samareia, the monasteries of Hilandar and Esphigmenou, also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian Monasticism, Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in asceticism. for his ascetic life and for the miracles he performed, was truly obedient and kept the injunctions of the Fathers. Damian reposed in his cell in the year 1280, a miraculous fragrance issued from his grave for forty days. Life was written by his friend Saint Cosmas of Zographou Monastery (September 22).

Greece, 1250 13th Century, Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived in silence, Turk captivity, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, did not lose hope, praying to MOG, MOG appeared, ordered go to his Elder without fear, free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, impressed by the virtue of Agapius' Elder & loftiness of Christian faith, Moslem & son and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life
Greece, Mt Athos, 1250 13th Century, Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived silence, taken into captivituy by Turks, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, but did not lose hope, fervently praying to MOG for freedom, MOG appeared in dream, ordered go to his Elder without fear, he awoke free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, Elder thought he has escaped, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, the Moslem and son were impressed by his virtue of Agapius' Elder and loftiness of Christian faith, and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Agapius of the Holy Mountain, was a novice in obedience to a virtuous Elder who lived in silence at the Holy Trinity kellia at Kolitsa, within the boundaries of Vatopedi on Mt. Athos. was taken into captivity by Turks who had landed on the shore of Athos. took him to Magnesia and there he worked in chains for twelve years. But he did not lose hope for freedom and fervently he prayed to the Mother of God to free him from this bitter captivity. Queen of Heaven manifested Her Mercy to the patient sufferer. She appeared to him in a dream and ordered him “to go to his Elder without fear.” he awoke, he saw that he was free of his bonds, and the doors were open. Without hindrance, Saint Agapius departed from his master and returned to Mount Athos. Elder grieved when he saw his novice, for he thought that Agapius had secretly escaped from his master. “You have deceived the Hagarene,” he said, “but no one can deceive God. If you wish to save yourself, return to your master and serve him.” Saint Agapius returned to his master without complaint. Moslem was amazed to see Agapius after he had escaped. Hearing the story of what had happened, he was struck by the virtue of Agapius’ Elder and the loftiness of the Christian Faith. master and his two sons went to the Holy Mountain with Saint Agapius. There they were baptized and became monks, living in asceticism for the rest of their lives. Agapius lived in the thirteenth century.

Greece, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery, pope's private army
Greece, Mt Athos, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery; monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Iveron, was founded there not long after. that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and 1306 the pope’s private army devastated Mt. Athos several times. Monks of Zographou and Vatopedi monasteries and the Protaton were martyred for the Orthodox Faith, and the monks of the Iveron Monastery eventually met the same fate. this period Georgian and Greek ascetics labored together at the Iveron Monastery, and many young ascetics of the new generation began to arrive from Georgia. Crusaders demanded that the Iveron monks convert to Catholicism and acknowledge the primacy of the Roman pope. But the monks condemned their fallacies and anathematized the doctrine of the Catholics. to the Patericon of Athos, the Ivá¸—ron monks were forcibly expelled from their monastery. Nearly two hundred elderly monks were goaded like animals onto a ship that was subsequently sunk in the depths of the sea. The younger, healthier monks were deported to Italy and sold as slaves to the Jews. sources claim this tragedy took place in the year 1259, while others record that the Georgian monks of the Holy Mountain were subject to the Latin persecutions over the course of four years, from 1276 to 1280. Iviron monastery ; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Ivḗron, was founded there not long after. that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and 1306 the pope’s private army devastated Mt. Athos several times. Monks of Zographou and Vatopedi monasteries and the Protaton were martyred for the Orthodox Faith, and the monks of the Ivḗron Monastery eventually met the same fate. this period Georgian and Greek ascetics labored together at the Ivḗron Monastery, and many young ascetics of the new generation began to arrive from Georgia. Crusaders demanded that the Ivḗron monks convert to Catholicism and acknowledge the primacy of the Roman pope. But the monks condemned their fallacies and anathematized the doctrine of the Catholics. to the Patericon of Athos, the Ivḗron monks were forcibly expelled from their monastery. Nearly two hundred elderly monks were goaded like animals onto a ship that was subsequently sunk in the depths of the sea. The younger, healthier monks were deported to Italy and sold as slaves to the Jews. sources claim this tragedy took place in the year 1259, while others record that the Georgian monks of the Holy Mountain were subject to the Latin persecutions over the course of four years, from 1276 to 1280.

Greece, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos
Greece, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs Paleologos&Bekkos; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Euthymius and twelve other Monks, martyred at Vatopedi, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Martyr Euthymius, Igumen of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, and twelve other monks suffered martyrdom denouncing the Latinizing Patriarchs Michael Paleologos (1261-1281) and John Bekkos (1275-1282) as heretics. Saint Euthymius was drowned in the sea, and the monks were hanged.

Greece, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for no union with Rome
Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for not accepting union with Roman Church; Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope. ” The emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10.

Greece, 1274, Zographou Monestary, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Monkmartyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos In the year 1274 at the Council of Lyons (in France), the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Paleologos decided to buttress his waning power by forming a union with Catholic Rome. This step evoked universal discontent. In 1278, the emperor issued a decree to introduce the Union at Constantinople by forceful measures, if necessary. Athos stood in firm opposition to the Union. The Athonite monks sent a letter to Michael pointing out that the primacy of the Pope, his commemoration in the churches, celebrating the Eucharist with unleavened bread, the insertion of the “filioque” [“and from the Son”] into the Creed, could not be accepted by Orthodox, and they asked the emperor to change his mind. “We clearly see,” the letter said, “that you are becoming a heretic, but we implore you to forsake all this and abide in the teachings that were handed down to you.... Reject the unholy and novel teachings of a false knowledge, speculations, and additions to the Faith.” Crusaders pushed out of Palestine and finding refuge in the Byzantine Empire, declared to the emperor their readiness to affirm the power of the Pope by fire and sword, if necessary. In addition, Michael had hired mercenaries, both Turks and Tatars, to enforce his decree. emperor despised the monks of Mt. Athos for their opposition. Since he did not want to provoke the Greeks, he decided to vent his spite upon the Athonite Slavs. By Michael’s order, the servants of the Pope descended upon the Bulgarian Zographou monastery. When the demand to accept the Union was presented before the Zographou monks, they refused to listen. They adhered to the doctrines of the Fathers, and fearlessly censured those who accepted the Latin teachings. The majority of the Zographou monks left the monastery, but the most steadfast, twenty-six in number, remained within the monastery tower. These were:Igumen Thomas, and the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Michael, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, Jacob, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen. holy martyrs for their Orthodox Faith, were burned in the monastery tower on October 10, 1284. (also September 22). Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Akathist, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, 1274, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1284, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Zographou Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist of Zographou Monastery, Commemorated on October 10; the XIII century, there was a certain Elder who spent his life in ascetical struggles on Mount Athos. He had the pious custom of reading the Akathist Hymn before the Icon of the Mother of God every day. day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Elder left the cell right away and hurried to the monastery. As soon as he entered the gate, his eyes beheld the very Icon from his cell, before which he had just read the Akathist. An invisible, miraculous power had brought it there from the ascetic's cell. Elder fell down before the Icon with ardent prayer, and then with the Icon in his hands, he went to the Igoumen. The brotherhood, learning of the impending danger, was very worried. The more faint-hearted monks hastened to hide in the mountains, while twenty-six brave monks, including the Igoumen himself, remained in the monastery. The Elder, who received the heavenly revelation, also remained with them, so that he might comfort them during the coming trial. did not take long for their enemies to reach the monastery. These were Latins who at that time were trying to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. Arriving at the monastery and approaching the tower in which the monks had locked themselves, they tried to persuade them to renounce Orthodoxy. In an effort to convince them to recognize the pope as the head of the Universal Church, the Latins promised the champions of Orthodoxy all sorts of favors and monetary rewards. But these faithful sons of the Orthodox Church remained adamant. the enemies of Orthodoxy piled wood around the tower and lit it. As they prayed to the Lord, the monks gave thanks to the Almighty for making them worthy of receiving the crown of martyrdom, and then all of them surrendered their spotless souls to the Heavenly Father. Their martyric death occurred on October 10, 1274. The names of the victims were added to the Synodikon of Zographou Monastery, as well as to the official calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, who warned the Elder about the impending disaster, was subsequently found unscathed under the ashes in the ruins of the monastery. Today this Icon is in the monastery, and an unsleeping lampada burns before it. is another Icon with the same name "of the Akathist" at Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. Information about that Icon may be found under January 12. 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope.” emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. They steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. From the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10. Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burne, became fool to hide prodigious deeds, wandered, then one place for others
Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, fLampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia, tOne of the Deserts, tConstantinople&Blachernae Church entrance, abode there, asked MOG gift unceasing mental prayer, flame entered his heart from her icon, sweetness contrition within, from that time his heart repeated Jesus prayer, fulfilling his request, then fulfilled obedience aAthanasius Lavra Mt Athos, to conceal deeds behaved fool, vision MOG, she told ascent tMt, prayed 3 days there, MOG appeared again, surrounded bAngels, holdiing Jesus in her arms, he prostrated, she said receive the deliverance gift, and settle at foot oMt Athos, for this is my son's will, she told him he would ascend heights virtue, and teach guide many, then heavenly bread given him (after 3days without), as put it in mouth he surrounded bDivine light, saw MOG ascending tHeaven, Maximus told Mt Carmel elder, but skeptical, M turned disbelief tGood by pretending slightly crazy tConceal prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, hardship, solitude, he wandered like lunitic, burned hut when moved, called hut Burner (Kavsokalyvites), for long time Mt Athos residents contemptious, even though height spiritual life, but Gregory oSinai encouraged him, persuaded him stop fool act, live one place for othe, he settled cave oElijan, Byzantine emperors J Paleologos& J Kantakouzenos visited, suprised his predictions fThem fulfilled, Theophanes oVatopadi wrote about him, I saw several his miracles, travel through air, predicted I become igumen&Ochrid Metropolitan, even how I would suffer fChurch, M abandoned solitude right before death, died at 95 i1354, relics glorified by many miracles; Lavra of St Athanasius; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. seventeen years of age he left his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. the death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. in Constantinople, Saint Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. his youth, Saint Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mt. Athos. order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, told him to ascend the mountain. the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, “Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son.” told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of Saint Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. Gregory persuaded Saint Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. the words of Saint Gregory and the advice of other Elders, Saint Maximus selected a permanent dwelling a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah. of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about Saint Maximus: “I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church.” Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, settled near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius, he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). his death, as in life, Saint Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

Greece, 1282, Martyrs oKaryes, apostate Emperor Paleologos, Latins burned Karyes because they denounced rationalising
Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m bLatins, fire and sword, apostate Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, apostate Emperor Michael Paleologos 1259-1282, because Protos had denounced rationalising aHeresy; Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs of Karyes, Athos, m by t Latins, fire and sword, during apostate Mike Paleologos, burned Protaton basilica, Protos hanged, others by swords; Serbian Bishop Saint Sava built a church and cell at Karyes, where he stayed for some years, becoming a Hieromonk, then an Archimandrite in 1201. He wrote the Karyes Typicon during his stay there, and a marble inscription of his work still exists.[2] In 1219 Sava becomes the first Archbishop of Serbia.[2] the year 1283, Latin Crusaders during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos, attacked Mount Athos. They tortured and hanged the Protos, and sacked the Protaton, murdering many of the monks. These monks are commemorated as martyrs by the Orthodox Church on December 5 (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar, December 5 falls on December 18 of the Gregorian Calendar). Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. Because of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance. Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Holy Monastic Martyrs of Karyes were martyred by the Latins who came with fire and sword onto Mount Athos during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Michael Paleologos (1259-1282), an apostate from Orthodoxy. in upon the Karyes monastery, the Latins burned and devastated the Church of the Protaton [the only basilica on the Holy Mountain, built in 965], “leaving no one alive.” -------------------------------------------------The Protos of the Holy Mountain, who had denounced the Latin rationalising as heresy, was after much torture hanged before the Protaton at the place called Chalkhos. hidden in caves around Karyes were cut down with swords. See October 10.

Greece, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Mt Athos, Hesychasts, Bulgarian Singer Composer Koukouzelis, Despotate of Morea

Greece, 1301-1360, John Koukouzelis, Macedonia, Mt. Athos, Saint. Composer, Wonderworker and Singer, gold coin
Mt. Athos, 1300-1360, Saint, John Koukouzelis. Composer and Singer; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; John Koukouzelis, a native of Dirrachia (Bulgaria), was orphaned in childhood. with a very fine voice, he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis (beans and peas) stuck with him ever after. began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business. John revealed to the Elder his desire to leave the court. The Elder blessed John to come to the Holy Mountain. There John was accepted and tonsured a monk. was given the obedience of tending the monastery’s flock of goats. He took the flock to remote areas of the Holy Mountain to graze. There in the wilderness the youth was able to to pray, contemplate God, and sing the divine hymns in solitude. Charmed by the angelic beauty of his voice, the animals gathered around him and listened as though entranced. of modesty and humility the singer did not reveal his gift to the brethren. But once, a wilderness dweller overheard his moving pastoral song and informed the igumen. Saint John then revealed to the igumen that he had been a court singer. He tearfully implored him to remain in the wilderness with his flock. igumen was afraid that the emperor would find out that his favorite court singer was on the Holy Mountain and force him to return to court. Wishing to avoid the emperor’s displeasure the igumen journeyed to Constantinople to explain what had become of John and begged him not to hinder the young man from his salvific path. John Koukouzelis sang on the right cleros in the cathedral on Sundays and feastdays. Once, after singing an Akathist before an icon of the Mother of God, John was granted a great mercy. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Rejoice, John, and do not cease to sing. For that, I shall not forsake you.” With these works she placed into John’s hand a golden coin, then became invisible. This coin was placed beneath the icon. Many miracles have been credited to the coin and the icon. The icon, named the “Koukouzelissa” in memory of Saint John is located in the Lavra monastery of Saint Athanasius. It is commemorated on October 1, and on the 10th Friday after Pascha. Mother of God appeared to Saint John again and healed him of a grievous affliction of his legs, caused by the long standing in church. Saint John’s remaining days were spent in intense ascetic efforts. He also worked hard on the discipline of church singing, gaining the title of both master teacher and regent (overseer). arranged and compiled melodies for church stichera verses, troparia and kontakia. He edited texts of hymns and wrote his own troparia. Some of his compositions are also in the following manuscripts: “A Book, by the Will of God Encompassing All the Order of Progression of Church Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “Progression of Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis, “From the Beginning of Great Vespers through to the Completion of the Divine Liturgy,” and “The Science of Song and Singing Signs with all the Legitimate Hand-Placement and with all the Arrangements of Song.” the hour of his death, Saint John took his leave of the brethren, and in his last wishes bade them to bury him in the Church of the Archangel that he built. Church singers reverence Saint John Koukouzelis as their own special patron saint.

Greece, 1301-1355, Gregory Domesticus, Mt Athos, Chanter Singer, MoG Gold Coin, All Creation Rejoices
Greece, Mt Athos, 1301-1355, Gregory Domesticus, Chanter Singer, Gold Coin from MoG for All Creation Rejoices instead of It is Meet; Great (first) Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra); Venerable Gregory Domesticus of the Great Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated October 1 ; Gregory Domesticus (leading chanter) was the contemporary of Saint John Koukouzelis, and lived in the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos in piety and asceticism. Like Saint John, he also sang in the right choir in the Great Lavra, and was even called Gregory Koukouzelis in honor of his instructor. Saint Gregory was known for his technical skill and for the sweetness of his voice. He chanted the Vigil service with great reverence and compunction, never sitting down in church. Callistus I (June 20) had started the practice of singing “All of creation rejoices” at the Liturgy of Saint Basil in place of “It is truly meet....” Patriarch Philotheus (October 8), who succeeded him, restored “It is truly meet” to Saint Basil’s Liturgy. Soon after this Saint Gregory sang “All of creation rejoices” at Liturgy on the eve of Theophany in the presence of Patriarch Gregory of Alexandria. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Saint Gregory and thanked him for singing the hymn in her honor. She also handed him a gold coin. From that time forward, “All of creation” has been sung at the Liturgy of Saint Basil. Gregory fell asleep in the Lord in 1355. Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; John Koukouzelis, a native of Dirrachia (Bulgaria), was orphaned in childhood. with a very fine voice, he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis (beans and peas) stuck with him ever after. began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business. John revealed to the Elder his desire to leave the court. The Elder blessed John to come to the Holy Mountain. There John was accepted and tonsured a monk. was given the obedience of tending the monastery’s flock of goats. He took the flock to remote areas of the Holy Mountain to graze. There in the wilderness the youth was able to to pray, contemplate God, and sing the divine hymns in solitude. Charmed by the angelic beauty of his voice, the animals gathered around him and listened as though entranced. of modesty and humility the singer did not reveal his gift to the brethren. But once, a wilderness dweller overheard his moving pastoral song and informed the igumen. Saint John then revealed to the igumen that he had been a court singer. He tearfully implored him to remain in the wilderness with his flock. igumen was afraid that the emperor would find out that his favorite court singer was on the Holy Mountain and force him to return to court. Wishing to avoid the emperor’s displeasure the igumen journeyed to Constantinople to explain what had become of John and begged him not to hinder the young man from his salvific path. John Koukouzelis sang on the right cleros in the cathedral on Sundays and feastdays. Once, after singing an Akathist before an icon of the Mother of God, John was granted a great mercy. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Rejoice, John, and do not cease to sing. For that, I shall not forsake you.” With these works she placed into John’s hand a golden coin, then became invisible. This coin was placed beneath the icon. Many miracles have been credited to the coin and the icon. The icon, named the “Koukouzelissa” in memory of Saint John is located in the Lavra monastery of Saint Athanasius. It is commemorated on October 1, and on the 10th Friday after Pascha. Mother of God appeared to Saint John again and healed him of a grievous affliction of his legs, caused by the long standing in church. Saint John’s remaining days were spent in intense ascetic efforts. He also worked hard on the discipline of church singing, gaining the title of both master teacher and regent (overseer). arranged and compiled melodies for church stichera verses, troparia and kontakia. He edited texts of hymns and wrote his own troparia. Some of his compositions are also in the following manuscripts: “A Book, by the Will of God Encompassing All the Order of Progression of Church Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “Progression of Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis, “From the Beginning of Great Vespers through to the Completion of the Divine Liturgy,” and “The Science of Song and Singing Signs with all the Legitimate Hand-Placement and with all the Arrangements of Song.” the hour of his death, Saint John took his leave of the brethren, and in his last wishes bade them to bury him in the Church of the Archangel that he built. Church singers reverence Saint John Koukouzelis as their own special patron saint.

Greece, 1305-1316, Sava III, Archbishop oSerbia, important Serbian architecture development figure

Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, Great Story
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Thessalonica Macedonia, Mt Athos, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, fConstantinople, prominent dignitary father fAndronicus II died, so A raised him, abilities diligence, but no govt work, tVatopedi Mt Athos 1316 under Nikodemos, 1317 John tTheologian appeared to him, promised spiritual protection, then under Nikephoros 8 yrs, then tLavra Athanasius 1325, trapeza (dining room) service&singer 3yrs, then 1328 Glossia skete for greater spiritual, 4th century unceasing prayer&mental activity teaching from Egypt Desert Evangrius Pontikos Macarius, Mental prayer (of the heart), solitude quiet, called Hesychasm, 1326 Turk invasions, Moved Thessalonica, priesthood, hermit 5days, sometimes Isidore's spiritual gatherings iThess, visit Constant, solitary life at Bereia, small community 5yrs, 1331 back to Mt Athos, Savvva Skete Lavra Atahaasius, 1333 Igumen oEsphigmeniou, 1336 back tSavva, theological works, 1330 Barlaam tConstan fCalabria, Logic Astronomy, orator, university chair, works oAreopagite Dionysius' negative theology, acclaimed East&West, B tMt Athos, declared mental prayer heretical, disputes wMonks Athos Thess Const, attempted demo material nature Tabor light, ridiculed uncreated light seen by H monks, Ridiculed their prayer, Athonite Monks requested Gregory reply verbally, didn't work, replied in writing, Hogorite Tome, 1341 debate wBarlaam iConstant, on nature Tabor light, Gregory wins, Barlaam condemned heretic, fled back Italy, but dispute not over, Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, Patriarch, Emperor Andronicus III still Barlaamites, Akyndinos' tracts Gregory&monks guilty church disorders, G wrote refutation, Patriarch supported A, locked G prison 4yrs, 1347 P replaced by Isidore, freed G, made Archbishop oThess, 1351 Council Blachernae upheld his teachings but Thess not accept him, lived various places, ship seized bTurks, preached christian prisoners and moslems, some astonished, some beat him, Ransomed, tThess, many miracles last 3 yrs, then John Chrysostom appeared said To the Heights, Patriarch Philotheus compiled his life & cannonized; Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Saint and Hesychast Defender, at Vatopedi, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection.; Hesychasm, Hesychast controversy, 1330's ; Lavra of St Athanasius; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. ’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Hesychast, won the debate w Barlaam, uncreated energies
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Thessalonica Macedonia, Mt Athos, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, fConstantinople, prominent dignitary father fAndronicus II died, so A raised him, abilities diligence, but no govt work, tVatopedi Mt Athos 1316 under Nikodemos, 1317 John tTheologian appeared to him, promised spiritual protection, then under Nikephoros 8 yrs, then tLavra Athanasius 1325, trapeza (dining room) service&singer 3yrs, then 1328 Glossia skete for greater spiritual, 4th century unceasing prayer&mental activity teaching from Egypt Desert Evangrius Pontikos Macarius, Mental prayer (of the heart), solitude quiet, called Hesychasm, 1326 Turk invasions, Moved Thessalonica, priesthood, hermit 5days, sometimes Isidore's spiritual gatherings iThess, visit Constant, solitary life at Bereia, small community 5yrs, 1331 back to Mt Athos, Savvva Skete Lavra Atahaasius, 1333 Igumen oEsphigmeniou, 1336 back tSavva, theological works, 1330 Barlaam tConstan fCalabria, Logic Astronomy, orator, university chair, works oAreopagite Dionysius' negative theology, acclaimed East&West, B tMt Athos, declared mental prayer heretical, disputes wMonks Athos Thess Const, attempted demo material nature Tabor light, ridiculed uncreated light seen by H monks, Ridiculed their prayer, Athonite Monks requested Gregory reply verbally, didn't work, replied in writing, Hogorite Tome, 1341 debate wBarlaam iConstant, on nature Tabor light, Gregory wins, Barlaam condemned heretic, fled back Italy, but dispute not over, Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, Patriarch, Emperor Andronicus III still Barlaamites, Akyndinos' tracts Gregory&monks guilty church disorders, G wrote refutation, Patriarch supported A, locked G prison 4yrs, 1347 P replaced by Isidore, freed G, made Archbishop oThess, 1351 Council Blachernae upheld his teachings but Thess not accept him, lived various places, ship seized bTurks, preached christian prisoners and moslems, some astonished, some beat him, Ransomed, tThess, many miracles last 3 yrs, then John Chrysostom appeared said To the Heights, Patriarch Philotheus compiled his life & cannonized; Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Macedonia; Palamas (c. 1296 – 1357 or 1359)[1] was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric of the late Byzantine period. monk of Mount Athos (modern Greece) and later archbishop of Thessaloniki, he is famous for his defense of hesychast spirituality, the uncreated character of the light of the Transfiguration, and the distinction between God's essence and energies (i.e., the divine will, divine grace, etc.). teaching unfolded over the course of three major controversies, (1) with the Italo-Greek Barlaam between 1336 and 1341, (2) with the monk Gregory Akindynos between 1341 and 1347, and (3) with the philosopher Gregoras, from 1348 to 1355. theological contributions are sometimes referred to as Palamism, and his followers as Palamites. has been venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church since 1368. Within the Catholic Church, he was also been called a saint, and repeatedly cited as a great theological writer, by Pope John Paul II.[2] Since 1971, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has venerated Gregory as a saint.[3][4] Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, and since the Ottoman period, the second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to the memory Gregory Palamas in the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine Synodikon of Orthodoxy also celebrates his memory and theology while condemning his opponents, including some anti-Palamites who flourished after Gregory's death. Thessalonica; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. ’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Greece, 1322-1380, Athanasius of Meteora, Great ascetic, another rock, sky high, Platylithos (wide rock) called Meteoron, famous
Greece, 1322-1380, Athanasius of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos),from Hypate, New Patras, mother died childbirth, father soon after, uncle raised him educated him, catalan Franks caputred hometown, he escaped chief, found uncle, to Thessalonika, uncle died, lived w imperial secretary of military command for secular learning classical studies. No money for it, stood outside and listened, instructors taught him for free, then pilgrimage, 1319 at 17 tMt Athos, too young, tConstantinople, met Hesychasts, tCrete 1325 ascetic, no marry daughter, tMt Athos 1332, aMilea tonsured by Gregory, Great Schema, but Turk excursions tThessalonika&Beroia wGregory&Gabriel, but city noise so up tThessalian rocks oStagoi, but only vultures&crows.rock oStylos or HSpirit, w caveitRock, basket weaving never idle, 1340 another rock, high to skies, for good, so-called Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron which became famous far beyond the borders of Greece, flew tTop; Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River); Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20; Athanasios, the son of wealthy parents, born in 1302 at Hypátē, the well-known medieval town of New Patras, and was named Andronikos in Holy Baptism. mother died during childbirth, and after a short time his father also reposed. Thus, young Andronikos lost both of his parents in a very early age. Then he found sympathy, affection, and love from his father's brother, who saw to his education, taking care of all his needs, and taught him to read and write. the capture of his hometown by the Catalans in 1318/19, the chief of the Franks took Andronikos into his home. At the first opportunity, Andronikos escaped and was free. He hastened to rejoin his uncle, who had been banished to a distant place. Andronikos found him, and the two booked passage on a ship bound for Thessaloniki. The godly uncle suffered from a chronic joint disease, however, and after some time, he reposed at Akapniou Monastery. then went to live with the imperial secretary of the military command, who became his guardian for a short time. Andronikos wanted to be trained in secular learning and classical studies. Since he had no money to pay the instructors, he would stand outside and listen while the students were being taught. Some of the school's philosophers noticed his love of learning and his eagerness, so they they taught him without asking for a fee. benefitting from his teachers' knowledge, Andronikos became quite educated and cultured. Then he decided to go on pilgrimage. When he was seventeen years old, Andronikos traveled to Mount Athos, where he conversed with many holy Fathers, seeking their prayers and blessings. The Athonite Fathers, however, refused to allow the boy to remain, since he was still a beardless youth. made his way to Constantinople, visiting churches, and venerating the relics of the Saints. While there he met several prominent and virtuous Fathers, such as Gregory of Sinai, the future Ecumenical Patriarch Isidore (1347-1350), who supported Saint Gregory Palamas, and then made him Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Daniel the Hesychast, and other notable persons of the monastic community. With their help he was initiated into the secrets of the hesychastic life and, like a bee, he gathered whatever was useful and necessary to acquire virtue. traveled to Crete in 1325 where he stayed for a certain time and lived as an ascetic, receiving hospitality from a virtuous and charitable Cretan man. When he noticed this man was trying to lure him back into the world in order to marry his daughter, he decided to forsake the world. Therefore, he returned to Mount Athos in 1332, by which time he was approximately thirty years old. At Milea on the Holy Mountain he was accepted as a novice by two virtuous anchorites, Gregory and Moses, who had attained the heights of virtue. Subsequently, he was tonsured by Hieromonk Gregory, taking the name Anthony. He quickly distinguished himself and then received his new monastic name of Athanasios when he was tonsured into the Great Schema. the predatory incursions of the Turks and the unfavorable circumstances prevailing at that time forced Saint Athanasios to leave Mount Athos together with his Spiritual Father Gregory, and another disciple, Gabriel. At Thessaloniki and Beroia many important men were willing to give them hospitality, but the two monks did not consent to stay because Athanasios had a great aversion to secular society and to the noise of the city. on the advice of Bishop Jacob of Servia (a city between northern Thessaly and southern Macedonia), they went to the Thessalian rocks of Stagoi, which the biographer of Athanasios describes as "the largest and highest rocks created by God since the beginning of the world." Following the bishop's advice they found the rocks, but there was nothing living on them but vultures and crows. Gregory and Saint Athanasios settled on the rock of Stylos, which today is called the Rock of the Holy Spirit. Gregory remained there for an entire decade. After a certain period of time, Father Athanasios withdrew, with his mentor’s blessing, to a cave in the rock. There in prayer and solitude, he spent his time weaving baskets so that he was never idle, and so he was kept safe from the danger of falling into temptation. even more seclusion and serenity, always with Elder Gregory’s blessing, he selected another rock, “a place for anchorites, a rock which rose high into the skies,” where he went around the year 1340, this time for good. The rock is the so-called Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron, a name that was preserved through the centuries, and applied, in general, to the whole complex of the surrounding monasteries which became famous far beyond the borders of Greece. with the wings of the Holy Spirit, and with unwavering will and faith, the humble monk Athanasios almost flew, and at last stepped onto this sun-drenched rock, hitherto touched only by the rays of the sun, as it is mentioned in a sigillion (April 1580) of the Ecumenical Patriarch Mētrophánēs III: “Motivated by divine love, the holy monk Athanasios, taking the wings of the Holy Spirit, first flew to this sun-drenched rock which dominated in Stagoi, and justifiably called Meteoron, being the highest of all. There he found a holy place, a true paradise containing, instead of fruit-bearing trees, men who bore the divine fruits of the Holy Spirit." Athanasios built his ascetic refuge and organized the first systematic monastic community with a strict cenobitic Rule which he formulated himself. The brotherhood under Athanasios had fourteen members. Initially, the holy anchorite built the church of the Mother of God, to whom he also dedicated the Monastery, as he himself said to his fellow ascetics shortly before his death: “I entrust you to the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, to whom this Monastery is dedicated.” He built another church in honor of the Transfiguration of Christ, which later became the katholikon of the Monastery and gave it its final name of Transfiguration Monastery, which is preserved until today. Athanasios made this steep and inaccessible rock into an easy path to our Lord, Who is the Cornerstone of our Church: "This hard stone, Father, you labored hard to make it a path to the Cornerstone." as one climbs up the rocky stairway to the monastery, on the left just before the entrance, one can see the Hermitage of Saint Athanasios within the natural crevice in the rock arranged as a humble and basic dwelling with a small chapel. Here, according to tradition, the holy hermit first lived alone after he had climbed the Wide Rock, and before he built a church on the rocky ledge, with cells for the monks who began to gather there. humble as Athanasios had been all his life, he remained an ordinary monk. Perhaps due to his great humility, he did not leave any written texts, although he was very knowledgeable and well educated. to his biographer, he reposed peacefully after a brief illness (gall bladder and liver) at the age of seventy-eight, probably in the year 1380, on April 20th. Shortly before his death, Saint Athanasios chose Hieromonk Makarios to be the Spiritual Father of the Great Meteoron after his death: “I command that you have Hieromonk Makarios as the Protos and Spiritual Father. This is because, from the beginning, before I became ill, I entrusted him with the supervision of the daily and practical needs of the Monastery. Now it would be beneficial for him to guide and regulate your spiritual conduct." this only lasted a short time, since by November 1381 the former king John Urosh, and now the monk Joasaph, assumed the role as successor to Saint Athanasios, with his blessing while alive and with the mutual consent of the entire brotherhood, he became the second founder and builder of the Great Meteoron.

Greece, 1323, Hearer Icon, woman there q, MOG&Jesus heard Cosmos, sent him tW, gifts clrvync, visions, time oDeath
Greece, Mt Athos, 1323, Hearer Icon oZographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, name came MOG & Jesus heared Cosmas when he questioned woman on Athos, they heard his pray and sent him to wilderness for salvation, received gifts clairvoyance, miracles, divine visions, time oDeath; Zographou Monastery; Hearer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 22; wonderworking Icon is at Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos. name of the Hearer Icon of the Mother of God is explained by the following miraculous sign. venerable Cosmas was living a life of asceticism at Zographou Monastery in the XIV century. he was still a young man, he visited Vatopaidi Monastery on the Feast of the Annunciation, which is that Monastery's Feast Day. in the church during the service, and later in the trapeza, he saw a beautiful, majestic woman. Cosmas was astonished and troubled to see her there on Mount Athos, because no woman is permitted to set foot on the Holy Mountain, so he was unable to understand why the monks allowed her to be there. he was pondering these things, he returned to his Elder, who noticed his disciple's confusion and asked him, "Why are you so sad and pensive?" told him what he had seen at Vatopaidi Monastery, and revealed all of his doubts and thoughts about seeing a woman there with the monks. sort of woman was she," the Elder asked, "and how was she dressed?" described her appearance in detail. with a reproachful sigh, the Elder rebuked his disciple: "Didn't you bother to find out what sort of woman was at the monastery? This was not an ordinary mortal woman; she is the Queen of our Holy Mountain and of all creation herself!" some time after this, the venerable Cosmas remained alone in the monastery church, praying fervently before an Icon of the Mother of God. He exclaimed, "Most Holy Theotokos, pray that your Son and God may set me on the path of salvation!" soon as he uttered these words, he heard the voice of the Mother of God coming from the Icon and saying, "My Son and my God, teach Your servant how he may be saved." once the Lord replied, "Let him leave the monastery to live in solitude and in stillness" .1 the Superior's blessing, Saint Cosmas left his monastery and went into the wilderness, where he dug a cave out of a cliff, spending the rest of his life there in continuous asceticism. made great progress in the hesychastic life, and so he was found worthy of the gifts of clairvoyance, working miracles, seeing divine visions, and even predicting the time of his death, which occurred on September 22, 1323. Icon before which Saint Cosmas prayed, and from which he heard the voice of the Mother of God, was named "The Hearer," because she heard his prayer. is still in the katholikon of Zographou Monastery, in the altar, on the eastern wall, which extends into the diakonikon.2 1 In the Lives of the Saints, and the writings of the Holy Fathers, stillness, or quiet, is essential for mental prayer, or prayer of the heart. In order to be effective, the Jesus Prayer requires the greatest inner and outer quiet or stillness. It is also called pure prayer because it presupposes a mind and heart free from fantasies, passions, and thoughts. 2 The διακονικόν is a room on the south side of a church, behind the iconostasis, where vestments, books, charcoal, etc. are stored. There is a sink, towels, and other necessary items used in the services.

Greece, 1327-1379, Philotheus, fThessalonica, tMt Sinai tAthos, tHeraclea, tPat oC, wrote fHesychasts, litergy&Saints Lives
Greece, 1327-1379, Philotheus, Patriarch oConstantinople, fThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), Mt Sinai tGreat Lavra, tHeraclea, Thrace a Metro, tConstantinople as Patriarch, books fHesychasts, litergy&hagiographic (saints lives) themes; Thessalonica; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Philotheus was a native of Thessalonica, and received the monastic tonsure at an early age. living for a time at Mt Sinai, went to Mt Athos and became the igumen of the Great Lavra. 1347 he became Metropolitan of Heraclea, Thrace. he served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 1354-1355, and again from 1364-1376. living on the Holy Mountain and even after he left there, Saint Philotheus wrote religious books which reveal his great learning and spirituality. of his works are directed against the anti-hesychasts, he also wrote on liturgical and hagiographical themes. Philotheus ordained that Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) be commemorated on the second Sunday of Great Lent, presided at his glorification as a saint, and even composed the Service in his honor. Philotheus fell asleep in the Lord in 1379.

Greece, 1334-1395, Prilep, Macedonia, Greece, High Point, Acquired by King Steven Dusan 1334, Serbian till 1395
Prilep, Macedonia, Greece; is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia.[2] It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. View of Prilep and the surrounding mountains name of Prilep appeared first as Πρίλαπος. The old fortress was attached to the rocky hilltop, and its name means “stuck” on the rocks in Old Church Slavonic. It was mentioned by John Skylitzes in relation with Samuel of Bulgaria, who died here in 1014.[3] In other languages is: Bulgarian: Прилеп, Prilep Aromanian: Pãrleap[4] Serbo-Croatian: Prilep / Прилеп Turkish: Pirlepe, or Perlepe Albanian: Përlep or Përlepi, or Prilep or Prilepi Greek: Prilapos, Πρίλαπος Latin: Prilapum is a centre for high-quality tobacco and cigarettes and the metal processing, electronics, timber, textiles, and food industries. The city also produces a large quantity of Macedonian Bianco Sivec (pure white marble). is one of Prilep's traditional cash crops and prospers in the Macedonian climate. Many of the world's largest cigarette makers, such as Marlboro, West and Camel use Prilep's tobacco in their cigarettes after it is processed in local factories such as Tutunski kombinat Prilep. A Tobacco Institute is established in the city in order to produce new types of tobacco and it was the first example of applying genetics to agriculture in the Balkans.[citation needed]. A Gentherm production plant is located in Prilep. overwhelming majority of the city population is Macedonian; the Macedonian population at the last census counted 64,527. There is also a Romani minority, counting some 4,420 inhabitants,most of them living in the neighbourhood of Trizla , also Serbs (310) and Turks (260). Kingdom of Prilep - Realm of Prince Marko A postcard of Prilep in 1915 Photo of a panoramic view of Prilep in 1930 antiquity, the region of Prilep was part of Ancient Pelagonia that was inhabited by the Pelagones, an ancient Greek tribe of Upper Macedonia, who according to Strabo,[5] were Epirote Molossians.[6] region was annexed to the Macedonian kingdom during the 4th century BC. In September 2007 archeological excavations in Bonče, revealed a tomb of what is believed to be the burial site of a Macedonian ruler dating 4th century BC.[7] Near Prilep, close to the village of Čepigovo, are the ruins of the ancient Macedonian city of Styberra (Ancient Greek: Στύβερρα), first a town in Macedonia and later incorporated into the Roman Empire.[8][9] Styberra, though razed by the Goths in 268, remained partly inhabited. town was first mentioned in Greek as Πρίλαπον (Prilapon)[10] in 1014, as the place where Bulgarian Tsar Samuil allegedly had a heart attack upon seeing thousands of his soldiers had been blinded by the Byzantines after the Battle of Kleidion. Byzantium lost it to the Second Bulgarian Empire, but later retook it. was acquired in 1334 by Serbian King Dušan and after 1365 the town belonged to King Vukašin, co-ruler of Dušan's son, Tzar Stefan Uroš V. After the death of Vukašin in 1371, Prilep was ruled by his son Marko.[11] In 1395 it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, of which it remained a part of until 1913, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia. was a major center of the Bulgarian national revival in Western Macedonia in the 19th century.[12] One of the largest annual fairs in Macedonia was held in Prilep in the middle of the 19th century. European consulate exhibitions of 1887 estimate the population of Prilep to approximately 6.500 individuals, of which 4.000 were Bulgarians, 2.000 were Turks and the rest were Serbs with Greeks and Aromanians.[13] During the Great Eastern Crisis, the local Bulgarian movement of the day was defeated when armed Bulgarian groups were repelled by the League of Prizren, an Albanian organisation opposing Bulgarian geopolitical aims in areas like Prilep that contained an Albanian population.[14] the late 19th and early 20th century, Prilep was part of the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was occupied by Bulgaria between 17 November 1915 and 25 September 1918 during World War I. In 1918 Prilep became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and from 1929 to 1941 it was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On 8 April 1941, just two days after the start of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, Prilep was occupied by the German Army, and on 26 April 1941 by the Bulgarian Army. Together with most of Vardar Macedonia, Prilep was annexed by the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1941 to 1944. After 9 September coup d'etat the commander of the Bulgarian garrison, refused to withdraw and remained in the city with the Yugoslav guerrillas, managing to hold it for 10 days, blocking the movement of the German troops.[15] Afterwards the German Army retook the town. Prilep was definitively taken by communist partisans on 3 November 1944. From 1944 to 1991 the town belonged to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of its constituent Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Since 1991 the town has been part of the Republic of Macedonia. Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26;

Greece, 1342-1391, Nicholas Cabasilas. Thessalonica, Macedonia, devine teacher, hesychist writer
Greece, 1342-1391, Nicholas Cabasilas. Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), devine teacher hesychist writer; Thessalonica; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas was born in Thessaloniki in 1322, and was the nephew of Neilos Cabasilas, who was the Archbishop of Thessaloniki. father's surname was Khamaetos, but he preferred to use his uncle's name - Cabasilas. Nicholas received an excellent education, both at Thessaloniki and Constantinople, studying rhetoric, theology, philosophy, etc. a time, he served as an advisor to Emperor John VI Cantacuzenos (reigned 1347-1354), who entrusted him with several important missions in this time of civil war (1341–1347) and religious strife. the last year of his life, the Emperor abdicated and was tonsured as a monk with the name Joasaph. He remained in the renowned Manganon Monastery until his death. Nicholas seems to have become a monk at Manganon at the same time, and it is possible that he was ordained as a Hieromonk. was a disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), and a supporter of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14), of whom were proponents of hesychasm (stillness), involving the unceasing prayer of the heart, which can lead to a vision of the Uncreated Light of Tabor. Nicholas took part in the Hesychast controversies of his time, which ended when the Council of 1351 proclaimed the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas as Orthodox. fame of Saint Nicholas rests mainly on his two books: of the Divine Liturgy, Concerning the Life in Christ, which describes the Church's Holy Mysteries, divine grace, and perfection in the divine virtues. his writings Saint Nicholas expounds the hesychastic (and Patristic) teaching that the life in Christ, which begins in this life, is perfected in the Kingdom. comes only from Christ, but sanctity is achieved when our wills are in harmony with Christ's will. 6 of Concerning the Life in Christ contains some very instructive comments on the Beatitudes. Nicholas points out that those who study and meditate on these sayings of Christ shall become truly happy. He compares the Beatitudes to "a ladder by which we may ascend to (the life of blessedness)." of his sermons have survived: on the Ascension, on the Annunciation, etc. There are also encomia in honor of Saint Demetrios, Saint Theodora, Saint Nicholas, and the Three Hierarchs. date of Saint Nicholas's blessed repose is uncertain, but it probably occurred before 1391. If that is true, then he must have been aware of the fall of Thessaloniki to the Turks in 1387. Nicholas Cabasilas was glorified as a saint on July 19,1983. The Troparion composed in his honor describes him as "a divine teacher, a wise interpreter of the dogmas of faith, and of the divine virtues."

Greece, 1347, Andronicus Icon placed in Monemvasia Monestary, Peloponnesos, Southern Greece
Greece, 1347, Andronicus Icon placed in Monemvasia Monestary; Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Andronicus Icon of the Mother of God was a family icon of the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III. In 1347 he gave the icon to the Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos. From here the image was sent to Russia in 1839. In 1877 the holy icon was placed in a temple of the Kazan women’s monastery near Vyshnii Volochek. Other Feast days of this icon are May 1 and July 8.

Greece, 1347-1380, Dionysios, tBuilder oProdromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, first steep little Athos, then C&M
Greece, Mt Athos, 1347-1380, Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, after brother Met oTrebizon, priesthood, asceticism steep Mt Little Athos or Antiathos, Old Prodromos, Panagia, then built church and Monaster, Alexios III through brother funded Forerunner M, died while in T getting Icons ; Prodromou Monastery; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25; Dionysios was born in the village of Korissos, Kastoria, to pious parents who were farmers. a young age, he went to Mount Athos near his brother Theodosios. with the help of his brother’s own teacher, learned to study the Holy Scriptures, and quickly became distinguished for his humble mind and his charitable character. few years later, Emperor Alexios Komnenos III (1350 - 1390), Theodosios became a Metropolitan in Trebizond. was very pleased when he learned of this, first out of brotherly love, and second because now he could more easily carry out a plan of his own. his ordination to the priesthood, Saint Dionysios transferred his place of asceticism to the steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia. Shortly thereafter, he wanted to build a church and a suitable monastery. That plan eventually succeeded by the grace of God. Thus, in 1375, Alexios III, through the intercession of his brother, Metropolitan Theodosios, approved the building of the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner and Baptist John. The emperor in Dionysios gave 50 somia (400,000 grosia), and then three thousand komninata for his work. Thus Saint Dionysios built the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner, which was known afterwards by the name given by her builder. Dionysius reposed in Trebizond, where he had gone to ask for further help from the emperor for the iconography of the monastery.

Greece, 1349-1460, Despotate of Morea, sons of the emperor, Southern Greece, Sparta
Morea, 1349-1460, Despotate of Morea; Despotate of the Morea or Despotate of Mystras was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its existence but eventually grew to include almost all the southern Greek peninsula now known as the Peloponnese, which was known as the Morea during the medieval and early modern periods. The territory was usually ruled by one or more sons of the current Byzantine emperor, who were given the title of despotes (in this context it should not be confused with despotism). Its capital was the fortified city of Mystras, near ancient Sparta, which became an important centre of the Palaiologan Renaissance. in the Peloponnesos penninsula; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Greece, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind, Icon painted on canvas, deacon overseeing long church service missed meal, cook refused feed him, in rage blamed MOG, stabbed her icon, blood flowed, deacon struck blind, he fell down before icon rest of his life, igumen prayed for him, after 3yrs MOG forgave him, healed him, but right hand condemned at 2nd coming, 3yrs after his death bones uncovered, decomposed except for right hand preserved all black, still at Vatopadi but poor condition; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; “Stabbed” Icon of the Mother of God, (Greek: “Esphagmeni.” Slavonic: “Zaklannaya”) from the fourteenth century, is in the Vatopedi monastery on Mt. Athos, a chapel dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica. icon was painted on canvas, received its name of “The Stabbed” from the following event: certain ecclesiarch, a deacon of the Vatopedi monastery, was occupied with overseeing the order of a long service. by his duties, he was late for the meal in the trapeza. annoyed cook refused to give him any food, reminded him that he should come on time if he wished to eat. the deacon flew into a rage and he went to the church again. before the icon of the Mother of God, he said, “How long must I go on serving You? I have toiled, but I have nothing to show for it. You don’t even care whether or not I have anything to eat!” he struck Her on the cheek with a knife and pierced right through the canvas. flowed from the wound, the deacon was struck blind. terrified transgressor fell down right in front of the icon, trembling all over, like Cain, the murderer of old. igumen, served the all-night Vigil praying for mercy and the salvation of the hapless one. three years the All-Holy Virgin appeared to the igumen and said that she had forgiven the deacon, and would restore his health, his hand which committed the sacrilege would be condemned at the Lord’s Second Coming. deacon recovered his sight, and deeply repented of his transgression. himself in a stall opposite the icon he stabbed, he spent the rest of his life in repentance before it. years after the deacon’s death, his bones were uncovered, according to the Athonite custom. body had decomposed, but his right hand remained intact and was all black. hand is preserved at the monastery in memory of the unfathomable love of the Mother of God. is in rather poor condition, however, because Russian pilgrims would take pieces of it, believing it to be a relic. Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Greece, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi m, Mt Athos, ill aEuboia, asked MOG home to die, healed for 1yr, died aV
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, Vatopedia m visitors' host, sent to sub m aEuboia, gravely ill there, asked MOG return tV tDie there, healed by MOG f1yr, year later MOG voice from her icon, time tGo, asked forgiveness, passed; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; Neóphytos was the Prosmonários1 of Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos during the XIV century, he was sent to the Monastery's metokhion2 at Euboia. after becoming quite ill, he prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God, asking her to let him return to his own Monastery and die there. he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos telling him to return to his Monastery, to prepare himself for death within a year. Neóphytos was healed and returned to Vatopaidi at once. year later, after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos coming from her holy Icon, telling him that the time for his departure had come. became gravely ill once more and, after asking the brethren for forgiveness, he surrendered his soul to the Lord. The Prosmonários (Προσμονάριος) was the keeper of the church, a monk who waited for and received those who had come to attend Services at the Monastery. Representation church. A monastery (or church) subordinate to a larger monastery and representing the economy of that monastery. Literallly, a sharer, or participant.

Greece, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon
Greece, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Gennadius was the steward of the Vatopedi monastery on Mt Athos in the fourteenth century, and was in charge of supplies. the monastery’s oil began to run low, he tried to be economical with what remained by using oil just for the needs of the church. The cook began to complain to the Igumen, saying that he had no oil for preparing meals. The Igumen ordered Saint Gennadius to place his trust in the Mother of God, and to supply the oil for all the monastery’s needs. day, Saint Gennadius went to the storeroom and saw the tank overflowing with oil covering the floor as far as the door. This miracle was ascribed to the Most Holy Theotokos, and to Her Elaiovrytissa icon which stood nearby. Since that time, the icon has hung in the storeroom and has emitted an ineffable fragrance. Elaiovrytissa (“Flowing with oil”) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on Bright Friday.

Greece, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, 1375 igumen Philotheou, then Met Trebizond Empire
Greece, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, fKoritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle), Constantinople monk a18, tPhilotheou oAthos, 1375 igumen there, then Met oTrebizond in Trebizond Empire, then persuaded John Alexius Komnenos build Dionsious oAthos, died 1392; Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Theodosius, Metropolitan of Trebizond, born in the village of Koritsa, near the Kastorian hills. eighteen years of age he became a monk at Constantinople went to the Philotheou monastery on Mount Athos, where he led a strict ascetic life. was chosen igumen of the monastery in 1375, afterwards was made Metropolitan of Trebizond because of the holiness of his life. He persuaded John Alexius Komnenos to build the monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos. a God-pleasing life, he died in Trebizond in 1392.

Greece, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos, historian, Hesychasts d, divine light, faces shine like sun
Greece, Mt Athos, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos m & Magul skete, Mt Athos, near Philotheou, 28 yrs, Gregory of Sinai's story, directions to Hesychasts, divine light, faces shine like sun, died in Serbia; Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou) Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Callistus II pursued asceticism at the Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou), there for twenty-eight years. was the disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. with his fellow ascetic Ignatius of Xanthopoulos, he compiled the “Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters” found in the second part of the Slavonic edition of the Philokalia (English translation in Kadlubovsky and Palmer, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart). their contemporary, Saint Simeon of Thessalonica (September 15) asserts, Saints Callistus and Ignatius of Xanthopoulos beheld the Uncreated Light, as the apostles had done on Mount Tabor. Their faces seemed to “shine like the sun.” 1397 he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, and was hierarch during the days of Manuel Paleologos (1391-1425). agreed to journey to Serbia in order to bring peace to that church, stopping along the way at Mt Athos. There, the Patriarch was told that he would not see his flock again. Upon reaching Serbia, he exchanged this temporal life for life eternal.

Greece, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia
Serbia, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia ; Grigoriou monastery; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7; Gregory of Mount Athos was born in Serbia, and pursued asceticism on Mt Athos. built and dedicated the monastery of Saint Nicholas, which was later renamed Grigoriou in his honor. the records of Mt Athos the saint’s signature dating from 1405 was discovered. to Tradition, the relics of Saint Gregory were taken from Athos by Serbian monks.

Greece, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena +2, Edessa, Greece, Turk Seige, defended but P's father hates her and city
Greece, 1375, Virgin Martyrs Parthena, Domnina, and Neollina, Edessa, Macedonia, Greece, story is only about Parthena, E beseiged by Turks, good defense seige lifting, but P's father betrays city for money, he became muslim, he gave her to Turk Pasha, when P not become muslim, father strips her and turns her over to Turks, buried alive, This story fulfills prophecy Christians will be hated by family, but endurance saves.; Edessa, Macedonia, Greece; Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina, and Parthena, Commemorated on January 12; the first Sunday after Theophany (January 7-13), we celebrate the memory of the Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina and Parthena (Νεολλίνα, Δομνίνα, Παρθένα) of Edessa in the Holy Metropolis of Edessa and Pella. is known about Saints Neollina and Domnina, only about Saint Parthena. Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena came from Edessa in Macedonia and was born in the 14th century. Her life was in accord with her virginal name, for she lived ascetically, and with the utmost modesty. the year 1375 Edessa was besieged by the Turks, the residents put up a strong defense, aided and encouraged by Hieromonk Seraphim, the rector of the cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos. enemy was perfectly organized and numerous, but it as it happened, they were preparing to end the siege. the last minute, Peter, one of the city's priests, who was Parthena's father, was paid a large sum of money by the Turkish Pasha, and so he betrayed the city. Turks invaded Edessa on December 26, 1375 from the southeast, where he was on guard, and where one of the major battles for the city took place. its citizens were massacred or sold into slavery; homes were looted, and women were raped. Seraphim was arrested and subjected to severe torments, and then he was drowned in the great waterfall called "Itseri Pasha" (the Pasha's water). traitor Peter, after his heinous act which led to the fall of the city, denied Christ and became a Muslim. if that were not enough, he also gave his daughter Parthena to the Pasha as a concubine, because he was unable to persuade her to deny Christ. hearing her father's words, Saint Parthena, like another Saint Barbara, shuddered, and with spiritual courage she told her wretched father that she would never deny the sweetest name of her heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. of being put to shame and moved to repentance, he became angry and behaved like a wild beast. He beat the Saint until she was bloody and unconscious. he stripped her and handed her over to the Turks. The soldiers tortured her for three days. In the end, she was led up a hillside, where she was buried alive. To this day, the hill is called Parthena's Hill. shocking as the father's conduct may seem, the Savior predicted that such atrocities would take place: "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by everyone for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:21-22). the prayers of the Holy Virgin Martyr Parthena, may the Lord strengthen us to persevere until the end of our earthly lives, and make us worthy of a small corner of Paradise.

Greece, 1398-1426 & 1999, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth&Athens area), story revealed miraculously 500yrs later
Greece, 1398-1426 & 1999, New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth and Athens area), , priest men's monastery story revealed miraculously 500 yrs later, withstood extreme Turk tortures, left for dead, tortured again, 500 yrs later 1999 Mother Woman's monastery asked God to show her a martyred saint from the Men's monastery and he did. God told her where to dig. Ephriam told her his story.; Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on January 3; holy New Martyr and wonderworker Ephraim was born in Greece on September 14, 1384. His father died when the saint was young, and his pious mother was left to care for seven children by herself. Ephraim reached the age of fourteen, the all-good God directed his steps to a monastery on the mountain of Amoman near Nea Makri in Attica. monastery was dedicated to the Annunciation and also to Saint Paraskevḗ. he took on his shoulders the Cross of Christ, which all His followers must bear (Matt. 16:24). enflamed with love for God, Saint Ephraim eagerly placed himself under the monastic discipline. For nearly twenty-seven years he imitated the life of the great Fathers and ascetics of the desert. divine zeal, he followed Christ and turned away from the attractions of this world. By the grace of God, he purified himself from soul-destroying passions and became an abode of the All-Holy Spirit. was also found worthy to receive the grace of the priesthood, and served at the altar with great reverence and compunction. September 14, 1425, the barbarous Turks launched an invasion by sea, destroying the monastery and and looting the surrounding area. Ephraim was one of the victims of their frenzied hatred. Many of the monks had been tortured and beheaded, but Saint Ephraim remained calm. infuriated the Turks, so they imprisoned him in order to torture him and force him to deny Christ. locked him in a small cell without food or water, and they beat him every day, hoping to convince him to become a Moslem. several months, he endured horrible torments. the Turks realized that the saint remained faithful to Christ, they decided to put him to death. On Tuesday May 5, 1426, they led him from his cell. They turned him upside down and tied him to a mulberry tree, then they beat him and mocked him. “Where is your God,” they asked, “and why doesn’t he help you?” The saint did not lose courage, but prayed, “O God, do not listen to the words of these men, but may Thy will be done as Thou hast ordained.” barbarians pulled the saint’s beard and tortured him until his strength ebbed. His blood flowed, and his clothes were in tatters. His body was almost naked and covered with many wounds. Still the Hagarenes were not satisfied, but wished to torture him even more. One of them took a flaming stick and plunged it violently into the saint’s navel. His screams were heart-rending, so great was his pain. The blood flowed from his stomach, but the Turks did not stop. They repeated the same painful torments many times. His body writhed, and all his limbs were convulsed. Soon, the saint grew too weak to speak, so he prayed silently asking God to forgive his sins. Blood and saliva ran from his mouth, and the ground was soaked with his blood. Then he lapsed into unconsciousness. that he had died, the Turks cut the ropes which bound him to the tree, and the saint’s body fell to the ground. Their rage was still not diminished, so they continued to kick and beat him. After a while, the saint opened his eyes and prayed, “Lord, I give up my spirit to Thee.” About nine o’clock in the morning, the martyr’s soul was separated from his body. things remained forgotten for nearly 500 years, hidden in the depths of silence and oblivion until January 3, 1950. By then a women’s monastery had sprung up on the site of the old monastery. Makaria (+ April 23, 1999) was wandering through the ruins of the monastery, thinking of the martyrs whose bones had been scattered over that ground, and whose blood had watered the tree of Orthodoxy. She realized that this was a holy place, and she prayed that God would permit her to behold one of the Fathers who had lived there. some time, she seemed to sense an inner voice telling her to dig in a certain spot. She indicated the place to a workman whom she had hired to make repairs at the old monastery. man was unwilling to dig there, for he wanted to dig somewhere else. Because the man was so insistent, Mother Makaria let him go where he wished. She prayed that the man would not be able to dig there, and so he struck rock. Although he tried to dig in three or four places, he met with the same results. Finally, he agreed to dig where the abbess had first indicated. the ruins of an old cell, he cleared away the rubble and began to dig in an angry manner. abbess told him to slow down, for she did not want him to damage the body that she expected to find there. He mocked her because she expected to find the relics of a saint. he reached the depth of six feet, however, he unearthed the head of the man of God. that moment an ineffable fragrance filled the air. The workman turned pale and was unable to speak. Mother Makaria told him to go and leave her there by herself. She knelt and reverently kissed the body. she cleared away more earth, she saw the sleeves of the saint’s rasson. The cloth was thick and appeared to have been woven on the loom of an earlier time. She uncovered the rest of the body and began to remove the bones, which appeared to be those of a martyr. Makaria was still in that holy place when evening fell, so she read the service of Vespers. she heard footsteps coming from the grave, moving across the courtyard toward the door of the church. The footsteps were strong and steady, like those of a man of strong character. The nun was afraid to turn around and look, but then she heard a voice say, “How long are you going to leave me here?” saw a tall monk with small, round eyes, whose beard reached his chest. In his left hand was a bright light, and he gave a blessing with his right hand. Mother Makaria was filled with joy and her fear disappeared. “Forgive me,” she said, “I will take care of you tomorrow as soon as God makes the day dawn.” The saint disappeared, and the abbess continued to read Vespers. the morning after Matins, Mother Makaria cleaned the bones and placed them in a niche in the altar area of the church, lighting a candle before them. That night Saint Ephraim appeared to her in a dream. He thanked her for caring for his relics, then he said, “My name is Saint Ephraim.” From his own lips, she heard the story of his life and martyrdom. Saint Ephraim glorified God in his life and by his death, the Lord granted him the grace of working miracles. who venerate his holy relics with faith and love have been healed of all kinds of illnesses and infirmities, and he is quick to answer the prayers of those who call upon him. Ephraim is also commemorated on May 5. New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Greece, 1400-1450, 15th C Folder, Marcarius oVatopedi, Mt Athos & Protocrator, Constantinople, Chaplain tEmperor

Greece, 1401-1431, Marcarius oMt Athos, Vatopedi m, t Pantocrator m Constantinople, Emperor's Chaplain
Greece, Mt Athos, 1401-1431, Marcarius of Mt Athos, Vatopedi monastery, to Pantocrator Monastery Constantinople, fThessalonica, tVatopedi when young, later tConstantinople& Igumen Pantocrator & Emperor Manuel II Paleologos' Chaplain, Died Chalke epidemic; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Macarius was born in Thessalonica during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, and went to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos when he was young. Later, he went to Constantinople and became igumen of the Monastery of the Pantocrator, and chaplain to the Emperor. died in 1431 during an epidemic in Chalke.

Greece, 1450-1821, Folder, Ottoman Period

Greece, 1450-1821, Ottoman Greece
Greece, Ottoman Greece 1450-1821 ; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

Greece, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Three Hands Icon arrives at Hilander

Greece, 1450-1505, Saint Savva of Ioannina, Epirus, hechycast, never angry, said Humility is cornerstone of spiritual life
Greece, 1450-1505, Saint Savva of Ioannina, Epirus, Greece (Lake Pamvotis), spiritual father Nectarios&Theophanes, +1550&+1554, aristocrat son, loved poverty, lived humble poor hermit, never seen angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility. He said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” hechycast, no: meat, fish, cheese, or even oil on food; Ioannina (Lake Pamvotis) ; Saint Savva of Ioannina, Commemorated on February 3; is not known where Saint Savva was born. He lived a life of asceticism in the Holy Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner on an island in the lake of Ioannina around the middle of the XV century. was the Spiritual Father of Saints Nektarios (+ 1550) and Theophanes (+ 1544), who were descended from the distinguished Apsaras family of the Byzantine Empire. They are commemorated jointly on May 17. Savva was the son of an aristocratic family, from an early age he loved the poverty of Jesus Christ. Until his last breath, he lived as a humble and poor hermit. one ever saw him angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility, concerning which he himself said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” was a hechycast, and his ascetical life was very strict. He prayed every night until morning. His food was plain, and he ate very little. No meat, fish, or cheese ever appeared on his table, and he never poured a drop of oil on his food. Savva reposed peacefully in 1505. When he delivered his soul to the Lord, an inexpressible fragrance arose from the tabernacle of his body. The saint was buried in the monastery of Honorable Forerunner. A holy relic of the saint is kept and revered in the Roussanou Monastery of the Transfiguration at Meteora.

Greece, 1457, Three Hands Icon arrives at Hilandar monastery, miraculously on a donkey
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands ÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; it was time to choose the igumen for the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, Saint Daniel received the appointment. The saint was igumen at a most difficult time for the Holy Mountain. After the Crusaders were expelled from Palestine, they joined with the Arabs to plunder and loot the Athonite monasteries, not sparing anything sacred. St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂÂ, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-Giver ÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, 1500, 16th Century History Folder, Sea Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth

Greece, 1501, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance
Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance; Kayes; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Philotheus of Karyes lived an ascetic life on Athos in the cell of Iagari near Karyes. was the Spiritual Father of Saint Nectarius. of the purity of his life, he was granted the gift of clairvoyance.

Greece, 1501, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle, Capital o1st Bulgarian Empire, relics wonderful fragrance
Greece, 1500, Nectarius oBitolya, Macedonia, Center of K Triangle (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire, raised by father, a monk at Cosmas&Damian Monastery iB, tonsured aMt Athos under Philotheus&Dionysius, exceptional bodily afflictions like Job, died 1500, relics uncovered 1504 wonderous fragrance; Bitolya ; Venerable and Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Nectarius of Mount Athos was raised by his father, became a monk at the monastery of the holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian in Bitolya (Bulgaria). himself was tonsured on Mount Athos, and performed his obedience under experienced spiritual guides, Saint Philotheus and the Elder Dionysius. Job, the monk experienced exceptional bodily afflictions, he peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord on December 5, 1500. holy relics of the saint were uncovered four years later, exuding a wondrous fragrance.

Greece, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, Translated Psalms into Slavonic, suffered unjust persecution patiently, grave grace manifests

Greece, 1510-1570, Dionysius, Dionysios M, cross shone over Crib, ascetic life, strict fast, spiritual heights, many miracles
Greece, 1510-1570, Dionysius oAgios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus, cross shone over his crib, fond reading spirital books, monk after parents died, tMeteora, tAthos, pious Elder Seraphim, ascetic life, strict fast, passion week only chestnuts, deacon then priest, exhaulted life became known, monks came, & lawless people into salvation, robber by his kind wise words, Philotheou m monks asked, but not enough votes, dissensions arose, withdrew, tVerria, later tOlympus to avoid being bishop, zealous fMonasticism to him, built cells for them and Church, fasting&Prayer, spiritual heights, many miracles, through prayers Lord punished iniquitious people opressing monks, severe drought and hail for Turk holdings who had expelled monks destroyed m, impudent maiden devil assault, then all healing deliverance through D's prayers, D compiled monastic life rule, built monastery for Prophet Elias 1542, 16th Century, advanced age; Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24; Dionysius of Olympus was born into a family of poor parents in the village of Platina. he was an infant, the Cross shone over his crib. of prayer and reading spiritual books from his youth, Saint Dionysius decided to become a monk after the death of his parents. this aim he went to Meteora, and then to Mount Athos. he lived with a pious Elder, the priest Seraphim, and under his guidance he began to lead an ascetic life, keeping a strict fast. Passion Week he went into the forest, and ate only chestnuts. he was ordained deacon, and then priest. exalted life of Saint Dionysius became known, and many monks came to hear his edifying words. also guided many lawless people onto the path of salvation, whom was a robber who intended to rob the saint’s cell, but was moved to repentance by the Elder’s kind and wise words. brethren of the Philotheou monastery lost their igumen and asked Saint Dionysius to be their head. he did not receive enough votes, and dissensions arose. peace and love most of all, Saint Dionysius withdrew and went to Verria. he fled to Mount Olympus in order to avoid being consecrated as a bishop. those zealous for monasticism began to flock to him. built cells for them and also a church and they spent their time in fasting and prayer. attained the spiritual heights, he worked many miracles. through the prayers of the saint, the Lord punished iniquitous people who oppressed the monks of Olympus or broke the commandments of Christ. holdings of a Turk who had expelled the monks and wrecked their monastery were destroyed by severe drought and by hail. cattle of a herdsman who had oppressed the monastery were stricken with disease and sickness; of her impudence, a maiden from one of the villages was subjected to an assault of the devil. all received healing and deliverance from misfortune through the prayers of Saint Dionysius, after being led to penitence by his lack of malice. saint compiled a Rule for monastic life, was an example of monastic activity. built a church on Olympus, and also a monastery dedicated to the Prophet Elias. left the brethren his final testament about the monastic life based on the Rule of the Holy Mountain. Dionysius died in the sixteenth century at an advanced age, and was buried on Olympus, in the church portico of the monastery he founded.

Greece, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou m, Heavenly Revelations, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, false Turk charges
Greece, Mt Athos, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou monesteries, Mt Athos, tonsured at D, tSkete St John, restored it, Heavenly Revelations, mansions oParadise, depths oHades, perceive hearts & secret thoughts, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, healed&instructed iAetolia, false Turk charges, confessed Christ, severe torments 17days, relics Anastasia m, Galatista, Thess; Docheiariou monastery; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; James was tonsured at Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. Moving to the neglected Georgian Skete of Saint John the Baptist, he restored it under the supervision of Elder Ignatius. various obediences in the monastery, Saint James ascended to the heights of purity. was granted heavenly revelations, as was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), the Saint also beheld the mansions of Paradise and the depths of Hades. God's grace, Saint James was able to perceive the mysteries of human hearts, and the secret thoughts of those who came to him. was also found worthy of the gift of performing miracles. visiting Aetolia with his disciples, he healed the sick and instructed all. Turkish authorities fabricated false charges against the Saint, accusing him of fomenting rebellion. In this manner, they tried to force Saint James into renouncing Orthodoxy. James and both of his disciples, Deacon James and the Monk Dionysios, endured the most severe torments for seventeen days, receiving the crown of martyrdom on November 1, 1520. relics of the Monastic Martyrs, glorified by miracles, were placed in the monastery of Saint Anastasia, the Deliverer from Potions, in the small town of Galatista, near Thessaloniki. a short time, the fame of the holy relics attracted about 100 brethren to the monastery under the Igoumen Saint Theonas (April 4), who was himself a disciple of Saint James.

Greece, 1523, Euthymios oRhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested by Turks, impaled on steak wOther clergymen& citizens
Ephesus, 1523, Euthymios of Rhodes, Island of Rhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested fConspiracy aTurks, impaled on steak wOther clergymen& leading citizens of Rhodes; Rhodes; Hieromartyr Euthymios of Rhodes, Commemorated on August 9; glorious Hieromartyr Euthymios was elected as the Metropolitan of Rhodes, when the Ottomans occupied the island in 1523. those difficult years, Euthymios shepherded his flock in a God-pleasing manner. 1529, he was arrested as the leader of a conspiracy against the Turks and was impaled on a stake along with other clergymen and leading citizens of Rhodes. Euthymios was honored as a martyr by the Christians immediately after his death. Latin Missionary Peter Fangonis, Vicar General of the Latin Archbishop Alfonso Gonzaga, states in his report to the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith the tomb of the blessed Euthymios had become the most prominent site of pilgrimage on Rhodes, that those who went there suffering from the quaternary fever "malaria," and the chills and fever that went with it, were healed.

Greece, 1534-1579, Gerasimus the New, Sepulchre Lamplighter, o by Gerasimus, silence, deliverance, myhrr, incorrupt r
Greece, 1534-1579, Gerasimus the New, Sepulchre Lamplighter, o by Gerasimus, silence, deliverance, myhrr, incorrupt r; Trikkala; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20; Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in the village of Trikkala in the Peloponessos. a young adult, he became a monk on the island of Zakynthos. the Holy Mountain he became a schemamonk and studied with the ascetics of Mt Athos. a blessing from the Elders, the monk went to Jerusalem to worship at the Life-bearing Tomb of the Savior. visiting many holy places in Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria and Egypt, he returned to Jerusalem where he became a lamp-lighter at the Sepulchre of the Lord. monk was ordained a deacon and then a priest by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Germanus (1534-1579). Gerasimus maintained the discipline of an ascetic. For soltitude he withdrew to the Jordan, where he spent forty days without respite. received the Patriarch’s blessing for a life of silence, Saint Gerasimus withdrew to Zakynthos in solituide, eating only vegetation. five years he was inspired to go the the island of Cephalonia, where he lived in a cave. restored a church at Omala, and he founded a women’s monastery where he lived in constant toil and vigil for thirty years. prayed on bent knees stretched out on the ground. For his exalted life he was granted a miraculous gift: the ability to heal the sick and cast out unclean spirits. 71 years of age, the venerable Gerasimus knew that he would soon die. He gave his blessing to the nuns and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on August 15, 1579. years later, his grave was opened and his holy relics were found fragrant and incorrupt with a healing power. the Feast of the Dormition falls on August 15, Saint Gerasimus is commemorated on August 16th. Today’s Feast celebrates the uncovering of his holy relics in 1581.

Greece, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, founded 2 monasteries wFasting prayer virgil, wonderworker, martyr
Greece, 1542-1589, Philothea tMonastic, fAthens, Greece, eminent rich deeply devout parents, raised iDeep piety &rich Belief, given iMarriage a12, impious crude husband, often beat&tormented her, endured abuse, she often prayed he come to his senses, he died after 3yrs, she began fasting, virgil and prayer labor, she founded woman's monastery, accepted tonsure wPhilothea name, Greece under Turks, many Athenians slaves, she freed them by ransom, once 4women ran away from massters who had demanded they renounce, refuge in her monastery, Turks burst into her cell, beat her, took her to governor, thrown into prison, Turk mob gathered, led her out, hacked to pieces if did not renounce Christ, but just then Crowd Christians assembled by God' Grace, pacified judges and freed her, back at her monastery she continued abstinence prayer vigil, for which granted gift oWonderworking, in Athens suburb Patesia she founded new monastery, asceticism wSisters, during vigil St Dionysis Turks seized and tortured her, threw down half dead, sisters brought Philothea blood flowing tKalogreza, she died 1589, relics tAthens Cathedral; Athens; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; Monastic Martyr Philothea was born in Athens in 1522. parents, Syriga and Angelos Benizelos, were renowned not only for being eminent and rich, but also deeply devout. the kind-hearted Syriga had implored the Most Holy Theotokos for a child. fervent prayers were heard, and a daughter was born to the couple. They named her Revoula. parents raised their daughter in deep piety and right belief, when she was twelve years old they gave her away in marriage. husband turned out to be an impious and crude man, who often beat and tormented his wife. patiently endured the abuse and she prayed to God, that He might bring her husband to his senses. three years Revoula’s husband died, she began to labor in fasting, vigil and prayer. saint founded a women’s monastery in the name of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30 and June 30). the monastery was completed, the saint was the first to accept monastic tonsure, with the name Philothea. this time Greece was suffering under the Turkish Yoke, many Athenians had been turned into slaves by their Turkish conquerors. Philothea utilized all her means to free her fellow countrywomen, ransoming many from servitude. four women ran away from their Turkish masters, who demanded that they renounce their Christianity, took refuge in the monastery of Saint Philothea. Turks, having learned where the Greek women had gone, burst into the saint’s cell, and beat her. took her to the governor, who threw the holy ascetic into prison. the morning, a mob of Turks had gathered, and they led her out of the prison. governor said that if she did not renounce Christ, she would be hacked to pieces. when Saint Philothea was ready to accept a martyr’s crown, crowd of Christians assembled by the grace of God. pacified the judges and freed the holy ascetic. to her monastery, Saint Philothea continued with her efforts of abstinence, prayer and vigil, which she was granted the gift of wonderworking. Patesia, an Athens suburb, she founded a new monastery, where she struggled in asceticism with the sisters. the Vigil for Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), Turks seized Saint Philothea and tortured her. they threw her down on the ground half-dead. sisters tearfully brought the holy martyr, flowing with blood, to Kalogreza, where she died on February 19, 1589. thereafter, the relics of the holy Monastic Martyr Philothea were brought to the Athens cathedral church.

Greece, 1551, Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos), suffered in 1551
Greece, 1551, Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos), suffered in 1551; Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River); Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; Nicodemus of Meteora struggled in Thessaly, and suffered in the year 1551.

Greece, 1567-1624, Dionysius oAegina, man murders hNobleman brother, helped escape, incrrpt r, walking saint, sandals wear out
Greece, 1567-1624, Dionysius oAegina Island (between Athens and Corinth), noble family, but fled world, tStrophada m, monk, young priestmonk, young bishop oAegina, many drawn tHim, feared praise vainglory, resigned, btZakynthos, 1579 Z diocese widowed, D temp bishop, then Anaphonitria m 20miles, man murders his Nobleman brother & flees to his monastery, confesses to him, asked protection from family, D wept then conforted murderer, great compassion &Love, his relatives come, pretended, wept wThem, sent them wrong direction, then he told murderer, brought him tRepentence, helped him excape, for christ-like virtue granted gift oMiracles, great age tDeath i1624, incorrupt rlcs plus walking saint, w about performing miracles, soles oSlippers contiinued tWear out, s cut up distributed; Aegina Island; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Dionysius of Zakynthos, the Bishop of Aegina born in 1547 on the island of Zakynthos. born into a noble family, he was determined to flee the world and set his mind upon heavenly things. entered the monastery of Strophada, and after the prescribed time, he was clothed in the angelic schema by the abbot. young in years, he surpassed many of his elders in virtue, and was found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. he protested his unworthiness, Saint Dionysius was consecrated Bishop of Aegina. that office he never ceased to teach and admonish his flock, and many were drawn to him in order to profit from his wisdom. feared the praise of men, lest he should fall into the sin of vainglory, so he resigned his See and returned to Zakynthos. 1579 the diocese of Zakynthos was widowed a bishop dies, his diocese is described as “widowed”), Dionysius agreed to care for it until a new bishop could be elected. he fled from the worldly life which gave him no peace, and went to the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos Anaphonitria, twenty miles from the main village. certain stranger murdered the saint’s brother Constantine, an illustrious nobleman. his victim’s relatives, the stranger, by chance or by God’s will, sought refuge in the monastery where Saint Dionysius was the abbot. the saint asked the fugitive why he was so frightened, he confessed his sin and revealed the name of the man he had murdered, asking to be protected from the family’s vengeance. Dionysius wept for his only brother, as was natural. he comforted the murderer and hid him, showing him great compassion and love. the saint’s relatives came to the monastery with a group of armed men and told him what had happened. pretended to know nothing about it. After weeping with them and trying to console them, he sent them off in the wrong direction. he told the murderer that he was the brother of the man he had killed. He admonished him as a father, and brought him to repentance. After forgiving him, Saint Dionysius brought him down to the shore and helped him to escape to another place in order to save his life. of the saint’s Christ-like virtue, he was granted the gift of working miracles. passed his life in holiness, Saint Dionysius reached a great age, then departed to the Lord on December 17, 1624. only are the saint’s relics incorrupt, but he is also one of Greece’s “walking saints” (Saint Gerasimus and Saint Spyridon are the others). is said to leave his reliquary and walk about performing miracles for those who seek his aid. In fact, the soles of his slippers wear out and must be replaced with a new pair from time to time. old slippers are cut up, and the pieces are distributed to pilgims. August 24, we celebrate the Transfer of his Holy Relics. Through the prayers of Saint Dionysius, may Christ our God have mercy upon us and save us.

Greece, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece, repent of sins, arrested by Turks, prison, tortured, hanged, burned; Philotheou monastery; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian of Philotheou was a disciple of Saint Dometius (August 7). was from the village of Richovon (Merichovon) near Agrapha. went to Mt. Athos when he was quite young, and received the monastic tonsure at Philotheou Monastery. After spending some time there, he withdrew to a hermitage under the guidance of an Elder named Dometius. three years, he heard a voice telling him to go forth and teach. He obeyed these instructions, preaching in many areas of Greece. He urged his fellow Christians to repent of their sins, to abstain from all vices, to obey God’s commandments, and to devote themselves to God-pleasing works. he was on his way to a village, Saint Damian was arrested by the Turks and thrown into prison. After fifteen days of torture, he was hanged and then thrown into a fire. Saint Damian received the crown of martyrdom on February 23, 1568.

Greece, 1568, Dometius oPhilotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures; Philotheou monastery; Venerable Dometius of Philotheou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 7; Dometius was an Athonite Elder. pursued silence at the Philotheou monastery together with the Hieromartyr Damian of Philotheou (February 23), suffered under cruel tortures by the Turks in the year 1568.

Greece, 1571, Sea Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth, HRE over Turks
Corinth, 1571, Sea Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth (Lepanto) ; Sea Battle of Lepanto (in Gulf of Lepanto now known as Gulf of Corinth); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ;

Greece, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Quick to Hear Icon and New Martyrs

Greece, 1601, Seraphim, Bishop otPhanar, impaled by the Turks, fAgraphya, Greece, monk aKoronis Monastery
Constantinople, 1601, Seraphim, Bishop otPhanar Neighborhood, Constantinople, impaled by the Turks, fAgraphya, Greece, monk aKoronis Monastery, chosen Bishop Phanar&Neochorion, refused islam &Impaled 1601; Phanar (Greek Quarter of Constantinople); Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar was from the village of Bezoula, Agrapha diocese in Greece. lived in asceticism at first as a monk at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis, later was chosen as bishop of the Phanar and Neochorion. his refusal to accept Islam, he was beaten and impaled by the Turks in 1601. head is at the monastery at Koronis and has been glorified by numerous miracles.

Greece, 1617, Nicholas of Metsovo, Epirus, islam conversion repented, burned, divine light fSkull
Greece, 1617, New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Epirus, Greece (Metsovon, Arachthos River 1), devout parents, tBaker iTrikkala, Thessaly, embraced Islam, realized gravity returned home, wood to T fExtra Money, recognized bBarber, not dressed as Turk, free wood tKeep secret, long time, conscience, became martyr, priest strengthened him, denounced by barber, admitted Islam conversion but repented returned Christian, intended die as C, Kadi usual flattery, threats, then beaten thrown prison, no food water some time, twice more tKadi, death sentence, large fire endured, escaped Ghenna, money for skull, hid in wall, bright light 1618, skull to Barlaam Monastery at Meteora fT, St Nik tVlach; Metsovon (Metsovo); New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Commemorated on May 16; Basdanis was born at Metsovo, Epeiros to poor, but devout Orthodox parents. a young man he went to Trikkala in Thessaly, where he worked as the assistant of a Moslem baker. there, some Turks tried to convert him to their religion. Yielding to their persistent efforts, he embraced Islam. realizing the gravity of his sin, he returned to Metsovo, and to the Orthodox Church. earned some extra money by taking wood to Trikkala and selling it. This went on for some time, but one day He was recognized by a Moslem barber, who was a friend of the baker. barber wondered why Nicholas was no longer dressed as a Turk. with fear, Nicholas gave him the load of wood, promising to bring him more wood every year, if he would keep his secret. The barber agreed, and things continued that way for a long time. was troubled by his conscience, however, and believed that the only way to atone for his denial of Christ was to become a martyr. spoke of this to his Spiritual Father at the monastery of Meteora, who advised him not to be too hasty in carrying out his intention, lest he should be unable to endure the inevitable torture, and deny Christ once again. that Nicholas was determined to pursue this course, the priest strengthened him spiritually for the contest. Nicholas felt he was ready, he returned to Trikkala to see the barber. The man asked him about the wood he had promised to bring, and Nicholas told him that he had none. Furthermore, he would not be receiving any wood in future. barber became angry and denounced Nicholas to the authorities, saying that he had rejected Islam. barber summoned other Turks to take Nicholas to the kadi for interrogation. answer to the kadi's questions, Nicholas admitted freely that he had converted to Islam, but then he repented and returned to his Christian Faith. he told the Moslems that he was born a Christian, and that he intended to die as a Christian, no matter how much they might torture him. kadi tried the usual flattery and promises of riches in order to persuade him to return to their religion. this failed, the kadi threatened him with horrible torments and death if he did not relent. refused, and so he was beaten and thrown into prison, where he received nothing to eat or drink for some time. more, Saint Nicholas was brought before the kadi with the same results. Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the kadi sentenced him to death. large fire was lit in the marketplace, and the holy martyr was thrown into it on May 16, 1617. Thus, by enduring this fire, Saint Nicholas escaped the fire of Gehenna. a pious Christian went to that place, hoping to obtain relics. Since the Saint's body was being guarded, the man had to pay a large sum of money to obtain the skull. He took it home and hid it inside a wall so the Moslems would not find it. time, an Orthodox Christian named Melandros bought the house. the night of May 17, 1618, he noticed a bright light shining from the wall of one of the rooms. the morning, he opened the wall and found the skull of the New Martyr Nicholas. brought this treasure to Barlaam Monastery at Meteora, where his brother was a monk, and donated the holy relic to the monastery in remembrance of himself, and of his family. Holy New Martyr Nicholas, who is also known as Saint Nicholas the Vlach, is commemorated on May 17 in Greek usage.

Greece, 1651, Nilus t Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, raised by Macarius, relics curative myrrh, accurate prophecies
Greece, Mt Athos, 1651, Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece, raised by uncle hieromonk Macarius, attained hieromonk, Holy Rocks on Mt A, abundant flow curative myrrh from his relics, left accurate 20th century prophecies ; Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; Nilus the Myrrh-Gusher of Mt Athos was born in Greece, in a village named for Saint Peter, in the Zakoneia diocese. was raised by his uncle, the hieromonk Macarius. attained the age of maturity, he received monastic tonsure and was found worthy of ordination to hierodeacon, and then to hieromonk. desire for greater monastic struggles brought uncle and nephew to Mt Athos, where Macarius and Nilus lived in asceticism at a place called the Holy Rocks. the repose of Saint Macarius, the venerable Nilus, aflame with zeal for even more intense spiritual efforts, found an isolated place almost inaccessible for any living thing. his departure to the Lord in 1651, Saint Nilus was glorified by an abundant flow of curative myrrh, for which Christians journeyed from the most distant lands of the East. Nilus has left a remarkably accurate prophecy concerning the state of the Church in the mid-twentieth century, and a description of the people of that time. the inventions he predicted are the telephone, airplane, and submarine. also warned that people’s minds would be clouded by carnal passions, “and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger.” would not be distinguishable from women because of their “shamelessness of dress and style of hair.” Nilus lamented that Christian pastors, bishops and priests, would become vain men, and that the morals and traditions of the Church would change. pious and God-fearing pastors would remain, and many people would stray from the right path because no one would instruct them.

Greece, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded
Greece, 1652, John of Thasos, Macedonia, 18 yr old aprentice tailor, seized by turks for insulting Moslems, no conversion, beheaded; Thasos; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; New Martyr John of Thasos was from the village of Marias on the island of Thasos. In his youth he was brought to Constantinople and apprenticed to a tailor. day he was seized by the Turks and accused of insulting the Moslem religion. They tried to force him to accept Islam, but he would not agree to renounce the Christian Faith, for which he was beheaded at the age of eighteen in the year 1652.

Greece, 1660-1694, Romanus tMartyr, Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople, beheaded bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland
Greece, 1660-1694, Romanus the Martyr, fKarpenisi, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Source), Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople, beheaded bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland; Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Martyr Romanus of Karpenisi was born in Karpenisi in central Greece. was a monk on Mount Athos for a time, suffered for Christ at Constantinople, by the Turks in the year 1694. relics were taken by ship to England.

Greece, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear
Greece, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear, Neophytos' time, do not come this way, darkening my icon with smoke, ignored, struck blind, realized who spoke, remained before icon until forgiven by MOG, received sight, monks come to me and I will hear you quickly, countless miracles, blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence; Docheiariou monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ; wonderworking "Quick to Hear" Icon of the Mother of God is kept at Dokheiarίou Monastery on Mount Athos, and is believed to date from the XI century, during the time of Saint Neophytos, the Igoumen of the Monastery. the wonderworking Portaitissa Icon, the most famous Icon on Mount Athos is an ancient fresco of the Panagia located outside on the east wall of the trapeza, and to the right of the entrance. 1664 the Monk Neilos, the steward of the trapeza, often passed before the Icon holding a lit torch in his hand so he could carry out his duties in the trapeza. One day, he heard a voice say to him: "Do not come this way again with your torches, darkening my Icon with smoke." did not pay much attention to the voice, thinking that someone was playing a joke on him. It was not long before he heard the voice again saying, "O monk, unworthy of the name, how long will you continue to darken my Icon with smoke?" hearing the voice, Neilos was struck blind. Then he remembered that he had heard the voice before, and realized that he deserved this punishment, for he did not heed the command of the Mother of God, but had ignored it in his ignorance. next morning, the brethren found him laying on the floor of the corridor before the Icon, unable to see them. When they learned why Neilos had been punished, the monks were terrified. From that time on, they passed by the Icon with great reverence, and hung an unsleeping lamp before it. however, did not want to return to his cell. He remained before the Icon in a stasidi, calling upon the Theotokos with tears and lamentations to forgive him for the sin he had committed. He begged her to restore his sight, as a sign of her forgiveness, so that he might gaze upon her Icon and glorify her. was not disappointed in his hopes, for the Mother of God heard the prayers of her repentant servant. He heard her voice a third time, saying, "Monk, your prayer has been heard. You are forgiven, and you shall receive your sight again. Declare to the other Fathers and brethren who struggle here that I am the Mother of God, and that after God, I am the shelter and help and mighty protector of this Monastery of the Archangels, providing for it as its defender and guide. From now on, let the monks come to me for all their needs, and I will hear them quickly, as well as all Orthodox Christians who come to me with reverence, for I am called Quick to Hear." soon this miracle and the promise of the Theotokos became known throughout the Holy Mountain, and monks from the other Monasteries came to Dokheiarίou to venerate the Icon, and to see the monk who had regained his sight. The corridor was closed off and a chapel was built to house the "Quick to Hear" Icon. One of the most devout and accomplished Hieromonks is appointed to be present in the chapel. He is known as the prosmonarios, and he is there most of the time to chant Canons of Supplication before the Icon, which he censes every evening and morning, tending the chapel, and trimming the oil lamps. "Quick to Hear" Icon venerated not only on the Holy Mountain, but also by Orthodox Christians all over the world. Countless miracles of healing are worked by the Mother of God through her Holy Icon. The blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence. copy of the "Quick to Hear Icon" was painted on Mount Athos and was sent as a gift from the Russian and other devout monks of the Holy Mountain to Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow) of the Aleutian Islands and North America. May of 1906 that copy of the famous "Quick to Hear” Icon at Dokheiarίou Monastery was carried to Saint Tikhon's Monastery (in Walmart, PA) in a solemn Cross Procession, along with several others, including one of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. relics of several saints were placed in the Icon. These include the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratēlátēs (Feb. 8), Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenary Physicians, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Nov. 14), and the Holy New Martyr Constantine of Mount Athos, who was born on the island of Hydra and suffered at the hands of the Turks on the island of Rhodes on November 14, 1800. "Quick to Hear" Icon is now on the iconostasis of Saint Tikhon's Monastery church.

Greece, 1669, Deposition of Joseph's relics, incorrupt emitting divine fragrance, holiness discovered after death
Greece, 1669, Gaitanios, Zakynthos, Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified, his holiness only discovered when his relics recovered, incorrupt emitting divine fragrance, miracleworker rep established after death, plus blind&deaf healings; Gaitanios, Zakynthos; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29; Joseph the Sanctified reposed on January 22, 1511 when he was about seventy years old, and was buried in his monastery. holiness was recognized at the recovery of his relics, because they were found incorrupt and emitting a divine fragrance. were deposited in the katholikon of the monastery. after his death he established his reputation as a miracle worker. There were continuous miracles where many sick persons were healed, including the blind and possessed. 1669 the Ottomans occupied Heraklion in Crete, and so the devout clergyman Anthony Armakis transferred the sacred relics of Saint Joseph to Zakynthos on August 29, 1669 and placed them in the Monastery of Saint John of Mantineos in Xerobounia. There the Saint's relics remained until 1915, when they were placed in the parish church of the Pantokrator at Gaitanios, Zakynthos.

Greece, 1680, New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Thessaly, accused of accepting Islam, confessed, beheaded
Volos, Thessaly; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated August 16 ; New Martyr Stamatius was a native of the city of Volos, Thessaly. They accused him of accepting Islam, but he bravely confessed himself a Christian and was beheaded by the sword at Constantinople in 1680.

Greece, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Kollyvades Movement

Greece, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius, from Epirus, G encouraged martyrdom but first a monk, beheaded, d light, myrrh
Greece, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, from Ioannina Region, Epirus, Greece, furrier in C, sinful sailor, moslem traitors accused him of embracing Islam, small boat, desire for Martyrdom, Fr Gregory of Xeropotamou got in his boat, encouraged martyrdom but first become a monk, returned to old ship, beaten w iron bar, eye and teeth, urged viser to become christian, beheaded, heavenly light, sweet fragrance; Ioannina Region; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; holy New Martyr Auxentius was born in 1690 in the diocese of Vellas, part of the Metropolitan district of Ioannina in Greece. When he was a young man, he moved to Constantinople with his parents and became a furrier. he left his trade and went to work on the ships, leading a sinful life in pursuit of worldly pleasures. His Moslem coworkers turned against him and accused him of denying Christ to embrace Islam. Fearing that they would denounce him to the captain of the ship, Auxentius jumped ship and returned to Constantinople. bought a small boat and earned his living with it. He began to regret his previous conduct, and the desire for martyrdom grew within him. One day, a monk got into his boat in order to cross the water. This was Father Gregory, a monk of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mt. Athos. revealed to Father Gregory his desire to be a martyr for Christ. The wise monk praised his desire, but urged caution lest he should weaken under torture and deny Christ. He recommended that Auxentius move to a quiet place and become a monk. Heeding Father Gregory’s advice, Auxentius continued to work with his boat for a time, giving most of his money to the poor, and living as an ascetic. often prayed at the church of the Life-Giving Fountain, asking God to give him strength to become a martyr. Then he returned to his old ship, where his former shipmates began to beat him. They dragged him before the kadi, stating that he had converted to Islam, but then returned to Christianity. said, “I was, and am, an Orthodox Christian. I am prepared to suffer thousands of tortures for the sake of Christ.” furious Hagarenes began to beat Auxentius with an iron bar. He lost an eye and several teeth as a result. He remained steadfast in confessing Christ, in spite of all the tortures that were inflicted upon him, and absolutely refused to become a Moslem. Gregory went to see Auxentius in prison, and was asked to bring him Holy Communion on his next visit. The monk did this, also urging him to remain strong in the Orthodox Faith. holy martyr was brought before the vizier, who urged him to respect Islam as good and true, instead of treating it with contempt. Saint Auxentius answered that he would never abandon his faith. In fact, he even urged the vizier to become a Christian. This enraged the vizier, and he sentenced Auxentius to death. praying for all Orthodox Christians, and for the whole world, Saint Auxentius was beheaded on January 25, 1720 at 9:00 A.M. Two days later, a heavenly light was seen by Christians and Moslems, shining on the body of the martyr. sultan’s tailor, an Orthodox Christian named Michael, went to the sultan and asked for the body. Patriarch Jeremiah III accompanied the body to the Church of the Life-Giving Fountain for the funeral and burial. years later, when the saint’s relics were exhumed, a sweet fragrance came forth from them.

Greece, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, wMt Athos, bk tConfess wGod's power, no fear, survived precipice, incorrupt fragrant relics
Albania, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania, raised christian, became moslem, forced children follow, except one son who went Mt Athos, traveled M A in anger, but repented there and became monk, strict fast 3 yrs, weeping, begging, desire go back confess there, Akakios oKausokalyvia for instructions, addressed him by name not knowing him, withdrew to pray, light fHeaven shining like star on face, take tStaff before pasha, power oGod you will complete martyrdom well, ready to leave but weak fFasting, asked break fast, no, now more tEver must fast, walk much as yCan, Lord wStrengthen walk wEase, I fear deamons however, Fear God, Demons no authority of their own, hope Christ help you witness tHim, survived being pushed off precipice, Turks tortured 3days&nights, beheaded, showing no sign of fear, incorrupt fragrant relics still preserved, relics Skete St Anne; Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos came from Elbasan, a town of Epirus (Albania) was raised by devout parents. he reached a suitable age, he married a Christian woman and they had several children. he associated with Turks, he was influenced by them and became a Moslem. even forced his children to follow his example, for one son, who was abducted by certain Christians and sent to Mount Athos. There he was tonsured as a monk. for the young man in order to convert him to Islam, the wretched father learned that he was on the Holy Mountain. traveled to Athos in great anger, vowing to cause serious trouble for the monasteries if he found his son there. Who desires that all may be saved, effected his salvation in a marvelous way. of finding his son and converting him, he himself came to his senses and repented. both Islam and the world, he became a monk at the Skete of Saint Anne, in the Kalyva (isolated cell) of the Ascension, with the new name of Νikόdēmos. repentance was such that he kept a strict fast for three years, weeping and begging God to forgive his terrible sin of apostasy. day he heard some of the Fathers saying that whoever denies Christ must go back to the same place and confess Him before men. that moment, he burned with a desire for martyrdom. he prepared himself through asceticism, fasting, and prayer. of Saint Akakios (April 12) of the Skete of Kausokalyvia [Καυσοκαλύβια], Νikόdēmos visited him in order to receive his blessing and his instructions. soon as Νikόdēmos beheld the Saint, he fell down at his feet and wept for a long time. Akakios took him by the hand and addressed him by name, although he did not know him. him up, he comforted him. Then he withdrew for a short distance and began to pray. who were present saw a light from Heaven, shining like a star, which illumined the Saint's face. he turned to Νikόdēmos and whispered something to him, and then the radiance disappeared. with contrition and by divine grace, Νikόdēmos cried out with a loud voice. Then he went into the cave and wept for a considerable time. he returned to Saint Akakios and asked for his blessing to go forth to martyrdom. him and placing a staff in his hand, the Saint said, "Take this staff and go before the pasha. By the power of God, you will complete your martyrdom well." Νikόdēmos took the staff, and was ready to leave at once to achieve his goal. weakened by fasting, he was not capable of walking all the way back to Elbasan. Therefore, he asked Saint Akakios if he might break his fast in order to strengthen himself for the journey. Saint replied, "Now, more than ever, you must fast, Brother, for soon you will be struggling for Christ. Walk as much as you can, and the Lord Who said 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4:4), shall strengthen you to walk with ease." Martyr answered, "O Father, by your prayers, may our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, and enable me to confess the good confession (I Timothy 6:12). I fear the demons, however." Akakios chided him, "Fear God, Brother, and not the demons who have no authority of their own over us. place all your hope in Christ, not only to vanquish the demons, but also to help you in bearing witness to Him." this, Νikόdēmos wept tears of joy. down to the ground and kissing the Saint's feet, he received his blessing and went on his way. he was still on the Holy Mountain, the Lord appeared to Νikόdēmos and encouraged him. He revealed all the trials that he would face, and even the site of his execution. by Christ, Νikόdēmos arrived at Elbasan. he was recognized by the Turks, arrested, and brought before the pasha, who tried to make him return to Islam. Νikόdēmos rejected the religion of the Turks and courageously confessed Christ. they took him to a high precipice and pushed him off. Miraculously, he floated down gently and landed on his feet. to the palace, he appeared before the pasha, who was terrified to see him alive. almost released Νikόdēmos, but fearing the mob of Turks, he turned the Martyr over to them. They tortured him for three days and nights before leading him to the place of execution. Along the way, they made him kneel several times, as if they intended to behead him. they reached the place which the Lord had revealed to him, Christ's Martyr showed no sign of fear. He bent his neck and was beheaded with a sword, and his soul went to Heaven with the crown of martyrdom on July 11, 1722. After the Saint's martyrdom, Christians buried him in the church of the Theotokos, his incorrupt and fragrant relics are still preserved, working miracles for those who run to him with faith. piece of his relics is also kept in the Skete of Saint Anne, where there is a manuscript with his Church Service. A new Service was composed by the monk John Danielidis and others.

Greece, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon, fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, assumed stolen but MOG wanted go tXenophon
Greece, Mt Athos, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon Hodgitria (MOG Icon), fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 1730 assumed stolen but appeared at Xenophon Monastery, returned, happened again and again befor V monks realized MOG wanted go Xenophon; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; to tradition, this wonderworking icon was for many years at the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos, the katholikon in front of a column on the left cliros. 1730, it mysteriously disappeared not only from the church, but also from the monastery. the doors were locked, the monks assumed that thieves had stolen it. they heard that the icon was at the monastery, a three hour journey from Vatopedi. monks were sent to return their spiritual treasure to the Vatopedi monastery. icon was restored to its former place, and the Fathers of the monastery took precautions to prevent the icon from being stolen again. the icon of the Mother of God left the Vatopedi monastery and appeared at Xenophon a second and third time. that this was actually a miraculous occurrence, the brethren of the monastery decided not to oppose the will of the Mother of God, and left the icon at Xenophon. a sign of their blessing, the brethren provided candles and oil for the icon. “Hodegetria” (Hodēgḗtria) Icon at Xenophon is in the katholikon, before a column on the left cliros, the very same place it occupied at the Vatopedi monastery.

Greece, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

Greece, 1740-1750, Athanasius oEpirus, Greece, saves sis from Musa, bears torture, M impressed, sees angels, becomes monk
Greece, 1740-1750, Athanasius oEpirus, Greece, Turk Musa wants beaity sis, A fights h off, A bears torture, Musa impressed, sees angels, wants tb christian, not yet to protect Cs, later becomes monk on Corfu, founds church; Epirus Region Greece; New Martyr Anastasius of Epirus, Commemorated on November 18; Anastasius and his sister were mid-18th century peasants living in Epirus during Ottoman times. a band of Turks entered their village, its leader, Musa, was struck by the beauty of Anastasius' sister and tried to seize her, but Anastasius fought off the Turks, enabling his sister to escape. a result, Anastasius was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured in an effort to get him to deny the Christian faith. by the manner in which Anastasius bore his sufferings, Musa wanted to know more about the faith that sustained him. secretly to Anastasius' cell, Musa saw two young men of shining appearance with Anastasius, but they vanished when Musa entered. told him that these were angels who guard every Christian, especially when they suffer for Christ. also explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it had inspired him and others to place little value on worldly things. response, Musa expressed his desire to embrace Christianity. told him to wait until the proper time, because his conversion would bring about a persecution of the region's Christians. few days later, in 1750, Anastasius was beheaded by order of Musa's father, the Pasha. Musa was granted a vision of Anastasius encircled in light, who urged him to continue on the road to Christ. fled his father's domain to the Peleponnese where he was instructed in the faith by an aged ascetic. he was baptized, he became a monk on Corfu, receiving the monastic name of Daniel, and founded a church dedicated in honor of Saint Anastasius.

Greece, 1742-1773, Paisius oHilandar&Bulgaria, Historian, nickname Paisii, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure
Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria, Historian, National Awakening, nickname Paisii, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure, author of the second Bulgarian History, after "History of Bulgaria" by Peter Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, from Samokov eparchy near Bansko, to Hilandar Mt Athos 1745, priest (hieromonk) and deputy-abbot , collecting materials 2 years, hard work, even visited Hapsburg Monarchy, finished his book 1762 in Zograf monastery, first attempt at complete history of Bulgaria, to awaken&strengthen national consciousness, famous paragraph: you unwise moron, ashamed Bulgarian, don't read write in Bulgarian, wern't B's powerful once, taking taxes from Romans&Greeks, bravest slavic nation, first kings with patriarchs, first to baptize people, why ashamed great history and language, why turn into Greeks, speaks his purpose and the danger of Helenization by Greek Clergy, his book two introductions, a chapter on Slavic teachers the disciples oCyril&Methodius, Bulgarian Saints chapter, and an epilogue, he handed out book as he toured Bulgaria as mendicant (poverty, work, alms) friar, copied and spread; Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria ; Paisius of Hilendar or Paìsiy Hilendàrski (Bulgarian: Свети Паисий Хилендарски) (1722–1773) a Bulgarian clergyman and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. is most famous for being the author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history after the work of Petar Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, "History of Bulgaria".[1] Bulgarians are taught that he was the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.[2] was born in the Samokov eparchy of the time. There is a dispute about the exact place of birth, between the town of Bansko[3][4] and villages around Samokov like Relyovo.[5] established himself in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in 1745, he was later a hieromonk and deputy-abbot. materials for two years through hard work and even visiting the Habsburg Monarchy, finished his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya in 1762 in the Zograf Monastery. book was the first attempt to write a complete history of Bulgaria attempted to awake and strengthen Bulgarian national consciousnesses.[6] most famous part of the whole book is the paragraph: you unwise moron! Why are you ashamed to call yourself a Bulgarian and why don't you read and speak in your native language? Bulgarians powerful and glorious once? they take taxes from strong Romans and wise Greeks? of all the Slavic nations they were the bravest one. rulers were the first ones to call themselves kings, the first ones to have patriarchs, the first ones to baptise their people.(...) are you ashamed of your great history and your great language why do you leave it to turn yourselves into Greeks? do you think they are any better than you? here you're right because did you see a Greek leave his country and ancestry like you do?" more or less signifies the purpose of the author who speaks about the danger of Bulgarians falling victim to the Hellenization policies of the mainly Greek clergy. anti-Greek sentiments presented in Paisius writing, characterized the Greeks as some kind of Bulgarian national enemies.[7][8][9] book's first manual copy was done by Sophronius of Vratsa in 1765. Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya consists of two introductions, chapters that discuss various historic events, chapter about the "Slavic teachers", the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, chapter about the Bulgarian saints, an epilogue. Paisius toured Bulgaria as a mendicant friar, he brought his work, which was copied and spread among the Bulgarians. is thought to have died on the way to Mount Athos near Ampelino (modern-day Asenovgrad). page of Istoriya slavyanobulgarska (Slav-Bulgarian History) Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Paisiy of Hilendar.[10] saint is portrayed on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005.[11] Bulgaria, 1762, History of the Slav-Bulgarians; Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19;

Greece, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace
Greece, Mt Athos, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Venerable Sophronius of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 18; Sophronius lived in the eighteenth century. left home on his wedding night and became a monk on Mount Athos. living there for fifty years, he died in peace.

Greece, 1751-1805, Macarius ofCorinth, Kollvades, Mystic, Spriitual Writer, Philokalia
Greece, 1751-1805, Macarius ofCorinth, Kollvades, Mystic, Spriitual Write; of Corinth [birth name: Macarius Notaras ( was born in Corinth in 1731 and died in Chios in April 1805. Macarius as Metropolitan bishop of Corinth, was a mystic and spiritual writer who worked to revive and mostly sustain the Orthodox Church under Turkish rule. is most famous for working with St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain in collecting and compiling the ascetic text of the Philokalia.[1] 1 Prayer of the Heart 2 Beauty shall save the World 3 See also 4 References 5 External links of the Heart his friend St. Nicodemus, Makarios compiled the five tomes of the Philokalia that were first published in Venice in 1782. It was the publication of these sacred and spiritual texts that lead to a renewal of the hesychast movement within the Orthodox. shall save the World term used Philokalia (love of the beautiful) for the texts, was to enshrine the history of the Jesus Prayer (the Prayer of the heart) and the spiritual practice of this is called Hesychasm. It is this love of beauty that revives and gives faith to the hopeless. history of the prayer begins with its earliest fathers including St Anthony the Great and the text ends with St Gregory Palamas. The title conveys the contemplative tradition. In that it teaches understanding of the inner or mystical Kingdom of God within each person. The spirit of God is an ember, one must cultivate the ember into an open fire. This perpetual fire burns in the heart, in love for all things, which is to share in the energy of God, which is love. (Leviticus 9:24) is within the Philokalia that one learns how to properly navigate through the passions and depravity of existence called the World. object of contemplation being "the love of beauty" or infinite beauty which is God. For if existence was truly evil it could not contain nor express beauty. This expression conveys the truth about the divine (ascetic) life and purpose which the heart learns through practise of the Prayer. Which is called Hesychasm. in his energies is love. It is this beauty, the Russian philosophers held, that would "will save the World".[2] Corinth; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Makarios was born in Trikala, of Corinth in 1731, to devout parents who were descended from the famous Notaras family of Constantinople. His father’s name was George and his mother’s was Anastasia. In Baptism he received the name Michael. His teacher in Kephalonia was named Eustathios. Michael was very zealous for the solitary life, and so he left his parents’ house in secret, and went to the Great Cave Monastery. The Monastery was so named because it is the largest monastery of the Peloponnesos, and it was built in front of a cave. His father discovered where he was, however, and had Michael sent back home, where he spent much of his time studying the Divine Scriptures and other edifying books. Corinth had lacked a teacher for a long time, Michael taught the young people for six years without payment. Even when he was very young, it was apparent that he did not care for the material things of this world, but only for spiritual treasures. When his father appointed him as the supervisor of an area where he could become very wealthy, he gave his money to the poor, and his father scolded him. excelled as a teacher, and the Corinthians loved him for his exemplary way of life. After the death of His godfather Archbishop Parthenios of Corinth in 1764, they suggested to Patriarch Samuel of Constantinople that he appoint Michael, who was then a layman, as his successor. Thus, he passed through the various degrees of ordination and was consecrated as Archbishop of Corinth by Patriarch Samuel. blessed one did not seek the hierarchal office for power, or as a means of acquiring wealth, but out of his paternal concern for the security and the salvation of his flock, for which he would have to render an account to the Lord and God of all. He rid the Church of corrupt and ineffectual priests and replaced them with priests who were virtuous and qualified. Those who were not qualified were sent to monasteries to be educated and trained how to serve. the Russo-Turkish War began in 1768, Archbishop Makarios was forced to flee to Zakynthos with his family, and from there to Hydra, where he lived in a monastery. When things settled down, the Holy Synod of Constantinople chose a new Archbishop of Corinth, perhaps because Archbishop Makarios had abandoned his See.1 visited Hydra and from there he went to Chios. From Chios he went to Mount Athos, fulfilling his persistent and praiseworthy desire to visit the Holy Mountain and to experience its way of life. When the divine Makarios arrived on Mount Athos in 1777, he settled in the kelli2 of Saint Anthony, which belonged to his compatriot Elder David. There he met Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite once again. At that time, the Athonite community was divided by quarrels and controversies over Memorial Services and kollyva. The reason for the dispute was a disagreement about when the departed ought to be commemorated in church. Church’s Tradition is to have services for the departed on Saturdays, and that Memorial Services are not permitted on Sundays or Feast Days. Hence, disputes arose out of the intense quarrels and contradictions which also extended to other areas of Church life. The situation there saddened the hierarch. Because of the riots and disturbances on the Holy Mountain, he feared for his own life, and so he returned to Chios. After remaining there for a brief time, he departed for Patmos. his stay in Patmos, the Saint sought a permanent residence, and since he was attracted by the location, he founded the Sacred Kathisma3 of All Saints in 1782. the Saint’s father reposed, his two brothers wanted him to act as executor of his will. Saint Makarios gave everything to his brothers without keeping anything for himself. Then he returned to Chios to obtain some letters of recommendation, and went to Smyrna to meet with Prince John Maurogordatos of Moldovo-Vlakhia.4 The Prince knew Saint Makarios by reputation, and therefore he received him with reverence and respect for him as a man of God. Not only was he happy to show him hospitality in his home, but Maurogordatos also contributed money for the publication of The Philokalia, and for the publication of the Holy Catechism of Metropolitan Platon of Moscow. Smyrna the Saint returned to Chios. He chose his place of residence at the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the north-northwestern edges of Vrontados at the foot of Aippus. He found spiritual peace with Saint Athanasios Parios (who wrote his Life), Saints Nikephoros and Niphon of Chios, Gregory of Nisyros, and Athanasios of Armenia, all of whom had left the Holy Mountain several years earlier, because of the disturbances and scandals over Memorial Services. Makarios remained in his hermitage on Chios for the rest of his life (1790-1805), engaging in severe ascetical struggles, practicing interior prayer, writing books, confessing and counseling people, instructing them in the Faith, inspiring them to virtue, and helping those in need. also prepared several individuals who had denied Christ to go back to the place where they had done this, and confess that they only worshiped Christ, the true God. Of course, the Turks put these New Martyrs to death when they heard such talk, so he encouraged the martyrs by his words, and strengthened them by prayer and fasting, so that they would not lose their courage and deny Christ again. Makarios departed to the Lord on April 17, 1805. His honorable body was buried in the courtyard of the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on the south side. The recovery of his relics took place in 1808. It has been suggested that Saint Makarios was replaced because the Turks thought that he encouraged the Greeks in their desire to revolt. In any case, the Saint retained his rank and was permitted to serve unhindered anywhere he wished. A Kelli is a monk’s cell, or a monastic establishment consisting of a building with a chapel in it, and some surrounding land. Usually it is occupied by three monks. In an Orthodox context, a Kathisma refers to a division of the Psalter, a chair or seat, or a monastic establishment, perhaps a type of hermitage. This region is now part of modern Romania. St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Athanasius Parios, the distinguished theologian and great teacher of the Greek nation, was born in the village of Kostos on the island of Paros around 1721—1722. His father, Apostolos Toulios, was from Siphnos, and his mother was a native of Paros. future saint was a leading member of the Kollyvades movement which began on Mount Athos in the middle of the eighteenth century. The movement derives its name from the koliva (boiled wheat) which is used during memorial services. Its proponents were Athonite monks who adhered strictly to holy Tradition, and were opposed to unwarranted innovations. They were in favor of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, and they practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. They insisted that memorial services should not be performed on Sundays, because that is the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. In the Orthodox Church Saturday is the usual day for the commemoration of the dead. Athanasius went to Mount Athos in 1752. There he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Saint Macarius of Corinth (April 17), but was forced to leave the Holy Mountain when some of the monks rose in opposition to the Kollyvades. The righteous one was unjustly slandered for his views on frequent Communion and for his opposition to memorial services on Sundays. the result of personal attacks and intrigues against him, Saint Athanasius was suspended from exercising his priestly office from 1776—1781, and was even accused of being a heretic. When the charges against him were later proven to be absurd and unfounded, his suspension was lifted, and he was restored to his former rank. Athanasius knew and influenced many of his fellow Kollyvades, such as Saint Macarius of Corinth, Saint Nikēphóros of Chios (May 1), Saint Arsenius of Paros (January 31), and Saint Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain (July 14). He taught Saint Nikēphóros, and he encouraged Saint Nikodemos to publish a collection of the writings of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14). Unfortunately, his manuscript was lost before it could be printed. teaching at the Athonias Academy and in Thessalonica, Saint Athanasius journeyed to the island of Chios in 1788, where he taught in the gymnasium for twenty-five years, and also served as Director of schools. He was a leading educator and distinguished theologian who revived the art of eloquent speech on Chios by teaching logic, rhetoric, metaphysics, and theology. His TREATISE ON RHETORIC, an analysis of some of the orations of Demosthenes, was a most influential work. Athanasius wrote many other useful books and treatises on various topics such as A HANDBOOK OF APOLOGETICS, “The Great Blessing of Water,â€ “On the Second Sunday of Great Lent,â€ “The Kneeling Prayers on Pentecost,â€ “On the Holy Icons,â€ “On Memorial Services,â€ “On the New Martyrs,â€ “On the Angels and Divine Beauty,â€ as well as numerous letters dealing with diverse subjects. His most important book was the EPITOME, which deals with Orthodox dogma. Athanasius was also a prolific writer of saints’ Lives and of liturgical services in their honor. He wrote the lives of Saint Mark the New (June 5) and Saint Macarius of Corinth, among others. He also wrote the Preface for the NEW LEIMONARION (New Spiritual Meadow), a collection of saints’ lives and services begun by Saint Macarius, with additional material contributed by Saint Nikēphóros of Chios and by Saint Athanasius himself. Athanasius retired as Director of schools in 1812, and went to join Saint Nikēphóros at the Hermitage of Saint George at Resta, Chios where he spent his final days. He departed to the Lord on June 24, 1813 at the age of ninety. Athanasius was very zealous for the teachings of Christ and His Church, and patiently endured persecution and suffering during his life because of his beliefs. Since he was opposed to the so-called Age of Enlightenment and fought against the “progressiveâ€ spirit of his time, he was censured by some of his contemporaries. Although his detractors enjoyed a certain fame during their lifetime, they are all but forgotten today. On the other hand, Saint Athanasius has been glorified by God and was officially recognized as a saint of the Orthodox Church in 1995.

Greece, 1754-1776, Kollyvades Movement, Macedonia, Mt Athos, prayer of the heart
Mt Athos, 1754-1776, Kollyvades Movement; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Greece, 1754-1776, Ottoman Greece, Kollyvades Movement, prayer of the heart
Mt Athos, 1754-1776, Kollyvades Movement; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Greece, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert
Greece, Mt Athos, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Cosmas was a monk of Saint Anne’s Skete on Mount Athos. was executed in Constantinople on December 3, 1760 when he refused to convert to Islam. specific details of his martyrdom are not known.

Greece, 1764, Aquilina oZagliberi, beaten horribly bTurks, survived, died at home, relics' wonderous fragrance, &Devine light
Greece, 1764, Aquilina oZagliberi, Thessalonica, to avoid death her father became moslem, could not convert daughter or mother, turned her over to turks, beaten horribly, survived but died at home, relics ' wonderous fragrance, &Devine light ; Zagliberi, Thessalonica; New Martyr Aquilina, Commemorated on September 27; Aquilina (Akylina), the virgin martyr of Christ, the daughter of pious parents who lived in the village of Zagliberi, Thessalonica in the diocese of Saint Ardamerios. day her father quarreled with a Turkish neighbor (for Turks and Christians lived together in that village), and struck the Turk, killing him. authorities seized him and brought him to the pasha of Thessalonica to be executed for his crime. death, the unfortunate man converted to Islam in order to save his life. Aquilina was still a babe at her mother’s breast when this happened. saint’s mother remained a Christian, and she encouraged her daughter to adhere to the Christian Faith, and not to deny Christ. some time had passed, the Turks pressured Aquilina’s father to make her become a Moslem, too. said, “Do not worry about my daughter, I’ll see to her. I will force her to convert to Islam in due course.” Saint Aquilina was eighteen, the Turks urged her father to make his daughter convert to their faith. said to her, “The other Turks tell me that you must become a Moslem sooner or later. Do it one day sooner so that they will stop bothering me. “ replied with great courage, “I will never deny the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died on the Cross for our sake. I am prepared to endure tortures, and even death, for love of my Christ.” that she would not change her mind, her father went to the Turks and said, “I am not able to persuade my daughter to become a Moslem, so you may do as you wish with her.” this, the Turks became angry, and sent servants to arrest the girl. When the saint’s mother saw them seize her daughter, encouraged her to remain firm in confessing Christ, and to be brave in the face of the torments she was about to endure. replied, “That is my intention, Mother. May God help me. Pray for me.” they said farewell with many tears and laments. Servants tied Aquilina with ropes and brought her to the judge. Her mother followed them, but the servants shut the door in her face and left her standing in the courtyard. Saint Aquilina was taken inside to appear before the judge, and her mother returned home to await the outcome. judge asked her, “Will you become a Moslem, you fool?” replied, “No, I will never deny my Faith or my Master Christ.” these things, the judge became angry and ordered the saint to be stripped of her clothes, leaving her in her chemise. he ordered them to tie her to a pillar and to beat her with sticks, and it was done. Two servants beat her for a long time, but Saint Aquilina endured her sufferings with great courage. once again the saint was brought before the judge and the other Turks. They began to flatter her, promising her many things. They even offered her gifts, if only she would deny her Christian Faith, she regarded earthly riches as worthless. A prominent man among them, having more boldness than the others, said to her, “Become a Moslem, Aquilina, and I will marry you to my son.” martyr of Christ replied, “May the devil take you and your son.” the Turks heard this, they were enraged and tied the saint up as before, beating her for a long time. she was untied and questioned for a third time. Aquilina had received so many lashes, her chemise was torn to shreds, and it no longer covered her. The judge said, “You fool! Aren’t you ashamed to appear naked before so many people? Become a Moslem, or I’ll break your bones one by one.” holy virgin replied, “What could I possibly want with your faith? Why should I deny Christ?” Turks were furious, and this time they beat the saint so mercilessly that they left her for dead. The earth was saturated with her blood, and pieces of her flesh fell to the ground. Finally, they untied her and gave her to a certain Christian who happened to be at that place, and he brought her to her mother’s house. her mother saw that her daughter was almost dead, she embraced her and asked, “What have you done, my child?” martyr opened her eyes with difficulty and said, “Behold, I have preserved the confession of my Faith, just as we agreed.” she was speaking to her mother, Saint Aquilina gave her pure soul into God’s hands and received the imperishable crown of martyrdom on September 27, 1764. the way to the cemetery, Saint Aquilina’s holy relics gave forth a wondrous fragrance which filled the entire road. That night a heavenly light shone upon her tomb like a brilliant star, and the Christians who witnessed this glorified God.

Greece, 1765-1821, GregoryV Patriarch oConstantinople, fArcadia, Peleponnese, his connections w Greek Patriots discoveren Later
Greece, 1765-1821, Gregory V Patriarch of Constantinople, from Demitsana, Arcadia, Peleponnese, to Athens 1765, to Smyrna 1767, to Patmos, Deacon at Smyrna 1775 and Hieromonk, 1785 Bishop, Met oSmyrna, spiritual fruit, sermons, school buildings, books, 1797 Patriarch of C, internal external order, rules, regular mtgs, agendas for Bishops, early 19th C heavy Turk rule&Greek patriots, his connections w G P's discoveren when Ypsilantis crossed tPrut river, his asceticism caused 2 exiles to Great Larva Athos, 3 times forced to quell greek revolts, forced 1821 anathema against Y, a ignored, 1821 hanged Patriarchate gate since closed, body to sea but saved by Greek sailors, to Odessa, under Russian Flag, held See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821), 1871 relics back to Greece for 50th Aniversary, Nikon's Vestiments Mitre Cross, 1921 Sainthood 100 yr Anniversary; Demitsana or Dimitsana ; Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 10; Holy Patriarch Gregory (George Angelopoulos in the world) was born in 1745 at Dēmētsána in the Pelopónnēsos. began his education in the village schools, since his father could not afford to send him to better schools. 1765, he went to Athens to study under the renowned teacher Dēmḗtrios Vodas, in 1767, he went to Smyrna to attend an ecclesiastical school. he went to Patmos for further study, was ordained as a Deacon in 1775 at Smyrna. after, he was ordained as a Hieromonk. 1785 he was consecrated as a Bishop, and was chosen as the Metropolitan of Smyrna. ministry produced much spiritual fruit, and he edified his flock by his eloquent sermons, by building schools, and by writing books. May 1,1797 he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople. that day forward, he concerned himself with the internal and external order of the Patriarchate. He established rules for his household and staff, called regular meetings, and set agendas for the Synod of Bishops. the early XIX century, Greece was suffering under the heavy Turkish yoke, though many Greek patriots hoped to regain their independence. found support from the Holy Patriarch, whose connections with Greek patriots were revealed only after Alexander Ypsilantis crossed the Prut River with his army against Sultan Mahmud. Patriarch was an ascetic who kept the fasts and devoted himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. traits did not endear him to everyone, and he had many enemies. Saint's austerity annoyed some bishops, who slandered him, resulting in his removal and exile to Mount Athos from 1798-1806, where he lived in the Greatest Lavra. second tenure as Patriarch began amid political turmoil. more he began a program of building churches and schools. declared war in 1807 as the result of Russian activity in the Balkans. The Sultan ordered Saint Gregory to issue an encyclical against Russia in order to prevent the Greeks from cooperating with them. bore no malice toward Russia, but he was trying to avoid massacres and insurrections. times during his second Patriarchate, Saint Gregory was forced to quell Greek attempts to revolt. he was deposed and exiled to the Holy Mountain in 1808. January 1819, the Holy Hierarch ascended the Patriarchal throne for the final time. established a fund to help the poor of Constantinople and reorganized the Patriarchal printing press, which published many spiritual books. March, several bishops were imprisoned or executed because of the failed insurrection of Alexander Ypsilantis in Moldavia. the Greek Revolution began on March 25, 1821, the Turks ordered the Patriarch and his Synod to issue an anathema against Ypsilantis and those who had cooperated with him. anathema was ignored, because the Greeks knew that it had been issued under duress. that Lent, jailings and executions were common. One of the Patriarch's friends advised him to flee from Constantinople to the Morea. Gregory replied: "I have a premonition that the fish of the Bosphorus will eat my body, but I will die calmly, for the sake of of saving my nation." Holy Pascha, April 10, 1821, the Patriarch was seized at 10:00 A.M. and hanged at the gate of the Patriarchate, and then his body was thrown into the sea. That gate has remained shut ever since. sailors noticed the place where the Hieromartyr's body was abandoned, and placed it on a ship from Kephalonia under the command of Captain Macri Sklavos, and then it was taken to Odessa under the Russian flag. Hierarch's relics were buried in the Greek church of the Holy Trinity on June 19, 1821. vestments were sent from Moscow for the Saint's relics, as well as a mitre and a cross, which had belonged to His Holiness Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658). Hieromartyr Gregory V of Constantinople, held the See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821). 1871, at the request of the Greek government, permission was granted to transfer Patriarch Gregory's relics from Odessa to Athens for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Greek independence. A special Service was composed in Athens in honor of the Hierarch, whose martyrdom heralded the triumph of Christianity in Greece. Hieromartyr Gregory was glorified as a Saint in 1921. The scroll on his Icon reads: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

Greece, 1765-1821, GregoryV P oConstantinople, spiritual fruit of sermons, school buildings, books
Greece, 1765-1821, Gregory V Patriarch of Constantinople, from Demitsana, Arcadia, Peleponnese, to Athens 1765, to Smyrna 1767, to Patmos, Deacon at Smyrna 1775 and Hieromonk, 1785 Bishop, Met oSmyrna, spiritual fruit, sermons, school buildings, books, 1797 Patriarch of C, internal external order, rules, regular mtgs, agendas for Bishops, early 19th C heavy Turk rule&Greek patriots, his connections w G P's discoveren when Ypsilantis crossed tPrut river, his asceticism caused 2 exiles to Great Larva Athos, 3 times forced to quell greek revolts, forced 1821 anathema against Y, a ignored, 1821 hanged Patriarchate gate since closed, body to sea but saved by Greek sailors, to Odessa, under Russian Flag, held See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821), 1871 relics back to Greece for 50th Aniversary, Nikon's Vestiments Mitre Cross, 1921 Sainthood 100 yr Anniversary; Demitsana or Dimitsana ; Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 10; Holy Patriarch Gregory (George Angelopoulos in the world) was born in 1745 at Dēmētsána in the Pelopónnēsos. began his education in the village schools, since his father could not afford to send him to better schools. 1765, he went to Athens to study under the renowned teacher Dēmḗtrios Vodas, in 1767, he went to Smyrna to attend an ecclesiastical school. he went to Patmos for further study, was ordained as a Deacon in 1775 at Smyrna. after, he was ordained as a Hieromonk. 1785 he was consecrated as a Bishop, and was chosen as the Metropolitan of Smyrna. ministry produced much spiritual fruit, and he edified his flock by his eloquent sermons, by building schools, and by writing books. May 1,1797 he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople. that day forward, he concerned himself with the internal and external order of the Patriarchate. He established rules for his household and staff, called regular meetings, and set agendas for the Synod of Bishops. the early XIX century, Greece was suffering under the heavy Turkish yoke, though many Greek patriots hoped to regain their independence. found support from the Holy Patriarch, whose connections with Greek patriots were revealed only after Alexander Ypsilantis crossed the Prut River with his army against Sultan Mahmud. Patriarch was an ascetic who kept the fasts and devoted himself to the unceasing Prayer of the Heart. traits did not endear him to everyone, and he had many enemies. Saint's austerity annoyed some bishops, who slandered him, resulting in his removal and exile to Mount Athos from 1798-1806, where he lived in the Greatest Lavra. second tenure as Patriarch began amid political turmoil. more he began a program of building churches and schools. declared war in 1807 as the result of Russian activity in the Balkans. The Sultan ordered Saint Gregory to issue an encyclical against Russia in order to prevent the Greeks from cooperating with them. bore no malice toward Russia, but he was trying to avoid massacres and insurrections. times during his second Patriarchate, Saint Gregory was forced to quell Greek attempts to revolt. he was deposed and exiled to the Holy Mountain in 1808. January 1819, the Holy Hierarch ascended the Patriarchal throne for the final time. established a fund to help the poor of Constantinople and reorganized the Patriarchal printing press, which published many spiritual books. March, several bishops were imprisoned or executed because of the failed insurrection of Alexander Ypsilantis in Moldavia. the Greek Revolution began on March 25, 1821, the Turks ordered the Patriarch and his Synod to issue an anathema against Ypsilantis and those who had cooperated with him. anathema was ignored, because the Greeks knew that it had been issued under duress. that Lent, jailings and executions were common. One of the Patriarch's friends advised him to flee from Constantinople to the Morea. Gregory replied: "I have a premonition that the fish of the Bosphorus will eat my body, but I will die calmly, for the sake of of saving my nation." Holy Pascha, April 10, 1821, the Patriarch was seized at 10:00 A.M. and hanged at the gate of the Patriarchate, and then his body was thrown into the sea. That gate has remained shut ever since. sailors noticed the place where the Hieromartyr's body was abandoned, and placed it on a ship from Kephalonia under the command of Captain Macri Sklavos, and then it was taken to Odessa under the Russian flag. Hierarch's relics were buried in the Greek church of the Holy Trinity on June 19, 1821. vestments were sent from Moscow for the Saint's relics, as well as a mitre and a cross, which had belonged to His Holiness Patriarch Nikon (1652-1658). Hieromartyr Gregory V of Constantinople, held the See of Constantinople three times (1797-1799, 1806-1808, 1819-1821). 1871, at the request of the Greek government, permission was granted to transfer Patriarch Gregory's relics from Odessa to Athens for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Greek independence. A special Service was composed in Athens in honor of the Hierarch, whose martyrdom heralded the triumph of Christianity in Greece. Hieromartyr Gregory was glorified as a Saint in 1921. The scroll on his Icon reads: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5:1).

Greece, 1765-1821, GregoryV P oConstantinople, internal external order, rules, regular mtgs, agendas fBishops

Greece, 1765-1821, GregoryV P oConstantinople, his asceticism calused 2 Exiles to Great Larva, held See 3 times

Greece, 1765-1821, GregoryV P oConstantinople, forced to quell 3 revolts, his forced 1821 Anathema against Ypsilantis ignored

Greece, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite, scriptures by heart, Multifaceted works, Philokalia, The Rudder
Greece, Mt Athos, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite (hesychasm monks), fNaxos Is, zealous for that which is good, sacred and secular learning, at 26 to Dionysiou on Athos, first obedience served as monastery secretary, Corinth Met Makarios arrived there 1874 and 1876 assigned him to edit Philokalia, simple man with profound concentration, scriptures by heart, even chapter, verse, page, recited writings Holy Fathers from memory, 1783 Great Schema at 35, complete silence 6 yrs, then Makarios gave obedience of editing Simeon tNew's writings, so back into world and literary work until death in 1809, remarkable works: Exomolotarion (Manual of Confession), New Theotokian (62 Rules of Theotokos), published liturgical books, Hymographer, Heortodromion canons for songs of the feasts oLord and oMOG, multifaceted work: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, canon law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnology, preface to Philokalia and lives of ascetics there, translated Unseen Warfare, interpretation Paul's Epistles, those examples of saints lives encouraged staying Orthodox, new edition of The Rudder 1801, containing Canons of The Apostles and Holy EC and Local Synod Fathers, Most edifying work: Christian Morality 1803, saying: Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel, if can't Pray for them.; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain was born on the Greek island of Naxos in the year 1748, and was named Nicholas in Holy Baptism. a child he was well-behaved, avoiding bad company and everything which might harm the inner man. was zealous in his love for that which is good and beneficial, and he loved sacred and secular learning. first education on Naxos came from the village priest, who taught him to love Christ and His Church. also assisted the priest during the Divine Liturgy and other Services. Nicholas attended the school at Naxos, where Archimandrite Chrysanthos, the brother of Saint Cosmas Aitolos (August 24), taught him sacred and secular letters. the age of twenty-six (1874), he arrived on Mount Athos and was tonsured at Dionysiou Monastery with the name Nikodemos. his first obedience, Father Nikodemos served as the monastery’s secretary. years after entering Dionysiou Monastery, the Metropolitan of Corinth, Saint Makarios Notaras (April 17), arrived there, assigned the young monk to edit the manuscript of the Philokalia, which he had found in 1777 at Vatopedi Monastery. this book was the beginning of many years of literary activity for Saint Nikodemos. soon moved to Pantokrator Skḗtē, where he was under obedience to Elder Arsenios of the Pelopónnēsos, under whose guidance he studied Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. to the testimony of his contemporaries, Saint Nikodemos was a simple man, without any malice, unassuming, and distinguished by his profound concentration. possessed remarkable mental abilities: he knew the Holy Scriptures by heart, and even remembered chapter, verse, and the pages they were on. Moreover, he could recite long passages from the writings of the Holy Fathers from memory. 1783 Saint Nikodemos was tonsured into the Great Schema (at 35), and spent the next six years in complete silence. his next visit to Mount Athos, Saint Makarios gave Nikodemos the obedience of editing of the writings of Saint Symeon the New Theologian printed in three volumes: Syros, 1790). meant giving up his silence and occupying himself once more with literary work. that time until his death, he continued to devote himself to such endeavors. of the ascetic's remarkable books was his Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), which was published in 1794. was the first book of its kind in the Orthodox Church. Drawing from Holy Scripture and from the Fathers of the Church, Saint Nikodemos lists the qualifications a confessor must have, if he is to be a true confessor, offers advice on how one should prepare for Confession, how to confess, and how one ought to guard himself against sin after Confession. Saint also made great contributions by publishing liturgical books. Using materials from the manuscript collections on Mount Athos, published sixty-two Canons (rules) to the Most Holy Theotokos under the title, New Theotokarion (Venice, 1796). most wise Nikodemos is also known as a composer and interpreter of hymns. Canon in honor of the "Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God (November 9) and his “Service and Encomium in Honor of the Fathers who Shone on the Holy Mountain of Athos” are used even beyond the Holy Mountain. of his other books include the Heortodromion, an interpretation of the Canons which are sung on Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Venice,1836), and The New Ladder, an interpretation of the 75 Hymns of Degrees (Anabathmoi) of the liturgical book called the Oktoekhos (Constantinople, 1844). is readily apparent that the literary work of Saint Nikodemos was multi-faceted, representing more than half a dozen fields of theology: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, Canon Law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnography. wrote the preface to the Philokalia, and brief Lives of the ascetics whose writings are included therein. the Saint’s ascetical works, his translation of Lorenzo Scupoli’s book, Unseen Warfare (1796), is well known, and has been translated into Russian, English, and other languages. Nikodemos had a special love for hagiography, as attested by his work, New Eklogion (Venice, 1803), and his posthumous book, The New Synaxarion (1819). completed a Modern Greek translation of Saint Paul's Fourteen Epistles in three volumes (1819) as interpreted by the Hierarch Mētrophánēs, by Saint Theophylaktos, the Archbishop of Bulgaria (December 31), and others. Nikodemos also wrote An Interpretation of Saint Paul's Seven Catholic Epistles (published in Venice in 1806). 1799 Nikodemos edited the New Martyrologion, which he and Saint Makarios of Corinth seem to have prepared together in order to demonstrate that the Orthodox Church continues to produce Saints, particularly Martyrs, who were subjected to the same trials, torments, and death as tihe ancient Martyrs. example of the Saints whose Lives appear in this book strengthened and encouraged the Orthodox to remain faithful to Christ, and not to convert to the religion of their oppressors. Nikodemos prepared a new edition of the Pedalion or Rudder, in collaboration with Hieromonk Agapios. was printed in 1801, and contained the Canons of the Holy Apostles, those of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Synods, and of the Holy Fathers. most edifying book, Christian Morality, was published in Venice in 1803. it he says: "Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel. who cannot go into the world, either because of the passions that assail them when they are in the midst of society, or because they are physically infirm, should seek the good of their brethren through prayer and by offering counsel to those who visit them, and if they are learned, by writing edifying books."1 long before his repose, Father Nikodemos, worn out by his literary work and ascetical struggles, went to live at the Kelli of the iconographers Hieromonks Stephen and Neophytos Skourtaίos, who were brothers by birth. asked them to help with the publication of his works, because he was hindered by his infirmities. day before he went to the Lord, he was able to make his Confession, receive Holy Unction, and then Holy Communion. first biographer, Father Euthymios, describes the Saint's repose in this manner: "When the sun rose on the earth that day (Wednesday July 14, 1809), the intelligible sun of the Church set. The fiery pillar, the guide of the New Israel into piety disappeared; the cloud which refreshed those who were melting in the heat of sin, hid itself.” many friends and acquaintances mourned, and the words of a certain Christian were typical of the thoughts of many individuals of that time: “Oh, my Fathers, it would have been better for a thousand Christians to have died today, and not Nikodemos.” Nikodemos reposed peacefully at the age of sixty on July 14, 1809, and was glorified by the Church of Constantinople in 1955. 1 Constantine Cavarnos, Modern Orthodox Saints Volume 3, Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, pages 46-47. (Belmont, Massachusetts, 1974).

Greece, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia, Albanian Turk slavery, no convert. extreme tortures &resistence 15yr old martyr
Greece, 1770-1773, John oMonemvasia (Malbasia) Monestary, Southern Greece, Geraki &Gouves, only 12 in 1770 when priest father killed bAlbanian Turks, with mother into slavery at Larisa, at first separate then by same master, who wanted to adopt him, but he would not convert. extreme tortures and resistence 15yr old martyr; Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; John was born in 1758 near the city of Monemvasia. father was a priest from Geraki, and his mother was from the neighboring village of Gouves. was in Gouves that John's father was assigned as a priest, and there John was born. a young age John tried to emulate his father by helping him work in the church. He was known for his exemplary behavior, and referred to by other children as the "priest's son." the year 1770 the army of the Albanian Hatzi Osman defeated the Greek resistance, and arriving in Monemvasia they killed John's father and enslaved both him and his mother. were taken to Larisa, where they were sold separately two or three times. two years they were bought by the same man, a Turkish landowner. Turk had no children, and recognizing John's good qualities (he was exceptionally intelligent for his age, obedient, and a hard worker), the man wanted to adopt John after converting him to Islam. Every day they tried to persuade him to abandon the Christian Faith and become a Turk. Initially, they used flattery and promises, but later they used terrible tortures to overcome John's steadfastness (he was only 15 years old), but he remained unwavering in his Christian faith. day his master, tired of trying to convince him to convert, and in anger led him to the courtyard of the mosque. Many Muslims were gathered there, and with blows and terrible threats they urged him to convert and become a Turk. John's response was clear: "I am not a Turk, I am a Christian and I shall die as a Christian." addition, the Turk and his wife tried every day with magic and evil spells to make the Saint lose his mind and give in to carnal desires, and then to become a Turk. But John remained pure, for the grace of Christ protected him from all of the diabolical devices of the Turk's wife. came the fifteen days of fasting before the Dormition of the Theotokos. The Turk realized that John did not wish to break the fast, so he locked him up in a barn. He kept him there for the entire fifteen days and hung him up, lighting a fire in the straw beneath him to cause smoke, and struck him with the flat of his sword, all the while trying to make him eat their abominable foods and break the fast. Saint John did not even taste the food, but prayed to the Mother of God, in whose honor the Fast is observed, asking her to help him keep the fast, for he preferred to die rather than break his fast. master, seeing that he remained unconvinced, left him without food for two and three days at a time. His mother, seeing him weakened by the tortures and the fasting, tried to convince him to give in, saying: "Eat these foods, my son, so that you do not perish. God and the Panagia will forgive you, because you would not be doing this voluntarily, but out of necessity. Pity me, your poor mother. Do not die and leave me alone in this foreign land, for by having you here, I feel as if I am not a slave." replied: "Why are you doing this, Mother, and why are you crying? Why don't you emulate the Patriarch Abraham, who for the love of God wanted to sacrifice his only son, yet you only cry and weep. I am a priest's son and I should be keeping the laws and customs of our Church more than the sons of laymen, for if we don't keep the small things [of the faith], how can we keep the larger things?" after this response the furious Turk stabbed him in the heart on October 19, 1773. After two days Saint John died and received the crown of martyrdom. John's skull and portions of his hand and feet are located at the Zermbitsa Monastery in Sparta, and other portions of his relics are in the churches of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in Larisa and Voulkanou Monastery in Messenia.

Greece, 1771, Damascene tNew, fBulgaria tHilandar, igumen business trips, Martyred b false t, God killed evil-doers

Greece, 1782, Zachariah, New Martyr aPatra, repented rejecting Christ, becoming Muslim, tortured, divine light over burial well
Greece, 1782, Zachariah, New Martyr at Patra (Patras) in Achaia, West Greece, fPeloponnesos, renounced Christ became Moslem, went to Patras, to be furrier, often read his Salvation tSinners book, which moved him tRepentence, wept bitterly, told Elder of his sin, after praying fasting 20 days back tElder, confessed sins, asked Elders blessing tSeek Martyrdom, refused, warned may not be killed swiftly, much torture, might betray Christ second time, but Z said he was preparedd, Elders prayers oAbsolution, E charismated Z, plus Holy Mysteries, then blessed him go back declare his faith, on the way asked forgivenss every Christian he met, went tJudges house, said deceived to accept Moslem religion, come to senses, returned tChrist, into prison, beaten 3x aDay, finally died stretched on rack, Christians wanted body, Muslims refused, unworthy for burial, neither Christian or Muslim, body dragged tStreets, into dry well, landing on knees&upright position, radiant light over well next night, Turks filled well with dirt&debris, so he received crown oGlory washing away sins in 1782; Patras; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20 ; Holy New Martyr Zachariah was from the Peloponnesos in Greece. renounced Christ to become a Moslem, then went to ancient Patras and worked there as a furrier. had a book, The Salvation of Sinners, which he often read. The book moved him to repentance, and he wept bitterly for the great evil he had done. Zachariah met a certain Elder and told him of his sin. praying and fasting for twenty days, he returned to the Elder and confessed all the sins he had committed during his life. he asked the Elder’s blessing to seek martyrdom, the holy man tried to discourage him. warned that he might not be killed swiftly, but only after much torture. also pointed out the danger that Zachariah would betray Christ a second time under the torments he would endure. saint, aflame with zeal for martyrdom, said he was prepared to suffer myriad punishments for the sake of Christ. Elder read the prayers of absolution and chrismated the saint (as is done when apostates from the Faith are received back into the Church), administered the Holy Mysteries to him. he blessed Zachariah to go back to the Moslems and declare his faith in Christ. his way, the saint asked forgiveness from each Christian he met. holy martyr went to the judge’s house and said that he had been deceived when he accepted their religion, now he had come to his senses and returned to Christ. Zachariah was thrown into prison, where he was beaten three times a day. the saint died by being stretched out on a rack. asked for his body so they might bury it, but the Moslems refused. said, “He is neither one of you, nor one of us, for he denied both religions. Therefore, he is unworthy of burial.” body was dragged through the streets and thrown into a dry well, landing on its knees in an upright position. saw a radiant light over the well the next night, and hastened to venerate the saint. Turks filled the well with dirt and debris to prevent such gatherings in the future. shedding his blood, the holy New Martyr Zachariah washed away the sin of his denial of Christ and received an unfading crown of glory in the year 1782.

Greece, 1794, Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes story
Bulgaria, 1794, St Anastasius of Strumitza Eparchy, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), in Thessalonica, selling Turkish clothes without paying duty, dressing like a turk, could not recite moslem salutation, armed w sword, refused becomming Moslem, tortured and died; Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. parents gave him over to military studies. the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Greece, 1794-1795, N M Theodore, on R Road tC, near Adrianople, worked aSultan's palace, during plague returned
Greece, 1794-1795, New Martyr Theodore, Neochorion (New Village), Evros, on Roman Road Via Egnatia, near Adrianople, worked at Sultan's palace, converted to Islam, during plague converted back, to Chios & Mytilene, confessed in M, hanged there; Neochorion, Evros; (Greek: Νεοχώρι meaning new village) is a village and a community in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros regional unit in Greece. The community includes the village Patagi. It is situated 7 km west of the centre of Orestiada. Year Neochori village Patagi Community 1981 1,612 - - 1991 1,138 - - 2001 1,159 278 1,437 2011 739 163 902 History[edit] It was annexed to Greece in 1920, prior it was ruled by the Ottomans. It adopted its current name after the annexation, refugees flowed into the village and the Turkish population was displaced eastward. New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17; Holy New Martyr Theodore was born of pious parents in Neochorion near Constantinople in 1774. He worked in the palace of the Sultan, where he converted to Islam. a plague broke out in Constantinople, he realized the gravity of his sin and returned to Christianity. He went to Chios and then to Mytilene, where he confessed Christ before the Moslem authorities. He was imprisoned, tortured, then hanged by the Turks in 1795.

Greece, 1795, Joyful Icon, appeared, many miracles, Novodevichi M, Moscow & Vatopedi m, Mt Athos
Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon, appeared, many miracles, Novodevichi M, Moscow & Vatopedi m, Mt Athos; Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon; Moscow; Joyful Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 7; “Joyful” (Vzigranie) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared near Moscow on November 7, 1795 . Nothing is known of the history of the icon, except that many miracles have taken place before it. of this name are found in the Novodevichii Monastery in Moscow, and in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mt Athos. In appearance, the “Joyful” Icon resembles the “Pelagonitissa” Icon, a variant of the Glykophylousa (“Sweet-Kissing”) or Eleousa type. Icon is sometimes called “Child Leaping for Joy.”

Greece, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra (island), Southern Greece, converted tIslam, repented, martyred
Greece, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra (island), Southern Greece, tRhodes, converted tIslam, repented, t, sought martyrdom, tKrimi, tConstantinople, tIveron, tRhodes, martyred; Hydra (island) Greece; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania.

Greece, 1800-21, 19th Century Folder, New Martyr Ignatius

Greece, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Bulgaria, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, hanged
Bulgaria, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3), Rila M, then Athos, father refused fight Serb Orthodox, Mother Sister b moslem, turned him in, escaped t Romania, then Athos, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, tortured, hanged; Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism. he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there. he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life. reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western Bulgaria. he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in obedience for six years. the Elder’s strictness became unbearable, John returned home. that time the Serbs rose in revolt against the Moslem government. ’s father was asked to take command of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox Christians. Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was stabbed and then beheaded. ’s mother and sisters were also taken by the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam. fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. mother and sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman told them she did not know him. woman helped him escape to Bucharest, Romania, he became acquainted with Saint Euthymius, who would also endure martyrdom. did not wish to stay in Bucharest, however, so he left for Mt. Athos. the way he visited the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Father Euthymius again. that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John became very sad and left the village. had not gotten very far when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that he would do so. with this reply, they let him go. reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from the monastery of Grigoriou. journeyed to the Holy Mountain together, and John settled in the Skete of Saint Anna. he met Father Basil. day John and Father Basil traveled to Thessalonica on monastery business. they were there the monks David and Euthymius of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. was inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Basil, however, urged him to postpone his intention, so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A short time after this, Father Basil died. a monk from the Skete of Saint Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March 22), was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. was placed under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel. time, John was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name Ignatius. Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. receiving the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his ordeal. in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ. that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death. On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts and great honor from them. courageous martyr told the kadi to keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die for my Christ.” Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God. kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a servant to lead Saint Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the room, however, and dragged him off to prison. Ignatius was brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.” the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I intend to hang you.” replied, “You will be doing me a great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept everything for the love of Christ.” that he could not turn Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days, then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the island of Prote for burial. Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Saints Acacius and Euthymius. head of Saint Ignatius is in the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt Athos.

Greece, 1801-1822, Theodore oAtchara, islamization, Trebizond exile, tGeorgian m iSmyrna, deputy abbot, killed oAthos pilgrimage
Georgia, 1801-, Hieromartyr Theodore oAtchara (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia), one oMany Atcharians martyred by Ottomans, his family fled to Trebizond, many killed in A, forced Islamization, annihilated those resisting, began to evict those arrousing suspecians even though they had accepted Islam, from childhood he watched countrymen forceably converted secretly retain christian way oLife, he received Christianity, tGeorgian monastery in Smyrna, t monk, deputy abbot, converted his nephew, 1822 Pilgrimage tAthos, but Ottomans attempting crush Greek Independence, Athos surrounded by Ottomans, he was captured, killed, body into sea, cannonized in 2002; Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia); Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara belongs to the glorious multitude of Atcharan faithful who were martyred at the hands of the Ottomans. Theodore was born in the late 18th century. that time the Ottoman invaders had nearly completed the forced Islamization of the Atcharan region. had already annihilated those who resisted the conversion were beginning to evict those who, in spite of their apparent acceptance of Islam, continued to “arouse suspicions.” abandoned their native region and fled to foreign lands. Theodore was born to a family that had been forced into exile. his childhood he watched his fellow countrymen, who had been forcibly converted to Islam, secretly retain their Christian way of life. is unclear how the saint’s family settled in Trebizond (modern Trabzon). is known, however, that Saint Theodore managed to free himself from Islam, receive Christianity, and find refuge at a Georgian monastery in Smyrna (now Izmir). he was tonsured a monk and later raised to the rank of proigoumenos (deputy abbot). is also known that Saint Theodore converted his nephew to Christianity during that time. 1822 Saint Theodore set out on a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos. at the same time the Ottomans were attempting to crush the Greek independence movement, the Holy Mountain was surrounded by Ottoman soldiers. captured the faithful pilgrim and killed him. they tossed the holy martyr’s body into the sea. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Holy Martyr Theodore on October 17, 2002.

Greece, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne, converted aFreedom promise, repented i3days, confessed&martyred, blood heals
Greece, Mt Athos, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, 963 or 1686, uncle failed his occupation training, got job wMoslem, blamed for stealing, promised freedom if convert, repented 3 days later, 12th day ship to Crimea f10 mos, no peace decided martyrdom, renowned elders advised Mt Athos, tIveron, then tSt Anne's and Bassarion, oLuke's prep year earlier, tonsured Hilarion after strict rule and fasting, one morning H ready to confess, back to Aga at palace, threw red turban replace wBlack skoufia, all bones broken, beheaded, asceticism martyrdom crowns, Bassarion used H's blood to deliver young girl from demon; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monastic Martyr Hilarion of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 20; Hilarion was from Heraklion in Crete and his secular name was John. had five other siblings, John, Polyzoes, George, and two sisters, whose names are unknown. His parents, Francis and Katherine, had raised him with diligence, and he had learned to read and write. When he was a young man, his uncle took him to Constantinople, promising to train him for some occupation. John stayed with him for ten years, his uncle neglected to train him and did little else for him. is why John was forced to leave his uncle’s house and get a job as the clerk of a merchant from the island of Chios, who came to trust John. day, the merchant was obliged to leave his shop and travel back to Chios, placing John and another Orthodox Christian employee in charge of the business. he returned, the two employees gave their boss an accounting for the time that he was away. merchant said that he had been cheated, because the money they collected did not correspond to the value of the goods that were sold. the merchant did not make an inventory before going to Chios, he estimated that the two clerks were short by thirty grosia. other employee had been with the merchant for many years, and so all suspicion fell on John. He was told that there would be severe consequences if he did not return the money at once. that he was innocent, John asked his uncle to help him, but his uncle refused to see him. his despair he went to the palace, hoping to see the valide sultana, the Sultan’s mother. however, he met the Ethiopian eunuch, Mertzan Aga. It appears that John knew him and told him what had happened. evil Aga seized this opportunity and told him that if he converted to Islam, he would not be liable to any punishment; moreover, he would receive many riches and honors. his fear and anxiety, John accepted. he was presented to the Sultan’s mother, who introduced him to the Sultan. away, John was circumcised, and was given Muslim clothing and other gifts. In addition, a certain hodja was appointed to instruct him in Islamic teachings. days later, the young man came to himself and repented from his heart when he realized the gravity of his sin. He waited for an opportunity to escape, after twelve days he managed to board a ship for the Crimea, where he remained for ten months. knew no peace there because his conscience tormented him for his betrayal of Christ. he decided that the only way he could atone for his sin was by the path of martyrdom. to Constantinople, he consulted the renowned Spiritual Fathers, Elder Symeon and Elder Jeremiah. He told them of his intention to confess Christ in the place where he had denied Him. the Elders advised him to go to Mount Athos for a time. did exactly as he was told, and entered Ivḗron Monastery. Fathers there sent him to the Skete of St. Anna to place himself under the guidance of Hieromonk Bessarion, had prepared the New Martyr Luke (March 23) for his martyrdom the previous year. Elder accepted him and gave him a Rule of strict asceticism and fasting. Soon he received the monastic tonsure with the name Hilarion. morning, Father Hilarion told his Elder that he was ready to confess Christ, Whom he had denied. The Elder blessed his good intention, and the Saint received the Holy Mysteries. left for Constantinople together, and then Father Hilarion presented himself to the Aga at the palace. “Three days after becoming a Muslim,” he said, “I repented of what I had done, and I abandoned the darkness of error and returned to the light of truth, so I curse your religion. I was a Christian, and now I am once more.” his turban on the ground, he put on the black monastic skoufia he had concealed under his coat. the Saint’s resolve, the Aga ordered that he be tortured without mercy. His torments were so severe that all his bones were broken. Hilarion was beheaded on September 20, 1804, and received two incorruptible crowns from Christ: that of asceticism, and that of martyrdom. Bessarion was once invited to a Christian home and the children were brought to receive his blessing. One child, a little girl about eight years old, had been possessed by a demon. She turned black, made some erratic movements, and eventually she fell down as if she were dead.The Elder had some of the Saint’s blood with him, but before he could even anoint the girl with it, the demon came out of her, and the child stood up.

Greece, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar, Mt Athos, regrettd Mslm wish to parents, Athos ASAP, C torment, Mrtr path tChios
Greece, Athos, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), angry w parents said wished become moslem, overheard, regretted, went Athos ASAP, approx 1806, conscience torment, asked persue martyrdom path, 4 months intense prayer fasting struggle, to Chios, torture, beheaded and into sea; Hilandar monastery; Venerable New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos), Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Onuphrius, in the world Matthew, was born in Bulgaria in Gabrovo in the Trnovo diocese. became angry with his parents one day, and said he wished to become a Moslem. he was overheard by the Hagarenes, who wished to take him away. regretted these words as soon as he uttered them, he went to Athos to the Hilandar monastery as soon as he came of age. There he became a monk with the name Manassas. by his conscience, Manassas decided to suffer for Christ. he asked the blessing of his Elder Nikēphóros to pursue the path of martyrdom. Elder tonsured him a schemamonk with the name Onuphrius. four months of intense prayer, fasting, and spiritual struggle, he went with Gregory of the Peloponnesos to the island of Chios. the Monk Martyr Onuphrius openly confessed the Christian Faith, for which he was seized and subjected to cruel tortures. the torture they beheaded him and threw him into the sea. He died in 1818 at the age of thirty-two.

Greece, 1808, New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus, preaching Word, but suspctd p rebellion, silent u extreme torture
Greece, 1808, New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus (high up in Pindus Mts, Vlachs), preaching Word of God & Obey Law, but suspected p rebellion, tortured, nails, wood under finger nails, tightened iron band on forehead, remained silent, hanged upside down, fire underneath head, witnessing Turk believed&martyred, sealed into wall, head out, 10 days, died; Samarina in Epirus; New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus, Commemorated on August 17; holy monk Demetrios was born in the village of Samarina, in the Pindos region of Greece in the late XVIII century. became a monk in the monastery of his homeland, where he exhausted his body and soul with fasting. Ali Pasha's 1808 suppression of an insurrection inspired by Father Euthymios Vlakhavas, Saint Demetrios came out of his monastery and went to the neighboring villages preaching the Word of God, comforting the villagers, and giving them hope. Pasha thought that Father Demetrios had also been preaching rebellion, but the monk said that he was only trying to strengthen the Christians in their faith, and urging them to respect the law. The Pasha did not believe him, so he ordered him to be subjected to cruel tortures. executioners pierced his arms with nails and then placed pieces of wood under the nails of his hands and feet. An iron band was placed around his forehead. This was tightened and produced excruciating pain. All the while they told him to name his fellow conspirators. Saint Demetrios remained silent, and he was thrown into prison. Later, he was hanged upside down, with a fire under his head. A certain Turk, after witnessing the courage of the Saint, believed in Christ and then he suffered martyrdom. Ali Pasha sealed Demetrios into a wall, leaving only his head out to prolong the torture. The Martyr survived for ten days, then he surrendered his soul to God on August 17,1808.

Greece, 1813, New Martyr David New Skete of St Anna, Mt Athos, Church Reconstructions, Mocked Turks, Hanged
Ephesus, 1813, New Martyr David of St Anne's Skete, from Aivali (Ayvalık, Mysia, Caicus River area, across from Lesbos Is), divine zeal, tSmyrna fChurch Reconstruction Money, 2Water Tanks &cells, burned fMartyrdom, tMagnesia witnessed &Mocked Turks, expelled, tSA Skete, tKaryes&former BoChristopoulos, blessing oMartyrdom, tThessaloniki, Vatopaidi Embassy Church monk had converted to Islam, intended to confront but Turks found out, beaten &Hanged; Skete of St Anna, St Paulas Monastery; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Monastic Martyr David was descended from the Kydonians of the town of Aivali (Αϊβαλί) in Asia Minor. inhabitants of the town had a special relationship with Mount Athos, because there were two Athonite embassy churches in their city, belonging to Ivḗron Monastery, the other to Pantokrator Monastery. Saint David left his hometown, he went to Mount Athos and lived near a fellow countryman, a brother of Saint Anne’s Skete, who later became a monk. his monastic life, Saint David was moved by divine zeal. took the initiative, after receiving the blessing of his Elder, and visited Smyrna in order to collect money for the reconstruction of the ruined churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and that of the Theotokos on Mount Athos. completing the work on the two temples, he built two water tanks as well as a number of cells for the worshipers. did not remain on Mount Athos, he burned with the desire for martyrdom. went to Magnesia in Asia Minor, where he bore witness to Christ, and mocked the Turks for their religion. arrested him and beat him severely, and then he was expelled from their city. without fulfilling his desire, he returned to the Holy Skete of Saint Anne, he confessed to his Elder his earnest desire for martyrdom. Spiritual Father, fearing the outcome of such an act, tried to dissuade him, but he did not succeed. David went to Karyes and saw Metropolitan Pankratios, the former Bishop of Christopoulos, from whom he received a blessing to seek martyrdom. David traveled to Thessaloniki, he was told of a monk from the Vatopaidi embassy church of Saint Demetrios, who had converted to Islam. David attempted to confront this monk, somehow the Turks had learned of his intention. Turks arrested the Saint, and after they had beaten him, they handed him over to the judge for trial. judge, fearing that Saint David might persuade the monk to abandon Islam and to confess Christ, ordered the Saint to be executed at once. same night, June 26, 1813, Saint David suffered a martyric death by hanging. Monastic Martyr David is particularly honored at the Skete of Saint Anne on the Holy Mountain.

Greece, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou, Mt Athos, sent tConstantinople with Eudocimus who failed martyrdom & blamed Joseph, J hung
Greece, Mt Athos, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou monastery, Mt Athos, iconographer, painted Archangels on Donysiou's iconostasis, Igumen sent him to accompany Eudocimus to Constantinople so he could wipe out sin oApostamy to become Moslem from Orthodoxy, but Eudocimus failed and blamed Joseph, denying Christ again, Joseph arrested, tortured, refused to convert, and hung; Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Joseph was a monk of Dionysiou Monastery on Mt. Athos, where he shone forth with the virtues of monastic life. was an iconographer, he painted the icon of the holy Archangels on the iconostasis of Dionysiou’s main church. obedience to the instructions of Igumen Stephen, Joseph traveled to Constantinople with Eudocimus, had apostasized from Orthodoxy to become a Moslem. repented, and wished to wipe out his sin through martyrdom. faced with torture and death, however, the unfortunate Eudocimus denied Christ again, blaming Joseph for turning him from Islam. Joseph was arrested and threatened with death. spite of many tortures, he refused to convert to Islam. holy martyr of Christ was hanged on February 17, 1819, so he obtained an incorruptible crown of glory. sources list his commemoration on February 17, while others list him on September 14 or October 26.

Greece, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, learned art of arts from Daniel, cut will&obedience leads to gifts
Greece, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, fIoannina, Epirus, orphaned young, tKydoniai, Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis' school at 9, humility piety revealed tTeachers, at 14 became Daniel oZagora's disciple till latter's death, Daniel tAthos, desire to become monk, D instructed him monk life, which called the Art of Arts, science oSciences, tonsured, 3 lessons: cut off own will, acquire humility, learn obedience, 6 yrs on Athos, agitation against Kolyvades, memorial services for dead on Sunday, inappropriate for ressurection day, Frequent communion, 1821 tMonastery oPendeli near Athens before tIndependence War, Daniel forsaw monastery destruction bTurks, tCyclades islands, first Paros, then Pholegandros, Daniel allowed A instruct children, ordained deacon, govt teaching post, taught there 1829-1840, then entered monastery St George on Paros, Daniek had died 1837, had asked take remains Mt Athos after 2yrs, on way stopped Paros, Father Elias told him it was God's will he remain on Paros, providential, Greek War Independence 3K Turks occupied Athos, 5 of the6k monks left Athos, he joined St George's monastery, found worthy models to follow, ordained priest at 47, intensified effort, unceasing prayer otHeart, studied scriptures holy father's writings, showed gift oTears, outstanding father confessor spiritual guide, serving face became radiant, Girl fSyros story, repented sin, nun sister reject her, go drown yourself harlot, met by Arsenius on way to convent, made her a nun, severly rebuked those nuns, A forsaw his death month before, told everyone, Paros people came to bid farewell; Island of Paros; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Arsenius was born on January 31, 1800 in Ioannina, Epirus of pious Orthodox parents. holy Baptism he was given the name Athanasius. parents died when he was quite young. was only nine years old when he made his way to Kydoniai, Asia Minor, he was received by Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis and enrolled in his school. humility and piety endeared him to Father Gregory and also to the other teachers. boy remained at the school for five years, surpassing the other students in learning and in virtue. day the renowned Spiritual Father Daniel of Zagora, Thessaly came to the school to hear confessions. became Daniel’s disciple, remaining with him until the latter’s death. long after this, Father Daniel decided to go to the Holy Mountain for quiet and spiritual struggles. begged his Elder not to leave him, but to take him with him. expressed the desire to travel to Mt. Athos, the Garden of the All-Holy Virgin, and to become a monk. Daniel instructed Athanasius in the monastic life, is called “the art of arts, and the science of sciences.” holy Elder was a perfect teacher who was accomplished in the spiritual life, Athanasius was an attentive student. a time Father Daniel tonsured his pupil, and told him he had to learn three important lessons. he must cut off his own will. he must acquire humility. he must learn obedience. “If you cut off your will, if you become humble, and if you practice perfect obedience, you will also make progress in the other virtues, and God will glorify you.” a further period of testing, Father Daniel tonsured Athanasius into the Great Schema and gave him the name Arsenius. saint remained on Mt. Athos with his Elder for six years. they had to leave the Holy Mountain because of the agitation against the so-called “Kollyvades,” who called for a strict adherence to Holy Tradition. name comes from the kollyva (boiled wheat) used in the memorial service. of the controversy involved the debate on whether it was proper to serve memorial services for the dead on Sunday. Kollyvades believed that these services were inappropriate for the Day of Resurrection, but should be served on Saturday. Kollyvades advocated frequent Communion, rather than the practice of receiving the Holy Mysteries only a few times during the year. Father Daniel and Saint Arsenius left Athos, it was probably due to the animosity of those who opposed the Kollyvades. in 1821, before the Greek War of Independence, they went to the Monastery of Pendeli near Athens. stay was a brief one, for Father Daniel forsaw the destruction of the monastery by the Turks. two made their way to the Cyclades Islands in the southern Aegean Sea. they stopped at Paros, perhaps because some of the Kollyvades had settled there. they decided to live on the island of Pholegandros. there were no teachers for the children, the inhabitants entreated Father Daniel to allow Saint Arsenius to instruct their children. Elder agreed, and had Arsenius ordained as a deacon. Then he was appointed to the teaching post by the government. saint remained there as a teacher from 1829-1840. He taught the required subjects in school, but he also helped his students to form a good character, and to live as pious Christians. 1840 Saint Arsenius entered the Monastery of Saint George on the island of Paros. Daniel had passed away in 1837. his repose, he asked his disciple to take his remains to Mt. Athos after two years. Arsenius left Plolegandros in obedience to Father Daniel’s request, planning to stop on Paros then continue to the Holy Mountain. Paros the abbot of Saint George’s Monastery, Father Elias Georgiadis, told Saint Arsenius that it was God’s will for him to remain on Paros. was providential, because Mt. Athos was undergoing great difficulty after the Greek War of Independence. Turkish soldiers occupied Athos, resulting in the departure of 5,000 of the 6,000 monks. Arsenius joined the community at Saint George’s Monastery on the northern end of Paros. he found spiritual strivers of true wisdom and excellent conduct, who were worthy models for him to follow. he was ordained to the holy priesthood at the age of forty-seven, Saint Arsenius intensified his spiritual efforts. day he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, and became adept at the unceasing prayer of the heart. also began to show forth the gift of tears. In this, he resembled his patron Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8), who continuously wept tears of contrition. the inhabitants of Paros came to recognize him as an outstanding Father Confessor and spiritual guide. he stood before the holy altar, he felt that he was standing before God. served with great compunction, his face often became radiant like the face of an angel. his virtues became known to people, they flocked to him from near and far. received all with paternal affection, treating each one with the proper spiritual medicine which would restore their souls to health. certain girl from Syros came to the Convent of the Transfiguration to visit her sister, who was a nun. nun had previously been informed that her sister had fallen into a serious sin. When she learned that the girl was outside the doors of the convent, the nun screamed at her, “Go far away from here. Since you are defiled, you will defile the convent and the nuns.” of feeling pity for her sister, and trying to lead her to repentance, the nun and some of the other nuns struck the poor girl and told her to go away. wretched girl cried, “I have made a mistake. Forgive me!” nun shrieked, “Go away, or I will kill you to wash away the shame you have brought to our family.” “Have you no pity, my sister, don’t you share my pain?” “No,” the nun shouted, “you are not my sister, you are a foul harlot.” “Where shall I go?” she sobbed. “Go and drown yourself,” was the heartless reply. poor girl fled from the convent, bleeding and wounded, intending to kill herself. that very moment, Saint Arsenius was on his way to visit the convent. the girl in such a state, he asked her what was wrong. She explained that she had been led astray by corrupt men and women. Realizing her sin, she went to the convent to ask her sister for help “See what they have done to me, Elder. What do you advise me to do? Shall I drown myself, or leap off a cliff?” “I do not advise you to do either, my child. If you wish, I shall take you with me and heal the wounds of your soul and body,” he said gently. “Where will you take me?” the miserable girl asked. “To the convent, my child.” “I beg you not to take me there, Elder. My sister and the other nuns said they would kill me if I came back.” saint replied, “Do not be afraid. They will not kill you, because I shall entrust you to Christ, and no one will be able to harm you.” “Very well,” she said, “If you entrust me to Christ I will not be afraid of them, for Christ is more powerful than they.” Arsenius led her to the convent, consoling her and encouraging her to repentance and confession. hearing her confession, he made her a nun. he called all the nuns into the church and severely rebuked those who wounded the girl. reminded them of the parable of the Prodigal Son, and of how Christ had come to save sinners. He often associated with sinners, showing them great love and mercy. “You, however, have done the opposite. Though you knew that her soul had been wounded by the devil, you did not feel sorry for her. You did not embrace her and try to save her from further sin, but you attacked her and beat her. Then you urged her to kill herself. I, your Spiritual Father, tell you that you are not nuns, you are not Christians, you are not even human beings. You are devoid of compassion, affection, and sympathy. You are murderesses! I forbid you to receive Holy Communion for three years, unless you recognize your sin. Repent and confess, weep and ask forgiveness from God and from me, your Spiritual Father, and from the other nuns who did not participate in your sinful behavior.” nuns began to weep bitterly and they repented. he lessened their penance and forgave them. gave the girl’s sister the penance of not receiving Holy Communion for a whole year. the other nuns had shared in this sin, he would not permit them to receive Communion for six months. Arsenius foresaw his death a month before it occurred. the Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Basil, he announced that he would soon depart from them. With great effort, he was able to serve for the Feast of the Theophany. After the service, he told some nuns that this had been his last Liturgy. of the saint’s illness and approaching death spread quickly to all the villages of Paros. wept because they were about to lose their Spiritual Father, and they hastened to bid him farewell and to receive his blessing. the eve of his repose, he called the nuns of the convent to come to him. He told them that the next day he would leave this temporary life and enter into eternal life. January 31, 1877 Saint Arsenius received Holy Communion for the last time and fell asleep in the Lord. three days, people came to kiss his body, then they followed the funeral procession to the burial site which he himself had selected. Arsenius of Paros was glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1967. He is also commemorated on August 18 (the uncovering of his relics).

Greece, 1821 - Present, Folder, Modern Greece

Greece, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Weeping Tikhvin Icon, Mt Athos

Greece, 1821-1832, Greek War of Independence
Greece, 1821-1832, Greek War of Independence; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31; 1840 Saint Arsenius entered the Monastery of Saint George on the island of Paros. Daniel had passed away in 1837. Before his repose, he asked his disciple to take his remains to Mt. Athos after two years. Arsenius left Plolegandros in obedience to Father Daniel’s request, planning to stop on Paros then continue to the Holy Mountain. Paros the abbot of Saint George’s Monastery, Father Elias Georgiadis, told Saint Arsenius that it was God’s will for him to remain on Paros. was providential, because Mt. Athos was undergoing great difficulty after the Greek War of Independence. 3,000 Turkish soldiers occupied Athos, resulting in the departure of 5,000 of the 6,000 monks.

Greece, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos, her dream found Tinos Icon
Greece, 1823, Saint Pelagia of Tinos Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos", Commemorated January 30 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Greece, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades, MOG appeared 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there
Greece, 1823, Tinos Icon, Tinos Island, Cyclades (Agean Sea), MOG appeared to man 1821, dig in field to find my icon, build a church there, with my help, divine light, found bricks not for oven, Pelagia's dreams 1822, to uncover the church, be obedient, Mr. Kangades, excavations, church discovered, money ran out, 1823 Matsos found annunciation icon, holiest treasurers, Healing and deliverance; Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God Tinos, Commemorated January 30 ; highly-venerated icon of the Annunciation was discovered in the ruins of the ancient church of Saint John the Baptist on January 30, 1823. elderly man, Michael Polyzoes, had a dream shortly before the Feast of the Annunciation in 1821, in which the Mother of God appeared to him in shining white garments. She instructed him to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras outside the city, where he would find her icon. She also told him to build a church on the site, since there had once been one there. The Queen of Heaven also promised to help him accomplish these tasks. awakening, he crossed himself and tried to go back to sleep, believing that his dream had been a temptation from the devil. Before falling asleep, Michael saw the Theotokos once again, and noticed that the room was flooded by a gentle white light. Her head was surrounded by divine light, and her face displayed ineffable grace and sweetness. Speaking to the old man she said, “Why are you afraid? Your fear comes from unbelief. Listen! I am Panagia (the all-holy one). I want you to dig in the field of Anthony Doxaras where my icon is buried. I ask you to do this as a favor, old man. You will build a church there and I will help you.” Then she disappeared. next morning, Michael went into the village and told the priest what had happened to him during the night. priest also thought the dream was a temptation, so he urged Michael to come for Confession and Communion. The old man, however, was not convinced that his visions were mere dreams or demonic temptations. He told the inhabitants of the village of his experience. Some laughed at him, but only two believed his words. two men went with him to the field one night and dug in many places, but they found nothing. Then they dug in another place and found the remains of an old wall. Finding nothing but bricks, they had to give up their search in the morning so the Turks would not find out what they were doing. Doxaras, the owner of the field, found the bricks and tried to use them to build an oven. The mortar would not adhere to the bricks, so whenever they tried to build one section of the oven, it collapsed. The workers were convinced that God was showing them that the bricks from the ancient church were not to be used for an oven. Pelagia (July 23), an eighty-year-old nun, had several dreams in June of 1822 in which the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her. Saint Pelagia was living in the women’s monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, about an hour’s journey from the village. She had lived in the monastery from a young age, and was known for her great virtue and piety. Theotokos appeared to her in a dream and ordered her to go to Stamatelos Kangades (a prominent man of the village), and tell him to uncover the church of Saint John the Baptist in the field of Anthony Doxaras. by the vision, Pelagia attributed the dream to her imagination, and she began to pray. She was afraid to tell anyone about her dream, but the following week, the Theotokos appeared to her again, reminding her of her instructions. Still, the nun remained silent and told no one of her vision. The Theotokos appeared a third time, this time with a severe manner. She chastised the nun for her unbelief, saying, “Go and do as I told you. Be obedient.” Pelagia woke up in fear and trembling. As she opened her eyes, she saw the same mysterious Woman she had seen while asleep. With a great effort she asked, “Who are you, Lady? Why are you angry with me, and why do you order me to do these things?” Woman raised her hand and said, “Proclaim, O earth, glad tidings of great joy” (Megalynarion of the Ninth Ode of the Canon for Matins of the Annunciation). at last, the aged nun joyfully exclaimed, “Praise, O heavens, the glory of God” (The next line of the Megalynarion). once, she informed the Abbess of her visions, and she also told Stamatelos Kangades. Mr. Kangades, who had been designated by the Theotokos to carry out the excavation of the church, informed Bishop Gabriel of these events. The bishop had already heard of the dream of Michael Polyzoes, and realized that the account of the nun Pelagia agreed with his vision. Bishop Gabriel wrote to all the churches on the island of Tinos, urging them to cooperate in finding the church and the icon. began in September of 1822 under the supervision of Mr. Kangades. The foundations of the church of Saint John, destroyed by Arabs in 1200, were uncovered. An old well was found near the church, but not the holy icon. The money ran out, and so the effort was abandoned. again the Mother of God appeared to Saint Pelagia, urging that the excavations continue. Bishop Gabriel sent out an appeal for donations to build a new church on the foundations of the old church of Saint John the Baptist. The new church was built, and was dedicated to Saint John and to the Life-Giving Fountain. January 30, 1823 workers were leveling the ground inside the church in preparation for laying a new stone floor. About noon one of the workers, Emmanuel Matsos, struck a piece of wood with his pickaxe, splitting it down the middle. He looked at one piece of the board and saw that it was burned on one side, while the other side showed traces of paint. As he brushed off the dirt with his hand, he saw that it was an icon. Joining the two pieces of wood together, he crossed himself and venerated the icon. called the other workers, who also came and venerated the icon. When the icon was cleaned, it was shown to be an icon of the Annunciation. The split was in the middle of the icon, between the Theotokos and the Archangel Gabriel. Neither figure was damaged, and this was regarded as a miracle. same day, the icon was given to Bishop Gabriel, who kissed it and cried out, “Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works.” the finding of the icon, the inabitants of Tinos were filled with zeal to build a magnificent church in honor of the Theotokos. People offered their money and their own labor to help build the church of the Evangelistria (She who received the Good News). new church was completed in 1823, and was consecrated by Bishop Gabriel. Saint Pelagia of Tinos fell asleep in the Lord on April 28, 1834. Her Feast Day, however, is on July 23. Tinos Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos continues to be venerated as one of Greece’s holiest treasures. Innumerable miracles of healing and deliverance from danger have not ceased since the time the icon was found.

Greece, 1828-Present, Modern Greece
Greece, 1828-Present, Modern Greece;

Greece, 1832-1862, Greek King, Otto of Greece
Greece, Greek King, 1832-1862, Otto of Greece;

Greece, 1837, Akathist Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos, remained unharmed during 1837 fire, Akathist being read
Greece, Mt Athos, 1837, Akathist Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian) remained unharmed during 1837 fire, Akathist being read; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Akathist Icon of the Mother of God is on the iconostasis of the Hilandar monastery’s katholikon. It is known as the Akathist Icon because, during a fire at the katholikon in 1837 an Akathist was being read before the icon, and it remained unharmed, to the joy of the monks. icon should not be confused with the Zographou Icon “Of the Akathist” (October 10). Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ;

Greece, 1841-1889, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance, Elder Martinian MOG intercession, dead boy to monk
Greece, 1841-1889, Deliverer Icon, Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance and many miracles, terrible disaster in Mavrovone, locusts, fr Alexis Moleben w Cross failed, Elder Martinian MOG intercession w Icon & intense prayers & cross procession, suddenly birds appeared, later boy already dead, touched w icon 3 times, later monastic on athos, people worshiped Fr M so he hid, voice told him to not hide the icon, possessed woman Elena shouted only icon could heal her, healed and more like storm casting fish ashore.; Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece; (Greek: Μαυροβούνι, "the black mountain") is a village (population approximately 500) in the Mani Peninsula, Greece, south of Gytheio town. is a village about 2 km south of the town of Gytheio, in Laconia, Greece. It is located on a steep hill of dark rock[1] between the hill of Kumaros[2] above Gytheio and the alluvial plain of the Vardhounia river lies a belt of low sandy hills. district is rich in wines, olives and oranges.[3] The village's economy is based on olive oil production, fishing and tourism. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovone in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovone there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Greece, 1862-1913, Greek King, George I of Greece, Dutch Royal, Elected King, Expanded Greece, Killed
Greece, Greek King, 1862-1913, George I of Greece;

Greece, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia Capital, paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, Many miracles
Moldavia, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8), paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, kept in Theophany Skete near Great Lavra, MA, Many miracles, thorns in eyes, unconscious child died recovered, Jews healed, Icon not move teachers house, icon in woman's vision, mocking painter fierce expression on MOG's face, became zealous admirer, sick monk at P Skete departs peacefully, many more miracles to this day; Jassy (Iasi), Romania ; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Icon is kept in the Moldavian Theophany (now Prodromou)1 Skete on Mount Athos, about an hour's walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios. 1863, Igoumen Niphon, accompanied by several monks, went to Moldavia on the Monastery's business. Arriving at Iasi, the capital of Moldavia, the Athonite monks decided to order an icon of the Mother of God for their Monastery, and began to look for a master, who would not only know his craft well, but at the same time he would lead a good life, have the fear of God, and who would be adorned with Christian piety. Soon they managed to find such a man at Iasi, the aged painter, George Nikolaev (Iordache Nicolau), with whom they agreed that he should paint the icon only while fasting, before eating any food, and by himself, without the participation and assistance of others. old man, having agreed to these conditions, zealously set about his work. The work progressed quickly to its end: it remained only to paint the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child. when the painter started to execute the last part of the work, he suffered a setback: he couldn't paint the faces correctly, despite all his efforts. He was upset and told the monks of his failure, and he even began to doubt himself, whether he had forgotten his art in his old age. painter increased his fasting and prayed with tears. one morning, after intensified fasting and fervent prayer, he entered his workroom to finish the task that had caused him so much grief and anxiety. Approaching the Icon and looking at it, he suddenly stopped, struck with amazement: from the canvas of the Icon the faces of the Mother of God and the Child looked at him, painted by an invisible hand and radiant with heavenly beauty and artistic expression. painter was awestruck: the more he considered these faces, the more clearly he understood that a great and incomprehensible miracle of the Queen of Heaven had occurred, and that she had heard his humble and fervent prayers. with amazement, the artist did not dare to touch this Icon with his brush, but only covered it with varnish. of this miracle quickly spread throughout the city, and many people gathered in the artist's home, so that the Athonite monks had great difficulty in moving the Icon from his house to their apartment. miraculous event that had occurred was also made known to the local Metropolitan, His Grace Callinic (Miclescu), who at that time held the office of Metropolitan. examined the Icon carefully and recognized the truth of the miracle. After that, a Moleben was served before the Icon, and only then were the people allowed to venerate the image of the Mother of God, which from that time began to be glorified by many miraculous signs. certain man had a large thorn in his eyes, and he could not see anything. He was brought in to venerate the Icon of the Mother of God was given some Holy Water to drink, and to wash with it. He took some of it with him to his house. days later he received perfect sight, so that without the help of others he was able to come to give thanks to the Mother of God before her miraculous Icon for his healing. nobleman had a child who was unconscious for three days without any movement, so that only by the child's barely perceptible breath could one determine that a faint spark of life still remained. of saving his child from death by conventional medical means, the father turned to the Mother of God for help, praying fervently before her Icon. some Holy Water to his house, he sprinkled the dying child and poured a few drops into his mouth. And a miracle occurred: the child had already died, but then he recovered. other patients afflicted with various ailments received healing by praying before the Icon of the Mother of God. view of the numerous miracles performed by the power of the Theotokos through her Holy Icon, not only did Orthodox Christians come to venerate her, but also schismatics, Armenians, and even Jews, for there was the case of a Jewish woman who received her gracious help, which was why she and her entire household were baptized. return of the Athonite monks with the Icon, from Iași to their Monastery on Athos, was also accompanied by many miracles. the monks arrived with the Icon in the city of Byrlad, the people's teacher in that city wished to receive the Holy Icon in his house, and for this purpose he sent people for it. The monks advised him to come to them if he wished to venerate the Icon, instead of bringing it to his home. But the teacher insisted on having his way. monks decided to grant his wish. When two of them tried to lift the Icon, despite all their efforts, they could not do so. It took four monks to lift the icon, but only with great effort. When the Icon was brought to the carriage in order to put it in, a loud noise was heard, frightening everyone, both people and the horses. It turned out that the kiot containing the Icon had cracked. everyone knew that the Mother of God did not want to have her Icon brought to the teacher's house, and it was decided not to carry it to the teacher's home. a strange thing occurred: this time, two monks were able to lift the Icon without any difficulty. pious woman who lived outside the city of Byrlad beheld a vision in a dream telling her to go into the city to venerate the Icon. When she arrived, she recognized the very Icon that she had seen in the vision. the monks came to Galați there was a painter who, seeing a multitude of people flocking to venerate the Icon, began to mock it, urging people not to believe the miracle of how the faces had not been painted by any earthly artist. But when he gazed at the Icon of the Mother of God, the exression on her face seemed so fierce to him that he was struck with great horror. Then he became a zealous admirer of the wonderworking Icon. the time the monks arrived at their Skete on the Holy Mountain, there was a sick monk, who had not eaten any food for three weeks, nor did he speak. He was so weak that he did not move at all. Only by his breathing could anyone tell that he was still alive. When the monks arrived at the Skete, the patient seemed to awaken from a deep sleep and asked to be taken to venerate the Holy Icon. Presenting himself before the Icon, he turned to the Mother of God with this plea: "O Mother of God! You know my heart and you know my fate. If it would be good for me to live, then give me health. If, after I am healed of my illness, I do not behave better, then let me die: end my life here on earth, so that I do not suffer or endure torments there, in the grave." After praying this way, he returned to his cell, put on clean linen and his full monastic garb, and asked to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He seemed to have a clear premonition of his approaching death. And, indeed, less than an hour after receiving Communion, he departed peacefully and quietly to the Lord. this Skete there were even more cases of healings by the Icon of the Mother of God. The monk Sergius was healed from weakness in all his members, and from deafness, and one of the masters who worked in the same Skete was subjected to torments by an unclean spirit; as soon as he was brought to the Icon of the Mother of God, he was freed from the excruciating power of the Enemy. addition to the recorded accounts, many other wonderful signs took place on Mount Athos from the Moldavian Icon of the Mother of God, which continues to work miracles up to the present day. 1 The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner on Mount Athos.

Greece, 1866-1920, Nectarius, Met oPentapolis, engine start, wind stop, Malice, deposed, S director, incorrupt r

Greece, 1875-1889, Deliverer Icon, for New Athos monastery, Georgia, storm cast ton fish ashore there
Georgia, 1875-1889, Deliverer Icon, from Greece, for New Athos monaster, storm cast ton fish ashore there New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus; Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovonē in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovonē there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. The priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. At Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. Later, the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. He thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Father Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. Suddenly, at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. Thus, the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. The demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. Against his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. Then the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. Seeing God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. First of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. At once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. The Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. Then the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus The Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. About that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Greece, 1877, Weeping Tikvin Icon, Elias Skete, found behind altar, tears right eye, large tear left eye, recurred
Greece, Mt Athos, 1877, Weeping Tikvin Icon, Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery), found behind altar, tears right eye, large tear left eye, recurred once; Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery); Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ; Weeping Tikhvin Icon of Mt. Athos is to be found behind the altar in the Prophet Elias Skete. February 17, 1877 (Thursday of the Second Week of Lent) seven monks remained in the church after the Hours had been read. They were astonished to see tears flowing from the right eye of the icon, and collecting on the frame. Then a single large tear came from the left eye. monks wiped the tears from the icon’s face, then left the church and locked the doors behind them. Three hours later, they returned for Vespers and saw traces of tears on the icon, and a single tear in the left eye. Again they wiped the tears from the icon, but they did not reappear. this manifestation of tears as a sign of mercy from the Mother of God, the monks established an annual commemoration of the icon on February 17. The weeping Tikhvin Icon of Mt. Athos is not to be confused with the original wonderworking Tikhvin Icon (June 26).

Greece, 1885-1908, Methodia the Righteous of Kimolos Island, severe ascetic, chosen vessel oChrist, miracle working grace
Greece, 1885-1908, Methodia the Righteous of Kimolos Island, severe ascetic, chosen vessel oChrist, miracle working grace; Kimolos Island; St Methodia the Righteous of Kimolos, Commemorated October 5 ; Methodίa was born on the island of Kίmolos on November 10, 1865, to devout parents. Her father's name was Jacob Sardēs, and her mother's name was Maria. They had three sons and five daughters, the second of whom was called Irene. childhood the Saint was drawn to divine things and always frequented the church. she reached a suitable age, she married a sailor, in order to please her parents. she was married, her zeal for the Church remained unabated. day, however, while her husband was out on a voyage, he was shipwrecked and drowned near Asia Minor. Irene was tonsured in the church of Panagia Hodēgḗtria on Kίmolos by Archbishop Methodios of Syros, who renamed her Methodίa. joy knew no bounds, and she followed the evangelic commandments of the Lord with all her soul. ascetical struggles were severe, and she was a living example for all. Christ, Who dwells in pure hearts, also came to dwell in her, and she became a chosen vessel (Acts 9:15). report of her great virtue spread everywhere and a multitude of women went to stay with her, in order to find a spiritual refuge and a safe harbor from the storms of life. Saint's inspired words were a source of refreshment and healing for the afflicted souls of these women, and she guided them on the path of repentance. addition to her other gifts, God gave Saint Methodίa the grace to work miracles. Methodίa reposed peacefully on Sunday, October 5, 1908 at the age of 43. She was glorified as a Saint on October 5, 1991.

Greece, 1900, 20th Century Folder, New Martyr Ephraim

Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date, union of Greece and Crete
Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date; Greece, Greek King, 1862-1913, George I of Greece;

Greece, 1910-1964, Nikephoros tLeper, Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos, obedience, recorded miracles, shining face
Greece, 1910-1964, Nikephoros tLeper, Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos, an orphan at 13 in 1903, w gfather in Khani, a barber, then got Hansen's disease i.e. Leprosy, not want to go to Leper Colony Spinalonga Island, went to Alexandria, as a barber, disease more apparent, 1914 went to Chios Leper Church and Fr. Anthimos, a saint, hospital, chapel, wonderworking Icon oPanagia, course of virtues, 1916 Angelic Schema, disease progressed, unquestioning obedience, austere fasting, garden work, saw &recorded A's miracles, including deliverance, he prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, he was the master chanter of the temple. after losing sight he chanted troparia&Epistles from memory, drug found 1947, 1957 Chios leprosarium closed, Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo, Fr Eumenios completely cured but he stayed there, Ntestimonies, face shone while eaten away, seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified, died 1964 at 75, fragrant relics exumed 1967, discernment gift; Kastanochori, Arcadia; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4; Nikephoros (Nicholas Tzanakakis in the world) was born in 1890 in a mountainous village in Khania, in Sikari, Kastanohori to the west of the prefecture with a healthy climate, with beautiful forests, rich waters, gorges and caves. village has a peculiarity that we do not often encounter: it is divided into eleven neighborhoods, which have also been named after the families who first settled there. Saint Nikephoros was born in the neighborhood of Kostoyianides. parents were simple and pious villagers, who died when he was still a young child, leaving him as an orphan. at the age of thirteen, he left his home. grandfather, who had undertaken to raise him, went to Khania to work there in a barber shop in order to learn the job. he showed the first signs of Hansen’s disease, i.e. leprosy. lepers were isolated on the island of Spinalonga because leprosy was a contagious disease and it was treated with fear and dismay. was sixteen years old when signs of the disease began to become more conspicuous, so he left on a boat to Egypt in order to avoid being confined to Spinalonga. remained in Alexandria, working in a barber shop again, but the signs of the disease became more and more apparent, especially on his hands and face. is why, through the intervention of a cleric, he went to Chios, where there was a church for lepers at that time, and the priest was Father Anthimos Vagianos, later Saint Anthimos (February 15). arrived in Chios in 1914 at the age of twenty-four. In the leper hospital of Chios, which was a complex with many homesteads, there was a chapel of Saint Lazarus, where the wonderworking icon of Panagia Ypakoe1 (Feb. 2) was kept. In this space, the course of virtues was opened for Nicholas. Within two years Saint Anthimos considered him ready for the angelic Schema and tonsured him with the name Nikephoros. The disease progressed and evolved in the absence of suitable drugs, causing many large lesions (a drug was found in 1947). Nikephoros lived with unquestioning, genuine obedience to his Spiritual Father, and with austere fasting, working in the gardens. He also recorded the miracles of Saint Anthimos, which he had witnessed with his own eyes (many of these were related to the deliverance of those possessed by demons). was a special spiritual relationship between Saint Anthimos and the monk Nikephoros, who always remained close to him, as Father Theoklitos Dionysiatis writes in his book Saint Anthimos of Chios. Father Nikephoros prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, and he was the master chanter of the temple. Because of his illness, however, he slowly lost his sight, and so he chanted the troparia and the Epistles from memory. Chios leprosarium was closed in 1957 and the remaining patients, together with Father Nikephoros, were sent to Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo. At that time, Father Nikephoros was about 67 years old. His members and his eyes were completely altered and distorted by the disease. Father Eumenios also lived there at the home for lepers. He also suffered from Hansen’s disease, but with the medication he received, he was completely cured. However, he decided to remain in the home for lepers for the rest of his life near his fellow sufferers, caring for them with much love. Thus he submitted to Father Nikephoros, to whom the Lord had given many gifts as a reward for his patience. A crowd of people gathered in the humble cell of the leper Nikephoros, in Saint Barbara in Aigaleo to obtain his prayers. Here are some testimonies of those who met him: “While he was prostrate with wounds and pains, he did not complain, but he showed great patience.” “He had the charisma of consoling those who were sad. His eyes were permanently irritated, and he had limited sight. He also had stiffness in his hands and paralysis in his lower limbs. Nonetheless, he endured all of this in the sweetest, meek, smiling, delightful way, and he was also pleasant and lovable.” “His face, which was eaten away by the marks of his illness, and his wounds, shone. It was a joy for those who saw this destitute and seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified.” Nikephoros reposed on January 4, 1964 at the age of 74. After three years, his holy relics were exhumed and found to be fragrant. Father Eumenios and other believers reported many cases where miracles occurred by calling on Saint Nikephoros to intercede with God. life of Saint Nikephoros was a brilliant example and model for everyone. He was pleasing to God because he had endured so much. For this reason, we have many testimonies that our saint received from the Holy Spirit the gift of discernment as and a host of other charisms. We should note that most of the miracles are recorded, and today the saint gives generous help to anyone in need. Surely there will be many more miracles which not have not yet been made manifest. The name of the icon honors the obedience of the Theotokos to God’s will for her to give birth to His Son, so by her obedience people would also obey His will. The Greek word Υπακοή means “obedience.“

Greece, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia, Great Road, saw tLord a15, special blessing lElisha, visions
Armenia, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), saw the Lord at 15, carpenter at 15, Soldier Greek Civil War 1945-49, to Greece exchange of populations, Kephalonia Is, special blessing bArsenios, monk prophesy, Konitsa in Epeiros, repelled demonic assault wPhilotimo thought, humble t, tἘsphigmenou MAthos, tPhilotheou, idiorhythmic, alone, small schema, professed monastic, tMonastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, tMt Sinai, St Catherins's M, false dLight, beloved bBedouins, cookies fChildren, cross handiwork, more grace, rtMA, Earth sojourner, devine mysteries, conversed wSaints appearing before him, Guardian Angel vision, angelic hymns, shone wHeavenly light, 1966 illness, part lungs r, Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki, btKatounakia, Lavriote keli oHypatios (Vlachika), uncreated light vision, saints, MOG, &Christ, discussed church matters wEuphemia, illness lMA, returned, Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes, many visitors, 1980s leli aKoutloumousiou, 1993 hemorage, hospitalized, tSourote, tumor large intestine, no medicine painkillers; Cappadocia; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Father Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain was born to devout parents, Pródromos and Eulampίa Enzepίdē, Phárasa in Cappadocia on July 25, 1924. before the family left for Greece because of the exchange of populations,1 he was baptized by Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia (November 10). godfather wanted to name the child Christos, after his grandfather, Archimandrite Arsenios, the parish priest, refused saying, "Not so! He shall be called Arsenios. You shall have many other children, but I am a monk; I will have no children. I want him to be a reminder of me." Arsenios, a man who lived a most holy life, also foretold that he was leaving a monk in his place. gave the child a special blessing, and so, like Elijah and Elisha,2 grace passed from the Spiritual Father to his child. also predicted that he himself would not live more than forty days after he arrived in Greece. Forty days after their arrival in Greece, Saint Arsenios went to the Lord and was buried on the island of Kephaloniá. Greece, the family of little Arsenios settled in Konitsa in Epeiros, he spent his childhood and youth. Nurtured with stories about the wondrous life of Saint Arsenios, the boy, at the age of five, declared that he would become a monk. he learned to read, he was loved by those who had not been taught. went into the forest to study and pray in silence. in the Lives of the Saints, he tried to imitate their ascetical contests with fervent zeal and astonishing exactness. At the same time, he cultivated the virtues of humility and love. completing his studies, Arsenios did not wish to continue with his education, preferring to imitate Christ, and so he learned the trade of a carpenter, which he practiced with diligence and skill. the age of fifteen, he was deemed worthy of seeing the Lord, because of one philotimo3 thought, by which he repelled a demonic assault and a temptation toward impiety. From that time, the fire of God's love increased in him even more, as well as a longing for the monastic life. of turmoil and upheaval followed for Greece, because of foreign occupation and civil war (1945-1949). However, he was both a citizen and a soldier during his service, displaying unparalleled courage and self-sacrifice. Sometimes he volunteered to take the place of married men with families, who were about to be sent to the Front. He was willing to give every moment, and even his life, to save others. In fact, he was often in the line of fire. Not only did he protect many soldiers by his fervent prayers, but he also guarded himself in a miraculous way. most of his military service Arsenios served as a radio operator. He said that they all felt secure only when they communicated with their Division every hour. "When our communication was limited to every two hours," he revealed later, "we felt a bit insecure. Sometimes, when we could be in touch with them just twice a day, we felt uncomfortable, lonely, and lost. The same thing applies to our prayers. The more we pray, the more we feel secure, on a spiritual basis, of course." all these things, he wanted to embrace the angelic life of monasticism, which gives wings of divine love.4 Thus, he went to the Holy Mountain seeking a guide to a life of godly silence. However, he did not manage to fulfill his desire right away. At the same time, people found themselves in great economic difficulty when they called on him for help. Thus, he returned to Konitsa and worked as a carpenter. In 1953, at the age of 29, he forsook the world and went to the Holy Mountain. visiting various Skḗtēs and Kalyves,5 the Saint finally followed the advice of a venerable Elder and joined the brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Ἐsphigmenou, known at the time for its strictness. There he lived in the midst of everyone and engaged in severe asceticism, surpassing the others in his labors for the grace of Christ and his brethren. Then, on March 27, 1954, he was tonsured and received the name Averkios. But desiring a stricter life of asceticism, he received the Igoumen's blessing and went to live in the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, which was then idiorhythmic. Under the guidance of a hermit, they lived a very strict ascetical life. When his Elder reposed, he left and went to another hermit. This Elder would greet people he had never met by name, and that is what he did with Father Averkios. However, he did not permit Father to live with him. Instead, he told him to take care of another old and sick hermit, and then come back to him for Confession. In this way, Father Averkios prepared himself for the eremitic life, under the guidance of a wise monk, Elder Simeon. March 12, 1956 he was tonsured into the Small Schema and received the name Paϊsios (which means "child"), thanks to Metropolitan Paϊsios II of Caesarea, who was also his compatriot. August 1958, heeding divine counsel, he did not move to the desert, for which he was being prepared, but into the ruined Monastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, which is located near Konitsa. There he lived for four years, living an angelic life, struggling with temptation, working for the people of the region, saving many from the false teachings of Protestant sects who were actiive in their midst, and restored the Monastery with a great deal of labor. 1962, when the work of restoration and the danger from heterodox groups was ended, he left. The Saint pleaded fervently with God to remove the temptations which besieged him every day, and to show him the path he must follow. So, he accepted the invitation of a certain Hierodeacon to accompany him to the God-trodden Mount Sinai. In this waterless place, in the kelli6 of Saints Galaktion and Epistḗmē (November 5) near Saint Katherine's Monastery, living in solitude and in asceticism. One day, as he searched for matches to light his lamp in order to read, a light shone in his cell showing where the matches were. Father Paϊsios did not trust this, so he made the Sign of the Cross, and the light disappeared. At last he lived as he had wanted to live for years, alone and near God. was beloved by the Bedouins, giving them food and money which he earned by selling to the pilgrims wooden crosses that he made himself. The Arab children in the area often visited Father Paϊsios. He wished that he had something to give them, but when he brought his handiwork to the Monastery he asked for some cookies and was told that he had to bring more handiwork to obtain cookies. Father Paϊsios shortened his Prayer Rule and spent more time for his handiwork so that he might have cookies for the children. By this act of love, he discerned that he received even more grace from God. to Mount Athos in 1964, he did not cease his ascetical contests despite his bodily ailments, but maintained his former fervor in his soul. So, living as a stranger and a sojourner on the earth (Genesis 23:4, LXX), he became a citizen of the Heavens. He attained the heights and became a partaker of divine mysteries, with the blessing of the Mother of God. In addition, he conversed with the Saints who appeared before him, and he had a vision of his Guardian Angel. He also heard angelic hymns, and he shone with heavenly light. 1966 he became seriously ill and was admitted to the Center for Thoracic Diseases of Northern Greece (Papanikolaou Hospital). He had a major operation, which resulted in the partial removal of his lungs. Some young women who wished to become nuns donated their blood for his operation. When he recovered he helped them to establish their Convent at Sourotḗ, and was able return to the Holy Mountain. He recuperated at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist in Sourotḗ in Thessaloniki, and returned to the Holy Mountain after his recovery. 1967, he moved to Katounákia, specifically to the Lavriote kelli of Hypatios (Vlachika), where he had a vision of the Uncreated Light. He also saw various Saints, the Mother of God, and even Christ Himself. On one occasion, he was visited by Saint Euphēmίa, with whom he discussed certain Church matters. August 12, 1968, Saint Paϊsios came to the Holy Monastery of Stavronikita and lived alone in the kelli of the Holy Cross. There he was tonsured into the Great Schema by the Russian Elder Tikhon, who had the gift of tears. After the latter's repose, Father Paϊsios would visit the Elder's grave to ask him questions, and Father Tikhon would reply from the grave. Paϊsios became ill shortly afterward, and had to leave the Holy Mountain. Then he lived for a time in a monastery in northern Greece. As a consolation, he took with him the relics of Saint Arsenios, who had baptized him. Father Paϊsios did return to Mount Athos and settled in a cell. 1979 he left Holy Cross and, looking for a kelli, went to the Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes. He worked hard to create a kelli with a "Confessor", where he stayed until the end of his life. From the time he settled in Panagouda, a large number of people visited him. In fact, it got so crowded that there were special markers showing the way to his cell, so that the monks would not be disturbed by so many visitors. He also received too many letters. As the Saint said, he became very upset by reading the letters, because he learned only about divorces and mental or physical illnesses. Despite his busy schedule, he continued his intense ascetical life, pausing to rest only two or three hours a day. But he continued to receive and help visitors. He also used to make small printed icons which he gave to them as a blessing. the daily fatigue of Saint Paϊsios, some health problems were added, which tormented him. In the final years of his life, the pains of various diseases such as colitis, which left him permanently dyspeptic, an inguinal hernia, and especially from the cancer with which he had been diagnosed. There was more and more of this, nevertheless, he was calm and did not complain at all. On the contrary, he continued to pray for everyone. the early 1980s he moved near Karyes, to a kelli at Koutloumousίou. 1993 he began to hemorrhage, for which he was hospitalized, saying that "everything will be done, it is convenient for me." In November of the same year, he left the Holy Mountain for the last time, and went to Sourotḗ, to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian for its Feast Day; and later for the Feast of Saint Arsenios (November 10). He stayed for a few days, but when he was preparing to leave, he fell ill and was taken to Theageneio, where he was diagnosed with a tumor in the large intestine. asked God to grant him bodily and spiritual health. On February 4, 1994, he underwent surgery. The disease was not halted, but it metastasized to the lungs and to the liver. The Saint announced his desire to return to the Holy Mountain on June 13, but a high fever and shortness of breath forced him to remain. At the end of June, his doctors announced that he had only two or three weeks to live at most. On Monday, July 11, 1994 (the Feast of Saint Euphēmίa), Father Paϊsios received Holy Communion for the last time, kneeling by his bed. In the last days of his life he decided not to take medicines or painkillers, despite the horrible pains of his sickness. He reposed on Tuesday, July 12, 1994 at 11:00 and was buried in the Holy Hesychasterion of Saint John the Theologian in Sourotḗ, Thessaloniki, next to Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose Life was written by Saint Paϊsios. January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople met and decided to include Saint Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church. May his blessing be upon us. 1 Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Greeks living in Asia Minor were forced to move to Greece, and Turks living in Greece had to return to Turkey. 2 4 Kings 2:15 (Septuagint). 3 According to Saint Paϊsios, philotimo is a reverent distribution of goodness, the love shown by humble persons, from which every trace of self (ego) has been rooted out. Their hearts are filled with gratitude toward God and to their fellow man; and out of spiritual sensitivity, they try to repay the slightest good which others do to them. 4 "Life is blessed for those in the wilderness, as they fly upon the wings of divine love" (Sunday Matins: Hymn of Degrees, Tone 5, First Antiphon). 5 Skḗtē: Typically a settlement of hermits near a common church, known as the kyriakon. Kalyva: cells gathered around a church. 6 A monk's cell, or a monastic establishment consisting of a building with a chapel in it, and some land. Usually, a kelli was inhabited by three monks.

Greece, 1948, Synaxis otGerontissa Rescuer fFire Icon. saved Pantokrator Monastery oAthos from Fire
Greece, 1948, Synaxis otGerontissa Icon. saved Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos from Fire, Rescuer fFire; Synaxis of the Gerontissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 2; December 2 Feast Day of the Gerontissa Icon of the Mother of God commemorates a miracle which occurred on the night of December 1, 1948 when the Theotokos saved the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos from a fire. of this event, the Icon also came to be known as the “Pyrosoteira” (“Rescuer from fire”). Gerontissa Icon is also commemorated on April 4.

Greece, 1950, Amoman Mountain near Nea Makri
Amoman Mountain near Nea Makri; Monastery of Saint Ephraim, Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs
Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs, 318-1967, asked Fr George Nsis, NYC to paint her Icon holding a cross, research found young woman blond blue eyes, since then many miracles, Kalamata church built 1993; Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa was born in Kalamata in 291 to devout and God-loving parents, Nicholas and Despina, were from the eastern part of Italy. Because of the persecution of Christians at that time, they fled to Kalamata in the Peloponnesos, where they had a farm outside the city, because her father was a farmer. a young age Saint Xenίa adorned her soul with fasting, temperance, silence, unceasing prayer, tears, vigils, and charity. Dometian, the eparch of that region, happened to meet the Saint, he was dazzled by her beauty and wanted to make her his wife. Xenίa absolutely refused to change her faith, or to become the wife of an idolater. Dometian had her arrested. The Saint was tortured mercilessly and then beheaded in 318. Thus, she entered into the joy of her Lord and received an unfading crown of glory from Christ God. George Nasis, the rector of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City from 1942-1967 praying one day when a beautiful woman appeared to him. She said her name was Xenίa, martyr who had been forgotten for almost 1700 years. She asked him to paint an icon, depicting her holding a cross. first Father George did not mention this to anyone, thinking that perhaps people would mock him. Then he decided to inform the Archbishop. Researchers tried to find references to Saint Xenίa of Kalamata, but they were not successful. they found her name in a list of Saints, where she is described as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. God's grace, the Saint has worked many miracles after her death. 1993, a new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in the western part of Kalamata, which has a chapel dedicated to Saint Xenia.

Greece, 1999 & 1398-1426 , New Martyr Ephriam, Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth&Athens area), story revealed miraculously 500yrs later

Greece, Corinth, Athens, Achaia (West Greece) Folder

Corinth, Greece (Gulf, Isthmus and Canal of Corinth, Saronic Gulf)
Corinth; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Theodotus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN NT ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Martyr Quadratus and those with him at Corinth, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Holy Apostles Sosthenes was head of the Corinthian synagogue before his conversion. The Apostle Paul converted him to Christianity and made him his helper in his work. In addressing the Corinthian church, Saint Paul sent greetings from both of them: “Paul, by the will of God called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and brother Sosthenes...” (1 Cor.1:1). Afterwards, Saint Sosthenes was made bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor). Sosthenes is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Leonidas of Corinth, Commemorated on April 16; Martyr Adrian of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Greece, , Corinth, Greece (Gulf, Isthmus and Canal of Corinth, Saronic Gulf)
Corinth; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Makarios was born in Trikala, of Corinth in 1731, devout parents who were descended from the famous Notaras family of Constantinople. father’s name was George and his mother’s was Anastasia. In Baptism he received the name Michael. His teacher in Kephalonia was named Eustathios. Michael was very zealous for the solitary life, and so he left his parents’ house in secret, and went to the Great Cave (Μέγα Σπήλαιον) Monastery. Monastery was so named because it is the largest monastery of the Peloponnesos, and it was built in front of a cave. His father discovered where he was, however, and had Michael sent back home, where he spent much of his time studying the Divine Scriptures and other edifying books. Corinth had lacked a teacher for a long time, Michael taught the young people for six years without payment. Even when he was very young, it was apparent that he did not care for the material things of this world, but only for spiritual treasures. When his father appointed him as the supervisor of an area where he could become very wealthy, he gave his money to the poor, and his father scolded him. excelled as a teacher, and the Corinthians loved him for his exemplary way of life. After the death of His godfather Archbishop Parthenios of Corinth in 1764, they suggested to Patriarch Samuel of Constantinople that he appoint Michael, who was then a layman, as his successor. Thus, he passed through the various degrees of ordination and was consecrated as Archbishop of Corinth by Patriarch Samuel. blessed one did not seek the hierarchal office for power, or as a means of acquiring wealth, but out of his paternal concern for the security and the salvation of his flock, for which he would have to render an account to the Lord and God of all. He rid the Church of corrupt and ineffectual priests and replaced them with priests who were virtuous and qualified. Those who were not qualified were sent to monasteries to be educated and trained how to serve. the Russo-Turkish War began in 1768, Archbishop Makarios was forced to flee to Zakynthos with his family, and from there to Hydra, where he lived in a monastery. When things settled down, the Holy Synod of Constantinople chose a new Archbishop of Corinth, perhaps because Archbishop Makarios had abandoned his See.1 visited Hydra and from there he went to Chios. From Chios he went to Mount Athos, fulfilling his persistent and praiseworthy desire to visit the Holy Mountain and to experience its way of life. When the divine Makarios arrived on Mount Athos in 1777, he settled in the kelli2 of Saint Anthony, which belonged to his compatriot Elder David. There he met Saint Νikόdēmos the Hagiorite once again. At that time, the Athonite community was divided by quarrels and controversies over Memorial Services and kollyva. The reason for the dispute was a disagreement about when the departed ought to be commemorated in church. Church’s Tradition is to have services for the departed on Saturdays, and that Memorial Services are not permitted on Sundays or Feast Days. Hence, disputes arose out of the intense quarrels and contradictions which also extended to other areas of Church life. The situation there saddened the hierarch. Because of the riots and disturbances on the Holy Mountain, he feared for his own life, and so he returned to Chios. After remaining there for a brief time, he departed for Patmos. his stay in Patmos, the Saint sought a permanent residence, and since he was attracted by the location, he founded the Sacred Kathisma3 of All Saints (Ιερό Κάθισμα των Αγίων Πάντων) in 1782. the Saint’s father reposed, his two brothers wanted him to act as executor of his will. Saint Makarios gave everything to his brothers without keeping anything for himself. Then he returned to Chios to obtain some letters of recommendation, and went to Smyrna to meet with Prince John Maurogordatos of Moldovo-Vlakhia.4 The Prince knew Saint Makarios by reputation, and therefore he received him with reverence and respect for him as a man of God. Not only was he happy to show him hospitality in his home, but Maurogordatos also contributed money for the publication of The Philokalia, and for the publication of the Holy Catechism of Metropolitan Platon of Moscow. Smyrna the Saint returned to Chios. He chose his place of residence at the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the north-northwestern edges of Vrontados at the foot of Aippus. He found spiritual peace with Saint Athanasios Parios (who wrote his Life), Saints Nikephoros and Niphon of Chios, Gregory of Nisyros, and Athanasios of Armenia, all of whom had left the Holy Mountain several years earlier, because of the disturbances and scandals over Memorial Services. Makarios remained in his hermitage on Chios for the rest of his life (1790-1805), engaging in severe ascetical struggles, practicing interior prayer, writing books, confessing and counseling people, instructing them in the Faith, inspiring them to virtue, and helping those in need. also prepared several individuals who had denied Christ to go back to the place where they had done this, and confess that they only worshiped Christ, the true God. Of course, the Turks put these New Martyrs to death when they heard such talk, so he encouraged the martyrs by his words, and strengthened them by prayer and fasting, so that they would not lose their courage and deny Christ again. Makarios departed to the Lord on April 17, 1805. His honorable body was buried in the courtyard of the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on the south side. The recovery of his relics took place in 1808. 1 It has been suggested that Saint Makarios was replaced because the Turks thought that he encouraged the Greeks in their desire to revolt. In any case, the Saint retained his rank and was permitted to serve unhindered anywhere he wished. 2 A Kelli is a monk’s cell, or a monastic establishment consisting of a building with a chapel in it, and some surrounding land. Usually it is occupied by three monks. 3 In an Orthodox context, a Kathisma refers to a division of the Psalter, a chair or seat, or a monastic establishment, perhaps a type of hermitage. 4 This region is now part of modern Romania.

Athens, Greece
Athens; Martyr Hermias of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 8 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Saint Athenagoras of Athens, Commemorated on July 24; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 21 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Martyrs Rusticus the Presbyter and Eleutherius the Deacon, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Saint Damaris of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Apostle of the Seventy: Quartus, died in Athens, Commemorated on November 10; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ;

Benaki Museum, Athens
Benaki Museum, Athens; Saint Amphilokhios, Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23;

Greece (Macedonia, Constantinople, Thessaly, Athens, Peloponnesos, Epiros)
Greece; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ;

West Greece
West Greece; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Kathariotissa", Commemorated September 8 ; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ;

Achaia, Roman Province South of Macedonia and Epirus
Achaea[1] or Achaia,[2][3] , was a province of the Roman Empire, consisting of the Peloponnese, eastern Central Greece, and parts of Thessaly. the north, it bordered on the provinces of Epirus vetus and Macedonia. The region was annexed by the Roman Republic in 146 BC following the sack of Corinth by the Roman general Lucius Mummius, who was awarded the cognomen "Achaicus" ("conqueror of Achaea"). became part of the Roman province of Macedonia, which included the whole of mainland Greece. Acts 18:12-28 before Paul's return to Antioch, Syria;

Greece, Corinth, Athens, West Greece History Folder

Greece, 30-96, Athens, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite
Greece, 30-96, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite ; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3;

Greece, 30-64, Onesiphorus of the Seventy, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia, and Corinth, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium
Cilicia, 30-64, Onesiphorus of the Seventy Apostles, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia (Ceyhan River Mouth), and later Corinth, Greece, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium on the Hellespont; Colophon, Cilicia ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Greece, 30-80, Corinth, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy
Greece, 30-80, Corinth, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy; was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12–17). The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother", a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1–2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rückert, and de Wette".[2] has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Corinth; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Theodotus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN NT ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Martyr Quadratus and those with him at Corinth, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Leonidas of Corinth, Commemorated on April 16; Martyr Adrian of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Greece, 30-129, Athens, Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy
Greece, 30-129, Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21;

Greece, 30-96, Athens, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy
Greece, 30-96, Athens, Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy; Greece, 30-129, Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 21; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31;

Greece, 30-64, Achaia, Ephenetus, from Achaia, bishop of Carthage
Africa, North Africa, 30-64, Ephenetus, from Achaia, bishof of Carthage; or Epaentus is a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, considered one of the seventy disciples and may have been the first Bishop of Carthage or Cartagena. In the 16th chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans, Epenetus is referred to by Saint Paul as "my beloved" and given the great distinction of being named the "first convert in the Province of Asia".[2] Epaentus was a convert to Christianity in Ephesus. In the lists of the seventy disciples by the Pseudo-Dorotheus and Pseudo-Hippolytus, Epaenetus figures as Bishop of Carthage or Cartagena.[3] The Greek Orthodox Church remembers Epenetus on January 4[4] among the Seventy, and on July 30 with Apostles Silas and Silvanus, Crescens, and Andronicus.[3] Carthage; Carthagian Empire; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5).

Greece, 30-100, Corinth, Apostle Silas, Bishop fo Corinth, speaker, with Paul in Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea
Greece, Corinth, 30-100, Apostle Silas, Bishop fo Corinth; or Silvanus (1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who first accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.[1] and etymologies is traditionally assumed to be the same as the Silvanus mentioned in four epistles. Some translations, including the New International Version, call him "Silas" in the epistles. Paul, Silas, and Timothy are listed as co-authors of the two letters to the Thessalonians. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians mentions Silas as having preached with Paul and Timothy to the church in Corinth (1:19), and the First Epistle of Peter describes Silas as a "faithful brother" (5:12). narrative is first mentioned in Acts 15:22, where he and Judas Barsabbas (known often as 'Judas') were selected by the church elders to return with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch following the Jerusalem Council. and Judas are mentioned as being leaders among the brothers, prophets and encouraging speakers. Silas was selected by Paul to accompany him on his second mission after Paul and Barnabas split over an argument involving Mark's participation. was during the second mission that he and Paul were imprisoned briefly in Philippi, where an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Silas is thus sometimes depicted in art carrying broken chains.[4] Acts 16:25-37. to Acts 17–18, Silas and Timothy travelled with Paul from Philippi to Thessalonica, where they were treated with hostility in the synagogues by some traditional Jews. harassers followed the trio to Berea, threatening Paul's safety, and causing Paul to separate from Silas and Timothy. travelled to Athens, and Silas and Timothy later joined him in Corinth.[5] events can be dated to around AD 50: the reference in Acts 18:12 to Proconsul Gallio helps ascertain this date (cf. Gallio inscription).[6] According to Acts 18:6–7, Paul ceased to attend the synagogue in Corinth as a result of Jewish hostility, Silas is not mentioned thereafter in the Acts narrative. appears in the salutation of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and is referred to in 2 Corinthians 1:19. This is as expected, as we read of his involvement in Paul's mission when these cities were visited. He also appears in the conclusion of 1 Peter at 5:12, and is perhaps the amanuensis. Peter says he regards Silas as "a faithful brother." Corinth; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silas was a disciple of the Savior. Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the “chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the question of whether Gentile Christian converts should be required to observe the Mosaic Law. The Apostles sent a message with Paul and Barnabas to the Christians of Antioch, giving the decision of the Council that Christians of Gentile origin did not have to observe the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. Nonetheless, they were told that they must refrain from partaking of foods offered to idols, from things strangled and from blood, to refrain from fornication (Acts 15:20-29). Together with Saints Paul and Barnabas, the Council of the Apostles sent Saints Silas and Jude to explain the message in greater detail, since they both were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Saint Jude was later sent back to Jerusalem, but Saint Silas remained at Antioch and zealously assisted Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, on his missionary journeys preaching the Gospel. They visited Syria, Cilicia, and Macedonia. the city of Philippi they were accused of inciting unrest among the people, and for this they were arrested, beaten with rods, and then thrown into prison. At midnight, when the saints were at prayer, suddenly there was a strong earthquake, their chains fell off from them and the doors of the prison opened. The prison guard, supposing that the prisoners had fled, wanted to kill himself, but was stopped by the Apostle Paul. Then, he fell down trembling at the feet of the saints, and with faith accepted their preaching about Christ. He then led them out of the prison and took them to his own home, where he washed their wounds, and was baptized together with all his household. Philippi Saints Paul and Silas proceeded on to the cities of Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica. In each city they made new converts to Christ and built up the Church. Corinth the holy Apostle Silas was consecrated as bishop, and worked many miracles and signs, and there he finished his life.

Greece, 35-61, Apostle Apollos of the 70, erudite, Alexandria, Corinth, Crete, Caesurea
Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos of the 70, erudite, Alexandria, Corinth, Crete, Caesurea ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, Commemorated on December 8;

Greece, 35-61, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea
Greece, 35, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea ; was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews. The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother", a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1-“2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rackert, and de Wette".[2] has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Holy Apostles Sosthenes was head of the Corinthian synagogue before his conversion. The Apostle Paul converted him to Christianity and made him his helper in his work. In addressing the Corinthian church, Saint Paul sent greetings from both of them: “Paul, by the will of God called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and brother Sosthenes...” (1 Cor.1:1). Afterwards, Saint Sosthenes was made bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor). Sosthenes is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Corinth;

Greece, 60-70 approx., Patra in Achaia, Apostle Peter
Greece, Patra in Achaia, 60-70 approx., Apostle Peter; Patras; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated September 23;

Greece, 70, 1st Century, Patra in Achaia, Apostle Andrew, Martyrdom in Patra
Greece, 1st Century, Patra in Achaia, Apostle Andrew; The final city to which the Apostle came was the city of Patra, where he was destined to suffer martyrdom. The Lord worked many miracles through His disciple in Patra. The infirm were made whole, and the blind received their sight. Through the prayers of the Apostle, the illustrious citizen Sosios recovered from serious illness and Maximilla and Stratokles, the wife and brother of the governor of Patra, were healed. The miracles accomplished by the Apostle and his fiery speech enlightened almost all the citizens of the city of Patra with the true Faith. Patras; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Greece, 1571, Corinth, Sea Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth (Lepanto)
Corinth, 1571, Sea Battle of Lepanto, Gulf of Corinth (Lepanto) ; Sea Battle of Lepanto (in Gulf of Lepanto now known as Gulf of Corinth); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ;

Greece, 1910-1965, Nikephoros tLeper, Aigaleo, Athens
Aigaleo, Athens; Greece, 1910-1964, Nikephoros tLeper, Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos, an orphan at 13 in 1903, w gfather in Khani, a barber, then got Hansen's disease i.e. Leprosy, not want to go to Leper Colony Spinalonga Island, went to Alexandria, as a barber, disease more apparent, 1914 went to Chios Leper Church and Fr. Anthimos, a saint, hospital, chapel, wonderworking Icon oPanagia, course of virtues, 1916 Angelic Schema, disease progressed, unquestioning obedience, austere fasting, garden work, saw &recorded A's miracles, including deliverance, he prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, he was the master chanter of the temple. after losing sight he chanted troparia&Epistles from memory, drug found 1947, 1957 Chios leprosarium closed, Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo, Fr Eumenios completely cured but he stayed there, Ntestimonies, face shone while eaten away, seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified, died 1964 at 75, fragrant relics exumed 1967, discernment gift; Kastanochori, Arcadia; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4; Nikephoros (Nicholas Tzanakakis in the world) was born in 1890 in a mountainous village in Khania, in Sikari, Kastanohori to the west of the prefecture with a healthy climate, with beautiful forests, rich waters, gorges and caves. village has a peculiarity that we do not often encounter: it is divided into eleven neighborhoods, which have also been named after the families who first settled there. Saint Nikephoros was born in the neighborhood of Kostoyianides. parents were simple and pious villagers, who died when he was still a young child, leaving him as an orphan. at the age of thirteen, he left his home. grandfather, who had undertaken to raise him, went to Khania to work there in a barber shop in order to learn the job. he showed the first signs of Hansen’s disease, i.e. leprosy. lepers were isolated on the island of Spinalonga because leprosy was a contagious disease and it was treated with fear and dismay. was sixteen years old when signs of the disease began to become more conspicuous, so he left on a boat to Egypt in order to avoid being confined to Spinalonga. remained in Alexandria, working in a barber shop again, but the signs of the disease became more and more apparent, especially on his hands and face. is why, through the intervention of a cleric, he went to Chios, where there was a church for lepers at that time, and the priest was Father Anthimos Vagianos, later Saint Anthimos (February 15). arrived in Chios in 1914 at the age of twenty-four. In the leper hospital of Chios, which was a complex with many homesteads, there was a chapel of Saint Lazarus, where the wonderworking icon of Panagia Ypakoe1 (Feb. 2) was kept. In this space, the course of virtues was opened for Nicholas. Within two years Saint Anthimos considered him ready for the angelic Schema and tonsured him with the name Nikephoros. The disease progressed and evolved in the absence of suitable drugs, causing many large lesions (a drug was found in 1947). Nikephoros lived with unquestioning, genuine obedience to his Spiritual Father, and with austere fasting, working in the gardens. He also recorded the miracles of Saint Anthimos, which he had witnessed with his own eyes (many of these were related to the deliverance of those possessed by demons). was a special spiritual relationship between Saint Anthimos and the monk Nikephoros, who always remained close to him, as Father Theoklitos Dionysiatis writes in his book Saint Anthimos of Chios. Father Nikephoros prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, and he was the master chanter of the temple. Because of his illness, however, he slowly lost his sight, and so he chanted the troparia and the Epistles from memory. Chios leprosarium was closed in 1957 and the remaining patients, together with Father Nikephoros, were sent to Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo. At that time, Father Nikephoros was about 67 years old. His members and his eyes were completely altered and distorted by the disease. Father Eumenios also lived there at the home for lepers. He also suffered from Hansen’s disease, but with the medication he received, he was completely cured. However, he decided to remain in the home for lepers for the rest of his life near his fellow sufferers, caring for them with much love. Thus he submitted to Father Nikephoros, to whom the Lord had given many gifts as a reward for his patience. A crowd of people gathered in the humble cell of the leper Nikephoros, in Saint Barbara in Aigaleo to obtain his prayers. Here are some testimonies of those who met him: “While he was prostrate with wounds and pains, he did not complain, but he showed great patience.” “He had the charisma of consoling those who were sad. His eyes were permanently irritated, and he had limited sight. He also had stiffness in his hands and paralysis in his lower limbs. Nonetheless, he endured all of this in the sweetest, meek, smiling, delightful way, and he was also pleasant and lovable.” “His face, which was eaten away by the marks of his illness, and his wounds, shone. It was a joy for those who saw this destitute and seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified.” Nikephoros reposed on January 4, 1964 at the age of 74. After three years, his holy relics were exhumed and found to be fragrant. Father Eumenios and other believers reported many cases where miracles occurred by calling on Saint Nikephoros to intercede with God. life of Saint Nikephoros was a brilliant example and model for everyone. He was pleasing to God because he had endured so much. For this reason, we have many testimonies that our saint received from the Holy Spirit the gift of discernment as and a host of other charisms. We should note that most of the miracles are recorded, and today the saint gives generous help to anyone in need. Surely there will be many more miracles which not have not yet been made manifest. The name of the icon honors the obedience of the Theotokos to God’s will for her to give birth to His Son, so by her obedience people would also obey His will. The Greek word Υπακοή means “obedience.“

Greece, Corinth, Athens, West Greece, Detail Folder

Cenchreae (across the neck from Corinth)
Cenchreae; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT;

Sicyon
Sicyon, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Aegae (Achaea), West Greece
Aegae (Achaea), West Greece; Martyr Zenobia of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30;

Argyropolis, Greece (East of Athens River Mouth)
Argyropolis; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy;

Athens River

Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth and Athens area)
Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on January 3; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus)
Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 4;

Rizari Park, Athens (Rizarios Seminary in Athens )
Rizari Park, Athens (Rizarios Seminary in Athens ); Saint Nectarius Kephalas, Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9;

Aigaleo, Athens
Aigaleo, Athens; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4;

Daphni Monastery, Athens (on the ruins of Apollo) 500 (6th Century)
Daphni Monastery, Athens (on the ruins of Temple of Apollo) 500 (6th Century); Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9;

Areopagus Council, Athens (Athenian high court, Hill of Ares)
Areopagus Council, Athens (Athenian high court, Hill of Ares); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 4;

Amoman Mountain near Nea Makri
Amoman Mountain near Nea Makri; Monastery of Saint Ephraim, Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Monastery of Saint Ephraim, Nea Makri, 900's
Monastery of Saint Ephraim, Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Marathon, Greece (near Athens)
Marathon, Greece; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated January 11; “Deliverer” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Maraton, Greece AKA Marathon, near Athens
Maraton; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated January 11;

Philothei district of Athens
Philothei district of Athens; Philothei; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19;

Kalogreza
Kalogreza; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19;

Attica Region (Attic Penninsula, Athens)
Attica Region; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Boeotia (region in central Greece, near Corinth)
Boeotia; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Jerusalem Holy Monastery, Davleia, Boetia
Jerusalem Holy Monastery, Davleia, Boetia; Davleia, Boetia; Martyr Charitina of Amisos, Commemorated on October 5;

Mt Sagmata, Boetia
Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27;

Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata, little before 1111
Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27;

Meletiou Monastery, Boetia
Meletiou Monastery; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27

Meletiou Mountain, Boetia
Meletiou Monastery; Saint Clement the Stylite who lived as an ascetic on Mount Ságmata in Boeotia, Commemorated on January 27

Lebadeia, Boetia, Central Greece
Lebadeia, Boetia, Central Greece; St. Seraphim of Labodeia, Commemorated on May 6;

Helicon, Mount Helicon, Boetia
Helicon, Mount Helicon, Boetia; St. Seraphim of Labodeia, Commemorated on May 6;

Dobou, Boetia (West of Helicon) 1592
Dobou, Boetia (West of Helicon) St. Seraphim of Labodeia, Commemorated on May 6;

Aetolia (Mountains North Coast Gulf of Corinth)
Aetolia (Mountains North Coast Gulf of Corinth); Monk Martyrs Jacob, Jacob the Deacon, and Dionysius, of Prodromou, Commemorated on November 1;

Tritonia, Boeotia, Greece (Triton River Flows into Lake Copais)
Tritonia, Boeotia (Triton River Flows into Lake Copais) ; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Lake Copais, Boetia, near Corinth
Lake Copais, Boetia, near Corinth ;

Mount Helicon (Mount Cytheron?) Hosios Loukas
Mount Helicon (Mt Cytheron?): Both Helicon and Cytheron are close to Steiris and St Luke's Monestary (Hosios Loukas); Hosios Loukas; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?) Hosios Loukas
Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?): Both Helicon and Ioannou are close to Steiris and St Luke's Monestary (Hosios Loukas); Hosios Loukas; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Steiris, Corinth
Steiris; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Hosios Loukas, Corinth
Hosios Loukas; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Ioannou, Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?) Hosios Loukas
Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?): Both Helicon and Ioannou are close to Steiris and St Luke's Monestary (Hosios Loukas); Hosios Loukas; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Gulf of Corinth

Mount Patra
Mount Patra; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28;

Gulf of Patra

Achaia Region, West Greece near Corinth
Achaia Region Northwest Greece, capitol is Patras; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, commemorated June 14 I believe; Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Commemorated on June 15;

Aegina Island (between Athens and Corinth)
Aegina Island; Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Commemorated on August 3; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated November 9 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Saint Julius of Aegina, Commemorated on January 31; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Achaea, West Greece
Achaea; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, commemorated June 14 I believe; Apostles Fortunatus, Akhaikos, and Stephanas of the 70, Commemorated on June 15;

Patra (Patras) in Achaia, West Greece
Patras; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated September 23; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Niketas of Thebes and those with him, Commemorated on June 23;

New Patra, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos (probable location across from Patra)
New Patra, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos (probable location across from Patra) Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; The young man chose not to go back, because he could not bear to live among the iconoclasts. continued on his journey and settled in the city of New Patre, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos. went by, and then one day he heard rumors about certain miraculous events in the region of Aitola. to these reports, the son of a local shepherd was tending his father's flock in a rugged, inaccessible spot in the mountains. There were no homes or villages, but only a shelter for the shepherds. night, as the child was sleeping, he was awakened by heavenly chanting coming from a cave behind him. much apprehension he turned and saw a fiery pillar of light coming from the cave and reaching up to Heaven. is why the Icon is also called Pyrsos - because of the place where it was hidden. the boy went to inform his father what he had seen. The father thought that his son had been dreaming, and told him not to fear things that weren't real. The young man insisted, however, that what he had heard and seen was real.

Penteli Monastery near Athens
Penteli or Pendeli Monastery near Athens; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ;

Vitinela, diocese of Vitineia and Euboea
diocese of Vitineia and Euboea; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated November 9 ;

Euboea (near Athens)
Euboea; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated November 9 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Euripus Strait
Euripus Strait; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

Euripa (near Athens)
Euripa; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

New Prokopion, Euboia Island
New Prokopion aka Evia or Euboea Island ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Salamis Island, between Athens and Corinth
Salamis Island; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Mount Parnassus

Cephissus River (Boeotia) Source (Mt Parnassus)

Cephissus River Mouth (Boeotia)

Cephissus River (Boeotia)

Triton River Source

Triton River
Triton River flows into Lake Copais ;

Dremvitsa, or Velitsa or Tithorea (in fertile basin North of Corinth)
Dremvitsa, or Velitsa or Tithorea ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Clement, Bishop of Ochrid, Equal of the Apostles, Nahum, Savva, Gorazd and Angelar were Slavs, disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius (May 11). At first they lived as ascetics in Moravia, where Saint Gorazd succeded Saint Methodius as bishop. He was fluent in Slavonic, Greek and Latin. Saints Clement, Nahum, Angelar and Savva were priests. Enlighteners of the Slavs were opposed by German missionaries, who had the support of the Pope and the patronage of the Moravian prince Svyatopolk. The struggle centered around the questions of the need for divine services in Slavonic, the Filioque and Saturday fasting. Pope Stephen VI prohibited the use of Slavonic in church. proponents of the three-tongued heresy (who wanted to use only Hebrew, Greek, or Latin for Church purposes), after setting aside the ancestral language of the Slavic peoples, brought the disciples of Saint Methodius to trial, including Saint Clement. They subjected them to fierce torture: dragging them through thorns, and holding them in prison for a long time, just as they had done with their spiritual Father, Saint Methodius. 886, some of the prisoners were sold to slave-traders, and ended up in the Venice marketplace. The ambassador of the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian went to Venice, ransomed the saints and brought them to Constantinople. The older confessors were banished. It is not known where Saint Gorazd went, nor where Saint Savva found shelter. Nahum and Angelar went to Bulgaria. 907 Moravia collapsed under the onslaught of the Magyars, and Moravian refugees escaped along those same paths followed earlier by the saints they had exiled. Bulgarians received the Slavonic confessors with respect and requested them to conduct divine services in the Slavonic language. The Bulgarian prince Boris sought out such people as the disciples of Saint Methodius, who labored for the enlightenment of his nation. The saints immediately began to study Slavonic books collected by the Bulgarian nobles. Angelar soon died, and Saint Clement received the appointment to teach at Kutmichivitsa, a region in southwest Macedonia. In the Eastern Church a worthy man was chosen to be a teacher, someone known for his devout life, and possessed with a gift of words. Saint Clement was a teacher while he was still in Moravia. In Bulgaria, Saint Clement worked as an instructor until 893. He organized a school at the princely court, which attained high esteem during the reign of Simeon. In southwest Macedonia he created separate schools for adults and for children. Clement instructed the children in reading and in writing. The total number of his students was enormous. Those chosen and accepted for the clergy amounted to 3500 men. In the year 893, Saint Clement became Bishop of Dremvitsa, or Velitsa, and Saint Nahum took his place. Clement was the first Bulgarian hierarch to serve, preach and write in the Slavonic language. To this end he systematically prepared clergy from among the Slavic people. The holy bishop labored for the glory of God into his old age. When his strength failed, and he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities in the cathedral, he asked Tsar Simeon to let him retire. Tsar urged the saint not to forsake the cathedral, and Saint Clement agreed to continue his episcopal service. After this he went to Ochrid, to a monastery he founded. There the saint continued with his translation activities and translated important parts of the Pentecostarion. the saint became seriously ill and departed to the Lord in the year 916. The saint’s body was placed in a coffin he made with his own hands, and was buried in Ochrid’s Saint Panteleimon monastery. Clement is considered the first Slavonic author. He not only continued the translation work begun by Saints Cyril and Methodius, but also left behind works of his own composition, the first samples of Slavonic spiritual literature. of the lessons and sermons of Saint Clement were brought to Russia, where they were read and lovingly copied by pious Russian Christians. relics of Saints Gorazd and Angelar rest near Berat in Albania, and Saint Nahum’s relics are in the monastery bearing his name, near Lake Ochrid. Saint Clement is also commemorated on November 25. St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ;

Thebes of Boeotia, Greece, northeast of Corinth
Thebes, A Greek City State in Boetia ; Boetian Plain; Thebes of Boeotia; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Nikḗtas of Thebes and those with him, Commemorated on June 23;

Elateia (the middle of the great fertile basin, North of Corinth)
Elateia (the middle of the great fertile basin); Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 21;

Zeli, Boetia, Central Greece
Zeli, Boetia, Central Greece; St. Seraphim of Labodeia, Commemorated on May 6;

Aitolia, West Greece
Aitolia; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24;

Aetolia, West Greece
Aetolia; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ;

acropolis of Naupaktosacropolis of Naupaktos
acropolis of Naupaktos; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; years passed, and a civil war was raging in the Greek countryside. The inhabitants of Eurytania and Naupaktos left their villages, seeking safety in other parts of Greece. They brought their wonderworking Icon with them. She also shared the fate of her children, and was carried by the monks of Proussos to the acropolis of Naupaktos. The monastery remains completely deserted.

Akarnania (West Greece)
Akarnania; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24;

Saint Maura Island (Lefkada Island)
Saint Maura Island (Lefkada Island); Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24;

Lepanto (Gulf of Corinth)
Lepanto; Sea Battle of Lepanto (in Gulf of Lepanto now known as Gulf of Corinth); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Ithaca Island, West Greece
Ithaka Island; Icon of the Mother of God "Kathariotissa", Commemorated September 8 ; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9;

Cephalonia (Kephalonia, West Greece)
Cephalonia (Kephalonia) ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ;

Kephalonia Island (Cephalonia, West Greece)
Cephalonia (Kephalonia) ; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12 Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ;

Chelidon, West Greece
Chelidon; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4 ;

Eleia, West Greece, Pelopennesos
Eleia, West Greece, Pelopennesos ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16;

Omala, Cephalonia, West Greece
Omala Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated October 20 ;

Monastery of Anafonitria (Strophada), Zakynthos Island, West Greece, 14th Century
Monastery of Anafonitria; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ;

Zakynthos Island, West Greece
Zakynthos Island; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated October 20; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ;

Gaitanios, Zakynthos
Gaitanios, Zakynthos; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29;

British Empire - Ionian Islands - West Greece - The Seven Islands
British Empire - Ionian Islands - West Greece - The Seven Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Agios Ioannis, Karystos
Agios Ioannis, Karystos; Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva, Commemorated on December 2;

Greece (Clean), Corinth and Athens in Achaia

Greece, 1 Achaia, Roman Province, its Area

Greece, 2 Corinth and Athens Area

Greece, 3 West Greece, its Area

Greece, 4 Achaia Region of West Greece, its Area

Greece, 5 Thessaly Region, its Area

Greece, 6 Peloponnesos, its Area

Achaia, Roman Province, its Area, and a region of West Greece
Greece, 1 Achaia, Roman Province, its Area
Greece, 4 Achaia Region of West Greece, its Area

Boetia, its Area, all of Central Greece

Corinth, Greece (Gulf, Isthmus and Canal of Corinth, Saronic Gulf)
Corinth;

Athens, Greece
Athens;

Aegina Island (between Athens and Corinth)
Aegina Island;

Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus)
Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3;

Achaia Region, West Greece near Corinth
Achaia Region Northwest Greece, capitol is Patras;

Achaea, West Greece
Achaea;

West Greece (Achaia)
West Greece;

Ithaca Island, West Greece
Ithaca Island, West Greece;

Zakynthos Island, West Greece
Zakynthos Island;

Cephalonia (Kephalonia, West Greece)
Cephalonia (Kephalonia) ;

Chelidon, West Greece
Chelidon;

Eleia, West Greece, Pelopennesos
Eleia, West Greece, Pelopennesos ;

Marathon, Greece (near Athens)
Marathon, Greece;

Penteli Monastery near Athens
Penteli or Pendeli Monastery near Athens;

Aigaleo, Athens
Aigaleo, Athens;

Benaki Museum, Athens
Benaki Museum, Athens;

Phyle (Attica)
Phyle (Attica);

Euboea Island (near Athens)
Euboea;

Agios Ioannis, Karystos, on Euboea Island
Agios Ioannis, Karystos, on Euboea Island;

Vitinela, diocese of Vitineia and Euboea
diocese of Vitineia and Euboea;

New Prokopion aka Euboia Island
New Prokopion aka Evia or Euboea Island ;

Mount Patra
Mount Patra;

Patra (Patras) in Achaia, West Greece
Patras;

Ioannou, Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?) Hosios Loukas
Mount Helicon (Mt Ioannou?): Both Helicon and Ioannou are close to Steiris and St Luke's Monestary (Hosios Loukas); Hosios Loukas;

Steiris, Corinth
Steiris;

Boeotia (region in central Greece, near Corinth)
Boeotia;

Dobou, Boetia (West of Helicon) 1592
Dobou, Boetia (West of Helicon)

Helicon, Mount Helicon, Boetia
Helicon, Mount Helicon, Boetia;

Mt Sagmata, Boetia
Sagmata Monastery on Mt Sagmata;

Elateia (the middle of the great fertile basin, North of Corinth)
Elateia (the middle of the great fertile basin);

Triton River (Boetia)
Triton River flows into Lake Copais ;

Thebes of Boeotia, Greece, northeast of Corinth
Thebes, A Greek City State in Boetia ; Boetian Plain; Thebes of Boeotia;

Greece (Clean), Thessaly Folder, and its rivers

Thessaly Region of Greece
Thessaly Region;

Greece, Thessaly, Pineios River Folder, Mt Olympos, Larissa, Meteora

Pineios River

Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos)
Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River);

Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron
Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron ;

Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora
Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora;

Great Cave Monastery, Stagoi, Kalabaka, Meteora, Plain of Thessaly
Great Cave Monastery, Stagoi, Kalabaka, Meteora, Plain of Thessaly;

Trikkala, Thessaly (high point, Fortress, Pineios River 2)
Trikkala;

Karditsa Regional Unit, Thessaly
Karditsa (regional unit);

Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth)
Larissa;

Lygaria (Larissa), Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth)
Larissa;

Pineios River Mouth (Aegean Sea)

Mt Olympus in Thessaly, Greece (Pineios River Mouth)
Mount Olympus;

Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus, 1542
Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus;

Kanalon Monastery, Olympus, 1055
Kanalon Monastery;

Agia Triada Monastery, Sparmos, Olympus, at least 1386
Agia Triada Monastery, Sparmos;

Greece, Thessaly, Pagasetic Gulf Folder, Magnesia Penninsula

Pagasetic Gulf
Pagasetic Gulf;

Mt Pelion Penninsula
Mt Pelion Penninsula;

Mt Pelion, Thessaly
Mt Pelion;

Cynoscephalae, Thessaly
Cynoscephalae;

Magnesia (eastern peninsula of Thessaly)
Magnesia (eastern peninsula of Thessaly);

Magnesia, Thessaly (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea)
Magnesia (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea);

Magnis, city of Magnesia, Thessaly (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea)
Magnesia (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea);

Volos, Thessaly
Volos, Thessaly;

Demetriada, Thessaly
Demetriada;

Makrinitsa, Thessaly
Makrinitsa, Thessaly ;

Zurvia (Survias) Monastery, aka Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205
Zurvia (Survias), Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205;

Zagora, Thessaly
Zagora, Thessaly;

Skopelo, Thessaly
Skopelo;

Greece, Thessaly, Heraclea River Folder

Heraclea River

Saint Anna's Monastery at Lygaria in Lamia, Thessaly, Greece
Saint Anna's Monastery at Lygaria in Lamia;

Mt Oeta, Thessaly

Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Source)
Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece ;

Evrytania Regional Unit, near Thessaly
Evrytania Region;

Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi, Evrytania, Thessaly
Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi;

Agrapha, Thessaly, Greece
Agrapha municipality;

Agrafa Region, mountains above Western Thessaly
Agrafa Region;

Agathonos Monastery, Phthiotis (Heraclea River 1) 1271 or 1400's
Agathonos Monastery, Phthiotis;

Hypate in New Patras (Neopatras, Heraclea River 1.3)
Hypate in New Patras;

Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly, Saint Anne the mother of Theotokos
Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly ;

Lamia, Lygaria, Thessaly, St Anne the mother of Theotokos
Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly ;

Heraclea River Mouth (Malian Gulf)

Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Mouth)
Heraclea, Trachis;

Heraklion in Trakhis, Thessaly (near Heraclea River Mouth)
Heraklion in Trakhis;

Greece (Clean), Thessaly, Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Greece (Clean), Thessaly Region, its Area
Greece, Thessaly Region, its Area

Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos, late 14th Century)
Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River, late 14th Century);

Greece (Clean), Peloponnesos (Southern Greece) Folder

Peloponnesos, Southern Greece
Peloponnese ;

Morea Peninsula (Pelopennesos)
Morea;

Kythera Island, Southern Greece
Kythera Island ;

Greece (Clean), Pelopennosos, Arcadia Region Folder, Mantineia, Laodicea, Kastanochori

Greece (Clean) Arcadia Region, its Area
Greece (Clean) Arcadia Region

Arcadia Region, Peloponnesos
Arcadia Region, Peloponnesos;

Laodicea, Peloponnesos (Arcadia)
Laodicea, Peloponnesos (Arcadia) ;

Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos
Kastanochori, Arcadia;

Paroria, Arcadia, Peleponnese
Paroria, Peleponnese;

Demitsana, Arcadia, Peleponnese
Demitsana or Dimitsana ;

Mantinea, Arcadia, Pelopennosos
Mantinea in Asia Minor ;

Steep mountain oLittle Athos, Antiathos, so-called Old Prodromos &Panagia
steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia.;

Loussios River Gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnesos
Loussios River Gorge;

Greece, Pelopennesos, Epidavros Limira Province Folder, Elafonisos, Monemvasia, Cape Maleas

Epidavros Limira Province of Laconia, Pelopennesos, Greece
Epidavros Limira Province of Laconia, Pelopennesos, Greece;

Monovatia (Malbasia) Monestary, Peloponnesos, Southern Greece
Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.;

Monemvasia (Malbasia) Monestary, Southern Greece
Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.;

Cape Maleas, Southern Greece
Cape Maleas;

Mount Maleas, Peloponnesos
Cape Maleas;

Greece, Peloponnesos, Eurotas River Folder (Sparta and Lakedaimonia, Laconia)

Eurotas River

Eurotas River Source, Skortsinos Spring
Eurotas River Source, Skortsinos Spring;

Karyes, Pelopennese
Karyes;

Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E
Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E;

Sparta, Peloponnesos, Greece (Eurotas River 1)
Sparta, Peloponnesos Region, Greece ;

Lakedaimonia ala Sparta, Peloponnesos, Greece
Sparta, Peloponnesos Region, Greece ;

Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta
Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta ;

Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese (fortified high point above Sparta, Capital of Despotate Morea)
Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese;

Saint Nikon'™s Monastery, Sparta, 940 or so
Saint Nikon'™s Monastery, Sparta, 940 or so; Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta ; Address Lysandrou 5 231 00 SPARTA GREECE

Mt. Taygetos

Mt. Parnon

Loganikos, Peloponnesos
Loganikos, Peloponnesos;

Eurotas River 2 (Lakedaimonia)

Lakedaimonia, Southern Greece (Eurotas River 2)
Lakedaimonia, Southern Greece ;

Morea, 1349-1460, Despotate of Morea
Morea, 1349-1460, Despotate of Morea in the Peloponnesos penninsula; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Eurotas River Mouth (Laconian Gulf)
Eurotas River;

Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance and many miracles
Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece;

Greece, Peloponnesos, Pamisos River Folder, Gulf of Messenia, Messenia Province

Pamisos River

Pamisos River Mouth (Gulf of Messenia)
Pamisos River;

Messini, Greece (Peloponos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini)
Messini, Greece;

Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini)
Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese;

Koronis, Peloponnese, Southern Greece, Gulf of Messinia
Koronis, Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis;

Methona, Pelopennese, Messinia Province
Methona, Pelopennese;

Greece, Peloponnesos, Inachos River Folder, Argos and Argolic Gulf

Inachos River

Inachos River 1

Inachos River 2

Inachos River 3

Mycea (Mycenae, Mycenaen Greece, Northeastern Peloponnesos)
Mycea (Mycenae, Mycenaen Greece);

Epidauros, Mycea, Greece (Northeastern Peloponnesos)
Epidauros, Greece;

Argos, Peloponnesos (Argolic Gulf)
Argos;

Inachos River Mouth (Gulf of Argos)
Inachos River Mouth (Gulf of Argos);

Nauplos, Peloponnesos (Argolic Gulf)
Nauplos ;

Hydra (island), Greece (end of Argos Penninsula)
Hydra (island) Greece;

Greece, Peloponnesos, Roman Roads, Rivers, interesting places Folder (Clean)

Greece, Peloponnesos, its Area

Greece, Peloponnesos, Inachos River Folder, Argos and Argolic Gulfi (Clean)

Greece, Pelopennosos, Arcadia Region Folder, Mantineia, Laodicea, Kastanochori (Clean)

Greece, Pelopennesos, Epidavros Limira Province Folder, Elafonisos, Monemvasia, Cape Maleas i (Clean)

Greece, Peloponnesos, Eurotas River Folder (Sparta and Lakedaimonia, Laconia)i (Clean)

Greece, Peloponnesos, Pamisos River Folder, Gulf of Messenia, Messenia Provincei (Clean)

Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini)
Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Ivḗron, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3;

Greece, Macedonia Folder, its rivers, and mountains

Macedonia, Greece
Macedonia ancient kingdom; Macedonia Region; Macedonian Slavs, Republic of Macedonia; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Joachim of Osogovo, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated on December 2 ; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 5 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Parmenas the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Urban of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian; Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia, Commemorated on January 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowa, Commemorated on March 6 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Agathopodes the Deacon, and those with him, at Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 26 ; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26 ; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Macedon Kingdom
larger Macedonia Region; Kingdom of Macedon; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called;

Macedonia, Greater Macedonia Region, includes parts of Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria, Roman Roads
larger Macedonia Region; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10 ; Kingdom of Macedon; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17;

Macedonia, Land of the Vlachs
Land of the Vlachs (a Romance language speaking group of Wallacians outside of Romania); St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Balkan peninsula
Balkan peninsula; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Greece, Macedonia, Thasos Island Folder

Thasos, Macedonia
Thasos; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ;

Marias, Isle of Thasos
Marias, Isle of Thasos; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ;

Thasos, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia
Isle of Thasos; Martyrs Mark, Soterikhos, and Valentine, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated November 4 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ;

Battle of Thasos 829, almost entire Byzantine imperial fleet lost, Cretan Arab victory, Mt Athos devastated
Battle of Thasos 829; Battle of Thasos was fought on October 829 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the newly founded Emirate of Crete. Cretan Arabs scored a major victory: Theophanes Continuatus records that almost the entire imperial fleet was lost. success opened up the Aegean to the Saracens' raids. Cyclades and other islands were pillaged, and Mount Athos was so devastated that it was deserted for a long time.

Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos Folder

Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece
Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet"Commemorated July 13 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Gerontius of St Anne Skete, Mt. Athos, Founder, Commemorated on July 26; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep. ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos Commemorated on October 15; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated November 22 ; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7 ; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated December 15 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "œDeliverer from Potions"Â, Commemorated on December 22 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1 ; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Akathist", Commemorated on March 27; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on April 21; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Directress" from the Monastery of Xenophontos on Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 20; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilk-Giver"Â of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œEconomissa"Â, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Athonite Penninsula Area, Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece

Athonite Penninsula, Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece
Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Three Hands"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet"Commemorated July 13 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Gerontius of St Anne Skete, Mt. Athos, Founder, Commemorated on July 26; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep. ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos Commemorated on October 15; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated November 22 ; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7 ; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated December 15 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 28 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "œDeliverer from Potions"Â, Commemorated on December 22 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Venerable Antipas of Valaam Monastery, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilkgiver"Â, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1 ; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Akathist", Commemorated on March 27; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on April 21; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Directress" from the Monastery of Xenophontos on Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 20; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Three Hands"Â, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the "œMilk-Giver"Â of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œEconomissa"Â, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Pongosa Penninsula

Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos History Folder, 600-1900

Greece, Mt Athos, 600, 7th Century Folder, St Peter the Athonite

Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 681, Saint Peter the Athonite
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 681, Saint Peter the Athonite ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Greece, Mt Athos, 700 8th Century Folder, Axion Estin Icon

Greece, Mt Athos, 717-41&982, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople

Greece, Mt Athos, 800 9th Century Folder, Iveron Icon floats from Nicea

Greece, Mt Athos, 807, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside
Greece, 807 & 950, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside, Vatopedi (bush otChild) because Emperor Theodosius's son fell off ship and MOG saved him, found sleeping in a bush, in gratitude E Theodosius endowed Vatopeddi, perpetual flame honoring event ; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Vatopedi “Comfort” or “Consolation” Icon of the Mother of God is in the old Vatopedi monastery on Athos, in the church of the Annunciation. was called “Vatopedi” because near this monastery Arcadius, the son of Empreor Theodosius the Great, fell off a ship into the sea, and by the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God he was carried to shore safe and unharmed. was found sleeping by a bush, not far from the monastery. this event the name “Vatopedi” (“batos paidion,” “the bush of the child”) is derived. holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (January 17), in gratitude for the miraculous deliverance of his son, embellished and generously endowed the Vatopedi monastery. the Vatopedi Icon, the Mother of God is depicted with Her face turned towards Her right shoulder. is because on January 21, 807 She turned Her face towards the igumen of the monastery, who was standing near the holy icon, about to hand the keys of the monastery to the porter. voice came from the icon and warned him not to open the monastery gates, pirates intended to pillage the monastery. the Holy Child placed His hand over His Mother’s lips, saying, “Do not watch over this sinful flock, Mother, but let them fall under the sword of the pirates.” Holy Virgin took the hand of Her Son and said again, “Do not open the gates today, but go to the walls and drive off the pirates.” igumen took precautionary measures, and the monastery was saved. memory of this miraculous event a perpetual lamp burns in front of the wonderworking icon. day a Canon of Supplication is chanted in honor of the icon, on Fridays the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Mt. Athos this icon is called “Paramythia,” “Consolation” (“Otrada”), or “Comfort” (“Uteshenie”). Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Greece, Mt Athos, 829, Battle of Thasos, almost entire Byzantine imperial fleet lost, Cretan Arab victory, Cyclades pillaged &Mt Athos devastated
Battle of Thasos 829; Battle of Thasos was fought on October 829 between the fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the newly founded Emirate of Crete. Cretan Arabs scored a major victory: Theophanes Continuatus records that almost the entire imperial fleet was lost. success opened up the Aegean to the Saracens' raids. Cyclades and other islands were pillaged, and Mount Athos was so devastated that it was deserted for a long time.

Greece, Mt Athos, 829-842, Iviron Icon, Nicean widow, spear, blood flowed, on water to Iveron, Gabriel on water, icon at gate
Greece, Mt Athos, 829-842, Iviron Icon, iconoclasm heresy, soldiers searching for icons, Nicean widow, spear into her icon, blood flowed, soldiers fled, virgil all night, cast it upon water, levitated upright, sailed westward, to Iveron, pillar of light, Theotokos, Gabriel alone worthy to receive icon, Gabriel walks out on water to receive it, cold sweet spring where Icon stood, then icon hanging near entrance gate; Iviron monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God Iveron, Commemorated on February 12; the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842) the Byzantine Empire raged with the heresy of iconoclasm. In accordance with the emperor’s command, thousands of soldiers pillaged the empire, searching every corner, city, and village for hidden icons. the city of Nicaea there lived a certain pious widow who had concealed an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Before long the soldiers discovered it, and one of them thrust his spear into the image. by God’s grace his terrible deed was overshadowed by a miracle: blood flowed forth from the wound on the face of the Mother of God. frightened soldiers quickly fled. widow spent the whole night in vigil, praying before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. In the morning, according to God’s will, she took the icon to the sea and cast it upon the water. The holy icon stood upright on the waves and began to sail westward. passed, and one evening the monks of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos beheld a pillar of light, shining upon the sea like the sun (ca. 1004). The miraculous image lasted several days, while the fathers of the Holy Mountain gathered together, marveling. Finally they descended to the edge of the sea, where they beheld the pillar of light standing above the icon of the Theotokos. But when they approached it, the icon moved farther out to sea. that time a Georgian monk named Gabriel was laboring at the Iveron Monastery. The Theotokos appeared to the fathers of the Holy Mountain and told them that Gabriel alone was worthy to retrieve the holy icon from the sea. the same time, she appeared to Gabriel and told him, “Enter the sea, and walk out upon the waves with faith, and all will witness my love and mercy for your monastery.” monks of Mt. Athos found Gabriel at the Georgian monastery and led him down to the sea, chanting hymns, and censing with holy incense. Gabriel walked out upon the water as though upon dry land, took the icon in his arms, and obediently carried it back to shore. miracle occurred on Bright Tuesday. the monks were celebrating a paraklesis of thanksgiving, a cold, sweet spring miraculously gushed forth from the ground where the icon stood. Afterwards they took the icon to a church and set it down in the sanctuary with great reverence. the next morning one of the monks came to light a lamp and discovered that the icon was no longer where they had left it; now it was hanging on a wall near the entrance gate. The disbelieving monks took it down and returned it to the sanctuary, but the next day the icon was again found at the monastery gate. This miracle recurred several times, until the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Gabriel, saying, “Announce to the brothers that from this day they should not carry me away. For what I desire is not to be protected by you; rather I will overshadow you, both in this life and in the age to come. As long as you see my icon in the monastery, the grace and mercy of my Son shall never be lacking!” with exceeding joy, the monks erected a small church near the monastery gate to glorify the Most Holy Theotokos and placed the wonderworking icon inside. The holy icon came to be known as the “Ivḗron Mother of God” and, in Greek, Portaitissa. By the grace of the miraculous Ivḗron Icon of the Theotokos, many miracles have taken place and continue to take place throughout the world. ------------------------------------------------------

Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, from Nicea, standing on water to I, fiery pillar, G w on water, to g protecting I
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Iviron Icon Appearance, monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos) from Nicea, standing on water to Athos, fiery pillar, Gabriel w on water, to gate protecting Iveron Monastery; Iviron monastery ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. During the time of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. When the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. The icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. They came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. After a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron monastery, Saint Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. So he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. This was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. Therefore this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). This comes from the Akathist “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. It is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, October 13 (its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel).

Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery, chosen by MOG to walk on water tRetrieve Iveron Icon
Greece, Mt Athos, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos), silence aIveron winter only, summer inaccessible clifts roots herbs, heavenly man earthly angel, icon arrives Iveron, pillar oLight oSea, several days, floating upright, drifted away fBoat, prayed, MOG appeared, told Gabriel only one worthy, appeared tGabriel, told him walk on water tGet it, image drew near, see Feb 12th; Iviron monastery ; Venerable Gabriel the Georgian of Mount Athos, Commemorated on July 12; Gabriel was a monk of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. summer he would withdraw to the inaccessible cliffs, and in winter he would return to the monastery and observe a strict rule of silence. in a coarse robe and eating nothing but roots and herbs, Saint Gabriel was truly a “heavenly man and an earthly angel.” at dusk, the monks of the monastery beheld a pillar of light shining forth upon the sea. vision lasted for several days, and finally monks from every monastery on the Holy Mountain gathered and descended together to the sea. beheld an icon of the Mother of God shining brilliantly and floating upright upon the surface of the water. fathers lowered a boat onto the water, hoping to bring the icon back with them to the shore, but each time their boat approached the icon, it drifted farther out to sea. the frustrated monks offered prayers and supplications to God in order to discern His will, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared in a divine revelation told them that the monk Gabriel alone was worthy to bring the icon bearing her image out from the sea. the same time, she appeared to the God-fearing Gabriel and told him, “Enter onto the sea and walk out upon the waves with faith, and I will send my love and mercy upon all the monks of this monastery.” elders of Mt. Athos located the rocky dwelling of the hermit Gabriel not far from the Iveron Monastery. brought Gabriel with them and went down to the sea with hymns and censing. stepped out onto the water and, walking upon the waves as upon dry land, approached the icon. the same time, the holy image drew nearer to him. the holy icon to his breast, Gabriel crossed back over the waves and delivered the icon safely to the shore. story of the miraculous Iveron Icon of the Theotokos is recounted in detail in the commemorations for February 12.) Gabriel reposed peacefully on Mt. Athos.

Greece, Mt Athos, 900, 10th Century Folder, Georgian Monasteries, Saint Athanasius Larva, Iveron, Dochiariou

Greece, Mt Athos, 950-990, Philotheus tFounder of Philotheou Monastery oMt Athos, 990
Philotheou monastery; or Filotheou Monastery (Greek: Μονή Φιλοθέου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It stands on the north-eastern side of the peninsula. was founded by the Blessed Philotheus, in the end of the 10th century. The monastery ranks twelfth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. the end of the 15th century, according to the Russian pilgrim Isaiah, the monastery was Albanian.[1] 1539–1540 the monastery was renovated with funds from the Georgian kings, Levan of Kakheti and his son Alexander II of Kakheti, frescos of whom are depicted in the refectory.[2] library holds 250 manuscripts, and 2500 printed books (of which 500 are in Russian and Romanian). monastery contains 60 working monks. Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; Philotheus, the founder of the Philotheou Monastery on Mount Athos, lived toward the end of the tenth century.

Greece, Mt Athos, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos, Economissa, Georgian
Macedonia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Economissa (or Stewardess) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne, with Her Son on her left knee. Saint Athanasius of Mt Athos (July 5) stands on her right, holding a model of the Great Lavra. On her left is Saint Michael of Synnada (May 23). Two angels hold a crown above her head. Mother of God has been considered the Stewardess of the Holy Mountain ever since the tenth century when the Great Lavra was being built. Athanasius of Mt Athos was abandoned by his monks because there was a shortage of food and money. He also left the half-built Lavra, and began walking toward Karyes, intending to ask for advice about whether or not to beg the emperor for the funds needed to complete the building. After about two hours, he saw a beautiful woman standing before him wearing a long blue veil. “I know your sorrow,â€ She said, “and I would like to help. Where are you going?â€ Athanasius explained everything that had happened, and She asked, “Have you deserted your monastery for a morsel of bread? Go back! You will have everything you need in abundance, if you do not abandon your monastery.â€ “Who are you?â€ the astonished saint inquired. “I am the Mother of your Lord,â€ She replied. Athanasius hesitated to believe Her, afraid of being deceived by the Evil One. Then he asked Her how he could be sure that Her words were true. “Do you see this rock?â€ she asked, pointing to the side of the path. “Strike it with your staff in the name of the Holy Trinity, and you will know who is speaking to you. Do not appoint a steward at any time, for from this time forward, I shall be the Stewardess of your monastery.â€ Athanasius did as he was told, and the rock split open. A stream of water began to flow out of the crack. When he turned to face the Mother of God and to ask forgiveness for his doubt, She had disappeared. to the monastery, Saint Athanasius found all the storerooms filled to capacity with food, wine, and oil. The building was completed, and soon the Lavra was filled with monks once again. this day, the Lavra does not have a steward. There is, however, a monk who serves as an assistant steward to the Mother of God. The Economissa Icon rests on a throne in the narthex of the main church, and She remains the Stewardess of the Lavra. Pilgrims venerate the Icon before entering the side chapel with the saint’s tomb. spring of Saint Athanasius still flows with healing water. Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Greece, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon, Mt Athos, MOG stops Athanasius & promises to lead his monastery
Greece, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon, The spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 5 or 6 Miles, MOG stops Athanasius from leaving and promises to build and lead his monastery; Athanasius of Athos; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Economissa (or Stewardess) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne, with Her Son on her left knee. Saint Athanasius of Mt Athos (July 5) stands on her right, holding a model of the Great Lavra. On her left is Saint Michael of Synnada (May 23). Two angels hold a crown above her head. Mother of God has been considered the Stewardess of the Holy Mountain ever since the tenth century when the Great Lavra was being built. Athanasius of Mt Athos was abandoned by his monks because there was a shortage of food and money. He also left the half-built Lavra, and began walking toward Karyes, intending to ask for advice about whether or not to beg the emperor for the funds needed to complete the building. After about two hours, he saw a beautiful woman standing before him wearing a long blue veil. “I know your sorrow,” She said, “and I would like to help. Where are you going?” Athanasius explained everything that had happened, and She asked, “Have you deserted your monastery for a morsel of bread? Go back! You will have everything you need in abundance, if you do not abandon your monastery.” “Who are you?” the astonished saint inquired. “I am the Mother of your Lord,” She replied. Athanasius hesitated to believe Her, afraid of being deceived by the Evil One. Then he asked Her how he could be sure that Her words were true. “Do you see this rock?” she asked, pointing to the side of the path. “Strike it with your staff in the name of the Holy Trinity, and you will know who is speaking to you. Do not appoint a steward at any time, for from this time forward, I shall be the Stewardess of your monastery.” Athanasius did as he was told, and the rock split open. A stream of water began to flow out of the crack. When he turned to face the Mother of God and to ask forgiveness for his doubt, She had disappeared. to the monastery, Saint Athanasius found all the storerooms filled to capacity with food, wine, and oil. The building was completed, and soon the Lavra was filled with monks once again. this day, the Lavra does not have a steward. There is, however, a monk who serves as an assistant steward to the Mother of God. The Economissa Icon rests on a throne in the narthex of the main church, and She remains the Stewardess of the Lavra. Pilgrims venerate the Icon before entering the side chapel with the saint’s tomb. spring of Saint Athanasius still flows with healing water. Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Athanasius of Athos, in holy Baptism named Abraham, was born in the city of Trebezond. He was orphaned at an early age, and being raised by a certain good and pious nun, he imitated his adoptive mother in the habits of monastic life, in fasting and in prayer. Doing his lessons came easily and he soon outpaced his peers in study. the death of his adoptive mother, Abraham was taken to Constantinople, to the court of the Byzantine emperor Romanus the Elder, and was enrolled as a student under the renowned rhetorician Athanasius. In a short while the student attained the mastery of skill of his teacher and he himself became an instructor of youths. Reckoning as the true life that of fasting and vigilance, Abraham led a strict and abstinent life, he slept little and then only sitting upon a stool, and barley bread and water were his nourishment. When his teacher Athanasius through human weakness became jealous of his student, blessed Abraham gave up his teaching position and went away. these days there had arrived at Constantinople Saint Michael Maleinos (July 12), igumen of the Kyminas monastery. Abraham told the igumen about his life, and revealed to him his secret desire to become a monk. The holy Elder, discerning in Abraham a chosen vessel of the Holy Spirit, became fond of him and taught him much in questions of salvation. One time during their spiritual talks Saint Michael was visited by his nephew, Nikēphóros Phocas, a military officer and future emperor. Abraham’s lofty spirit and profound mind impressed Nikēphóros, and all his life he regarded the saint with reverent respect and with love. Abraham was consumed by his zeal for the monastic life. Having forsaken everything, he went to the Kyminas monastery and, falling down at the feet of the holy igumen, he begged to be received into the monastic life. The igumen fulfilled his request with joy and tonsured him with the name Athanasius. long fasts, vigils, bending of the knees, with works night and day Athanasius soon attained such perfection, that the holy igumen blessed him for the exploit of silence in a solitary place not far from the monastery. Later on, having left Kyminas, he made the rounds of many desolate and solitary places, and guided by God, he came to a place called Melanos, at the very extremity of Athos, settling far off from the other monastic dwellings. Here the monk made himself a cell and began to live an ascetical life in works and in prayer, proceeding from exploit to exploit towards higher monastic attainment. enemy of mankind tried to arouse in Saint Athanasius hatred for the place chosen by him, and assaulted him with constant suggestions in thought. The ascetic decided to suffer it out for a year, and then wherever the Lord should direct him, he would go. On the last day of this year’s length of time, when Saint Athanasius set about to prayer, a heavenly light suddenly shone upon him, filling him with an indescribable joy, all the thoughts dissipated, and from his eyes welled up graced tears. From that moment Saint Athanasius received the gift of tenderness , and he became as strongly fond of the place of his solitude as he had formerly loathed it. this time Nikēphóros Phocas, having had enough of military exploits, remembered his vow to become a monk and from his means he besought Saint Athanasius to build a monastery, i.e., to build cells for him and the brethren, and a church where the brethren could commune of the Divine Mysteries of Christ on Sundays. to shun cares and worries, Saint Athanasius at first would not agree to accept the hateful gold, but seeing the fervent desire and good intent of Nikēphóros, and discerning in this the will of God, he set about the building of the monastery. He built a large church in honor of the holy Prophet and Forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist, and another church at the foot of a hill, in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos. Around the church were the cells, and a wondrous monastery arose on the Holy Mountain. In it were a trapeza (dining area), a hospice for the sick and for taking in wanderers, and other necessary structures. flocked to the monastery from everywhere, not only from Greece, but also from other lands, simple people and illustrious dignitaries, desert-dwellers having labored in asceticism for long years in the wilderness, igumens from many monasteries and hierarchs wanting to become simple monks in the Athos Lavra of Saint Athanasius. saint established at the monastery a cenobitic monastic Rule on the model of the old Palestinian monasteries. Divine services were served with all strictness, and no one was so bold as to talk during the services, nor to come late or leave the church without necessity. Heavenly Patroness of Athos, the All-Pure Mother of God Herself, was graciously disposed towards the saint. Many times he was privileged to see Her with his own eyes. God’s dispensation, there once occurred such a hunger, that the monks one after the other quit the Lavra. The saint remained all alone and, in a moment of weakness, he also considered leaving. Suddenly he beheld a Woman beneath an ethereal veil, coming to meet him. “Who are you and where are you going?” She asked quietly. Saint Athanasius from an innate deference halted. “I am a monk from here,” Saint Athanasius replied, and spoke about himself and his worries. “Would you forsake the monastery which was intended for glory from generation unto generation, just for a morsel of dry bread? Where is your faith? around, and I shall help you.” “Who are you?” asked Athanasius. “I am the Mother of the Lord,” She answered, and bid Athanasius to strike his staff upon a stone. From the fissure there gushed forth a spring of water, which exists even now, in remembrance of this miraculous visitation. brethren grew in number, and the construction work at the Lavra continued. Athanasius, foreseeing the time of his departure to the Lord, prophesied about his impending end and besought the brethren not to be troubled over what he foresaw. “For Wisdom disposes otherwise than as people judge.” The brethren were perplexed and pondered the words of the saint. giving the brethren his final guidance and comforting all, Saint Athanasius entered his cell, put on his mantiya and holy kukolion (head covering), which he wore only on great feasts, and emerged after prolonged prayer. and joyful, the holy igumen went up with six of the brethren to the top of the church to inspect the construction. through the imperceptible will of God, the top of the church collapsed. Five of the brethren immediately gave up their souls to God. Saint Athanasius and the architect Daniel, thrown upon the stones, remained alive. heard the saint call out to the Lord, “Glory to Thee, O God! Lord, Jesus Christ, help me!” The brethren with great weeping began to dig out their father from the rubble, but they found him already dead.

Greece, Mt Athos, 963-969, Byzantine Emperor, Nikephorus Phokas, Orthodox, Successful M. exploits
Byzantine Emperor, 963-969, Nikephorus Phokas ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God œQuick to HearÂ, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Neophytus the Co-Founder of the Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Greece, Mt Athos, 963-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite
Greece, Macedonia, Mt. Athos, 940-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite; St. Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St. Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, Mt Athos, 964-, Euthymius&Neophytus, uncle&nephew, founders Docheiariou, Arabs attack, rebuilt, expanded, protos

Greece, Mt Athos, 975-1024, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator, Georgian
Macedonia, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator ; Son of Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Greece, Mt Athos, 975 after great larva, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside
Greece, Mt Athos, 807, Vatopedi Comfort Icon, voice warned igumen to not open gates, pirates outside; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Vatopedi “Comfort” or “Consolation” Icon of the Mother of God is in the old Vatopedi monastery on Athos, in the church of the Annunciation. was called “Vatopedi” because near this monastery Arcadius, the son of Empreor Theodosius the Great, fell off a ship into the sea, and by the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God he was carried to shore safe and unharmed. was found sleeping by a bush, not far from the monastery. From this event the name “Vatopedi” (“batos paidion,” “the bush of the child”) is derived. The holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (January 17), in gratitude for the miraculous deliverance of his son, embellished and generously endowed the Vatopedi monastery. the Vatopedi Icon, the Mother of God is depicted with Her face turned towards Her right shoulder. This is because on January 21, 807 She turned Her face towards the igumen of the monastery, who was standing near the holy icon, about to hand the keys of the monastery to the porter. A voice came from the icon and warned him not to open the monastery gates, because pirates intended to pillage the monastery. Then the Holy Child placed His hand over His Mother’s lips, saying, “Do not watch over this sinful flock, Mother, but let them fall under the sword of the pirates.” The Holy Virgin took the hand of Her Son and said again, “Do not open the gates today, but go to the walls and drive off the pirates.” The igumen took precautionary measures, and the monastery was saved. memory of this miraculous event a perpetual lamp burns in front of the wonderworking icon. Every day a Canon of Supplication is chanted in honor of the icon, and on Fridays the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On Mt. Athos this icon is called “Paramythia,” “Consolation” (“Otrada”), or “Comfort” (“Uteshenie”). Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Greece, Mt Athos, 980-983, Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, (Georgia, Caucasian Iberia )
Caucasian Iberia; Caucasian Iberia (Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, Macedonia); Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, Mt Athos, 980-1002, Saint, John the Iberian, John of Georgia
Georgia, Iberian Saint, 980-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Greece, Mt Athos, 982&717-41, Axion Estin Icon, Archangel Gabriel writes hymn oTile, after bloody icon floats fConstantinople

Greece, Mt Athos, 1000, 11th Century Folder, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou Monastery

Greece, Mt Athos, 1001-1065, George of Mt Athos, sent to Iveron to finish Ekvtime's work translating into Georgian
Georgia, 101-1065, George of Mt Athos, w Sabiana 7-10, 10-25 Khakhuli and Constantinople w philosophers and rhetoricians, back to Khakhuli, then to Jerusalem, black mts n Antioch, found spiritual father guide George the Recluse for 3 yrs, great schema, sent him to Iveron to continue translation into Georgian, failed to continue Ekvtime's work, rebuked by Tevdore, became abbot of I, resigned to translate, returned to Recluse, to I, finally to King Bagrat 1V and Georgia, returned to I after 5 yrs with Bagrat's wealth and 80 orphans, stopped in C and died, E took care of orphans; Georgia, 960-1000, Sabiana, Abbess of Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery, the tree is known by its fruit, nuns of the Georgian Monasteries, Thekla, her b George the Lesser; Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery; Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27; George’s family had its roots in the region of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. George was born in Trialeti to the pious Jacob and Mariam. George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. after, Prince Peris Jojikisdze of Trialeti invited George’s uncle, George the Scribe, to stay with him, and George’s uncle took his young nephew with him. the Byzantine emperor Basil II subsequently summoned Peris and his family to Constantinople, accused him of conspiring against the throne, and had him beheaded. (At that time Trialeti was under the jurisdiction of Byzantium.) Peris’ faithful wife remained in Constantinople for twelve years and sent the young George to study with the finest philosophers and rhetoricians of that time. Emperor Basil was moved with compassion for the prince’s family and permitted them to return to Georgia. The twenty-five-year-old George returned to Khakhuli Monastery and “bowed his neck to the sweet yoke of monastic life.” George secretly left the monastery and, clad in beggars’ rags, journeyed to Jerusalem. After enduring many deprivations and overcoming a great number of obstacles, he reached the Black Mountains near Antioch and, after venerating the holy places and visiting several elders, began to search for a spiritual father and guide. He found the great Georgian elder Saint George the Recluse (the God-bearer) in an isolated cave and remained there with him for three years. Saint George the Recluse tonsured his disciple, “who had reached perfection of age, wisdom and understanding,” into the great schema and sent him to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. to his teacher’s counsel, George then moved from Jerusalem to the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos to continue the work of Saint Ekvtime—the translation of theological texts from the Greek to the Georgian language. considered himself unworthy and unqualified to continue Saint Ekvtime’s great work, but Saint George the Recluse was insistent, so he set off for the Holy Mountain in humble obedience. monks of the Ivḗron Monastery received Saint George with great joy. But instead of translating the patristic texts as his spiritual father had advised him, George soon grew slothful and for seven years performed only the work of a novice. When Saint George the Recluse heard this, he sent his disciple Tevdore to Mt. Athos to rebuke him and remind him of the reason he had been sent there. Finally George of the Holy Mountain obeyed the will of his teacher, and soon he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery. that time on Saint George of the Holy Mountain pursued his work with great earnestness. He gathered information on Saints Ekvtime and John, compiled their Lives, translated their holy relics to ornate burial vaults covered in precious jewels, and enhanced the life of the monastery in many other ways. a visit to the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus, the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalates offered George the opportunity to return to Georgia to be consecrated bishop of Chqondidi and serve as his own spiritual adviser. But George declined, having already been drawn far from the vanity of the world. of the monastery was demanding, and George was forced to choose between his literary work and the life of the monastery. resigned as abbot and returned to Saint George the Recluse for counsel. But his teacher blessed him to return to the Ivḗron Monastery, so George set off again for Mt. Athos. God-fearing king Bagrat IV Kuropalates continued to ask Saint George to return to Georgia, and he finally consented to the will of the king and the catholicos. accordance with their request, the pious father instituted general guidelines for the qualifications and conduct of the clergy and wisely administered the affairs of the Church. Five years later Saint George returned to the Ivḗron Monastery. Before he departed, King Bagrat bestowed upon him much of his own wealth and saw him off with great respect. for Mt. Athos, Blessed George took with him eighty orphans. En route he stopped in Constantinople, and sensing that the day of his repose was near, he arranged for the orphans to be received in the emperor’s court. He personally requested that the emperor make provision for the orphaned children. George of the Holy Mountain reposed peacefully the next day, the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His Athonite brothers buried him on the monastery grounds with great reverence. Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. nuns of Georgian monasteries have historically been outstanding in their diligence. God entrusted them with the special duties of ceaseless prayer, fasting, needlework, and the raising of orphans. Nuns have been regarded as vessels of sanctity and wisdom, and even royalty would kneel before them. Georgian noblemen would send their children to nuns to be brought up in the Christian Faith. According to the great church figure George the Lesser, when the parents of Saint George of the Holy Mountain decided to have their first-born daughter, Thekla, raised by nuns, they sent her to the “worthy and holy” Sabiana, who at that time was abbess of the Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery in southern Georgia. Sabiana welcomed Thekla and raised her as though she were her own natural daughter. long Thekla’s brother, the seven-year-old George, was also brought to the monastery, and Saint Sabiana spent three years educating and instructing him in the spiritual life. information on the life and labors of Saint Sabiana has sadly not been preserved. But as the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew attests, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt. 12:33). The high level of monastic life during Saint Sabiana’s abbacy and the pious lives of her spiritual children attest to the great spiritual heights she attained.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou, tears begging supplies before icon, dream foretold oil&full pantry
Greece, Mt Athos, 1020, Foreteller Icon, Konstamonitou Monastery, Mt Athos, Macedonia, Feast Day approaching, supplies depleted, so much can't light church, fell asleep begging for church in front oIcon, heard voice in dream, oil vessels and pantry filled, virgil&MOG praise, icon now Foreteller; Konstamonitou Monastery; Foreteller Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 1 ; "Foreteller"1 Icon of the Mother of God is located in the katholikon (cathedral church) of Konstamonitou Monastery on Mount Athos, it became famous in the following way. August 1, 1020, the eve of the monastery’s Feast Day (The Transfer of the Relics of the Protomartyr Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople), Ecclesiarch Father Agathon, (Zacharias in the Schema) was overcome with great sorrow. Monastery’s Altar Feast was approaching, and its supplies were so depleted that there was not enough oil to light the church lamps for the solemn celebration. night, Father Agathon prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God with fervent tears. earnestly did he beg her to help the monastery that he became exhausted. down before the Icon, he fell asleep at once. a dream he heard a voice coming from the holy Icon telling him not to grieve, because the church vessels were now filled with oil, and the pantries contained everything that was necessary for the monastery's continued existence. Father Agathon awoke, he wondered if what he had been told in his dream was true. to the vessel where the oil was stored, he was overjoyed when he saw that it was filled to the brim. once, he reported his vision to Igoumen Hilarion, the Superior of Konstamonitou Monastery, and to all the brethren. went to inspect the pantries and discovered that all the necessary supplies were there in abundance. rejoiced because now, unexpectedly, they could light the church lamps for the service. by Igoumen Hilarion, they served the Vigil and sang praises to the Queen of Heaven for the miracle she had performed. this event, the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, before which Father Agathon had prayed, was known as the "Foreteller." she is placed in the Monastery's katholikon, on the wall, on the right hand side. Ever since this miracle took place, an "unsleeping" oil lamp remains lit before the Icon. his most informative book Bogomater (an account of the earthly life of the Mother of God, and of her wonderworking Icons), Poselyanin (+ February 13, 1931) states that there are two other Icons of the Theotokos on the Holy Mountain which are also called "Foreteller" - the "Paramythia," or "Consolation" Icon of Vatopaidi Monastery (January 21), and the Zographou Icon "Of the Akathist" (October 10).

Greece, Mt Athos, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Founding Serbian Bulgarian Hilandar monastery, 3Hands Icon aHilandar

Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Founding of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian and Bulgarian)
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Akathist, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-Giver of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Icon of Three Hands on Mt Athos, Hilandar monastery, donkey from Serbia story, icon igumen
Jerusalem, 717, Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, John of Damascus, Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Judea, near Jerusalem, iconodule writer, slandered by Leo III to caliph, hand cut off, MOG back on, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey to Hilandar, Icon became Igumen ; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands: The wonderworking icon, which Saint John of Damascus (December 4) received healing of his amputated hand, given by him to the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified. the thirteenth century the icon was in Serbia, afterwards it was miraculously transported to Athos to the Hilandar monastery. more detailed account about the icon is located under June 28. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28, where a more detailed account is to be found. Icon of the Mother of God Of the Three Hands, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, Of the Three Hands: the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name Of Three Hands. iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,” which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meet” in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. Lavra presented the icon Of Three Hands in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1198, Priestly Icon, Hilandar, heretical priest, carried this icon, fell into sea&drowned

Greece, Mt Athos, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Simon tMyrrhgusher &his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra m, Crusaders at Bulgarian Zographou

Greece, Mt Athos, 1220-1287, Simon tMyrrhgusher& his star's New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastey, Mt Athos, many miracles

Greece, Mt Athos, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou, hesychast, ascetic life & miracles, truly obedient, kept orders otFathers
Greece, Mt Athos, 1231-1280, Damien oEsphigmenou monastery, Mt Athos, hesychast, in a skete between Esphigmenou and Hillandar, on Mt Samareia, in a cave Russian oAnthony otCaves, known for ascetic life and miracles, truly obedient, kept injunctions (special orders) of the Fathers,; Esphigmenou monastery; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian lived in the thirteenth century. was a hesychast on Mt. Athos, struggled in the skete of Esphigmenou monastery, a mountain called Samareia, the monasteries of Hilandar and Esphigmenou, also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian Monasticism, Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in asceticism. for his ascetic life and for the miracles he performed, was truly obedient and kept the injunctions of the Fathers. Damian reposed in his cell in the year 1280, a miraculous fragrance issued from his grave for forty days. Life was written by his friend Saint Cosmas of Zographou Monastery (September 22).

Greece, Mt Athos, 1250 13th Century, Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived in silence, Turk captivity, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, did not lose hope, praying to MOG, MOG appeared, ordered go to his Elder without fear, free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, impressed by the virtue of Agapius' Elder & loftiness of Christian faith, Moslem & son and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life
Greece, Mt Athos, 1250 13th Century, Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, A novice in obedience to virtuous Elder who lived silence, taken into captivituy by Turks, to Magnesia, worked in chains 12 yrs, but did not lose hope, fervently praying to MOG for freedom, MOG appeared in dream, ordered go to his Elder without fear, he awoke free of his bonds, doors open, he returned to Athos, Elder thought he has escaped, he returned without complaint when Elder ordered him back, the Moslem and son were impressed by his virtue of Agapius' Elder and loftiness of Christian faith, and returned w/A to Athos to be baptized and become monks, ascetics for life; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Agapius of the Holy Mountain, was a novice in obedience to a virtuous Elder who lived in silence at the Holy Trinity kellia at Kolitsa, within the boundaries of Vatopedi on Mt. Athos. was taken into captivity by Turks who had landed on the shore of Athos. took him to Magnesia and there he worked in chains for twelve years. But he did not lose hope for freedom and fervently he prayed to the Mother of God to free him from this bitter captivity. Queen of Heaven manifested Her Mercy to the patient sufferer. She appeared to him in a dream and ordered him “to go to his Elder without fear.” he awoke, he saw that he was free of his bonds, and the doors were open. Without hindrance, Saint Agapius departed from his master and returned to Mount Athos. Elder grieved when he saw his novice, for he thought that Agapius had secretly escaped from his master. “You have deceived the Hagarene,” he said, “but no one can deceive God. If you wish to save yourself, return to your master and serve him.” Saint Agapius returned to his master without complaint. Moslem was amazed to see Agapius after he had escaped. Hearing the story of what had happened, he was struck by the virtue of Agapius’ Elder and the loftiness of the Christian Faith. master and his two sons went to the Holy Mountain with Saint Agapius. There they were baptized and became monks, living in asceticism for the rest of their lives. Agapius lived in the thirteenth century.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery
Greece, Mt Athos, 1259, Martyrs killed by Latins at Iviron monastery; monks began to settle on Mt. Athos in the middle of the 10th century, and a Georgian monastery, Iveron, was founded there not long after. that time foreign armies were constantly invading Mt. Athos. In the 13th century the Crusaders stormed through the region, and between 1259 and 1306 the pope’s private army devastated Mt. Athos several times. Monks of Zographou and Vatopedi monasteries and the Protaton were martyred for the Orthodox Faith, and the monks of the Iveron Monastery eventually met the same fate. this period Georgian and Greek ascetics labored together at the Iveron Monastery, and many young ascetics of the new generation began to arrive from Georgia. Crusaders demanded that the Iveron monks convert to Catholicism and acknowledge the primacy of the Roman pope. But the monks condemned their fallacies and anathematized the doctrine of the Catholics. to the Patericon of Athos, the Ivá¸—ron monks were forcibly expelled from their monastery. Nearly two hundred elderly monks were goaded like animals onto a ship that was subsequently sunk in the depths of the sea. The younger, healthier monks were deported to Italy and sold as slaves to the Jews. sources claim this tragedy took place in the year 1259, while others record that the Georgian monks of the Holy Mountain were subject to the Latin persecutions over the course of four years, from 1276 to 1280. Iviron monastery ; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1261-1282, Euthymius&12 Monks, Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, martyred for denouncing Latinizing Patriarchs

Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou, burned alive by heretic Michael VIII, for no union with Rome

Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, Bulgarian Zographou M, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope.” emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. They steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. From the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10. Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist of Zographou Monastery, Commemorated on October 10; the XIII century, there was a certain Elder who spent his life in ascetical struggles on Mount Athos. He had the pious custom of reading the Akathist Hymn before the Icon of the Mother of God every day. day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Elder left the cell right away and hurried to the monastery. As soon as he entered the gate, his eyes beheld the very Icon from his cell, before which he had just read the Akathist. An invisible, miraculous power had brought it there from the ascetic's cell. Elder fell down before the Icon with ardent prayer, and then with the Icon in his hands, he went to the Igoumen. The brotherhood, learning of the impending danger, was very worried. The more faint-hearted monks hastened to hide in the mountains, while twenty-six brave monks, including the Igoumen himself, remained in the monastery. The Elder, who received the heavenly revelation, also remained with them, so that he might comfort them during the coming trial. did not take long for their enemies to reach the monastery. These were Latins who at that time were trying to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. Arriving at the monastery and approaching the tower in which the monks had locked themselves, they tried to persuade them to renounce Orthodoxy. In an effort to convince them to recognize the pope as the head of the Universal Church, the Latins promised the champions of Orthodoxy all sorts of favors and monetary rewards. But these faithful sons of the Orthodox Church remained adamant. the enemies of Orthodoxy piled wood around the tower and lit it. As they prayed to the Lord, the monks gave thanks to the Almighty for making them worthy of receiving the crown of martyrdom, and then all of them surrendered their spotless souls to the Heavenly Father. Their martyric death occurred on October 10, 1274. The names of the victims were added to the Synodikon of Zographou Monastery, as well as to the official calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, who warned the Elder about the impending disaster, was subsequently found unscathed under the ashes in the ruins of the monastery. Today this Icon is in the monastery, and an unsleeping lampada burns before it. is another Icon with the same name "of the Akathist" at Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. Information about that Icon may be found under January 12. Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1274, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1284, Zographou Akathist Icon and MOG Prepared 26 for Martyrdom day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Zographou Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist of Zographou Monastery, Commemorated on October 10; the XIII century, there was a certain Elder who spent his life in ascetical struggles on Mount Athos. He had the pious custom of reading the Akathist Hymn before the Icon of the Mother of God every day. day, while reading the Akathist, and silently repeating the word "rejoice," the Elder suddenly heard a voice coming from the Icon, "Rejoice also, Elder of God!" ascetic trembled in horror, but the voice continued: "Do not be afraid, but go to the monastery as soon as possible and announce to the brethren and to the Igoumen that the monastery is in danger from enemies who are already close by. Whoever is weak in patience, let him hide until the temptation passes; but as for those who are seeking crowns, let them stay." Elder left the cell right away and hurried to the monastery. As soon as he entered the gate, his eyes beheld the very Icon from his cell, before which he had just read the Akathist. An invisible, miraculous power had brought it there from the ascetic's cell. Elder fell down before the Icon with ardent prayer, and then with the Icon in his hands, he went to the Igoumen. The brotherhood, learning of the impending danger, was very worried. The more faint-hearted monks hastened to hide in the mountains, while twenty-six brave monks, including the Igoumen himself, remained in the monastery. The Elder, who received the heavenly revelation, also remained with them, so that he might comfort them during the coming trial. did not take long for their enemies to reach the monastery. These were Latins who at that time were trying to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. Arriving at the monastery and approaching the tower in which the monks had locked themselves, they tried to persuade them to renounce Orthodoxy. In an effort to convince them to recognize the pope as the head of the Universal Church, the Latins promised the champions of Orthodoxy all sorts of favors and monetary rewards. But these faithful sons of the Orthodox Church remained adamant. the enemies of Orthodoxy piled wood around the tower and lit it. As they prayed to the Lord, the monks gave thanks to the Almighty for making them worthy of receiving the crown of martyrdom, and then all of them surrendered their spotless souls to the Heavenly Father. Their martyric death occurred on October 10, 1274. The names of the victims were added to the Synodikon of Zographou Monastery, as well as to the official calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, who warned the Elder about the impending disaster, was subsequently found unscathed under the ashes in the ruins of the monastery. Today this Icon is in the monastery, and an unsleeping lampada burns before it. is another Icon with the same name "of the Akathist" at Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. Information about that Icon may be found under January 12. 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize the authority of the Pope, the use of the Filioque in the Creed, and the use of azymes (unleavened bread) in the Liturgy. Joseph was deposed because he would not agree to these conditions. The monastic clergy and many of the laity, both at home and in other Orthodox countries, vigorously opposed the Union, denouncing the emperor for his political schemes and for his betrayal of Orthodoxy. January 9, 1275 a Liturgy was celebrated in Constantinople in which the Pope was commemorated as “Gregory, the chief pontiff of the Apostolic Church, and Ecumenical Pope.” emperor’s sister remarked, “It is better that my brother’s empire should perish, rather than the purity of the Orthodox Faith.” the infamous Crusade of 1204 when Latin crusaders sacked Constantinople, many of the people also preferred to submit to the infidels than to abandon the Orthodox Faith. martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos were among those who were persecuted by Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos (1261-1282) and Patriarch John Bekkos (1275-1282) because they would not obey the imperial command to recognize the Union of Lyons. They steadfastly kept the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and fearlessly censured those who accepted Catholic doctrines. the authorities came to Mt. Athos to enforce the imperial policy, the monks of Zographou shut themselves up in their monastery. From the tower they reproached those in favor of the Union, calling them lawless men and heretics. The attackers set the monastery on fire and burned the twenty-six martyrs alive. names of the martyrs are: Igumen Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen who died with them. holy martyrs are also commemorated on October 10. Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burne, became fool to hide prodigious deeds, wandered, then one place for others
Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, fLampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia, tOne of the Deserts, tConstantinople&Blachernae Church entrance, abode there, asked MOG gift unceasing mental prayer, flame entered his heart from her icon, sweetness contrition within, from that time his heart repeated Jesus prayer, fulfilling his request, then fulfilled obedience aAthanasius Lavra Mt Athos, to conceal deeds behaved fool, vision MOG, she told ascent tMt, prayed 3 days there, MOG appeared again, surrounded bAngels, holdiing Jesus in her arms, he prostrated, she said receive the deliverance gift, and settle at foot oMt Athos, for this is my son's will, she told him he would ascend heights virtue, and teach guide many, then heavenly bread given him (after 3days without), as put it in mouth he surrounded bDivine light, saw MOG ascending tHeaven, Maximus told Mt Carmel elder, but skeptical, M turned disbelief tGood by pretending slightly crazy tConceal prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, hardship, solitude, he wandered like lunitic, burned hut when moved, called hut Burner (Kavsokalyvites), for long time Mt Athos residents contemptious, even though height spiritual life, but Gregory oSinai encouraged him, persuaded him stop fool act, live one place for othe, he settled cave oElijan, Byzantine emperors J Paleologos& J Kantakouzenos visited, suprised his predictions fThem fulfilled, Theophanes oVatopadi wrote about him, I saw several his miracles, travel through air, predicted I become igumen&Ochrid Metropolitan, even how I would suffer fChurch, M abandoned solitude right before death, died at 95 i1354, relics glorified by many miracles; Lavra of St Athanasius; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. seventeen years of age he left his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. the death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. in Constantinople, Saint Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. his youth, Saint Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mt. Athos. order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, told him to ascend the mountain. the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, “Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son.” told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of Saint Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. Gregory persuaded Saint Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. the words of Saint Gregory and the advice of other Elders, Saint Maximus selected a permanent dwelling a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah. of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about Saint Maximus: “I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church.” Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, settled near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius, he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). his death, as in life, Saint Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1282, Martyrs oKaryes, apostate Emperor Paleologos, Latins burned Karyes because they denounced rationalising

Greece, Mt Athos, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Hesychasts, Bulgarian Singer Composer Koukouzelis

Greece, Mt. Athos, 1301-1360, Saint, John Koukouzelis. Composer, Wonderworker and Singer, gold coin
Mt. Athos, 1300-1360, Saint, John Koukouzelis. Composer and Singer; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; John Koukouzelis, a native of Dirrachia (Bulgaria), was orphaned in childhood. with a very fine voice, he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis (beans and peas) stuck with him ever after. began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business. John revealed to the Elder his desire to leave the court. The Elder blessed John to come to the Holy Mountain. There John was accepted and tonsured a monk. was given the obedience of tending the monastery’s flock of goats. He took the flock to remote areas of the Holy Mountain to graze. There in the wilderness the youth was able to to pray, contemplate God, and sing the divine hymns in solitude. Charmed by the angelic beauty of his voice, the animals gathered around him and listened as though entranced. of modesty and humility the singer did not reveal his gift to the brethren. But once, a wilderness dweller overheard his moving pastoral song and informed the igumen. Saint John then revealed to the igumen that he had been a court singer. He tearfully implored him to remain in the wilderness with his flock. igumen was afraid that the emperor would find out that his favorite court singer was on the Holy Mountain and force him to return to court. Wishing to avoid the emperor’s displeasure the igumen journeyed to Constantinople to explain what had become of John and begged him not to hinder the young man from his salvific path. John Koukouzelis sang on the right cleros in the cathedral on Sundays and feastdays. Once, after singing an Akathist before an icon of the Mother of God, John was granted a great mercy. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Rejoice, John, and do not cease to sing. For that, I shall not forsake you.” With these works she placed into John’s hand a golden coin, then became invisible. This coin was placed beneath the icon. Many miracles have been credited to the coin and the icon. The icon, named the “Koukouzelissa” in memory of Saint John is located in the Lavra monastery of Saint Athanasius. It is commemorated on October 1, and on the 10th Friday after Pascha. Mother of God appeared to Saint John again and healed him of a grievous affliction of his legs, caused by the long standing in church. Saint John’s remaining days were spent in intense ascetic efforts. He also worked hard on the discipline of church singing, gaining the title of both master teacher and regent (overseer). arranged and compiled melodies for church stichera verses, troparia and kontakia. He edited texts of hymns and wrote his own troparia. Some of his compositions are also in the following manuscripts: “A Book, by the Will of God Encompassing All the Order of Progression of Church Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “Progression of Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis, “From the Beginning of Great Vespers through to the Completion of the Divine Liturgy,” and “The Science of Song and Singing Signs with all the Legitimate Hand-Placement and with all the Arrangements of Song.” the hour of his death, Saint John took his leave of the brethren, and in his last wishes bade them to bury him in the Church of the Archangel that he built. Church singers reverence Saint John Koukouzelis as their own special patron saint.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1301-1355, Gregory Domesticus, Chanter Singer, MoG Gold Coin, All Creation Rejoices
Greece, Mt Athos, 1301-1355, Gregory Domesticus, Chanter Singer, Gold Coin from MoG for All Creation Rejoices instead of It is Meet; Great (first) Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra); Venerable Gregory Domesticus of the Great Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated October 1 ; Gregory Domesticus (leading chanter) was the contemporary of Saint John Koukouzelis, and lived in the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos in piety and asceticism. Like Saint John, he also sang in the right choir in the Great Lavra, and was even called Gregory Koukouzelis in honor of his instructor. Saint Gregory was known for his technical skill and for the sweetness of his voice. He chanted the Vigil service with great reverence and compunction, never sitting down in church. Callistus I (June 20) had started the practice of singing “All of creation rejoices” at the Liturgy of Saint Basil in place of “It is truly meet....” Patriarch Philotheus (October 8), who succeeded him, restored “It is truly meet” to Saint Basil’s Liturgy. Soon after this Saint Gregory sang “All of creation rejoices” at Liturgy on the eve of Theophany in the presence of Patriarch Gregory of Alexandria. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Saint Gregory and thanked him for singing the hymn in her honor. She also handed him a gold coin. From that time forward, “All of creation” has been sung at the Liturgy of Saint Basil. Gregory fell asleep in the Lord in 1355. Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; John Koukouzelis, a native of Dirrachia (Bulgaria), was orphaned in childhood. with a very fine voice, he entered the Constantinople court school. He found favor with the emperor John Comnenos (1118-1143) and became a chief court singer. The sumptuousness and luxury of the imperial court bothered the pious youth. Once, when asked what he had eaten for dinner, he replied, “Beans and peas.” The name Koukouzelis (beans and peas) stuck with him ever after. began to seek ways to escape the enticements of the court, as well as a marriage arranged for him by the emperor. By the will of God, John met an igumen from Mt. Athos who had come to Constantinople on monastery business. John revealed to the Elder his desire to leave the court. The Elder blessed John to come to the Holy Mountain. There John was accepted and tonsured a monk. was given the obedience of tending the monastery’s flock of goats. He took the flock to remote areas of the Holy Mountain to graze. There in the wilderness the youth was able to to pray, contemplate God, and sing the divine hymns in solitude. Charmed by the angelic beauty of his voice, the animals gathered around him and listened as though entranced. of modesty and humility the singer did not reveal his gift to the brethren. But once, a wilderness dweller overheard his moving pastoral song and informed the igumen. Saint John then revealed to the igumen that he had been a court singer. He tearfully implored him to remain in the wilderness with his flock. igumen was afraid that the emperor would find out that his favorite court singer was on the Holy Mountain and force him to return to court. Wishing to avoid the emperor’s displeasure the igumen journeyed to Constantinople to explain what had become of John and begged him not to hinder the young man from his salvific path. John Koukouzelis sang on the right cleros in the cathedral on Sundays and feastdays. Once, after singing an Akathist before an icon of the Mother of God, John was granted a great mercy. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Rejoice, John, and do not cease to sing. For that, I shall not forsake you.” With these works she placed into John’s hand a golden coin, then became invisible. This coin was placed beneath the icon. Many miracles have been credited to the coin and the icon. The icon, named the “Koukouzelissa” in memory of Saint John is located in the Lavra monastery of Saint Athanasius. It is commemorated on October 1, and on the 10th Friday after Pascha. Mother of God appeared to Saint John again and healed him of a grievous affliction of his legs, caused by the long standing in church. Saint John’s remaining days were spent in intense ascetic efforts. He also worked hard on the discipline of church singing, gaining the title of both master teacher and regent (overseer). arranged and compiled melodies for church stichera verses, troparia and kontakia. He edited texts of hymns and wrote his own troparia. Some of his compositions are also in the following manuscripts: “A Book, by the Will of God Encompassing All the Order of Progression of Church Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis,” “Progression of Services, Compiled by Master Teacher John Koukouzelis, “From the Beginning of Great Vespers through to the Completion of the Divine Liturgy,” and “The Science of Song and Singing Signs with all the Legitimate Hand-Placement and with all the Arrangements of Song.” the hour of his death, Saint John took his leave of the brethren, and in his last wishes bade them to bury him in the Church of the Archangel that he built. Church singers reverence Saint John Koukouzelis as their own special patron saint.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, Great Story
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Thessalonica Macedonia, Mt Athos, Hesychast and uncreated light defender, fConstantinople, prominent dignitary father fAndronicus II died, so A raised him, abilities diligence, but no govt work, tVatopedi Mt Athos 1316 under Nikodemos, 1317 John tTheologian appeared to him, promised spiritual protection, then under Nikephoros 8 yrs, then tLavra Athanasius 1325, trapeza (dining room) service&singer 3yrs, then 1328 Glossia skete for greater spiritual, 4th century unceasing prayer&mental activity teaching from Egypt Desert Evangrius Pontikos Macarius, Mental prayer (of the heart), solitude quiet, called Hesychasm, 1326 Turk invasions, Moved Thessalonica, priesthood, hermit 5days, sometimes Isidore's spiritual gatherings iThess, visit Constant, solitary life at Bereia, small community 5yrs, 1331 back to Mt Athos, Savvva Skete Lavra Atahaasius, 1333 Igumen oEsphigmeniou, 1336 back tSavva, theological works, 1330 Barlaam tConstan fCalabria, Logic Astronomy, orator, university chair, works oAreopagite Dionysius' negative theology, acclaimed East&West, B tMt Athos, declared mental prayer heretical, disputes wMonks Athos Thess Const, attempted demo material nature Tabor light, ridiculed uncreated light seen by H monks, Ridiculed their prayer, Athonite Monks requested Gregory reply verbally, didn't work, replied in writing, Hogorite Tome, 1341 debate wBarlaam iConstant, on nature Tabor light, Gregory wins, Barlaam condemned heretic, fled back Italy, but dispute not over, Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, Patriarch, Emperor Andronicus III still Barlaamites, Akyndinos' tracts Gregory&monks guilty church disorders, G wrote refutation, Patriarch supported A, locked G prison 4yrs, 1347 P replaced by Isidore, freed G, made Archbishop oThess, 1351 Council Blachernae upheld his teachings but Thess not accept him, lived various places, ship seized bTurks, preached christian prisoners and moslems, some astonished, some beat him, Ransomed, tThess, many miracles last 3 yrs, then John Chrysostom appeared said To the Heights, Patriarch Philotheus compiled his life & cannonized; Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Saint and Hesychast Defender, at Vatopedi, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection.; Hesychasm, Hesychast controversy, 1330's ; Lavra of St Athanasius; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. ’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1323, Hearer Icon, woman there q, MOG&Jesus heard Cosmos, sent him tW, gifts clrvync, visions, time oDeath
Greece, Mt Athos, 1323, Hearer Icon oZographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, name came MOG & Jesus heared Cosmas when he questioned woman on Athos, they heard his pray and sent him to wilderness for salvation, received gifts clairvoyance, miracles, divine visions, time oDeath; Zographou Monastery; Hearer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 22; wonderworking Icon is at Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos. name of the Hearer Icon of the Mother of God is explained by the following miraculous sign. venerable Cosmas was living a life of asceticism at Zographou Monastery in the XIV century. he was still a young man, he visited Vatopaidi Monastery on the Feast of the Annunciation, which is that Monastery's Feast Day. in the church during the service, and later in the trapeza, he saw a beautiful, majestic woman. Cosmas was astonished and troubled to see her there on Mount Athos, because no woman is permitted to set foot on the Holy Mountain, so he was unable to understand why the monks allowed her to be there. he was pondering these things, he returned to his Elder, who noticed his disciple's confusion and asked him, "Why are you so sad and pensive?" told him what he had seen at Vatopaidi Monastery, and revealed all of his doubts and thoughts about seeing a woman there with the monks. sort of woman was she," the Elder asked, "and how was she dressed?" described her appearance in detail. with a reproachful sigh, the Elder rebuked his disciple: "Didn't you bother to find out what sort of woman was at the monastery? This was not an ordinary mortal woman; she is the Queen of our Holy Mountain and of all creation herself!" some time after this, the venerable Cosmas remained alone in the monastery church, praying fervently before an Icon of the Mother of God. He exclaimed, "Most Holy Theotokos, pray that your Son and God may set me on the path of salvation!" soon as he uttered these words, he heard the voice of the Mother of God coming from the Icon and saying, "My Son and my God, teach Your servant how he may be saved." once the Lord replied, "Let him leave the monastery to live in solitude and in stillness" .1 the Superior's blessing, Saint Cosmas left his monastery and went into the wilderness, where he dug a cave out of a cliff, spending the rest of his life there in continuous asceticism. made great progress in the hesychastic life, and so he was found worthy of the gifts of clairvoyance, working miracles, seeing divine visions, and even predicting the time of his death, which occurred on September 22, 1323. Icon before which Saint Cosmas prayed, and from which he heard the voice of the Mother of God, was named "The Hearer," because she heard his prayer. is still in the katholikon of Zographou Monastery, in the altar, on the eastern wall, which extends into the diakonikon.2 1 In the Lives of the Saints, and the writings of the Holy Fathers, stillness, or quiet, is essential for mental prayer, or prayer of the heart. In order to be effective, the Jesus Prayer requires the greatest inner and outer quiet or stillness. It is also called pure prayer because it presupposes a mind and heart free from fantasies, passions, and thoughts. 2 The διακονικόν is a room on the south side of a church, behind the iconostasis, where vestments, books, charcoal, etc. are stored. There is a sink, towels, and other necessary items used in the services.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1327-1379, Philotheus, fThessalonica, tMt Sinai tAthos, tHeraclea, tPat oC, wrote fHesychasts, litergy&Saints
Greece, 1327-1379, Philotheus, Patriarch oConstantinople, fThessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), Mt Sinai tGreat Lavra, tHeraclea, Thrace a Metro, tConstantinople as Patriarch, books fHesychasts, litergy&hagiographic (saints lives) themes; Thessalonica; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Philotheus was a native of Thessalonica, and received the monastic tonsure at an early age. living for a time at Mt Sinai, went to Mt Athos and became the igumen of the Great Lavra. 1347 he became Metropolitan of Heraclea, Thrace. he served as Patriarch of Constantinople from 1354-1355, and again from 1364-1376. living on the Holy Mountain and even after he left there, Saint Philotheus wrote religious books which reveal his great learning and spirituality. of his works are directed against the anti-hesychasts, he also wrote on liturgical and hagiographical themes. Philotheus ordained that Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14) be commemorated on the second Sunday of Great Lent, presided at his glorification as a saint, and even composed the Service in his honor. Philotheus fell asleep in the Lord in 1379.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1347-1380, Dionysios, tBuilder oProdromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, first steep little Athos, then C&M
Greece, Mt Athos, 1347-1380, Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos i1375, after brother Met oTrebizon, priesthood, asceticism steep Mt Little Athos or Antiathos, Old Prodromos, Panagia, then built church and Monaster, Alexios III through brother funded Forerunner M, died while in T getting Icons ; Prodromou Monastery; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25; Dionysios was born in the village of Korissos, Kastoria, to pious parents who were farmers. a young age, he went to Mount Athos near his brother Theodosios. with the help of his brother’s own teacher, learned to study the Holy Scriptures, and quickly became distinguished for his humble mind and his charitable character. few years later, Emperor Alexios Komnenos III (1350 - 1390), Theodosios became a Metropolitan in Trebizond. was very pleased when he learned of this, first out of brotherly love, and second because now he could more easily carry out a plan of his own. his ordination to the priesthood, Saint Dionysios transferred his place of asceticism to the steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia. Shortly thereafter, he wanted to build a church and a suitable monastery. That plan eventually succeeded by the grace of God. Thus, in 1375, Alexios III, through the intercession of his brother, Metropolitan Theodosios, approved the building of the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner and Baptist John. The emperor in Dionysios gave 50 somia (400,000 grosia), and then three thousand komninata for his work. Thus Saint Dionysios built the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner, which was known afterwards by the name given by her builder. Dionysius reposed in Trebizond, where he had gone to ask for further help from the emperor for the iconography of the monastery.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Vatopedi Stabbed Icon, deacon, delayed by service, missed meal, stabbed icon, struck blind, Icon painted on canvas, deacon overseeing long church service missed meal, cook refused feed him, in rage blamed MOG, stabbed her icon, blood flowed, deacon struck blind, he fell down before icon rest of his life, igumen prayed for him, after 3yrs MOG forgave him, healed him, but right hand condemned at 2nd coming, 3yrs after his death bones uncovered, decomposed except for right hand preserved all black, still at Vatopadi but poor condition; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; “Stabbed” Icon of the Mother of God, (Greek: “Esphagmeni.” Slavonic: “Zaklannaya”) from the fourteenth century, is in the Vatopedi monastery on Mt. Athos, a chapel dedicated to Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica. icon was painted on canvas, received its name of “The Stabbed” from the following event: certain ecclesiarch, a deacon of the Vatopedi monastery, was occupied with overseeing the order of a long service. by his duties, he was late for the meal in the trapeza. annoyed cook refused to give him any food, reminded him that he should come on time if he wished to eat. the deacon flew into a rage and he went to the church again. before the icon of the Mother of God, he said, “How long must I go on serving You? I have toiled, but I have nothing to show for it. You don’t even care whether or not I have anything to eat!” he struck Her on the cheek with a knife and pierced right through the canvas. flowed from the wound, the deacon was struck blind. terrified transgressor fell down right in front of the icon, trembling all over, like Cain, the murderer of old. igumen, served the all-night Vigil praying for mercy and the salvation of the hapless one. three years the All-Holy Virgin appeared to the igumen and said that she had forgiven the deacon, and would restore his health, his hand which committed the sacrilege would be condemned at the Lord’s Second Coming. deacon recovered his sight, and deeply repented of his transgression. himself in a stall opposite the icon he stabbed, he spent the rest of his life in repentance before it. years after the deacon’s death, his bones were uncovered, according to the Athonite custom. body had decomposed, but his right hand remained intact and was all black. hand is preserved at the monastery in memory of the unfathomable love of the Mother of God. is in rather poor condition, however, because Russian pilgrims would take pieces of it, believing it to be a relic. Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi m, Mt Athos, ill aEuboia, asked MOG home to die, healed for 1yr, died aV
Greece, Mt Athos, 1350, 14th C, Neophytus oVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, Vatopedia m visitors' host, sent to sub m aEuboia, gravely ill there, asked MOG return tV tDie there, healed by MOG f1yr, year later MOG voice from her icon, time tGo, asked forgiveness, passed; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; Neóphytos was the Prosmonários1 of Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos during the XIV century, he was sent to the Monastery's metokhion2 at Euboia. after becoming quite ill, he prayed before the Icon of the Mother of God, asking her to let him return to his own Monastery and die there. he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos telling him to return to his Monastery, to prepare himself for death within a year. Neóphytos was healed and returned to Vatopaidi at once. year later, after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he heard the voice of the Most Holy Theotokos coming from her holy Icon, telling him that the time for his departure had come. became gravely ill once more and, after asking the brethren for forgiveness, he surrendered his soul to the Lord. The Prosmonários (Προσμονάριος) was the keeper of the church, a monk who waited for and received those who had come to attend Services at the Monastery. Representation church. A monastery (or church) subordinate to a larger monastery and representing the economy of that monastery. Literallly, a sharer, or participant.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon
Greece, 1350-1390, Gennadius of Vatopedi, steward, oil shortage, MOG trust, overflowing oil, Icon; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; Gennadius was the steward of the Vatopedi monastery on Mt Athos in the fourteenth century, and was in charge of supplies. the monastery’s oil began to run low, he tried to be economical with what remained by using oil just for the needs of the church. The cook began to complain to the Igumen, saying that he had no oil for preparing meals. The Igumen ordered Saint Gennadius to place his trust in the Mother of God, and to supply the oil for all the monastery’s needs. day, Saint Gennadius went to the storeroom and saw the tank overflowing with oil covering the floor as far as the door. This miracle was ascribed to the Most Holy Theotokos, and to Her Elaiovrytissa icon which stood nearby. Since that time, the icon has hung in the storeroom and has emitted an ineffable fragrance. Elaiovrytissa (“Flowing with oil”) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on Bright Friday.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1369-1397, Callistus of Xanthopoulos, historian, Hesychasts d, divine light, faces shine like sun

Greece, Mt Athos, 1374-1405, Gregory, founder Serbian Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, fSerbia, his relics taken back to Serbia

Greece, Mt Athos, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Hilandar 3 Hands Icon arrives on donkey

Greece, Mt Athos, 1401-1431, Marcarius oMt Athos, Vatopedi m, t Pantocrator m Constantinople, Emperor's Chaplain
Greece, Mt Athos, 1401-1431, Marcarius of Mt Athos, Vatopedi monastery, to Pantocrator Monastery Constantinople, fThessalonica, tVatopedi when young, later tConstantinople& Igumen Pantocrator & Emperor Manuel II Paleologos' Chaplain, Died Chalke epidemic; Vatopedi monastery ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; Macarius was born in Thessalonica during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, and went to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos when he was young. Later, he went to Constantinople and became igumen of the Monastery of the Pantocrator, and chaplain to the Emperor. died in 1431 during an epidemic in Chalke.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1457, Three Hands Icon arrives at Hilandar monastery, miraculously on a donkey
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands ÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; it was time to choose the igumen for the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, Saint Daniel received the appointment. The saint was igumen at a most difficult time for the Holy Mountain. After the Crusaders were expelled from Palestine, they joined with the Arabs to plunder and loot the Athonite monasteries, not sparing anything sacred. St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂÂ, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-Giver ÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Dometius and Damon of Philotheou

Greece, Mt Athos, 1505-1556, Maximus tGreek, Translated Psalms into Slavonic, suffered unjust persecution patiently, grave grace

Greece, Mt Athos, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou m, Heavenly Revelations, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, false Turk charges
Greece, Mt Athos, 1520,James of Prodromou &Docheiariou monesteries, Mt Athos, tonsured at D, tSkete St John, restored it, Heavenly Revelations, mansions oParadise, depths oHades, perceive hearts & secret thoughts, Clairvoyant, miracles gift, healed&instructed iAetolia, false Turk charges, confessed Christ, severe torments 17days, relics Anastasia m, Galatista, Thess; Docheiariou monastery; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; James was tonsured at Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. Moving to the neglected Georgian Skete of Saint John the Baptist, he restored it under the supervision of Elder Ignatius. various obediences in the monastery, Saint James ascended to the heights of purity. was granted heavenly revelations, as was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), the Saint also beheld the mansions of Paradise and the depths of Hades. God's grace, Saint James was able to perceive the mysteries of human hearts, and the secret thoughts of those who came to him. was also found worthy of the gift of performing miracles. visiting Aetolia with his disciples, he healed the sick and instructed all. Turkish authorities fabricated false charges against the Saint, accusing him of fomenting rebellion. In this manner, they tried to force Saint James into renouncing Orthodoxy. James and both of his disciples, Deacon James and the Monk Dionysios, endured the most severe torments for seventeen days, receiving the crown of martyrdom on November 1, 1520. relics of the Monastic Martyrs, glorified by miracles, were placed in the monastery of Saint Anastasia, the Deliverer from Potions, in the small town of Galatista, near Thessaloniki. a short time, the fame of the holy relics attracted about 100 brethren to the monastery under the Igoumen Saint Theonas (April 4), who was himself a disciple of Saint James.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Damian of Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, Dometius' disciple, voice telling him to teach in Greece, repent of sins, arrested by Turks, prison, tortured, hanged, burned; Philotheou monastery; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Damian of Philotheou was a disciple of Saint Dometius (August 7). was from the village of Richovon (Merichovon) near Agrapha. went to Mt. Athos when he was quite young, and received the monastic tonsure at Philotheou Monastery. After spending some time there, he withdrew to a hermitage under the guidance of an Elder named Dometius. three years, he heard a voice telling him to go forth and teach. He obeyed these instructions, preaching in many areas of Greece. He urged his fellow Christians to repent of their sins, to abstain from all vices, to obey God’s commandments, and to devote themselves to God-pleasing works. he was on his way to a village, Saint Damian was arrested by the Turks and thrown into prison. After fifteen days of torture, he was hanged and then thrown into a fire. Saint Damian received the crown of martyrdom on February 23, 1568.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Dometius oPhilotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures
Greece, Mt Athos, 1568, Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, persued silence, wDamien, cruel Turk tortures; Philotheou monastery; Venerable Dometius of Philotheou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 7; Dometius was an Athonite Elder. pursued silence at the Philotheou monastery together with the Hieromartyr Damian of Philotheou (February 23), suffered under cruel tortures by the Turks in the year 1568.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Quick to Hear Icon at Docheiariou

Greece, Mt Athos, 1651, Nilus t Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, raised by Macarius, relics curative myrrh, accurate prophecies
Greece, Mt Athos, 1651, Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece, raised by uncle hieromonk Macarius, attained hieromonk, Holy Rocks on Mt A, abundant flow curative myrrh from his relics, left accurate 20th century prophecies ; Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 12 ; Nilus the Myrrh-Gusher of Mt Athos was born in Greece, in a village named for Saint Peter, in the Zakoneia diocese. was raised by his uncle, the hieromonk Macarius. attained the age of maturity, he received monastic tonsure and was found worthy of ordination to hierodeacon, and then to hieromonk. desire for greater monastic struggles brought uncle and nephew to Mt Athos, where Macarius and Nilus lived in asceticism at a place called the Holy Rocks. the repose of Saint Macarius, the venerable Nilus, aflame with zeal for even more intense spiritual efforts, found an isolated place almost inaccessible for any living thing. his departure to the Lord in 1651, Saint Nilus was glorified by an abundant flow of curative myrrh, for which Christians journeyed from the most distant lands of the East. Nilus has left a remarkably accurate prophecy concerning the state of the Church in the mid-twentieth century, and a description of the people of that time. the inventions he predicted are the telephone, airplane, and submarine. also warned that people’s minds would be clouded by carnal passions, “and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger.” would not be distinguishable from women because of their “shamelessness of dress and style of hair.” Nilus lamented that Christian pastors, bishops and priests, would become vain men, and that the morals and traditions of the Church would change. pious and God-fearing pastors would remain, and many people would stray from the right path because no one would instruct them.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear
Greece, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear, Neophytos' time, do not come this way, darkening my icon with smoke, ignored, struck blind, realized who spoke, remained before icon until forgiven by MOG, received sight, monks come to me and I will hear you quickly, countless miracles, blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence; Docheiariou monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ; wonderworking "Quick to Hear" Icon of the Mother of God is kept at Dokheiarίou Monastery on Mount Athos, and is believed to date from the XI century, during the time of Saint Neophytos, the Igoumen of the Monastery. the wonderworking Portaitissa Icon, the most famous Icon on Mount Athos is an ancient fresco of the Panagia located outside on the east wall of the trapeza, and to the right of the entrance. 1664 the Monk Neilos, the steward of the trapeza, often passed before the Icon holding a lit torch in his hand so he could carry out his duties in the trapeza. One day, he heard a voice say to him: "Do not come this way again with your torches, darkening my Icon with smoke." did not pay much attention to the voice, thinking that someone was playing a joke on him. It was not long before he heard the voice again saying, "O monk, unworthy of the name, how long will you continue to darken my Icon with smoke?" hearing the voice, Neilos was struck blind. Then he remembered that he had heard the voice before, and realized that he deserved this punishment, for he did not heed the command of the Mother of God, but had ignored it in his ignorance. next morning, the brethren found him laying on the floor of the corridor before the Icon, unable to see them. When they learned why Neilos had been punished, the monks were terrified. From that time on, they passed by the Icon with great reverence, and hung an unsleeping lamp before it. however, did not want to return to his cell. He remained before the Icon in a stasidi, calling upon the Theotokos with tears and lamentations to forgive him for the sin he had committed. He begged her to restore his sight, as a sign of her forgiveness, so that he might gaze upon her Icon and glorify her. was not disappointed in his hopes, for the Mother of God heard the prayers of her repentant servant. He heard her voice a third time, saying, "Monk, your prayer has been heard. You are forgiven, and you shall receive your sight again. Declare to the other Fathers and brethren who struggle here that I am the Mother of God, and that after God, I am the shelter and help and mighty protector of this Monastery of the Archangels, providing for it as its defender and guide. From now on, let the monks come to me for all their needs, and I will hear them quickly, as well as all Orthodox Christians who come to me with reverence, for I am called Quick to Hear." soon this miracle and the promise of the Theotokos became known throughout the Holy Mountain, and monks from the other Monasteries came to Dokheiarίou to venerate the Icon, and to see the monk who had regained his sight. The corridor was closed off and a chapel was built to house the "Quick to Hear" Icon. One of the most devout and accomplished Hieromonks is appointed to be present in the chapel. He is known as the prosmonarios, and he is there most of the time to chant Canons of Supplication before the Icon, which he censes every evening and morning, tending the chapel, and trimming the oil lamps. "Quick to Hear" Icon venerated not only on the Holy Mountain, but also by Orthodox Christians all over the world. Countless miracles of healing are worked by the Mother of God through her Holy Icon. The blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence. copy of the "Quick to Hear Icon" was painted on Mount Athos and was sent as a gift from the Russian and other devout monks of the Holy Mountain to Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow) of the Aleutian Islands and North America. May of 1906 that copy of the famous "Quick to Hear” Icon at Dokheiarίou Monastery was carried to Saint Tikhon's Monastery (in Walmart, PA) in a solemn Cross Procession, along with several others, including one of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. relics of several saints were placed in the Icon. These include the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratēlátēs (Feb. 8), Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenary Physicians, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Nov. 14), and the Holy New Martyr Constantine of Mount Athos, who was born on the island of Hydra and suffered at the hands of the Turks on the island of Rhodes on November 14, 1800. "Quick to Hear" Icon is now on the iconostasis of Saint Tikhon's Monastery church.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1660-1694, Romanus tMartyr, Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland
Greece, 1660-1694, Romanus the Martyr, fKarpenisi, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Source), Mt Athos Monk, Martyred aConstantinople, beheaded bTurks 1694, relics bShip tEngland; Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Martyr Romanus of Karpenisi was born in Karpenisi in central Greece. was a monk on Mount Athos for a time, suffered for Christ at Constantinople, by the Turks in the year 1694. relics were taken by ship to England.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Kollyvades Movement

Greece, Mt Athos, 1722, Nikodemos of Albania,Confessed wGod's power, no fear, survived precipice, incorrupt fragrant relics

Greece, Mt Athos, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon, fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, assumed stolen but MOG wanted go tXenophon
Greece, Mt Athos, 1730, MOG Icon Xenophon Hodgitria (MOG Icon), fVatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 1730 assumed stolen but appeared at Xenophon Monastery, returned, happened again and again befor V monks realized MOG wanted go Xenophon; Vatopedi monastery ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; to tradition, this wonderworking icon was for many years at the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos, the katholikon in front of a column on the left cliros. 1730, it mysteriously disappeared not only from the church, but also from the monastery. the doors were locked, the monks assumed that thieves had stolen it. they heard that the icon was at the monastery, a three hour journey from Vatopedi. monks were sent to return their spiritual treasure to the Vatopedi monastery. icon was restored to its former place, and the Fathers of the monastery took precautions to prevent the icon from being stolen again. the icon of the Mother of God left the Vatopedi monastery and appeared at Xenophon a second and third time. that this was actually a miraculous occurrence, the brethren of the monastery decided not to oppose the will of the Mother of God, and left the icon at Xenophon. a sign of their blessing, the brethren provided candles and oil for the icon. “Hodegetria” (Hodēgḗtria) Icon at Xenophon is in the katholikon, before a column on the left cliros, the very same place it occupied at the Vatopedi monastery.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1742-1773, Paisius oHilandar&Bulgaria, Historian, clergyman, key Bulgarian national revival figure

Greece, Mt Athos, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace
Greece, Mt Athos, 1750 18th Century, Sophronius oSt Anne Skete - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, left on wedding night for Mt Athos, 50 yrs, died in peace; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Venerable Sophronius of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 18; Sophronius lived in the eighteenth century. left home on his wedding night and became a monk on Mount Athos. living there for fifty years, he died in peace.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1754-1776, Kollyvades Movement
Mt Athos, 1754-1776, Kollyvades Movement; Kollyvades were the members of a movement within the Eastern Orthodox Church that began in the second half of the eighteenth century among the monastic community of Mount Athos, which was concerned with the restoration of traditional practices and opposition to unwarranted innovations, and which turned unexpectedly into a movement of spiritual regeneration. As Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia succinctly points out: the Turkish period the traditions of Hesychasm remained alive, particularly on Mount Athos. Here during the second half of the eighteenth century there arose an important movement of spiritual renewal, whose effects can still be felt today. members, known as the Kollyvades, were alarmed at the way in which all too many of their fellow Greeks were falling under the influence of the Western Enlightenment. The Kollyvades were convinced that a regeneration of the Greek nation would come, not through embracing the secular ideas fashionable in the west, but only through a return to the true roots of Orthodox Christianity – through a rediscovery of Patristic theology and Orthodox liturgical life. particular, they advocated frequent communion – if possible, daily – although at this time most Orthodox communicated only three or four times a year. For this the Kollyvades were fiercely attacked on the Holy Mountain and elsewhere.[1] The movement derived its name from the Kollyva (boiled wheat) which is used during memorial services. Its proponents were Athonite monks who adhered strictly to Holy Tradition, and insisted that memorial services should not be performed on Sundays, because that is the day of the Lord's Resurrection, but rather on Saturday, the usual day for the commemoration of the dead. They were also in favor of frequent reception of Holy Communion, and practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. terms “Kollyvadesâ€, “Kollyvistaiâ€, and “Sabbatianoiâ€ were epithets which were originally meant sarcastically as bitter insults, however over the passage of time these contemptuous appellations became a title or badge of honor.[2] leaders of the movement were Neophytos Kafsokalyvitis (1713-1784),[note 1] Saint Makarios (Notaras) of Corinth (1731-1805), Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (1749-1809), and Saint Athanasios Parios (1722-1813). Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert
Greece, Mt Athos, 1760, Cosmos, Skete of St Anne, executed in Constantinople, refused to convert; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Cosmas was a monk of Saint Anne’s Skete on Mount Athos. was executed in Constantinople on December 3, 1760 when he refused to convert to Islam. specific details of his martyrdom are not known.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite, scriptures by heart, Multifaceted works, Philokalia, The Rudder
Greece, Mt Athos, 1768-1809, Nikodemos tHagiorite (hesychasm monks), fNaxos Is, zealous for that which is good, sacred and secular learning, at 26 to Dionysiou on Athos, first obedience served as monastery secretary, Corinth Met Makarios arrived there 1874 and 1876 assigned him to edit Philokalia, simple man with profound concentration, scriptures by heart, even chapter, verse, page, recited writings Holy Fathers from memory, 1783 Great Schema at 35, complete silence 6 yrs, then Makarios gave obedience of editing Simeon tNew's writings, so back into world and literary work until death in 1809, remarkable works: Exomolotarion (Manual of Confession), New Theotokian (62 Rules of Theotokos), published liturgical books, Hymographer, Heortodromion canons for songs of the feasts oLord and oMOG, multifaceted work: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, canon law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnology, preface to Philokalia and lives of ascetics there, translated Unseen Warfare, interpretation Paul's Epistles, those examples of saints lives encouraged staying Orthodox, new edition of The Rudder 1801, containing Canons of The Apostles and Holy EC and Local Synod Fathers, Most edifying work: Christian Morality 1803, saying: Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel, if can't Pray for them.; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain was born on the Greek island of Naxos in the year 1748, and was named Nicholas in Holy Baptism. a child he was well-behaved, avoiding bad company and everything which might harm the inner man. was zealous in his love for that which is good and beneficial, and he loved sacred and secular learning. first education on Naxos came from the village priest, who taught him to love Christ and His Church. also assisted the priest during the Divine Liturgy and other Services. Nicholas attended the school at Naxos, where Archimandrite Chrysanthos, the brother of Saint Cosmas Aitolos (August 24), taught him sacred and secular letters. the age of twenty-six (1874), he arrived on Mount Athos and was tonsured at Dionysiou Monastery with the name Nikodemos. his first obedience, Father Nikodemos served as the monastery’s secretary. years after entering Dionysiou Monastery, the Metropolitan of Corinth, Saint Makarios Notaras (April 17), arrived there, assigned the young monk to edit the manuscript of the Philokalia, which he had found in 1777 at Vatopedi Monastery. this book was the beginning of many years of literary activity for Saint Nikodemos. soon moved to Pantokrator Skḗtē, where he was under obedience to Elder Arsenios of the Pelopónnēsos, under whose guidance he studied Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. to the testimony of his contemporaries, Saint Nikodemos was a simple man, without any malice, unassuming, and distinguished by his profound concentration. possessed remarkable mental abilities: he knew the Holy Scriptures by heart, and even remembered chapter, verse, and the pages they were on. Moreover, he could recite long passages from the writings of the Holy Fathers from memory. 1783 Saint Nikodemos was tonsured into the Great Schema (at 35), and spent the next six years in complete silence. his next visit to Mount Athos, Saint Makarios gave Nikodemos the obedience of editing of the writings of Saint Symeon the New Theologian printed in three volumes: Syros, 1790). meant giving up his silence and occupying himself once more with literary work. that time until his death, he continued to devote himself to such endeavors. of the ascetic's remarkable books was his Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), which was published in 1794. was the first book of its kind in the Orthodox Church. Drawing from Holy Scripture and from the Fathers of the Church, Saint Nikodemos lists the qualifications a confessor must have, if he is to be a true confessor, offers advice on how one should prepare for Confession, how to confess, and how one ought to guard himself against sin after Confession. Saint also made great contributions by publishing liturgical books. Using materials from the manuscript collections on Mount Athos, published sixty-two Canons (rules) to the Most Holy Theotokos under the title, New Theotokarion (Venice, 1796). most wise Nikodemos is also known as a composer and interpreter of hymns. Canon in honor of the "Quick to Hear” Icon of the Mother of God (November 9) and his “Service and Encomium in Honor of the Fathers who Shone on the Holy Mountain of Athos” are used even beyond the Holy Mountain. of his other books include the Heortodromion, an interpretation of the Canons which are sung on Feasts of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Venice,1836), and The New Ladder, an interpretation of the 75 Hymns of Degrees (Anabathmoi) of the liturgical book called the Oktoekhos (Constantinople, 1844). is readily apparent that the literary work of Saint Nikodemos was multi-faceted, representing more than half a dozen fields of theology: ascetical-mystical theology, ethics, Canon Law, exegesis, hagiology, liturgics, and hymnography. wrote the preface to the Philokalia, and brief Lives of the ascetics whose writings are included therein. the Saint’s ascetical works, his translation of Lorenzo Scupoli’s book, Unseen Warfare (1796), is well known, and has been translated into Russian, English, and other languages. Nikodemos had a special love for hagiography, as attested by his work, New Eklogion (Venice, 1803), and his posthumous book, The New Synaxarion (1819). completed a Modern Greek translation of Saint Paul's Fourteen Epistles in three volumes (1819) as interpreted by the Hierarch Mētrophánēs, by Saint Theophylaktos, the Archbishop of Bulgaria (December 31), and others. Nikodemos also wrote An Interpretation of Saint Paul's Seven Catholic Epistles (published in Venice in 1806). 1799 Nikodemos edited the New Martyrologion, which he and Saint Makarios of Corinth seem to have prepared together in order to demonstrate that the Orthodox Church continues to produce Saints, particularly Martyrs, who were subjected to the same trials, torments, and death as tihe ancient Martyrs. example of the Saints whose Lives appear in this book strengthened and encouraged the Orthodox to remain faithful to Christ, and not to convert to the religion of their oppressors. Nikodemos prepared a new edition of the Pedalion or Rudder, in collaboration with Hieromonk Agapios. was printed in 1801, and contained the Canons of the Holy Apostles, those of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Synods, and of the Holy Fathers. most edifying book, Christian Morality, was published in Venice in 1803. it he says: "Those monks who are strong in body and in soul ... should occasionally go into the world to preach and to counsel. who cannot go into the world, either because of the passions that assail them when they are in the midst of society, or because they are physically infirm, should seek the good of their brethren through prayer and by offering counsel to those who visit them, and if they are learned, by writing edifying books."1 long before his repose, Father Nikodemos, worn out by his literary work and ascetical struggles, went to live at the Kelli of the iconographers Hieromonks Stephen and Neophytos Skourtaίos, who were brothers by birth. asked them to help with the publication of his works, because he was hindered by his infirmities. day before he went to the Lord, he was able to make his Confession, receive Holy Unction, and then Holy Communion. first biographer, Father Euthymios, describes the Saint's repose in this manner: "When the sun rose on the earth that day (Wednesday July 14, 1809), the intelligible sun of the Church set. The fiery pillar, the guide of the New Israel into piety disappeared; the cloud which refreshed those who were melting in the heat of sin, hid itself.” many friends and acquaintances mourned, and the words of a certain Christian were typical of the thoughts of many individuals of that time: “Oh, my Fathers, it would have been better for a thousand Christians to have died today, and not Nikodemos.” Nikodemos reposed peacefully at the age of sixty on July 14, 1809, and was glorified by the Church of Constantinople in 1955. 1 Constantine Cavarnos, Modern Orthodox Saints Volume 3, Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, pages 46-47. (Belmont, Massachusetts, 1974).

Greece, Mt Athos, 1771, Damascene tNew, fBulgaria tHilandar, igumen business trips, Martyred b false t, God killed evil-doers

Greece, Mt Athos 1795, Joyful Icon, appeared, many miracles, Novodevichi M, Moscow & Vatopedi m, Mt Athos
Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon, appeared, many miracles, Novodevichi M, Moscow & Vatopedi m, Mt Athos; Russia, Moscow, 1795, Joyful Icon; Moscow; Joyful Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on November 7; “Joyful” (Vzigranie) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared near Moscow on November 7, 1795 . Nothing is known of the history of the icon, except that many miracles have taken place before it. of this name are found in the Novodevichii Monastery in Moscow, and in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mt Athos. In appearance, the “Joyful” Icon resembles the “Pelagonitissa” Icon, a variant of the Glykophylousa (“Sweet-Kissing”) or Eleousa type. Icon is sometimes called “Child Leaping for Joy.”

Greece, Mt Athos, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Weeping Tikhvin Icon, Athakist Icon, New Martyr Ignatius

Greece, Mt Athos, 1801-1822, Theodore oAtchara, islamization, Trebizond exile, tGeorgian m iSmyrna, deputy abbot, killed oAthos
Georgia, 1801-, Hieromartyr Theodore oAtchara (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia), one oMany Atcharians martyred by Ottomans, his family fled to Trebizond, many killed in A, forced Islamization, annihilated those resisting, began to evict those arrousing suspecians even though they had accepted Islam, from childhood he watched countrymen forceably converted secretly retain christian way oLife, he received Christianity, tGeorgian monastery in Smyrna, t monk, deputy abbot, converted his nephew, 1822 Pilgrimage tAthos, but Ottomans attempting crush Greek Independence, Athos surrounded by Ottomans, he was captured, killed, body into sea, cannonized in 2002; Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia); Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara belongs to the glorious multitude of Atcharan faithful who were martyred at the hands of the Ottomans. Theodore was born in the late 18th century. that time the Ottoman invaders had nearly completed the forced Islamization of the Atcharan region. had already annihilated those who resisted the conversion were beginning to evict those who, in spite of their apparent acceptance of Islam, continued to “arouse suspicions.” abandoned their native region and fled to foreign lands. Theodore was born to a family that had been forced into exile. his childhood he watched his fellow countrymen, who had been forcibly converted to Islam, secretly retain their Christian way of life. is unclear how the saint’s family settled in Trebizond (modern Trabzon). is known, however, that Saint Theodore managed to free himself from Islam, receive Christianity, and find refuge at a Georgian monastery in Smyrna (now Izmir). he was tonsured a monk and later raised to the rank of proigoumenos (deputy abbot). is also known that Saint Theodore converted his nephew to Christianity during that time. 1822 Saint Theodore set out on a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos. at the same time the Ottomans were attempting to crush the Greek independence movement, the Holy Mountain was surrounded by Ottoman soldiers. captured the faithful pilgrim and killed him. they tossed the holy martyr’s body into the sea. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Holy Martyr Theodore on October 17, 2002.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne, converted aFreedom promise, repented i3days, confessed&martyred, blood heals
Greece, Mt Athos, 1804, Hilarion oSkete of St Anne - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, 963 or 1686, uncle failed his occupation training, got job wMoslem, blamed for stealing, promised freedom if convert, repented 3 days later, 12th day ship to Crimea f10 mos, no peace decided martyrdom, renowned elders advised Mt Athos, tIveron, then tSt Anne's and Bassarion, oLuke's prep year earlier, tonsured Hilarion after strict rule and fasting, one morning H ready to confess, back to Aga at palace, threw red turban replace wBlack skoufia, all bones broken, beheaded, asceticism martyrdom crowns, Bassarion used H's blood to deliver young girl from demon; Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Monastic Martyr Hilarion of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 20; Hilarion was from Heraklion in Crete and his secular name was John. had five other siblings, John, Polyzoes, George, and two sisters, whose names are unknown. His parents, Francis and Katherine, had raised him with diligence, and he had learned to read and write. When he was a young man, his uncle took him to Constantinople, promising to train him for some occupation. John stayed with him for ten years, his uncle neglected to train him and did little else for him. is why John was forced to leave his uncle’s house and get a job as the clerk of a merchant from the island of Chios, who came to trust John. day, the merchant was obliged to leave his shop and travel back to Chios, placing John and another Orthodox Christian employee in charge of the business. he returned, the two employees gave their boss an accounting for the time that he was away. merchant said that he had been cheated, because the money they collected did not correspond to the value of the goods that were sold. the merchant did not make an inventory before going to Chios, he estimated that the two clerks were short by thirty grosia. other employee had been with the merchant for many years, and so all suspicion fell on John. He was told that there would be severe consequences if he did not return the money at once. that he was innocent, John asked his uncle to help him, but his uncle refused to see him. his despair he went to the palace, hoping to see the valide sultana, the Sultan’s mother. however, he met the Ethiopian eunuch, Mertzan Aga. It appears that John knew him and told him what had happened. evil Aga seized this opportunity and told him that if he converted to Islam, he would not be liable to any punishment; moreover, he would receive many riches and honors. his fear and anxiety, John accepted. he was presented to the Sultan’s mother, who introduced him to the Sultan. away, John was circumcised, and was given Muslim clothing and other gifts. In addition, a certain hodja was appointed to instruct him in Islamic teachings. days later, the young man came to himself and repented from his heart when he realized the gravity of his sin. He waited for an opportunity to escape, after twelve days he managed to board a ship for the Crimea, where he remained for ten months. knew no peace there because his conscience tormented him for his betrayal of Christ. he decided that the only way he could atone for his sin was by the path of martyrdom. to Constantinople, he consulted the renowned Spiritual Fathers, Elder Symeon and Elder Jeremiah. He told them of his intention to confess Christ in the place where he had denied Him. the Elders advised him to go to Mount Athos for a time. did exactly as he was told, and entered Ivḗron Monastery. Fathers there sent him to the Skete of St. Anna to place himself under the guidance of Hieromonk Bessarion, had prepared the New Martyr Luke (March 23) for his martyrdom the previous year. Elder accepted him and gave him a Rule of strict asceticism and fasting. Soon he received the monastic tonsure with the name Hilarion. morning, Father Hilarion told his Elder that he was ready to confess Christ, Whom he had denied. The Elder blessed his good intention, and the Saint received the Holy Mysteries. left for Constantinople together, and then Father Hilarion presented himself to the Aga at the palace. “Three days after becoming a Muslim,” he said, “I repented of what I had done, and I abandoned the darkness of error and returned to the light of truth, so I curse your religion. I was a Christian, and now I am once more.” his turban on the ground, he put on the black monastic skoufia he had concealed under his coat. the Saint’s resolve, the Aga ordered that he be tortured without mercy. His torments were so severe that all his bones were broken. Hilarion was beheaded on September 20, 1804, and received two incorruptible crowns from Christ: that of asceticism, and that of martyrdom. Bessarion was once invited to a Christian home and the children were brought to receive his blessing. One child, a little girl about eight years old, had been possessed by a demon. She turned black, made some erratic movements, and eventually she fell down as if she were dead.The Elder had some of the Saint’s blood with him, but before he could even anoint the girl with it, the demon came out of her, and the child stood up.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1806-1818, Onphrius oHilandar, Mt Athos, regrettd Mslm wish tParents, Athos ASAP, C torment, Mrtr path tChios
Greece, Athos, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), angry w parents said wished become moslem, overheard, regretted, went Athos ASAP, approx 1806, conscience torment, asked persue martyrdom path, 4 months intense prayer fasting struggle, to Chios, torture, beheaded and into sea; Hilandar monastery; Venerable New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos), Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Onuphrius, in the world Matthew, was born in Bulgaria in Gabrovo in the Trnovo diocese. became angry with his parents one day, and said he wished to become a Moslem. he was overheard by the Hagarenes, who wished to take him away. regretted these words as soon as he uttered them, he went to Athos to the Hilandar monastery as soon as he came of age. There he became a monk with the name Manassas. by his conscience, Manassas decided to suffer for Christ. he asked the blessing of his Elder Nikēphóros to pursue the path of martyrdom. Elder tonsured him a schemamonk with the name Onuphrius. four months of intense prayer, fasting, and spiritual struggle, he went with Gregory of the Peloponnesos to the island of Chios. the Monk Martyr Onuphrius openly confessed the Christian Faith, for which he was seized and subjected to cruel tortures. the torture they beheaded him and threw him into the sea. He died in 1818 at the age of thirty-two.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1819, Joseph oDionysiou, Mt Athos, sent tConstantinople with Eudocimus who failed martyrdom & blamed Joseph

Greece, Mt Athos, 1863, Prodromou Icon, P Skete, f Moldovia, paint only wFasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, Many miracles
Moldavia, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8), paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, kept in Theophany Skete near Great Lavra, MA, Many miracles, thorns in eyes, unconscious child died recovered, Jews healed, Icon not move teachers house, icon in woman's vision, mocking painter fierce expression on MOG's face, became zealous admirer, sick monk at P Skete departs peacefully, many more miracles to this day; Prodromou Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Icon is kept in the Moldavian Theophany (now Prodromou)1 Skete on Mount Athos, about an hour's walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios. 1863, Igoumen Niphon, accompanied by several monks, went to Moldavia on the Monastery's business. Arriving at Iasi, the capital of Moldavia, the Athonite monks decided to order an icon of the Mother of God for their Monastery, and began to look for a master, who would not only know his craft well, but at the same time he would lead a good life, have the fear of God, and who would be adorned with Christian piety. Soon they managed to find such a man at Iasi, the aged painter, George Nikolaev (Iordache Nicolau), with whom they agreed that he should paint the icon only while fasting, before eating any food, and by himself, without the participation and assistance of others. old man, having agreed to these conditions, zealously set about his work. The work progressed quickly to its end: it remained only to paint the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child. when the painter started to execute the last part of the work, he suffered a setback: he couldn't paint the faces correctly, despite all his efforts. He was upset and told the monks of his failure, and he even began to doubt himself, whether he had forgotten his art in his old age. painter increased his fasting and prayed with tears. one morning, after intensified fasting and fervent prayer, he entered his workroom to finish the task that had caused him so much grief and anxiety. Approaching the Icon and looking at it, he suddenly stopped, struck with amazement: from the canvas of the Icon the faces of the Mother of God and the Child looked at him, painted by an invisible hand and radiant with heavenly beauty and artistic expression. painter was awestruck: the more he considered these faces, the more clearly he understood that a great and incomprehensible miracle of the Queen of Heaven had occurred, and that she had heard his humble and fervent prayers. with amazement, the artist did not dare to touch this Icon with his brush, but only covered it with varnish. of this miracle quickly spread throughout the city, and many people gathered in the artist's home, so that the Athonite monks had great difficulty in moving the Icon from his house to their apartment. miraculous event that had occurred was also made known to the local Metropolitan, His Grace Callinic (Miclescu), who at that time held the office of Metropolitan. examined the Icon carefully and recognized the truth of the miracle. After that, a Moleben was served before the Icon, and only then were the people allowed to venerate the image of the Mother of God, which from that time began to be glorified by many miraculous signs. certain man had a large thorn in his eyes, and he could not see anything. He was brought in to venerate the Icon of the Mother of God was given some Holy Water to drink, and to wash with it. He took some of it with him to his house. days later he received perfect sight, so that without the help of others he was able to come to give thanks to the Mother of God before her miraculous Icon for his healing. nobleman had a child who was unconscious for three days without any movement, so that only by the child's barely perceptible breath could one determine that a faint spark of life still remained. of saving his child from death by conventional medical means, the father turned to the Mother of God for help, praying fervently before her Icon. some Holy Water to his house, he sprinkled the dying child and poured a few drops into his mouth. And a miracle occurred: the child had already died, but then he recovered. other patients afflicted with various ailments received healing by praying before the Icon of the Mother of God. view of the numerous miracles performed by the power of the Theotokos through her Holy Icon, not only did Orthodox Christians come to venerate her, but also schismatics, Armenians, and even Jews, for there was the case of a Jewish woman who received her gracious help, which was why she and her entire household were baptized. return of the Athonite monks with the Icon, from Iași to their Monastery on Athos, was also accompanied by many miracles. the monks arrived with the Icon in the city of Byrlad, the people's teacher in that city wished to receive the Holy Icon in his house, and for this purpose he sent people for it. The monks advised him to come to them if he wished to venerate the Icon, instead of bringing it to his home. But the teacher insisted on having his way. monks decided to grant his wish. When two of them tried to lift the Icon, despite all their efforts, they could not do so. It took four monks to lift the icon, but only with great effort. When the Icon was brought to the carriage in order to put it in, a loud noise was heard, frightening everyone, both people and the horses. It turned out that the kiot containing the Icon had cracked. everyone knew that the Mother of God did not want to have her Icon brought to the teacher's house, and it was decided not to carry it to the teacher's home. a strange thing occurred: this time, two monks were able to lift the Icon without any difficulty. pious woman who lived outside the city of Byrlad beheld a vision in a dream telling her to go into the city to venerate the Icon. When she arrived, she recognized the very Icon that she had seen in the vision. the monks came to Galați there was a painter who, seeing a multitude of people flocking to venerate the Icon, began to mock it, urging people not to believe the miracle of how the faces had not been painted by any earthly artist. But when he gazed at the Icon of the Mother of God, the exression on her face seemed so fierce to him that he was struck with great horror. Then he became a zealous admirer of the wonderworking Icon. the time the monks arrived at their Skete on the Holy Mountain, there was a sick monk, who had not eaten any food for three weeks, nor did he speak. He was so weak that he did not move at all. Only by his breathing could anyone tell that he was still alive. When the monks arrived at the Skete, the patient seemed to awaken from a deep sleep and asked to be taken to venerate the Holy Icon. Presenting himself before the Icon, he turned to the Mother of God with this plea: "O Mother of God! You know my heart and you know my fate. If it would be good for me to live, then give me health. If, after I am healed of my illness, I do not behave better, then let me die: end my life here on earth, so that I do not suffer or endure torments there, in the grave." After praying this way, he returned to his cell, put on clean linen and his full monastic garb, and asked to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He seemed to have a clear premonition of his approaching death. And, indeed, less than an hour after receiving Communion, he departed peacefully and quietly to the Lord. this Skete there were even more cases of healings by the Icon of the Mother of God. The monk Sergius was healed from weakness in all his members, and from deafness, and one of the masters who worked in the same Skete was subjected to torments by an unclean spirit; as soon as he was brought to the Icon of the Mother of God, he was freed from the excruciating power of the Enemy. addition to the recorded accounts, many other wonderful signs took place on Mount Athos from the Moldavian Icon of the Mother of God, which continues to work miracles up to the present day. 1 The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner on Mount Athos.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1801-1814, New Martyr Ignatius, Bulgaria, confessed before kadi breaking earlier moslem promise, hanged

Greece, Mt Athos, 1813, New Martyr David New Skete of St Anna, Mt Athos, Church Reconstructions, Mocked Turks, Hanged
Ephesus, 1813, New Martyr David of St Anne's Skete, from Aivali (Ayvalık, Mysia, Caicus River area, across from Lesbos Is), divine zeal, tSmyrna fChurch Reconstruction Money, 2Water Tanks &cells, burned fMartyrdom, tMagnesia witnessed &Mocked Turks, expelled, tSA Skete, tKaryes&former BoChristopoulos, blessing oMartyrdom, tThessaloniki, Vatopaidi Embassy Church monk had converted to Islam, intended to confront but Turks found out, beaten &Hanged; Skete of St Anna, St Paulas Monastery; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Monastic Martyr David was descended from the Kydonians of the town of Aivali (Αϊβαλί) in Asia Minor. inhabitants of the town had a special relationship with Mount Athos, because there were two Athonite embassy churches in their city, belonging to Ivḗron Monastery, the other to Pantokrator Monastery. Saint David left his hometown, he went to Mount Athos and lived near a fellow countryman, a brother of Saint Anne’s Skete, who later became a monk. his monastic life, Saint David was moved by divine zeal. took the initiative, after receiving the blessing of his Elder, and visited Smyrna in order to collect money for the reconstruction of the ruined churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and that of the Theotokos on Mount Athos. completing the work on the two temples, he built two water tanks as well as a number of cells for the worshipers. did not remain on Mount Athos, he burned with the desire for martyrdom. went to Magnesia in Asia Minor, where he bore witness to Christ, and mocked the Turks for their religion. arrested him and beat him severely, and then he was expelled from their city. without fulfilling his desire, he returned to the Holy Skete of Saint Anne, he confessed to his Elder his earnest desire for martyrdom. Spiritual Father, fearing the outcome of such an act, tried to dissuade him, but he did not succeed. David went to Karyes and saw Metropolitan Pankratios, the former Bishop of Christopoulos, from whom he received a blessing to seek martyrdom. David traveled to Thessaloniki, he was told of a monk from the Vatopaidi embassy church of Saint Demetrios, who had converted to Islam. David attempted to confront this monk, somehow the Turks had learned of his intention. Turks arrested the Saint, and after they had beaten him, they handed him over to the judge for trial. judge, fearing that Saint David might persuade the monk to abandon Islam and to confess Christ, ordered the Saint to be executed at once. same night, June 26, 1813, Saint David suffered a martyric death by hanging. Monastic Martyr David is particularly honored at the Skete of Saint Anne on the Holy Mountain.

Greece, Mt Athos, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, learned art of arts from Daniel, cut will&obedience leads tGifts
Greece, 1820-1877, Arsenius oParos Island, Cyclades, fIoannina, Epirus, orphaned young, tKydoniai, Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis' school at 9, humility piety revealed tTeachers, at 14 became Daniel oZagora's disciple till latter's death, Daniel tAthos, desire to become monk, D instructed him monk life, which called the Art of Arts, science oSciences, tonsured, 3 lessons: cut off own will, acquire humility, learn obedience, 6 yrs on Athos, agitation against Kolyvades, memorial services for dead on Sunday, inappropriate for ressurection day, Frequent communion, 1821 tMonastery oPendeli near Athens before tIndependence War, Daniel forsaw monastery destruction bTurks, tCyclades islands, first Paros, then Pholegandros, Daniel allowed A instruct children, ordained deacon, govt teaching post, taught there 1829-1840, then entered monastery St George on Paros, Daniek had died 1837, had asked take remains Mt Athos after 2yrs, on way stopped Paros, Father Elias told him it was God's will he remain on Paros, providential, Greek War Independence 3K Turks occupied Athos, 5 of the6k monks left Athos, he joined St George's monastery, found worthy models to follow, ordained priest at 47, intensified effort, unceasing prayer otHeart, studied scriptures holy father's writings, showed gift oTears, outstanding father confessor spiritual guide, serving face became radiant, Girl fSyros story, repented sin, nun sister reject her, go drown yourself harlot, met by Arsenius on way to convent, made her a nun, severly rebuked those nuns, A forsaw his death month before, told everyone, Paros people came to bid farewell; Island of Paros; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Arsenius was born on January 31, 1800 in Ioannina, Epirus of pious Orthodox parents. holy Baptism he was given the name Athanasius. parents died when he was quite young. was only nine years old when he made his way to Kydoniai, Asia Minor, he was received by Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis and enrolled in his school. humility and piety endeared him to Father Gregory and also to the other teachers. boy remained at the school for five years, surpassing the other students in learning and in virtue. day the renowned Spiritual Father Daniel of Zagora, Thessaly came to the school to hear confessions. became Daniel’s disciple, remaining with him until the latter’s death. long after this, Father Daniel decided to go to the Holy Mountain for quiet and spiritual struggles. begged his Elder not to leave him, but to take him with him. expressed the desire to travel to Mt. Athos, the Garden of the All-Holy Virgin, and to become a monk. Daniel instructed Athanasius in the monastic life, is called “the art of arts, and the science of sciences.” holy Elder was a perfect teacher who was accomplished in the spiritual life, Athanasius was an attentive student. a time Father Daniel tonsured his pupil, and told him he had to learn three important lessons. he must cut off his own will. he must acquire humility. he must learn obedience. “If you cut off your will, if you become humble, and if you practice perfect obedience, you will also make progress in the other virtues, and God will glorify you.” a further period of testing, Father Daniel tonsured Athanasius into the Great Schema and gave him the name Arsenius. saint remained on Mt. Athos with his Elder for six years. they had to leave the Holy Mountain because of the agitation against the so-called “Kollyvades,” who called for a strict adherence to Holy Tradition. name comes from the kollyva (boiled wheat) used in the memorial service. of the controversy involved the debate on whether it was proper to serve memorial services for the dead on Sunday. Kollyvades believed that these services were inappropriate for the Day of Resurrection, but should be served on Saturday. Kollyvades advocated frequent Communion, rather than the practice of receiving the Holy Mysteries only a few times during the year. Father Daniel and Saint Arsenius left Athos, it was probably due to the animosity of those who opposed the Kollyvades. in 1821, before the Greek War of Independence, they went to the Monastery of Pendeli near Athens. stay was a brief one, for Father Daniel forsaw the destruction of the monastery by the Turks. two made their way to the Cyclades Islands in the southern Aegean Sea. they stopped at Paros, perhaps because some of the Kollyvades had settled there. they decided to live on the island of Pholegandros. there were no teachers for the children, the inhabitants entreated Father Daniel to allow Saint Arsenius to instruct their children. Elder agreed, and had Arsenius ordained as a deacon. Then he was appointed to the teaching post by the government. saint remained there as a teacher from 1829-1840. He taught the required subjects in school, but he also helped his students to form a good character, and to live as pious Christians. 1840 Saint Arsenius entered the Monastery of Saint George on the island of Paros. Daniel had passed away in 1837. his repose, he asked his disciple to take his remains to Mt. Athos after two years. Arsenius left Plolegandros in obedience to Father Daniel’s request, planning to stop on Paros then continue to the Holy Mountain. Paros the abbot of Saint George’s Monastery, Father Elias Georgiadis, told Saint Arsenius that it was God’s will for him to remain on Paros. was providential, because Mt. Athos was undergoing great difficulty after the Greek War of Independence. Turkish soldiers occupied Athos, resulting in the departure of 5,000 of the 6,000 monks. Arsenius joined the community at Saint George’s Monastery on the northern end of Paros. he found spiritual strivers of true wisdom and excellent conduct, who were worthy models for him to follow. he was ordained to the holy priesthood at the age of forty-seven, Saint Arsenius intensified his spiritual efforts. day he studied the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, and became adept at the unceasing prayer of the heart. also began to show forth the gift of tears. In this, he resembled his patron Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8), who continuously wept tears of contrition. the inhabitants of Paros came to recognize him as an outstanding Father Confessor and spiritual guide. he stood before the holy altar, he felt that he was standing before God. served with great compunction, his face often became radiant like the face of an angel. his virtues became known to people, they flocked to him from near and far. received all with paternal affection, treating each one with the proper spiritual medicine which would restore their souls to health. certain girl from Syros came to the Convent of the Transfiguration to visit her sister, who was a nun. nun had previously been informed that her sister had fallen into a serious sin. When she learned that the girl was outside the doors of the convent, the nun screamed at her, “Go far away from here. Since you are defiled, you will defile the convent and the nuns.” of feeling pity for her sister, and trying to lead her to repentance, the nun and some of the other nuns struck the poor girl and told her to go away. wretched girl cried, “I have made a mistake. Forgive me!” nun shrieked, “Go away, or I will kill you to wash away the shame you have brought to our family.” “Have you no pity, my sister, don’t you share my pain?” “No,” the nun shouted, “you are not my sister, you are a foul harlot.” “Where shall I go?” she sobbed. “Go and drown yourself,” was the heartless reply. poor girl fled from the convent, bleeding and wounded, intending to kill herself. that very moment, Saint Arsenius was on his way to visit the convent. the girl in such a state, he asked her what was wrong. She explained that she had been led astray by corrupt men and women. Realizing her sin, she went to the convent to ask her sister for help “See what they have done to me, Elder. What do you advise me to do? Shall I drown myself, or leap off a cliff?” “I do not advise you to do either, my child. If you wish, I shall take you with me and heal the wounds of your soul and body,” he said gently. “Where will you take me?” the miserable girl asked. “To the convent, my child.” “I beg you not to take me there, Elder. My sister and the other nuns said they would kill me if I came back.” saint replied, “Do not be afraid. They will not kill you, because I shall entrust you to Christ, and no one will be able to harm you.” “Very well,” she said, “If you entrust me to Christ I will not be afraid of them, for Christ is more powerful than they.” Arsenius led her to the convent, consoling her and encouraging her to repentance and confession. hearing her confession, he made her a nun. he called all the nuns into the church and severely rebuked those who wounded the girl. reminded them of the parable of the Prodigal Son, and of how Christ had come to save sinners. He often associated with sinners, showing them great love and mercy. “You, however, have done the opposite. Though you knew that her soul had been wounded by the devil, you did not feel sorry for her. You did not embrace her and try to save her from further sin, but you attacked her and beat her. Then you urged her to kill herself. I, your Spiritual Father, tell you that you are not nuns, you are not Christians, you are not even human beings. You are devoid of compassion, affection, and sympathy. You are murderesses! I forbid you to receive Holy Communion for three years, unless you recognize your sin. Repent and confess, weep and ask forgiveness from God and from me, your Spiritual Father, and from the other nuns who did not participate in your sinful behavior.” nuns began to weep bitterly and they repented. he lessened their penance and forgave them. gave the girl’s sister the penance of not receiving Holy Communion for a whole year. the other nuns had shared in this sin, he would not permit them to receive Communion for six months. Arsenius foresaw his death a month before it occurred. the Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Basil, he announced that he would soon depart from them. With great effort, he was able to serve for the Feast of the Theophany. After the service, he told some nuns that this had been his last Liturgy. of the saint’s illness and approaching death spread quickly to all the villages of Paros. wept because they were about to lose their Spiritual Father, and they hastened to bid him farewell and to receive his blessing. the eve of his repose, he called the nuns of the convent to come to him. He told them that the next day he would leave this temporary life and enter into eternal life. January 31, 1877 Saint Arsenius received Holy Communion for the last time and fell asleep in the Lord. three days, people came to kiss his body, then they followed the funeral procession to the burial site which he himself had selected. Arsenius of Paros was glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1967. He is also commemorated on August 18 (the uncovering of his relics).

Greece, Mt Athos, 1837, Akathist Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos, remained unharmed during 1837 fire, Akathist being read
Greece, Mt Athos, 1837, Akathist Icon, Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian) remained unharmed during 1837 fire, Akathist being read; Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Akathist Icon of the Mother of God is on the iconostasis of the Hilandar monastery’s katholikon. It is known as the Akathist Icon because, during a fire at the katholikon in 1837 an Akathist was being read before the icon, and it remained unharmed, to the joy of the monks. icon should not be confused with the Zographou Icon “Of the Akathist” (October 10). Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiver, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1877, Weeping Tikvin Icon, Elias Skete, found behind altar, tears right eye, large tear left eye, recurred
Greece, Mt Athos, 1877, Weeping Tikvin Icon, Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery), found behind altar, tears right eye, large tear left eye, recurred once; Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery); Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ; Weeping Tikhvin Icon of Mt. Athos is to be found behind the altar in the Prophet Elias Skete. February 17, 1877 (Thursday of the Second Week of Lent) seven monks remained in the church after the Hours had been read. They were astonished to see tears flowing from the right eye of the icon, and collecting on the frame. Then a single large tear came from the left eye. monks wiped the tears from the icon’s face, then left the church and locked the doors behind them. Three hours later, they returned for Vespers and saw traces of tears on the icon, and a single tear in the left eye. Again they wiped the tears from the icon, but they did not reappear. this manifestation of tears as a sign of mercy from the Mother of God, the monks established an annual commemoration of the icon on February 17. The weeping Tikhvin Icon of Mt. Athos is not to be confused with the original wonderworking Tikhvin Icon (June 26).

Greece, Mt Athos, 1900, 20th Century Folder, Gerontissa Rescuer fFire aPantokrator Icon

Greece, Mt Athos, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mt, Esphigmenou, saw Lord a15, fCappadocia, special blessing like Elisha, visions
Armenia, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), saw the Lord at 15, carpenter at 15, Soldier Greek Civil War 1945-49, to Greece exchange of populations, Kephalonia Is, special blessing bArsenios, monk prophesy, Konitsa in Epeiros, repelled demonic assault wPhilotimo thought, humble t, tἘsphigmenou MAthos, tPhilotheou, idiorhythmic, alone, small schema, professed monastic, tMonastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, tMt Sinai, St Catherins's M, false dLight, beloved bBedouins, cookies fChildren, cross handiwork, more grace, rtMA, Earth sojourner, devine mysteries, conversed wSaints appearing before him, Guardian Angel vision, angelic hymns, shone wHeavenly light, 1966 illness, part lungs r, Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki, btKatounakia, Lavriote keli oHypatios (Vlachika), uncreated light vision, saints, MOG, &Christ, discussed church matters wEuphemia, illness lMA, returned, Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes, many visitors, 1980s leli aKoutloumousiou, 1993 hemorage, hospitalized, tSourote, tumor large intestine, no medicine painkillers; Esphigmenou monastery; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12;

Greece, Mt Athos, 1948, Synaxis otGerontissa Rescuer fFire Icon. saved Pantokrator Monastery oAthos from Fire
Greece, 1948, Synaxis otGerontissa Icon. saved Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos from Fire, Rescuer fFire; Synaxis of the Gerontissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 2; December 2 Feast Day of the Gerontissa Icon of the Mother of God commemorates a miracle which occurred on the night of December 1, 1948 when the Theotokos saved the Pantokrator Monastery on Mount Athos from a fire. of this event, the Icon also came to be known as the “Pyrosoteira” (“Rescuer from fire”). Gerontissa Icon is also commemorated on April 4.

Athanasius Monastery, Lavra of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon
Lavra of St Athanasius; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

skete monastery of Saint Maximus the Hut-Burner, Athanasius Lavra , Mt Athos, 1345 approx.
Lavra of St Athanasius; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Monastery of St. Athanasius the Athonite, Mt Athos, 963
(Monastery of St. Athanasius the Athonite aka the Great Lavra); Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

The spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 5 or 6 Miles, Economissa Icon
The spring of St Athanasius 5 Miles or 2 hour walk towards Karyes; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Icon of the Mother of God "Economissa", Commemorated July 5 ; Economissa (or Stewardess) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Mother of God seated on a throne, with Her Son on her left knee. Saint Athanasius of Mt Athos (July 5) stands on her right, holding a model of the Great Lavra. On her left is Saint Michael of Synnada (May 23). Two angels hold a crown above her head. Mother of God has been considered the Stewardess of the Holy Mountain ever since the tenth century when the Great Lavra was being built. Athanasius of Mt Athos was abandoned by his monks because there was a shortage of food and money. He also left the half-built Lavra, and began walking toward Karyes, intending to ask for advice about whether or not to beg the emperor for the funds needed to complete the building. After about two hours, he saw a beautiful woman standing before him wearing a long blue veil. “I know your sorrow,â€ She said, “and I would like to help. Where are you going?â€ Athanasius explained everything that had happened, and She asked, “Have you deserted your monastery for a morsel of bread? Go back! You will have everything you need in abundance, if you do not abandon your monastery.â€ “Who are you?â€ the astonished saint inquired. “I am the Mother of your Lord,â€ She replied. Athanasius hesitated to believe Her, afraid of being deceived by the Evil One. Then he asked Her how he could be sure that Her words were true. “Do you see this rock?â€ she asked, pointing to the side of the path. “Strike it with your staff in the name of the Holy Trinity, and you will know who is speaking to you. Do not appoint a steward at any time, for from this time forward, I shall be the Stewardess of your monastery.â€ Athanasius did as he was told, and the rock split open. A stream of water began to flow out of the crack. When he turned to face the Mother of God and to ask forgiveness for his doubt, She had disappeared. to the monastery, Saint Athanasius found all the storerooms filled to capacity with food, wine, and oil. The building was completed, and soon the Lavra was filled with monks once again. this day, the Lavra does not have a steward. There is, however, a monk who serves as an assistant steward to the Mother of God. The Economissa Icon rests on a throne in the narthex of the main church, and She remains the Stewardess of the Lavra. Pilgrims venerate the Icon before entering the side chapel with the saint’s tomb. spring of Saint Athanasius still flows with healing water. Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

The spring of St Athanasius 5 Miles or 2 hour walk towards Karyes

skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos, Gregory Palamas
skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos; skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos; skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos, address; Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Skete of St Anne - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, 963 or 1686
Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9. Venerable Gerontius of St Anne Skete, Mt. Athos, Founder, Commemorated on July 26; Venerable Sophronius of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 18; Monastic Martyr Hilarion of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos, Commemorated on September 20; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8 ; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated December 3 ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos; Venerable Gerontius of St Anne Skete, Mt. Athos; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11;

Kafsokalyvia Skete
Kafsokalyvia Skete; Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva, Commemorated on December 2;

Little St Anne's Skete, arround 1921
Little St Anne's Skete;

Megistis Lavra (Great Lavra of Mt Athos)
Megistis Lavra (Great Lavra of Mt Athos); Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 8 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Great Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra) 963
Great (first) Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra); Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Gregory Domesticus of the Great Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15 ; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5;

Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos, 1375
Prodromou Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Prodromou Skete, Mt Athos, formerly Moldavian Theophany Skete & The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner
Prodromou Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Greece, Mt Athos, , Prodromou Skete, Mt Athos, 1375
Prodromou Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Icon is kept in the Moldavian Theophany (now Prodromou)1 Skete on Mount Athos, about an hour's walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios. 1863, Igoumen Niphon, accompanied by several monks, went to Moldavia on the Monastery's business. at Iași, the capital of Moldavia, the Athonite monks decided to order an icon of the Mother of God for their Monastery, and began to look for a master, who would not only know his craft well, but at the same time he would lead a good life, have the fear of God, and who would be adorned with Christian piety. Soon they managed to find such a man at Iași, the aged painter, George Nikolaev (Iordache Nicolau), with whom they agreed that he should paint the icon only while fasting, before eating any food, and by himself, without the participation and assistance of others. old man, having agreed to these conditions, zealously set about his work. The work progressed quickly to its end: it remained only to paint the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child. But when the painter started to execute the last part of the work, he suffered a setback: he couldn't paint the faces correctly, despite all his efforts. He was upset and told the monks of his failure, and he even began to doubt himself, whether he had forgotten his art in his old age. painter increased his fasting and prayed with tears. Early one morning, after intensified fasting and fervent prayer, he entered his workroom to finish the task that had caused him so much grief and anxiety. Approaching the Icon and looking at it, he suddenly stopped, struck with amazement: from the canvas of the Icon the faces of the Mother of God and the Child looked at him, painted by an invisible hand and radiant with heavenly beauty and artistic expression. The painter was awestruck: the more he considered these faces, the more clearly he understood that a great and incomprehensible miracle of the Queen of Heaven had occurred, and that she had heard his humble and fervent prayers. Overcome with amazement, the artist did not dare to touch this Icon with his brush, but only covered it with varnish. of this miracle quickly spread throughout the city, and many people gathered in the artist's home, so that the Athonite monks had great difficulty in moving the Icon from his house to their apartment. The miraculous event that had occurred was also made known to the local Metropolitan, His Grace Callinic (Miclescu), who at that time held the office of Metropolitan. He examined the Icon carefully and recognized the truth of the miracle. After that, a Moleben was served before the Icon, and only then were the people allowed to venerate the image of the Mother of God, which from that time began to be glorified by many miraculous signs. certain man had a large thorn in his eyes, and he could not see anything. He was brought in to venerate the Icon of the Mother of God and was given some Holy Water to drink, and to wash with it. He took some of it with him to his house. Three days later he received perfect sight, so that without the help of others he was able to come to give thanks to the Mother of God before her miraculous Icon for his healing. nobleman had a child who was unconscious for three days without any movement, so that only by the child's barely perceptible breath could one determine that a faint spark of life still remained. Despairing of saving his child from death by conventional medical means, the father turned to the Mother of God for help, praying fervently before her Icon. Taking some Holy Water to his house, he sprinkled the dying child and poured a few drops into his mouth. And a miracle occurred: the child had already died, but then he recovered. other patients afflicted with various ailments received healing by praying before the Icon of the Mother of God. In view of the numerous miracles performed by the power of the Theotokos through her Holy Icon, not only did Orthodox Christians come to venerate her, but also schismatics, Armenians, and even Jews, for there was the case of a Jewish woman who received her gracious help, which was why she and her entire household were baptized. return of the Athonite monks with the Icon, from Iași to their Monastery on Athos, was also accompanied by many miracles. the monks arrived with the Icon in the city of Byrlad, the people's teacher in that city wished to receive the Holy Icon in his house, and for this purpose he sent people for it. The monks advised him to come to them if he wished to venerate the Icon, instead of bringing it to his home. But the teacher insisted on having his way. The monks decided to grant his wish. When two of them tried to lift the Icon, despite all their efforts, they could not do so. It took four monks to lift the icon, but only with great effort. When the Icon was brought to the carriage in order to put it in, a loud noise was heard, frightening everyone, both people and the horses. It turned out that the kiot containing the Icon had cracked. Then everyone knew that the Mother of God did not want to have her Icon brought to the teacher's house, and it was decided not to carry it to the teacher's home. Then a strange thing occurred: this time, two monks were able to lift the Icon without any difficulty. pious woman who lived outside the city of Byrlad beheld a vision in a dream telling her to go into the city to venerate the Icon. When she arrived, she recognized the very Icon that she had seen in the vision. the monks came to Galați there was a painter who, seeing a multitude of people flocking to venerate the Icon, began to mock it, urging people not to believe the miracle of how the faces had not been painted by any earthly artist. But when he gazed at the Icon of the Mother of God, the exression on her face seemed so fierce to him that he was struck with great horror. Then he became a zealous admirer of the wonderworking Icon. the time the monks arrived at their Skete on the Holy Mountain, there was a sick monk, who had not eaten any food for three weeks, nor did he speak. He was so weak that he did not move at all. Only by his breathing could anyone tell that he was still alive. When the monks arrived at the Skete, the patient seemed to awaken from a deep sleep and asked to be taken to venerate the Holy Icon. Presenting himself before the Icon, he turned to the Mother of God with this plea: "O Mother of God! You know my heart and you know my fate. If it would be good for me to live, then give me health. If, after I am healed of my illness, I do not behave better, then let me die: end my life here on earth, so that I do not suffer or endure torments there, in the grave." After praying this way, he returned to his cell, put on clean linen and his full monastic garb, and asked to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He seemed to have a clear premonition of his approaching death. And, indeed, less than an hour after receiving Communion, he departed peacefully and quietly to the Lord. this Skete there were even more cases of healings by the Icon of the Mother of God. The monk Sergius was healed from weakness in all his members, and from deafness, and one of the masters who worked in the same Skete was subjected to torments by an unclean spirit; as soon as he was brought to the Icon of the Mother of God, he was freed from the excruciating power of the Enemy. addition to the recorded accounts, many other wonderful signs took place on Mount Athos from the Moldavian Icon of the Mother of God, which continues to work miracles up to the present day. 1 The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner on Mount Athos.

Skete of Kausokalyvia (of St Maximus the Hut Burner, Kavsokalyvites)
Skete of Kausokalyvia; New Monastic Martyr Νikόdēmos of Albania, Commemorated on July 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mount Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Holy Skete of John the Forerunner, Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos, 1375
Prodromou Monastery; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 1 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Maleon, Mount Maleon (on the eastern part of Athos)
Mount Maleon (on the eastern part of Athos) Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Thomas of Mt. Maleon, Commemorated on July 7;

Skete of St Anna, New Skete, St Paulas Monastery, Mt Athos, 1610 approx.
Skete of St Anna, St Paulas Monastery; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9;

St Paula's Monastery on Mount Athos, 1035
St Paula'™s Monastery on Mount Athos; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Dionysiou monastery, Mt Athos, 1374
Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner; Repose of the Venerable Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 21 ; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

St John the Forerunner (Dionysiou) monastery, Mt Athos 1374
Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner; Repose of the Venerable Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 21 ; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the AkathistÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, Serb, 1374 approx
Grigoriou monastery; New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Gregory the Founder of Grigoriou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 7;

Simonopetra monastery, Mt Athos, 1200, 13th Century
New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastery; Monastery (Greek: literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonopetra ranks thirteenth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. The monastery is located in the southern coast of the Athos peninsula, between the Athonite port of Dafni and Osiou Grigoriou monastery. While the southern coast of Athos is quite rugged in general, the particular site upon which the monastery is built is exceptionally harsh. It is built on top of a single huge rock, practically hanging from a cliff 330 metres over the sea.[1] The monastery currently houses 54 monks, and the hegumen is Archimandrite Eliseus. monastery was founded during the 13th century by Simon the Athonite, who was later sanctified by the Eastern Orthodox Church as Saint Simon the Myrrh-bearer. Tradition holds that Simon, while dwelling in a nearby cave, saw a dream in which the Theotokos instructed him to build a monastery on top of the rock, promising him that she would protect and provide for him and the monastery. The original monastery was called by Simon "New Bethlehem" (Greek: ÎÎÎ± Î’Î·Î¸Î»ÎµÎÎ¼) and is to this day dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus. 1364, the Serbian despot Jovan UgljeÅ¡a funded the renovation and expansion of the monastery. pilgrim Isaiah wrote that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Bulgarian.[2] 1581, Simonopetra was destroyed by a fire, in which a large portion of the monks died. Evgenios, the monastery's abbot traveled to the Danubian Principalities hoping to raise funds to rebuild the monastery. The most important donor was Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, who donated large portions of land as well as money to the monastery. The monastery was also burnt in 1626, and the last great fire happened in 1891, after which the monastery was rebuilt to its current form. recent centuries, the monks of the monastery were traditionally from Ionia in Asia Minor. However, during the mid 20th century the brotherhood was greatly thinned out because of a great reduction in the influx of new monks. The current brotherhood originates from the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron in Meteora as in 1973 the Athonite community headed by Archimandrite Emilianos decided to repopulate the almost abandoned monastery. Saint Modestos, Archbishop of Jerusalem. Commemorated on December 18; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 28 ; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

New Bethlehem monastery, Mt Athos, 1200, 13th Century
New Bethlehem monastery; Venerable Simon the Myrrh-gusher of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 28 ;

Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, 990
Philotheou monastery; Venerable Dometius of Philotheou, Mount Athos, Commemorated on August 7; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated January11: Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on April 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on May 6;

Glykophiloussa - Monastery of Philotheou (Athos), 990
Glykophiloussa - Monastery of Philotheou (Athos) monastery, Mt Athos, 990; Philotheou monastery; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated January11: Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24; Venerable Philotheus the Founder of Philotheou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 24 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on April 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on May 6;

Magul skete, Mt Athos, near Philotheou
Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou) Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ;

Kavsokalyvia (Karakalou) Monastery, 1000's
Kavsokalyvia (Karakalou) Monastery; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Xeropotamou Monastery, Mt Athos, 985 approx.
Xeropotamou Monastery; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 22 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ;

Skete of St. John the Theologian, Iviron Monastery, Mt Athos
Skete of St. John the Theologian ; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ;

Serbian Iveron monastery
Serbian Iveron monastery; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Iviron monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos) 980
Iviron monastery ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; St John, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31 ; Venerable Gabriel the Georgian, of Mt. Athos; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated September 13 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26 ; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated November 3 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; St George (John) of Georgia; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, Sweet KissingÂ, Commemorated on April 21; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St Ephraim the Bulgarian, Patriarch of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Gabriel the Georgian of Mount Athos, Commemorated on July 12;

Angio Panteleimonos Monastery, Serb and Russian, Mt Athos, 1169
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Icon of the Mother of God the "Deliveress", Commemorated October 17 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ;

Monastery of St Panteleimon, Mt Athos, Serb and Russian, 1169
Monastery of St Panteleimon, Mt Athos, Russian, founded by Prince Lazarus of Serbia ; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15;

Panteleimon (Angio Panteleimonos) Monastery, Serb and Russian, Mt Athos, 1169
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Saint Sava I, first Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 and January 14; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Icon of the Mother of God the "Deliveress", Commemorated October 17 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 10; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Saint Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14, St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ;

Xenophontos Monastery, Mt Athos, 1821
Xenophontos Monastery; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God œXenophon HodigitriaÂ, Commemorated on January 21; Xenophon Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God according to tradition, this wonderworking icon was for many years at the Vatopedi monastery on Mt. Athos, in the katholikon in front of a column on the left cliros. 1730, it mysteriously disappeared not only from the church, but also from the monastery. Since the doors were locked, the monks assumed that thieves had stolen it. Soon they heard that the icon was at the Xenophon monastery, a three hour journey from Vatopedi. monks were sent to return their spiritual treasure to the Vatopedi monastery. The icon was restored to its former place, and the Fathers of the monastery took precautions to prevent the icon from being stolen again. However, the icon of the Mother of God left the Vatopedi monastery and appeared at Xenophon a second and third time. Persuaded that this was actually a miraculous occurrence, the brethren of the monastery decided not to oppose the will of the Mother of God, and left the icon at Xenophon. As a sign of their blessing, the brethren provided candles and oil for the icon. Hodegetria Icon at Xenophon is in the katholikon, before a column on the left cliros, the very same place it occupied at the Vatopedi monastery New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe DirectressÂ from the Monastery of Xenophontos on Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 20;

Protaton, Mt Athos (Karyes), Monastic office (Protos), ecclesiastical seat otProtos (primate), Mt A monastic community
Protaton; Kayes; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet", Commemorated July 13 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated December 5 ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11;

Protaton Church, Mt Athos (Karyes Church) 962
Protaton Church Protaton; Kayes; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet", Commemorated July 13 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated December 5 ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11;

Church of the Theotokos, Protaton Church, Mt Athos (Karyes Church) 962
Protaton Church Protaton; Kayes; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet", Commemorated July 13 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated December 5 ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26;

Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain)
Kayes; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Icon of the Mother of God "It Is Truly Meet"Commemorated July 13 ; Venerable Philotheus of Karyes of Mt Athos, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Bitolya and Mount Athos, Commemorated on December 5; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet... Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5;

Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance

Cell of St Anthony in Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain)
Cell of St Anthony in Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain); Kayes; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17;

Athonite Academy, Karyes, Athos, 1749
Athonite Academy, Karyes, Athos ; Athonite or Athonias Academy is a Greek Orthodox educational institution founded at 1749 in Mount Athos, then in the Ottoman Empire and now in Greece. school offered high level education, where ancient philosophy and modern physical science were taught.[1] the establishment of the Athonite Academy the local monastic community took a leading role in the modern Greek Enlightenment during the 18th century.[2] It aroused the hostility of more conservative circles and was shut down in 1821, but reopened in 1842. Academy's function was also suspended in 1916–1930 and 1940–1953 due to the World Wars. Kayes; Saint Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karyes, Mt Athos, 1370 approx. St Anne, mother of Theotokos, permanently closed
Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karyes, Mt Athos ; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12 Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Stavronikita Monastery, Mt Athos, before 1012, St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Stavronikita Monastery; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9. New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13 ;

Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery) 1759
Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable George of Cernica, Commemorated on December 3; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ;

Saint Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery) 1759
Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Venerable George of Cernica, Commemorated on December 3; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "Tikhvin" on Mt Athos, Commemorated February 17 ;

Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos, 1363
Pantokrator Monastery; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14;

Church of the Transfiguration of The Savior, Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos, 1363
Pantokrator Monastery; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Daphne, Mt Athos
Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ;

Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, 960's
Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ;

Konstamonitou Monastery, Mt Athos, Macedonia, 1020
Konstamonitou Monastery; Foreteller Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 1 ;

Zographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, 980
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Hearer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 22; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂ, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 950
Vatopedi monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joyful"Â, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; Venerable Euthymius and twelve other Monks, martyred at Vatopedi, Commemorated on January 4 Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

skete of Glossia. Vatopedia Monastery
skete of Glossia. Vatopedia Monastery;

Philokalia, Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
Philokalia, Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; Philokalia, Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia: Philokalia (Ancient Greek: φιλοκαλία, lit. 'love of the beautiful', from φιλία philia "love" and κάλλος kallos "beauty") "a collection of texts written between the 4th and 15th centuries by spiritual masters"[1] of the mystical hesychast tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. were originally written for the guidance and instruction of monks in "the practice of the contemplative life".[2] collection was compiled in the 18th century by Nicodemus the Hagiorite and Macarius of Corinth based on the codices 472 (12th century), 605 (13th century), 476 (14th century), 628 (14th century) and 629 (15th century) from the library of the monastery of Vatopedi, Mount Athos.[3]

The Rudder (Pedalion), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
The Rudder (Pedalion), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia; Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; Rudder (Greek: Πηδάλιον) is a collection of the texts of Orthodox Canon law by St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain. was first translated into English by D. Cummings, and published by the Orthodox Christian Educational Society in 1957 under the title of The Rudder. addition to the texts of the canons, Nicodemus includes his own commentary. bibliographic citation Rudder (Pedalion): Of the metaphorical ship of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Orthodox Christians, all the sacred and divine canons of the holy and renowned Apostles, of the holy Councils, ecumenical as well as regional, and of individual fathers, as embodied in the original Greek text, for the sake of authenticity, and explained in the vernacular by way of rendering them more intelligible to the less educated. Comp. a Hieromonk and Nicodemus a Monk. First printed and published A.D.1800. Trans. D. Cummings, from the 5th edition published by John Nicolaides (Kesisoglou the Caesarian) in Athens, Greece in 1908, (Chicago: The Orthodox Christian Educational Society, 1957; Repr., New York, N.Y.: Luna Printing Co., 1983).

Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), drill down from Confession definition); Repose of Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14; St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite's Exomologitarion, he writes: "Nothing else remains after confession, Spiritual Father, except to keep the sins you hear a secret, and to never reveal them, either by word, or by letter, or by a bodily gesture, or by any other sign, even if you are in danger of death, that which the wise Sirach says applies to you: "Have you heard a word? Let it die with you" (Sir. 19:8); meaning, if you heard a secret word, let the word also die along with you, and do not tell it to either a friend of yours or an enemy of yours, for as long as you live. And further still, that which the Prophet Micah says: "Trust not in friends... beware of thy wife, so as not to commit anything to her" (Mic. 7:5). if you reveal them, firstly, you will be suspended or daresay deposed completely by the Ecclesiastical Canons, and according to political laws you will be thrown in jail for the rest of your life and have your tongue cut out. you become a reason for more Christians not to confess, being afraid that you will reveal their sins, just as it happened during the time of Nektarios of Constantinople when the Christians did not want to confess on account of a Spiritual Father who revealed the sin of a woman. The divine Chrysostom both witnessed these things and suffered because of them on account of his trying to convince the people to confess. It is impossible for me to describe in words how much punishment this brings upon you, who are the cause of these things."[4]

Batopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 950
Batopedi monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Commemorated on July 14 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated on July 17; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe JoyfulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 17 ; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated December 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Comfort" or "Consolation", Commemorated January 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Stabbed", Commemorated January 21; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian) 1198
Hilandar monastery; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Three Hands" on Mt Athos; Icon of the Mother of God the "Milk-Giver" of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated July 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three Hands ÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos), Commemorated on January 4; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Akathist, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God, the "Priestly", Commemorated January 12 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the AkathistÂÂ, Commemorated on March 27; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3;

Mt. Samareia, Mt Athos
Saint Damien struggled on a mountain called Samareia, between the monasteries of Hilandar and Esphigmenou, and also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian Monasticism, St Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in asceticism. Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the Three HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the AkathistÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 27; St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on May 11 ;

Mount of the Ascension monestary, Mt Athos, little after 963
Mount of the Ascension monestary; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ;

Karyes monastery, Mt Athos, little after 963
Karyes monastery; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Synaxis of the “Axion Estin” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 11; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Esphigmenou monastery, Mt Athos, little after 963
Esphigmenou monastery; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; St. Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

monestary of St Anastasia, Deliverer of Potions, Mt Athos
monestary of St Anastasia, Deliverer of Potions; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22;

Ierissos, Mt Athos
Ierissos; Icon of the Mother of God of Mt. Athos, "œSweet Kissing"Â, Commemorated on May 6;

Lemnos Island (near Mt Athos)
Lemnos Island; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ;

Greece, Macedonia, Axios River Folder (Thesalonica, Agean Sea)

Axios (Vardar) River

Axios (Vardar) River Source (Scardus Mountains)

Scardus Mountains, between Albania and Macedonia
Scardus Mountains;

Scardus Mountains Park
Scardus Mountains National Park;

Axios (Vardar) River 1 (Gostivar)

Osogovo monastery, Macedonia, 1851
Osogovo monastery; St Joachim of Osogovo, Commemorated August 16 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Mount Osogovo, Macedonia
Mount Osogovo;

Osogovo, Macedonia
Osogovo; St Joachim of Osogovo, Commemorated August 16 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Axios (Vardar) River 2 (Skopje)

Skopje, Macedonia (top of the K Triangle, Roman Road, slso Serbian Empire and Moravian Despotate Capital)
Skopje, Macedonia; St Stephen Urosh, King of Serbia, Commemorated December 2 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ;

Greece, Macedonia, Axios River 2.5, Pshina River Folder

Pshina (Pchinja) River

Kriva River (Psihina)

Kriva River (Psihina 2)

Pshina River Second Source (Kriva River)

Kratov, Macedonia (Pshina River Second Source (Kriva River))
Kratov, Macedonia; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Pshina River Source (along the border)

Radovnica, Serbia
Radovnica, Serbia; The Pinja originates from several streams on the western slopes of the Dukat mountain which meet at the village of Radovnica and continue to the west originally under the name of the Tripu¡nica.

Pcinja 1

Pcinja 2

Pcinja 3

Pshina River 1 (Bransk Wilderness, Vranski Desert, Prochorus' Monastery)

Prochorus' Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pshina, 950
Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pshina; St. Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the River Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15;

Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) Macedonia, Greece
Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) St. Prochorus the Abbot in the Vranski Desert on the River Pshina in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 15;

Pshina (Pchinja) River Mouth (Axios (Vardar) River 2.5 between Skopje and Veles

church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture), Macedonia (near Pshina River, Axios River 2.5)
church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture), Macedonia (near Pshina River, Axios River 2.5); Repose of Saint Stephen of Deani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11;

Pshina River 2 (Staro Nagoricane)

Church of St George, Staro Nagoricane (Pshina River 2)
Church of St. George, Staro Nagoricane; Saint Savva III of Serbia, Commemorated on July 26;

Axios (Vardar) River 3 (Veles, Macedonia)

Bogomila, Macedonia (near Axos River 3)
Bogomila, Macedonia; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated October 30 ; Venerable Dragutin (Theoctistus in Monasticism) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30 ;

Greece, Macedonia, Axios River 3.5, Bregalnica River Folder

Bregalnica River

Bregalnica River 2 from Mt Osogovo

Bregalnica River Source (Berovo Spring)

Bregalnica River 3 from Lesnov

Bregalnica River 3 from Lesnov Source

Lesnov, Probishtip Province, Macedonia (Bregainica River 3)
Lesnov, Probishtip Province, Macedonia; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Lesnov Monastery, Macedonia, or Bulgaria, 1067, (Bregalnica River 3 from Lesnov Source)
Lesnov Monastery ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ;

Bregalnica River 1 (Makedonska Kamenica)

Bregalnica River 2 (Kocani)

Bregalnica River 3 (Vinica)

Bregalnica River 4 (Stip)

Bregalnica River Mouth (Axios River 3.5)

Axios (Vardar) River 4 (Gevgelija, Greece)

Pella, Macedonia (Axios River 4)
Pella; Icon of the Mother of God "œCzestochowa"Â, Commemorated on March 6;

Axios (Vardar) River Mouth (Thessalonica)

Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads)
Thessalonica; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30 ; Venerable Theodora and her daughter Theopiste, Commemorated on August 3; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; SILAS; The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second "Feast of the Savior" in August); Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Martyr Domninus of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Martyr Florentius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 13; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople; Martyr Florentius of Thessalonica; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Lupus, Commemorated on October 26 ; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28; Martyr Anastasia of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 30 ; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated November 11 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silvanus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Macarius of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on January 6 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œStabbed"Â, Commemorated on January 21 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Agathopodes the Deacon, and those with him, at Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 5; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Nicholas Cabasilas, Commemorated on June 20; Monkmartyr David of Thessalonica, Commemorated on June 26; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26 ; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26;

Sourotis, Thessalonica Region, Greece
Sourotis, Thessalonica Region, Greece; Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna, Commemorated on December 9

Zagliberi, Thessalonica
Zagliberi, Thessalonica; New Martyr Aquilina, Commemorated on September 27;

Akapniou Monastery, Acropolis of Thessaloniki
Akapniou Monastery, Acropolis of Thessaloniki; Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20;

Meglen (Meglena, Almopia), Macedonia or Bulgaria (Axios River Mouth)
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria; New Martyr Chryse (Zlata) of Meglena, Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 13; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21;

Latomos Monastery, Thessalonica, Macedonia, 490
Latomos Monastery; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Edessa, Macedonia, Greece
Edessa, Macedonia, Greece; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Virgin Martyrs Neollina, Domnina, and Parthena, Commemorated on January 12;

Meglena (Meglen, Almopia), Macedonia or Bulgaria (Axios River Mouth)

Naousa, Imathia (Axios River Mouth)
Naousa, Imathia; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19 ;

Skete monastery of St John the Forerunner, Verroia (Boroea) Greece, 16th Century
Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ;

Servia, Greece
Servia, Greece; Saint Athanasius of Meteora;

Beroea, Thrace, Macedonia (Veria, Greece, Roman Road Via Egnatia, Axios River Mouth area)
Beroea (Veria, Greece) ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Apostle Carpus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 26 ;

Apollonia (Mygdonia, Axos River Mouth)
Apollonia (Mygdonia); Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ;

Mygdonia, Thessaloniki
Mygdonia, Thessaloniki ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Apollonia, Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Roman Road Via Egnatia)
Apollonia, Thessaloniki; Apostle Mark of the Seventy; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor). Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, called John, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30;

Arethusa (Mygdonia, Axios River Mouth)
Arethusa (Mygdonia); Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Monastery of Saint Anastasia, Vasilika 57006, near Thessalonica
Monastery of Saint Anastasia, Vasilika 57006, near Thessalonica; Monk Martyrs James, Jacob the Deacon, and Dionysius, of Prodromou, Commemorated on November 1; Venerable Theonas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 4; Saint Theonas was a disciple of Saint James of Kastoria (November 1), and lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He lived for some time in the Pantocrator and Simonopetra Monasteries on Mt. Athos. He founded the Monastery of Saint Anastasia, and was consecrated as Archbishop of Thessalonica. He died in peace.

Sourota (Sourote), Macedonia (Axios River Mouth) St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Sourota, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth); Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9. Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12;

Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki
Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12;

Galatista (Small Town near Thessalonica) Relics
Galatista (Small Town near Thessalonica) Relics; Monk Martyrs James, Jacob the Deacon, and Dionysius, of Prodromou, Commemorated on November 1

Triglia, Greece, near Moundania
Triglia, Greece, near Moundania; Saint Ignatius of Christ the Savior Monastery, Commemorated on September 27;

Moundania, Greece, near Thesalonica
Moundania, Greece, near Thesalonica Triglia, Greece, near Moundania; Saint Ignatius of Christ the Savior Monastery, Commemorated on September 27;

Greece, Macedonia, Strymon River Folder (Philippi, Roman Road, Agean Sea)

Dolno River 2

Greece, Macedonia, Strymon River 6, Rila River Folder

Heraclea, Macedonia (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9)
Heraclea Sintica; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated on August 20; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8 ;

Greece, Macedonia, Strymon River 9, Strumitza River Folder

Strumica, Macedonia (Strumitza River 1)
Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29;

Arethousa, Greece, on Via Egnatia (main East West Roman Road)
Arethousa, Greece; Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29;

Prilep, Macedonia, Greece, High Point, Acquired by King Steven Dusan 1334, Serbian till 1395
Prilep, Macedonia, Greece; is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia.[2] It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. View of Prilep and the surrounding mountains name of Prilep appeared first as Πρίλαπος. The old fortress was attached to the rocky hilltop, and its name means “stuck” on the rocks in Old Church Slavonic. It was mentioned by John Skylitzes in relation with Samuel of Bulgaria, who died here in 1014.[3] In other languages is: Bulgarian: Прилеп, Prilep Aromanian: Pãrleap[4] Serbo-Croatian: Prilep / Прилеп Turkish: Pirlepe, or Perlepe Albanian: Përlep or Përlepi, or Prilep or Prilepi Greek: Prilapos, Πρίλαπος Latin: Prilapum is a centre for high-quality tobacco and cigarettes and the metal processing, electronics, timber, textiles, and food industries. The city also produces a large quantity of Macedonian Bianco Sivec (pure white marble). is one of Prilep's traditional cash crops and prospers in the Macedonian climate. Many of the world's largest cigarette makers, such as Marlboro, West and Camel use Prilep's tobacco in their cigarettes after it is processed in local factories such as Tutunski kombinat Prilep. A Tobacco Institute is established in the city in order to produce new types of tobacco and it was the first example of applying genetics to agriculture in the Balkans.[citation needed]. A Gentherm production plant is located in Prilep. overwhelming majority of the city population is Macedonian; the Macedonian population at the last census counted 64,527. There is also a Romani minority, counting some 4,420 inhabitants,most of them living in the neighbourhood of Trizla , also Serbs (310) and Turks (260). Kingdom of Prilep - Realm of Prince Marko A postcard of Prilep in 1915 Photo of a panoramic view of Prilep in 1930 antiquity, the region of Prilep was part of Ancient Pelagonia that was inhabited by the Pelagones, an ancient Greek tribe of Upper Macedonia, who according to Strabo,[5] were Epirote Molossians.[6] region was annexed to the Macedonian kingdom during the 4th century BC. In September 2007 archeological excavations in Bonče, revealed a tomb of what is believed to be the burial site of a Macedonian ruler dating 4th century BC.[7] Near Prilep, close to the village of Čepigovo, are the ruins of the ancient Macedonian city of Styberra (Ancient Greek: Στύβερρα), first a town in Macedonia and later incorporated into the Roman Empire.[8][9] Styberra, though razed by the Goths in 268, remained partly inhabited. town was first mentioned in Greek as Πρίλαπον (Prilapon)[10] in 1014, as the place where Bulgarian Tsar Samuil allegedly had a heart attack upon seeing thousands of his soldiers had been blinded by the Byzantines after the Battle of Kleidion. Byzantium lost it to the Second Bulgarian Empire, but later retook it. was acquired in 1334 by Serbian King Dušan and after 1365 the town belonged to King Vukašin, co-ruler of Dušan's son, Tzar Stefan Uroš V. After the death of Vukašin in 1371, Prilep was ruled by his son Marko.[11] In 1395 it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, of which it remained a part of until 1913, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia. was a major center of the Bulgarian national revival in Western Macedonia in the 19th century.[12] One of the largest annual fairs in Macedonia was held in Prilep in the middle of the 19th century. European consulate exhibitions of 1887 estimate the population of Prilep to approximately 6.500 individuals, of which 4.000 were Bulgarians, 2.000 were Turks and the rest were Serbs with Greeks and Aromanians.[13] During the Great Eastern Crisis, the local Bulgarian movement of the day was defeated when armed Bulgarian groups were repelled by the League of Prizren, an Albanian organisation opposing Bulgarian geopolitical aims in areas like Prilep that contained an Albanian population.[14] the late 19th and early 20th century, Prilep was part of the Manastir Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. It was occupied by Bulgaria between 17 November 1915 and 25 September 1918 during World War I. In 1918 Prilep became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and from 1929 to 1941 it was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. On 8 April 1941, just two days after the start of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, Prilep was occupied by the German Army, and on 26 April 1941 by the Bulgarian Army. Together with most of Vardar Macedonia, Prilep was annexed by the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1941 to 1944. After 9 September coup d'etat the commander of the Bulgarian garrison, refused to withdraw and remained in the city with the Yugoslav guerrillas, managing to hold it for 10 days, blocking the movement of the German troops.[15] Afterwards the German Army retook the town. Prilep was definitively taken by communist partisans on 3 November 1944. From 1944 to 1991 the town belonged to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as part of its constituent Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Since 1991 the town has been part of the Republic of Macedonia. Saint Νikόdēmos the Sanctified of Tismana, Romania, Commemorated on December 26;

Korisos, Kastoria
Korisos, Kastoria; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Greece (Clean), Macedonia (Greater Macedonia) its Area
Greece, Macedonia (Greater Macedonia) its Area

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Mt Athos, Athonite Penninsula Area, Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain)
Greece, Macedonia, Mt Athos, Athonite Penninsula Area, Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain)

Macedonia, Greece
Macedonia ancient kingdom; Macedonia Region; Macedonian Slavs, Republic of Macedonia;

Greece (Cleaan), Macedonia, Thasos Island Folder

Thasos, Macedonia
Thasos;

Marias, Isle of Thasos
Marias, Isle of Thasos;

Thasos, Isle of Thasos, Macedonia
Isle of Thasos;

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Axios River Folder

Osogovo monastery, Macedonia, 1851
Osogovo monastery;

Osogovo, Macedonia
Osogovo;

Skopje, Macedonia (top of the K Triangle, Roman Road, slso Serbian Empire and Moravian Despotate Capital)
Skopje, Macedonia;

Kratov, Macedonia (Pshina River Second Source (Kriva River))
Kratov, Macedonia;

Prochorus' Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pshina, 950
Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pshina;

Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1) Macedonia, Greece
Vranski Desert, Bransk wilderness (Pshina River 1)

church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture), Macedonia (near Pshina River, Axios River 2.5)
church of Ovche Polje (Sheep Pasture), Macedonia (near Pshina River, Axios River 2.5);

Church of St George, Staro Nagoricane (Pshina River 2)
Church of St. George, Staro Nagoricane;

Bogomila, Macedonia (near Axos River 3)
Bogomila, Macedonia;

Lesnov, Probishtip Province, Macedonia (Bregainica River 3)
Lesnov, Probishtip Province, Macedonia;

Lesnov Monastery, Macedonia, or Bulgaria, 1067, (Bregalnica River 3 from Lesnov Source)
Lesnov Monastery ;

Pella, Macedonia (Axios River 4)
Pella;

Edessa, Macedonia, Greece
Edessa, Macedonia, Greece;

Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads)
Thessalonica;

Sourotis, Thessalonica Region, Greece
Sourotis, Thessalonica Region, Greece;

Zagliberi, Thessalonica
Zagliberi, Thessalonica;

Akapniou Monastery, Acropolis of Thessaloniki
Akapniou Monastery, Acropolis of Thessaloniki;

Meglen (Meglena, Almopia), Macedonia or Bulgaria (Axios River Mouth)
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria;

Latomos Monastery, Thessalonica, Macedonia, 490
Latomos Monastery;

Meglena (Meglen, Almopia), Macedonia or Bulgaria (Axios River Mouth)
Meglena (Meglen), Macedonia or Bulgaria;

Naousa, Imathia (Axios River Mouth)
Naousa, Imathia;

Verroia, Macedonia (Beroea, west of Axios River Mouth, K Triangle, Via Egnatia Roman Road)
Verroia;

Beroea, Thrace, Macedonia (Veria, Greece, Roman Road Via Egnatia, Axios River Mouth area)
Beroea (Veria, Greece) ;

Apollonia (Mygdonia, Axos River Mouth)
Apollonia (Mygdonia);

Mygdonia, Thessaloniki
Mygdonia, Thessaloniki ;

Apollonia, Thessaloniki, Macedonia (Roman Road Via Egnatia)
Apollonia, Thessaloniki;

Arethusa (Mygdonia, Axios River Mouth)
Arethusa (Mygdonia);

Monastery of Saint Anastasia, Vasilika 57006, near Thessalonica
Monastery of Saint Anastasia, Vasilika 57006, near Thessalonica;

Sourota (Sourote), Macedonia (Axios River Mouth) St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Sourota, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth);

Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki
Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki;

Galatista (Small Town near Thessalonica) Relics
Galatista (Small Town near Thessalonica) Relics;

Triglia, Greece, near Moundania
Triglia, Greece, near Moundania;

Moundania, Greece, near Thesalonica
Moundania, Greece, near Thesalonica Triglia, Greece, near Moundania;

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, K Triangle area of Macedonia Folder

Kutmichevitsa, Southwest Macedonia or Albania (K Triangle Area)
Kutmichevitsa, (K Triangle Area), the northwestern part of the region of Macedonia and the southern part of Albania, broadly taken to be the area included in the triangle ;

Prilep, Macedonia, Greece, High Point, Acquired by King Steven Dusan 1334, Serbian till 1395
Prilep, Macedonia, Greece;

Ochrid, Greater Macedonia and Albania (Roman Roads, largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid);

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road Listed from west to east: Ancient name Modern name Modern country Dyrrachium, later Epidamnos Durras Albania Claudiana Peqin Albania Apollonia By the village of Pojani (7 km W of Fier) Albania Masio Scampa Elbasan Albania Lychnida Ohrid North Macedonia Resen Resen North Macedonia Heraclea Bitola North Macedonia Florina Florina Greece Edessa Edessa Greece Pella Pella Greece Thessalonike Thessaloniki Greece Pydna Possibly Kitros, 6 km SW of modern Pydna Greece Amphipolis Amfipoli Greece Philippi 14 km NW of Kavala Greece Neapolis Kavala Greece Traianoupolis Traianoupoli Greece Kypsela °psala Turkey Aenus Enez Turkey Aproi (Apros, Apris, Apr) Village of Kermeyan Turkey Adrianople Edirne (not on the main Via Egnatia) Turkey Perinthus, later Heraclea Village of MarmaraereŸlisi Turkey Caenophrurium Sinekli in Silivri district Turkey Selymbria Silivri Turkey Melantias Turkey Rhegion Kekmece, 15 km W of Istanbul Turkey Byzantium, later Constantinople Istanbul Turkey

Arethousa, Greece, on Via Egnatia (main East West Roman Road)
Arethousa, Greece;

Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome)
Drizipara, Bulgaria (on Via Egnatia, Martyr Alexander of Rome);

Bitolya, Center of K Triangle, Macedonia (Pelagonia Valley) Capital of First Bulgarian Empire
Bitolya ;

Galatea Region of West Macedonia
Galatea Region;

Kastoria, K Triangle, Macedonia
Kastoria, Macedonia;

Korisos, Kastoria
Korisos, Kastoria;

Kastorian Hills, K Triangle, Macedonia, Greece
Kastoria, Macedonia;

Koritsa (Kastorian hills, right on Via Egnatia of K Triangle)
Koritsa (Kastorian hills) ;

Pidna, Macedonia
Pidna;

Mount Peristeros, Macedonia
Mount Peristeros;

Prespa Lakes Region, Macedonia, Greece and Albania
Prespa Lakes (Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa);

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Mt Athos Folder

Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece
Mount Athos ;

Athonite Penninsula, Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain), Macedonia, Greece
Mount Athos ; Athonite monasteries ;

Athanasius Monastery, Lavra of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 963, Economissa Icon
Lavra of St Athanasius;

skete monastery of Saint Maximus the Hut-Burner, Athanasius Lavra , Mt Athos, 1345 approx.
Lavra of St Athanasius;

Monastery of St. Athanasius the Athonite, Mt Athos, 963
(Monastery of St. Athanasius the Athonite aka the Great Lavra);

The spring of St Athanasius, Mt Athos, 5 or 6 Miles, Economissa Icon
The spring of St Athanasius 5 Miles or 2 hour walk towards Karyes;

skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos, Gregory Palamas
skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos; skete of Glossia, Provata, Mt Athos;

Skete of St Anne - near the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos, 963 or 1686
Skete of St Anne: a skete to the Great Lavra of Mt. Athos;

Kafsokalyvia Skete
Kafsokalyvia Skete;

Megistis Lavra (Great Lavra of Mt Athos)
Megistis Lavra (Great Lavra of Mt Athos);

Great Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra) 963
Great (first) Lavra of Mt. Athos (Megisti Lavra);

Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos, 1375
Prodromou Monastery;

Prodromou Skete, Mt Athos, formerly Moldavian Theophany Skete & The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner
Prodromou Monastery;

Greece, Mt Athos, , Prodromou Skete, Mt Athos, 1375
Prodromou Monastery;

Skete of Kausokalyvia (of St Maximus the Hut Burner, Kavsokalyvites)
Skete of Kausokalyvia;

Holy Skete of John the Forerunner, Prodromou Monastery, Mt Athos, 1375

Maleon, Mount Maleon (on the eastern part of Athos)
Mount Maleon (on the eastern part of Athos)

Skete of St Anna, New Skete, St Paulas Monastery, Mt Athos, 1610 approx.
Skete of St Anna, St Paulas Monastery;

St Paula's Monastery on Mount Athos, 1035
St Paula'™s Monastery on Mount Athos;

Dionysiou monastery, Mt Athos, 1374
Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner;

St John the Forerunner (Dionysiou) monastery, Mt Athos 1374
Dionysiou monastery, monastery of St. John the Forerunner;

Grigoriou monastery, Mt Athos, Serb, 1374 approx
Grigoriou monastery;

Simonopetra monastery, Mt Athos, 1200, 13th Century
New Bethlehem or Simonopetra monastery;

New Bethlehem monastery, Mt Athos, 1200, 13th Century
New Bethlehem monastery;

Philotheou monastery, Mt Athos, 990
Philotheou monastery;

Magul skete, Mt Athos, near Philotheou
Magul skete on Holy Mount Athos (opposite the monastery of Philotheou)

Glykophiloussa - Monastery of Philotheou (Athos), 990
Glykophiloussa - Monastery of Philotheou (Athos) monastery, Mt Athos, 990; Philotheou monastery;

Kavsokalyvia (Karakalou) Monastery, 1000's
Kavsokalyvia (Karakalou) Monastery;

Xeropotamou Monastery, Mt Athos, 985 approx.
Xeropotamou Monastery;

Skete of St. John the Theologian, Iviron Monastery, Mt Athos
Skete of St. John the Theologian ;

Serbian Iveron monastery
Serbian Iveron monastery;

Iviron monastery (seaport, Serbian and Georgian, Mt Athos) 980
Iviron monastery ;

Angio Panteleimonos Monastery, Serb and Russian, Mt Athos, 1169
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ;

Monastery of St Panteleimon, Mt Athos, Serb and Russian, 1169
Monastery of St Panteleimon, Mt Athos, Russian, founded by Prince Lazarus of Serbia ;

Panteleimon (Angio Panteleimonos) Monastery, Serb and Russian, Mt Athos, 1169
Russian monastery of St Panteleimon ;

Xenophontos Monastery, Mt Athos, 1821
Xenophontos Monastery;

Protaton, Mt Athos (Karyes), Monastic office (Protos), ecclesiastical seat otProtos (primate), Mt A monastic community
Protaton; Kayes;

Protaton Church, Mt Athos (Karyes Church) 962
Protaton Church Protaton;

Church of the Theotokos, Protaton Church, Mt Athos (Karyes Church) 962
Protaton Church Protaton;

Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain)
Kayes;

Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance
Greece, 1500, Philotheus oKaryes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain), Nectarius' Spiritual father, gift oClairvoyance; Kayes;

Cell of St Anthony in Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain)
Cell of St Anthony in Karyes, Athos (the capital of the Holy Mountain); Kayes;

Athonite Academy, Karyes, Athos, 1749
Athonite Academy, Karyes, Athos ;

Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karyes, Mt Athos, 1370 approx. St Anne, mother of Theotokos, permanently closed
Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karyes, Mt Athos ;

Stavronikita Monastery, Mt Athos, before 1012, St Anne, mother of Theotokos
Stavronikita Monastery;

Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery) 1759
Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery);

Saint Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery) 1759
Elias Skete, Mt Athos (Prophet Elijah Skete, Pantokrator Monastery);

Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos, 1363
Pantokrator Monastery;

Church of the Transfiguration of The Savior, Pantokrator Monastery, Mt Athos, 1363
Pantokrator Monastery;

Daphne, Mt Athos
Docheiariou monastery;

Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, 960's
Docheiariou monastery;

Konstamonitou Monastery, Mt Athos, Macedonia, 1020
Konstamonitou Monastery;

Zographou Monestary, Bulgarian, Mt Athos, 980
Zographou Monastery;

Vatopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 950
Vatopedi monastery ;

Philokalia, Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
Philokalia, Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia;

The Rudder (Pedalion), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
The Rudder (Pedalion), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia;

Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), Nicodemus the Haigorite, Vatopedia
Exomologitarion (Manual of Confession), drill down from Confession definition);

Batopedi monastery, Mt Athos, 950
Batopedi monastery ;

Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian) 1198
Hilandar monastery;

Mt. Samareia, Mt Athos
Saint Damien struggled on a mountain called Samareia, between the monasteries of Hilandar and Esphigmenou, and also in one of the caves where the Father of Russian Monasticism, St Anthony of the Caves (July 10), had lived in asceticism.

Mount of the Ascension monestary, Mt Athos, little after 963
Mount of the Ascension monestary;

Karyes monastery, Mt Athos, little after 963
Karyes monastery;

Esphigmenou monastery, Mt Athos, little after 963
Esphigmenou monastery;

monestary of St Anastasia, Deliverer of Potions, Mt Athos
monestary of St Anastasia, Deliverer of Potions;

Ierissos, Mt Athos
Ierissos;

Lemnos Island (near Mt Athos)
Lemnos Island;

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Strymon River Folder

Rila Monastery, Macedonia (Rila River Source) 927
Rila Monastery ;

Heraclea, Macedonia (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9)
Heraclea Sintica;

Strumica, Macedonia (Strumitza River 1)
Strumica;

Dremvitsa, Macedonia

Serres, Macedonia (fertile plain, Strymon River 10)
Serres;

Amphipolis, Macedonia (Strymon (Struma) River 12) Roman Road Via Egnatia
Amphipolis;

Chrysopolis, Macedonia (Eion, Roman Road, Strymon River Mouth)
Chrysopolis, Macedonia (Eion) ;

Philippi, Eastern Macedonia, Trajanopolis in Thrace (Roman Road, near Strymon River Mouth)
Philippi;

Neapolis, Thessalonica (between Strymon and Nestos Rivers, at Philippi)
Neapolis, Thessalonica;

Stagira (ancient city), Chalkidice, Macedonia (Aristotle's home)
Stagira (ancient city), Chalkidice, Macedonia;

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia Folder, Philippi, Rila Monastery

Greece (Clean), Macedonia, Roman Roads in Macedonia

Key towns along the Via Egnatia East West Roman Road

Greece, Thessaly Folder, and its rivers

Thessaly Region of Greece
Thessaly Region; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated September 13 ; St Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, Commemorated Septemer 15 ; St Gerasimus, Commemorated September 15 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 21; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10 ; Martyr Porphyrius in Thessaly, Commemorated February 10; Martyr Baptus in Thessaly, Commemorated February 10; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February14 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Greece, Thessaly, 829-842, Luke's Prousos Icon, Iconoclasts, MOG saved it, chanting light fCave, moved but MOG returned it
Greece, Thessaly, 829-842, Prousos Icon, Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi, Evrytania, Thessaly, cave carved out monastery temple, Luke's Icon, young nobleman from Prousa, Bithynia, Iconoclast Theophilos time, ordered icons destroyed, he disregarded order, took icon tGreece, lost it aGallipoli, MOG put icon in Eurytania cave, where shepherd found it, he settled iNew Patra, heard oMiraculous Eurytania events, shepherd boy heard chanting from cave, pillar light reaching up tHeaven, Pyrsos fLight iCave, many people came, found icon source of light in cave, young man went there to get his icon, took it but MOG returned it by telling him to and for him to stay, he built chapel in cave, Hodegetria type, gilded cover from 1821 General who stayed there, monastery devastated many times bTurks but not the cave temple, Germans tried to burn it, but officer punished by MOG (Panagia), 1948 Greek civil war icon moved to acropolis of Naupaktos, 9th Division soldiers see MOG in Cave Temple, she identified when they saw the Icon, ; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23; upon the fir-covered mountain peaks of southwestern Eurytania, wedged between vertical grayish rocks in savage majesty, is the Holy Monastery of Proussos. is an historic stauropegial monastery, with magnificent three-storey building among them a cave has been carved out, inside of which is the first ancient temple of the monastery. it is kept the wonderworking Icon of the Panagia (the All-Holy Virgin), called Prousiotissa, and her Feast Day is celebrated with grandeur and solemnity on August 23. to Tradition, this wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos is believed to have been painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke (October 18), came from Prousa in Asia Minor (according to manuscript 3 of the codex of the Holy Monastery of Prousiotissa). was taken from Prousa by a young nobleman in the reign of the last iconoclastic Emperor Theophilos (October 2, 829 – January 20, 842). ordered all the icons to be removed from the churches and destroyed. Orthodox people protected and hid the holy icons, even though the penalty for this "crime" was exile or death. the Emperor's decree was read in the city of Proussa, the son of a member of the imperial court chose to disregard it. the the Holy Icon, he sought refuge on the Greek mainland, because the persecution was not quite as severe there, on the islands, or on the coast of Asia Minor. the way to Greece, however, the young man lost the Icon at Gallipoli in Thrace, which caused him great sorrow. “Woe is me, the wretched one," he cried. “The Mother of God has abandoned me because of my sins." Icon had returned miraculously to a cave in a wild part of Eurytania (in the vicinity of Litza and Agrapha, where the monastery and the Icon's shrine are at present), and where it was revealed to some local shepherds on the night of August 22-23. young man chose not to go back, because he could not bear to live among the iconoclasts. continued on his journey and settled in the city of New Patre, near the northwest end of the Peloponnesos. went by, and then one day he heard rumors about certain miraculous events in the region of Aitola. to these reports, the son of a local shepherd was tending his father's flock in a rugged, inaccessible spot in the mountains. There were no homes or villages, but only a shelter for the shepherds. night, as the child was sleeping, he was awakened by heavenly chanting coming from a cave behind him. much apprehension he turned and saw a fiery pillar of light coming from the cave and reaching up to Heaven. is why the Icon is also called Pyrsos - because of the place where it was hidden. the boy went to inform his father what he had seen. father thought that his son had been dreaming, and told him not to fear things that weren't real. young man insisted, however, that what he had heard and seen was real. next night, the child brought his father to the same place where he had seen the pillar of light, so that he could see this phenomenon for himself. man saw exactly what his son had described, but he did not dare to look in the cave. next day he took other people there, and all of them saw the same vision. searching the area they discovered the Holy Icon in the cave, radiant and luminous. with joy, they venerated the Icon, and decided to keep it there. discovery of her Holy Icon was the first miracle of Panagia Prousiotissa. the young man who had lost the Icon heard about an Icon of the Theotokos which had been revealed by a pillar of light. and his servants left at once, and after two days they arrived at the cave where the Icon was kept. moment he saw the Icon he knew it was the same one he had lost. venerating the Icon, he gave gifts to the shepherds and started back to New Patre with it. shepherds’ joy turned to sorrow when they realized they were being deprived of the Icon. They pleaded with the young man to leave the Holy Icon with them. told them that the Icon belonged to him, and that he had given them rich gifts to compensate them for their loss. he said that the mountain was not a good place to build a church or to accommodate pilgrims. Then he took the Icon and left. he and his companion were tired and had to rest, they stopped at a certain place. fell asleep and when they woke up, they couldn't find the Icon. that the shepherds had stolen it while they were sleeping, they retraced their steps. they came to a narrow spot near the river, the young man heard a voice, saying, young man, be saved! Go in peace and do not labor any more. It pleases me to remain here with the shepherds and peasants, but not to be in the cities with people who preach heresy. you wish to remain with me, then come to the place where you found me. This will be for your benefit." the young man was able to hear the voice. obedience to the Mother of God, he freed his servants, gave away all of his possessions, and went back to the cave where he had found the Icon, accompanied by one of his servants, who decided to remain with him. was convinced that it was the will of the Panagia that she should remain there. young man built a chapel in the cave for the Icon. and his servant both received the monastic tonsure from Hieromonk Raphael, who came from the hermitage of Saint Demetrios. was tonsured with the name Demetrios, and his servant received the name Timothy. he built a cell opposite the chapel in a quiet place, where they repented for their sins. Demetrios reposed there in peace, after living a God-pleasing life. His disciple Timothy buried his body in the church he had built, and his blessed soul flew to Heaven. was the beginning of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Prousa (or Prousiotissa). Icon of the All-Holy Virgin is of the Hodēgḗtria type has a gilded silver-plated metal cover, the gift of General George Karaiskakis, who was housed in the Monastery during the Revolution of 1821. metal cover was made by the goldsmith George Karanikas in 1824, as is shown by the embossed inscription above the right shoulder of the Mother of God: "The Pantanassa. Through the generosity of General George Karaiskakis, made by the hand of George Karanikas, 1824." Monastery's records show that it had been devastated many times during the Turkish occupation. last act of vandalism (by the Germans in 1944) reduced the buildings into piles of rubble. the buildings fell, an officer wanted to burn down the church. He tried to do so many times, but to no avail. he was standing outside and giving orders, he was punished by the Panagia, as an example to others. invisible force threw him violently onto the pavement. The impact was very powerful, and the German was unable to get up. The soldiers lifted him and placed him upon an animal in order to carry him to Agrinio. the temple remained unharmed, just as it has been preserved intact through the centuries. years passed, and a civil war was raging in the Greek countryside. inhabitants of Eurytania and Naupaktos left their villages, seeking safety in other parts of Greece. brought their wonderworking Icon with them. She also shared the fate of her children, and was carried by the monks of Proussos to the acropolis of Naupaktos. monastery remains completely deserted. a long time, the army's operations began. Ninth Division launched an attack to wipe out Eurytania. sections passed through Proussos. officers and soldiers approached the dark church of the cave and went in to pray. Inside, they beheld a strange sight. In front of the iconostasis, to the left of the Beautiful Gate, was a lit candle and a nun was kneeling there. The soldiers were amazed. How could this nun be living there at a time when Eurytania was completely abandoned by its residents? How did she live, what did she eat, where did she get oil for the lamp? When they asked her, she replied modestly and with pain: "My children, I've been living here alone for two and a half years. For my own life, I don't need food and bread. It is enough for me to have my lamp lit." soldiers grew tired of this business, and were in a hurry to leave, so they paid no attention to her words. But the next day, when they thought about it, they realized that this was a wondrous thing. when they passed through Naupaktos, they begged their commanding officer for permission to visit Metropolitan Christophoros of Naupaktos and Eurytania. The hierarch welcomed them with love, and after hearing their story, he was able to shed some light on the mystery. temple that you visited," he told them, "belongs to the now abandoned Prousiotissa Monastery, whose wonderworking Icon has been kept here for more than two years, in the chapel of our metropolis, at Saint Dionysios. Go there and venerate it, and then you will understand." did go to venerate the Icon. Then suddenly, everyone understood the mystery. the Icon of the Mother of God, they recognized the nun they had met in the chapel of the cave, high above Proussos!

Greece (Clean), Thessaly, Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Greece, Thessaly Region, its Area

Greece (Clean), Thessaly, Pineios River Folder, Mt Olympos, Larissa, Meteora

Greece (Clean), Thessaly, Pagasetic Gulf Folder, Magnesia Penninsula

Greece (Clean), Thessaly, Heraclea River Folder

Hellas (Greece)
Hellas or Greece, Hellenistic period - after Alexander and before Rome;

Ampelon, Dimos Palama, Thessaly
Ampelon, Dimos Palama, Thessaly; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7;

Pineios River Source (Pindus Mountains)

Pineios River 1, Meteora

Meteora (Plain of Thessaly, Six Monasteries, like Mt Athos)
Meteora (Like Mt Athos, Six Monasteries, Plain of Thessaly, on the Pineios River); Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20;

Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron
Platylithos (Wide Rock), which Athanasios himself called Meteoron ; Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20;

Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora
Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora; Hieromartyr Nicodemus of Meteora, Commemorated August 16 ;

Great Cave Monastery, Stagoi, Kalabaka, Meteora, Plain of Thessaly
Great Cave Monastery, Stagoi, Kalabaka, Meteora, Plain of Thessaly; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17;

Pineios River 2, Trikala

Trikkala, Thessaly (high point, Fortress, Pineios River 2)
Trikkala; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20; Saint Ekouménios, Wonderworker of Trikala, Commemorated on May 3; New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Commemorated on May 16;

Karditsa Regional Unit, Thessaly
Karditsa (regional unit); Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ;

Pineios River 3, Larissa

Larissa, Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth)
Larissa; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, Commemorated Septemer 15 ; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15;

Lygaria (Larissa), Thessaly (near Pineios River Mouth)
Larissa; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa, Commemorated Septemer 15 ; Martyr Barbarus in Thessaly, who was a robber, Commemorated on May 6; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15;

Mt Olympus in Thessaly, Greece (Pineios River Mouth)
Mount Olympus; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated January 24 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February14 ; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13;

Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus, 1542
Agios Dionysios Monastery, Olympus; Venerable Dionysius of Olympus, Commemorated on January 24;

Mt Pelion, Thessaly
Mt Pelion; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

Cynoscephalae, Thessaly
Cynoscephalae; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9;

Magnesia (eastern peninsula of Thessaly)
Magnesia (eastern peninsula of Thessaly); Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Justus at Rome, Commemorated on July 14 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 21 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10;

Magnesia, Thessaly (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea)
Magnesia (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea); Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Justus at Rome, Commemorated on July 14 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH;

Magnis, city of Magnesia, Thessaly (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea)
Magnesia (Pagasetic Gulf of Agean Sea); Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Justus at Rome, Commemorated on July 14 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH;

Volos, Thessaly
Volos, Thessaly; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated August 16 ; New Martyr Stamatius was a native of the city of Volos, Thessaly. They accused him of accepting Islam, but he bravely confessed himself a Christian and was beheaded by the sword at Constantinople in 1680.

Demetriada, Thessaly
Demetriada; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated October 11 ; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19;

Makrinitsa, Thessaly
Makrinitsa, Thessaly ; St Gerasimus, Commemorated September 15 ;

Zurvia (Survias) Monastery, aka Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205
Zurvia (Survias), Makrinitissa Monastery, 1205; Saint Gerasimus, Commemorated on September 15;

Zagora, Thessaly
Zagora, Thessaly; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated August 8 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus, a native of Zagora, Magnesia (in Thessaly), was beheaded by the Turks at Constantinople in the year 1680 for his refusal to reject Christ and accept Islam. He was only fifteen years old when he received the crown of victory from Christ. St Gerasimus, Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Skopelo, Thessaly
Skopelo; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated September 13 ;

Saint Anna's Monastery at Lygaria in Lamia, Thessaly, Greece
Saint Anna's Monastery at Lygaria in Lamia; Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Saint Anna, Commemorated on December 9

Heraclea River Source (Mt Oeta, Thessaly)

Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Source)
Karpenisi, Thessaly, Greece ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ;

Evrytania Regional Unit, near Thessaly
Evrytania Region; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ;

Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi, Evrytania, Thessaly
Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; is a village and a former municipality in Evrytania, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Karpenisi, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 146.680 km2.[3] Population 1,430 (2011). Prousos Monastery, Proussos 361 00 Karpenisi; Prousiotissa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 23;

Agrapha, Thessaly, Greece
Agrapha municipality; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ;

Agrafa Region, mountains above Western Thessaly
Agrafa Region; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Monkmartyr Damian of Philotheou, Commemorated February 23 ;

Heraclea River 1 (Spercheiada to Lamia)

Agathonos Monastery, Phthiotis (Heraclea River 1) 1271 or 1400's
Agathonos Monastery, Phthiotis; St. Seraphim of Labodeia, Commemorated on May 6;

Hypate in New Patras (Neopatras, Heraclea River 1.3)
Hypate in New Patras; is a village and a former municipality in Phthiotis, central peninsular Greece. the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Lamia, of which it is a municipal unit.[1] The municipal unit has an area of 257.504 km2.[2] Its 2011 population was 4,541 for the municipal unit, and 496 for the settlement of Ypati itself.[1] town has a long history, being founded at the turn of the 5th/4th century BC as the capital of the Aenianes. the Roman period the town prospered and was regarded as the chief city of Thessaly, as well as a bishopric. was probably abandoned in the 7th century as a result of the Slavic invasions, but was re-established by the 9th century as Neopatras. town became prominent as a metropolitan see and was the capital of the Greek principality of Thessaly in 1268–1318 and of the Catalan Duchy of Neopatras from 1319 to 1391. was conquered by the Ottomans in the early 15th century and remained under Ottoman rule until the Greek War of Independence. Saint Athanasius of Meteora, Commemorated on April 20;

Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly, Saint Anne the mother of Theotokos
Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Lamia, Lygaria, Thessaly, St Anne the mother of Theotokos
Lygaria, Lamia, Thessaly ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. the reign of Saint Justinian the Emperor (527-565), a church was built in her honor at Deutera. Emperor Justinian II (685-695; 705-711) restored her church, since Saint Anna had appeared to his pregnant wife. It was at this time that her body and maphorion (veil) were transferred to Constantinople. of Saint Anna’s holy relics may be found on Mount Athos: Stavronikita Monastery (part of her left hand), Saint Anna’s Skete (part of her incorrupt left foot), Koutloumousiou Monastery (part of her incorrupt right foot). Fragments of her relics may also be found in her Monastery at Lygaria, Lamia, and in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian at Sourota. Part of the saint’s incorrupt flesh is in the collection of Saints’ relics of the International Catholic Crusaders. The church of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome has one of the saint’s wrists. Anna is also commemorated on September 9.

Heraclea, Trachis, Thessaly, Greece (Heraclea River Mouth)
Heraclea, Trachis; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Heraklion in Trakhis, Thessaly (near Heraclea River Mouth)
Heraklion in Trakhis; Apostle Apelles of Heraclea; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Holy Apostles of the 70 Apelles, Luke (Loukios), and Clement, Commemorated on April 22;

Greece, Peloponnesos (Southern Greece) Folder

Peloponnesos, Southern Greece
Peloponnese ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of "The Myrtle Tree". Commemorated September 24 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated October 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated January 20 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Morea Peninsula (Pelopennesos)
Morea; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Kythera Island, Southern Greece
Kythera Island ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "The Myrtle Tree". Commemorated September 24 ;

Greece, Pelopennosos, Arcadia Region Folder, Mantineia, Laodicea, Kastanochori

Arcadia Region, Peloponnesos
Arcadia Region, Peloponnesos; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11;

Laodicea, Peloponnesos (Arcadia)
Laodicea, Peloponnesos (Arcadia) ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11;

Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos
Kastanochori, Arcadia; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4;

Paroria, Arcadia, Peleponnese
Paroria, Peleponnese; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Demitsana, Arcadia, Peleponnese
Demitsana or Dimitsana ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 10; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Mantinea, Arcadia, Pelopennosos
Mantinea in Asia Minor ; Regions of Ancient Greece - Asia Minor; Asia Minor; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27 ;

Steep mountain oLittle Athos, Antiathos, so-called Old Prodromos &Panagia
steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia.; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Loussios River Gorge, Arcadia, Peloponnesos
Loussios River Gorge; Saint Dionysios, the builder of Prodromou Monastery, Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 25;

Epidavros Limira Province of Laconia, Pelopennesos, Greece
Epidavros Limira Province of Laconia, Pelopennesos, Greece; Limira was one of the provinces of the Laconia Prefecture, Greece. was named after the ancient city Epidaurus Limera. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Elafonisos and Monemvasia, and the municipal units Elos and Niata.[1] It was abolished in 2006.

Monovatia (Malbasia) Monestary, Peloponnesos, Southern Greece
Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; Venerable George the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Monemvasia (Malbasia) Monestary, Southern Greece
Monemvasia monastery at Morea in the Peloponnesos.; Venerable George the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; New Martyr John of Monemvasia, Commemorated on October 21; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Cape Maleas, Southern Greece
Cape Maleas; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4;

Mount Maleas, Peloponnesos
Cape Maleas; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4;

Karyes, Pelopennese
Karyes; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E
Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7;

Eurotas River 1 (Sparta)

Sparta, Peloponnesos, Greece (Eurotas River 1)
Sparta, Peloponnesos Region, Greece ; Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovonē in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovonē there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. The priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. At Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. Later, the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. He thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Father Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. Suddenly, at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. Thus, the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. The demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. Against his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. Then the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. Seeing God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. First of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. At once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. The Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. Then the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus The Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. About that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4. Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance. Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; “Deliverer” Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on April 4; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Lakedaimonia ala Sparta, Peloponnesos, Greece
Sparta, Peloponnesos Region, Greece ; Icon of the Mother of God the "Deliveress", Commemorated October 17 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance. Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta
Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta ; Address Lysandrou 5 231 00 SPARTA GREECE Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance. Commemorated November 26 ;

Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese (fortified high point above Sparta, Capital of Despotate Morea)
Mystras, Laconia, Peleponnese; or Mistras (Greek: Μυστρᾶς/Μιστρᾶς),[2] also known in the Chronicle of the Morea as Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, a period of prosperity and cultural flowering during the Palaeologan Renaissance, including the teachings of Gemistos Plethon.[2] city also attracted artists and architects of the highest quality.[2] The site remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period, when Western travellers mistook it for ancient Sparta. the 1830s, it was abandoned and the new town of Sparti was built, approximately eight kilometres to the east. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Sparti municipality.[3] As an exceptionally well-preserved example of a Byzantine city and because of its testimony to the development of Late Byzantine and Post-byzantine art, Mystras was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989.[4] Saint Illyricus of Mount Myrsinon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 3;

Saint Nikon'™s Monastery, Sparta, 940 or so
Saint Nikon'™s Monastery, Sparta, 940 or so; Holy Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta ; Address Lysandrou 5 231 00 SPARTA GREECE Venerable Nikon Metanoeite,the Preacher of Repentance. Commemorated November 26 ;

Loganikos, Peloponnesos
Loganikos, Peloponnesos; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7;

Lakedaimonia, Southern Greece (Eurotas River 2)
Lakedaimonia, Southern Greece ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ;

Eurotas River Mouth (Laconian Gulf)
Eurotas River; Eurotas (Ancient Greek: Εὐρώτας) or Evrotas (modern Greek: Ευρώτας) is the main river of Laconia and one of the major rivers of the Peloponnese, in Greece. river's springs are located just northwest of the border between Laconia and Arcadia, at Skortsinos. river is also fed by underwater springs at Pellana and by tributaries coursing down from Mt. Taygetos and Mt. Parnon, which flank the Eurotas valley to the west and east, respectively. river is 82 kilometres (51 mi) long,[1] flowing in a north-south direction and emptying into the Laconian Gulf. Its drainage basin is 2,239 km2 (864 sq mi).[2] classical Eurotas was changed to Iri in the Middle Ages and only changed back to Eurotas in recent times. Eurotas, however, is not the most ancient name of the river. It does not appear in the works of Homer, which purport to recount the stories and geography of Mycenaean Greece. In that legendary time, the Dorians are not known to have been present in the Eurotas Valley. At some time prior to being called Eurotas, the river was the Bomycas and the Himeras.[3] etymology derives the word Eurōtas from the ancient Greek eurōs (εὐρώς), "mold".[4] The adjective, eurōeis, "moldy," is genuinely ancient, used as an epithet of Hades in Homer.[5] It is, however, in the Ionic dialect. Physical[edit] source of the Eurotas River is a surface spring called Piges Evrota (Πηγές Ευρώτα, "Eurotas Springs") located near the village of Skortsinos, Arcadia, by the side of the road ascending from Kyparissi. spring is an outlet of an aquifer located in the adjacent limestone ridge at a locale called Kephalari. The ridge, a karst, is not part of the Taygetus Massif, but, like the other mountains of Arcadia, is a nappe raised by the compressional forces on the Hellenic Plate by the subduction of Africa. The spring is also called Logaras Spring.[6] Spring supplies an anciently constructed catchment basin about the size of a pond, sometimes called a lake, which exits both to irrigation channels and to the Alpheios stream (not to be confused with the Alpheios river in the northwestern Peloponnese). The flow is copious except in times of drought. A recent study measured the outflow through the catchment exit every 15 days for 540 days in 2006-2007. It recorded a maximum of 1748 cubic m per hour and a minimum of 310.5 cubic m per hour. From the catchment at an altitude of 430 m (1,410 ft) part of the water flows into the Alpheios stream, which enters the upper Eurotas.[6] Laconian Alpheios stream is unconnected with the Alpheios river in Arcadia. The identity of their names comes from an ancient geologic misunderstanding that the Eurotas and the Apheios were connected underground, which deceived even Pausanias, one of the best ancient geographers. He believed they had the same source but that the outflow stream disappeared into a chasm only to emerge at different locations as different streams.[7] In the most exaggerated form of the myth, the Alpheios continues under the Mediterranean to Sicily or elsewhere. stream[edit] the river is hydromorphologically far from its natural state. The main problem is anthropogenic abstraction of water, by many methods, from the shallow aquifer through which it flows. The valley contains about 7000 wells. Water is directly removed by irrigation ditches, weirs, and pumping stations. Consequently, the river is intermittent; large sections are typically dry of surface water, even though water still flows in the aquifers. Flash flooding is a problem. Through flood control, the riverbed has been widened in places and straightened, and the vegetation has been removed from its sides.[8] The lower river runs between dikes in a long, straight course. of the numerous tributaries of the Eurotas are right-bank, feeding the shallow aquifer. They are, however, intermittent and ephemeral.[9] The major ones have cut deep ravines into the Taygetus Massif. The few left-bank tributaries, receiving waters from the deep aquifer, are more substantial, but still intermittent. classical Oineus was changed to Kelefina in the Middle Ages and not restored to its ancient name until recent times. The current Magoulitsa was formerly the Trypiotiko. rich alluvial soil through which the final 10 km of the Eurotas flows was not there in antiquity. The Eurotas has aggraded the innermost bay of the gulf. The old coastline can be approximated by a line on the periphery of the plain of Elos marking the border within which prehistoric archaeological sites are not found. The line on the west follows the Skala-Gytheion road to Skala, the Skala-Molaoi road to Vlachiotis, southeast along the edge of the rising terrain to Asteri and south from there to the coast. Due to changes in sea level, some land on the flanks of the gulf has been drowned.[10] current communities of Elos, Leimonas and Agioi Taxiarches have been constructed on aggraded land. As Pausanias mentions that Elos was a port city, the current Elos cannot be identified with it. Skala, on the other hand, means "place of embarkation."[11] The location of the ancient port, however, is not yet known for certain. Legendary pre-Hellenic tribe[edit] Greek legend, the human ancestor of all the peoples that inhabited the Eurotas Valley was Lelex, eponymous king of the Leleges, one of the peoples of the eastern Aegean whom the classical writers saw as autochthonous; that is, indigenous and pre-Hellenic.[citation needed] His son or grandson was Eurotas, the last of the line. The latter had a daughter, Sparta, but no sons. An outsider married her, Lacedaemon. Although he named the state Sparta after her, his name is now known to have most likely been the name of the Mycenaean state.[citation needed] or late Bronze Age Greece is generally conceded to be Achaean Greek on the evidence of the Linear B and Hittite documents. If any Dorians were present they were not in any capacity overtly recorded by the surviving administrative records; however, most of the records have not survived, so in reality we do not know. Hypothetically, if the Leleges really were in the Eurotas valley, the time of their ascendancy would have been before Mycenaean times. the late 20th century, evidence in the valley of earlier occupation seemed to be lacking.[citation needed] Beginning in 1968 the University of Cambridge began a survey by underwater archaeology of a drowned town between Pounta on the mainland and Elafonisos island on the eastern side of the Laconian Gulf. The town extended over the entire drowned isthmus from 60 rock-cut tombs on the Pounta shore (a beach) to the remains of walls on Pavlopetri island off Elafonisos. A subsequent survey in 2009 discovered even earlier parts of the town and recovered additional pottery. A chronological study was done on "442 ceramic items, an iron nail and an obsidian chip." More research on the site is planned.[12] town was apparently continuously occupied from the late Neolithic to Byzantine times when it was drowned, perhaps by an earthquake. Neolithic ceramics were only 3% of the 444 items. The town was mainly Early Bronze Age, which had 40%. The early Helladic pottery is "standard ... some showing close links with the Cyclades, western Crete and the northeastern Aegean." The "15% Middle Bronze Age"[citation needed] is represented by middle Helladic and middle Minoan. This archaeological scenario is not incompatible with the Aegean distribution of the Leleges, although it is not possible to say who the early and middle Bronze Age inhabitants were. late Bronze Age had 25% of the items.[clarification needed][citation needed] Classical and Byzantine items were minimal, indicating a probable near abandonment of the city at the end of the late Bronze Age.[citation needed] Lacedaemon[edit] has provided a more complete story for the Mycenaean period. On the left bank of the Eurotas, across from Sparta, is a ridge on which sits a temple called the Menelaon. In the 20th century a survey by the British School of Archaeology revealed that the entire ridge, located in the municipal unit of Therapnes, ancient Therapnē, had been covered by a walled Mycenaean town, dated to the late Bronze Age by the late Helladic (LH3) pottery[13] with some middle Helladic (MH) pottery in "pockets in the bedrock." The archaeologists analyzing the site recognized a building Period I, dated between LH2B–LH3A1, the latter being brought to and end about 1425 BCE by a severe earthquake. Remains of a mansion with Minoan pottery date from Period I. Period IA, the hill settlement was rebuilt. The structures included kilns for smelting bronze. In Period II, dated to LH3A1, a villa-type structure was built of a terrace formed from previous building material further down to the south. It was probably two-story, megaron-type, with "less substantial walls" but "a massive foundation for what could be a defense tower." It was connected to the top by stairs. Period III, LH3A2–LH3B2, begins with 150 years of apparent abandonment and then a limited reconstruction of a one-story structure on the terrace. The staircase was blocked. The entire ridge was intensely occupied leaving a profusion of Mycenaean pottery. The villa was burned at the end of LH3B2, leaving a destruction level. Two persons buried in the associated rubble appear to have died violently. Occupation of the hill went on through the Greek Dark Age, reduced to the Menelaon shrine in the Archaic and Classical Periods. Dedications to Menelaus and Helen are found in its vicinity starting the Archaic period.[14] excavators concluded that in the "later 15th century" (BCE) the ridge was "the principal settlement site in Laconia." The shrine and its dedications identify it as the site of Homeric Sparta, capital of a ruling couple believed by the population of the Archaic Period to have been Menelaos and Helen. Sparta[edit] archeological Sparti, modern town, Taygetus mountains classical-era city of Sparta was built on the west bank of the Eurotas about halfway down the valley. The Spartans made little use of the left bank of the river: Only one permanent bridge has been found that crossed to it, at Therapne just south of the city. The main traffic was southward to the port of Gytheio, which was the most convenient outlet. All others involved a trek over mountains.[15] Laconia[edit] Laconia is a political subdivision of Greece covering the Eurotas Valley, the massifs on either side, the two headlands, and the enclosed Laconian Gulf with its coastal islands. Its seat is the city of Sparta, as in ancient times, at a site which dominated and still dominates the valley from its central position. However, the rich-soil plain is entirely divided into villages that practice agriculture, viticulture, and arboriculture intensely. main roads from Sparta form a branching network leading out radially from the city to connect other cities and towns in the valley. A web of secondary roads fills in the spaces between the main roads.[16] modern times, much of the river water is used for irrigation, with the result that the Eurotas is almost dry during the summer months. The waters of the Eurotas are used to irrigate mainly citrus crops, for which Laconia is famous. The plain of Elos near the river's mouth is particularly fertile farmland. the winter months, the Eurotas is prone to flooding. On 24 November 2005 heavy floods damaged buildings and stranded automobiles in the streets, and harmed orchards, including the valley's famous orange and olive groves. The floods affected many villages along the valley as well as the town of Gytheio; 170 km2 (66 sq mi) of land was ruined. the nitrate waste from fertilizers is polluting the river, aggravated by diminished flow because of the irrigation demands on it.[17] Geomorphology[edit] Eurotas River occupies the floor of a rift valley, or graben, created by extensional forces acting over the Hellenic Plate in a northeast-southwest direction. The corresponding fault-block mountains are the Taygetus Massif on the west and the Parnon Massif on the east – both limestone ridges derived from a former sea bed.[18] On the east side of Taygetus is the Sparta Fault, a normal fault, which strikes in a zig-zag path along the foot of the massif and dips toward the interior of the valley. The river is on the western side. From it the scarps of the footwall of the Sparta Fault are visible at the base of Tayegetus. is transected by deep ravines through which tributaries flow into the Eurotas. At the foot of the massif is a zone of scree. To the east of that alluvial fans from Taygetus cover half the valley, making it asymmetrical. On that account it is often called the Evrotas Furrow. The Eurotas flows over a flood plain and also through a shallow aquifer of sand and gravel 10–60 m deep, graded with the deep end downstream. The gradient of the aquifer is a steep 1–3%. The highest hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity are near the junction of the Xerias and the Eurotas south of Sparti. To the east are older and finer sediments of alternating clay and marl beds, some of which are impermeable. Under the entire valley is a deep aquifer in the limestone floor, containing water permeating downward through the horsts. The Eurotas collects runoff and drains the deep aquifer on the east bank but loses water to the shallow aquifer on the west bank.[19] geologic history[edit] of bore holes in the valley indicate that in the Pliocene it was a lake. In classical times, according to the ancient authors, it was swampy, but the cultivatable land exposed was very fertile. Then, as now, it was used mainly for fruit trees, especially olive.[4] analysis done in the 20th century[20] hypothesized that the Eurotas Valley in the Late Pliocene was an inland sea over the lower and middle valley several hundred m deep at the current mouth of the river. The fault-block geology had developed earlier. During the Pleistocene the sea level dropped 500 m (1,600 ft) exposing a flat floor. Continued slippage along the Sparta Fault dropped the middle Eurotas valley further forcing the river to cut its way through the 100–250 m hills dividing the lower from the middle valley, creating Eurotas Ravine.

Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance and many miracles
Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece; (Greek: Μαυροβούνι, "the black mountain") is a village (population approximately 500) in the Mani Peninsula, Greece, south of Gytheio town. is a village about 2 km south of the town of Gytheio, in Laconia, Greece. It is located on a steep hill of dark rock[1] between the hill of Kumaros[2] above Gytheio and the alluvial plain of the Vardhounia river lies a belt of low sandy hills. district is rich in wines, olives and oranges.[3] The village's economy is based on olive oil production, fishing and tourism. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovonē in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovonē there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. The priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. At Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. Later, the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. He thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Father Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. Suddenly, at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. Thus, the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. The demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. Against his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. Then the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. Seeing God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. First of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. At once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. The Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. Then the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus The Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. About that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Pamisos River Mouth (Gulf of Messenia)
Pamisos River; Pamisos (Greek: Πάμισος, Latin: Pamisus[1]) is the largest river of the Messenia regional unit of the southern Peloponnese in Greece. is 44 km (27 mi) long, and its drainage area is 568 km2 (219 sq mi).[2] source is on the western slopes of the Taygetus mountains,[3] near the village Agios Floros. runs through the municipal units of Arfara, Ithomi, Androusa, Aris, Messini, Thouria and Kalamata. flows into the Messenian Gulf east of Messini and west of Kalamata.

Koronis, Peloponnese, Southern Greece, Gulf of Messinia
Koronis, Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis; Venerable Philotheus of Dionysiou of Mount Athos, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated December 4 ;

Methona, Pelopennese, Messinia Province
Methona, Pelopennese; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier, and those with him, in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; miraculous help from on high, the saint remained unharmed. Seeing in this miracle the manifest power of God, many pagans were converted to the true God. Saint Barbarus finally completed his glorious endeavor by being beheaded by the sword in the year 362. The martyr’s body was buried in the city of Methona in the Peloponnesus by the pious Bishop Philikios.

Mycea (Mycenae, Mycenaen Greece, Northeastern Peloponnesos)
Mycea (Mycenae, Mycenaen Greece); Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11;

Epidauros, Mycea, Greece (Northeastern Peloponnesos)
Epidauros, Greece; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11;

Argos, Peloponnesos (Argolic Gulf)
Argos; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Leontius the Hagiorite, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Inachos River Mouth (Gulf of Argos)
Inachos River Mouth (Gulf of Argos); Inachos (Greek: Ίναχος), also known as Panitsa (Πάνιτσα), is a river in the Peloponnese, southern Greece. source is in the mountains of western Argolis, near the village Kaparelli. It flows into the Aegean Sea in Nea Kios. Inachos was named after Inachus, a mythical king of Argos, who introduced civilization to the area. Inachus rises, according to Pausanias (ii 25.3, 8.6.6), in Mt. Artemisium, on the borders of Arcadia, or, according to Strabo (viii. p.370), in Mt. Lyrceium, a northern offshoot of Artemisium. its sources it receives a tributary called the Cephissus, which rises in Mt. Lyrceium (Strab. ix. p.424; Aelian, Ael. VH 2.33.) It flows in a south-easterly direction, E. of the city of Argos, into the Argolic gulf. river is often dry in the summer. Between it and the city of Argos is the mountain-torrent named Charadrus, which also rises in Mt. Artemisium, and which, from its proximity to Argos, has been frequently mistaken for the Inachus by modern travellers. It flows over a wide gravelly bed, which is generally dry in the summer, whence its modern name of Xerias, or the Dry River. flows into the Inachus a little below Argos. It was on the banks of the Charadrus that the armies of Argos, on their return from military expeditions, were obliged to undergo a court of inquiry before they were permitted to enter the city. (Thuc. 5.60; comp. Paus. 2.25.2; Leake, Morea, vol. ii. p. 364, Peloponnesiaca, p. 267; Mure, vol. ii. p. 161.)

Nauplos, Peloponnesos (Argolic Gulf)
Nauplos ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3;

Hydra (island), Greece (end of Argos Penninsula)
Hydra (island) Greece; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania. Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17

Greece (Clean), Peloponnesos, Roads, Rivers, interesting places Folder

Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece, upriver from Sparta
Kastorion, Lakonia, Peloponissos, Greece 37° 10' 0" N, 22° 19' 0" E;

Greece, Epirus Region Folder, and its rivers, Northwest Greece

Epirus Region Greece
Epirus Region Greece; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Anastasius of Epirus, Commemorated on November 18 St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Epiros Region
Epiros Region; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Greece, Epirus, 63-110, Apostles Sosipater&Jason, Corfu Island, Kerkyra story, J&S boiling tar s, Island converted
Lyconia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia ; is a person mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as Sopater mentioned in Acts 20:4. church tradition, he is known as Sosipater of Iconium, and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Sosipater's feast days are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St. Jason; 10 with saints Erastus, Olympas, Herodian, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St Paul the Apostle died on the 25th of June in Beroea. was born in Achaea. According to legend, he was Bishop in Iconium[1] (prior to the Apostle Tertius) by his relative the Apostle Paul. the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. governor's daughter, the virgin Cercyra [uk], having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were baptized upon seeing this miracle. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Jason was from Tarsus (Asia Minor). He was the first Christian in the city. The Apostle Sosipater was a native of Patra, Achaia. He is thought to be the same Sosipater mentioned in Acts 20:4. They both became disciples of Saint Paul, who even called them his kinsmen (Rom 16:21). John Chrysostom (Homily 32 on Romans) says that this is the same Jason who is mentioned in Acts 17:5-9. Jason was made bishop in his native city of Tarsus, and Saint Sosipater in Iconium. traveled west preaching the Gospel, and in 63 they reached the island of Kerkyra [Korfu] in the Ionian Sea near Greece. they built a church in the name of the Protomartyr Stephen and they baptized many. The governor of the island learned of this and locked them up in prison, where they met seven thieves: Saturninus, Iakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius. The Apostles converted them to Christ. For their confession of Christ, the seven prisoners died as martyrs in a cauldron of molten tar, wax and sulfur. prison guard, after witnessing their martyrdom, declared himself a Christian. For this they cut off his left hand, then both feet and finally his head. The governor ordered the Apostles Jason and Sosipater to be whipped and again locked up in prison. the daughter of the governor of Kerkyra (Korfu), the maiden, learned how Christians were suffering for Christ, she declared herself a Christian and gave away all her finery to the poor. The infuriated governor attempted to persuade his daughter to deny Christ, but Saint Kerkyra stood firm against both persuasion and threats. Then the enraged father devised a terrible punishment for his daughter: he gave orders that she be placed in a prison cell with the robber and murderer Murinus, so that he might defile the betrothed of Christ when the robber approached the door of the prison cell, a bear attacked him. Saint Kerkyra heard the noise and she drove off the beast in the name of Christ. Then, by her prayers, she healed the wounds of Murinus. Then Saint Kerkyra enlightened him with the faith of Christ, and Saint Murinus declared himself a Christian and was executed. governor gave orders to burn down the prison, but the holy virgin remained alive. Then on her enraged father’s order, she was suspended upon a tree, choked with bitter smoke and shot with arrows. After her death, the governor decided to execute all the Christians on the island of Kerkyra. The Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis, after being enlightened by Saints Jason and Sosipater, were burned alive. inhabitants of Kerkyra, escaping from the persecution, crossed to an adjoining island. The governor set sail with a detachment of soldiers, but was swallowed up by the waves. The governor succeeding him gave orders to throw the Apostles Jason and Sosipater into a cauldron of boiling tar. When he beheld them unharmed, he cried out with tears, “O God of Jason and Sosipater, have mercy on me!” been set free, the Apostles baptized the governor and gave him the name Sebastian. With his help, the Apostles Jason and Sosipater built several churches on the island, and increased the flock of Christ by their fervent preaching. They lived there until they reached old age. Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Greece, Epirus, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra, regent for son Michael
Constantinople, 829-867, Righteous Theodora, Iconodule, Iconoclast Emperor Theophilus' wife, fKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), Regent for her minor Son Michael in 842 when Theo died, her council anathematized Iconoclasts, Icon veneration reinstated, annual Triumph oOrthodoxy, Great Fast 1st Sunday, fostered Orthodoxy devotion in son Michael, last 8years in Euphrosyne monastery, reading, astecic struggles, copying Gospels, died 867, 1460 relics given by Turks to people of Kerkyra ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11 ; Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. convened a Council, at which the Iconoclasts were anathematized, the veneration of icons was reinstated. Saint Theodora established the annual celebration of this event, Triumph of Orthodoxy, on the first Sunday of the Great Fast. Theodora did much for Holy Church fostered a firm devotion to Orthodoxy in her son Michael. Michael came of age, she was retired from governing spent eight years in the monastery of Saint Euphrosynē, she devoted herself to ascetic struggles, and reading books that nourished her soul. copy of the Gospels, copied in her own hand, is known to exist. died peacefully around the year 867. 1460, her relics were given by the Turks to the people of Kerkyra (Corfu).

Greece, Epiros, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra, fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, miracles
Epiros, Greece, 862-895, Arsenius tArchbishop oKerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece), fPalestine, strict ascetic, highly ed, spiritual writer, glorified bWisdom, defender f wrath oConstantine, widows deferder, orphans father, so gift oMiracles, composed sanctification oOil Canon (Criterion fJudging), several letters tPhotius survive ; Kerkyra (Kephalonia); St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Arsenius, Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), a native of Palestine lived in the ninth century. led a strict ascetic life, was a highly educated man renowned spiritual writer. was glorified by wisdom, constantly defended his flock from the wrath of the emperor Constantine (979-1028). of his great virtue, Saint Arsenius was consecrated as Archbishop of Kerkyra. became a defender of widows, a father to orphans, and a comfort for the sorrowful, so God rewarded him with the gift of miracles. fell asleep in the Lord toward the end of the ninth century. relics were placed in the cathedral at Kerkyra, many miracles and healings took place at his tomb. Arsenius composed the Canon chanted during the Sanctification of Oil, Panegyric (a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something) on the Apostle Andrew, a Discourse on the Suffering of the Great Martyr Barbara. of his letters to Saint Photius (February 6) still survive.

Greece, Epirus, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople
Greece, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople; Saint Philothea of Thrace, Protectress of Romania, Commemorated on December 7

Greece, Epirus, 1450-1505, Saint Savva of Ioannina, hechycast, never angry, said Humility is cornerstone of spiritual life
Greece, 1450-1505, Saint Savva of Ioannina, Epirus, Greece (Lake Pamvotis), spiritual father Nectarios&Theophanes, +1550&+1554, aristocrat son, loved poverty, lived humble poor hermit, never seen angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility. He said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” hechycast, no: meat, fish, cheese, or even oil on food; Ioannina (Lake Pamvotis) ; Saint Savva of Ioannina, Commemorated on February 3; is not known where Saint Savva was born. He lived a life of asceticism in the Holy Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner on an island in the lake of Ioannina around the middle of the XV century. was the Spiritual Father of Saints Nektarios (+ 1550) and Theophanes (+ 1544), who were descended from the distinguished Apsaras family of the Byzantine Empire. They are commemorated jointly on May 17. Savva was the son of an aristocratic family, from an early age he loved the poverty of Jesus Christ. Until his last breath, he lived as a humble and poor hermit. one ever saw him angry, judgmental, or as a person who remembered wrongs. His heart overflowed with humility, concerning which he himself said: “Humility is the solid and indestructible cornerstone upon which the spiritual life is built.” was a hechycast, and his ascetical life was very strict. He prayed every night until morning. His food was plain, and he ate very little. No meat, fish, or cheese ever appeared on his table, and he never poured a drop of oil on his food. Savva reposed peacefully in 1505. When he delivered his soul to the Lord, an inexpressible fragrance arose from the tabernacle of his body. The saint was buried in the monastery of Honorable Forerunner. A holy relic of the saint is kept and revered in the Roussanou Monastery of the Transfiguration at Meteora.

Greece, Epirus, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius, Gregory encouraged martyrdom but first a monk, beheaded, d light, myrrh
Greece, 1710-1720, New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, from Ioannina Region, Epirus, Greece, furrier in C, sinful sailor, moslem traitors accused him of embracing Islam, small boat, desire for Martyrdom, Fr Gregory of Xeropotamou got in his boat, encouraged martyrdom but first become a monk, returned to old ship, beaten w iron bar, eye and teeth, urged viser to become christian, beheaded, heavenly light, sweet fragrance; Ioannina Region; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; holy New Martyr Auxentius was born in 1690 in the diocese of Vellas, part of the Metropolitan district of Ioannina in Greece. When he was a young man, he moved to Constantinople with his parents and became a furrier. he left his trade and went to work on the ships, leading a sinful life in pursuit of worldly pleasures. His Moslem coworkers turned against him and accused him of denying Christ to embrace Islam. Fearing that they would denounce him to the captain of the ship, Auxentius jumped ship and returned to Constantinople. bought a small boat and earned his living with it. He began to regret his previous conduct, and the desire for martyrdom grew within him. One day, a monk got into his boat in order to cross the water. This was Father Gregory, a monk of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mt. Athos. revealed to Father Gregory his desire to be a martyr for Christ. The wise monk praised his desire, but urged caution lest he should weaken under torture and deny Christ. He recommended that Auxentius move to a quiet place and become a monk. Heeding Father Gregory’s advice, Auxentius continued to work with his boat for a time, giving most of his money to the poor, and living as an ascetic. often prayed at the church of the Life-Giving Fountain, asking God to give him strength to become a martyr. Then he returned to his old ship, where his former shipmates began to beat him. They dragged him before the kadi, stating that he had converted to Islam, but then returned to Christianity. said, “I was, and am, an Orthodox Christian. I am prepared to suffer thousands of tortures for the sake of Christ.” furious Hagarenes began to beat Auxentius with an iron bar. He lost an eye and several teeth as a result. He remained steadfast in confessing Christ, in spite of all the tortures that were inflicted upon him, and absolutely refused to become a Moslem. Gregory went to see Auxentius in prison, and was asked to bring him Holy Communion on his next visit. The monk did this, also urging him to remain strong in the Orthodox Faith. holy martyr was brought before the vizier, who urged him to respect Islam as good and true, instead of treating it with contempt. Saint Auxentius answered that he would never abandon his faith. In fact, he even urged the vizier to become a Christian. This enraged the vizier, and he sentenced Auxentius to death. praying for all Orthodox Christians, and for the whole world, Saint Auxentius was beheaded on January 25, 1720 at 9:00 A.M. Two days later, a heavenly light was seen by Christians and Moslems, shining on the body of the martyr. sultan’s tailor, an Orthodox Christian named Michael, went to the sultan and asked for the body. Patriarch Jeremiah III accompanied the body to the Church of the Life-Giving Fountain for the funeral and burial. years later, when the saint’s relics were exhumed, a sweet fragrance came forth from them.

Greece, Epirus, Arachthos River Folder

Arachthos River

Arachthos River Source (Pindus Mountains)

Epirus, Greece (west of Pindus Mountains)
Epirus; Pindus Mountains; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1;

Konitsa in Epeiros
Konitsa in Epeiros; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12;

Samarina in Epirus (high up in Pindus Mts, Vlachs)
Samarina in Epirus; (Greek: Σαμαρίνα, Aromanian: Samarina, Xamarina, San Marina) is a village and a former municipality in Grevena regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] population primarily consists of Aromanians (sometimes called Vlachs). attracts many tourists due to its scenic location and beautiful pine and beech forests. The population was 378 people as of 2011.[1] The municipal unit has an area of 97.245 km2 (37½ sq. mi.).[3] is the most famous of all the Aromanian (Vlach) villages of the Pindus and the inhabitants are fiercely proud of their heritage and traditions. summer on August 15, on the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin, Samarinans from all over the world assemble on their ancestral village to celebrate. There, on the main square outside the Great Church, they perform the "Great Dance" (Greek: Tranós Chorós, Aromanian: Corlu Mari): thousands of people hold hands and form concentric circles, and they walk slowly and ceremonially counterclockwise, while singing their traditional songs in a rousing unison chorus. New Martyr Demetrius of Samarina in Epirus, Commemorated on August 17;

Paraskeva Monestary
Paraskeva Monestary;

Arachthos River 1 (Metsovo or Metsovon)

Metsovon, Epirus, Greece (Metsovo, Arachthos River 1)
Metsovon (Metsovo); Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, Commemorated on May 16;

Arachthos River 2

Ioannina Region, Epirus, Greece (Lake Pamvotis, Arachthos River 2)
Ioannina Region; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ;

Ioannina, Epirus, Greece (Arachthos 2, Lake Pamvotis, Largest City)
Ioannina (Lake Pamvotis) ; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Saint Savva of Ioannina, Commemorated on February 3; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ;

Heraklia in Arta, Epirus
Heraklia in Arta; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ;

Arachthos River 3

Arta, Epirus, Greece (Arta Bridge, Arachthos River 3)
Arta, Greece (Arachthos River 3) Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ;

Arachthos River Mouth (Ambracian Gulf)

Ambracian Gulf
Ambracian Gulf;

Preveza, Northwestern Greece, Ambracian Gulf
Preveza; Martyr Christos of Preveza, Commemorated August 5 ;

Vonitsa, Akarnania
Vonitsa, Akarnania; Saint George, Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21;

Greece, Epirus, Corfu Island and Euroea Folder

Euroea, Epirus, Greece, near Corfu Island
Euroea in Epiro; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30;

Kerkyra (Corfu) Island (Epiros Region Greece)
Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11 ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28;

Corfu (Kerkyra) Island (Epiros Region Greece)
Kerkyra (Kephalonia); Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11 ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Virginmartyr Kerkyra and those with her, Commemorated on April 28;

Greece (Clean), Epirus, Roads, Rivers, Places Folder

Greece (Clean), Epirus, its Area
Geeece, Epirus, its Area

Greece, Epirus, Continental Divide - Northern Epiros Southern Albania
Continental Divide - Northern Epiros Southern Albania

Greece, Epirus, Continental Divide - Eastern Epiros, Arachthos River Drainage

Greece, Epirus, Continental Divide - Epirus and West Greece

Greece, Epirus, Continental Divide - Thessaly and West Greece

Greece, Epirus, Continental Divides - Ambracian Gulf

Epirus Region Greece
Epirus Region Greece;

Greece, Epirus, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople
Greece, 1205-1479, Despotate of Epirus, against Latin Empire of Constantinople;

Epirus, Greece (west of Pindus Mountains)
Epirus; Pindus Mountains;

Euroea, Epirus, Greece, near Corfu Island
Euroea in Epiro;

Soreia, near Euroea, Brackish Spring of Water, monster serpent
Euroea in Epiro;

Greece (Clean), Epirus, Arachthos River Folder

Metsovon, Epirus, Greece (Metsovo, Arachthos River 1)
Metsovon (Metsovo);

Ioannina, Epirus, Greece (Arachthos 2, Lake Pamvotis, Largest City)
Ioannina (Lake Pamvotis) ;

Arta, Epirus, Greece (Arta Bridge, Arachthos River 3)
Arta, Greece (Arachthos River 3)

Greece (Clean), Epirus, Corfu Island and Euroea Folder

Corfu (Kerkyra) Island (Epiros Region Greece)
Kerkyra (Kephalonia);

Greece, Cyclades Islands Folder

Cyclades Islands, Agean Sea
Cyclades Islands; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos", Commemorated January 30 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ;

Thira

Pholegandros Island, Cyclades
Pholegandros Island; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ;

Kimolos Island
Kimolos Island; St Methodia the Righteous of Kimolos, Commemorated October 5 ;

Heraclea, Cyclades
Heraclea (Irakleia, Cyclades) ; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13 ;

Naxos Island, Cyclades
Naxos Island ; Repose of the Venerable Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Commemorated July 14 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14;

Paros
Paros; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Paros Island, Cyclades
Island of Paros; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Syros Island, Cyclades
Syros Island, Cyclades; St. Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on January 31;

Siphnos Island, Cyclades
Siphnos; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Delos Island
Delos, 1 Maccabees Ch 15

Tinos Island, Cyclades (Agean Sea)
Tinos Island (Agean Sea); Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos", Commemorated January 30 ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, Tinos Is, Cyclades
Moni Kimisseos Theotokou Kechrovounio; Icon of the Mother of God “Tinosâ€, Commemorated on January 30;

Greece (Clean), Cyclades Islands Folder

Greece (Clean), Cyclades Islands Area

Cyclades Islands, Agean Sea
Cyclades Islands;

Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea;

Pholegandros Island, Cyclades
Pholegandros Island;

Kimolos Island
Kimolos Island;

Heraclea, Cyclades
Heraclea (Irakleia, Cyclades) ;

Naxos Island, Cyclades
Naxos Island ;

Paros
Paros;

Paros Island, Cyclades
Island of Paros;

Syros Island, Cyclades
Syros Island, Cyclades;

Siphnos Island, Cyclades
Siphnos;

Tinos Island, Cyclades (Agean Sea)
Tinos Island (Agean Sea);

monastery of the Dormition on Mt. Kechrovounios, Tinos Is, Cyclades
Moni Kimisseos Theotokou Kechrovounio;

Georgia Folder, its Rivers, Caucasus mountains, and Silk Road

Georgia (Iberia, the land of St George)
Georgia (country) ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; Saint Anthimus the Georgian, Commemorated on September 27; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated October 4 ; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated November 4 ; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyrdom of the Greatmartyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated December 11 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Georgia, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated January 19 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio, Commemorated February 4 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15 ; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Mamai the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on May 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Kaikhosro the Georgian, Commemorated on June 16; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Feast of All Saints of Georgia, Commemorated on June 26; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Iberia (Georgia, the land of St George)
Georgia (country) ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated on October 30; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated October 4 ; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated November 4 ; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyrdom of the Greatmartyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated December 11 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Georgia, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated January 19 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio, Commemorated February 4 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15 ; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Mamai the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on May 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Kaikhosro the Georgian, Commemorated on June 16; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Feast of All Saints of Georgia, Commemorated on June 26; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Georgian History Folder

Georgia, 400 BC - 1st Century AD, Caucasian Iberia 302BC-580AD

Georgia, Caucasian Iberia (ie. Georgia), 302BC-580AD
Georgia, Caucasian Iberia (ie. Georgia), 302BC-580AD; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Georgia, 302 BC - 748 AD, History Folder, Caucasian Iberia

Georgia, 000, 1st Century AD Folder, Robe of the Lord, Sts. Andrew , Matthias, Simon the Zealot, Bartholomew,

Georgia, 1-58, Aderki, or Rok, or Pharasmanes I of Iberia, b to Mithridates of Armenia, eastern Roman campaigns
----------During the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then, thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures should be taken in regard to this matter.” response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. Sidonia the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave up her spirit. Georgia, 1-58, King, Aderki, or Rok, or Pharasmanes I of Iberia; I (died 58) was a king of Iberia. He plays a prominent role in the historian Tacitus’ account of policy and campaigns in the eastern Roman Empire under Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. According to Cyril Toumanoff, Pharasmanes was a member of the third Pharnavazid dynasty and reigned from 1 to 58. Pharasmanes is mentioned on the Stele of Vespasian. During his reign, Iberia was transformed into the Transcaucasian empire,[1] that would dominate the kingdoms of Armenia and Albania.[2] allies of Rome, his brother Mithridates was installed as king of Armenia by Roman emperor Tiberius, who invaded Armenia in 35. When the Parthian prince Orodes, son of Artabanus II of Parthia, attempted to dispossess Mithridates of his newly acquired kingdom, Pharasmanes led a large Iberian army and defeated the Parthians in a pitched battle (Tacitus, Annals. vi. 32-35).[3] Pharasmanes personally smashed Orod’s helmet with one blow: Orod galloped off, and the rumours of his death demoralized the Parthians.[4] 52, Pharasmanes instigated his son, Rhadamistus, whose ambitious and aspiring character began to give him umbrage, to make war upon his uncle Mithridates, and supported him in his enterprise.[5] After a short reign, Rhadamistus was in turn expelled by the Parthians in 55, and took refuge again in his father's dominions. The Romans had expressed their displeasure at the proceedings of Rhadamistus, and in order to curry their favor, Pharasmanes put his son to death.[6] Pharasmanes was apparently succeeded by Mithridates (Mihrdat) I.[7][8] an unknown date, Pharasmanes married an unnamed Armenian princess of the Artaxiad dynasty. She was the daughter of the Artaxiad Armenian monarchs Tigranes IV and his sister-wife Erato. His Armenian wife bore him three sons: Mithridates I (Mihrdat), Rhadamistus, and Amazaspus (Amazasp), who is known from the Epigram of Amazaspos found in Rome. has tentatively suggested the identification of Pharasmanes with the Aderki (or Rok) of the medieval Georgian chronicles whose reign is said to have coincided with the appearance of the first Christian communities in Iberia, and the travel of the Jews from Mtskheta to Jerusalem whence they witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and brought the Holy Tunic to Iberia. According to the Georgian chronicles, Aderki's division of his kingdom between his two sons, Kartam (Kardzam) and Bartom (Bratman), inaugurated the start of dyarchy in Iberia which would last for five generations. Many modern scholars, however, doubt the existence of the diarchy, for the contemporary foreign source make references only to sole monarch.[9] Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Embrace the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then, thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures should be taken in regard to this matter.” response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. Sidonia the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave up her spirit. miracles were worked by the Robe, and news of this flashed like lightning throughout Mtskheta. King Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by the miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. Elioz was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. A cypress tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. When the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, Saint Andrew the First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith. He entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, and subsequently preached in every region of the nation. He established a hierarchy for the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for Pascha. When he visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew was accompanied by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite. passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other pagan communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian people. at the beginning of the 4th century, according to God’s will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin Nino arrived in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. She settled in the outskirts of Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden. Saint Nino inquired as to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one could remember where it had been preserved. In her quest for the Precious Robe, she became acquainted with Elioz’s descendants, the Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia. Saint Nino converted them to Christianity. Nino was blessed by God with the gift of healing. She healed the afflicted through the name of our crucified Savior and through the grace of the cross formed from grapevines by the Theotokos and bound with strands of Saint Nino’s hair. that time King Mirian ruled Kartli. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. Mirian’s wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of Pontus. Thus, the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of the Greeks. Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the prayers of Saint Nino was she spared from death. After this miraculous healing, King Mirian became intrigued by the Faith that Saint Nino was preaching, and he began asking the newly enlightened Abiatar about the Holy Scriptures. while he was hunting on Mount Tkhoti near Mtskheta, King Mirian was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he burned with a desire to destroy the Christian people of his land and—above all others— the virgin Nino. But suddenly the sun was eclipsed, and the king was surrounded by darkness. The frightened Mirian prayed to the pagan gods to save him from this terror, but his prayers went unanswered. Then, in utter despair, he began to pray to the Crucified God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and the sun shone as before. Raising his hands to the east, Mirian cried out, “Truly Thou art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!” returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches. happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a Saturday. King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a problem, but the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. Saint Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits. myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. that time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople. Saint Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people. the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside. Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but Saint Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar. that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonderworking tree grew up on a mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi, the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted, without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were formed from its wood. many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: during the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. When morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. But it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces. to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord. to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved. Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband. St John Zedazeni of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Georgia, 33 AD, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus, Sidonia's embrace
Georgia, 33 AD, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus; Seamless Robe of Jesus (also known as the Holy Robe, Holy Tunic, Holy Coat, Honorable Robe, and Chiton of the Lord) is the robe said to have been worn by Jesus during or shortly before his crucifixion. Competing traditions claim that the robe has been preserved to the present day. One tradition places it in the Cathedral of Trier, another places it in Argenteuil's Basilique Saint-Denys, and several traditions claim that it is now in various Eastern Orthodox churches, notably Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, Georgia. St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then, thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures should be taken in regard to this matter.” In response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. When the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. sidonia St. Sidonia After the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave up her spirit. miracles were worked by the Robe, and news of this flashed like lightning throughout Mtskheta. King Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by the miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. Elioz was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. A cypress tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. When the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, Saint Andrew the First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith. He entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, and subsequently preached in every region of the nation. He established a hierarchy for the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for Pascha. When he visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew was accompanied by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite. passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other pagan communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian people. at the beginning of the 4th century, according to God’s will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin Nino arrived in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. She settled in the outskirts of Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden. Saint Nino inquired as to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one could remember where it had been preserved. In her quest for the Precious Robe, she became acquainted with Elioz’s descendants, the Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia. Saint Nino converted them to Christianity. Nino was blessed by God with the gift of healing. She healed the afflicted through the name of our crucified Savior and through the grace of the cross formed from grapevines by the Theotokos and bound with strands of Saint Nino’s hair. that time King Mirian ruled Kartli. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. Mirian’s wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of Pontus. Thus, the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of the Greeks. Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the prayers of Saint Nino was she spared from death. After this miraculous healing, King Mirian became intrigued by the Faith that Saint Nino was preaching, and he began asking the newly enlightened Abiatar about the Holy Scriptures. while he was hunting on Mount Tkhoti near Mtskheta, King Mirian was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he burned with a desire to destroy the Christian people of his land and—above all others— the virgin Nino. But suddenly the sun was eclipsed, and the king was surrounded by darkness. The frightened Mirian prayed to the pagan gods to save him from this terror, but his prayers went unanswered. Then, in utter despair, he began to pray to the Crucified God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and the sun shone as before. Raising his hands to the east, Mirian cried out, “Truly Thou art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!” returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches. happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a Saturday. King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a problem, but the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. Saint Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits. myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. that time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople. Saint Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people. the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside. Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but Saint Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar. that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonderworking tree grew up on a mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi, the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted, without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were formed from its wood. many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: during the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. When morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. But it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces. to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord. to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved. Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband.

Georgia, 33 AD, Elioz (Elias) of Mtskheta, traveled to Jerusalem, brought back the robe
Georgia, 33 AD, Elioz (Elias) of response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. Georgia, AD 33, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Georgia, 33 AD, Mary, Mother of God (Most Holy Theotokos), Georgia Protector, sent her icon instead with Andrew
Georgia, 33 AD, Mary, Mother of God (Most Holy Theotokos), Georgia Protector; the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” Saint Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1 ; Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Georgia, 33 AD, Saint Andrew the First Called, with icon called to Georgia by Jesus
Georgia, 33 AD, Saint Andrew the First Called Georgia, AD 33, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” St. Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18;

Georgia, 33 AD, Apostle Matthias, preaching in Western Georgia, drank deadly poison unharmed
Georgia, 33 AD, Apostle Matthias ; Georgia, 33 AD, Saint Andrew the First Called Georgia, AD 33, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. When Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. Another time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Holy Apostle Matthias was born at Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah. From his early childhood he studied the Law of God under the guidance of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver (February 3). the Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself to the world, Saint Matthias believed in Him as the Messiah, followed constantly after Him and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles, whom the Lord “sent them two by two before His face” (Luke 10:1). the Ascension of the Savior, Saint Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:15-26). After the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Matthias preached the Gospel at Jerusalem and in Judea together with the other Apostles (Acts 6:2, 8:14). From Jerusalem he went with the Apostles Peter and Andrew to Syrian Antioch, and was in the Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope. Here the Apostle Matthias was locked into prison, from which he was miraculously freed by Saint Andrew the First-Called. Apostle Matthias journeyed after this to Amasea, a city on the shore of the sea. During a three year journey of the Apostle Andrew, Saint Matthias was with him at Edessa and Sebaste. to Church Tradition, he was preaching at Pontine Ethiopia (presently Western Georgia) and Macedonia. He was frequently subjected to deadly peril, but the Lord preserved him to preach the Gospel. pagans forced the saint to drink a poison potion. He drank it, and not only did he himself remain unharmed, but he also healed other prisoners who had been blinded by the potion. When Saint Matthias left the prison, the pagans searched for him in vain, for he had become invisible to them. Another time, when the pagans had become enraged intending to kill the Apostle, the earth opened up and engulfed them. Apostle Matthias returned to Judea and did not cease to enlighten his countrymen with the light of Christ’s teachings. He worked great miracles in the Name of the Lord Jesus and he converted a great many to faith in Christ. Jewish High Priest Ananias hated Christ and earlier had commanded the Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, to be flung down from the heights of the Temple, and now he ordered that the Apostle Matthias be arrested and brought for judgment before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem. impious Ananias uttered a speech in which he blasphemously slandered the Lord. Using the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Apostle Matthias demonstrated that Jesus Christ is the True God, the promised Messiah, the Son of God, Consubstantial and Coeternal with God the Father. After these words the Apostle Matthias was sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin and stoned. Saint Matthias was already dead, the Jews, to hide their malefaction, cut off his head as an enemy of Caesar. (According to several historians, the Apostle Matthias was crucified, and indicate that he instead died at Colchis.) The Apostle Matthias received the martyr’s crown of glory in the year 63. St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St. Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18;

Georgia, 33 AD, Apostle Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot, bridegroom at Cana, d in Georgia
Georgia, 33 AD, Apostle Simon the Canaanite, Simon the Zealot ; Moses of Chorene writes that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Caucasian Iberia.[13] Georgia, 33 AD, Apostle Matthias ; Georgia, 33 AD, Saint Andrew the First Called Georgia, AD 33, Robe of the Lord, Seamless robe of Jesus; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St. Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18; Apostle Simon the Zealot, Commemorated on May 10; Simon was from Cana in Galilee, and was known to the Lord and His Mother. Tradition says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. After witnessing the miracle of the water which had been turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, he is known as Saint Simon the Zealot. Simon was one of the twelve Apostles, and received the Holy Spirit with the others on Pentecost. He traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. After winning many pagans to the Lord, Saint Simon suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Demetrius of Rostov says that this Saint Simon is to be distinguished from the Apostle Simon Peter, and from the Lord’s relative Simon (Mt.13:55), who was the second Bishop of Jerusalem. Simon is also commemorated on June 30 with the other Apostles.

Georgia, 54-91, Georgian Saint, Bartholomew, finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus, Dagestan
Georgian Saint, 54-91, Bartholomew; Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in each of the Synoptics is "Philip and Bartholomew" (M 10:3; P 3:18; L 6:14; but A 1:15). gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the Synoptists. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. He is clearly not the same as Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, Judas (not Iscariot, also called Lebbaeus or Thaddeus), all of whom John names separately. He is not Matthew, whose call is described differently (M 9:9). This leaves Bartholomew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes. Of these, Bartholomew is the leading candidate for two reasons: (1) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (A historical novel which may not be well researched informs me that a first-century Jew would be likely to use the patronymic instead of the forename as a mark of respect in speaking to a significantly older Jew.) "Nathanael son of Tolmai" seems more likely than "Nathanael also called James (or Simon)." (2) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated. St. Bartholomew, by Michaelangelo have no certain information about Bartholomew's later life. Some writers, including the historian Eusebius of Caesarea (now Har Qesari, 32:30 N 34:54 E, near Sedot Yam), say that he preached in India. The majority tradition, with varying details, is that Bartholomew preached in Armenia, and was finally skinned alive and beheaded to Albanus or Albanopolis (now Derbent, 42:03 N 48:18 E) on the Caspian Sea. His emblem in art is a flaying knife. The flayed Bartholomew can be seen in Michelangelo's Sistine painting of the Last Judgement. He is holding his skin. The face on the skin is generally considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. by James Kiefer Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.” And from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Saints John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

Georgia, 200, 3rd Century Folder, St Nino, King Mirian III, St George, Christian Georgia

Georgia, 284-361, King Mirian III of Iberia (Converted by St Nino who healed his Queen)
Georgia, 284-361, King Mirian III of Iberia (Converted by St Nino); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then, thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures should be taken in regard to this matter.” response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. St. Sidonia the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave up her spirit. miracles were worked by the Robe, and news of this flashed like lightning throughout Mtskheta. King Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by the miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. Elioz was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. A cypress tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. When the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, Saint Andrew the First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith. He entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, and subsequently preached in every region of the nation. He established a hierarchy for the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for Pascha. When he visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew was accompanied by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite. passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other pagan communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian people. at the beginning of the 4th century, according to God’s will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin Nino arrived in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. She settled in the outskirts of Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden. Saint Nino inquired as to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one could remember where it had been preserved. In her quest for the Precious Robe, she became acquainted with Elioz’s descendants, the Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia. Saint Nino converted them to Christianity. Nino was blessed by God with the gift of healing. She healed the afflicted through the name of our crucified Savior and through the grace of the cross formed from grapevines by the Theotokos and bound with strands of Saint Nino’s hair. that time King Mirian ruled Kartli. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. Mirian’s wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of Pontus. Thus, the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of the Greeks. Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the prayers of Saint Nino was she spared from death. After this miraculous healing, King Mirian became intrigued by the Faith that Saint Nino was preaching, and he began asking the newly enlightened Abiatar about the Holy Scriptures. while he was hunting on Mount Tkhoti near Mtskheta, King Mirian was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he burned with a desire to destroy the Christian people of his land and—above all others— the virgin Nino. But suddenly the sun was eclipsed, and the king was surrounded by darkness. The frightened Mirian prayed to the pagan gods to save him from this terror, but his prayers went unanswered. Then, in utter despair, he began to pray to the Crucified God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and the sun shone as before. Raising his hands to the east, Mirian cried out, “Truly Thou art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!” returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches. happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a Saturday. King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a problem, but the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. Saint Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits. myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. that time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople. Saint Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people. the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside. Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but Saint Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar. that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonderworking tree grew up on a mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi, the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted, without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were formed from its wood. many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: during the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. When morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. But it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces. to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord. to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved. Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband. St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Georgia, 292-303, Saint George, Nino's Kin in Cappadocian, Armenia, greatmartyr George of Georgia
Georgia, 295-303, Saint George ; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15;

Georgia, 297-361, Salome & Perozhavra, both queens, helpers closest companions oNino, converted by her, they wrote her history
Armenia, 297-361, Georgian Saints Salome & Perozhavra, both queens, helpers closest companions oNino, both converted by her, they wrote her history, Salome wife oRevi, son oMirian, Perozhavra married to Kartli ruler, Nino taught them prayer fasting good works, social status helped Nino spread faith, After conversion oKartli, Nino inspired Salome erected cross iUjarma, Kakheti, bOrder oMiriam, Nino fell ill in Bodbe, queens stood by her bed, tell us our Queen, how did you come to our country, where were you raised, tell us how to continue, what shall we do, So, Salome&Perozhavra wrote Nino's life Armenia, Georgian Saint, 297-361, Salome of Armenia ; Venerable Salome oUjarma, Commemorated on January 15; Salome of Ujarma and Perozhavra of Sivnia were the helpers and closest companions of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. Nino herself had converted them to the Christian Faith. was the wife of Revi, the son of King Mirian, Perozhavra was married to the ruler of the Kartli region. women were queens, they succeeded in serving Saint Nino while retaining their imperial roles. Nino taught them to pray, and the women fasted regularly and performed good works. As a result of their influential social status, the two queens were able to help Saint Nino tremendously in spreading the Christian Faith. the conversion of Kartli, with inspiration from Saint Nino and by the order of King Mirian, Saint Salome erected a cross in Ujarma in the Kakheti region. Saint Nino fell ill in the village of Bodbe, queens Salome and Perozhavra stood by her bed and wept bitterly at having to part with their beloved teacher and healer. entreated Saint Nino, who was finishing her last hours on this earth, saying, “Tell us, our Queen, how did you come to our country to free our souls, and where were you raised? us how to continue your good works. You who have delivered us from bondage to the enemy, us, what shall we do?” the information that Saint Nino then related to them, Salome and Perozhavra wrote The Life of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia. Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia commemorates them on January 15, the day following the commemoration of Saint Nino.

Georgia, 300, 4th Century Folder, St and Queen, Salome of Ujarma with Nino

Georgia, 303, Martyrdom oSaint George, intessor all Christians, appeared Georgian battles, tortured on wheel
Georgia, 303, Martyrdom oSaint George, Nino's Kin in Cappadocian, Armenia, slain by Diocletian, intessor all Christians, Georgian protector celebrated every day there, appeared Georgian battles, majority Georgian church names, tortured on wheel Nov 10, day established bNino as special protector; Georgia, 295-303, Saint George ; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; by the whole Christian world, Great-martyr George was slain by Emperor Diocletian in the year 303. holy martyr is appropriately considered the intercessor for all Christians and the patron saint of many. is regarded with special reverence among the Georgian people, since he is believed to be the special protector of their nation. accounts often describe how Saint George appeared among the Georgian soldiers in the midst of battles. majority of Georgian churches (in villages especially) were built in his honor and, a result, every day there is a feast of the great-martyr George somewhere in Georgia. The various daily commemorations are connected to one of the churches erected in his name or an icon or a particular miracle he performed. 10 marks the day on which Saint George was tortured on the wheel. to tradition, this day of commemoration was established by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, the Enlightener of Georgia. Nino was a relative of Saint George the Trophy-bearer. revered him deeply and directed the people she had converted to Christianity to cherish him as their special protector.

Georgia, 316-361, Saint Nino of Cappadocia, Armenia&Jerusalem, wanted kiss tRobe in Georgia, but MOG sent her tConvert Georgia

Georgia, 317, The Healer Icon, dreadful I, putrified tongue, prayer, guardian angel, bedside MOG
Georgia, 317, The Healer Icon; original icon known as “Tselitel’nitsa,” or “The Healer” was from the Tsilkan church in Kartali, Georgia. It was painted at the time of Saint Nino (January 14). is another icon with the same name in the Alexeev women’s monastery in Moscow, and many miracles took place before it at the end of the eightheenth century. Saint Demetrius of Rostov (September 21 and October 28) relates a story about this icon in his book THE BEDEWED FLEECE. cleric of the Navarninsky church, Vincent Bulvinensky, was in the habit of venerating the icon of the Mother of God whenever he entered the church. He would also recite the following prayer before the icon: “Hail, Virgin Theotokos full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed is the womb which bore Christ, and the breasts which nourished the Lord God, our Savior.” time, he found himself suffering from a dreadful affliction. His tongue began to putrefy, and he passed out from the pain. When he came to himself, he prayed his usual prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. soon as he had finished his prayer, he saw a handsome young man at the head of his bed. The sufferer realized at once that this was his guardian angel. The angel looked at him with pity, calling on the Mother of God to heal him. Suddenly, the Theotokos appeared and healed the sick man who was so devoted to Her. He got out of bed and went to church, taking his place on the cliros for the service. Those present were astonished to see his recovery. miracle inspired the painting of “The Healer” icon depicting the Mother of God standing at the bed of the sick man. Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Ksani Fortress, Ksani River 2); Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Healer€, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated December 2; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Georgia, 324, June 24, Pillar with Robe under it, Apparition, church, seven coloumns, youth from h, Fiery cross
Georgia, 324, June 24, Pillar with Robe under it; returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches. happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a Saturday. King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a problem, but the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. Saint Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits. myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. that time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople. Saint Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people. the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside. Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but Saint Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar. that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonderworking tree grew up on a mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi, the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted, without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were formed from its wood. many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: during the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. When morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. But it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces. to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord. to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved. Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband. Georgia, 317-332, Saint Nino of Cappadocia, Armenia; Georgia, 317-361, Saint Salome of Armenia; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Georgia, 324, Emperor Mirian&Empress Nana &Commemoration ot apparition ot Pillar with the Robe under it at Mtskheta, Georgia
Georgia, 324, Emperor Mirian &Empress Nana & Commemoration ot apparition of the Pillar with the Robe under it at Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River Mouth (Kura River 8)), 000 Jewish Diaspora Mtskheta learned wondrous child born Jerusalem, 0030 man delivers message child grown up, calls himself Son oGod, preaches new covenant, diaspora scholars urged come J and judge what measures to take, Elioz oM and Longinoz oKarsani sent tJ, Elioz' mother warned don't kill Messiah, she heard each nail strike & said farewell majesty otJews then she died, E&L go and bring back the Robe wGreat honor, E's sister Sidonia dies clutchin Robe tBreast,, many miracles, king wanted posess Robe but feared miracles, S buried wRobe, Cypress tree oSidonia's grave, disciples cast evangelism lots, Georgia lot falls to MOG but Christ tells her she will protect Georgia but not evangelize theres, send Andrew wImage of your face not made by hands to protect Georgia tEnd of Ages, He entered from SW in Atchara then preached in every region, he established Bishop and returned to J for Pascha, visited second time wMatthias and Somon tCanaanite, years pass, persian threats, christ's memory fades, 317 Nino comes to preach, and look for Robe, no one could remember, E's descendants priest Abiatar&Sidonia, converted them, she heals S through name oJesus & reed cross made by MOG w Nino's hair, King Mirian ruled Kartli, worshiped idol Armazi, drawn to Nino's preaching, his Queen Nana, Pontus Armenia military leader's daughter, so some prior knowledge christianity, Nana healed by Nino, Mirian asks A about scriptures, then M gripped by evil spirit wHunting, but sun suddenly eclipsed, darkness, prayed pagan gods not answered, eclipse ends when praying to crucified god-man, goes to N's bramble bush, asks Constantine for priests &architects, constructs church for priessts w 7 Colums from cypress tree, but 7th c does not move, Nino prayed all night, dawn youth in brilliant light descended&raised the column mid-air 12 yards high, myrrh, sick healed blind sight paralyzed walked, Bisop John fConstan, wGifts, J's icon, piece cross&nail, Kartli people baptized at Mtskheta, John to Erusheti, south Georgia, Manglisi Church there wCross frag, M wanted objects to Capital City Tiblisi, but Nino said holiest object in M wSidonia grave, under new church, wonderworking tree on mountain over Mtskheta, chopped down for 3 Crosses, replanted without roots, original appearance 37 days, many days vision night fiery cross above church surrounded by stars, in morning 2 stars move away opposite directions, Tkhoti in West, Ujarma in East, and after prayer Jvari in South, all M idols fell down moment J cross erected, M buried in upper church Samtavro in North, Nana &Nino's convent there, Svetiskhoveli Cathedral lower church has the life giving Pillar Mtskheta; Equals of the Apostles, Emperor Mirian and Empress Nana of Georgia; Saint Sidonia; the Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; the reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. thirty years later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the New Covenant. have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures should be taken in regard to this matter.” response to the envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to Jerusalem. of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah. the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha, Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last. St. Sidonia the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them to Mtskheta. their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took from him the Sacred Robe. much grief she listened to the story of our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and immediately gave up her spirit. miracles were worked by the Robe, and news of this flashed like lightning throughout Mtskheta. Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by the miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. cypress tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. the disciples of Christ cast lots after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy Theotokos. Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. him with an image of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!” to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, Saint Andrew the First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith. entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, subsequently preached in every region of the nation. established a hierarchy for the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for Pascha. he visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew was accompanied by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite. passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other pagan communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian people. at the beginning of the 4th century, according to God’s will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin Nino arrived in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. settled in the outskirts of Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden. Nino inquired as to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one could remember where it had been preserved. her quest for the Precious Robe, she became acquainted with Elioz’s descendants, the Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia. Saint Nino converted them to Christianity. Nino was blessed by God with the gift of healing. healed the afflicted through the name of our crucified Savior and through the grace of the cross formed from grapevines by the Theotokos and bound with strands of Saint Nino’s hair. that time King Mirian ruled Kartli. in the footsteps of his ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. ’s wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of Pontus. the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of the Greeks. Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the prayers of Saint Nino was she spared from death. this miraculous healing, King Mirian became intrigued by the Faith that Saint Nino was preaching, and he began asking the newly enlightened Abiatar about the Holy Scriptures. while he was hunting on Mount Tkhoti near Mtskheta, King Mirian was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he burned with a desire to destroy the Christian people of his land and—above all others— the virgin Nino. suddenly the sun was eclipsed, and the king was surrounded by darkness. frightened Mirian prayed to the pagan gods to save him from this terror, but his prayers went unanswered. in utter despair, he began to pray to the Crucified God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and the sun shone as before. his hands to the east, Mirian cried out, “Truly Thou art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!” returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent several hours seeking her counsel. her recommendation, he sent messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build churches. happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a Saturday. Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. columns to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that had grown in the king’s garden. of the columns were erected without a problem, the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had been carved. Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light, descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits. myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its blessing. the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk. that time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from Constantinople. Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people. the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into the Christian Faith. the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the village of Erusheti. they built churches and presented the Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment from the Life-giving Cross inside. Mirian wanted to keep some of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but Saint Nino informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior, was already located in Mtskheta. king summoned the priest Abiatar and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar. that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonderworking tree grew up on a mountain over Mtskheta at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi, the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a cross formed from its wood. tree was chopped down and replanted, without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its leaves did not fade or wither. after thirty-seven days had passed, three crosses were formed from its wood. many days after this miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: the night a fiery cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. morning came, two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite directions—one to the west and the other to the east. fiery cross headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared. Nino advised King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. it was unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place. Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. the moment the cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and shattered to pieces. to his death King Mirian blessed his heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully reposed in the Lord. to his will, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at Samtavro, today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved. Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband.

Georgia, 326-361, Saint Salome of Armenia, aka Salome of Ujarma
Georgia, 326-361, Saint Salome of Armenia; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Martyrdom of the Great-martyr George of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Georgia, 346, 5 nuns beheaded in Persia, actually Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Saphor II's time (309-379), killed by corrupt Priest
Georgia, 346, Five nuns beheaded in Persia, actually Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, during Saphor II's time (309-379), Priest Paul in Aza village, wealthy lover oMoney, had with him 5 women saints consecrated to God, adorned with virtues, also wealthy, entrusted their money to Paul, their spiritual father, he prayed and chanted Psalms with them, but kept money for himself, Persians threatened kill them for the money, if they not deny Christ, and give them some, Paul said Ok and became moslem, virgins said no, Paul beheaded virgins, Persians drowned Paul next evening, virgins received incorruptble crowns oGlory from Christ in 346; Aza, Azerbaijan; Five Nuns beheaded in Persia: Martyrs Thecla, Mariamne, Martha, Mary, and Ennatha, Commemorated on June 9; the time of the Persian king Saphor II (ca. 330 A.D.), a priest by the name of Paul was living near the village of Aza. was wealthy and a lover of money, and he had with him five women who had consecrated their virginity to God. Saints Mariamne, Martha, Maria, and Ennatha were adorned with the splendor of virtues. were wealthy, and they entrusted their Spiritual Father with all their money. greedy man prayed and chanted the Psalms with them, but he kept their money for himself. they learned that the priest Paul was rich, the Persians threatened to kill him and the five virgins if he did not deny Christ and give them some of his treasure. he preferred earthly riches, he accepted the Persian religion. holy virgins said that they would rather suffer torture and death than deny Christ. beheaded the women with a sword when they refused to follow his treacherous example. did not enjoy his wealth for very long, however. Persians drowned him the following evening in order to obtain all of the money. holy virgins received their incorruptible crowns of glory from Christ in the year 346. The five Virgin Martyrs are also commemorated on September 26.

Georgia, 361-378, Sauromaces II, christian, pro Roman policy, ousted by Saphur II, west restored by Rome, abandoned by R
Georgian King, 361-378, Sauromaces II of Iberia; II, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was a king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from 361 to 363 and diarch from 370 to 378. He is ignored by the Georgian historic tradition, but mentioned by the 4th-century historian of the Roman Empire, Ammianus Marcellinus. He was the first son of Rev II to Salome and brother of Trdat of Iberia. seems to have succeeded on the death of his paternal grandfather, Mirian III, the first Christian king of Iberia, in 361 and pursued pro-Roman policy. 363, he was ousted by the Sassanid king Shapur II who installed Aspacures II (Varaz-Bakur) in his place. Aspacures II was Saurmag's paternal uncle. The Sassanid intervention in the Caucasus eventually drew a Roman response and, later in 370, Roman Emperor Valens sent in the twelve legions—about 12,000 men—under Terentius who restored Saurmag in the western provinces of Iberia adjoining Armenia and Lazica, while Aspacures' successor Mihrdat III was permitted to retain control of the northeastern part of the kingdom. deal was not recognized by Shapur, who regarded it as grounds for war, and resumed hostilities against Rome early in 371.[1] By 378, however, the Gothic War had constrained Rome to abandon Sauromaces; his realm must have ceased to exist as Iberia passed, whole or nearly so, under the Sassanid suzerainty.[2]

Georgia, 365-380, Mihrdat III of Iberia, installed by Saphur II, R legions, kingdom divided, Adrianople, whole k
Georgian King, 365-380, Mihrdat III of Iberia ; III, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 365 to 380 (diarch 370–378). succeeded his father, Varaz-Bakur known as Aspacures to the contemporaneous historian Ammianus Marcellinus and installed by Shapur II, the Sassanid king of Iran on the place of his nephew Sauromaces. Mihrdat is unknown to Ammianus who continues to refer to him as Aspacures (Amm. 27.12; 30.2). 370, the Iranian intervention in Iberia drew a Roman response, and Ammianus reports an expedition sent by Emperor Valens to restore Sauromaces to the throne of Iberia. When the Roman legions reached the river Cyrus, their commander Terentius and Sauromaces forged a deal with Aspacures to divide the kingdom in two along the river. Aspacures indicated that he had considered defecting to Rome, but feared for the life of his son Vitra, who was by then a hostage at the Sassanid court.[1] He was permitted to retain the control of northeastern Iberia, while Sauromaces was established in southwest. This situation is reflected in Leonti Mroveli’s story of defection of the people of Klarjeti (in Iberia’s southwest) to the Romans.[2] the Roman defeat at Adrianople, Sauromaces was probably expelled in 378 and Aspacures presumably regained the whole kingdom.[3]

Georgia, 380-394, Aspacures III of Iberia, christian, Romans lost Iberia and g p of Armenia
Georgian King, 380-394, Aspacures III of Iberia; III (or Varaz-Bakur II), of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 380 to 394. He was the son and successor of Mirdat III and was married to the daughter of Trdat, his relative and successor. He is credited by the Georgian chronicles with the construction of the church of Tsilkani.[1] During his reign, the Roman Empire signed the Peace of Acilisene with Sassanid Iran in which it admitted to the loss of Iberia and a greater portion of Armenia. His sons were Pharasmanes and Mihrdat.[2]

Georgia, 394-406, Trdat of Iberia, christian, old, tribute to Sassanids, churches, martyred
Georgian King, 394-406, Trdat of Iberia; (Georgian: თრდატი, sometimes Latinized as Tiridates), of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 394 to 406. to the Georgian chronicles, he was a son of Rev II, son of Mirian III, the first Christian king of Iberia and Salome. Trdat's brother was Sauromaces II of Iberia. is reported to have succeeded, already in an advanced age, his relative and son-in-law, Varaz-Bakur II, and to have been forced to pay tribute to the Sassanids. chronicles praise his piety and credit Trdat with the construction of churches at Rustavi and Nekresi.[1] The church founded by Trdat at Nekresi is identified by the archaeologist Nodar Bakhtadze with a ruined basilica uncovered in 1998.[2] Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ; Mirdat (408-410), the son of Varaz-Bakur, was the first martyred king of Georgia. He was raised by his maternal grandfather, King Trdat. faithful grandfather taught the future king to love God and his nation, and the young prince mindfully preserved his grandfather’s wisdom throughout his life. Mirdat was endowed with the greatest of a nobleman’s virtues: wisdom, discretion, physical prowess, fearlessness, valor, and courage. He liberated Klarjeti from the Byzantines, abolished the tribute system (by which Georgia was required to pay taxes to Persia), and prepared for war against the Persians. Persian king gathered an enormous army to punish the Georgian nation, and King Mirdat courageously marched toward Gardabani (in eastern Georgia) with his much smaller army. But the selflessness and bravery of the Georgian soldiers were no match for the multitude of Persian warriors. The Georgians suffered defeat, and the Persian conquerors captured the young king. Persian king demanded that Mirdat renounce the Christian Faith, but he was firmly rebuffed. Neither intimidation nor fear of persecution would break the will of the king. After torturing him for his love of Christ, the Persians bound him in chains, tormented him almost to death, and cast him into prison, where he gave up his soul to the Lord. martyrdom of King Mirdat took place at the beginning of the 5th century, in the year 410.

Georgia, 400, 5th Century Folder, St King Vakhtan 7ft10in, St Susanna

Georgia, 406-408, Pharasmanes IV of Iberia, pious christian, warrior, withheld tribute, Byzantine court, e white huns
Georgian King, 406-408, Pharasmanes IV of Iberia; IV, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from 406 to 409. to the medieval Georgian chronicles, he was the son of King Varaz-Bakur II and the daughter of Trdat of Iberia. as a pious monarch and an exceptional warrior, he is reported to have rebelled against the Iranian hegemony and have withheld paying tribute to the shah. He is also credited with the construction of Bolnisi.[1] is identified by some scholars with the Pharasmanes of the Syriac Vita Petri Iberi who was a brother of Osdukhtia, the paternal grandmother of Peter the Iberian, a well-known Georgian theologian and one of the leaders of anti-Chalcedonian movement in the Eastern Roman Empire. enjoyed a leading position at the Roman court and held the rank of a magister militum under Emperor Arcadius until being accused of committing adultery with the empress Eudoxia. He escaped back to Iberia where he became king and encouraged the White Huns to attack the Roman frontiers. was succeeded by his brother, Mihrdat[2]

Georgia, 408-410, King, Mihrdat IV, first martyred Georgian K, opposed Byz and Sassanian, impiety, n building
Georgian King, 408-410, Mihrdat IV of Iberia; IV (Georgian: მირდატ IV, Latinized as Mithridates), of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 409 to 411. was the son of Varaz-Bakur II and the grandson (on his mother’s side) of Trdat. Georgian chronicles criticizes him for impiety and neglect of religious building, and informs us that he opposed both major regional powers, the Roman and Sassanid empires.[1] Defeated by the Sassanid army, he was captured and deported to Iran, where he died. Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ; Mirdat (408-410), the son of Varaz-Bakur, was the first martyred king of Georgia. He was raised by his maternal grandfather, King Trdat. faithful grandfather taught the future king to love God and his nation, and the young prince mindfully preserved his grandfather’s wisdom throughout his life. Mirdat was endowed with the greatest of a nobleman’s virtues: wisdom, discretion, physical prowess, fearlessness, valor, and courage. He liberated Klarjeti from the Byzantines, abolished the tribute system (by which Georgia was required to pay taxes to Persia), and prepared for war against the Persians. Persian king gathered an enormous army to punish the Georgian nation, and King Mirdat courageously marched toward Gardabani (in eastern Georgia) with his much smaller army. But the selflessness and bravery of the Georgian soldiers were no match for the multitude of Persian warriors. The Georgians suffered defeat, and the Persian conquerors captured the young king. Persian king demanded that Mirdat renounce the Christian Faith, but he was firmly rebuffed. Neither intimidation nor fear of persecution would break the will of the king. After torturing him for his love of Christ, the Persians bound him in chains, tormented him almost to death, and cast him into prison, where he gave up his soul to the Lord. martyrdom of King Mirdat took place at the beginning of the 5th century, in the year 410.

Georgia, 411-435, King, Archil, 2 conflicting versions, Zoroastrianism firm in c Geo, successful rebellion, retal raid
Georgia, 411-435, King, Archil of Iberia; of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 411 to 435. He was the son and successor of King Mirdat IV. two principal medieval Georgian chronicles – The Conversion of Kartli, and The Life of Kartli, – relate conflicting versions of Archil’s reign. former story is extremely brief, but regretfully indicates that the positions of Zoroastrianism, an official Sasanid religion, was firm in Christian Iberia, a testimony to the effectively unchallenged Sasanid hegemony over the country. other chronicle informs us of Archil’s successful rebellion against Iran, his victory over a punitive force and a retaliatory raid into Arran. The authenticity of this latter account has been questioned by modern scholars. is also attested in two Armenian sources: Koryun’s The Life of Mashtots, cap. 18; and Moses of Chorene, III.60.[1]

Georgia, 435-447, King, Mihrdat V of Iberia, pious christian, Vakhtang's father
Georgia, 435-447, King, Mihrdat V of Iberia; V, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) reigning, according to a medieval Georgian literary tradition, for 12 years, from c. 435 to 447 (according to Cyril Toumanoff). was the son and successor of King Archil. The Georgian annals praise Mihrdat for his piety, but provide no details about his reign. He was married to Sagdukht, daughter of Barzabod, Mihranid prince of Gardman, and fathered Vakhtang, his successor.[1]

Georgia, 447-502, King, Vakhtang I of Iberia, alliance with Byzan, reorg Orthodox Church, foundation of Tiblisi
Georgia, 447-502, King, Vakhtang I of Iberia I Gorgasali (c. 439 or 443 – 502 or 522), of the Chosroid dynasty, was a king of Iberia, natively known as Kartli (eastern Georgia) in the second half of the 5th and first quarter of the 6th century. led his people, in an ill-fated alliance with the Byzantine Empire, into a lengthy struggle against Sasanian Iranian hegemony, which ended in Vakhtang's defeat and weakening of the kingdom of Iberia. Tradition also ascribes him reorganization of the Georgian Orthodox Church and foundation of Tbilisi, Georgia's modern capital.[1] Vakhtang's reign is problematic. Ivane Javakhishvili assigns to Vakhtang's rule the dates c. 449–502 while Cyril Toumanoff suggests the dates c. 447–522. Furthermore, Toumanoff identifies Vakhtang with the Iberian king Gurgenes known from Procopius' Wars of Justinian.[2] is a subject of the 8th or 11th century vita attributed to Juansher, which intertwines history and legend into an epic narrative, hyperbolizing Vakhtang's personality and biography. This literary work has been a primary source of Vakhtang's image as an example warrior-king and statesman, which has preserved in popular memory to this day. emerged as one of the most popular figures in Georgia's history already in the Middle Ages[3] and has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church[4] as The Holy and Right-Believing King Vakhtang and is commemorated on December 13 [O.S. November 30].[4]

Georgia, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), 7'10", unity for faith motherland, Ossetia v, Byz v, autocephalous Peter
Georgia, 447-502, King Vakhtang Gorgasali (wolf's head), Kartli (town, Tbilisi), K at 15, 7'10", unity selflessness for faith motherland, Ossetia v, Caucasian mt tribe treaties, Byz v in west, life to God, warhorse cary up mt, outrun deer, stress calm, autocephalous c, first catholicos peter, Jerusalem monastery, G forts churches diocese monasteries strongholds royal residence capital Tiblisi, political creed church union w Byz, independence, church nation union, died 502 Pesia battle; Kartli; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; holy and right-believing king Vakhtang I ascended the throne of Kartli at the age of fifteen. that time Kartli was continually being invaded by the Persians from the south and by the Ossetians from the north. situation was no better in western Georgia: the Byzantines had captured all the lands from Egrisi to Tsikhegoji. his coronation, the young King Vakhtang summoned his court and addressed his dedicated servants with great wisdom. said that the sorrowful circumstances in which the nation had found itself were a manifestation of God’s anger at the sins of the king and the people. called upon everyone to struggle in unity and selflessness on behalf of the Faith and motherland. Vakhtang led a victorious campaign against the Ossetians, freed the captive princess (his older sister), and signed several treaties with the Caucasian mountain tribes to secure their cooperation in the struggle against foreign conquerors. he carried out another campaign in western Georgia, freed that region from the Byzantines, reinforced the authority of King Gubaz, and returned in triumph to Kartli. Vakhtang was remarkable in faith, wisdom, grace, virtue, and appearance (he towered above all others at a stately seven feet ten inches). spent many nights in prayer and distributed alms to the poor, in this way dedicating his life to God. Vakhtang could fight tirelessly in battle. in armor and fully armed, he could carry a war-horse on his shoulders and climb from Mtskheta to the Armazi Fortress in the mountains outside the city. foot he could outrun a deer. holy king was judicious in politics, displayed great composure, and preserved a sense of calm even when critical decisions needed to be made. the brow of Vakhtang’s military helmet was depicted a wolf, and on the back, a lion. a glimpse of the helmet with the wolf and lion, the Persians would cry out to one another: “Dar’ az gurgsar!” (“Beware of the wolf’s head!”) This was the source of King Vakhtang’s appellation “Gorgasali.” King Vakhtang’s reign the Georgian Church was first recognized as autocephalous. the holy king banished the pagan fire-worshippers from Georgia, he also sent a certain Bishop Michael—who was inclined to the Monophysite heresy, which had been planted in Georgia by the Persians—to Constantinople to be tried by the patriarch. bishop had disgracefully cursed the king and his army for rising up against the Monophysites. In fact, he was so infuriated that when King Vakhtang approached him to receive his blessing, he kicked him in the mouth and broke several of his teeth. patriarch of Constantinople subsequently defrocked Bishop Michael and sent him to a monastery to repent. importantly perhaps, the patriarch and the Byzantine emperor then sent to the patriarch of Antioch several clergymen whom King Vakhtang had chosen for consecration. Antioch the patriarch consecrated twelve of these clergymen as bishops and enthroned a certain Petre as the first Catholicos of Georgia. fulfilled the will of Holy King Mirian by founding the Georgian Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. addition, he replaced a wooden church that had been built in Mtskheta at the time of Saint Nino with a church made of stone. his reign several new dioceses were founded. Vakhtang built a cathedral in Nikozi (Inner Kartli) and established a new diocese there, to which he translated the holy relics of the Protomartyr Razhden. Vakhtang built fortresses at Tukhari, Artanuji, and Akhiza; monasteries in Klarjeti at Artanuji, Mere, Shindobi, and Akhiza; established many other strongholds, churches, and monasteries as well. built a new royal residence in Ujarma laid the foundations of the new Georgian capital, Tbilisi. political creed consisted of three parts: an equal union of the Georgian Church with the Byzantine Church, national independence, and the unity of the Church and nation. the year 502 the sixty-year-old King Vakhtang was obliged to defend his country for the last time. In a battle with the Persians he was fatally wounded when a poisoned arrow pierced him under the arm. Before he died, King Vakhtang summoned the clergy, his family and his court and urged them to be strong in the Faith and to seek death for Christ’s sake in order to gain eternal glory. of Georgia mourned the passing of the king. His body was moved from the royal residence in Ujarma to Mtskheta, to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which he had himself built. There he was buried with great honor. fifteen centuries later, with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, an addition was built onto the Sioni Patriarchal Cathedral in Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s name, and a cathedral in his honor was founded in the city of Rustavi.

Georgia, 447-502, King, Vakhtang I of Iberia, Gorgasali, 7ft10in, met Peter and Samuel in Byzantium
Georgia, 447-502, Georgian King, Vakhtang I of Iberia, Gorgasali, 7ft10in, met Peter and Samuel in Byzantium; is written in the biography of Holy King Vakhtang IV Gorgasali that the king was introduced to Peter, a pupil of Saint Gregory the Theologian, during one of his visits to Byzantium, and he became very close to him. At that time he was also introduced to the future catholicos Samuel. close spiritual bond of the holy king and the catholicos, combined with their concerted efforts on behalf of the Church, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of friendly political relations between Georgia and Byzantium and the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Georgian Apostolic Church. Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; holy and right-believing king Vakhtang I ascended the throne of Kartli at the age of fifteen. At that time Kartli was continually being invaded by the Persians from the south and by the Ossetians from the north. The situation was no better in western Georgia: the Byzantines had captured all the lands from Egrisi to Tsikhegoji. his coronation, the young King Vakhtang summoned his court and addressed his dedicated servants with great wisdom. He said that the sorrowful circumstances in which the nation had found itself were a manifestation of God’s anger at the sins of the king and the people. He called upon everyone to struggle in unity and selflessness on behalf of the Faith and motherland. Vakhtang led a victorious campaign against the Ossetians, freed the captive princess (his older sister), and signed several treaties with the Caucasian mountain tribes to secure their cooperation in the struggle against foreign conquerors. Then he carried out another campaign in western Georgia, freed that region from the Byzantines, reinforced the authority of King Gubaz, and returned in triumph to Kartli. Vakhtang was remarkable in faith, wisdom, grace, virtue, and appearance (he towered above all others at a stately seven feet ten inches). He spent many nights in prayer and distributed alms to the poor, in this way dedicating his life to God. King Vakhtang could fight tirelessly in battle. Vested in armor and fully armed, he could carry a war-horse on his shoulders and climb from Mtskheta to the Armazi Fortress in the mountains outside the city. On foot he could outrun a deer. The holy king was judicious in politics, displayed great composure, and preserved a sense of calm even when critical decisions needed to be made. the brow of Vakhtang’s military helmet was depicted a wolf, and on the back, a lion. Catching a glimpse of the helmet with the wolf and lion, the Persians would cry out to one another: “Dar’ az gurgsar!” (“Beware of the wolf’s head!”) This was the source of King Vakhtang’s appellation “Gorgasali.” King Vakhtang’s reign the Georgian Church was first recognized as autocephalous. When the holy king banished the pagan fire-worshippers from Georgia, he also sent a certain Bishop Michael—who was inclined to the Monophysite heresy, which had been planted in Georgia by the Persians—to Constantinople to be tried by the patriarch. The bishop had disgracefully cursed the king and his army for rising up against the Monophysites. In fact, he was so infuriated that when King Vakhtang approached him to receive his blessing, he kicked him in the mouth and broke several of his teeth. patriarch of Constantinople subsequently defrocked Bishop Michael and sent him to a monastery to repent. importantly perhaps, the patriarch and the Byzantine emperor then sent to the patriarch of Antioch several clergymen whom King Vakhtang had chosen for consecration. In Antioch the patriarch consecrated twelve of these clergymen as bishops and enthroned a certain Petre as the first Catholicos of Georgia. fulfilled the will of Holy King Mirian by founding the Georgian Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. In addition, he replaced a wooden church that had been built in Mtskheta at the time of Saint Nino with a church made of stone. During his reign several new dioceses were founded. King Vakhtang built a cathedral in Nikozi (Inner Kartli) and established a new diocese there, to which he translated the holy relics of the Protomartyr Razhden. Vakhtang built fortresses at Tukhari, Artanuji, and Akhiza; founded monasteries in Klarjeti at Artanuji, Mere, Shindobi, and Akhiza; and established many other strongholds, churches, and monasteries as well. He built a new royal residence in Ujarma and laid the foundations of the new Georgian capital, Tbilisi. His political creed consisted of three parts: an equal union of the Georgian Church with the Byzantine Church, national independence, and the unity of the Church and nation. the year 502 the sixty-year-old King Vakhtang was obliged to defend his country for the last time. In a battle with the Persians he was fatally wounded when a poisoned arrow pierced him under the arm. Before he died, King Vakhtang summoned the clergy, his family and his court and urged them to be strong in the Faith and to seek death for Christ’s sake in order to gain eternal glory. of Georgia mourned the passing of the king. His body was moved from the royal residence in Ujarma to Mtskheta, to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which he had himself built. There he was buried with great honor. fifteen centuries later, with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, an addition was built onto the Sioni Patriarchal Cathedral in Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali’s name, and a cathedral in his honor was founded in the city of Rustavi. St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Georgia, 447-457, Razhden the Protomartyr, Crusified in Tsromi, Persian nobleman converted christian
Georgia, 447-457, Razhden the Protomartyr, Crusified in Tsromi, Persian nobleman converted christian; Tsromi in central Georgia, Tsromi Church, 7th Century; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Razhden the Protomartyr was descended from a noble Persian family. When Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali married the daughter of the Persian king Hormuzd III Balunducht, the queen took Razhden with her to Georgia. Kartli Razhden converted to the Christian Faith, and King Vakhtang presented him with an estate and appointed him as a military adviser and commander. that time Georgia was under heavy political pressure from Persia. Enraged at King Vakhtang’s clearly Christian convictions, the Persian king Peroz (Son of Yazgard III.)(457-484) attacked Georgia with an enormous army. His accomplishments in this battle earned Razhden his distinction as a brave and virtuous warrior. long the furious King Peroz ordered that “a certain Persian aristocrat who had converted to Christianity and survived the battle” be taken captive. The Persians surrounded Razhden, bound his hands and feet, and delivered him to their king. Peroz received him with feigned tenderness, saying, “Greetings, my virtuous Razhden! Peace be to you! Where have you been all this time, and for what reason have you turned from the faith of your fathers to confess a creed in which your fathers did not instruct you?” fearlessly asserted that Christianity is the only true faith and that Christ is the only true Savior of mankind. King Peroz tried to conceal his anger and cunningly lure Razhden to his side, but his attempt was in vain. Convinced that his efforts were futile, Peroz finally ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy. The expert executioners trampled Saint Razhden, battered him, knocked out his teeth, dragged him across jagged cliffs, then chained him in heavy irons and cast him into prison. the news of Razhden’s suffering and captivity spread to Mtskheta, the Georgian nobility came to Peroz and requested that he free the holy man. Peroz consented to their request, but made Razhden vow to return. arrived in Mtskheta, bid farewell to his family and the beloved king Vakhtang Gorgasali and, despite his loved ones’ admonitions to the contrary, returned to Peroz. The Persian king tried again to return Razhden to the religion of the fire-worshippers. But seeing that he would not be broken, Peroz instead ordered his exile to a military camp at Tsromi in central Georgia. Then he secretly ordered the chief of the Persian camp to turn him away from Christianity and to execute him if he refused. “Your flattery and bribes are insulting to me. With joy I am prepared to endure every suffering for the sake of Christ!” replied to his appeals, “If he hopes in the Crucified One, then he also is fit to suffer crucifixion!” Such was the Persians’ verdict. They erected a cross, crucified Christ’s humble servant, and prepared to shoot at the pious man with bow and arrow. “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit!” were the last words of Saint Razhden. night a group of Christians stole the Persians’ cross, took the holy martyr’s body down from it, and buried his holy relics in secret. A few years later Vakhtang Gorgasali translated Saint Razhden’s relics from Tsromi to Nikozi (in central Georgia) and interred them in a cathedral that he had built there not long before. Holy King Vakhtang later erected churches in honor of Georgia’s first martyr in Ujarma and Samgori in eastern Georgia.

Georgia, 449-502, Georgian King, Vakhtang I of Iberia, Gorgasali, 7ft10in, met Peter in Byzantium
Georgia, 449-502, Georgian King, Vakhtang I of Iberia; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Georgia, 456-468, King, Gubazes I of Lazica, King Vakhtang freed him from Byzantines
Georgia, 456-468, King, Gubazes I of Lazica; Around 456 Gubazes tried to negotiate an alliance with the Sassanid Persians in order to break free from Roman hegemony. In response, in 456, the emperor Marcian dispatched a military expedition against the Lazi, calling upon Gubazes to abdicate or to depose his son, who was his co-ruler, "as it was against tradition to have two joint rulers". Eventually Gubazes abdicated in favor of his son and, in 466, paid a visit to Constantinople, where he had to endure the reprimands of the emperor Leo I, but he was eventually treated with favour and sent back to his homeland, where he seems to have been able to resume his reign. Gubazes' visit to Constantinople is also mentioned in the Life of St. Daniel the Stylite, which reports that Gubazes accompanied Leo to see the renowned monk Daniel, who greatly impressed the Lazic king and even mediated a treaty between the two monarchs. This period coincided with a campaign launched against Lazica by its eastern neighbour, King Vakhtang I of Iberia, which is narrated in the Georgian Chronicles. Vakhtang was then a Sassanid vassal and his activities in Lazica may have been indirect assistance from the Sassanid shah, as previously offered to Gubazes during his break with Rome. Around 468 Gubazes, aided by the Romans, attacked the pro-Persian mountainous region of Suania, which had seceded from Lazic overlordship, but, aside from a couple of fortresses, he failed to retake the territory. His failure may have been due to the interference of the Iberians, since the Georgian Chronicles allude to another, in this case victorious, campaign, undertaken by Vakhtang of Iberia in Lazica around this time. Lazica region, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Georgia, 460-505, Peter, 1st Georgia Catholicos, f Byz, close to Vakhtang I, autocephaly, harmony b church & state
Georgia, 460-505, Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia in Kartli (town, Tbilisi), Gregory's pupil in Byz, close to Vakhtang I, so Geo close w Byz, autocephaly, harmony between church and state, respect for king; Kartli; Hierarch Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; Peter was the first catholicos of Georgia. He led the Church of Kartli from the 460s through the beginning of the 6th century. to God’s will, Saint Peter inaugurated the dynasty of the chief shepherds of Georgia. is written in the biography of Holy King Vakhtang IV Gorgasali that the king was introduced to Peter, a pupil of Saint Gregory the Theologian, during one of his visits to Byzantium, and he became very close to him. At that time he was also introduced to the future catholicos Samuel. close spiritual bond of the holy king and the catholicos, combined with their concerted efforts on behalf of the Church, contributed immeasurably to the establishment of friendly political relations between Georgia and Byzantium and the proclamation of the autocephaly of the Georgian Apostolic Church. returned to his own capital, King Vakhtang sent an envoy to Byzantium to find him a wife. He also sent a request that the hierarch Peter be elevated as catholicos and that the priest Samuel be consecrated bishop. He pleaded with the patriarch to hasten the arrival of Catholicos Peter and the twelve bishops with him. patriarch of Constantinople approved King Vakhtang’s request to institute the rank of catholicos of Georgia. Since the Georgian Church was still under the jurisdiction of Antioch, Peter and Samuel were sent to the Antiochian patriarch himself to be elevated. The autocephaly of the Georgian Church was proclaimed upon the arrival of the holy fathers in Georgia. Peter ruled the Church according to the principle of autocephaly and established a form of self-rule that would later help to increase the authority of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church. mutual respect and cooperation of the catholicos and the holy king laid the foundations for future, harmonious relations between secular and Church authorities in Georgia. Their example defined the authority of the Church and a national love and respect for the king. accompanied Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali to war with the Persians in 502. It is written that “the fatally wounded king Vakhtang summoned the catholicos, the queen, his sons and all the nobility.” Saint Peter heard the king’s last confession, granted the remission of his sins, presided at his funeral service, and blessed the prince Dachi (502-514) to succeed him as king of Kartli. Catholicos Peter led the Georgian Church with great wisdom to the end of his days. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized the holy catholicos Peter and the holy catholicos Samuel on October 17, 2002.

Georgia, 460-475, Queen, Shushanik (Susanna) husband converted to fire worship, killed her when she would not
Georgia, 460-475, Saint Shushanik (Susanna) Queen of Georgia; Georgia, 470-482, Varsken, Viceroy of Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia; Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28; Shushanik (Susanna) was the wife of the Georgian prince Varsken, the ruler of Hereti.1 Having been raised in a pious Christian family, she was deeply penetrated with love and the fear of God. that time Kartli was under heavy political pressure from Persia, and Prince Varsken visited the Persian king Peroz in hopes of encouraging more friendly relations between the two countries. He willingly denied the true Faith, converted to the worship of fire, and promised the king to convert his wife and children upon his return to Hereti. approached the border of Hereti, Varsken sent messengers to Tsurtavi, the city in which he ruled, to ensure that his subjects met him with due respect. The blessed Shushanik, having learned of her husband’s betrayal, fell to the ground and wept over him with bitter tears. Then she took her four children, deserted the palace, and sought refuge in a nearby church. evening Shushanik was visited by her spiritual father, the elder Jacob, who predicted, “Varsken’s cruelty and mercilessness are unmistakable. Know that terrible trials await you. Will you be firm and unbending in your position?” “I would rather die than unite with him and destroy my soul!” she answered. days later the prince arrived in Tsurtavi. As promised, he tried to persuade his wife to convert, but Saint Shushanik firmly answered, “As you have renounced your Creator, so I am renouncing you. I will no longer take part in your affairs, no matter what suffering I must endure!” next time, Varsken sent his younger brother Jojik and Bishop Apots to convince Shushanik to return to the palace. Shushanik refused for some time, but in the end she yielded to their persuasion. She set off for the palace with the Holy Gospel and the Lives of the holy martyrs, and when she arrived she locked herself in a squalid cell. Two days later Varsken returned to the palace and invited Shushanik, his brother Jojik, and his sister-in-law for supper. The queen, however, could not bring herself to share a meal with one who had betrayed Christ: she pushed away the cup that Jojik’s wife had offered her, thus further angering her husband. furious Varsken beat his wife mercilessly, fettered her in irons, locked her in prison, and forbade the guards to let anyone in to see her. Shushanik spent six years in captivity. While she was serving her sentence, she helped the poor that came to her. Through her prayers the sick were healed and children were born to the childless. Before her death, Holy Martyr Shushanik blessed those around her and requested that she be buried at the place from which her unbelieving husband had dragged her out of the palace. happened in the year 475. The clergy and people alike wept bitterly over Shushanik’s tragic fate. Her holy relics were buried in accordance with her will. 578, with the blessing of Catholicos Kirion I, Saint Shushanik’s holy relics were translated to Tbilisi, where they remain today, in the Metekhi Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Susanna of Georgia is also commemorated on October 17. Hereti, a province of southeastern Georgia, was under Persian control at that time. Prince Varsken was essentially the viceroy for the Persians.

Georgia, 470-482, Varsken, Viceroy of Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia, Traitor, Killed Wife Susanna
Georgia, 470-482, Varsken, Viceroy of Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia; Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia; Georgia, 460-475, Saint Shushanik (Susanna) Queen of Georgia; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28;

Georgia, 480-547, Samuel, 2nd Georgia Catholicos, f Byz, close to Vakhtang I, Svetitskhoveli & Tsqarostavi churches
Georgia, 480-547, Samuel, 2nd Georgia Catholicos, f Byz, close to Vakhtang I, autocephaly, harmony b church & state, a Svetitskhoveli Cathedral iMtskheta, led GChurch reigns oDachi & Bakur, began Tsqarostavi Church iJavakheti ; Kartli; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; Samuel ascended the throne of the Apostolic Orthodox Church of Georgia in the 6th century, after the holy catholicos Peter. Saint Peter, Samuel was a native of Byzantium. He arrived with Catholicos Peter in Georgia as a bishop, at the invitation of King Vakhtang Gorgasali and with the blessing of the patriarch of Constantinople. that time Svetitskhoveli in Mtskheta was the residence of the catholicos. the repose of Catholicos Peter, Samuel succeeded him, and King Dachi “bestowed upon him the city of Mtskheta, according to the will of King Vakhtang.” Saint Samuel led the Georgian Church during the reigns of King Dachi and his son Bakur. He initiated construction of Tsqarostavi Church in the Javakheti region. we know of Saint Samuel’s activity paints him as a pastor who demonstrated great foresight and cared deeply about his flock. He was also a close acquaintance of the holy martyr Queen Shushanik. Samuel faithfully served the Autocephalous Church of Georgia and labored to strengthen the Christian Faith of the Georgian people to the end of his days. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized the holy catholicos Peter and the holy catholicos Samuel on October 17, 2002.

Georgia, 500, 6th Century Folder, 13 Assyrian Fathers, including John of Zedezeni, David Gareji, and St. Shio

Georgia, 502, War with Persia, Vakhtang I killed, 7ft10in
Georgia, 502, War with Iran, Vakhtang I killed; Catholicos Peter accompanied Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali to war with the Persians in 502. It is written that œthe fatally wounded king Vakhtang summoned the catholicos, the queen, his sons and all the nobility.Â Saint Peter heard the king'™s last confession, granted the remission of his sins, presided at his funeral service, and blessed the prince Dachi (502-514) to succeed him as king of Kartli. Georgia, 449-502, Georgian King, Vakhtang I of Iberia; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Georgia, 502-534, Dachi of Iberia, Vakhtang's son, more concillatory, christianized mountainous s, enlarged Tiblisi, citadel
Georgia, 502-534, Georgian King, Dachi of Iberia, Vakhtang's son, more concillatory w Persians, further christianized mountainous subjects, enlarged Tiblisi, completed citadel there; Georgian King, 502-534, Dachi of Iberia ; of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) reigning, according to a medieval Georgian literary tradition, for 12 years, from c. 522 to 534. was given a territorial epithet Ujarmeli for having spent years at his residence at Ujarma. name Dachi derives from Middle Persian Darchr, itself being a compound of the Iranian words dar ("court, palace") and chr [ag] ("seed, origin").[1] to the medieval Georgian chronicles, Dachi was the eldest son of King Vakhtang I Gorgasal by Balendukht, daughter of the Iranian Sassanid king Hormizd III. succeeded his father, who had launched an abortive rebellion against the Sassanid hegemony, took a more conciliatory line with his Iranian suzerains. his base at Ujarma in Kakheti, which had constituted the royal demesne from the days of the early Chosroids, he spent special missionary efforts to further Christianize his mountainous subjects. also enlarged the town of Tbilisi and completed the construction of its citadel which had been founded by his father. was succeeded by his son, Bacurius II.[2][3] 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Georgia, 534-547, Bacurius II of Iberia, King, died leaving young children, I fell under Sassanid control
Georgian King, 534-547, Bacurius II of Iberia; II, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was a king of Iberia (natively known as Kartli; ancient Georgia) from 534 to 547. name Bacurius is the Latin form of the Greek Bakour, itself a variant of the Middle Iranian Pakur, derived from Old Iranian bag-puhr ('son of a god').[1][2] The name "Bakur" is the Georgian and Armenian attestation of Middle Iranian Pakur.[1] was the son and successor of King Dachi. According to the medieval Georgian chronicler Juansher, he died leaving young children and Iberia fell under Sassanid control.[3] He had two children, Pharasmanes V and one of the parents of Pharasmanes VI. 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Georgia, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (St Shio, John of Zedazeni, David Gareji, Joseph of Alaverdi)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Georgia, 540's, 13 Assyrian Fathers (under St John of Zedazeni)
Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; Thirteen Assyrian Fathers were, according to Georgian church tradition, a group of monastic missionaries who arrived from Mesopotamia to Georgia to strengthen Christianity in the country in the 6th century. They are credited by the Georgian church historians with the foundation of several monasteries and hermitages and initiation of the ascetic movement in Georgia.[1][2] lives of the Assyrian Fathers are related in a cycle of medieval Georgian hagiographic texts and are unattested beyond these sources. Some of these vitae are formalities composed for an 18th-century synaxary, but four of them exist in original form, as well a metaphrastic version. The dating as well as authorship of these texts is controversial. The Georgian Catholicoi Arsen I (830-87) and Arsen II (955-80) have been suggested as authors of some of the vitae. Other, unattributed, texts may have been composed earlier, in the late 7th century.[3] monasteries in modern Georgia are named after the Assyrian Fathers and are said to have been founded and led by them and their numerous disciples. In the Middle Ages, these religious foundations played an important role in forging Georgian Christian identity.[3] written and oral, names as many as 19 Assyrian monks active in Georgia in the 6th century and the number "13" seems to be largely symbolic. Modern scholarly opinion is divided as to whether they were Assyrians, Assyrian-educated Georgians, whether missionaries or refugees — monophysite or diophysite — from Syria, from which monophysitism had retreated while Georgia was still primarily monophysite at that time.[3] in Iberia where the fathers served Chief of the Assyrian Fathers were: Davit Garejeli / David of Gareja Ioane Zedazneli / John of Zedazeni Abibos Nekreseli / Abibos of Nekresi Shio Mgvimeli / Shio of Mgvime Ioseb Alaverdeli / Joseph of Alaverdi Anton Martkopeli / Anton of Martkopi Tadeoz Stepantsmindeli / Thaddeus of Stepantsminda Piros Breteli / Pyrrhus of Breti Iese Tsilkneli / Jesse of Tsilkani Stepane Khirseli / Stephen of Khirsa Isidore Samtavneli / Isidor of Samtavisi Mikael Ulumboeli / Michael of Ulumbo Zenon Ikaltoeli / Zenon of Ikalto Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St. David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Georgia, 540's, Anthony, Monasticism in Georgia, of the 13 Assyrian Fathers, Anton of Martqopi
Georgia, 540's, Anthony, Monasticism in Georgia, of the 13 Assyrian Fathers; Georgia, 13 Assyrian Fathers, 6th Century; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19; holy father Anton of Martqopi arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the rest of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers and settled in Kakheti to preach the Gospel of Christ. He always carried with him an icon of the Savior “Not-Made-By-Hands.” Anton made his home in the wilderness, and deer visited him every evening to nourish him with their milk. day the deer arrived earlier than expected, and they were followed by a wounded fawn. Clearly something had frightened them. Anton retraced the animals’ path, he discovered a nobleman, the head of a nearby village, hunting in the fields. Astonished to see the old monk with his icon, standing amidst a gathering of deer, the nobleman, being a pagan, became convinced that he was dangerous and ordered his servants to take him to a smith and chop off his hands. was led at once to the smith, but when the craftsman heated his sword and drew it above the monk’s hands in preparation, he fell down suddenly and his arms became like wood. daunted smith fell mute, but blessed Anton made the sign of the Cross over him and he was immediately healed. heard about this miracle, the nobleman perceived that Abba Anton was truly holy, and he began to hold him in reverence. “Tell me what you need, and I will provide it for you,” he told Elder Anton. The monk requested a single piece of salt, and they brought him two large blocks. He broke off a small piece and placed it near his cell for the deer. the incident at the smith’s, many people began to visit Anton, and the holy father constructed a monastery for the faithful. before long their attention became burdensome, and Elder Anton fled from the world to the peak of a mountain. There he began to preach from the top of a pillar, where he would remain the last fifteen years of his life. God revealed to Fr. Anton the day of his repose, the monk-stylite gathered his pupils, imparted to them a few last words of wisdom, blessed them, and died on his knees in front of his beloved icon. Anton’s body was taken down from the pillar and buried in the monastery that he had founded, before the icon of the Theotokos.

Georgia, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers
Georgia, 540-590, Anthony, Monasticism iGeorgia Founder, oMartkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1), of 13 Assryian Fathers. tPreach Gospel iKakheti wilderness, tPreach tGospel, deer visited every evening to feed him, one day arrived early, frightened, injured fawn, retracing he discovered nobleman, who feared him, ordered hands cut off, smith readying the sword fell down, arms like wood, became mute, Anthony's sign otCross healed him, nobleman perceived holiness, tell me what you need, only single piece oSalt, brought 2 large blocks, broke small piece, placed near deer, built monastery fMany who visited, attention burdensome, fled tMountain pea, fLast 15yrs, God revealed time oDeath to the day,gathered pupils, imparted wisdom, blessed them&reposed on his knees in front oHis icon, body taken down fPillar, burried iHis Monastery before Theotokis icon; Martkopi, Georgia; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; holy father Anton of Martqopi arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the rest of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers settled in Kakheti to preach the Gospel of Christ. always carried with him an icon of the Savior “Not-Made-By-Hands.” made his home in the wilderness, deer visited him every evening to nourish him with their milk. day the deer arrived earlier than expected, they were followed by a wounded fawn. Clearly something had frightened them. Anton retraced the animals’ path, he discovered a nobleman, the head of a nearby village, hunting in the fields. to see the old monk with his icon, standing amidst a gathering of deer, the nobleman, being a pagan, became convinced that he was dangerous and ordered his servants to take him to a smith and chop off his hands. was led at once to the smith, but when the craftsman heated his sword and drew it above the monk’s hands in preparation, fell down suddenly his arms became like wood. daunted smith fell mute, blessed Anton made the sign of the Cross over him he was immediately healed. heard about this miracle, the nobleman perceived that Abba Anton was truly holy, and he began to hold him in reverence. me what you need, and I will provide it for you,” he told Elder Anton. monk requested a single piece of salt, they brought him two large blocks. broke off a small piece and placed it near his cell for the deer. the incident at the smith’s, many people began to visit Anton, the holy father constructed a monastery for the faithful. before long their attention became burdensome, Elder Anton fled from the world to the peak of a mountain. he began to preach from the top of a pillar, he would remain the last fifteen years of his life. God revealed to Fr. Anton the day of his repose, monk-stylite gathered his pupils, imparted to them a few last words of wisdom, blessed them, and died on his knees in front of his beloved icon. Anton’s body was taken down from the pillar buried in the monastery that he had founded, the icon of the Theotokos.

Georgia, 540's, Abibus, Nekressi Bishop, of 13 Fathers, Dagestani's also, watered fire god, Jesus sign, d escape, incorrupt r

Georgia, 540's, Holy Fathers of Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia, great story, dove, spring prayer, obedient bear, cup in air
Georgia, 540's, Holy Fathers of Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8), 13 Syrian Fathers, Blessed by MOG, arrived Georgia 540's, Zedazeni Mt, prayer&fasting, John ofZ's good works throughout Georgia, Founding many monasteries active today, revived G monastic life, Shio, nobleman fAntioch, to nearby Sarkineti Mts, deserted highlands, dove b food, ruler Evagre of Tsikhedidi found him w hunting, financed &joined him, became igumen, great ascetic Ila stayed w John carrying water all way up from river, Z Mt no water, John asked God for a spring and got it, cup left suspended in air at ShioM, Bear scares Ila, J commands bear and his kind to not harm anyone on Z Mt. C still in effect; Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); Holy Fathers of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, Commemorated on January 4; Thirteen Syrian fathers arrived in Georgia in the 6th century, having received a blessing for their journey from the Most Holy Theotokos. settled on Zedazeni Mountain, living an ascetic life of prayer and fasting. spiritual leader, Ioane (John), then sent them to perform good works throughout various regions of Georgia. founding of many monasteries and the revival of monastic life in Georgia today are linked to the names of the Thirteen Syrian Fathers. Ioane sent one of his disciples, Shio, the son of a God-fearing Antiochian nobleman, to take up his abode in the nearby Sarkineti Mountains. the grace of God, a dove brought food to Saint Shio in the deserted highlands where he labored. certain ruler, Evagre of Tsikhedidi, would often go hunting in the area where Saint Shio lived. one of his excursions he happened upon venerable Shio and was so awed by his wondrous way of life that he decided to remain there with him. Evagre gave up all his possessions and was found worthy to be appointed abbot at the time of Saint Shio’s death. Ioane remained on Zedazeni Mountain with only one disciple, the holy deacon Ilia. Fr. Ilia was a great consolation to Saint Ioane in his infirmities. Saint Ilia was also a great ascetic in his own right, laboring in prayer, fasting, and mortification of the flesh. mountain on which they lived was completely lacking water. Ilia labored in the sweat of his brow carrying water from the Aragvi River, which flows around the foot of Zedazeni Mountain. the great ascetic labors of his disciple, Saint Ioane besought God with tears that He would supply them with a spring of water on top of this high mountain. God heard the prayer of His servant and a spring of delicious water began to flow. Ilia the Deacon often accompanied Saint Ioane on his travels. Ioane once took him to the monastery of Saint Shio, and Ilia the Deacon, as requested, presented Saint Ioane with a cup of wine in the refectory. The blessed Ioane made the sign of the Cross over the cup, raised it aloft, prayed to God, and left the cup suspended in the air. It remained where he had placed it, as if supported by an invisible hand. day Saint Ilia went to the spring to draw water. Glancing up he saw opposite him a bear of enormous size approaching the spring. was terrified and, leaving his bucket, turned and fled to the great schemamonk Ioane to tell him about the bear. Saint Ioane followed his disciple to the well and saw the bear drinking water. Saint Ioane meekly said, “Drink if you are thirsty and go away from here. But I tell you that henceforth, you and your kind shall never dare to cause any harm to anyone on this mountain.” the words of the saint and inclining its head like an obedient servant, the bear immediately left the spring. And to this day the animals continue to obey Saint Ioane’s command. holy deacon Ilia remained with Saint Ioane the rest of his life. Georgian Apostolic Church beseeches the protection of the venerable Evagre, Ilia the Deacon, and all the blessed and pious elders who dwelt with the Thirteen Syrian Fathers and continued laboring in holiness to the end of their lives.

Georgia, 540's, Evagrisi, Shio's disciple, ruler Tsikhedidi, holy envy, river crossing test, returning world like Dog tHis vomit
Georgia, 540's, Evagrisi, Shio's disciple, oTsikhedidi Village, across Kura River from Caves of Shio, Mgvime Monastery, Parents read to him scripture earliest years, became Tsikhedidi, while hunting saw bird bringing food to Shio's cave. Sarkineti Mts, located cave next day, saw asceticism, filled holy envy, desired emulate, told him he wouldn't leave, Shio advised him of hasty decision, tested his faith with his staff, put my staff in Mtkvari River, it will part, secure your home and return to me, use staff on M on way back, if it fails not God's will, E obeyed, staff worked both ways, distributed possessions, secured home, returned to Shio, tonsured, cave near Shio, learned patience, prayer, acquired other virtues from ascetic labors, S anticipate monks coming, built church place God revealed, many pilgrims, King Parsman heared his beloved army chief a monk he came, tBring E back to the world, E says that would be like Dog coming back to his vomit, news of holy strugglers spread throughout Georgia, many entered monastic life, after many years S announced his pending death, you must chose replacement among you, I will now labor in the well prepared for my grave, brothers pleaded, asked S appoint, S appointed E, humble E objected, considered self unworthy, “If you consent to our will, you will receive a joyous reward from God: when He returns in His glory, repaid for obedience, E accepted Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4; Evagrisi was born to God-fearing and pious parents who read the Holy Scriptures to him from the earliest years of his childhood. he reached manhood, Evagrisi became ruler of Tsikhedidi. day Evagrisi went hunting in the Sarkineti Mountains where Shio of Mgvime had settled. he was hunting, his companions dispersed in various directions, and he was left alone to survey his surroundings. he beheld a bird, resembling a dove, on its way to bring food to Fr. Shio, and noted the place where it landed. next day he located the hermit’s cave dwelling. at Fr. Shio’s strict asceticism, Saint Evagrisi was filled with holy envy, having a desire to emulate the hermit, and he told him, “God is truly alive. I will not leave you, I will not go back.” Shio advised him to be wary of such an impulsive decision, since it would be quite difficult for a man who had grown up in luxury to suddenly begin a new life in the wilderness. Evagrisi answered him firmly, “Even if it means I must die here with you today, I will not depart from this place.” order to test his faith, Saint Shio entrusted Evagrisi with his staff and instructed him, saying, “Put my staff in the Mtkvari River; it will part the water and clear a path for you to cross. your home and return to me. your return when you reach the Mtkvari, use my staff again to clear a path for yourself. it fails, then continue on your way as before. That would mean that it is not God’s will to fulfill your desire.” obediently took Saint Shio’s staff and touched it to the water of the Mtkvari. river parted, and he crossed confidently to the other side. returned to the palace, Evagrisi distributed all his possessions to the poor, secured his home, and set off again to find Fr. Shio. performed the same miracle on his return: the river parted in two, and the faithful Evagrisi passed through. Shio tonsured Evagrisi into the monastic life, and the former ruler settled near the holy father’s cave. he learned to be patient and watchful and how to pray, while acquiring other virtues as fruits of his ascetic labors. Shio anticipated that the number of monks in the wilderness would multiply, he built a church for them in a place that God had revealed. great gifts of the holy fathers were soon made known, and many pilgrims journeyed to the Sarkineti Mountains to receive their blessings. King heard, belatedly, that his beloved army chief had been tonsured a monk, he became sorrowful and personally traveled to Saint Shio’s wilderness. His hope was to bring Evagrisi back into the world, but the blessed father responded with monastic composure: “O King! Why are you disturbing me, a man born to serve God, by asking me to become like a dog who returns to his own vomit (c.f. Prov. 26:11)?” news of Saint Shio, Evagrisi, and the other holy strugglers spread throughout Georgia, and many laymen were inspired to enter the monastic life. many years Saint Shio grew old, and he gathered the brotherhood of monks around him. “You must choose one from among you to lead this community. now on I will labor in the well that I have prepared for my grave,” he told them. brothers were exceedingly sorrowful at having to part with their beloved teacher, in vain they pleaded with him to remain at the monastery. last they asked Fr. Shio to appoint a successor, he chose Evagrisi as the monastery’s next abbot. humble, gracious Evagrisi objected to this appointment, considering himself unfit to fulfill such a difficult responsibility. begged Saint Shio to reconsider his decision, but the elder simply responded, “If you consent to our will, you will receive a joyous reward from God: when He returns in His glory, will repay you for your obedience.” last Saint Evagrisi accepted his teacher’s counsel, and he directed the monastery’s activity with the help of God from that day forward.

Georgia, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia, Syrian Father, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath
Georgia, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia (Narekvavi River 1), o13 Syrian Fathers, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath; Tsilkani, Georgia (Town near T. Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1); St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Jesse of Tsilkani arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the other Syrian fathers and companions of Saint John of Zedazeni. the recommendation of Saint John of Zedazeni, Catholicos Evlavios of Kartli consecrated Saint Jesse as bishop of Tsilkani. holy father traveled throughout his diocese preaching the Holy Gospel. from city to city, from valley to mountain and back, the kind shepherd worked wonders, healed the infirm, cleansed lepers, cast out demons and raised those who were confined to their beds. with the blessing of his teacher Saint John of Zedazeni, Saint Jesse performed a miracle to strengthen the people in their Faith. descended to the bank of the Ksani River, followed by Saint John and a multitude of people. made the sign of the Cross over the river, touched his staff to the water and commanded: “In the name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, I command you, river: follow me!” the river reversed its current and began to flow backwards, following in Saint Jesse’s footsteps right up to Tsilkani Church. living near Mtskheta and Tsilkani who witnessed this miracle glorified the Lord Jesus Christ for bestowing upon one of His children the gift of wonderworking. the Lord made known to the saint the day of his repose, he gathered his disciples and church servitors, bade them farewell, blessed them, partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and reposed in peace. last words were “Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit!” Jesse of Tsilkani is buried in the Tsilkani Church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Georgia, 541-550, Georgian Saint, Eustathius of Mtskheta, Persian Cobbler
Georgian Saint, 541-550, Eustathius of Mtskheta; or Eustace of Mtskheta (died c. 550) is an Orthodox Christian saint, executed for his apostasy from Zoroastrianism by the Sasanian military authorities in Caucasian Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia). His story is related in the anonymous 6th-century Georgian hagiographic novel The Passion of Eustathius of Mtskheta. of the earliest extant works of the Georgian literature, The Passion of Eustathius of Mtskheta was written by an anonymous author later in the 6th century, within thirty years of Eustathius' reported death. The morphology of the work as well as some theological phrases also supports this dating, although the earliest surviving manuscript dates from c. 1000 (Georgian National Center of Manuscripts, MSS H-341). The text is also interesting for the first Georgian formulation of the Ten Commandments, an account of the life of Jesus which recalls Tatian's Diatessaron (a Gospel harmony of the 2nd century), and traces of influence of the 2nd century Apology of Aristides. The Passion was first published by Mikhail Sabinin in 1882.[1] is reported by the hagiographer to have been an Iranian cobbler originally called Gvirobandak, son of a high-ranking Zoroastrian priest (magi), from Ganzak. Having converted to Christianity, he flees persecution to Georgia (Iberia), then under the Iranian military authority, in 541. He settles at the Christian town of Mtskheta and marries a Christian woman. The local Iranian cobblers’ guild denounces Eustathius to the marzban Arvand Gushnasp with seven other converts to be judged. Arvand punishes the apostates by having their noses pierced and casts them in prison under sentence of death. Six months later, Arvand releases them, however, as a farewell gesture to the local people, when recalled from Georgia by the king Khosrau I. Four years later, under the new marzban Vezhan Buzmihr, Eustathius is rearrested, but reaffirms his faith before the court in a speech of some 3,000 words that makes up nearly half the Passion. Eventually, the marzban, albeit reluctant, has him beheaded in Tbilisi. The remains of Eustathius were taken to Mtskheta and buried at its principal church.[1][2] Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgiam Commemorated on December 2;

Georgia, 547-561, King, Pharasmanes V of Iberia, aka Parsman, revered and funded Shio
Georgia, 547-561, King, Pharasmanes V of Iberia, aka Parsman King Parsman heard about his military adviser’s radical change of life, he was deeply disturbed and wandered into the wilderness to find him. But when he witnessed the divine grace shining on Saint Shio’s face, he took off his crown and knelt humbly before him. Fr. Shio reverently blessed the king, helped him to stand up, and replaced the crown on his head. Following the king’s example, all the royal court came to receive Shio’s blessing. A certain nobleman with an injured eye knelt before Saint Shio, touched his eye to the holy father’s foot, and received healing at once. another time King Parsman asked Saint Shio if there was anything he needed, and he answered, “O Sovereign King, God enlightens the hearts of kings. Do that which your heart tells you!â€ In response, the king donated much wealth for the construction of a church in the wilderness: the lands of four villages, a holy chalice and diskos, a gold cross, and an ornately decorated Gospel that had belonged to the holy king Vakhtang Gorgasali (†502). construction of the church was complete, the king traveled there in the company of the catholicos, several bishops and Saint John of Zedazeni. The hierarchs consecrated the newly built church, and a monastic community soon grew up on its grounds. Eventually, the number of monks laboring at King Parsman’s monastery grew to nearly two thousand. Many people visited this place to receive Saint Shio’s wonderworking blessings, and they were healed from many diseases. Georgian King, 547-561, Pharasmanes V of Iberia; V, of the Chosroid Dynasty, was the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from 547 to 561. was the son and successor of Bakur II, and was succeeded by his nephew Parsman VI.[1] to the medieval Armenian adaptation of the Georgian Chronicles, in the reign of Parsman, the Ossetians (Georgian designation for Alans) attacked and ravaged Kartli, prompting Parsman to place himself under the Persian protection on terms of paying tribute. However, this version differs from that given by the Georgian original in the History of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, where nothing is said about the Alans and an unprovoked Persian aggression is recalled.[2] St. Evagrisi the disciple of St. Shio, Commemorated on February 4; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Georgia, 550 6th Century, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, pagans no Church until baptism, 9 p children b, then stoned by parents
Georgia, 550 6th Century, 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, (Kura River Source) pagans not allowed in Church until baptism, 9 p children baptized, then stoned by their parents ; Kola; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; centuries ago, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River. There Christians and pagans dwelt together as neighbors. Christian and pagan children would play together, but when the Christian children heard church bells ringing, they recognized the call to prayer and dropped their games. pagan children—Guram, Adarnerse, Baqar, Vache, Bardzim, Dachi, Juansher, Ramaz, and Parsman—would follow the Christian children to church. the Christians always stopped them near the gates of the church and reprimanded them, saying, “You are children of pagans. You cannot enter God’s holy house.” They would return sorry and dejected. day the nine pagan children tried to enter the church forcibly, but they were cast out and scolded. “If you want to enter the church, you must believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” they were told. “You must receive Holy Communion and join the community of Christian believers.” great joy the youths promised the Christians that they would receive Holy Baptism. When the Christians of Kola related to their priest the good news of the pagan boys’ desire, he recalled the words of the Gospel: He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that takes not his cross, and follows after Me, is not worthy of Me. (Matt. 10:37-38). was not afraid of the anger that would follow from the pagan community, but rather took the boys on a cold winter night and baptized them in the icy river. A miracle occurred while the Holy Sacrament was being celebrated: the water became warm and angelic hosts appeared to the youths. Greatly encouraged in their faith, the children decided to remain in the Christian community rather than return to their parents. their parents learned that they had been baptized in the Christian Faith, they dragged their children away from the church, abusing and beating them into submission all the way home. The heroic children endured the abuses and, though they went hungry and thirsty for seven days, repeated again and again, “We are Christians and will not eat or drink anything that was prepared for idols!” gentle flattery, nor costly clothing, nor promises of good things to come could tempt the God-fearing youths. Rather they asserted, “We are Christians and want nothing from you but to leave us alone and allow us to join the Christian community!” enraged parents went and reported to the prince everything that had happened. But the prince was of no help—he simply told them, “They are your children, do with them as you wish.” obstinate pagans asked the prince permission to stone the children. So a large pit was dug where the youths had been baptized, and the children were thrown inside. “We are Christians, and we will die for Him into Whom we have been baptized!” proclaimed the holy martyrs, the Nine Children of Kola, before offering up their souls to God. godless parents took up stones, and then others joined in, until the entire pit had been filled. They beat the priest to death, robbed him, and divided the spoils among themselves. martyric contest of the Nine Righteous Children of Kola occurred in the 6th century, in the historical region of Tao in southern Georgia.

Georgia, 561-561, Georgian King, Pharasmanes VI of Iberia, Sassanid Dominated
Georgian King, 561-561, Pharasmanes VI of Iberia; VI, of the Chosroid Dynasty, became the king of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) in 561. The length of his reign is unknown. The royal power was largely nominal at that time as the Sassanid Empire dominated Iberia. was the fraternal nephew of Parsman V, his predecessor. Parsman VI himself was succeeded by his son, Bakur III.[1] 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ;

Georgia, 561-580, Bacurius III of Iberia, King, 580 Sassanian Persia abolished kingship
Georgia, 561-580, Georgian King, Bacurius III of Iberia, 580 Sassanian Persia abolished kingship; Georgian King, 561-580, Bacurius III of Iberia; III (Georgian: ბაკურ III, Latinized as Bacurius) (died 580) was the last Chosroid king of Iberia (natively known as Kartli; ancient Georgia) upon whose death the Iberian monarchy was abolished by Sassanid Iran. name Bacurius is the Latin form of the Greek Bakour (Βάκουρ), itself a variant of the Middle Iranian Pakur, derived from Old Iranian bag-puhr ('son of a god').[1][2] The name "Bakur" is the Georgian (ბაკურ) and Armenian (Բակուր) attestation of Middle Iranian Pakur.[1] succeeded his father, King P'arsman VI, as the king of Iberia. The date of his accession to the throne is unknown but he ruled as contemporary of Hormizd IV of Iran.[3] Bakur's authority was rather limited and hardly extended beyond his fortress at Ujarma while the capital Tbilisi, and Inner Iberia was governed more directly by the Sassanids. When he died in 580, Hormizd IV took opportunity to abolish the kingship in Iberia.[4] He was father of Adarnase I of Iberia. 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Georgia, 588-590, Guaram I of Iberia, King, Byzantine curopalates (in charge of Palace)
Georgian King, 588-590, Guaram I of Iberia; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Georgia, 590-627, Stephen I of Iberia, King, pro byzantine to pro persian reverse, Miaphysite to chalcedonian, flayed by b
Georgia, 590-627, Stephen I of Iberia, King, pro byzantine to pro persian reverse, made Tiblisi capital, Cross on his Sassanid Iberian coin, Church of the Holy Cross at Mtskheta , anti chalcedonian (Miaphysite) then c, k by byzantines, flayed alive; Chalcedonian_Christianity, 451 Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon, union of two natures (divine and human) in one hypostasis of Jesus Christ, who is thus acknowledged as a single person. Plus, confirmed Nicene Creed, not Miaphysite or Oriental Orthodox; Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451.[1] Christianity accepts the Christological Definition of Chalcedon, a Christian doctrine concerning the union of two natures (divine and human) in one hypostasis of Jesus Christ, who is thus acknowledged as a single person (prosopon).[2][3] Chalcedonian Christianity also accepts the Chalcedonian confirmation of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, thus acknowledging the commitment of Chalcedonism to Nicene Christianity.[4][5] regard to their specific attitudes towards theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, Christian denominations (both historical and modern) can be divided into: Chalcedonian – those that accept theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon; Semi-Chalcedonian – those whose acceptance of Chalcedonian theological resolutions is partial or conditional;[6] Non-Chalcedonian – those that reject theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon. Today, Chalcedonian Christianity encompasses the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestant denominations, while non-Chalcedonian, or Miaphysite, Christianity encompasses the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Georgian King, 590-627, Stephen I of Iberia ; I (died 627), of the Guaramid Dynasty, was a presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli, central and eastern Georgia) from c. 590 to 627. was killed during the battle with the invading Byzantine army. son and successor of Guaram I of Iberia, Stephen reversed his father’s pro-Byzantine politics to pro-Iranian and, through loyalty to his Sassanid suzerains, succeeded in reuniting Iberia under his sway. made Tbilisi his capital and defended it with a Georgian-Iranian force when the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, in alliance with the Khazars, attacked Iberia in 626 (see Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628). was taken captive in the fighting and Heraclius had him flayed alive. His office was given to Adarnase I, his relative of the old Chosroid house.[1][2] period of Stephen's rule coincided with another crucial moment in the history of Georgia. When Stephen switched from a pro-Byzantine position to cooperation with Iran, his religious sympathies shifted toward anti-Chalcedonism, leading to its official adoption by the catholicos of Iberia in 598 or 599. 608, however, the Georgian Orthodox Church returned to a Chalcedonic position, prompting the sister church of Armenia to break communion with the Georgian church and excommunicate its catholicos Kirion I. It was Heraclius’s campaign, however, that brought about the final victory of Chalcedonian faith in Iberia.[3] I was the first among the Georgian rulers who inscribed on the obverse of the "Ibero-Sassanid" drachmas minted by himself the initials of his name, symmetrically placed on the border in Georgian stylized letters. On the reverse of his coins, instead of the sacred flame (Atar), the principal emblem of Zoroastrianism, he placed the Cross – symbol of the victory of Christianity. This was a significant political act pointing not to Stephen’s mere Iranophilia, but rather to his efforts to reestablish the political autonomy of eastern Georgia and strengthen the Christian church.[4][5] exterior stone plaque of the church of the Holy Cross at Mtskheta, Georgia, mentions the principal builders of this church: Stephanos the patricius, Demetrius the hypatos, and Adarnase the hypatos who have traditionally been equated by the Georgian scholars with Stephen I, son of Guaram; Demetre, brother of Stephen I and Adarnase I. However, an opinion expressed by Professor Cyril Toumanoff disagrees with this view by identifying these individuals with Stephen II, Demetre (brother of Stephen I), and Adarnase II (son of Stephen II), respectively.[6] Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Georgia, 600, 7th Century Folder, Muslim Dagestan and Azerbaizhan

Georgia, 601-662, Anastasius, Maximus' Disciple, wrote his story, Right Hands &Tongues cut out and exiled to Schemarum Fortress
Georgia, 601-662, Anastasius, Maximus' Disciple, wrote his story, Right Hands &Tongues cut out and exiled to Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri, Georgia (Rioni River 2); Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); St. Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 raised in a pious Christian family. received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. was well-read in the authors of antiquity he also mastered philosophy and theology. Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life. Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, was spreading rapidly through the East. resigned from his duties at court, and went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), he received monastic tonsure. of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. in this position, he remained a simple monk. 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith),” decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life. Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, decided to leave his monastery and seek refuge in the West, where Monothelitism had been completely rejected. the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, and encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics. Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). by this erroneous opinion, the Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) and only one divine energy (“energia”). of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, Egypt. heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult because in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: by Sergius, Antioch by Athanasius, and Alexandria by Cyrus. Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Sergius died at the end of 638, and the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, he and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople. the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. 648, a new edict was issued, by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, them Saint Maximus the Confessor. Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized. Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison. saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. healings occurred at his tomb. the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus to Constantinople, it could also be the date of the saint’s death. may be that his memory is celebrated on January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”). dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature. “Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing... In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22). Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian. theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14). Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Holy Martyr Anastasius was a disciple of Saint Maximus the Confessor, with him suffered persecution under the Monothelites. Maximus and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey. Anastasius wrote the Life of his teacher, and died in the year 662.

Georgia, 650, Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Persian, Omar, vision St Shio w angels, converted, stoned

Georgia, 664, Dagestan, northeast of Georgia
Dagestan; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Caucasian Avars; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated November 29 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Georgia, 667, Azerbaizhan, east of Georgia
Azerbaizhan, 667-, east of Georgia; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10 ; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ;

Georgia, 684-693, Guaram II of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia), Georgian King, struggle with Khazars, a w Justinian II
Georgian King, 684-693, Guaram II of Iberia; II, of the Guaramid dynasty, was a presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from 684/5 to c. 693. was a hereditary duke (eristavi) of Klarjeti and Javakheti, and acquired the office of presiding prince of Iberia when his predecessor, Adarnase II of the Chosroid dynasty died in the struggle with the Khazars in 684/5. the year 689, after a successful Byzantine campaign against the Caliphate, Guaram transferred his allegiance to the emperor Justinian II and was conferred with the title of curopalates. He must have been succeeded by his son or grandson Guaram III shortly before 693, the year when the Arabs succeeded in taking the Caucasus with the help of their Khazar allies and introduced direct rule through their viceroy (wali) at Dvin.[1] Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18;

Georgia, 693-748, Guaram III of Iberia, Georgian King, including Kakheti and Kartli, Arab rule 693
Georgian King, 693-748, Guaram III of Iberia; III, of the Guaramid dynasty, was a presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from before 693 to c. 748. III was bestowed with the Byzantine title of curopalates, and thus, must have succeeded his father or grandfather Guaram II shortly before 693, i.e., before the resurgent Caliphate ousted the Byzantines from the Caucasus region.[1] The c. 800 chronicle of Pseudo-Juansher also refers to the princes Mihr, Archil, and the sons of the latter – Iovane and Juansher – in this period. However, neither of these individuals were presiding princes of Iberia, but the provincial rulers of Kakheti in the east.[2] III had a son also called Guaram (or Gurgen), and two anonymous daughters one of whom married the Chosroid prince Archil, and the other married the Bagratid prince Vasak. His son, Guaram/Gurgen was married to a Nersianid princess, daughter of Adarnase III, and fathered Stephen III.[3] St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; St Mamai the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18;

Georgia, 693, Great Story of Martyrs David and Trichan of Tao, repentance and forgiveness
Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18; holy martyrs David and Tarichan were born to Vardan and Tagine, pious Christians and relatives of the king. Vardan died while his sons were still young, and Tagine’s pagan brother Theodosius seized all the family’s possessions. that the brothers would eventually claim their legal inheritance, Theodosius resolved to convert his sister and nephews to his own creed. “Leave behind the Faith of the crucified Christ and receive mine and I will adopt your children,â€ he told Tagine. But Tagine firmly guarded the family against her brother’s evil intent. “It is enough that you have seized my sons’ estate,â€ she said. “But you cannot seize the inheritance they will receive from their Father in heaven!â€ was thwarted by his sister’s resoluteness. So instead, he tried to convert his nephews directly. He called them, embraced them warmly, and tempted them with sweets. “Now you are my sons, and everything I have belongs to you,â€ he told them. “Trust me like obedient sons of a beloved father. Turn from the Faith of your father, and I will show you a better way!â€ a brief silence, the holy youths answered, “We are perfectly content with our father’s Faith and will remain loyal to this Faith until the day our souls depart from our flesh. We are prepared to suffer everything for the love of our Lord and Heavenly Father!â€ dared not try to sway his nephews since he feared the revenge of the Christian community, so he left them in peace and plotted to murder them in secret. But Tagine sensed that danger was near and escaped with her sons to the region of Tao in the south. his spies Theodosius learned that the brothers were now herding sheep at the top of a mountain, and he ordered an ambush. But the brothers heard the noise and saw the armed soldiers before they attacked. David rejoiced upon seeing his uncle and ran toward him, but Theodosius stabbed him before he could embrace him. The holy martyr released his staff from his hand, and when it fell to the ground it was miraculously transformed into a large tree. Two hundred years later a group of Christians chopped the tree down and divided the holy wood among themselves. just witnessed his own brother’s murder, Tarichan raced toward the village of Divri for help. But his pursuers overtook him, stabbed him to death, and ran off. When they returned to Theodosius, they saw that God had punished him by taking away his sight. The soldiers were stunned, and they could neither utter a word nor move from the place of this miracle. After some time Theodosius’ eyes filled with bitter tears, and he was finally moved to repentance. first Tagine denounced her brother in a rage, and those who heard the cries of the inconsolable mother wept along with her. But while she was stroking the lifeless bodies of her sons, Theodosius turned to her, saying, “On you has shone the Inextinguishable Light from the Unapproachable and True Light, the Eternal Light. Pray to the holy martyrs that the Lord have mercy on me and make me, the unworthy, worthy of the seal of Christ, the All-merciful God, Who came into the world. Indeed, He is the One True God!â€ When Tagine heard these words, she recognized that God had received her sons as a holy sacrifice. Filled with new joy, she told her brother, “May God forgive you the murder of my sons!â€ she took a piece of the earth that had been stained by her son David’s blood and anointed her brother’s eyes. Immediately his sight was restored. happened in the year 693. As a witness to the sanctity of His martyrs, our God, Who loves mankind, illumined their bodies with a radiant light each evening when night fell. repented before the catholicos himself. He was baptized into the Christian Faith and erected a church in honor of his nephew Saint David. The mayor of Divri took Saint Tarichan’s holy relics and built a church over them in his name. Blessed Tagine began a new life in the village of Tadzarani and later reposed there.

Georgia, 736-914, History Folder, Arab Muslims in Georgia

Georgia, 700, 8th Century Folder, Arab Muslim Conquest of Georgia, St. Ephraim the Great of Atsquri Fortress

Georgia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf), fought all across Georgia East to West
Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf); ibn Muhammad's invasion of Georgia took place from 735 to 737. It was initiated by the Umayyad Caliphate. The goals of the campaign are disputed among historians. The Georgian historiography insists its main purpose was to finally break the stiff Georgian resistance against Arab rule,[1] however, the western historians such as Cyril Toumanoff,[2] and Ronald Suny,[3] view it as a general campaign directed at both the Byzantine Empire, who exerted dominion over Western Georgia, and the Khazars, whose repeated raids affected not only Iberia (Eastern Georgia) and the whole Caucasus, but had in 730 reached Arab lands all the way to Mosul. invasion[edit] invasion was led by Marwan ibn Muhammad, who later became the last Umayyad caliph Marwan II. He first campaigned in Kartli, after which he led his armies to the west and besieged the fortress of Anakopia, where Archil of Kakheti and his brother Mihr, who were assisted by Leon I of Abkhazia, were stationed. The Arabs failed to take the fortress and were forced to retreat. Fearing an onslaught, large numbers of Georgians fled to the mountainous regions. Marwan later invaded Samtskhe, encamped in Odzrkhe and led his forces against the princes of Argveti, Constantine and David, from whom, upon their capture, he demanded unconditional conversion to Islam, which both refused. He tortured and then killed them for their refusal. After that, Marwan took Tshkumi (modern Sukhumi) and Tsikhegoji and again turned to Anakopia. The Georgians fought fiercely and the Arabs were powerless to take the fortress, especially after heavy rains and floods began. The Arabs retreated with heavy losses. cruelty and ruthlessness was epitomized by the Georgians by naming him Murvan Qru ("Marwan the Deaf"). After his campaign, most major settlements were utterly ruined and people faced starvation. If Georgian historiography insists that Kartli was devastated by the invasion, Toumanoff, relying on local and Arab sources, claims that most of the damage in the Eastern part of the country was actually the result of the previous Khazar raids, and that the local Georgian prince, Guaram III of Iberia, actually sided with the Arabs in order to repeal them beyond the Caucasian range.[4] In any case, the Arab intervention gave them more power over Iberia than they had managed to attain in almost a century of previous conquests. They established the Emirate of Tbilisi to exert direct control over Iberia, even though the Principate of Iberia was not abolished, and local nobility retained most of their power. Because civil instability and foreign enemies were plaguing the caliphate, it was unable to launch another invasion and until 786 settled upon receiving irregular tributes from the Georgian local princes. Arab general Marwan the Deaf; ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (691 - 6 August 750), usually known simply as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until he was killed in 750. of his reign was dominated by a civil war, and he was the last Umayyad ruler to rule the united Caliphate before the Abbasid Revolution toppled the Umayyad dynasty. and background[edit] ibn Muhammad was a member of the Marwanid household of the Umayyad Caliphate. His grandmother, named Zaynab. Marwan's father, Muhammad ibn Marwan, who was the son of the fourth Umayyad Caliph Marwan I (r. 684–685), and hence half-brother to fifth Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. 685–705).[1][2] mother was a woman who's mostly unnamed, however sometimes is called Rayya or Tarubah, and is likely of non-Arab origin (a Kurd according to some accounts). Some have referenced that his mother was already pregnant with Marwan before his legal father, Muhammad, bed her, thus making the child not his.[3] A couple sources report that Muhammad had taken her captive during the suppression of Ibn al-Zubayr's revolt.[4] There is much doubt and dispute on his mother's name but she was most commonly known as Umm Marwan (meaning "Mother of Marwan"). life[edit] 732–733 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia. In 735–736 Marwan invaded Georgia, devastated it and then took three fortresses of the Alans and made peace with Tumanshah. In 739-740 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. 744-745, on hearing news of the plot to overthrow al-Walid II, Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging this. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well-being of the Umayyad house. Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death (Yazid named his brother Ibrahim as his successor. Yazid fell ill of a brain tumour[5]), Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim, and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah. Old map of western Eurasia and northern Africa showing the expansion of the Caliphate from Arabia to cover most of the Middle East, with the Byzantine Empire outlined in green The expansion of the Muslim Caliphate until 750, from William R. Shepherd's Historical Atlas. Muslim state at the death of Muhammad Expansion under the Rashidun Caliphate Expansion under the Umayyad Caliphate Byzantine Empire named his two sons Ubaydallah and Abdullah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, the anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran and Iraq. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together. took Emesa (Homs) after a bitter ten-month siege. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated the Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's center and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell into fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then, reinforced, the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India. Khurasan there was internal discord, with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition, Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervor and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan of 747 (16 May – 14 June), the Abbasids unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken, and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back. continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on 9 November 748 at the age of eighty-five. campaigned in Egypt in 749 to quell the Bashmuric Revolt and secure his rear, but his campaign was a failure.[6] The Abbasids, meanwhile, achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Great Zab, called Battle of the Zab. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt, where he was caught and killed on 6 August 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to modern Eritrea. Abdallah died in fighting there. death signaled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East and was followed by the mass killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the prince Abd ar-Rahman who escaped to Spain and founded an Umayyad dynasty there. In Egypt, Marwan's tongue was fed to a cat.[7] Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; 8th century was extremely difficult for the Georgian people. Marwan bin Muhammad (called “the Deaf” by the Georgians and “the Blind” by the Armenians), the Persian ruler and military leader for the Arab caliph, invaded eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire, then Armenia and Georgia. fire and the sword he fought his way across Georgia from the east to the city of Tskhumi (now Sokhumi) in the region of Abkhazeti. The princes David and Constantine Mkheidze of Argveti were faithful Christians and skilled military leaders. When they heard about the enemy’s invasion, the brothers prayed to God for protection, assembled their armies, and urged their people to pray fervently for God’s help. Persian warriors approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked the Georgians on Persati Mountain. The Georgian army won the battle, with David and Constantine leading the resistance against the fearsome conquerors. before long the enraged Marwan the Deaf gathered an enormous army and marched toward Argveti to take revenge. This time the enemy routed the Georgian army. Many were killed and those who survived were forced to flee to the forests. The commanders David and Constantine were taken captive. Persian soldiers bound David and Constantine and brought them before Marwan the Deaf, who began to mock them. But they reacted with complete composure, saying, “Your laughter and boasting are in vain, since earthly glory is fleeting and soon fades away. It is not your valor that has captured us, but our own sins. For the atonement of these sins have we fallen into the hands of the godless enemy!” furious Marwan ordered that the brothers be beaten without mercy, but they steadfastly endured the suffering. Stunned by the brothers’ resolve, Marwan decided to win them over with flattery instead. Promising him great honors and command of the armies, he turned to the older brother, David, saying, “I have heard of your valor, and I advise you to abandon your erroneous faith and submit yourself to the faith of Muhammad!” David crossed himself and answered, “Let not this disgrace come upon us, that we would depart from the light and draw nearer to the darkness!” Then he condemned the error of the Islamic faith: “Muhammad converted you from the worship of fire, but he could not instill in you the knowledge of the True God. Therefore it appears as though you suffered a shipwreck and saved yourselves from the depths of the sea, but drowned in the shallow waters of the coast.” at this reply, Marwan turned to the younger brother, Constantine, hoping to win him over to his side. But Constantine was also unbending, and he fearlessly glorified the Most Holy Trinity: “My brother David and I believe and follow the one Faith and one doctrine in which we have been instructed. Our faith is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we will die for the sake of the One True God!” ordered that the brothers be starved to death. After they had suffered for ten days, Marwan sent sorcerers and charmers to arouse in them a desire to convert to Islam, but their efforts were in vain. Finally the holy brothers David and Constantine were led to the riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There they were brutally beaten and bound. Heavy rocks were hung from their necks, and they were drowned in the river. night three beams of light descended from the heavens and lit up the place where the brothers had been drowned. According to God’s holy will, the ropes binding the holy martyrs were loosed, and their bodies floated to the surface. A group of faithful Christians carried them out of the river and buried them on the bank of the Tsqaltsitela River, in a church that Marwan the Deaf had devastated. place of their burial remained concealed until the beginning of the 12th century, during the reign of King Bagrat the Great (1072-1117). Then, in fulfillment of King Bagrat’s decree, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Motsameta) was built over that place, and the incorrupt relics of the Great Martyrs are still preserved there. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Georgia, 736-1122, Arab Muslim Conquest of Georgia, Marwan II
Georgia, 736-1122, Arab Muslim Conquest of Georgia, Marwan II ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8;

Georgia, 736-1080, Emirate of Tblisi
Georgia, 736-1080, Emirate of Tblisi ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8;

Georgia, 744-750, David & Constantine Mkheidze, skilled m leaders, Marwan no internal knowl of God, but drowned
Georgia, 744-750, Saints David and Constantine Mkheidze; originally Mkhetsidze, also Pkheidze , Kheidze, Mkhetsia, and Khetsia, is a Georgian noble family, known from the eleventh century. This house, centered at the western district of Argveti, has survived to the end of the Georgian kingdoms and the Russian Empire which granted them recognition of their princely title (Georgian: tavadi, Russian: knyaz) in 1850.[1][2] Argveti; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2 8th century was extremely difficult for the Georgian people. Marwan bin Muhammad (called “the Deaf” by the Georgians and “the Blind” by the Armenians), the Persian ruler and military leader for the Arab caliph, invaded eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire, then Armenia and Georgia. fire and the sword he fought his way across Georgia from the east to the city of Tskhumi (now Sokhumi) in the region of Abkhazeti. The princes David and Constantine Mkheidze of Argveti were faithful Christians and skilled military leaders. When they heard about the enemy’s invasion, the brothers prayed to God for protection, assembled their armies, and urged their people to pray fervently for God’s help. Persian warriors approached Argveti from Samtskhe and attacked the Georgians on Persati Mountain. The Georgian army won the battle, with David and Constantine leading the resistance against the fearsome conquerors. before long the enraged Marwan the Deaf gathered an enormous army and marched toward Argveti to take revenge. This time the enemy routed the Georgian army. Many were killed and those who survived were forced to flee to the forests. The commanders David and Constantine were taken captive. Persian soldiers bound David and Constantine and brought them before Marwan the Deaf, who began to mock them. But they reacted with complete composure, saying, “Your laughter and boasting are in vain, since earthly glory is fleeting and soon fades away. It is not your valor that has captured us, but our own sins. For the atonement of these sins have we fallen into the hands of the godless enemy!” furious Marwan ordered that the brothers be beaten without mercy, but they steadfastly endured the suffering. Stunned by the brothers’ resolve, Marwan decided to win them over with flattery instead. Promising him great honors and command of the armies, he turned to the older brother, David, saying, “I have heard of your valor, and I advise you to abandon your erroneous faith and submit yourself to the faith of Muhammad!” David crossed himself and answered, “Let not this disgrace come upon us, that we would depart from the light and draw nearer to the darkness!” Then he condemned the error of the Islamic faith: “Muhammad converted you from the worship of fire, but he could not instill in you the knowledge of the True God. Therefore it appears as though you suffered a shipwreck and saved yourselves from the depths of the sea, but drowned in the shallow waters of the coast.” at this reply, Marwan turned to the younger brother, Constantine, hoping to win him over to his side. But Constantine was also unbending, and he fearlessly glorified the Most Holy Trinity: “My brother David and I believe and follow the one Faith and one doctrine in which we have been instructed. Our faith is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and we will die for the sake of the One True God!” ordered that the brothers be starved to death. After they had suffered for ten days, Marwan sent sorcerers and charmers to arouse in them a desire to convert to Islam, but their efforts were in vain. Finally the holy brothers David and Constantine were led to the riverbank near the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian. There they were brutally beaten and bound. Heavy rocks were hung from their necks, and they were drowned in the river. night three beams of light descended from the heavens and lit up the place where the brothers had been drowned. According to God’s holy will, the ropes binding the holy martyrs were loosed, and their bodies floated to the surface. A group of faithful Christians carried them out of the river and buried them on the bank of the Tsqaltsitela River, in a church that Marwan the Deaf had devastated. place of their burial remained concealed until the beginning of the 12th century, during the reign of King Bagrat the Great (1072-1117). Then, in fulfillment of King Bagrat’s decree, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Motsameta) was built over that place, and the incorrupt relics of the Great Martyrs are still preserved there.

Georgia, 744 or 785, Prince Archil II of Kakheti, Martyr, Arab conquests
Georgia, Kakheti, 744, Prince Archil II of Kakheti, Martyr; Archil the Martyr was an 8th-century Georgian Orthodox Christian royal prince of the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti. biography is related in the medieval corpus of Georgian chronicles known as The Life of Kartli. One of its parts, the c. 800 history by Pseudo-Juansher, terminates with a brief account of Archil's tenure as prince, while another one “ The Martyrdom of Archil,[1] a brief text of uncertain age (between early 9th and late 11th centuries) inserted just after Ps.-Juansher's chronicle narrowly focuses on Archil's martyrdom.[2] was a scion of the former royal dynasty of Iberia (Kartli), the Chosroid dynasty and a son of Prince Stephen of Kakheti (r. 685-736). His rule coincided with the Arab conquests in Caucasia. The 735-737 expedition by Marwan ibn Muhammad forced Archil and his brother Mirian to flee to the west through Egrisi into Abasgia where they joined the local dynast Leon I in the defense of Anacopia against the invading Arabs. Returning to Kakheti, Archil launched a program of reconstruction and Christianization of his mountainous pagan subjects. The Georgian texts also relate the rise of the Georgian Bagratids, a future royal dynasty, during the time of Archil.[citation needed] 786, eastern Georgia was subjected to another Arab invasion, this time led by Khuzayma b. Khazim, who had been reconfirmed as viceroy of Arab-controlled Caucasia by the caliph al-Hadi (r. 785-786). Archil, in an untenable situation, pleaded for peace. Khuzayma b. Khazim promised Archil gifts in return for his acceptance of Islam, but the prince refused and was condemned to prison. Then the viceroy was informed of Archil being a descendant of the Chosroid kings who allegedly knew the location of a treasure hidden by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius while evacuating Caucasia in the 620s. has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church which commemorates him on June 21 (N.S. July 4).[3] was survived by two sons, Juansher and Iovane (John) and four daughters: Guarandukht, Mariam, Mirandukht and Shushan. Upon Archil's death, Iovane evacuated to Egrisi while Juansher remained in Kakheti[4] and later married Princess Latavri of Tao-Klarjeti of Bagrationi dynasty. Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Holy Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia belonged to the dynasty of the Chosroidoi, and he was a direct descendant of the holy emperor Saint Mirian (+ 342). the reign of Archil II, Georgia was subjected to a devastating invasion by Murvana-Kru (“the Wildâ€), so called by the Georgian people for his inexorable cruelty. The position of the Georgian people was desperate, and the emperor Archil II, together with his brother Myro, the ruler of Western Georgia, tearfully implored the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and She showed forth Her mercy. a battle by the Rivers Abasha and Tskhenis-Tskhali the Georgian forces miraculously gained the victory over the significantly superior forces of Murvana-Kru. this victory the emperor Archil II was occupied with the restoration of the Georgian kingdom. He rebuilt the city of Nukhpatis, rebuilt ruined churches in Mtskheta and furthered the acceptance of Christianity by many of the mountain tribes. But soon Georgia suffered a new Arab invasion with the sudden appearance of Dzhidzhum-Asim (Jijum-Asim). Having paid a tribute to the Arabs, the emperor did not expect this invasion. In order to deliver the land from new devastation and avert the intrusion of Islam upon it, he deemed it beneficial to go himself to Dzhizhum-Asim, and subject formerly independent Georgia to the Arabs, and ask for peace. Placing all his hope on the mercy of God and ready to offer up his soul for his holy Faith and for his nation, Saint Archil went to the camp of the Arabs. Dzhidzhum-Asim received him hospitably and promised his suzerainty, but insisted on acceptance of Mohammedanism. As the “Georgian Chronicleâ€ relates, the holy emperor Archil calmly said, “It will not be, that I should forsake Christ, the True God, Who for our salvation took upon Himself human flesh. I know, if I obey you, then I shall die a spiritual death and shall suffer eternally. If for my firmness you put me to death, I shall then rise as did my Lord, and I shall go to Himâ€. these words, Dzhidzhum-Asim gave orders to seize the confessor and take him off to prison. But neither tortures nor promises could make the eighty-year-old emperor Archil apostasize. March 20, 744 the holy emperor Archil was beheaded. The body of the martyr was secretly taken by Georgian Christians to the locale Ertso and buried in Kakhetia, in the Notkor church built by the holy emperor himself. Kakheti Region;

Georgia, 748-760, King, Adarnase III of Iberia, Kartli, eastern Georgia, still Byzantine curopalates in Caliphate
Georgian King, 748-760, Adarnase III of Iberia; III (Georgian: áƒáƒ“áƒáƒ áƒœáƒáƒ¡áƒ” III), of the Nersianid Dynasty, was a presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 748 to 760. was a son of Prince Nerse I Nersiani by his wife, third daughter of Mirian of Kakheti. name Adarnase derives from Middle Persian Adurnarseh, with the second component of the word (Nase) being the Georgian attestation of the Middle Persian name Narseh, which ultimately derives from Avestan nairyo-sanya.[1] The Middle Persian name Narseh also exists in Georgian as Nerse.[1] The name Adurnarseh appears in the Armenian language as Atrnerseh.[2] a hereditary duke (eristavi) of Inner Iberia, he seems to have succeeded the Guaramid ruler Guaram III whose son was married to Adarnase's daughter. He was succeeded by his son, Nerse. title of curopalates testifies to the degree of Byzantine influence in Georgia even though the Caliphate suzerainty continued.[3] Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29;

Georgia, 760-780, King, Nerse of Iberia, defied Arabs, imprisoned, released, fled to Khazars, moved NW to Abkhazia
Georgian King, 760-780, Nerse of Iberia; of the Nersianid family, was a ruling prince of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from c. 760 to 772 and again from 775 to 779/80. succeeded his father, Adarnase III, Curopalates of Iberia, and defied the Arab hegemony in Georgia. 772, he was summoned by Caliph al-Mansur to Baghdad and cast in prison. Released by Caliph al-Mahdi (775-“785), Nerse was restored in Iberia in 775, but he again had difficulties with the Arabs, and was forced to flee, through the Daryal Pass, to the Khazars. Received with honors, but unable to gain any substantial support there, Nerse moved to Abkhazia where his family had taken refuge. His office was given by the Caliph to his nephew Stephen III. Nerse reconciled with the accomplished fact and, with the Arab permission, returned to Iberia, retiring from politics. By 786, when his Christianized Arab servant, Abo, was martyred, Nerse had disappeared from history.[1] Nerse had a daughter who married Adarnase I of Tao-Klarjeti. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29;

Georgia, 766-781, Abo tPerfumer, Bagdad, tTbilisi, amazed at piety, baptized, tAbkhazeti, tTiblisi, Martyred wJoy, devine light
Georgia, 766-781, Abo the Perfumer, Bagdad, to Tbilisi, amazed at piety, baptized, to Abkhazeti, to Tiblisi, Martyred w joy, Saracen's tyrannized Kartli, 1st step tGeorgia, tUproot Faith, 766 uprising iKakheti, 772 Kartli Governor Duke Nerse summoned tBagdad, 3yr captivity, met 17yr old Abo, both back tGeorgia, Abo liked piety Georgian people, attended services, talked tPriests, baptized iKhazaria accompanied bNerse, tAbkhazeti tEscape Saracen raids, entire population praised Jesus wOne heart, Nerse btKartli, Abkhaz King requested Abo stay tEscape torture, Soon Abo requests go declare faith tThose hate Christ, Abo preaches 3yrs iTiblisi, then hCountrymen captured him, but released bDuke, New emir, plotted caputre, Christians begged him conceal identity, Abo rejoiced, prepared torture &Death, captured, Judge tries return him tMoslem faith, cast prison, suffering fills Abo greater love, gave clothes, prepared death as though for feast, arms crossed joyfully bowed head beneath sword, swung 3times, not frightened, beheaded, defeated ashamed Executioners burned body garments earth blood in sack near Metekhi Cliff, put ashes in sheepskin, cast into river, that night shining star hung over river light reflecting where his remains rested, Later Abo's chapel built there; Tbilisi; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; the 8th century a Saracen army tyrannized Kartli as a first step towards overturning the Georgian nation. invaders were certain that the best way to conquer Georgia was to uproot the Christian Faith. Georgian people were alarmed, and the clergy and the best sons of Kartli sought desperately for a resolution to this calamity. blood was shed in 766 when the Muslim invaders crushed an uprising in the eastern region of Kakheti. 772, Caliph Al Mansur (754-775), dissatisfied with the provincial governor of Kartli, Duke Nerse, summoned him to Baghdad. spent the following three years in captivity. that time he became acquainted with a seventeen-year-old perfumer named Abo, when he was released he brought Abo back with him to Georgia. was amazed at the great piety of the Georgian people, and he began to learn the Georgian language, attend the divine services, and speak with local priests. sought with all his heart to become a Christian, and he was eventually baptized in Khazaria, while in the company of Duke Nerse. Abo accompanied the duke to Abkhazeti, to escape the Saracen raids. an entire population of Christians praising Jesus Christ with one heart and mouth, Abo gave great thanks to God for the opportunity to visit this area. later returned to Kartli, but Abo remained at the request of the Abkhaz king, who feared that the Saracens would torture Abo for his devout faith in Christ. however, Abo became restless and told the king, “Let me go, and I will freely declare my Christian Faith to those who hate Christ!” labored in Tbilisi for three years, preaching the Christian Faith. Then his own former countrymen betrayed and captured him, but he was released soon after at the request of the duke Stepanoz. new emir was appointed to rule in Tbilisi, and when the Christians heard that he was plotting to capture Abo, they begged him to conceal his identity. Abo simply rejoiced and told them, “I am prepared not only to be tortured for Christ, but to die for His sake as well.” predicted, the emir’s servants captured Abo and brought him before a judge. judge tried in vain to entice Abo to return to the faith of his ancestors. in a rage, he ordered that Abo be cast into prison and that his hands and feet be fettered in chains. his suffering for Christ filled the blessed Abo with even greater love, he asked his Christian brothers and sisters to sell his clothes and use the money earned to buy candles and incense for local churches. the day of his execution Abo washed his face, anointed it with holy oil, partook of the Holy Gifts, and prepared for his death as though preparing for a feast. “Weep not, but rejoice, for I am going to my Lord. Pray for me, and may the peace of God protect you,” he cheerfully told the faithful Christians who surrounded him in his last hours. his time had come, Saint Abo placed his arms on his breast in the form of a cross and joyously bowed his head beneath the sword. executioners swung their swords three times in hopes of frightening Abo into denying Christ, but the blessed Abo stood unyielding until his last breath. convinced that all their efforts and cunning were in vain, the executioners were given a sign and they beheaded the holy Abo. and ashamed, Abo’s godless executioners tossed his body, his garments, and the earth that had been soaked with his blood into a sack, dragged it outside the city, and burned it near the Mtkvari River. they wrapped his ashes in sheepskin and cast them into the river. the evening a sign was given from above. to the Metekhi Cliff, by the bridge, a shining star hung over the river with its bright light reflecting in the water where the remains of the saint rested. a chapel was built in honor of Saint Abo on the left bank of the Mtkvari.

Georgia, 779-861, Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Girgol, memorize, bishop, 4 fled to SW, holy prayers, cross light beams
Georgia, 779-861, Saint Gregory of Khandzta ; Georgia, Khandzta monastery, 782, Founded by St Gregory of Khandzta; Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated September 25 ; St. Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Holy Father Gregory of Khandzta was raised in the court of the Kartlian ruler Nerse. His family was part of the Meskhetian aristocracy. He received an education befitting his family’s noble rank and displayed a special aptitude for the sciences and theology. youth chosen by God was extraordinarily dedicated to his studies. In a short time he memorized the Psalms and familiarized himself with the doctrines of the Church. He also learned several languages and knew many theological works by heart. Gregory was still young, his loved ones expressed a wish to see him enter the priesthood. The wise youth had aspired to the spiritual life from early on, but he considered himself unprepared to bear such an enormous responsibility. “My pride prevents me from fulfilling your desire,” he told them. he consented to be ordained a priest, but the local princes sought to consecrate him a bishop. Frightened at the prospect, Gregory secretly fled to southwestern Georgia with three like-minded companions: his cousin Saba (a future bishop and the reviver of Ishkhani Monastery), Theodore (the builder of Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery), and Christopher (the builder of the Dviri Monastery of Saint Cyricus). The four brothers were unified by faith and love of God and bound by a single desire, as though they were one soul existing in four bodies. brothers arrived at the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist in Opiza and presented themselves before the abbot George. With his blessing they labored there for two years. Then Saint Gregory visited the monk Khvedios, the righteous hermit of Khandzta. to Gregory’s arrival, Khvedios had received a sign from God indicating that a monastery would be built in Khandzta by the hands of the priest Gregory. It was revealed to him that Fr. Gregory’s prayers were so holy that their sweet-smelling fragrance rose up before God like incense. The monk showed Saint Gregory the environs, and he was so drawn to this area that he soon returned there with the other brothers and began to build a monastery. monks were forced to construct the monastery in difficult conditions, since the earth was rocky and mountainous and they were not equipped with the proper tools. First they built a wooden church, and later four cells and a dining hall. certain aristocrat by the name of Gabriel Dapanchuli lived nearby, and Gregory turned to him for help with construction of the monastery. With great joy he donated the stone, labor and food necessary for this worthy project to be realized. In such a way the first monastery church in Khandzta was established. informed Holy King Ashot Kuropalates about the brothers’ activity, and the king invited their leader, Saint Gregory, to the palace. he received him with great honor, asked him to bless the royal family, and inquired in detail about the life and labors of the holy monks. Then he presented Gregory with a generous donation to the monastery and, having learned that the land in Khandzta could not be cultivated, bestowed upon the monastery a large plot of fertile land in Shatberdi. King Ashot’s sons, the princes Adarnerse, Bagrat, and Guaram, also donated generously to the monastery. so, during the bloody Arab-Muslim period of rule, when the Georgian people had sunk into deep despair, the Klarjeti Wilderness was transformed into a life-giving oasis to which the greatest sons of the nation flocked. rules of the monastery were strict. In each monk’s cell was nothing but a short, stiff bed and a small pitcher for water. Neither fires nor candles were lit inside. Gregory was known throughout all of Georgia. At the request of King Demetre II of Abkhazeti (837-872), Fr. Gregory built a monastery in the village of Ubisi in Imereti and appointed his disciple Ilarion of Jerusalem as abbot. He built this monastery on the border of western and eastern Georgia and in so doing foresaw the unification of the two kingdoms. Lord performed many miracles through Saint Gregory. Once the church bell-ringer was approaching the abbot’s cell and saw a light issuing forth from inside. He knew that Saint Gregory had lit neither a fire nor his oil lamp, and he became frightened, believing that a fire might have started in the abbot’s cell. As it turned out, others had witnessed similar wonders: when the saint stood praying, he would light up like the sun, and beams of light would emanate from his body in the shape of a cross. Gregory stood firmly in defense of morality, and he even confronted King Ashot Kuropalates when his conduct was at odds with the values of the Georgian people. Gregory had united his companions in their love of God, but among the roses there appeared a thorn. A certain Tskir, a protégé of the Tbilisi emir Sahak, schemed to obtain the episocopal see of Anchi. forcibly took control of Anchi Cathedral and committed many blasphemies. The clergy, and venerable Gregory in particular, condemned his behavior, but Tskir was consumed by pride and hired a killer to eliminate Saint Gregory. Like a prophet, Saint Gregory foresaw the imminent danger but went out to meet it nevertheless. Approaching his victim, while still at a distance from him, the murderer saw a bright light enveloping the holy father. He froze in fear, and his hand immediately withered. Only the prayers of Saint Gregory could heal him and permit him to return home. Church excommunicated Tskir, and he fled to the emir for refuge. With Sahak’s help he returned to the throne of Anchi and sent a military detachment to destroy Khandzta Monastery. monks of Khandzta and their abbot met the attackers in meekness and requested time to celebrate the Sunday Liturgy. The whole brotherhood prayed tearfully to the Lord to save the monastery. Liturgy had not yet been completed when a messenger arrived from Anchi to report that Tskir had died suddenly. the end of his life Saint Gregory spent most of his time at Shatberdi Monastery, which he himself had built. When he received a sign that his death was approaching, he distributed candles throughout all the monasteries in the Klarjeti Wilderness and requested that they be burned on the day of his death. He asked all to remember him and bade farewell to Khandzta. the day of his repose, holy fathers from all over Klarjeti gathered to receive a final blessing from their teacher. Gregory blessed them, admonished them for the last time, and gave up his soul to God. When he breathed his last, a voice was heard from heaven, calling him: “Do not be afraid to come, O Venerable Servant of Christ, for Christ, the King of heaven, has Himself anointed you an earthly angel and a heavenly man. Now come and approach thy Lord with great joy and prepare for exaltation, for you are blessed among the saints and your everlasting glory has been prepared!” in blessings and perfect in wisdom, justly ruling the inhabitants of the wilderness, Saint Gregory of Khandzta reposed on October 5, 861, at the age of 102. In accordance with his will, he was buried among his brothers at Khandzta Monastery.

Georgia, 780-786, Stephen III of Iberia, King, installed by the Caliph, probably executed
Georgian King, 780-786, Stephen III of Iberia; III, of the Guaramid dynasty, was a presiding prince of Iberia (Kartli, eastern Georgia) from 779/780 to 786. He was the son of the duke (eristavi) Gurgen. was installed by the Caliph in the place of his maternal uncle Nerse who had revolted against the Arab rule. By 786, when Nerse's Christianized Arab servant, Abo, was martyred, both Nerse and Stephen had disappeared from history, and the Guaramid power had vanished once and for all.[1] is probably the unnamed young Iberian prince mentioned by the Armenian chronicler Ghevond Yerets among the Caucasian dynasts executed at the hands of the Arab viceroy Khuzayma ibn Khazim.[2] Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29;

Georgia, 780-1917, Georgian Bagrationi dynasty
Georgian Bagrationi dynasty, 813-1801 or 1917; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Georgia, 782, Khandzta monastery, Founded by St Gregory of Khandzta
Georgia, Khandzta monastery, 782, Founded by St Gregory of Khandzta; St Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated September 25 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated October 5 ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, 786-830, Ashot I, King oKartli&Klarjeti, unified Georgia by God's power, adultry, martyr, great story
Georgia, 786-830, Ashot I, King, f Arabs, doomed at lake P but God bestowed power, restored castles, Grigol's host, adultry, became king oKartli 786, fought fGeorgia reunification, first banished muslims fTbilisi, 3yrs then muslims conquered Tbilisi, because Ashot delayed action, left for Byzantium wFamily&small army, stopped Javakheti Lake Paravani fRest, Saracen's assailed camp wSleeping, God helped, defeated much larger army, King deeply moved, remained Shavshet-Klarjeti Southern Georgia, which was iCholera e& ruthless enemies, so they accepted Ashdot as leader, restored region at once, restored Artanuji Castle (oVakhtang G, then ravaged by Marwan tDeaf) founded city nearby, proclaimed castle residence oBagratoni Royal Family oKlarjeti, plus Church, God granted Ashot great strength&Many victories, region oKlarjeti new life, from wasteland to borough bustling churches monasteries schools, Georgian noblemen from other areas to forge their nation's future wGod fearing leaders, God fearing Ashot hosted Fr Grigol oKhandzta, who blessed A's kingdom and inheritance, A bestowed best lands to monks oKhandzta m, rural estates, food supply fMonastery, his children funded revival Klarjeti monasteries, which became cities, But over time usually virtuous Kiing Ashdot fell adultry, brought woman tQueen's castle, Grigol became very sorrowful, confronted king, A promised to leave her but did not, G took her tMere m and Mother Pebronia, did not tell A, A repented, rediscovered his love fGod & country, prepared return Kartli, but muslim Khalil invaded conquered Kartli, Hereti &Kvemo Kartli, Saracens attacked while he was assembling army, tNigali Gorge fTroups, betrayed by traitor draftees, martyred on altar; Georgian King, 786-830, Ashot I of Iberia; I the Great (died 826/830) was a presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia), first of the Bagratid family to have attained to this office c. 813. his base in Tao-Klarjeti, he fought to enlarge the Bagratid territories and sought the Byzantine protectorate against the Arab encroachment until being murdered c. 826. is also known as Ashot I Kouropalates for the Byzantine Kouropalates title he wore. patron of Christian culture and a friend of the church, he has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29; the year 786, Ashot, the son of Adarnerse, ascended the throne of Kartli. From the very beginning of his reign he fought fiercely for the reunification of Georgia. His first step was to take advantage of the Arab Muslims’ weariness and banish them from Tbilisi. years passed and, under the leadership of a new ruler, the reinvigorated Muslims began to hunt for Ashot. The king was forced to flee after he delayed taking action against them. The enemy had again conquered Tbilisi. was compelled to leave Kartli, and he departed for Byzantium with his family and small army. The refugees journeyed as far as Javakheti in southern Georgia and stopped near Lake Paravani for a rest. But while they were sleeping, a Saracen army assailed their camp. king’s army was doomed, but “God helped Ashot Kuropalates and his scant army. He bestowed power upon them, and they defeated an enemy that greatly outnumbered them.” king was deeply moved by God’s miraculous intervention and decided that, rather than journeying on to Byzantium as he had intended, he would remain in the region of Shavshet-Klarjeti. that time southern Georgia was suffering great calamities. A cholera epidemic intensified the struggles of a people devastated by a ruthless enemy. Very few had survived, but that powerless and wearied remnant gladly received Ashot Kuropalates as their new leader, and the king began to restore the region at once. Kuropalates restored Artanuji Castle, which had originally been built by King Vakhtang Gorgasali and later ravaged by the Arab general Marwan “the Deaf.” Ashot founded a city nearby and proclaimed it the residence of the Bagrationi royal family of Klarjeti. He also constructed a church in honor of Saints Peter and Paul. As it is written, “God granted Ashot Kuropalates great strength and many victories.” region of Klarjeti took on a new life, and through the efforts of Saint Grigol of Khandzta and his companions, the former wasteland was transformed into a borough bustling with churches, monasteries, and schools. Georgian noblemen soon began traveling to Klarjeti to forge their nation’s future with King Ashot and the other God-fearing leaders. Kuropalates was not only a leader who campaigned vigorously for the unification of Georgia—he was truly a godly-minded man. With great honor and joy he was the host of Fr. Grigol of Khandzta, a “heavenly man and an earthly angel.” Fr. Grigol blessed Ashot’s kingdom and his inheritance. those who labored at Khandzta Monastery, Ashot Kuropalates bestowed the best lands, including Shatberdi, to serve as rural estates, which would supply food for the monastery. His children, Adarnerse, Bagrat, and Guaram, would later contribute much of their own fortune to the revival of the monasteries in the Klarjeti Wilderness. (Udabno in Georgian. Translated as “wilderness,” these deserted places where hermits made their abodes often attracted monks and pious laymen as the fame of these holy men spread. Over the centuries, with the foundation of numerous monasteries, these deserts became veritable cities and only retained the name “wilderness” in a figurative sense.) after some time the usually virtuous King Ashot fell in love with a certain woman. He forgot his honor, his achievements, and his loyalty to God and the nation and took her to Artanuji Castle, an estate that had been built for the queen. Saint Grigol, however, heard about the king’s adulterous relationship and became exceedingly sorrowful. confronted the king about his behavior, and the desperate Ashot promised to leave the woman, but he could not bring himself to fulfill his promise. So Fr. Grigol took her to Mere Monastery and turned her over to the abbess, Mother Pebronia, without telling Ashot. Upon hearing what had happened, King Ashot pleaded with Mother Pebronia to return the woman, but the abbess refused. At long last Ashot bowed his head to the nun and repented, saying, “Blessed is the man who is no longer alive to this world.” king rediscovered his love for God and his country, and he prepared to return to Kartli. But his plans were foiled when a certain Muslim warrior named Khalil invaded, conquering the lands of Kartli, Hereti, and Kvemo Kartli. sent his men to assemble an army, but before the troops had been gathered, the Saracens attacked and forced them to flee. king then traveled to Nigali Gorge with the intent of enlarging his army. Some of the draftees turned out to be traitors, and when the king discovered the betrayal, it was already too late. He hid in a church, but the godless men found him and stabbed him to death in the sanctuary. “They murdered him on the altar, as though slaughtering a sacrificial lamb, and his blood remains there to this day,” writes Sumbat, the son of Davit, in his book Lives of the Bagrationis. the first Bagrationi king, “a believer, upon whom the inheritance of the Georgian people was established,” was also a martyr. Georgians took revenge on the murderers of their beloved king. When the people of Doliskana heard that Ashot had been killed, they pursued his murderers and killed them near the Chorokhi River. Venerable Grigol and the Georgian people wept bitterly over the loss of their king and hope. Saint Ashot’s holy relics were buried in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul that he himself had built.

Georgia, 786-830, King, Ashot I of Iberia, fought against Arabs, sought Byzantine protection
Georgia, 786-830, Ashot I, King, f Arabs, doomed at lake P but God bestowed power, restored castles, Grigol's host, adultry, became king oKartli 786, fought fGeorgia reunification, first banished muslims fTbilisi, 3yrs then muslims conquered Tbilisi, because Ashot delayed action, left for Byzantium wFamily&small army, stopped Javakheti Lake Paravani fRest, Saracen's assailed camp wSleeping, God helped, defeated much larger army, King deeply moved, remained Shavshet-Klarjeti Southern Georgia, which was iCholera e& ruthless enemies, so they accepted Ashdot as leader, restored region at once, restored Artanuji Castle (oVakhtang G, then ravaged by Marwan tDeaf) founded city nearby, proclaimed castle residence oBagratoni Royal Family oKlarjeti, plus Church, God granted Ashot great strength&Many victories, region oKlarjeti new life, from wasteland to borough bustling churches monasteries schools, Georgian noblemen from other areas to forge their nation's future wGod fearing leaders, God fearing Ashot hosted Fr Grigol oKhandzta, who blessed A's kingdom and inheritance, A bestowed best lands to monks oKhandzta m, rural estates, food supply fMonastery, his children funded revival Klarjeti monasteries, which became cities, But over time usually virtuous Kiing Ashdot fell adultry, brought woman tQueen's castle, Grigol became very sorrowful, confronted king, A promised to leave her but did not, G took her tMere m and Mother Pebronia, did not tell A, A repented, rediscovered his love fGod & country, prepared return Kartli, but muslim Khalil invaded conquered Kartli, Hereti &Kvemo Kartli, Saracens attacked while he was assembling army, tNigali Gorge fTroups, betrayed by traitor draftees, martyred on altar; Georgian King, 786-830, Ashot I of Iberia; I the Great (died 826/830) was a presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia), first of the Bagratid family to have attained to this office c. 813. his base in Tao-Klarjeti, he fought to enlarge the Bagratid territories and sought the Byzantine protectorate against the Arab encroachment until being murdered c. 826. is also known as Ashot I Kouropalates for the Byzantine Kouropalates title he wore. patron of Christian culture and a friend of the church, he has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29;

Georgia, 790-870, St. Ephraim the Great of Atsquri Fortress, Girgol's, prophet, wonderworker, holy relics
Atsquri Fortress; St. Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on September 25; St. Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; Ephraim the Great of Atsquri—one of the most important figures in the Georgian Church of the 8th and 9th centuries—was a disciple and companion of Saint Grigol of Khandzta. his way from Klarjeti in southern Georgia to Abkhazeti in the northwest, Saint Grigol met the young Ephraim and immediately perceived in him a like-minded companion and the future wonderworker and bishop of Atsquri. promised to take the young man as his disciple. On his way back to Klarjeti Saint Grigol accompanied Ephraim and another youth, Arsenius, the future Catholicos of Georgia. He entrusted the upbringing of these two holy youths to his spiritual sons Christopher and Theodore. brothers of Khandzta Monastery objected to the arrival of the youths, since the monastery rules prohibited young visitors. But Saint Grigol told them that God had revealed this as His will and that, after being raised at the monastery, these young men would be like spiritual successors of Saint Ephraim the Syrian and Saint Arsenius the Great. Ephraim was later consecrated bishop of Atsquri and became a major figure in the Church of his time. He significantly contributed to the definitive strengthening of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. As a result of his labors, the Georgian Church received a blessing from Antioch to prepare its own chrism in Mtskheta. Ephraim administered the diocese of Atsquri for forty years. God endowed him with the gifts of prophecy, wonderworking, and healing. He lived to an advanced age and reposed peacefully. Even today, those who approach his holy relics are healed of their infirmities. Ephraim of Atsquri is also mentioned in the Life of Saint Arsenius the Great [commemorated September 25].

Georgia, 788-854, Prince Constantine of Khandzta and Kartli, King, Jerusalem support each year, holy
Georgia, Arab Military Slave, 819-845, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; 9th century was one of the most difficult periods in Georgian history. The Arab Muslims wreaked havoc throughout the region of Kartli, forcibly converting many to Islam with fire and the sword. Many of the destitute and frightened were tempted to betray the Faith of their fathers. that time the valorous aristocrat and faithful Christian, Prince Constantine, was living in Kartli. He was the descendant of Kakhetian princes, hence his title “Kakhi.” is meet for a Christian believer, Saint Constantine considered himself the greatest of sinners and often said, “There can be no forgiveness of my sins, except through the spilling of my blood for the sake of Him Who shed His innocent blood for us!” on a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem, Constantine distributed generous gifts to the churches, visited the wilderness of the Jordan, received blessings from the holy fathers, and returned to his motherland filled with inner joy. After that time Constantine would send thirty thousand pieces of silver to Jerusalem each year. the years 853 to 854, when the Arab Muslims invaded Georgia under the command of Buga-Turk, the eighty-five-year-old Prince Constantine commanded the army of Kartli with his son Tarkhuj. the city of Gori an uneven battle took place between the Arabs and the Georgians. Despite their fierce resistance, the Georgians suffered defeat, and Constantine and Tarkhuj were taken captive. captive Constantine-Kakhi was sent to Samarra (a city in central Iraq) to the caliph Ja’far al Mutawakkil (847-861). Ja’far was well aware of the enormous respect Constantine-Kakhi received from the Georgians and all the Christian people who knew him. Having received him with honor, he proposed that Constantine renounce the Christian Faith and threatened him with death in the case of his refusal. Strengthened by divine grace, the courageous prince fearlessly answered, “Your sword does not frighten me. I am afraid of Him Who can destroy my soul and body and Who has the power to resurrect and to kill, for He is the true God, the almighty Sovereign, Ruler of the world, and Father unto all ages!” enraged caliph ordered the beheading of Saint Constantine-Kakhi. Bowing on his knees, the holy martyr lifted up a final prayer to the Lord. Saint Constantine-Kakhi was martyred on November 10, 852, the day on which Great-martyr George is commemorated. The holy martyr’s body was hung from a high pillar to intimidate the Christian believers, but after some time it was buried. few years later a group of faithful Georgians translated Saint Constantine’s holy relics to his motherland and reburied them there with great honor. In that same century the Georgian Orthodox Church numbered Prince Constantine-Kakhi of Kartli among the saints. Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ;

Georgia, 788-854, King Constantine of Khandzta, commander wSon vs 853-4 Burga tTurk invasion capture, tSamarra, body on pillar
Georgia, 788-854, Prince Constantine of Khandzta and Kartli, King of Georgia, Arab Muslims Kartli havoc, forced conversions fire sword, many tempted, from Kakhi, Jerusalem pilgrimage distributed gifts, jordan wilderness, holy fathers blessings, inner joy, returned, 30k silver pieces per yr, 853-4 Burga tTurk invasion, 85yr old C commanded army w son Tarkhuj, both captive outside Gori, tSamarra, beheaded, body on pillar, buried, translated back to Georgia, sainthood; Georgia, Arab Military Slave, 819-845, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; 9th century was one of the most difficult periods in Georgian history. Arab Muslims wreaked havoc throughout the region of Kartli, forcibly converting many to Islam with fire and the sword. of the destitute and frightened were tempted to betray the Faith of their fathers. that time the valorous aristocrat and faithful Christian, Prince Constantine, was living in Kartli. was the descendant of Kakhetian princes, hence his title “Kakhi.” is meet for a Christian believer, Saint Constantine considered himself the greatest of sinners and often said, “There can be no forgiveness of my sins, except through the spilling of my blood for the sake of Him Who shed His innocent blood for us!” on a pilgrimage to the holy places of Jerusalem, Constantine distributed generous gifts to the churches, visited the wilderness of the Jordan, received blessings from the holy fathers, and returned to his motherland filled with inner joy. After that time Constantine would send thirty thousand pieces of silver to Jerusalem each year. the years 853 to 854, when the Arab Muslims invaded Georgia under the command of Buga-Turk, the eighty-five-year-old Prince Constantine commanded the army of Kartli with his son Tarkhuj. the city of Gori an uneven battle took place between the Arabs and the Georgians. Despite their fierce resistance, the Georgians suffered defeat, and Constantine and Tarkhuj were taken captive. captive Constantine-Kakhi was sent to Samarra (a city in central Iraq) the caliph Ja’far al Mutawakkil (847-861). ’far was well aware of the enormous respect Constantine-Kakhi received from the Georgians and all the Christian people who knew him. received him with honor, he proposed that Constantine renounce the Christian Faith and threatened him with death in the case of his refusal. by divine grace, the courageous prince fearlessly answered, “Your sword does not frighten me. am afraid of Him Who can destroy my soul and body and Who has the power to resurrect and to kill, for He is the true God, the almighty Sovereign, Ruler of the world, and Father unto all ages!” enraged caliph ordered the beheading of Saint Constantine-Kakhi. on his knees, the holy martyr lifted up a final prayer to the Lord. Saint Constantine-Kakhi was martyred on November 10, 852, the day on which Great-martyr George is commemorated. holy martyr’s body was hung from a high pillar to intimidate the Christian believers, but after some time it was buried. few years later a group of faithful Georgians translated Saint Constantine’s holy relics to his motherland and reburied them there with great honor. In that same century the Georgian Orthodox Church numbered Prince Constantine-Kakhi of Kartli among the saints.

Georgia, 800, 9th Century Folder, House of Jaqeli, Samtskhe

Georgia, 801, 9th - 12th century, House of Jaqeli or Chorchaneli
Georgia, 9th - 12th century, House of Jaqeli or Chorchaneli ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2 ;

Georgia, 801, 9th Century -1490, House of George Chorchaneli
Georgia, 9th Century -1490, House of George Chorchaneli ; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ;

Georgia, 813-830, King, Ashot I Kuropalates of Iberia, first of the Bagratid Line, moved southwest after plague, KbyArabs
Georgia King, 813-830, Ashot I of Iberia, first of the Bagratid Line; I the Great was a presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia), of the Bagratid family to have attained to this office c. From his base in Tao-Klarjeti, he fought to enlarge the Bagratid territories and sought the Byzantine protectorate against the Arab encroachment until being murdered c. 826. is also known as Ashot I Kouropalates for the Byzantine Kouropalates title he wore. patron of Christian culture and a friend of the church, he has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church.[citation needed] was the son of the Iberian nobleman Adarnase who had founded the Bagratoni hereditary fiefdom in Tao-Klarjeti (now northeast Turkey) and bequeathed to his son extensive possessions acquired upon the extinction of his Guaramid and Chosroid cousins. initially failed to gain a foothold in central Iberia (Shida Kartli), his efforts being dashed by the Arab control of Tiflis. established himself in his patrimonial duchy of Klarjeti, where he restored the castle of Artanuji said to have been built by the Iberian king Vakhtang I Gorgasali in the 5th century, and received the Byzantine protection, being recognized as the presiding prince and Kouropalates of Iberia. revive the country devastated by the Arabs and cholera epidemics, he patronized the local monastic communities established by Grigol Khandzteli, encouraged the settlement of the Georgians in the region. As a result, the political and religious center of Iberia was effectively transferred from central Iberia to the south-west, in Tao-Klarjeti.[1][2] his base in Tao-Klarjeti, Ashot fought to recover more Georgian lands from the Arab hold and, though not always successful, succeeded in taking much of the adjoining lands from Tao in the southwest to Shida Kartli in the northeast, including Kola, Artani, Javakheti, Samtskhe, and Trialeti.[3] Of the former Chosroid possessions, only Kakheti to the east eluded him.[3] With local Arab emirs in the Caucasus growing ever more independent, the Caliph recognized Ashot as the prince of Iberia in order to counter the rebellious emir of Tiflis Isma’il ibn Shu’aib c. 818. The emir had enlisted support of Ashot’s foe—the Kakhetian prince Grigol—and the Georgian highland tribes of Mtiulians and Tsanars. Ashot, joined by the Byzantine vassal king of Abkhazia, Theodosius II, met the emir on the Ksani, winning a victory and pushing the Kakhetians from central Iberian lands.[2] Bagrationi' fortunes reversed when Khalid b. Yazid, the Caliph's viceroy of Armīniya, moved in to reinforce the central Arab authority in the Caucasian polities in 827/8. Ashot I must have been still alive at that time, and the information provided by the 11th-century Georgian chronicler Sumbat, according to which Ashot was murdered in 826, is doubtful. It is more likely that the event took place four years later, on January 29, 830. Driven by the Arabs from central Iberia, Ashot fell back to the Nigali valley where he was assassinated by renegades at the altar of a local church.[4][5] Ashot's death, his holdings were allotted to his three sons: Bagrat I, Adarnase II, and Guaram.[2] His daughter was married to Theodosius II of Abkhazia. St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2 ; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15;

Georgia, 813-830, Holy King Askiot, Ananuri, Castle, Argavi, pious ruler, built churches&monasteries, killed by Arabs
Georgia, 0850, 9th Century, Holy King Askiot, Ananuri, Castle, Argavi, Georgia, Pious ruler, built many churches, several monasteries, killed by Arabs; Holy King Askiot of Georgia, Commemorated on January 27; Askiot reigned in Georgia in the IX century. pious ruler built many churches as well as several monasteries. was killed by Arabs in the church of the castle at Artanugi, Georgia, which he had built. the Georgian Synaxaria it is also referred to as Kouropalatis. Ananuri, Castle; (Georgian: ანანური) is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Dusheti Municipality Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Tbilisi. was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. castle was the scene of numerous battles. 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, commanded by Shanshe of Ksani and was set on fire. Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted against rule by the Shanshe, killing the usurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century. In 2007, the complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.[1] the castle was under siege, it was not defeated because a secret tunnel led to the water and thus provided a way to get food and water to the people who had taken refuge in the castle. The enemy finally captured a woman named Ana, who was from Nuri, and tortured her to reveal the location of the tunnel. But she chose to die rather than giving the secret away. Hence the castle was called Ananuri, and she became a legend. fortifications consist of two castles joined by a crenellated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as Sheupovari, is well preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shanshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins. the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674. larger Church of the Mother of God (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzim. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.[2]

Georgia, 815-959, Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region
Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30;

Georgia, 819-845, Bugha the Turk, Arab Military Slave, Bugha al-Kabir
Georgia, Arab Military Slave, 819-845, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ;

Georgia, 825-875, Georgian Hilarion, Wworker of Thesslnc, MOG vision Georgia, then stayed in Thess, m relics shrine, to Romana
Greece, Macedonia, Thessalonica, 825-875, Georgian Hilarion, Monk & Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Macedonia (Axios River Mouth, K Triangle of Roman Roads), to D G Wilderness of Georgia, famous, to Jerusalem, Elijah's cave, vision MOG mt Olives, return to home, prepare meal for Lord, founded Georgia convent and monastery, to Olympus in AM, To C & Rome, stopped in Thess along the way, healed boy, convinced to stay by boy's f t perfect, miraculous shrine for h relics there, Emperor w move relics to C, but not city, Romana Monastery for his elders; Thessalonica; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hilarion the Georgian was the son of a Kakheti aristocrat. were other children in the family, but only Hilarion was dedicated to God from his very birth. Hilarion’s father built a monastery on his own land, and there the boy was raised. the age of fourteen Hilarion left the monastery and his father’s guardianship and settled in a small cave in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness. he remained for ten years. report spread through all of eastern Georgia of the angelic faster and tireless intercessor in prayer. Crowds flocked to his cave to receive instruction, blessings, and counsel. When the bishop of Rustavi came to visit Hilarion, he ordained him a priest. Soon he was made abbot of Saint Davit of Gareji Lavra. his ordination, the holy father was praised even more among his people, and he decided to leave his motherland. Hilarion chose one of the brothers to replace him as abbot of the monastery and set off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. the way Venerable Hilarion was attacked by a band of vicious thieves. They sought to kill the holy father, but their hands suddenly withered. When the terrified thieves realized that God had punished them for raising their hands to kill the saint, they fell to their knees before Saint Hilarion and begged his forgiveness. The venerable father blessed them with the sign of the Cross, healed them and let them depart in peace. Hilarion venerated the holy places in Jerusalem, then settled in a cave in the Jordan wilderness (according to tradition, the holy prophet Elijah had dwelt in that same cave). night Saint Hilarion saw a vision: He was standing before the Most Holy Theotokos, in the midst of twelve men, on the Mount of Olives, the place of our Lord’s Ascension. The Holy Virgin said to him, “Hilarion! Return to your home and prepare a meal for the Lord, my Son!” waking, Hilarion understood this vision with both his heart and mind and immediately set off for his motherland. he returned to Georgia, Saint Hilarion learned of the repose of his father and brothers. His mother gave her only living son the family inheritance. Hilarion founded a convent with the resources he had inherited, donated lands to the monastic community, and established its rules. Then he gathered seventy-six worthy monk-ascetics and founded a monastery for men. He distributed his remaining property to the poor and disabled. before, the news of Saint Hilarion’s virtuous deeds spread quickly through all of Georgia. Again many desired to receive his blessing and counsel, but when the clergy announced their intention to consecrate him a bishop, he abandoned Georgia for the second time. He took two companions and journeyed to Constantinople. the long journey, Hilarion and his companions finally reached Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor and settled in a small, forsaken church. During the evening services on Cheese-fare Saturday, the lamplighter from the Monastery of Saint Ioannicius the Great came to the church to light an icon lamp, and seeing that several people had settled there, he brought them some food. next Saturday, the feast of Saint Theodore the Tyro, the same monk returned to the church and saw that the brothers had gone the whole week eating nothing but a few lentils. They had not touched the food he had brought them. So the monk asked Saint Hilarion what they needed, and Hilarion requested prosphora and wine for the Bloodless Sacrifice. Then Saint Hilarion celebrated the Liturgy at the appropriate time, received Holy Communion, and served the Holy Gifts to the brothers. the abbot of the Great Lavra heard that a service had been celebrated by an unknown priest in a language other than Greek, he was infuriated and ordered his steward and several of the monks to chase the strangers off the monastery property. But Saint Hilarion responded to the steward in Greek and asked for permission to spend the night in the church, promising to depart in the morning. night the Theotokos appeared to the abbot of the lavra in a vision. She stood at the foot of his bed and rebuked him, saying, “Foolish one! What has moved you to cast out these strangers, who left their own country for the love of my Son and God? Why have you broken the commandment to receive and show mercy to strangers and the poor? Do you not know that there are many living on this mountain that speak the same language as they? They are also praising God here. He who fails to receive them is my enemy, for my Son entrusted me to protect them and to ensure that their Orthodox Faith is not shaken. They believe in my Son and have been baptized in His name!” next day the elder fell to his knees before Saint Hilarion, begged forgiveness for his impertinence, and requested that he remain at the monastery. Saint Hilarion consoled the elder and agreed to stay. Hilarion spent five years on Mt. Olympus, then journeyed again to Constantinople, to venerate the Life-giving Cross of our Lord. From there he traveled to Rome to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. the way to Rome his prayers healed a paralyzed man. After spending two years in Rome, Saint Hilarion set off again for Constantinople. the way, in the city of Thessalonica, the blessed Hilarion stopped for a rest at the home of the prefect. he arrived, a servant woman was carrying a paralyzed fourteen-year-old boy out of the house, and she laid him in the sun. The saint asked the woman for water, and when she had gone to bring it, he blessed the child with the sign of the Cross and healed him. the boy ran to his mother, and Saint Hilarion quickly departed from that place. the prefect, the boy’s father, had witnessed the miracle, and he ordered that the wonderworker be found. When he had been brought before him, the prefect begged Saint Hilarion to remain in Thessalonica and choose for himself a place to continue his miraculous works. the prefect to be a true lover of God, the saint heeded his entreaty and agreed to remain. The prefect built a church in the place that Hilarion had chosen, and before long the entire city had heard about Saint Hilarion and his miracles. Hilarion spent the remainder of his days in Thessalonica. When the Lord made known to him the day of his repose, he called for the prefect, thanked him, and instructed him to love the monks and all the suffering and to be just and merciful. saint reposed on November 19, 875, and the sorrowful prefect prepared a marble shrine for him. Those who were sick and who approached Saint Hilarion’s grave with faith were healed of their infirmities. prefect and the archbishop of Thessalonica informed the Byzantine emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886) about the miracles that had occurred at the holy father’s grave. emperor in turn informed the monks who came to him from Mt. Olympus, among whom was the elder who once had tried to chase Saint Hilarion out of the church. Basil became intrigued with Saint Hilarion’s disciples and fellow countrymen through the stories of Hilarion’s miracles. Hilarion’s three disciples were presented to him, and the emperor was so struck by their holiness that he sent them to the patriarch of Constantinople to receive his blessing. Recognizing immediately that the three elders were filled with divine favor, the patriarch advised the emperor to confer great honors upon them. response, Emperor Basil invited the elders to choose for themselves and their countrymen one of the monasteries in Constantinople and make it their own. fathers graciously declined since they did not wish to live in the populous city. the monks asked the emperor to build cells for them outside the capital. Emperor Basil built a large church dedicated to the Holy Apostles in a place that the Georgian fathers had chosen in a certain ravine, where a spring of cold water flowed from beneath a little hill, and he carved a cell for himself as well. monastery was called “Romana,” after the nearby brook. the emperor sent his own two sons, Leo and Alexander, to be raised by the holy fathers. Basil sought to bury Saint Hilarion’s holy relics in the capital, but the people of Thessalonica would not allow the relics to be taken away. the end, it was necessary for the emperor’s envoys to conceal the sacred shrine and carry it back to Constantinople in secret. emperor, the patriarch, and all the people met the arrival of Saint Hilarion’s relics with glorious hymns and prayers. the special burial vault had been built, the emperor kept Saint Hilarion’s holy relics in his own chamber. nights after the relics had arrived, Basil awoke to an unusual fragrance. No one in the court could discover its source. the emperor dozed off again, Saint Hilarion appeared to him in his vestments and said, “You have done a good deed by preparing a shelter for my remains. the sweet fragrance you smell was acquired in the wilderness, not in the city. if you desire to receive the divine blessings in full, take me away to the wilderness!” emperor reported this wondrous turn of events to the patriarch and the prefect, and with their consent he brought the holy relics of Saint Hilarion to the Monastery of Romana.

Georgia, 830-876, King, Bagrat I of Iberia, Bagrat Kuropalates
Georgia King, 830-876, Bagrat I of Iberia; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; St. Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Georgia, 837-872, King, Demetre II of Abkhazeti, no more info
Georgia King, 837-872, Demetre II of Abkhazeti ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Georgia, 840 approx., Michael of Parekhi, wonderworker, monastery in cave on cliff, sent out S&J to Zarzma
Parekhi Monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; Michael of Parekhi was a native of the village of Norgiali in the Shavsheti region of southern Georgia. He was tonsured a monk in the Midznadzori Wilderness. Michael journeyed to Khandzta Monastery, and with the blessing of the brotherhood, he built a small chapel and dwelling for the monks nearby. Built in a cave on the side of a cliff, Saint Michael’s establishment was difficult to reach (the new monastery was called “Parekhi,” or “Cave”). God was pleased with his good works, and He granted Saint Michael the gift of working wonders. In a divine revelation, Saint Michael was instructed to send his disciples Serapion and John to the region of Samtskhe. There they established a beautiful monastery in the village of Zarzma. some time Father Michael abandoned his cell and settled at the top of a large boulder. Once the devil caused him to stumble off the rock, but the Lord protected him and he remained unharmed. by the incident, Michael sent his disciples to bring Saint Gregory of Khandzta, and he related to him all that had happened. The blessed Gregory assuaged his brother’s fears, erected a cross on either side of Michael’s cell, and told him, “These two crosses of Christ will protect you, and the mercy of the Most Holy Trinity and the Precious Cross will be upon you.” Michael lived to an old age, and he was buried at Parekhi Monastery. Many faithful pilgrims who have visited his grave have been healed of their infirmities. to Basil of Zarzma, Saint Michael’s disciples wrote accounts of his labors, wisdom, and miracles after his repose, but these works have unfortunately not been preserved. What we know about the life of Saint Michael of Parekhi was preserved in the hagiographical writings of the 10th and 11th centuries.

Georgia, 840 approx., Saints Serapion and John of Zarzma, sent by Michael of Parekhi
Parekhi Monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Serapion of Zarzma was the son of a Klarjeti aristocrat famed for his wealth and good deeds. Serapion had two brothers, who were still young when their mother died. father also reposed soon after. childhood Saint Serapion longed to lead the life of a hermit. With his younger brother, John, he set off for Parekhi Monastery, where he requested the spiritual guidance of “the spiritual father and teacher of orphans,” the great wonderworker Michael of Parekhi. older brother remained at home to continue the family tradition of caring for wanderers and the poor. Michael perceived in the young Serapion true zeal for a divine ministry and blessed him to enter the priesthood. while he was praying, Saint Michael was instructed in a vision to send his disciples Serapion and John to Samtskhe to found a monastery. was alarmed at the thought of such a great responsibility, but he submitted to his spiritual father’s will and set off for Samtskhe with several companions. He took with him a wonderworking icon of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. monks climbed to the peak of a very high mountain and, having looked around at their environs, decided to settle there and begin construction of the monastery. But soon the villagers chased the monks away, and the holy fathers located the exact place that their shepherd, Saint Michael, had seen in the vision. At that time a faithful nobleman named George Chorchaneli ruled in this mountainous region. Once, while he was out hunting, George saw smoke over the dense forest and sent a servant to discover the cause. He was soon informed that two remarkable monks had settled in that place. Immediately he set off for the spot, humbly greeted the monks, venerated the wonderworking icon, and asked for the fathers’ blessings. and inspired by Serapion’s preaching, the prince fell on his knees before him and promised to help him in every way to establish the new monastery. Having donated this land and the surrounding area to the monastery, he presented the monks with a deed assigning ownership of all the territory the monks could cover on foot in one day to the future monastery. The prince sent his servant to accompany them. brothers walked over unexplored territory, through dense forests, and over rocky paths. Two local residents, the God-fearing Ia and Garbaneli, accompanied them. But not all the local people received the monks so warmly: the residents of Tsiskvili met them with hostility and tried to block their path. very same night a miracle occurred: an earthquake split the rocks that were holding back Lake Satakhve and washed away the entire village of Tsiskvili. Only two brothers survived. To this day this place has been called “Zarzma” [the word “zari” is often used to denote a tragic occurrence]. brethren began to search for a suitable place to build their church. Saint Serapion wanted to construct the church on a high hill, but John and the other brothers objected. “It is not necessary, Holy Father, to build in this place,” they said. “It is high and cold here, and the brothers are dressed only in rags.” resolve this question, the holy fathers filled two small icon lamps with equal amounts of oil. Serapion placed one of them at the top of the hill, John placed the other near a stream on the southern side of the hill, and they began to pray. At daybreak Serapion’s lamp had already gone out, but John’s lamp continued to burn until midday. Thus they began to build the church in the place that John had chosen. monks faced many obstacles in the construction of their church. The area was covered with dense forest, and the stones necessary for building could be found only in the river. At George Chorchaneli’s suggestion, they salvaged the stone from a church that had been destroyed by the earthquake. three years of construction, the monastery was completed, and the wonderworking icon of the Transfiguration was placed in the altar of the church. The monks fashioned cells, and Saint Serapion established the Rule of the monastery. he was approaching death, Michael of Parekhi sent two of his disciples to Serapion and John. When he learned that the construction of the monastery was completed, he rejoiced exceedingly and blessed its benefactor, George Chorchaneli. Then he took the withered branch of a box tree and presented it to him, saying, “My son, plant this tree near the church and, if it blossoms again, know that it is God’s will that you zealously continue the work you have begun in His name.” After some time the branch blossomed, and this miracle became known to many. the blessed Serapion sensed the approach of death, he summoned the brothers, bade them farewell, and appointed Hieromonk George his successor as abbot. He was buried with great honor on the eastern side of the altar at the monastery church. Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; Michael of Parekhi was a native of the village of Norgiali in the Shavsheti region of southern Georgia. He was tonsured a monk in the Midznadzori Wilderness. Michael journeyed to Khandzta Monastery, and with the blessing of the brotherhood, he built a small chapel and dwelling for the monks nearby. Built in a cave on the side of a cliff, Saint Michael’s establishment was difficult to reach (the new monastery was called “Parekhi,” or “Cave”). God was pleased with his good works, and He granted Saint Michael the gift of working wonders. In a divine revelation, Saint Michael was instructed to send his disciples Serapion and John to the region of Samtskhe. There they established a beautiful monastery in the village of Zarzma. some time Father Michael abandoned his cell and settled at the top of a large boulder. Once the devil caused him to stumble off the rock, but the Lord protected him and he remained unharmed. by the incident, Michael sent his disciples to bring Saint Gregory of Khandzta, and he related to him all that had happened. The blessed Gregory assuaged his brother’s fears, erected a cross on either side of Michael’s cell, and told him, “These two crosses of Christ will protect you, and the mercy of the Most Holy Trinity and the Precious Cross will be upon you.” Michael lived to an old age, and he was buried at Parekhi Monastery. Many faithful pilgrims who have visited his grave have been healed of their infirmities. to Basil of Zarzma, Saint Michael’s disciples wrote accounts of his labors, wisdom, and miracles after his repose, but these works have unfortunately not been preserved. What we know about the life of Saint Michael of Parekhi was preserved in the hagiographical writings of the 10th and 11th centuries.

Georgia, 840 approx, Saints Serapion and John of Zarzma monastery supported by Giorgi Chorchaneli
Zarzma monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Serapion of Zarzma was the son of a Klarjeti aristocrat famed for his wealth and good deeds. Serapion had two brothers, who were still young when their mother died. father also reposed soon after. childhood Saint Serapion longed to lead the life of a hermit. With his younger brother, John, he set off for Parekhi Monastery, where he requested the spiritual guidance of “the spiritual father and teacher of orphans,” the great wonderworker Michael of Parekhi. older brother remained at home to continue the family tradition of caring for wanderers and the poor. Michael perceived in the young Serapion true zeal for a divine ministry and blessed him to enter the priesthood. while he was praying, Saint Michael was instructed in a vision to send his disciples Serapion and John to Samtskhe to found a monastery. was alarmed at the thought of such a great responsibility, but he submitted to his spiritual father’s will and set off for Samtskhe with several companions. He took with him a wonderworking icon of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. monks climbed to the peak of a very high mountain and, having looked around at their environs, decided to settle there and begin construction of the monastery. But soon the villagers chased the monks away, and the holy fathers located the exact place that their shepherd, Saint Michael, had seen in the vision. At that time a faithful nobleman named George Chorchaneli ruled in this mountainous region. Once, while he was out hunting, George saw smoke over the dense forest and sent a servant to discover the cause. He was soon informed that two remarkable monks had settled in that place. Immediately he set off for the spot, humbly greeted the monks, venerated the wonderworking icon, and asked for the fathers’ blessings. and inspired by Serapion’s preaching, the prince fell on his knees before him and promised to help him in every way to establish the new monastery. Having donated this land and the surrounding area to the monastery, he presented the monks with a deed assigning ownership of all the territory the monks could cover on foot in one day to the future monastery. The prince sent his servant to accompany them. brothers walked over unexplored territory, through dense forests, and over rocky paths. Two local residents, the God-fearing Ia and Garbaneli, accompanied them. But not all the local people received the monks so warmly: the residents of Tsiskvili met them with hostility and tried to block their path. very same night a miracle occurred: an earthquake split the rocks that were holding back Lake Satakhve and washed away the entire village of Tsiskvili. Only two brothers survived. To this day this place has been called “Zarzma” [the word “zari” is often used to denote a tragic occurrence]. brethren began to search for a suitable place to build their church. Saint Serapion wanted to construct the church on a high hill, but John and the other brothers objected. “It is not necessary, Holy Father, to build in this place,” they said. “It is high and cold here, and the brothers are dressed only in rags.” resolve this question, the holy fathers filled two small icon lamps with equal amounts of oil. Serapion placed one of them at the top of the hill, John placed the other near a stream on the southern side of the hill, and they began to pray. At daybreak Serapion’s lamp had already gone out, but John’s lamp continued to burn until midday. Thus they began to build the church in the place that John had chosen. monks faced many obstacles in the construction of their church. The area was covered with dense forest, and the stones necessary for building could be found only in the river. At George Chorchaneli’s suggestion, they salvaged the stone from a church that had been destroyed by the earthquake. three years of construction, the monastery was completed, and the wonderworking icon of the Transfiguration was placed in the altar of the church. The monks fashioned cells, and Saint Serapion established the Rule of the monastery. he was approaching death, Michael of Parekhi sent two of his disciples to Serapion and John. When he learned that the construction of the monastery was completed, he rejoiced exceedingly and blessed its benefactor, George Chorchaneli. Then he took the withered branch of a box tree and presented it to him, saying, “My son, plant this tree near the church and, if it blossoms again, know that it is God’s will that you zealously continue the work you have begun in His name.” After some time the branch blossomed, and this miracle became known to many. the blessed Serapion sensed the approach of death, he summoned the brothers, bade them farewell, and appointed Hieromonk George his successor as abbot. He was buried with great honor on the eastern side of the altar at the monastery church. Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, 840, Zarzma monastery by Serapion (Kvabliani River, Samtskhe )
Zarzma monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, 842, Gabriel tGeorgian oMt Athos, Iveron monastery, chosen by MOG to walk on water tRetrieve Iveron Icon

Georgia, 850, 9th Century, Holy King Askiot, Ananuri, Castle, Argavi, pious ruler, built churches&monasteries, killed by Arabs
Georgia, 0850, 9th Century, Holy King Askiot, Ananuri, Castle, Argavi, Georgia, Pious ruler, built many churches, several monasteries, killed by Arabs; Holy King Askiot of Georgia, Commemorated on January 27; Askiot reigned in Georgia in the IX century. pious ruler built many churches as well as several monasteries. was killed by Arabs in the church of the castle at Artanugi, Georgia, which he had built. the Georgian Synaxaria it is also referred to as Kouropalatis. Ananuri, Castle; (Georgian: ანანური) is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Dusheti Municipality Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Tbilisi. was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. castle was the scene of numerous battles. 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, commanded by Shanshe of Ksani and was set on fire. Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted against rule by the Shanshe, killing the usurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century. In 2007, the complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.[1] the castle was under siege, it was not defeated because a secret tunnel led to the water and thus provided a way to get food and water to the people who had taken refuge in the castle. The enemy finally captured a woman named Ana, who was from Nuri, and tortured her to reveal the location of the tunnel. But she chose to die rather than giving the secret away. Hence the castle was called Ananuri, and she became a legend. fortifications consist of two castles joined by a crenellated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as Sheupovari, is well preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shanshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins. the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674. larger Church of the Mother of God (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzim. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.[2]

Georgia, 888-923, King, Adarnase IV of Iberia, Bagratid d, Tao-K, Switching Alliances, w Armenia
Georgia, 888-923, King, Adarnase IV of Iberia, Bagratid d, Tao-K, Switching Alliances, w Armenia; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Georgia, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims
Georgia, 889, John of Zedazeni, Mtskheta, Georgia, murdered at Zendazeni by Muslims; Zedazeni Monastery. This location is only approximate. Zedazeni Monestary is located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. ; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated December 12 ; life of the holy martyr John, Abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, has not been preserved, but the list recalling “the names of the holy fathers who reposed at Zedazeni Monastery after John of Zedazeni,” which was compiled by Catholicos Arsenius II, tells us that Abbot John was “murdered at Zedazeni by Muslims.” Saint John was martyred in the 9th century.

Georgia, 914-1122, History Folder, Arab Muslim Rule in Georgia

Georgia, 900, 10th Century Folder, Arab Rule in Georgia, Iveron Monastery on Mt Athos

Georgia, 900, 10th Century, Queen, Dinar of Hereti
Georgia Queen, 10th Century, Dinar of Hereti; (was a 10th-century Georgian royal princess of the Bagrationi dynasty of Tao-Klarjeti and Queen regnant of Hereti. She is venerated as a saint. The Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates her on June 30. was a daughter of hereditary ruler of Tao-Klarjeti, the eristavt-eristavi, "duke of dukes" Adarnase III of Tao by his unknown wife. to The Georgian Chronicles Queen Dinar, along with her son Ishkhani converted Hereti to the Eastern Orthodox confession and abandoned the Oriental Orthodox confession in the 10th century. Russia[edit] Dinar’s story is recounted in the Russian Chronicles more closely and The Tale of Tsaritsa Dinara may be about her. According to the Armenian historian Movses Kaghankatvatsi, Slavic tribes that carried out raids in the southern Caucasus the story of Queen Dinar became well known for them and this story made its way to Russia. on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there's a fresco of Queen Dinar who's mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy. Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; Russian Church has preserved chronicles of the life of Queen Dinar, a woman who achieved much on behalf of the Christian Faith. For years scholars have disputed about the historical figure discussed in great depth in the Russian Church. Many believed that the sources described Holy Queen Tamar, but the period of Tamar’s rule does not match that of the figure described in the chronicles. The Georgian chronicle Life of Kartli, however, has preserved information about a certain Dinar, Queen of Hereti (southeastern Georgia), who, along with her son Ishkhanik, converted Hereti to the Orthodox Faith and delivered its people from the Monophysite heresy in the 10th century. Queen Dinar’s story resembles that recounted in the Russian Chronicles more closely than any other. to the Armenian historian Moses of Kalankaytuk, Slavic tribes that carried out incursions in the southernmost Caucasus often journeyed through the Transcaucasus, and it was with these tribes that the story of Queen Dinar made its way to Russia. The Georgian Church renders great honor to Holy Queen Dinar. As a result of her zealous labors and achievements, a large part of the eastern Transcaucasus was saved from the Monophysite heresy that dominated the region. on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there hangs an image of Holy Queen Dinar mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Georgia, 914, Martyr Michael (Gobron), war hero, offered e glory, C executed before h eyes, traced t cross, divine light
Georgia, 914, Martyr Michael (Gobron), Kvelistsikhe Fortress, war hero, offered earthly glory, C executed before h eyes, traced the cross, divine light; Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ; the year 914 a certain prince by the name of Michael-Gobron distinguished himself in a battle against the Arab Muslim invaders. After they had captured the fortress of Kvelistsikhe in southern Georgia, the Muslims took captive those who remained alive, and Prince Gobron was among them. Deeply impressed by the Georgian soldier’s valor, the emir Abu al-Qasim ordered his army to treat him with respect. Adarnerse sent Abu al-Qasim a large sum of money as a ransom for his people, and some were released. Gobron, however, was not among them. Georgian prince recognized clearly what the future would bring, and he prepared to be martyred for Christ’s sake. The Saracens escorted Gobron and 133 Georgian soldiers to their execution. al-Qasim tempted the faithful prince by offering him earthly glory and honor in exchange for his renunciation of the Christian Faith. But Saint Gobron firmly declined all of his offers. Then the furious Abu al-Qasim ordered that he be taken into the yard and shown his fallen countrymen on one side and the promised wealth on the other. the emir cunningly asked which one he would choose, Gobron answered, “I told you from the very start that I will not retreat from Christ my Lord!” the emir devised a new, more cruel trial: “He knows not the grief of death. Lead him outside and execute every living Christian before his eyes!” he commanded. led the saint out in the midst of his brothers and proceeded to slaughter every one of them. The blood of the dead flew around Gobron in every direction, and the martyrs’ limp bodies collapsed at his feet, but none of these horrors could break his will. they compelled him to bow his head and brandished their swords above him two times. Prince Gobron traced a cross on his brow with blood and said, “I thank Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou hast accounted me, the most contemptible and chief among sinners, worthy to lay down my life for Thy sake!” they brought Saint Gobron before the emir. For the last time Abu al-Qasim tried to entice him to apostatize, but the saint, dripping with blood, declared, “Do as you wish. I am a Christian and will never retreat from the name of my Christ!” lost all patience, Abu al-Qasim ordered that Saint Gobron’s head be chopped off and thrown in with the other mutilated bodies. Then they dug three large holes, tossed in the relics of the martyrs, refilled the holes with earth, and forbade all Christians to approach that place. At night the graves shone with a divine light visible to believers and unbelievers alike. laying down their lives for Christ, the valorous prince Michael-Gobron and the 133 martyrs were numbered among the saints by the Georgian Apostolic Church. The day of their commemoration was designated as November 17, the day of their martyrdom.

Georgia, 914, Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia, Kvelistsikhe Fortress
Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Georgia, 914-1122, Arab Rule in Georgia
Georgia, 914-1122, Arab Rule in Georgia; Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Georgia, 940-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite
Greece, Macedonia, Mt. Athos, 940-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite; St. Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St. Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13;

Georgia, 950 10th Century, Holy Queen Dinar, Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti, she saved eastern transcaucasus from Monophysite heracy
Georgia, 950 10th Century, Holy Queen Dinar, Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region, she saved eastern transcaucasus from Monophysite heracy, to Orthodox faith; Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; Russian Church has preserved chronicles of the life of Queen Dinar, a woman who achieved much on behalf of the Christian Faith. years scholars have disputed about the historical figure discussed in great depth in the Russian Church. Many believed that the sources described Holy Queen Tamar, but the period of Tamar’s rule does not match that of the figure described in the chronicles. Georgian chronicle Life of Kartli, however, has preserved information about a certain Dinar, Queen of Hereti (southeastern Georgia), along with her son Ishkhanik, converted Hereti to the Orthodox Faith and delivered its people from the Monophysite heresy in the 10th century. Dinar’s story resembles that recounted in the Russian Chronicles more closely than any other. to the Armenian historian Moses of Kalankaytuk, tribes that carried out incursions in the southernmost Caucasus often journeyed through the Transcaucasus, and it was with these tribes that the story of Queen Dinar made its way to Russia. Georgian Church renders great honor to Holy Queen Dinar. As a result of her zealous labors and achievements, a large part of the eastern Transcaucasus was saved from the Monophysite heresy that dominated the region. on the north wall of the Throne Hall in the Moscow Kremlin, there hangs an image of Holy Queen Dinar mounted on a white horse, victorious over the enemy.

Georgia, 950-985, Tornike Eristavi, General and Saint, Founder of Iveron Monastery
Iviron monastery ; Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Georgia, 960-1000, Sabiana, Abbess of Samtskhe, the tree is known by its fruit, Georgian nuns, Thekla, her b George the Lesser
Georgia, 960-1000, Sabiana, Abbess of Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery, the tree is known by its fruit, nuns of the Georgian Monasteries, Thekla, her b George the Lesser; Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; nuns of Georgian monasteries have historically been outstanding in their diligence. God entrusted them with the special duties of ceaseless prayer, fasting, needlework, and the raising of orphans. Nuns have been regarded as vessels of sanctity and wisdom, and even royalty would kneel before them. Georgian noblemen would send their children to nuns to be brought up in the Christian Faith. According to the great church figure George the Lesser, when the parents of Saint George of the Holy Mountain decided to have their first-born daughter, Thekla, raised by nuns, they sent her to the “worthy and holy” Sabiana, who at that time was abbess of the Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery in southern Georgia. Sabiana welcomed Thekla and raised her as though she were her own natural daughter. long Thekla’s brother, the seven-year-old George, was also brought to the monastery, and Saint Sabiana spent three years educating and instructing him in the spiritual life. information on the life and labors of Saint Sabiana has sadly not been preserved. But as the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew attests, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt. 12:33). The high level of monastic life during Saint Sabiana’s abbacy and the pious lives of her spiritual children attest to the great spiritual heights she attained. Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27; George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. George’s family had its roots in the region of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. George was born in Trialeti to the pious Jacob and Mariam. George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. after, Prince Peris Jojikisdze of Trialeti invited George’s uncle, George the Scribe, to stay with him, and George’s uncle took his young nephew with him. the Byzantine emperor Basil II subsequently summoned Peris and his family to Constantinople, accused him of conspiring against the throne, and had him beheaded. (At that time Trialeti was under the jurisdiction of Byzantium.) Peris’ faithful wife remained in Constantinople for twelve years and sent the young George to study with the finest philosophers and rhetoricians of that time. Emperor Basil was moved with compassion for the prince’s family and permitted them to return to Georgia. The twenty-five-year-old George returned to Khakhuli Monastery and “bowed his neck to the sweet yoke of monastic life.” George secretly left the monastery and, clad in beggars’ rags, journeyed to Jerusalem. After enduring many deprivations and overcoming a great number of obstacles, he reached the Black Mountains near Antioch and, after venerating the holy places and visiting several elders, began to search for a spiritual father and guide. He found the great Georgian elder Saint George the Recluse (the God-bearer) in an isolated cave and remained there with him for three years. Saint George the Recluse tonsured his disciple, “who had reached perfection of age, wisdom and understanding,” into the great schema and sent him to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. to his teacher’s counsel, George then moved from Jerusalem to the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos to continue the work of Saint Ekvtime—the translation of theological texts from the Greek to the Georgian language. considered himself unworthy and unqualified to continue Saint Ekvtime’s great work, but Saint George the Recluse was insistent, so he set off for the Holy Mountain in humble obedience. monks of the Ivḗron Monastery received Saint George with great joy. But instead of translating the patristic texts as his spiritual father had advised him, George soon grew slothful and for seven years performed only the work of a novice. When Saint George the Recluse heard this, he sent his disciple Tevdore to Mt. Athos to rebuke him and remind him of the reason he had been sent there. Finally George of the Holy Mountain obeyed the will of his teacher, and soon he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery. that time on Saint George of the Holy Mountain pursued his work with great earnestness. He gathered information on Saints Ekvtime and John, compiled their Lives, translated their holy relics to ornate burial vaults covered in precious jewels, and enhanced the life of the monastery in many other ways. a visit to the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus, the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalates offered George the opportunity to return to Georgia to be consecrated bishop of Chqondidi and serve as his own spiritual adviser. But George declined, having already been drawn far from the vanity of the world. of the monastery was demanding, and George was forced to choose between his literary work and the life of the monastery. resigned as abbot and returned to Saint George the Recluse for counsel. But his teacher blessed him to return to the Ivḗron Monastery, so George set off again for Mt. Athos. God-fearing king Bagrat IV Kuropalates continued to ask Saint George to return to Georgia, and he finally consented to the will of the king and the catholicos. In accordance with their request, the pious father instituted general guidelines for the qualifications and conduct of the clergy and wisely administered the affairs of the Church. Five years later Saint George returned to the Ivḗron Monastery. Before he departed, King Bagrat bestowed upon him much of his own wealth and saw him off with great respect. for Mt. Athos, Blessed George took with him eighty orphans. En route he stopped in Constantinople, and sensing that the day of his repose was near, he arranged for the orphans to be received in the emperor’s court. He personally requested that the emperor make provision for the orphaned children. George of the Holy Mountain reposed peacefully the next day, the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His Athonite brothers buried him on the monastery grounds with great reverence.

Georgia, 955-1002, Saint, John the Iberian, John of Georgia
Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Georgia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos, Georgian
Macedonia, 963, Lavra of St Athanasius, First Larva of Mt Athos; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Niphon of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 14; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5; 6 Venerable Disciples of St Athanasius On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 5; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Georgia, 966-1000, K, Davit Kuropalates, T Great, of Tao, unification, w Bardas Phocas, lost to Basil II
Georgia, Iberian King, 966-1000, Davit Kuropalates, The Great; III Kuropalates (Georgian: áƒ“áƒáƒ•áƒ˜áƒ— III áƒ™áƒ£áƒ áƒáƒžáƒáƒšáƒáƒ¢áƒ˜, Davit’ III Kuropalati) or David III the Great (áƒ“áƒáƒ•áƒ˜áƒ— III áƒ“áƒ˜áƒ“áƒ˜, Davit’ III Didi), also known as David II, (c. 930s – 1000/1001) was a Georgian prince of the Bagratid family of Tao, a historic region in the Georgian–Armenian marchlands, from 966 until his murder in 1000 or 1001. Kuropalates was a Byzantine courtier title bestowed upon him in 978 and again in 990. David is best known for his crucial assistance to the Byzantine Macedonian dynasty in the 976–9 civil war and his unique role in the political unification of various Georgian polities as well as his patronage of Christian culture and learning. Between 987 and 989, David joined his friend Bardas Phocas in a revolt against the Byzantine emperor Basil II, but was defeated and agreed to cede his lands to the empire on his death. Yet he was able to secure for his heir, Bagrat III, an opportunity to become the first ruler of a unified Georgian kingdom. Venerable John the Georgian, of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Georgia, 975, Dochiariou Monastery founded by Euthymius, Georgian
Macedonia, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator ; Son of Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos 10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Georgia, 975-1014, Georgia King, Bagrat III, Bedia Cathedral, first King of Georgia
Georgia, 975-1014, Georgia King, Bagrat III, Bedia Cathedral ; III (Georgian: áƒ‘áƒáƒ’áƒ áƒáƒ¢ III) (c. 960 – 7 May 1014), of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Abkhazia from 978 on (as Bagrat II) and King of Georgia from 1008 on. He united these two titles by dynastic inheritance and, through conquest and diplomacy, added more lands to his realm, effectively becoming the first king of the Kingdom of Georgia. Before Bagrat was crowned as king, he had also reigned in Kartli as co-ruler with his father Gurgen from 976 to 978. Bedia Cathedral; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Georgia, 975-1024, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator, Georgian
Macedonia, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator ; Son of Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Georgia, 975-1024, Iberian Saint, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator
Georgia, Iberian Saint, 975-1024, Euthymius the Athonite, The Illuminator; Son of Georgia, Iberian Saint, 955-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4; St. Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13;

Georgia, 980-983, Caucasian Iberia (Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos)
Caucasian Iberia; Caucasian Iberia (Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, Macedonia); Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18 ; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Georgia, 980-983, Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, (Georgia, Caucasian Iberia )
Caucasian Iberia; Caucasian Iberia (Iveron Monestary, Mt Athos, Macedonia); Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Georgia, 980-1001, John Chrysostom IV, Catholicos Georgian Church, childless parents, raised at Shio oMgvme M, holy life &labors
Georgia, 980-1001, John Chrysostom IV, Catholicos Apostolic Church oGeorgia, Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8), childless parents dedicated him to Lord, sent him to be raised at Shio oMgvme Monastery, Chrysostom means Golden Mouth, similar but not same person as John Chrysostom V, holy life and labors ; Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; Holy Catholicos John IV (Chrysostom) led the Apostolic Church of Georgia from approximately 980 to 1001. Basil III’s “Story of Saint Shio’s Miracles” describes how the hitherto childless parents of Saint John prayed at length to Saint Shio of Mgvime. the birth of John, his God-fearing parents sent him to be raised at Shio-Mgvime Monastery. he acquired the sanctity and wisdom for which he would later be called “Chrysostom,” meaning “golden mouth” in Greek. this name he has been known throughout the history of the Georgian Church. is yet another John called “Chrysostom” who was also a Catholicos, from 1033 to 1049. This John was a disciple of Holy Catholicos-Patriarch Melchizedek I and his successor as chief shepherd of the Georgian Church. life and labors were full of the same holiness as those of the holy catholicos John who is commemorated on this day. this reason John IV and John V are often erroneously believed to be one and the same person.

Georgia, 980-1002, Saint, John the Iberian, John of Georgia
Georgia, Iberian Saint, 980-1002, John the Iberian, John of Georgia; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, the Builder, Commemorated on July 28; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4;

Georgia, 1000, 11th Century Folder, King David IV, The Restorer, The Builder

Georgia, 1001-1040, Saint Basil of Khakhuli, man of letters
Georgia, 1000-1040, Saint Basil of Khakhuli; son of Bagrat was an 11th-century Georgian monk and man of letters in the Kingdom of Georgia, frequently identified as a son of King Bagrat III. He was active at the Khakhuli Monastery. He is a saint of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21 ;

Georgia, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli M, righteous blameless, blessed spiritually materially, uncles oGeorge otHoly Mt
Georgia, 1001-1050, George&Sava oKhakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3), Uncles of George otHoly Mt, monks aKm, filled wDivine Grace, George spiritual advisor King Bagrat III, Produced ecclesiastical lit wKing, many translations&copies, Sava righteous&blameless, both had spiritual blesings&material wealth, they suggested other brother Jacob bring his son George tKM in Klarjeti, Peris Jojikisdze (nobleman married to Bagrat III's daughter) governed Tvartsatpi palace, selected George tBe palace instructor&spiritual guide, incl earthly affairs, He took young George tPalace, year later Basil II falsely accused Peris, ordered execution, family escorted tConstantinople, in Byzantium 12 yrs, George sent young George to Sava aKM, George&Sava died about 1050; Khakhuli Monastery; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated December 19 ; George and Savva of Khakhuli were brothers of Jacob, the father of Saint George of the Holy Mountain. and Savva labored as monks at Khakhuli Monastery in southern Georgia. holy fathers were filled with divine grace. elder brother, George, was a spiritual adviser in the court of King Bagrat III Kuropalates along with the king, he became an active participant in the production of ecclesiastical literature. period is known as the Golden Age of Georgian Letters, when many translations and copies of ecclesiastical writings were made.) younger brother, Savva, is remembered as a righteous and blameless man by the renowned Church figure George the Lesser. to George the Lesser, the brothers were generously endowed with both spiritual blessings and material wealth. the holy fathers heard about the piety of their nephew, the young George (later of the Holy Mountain), suggested that Jacob bring him to them in Khakhuli in Klarjeti. exceeding gladness Jacob brought his son to the God-fearing brothers. that time a certain Peris Jojikisdze, a nobleman married to the daughter of King Bagrat III, governed the village of Tvartsatapi. thought it wise to invite an intelligent and experienced monk to his palace to serve as an instructor and spiritual guide, he selected Saint George to fill this role. great reluctance the venerable father consented, he was entrusted with responsibility for all the spiritual and earthly affairs at the palace. of Khakhuli took the young George with him to the palace of Peris Jojikisdze. year later, the Byzantine Emperor Basil II brought false accusations against Peris and ordered his execution. wife and those in his court, among whom were Saint George and the young George of the Holy Mountain, were captured and escorted to Constantinople. twelve years in Byzantium, the captives were finally permitted to return home. his return to Georgia, George of Khakhuli sent his nephew to Khakhuli Monastery, entrusting him to the care of his brother Savva. holy fathers reposed peacefully in the mid-11th century.

Georgia, 1001-1065, George of Mt Athos, sent to Iveron to finish Ekvtime's work translating into Georgian, received Bagrat 1V's wealth
Georgia, 101-1065, George of Mt Athos, w Sabiana 7-10, 10-25 Khakhuli and Constantinople w philosophers and rhetoricians, back to Khakhuli, then to Jerusalem, black mts n Antioch, found spiritual father guide George the Recluse for 3 yrs, great schema, sent him to Iveron to continue translation into Georgian, failed to continue Ekvtime's work, rebuked by Tevdore, became abbot of I, resigned to translate, returned to Recluse, to I, finally to King Bagrat 1V and Georgia, returned to I after 5 yrs with Bagrat's wealth and 80 orphans, stopped in C and died, E took care of orphans; Georgia, 960-1000, Sabiana, Abbess of Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery, the tree is known by its fruit, nuns of the Georgian Monasteries, Thekla, her b George the Lesser; Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery; Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27; George’s family had its roots in the region of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. George was born in Trialeti to the pious Jacob and Mariam. George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. after, Prince Peris Jojikisdze of Trialeti invited George’s uncle, George the Scribe, to stay with him, and George’s uncle took his young nephew with him. the Byzantine emperor Basil II subsequently summoned Peris and his family to Constantinople, accused him of conspiring against the throne, and had him beheaded. (At that time Trialeti was under the jurisdiction of Byzantium.) Peris’ faithful wife remained in Constantinople for twelve years and sent the young George to study with the finest philosophers and rhetoricians of that time. Emperor Basil was moved with compassion for the prince’s family and permitted them to return to Georgia. The twenty-five-year-old George returned to Khakhuli Monastery and “bowed his neck to the sweet yoke of monastic life.” George secretly left the monastery and, clad in beggars’ rags, journeyed to Jerusalem. After enduring many deprivations and overcoming a great number of obstacles, he reached the Black Mountains near Antioch and, after venerating the holy places and visiting several elders, began to search for a spiritual father and guide. He found the great Georgian elder Saint George the Recluse (the God-bearer) in an isolated cave and remained there with him for three years. Saint George the Recluse tonsured his disciple, “who had reached perfection of age, wisdom and understanding,” into the great schema and sent him to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. to his teacher’s counsel, George then moved from Jerusalem to the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos to continue the work of Saint Ekvtime—the translation of theological texts from the Greek to the Georgian language. considered himself unworthy and unqualified to continue Saint Ekvtime’s great work, but Saint George the Recluse was insistent, so he set off for the Holy Mountain in humble obedience. monks of the Ivḗron Monastery received Saint George with great joy. But instead of translating the patristic texts as his spiritual father had advised him, George soon grew slothful and for seven years performed only the work of a novice. When Saint George the Recluse heard this, he sent his disciple Tevdore to Mt. Athos to rebuke him and remind him of the reason he had been sent there. Finally George of the Holy Mountain obeyed the will of his teacher, and soon he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery. that time on Saint George of the Holy Mountain pursued his work with great earnestness. He gathered information on Saints Ekvtime and John, compiled their Lives, translated their holy relics to ornate burial vaults covered in precious jewels, and enhanced the life of the monastery in many other ways. a visit to the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus, the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalates offered George the opportunity to return to Georgia to be consecrated bishop of Chqondidi and serve as his own spiritual adviser. But George declined, having already been drawn far from the vanity of the world. of the monastery was demanding, and George was forced to choose between his literary work and the life of the monastery. resigned as abbot and returned to Saint George the Recluse for counsel. But his teacher blessed him to return to the Ivḗron Monastery, so George set off again for Mt. Athos. God-fearing king Bagrat IV Kuropalates continued to ask Saint George to return to Georgia, and he finally consented to the will of the king and the catholicos. accordance with their request, the pious father instituted general guidelines for the qualifications and conduct of the clergy and wisely administered the affairs of the Church. Five years later Saint George returned to the Ivḗron Monastery. Before he departed, King Bagrat bestowed upon him much of his own wealth and saw him off with great respect. for Mt. Athos, Blessed George took with him eighty orphans. En route he stopped in Constantinople, and sensing that the day of his repose was near, he arranged for the orphans to be received in the emperor’s court. He personally requested that the emperor make provision for the orphaned children. George of the Holy Mountain reposed peacefully the next day, the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His Athonite brothers buried him on the monastery grounds with great reverence. Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. nuns of Georgian monasteries have historically been outstanding in their diligence. God entrusted them with the special duties of ceaseless prayer, fasting, needlework, and the raising of orphans. Nuns have been regarded as vessels of sanctity and wisdom, and even royalty would kneel before them. Georgian noblemen would send their children to nuns to be brought up in the Christian Faith. According to the great church figure George the Lesser, when the parents of Saint George of the Holy Mountain decided to have their first-born daughter, Thekla, raised by nuns, they sent her to the “worthy and holy” Sabiana, who at that time was abbess of the Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery in southern Georgia. Sabiana welcomed Thekla and raised her as though she were her own natural daughter. long Thekla’s brother, the seven-year-old George, was also brought to the monastery, and Saint Sabiana spent three years educating and instructing him in the spiritual life. information on the life and labors of Saint Sabiana has sadly not been preserved. But as the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew attests, the tree is known by his fruit (Matt. 12:33). The high level of monastic life during Saint Sabiana’s abbacy and the pious lives of her spiritual children attest to the great spiritual heights she attained.

Georgia, 1010-1033, Catholicos Patriarch, Melchizedek I of Georgia
Georgia Catholicos Patriarch, 1010-1033, Melchizedek I of Georgia; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Georgia, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King 327, reconstructed by P 1027
Georgia, 1010-1066, Prochorus oGeorgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327, reconstructed by P in 1027, 1015 1one year at Sabbas', 1025 Began Reconstruction, there Lot planted 3 trees, cyprus pine and ceday, they miraculously grew together, one large tree, cut for Soloman's Temple, not used, but used for Christ's Cross, 326 this land to Georgian King Mirian, 449 monastery Founded bVakhtang 1, destroyed several times by moslems 7th C- 9th C, 11th C Georgian King B Kuropalates gave much wealth t Prochorus to restore it, after beautification P gathered 80 monks, same rule as Sabbas', advanced age tWilderness with Disciple Giorgi, died 1066 ; Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Saint Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; Prochorus the Georgian, a descendant of the noble Shavteli family, was born at the end of the 10th century and grew up in a monastery. he reached manhood he was ordained a hieromonk and labored for one year at the Lavra of Saint Savva in Jerusalem. with the blessing of his spiritual father Ekvtime Grdzeli, he began the reconstruction of the Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem. to tradition, at this spot Abraham’s nephew Lot planted three trees—a cypress, a pine, and a cedar. these three trees miraculously grew into one large tree. the Temple of Solomon was being built, this tree was cut down but left unused. is said that the Cross on which Christ our Savior was crucified was constructed from the wood of this tree. the 4th century, the land on which the miraculous tree had grown was presented to Holy King Mirian, the first Christian king of Georgia. in the 5th century, during the reign of Holy King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the Holy Cross Monastery was founded on that land. monastery was destroyed several times between the 7th and 9th centuries. in the 11th century, King Bagrat Kuropalates offered much of his wealth to Fr. Prochorus for the restoration of the monastery. Prochorus beautified the monastery, gathered eighty monks and established the typicon (the monastic rule) for the community in accordance with that of the Saint Savva Lavra. Saint Prochorus had labored long and lived to an advanced age, he chose his disciple Giorgi to be the monastery’s next abbot. he departed for the wilderness with two of his disciples, and after some time the righteous monk yielded up his spirit to God. this, little is known about the life of Saint Prochorus. to Georgian researchers and scholars, he was probably born sometime between 985 and 990. He spent the years 1010 to 1015 in Jerusalem, and labored at the Lavra of Saint Savva until 1025. He reposed in the year 1066, between the ages of 76 and 81.

Georgia, 1010-1811, Catholicos-Patriarchy of All Georgia
Georgia, 1010-1811, Catholicos-Patriarchy of All Georgia; Georgia Catholicos Patriarch, 1010-1033, Melchizedek I of Georgia; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Georgia, 1014-1027, King, George I of Georgia, united Georgia, territorial wars with Byz
Georgia King, 1014-1027, George I of Georgia ; I (998 or 1002 – 16 August 1027), of the House of Bagrationi, was the king of Georgia from 1014 until his death in 1027. He was 2nd king of United Georgia after his Father Bagrat III. He spent most of his thirteen-year-long reign waging a bloody and fruitless territorial war with the Byzantine Empire. St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Georgia, 1027-1072, King, Bagrat IV of Georgia, long eventful reign, Georgian sovereignty, Byz and Seljug, d powerful vassals
Georgia King, 1027-1072, Bagrat IV of Georgia; IV (1018 – 24 November 1072), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1027 to 1072.[1] his long and eventful reign, Bagrat sought to repress the great nobility and to secure Georgia's sovereignty from the Byzantine and Seljuq Empires. a series of intermingled conflicts, Bagrat succeeded in defeating his most powerful vassals and rivals of the Liparitid family, bringing several feudal enclaves under his control, and reducing the kings of Lorri and Kakheti, as well as the emir of Tbilisi to vassalage. many medieval Caucasian rulers, he bore several Byzantine titles, particularly those of nobelissimos, curopalates, and sebastos.[2] reign[edit] of Bagrat IV, struck between 1060 and 1072. was the son of the king George I (r. 1014–1027) by his first wife Mariam of Vaspurakan. At the age of three, Bagrat was surrendered by his father as a hostage to the Byzantine emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) as a price for George's defeat in the 1022 war with the Byzantines. The young child Bagrat spent the next three years in the imperial capital of Constantinople and was released in 1025. He was still in Byzantine territory when Basil died and was succeeded by his brother Constantine VIII (r. 1025–1028). Constantine ordered the retrieval of the young prince, but the imperial courier was unable to overtake Bagrat – he was already in the Georgian kingdom.[3] George I died in 1027, Bagrat, aged eight, succeeded to the throne. Queen Dowager Mariam then returned to prominence and became a regent for her underage son. She shared the regency with the grandees, particularly Liparit IV, Duke of Trialeti, and Ivane, Duke of Kartli.[citation needed] the time Bagrat became king, the Bagratids’ drive to complete the unification of all Georgian lands had gained irreversible momentum. The kings of Georgia sat at Kutaisi in western Georgia from which they ran all of what had been the Kingdom of Abkhazia and a greater portion of Iberia/Kartli; Tao/Tayk had been lost to the Byzantines while a Muslim emir remained in Tbilisi and the kings of Kakheti obstinately defended their autonomy in easternmost Georgia. Furthermore, the loyalty of great nobles to the Georgian crown was far from stable. During Bagrat's minority, the regency had advanced the positions of the high nobility whose influence he subsequently tried to limit when he assumed full ruling powers. the Georgian crown was confronted with two formidable external foes: the Byzantine Empire and the rising Seljuq Turks. Although the Byzantine Empire and Georgia had centuries-long cultural and religious ties, and the Seljuqs posed a substantial threat to the empire itself, Constantinople's aggressiveness on the Caucasian political scene contributed to an atmosphere of distrust and recrimination, and prevented the two Christian nations from effective cooperation against the common threat. With assertion of the Georgian Bagratid hegemony in the Caucasus being the cornerstone of Bagrat's reign, his policy can be understood as the attempt to play the Seljuqs and Byzantines off against one another.[3] wars[edit] IV's charter, 1060–1065 after Bagrat's ascension to the throne, Constantine VIII sent in an army to take over the key city-fortress of Artanuji (modern Ardanuç, Turkey) on behalf of the Georgian Bagratid prince Demetre, son of Gurgen of Klarjeti, who had been dispossessed by Bagrat IV's grandfather, Bagrat III, of his patrimonial fief at Artanuji early in the 1010s. Several Georgians nobles defected to the Byzantines, but Bagrat's loyal subjects put up a stubborn fight.[4] death in 1028 rendered the Byzantine invasion abortive, and, in 1030, Queen Mariam paid a visit to the new emperor Romanos III (r. 1028–1034). She negotiated a peace treaty, and returned with the high Byzantine title of curopalates for her son in 1032. Mariam also brought him the Byzantine princess Helena Argyre as wife. Helena was a daughter of Basil Argyros, brother of Emperor Romanos, and the marriage was a diplomatic effort to establish a strategic association. However, Helena's death shortly afterwards at Kutaisi presented the Georgian court with the opportunity to pursue yet another diplomatic initiative through Bagrat's marriage with Borena, daughter of the king of Alania, a Christian country in the North Caucasus.[3] 1033, the royal court faced another dynastic trouble, this time with Bagrat's half-brother Demetre, a son of George I of his second marriage with Alda of Alania. Demetre and Alda lived in Anacopia, a fortress in Abkhazia, which had been bequeathed to them by the late king George I. Although an attempt by some great nobles to exploit Demetre's possible aspirations to the throne in their opposition to Bagrat's rule failed, the Georgian court's efforts to win his loyalty also went in vain. Threatened by Bagrat, the dowager queen Alda defected to the Byzantines and surrendered Anacopia to the emperor Romanos III who honored her son Demetre with the rank of magistros.[5] 1039, Demetre returned to Georgia with Byzantine troops. This time, he was supported by Liparit IV, of the Liparitid clan, the most powerful noble in Georgia.[6] as duke of the district of Trialeti and later as a commander-in-chief of the royal armies, had appeared as the defender of a boy-king Bagrat early in the 1030s. Liparit's military prowess had been demonstrated once again in 1034 when, at the head of a combined Georgian-Armenian army, he defeated a Shaddadid troops in Arran. 1038, Liparit was on the verge of capturing the ancient Georgian capital of Tbilisi, which had been a Muslim stronghold since the 8th century. Fearing his growing power, the Georgian nobles persuaded Bagrat to withdraw Liparit's army and thus thwarted the plan. As a result, Liparit became a sworn enemy of the king and began actively cooperating with the Byzantines for vengeance on Bagrat and his nobles.[6] behalf of the pretender Demetre, Liparit enjoyed a series of successes against Bagrat. In spite of Demetre's death in 1042, Liparit continued his struggle in alliance with the Byzantines and David I of Lorri. the defeat at Sasireti, Bagrat was left with the western provinces only. the Seljuk campaigns in Anatolia in 1048, Liparit, who had been fighting on the Byzantine side, was captured at the Battle of Kapetrou. Bagrat took advantage of this, and returned to his eastern possessions. king's fortunes were quickly reversed, however, upon Liparit's return from captivity. The rebellious duke forced Bagrat to flee to Constantinople where he was kept, as a result of Liparit's intrigues, for three years. the absence of Bagrat (1050–1053), Liparit was an effective ruler of Georgia; he even installed Bagrat's son George as king and declared himself a regent. After Bagrat's return, Liparit again warred against him. Eventually in 1060 his followers conspired and surrendered the duke to King Bagrat, who forced him into a monastery. Bagrat gained a momentum to restrict the power of dynastic princes, reduced the kings of Lorri and Kakheti to impotence, and briefly held Tbilisi.[6][7] attacks[edit] the 1060s, Bagrat faced with an even greater problem: the Seljuks under Alp Arslan started to penetrate the frontier regions of Georgia. Bagrat had to buy peace through marrying his niece to Alp Arslan sometime after 1064.[8] She later married the Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk.[9] Seljuk threat prompted the Georgian and Byzantine governments to seek a closer cooperation. To secure the alliance, Bagrat's daughter Mart’a (Maria) married, at some point between 1066 and 1071, the Byzantine co-emperor Michael VII Ducas. The choice of a Georgian princess was unprecedented, and it was seen in Georgia as a diplomatic success on Bagrat's side.[10] 10 December 1068, Alp Arslan accompanied by the kings of Lorri and Kakheti as well as the emir of Tbilisi again marched against Bagrat. The provinces of Kartli and Argveti were occupied and pillaged. Bagrat's long-time rivals, the Shaddadids of Arran, were given compensation: the fortresses of Tbilisi and Rustavi. After Alp Arslan left Georgia, Bagrat recovered Kartli in July 1068. Al-Fadl I b. Muhammad, of the Shaddadids, encamped at Isani (a suburb of Tbilisi on the left bank of the Mtkvari) and with 33,000 men ravaged the countryside. Bagrat defeated him, however, and forced the Shaddadid troops to flight. On the road through Kakheti, Fadl was taken prisoner by the local ruler Aghsartan. At the price of conceding several fortresses on the Iori River, Bagrat ransomed Fadl and received from him the surrender of Tbilisi where he reinstated a local emir on the terms of vassalage.[11] last years of Bagrat's reign coincided with what Professor David Marshall Lang described as "the final debacle of eastern Christendom" — the Battle of Manzikert — in which Alp Arslan dealt a crushing defeat to the Byzantine army, capturing the emperor Romanos IV, who soon died in misery. IV died the following year, on 24 November 1072, and was buried at the Chkondidi Monastery. The suzerainty over the troubled kingdom of Georgia passed to his son George II.[12] St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Georgia, 1027-1101, Ephraim tLesser, Georgian translator, philosopher, historian, defender Georgian Church, fTao region
Georgia, 1027-1101, Ephraim tLesser, Georgian translator, philosopher, historian, defender Georgian Church, from Tao Region, tConstantinople, tBlack Mts oAntioch, many theological works&subjects, developed own theory oTranslation which formed written comp in Georgian, 3Points, 1 translate from the original language, 2 same literal meaning without violating language translating to, 3 commentary section should be included, Ephraim translated works from Dionysius tAreopagite, Basil tGreat, Ephraim tSyrian and others, original works, An Explanation Reasons Conversion oGeorgia, after 1050 Antioch Black Mt monks began deny independence Georgian Church because for example they said none otApostles came to Georgia, Ephraim called to settle debate by nations elite, he studied original Greek writings aSucceeded independence, Andrew tFirst called preached in Abkhazeti Region (Northwest Georgia, Southwest Caucasus Mts, Samegrelo), then to Georgian Ossetia (Shida Kartli), Bartholomew also preached in Kartli, He did all this from Black Mts, died 1103; Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; little is known about the life of venerable Ephraim the Lesser, great 11th-century writer, translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Church. work Reminiscences and other sources, however, provide us with the means to speculate about the major periods of his life and labors. 1027, when King Bagrat IV (1027-1072) ascended the Georgian throne, many noblemen of the Tao region in southern Georgia relocated to Greece. them was the honorable Vache, son of Karichi, whom scholars believe was Ephraim’s father. receiving a Greek education in Constantinople, Ephraim settled in the Black Mountains near Antioch and began his labors there. achievements in Georgian theological and philosophical writing are immeasurable. The number of his works is almost one hundred, and the subjects cover nearly every branch of theological inquiry. even developed his own theory of translation, which later formed the foundation for written composition in the Georgian language. His theory consists of three essential points: 1. A composition must be translated from the original, that is, from the language in which it was first written. 2. The translation must carry the same literal meaning as the original, but accuracy in this regard must not violate the nature of the language into which the text is being translated. 3. A section of commentary that examines all relevant historical, grammatical, and literary issues should be included with the translated text. translated five of the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, The Ascetic Rules of Saint Basil the Great, the writings of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, commentaries on the Epistles and Psalms, and many other important patristic writings. Ephraim the Lesser’s original works, his most significant is An Explanation of the Reasons for the Conversion of Georgia, a compilation of existing essays and his own commentaries on the nation’s conversion. the second half of the 11th century, the monks of Antioch and the Black Mountains began to deny the independence of the Georgian Church. other claims, they argued that none of the Apostles had preached the Christian Faith in Georgia. became necessary to prove that the Georgian Church was indeed autocephalous, and members of the nation’s elite accordingly called upon Ephraim to settle this issue. studied many patristic writings in the original Greek, gathered the ancient sources, and succeeded in fully securing the independent existence of the Georgian Church. Ephraim wrote the following about the Apostles’ preaching: “Know that from the time the Apostles were preaching, according to the Prophet David: Their voice was heard through all the earth, and their words resounded in every village (c.f. Ps. 18:4). Georgia, Andrew the First-called preached the Gospel in Avazgia (now Abkhazeti), and from there he journeyed to Ossetia (now Shida Kartli). Bartholomew also preached in Georgia, in the Kartli region.” Ephraim never left the Black Mountains. 1091 he was enthroned as the abbot of Kastana Monastery [The precise location of Kastana is unknown, but according to modern archaeologists, it was probably in the Black Mountains. a full discussion of the subject see: Wachtang Z. Djobadze, Materials for the study of Georgian monasteries in the Western environs of Antioch on the Orontes (Louvain: Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, 1976), pp. 101-3] holy father Ephraim reposed in the Lord around the year 1101. is included in a list of the departed compiled by the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi in 1103, and the year of his death has been approximated from the information given in this source. was canonized by the Orthodox Church of Georgia because of his God-pleasing life and the many commendable works he performed on behalf of the Church and his nation.

Georgia, 1029-1065, George of Mt Athos, Georgian, the Hagiorite, Iveron, Athos, translator, arbitrator, Byz and Geo
Georgia, 1029-1065, Saint, George of Mt Athos, Georgian, George the Hagiorite; the Hagiorite[a] (1009 – June 27, 1065)[1] was a Georgian monk, calligrapher, religious writer, Theologian and translator, who spearheaded the activities of Georgian monastic communities in the Byzantine Empire. His epithets Mt'ats'mindeli and At'oneli, meaning "of the Holy Mountain" (Hagiorite) and "of Athos" (Athonite) respectively, are a reference to his association with the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos, where he served as hegumen. of the most influential Christian churchmen of medieval Georgia, George acted as an arbitrator and facilitator of cross-cultural engagement between his native country and the Byzantine Empire. He extensively translated the Fathers of the Church, the Psalms, works of exegesis and synaxaria from Greek – some things which had not previously existed in Georgian, revised some others, and improved the translations of one of his predecessors, Euthymius of Athos, to whom (and also to John of Athos) George dedicated his most important original work "The Vitae of John and Euthymius". Active also in Georgia, he helped regulate local canon law, and brought his young compatriots to be educated at Athos. His defense of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox church when it was questioned by the Patriarch of Antioch made him one of the most venerated saints in Georgia. He featured prominently during the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Christendom, being one of the few Eastern churchmen who defended the separated Western brethren. Georgia King, 1027-1072, Bagrat IV of Georgia; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27; George’s family had its roots in the region of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. George was born in Trialeti to the pious Jacob and Mariam. George reached the age of seven, the God-fearing and wise Abbess Sabiana of Tadzrisi Monastery in Samtskhe took him under her care. George spent three years at Tadzrisi, and when he was ten his father sent him to Khakhuli Monastery, to his own brothers Saints George the Scribe and Saba. after, Prince Peris Jojikisdze of Trialeti invited George’s uncle, George the Scribe, to stay with him, and George’s uncle took his young nephew with him. the Byzantine emperor Basil II subsequently summoned Peris and his family to Constantinople, accused him of conspiring against the throne, and had him beheaded. (At that time Trialeti was under the jurisdiction of Byzantium.) Peris’ faithful wife remained in Constantinople for twelve years and sent the young George to study with the finest philosophers and rhetoricians of that time. Emperor Basil was moved with compassion for the prince’s family and permitted them to return to Georgia. The twenty-five-year-old George returned to Khakhuli Monastery and “bowed his neck to the sweet yoke of monastic life.” George secretly left the monastery and, clad in beggars’ rags, journeyed to Jerusalem. After enduring many deprivations and overcoming a great number of obstacles, he reached the Black Mountains near Antioch and, after venerating the holy places and visiting several elders, began to search for a spiritual father and guide. He found the great Georgian elder Saint George the Recluse (the God-bearer) in an isolated cave and remained there with him for three years. Saint George the Recluse tonsured his disciple, “who had reached perfection of age, wisdom and understanding,” into the great schema and sent him to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. to his teacher’s counsel, George then moved from Jerusalem to the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos to continue the work of Saint Ekvtime—the translation of theological texts from the Greek to the Georgian language. considered himself unworthy and unqualified to continue Saint Ekvtime’s great work, but Saint George the Recluse was insistent, so he set off for the Holy Mountain in humble obedience. monks of the Ivḗron Monastery received Saint George with great joy. But instead of translating the patristic texts as his spiritual father had advised him, George soon grew slothful and for seven years performed only the work of a novice. When Saint George the Recluse heard this, he sent his disciple Tevdore to Mt. Athos to rebuke him and remind him of the reason he had been sent there. Finally George of the Holy Mountain obeyed the will of his teacher, and soon he was enthroned as abbot of the monastery. that time on Saint George of the Holy Mountain pursued his work with great earnestness. He gathered information on Saints Ekvtime and John, compiled their Lives, translated their holy relics to ornate burial vaults covered in precious jewels, and enhanced the life of the monastery in many other ways. a visit to the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus, the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalates offered George the opportunity to return to Georgia to be consecrated bishop of Chqondidi and serve as his own spiritual adviser. But George declined, having already been drawn far from the vanity of the world. of the monastery was demanding, and George was forced to choose between his literary work and the life of the monastery. resigned as abbot and returned to Saint George the Recluse for counsel. But his teacher blessed him to return to the Ivḗron Monastery, so George set off again for Mt. Athos. God-fearing king Bagrat IV Kuropalates continued to ask Saint George to return to Georgia, and he finally consented to the will of the king and the catholicos. accordance with their request, the pious father instituted general guidelines for the qualifications and conduct of the clergy and wisely administered the affairs of the Church. Five years later Saint George returned to the Ivḗron Monastery. Before he departed, King Bagrat bestowed upon him much of his own wealth and saw him off with great respect. for Mt. Athos, Blessed George took with him eighty orphans. En route he stopped in Constantinople, and sensing that the day of his repose was near, he arranged for the orphans to be received in the emperor’s court. He personally requested that the emperor make provision for the orphaned children. George of the Holy Mountain reposed peacefully the next day, the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. His Athonite brothers buried him on the monastery grounds with great reverence.

Georgia, 1072-1089, King, George II of Georgia, overwhelmed, abdicated in favor of his son David IV
Georgia King, 1072-1089, George II of Georgia; II (c. 1054 - 1112), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Georgia from 1072 to 1089. He was a son and successor of Bagrat IV and his wife Borena of Alania. to deal effectively with the constant Seljuk Turkish attacks and overwhelmed by internal problems in his kingdom, George was forced to abdicate in favor of his energetic son David IV, to whom he remained a nominal co-ruler until his death in 1112. He also held the high Byzantine titles of curopalates (c. 1060) and caesar (c. 1081). St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Georgia, 1083-1140, John Chimchimeli, great translator, philosopher, teacher, & defender of the Georgian Christian Faith
Georgia, 1083-1140, Philosopher, Ioane Petritsi aka John or Ioane Chimchimeli, great translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Christian Faith, educated iBulgaria aBachkovo m, Translated exegetical works: commentaries on Ecclesiastes, Books of Mark and Luke, also John is portrayed in Jerusalem Holy Cross m frescoes, J directed literary school, in Gremi, Kakheti, teaching philosophy, theology, greek, syrian, Arabic languages; Georgia, 1083-1140, Philosopher, Ioane Petritsi aka John or Ioane Chimchimeli ; St. John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10; information about the life of Saint John of Chimchimeli has been preserved, we know that he was a great translator, philosopher, and defender of the Georgian Christian Faith. received his education in present-day Bulgaria, the literary school of the famous Petritsoni (now Bachkovo) Georgian Monastery. historian writes: “In his eulogy on the death of Saint Demetre the King, John the Philosopher of Chimchimeli brilliantly describes the glory, honor, and heroism of this holy man’s life.” John translated many exegetical compositions, two commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes, by Metrophanes of Smyrna (Metropolitan of Smyrna (857-880); his Commentary on Ecclesiastes is preserved only in Georgian) the other by Olympiodorus of Alexandria (a 6th-century deacon who wrote a series of commentaries on the books of the Bible, not to be confused with the neoplatonist philosopher also of the 6th century). also translated “An Explanation of the Gospel According to Saint Mark” and “An Explanation of the Gospel According to Saint Luke”, both by Blessed Theophylactus of Bulgaria. works of our Holy Father John of Chimchimeli are fundamental to the canon of Georgian theological literature. his work Pilgrimage, eminent eighteenth-century historian Archbishop Timote (Gabashvili) John of Chimchimeli among the holy fathers portrayed in the frescoes at the Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. the second half of the 19th century the historian Mose Janashvili wrote, his History of the Georgian Church, John of Chimchimeli directed a literary school in the village of Gremi in Kakheti. to Janashvili, students at Saint John’s school were instructed in philosophy and theology as well as in the Greek, Syrian, and Arabic languages.

Georgia, 1089-1125, King, David IV of Georgia, The Restorer, The Builder

Georgia, 1089-1118, Tutor, George of Chqondidi, might be Ibadi Vachnadze
Georgian Tutor, 1089-1118, George of Chqondidi; of Chqondidi (Georgian: გიორგი ჭყონდიდელი, Giorgi Chqondideli) (died c. 1118) was a Georgian churchman and court minister best known as a tutor and the closest adviser of King David IV of Georgia (r. 1089–1125). served as an archbishop of Chqondidi (Chqondideli) in west Georgia possibly played a role in a palace coup in which George II was forced to cede power to his young and energetic son David IV, while himself was reduced to the status of a co-king. was the tutor and spiritual father of David and was appointed by the new king as the Grand Chancellor of Georgia following the ecclesiastic Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi of 1103. this office, for a time the greatest at the Georgian court, was usually held by the incumbent archbishops of Chqondidi. appeared as David’s key ally in his reforms of the church and state machinery.[1] He personally supervised successful efforts at recapturing the strongholds of Samshvilde (1110) and Rustavi (1115) from the Seljuk Turks. 1118, he accompanied the king in his travel to the Kipchak lands to negotiate a recruitment of these nomad tribesmen in the royal army of Georgia. He was never to return to Georgia though, as he died in Alania around that year.[2] According to the Georgian Chronicles, George "was mourned as a father, and even more deeply, by the whole kingdom, and by the king himself, who wore black for forty days". And he was buried at the Gelati cathedral. The art historian Guram Abramishvili identifies George with the figure depicted on a fresco from the Ateni Sioni Church as leading a row of royal donors, otherwise thought to represent George II after his retirement to monastery.[3] June 27, 2005, George of Chqondidi was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church which marks his feast day annually on September 12.[4] St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated on January 18; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Georgia, 1089-1127, Arsenius of Iqalto, Writer, Philosopher, Theologian, Hymnographer, Tutor
Georgia, 1089-1127, Saint, Arsenius of Iqalto, Writer, Philosopher, Theologian, Hymnographer; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; Arsen of Iqalto was a translator, researcher, compiler of manuscripts, hymnographer, philosopher, and a great defender of the Georgian Christian Faith. father was Ibadi Vachnadze, a wise, learned man and a fluent speaker of the Greek language. He directed the academy at Iqalto Monastery and was an instructor of Holy King Davit the Restorer. details about the life of Saint Arsen have been preserved, but we know that he lived in the 11th and 12th centuries and was a younger contemporary of Saint Eprem the Lesser. received both his primary and higher education in Byzantium, at Mangana Monastery, which had been founded by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus (1042-1055). At the academy he completed one of his most important projects: a translation of the Byzantine historian George Hamartolus’ Chronicle. Hamartolus’ work is a nine-volume account of history from Adam to the year A.D. 842. Also at Mangana, Arsen translated a volume of dogmatic-polemical writings into Georgian and called his work Dogmatikon. In the years that followed, works translated by other authors were added to the book. completing his studies at Mangana Monastery, Arsen moved to the Black Mountains near Antioch to continue his labors under the guidance of Saint Eprem the Lesser. Following Saint Eprem’s repose, he returned to Mangana Monastery to continue his translations. In 1114 King Davit the Restorer summoned Arsen back to Georgia, to the Gelati Academy in the west. It was there that he translated The Nomocanon (a Byzantine collection of ecclesiastical law) from the original Greek into Georgian. Arsen later returned to Kakheti in eastern Georgia, where he founded an academy at Iqalto Monastery. He also participated in the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, which had been convened by King Davit the Restorer. One of King Davit’s biographers writes that he invited “Arsen of Iqalto, translator and interpreter of the Greek and Georgian languages and enlightener of many churches.” was present at the repose of King Davit the Restorer, and it is believed that he composed the king’s epitaph: I fed seven kings with my wealth, Drove the Turks, Persians, and Arabs from our borders, Moved the fish from one river to another, And, having accomplished all these things, Lay my hands upon my heart to die. “theologian, philosopher, physicist, anatomist, writer of allegories and verses, epic poet, and compiler of Church typika” Arsen was buried in Iqalto next to Saint Zenon, the founder of Iqalto Monastery

Georgia, 1089-1127, Arsen of Iqalto, Kakheti, translator, hymnographer, great defender of the faith
Georgia, 1089-1127, Arsen of Iqalto, Kakheti, Northeastern Georgia (Alazani River Valley), translator, researcher, manuscript compiler, hymnographer, philosopher, great defender of the faith; Iqalto; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; Arsen of Iqalto was a translator, researcher, compiler of manuscripts, hymnographer, philosopher, and a great defender of the Georgian Christian Faith. father was Ibadi Vachnadze, a wise, learned man and a fluent speaker of the Greek language. He directed the academy at Iqalto Monastery and was an instructor of Holy King Davit the Restorer. details about the life of Saint Arsen have been preserved, but we know that he lived in the 11th and 12th centuries and was a younger contemporary of Saint Eprem the Lesser. received both his primary and higher education in Byzantium, at Mangana Monastery, which had been founded by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus (1042-1055). At the academy he completed one of his most important projects: a translation of the Byzantine historian George Hamartolus’ Chronicle. Hamartolus’ work is a nine-volume account of history from Adam to the year A.D. 842. Also at Mangana, Arsen translated a volume of dogmatic-polemical writings into Georgian and called his work Dogmatikon. In the years that followed, works translated by other authors were added to the book. completing his studies at Mangana Monastery, Arsen moved to the Black Mountains near Antioch to continue his labors under the guidance of Saint Eprem the Lesser. Following Saint Eprem’s repose, he returned to Mangana Monastery to continue his translations. In 1114 King Davit the Restorer summoned Arsen back to Georgia, to the Gelati Academy in the west. It was there that he translated The Nomocanon (a Byzantine collection of ecclesiastical law) from the original Greek into Georgian. Arsen later returned to Kakheti in eastern Georgia, where he founded an academy at Iqalto Monastery. He also participated in the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, which had been convened by King Davit the Restorer. One of King Davit’s biographers writes that he invited “Arsen of Iqalto, translator and interpreter of the Greek and Georgian languages and enlightener of many churches.” was present at the repose of King Davit the Restorer, and it is believed that he composed the king’s epitaph: I fed seven kings with my wealth, Drove the Turks, Persians, and Arabs from our borders, Moved the fish from one river to another, And, having accomplished all these things, Lay my hands upon my heart to die. “theologian, philosopher, physicist, anatomist, writer of allegories and verses, epic poet, and compiler of Church typika” Arsen was buried in Iqalto next to Saint Zenon, the founder of Iqalto Monastery

Georgia, 1100-1260, History Folder, Golden Age

Georgia, 1100, 12th Century Folder, St Queen Tamar, Golden Age

Georgia, 1101-1299, 12th-13th Centuries, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia, 40,000 mercenaries, Georgian standing army
Qipchaks, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Georgia, 1103, Council of Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi) Royal Authority curbed Church Power, unified
Georgia, 1103, Council of Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi) Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi); Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Saint Arsenius of Iqalto, Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Georgia, 1121, Battle at Mt Didgori, Georgia over Seljuk Armies
Georgia, 1121, Battle at Mt Didgori battle at Didgori; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Georgia, 1125-1157, Demetrius I, King, Poet, Monk, fought deftly f DavidtRestorer, repopulated, intrigues bSon&nobles
Georgia, 1125-1157, King, Demetrius I of Georgia, Poet, helped his father David IV tRestorer, 1117 Shirvan fight deftness, Seized Kaladzori Castle, spoiles, protected borders-Hereti, Somkhiti, Tashiri, Javakheti, Artaani, Tao repopulated, not shaken bIntrigues against him, nobles revolt fStep-bro Vakhtang, son David rebelled, so he left for Davit-Gareji, great hymns there, son reposed 6mos, returned throne, son George co-ruler, b Gelati M; Georgian King, 1125-1156, Demetrius I of Georgia ; I (c. 1093 -1156), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Georgia from 1125 to 1156. He is also known as a poet. was the eldest son of King David the Builder by his first wife Rusudan. was brought up in Kutaisi. a commander, he took part in his father's battles against Seljuks, particularly at Didgori (1121) and Shirvan (1123). 1117, he was sent by David at the head of a Georgian army into Shirvan, where Demetrius reduced the fortress of Kaladzor (later Alberd, now Agdas[1]) and put to flight the men of Sukman, commander of all the forces of Persia" ” as a Georgian chronicler suggests. This Sukman was probably a Shah-Armen prince, and subsequently, ruler in his own right, Sokmen II, whom the Shirvanshah Afridun I must have applied for help.[2] succeeded on his father's death on January 24, 1125. soon as, he ascended to the throne, the neighbouring Muslim rulers began attacking Georgia from all sides. Seljuqid sultans fought to restore the rule of the Shirvanshahs. large Muslim population rose against Georgia. probably happened in 1129 or 1130, when Demetrius restored the Shirvanshahs to power in Shirvan, installing on the throne Manuchihr II, the husband of his daughter Rusudan. had to provide the Georgian king with troops whenever the latter demanded it. 1130, Georgia was attacked by the Sultan of Ahlat, Shah-Armen Sökmen II (c. 1128 -“1183). war was started by the passage of Ani into the hands of the Georgians; Demetrius I had to compromise and give up Ani to Fadl ibn Mahmud on terms of vassalage and inviolability of the Christian churches. 1139, Demetrius raided the city of Ganja in Arran. He brought the iron gate of the defeated city to Georgia and donated it to Gelati Monastery at Kutaisi. this brilliant victory, Demetrius could hold Ganja only for a few years.[3][4] In reply to this, the sultan of Eldiguzids attacked Ganja several times, and in 1143 the town again fell to the sultan. According to Mkhitar Gosh, Demetrius ultimately gained possession of Ganja, but, when he gave his daughter in marriage to the sultan, he presented the latter with the town as dowry, and the sultain appointed his own emir to rule it. 1130, Demetrius revealed a plot of nobles, probably involving the king's half-brother Vakhtang. King arrested the conspirators and executed one of their leaders, Ioanne Abuletisdze, in 1138 (or 1145). successor, Fakr al-Din Shaddad, a Shaddadid emir of Ani asked for Saltuk's daughter's hand, however Saltuk refused him. caused a deep hatred in Shaddad towards Saltuk. 1154 he planned a plot and formed a secret alliance with the Demetrius I. While a Georgian army waited in ambush, he offered tribute to Saltukids, ruler of Erzerum and asked the latter to accept him as a vassal. 1153-“1154, Emir Saltuk II marched on Ani, but Shaddad informed his suzerain, the King of Georgia, of this. marched to Ani, defeated and captured the emir. At the request of neighbouring Muslim rulers and released him for a ransom of 100,000 dinars, paid by Saltuk's sons in law and Saltuk swore not to fight against the Georgians he returned home.[5] 1154, David V, Demetrius's elder son forced his father to abdicate and become a monk, receiving the monastic name Damian (Damianus). David died six months later and King Demetrius was restored to the throne. David was survived by his son Demna who was regarded by the aristocratic opposition as a lawful pretender. Demetrius was not as successful as his father David the Builder, Georgia remained a strong feudal power with a well-organized military and political system and a developed cultural and economical life. died in 1156 and was buried at Gelati Monastery. is regarded as a saint in the Orthodox Church and his feast day is celebrated on May 23 on the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar.[6] St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Damiane (in the world King Demetre I) was the son of Holy King Davit the Restorer. Davit proclaimed his son co-ruler of Georgia and crowned him with his own hands. declared that his son Demetre, through his wisdom, chastity, bravery, and handsome appearance, would rule Georgia better than he himself had. acquired great glory while his father was still alive. In 1117 Davit sent him to Shirvan to fight, and the young commander astonished the people with his deftness in battle. Demetre seized Kaladzori Castle and returned home with many captives and much wealth. Demetre I struggled tirelessly to protect the inheritance he had received from his father: he guarded Georgia’s borders and fought to enlarge its frontiers. Many regions, including Hereti, Somkhiti, Tashiri, Javakheti, Artaani and the Tao border, were repopulated during King Demetre’s rule. These regions had been largely deserted after King Davit joined Tbilisi to the region of Heret-Kakheti. Demetre was never shaken by the evil intrigues plotted against him. First his noblemen revolted, demanding that his stepbrother, Vakhtang (Tsuata), replace him as king. (Ioane of Abuleti was the leader of this conspiracy.) Then Demetre’s own son Davit rebelled against him. Deeply disturbed by the behavior of his first-born son, the pious king could no longer bear the vanity of the world—he was tonsured a monk in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness and given the new name Damiane. He abdicated to his son, but Davit ruled just six months before he reposed. laboring at Davit-Gareji Monastery, Damiane composed many great hymns for the Church. His hymn to the Theotokos, “Thou Art the Vineyard,” is outstanding among these works. order to protect the interests of the Georgian kingdom after his son’s death, Damiane was obliged to leave the monastery. He returned to the throne and intervened in the affairs of the government. At the same time he named another of his sons, George, co-ruler. Damiane-Demetre completed construction of Gelati Monastery, which had been started by his father, Holy King Davit the Restorer. Damiane reposed in 1157; he was buried at Gelati Monastery. A 12th-century image of Saint Damiane-Demetre was among the frescoes at the Davit-Gareji Monastery. In the 19th century the Russian traveler Andrew Muraviev reported seeing the fresco intact, but today only a narrow upper band of the image remains. A fresco of the pious king and monk Demetre has been preserved in the church at Matskhvarishi (now Latali) in the Svaneti region.

Georgia, 1125-1157, Vineyard Icon, inspired bDamiane's (Demetre I's) poem, incurable disease healing miracles, Myrrh flowing
Georgia, 1125-1157, Vineyard Icon, inspired by Damiane's (in the world King Demetre I's) poem, healed unbelieviing man of incurable disease, believed, Myrrh flowed later, multitude of healing miracles; Icon of the Mother of God “You are a Vineyard” (Georgian: Shen khar venakhi), Commemorated on May 23; name of this Icon is derived from a poem to the Mother of God which was composed by Saint Damiane (King Demetre I before his monastic tonsure): "You are a vineyard newly-blossomed...." imagery may be found in other liturgical texts, such as the Theotokion of the Third Hour: (Tone 6) "You are the true vine who has blossomed forth the fruit of life. We beseech you, intercede, O Lady, together with the Apostles, and all the Saints, that mercy may be shown to our souls." and The Akathist to the Kursk Root Icon of the Theotokos (November 27), Ikos 4: "Hail, fruitful vine which quenches the thirst of all with the wine of compunction." Virgin is depicted holding the Divine Child on her left arm, with her left hand on His head. In her right hand, she holds a cluster of grapes. Both Saint Damiane and the Icon are commemorated today. Icon is also commemorated on January 1, the Feast of Saint Basil the Great, on that day, through her Icon, the Most Holy Theotokos healed an unbelieving man of an incurable disease. After he was healed, he began to believe. Later, the Icon flowed with myrrh, and a multitude of healing miracles occurred.

Georgia, 1155-1184, King, George III, Golden Age, famous daughters, Tamar and Rusudan
Georgian King, 1155-1184, George III, Golden Age of Georgia ; III (Georgian: áƒ’áƒ˜áƒáƒ áƒ’áƒ˜ III) (died 27 March 1184), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the King of Georgia from 1156 to 1184. His reign was part of what would be called the Georgian Golden Age – a historical period in the High Middle Ages, during which the Kingdom of Georgia reached the peak of its military power and development. George was the father of Queen Tamar the Great. 1 Life 2 Marriage and children 3 See also 4 External links succeeded on his father Demetrius I's death in 1156. He changed his father's defensive policy into a more aggressive one and resumed offensive against the neighboring Seljuqid rulers in Armenia. The same year he ascended to the throne, George launched a successful campaign against the Shah-Armens. It may be said that the Shah-Armen took part in almost all the campaigns undertaken against Georgia between 1130s to 1160s. Moreover, Shah-Armens enlisted the assistance of Georgian feudals disaffected with the Georgian monarchs and gave them asylum. 1156 the Ani's Christian population rose against the emir Fakr al-Din Shaddad, a vassal of George III, and turned the town over to his brother Fadl ibn Mahmud. But Fadl, too, apparently could not satisfy the people of Ani, and this time the town was offered to the George III, who took advantage of this offer and subjugated Ani, appointing his general Ivane Orbeli as its ruler in 1161. A coalition consisting of the ruler of Ahlat, Shah-Armen Sökmen II, the ruler of Diyarbekir, Kotb ad-Din il-Ghazi, Al-Malik of Erzerum, and others was formed as soon as the Georgians seized the town, but the latter defeated the allies. He then marched against one of the members of the coalition, the king of Erzerum, and in the same year, 1161, defeated and made him prisoner, but then released him for a large ransom. The capture of Ani and the defeat of the Saltukid-forces enabled the Georgian king to march on Dvin. The following year in August/September 1162, Dvin was temporarily occupied and sacked, the non-Christian population was pillaged and the Georgian troops returned home loaded with booty. The king appointed Ananiya, a member of the local feudal nobility to govern the town. coalition of Muslim rulers led by Shams al-Din Eldiguz, ruler of Adarbadagan and some other regions, embarked upon a campaign against Georgia in early 1163. He was joined by the Shah-Armen Sökmen II, Ak-Sunkur, ruler of Maragha, and others. With an army of 50,000 troops they marched on Georgia. The Georgian army was defeated. The enemy took the fortress of Gagi, laid waste as far as the region of Gagi and Gegharkunik, seized prisoners and booty, and then moved to Ani. The Muslim rulers were jubilant, and they prepared for a new campaign. However, this time they were forestalled by George III, who marched into Arran at the beginning of 1166, occupied a region extending to Ganja, devastated the land and turn back with prisoners and booty. In 1167, George III marched to defend his vassal Shah Aghsartan of Shirvan against the Khazar and Kipchak assaults and strengthened the Georgian dominance in the area. seemed to be no end to the war between George III and atabeg Eldiguz. But the belligerents were exhausted to such an extent that Eldiguz proposed an armistice. George had no choice but to make peace. He restored Ani to its former rulers, the Shaddadids, who became his vassals. The Shaddadids, ruled the town for about 10 years, but in 1174 King George took the Shahanshah ibn Mahmud as a prisoner and occupied Ani once again. Ivane Orbeli, was appointed governor of the town. Throughout this period, the Georgian army was swelling with Armenian volunteers, enthusiastically participating in the Iiberation of their country. 1177, the nobles of the realm rose against the king and declared Prince Demna (Demetrius) a "true and lawful King of Georgia". Being a son of George III's late elder brother David V, Demna was considered by many as a legitimate pretender to the Georgian throne. Approximately 30,000 rebel forces under Demna's father-in-law Ivane Orbeli strengthened their positions at the citadel of Lore. Ivane decided to request aid from neighbouring kingdoms. In particular, they requested aid from Shah-Armens and Eldiguzids, but no assistance was forthcoming. George III was able to crush the revolt and embarked on a crackdown campaign on the defiant aristocratic clans; Demna was blinded and castrated and most of his in-laws murdered. Ivane Orbeli was put to death and the surviving members of his family were driven out of Georgia. Sargis I Mkhargrdzeli was appointed as a governor of Ani. 1178, George III appointed his daughter and heiress Tamar as heir apparent and co-ruler to forestall any dispute after his death. However, he remained co-regent until his death in 1184. He was buried at Gelati Monastery, western Georgia. and children[edit] ca. 1155, George married Burdukhan (Gurandukht), daughter of Khuddan, King of Alania. They had two daughters: who succeeded him as ruler. married Manuel Komnenos (born 1145), the eldest son of Andronikos I who was briefly Byzantine emperor. Rusudan and Manuel were the parents of Alexios and David, founders of the Empire of Trebizond. Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Georgia, 1170-1826, Andronikashvili Royal Family, Kakheti
Georgian Andronikashvili Royal Family, 1170-1826; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17;

Georgia, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky, Yuri D's gson, Novgorod Prince, m Tamar
Russia, Vladimir, 1172-1188, George the Russian, Yury Bogolyubsky; Vladimir Great Prince, 1157-1174, Andrey Bogolyubsky; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Georgia, 1184-1213, Georgian King (Queen), Tamar, victorius, then sewing
Georgian King (Queen), 1184-1213, Tamar, Golden Age of Georgia , First of the 13th Century Georgian Leaders, to discover who were those weak Georgian Leader of the 13th century; the Great (c. 1160 - 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age.[2] A member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position as the first woman to rule Georgia in her own right was emphasized by the title mepe ("king"), afforded to Tamar in the medieval Georgian sources.[3] was proclaimed heir and co-ruler by her reigning father George III in 1178, but she faced significant opposition from the aristocracy upon her ascension to full ruling powers after George's death. Tamar was successful in neutralizing this opposition and embarked on an energetic foreign policy aided by the decline of the hostile Seljuq Turks. Relying on a powerful military élite, Tamar was able to build on the successes of her predecessors to consolidate an empire which dominated the Caucasus until its collapse under the Mongol attacks within two decades after Tamar's death.[4] was married twice, her first union being, from 1185 to 1187, to the Rus' prince Yuri, whom she divorced and expelled from the country, defeating his subsequent coup attempts. For her second husband Tamar chose, in 1191, the Alan prince David Soslan, by whom she had two children, George and Rusudan, the two successive monarchs on the throne of Georgia.[5][6] reign is associated with a period of marked political and military successes and cultural achievements. This, combined with her role as a female ruler, has contributed to her status as an idealized and romanticized figure in Georgian arts and historical memory. She remains an important symbol in Georgian popular culture. St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; exhausted from her prayers and needlework, Tamar dozed off and saw a vision. Entering a luxuriously furnished home, she saw a gold throne studded with jewels, and she turned to approach it, but was suddenly stopped by an old man crowned with a halo. “Who is more worthy than I to receive such a glorious throne?â€ Queen Tamar asked him. answered her, saying, “This throne is intended for your maidservant, who sewed vestments for twelve priests with her own hands. You are already the possessor of great treasure in this world.â€ And he pointed her in a different direction. awakened, Holy Queen Tamar immediately took to her work and with her own hands sewed vestments for twelve priests. has preserved another poignant episode from Queen Tamar’s life: Once she was preparing to attend a festal Liturgy in Gelati, and she fastened precious rubies to the belt around her waist. Soon after she was told that a beggar outside the monastery tower was asking for alms, and she ordered her entourage to wait. Having finished dressing, she went out to the tower but found no one there. Terribly distressed, she reproached herself for having denied the poor and thus denying Christ Himself. Immediately she removed her belt, the cause of her temptation, and presented it as an offering to the Gelati Icon of the Theotokos. St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Georgia, 1187-1207, David Soslan Bagrationi, King Consort to Tamar, m commander, d Yuri's nobles
Georgia, 1187-1207, David Soslan Bagrationi, King Consort to Tamar; Soslan (Georgian: áƒ“áƒáƒ•áƒ˜áƒ— áƒ¡áƒáƒ¡áƒšáƒáƒœáƒ˜, romanized: davit soslani) (died 1207) was a prince from Alania and second husband of Queen Tamar, whom he married in c. 1189. He is chiefly known for his military exploits during Georgia's wars against its Muslim neighbors. Soslan's genealogy suggested by Prince Vakhushti.[1] Soslan was a member of the royal house which ruled Alania (Ovseti or Oseti in the Georgian sources; hence, the modern designation of Ossetia),[2] an Orthodox Christian kingdom in the North Caucasus, and frequently intermarried with the Bagrationi dynasty of Georgia. anonymous chronicler, writing during the reign of George IV Lasha (son of Tamar and David Soslan; 1212–1223), ascribes to Soslan a Bagratid ancestry.[3] A version of his Bagratid origin found further development in the works of the 18th-century Georgian scholar Prince Vakhushti Bagrationi: He considered Soslan to be a descendant of George I of Georgia (1014–1027) and his Alan wife Alde who were the parents of Demetrius (Demetre), an unfortunate pretender to the Georgian crown whose son, David, was forced by Bagrat IV of Georgia to flee to Alania. to Vakhushti, David and his descendants - Aton and Jadaron - married into the Alan ruling family and became "kings of the Osi" [i.e., Alans]. This Jadaron is said to have been Soslan's father.[1] While this account is considered credible by the modern scholars such as Mariam Lordkipanidze[4] and Cyril Toumanoff[5] the issue of Soslan's origin still remains uncertain. passage from the 13th-century anonymous Georgian Histories and Eulogies of Sovereigns relates that David was under the patronage of Tamar's paternal aunt Rusudan and came of "the descendants of Ephraïm, which are Osi, handsome and strong in battle." The Georgian scholar Korneli Kekelidze suggested that David Soslan's family – the "Ephraïmids" – might have claimed descent from the biblical Ephraim, and compared this family legend to that of the Bagratids who considered themselves descendants of David, the second king of the Israelites.[6] 1946, the North Ossetian archaeologist Evgeniya Pchelina announced that, during the digs at the Nuzal chapel in the Ardon Gorge, North Ossetian ASSR, she discovered the tomb allegedly belonging to David Soslan whom she identified with the certain Soslan mentioned in the Georgian asomtavruli inscription in the chapel, and suggested that David Soslan might have been a member of the Tsarazon family, a heroic clan from Nuzal known to the Ossetic oral folk tradition.[7] The hypothesis has not been accepted by most Georgian scholars, but enjoys much currency among the Ossetian historians.[8] coin issued in the name of Tamar and David in 1200 married David Soslan at the Didube Palace near Tbilisi between 1187 and 1189 after she divorced her first husband, the Rus' prince Yuri Bogolyubsky. As the Armenian chronicler Mkhitar Gosh reports in his Ishatarakan ("Memorabilia"), Tamar "married a man from the Alan kingdom, her relative on the mother’s side, whose name was Soslan, named David upon his ascension to the [Georgian] throne".[9] contrast to Yuri who was a candidate of the powerful nobles party, David was Tamar's personal choice.[citation needed] a capable military commander, became Tamar's major supporter and was instrumental in defeating the rebellious nobles rallied behind Yuri. and David had two children. In 1191, the queen gave birth to a son, George – the future king George IV (Lasha) – an event widely celebrated in the kingdom. The daughter, Rusudan, was born c. 1193 and would succeed her brother as sovereign of Georgia. Soslan's status as Tamar's husband, as well as his presence in art, on charters and on coins, was strictly dictated by the necessity of male aspects of kingship, but he remained a subordinate ruler who shared the throne with Tamar but had no independent authority, his power being derived from his reigning spouse.[10] energetically supported Tamar's expansionist policy and was responsible for Georgia's military successes in a series of conflicts of those years.[11] Medieval Georgian sources praise his handsomeness, military talents, valor, and devotion to Tamar. the 1190s, David Soslan led the Georgian raids against Barda, Erzurum, Geghark'unik', Beylaqan and Ganja. His victories over the Ildegizids of Azerbaijan at Shamkor (1195) and the Seljuqids of Rüm at Basian (1202) secured the Georgian positions in the eastern and western Caucasian marches, respectively. He died shortly thereafter, c. 1207.[12] Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Georgia, 1187-1204, Tevdore of Kartli, Theodore II, Catholicos of All Georgia, Prayed with Tamar
Tevdore of Kartli, Theodore II, Catholicos of All Georgia, Prayed with Tamar; II (Tevdore) was Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, from 1187 to 1204. During a revolt of treasurer Qutlu Arslan and Tamar's disgraced husband, Yuri, around 1191, Theodore remained loyal to the Queen. He, along with Anton Kutateli, the Archbishop of Kutaisi was sent to make peace with the rebels, but was unsuccessful. chronicler of Tamar describes how Tamar and Catholicos-Patriarch accompanied Georgian army, as far as the cave-monastery at Vardzia, and stayed there to pray for their victory before an icon of the Holy Theotokos as the army marched toward Basiani. tenure is marked by enlargement of several monasteries, such as Shio-Mgvie and Gelati. Saint John of Shavta-Gelati, Commemorated on June 9; the Georgian army under the command of Queen Tamar’s husband, Davit Soslan, entered into battle [The Battle of Basiani (ca. 1203)] with the sultan Rukn al-Din, Queen Tamar journeyed to Odzrkhe Monastery to pray for help. Catholicos Tevdore of Kartli and many hierarchs and monastics accompanied her there. Among them, Saint John of Shavta stood out as a wise theologian and philosopher and a brilliant hymnographer. the Liturgy at Odzrkhe Monastery a miracle occurred: endowed by God with the gift of prophecy, Saint Eulogius the Fool for-Christ fell to his knees, lifted his hands to the heavens and cried out: “Glory to God! Almighty Christ!...Do not fear the Persians, but rather depart in peace, for the mercy of God has descended upon the house of Tamar!â€ ’s words were clearly a divine revelation. Saint John of Shavta turned to Queen Tamar, rejoicing, “Your Highness! The Almighty has made known to us our victory in the war from the lips of a fool-for-Christ!â€ Eulogius confided his secret to Saint John: disguised as a fool, he had been concealing his God-given gift. But now it seemed that the gift would become apparent to all, so Eulogius quickly disappeared out of sight to escape the people’s attention. John of Shavta composed his “Hymns to the Theotokos of Vardziaâ€ in thanksgiving for Georgia’s victory in the Battle of Basiani. He is also recognized as the composer of “Abdul-Messiah,â€ (Abdul-Messiah: servant of Christ) a famous ode to the holy queen Tamar. Holy Father John of Shavta lived to an advanced age and was canonized soon after his repose.

Georgia, 1195, battle near Shamkori, Georgia over Azerbaijan Persia
Georgia, 1195, battle near Shamkori, Azerbaijan, Georgia over Persia; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Georgia, 1195, Persian Azerbaijan invasion of Georgia
Shamkir, Azerbaijan; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Georgia, 1200, 1260-1810, History Folder, Imeretian Kingdom

Georgia, 1201, 13th Century Folder, Battle of Bassian, Home Grown Moslem Terrorists, Multiple M. Invasions

Georgia, 1203, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum, Georgia over Persian Turks
Georgia, 1202, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum; St. Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Georgia, 1223-1245, Rusudan, King, Tamar's d, unable, beautiful, pleasure, d first by Khwarezmians 1228 then Mongols 1240
Georgian King (Queen), 1223-1245, Rusudan of Georgia ; (c. 1194-1245), a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, ruled as queen of Georgia in 1223–1245. of Queen Tamar of Georgia by David Soslan, she succeeded her brother George IV on January 18, 1223.[1] George’s untimely death marked the beginning of the end of the Georgian Golden Age. Rusudan was unable to preserve whatever was gained by her mother and brother. She was known as a beautiful woman devoted to pleasure, whose hand was sought by her Muslim neighbors. In Muslim sources, such as Ata-Malik Juvayni, Rusudan was known as Qiz-Malik, from the Turkish qiz, "maiden", and the Arabic malik, "king".[2] the autumn of 1225, Georgia was attacked by the Khwarazmshah Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, pursued by the Mongols. The Georgians suffered bitter defeat at the Battle of Garni, and the royal court with Queen Rusudan moved to Kutaisi, when the Georgian capital Tbilisi was besieged by the Khwarezmians. A year later Jelal ad-Din took Tbilisi on 9 March 1226. The citizens fought courageously and over 100,000 lost their lives when the city fell to the Khwarezmians. The defeated Georgians were ordered to change religion and become Muslims, but refused and almost the whole population of Tbilisi was massacred. February 1227, the Georgians took advantage of Jelal ad-Din’s failures in Armenia, and retook Tbilisi, but soon were forced to abandon the city – which they themselves had set alight in their battle with the occupation forces. made an alliance with the neighbouring Seljuk rulers of Rüm and Ahlat, but the Georgians were routed by the Khwarezmians at Battle of Bolnisi, before the allies could arrive (1228). Khwarezmians were superseded by the Mongols. They advanced into Georgia in 1235. Devastated and plundered by Jelal ad-Din’s incursions, Georgia surrendered without any serious resistance. 1240 all the country was under the Mongol yoke. Forced to accept the sovereignty of the Mongol Khan in 1242, Rusudan had to pay an annual tribute of 50,000 gold pieces and support the Mongols with a Georgian army. that her nephew David would aspire to the throne, Rusudan held him prisoner at the court of her son-in-law, the sultan Kaykhusraw II, and sent her son David to the Mongol court to get his official recognition as heir apparent. She died in 1245, still waiting for her son to return. and children[edit] married in 1224 to the Seljuk prince Ghias ad-Din, a grandson of Kilij Arslan II who converted to Christianity on his marriage. They were the parents of David VI of Georgia and a daughter named Tamar, who married her cousin, the sultan Kaykhusraw II, and following his death in 1246, the Pervane Mu'in al-Din Suleyman as one of the preconditions of the peace settlement. St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1;

Georgia, 1227, Home Grown Moslem Terrorists helped Invading Moslems attack Georgia
Khwarezmid Empire; Sultan Jalal al-Din ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Georgia, 1227, 100K Martyrs, Tbilisi, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazm, repelled but inside m traitors opened gates at night

Georgia, 1247-1270, Georgian King, David VII of Georgia, mongol overlordship
Georgian King, 1247-1270, David VII of Georgia ; VII, also known as David Ulu (1215-1270), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia from 1247 to 1270, jointly with his namesake cousin, David VI, from 1247 to 1259, when David VI, revolting from the Mongol hegemony, seceded in the western moiety of the kingdom, while David VII was relegated to the rule of eastern Georgia. During his reign, Georgia went into further decline under the Mongol overlordship. St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Georgia, 1247-1270, Mongol Hegemony, Mongol Invasions of Georgia throughout 13th Century
Georgia, 1247-1270, Mongol Hegemony, Mongol Invasions of Georgia throughout 13th Century; St. Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30;

Georgia, 1250-1308, Nicholas, Radiant Star, church services author, great hymnographer&translator
Georgia, 1250-1308, Nicholas, Radiant Star, church services author, great hymnographer, few works preserved, probably translated prayers Greek tGeorgian, Cannon Blessing Holy Water, his church services on Mt Athos aIveron; Georgian King, 1292-1311, David VIII of Georgia; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3; Nicholas was the author of many church services, but little else about his life is known. lived in the second half of the 13th century, and the last years of his life coincided with the reign of King Vakhtang III, the son of the holy king Demetre the Devoted. Nicholas was one of the greatest hymnographers and spiritual figures of his time, few of his works have been preserved. Anton I writes that Nicholas composed numerous canons and services, including a “Canon of Supplication for Rain.” Nicholas enriched the spiritual literature of Georgia with his translations as well. and historians believe that, as the greatest liturgist of his time, he was probably asked to translate many prayers and services from Greek to Georgian. them, they believe, was the “Canon for the Blessing of Holy Water.” famous 19th-century historian Platon Ioseliani writes that other church services belonging to the pen of Saint Nicholas are included among the manuscripts of the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos. Nicholas reposed peacefully in the year 1308.

Georgia, 1260-1810, Imeretian Kingdom
Georgia, Imeretian Kingdom; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New;

Georgia, 1270-1289, Georgian King, Demetrius II, The Devoted, 3 wives at once, went to Khan to be killed
Georgian King, 1270-1289, Demetrius II, The Devoted ; II the Self-Sacrificer or the Devoted (1259-12 March 1289) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was king of Georgia in 1270–1289. 1 Life 2 Marriages and children 3 References 4 External links II goes to the Khan", by Henryk Hryniewski. of King David VII and his wife Gvantsa, Demetrius was only 2 years old when his mother was killed by the Mongols in 1261. He succeeded on his father's death in 1270, when he was 11 years old. He ruled under the regency of Sadun Mankaberdeli for some time. In 1277–1281, he took part in Abaqa Khan's campaigns against Egypt and in particularly distinguished himself at the Second Battle of Homs, (29 October 1281). Although he continued to be titled "king of Georgians and Abkhazians, etc", Demetrius's rule extended only over the eastern part of the kingdom. Western Georgia was under the rule of the Imeretian branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. Demetrius was considered quite a controversial person. Devoted to Christianity, he was criticized for his polygamy.[citation needed] In 1288, on the order of Arghun Khan, he subdued the rebel province of Derbend at the Caspian Sea. The same year, Arghun revealed a plot organized by his powerful minister Buqa, whose son was married to Demetrius's daughter. Bugha and his family were massacred, and the Georgian king, suspected to be involved in a plot, was ordered to the Mongol capital, or Arghun threatened to invade Georgia. Despite much advice from nobles, Demetrius headed for the Khan's residence to face apparent death, and was imprisoned there. He was beheaded at Movakan on 12 March 1289. He was buried at Mtskheta, Georgia, and canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. was succeeded by his cousin Vakhtang II. St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3; St. John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16; St Basil Ratishvili of Georgia, Commemorated on April 18 ;

Georgia, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God

Georgia, 1289-1292, King, Vakhtang II of Georgia
Georgian King, 1289-1292, Vakhtang II of Georgia; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3;

Georgia, 1292-1311, King, David VIII of Western Georgia, fearing execution he rebelled against Mongol Khan
Georgian King, 1292-1311, David VIII of Georgia; VIII (Georgian: დავით VIII; 1273–1311), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Georgia in 1292–1302 and 1308-1311. son of Demetre II the Self-sacrificing by his Trapezuntine wife, he was appointed by the Ilkhan ruler Gaikhatu as king of Georgia as reward for his military service during the Rümelian uprising in 1293. his cousin Vakhtang II, David's rule actually extended only over the eastern part of the kingdom, whereas western Georgia had been under the Imeretian branch of the House of Bagrationi since 1259. 1295, he supported Baidu Khan in an internal conflict in the Ilkhanate. Baidu was killed and Ghazan became a khan. ordered the Georgian king to arrive to his capital Tabriz. the fate of his father, David refused to comply and began preparations for war. Ghazan Khan responded with a punitive expedition, and ravaged the country. by the Mongols, Ossetes attacked Shida Kartli province and occupied the Liakhvi River gorge. entrenched himself in the Mtiuleti mountains and defeated a large Mongol force in a desperate guerilla fighting at Tsikare. the Khan declared him deposed and appointed David's younger brother Giorgi V as king in 1299. backed by the Mongol forces, the power of Giorgi did not extend out of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, and the Khan replaced him by another brother, Vakhtang III, in 1302. new king led a Mongol army against David, but could not penetrate deeply into the largely mountainous provinces held by the rebels, and a truce was negotiated. David was recognized as joint sovereign with his brother and received the princedom of Alastani in the southern province of Javakheti. developed friendly relations with the Egyptian Mamluks, the traditional rivals of the Ilkhanate, and, mediated by Byzantium, achieved the restoration of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem to the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church in 1305. was married twice, first to the Mongol princess Oljath, and then to a daughter of the Georgian nobleman Hamada Surameli. He was succeeded by his son Giorgi VI the Little in 1311. Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3;

Georgia, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Tamerlane Invasions, Black Plague

Georgia, 1302-1308, King, Vakhtang III oEastern Georgia, appointed by Mongol, rival king to rebel David III
Georgia, 1302-1308, King, Vakhtang III oEastern Georgia, appointed by Mongol, rival king to rebel David III; III (Georgian: ვახტანგ III; 1276–1308), of the dynasty of Bagrationi, was the king of Georgia from 1302 to 1308. ruled during the Mongol dominance of Georgia. son of Demetrius II of Georgia by his Trapezuntine wife, Vakhtang was appointed, in 1302, by the Ilkhan Ghazan as a rival king to his brother David VIII, who had revolted against the Mongol rule. however, controlled only the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and parts of the southern and eastern provinces of the kingdom. an unsuccessful offensive against David's guerrillas, the brothers agreed to rule the kingdom jointly. Vakhtang was destined to spend most of his reign as a commander of the Georgian and Armenian auxiliaries in endless Mongol campaigns, particularly against Damascus (1303) and Gilan (1304). Georgian King, 1292-1311, David VIII of Georgia; Venerable Nicholas, Radiant Star of the Georgians, Commemorated on November 3;

Georgia, 1314-1346, King George V of Georgia, The Brilliant
Georgian King, 1314-1346, George V of Georgia, The Brilliant; St. Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Georgia, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Klarjeti W, H Cross M, Forerunner, Spiritual f, MOG, Damascus, h f 500 L, head 7 times
Jerusalem, 1314, Martyr Nicholas Dvali; Holy Cross Georgian Monastery near Jerusalem; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Nikoloz Dvali the Martyr was born at the end of the 13th century to a God-fearing couple who directed his path toward the spiritual life. the age of twelve Nikoloz traveled to the Klarjeti Wilderness and was tonsured a monk. From there he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained in the holy city, settling at the Holy Cross Monastery. Burning with desire for the apostolic life, Monk Nikoloz was determined to die a martyr’s death. Jerusalem a group of godless men arrested and tormented Saint Nikoloz for publicly confessing the Christian Faith, but a group of Christians succeeded in rescuing him from prison. in accordance with his abbot’s counsel, Saint Nikoloz relocated to a Georgian monastery on Cyprus. There the pious monk beseeched the Lord to make him worthy of the crown of martyrdom. One day, while he was praying before the icon of Saint John the Baptist, he heard a voice saying, “Nikoloz! Arise and go to Jerusalem. There you will find a Georgian monk who will teach you the way of righteousness and encourage you on the path of martyrdom. He has been appointed to guide you.” Saint Nikoloz returned to Jerusalem, met the monk whom God had appointed, and informed him of what had been revealed. Most Holy Theotokos and Saint John the Baptist appeared to Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father, who had been praying intensely for guidance, and told him that it was the Lord’s will for Nikoloz to journey to Damascus. in Damascus, the holy father entered a mosque and openly confessed Christ to be the Savior, reproving those present for their folly. The angry Muslims seized Saint Nikoloz, beat him, and cast him into prison. a great struggle, the metropolitan and local Christians succeeded in recovering him from captivity, but he immediately returned to the Muslims and began again to denounce their ungodly ways. Again they beat him mercilessly, lashed him five hundred times, and cast him in prison for a second time. the holy martyr’s wounds were healed through the miraculous intercession of Saint John the Baptist, and after two months he was released from prison. chance the emir of the city caught a glimpse of Saint Nikoloz as he was preparing to return to Jerusalem. The emir recognized him and sent him to Dengiz, the emir of emirs. Dengiz flattered him and offered to convert him to Islam, but Saint Nikoloz bravely defended his faith in Christ. In response, Dengiz ordered his execution. the hour appointed by Dengiz, the blessed martyr turned to the east, joyfully bowed his neck to the sword, and prayed, “Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who hast accounted me worthy to die for Thy name’s sake.” The sword pierced his neck, but the severed head glorified God seven times, crying out, “Glory to Thee, O Christ our God!” Persians burned the saint’s body, and for three days a pillar of light shone at the place where it lay. Saint Nikoloz’s spiritual father heard about his martyrdom, he prayed to God to reveal to him whether Nikoloz would be numbered among the saints. Then one day while he was reading, he saw a vision of a host of saints standing atop a mountain, illumined and surrounded by a cloud of incense. Among them the Great-martyr George shone especially brightly, and he called Saint Nikoloz, saying, “Nikoloz! Come and see the monk, your spiritual father. He has shed many tears for you.” greeted his spiritual father, saying, “Behold me and the place where I am, and from this day cease your sorrowing for me.” Nikoloz Dvali was tortured to death on Tuesday, October 19, in the year 1314. The Georgian Church continues to commemorate him on that date. Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Georgia, 1355-1392, Theodosius tMet oTrebizond, TEmpire, 1375 igumen Philotheou, then Met Trebizond Empire

Georgia, 1360-1394, Georgian King, Bagrat V
Georgian King, 1360-1394, Bagrat V ; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10;

Georgia, 1360-1394, Timur (Tamerlane) invaded Georgia seven times (1360-1394)
Georgia,Timur (Tamerlane) invaded Georgia seven times (1360-1394) ; Timur (Tamerlane) ; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10;

Georgia, 1366, Black Plague in Georgia
Georgia, 1366, Black Plague in Georgia; St. Euthymius the Elder of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8;

Georgia, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Chavchavadze family, end United Georgia, Kartli Kingdom

Georgia, 1412-1907, Chavchavadze Family, of Alazani, Kakheti
Georgia, Alazani, Kakheti, 1412-1907, Chavchavadze Family; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Ilia, called the “Uncrowned King of Georgia,” the “Father of the Nation” and “the Righteous,” belonged to the noble family Chavchavadze. was born on October 27, 1837, in the village of Qvareli in Kakheti. He received his primary education at home: his mother instructed him in reading and writing, prayer and the law of God. When he was eight years old, Ilia was sent to study with Archdeacon Nikoloz Sepashvili of Qvareli. The years he spent there left an indelible impression on this holy man’s life. continued his education at a Tbilisi boarding school, and later at the court gymnasium (high school). His parents died at a young age, and the orphaned children were entrusted to the care of their aunt Macrina. 1857 Ilia enrolled in the law school at Saint Petersburg University. There he read a great deal and struggled to improve himself as an individual. He was fascinated by Georgian history and spent much of his time in the Saint Petersburg archives in search of old Georgian texts. His academic achievements were outstanding, but he was uninterested in receiving an official diploma from the school of law. In his fourth year he dropped out of the program and returned to Georgia. was certain that a nation that forgets its own history “is like a beggar who knows neither his past nor where he is going.” For this reason he sought to inspire his fellow countrymen with the past glories of their nation and the loyalty of their forefathers to the Christian Faith and the Georgian nation. restoration of national independence and the autocephaly of the Georgian Church were the chief objectives toward which Saint Ilia strove in every aspect of his life. As a means by which to achieve these goals, Ilia took up the work of a historian: he conducted intensive research and exposed those who had falsified history and dishonored the Georgian nation. great philosopher, writer, and historian often repeated the statement “A nation whose language is corrupted can no longer exist as a nation.” He cared deeply about the Georgian language and fought to ensure that it remained the primary language taught in schools. inspired many with his patriotic zeal, and he founded the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians. He established a depository of Georgian manuscripts and antiquities. In addition he initiated a movement to document oral folk traditions and helped to found the Georgian Agrarian Bank. the Righteous was often heard declaring, “We, the Georgian people, have inherited three divine gifts from our ancestors: our motherland, our language and our faith. If we fail to protect these gifts, what merit will we have as men?” Ilia’s righteous deeds were an affront and threat to those who adhered to the new atheist ideology, so they plotted to kill him. On August 30, 1907, Ilia Chavchavadze and his wife, Olga (Guramishvili), had just set off from Tbilisi for Saguramo when their carriage stopped abruptly outside of Mtskheta, near Tsitsamuri Forest. were awaited by a band of militant social democrats who attacked them and shot Ilia to death. Military Court of the Caucasus sentenced Ilia Chavchavadze’s murderers to death by hanging. But Ilia’s wife Olga requested that the governor-general pardon her husband’s murderers. She asserted that, if Ilia had survived, he would have done the same, since the killers were simply his “unlucky brothers gone astray.” Ilia had forgiven his murderers’ offense long before, in his prophetic poem “Prayer”: Our Father Who art in Heaven! With tenderness I stand before Thee on my knees; I ask for neither wealth nor glory; I won’t debase my holy prayer with earthly matters. I would wish for my soul to rest in heaven, My heart to be radiant with love heralded by Thee, I would wish to be able to ask forgiveness of mine enemies, Even if they pierce me in the heart: Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do! 1987 the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church considered the deeds of Ilia Chavchavadze before God and his country and decreed him worthy to be numbered among the saints. He was joyously canonized as Saint Ilia “the Righteous.”

Georgia, 1442-1446, Georgian King, Vakhtang IV of Georgia, nobles rivalry, Turkoman attack, Okonsk icon
Georgian King, 1442-1446, Vakhtang IV of Georgia; IV (c. 1413 – December 1446), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was King of Georgia from 1442 until his death. was the eldest son of Alexander I of Georgia by his first wife Dulandukht. He was raised to the co-kingship by his father in 1433. Alexander I abdicated in 1442, Vakhtang succeeded him to the throne of Georgia, leaving his brothers – Demetrius and George as co-kings. ’s rule was threatened by the rivalry among the nobles and general instability in the kingdom.[1] According to the 18th-century Georgian scholar Vakhushti, also faced an attack by the Turkoman prince Jahan Shah of the Kara Koyunlu. Vakhtang met him at Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia, but a fierce fight did not reveal a victor. In the night, Jahan Shah left the battlefield and returned to Tabriz. IV married Sitikhatun, daughter of Prince Zaza I Panaskerteli in 1442, outlived her by two years and died without issue in 1446, being buried, together with Sitikhatun, at the Bana cathedral in Tao (now in Turkey).[1] was followed by his rivaling brothers Demetrius and George. This marked the beginning of a fierce and extended struggle for hegemony in Georgia, which eventually ended with the partition of the Georgian kingdom.[2] Icon of the Mother of God of Okonsk, Commemorated July 30 ; Okonsk Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was received by the Georgian emperor Vakhtang IV from Jerusalem and initially it was at the Gaenat monastery in Georgia. Georgian emperor’s son George Alexandrovich transferred the holy icon to the cathedral church of the village of Lyskov, Nizhegorod diocese. St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated on October 30; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Georgia, 1446-1466, George VIII, end United Georgia, 1453 turning point, Georgian isolation, Western nobles revolts, Bagrat
Georgian King, 1446-1466, George VIII ; VIII (1417–1476) was the last king of the united Georgia, though his kingdom was already splintered and embroiled in a civil war, from 1446 to 1465. by his rivals, he was left with an eastern province Kakheti alone, where he reigned as George I from 1465 until his death, founding a local branch of the Bagrationi royal house. was the third son of Alexander I of Georgia by his second wife Tamar. Though Demetre, Alexander’s second son, seems to have been a rightful successor to his elder brother Vakhtang IV, George actually held power after Vakhtang’s death in December 1446. The process of the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom had already begun and was close to reach its climax. The most troublesome were revolts by the western Georgian nobles and the atabegs of Samtskhe. The latter even attempted to create a separate church for his princedom, but the efforts of the Georgian Catholicos Patriarch David IV prevented the Georgian Orthodox Church from being split into two. ’s reign coincided with a major turning point in Near East history: in 1453 the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and put an end to the Byzantine Empire, with the emperor Constantine XI, to whom George’s daughter was betrothed, dying in battle. The Georgian politicians, preoccupied in their own power struggle, seem to have underestimated the event which would leave Georgia isolated from Christian Europe for almost the three subsequent centuries. Georgia was considered as a possible participant of a large anti-Ottoman crusade planned by the Pope Pius II and Western European powers. For this purpose, Ludovico da Bologna was sent to hold talks in Georgia and George VIII agreed a truce with his internal opponents. hoped to mobilise in total 120,000 soldiers to fight sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and proposed even to continue the Crusade on Jerusalem. The coalition was never formed, however, and the fratricidal struggles within Georgia were soon resumed. 1462, George took Samokalako (Kutaisi and the surrounding area) from its owner, a royal kinsman, Bagrat for his support to the rebel prince Qvarqvare II Jaqeli, a powerful atabeg of Samtskhe. 1463, Bagrat allied himself with other oppositionist royal subjects, dukes (eristavi) of Mingrelia, Guria, Svaneti and Abkhazia. The rebels met and defeated the king at the Battle of Chikhori. the king lost all western provinces and Bagrat was crowned king of Imereti. 1465, George attempted to subdue Qvarqvare II of Samtskhe, only to be attacked and taken prisoner at Lake Paravani. situation was immediately exploited by Bagrat of Imereti, who seized control of Tbilisi and declared himself king of Georgia. Qvarqvare, who now considered Bagrat as his major rival, freed George. latter, unsuccessful in his attempt to recover his crown, was only able to establish himself as a separate king in the easternmost province of Kakheti. he substantially reorganised the administration, subdividing the kingdom into much smaller and easily controllable samouravo (counties) instead of autonomous saeristavo (duchies). to other Georgian polities, he put ecclesiastic lords (bishops of Bodbe, Alaverdi, Rustavi, and Nekresi), generally more loyal to the crown than secular nobles, in charge of special military districts, sadrosho. died in 1476 to be succeeded by Alexander I as king of Kakheti. and children[edit] VIII's royal charters make mention of two names of his consort, Tamar (fl. 1453) and Nestan-Darejan (fl. 1458–1463). Two explanations exist to account for this. One of them, suggested by Cyril Toumanoff, has it that both names were borne by the same woman, a daughter of Bagrat, son of Constantine I of Georgia, and, thus a first cousin of George VIII, whom she married in 1445. Such polyonymy was not infrequent in Georgia, Toumanoff explains, reflecting the twofold cultural background of the country, "Hellenistic-Christian on the one hand, and Caucasio-Iranoid, on the other." She is last mentioned in 1510.[1] alternative view, enjoying a more general currency in Georgia, holds it that George VIII was married twice, first to Tamar, sometimes thought to have been daughter of Kvarkvare II Jaqeli, Atabag of Samtskhe, whom he wed c. 1445 and, secondly to Nestan-Darejan, of unknown origin, whom the king took as his wife sometime before 1456. According to this version, Alexander had a son, Vakhtang, and two daughters; and a son, Aleksandre, and a daughter, Mariam, by Nestan-Darejan.[2] Nestan-Darejan was known as the "builder of churches" for his patronage of religious construction, notably, the Alaverdi Monastery. VIII's children were: Prince Vakhtang (c. 1445 – before 1510), a "provincial king", he was married to the certain Gulkan; Princess Elene, married to Spiridon Beenashvili, a nobleman from Meskheti; Princess Keteon (Kristine), married to Vakhushti Shalikahsvili, a nobleman from Samtskhe; Prince Aleksandre (1445 or c. 1456 – 1511), King of Kakheti (1476–1511); Princess Mariam (fl. 1465), married to Prince Giorgi Shaburidze, son of Vamek, Duke of Argavi. She is identified by C. Toumanoff with the anonymous daughter of George VIII betrothed in 1451 to Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor, who was killed in the fall of Constantinople two years later, before the marriage could be consummated. Icon of the Mother of God of Okonsk, Commemorated July 30 ; Okonsk Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was received by the Georgian emperor Vakhtang IV from Jerusalem and initially it was at the Gaenat monastery in Georgia. Georgian emperor’s son George Alexandrovich transferred the holy icon to the cathedral church of the village of Lyskov, Nizhegorod diocese. St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated on October 30; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Georgia, 1466-1762, Kingdom of Kartli, tripartite division of Georgia, vassal of Persia mostly
Georgia, 1466-1762, Kingdom of Kartli; Kingdom of Kartli was a late medieval/early modern monarchy in eastern Georgia, centred on the province of Kartli, with its capital at Tbilisi. emerged in the process of a tripartite division of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1478 and existed, with several brief intervals, until 1762 when Kartli and the neighbouring Georgian kingdom of Kakheti were merged through dynastic succession under the Kakhetian branch of the Bagrationi dynasty. much of this period, the kingdom was a vassal of the successive dynasties of Iran, but enjoyed intermittent periods of greater independence, especially after 1747.

Georgia, 1500, 16th Century Folder, Luther's 95 Theses, Queen Ketevan

Georgia, 1512-1801, House of Makhran-Batoni, a branch of Bagrationi, still in power
Georgia, House of Makhran-Batoni, 1512-1801 ; House of Mukhrani is a Georgian family, a branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi from which it sprang early in the 16th century, and received in appanage the domain of Mukhrani located in Kartli, central Georgia. family has since been known as Mukhran-Batoni, that is, "Princes (batoni) of Mukhrani". elder branch of the house of Mukhrani, now extinct, furnished five royal sovereigns of Kartli between 1658 and 1724. Its descendants bore the Imperial Russian titles of Prince Gruzinsky and Princes Bagration. branch, presiding in Mukhrani as tavadi and received among the princely nobility of Russia under the name of Bagration of Mukhrani, still flourishes and has, since 1957, claimed to be the Royal House of Georgia by virtue of being the genealogically eldest surviving line of the Bagrationi dynasty.[1] David Bagration of Mukhrani has been the head of this house since January 16, 2008.[2][3] Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13;

Georgia, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Georgia, 1539-1561, Ashotan I, Prince of Mukhrani, Ketevan's father, defended M in 1554 and 1561 invasion, where he died
Georgian Prince, 1539-1561, Ashotan I, Prince of Mukhrani ; I (died 1561) was a Georgian tavadi ("prince") of the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the royal Bagrationi dynasty, and a co-prince (batoni) of Mukhrani from 1539 to 1561. was a son of Bagrat I, son of Constantine II of Georgia, by his wife Elene. the resignation of Bagrat in 1539, Ashotan acceded as co-prince with his elder brother Vakhtang I.[1] the same time, he was commander of the Banner of Shida Kartli, one of the key provinces of the Kingdom of Kartli, a successor of the Kingdom of Georgia ruled by his royal cousins.[2] followed the tradition of the Georgian royals of patronizing the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos.[3] refectory at the Iviron commissioned by Ashotan housed the tomb of Catholicos Nicholas V of Georgia. the Safavid invasion of Georgia in 1554, Ashotan joined his brothers, Vakhtang and Archil, in their refuge at the court of their sister, Dedisimedi, in Samtskhe. to his demesne, Ashotan successfully defended Mukhrani against the attack by the highlanders of Pkhovi in 1561, but he himself died in the battle.[2] identity of Ashotan's wife is not known, but he had a daughter, Ketevan (c. 1560 – 13 September 1624), who was married to King David I of Kakheti. She was tortured to death at the order of Shah Abbas I of Persia for having refused to convert to Islam and was subsequently canonized as a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church.[4] Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13;

Georgia, 1520-1574, Georgian King, Levan 1 of Kakheti, prosperous and peaceful reign, St Nicholas' father
Georgia, 1520-1574, Georgian King, Levan 1 of Kakheti; also known as Leon (1503–1574), was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, who reigned as king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1518/1520 to 1574. presided over the most prosperous and peaceful period in the history of the Kakhetian realm. presumed tomb was discovered in the south-western corner of the Gremi church in 2021.[1] Georgian King, 1574-1605, Alexander II of Kakheti ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18;

Georgia, 1549-1591, Nicholas V, Catholicos oAll Georgia, King's son but chose tbMonk, promoted love between countries
Georgia, 1549-1591, Saint, Nicholas V of Georgia, Catholicos Patriarch, son oKing oKakheti Levan I, lived during Persian Invasion oEastern Georgia, young prince chose monastic life, bravely helped his older bro King Alexandre II, preferred yoke oChrist to glamour&Opulence inherited, enthroned as Catholicos oAll Georgia 1584, highest hierarchial rank royal blood and Personal integrity, exemplary leader, planting seeds Christian love between countries oLike faith, like Patriarch Job oRussia, sent him a horse, sent leather-bound illuminated Gospels, copied 1049, to etekhi Church, the renowned historian Tomote, 18th C, in his book Pilgrimage, reports an Icon oNicholas at Iveron M in Athos, reports also N buried in another church built by Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni; Georgian Saint, 1549-1591, Nicholas V of Georgia, Catholicos Patriarch; Nicholas V, also known as Nicholas VIII (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ V/VIII, Nikoloz; c. 1529 – 1591) the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia from 28 February 1584 to 1591. was born into the Bagrationi dynasty of Kakheti, son of King Levan (r. 1520–1574). was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church as the Holy Father Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, his feast day marked on 18 February (N.S.: 2 March).[1] was born as a younger son of King Levan of Kakheti of his first marriage to the Gurian princess Tinatin or his second marriage to a daughter of the shamkhal of Tarku. was, thus, a younger brother or half-brother of Alexander II, won the bloody competition for the throne of Kakheti after Levan's death in 1574.[1] was enthroned as the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia on 28 February 1584, on the death of Catholicos Nicholas IV. tenure was during the turbulent period of Georgia's history; once flourishing medieval kingdom had been divided into several competing polities the Georgian church had been split into the eastern and western counterparts, the country's political division, eastern church being under the stewardship of Nicholas; native Kakheti was threatened by the rival expansionism of the Safavid Iran and Ottoman Turkey.[2][3] corresponded with Patriarch Job of Moscow, who died in 1607, and exchanged gifts with him. also donated a leather-bound illuminated manuscript of the Gospels, copied in 1049, to the Metekhi church in Tbilisi. 18th-century author Timote Gabashvili reports that there was an icon of Catholicos Nicholas in the refectory at the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos. also conjectured that another refectory, built at the Iviron at the behest of the Georgian prince Ashotan of Mukhrani, might have been Nicholas's death place.[1] St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; Batonishvili was the son of Levan I, King of Kakheti (1520-1574). lived during the grievous period of the Persian invasion of eastern Georgia. young prince chose the path of monastic life bravely helped his elder brother, King Alexandre II (1574-1605). his royal blood, he preferred the monk’s habit and the sweet, light yoke of Christ to the glamour and opulence of his inheritance. to God’s will, Nicholas was enthroned as Catholicos of All Georgia. Georgian chronicle Life of Kartli (Kartlis Tskhovreba) relates the date of his enthronement as Saturday, February 28, 1584. with the highest hierarchical rank, royal blood, and personal integrity, Nicholas was an exemplary leader for the Georgian nation. He struggled to plant the seeds of Christian love between countries of like faith. corresponded with Patriarch Job of Russia (1586-1590) even sent him a horse. also donated a leather-bound illuminated manuscript of the Gospels, copied in 1049, the Metekhi Church of the Theotokos. his book Pilgrimage, the renowned eighteenth-century historian Archbishop Timote (Gabashvili) that there is an icon of Holy Catholicos Nicholas hanging in the refectory at the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos. Timote also describes another refectory, built by Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, and notes, “There, I believe, Catholicos Nicholas Batonishvili reposed.”

Georgia, 1574-1605, Georgian King, Alexander II of Kakheti, econ stability, coup by son and Iran
Georgian King, 1574-1605, Alexander II of Kakheti ; II (1527 – March 12, 1605) of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1574 to 1605. spite of a precarious international situation, he managed to retain relative economic stability in his kingdom and tried to establish contacts with the Tsardom of Russia. Alexander fell victim to the Iran-sponsored coup led by his own son, Constantine I. Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18;

Georgia, 1580-1624, Ketevan the Martyr, Queen of Kakheti, clever and pious, inspired others not to convert, Teimuraz m,
Georgia, 1580-1624, Ketevan the Martyr, Queen of Kakheti; Greatmartyr Ketevan, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; holy Queen Ketevan was the daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, a prominent ruler from the Bagrationi royal family. clever and pious Ketevan was married to Prince David, heir to the throne of Kakheti. David’s father, King Alexander II (1574-1605), had two other sons, George and Constantine, but according to the law the throne belonged to David. Constantine was converted to Islam and raised in the court of the Persian shah Abbas I. years after David and Ketevan were married, King Alexander stepped down from the throne and was tonsured a monk at Alaverdi. But after four months, in the year 1602, the young king David died suddenly. He was survived by his wife, Ketevan, and two children—a son, Teimuraz, and a daughter, Elene—and his father ascended the throne once more. hearing of David’s death and Alexander’s return to the royal throne, Shah Abbas commanded Alexander’s youngest son, Constantine-Mirza, to travel to Kakheti, murder his father and the middle brother, George, and seize the throne of Kakheti. As instructed, Constantine-Mirza beheaded his father and brother, then sent their heads, like a precious gift, to Shah Abbas. headless bodies he sent to Alaverdi. (Since the beginning of the 11th century, Alaverdi had been the resting place of the Kakhetian kings.) The widowed Queen Ketevan was left to bury her father-in-law and brother-in-law. Constantine-Mirza was still unsatisfied, and he proposed to take Queen Ketevan as his wife. at his proposition, the nobles of Kakheti rose up and killed the young man who had committed patricide and profaned his Faith and the throne. Having buried the wicked Constantine-Mirza with the honor befitting his royal ancestry, Ketevan sent generous gifts to Shah Abbas and requested that he proclaim her son, Teimuraz, the rightful heir to the throne. While she was awaiting his reply, Ketevan assumed personal responsibility for the rule of Kakheti. Concerned that, if he denied this request, Kakheti would forcibly separate from him and unite with Kartli, Shah Abbas hastily sent Prince Teimuraz to Georgia, laden with great wealth. 1614 Shah Abbas informed King Teimuraz that his son would be taken hostage, and Teimuraz was forced to send his young son Alexander and his mother Ketevan to Persia. a final attempt to divide the royal family of Kakheti, Shah Abbas demanded that the eldest prince, Levan, be brought before him, and he finally summoned King Teimuraz himself. shah’s intentions were clear: to hold all of the royal family in Persia and send his own viceroys to rule in Kakheti. He sought to eliminate King Luarsab II of Kartli as well, but Teimuraz and Luarsab agreed to attack the Persian army with joint forces and drive the enemy out of Georgia. Abbas sent his hostages, Queen Ketevan and her grandsons, deep into Persia, while he himself launched an attack on Kakheti. fire and the sword the godless ruler plundered all of Georgia. The royal palace was razed, churches and monasteries were destroyed, and entire villages were abandoned. By order of the shah, more than three hundred thousand Georgians were exiled to Persia, and their homes were occupied by Turkic tribes from Central Asia. Hunger and violence reigned over Georgia. defeated Georgian kings Teimuraz and Luarsab sought refuge with King George III of Imereti. they had spent five years exiled in Shiraz (Persia), the princes Alexander and Levan were separated from Ketevan and castrated in Isfahan. Alexander could not endure the suffering and died, while Levan went mad. Ketevan, meanwhile, remained a prisoner of the ruler of southeastern Persia, the ethnic Georgian imam Quli-Khan Undiladze, who regarded the widowed Queen of Kakheti with great respect. According to his command, Ketevan was not to discover the fate of her grandsons. Ketevan spent ten years in prison, praying for her motherland and loved ones with all her might and adhering to a strict ascetic regime. Constant fasting, prayer and a stone bed exhausted her previously pampered body, but in spirit she was courageous and full of vitality. She looked after those assigned to her care and instructed them in the spiritual life. some time Abbas resolved to convert Ketevan to Islam, and he announced his intention to marry her. He asked that his proposal be conveyed to her the same day she was informed of the fate of her grandsons. As a condition of their marriage, Abbas insisted that Ketevan renounce the Christian Faith and convert to Islam. In the case of her acquiescence, Imam Quli-Khan was to respect and honor her as a queen, and in the case of her refusal, to subject her to public torture. alarmed imam begged the queen to submit to the shah’s will and save herself, but the queen firmly refused and began to prepare for her martyrdom. (According to one foreign observer, her steadfastness delayed the Islamization of the Georgians in Persia: “In the course of a conversation at the court of Shah Abbas, where a young and recently converted Georgian was present, the question arose as to why it was that, while all young Georgians were forced to embrace Islam, their mothers were not. The explanation given by one of those present was that since the Queen would not change her faith Georgian mothers likewise refused.” (Z. Avalishvili, “Teimuraz I and His Poem ‘The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan,’” Georgica [vol I, no. 4/5, 1937] pp. 22.) Ketevan was robed in festive attire and led out to a crowded square. Her persecutors subjected her to indescribable torment: they placed a red-hot copper cauldron on her head, tore at her chest with heated tongs, pierced her body with glowing spears, tore off her fingernails, nailed a board to her spine, and finally split her forehead with a red-hot spade. Ketevan’s soul departed from her body, and the executioners cast her mutilated body to the beasts. But the Lord God sent a miracle: her holy relics were illumined with a radiant light. group of French Augustinian missionary fathers, who had witnessed the inhuman tortures, wrapped Queen Ketevan’s body in linens scented with myrrh and incense and buried it in a Catholic monastery. time later the holy relics of Great-martyr Ketevan were delivered to her son, Teimuraz, King of Kakheti. wept bitterly for his mother and sons and buried the relics with great honor in the Alaverdi Cathedral of Saint George. St. Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1 (Not the same Ketevan ?);

Georgia, 1599-1606, King, George X of Kartli, first king to seek help from Russia, sided w persia a Ottomans
Georgian King, 1599-1606, George X of Kartli ; X (c. 1561 - September 7, 1606), of the Bagrationi royal dynasty, was a king of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli from 1599 until his death. was the eldest son of Simon I of Kartli and his wife, Nestan-Darejan of Kakheti. George fought alongside his father against the Ottoman occupation forces since 1598. held power after Simon was taken captive by the Turks at the Battle of Nakhiduri in 1599. George attempted several times, though vainly, to ransom his father (who would die as a prisoner in 1612) from captivity and even offered to the Sublime Porte his son as hostage. He soon returned to his struggle against the Ottomans and recovered Lorri in 1601. In 1602, when the Safavid shah of Persia Abbas I resumed a war against the Ottomans, George sided with the Persians and led the Georgian auxiliary troops which took part in the conquest of Erivan in 1603/1604. As a reward, Abbas I granted Giorgi X a minor possession in Iran. In exchange, the shah asked for an area in the Debed River valley in the strategic Lorri district. Abbas I populated this territory with members of the Turkmen tribe Borchali. Finally, the Shah permitted Giorgi X to return to Kartli. was the first king of Kartli who attempted to establish diplomatic ties with the northern co-religionist power of Muscovy. George decided even to give his daughter Elene to the Czar Boris Godunov in marriage. However, unstable political situation in both countries terminated these contacts. to Georgian chronicles, George X died suddenly, from a sting on his tongue, after biting into a cake with a bee in it, at Mejvriskhevi, 1606. There have also been some speculations that the king was poisoned on the orders of the shah Abbas I.[1] He was buried at Mtskheta. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Georgia, 1600, 17th Century Folder, Persian Resettlement, Catolicos Evdemoz, Queen Ketevan

Georgia, 1601-1602, King, David I of Kakheti, forced f to abdicate, loyalty to Rus Tsar, forced other to Tsar
Georgian King, 1601-1602, David I of Kakheti; I (1569 – October 21, 1602), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from October 1601 until his death in October 1602. was a son of Alexander II of Kakheti by his wife Tinatin Amilakhvari. In mid-1601, he capitalized on the illness of his father and gained an effective control of the government, sidelining his younger brother George. When Alexander recovered, David refused to relinquish his powers and forced his father into abdication in October 1601. David was crowned king of Kakheti, but his brother, George, masterminded a plot which quickly collapsed and led to repressions. David had George imprisoned while seventeen of his supporters were executed. ’s foreign policy was a continuation of his father’s line. In 1602, he received a Russian embassy and reaffirmed his loyalty to the tsar. He then marched against Nugzar, the defiant lord of the Aragvi and forced him into submission. suddenly died on October 21, 1602, and Alexander II recovered the crown. David is also remembered as a translator of a portion of the Tales of Kalila and Dimna from Persian. David married, c. 1581, Ketevan, daughter of Ashotan I, Prince of Mukhrani. They were the parents of: Teimuraz I of Kakheti, King of Kakheti Prince Vakhtang (died 1604) Princess Helene, given in marriage to Abbas I of Persia.[1][2] Princess Marta, married Abbas I of Persia Georgian Queen, 1601-1602, Ketevan the Martyr; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Georgia, 1601-1602, Ketevan the Martyr, Queen, Teimuraz' m, regent, sent to P with gs Alex, T attacks P, Gs exiled to P
Georgian Queen, 1601-1602, Ketevan the Martyr; the Martyr (c. 1560 - September 13, 1624) was a queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. She was regent of Kakheti during the minority of her son Teimuraz I of Kakheti from 1605 to 1614. She was killed at Shiraz, Iran, after prolonged tortures by the Safavid suzerains of Kakheti for refusing to give up the Christian faith and convert to Islam. She has been canonized as a saint by the Georgian Orthodox Church. Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; holy Queen Ketevan was the daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, a prominent ruler from the Bagrationi royal family. The clever and pious Ketevan was married to Prince David, heir to the throne of Kakheti. David’s father, King Alexander II (1574-1605), had two other sons, George and Constantine, but according to the law the throne belonged to David. Constantine was converted to Islam and raised in the court of the Persian shah Abbas I. years after David and Ketevan were married, King Alexander stepped down from the throne and was tonsured a monk at Alaverdi. But after four months, in the year 1602, the young king David died suddenly. He was survived by his wife, Ketevan, and two children—a son, Teimuraz, and a daughter, Elene—and his father ascended the throne once more. hearing of David’s death and Alexander’s return to the royal throne, Shah Abbas commanded Alexander’s youngest son, Constantine-Mirza, to travel to Kakheti, murder his father and the middle brother, George, and seize the throne of Kakheti. As instructed, Constantine-Mirza beheaded his father and brother, then sent their heads, like a precious gift, to Shah Abbas. headless bodies he sent to Alaverdi. (Since the beginning of the 11th century, Alaverdi had been the resting place of the Kakhetian kings.) The widowed Queen Ketevan was left to bury her father-in-law and brother-in-law. Constantine-Mirza was still unsatisfied, and he proposed to take Queen Ketevan as his wife. at his proposition, the nobles of Kakheti rose up and killed the young man who had committed patricide and profaned his Faith and the throne. Having buried the wicked Constantine-Mirza with the honor befitting his royal ancestry, Ketevan sent generous gifts to Shah Abbas and requested that he proclaim her son, Teimuraz, the rightful heir to the throne. she was awaiting his reply, Ketevan assumed personal responsibility for the rule of Kakheti. Concerned that, if he denied this request, Kakheti would forcibly separate from him and unite with Kartli, Shah Abbas hastily sent Prince Teimuraz to Georgia, laden with great wealth. 1614 Shah Abbas informed King Teimuraz that his son would be taken hostage, and Teimuraz was forced to send his young son Alexander and his mother Ketevan to Persia. As a final attempt to divide the royal family of Kakheti, Shah Abbas demanded that the eldest prince, Levan, be brought before him, and he finally summoned King Teimuraz himself. shah’s intentions were clear: to hold all of the royal family in Persia and send his own viceroys to rule in Kakheti. He sought to eliminate King Luarsab II of Kartli as well, but Teimuraz and Luarsab agreed to attack the Persian army with joint forces and drive the enemy out of Georgia. Abbas sent his hostages, Queen Ketevan and her grandsons, deep into Persia, while he himself launched an attack on Kakheti. fire and the sword the godless ruler plundered all of Georgia. The royal palace was razed, churches and monasteries were destroyed, and entire villages were abandoned. By order of the shah, more than three hundred thousand Georgians were exiled to Persia, and their homes were occupied by Turkic tribes from Central Asia. Hunger and violence reigned over Georgia. defeated Georgian kings Teimuraz and Luarsab sought refuge with King George III of Imereti. they had spent five years exiled in Shiraz (Persia), the princes Alexander and Levan were separated from Ketevan and castrated in Isfahan. Alexander could not endure the suffering and died, while Levan went mad. Ketevan, meanwhile, remained a prisoner of the ruler of southeastern Persia, the ethnic Georgian imam Quli-Khan Undiladze, who regarded the widowed Queen of Kakheti with great respect. According to his command, Ketevan was not to discover the fate of her grandsons. Ketevan spent ten years in prison, praying for her motherland and loved ones with all her might and adhering to a strict ascetic regime. Constant fasting, prayer and a stone bed exhausted her previously pampered body, but in spirit she was courageous and full of vitality. She looked after those assigned to her care and instructed them in the spiritual life. some time Abbas resolved to convert Ketevan to Islam, and he announced his intention to marry her. He asked that his proposal be conveyed to her the same day she was informed of the fate of her grandsons. As a condition of their marriage, Abbas insisted that Ketevan renounce the Christian Faith and convert to Islam. In the case of her acquiescence, Imam Quli-Khan was to respect and honor her as a queen, and in the case of her refusal, to subject her to public torture. alarmed imam begged the queen to submit to the shah’s will and save herself, but the queen firmly refused and began to prepare for her martyrdom. (According to one foreign observer, her steadfastness delayed the Islamization of the Georgians in Persia: “In the course of a conversation at the court of Shah Abbas, where a young and recently converted Georgian was present, the question arose as to why it was that, while all young Georgians were forced to embrace Islam, their mothers were not. The explanation given by one of those present was that since the Queen would not change her faith Georgian mothers likewise refused.” (Z. Avalishvili, “Teimuraz I and His Poem ‘The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan,’” Georgica [vol I, no. 4/5, 1937] pp. 22.) Ketevan was robed in festive attire and led out to a crowded square. Her persecutors subjected her to indescribable torment: they placed a red-hot copper cauldron on her head, tore at her chest with heated tongs, pierced her body with glowing spears, tore off her fingernails, nailed a board to her spine, and finally split her forehead with a red-hot spade. Ketevan’s soul departed from her body, and the executioners cast her mutilated body to the beasts. But the Lord God sent a miracle: her holy relics were illumined with a radiant light. group of French Augustinian missionary fathers, who had witnessed the inhuman tortures, wrapped Queen Ketevan’s body in linens scented with myrrh and incense and buried it in a Catholic monastery. time later the holy relics of Great-martyr Ketevan were delivered to her son, Teimuraz, King of Kakheti. wept bitterly for his mother and sons and buried the relics with great honor in the Alaverdi Cathedral of Saint George.

Georgia, 1605, George of Kakheti, revolted against b David, pacified, coup plot, released by f, regent, Russian allegiance
Georgian Prince, 1605, Prince George of Kakheti (died 1605); (ca. 1570 - 12 March 1605), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a crown prince (batonishvili) of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia. was a son of Alexander II, king of Kakheti (1574-1605), who was temporarily dispossessed of the crown by his oldest son David I in 1601. revolted against David, who managed to pacify his defiant brother through awarding him a large estate. Nevertheless, George conspired with some of the oppositionist nobles, in 1602, to murder David, but the plot collapsed and the prince fled to the neighboring Georgian ruler, George X of Kartli, who, however, surrendered him to David. George was cast in prison and released when his father, Alexander II, was able to resume his reign upon David's death. functioned as a regent during his father’s absence at the Safavid Iranian court from early 1604 to March 1605. In August 1604, he received Russian ambassadors and in October employed their armed entourage of 40 musketeers in defeating the expedition of the governors of Ganja and Shemakha against the frontier town of Zagem. January 1, 1605, George pledged his allegiance to the Tsar of Russia. was murdered, together with Alexander II, by his Islamized brother Constantin Khan on 12 March 1605.[1] He was survived by two sons, Iese (died 1625) and Konstantine (fl. 1593), and a daughter, Elene, who was married to Prince Parsadan Tsitsishvili (fl. 1609–1640). Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Georgia, 1605, King, Constantine I of Kakheti, Shia, beheaded his father and brother, proposed to Ketevan, killed by nobles
Georgian Queen, 1601-1602, Ketevan the Martyr; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; hearing of David’s death and Alexander’s return to the royal throne, Shah Abbas commanded Alexander’s youngest son, Constantine-Mirza, to travel to Kakheti, murder his father and the middle brother, George, and seize the throne of Kakheti. As instructed, Constantine-Mirza beheaded his father and brother, then sent their heads, like a precious gift, to Shah Abbas. headless bodies he sent to Alaverdi. (Since the beginning of the 11th century, Alaverdi had been the resting place of the Kakhetian kings.) The widowed Queen Ketevan was left to bury her father-in-law and brother-in-law. Constantine-Mirza was still unsatisfied, and he proposed to take Queen Ketevan as his wife. at his proposition, the nobles of Kakheti rose up and killed the young man who had committed patricide and profaned his Faith and the throne. Having buried the wicked Constantine-Mirza with the honor befitting his royal ancestry, Ketevan sent generous gifts to Shah Abbas and requested that he proclaim her son, Teimuraz, the rightful heir to the throne. holy Queen Ketevan was the daughter of Ashotan Mukhran-Batoni, a prominent ruler from the Bagrationi royal family. The clever and pious Ketevan was married to Prince David, heir to the throne of Kakheti. David’s father, King Alexander II (1574-1605), had two other sons, George and Constantine, but according to the law the throne belonged to David. Constantine was converted to Islam and raised in the court of the Persian shah Abbas I. years after David and Ketevan were married, King Alexander stepped down from the throne and was tonsured a monk at Alaverdi. But after four months, in the year 1602, the young king David died suddenly. He was survived by his wife, Ketevan, and two children—a son, Teimuraz, and a daughter, Elene—and his father ascended the throne once more. hearing of David’s death and Alexander’s return to the royal throne, Shah Abbas commanded Alexander’s youngest son, Constantine-Mirza, to travel to Kakheti, murder his father and the middle brother, George, and seize the throne of Kakheti. As instructed, Constantine-Mirza beheaded his father and brother, then sent their heads, like a precious gift, to Shah Abbas. headless bodies he sent to Alaverdi. (Since the beginning of the 11th century, Alaverdi had been the resting place of the Kakhetian kings.) The widowed Queen Ketevan was left to bury her father-in-law and brother-in-law. Constantine-Mirza was still unsatisfied, and he proposed to take Queen Ketevan as his wife. at his proposition, the nobles of Kakheti rose up and killed the young man who had committed patricide and profaned his Faith and the throne. Having buried the wicked Constantine-Mirza with the honor befitting his royal ancestry, Ketevan sent generous gifts to Shah Abbas and requested that he proclaim her son, Teimuraz, the rightful heir to the throne. she was awaiting his reply, Ketevan assumed personal responsibility for the rule of Kakheti. Concerned that, if he denied this request, Kakheti would forcibly separate from him and unite with Kartli, Shah Abbas hastily sent Prince Teimuraz to Georgia, laden with great wealth. 1614 Shah Abbas informed King Teimuraz that his son would be taken hostage, and Teimuraz was forced to send his young son Alexander and his mother Ketevan to Persia. As a final attempt to divide the royal family of Kakheti, Shah Abbas demanded that the eldest prince, Levan, be brought before him, and he finally summoned King Teimuraz himself. shah’s intentions were clear: to hold all of the royal family in Persia and send his own viceroys to rule in Kakheti. He sought to eliminate King Luarsab II of Kartli as well, but Teimuraz and Luarsab agreed to attack the Persian army with joint forces and drive the enemy out of Georgia. Abbas sent his hostages, Queen Ketevan and her grandsons, deep into Persia, while he himself launched an attack on Kakheti. fire and the sword the godless ruler plundered all of Georgia. The royal palace was razed, churches and monasteries were destroyed, and entire villages were abandoned. By order of the shah, more than three hundred thousand Georgians were exiled to Persia, and their homes were occupied by Turkic tribes from Central Asia. Hunger and violence reigned over Georgia. defeated Georgian kings Teimuraz and Luarsab sought refuge with King George III of Imereti. they had spent five years exiled in Shiraz (Persia), the princes Alexander and Levan were separated from Ketevan and castrated in Isfahan. Alexander could not endure the suffering and died, while Levan went mad. Ketevan, meanwhile, remained a prisoner of the ruler of southeastern Persia, the ethnic Georgian imam Quli-Khan Undiladze, who regarded the widowed Queen of Kakheti with great respect. According to his command, Ketevan was not to discover the fate of her grandsons. Ketevan spent ten years in prison, praying for her motherland and loved ones with all her might and adhering to a strict ascetic regime. Constant fasting, prayer and a stone bed exhausted her previously pampered body, but in spirit she was courageous and full of vitality. She looked after those assigned to her care and instructed them in the spiritual life. some time Abbas resolved to convert Ketevan to Islam, and he announced his intention to marry her. He asked that his proposal be conveyed to her the same day she was informed of the fate of her grandsons. As a condition of their marriage, Abbas insisted that Ketevan renounce the Christian Faith and convert to Islam. In the case of her acquiescence, Imam Quli-Khan was to respect and honor her as a queen, and in the case of her refusal, to subject her to public torture. alarmed imam begged the queen to submit to the shah’s will and save herself, but the queen firmly refused and began to prepare for her martyrdom. (According to one foreign observer, her steadfastness delayed the Islamization of the Georgians in Persia: “In the course of a conversation at the court of Shah Abbas, where a young and recently converted Georgian was present, the question arose as to why it was that, while all young Georgians were forced to embrace Islam, their mothers were not. The explanation given by one of those present was that since the Queen would not change her faith Georgian mothers likewise refused.” (Z. Avalishvili, “Teimuraz I and His Poem ‘The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan,’” Georgica [vol I, no. 4/5, 1937] pp. 22.) Ketevan was robed in festive attire and led out to a crowded square. Her persecutors subjected her to indescribable torment: they placed a red-hot copper cauldron on her head, tore at her chest with heated tongs, pierced her body with glowing spears, tore off her fingernails, nailed a board to her spine, and finally split her forehead with a red-hot spade. Ketevan’s soul departed from her body, and the executioners cast her mutilated body to the beasts. But the Lord God sent a miracle: her holy relics were illumined with a radiant light. group of French Augustinian missionary fathers, who had witnessed the inhuman tortures, wrapped Queen Ketevan’s body in linens scented with myrrh and incense and buried it in a Catholic monastery. time later the holy relics of Great-martyr Ketevan were delivered to her son, Teimuraz, King of Kakheti. wept bitterly for his mother and sons and buried the relics with great honor in the Alaverdi Cathedral of Saint George. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Georgia, 1605-1648, King, Teimuraz I of Kakheti, raised in Persia, 50 yr struggle against Persia, Ketevan's son
Georgian King, 1605-1648, Teimuraz I of Kakheti ; I (1589-1661), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled, with intermissions, as King of Kakheti from 1605 to 1648 and also of Kartli from 1625 to 1633. The eldest son of David I and Ketevan, Teimuraz spent most of his childhood at the court of Shah of Iran, where he came to be known as Tahmuras Khan. He was made king of Kakheti following a revolt against his reigning uncle, Constantine I, in 1605. 1614 on, he waged a five-decade long struggle against the Safavid Iranian domination of Georgia in the course of which he lost several members of his family and ended up his life as the shah's prisoner at Astarabad at the age of 74. versatile poet and admirer of Persian poetry, Teimuraz translated into Georgian several Persian love-stories and transformed the personal experiences of his long and difficult reign into a series of original poems influenced by the contemporary Persian tradition.[2] 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Georgia, 1605-1639, King George III of Imereti, allied with Teimuraz I of Kakheti
Georgia, 1605-1639, King George III of Imereti; III (died 1639), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was a king of Imereti from 1605 to 1639. was a natural half-brother of Rostom of Imereti on whose death he succeeded in 1605, but his authority was seriously challenged by the energetic prince of Mingrelia, Levan II Dadiani, whose increasing influence over the western Georgian polities George tried to restrict without any success. In 1623, Levan, with a combined Mingrelian-Abkhaziann army, inflicted a heavy defeat upon the royal troops. his quest for allies, George established close ties with the influential eastern Georgian noble Giorgi Saakadze who employed an Imeretian force in his struggle against King Teimuraz I of Kakheti. Saakadze's defeat in 1626, George made an alliance with Teimuraz and arranged a marriage between his son, Alexander (III), and Teimuraz's daughter Darejan (1629). This, however, failed to bring the feudal anarchy in Imereti to an end and the unrest continued. in his reign, George III once again campaigned against Levan Dadiani, but was defeated and taken captive. He was ransomed by his son Alexander, but George did not live long and died in 1639. III of Imereti was married to the certain Tamar (died 1639). He had four sons and one daughter: Alexander III (1609–1 March 1660), King of Imereti; Rostom (fl. 1619–1639); Mamuka (died 1654), military commander; Beri, Archbishop of Gelati as Svimeon Genateli (fl. 1639); Khvaramze (fl. 1619–1626), married to Avtandil Saakadze (died 1629), son of Giorgi Saakadze. Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Georgia, 1606-1616, King, Luarsab II of Kartli, w Teimuraz I of Kakheti and George III of Imereti, martyred by Abbas I
Georgian King, 1606-1616, Luarsab II of Kartli ; II the Holy Martyr (1592 - 21 June (O.S.), 1 July (N.S.), 1622), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kartli (eastern Georgia) from 1606 to 1615. is known for his martyr’s death at the hands of the Persian shah Abbas I. The Georgian Orthodox Church regards him as saint and marks his memory on the day of his death, July 1. ascended the Kartlian throne at the age of 14 after his father, Giorgi X, suddenly died in 1606. During his minority, the government was actually run by a royal tutor Shadiman Baratashvili. ---------------------------------------------It was when Abbas I succeeded in driving the Ottoman armies out of eastern Georgia, leaving a Persian force in Tbilisi, and confirming Luarsab as king of Kartli. The Ottomans attempted to remove Luarsab, sending in Georgia a large army, only to be destroyed by the Georgian general Giorgi Saakadze at the Battle of Tashiskari, 1609. this victory, Luarsab was granted again the control of the citadel of Tbilisi and the shah married his sister Tinatin, 1610. Late in 1611, Luarsab himself married Makrine, a sister of a lower-class noble Saakadze. The great nobles of the realm led by Shadiman Baratashvili convinced the king that Saakadze was a Persian agent seeking a royal crown. They induced Luarsab to divorce Makrine and forced Saakadze into exile to Persia. Abbas indeed demanded more loyalty and obedience from the Georgians and encouraged a khan of Kazakh Mohammad to trouble the Kartlian lands.[citation needed] 1612, Luarsab had Mohammad Khan assassinated[1] and allied with another Georgian monarch, Teimuraz I of Kakheti to counter an anticipated Persian aggression. in 1614, a large Persian army invaded Kakheti, destroying several settlements on its way, and moved into Kartli. Luarsab and Teimuraz fled to a western Georgian Kingdom of Imereti. III of Imereti refused to surrender the refugees. Abbas threatened Kartli with ruin, promising that if Luarsab submitted, he would conclude a peace. In October 1615, Luarsab surrendered to save his kingdom from being wiped out, and, refusing to convert to Islam, was incarcerated first in Astarabad and then somewhere near Shiraz. Georgians attempted to free their king through the mediation of Tsar Mikhail I of Russia. However, the negotiations yielded no results and, in 1622, Luarsab was executed (strangled with a bow string) on the orders of the shah at the fortress of Qal‘eh-ye GolÄb in southwest Iran.[2] Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Theodore (Tevdore) of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Tevdore was a simple priest who labored in the 16th century in the village of Kvelta. At that time the Ottoman Empire and Persia were locked in a bitter feud over control of the Near East. At the beginning of 1609 the Ottomans conquered first the city of Baghdadi, then part of Samtskhe in southern Georgia. In June of that year they launched an attack on eastern Georgia. that time the Georgian ruler was the young King Luarsab II. When the Ottomans penetrated Kartli, the king was absent, abiding in his summer residence, Tskhireti Castle. But the Ottomans knew the location of his castle, and they also knew that his troops were small in number. They plotted to lay siege to the castle, capture the king, and ultimately annex all of Georgia. Ottomans quickly crossed the Trialeti mountain range and advanced into Manglisi, pillaging the lands and laying waste to the people as they went. Miraculously, the Manglisi Church of the Most Holy Mother of God remained unharmed. One chronicler wrote: “A dense fog surrounded the church and village, concealing it from the enemy.â€ Luarsab had received no warning of the attack, and the enemy was just minutes from his castle. the village of Kvelta, not far from Manglisi, the Turks captured the priest Tevdore, a man sincere before God and devoted to his king and motherland. Fr. Tevdore was unable to escape to the woods with the other villagers, so he locked the doors to the church and concealed its sacred treasures. When the Ottoman Turks found Fr. Tevdore, they commanded him to lead them to Tskhireti Castle and threatened to kill him if he refused. to deceive them, Tevdore led the Ottomans along a narrow, rocky mountain path away from Tskhireti Castle. Many horses and soldiers fell from the path to their deaths. after some time the Ottomans realized that the priest had led them in the wrong direction. Embittered and hungry for revenge, they beheaded Fr. Tevdore. a result of Saint Tevdore’s great sacrifice, Saint Luarsab had time to strengthen his fortifications, assemble his armies, and finally annihilate the enemy.

Georgia, 1609, Turkish Invasion, Kvenadkotsi, Georgia (between Gori and Surami) 60k Persians to flight
In 1609 Georgia suffered invasion by a Turkish army under the leadership of Deli-Mamad-khan. The young emperor gave decisive battle to the Turks near the village of Kvenadkotsi (between Gori and Surami). On the eve of battle the 14,000 Georgians spent all night in prayer. In the morning after Divine Liturgy and having received the Holy Mysteries, the Georgian forces put 60,000 enemy soldiers to flight in a heroic battle. Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Georgia, 1615-1619, King, Bagrat VII of Kartli, moslem, khan for Persian Abbas I, disgusted by Kartlians
Georgian King, 1615-1619, Bagrat VII of Kartli; VII (1569–1619), also known as Bagrat Khan, was King of Kartli, eastern Georgia, effectively serving as a khan for the Persian shah Abbas I from 1615/1616 to 1619. 1 Life 2 Family 3 References 4 Sources 5 External links son of David XI of Kartli, he took refuge in Persia after his father was dislodged by the Ottoman invasion in 1578. He was raised at the shah’s court in Isfahan, brought up Muslim and adopted Persian customs.[1] Later, for his efforts, he was given a fiefdom in mainland Iran.[2] Around the mid 1590s, he assisted Farhad Khan Qaramanlu in arranging a match for Abbas I with a daughter of the Amilakhori noble family.[2] 1615/1616, he was installed by Abbas I as a puppet king/khan in Kartli on the deposition of his cousin, King Luarsab II the Martyr. exercised only a limited power confined to Lower Kartli and largely relied on Persian forces. Considered as a renegade, he was disgusted by most of the kingdom’s population and, in spite of the Persian presence, he was unable to control even seemingly loyal nobility. short reign was spent mostly in the town of Bolnisi, where he died in 1619, to be succeeded by his son, Simon II (Semayun Khan). His half-brother Khosrow was given his land in Iran.[2] 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3 ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Georgia, 1616, Abbas I of Persia war with Georgia
Abbas I of Persia attack on Georgia (1616) ; returned to eastern Georgia in 1615, taking advantage of a resurgence in Ottoman-Safavid hostilities, and there he defeated a Safavid force. However, when the Ottoman army postponed its invasion of the Safavids, Abbas was able to briefly send an army back to defeat Teimuraz, and redoubled his invasion after brokering a truce with the Ottomans.[77] Now Iranian rule was fully restored over eastern Georgia.[78] Subsequently, the Shah marched on Kutaisi, the capital of Imereti, and punished its peoples for harbouring the defectors.[citation needed] In a punitive expedition to Kakhetia, his army then killed perhaps 60–70,000[39][40][41][79] or 100,000[77] Georgians, with twice as many more being deported to Iran, removing about two-thirds of the Kakhetian population.[80][77] More refugees were rounded up in 1617.[77] In 1619 Abbas appointed the loyal Simon II (or Semayun Khan) as a puppet ruler of Kakheti, while placing a series of his own governors to rule over districts where the rebellious inhabitants were mostly located.[49] the Georgian uprisings[edit] Teimuraz I of Kakheti (also known as Tahmuras Khan). See also: Abbas I's Kakhetian and Kartlian campaigns Rostom (also known as Rustam Khan), viceroy of Kartli, eastern Georgia, from 1633–1658. 1614 and 1616, during the Ottoman-Safavid War, Abbas suppressed a rebellion led by his formerly loyal Georgian subjects Luarsab II and Teimuraz I in the Kingdom of Kakheti. 1606, Abbas had appointed these Georgians onto the thrones of Safavid vassals Kartli and Kakheti, at the behest of Kartlian nobles and Teimuraz's mother Ketevan; both seemed like malleable youths.[77] tensions soon arose between the Shah and the Georgian kings. In 1613, when the Shah summoned them to join him on a hunting expedition in Mazandaran, they did not appear as they feared that they would be either imprisoned or killed.[49] this point war broke out, Iranian armies invaded the two territories in March 1614, and the two allied kings subsequently sought refuge in the Ottoman vassal Imeretia.[77] Abbas, as reported by the Safavid court historian Iskander Beg Munshi, was infuriated by what was perceived as the defection of two of his most trusted subjects and gholams.[49] deported 30,000 Kakhetian peasants to Iran, and appointed a grandson of Alexander II of Imereti to the throne of Kartli, Jesse of Kakheti.[49][77] Raised up at the court in Isfahan and a Muslim, he was perceived as fully loyal to the Shah. threatened Imeretia with devastation if they did not give up the fugitive kings; the Imeretian, Mingrelian and Gurian rulers jointly refused his demand. however, surrendered voluntarily to the Shah; Abbas initially treated him well but when he learned that Luarsab and Teimuraz had offered an alliance with the Ottomans he demanded that Luarsab accept Islam. When Luarsab refused, he was thrown in prison.[77] returned to eastern Georgia in 1615, taking advantage of a resurgence in Ottoman-Safavid hostilities, and there he defeated a Safavid force. However, when the Ottoman army postponed its invasion of the Safavids, Abbas was able to briefly send an army back to defeat Teimuraz, and redoubled his invasion after brokering a truce with the Ottomans.[77] Now Iranian rule was fully restored over eastern Georgia.[78] Subsequently, the Shah marched on Kutaisi, the capital of Imereti, and punished its peoples for harbouring the defectors.[citation needed] In a punitive expedition to Kakhetia, his army then killed perhaps 60–70,000[39][40][41][79] or 100,000[77] Georgians, with twice as many more being deported to Iran, removing about two-thirds of the Kakhetian population.[80][77] More refugees were rounded up in 1617.[77] In 1619 Abbas appointed the loyal Simon II (or Semayun Khan) as a puppet ruler of Kakheti, while placing a series of his own governors to rule over districts where the rebellious inhabitants were mostly located.[49] momentarily secured the region, Abbas took further acts of revenge for the recalcitrance of Teimuraz and Luarsab. He castrated Teimuraz's sons, who both died shortly afterwards.[77] He executed Luarsab in 1622, and in 1624 he had Ketevan, who had been sent to the Shah as a negotiator, tortured to death when she refused to renounce Christianity.[81][82][77] Teimuraz, meanwhile, sought aid from the Ottomans and Russia.[77] was then warned of another imminent Kakhetian uprising, so he returned to Georgia in early 1625. He lured Kakhetian soldiers on a false pretext and then began executing them. He also had plans to execute all armed Kartlians, including his own general Giorgi Saakadze; however Saakadze intercepted a courier and uncovered the plot. Saakadze then defected to the Georgians, and led a new rebellion which succeeded in throwing the Persians out of Kartli and Kakheti while crowning Teimuraz as king of both territories. Abbas counterattacked in June, won the subsequent war and dethroned Teimuraz, but lost half his army at the hands of the Georgians and was forced to accept Kartli and Kakheti only as vassal states while abandoning his plans to eliminate Christians from the area.[77] then, Saakadze and Teimuraz launched another rebellion in 1626, and were effective in clearing Iranian forces from most of the region.[77] Thus, the Georgian territories continued to resist Safavid encroachments until Abbas' death.[78] 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26;

Georgia, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja, Georgia, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, myrrh to this day
Georgia, 1616, 6,000 Martyrs of David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), while, Celebrating Resurrection with lights, angel gave them choice, die and be or flee, only 2 fled, rose bush in dry soil, bones stream myrrh to this day; David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; 1616 the Persian shah Abbas I led his enormous army in an attack on Georgia. quenched his thirst for the blood of the Christians, he arranged a hunt in the valley of Gare (Outer) Kakheti. He encamped with his escorts in the mountains of Gareji and spent the night in that place. midnight the shah’s attention was drawn to a flaming column of lights advancing up the mountain. At first he took it to be an apparition. He was soon informed, however, that a famous monastery was situated in that place and on that night the monks were circling their church three times with lighted candles in celebration of Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Immediately the shah commanded his army to march to the monastery and destroy all those found celebrating. same night an angel of the Lord appeared to Abbot Arsenius of David-Gareji and told him, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling the brothers to His Heavenly Kingdom. On this night great suffering awaits you—you will be killed by the sword. He who desires to prolong his earthly life, let him flee, but he who thirsts to purify his soul for eternity, let him perish by the sword, and the Lord God will adorn him with the crown of immortality. Tell this to all who dwell in the monastery, and let each man choose for himself!” abbot informed the monks about his vision, and they began to prepare for their imminent sufferings. Only two young monks feared death and fled to a mountain not far from the monastery. the chanting of the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the Paschal Liturgy, the monastery was completely surrounded by Persian warriors. Abbot Arsenius stepped out of the church and approached their leader to request that the monks be given a bit more time to finish the service and for all the brothers to receive Holy Communion. Persians consulted among themselves and agreed to honor this request. The fathers partook of the Holy Gifts, encouraged one another, and presented themselves clad in festive garments before the unbelievers. the Persians beheaded Abbot Arsenius; then they massacred his brothers in Christ without mercy. the Persians finished killing the monks, they were organized into several regiments and made their way towards the other monasteries of the Gareji Wilderness. Halfway between the Chichkhituri and Saint John the Baptist Monasteries the Muslims captured the two young monks who had earlier fled and demanded that they convert to Islam. monks refused to abandon the Christian Faith and for this they were killed. A rose bush grew up in the place where they were killed and continued to fragrantly blossom through the 19th century, despite the dry and rocky soil. the end of the 17th century, King Archil gathered the bones of the martyrs with great reverence and buried them in a large stone reliquary to the left of the altar in the Transfiguration Church of David-Gareji Monastery. Their holy relics continue to stream myrrh to this day. brothers of the Monasteries of Saint David of Gareji and Saint John the Baptist received a blessing from Catholicos Anton I to compose a commemorative service for the martyrs and to designate their feast day as Bright Tuesday, or the third day of Holy Pascha.

Georgia, 1616, Persian Capture of Tbilisi and Gokce war, Shah Abbas 1, Resettlement
Shah Abbas 1; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and Gokce war 1616 Shah Abbas 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ;

Georgia, 1617-1642, Eudemus I, labors of the Catholicos and Queen Mariam, the Christian Georgian soul not extinguished
Georgia, 1617-1642, Saint, Eudemus I, Catholicos of Georgia; Bodbe Monastery; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; Evdemoz led the Georgian Orthodox Church in the mid-17th century during the reign of King Rostom-Khan (1632-1658), a Georgian who had converted to Islam. murdered King Luarsab II of Kartli and chased out King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the Persian shah Abbas I had declared Rostom-Khan ruler of a unified Kartli-Kakheti kingdom. tried to be accommodating in his policies and protect the beliefs and traditions of both the Persian shah and the Georgian people: he set a standard salary for the Georgian clergy and even built churches, but society deteriorated rapidly nevertheless. Human vices became commonplace, and sins like those of Sodom and Gomorrah were multiplied. The nation was so overtaken by sin that even the clergy ceased to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their God-given role. the chief shepherd of the Georgian nation would not yield to the moral decline of his flock, and he confronted this crisis with conviction and fearlessness. Several times he led his most valiant military leaders in revolt against Persia. Following the example of Catholicos Evdemoz, several Georgian princes rebelled against the pro-Persian policies of Rostom-Khan and cast out the Islamic influence from their territories. Evdemoz resisted the Islamic custom of raising the king’s heirs in the shah’s court from a young age. He was never too intimidated by the king to expose his wrongdoing and tell him at every convenient opportunity: “You are the natural father of the Muslims, but the stepfather of the Christians!” was the spiritual father of Rostom-Khan’s wife, the faithful Queen Mariam, the daughter of Manuchar Dadiani, Prince of Samegrelo. a result of the holy labors of Catholicos Evdemoz and Queen Mariam, the Christian soul of the Georgian people was not entirely extinguished. The Georgians built churches, wrote spiritual literature, and gradually regained their national consciousness. Catholicos Evdemoz preached throughout the country and developed and implemented a plan to bring King Teimuraz, who had been driven out by Shah Abbas, back to the throne. Rostom-Khan felt threatened by the strong influence Catholicos Evdemoz had on the people. In 1642 he arrested the chief shepherd of the Georgian people and tried to win him over, but neither his feigned tenderness nor his threats could break the firm will of the man who loved Christ and his motherland above all else. After his arrest, Saint Evdemoz criticized the king even more harshly and called on the people to rise up against him. Finally Rostom-Khan ordered that Catholicos Evdemoz be strangled to death in his prison cell, and as a further insult, his body was cast off Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi) in the direction of the Turkish baths. night, a group of Christians stole the body of the holy hieromartyr Catholicos-Patriarch Evdemoz and buried it in the northwest corner of Anchiskhati Church in Tbilisi. St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ;

Georgia, 1621-1682, Mariam, labors of t Queen and Evdemoz, t Christian Georgian soul not extinguished, 3 marriages
Mingrelia (Samegrelo); Georgia, 1621-1682, Queen Mariam Dadiani; Dadiani (born between 1599 and 1609;[1] died 1682) was a daughter of Manuchar I Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, by his second wife, Tamar Jaqeli. married, successively to Simon I Gurieli, Prince of Guria, in 1621, King Rostom of Kartli in 1638, and the latter's adopted son and successor, King Vakhtang V in 1658. dynastic marriages were part of complex political relations in the successor states of the former Kingdom of Georgia. Her first marriage was disrupted by her half-brother Levan II Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, in response to Simon Gurieli's patricidal coup. The second marriage, that with Rostom of Kartli, turned Mariam into an important figure in the contemporaneous Georgian politics. The wedding entourage was a thousands-strong army, which had to fight their way to Kartli against the forces of the principal opponent of the union, King George III of Imereti, an ally of Rostom's major foe, King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, being a factor of rapprochement between Mingrelia and Kartli, Mariam, a devout Christian, acted as a protector of Georgian Christianity in lieu of her Muslim and religiously tolerant husband and helped relax religious tension in the country. At her request, the couple's wedding ceremony was held in a Christian rite. The queen had several churches repaired and restored and the medieval Georgian chronicles copied and compiled. only child, born of her first marriage to Prince Gurieli, died young. The childless Rostom, anxious to secure the dynastic survival of the Bagrationi family under the protection of the Safavid empire of Iran, adopted the prince of Mukhrani, also of Bagrationi descent, who succeeded on his death as Vakhtang V and married the queen dowager Mariam as her third husband. She outlived Vakhtang and died aged over 70. She was buried with royal honors at the Cathedral of the Living Pillar at Mtskheta. Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; Evdemoz led the Georgian Orthodox Church in the mid-17th century during the reign of King Rostom-Khan (1632-1658), a Georgian who had converted to Islam. murdered King Luarsab II of Kartli and chased out King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the Persian shah Abbas I had declared Rostom-Khan ruler of a unified Kartli-Kakheti kingdom. tried to be accommodating in his policies and protect the beliefs and traditions of both the Persian shah and the Georgian people: he set a standard salary for the Georgian clergy and even built churches, but society deteriorated rapidly nevertheless. Human vices became commonplace, and sins like those of Sodom and Gomorrah were multiplied. The nation was so overtaken by sin that even the clergy ceased to conduct themselves in a manner befitting their God-given role. the chief shepherd of the Georgian nation would not yield to the moral decline of his flock, and he confronted this crisis with conviction and fearlessness. Several times he led his most valiant military leaders in revolt against Persia. Following the example of Catholicos Evdemoz, several Georgian princes rebelled against the pro-Persian policies of Rostom-Khan and cast out the Islamic influence from their territories. Evdemoz resisted the Islamic custom of raising the king’s heirs in the shah’s court from a young age. He was never too intimidated by the king to expose his wrongdoing and tell him at every convenient opportunity: “You are the natural father of the Muslims, but the stepfather of the Christians!” was the spiritual father of Rostom-Khan’s wife, the faithful Queen Mariam, the daughter of Manuchar Dadiani, Prince of Samegrelo. a result of the holy labors of Catholicos Evdemoz and Queen Mariam, the Christian soul of the Georgian people was not entirely extinguished. The Georgians built churches, wrote spiritual literature, and gradually regained their national consciousness. Catholicos Evdemoz preached throughout the country and developed and implemented a plan to bring King Teimuraz, who had been driven out by Shah Abbas, back to the throne. Rostom-Khan felt threatened by the strong influence Catholicos Evdemoz had on the people. In 1642 he arrested the chief shepherd of the Georgian people and tried to win him over, but neither his feigned tenderness nor his threats could break the firm will of the man who loved Christ and his motherland above all else. After his arrest, Saint Evdemoz criticized the king even more harshly and called on the people to rise up against him. Finally Rostom-Khan ordered that Catholicos Evdemoz be strangled to death in his prison cell, and as a further insult, his body was cast off Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi) in the direction of the Turkish baths. night, a group of Christians stole the body of the holy hieromartyr Catholicos-Patriarch Evdemoz and buried it in the northwest corner of Anchiskhati Church in Tbilisi.

Georgia, 1622, Georgia Icon to Archangelsk from Persia, via MOG

Georgia, 1625, Battle of Martkopi, Georgia defeats Persia
Martkopi, Georgia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda. St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Georgia, 1625, 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers of Marabda Battle, 9K gave lives for Christ, K brothers, sister, mother banner bearing
Georgia, 1625, 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers of Marabda Battle, Kartli (Khrami River 2), 9K gave lives for Christ, K brothers, sister, mother banner bearing; Marabda; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda.

Georgia, 1625, Battle of Marabda, Persia defeats Georgia
Georgia, 1625, Battle of Marabda, Persia defeats Georgia Marabda; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda.

Georgia, 1630, Dagestani Raid on David Gareja Monastery
Dagestani Raid on David Gareja Monastery 1630 Abbas I of Persia attack on Georgia (1616) ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26;

Georgia, 1632-1642, Catholicos, Evdemoz or Eudemus I of Georgia
Georgian Catholicos, 1632-1642, Evdemoz or Eudemus I of Georgia ; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Georgia, 1632-1658, King, Rostom-Khan or Rostom of Kartli, Shia Muslim
Georgian King, 1632-1658, Rostom-Khan or Rostom of Kartli, Shia Muslim; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Georgia, 1645-1762, Kingdom of Kakheti, Eastern Georgia
Kingdom of Kakheti; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Georgia, 1650-1660, Saint, Bidzina Cholokashvili, Bakhtroni Uprising 1659,
Georgia, 1650-1660, Saint, Bidzina Cholokashvili; Cholokashvili (died c. 1660) is a Christian martyr canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. His feast is celebrated on October 1. He was one of the leaders of Bakhtrioni Uprising (1659). During the 1630s he was a "sakhltukhutsesi" of Kingdom of Kakheti. In the battle between Teimuraz and Rostom he supported the former. In 1648 by order of Teimuraz he invaded Ertso in order to make Ertso-Tianeti subordinate to the King. After the uprising Shah summoned Bidzina as well as Shalva and Elizbar Eristavi, who later were forced to converse their religion, but none of them accepted. As a result, they were given to tribes whose members were slaughtered during the uprising. Bidzina was tortured and killed. Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Georgia, 1658-1675, King, King Vakhtang V of Kartli, Shia Muslim
Georgian King, 1658-1675, King Vakhtang V of Kartli, Shia Muslim ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1661-1675, King, Archil II of Imereti, unsuccessful, retired to Russia, poet
Georgian King, 1661-1675, Archil II of Imereti ; (1647 - April 16, 1713), of Bagrationi dynasty, king of Imereti in western Georgia (1661-1663, 1678-1679, 1690-1691, 1695–1696, and 1698) and of Kakheti in eastern Georgia (1664 - 75). After a series of unsuccessful attempts to establish himself on the throne of Imereti, Archil retired to Russia where he spearheaded the cultural life of a local Georgian community. He was also a lyric poet. Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1675-1703, King, Heraclius I of Kakheti, then Kartli, Shia Muslim
Georgian King, 1675-1703, Heraclius I of Kakheti; I or Nazar AlÄ« Khan (1642-1709), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a Georgian monarch who ruled the kingdoms of Kakheti (1675-1676, 1703-1709) and Kartli (1688-1703) under the protection of the Safavid dynasty of Iran. Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1690, Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, David Gareja monastery, Kakheti, dagestani robbers killed & destroyed icons
Georgia, 1690, Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), Shio's brother killed b, became monk, in charge, dagestani robbers killed and destroyed icons; David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; holy monk-martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel and Paul labored in the David-Gareji Wilderness at the end of the 17th century. Shio was from the village of Vedzisi in the Kartli region. His parents, Papuna and Tamar, were wealthy and highly influential people. They had eight children: five sons and three daughters. After their parents died, Shio’s brothers quarreled so intensely over their inheritance that the eldest brother finally killed the youngest. disturbed by this tragedy, blessed Shio sought to withdraw from the vanity of the world—a world in which brother can murder brother and a son can murder his father. Shio confessed his desire to his spiritual father, and he was advised to journey to the David-Gareji Monastery and be tonsured a monk. In fact, the abbot, Fr. Onopre (Machutadze), had invited Shio to the monastery several times before, saying, “Come, brother Shio, and let us finish our lives here.” great joy Onopre received Shio, who was already revered by many for his faith and chastity. He directed him to a cell and clothed him as a novice. Shio’s tireless labors, humility, and manifest love for his brothers inspired many to seek his counsel. The abbot himself often trusted Shio to administer the affairs of the monastery in his absence. Fr. Onopre departed to attend to some matters outside the monastery, leaving Shio in charge. After Vespers and a meal, the exhausted brothers were settling down to rest when a band of Dagestani robbers suddenly stormed the monastery grounds. They ransacked the monastery and captured Hieromonk Shio and the monks David, Gabriel and Paul and killed them. Some of the brothers who remained tried to flee, but they were caught and brutally slain. cells of the David-Gareji Monastery were soaked with blood. Then the Dagestanis, yet unsatisfied, seized and destroyed nearly all the monastery’s property. They stole some of the clerical vestments, and the rest they cut in pieces and tossed in a well. Then they hacked the holy icons to pieces with their axes. the blessing of the catholicos and by order of the king, the mutilated relics of the holy martyrs were buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji. Martyrs Shio, David, Gabriel, and Paul of Akhalkalaki in Georgia, Commemorated on June 1; holy monk-martyrs Shio the New, David, Gabriel and Paul labored in the David-Gareji Wilderness at the end of the 17th century. Shio was from the village of Vedzisi in the Kartli region. His parents, Papuna and Tamar, were wealthy and highly influential people. They had eight children: five sons and three daughters. After their parents died, Shio’s brothers quarreled so intensely over their inheritance that the eldest brother finally killed the youngest. disturbed by this tragedy, blessed Shio sought to withdraw from the vanity of the world—a world in which brother can murder brother and a son can murder his father. Shio confessed his desire to his spiritual father, and he was advised to journey to the David-Gareji Monastery and be tonsured a monk. In fact, the abbot, Fr. Onopre (Machutadze), had invited Shio to the monastery several times before, saying, “Come, brother Shio, and let us finish our lives here.” great joy Onopre received Shio, who was already revered by many for his faith and chastity. He directed him to a cell and clothed him as a novice. Shio’s tireless labors, humility, and manifest love for his brothers inspired many to seek his counsel. The abbot himself often trusted Shio to administer the affairs of the monastery in his absence. Fr. Onopre departed to attend to some matters outside the monastery, leaving Shio in charge. After Vespers and a meal, the exhausted brothers were settling down to rest when a band of Dagestani robbers suddenly stormed the monastery grounds. They ransacked the monastery and captured Hieromonk Shio and the monks David, Gabriel and Paul and killed them. Some of the brothers who remained tried to flee, but they were caught and brutally slain. cells of the David-Gareji Monastery were soaked with blood. Then the Dagestanis, yet unsatisfied, seized and destroyed nearly all the monastery’s property. They stole some of the clerical vestments, and the rest they cut in pieces and tossed in a well. Then they hacked the holy icons to pieces with their axes. the blessing of the catholicos and by order of the king, the mutilated relics of the holy martyrs were buried in the courtyard south of the grave of Saint David of Gareji.

Georgia, 1690-1716, Anthimus tGeorgian, Turk slave, Romanian Metropolitn, author, printer, woodcarver, builder, R spirit legacy

Georgia, 1700, 18th and 19th Century, Georgia under Russian Control

Georgia, 1703-1724, Georgian King, Vakhtang VI, of Kartli, Persian Vassal, statesman, failed getting rus help
Georgian King, 1703-1724, Vakhtang VI, of Kartli; VI, also known as Vakhtang the Scholar, Vakhtang the Lawgiver and Ḥosaynqolī Khan (September 15, 1675 - March 26, 1737), was a Georgian monarch of the royal Bagrationi dynasty. ruled the East Georgian Kingdom of Kartli as a vassal of Safavid Persia from 1716 to 1724. of the most important and extraordinary statesman of early 18th-century Georgia, he is known as a notable legislator, scholar, critic, translator and poet. reign was eventually terminated by the Ottoman invasion following the disintegration of Safavid Persia, which forced Vakhtang into exile in the Russian Empire. was unable to get the tsar's support for his kingdom and instead had to permanently stay with his northern neighbors for his own safety. his way to a diplomatic mission sanctioned by Empress Anna, he fell ill and died in southern Russia in 1737, never reaching Georgia. Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1710-1770, George of Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, young slave, forced Islam, at 70 announced christian, martyred
Georgia, 1710-1770, George of Iberia, Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, Central Georgia, young, into slavery, forced to Islam, Mytilene shop owner, at 70 announced Orthodox christian, beaten, endured, hanged; Caucasian Iberia; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; George (Zorzes) was from Georgia, and was sold into slavery when he was young. His master, a Muslim from the Greek island of Mytilene, forced him to embrace Islam and renamed him Sali. After his master died, George remained on the island and opened a small shop. In 1770, when he was seventy years old, he appeared before the authorities and announced that he was an Orthodox Christian. The kadi thought that George had lost his mind, since his declaration would lead to his death. next day George was questioned again, and then he was beaten. He endured his torments with silence, but would not be turned from his confession of faith. After more torture, the holy martyr was hanged on January 2, 1770, receiving a crown of glory from the Savior Christ.

Georgia, 1716-1757, Vakhushti of Kartli, Vakhushti Bagrationi, historian and prince
Georgia, 1716-1757, Vakhushti of Kartli, Vakhushti Bagration; Saint Basil of Georgia, son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, 1724-1727, Jesse of Kartli, King, Muslim, Persian and Ottoman viceroy
Georgian King, 1724-1727, Jesse of Kartli; also known by his Muslim names Ali-Quli Khan and Mustafa Pasha, (1680 or 1681-1727), of the Mukhranian Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kartli (Georgia), acting actually as a Safavid Persian and later Ottoman viceroy (wali) from 1714 to 1716 and from 1724 until his death, respectively. Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1727-1762, King, Teimuraz II of Kakheti, Power after Turks and G rebel against Persians, s rus help, poet
Georgian King, 1727-1744, Teimuraz II of Kakheti; II (1680/1700-1762) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia, from 1732 to 1744, then of Kartli from 1744 until his death. Teimuraz was also a lyric poet. 1 Life 2 Reburial 3 Family 4 References 5 Sources was a son of Erekle I and his wife Anna. Together with his mother, Teimuraz ruled as regent for his absent brother David II (Imam Quli-Khan) from 1709 to 1715. In 1732, the Turks killed the next king and Teimuraz’s other brother, Constantine, and took control of his kingdom. His successor, Teimuraz, fled to the mountains of Pshavi and fought the occupants from there. July 1735, the resurgent Persian ruler Nader Shah Afshar invaded Kakheti and forced the Turks out of most of eastern Georgia. Nader summoned Teimuraz to his headquarters at Erivan and, upon his refusal to convert to Islam, had him detained. was placed under the nominal government of Teimuraz's Muslim nephew Ali Mirza. In October 1735, Teimuraz escaped to the mountains of Kakheti and fomented unrest against the Persian rule, but he was captured by the close of 1736. these years, part of Georgian nobles staged a powerful rebellion against the Persian regime. 1738, the shah had to release Teimuraz to counter the Georgian opposition, and made him governor of Kakheti, while his son Erekle II campaigned with Nader in India.[1][2] uprising now turned into a brutal civil war between pro- and anti-Persian factions. Teimuraz, aided by his son Erekle II, was able to crush the rebels led by Givi Amilakhvari. a reward, the shah abolished, in 1742, a heavy tribute laid upon Kakheti, and helped Teimuraz to subdue autonomous duchies of the Aragvi and the Ksani in 1743 and 1744 respectively. For his service against the Ottomans and an anti-Persian revolt, in 1744, Teimuraz was confirmed by the shah as king of Kartli, and his son Erekle was given a Kakhetian crown, thus laying the ground for the eventual reunification of these Georgian kingdoms. importantly, they were recognised as Christian kings for the first time since 1632. Both monarchs were crowned at the Cathedral of the Living Pillar (Svetitskhoveli) at Mtskheta on October 1, 1745. their power growing increasingly stronger, Teimuraz and Erekle soon repudiated their allegiance to the Persian suzerain. Shah ordered 30,000 Persian troops to move into Georgia and entrusted a Georgian convert (and a former anti-Persian leader) Amilakhvari with the punitive operation. The shah was, however, murdered in 1747, and his empire became engulf into complete chaos. rulers of Kartli and Kakheti took advantage of the situation and expelled all Persian garrisons from their kingdoms. 1749 to 1750, they checked several attempts of Persian pretenders to create their powerbase in the eastern Transcaucasia, and made the neighbouring khanates of Yerevan, Ganja, and Nakhichevan their tributaries. fought then against the Dagestani clansmen who frequently raided the Georgian marchlands, but without complete success. several previous Georgian rulers, he hoped that the expanding Russian empire would be the only protector for the Christians of Caucasus against the Ottoman and Persian aggressions. sent an embassy to St Petersburg in 1752, but nothing came of this mission. In 1760, he visited the Russian court himself to gain a support for his project of a Georgian expedition to Persia to put a Russian candidate on the shah’s throne. The Russians were too preoccupied with the Seven Years' War to seriously consider Teimuraz’s idea. died suddenly in the Russian capital on January 8, 1762 (just a fortnight after Elizabeth of Russia incidentally), and was buried next to his father-in-law Vakhtang VI in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Astrakhan. his death, Erekle succeeded as king of Kartli, bringing both eastern Georgian kingdoms into a single state (Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti) he was constantly at war or on guard, Teimuraz found some time to translate from Persian and compose, virtually on horseback, his own poems and lyrics. Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1732-1778, Rousseau, modern thought, Facist, Nazi, Marxist, progressive

Georgia, 1736, Nadir, Persian Afsharid Shah, Sunni, Invaded Georgia, destroyed Shio's relics
Persia, 1736-1747, Persian Afsharid Shah, Nadir, Sunni ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime (relics story), Commemorated on March 3;

Georgia, 1744-1761, Teimuraz II, Kakheti and Kartli, sought Russian help
Georgian King, 1744-1761, Teimuraz II, of Kakheti and Kartli; II (1680/1700-1762) of the Bagrationi dynasty, was a king of Kakheti, eastern Georgia, from 1732 to 1744, then of Kartli from 1744 until his death. Teimuraz was also a lyric poet. 1 Life 2 Reburial 3 Family 4 References 5 Sources was a son of Erekle I and his wife Anna. Together with his mother, Teimuraz ruled as regent for his absent brother David II (Imam Quli-Khan) from 1709 to 1715. In 1732, the Turks killed the next king and Teimuraz’s other brother, Constantine, and took control of his kingdom. His successor, Teimuraz, fled to the mountains of Pshavi and fought the occupants from there. July 1735, the resurgent Persian ruler Nader Shah Afshar invaded Kakheti and forced the Turks out of most of eastern Georgia. Nader summoned Teimuraz to his headquarters at Erivan and, upon his refusal to convert to Islam, had him detained. was placed under the nominal government of Teimuraz's Muslim nephew Ali Mirza. In October 1735, Teimuraz escaped to the mountains of Kakheti and fomented unrest against the Persian rule, but he was captured by the close of 1736. these years, part of Georgian nobles staged a powerful rebellion against the Persian regime. 1738, the shah had to release Teimuraz to counter the Georgian opposition, and made him governor of Kakheti, while his son Erekle II campaigned with Nader in India.[1][2] uprising now turned into a brutal civil war between pro- and anti-Persian factions. Teimuraz, aided by his son Erekle II, was able to crush the rebels led by Givi Amilakhvari. a reward, the shah abolished, in 1742, a heavy tribute laid upon Kakheti, and helped Teimuraz to subdue autonomous duchies of the Aragvi and the Ksani in 1743 and 1744 respectively. For his service against the Ottomans and an anti-Persian revolt, in 1744, Teimuraz was confirmed by the shah as king of Kartli, and his son Erekle was given a Kakhetian crown, thus laying the ground for the eventual reunification of these Georgian kingdoms. importantly, they were recognised as Christian kings for the first time since 1632. Both monarchs were crowned at the Cathedral of the Living Pillar (Svetitskhoveli) at Mtskheta on October 1, 1745. their power growing increasingly stronger, Teimuraz and Erekle soon repudiated their allegiance to the Persian suzerain. Shah ordered 30,000 Persian troops to move into Georgia and entrusted a Georgian convert (and a former anti-Persian leader) Amilakhvari with the punitive operation. The shah was, however, murdered in 1747, and his empire became engulf into complete chaos. rulers of Kartli and Kakheti took advantage of the situation and expelled all Persian garrisons from their kingdoms. 1749 to 1750, they checked several attempts of Persian pretenders to create their powerbase in the eastern Transcaucasia, and made the neighbouring khanates of Yerevan, Ganja, and Nakhichevan their tributaries. fought then against the Dagestani clansmen who frequently raided the Georgian marchlands, but without complete success. several previous Georgian rulers, he hoped that the expanding Russian empire would be the only protector for the Christians of Caucasus against the Ottoman and Persian aggressions. sent an embassy to St Petersburg in 1752, but nothing came of this mission. In 1760, he visited the Russian court himself to gain a support for his project of a Georgian expedition to Persia to put a Russian candidate on the shah’s throne. The Russians were too preoccupied with the Seven Years' War to seriously consider Teimuraz’s idea. died suddenly in the Russian capital on January 8, 1762 (just a fortnight after Elizabeth of Russia incidentally), and was buried next to his father-in-law Vakhtang VI in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Astrakhan. his death, Erekle succeeded as king of Kartli, bringing both eastern Georgian kingdoms into a single state (Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti) he was constantly at war or on guard, Teimuraz found some time to translate from Persian and compose, virtually on horseback, his own poems and lyrics. St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 17; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Georgia, 1745-1815, Anthony oChkondid, built monasteries, eloquent sermons, divine fasting face
Georgia, 1745-1815, Jacob tElder, & disciple oAnthony oChkondid, Georgia (Chkondidi River 1), Dadiani family fEgrisi (Samegrelo), Prince Shoshita III fRacha mom's f, mom raised 6 children as Christians, father dies, older bro prepares A fDiplomat, philosophy, lit, poetry, art, languages, but A took bro's monastic place, tMartvili Monastery to catch up monk prep, French missionaries' fashhionable scholastic philosophy, tainted Orthodox doctrine, water with oil not mixing, impossible, tTiblisi fKnowledge, tCousin Queen a Dadiani, 1761 Bishop oTsageri, eloquent sermons, divine light fasting face resembled angel, C daily meal for Poor, Engrisi slave trade, his councils condemn, land for Martvili, Nakharebou, Sairme monasteries, exempt them taxes, tN monastery 1789-1815; Chqondidi; Martvili Monastery in Egrisi; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13; Anthony of Chqondidi was born to the family of Otia Dadiani, the prince of Egrisi (now Samegrelo). ’s mother, Gulkan, was the daughter of the prince Shoshita III of Racha. were six children in the family: five boys and one girl. Anthony’s sister, Mariam, later married King Solomon the Great of Imereti. children received their primary education from their mother, who was raised in the Christian Faith and transmitted the Faith to her children. vibrant faith and valorous labors were an example for all who surrounded her. his father’s death, young Anthony was raised by his older brother Katsia. family was preparing Anthony for a diplomatic career, and therefore they devoted special attention to his study of philosophy, literature, the fundamentals of poetry and art, and foreign languages (particularly Turkish and Persian). the beginning of the 17th century, the rulers of Egrisi appointed only their own relatives to the Chqondidi diocese. one of Anthony’s older brothers, was prepared for the bishopric, but he was too attached to the world to commit to the heavy yoke of asceticism. young Anthony, however, was zealous for the monastic life, and soon he was tonsured. new monk Anthony sensed the imperfection of his spiritual education and asked the monks of Martvili Monastery in Egrisi to help him make up for his insufficient knowledge. group of French missionaries arrived to instruct him in the foundations of Scholastic philosophy, which was very fashionable in Europe at that time. however, recognized that his foreign tutors had tainted Orthodox doctrine with the poison of heresy. during a meal, Anthony turned to a certain Frenchman and asked, “Can you pour wine into this water-filled cup and keep it from mixing with the water?” Catholic priest answered that it was impossible, and Anthony replied, “As it is impossible to pour water and wine into a single vessel and keep them from mixing, so it is impossible to accommodate both Orthodox doctrine and heresy!” that day Anthony parted with the French missionaries. thirst for learning would not give the young monk any rest. deepen his knowledge, Saint Anthony traveled to Tbilisi, to the court of King Erekle II. The king’s wife, Queen Darejan, was Anthony’s cousin—a child of his uncle, Katsia Dadiani. 1761 Saint Anthony was consecrated bishop of Tsageri (in lower Svaneti). He soon became famous for his eloquent sermons, which inspired even the Catholicos of Georgia himself. weary from fasting, Saint Anthony’s face began to resemble that of an angel. accordance with his orders, a daily meal was prepared for the poor at the Chqondidi residence. Every subsequent bishop of Chqondidi has continued this practice. the 18th century many feudal lords in western Georgia (in Egrisi especially) began to trade slaves for profit. Anthony boldly opposed this immoral activity, and in the years 1792 to 1794 he convened a series of Church councils to publicly condemn the slave traders. 1788 Anthony approved vast land grants to the monasteries of Martvili, Nakharebou, and Sairme. persuaded the Dadianis to exempt these lands from taxation. 1789 Anthony, now a metropolitan, left Chqondidi for Nakharebou Monastery, which he had built. He enriched the monastery with sacred objects, ancient icons and lands. There he spent the remainder of his days. Anthony of Chqondidi reposed in 1815 at a very old age and was buried at Nakharebou Monastery. Anthony’s spiritual son, devoted friend, and helper, Hieromonk Jacob, also dwelt as a saint in this world and was received into the Heavenly Kingdom. Saint Anthony, Metropolitan of Chqondidi, and Saint Jacob, Elder of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13; info as Above, Jacob not mentioned there either Anthony of Chqondidi was born to the family of Otia Dadiani, the prince of Egrisi (now Samegrelo). Anthony’s mother, Gulkan, was the daughter of the prince Shoshita III of Racha. There were six children in the family: five boys and one girl. Anthony’s sister, Mariam, later married King Solomon the Great of Imereti. The children received their primary education from their mother, who was raised in the Christian Faith and transmitted the Faith to her children. Her vibrant faith and valorous labors were an example for all who surrounded her. After his father’s death, young Anthony was raised by his older brother Katsia. His family was preparing Anthony for a diplomatic career, and therefore they devoted special attention to his study of philosophy, literature, the fundamentals of poetry and art, and foreign languages (particularly Turkish and Persian). From the beginning of the 17th century, the rulers of Egrisi appointed only their own relatives to the Chqondidi diocese. Nicholas, one of Anthony’s older brothers, was prepared for the bishopric, but he was too attached to the world to commit to the heavy yoke of asceticism. The young Anthony, however, was zealous for the monastic life, and soon he was tonsured. The new monk Anthony sensed the imperfection of his spiritual education and asked the monks of Martvili Monastery in Egrisi to help him make up for his insufficient knowledge. A group of French missionaries arrived to instruct him in the foundations of Scholastic philosophy, which was very fashionable in Europe at that time. Anthony, however, recognized that his foreign tutors had tainted Orthodox doctrine with the poison of heresy. Once, during a meal, Anthony turned to a certain Frenchman and asked, “Can you pour wine into this water-filled cup and keep it from mixing with the water?” The Catholic priest answered that it was impossible, and Anthony replied, “As it is impossible to pour water and wine into a single vessel and keep them from mixing, so it is impossible to accommodate both Orthodox doctrine and heresy!” From that day Anthony parted with the French missionaries. The thirst for learning would not give the young monk any rest. To deepen his knowledge, Saint Anthony traveled to Tbilisi, to the court of King Erekle II. The king’s wife, Queen Darejan, was Anthony’s cousin—a child of his uncle, Katsia Dadiani. In 1761 Saint Anthony was consecrated bishop of Tsageri (in lower Svaneti). He soon became famous for his eloquent sermons, which inspired even the Catholicos of Georgia himself. Grown weary from fasting, Saint Anthony’s face began to resemble that of an angel. In accordance with his orders, a daily meal was prepared for the poor at the Chqondidi residence. Every subsequent bishop of Chqondidi has continued this practice. In the 18th century many feudal lords in western Georgia (in Egrisi especially) began to trade slaves for profit. Bishop Anthony boldly opposed this immoral activity, and in the years 1792 to 1794 he convened a series of Church councils to publicly condemn the slave traders. In 1788 Anthony approved vast land grants to the monasteries of Martvili, Nakharebou, and Sairme. He persuaded the Dadianis to exempt these lands from taxation. In 1789 Anthony, now a metropolitan, left Chqondidi for Nakharebou Monastery, which he had built. He enriched the monastery with sacred objects, ancient icons and lands. There he spent the remainder of his days. Saint Anthony of Chqondidi reposed in 1815 at a very old age and was buried at Nakharebou Monastery. Saint Anthony’s spiritual son, devoted friend, and helper, Hieromonk Jacob, also dwelt as a saint in this world and was received into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Georgia, 1750-1802, Gabriel the Lesser, Tbilisi, a major figure, writer, historian, k by Dagestanis
Georgia, 1750-1802, Gabriel the Lesser, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church, well educated, tailor but monastic life, left for monastic life, writer, historian, killed by Moslem Dagestanis; Tbilisi; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church. Few details of his life are known, but it is evident that the education he received was quite good for the period. Striving toward the monastic life but still living in the world, Gabriel tried in every way to close himself off from the vanity of the world. He kept a small sewing shop in Tbilisi and distributed most of his profits to the poor. day Saint Gabriel abandoned his business and set off for the Davit-Gareji Wilderness, where he was tonsured a monk. Gabriel occupied much of his time with writing, and his works left a significant mark on the spiritual literature of Georgia. He compiled several collections of patristic writings, and he also wrote original works of a theological nature. His original writings include An Explanation of the Hierarchical Liturgy, which describes in detail the meaning of every part of the service, Spiritual Stories of the Pious, The Life and Labors of Venerable Schemamonk Onisphore, A Short Story of Porphyry, and writings on the Nomocanon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. the brothers at his monastery, Saint Gabriel was distinguished by a remarkable capacity for love and a fervent desire to help others: he helped all, cared for all, and encouraged all. During the Great Fast in 1802, a certain archdeacon came from Tbilisi to Davit-Gareji Monastery, desiring to draw closer to the ascetic way of life. After some time, however, he became anxious to see his family and decided to return home. Saint Gabriel accompanied him on his way, but the two men were suddenly assailed by Dagestanis, and the holy father was killed. The brothers carried his relics back to the monastery and buried them there with great honor.

Georgia, 1752-1782, King, Solomon I of Imereti, The Great, defeated Ottomana invasions, unified Georgia, reforms
Georgia, 1752-1782, King, Solomon I of Imereti, The Great ; I, "the Great", (1735 - April 23, 1784), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was King of Imereti (western Georgia) from 1752 to 1765 and again from 1767 until his death in 1784. was a son of Alexander V of Imereti by his second wife Tamar née Abashidze and succeeded upon his father's death in 1752. immediately launched a series of stringent measures against the renegade nobles and slave trade from which they profited in conjunction with the Ottoman authorities. In 1752, the aristocratic opposition staged a coup, but Solomon quickly regained the crown and began a program of reforms aimed at stabilizing the kingdom torn apart by chronic civil wars. The Ottomans, which saw Imereti as the sphere of their influence, sent in an army, but Solomon succeeded in mobilizing his nobles around him and defeated the invaders at the Battle of Khresili in 1757. The same year, he forged an alliance with his kinsman, Heraclius II, who ruled in eastern Georgia. He defeated two more Ottoman invasions (20,000 strong and 13,000 strong). The Ottoman instigated invasion of North Caucasus tribes, one of which succeeded, while second one was thwarted. Briefly, Ottomans took Kutaisi in 1765 and placed his cousin, Teimuraz on the throne. In 1767, Solomon managed to stage a comeback, and freed Imereti of Turks again. Next year, another Russo-Turkish broke out, and in May 1769, Solomon traveled to Tbilisi to meet with Heraclius II. The two kings decided to request five Russian regiments and join the war with the Ottoman Empire in exchange of the guarantee that Georgian interests would be protected in the final Russo-Turkish peace deal. The Russians sent a small force under General Gottlieb Heinrich Totleben, but the general's rudeness and condescension alienated the Georgians; Totleben was quickly recalled from Georgia. After the war was over, Solomon was able to force his autonomist vassals, princes of Mingrelia and Guria, into submission, and continued antagonizing the Ottoman hegemony in the region. Ottomans had no choice but to sign a treaty with Imereti, by which Imeterti was no longer Ottoman vassal, slave trade was not even mentioned, with symbolic tribute of 60 women annually (did not stipulate them to be Georgians, and Solomon never honored this clause anyway). He crushed the Ottoman-sponsored insurrection in Abkhazia in 1779, and made a series of forays into the Turkish-controlled southwestern historic Georgian lands. He died in March 1784 and was buried at the Gelati Monastery. He was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church on 22 December 2016, his feast day set for 23 April (NS 10 April).[1] I was married three times; first, to Princess Tinatin Shervashidze, second to Princess Mariam, daughter of Otia Dadiani (died 1778), Prince of Mingrelia, and third, Princess Gulkan Tsulukidze (1730–1800). He had five children, three sons and two daughters: Prince David, born of Solomon's first marriage to Tinatin Shervashidze. Prince Alexander (1760–1780), born by Mariam Dadiani. He led a revolt against Solomon in 1778. Princess Darejan (ka) (1756–1827), born by Mariam Dadiani. She married, in 1768, Prince Kaikhosro Abashidze. Their son, Ivane Abashidze, was a pretender to the throne of Imereti in 1820. Princess Mariam (1769–1845), born by Mariam Dadiani. She married Prince Elizbar Eristavi of Ksani (1738–1813). Prince Bagrat, an extramarital son. St. Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St. Anthony of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13;

Georgia, 1762-1798, Heraclius II, Erekle II, he placed his kingdom under Russian protection in 1783
Georgian King, 1762-1798, Heraclius II (Erekle II) of Georgia and Kartli; II, also known as Erekle II and The Little Kakhetian[1] (7 November 1720 or 7 October 1721 [according to C. Toumanoff[2]] - 11 January 1798), was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakly. His name is frequently transliterated in a Latinized form Heraclius because both names Erekle and Irakli are Georgian versions of this Greek name.[3] being granted the kingship of Kakheti by his overlord Nader Shah in 1744 as a reward for his loyalty,[4] to becoming the penultimate king of the united kingdoms of Kakheti and Kartli in eastern Georgia, his reign is regarded as the swan song of the Georgian monarchy.[5] by his personal abilities and the unrest in the Persian Empire, Heraclius established himself as a de facto autonomous ruler, unified eastern Georgia politically for the first time in three centuries,[6] and attempted to modernize the government, economics, and military. by the internal and external menaces to Georgia's precarious independence and its temporary hegemony in eastern Transcaucasia, he placed his kingdom under the formal Russian protection in 1783, but the move did not prevent Georgia from being devastated by the Persian invasion in 1795. Heraclius died in 1798, leaving the throne to his moribund heir, George XII. St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated October 7 ; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 17; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Georgia, 1762-1800, Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, Tbilisi, Georgia
Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, 1762-1800, Tbilisi, Georgia; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2;

Georgia, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74), Turks in Georgia
Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74) ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2;

Georgia, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire, by Choice
Georgia, 1783-1917, Georgia in the Russian Empire; Saint Hilarion the New of Georgia, Commemorated on February 14; the Russian annexation of Kartli-Kakheti, the imperial court of the tsar increased diplomatic correspondence with the court of King Solomon II. king was urged likewise to unite the Imeretian Kingdom to Russia. Solomon summoned a council of noblemen, and it was decided that Imereti would remain independent, while maintaining friendly relations with Russia until the king’s death. However, it was agreed that since King Solomon had no heir, after his repose the court of the imperial tsar would acquire jurisdiction over the region. the political climate in Georgia became increasingly tense, and the ability of the Imeretian court to govern was severely undermined. court was suddenly besieged with cases of envy and treason, and it became necessary for the king to flee to Turkey. Protopresbyter Ise Qanchaveli accompanied King Solomon II to his place of exile and remained with him to the end of the king’s life. the king’s death in 1815, Fr. Ise received an amnesty from Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) on behalf of the king and his court. Ise himself planned to go into reclusion in the village where he was born, King Solomon’s widow, Queen Mariam, summoned him to Moscow where she was being held in “honorable captivity.â€ Fr. Ise brought to her a piece of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, which had belonged to King Solomon, and the queen preserved her husband’s treasure in the court church. life at the imperial court was tiresome for the God-fearing Fr. Ise, so he exchanged his clothing for beggars’ rags and set off for Mt. Athos in the year 1819.

Georgia, 1788-1830, Prince Ioane of Georgia, John Bagrationi, historian and prince
Georgia, 1788-1830, Prince Ioane of Georgia, John Bagrationi; Saint Basil of Georgia, son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, 1789-1815, Georgian King, Solomon II of Imereti, final King of G
Georgian King, 1789-1815,Solomon II of Imereti; II (1772 – February 7, 1815), of the Bagrationi Dynasty, was the last King of Imereti (western Georgia) from 1789 to 1790 and from 1792 until his deposition by the Imperial Russian government in 1810. was born as David to Prince Archil of Imereti, brother of King Solomon I of Imereti, by his wife Helene, daughter of King Heraclius II of Georgia. Solomon I, who died in 1784 without a male heir, named his nephew David as his successor. However, Solomon's cousin David II prevented him, and another rival prince, from being crowned as king and occupied the throne, leading to a civil war. II interfered on behalf of his grandson and sent in an army, defeating David II at the Battle of Matkhoji on June 11, 1789. David, son of Archil, was crowned as King of Imereti under the name of Solomon II, but David II continued his efforts to resume the throne until his final defeat in 1792. He ruled under the protection of his maternal grandfather, Heraclius II, and continued Solomon I's policy of restricting the powers of feudal aristocracy. In 1795, he and Heraclius fought with a small Imeretian force at the Battle of Krtsanisi against the Persians, only to be completely defeated by the latter. Heraclius' death in 1798, and the annexation of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (east of Imereti) by Russia in 1800, the situation in Imereti became precarious. refractory vassals, princes of Mingrelia and Guria (west of Imereti), assumed the Russian protection and put forward territorial claims to the royal domains. Solomon attempted to enlist Ottoman and Persian support against the anticipated Russian encroachment. However, the Russian commander in Georgia, Prince Pavel Tsitsianov, moved his army into Imereti and forced Solomon to succumb to Russian vassalage in the convention of Elaznauri of April 25, 1804. Yet, Solomon's relations with Russia continued to be strained. February 20, 1810, the Russian administration removed Solomon from the throne and sent in troops to take control of the kingdom. Solomon retaliated by rallying people against Russia and tried to enlist Turkey, Persia and Napoleonic France in his cause. Outnumbered and defeated, Solomon fled to the Ottoman possessions in Trebizond where he died in 1815 and was buried at the Saint Gregory of Nyssa Church.[1] The body of Solomon II, the last reigning Georgian king, was moved from Trebizond to Gelati Monastery, Georgia, in 1990.[2] was married to Mariam (1783–1841), daughter of Katsia Dadiani, Prince of Mingrelia, with no children. St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Georgia, 1790, Acharistsqali Bridge, Turks chopped heads of elderly, sent tongue ends to pasha
Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; his work The Islamization of Georgia, or the Spread of Islam in Western Georgia in the 17th-18th Centuries, the renowned early twentieth-century scholar Zakaria Chichinadze retold a story he had heard from one elderly Atcharan man: “In Atchara the implanting of Islam faced a powerful opposition. Many of the elderly men and the majority of women stood firmly by the Christian Faith, and even challenged and debated the Turkish mullahs.... The number of these aged men in Atchara was considerably high. In the end an order was issued: to arrest all dissidents, forcibly convert them to Islam, and execute those who resisted. Before long all the elderly Christians of Atchara were arrested and cast in prison. Then they were led to the River Atcharistsqali, to a 12th-century bridge known as the ‘Bridge of Queen Tamar.’ On that bridge the Ottomans erected a guillotine. “They chopped off the heads of the elderly people, sent the ends of their tongues to the pasha, and threw their bodies into the river. This happened one hundred years ago, in the year 1790.â€ and a guillotine were erected in the villages of Atcharistsqali, Keda, Chakvi, Khulo, Machakhela, and Gonio. The documents preserved in the manuscript collection at Akhaltsikhe Museum describe in even more horrific detail the martyrdom of the Atcharan Christians: “The human tongue is powerless to describe the tortures that the Georgians suffered in those years for confessing Christianity. While they were still alive their flesh was stripped and their bodies quartered; they were slashed to pieces with swords, their bellies ripped open; they were roasted over campfires. They were pierced with flaming rods, thrown into cauldrons of boiling water; molten lead was poured down their throats; they were tossed into pools of hot lime....â€

Georgia, 1790, Acharistsqali Bridge, Turks controlled all of Western Georgia and Samtskhe
Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; his work The Islamization of Georgia, or the Spread of Islam in Western Georgia in the 17th-18th Centuries, the renowned early twentieth-century scholar Zakaria Chichinadze retold a story he had heard from one elderly Atcharan man: “In Atchara the implanting of Islam faced a powerful opposition. Many of the elderly men and the majority of women stood firmly by the Christian Faith, and even challenged and debated the Turkish mullahs.... The number of these aged men in Atchara was considerably high. In the end an order was issued: to arrest all dissidents, forcibly convert them to Islam, and execute those who resisted. Before long all the elderly Christians of Atchara were arrested and cast in prison. Then they were led to the River Atcharistsqali, to a 12th-century bridge known as the ‘Bridge of Queen Tamar.’ On that bridge the Ottomans erected a guillotine. “They chopped off the heads of the elderly people, sent the ends of their tongues to the pasha, and threw their bodies into the river. This happened one hundred years ago, in the year 1790.â€ and a guillotine were erected in the villages of Atcharistsqali, Keda, Chakvi, Khulo, Machakhela, and Gonio. The documents preserved in the manuscript collection at Akhaltsikhe Museum describe in even more horrific detail the martyrdom of the Atcharan Christians: “The human tongue is powerless to describe the tortures that the Georgians suffered in those years for confessing Christianity. While they were still alive their flesh was stripped and their bodies quartered; they were slashed to pieces with swords, their bellies ripped open; they were roasted over campfires. They were pierced with flaming rods, thrown into cauldrons of boiling water; molten lead was poured down their throats; they were tossed into pools of hot lime....â€

Georgia, 1795, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, Persian V, Muslim Traitors, T in flames, murdered people and clergy
Georgia, Battle of Krtsanisi, Tiblisi, 1795, Muslim Traitors inside the gates ; Battle of Krtsanisi was fought between the Qajar Iran (Persia) and the Georgian armies of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and Kingdom of Imereti at the place of Krtsanisi[10] near Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 8 to September 11, 1795, part of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's war in response to King Heraclius II of Georgia’s alliance with the Russian Empire.[11] battle resulted in the decisive defeat of the Georgians, capture, and complete destruction of their capital Tbilisi,[8] as well as the temporary absorption of eastern parts of Georgia into the Iranian Empire.[3][4][12][13] the Qajars were victorious and Agha Mohammad Khan kept his promise to Heraclius (Erekle) that if he would not drop the alliance with Russia and voluntarily reaccept Iranian suzerainty they would invade his kingdom, also showed that Russia's own ambitions and agenda were set as the most important reason for Russia not to intervene at Krtsanisi, even though the latter had officially declared in the Treaty of Georgievsk of 1783 that it would protect Erekle's kingdom against any new Iranian ambitions to re-subjugate Georgia. in order to restore Russian prestige, Catherine would launch a punitive campaign against Iran the next year, but it was shortly recalled after her death. following years remained turbulent and were known as a time of muddle and confusion. Reestablishment of Iranian rule over Georgia did not last long, for the shah was assassinated in 1797 in Shusha, and the Georgian king had died the year after. Georgia laying in ruins and the central rule in Iran being concerned with the next heir to the throne, it opened the way for Georgia's annexation by Russia several years later by Tsar Paul. Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan, which were integral parts of Iran for centuries, the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle directly led to the bitter Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), in which Fath Ali Shah, Agha Mohammad Khan's successor, attempted to reverse Russian military advances and restore Iranian authority north of the Aras and Kura rivers.[14] After these wars, Iran ceded Transcaucasia and Dagestan to imperial Russia per the Treaty of Gulistan (1813) and the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828).[14] Georgia, composed of the kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, had been in the early modern era under Iranian suzerainty since the 1510s.[15] 1744, Nader Shah had granted the kingship of Kartli and Kakheti to Teimuraz II and his son Erekle II (Heraclius II) respectively, as a reward for their loyalty.[16] Nader Shah died in 1747, they capitalized on the chaos that had erupted in mainland Iran, and declared de facto independence. After Teimuraz II died in 1762, Erekle II assumed control over Kartli, and united the two kingdoms in a personal union as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, becoming the first Georgian ruler to preside over a politically unified eastern Georgia in three centuries.[17] about the same time, Karim Khan Zand had ascended the Iranian throne; Erekle II quickly tendered his de jure submission to the new Iranian ruler, however, de facto, he remained autonomous.[18][19] 1783, Heraclius placed his kingdom under the protection of the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Georgievsk. In the last few decades of the 18th century, Georgia had become a more important element in Russo-Iranian relations than some provinces in northern mainland Persia, such as Mazandaran or even Gilan.[20] Peter I, Catherine, the then ruling monarch of Russia, viewed Georgia as a pivot for her Caucasian policy, as Russia's new aspirations were to use it as a base of operations against both Iran and the Ottoman Empire,[21] both immediate bordering geo-political rivals of Russia. top of that, having another port on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea would be ideal.[20] A limited Russian contingent of two infantry battalions with four artillery pieces arrived in Tbilisi in 1784,[18] but was withdrawn, despite the frantic protests of the Georgians, in 1787 as a new war against Ottoman Turkey had started on a different front.[18] the next several years, Russia would be too occupied with Turkey (due to the 1768-74 war), Poland, and the European consequences of the French Revolution to give Georgia much attention. the consolidation of the Qajar dynasty under Agha Mohammad Khan, who had become the new owners to the Iranian throne and therefore the new heirs to the geo-politically rivalling empire that had been bordering Russia for centuries, did not divert Catherine from preoccupations in the west.[18] 1791, when Agha Mohammad Khan was in Tabriz, Erekle asked General Gudovich, commander of the Russian Caucasian Line, for renewed military aid, but the government in St.Petersburg did not judge it expedient to send troops again to Georgia.[18] 1792, Gudovich told Erekle that he would receive only diplomatic support in the advent of any Iranian onslaught.[5] Despite being left to his own devices, Heraclius still cherished a dream of establishing, with Russian protection, a strong and united monarchy, into which the western Georgian Kingdom of Imereti and the lost provinces under Ottoman rule would all eventually be drawn.[8] consequences of these events came a few years later, when a new dynasty, the Qajars, emerged victorious in the protracted power struggle in Persia. head, Agha Mohammad Khan, as his first objective,[22] resolved to bring the Caucasus again fully under the Persian orbit. For Agha Mohammah Khan, the resubjugation and reintegration of Georgia into the Iranian Empire was part of the same process that had brought Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz under his rule.[18] He viewed, like the Safavids and Nader Shah before him, the territories no different than the territories in mainland Iran. was a province of Iran the same way Khorasan was.[18] As the Cambridge History of Iran states, its permanent secession was inconceivable and had to be resisted in the same way as one would resist an attempt at the separation of Fars or Gilan.[18] was therefore natural for Agha Mohammad Khan to perform whatever necessary means in the Caucasus in order to subdue and reincorporate the recently lost regions following Nader Shah's death and the demise of the Zands, including putting down what in Iranian eyes was seen as treason on the part of the wali of Georgia.[18] an interval of peace amid their own quarrels and with northern, western, and central Persia secure, the Persians demanded Heraclius II to renounce the treaty with Russia and to reaccept Persian suzerainty,[22] in return for peace and the security of his kingdom. Ottomans, Iran's neighboring rival, recognized Iran's rights over Kartli and Kakheti for the first time in four centuries.[5] Heraclius appealed then to his theoretical protector, Empress Catherine II of Russia, pleading for at least 3,000 Russian troops,[5] but he was not listened to, leaving Georgia to fend off the Persian threat alone.[8] Nevertheless, Heraclius II still rejected the Khan's ultimatum.[23] invasion[edit] capture of Tbilisi by Agha Muhammad Khan. A Qajar-era Persian miniature from the British Library. August 1795, Agha Mohammad Khan crossed the Aras river with a 70,000-strong army.[5] This force was divided in three: the left wing was sent in the direction of Erivan, the right one parallel to the Caspian Sea into the Mughan across the lower Aras towards Dagestan and Shirvan, while the Shah headed the centre force himself, advancing towards the fortress of Shusha in the Karabakh Khanate, which he besieged between 8 July and 9 August 1795.[7] His right and left wing forced the Khans of Ganja and Erivan into alliance respectively.[24] Having abandoned the siege of Shusha due to stiff resistance,[25] which was further aided by Georgian crown prince Aleksandre,[5] the Khan of Karabakh, Ibrahim Khan, eventually surrendered to Mohammad Khan after discussions, including the paying of regular tribute and to surrender hostages, though the Qajar forces were still denied entrance to Shusha.[25] Since the main objective was Georgia, Mohammad Khan was willing to have Karabakh secured by this agreement for now, for he and his army subsequently moved further.[25] While at Ganja, having secured Shirvan, he was joined by Javad Khan Qajar and the rest of his right wing contingent.[24] At Ganja, Mohammad Khan sent Erekle his last ultimatum, who received it in September 1795: Highness knows that for the past 100 generations you have been subject to Iran; now we deign to say with amazement that you have attached yourself to the Russians, who have no other business than to trade with Iran... Last year you forced me to destroy a number of Georgians, although we had no desire at all for our subjects to perish by our own hand...It is now our great will that you, an intelligent man, abandon such things... and break relations with the Russians. If you do not carry out this order, then we shall shortly carry out a campaign against Georgia, we will shed both Georgian and Russian blood and out of it will create rivers as big as the Kura....[5] According to the author of the Fārsnāma-ye Nāṣeri, Ḥasan-e Fasāʼi, a contemporary Qajar era historian, Agha Mohammad Khan had declared in the letter: Ismail I Safavi ruled over the province of Georgia. When in the days of the deceased king we were engaged in conquering the provinces of Persia, we did not proceeed to this region. As most of the provinces of Persia have come into our possession now, you must, according to ancient law, consider Georgia (Gurjistan) part of the empire, and appear before our majesty. You have to conform your obedience; then you may remain in the possession of your governorship (wali) of Georgia. If you do not do this, you will be treated as the others".[26] advisors divided, Erekle ignored the ultimatum, but, sent couriers to St.Petersburg. Gudovich, who sat in Georgievsk at the time, instructed Erekle to avoid "expense and fuss",[5] while Erekle, together with Solomon II and some Imeretians headed southwards of Tbilisi to fend off the Iranians.[5] Mohammad Khan at the same time marched directly on Tbilisi, with half of the army he crossed the Aras river with, though other estimations mention 40,000[7] instead of 35,000,[5][6] and attacked the heavily fortified Georgian positions of Erekle and Solomon on the southwestern limits of the city. Abandoned by several of his nobles, Heraclius II managed to mobilize around 5,000 troops, including some 2,000 auxiliaries from neighbouring Imereti under its King Solomon II, a member of the Georgian Bagrationi Dynasty and thus distantly related to Heraclius II. The Georgians offered a desperate resistance and succeeded in rolling back a series of Persian attacks on September 9 and 10. After that, it is said that some traitors informed the Persians that the Georgians had no more strength to fight and the Qajars army cancelled their plan of going back to Persia, which they previously had. Early on September 11, Agha Mohammad Khan personally led an all-out offensive against the Georgians. Amid an artillery duel and a fierce cavalry charge, the Persians managed to cross the Kura River and outflanked the decimated Georgian army. Heraclius II attempted to mount a counterattack, but he had to retreat to the last available positions in the outskirts of Tbilisi. By nightfall, the Georgian forces had been exhausted and almost completely destroyed. The last surviving Georgian artillery briefly held the advancing Persians to allow Heraclius II and his retinue of some 150 men to escape through the city to the mountains. The fighting continued in the streets of Tbilisi and at the fortress of Narikala. In a few hours, Agha Mohammad Khan was in full control of the Georgian capital which was completely sacked and its population massacred. Among those killed in the city was the archbishop of Tbilisi, Doistheus.[27] The Persian army marched back laden with spoil and carrying off some 15,000 captives.[8][9] The Georgians had lost 4,000 men in the battle, the Iranians 13,000; a third of their total force.[5] eye-witness, having entered the city several days after the bulk of the Iranian troops had withdrawn, described what he saw: therefore pursued my way, paved as it were, with carcases, and entered Tiflis by the gate of Tapitag: but what was my consternation on finding here the bodies of women and children slaughtered by the sword of the enemy; to say nothing about the men, of whom I saw more than a thousand, as I should suppose, lying dead in one little tower! (...) The city was almost entirely consumed, and still continued to smoke in different places; and the stench from the putrefying, together with the heat which prevailed, was intolerable, and certainly infectious.[7] Entrance of the Russian troops in Tiflis, 26 November 1799, by Franz Roubaud, 1886 his return, after the conquest of Tbilisi and being in effective control of eastern Georgia,[4][12][28] Agha Mohammad was formally crowned Shah in 1796 in the Mughan plain, just like his predecessor Nader Shah was about sixty years earlier.[4] As The Cambridge History of Iran notes; "Russia's client, Georgia, had been punished, and Russia's prestige, damaged." Heraclius II returned to Tbilisi to rebuild the city, but the destruction of his capital was a death blow to his hopes and projects. Upon learning of the fall of Tbilisi General Gudovich put the blame on the Georgians themselves.[29] To restore Russian prestige, Catherine II declared war on Persia, upon the proposal of Gudovich,[29] and sent an army under Valerian Zubov to the Qajar possessions on April of that year, but the new Tsar Paul I, who succeeded Catherine in November, shortly recalled it. Mohammad Shah was later assassinated while preparing a second expedition against Georgia in 1797 in Shusha[29] and the seasoned king Heraclius died early in 1798. Reassessment of Iranian hegemony over Georgia did not last long; in 1799 the Russians marched into Tbilisi.[30] The next two years were a time of muddle and confusion, and the weakened and devastated Georgian kingdom, with its capital half in ruins, was easily absorbed by Russia in 1801.[8][23] As Iran could not permit or allow the cession of Transcaucasia and Dagestan[14] the consequences of the Krtsanisi battle would also directly lead up to two wars between the nations. The Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) and Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) would eventually forced the cession of the aforementioned regions to Imperial Russia per the Gulistan and Turkmenchay of 1813 and 1828 respectively. Persian Qajar Shah, 1789-1797, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ; thousand Persian soldiers marched toward Georgia in the year 1795. The Georgian king Erekle II (1762-1798) and his two thousand soldiers declared war on the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. Georgians won the first skirmish, but many perished in the fighting. The enemy was shaken and was preparing to flee the battleground, when several traitors reported to Aqa Muhammed Khan that King Erekle had lost nearly his entire army. betrayal decided the fate of the battle: the one hundred fifty soldiers who remained in the Georgian army barely succeeded in saving the life of King Erekle, who had willed to perish on the battlefield with his soldiers. of Tbilisi was engulfed in flames. The plunderers murdered the people, set fire to the libraries, destroyed the print shop, and vandalized the churches and the king’s palace. They slaughtered the clergy in an especially cruel manner. history has not preserved the names of all those martyrs who perished in this tragedy, but we do know that a certain Metropolitan Dositheus of Tbilisi was killed because he would not abandon his flock. While the invaders simply killed most of the clergymen, from Saint Dositheus they demanded a renunciation of the Christian Faith. They commanded him to defile the True and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. But the holy hieromartyr Dositheus endured the greatest torments without yielding to the enemy, and he joyfully accepted death for Christ’s sake. The invaders slaughtered Christ’s devoted servant with their swords. Dositheus was martyred on September 12 in the year 1795.

Georgia, 1796-1864, Hilarian tGeorgian, tNew, learned iWilderness, G King's confessor, tAthos, lives of saints in Georgian
thGeorgia, 1796-1864, Hilarian tGeorgian, tNew, fShorapani, Kutaisi (Argveti River 1), a noble, t hermit herodeacon uncle Stepane at 6yr, tTabakini m when S reposed, but set off fTiblisi seminary, on the way visited Bisho Athanasios who convinced him to return to his family, you will learn much more in wilderness than classroom, return home amd in prayer the lord will lead tServe the church, his father took him to Court of Imeretian King iKutaisi, to be raised, King Solomon II 1789-1815, who recognized his piety and appointed him his personal spiritual advisor, king suggested Ise married Princess Miriam, soon named priest and court confessor, Miriam died two years later, after Russian annexation Kartli-Kakheti,Tsar's court increased diplomatic correspondence w Solomon's court, Solomon urged unite Imertian Kingdom wRussia, noblemen decided remain independent till Solomon's death, since Solomon had no heir, envy and treason, Solomon had to flee tTurkey, Protopresbyter Ise accompanied Solomon, remained till Solomon's death 1815, Ise received amnesty from Tsar Alexander I 1801-1825, behalf oKing and his Court, Ise planned reclusion iHis village, Solomon's widow Mariam summoned him to her honorable captivity in Moscow, Ise brought Solomon's life giving piece of the Cross, She preserved it in Court Church, but court life tiresome for Ise, put on beggar's clothing, set off for Athos 1819, appeared to Athos Fathers as unknown pilgrim, come tVenerate holy places, first tIveron then tDionysiou, 1821 tonsured monk as Hilarion, presented new garments but asked permission tRemain iRags, every obedience fulfilled wLove, but did not know greek language so did not learn from divine services, finally permission borrow Georgian books fIveron, while venerating Iveron Icon there, Greek archmandrite he knew from moscow, recognized him, he kissed his hands and cried out: Fr Ise! Holy Shepherd! Confessor otKing!, news spread through Athos monasteries, spiritual father otKing concealed as a beggar, monks great reverence, but Hilarion ashamed, withdrew tNearby wilderness, at that time Turks retaliating Greek Insurrection 1821, pillaged Greece slaughtering Christians, sentenced tDeah, but pasha's servents, georgians, recognized him, wanted send him tAthos but H ministered to prisoners in Thessalonica, dedicating himself 6mos then tAthos, then tHis monastery, labored 3yrs as hermit, then tTower oNew Skete fStrict asceticism, strict fast Fridays, other days only pieces oDried Bread, one glass water aDay, demons tempted H wTerrible visions, faithful christians desired visit, not admitted, human ladder tReach his cell, H abandoned cell for forest, but became weak from ascetic labors, left solitary life, moved tIveron, took charge oGeorgian library, organized catelog, 12 volumes lives otSaints called Flower Garden, published in Russia in Georgian, H died at Panteleimon, the Russikon, 1864, I desired martyrdom but God did not give it, Insetead he sent me illness, which will be equal tMartyrdom if I can bear it. Asked to be buried in secret, but 1867 his vault opened by monks during Feast ot Assension, Sweet fragrance from his body, brilliant sphere oLight like the sun over his cell, Hillarian tNew; Shorapani; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hiero-schema monk Hilarion the Georgian (Ise Qanchaveli in the world) born in 1776 in the village of Losiantkhevi, in the Shorapani district of Kutaisi. parents, Khakhuli and Mariam Qanchaveli, were pious and God-fearing nobles. to God’s will, Ise’s uncle, the hermit Hierodeacon Stepane, took his six-year-old nephew into his care. Stepane reposed, Ise moved to Tabakini Monastery, learning that a seminary had opened in Tbilisi, he set off for it. his way he visited a certain Bishop Athanasios of Nikozi to receive his blessing, the bishop, delighted by the youth’s fervent prayers, advised him to return home to his family: “My son, you will learn much more in the wilderness than you ever could in the classroom. home, and the Lord, having instructed you in prayer, will lead you on a path that will serve your people and the Church.” returned to the bosom of his family, his father took him to Kutaisi to be raised in the court of the Imeretian king. Solomon II (1789-1815) soon recognized that the young Ise stood above all the other courtiers in piety, and he appointed him to be his personal spiritual adviser and instructor. the king’s suggestion, Ise married the Princess Mariam. after his marriage, the humble nobleman was ordained to the priesthood and appointed confessor of the court church. two years later Princess Mariam reposed, leaving Fr. Ise a widower. the Russian annexation of Kartli-Kakheti, the imperial court of the tsar increased diplomatic correspondence with the court of King Solomon II. king was urged likewise to unite the Imeretian Kingdom to Russia. summoned a council of noblemen, and it was decided that Imereti would remain independent, while maintaining friendly relations with Russia until the king’s death. it was agreed that since King Solomon had no heir, after his repose the court of the imperial tsar would acquire jurisdiction over the region. the political climate in Georgia became increasingly tense, and the ability of the Imeretian court to govern was severely undermined. court was suddenly besieged with cases of envy and treason, and it became necessary for the king to flee to Turkey. Ise Qanchaveli accompanied King Solomon II to his place of exile and remained with him to the end of the king’s life. the king’s death in 1815, Fr. Ise received an amnesty from Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825) on behalf of the king and his court. himself planned to go into reclusion in the village where he was born, King Solomon’s widow, Queen Mariam, summoned him to Moscow where she was being held in “honorable captivity.” Ise brought to her a piece of the Life-giving Cross of our Lord, which had belonged to King Solomon, and the queen preserved her husband’s treasure in the court church. life at the imperial court was tiresome for the God-fearing Fr. Ise, he exchanged his clothing for beggars’ rags and set off for Mt. Athos in the year 1819. Ise appeared before the holy fathers of Mt. Athos as an unknown pilgrim, who had come to venerate the holy places. first visited Ivḗron Monastery and from there crossed over the peninsula to Dionysiou Monastery. 1821 Ise was tonsured a monk and given the name Hilarion. was presented with new monastic garments for the tonsure service, but asked permission to remain dressed in his own rags. Hilarion fulfilled his every obedience with love. was dispirited only by his ignorance of the Greek language, which prevented him from hearing and understanding the Word of God during the divine services. he received permission from the abbot of Dionysiou to borrow some of the Georgian books from the large collection of sacred manuscripts at Ivḗron Monastery. arriving at the monastery, Fr. Hilarion went to venerate the Ivḗron Icon of the Mother of God. praying on his knees before the icon, a Greek archimandrite whom he knew from Moscow saw and recognized him. bowed before him, kissed his hands and cried out: “Fr. Ise! Holy Shepherd! Confessor of the king!” the news spread through all the monasteries of Mt. Athos that the spiritual father of the king had concealed himself as a beggar. the monks greeted him with great reverence. Fr. Hilarion, ashamed of the attention, withdrew to the wilderness not far from the monastery. that time, in retaliation for the Greek Insurrection of 1821, the Turks were pillaging Greece and slaughtering the Christians. 1822 a certain Abdul Robut-Pasha surrounded the Holy Mountain with an enormous army and commanded the abbots of all the monasteries to submit to his authority. of all the monasteries, including Fr. Hilarion and two others from Dionysiou were sent to Chromitsa to petition the pasha. Hilarion stood boldly before the pasha, burning with a desire to be martyred at the hands of an unbeliever. learned that Fr. Hilarion was a Georgian, Robut-Pasha was overjoyed: himself was also Georgian by descent but had been kidnapped by the Turks in his early adolescence. pasha proposed that Saint Hilarion leave the monastery and move to his palace in Thessalonica, promising him every kind of material wealth. Fr. Hilarion refused and condemned the ruler’s unbelief. The furious pasha began to curse the Orthodox believers and all the Christian saints, among them the Most Holy Theotokos. holy father was allowed no opportunity to reply to the pasha’s blasphemous remarks; instead they released him and took the other monks captive. returned to the monastery, Fr. Hilarion regretted that he had not properly rebuffed the blasphemous pasha. suffering was aggravated when the unbeliever continued to martyr and massacre other Christians. he asked the abbot for his blessing and set off for the Turkish court in Thessalonica. he stood before the pasha and fearlessly trampled upon his false teachings: “You sought to deny the virginity of the Most Holy Mother of God,” he charged. “Even your prophet Muhammad admits that Jesus was born without seed of a Virgin and that the mystery of the birth of God is necessarily beyond human comprehension. is the True God, Who took on flesh for the salvation of mankind, to rescue fallen man from the curse of sin and death!” pasha began to argue, but Saint Hilarion told him, “You, the son of Christian parents, are on such a brutal rampage that you have deadened the pangs of conscience calling you back to the true Faith!” pasha laughed and answered that he was glad to have been delivered from the “ridiculous” Christian Faith. “I am indebted to the man who kidnapped me from my parents and sold me to the Turks,” he said, “and I have since rewarded him generously for his deed. your Faith is indeed true, why have you fallen into the hands of the invaders? Why has your beloved God punished you so?” “You misunderstand everything, Pasha,” answered Saint Hilarion. “Does not a loving father take up the rod when his beloved son runs wild? he does this not out of hatred but out of love, desiring to save the ignorant from grave misfortune. the father sees that his child has corrected his behavior, he casts the rod into the fire. Lord has permitted these sorrows to befall us because of our sins. You are a staff in the hands of the Lord: He sees that we have mended our ways, He will cast you into the fire as well!” three consecutive days Saint Hilarion confronted the pasha in his palace, desiring to infuriate him to the point that he would order his execution. the fourth day Saint Hilarion arrived at the palace and began to speak about the falseness of Muhammad and the Islamic faith. the pasha provoked him even further, demanding, “What do you think—where will we go after death?” amidst believers of divers faiths, Saint Hilarion boldly answered that only those who truly believe in God, who are found in the bosom of the Orthodox Faith of Christ, will be saved. enraged bystanders demanded that the insolent monk be executed, and Abdul Robut-Pasha finally ordered his death. Hilarion prepared to meet death with joy, a pair of the pasha’s servants, Georgians by descent, requested that the pasha repeal his death sentence, since it would be shameful for them to murder their fellow countryman. intended to send him in secret to Mt. Athos, instead Saint Hilarion began to minister to the sick prisoners held in Thessalonica, and he selflessly dedicated himself to their service for six months. according to God’s will, he set off again for Mt. Athos. returned to his monastery, Fr. Hilarion labored for three years as a hermit afterwards withdrew to the tower of New Skete (a dependency of the Monastery of Saint Paul) to lead a life of strict asceticism. Fridays he kept a strict fast, on other days he ate only tiny pieces of dried bread. he would place in a narrow-mouthed jar and eat only what he was able to draw out with his hand. drank just one glass of water a day. the period of his reclusion in the tower, demons tempted Saint Hilarion with terrible visions. a group of faithful Christians desired to visit the hermit. the elder received no one, they were not admitted. pilgrims therefore decided to form a human ladder, standing one on top of the other in order to reach the small window of his cell. for their lives but not wanting to break his vow of reclusion, Hilarion temporarily abandoned his cell and fled to the forest. some time, Saint Hilarion became physically weak from his strict ascetic labors and was forced to leave behind the solitary life. the help of his faithful friend Benedict the Georgian, he gradually regained some of his strength moved to the Ivḗron Monastery. the Ivḗron Monastery he took charge of the Georgian library, organized a catalog, and compiled twelve volumes of Lives of the Saints, which he entitled The Flower Garden. presented the twelve volumes to the abbot of Zographou Monastery before the latter departed for Russia. Russia the abbot published the twelve volumes in the Georgian language—without mention of the name of their compiler. Hilarion reposed at Saint Panteleimon Monastery, known as the Russikon, in a cell named for Great-martyr George, on February 14, 1864. he was desperately ill, Saint Hilarion continued to thank the Lord sincerely until his last day. “Glory to God!” he would say. “I desired martyrdom, but God did not grant it to me. Instead He sent me an illness which will be equal in merit to martyrdom if I am able to bear it!” to his death he asked his disciple, Father Savva, to bury his body in secret, circumstances later required that his burial place be revealed. 1867, during the vigil for the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, a group of monks opened Saint Hilarion’s burial vault immediately sensed a sweet fragrance issuing forth from his body. that moment one of the hermits saw a brilliant sphere of light shining like the sun over Fr. Hilarion’s cell. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Hieroschemamonk Hilarion (Qanchaveli) on October 17, 2002, to differentiate him from Saint Hilarion the Georgian (commemorated November 19), called him “Hilarion Kartveli, Akhali” or “Hilarion the Georgian, the New.”

Georgia, 1797, Black Plague in Georgia
Georgia, 1366, Black Plague in Georgia; St. Euthymius the Elder of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8;

Georgia, 1798-1800, King, George XII of Georgia, invited Russian protection, bad health, political instability
Georgian King, 1798-1800, George XII of Georgia; XII, sometimes known as George XIII (November 10, 1746 - December 28, 1800), of the House of Bagrationi, was the second and last King of the Kingdom of Kartli and Kakheti (eastern Georgia) from 1798 until his death in 1800. brief reign in the closing years of the 18th century was marked by significant political instability, which implied the near certainty of a civil strife and a Persian invasion. by poor health and overwhelmed by problems in his realm, George renewed a request of protection from Tsar Paul I of Russia. his death, Imperial Russia took advantage of the moment and moved to annex the Georgian kingdoms, while sending the remnants of the Georgian royal family into forced exile in Russia. St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church. Few details of his life are known, but it is evident that the education he received was quite good for the period. toward the monastic life but still living in the world, Gabriel tried in every way to close himself off from the vanity of the world. He kept a small sewing shop in Tbilisi and distributed most of his profits to the poor. day Saint Gabriel abandoned his business and set off for the Davit-Gareji Wilderness, where he was tonsured a monk. Gabriel occupied much of his time with writing, and his works left a significant mark on the spiritual literature of Georgia. He compiled several collections of patristic writings, and he also wrote original works of a theological nature. His original writings include An Explanation of the Hierarchical Liturgy, which describes in detail the meaning of every part of the service, Spiritual Stories of the Pious, The Life and Labors of Venerable Schemamonk Onisphore, A Short Story of Porphyry, and writings on the Nomocanon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. the brothers at his monastery, Saint Gabriel was distinguished by a remarkable capacity for love and a fervent desire to help others: he helped all, cared for all, and encouraged all. the Great Fast in 1802, a certain archdeacon came from Tbilisi to Davit-Gareji Monastery, desiring to draw closer to the ascetic way of life. After some time, however, he became anxious to see his family and decided to return home. Saint Gabriel accompanied him on his way, but the two men were suddenly assailed by Dagestanis, and the holy father was killed. The brothers carried his relics back to the monastery and buried them there with great honor.

Georgia, 1800, 19th Century, History Folder, Dagestani Muslim Invasions

Georgia, 1801-1822, Theodore oAtchara, islamization, Trebizond exile, tGeorgian m iSmyrna, deputy abbot, killed oAthos pilgimage

Georgia, 1802, Great Fast of 1802 (Lent) Saint Gabriel murdered by Dagestanis
The Great Fast ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Gabriel the Lesser was a major figure in the eighteenth-century Georgian Church. Few details of his life are known, but it is evident that the education he received was quite good for the period. toward the monastic life but still living in the world, Gabriel tried in every way to close himself off from the vanity of the world. He kept a small sewing shop in Tbilisi and distributed most of his profits to the poor. day Saint Gabriel abandoned his business and set off for the Davit-Gareji Wilderness, where he was tonsured a monk. Gabriel occupied much of his time with writing, and his works left a significant mark on the spiritual literature of Georgia. He compiled several collections of patristic writings, and he also wrote original works of a theological nature. His original writings include An Explanation of the Hierarchical Liturgy, which describes in detail the meaning of every part of the service, Spiritual Stories of the Pious, The Life and Labors of Venerable Schemamonk Onisphore, A Short Story of Porphyry, and writings on the Nomocanon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. the brothers at his monastery, Saint Gabriel was distinguished by a remarkable capacity for love and a fervent desire to help others: he helped all, cared for all, and encouraged all. the Great Fast in 1802, a certain archdeacon came from Tbilisi to Davit-Gareji Monastery, desiring to draw closer to the ascetic way of life. After some time, however, he became anxious to see his family and decided to return home. Saint Gabriel accompanied him on his way, but the two men were suddenly assailed by Dagestanis, and the holy father was killed. The brothers carried his relics back to the monastery and buried them there with great honor.

Georgia, 1841-1889, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance, Elder Martinian MOG intercession, dead boy to monk
Greece, 1841-1889, Deliverer Icon, Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece, Deliverer Icon, Locusts, deliverance and many miracles, terrible disaster in Mavrovone, locusts, fr Alexis Moleben w Cross failed, Elder Martinian MOG intercession w Icon & intense prayers & cross procession, suddenly birds appeared, later boy already dead, touched w icon 3 times, later monastic on athos, people worshiped Fr M so he hid, voice told him to not hide the icon, possessed woman Elena shouted only icon could heal her, healed and more like storm casting fish ashore.; Mavrovouni, Laconia, Peloponnesos, Greece; (Greek: Μαυροβούνι, "the black mountain") is a village (population approximately 500) in the Mani Peninsula, Greece, south of Gytheio town. is a village about 2 km south of the town of Gytheio, in Laconia, Greece. It is located on a steep hill of dark rock[1] between the hill of Kumaros[2] above Gytheio and the alluvial plain of the Vardhounia river lies a belt of low sandy hills. district is rich in wines, olives and oranges.[3] The village's economy is based on olive oil production, fishing and tourism. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovone in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovone there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Georgia, 1844-1907, Alexander, broadining Theological network, improving T schools, G language, forced Russification
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. Growing up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School and later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, he was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. From Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. He graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Hieromonk Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. He was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese and with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions most essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. From the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. At first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, then from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, and from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. He was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, and many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. The divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, and as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Many Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. (By this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) The Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander considered the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, the principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. Through his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. Outside of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. He restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, and many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. He devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, a diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, a great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. Not a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, which he himself had restored. Only once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— did he step outside the monastery walls. The eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Saint Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, broadened Theological institutions
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. Growing up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School and later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, he was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. From Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. He graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Hieromonk Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. He was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese and with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions most essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. From the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. At first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, then from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, and from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. He was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, and many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. The divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, and as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Many Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) The Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander considered the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, the principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. Through his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. Outside of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. He restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, and many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. He devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, a diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, a great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. Not a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, which he himself had restored. Only once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— did he step outside the monastery walls. The eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Saint Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, forced Russification, A for spiritual life&learning, fixed Georgian churches monestaries
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, f Gori district, Gori Theological, tTiblisi Seminary, till 1845, Monk aTiblisi m, tKazan Theological Academy, wHonors, back tGeorgia, Tiblisi Seminary taught: Scriptures, Latin, Moral theology, &Archaeology, till 1851, also oversaw monks iAbkhazeti, and supervised Kutaisi Theological, most essential tFaith iGeorgia- broadening Theological school network, especially Ilori in Ochamchire, pedagogue (youth teacher) 1851, 1856 archmandrite, 1862 bishop, called Second Apostle tGeorgia, difficult time because russian only in R Empire, only rich could afford school, left Church&Monasteries, forced Russification, A considered revival spiritual life&learning means tNational Spirit Cultural Advance: iAbkhazeti - 2 Churches iSokhumi, outside A - Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, &Shemokmedi monasteries, Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, many other churches Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara &Imerti, special attention to Shio-Mgvime m area, 1878 Tiblisi school for women bA's contributions, published spiritual &Historical books, textbooks, hymns, Ilia tRighteous spiritual father, died 1907 aShio-Mgvime; Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, he himself had restored. once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— he step outside the monastery walls. The eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, led revival, russification problem, churches monasteries cathedrals restored
Georgia, 1844-1907, Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Guria Province (left side Rioni River 5 and 6, Western Inland Georgia), led revival, dean theological school, oversaw monastery, broadening T institutions, russification problem, churches monasteries cathedrals restored, funded school for women, spiritual historical books published ; Guria; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; holy hierarch Alexander (Alexi Okropiridze in the world) was born in 1824, in the village of Disevi in the Gori district, to the family of the village priest. up around the church, he received his primary education at Gori Theological School and later continued his education at Tbilisi Seminary. completed his course of study at the seminary in 1845, he was tonsured a monk at the Tbilisi Monastery of the Transfiguration and given the new name Alexander. Tbilisi the young monk Alexander traveled to the theological academy in Kazan to continue his studies. graduated with honors and returned to his homeland. Alexander taught the Holy Scriptures, Latin, moral theology, and archaeology at Tbilisi Seminary until July 27, 1851. at the order of the Holy Synod, he was appointed dean of the theological school in Abkhazeti on September 21, 1851. was also entrusted with overseeing monastic life in the Abkhazeti diocese and with supervising the instruction at Kutaisi Theological School. considered a broadening of the network of theological institutions most essential to the strengthening of the Christian Faith in his country. the very beginning of his labors in Abkhazeti, he exerted an enormous amount of effort to improve the Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire. first Alexander was active as a pedagogue, then from February 29, 1856, as an archimandrite, and from March 4, 1862, as a bishop. was as beloved throughout all of Georgian society as he was by the local population, and many called him the “Second Apostle to Abkhazeti.” ’s pastoral activity coincided with a difficult period in Georgian history. divine services were no longer being celebrated in the Georgian language, as a result many of the people began to drift away from the Church. Georgian churches and monasteries, considered cultural and academic centers from ancient times, were deserted. this time Georgia had been incorporated into the Russian Empire, and the tsarist government had initiated a policy of forced Russification.) Georgian language was no longer being taught in schools, and the poorest families could not afford to educate their children. learned and erudite Bishop Alexander considered the revival of spiritual life and learning, firmly rooted in the national consciousness, the principal means by which to reinvigorate the national spirit and encourage cultural advance. ’s efforts on behalf of the revival of the churches and monasteries in Abkhazeti are, among his many labors, most worthy of note. his efforts alone two churches were restored in Sokhumi. Outside of Abkhazeti, Alexander renewed the magnificent monasteries of Shio-Mgvime, Zedazeni, Davit-Gareji, and Shemokmedi. He restored Jvari Church, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Disevi Church, and many other churches in Guria-Samegrelo, Atchara, and Imereti. He devoted special attention to the Shio-Mgvime Monastery and the surrounding area, which had been devastated by that time. to Saint Alexander’s generous financial contributions, a diocesan school for women was founded in Tbilisi in 1878. his initiative and personal contributions, a great number of spiritual and historical books, textbooks and collections of sacred hymns were published. Not a single God-pleasing project was undertaken without Alexander’s support. Alexander spent the remainder of his days at the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, which he himself had restored. once—on September 9, 1907, the day his spiritual son Saint Ilia the Righteous was buried— did he step outside the monastery walls. eighty-three year-old Alexander outlived the great son of Georgia by two months and fell asleep in the Lord on October 27 of the same year. Saint Alexander is buried at Shio-Mgvime Monastery.

Georgia, 1845-1896, Gabriel, BoImereti, traveled c, Humility, language nationalst, conflicts wRus&Georgia, tKutaisi, incrpt rlcs
Georgia, 1845-1896, Gabriel, Bishop oImereti region (Western Inland Georgia, Rioni and Argveti Rivers), fOzurgeti iGuria, son of a priest, 1840-1845 Tbilisi, Pskov & St Pete Theological Seminaries, 1849 St Pete Masters Degree, married & returned tGeorgia& Dean oTbilisi Seminary, 1854 ordained Deacon&later Priest, 1856 terrible grief lost wife&5 children tEpidemic, tonsured monk aDavid-Gareji, 1858 abbot there and Bishop oGori, 1860 transferred tImerti Region, till 1896 end of life, 1869 Abkhazeti diocese added under him, traveled constantly tVillages preaching helping those in need, his character most powerful influence, no differentiation among petitioners, not tolerate lawlessness or imorality, his simple character evident in his clothing, dwelling, food, visitors mistook him for servant, merciful alms giver tWidows&orphans, for struggling simple people sought universal primary education, sheltered young people, funded their studies, hosted dinners&long discussions for virtuous thoughts & love of humility, his axiom nothing is my own, all belongs tGod, we know everything from his diaries: beggars buried, naked clothed, people way to survival, student opportunity tStudy, sick he purchased medicine, in winter anonymously firewood&money, Despite this letters accusing unrighteousness, injustice, immorality, ambition, selling church property, Gabriel's strong nationalist sentiments caused conflicts with Russian exarch (governor) Evsevi, especially language, so entangled in politics Georgian-Russian, regarded aUntrustworthy bGeorgian Govt, assigned spies, 1885 his secretary, a publicist, was killed, Gabriel received threatining letters so he intended leave Georgia because spiritual weakness, frightened, afraid for disgrace for nation, but he never left, just tKutaisi, died 1896 there after severe torment, terrible visions from devil to spiritually weaken him. unusually hersh winter there, impossible to translate his relics fKutaisi to nearby Gelati, people waited 46 days while body no decay, His will distributed his possessions to widows, orphans, poor, Gabriel's parting address: remitting sins of his flock, asking forgiveness his own sins, his will was publisned, enduring testament of his faith; Imereti region; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Gabriel (Kikodze) was born November 15, 1825, in the village of Bachvi, in the western Georgian district of Ozurgeti in Guria. father was the priest Maxime Kikodze. 1840 to 1845, Gabriel (Gerasime in the world) studied in Tbilisi and at the theological seminaries in Pskov and Saint Petersburg. 1849, he graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy with a master’s degree, in the same year he was married and returned to Georgia. his return he was appointed dean of Tbilisi Seminary. 1854 Saint Gabriel was ordained a deacon, and later a priest. 1856 a terrible grief befell Saint Gabriel: his wife and five children died during an epidemic that swept through the capital. this tragedy Saint Gabriel received a blessing from the exarch Isidore to be tonsured a monk at Davit-Gareji Monastery, in 1858 he was enthroned as abbot of this monastery. the same year he was consecrated bishop of Gori, then on July 2, 1860, he was transferred to the Imereti region. shepherded the flock of this diocese to the end of his life. 1869 the Abkhazeti diocese was also brought under his leadership. Gabriel strove tirelessly to strengthen the faith of his flock, to this end he traveled constantly throughout the villages, preaching and helping those in need. the end it was his own character and example that proved to have the most powerful influence on his spiritual children. existed no differentiation among petitioners in the eyes of Bishop Gabriel: or young, prince or pauper, relative, acquaintance or stranger were equal to him and equally deserving of his help, support, and protection. would not tolerate lawlessness or immorality. simplicity of his character was evident even in his clothing, his dwelling, and the food he ate. was not unusual for visitors, seeing the elder clad in a shabby monk’s robe, to take him for a servant. Gabriel was a merciful almsgiver and generously distributed aid to the widows and orphans in his community. sympathized deeply with the struggles of simple people sought to establish a system of universal primary education. offered his help to many young people by providing them with shelter and by often funding their studies. would host dinners for the youth, leading long discussions to instill in them virtuous thoughts to cultivate a love of humility in their young souls. Gabriel lived by the axiom: “Nothing is my own; all belongs to God.” know from Bishop Gabriel’s diaries the number of beggars he buried, the naked he clothed, the people for whom he paved the way to survival, the students for whom he created an opportunity for study, and the sick for whom he purchased medicine. in the winter Saint Gabriel would anonymously send firewood and money to families that were suffering from hunger and cold. all of this, Bishop Gabriel would receive letters accusing him of unrighteousness, injustice, immorality, ambition, and the selling of Church property without permission. Gabriel’s strong nationalist sentiments (especially those pertaining to the Georgian language) often caused conflicts with the Russian exarch Evsevi. this reason Bishop Gabriel became entangled in the politics of Georgian-Russian relations he was held in high suspicion by officials of the Russian rule in Georgia. Gabriel began to be regarded as “untrustworthy” by his own government, and the officials assigned spies to watch over his every action. 1885 Bishop Gabriel’s secretary, the publicist Evstati Mchedlidze (Bosleveli), was killed. bishop himself began to receive threatening letters, and he decided to leave Georgia. “My spiritual weakness was such that I became frightened,” he wrote in his memoirs. “It was not only for myself that I was afraid, seeing how I had already grown old and had little time remaining in the world. Rather, if they had killed me, a great disgrace would have fallen on the nation that had devoted itself so faithfully to its shepherd.” Bishop Gabriel never left Georgia. his last years he began to suffer severe inner torment, and he often saw terrible visions—the enemy of mankind launched a final campaign to spiritually defeat the already physically weakened elder. Gabriel ceaselessly repeated the prayer “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” his last, he prayed, “Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom!” Gabriel reposed in Kutaisi on January 25, 1896. winter was unusually harsh in western Georgia that year. The roads were covered with snow, and it was impossible to translate his holy relics from Kutaisi to nearby Gelati. people waited for more agreeable weather, until it arrived Bishop Gabriel’s relics remained at the City Cathedral in Kutaisi (this cathedral was destroyed during the Communist period). forty-six days all of Georgia mourned Bishop Gabriel’s passing, and during that time his body showed no signs of decay. accordance with his will, the hierarch’s personal possessions were distributed to widows, orphans, and the poor. parting address, in which he remitted the sins of all his flock and asked for the forgiveness of his own sins, published as a final, enduring testament to his great faith.

Georgia, 1851, Dagestani Invasions of David Gareja Monastery 1851
Georgia, Dagestani Invasion 1851; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; the 18th and 19th centuries the Dagestanis were continually raiding and pillaging the Davit-Gareji Wilderness. They destroyed churches and monasteries, stole sacred objects, and tortured and killed many of the monks who labored there. Dagestani army invaded the Davit-Gareji Wilderness in the summer of 1851. They looted the Davit-Gareji Lavra and carried off many of the monastery’s sacred treasures and books. Then they took many of the monks captive and tortured a few of the most pious. they stabbed Hierodeacon Otar to death, then they beheaded Hieromonk Gerontius. The unbelievers battered Hieromonk Serapion to death with their swords. Monk Herman was stabbed in the stomach, then beheaded. Monk Besarion was also beheaded. The eighteen-year-old Simeon tried to flee on foot but was shot at with bows and arrows, then caught and beheaded. Monk Michael, the most outstanding among the brothers in humility and silence, was subjected to the harshest tortures. their martyrdom the bodies of these holy men were illumined with a divine light. martyrdom of the holy fathers of the Davit-Gareji Monastery was described in 1853 by Hieromonk Isaac of Gaenati, who witnessed the tragedy. Hieromonk Isaac himself was captured and led away to Dagestan by the merciless bandits. He was later freed through the mediation of Tsar Nicholas I (1825-1855). Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Georgia, 1857-1907, Ilia the Righteous, Politician, Ilia Chavchavadze, historian, for Georgian Nationalism
Georgia, 1857-1907, Ilia Chavchavadze, Ilia the Righteous; Georgian Politician, 1857-1907, Ilia Chavchavadze; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Ilia, called the “Uncrowned King of Georgia,” the “Father of the Nation” and “the Righteous,” belonged to the noble family Chavchavadze. He was born on October 27, 1837, in the village of Qvareli in Kakheti. He received his primary education at home: his mother instructed him in reading and writing, prayer and the law of God. When he was eight years old, Ilia was sent to study with Archdeacon Nikoloz Sepashvili of Qvareli. The years he spent there left an indelible impression on this holy man’s life. continued his education at a Tbilisi boarding school, and later at the court gymnasium (high school). His parents died at a young age, and the orphaned children were entrusted to the care of their aunt Macrina. 1857 Ilia enrolled in the law school at Saint Petersburg University. There he read a great deal and struggled to improve himself as an individual. He was fascinated by Georgian history and spent much of his time in the Saint Petersburg archives in search of old Georgian texts. His academic achievements were outstanding, but he was uninterested in receiving an official diploma from the school of law. In his fourth year he dropped out of the program and returned to Georgia. was certain that a nation that forgets its own history “is like a beggar who knows neither his past nor where he is going.” For this reason he sought to inspire his fellow countrymen with the past glories of their nation and the loyalty of their forefathers to the Christian Faith and the Georgian nation. restoration of national independence and the autocephaly of the Georgian Church were the chief objectives toward which Saint Ilia strove in every aspect of his life. As a means by which to achieve these goals, Ilia took up the work of a historian: he conducted intensive research and exposed those who had falsified history and dishonored the Georgian nation. great philosopher, writer, and historian often repeated the statement “A nation whose language is corrupted can no longer exist as a nation.” He cared deeply about the Georgian language and fought to ensure that it remained the primary language taught in schools. inspired many with his patriotic zeal, and he founded the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians. He established a depository of Georgian manuscripts and antiquities. In addition he initiated a movement to document oral folk traditions and helped to found the Georgian Agrarian Bank. the Righteous was often heard declaring, “We, the Georgian people, have inherited three divine gifts from our ancestors: our motherland, our language and our faith. If we fail to protect these gifts, what merit will we have as men?” Ilia’s righteous deeds were an affront and threat to those who adhered to the new atheist ideology, so they plotted to kill him. On August 30, 1907, Ilia Chavchavadze and his wife, Olga (Guramishvili), had just set off from Tbilisi for Saguramo when their carriage stopped abruptly outside of Mtskheta, near Tsitsamuri Forest. were awaited by a band of militant social democrats who attacked them and shot Ilia to death. Military Court of the Caucasus sentenced Ilia Chavchavadze’s murderers to death by hanging. But Ilia’s wife Olga requested that the governor-general pardon her husband’s murderers. She asserted that, if Ilia had survived, he would have done the same, since the killers were simply his “unlucky brothers gone astray.” Ilia had forgiven his murderers’ offense long before, in his prophetic poem “Prayer”: Our Father Who art in Heaven! With tenderness I stand before Thee on my knees; I ask for neither wealth nor glory; I won’t debase my holy prayer with earthly matters. I would wish for my soul to rest in heaven, My heart to be radiant with love heralded by Thee, I would wish to be able to ask forgiveness of mine enemies, Even if they pierce me in the heart: Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do! 1987 the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church considered the deeds of Ilia Chavchavadze before God and his country and decreed him worthy to be numbered among the saints. He was joyously canonized as Saint Ilia “the Righteous.” St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St. Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16;

Georgia, 1857-1907 , Righteous Georgians, John, Stephen and Isaiah, Sepulchre guardians, Ottoman Period
Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; the multitude of saints we remember those Christians who dedicated their earthly lives to glorifying God and serving others. In a single lifetime they performed all the spiritual feats of the venerable and devout fathers, confessors, and martyrs. the saints canonized by the Georgian Church, only four have been called “Righteous.” They are Saint Ilia Chavchavadze, well known as the “father” and “uncrowned king” of the Georgian nation, and Saints John, Steven, and Isaiah the Georgians. is believed that Holy John, Steven, and Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and guarded the Tomb of our Lord. It is probable that the Georgian Orthodox Church proclaimed them deserving of exceptional honor in recognition of their dedicated service at the Tomb of the Savior. several centuries the Georgian Church has glorified the Righteous John, Steven, and Isaiah and asked for their intercessions before the Lord.

Georgia, 1872-1923, Alexei oTeklati, inner warfare, Calling oFather's will, invisible instructor, if die now, who will, God will
Georgia, 1872-1923, Hieromonk Alexei oTeklati, fSenaki d oSamegrelo, a16 father died &blessed care family, same year 1868 tJerusalem & tConstantinople visit pious rich merchant uncle, there facinated wTrade, resolved be merchant, but discovered God's will by praying wForerunner's icon, first great inner warfare, love for mother v force calling spiritual life, How can I fulfill my father's will, invisible instructor answered, if you die now, who will, God will, so die to world, entrust everything to God and he will, life transformed, confined tRoom, scriptures, strict fasting, uncle thought return Georgia, brothers distressed but Mom approved him a monk, tTeklati Woman's Monastery, began Fool FChrist, strict ascetic life, village tVillage, caring for TB cholera, serious illnesses, burying corpses, preaching intensly, example fMany incl mother, sister, brother, become monks, Brother tJerusalem several yrs then priest aMartvili, later great schema, A tMt Athos then tKiev Caves, then back tGeorgia, 1885 tGelati m, study&writing, 1886 reassighned tKhobi m, ordained deacon, 1888 hiermonk, 1890 ill & returned Teklati wMother, sisters, healed by God 1991 &Cell Menji (archangels hill) near birthplace, gathered disciples, celebrated divine services, received alms but gave 2/3, prayed wLife size cross on his back like Simon tCyrene, close to tCommunity because spiritual warmth radiated, bad health f1915 till death 1923, friends stayed in his cell 40 days with incorrupt body; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; Alexi (Shushania) was born September 23, 1852, in the village of Noqalaqevi, in the Senaki district of Samegrelo, to a pious Christian couple. father died in 1868, after giving the sixteen-year-old future hieromonk his blessing to care for the family. the same year that his father died, Alexi journeyed to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, from there to Constantinople to visit his uncle, Islam Shushania, a successful merchant and a clever and pious man. this visit, Alexi became fascinated with the trade industry and resolved to become a merchant as well. he would soon discover that God’s will was different from his own. day Alexi borrowed a small icon of Saint John the Baptist from his uncle, confined himself to his room, and there began to experience great inner warfare. was moved by a profound love for his mother, sisters, brothers, and friends, at the same time he sensed an invisible force calling him to the spiritual life. several agonizing hours, Alexi finally asked himself, “How can I fulfill my father’s will? He entrusted me with the responsibility to look after the family—how can I reconcile this with God’s calling?” his great wonder, an invisible instructor answered him, saying, “If you die now, who will take over your responsibilities?” answer was clear. “God will!” Alexi proclaimed. And he heard the voice again. “So die to the world, entrust everything to God, and He will minister to your family.” encounter transformed Alexi’s life. he confined himself to his room for months, reading the Holy Scriptures, and keeping a strict fast. the radical change in Alexi’s way of life, his uncle thought it would be best for them to leave Constantinople and return to Georgia. was not long before Alexi’s loved ones realized he had made a covenant with God, that he would enter the monastic life. brothers and sisters were distressed upon hearing the news, but his mother gave thanks to God and blessed her son. the age of twenty Alexi moved to Teklati Women’s Monastery. began to lead a strict ascetic life went from village to village, caring for those ill with tuberculosis, cholera, other serious illnesses, burying the corpses of the homeless. years passed, and many became convinced that Alexi was a fool-for-Christ. preached the Word of God with intensity, and his life was an example for many. preaching inspired his mother, Elene, his younger sister Salome, and his brother Besarion to join him in the monastic life. he was tonsured a monk, Besarion made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and remained there for several years. of his exemplary service to the Lord, he was ordained a priest at Martvili Monastery. he was tonsured into the great schema. also spent time on Mt. Athos. returning from the Holy Mountain, he made a pilgrimage to the Kiev Caves Monastery, then returned to Georgia to continue his labors. the year 1885 Saint Alexi moved to Gelati Monastery, where he continued to study and produced several original works. 1886 he was reassigned to Khobi Monastery ordained a deacon by Bishop Grigol, in 1888 he was ordained a hieromonk. years later, in 1890, he became ill and returned to be with his mother and sisters at Teklati Monastery. to God’s will his health was restored, and in 1891 Alexi fashioned a cell for himself in the mountainous village of Menji (also called “Archangels’ Hill”), near the place where he was born. gathered his disciples and undertook a stricter ascetic life. Fr. ’s health was so improved that he was able to celebrate the divine services again. holy father would receive alms, but he distributed most of what was given to him. divided the alms in three parts: first he put aside for his personal needs, second, for the church and its guests, the third, for the poor and infirm. Alexi kept a life-size cross in his cell, and when he prayed he supported the cross on his back, since it reminded him of the position in which Saint Simon of Cyrene carried the Holy Cross to Christ’s Crucifixion on Golgotha. spite of his strict ascetic life, Hieromonk Alexi was remarkably close to the people in his community and was loved by many for the spiritual warmth that he radiated. many years the strict ascetic life finally took its toll on Fr. Alexi’s health. dismissed his pupils and spent the last years of his earthly life (from around the year 1915) with his cousins, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto. Alexi reposed January 18, 1923, frail from a long and labor-filled life in the service of the Lord. forty days after his death, the schemanuns Akepsima and Pasto remained in his cell for fear that the Communist government’s henchmen would destroy his humble dwelling. they buried Fr. Alexi’s body at Teklati, themselves began to labor at the Archangels’ Monastery. the blessing of Metropolitan Eprem of Batumi-hemokmedi and Chqondidi, Schemanun Akepsima and Abbess Pasto Fr. Alexi’s incorrupt relics from Teklati to the Archangels’ Monastery buried them near the east wall of the temple on January 8, 1960. Alexi was canonized on September 18, 1995.

Georgia, 1874-1931, Historian, Zakaria Chichinadze
Georgian Historian, 1874-1931, Zakaria Chichinadze ; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated on November 10; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Georgia, 1875-1918, Saint, Kyrion II of Georgia, writer, historian, Georgian Church Autocephaly
Georgia, 1875-1918, Saint, Kyrion II of Georgia; Kyrion II (November 10, 1855 - 26 June 1918) was a Georgian religious figure and historian who served as the first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia after the restoration of independence (autocephaly) of the Georgian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917 until his assassination in 1918. He was canonized by the Georgian Holy Synod in 2002. Nikozi (Inner Kartli); Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Georgia, 1875-1918, Hieromartyr Kirion II, Archbishop, historian, writer for Gegogian Autocephaly
Georgia, 1875-1918, Hieromartyr Kirion II, from Nikozi in the Gori district, Ananuri P School, Gori T School, Tiblisi Seminary, 1880 Kiev T Academy, A Dean Odesssa T Seminary, 1883-1886 education Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, Tiblisi, 1886 supervisor Georgian Monasteries & Society for Renewal of Christianity, directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli, 1886 Monk&Abbot of Kvabtakhevi, collected manuscripts, 1898 Bishop of Alaverdi, fought Armenian Monophysites church confiscation, 1901 Bishop of Gori, contested abolition G Autocephaly so Govt. frequently reassigned him to different parts Russian Empire, 1903 Cherson, 1904 Orel, 1905 Ilia helped w autocephaly commission b rejected, 1906 Sokhumi, restored churches monasteries, 1907 Ilia killed, repression increased, 1908 accused, arrested, no longer Bishop, worldwide response, 1915 restored Bishop, Archbishop of Polotsk &Vitebsk WRussia, 1917 returned to Georgia w honor, Catholicos-Patriarch All Georgia, 1918 Autocephaly, and murdered Nikozi in the Gori district; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12; holy Hieromartyr Kirion II (known in the world as George Sadzaglishvili) was born in 1855 in the village of Nikozi in the Gori district. His father was a priest. enrolled at the parochial school in Ananuri, then at the theological school in Gori, and finally at Tbilisi Seminary. 1880 he graduated from the Kiev Theological Academy and was appointed assistant dean of the Odessa Theological Seminary. 1883 to 1886 Saint Kirion was active in the educational life of Gori, Telavi, Kutaisi, and Tbilisi. 1886 he was appointed supervisor of the Georgian monasteries and dean of the schools of the Society for the Renewal of Christianity in the Caucasus. directed the parochial schools, established libraries and rare book collections within them, and published articles on the history of the Georgian Church, folklore and literature under the pseudonyms Iverieli, Sadzagelov, and Liakhveli (the Liakhvi River flows through his native region of Shida [Inner] Kartli, the central part of eastern Georgia). 1886 God’s chosen, George, was tonsured a monk with the name Kirion, and he was enthroned as abbot of Kvabtakhevi Monastery. Kirion continued his scholarly pursuits and intensified his spiritual labors. collected folklore and ethnographic materials and studied artifacts from ancient Georgian churches. generously donated the reliquaries and rare manuscripts he found to the antiquities collections at the Church Museum of Tbilisi and the Society for the Propagation of Literacy among the Georgians. 1898 Kirion published a description of the historical monuments of Liakhvi Gorge. His publication is an important resource for scholars and historians, since most of the monuments he describes were toppled by Georgia’s ideological and national enemies in subsequent years. (Kirion would later join the Moscow Archaeological Society.) August of 1898 Archimandrite Kirion was consecrated bishop of Alaverdi. Kirion began at once to rebuild Alaverdi Church, and he offered his own resources for this momentous task. the same time, he began to study the ancient artifacts of Kakheti and Hereti in eastern Georgia. the manuscripts he turned over to the Church Museum of Tbilisi was a Holy Gospel from the year 1098, unknown to scholars until that time. Kirion was a tireless researcher, with a broad range of scholarly interests. his pen belong more than forty monographs on various themes relating to the history of the Georgian Church and Christian culture in Georgia. He compiled a short terminological dictionary of the ancient Georgian language and, with the linguist Grigol Qipshidze, a History of Georgian Philology. fought the appropriation of Georgian churches by the Armenian Monophysites. He sent a detailed memorandum to the Russian exarch in Georgia demanding that the confiscated Orthodox churches be returned. 1901 Kirion was installed as bishop of Gori. By that time it had become clear to the Georgian exarchate that the educated and progressive clergymen were endorsing the holy hierarch Kirion and contesting the abolition of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. But the government found a way out of this “dangerous situation” by frequently reassigning Saint Kirion to serve in different parts of the Russian Empire: in 1903 he was reassigned to Cherson, in 1904 to Orel, and in 1906 to Sokhumi. Sokhumi Saint Kirion exerted every effort to restore and revive the historical Georgian churches and monasteries, though he would soon be reassigned to the Kovno diocese. 1905, at the demand of Georgia’s intelligentsia (under the leadership of Saint Ilia the Righteous), the regime formed an extraordinary commission to formally consider the question of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church. Kirion delivered two lectures to the commission: one on the reasons behind Georgia’s struggle for the restoration of an autocephalous Church, and the other on the role of nationality in the life of the Church. commission rejected the Georgian claims to autocephaly and subjected the leaders of the movement to harsh repression. 1907 Saint Ilia the Righteous was killed, and the government forbade Saint Kirion to travel to Georgia to pay his last respects. Kirion managed only to send a letter of condolence to Saint Ilia’s loved ones. the months that followed, the regime tightened down even more severely on Saint Kirion. 1908 he was accused of conspiring in the murder of Exarch Nikon, deprived of the rank of bishop, and arrested. treacherous deed roused the indignation not only of the Georgian people but of the faithful of Russia as well. the democratic forces in Europe founded a society for the protection of the rights of Bishop Kirion and gathered signatures to demand his release from prison. bishop himself humbly carried the cross of his persecution and consoled his sympathizers with the words of the great Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli: “‘Not a single rose is plucked from this world without thorns.’ We must bear our suffering with love, since suffering is the fruit of love and in suffering we will find our strength!” the year 1915 the regime had ceased to persecute Saint Kirion. They restored him to the bishopric and elevated him as archbishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk in western Russia. He was not, however, permitted to return to his motherland. March of 1917 the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church declared its autocephaly restored. At the incessant demands of the Georgian people, Saint Kirion finally returned to his motherland. One hundred and twenty cavalrymen met him in Aragvi Gorge (along the Georgian Military Highway) and reverently escorted him to the capital. In Tbilisi Saint Kirion was met with great honor. September of 1917 the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church enthroned Bishop Kirion as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. the enthronement ceremony at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Saint Kirion addressed the faithful: “My beloved motherland, the nation protected by the Most Holy Theotokos, purified in the furnace by tribulations and suffering, washed in its own tears: I turn to you, having been separated from you, having sought after you, having grieved over you, having sought for you and now having returned not as a prodigal son, but as your confidant and the conscience of your Church. “I know that in your minds you are all inquiring, ‘What has he brought back with him? With what ointment will he heal his wounds? How will he comfort himself in his sadness?’ my words: He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). likewise, have come not as a hired servant, but as a faithful and obedient son!” after he was enthroned, Saint Kirion sent an appeal to all the Orthodox patriarchs of the world in which he described in detail the history of the Georgian Church and requested an official recognition of her autocephaly. May 26, 1918, Georgia declared its independence. next day Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II presided during a service of thanksgiving. The chief shepherd and his flock rejoiced at the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and the independence of the Georgian state, though from the beginning they perceived the imminence of the Bolshevik danger. The socialist revolution, now showing its true face, posed an enormous threat to the young republic and her Church. June 27, 1918, Catholicos-Patriarch Kirion II was found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martqopi Monastery. The investigation was a mere formality and the guilty were never found. were even spread that Saint Kirion had shot himself. When the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church convened on October 17, 2002, it canonized Holy Hieromartyr Kirion and numbered him among the saints.

Georgia, 1875-1889, Deliverer Icon, from Greece, for New Athos monaster, storm cast ton fish ashore there
Georgia, 1875-1889, Deliverer Icon, from Greece, for New Athos monaster, storm cast ton fish ashore there New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus; Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovonē in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovonē there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. The priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. At Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. Later, the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. He thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Father Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. Suddenly, at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. Thus, the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. The demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. Against his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. Then the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. Seeing God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. First of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. At once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. The Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. Then the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus The Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. About that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Georgia, 1883-1953, Euthymius (Takaishvili) historian protector nation's treasures, incorrupt relics
Georgia, 1883-1953, Euthymius (Takaishvili) historian protector nation's treasures, incorrupt relics , Kutaisi, Imereti, Georgia Argveti River Mouth, Rioni River 3), called Man oGod, fOzurgeti, Guria, noble family, orphaned, passion fLearning, 1883 St Petersburg U, 1887 returned tG wHistory degree, married 1895, daughter oFamous Lawyer brother iLaw Ilia Chavchavadze, collected historical-archaeological and ethnographical materials from all over Georgia, learning more Georgia history by applying interests in historiography, archaeology, ethnography, epigraphy, numismatics, philology, folklore, linguistics, and art history, 1889 estab Exarchate Museum oGorgia, which preserved ancient manuscripts, sacred objects, theological books, and copies of many important frescoes that had been removed from ancient churches, rediscovering Georgia Church Hisory, 1907 founded Society for Georgian History and Ethnography, that society received respect bMuslim Southwest Georgia, 1918 w9 founded Tiblisi U, advocated autocephaly, 1921 Geo Govt exiled tFrance, Govt archives & spiritual cultural treasures flown tFrance, Ekvtime trusted to keek treasures safe, onslaught American European museums collectors, claims Georgian Expats, 1931 Wife died starvation, he almost died hunger cold stress, Soviet victory 1945 treasurs&Ekvtime flown tGeorgia, restored professorship, 1951 checkists arrested caretaker step-daughter, 1952 professorship revoked, house arrest, prevented seeing people, 1953 died heart attack, 1963 incorrupt relics; Kutaisi; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated Janaury 3; Ekvtime (Euthymius) Takaishvili, the “Man of God,” born January 3, 1863, the village of Likhauri, in the Ozurgeti district of Guria, the noble family of Svimeon Takaishvili and Gituli Nakashidze. was orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle. early childhood Saint Ekvtime demonstrated a great passion for learning. Having completed his studies at the village grammar school, he enrolled at Kutaisi Classical High School. 1883 he graduated with a silver medal and moved to Saint Petersburg to continue his studies in the department of history-philology at Saint Petersburg University. 1887, having successfully completed his studies and earned a degree in history, Ekvtime returned to Georgia and began working in the field of academia. profound faith and love for God and his motherland determined his every step in this demanding and admirable profession. 1895, Ekvtime married Nino Poltoratskaya, of the famous Tbilisi attorney Ivan Poltoratsky, was himself a brother in-law and close friend of Saint Ilia Chavchavadze the Righteous. the very beginning of his career Saint Ekvtime began to collect historical-archaeological and ethnographical materials from all over Georgia. sphere of scholarly interests was broad, including historiography, archaeology, ethnography, epigraphy, numismatics, philology, folklore, linguistics, and art history. all, Saint Ekvtime strove to learn more about Georgian history and culture by applying the theories and methodologies of these various disciplines to his work. 1889, Saint Ekvtime established the Exarchate Museum of Georgia, which were preserved ancient manuscripts, sacred objects, theological books, and copies of many important frescoes that had been removed from ancient churches. museum played a major role in rediscovering the history of the Georgian Church. 1907, Saint Ekvtime founded the Society for Georgian History and Ethnography. the many expeditions organized by this society, the journey through Muslim (southwestern) Georgia was one of the most meaningful. witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the forced isolation and Islamization of this region, Ekvtime and his fellow pilgrims acquired a greater love for the Faith of their forefathers and became more firmly established in their national identity. they no longer spoke the Georgian language, the residents of this region received the venerable Ekvtime with great respect, sensed from his greeting and kindness that he had come from their far-off motherland. was not a single patriotic, social or cultural movement in Georgia during the first quarter of the 20th century in which Saint Ekvtime did not actively take part. his other important achievements, he was one of the nine professors who founded Tbilisi University in 1918. Ekvtime also vigorously advocated the restoration of the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. March 11, 1921, the Georgian government went into exile in France. government archives the nation’s spiritual and cultural treasures were also flown to France for protection from the Bolshevik danger. Ekvtime was personally entrusted to keep the treasures safe, he and his wife accompanied them on their flight to France. Ekvtime bore the hardships of an emigrant’s life and the horrors of World War II with heroism, boldly resisting the onslaught of European and American scholars and collectors the claims of other Georgian emigrants to their “family relics.” 1931 Saint Ekvtime’s wife, Nino, his faithful friend and companion, died of starvation. elderly widower himself often drew near to the brink of death from hunger, cold, and stress, he never faltered in his duty before God and his motherland— faithfully protected his nation’s treasures. perils were great for Saint Ekvtime and the treasures he protected: and American museums sought to purchase the Georgian national artifacts; certain Salome Dadiani, the widow of Count Okholevsky, declared herself the sole heir of the Georgian national treasure; World War II the Nazis searched Saint Ekvtime’s apartment; the French government claimed ownership of the Georgian treasures. the Soviet victory over fascist Germany created conditions favorable for the return of the national treasures to Georgia. to an agreement between Stalin and De Gaulle, treasures and their faithful protector were loaded onto an American warplane and flown back to their motherland on April 11, 1945. he finally stepped off the plane and set foot on Georgian soil, Ekvtime bowed deeply and kissed the earth where he stood. greeted its long-lost son with great honor. The people overwhelmed Saint Ekvtime with attention and care, his university professorship, recognized him as an active member of the Academy of Sciences. healed the wounds that had been inflicted on his heart. by the separation from his motherland and the woes of emigration, Saint Ekvtime rejoined society with the last of his strength. mankind’s enemy became envious of the victory of good over evil and rose up against Saint Ekvtime’s unshakable spirit. 1951 the Chekists arrested his stepdaughter, Lydia Poltoratskaya. Ekvtime, who by that time was seriously ill, was now left without his caregiver. 1952, without any reasonable explanation, Saint Ekvtime was forbidden to lecture at the university he himself had helped to found, he was secretly placed under house arrest. people who had reverently greeted him upon his return now trembled in fear of his persecution and imminent death. tried to visit and support Saint Ekvtime, but they were forbidden. February 21, 1953, Saint Ekvtime died of a heart attack, three days later a group of approximately forty mourners accompanied the virtuous prince to his eternal resting place. February 10, 1963, the centennial of Saint Ekvtime’s birth, his body was reburied at the Didube Pantheon in Tbilisi. his grave was uncovered, it was revealed that not only his body, but even his clothing and footwear had remained incorrupt. Saint Ekvtime’s relics were moved once again, to the Pantheon at the Church of Saint Davit of Gareji on Mtatsminda, where they remain today. body of Nino Poltoratskaya-Takaishvili was brought from Leville (France) and buried next to Saint Ekvtime on February 22, 1987. Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church canonized Saint Ekvtime on October 17, 2002, and joyously proclaimed him a “Man of God.”

Georgia, 1885-1944, Euthymius tConfessor, saved Georgian Chant, musical tradition, print shop, free to public, western notation
Georgia, 1885-1944, Euthymius tConfessor, fRacha Region, Georgia (Upper Rioni River Valley), after studies sought work iKutaisi&Tiblisi, with others began Book Club to--strengthen Orthodox faith iGeorgia, to better understand ancient Georgian Chant, to spread musical tradition knowledge to general public, so in 1890's purchased print shop wHelp from Ilia tRighteous, next 25 yrs these guys published theological texts and distributed them free to public, 1912 became monk, novice aGelati, new name Ekvtime, ordained hirodeacon 1913, 1917 Priest, 1921 Communist Kutaisi deemed E untrustworthy, arrested, released lack oEvidence, even though Gelati monks expected abuses each day, E persevered in his work, gathering Geortian hymns, publishin in western notation, 1924 Communists destroyed Kutaisi Cathedral, same year killed Met and his clergy, peak oHysteria, he moved his cart otranscrips savely on dangerous road to Tiblisi then Mtskheta, tSvetitskhoveli Cathedral there, appointed Dean there, guarded transcripts even 1925 when Patriarch imprisoned at Metekhi and clergy threats increased, he was spiritual faather nuns oSamtavro Convent, 1929 relocated Zedazeni near Mtskheta, there concealed music iMetal vessels for 6yrs til 1935, Samtavro Nuns cared for him till he died i1944; Racha; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Euthymius Kereselidze was born in 1865 the village of Sadmeli (Racha region) to the pious Solomon and Marta Kereselidze. birth he was given the name Evstate. completing his studies at the local parish school, fifteen-year-old Evstate traveled first to Kutaisi, then Tbilisi, in search of work. the help of other pious young men Evstate founded a kind of theological “book club” in Tbilisi. objectives of the organization were to the Orthodox Faith among the Georgian people, better understand the ancient school of Georgian chant, to spread knowledge of this venerable musical tradition among the general public. the 1890s the organization purchased a print shop with the help of Saint Ilia the Righteous. the twenty-five years that followed, these young men zealously published theological texts and distributed them to the public free of charge. some time Evstate resolved to take upon himself the heavy yoke of monasticism, which he had been preparing from an early age. spiritual father, the venerable Saint Alexi (Shushania), supported his decision. 1912, with the blessing of Bishop Giorgi (Aladashvili) of Imereti, Evstate began to labor as a novice at Gelati Monastery. December 23, 1912, he was tonsured a monk by a certain Antimos, the abbot of the monastery. was given the name Ekvtime in honor of Saint Ekvtime of Mt. Athos. May of 1913 he was ordained a hierodeacon. 1917 Fr. Ekvtime was ordained to the priesthood by the same Bishop Giorgi. the terrible year of 1921, immediately after the Communists seized power in Kutaisi, the authorities deemed Fr. Ekvtime untrustworthy and arrested him. according to God’s will, he was released due to the lack of evidence against him. this ungodly era, the clergy and monks of Gelati Monastery came to expect abuses and persecutions each day. the faithful hieromonk Ekvtime persevered in his work, gathering hundreds of ancient Georgian hymns for eventual publication according to Western notation. 1924 the Communists destroyed the Cathedral of King Davit the Restorer in Kutaisi. that year they shot and killed Metropolitan Nazar of Kutaisi-Gaenati and the clergy who served under him. hysteria had reached its peak. Fr. Ekvtime planned to leave Gelati Monastery and to move the ancient manuscripts with which he had been working to a more secure location. that time thousands of travelers were killed on the road between Kutaisi and Tbilisi, Fr. Ekvtime safely transported himself and his cartload of manuscripts from Kutaisi to Mtskheta, a short distance from Tbilisi. Ekvtime brought the manuscripts to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral for safekeeping, and he was soon appointed dean of this parish. in 1925, when Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrosi was imprisoned at Metekhi and threats to the Georgian clergy increased significantly, Fr. Ekvtime continued to guard the ancient manuscripts faithfully. transcribed the music from the medieval neume system of notation to the European-style staff system. the same time, Fr. Ekvtime served as spiritual father to the nuns of Samtavro Convent, located a short distance from Svetitskhoveli. 1929 Fr. Ekvtime was relocated to Zedazeni Monastery outside of Mtskheta. brought the ancient music manuscripts with him to his new home, concealed them in metal vessels, and buried them beneath the earth. years later, in November of 1935, he turned over thirty-four volumes of music containing 5,532 chants and several theological manuscripts to the State Museum of Georgia. World War II conditions in the Georgian monasteries grew ever more bleak. abbot of Zedazeni Monastery, Archimandrite Mikael (Mandaria), was taking food to the monks of Saguramo when the Communists shot and killed him for violating the curfew they had imposed. young monk Parten (Aptsiauri) was falsely accused and arrested. the repose of the elder Saba (Pulariani), Fr. Ekvtime was the only monk remaining at Zedazeni. Ekvtime’s spiritual children, the nuns of Samtavro Convent, cared for him as he grew older. the winter of 1944 the nun Zoile (Dvalishvili) and several others went to visit him at Zedazeni and found him lying enfeebled in bed. a short time Fr. Ekvtime peacefully gave up his soul to the Lord. Fr. Ekvtime was buried in the yard of Zedazeni Monastery, near the church sanctuary. of his rich library was moved to Samtavro. this day several of the original manuscripts of hymns he transcribed to European-style notation are preserved there. ancient school of Georgian chant is preserved up to this day primarily as a result of Abbot Ekvtime’s fearless labors. Saint Ekvtime (Kereselidze), like Saint Ekvtime of Mt. Athos for whom he was named, dedicated his life to the enrichment of his mother Church. Saint Ekvtime Taqaishvili, the “Man of God”, he gave his talents and energies to the preservation of Georgia’s unique spiritual heritage. was a monk-ascetic and a scholar who prayed fervently. (Several of his theological treatises are preserved at Samtavro.) From his youth Saint Ekvtime was for others an example of virginity, humility and patience. September 18, 2003, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church declared Ekvtime (Kereselidze) worthy of being numbered among the saints. Synod called him “Ekvtime the Confessor,” thereby recognizing his confession of the Faith and his vital role in the preservation of the rich tradition of national liturgical song.

Georgia, 1891, Founding Church of Great Martyr George, Zakatalsk region, G enlightened Georgia, namesake, Bogomils came
Georgia, 1891, Founding of the Church of the Great Martyr George, Zakatalsk region (Talsk River of Alazani), new church in place of old, George enlightened Georgia, namesake, Nino established this feastday, Bogomils came; Zakatalsk region; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated November 10 ; Founding of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Georgia: was enlightened with the Christian faith by the holy Equal of the Apostles Nino (January 14), a kinswoman of the holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer (April 23). Georgia has special veneration for Saint George as its patron saint. name Georgia is derived from George (this name is preserved now in many languages of the world). Nino established a feastday in his honor. It is celebrated in Georgia on November 10, in remembrance of the sufferings of Saint George. 1891, near the village of Kakha in the Zakatalsk region of the Caucasus, a new church in place of the old was built in honor of the holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, many of the heterodox Bogomils came in droves to it. heterodox Bogomils was a Christian neo-Gnostic or dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Peter I in the 10th century.[1][2][3] It most probably arose in what is today the region of Macedonia.[4][5] Bogomils called for a return to what they considered to be early spiritual teaching, rejecting the ecclesiastical hierarchy. primary political tendencies were resistance to the state and church authorities. This helped the movement spread quickly in the Balkans, gradually expanding throughout the Byzantine Empire and later reaching Kievan Rus', Bosnia (Bosnian Church), Dalmatia, Serbia, Italy, and France (Cathars). Bogomils were dualists or Gnostics in that they believed in a world within the body and a world outside the body. did not use the Christian cross, nor build churches, as they revered their gifted form and considered their body to be the temple. gave rise to many forms of practice to cleanse oneself through purging,[clarification needed] fasting, celebrating and dancing.

Georgia, 1892-1924, Nazarius, new martyr, Bolsheviks, Georgian Nationalists, buried treasures, Chekists, Troika
Kutaisi; Kutaisi-Gaenati; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Nazarius of Kutaisi-Gaenati was born in 1872 in the village of Didi Jikhaishi in Imereti. His forefathers belonged to a long lineage of clergy, and the future metropolitan was nurtured in the Church from the earliest years of his youth. (known in the world as Joseph) received his education at Kutaisi Theological School. In 1892 he graduated with honors from Tbilisi Seminary and began to serve in the Church, first as a deacon and later (from February 9, 1893) as a priest. In 1904, after a series of personal tragedies (first his wife died, then his two daughters), Nazarius was tonsured a monk. On November 4, 1918, he was enthroned as Metropolitan of Kutaisi. years 1922 to 1923 marked a difficult period in the history of the Georgian Church. The Bolsheviks razed twelve hundred churches, destroyed much of the Church’s wealth, burnt many rare manuscripts, and persecuted spiritual leaders—particularly Georgian nationalists. February 10, 1921, following the Red Army’s invasion of Georgia, the treasures of the Sioni and Svetitskhoveli Cathedrals were carried away to Kutaisi for safekeeping. Patriarch Leonid gave his blessing for four boxes of holy objects to be buried under the porch at Metropolitan Nazarius’s residence, which was located on the grounds of the Bagrati Cathedral. the Bolsheviks secured their occupation of Georgia, they discovered where the treasures had been buried and arrested Metropolitan Nazarius. They accused him of agitating against the government and concealing the possessions of the Church. During the court proceedings the metropolitan was asked for whom he had hidden the treasure, and he answered, “For the Church and the Georgian people!” court sentenced Nazarius to the most severe punishment—execution by a firing squad—but the sentence was subsequently rescinded. In the end, the Bolsheviks imprisoned the hierarch and confiscated his personal belongings. April of 1924 Metropolitan Nazarius received amnesty and was released after two years in prison. He returned to his diocese, which was undergoing many trials. He was not permitted to return to his own residence, but was obliged to live with his brother, while his former home was transformed into a storage facility. August 14, 1924, a delegation from the village of Simoneti came to the metropolitan to request that he consecrate their local church. At the appointed time, the metropolitan arrived in Simoneti with his retinue and consecrated the church. That night, a group of Chekists (Soviet security agents) broke into the house where Metropolitan Nazarius and his entourage were staying, bound and beat them, and then dragged them to the village council. Without an investigation, the Troika (a Soviet extraordinary council of three judges) sentenced to death Metropolitan Nazarius and four other clergymen—Priest Herman Jajanidze, Priest Hierotheos Nikoladze, Priest Simon Mchedlidze, and Archdeacon Besarion Kukhianidze. A layman, Axalmotsameni, was also sentenced to death. They were shot to death in the Sapichkhia Forest. 1994, with the blessing of Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the full Ecclesiastical Council of the Georgian Church resolved with one accord to canonize Metropolitan Nazarius and the clergymen who were martyred with him. At the same time, the council canonized all the Orthodox Christians who, for their Faith and the independence of their homeland, became victims of the totalitarian regime. They were proclaimed the “New Martyrs of the Georgian Church.” Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated Janaury 3; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Georgia, 1897-1960, George oGeorgia (Mkheidze) fRacha region, dedicated self tGeorgia’s national liberation, spirit gifted
Georgia, 1897-1960, George (John) oGeorgia, Archmandrite John, (Basil Maisuradze in the world) fTskhinvali iSamachablo, peasant family, taught handiwork, 1894 as teen helped restore Betania m, tIveron Mt Athos 1903 for 17yrs, simplicity&obedience, monk, priest, dedicated serving others, 1920 left circumstances there for Amazi m, Miskheta, shot in back bChekists, tossed gorge, tSamtavro m, Mtskheta, tBetania m, abbot, ag labor admin, festal meal fVisitors, children loved him, blessed Ilia II, worked hard all day, slept piece oWood, prayed all night, monastery had Govt protectors, healed deaf&terminally ill, knew people by name as they arrived, clarvoyant,Fr. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement, Ilia tRighteous personal secretary, monk, Priest, Archmandrite, Chekist mob threatened, sought help athieist family, tBetania m same year, labored for John rest of life, poor health, lightest tasks, vegetable garden, bees, generous, often tTabilisi spiritual children, secret christians working fGovt, prophecy, healing, clairvoyance, advance knowing sisters coming, prepared food in advance, healed meningitis, deaf, Theotokos, Angel & Thekla appearances, ; Tskhinvali; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; John (Basil Maisuradze in the world) was born in the town of Tskhinvali in Samachablo around 1882. was raised in a peasant family taught to perform all kinds of handiwork. was barely in his teens when he helped Fr. Spiridon (Ketiladze), the main priest at Betania Monastery, to restore the monastery between 1894 and 1896. his youth Basil was eager to enter the monastic life, in 1903, according to God’s will, he moved to the Skete of Saint John the Theologian at Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos. the brothers he was distinguished for his simplicity and obedience. He was tonsured a monk and named John in honor of Saint John the Theologian, whom he revered deeply and sought to emulate. monk John was soon ordained to the priesthood. his life the holy father dedicated himself to serving God and his brothers in Christ in hopes that his own life might be fruitful for them. John remained on Mt. Athos for seventeen years. (1920), due to the increasingly troubling circumstances there, he left the Holy Mountain with the other Georgian monks sometime between 1920 and 1921. settled at Armazi Monastery outside of Mtskheta, where the Bolsheviks had left just one monk to labor in solitude. a band of armed Chekists broke into the monastery, led both Fr. John and the other monk away, and shot them in the back. them to be dead, they tossed them in a nearby gorge. group of people later discovered Fr. John’s nearly lifeless body and brought it to Samtavro Monastery in Mtskheta. other monk suffered only minor injuries and returned to the monastery on his own. his health had been restored, Fr. John went to Betania Monastery, where his first spiritual father was still laboring. was appointed abbot shortly thereafter. to hard work from his childhood, he skillfully administered the agricultural labors of the monastery. visitors came to the monastery seeking advice or solace, Fr. John welcomed them warmly, spreading a festal meal before them. He enjoyed spending time with his guests, especially with children. is said that he always had candy or a special treat to give to the little ones. children loved him so much that on the feast of Saint John the Theologian, while he was sprinkling the church with holy water, they skipped around him and tried to tousle his hair. children’s parents were ashamed, but Fr. John cheerfully assured them that it was fitting to be so joyous on a feast day. Fr. John was endowed with a deep love for young people, he was also blessed with the divine gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. a certain Irakli Ghudushauri, a student at Moscow Theological Seminary, visited him at the monastery. John received him with exceptional warmth, blessing him with tears of rejoicing. student would later become Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, the beloved shepherd who continues to lead the flock of the Georgian faithful to this very day. John disciplined himself severely. worked hard all day and slept on a single piece of wood. He would spend entire nights praying. wondered when he rested and where he had acquired such a seemingly infinite supply of energy. thieves would steal food or domestic animals from the monastery. the monastery also had many protectors, even within the Soviet government. group of Christians who worked for the government while secretly practicing their faith supported Fr. John and Fr. George (Mkheidze) (see below), explaining and justifying them to the government as “guardians of a national cultural monument.” of the miracles performed by Fr. John are known to us today, he was wary of receiving honor for his deeds. John and George healed the deaf, and many of the terminally ill were brought to them for healing. spending several days in the monastery, the infirm would miraculously be cleansed of their diseases. John bore the heaviest workload in the monastery. sympathized deeply with Fr. George, who was ailing physically and unfit for strenuous labor. Fr. John departed this life before Fr. George. John became ill and reposed in 1957, at the age of seventy-five. He was buried at Betania Monastery. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy— instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement. one point the pious and learned George worked for Saint Ilia the Righteous as his personal secretary. often met Saint Ilia’s spiritual father, the holy hierarch Alexandre (Okropiridze), the holy hieromartyr Nazar (Lezhava), he was acquainted with other important spiritual leaders of the time as well. to sacrifice his life to God, George was tonsured into monasticism by the holy hieromartyr Nazar. rare character combined a nobleman’s deportment with a monk’s humble asceticism. George was ordained a priest and soon after elevated to the rank of archimandrite. with divine love and patriotic sentiment, the holy father willingly endured the heavy burdens and spiritual tribulations afflicting his country at that time. 1924, while Fr. George was laboring at Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, armed Chekist mob broke into the monastery. perpetrators beat him, cut off his hair, shaved his beard, and threatened to take his life. sought refuge with his family, but to no avail—his brothers, who were atheists, shaved off his beard while he was sleeping. of Fr. George’s brothers later committed suicide, and the other, together with his wife, was shot to death by the Chekists.) the same year, Fr. George visited Betania Monastery and was introduced to Fr. John (Maisuradze), with whom he would labor for the remainder of his life. George’s health was poor, and he was able to perform only the lightest of tasks around the monastery. tended the vegetable garden and took responsibility for raising the bees. was extremely generous. At times he would give all the monastery’s food to the needy, Fr. John that God Himself would provide their daily bread. thin, and with an upright posture, Fr. George was strict in both appearance and demeanor. spoke very little with other people, and children did not play with him as they did with Fr. John. his character, they tried to please him by reciting prayers and behaving themselves. George did not like to leave the monastery, but it was often necessary for him to travel to Tbilisi to visit his spiritual children— among whom were many secret Christians who worked for the government. George was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and healing, he was careful to hide them. constrained to reveal them, he would pass them off as though they were nothing extraordinary. a certain pilgrim arrived at the monastery and was surprised to discover that Fr. George knew him by name. his great amazement, Fr. George told the pilgrim that he had attended his baptism some thirty years earlier, thus concealing his God-given gift. George knew in advance when his nephew was bringing his sisters, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years, to visit him at the monastery during Great Lent. with this foreknowledge, Fr. George prepared fish and a festal meal in honor of the occasion. prayers of Fr. George and Fr. John healed the former’s nephew, who was afflicted by a deadly strain of meningitis. restored hearing to a deaf child and healed many others of their bodily infirmities. 1957, when Fr. John reposed in the Lord, Fr. George was tonsured into the great schema. was given the name John in honor of his newly departed spiritual brother. George-John now bore full responsibility for the affairs of the monastery. health deteriorated further under the weight of this heavy yoke. spiritual children began to come from the city to care for him. a twenty-year-old girl arrived at the monastery, complaining of incessant headaches. had been told that the water from Betania Monastery would heal her. remained there for one week and was miraculously healed. she left to return home, Fr. George-John walked five miles to see her off, in spite of his physical frailty. Theotokos appeared to Fr. George-John in a vision and relieved his terrible physical pain. protomartyr Thekla also appeared to him, presenting him with a bunch of grapes. days before his repose, the holy father was in the city when an angel appeared to him and announced his imminent repose. angel told him to return to the monastery to prepare for his departure from this world. George-John (Mkheidze) reposed in 1960. He was buried at Betania Monastery, next to Fr. John (Maisuradze). These venerable fathers were canonized on September 18, 2003, at a council of the Holy Synod under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. John and George-John have been lovingly deemed “one soul in two bodies.”

Georgia, 1897-1960, St George (John) of Georgia, prophet, healing, clairvoyant
Georgia, 1897-1960, George (John) oGeorgia, Archmandrite John, (Basil Maisuradze in the world) fTskhinvali iSamachablo, peasant family, taught handiwork, 1894 as teen helped restore Betania m, tIveron Mt Athos 1903 for 17yrs, simplicity&obedience, monk, priest, dedicated serving others, 1920 left circumstances there for Amazi m, Miskheta, shot in back bChekists, tossed gorge, tSamtavro m, Mtskheta, tBetania m, abbot, ag labor admin, festal meal fVisitors, children loved him, blessed Ilia II, worked hard all day, slept piece oWood, prayed all night, monastery had Govt protectors, healed deaf&terminally ill, knew people by name as they arrived, clarvoyant,Fr. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement, Ilia tRighteous personal secretary, monk, Priest, Archmandrite, Chekist mob threatened, sought help athieist family, tBetania m same year, labored for John rest of life, poor health, lightest tasks, vegetable garden, bees, generous, often tTabilisi spiritual children, secret christians working fGovt, prophecy, healing, clairvoyance, advance knowing sisters coming, prepared food in advance, healed meningitis, deaf, Theotokos, Angel & Thekla appearances, ; Skhvava (Village near Racha); St George (John) of Georgia ; George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy—but instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement. one point the pious and learned George worked for Saint Ilia the Righteous as his personal secretary. often met Saint Ilia’s spiritual father, the holy hierarch Alexandre (Okropiridze), and the holy hieromartyr Nazar (Lezhava), and he was acquainted with other important spiritual leaders of the time as well. to sacrifice his life to God, George was tonsured into monasticism by the holy hieromartyr Nazar. His rare character combined a nobleman’s deportment with a monk’s humble asceticism. Fr. George was ordained a priest and soon after elevated to the rank of archimandrite. with divine love and patriotic sentiment, the holy father willingly endured the heavy burdens and spiritual tribulations afflicting his country at that time. 1924, while Fr. George was laboring at Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, an armed Chekist mob broke into the monastery. The perpetrators beat him, cut off his hair, shaved his beard, and threatened to take his life. He sought refuge with his family, but to no avail—his brothers, who were atheists, shaved off his beard while he was sleeping. (One of Fr. George’s brothers later committed suicide, and the other, together with his wife, was shot to death by the Chekists.) In the same year, Fr. George visited Betania Monastery and was introduced to Fr. John (Maisuradze), with whom he would labor for the remainder of his life. George’s health was poor, and he was able to perform only the lightest of tasks around the monastery. He tended the vegetable garden and took responsibility for raising the bees. He was extremely generous. At times he would give all the monastery’s food to the needy, assuring Fr. John that God Himself would provide their daily bread. thin, and with an upright posture, Fr. George was strict in both appearance and demeanor. He spoke very little with other people, and children did not play with him as they did with Fr. John. Knowing his character, they tried to please him by reciting prayers and behaving themselves. Fr. George did not like to leave the monastery, but it was often necessary for him to travel to Tbilisi to visit his spiritual children— among whom were many secret Christians who worked for the government. George was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and healing, but he was careful to hide them. When constrained to reveal them, he would pass them off as though they were nothing extraordinary. Once a certain pilgrim arrived at the monastery and was surprised to discover that Fr. George knew him by name. Sensing his great amazement, Fr. George told the pilgrim that he had attended his baptism some thirty years earlier, thus concealing his God-given gift. Fr. George knew in advance when his nephew was bringing his sisters, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years, to visit him at the monastery during Great Lent. with this foreknowledge, Fr. George prepared fish and a festal meal in honor of the occasion. prayers of Fr. George and Fr. John healed the former’s nephew, who was afflicted by a deadly strain of meningitis. They restored hearing to a deaf child and healed many others of their bodily infirmities. 1957, when Fr. John reposed in the Lord, Fr. George was tonsured into the great schema. He was given the name John in honor of his newly departed spiritual brother. Fr. George-John now bore full responsibility for the affairs of the monastery. His health deteriorated further under the weight of this heavy yoke. His spiritual children began to come from the city to care for him. a twenty-year-old girl arrived at the monastery, complaining of incessant headaches. She had been told that the water from Betania Monastery would heal her. She remained there for one week and was miraculously healed. When she left to return home, Fr. George-John walked five miles to see her off, in spite of his physical frailty. Theotokos appeared to Fr. George-John in a vision and relieved his terrible physical pain. The protomartyr Thekla also appeared to him, presenting him with a bunch of grapes. Several days before his repose, the holy father was in the city when an angel appeared to him and announced his imminent repose. The angel told him to return to the monastery to prepare for his departure from this world. George-John (Mkheidze) reposed in 1960. He was buried at Betania Monastery, next to Fr. John (Maisuradze). These venerable fathers were canonized on September 18, 2003, at a council of the Holy Synod under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. Frs. John and George-John have been lovingly deemed “one soul in two bodies.”

Georgia, 1900, 20th Centory, History Folder, British Protection, Soviet Union, and Georgia

Georgia, 1918-1920, Georgia under British Protection
Georgia, 1918-1920, Georgia under British Protection;

Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory of Georgia, Peradze, also professor in many countries, surfaced lost manuscripts, k by Nazis
Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory of Georgia, Peradze, also professor in Germany, Belgium, England, France, Poland, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy and Romania , surfaced long lost Georgian manuscripts, arrested by Gstapo for aiding Jews, lost manuscripts, Pawiak and Auschwitz, martyred for another Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory (Peradze) was born August 31, 1899, in the village of Bakurtsikhe, in the Sighnaghi district of Kakheti. His father, Roman Peradze, was a priest. 1918, Gregory completed his studies at the theological school and seminary in Tbilisi and enrolled in the philosophy department at Tbilisi University. years later, in 1921, he began to teach at the university, but the Georgian Church soon sent him to Germany to study theology. 1922 to 1925, Gregory studied theology and eastern languages at the University of Berlin, and in 1925 he transferred to the philosophy department at the University of Bonn, where he received a doctoral degree in philosophy for his dissertation “The Monastic Life in Georgia from Its Origins to 1064.” continued to attend lectures in theology at the University of Louvain until 1927. 1927, Gregory moved to England to continue his career in academia, and there he became acquainted with the old patristic manuscripts that were preserved in the library collections of the British Museum and Oxford University. July of that year, Gregory was named an associate professor at the University of Bonn, and he returned there to lecture on the history of Georgian and Armenian literature. 1931, Gregory was tonsured a monk, ordained a priest, and appointed dean of the Georgian church in Paris. year later he was invited to Oxford to lecture on Georgian history. new period in Saint Gregory’s life began later in 1932, when the Metropolitan of all Poland, Dionysius Waledinsky, invited him to be a professor of Patrology and the chair of Orthodox Theology at Warsaw University. often delivered lectures at academic conferences and in academic centers throughout Europe. sought tirelessly for ancient Georgian manuscripts and historical documents on the Georgian Church. His searches took him to Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy and England. As a result of his labors, many long-lost Georgian manuscripts surfaced again. and industriousness characterized the Hieromartyr Gregory throughout his life. In difficult moments he often repeated the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for all things!” the 1920s, as the Red Army was securing its occupation of Georgia, the nation’s treasures were carried away to France for safekeeping. in the 1940s, Georgian society was unaware that, due to Saint Gregory’s efforts alone, many treasures of Georgian national culture were spared confiscation by the Nazis in Paris. execution at the hands of a firing squad, Saint Gregory wrote in the official documentation presented to the Nazis that these items were of no particular value but were precious to the Georgians as part of their national consciousness. did most of Georgian society know that, in Paris, Archimandrite Gregory had founded a Georgian church in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino and a parish journal called Jvari Vazisa, or “The Cross of Vines.” May of 1942, Saint Gregory was arrested by the Gestapo. The priceless Georgian manuscripts he had preserved and many sacred objects that had been crafted by ancient Georgian masters and collected by Saint Gregory during his travels (in hopes of returning them to Georgia) disappeared after his apartment was searched. Gregory was arrested for sheltering and aiding Jews and other victims of the fascist persecutions. He was incarcerated at Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, and deported to Auschwitz at the beginning of November. the camp an inmate killed a German officer. The guards drove everyone out of the barracks absolutely naked, forcing them to stay in the below-freezing temperatures until someone confessed. Saint Gregory decided to take the blame for the murder, thus saving innocent prisoners from freezing to death. The guards let loose the dogs on the martyr, poured gasoline over him, and lit him on fire. Then they said, “Poles, go warm yourselves around him, your intercessor.” to the official German documentation, Gregory Peradze died on December 6, 1942 [November 23, old style], at 4:45 in the afternoon. (According to another account, the martyr entered the gas chamber in place of a Jewish man with a large family. This was reported by a former prisoner, who, after being liberated, visited Metropolitan Dionysius and gave him Saint Gregory’s cross.) In the end, like Christ Himself, Archimandrite Gregory died for having taken upon himself the sin of another.

Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze), philosopher, theologian, saved Georgian manuscripts from Reds and Nazis, sheltered Jews
Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, of Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia, philosopher, theologian, Berlin, Bonn, Louvain, Oxford, Paris, Warsaw, found ancient Georgian manuscripts, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy, England, 1920's taken to Paris for savekeeping from Red Army, 1940 from Nazis in Paris, arrested for sheltering Jews; Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory (Peradze) was born August 31, 1899, in the village of Bakurtsikhe, in the Sighnaghi district of Kakheti. His father, Roman Peradze, was a priest. 1918, Gregory completed his studies at the theological school and seminary in Tbilisi and enrolled in the philosophy department at Tbilisi University. years later, in 1921, he began to teach at the university, but the Georgian Church soon sent him to Germany to study theology. 1922 to 1925, Gregory studied theology and eastern languages at the University of Berlin, and in 1925 he transferred to the philosophy department at the University of Bonn, he received a doctoral degree in philosophy for his dissertation “The Monastic Life in Georgia from Its Origins to 1064.” continued to attend lectures in theology at the University of Louvain until 1927. 1927, Gregory moved to England to continue his career in academia, and there he became acquainted with the old patristic manuscripts that were preserved in the library collections of the British Museum and Oxford University. July of that year, Gregory was named an associate professor at the University of Bonn, and he returned there to lecture on the history of Georgian and Armenian literature. 1931, Gregory was tonsured a monk, ordained a priest, and appointed dean of the Georgian church in Paris. year later he was invited to Oxford to lecture on Georgian history. new period in Saint Gregory’s life began later in 1932, when the Metropolitan of all Poland, Dionysius Waledinsky, invited him to be a professor of Patrology and the chair of Orthodox Theology at Warsaw University. often delivered lectures at academic conferences and in academic centers throughout Europe. sought tirelessly for ancient Georgian manuscripts and historical documents on the Georgian Church. His searches took him to Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy and England. As a result of his labors, many long-lost Georgian manuscripts surfaced again. and industriousness characterized the Hieromartyr Gregory throughout his life. In difficult moments he often repeated the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for all things!” the 1920s, as the Red Army was securing its occupation of Georgia, the nation’s treasures were carried away to France for safekeeping. in the 1940s, Georgian society was unaware that, due to Saint Gregory’s efforts alone, many treasures of Georgian national culture were spared confiscation by the Nazis in Paris. execution at the hands of a firing squad, Saint Gregory wrote in the official documentation presented to the Nazis that these items were of no particular value but were precious to the Georgians as part of their national consciousness. did most of Georgian society know that, in Paris, Archimandrite Gregory had founded a Georgian church in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino and a parish journal called Jvari Vazisa, or “The Cross of Vines.” May of 1942, Saint Gregory was arrested by the Gestapo. The priceless Georgian manuscripts he had preserved and many sacred objects that had been crafted by ancient Georgian masters and collected by Saint Gregory during his travels (in hopes of returning them to Georgia) disappeared after his apartment was searched. Gregory was arrested for sheltering and aiding Jews and other victims of the fascist persecutions. He was incarcerated at Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, and deported to Auschwitz at the beginning of November. the camp an inmate killed a German officer. The guards drove everyone out of the barracks absolutely naked, forcing them to stay in the below-freezing temperatures until someone confessed. Gregory decided to take the blame for the murder, thus saving innocent prisoners from freezing to death. The guards let loose the dogs on the martyr, poured gasoline over him, and lit him on fire. Then they said, “Poles, go warm yourselves around him, your intercessor.” to the official German documentation, Gregory Peradze died on December 6, 1942 [November 23, old style], at 4:45 in the afternoon. (According to another account, the martyr entered the gas chamber in place of a Jewish man with a large family. This was reported by a former prisoner, who, after being liberated, visited Metropolitan Dionysius and gave him Saint Gregory’s cross.) In the end, like Christ Himself, Archimandrite Gregory died for having taken upon himself the sin of another.

Georgia, 1920-1991, Georgia in the Soviet Union
Georgia, 1920-1991, Georgia in the Soviet Union;

Georgia, 1989, Arrival of Iveron Icon to Tbilisi, Georgia, for gratitude, copy of Protectress Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi
Georgia, 1989, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), for gratitude, copy of protectoris Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi Georgia 1989; Tbilisi; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. the reign of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron Monastery, Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). comes from the Akathist to the Mother of God: “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, March 31, October 13 (Its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (Commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel). September 26, 1989, a copy of this famous icon arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia from the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. This copy had been painted by the monks on Mt. Athos as a symbol of love and gratitude to the Georgian people.

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River Folder, Samtskhe, Ossetia South, and Kartli

Kura (Mtkvari) River

Kura (Mtkvari) River Source (Lesser Caucasus)
Lesser Caucasus;

Kola, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River
Kola, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated on February 22 ; centuries ago, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River.

Kola, Georgia (Kura (Mtkvari) River Source)
Kola; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 1,2,3,4,&5, Samtskhe Folder (Southern G, rivers f North

Kura (Mtkvari) River 1 (Artaani Region)

Samtskhe-Saatabago (Kura River Source)
Samtskhe; Samtskhe; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated December 31;

Samtskhe region (Southern Georgia, aka Meskheti and Javakheti)
Samtskhe; Samtskhe; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14 ; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29; St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated on October 30; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

House of Chorchaneli, House of Jaqeli, George Chorchaneli
House of Chorchaneli, House of Jaqeli; St. Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated on October 29; St. George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2;

Meskheti (mountainous area of Southwestern Georgia, Samtskhe, Javakheti)
Meskheti; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; St Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on September 25 ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Artaani or Erusheti Region, Southern Georgia along Upper Kura River
Artaani Region; Erusheti Region; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 2 (Artaani Region)

Kura (Mtkvari) River 3 (Artaani Region)

Erusheti, Javakheti, Samtskhe, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity, Kura River 3)
Erusheti, Javakheti, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Erusheti Mountain Range (along current Turkey Georgia border)
Erusheti, Javakheti, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Kvelistsikhe Fortress, Southern Georgia (Kura River 3.5)
Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Erusheti, Javakheti, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 4 (current border)

House of Jaqeli (Chorchaneli), Principality of Samtskhe
House of Jaqeli (Chorchaneli), Principality of Samtskhe; St. Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated on October 29; St. George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 4, Kvabliani&Sairme Folder, Zarzma Mts, South flow from Meskheti

Kvabliani River

Tsiskvili (Zarzma)
Tsiskvili: the residents of Tsiskvili met them with hostility and tried to block their path. That very same night a miracle occurred: an earthquake split the rocks that were holding back Lake Satakhve and washed away the entire village of Tsiskvili. Only two brothers survived. To this day this place has been called ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœZarzmaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ [the word ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœzariÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ is often used to denote a tragic occurrence]. Zarzma monastery St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated on October 29 ;

Zarzma monastery (Kvabliani River, Kura River 4, Samtskhe ) 840 approx. by Serapion
Zarzma monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Kvabliani River Source (Meskheti Range)

Kvabliani River Mouth (Kura River 5)

Sairme River

Meskheti Range
Meskheti Range near Abastumani Georgia;

Sairme, Sairme Monastery, 1788
Sairme; Sairme Monastery; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ;

Odzrkhe Monastery, Sairme, Georgia, 1788
Odzrkhe; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 5, Javakheti River Folder, Southern Georgia, Atsquri Fortress

Kura (Mtkvari) River 5 (ravine begins)
Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Javakheti Region (South Central Georgia)
Javakheti Region, Historically, Javakheti borders in the west to the Kura River (Mtkvari), and in the north, south and east with the Shavvasheti, Samsari and Nialiskuri mountains.; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Akhalkalaki, Javakheti Region (South Central Georgia)
Javakheti Region, Historically, Javakheti borders in the west to the Kura River (Mtkvari), and in the north, south and east with the Shavvasheti, Samsari and Nialiskuri mountains.; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Samtskhe-Javakheti
Samtskhe; Samtskhe; St Serapion of Zarzma; St Jotham Zedgenidze; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery

Javakheti Mountains, South Central Georgia
Javakheti Range runs north to souith; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Javakheti River (Southern Georgia)

Javakheti River Source (Javakheti Mountains)

Lake Paravani, South Central Georgia
Lake Paravani; St Jotham Zedgenidze, Commemorated October 30; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29 ; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19;

Aspara, Lake Paravani, South Central, Georgia 41°27'12"N 43°46'49"E
Aspara, Georgia 41°27'12"N 43°46'49"E; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Ninotsminda (Javakheti River, Meskheti Region, Souther Georgia)
Ninotsminda; St Arsenius the Bishop of Ninotsminda, Commemorated on July 31 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17;

Tsqarostavi Church
Erusheti or the Tsqarostavi Church in the Javakheti region. Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ;

Vardzia Cave Monestary, southern Georgia (Erusheti Mountain, left bank of Javakheti River) 1180's
Vardzia Monestary; Vardzia Cave Monestary, southern Georgia (Javakheti River) 1180's; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Kumurdo Cathedral, Southern Georgia, 964
Kumurdo Cathedral, Southern Georgia; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Javakheti (Javakheti River)
Javakheti; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Samtskhe Tadzrisi Monastery

Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery
Sapara (Samtskhe) Monastery;

Akhaltsikhe, Georgia (Javakheti River Mouth, Kura River 5)
Akhaltsikhe; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Atsquri Fortress, 850 or middle of the 9th Century
Atsquri Fortress; St. Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on September 25; St. Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15;

Tadzrisi, Samtskhe (Kura River 5 where ravine begins)
Tadzrisi, Samtskhe, Georgia (Kura River 5 where Ravine Begins); Venerable George of Mount Athos, Commemorated on June 27;

Dviri Monastery in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6)
Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6) Borjomi town in Borjomi Region; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6)
Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6) Borjomi town in Borjomi Region; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Borjomi town in Borjomi Region (Kura River 5.6)
Borjomi town in Borjomi Region; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery (Kura River 5.7)
Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery); Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 6, 7, and 8, Rivers flow South, Ossetia South

Ossetia South, Central Georgia, now Shida Kartli, Kura River 6, 7, & 8
Ossetia; Ossetians; South Ossetia (now Shida Kartli); Ossetia (now Shida Kartli); St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 6 (ravine ends)
Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Tsromi, Ossetia South, in central Georgia (Kura River 6, ravine ends), Tsromi Church, 7th Century
Tsromi in central Georgia, Tsromi Church, 7th Century; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3;

Kvelta, Georgia (end of the ravine, Kura River 6)
Kvelta; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Surami, Georgia (Kura River 6)
Surami; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 7 (Liakhvi River)

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 7, Liakhvi River Folder, Kvabtakhevi M, Samachablo d

Liakhvi River

Liakhvi River Source 2

Liakhvi River Source 1 (along the border)

Liakhvi River Source 2 (along the border)

Liakhvi Gorge
Liakhvi Gorge; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27 ;

Samachablo district, Georgia
Samachablo district; St John, Commemorated on September 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ;

Caucasus Region, Georgia
Caucasus Region, Georgia; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Transcaucasus 1
Transcaucasus; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Transcaucasus 2
Transcaucasus; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Liakhvi River 1 (Kvabtakhevi Monastery)

Tskhinvali, Georgia (capital of Ossetia South)
Tskhinvali; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Samachablo; St John, Commemorated on September 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated September 29 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ;

Tbeti monastery (Kartli, Central Georgia, Liakhvi River 1)
Tbeti monastery; Kartli, Central-Eastern Georgia, includes Tiblisi; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated October 5 ;

Ikorta church, Inner Kartli (Liakhvi River 1)
Ikorta church; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ;

Shida [Inner] Kartli (Kura 7, Liakhvi River, Ossetia South)
Shida [Inner] Kartli; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Kvabtakhevi Monastery, Central Georgia (Liakhvi River 1) 1180's
Kvabtakhevi Monastery; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Nikozi, Georgia (Ossetia South, Inner Kartli, Liakhvi River 1)
Nikozi (Inner Kartli); Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Saint Hilarion the New of Georgia, Commemorated on February 14; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Nikozi in the Gori district, birthplace of Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
Nikozi in the Gori district; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12;

Liakhvi River Mouth (Gori, Kura River 7)

Lori and nearby Castle of Agarani,where Tamar suddenly became ill
Lori and nearby Castle of Agarani,where Tamar suddenly became ill; Gori, Georgia; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Gori (Lori), Georgia (Liakhvi River Mouth, Kura (Mtkvari) River7)
Gori, Georgia; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Kvenadkotsi, Georgia 1609 (between Gori and Surami)
In 1609 Georgia suffered invasion by a Turkish army under the leadership of Deli-Mamad-khan. The young emperor gave decisive battle to the Turks near the village of Kvenadkotsi (between Gori and Surami). On the eve of battle the 14,000 Georgians spent all night in prayer. In the morning after Divine Liturgy and having received the Holy Mysteries, the Georgian forces put 60,000 enemy soldiers to flight in a heroic battle. Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Shida (Inner) Kartli
Shida (Inner) Kartli; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia,Commemorated on October 28 ;

Urbnisi, Central Georgia (Liakhvi River, Kura River 7)
Urbnisi; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi, Kura River 7, Liakhvi River Mouth) 780
Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi); 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 7.5, Ksani River Folder

Ksani River

Ksani River Source (Greater Caucusus Mountain Range)

Ksani River 1
St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Once, with the blessing of his teacher Saint John of Zedazeni, Saint Jesse performed a miracle to strengthen the people in their Faith. He descended to the bank of the Ksani River, followed by Saint John and a multitude of people. He made the sign of the Cross over the river, touched his staff to the water and commanded: â€œIn the name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, I command you, river: follow me!â€ÂÂÂ Immediately the river reversed its current and began to flow backwards, following in Saint Jesseâ€™s footsteps right up to Tsilkani Church.

Ksani River 2

Ksani River Mouth (Kura River 7.5)

Ksani Fortress, Central Georgia (Ksani River Mouth)
Ksani Fortress; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 7.5, Ksani River Mouth, Narekvavi River Folder, Tsilikani

Narckvavi River

Narekvavi River Source

Narekvavi River 1 (Tsilkani, and Tsilikani Cathedral)

Tsilkani, Georgia (Narekvavi River 1)
Tsilkani, Georgia (Town near T. Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1); St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia;

Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Tsilkani Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1)
Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Ksani Fortress, Ksani River 2); Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe HealerÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated December 2; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Tsilkani cathedral (Left Bank of the Narckvavi)
Tsilkani cathedral; The Healer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 18;

Narekvavi River Mouth, Ksani River Mouth

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 7.8, Kaspi River Folder

Kaspi River

Kaspi River Source

Kaspi River 1 (Armazi)

Armazi Monastery, Georgia (Kaspi River 1) 1150
Armazi Monestary; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St John, Commemorated on September 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ;

Armazi Fortress, Ossetia South
Armazi Fortress; Vakhtang could run up here from down at Mtskheta. Vested in armor and fully armed, he could carry a war-horse on his shoulders and climb from Mtskheta to the Armazi Fortress in the mountains outside the city. On foot he could outrun a deer. St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ;

Tsikhegoji (Armazi, Kaspi River 1)
Tsikhegoji; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia;

Kaspi River 2 (Samtavisi)

Samtavisi Monastery, Kaspi, Georgia
Samtavisi Monastery; Nevertheless, that night the priests and monks of Rekhi came, took the body of the holy martyr, and buried it with great honor at Samtavisi Monastery (located midway between Mtskheta and Gori). Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Kaspi, Georgia (Kaspi River Mouth, Kura River 7.8)
Kaspi; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 8 (Mtskheta, Aragvi River)

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 8, Aragvi River Folder, Mtskheta

Aragvi River

Aragvi River Source (North of Gudari)

Aragvi River 1 (Pshavi)

Khevsureti (Aragvi River 1)
Khevsureti; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18 ;

Pshavi (Aragvi River 1)
Pshavi; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18 ;

Aragvi Gorge
Aragvi Gorge; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Ananuri, Castle, Argavi River 1, Georgia
Ananuri, Castle; (Georgian: ანანური) is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Dusheti Municipality Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Tbilisi. was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. castle was the scene of numerous battles. 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, commanded by Shanshe of Ksani and was set on fire. Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted against rule by the Shanshe, killing the usurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century. In 2007, the complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.[1] the castle was under siege, it was not defeated because a secret tunnel led to the water and thus provided a way to get food and water to the people who had taken refuge in the castle. The enemy finally captured a woman named Ana, who was from Nuri, and tortured her to reveal the location of the tunnel. But she chose to die rather than giving the secret away. Hence the castle was called Ananuri, and she became a legend. fortifications consist of two castles joined by a crenellated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as Sheupovari, is well preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shanshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins. the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674. larger Church of the Mother of God (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzim. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.[2] Holy King Askiot of Georgia, Commemorated on January 27;

Ananuri Fortress, Argavi River Gorge, Georgia
Ananuri, Castle; (Georgian: ანანური) is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Dusheti Municipality Georgia, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) from Tbilisi. was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. castle was the scene of numerous battles. 1739, Ananuri was attacked by forces from a rival duchy, commanded by Shanshe of Ksani and was set on fire. Aragvi clan was massacred. However, four years later, the local peasants revolted against rule by the Shanshe, killing the usurpers and inviting King Teimuraz II to rule directly over them. in 1746, King Teimuraz was forced to suppress another peasant uprising, with the help of King Erekle II of Kakheti. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century. In 2007, the complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Site program.[1] the castle was under siege, it was not defeated because a secret tunnel led to the water and thus provided a way to get food and water to the people who had taken refuge in the castle. The enemy finally captured a woman named Ana, who was from Nuri, and tortured her to reveal the location of the tunnel. But she chose to die rather than giving the secret away. Hence the castle was called Ananuri, and she became a legend. fortifications consist of two castles joined by a crenellated curtain wall. The upper fortification with a large square tower, known as Sheupovari, is well preserved and is the location of the last defense of the Aragvi against the Shanshe. The lower fortification, with a round tower, is mostly in ruins. the complex, amongst other buildings, are two churches. The older Church of the Virgin, which abuts a tall square tower, has the graves of some of the Dukes of Aragvi. It dates from the first half of the 17th century, and was built of brick. The interior is no longer decorated, but of interest is a stone baldaquin erected by the widow of the Duke Edishera, who died in 1674. larger Church of the Mother of God (Ghvtismshobeli), built in 1689 for the son of Duke Bardzim. It is a central dome style structure with richly decorated façades, including a carved north entrance and a carved grapevine cross on the south façade. It also contains the remains of a number of frescoes, most of which were destroyed by the fire in the 18th century.[2] Holy King Askiot of Georgia, Commemorated on January 27;

Aragvi River 2

Aragvi River Mouth (Samtavro aka Mtskheta, Kura River 8)
Aragvi Province; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia;

Aragvi River Mouth, Mtsheta Folder, Zedezeni, Saguramo, Cave of Shio

Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River Mouth (Kura River 8))
Mtskheta; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated July 29 ; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Equals of the Apostles, Emperor Mirian and Empress Nana of Georgia; Saint Sidonia; the Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Karsani, Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River Mouth (Kura River 8))
Mtskheta; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated July 29 ; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10;

Tkhoti Mountain - One of the Three Crosses
Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi.

Zedazeni Mountain, Saguramo Range, Mtskheta, Georgia
Zedazeni Mountain; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9;

Saguramo (Zedazeni, Aragvi River 2)
Saguramo Range (including Zedazeni Mountain) located immediately to the north of Tiblisi and south of Saguramo and Zedazeni Monastery. ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20 ;

Zedazeni Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River 2) 540's
Zedazeni Monastery. This location is only approximate. Zedazeni Monestary is located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated December 2 ; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated December 12 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St Mamai the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on May 3; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Saguramo Range
Saguramo Range (including Zedazeni Mountain) located immediately to the north of Tiblisi and south of Saguramo and Zedazeni Monastery. ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20 ;

Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8) 540's
Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; Holy Fathers of the Shio-Mgvime Monastery, Commemorated on January 4; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9;

Tsikhedidi Village, across Kura River from Caves of Shio, Mgvime Monastery
Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28; Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); Saint Evagrisi, disciple of Saint Shio, Commemorated on February 4;

Mgvime, Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8) 540's
Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio); St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated March 3 ; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9;

Sarkineti Mountains, Mtskheta, Georgia
At his instructor’s command, Saint Shio settled in the Sarkineti caves near Mtskheta; his instructor’s command, Saint Shio settled in the Sarkineti caves near Mtskheta and began to lead a strict ascetic life. There was no water there and many wild animals made their home in the caves, but the privations and tribulations he encountered did not shake Saint Shio’s great faith. Like the Prophet Elijah, Shio received his food from the mouths of birds that carried it to him. St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3;

Sarkineti Caves, Mtskheta, Georgia
At his instructor’s command, Saint Shio settled in the Sarkineti caves near Mtskheta; his instructor’s command, Saint Shio settled in the Sarkineti caves near Mtskheta and began to lead a strict ascetic life. There was no water there and many wild animals made their home in the caves, but the privations and tribulations he encountered did not shake Saint Shio’s great faith. Like the Prophet Elijah, Shio received his food from the mouths of birds that carried it to him. St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3;

Armazi Monastery, Georgia (near Mtskheta)
Armazi Monastery; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ;

Tsitsamuri Forest near Tsitsamuri
Tsitsamuri Forest near Tsitsamuri Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20 ;

Ujarma Village, Mtskheta, Georgia, One of the Three Crosses
Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia; Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi. St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia;

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia, 310 approx.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29 ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Jvari (Cross) Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, One of the Three Crosses, 320 approx.
Jvari (monastery) Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi.; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Holy Cross (Jvari) Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, 320 approx.
Jvari (monastery) Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi.; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Samtavro Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, 350
Samtavro Monastery; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; St George (John) of Georgia; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Samtavro Convent, Mtskheta, Georgia, 350
Samtavro Convent; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church
Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 8,9& 10, Kartli

Kartli, Central Georgia (Kura River 9 and 10)
Kartli (Region near the Kura River including Tiblisi); 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; Royal Martyr Mirdati , King of Kartl; Martyr Salome the Georgian; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18; Icon of the Mother of God "the Healer", Commemorated September 18; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia; St Sidonia of Georgia; Martyr Kozman; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Salome of Ujarma St Ephraim the Lesser; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Iberia, Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, Central Georgia
Caucasian Iberia; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Kura (Mtkvari) River 9 (Tiblisi)

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 9, Kartli, Tiblisi River Folder

Tbilisi River

Tiblisi River (Upper Source)

Tiblisi River Source (along the border)

Eastern David Gareja Mountains - Dodo's Range
St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Trialeti, Kartli (Tiblisi River 1)
Trialeti mountainous area of the Trialeti Range; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Trialeti (range or mountain area)
Trialeti mountainous area, of the Trialeti Range; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Hieromartyr Theodore (Tevdore) of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Tiblisi River 1 (Tiblisi Monastery)

Atrak, the Qipchaks ruler, David's Father in Law, Battle of Didgori
Qipchaks, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Didgori, Mount Didgori, Battle of Didgori
Mount Didgori battle at Didgori; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26;

Mount Didgori
Mount Didgori battle at Didgori; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26;

Kvabtakhevi Monastery (North Side of Mt. Didgori, 34 miles West of Tiblisi) 1200
Kvabtakhevi Monastery; Martyrs of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10;

Manglisi Church (Tiblisi River 1) 320
Manglisi Church; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe, of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Betania Monastery, Georgia (Tiblisi River 1) 1180's
Betania Monastery; St George (John) of Georgia, Commerated September 8 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on September 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Manglisi, Kartli, Georgia (near Tiblisi River 1)
Manglisi; Manglisi Cathedral; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Tiblisi River Mouth (Kura River 9)

Tiblisi River Mouth, Downtown Kartli Town aka Tiblisi

Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9)
Tbilisi; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29 ; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated September 29 ; Martyr Kozman, Commemorated October 17 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio, Commemorated February 4 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Evagrisi the disciple of St Shio; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Kartli (town, Tbilisi)
Kartli; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God œthe HealerÂ, Commemorated on September 18 ; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Hierarch Peter, first Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30;

Kartli Region (Lowlands, Central Georgia, Tiblisi)
Kartli (Region near the Kura River including Tiblisi) Royal Martyr Mirdati , King of Kartl; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated July 30 ; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28 ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe HealerÂ, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Martyr Kozman, Commemorated October 17 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia; Hierarch Samuel, Second Catholicos of Georgia; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Mothers of the Kvabtakhevi Monastery in Georgia, Commemorated on April 10; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Metekhi, Tiblisi, Georgia (Mtkvari (Kura) River 9)
Metekhi, a neighborhood of Tiblisi; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Metekhi Cliff
Metekhi Cliff; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tbilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8;

Abo's Chapel aMetekhi Cliff
Metekhi Cliff; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tbilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8;

Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi)
Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi) ; Martyr Evdemoz, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Tabakhmela-Kojori
Tabakhmela Kojori-Tabakhmela;

Kojori-Tabakhmela, Kartli
Kojori-Tabakhmela; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ;

Kojori (Agarani or Azeuli) Fortress, Georgia
Kojori (Agarani or Azeuli Fortress); Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ;

Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral, 575
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Tiblisi Theological Seminary 1817
Tiblisi Theological Seminary 1817; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on March 12;

Sioni Cathedral, Tbilisi, 575
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral; Venerable Joseph the Elder and Wonderworker of Khevi, Georgia, Commemorated on October 7; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28;

Tbilisi Monastery, 1350 or 14th Century
Tbilisi Monastery; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiblisi, Georgia, 1871
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiblisi, Georgia; Translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Tbilisi Seminary, Tiblisi River Mouth, 1817-1919
Tbilisi Seminary; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions, of Georgia, Commemorated on August 14; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; Saint Hilarion the New of Georgia, Commemorated on February 14;

Tbilisi State University, Georgia, 1918
Tbilisi State University; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated January 3 ; Georgian National Treasury;

Samgori District, Tiblisi, Isani-Samgori District
Samgori District, Tiblisi, Isani-Samgori District; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3;

Salosi, Tiblisi (Ben Gabriel Salosi Ave)
Salosi, Tiblisi (Ben Gabriel Salosi Ave); Saint John Shavteli, ishop of Gaenati and Saint Eulogius, Prophet and Fool-for-Christ of Salosi, Commemorated on April 1;

Kura (Mtkvari) River 10 (Rustavi)

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 10, Martkopi (Rutavi) River Folder

Martkopi River

Martkopi River Source (along the border)

Martkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1)
Martkopi, Georgia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda. St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Martkopi River Mouth (Kura River 10, Rutavi

Rustavi, Kartli, Georgia (Kura (Mtkvari) River 10)
Rustavi; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 10, Khrami River Folder, Somkhiti and Tashiri

Khrami River

Khrami River Source (along the border)

Pitareti Monastery, Georgia (Trialeti Range, Kartli) 1180's
Pitareti Monastery; Trialeti mountainous area, of the Trialeti Range; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Georgia, Kura River 10, Khrami River 1, Mashavera River Folder

Mashavera River

Mashavera River Source (along the border)

Kipchaks area in Georgia
Kartli lowlands: Kipchaks area in Georgia; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ;

Mashavera River Mouth (Khrami River 1)

Dmanisi, Georgia (Mashavera River Mouth, Khrami River 1)
Dmanisi village in Mashavera River Valley; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ;

Bolnisi, Georgia (Khama River 1.8)`
Bolnisi, Georgia (Kama River 1.8); Saint John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10;

Khrami River 2 (Bolnia and Marneuli)

Kvemo Kartli (between Khrami and Tiblisi Rivers, Khrami River 2)
Kvemo Kartli; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji;

Tashiri Region North (between Khrami River 2 and Tiblisi River 1)
Tashiri Region; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Marabda, Kartli (Khrami River 2)
Marabda; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; the Feast of the Annunciation in the year 1625, the Georgians annihilated the army of the Persian shah Abbas I in the Battle of Martqopi. The victory unified Georgia’s eastern provinces of Kartli and Kakheti. It also instilled hope in other enslaved peoples of the Transcaucasus, and rebellions began to break out everywhere. the enraged Shah Abbas marched his finest and largest army toward Georgia under the leadership of Isa-Khan Qurchibash. A Georgian army of some twenty thousand men encamped near Kojori-Tabakhmela in preparation for the attack, while the enemy’s army, which numbered in excess of fifty thousand men, encamped at Marabda. According to tradition, the Georgian soldiers received Holy Communion at dawn before the battle. Domenti (Avalishvili) of Ruisi prepared to serve the Holy Gifts to the soldiers but they cried out with a single voice: “If you will join us and take up your sword and fight, then do so. We can receive Holy Communion from another!” by these words, the bishop joined in, proclaiming, “Today we will fight a battle for faith and for Christ; therefore my blood must be spilled before yours!” With his vestments as armor, the bishop blessed the soldiers and took his place in the front line. banner of the Georgian army was entrusted to the nine Kherkheulidze brothers. Persians panicked upon coming face-to-face with the courage and fortitude of the Georgian soldiers, but the experienced commander Isa-Khan Qurchibash would not yield in battle. Help arrived from Beglerbeg Shaybani-Khan, and with the extra forces the Persians soon gained the advantage over the Georgian army. The Georgian colonel Teimuraz Mukhranbatoni was fatally wounded, and rumors of his death threw the soldiers into a frenzy, since they erroneously believed that the dead man was King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the commander of their army. that their leader had fallen, the Georgian soldiers became anxious and their army was enfeebled. Before long they recognized their mistake, but it was too late—the fate of the battle had already been decided. military leaders Davit Jandieri, Aghatang Kherkheulidze and Baadur Tsitsishvili and the bishops of Rustavi and Kharchasho all fell in the battle at Marabda. The nine banner-bearing Kherkheulidze brothers were also killed. When the banner that had led their army through the battles at Didgori and Basiani fell from the hands of the youngest brother, their sister grabbed hold of it immediately, and when she also fell, the banner and symbol of Georgian invincibility was raised up again by their mother. Teimuraz fought until sunset, when every sword he had held in his hands had been broken. Even his rings were broken in the combat. The uniform of the brilliant military leader Giorgi Saakadze was stained with blood from top to bottom. Atabeg Manuchar of Samtskhe and his sons also fought bravely in this battle. exhausted and debilitated by the heat, the Georgians fought heroically to the last moment. But the battle that had begun at dawn finally ended late that night with the defeat of the Georgian army. Nine thousand Georgians gave their lives for Christ and their motherland on the battlefield at Marabda.

Marneuli, Kartli (Khrami River 2)
Martqopi; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Marneuli River (river thata goes by Marneuli)

Khrami River Mouth (Kura River 10)

Gardabani, Kartli (Khrami River, Kura River 10)
Gardabani if on a plateau above the Mtkvari River. Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Georgia, Kura River 10, Khrami River Mouth, Debed River Folder

Debed River

Debed River Source (along the border in the Transcaucasus)

Debed River Mouth (Kura River 10)

Somkhiti Region (Khrami River 2, Debed River, Central Georgia)
Somkhiti Region; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Georgia, Central Georgia, Kura River 10, Transcaucasus Folder

Transcaucasus (South Caucasus)
Transcaucasus or South Caucasus; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ;

Alaverdi, Southern Georgia (high point, Transcaucasus) or Northern Armenia
Alaverdi; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia; Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Akhiza Fortress (Transcaucus high point)
Akhiza Fortress; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia;

Tashiri Region South (South Caucasus, Transcaucas)
Tashiri Region; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Tashiri Castle, Lori Berd Fortress (Tashir River)
Tashiri Castle, Lori Berd Fortress; Hieromartyr Theodore (Tevdore) of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Trialeti Mountain Range
Mountain Range; Hieromartyr Theodore (Tevdore) of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Tsurtavi (Gugark), Tashiri, Kartli, Georgia
Tsurtavi (Gugark), Tashiri, Georgia; Georgia, 470-482, Varsken, Viceroy of Gugark, Tashiri, Georgia; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28;

Tashir River

Dzoraget River

Dzoraget River Mouth (Debed River)

Lesser Caucasus Mountains
Lesser Caucasus;

Kura (Mtkvari) River Mouth (Caspian Sea)

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaizan Folder included with Georgia

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaizhan, Dagestan Folder

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Derbend Area Folder, West Caspian, North Caucusus

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Terek River Folder, Ossetia North

Tkhaba-Yerdy Church
Tkhaba-Yerdy Church; Saint Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on September 25;

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Kuma River Folder

Georgia, Dagestan and Azerbaizan, Azerbaizan Folder,

Eastern Transcaucasus, Azerbaizhan (Eastern Southern Caucasus)

Alban (Baku), Azerbaijan, with Georgia
Alban (Baku); Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11;

Albania, Caucasian Albania (Azerbaizhan)
Caucasian Albanian ; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15;

Georgia (Clean), Azerbaizan, Armenia Section

Armenian Plateau
Armenian Plateau ;

Alaverdi, Armenia or Georgia (Transcaucasus)
Alaverdi;

Battle of Garni or Garnisi (Azat River 1.5, Aras River 5)
Battle of Garni or Garnisi; During the reign of Queen Tamar’s daughter Rusudan (1222-1245), the armies of Sultan Jalal al-Din stormed into Georgia. Rusudan rallied the Georgian forces and appointed a new commander-in-chief by the name of John Atabeg. Six thousand Georgians confronted a Muslim army of two hundred thousand near the village of Garnisi. Command of the advance guard was entrusted to the brave and valorous brothers Shalva and John of Akhaltsikhe, while John Atabeg remained with the main body of the army for the decisive battle. The advance guard fought fearlessly, though the enemy’s army greatly surpassed it in number. The brothers fought with great devotion, hoping for support from the commander-in-chief, but John Atabeg was seized with envy—rather than fear—and never offered them his help. “O envy, source of every evil!” wrote one chronicler of the incident. The enemy devastated the Georgian army, killing four thousand of its most valiant soldiers. Among them was John of Akhaltsikhe, whose brother Shalva was captured and delivered as a slave to Jalal al-Din.

Shamkori, Azerbaijan (Shamkir Region)
Shamkori, Azerbaijan (Shamkir Region);

Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja, Azerbaijan;

Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, 346, 5 nuns beheaded in Persia, actually Aza, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Saphor II's time (309-379), killed by corrupt Priest
Aza, Azerbaijan;

Alban (Baku), Azerbaijan, with Georgia
Alban (Baku);

Albania, Caucasian Albania (Azerbaizhan)
Caucasian Albanian ;

Midznadzori Wilderness, Azerbaijann (Aras River 19)
Midznadzori Wilderness, Azerbaijan; Zangilan District;

Georgia, Eastern Georgia Folder, Alazani and Iori Rivers , Kakheti, Hereti

Kakheti Region (Alazani and Iori Rivers, Eastern Georgia)
Kakheti Region; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated August 3 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated January 19 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Georgia, Eastern Georgia, Kakheti, History Folder

Georgia, Kakheti, 744 or 785, Prince Archil II of Kakheti, Martyr
Georgia, Kakheti, 744, Prince Archil II of Kakheti, Martyr; Archil the Martyr (Georgian: áƒáƒ áƒ©áƒ˜áƒšáƒ˜) was an 8th-century Georgian Orthodox Christian royal prince of the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti. 1 Life 2 Family 3 Notes 4 References Ê¼s biography is related in the medieval corpus of Georgian chronicles known as The Life of Kartli. One of its parts, the c. 800 history by Pseudo-Juansher, terminates with a brief account of ArchilÊ¼s tenure as prince, while another one – The Martyrdom of Archil,[1] a brief text of uncertain age (between early 9th and late 11th centuries) inserted just after Ps.-JuansherÊ¼s chronicle – narrowly focuses on ArchilÊ¼s martyrdom.[2] was a scion of the former royal dynasty of Iberia (Kartli), the Chosroid dynasty and a son of Prince Stephen of Kakheti (r. 685-736). His rule coincided with the Arab conquests in Caucasia. The 735-737 expedition by Marwan ibn Muhammad forced Archil and his brother Mirian to flee to the west through Egrisi into Abasgia where they joined the local dynast Leon I in the defense of Anacopia against the invading Arabs. Returning to Kakheti, Archil launched a program of reconstruction and Christianization of his mountainous pagan subjects. The Georgian texts also relate the rise of the Georgian Bagratids, a future royal dynasty, during the time of Archil.[citation needed] 786, eastern Georgia was subjected to another Arab invasion, this time led by Khuzayma b. Khazim, who had been reconfirmed as viceroy of Arab-controlled Caucasia (ArmÄ«niya) by the caliph al-Hadi (r. 785-786). Archil, in an untenable situation, pleaded for peace. Khuzayma b. Khazim promised Archil gifts in return for his acceptance of Islam, but the prince refused and was condemned to prison. Then the viceroy was informed of Archil being a descendant of the Chosroid kings who allegedly knew the location of a treasure hidden by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius while evacuating Caucasia in the 620s. has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church which commemorates him on June 21 (N.S. July 4).[3] was survived by two sons, Juansher and Iovane (John) and four daughters: Guarandukht, Mariam, Mirandukht and Shushan. Upon ArchilÊ¼s death, Iovane evacuated to Egrisi while Juansher remained in Kakheti[4] and later married Princess Latavri of Tao-Klarjeti of Bagrationi dynasty. Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Holy Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia belonged to the dynasty of the Chosroidoi, and he was a direct descendant of the holy emperor Saint Mirian (+ 342). the reign of Archil II, Georgia was subjected to a devastating invasion by Murvana-Kru (“the Wildâ€), so called by the Georgian people for his inexorable cruelty. The position of the Georgian people was desperate, and the emperor Archil II, together with his brother Myro, the ruler of Western Georgia, tearfully implored the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and She showed forth Her mercy. a battle by the Rivers Abasha and Tskhenis-Tskhali the Georgian forces miraculously gained the victory over the significantly superior forces of Murvana-Kru. this victory the emperor Archil II was occupied with the restoration of the Georgian kingdom. He rebuilt the city of Nukhpatis, rebuilt ruined churches in Mtskheta and furthered the acceptance of Christianity by many of the mountain tribes. But soon Georgia suffered a new Arab invasion with the sudden appearance of Dzhidzhum-Asim (Jijum-Asim). Having paid a tribute to the Arabs, the emperor did not expect this invasion. In order to deliver the land from new devastation and avert the intrusion of Islam upon it, he deemed it beneficial to go himself to Dzhizhum-Asim, and subject formerly independent Georgia to the Arabs, and ask for peace. Placing all his hope on the mercy of God and ready to offer up his soul for his holy Faith and for his nation, Saint Archil went to the camp of the Arabs. Dzhidzhum-Asim received him hospitably and promised his suzerainty, but insisted on acceptance of Mohammedanism. As the “Georgian Chronicleâ€ relates, the holy emperor Archil calmly said, “It will not be, that I should forsake Christ, the True God, Who for our salvation took upon Himself human flesh. I know, if I obey you, then I shall die a spiritual death and shall suffer eternally. If for my firmness you put me to death, I shall then rise as did my Lord, and I shall go to Himâ€. these words, Dzhidzhum-Asim gave orders to seize the confessor and take him off to prison. But neither tortures nor promises could make the eighty-year-old emperor Archil apostasize. March 20, 744 the holy emperor Archil was beheaded. The body of the martyr was secretly taken by Georgian Christians to the locale Ertso and buried in Kakhetia, in the Notkor church built by the holy emperor himself. Kakheti Region;

Georgia, Alazani, Kakheti, 1412-1907, Chavchavadze Family
Georgia, Alazani, Kakheti, 1412-1907, Chavchavadze Family; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20;

Georgia, 1650-1660, Saint, Bidzina Cholokashvili
Georgia, 1650-1660, Saint, Bidzina Cholokashvili; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Georgia, Kakheti, 1802, Great Fast of 1802 (Lent)
The Great Fast ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Georgia, Eastern Georgia, Iori River Folder (Center of Eastern Georgia) David Gareja monastery

Iori River (from Ersto Valley)

Iori River Source (above Ersto)

Tusheti (Iori River Source)
Tusheti; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18 ;

Iori River 1 (Ertso Valley, Tianeti)

Ertso (upper Lori river valley)
Ertso; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ;

Tianeti (Lori River 1)
Tianeti; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Iori River 2 (Kakheti region Eastern Georgia)

Tsiv-Gombori Range
Tsiv-Gombori Range;

Iori River 3 (Tvali, Gare Valley)

Tvali, Kakheti, Georgia
Tvali, Kakheti, Georgia ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ;

Kakheti (Tvali or Gare or Sagarego is the capital of Kakheti, Iori River 3)
Tvali; Gare (Gare Valley); Sagarego Kakheti; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated November 19 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated January 19 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Gare-Kakheti
Gare-Kakheti. Outer Kakheti (Gare Kakheti) along the middle Iori River basin; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26;

Gare, Georgia (Sagarego, Gare Valley of Gare-Kakheti Area), 540's
Gare, Georgia (Sagarego, Gare Valley of Gare-Kakheti Area) ; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26;

Ujarma, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 3)
Ujarma, Kakheti; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated on January 15 ;

Iori River 4 (David Gareja Monastery)

Saint John the Baptist Monastery, David Gareja complex, Georgia (Iori River 4), 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Kozman; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated September 29 ; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 4), 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Kozman; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated September 29 ; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Gareji, David Gareja monastery complex, Georgia (Iori River 4) 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Kozman; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Venerable Serapion, Abbot and Wonderworker of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated August 24 ; Venerable Simeon the Wonderworker, Commemorated September 4 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Onuphrius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated September 29 ; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains))
David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains)); St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains) (David Gareja Mountains)
David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains)); St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Iori River Mouth (Kura River 11)

Georgia, Eastern Georgia, Alazani River Folder (Kakheti, Hereti, Northeastern Georgia)

Alazani River

Alazani River Source (Greater Caucasus Range)
Alazani River;

Atsquri, Georgia (Akhmeta, Kakheti, Alazani River Source)
Atsquri, Georgia (Akhmeta, Kakheti); St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15;

Alazani River Valley 1 (Alsquri)

Bakhtrioni Fortress, Kakheti (Strategic Crossroads to Caucasus Mts, Alazani River 1)
Bakhtrioni Fortress, Kakheti (Strategic Crossroads to Caucasus Mts) ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5;

Bakhtroni Uprising 1659, Timuraz of Kakheti rose against Abbas I of Persia and Rostom of Kartli a muslim convert, colonization by muslim tribes
Bakhtroni Uprising 1659; Bakhtrioni uprising was a general revolt in the eastern Georgian Kingdom of Kakheti against the political domination of Safavid Persia, in 1659.[2] It is named after the main battle, which took place at the fortress of Bakhtrioni. the first half of the 17th century, Kakhetian king Teimuraz I had conducted resistance against his Persian overlords, which culminated in the bloody and devastating years of the mid-1610s; after successfully repelling an expedition sent by Shah Abbas I, Kakheti was invaded once again by the Shah himself in 1616, much of its population massacred or deported.[3] the following years, Qizilbash lords were appointed as governors of Kakheti, while a large number of Qizilbash tribal folk were relocated to Georgia in order to strengthen the central control.[4] In the early 1630s, the Persians tried to put Kakheti under control of the more submissive Kingdom of Kartli, led by Georgian prince Rostom, a convert to Islam. When such control had been installed, and Teimuraz had fled to Western Georgia, in the 1650s, a policy of colonisation of Kakheti by Qizilbash Turcoman tribes was decided by the Persians, for a number of reasons. One of these reasons was to repopulate this part of the province, while another one was to keep an eye on the restive nobles. Yet another reason was due to the fact that the Safavid possessions in Georgia were geographically close to the Daghestan province. From Daghestan, Lezgian marauders frequently organized raids into parts of the northwestern Safavid domains, including Safavid Georgia.[4] Lastly, it was also decided as a measure against Russia, which had increased its pressure on Daghestan (see also; Russo-Persian War of 1651-1653), a neighboring province of the Georgia province.[4] forced installation of the Qizilbash was the immediate motive for the uprising. Kakheti had been divided in two administrative regions: the south-eastern part was under the power of the beglarbeg of Karabakh, the rest under that of Nakhchivan. Up to 80,000 Turcomans migrated to Kakheti. They started building a fortress at Bakhtrioni, and transforming the ancient monastery of Alaverdi into one. uprising was, as in 1615, inspired by the main noble families who had remained faithful to Teimuraz I. However, according to Georgian accounts, the mass of the population took part in it, as they were being evicted of their villages and farms by the incomers.[citation needed] The Eristavi Zaal, Duke of Aragvi, one of the main feudal lords in Kakheti, a former supporter of Teimuraz who had made allegiance to Rostom and the Persians in 1648 and thus gained even more power, took the lead of the uprising. Among the leaders were also Bidzina Choloqashvili, Shalva, Eristavi of Ksani, and his brother Elizbar Eristvisshvili. Georgian mountain people, such as the Tushs, the Khevsurians and the Pshavs, also joined the rebellion, under the leadership of Zezva Gaprindauli, Nadir Khosharauli, and Gogolauri. Georgian forces, once united, attacked the Turcoman fortresses at Bakhtrioni and Alaverdi and vanquished them. They then defeated Turcoman forces in other places of Kakheti. However, the weak organisation and isolation of the rebels allowed the Persians, now under personal direction of Shah Abbas II, to successfully counter-attack and defeat them. Eristavi Zaal was murdered by his own nephews at the order of the shah, and his children sent to the Persian court. Upon those news, Bidzina Choloqashvili, Shalva of Ksani and Elizbar Eristvisshvili asked the shah for forgiveness, but he had them delivered to the tribes that the insurgees had massacred earlier. They were tortured and put to death. They would be canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. remained under Persian rule, even if the rebels had succeeded in defeating the Turcomans, who did not remain in the region[5][6] In 1664, the Persians agreed to have Archil (Shah-Nazar Khan), son of the king/vali of Kartli, installed as king/vali of Kakheti. uprising soon entered Georgian collective memory, and many songs and poems were composed about it, while the mountain warriors became well-known folk heroes. The battle at Bakhtrioni, and the heroism of the mountaineers, inspired Vazha-Pshavela his epic poem Bakhtrioni (1892), while Akaki Tsereteli wrote a whole novel about it, Bashi-Achuki. Georgia, 1650-1660, Saint, Bidzina Cholokashvili; Cholokashvili (died c. 1660) is a Christian martyr canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church. His feast is celebrated on October 1. He was one of the leaders of Bakhtrioni Uprising (1659). During the 1630s he was a "sakhltukhutsesi" of Kingdom of Kakheti. In the battle between Teimuraz and Rostom he supported the former. In 1648 by order of Teimuraz he invaded Ertso in order to make Ertso-Tianeti subordinate to the King. After the uprising Shah summoned Bidzina as well as Shalva and Elizbar Eristavi, who later were forced to converse their religion, but none of them accepted. As a result, they were given to tribes whose members were slaughtered during the uprising. Bidzina was tortured and killed. Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Akhmeta, Kakheti
Akhmeta; St Joseph the Catholicos of Georgia ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2;

Atsquri, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Atsquri (Akhmeta, Alazani River 1); Tetri Giorgi (Saint George), his chief shrine a 14th-century Orthodox Christian church overlooking the village Atsquri in what is now Akhmeta Municipality ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15;

Alaverdi Monestary, Kakheti Georgia (Alazani River 1) 11th Century
Alaverdi Monestary; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Venerable Joseph, Abbot of Alaverdi, Georgia, Commemorated September 15 ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ;

Chimchimeli, probably Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia ; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ;

Iqalto, Kakheti, Northeastern Georgia (Alazani River Valley)
Iqalto; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Iqalto monastery, Georgia, 540 of so
Iqalto monastery; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Telavi (Alazani River 1)
Telavi; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Alazani River Valley 2 (Qvareli)

Nekressi, Georgia (Alazani River 2)
Nekressi ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7;

Village of Gremi in Kakheti
Village of Gremi in Kakheti; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher;

Qvareli, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River Valley 2)
Qvareli in Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River Valley 2) Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated July 20 autocephaly

Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia
Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti, Georgia
Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8 ; St Anthony the Founder of Monasticism in Georgia, Commemorated January 19 ;

Alazani River Valley 3 (Tsurtavi)

Tsurtavi, Eastern Georgia
Gachiani; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia;

Bodbe Monastery, Northeastern Georgia, 361
Bodbe Monastery; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Salome of Ujarma, Commemorated January 15 ;

Alazani River Valley 4 (Hereti and Zakatalsk Regions)

Hereti, Georgia (Alanzi River Valley, Kakheti)
Hereti; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated August 28 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30;

Georgia, Eastern Georgia, Alazani River 4, Task River Folder, Zakatalsk

Talsk River

Zakatalsk region (Talsk River of Alazani)
Zakatalsk region; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated November 10 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Zakatalsk (Talsk River of Alazani)
Zakatalsk (Talsk River) ; Founding of the Church of St George, Commemorated November 10 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Alazani River Valley 5

Alazani River Mouth (Kura River 11)

Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region, Georgia
Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30;

Georgia, Northwestern Georgia Folder, Abkhazeti, Samegrelo

Abkhazeti Region (Northwest Georgia, Southwest Caucasus Mts, Samegrelo)
Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated on October 5; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Chaneti Province (Northwestern Georgia, Svaneti)
Svaneti Province; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Pityus in Abkhazia, Northwest Georgia on the Black Sea
Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Pitindeia, Northwest Georgia (Pitsunda)
Pitindeia (Pitsunda); Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

New Athos monastery, Abkhazeti, Georgia, 1875, Deliverer Icon
New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus; Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 17; the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was loving as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple, Schema-monk Martinian, who arrived on Mount Athos from Greece in 1821. in 1841 Father Martinian left the Holy Mountain and went to the town of Mavrovonē in the diocese of Sparta, where many miracles were about to take place. residents of that place were afflicted by a terrible disaster: their fields, forests and almost all the vegetation was devastated by locusts. Moving forward in a solid mass, they destroyed everything in their path. Their flight took them right to the city of Marathon. The local authorities drove the residents out of their homes into the fields, forcing them to collect the destructive insects, dump them into pits, and then burn them, but all these measures were ineffective. It seemed that the more locusts they killed, the more their numbers increased. lost all hope for human assistance, so they chanted a Moleben, but the disaster did not end. Terrified, the villagers turned to Father Alexis, a man of God, who lived in a monastery near that unfortunate district. Taking some holy relics, this God-pleaser advised them to have a Moleben with a Cross Procession to their fields. The locusts, as if irritated by such actions, focused their attention on the worshippers. Countless insects attacked people, especially in their eyes. Both the residents and priests fled to their homes in horror. Martinian also learned about this disaster. After serving a Moleben, he spoke to the villagers: "Is our faith so weak that we cannot ask the Lord to help us? Let us intensify our prayers; at least let us gather the old men, and we will resort to the powerful intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let us take her holy Icon and pray together, trusting in the Lord. He will not reject our humble prayer to Him, and, through the intercessions of His Mother, He will save this district from a great calamity." inhabitants followed the pious Elder's suggestion, with confidence in the merciful intercession of the Mother of God, they gathered not only old men, but also husbands, wives and even children. There were also four priests. The Cross Procession followed the Elder, who carried the holy Icon, and went into the field. There Father Martinian placed the Icon on the ground, and all the villagers bowed before it in supplication. The Sovereign Lady did not reject the prayers of the faithful servants of her Son and our God. She drove the locusts away. Suddenly, a great flock of birds appeared, rushing swiftly at the insects. The locusts rose from the fields and flew in such a thick mass that they obscured the sunlight. in the village of Mavrovonē there was a boy who was very sick, and his illness was getting worse. His parents asked the priest to bring him Communion. For some reason, however, the visiting priest did not hurry, and he did not arrive for a long time. He took the Holy Gifts and went to the boy's house. He had invited Elder Martinian to come with him. When they arrived at the house, they were shocked by the news that boy was already dead. The priest was filled with deep remorse, since his procrastination had deprived the child of his final spiritual consolation. The only hope left to them was to trust in God's mercy. priest asked Father Martinian to bring his Icon so they could pray to the Queen of Heaven for the boy. The Elder, seeing the deep faith of the priest and the devastated parents, took out the holy Icon which he always kept with him and placed it over the child's bed. Confident that nothing is impossible for the Sovereign Lady, the Elder, the priest, and parents bowed before the Icon, begging her to restore the child to life. After praying for a time, the Elder touched the dying boy three times with the Icon, and suddenly the child opened his eyes. At Father Martinian's request, the boy was given Holy Communion, and then got up perfectly well. The next day he went to school, where he had been sent shortly before this for his primary education. Later, the boy who returned to life was tonsured in a foreign country with the name Alexis, and for a long time he lived an ascetical life on Mount Athos. of this glorious miracle spread far through the neighborhood. Many people who suffered from physical and spiritual infirmities flocked to the Icon of the Mother of God with faith. The Elder's tiny home was always crowded with people and he decided to hide from them, but they found him again. Martinian would not have minded visiting the sick with the Icon if their reverence for the Mother of God had not been mixed with a desire to glorify the Elder as well. He thought he should retire to a place where no one would find him. Therefore, he went by the sea shore and soon, above the ocean, he found a sheer rock with a cave, which was quite suitable for his ascetical struggles. Father Martinian thought he was completely secluded there. However, the good will of the Most Pure Virgin had arranged things otherwise. night the ascetic was praying in the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice ordering him not to hide the Icon, but to minister to the needs of others. He tried to protest his unworthiness, and his infirmity, but the voice told him even more insistently to be obedient, saying that all this was for the glory of the Mother of God. When the Elder had finished his prayer, he decided to rest for a short time. Suddenly, at that moment, the cave was illumined with an extraordinary light. Surprised, the Elder came out onto the rock, desiring to know the source of such extraordinary radiance. The ascetic beheld a wondrous sight. He saw a pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground, and in doing so, he heard again the same voice commanding him to leave his solitude and to go serve his neighbors. Thus, the ascetic opened his door to the residents of that vicinity. was a possessed woman named Elena, who used to shout all the time that she knew where the Elder was hiding. At the same time, she declared that only his Icon could heal her. The demon who possessed the woman was very fierce. He exposed the secret sins of all those who came to see Elena. One devout priest decided to read the prayers of exorcism over her no matter what happened. For that reason he went to Elena's house. Immediately, the woman attacked the priest and began to vilify the one who served at the altar, saying: "Aha! So you want to expel me? Are you thinking of casting me out? No, you cannot expel me, you will never drive me out. Look to yourself!" all the demon's words the priest continued to read the prayers, and asked the demon possessing the woman to reveal who could banish him. Against his will, the impure spirit spoke of a solitary Elder with an Icon, calling the ascetic a ragamuffin, an evil monk, and so on. Then the priest asked the demon where he might find this Elder. Then the demon, forced by the priest's prayers and by the power of God, revealed where Father Martinian was hiding. morning after the vision the Elder heard the sound of a large crowd of people gathered before the rock and begging him to come down to them to help the suffering. Seeing God's will in all this, the Elder obeyed and went to the homes of the villagers. First of all, he went to see Elena. As he approached her dwelling, she fell down unconscious and began to scream. When the Elder entered the house, he put down the Icon of the Mother of God and bowed before the Icon. At once, the demon came out of the woman with great moaning. She returned to her senses and fervently thanked the Theotokos. After this she felt quite well. Many other demoniacs were also healed by praying before her Icon. of all the miracles taking place before the Icon, people were always in Father Martinian's home. The Elder finally decided to return to his monastery. When the people learned of his departure, they followed him for some distance. With a great cry they parted from the Elder as he walked away from them, carrying the Icon of the Mother of God, who had poured forth so much grace on their district. 1884, soon after he arrived on the Holy Mountain and entered the monastery of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Father Martinian went to the Lord. Then the holy Icon of the Mother of God became the monastery's precious heritage. The revered Icon remained there until July 20, 1889, when Archimandrite Makarios, the Superior of Saint Panteleimon's Monastery, gave the Deliverer Icon as a blessing to the newly-built New Athos Monastery of Saint Simon the Canaanite in the Caucasus The Icon has been there from 1889 until the present day. first celebration of the transfer of the Icon to New Athos Monastery took place on October 17, 1889. That is why the Feast Day in honor of this Icon was established on this day. About that time a storm cast more than a ton of fish ashore at the monastery. this Icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds the Divine Child on her right arm, and He blesses with His right hand. Deliverer Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 17, and on April 4.

Lazika, Northwest Georgia (planned city, Black Sea)
Lazika (planned city, Black Sea); Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Bedia Cathedral, 999, Northwest Georgia, Abkhazeti
Bedia Cathedral, 999; Georgia, 975-1014, Georgia King, Bagrat III, Bedia Cathedral ; Bedia Cathedral; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated on December 21; Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery, Commemorated on December 31; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12; St John (Chrysostom) IV, the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on March 3; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Enguri River Source (along the border, Caucasus Mountains)

Matskhvarishi church of the Savior, Abkhazeti (Enguri River Source_
Matskhvarishi church of the Savior; Saint Damiane (Demetrius), King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Anaklia (Enguri River Mouth)
Anaklia (Enguri River Mouth); Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Georgia, Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River Folder , Tao-Klarjeti and Atchara

Chorokhi River Source (Kesis Dagi)

Chorokhi River 1

Chorokhi River 2 (near Kordila)

Chorokhi River 3 (Khakhuli Monastery)

Khakhuli Church
Khakhuli Church ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ;

Khakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3) approx. 970
Khakhuli Monastery; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Hilarion of Tvali (Tulashvili) served as abbot of Khakhuli Monastery in southwestern Georgia at the beginning of the 11th century. his work The Life of George of the Holy Mountain, George the Lesser writes that Venerable Hilarion was outstanding in virtue and celebrated for his sermons and ascetic labors. Hilarion raised the young George of the Holy Mountain to be a brilliant writer, translator, theologian and patriot. From him George also received a blessing to enter the monastic life. to the chronicle Life of Kartli, Saint Hilarion was a famous translator and writer and an eminent theologian. Saint Hilarion moved from Khakhuli to Tvali Monastery, not far from Antioch, where he remained for the rest of his life. According to the 19th-century historian-iconographer Michael Sabinin, Saint Hilarion reposed in the year 1041. Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated December 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Basil of Georgia, the son of King Bagrat III, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Ishkhani monastery (Chorokhi River 3) 641
Ishkhani monastery; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5;

Nigali valley, Southwestern Georgia (Chorokhi River 4)
Nigali valley; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29 ;

Laze, Georgia, Capital Artvin (Nigali Valley, Chorokhi River 4)
Laz People, Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Georgia, Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 4, Klarjeti River Folder, Klarjeti

Klarjeti River

Klarjeti, Klarjeti River, Tao-Klarjeti region, Soutwestern Georgia
Tao-Klarjeti region; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ; St John of Khakhuli the Oqropiri, also called Chrysostom, Commemorated on March 10; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18;

Akhiza Fortress, Artvin, Klarjeti River, Southwest Georgia
Akhiza Fortress, Artvin, Klarjeti River, Southwest Georgia; Tao-Klarjeti region; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Shavshet-Klarjeti Region, Soutwestern Georgia (Klarjeti River)
Shavshet-Klarjeti Region; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Shavshet, Georgia
Shavshet, Georgia; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwestern Georgia
Klarjeti Wilderness; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated October 5 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18;

Chandzoe (Khandzta) monastery, Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwest Georgia, 782
Khandzta; St Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated September 25 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated October 5 ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Shatberdi , 41-55'20"E, Fertile Land and Monastery for Chandzoe
Shatberdi , 41-50"N 41-55'20"E, Fertile Land and Monastery;

Khandzta (Chandzoe) monastery, Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwest Georgia, 782
Khandzta; St Arsenius the Great, Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated September 25 ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated October 5 ; St Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia, Commemorated October 5 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated January 29; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Parekhi Monastery (Opiza, Klarjeti River) 840 approx.
Parekhi Monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Opiza Monastery, southwestern Georgia, 840 approx.
Opiza Monastery; St Serapion of Zarzma, Commemorated October 29 ; St George Matskevereli of Georgia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27;

Georgia, Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 4, Artanuji River Folder, Tao

Artanuji River

Tao Region - Southwestern Georgia (Artanuji River)
Tao Region; Venerable Macarius the Faster, Abbot of the Khakhuli Monastery, Commemorated December 21 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr David of Georgia, Commemorated on May 18;

Artanuji Castle, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji Castle; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Artanuji Fortress, Tao, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji Fortress ; Venerable Fathers and Mothers of the Klarjeti Wilderness, Commemorated on October 5; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ;

Artanuji, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Artanuji monestary
Artanuji monestary; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated November 30 ;

Ancha Monastery and Cathedral (Tao)
Ancha Monastery and Cathedral (Tao); 1Anchi, Bishopric of Ancha; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5

Chorokhi River 5

Chorokhi River 6 (Ajara River Mouth)

Georgia, Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 6, Ajara River Folder, Atchara, Khikhani Fortress

Ajara River

Ajara River Source (along the border)

Khikhani Fortress and Village in Upper Atchara
Khikhani Village in Upper Atchara, Khikhani Fortress in the region of Khulo St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated August 17;

Adjara River Mouth (Chorokhi River 6)

Atchara (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia)
Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia); Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17; Gallows and a guillotine were erected in the villages of Atcharistsqali, Keda, Chakvi, Khulo, Machakhela, and Gonio. The documents preserved in the manuscript collection at Akhaltsikhe Museum describe in even more horrific detail the martyrdom of the Atcharan Christians. Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water)
Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water); Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Shemokmedi, Guria (Chorokhi River Mouth)
Batumi, Guria; metropolitan of Batumi-Shemokmedi; Shemokmedi Monestary ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27 ;

Chorokhi River Mouth (Black Sea)

Gonio (Chorokhi River Mouth, Black Sea) Apostle Matthias' relics
Gonio; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Gonio Fortress
Gonio Fortress; Seven Martyred Brothers: Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Georgia, Western Coast Georgia Folder (or Armenia)

Atchara, Western Georgia or Armenia (Pontine Ethiopia)
Atchara; Principality of Hamamshen; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9;

Artaz region, Western Georgia or Armenia
Artaz region; Principality of Hamamshen; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Rize, Western Georgia (Riza)
Rize; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24;

Qipchaks,, 1101-1299, 12th-13th Centuries, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia, mercenaries

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River Folder, Imereti

Rioni River

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 1-3, Upper Rioni River Folder, Gelati and Raca

Rioni River Source (Caucasus Mountains)
Rioni River Source (Caucasus Mountains);

Svaneti Province (Northwestern Georgia, Chaneti)
Svaneti Province; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ; Martyred Fathers and Mothers of Atchara, Commemorated on May 29;

Svaneti River (Svaneti Province)

Chelishi Monastery, Lentekhi, Lower Svaneti
Chelishi Monastery, Lentekhi, Lower Svaneti; St. Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16;

Rioni River 1 (Skhvava and Racha)

Racha Region, Georgia (Upper Rioni River Valley)
Racha; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated July 30 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated January 21 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated September 8

Skhvava (Village near Racha)
Skhvava (Village near Racha); St George (John) of Georgia ; George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy—but instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, he dedicated himself to Georgia’s national liberation movement. one point the pious and learned George worked for Saint Ilia the Righteous as his personal secretary. often met Saint Ilia’s spiritual father, the holy hierarch Alexandre (Okropiridze), and the holy hieromartyr Nazar (Lezhava), and he was acquainted with other important spiritual leaders of the time as well. to sacrifice his life to God, George was tonsured into monasticism by the holy hieromartyr Nazar. His rare character combined a nobleman’s deportment with a monk’s humble asceticism. Fr. George was ordained a priest and soon after elevated to the rank of archimandrite. with divine love and patriotic sentiment, the holy father willingly endured the heavy burdens and spiritual tribulations afflicting his country at that time. 1924, while Fr. George was laboring at Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti in eastern Georgia, an armed Chekist mob broke into the monastery. The perpetrators beat him, cut off his hair, shaved his beard, and threatened to take his life. He sought refuge with his family, but to no avail—his brothers, who were atheists, shaved off his beard while he was sleeping. (One of Fr. George’s brothers later committed suicide, and the other, together with his wife, was shot to death by the Chekists.) In the same year, Fr. George visited Betania Monastery and was introduced to Fr. John (Maisuradze), with whom he would labor for the remainder of his life. George’s health was poor, and he was able to perform only the lightest of tasks around the monastery. He tended the vegetable garden and took responsibility for raising the bees. He was extremely generous. At times he would give all the monastery’s food to the needy, assuring Fr. John that God Himself would provide their daily bread. thin, and with an upright posture, Fr. George was strict in both appearance and demeanor. He spoke very little with other people, and children did not play with him as they did with Fr. John. Knowing his character, they tried to please him by reciting prayers and behaving themselves. Fr. George did not like to leave the monastery, but it was often necessary for him to travel to Tbilisi to visit his spiritual children— among whom were many secret Christians who worked for the government. George was endowed with the gifts of prophecy and healing, but he was careful to hide them. When constrained to reveal them, he would pass them off as though they were nothing extraordinary. Once a certain pilgrim arrived at the monastery and was surprised to discover that Fr. George knew him by name. Sensing his great amazement, Fr. George told the pilgrim that he had attended his baptism some thirty years earlier, thus concealing his God-given gift. Fr. George knew in advance when his nephew was bringing his sisters, whom he had not seen in forty-eight years, to visit him at the monastery during Great Lent. with this foreknowledge, Fr. George prepared fish and a festal meal in honor of the occasion. prayers of Fr. George and Fr. John healed the former’s nephew, who was afflicted by a deadly strain of meningitis. They restored hearing to a deaf child and healed many others of their bodily infirmities. 1957, when Fr. John reposed in the Lord, Fr. George was tonsured into the great schema. He was given the name John in honor of his newly departed spiritual brother. Fr. George-John now bore full responsibility for the affairs of the monastery. His health deteriorated further under the weight of this heavy yoke. His spiritual children began to come from the city to care for him. a twenty-year-old girl arrived at the monastery, complaining of incessant headaches. She had been told that the water from Betania Monastery would heal her. She remained there for one week and was miraculously healed. When she left to return home, Fr. George-John walked five miles to see her off, in spite of his physical frailty. Theotokos appeared to Fr. George-John in a vision and relieved his terrible physical pain. The protomartyr Thekla also appeared to him, presenting him with a bunch of grapes. Several days before his repose, the holy father was in the city when an angel appeared to him and announced his imminent repose. The angel told him to return to the monastery to prepare for his departure from this world. George-John (Mkheidze) reposed in 1960. He was buried at Betania Monastery, next to Fr. John (Maisuradze). These venerable fathers were canonized on September 18, 2003, at a council of the Holy Synod under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. Frs. John and George-John have been lovingly deemed “one soul in two bodies.”

Nikortsminda Cathedral, 1010 (Rioni River 1)
Nikortsminda Cathedral, 1010 (Rioni River 1); Martyr Nicholas Dvali in Jerusalem, Commemorated on February 12;

Rioni River 2 (Tsageri)

Tsageri (in lower Svaneti, Rioni River 2)
Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ;

Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri, Georgia (Rioni River 2)
Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); Tsageri (in lower Svaneti); St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13 ; St. Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21; Martyr Anastasius the Disciple of the Venerable Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on January 21;

Rioni River 3 (Kutaisi, Gelati Monastery)

Gaenati (Gelati) Monastery, Georgia (Rioni River 3) 1106
Gaenati (Gelati) Monastery; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Gelati Monastery, Georgia (Rioni River 3) 1106
Gelati Monastery; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated Febraury 6; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Motsameta monastery (Rioni River 3) 1072
Motsameta monastery; Martyrs David and Constantine, Princes of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2;

Gelati Theological Academy, Rioni River 3, Georgia, 1106
Gelati Theological Academy; Martyr Gerontius of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Otar of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on August 12; St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated January 26 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated Febraury 6; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Bagrati Cathedral (Rioni River 3) 1003
Bagrati Cathedral; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ;

Cathedral of King Davit the Restorer in Kutaisi (Rioni River 3) 1003
Bagrati Cathedral; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; St. Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20;

Baghdati, Georgia (south of Rioni River 3)
Baghdati, Georgia; Hieromartyr Theodore (Tevdore) of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8;

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 3, Argveti River Folder

Argveti River

Argveti River Source

Argveti, Region (Westcentral Georgia, Argveti River Folder)
Argveti; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2

Argveti River 1

Ubisi in Imereti (Argveti River 1) before 861
Ubisi in Imereti; Saint George's Monastery founded by Saint Gregory of Khandzta before 861; Gregory of Khandzta, 820-861; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Saint George's Monastery, before 861
Ubisi in Imereti; Saint George's Monastery founded by Saint Gregory of Khandzta before 861; Gregory of Khandzta, 820-861; Saint Gregory of Chandzoe, Georgia, Commemorated on October 5;

Shorapani, Kutaisi (Argveti River 1)
Shorapani; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ;

Sakara, Imerti (Argveti River of Riori River)
Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated August 18 ;

Argveti River 2

Tabakini Monastery in Zestaponi (Argveti River 2)
Tabakini Monastery in Zestaponi (Argveti River 2); St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ;

Argveti River Mouth (Rioni River 3)

Imereti region (Western Inland Georgia, Rioni and Argveti Rivers)
Imereti region; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ;

Kutaisi, Imereti, Georgia (Argveti River Mouth, Rioni River 3)
Kutaisi; Kutaisi-Gaenati; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated October 27 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated Janaury 3; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 4-6 and Black Sea, Lower Rioni River Folder

Rioni River 4

Rioni River 5 (Chkodidi aka Abasha, Guria)

Tao region (Western Inland and Southern Georgia, South of Rioni River)
Tao region; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated February 21 ; 9 Martyred brothers of Kola, Commemorated February 21 ; St Damiane (Demetrius) the King and Hymnographer, Commemorated on May 23;

Guria Province (left side Rioni River 5 and 6, Western Inland Georgia)
Guria; Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia, Commemorated August 16 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated January 3 ;

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 5, Chgondidi River Folder

Chqondidi River

Chgondidi River Source (along the border, Askhji Reserve, Caucusus Mts)

Chqondidi River 1 (Martvili Monastery)

Chqondidi, Georgia (Chkondidi River 1)
Chqondidi; Martvili Monastery in Egrisi; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated on October 13; Saint Anthony, Metropolitan of Chqondidi, and Saint Jacob, Elder of Chqondidi, Commemorated on October 13; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Martvili Monastery, Chqondidi River 1, Georgia, 7th Century and 1788
Martvili Monastery in Egrisi; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated October 13 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27;

Chqondidi River 2 (Chkondidi aka Abasha)

Abasha (aka Chqondidi, the capital of Western Georgia)
Abasha; Martyr Archil II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Chkondidi (Rioni River 5, the capital of Western Georgia)
Chkondidi; St Jacob the Elder, and disciple of St Anthony of Chkondidi, Commemorated October 13 ;

Chqondidi River Mouth ( Rioni River 5)

Tskhenistsqali River

Tskhenistsqali River Source (Caucasus Range)

Tskhenistsqali River Mouth (Chqondidi River Mouth, Rioni River 5)
Tskhenistsqali River

Rioni River 6 (Senaki River, Ozurgeti, Guria)

Ozurgeti district of Guria, Western Inland Georgia, left side Rioni River 6
Ozurgeti district of Guria; Martyr Christopher of Guria, Georgia, Commemorated August 16 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated January 3 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ;

Georgia, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River Folder

Senaki River

Senaki River Source (along the border)

Senaki River 5

Nokalakevi, Ozurgeti, Guria (Senaki River 5.5)

Tsikhegoji (Tsikhedidi), Western Georgia, Egrisi
Tsikhegoji; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St. Evagrisi the disciple of St. Shio, Commemorated on February 4; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9;

Lazica region, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River
Lazica region, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Saint Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Senaki
Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati;

Senaki district, Western Georgia
Senaki district; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ;

Teklati, Georgia
Teklati, Georgia; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18;

Senaki River Mouth (Rioni River 6)

Abaasha River Source (on the border)

Abasha River

Abasha River Mouth (Senaki River Mouth, Rioni River 6)
Abasha River;

Rioni River Mouth (Black Sea)

Georgia (Clean), Roads, Rivers, Interesting Places Folder

Georgia (Clean), 01, its Area, including Dagestan and Azerbaizan
Georgia (Clean), its Area, including Dagestan and Azerbaizan

Georgia (Clean), 02, Caucasus Mountain Range
Caucasus Mountain Range

Georgia (Clean), 03, Kura (Mtkvari) River
Kura (Mtkvari) River

Georgia (Clean), 04, Kura 1-10, Kartli Region, its Area, Samtskhe, Ossetia South, Eastern Kartli,
Kartli Region, its Area

Georgia (Clean), 05, Kartli, Samtskhe Region, Kura 1,2,3,4,5, its Area
Georgia, Kartli, Samtskhe Region, Kura 1,2,3,4,5, its Area

Georgia (Clean), 06, Eastern Georgia, Kakheti Region , its Area, Alazani and Iori Rivers
Georgia (Clean), Eastern Georgia, Kakheti Region , its Area, Alazani and Iori Rivers

Georgia (Clean), 07, Alazani River
Alazani River

Georgia (Clean), 08, Iori River (from Ersto Valley)
Iori River (from Ersto Valley)

Georgia (Clean), 09, Rioni River
Rioni River

Georgia (Clean), 10, Rioni River 1,2,3, Western Inland Georgia, its Area
Georgia (Clean), Rioni River 1,2,3, Western Inland Georgia, its Area

Georgia (Clean), 11, Rioni 5,6, Guria Province, its Area, Left Side Rioni River, not Inland
eorgia (Clean), Rioni 5,6, Guria Province, Left Side Rioni River

Geogria (Clean), Western Georgia, its Area, aka Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Georgia (Clean), 14, Enguri River (Inguri)
Enguri River (Inguri)

Georgia (Clean), 13. Khobi River
Khobi River

Georgia (Clean), 12 Northwestern Georgia, its Area, Colchis Region, (Abkhazeti, Samegrelo)
Georgia (Clean), Northwestern Georgia, its Area, Colchis Region, (Abkhazeti, Samegrelo)

Georgia (Clean), 15, Chorokhi River Folder, its Area, Tao-Klarjeti , Atchara
Georgia (Clean), Chorokhi River Folder, its Area, Tao-Klarjeti , Atchara

Georgia (Clean), 16, Chorokhi River
Chorokhi River

Georgia (Clean), 17, Western Coast Georgia or Armenia, its Area, Artaz Region
Georgia (Clean), Western Coast Georgia or Armenia, its Area, Artaz Region

Georgia (Clean), 18, Dagestan, its Area
Georgia (Clean), Dagestan, its Area

Georgia (Clean), 19, Azerbaizan, its Area
Georgia (Clean), Azerbaizan, its Area

Georgia (Clean), 20, All Georgia Areas and their main Rivers, Includes D and A
All Georgia Areas and their main Rivers

Caucasus Mountain Range

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Azerbaizan, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Kura 1-10, Kartli Region, its Area, Samtskhe, Ossetia South, Eastern Kartli,
Kartli Region, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Kartli, Samtskhe Region, Kura 1,2,3,4,5, its Area
Georgia, Kartli, Samtskhe Region, Kura 1,2,3,4,5, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Eastern Georgia, Kakheti Region , its Area, Alazani and Iori Rivers

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Ossetia South, north of Kura 6,7,8, its Area
Georgia, Kartli, Ossetia South, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Kura 9,10, Eastern Kartli, Tblisi District & Transcaucus
Georgia (Clean), Kura 8,9,10, Eastern Kartli, Tblisi District & Transcaucus

Georgia (Clean), Northwestern Georgia, its Area, Colchis Region, (Abkhazeti, Samegrelo)

Georgia (Clean), Chorokhi River Folder, its Area, Tao-Klarjeti , Atchara

Georgia (Clean), Western Coast Georgia or Armenia, its Area, Artaz Region

Georgia (Clean), Rioni River 1,2,3, Western Inland Georgia, its Area

Georgia (Clean), Rioni 5,6, Guria Province, its Area, Left Side Rioni River, not Inland
eorgia (Clean), Rioni 5,6, Guria Province, Left Side Rioni River

Georgia (Clean), Kura River Folder, Central Georgia, Samtskhe, Ossetia South, and Kartli

Kola, Georgia (Kura (Mtkvari) River Source)
Kola;

Kola, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River
Kola, the village of Kola was located at the source of the Mtkvari River;

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaizan Folder included with Georgia

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaizhan, Dagestan Folder

Derbend, Dagestan
Derbend, Dagestan;

Land of the Huns, 1st to 7th century AD, Caspian Sea and Cacausus Mts
Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ;

Albanus (Albanapolis, Derbent, Dagestan, Caspian Sea)
Albanus (Derbent, Dagestan, Caspian Sea) ;

Dagestan, Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent, North Caucusus, West Caspian
Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent ;

Khazaria, Land of the Khzars, Dagestan , Derbent, North Caucusus, Above Silk Road
Land of the Khzars, Khazaria, Derbent ;

Sarir, Dagestan
Sarir, Dagestan;

Tkhaba-Yerdy Church
Tkhaba-Yerdy Church;

Mt. Kazbegi
Mt. Kazbegi;

Khevi Area (Kazbegi District, Ossetia North, and Mtskheta Region, Ossetia South)
Khevi Area;

Trinity Church, Gergeti (Ossetia Region, near Terek River Source) 1300-1399, 14th Century
Gergeti Trinity Church;

Stepantsminda, Dagestan (Terek River Source)
Stepantsminda ;

Ossetia Region (North and South of the Caucasus, Ossetian Language)
Ossetia Region North and South;

Terek, Ossetia or Vladikavkaz (capital of North Ossetia)
Terek, Ossetia or Vladikavkaz (capital of North Ossetia);

Chechnya
Chechnya;

Alania, Christian Bagrationi's
Alania, Christian Bagrationi's;

North Caucasus
North Caucasus ;

Osetian land, Dagestani Persians, Alans
Ossetia: Ossetian Land is the area both north and south of the Caucasus Mountians ;

Ossetia North, Dagestan
Ossetia;

North Ossetia-“Alania
North Ossetia-“Alania;

North Osetia-Alania, Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280,
North Ossetia-“Alania;

Kizliar, Dagestan (Terek River Delta, Caspian Sea)
Kizliar;

Dagestan, Avar people (Caucasus)
Dagestan, Avar people (Caucasus) ;

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaizan, Azerbaizan Folder,

Kura (Mtkvari) River 11 (Shamkori)

Kura (Mtkvari) River 12 (Azerbaijan)

Kura (Mtkvari) River 13 (Shirvan)

Shirvan, Azerbaijan (Kura River 13)
Shirvan;

Kaladzori Castle in Shirvan, Azerbaijan (Kura River 13)
Kaladzori fortress in Shirvan, Azerbaijan (Kura River 13); Shirvan;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 1,2,3,4,&5, Samtskhe Folder (Southern G, rivers f North

Georgia (Clean), Western Kartli, Samtskhe Region, Kura 1,2,3,4,5, its Area

Samtskhe-Saatabago (Kura River Source)
Samtskhe;

Samtskhe region (Southern Georgia, aka Meskheti and Javakheti)
Samtskhe;

House of Chorchaneli, House of Jaqeli, George Chorchaneli
House of Chorchaneli, House of Jaqeli;

Meskheti (mountainous area of Southwestern Georgia, Samtskhe, Javakheti)
Meskheti;

Artaani or Erusheti Region, Southern Georgia along Upper Kura River
Artaani Region; Erusheti Region;

Erusheti, Javakheti, Samtskhe, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity, Kura River 3)
Erusheti, Javakheti, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity);

Erusheti Mountain Range (along current Turkey Georgia border)
Erusheti, Javakheti, Georgia (Early center of Georgian Christianity);

Kvelistsikhe Fortress, Southern Georgia (Kura River 3.5)
Kvelistsikhe Fortress;

House of Jaqeli (Chorchaneli), Principality of Samtskhe
House of Jaqeli (Chorchaneli), Principality of Samtskhe;

Zarzma monastery (Kvabliani River, Kura River 4, Samtskhe ) 782 approx. by Serapion
Zarzma monastery;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 4, Kvabliani&Sairme Folder, Zarzma Mts, South flow from Meskheti

Tsiskvili (Zarzma)
Tsiskvili: the residents of Tsiskvili met them with hostility and tried to block their path. That very same night a miracle occurred: an earthquake split the rocks that were holding back Lake Satakhve and washed away the entire village of Tsiskvili. Only two brothers survived. To this day this place has been called is often used to denote a tragic occurrence]. Zarzma monastery

Zarzma monastery (Kvabliani River, Kura River 4, Samtskhe ) 840 approx. by Serapion
Zarzma monastery;

Sairme, Sairme Monastery, 1788
Sairme; Sairme Monastery;

Odzrkhe Monastery, Sairme, Georgia, where Tamar went to pray for Bassiani Battle
Odzrkhe;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 5, Javakheti River Folder, Southern Georgia, Atsquri Fortress

Georgia (Clean), Javakheti Region, its Area

Javakheti Region (South Central Georgia)
Javakheti Region, Historically, Javakheti borders in the west to the Kura River (Mtkvari), and in the north, south and east with the Shavvasheti, Samsari and Nialiskuri mountains.;

Akhalkalaki, Javakheti Region (South Central Georgia)
Region, Historically, Javakheti borders in the west to the Kura River (Mtkvari), and in the north, south and east with the Shavvasheti, Samsari and Nialiskuri mountains.;

Samtskhe-Javakheti
Samtskhe;

Javakheti Mountains, South Central Georgia
Javakheti Range runs north to souith;

Lake Paravani, South Central Georgia
Lake Paravani;

Aspara, Lake Paravani, South Central, Georgia 41°27'12"N 43°46'49"E

Ninotsminda (Javakheti River, Meskheti Region, Souther Georgia)
Ninotsminda;

Tsqarostavi Church
Erusheti or the Tsqarostavi Church in the Javakheti region.

Vardzia Cave Monestary, southern Georgia (Erusheti Mountain, left bank of Javakheti River) 1180's
Vardzia Monestary; Vardzia Cave Monestary, southern Georgia (Javakheti River) 1180's;

Kumurdo Cathedral, Southern Georgia, 964
Kumurdo Cathedral, Southern Georgia;

Javakheti (Javakheti River)
Javakheti;

Akhaltsikhe, Georgia (Javakheti River Mouth, Kura River 5)
Akhaltsikhe;

Atsquri Fortress, 850 or middle of the 9th Century
Atsquri Fortress;

Tadzrisi, Samtskhe (Kura River 5 where ravine begins)
Tadzrisi, Samtskhe, Georgia (Kura River 5 where Ravine Begins);

Dviri Monastery in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6)
Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6) Borjomi town in Borjomi Region;

Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6)
Dviri Fortress in Borjomi town (Kura River 5.6) Borjomi town in Borjomi Region;

Borjomi town in Borjomi Region (Kura River 5.6)
Borjomi town in Borjomi Region;

Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery (Kura River 5.7)
Nedzvi [Akhaldaba] Monastery);

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 6, 7, and 8, Rivers flow South, Ossetia South

Ossetia South, Central Georgia, now Shida Kartli, Kura River 6, 7, & 8
Ossetia;

Tsromi, Ossetia South, in central Georgia (Kura River 6, ravine ends), Tsromi Church, 7th Century
Tsromi in central Georgia, Tsromi Church, 7th Century;

Kvelta, Georgia (end of the ravine, Kura River 6)
Kvelta;

Surami, Georgia (Kura River 6)
Surami;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 7, Liakhvi River Folder, Kvabtakhevi M, Samachablo d

Liakhvi River
Kura (Mtkvari) River

Liakhvi Gorge
Liakhvi Gorge;

Samachablo district, Georgia
Samachablo district;

Caucasus Region, Georgia
Caucasus Region, Georgia;

Transcaucasus 1
Transcaucasus;

Transcaucasus;

Tskhinvali, Georgia (capital of Ossetia South)
Tskhinvali;

Tbeti monastery (Kartli, Central Georgia, Liakhvi River 1)
Tbeti monastery;

Ikorta church, Inner Kartli (Liakhvi River 1)
Ikorta church;

Shida [Inner] Kartli (Kura 7, Liakhvi River, Ossetia South)
Shida [Inner] Kartli;

Kvabtakhevi Monastery, Central Georgia (Liakhvi River 1) 1180's
Kvabtakhevi Monastery;

Nikozi, Georgia (Ossetia South, Inner Kartli, Liakhvi River 1)
Nikozi (Inner Kartli);

Nikozi in the Gori district, birthplace of Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
Nikozi in the Gori district;

Lori and nearby Castle of Agarani,where Tamar suddenly became ill
Lori and nearby Castle of Agarani,where Tamar suddenly became ill; Gori, Georgia;

Gori (Lori), Georgia (Liakhvi River Mouth, Kura (Mtkvari) River7)
Gori, Georgia;

Kvenadkotsi, Georgia 1609 (between Gori and Surami)
In 1609 Georgia suffered invasion by a Turkish army under the leadership of Deli-Mamad-khan. The young emperor gave decisive battle to the Turks near the village of Kvenadkotsi (between Gori and Surami). On the eve of battle the 14,000 Georgians spent all night in prayer. In the morning after Divine Liturgy and having received the Holy Mysteries, the Georgian forces put 60,000 enemy soldiers to flight in a heroic battle.

Shida (Inner) Kartli
Shida (Inner) Kartli;

Urbnisi, Central Georgia (Liakhvi River, Kura River 7)
Urbnisi;

Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi, Kura River 7, Liakhvi River Mouth) 780
Ruisi - Urbnisi (Ruisi Cathedral in Urbnisi);

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 7.5, Ksani River Folder

Ksani Fortress, Central Georgia (Ksani River Mouth)
Ksani Fortress;

Tsilkani, Georgia (Narekvavi River 1)
Tsilkani, Georgia (Town near T. Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1);

Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Tsilkani Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1)
Tsilkani Church, (Probably near Ksani Fortress, Ksani River 2);

Tsilkani cathedral (Left Bank of the Narckvavi)
Tsilkani cathedral;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 7.8, Kaspi River Folder

Armazi Monastery, Georgia (Kaspi River 1) 1150
Armazi Monestary;

Armazi Fortress, Ossetia South
Armazi Fortress;

Tsikhegoji (Armazi, Kaspi River 1)
Tsikhegoji;

Samtavisi Monastery, Kaspi, Georgia
Samtavisi Monastery; Nevertheless, that night the priests and monks of Rekhi came, took the body of the holy martyr, and buried it with great honor at Samtavisi Monastery (located midway between Mtskheta and Gori).

Kaspi, Georgia (Kaspi River Mouth, Kura River 7.8)
Kaspi;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 8, Aragvi River Folder, Mtskheta

Khevsureti (Aragvi River 1)
Khevsureti;

Pshavi (Aragvi River 1)
Pshavi;

Aragvi Gorge
Aragvi Gorge;

Ananuri, Castle, Argavi River 1, Georgia
Ananuri, Castle;

Ananuri Fortress, Argavi River Gorge, Georgia
Ananuri, Castle;

Aragvi River Mouth (Samtavro aka Mtskheta, Kura River 8)
Aragvi Province;

Georgia (Clean) Aragvi River Mouth, Mtsheta Folder, Zedezeni, Saguramo, Cave of Shio

Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River Mouth (Kura River 8))
Mtskheta;

Karsani, Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River Mouth (Kura River 8))
Mtskheta;

Tkhoti Mountain - One of the Three Crosses
Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta.
Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta.
Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta.

Zedazeni Mountain, Saguramo Range, Mtskheta, Georgia
Zedazeni Mountain;

Saguramo (Zedazeni, Aragvi River 2)
Saguramo Range (including Zedazeni Mountain) located immediately to the north of Tiblisi and south of Saguramo and Zedazeni Monastery. ;

Zedazeni Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia (Aragvi River 2) 540's
Zedazeni Monastery. This location is only approximate. Zedazeni Monestary is located on the Zedazeni mountain the hills of Saguramo, northeast to Mtskheta and to the east side of the Aragvi River. ;

Saguramo Range
Saguramo Range (including Zedazeni Mountain) located immediately to the north of Tiblisi and south of Saguramo and Zedazeni Monastery. ;

Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8) 540's
Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio);

Tsikhedidi Village, across Kura River from Caves of Shio, Mgvime Monastery
Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Mgvime, Shio Mgvime monastery, Georgia (the cave of Shio, Kura River 8) 540's
Shio Mgvime (the cave of Shio);

Sarkineti Mountains, Mtskheta, Georgia

Sarkineti Caves, Mtskheta, Georgia
At his instructor’s command, Saint Shio settled in the Sarkineti caves near Mtskheta;

Armazi Monastery, Georgia (near Mtskheta)
Armazi Monastery;

Tsitsamuri Forest near Tsitsamuri

Ujarma Village, Mtskheta, Georgia, One of the Three Crosses
Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia;

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta, Georgia, 310 approx.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral;

Jvari (Cross) Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, One of the Three Crosses, 320 approx.
Jvari (monastery) Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi.;

Holy Cross (Jvari) Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, 320 approx.
Jvari (monastery) Tkhoti Mountain is the mountain to the North West of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monestary is to the South East of Mtskheta. Ujarma village is to the North East of Mtskheta. Jvari (Cross) Monastery is at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari Rivers. The capital is Tiblizi.;

Samtavro Monastery, Mtskheta, Georgia, 350
Samtavro Monastery;

Samtavro Convent, Mtskheta, Georgia, 350
Samtavro Convent;

Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church
Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church;

Georgia (Clean), Central Georgia, Kura River 9 & 10, Eastern Kartli

Georgia (Clean), Eastern Kartli, Kura 9,10, Tblisi District & Transcaucus

Kartli, Central Georgia (Kura River 9 and 10)
Kartli (Region near the Kura River including Tiblisi);

Iberia, Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, Central Georgia
Caucasian Iberia;

Trialeti, Kartli (Tiblisi River 1)
Trialeti mountainous area of the Trialeti Range;

Trialeti (range or mountain area)
Trialeti mountainous area, of the Trialeti Range;

Atrak, the Qipchaks ruler, David's Father in Law, Battle of Didgori
Qipchaks, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia;

Didgori, Mount Didgori, Battle of Didgori
Mount Didgori battle at Didgori;

Mount Didgori
Mount Didgori battle at Didgori;

Kvabtakhevi Monastery (North Side of Mt. Didgori, 34 miles West of Tiblisi) 1200
Kvabtakhevi Monastery;

Manglisi Church (Tiblisi River 1) 320
Manglisi Church;

Betania Monastery, Georgia (Tiblisi River 1) 1180's
Betania Monastery;

Manglisi, Kartli, Georgia (near Tiblisi River 1)
Manglisi;

Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9)
Tbilisi;

Kartli (town, Tbilisi)
Kartli;

Kartli Region (Lowlands, Central Georgia, Tiblisi)
Kartli (Region near the Kura River including Tiblisi)

Metekhi, Tiblisi, Georgia (Mtkvari (Kura) River 9)
Metekhi, a neighborhood of Tiblisi;

Metekhi Cliff
Metekhi Cliff;

Abo's Chapel aMetekhi Cliff
Metekhi Cliff;

Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi)
Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi) ;

Tabakhmela-Kojori
Tabakhmela

Kojori (Agarani or Azeuli) Fortress, Georgia
Kojori (Agarani or Azeuli Fortress);

Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral, 575
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral;

Tiblisi Theological Seminary 1817
Tiblisi Theological Seminary 1817;

Sioni Cathedral, Tbilisi, 575
Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral;

Tbilisi Monastery, 1350 or 14th Century
Tbilisi Monastery;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiblisi, Georgia, 1871
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tiblisi, Georgia;

Tbilisi Seminary, Tiblisi River Mouth, 1817-1919
Tbilisi Seminary;

Tbilisi State University, Georgia, 1918
Tbilisi State University;

Samgori District, Tiblisi, Isani-Samgori District
Samgori District, Tiblisi, Isani-Samgori District;

Salosi, Tiblisi (Ben Gabriel Salosi Ave)
Salosi, Tiblisi (Ben Gabriel Salosi Ave);

Martkopi, Georgia (Martkop (Rutai)i River 1)
Martkopi, Georgia;

Rustavi, Kartli, Georgia (Kura (Mtkvari) River 10)
Rustavi;

Pitareti Monastery, Georgia (Trialeti Range, Kartli) 1180's
Pitareti Monastery;

Kipchaks area in Georgia
Kartli lowlands: Kipchaks area in Georgia;

Dmanisi, Georgia (Mashavera River Mouth, Khrami River 1)
Dmanisi village in Mashavera River Valley;

Bolnisi, Georgia (Khama River 1.8)`
Bolnisi, Georgia (Kama River 1.8);

Kvemo Kartli (between Khrami and Tiblisi Rivers, Khrami River 2)
Kvemo Kartli;

Tashiri Region North (between Khrami River 2 and Tiblisi River 1)
Tashiri Region;

Marabda, Kartli (Khrami River 2)
Marabda;

Marneuli, Kartli (Khrami River 2)
Martqopi;

Somkhiti Region (Khrami River 2, Debed River, Central Georgia)
Somkhiti Region;

Gardabani, Kartli (Khrami River, Kura River 10)
Gardabani if on a plateau above the Mtkvari River.

Transcaucasus (South Caucasus)
Transcaucasus or South Caucasus;

Alaverdi, Southern Georgia (high point, Transcaucasus) or Northern Armenia
Alaverdi;

Akhiza Fortress (Transcaucus high point)
Akhiza Fortress;

Tashiri Region South (South Caucasus, Transcaucas)
Tashiri Region;

Tashiri Castle, Lori Berd Fortress (Tashir River)
Tashiri Castle, Lori Berd Fortress;

Trialeti Mountain Range
Mountain Range;

Tsurtavi (Gugark), Tashiri, Kartli, Georgia
Tsurtavi (Gugark), Tashiri, Georgia;

Georgia (Clean), Eastern Georgia Folder, Alazani and Iori Rivers , Kakheti, Hereti

Kakheti Region (Alazani and Iori Rivers, Eastern Georgia)
Kakheti Region;

Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region, Georgia
Hereti Kingdom of Kakheti Region;

Georgia (Clean), Eastern Georgia, Iori River Folder (Center of Eastern Georgia) David Gareja monastery

Tusheti (Iori River Source)
Tusheti;

Ertso (upper Lori river valley)
Ertso;

Tianeti (Lori River 1)
Tianeti;

Tvali, Kakheti, Georgia
Tvali, Kakheti, Georgia ;

Kakheti (Tvali or Gare or Sagarego is the capital of Kakheti, Iori River 3)
Tvali;

Gare-Kakheti
Gare-Kakheti. Outer Kakheti (Gare Kakheti) along the middle Iori River basin;

Gare, Georgia (Sagarego, Gare Valley of Gare-Kakheti Area), 540's
Gare, Georgia (Sagarego, Gare Valley of Gare-Kakheti Area) ;

Ujarma, Kakheti, Georgia (Iori River 3)
Ujarma, Kakheti;

Saint John the Baptist Monastery, David Gareja complex, Georgia (Iori River 4), 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ;

David Gareja monastery complex, Kakheti, but near Tblisi, Georgia (Iori River 4), 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ;

Gareji, David Gareja monastery complex, Georgia (Iori River 4) 540's
David Gareja monastery complex (Georgia) ;

David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains))
David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains));

Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains) (David Gareja Mountains)
David Gareja Mountains (Mravalmta (the Rolling Mountains));

Georgia (Clean), Eastern Georgia, Alazani River Folder (Kakheti, Hereti, Northeastern Georgia)

Atsquri, Georgia (Akhmeta, Kakheti, Alazani River Source)
Atsquri, Georgia (Akhmeta, Kakheti);

Bakhtrioni Fortress, Kakheti (Strategic Crossroads to Caucasus Mts, Alazani River 1)
Bakhtrioni Fortress, Kakheti (Strategic Crossroads to Caucasus Mts) ;

Bakhtroni Uprising 1659, Timuraz of Kakheti rose against Abbas I of Persia and Rostom of Kartli a muslim convert, colonization by muslim tribes
Bakhtroni Uprising 1659;

Akhmeta, Kakheti
Akhmeta;

Atsquri, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Atsquri (Akhmeta, Alazani River 1);

Alaverdi Monestary, Kakheti Georgia (Alazani River 1) 11th Century
Alaverdi Monestary;

Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia ;

Chimchimeli, probably Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River 1)
Gremi, Kakheti, Georgia ;

Iqalto, Kakheti, Northeastern Georgia (Alazani River Valley)
Iqalto;

Iqalto monastery, Georgia, 540 of so
Iqalto monastery;

Telavi (Alazani River 1)
Telavi;

Nekressi, Georgia (Alazani River 2)
Nekressi ;

Village of Gremi in Kakheti
Village of Gremi in Kakheti;

Qvareli, Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River Valley 2)
Qvareli in Kakheti, Georgia (Alazani River Valley 2)

Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia
Bakurtsikhe, Georgia;

Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti, Georgia
Khirsa Monastery in Kakheti ;

Tsurtavi, Eastern Georgia
Gachiani;

Bodbe Monastery, Northeastern Georgia, 361
Bodbe Monastery;

Hereti, Georgia (Alanzi River Valley, Kakheti)
Hereti;

Zakatalsk region (Talsk River of Alazani)
Zakatalsk region;

Zakatalsk (Talsk River of Alazani)
Zakatalsk (Talsk River) ;

Georgia (Clean), Northwestern Georgia Folder, Colchjis Region (Abkhazeti, Samegrelo)

Ushguli Church - Tamar's Summer Residence
Ushguli Church - Tamar's Summer Residence; Saint John of Shavta-Gelati, Commemorated on June 9;

Colchis Region, Northwestern Georgia
Colchis Region;

Abkhazeti Region (Northwest Georgia, Southwest Caucasus Mts, Samegrelo)
Abkhazeti Region, A disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus ;

Chaneti Province (Northwestern Georgia, Svaneti)
Svaneti Province;

Sochi, Russia (Northwestern Georgia, Alania)
Sochi;

Alania, Land of the Bagrationi Dynasty, North Ossetia
Alania, Land of the Bagrationi Dynasty, North Ossetia;

Pityus in Abkhazia, Northwest Georgia on the Black Sea
Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea ;

Pitindeia, Northwest Georgia (Pitsunda)
Pitindeia (Pitsunda);

New Athos monastery, Abkhazeti, Georgia, 1875, Deliverer Icon
New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus;

Simono-Kananitsk monastery, New Athos, in the Caucasus, 1875
New Athos Simono-Kananitsk monastery in the Caucasus;

Khobi, Western Georgia
Khobi, Western Georgia ;

Lazika, Northwest Georgia (planned city, Black Sea)
Lazika (planned city, Black Sea);

Egrisi (now Samegrelo Province)
Egrisi (now Samegrelo Province);

Samegrelo Province, Northwestern Georgia
Samegrelo Province;

Mingrelia (Samegrelo)
Mingrelia (Samegrelo);

Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire, Northwestern Georgia
Ilori Theological School in Ochamchire;

Bedia Cathedral, 999, Northwest Georgia, Abkhazeti
Bedia Cathedral, 999;

Matskhvarishi church of the Savior, Abkhazeti (Enguri River Source_
Matskhvarishi church of the Savior;

Anaklia (Enguri River Mouth)
Anaklia (Enguri River Mouth);

Egrisi, Northwestern Georgia
Egrisi;

Tskhumi, Northwestern Georgia

Sokhumi, Northwestern Georgia
Sokhumi;

Bridge of Queen Tamar, Northwest Georgia
Bridge of Queen Tamar;

River Atcharistsqali 1
River Atcharistsqali;

Georgia (Clean), Silk Road Folder (to China to Turkey)

Georgia (Clean), Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River Folder , Tao-Klarjeti and Atchara

Khakhuli Church
Khakhuli Church ;

Khakhuli Monastery, Georgia (Chorokhi River 3) approx. 970
Khakhuli Monastery;

Ishkhani monastery (Chorokhi River 3) 641
Ishkhani monastery;

Nigali valley, Southwestern Georgia (Chorokhi River 4)
Nigali valley;

Laze, Georgia, Capital Artvin (Nigali Valley, Chorokhi River 4)
Laz People, Laze, Armenia, Capital Artvin;

Georgia (Clean), Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 4, Klarjeti River Folder, Klarjeti

Klarjeti, Klarjeti River, Tao-Klarjeti region, Soutwestern Georgia
Tao-Klarjeti region;

Akhiza Fortress, Artvin, Klarjeti River, Southwest Georgia
Akhiza Fortress, Artvin, Klarjeti River, Southwest Georgia; Tao-Klarjeti region;

Shavshet-Klarjeti Region, Soutwestern Georgia (Klarjeti River)
Shavshet-Klarjeti Region;

Shavshet, Georgia
Shavshet, Georgia;

Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwestern Georgia
Klarjeti Wilderness;

Chandzoe (Khandzta) monastery, Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwest Georgia, 782
Khandzta;

Khandzta (Chandzoe) monastery, Klarjeti Wilderness, Southwest Georgia, 782
Khandzta;

Parekhi Monastery (Opiza, Klarjeti River) 840 approx.
Parekhi Monastery;

Opiza Monastery, southwestern Georgia, 840 approx.
Opiza Monastery;

Georgia (Clean), Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 4, Artanuji River Folder, Tao

Tao Region - Southwestern Georgia (Artanuji River)
Tao Region;

Artanuji Castle, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji Castle;

Artanuji Fortress, Tao, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji Fortress ;

Artanuji, Southwest Georgia
Artanuji;

Artanuji monestary
Artanuji monestary;

Ancha Monastery and Cathedral (Tao)
Ancha Monastery and Cathedral (Tao); 1Anchi, Bishopric of Ancha;

Georgia (Clean), Southwest Georgia, Chorokhi River 6, Ajara River Folder, Atchara, Khikhani Fortress

Khikhani Fortress and Village in Upper Atchara
Khikhani Village in Upper Atchara, Khikhani Fortress in the region of Khulo

Atchara (Adjara river region of Southwestern Georgia)
Atchara (Adjara River region of Southwestern Georgia);

Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water)
Acharistsqali (Adjara's Water);

Shemokmedi, Guria (Chorokhi River Mouth)
Batumi, Guria; metropolitan of Batumi-Shemokmedi; Shemokmedi Monestary ;

Gonio (Chorokhi River Mouth, Black Sea) Apostle Matthias' relics
Gonio;

Gonio Fortress
Gonio Fortress;

Georgia (Clean), Western Coast Georgia Folder (or Armenia)

Atchara, Western Georgia or Armenia (Pontine Ethiopia)
Atchara; Principality of Hamamshen;

Artaz region, Western Georgia or Armenia
Artaz region;

Rize, Western Georgia (Riza)
Rize;

Qipchaks,, 1101-1299, 12th-13th Centuries, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia, mercenaries
Qipchaks, Cuman-Kipchaks in Georgia;

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River Folder, Imereti

Georgia (Clean), Rioni River 1,2,3, Western Inland Georgia, its Area,

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 1-3, Upper Rioni River Folder, Gelati and Raca

Svaneti Province (Northwestern Georgia, Chaneti)
Svaneti Province;

Chelishi Monastery, Lentekhi, Lower Svaneti
Chelishi Monastery, Lentekhi, Lower Svaneti;

Racha Region, Georgia (Upper Rioni River Valley)
Racha;

Skhvava (Village near Racha)
Skhvava (Village near Racha);

Nikortsminda Cathedral, 1010 (Rioni River 1)
Nikortsminda Cathedral, 1010 (Rioni River 1);

Tsageri (in lower Svaneti, Rioni River 2)
Tsageri (in lower Svaneti);

Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri, Georgia (Rioni River 2)
Schemarum Fortress, Tsageri (in lower Svaneti);

Gaenati (Gelati) Monastery, Georgia (Rioni River 3) 1106
Gaenati (Gelati) Monastery;

Gelati Monastery, Georgia (Rioni River 3) 1106
Gelati Monastery;

Motsameta monastery (Rioni River 3) 1072
Motsameta monastery;

Gelati Theological Academy, Rioni River 3, Georgia, 1106
Gelati Theological Academy;

Bagrati Cathedral (Rioni River 3) 1003
Bagrati Cathedral;

Cathedral of King Davit the Restorer in Kutaisi (Rioni River 3) 1003
Bagrati Cathedral;

Baghdati, Georgia (south of Rioni River 3)
Baghdati, Georgia;

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 3, Argveti River Folder

Argveti, Region (Westcentral Georgia, Argveti River Folder)
Argveti;

Ubisi in Imereti (Argveti River 1) before 861
Ubisi in Imereti;

Saint George's Monastery, before 861
Ubisi in Imereti;

Shorapani, Kutaisi (Argveti River 1)
Shorapani;

Tabakini Monastery in Zestaponi (Argveti River 2)
Tabakini Monastery in Zestaponi (Argveti River 2);

Imereti region (Western Inland Georgia, Rioni and Argveti Rivers)
Imereti region;

Kutaisi, Imereti, Georgia (Argveti River Mouth, Rioni River 3)
Kutaisi;

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 4-6 and Black Sea, Lower Rioni River Folder

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 4, Tao Region south of Rioni River 4

Gerogia (Clean), Rioni River 4, above Tao Region

Tao region (Western Inland and Southern Georgia, South of Rioni River)
Tao region;

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 5, Chgondidi River Folder, Guria Province

Georgia (Clean), Rioni River 5 (Chkodidi aka Abasha, Guria)

Guria Province (left side Rioni River 5 and 6, Western Inland Georgia)
Guria;

Chqondidi, Georgia (Chkondidi River 1)
Chqondidi;

Martvili Monastery, Chqondidi River 1, Georgia, 7th Century and 1788
Martvili Monastery in Egrisi;

Abasha (aka Chqondidi, the capital of Western Georgia)
Abasha;

Chkondidi (Rioni River 5, the capital of Western Georgia)
Chkondidi;

Georgia (Clean), Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River Folder, Ozurgeti of Guria

Georgia (Clean), Rioni River 6 (Senaki River, Ozurgeti, Guria)

Nokalakevi, Ozurgeti, Guria (Rioni River 6)

Ozurgeti district of Guria, Western Inland Georgia, left side Rioni River 6
Ozurgeti district of Guria;

Geogria (Clean), Western Georgia, its Area,

Tsikhegoji (Tsikhedidi), Western Georgia, Egrisi
Tsikhegoji;

Lazica region, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River
Lazica region, Western Inland Georgia, Rioni River 6, Senaki River;

Teklati, Georgia
Teklati, Georgia;

Abasha (aka Chqondidi, the capital of Western Georgia, Abasha River Mouth)
Abasha (aka Chqondidi, the capital of Western Georgia, Abasha River Mouth;

Murvana-Kru (the Wild) Battle, its Area, between Abasha and Tskhenistsqali Rivers

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Derbend Area Folder, West Caspian, North Caucusus

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Terek River Folder, Ossetia North

North Ossetia-“Alania
North Ossetia-“Alania; Khan Mengu-Temir, 1266-1280;

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaijan,Terek River 3, Sunzha River Folder

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaijan, Kuma River Folder

Dagestan (Clean), Kuma River 1.5, Podkumok River Folder

Georgia (Clean), Dagestan and Azerbaizan, Azerbaizan Folder

Georgia (Clean), Azerbaizan, its Area, now aka Armenia

Nokalakevi (Rioni River 6

Hungary Folder, Danube 7-9, Tisza rivers and mountains, Transylvania, Slovakia, Pannonia

Hungary (Tisa river drainage and Little Hungarian Plain)
Hungary; Little Hungarian Plain (Pannonia and Sabaria); Great Hungarian Plain; Huns or Hunnic People, Atilla the Hun; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ; Commemorated on February 5; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Hunnic Empire (Hungary)
Hunnic Empire; Huns;

Hungary, Pannonia (modern-day Hungary)
Hungary, Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Pannonia was located over the territory of the present-day western Hungary, eastern Austria, northern Croatia, north-western Serbia, northern Slovenia, western Slovakia and northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Magyars (Hungarians)
Magyars or Hungarians; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ;

Polovetsia (Cumans in Hungary, Cumania)
Polovetsia; Cumania; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28;

Esztergom, Hungary (Danube River 6)
Esztergom (Danube River 6); Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated August 18 ;

Hungary History Folder

Hungary, 000, 1st-7th Century, Land of the Huns

Hungary, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances

Hungary, 30-1st Century, Adronicus, Paul's kin, Pannonia (Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia)
Serbia, 40-60 approx, Adronicus and Junia, Paul's kin, in Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia); Andronicus Apostle of the Seventy and Saint Junia were relatives of the holy Apostle Paul. They labored much, preaching the Gospel to pagans. Saint Paul mentions them in his Epistle to the Romans: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners, who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before meâ€ (Romans 16:7). Andronicus was made Bishop of Pannonia, but his preaching also took him and Saint Junia to other lands, far from the boundaries of his diocese. Through the efforts of Saints Andronicus and Junia the Church of Christ was strengthened, pagans were converted to the knowledge of God, many pagan temples closed, and in their place Christian churches were built. The service in honor of these saints states that they suffered martyrdom for Christ. the fifth century, during the reign of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, their holy relics were uncovered on the outskirts of Constantinople together with the relics of other martyrs at the gate of Eugenius (February 22). was revealed to the pious cleric Nicholas Kalligraphos that among the relics of these seventeen martyrs were the relics of the holy Apostle Andronicus. Afterwards, a magnificent church was built on this spot. Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy and his fellow-laborer, Junia, Commemorated on May 17

Hungary, 30-1st Century, Apostle Andronicus of 70, Bishop of Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Paul's kin
Hungary, 30 - 1st Century, Apostle Andronicus, Bishop of Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Paul's kin; Hungary, Pannonia (modern-day Hungary), Pannonia was located over the territory of the present-day western Hungary, eastern Austria, northern Croatia, north-western Serbia, northern Slovenia, western Slovakia and northern Bosnia and Herzegovina.; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Andronicus was a disciple of the Savior. Apostle Andronicus is mentioned by Saint Paul: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, ... who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Rom. 16:7). holy Apostle Andronicus was bishop in Pannonia (modern-day Hungary). Andronicus and Junia are also commemorated on May 17.

Hungary, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Dacia, Follower of Andrew
Romania, 50, Martyr Evangelicus, 1st Century Bishop of Tomis, Follower of Andrew Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, ConstanÈ›a in Romania, Commemorated on July 7;

Hungary, Land of the Huns, 1st to 7th century AD
Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ;

Hungary, 336-350, Queen Fritigil of the Marcomanni, Huns
Hungary, 336-350, Queen Fritigil of the Marcomanni ; Little Hungarian Plain, 350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil; Sabaria (Little Hungarian Plain), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Hungary, 336-350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil, Huns
Little Hungarian Plain, 350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil; Sabaria (Little Hungarian Plain), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Hungary, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, Roman from Hungary, Sabaria, Pannonia, little hungarian plain
France, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful; Tours; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ;

Hungary, 336-397, Martin of Tours, cold beggar cloak story, Jesus appeared, front line cross story, conversed wAngels&saints

Hungary, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful Arien opponent wHiliary, against Priscillian or any heretic execution

Hungary, 360-397, Roman Saint, Ambrose, Queen Fritigil asked A instrictions in Christian Faith
Rome, 360-397, Roman Saint, Ambrose; Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Hungary, 372, Gothic Saint, Nicetas the Goth, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia

Hungary, 372, Novoniketa Icon, Dacia, appeared on boy' chest in the night, Niketas baptised right away

Hungary, 434-453, Atilla the Hun
Hungary, 434-453, Atilla the Hun ; Land of the Huns, Caspian Sea, Cacausus Mts, Scythia, and Hungary ; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461) ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated on January 3 ;

Hungary, 800, 895-1000, Principality of Hungary, HRE

Hungary, 895-1000, Principality of Hungary
Hungary, 895-1000, Principality of Hungary; Hungary, 895-907, Ruler, Arpad; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27;

Hungary, 895-907, Ruling Prince, Arpad, first Magyar or Hungarian prince, could be a Khazar
Hungary, 895-907, Ruling Prince, Arpad; (c. 845 – c. 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or kende of the Hungarians, or their military leader or gyula, although most details of his life are debated by historians, because different sources contain contradictory information. Despite this, many Hungarians refer to him as the founder of our country, and Arphad's preeminent role in the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin has been emphasized by some later chronicles. The dynasty descending from Arphad ruled the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301. 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Towards the Hungarian Conquest 1.3 Reign 1.4 Death 2 Legacy 3 Family 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 References 6.1 Primary sources 6.2 Secondary sources 7 External links life[edit] information: Almos Arphad was the son of Almos who is mentioned as the first head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes by all Hungarian chronicles.[1][2] His mother's name and family are unknown.[3] According to historian Gyula Kristo, Arphad was born around 845.[4] His name derived from the Hungarian word for barley, arpa, which is of Turkic origin.[4] Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (r. 913–959) states that the Hungarians had never at any time had any other prince before Arphad, which is in sharp contrast to the Hungarian chronicles' report of the position of Arphad's father.[5][6] Porphyrogenitus's narration, the Khazar khagan initiated the centralization of the command of the Hungarian tribes in order to strengthen his own suzerainty over them.[6][7] The khagan initially wanted to appoint a chieftain named Levedi to lead the Hungarians.[8] However, Levedi did not accept this offer and suggested that either Almos or Arphad should be promoted instead of him.[7] The khagan approached the Hungarians with this new proposal.[9] They preferred Arphad to his father, because he was greatly admired for wisdom and counsel and valour, and capable of this rule.[5][7] Thereafter, Arphad was made prince according to the custom ... of the Chazars, by lifting him upon a shield."[5][9] Constantine Porphyrogenitus refers to Arphad as the great prince of Tourkia.[10][11][12] reliability of the Byzantine emperor's report of Arphad's election is debated by modern historians: for instance, Victor Spinei states that it is rather vague and scarcely credible, but Andras Rona-Tas writes that its core is reliable.[7][13] latter historian adds that Arphad's election was promoted by Almos, who forced Levedi to renounce his position as kende. Accordingly, in Rona-Tas's view, Arpahd succeeded Levedi as sacred ruler, or kende, which enabled his father to preserve his own position as the actual leader of the Hungarians, or gyula.[13] the Hungarian Conquest[edit] information: Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, Kurszan, and Liuntika earliest reliable source of Arpahd's life is an early 10th-century document, the Continuation of the Chronicle by George the Monk.[4][14][15] It narrates that the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise (r. 886-912) sent his envoy Nicetas Sclerus to the Hungarians in 894 or 895 to give presents and incite them against the Bulgarian Empire.[15] Sclerus met with their two leaders, Arphad and Kurszan, at the Lower Danube.[15][16] Sclerus's mission succeeded: a Hungarian army soon crossed the Danube on Byzantine ships against Bulgaria.[16][17] An interpolation in Porphyrogenitus's text suggests that the invading Hungarians were under the command of Arphad's son, Liuntika.[16] positions held by Arphad and Kurszan at the time of their negotiations with Sclerus are debated by historians. Spinei wrote that Arphad was the gyula, and Kurszan was the kende.[16] In contrast, Kristo said that Kurszan was the gyula and Arphad represented his father, Almos kende.[15] [18] statue in Bereni (Szekelybere, Romania) Arpahd's statue in Szekelybere (Bereni, Romania) that time, the Bulgarians had disregarded the peace treaty and were raiding through the Thracian countryside. Justice pursued them for breaking their oath to Christ our God, the emperor of all, and they quickly met up with their punishment. While our forces were engaged against the Saracens, divine Providence led the [Hungarians], in place of the Romans, to campaign against the Bulgarians. Our Majesty's fleet of ships supported them and ferried them across the Danube. [Providence] sent them out against the army of the Bulgarians that had so wickedly taken up arms against Christians and, as though they were public executioners, they decisively defeated them in three engagements, so that the Christian Romans might not willingly stain themselves with the blood of the Christian Bulgarians. — Leo the Wise: Tactics[19] Hungarian army defeated the Bulgarians, but the latter hired the Pechenegs against them.[16][20] The Bulgarians and Pechenegs simultaneously invaded the Hungarians' territories in the western regions of the Pontic steppes in 895 or 896.[21] The destruction of their dwelling places by the Pechenegs forced the Hungarians to leave for a new homeland across the Carpathian Mountains towards the Pannonian Plain.[22] Illuminated Chronicle says that Ãrpád's father Ãlmos "could not enter Pannonia, for he was killed in Erdelw" or Transylvania.[1][23][24] Engel, Kristó and Molnár, who accept the reliability of this report, wrote that Ãlmos's death was a ritual murder, similar to the sacrifice of the Khazar khagans in case of a disaster affecting their people.[1][22][25] In contrast with them, Róna-Tas states that even if the report on Ãlmos's murder "reflects true event, the only possible explanation would be that Ãrpád or someone in his entourage" killed the aged prince.[23] Spinei rejects the Illuminated Chronicle's report on Ãlmos's murder in Transylvania, because the last mention of Ãlmos in the contrasting narration of the Gesta Hungarorum is connected to a siege of Ungvár (Uzhhorod, Ukraine) by the Hungarians.[26] The latter chronicle says that Ãlmos appointed Ãrpád "as leader and master" of the Hungarians on this occasion.[27][28] city of King Attila" (Aquincum, Budapest) of Aquincum – city of King Attila in the Gesta Hungarorum[29] name is completely unknown to all sources written in East Francia, which was one of the main powers of the Carpathian Basin at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.[11] These sources, including the Annales Alamannici and the Annales Eisnidlenses, only mention another Hungarian leader, Kurszan.[11] According to Kristo and other historians, these sources suggest that Kurszan must have been the gyula commanding the Hungarian forces, while Arphad succeeded his murdered father as the sacred kende.[11][30] a contrasting theory, the Romanian historian Curta wrote that Kurszan was the kende and Arphad gyula only succeeded him when Kurszan was murdered by Bavarians in 902 or 904.[11][31] contrast to nearly contemporaneous sources, Hungarian chronicles written centuries after the events—for instance, the Gesta Hungarorum and the Illuminated Chronicle—emphasize Arphad's pre-eminent role in the conquest of the Carpathian Basin.[1][32] The Gesta Hungarorum also highlights Arphad's military skills and his generosity.[33] This chronicle also emphasizes that Teteny, one of the heads of the seven Hungarian tribes, acquired the land of Transylvania for himself and his posterity only after Arphad had authorized him to conquer it.[34][35] crossed the Danube, they encamped beside the Danube as far as BudafelhévÃz. Hearing this, all the Romans living throughout the land of Pannonia, saved their lives by flight. Next day, Prince Ãrpád and all his leading men with all the warriors of Hungary entered the city of King Attila and they saw all the royal palaces, some ruined to the foundations, others not, and they admired beyond measure the stone buildings and were happier than can be told that they had deserved to take without fighting the city of King Attila, of whose line Prince Ãrpád descended. They feasted every day with great joy in the palace of King Attila, sitting alongside one another, and all the melodies and sweet sounds of zithers and pipes along with all the songs of minstrels were presented to them ... Prince Ãrpád gave great lands and properties to the guests staying with them, and, when they heard this, many guests thronged to him and gladly stayed with him. — Anonymous: Gesta Hungarorum[36] Gesta Hungarorum says that Arphad took an oath of the leading men and warriors of Hungary, and had his son, Prince Zoltan elevated to prince in his life.[37][38] the reliability of this report and the list of the grand princes in the Gesta Hungarorum is dubious.[12] For instance, it ignores Fajsz, who ruled when Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus was completing his De Administrando Imperio around 950.[39] statue in Nagymegyer date of Arphad's death is debated.[40] The Gesta Hungarorum states that he died in 907.[1][40] However, Kristo wrote that he actually died in 900 or later because the Gesta says 903 is the starting date of the Hungarian land-taking instead of its actual date around If the Gesta's report on his funeral is reliable, Arphad was buried at the head of a small river that flows through a stone culvert to the city of King Attila where a village, Feheregyhaza, developed near Buda a century later.[37][40] Hungarians arrived in their new homeland within the Carpathians under Ãrpád.[38] Ãrpád is the principal actor in the Gesta Hungarorum, which attributes "almost all memorable events" of the "Hungarian land-taking" to him.[41] Furthermore, until the extinction of the male line of his dynasty in 1301, Hungary was ruled by "a single line of princes", all descending from Ãrpád.[22] Ãrpád is known among Hungarians as honalapÃtó or the "founder of our homeland".[38] Hungary, 895-1000, Principality of Hungary; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27;

Hungary, 907-950, Ruling Prince, Zoltan, second Magyar or Hungarian prince, defeated Great Moravia
Hungary, 907-950, Ruling Prince, Zoltan, second Magyar or Hungarian prince, could be a Khazar; (c. 880 or 903 - c. 950), also Zolta,[1][2] is mentioned in the Gesta Hungarorum as the third Grand Prince of the Hungarians who succeeded his father Arphad around 907. Although modern historians tend to deny this report on his reign, because other chronicles do not list him among the Hungarian rulers, there is consensus that even if Zoltan never ascended the throne, all monarchs ruling in Hungary from the House of Arphad after around 955 were descended from him. 1 Life 1.1 Zoltan in the Gesta Hungarorum 1.2 Modern historians' views 2 Family 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources 5.1 Primary sources 5.2 Secondary sources in the Gesta Hungarorum[edit] historians' main source of Zoltan's life is the Gesta Hungarorum, a late 12th-century chronicle whose writer is now known as Anonymous.[3] to this source, Zoltan was the only son of Arphad, Grand Prince of the Hungarians.[3] In contrast, the nearly contemporary Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus writes that Zaltas[4] was Ãrpád's fourth son.[3] Zoltan's name seemingly derived from the Arabian sultan title with Turkic mediation, but modern scholars have not unanimously accepted this etymology.[3] to Anonymous, Zoltan was born after 903, during his father's second campaign against Menumorut.[1] The latter was one of the many local rulers who are solely mentioned in the Gesta Hungarorum among the opponents of the Hungarians during their conquest of the Carpathian Basin.[5] the Gesta Hungarorum's narration, Menumorut was forced to surrender and to give his daughter in marriage to Zoltan[1][6] in 904 or 905.[2] When Menumorut died, Zoltan inherited his father-in-law's duchy east of the river Tisza, which Anonymous claims was inhabited by the peoples that are called Kozar.[7][8] Anonymous also states that Zoltan, still a minor, succeeded his father who died around 907.[3] Zoltan, in turn, later abdicated in favour of his son Taksony and died in the third year of his son's reign.[9][3] his son Zolta succeeded [Arphad], who was similar to his father in character but dissimilar in appearance. Prince Zolta was a little lisping and pale, with soft, blonde hair, of middling stature; a warlike duke, brave in spirit, merciful to his subjects, sweet of speech, but covetous of power, whom all the leading men and warriors of Hungary loved marvelously. Some time later, when Zolta was thirteen, all the leading men of the realm by their common counsel and of their equal wish appointed rectors of the kingdom beneath the prince to mend through the guidance of customary law the conflicts and lawsuits of litigants. — Anonymous: Gesta Hungarorum[10] historians' views historians reject most details of Zoltán's life presented by Anonymous. For instance, the Hungarian historian Gyula Kristo says that Zoltan was born around 880 instead of around 903.[11] His Romanian colleague Alexandru Madgearu likewise writes that either Zoltan was born many years earlier than 903 or his marriage must have happened years after 904.[1] father-in-law's identity is also debated. Medievalist Pal Engel says that Menumorut is one of the imaginary figures[5] invented by Anonymous in order to describe the conquering Hungarians' heroic wars against them. Historian Charles R. Bowlus writes that he was a Moravian ruler whose daughter's marriage with Zoltan symbolized the end of Great Moravia.[1] Medievalist Tudor Salagean also says that Menumorut was a real person, the ruler of a one-time duchy inhabited by Romanians, Slavs and many other peoples at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.[8] statement that Zoltan succeeded his father as grand prince, or even the idea that Zoltan ever ruled the federation of the Hungarian tribes have also been challenged. For instance, historian Sandor L. Toth writes that Zoltan, being the youngest among Arphad's four sons, could hardly precede his elder brothers in the line of succession.[3] Kristo also says that other Hungarian chroniclers do not make mention of Zoltan's rule, implying that Anonymous only inserted Zoltan into the incompletely preserved list of the grand princes because he knew that all Hungarian monarchs from the House of Arphad descended from him.[11] Right-believing Prince Wenceslas of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4;

Hungary, 907, Hungarian invasions of Europe, Defeated Great Moravia
Czech Land, 907, Hungarian invasions of Europe, Defeated Great Moravia;

Hungary, 1000-1538, Kingdom of Hungary, HRE

Hungary, 1001-1538, Kingdom of Hungary, Middle Ages, Orthodox then Roman C.
Kingdom of Hungary (1000-1538, Middle Ages) Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ;

Hungary, 1000-1918, 1920-1946, Kingdom of Hungary
Hungary, 1000-1918, 1920-1946, Kingdom of Hungary ; MARGARET;

Hungary, 1131-1141, Bela II , King, rebellious f, blinded, monastic, co-ruler wife Helena, active foreign policy, allied w HRE
Hungarian King, 1131-1141, Bela II of Hungary ; éla the Blind (c. 1109 - 13 February 1141) was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1131. was blinded along with his rebellious father Álmos on the order of Álmos's brother, King Coloman of Hungary. Béla grew up in monasteries during the reign of Coloman's son Stephen II. The childless king arranged Béla's marriage with Helena of Rascia, who would become her husband's co-ruler throughout his reign. éla was crowned king at least two months after the death of Stephen II, implying that his accession to the throne did not happen without opposition. Two violent purges were carried out among the partisans of his predecessors to strengthen Béla's rule. Coloman's alleged son Boris tried to dethrone Béla but the king and his allies defeated the pretender's troops in 1132. the second half of Béla's reign, Hungary adopted an active foreign policy. Bosnia and Split seem to have accepted Béla's suzerainty around 1136. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Hungary, 1162-1172, Steven III, King, Sent Bela to Constantinople, gave up Croatia, Dalmatia and Sirmium
Hungary, 1162-1172, Steven III, King; III (summer of 1147 - 4 March 1172) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1162 and 1172. He was crowned king in early June 1162, shortly after the death of his father, Géza II. his two uncles, Ladislaus and Stephen, who had joined the court of the Byzantine Empire, challenged his right to the crown. six weeks after his coronation, the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos launched an expedition against Hungary, forcing the Hungarian lords to accept Ladislaus' rule. Stephen sought refuge in Austria, but returned and seized Pressburg (now Bratislava in Slovakia). who died on 14 January 1163, was succeeded by Stephen's younger uncle and namesake, Stephen IV, without resistance, but his rule was unpopular. young Stephen defeated his uncle on 19 June 1163 and expelled him from Hungary. IV attempted to regain his throne with Emperor Manuel I's support, but the latter made peace with Stephen III. agreed to send his younger brother, Béla, to Constantinople and to allow the Byzantines to seize Béla's duchy, which included Croatia, Dalmatia and Sirmium. In an attempt to recapture these territories, Stephen III waged wars against the Byzantine Empire between 1164 and 1167, but could not defeat the Byzantines. attribute the creation of the "Székesfehérvár laws", the first example of extensive privileges granted to a town in the Kingdom of Hungary, to him. He concluded a concordat with the Holy See in 1169, renouncing the control of the appointment of the prelates. He died childless.

Hungary, 1174-1196, Bela III, King, to Constan 1163, despotes title, b to E daughter, patrimony conflict, Croatia, Sirmium
Hungarian King, 1174-1196, Bela III of Hungary; éla III (c. 1148 - 23 April 1196) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1172 and 1196. was the second son of King Géza II and Géza's wife, Euphrosyne of Kiev. 1161, Géza granted Béla a duchy, which included Croatia, central Dalmatia and possibly Sirmium. accordance with a peace treaty between his elder brother, Stephen III, who succeeded their father in 1162, and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, Béla moved to Constantinople in 1163. was renamed to Alexios, and the emperor granted him the newly created senior court title of despotes. He was betrothed to the Emperor's daughter, Maria. Béla's patrimony caused armed conflicts between the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary between 1164 and 1167, because Stephen III attempted to hinder the Byzantines from taking control of Croatia, Dalmatia and Sirmium. éla-Alexios, who was designated as Emperor Manuel's heir in 1165, took part in three Byzantine campaigns against Hungary. His betrothal to the emperor's daughter was dissolved after her brother, Alexios, was born in 1169. emperor deprived Béla of his high title, granting him the inferior rank of kaisar. III died on 4 March 1172, and Béla decided to return to Hungary. Before his departure, he pledged that he would never make war against the Byzantine Empire. the Hungarian prelates and lords unanimously proclaimed Béla king, Lucas, Archbishop of Esztergom opposed his coronation because of Béla's alleged simony. the Archbishop of Kalocsa crowned him king on 18 January 1173, with Pope Alexander III's approval. Béla fought with his younger brother, Géza, whom he held in captivity for more than a decade. advantage of the internal conflicts in the Byzantine Empire after Emperor Manuel's death, Béla reoccupied Croatia, Dalmatia and Sirmium between 1180 and 1181. He occupied the Principality of Halych in 1188, but it was lost within two years. éla promoted the use of written records during his reign. Hungarian chronicles from the 14th century even state that he was responsible for the establishment of the Royal Chancery. The royal palace built in Esztergom during his reign was the first example of Gothic architecture in Central Europe. was the wealthiest European monarch of his time, according to a list of his revenues, but the reliability of the list is questioned. Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Hungary, 1196-1204, King, Emeric, cooperated with HRE, Republic of Venice, King of Serbia
Hungary, 1196-1204, King, Emeric; also known as Henry or Imre (1174 - 30 November 1204), was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1196 and 1204. 1184, his father, Béla III of Hungary, ordered that he be crowned king, and appointed him as ruler of Croatia and Dalmatia around 1195. Emeric ascended the throne after the death of his father. the first four years of his reign, he fought his rebellious brother, Andrew, who forced Emeric to make him ruler of Croatia and Dalmatia as appanage. cooperated with the Holy See against the Bosnian Patarenes, whom the Catholic Church considered to be heretics. advantage of a civil war, Emeric expanded his suzerainty over Serbia. failed to prevent the Republic of Venice, which was assisted by crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, from seizing Zadar in 1202. also could not impede the rise of Bulgaria along the southern frontiers of his kingdom. was the first Hungarian monarch to use the "Ãrpád stripes" as his personal coat of arms and to adopt the title of King of Serbia. his death, Emeric had his four-year-old son, Ladislaus III, crowned king.

Hungary, 1204, Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, led to several empires

Hungary, 1204-1205, King, Child King Ladislaus III, Andrew ignored the order
Hungary, 1204-1205, King, Child King Ladislaus III; III (c. 1200 - 7 May 1205) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1204 and 1205. He was the only child of King Emeric. Ladislaus was crowned king upon the orders of his ill father, who wanted to secure his infant son's succession. dying king made his brother, Andrew, regent for the period of Ladislaus's minority. Duke Andrew ignored the child's interests. As a result, Ladislaus's mother, Constance of Aragon, fled to Austria, taking Ladislaus with her. Ladislaus died unexpectedly in Vienna.

Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary, Roman Catholic, St. Elizabeth's dad, Halych, 5th Crusade
Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; II (c. 1177 -21 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, King of Hungary and Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and 1210. was the younger son of Béla III of Hungary, who entrusted him with the administration of the newly conquered Principality of Halych (the historic province of Galicia (Halychyna), and the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia) in 1188. rule was unpopular, and the boyars (or noblemen) expelled him. Béla III willed property and money to Andrew, obliging him to lead a crusade to the Holy Land. Instead, Andrew forced his elder brother, King Emeric of Hungary, to cede Croatia and Dalmatia as an appanage to him in 1197. The following year, Andrew occupied Hum. the fact that Andrew did not stop conspiring against Emeric, the dying king made Andrew guardian of his son, Ladislaus III, in 1204. the premature death of Ladislaus, Andrew ascended the throne in 1205. to historian Laszlo Kontler, "[i]t was amidst the socio-political turmoil during [Andrew's] reign that the relations, arrangements, institutional framework and social categories that arose under Stephen I, started to disintegrate in the higher echelons of society" in Hungary.[1] introduced a new grants policy, the so-called "new institutions", giving away money and royal estates to his partisans despite the loss of royal revenues. was the first Hungarian monarch to adopt the title of "King of Halych and Lodomeria". He waged at least a dozen wars to seize the two Rus' principalities, but the local boyars and neighboring princes prevented him from conquering the principalities. participated in the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land in 1217–1218, but the crusade was a failure. the servientes regis, or "royal servants", rose up, Andrew was forced to issue the Golden Bull of 1222, confirming their privileges. led to the rise of the nobility in the Kingdom of Hungary. Diploma Andreanum of 1224 listed the liberties of the Transylvanian Saxon community. employment of Jews and Muslims to administer the royal revenues led him into conflict with the Holy See and the Hungarian prelates. pledged to respect the privileges of the clergymen and to dismiss his non-Christian officials in 1233, but he never fulfilled the latter promise. first wife, Gertrude of Merania, was murdered in 1213 because her blatant favoritism towards her German kinsmen and courtiers stirred up discontent among the native lords. veneration of their daughter, Elizabeth of Hungary, was confirmed by the Holy See during Andrew's lifetime. After Andrew's death, his sons, Béla and Coloman, accused his third wife, Beatrice d'Este, of adultery and never considered her son, Stephen, to be a legitimate son of Andrew. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Hungary, 1217-1221, Fifth Crusade, led by King Andrew II, indulgences, a w Seljuk Sunnis, damn flood, failure
Hungary, 1217-1221, Fifth Crusade, led by King Andrew II of Hungary ; Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Hungary, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, Princess, Thuringa, Germany, Philanthropist, Marburg Hospital, Ancestress
Hungary, 1226-1231, Princess, Elizabeth of Hungary; of Hungary (7 July 1207 - 17 November 1231),[6] also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany, and a greatly venerated Catholic saint who was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis, by which she is honored as its patroness.[7] was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20.[8] After her husband's death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick. She became a symbol of Christian charity after her death at the age of 24 and was canonized on 25 May 1235. life and marriage[edit] was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania. Her mother's sister was Hedwig of Andechs, wife of Duke Heinrich I of Silesia.[6] ancestry included many notable figures of European royalty, going back as far as Vladimir the Great of the Kievan Rus. According to tradition, she was born in Hungary, possibly in the castle of Sárospatak (discussed below), on 7 July 1207.[9][10][11] sermon printed in 1497 by the Franciscan friar Osvaldus de Lasco, a church official in Hungary, is the first to name Sárospatak as Elizabeth's birthplace, perhaps building on local tradition. The veracity of this account is not without reproach: Osvaldus also translates the miracle of the roses (see below) to Elizabeth's childhood in Sárospatak and has her leave Hungary at the age of five.[12] to a different tradition she was born in Pozsony, Hungary, (present-day Bratislava, Slovakia), where she lived in the Castle of Posonium until the age of four. was brought to the court of the rulers of Thuringia in central Germany, to be betrothed to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia[8] (also known as Ludwig IV), a future union which would reinforce political alliances between the families.[a] She was raised by the Thuringian court and would have been familiar with the local language and culture. St. Elizabeth washing a sick man a scene from the main altar of St. Elisabeth Cathedral in Kassa, 15th century 1221, at the age of fourteen, Elizabeth married Louis; the same year he was enthroned as Landgrave, and the marriage appears to have been happy. inclinations, influences[edit] 1223, Franciscan friars arrived, and the teenage Elizabeth not only learned about the ideals of Francis of Assisi, but started to live them.[14] was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts, believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal reward; he is venerated in Thuringia as a saint, though he was never canonized by the Church.[15] was also about this time that the priest and later inquisitor Konrad von Marburg gained considerable influence over Elizabeth when he was appointed as her confessor. In the spring of 1226, when floods, famine, and plague wrought havoc in Thuringia, Louis, a staunch supporter of the Hohenstaufen Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, represented Frederick II at the Imperial Diet held in Cremona. assumed control of affairs at home and distributed alms in all parts of their territory, even giving away state robes and ornaments to the poor. St. Elizabeth spinning wool for the poor by Marianne Stokes (1895) life changed irrevocably on 11 September 1227 when Louis, en route to join the Sixth Crusade, died of a fever in Otranto, Italy, just a few weeks before the birth of her daughter Gertrude. hearing the news of her husband's death, Elizabeth reportedly said, "He is dead. He is dead. It is to me as if the whole world died today."[16] His remains were returned to Elizabeth in 1228 and entombed at the Abbey of Reinhardsbrunn. Louis' death, his brother, Henry Raspe, assumed the regency during the minority of Elizabeth's eldest child, Hermann (1222–1241). bitter arguments over the disposal of her dowry — a conflict in which Konrad was appointed as the official Defender of her case by Pope Gregory IX — Elizabeth left the court at Wartburg and moved to Marburg in Hesse. to 1888 it was believed, on account of the testimony of one of Elizabeth's servants during the canonization process, that Elizabeth was driven from the Wartburg in the winter of 1227 by her brother-in-law, Heinrich Raspe, who acted as regent for her son, then only five years old. 1888 various investigators (Börner, Mielke, Wenck, E. Michael, etc.) asserted that Elizabeth left the Wartburg voluntarily. She was not able at the castle to follow Konrad's command to eat only food obtained in a way that was certainly right and proper.[6] her husband's death, Elizabeth made solemn vows to Konrad similar to those of a nun. These vows included celibacy, as well as complete obedience to Konrad as her confessor and spiritual director. treatment of Elizabeth was extremely harsh, and he held her to standards of behavior which were almost impossible to meet. the punishments he is alleged to have ordered were physical beatings; he also ordered her to send away her three children. pledge to celibacy proved a hindrance to her family's political ambitions. Elizabeth was more or less held hostage at Pottenstein, the castle of her uncle, Bishop Ekbert of Bamberg, in an effort to force her to remarry. however, held fast to her vow, even threatening to cut off her own nose so that no man would find her attractive enough to marry.[17] second child Sophie of Thuringia (1224–1275) married Henry II, Duke of Brabant, and was the ancestress of the Landgraves of Hesse, since in the War of the Thuringian Succession she won Hesse for her son Heinrich I, called the Child. third child, Gertrude of Altenberg (1227–1297), was born several weeks after the death of her father; she became abbess of the monastery of Altenberg Abbey, Hesse near Wetzlar.[18] built a hospital at Marburg for the poor and the sick with the money from her dowry, where she and her companions cared for them.[19] Miracles[edit] of the Roses[edit] A statue showing the miracle of the roses in the rose garden in front of the neo-Gothic church dedicated to her at Roses' Square (Rózsák tere), Budapest[20] is perhaps best known for her miracle of the roses which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Ludwig on a hunting party, who, in order to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. In that moment, her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Ludwig that God's protecting hand was at work.[21] husband, according to the vitae, was never troubled by her charity and always supported it. In some versions of this story, it is her brother in law, Heinrich Raspe, who questions her. Hers is one of many miracles that associate Christian saints with roses. in the bed[edit] story told of Elizabeth, also found in Dietrich of Apolda's Vita, relates how she laid the leper Helias of Eisenach in the bed she shared with her husband. Her mother-in-law, who was horrified, told this immediately to Ludwig on his return. When Ludwig removed the bedclothes in great indignation, at that instant "Almighty God opened the eyes of his soul, and instead of a leper he saw the figure of Christ crucified stretched upon the bed."[21] This story also appears in Franz Liszt's oratorio about Elizabeth.[22] and legacy[edit] Elisabethkirche in Marburg Floorplan of Elisabethkirche Elisabeth church in Grave, The Netherlands 1231, Elizabeth died in Marburg at the age of twenty-four.[23] after death and canonization[edit] soon after the death of Elizabeth, miracles were reported that happened at her grave in the church of the hospital, especially those of healing. On the suggestion of Konrad, and by papal command, examinations were held of those who had been healed between August 1232 and January 1235. The results of those examinations was supplemented by a brief vita of the saint-to-be, and together with the testimony of Elizabeth's handmaidens and companions (bound in a booklet called the Libellus de dictis quatuor ancillarum s. Elizabeth confectus), proved sufficient reason for quick canonization. She was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 24 May 1235.[23] shrine became one of the main German centers of pilgrimage of the 14th century and early 15th century. During the course of the 15th century, the popularity of the cult of St Elizabeth slowly faded, though to some extent this was mitigated by an aristocratic devotion to St Elizabeth, since through her daughter Sophia she was an ancestor of many leading aristocratic German families. papal bull declaring her a saint is on display in the Schatzkammer of the Deutschordenskirche in Vienna, Austria. Her body was laid in a magnificent golden shrine—still to be seen today—in the Marburg church bearing her name. But three hundred years after her death, one of Elizabeth's many descendants, the Landgrave Philip I "the Magnanimous" of Hesse, a leader of the Protestant Reformation and one of the most important supporters of Martin Luther, raided the church in Marburg and demanded that the Teutonic Order hand over Elizabeth's bones, in order to disperse her relics and thus put an end to the already declining pilgrimages to Marburg.[6] Philip took away the crowned agate chalice in which her head rested, but returned it after being imprisoned by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. reliquary chalice was subsequently plundered by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War and is now on display at The Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.[24] Her skull and some of her bones can be seen at the Viennese convent bearing her name. A portion of her relics were kept in the church of the Carmelites at Brussels; another in the magnificent chapel of La Roche-Guyon, upon the Seine, and a considerable part in a precious shrine is in the electoral treasury of Hanover.[25] Another part of her relics were taken to Santafé de Bogotá, then the capital of the Spanish New Kingdom of Granada by friar Luis Zapata de Cárdenas. The relics are today inside a chapel dedicated to the saint in the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá. Elisabethkirche is now a Protestant church, but has spaces set aside for Catholic worship. Marburg became a center of the Teutonic Order, which adopted St. Elizabeth as its secondary patroness. The Order remained in Marburg until its official dissolution by Napoleon in 1803. of Hungary is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 18 November.[26] with the Franciscans[edit] her death, Elizabeth was commonly associated with the Third Order of Saint Francis, the primarily lay branch of the Franciscan Order, which has helped propagate her cult. Whether she ever actually joined the order, only recently founded in 1221, the year when she married Louis at the age of fourteen, is not proven to everyone's satisfaction.[27] must be kept in mind though that the Third Order was such a new development in the Franciscan movement, that no one official ritual had been established at that point. Elizabeth clearly had a ceremony of consecration in which she adopted a Franciscan religious habit in her new way of life, as noted above. her support of the friars sent to Thuringia, she was made known to the founder, St Francis of Assisi, who sent her a personal message of blessing shortly before his death in 1226. Upon her canonization she was declared the patron saint of the Third Order of St Francis, an honor she shares with St Louis IX of France. Hungary, 1205-1235, King, Andrew II of Hungary ; ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231) ;

Hungary, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST, Wartburg, Thuringa, Germany
Hungary, 1226-1231, Elizabeth of Hungary, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST, Wartburg, Thuringa, Germany ; Wartburg is a castle. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, PRINCESS AND PHILANTHROPIST (19 NOV 1231); numerous "St. Elizabeth's Hospitals" throughout the world are for the most part named, not for the Biblical Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, but for this princess of Hungary. was concerned for the relief of the poor and the sick, and with her husband's consent she used her dowry money for their relief. During a famine and epidemic in 1226, while her husband was away in Italy, she sold her jewels and established a hospital where she nursed the sick, and opened the royal granaries to feed the hungry. her husband's death in 1227, her inlaws, who opposed her "extravagances," expelled her from Wartburg. an arrangement was negotiated with them that gave her a stipend. became a Franciscan tertiary (lay associate) and devoted the remainder of her life to nursing and charity. She sewed garments to clothe the poor, and went fishing to feed them. by James Kiefer

Hungary, 1241-1242, Mongol Invasion by Batu Khan
Hungary, 1241-1242, Golden Horde Mongol Invasion by Batu Khan; Repose of Saint Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28;

Hungary, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishp of Serbia, from Eparchy of Buda (Budim), Budapest, Hungary
Hungary, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, from Eparchy of Buda (Budim), Budapest, Hungary, strict ed from tutor,monastery in Zeta, Great ascetic, Serbia Hilandar Monaster, Mt Athos, Igumen, Bishop of Zeta, Archbishop of Serbia; Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 4; Eustathius, Archbishop of Serbia, lived in the second half of the thirteenth century, during the reign of the Serbian king Stephen Urosh (1262-1320). was born in the diocese of Budim into a pious Christian family, where he received a spiritual upbringing. by remarkable talents, Eustathius was given a tutor by his parents to train him in spiritual wisdom. studied Holy Scripture with particular diligence, perfecting himself in piety and good deeds. finished his education, the youth entered the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in the Zeta district (Montenegro) and led a strict monastic life. he became known as a great ascetic. thence he undertook a journey to Jerusalem, to venerate the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord. the return journey he visited Mount Athos and settled there in the Serbian Hilandar monastery. Eustathius gained general renown and love as a strict ascetic and good teacher, and many came to him for spiritual advice. Later, he became igumen of the monastery. several years he was consecrated as Bishop of Zeta, and the saint returned to his native land. in spiritual life and in churchly matters, he won the love of his fellow countrymen, and continued to set an example for his flock. Eustathius was chosen as Archbishop of Serbia after the death of Archbishop Joannicius. Eustathius guided the Serbian Church for seven years, and died about the year 1285. His body was buried in the Zhicha monastery, and later it was transferred to Pech and placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Eparchy of Buda (Budim);

Hungary, 1342-1382, King, Louis I the G, Hungary, Croatia and Poland, R Catholic
Hungary, 1342-1382, King, Louis I the Great of Hungary ; I, also Louis the Great (5 March 1326 - 10 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of Poland, to survive infancy. 1338 treaty between his father and Casimir III of Poland, Louis's maternal uncle, confirmed Louis's right to inherit the Kingdom of Poland if his uncle died without a son. In exchange, Louis was obliged to assist his uncle to reoccupy the lands that Poland had lost in previous decades. bore the title of Duke of Transylvania between 1339 and 1342 but did not administer the province. was of age when he succeeded his father in 1342, but his deeply religious mother exerted a powerful influence on him. inherited a centralized kingdom and a rich treasury from his father. the first years of his reign, Louis launched a crusade against the Lithuanians and restored royal power in Croatia; troops defeated a Tatar army, expanding his authority towards the Black Sea. When his brother, Andrew, Duke of Calabria, husband of Queen Joanna I of Naples, was assassinated in 1345, Louis accused the queen of his murder and punishing her became the principal goal of his foreign policy. launched two campaigns to the Kingdom of Naples between 1347 and 1350. His troops occupied large territories on both occasions, and Louis adopted the styles of Neapolitan sovereigns (including the title of King of Sicily and Jerusalem), but the Holy See never recognized his claim. arbitrary acts and atrocities committed by his mercenaries made his rule unpopular in Southern Italy. He withdrew all his troops from the Kingdom of Naples in 1351. his father, Louis administered Hungary with absolute power and used royal prerogatives to grant privileges to his courtiers. he also confirmed the liberties of the Hungarian nobility at the Diet of 1351, emphasizing the equal status of all noblemen. the same Diet, he introduced an entail system and a uniform rent payable by the peasants to the landowners, and confirmed the right to free movement for all peasants. waged wars against the Lithuanians, Serbia, and the Golden Horde in the 1350s, restoring the authority of Hungarian monarchs over territories along frontiers that had been lost during previous decades. forced the Republic of Venice to renounce the Dalmatian towns in 1358. also made several attempts to expand his suzerainty over the rulers of Bosnia, Moldavia, Wallachia, and parts of Bulgaria and Serbia. These rulers were sometimes willing to yield to him, either under duress or in the hope of support against their internal opponents, but Louis's rule in these regions was only nominal during most of his reign. attempts to convert his pagan or Orthodox subjects to Catholicism made him unpopular in the Balkan states. Louis established a university in Pecs in 1367, but it was closed within two decades because he did not arrange for sufficient revenues to maintain it. Louis inherited Poland after his uncle's death in 1370. Since he had no sons, he wanted his subjects to acknowledge the right of his daughters to succeed him in both Hungary and Poland. For this purpose, he issued the Privilege of Koszyce in 1374 spelling out the liberties of Polish noblemen. However, his rule remained unpopular in Poland. Hungary, he authorized the royal free cities to delegate jurors to the high court hearing their cases and set up a new high court. from a skin disease, Louis became even more religious during the last years of his life. the beginning of the Western Schism, he acknowledged Urban VI as the legitimate pope. After Urban deposed Joanna and put Louis's relative Charles of Durazzo on the throne of Naples, Louis helped Charles occupy the kingdom. Hungarian historiography, Louis was regarded for centuries as the most powerful Hungarian monarch who ruled over an empire "whose shores were washed by three seas". Hungary, 1356-1401, Hungarian Orthodox Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœCzestochowaÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Hungary, 1351-1430, Joanikije of Devic in Kosovo, wonderworker, solitude silence fasting unceasing prayer

Hungary, 1356-1401, Hungarian Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon, R Catholic
Hungary, 1356-1401, Hungarian Duke, Vladislaus II of Opole, Czestochowa Icon; II of Opole (ca. 1332 --“ 18 May 1401) was a Duke of Opole from 1356 (as a Bohemian vassal), Count palatine of Hungary during 1367-“1372, ruler over Lubliniec since 1368, Duke of Wielua during 1370-“1392, ruler over Bolesawiec from 1370 (only for his life), Governor of Galicia-“Volhynia during 1372-“1378, ruler over Pszczyna during 1375-“1396, Count palatine of Poland in 1378, Duke of Dobrzy and Kujawy during 1378-“1392 (as a Polish vassal), ruler over Gaogawek from 1383 and ruler over Krnov during 1385-“1392. was the eldest son of Duke Bolko II of Opole by his wife Elisabeth, daughter of Duke Bernard of Ašwidnica. years[edit] was a descendant of the House of Piast.[1] Little is known about his youth. As a young prince, in order to gain more political experience, he went to Hungary around 1353, where he probably remained until the death of his father (1356). There he also got married. of Opole[edit] Duke Bolko II's death, Vladislaus and his brothers Bolko III and Henry inherited Duchy of Opole (then fiefdom of the Bohemian Crown) as co-rulers; however, the strong personality of Vladislaus soon dominated the whole government and encourage his brothers to accept a modest part of their inheritance. Bolko III and Henry remained as co-Dukes of Opole, but only formally. with King Louis I the Great of Hungary[edit] political career of Vladislaus began in the mid 1360s in the Hungarian court of King Louis I. Already in 1364 he took part in the famous Congress of Cracow as part of the Hungarian suite. However, the most important mission of Vladislaus on behalf of King Louis took place two years later (in 1366), when he negotiated conditions of the planned marriage between a niece of Hungarian ruler and Wenceslaus, son of Emperor Charles IV. faithful service to the Hungarian House of Anjou resulted in the appointment of Vladislaus as Count palatine, which made him most important man after the King in the country. functions of this post were primarily broad judicial powers, who could be had only with the King. In this office, Vladislaus showed great commitment and capability; he created the rule of four Congregatio generalis, which handled court cases. Despite his huge income, his new post in the Hungarian affected Vladislaus' finances. of Casimir III the Great. Homage to the Kingdom of Poland[edit] his time as count palatine, Vladislaus didn't stop to participate in the foreign politics; the example of this was, among other things, his trip to Bulgaria in 1368. In 1370, after the death of Casimir III the Great, the Duke of Opole actively participated in preparing the succession of King Louis I of Hungary in the Polish throne. As a reward, King Louis give him the towns of Wielua and Cze™stochowa. that time, Vladislaus' brother Bolko III inherited Strzelce Opolskie from their uncle Albert and with this, the Duke of Opole could maintain the sole government over his domains (the youngest brother, Henry, died in 1365 without issue). 1371 Vladislaus led an armed expedition against the Crown of Bohemia (this assault caused a terrible devastation of Moravia); however, next year Vladislaus was the head of a mediation mission to resolve dispute between the Emperor (also Bohemian King) Charles IV and King Louis I. Lord and Heir[edit] seal Ladislaus Dei Gracia Dux Opoliensis Wieloniensis et Terre Russie Domin et Heres (ca. 1387) October 1372 Vladislaus was unexpectedly deprived from the office of Count palatine. Although he retained most of his castles and goods in Hungary, his political influence was significantly decreased. As a compensation, was made Governor of Hungarian-ruled part of the Kingdom of Galicia-“Volhynia. In this new position, the Duke of Opole successfully contributing to the economic development of the territories entrusted to him. mainly resided in Lviv, but at the end of his rule he spent more time in Halych. The only serious conflict during his time as Governor was related to his approaching to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which caused the angry of the local boyars, who were strongly Catholics. following Vladislaus's advice, in 1374 King Louis I published a provincial privilege for the Polish nobility (szlachta) in Koe¡ice, which ensured the succession of the King's daughters after his death. palatine of Poland and ruler of Kujawy[edit] 1378 the departure of Queen Elisabeth from Poland to Hungary, forced King Louis to release Vladislaus from his post of Governor and appointed him with the empty position of Polish Count palatine. But almost immediately Vladislaus had to face the strong resistance of the Polish nobility, dissatisfied with the decision of King Louis to named heirs to his daughters, and soon was forced to resign. compensation for his resignation, the Duke of Opole received from the Hungarian ruler the towns of Dobrzy- Land and part of Kujawy (with towns Bydgoszcz, Inowrocaw and Gniewkowo). These territories were on the border of the Teutonic Order lands, which soon shortly Vladislaus established close contacts, who included allowed the prosecution of criminals by Teutonic knights in his domains. Kujawy, Vladislaus entered in a dispute over finances with the Bishop of Paock, Dobiesaw Sawka, resulting in the excommunication of the Duke, who was repealed a year later by the Archbishop of Gniezno. As a gesture of reconciliation with the Church, Vladislaus founded the Pauline monastery of Our Lady at Jasna Ga Cze™stochowa; also, the Duke brought the famous Black Madonna of Cze™stochowa, who according to oldest documents, travelled from Jerusalem, via Constantinople and Beaz, to finally reach Cze™stochowa in August 1382. deaths of his brother Bolko III (21 October 1382), leaving four minor sons, and one month later (14 September) of the Duke Henry of Niemodlin without issue, made it possible to Vladislaus extend his influence on Upper Silesia, as a rule over Strzelce and Niemodlin (although only as a regent of his nephews) and Geogawek (granted to him one year later, in 1383). The Duke of Opole also supported the Church career of the eldest son of Bolko III, Jan Kropideo trying to obtain for him, despite his young age, the dignity of the Bishop of Poznas„. of Louis I and relations with Vladislaus II Jagiego[edit] (Kingdom of Russia) Coins of Opolczy (1389) 10 September 1382 King Louis I of Hungary, Vladislaus' protector, died. Despite the earlier support given to him to late King's daughters, Vladislaus put his own nomination to the royal crown. However, he wasn't popular among the Polish nobility, who decanted (in connection with the broken engagement between Queen Hedwig and William of Habsburg) for Duke Siemowit IV of Paock. to the old historiography, the Duke of Opole supported the new Polish King Wadyslaw II Jagieglo during the first period of his reign. Some historians accept the fact that in 1386 Vladislaus stood as the King's godfather when he converted to the Catholic faith. the cooperation between the Duke of Opole and the King was short-lived: in 1388, after the King dispossessed him from Bydgoszcz, the Duke lead a coup who planned to capture the King and Wawel Castle. Defeated and captured by the Starosta (provincial governor) Sa™dziwa Paluka, Vladislaus was forced to capitulate and resign from any claim to the Polish throne. King Waladyslaw II Jagieglo also blocked the nomination of Jan Kropidlo for the post of Archbishop of Gniezno. with the Teutonic Order. ambitions and war with Poland. Death[edit] frictions with the King of Poland took place in May 1391, when Vladislaus pledged the land of Zal to the Teutonic Order. Aware of the danger that the Teutonic Order too close to his bordes, the King ordained the deprivation of Vladislaus from his fiefs in Polish territory. Against the Royal power, the Duke of Opole capitulated, and in 1392 transferred the disputed territories to Poland (with the exception of Boleslawiec, which, completely loyal to Waladyslaw, only accepted the annexation to the Polish Kingdom after the death of the Duke of Opole). the attitude of Vladislaus was not changed and in 1393 he sold his rights over Dobrzyla to the Teutonic Order. Has also tried to encourage the Great master of the Teutonic Order, Konrad von Wallenrode, to attack the Kingdom with the combination of the troops of Teutonic knights in Poland, Hungary and Bohemia, but the conflict ended unexpectedly. The war, which began successfully (for example, with the siege to Nowy Korczyn on 26 July 1393), finally ended in 1396, when the royal army decided to attack the Silesian lands of Vladislaus. the Polish troops took control over Strzelce, on 6 August of that year, Vladislaus' nephews decided to make peace with the King of Poland. Since then, the government of the Duchy of Opole was virtually taken over by the sons of Bolko III, and Vladislaus was relegated to a second status. because of his ambitions failed disastrously, Vladislaus died on 18 May 1401 in Opole, and was buried in the local Franciscan monastery. and issue[edit] 1355 and during his stay in Hungary, Vladislaus married firstly Elisabeth (b. 1340 - c. 1369), daughter of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab, Voivode of Wallachia.[2][3][4][5] They had three daughters: Kinga (b. 1355/57 -“ d. after 1369), a nun at Alt-Buda. Elisabeth [Agnes] (b. 1360 -“ d. by 9 September 1411), married in 1372 to Margrave Jobst of Moravia, King of the Romans. Katharina (b. c. 26 March 1367 -“ d. 6 June 1420), married in 1382 to Duke Henry VIII of lagašcinawa. By 1369, Vladislaus married secondly Euphemia (b. c. 1352 - d. by 9 December 1424), daughter of Duke Siemowit III of Masovia. They had two daughters: Hedwig (b. 1376/78 -“ d. after 13 May 1390), married before 25 January 1390 to Duke Vygantas-Alexander of Kernava—. Euphemia (d. young, before 30 March 1408). he died without male heirs, Vladislaus' nephews Bolko IV and Bernard inherited the whole Duchy except Gaoglawek, who was given by the Duke to his wife, Euphemia, as her dower. Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Hungary, 1526, Battle of Mohacs, Turks over Hungary, Turks take Transylvania
Hungary, 1526, Battle of Mohacs, Turks over Hungary, Turks take Transylvania;

Hungary, 1533-1586, Transylvanian and Polish King, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba
Polish King, 1533-1586, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Hungary, 1538-1700, Ottoman Hungary, Hapsburgs of Austria

Hungary, 1541-1699, Ottoman Hungary, Hungarian Plain Area
Hungary, 1541-1699, Ottoman Hungary, Hungarian Plain Area;

Hungary, 1541-1699, Hapsburgs of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
Hungary, 1541-1564, Hapsburgs of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I; Hungary, 1541-1699, Hapsburgs of Austria; Hungary, 1541-1699, Ottoman Hungary, Hungarian Plain Area;

Hungary, 1541-1699, Protestant Hungary, Transylvania
Hungary, 1541-1699, Protestant Hungary, Transylvania; Polish King, 1533-1586, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Hungary, 1533-1586, Transylvanian and Polish King, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba
Polish King, 1533-1586, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István; Polish: Stefan Batory; Lithuanian: About this soundSteponas Batoras; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586). son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Hungarian Báthory noble family, Báthory was a ruler of Transylvania in the 1570s, defeating another challenger for that title, Gáspár Bekes. 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen Anna Jagiellon and the third elected king of Poland. He worked closely with chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The first years of his reign were focused on establishing power, defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, most notably, the Danzig rebellion. reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful kings in Polish history, particularly in the realm of military history. signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia against Russia in the middle part of his reign, in which he repulsed a Russian invasion of Commonwealth borderlands and secured a highly favorable treaty of peace (the Peace of Jam Zapolski). Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Hungary, 1595, Battle of Cecora, not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Transylvania Pol-Lith over Crimean Tartars
Poland, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595); Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) took place on October 19–20, 1595, during an expedition of Jan Zamoyski, of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Moldavia, as part of the Moldavian Magnate Wars. Hetman Jan Zamoyski, painting by Jan Styka. Khan Gazi II Girej. early 1595 Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, convinced Ștefan Răzvan, a commander of Hungarian mercenaries in the service of the then Hospodar Aaron the Tyrant to rebel. Ștefan captured Aaron and sent him to Transylvania, then proclaimed himself as the new Hospodar and a vassal of Sigismund. response the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed III, who had been Aaron's protector and sovereign, decided to put an end to the ongoing power struggles in Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania between various magnates. Wallachia was to receive a new Turkish sponsored ruler, Moldavia was to be simply incorporated into the Ottoman Empire as a province. Ottoman intervention aroused alarms in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which sought to reestablish its influence in the region, having lost sovereignty over Moldavia some hundred years earlier after the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. the summer of 1595 the crown army of the Kingdom of Poland, numbering around 5000 cavalry, 2300 infantry, and a few artillery pieces, led by the Crown Hetman Jan Zamoyski entered into the territory of the Principality of Moldavia and on the 27th of August took Chocim and shortly after, on September 3, the capital of the principality, Iași. then installed Ieremia Movilă, who was amicably disposed towards the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as Hospodar (Prince) of Moldavia.[1] Zamoyski's intent was to create a buffer zone of friendly states around the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, consisting of Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia, in order to protect it from Ottoman Turkey. Ottomans reacted swiftly, although at the time Sultan Mehmed III was engaged in a war against Michael the Brave, the Prince of Wallachia. The Sultan sent the Crimean Tatars, under Khan Ğazı II Girej, supported by regular Ottoman troops, altogether numbering around 25,000 soldiers, to meet the Polish army. hearing that the Tatars were approaching, Zamoyski crossed the Prut river and on September 6 had his troops erect a fortified camp, which was protected on both flanks by the river. The front of the camp in turn was defended by a rampart studded with thirteen bastions. The rampart also possessed four sally ports which could be used for sorties. Khan's army arrived on the 18th of September. That day minor fighting took place among individual skirmishers, during which Prince Kirill Różyński wounded the khan's nephew with a bow. main fighting took place the following day when the khan's troops tried to storm the Polish camp. because the Tatars had few infantry the attempt was unsuccessful, and the attackers were constantly harried by Polish sallies issuing from the camp. After the struggle went no better for the Tartars on the 20th, Ğazı came to the conclusion that he did not have the means to take the camp and agreed to peace talks. October 21 a peace treaty was signed, according to which the Tatars recognized Movilă as Hospodar in Moldavia, and assented to Polish troops being permanently stationed in the Principality. Two days later the Tatar army began its withdrawal.

Hungary, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Lazarevo, Serbia; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Hungary, 1700-, Holy League, dethronement of the Habsburgs

Hungary, 1717, Holy League, Republic of Venice, 697-1797
Hungary, Holy League, 1717, Republic of Venice, 697-1797; Republic of Venice, 697-1797; Venice, Northern Italy; Saint Sophronius, Confessor of Ciorara, Romania, Commemorated on October 21;

Hungary, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

Hungary, 1740-1780, Emperess Maria Theresa, history, S wars, S reform, laws, vaccines, finance r, standing a, large govt, N tax

Hungary, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Ms, renewer Athos&Paisian hesyc tradts

Hungary, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures, bishop, resisted Hapsburg conversion to Catholic plans, imprisoned
Hungary, Transylvania, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures; Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Romania; is a commune in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: Adrianu Mare / Nagyadorján Adrianu Mic / Kisadorján Bedeni / Bede Gălești Maiad / Nyomát Sânvăsii / Nyárádszentlászló (established 2004) Troița / Szentháromság commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 2,940 of which 93.61% or 2,752 are Hungarian.[citation needed] Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; John of Galesh was a priest who was consecrated bishop at Bucharest, since there was no bishop for Transylvania. resisted the plans of the Hapsburg authorities to persuade Orthodox Christians to convert to Catholicism. was arrested and thrown into prison at Sibiu in 1756, then Empress Maria Theresa ordered him confined in the prison of Deva Castle until he died. John was transferred to a prison in Graz, Austria at the end of 1757. Later, he was brought to the notorious Kufstein Prison, where many Orthodox from Transylvania ended their lives. 1780, Gennady Vassie, a Serb who was incarcerated there, was able to send a letter to Empress Catherine II of Russia asking her to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox prisoners. In his letter he mentioned a Romanian priest named John, who had been kept there for twenty-four years because of his Orthodox faith. John of Galesh died in prison, and was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Hungary, Danube River 7-9 Folder

Esztergom, Hungary (Danube River 5.5)
Esztergom, Hungary; Repose of Venerable John, Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18;

Budapest, Hungary (Danube River 7)
Budapest; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ;

Eparchy of Buda (Budim), Budapest, Hungary
Eparchy of Buda (Budim); Eparchy of Buda (Serbian: Будимска епархија or Budimska eparhija) is a diocese or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church, having jurisdiction over the territory of Hungary. The see of the eparchy is in Szentendre (Serbian: Сентандреја or Sentandreja) near Budapest. term Buda (Serbian: Будим or Budim) in the name of the eparchy refers to the name of the former city of Buda, which merged with the city of Pest to form the modern city of Budapest in 1873. That change did not affect the eparchy and the original name has been kept to the present day.[1] also: Eastern Orthodoxy in Hungary Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 4;

Tisza River

Danube Mouth (North Black Sea)
Danube Mouth (North Black Sea) Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called;

Hungary, Slovakia Folder

Slovakia (rivers of the Western Carpathians)
Slovakia ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated December 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Slovakia, Land of the Carpatho-Russians (Primarily Slovakia)
Carpatho-Russians or Rusyn or Ruthenians; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Carpathians - Western Carpathians - Slovakia
Western Carpathians;

Hungary, Slovakia History

Slovakia, 1682-1690, Imre Thokoly, Prince of Transylvania (upper Hungary)
Slovakia, 1682-1690, Imre Thokoly, Prince of Transylvania (upper Hungary), Anti-Hapsburg; Battle of Zernest, Transylvania, Romania 1690; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Hungary, Slovakia, Sajo River Folder

Sajo River

Sajo River Source (Low Tatras Mountains)

Low Tatras Mountains, Slovakia
Low Tatras Mountains, Slovakia ;

Sajo River 1

Sajo River Mouth (Tisza River 9)

Hungary, Slovakia, Hornad River Folder

Hornad River

Hornad River Source (King's Bald Mountain)

Hornad River 1 (Torysa River)

Hornad River Mouth (Sajo River )

Hungary, Slovakia, Hornad River 1, Torysa River Folder

Torysa River

Torysa River Soure (Levoca Mountains)

Beskids, Slovakia
Beskids, Slovakia;

Levoca Mountains, Slovakia
Levoca Mountains, Slovakia;

Lesna (Stara Lesna, Slovakia, Hungary)
Lesna (Stara Lesna, Slovakia); Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14 ;

Torysa River 1 (Lipany)

Torysa River 2 (Sabinov)

Torysa River 3 (Velky Saris)

Torysa River 4 (Presov, Slovakia)

Presov, Slovakia (Torysa River 4)
Presov; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

Torysa River Mouth (Hornad River )

Hungary, Slovakia, Ondava River Folder

Ondava River

Ondava River Source (along the border, Western Carpathians)

Ondava River 1 (Borov, Slovakia)

Borov, Slovakia (Ondava River 1)
Borov; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Kudinovo, Slovakia (Kalinov, Ondava River 1)
Kudinovo, Slovakia (Kalinov); Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1;

Ondava River 2

Ondava River 3

Ondava River Mouth (Bodrog River 2)

Hungary, Slovakia, Western Slovakia Folder, Klinkovo (Danube 5.3)

Klinkovo, Slovakia (Danube River 5.3)
Klinkovo, Slovakia; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26;

Wesrtern Slovakia, in Land of Niketas the Goth
Serbia, 342-372, Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth, probable area of Danube River in Germania, Ulfilas' Gothic Alphabet, teacher, visible and invisible enemies, tortured by Athanaric, not burned, divine light, incorrupt relics ; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania; Holy Great Martyr Niketas was a Goth (a Germanic tribe). was born and lived on the banks of the Danube River, suffering for Christ in the year 372. Christian Faith was already spreading throughout the territory of the Goths at that time. Niketas believed in Christ and was baptized by the Gothic bishop Theophilos, who participated in the First Ecumenical Council. Goths started to oppose the spread of Christianity, which resulted in a civil war. Fritigern, at the head of a Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the Christian Faith continued to spread among the Goths. Arian bishop Ulfilas, the successor to Bishop Theophilos, created a Gothic alphabet and translated many priestly books into the Gothic language. Niketas worked tirelessly among his fellow Goths to teach them about Christ. Through his personal example and inspired words, he brought many of them to the Christian Faith. his defeat, however, Athanaric managed to regroup his forces. He returned to his own country and regained his former power. he remained a pagan, he continued to hate the Christians and persecuted them, seeking revenge for the humiliation he had endured at their hands. Niketas had to contend against both visible and invisible enemies. In opposing these invisible enemies, he converted many pagans to Christ, and strengthened the faithful for the contest of martyrdom. with zeal for God, the Saint denounced the persecutor Athanaric for his cruelty and impiety, because he subjected the Christians to severe torments. Niketas prevailed against both of these enemies. He trampled the devil underfoot, and defeated Athanaric in battle. cruel tormentor was troubled because he was unable to convert Saint Niketas to his own impiety, and so he resolved to capture the Saint and put him to death. Niketas endured many tortures, and then he was thrown into a fire. his body was not burnt by the fire, he surrendered his soul to God, and his relics were illumined by a radiant light. night, a Christian named Marianus, took the body of Saint Niketas, and buried it in Cilicia. it was transferred to Constantinople. of the relics of the Great Martyr Niketas were later given to the monastery of Vysokie Dechani in Serbia. Saint Niketas received an unfading crown of glory from Christ on September 15, 372. pray to Saint Niketas for the preservation of children from birth defects.

Greatmartyr Niketas the Goth's probable area of the Danube River in Germania

Hungary, Transylvania Folder

Transylvania (over and between the mountains, left side Tisa River drainage Hungary, now Romania)
Transylvania; Ardeal; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Hungary (between Mures River 1 and Tarnava Mica River 1)
Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Romania; is a commune in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: Adrianu Mare / Nagyadorján Adrianu Mic / Kisadorján Bedeni / Bede Gălești Maiad / Nyomát Sânvăsii / Nyárádszentlászló (established 2004) Troița / Szentháromság commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 2,940 of which 93.61% or 2,752 are Hungarian.[citation needed] Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; John of Galesh was a priest who was consecrated bishop at Bucharest, since there was no bishop for Transylvania. resisted the plans of the Hapsburg authorities to persuade Orthodox Christians to convert to Catholicism. was arrested and thrown into prison at Sibiu in 1756, then Empress Maria Theresa ordered him confined in the prison of Deva Castle until he died. John was transferred to a prison in Graz, Austria at the end of 1757. Later, he was brought to the notorious Kufstein Prison, where many Orthodox from Transylvania ended their lives. 1780, Gennady Vassie, a Serb who was incarcerated there, was able to send a letter to Empress Catherine II of Russia asking her to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox prisoners. In his letter he mentioned a Romanian priest named John, who had been kept there for twenty-four years because of his Orthodox faith. John of Galesh died in prison, and was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Dacia (Transylvania and Moldovia)
Dacia; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1533-1601, Lithuanian and Polish King, Stephen Bathory, Transylvania, Alba
Polish King, 1533-1586, Stephen Bathory, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István; Polish: Stefan Batory; Lithuanian: About this soundSteponas Batoras; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586). son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Hungarian Báthory noble family, Báthory was a ruler of Transylvania in the 1570s, defeating another challenger for that title, Gáspár Bekes. 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen Anna Jagiellon and the third elected king of Poland. He worked closely with chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The first years of his reign were focused on establishing power, defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, most notably, the Danzig rebellion. reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful kings in Polish history, particularly in the realm of military history. signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia against Russia in the middle part of his reign, in which he repulsed a Russian invasion of Commonwealth borderlands and secured a highly favorable treaty of peace (the Peace of Jam Zapolski). 1 Youth 2 Elected king 3 Establishing power 4 Policies 5 War with Muscovy 6 Final years 7 Remembrance 8 Notes 9 See also 10 References 11 Bibliography 12 External links Báthory was born on 27 September 1533 in the castle at Somlyó, also known as Szilágysomlyó (today's È˜imleu Silvaniei).[1] He was the son of Stephen VIII Báthory (d. 1534) of the noble Hungarian Báthory family and his wife Catherine Telegdi.[1] He had at least five siblings: two brothers and three sisters.[1] is known about his childhood. Around 1549–1550, he briefly visited Italy and probably spent a few months attending lectures at the Padua University.[1] Upon his return, he joined the army of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and took part in his military struggle against the Turks. Some time after 1553, Báthory was captured by the Turks, and after Ferdinand I refused to pay his ransom, joined the opposing side, supporting John II Sigismund Zápolya in his struggle for power in the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom.[1] Zápolya's supporter, Báthory acted both as a feudal lord, military commander and a diplomat.[1][2] During one of his trips to Vienna he was put under house arrest for two years.[2] During this time he fell out of favor at Zápolya's court, and his position was largely assumed by another Hungarian noble, Gáspár Bekes.[2] Báthory briefly retired from politics, but he still wielded considerable influence and was seen as a possible successor to Zápolya.[2] Zápolya's death in 1571, the Transylvanian estates elected Báthory Voivode of Transylvania.[2] Bekes, supported by the Habsburgs, disputed his election, but by 1573, Báthory emerged victorious in the resulting civil war and drove Bekes out of Transylvania.[2] He subsequently attempted to play the Ottomans and the Holy Roman Empire against one another in an attempt to strengthen the Transylvania position.[3] king[edit] Mannerist crown from about 1584, most probably created for him in GdaÅ„sk after Willem van den Blocke's design[4] 1572, the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, at the time the largest and one of the most populous states in Europe, was vacated when King Sigismund II Augustus died without heirs.[3] The Sejm was given the power to elect a new king, and in the 1573 Polish–Lithuanian royal election chose Henry of France; Henry soon ascended the French throne and forfeited the Polish one by returning to France.[3] Báthory decided to enter into the election; in the meantime he had to defeat another attempt by Bekes to challenge his authority in Transylvania, which he did by defeating Bekes at the Battle of Kerelőszentpál.[3] 12 December 1575, after an interregnum of roughly one and a half years, primate of Poland Jakub UchaÅ„ski, representing a pro-Habsburg faction, declared Emperor Maximilian II as the new monarch.[3] However, chancellor Jan Zamoyski and other opponents of Habsburgs persuaded many of the lesser nobility to demand a "Piast king", a Polish king.[3][5][6] After a heated discussion, it was decided that Anna Jagiellon, sister of the former King Sigismund II Augustus, should be elected king and marry Stephen Báthory.[7] In January 1576 Báthory passed the mantle of voivode of Transylvania to his brother Christopher Báthory and departed for Poland.[7] On 1 May 1576 Báthory married Anna and was crowned king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania.[7] After being chosen as king in the 1576 Polish–Lithuanian royal election, Báthory also began using the title of the prince of Transylvania.[2] Establishing power[edit] of King and Grand Duke Stephen Báthory, circa 1576–1586 áthory's position was at first extremely difficult, as there was still some opposition to his election. Emperor Maximilian, insisting on his earlier election, fostered internal opposition and prepared to enforce his claim by military action.[8] At first the representatives of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania refused to recognize Báthory as grand duke, and demanded concessions - that he return the estates of his wife Anne to the Lithuanian treasury, hold Sejm conventions in both Lithuania and Poland, and reserve the highest governmental official offices in Lithuania for Lithuanians. He accepted the conditions.[9] In June Báthory was recognized as Grand Duke of Lithuania.[a][7][8] Lithuania secure, the other major region refusing to recognize his election was Prussia.[8] Maximilian's sudden death improved Báthory's situation, but the city of Danzig (GdaÅ„sk) still refused to recognize his election without significant concessions.[8] The Hanseatic League city, bolstered by its immense wealth, fortifications, and the secret support of Maximilian, had supported the Emperor's election and decided not to recognize Báthory as legitimate ruler. resulting conflict was known as the Danzig rebellion. Most armed opposition collapsed when the prolonged Siege of Danzig by Báthory's forces was lifted as an agreement was reached.[8][10] The Danzig army was utterly defeated in a field battle on 17 April 1577.[11] However, since Báthory's armies were unable to take the city by force, a compromise was reached.[11][12] exchange for some of Danzig's demands being favorably reviewed, the city recognised Báthory as ruler of Poland and paid the sum of 200,000 zlotys in gold as compensation.[10][12] Tying up administration of the Commonwealth's northern provinces, in February 1578 he acknowledged George Frederick as the ruler of Duchy of Prussia, receiving his feudal tribute.[10] Stephen in Ottoman clothes, 1585 securing control over the Commonwealth, Báthory had a chance to devote himself to strengthening his authority, in which he was supported by his chancellor Jan Zamoyski, who would soon become one of the king's most trusted advisers.[6][12] Báthory reorganised the judiciary by formation of legal tribunals (the Crown Tribunal in 1578 and the Lithuanian Tribunal in 1581).[13] While this somewhat weakened the royal position, it was of little concern to Báthory, as the loss of power was not significant in the short term, and he was more concerned with the hereditary Hungarian throne.[10][13] In exchange, the Sejm allowed him to raise taxes and push a number of reforms strengthening the military, including the establishment of the piechota wybraniecka, an infantry formation composed of peasants.[10] Many of his projects aimed to modernize the Commonwealth army, reforming it in a model of Hungarian troops of Transylvania.[14] He also founded the Academy of Vilnius, the third university in the Commonwealth, transforming what had been a Jesuit college into a major university.[15] He founded several other Jesuit colleges, and was active in propagating Catholicism, while at the same time being respectful of the Commonwealth policy of religious tolerance, issuing a number of decrees offering protection to Polish Jews, and denouncing any religious violence.[14] external relations, Báthory sought peace through strong alliances. Though remaining distrustful of the Habsburgs, he maintained the tradition of good relations that the Commonwealth enjoyed with its Western neighbor and confirmed past treaties between the Commonwealth and Holy Roman Empire with diplomatic missions received by Maximilian's successor, Rudolf II.[16] The troublesome south-eastern border with the Ottoman Empire was temporarily quelled by truces signed in July 1577 and April 1579.[16] The Sejm of January 1578 gathered in Warsaw was persuaded to grant Báthory subsidies for the inevitable war against Muscovy.[10] number of his trusted advisers were Hungarian, and he remained interested in Hungarian politics.[14] Báthory wished to recreate his native country into an independent, strong power, but the unfavorable international situation did not allow him significantly to advance any of his plans in that area.[17] In addition to Hungarian, he was well versed in Latin, and spoke Italian and German; he never learned the Polish language.[14] his personal life, he was described as rather frugal in his personal expenditures, with hunting and reading as his favorite pastimes.[14] with Muscovy[edit] coin with likeness of Báthory Báthory's election to the throne of the Commonwealth, Ivan the Terrible of Russia had begun encroaching on its sphere of interest in the northeast, eventually invading the Commonwealth borderlands in Livonia; the conflict would grow to involve a number of nearby powers (outside Russia and Poland-Lithuania, also Sweden, the Kingdom of Livonia and Denmark-Norway). Each of them was vying for control of Livonia, and the resulting conflict, lasting for several years, became known as the Livonian War.[18] By 1577, Ivan was in control of most of the disputed territory, but his conquest was short-lived.[18] In 1578, Commonwealth forces scored a number of victories in Liviona and begun pushing Ivan's forces back; this marked the turning point in the war.[16] Báthory, together with his chancellor Zamoyski, led the army of the Commonwealth in a series of decisive campaigns taking Polotsk in 1579 and Velikiye Luki in 1580.[16] 1581, Stephen penetrated once again into Russia and, on 22 August, laid siege to the city of Pskov. While the city held, on 13 December 1581 Ivan the Terrible began negotiations that concluded with the Truce of Jam Zapolski on 15 January 1582.[19] The treaty was favorable to the Commonwealth, as Ivan ceded Polatsk, Veliz and most of the Duchy of Livonia in exchange for regaining Velikiye Luki and Nevel.[19] years[edit] tomb monument in the Wawel Cathedral 1584, Báthory allowed Zamoyski to execute Samuel Zborowski, whose death sentence for treason and murder had been pending for roughly a decade.[13][20] This political conflict between Báthory and the Zborowski family, framed as the clash between the monarch and the nobility, would be a major recurring controversy in internal Polish politics for many years.[13][20] In external politics, Báthory was considering another war with Russia, but his plans were delayed to the lack of support from the Sejm, which refused to pass requested tax raises.[20] áthory's health had been declining for several years.[20] He died on 12 December 1586.[21] He had no legitimate children, though contemporary rumours suggested he might have had several illegitimate children. None of these rumours have been confirmed by modern historians.[21] His death was followed by an interregnum of one year. Maximilian II's son, Archduke Maximilian III, was elected king but was contested by the Swedish Sigismund III Vasa, who defeated Maximilian at the Byczyna and succeeded as ruler of the Commonwealth.[22] áthory actively promoted his own legend, sponsoring a number of works about his life and achievements, from historical treatises to poetry.[14] In his lifetime, he was featured in the works of Jan Kochanowski, MikoÅ‚aj SÄ™p SzarzyÅ„ski and many others.[14] He became a recurring character in Polish poetry and literature and featured as a central figure in poems, novels and drama by Jakub JasiÅ„ski, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Henryk Rzewuski and others.[23] He has been a subject of numerous paintings, both during his life and posthumously. Among the painters who took him as a subject were Jan Matejko and StanisÅ‚aw WyspiaÅ„ski.[23][24] statue of Báthory by Giovanni Ferrari was raised in 1789 in Padua, Italy, sponsored by the last king of the Commonwealth, StanisÅ‚aw August Poniatowski.[24] Other monuments to him include one in the Åazienki Palace (1795 by Andrzej Le Brun) and one in Sniatyn (1904, destroyed in 1939).[24] He was a patron of the Vilnius University (then known as the Stefan Batory University) and several units in the Polish Army from 1919 to 1939.[24] His name was borne by two 20th-century passenger ships of the Polish Merchant Navy, the MS Batory and TSS Stefan Batory.[24] In modern Poland, he is the namesake of the Batory Steelmill, a nongovernmental Stefan Batory Foundation, the Polish 9th Armored Cavalry Brigade, and numerous Polish streets and schools.[24] One of the districts of the town of Chorzów is named after him.[24] áthory at Pskov, by Jan Matejko after his death, he was not fondly remembered in the Commonwealth. Many nobles took his behavior in the Zborowski affair and his domestic policies as indicating an interest in curtailing the nobility's Golden Freedoms and establishing an absolute monarchy.[21] His contemporaries were also rankled by his favoritism toward Hungarians over nationals of the Commonwealth.[20] He was also remembered, more trivially, for his Hungarian-style cap and saber (szabla batorówka).[23] later resurgence in Polish memory and historiography can be traced to the 19th-century era of partitions of Poland, when the Polish state lost its independence.[23] He was remembered for his military triumphs and praised as an effective ruler by many, including John Baptist Albertrandi, Jerzy Samuel Bandtkie, MichaÅ‚ BobrzyÅ„ski, Józef Szujski and others.[23] Though some historians like Tadeusz Korzon, Joachim Lelewel and JÄ™drzej Moraczewski remained more reserved, in 1887, Wincenty Zakrzewski noted that Báthory is "the darling of both the Polish public opinion and Polish historians".[23] During the interwar period in the Second Polish Republic he was a cult figure, often compared - with the government's approval - to the contemporary dictator of Poland, Józef PiÅ‚sudski.[23] After the Second World War, in the communist People's Republic of Poland, he became more of a controversial figure, with historians more ready to question his internal politics and attachment to Hungary.[23] Nonetheless his good image remained intact, reinforced by the positive views of a popular Polish historian of that period, PaweÅ‚ Jasienica.[23] Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29;

Hungary, Transylvania, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595), not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Hungarian Transylvania Pol-Lith over Ottoman Crimean Tartars

Hungary, Transylvania, 1610-1614, Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, orphaned, laughed at, patience , giving, visitations, Myrrh relics
Juliana oLazarevo&Murom, Lazarevo, Banat, Transylvania, or Serbia (Tisza River 14) &Murom oMordovia oRyazan, (Tyosha River Mouth, Oka River 13), nobleman's daugter, devout, kept fasts, much prayer, orphaned early age, relatives laughed, she bore wPatience, nursed sick clothed poor, village owner married her, ran his parents household, found time fPrayer, feed orphans clothed poor, went hungry during famine, gave last morsel, 6Sons1Daughter, 2Sons died, wanted monastery but husband persuaded raise children, then more demanding oSelf, intensified prayer slept 2hrs head on board, husband died, distributed her portion, living extreme poverty wVivacious, cordial, thankful attitude, visited by St Nic & MOG, Guided by MOG in Church, buried by husband & daughter aChurch oSt Lazarus, 1614 uncoverd Myrrh bearing incorrupt relics ; Lazarevo, Serbia; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2 ; Juliana of Lazarevo and Murom presents an astonishing example of a self-denying Russian Christian woman. was the daughter of the nobleman Justin Nediurev. her early years she lived devoutly, kept the fasts strictly and set aside much time for prayer. been orphaned at an early age, she was given over into the care of relatives, who did not take to her and laughed at her. bore everything with patience and without complaint. love for people was expressed by nursing the sick and sewing clothing for the poor. pious and virtuous life of the maiden attracted the attention of the Lazarevo village owner, Yurii Osoryin, who soon married her. husband’s parents loved their gentle daughter-in-law and left the running of the household in her hands. concerns did not disrupt the spiritual efforts of Juliana. always found time for prayer she was always prepared to feed the orphaned and clothe the poor. a harsh famine, she herself remained without food, having given away her last morsel to someone begging. an epidemic started after the famine, Juliana devoted herself completely to the nursing of the sick. Juliana had six sons and a daughter. the death of two of her sons she decided to withdraw to a monastery, her husband persuaded her to remain in the world, and to continue to raise their children. the testimony of Juliana’s son, Kallistrat Osoryin, who wrote her Life, at this time she became all the more demanding towards herself: intensified her fasting and prayer, slept not more than two hours at night, and then laying her head upon a board. the death of her husband, Juliana distributed to the poor her portion of the inheritance. in extreme poverty, she was none the less vivacious, cordial, and in everything she thanked the Lord. saint was vouchsafed a visitation by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker guidance by the Mother of God in church. Righteous Juliana fell asleep in the Lord, she was then buried beside her husband at the church of Saint Lazarus. also her daughter, the schemanun Theodosia was buried. 1614 the relics of Righteous Juliana were uncovered, exuding a fragrant myrrh, from which many received healing.

Hungary, Transylvania, 1620, Battle of Cecora, not 1595, Iassi or Jiassi, Pol-Lith w Moldov V Ottomans w Nogali Tartars, Moldov switch sides
Moldovia, 1620, Battle of Cecora (1620) not 1595; Battle of Cecora (also known as the Battle of Țuțora) was a battle during the Polish–Ottoman War (1620–21) between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (aided by rebel Moldavian troops) and Ottoman forces (backed by Nogais),[3]:344 fought from 17 September to 7 October 1620 in Moldavia, near the Prut River.[5]:568 of the failure of Commonwealth diplomatic mission to Constantinople, and violations of the Treaty of Busza by both sides (as Cossacks and Tatars continued their raids across the borders), relations between the Ottomans and the Commonwealth rapidly deteriorated in early 1620. Both sides began preparing for war, as neither was quite ready for it at the time. The Ottomans declared war against Poland in 1620 and planned to attack in the spring of 1621.[3]:341 The Commonwealth Sejm denied most funds the hetmans had asked for. The Senate's secret council finally decided, convinced by the Habsburgs' representative, to contribute the Commonwealth forces in 1620—even though many members of the Sejm thought that Polish–Lithuanian forces were neither sufficient nor fully prepared. Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski, who was by then over 70 years old (as Commonwealth policy didn't allow for a possibility of forced retirement from government offices such as that of hetman), foresaw the coming confrontation with the Ottoman Empire and decided to meet Ottoman troops on foreign soil, Moldavia being the obvious choice.[6] However, the sultan sent Iskender Pasha to Moldavia to remove Hospodar Gaspar Graziani, who had allied himself with Poland.[3]:341 Zółkiewski and Koniecpolski led the army to Țuțora (Cecora in Polish sources), a commune in Iaşi county, Romania), to fight the Horde of Khan Temir (Kantymir). The army numbered between 5,000[3]:342 to 9,000 (2,000 infantry but only about 1600 Cossack cavalry[3]:344), with many regiments being made up of the private forces of magnates Koreckis, Zasławskis, Kazanowskis, Kalinowskis and Potockis. The army entered Moldavia in September. The Moldavian ruler, hospodar Gaspar Graziani, nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, decided to rebel and support the Commonwealth against the Ottomans. Graziani killed the janissaries in Iaşi, imprisoned envoys of Sultan Osman II (who had ordered his removal from power and his transport to Istanbul) and then prepared to flee, but was forced by Żółkiewski to attach his troops to the Polish–Lithuanian camp.[3]:344 However, many of the Moldavian boyars left the camp in order to defend their own estates against pillaging by undisciplined Commonwealth magnates' troops, others decided to wait and see what the outcome appeared to be so they could join the winning side, and others joined the Turks.[3]:344 Consequently, only about 600–1000 rebel Moldavian troops appeared in the Commonwealth camp. Żółkiewski ordered the army to proceed to the fortified camp (standing from previous wars) at Cecora. warriors of the Crimean Khanate during the Battle of Cecora (1620). 10 September, near Ţuţora (close to Iasi, Romania), the Commonwealth army encountered the Tatar and Ottoman forces, with Wallachian contingents (13,000–22,000) under the command of Iskender Pasha, the beylerbey of Ochakiv (Ozi). The Ottoman Sultan's force included Gabriel Bethlen's army.[3]:342 The Tatar forces surprised the Commonwealth defenders, taking many prisoners. During the first day of fighting (the 18th), most of the rebel Moldavians decided to switch sides and quickly attacked the Polish–Lithuanian flank. Mercenaries, private troops and their magnate leaders were lacking in discipline and morale. Stanisław Koniecpolski commanded the right flank of the Commonwealth forces during the ensuing battle. On 19 September it had become clear that the Polish–Lithuanian forces were defeated, although they still managed to hold their positions; Koniecpolski prevented the army from disintegrating on 20/21 September. On 29 September Commonwealth troops had broken through Ottoman ranks with tabor wagon trains and started their retreat. However, after Graziani bribed some magnates, units of private troops begun to flee and some mercenary cavalry panicked and also ran. This was a prelude of things to come. Consecutive attacks during the retreat (including a particularly violent one on 3 October) were repelled, but troop units started disintegrating as soon as soldiers caught sight of the Dniester and the Polish–Lithuanian border. another heavy assault on 6 October, most of the magnates and nobles broke and fled north,[3]:344 leaving infantry and camp, thus sealing the fate of the whole expedition: most of the Polish–Lithuanian troops were killed or captured. In the ensuing battle Żólkiewski died[7] and Koniecpolski[3]:344 and many others (Samuel Korecki, Mikolaj Struś, Mikołaj Potocki, Jan Żółkiewski, Łukasz Żołkiewski), Stanisław "Rewera" Potocki and Bohdan Khmelnytsky were taken captive. Before his death he received the blessing of his confessor, Father Szymon Wybierski (Wybierek) of the Society of Jesus, who stood by his side (7 October).[8] Żółkiewski's head was mounted on a pike and sent to the sultan; Duke Korecki, having often meddled in Moldavian territories, was executed in the Constantinople prison.[citation needed] the face of such an important victory, advised by grand vizier Ali Pasha and Gabriel Bethlen, Osman II decided that he could reinforce his rule or even extend it. Alexandru Iliaş was appointed as the ruler of Moldavia, the rebel Graziani having been killed during his flight on 29 September. between 1,000 and 1,500 of Commonwealth men survived the battles, while the Tatars moved into Podolia, Wołyń and eastern Lesser Poland.[3]:344 1621 an army of 200,000–250,000 Ottoman veterans, led by Osman II, advanced from Edirne towards the Polish frontier. The Ottomans, following their victory in the Battle of Cecora, had high hopes of conquering southern part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Polish commander Jan Karol Chodkiewicz crossed the Dniester in September with approximately 35,000 Polish troops and Cossack supporters and entrenched himself at the Chocim Fortress, blocking the path of the slow Ottoman march. At Khotyn, for more than a month (2 September – 9 October), the Commonwealth hetman held the sultan at bay until the first autumn snow (Battle of Khotyn). The lateness of the season and the loss of approximately 40,000 men in battle compelled Osman II to initiate negotiations. A few days before the siege was to be lifted, the aged grand hetman died of exhaustion in the fortress (24 September). The battle was a stalemate and the resulting Treaty of Khotyn reflected it, providing some concessions to the Commonwealth but meeting some Ottoman demands. II blamed the stalemate of war on the lack of zeal and the "degeneracy" of the Janissaries. His efforts at modernizing the Ottoman army were not well received by the Janissaries and the conservative "learned" class. A revolt led by Janissaries and the students of the madrases erupted on 18 May 1622 and Osman II was deposed; two days later he was killed by the rebels who deposed him. Battle of Cecora is commemorated on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Warsaw, with the inscription "CECORA 18 - 29 IX 1620".

Hungary, Transylvania, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

Hungary, Transylvania, 1740-1780, Maria Theresa, history, S wars, S reform, laws, finance r, standing a, large govt, N tax

Hungary, Transylvania, 1750-1806, George oCernica, pastor oHigh spiritual life, leader 2 great Wallacia Monasteries

Hungary, Transylvania, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures, bishop, resisted Hapsburg conversion to Catholic plans, imprisoned
Hungary, Transylvania, 1757-1780, St John of Galesh, Mures; Galesh (Galesti), Mures, Transylvania, Romania; is a commune in Mures County, Transylvania, Romania composed of seven villages: Adrianu Mare / Nagyadorján Adrianu Mic / Kisadorján Bedeni / Bede Gălești Maiad / Nyomát Sânvăsii / Nyárádszentlászló (established 2004) Troița / Szentháromság commune has an absolute Székely Hungarian majority. According to the 2002 Census it has a population of 2,940 of which 93.61% or 2,752 are Hungarian.[citation needed] Saint John of Galesh, Commemorated on October 21; John of Galesh was a priest who was consecrated bishop at Bucharest, since there was no bishop for Transylvania. resisted the plans of the Hapsburg authorities to persuade Orthodox Christians to convert to Catholicism. was arrested and thrown into prison at Sibiu in 1756, then Empress Maria Theresa ordered him confined in the prison of Deva Castle until he died. John was transferred to a prison in Graz, Austria at the end of 1757. Later, he was brought to the notorious Kufstein Prison, where many Orthodox from Transylvania ended their lives. 1780, Gennady Vassie, a Serb who was incarcerated there, was able to send a letter to Empress Catherine II of Russia asking her to intervene on behalf of the Orthodox prisoners. In his letter he mentioned a Romanian priest named John, who had been kept there for twenty-four years because of his Orthodox faith. John of Galesh died in prison, and was glorified as a martyr by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Partos, Transylvania, Romania
Partos, Transylvania, Romania; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ;

Aries River Source (Bihor Mountains)
Bihor Mountains, Transylvania ;

Alba Iulia, Transylvanian Prince's capital, Bathoy's residence
Alba Iulia, Transylvanian Prince's capital, Bathoy's residence Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania (Salishtea, Mures River 2)
Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania (Salishtea, near Mures River) ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Ciorara, Transylvania (Salishtea, Mures River 2)
Sofronie of Cioara; Ciorara-Sebesh, Transylvania (Salishtea, near Mures River) ; St Sophronius the Confessor of Ciorara in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Eastern Hungary
Simleu Silvanici, Transylvania, Eastern Hungary ; Polish King Stephen Bathory 1579 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov; Commemorated on February 5;

Siimleu Silvaniei, Transylvania, Home of King Stephen Bathoy of Poland and Lithunia
Șimleu Silvaniei; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19;;

Dacian Fortress Dacidava (Somes River 3, Jahou)
Dacian Fortress Dacidava

Inau, Transylvania (Lapus River 4)
Inau or Targu Lapus ™; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Mukachev Castle, Transylvania, Hungary (Latorica River 2)
Mukachev Castle; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ;

Saint Nicholas Monastery (Latorica River 2, Hungary) 1090's
Saint Nicholas Monastery (Mukacheve); Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My Sorrows, Commemorated on October 9 ;

Banat region, Transylvania (Timishoara, Bega River and Canal)
Banat region; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Timishoara, Banat Region, Transylvania, Romania, Art Capital of EU
Timishoara, Romania; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated September 15 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ;

Secul, Transylvania, Romania, (Pancevo River 1)
Secul; Secu (and Secu Creek?, and Secu (œBeheading) Monastery); Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast;

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Rivers, interesting points Folder (Clean)

Transylvania, its Area

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Mures River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Mures River 1, Aries River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Mures 1, Aries River 1, Ariesul Mare River Folder, Laze and Neagra Rivers, Arad

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Mures 1, Aries River 3, Rimetea River Folder, Rimet Monastery

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Mures River 2, Tarnava River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Somes River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Somes River 1, Somesul Mare River Folder, from Rodna to Dej

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Somes River 5, Lapus River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Latorica River Folder

Transylvania, Roman Roads, Banat and Bega River Folder, Timisoara

Hungary, Transylvania and Slovakia, left side Danube 7-9, Great Hungarian Plain, Tisa River Folder

Chornohora Mountains
Chornohora Mountains;

Tisza River Source 1 (Chornohora Mountains)

Tisza River 1

Tisza River 2

Tisza River 3

Tisza River 4 (Tiszabecs)

Batar River Mouth (Tisza River 4)

Tur River Mouth (Tisza River 5)

Crasna River Mouth (Tisza River 6)

Tisza River 6 (Somes and Crasna Rivers)

Tisza River 8 (Tokaj, Bodrog River)

Zagyva River Mouth (Tisza River 10)

Koros River Mouth (Tisza River 11)

Tisza River 12 (Szeged, Mures River)

Cik River Mouth (Tisza River 13)

Jegricka River Mouth (Tisza River 14)

Tisza River Mouth (Belgrade, Serbia, Danube River 9)

Tisza River Gorgany Tisza

Gorgany Range
Gorgany Range;

Tisza River Source 2 (Gorgany Range)

Bodrog River

Bodrog River Source (Latorica and Ondava River Confluence)

Bodrog River Mouth (Tisza River 8)

Iza River

Iza River Mouth (Tisza River 2)

Viseu River

Viseu River Source (Prislop Pass, Transylvania, Romania and Moldova)
Prislop Pass, Transylvania, Romania and Moldova; St John of Prislop, Commomorated September 13 ;

Viseu River Mouth (Tisza River 1)

Hungary, Pannonia Folder, right side Danube River 7-9, Little Hungarian Plain

Hungary (Clean), Pannonia, its Area

Slavonia Region, Croatia (right side of the Horseshoe)
Slavonia; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Roman Province, 296-476
Pannonia Secunda ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Pannonia, right side of Danube in Little Hungarian Plain, 476-WWI
Little Hungarian Plain, Pannonia; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ;

Little Hungarian Plain, Most of Hungary (question that), Pannonia, Right side of Danube
Little Hungarian Plain, Pannonia; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ;

Sabaria (Pannonia, Little Hungarian Plain)
Sabaria (Little Hungarian Plain), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Little Hungarian Plain, 336-350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil
Little Hungarian Plain, 350, Land of the Marcomanni and Queen Fritigil; Sabaria (Little Hungarian Plain), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Burgenland, Pannonia (Home of Fritgil the Queen of Marcomania
Burgenland, Pannonia (Home of Fritgil the Queen of Marcomania ; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Great Hungarian Plain (Alfold, both sides of Tisza River)
Great Hungarian Plain (Alfold);

Hungary (Clean), Roman Roads or Major Rivers

Hungary (Clean), its Area before WW1, Natural Hungary
Hungary (Clean), its Area before WW1, all of Tisza drainage and Danube 7-9

Hungary (Clean), its Area before WW1, all of Tisza drainage and Danube 7-9

Hungary (Clean), Pannonia Folder, right side Danube River 7-9, Little Hungarian Plain

Hungary (Clean), Pannonia, Area, Right Side Danube
Pannonia, Right Side Danube

Hungary (Clean), Little Hungarian Plain Area, Right Side Tisza and Right Side Danube
Little Hungarian Plain, Right Side Tisza and Right Side Danube;

Pannonia, Little Hungarian Plain, 476-WWI
Little Hungarian Plain, Pannonia;

Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia)
Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ;

Pannonia Secunda, Srem Plain, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Roman Province, 296-476
Pannonia Secunda ;

Pannonia (left side Sava River Drainage)
Pannonia (parts of: Hungary, Austia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hezegovinia) ;

Hungary (Clean), Slovakia Folder

Hungary (Clean), Slovakia, Sajo River Folder

Hungary (Clean), Slovakia, Hornad River Folder

Hungary (Clean), Slovakia, Ondava River Folder

Ondava River
Ondava River;

Borov, Slovakia (Ondava River 1)
Borov;

Kudinovo, Slovakia (Kalinov, Ondava River 1)
Kudinovo, Slovakia (Kalinov);

Hungary (Clean), Slovakia, Western Slovakia Folder, Klinkovo (Danube 5.3)

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania Folder

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, its Area

Transylvania (Hungro-Wallacia)
Transylvania; Transylvania Proper; Athanaric's "own country"; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania ; St John of Galesh; St Maximus the New, Commemorated January 18 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-Chernigov ; Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on April 5; St Sava Brancovici the Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24; St Joseph the Confessor of Maramures, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Mures River Folder

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Mures River 1, Aries River Folder

Hungary, Transylvania, Mures 1, Aries River 1, Ariesul Mare River Folder, Laze and Neagra Rivers, Arad (Clean)

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Mures River 2, Tarnava River Folder

Alba Iulia, Transylvania (capital of Principality of T, Mures River 2)
Alba Iulia, Transylvania (capital of Principality of T, Mures River 2) ;

Alba Iulia, Transylvanian Prince's capital, Bathoy's residence

Arad, Transylvania, Romania (Mures River 4)
Arad ;

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Somes River Folder

Ardeal (Cluj, aka Transylvania, Somes River Source 2)
Transylvania; Ardeal;

Ardeal, Transylvania (between the mountains)
Ardeal, Transylvania (between the mountains);

Hungary, Transylvania, Somes River 1, Somesul Mare River Folder, from Rodna to Dej (Clean)

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Somes River 5, Lapus River Folder

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Latorica River Folder

Hungary (Clean), Transylvania, Banat and Bega River Folder, Timisoara

Hungary (Clean), Cumans and Goths in Hungary Folder

Polovetsia (Cumans in Hungary, Cumania)
Polovetsia; Cumania;

Cumania, its Area

Polovetsia, Cumans in Hungary, Cumania Area addition

Lithuania Folder, and its rivers

Lithuania (Neman and Neris Rivers, Moscow to Poland Road)
Lithuania ; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated October 5 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "Vilna", Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; The Vilno Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-KissingÂ, Commemorated on March 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Lithuania, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

Lithuania, 1569-1795, Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth
Lithuania, 1569-1795, Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union, Protestant, Sigismund swede king for only 6yrs
Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union; union[edit] the death of John III of Sweden, his son Sigismund succeeded to the throne of Sweden. Sigismund at that time was already the elected King of Poland (since 1587). Sigismund certainly valued the Swedish throne and upon learning about the death of his father, and the pretensions to the throne of his uncle, Duke Charles of Södermanland, he asked the Sejm (Polish parliament) for permission to leave the Commonwealth and go to Sweden, where he could secure the Swedish crown. The Sejm gave him permission, and on 3 August 1593, 6, accompanied by his wife, Anna of Habsburg, and other followers, departed for Sweden. agreement of 19 February seemed to have calmed the situation; Sigismund was crowned in Uppsala Cathedral and became the king of Sweden. The Kingdom of Sweden was now in a personal union with Poland-Lithuania. July, Sigismund left Sweden in the hands of the regency council and returned to Poland. Sweden was to be ruled jointly by the Privy Council of Sweden and Sigismund's uncle Duke Charles. however, reneged on his earlier promises, opening Catholic schools, and giving Catholics prominent posts. in turn did not give up on acquiring the Swedish throne and pursued his own political agenda. The new Riksdag he summoned at Arboga in 1597 – again despite the King's orders – saw few participants, and only one from the Privy Council. Even so, Duke Charles did not achieve support for his military action, but initiated it nonetheless. Parts of southern Sweden were successfully taken. Several of the Privy Council members fled to Poland to convince Sigismund to take counteractions. sent a diplomatic mission, in an attempt to solve the conflict by negotiations. Charles at first looked ready to negotiate but in fact he was playing for time, trying to confirm his power at another Riksdag (in Arboga), recruiting peasants for his army, and isolating Sigismund's followers. against Sigismund[edit] Castle in Warsaw, the residence of Polish kings since 1611 1598, the Sejm gave Sigismund the go-ahead to wage a military campaign against his opponents in Sweden; however it refused to give him significant support. Sigismund's army was composed mostly of mercenaries (Germans and Hungarians), supported by a relatively small Polish force (although with some artillery). campaign was poorly planned. He was unable to coordinate his troop movements with his supporters, particularly Fleming who was supposed to attack Charles from Finland. After initial successes (the taking of Kalmar and defeating Charles' troops at Stegeborg), Sigismund's forces were defeated on September 25, 1598, at the Battle of Stångebro, (also known as the battle of Linköping). Sigismund was captured and forced to hand over some of his followers such as the Chancellor of Sweden, Erik Larsson Sparre, (1550–1600). In May 1599, Charles' forces captured the last fortress held by Sigismund, Kalmar. On July 24, 1599, the Riksdag in Stockholm officially dethroned Sigismund. The new King of Sweden was Charles IX of Sweden, and the Polish–Swedish union was dissolved after barely seven years of existence. In March 1600, some of Sigismund's supporters were executed, including five senators in an event known as the Linköping Bloodbath.

Lithuania, 1595, Battle of Cecora (1595), not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Hungarian Transylvania Pol-Lith over Ottoman Crimean Tartars

Lithuania, 1596, Land of the Uniates (Eastern Europe including Lithuania and Poland) Unia began 1596
Uniates or Eastern Catholics under the Pope of Rome (Eastern Europe, North Afria, Middle East, and India); Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12, says After the emergence of the Unia (1596) the icon passed into the hands of the Catholics and was placed in a church of the Belynich Catholic monastery; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

Lithuania, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War
Lithuania, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War ;

Lithuania, 1721-1917, mostly controlled by Russian Empire
Lithuania, 1721-1917, mostly controlled by Russian Empire; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Lithuanian History Folder

Lithuania, 1251-1517, Folder, Orthodox, Pagan, Tartar and Roman Catholic

Lithuania, 1200, 13th C Folder, Odox GP Mindgs, Odox Duke Dovmnt, Pgn GP Trent, Odox GP Vaisvilks, Odox GP Shvrn, Pgn GP Traidns

Lithuania, 1252-1263, Great Prince, Mindaugas, Orthodox Christian
Lithuania, 1251-1263, Great Prince, Mindaugas, Orthodox Christian; Lithuania Great Prince, 1264-1267, Vaisvilkas; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated October 5 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Lithuania, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk&Tver, b Lithuanian attacks moved him tHome oG Prince, concern fNeedy
Russia, Belarus, 1253-1289, Simeon Bishop oPolotsk, Belarus (Western Dvina River 6), and Tver, descended fPolotsk Princes, hostile Lithuanian attacks, moved cathedra to Tver, because Russian Great Prince Yaroslav chose Tver his ruling city, Simeon well-disposed ( having a good disposition especially : disposed to be friendly, favorable, or sympathetic), kind, attentive to monks&priests, zealous truth defender, knowledgeable about medicine, well versed scriptue, teacher, virtuous, concerned for needy, widows, orphans, down-trodden, oppressed, Princes' court story: Jesting about his court, Constantine asked where shall courts be in that world? With the princes. because if Prince good he is responsible to pick good court, if not, efil court, ; Polotsk (Dvina River) ; St Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated February 3 ; Simeon, Bishop of Tver was descended from the Polotsk princes. was the seventh bishop of Polotsk and the first bishop of the Tver diocese. saint’s cathedra was first at Polotsk, hostile attacks and conflicts with the Lithuanian princes, and the murder of the Polotsk prince (his relative) in 1263, him to move to Tver Yaroslav Yaroslavich had become Great Prince of Russia, and he chose Tver as his ruling city). Simeon was well-disposed and kind to the down-trodden and destitute, attentive to the monastic and priestly orders, and a zealous defender of truth. Nikonov Chronicle relates that this holy bishop was “knowledgeable about medicine, well versed in the books of Holy Scripture; was a teacher, a virtuous man, concerned for the needy, widows and orphans, a defender of the down-trodden and deliverer of the oppressed.” preserves for us a conversation of Saint Simeon with Prince Constantine of Polotsk who, wishing to make a jest about his court, asked the saint at supper: “Where shall the courts be in that world?” Simeon answered, “Those courts shall also be where the prince is.” prince did not care for this, and he said, “A court might judge unjustly, and take bribes, or torture people, and is it I who do the harm?” bishop explained to him, “If a prince is good and God-fearing, and is concerned for the people, and loves truth and he appoints good, God-fearing, intelligent and truth-loving men to his council, that prince shall be in Paradise and his court with him. If, however, a prince is without the fear of God, and is not concerned for Christians and does not think of orphans and widows, and if he appoints wicked counselors who lack integrity in order to bring him money, that prince shall be in Hell and his court with him.” Simeon died on February 3, 1289.

Lithuania, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov, Pagan in Lithuania, then Saint in Pskov
Lithuania, 1260-1299, Dovmont, Duke of Nalsia and later Pskov (Utena); or Dovmont[1] (c. 1240? - May 17, 1299), was a Lithuanian prince best remembered as a military leader of the Principality of Pskov between 1266 and 1299. During his term in office, Pskov became de facto independent from Novgorod. is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church with his feast day observed on May 20.[3] 1 In Lithuania 2 Ruler of Pskov 3 Later years and legacy 4 References Lithuania[edit] 1265, Daumantas[4] was Duke of Nalsia, a northern province of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and was an ally of King Mindaugas. Mindaugas' and Daumantas' wives were sisters. In spite of the family relationship, Daumantas chose to ally himself with Mindaugas' nephew Treniota, who was Duke of Samogitia. Treniota had been steadily increasing his personal power within the kingdom as he tried to spark an all-Balts rebellion against the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. 1263, Daumantas assassinated Mindaugas and two of his sons. It has been suggested that he acted in collusion with Treniota. a result, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania relapsed into paganism for another one hundred and twenty years. Russian chronicles say that Daumantas' motive for the murder was to further his power and get revenge: after Queen Morta's death c. 1262, Mindaugas took Daumantas' wife for himself. When Mindaugas dispatched a large army towards Bryansk, Daumantas participated in the expedition, but suddenly returned and killed Mindaugas and two of his sons. to the Bychowiec Chronicle (a late and not very reliable source), Daumantas received the title of Duke of Utena as his reward. Vaiselga, the eldest son of Mindaugas, entered into an alliance with Shvarn of Halych-Volhynia in 1264, he was able to take revenge for his father's death by killing Treniota. Daumantas and his followers fled to Pskov. of Pskov[edit] on the Millennium of Russia monument in Veliky Novgorod arriving in Pskov, Daumantas was baptized into Eastern Orthodoxy, assumed the Christian name Timotheus and married a daughter of Dmitry of Pereslavl, son of Alexander Nevsky. He led Pskovian armies against the Lithuanians and defeated them on the bank of the Western Dvina, proceeded to devastate the land of Duke Gerdenis, and captured his two sons and wife. Daumantas' daring spirit, his friendly ways, and the success of his military enterprise persuaded the Pskovians to elect him as their knyaz, or military leader. election was never sanctioned by the Novgorod Republic, which had traditionally controlled the Pskovian affairs. Prince Yaroslav of Novgorod planned to punish the Pskovians for their willfulness and oust Daumantas from the city, but the Novgorodians refused to support Yaroslav's campaign and, joining their forces with the Pskovians, invaded Lithuania the following year. Daumantas was again in command and returned to Pskov in triumph. January 1268 the Pskovian-Novgorodian alliance was cemented when they invaded Danish Estonia together. The Pskovians, led by Daumantas, joined their forces with the Novgorodians led by Alexander Nevsky's son Dmitry and looted the Danish Estonian countryside, but were defeated by the combined forces of vassals of the Danish crown, Livonian Knights and local Estonian militia[5] in the Battle of Rakvere (February 18, 1268, near modern-day Rakvere). The following year Master of the Livonian Order, Otto von Lutterberg, led the Livonian forces to the territory of Pskov, burned Izborsk castle and laid siege to Pskov itself, but Daumantas, after receiving support from the Novgorodians, managed to conclude a truce with the Livonians.[6] years and legacy[edit] Town in Pskov. 1270, Yaroslav again attempted to interfere into Pskovian affairs and to replace Daumantas with a puppet ruler. The Pskovians stood up for Daumantas, forcing Yaroslav to abandon his plans. In order to strengthen his position, Daumantas married Dmitry's daughter, Maria. In 1282, when his father-in-law was ousted from Vladimir to Koporye, Daumantas made a sally into Ladoga, where he captured Dmitry's treasury from the Novgorodians and transported it to Koporye. Thereupon his name disappears from the chronicles for some seventeen years. 1299, the Livonian Order unexpectedly invaded north-western Russia and laid siege to Pskov. Having expelled them from the republic, Daumantas abruptly lapsed into illness and died, survived by his alleged son, David of Hrodna. His body was buried in the Trinity Cathedral, where his sword and personal effects would be on exhibit until the 20th century. to Pskovian chronicles, no ruler was loved by the citizens of Pskov more than Daumantas; they particularly praise his military skills and wisdom. After the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him, he came to be regarded as a patron saint of Pskov (on par with Vsevolod Mstislavich). The fortifications erected by Dovmont in Pskov's downtown became known as the "Daumantas Town". A church to the memory of the blessed prince Daumantas-Timofei was consecrated there in 1574. the 1990s, Russian author Sergey Kalitin wrote a novel, Hour of the Wolf, about the life of Daumantas and his transition from a "minor Lithuanian noble" to Prince of Pskov. Utena, Lithuania; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Lithuania, 1264-1267, Great Prince, Vaisvilkas, Orthodox Christian
Lithuania Great Prince, 1264-1267, Vaisvilkas; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated October 5 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Lithuania, 1263-1264, Great Prince Treniota, Pagan
Lithuania, 1263-1264, King, Treniota; St. Simeon the Bishop of Polotsk and Tver, Commemorated on February 3;

Lithuania, 1267-1269, Great Prince, Shvarn, Orthodox Christian
Lithuania Great Prince, 1264-1267, Vaisvilkas; St Charitina the Princess of Lithuania, Commemorated October 5 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Lithuania, 1269-1282, Great Prince, Traidenis, Pagan
Lithuania, 1269-1282, Great Prince, Traidenis, Pagan; Saint Oleg, Prince of Briansk, Commemorated on September 20;

Lithuania, 1300, 14th C Folder, P Olgerd, O Algirdas, Sophia, P Vladmr, L-Moscow War, C Wladyslw, Vitovt tG, Cyprian Met M, K&L

Lithuania, 1316-1377, Great Prince, Olgerd (Algirdas) Pagan, then Orthodox, then Pagan
Lithuanian Great Prince, 1316-1377, Olgerd (Algirdas); Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14;

Lithuania, 1345-1377, Great Prince, Algirdas and his family, Pagans and Orthodox
Lithuanian Great Prince, 1345-1377, Algirdas and his family; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16;

Lithuania, 1351-1453, Sophia of Lithuania, Vytautas' daughter, Russian Basil I's wife, regent for son Vasily II
of Lithuania (1371–1453) was a Grand Princess consort of Muscovy by marriage to Vasili I of Russia. She was regent of Muscovy during the minority of her son from 1425 to 1434. was the only daughter of Vytautas the Great of Lithuania and his first wife, Anna. On 21 January 1391, while her father was engaged in the Lithuanian Civil War, she married Vasili I of Russia. She was the longest serving consort of Russia. Vasili's death in 1425 she became regent for their ten-year-old son Vasili II. Her father supported Vasili's claim to the throne, which was disputed by his uncle, Yuri of Zvenigorod. was buried in the Ascension Convent; the sarcophagus was moved in 1929 to the Cathedral of the Archangel by Soviet authorities.[1] She and Vasili I of Russia had at least nine children: Anna of Moscow (1393 – August 1417), wife of John VIII Palaiologos Yury Vasilievich (30 March 1395 – 30 November 1400) Ivan Vasilievich (15 January 1396 – 20 July 1417), husband of a daughter of Ivan Vladimirovich of Pronsk Anastasia Vasilievna (d. 1470), wife of Vladymir Alexander, Prince of Kiev. Her husband was a son of Vladymir, Prince of Kiev. His paternal grandparents were Algirdas and Maria of Vitebsk. Daniil Vasilievich (6 December 1400 – May 1402). Vasilisa Vasilievna, wife of Alexander Ivanovich "Brukhaty", Prince of Suzdal, and Alexander Daniilovich "Vzmetenj", Prince of Suzdal. Simeon Vasilievich (13 January – 7 April 1405) Maria Vasilievna, wife of Yuri Patrikievich. Her husband was a son of Patrikas, Prince of Starodub, and his wife, Helena. His paternal grandfather was Narimantas. Vasily II of Moscow (10 March 1415 – 27 March 1462) Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); (c. 1350 – October 27, 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great[1] (Lithuanian: About this soundVytautas Didysis (help·info), Polish: Witold Kiejstutowicz, Witold Aleksander or Witold Wielki[1] Ruthenian: Vitovt, Latin: Alexander Vitoldus, Old German: Wythaws or Wythawt)[2] from the 15th century onwards, was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians. He was also the Prince of Grodno (1370–1382), Prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.[3] modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revered as a national hero and was an important figure in the national rebirth in the 19th century. Vytautas is a popular male given name in Lithuania. In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death, Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in the independent Lithuania during the interwar period from 1918 to 1939. It is known that Vytautas himself knew and spoke in the Lithuanian language with Jogaila.[4][5] for power[edit] –1384[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) Seal of Vytautas, c. 14th-15th centuries uncle Algirdas had been Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' father Kestutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kestutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against the Teutonic Order. Algirdas was succeeded by his son Jogaila, and a struggle for power ensued. 1380, Jogaila signed the secret Treaty of Dovydiskes with the Teutonic Order against Kestutis. Kestutis discovered this in 1381, he seized Vilnius, imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kestutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kestutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported to Kreva Castle. One week later, Kestutis was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate. and Kestutis imprisoned by Jogaila. Painting by Wojciech Gerson 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to the Treaty of Dubysa, by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part of Samogitia up to the Dubysa River. However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. was baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name of Wigand. Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to the Nevezis River in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. in July of the same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kestutis' lands, except for Trakai. –1392[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392) and Lithuania, 1386–1434 1385, Jogaila concluded the Union of Krewo with Poland, under which he married Jadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o. participated in the Union and in 1386 was re-baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. left his brother Skirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attacked Vilnius but failed. early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through the Treaty of Konigsberg (1390).[6] Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. army now invaded Lithuania.[citation needed] Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughter Sophia to Vasili I of Russia in 1391.[6] Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not bring any benefit to Poland. 1392, Jogaila sent Henry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with the Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. and Vytautas signed the Astrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all KÄ™stutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila. Duke of Lithuania[edit] towards the East[edit] to Vilnius Cathedral issued by Vytautas in Vilnius on February 16, 1410 (Latin language) continued Algirdas' vision to control as many Ruthenian lands as possible. Much of the territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by the Mongols. Khan of the Golden Horde, sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat by Timur. An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked a part of the Crimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. A number of Tatar captives were brought to ethnic Lithuania. attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by the Treaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himself Supremus Dux Lithuaniae, ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to the knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition of Pskov and Novgorod the Great.[6] of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great, circa 1399–1401. by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support from Pope Boniface IX for organising a crusade against the Mongols. political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that the Teutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. number of territories revolted against Vytautas, and Smolensk was retaken by its hereditary ruler, George of Smolensk, and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-law Vasili I of Moscow and Svitrigaila, a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty of Ugra, by which Velikiy Novgorod was granted to Jogaila's brother Lengvenis, and the important city of Pskov to Jogaila's envoy Jerzy Nos, the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciaz.[7][8] The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despite Hermann II of Celje's attempt to negotiate a solution.[9] against the Teutonic Order[edit] article: Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War the Great as shown on Jan Matejko's oil painting of the Battle of Grunwald the Great Monument in Kaunas the Treaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferred Zemaitija Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights. Zemaitija/Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based in Prussia, from the Livonian Order, based in Latvia. The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Zemaitija for only three years, because on March 13, 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support from Svitrigaila, brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404 Peace of Raciaz was signed, which in essence repeated the Treaty of Salynas: Zemaitija/Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support any Gediminid who could have claims to the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war. 1408, Vytautas reached peace in the east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the second Samogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burned SkirsnemunÄ— castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-day Malbork). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy in the Battle of Grunwald, also called the Battle of Å½algiris (Lithuanian) or Tannenberg (German). The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with the Roman curia.[6] a result of the Peace of Thorn of 1411, Vytautas received Zemaitija (Samogitia) for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas (Neman River) was Zemaitija and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just a few months, and the dispute was brought to the Council of Constance. Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting, the Treaty of Lake Melno was signed. Å½emaitija/Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-day KlaipÄ—da) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until the Memel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland. with Poland[edit] 1399 Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died in childbirth. Jogaila's power in Poland was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was the Union of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case JagieÅ‚Å‚o died first without an heir, the Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters. of Vytautas the Great. Built around 1400 in Kaunas was one of the creators of the Union of HorodÅ‚o with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted Lithuanian Christian nobles the same rights as the Polish szlachta. This act did not include Orthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between the nobles of Poland and of Lithuania. January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk it was proposed by Sigismund, king of Hungary, that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytuatas, king WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw and Polish nobles. envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas coronation and proposing alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and Teutonic Order were stopped at Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430.[10] died in the Trakai Island Castle, ending the whole affair. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius. The knowledge about his remains has been lost. to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour was combined with statesmanlike foresight." the Great watch tower in Kherson, Ukraine commemorative coin dedicated to Vytautas the Great backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule, the influential Radvila (RadziwiÅ‚Å‚) and GoÅ¡tautas families began their rise. 1398, Vytautas brought over families of the Karaim (388 families) and Tatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in the kenesa in Vilnius.[11] beside his uncle Algirdas on the Millennium of Russia in Veliky Novgorod. in 1350 in the castle of present-day Old Trakai (Senieji Trakai), Vytautas was the son of KÄ™stutis and his wife BirutÄ—. Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend of Jogaila (WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he married Anna, who gave birth to Sophia of Lithuania. Sophia was married to Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow, and mother and regent to their son Vasili II. After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her niece Juliana Olshanska, daughter of Ivan Olshanski who outlived him.[12] Because of the relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however, Jan KropidÅ‚o did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418.[13] According to the 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle, his first wife was Maria Åukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources.[13] Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Lithuania, 1362-1394, Lithuanian Great Prince, Vladimir Olgerdovich, Pagan
Kiev Lithuanian King, 1362-1394, Vladimir Olgerdovich; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on January 8; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18;

Lithuania, 1368-1372, Lithuanian-“Muscovite War, Moscow v over Tver and Lith
Lithuania, 1368-1372, Lithuanian-“Muscovite War; Lithuanian–Muscovite War, known in Russia as Litovschina encompasses three raids by Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1368, 1370, and 1372. organized the raids against Dmitry Donskoy in support of the Principality of Tver, chief rival of Moscow. 1368 and 1370, Lithuanians besieged Moscow and burned the posad, but did not succeed in taking the city's Kremlin. 1372, the Lithuanian army was stopped near Lyubutsk where, after a standoff, the Treaty of Lyubutsk was concluded. Lithuanians agreed to cease their aid to Tver, which was defeated in 1375. Mikhail II of Tver had to acknowledge Dmitry as "elder brother".[1] Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14;

Lithuania, 1377-1434, Lithuanian Great Prince Wladyslaw II Jagiello, Pagan to Roman Catholic
Lithuanian Great Prince, 1377-1434, Wladyslaw II Jagiello; later WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o [nb 1] (c. 1352/1362 - 1 June 1434) was Grand Duke of Lithuania (1377–1434) and then King of Poland (1386-1434), first alongside his wife Jadwiga until 1399, and then sole ruler of Poland. He ruled in Lithuania from 1377. a pagan, in 1386 he converted to Catholicism and was baptized as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw in Krakow, married the young Queen Jadwiga, and was crowned King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o.[1] 1387 he converted Lithuania to Christianity. own reign in Poland started in 1399, upon the death of Queen Jadwiga, lasted a further thirty-five years, and laid the foundation for the centuries-long Polish–Lithuanian union. was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty in Poland that bears his name and was previously also known as the Gediminid dynasty in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. dynasty ruled both states until 1572,[nb 2] and became one of the most influential dynasties in late medieval and early modern Europe.[2] his reign, the Polish-Lithuanian state was the largest state in the Christian world.[3] was the last pagan ruler of medieval Lithuania. After he became King of Poland, as a result of the Union of Krewo, the newly formed Polish-Lithuanian union confronted the growing power of the Teutonic Knights. The allied victory at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, followed by the Peace of Thorn, secured the Polish and Lithuanian borders and marked the emergence of the Polish–Lithuanian alliance as a significant force in Europe. The reign of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o extended Polish frontiers and is often considered the beginning of Poland's Golden Age. life[edit] is known of Jogaila's early life, and even his year of birth is uncertain. Previously historians assumed he was born in 1352, but some recent research suggests a later date—about 1362.[4] was a descendant of the Gediminid dynasty and was the son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his second wife, Uliana of Tver.[5] His name had a meaning of more courageous and superior than others, he spent most of his early time in Vilnius, at his father's manor.[6] coin of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila with a lion, minted at the Vilnius Mint between 1386 and 1387 Grand Duchy of Lithuania to which Jogaila succeeded as Grand Duke in 1377 was a political entity composed of two leading, but very different nationalities and two political systems: ethnic Lithuania in the north-west and the vast Ruthenian territories of former Kievan Rus', comprising the lands of modern Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of western Russia.[7] first, Jogaila—like his father—based his rule in the southern and eastern territories of Lithuania, while his uncle, Kestutis, the Duke of Trakai, continued to rule the north-western region.[nb 3] Jogaila's succession, however, soon placed this system of dual rule under strain.[2] the start of his reign, Jogaila was preoccupied with unrest in the Lithuanian Rus' lands. 1377–78, Andrei of Polotsk, the eldest son of Algirdas, challenged Jogaila's authority and sought to become Grand Duke. 1380, Andrei and another brother, Dmitry, sided with Prince Dmitri of Moscow against Jogaila's alliance with emir Mamai, de facto khan of the Golden Horde.[8] Jogaila failed to support Mamai, lingering in the vicinity of the battlefield, which led to Mamai's army's significant defeat at the hands of Prince Dmitri in the Battle of Kulikovo. Muscovites' Pyrrhic victory over the Golden Horde, in the long term, signified, however, the beginning of a slow climb to power by the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which became within a century the most serious rival and threat to the integrity, well-being and survival of Lithuania. in 1380 Muscovy was greatly weakened by tremendous losses suffered during the battle and thus, in the same year, Jogaila was free to begin a struggle for supremacy with Kestutis. of Jogaila with his title (in Latin) as King in Lithuania, used in 1377–1386, before becoming the King of Poland in 1386 the north-west, Lithuania faced constant armed incursions from the Teutonic Knights—founded after 1226 to fight and convert the pagan Baltic tribes of Prussians, Yotvingians and Lithuanians. 1380, Jogaila concluded the secret Treaty of Dovydiskes, directed against Kestutis.[2] Kestutis discovered the plan, the Lithuanian Civil War began. He seized Vilnius, overthrew Jogaila, and pronounced himself grand duke in his place.[9] In 1382, Jogaila raised an army from his father's vassals and confronted KÄ™stutis near Trakai. KÄ™stutis and his son Vytautas entered Jogaila's encampment for negotiations but were tricked and imprisoned in the Kreva Castle, where KÄ™stutis was found dead, probably murdered, a week later.[10] Vytautas escaped to the Teutonic fortress of Marienburg and was baptised there under the name Wigand.[9] formulated the Treaty of Dubysa, which rewarded the Knights for their aid in defeating Kestutis and Vytautas by promising Christianisation and granting them Samogitia west of the Dubysa river. when Jogaila failed to ratify the treaty, the Knights invaded Lithuania in the summer of 1383. In 1384, Jogaila reconciled with Vytautas promising to return his patrimony in Trakai. Vytautas then turned against the Knights, attacking and looting several Prussian castles.[11] is known that Jogaila, being ethnic Lithuanian by the man's line, himself knew and spoke in the Lithuanian language with Vytautas, his cousin from the Gediminids dynasty.[12][13][6] According to the Teutonic Order's testimonial, he could not read nor write, and had to listen to others reading for him.[6] and marriage[edit] also: Jadwiga of Poland Russian mother Uliana of Tver urged him to marry Sofia, daughter of Prince Dmitri of Moscow, who required him first to convert to Orthodoxy.[nb 4] That option, however, was unlikely to halt the crusades against Lithuania by the Teutonic Knights, who regarded Orthodox Christians as schismatics and little better than heathens.[2][9] chose therefore to accept a Polish proposal to become a Catholic and marry the eleven-year-old Queen Jadwiga of Poland.[nb 5] The nobles of Lesser Poland made this offer to Jogaila for many reasons. They wanted to neutralize the dangers posed by Lithuania itself and to secure the fertile territories of Galicia–Volhynia.[14] The Polish nobles saw the offer as an opportunity for increasing their privileges[15] and avoiding Austrian influence, brought by Jadwiga's previous fiancé William, Duke of Austria.[16] 14 August 1385 in Kreva Castle, Jogaila confirmed his prenuptial promises in the Union of Krewo (Union of Kreva). The promises included the adoption of Christianity, repatriation of lands "stolen" from Poland by its neighbours, and terras suas Lithuaniae et Russiae Coronae Regni Poloniae perpetuo applicare, a clause interpreted by historians to mean anything from a personal union between Lithuania and Poland to a complete incorporation of Lithuania into Poland.[17] The agreement at Kreva has been described both as far-sighted and as a desperate gamble.[nb 6] was duly baptised at the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow on 15 February 1386 and from then on formally used the name WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw or Latin versions of it.[18][nb 7] marriage took place three days later, and on 4 March 1386 Jogaila was crowned King WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw by archbishop Bodzanta. He was also to be legally adopted by Jadwiga's mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia, so retaining the throne in the event of Jadwiga's death.[9] He was the first Lithuanian to be crowned as the King of Poland.[19] The royal baptism triggered the conversion of most of Jogaila's court and noblemen, as well as mass baptisms in Lithuanian rivers,[20] a beginning of the final Christianization of Lithuania. Though the ethnic Lithuanian nobility were the main converts to Catholicism—both paganism and the Orthodox rite remained strong among the peasants—the king's conversion and its political implications created lasting repercussions for the history of both Lithuania and Poland.[20] 22 February 1387, he banned Catholics marriages with Orthodox, and demanded those Orthodox who previously married with the Catholics to convert to Catholicism.[19] of Lithuania and Poland[edit] and Lithuania 1386–1434 Å‚adysÅ‚aw II Jagiello and Jadwiga reigned as co-monarchs; and though Jadwiga probably had little real power, she took an active part in Poland's political and cultural life. In 1387, she led two successful military expeditions to Red Ruthenia, recovered lands her father, Louis I of Hungary, had transferred from Poland to Hungary, and secured the homage of Voivode Petru I of Moldavia.[21] In 1390, she also personally opened negotiations with the Teutonic Order. political responsibilities, however, fell to Jagiello, with Jadwiga attending to the cultural and charitable activities for which she is still revered.[21] after Jagiello's accession to the Polish throne, Jagiello granted Vilnius a city charter like that of Krakow, modeled on the Magdeburg Law; and Vytautas issued a privilege to a Jewish commune of Trakai on almost the same terms as privileges issued to the Jews of Poland in the reigns of Boleslaus the Pious and Casimir the Great.[22] WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's policy of unifying the two legal systems was partial and uneven at first but achieved a lasting influence.[21] By the time of the Union of Lublin in 1569, there was not much difference between the administrative and judicial systems in force in Lithuania and Poland.[23] effect of Jagiello's measures was to be the advancement of Catholics in Lithuania at the expense of Orthodox elements; in 1387 and 1413, for example, Lithuanian Catholic boyars were granted special judicial and political privileges denied to the Orthodox boyars.[24] As this process gained momentum, it was accompanied by the rise of both Rus' and Lithuanian identity in the fifteenth century.[25] Denar of Jogaila (minted in 1388–1392) with Vytis (Pahonia) baptism failed to end the crusade of the Teutonic Knights, who claimed his conversion was a sham, perhaps even a heresy, and renewed their incursions on the pretext that pagans remained in Lithuania.[9][26] From then on, however, the Order found it harder to sustain the cause of a crusade and faced the growing threat to its existence posed by the Kingdom of Poland and a genuinely Christian Lithuania alliance.[27][28] WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw sponsored the creation of the diocese of Vilnius under bishop Andrzej Wasilko, the former confessor of Elizabeth of Poland. The bishopric, which included Samogitia, then largely controlled by the Teutonic Order, was subordinated to the see of Gniezno and not to that of Teutonic Königsberg.[9] The decision may not have improved WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's relations with the Order, but it served to introduce closer ties between Lithuania and Poland, enabling the Polish church to freely assist its Lithuanian counterpart.[20] 1389, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's rule in Lithuania faced a revived challenge from Vytautas, who resented the power given to Skirgaila in Lithuania at the expense of his own patrimony.[11] Vytautas started a civil war in Lithuania, aiming to become the Grand Duke. On 4 September 1390, the joint forces of Vytautas and Grand Master Konrad von Wallenrode of the Teutonic Order, laid siege to Vilnius, which was held by WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's regent Skirgaila with combined Polish, Lithuanian and Ruthenian troops.[2] Although the Knights lifted the siege of the castle after a month, they reduced much of the outer city to ruins. This bloody conflict was eventually brought to a temporary halt in 1392 with the Treaty of Ostrów, by which WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw handed over the government of Lithuania to his cousin in exchange for peace: Vytautas was to rule Lithuania as the grand duke (magnus dux) until his death, under the overlordship of the Supreme Duke (dux supremus) in the person of the Polish monarch.[29] Skirgaila was moved from the Duchy of Trakai to become prince of Kiev.[30] Vytautas initially accepted his status but soon began to pursue Lithuania's independence from Poland.[21][31] protracted period of war between the Lithuanians and the Teutonic Knights was ended on 12 October 1398 by the Treaty of Salynas, named after the islet in the Neman River where it was signed. Lithuania agreed to cede Samogitia and assist the Teutonic Order in a campaign to seize Pskov, while the Order agreed to assist Lithuania in a campaign to seize Novgorod.[21] afterwards, Vytautas was crowned as a king by local nobles; but the following year his forces and those of his ally, Khan Tokhtamysh of the White Horde, were crushed by the Timurids at the Battle of the Vorskla River, ending his imperial ambitions in the east and obliging him to submit to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's protection once more.[2][31] of Poland[edit] actions[edit] 22 June 1399, Jadwiga gave birth to a daughter, baptised Elizabeth Bonifacia, but within a month the mother and daughter died, leaving WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw sole ruler of the Kingdom of Poland and without an heir nor much legitimacy to rule the kingdom. Jadwiga's death undermined WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's right to the throne, and as a result old conflicts between the nobility of Lesser Poland, generally sympathetic to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw, and the gentry of Greater Poland began to surface. In 1402, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw answered the rumblings against his rule by marrying Anna of Celje, a granddaughter of Casimir III of Poland, a political match that re-legitimised his reign. Union of Vilnius and Radom of 1401 confirmed the status of Vytautas as grand duke under WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's overlordship, while assuring the title of grand duke to the heirs of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw rather than those of Vytautas: should WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw die without heirs, the Lithuanian boyars were to elect a new monarch.[32][33] Since no heir had yet been produced by either monarch, the implications of the union were unforeseeable, but it forged bonds between the Polish and Lithuanian nobility and a permanent defensive alliance between the two states, strengthening Lithuania's hand for a new war against the Teutonic Order in which Poland officially took no part.[27][31] the document left the liberties of the Polish nobles untouched, it granted increased power to the boyars of Lithuania, whose grand dukes had till then been unencumbered by checks and balances of the sort attached to the Polish monarchy. The Union of Vilnius and Radom therefore earned WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw a measure of support in Lithuania.[21] late 1401, the new war against the Order overstretched the resources of the Lithuanians, who found themselves fighting on two fronts after uprisings in the eastern provinces. of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's brothers, the malcontent Svitrigaila, chose this moment to stir up revolts behind the lines and declare himself grand duke.[26] On 31 January 1402, he presented himself in Marienburg, where he won the backing of the Knights with concessions similar to those made by Jogaila and Vytautas during earlier leadership contests in the Grand Duchy.[32] the Teutonic Order[edit] seal of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o war ended in the Treaty of Raciaz on 22 May 1404. Å‚adysÅ‚aw acceded to the formal cession of Samogitia and agreed to support the Order's designs on Pskov; in return, Konrad von Jungingen undertook to sell Poland the disputed DobrzyÅ„ Land and the town of Zotoryja, once pawned to the Order by WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Opolski, and to support Vytautas in a revived attempt on Novgorod.[32] Both sides had practical reasons for signing the treaty at that point: the Order needed time to fortify its newly acquired lands, the Poles and Lithuanians to deal with territorial challenges in the east and in Silesia. in 1404, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw held talks at Vratislav with Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, who offered to return Silesia to Poland if WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw supported him in his power struggle within the Holy Roman Empire.[34] WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw turned the deal down with the agreement of both Polish and Silesian nobles, unwilling to burden himself with new military commitments in the west.[35] –Lithuanian–Teutonic war[edit] articles: Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War and Battle of Grunwald of Grunwald, 1410. Painting by Jan Matejko December 1408, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw and Vytautas held strategic talks in Navahrudak Castle, where they decided to foment a Samogitian uprising against Teutonic rule to draw German forces away from Pomerelia. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw promised to repay Vytautas for his support by restoring Samogitia to Lithuania in any future peace treaty.[36] uprising, which began in May 1409, at first provoked little reaction from the Knights, who had not yet consolidated their rule in Samogitia by building castles; but by June their diplomats were busy lobbying WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's court at Oborniki, warning his nobles against Polish involvement in a war between Lithuania and the Order.[37] WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw, however, bypassed his nobles and informed new Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen that if the Knights acted to suppress Samogitia, Poland would intervene. This stung the Order into issuing a declaration of war against Poland on 6 August, which WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw received on 14 August in Nowy Korczyn.[37] castles guarding the northern border were in such bad condition that the Knights easily captured those at Zotoryja, Dobrzyn and Bobrowniki, the capital of Dobrzyn Land, while German burghers invited them into Bydgoszcz. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw arrived on the scene in late September, retook Bydgoszcz within a week, and came to terms with the Order on 8 October. During the winter, the two armies prepared for a major confrontation. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw installed a strategic supply depot at PÅ‚ock in Masovia and had a pontoon bridge constructed and transported north down the Vistula.[38] both sides unleashed diplomatic offensives. The Knights dispatched letters to the monarchs of Europe, preaching their usual crusade against the heathens;[39] WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw countered with his own letters to the monarchs, accusing the Order of planning to conquer the whole world.[40] Such appeals successfully recruited many foreign knights to each side. Wenceslas IV of Bohemia signed a defensive treaty with the Poles against the Teutonic Order; his brother, Sigismund of Luxembourg, allied himself with the Order and declared war against Poland on 12 July, though his Hungarian vassals refused his call to arms.[41] of Grunwald[edit] article: Battle of Grunwald Teutonic Order's castle at Marienburg the war resumed in June 1410, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw advanced into the Teutonic heartland at the head of an army of about 20,000 mounted nobles, 15,000 armed commoners, and 2,000 professional cavalry mainly hired from Bohemia. After crossing the Vistula over the pontoon bridge at CzerwiÅ„sk, his troops met up with those of Vytautas, whose 11,000 light cavalry included Lithuanians, Ruthenians, and Tatars.[42] The Teutonic Order's army numbered about 18,000 cavalry, mostly Germans, and 5,000 infantry. On 15 July, at the Battle of Grunwald after one of the largest and most ferocious battles of the Middle Ages,[43] the allies won a victory so overwhelming that the Teutonic Order's army was virtually annihilated, with most of its key commanders killed in combat, including Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen and Grand Marshal Friedrich von Wallenrode. Thousands of troops were reported to have been slaughtered on either side.[42] road to the Teutonic capital Marienburg now lay open, the city undefended; but for reasons the sources do not explain, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw hesitated to pursue his advantage.[44] On 17 July, his army began a laboured advance, arriving at Marienburg only on 25 July, by which time the new Grand Master, Heinrich von Plauen, had organised a defence of the fortress.[45][46] The apparent half-heartedness of the ensuing siege, called off by WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw on 19 September, has been ascribed variously to the impregnability of the fortifications,[45] to high casualty figures among the Lithuanians, to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's unwillingness to risk further casualties, or to his desire to keep the Order weakened but undefeated as to not upset the balance of power between Poland (which would most likely acquire most of the Order possessions if it was totally defeated) and Lithuania; but a lack of sources precludes a definitive explanation.[47] and Lithuanian conflict with Teutonic Prussia, 1377–1434. war ended in 1411 with the Peace of Thorn, in which neither Poland nor Lithuania drove home their negotiating advantage to the full, much to the discontent of the Polish nobles. Poland regained DobrzyÅ„ Land, Lithuania regained Samogitia, and Masovia regained a small territory beyond the Wkra river. Most of the Teutonic Order's territory, however, including towns that had surrendered, remained intact. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw then proceeded to release many high-ranking Teutonic Knights and officials for apparently modest ransoms. The cumulative expense of the ransoms, however, proved a drain on the Order's resources.[48] This failure to exploit the victory to his nobles' satisfaction provoked growing opposition to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's regime after 1411, further fuelled by the granting of Podolia, disputed between Poland and Lithuania, to Vytautas, and by the king's two-year absence in Lithuania.[49] an effort to outflank his critics, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw promoted the leader of the opposing faction, bishop MikoÅ‚aj TrÄ…ba, to the archbishopric of Gniezno in autumn 1411 and replaced him in Kraków with Wojciech JastrzÄ™biec, a supporter of Vytautas.[49] He also sought to create more allies in Lithuania. In the Union of HorodÅ‚o, signed on 2 October 1413, he decreed that the status of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was "tied to our Kingdom of Poland permanently and irreversibly" and granted the Catholic nobles of Lithuania privileges equal to those of the Polish szlachta. The act included a clause prohibiting the Polish nobles from electing a monarch without the consent of the Lithuanian nobles, and the Lithuanian nobles from electing a grand duke without the consent of the Polish monarch.[33][50] conflicts[edit] 1414, a sporadic new war broke out, known as the "Hunger War" from the Knights' scorched-earth tactics of burning fields and mills; but both the Knights and the Lithuanians were too exhausted from the previous war to risk a major battle, and the fighting petered out in the autumn.[49] Hostilities did not flare up again until 1419, during the Council of Constance, when they were called off at the papal legate's insistence.[49] Council of Constance proved a turning point in the Teutonic crusades, as it did for several European conflicts. Vytautas sent a delegation in 1415, including the metropolitan of Kiev and Samogitian witnesses; they arrived at Constance at the end of that year to express their preference for being "baptised with water and not with blood".[51] The Polish envoys, among them MikoÅ‚aj TrÄ…ba, Zawisza Czarny, and PaweÅ‚ WÅ‚odkowic, lobbied for an end to the forced conversion of heathens and to the Order's aggression against Lithuania and Poland.[52] As a result of the Polish–Lithuanian diplomacy, the council, though scandalised by WÅ‚odkowic's questioning of the legitimacy of the monastic state, denied the Order's request for a further crusade and instead entrusted the conversion of the Samogitians to Poland–Lithuania.[53] diplomatic context at Constance included the revolt of the Bohemian Hussites, who looked upon Poland as an ally in their wars against Sigismund, the emperor elect and new king of Bohemia. In 1421, the Bohemian Diet declared Sigismund deposed and formally offered the crown to WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw on condition that he accept the religious principles of the Four Articles of Prague, which he was not prepared to do. After WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's refusal, Vytautas was postulated (elected in absentia) as Bohemian king, but he assured the pope that he opposed the heretics. Between 1422 and 1428, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's nephew, Sigismund Korybut, attempted a regency in war-torn Bohemia, with little success.[54] Vytautas accepted Sigismund's offer of a royal crown in 1429—apparently with WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's blessing—but Polish forces intercepted the crown in transit and the coronation was cancelled.[33][55] 1422, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw fought another war, known as the Gollub War, against the Teutonic Order, defeating them in under two months before the Order's imperial reinforcements had time to arrive. The resulting Treaty of Melno ended the Knights' claims to Samogitia once and for all and defined a permanent border between Prussia and Lithuania. Lithuania was given the province of Samogitia, with the port of Palanga, but the city of KlaipÄ—da was left to the Order.[33] This border remained largely unchanged for roughly 500 years, until 1920. The terms of this treaty have, however, been seen as turning a Polish victory into defeat, as a result of WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's renunciation of Polish claims to Pomerania, Pomerelia, and CheÅ‚mno Land, for which he received only the town of Nieszawa in return.[56] The Treaty of Melno closed a chapter in the Knights' wars with Lithuania but did little to settle their long-term issues with Poland. Further sporadic warfare broke out between Poland and the Knights between 1431 and 1435. in the cooperation between Poland and Lithuania after the death of Vytautas in 1430 had offered the Knights a revived opportunity for interference in Poland. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw supported his brother Å vitrigaila as grand duke of Lithuania,[18] but when Å vitrigaila, with the support of the Teutonic Order and dissatisfied Rus' nobles,[25] rebelled against Polish overlordship in Lithuania, the Poles, under the leadership of Bishop Zbigniew OleÅ›nicki of Kraków, occupied Podolia, which WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw had awarded to Lithuania in 1411, and Volhynia.[33] In 1432, a pro-Polish party in Lithuania elected Vytautas's brother Å½ygimantas as grand duke,[18] leading to an armed struggle over the Lithuanian succession which stuttered on for years after WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's death.[25][33] and death[edit] Å‚Å‚o's sarcophagus, Wawel Cathedral the dying request of the childless Jadwiga he married a Styrian lady, Anna of Celje.[57] She died in 1416, leaving a daughter, Jadwiga. In 1417, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw married Elisabeth of Pilica, who died in 1420 without bearing him a child, and two years later, Sophia of Halshany (niece of Uliana Olshanska), who bore him two surviving sons. The death in 1431 of his daughter Jadwiga, the last heir of Piast blood, released WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw to make his sons by Lithuanian noblewoman Sophia of Halshany his heirs, though he had to sweeten the Polish nobility with concessions to ensure their agreement, since the monarchy was elective, therefore in 1427 the Polish nobles initiated an anti-Jagiellonian opposition which attempted to have WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's sons WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III and Casimir IV Jagiellon declared illegitimate to the Polish throne as they had no blood link to the previous ruling Polish dynasty, the Piasts.[58] an excursion into PrzemyÅ›l Land in the 48th year of his reign, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw caught a cold from which he was unable to recover.[59][18] He finally died in Grodek in 1434, leaving Poland to his elder son, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw III, and Lithuania to his younger, Casimir, both still minors at the time.[60][61] The Lithuanian inheritance, however, could not be taken for granted. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's death ended the personal union between the two realms, and it was not clear what would take its place.[62] Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16;

Lithuania, 1382-1402, Ivan Olshansky, friend of Prince Vitovt (Vytautas the Great), First Olshansky Prince
Lithuania, 1382-1402, Ivan Olshansky, friend of Vytautas the Great, First Olshansky Prince, Yurii Dubrovitsky-Olshansky, Father of Juliana Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Lithuania, 1385-1406, Patriarch Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow, Kiev and Lithuania
Moscow Patriarch, 1385-1406, Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13;

Lithuania, 1392-1430, Vytautas t Great, civil war struggle for power ruthenian (Rus) Lands, w M Horde and Basil I
Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); (c. 1350 – October 27, 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great[1] (Lithuanian: About this soundVytautas Didysis (help·info), Polish: Witold Kiejstutowicz, Witold Aleksander or Witold Wielki[1] Ruthenian: Vitovt, Latin: Alexander Vitoldus, Old German: Wythaws or Wythawt)[2] from the 15th century onwards, was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians. He was also the Prince of Grodno (1370–1382), Prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.[3] modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revered as a national hero and was an important figure in the national rebirth in the 19th century. Vytautas is a popular male given name in Lithuania. In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death, Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in the independent Lithuania during the interwar period from 1918 to 1939. It is known that Vytautas himself knew and spoke in the Lithuanian language with Jogaila.[4][5] for power[edit] –1384[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) Seal of Vytautas, c. 14th-15th centuries uncle Algirdas had been Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' father Kestutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kestutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against the Teutonic Order. Algirdas was succeeded by his son Jogaila, and a struggle for power ensued. 1380, Jogaila signed the secret Treaty of Dovydiskes with the Teutonic Order against Kestutis. Kestutis discovered this in 1381, he seized Vilnius, imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kestutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kestutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported to Kreva Castle. One week later, Kestutis was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate. and Kestutis imprisoned by Jogaila. Painting by Wojciech Gerson 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to the Treaty of Dubysa, by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part of Samogitia up to the Dubysa River. However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. was baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name of Wigand. Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to the Nevezis River in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. in July of the same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kestutis' lands, except for Trakai. –1392[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392) and Lithuania, 1386–1434 1385, Jogaila concluded the Union of Krewo with Poland, under which he married Jadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o. participated in the Union and in 1386 was re-baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. left his brother Skirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attacked Vilnius but failed. early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through the Treaty of Konigsberg (1390).[6] Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. army now invaded Lithuania.[citation needed] Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughter Sophia to Vasili I of Russia in 1391.[6] Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not bring any benefit to Poland. 1392, Jogaila sent Henry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with the Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. and Vytautas signed the Astrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all KÄ™stutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila. Duke of Lithuania[edit] towards the East[edit] to Vilnius Cathedral issued by Vytautas in Vilnius on February 16, 1410 (Latin language) continued Algirdas' vision to control as many Ruthenian lands as possible. Much of the territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by the Mongols. Khan of the Golden Horde, sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat by Timur. An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked a part of the Crimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. A number of Tatar captives were brought to ethnic Lithuania. attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by the Treaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himself Supremus Dux Lithuaniae, ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to the knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition of Pskov and Novgorod the Great.[6] of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great, circa 1399–1401. by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support from Pope Boniface IX for organising a crusade against the Mongols. political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that the Teutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. number of territories revolted against Vytautas, and Smolensk was retaken by its hereditary ruler, George of Smolensk, and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-law Vasili I of Moscow and Svitrigaila, a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty of Ugra, by which Velikiy Novgorod was granted to Jogaila's brother Lengvenis, and the important city of Pskov to Jogaila's envoy Jerzy Nos, the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciaz.[7][8] The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despite Hermann II of Celje's attempt to negotiate a solution.[9] against the Teutonic Order[edit] article: Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War the Great as shown on Jan Matejko's oil painting of the Battle of Grunwald the Great Monument in Kaunas the Treaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferred Zemaitija Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights. Zemaitija/Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based in Prussia, from the Livonian Order, based in Latvia. The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Zemaitija for only three years, because on March 13, 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support from Svitrigaila, brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404 Peace of Raciaz was signed, which in essence repeated the Treaty of Salynas: Zemaitija/Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support any Gediminid who could have claims to the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war. 1408, Vytautas reached peace in the east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the second Samogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burned SkirsnemunÄ— castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-day Malbork). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy in the Battle of Grunwald, also called the Battle of Å½algiris (Lithuanian) or Tannenberg (German). The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with the Roman curia.[6] a result of the Peace of Thorn of 1411, Vytautas received Zemaitija (Samogitia) for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas (Neman River) was Zemaitija and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just a few months, and the dispute was brought to the Council of Constance. Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting, the Treaty of Lake Melno was signed. Å½emaitija/Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-day KlaipÄ—da) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until the Memel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland. with Poland[edit] 1399 Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died in childbirth. Jogaila's power in Poland was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was the Union of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case JagieÅ‚Å‚o died first without an heir, the Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters. of Vytautas the Great. Built around 1400 in Kaunas was one of the creators of the Union of HorodÅ‚o with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted Lithuanian Christian nobles the same rights as the Polish szlachta. This act did not include Orthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between the nobles of Poland and of Lithuania. January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk it was proposed by Sigismund, king of Hungary, that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytuatas, king WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw and Polish nobles. envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas coronation and proposing alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and Teutonic Order were stopped at Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430.[10] died in the Trakai Island Castle, ending the whole affair. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius. The knowledge about his remains has been lost. to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour was combined with statesmanlike foresight." the Great watch tower in Kherson, Ukraine commemorative coin dedicated to Vytautas the Great backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule, the influential Radvila (RadziwiÅ‚Å‚) and GoÅ¡tautas families began their rise. 1398, Vytautas brought over families of the Karaim (388 families) and Tatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in the kenesa in Vilnius.[11] beside his uncle Algirdas on the Millennium of Russia in Veliky Novgorod. in 1350 in the castle of present-day Old Trakai (Senieji Trakai), Vytautas was the son of KÄ™stutis and his wife BirutÄ—. Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend of Jogaila (WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he married Anna, who gave birth to Sophia of Lithuania. Sophia was married to Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow, and mother and regent to their son Vasili II. After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her niece Juliana Olshanska, daughter of Ivan Olshanski who outlived him.[12] Because of the relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however, Jan KropidÅ‚o did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418.[13] According to the 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle, his first wife was Maria Åukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources.[13] Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Lithuania, 1392-1430, Vitovt, Vytautas t Great, civil war, ruthenian (Rus) Lands, w M Horde and Basil I
Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); (c. 1350 – October 27, 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great[1] (Lithuanian: About this soundVytautas Didysis (help·info), Polish: Witold Kiejstutowicz, Witold Aleksander or Witold Wielki[1] Ruthenian: Vitovt, Latin: Alexander Vitoldus, Old German: Wythaws or Wythawt)[2] from the 15th century onwards, was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which chiefly encompassed the Lithuanians and Ruthenians. He was also the Prince of Grodno (1370–1382), Prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.[3] modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revered as a national hero and was an important figure in the national rebirth in the 19th century. Vytautas is a popular male given name in Lithuania. In commemoration of the 500-year anniversary of his death, Vytautas Magnus University was named after him. Monuments in his honour were built in many towns in the independent Lithuania during the interwar period from 1918 to 1939. It is known that Vytautas himself knew and spoke in the Lithuanian language with Jogaila.[4][5] for power[edit] –1384[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1381–1384) Seal of Vytautas, c. 14th-15th centuries uncle Algirdas had been Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1377. Algirdas and Vytautas' father Kestutis had ruled jointly in the form of diarchy, with Algirdas governing the east and Kestutis the west, primarily responsible for defense against the Teutonic Order. Algirdas was succeeded by his son Jogaila, and a struggle for power ensued. 1380, Jogaila signed the secret Treaty of Dovydiskes with the Teutonic Order against Kestutis. Kestutis discovered this in 1381, he seized Vilnius, imprisoned Jogaila, and made himself Grand Duke. Jogaila escaped and raised an army against Kestutis. The two sides confronted each other but never engaged in battle. Kestutis was ready to negotiate, but he and Vytautas were arrested and transported to Kreva Castle. One week later, Kestutis was found dead. Whether he died of natural causes or was murdered is still a matter of debate. and Kestutis imprisoned by Jogaila. Painting by Wojciech Gerson 1382, Vytautas escaped from Kreva and he sought help from the Teutonic Order, who were negotiating with Jogaila at the time. Jogaila and the Order agreed to the Treaty of Dubysa, by which Jogaila promised to accept Christianity, become an ally of the Order, and give the Order part of Samogitia up to the Dubysa River. However, the treaty was never ratified and in summer 1383, the war between Jogaila and the Order resumed. was baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name of Wigand. Vytautas participated in several raids against Jogaila. In January 1384, Vytautas promised to cede part of Samogitia to the Teutonic Order, up to the Nevezis River in return for recognition as Grand Duke of Lithuania. in July of the same year, Vytautas broke with the Order and reconciled with Jogaila. He then burned three important Teutonic castles, and regained all Kestutis' lands, except for Trakai. –1392[edit] article: Lithuanian Civil War (1389–1392) and Lithuania, 1386–1434 1385, Jogaila concluded the Union of Krewo with Poland, under which he married Jadwiga of Poland and became King of Poland as WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o. participated in the Union and in 1386 was re-baptised as a Catholic, receiving the name Alexander. left his brother Skirgaila as regent in Lithuania. However, Skirgaila was unpopular with the people and Vytautas saw an opportunity to become Grand Duke. In 1389, he attacked Vilnius but failed. early 1390, Vytautas again allied with the Teutonic Order through the Treaty of Konigsberg (1390).[6] Vytautas had to confirm his agreement of 1384, and cede Samogitia to the Order. army now invaded Lithuania.[citation needed] Also, to gain more influence, Vytautas married his only daughter Sophia to Vasili I of Russia in 1391.[6] Polish nobles were unhappy that their new king spent too much time on Lithuanian affairs. It was clear that the war could continue for years and would not bring any benefit to Poland. 1392, Jogaila sent Henry of Masovia with an offer to make Vytautas regent instead of Skirgaila. Vytautas accepted and again broke with the Order. He burned three Teutonic castles and returned to Vilnius. and Vytautas signed the Astrava Treaty in which Vytautas recovered all KÄ™stutis' lands, including Trakai, and was given more. Vytautas would rule Lithuania in the name of Jogaila. After Vytautas' death, all his lands and powers would revert to Jogaila. Duke of Lithuania[edit] towards the East[edit] to Vilnius Cathedral issued by Vytautas in Vilnius on February 16, 1410 (Latin language) continued Algirdas' vision to control as many Ruthenian lands as possible. Much of the territory was already under the Grand Duke's rule, but the rest was controlled by the Mongols. Khan of the Golden Horde, sought help from Vytautas when he was removed from the throne in 1395 after his defeat by Timur. An agreement was reached that Vytautas would help Tokhtamysh to regain power, and the Horde would cede more lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in return. In 1398, Vytautas' army attacked a part of the Crimea and built a castle there. Now Lithuania spanned from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. A number of Tatar captives were brought to ethnic Lithuania. attempts on the part of Poland to subordinate Lithuania drove Vytautas for the third time into the arms of the Order, and by the Treaty of Salynas in October 1398, Vytautas, who now styled himself Supremus Dux Lithuaniae, ceded his ancestral province of Samogitia to the knights, formed an alliance with them for the conquest and partition of Pskov and Novgorod the Great.[6] of Smolensk coin with lions or leopards and the Columns of Gediminas, showing it as a vassal of Vytautas the Great, circa 1399–1401. by his successful campaign against Timur, Vytautas and Jogaila won support from Pope Boniface IX for organising a crusade against the Mongols. political move also demonstrated that Lithuania had fully accepted Christianity and was defending the faith on its own, and that the Teutonic Knights had no further basis for attacks against Lithuania. campaign resulted in a crushing defeat at the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. Over twenty princes, including two brothers of Jogaila, were killed, and Vytautas himself barely escaped alive. This came as a shock to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. number of territories revolted against Vytautas, and Smolensk was retaken by its hereditary ruler, George of Smolensk, and not re-conquered by Lithuanians until 1404. waged a war in 1406–1408 against his son-in-law Vasili I of Moscow and Svitrigaila, a brother of Jogaila who with the support of the Teutonic Order had declared himself grand prince. A major stand-off between the two armies ended without a battle in the Treaty of Ugra, by which Velikiy Novgorod was granted to Jogaila's brother Lengvenis, and the important city of Pskov to Jogaila's envoy Jerzy Nos, the latter settlement a clear violation of the treaty of Raciaz.[7][8] The war with Muscovy ended in December 1408, on terms that made further conflict with the Teutonic Order inevitable, despite Hermann II of Celje's attempt to negotiate a solution.[9] against the Teutonic Order[edit] article: Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War the Great as shown on Jan Matejko's oil painting of the Battle of Grunwald the Great Monument in Kaunas the Treaty of Salynas Vytautas had transferred Zemaitija Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights. Zemaitija/Samogitia was especially important for the Order because it separated the Teutonic Knights, based in Prussia, from the Livonian Order, based in Latvia. The two orders desired to unite and form a mighty force. However, the knights ruled Zemaitija for only three years, because on March 13, 1401, the Samogitians, supported by Vytautas, rebelled and burned two castles. The knights received support from Svitrigaila, brother of Jogaila, who desired to take Vytautas' title. In 1404 Peace of Raciaz was signed, which in essence repeated the Treaty of Salynas: Zemaitija/Samogitia was transferred to the Teutonic Knights. Poland promised not to support Lithuania in case of another war. The knights promised to support Vytautas in the east and not to support any Gediminid who could have claims to the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania. However, the treaty did not solve the problems, and all the parties prepared for war. 1408, Vytautas reached peace in the east and returned to Samogitian matters. In 1409 the second Samogitian uprising against the Teutonic Knights began, as the rebels burned SkirsnemunÄ— castle. Both Poland and Lithuania supported the rebels. Vytautas gathered a large army from 18 lands under his control. The army joined Polish forces and advanced towards the Teutonic headquarters at the castle of Marienburg (present-day Malbork). In 1410, Vytautas himself commanded the forces of the Grand Duchy in the Battle of Grunwald, also called the Battle of Å½algiris (Lithuanian) or Tannenberg (German). The battle ended in a decisive Polish-Lithuanian victory. Even though the siege of Marienburg was unsuccessful, the Teutonic Knights never regained their strength and from then on posed a reduced threat to Poland-Lithuania. From now on, Poland-Lithuania began to be regarded in the west as a great power, and Vytautas stood in high favour with the Roman curia.[6] a result of the Peace of Thorn of 1411, Vytautas received Zemaitija (Samogitia) for his lifetime. However, the parties could not agree on the border. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, agreed to mediate the dispute. In 1413, it was declared that the whole right bank of the Nemunas (Neman River) was Zemaitija and therefore belonged to Lithuania. The Teutonic Knights disagreed and a new war started in 1414. The war lasted for just a few months, and the dispute was brought to the Council of Constance. Even though the dispute was not resolved, the Samogitians had a chance to present their case to the leaders of Europe. It is seen as an important event in the diplomatic history of Lithuania. Several other mediation attempts failed, and yet another war with the Teutonic Order started in 1422. After several months of fighting, the Treaty of Lake Melno was signed. Å½emaitija/Samogitia was returned to Lithuania in perpetuity, while the city of Memel (present-day KlaipÄ—da) and surrounding territories stayed with the Order. This border, as established by the treaty, remained stable for some 500 years until the Memel Territory dispute of 1923. With peace established, Vytautas could now concentrate on reforms and the relationship with Poland. with Poland[edit] 1399 Jadwiga of Poland and her newborn died in childbirth. Jogaila's power in Poland was jeopardised as he was a foreigner king with no other ties to the throne but his wife. Also, the defeat at Vorskla forced a re-evaluation of the relationship between Poland and Lithuania. The result was the Union of Vilnius and Radom in 1401. Vytautas was granted wide autonomy, but after his death the title and powers of Grand Duke of Lithuania were to be transferred to the king of Poland. In case JagieÅ‚Å‚o died first without an heir, the Polish nobility agreed not to elect a new king without consulting Vytautas. The unique feature of this union was that the Lithuanian nobility presented their own document: for the first time somebody other than dukes played a role in the state matters. of Vytautas the Great. Built around 1400 in Kaunas was one of the creators of the Union of HorodÅ‚o with Poland in 1413. According to the act of the union, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own parliament. At the same time both the Polish and Lithuanian Sejms were to discuss all the important matters jointly. This union was important culturally as well as politically because it granted Lithuanian Christian nobles the same rights as the Polish szlachta. This act did not include Orthodox nobles. This paved the way for more contacts and cooperation between the nobles of Poland and of Lithuania. January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk it was proposed by Sigismund, king of Hungary, that Vytautas should be crowned King of Lithuania. It resulted in a great crisis between Vytuatas, king WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw and Polish nobles. envoys who were transporting documents supporting Vytautas coronation and proposing alliance between Lithuania, Hungary and Teutonic Order were stopped at Polish-Lithuanian border in the autumn of 1430.[10] died in the Trakai Island Castle, ending the whole affair. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius. The knowledge about his remains has been lost. to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Vytautas "was certainly the most imposing personality of his day in Eastern Europe, and his martial valour was combined with statesmanlike foresight." the Great watch tower in Kherson, Ukraine commemorative coin dedicated to Vytautas the Great backed the economic development of his state and introduced many reforms. Under his rule the Grand Duchy of Lithuania gradually became more centralised, as local princes with dynastic ties to the throne were replaced by the governors loyal to Vytautas. The governors were rich landowners who formed the basis for the Lithuanian nobility. During Vytautas' rule, the influential Radvila (RadziwiÅ‚Å‚) and GoÅ¡tautas families began their rise. 1398, Vytautas brought over families of the Karaim (388 families) and Tatar peoples. Their principal role was to guard the castle and the bridges, but they also served as translators, farmers, traders, and diplomats. He retains a very high reputation among them, with the anniversary of his death being officially celebrated in 1930 in the kenesa in Vilnius.[11] beside his uncle Algirdas on the Millennium of Russia in Veliky Novgorod. in 1350 in the castle of present-day Old Trakai (Senieji Trakai), Vytautas was the son of KÄ™stutis and his wife BirutÄ—. Vytautas was a cousin and childhood friend of Jogaila (WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II JagieÅ‚Å‚o), who became King of Poland in 1386. Around 1370, he married Anna, who gave birth to Sophia of Lithuania. Sophia was married to Vasily I, Grand Prince of Moscow, and mother and regent to their son Vasili II. After Anna's death in 1418, Vytautas married her niece Juliana Olshanska, daughter of Ivan Olshanski who outlived him.[12] Because of the relationship between the two women, the Bishop of Vilnius was unwilling to perform the ceremony without a papal dispensation; however, Jan KropidÅ‚o did not have such scruples and married them on 13 November 1418.[13] According to the 16th century Bychowiec Chronicle, his first wife was Maria Åukomska, however, this is not confirmed by other sources.[13] Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Lithuania, 1400, 15th C Folder, 2 Julianas, Odox GP Svdrgl, R Catholic GP Casimir Jaglln, RC GP Alex J Pol King, Vilnius Icon tL

Lithuania, 1406, Juliana oVyazma, virtues&chastity, wYuri fled Vitovt over hill tTver, adultry, J wounded Y, Y killed J

Lithuania, 1418-1430, Uliana Olshanska (Juliana Olshanskaya) Orthodox Saint
Lithuania, 1418-1430, Uliana Olshanska (Juliana Olshanskaya); Lithuania, 1382-1402, Ivan Olshansky, friend of Vytautas the Great, First Olshansky Prince, Yurii Dubrovitsky-Olshansky, Father of Juliana Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; of the Relics of the Virgin Juliana, Princess of Olshansk. Saint Juliana lived during the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Her father, Prince Yurii Dubrovitsky-Olshansky, was one of the benefactors of the Kiev Caves Lavra. God-pleasing virgin died at the age of sixteen. Her body, which was buried at the Kiev Caves Lavra near the great church, was found incorrupt during the time of Archimandrite Elisha Pletenets (1599-1624). holy relics were in a fire at the great church in the year 1718, and were put into a reliquary and placed in the church of the Near Caves. Juliana appeared to Archimandrite Peter Moghila (afterwards Metropolitan of Kiev) in a dream, reproaching him for the carelessness and lack of respect shown to her relics. He ordered a new reliquary to be made, for which a suitable covering was made by pious nuns. On the reliquary was the inscription: “By the will of the Creator of heaven and earth Juliana, patroness and great intercessor to Heaven, rests here for all time. Here are the bones ... healing against all passions ... You adorn Paradise, Juliana, like a beautiful flower ...â€ miracles have been worked by Saint Juliana, and she helps those who venerate her holy relics with piety and faith. She is also commemorated on October 10 with the seven saints of Volhynia.

Lithuania, 1430-1432, Prince Svidrigailo, largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles
Lithuania, 1430-1432, Prince Svidrigailo; (before 1370 – 10 February 1452; sometimes spelled Svidrigiello) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432.[2] He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund Kestulaitis. Lithuanian prince Vitovt 1392-1430 (Vytautas the Great); Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed Heaven, Commemorated on March 6;

Lithuania, 1440-1492, Grand Duke, Casimir IV Jagiellon, King Poland, Roman Catholic
Lithuanian Grand Duke, 1440-1492, Casimir IV Jagiellon, King Poland; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14 ; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16;

Lithuania, 1492-1506, G Duke, Alexander I Jagiellon, Polish K, Catholic, war w Ivan III, peace, married Ivan's d
Alexander I Jagiellon, Grand Duke Lithuania, King Poland, 1492-1506; Alexander Jagiellon (5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) of the House of Jagiellon was the grand duke of Lithuania and later also king of Poland.[2] was the fourth son of Casimir IV Jagiellon. He was elected grand duke of Lithuania on the death of his father (1492) and king of Poland on the death of his brother John I Albert (1501). 1 Biography 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External links was born as the fourth son of King Casimir IV of Poland and Elisabeth, daughter of the King Albert of Hungary. At the time of his father's death in 1492, his eldest brother Vladislaus had already become king of Bohemia (1471) and Hungary and Croatia (1490), and the next oldest brother, Casimir, had died (1484) after leading an ascetic and pious life in his final years, resulting in his eventual canonization. While the third oldest brother, John I Albert was chosen by the Polish nobility (szlachta) to be the next king of Poland, the Lithuanians instead elected Alexander to be their next grand duke. greatest challenge that Alexander faced upon assuming control of the grand duchy was an attack on Lithuania by Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia and his allies, the Tatars of the Crimean Khanate, which commenced shortly after his accession. III considered himself the heir to the lands of Kievan Rus', and was striving to take back the territory previously gained by Lithuania. to successfully stop the incursions, Alexander sent a delegation to Moscow to make a peace settlement, which was signed in 1494 and ceded extensive land over to Ivan. an additional effort to instill a peace between the two countries, Alexander was betrothed to Helena, the daughter of Ivan III; they were married in Vilnius on 15 February 1495. peace did not last long, however, as Ivan III resumed hostilities in 1500. The most Alexander could do was to garrison Smolensk and other strongholds and employ his wife Helena to mediate another truce between him and her father after the disastrous Battle of Vedrosha (1500). In the terms of this truce, Lithuania had to surrender about a third of its territory to the nascent expansionist Russian state. 17 June 1501, Alexander's older brother John I Albert died suddenly, and Alexander was crowned king of Poland on 12 December of that year. shortage of funds immediately made him subservient to the Polish Senate and szlachta, who deprived him of control of the mint (then one of the most lucrative sources of revenue for the Polish kings), curtailed his prerogatives, and generally endeavored to reduce him to a subordinate position. 1505, the Sejm passed the Act of Nihil novi, which forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the two legislative chambers, except for laws governing royal cities, crown lands, mines, fiefdoms, royal peasants, and Jews. This was another step in Poland's progression towards a "Noble's Democracy". Alexander's reign, Poland suffered additional humiliation at the hands of her subject principality, Moldavia. Only the death of Stephen, the great hospodar of Moldavia, enabled Poland still to hold her own on the Danube River. Meanwhile, the liberality of Pope Julius II, who issued no fewer than 29 bulls in favor of Poland and granted Alexander Peter's Pence and other financial help, enabled him to restrain somewhat the arrogance of the Teutonic Order. Jagiellon never felt at home in Poland, and bestowed his favor principally upon his fellow Lithuanians, the most notable of whom was the wealthy Lithuanian magnate Michael Glinski, who justified his master's confidence by his great victory over the Tatars at Kleck (5 August 1506), news of which was brought to Alexander on his deathbed in Vilnius. was the last known ruler of the Gediminid dynasty to have maintained the family's ancestral Lithuanian language.[citation needed] After his death, Polish became the sole language of the family, thus fully Polonising the Jagiellons. 1931, during the refurbishment of Vilnius Cathedral, the forgotten sarcophagus of Alexander was discovered, and has since been put on display. St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14 ;

Lithuania, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, by Luke, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L
Lithuania, 1495, Vilnius Icon, Lithuania, transfer from Moscow to V, by Luke, 1472 to Moscow w Sophia m Ivan III, 1495 Elena marries L Alexander, Icon to L, I the Terrible tries to bring it back 1533; Vilnius (Vilno, Vilna), Lithuania; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on February 15; celebration commemorates the transfer of the Icon from Moscow to Vil'na (Vilnius), Lithuania. to local tradition, this Icon (of the Hodegetria type) was painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke, and was brought from Palestine to Constantinople. For many years it belonged to the family of the Byzantine emperors. Later, they sent the Icon to the rulers of Galicia and Chervona Rus'. the fall of the Galician principality, the Icon became the property of the Great Princes of Moscow. It did not stay In Moscow very long, however. In 1495, Grand Duke Ivan III (1462-1505), blessed his daughter Elena with the Icon before giving her in marriage to the Lithuanian Grand Duke Alexander. Thus, the Icon came with her to the Lithuanian capital of Vil'na, where it remains today. to another legend, which is more credible, this Icon was brought to Moscow by Princess Sophia Palaiologina in 1472 when she married Ivan III. Both legends converge in all other details. Princess Elena died, the holy Icon of the Mother of God was placed above her tomb in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos. the relationship between the courts of Moscow and Lithuania came to an end, Ivan the Terrible (1530-1584) tried to bring the wonderworking Icon back to Moscow, offering Grand Duke Sigismund II of Lithuania (1520-1572) fifty noble Lithuanian prisoners in exchange, but Sigismund strongly opposed this, because all the clergy, both the Orthodox and the Uniates, did not want to lose this treasure. Icon remained In the Cathedral of the Mother of God until the XVIII century, Later, it was moved to the church of Saint John the Forerunner. Afterward, the Icon was transferred to Vil'na's Holy Trinity Monastery, which was then in possession of the Uniates, and the Cathedral of the Mother if God was also given to them. in 1839 were Holy Trinity Monastery and the Hodegetria Icon returned to the Orthodox. Since that time, the Icon of the Mother of God has been there with other local icons, and was honored by all the Orthodox. It has replaced her lost Ostro Bram (the Dawn Gates) Icon (which is commemorated on December 26 and April 14). Hodegetria Icon is painted on four boards which have been joined together. Some are made of cypress wood, and the others of birch. It was restored in 1864. a monastery on the outskirts of Vil'na, there is another Vil'na Icon, which appeared in 1341. It is not unlike the Hodegetria Icon. It is a full length depiction of the Mother of God, who stands on a crescent moon, and Holy Angels hold a crown over her pure head. In some variations of this Icon she stands on clouds, surrounded by Angels, and is wearing a crown. Vil'na Icon is also commemorated on April 14.

Lithuania, 1500, 16th C Folder, GP Sigismund oPoland, Return oSmolensk tRussia fLithuania, 1596 Land otUniates

Lithuania, 1506-1548, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland
Lithuania, 1506-1548, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund I the Old, King of Poland; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19;

Lithuania, 1514, Return of Smolensk to Russia from Lithuania
Russia, Moscow, 1514, Return of Smolensk to Russia; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28;

Lithuania, 1600, 17th C Folder, Lithuania iSwedish Empire 1611-1721

Lithuania, 1700, 18th C Folder, mostly controlled bRussian Empire 1721-1917

Lithuania, 1517-1721, Folder, Lithuania Poland and Sweden, Protestant

Lithuania, 1533-1586, Grand Duke Stephen Bathory, of Transylvania, Protestant
Poland, 1533-1586, King Stephen Bathory, of Transylvania, Protestant, Prince of Transylvania, Alba, King of Poland, Grand Duke Lithuania ; Báthory (Hungarian: Báthory István; Polish: Stefan Batory; Lithuanian: About this soundSteponas Batoras; 27 September 1533 – 12 December 1586) was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576), Prince of Transylvania (1576–1586), King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586). son of Stephen VIII Báthory and a member of the Hungarian Báthory noble family, Báthory was a ruler of Transylvania in the 1570s, defeating another challenger for that title, Gáspár Bekes. 1576 Báthory became the husband of Queen Anna Jagiellon and the third elected king of Poland. He worked closely with chancellor Jan Zamoyski. The first years of his reign were focused on establishing power, defeating a fellow claimant to the throne, Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and quelling rebellions, most notably, the Danzig rebellion. reigned only a decade, but is considered one of the most successful kings in Polish history, particularly in the realm of military history. signal achievement was his victorious campaign in Livonia against Russia in the middle part of his reign, in which he repulsed a Russian invasion of Commonwealth borderlands and secured a highly favorable treaty of peace (the Peace of Jam Zapolski). Icon of the Mother of God "Virgin of Tenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on October 7 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of TendernessÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

Lithuania, 1559-1623, Macarius, Zhabyn's founder, Poles destroyed, new spring water fPole, forgotten, then incorrupt r

Lithuania, 1569-1795, Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth
Lithuania, 1569-1795, Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7; Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated September 24 ; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated September 24;

Lithuania, 1581 Anthony founded Black Lake monastery, destroyed, 1581 by Lithuanians, &1682 by Sweden

Lithuania, 1587-1632, King Sigismund III Vasa of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic
Poland, 1587-1632, King Sigismund III of Poland, Warsaw, Catholic ; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23;

Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union, Protestant
Lithuania, 1593, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union;

Lithuania, 1600-1616, Commander, Alexander Joseph Lisowski, Polish Lithuanian
Lithuanian Commander, 1600-1616, Alexander Joseph Lisowski, Polish Lithuanian; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24;

Lithuania, 1605-1618, Lithuanian invasion of Moscow (1605-1618)
Lithuanian invasion of Moscow ; Battle of Klushino; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Lithuania, 1610-1613, Tsar, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish or Lithuanian King, Tsar of Russia 1610
Moscow Tsar, 1610-1613, Wladyslaw IV Vasa, Polish King; Å‚adysÅ‚aw IV Vasa[a] or Ladislaus IV of Poland (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and titular King of Sweden, who ruled from 1632 until his death in 1648. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw IV was the eldest son of Sigismund III Vasa (Polish: Zygmunt III Waza) and his wife, Anna Habsburg of Austria. Born into the House of Vasa, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw was elected Tsar of Russia by the Seven Boyars in 1610 when the Polish army captured Moscow, but did not assume the throne due to his father's position and a popular uprising. Nevertheless, until 1634 he used the titular title of Grand Duke of Muscovy. Elected king of Poland in 1632, he was largely successful in defending the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against foreign invasion, most notably in the Smolensk War of 1632–34, in which he participated personally. He supported religious tolerance and carried out military reforms, such as the founding of the Commonwealth Navy. WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw was also a renowned patron of the arts and music. He failed, however, at reclaiming the Swedish throne, gaining fame by defeating the Ottoman Empire, strengthening royal power, and reforming the Commonwealth's political system. He died without a legitimate male heir and was succeeded to the Polish throne by his half-brother, John II Casimir Vasa (Jan Kazimierz Waza). WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw's death marked the end of relative stability in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as conflicts and tensions that had been growing over several decades came to a head with devastating consequences. The Khmelnytsky Uprising in the east (1648) and the subsequent Swedish invasion ("the Deluge", 1655–60) weakened the country and diminished Poland's status as a regional power.[1] Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Job the Abbot of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 10; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on December 21; Righteous Juliana of Lazarevo, Murom, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Eleazar of Anzersk Island, Solovki, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 16; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 22; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3 ;

Lithuania, 1620, Battle of Cecora, not 1595, Iassi or Jiassi, Pol-Lith w Moldov V Ottomans w Nogali Tartars, Moldov switch sides

Lithuania, 1721- , Folder , Partitions and Russian Protectorate

Lithuania, 1772, First Partition of Poland Lithuania

Lithuania, 1773-1789, Protectorate of the Russian Empire

Lithuania, 1793, Second Partition of Poland Lithuania
Poland, 1793, Second Partition of Poland Lithuania;

Lithuania, 1795, Third Partition of Poland Lithuania
Poland, 1795, Third Partition of Poland Lithuania;

Lithuania, 1793-1795, Administrative Divisions 93-95
Poland, 1793-1795, Administrative Divisions 93-95 ;

Lithuania, 1807-1815, Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw
Poland, 1807-1815, Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw;

Fatherland War of 1812 (Neman River Crossing, Lithuania)
Fatherland War of 1812 (Neman River Crossing), French Invasion of Russia; Icon of the Mother of God œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on November 27 ;

Lithuania, 1814-1918, Congress of Vienna, Russian Prussian Rule
Poland, 1814-1815, Congress of Vienna; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9;

Lithuania, 1863, Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting against Russian rule
Poland, 1863, Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting against Russian rule; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14;

Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting against Russian rule
Polish Revolt of 1863, Lithuanians revolting against Russian rule; Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14;

Lithuania, 1863-1874, Polish Russian Viceroy, Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg, Pro German General in Russian Army
Poland, 1863-1874, Polish Russian Viceroy, Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg ; Wilhelm Rembert Graf[a] von Berg (15 May [O.S. 26] 1794 - 6 January [O.S. 18] 1874) a Baltic German nobleman, statesman, diplomat and general who served in the Imperial Russian Army. was a count of the Austrian Empire and Grand Duchy of Finland[1] and the 5th last man to be promoted General-Field Marshal in the history of the Russian Empire. He served as the Governor-General of Finland[2] from 1854 to 1861 and the last Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland from 1863 to 1874. was most notable for his role as the viceroy of Finland and Poland. gained a reputation for his role in defending Finland and Estonia from Anglo-French invasion during the Crimean War and was also crucial in suppressing and crushing the Polish January Uprising of 1863, during which rebel forces carried out numerous failed assassination attempts on him, law was consequently declared in Poland. also held responsible for improving the economy and industry of Finland and Poland during his time as viceroy. a German, Berg was never keen of the Russification policies introduced in Poland, being opposed to the Pan-Slavism ideology of the Russians and keen towards the foreign policies of Germany.[3] of his military career, Berg was also a topographer and geodesist, being one of the founding members of the Russian Geographical Society. He died in St. Petersburg in 1874 and was buried in his family estate in Korten, Livonia (in now Pilskalns, Latvia). Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna, Commemorated on September 14;

Lithuania, Neman and Neris Rivers Folder

Neman River

Neman River Source (a confluence in Belarus)

Neman River 1 (Masty, Belarus)

Neman River 2 (Grodno, Belarus)

Grodnensk district, Lithuania (Neman River 2)
Grodnensk; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7;

Kamenetsk Resurrection monastery, Lithuania (in Grodnensk district)
Kamenetsk Resurrection monastery (in Grodnensk district) Grodno Region; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7;

Neman River 3 (Druskininkai, Lithuania)

Neman River 4 (Alytus, Lithuania)

Neman River 5 (Kaunas, Lithuania)

Lithuania, Neman River 5, Neris River Folder

Neris River

Neris River Source (Lake Narach, Belarus)

Neris River 1 (Vilnus, Lithuania)

Lithuania, Neman River 5, Neris River 1, Vilnia River Folder

Vilnia River

Vilnia River Source (Vindziunai, along the border)

Vilnia River 1 (Olshanski Palace)

Olshanski Palace, Lithuania (Rokantiskes Castle, Vilnia River, Nerris River 1, )
Rokantiskes Castle; Olshanski Family; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Vilnia River Mouth (Vilnus, Neris River 1)

Vilnius, Lithuania (Vilnia River Mouth, Neris River 1)
Vilnius (Vilno, Vilna), Lithuania; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of "Vilna", Commemorated December 26 ; The Vilno Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated February 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on February 15; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Vilniusas Holy Trinity Monastery and Luke's Icon, 1347
Vilnius’s Holy Trinity Monastery; Martyr Athanasius, Abbot of Bretsk, Commemorated on September 5; his youth, Saint Athanasius for a while was a teacher in the houses of Polish merchants. In the year 1627, he accepted tonsure under Igumen Joseph at the Vilensk monastery of the Holy Spirit. Saint Athanasius was ordained hieromonk in the year 1632, and made head of the Duboisk [Dubovsk] monastery near Pinsk. Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Vilnius (Vilna) Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the holy Evangelist Luke. For a long time it was in the family of the Greek emperors at Constantinople. In 1472 Sophia Paleologina, wife of the Moscow Great Prince Ivan III (1462-1505), transferred the icon to Moscow. 1495, the Great Prince blessed his daughter Elena with this icon before giving her in marriage to the Lithuanian king Alexander. The Church celebrates the transfer of this icon to Vilnius on February 15. the holy icon was placed in the church of Saint John the Forerunner, in which Princess Elena was buried. Afterwards, they transferred the icon to Vilnius’s Holy Trinity Monastery. The Vilnius icon is also commemorated on February 15. Martyrs Anthony, John, and Eustathius of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14;

Japanese Embassy (Vilnus, Lithuania)
THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Chiune Sugihara, Commemorated July 16 ;

Neris River 2 (Kernave, Lithuania)

Neris River Mouth (Neman River 5)

Kovno, Russian Empire, Lithuania (Neris River Mouth, Neman River 5)
Kovno, Russian Empire, Lithuania; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Neman River 6 (Neman, Russia)

Neman River Mouth (Curonian Lagoon, Baltic Sea)

Lithuania, Grodno, Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals)

Dnieper Bug Canal Start Point and Mid Point (Western Bug 6 at Bretst, Vohlynia, Belarus)
Dnieper Bug Canal (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania;

Dnieper Bug Canal - Western Bug 6 at Bretst, Volhynia& Belarus to Sapotskin, Belarus, through Lesna, Poland, Nerew 1

Dnieper Bug Canal - Western Bug 6 at Bretsk, Volhnya&Belarus to Pinsk, Belarus at Pripyat 1

Dnieper Bug Canal End Point - Pinsk, Russia (Pripyat River 1, then to Dnieper River 4 at Kiev)

Dnieper Bug Canal - Lesna, Poland (Narew River 1 then to Gulf of Gidansk, Poland)

Dnieper Bug Canal End Point - Sapotskin, Belarus (Neman River 2.5 then to Baltic Sea (Curonian Lagoon))

Lithuania, Belarus, Moscow Road to Poland Folder

Moscow Road to Poland 1 (Moscow)

Moscow Road to Poland 2 (Mozhaisk)

Moscow Road to Poland 3 (Vyazma)

Moscow Road to Poland 4 (Smolensk)

Moscow Road to Poland 5 (Borisov, Belarus)

Moscow Road to Poland 6 (Minsk, Belarus)

Moscow Road to Poland 7 (Zyrovits, Belarus)

Zhirovits, Belarus, Lithuania (Moscow Road to Poland 7)
Zhyrovichy Monastery; Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits, Commemorated on May 7; Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear tree that stood over a brook at the foot of a hill. The shepherds came closer and saw a radiant icon of the Mother of God on the tree. With reverence, the shepherds took the icon to Alexander Solton. Alexander Solton did not pay any attention to the report of the shepherds, but he took the icon and placed it in a chest. the following day Solton had guests, and he wanted to show them what had been found. To his amazement, he did not find the icon in the chest, although he had seen it shortly before this. After a certain time the shepherds again found the icon in the same place, and again they brought it to Alexander Solton. This time, however, he received the icon with great reverence and vowed to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos at the place of the icon’s discovery. Around the wooden church a settlement soon gathered and a parish was formed. the year 1520 the church was completely burned, despite the efforts of the inhabitants to extinguish the blaze and save the icon. Everyone thought that the icon had been destroyed. However, some peasant children returning from school beheld a miraculous vision. The Virgin, extraordinarily beautiful and radiant, sat upon a stone at the burned church, and in Her hands was the icon which everyone believed had been destroyed. The children did not dare approach Her, but they hastened to tell their relatives and acquaintances about the vision. accepted the story about the vision as a divine revelation and they went to the hill with the priest.The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God, totally unharmed by the fire, stood on a stone with a burning candle before it. For awhile they placed the icon in the priest’s house, and the stone was fenced in. When they built a stone church, they placed the wonderworking icon there. A men’s monastery later grew up around the church. Its brethren headed the struggle for Orthodoxy against the Unia and Latinism. 1609, the monastery was seized by the Uniates and remained in their hands until 1839. During this time the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God was venerated by both Uniates and Catholics. In 1839, the monastery was returned to the Orthodox and became the first place where Orthodox services were restored on the West Russian frontier. the First World War, they brought the Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, and at the beginning of the 1920s it was returned to the monastery. At present it is in the Dormition cathedral of the Zhirovits monastery, Minsk diocese, and it is deeply revered for its grace-filled help. The icon was carved in stone and measured 43x56 cm.

Zhyrovichy Monastery, Lithuania, 1470

Molcha, Lithuania (Moscow Road to Poland 7, Svislocha River 2)
Molcha, Belarus; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24;

Moscow to Poland Road 8 (Lesna, Northeast Poland)

Moscow to Poland Road 9 (Warsaw, Poland)

Lithuania (Clean), Roman Roads, Canals, Major Rivers Folder

Lithuania (Clean), Its Area
Lithuania, Its Area

Lithuania (Clean), Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1569-1795
LLithuania (Clean), Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1569-1795;

Lithuania (Clean), Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish Union, Protestant, 1593

Lithuania (Neman and Neris Rivers, Amber Road, Moscow to Poland Road)
Lithuania ;

Dnieper Bug Canal - Western Bug 6 at Bretsk, Volhnya&Belarus to Pinsk, Belarus at Pripyat 1
Dnieper Bug Canal - Western Bug 6 at Bretst, Volhynia& Belarus to Sapotskin, Belarus, through Lesna, Poland, Nerew 1

Vilnius, Lithuania (Vilnia River Mouth, Neris River 1)
Vilnius (Vilno, Vilna), Lithuania;

Latvia Folder (Livonia, Lower Western Dvina River)

Latvia (Livonia) Lower Western Dvina River
Latvia (Livonia); Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God the SignÂ, the œKursk-RootÂ, Commemorated on September 8 ; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Livonia (Latvia) Lower Western Dvina River
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "Kursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8 ; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29;

Livonian Knights, Latvia, 1204-1237
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Livonian Knights, Latvia, 1237-1561, Order of Teutonic Order
Livonian Order of Teutonic Order, 1237-1561; Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Teutonic Knights, Latvia, 1237-1561, Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, sometimes called Germans
Livonian Order of Teutonic Order, 1237-1561; Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Hanseatic League, under Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, 1237-1561
Hanseatic League, under Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, 1237-1561, however the league was from 1159-1623, The rebuilding of Lubeck to the thirty years war; Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23;

Walk, Livonia, 1435 Livonian Confederation
Walk, Livonia, 1435 Livonian Confederation; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Valka, Latvia, on Estonia Border
Valka, Latvia; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Latvia - 1204-2000's, Latvia Livonia History Folder

Latvia, 1200, 13th-16th Century History Folder, Livonian Knights and Order

Latvia, 1204-1237, Livonian Knights
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Latvia, 1237-1561, Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order
Livonian Order of Teutonic Order, 1237-1561; Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Latvia, 1500, 16th Century History Folder, War with Russia, Seige of Pskov Caves

Latvia, 1500's, Livonia, Land of the Aesti People
Land of the Aesti People; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Latvia, 1558-1583, Livonian War 1558-1583 (Russia vs a Western Coalition)
Livonian War 1558-1583 (in Livonia and Estonia, Russia vs a Western Coalition); Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Latvia, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582)
Moscow, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582); Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov "œthe Protection"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ;

Latvia, 1800-Present, 19th-21st Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, German Empire, USSR, EU&NATO

Latvia, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Traveling Preacher
Estonia, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, fPootsi in Pätnu county, Priest, Traveling Preacher, Bishop i1917, 1918 German Occupation, still traveled to all parishes that summer, 1919 arrested shot by athiest Russian communist regime, then also 2 Archpriests Bezhanitsky&Bleive were shot; Estonia; Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Commemorated on January 14; holy Hieromartyr Platon (Πλάτων) was born on July 13, 1869, at Pootsi in Pätnu county, Estonia. At Holy Baptism, he received the name Paul. attending various theological schools, Paul Kulbusch was ordained as a priest. Father Paul travelled about, preaching the Word of God in the Orthodox churches of Estonia. December 31, 1917 he was consecrated as the first Bishop of Estonia, engaging in numerous activities in his efforts to elevate the Orthodox parishes. than two months after his consecration, Estonia was occupied by the German army. At that time it was very difficult to travel, but that did not stop the Bishop from visiting almost all of the Orthodox parishes in Estonia during that summer. 1919, he was arrested by the atheist regime in Moscow and, after being tortured, he was shot on January 14, 1919. Afterward, Archpriest Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Archpriest Michael Bleive were also put to death. Saint Platon's relics rest in the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Tallinn. the Church also commemorates all the New Martyrs of Estonia: Priests, Deacons and laymen. Platon, Archpriests Nicholas Bezhanitsky and Michael Bleive were glorified as martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in 1982, and by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2000. Church Service in honor of Saint Platon was composed by Metropolitan Joel of Edessa.

Latvia, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, not tOrdinary people, Orthodox Social Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews escape Auschwitz, for her several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Latvia, Lower Western Dvina River Folder, Riga

Western Dvina River 1 (Andreapol, Tver, Russia)

Western Dvina River 2 (Zapadnaya Dvina, Tver, Russia)

Western Dvina River 3 (Velizh, Tver, Russia)

Mezha River Mouth (Western Dvina or Daugava River 3)

Western Dvina River 4 (Ruba, Belarus, Russia)

Western Dvina River 4 (Vitebsk, Belarus, Russia)

Western Dvina River 5 (Beshankovichy, Belarus, Rusia)

Western Dvina River 6 (Polotsk, Belarus, Russia)

Palata River Mouth (Western Dvina or Daugava River 6)

Western Dvina River 7 (Navapolatsk and Polotsk, Belarus, Russia)

Dysna River Mouth (Western Dvina or Daugava River 8)

Western Dvina River 9 (Verkhnyadzvinsk, Belarus, Russia)

Aiviekste River Mouth (Western Dvina or Daugava River 14)

Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea)
Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Bishoprick of Livonia
Livonian Knights ; Bishoprick of Livonia; Venerable Hilarion the Abbot of Gdov and Pskov Lake, Commemorated October 21 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ;

Teutonic Knights, Latvia, 1237-1561, Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga

Kasplya River

Kasplya River Source (Valdai Hills)

Kasplya River Mouth (Western Dvina or Daugava River 4)

Latvia (Clean), Roman Road and Major River

Latvia (Clean), its Area

Walk, Livonia, 1435 Livonian Confederation
Walk, Livonia, 1435 Livonian Confederation;

Valka, Latvia, on Estonia Border
Valka, Latvia;

Livonia (Latvia) Lower Western Dvina River
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle;

Livonian Knights, Latvia, 1204-1237
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle;

Livonian Knights, Latvia, 1237-1561, Order of Teutonic Order
Livonian Order of Teutonic Order, 1237-1561; Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle;

Teutonic Knights, Latvia, 1237-1561, Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, sometimes called Germans
Livonian Order of Teutonic Order, 1237-1561; Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle;

Latvia (Clean), Hanseatic League, under Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, 1237-1561
Hanseatic League, under Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order, Riga, 1237-1561, however the league was from 1159-1623, The rebuilding of Lubeck to the thirty years war;

Egypt Folder, its river and roads

Egypt (aka Rahab)
Egypt; Rahab; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyrs Cantidius, Cantidian, and Sibelius (Sobel) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Psoi of Egypt, Commemorated August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; St Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Venerable Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 3 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11 ; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Zachariah the Recluse, Commemorated on March 24 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe Ladder, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17 ; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt, Commemorated on June 15 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-Giver of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

British Empire - Egypt - Lower Nile River below the Cataracts and the Sinai
Egypt; Rahab; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Psoi of Egypt, Commemorated August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; St Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Venerable Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 3 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe MercifulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11 ; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Zachariah the Recluse, Commemorated on March 24 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17 ; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt, Commemorated on June 15 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilk-GiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Egypt, Cataracts of the Nile, Aswan Dam

Egypt (capital Cairo and Goshen)
Egypt; Goshen; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Psoi of Egypt, Commemorated August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Venerable Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; St Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 13 ; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Martyr Paphnutius in Egypt, Commemorated on September 25 ; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 3 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe MercifulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Church New Year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; Venerable Ammon; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 3; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt, Commemorated February 6 ; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2 ; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11 ; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Zachariah the Recluse, Commemorated on March 24 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt, Commemorated on June 15 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilk-GiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Egypt (Sinai Peninsula)
Sinai Peninsula; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Egypt, 640-641, Arab Conqest of Babylon Fortress Egypt
Arab Muslim Conqest of Babylon Fortress Egypt 640; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated on January 14;

Egypt (aka Rahab), 9999, Venerable Zacharia tRecluse, to the outcast
Egypt (aka Rahab), 9999, Venerable Zacharia tRecluse, to the outcast; Egypt; Rahab; Venerable Zachariah the Recluse, Commemorated on March 24 ; Zachariah the Recluse of Egypt because of his concern for the poor and homeless was called “to the outcast.” the printed Menaion he is known as “our Monastic Father Zachariah,” and so he has been identified erroneously with Saint Zachariah the Monk.

Egypt, History Folder

Egypt, 2000 BC to 1500 BC, History Folder, Joseph and Pharaohs to Moses and Joshua

Egypt, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Abraham, 100 yr old father of vast nation

Egypt, 2000 BC Dot 5, Sarah, Abraham's wife, 90 yr old mother of nations

Egypt, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Lot
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9; Lot,Sarah & Abraham's story with abstract locations.; / SARAH ruh) Personal name meaning, "princess." Wife and half sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29- 25:10). first called Sarai, had the same father as Abraham. Marriages with half brothers were not uncommon in her time. traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran. Then at the age of 65 she accompanied him to Canaan as Abraham followed God's leadership in moving to the land God had promised. a famine in Canaan, Abraham and Sarah fled to Egypt. This was Abraham's first attempt to pass off Sarah as his sister rather than wife because he feared that he would be killed when the Egyptians saw Sarah's beauty. Consequently, the Pharaoh thought Sarah was Abraham's sister, took Sarah into court, and treated Abraham well. the Lord sent serious disease on Pharaoh's household, he saw the deception and sent them away. second trick about Abraham's relationship with Sarah was in the court of Abimelech, king of Gerar, who also took in Sarah. God intervened in Abimelech's dream and protected Sarah. He sent them away with the right to live there and with a gift for Sarah. her barrenness, God promises her a Son. called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a vast nation (Gen. 11:31) Location - Chaldea and Lot Settle Between Bethel and Ai traveling throughout Canaan and into Egypt, Abraham and Lot finally settled between Bethel and Ai, about ten miles north of Jerusalem (Gen. 13:3). Abraham and Lot acquired herds and flocks so large that the land was unable to support both (Gen. 13:2,5). In addition, the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot did not get along (Gen. 13:7). Location -- Up from Negev to settle between Bethel and Ai chooses Sodom, in the Jordan valley Location -- Sodom Thus, to secure ample pasturelands for their flocks and to avoid any further trouble, Abraham suggested they separate. Abraham allowed Lot to take his choice of the land. Lot took advantage of Abraham's generosity and chose the well-watered Jordan Valley where the city of Sodom was located (13:8-12). received further covenant After returning to Palestine, Abram received further covenantal assurances from God (Gen. 15). Location -- Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre Promises (Gen 15) Son coming from your own body will be your heir. Count the stars, so shall your offspring be. Give you this land and take possession of it. “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” cut covenant with Abram Location -- Mamre (Hebron) Vision of Smoking Firepot and Blazing Torch Abram said, “How can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Lord said, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought them to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other. Smoking firepot and blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the euphrates-- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” Kings capture Lot Location - Sodom All in all, things did not look as good for Lot as they might at first glance appear when he chose to live in the well-watered Jordan Valley. We begin to see this unfold in Genesis 14. Not only was the Jordan Valley atttractive to herdsmen like Lot, but the riches of this valley were also attractive to foreign kings. Prominent among them was Chedorlaomer who, along with three other kings, captured and sacked Sodom, taking Lot as prisoner (Gen. 14:1-12). Abraham, upon hearing of Lot's fate, gathered an army and rescued his nephew (Gen. 14:13-16). received Covenant of Circumcision Location -- (Mamre) Even after another covenantal assurance (Gen. 17:1-21) in which the rite of circumcision was made a covenantal sign, Abram and Sarai still questioned God’s promise of an heir. Promises (Gen 17:1-21 NIV) You will be father of many nations. You and your male descendents will be circumcised Your descendents will come from Sarah Your name will now be Abraham, father of many nations. Sarai’s name will be Sarah, she will be mother of nations. and Incest (Gen 19) Location - Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32). uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammon In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7). Receives son Isaac Location -- (Mamre), Wilderness of Paran Then Sarai ( ), whose name had been changed to Sarah (“princess’), had her long- promised son, Isaac (“laughter”), when Abraham was 100 years old. Ishmael’s presence caused trouble in the family, and he was expelled with his mother Hagar to the wilderness of Paran. Commanded to sacrifice Isaac Location -- Hebron and Mt. Moriah (Jerusalem) Abraham’s faith and obedience were tested by God in Moriah when he was commanded to sacrifice Isaac. God provided an alternative sacrifice, however, saving the boy’s life. As a reward for Abraham’s faithfulness, God renewed the covenant promises of great blessing and the growth of a mighty nation to father and son.

Egypt, 1900 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Jacob, story with locations
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Jacob; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Abstract of Jacob's son's locations. ; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Egypt, 1800 BC, Dot 5, Joseph, Jacob's fav son, jealous brothers, prophecy dreams, sold tEgyptians, Lord oEgypt, God Meant fGood
Egypt, 1760-1650 BC, Joseph the Fair, Patriarch, Avaris Egypt, Jacob's favorite son, of his old age and favorite wife, 11 jealous brothers, prophetic dreams angered even Jacob, dForetold hGreatness, Bro's to kill but Ruben, sold tEgyptians, Captain otGuards Potifar buys him, puts him in charge, P wife slanders him, P believes her puts him in prison, interprets dreams in prison, and for Pharoh, plan to thrive during famine, put in hightest command under Pharoh, Lord of Egypt, 10 bros comes to Egypt for grain, J recognizes, sends tHome for Benny, reveals self to them, sends them for Jacob, evil against me, God meant for good Avaris, Egypt, Seat of the Kings; Righteous Joseph the Patriarch, Commemorated on March 31; Righteous Joseph the Fair was the son of the Old Testament Patriarch Jacob and his wife Rachel (Genesis He had eleven brothers: first wife Leah (the daughter of Laban) gave birth to six sons: 1) Reuben, 2) Simeon, 3) Levi, 4) Judah. Leah thought she could not have any more children. second wife, Leah's sister Rachel, also seemed to be infertile, was jealous of Leah, so she gave her servant girl Bilhah to Jacob “so that she may give birth on my behalf” (Genesis 30:3). The concubine Bilhah bore two sons to Jacob: 5) Dan and 6) Naphtali. those days, when a wife could not bear children, it was not uncommon for a female servant to have the husband's child on behalf of the wife. expression "she shall bear upon my knees and I shall have children by her" (Genesis 30:3) refers to the rite of adoption whereby the new-born child was placed on the lap of the adopting woman to indicate that she had legally borne the child. fact that Rachel gives the name, rather than Bilhah, demonstrates that she is recognized as the child's mother. Leah thought she could no longer give Jacob sons, she gave her servant, Zilpah to Jacob, who bore him 7) Gad and 8) Asher. These two, however, were legally Leah's sons when she adopted them, in the manner previously described. some time, Leah did conceive two more sons: 9) Issachar and 10) Zebulun, and a daughter: Dinah, who is first mentioned in Genesis 30:21 as the daughter of Leah and Jacob, born to Leah after she had borne six sons to Jacob. Rachel gave birth to 11) Joseph, and 12) Benjamin. brothers became jealous of him because their father loved him more than his other sons, since he was the son of his old age. feared him because he revealed his dreams, which foretold his future greatness. dream was that he and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field. Joseph's sheaf rose up, and the sheaves of his brothers arose and bowed down to it. another dream the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. Jacob rebuked him for implying that his father, mother, and eleven brothers would also bow before him one day. brothers decided to kill Joseph, but the eldest son Reuben persuaded them not to do so. "Do not shed any blood. Cast him into this pit ... but do not lay hands upon him" (Genesis 37:32). Reuben intended to come back later and rescue Joseph, but his plans were thwarted. stripped Joseph of his coat and threw him into the pit, and then sold him for twenty gold coins to merchants who were traveling to Egypt in a caravan. killing a goat, they smeared its blood on the coat and brought it to Jacob saying that they had found it on the ground. Jacob recognized the coat and concluded that a wild animal must have killed Joseph. Egypt Joseph was sold to Potiphar, a captain of the guards. his master saw that the Lord was with Joseph, and that he was a successful man, he made him the overseer of his house, placing him in charge of all his possessions. Righteous Joseph was fair of countenance, and Potiphar's wife wanted him to lie with her. He would not consent to this, but the shameless woman continued pestering him. One day she repeated her request, and he fled from her. seized his garment as he ran away, and showed it to her husband when he returned home. of malice and spite, Potiphar's wife slandered the Righteous Joseph before her husband, saying that he had attempted to rape her. the lie, Potiphar confined the innocent young man in a prison. Saint Joseph the Fair gained fame when he interpreted the dreams of two men in the prison (Genesis chapter 40). Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's two dreams (Genesis chapter 41), predicting seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine and misfortune for Egypt, he advised Pharaoh to appoint overseers to store one fifth of the grain harvest each year, and to reserve it for the time of famine. Righteous Joseph was set free and was given charge of Pharaoh's household, and became the Lord of Egypt. Pharaoh was still the ruler, but Joseph answered only to him. famine also struck his home in the land of Canaan, ten of Joseph's brothers were sent to Egypt by Jacob in order to buy some grain. Only Benjamin stayed at home with his father. recognized them, but they did not know him. He threw them into prison for three days, then released them. He gave them provisions and sent them on their way, ordering them to send him their youngest brother. Joseph revealed himself to them, and he wept. He told them to bring his father and his entire family to Egypt. Jacob's death, Joseph's brothers feared that he would repay them for all the evil they had done to him, so they asked for forgiveness. He replied, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). his death around 1700 B. C., the Righteous Joseph ordered that his bones be taken from Egypt to the Promised Land, which was done in the time of the holy Prophet Moses (September 4), 1496 B.C. the father of Manassah and Ephraim, Saint Joseph is placed at the head of two of the tribes of Israel. Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, and on Great and Holy Monday.

Egypt, 1701 BC-1661 BC, Dot 6, Merneferre Ay, Egyptian Pharaoh, at abandoned capitol
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1701BC-1661BC, Merneferre Ay; Ay (also spelled Aya or Eje, sometimes known as Ay I) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the mid 13th Dynasty. The longest reigning pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty, he ruled a likely fragmented Egypt for over 23 years in the early to mid 17th century BC. A pyramidion bearing his name shows that he possibly completed a pyramid, probably located in the necropolis of Memphis. Ay is the last pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty to be attested outside Upper Egypt. In spite of his long reign, the number of artefacts attributable to him is comparatively small. This may point to problems in Egypt at the time and indeed, by the end of his reign, "the administration [of the Egyptian state] seems to have completely collapsed".[1][3] It is possible that the capital of Egypt since the early Middle Kingdom, Itjtawy was abandoned during or shortly after Ay's reign. For this reason, some scholars consider Merneferre Ay to be the last pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Dot 6, Moses, Egyptian Patriarch
Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses 1] was the most important prophet in Judaism,[4][5] and an important prophet in Christianity, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, and a number of other Abrahamic religions. In the biblical and quranic[6] narrative, he was the leader of the Israelites and lawgiver to whom the authorship, or "acquisition from heaven", of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is attributed. to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in population and, as a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they might ally themselves with Egypt's enemies.[7] Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of the Israelites. the Pharaoh's daughter (identified as Queen Bithia in the Midrash), the child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile river and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. killing an Egyptian slave-master who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the Angel of the Lord,[8] speaking to him from within a burning bush on Mount Horeb, which he regarded as the Mountain of God. sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. said that he could not speak eloquently,[9] so God allowed Aaron, his elder brother,[10] to become his spokesperson. the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at biblical Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land on Mount Nebo. Moses is seen as a legendary figure, whilst retaining the possibility that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE.[11][12][13][14][15] Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE;[16] Jerome suggested 1592 BCE,[17] and James Ussher suggested 1571 BCE as his birth year.[18][note 2] Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ; Holy Prophet and God-Seer Moses was of the tribe of Levi, the son of Abram and Jochabed (Exodus 6:20). His life is described in the Bible (Exodus 2 through Deuteronomy 34:12). was born in Egypt around 1689 B.C. When Pharaoh ordered all male children of the Hebrew slaves to be killed (Exodus 1:22), Moses’ mother placed him in a basket of papyrus coated with pitch, and set him adrift on the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own son. the age of eighty, Moses fled to Midian, where he spoke to God in the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3:2). God chose Moses to lead His people from the slavery of Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land, and for forty years they wandered in the desert. in the land of Moab, Moses went to the top of Mt. Nabau, or Nebo (Deuteronomy 32:49), which is called Phasga (Deut. 34:1). There, according to the will of God, he died in 1569 B.C. at the age of 120 without entering the Promised Land. first two Biblical Odes are attributed to Moses: “Let us sing to the Lord...” (Exodus 15:1-9), which was sung on the shores of the Red Sea after the Hebrews had crossed it. “Attend, O heaven...” (Deut. 32:1-43) was sung in the land of Moab, a few days before Moses’ death. He is also regarded as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). holy Prophet Moses performed many miracles during his lifetime, and also after his death. He appeared on Tabor with the Prophet Elias at the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6). the day that Saint John of the Ladder (March 30) was installed as abbot of Mt. Sinai, the Prophet Moses was seen going around and giving orders to the cooks, stewards, and servants. When the guests had gone and the monks were sitting at table, they wondered what had become of the stranger who had been giving orders. Saint John said, “Our Lord Moses does nothing strange by serving in the place which belongs to him.”

Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Dot 6, Moses' Story Outline with Abstract Locations incl Aaron&Miriam
MOSES Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations; MOSES Story Outline PDF with Abstract Locations;

Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Aaron, 1st Priest, Moses' older brother, chosen sanctified by God
Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Aaron, 1st Priest, Moses and Miriam's older brother 83t80, aLevite, Moses' spokesman, Rod tSnake, Nile ttBlood, 4sons fPrincess Elisheba. held M's hands up vAmalek, 4sons anointed&sanctified wHim as priests, Golden Idol at Sinai, drink gold dust, those on the Lord's side commanded slay those not, Miriam Aaron critisize Moses' Cushite wife, God gives Miriam leprosy, Moses intercedes for her, People murmured again, leaders 12 rods named and placed, Aaron's rod blooms, Aaron reposes on Mt Hor in Edom.; Righteous Priest Aaron, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Aaron was the son of Amram and Jochebed, and the elder brother of the Prophet Moses the God-seer, and also of Miriam. was a direct descendent of Levi by both parents. God called him “the Levite” in Exodus 4:14, when He appointed Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses, who was “slow of speech,” before the people. Later, he would also speak on behalf of Moses before Pharaoh in Egypt (Ex. 4:30; 7:2). was married to Elisheba, the daughter of the Prince of Judah (Ex. 6:23), who bore him four sons. was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh and asked that the Hebrews be released from their slavery. Lord told Moses that Pharaoh would ask them for a miracle, and that Aaron should throw down his rod before him, and it would become a serpent (Ex. 7:9). Pharaoh would not allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt, God told Moses to have Aaron stretch forth his rod over the Nile River, and it would turn to blood. a succession of plagues, Pharaoh relented and let the people go, then Moses led them on their long journey to the Promised Land. Chapter 17 of Exodus, the Hebrews fought Amalek in a battle at Rephidim. Moses stood atop a hill with the rod of God in his hand. As long as he raised his hand, the Hebrews prevailed, but when he became tired and lowered it, Amalek prevailed. and Hur sat Moses on a rock and held up his hands, one on each side. This was a prefiguration of the suffering of Christ, because the arms of Moses formed a cross. the Greek Septuagint, the names Aaron and Hur begin with the letters Alpha and Omega, another reference to Christ (Revelation 1:8). and his sons were anointed and sanctified to serve God as priests (Exodus chapter 29). chapter 32, Aaron fell into temptation when Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments. Moses was taking a long time, the people grew restless and asked Aaron to make them a golden idol in the form of a calf so that they could offer sacrifices. gave into them, and Moses was angry when he returned and saw them dancing and singing before the calf. threw down the tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments, and then he burned the golden calf and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder on the water, and he made the people drink it. When Moses asked those who were on the Lord’s side to gather around him, the Levites came to him. He ordered them to take their swords and slay their sons, companions, and neighbors. About three thousand people were killed that day. Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses for marrying a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1). God was angry with them, so He punished Miriam with leprosy. She was healed by God seven days after Moses interceded for her. chapter 17 of Numbers, the people murmured against Moses and Aaron, so God commanded that the leaders of the twelve tribes should have their names inscribed on their rods and placed in the tent of testimony. God would reveal His choice to make the people cease their grumbling against Moses and his brother. ’s rod bloomed miraculously in the tent of the testimony, to show that he had been chosen for this purpose. reposed atop Mount Hor when he was one hundred and twenty-three years old. One of his descendants was Saint Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist (Luke 1:5).

Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Miriam, Aaron&Moses' older sister, prophetess after all, resented M position
Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Miriam, Aaron&Moses' older sister, Levite, old enough to watch what happens to Moses in his arc. suggests find wet nurse, her mother, she &Aaron resented Moses' position, prophetess after all, punished w leprosy, sent out, healed &brought back. Righteous Miriam, Commemorated on December 11; Miriam, like her brothers Moses and Aaron, was descended from the tribe of Levi. Moses was an infant, the Hebrew midwives were ordered to kill any male child when they assisted at childbirths, but they refused to obey. was hidden by his mother for three months, and then, when she could no longer do this, he was placed into a basket of reeds and set upon the waters of the Nile. watched in secret to see what would happen to him. Pharaoh’s daughter found him, Miriam emerged from her place of concealment and offered to find a wet nurse from among the Hebrew women for the baby. went to get her mother, who raised her child until he was grown, and then returned him to Pharoah’s daughter (Exodus 2:10). the Torah, she is called “Miriam the Prophetess” (Exodus 15:20), while the Prophet Michah (6:4) has God say that He sent Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam before the Hebrews to lead them out of Egypt. Chapter 12 of the book of Numbers, Miriam and Aaron apparently criticize Moses for being married to a foreign woman of Cush (or an Ethiopian). however, was merely a pretext for their resentment. Actually, they were disturbed by Moses’ position as the sole mediator between God and the people. was a prophetess, after all. Miriam and Aaron questioned Moses, “Has the Lord spoken only to Moses? Has He not also spoken to us?” God then tells them that He speaks face to face with Moses, but only in visions to Miriam and Aaron while they are asleep. for daring to speak against Moses, Miriam is punished with leprosy. Aaron pleads with Moses not to hold their sin against them, since they had acted out of ignorance. Even so, Miriam was set apart outside the camp for seven days, and then she was healed and allowed to come in. one of the stichera on the Praises for the Sunday before the Nativity, Sarah, Rebecca, Anna, and Miriam, “the glory of women,” are said to “exchange glad tidings.”

Egypt, 1677BC-1675BC, Dot 6, Merhotepre Ini, Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1677BC-1675BC, Merhotepre Ini; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses; Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1675BC-1654BC, Sankhenre Sewadjtu, Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1675BC-1654BC, Sankhenre Sewadjtu; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1672BC-1648BC, Mersekhemre Ined, Egyptian Pharaoh
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1675BC-1654BC, Sankhenre Sewadjtu; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1669BC-1643BC, Egyptian Pharaoh, Sewadjkare Hori
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1669BC-1643BC, Sewadjkare Hori; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1649BC-1609BC, Egyptian Pharaoh, uncertain, Semqen
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1649BC-1609BC uncertain, Semqen; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1654BC-1544BC, Dot 6, Egyptian Patriarch, Joshua
Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1500 BC to 170 AD, History Folder, Simeon, Septuagent, Later Ancient Times, Jews Drawn Back to Egypt

Egypt, 597 BC, Jews in Egypt, Later Ancient Times, Destruction Kingdom Judah
Egypt, 597 BC, Jews in Egypt, Later Ancient Times, Destruction Kingdom Judah; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Egypt, 597 BC, Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Egypt, BC 360-1 AD, Simeon the God-Receiver
Egypt, BC 300-1 AD, Simeon the God-Receiver; Egypt, BC 285-247 BC, Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus; Septuagint, BC 285-132 BC; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3;

Egypt, BC 285-247 BC, Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Egypt, BC 285-247 BC, Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus; Septuagint, BC 285-132 BC; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3;

Egypt, BC 247-132 BC, Septuagint
Egypt, BC 285-247 BC, Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus; Septuagint, BC 247-132 BC; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3;

Egypt, 1-3, Joseph, tBetrothed, 7kids before chosen MOG's guardian, Angel told him Incarntn, sent him Egypt, 100yrOld
Galilee, 47BC-33AD, Joseph, the Betrothed, Jesus' step father, Nazareth, Galilee, J of King David's line, 4 sons 3 daughters from previous marriage, strict temperance as widower, chosen guardian oTheotokos, a virgin, Angel told him oIncarnation through her, present at Jesus' birth wAngels&Shepherds, Angel ordered him flee tEgypt, carpenter there till Herod's death, died at age 100; Nazareth; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 ; Joseph the Betrothed was of the lineage of King David. had four sons from his previous marriage: James, Judah, Joses, and Simon (or Symeon), three daughters: Esther, Martha, and Salome, who was the mother of Saint John the Theologian. he became a widower, Saint Joseph led a life of strict temperance. was chosen to be the husband and guardian of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had taken a vow of virginity. angel told him of the Incarnation of the Son of God through her. Joseph was present when the shepherds and the Magi worshiped the new-born divine Infant. the orders of the angel, he fled into Egypt with the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus, saving them from the wrath of King Herod. lived in Egypt with the Virgin Mary and the divine Child, working as a carpenter. Joseph reputedly died at the age of one hundred. Joseph is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity. If there is no Sunday between December 25 and January 1, his Feast is moved to December 26. Righteous Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.

Egypt, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified in Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis
Egypt, 30-62, Apostle James, Son of Alphaeus, crucified at Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt, with Andrew in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, and Eleutheroolis, proclaiming Gospel, healing, converting; Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Apostle James the son of Alphaeus one of the Twelve Apostles, the brother of the holy Evangelist Matthew. heard the Lord’s words and witnessed His miracles. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Apostle James Alphaeus and the Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30), missionary journeys preaching in Judea, Edessa, Gaza, Eleutheropolis, the Gospel, healing all sorts of sickness and disease, and converting many to the path of salvation. James finished his apostolic work In the Egyptian city of Ostrachina, where he was crucified by the pagans.

Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop
Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop; Alexandria; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apollos (September 10) was a native of Alexandria and was a man of erudition. The chief place of his service was at Corinth. He toiled there for a long time and converted many to Christ. Towards the end of his life he preached on the island of Crete and was Bishop of Caesarea. Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; the Acts of the Holy Apostles we read the following: “A certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, eloquent and well-versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Hearing him, Aquila and Priscilla took him and more precisely explained to him the way of the Lord. And when he resolved to go to Achaia, the brethren wrote and asked the disciples to receive him. When he got there, he greatly helped those who believed by grace, for he powerfully confounded the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:24-28). Holy Apostle Apollos assisted the Apostle Paul. Saint Paul speaks about the spread of Christianity among the Corinthians, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor.3:6). Saint Apollos was later bishop at Smyrna (Asia Minor). Apollos is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, Commemorated on December 8;

Egypt, 40-61, Apostle Barnabus from Cyprus
Cyprus, 40-61, Apostle Barnabus from Cyprus; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25;

Egypt, 40-101, Clement of Rome, Met Barnabus at Alexandria
Rome, 35-101, Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians, sermon II Clement, anchor, rich, unsatisfied, heard about christ, went to Alexandria, Barnabas, Palestine, Peter, Bishop of Rome, 424 conversions one day, banishment to Cherson by Trajan, stone quarry, prayed for water, lamb revealed spring, hundreds converted each day, church, ordered drowned with anchor in 101, prayer to see his body, sea drew back 3 miles, marble cave angelic church, each year sea would withdraw on that date, till 805, 50 year hiatis, 855 began again, taken to Rome by Cyril and Methodius, later to Kiev by Vladimir, Baptism of the Rus; Clement I (died 99), also known as Saint Clement of Rome, is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as the fourth bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 AD to his death in 99 AD.[2] He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church, one of the three chief ones together with Polycarp and Ignatius of Antioch.[3] details are known about Clement's life. Clement was said to have been consecrated by Peter the Apostle,[3] and he is known to have been a leading member of the church in Rome in the late 1st century. Early church lists place him as the second or third[2][a] bishop of Rome after Peter. The Liber Pontificalis states that Clement died in Greece in the third year of Emperor Trajan's reign, or 101 AD. only genuine extant writing is his letter to the church at Corinth (1 Clement) in response to a dispute in which certain presbyters of the Corinthian church had been deposed.[2] He asserted the authority of the presbyters as rulers of the church on the ground that the Apostles had appointed such.[2] His letter, which is one of the oldest extant Christian documents outside the New Testament, was read in church, along with other epistles, some of which later became part of the Christian canon. These works were the first to affirm the apostolic authority of the clergy.[2] A second epistle, 2 Clement, was once controversially attributed to Clement, although recent scholarship suggests it to be a homily by another author.[2] In the legendary Clementine literature, Clement is the intermediary through whom the apostles teach the church.[2] to tradition, Clement was imprisoned under the Emperor Trajan; during this time he is recorded to have led a ministry among fellow prisoners. Thereafter he was executed by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea.[2] Clement is recognized as a saint in many Christian churches and is considered a patron saint of mariners. He is commemorated on 23 November in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and the Lutheran Church. In Eastern Orthodox Christianity his feast is kept on 24 or 25 November. Rome; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; is counted as the third bishop of Rome (after the apostles). predecessors are Linus and Cletus (or Anacletus, or Anencletus), about whom almost nothing is known. They are simply names on a list. is a little more than this, chiefly because he wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which was highly valued by the early church, and has been preserved to the present day. The letter itself does not carry his name, but is merely addressed from the congregation at Rome to the congregation at Corinth. a letter from Corinth to Rome a few decades later refers to "the letter we received from your bishop Clement, which we still read regularly." early writers are unanimous in attributing the letter to Clement. Perhaps because this letter made his name familiar, he has had an early anonymous sermon (commonly called II Clement) attributed to him, and is a character in some early religious romances (e.g. the Clementine Recognitions). story about Clement is that he was put to death by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. Accordingly, he is often depicted with an anchor, and many churches in port towns intended to minister chiefly to mariners are named for him. Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians (also called I Clement) can be found in collections of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, such as the Penguin Paperback Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. letter is commonly dated around 96 AD, but an earlier date is suggested by John Robinson in his Redating the New Testament. letter is occasioned by the fact that a group of Christians at Corinth had banded together against their leaders and had deposed them from office. Clement writes to tell them that they have behaved badly, and to remind them of the importance of Christian unity and love. speaks at length of the way in which each kind of official in the church has his own function for the good of the whole. The letter is an important witness to the early Christian understanding of Church government, but an ambiguous witness in that we are never told precisely why the Corinthians had deposed their leaders, and therefore the letter can be read as saying that presbyters ought not to be deposed without reasonable grounds, or as saying that they cannot be deposed on any grounds at all. letter refers only to the presbyters of Corinth, and makes no reference to the bishop of Corinth. Moreover, there is no mention of a bishop at Rome--the letter is sent as from the Church at Rome collectively, and Clement's name does not appear. this, some have inferred that the office of bishop had not yet developed at either Rome or Corinth, and that in both congregations the office of presbyter was the highest office known. probable alternate explanation, however, is that the troubles in Corinth had arisen when the bishop of that congregation had died, and the congregation had split into factions, none containing both a majority of the presbyters and a majority of the congregation. letter makes no apology for intervening in what might be thought an internal affair of the congregation at Corinth. On the contrary, the writer apologizes for the delay in commenting, as if an earlier intervention might have been expected. this, some have inferred that, even at this early date (96 AD or, some think, earlier), when the Apostle John was perhaps still alive, the authority and jurisdiction of the Roman congregation over every other congregation of the Christian Church was already universally conceded. a perfectly reasonable alternative explanation is that the congregation at Corinth, torn by division, had agreed to settle their disputes by inviting another congregation, or the head of another congregation, to act as arbitrator. would be a reasonable thing to do, and the choice of Rome as that congregation was natural, partly because of the prestige of the city, and the prestige of one of the largest congregations in the Church, and because the Corinth of Clement's day had been built as a Roman colony, with a special dependence directly on the city of Rome (a civil relation that might affect the habits of thought of the Corinthians on matters ecclestiastical as well), but also because Rome was far enough away so that it could be assumed to be impartial and not affected by local personalities. Clement's Letter to the Corinthians: the one truly possessed by the love of Christ keep his commandments. Who can express the binding power of divine love? Who can find words for the splendor of its beauty? Beyond all description are the heights to which it lifts us. Love unites us to God; "it cancels innumerable sins," has no limits to its endurance, bears everything patiently. Love is neither servile nor arrogant. It does not provoke schisms or form cliques, but always acts in harmony with others. By it all God's chosen ones have been sanctified; without it, it is impossible to please him. Out of love the Lord took us to himself; because he loved us and it was God's will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life's blood for us -- he gave his body for our body, his soul for our soul. then, beloved, what a great and wonderful thing love is, and how inexpressible its perfection. Who are worthy to possess it unless God makes them so? To him therefore we must turn, begging of his mercy that there may be found in us a love free from human partiality and beyond reproach. Every generation from Adam's time to ours has passed away; but those who by God's grace were made perfect in love and have a dwelling now among the saints, and when at last the kingdom of Christ appears, they will be revealed. "Take shelter in your rooms for a little while," says Scripture, "until my wrath subsides. Then I will remember the good days, and will raise you from your graves." are we, beloved, if love enables us to live in harmony and in the observance of God's commandments, for then it will also gain for us the remission of our sins. Scripture pronounces "happy those whose transgressions are pardoned, whose sins are forgiven. Happy the one," it says, "to whom the Lord imputes no fault, on whose lips there is no guile." This is the blessing given those whom God has chosen through Jesus Christ our Lord. To him be glory for ever and ever. * * * * us fix our attention on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to God his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world. we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has "offered the opportunity of repentance" to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God's message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God's forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God's people. the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God's grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe himself spoke of repentance with an oath: "As I live," says the Lord, "I do not wish the death of the sinner but the sinner's repentance." He added this evidence of his goodness: "House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell my people: If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to me with your whole heart and say, `Father,' and I will listen to you as to a holy people." other words, God wanted all his beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and he confirmed this desire by his own almighty will. That is why we should obey his sovereign and glorious will and prayerfully entreat his mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before him and turn to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death. should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride, and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: "The wise must not glory in wisdom nor the strong in strength nor the rich in riches. Rather, let the one who glories glory in the Lord, by seeking him and doing what is right and just." Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance. "Be merciful," he said, "so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving will be the measure of your receiving." these commandments and precepts strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As Scripture asks: "Whom shall I look upon with favor except the humble, peaceful one who trembles at my words?" then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe, and hold fast to his splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all his blessings. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, was born at Rome into a rich and illustrious family. from his parents from childhood by force of circumstances, Clement was raised by strangers. in Rome, the youth received a fine education, he was surrounded by luxury, and had access to the imperial court. But these comforts brought him no joy, and pagan wisdom failed to attract him. He began to ponder the meaning of life. the news of Christ and His teaching began to reach the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and went to the lands where the Apostles were preaching. Alexandria Saint Clement met the holy Apostle Barnabas, listening to his words with deep attention, and perceiving the power and truth of the Word of God. in Palestine, Saint Clement was baptized by the holy Apostle Peter and became his zealous disciple and constant companion, sharing his toil and sufferings with him. Shortly before his own sufferings and death, Saint Peter consecrated Saint Clement as Bishop of Rome. the death of the Apostle Peter, Saint Linus (67-79) was the next Bishop of Rome, succeeded by Saint Anacletus (79-91), and then Saint Clement (92-101). virtuous life, charitable works and prayerful activity of Saint Clement converted many to Christ. He once baptized 424 people on the day of Pascha. Among the baptized were people of all social classes: slaves, officials, and even members of the imperial family. pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, denounced Saint Clement to the emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of insulting the pagan gods. The emperor banished Saint Clement from the capital, sending him to the Crimea, to work at a stone quarry near the city of Cherson. Many of the saint’s disciples followed after him voluntarily, preferring to go into exile rather than live without their spiritual Father. he arrived at the place of exile, Saint Clement found many Christian believers there, sentenced to labor under harsh conditions amidst a scarcity of water. prayed together with the condemned, and the Lord appeared to him in the form of a lamb and revealed the location of a spring, from which gushed forth a veritable river of water. miracle attracted a multitude of people to Saint Clement. Hearing the zealous preacher, hundreds of pagans were converted to Christ. Each day 500 or more men were baptized. And there in the stone quarry, a church was built, in which he served as priest. apostolic activity of the saint aroused the wrath of the emperor Trajan, and he ordered that Saint Clement be drowned. They threw the martyr into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck. This occurred in the year 101. saint’s faithful disciples Cornelius and Fibius asked the people to pray that the Lord would permit them to see the martyr’s body. The sea drew back a distance of three miles from the shore and the people walked out on the seabed until they found a marble cave shaped like a church. they found the incorrupt body of their archpastor in this “Angelic Church” formed by God. After this, each year on the anniversary of Saint Clement’s martyric death the sea receded, and for seven days Christians were able to venerate his holy relics. the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Nikēphóros (802-811), by divine providence, the sea failed to withdraw, and the relics of Saint Clement became inaccessible for fifty years. the time of the emperor Michael and his mother Theodora (855-867), Saints Cyril and Methodius visited Cherson. When they learned of the concealed relics of Saint Clement, they asked Bishop George of Cherson to pray that the Lord would show them the relics of the hieromartyr. Cyril and Methodius walked along the shore in procession with the clergy who came with them from Constantinople. Through the fervent prayers of everyone gathered there, the holy relics of Saint Clement miraculously appeared on the surface of the sea at midnight. They solemnly took them to the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople. portion of the relics were then brought to Rome by Saints Cyril and Methodius, a large portion of the relics was later brought to Kiev by the holy Prince Vladimir (July 15) and placed in the Desyatin-Tithe church, together with the relics of Saint Fibius, where a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement had been built. hieromartyr Clement is widely venerated in Russia. From ancient times, many churches have been dedicated to him. Clement, who belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, has left to us a spiritual legacy (two Epistles to the Corinthians) the first written examples of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles.

Egypt, 40-61, Apostle Mark from Cyprus and Jerusalem, Gethsemane Garden
Cyprus, 40-61, Apostle Barnabus from Cyprus; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria, St Mark
Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ;

Egypt, 170 - 640, Patriarchs and Saints History Folder, Later Ancient Times

Egypt, 100, 2nd Century Folder, St Clement

Egypt, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens
Egypt, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not Catholic saint, Cathetical School, philosopher, taught Origen, fAthens, converted bPantaenus tFounder Catechetical School oAlexandria, succeeded P 180, 20yrs apoligist&catechist otFaithful, Greek science philosophy prep fGospel, so school liberal education, speculative theology scholarly defense, meet scholars own grounds, gave Christianity good rep iLearning world, prepared way fOrigen, tMost eminent Greek theologian; Greece, 170-215, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, Athens native, intellectual, not a saint, Cathetical School head about 180, theologian and philosopher, taught Origen and Alex of Jerusalem, influenced by Helenistic philosophy more than others, Plato and the Stoics, Jewish esotericism, Gnosticism, taught Torah a preparation for the Gospel, for sound liberal education; Flavius Clemens, also known as Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - c. 215 AD),[5] was a Christian theologian and philosopher who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem. A convert to Christianity, he was an educated man who was familiar with classical Greek philosophy and literature. his three major works demonstrate, Clement was influenced by Hellenistic philosophy to a greater extent than any other Christian thinker of his time, and in particular, by Plato and the Stoics.[6] secret works, which exist only in fragments, suggest that he was familiar with pre-Christian Jewish esotericism and Gnosticism as well. one of his works he argued that Greek philosophy had its origin among non-Greeks, claiming that both Plato and Pythagoras were taught by Egyptian scholars.[7] is usually regarded as a Church Father. He is venerated as a saint in Coptic Christianity, Eastern Catholicism, Ethiopian Christianity, and Anglicanism. was revered in Western Catholicism until 1586, when his name was removed from the Roman Martyrology by Pope Sixtus V on the advice of Baronius. The Eastern Orthodox Church officially stopped any veneration of Clement of Alexandria in the 10th century. Athens; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; a native of Athens, was converted to Christianity by Pantaenus, founder of the Catechetical School at Alexandria (then the intellectual capital of the Mediterranean world), succeeded his teacher as head of the School about 180. over 20 years he labored effectively as an apologist for the faith and catechist of the faithful. regarded the science and philosophy of the Greeks as being, like the Torah of the Hebrews, a preparation for the Gospel, and the curriculum of his School undertook to give his students both a knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and a sound liberal education. speculative theology, his scholarly defense of the faith and his willingness to meet non-Christian scholars on their own grounds, helped to establish the good reputation of Christianity in the world of learning and prepare the way for his pupil, Origen, the most eminent theologian of Greek Christianity. is not on the present Roman calendar (having been removed by Bellarmine at the time of Galileo, when the Roman See was undergoing a period of wariness about intellectual venturesomeness), but is on the Eastern calendar and many modern revisions of the Anglican calendar. His influence has been considerable. by James Kiefer

Egypt, 180-268, Eugenia, Perfect's d, virginity, Paul's epistles, monastery as monk Eugene, much more
Egypt, 180-268, Alexandria, Perfect's d, fine upbringing, beautiful, g disposition, virginity, Paul's epistles, b by Bishop Elias' vision, monastery as monk Eugene, healing gift, false accusation of a rape, trial before her f, secret revealed, father rejoices w family, they receive baptism, father dismissed, becomes Bishop, new perfect assassins to kill him, back to Rome w mother Claudia and family, monastic life, Claudia built hostel, aided poor, new emperor Galenus' persecution, refuge w C & E, imperial line Basilla requests c teaching, accepts b, B tells fiance who tells emperor, B killed, idol shattered, E dragged to dianna temple which collapses before, E survives stone around neck into river, also s fire, into pit for 10 days, Jesus appears, into kingdom on Christmas by sword, later E appears to her mother for time of death; Alexandria; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Holy Martyr Eugenia, was a Roman by birth. lived at Alexandria, where her father Philip was sent by the emperor Commodus (180-192) to be Prefect of Egypt. received a fine upbringing and was noted for her beauty and good disposition. Many illustrious youths sought her hand, but she did not wish to marry anyone, for she was determined to preserve her virginity. she became acquainted with the Epistles of the Apostle Paul. She yearned with all her soul to become a Christian, but kept this a secret from her parents. At that time, Christians were banished from Alexandria by the command of the emperor. to learn more about Christian teachings, she asked permission to visit one of the family estates outside the city, supposedly to enjoy the countryside. She left in the company of her two servants Protus and Hyacinthus, dressed in men’s clothes. and her companions were baptized at a certain monastery by Bishop Elias (July 14), who learned about her in a vision. He blessed her to pursue asceticism at the monastery disguised as the monk Eugene. her ascetic labors, Saint Eugenia acquired the gift of healing. Once, a rich young woman named Melanthia turned to her for help. Seeing “Eugene,” this woman burned with an impure passion, and when she was spurned, she falsely accused the saint of attempted rape. Eugenia came to trial before the Prefect of Egypt (her father), and she was forced to reveal her secret. Her parents and brothers rejoiced to find the one for whom they had long grieved. a while they all accepted holy Baptism. But Philip, after being denounced by pagans, was dismissed from his post. The Alexandrian Christians chose him as their bishop. The new Prefect, fearing the wrath of the people, did not dare to execute Philip openly, but sent assassins to kill him. They inflicted wounds upon Saint Philip while he was praying, from which he died three days later. Claudia went to Rome with her sons, daughter, and her servants. There Saint Eugenia continued with monastic life, and brought many young women to Christ. Claudia built a wanderers’ hostel and aided the poor. After several peaceful years, the emperor Galienus (260-268) intensified the persecution against Christians, and many of them found refuge with Saints Claudia and Eugenia. an orphaned Roman girl of imperial lineage, heard about the Christians and Saint Eugenia. She sent a trusted servant to the saint asking her to write her a letter explaining Christian teachings. Saint Eugenia sent her friends and co-ascetics, Protus and Hyacinthus, who enlightened Basilla, and she accepted holy Baptism. ’s servant then told her fiancé Pompey that his betrothed had become a Christian. Pompey then complained to the emperor against the Christians for preaching celibacy and denouncing idolatry. Basilla refused to enter into marriage with Pompey, and so they killed her with a sword. dragged Saints Protus and Hyacinthus into a temple to make them sacrifice to the idols, but just as they entered, the idol fell down and was shattered. The holy Martyrs Protus and Hyacinthus were beheaded. They also brought Saint Eugenia to the temple of Diana by force, but she had not even entered it, when the pagan temple collapsed with its idol. threw the holy martyr into the Tiber with a stone about her neck, but the stone became untied and she remained unharmed. She also remained unscathed in the fire. Then they cast her into a pit, where she remained for ten days. this time the Savior Himself appeared to her and said that she would enter into the heavenly Kingdom on the day He was born. this radiant Feast came, the executioner put her to death with a sword. After her death, Saint Eugenia appeared to her mother to tell her beforehand the day of her own death.

Egypt, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Origen and first Hermit St Paul of Thebes

Egypt, 201-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Governor's son, distributed inheritance, 27yrs iDesert, martyred in Decian persecution
Egypt, 201-251, Pansophius oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, son oProcounsul (Governor), distributed inheritance, settled desert, 27yrs, Decius persecution 249-251, trial before prefect (senior magistrate) Alexandria, confessed faith and denounced Pagan errors, fiercely beaten wRods &died aMartyr; Alexandria; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Monk Martyr Pansophius, a son of the Alexandrian proconsul Nilus. the death of his father, he distributed his inheritance to the poor and settled in the desert, he lived in asceticism for twenty-seven years. the persecution by Decius (249-251) Saint Pansophius was brought to trial before the prefect of Alexandria. monk boldly confessed his faith in Christ and denounced pagan errors, which he was fiercely beaten with rods. died from these beatings, thereby receiving a martyr’s crown (249-251).

Egypt, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint
Egypt, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17;

Egypt, 210-264, Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, t great, m suffering, D&V p, civil war, famine, plague, preachng charity
Egypt, 210-264, Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, the great, Origen's pupil, Catechetical school head, much suffering, Decian&Valerian persecutions, civil war, famine, plague, tend C and pagans alike, bury dead, preaching love charity; Alexandria; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated October 5 ; Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, was the son of wealthy pagan parents. converted to Christianity at a mature age, and became a pupil of Origen. he was appointed as the head of Alexandria’s Catechetical School, and then became Bishop of Alexandria in the year 247. Dionysius devoted much effort to defend the Church from heresy, and he encouraged his flock in the firm confession of Orthodoxy during the persecution under the emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259). holy bishop endured much suffering in his lifetime. the Decian persecution broke out, Saint Dionysius was forced to flee Alexandria, but returned when the Emperor died. was later exiled to Libya during the reign of Valerian. he was able to resume his duties in Alexandria in 261, Saint Dionysius had to contend with civil war, famine, plague, and other difficulties. saint called upon his flock to tend sick Christians and pagans alike, and to bury the dead. the death of his spiritual children he wrote, “In such a manner the best of our brethren have departed this life. This generation of the dead, a deed of great piety and firm faith, is no less of a martyrdom.” Dionysius illumined his flock through his preaching, and with deeds of love and charity. illness prevented him from attending the Council of Antioch (264- 265), and he fell asleep in the Lord while it was in session. influence of Saint Dionysius extended beyond the limits of his diocese, his writings dealt with practical as well as theological subjects (“On Nature,” “On Temptations,” “On the Promises,” etc.). was also familiar with Greek philosophy. fragments of his writings survive today, of them preserved in Eusebius, who mentions him in his CHURCH HISTORY ( Book 7) and calls him “Dionysius the Great.” complete letters of Saint Dionysius are extant, one addressed to Novatian, and the other to Basilides.

Egypt, 210-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, Cathetical School, writer
Egypt, 210-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria; Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, was the son of wealthy pagan parents. He converted to Christianity at a mature age, and became a pupil of Origen. Later, he was appointed as the head of Alexandria’s Catechetical School, and then became Bishop of Alexandria in the year 247. Dionysius devoted much effort to defend the Church from heresy, and he encouraged his flock in the firm confession of Orthodoxy during the persecution under the emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259). holy bishop endured much suffering in his lifetime. When the Decian persecution broke out, Saint Dionysius was forced to flee Alexandria, but returned when the Emperor died. He was later exiled to Libya during the reign of Valerian. he was able to resume his duties in Alexandria in 261, Saint Dionysius had to contend with civil war, famine, plague, and other difficulties. The saint called upon his flock to tend sick Christians and pagans alike, and to bury the dead. Concerning the death of his spiritual children he wrote, “In such a manner the best of our brethren have departed this life. This generation of the dead, a deed of great piety and firm faith, is no less of a martyrdom.” Dionysius illumined his flock through his preaching, and with deeds of love and charity. An illness prevented him from attending the Council of Antioch (264- 265), and he fell asleep in the Lord while it was in session. influence of Saint Dionysius extended beyond the limits of his diocese, and his writings dealt with practical as well as theological subjects (“On Nature,” “On Temptations,” “On the Promises,” etc.). He was also familiar with Greek philosophy. Only fragments of his writings survive today, most of them preserved in Eusebius, who mentions him in his CHURCH HISTORY ( Book 7) and calls him “Dionysius the Great.” complete letters of Saint Dionysius are extant, one addressed to Novatian, and the other to Basilides. St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 212-251, Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop, first C Library at J, beasts refused to eat him, died in prison

Egypt, 220-250, Saint Euphrosynus the Cook, inner virtue, spiritual heights, heaven
Saint Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 11 Euphrosynus the Cook was from one of the Palestinian monasteries, and his obedience was to work in the kitchen as a cook. Toiling away for the brethren, Saint Euphrosynus did not absent himself from thought about God, but rather dwelt in prayer and fasting. He remembered always that obedience is the first duty of a monk, and therefore he was obedient to the elder brethren. patience of the saint was amazing: they often reproached him, but he made no complaint and endured every unpleasantness. Saint Euphrosynus pleased the Lord by his inner virtue which he concealed from people, and the Lord Himself revealed to the monastic brethren the spiritual heights of their unassuming fellow-monk. of the priests of the monastery prayed and asked the Lord to show him the blessings prepared for the righteous in the age to come. The priest saw in a dream what Paradise is like, and he contemplated its inexplicable beauty with fear and with joy. also saw there a monk of his monastery, the cook Euphrosynus. Amazed at this encounter, the presbyter asked Euphrosynus, how he came to be there. The saint answered that he was in Paradise through the great mercy of God. The priest again asked whether Euphrosynus would be able to give him something from the surrounding beauty. Saint Euphrosynus suggested to the priest to take whatever he wished, and so the priest pointed to three luscious apples growing in the garden of Paradise. The monk picked the three apples, wrapped them in a cloth, and gave them to his companion. he awoke in the early morning, the priest thought the vision a dream, but suddenly he noticed next to him the cloth with the fruit of Paradise wrapped in it, and emitting a wondrous fragrance. The priest, found Saint Euphrosynus in church and asked him under oath where he was the night before. The saint answered that he was where the priest also was. Then the monk said that the Lord, in fulfilling the prayer of the priest, had shown him Paradise and had bestown the fruit of Paradise through him, “ the lowly and unworthy servant of God, Euphrosynus.” priest related everything to the monastery brethren, pointing out the spiritual loftiness of Euphrosynus in pleasing God, and he pointed to the fragrant paradaisical fruit. Deeply affected by what they heard, the monks went to the kitchen, in order to pay respect to Saint Euphrosynus, but they did not find him there. Fleeing human glory, the monk had left the monastery. The place where he concealed himself remained unknown, but the monks always remembered that their monastic brother Saint Euphrosynus had come upon Paradise, and that they in being saved, through the mercy of God would meet him there. They reverently kept and distributed pieces of the apples from Paradise for blessing and for healing.

Egypt, 222-235, Serapion tNew, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, devout, did what was beneficial, confessed Christ, burned alive
Egypt, 222-235, Serapion tNew, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, devout, did what was beneficial, confessed Christ, burned alive, incorruptible Crown oMartyrdom; Alexandria; Saint Serapion the New, Commemorated on July 12; Serapion (Σεραπίων) lived in Alexandria the reign of Emperor Severus (222-235). was a devout man who did whatever was beneficial. was arrested by the archon Aquila, and when he was asked what religion he followed, confessed courageously that he believed in Christ and honored Him. archon was furious when he heard the Saint's reply, and he was thrown into a fire and was burnt alive, thereby receiving the incorruptible crown of martyrdom from the Lord.

Egypt, 225-270, Egyptian Neo Platonist Philosopher, Plotinus
Egypt, 225-270, Egyptian Neo Platonist Philosopher, Plotinus; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Egypt, 235-622, Migdol, an Island in the Nile, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Migdol, an Island in the Nile, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Egypt, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism
Egypt, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Egypt, 244-341, Paul oThebes, 1st Christian hermit, food bRaven 91yrs, Anthony tGreat sent tHim, angels, prophets, apostles
Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes, the first Christian hermit, born 227 iThebaid, orphaned, greedy relative wanted his inheritance, planned turn him in to Decius' persecutors, so Paul fled tThebaid wilderness, into mountain cave for 91 yrs, praying incessantly day night, dates&bread brought by raven, Palm leaves fClothes, Anthony tGreat also in Thebaid desert, revelation fGod concerning Paul, Anthony There is servant more excellent than you, you should go see him, A went to P's cave, prostrating aEntrance asked admittance, introductions, embrace, conversed all night, A told how God led him there, P told how 60 yrs bird brough half loaf bread each day, but today Lord sent double portion, next morning P spoke approaching death, burial instructions, also get cloak received fAthanasius fMonastery, he wished depart when A absent, as he was returning wCloak, A saw P's soul surrounded by angels prophets apostles, shining in the sun and ascending to God, in the cave Paul was on knees arms outstretched, P forgot shovel, 2 Lions came running dug a grave wClaws, A took Palm leaves garment back to his monastery, A wore it twice yr Pascha Pentecost, Paul died 341 113yr old, no monastery but many life imitators who filled desert wMonasteries, 12th C relics transferred Constantinople, later Venice, finally Hungary at Ofa, part his head in Rome; Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Paul of Thebes was born in Egypt around 227 in the Thebaid of Egypt. orphaned, he suffered many things from a greedy relative over his inheritance. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), Saint Paul learned of his brother-in-law’s insidious plan to deliver him into the hands of the persecutors, so he fled the city and fled into the wilderness. into a mountain cave, Saint Paul dwelt there for ninety-one years, incessantly to God both day and night. sustained himself on dates and bread, which a raven brought him, he clothed himself with palm leaves. Anthony the Great (January 17), who also lived as an ascetic in the Thebaid desert, had a revelation from God concerning Saint Paul. Anthony thought that there was no other desert dweller such as he. God said to him, “Anthony, there is a servant of God more excellent than you, and you should go and see him.” Anthony went into the desert and came to Saint Paul’s cave. to the ground before the entrance to the cave, he asked to be admitted. Elders introduced themselves, and then embraced one another. conversed through the night, and Saint Anthony revealed how he had been led there by God. Paul disclosed to Saint Anthony that for sixty years a bird had brought him half a loaf of bread each day. the Lord had sent a double portion in honor of Saint Anthony’s visit. next morning, Saint Paul spoke to Anthony of his approaching death, and instructed him to bury him. also asked Saint Anthony to return to his monastery and bring back the cloak he had received from Saint Athanasius. did not really need a garment, but wished to depart from his body while Saint Anthony was absent. he was returning with the cloak, Saint Anthony beheld the soul of Saint Paul surrounded by angels, prophets, and apostles, shining like the sun and ascending to God. entered the cave and found Abba Paul on his knees with his arms outstretched. Anthony mourned for him, and wrapped him in the cloak. He wondered how he would bury the body, for he had not remembered to bring a shovel. lions came running from the wilderness and dug a grave with their claws. Anthony buried the holy Elder, and took his garment of palm leaves, then he returned to his own monastery. Anthony kept this garb as a precious inheritance, and wore it only twice a year, on Pascha and Pentecost. Paul of Thebes died in the year 341, when he was 113 years old. did not establish a single monastery, but soon after his end there were many imitators of his life, and they filled the desert with monasteries. Paul is honored as the first desert-dweller and hermit. the twelfth century Saint Paul’s relics were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the Peribleptos monastery of the Mother of God, on orders of the emperor Manuel (1143-1180). they were taken to Venice, and finally to Hungary, at Ofa. of his head is in Rome. Paul of Thebes, whose Life was written by Saint Jerome, is not to be confused with Saint Paul the Simple (October 4).

Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple, his beautiful wife's affair
Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 249, Apollonia oAlexandria, Aged&Excellent virgin, teeth knocked out, she jumped iFire, double crown Martyrdom&Virginity
Egypt, 249, Apollonia oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, Decius Persecution started in Alexandria, call for total extermination, Aged and excellent virgin Apollonia siezed, teeth knocked out, mob built fire outside city, threatened burning alive she asked let go so she could pray, they did, she jumped in fire and consumed, receiving double crown oMartyrdom&Virginity; Alexandria; Virgin Martyr Apollonia, Commemorated on February 9; Apollonia was an elderly virgin and deaconess of Alexandria, whose martyrdom was described by Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5) in one of his letters. Decius became emperor in 249, he launched the greatest attack upon Christianity up to that time, becoming the first emperor to call for its total extermination. Dionysius says that the persecution started at Alexandria a year before it began in other places, incited by a certain “prophet and poet of evil,” who stirred up the people against the Christians. by the power of the government, the pagans massacred Christians, believing that they were serving their false gods by doing so. “aged and excellent virgin Apollonia” was seized and struck in the face until all her teeth were knocked out. mob built a fire outside the city and threatened to burn her alive unless she agreed to worship the idols and sacrifice to the emperor’s genius. Apollonia asked the pagans to let go of her for a moment so that she could pray. soon as they did, she leaped into the flames and was consumed, a double crown of martyrdom and virginity. of the nature of her torments, she is sometimes depicted with a golden tooth hanging from a necklace, or holding a tooth in a pair of pincers. is invoked by those suffering from toothache.

Egypt, 249, Julian, Eunos [Kronion] his servant, Beza [Bisos] the soldier and Mekaros martyred at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt
Egypt, 249, Julian, Eunos [Kronion] his servant, Beza [Bisos] the soldier and Mekaros oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, Julian was very old with gout, couldn't stand, carried to trial by his servants, one (Eunos) confessed Christ, the other did not,, they carried them through city on camels, jeering pagans, then burned them, along with soldier Beza, who was beheaded, Mekaros also burned Alexandria; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Holy Martyrs Julian, Eunos [Kronion] his servant, Beza [Bisos] the soldier and Mekaros at the beginning of the reign of Decius (249-251) at Alexandria. Julian, a very old man, suffered from gout and could neither stand nor get about. was carried to the trial by his servants, one of whom, (Eunos) bravely confessed his faith in Christ, even though a second servant recanted. took Julian and Eunos through the city on camels, subjecting them to the jeering of pagans, finally burned them in a fire. soldier Saint Beza also suffered with them. he tried to defend the holy martyrs from insult, he was beheaded by the sword. Mekaros of Lebanon was also burned.

Egypt, 249-251, Martyr Philosophus, bit off his tongue and spit it at her
Egypt, 249-251, Martyr Philosophus, bit off his tongue and spit it at her ; Martyr Philosophus suffered for Christ in Alexandria during the persecution by the emperor Decius (249-251). They urged the youth to deny Christ, but he remained steadfast. suffering various tortures, he was placed on a soft bed, bound hand and foot, and a harlot was put in the room with him to tempt him to sin. In order not to yield to sin, the saint bit off his tongue and spit it in the harlot’s face. She was so horrified that she fled from him. The executioners, seeing the martyr’s bravery and fearlessness, beheaded the saint with a sword.

Egypt, 250, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Mt Peleusium, came to city, destroyed idols and confessed
Egypt, 30-1st Century, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria; Alexandria; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Holy Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria was a native of Egypt. For a long time he lived in seclusion on Mount Peleusium. a persecution against Christians at Alexandria (about the year 250), Saint Epimachus in his fervent zeal came into the city, destroyed pagan idols, and fearlessly confessed Christ. this the saint was put to torture. Among the people watching the torture was a woman who was blind in one eye. A drop of blood from the martyr healed her infirmity. fierce tortures, the saint was beheaded by the sword. Epimachus is also commemorated on March 11.

Egypt, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, drop of his blood healed woman's eye
Egypt, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria; Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Holy Martyr Epimachus of Alexandria was a native of Egypt. For a long time he lived in seclusion on Mount Peleusium. During a persecution against Christians at Alexandria (about the year 250), Saint Epimachus in his fervent zeal came into the city, destroyed pagan idols, and fearlessly confessed Christ. For this the saint was put to torture. Among the people watching the torture was a woman who was blind in one eye. A drop of blood from the martyr healed her infirmity. fierce tortures, the saint was beheaded by the sword. Epimachus is also commemorated on March 11. Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Egypt, 250, Cyriacus, Faustus, Abibas, & 11 others at Alexandria, confessed Christians under Valerius under Decius
Egypt, 250, Martyrs Cyriacus, Faustus the Presbyter, (Habib) Abibas the Deacon, and eleven others at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, confessed Christians under Valerius under Decius, beheaded, buried; Alexandria; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyrs Cyriacus, Faustus the Presbyter, (Habib) Abibas the Deacon, and eleven other martyrs suffered martyrdom for Christ at Alexandria under the emperor Decius (249-251). the persecution, they all steadfastly confessed themselves as Christians before the governor Valerius. were beheaded by the sword, about the year 250. Their bodies were buried by Christians in Alexandria.

Egypt, 250, 3rd Century, Gerontius and Basilides, Beheaded by the Sword, location assigned to Egypt
Martyrs Gerontius and Basilides, Commemorated on April 1; Troparion & Kontakion The Martyrs Gerontius and Basilides suffered martyrdom for Christ in the third century. They were beheaded by the sword.

Egypt, 253-259, Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, &Chaeremon, oAlexandria, Egypt, deacons & Dionysius' disciple, banished, beheaded
Egypt, 253-259, Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon, of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, deacons and disciples of Dionysius, banished with him, tortured, beheaded during Valerian's time; Alexandria; Martyrs Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon, of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 4; Gaius, Faustus, Eusebius, and Chaeremon were deacons and disciples of Saint Dionysius of Alexandria (October 5). were arrested and banished from from Alexandria along with with Saint Dionysius. were tortured and beheaded during the persecution of Valerian (253-259).

Egypt, 271-356, ANTHONY, the great, father of monasticism, protection of Cross, lived to 105, John Chrys says read his bio
Egypt, 271-356, ANTHONY, father of monasticism, first monastic rule, temptations, eternal punishment, granted a vision, angel, prayer and work, food at sunset, praying till dawn, sleep every 3rd day, monsterous phantoms, protection of the Cross, beaten devil hypocrit, vanquished w prayer, moved into graveyard, shut in tomb, friend deliver bread, devils pounced, as if dead, prepared for burial, regained consciousness, back to tombs, form of ferocious beasts, defeated by trusting, roof opening ray of light, where have you been Jesus? Why? Wanted to see you struggle, now I will always help and make you famous, to Thebaid alone, ignored silver and gold, abandoned fort w water other side of river, friend's bread twice a year, perfect calm after 20 yrs struggle, friends besought his guidance, soon surrounded by several monasteries, don't fear demonic assaults, repel them by Cross, Maximian persecution in 311, A goes to p in Alexandria to suffer, but preserved , back to Thebaid, gifts wonderworking, deliverance, healing, great crowds, deeper into desert but asked to visit monasteries, Manichaean Arian heresies in Alexandria misrepresented him, but he publically denounced them, he lived to 105, John Chrysostom says everyone should read his biography by Athanasius ; Alexandria; ANTONY OF EGYPT, MONASTIC (17 JAN 356), Very weak Western Bio. Go to the next one, the Eastern Bio; the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, back in the days when Christianity was still a persecuted religion, the act of becoming a Christian involved turning one's back on the pursuit of security, of fashionable prestige and popularity, of success as the term is widely understood. the Emperor had changed Christianity from a persecuted religion into a fashionable one, many earnest Christians felt the need to make such a renunciation in the service of Christ, and did not see mere Church membership as any longer enough to constitute such a renunciation. many of them sought Christian commitment by fleeing from society into the desert, and becoming hermits, devoting themselves to solitude, fasting, and prayer. this trend was much accelerated and reinforced by the conversion of Constantine and attendant changes, it had already begun earlier. outstanding early example is Antony of Egypt, often reckoned as the founder of Christian monasticism. of Egypt, the son of Christian parents, inherited a large estate. his way to church one day, he found himself meditating on the text, "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me." he got to church, he heard the preacher speaking on that very text. He took this as a message for him, and, having provided for the care of his sister, he gave his land to the tenants who lived on it, and gave his other wealth to the poor, and became a hermit, living alone for twenty years, praying and reading, and doing manual labor. 305, he gave up his solitude to become the head of a group of monks, living in a cluster of huts or cells, devoting themselves to communal singing and worship, to prayer and study and manual labor under Antony's direction. They did not simply renounce the world, but were diligent in prayer for their fellow Christians, worked with their hands to earn money that they might distribute it as alms, and preached and gave personal counseling to those who sought them out. 321, Christians in Alexandria were being persecuted by the Emperor Maximinus (the rule of Constantine was not yet universal), and Antony visited Alexandria to encourage those facing the possibility of martyrdom. He visited again in 335, when Arianism was strong in the city, and converted many, by his preaching and testimony, and by prayer and the working of miracles. His biography was written by Athanasius, who said of him: "Who ever met him grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?" by James Kiefer Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, the long ascetical sermon in The Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius (Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule. was born in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the year 251. parents were pious Christians of illustrious lineage. was a serious child and was respectful and obedient to his parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to the Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all his life. Saint Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his parents, but he was responsible for the care of his younger sister. to church about six months later, the youth reflected on how the faithful,in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy. he entered the church and heard the Gospel passage where Christ speaks to the rich young man: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me” (Mt.19:21). felt that these words applied to him. Therefore, he sold the property that he received after the death of his parents, then distributed the money to the poor, left his sister in the care of pious virgins in a convent. his parental home, Saint Anthony began his ascetical life in a hut not far from his village. working with his hands, he was able to earn his livelihood and also alms for the poor. the holy youth also visited other ascetics living in the area, and from each he sought direction and benefit. turned to one particular ascetic for guidance in the spiritual life. this period of his life Saint Anthony endured terrible temptations from the devil. The Enemy of the race of man troubled the young ascetic with thoughts of his former life, doubts about his chosen path, concern for his sister, and he tempted Anthony with lewd thoughts and carnal feelings. the saint extinguished that fire by meditating on Christ and by thinking of eternal punishment, thereby overcoming the devil. that the devil would undoubtedly attack him in another manner, Saint Anthony prayed and intensified his efforts. prayed that the Lord would show him the path of salvation. he was granted a vision. The ascetic beheld a man, who by turns alternately finished a prayer, and then began to work. was an angel, which the Lord had sent to instruct His chosen one. Anthony tried to accustom himself to a stricter way of life. He partook of food only after sunset, he spent all night praying until dawn. Soon he slept only every third day. the devil would not cease his tricks, and trying to scare the monk, he appeared under the guise of monstrous phantoms. saint however protected himself with the Life-Creating Cross. the Enemy appeared to him in the guise of a frightful looking small dark figure, and hypocritically declaring himself beaten, he thought he could tempt the saint into vanity and pride. saint, however, vanquished the Enemy with prayer. even greater solitude, Saint Anthony moved farther away from the village, into a graveyard. He asked a friend to bring him a little bread on designated days, then shut himself in a tomb. the devils pounced upon the saint intending to kill him, and inflicted terrible wounds upon him. the providence of the Lord, Anthony’s friend arrived the next day to bring him his food. Seeing him lying on the ground as if dead, he took him back to the village. thought the saint was dead and prepared for his burial. midnight, Saint Anthony regained consciousness and told his friend to carry him back to the tombs. Anthony’s staunchness was greater than the wiles of the Enemy. the form of ferocious beasts, the devils tried to force the saint to leave that place, but he defeated them by trusting in the Lord. up, the saint saw the roof opening, as it were, and a ray of light coming down toward him. demons disappeared and he cried out, “Where have You been, O Merciful Jesus? Why didn’t You appear from the very beginning to end my pain?” Lord replied, “I was here, Anthony, but wanted to see your struggle. Now, since you have not yielded, I shall always help you and make your name known throughout all the world.” this vision Saint Anthony was healed of his wounds and felt stronger than before. He was then thirty-five years of age. gained spiritual experience in his struggle with the devil, Saint Anthony considered going into the Thebaid desert to serve the Lord. asked the Elder (to whom he had turned for guidance at the beginning of his monastic journey) to go into the desert with him. Elder, while blessing him in the then as yet unheard of exploit of being a hermit, decided not to accompany him because of his age. Anthony went into the desert alone. devil tried to hinder him, by placing a large silver disc in his path, then gold, but the saint ignored it and passed by. found an abandoned fort on the other side of the river and settled there, barricading the entrance with stones. faithful friend brought him bread twice a year, and there was water inside the fort. Anthony spent twenty years in complete isolation and constant struggle with the demons, he finally achieved perfect calm. saint’s friends removed the stones from the entrance , and they went to Saint Anthony and besought him to take them under his guidance. Saint Anthony’s cell was surrounded by several monasteries, the saint acted as a father and guide to their inhabitants, giving spiritual instruction to all who came into the desert seeking salvation. increased the zeal of those who were already monks, and inspired others with a love for the ascetical life. told them to strive to please the Lord, and not to become faint-hearted in their labors. also urged them not to fear demonic assaults, but to repel the Enemy by the power of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord. the year 311 there was a fierce persecution against Christians, in the reign of the emperor Maximian. to suffer with the holy martyrs, Saint Anthony left the desert and went to Alexandria. openly ministered to those in prison, he was present at the trial and interrogations of the confessors, accompanying the martyrs to the place of execution. pleased the Lord to preserve him, however, for the benefit of Christians. the close of the persecution, the saint returned to the desert and continued his exploits. Lord granted the saint the gift of wonderworking, casting out demons and healing the sick by the power of his prayer. great crowds of people coming to him disrupted his solitude, and he went off still farther, into the inner desert where he settled atop a high elevation. the brethren of the monasteries sought him out and asked him to visit their communities. time Saint Anthony left the desert and arrived in Alexandria to defend the Orthodox Faith against the Manichaean and Arian heresies. that the name of Saint Anthony was venerated by all the Church, the Arians said that he adhered to their heretical teaching. Saint Anthony publicly denounced Arianism in front of everyone and in the presence of the bishop. his brief stay at Alexandria, he converted a great multitude of pagans to Christ. from all walks of life loved the saint and sought his advice. philosophers once came to Abba Anthony intending to mock him for his lack of education, but by his words he reduced them to silence. Constantine the Great (May 21) and his sons wrote to Saint Anthony and asked him for a reply. praised the emperor for his belief in Christ, and advised him to remember the future judgment, and to know that Christ is the true King. Anthony spent eighty-five years in the solitary desert. before his death, he told the brethren that soon he would be taken from them. instructed them to preserve the Orthodox Faith in its purity, avoid any association with heretics, not to be negligent in their monastic struggles. “Strive to be united first with the Lord, and then with the saints, so that after death they may receive you as familiar friends into the everlasting dwellings.” saint instructed two of his disciples, who had attended him in the final fifteen years of his life, to bury him in the desert and not in Alexandria. left one of his monastic mantles to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (January 18), and the other to Saint Serapion of Thmuis (March 21). Anthony died peacefully in the year 356, at age 105, and he was buried in the desert by his disciples. Life of the famed ascetic Saint Anthony the Great was written by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. This is the first biography of a saint who was not a martyr, and is considered to be one of the finest of Saint Athanasius’ writings. Saint John Chrysostom recommends that this Life be read by every Christian. “These things are insignificant compared with Anthony’s virtues,” writes Saint Athanasius, “but judge from them what the man of God Anthony was like. From his youth until his old age, he kept his zeal for asceticism, he did not give in to the desire for costly foods because of his age, nor did he alter his clothing because of the infirmity of his body. He did not even wash his feet with water. He remained very healthy, and he could see well because his eyes were sound and undimmed. Not one of his teeth fell out, but near the gums they had become worn due to his advanced age. He remained strong in his hands and feet.... He was spoken of everywhere, and was admired by everyone, and was sought even by those who had not seen him, which is evidence of his virtue and of a soul dear to God.” following works of Saint Anthony have come down to us: Twenty Sermons on the virtues, primarily monastic (probably spurious). Seven Letters to various Egyptian monasteries concerning moral perfection, and the monastic life as a spiritual struggle. A Rule for monastics (not regarded as an authentic work of Saint Anthony). the year 544 the relics of Saint Anthony the Great were transferred to Alexandria, and after the conquest of Egypt by the Saracens in the seventh century, they were transferred to Constantinople. The holy relics were transferred from Constantinople in the tenth-eleventh centuries to a diocese outside Vienna. In the fifteenth century they were brought to Arles (in France), to the church of Saint Julian. ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, back in the days when Christianity was still a persecuted religion, the act of becoming a Christian involved turning one's back on the pursuit of security, of fashionable prestige and popularity, of success as the term is widely understood. the Emperor had changed Christianity from a persecuted religion into a fashionable one, many earnest Christians felt the need to make such a renunciation in the service of Christ, and did not see mere Church membership as any longer enough to constitute such a renunciation. Accordingly, many of them sought Christian commitment by fleeing from society into the desert, and becoming hermits, devoting themselves to solitude, fasting, and prayer. this trend was much accelerated and reinforced by the conversion of Constantine and attendant changes, it had already begun earlier. An outstanding early example is Antony of Egypt, often reckoned as the founder of Christian monasticism. of Egypt, the son of Christian parents, inherited a large estate. On his way to church one day, he found himself meditating on the text, "Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me." he got to church, he heard the preacher speaking on that very text. He took this as a message for him, and, having provided for the care of his sister, he gave his land to the tenants who lived on it, and gave his other wealth to the poor, and became a hermit, living alone for twenty years, praying and reading, and doing manual labor. 305, he gave up his solitude to become the head of a group of monks, living in a cluster of huts or cells, devoting themselves to communal singing and worship, to prayer and study and manual labor under Antony's direction. They did not simply renounce the world, but were diligent in prayer for their fellow Christians, worked with their hands to earn money that they might distribute it as alms, and preached and gave personal counseling to those who sought them out. 321, Christians in Alexandria were being persecuted by the Emperor Maximinus (the rule of Constantine was not yet universal), and Antony visited Alexandria to encourage those facing the possibility of martyrdom. visited again in 335, when Arianism was strong in the city, and converted many, by his preaching and testimony, and by prayer and the working of miracles. His biography was written by Athanasius, who said of him: "Who ever met him grieving and failed to go away rejoicing?" by James Kiefer Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 276-336, Egyptian Scholar, Arius of Alexandria
Egyptian Scholar, 276-336, Arius of Alexandria ; Egyptian Patriarch, 328-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 276-311, Egyptian Saint, Pope Peter I of Alexandria, e anathama leniency, excomd Arius
Egypt, 276-336, Egyptian Saint, Pope Peter I of Alexandria; Egyptian Scholar, 276-336, Arius of Alexandria ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25 ;

Egypt, 284-305, Theodotion converted to Christianity after witnessing his brothers' martyrdom, he also endured many torments
Egypt, 284-305, Theodotion converted to Christianity after witnessing his brothers Pausirius&Paul's martyrdom, he also endured many torments Egypt; Rahab; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; Holy Martyrs and brothers according to the flesh Pausirius, Paul, and Theodotion lived in Egypt during the third century. and Paul confessed their faith in Christ and suffered martyrdom under Diocletian (284-305). converted to Christianity after witnessing their martyrdom. also endured many torments before being put to death.

Egypt, 284-305, Wonderworker Unmercenary Cyrus, his disciple John, gift to heal every sickness, encouraged Athanasia&d
Egypt, 284-305, Wonderworker Unmercenary Cyrus, his disciple John, oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, C was noted Alexandrian physician, treated sick without charge, curing bodies & spiritual infirmities, he said sin often cause oIllness, he converted many, tArabia during Diocletian p, became monk, continued tHeal, received gift to heal every sickness, in Edessa was soldier John, pious christian, D persecution J went to Jerusalem, there J heard about C, J searched for C first in Alexandria then Arabia, found him and remained faithful follower, they heard Athanasia & daughters arrest, went prison to help them, concerned might renounce, encouraged endure, so Ruler arrested C&J, brought A&d witness C&J torture, all forms torture, women not frightened, courageously continued witness, flogged beheaded, crowns martyrdom, A&d buried with C&J in Canopis, relics tManuphin, then tRome, then tMunich, C&J invoked for sleeping difficulty; Alexandria; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.” the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping.

Egypt, 284-305, Athanasia&Daughters, fCanopis, Egypt, forced to watch Cyrus&John's torture, still confessed, martyred
Egypt, 284-305, Athanasia&Daughters, fCanopis, Egypt, their story is now only in Cyrus and John's story, Athanasia &daughters Theoctiste 15, Theodota 13, and Eudoxia 11 were arrested, C&J worried they would renounce wTortured, C&J encouraged, C&J arrested, tortured in fron of A&d's, women not freightened, continued confess, flogged beheaded; Canopis, Egypt ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; story now only in the Cyrus and John story below: learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, courageously continued to confess Christ. were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.” Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. In the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. They learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. At the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Saints Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping.

Egypt, 286-287, Apollonius of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, change clothes with me, but he confessed, arrow destroys eye, healed
Egypt, 286-287, Apollonius of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, change clothes with me, but he confessed, arrow destroys eye, healed, aAntinoe, under Diocletian, Arrian first persecuted Chriatians, Apollonius first feared, asked pagan musician Philemon change clothes&sacrifice for him, but unexpectedly P confessed, A repented&confessed, both tortured&executed, P's body hung olive tree, arrows, one ruined perfect Arianus' eye, eye healed by dirt Philemon's grave, perfect's family baptized & martyred, P&A d 286, A&T d287; Alexandria; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Holy Martyrs Philemon, Apollonius, Arianus and Theotychus suffered for the Faith in Egypt, the city of Antinoe, the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Arrian up until his conversion to Christ was a persecutor of Christians, among whom were the martyrs Apollonius and Philemon. Apollonius, at first fearing to face the sufferings, asked the pagan musician Philemon to change clothes with him and offer sacrifice to the idols for him. unexpectedly Saint Philemon confessed himself a Christian in front of the pagans. Apollonius repented and also confessed Christ. torture, both martyrs were executed. Philemon’s body was hung upon an olive tree, arrows were shot at him. struck prefect Arianus in the eye, destroying it. ’ injured eye was healed by when he applied dirt taken from Philemon’s grave. repented and was converted to the Christian Faith and baptized together with all his household and bodyguards. of love for Christ they voluntarily went to torture and were sentenced to death. Martyr Theotychus was the eldest of the guards, and is remembered with the other saints. Martyrs Philemon and Apollonius died on March 16, 286, and the Martyrs Arrian and Theotychus on March 4, 287.

Egypt, 287, Martyr Asclas, Antinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15)
Egypt, 287, Martyr Asclas, Antinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15); Holy Martyr Asclas was a Christian, born in the city of Great Hermopolis (Middle Egypt). The saint suffered under Diocletian (284-305). Brought before the governor Arrian, Saint Asclas boldly confessed his faith and refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. The saint predicted to Arrian that there would come a time when he himself would be forced to call on Jesus Christ as the one true God. Arrian’s order, they began to torture the saint cruelly, they suspended him and raked him with iron instruments, so that pieces of his flesh fell to the ground. Saint Asclas quietly endured the torments. When one of those present said, “Look, he is already unconscious and near to death,â€ the holy martyr answered, “I have not lost consciousness, and unceasingly do I glorify my God and Savior.â€ governor Arrian gave orders to to resume the martyr’s tortures in the city of Antinoe, on the opposite bank of the Nile, where he himself soon intended to go. But the martyr prayed to God, beseeching Him to hold back Arrian’s boat until he confessed the Lord Jesus Christ before all the people. boat suddenly halted in the middle of the river, and not even oars could move it from the spot. Arrian ascribed the miracle to sorcery. In drawing up the sentence of the saint, the governor happened to say something about the one true God, and then the boat sailed on to shore. Going into the city, Arrian again gave orders to suspend Saint Asclas and scorch him with fire. the saint was sentenced to be drowned in the river. The martyr said to the Christians accompanying him, “Strive, brethren, to receive the rewards of the Lord God. My children, come to the north part of the city in three days and find my body. Bury it with the stone that will be tied to it.â€ martyrdom of Saint Asclas occurred around the year 287, not far from the city of Antinoe. On the third day, Christians found the body of the martyr and buried it with the stone. Antinoe or Antinopolis; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20;

Egypt, 290-350, Syncletica oAlexandria, beautiful, virginity, giving, left city tCrypt, girls came, death revealed bVision
Egypt, 290-350, Syncletica oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, wealthy parents, beautiful, loved purity&virginity, fasting&prayer, distributed wealth tPoor, left city tCrypt, girls came, instructed bWord&Deed, illness a80, Christian endurance, time oDeath revealed bVision, died 350; Alexandria; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Syncletica was a native of Alexandria, daughter of wealthy parents. was very beautiful, from a young age she thought only about the things which are pleasing to God. the purity of virginity, she refused to marry anyone, spent all her time in fasting and prayer. the death of her parents, Syncletica distributed her inheritance to the poor. left the city with her younger sister, and lived in a crypt for the rest of her life. of her ascetic deeds quickly spread throughout the region, many devout women and girls came to live under her guidance. the course of her ascetical life the Saint zealously instructed the sisters by word and by deed. her eightieth year Saint Syncletica was stricken with an intense and grievous illness. bore her ordeal with true Christian endurance, the day of her death was revealed to her in a vision. giving final instructions to her nuns, she surrendered her soul to God around the year 350.

Egypt, 300, 4th Century Folder, Hermits of Egyptian Desert

Egypt, 301-311, Peter of Alexandria, Archbishop, A School, lenient to fallen c, but excommunicated Arius, unusual martyrdom
Egypt, 300-311, Peter of Alexandria, Archbishop, School of Alexandria, lenient to fallen c, but excommunicated Arius, unusual martyrdom, avoided the crowd, voice from heaven, vision of Jesus as a child, Arius warning from J, profound theologian; Peter I of Alexandria (Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ ⲁ̅, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ ⲓⲉⲣⲟⲙⲁⲣⲧⲩⲣⲟⲥ ⲡⲓⲁⲣⲭⲏⲉⲣⲉⲩⲥ[1]) was the 17th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. He is revered as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church.[2] was born and raised in Alexandria. Coptic Orthodox Church believes that Peter was given by his parents to Theonas to be brought up as a priest, similarly to the story of Samuel in the Old Testament. rose through the ranks of holy orders, first becoming a reader, then a deacon, then a priest. Highly educated, Peter became head of the school of Alexandria.[3] early 300, while on his death bed, Theonas advised the church leaders to choose Peter as his successor, which they did. time as bishop included the Diocletianic Persecution, which began in 303, and continued intermittently over the next ten years. into exile from the city during the anti-Christian persecutions, Peter traveled through many lands, encouraging his flock by letter, before returning to his city to guide the Alexandrian Church personally during this period. He secretly visited those imprisoned, assisted widows and orphans, and conducted clandestine services.[3] of Peter's position during the persecution vary,[4] but one states that he was imprisoned for a time with bishop Meletius of Lycopolis and they fell into an argument over the treatment of Christians who had either offered pagan sacrifice or surrendered scriptures to the authorities to save their lives during the persecution. urged leniency while Meletius held firmly that the lapsed had abandoned their faith and needed to be rebaptised. Their argument became heated, and was ended when Peter hung a curtain between him and Meletius. of Meletius' followers was a priest named Arius (modern scholarship differs on whether this was the same Arius as became involved with the Arian controversy a few years later).[5][6] According to Severus of Ashmumeen, Arius tried in vain to receive absolution from the Patriarch before Peter was executed, and before dying Peter anathematized Arius as a heretic and excommunicated him.[3] execution of the patriarch Peter of Alexandria under the emperor Maximinus Daia, depicted in the Menologion of Basil II, an illuminated manuscript prepared for the emperor Basil II in c. 1000. tenth-century historian Severus of Ashmumeen gives us an account of how during the Diocletianic Persecution the Patriarch was seized and thrown in prison. When the emperor was informed about this, he ordered Peter to be beheaded. This was hindered by a large number of Christians who gathered at the prison willing to die for their Patriarch. The soldiers delayed the execution because they neither wanted to massacre the crowd nor create a riot. Patriarch, fearing for the life of his people, advised the soldiers with a plan to smuggle him out of jail by breaking a hole in a certain wall which he would point out. He could then be smuggled out and receive his sentence. of Ashmumeen describes the moment when the Patriarch was martyred: he took off his omophorion, and bared his neck, which was pure before the Lord, and said to them: «Do as you have been commanded». the soldiers feared that trouble would befall them because of him. So they looked one at another, and not one of them dared to cut off his head, because of the dread which had fallen upon them. they took counsel together and said: «To him that cuts off his head each one of us will give five denarii». Now they were six persons; and one of them had some money; so he took out five and twenty denarii from among the coins and said : «He that will go up to him, and cut off his head, shall receive this money from me and from the four others». So one of the men went forward, and summoned up his courage, and cut off the head of the holy martyr and patriarch Peter; that day being the 29th of Hatur.[6] is a month in the Coptic calendar, corresponding roughly to November. Saint Peter's martyrdom occurred in the year AD 311. day[edit] in Christianity, the day of a saint's death is the day on which his feast day is celebrated. 29 Hatur corresponds to 25 November in the Julian calendar (to 26 November if the following Julian year is a leap year). Thus 29 Hatur corresponds at present to the Gregorian Calendar 8 December or 9 December (see Old Style and New Style dates). Alexandria; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25 ; Holy Hieromartyr Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria, was born and raised at Alexandria. He was a highly educated man, and was head of the school of Alexandria. In the year 300 he became the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church, succeeding his teacher and spiritual guide, the holy Bishop Theonas. into exile from the city during the anti-Christian persecutions under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, Saint Peter traveled through many lands, encouraging his flock by letter. Again returned to his city, in order to guide the Alexandrian Church personally during this dangerous period. The saint secretly visited Christians locked up in prison, encouraging them to be steadfast in faith, assisting the widows and orphans, preaching the Word of God, constantly praying and officiating at the divine services. And the Lord kept him safe from the hands of the persecutors. this time of unrest the iniquitous heretic Arius, who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, sowed the tares of his impious teaching. When Arius refused to be corrected and submit to the truth, Saint Peter anathematized the heretic and excommunicated him from the Church. Arius then sent two of Saint Peter’s priests to beg the saint to lift the excommunication from him, pretending that he had repented and given up his false teachings. This was not true, for Arius hoped to succeed Saint Peter as Archbishop of Alexandria. Saint Peter, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, saw through the wickedness and deceit of Arius, and so he instructed his flock not to believe Arius nor to accept him into communion. the wise nurturing of Saint Peter the Church of Alexandria strengthened and grew in spite of the persecutions. But finally, on orders from the emperor Maximian (305-311), the saint was arrested and sentenced to death. A multitude of people gathered at the entrance of the prison, expressing their outrage. to avoid bloodshed and a riot by the people, the saint sent a message to the authorities, in which he suggested that they make an opening in the back wall of the prison, so that he might be taken away secretly to execution. the dark of the night Saint Peter went with the executioners, who took him beyond the city walls and beheaded him at the same spot where formerly Saint Mark had been executed. night a certain pious virgin heard a Voice from heaven saying, “Peter was first among the Apostles; Peter is the last of the Alexandrian Martyrs.” took place in the year 311. the morning, when people learned of the death of their bishop, a crowd gathered at the place of execution. They took up the body and head of the martyr and went to the church, dressing him in his bishop’s vestments, they sat him in his throne at the high place in the altar. During his life Saint Peter never sat on it, but sat on a footstool instead. saint once explained that whenever he approached his throne he beheld a heavenly light shining on it, and he sensed the presence of a divine power. Therefore, he didn’t dare to sit there. Lord Jesus Christ once appeared to Saint Peter as a twelve-year-old child wearing a robe that was torn from top to bottom. Saint Peter asked the Savior who had torn his garment, He replied, “That madman Arius has torn it by dividing the people whom I have redeemed by My blood. Do not receive him into Communion with the Church, for he has worked evil against Me and My flock.” Peter, a great champion of Orthodoxy, is known also as a profound theologian. Passages from his book, “On the Divinity (of Jesus Christ)”, were consulted at the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. Of all his works, the most widely known and highly esteemed by the Church are his “Penitential Canons”.

Egypt, 301-305, Augusta, Porphyrius tGeneral, 50 philosophers &200 Soldiers martyred w Katherine
In Alexandria, Augusta, Porphyrius the General, the 50 philosophers and the 200 Soldiers martyred with the Great Martyr Katherine, 50 Philosophers and Rhetoricians dispute w her, converted, burned alive, Agusta wanted to see her, her face radiant wDivine Grace, Commander Prophyrius 200 soldeirs w her converted, K threatened wWheel but approached it herself, but angel smashed wheel, Maximian offered marriage, rejected, all beheaded; Empress Augusta, Porphyrius the General, the 50 philosophers and the 200 Soldiers martyred with the Great Martyr Katherine, Commemorated on November 24; we read in the life of Saint Katherine, the Emperor Maximian ordered 50 of the Empire's most learned philosophers and rhetoricians to dispute with Great Martyr. a result of her eloquent testimony, however, they embraced the Christian faith and were summarily burned alive by Maximian's order, after Saint Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over them. the Empress Augusta, who had heard much about Katherine, wanted to see her. prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. Empress was deeply impressed by the tenacious faith displayed by Saint Katherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. After she had explained the Christian teaching to them, they too embraced the Christian faith. next day, Katherine was again brought to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels, an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces. beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta, Porphyrius and the detachment of 200 soldiers publicly confessed their faith in Christ. Maximian again tried to entice Katherine to renounce her faith, proposing marriage to her, but again she refused his offer and firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ. offering a prayer to Him, she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword and was beheaded, as was the Empress Augusta, Porphyrius and the 200 soldiers.

Egypt, 301-370, Serapion, Bishop oThmuis, Egypt, example f All Monks, salvation stories, Anthony Letter, Athanasius, Lit Texts
Egypt, 301-370, Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, Egypt (Goshen or Lower Egypt), Sindonite for rough linen clothing (sindona), lived like birds of air, no shelter, no money, gave sindon, half naked, tSketis, saved bandit story, Manichean heretic Lakedaimon story, Greek philosopher's gold coin story, sold himself to slavery story, not pay for ship to Rome story, house to house in Rome story, Later Bishop of T, Letter on Death of St Anthony, supporter friend oAthanasius, w Liturgical Texts, deep old age, example all monks; Thmuis; Saint Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt, Commemorated on March 21; Serapion lived in Egypt during the fourth century. is known as “the Sindonite” because wore only rough linen clothing (sindona). the time of his youth he lived like the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26). He had no shelter, and for several days at a timehou he would eat no food, because he did not have money to buy bread. he saw a beggar shivering from the cold, he gave him his sindon, and was left half-naked. He proved to be a prime example of philanthropy and mercy, distributing his own wealth, and whatever his faithful visitors gave him for himself, to the poor. he became a monk and lived in the desert of Sketis. was dedicated to spreading the Word of God in many different ways. he fell into the hands of a bandit, and by his powers of persuasion he managed to turn the tables on him, and made this robber a servant of God. also managed to convert the Manichean heretic Lakedaimon to Orthodoxy. certain Greek philosopher, who wanted to test the monk’s honesty, gave him a gold coin and began to watch him. Saint went to a bread merchant, took one loaf and gave the gold coin to the merchant, walking away with no idea of the coin’s value. Serapion led many people to the path of salvation in special ways. he sold himself into slavery to a Greek actor who wanted to convert to Christ. The actor was astonished by the righteous one’s holy life, and so he believed and was baptized with his family. He implored Saint Serapion to remain with him, not as a slave, but as a mentor and friend. The monk left, however, without taking the money that was offered to him. for Rome, Saint Serapion boarded a ship, but did not pay the sailors anything for his passage. At first, they began to reproach him for this, but when they saw that the Elder did not eat anything for five days, they began to feed him for the sake of God, and thereby fulfilled the commandment of the Lord. Rome, the monk continued to travel, going from house to house, having nothing, gathering only spiritual riches for himself and for his neighbor. he was made Bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt. had been a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), and later he wrote A Letter on the Death of Saint Anthony. was also a friend and supporter of Saint Athanasios of Alexandria (January 18 & May 2). the end of the nineteenth century a collection of liturgical texts, ascribed to Saint Serapion, was discovered. the end he returned to his beloved desert, where he reposed peacefully in deep old age in the year 370, an example for all the monks.

Egypt, 301-305, Catherine, beautiful smart daughter of gov, m only one who surpasses me, no, baptism, yes and ring
Egypt, 305, Saint, Catherine of Alexandria; Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Great Martyr Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandrian Egypt during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Catherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Catherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ™s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. listening to Catherine, the Elder said that he knew of a Youth who surpassed her in everything. œHis countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled. description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. œIf you do as I tell you, said the monk, œyou will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man. parting, the Elder handed Catherine an icon of the Theotokos with the divine Child Jesus on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and She would hear Catherine and grant her heart'™s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said Her Divine Son, œBehold Thy handmaiden Catherine, how fair and virtuous she is; But the Child turned His face away from her saying, œNo, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety. returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of holy Baptism from him. Saint Catherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time the emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, those who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. saint’s love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings compelled Catherine to speak to the pagan priest and to the emperor Maximian. herself, the saint confessed her faith in the One True God and with wisdom exposed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. order to convince her and to show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Catherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burned alive by order of the emperor. no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Receiving an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrius to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The empress was impressed by the strong spirit of Saint Catherine, whose face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian teaching to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheels; but an angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. beheld this wonder, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrius with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. again tried to entice the holy martyr, proposing marriage to her, and again he was refused. Saint Catherine firmly confessed her fidelity to the heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Catherine were taken by the angels to Mount Sinai. In the sixth century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to a newly-constructed church of the Sinai monastery, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Catherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mt Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit.

Egypt, 301-307, Varus, commander, secret christian, assistance, fiercely beaten to d, holy relics in Galilee
Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19; Varus lived in Egypt during the period of several persecutions against Christians (late third to early fourth century). (Ouaros) was a military commander and secretly a Christian. He gave assistance to many of the persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and he visited the prisoners at night. He also brought food to the prisoners, dressed their wounds, and gave them encouragement. Varus spent a whole night talking with seven imprisoned monks. These men were Christian teachers who had been beaten and starved. Varus marched with the teachers when they were led to their execution. judge, seeing Varus’ strong faith, had him fiercely beaten. Varus died during the beating. After his death, the monks were beheaded.

Egypt, 301-327, Cleopatra, witnessed Varus martyrdom, son died, in heaven w V, comforted, built Galilee church over r
Egypt, 307-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra; Cleopatra (died 319 or 327) was a Christian saint who lived between the 3rd century and 4th century. She is venerated in the Catholic Church,[1] Oriental Orthodoxy[citation needed] and Eastern Orthodoxy[2]. originally came from a village called Edra near Mount Tabor in Lower Galilee.[3] was a contemporary of the holy martyr Saint Varus and had witnessed his suffering and execution. After Varus' death, Cleopatra had his remains taken to her home in Daraa, Syria where she had them buried with reverence. was a widow, whose only child, was a son named John. By 319, John had attained the officer rank of centurion, but to her great sorrow, had died suddenly. in grief, turned to the relics of Saint Varus, begging the saint to return her son. She dreamt that Varus and John appeared to her as radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads and took this to mean that the Lord had received John into the Heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted.[3] moved to live by the church that she had built was over the relics of Saint Varus and her son. Miracles were reported by people who had come to pray at the church. Cleopatra spent her remaining years in the service of God. She gave her property to the poor and spent her time praying and fasting.[3] She died in 327. from Cleopatra, her son John is also recognised as a saint in Orthodox Christianity. The feast day of Saints Cleopatra and John is 19 October. Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Cleopatra and her son John came from the village of Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine. She was a contemporary of the holy Martyr Varus and witnessed his voluntary suffering. the execution, Saint Cleopatra brought the body of the holy martyr to her own country and buried him with reverence. had one beloved son, John, who had attained the honorable rank of officer. To the great sorrow of his mother, John suddenly died. Cleopatra with tears of grief turned to the relics of the holy Martyr Varus, begging him for the return of her son. and her son appeared to Cleopatra in a dream, radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads. She realized that the Lord had received her son into the heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted. this vision blessed Cleopatra started to live by a church she built over the relics of the holy martyr Varus and her son John, and performed many good deeds. She distributed her property to the poor and spent her time in prayer and fasting. After seven years she fell asleep in the Lord. Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 301-350, Akepsimas &Aithalas, Arbel, Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession
Galilee, 301-350, Arbel (Arbela), Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession; Arbel; Roman and Byzantine "Arbel" or "Arbela"[edit] In 161 BCE "Arbela" in the Arbel Valley was the site of a battle between the supporters of the Maccabees and Seleucid general Bacchides, who defeated and killed his opponents (1 Macc. 9:2).[3][4][5] the second half of the second century BCE, the village of Arbel was the home of the sage Nittai of Arbela.[citation needed] 38 BCE, Jewish partisans of Antigonus who were opposing Herod in his conquest of the land with the help of Roman, sought refuge from his troops in the caves dotting the steep northern cliffs of Mount Arbel, but couldn't escape death.[6][4][5] Their story is told by Josephus, who himself fortified the cave-village as a storage base at the beginning of the First Jewish–Roman War against Rome in 66 CE.[4][5] ancient town of Arbel is thought by some to have been located at the site of Khirbet Wadi Hamam ("Ruins [in the] Valley of the Doves"; Hurvat Vradim being the modern Hebrew name), on the other side of Arbel Valley, on the eastern slopes of Mount Nitay and close to the stream bed; if that was the case, the village only moved to the site of Khirbet Irbid, close to where the modern moshav stands now, during the Middle Ages.[5] The Jewish scholar Ishtori Haparchi, writing in 1322, thought to identify ancient Arbel with the Arab village itself, in its location on Mount Arbel, 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) northwest of Tiberias.[7] from the late Roman and Byzantine periods have been found.[8][dubious – discuss] Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyrs Akepsimas and Aithalas were from Persia. Akepsimas was a pagan priest in the city of Arbel. Having received healing through the prayers of a Christian bishop, he was converted to the faith in Christ and boldly confessed it. For this they threw Saint Akepsimas into prison. after, Saint Aithalas, a deacon of the Arbel Church, was imprisoned with him. They brought the martyrs before the ruler, where they again confessed their faith and were beheaded.

Egypt, 303-305, Martyr Paphnutius & 546 companions, appeared not brought to torture, preserved, strengthened christian confess
Egypt, 303-305, Martyr Paphnutius and 546 companions, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, appeared not brought to torture, preserved, converted prisoners, set free, strengthened christians to confess, 546 in all, into river w stone, but floated, crucifiec on date tree; Alexandria; Martyr Paphnutius and 546 companions in Egypt, Commemorated on September 25; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree.

Egypt, 303-313, Catherine of Alexandria, educated beauty, a only one who surpassed, icon, rejected by J, baptism, accepted
Egypt, 303-313, Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, educated, beautiful, accept only someone who surpassed her, Theotokos icon, prayer, rejected by Jesus, baptism, accepted by Jesus ; of Alexandria, or Katherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine, is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of 18. than 1,100 years after Catherine's martyrdom, Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her.[3] Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November, depending on the regional tradition. In Catholicism, Catherine is traditionally revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and she is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November.[4] feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar[5] in 1969, but restored in 2002 as an optional memorial. modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the virgin Saint Dorothea of Alexandria and the Greek philosopher Hypatia, with reversed role of a Christian and Neo-Platonist in the case of the latter.[6][7][8] Alexandria; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24 ; Holy Great Martyr Katherine was the daughter of Konstos, the governor of Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital, the center of Hellenistic knowledge, and possessed of a rare beauty and intellect, Katherine received an excellent education, studying the works of the greatest philosophers and teachers of antiquity. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but she was not interested in any of them. She told her parents that she would enter into marriage only with someone who surpassed her in nobility, wealth, comeliness and wisdom. ’s mother, a secret Christian, sent her to her own Spiritual Father, a saintly Elder living in a cave outside the city, for advice. listening to Katherine, the Elder said that he knew of someone who surpassed her in everything. “His countenance is more radiant than the shining of the sun, and all of creation is governed by His wisdom. His riches are given to all the nations of the world, yet they never diminish. His compassion is unequaled.” description of the Heavenly Bridegroom produced an ardent desire in the soul of the holy maiden to see Him. "If you do as I tell you,” said the monk, “you will gaze upon the countenance of this illustrious man.” In parting, the Elder gave Katherine an icon of the Theotokos with the Divine Child on Her arm and told her to pray with faith to the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Heavenly Bridegroom, and she would hear Katherine and grant her heart’s desire. prayed all night and was permitted to see the Most Holy Virgin, Who said her Divine Son, “Behold Thy handmaiden Katherine, how fair and virtuous she is.” But the Child turned His face away from her saying, “No, she is ugly and unbelieving. She is a foolish pauper, and I cannot bear to look at her until she forsakes her impiety.” returned again to the Elder deeply saddened, and told him what she had seen in the dream. He received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly. She then received the Mystery of Holy Baptism from him. Again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos with her Child. Now the Lord looked at her tenderly and gave her a beautiful ring, a wondrous token of her betrothal to the Heavenly Bridegroom (this ring is still on her hand). that time Emperor Maximian was in Alexandria for a pagan festival. Therefore, the celebration was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blaze of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas defiled the city of Alexandria. Human victims also were brought, the confessors of Christ, who would not deny Him under torture. They were condemned to death in the fire. Katherine's love for the Christian martyrs, and her fervent desire to ease their sufferings, compelled her to speak to the pagan priest and to Emperor Maximian. herself, the Saint confessed her faith in the One True God, and exposed the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the Emperor. In order to convince her of the superiority of pagan wisdom, the Emperor ordered fifty of the most learned philosophers and rhetoricians of the Empire to dispute with her, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, so that they came to believe in Christ themselves. Saint Katherine made the Sign of the Cross over the martyrs, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt alive by order of the Emperor. to persuade the Saint, Maximian tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Hearing her angry refusal, the Emperor ordered his men to subject the Saint to terrible tortures, and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about the Saint, wanted to see her. She prevailed upon the military commander Porphyrios to accompany her to the prison with a detachment of soldiers. The Empress was impressed by Katherine's strong spirit, and her face was radiant with divine grace. The holy martyr explained the Christian Faith to them, and they were converted to Christ. the following day, they again brought the martyr to the judgment court where, under the threat of being broken on the wheel, she was urged to renounce the Christian Faith and to offer sacrifice to the "gods." The Saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she was taken to be tortured on four wheels with sharp iron spikes, but an Angel smashed the instruments of execution, which shattered into pieces with many pagans standing nearby. seeing this miracle, the Empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyrios and 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ before everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian tried again to entice the holy martyr, offering to marry her, and again he was refused. Saint Katherine remained faithful to her heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and after praying to Him, she laid her head on the block beneath the executioner’s sword. relics of Saint Katherine were taken by the Angels to Mount Sinai. In the VI century, the venerable head and left hand of the holy martyr were found through a revelation and transferred with honor to the newly-constructed church of the Monastery on Mount Sinai, built by the holy Emperor Justinian (November 14). Katherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth. Pilgrims to her monastery on Mount Sinai are given souvenir rings as a remembrance of their visit. Saint Katherine is commemorated on November 25 in Slavic usage.

Egypt, 303-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, ruler of Egypt, advanced C in E, torture, prophecy, Julian recompensed,
Egypt, 303-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch ; (died 362[1]), known as Challita in the Maronite tradition, was a general of the Roman Empire, dux Aegypti (imperial prefect of Roman Egypt). He is considered a saint by the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, with the name of Artemius of Antioch. details are known of the life and death of Artemius, and many of those details are contradictory, or at least inconsistent, between Christian and pagan early sources. place or year of birth are not indicated in any historical sources, although at least one tradition quoted in a contemporary source indicates that Artemius was an Egyptian by birth.[2] to the 8th century compilation, Artemii Passio,[3] he was a Senator and “a notable participant in the highest affairs of [Constantine]”.[4] the author of the Passio attributes this information to Eusebius, who does not in fact mention Artemius in any of his writings, and this information cannot be confirmed by any other known historical records. stories that place Artemius with Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge[5] would make Artemius at least eighty years old when martyred by Julian, which would seem doubtful given his activity at the time.[6][7] assertion that Artemius was a friend and companion of Constantius II seems reliable.[8][9] Given the fact that Artemius held the position of dux Aegypti in the final years of Constantinus’ reign, as is asserted by a number of early sources, both pagan and Christian, it is clear that it is Constantius who must have awarded Artemius this position.[10][11][12][13] 360 CE, he was listed in a minute of the Oxyrhyncian Senate, under the name of Flavius Artemius, as holding the rank of dux Aegypti.[14] Artemii Passio attributes Artemius’ ascension to this high position to his successful completion of Constantius’ orders to recover the relics of the Apostles Andrew, Luke and Timothy.[15] to this narrative, Constantius sent Artemius to Achaea to claim the body of Andrew from Patras and the body of Luke from Boeotia.[16] is also credited there with translating the relics of Timothy from Ionian Ephesus to Constantinople.[17] Apparently in return for these tasks, Constantius awarded Artemius with the administration of Roman Egypt.[18] However, this attribution is not certain, given that other Christian sources that refer to the translation of St. Andrew's remains, including the Chronicon Paschale, written a century earlier, do not refer to Artemius in this regard.[19] serving as the military governor of Egypt, Artemius supported the Arian bishop of Alexandria, George the Cappadocian, and took part in the latter's campaign against both the pagan and Orthodox Christian populations. Documented examples of this support include the sacking of the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria,[20][21] as well as the pursuit of the former, Orthodox, bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius.[22][23] 361 CE, Constantius was succeeded by his cousin Julian, who, on becoming Emperor, broke with his Christian upbringing and took up traditional Roman pagan pantheism. thereafter, Artemius met his death, in circumstances that are not entirely clear. The Artemii Passio places his death at the hands of Julian, in Antioch, because upon being summoned by Julian from Alexandria, he supported Eugenius and Macarius, two Christian priests from Antioch, against the tortures to which they were subjected by Julian. Artemius is further accused by Julian of murdering Julian's half-brother, Gallus.[24] Despite Artemius' denials, Julian proceeds to have Artemius tortured in various fashions while exhorting Artemius to renounce his Christianity. Artemius repeatedly confirms his faith, and ultimately has his head cut off.[25] According to the Chronicon Paschale, Artemius dies in Alexandria.[26] Ammianus describes Artemius’ death as occurring after Artemius is no longer dux Aegypti, when he is executed for the crimes he was accused of committing against the people of Alexandria.[27] Julian himself provides a similar reason.[28] While Ammianus does not provide the location of Artemius’ death, his language indicates that it was not at Alexandria,[29] thus perhaps strengthening the contention that it was indeed at Antioch.[30] is considered a martyr and Saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, despite his apparent adherence to Arianism during his life. His acceptance as a martyr is based on the tradition found in Christian sources that he was tortured and executed by Julian for speaking on behalf of Christianity in the face of the apostate Emperor Julian, and his unwillingness to renounce his Christianity despite Julian's promises to allow him to live and restore him to his offices.[31] canonization as St. Artemios is based on the anonymous late 7th century compilation of 45 miracles with which he is attributed.[32] As described in the 45 miracles attributed to him, St. Artemios specializes in miracles dealing with medicine and healing, and in particular with hernias, and testicular and genital maladies in men. One miracle dealing with the healing of a woman is attributed to St. Artemios through his sending St. Febronia, who occupies a parallel construct for women.[33] feast day was set as 20 October.[34] His cult site was the Church of Saint John the Forerunning (St John the Baptist) in Constantinople.[35] St. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.[36] Antioch (Orontes River 7); Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). received many awards for distinguished service and courage. was appointed viceroy of Egypt. In this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt. Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, and the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, to Constantinople. The holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). Julian in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. At Antioch he ordered the torture of two bishops unwilling to forsake the Christian Faith. this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. The enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Artemius was praying, Christ, surrounded by angels, appeared to him and said, “Take courage, Artemius! I am with you and will preserve you from every hurt which is inflicted upon you, and I already have prepared your crown of glory. Since you have confessed Me before the people on earth, so shall I confess you before My Heavenly Father. Therefore, take courage and rejoice, you shall be with Me in My Kingdom.” Hearing this, Artemius rejoiced and offered up glory and thanksgiving to Him. the following day, Julian demanded that Saint Artemius honor the pagan gods. Meeting with steadfast refusal, the emperor resorted to further tortures. The saint endured all without a single moan. The saint told Julian that he would be justly recompensed for his persecution of Christians. Julian became furious and resorted to even more savage tortures, but they did not break the will of the saint. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. relics were buried by Christians. After the death of Saint Artemius, his prophecy about Julian the Apostate’s impending death came true. left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. retribution caught up with Julian the Apostate. During the battle he was mortally wounded by an unseen hand and an unseen weapon. Julian groaned deeply said, “You have conquered, Galilean!” After the death of the apostate emperor, the relics of the Great Martyr Artemius were transferred with honor from Antioch to Constantinople. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.

Egypt, 304, Neaniskos oAlexandria, Egypt, hansom athlete, on way to execution, gave ring tSlave girl, who turned him in
Egypt, 304, Neaniskos oAlexandria, Egypt, Diocletian Persecution, hansom athlete, on way to execution he gave slave his ring to girl who turned him in; Alexandria; Saint Neaniskos the Martyr, Commemorated on June 10; Neaniskos lived in the time of Maximius, the ruler of Alexandria. During the persecution of the Church by Emperor Diocletian (284-304), female slave denounced the most wise and handsome athlete of Christ. ruler tortured him for seven days in various ways, trying to make him deny Christ. When the tyrant saw that he was unable to do so, he ordered him to be put to death. he was led to the place of execution, he noticed the slave girl who betrayed him in the crowd that had followed him. Saint Neaniskos made signs for her to approach him, when she came near he gave her his gold ring as a token of his gratitude; by her complaint he would now draw near to Christ, Whom he had desired for so long, and he would inherit everlasting life. they arrived at the place of execution, he prayed for a time, and then they beheaded him.

Egypt, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker, angels, marytr crowns, angel, relics, camels not moving
Rome, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker, angels, marytr crowns, angel, relics, camels not moving, egyptian military officer, serving in Kotyaeion region, Phrygia, removed belt, withdrew tMountain, ascetic life, city pagan festival, preached, confessed faith, to denounce impious, arrested, offered restoration if, cruel tortures, beheaded, relics, miracles, healing, deliverance, protector, finding lost objects; Egypt, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, very famous wonderworker; of Egypt (also Mina, Minas, Mena, Meena; 285 - c. 309), a martyr and wonder-worker, is one of the most well-known Coptic saints in the East and the West, due to the many miracles that are attributed to his intercession and prayers. Menas was a Coptic soldier in the Roman army martyred because he refused to recant his Christian faith. The common date of his commemoration is November 11, which occurs 13 days later (November 24) on the Julian calendar. feast day is celebrated every year on 15 Hathor in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which corresponds to November 24 on the Gregorian Calendar. In Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the old style or Julian calendar, it is likewise celebrated on November 24. In the Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the new style or Revised Julian calendar, as well as in the Catholic Church, it is celebrated on November 11. of his name was his original name, according to the story his mother called him Mena because she heard a voice saying Amen. Minas is how he is known in Greek and Armenian, while in Coptic he is known as Mīna). Life and martyrdom St. Menas and boatman on a Makurian manuscript from c. 1000 There are many sources written in different languages (Koine Greek, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ge'ez, Latin, Syriac, Armenian) relating to Menas.[3] was born in Egypt in 285 in the city of Nikiou,[4] which lay in the vicinity of Memphis. parents were ascetic Christians but did not have any children for a long time. father's name was Eudoxios and his mother's name was Euphemia. On the feast of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, Euphemia was praying with tears before an icon of the Virgin for God to give her a son. sound came from the icon saying "Amen". A few months later, Euphemia gave birth to a boy and named him Menas.[5] a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was fourteen years old. the age of fifteen Menas joined the Roman army and was given a high rank due to his father's reputation. sources state that he served in Cotyaeus in Phrygia,[6] although some say his appointment was in Algeria.[5] years later he left the army, longing to devote his whole life to Christ, and headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life. spending five years as a hermit, Menas saw in a revelation the angels crowning the martyrs with glorious crowns, and longed to join those martyrs. he was thinking about it, he heard a voice saying: "Blessed are you Menas because you have been called to the pious life from your childhood. You shall be granted three immortal crowns: one for your celibacy, another for your asceticism, and a third for your martyrdom." Menas subsequently hurried to the ruler, declaring his Christian faith.[7] soldiers who executed Menas set his body on fire for three days but the body remained unharmed. Menas' sister then bribed the soldiers and managed to carry the body away. She embarked on a ship heading to Alexandria, where she placed his body in a church. the time of persecution ended, during the papacy of Athanasius of Alexandria the pope had a vision of an angel appearing to him and ordering him to load Menas' body on a camel and head towards the Libyan Desert. a certain spot near a water well at the end of Lake Mariout, not far from Alexandria, the camel stopped and wouldn't move. The Christians took this a sign from God and buried Menas' body there. Berbers of Pentapolis rose against the cities around Alexandria. the people were getting ready to face them, the Roman governor decided to secretly take the body of Menas with him to be his deliverer and his strong protector. Menas' blessings, the governor overcame the Berbers and returned victorious. he decided not to return the body to its original place and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, as they passed by Lake Mariout at the same spot where the body was originally buried, the camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move. moved the body to another camel, but the second camel would not move either.[8] The governor finally realized that this was God's command. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. Terracotta pilgrim's Menas flask impressed with Saint Mina between two camels, Byzantine, probably made at Abu Mina, Egypt, c. 6th–7th century. (Louvre Museum) versions of the story state that the location of the tomb was then forgotten until its miraculous rediscovery by a local shepherd. A shepherd was feeding his sheep in that location, and a sick lamb fell on the ground. As it struggled to get on its feet again, its scab was cured. The story spread quickly and the sick who came to this spot recovered from whatever illnesses they had just by lying on the ground. Ethiopian Synaxarium describes Constantine I sending his sick daughter to the shepherd to be cured, and credits her with finding Menas' body, after which Constantine ordered the construction of a church at the site. versions of the story replace Constantine with the late-5th century emperor Zeno, but archaeologists have dated the original foundation to the late 4th century.[9] to the Zeno version, his daughter was leprous and his advisors suggested that she should try that place, and she did. At night Menas appeared to the girl and informed her that his body was buried in that place. The following morning, Zeno's daughter was cured and she related her vision about the saint to her servants. Zeno immediately ordered Mina's body to be dug out and a cathedral to be built there. his martyrdom in the early fourth century, Menas acquired a reputation for miraculous healing powers. The cult of Saint Menas was centered on Abu Mena near Alexandria.[10] Sick people from all over the Christian world used to visit that city and were healed through the intercessions of Menas, who became known as the Wonders' Maker. numerous little clay Menas flasks, or bottles for holy water or oil on which the saint's name and picture are stamped, are found by archeologists in diverse countries around the Mediterranean world, such as Heidelberg in Germany, Milan in Italy, Dalmatia in Croatia, Marseille in France, Dongola in Sudan, Meols (Cheshire) in England, and the holy city of Jerusalem, as well as modern Turkey and Eritrea. Pilgrims would buy these bottles and take them back to their relatives.[5] St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Holy Great Martyr Menas of Egypt, an Egyptian by birth, was a military officer and served in the Kotyaeion region of Phrygia under the centurion Firmilian during the reign of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). When the emperors began the fiercest persecution against Christians in history, the saint refused to serve these persecutors. He removed his soldier’s belt (a sign of military rank) and withdrew to a mountain, where he lived an ascetic life of fasting and prayer. he happened to arrive in the city during a pagan festival. At the climax of the games the saint’s accusing voice rang out, preaching faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. At his trial before the prefect Pyrrhus, the saint bravely confessed his faith, saying that he had come to denounce the impious. The prefect was angered, and had Menas arrested. offered to restore the saint’s former rank if he would offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When he refused, he was put to cruel tortures, then he was beheaded. occurred in the year 304. gathered up the martyr’s relics by night and hid them until the end of the persecution. they were brought to Egypt and placed in a church dedicated to Saint Menas southwest of Alexandria. saint received grace from God to work miracles, and to help those in need. Saint Menas is noted for healing various illnesses, delivering people from possession by demons, and as a protector, especially during times of war. We also ask his help in finding lost objects.

Egypt, 305-313, Menas, sent to supress riots in 313, but preached, relics revealed in 867 in dream
Egypt, 305-309, Egyptian Saint, Menas; Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus suffered for their faith in Christ under the emperor Maximian (305-313). Menas was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to suppress the riots that had arisen between the Christians and the pagans. Distinguished for his gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly began to preach the Christian Faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. Learning of this, Maximian sent Hermogenes to Alexandria to place the saints on trial. Moreover, he gave orders to purge the city of Christians. Martyr Hermogenes although he was a pagan, was distinguished by his reverent bearing. And struck by the endurance of Saint Menas under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, he also came to believe in Christ. Maximian himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the astonishing stoic endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes under torture, nor even the miracles manifested by God in this city, mollified the emperor. Instead, they vexed him all the more. The emperor personally stabbed Saint Eugraphus, the secretary of Saint Menas, who had declared himself a Christian upon witnessing the endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes; and then gave orders to behead the holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes. Martyr Eugraphus relics of the holy martyrs, cast into the sea in an iron chest, were afterwards found (see February 17) and transferred to Constantinople in the ninth century. The emperor Justinian built a church in the name of the holy Martyr Menas of Alexandria. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) composed a Canon in honor of these holy martyrs. Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Holy Martyr Menas Kallikelados (Well Speaking), an Athenian, died as a martyr with Saints Hermogenes and Eugraphus in about the year 313 (December 10). During the reign of Emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886), the military commander Marcian discovered the saint’s relics after Saint Menas appeared to a certain pious man in a dream to reveal where they were.

Egypt, 305-313, Menas oAlexandria, sent tAlexandria by Emperor against Christians, but converts pagans, complete healings cH&E
Egypt, 305-313, Menas, Hermogenes&Eugraphus oAlexandria, Egypt, Emperor Maximian sent Menas fAthens tAlexandria tSupress riots between Christians&Pagans, instead he used eloquence gift to preach&convert pagans, then M sent Hermogenes to place saints on trial&purge Alexandria oChristians, Menas' endurance&Miraculous healing aTorture converted H, Emperor came, not mullified by miracles, personall stabbed Eugraphus, Menas's secretary, beheaded M&H, cast into sea in Iron Chest later found by Christians; Alexandria; Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus, of Alexandria Commemorated on December 10; Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus suffered for their faith in Christ under the emperor Maximian (305-313). Menas was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to suppress the riots that had arisen between the Christians and the pagans. for his gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly began to preach the Christian Faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. of this, Maximian sent Hermogenes to Alexandria to place the saints on trial. Moreover, he gave orders to purge the city of Christians. hermogenes Martyr Hermogenes although he was a pagan, was distinguished by his reverent bearing. And struck by the endurance of Saint Menas under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, he also came to believe in Christ. himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the astonishing stoic endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes under torture, nor even the miracles manifested by God in this city, mollified the emperor. Instead, they vexed him all the more. emperor personally stabbed Saint Eugraphus, the secretary of Saint Menas, who had declared himself a Christian upon witnessing the endurance of Saints Menas and Hermogenes; and then gave orders to behead the holy Martyrs Menas and Hermogenes. eugraphos Martyr Eugraphus relics of the holy martyrs, cast into the sea in an iron chest, were afterwards found (see February 17) and transferred to Constantinople in the ninth century. emperor Justinian built a church in the name of the holy Martyr Menas of Alexandria. Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) composed a Canon in honor of these holy martyrs.

Egypt, 305-395, Marcarius oAlexandria, in trade till 40, tCaves igumen 60yrs, Wonderworker, clairvoyance, saw many visions
Egypt, 305-395, Marcarius oAlexandria, friend Marcarius tGreat, in trade till 40, then 60 yrs iDesert, priest, igumen M otCells, South otNitria, hermits there lived silently separately itCell, Slete, south otCells, Nitria, all way to Nile, great monk, igumen, many miracles, tried match other monks feats, less than 1lb bread a day, stayed up many days, to shorten his sleep stayed twenty days under open sky, cold aNight hot bDay, grape story gave but came back to him, proud thought go Rome heal sick, carried sack sand into desert until exhausted, by ascetic life acquired gift oWonderworking, clairvoyance, saw many visions, example saw ascetuc Mark receive eucharist from hands oAngels, saw careless receiving burning coals from deamons instead oBody oChrist, he wrote Discourse on Origin otSoul, in the Annotated Psalter, died age 100, 385; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius of Alexandria was a contemporary and friend of Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). was born in the year 295 and until the age of forty he was occupied in trade. he was baptized and withdrew into the desert, he spent more than sixty years. several years of ascetic life he was ordained to the holy priesthood made head of the monastery the Cells in the desert between Nitria and Skete, hermits silently lived in asceticism, separately in his own cell. were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile. Macarius of Alexandria, like Macarius of Egypt, was a great ascetic and monastic head, he worked many miracles. about some monk’s ascetic feat, he attempted to imitate it. when he heard that someone ate only one pound of bread a day, he would eat only that much or even less. to shorten his sleep, he stayed for twenty whole days under the open sky, enduring heat by day and cold by night. Macarius once received a bunch of newly-picked grapes. very much wanted to eat them, he conquered this desire in himself and gave the grapes to another monk who was sick. monk, wanting to preserve his abstinence, gave the grapes to another, and he gave them to a third and so forth. the end the bunch of grapes returned to Saint Macarius. ascetic was astonished at the abstinence of his disciples and gave thanks to God. a proud thought came to the saint to go to Rome and heal the sick. with the temptation, the saint filled up a sack of sand, loaded it on himself and walked into the desert until he exhausted his body. proud thought then left him. his ascetic life, fasting, and renunciation of earthly things, Macarius acquired the gifts of wonderworking of discerning the inner thoughts of people, he also saw many visions. once saw how one of the ascetics of the holy monastery, Saint Mark, received the Holy Mysteries from the hands of angels, how during Communion the careless brethren received burning coals from the demons instead of the Body of Christ. Macarius was glorified by many miracles of healing the sick and casting out devils. Macarius of Alexandria died in about 394-395 at age of one hundred. wrote a Discourse on the Origin of the Soul included in the text of the Annotated Psalter.

Egypt, 310-370, Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert, contrition to repenters, clairvoyant anchorite warning
Africa, North Africa, 310-370, Virgin Abbess Sarah, Scetis, Libya, Egyptian Desert, built up through me, but contrition to repenters, clairvoyantly said careful your words humble you, anchorites have come to a woman by nature, but not by worth, lived above river but never looked out to see it, by giving alms for whatever reason will do it eventually for God, died peacefully at 80; Scetis ; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; is written in The Paradise of the Fathers that Mother Sarah spoke these words: “If I were to ask God that all people might be built up through me, I would be found expressing contrition at the door of each one who repents. But I pray to God especially that my heart may be pure with Him and with everyone.” two great Elders and anchorites left Mount Pelusium (in the northeastern Nile Delta) and went to see Amma Sarah. among themselves they said, “Let us humble this old woman.” they came to her she said, “Be careful, you may be humbled by the words you have spoken. Behold, anchorites have come to one who is a woman. According to nature, I am a woman, but not according to my worth.” she went to Sketis, and she was offered some food. She did not eat any of the best food however, she ate only the plain food. This was because she did not want to use her journey and her visit as an excuse to relax her fasting. Then they said to her, “Truly, you are like those who dwell at Sketis.” was said of Amma Sarah, the ascetic of Sketis, that the blessed one lived above a river for sixty years, but she never looked out from her abode to see it. Sarah said, “It is a good thing for a person to give alms, even if he does so in order to win the approval of others, because by doing this, he will come to do it for God’s sake.” Sarah brought many women to monasticism by the example of her holy and God-pleasing life. She reposed in peace in the year 370 at the age of eighty.

Egypt, 311-371, Hilarion the Great with St Anthony the Great only 2 months, founder of Palestinian monasticism
Egypt, 311-371, Saint Hilarion ; the Great (291–371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, St Hilarion is considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism[1] and venerated as a saint by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Egypt, 312-348, Pachomius the Great, Patriarch, Thebaid, christian Cenobitic monasticism rule founder
Egyptian Patriarch, 312-348, Pachomius the Great; ( c. 292 - 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism.[1] Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches mark his feast on 15 May[2] or 28 May.[3] In the Lutheran Church, he is remembered as a renewer of the church, along with his contemporary (and fellow desert saint), Anthony of Egypt on January 17. Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Pachomius the Great was both a model of desert dwelling, and with Saints Anthony the Great (January 17), Macarius the Great (January 19), and Euthymius the Great (January 20), a founder of the cenobitic monastic life in Egypt. Pachomius was born in the third century in the Thebaid (Upper Egypt). His parents were pagans who gave him an excellent secular education. From his youth he had a good character, and he was prudent and sensible. Pachomius reached the age of twenty, he was called up to serve in the army of the emperor Constantine (apparently, in the year 315). They put the new conscripts in a city prison guarded by soldiers. The local Christians fed the soldiers and took care of them. the young man learned that these people acted this way because of their love for God, fulfilling His commandment to love their neighbor, this made a deep impression upon his pure soul. Pachomius vowed to become a Christian. returned from the army after the victory, received holy Baptism, moved to the lonely settlement of Shenesit, and began to lead a strict ascetic life. Realizing the need for spiritual guidance, he turned to the desert-dweller Palamon. He was accepted by the Elder, and he began to follow the example of his instructor in monastic struggles. after ten years of asceticism, Saint Pachomius made his way through the desert, and halted at the ruins of the former village of Tabennisi. Here he heard a Voice ordering him to start a monastery at this place. Pachomius told the Elder Palamon of this, and they both regarded the words as a command from God. went to Tabennisi and built a small monastic cell. The holy Elder Palamon blessed the foundations of the monastery and predicted its future glory. But soon Palamon departed to the Lord. An angel of God then appeared to Saint Pachomius in the form of a schemamonk and gave him a Rule of monastic life. Soon his older brother John came and settled there with him. Pachomius endured many temptations and assaults from the Enemy of the race of man, but he resisted all temptations by his prayer and endurance. followers began to gather around Saint Pachomius. Their teacher impressed everyone by his love for work, which enabled him to accomplish all kinds of monastic tasks. He cultivated a garden, he conversed with those seeking guidance, and he tended to the sick. Pachomius introduced a monastic Rule of cenobitic life, giving everyone the same food and attire. The monks of the monastery fulfilled the obediences assigned them for the common good of the monastery. Among the various obediences was copying books. The monks were not allowed to possess their own money nor to accept anything from their relatives. Saint Pachomius considered that an obedience fulfilled with zeal was greater than fasting or prayer. He also demanded from the monks an exact observance of the monastic Rule, and he chastized slackers. sister Maria came to see Saint Pachomius, but the strict ascetic refused to see her. Through the gate keeper, he blessed her to enter upon the path of monastic life, promising his help with this. Maria wept, but did as her brother had ordered. The Tabennisi monks built her a hut on the opposite side of the River Nile. Nuns also began to gather around Maria. Soon a women’s monastery was formed with a strict monastic Rule provided by Saint Pachomius. number of monks at the monastery grew quickly, and it became necessary to build seven more monasteries in the vicinity. The number of monks reached 7,000, all under the guidance of Saint Pachomius, who visited all the monasteries and administered them. At the same time Saint Pachomius remained a deeply humble monk, who was always ready to comply with and accept the words of each brother. and strict towards himself, Saint Pachomius had great kindness and condescension toward the deficiencies of spiritually immature monks. One of the monks was eager for martyrdom, but Saint Pachomius turned him from this desire and instructed him to fulfill his monastic obedience, taming his pride, and training him in humility. a monk did not heed his advice and left the monastery. He was set upon by brigands, who threatened him with death and forced him to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Filled with despair, the monk returned to the monastery. Saint Pachomius ordered him to pray intensely night and day, keep a strict fast and live in complete solitude. The monk followed his advice, and this saved his soul from despair. saint taught his spiritual children to avoid judging others, and he himself feared to judge anyone even in thought. Pachomius cared for the sick monks with special love. He visited them, he cheered the disheartened, he urged them to be thankful to God, and put their hope in His holy will. He relaxed the fasting rule for the sick, if this would help them recover their health. Once, in the saint’s absence, the cook did not prepare any cooked food for the monks, assuming that the brethren loved to fast. Instead of fulfilling his obedience, the cook plaited 500 mats, something which Saint Pachomius had not told him to do. In punishment for his disobedience, all the mats prepared by the cook were burned. Pachomius always taught the monks to rely only upon God’s help and mercy. It happened that there was a shortage of grain at the monastery. The saint spent the whole night in prayer, and in the morning a large quantity of bread was sent to the monastery from the city, at no charge. The Lord granted Saint Pachomius the gift of wonderworking and healing the sick. Lord revealed to him the future of monasticism. The saint learned that future monks would not have such zeal in their struggles as the first generation had, and they would not have experienced guides. Prostrating himself upon the ground, Saint Pachomius wept bitterly, calling out to the Lord and imploring mercy for them. He heard a Voice answer, “Pachomius, be mindful of the mercy of God. The monks of the future shall receive a reward, since they too shall have occasion to suffer the life burdensome for the monk.” the end of his life Saint Pachomius fell ill from a pestilence that afflicted the region. His closest disciple, Saint Theodore (May 17), tended to him with filial love. Saint Pachomius died around the year 348 at the age of fifty-three, and was buried on a hill near the monastery. Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 313, Julian&wife Basilissa aAntinoe, virginal aMarriage, wealthy, 2Monasteries, converted torturer's son&wife, &dead man
Egypt, 313, Julian&wife Basilissa aAntinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15), Balissa wRich, remained virginal aMarriage, built 2Monastereis, led by them, Diocletian Persecution, converted son oHis torturer and his mother, resurrected&converted dead pagan, also 20 soldiers&7youths, all beheaded; Antinoe or Antinopolis; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; Holy Martyr Julian was born in the Egyptian city of Antinoe, to satisfy his parents he entered into marriage with the noble and rich maiden, Basilissa. married, the spouses remained virginal. the death of their parents they built two monasteries: one for men, and one for women. themselves became monastics and headed these monasteries. the year 313, during the reign of Diocletian, Saint Julian suffered cruelly for his faith in Christ. his bravery he converted Celsius, the son of his torturer the hegemon Marcian, and his wife, Marionilla. resurrected a dead pagan, the saint also converted him. converts received Baptism from the priest Anthony. Baptism the pagan was named Anastasius (i.e. “Resurrected”). being locked in prison, they all received the crown of martyrdom, won through beheading by the sword. with them were twenty soldiers and seven youths.

Egypt, 313-328, Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria, led anti arianism, Athanasius' mentor
Egyptian Patriarch, 313-328, Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria; I of Alexandria, 19th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria. During his patriarchate, he dealt with a number of issues facing the Church in that day. These included the dating of Easter, the actions of Meletius of Lycopolis, and the issue of greatest substance, Arianism. was the leader of the opposition to Arianism at the First Council of Nicaea. He also is remembered for being the mentor of the man who would be his successor, Athanasius of Alexandria, who would become one of the leading Church fathers.[2] St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373);

Egypt, 317-373, ATHANASIUS the Great, Pillar of Orthodoxy, refuted Arius, persecuted by Arians, Suceeded Alexander, 47 years
Egypt, 317-373, ATHANASIUS the Great, Bishop of Alexandria, Pillar of Orthodoxy, baptized children correctly as a child, then educated by Alexander, as deacon to first EC in 325, refuted Arius, persecuted by Arians, Suceeded Alexander, 47 years, only O bishop in area, expelled, hid, 20 yrs in exile, Julian to kill him but killed himself, lived to old age; Alexandria; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. He was born around AD 298, and lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the chief center of learning of the Roman Empire. AthanasiusIn 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. About six years later, a presbyter (elder, priest) Arius of Alexandria began to teach concerning the Word of God (John 1:1) that "God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist." was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, and a member of his household. reply to Arius was that the begetting, or uttering, of the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event. Arius was condemned by the bishops of Egypt (with the exceptions of Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of Marmorica), and went to Nicomedia, from which he wrote letters to bishops throughout the world, stating his position. Emperor Constantine undertook to resolve the dispute by calling a council of bishops from all over the Christian world. council met in Nicea, just across the straits from what is now Istanbul, in the year 325, and consisted of 317 bishops. accompanied his bishop to the council, and became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. party of Athanasius was overwhelmingly in the majority. western, or Latin, half of the Empire was very sparsely represented, but it was solidly Athanasian, so that if its bishops had attended in force, the vote would have been still more lopsided.) remained to formulate a creedal statement to express the consensus. The initial effort was to find a formula from Holy Scripture that would express the full deity of the Son, equally with the Father. However, the Arians cheerfully agreed to all such formulations, having interpreted them already to fit their own views. of you who have conversed with members of the Watchtower Society, who consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Arius, will know how this works.) the Greek word "homo-ousios" (meaning "of the same substance, or nature, or essence") was introduced, chiefly because it was one word that could not be understood to mean what the Arians meant. Some of the bishops present, although in complete disagreement with Arius, were reluctant to use a term not found in the Scriptures, but eventually saw that the alternative was a creed that both sides would sign, each understanding it in its own way, and that the Church could not afford to leave the question of whether the Son is truly God (the Arians said "a god") undecided. So the result was that the Council adopted a creed which is a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, declaring the Son to be "of one substance with the Father." At the end, there were only two holdouts, the aforesaid Secundus and Theonas. a dramatic but historically accurate account of the Council of Nicea, see the play, The Emperor Constantine, by Dorothy L Sayers, available in book form.) sooner was the council over than its consensus began to fall apart. Constantine had expected that the result would be unity, but found that the Arians would not accept the decision, and that many of the orthodox bishops were prepared to look for a wording a little softer than that of Nicea, something that sounded orthodox, but that the Arians would accept. All sorts of compromise formulas were worked out, with all shades of variation from the formula of Nicea. 328, Alexander died, and Athanasius succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria. He refused to participate in these negotiations, suspecting (correctly as it turned out) that once the orthodox party showed a willingness to make reaching an agreement their highest priority, they would end up giving away the store. He defended the full deity of Christ against emperors, magistrates, bishops, and theologians. For this, he was regarded as a trouble-maker by Constantine and his successors, and was banished from Alexandria a total of five times by various emperors. (Hence the expression "Athanasius contra mundum," or, "Athanasius against the world.") Eventually, Christians who believed in the Deity of Christ came to see that once they were prepared to abandon the Nicene formulation, they were on a slippery slope that led to regarding the Logos as simply a high-ranking angel. The more they experimented with other formulations, the clearer it became that only the Nicene formulation would preserve the Christian faith in any meaningful sense, and so they re-affirmed the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, a final triumph that Athanasius did not live to see. was a final triumph as far as councils of bishops were concerned, but the situation was complicated by the fact that after Constantine there were several Arian emperors (not counting the Emperor Julian, who was a pagan, but correctly saw that the most effective way to fight Christianity was to throw all his weight on the side of the Arians). Under one of them Arian missionaries were sent to convert the Goths, who became the backbone of the Roman Army (then composed chiefly of foreign mercenaries) with the result that for many years Arianism was considered the mark of a good Army man. The conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks, in 496, to orthodox Christianity either gave the Athanasian party the military power to crush Arianism or denied the Arian Goths the military supremacy that would have enabled them to crush Athanasian Christianity, depending on your point of view. Alexandria had the best astronomers, it was the duty of the Bishop of Alexandria to write to the other bishops every year and tell them the correct date for Easter. Naturally, his annual letter on this topic contained other material as well. One Easter Letter (or Paschal Letter) of Athanasius is well known for giving a list of the books that ought to be considered part of the canonical Scriptures, with a supplementary list of books suitable for devotional reading. For the New Testament, he lists the 27 books that are recognized today. you will look at your list of New Testament books, you may note that Matthew through 2 Thessalonians were never in dispute, that the next four were subject to relatively little dispute, and that the remaining books had more trouble being accepted. There were also a few books that looked as if they might make the list, but eventually did not, the most conspicuous being the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas.) For the Old Testament, his list is like that used by most Protestants, except that he omits Esther, and includes Baruch, with the letter of Jeremiah. His supplementary list is Wisdom, Sirach, Tobias, Judith, and Esther. He does not mention Maccabees. quotations from the writings of Athanasius follow: We were made "in the likeness of God." But in course of time that image has become obscured, like a face on a very old portrait, dimmed with dust and dirt. When a portrait is spoiled, the only way to renew it is for the subject to come back to the studio and sit for the artist all over again. That is why Christ came--to make it possible for the divine image in man to be recreated. We were made in God's likeness; we are remade in the likeness of his Son. bring about this re-creation, Christ still comes to men and lives among them. In a special way he comes to his Church, his "body", to show us what the "image of God" is really like. a responsibility the Church has, to be Christ's "body," showing him to those who are unwilling or unable to see him in providence, or in creation! Through the Word of God lived out in the Body of Christ they can come to the Father, and themselves be made again "in the likeness of God." If... it is by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ that death is trampled underfoot, it is clear that it is Christ Himself and none other Who is the Archvictor over death and has robbed it of its power. Death used to be strong and terrible, but now, since the sojourn of the Savior and the death and resurrection of His body, it is despised; and obviously it is by the very Christ Who mounted on the cross that it has been destroyed and vanquished finally. the sun rises after the night and the whole world is lit up by it, nobody doubts that it is the sun which has thus shed its light everywhere and driven away the dark. Equally clear is it, since this utter scorning and trampling down of death has ensued upon the Savior's manifestation in the body and His death on the cross, that it is He Himself Who brought death to nought and daily raises monuments to His victory in His own disciples. How can you think otherwise, when you see men naturally weak hastening to death, unafraid at the prospect of corruption, fearless of the descent into Hades, even indeed with eager soul provoking it, not shrinking from tortures, but preferring thus to rush on death for Christ's sake, rather than to remain in this present life? you see with your own eyes men and women and children, even, thus welcoming death for the sake of Christ's religion, how can you be so utterly silly and incredulous and maimed in your mind as not to realize that Christ, to Whom these all bear witness, Himself gives the victory to each, making death completely powerless for those who hold His faith and bear the sign of the cross? No one in his senses doubts that a snake is dead when he sees it trampled underfoot, especially when he knows how savage it used to be; nor, if he sees boys making fun of a lion, does he doubt that the brute is either dead or completely bereft of strength. These things can be seen with our own eyes, and it is the same with the conquest of death. Doubt no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, that by Christ death was destroyed, and the corruption that goes with it resolved and brought to end. by James Kiefer Note: Further information on Athanasius may also be found at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, was a great Father of the Church and a pillar of Orthodoxy. was born around the year 297 in the city of Alexandria into a family of pious Christians. He received a fine secular education, but he acquired more knowledge by diligent study of the Holy Scripture. his childhood, the future hierarch Athanasius became known to Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Alexandria (May 29). A group of children, which included Athanasius, were playing at the seashore. The Christian children decided to baptize their pagan playmates. young Athanasius, whom the children designated as “bishop”, performed the Baptism, precisely repeating the words he heard in church during this sacrament. Alexander observed all this from a window. He then commanded that the children and their parents be brought to him. He conversed with them for a long while, and determined that the Baptism performed by the children was done according to the Church order. acknowledged the Baptism as real and sealed it with the sacrament of Chrismation. this moment, the Patriarch looked after the spiritual upbringing of Athanasius and in time brought him into the clergy, at first as a reader, and then he ordained him as a deacon. was as a deacon that Saint Athanasius accompanied Patriarch Alexander to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. the Council, Saint Athanasius refuted of the heresy of Arius. His speech met with the approval of the Orthodox Fathers of the Council, but the Arians, those openly and those secretly so, came to hate Athanasius and persecuted him for the rest of his life. the death of holy Patriarch Alexander, Saint Athanasius was unanimously chosen as his successor in the See of Alexandria. He refused, accounting himself unworthy, but at the insistence of all the Orthodox populace that it was in agreement, he was consecrated bishop when he was twenty-eight, and installed as the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church. Athanasius guided the Church for forty-seven years, and during this time he endured persecution and grief from his antagonists. Several times he was expelled from Alexandria and hid himself from the Arians in desolate places, since they repeatedly tried to kill him. Saint Athanasius spent more than twenty years in exile, returned to his flock, and then was banished again. was a time when he remained as the only Orthodox bishop in the area, a moment when all the other bishops had fallen into heresy. At the false councils of Arian bishops he was deposed as bishop. Despite being persecuted for many years, the saint continued to defend the purity of the Orthodox Faith, and he wrote countless letters and tracts against the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate (361-363) began a persecution against Christians, his wrath first fell upon Saint Athanasius, whom he considered a great pillar of Orthodoxy. Julian intended to kill the saint in order to strike Christianity a grievous blow, but he soon perished himself. Mortally wounded by an arrow during a battle, he cried out with despair: “You have conquered, O Galilean.” After Julian’s death, Saint Athanasius guided the Alexandrian Church for seven years and died in 373, at the age of seventy-six. works of Saint Athanasius have been preserved; four Orations against the Arian heresy; also an Epistle to Epictetus, bishop of the Church of Corinth, on the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ; four Epistles to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, about the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son, directed against the heresy of Macedonius. apologetic works of the Saint in defense of Orthodoxy have been preserved, among which is the Letter to the Emperor Constantius. Saint Athanasius wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture, and books of a moral and didactic character, as well as a biography of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), with whom Saint Athanasius was very close. Saint John Chrysostom advised every Orthodox Christian to read this Life. memory of Saint Athanasius is celebrated also on January 18 with Saint Cyril of Alexandria.

Egypt, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a young deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasius the Great, led first E Council as a young deacon, exiled, came back to defend the faith; Alexandria; Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Egypt, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world, his 5 exiles
Egypt, 318-373, Athanasias tGreat&Cyril, archbishops oAlexandria, Orthodox defenders, Alexander against the world, his 5 exiles, A&C joint feast, their dogmatic writings correctly interpret scripture, censure heretics' delusions, A a young deacon at 1st EC, surpassed everyone, for orthodoxy, consubstantial (homoousios), not creature, enemies plotting, also May 2, childhood bishop story, real baptism, Patriarch Alexander looked after him, took him to Nicea 325, where Athan refuted Arius, Nicene Creed accepted but Arians hated him for it, wanted to kill him, read May 2 and Western stories below; Egyptian Patriarch, 318-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; St. Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics). St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, a great Father of the Church and a pillar of Orthodoxy. was born around the year 297 in the city of Alexandria into a family of pious Christians. received a fine secular education, he acquired more knowledge by diligent study of the Holy Scripture. his childhood, the future hierarch Athanasius became known to Saint Alexander the Patriarch of Alexandria (May 29). group of children, which included Athanasius, were playing at the seashore. The Christian children decided to baptize their pagan playmates. young Athanasius, whom the children designated as “bishop”, performed the Baptism, precisely repeating the words he heard in church during this sacrament. Alexander observed all this from a window. then commanded that the children and their parents be brought to him. conversed with them for a long while, and determined that the Baptism performed by the children was done according to the Church order. acknowledged the Baptism as real and sealed it with the sacrament of Chrismation. this moment, the Patriarch looked after the spiritual upbringing of Athanasius and in time brought him into the clergy, at first as a reader, and then he ordained him as a deacon. was as a deacon that Saint Athanasius accompanied Patriarch Alexander to the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. the Council, Saint Athanasius refuted of the heresy of Arius. speech met with the approval of the Orthodox Fathers of the Council, the Arians, those openly and those secretly so, came to hate Athanasius and persecuted him for the rest of his life. the death of holy Patriarch Alexander, Saint Athanasius was unanimously chosen as his successor in the See of Alexandria. refused, accounting himself unworthy, at the insistence of all the Orthodox populace that it was in agreement, he was consecrated bishop when he was twenty-eight, installed as the archpastor of the Alexandrian Church. Athanasius guided the Church for forty-seven years, during this time he endured persecution and grief from his antagonists. times he was expelled from Alexandria and hid himself from the Arians in desolate places, they repeatedly tried to kill him. Athanasius spent more than twenty years in exile, to his flock, and then was banished again. was a time when he remained as the only Orthodox bishop in the area, moment when all the other bishops had fallen into heresy. the false councils of Arian bishops he was deposed as bishop. being persecuted for many years, the saint continued to defend the purity of the Orthodox Faith, he wrote countless letters and tracts against the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate (361-363) began a persecution against Christians, his wrath first fell upon Saint Athanasius, whom he considered a great pillar of Orthodoxy. intended to kill the saint in order to strike Christianity a grievous blow, but he soon perished himself. wounded by an arrow during a battle, he cried out with despair: “You have conquered, O Galilean.” Julian’s death, Saint Athanasius guided the Alexandrian Church for seven years and died in 373, at the age of seventy-six. works of Saint Athanasius have been preserved; Orations against the Arian heresy; an Epistle to Epictetus, bishop of the Church of Corinth, on the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ; Epistles to Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis, about the Holy Spirit and His equality with the Father and the Son, directed against the heresy of Macedonius. apologetic works of the Saint in defense of Orthodoxy have been preserved, which is the Letter to the Emperor Constantius. Athanasius wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture, books of a moral and didactic character, well as a biography of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), with whom Saint Athanasius was very close. John Chrysostom advised every Orthodox Christian to read this Life. memory of Saint Athanasius is celebrated also on January 18 with Saint Cyril of Alexandria. ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith. was born around AD 298, and lived in Alexandria, Egypt, the chief center of learning of the Roman Empire. St. Athanasius 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. six years later, a presbyter (elder, priest) Arius of Alexandria began to teach concerning the Word of God (John 1:1) that "God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist." was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, and a member of his household. reply to Arius was that the begetting, or uttering, of the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event. was condemned by the bishops of Egypt (with the exceptions of Secundus of Ptolemais and Theonas of Marmorica), went to Nicomedia, which he wrote letters to bishops throughout the world, stating his position. Emperor Constantine undertook to resolve the dispute by calling a council of bishops from all over the Christian world. council met in Nicea, just across the straits from what is now Istanbul, in the year 325, consisted of 317 bishops. accompanied his bishop to the council, and became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. party of Athanasius was overwhelmingly in the majority. western, or Latin, half of the Empire was very sparsely represented, but it was solidly Athanasian, so that if its bishops had attended in force, the vote would have been still more lopsided.) remained to formulate a creedal statement to express the consensus. initial effort was to find a formula from Holy Scripture that would express the full deity of the Son, equally with the Father. the Arians cheerfully agreed to all such formulations, having interpreted them already to fit their own views. of you who have conversed with members of the Watchtower Society, who consider themselves the spiritual heirs of Arius, will know how this works.) the Greek word "homo-ousios" "of the same substance, or nature, or essence") introduced, chiefly because it was one word that could not be understood to mean what the Arians meant. of the bishops present, although in complete disagreement with Arius, were reluctant to use a term not found in the Scriptures, eventually saw that the alternative was a creed that both sides would sign, each understanding it in its own way, that the Church could not afford to leave the question of whether the Son is truly God Arians said "a god") undecided. the result was that the Council adopted a creed which is a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, the Son to be "of one substance with the Father." the end, there were only two holdouts, the aforesaid Secundus and Theonas. a dramatic but historically accurate account of the Council of Nicea, see the play, The Emperor Constantine, by Dorothy L Sayers, available in book form.) sooner was the council over than its consensus began to fall apart. had expected that the result would be unity, found that the Arians would not accept the decision, that many of the orthodox bishops were prepared to look for a wording a little softer than that of Nicea, that sounded orthodox, but that the Arians would accept. sorts of compromise formulas were worked out, all shades of variation from the formula of Nicea. 328, Alexander died, and Athanasius succeeded him as bishop of Alexandria. refused to participate in these negotiations, (correctly as it turned out) that once the orthodox party showed a willingness to make reaching an agreement their highest priority, they would end up giving away the store. defended the full deity of Christ against emperors, magistrates, bishops, and theologians. this, he was regarded as a trouble-maker by Constantine and his successors, was banished from Alexandria a total of five times by various emperors. the expression "Athanasius contra mundum," or, "Athanasius against the world.") Christians who believed in the Deity of Christ came to see that once they were prepared to abandon the Nicene formulation, were on a slippery slope that led to regarding the Logos as simply a high-ranking angel. more they experimented with other formulations, clearer it became that only the Nicene formulation would preserve the Christian faith in any meaningful sense, so they re-affirmed the Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, final triumph that Athanasius did not live to see. was a final triumph as far as councils of bishops were concerned, the situation was complicated by the fact that after Constantine there were several Arian emperors counting the Emperor Julian, who was a pagan, but correctly saw that the most effective way to fight Christianity was to throw all his weight on the side of the Arians). one of them Arian missionaries were sent to convert the Goths, became the backbone of the Roman Army composed chiefly of foreign mercenaries) the result that for many years Arianism was considered the mark of a good Army man. conversion of Clovis, King of the Franks, in 496, to orthodox Christianity gave the Athanasian party the military power to crush Arianism denied the Arian Goths the military supremacy that would have enabled them to crush Athanasian Christianity, on your point of view. Alexandria had the best astronomers, was the duty of the Bishop of Alexandria to write to the other bishops every year and tell them the correct date for Easter. his annual letter on this topic contained other material as well. Easter Letter (or Paschal Letter) of Athanasius is well known for giving a list of the books that ought to be considered part of the canonical Scriptures, a supplementary list of books suitable for devotional reading. the New Testament, he lists the 27 books that are recognized today. you will look at your list of New Testament books, you may note that Matthew through 2 Thessalonians were never in dispute, the next four were subject to relatively little dispute, that the remaining books had more trouble being accepted. were also a few books that looked as if they might make the list, but eventually did not, most conspicuous being the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas.) the Old Testament, his list is like that used by most Protestants, that he omits Esther, and includes Baruch, with the letter of Jeremiah. supplementary list is Wisdom, Sirach, Tobias, Judith, and Esther. He does not mention Maccabees. quotations from the writings of Athanasius follow: were made "in the likeness of God." in course of time that image has become obscured, like a face on a very old portrait, dimmed with dust and dirt. a portrait is spoiled, the only way to renew it is for the subject to come back to the studio and sit for the artist all over again. is why Christ came--to make it possible for the divine image in man to be recreated. were made in God's likeness; we are remade in the likeness of his Son. bring about this re-creation, Christ still comes to men and lives among them. a special way he comes to his Church, his "body", to show us what the "image of God" is really like. a responsibility the Church has, to be Christ's "body," showing him to those who are unwilling or unable to see him in providence, or in creation! the Word of God lived out in the Body of Christ they can come to the Father, and themselves be made again "in the likeness of God." If... it is by the sign of the cross and by faith in Christ that death is trampled underfoot, it is clear that it is Christ Himself and none other Who is the Archvictor over death and has robbed it of its power. used to be strong and terrible, but now, since the sojourn of the Savior and the death and resurrection of His body, it is despised; and obviously it is by the very Christ Who mounted on the cross that it has been destroyed and vanquished finally. the sun rises after the night and the whole world is lit up by it, nobody doubts that it is the sun which has thus shed its light everywhere and driven away the dark. clear is it, this utter scorning and trampling down of death has ensued upon the Savior's manifestation in the body and His death on the cross, it is He Himself Who brought death to nought and daily raises monuments to His victory in His own disciples. can you think otherwise, you see men naturally weak hastening to death, at the prospect of corruption, fearless of the descent into Hades, even indeed with eager soul provoking it, not shrinking from tortures, but preferring thus to rush on death for Christ's sake, rather than to remain in this present life? you see with your own eyes men and women and children, even, thus welcoming death for the sake of Christ's religion, can you be so utterly silly and incredulous and maimed in your mind as not to realize that Christ, Whom these all bear witness, gives the victory to each, death completely powerless for those who hold His faith and bear the sign of the cross? one in his senses doubts that a snake is dead when he sees it trampled underfoot, especially when he knows how savage it used to be; if he sees boys making fun of a lion, does he doubt that the brute is either dead or completely bereft of strength. things can be seen with our own eyes, and it is the same with the conquest of death. no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, by Christ death was destroyed, the corruption that goes with it resolved and brought to end. by James Kiefer Note: Further information on Athanasius may also be found at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Egypt, 318-373, Athanasias of Alexandria, The Great, Patriarch, Trinity defender, 5 exiles
Egyptian Patriarch, 318-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30; St. Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 320-435, Agathon of Egypt, exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men, He said yes that is true to monks lying about his sins, but no about being heretic
Egypt, 320-435, Agathon of Egypt, contemporary of Macarius the Great at Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert, 360, exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men, He said yes that is true to monks lying about his sins, but not about being heretic; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Agathon of Egypt, a contemporary of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19) and a disciple of Saint Lot (October 22), lived in asceticism in a skete in Egypt. was distinguished by exceptional meekness, accounting himself the most sinful of men. monks who had heard of his discernment came to Saint Agathon to see if they could make him lose his temper. asked him, “Are you Abba Agathon, a fornicator and a proud man?” “Yes, that is true,” the monk replied. “Are you the Agathon who is always talking nonsense?” the monks inquired. “I am,” the saint agreed. “Are you Agathon the heretic?” the monks persisted. Agathon said, “I am not a heretic.” asked the saint why he agreed with them when they accused him of vices, but then denied this last charge. replied, “I accepted the first accusations, since that was beneficial for my soul. But heresy is separation from God, and I do not wish to be separated from God.” at his discernment, they returned to their monastery, edified. asked which was more important for salvation, bodily asceticism or interior vigilance, Saint Agathon said, “Man is like a tree. Bodily asceticism is the foliage, but interior vigilance is the fruit. Holy Scripture says that ‘every tree which does not bring forth good fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire’ (Mt.3:10). Therefore, we should focus our attention on the fruit. But a tree also needs the protection of its foliage, which is bodily asceticism.” Agathon died in about the year 435. For three days before his repose the monk sat in silence and concentration, as though disturbed about something. the monks questioned him, he answered that he saw himself before the Judgment Seat of God. “How is it possible that you, Father, should fear judgment?” they asked him. “I have done my best to keep the commandments of the Lord, but I am a man. How can I be certain that my deeds have been pleasing to God?” “Do you not trust that all the good deeds which you have accomplished are pleasing to God?” asked the monks. “I have no such hope until I see God. His judgment is not man’s judgment.” Having said this, the saint departed to the Lord. Agathon is commemorated on January 8 on the Greek calendar.

Egypt, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria , withdrew t Nitria&Thebaid, Egypt
Syria, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Way of the Sea 17, Kings Highway 17), fPalestine, baptized at 18, became Monk, c Archbishop of Damascus, withdrew tAlexandria, Nitria, Theodore oNitria, withdrew (Thebaid); Damascus (Barada River foothills); Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; John, called Barsanuphius, was a native of Palestine. was baptized when he was eighteen years old, and later became a monk. of his ascetic life, Saint John was consecrated Archbishop of Damascus. of his love for the solitary life, Saint John gave up his position as hierarch and secretly withdrew to Alexandria, calling himself Barsanuphius. he went into the Nitrian desert, arrived at a monastery, and begged the igumen to accept him into the monastery to serve the Elders. conscientiously fulfilled this obedience by day, and spent his nights in prayer. of Nitria saw the monk, and knew that he was a bishop. Saint John concealed himself again and withdrew into Egypt, where he lived in asceticism until the end of his days.

Egypt, 320-391, Saint, Marcarius the Great, Scetis, Lamp of the Desert, spiritual writings
Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Egyptian Saint, 320-391, Marcarius the Great; of Egypt ( 300–391) was a Coptic Christian monk and hermit. He is also known as Macarius the Elder, Macarius the Great and The Lamp of the Desert. Macarius was born in Lower Egypt. A late tradition places his birthplace in the village of Shabsheer (Shanshour), in Al Minufiyah Governorate, Egypt around 300 A.D. At some point before his pursuit of asceticism, Macarius made his living smuggling saltpeter in the vicinity of Nitria, a vocation which taught him how to survive in and travel across the wastes in that area.[1] Macarius is known for his wisdom. His friends and close kin used to call him Paidarion Geron which meant the “old young manâ€, i.e. “the young man with the elders’ wisdom."[3] the wish of his parents Macarius entered into marriage, but was soon widowed.[4] Shortly after, his parents died as well. Macarius subsequently distributed all his money among the poor and needy. He found a teacher in an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. The Elder accepted the youth, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets.[4] while later, a pregnant woman accused him of having defiled her. Macarius did not attempt to defend himself, and accepted the accusation in silence. However, when the woman's delivery drew near, her labor became exceedingly difficult. She did not manage to give birth until she confessed Macarius's innocence. A multitude of people then came asking for his forgiveness, but he fled to the Nitrian Desert to escape all mundane glory. a hermit, Macarius spent seven years living on only pulse and raw herbs.[5] He spent the following three years consuming four or five ounces of bread a day and only one vessel of oil a year.[5] While at the desert, he visited Anthony the Great and learned from him the laws and rules of monasticism. he returned to the Scetic Desert at the age of forty, he became a priest.[6] The fame of his sanctity drew many followers. The community, which took up its residence in the desert, was of the semi-eremitical type. The monks were not bound by any fixed rule; their cells were close together, and they met for Divine worship only on Saturdays or Sundays. He presided over this monastic community for the rest of his life. a brief period of time, Macarius was banished to an island in the Nile by the Emperor Valens, along with Saint Macarius of Alexandria, during a dispute over the doctrine of the Nicene Creed. Both men were victims of religious persecution by the followers of then Bishop Lucius of Alexandria. During their time on the island, the daughter of a pagan priest had become ill. The people of the island believed that she was possessed by an evil spirit. Both saints prayed over the daughter, which in turn had saved her. The pagan people of the island were so impressed and grateful that they stopped their worship of the pagan gods and built a church. When word of this got back to the Emperor Valens and Bishop Lucius of Alexandria, they quickly allowed both men to return home. At their return on 13 Paremhat, they were met by a multitude of monks of the Nitrian Desert, numbered fifty thousand, among whom were Saint Pishoy and Saint John the Dwarf. and relics[edit] died in the year 391. After his death, the natives of his village of Shabsheer stole the body and built a great church for him in their village. Pope Michael V of Alexandria brought the relics of Saint Macarius back to the Nitrian Desert on 19 Mesori. Today, the body of Saint Macarius is found in his monastery, the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great in Scetes, Egypt. writings: the 50 Spiritual Homilies and Letters[edit] Macarius the Great standing next to a Cherub. Spiritual Homilies were ascribed to Macarius a few generations after his death, and these texts had a widespread and considerable influence on Eastern monasticism and Protestant pietism.[7] was particularly in the context of the debate concerning the 'extraordinary giftings' of the Holy Spirit in the post-apostolic age, since the Macarian Homilies could serve as evidence in favour of a post-apostolic attestation of 'miraculous' Pneumatic giftings to include healings, visions, exorcisms, etc. Macarian Homilies have thus influenced Pietist groups ranging from the Spiritual Franciscans (West) to Eastern Orthodox monastic practice to John Wesley to modern charismatic Christianity. modern patristic scholars have established that it is not likely that Macarius the Egyptian was their author.[8] The identity of the author of these fifty Spiritual Homilies has not been definitively established, although it is evident from statements in them that the author was from Upper Mesopotamia, where the Roman Empire bordered the Persian Empire, and that they were not written later than 534.[9] addition to the homilies, a number of letters have been ascribed to Macarius. Gennadius (De viris illustribus 10) recognizes only one genuine letter of Macarius, which is addressed to younger monks. The first letter, called "Ad filios Dei," may indeed be the genuine letter by Macarius the Egyptian that is mentioned by Gennadius (Vir. Ill.10), but the other letters are probably not by Macarius. The second letter, the so-called "Great Letter" used the De instituto christiana of Gregory of Nyssa, which was written c. 390; the style and content of the "Great Letter" suggest that its author is the same anonymous Mesopotamian who wrote the fifty Spiritual Homilies.[10] seven so-called Opuscula ascetica edited under his name by Petrus Possinus (Paris, 1683) are merely later compilations from the homilies, made by Simeon the Logothete, who is probably identical with Simeon Metaphrastes (d. 950). The teachings of Macarius are characterized by a strong Pneumatic emphasis that closely intertwines the salvific work of Jesus Christ (as the 'Spirit of Christ') with the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit. This 'Pneumatic' thrust in the Spiritual Homilies is often termed 'mystical' and as such is a spiritual mode of thought which has endeared him to Christian mystics of all ages, although, on the other hand, in his anthropology and soteriology he frequently approximates the standpoint of St. Augustine. Certain passages of his homilies assert the entire depravity of man, while others postulate free will, even after the fall of Adam, and presuppose a tendency toward virtue, or, in semi-Pelagian fashion, ascribe to man the power to attain a degree of readiness to receive salvation. and monastery[edit] is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. the Methodist Churches, Macarius is regarded highly for writing on the topic of entire sanctification.[11] of Egypt founded a monastery that bears his name, the Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great,[3] which has been continuously inhabited by monks since its foundation in the fourth century. St. Macarius’ face used to be enlightened with grace in an amazing way to the extent that many fathers testified that his face used to glow in the dark; and thus appeared his name as “the glowing lantern.â€ This description was transferred to his monastery, and thus it was called “the glowing lantern of the wildernessâ€ or “the glowing monastery,â€ which meant the place of high wisdom and constant prayer.[3] Today it belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church. entirety of the Nitrian Desert is sometimes called the Desert of Macarius, for he was the pioneer monk in the region. The ruins of numerous monasteries in this region almost confirm the local tradition that the cloisters of Macarius were equal in number to the days of the year. Macarius Depicted on the Camposanto Fresco in Pisa[edit] Macarius The Great, Camposanto, Trionfo Della Morte Macarius the Great, one of the Egyptian desert recluses and a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great, is depicted on the right edge of the Triumph of Death fresco in Pisa. A group of leisurely aristocrats and their animals occupy the central part of the fresco. These rich young men and women riding horses, surrounded by their decorative hunting dogs have gone on a pleasant journey. Suddenly, their path, somewhere deep in the woods, is barred by three open sarcophagi with bodies in different degrees of decomposition. Everybody in the scene, including the men, women and even the animals are horrified by this terrible and palpable presence of death. The unsupportable stench hits their noses. The abhorrent scene dismays them. Only Saint Macarius the Great, made wise and powerful by his faith, stands above them all. The mystic Saint teaches the youngsters a lesson about life and death by reading from the scroll. The Florentine sculptor Benvenuto Cellini was inspired by this depiction of Saint Macarius in his painted portrait. Virginmartyr Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Egypt, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, Great long story otPower oHumility, For Example-why we say Lord Have Mercy
Egypt, 320-391, Marcarius tGreat, fPtinapor, widowed, forsook worldly life, long life but death memory stayed with him, impelling prayer&Penitence, began frequent church&Holy scripture, but no leave aged parents, spent everything tHelp them, prayed for a salvation guide, experienced elder sent, who guided watchfulness, fasting, prayer, who taught basket weaving, Elder built separate cell near his own, setteled M in it, Bishop arrived aPtinapor & ordained him deacon, against his will, so M went another place, Devil attacked him, shaking his cell, suggesting terrible thoughts, M's sign otCross & Prayer repelled D, Evil Slander accusing seduction oNeighbor, M endured temptation, he sent his weaving money for her support, Innocence manifested when Woman suffered many days, not able give birth, so she confessed, revealed real father's name, E shunned praise by leaving before Parents could ask forgiveness, settled Mt Nitria iPharan Desert, so human wickedness again prospered righteous, after 3yrs tAnthony tGreat, Egyptian Monasticism Father, longed see him still alive, A received him, M became devoted disciple long time, then A advised him go tSkete monastery, there he came to be called Young Elder, not quite 30yr old, there survived many demon attacks, M Carrying palm branches, devil attackes him wSickle, repelled bPrayer& Sign otCross, D said you surpass me only in humility, at age 40 M ordained priest made head Sketis monk, M often visited A, spiritual conversations, present A's death, received A's staff and double portion A's spiritual power, like Elisha from Elijah, and mantle from fiery chariot like staff, so M worked m healings, people thronged, unsettled quiet, dug deeper cave under his cell, hid there, his prayers Lord raised dead, continued humility, caught thief stealing his things, helped him load them to his (M's) donkey, we don't bring anythin in tWorld, we don't take anything out, Skull Story -saw skull along road, who are you, I am chief pagan priest, when you pray for those in hell we receive mitigation from torments, what torments, we sit great fire, can't see each other, you pray we begin see each other, M wept asked more torments, skull answered -down below us are those who knew God but spurned him and did not keep commandments, they worse torments, Once while praying M heard a voice, two women in city have more perfect virtue than you, M found them, Women received him, we live w husbands, no such virtues, but M insisted, we married brothers, live together one house, 15 yrs, never quarrel, no malicious words, husbands denied request women's monastery, we vowed no worldly word till death, M glorifed God and said n truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself, He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved, during Valen's time Macarius tG& M oA persecuited by Arians, put them on ship going tPagan island, all inhabitants baptized, so they were returned tTheir monasteries, M lived to 90, Anthony & Pachomius appreared tHim shortly before death, announced death in 9days, f9days instructed disciples preserve monastic rule and Traditions otFathers, departed sayin Into thy hands O Lord, I commend my spirit meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” Egyptian Saint, 320-391, Marcarius the Great; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Macarius the Great of Egypt was born in the early fourth century the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.” Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. began to visit the church of God more frequently to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents. his parents died, Saint Macarius used his remaining substance to help them he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it. local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor knowing of the saint’s virtuous life, him to the diaconate against his will. Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his silence, so he went secretly to another place. Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and suggesting sinful thoughts. Macarius repelled the attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the Sign of the Cross. people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing a woman from a nearby village. dragged him out of his cell and jeered at him. Saint Macarius endured the temptation with great humility. a murmur, he sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support of the pregnant woman. innocence of Saint Macarius was manifested when the woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not able to give birth. confessed that she had slandered the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Saint Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the praise of men. fled from that place by night and settled on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert. human wickedness contributed to the prospering of the righteous. dwelt in the desert for three years, he went to Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the world, and he longed to see him. Anthony received him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple and follower. Macarius lived with him for a long time and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a young Elder,” he had distinguished himself as an experienced and mature monk, though he was not quite thirty years old. Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him. he was carrying palm branches for weaving baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to strike him with a sickle, he was not able to do this. said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do. You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.” the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living in the desert of Skete. these years, Saint Macarius often visited with Saint Anthony the Great, receiving guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of Saint Anthony and he received his staff. also received a double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he dropped from the fiery chariot. Macarius worked many healings. -- People thronged to him from various places for help and for advice, asking his holy prayers. this unsettled the quietude of the saint. therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and hid there for prayer and meditation. Macarius attained such boldness before God that, through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to preserve his unusual humility. time the holy abba caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near the cell. revealing that he was the owner of these things, the monk began to help tie up the load. removed himself from the world, the monk told himself, “We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord for all things!” Saint Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” skull answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you, Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.” monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not see one another. you pray, we begin to see each other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.” heard such words, the saint began to weep and asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His commandments. endure even more grievous torments.” while he was praying, Saint Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius, you have not yet attained such perfection in virtue as two women who live in the city.” humble ascetic went to the city, found the house where the women lived, and knocked. women received him with joy, and he said, “I have come from the desert seeking you in order to learn of your good deeds. Tell me about them, and conceal nothing.” women answered with surprise, “We live with our husbands, and we have not such virtues.” the saint continued to insist, and the women then told him, “We married two brothers. living together in one house for fifteen years, we have not uttered a single malicious nor shameful word, and we never quarrel among ourselves. asked our husbands to allow us to enter a women’s monastery, but they would not agree. vowed not to utter a single worldly word until our death.” Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.” the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens (364-378), Saint Macarius the Great and Saint Macarius of Alexandria were subjected to persecution by the followers of the Arian bishop Lucius. seized both Elders and put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only pagans lived. the prayers of the saints, the daughter of a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. this, the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were baptized. he heard what had happened, the Arian bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to return to their monasteries. meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.” the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. asked them what I must do to be a monk. answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’” Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.” Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. he asked him what they said to him. young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.” prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.” monk lived until the age of ninety. before his death, Saints Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him, bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in nine days. instructing his disciples to preserve the monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, blessed them and began to prepare for death. Saint Macarius departed to the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.” Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being dead to the world. spent most of his time in conversation with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. he never ceased to weep, to repent and to work. saint’s profound theological writings are based on his own personal experience. Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual wisdom. prayers composed by Saint Macarius the Great are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and also in the Morning Prayers. ’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with God, is a primary principle in the works of Saint Macarius. the methods for attaining mystical communion, the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. way to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with God is revealed to each believer’s heart. life, according to Saint Macarius, has only a relative significance: prepare the soul, to make it capable of perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland. “For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into another, divine nature, to be fashioned anew by the power of the Holy Spirit.” is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God and have observed all His holy commandments. one betrothed to Christ at Baptism not seek and receive the divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of darkness on the left side. does not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil and his angels” (Homily 30:6). the teaching of Saint Macarius, the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love. of us acquires salvation through grace and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, to attain a perfect measure of virtue, is necessary for the soul’s assimilation of this divine gift, possible only “by faith and by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by truth.” is a divine-human action, and we attain complete spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” the other hand, is not just within “the measure of freedom and purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, is not without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” participation of man determines the actual condition of his soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for great faith and for prayer, does not strive for the oneness of divine communion, it is unfit for the heavenly kingdom.” miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, his Life was compiled by Saint Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt), of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth century. holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.

Egypt, 320-395, Onuphrius, longed to imitate, led by angel to old man, enlightened, struggle & care
Egyptian Saint, 320-395, Onuphrius; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. After four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. After several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. At sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. This was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Saint Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Abba Timothy prepared food and water for him. He related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. In his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Abba Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). Once a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. Having come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. When he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Saint Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. But he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. Instead, the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. He went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Saint Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. The sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. The Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. This was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. Having learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. In the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. When the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. After eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. After the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Saint Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Saint Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. Except for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. Each week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. Since it was Saturday, they had gathered together. After eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. As he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, but they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery.

Egypt, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic, accounts lives hermits like Onuprius, Macarius' disciple
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Paphnutius the Ascetic, also known as Paphnutius the Hermit, was an Egyptian anchorite of the fourth century. He is most famous for his accounts of the lives of many hermits of the Egyptian desert, such as Saint Onuphrius. Paphnutius was the disciple of Saint Macarius the Great who was an anchorite in the Egyptian desert.[1] feast is celebrated on 15 February and 25 September in the Orthodox Church in America.[2] In Coptic Christianity, his feast is observed on 15 Meshir.[3] was visited by Cassian in 395, when he was ninety.[4] is also the subject of the play Paphnutius by Hrosvit (ca. 935-ca. 1001), a Benedictine nun from Saxony, in which he converts the courtesan Thais to Christianity. This play in turn has become the subject of study, most notably by Sandro Sticca. Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in the desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that Saint Paphnutius be brought to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to torture. soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast into prison after the tortures, Saint Paphnutius converted forty prisoners to the Faith. They were all burned alive. a while Saint Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. The saint strengthened many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There were 546 men in all. Paphnutius himself was thrown by the torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously floated to shore with the stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a date tree. Paphnutius is also commemorated on September 25. Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. After four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. After several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. At sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. This was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Saint Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Abba Timothy prepared food and water for him. He related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. In his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Abba Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). Once a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. Having come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. When he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Saint Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. But he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. Instead, the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. He went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Saint Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. The sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. The Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. This was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. Having learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. In the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. When the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. After eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. After the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Saint Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Saint Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. Except for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. Each week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. Since it was Saturday, they had gathered together. After eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. As he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, but they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery.

Egypt, 325-395, Pharmutius, John the Hermit's mentor
Egypt, 3325-395, Egyptian Saint, Pharmutius; Pharmutius, according to the Prologue from Ohrid, was the spiritual mentor of Venerable John the Hermit of Armenia circa the fourth century. Pharmutius' holiness was such that angels brought him his daily bread, which in Christian love he shared with his hermit brother John who lived in strict seclusion. Pharmutius is remembered along with John the Hermit by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 29 March. Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29; John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. time to time John secretly visited a nearby monastery, thereby placing himself in danger. Once, a pious old man advised him to find a more secluded place for prayer. Returning home, the saint told his mother that he was going to visit the Elder. Thinking that her son would soon return, she let him go. went to the desert-dweller Pharmutios and received his blessing to live alone in the wilderness. The young ascetic found an abandoned well, which was filled with snakes, scorpions and other vile creatures. He lowered himself into the well and lived there for ten years in fasting, vigil, and prayer. angel who brought food to the hermit Pharmutios also brought bread for Saint John. The angel did not bring the bread directly to John, however, lest the young ascetic become filled with pride. Food was sent to him through his spiritual Father, Pharmutios. John had many temptations from the devil to test him. Demons assumed the appearance of his mother, his sister, his relatives and acquaintances in order to sadden the ascetic and compel him to give up his ascetic struggles. With tears they approached the well one after the other, begging Saint John to leave with them. All this time the saint did not cease to pray. Finally he said, “Be gone from me,” and the demons vanished. John lived in the well until the time of his blessed repose. Through God’s providence Saint Chrysikhios, who had struggled in the desert for thirty years, came to bury him. On the eve of his repose, Saint John told Chrysikhios of his life and struggles for salvation. After his death, numerous miracles occurred at the place of his ascetic deeds.

Egypt, 325-395, John oEgypt +3, fOxyrh, led bAngel tDesert Elder, fruit trees spring water, struggle separately, gather tAngel
Egypt, 325-395, John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid to Timothy, Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, &Others, then to Onuphrius tGreat, then to these four, beautiful oasis w spring&fruit bearing trees, several days fOxyrhynchus, radiant man wHeavenly glory (Angel) led them to desert Elder, struggled separately till common prayer Saturday Sunday, Angel appeared then wHoly Mysteries, Angel's words Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, P wanted to stay but Angel led another path to tell about tHermits; Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and are mentioned in the life of Saint Onuphrius. he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory had met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus are also commemorated on June 12 with Saint Onuphrius.

Egypt, 325-395, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid Hermits, Great Story
Egypt, 325-395, John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, fOxyrhynchos, tGet us tStory Paphnutius sent by Angels to Thebaid to Timothy, Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, &Others, then to Onuphrius tGreat, then to these four, beautiful oasis w spring&fruit bearing trees, several days fOxyrhynchus, radiant man wHeavenly glory (Angel) led them to desert Elder, struggled separately till common prayer Saturday Sunday, Angel appeared then wHoly Mysteries, Angel's words Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, P wanted to stay but Angel led another path to tell about tHermits; Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and are mentioned in the life of Saint Onuphrius. he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory had met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. John, Heraclemon, Andrew, and Theophilus are also commemorated on June 12 with Saint Onuphrius. Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt, has left us an account of Saint Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others. occurred to Saint Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. took a little bread and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. four days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, Saint Paphnutius went on farther. several more days he found another cave, and from the marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. sundown he saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked, but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. was Abba Timothy the Desert-Dweller. a fellow man, Abba Timothy thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living man and a fellow Christian. Timothy prepared food and water for him. related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years, and that Saint Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. his youth, Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone. Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city, sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). a woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he patiently endured tribulation and sickness. he was at the point of dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner. that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude, eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a spring. Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him in the wilderness. he was told that he would be unable to bear the demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. the Elder supplied him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way. rested at a desert monastery, Saint Paphnutius undertook a second journey into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would profit his soul. went on for seventeen days, until his supply of bread and water was exhausted. Paphnutius collapsed twice from weakness, and an angel strengthened him. the seventeenth day Saint Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. sight of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up the hill. Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head, he saw Saint Paphnutius, and called him to come down. was the great desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of Saint Paphnutius, he told him about himself. Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, Saint Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. Saint Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. the cave was an old man. Saint Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. the Elder was convinced that Saint Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. the request of Saint Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. eating, the Elders spent the night in prayer. the singing of the morning hymns, Saint Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God’s will for him to stay there; he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, Saint Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit,” and died. Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, Saint Paphnutius set out on his return journey. four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he met an ascetic who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years. for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had seen no one in all that time. week these three had gone on their solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them. it was Saturday, they had gathered together. eating the bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. he was leaving, Saint Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, they said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us, that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.” on his way, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Venerable John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, Commemorated on June 12; story as Dec 2 St John of Egypt. See it above Andrew, John, Heraclemon, and Theophilus lived in Egypt in the fourth century, and is mentioned in the Life of Saint Onuphrius. After he had buried Saint Onuphrius, Saint Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several days’ journey, they reached this place. A man radiant with heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their names, they were Saints John, Andrew, Heraclemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2). The youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries. This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the following Saturday and Sunday Saint Paphnutius together with the youths was granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.” Saint Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians of the life of the desert-dwellers. Having bid farewell to the youths, Saint Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren wrote a detailed account of what Saint Paphnutius said, and deposited it in the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. Saint Paphnutius gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery. Saint John is also commemorated on December 2

Egypt, 325-375, Pambo, hunger every day, silence and handcrafts, great ascetic and mentor
Egypt, 325-375, Saint, Pambo; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Pambo lived the ascetic life in the Nitrian desert in Egypt. Saint Anthony the Great (January 17) said, that the Monk Pambo by the fear of God inspired within himself the Holy Spirit. And the Monk Pimen the Great (August 27) said: “We beheld three things in Father Pambo: hunger every day, silence and handcrafts”. The Monk Theodore the Studite termed Saint Pambo “exalted in deed and in word.” the beginning of his monasticism, Saint Pambo heard the verses from the 38th [39th] Psalm of David: “preserve mine path, that I sin not by my tongue”. These words sank deep into his soul, and he attempted to follow them always. Thus, when they asked him about something, he answered only after long pondering and prayer. He would say, “I must think first, and perhaps I can, in time, give an answer, with God’s help.” Saint Pambo was a model of a lover of work for his disciples. Each day he worked until exhausted, and lived by the bread acquired by his own toil. disciples of Saint Pambo became great ascetics: Dioscorus, afterwards Bishop of Hermopolis (this Dioscorus, bishop of Hermopolis, is distinguished from another Dioscorus, an arch-heretic and Patriarch of Constantinople who lived rather later and was condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Council), and also Ammonius, Eusebius and Euthymius, mentioned in the life of Saint John Chrysostom. One time Saint Melania the Younger (December 31) brought Saint Pambo a large amount of silver for the needs of the monastery, but he did not leave off from his work nor even glance at the money that was brought. Only after the incessant requests of Saint Melania did he permit her to give the alms to a certain monastic brother for distribution to the needs of the monastery. Saint Pambo was distinguished by his humility, but together with this he highly esteemed the vocation of monk and he taught the laypeople to be respectful of monastics, who often converse with God. was said that sometimes Saint Pambo’s face shone like lightning, as did the face of Moses. Yet, speaking to the brethren who stood about his deathbed, Saint Pambo said: “I go to the Lord as one who has not yet begun to serve Him.” He died at the age of 70.

Egypt, 325-395, Thais, repentant courtesan, famous beauty, prostitute, Paphnutius paid and warned her
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Thais; Thais of fourth-century Roman Alexandria and of the Egyptian desert was a repentant courtesan. Thais reportedly lived during the fourth century in Roman Egypt. Her story is included in hagiographic literature on the lives of the saints in the Greek church. such biographical sketches exist. first, in Greek, perhaps originated during the fifth century. It was translated into Latin as the Vita Thaisis [Life of Thais] by Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little) during the sixth or seventh century. The other sketch comes to us in medieval Latin from Marbod of Rennes (d. 1123). Thais also appears in Greek martyrologies by Maurolychus and Greven, however, not in Latin martyrologies.[1] The lives of the desert saints and hermits of Egypt, including St. Thais, were collected in the Vitae Patrum (Lives of the Desert Fathers).[2][3] Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; Thais of Egypt, raised by her mother in a spirit far removed from Christian piety, led a depraved and dissolute life. She was famed for her beauty, leading many on the path to perdition. account about the prodigal Thais spread throughout all Egypt and reached even Saint Paphnutius, a strict ascetic who had converted many to salvation. Paphnutius dressed himself in worldly attire and went to Thais, giving her money as though he wished to pay for her favors. He pretended to be afraid that someone would see them, so he asked her if there were a place they would not be discovered. Thais said that they could lock the door and enjoy complete privacy. “But if you fear God,” she said, “there is no place where you can hide from Him.” Seeing that she knew about God and the punishment of the wicked, the Elder asked why she led a sinful life and enticed others to ruin their souls. He told her about the eternal punishment she would have to face for her own sins, and for the people who had been corrupted and destroyed by her. words of Saint Paphnutius so affected the sinner that she gathered up all her riches acquired through her shameful life, then set them afire in the city square. Then Saint Paphnutius shut her up in a small cell, where for three years she dwelt in seclusion. Turning toward the East, Thais constantly repeated the short prayer, “My Creator, have mercy on me!” “From the moment I entered into the cell,” said Thais to the Elder before her death, “all my sins constantly were before my eyes, and I wept when I remembered them.” Paphnutius replied “It is for your tears, and not for the austerity of your seclusion, that the Lord has granted you mercy.” Thais was ill for three days, then fell asleep in the Lord. So this woman, who had been a harlot and a sinner, has entered the Kingdom of God before us (Mt. 21:31). Saint Paul the Simple (October 4) saw in a vision the place prepared for the penitant Thais in Paradise. St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15;

Egypt, 325-395, John the Anchorite, the Hermit, Juliana's son, abandoned well w snakes for 10 years, angel b food t Parmutios
Egypt, 325-395, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29; John the Anchorite: During a persecution against Christians, the devout widow Juliania of Armenia hid from pursuers together with her two young children John and Themistea. She taught her children to pray and to read the Holy Scriptures. time to time John secretly visited a nearby monastery, thereby placing himself in danger. Once, a pious old man advised him to find a more secluded place for prayer. Returning home, the saint told his mother that he was going to visit the Elder. Thinking that her son would soon return, she let him go. went to the desert-dweller Pharmutios and received his blessing to live alone in the wilderness. The young ascetic found an abandoned well, which was filled with snakes, scorpions and other vile creatures. He lowered himself into the well and lived there for ten years in fasting, vigil, and prayer. angel who brought food to the hermit Pharmutios also brought bread for Saint John. The angel did not bring the bread directly to John, however, lest the young ascetic become filled with pride. Food was sent to him through his spiritual Father, Pharmutios. John had many temptations from the devil to test him. Demons assumed the appearance of his mother, his sister, his relatives and acquaintances in order to sadden the ascetic and compel him to give up his ascetic struggles. With tears they approached the well one after the other, begging Saint John to leave with them. All this time the saint did not cease to pray. Finally he said, “Be gone from me,” and the demons vanished. John lived in the well until the time of his blessed repose. Through God’s providence Saint Chrysikhios, who had struggled in the desert for thirty years, came to bury him. On the eve of his repose, Saint John told Chrysikhios of his life and struggles for salvation. After his death, numerous miracles occurred at the place of his ascetic deeds.

Egypt, 334-368, Theodorus of Tabennese, Patriarch, mentored by Pachomius, great ascetic, wonderworker
Egyptian Patriarch, 334-368, Theodorus of Tabennese ; Egyptian Patriarch, 312-348, Pachomius the Great; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Theodore was called “Sanctified” because he was the first in his monastery ordained to the priesthood. Theodore came from Egypt and was the son of rich and illustrious Christian parents. The yearning for monastic life appeared early in him. Once there was a large party at the house of his parents during the feast of Theophany. The boy did not want to take part in the festivities, grieving that because of earthly joys he might be deprived of joys in the life to come. He secretly left home when he was fourteen and entered one of the monasteries. about Pachomius the Great, he burned with the desire to see the ascetic. Saint Pachomius received the young man with love, having been informed by God beforehand about his coming. Remaining at the monastery, Saint Theodore quickly succeeded in all his monastic tasks, particularly in the full obedience to his guide, and in his compassion towards the other brethren. Theodore’s mother, learning that he was at the Tabennisi monastery, came to Saint Pachomius with a letter from the bishop, asking to see her son. Saint Theodore did not wish to break his vow to renounce the world, so he refused to meet with his mother. Saint Theodore’s strength of mind and ability, Saint Pachomius once told him to instruct the brethren on Holy Scripture. Saint Theodore was then only twenty years old. He obeyed and began to speak, but some of the older brethren took offense that a new monk should teach them, and they departed. Saint Pachomius said to them, “You have given in to the devil and because of your conceit, your efforts will come to naught. You have not rejected Theodore, but rather the Word of God, and have deprived yourselves of the Holy Spirit.” Pachomius appointed Saint Theodore as overseer of the Tabennisi monastery, and withdrew to a more solitary monastery. Saint Theodore with filial love continued to concern himself over his instructor, and he looked after Saint Pachomius in his final illness, and when the great abba reposed in the Lord, he closed his eyes. After the death of Saint Pachomius, Saint Theodore directed the Tabennisi monastery, and later on he was at the head of all the Thebaid monasteries. Saint Theodore the Sanctified was famed for his holiness of life and a great gift of wonderworking, and he was well known to Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Saint Theodore reposed in his old age in the year 368.

Egypt, 335-395, Apollo otThebaid, divine revelation tDestroy Babel Wise Men's wisdom&false knowledge, Heliopolis M, great story
Egypt, 335-395, Apollonios (Apollo) otEgyptian Thebaid (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13), desert a15 f14yrs, divine revelation tDestroy wisdom oEgyptian Wise Men, remove their not true knowledge, plus Wise Men of Egyptian Babel, and remove service to devils, go quickly tNear Desert close to Hermopolis, soon multitude oMiracles&Monastery, ate little once a day, vanity o-Chains, Rags, Long hair, prison frefusing Military Service, Angel otLord freed them, as witness pagan ritual froze idolaters, became christians, soon no pagans left near monastery, prevented bloodshead between C's & pagan village by converting instagator, on another similar occasion by terrible death tLeader, A's History- Jerome had visited A, Abba Paul's journey ffAntinoe tEMonasteries, Jacobite Synaxarion; Thebaid; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Apollonios was the son of the pious parents, Aisi and Amani. According to one version, he had an elder brother, a monk, who died before his birth, who appeared to him in a dream. According to other sources, his parents were childless before the birth of Apollonios. the age of fifteen, the Saint retired to the inner desert of the Thebaïd (in Lower Egypt), along with his kinsman Abib. fourteen years of the solitary life, Saint Apollonios was granted a Divine Revelation. Voice said: “Apollonios, by your hands I will destroy the wisdom of the wise men of Egypt, I will remove their knowledge, which is not true knowledge. will also overthrow those who are reputed to be the wise men of Babel (the Babylon of Egypt), and all their service to devils (idolatry). go quickly to the desert, to the region which is near the habitations of men. There you shall beget for me a holy people, who will be exalted by their good works.” he became known for the multitude of miracles which he performed. He was the head of many monks; and he directed them profitably by his spiritual instructions. the reign of Julian the Apostate, God commanded the Saint to go to the near desert. a spot close to Hermopolis he founded a monastery in which about five hundred monks would gather in the future. brethren of the Monastery partook of the Holy Mysteries in the morning, and then in the afternoon they studied the Holy Scriptures. after sunset did they eat a little food, and then they went off into the desert alone, “in the darkness of the night, devoting themselves to the contemplation of God and His Holy Word,” while some of the monks remained in the monastery. monks would eat food just once a day. condemned those who adhered to the harsher forms of austerity - these did not cut their hair and wore chains - regarding such things as a sign of vanity. the same time, Apollonios himself was a strict faster, he ate boiled food on Sundays, and on other days he ate only wild plants. one of the monks was forcibly recruited for military service and was locked up in a prison for refusing to serve. and some other monks visited him in the prison. They comforted him and advised him to remain steadfast. the centurion heard about this, he became very angry and locked Apollonios and his companions in prison, posting many guards. an angel of the Lord appeared at midnight, to open the doors of the prison, and the monks left unhindered. the monastery were ten pagan settlements. Apollonios was once a witness to a pagan ritual: priests of the idols, accompanied by a crowd, carried an idol around to the villages, “raging like bacchants.” the Saint’s prayers, the idolaters were halted and could not continue the procession. learning of the cause of the incident, many of them followed Apollonios, and the idol was destroyed. After this miracle, many pagans became Christians, and some of them even remained in the monastery. Soon there were almost no pagans left in the vicinity of the monastery. there was strife between two villages near the monastery, Apollonios managed to convert a robber (who may have been the instigator of the quarrel) to Christ, and so peace was restored. another occasion, Apollonios was able to prevent bloodshed between the Christian and pagan villages, punishing the leader of the pagans with a terrible death. famine occurred at the Thebaid, Apollonios supplied the inhabitants with food. Apollonios reposed in peace around the year 395, at very advanced age. of the information about Saint Apollonios was recorded in chapter 9 of Saint Jerome’s History of the Monks of Egypt. The author had visited Apollonios shortly before the latter’s repose, along with his companions. They lived in his monastery for about a week. also provides some details about Apollonios in Book VI, chapter 29 of his Church History, citing Timothy, the primate of the Church of Alexandria, as the source for what we know about Saint Apollonios’s personal discipline as well as his “divine and marvelous deeds.” Coptic Church has also preserved an ancient testimony of Saint Apollonios in a description of Abba Paul’s journey from Antinoe through the monasteries of Egypt, another account from a Jacobite Synaxarion (in Arabic). This Synaxarion under 5 Amshire (January 30) calls Apollonios “an Equal of the angels.” The Coptic Church commemorates Saint Apollonios on 25 Papo (October 22).

Egypt, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius, viceroy of Egypt, then Julian tortured, Jesus encouraged, he prophesied J death
Egypt, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, viceroy of Egypt, spread C in E, b relics to Constantinople, then Julian tortured him, Jesus appeared w angels, encouraged him, he prophesied Julians death; Egypt; Rahab; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). received many awards for distinguished service and courage. was appointed viceroy of Egypt. this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt. Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, Constantinople. holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. Antioch he ordered the torture of two bishops unwilling to forsake the Christian Faith. this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Artemius was praying, Christ, surrounded by angels, appeared to him and said, “Take courage, Artemius! I am with you and will preserve you from every hurt which is inflicted upon you, and I already have prepared your crown of glory. Since you have confessed Me before the people on earth, so shall I confess you before My Heavenly Father. Therefore, take courage and rejoice, you shall be with Me in My Kingdom.” this, Artemius rejoiced and offered up glory and thanksgiving to Him. the following day, Julian demanded that Saint Artemius honor the pagan gods. Meeting with steadfast refusal, the emperor resorted to further tortures. The saint endured all without a single moan. saint told Julian that he would be justly recompensed for his persecution of Christians. became furious and resorted to even more savage tortures, but they did not break the will of the saint. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. relics were buried by Christians. After the death of Saint Artemius, his prophecy about Julian the Apostate’s impending death came true. left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. retribution caught up with Julian the Apostate. During the battle he was mortally wounded by an unseen hand and an unseen weapon. groaned deeply said, “You have conquered, Galilean!” the death of the apostate emperor, the relics of the Great Martyr Artemius were transferred with honor from Antioch to Constantinople. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.

Egypt, 340-417, Paisius tG, Pishoy, saw Jesus, incorrpt tday, no food 70 days, vision nitrian wilds, he would provide
Egypt, 340-417, Saint, Paisius the Great, Pishoy; Pishoy (320 - 417 AD), known in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria as the Star of the Desert and the Beloved of our Good Savior, is a Coptic Desert Father. He is said to have seen Jesus and that his body is preserved to the present day in incorruptibility at the Monastery of Saint Pishoy at the Natroon Desert, Egypt. He is venerated by the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and is known in the latter under the Greek version of his name, Paisios.[1] Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Paisius the Great lived in Egypt. His parents, Christians, distributed generous alms to all the needy. the death of her husband his mother, on the suggestion of an angel, gave her young son Paisius to the clergy of the church. youth Paisius loved monastic life and spent his time in one of the Egyptian sketes. Renouncing his own will, he lived under the spiritual guidance of Saint Pambo (July 18), finishing all the tasks assigned him. The Elder said that a new monk in particular needs to preserve his sight, in order to guard his senses from temptation. Paisius, heeding the instruction, went for three years with his eyes cast downwards. The saintly ascetic read spiritual books, and he was known for his ascetic fasting and prayer. At first he did not eat any food for a week, then two weeks. Sometimes, after partaking of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he survived without food for seventy days. Paisius went into the Nitrian desert in search of solitude. There he lived in a cave carved out by his own hands. The saint was granted a wondrous vision: the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to him that through his labors the Nitrian wilderness would become inhabited by ascetics. He asked the Lord where the monks would obtain the necessities of life in the desert. The Lord said that if they would fulfill all His commandments, He Himself would provide all their necessities, and would deliver them from demonic temptations and cunning. time, a number of monks and laymen gathered around Saint Paisius, and a monastery was established. The most important rule of Saint Paisius was that no one would do anything by his own will, but in all things would fulfill the will of his elders. his tranquility was being disturbed by so many people, the saint withdrew to another cave farther away. Once, he was transported to a paradisical monastery and partook of the immaterial divine food. After his ascetic labors for salvation, the Lord granted His saint the gift of prescience and healing the souls of men. of his disciples, with the saint’s blessing, went to sell his handicrafts in Egypt. On the way he encountered a Jew, who told the simple-minded monk that Christ the Savior is not the Messiah, and that another Messiah will come. Confused, the monk said, “Maybe what you say is true,” but he did not attribute any particular significance to his words. When he returned, he saw that Saint Paisius would not acknowledge his arrival, and he asked the reason for his anger. The saint said, “My disciple was a Christian. You are not a Christian, for the grace of Baptism has departed from you.” The monk repented with tears, and begged to have his sin forgiven. Only then did the holy Elder pray and ask the Lord to forgive the monk. certain monk on his own initiative left the desert and moved near a city. There he had encounters with a woman, who hated and blasphemed Christ the Savior. Under her influence, he not only left the monastery, but also scorned faith in Christ, and finally he reached a state of total disbelief. through the blessed Providence of God, Nitrian monks came by his home. Seeing them, the sinner remembered his own former life and he asked the monks to ask Saint Paisius to pray for him to the Lord. On hearing the request, the saint prayed fervently, and his prayer was heard. The Lord, appearing to His saint, promised to forgive the sinner. Soon the seduced monk’s woman companion died, and he returned to the desert where, weeping and distressed for his sins, he began to labor at deeds of repentance. Paisius distinguished himself by his great humility, and performed ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, but he concealed them from others as far as possible. When the monks asked which virtue is the highest of all, the saint replied, “Those which are done in secret, and about which no one knows.” Paisius died in the fifth century at a great old age, and he was buried by the monks. After some time his relics were transferred by Saint Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) to his own monastery and placed beside the relics of his friend Saint Paul, with whom Saint Paisius was particularly close during his life.

Egypt, 340-429, Sisoes the Great, mentored by sts anthony& Hor, 60 yrs in d, wonderworker, self as iinferior to everyone
Egypt, 340-429, Saint, Sisoes the Great; Sisoes the Great (+429 AD) was an early Christian desert father, a solitary monk pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave of his predecessor, St Anthony the Great. St Sisoes is revered as a saint by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, who consider him a wonderworker. His feast day is observed on July 19 [O.S. July 6].[note 2][note 3] was a Copt by birth. Having withdrawn the world from his youth, he retired to the desert of Scete, and lived some time under the direction of abbot Hor. The desire of finding a retreat yet more unfrequented induced him to cross the Nile and hide himself in the mountain where St. Anthony the Great died some time before. Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6; Sisoes the Great (+ 429) was a solitary monk, pursuing asceticism in the Egyptian desert in a cave sanctified by the prayerful labors of his predecessor, Saint Anthony the Great (January 17). For his sixty years of labor in the desert, Saint Sisoes attained to sublime spiritual purity and he was granted the gift of wonderworking, so that by his prayers he once restored a dead child back to life. strict with himself, Abba Sisoes was very merciful and compassionate to others, and he received everyone with love. To those who visited him, the saint first of all always taught humility. When one of the monks asked how he might attain to a constant remembrance of God, Saint Sisoes remarked, “That is no great thing, my son, but it is a great thing to regard yourself as inferior to everyone else. This leads to the acquisition of humility.” Asked by the monks whether one year is sufficient for repentance if a brother sins, Abba Sisoes said, “I trust in the mercy of God that if such a man repents with all his heart, then God will accept his repentance in three days.” Saint Sisoes lay upon his deathbed, the disciples surrounding the Elder saw that his face shone like the sun. They asked the dying man what he saw. Abba Sisoes replied that he saw Saint Anthony, the prophets, and the apostles. His face increased in brightness, and he spoke with someone. The monks asked, “With whom are you speaking, Father?” He said that angels had come for his soul, and he was entreating them to give him a little more time for repentance. The monks said, “You have no need for repentance, Father.” Saint Sisoes said with great humility, “I do not think that I have even begun to repent.” these words the face of the holy abba shone so brightly that the brethren were not able to look upon him. Saint Sisoes told them that he saw the Lord Himself. Then there was a flash like lightning, and a fragrant odor, and Abba Sisoes departed to the Heavenly Kingdom.

Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Virginmartyr Mastridia, unceasing prayer, fasts, silence, impure youth, what do you like, gouged out eyes
Egypt, 999, Virginmartyr Mastridia of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, unceasing prayer, fasts, silence, persued by impure youth, grieving tempting, what do you like, gouged out eyes, he repented became monk, she works for t Lord; Alexandria; Virginmartyr Mastridia of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24 ; Nun Mastridia lived in Alexandria. She made a vow of virginity and she dwelt in unceasing prayer, keeping the fasts and keeping silence. pure life of the holy virgin was beset by trials. A certain young man, attracted to her with impure desire, began to pursue her so that she could not even leave her home to go to church. because she had unwillingly led the youth into temptation, and being zealous for his salvation, the saint invited him into her home. asked what it was about her that made him bother her so much. replied, “Your beautiful eyes!” this, she gouged them out with a needle she used for sewing. she saved herself and the youth from temptation. then repented and became a monk, living as a strict ascetic. Saint Mastridia finished her life in works for the Lord.

Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Brothers Cantidius and Cantidian stoned, Sibelius (Soleb) shot with arrows, all refused to deny Christ
Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Brothers Cantidius and Cantidian stoned, Sibelius (Soleb) was shot with arrows, all refused to deny Christ; Egypt; Rahab; Martyrs Cantidius, Cantidian, and Sibelius (Sobel) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 5; Cantidius and Cantidian were brothers who lived in Egypt during the fourth century. were put to death by stoning. Sibelius (Soleb) was shot with arrows. three suffered martyrdom because they were Christians who refused to deny Christ.

Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, monk, mountain cave dweller, ascetic 75 yrs till age 110
Egypt, 350, 4th Century, Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, monk, mountain cave dweller, ascetic 75 yrs till age 110; Venerable Elias the Hermit, of Egypt, Commemorated on January 8; Elias the Egyptian became a monk and pursued asceticism for seventy-five years on a desolate mountain in a cave. died in the fourth century at the age of 110.

Egypt, 350-399, Karion &Son Zachariia, Scetis, K leaves family, raises Z aSkete, grumbling, Z's welts like angel, much more
Egypt, 350-399, Karion (Cyrion) &Son Zachariia, Scetis, Egyptian Desert, K became monk left wife children behind iWorld, Famine, w&c tMonasatery complain, K took son Zacharia in Monastery, dauther wMother, Z raised aSkete, brethern grumble, tThebaid, complaints there, Z tNitria, immersed foul water 1hr, face&body welts, like leper, Holy Communion fIsadore, last sunday as man, today as angel, K dies, Z struggles wMoses tBlack, Moses asks Z what to be saved, Z supprised why ask me, M because saw HS come down on you, Z tramples head cowl, man must be willing trampled this way tbMonk, Moses asks Z at Z's death, what do you see, Isn't better tKeep silent, Yes, Z dies, when soul leaving body Isadore said Rejoice heaven gates are open tYou, Z buried Skete 399 or so; Scetis ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Karion lived in Scetis in Egypt during the fourth century. became a monk and left his wife and two children behind in the world. a famine struck Egypt, Saint Karion’s wife brought the children to the monastery and complained of their poverty and difficulties. saint took his son, Zachariah, and the daughter remained with the mother. raised his son at the skete, and everyone knew that Zachariah was his son. the lad grew up, the brethren began to grumble. father and his son then went into the Thebaid, but complaints about them arose there, too. Saint Zachariah went to Lake Nitria, immersing himself in the foul-smelling water up to his nostrils and he stayed there for an hour. His face and his body were covered with welts, and he looked like a leper. Even his own father hardly recognized him. next time Saint Zachariah came for Holy Communion, it was revealed to the Saint Isidore the Presbyter what Zachariah had done. holy priest said to him, “Child, last Sunday you communed as a man, but now you receive as an angel.” the death of his father, Saint Zachariah began to struggle together with Saint Moses the Black (August 28). “What must I do, to be saved?” asked Saint Moses. this, Saint Zachariah fell to his knees and said: “Why do you ask this of me, Father?” “Believe me, my child, Zachariah,” Saint Moses continued, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down upon you, and that is why I ask you.” Zachariah then took the koukoulion (cowl) from his head, trampling it under his feet. putting it on again he said, “If a man is not willing to be treated this way, he cannot be a monk.” Moses asked Zachariah just before his death, “What do you see, brother?” “Isn’t it better if I keep silent, Father?” Saint Zachariah replied. “Yes, child, remain silent”, agreed Saint Moses. the soul of Saint Zachariah was leaving his body, Abba Isidore lifted his gaze toward the heavens and said, “Rejoice, Zachariah my child, for the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven are opened to you.” Zachariah died towards the end of the fourth century and was buried in Skete with the Fathers. Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Story - Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5: Zachariah was the son of Saint Karion. Saint Karion lived in Scetis in Egypt during the fourth century. became a monk and left his wife and two children behind in the world. When a famine struck Egypt, Saint Karion’s wife brought the children to the monastery and complained of their poverty and difficulties. The saint took his son, and the daughter remained with the mother. raised his son at the skete, and everyone knew that Zachariah was his son. When the lad grew up, the brethren began to grumble. The father and his son then went into the Thebaid, but complaints about them arose there, too. Then Saint Zachariah went to Lake Nitria, immersing himself in the foul-smelling water up to his nostrils and he stayed there for an hour. His face and his body were covered with welts, and he looked like a leper. Even his own father hardly recognized him. next time Saint Zachariah came for Holy Communion, it was revealed to the Saint Isidore the Presbyter what Zachariah had done. The holy priest said to him, “Child, last Sunday you communed as a man, but now you receive as an angel.” the death of his father, Saint Zachariah began to struggle together with Saint Moses the Black (August 28). “What must I do, to be saved?” asked Saint Moses. Hearing this, Saint Zachariah fell to his knees and said: “Why do you ask this of me, Father?” “Believe me, my child, Zachariah,” Saint Moses continued, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down upon you, and that is why I ask you.” Zachariah then took the koukoulion (cowl) from his head, trampling it under his feet. After putting it on again he said, “If a man is not willing to be treated this way, he cannot be a monk.” Moses asked Zachariah just before his death, “What do you see, brother?” “Isn’t it better if I keep silent, Father?” Saint Zachariah replied. “Yes, child, remain silent”, agreed Saint Moses. the soul of Saint Zachariah was leaving his body, Abba Isidore lifted his gaze toward the heavens and said, “Rejoice, Zachariah my child, for the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven are opened to you.” Zachariah died towards the end of the fourth century and was buried in Skete with the Fathers.

Egypt, 350-405, Moses the Black, leader of gang of robbers, discoverd monks, became one, struggled, power over deamons
Egyptian Saint, 350-405, Moses the Black; the Black (330–405), also known as Abba Moses the Robber, the Ethiopian , and the Strong, was an ascetic monk and priest in Egypt in the fourth century AD, and a notable Desert Father. According to stories about him, he converted from a life of crime to one of asceticism. He is mentioned in Sozomen's Ecclesiastical History, written about 70 years after Moses's death. MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Moses the Black (330 – 405), known as the Ethiopian or the strong, was a slave of a government official in Egypt who dismissed him for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits who roamed the Nile Valley spreading terror and violence. Attempting to hide from local authorities, he took shelter with some monks in a colony in the desert of Scetes, near Alexandria. The dedication of their lives, as well as their peace and contentment, influenced Moses deeply. He soon gave up his old way of life, became a Christian, was baptized and joined the monastic community at Scetes. (more at Wikipedia) Venerable Moses the Ethiopian of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Moses lived in Egypt during the fourth century. He was an Ethiopian, and since he was black of skin he was called “Murin” (meaning “like an Ethiopian”). In his youth he was the slave of an important man, but after he committed a murder, his master banished him, and he joined a band of robbers. of his bad character and great physical strength, they chose him as their leader. Moses and his band of brigands were feared because of their many evil exploits, including murders and robberies. People trembled at the mere mention of his name. the brigand spent several years leading a sinful life, but through the great mercy of God he repented, left his band of robbers and went to one of the desert monasteries. Here he wept for a long time, begging to be admitted as one of the brethren. The monks were not convinced of the sincerity of his repentance, but the former robber would neither be driven away nor silenced. He continued to implore that they accept him. Moses was completely obedient to the hegoumen and the brethren, and he poured forth many tears of sorrow for his sinful life. After a certain while Saint Moses withdrew to a solitary cell, where he spent his time in prayer and the strictest fasting. four of the robbers of his former band descended upon the cell of Saint Moses. He had lost none of his great physical strength, so he tied them all up. Throwing them over his shoulder, he brought them to the monastery, where he asked the Elders what to do with them. The Elders ordered that they be set free. The robbers, learning that they had chanced upon their former ringleader, and that he had dealt kindly with them, followed his example: they repented and became monks. Later, when the rest of the band of robbers heard about Saint Moses’ repentance, then they also gave up their thievery and became fervent monks. Moses was not quickly freed from the passions. He went often to the hegoumen, Abba Isidore, seeking advice on how to be delivered from the passions of profligacy. Being experienced in the spiritual struggle, the Elder taught him never to eat too much food, to remain partly hungry while observing the strictest restraint. But the passions did not cease to trouble Saint Moses in his dreams. Abba Isidore taught him the all-night vigil. The monk stood the whole night at prayer, so he would not fall asleep. As a result of his prolonged struggles, Saint Moses fell into despondency, and when he began to have thoughts about leaving his solitary cell, Abba Isidore instead strengthened the resolve of his disciple. a vision he showed him many demons in the west, prepared for battle, and in the east a still greater quantity of holy angels, also ready for fighting. Abba Isidore explained to Saint Moses that the power of the angels would prevail over the power of the demons, and in the long struggle with the passions it was necessary for him to become completely cleansed of his former sins. Moses drove himself to additional labors. Making the rounds of the wilderness cells at night, he carried water from the well to each brother. He did this especially for the Elders, who lived far from the well and who were not easily able to carry their own water. Once, kneeling over the well, Saint Moses felt a powerful blow upon his back and he fell down at the well like one dead, laying there in that position until dawn. Thus did the devils take revenge upon the monk for his victory over them. In the morning the brethren carried him to his cell, and he lay there crippled for a whole year. After he recovered, the monk with firm resolve confessed to the hegoumen, that he would continue with his ascetic struggles. But the Lord Himself put limits to this toil which lasted for many years: Abba Isidore blessed his disciple and told him that the passions had already left him. The Elder commanded him to receive the Holy Mysteries, and to go to his own cell in peace. From that time, Saint Moses received from the Lord power over demons. about his exploits spread among the monks and even beyond the bounds of the wilderness. The governor of the land wanted to see the saint. When he heard of this, Saint Moses decided to hide from any visitors, and he departed his own cell. Along the way he met servants of the governor, who asked him how to get to the cell of the desert-dweller Moses. The monk answered them: “Go no farther to see this false and unworthy monk.” The servants returned to the monastery where the governor was waiting, and they told him the words of the Elder they had chanced to meet. The brethren, hearing a description of the Elder’s appearance, told them that they had encountered Saint Moses himself. many years of monastic exploits, Saint Moses was ordained deacon. The bishop clothed him in white vestments and said, “Now Abba Moses is entirely white!” The saint replied, “Only outwardly, for God knows that I am still dark within.” humility, the saint believed himself unworthy of the office of deacon. Once, the bishop decided to test him and he bade the clergy to drive him out of the altar, reviling him as an unworthy Ethiopian. In all humility, the monk accepted the abuse. Having put him to the test, the bishop then ordained Saint Moses to the priesthood. Saint Moses labored for fifteen years in this rank, and gathered 75 disciples around himself. the saint reached the age of 75, he warned his monks that soon brigands would descend upon the skete and murder all those who remained there. The saint blessed his monks to leave, in order to avoid violent death. His disciples begged the saint to leave with them, but he replied: “For many years now, I have awaited the time when the words spoken by my Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be fulfilled: ‘All who take up the sword, shall perish by the sword’” (Matt. 26: 52). After this, seven of the brethren remained with Saint Moses, and one of them hid nearby during the attack of the robbers. The robbers killed Saint Moses and the six monks who remained with him. Their death occurred about the year 400.

Egypt, 350&450, Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, same day 100yrs later, God intervened w fire at top of mt, eyewitness
Egypt, 350&450, Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt, same day, 40 and 39, God intervened w fire at top of mt, 100 yrs later eyewitness, description of ascetics lives; Raithu; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; were two occasions when the monks and hermits at Sinai and Raithu were murdered by the barbarians. The first took place in the fourth century when forty Fathers were killed at Mt. Sinai, and thirty-nine were slain at Raithu on the same day. Sinai, where the Ten Commandments had been given to Moses, was also the site of another miracle. Ammonios, an Egyptian monk, witnessed the murder of the forty holy Fathers at Sinai. He tells of how the Saracens attacked the monastery and would have killed them all, if God had not intervened. A fire appeared on the summit of the peak, and the whole mountain smoked. The barbarians were terrified, and fled, while the surviving monks thanked God for sparing them. day, the Blemmyes (an Arab tribe) killed thirty-nine Fathers at Raithu (on the shores of the Red Sea). Igumen Paul of Raithu exhorted his monks to endure their suffering with courage and a pure heart. second massacres occurred nearly a hundred years later, and was also recorded by an eyewitness who miraculously escaped: Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12). Arabs permitted some of the monks to run for their lives. They crossed the valley and climbed up a mountain. From this vantage point, they saw the bedouin kill the monks and ransack their cells. Sinai and Raithu ascetics lived a particularly strict life: they spent the whole week at prayer in their cells. On Saturday they gathered for the all-night Vigil, and on Sunday they received the Holy Mysteries. Their only food was dates and water. Many of the ascetics of the desert were glorified by the gift of wonderworking: the Elders Moses, Joseph and others. Mentioned in the service to these monastic Fathers are: Isaiah, Savva, Moses and his disciple Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, Adam, Sergius, Domnus, Proclus, Hypatius, Isaac, Macarius, Mark, Benjamin, Eusebius and Elias. St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic. attained such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a light shone upon him while he prayed. foretold the time of his death to his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the Sinai Fathers. Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Egypt, 350&450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice
Egypt, 350&450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, recorded the slaughter, slept past sunrise so not sacrificed, back to Sinai; Raithu; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Egypt, 350&450, St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, strict ascetic, light shone on him as he prayed, fortold time of death
Egypt, 350&450, St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, strict ascetic, light shone on him as he prayed, fortold time of death; Raithu; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic. attained such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a light shone upon him while he prayed. foretold the time of his death to his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the Sinai Fathers. Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Egypt, 359-405, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes, Pimen's monastery, obedience, water on dry stick, author Paisius' life
Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; John the Dwarf (c. 339 - c. 405), also called Saint John Colobus, Saint John Kolobos or Abba John the Dwarf,[2] was a Coptic Desert Father of the early Christian church. Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in the fifth century in the monastery of Saint Pimen the Great (August 27). It was to this monastery that the young John came with his brother Daniel. Saint John told his elder brother that he did not want to be concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live like the angels in Paradise. Daniel allowed him to go to a deserted place, so that he would be afflicted. John went out from the cell and removed his clothing. It was very cold at night, and after a week John became hungry. night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the door of the cell. “Who is it?” Daniel asked. “It is I, your brother John.” Daniel replied, “John has become an angel, and is no longer among men.” continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until morning. Then he said, “You are a man and must work again if you want to eat.” Saint John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness. being brought to his senses Saint John went to Saint Pimen, known for his firm and steadfast will, and having asked guidance, he promised to be obedient in all things. Testing the patience of the young monk, Saint Pimen gave him an unusual obedience. For three years Saint John carried water and poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with leaves and bore abundant fruit. His Elder took the fruit to the brethren saying, “Take and eat the fruit of obedience.” Abba John himself became a guide of many people on the way of salvation, among whom were Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8) and Saint Thais (May 10). John was the author of the Life of Saint Paisius the Great (June 19).

Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes, Tree oObedience story, friend, teacher, writer
Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes, fThebes, Tree oObedience story, igumen there, Pambo's disciple, Pishoy's friend, taught Arsenius, Wrote Paisius' story; Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; the Dwarf ( c. 339 – c. 405), also called John Colobus, John Kolobos or Abba John the Dwarf,[2] was a Coptic Desert Father of the early Christian church. the Dwarf was born in the town of Thebes in Egypt[3] to poor Christian parents. At the age of eighteen, he and an elder brother, moved to the desert of Scetes[4] where he became a disciple of Pambo and a good friend of Pishoy. He lived a life of austerity and taught several other monks his way of life, among them was Arsenius the Great. the departure of Pambo, John was ordained a priest by Pope Theophilus and became abbot of the monastery he founded around the Tree of Obedience. When the Mazices invaded Scetes in 395, John fled the Nitrian Desert and went to live on Mount Colzim, near the present city of Suez, where he died. 515, the relics of John the Dwarf were moved to the Nitrian Desert. His feast is celebrated on October 17 in the Roman Catholic Church, on 20 Paopi at the Coptic Orthodox Church and on November 9 in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Monastery of Saint John the Dwarf in Scetes is now recognized by the Coptic orthodox church. lived on only flatbread and vegetables his entire life and could eat one meal a day.[5] the Dwarf is best known for his obedience. The most famous story about his obedience is that one day Pambo gave John a piece of dry wood and ordered him to plant and water it. John obeyed and went on watering it twice a day even though the water was about 12 miles from where they lived. After three years, the piece of wood sprouted and grew into a fruitful tree. Pambo took some of this tree's fruits and went around to all the elder monks, saying "take, eat from the fruit of obedience". Postumian, who was in Egypt in 402, assured that he was shown this tree which grew in the yard of the monastery and which he saw covered with shoots and green leaves. a monk of Scetes and a saint of the Coptic Church, is the subject of a long biography attributed in manuscript form to John the Dwarf. The manuscript has yet to be translated into English. Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; John the Dwarf of Egypt struggled in the Egyptian desert in the fifth century the monastery of Saint Pimen the Great (August 27). It was to this monastery that the young John came with his brother Daniel. Saint John told his elder brother that he did not want to be concerned about clothing and food, and that he wished to live like the angels in Paradise. allowed him to go to a deserted place, so that he would be afflicted. went out from the cell and removed his clothing. It was very cold at night, and after a week John became hungry. night John went back to the monastery and began to knock on the door of the cell. “Who is it?” Daniel asked. “It is I, your brother John.” replied, “John has become an angel, and is no longer among men.” continued to knock, but Daniel would not let him in until morning. he said, “You are a man and must work again if you want to eat.” Saint John wept bitterly, asking for forgiveness. being brought to his senses Saint John went to Saint Pimen, known for his firm and steadfast will, having asked guidance, he promised to be obedient in all things. the patience of the young monk, Saint Pimen gave him an unusual obedience. three years Saint John carried water and poured it on a dry stick, until it became covered with leaves and bore abundant fruit. Elder took the fruit to the brethren saying, “Take and eat the fruit of obedience.” Abba John himself became a guide of many people on the way of salvation, among whom were Saint Arsenius the Great (May 8) and Saint Thais (May 10). John was the author of the Life of Saint Paisius the Great (June 19).

Egypt, 360-450, Pimen the G, Sketes, most quoted, spiritual guide, fire (sin) and water (prayer)
Egyptian Saint, 360-450, Pimen the Great; Poemen The Great (c. 340-450) was a Christian monk and early Desert Father who is the most quoted Abba (Father) in the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers). Abba Poemen was quoted most often for his gift as a spiritual guide, reflected in the name "Poemen" ("Shepherd"), rather than for asceticism.[1] He is considered a saint in Eastern Christianity. His feast day is August 27 in Julian calendar (September 9 in Gregorian calendar) Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; Venerable Pimen the Great, Commemorated on August 27; Pimen the Great was born about the year 340 in Egypt. He went to one of the Egyptian monasteries with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisius, and all three received monastic tonsure. brothers were such strict ascetics that when their mother came to the monastery to see her children, they did not come out to her from their cells. The mother stood there for a long time and wept. Then Saint Pimen said to her through the closed door of the cell, “Do you wish to see us now, or in the future life?” Saint Pimen promised that if she would endure the sorrow of not seeing her children in this life, then surely she would see them in the next. The mother was humbled and returned home. of Saint Pimen’s deeds and virtues spread throughout the land. Once, the governor of the district wanted to see him. Saint Pimen, shunning fame, thought to himself, “If dignitaries start coming to me and show me respect, then many other people will also start coming to me and disturb my quiet, and I shall be deprived of the grace of humility, which I have acquired only with the help of God.” So he refused to see the governor, asking him not to come. many of the monks, Saint Pimen was a spiritual guide and instructor. They wrote down his answers to serve for the edification of others besides themselves. A certain monk asked, “If I see my brother sinning, should I conceal his fault?” The Elder answered, “If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will reproach our sins. If you see a brother sinning, do not believe your eyes. Know that your own sin is like a beam of wood, but the sin of your brother is like a splinter (Mt. 7:3-5), and then you will not enter into distress or temptation.” monk said to the saint, “I have sinned grievously and I want to spend three years at repentance. Is that enough time?” The Elder replied, “That is a long time.” The monk continued to ask how long the saint wished him to repent. Perhaps only a year? Saint Pimen said, “That is a long time.” The other brethren asked, “Should he repent for forty days?” The Elder answered, “I think that if a man repents from the depths of his heart and has a firm intention not to return to the sin, then God will accept three days of repentance.” asked how to get rid of persistent evil thoughts, the saint replied, “This is like a man who has fire on his left side, and a vessel full of water on his right side. If he starts burning from the fire, he takes water from the vessel and extinguishes the fire. The fire represents the evil thoughts placed in the heart of man by the Enemy of our salvation, which can enkindle sinful desires within man like a spark in a hut. The water is the force of prayer which impels a man toward God.” Pimen was strict in his fasting and sometimes would not partake of food for a week or more. He advised others to eat every day, but without eating their fill. Abba Pimen heard of a certain monk who went for a week without eating, but had lost his temper. The saint lamented that the monk was able to fast for an entire week, but was unable to abstain from anger for even a single day. the question of whether it is better to speak or be silent, the Elder said, “Whoever speaks on account of God, does well, and whoever is silent on account of God, that one also does well.” also said, “If man seems to be silent, but his heart condemns others, then he is always speaking. There may be a man who talks all day long, but he is actually silent, because he says nothing unprofitable.” saint said, “It is useful to observe three things: to fear God, to pray often, and to do good for one’s neighbor.” “Wickedness never eradicates wickedness. If someone does evil to you, do good to them, and your goodness will conquer their wickedness.” after Saint Pimen and his disciples arrived at the monastery of Scetis, he learned that the Elder living there was annoyed at his arrival and was also jealous of him, because monks were leaving the Elder to see Abba Pimen. order to console the hermit, the saint went to him with his brethren, taking food with them as a present. The Elder refused to receive them, however. Then Saint Pimen said, “We shall not depart from here until we are permitted to see the holy Elder.” He remained standing at the door of the cell in the heat. Seeing Saint Pimen’s humility and patience, the Elder received him graciously and said, “Not only is what I have heard about you true, but I see that your works are a hundred times greater.” possessed such great humility that he often sighed and said, “I shall be cast down to that place where Satan was cast down!” a monk from another country came to the saint to receive his guidance. He began to speak about sublime matters difficult to grasp. The saint turned away from him and was silent. They explained to the bewildered monk that the saint did not like to speak of lofty matters. Then the monk began to ask him about the struggle with passions of soul. The saint turned to him with a joyful face, “Now you have spoken well, and I will answer.” For a long while he provided instruction on how one ought to struggle with the passions and conquer them. Pimen died at age 110, about the year 450. Soon after his death, he was acknowledged as a saint pleasing to God. He was called “the Great” as a sign of his great humility, uprightness, ascetic struggles, and self-denying service to God.

Egypt, 374-450, Arsenius the G, Roman Saint, tutor then desert father, asceticism, hide f people and d in silence
Egypt, 370-445, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great; Arsenius the Deacon, sometimes known as Arsenius of Scetis and Turah, Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Great, was a Roman imperial tutor who became an anchorite in Egypt, one of the most highly regarded of the Desert Fathers, whose teachings were greatly influential on the development of asceticism and the contemplative life. contemporaries so admired him as to surname him "the Great". His feast day is celebrated on May 8 in the Roman Catholic Church[1] and in the Eastern Orthodox church,[2] and on 13 Pashons in the Coptic Orthodox Church. Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. studied rhetoric and philosophy, and mastered the Latin and Greek languages. Saint Arsenius gave up philosophy and the vanity of worldly life, seeking instead the true wisdom praised by Saint James “pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas. 3:17). He entered the ranks of the clergy as a deacon in one of the Roman churches, dedicating himself to the service of God. emperor Theodosius (379-395), who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, heard about his erudition and piety, and he wished to entrust Arsenius with the education of his sons Arcadius and Honorius. Arsenius, however, protested that he had given up secular studies in order to serve God. Against his will, but in obedience to the will of Pope Damasus (December 11), Saint Arsenius agreed to teach the imperial children, hoping to teach them Christian piety as well. he arrived at Constantinople, Arsenius was received with great honor by the emperor Theodosius, who charged him to educate his sons not only in wisdom, but also in piety, guarding them from the temptations of youth. “Forget that they are the emperor’s sons,” said Theodosius, “for I want them to submit to you in all things, as to their father and teacher.” fervor the saint devoted himself to the education of the youths, but the high esteem in which he was held troubled his spirit, which yearned for the quietude of monastic life. Saint Arsenius entreated the Lord to show him the way to salvation. The Lord heard his prayer and one time he heard a voice telling him, “Arsenius, flee from men, and you shall be saved.” And then, removing his rich clothing and replacing it with old and tattered garments, he secretly left the palace, boarded a ship for Alexandria, and he made his way to Sketis, a monastery in the midst of the desert. at the church, he asked the priests to accept him into the monastic brotherhood, calling himself a wretched wanderer, though his very manner betrayed him as a cultivated man. The brethren led him to Abba John the Dwarf (November 9), famed for his holiness of life. He, wishing to test the newcomer’s humility, did not seat Arsenius with the monks for the trapeza meal. He threw him a piece of dry bread saying, “Eat if you wish.” Saint Arsenius got down on his hands and knees, and picked up the bread with his mouth. Then he crawled off into a corner and ate it. Seeing this, Elder John said, “He will be a great ascetic!” Then accepting Arsenius with love, he tonsured him into monasticism. Arsenius zealously passed through his obediences and soon he surpassed many of the desert Fathers in asceticism. The saint again heard the Voice while he was praying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue.” From that moment Saint Arsenius settled in a solitary cell deep in the desert. taken on the struggle of silence he seldom left his seclusion. He came to church only on Sundays and Feast days, observing complete silence and conversing with no one. When Abba Moses asked him why he hid himself from people, Saint Arsenius replied, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot remain with God and with men at the same time. The Heavenly Powers all have one will and praise God together. On earth, however, there are many human wills, and each man has his own thoughts. I cannot leave God in order to live with people.” absorbed in constant prayer, the saint did not refuse visiting monks with his counsel and guidance, giving short, but perceptive answers to their questions. Once, a monk from Sketis saw the great Elder through a window standing at prayer, surrounded by a flame. handicraft of Saint Arsenius was to weave baskets, for which he used the fronds of date palms soaked in water. For a whole year Saint Arsenius did not change the water in the container, but merely added a little water to it from time to time. This caused his cell to be permeated with a foul stench. When asked why he did this, the saint replied that it was fitting for him to humble himself in this way, because in the world he had used incense and fragrant oils. He prayed that after death he would not experience the stench of hell. fame of the great ascetic spread far, and many wanted to see him, and they disturbed his tranquility. As a result, the saint was forced to move around from place to place. But those thirsting to receive his guidance and blessing still found him. Arsenius taught that many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance, fasting, and vigil, but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride, greed, jealousy, hatred of one’s brother, remembrance of wrongs, and judgment. In this they resemble graves which are decorated outwardly, but filled with stinking bones. certain monk once asked Saint Arsenius what he should do when he read the Holy Scriptures and did not comprehend their meaning. The Elder answered, “My child, you must study and learn the Holy Scriptures constantly, even if you do not understand their power... For when we have the words of the Holy Scriptures on our lips, the demons hear them and are terrified. Then they flee from us, unable to bear the words of the Holy Spirit Who speaks through His apostles and prophets.” monks heard how the saint often urged himself on in his efforts with the words, “Rouse yourself, Arsenius, work! Do not remain idle! You have not come here to rest, but to labor.” He also said, “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” great ascetic and keeper of silence was given the gift of tears with which his eyes were constantly filled. He spent fifty-five years at monastic labors and struggles. He spent forty years at Sketis, and ten years on the mountain of Troe near Memphis. Then he spent three years at Canopus, and two more years at Troe, where he fell asleep in the Lord. holy, God-bearing Father Arsenius reposed when he was nearly one hundred years old, in the year 449 or 450. only disciples seem to have been Alexander, Zoilos, and Daniel (June 7).

Egypt, 379-395, Eupraxia tElder oTabenna, Eupraxia oTabennisi's mom, Senator Antigonus's wife, Theodosius tG's kin, charity
Egypt, 379-395, Eupraxia tElder oTabenna, Upper Egypt (Nile River 12), Eupraxia oTabennisi's mom, Senator Antigonus's wife, Theodosius tG's relative, decided live bro&sis from daughter's birth, gave all to poor, tTabennisi m aWiddowed, Theodula's strict rule, brought 8yrOld E tYounger, who desired tDedicate tGod, tMom's joy, Theodula kept daughter, tonsured, Elder continued charity fasting prayer, clairvoyant Theodula told her impending end, she rejoiced gave thanks, bid farewell tConvent&daughter, parting words, 1. Love Lord & Respect Sisters 2. Never think they serve you 3. Be poor iThoughts to profit by spiritual treasurers 4. Remember Father&Me &pray fSalvation our souls; Tabenna, in Upper Egypt; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Eupraxia the Elder was the mother of Saint Eupraxia, maiden of Tabennisi (July 25). was the wife of the pious senator Antigonus, was related to the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395). the birth of their daughter, the couple decided to live from that time forward as brother and sister. distributed alms to the poor, hoping to inherit the heavenly Kingdom. she was widowed, Saint Eupraxia devoted herself completely to the service of the Lord. visiting several monastic establishments and bestowing liberal alms, came to the Tabennisi monastery in Egypt, where the abbess was the nun Theodula, known for her strict rule. moved by the pure way of monastic life, Eupraxia came often to this monastery and always brought her eight-year-old daughter with her. virtues and prayers of her parents bestowed a particular grace of God upon the child, desired to dedicate herself to God. her mother’s great joy, the abbess Theodula kept the younger Eupraxia at the convent and blessed her to receive monastic tonsure. Eupraxia the elder continued her works of charity, and increased her fasting and prayer. Theodula, possessing the gift of clairvoyance, told her of her impending end. of her imminent death, Eupraxia gave thanks to the Lord for His great mercy towards her. bid farewell to the sisters of the convent and to her daughter. left her with these parting words: “Love the Lord Jesus Christ, and respect the sisters. dare to think that they are below you and should serve you. poor in your thoughts in order to profit by spiritual treasures. remember your father and me, and pray for the salvation of our souls.” three days the saint surrendered her soul to the Lord (+ 393) and was buried at the monastery, where her daughter continued her ascetic struggles.

Egyot, 380-435, John Cassian LScythian, years studying Jerusalem&Egypt monasticism, then writings teaching west

Egypt, 384, 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria
Egypt, 384, 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Scetes monasteries, Egyptian Desert, 330, 360 of them, falsely accused of Origenism, for giving Isidore shelter; Scetes monestary; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; holy martyrs of Christ, who lived in the deserts and caves of the Nitrian desert, were delivered up by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria to face a bitter death. falsely accused them of Origenism, but in fact they incurred the patriarch’s anger by giving shelter to the priest Isidore.

Egypt, 384-412, Impious Pope Theophilus of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 384-412, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; holy martyrs of Christ, who lived in the deserts and caves of the Nitrian desert, were delivered up by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria to face a bitter death. He falsely accused them of Origenism, but in fact they incurred the patriarch’s anger by giving shelter to the priest Isidore. Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Theophilus of Alexandria (385-412), had repeatedly benefited from the generosity of Saint Olympias, but turned against her for her devotion to Saint John Chrysostom. She had also taken in and fed monks, arriving in Constantinople, whom Patriarch Theophilus had banished from the Egyptian desert. He levelled unrighteous accusations against her and attempted to cast doubt on her holy life. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Egypt, 384-450, Egyptian Saint, Isadore of Pelusium, known for his letters, preacher like John C
Egyptian Saint, d. 450, Isadore of Pelusium; of Pelusium (d. c.450) was born in Egypt to a prominent Alexandrian family. He became an ascetic, and moved to a mountain near the city of Pelusium, in the tradition of the Desert Fathers. is known to us for his letters, written to Cyril of Alexandria, Theodosius II, and a host of others. A collection of 2,000 letters was made in antiquity at the "Sleepless" monastery in Constantinople, and this has come down to us through a number of manuscripts, with each letter numbered and in order. The letters are mostly very short extracts, a sentence or two in length. Further unpublished letters exist in Syriac translation.[1] of the letters are of considerable interest for the exegesis of the Greek bible.[2] He is revered as a saint, whose feast day is February 4. Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Isidore of Pelusium lived during the fourth-fifth centuries. He was a native of Alexandria, and was raised among pious Christians. He was a relative of Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and of his successor, Saint Cyril (January 18). While still a youth he quit the world and withdrew to Egypt to Mount Pelusium, which became the site of his monastic efforts. Isidore’s spiritual wisdom and strict asceticism, combined with his broad learning and innate knowledge of the human soul, enabled him to win the respect and love of his fellow monks in a short time. They chose him as their head and had him ordained a priest (the earliest sources for his life, however, say nothing of him being an igumen). the example of Saint John Chrysostom, whom he had managed to see and hear during a trip to Constantinople, Saint Isidore devoted himself primarily to Christian preaching, that “practical wisdom” which, in his own words, is both “the foundation of the edifice and the edifice itself”, while logic is “its embellishment, and contemplation its crown”. was a teacher and a willingly provided counsel for anyone who turned to him for spiritual encouragement, whether it was a simple man, a dignitary, a bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, or even the emperor. He left behind about 10,000 letters, of which 2,090 have survived. A large portion of these letters reveal profound theological thought and contain morally edifying interpretations of Holy Scripture. Saint Photius (February 6) calls Isidore a model of priestly and ascetical life, and also a master of style. Isidore’s love for Saint John Chrysostom resulted in his support of Saint John when he was persecuted by the empress Eudoxia and Archbishop Theophilus. After the death of Saint John, Saint Isidore persuaded Theophilus’ successor Saint Cyril to inscribe the name of Saint John Chrysostom into the Church diptychs as a confessor. Through the initiative of Saint Isidore the Third Ecumenical Council was convened at Ephesus (431), at which the false teaching of Nestorius concerning the person of Jesus Christ was condemned. Isidore lived into old age and died around the year 436. The Church historian Evagrius (sixth century) writes of Saint Isidore, “his life seemed to everyone the life of an angel upon the earth.” Another historian, Nikēphóros Callistus (ninth century), praises Saint Isidore thus: “He was a vital and inspired pillar of monastic rules and divine vision, and as such he presented a very lofty image of most fervent example and spiritual teaching.” Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6;

Egypt, 387-436, Isidore of Pelusium, tPelusium as a youth fMonastic efforts, devoted tPreaching, wisdom, logic, contemplation
Egypt, 386-436, Isidore of Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2), fAlexandria, Archbishops Theophilus&Cyril's relative, tPelusium as a youth, fMonastic efforts, won respect in short time, like Chrystom devoted to preaching, practical wisdom, the edificace, logic its embellishment, contemplation its crown, Isadore a vital&inspired pillar monastic rules&divine vision, and imags oSpiritual teaching; Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Isidore of Pelusium lived during the fourth-fifth centuries. was a native of Alexandria, and was raised among pious Christians. was a relative of Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and of his successor, Saint Cyril (January 18). still a youth he quit the world and withdrew to Egypt to Mount Pelusium, which became the site of his monastic efforts. Isidore’s spiritual wisdom and strict asceticism, combined with his broad learning and innate knowledge of the human soul, him to win the respect and love of his fellow monks in a short time. chose him as their head and had him ordained a priest (the earliest sources for his life, however, say nothing of him being an igumen). the example of Saint John Chrysostom, whom he had managed to see and hear during a trip to Constantinople, Isidore devoted himself primarily to Christian preaching, “practical wisdom” which, in his own words, is both “the foundation of the edifice and the edifice itself”, while logic is “its embellishment, and contemplation its crown”. was a teacher and a willingly provided counsel for anyone who turned to him for spiritual encouragement, whether it was a simple man, a dignitary, a bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, or even the emperor. left behind about 10,000 letters, of which 2,090 have survived. large portion of these letters reveal profound theological thought and contain morally edifying interpretations of Holy Scripture. Photius (February 6) calls Isidore a model of priestly and ascetical life, and also a master of style. Isidore’s love for Saint John Chrysostom resulted in his support of Saint John when he was persecuted by the empress Eudoxia and Archbishop Theophilus. the death of Saint John, Saint Isidore persuaded Theophilus’ successor Saint Cyril to inscribe the name of Saint John Chrysostom into the Church diptychs as a confessor. the initiative of Saint Isidore the Third Ecumenical Council was convened at Ephesus (431), which the false teaching of Nestorius concerning the person of Jesus Christ was condemned. Isidore lived into old age and died around the year 436. Church historian Evagrius (sixth century) writes of Saint Isidore, “his life seemed to everyone the life of an angel upon the earth.” historian, Nikēphóros Callistus (ninth century), praises Saint Isidore thus: “He was a vital and inspired pillar of monastic rules and divine vision, and as such he presented a very lofty image of most fervent example and spiritual teaching.”

Egypt, 390-430, Nilus, Ascetic&Faster of Sinai, Chrysostom's disciple, Constantinople perfect, t cave monastic in 390-430
Egypt, 390-430, Venerable Nilus Ascetic & Faster of Sinai, Chrysostom's disciple, perfect of Constantinople, then cave monastic in 390, fasting virgil prayer to spiritual perfection, counciled farmers&emperor, wrote soul-profiting works, saracens captured son, prayer freed him through Emessa bishop's ransom, who ordained them bishops; Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Neilos the Ascetic of Sinai, a native of Constantinople, during the V century was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, exerted a tremendous influence upon their lives and their spiritual struggles.1 receiving a fine education, the Saint was appointed to the important post of prefect of the capital while still a young man. this period, Neilos was married and had children, but the couple found courtly life distasteful. the year 390, by mutual consent, they decided to abandon the world and entered monasteries. Neilos's wife and daughter went to one of the women’s monasteries in Egypt, while he and his son Theódoulos went to Mount Sinai, where they settled in a cave, which they dug out with their own hands. forty years this cave served as the abode of Saint Neilos. fasting, vigil, and prayer, he attained a high degree of spiritual perfection. began coming to him from every occupation and social rank, from the Emperor down to the farmer, and all of them received counsel and comfort from the Saint. Sinai, Saint Neilos wrote many soul-profiting works to guide Christians on the path of salvation. In one of his letters there is an angry denunciation of the Emperor Arkadios, who had unjustly exiled Saint John Chrysostom. ascetical writings of Saint Neilos are widely known: they are perfectly executed in form, profoundly Orthodox in content, and are clear and lucid in expression. His Ascetic Discourse is found in Volume I of the English Philokalia. Neilos suffered many misfortunes in the wilderness. Saracens captured his son Theódoulos, whom they intended to offer as a sacrifice to their pagan gods. By the Saint's prayers the Lord rescued Theódoulos, his father found him with the Bishop of Emessa, who had ransomed the young man from the barbarians. bishop ordained both of them as presbyters. ordination they returned to Sinai, where they lived as ascetics together until Saint Neilos reposed. holy relics were transferred to Constantinople in the reign of Justin II (565-578), and were placed in the church of the Holy Apostles. Greek Philokalia has a quote from Saint Neilos beneath his icon: "The state of prayer is a passionless, settled disposition of the soul which, by supreme love, transports the wisdom-loving mind to spiritual heights." (See the English Philokalia, 153 Sections. Concerning Prayer, # 53). In earlier editions of the Synaxaristes and the Menaion, it was erroneously stated that Saint Neilos lived during the reign of Emperor Maurikios (582-602). This was corrected in later editions, since he was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, and was esteemed by Emperor Arkadios because of his virtues.

Egypt, 390-450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice
Egypt, 390-450, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, recorded the slaughter, slept past sunrise so not sacrificed, back to Sinai; Raithu; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Theodulus was the son of Saint Nilus the Faster (November 12), and he recorded the slaughter of the holy Fathers at Raithu in the fifth century. While still a child, Saint Theodulus left the world and went to Mount Sinai with his father. a barbarian assault on the desert dwellers, the saint fell into the hands of brigands, who decided to offer the youth as a sacrifice to the morning dawn, which they worshipped in place of God. But the Lord saved the boy through the prayers of his father, Saint Nilus. The barbarians slept past sunrise, and giving up on the idea of making him a sacrificial offering, they took the youth with them. by the brigands to the city of Eluza, Saint Theodulus was ransomed by the local bishop, in whose house he was later found by his grateful father. Blessed by the bishop and presbyters, Saints Theodulus and Nilus returned to Mount Sinai, where they served the Lord until the end of their days. Their incorrupt relics were transferred to Constantinople under Emperor Justin the Younger (565-578) and placed in the church of the holy Apostles at Orphanotrophia.

Egypt, 390's, 1st of 2 Origenist Crises, condemnation, incorporeal (no material), non-anthropomorphic (non human) concept of G
Egypt, 390's, First of Two Origenist Crises; Origenist Crises or Origenist Controversies are two major theological controversies in early Christianity involving the teachings of followers of the third-century Alexandrian theologian Origen (c. 184 – c. 253). The First Origenist Crisis began in the late fourth century AD in Palestine and later spread to Egypt. It dealt with ideas discussed in some of Origen's writings that some members of the church hierarchy deemed heretical. Objections against Origen's writings and demands for his condemnation were first raised by Epiphanius of Salamis and later taken up by Jerome and Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, who were both initially supporters of Origen's teachings. Origen's defenders included Tyrannius Rufinus and John II, Bishop of Jerusalem. the crisis, Theophilus issued a condemnation of Origen's incorporeal, non-anthropomorphic conception of God, a view which Theophilus himself had previously vocally supported. The crisis concluded with John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, being removed from his position at the Synod of the Oak in 403 AD for harboring Origenist monks who had been banished from Alexandria. Second Origenist Crisis occurred in the sixth century AD during the reign of Justinian I. It is less well-documented than the first crisis and dealt more with the ideas of groups that had been influenced by Origen rather than with Origen's actual writings. It concluded with the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD possibly issuing an anathema against Origen, although scholars dispute whether the anathema condemning Origen was actually issued by the Council or if it was added later. Origenist Crisis[edit] Palestinian phase[edit] Jerome in His Study (1480), by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Although initially a student of Origen's teachings, Jerome turned against him during the First Origenist Crisis.[1][2] He nonetheless remained influenced by Origen's teachings for his entire life.[1][3] first Origenist crisis began in the late fourth century AD, coinciding with the beginning of monasticism in Palestine.[4] The first stirring of the controversy came from the Cyprian bishop Epiphanius of Salamis, who was determined to root out all heresies and refute them.[4] Epiphanius attacked Origen in his anti-heretical treatises Ancoratus (375) and Panarion (376), compiling a list of teachings Origen had espoused that Epiphanius regarded as heretical.[5][6][7][8] Epiphanius's treatises portray Origen as an originally orthodox Christian who had been corrupted and turned into a heretic by the evils of "Greek education".[6] Epiphanius particularly objected to Origen's Subordinationism, his "excessive" use of allegorical hermeneutic, and his habit of proposing ideas about the Bible "speculatively, as exercises" rather than "dogmatically".[5] asked John, the bishop of Jerusalem to condemn Origen as a heretic. John refused on the grounds that a person could not be retroactively condemned as a heretic after the person had already died.[1] In 393, a monk named Atarbius advanced a petition to have Origen and his writings to be censured.[1] Tyrannius Rufinus, a priest at the monastery on the Mount of Olives who had been ordained by John of Jerusalem and was a longtime admirer of Origen, rejected the petition outright.[1][9] Rufinus's close friend and associate Jerome, who had also studied Origen, however, came to agree with the petition.[1][9] Around the same time, John Cassian introduced Origen's teachings to the West.[10][8] 394, Epiphanius wrote to John of Jerusalem, again asking for Origen to be condemned, insisting that Origen's writings denigrated human sexual reproduction and accusing him of having been an Encratite.[1] John once again denied this request.[1] By 395, Jerome had allied himself with the anti-Origenists and begged John of Jerusalem to condemn Origen, a plea which John once again refused.[1] Epiphanius launched a campaign against John, openly preaching that John was an Origenist deviant.[1] He successfully persuaded Jerome to break communion with John and ordained Jerome's brother Paulinianus as a priest in defiance of John's authority.[1] in 397, Rufinus published a Latin translation of Origen's On First Principles.[1][11][2][12] Rufinus was convinced that Origen's original treatise had been interpolated by heretics and that these interpolations were the source of the heterodox teachings found in it.[11] He therefore heavily modified Origen's text, omitting and altering any parts which disagreed with contemporary Christian orthodoxy.[12][11] the introduction to this translation, Rufinus mentioned that Jerome had studied under Origen's disciple Didymus the Blind, implying that Jerome was a follower of Origen.[1][9] Jerome was so incensed by this that he resolved to produce his own Latin translation of On the First Principles, in which he promised to translate every word exactly as it was written and lay bare Origen's heresies to the whole world.[12][1][2] Jerome's translation has been lost in its entirety.[12] phase[edit] 399, the Origenist crisis reached Egypt.[1] Pope Theophilus of Alexandria was sympathetic to the supporters of Origen[1] and the church historian, Sozomen, records that he had openly preached the Origenist teaching that God was incorporeal.[13] In his Festal Letter of 399, he denounced those who believed that God had a literal, human-like body, calling them illiterate "simple ones".[13][14][3] A large mob of Alexandrian monks who regarded God as anthropomorphic rioted in the streets.[15] According to the church historian Socrates Scholasticus, in order to prevent a riot, Theophilus made a sudden about-face and began denouncing Origen.[15][3] In the year 400, Theophilus summoned a council in Alexandria, which condemned Origen and all his followers as heretics for having taught that God was incorporeal, which they decreed contradicted the only true and orthodox position, which was that God had a literal, physical body resembling that of a human.[15][16][17][a] labelled Origen himself as the "hydra of all heresies"[16] and persuaded Pope Anastasius I to sign the letter of the council, which primarily denounced the teachings of the Nitrian monks associated with Evagrius Ponticus.[15] In 402, Theophilus expelled Origenist monks from Egyptian monasteries and banished the four monks known as the "Tall Brothers", who were leaders of the Nitrian community.[15][3] John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, granted the Tall Brothers asylum, a fact which Theophilus used to orchestrate John's condemnation and removal from his position at the Synod of the Oak in July of 403.[15][3] Once John Chrysostom had been deposed, Theophilus restored normal relations with the Origenist monks in Egypt and the first Origenist crisis came to an end.[15] Origenist Crisis[edit] Beginning of the crisis[edit] Emperor Justinian I, shown here in a contemporary mosaic portrait from Ravenna, denounced Origen as a heretic[18][8] and ordered all of his writings to be burned.[18][8] Second Origenist Crisis occurred in the sixth century, during the height of Byzantine monasticism.[15] Although the Second Origenist Crisis is not nearly as well documented as the first,[15] it seems to have primarily concerned the teachings of Origen's later followers, rather than anything Origen himself had actually written.[15] Origen's disciple Evagrius Ponticus had advocated contemplative, noetic prayer,[15] but other monastic communities prioritized asceticism in prayer, emphasizing fasting, labors, and vigils.[15] Some Origenist monks in Palestine, referred to by their enemies as "Isochristoi" (meaning "those who would assume equality with Christ"), emphasized Origen's teaching of the pre-existence of souls and held that all souls were originally equal to Christ's and would become equal again at the end of time.[15] Another faction of Origenists in the same region instead insisted that Christ was the "leader of many brethren", as the first-created being.[19] This faction was more moderate and they were referred to by their opponents as "Protoktistoi" ("First Createds").[19] Both factions accused the other of heresy and other Christians accused both of them of heresy.[20] Protoktistoi appealed to the Emperor Justinian I to condemn the Isochristoi of heresy through Pelagius, the papal apocrisarius.[20] In 543 AD, Pelagius presented Justinian with documents, including a letter denouncing Origen written by Patriarch Mennas of Constantinople,[21][22][23][20] along with excerpts from Origen's On First Principles and several anathemata against Origen.[20] A domestic synod convened to address the issue concluded that the Isochristoi's teachings were heretical and, seeing Origen as the ultimate culprit behind the heresy, denounced Origen himself as a heretic as well.[20][18][8] Emperor Justinian ordered for all of Origen's writings to be burned.[18][8] In the west, the Decretum Gelasianum, which was written sometime between 519 and 553, listed Origen as an author whose writings were to be categorically banned.[24] Council of Constantinople[edit] 553, during the early days of the Second Council of Constantinople (the Fifth Ecumenical Council), when Pope Vigilius was still refusing to take part in it, despite Justinian holding him hostage, the bishops at the council ratified an open letter which condemned Origen as the leader of the Isochristoi.[20] The letter was not part of the official acts of the council and it more or less repeated the edict issued by the Synod of Constantinople in 543.[20] It cites objectionable writings attributed to Origen, but all the writings referred to in it were actually written by Evagrius Ponticus.[20] After the council officially opened, but while Pope Vigillius was still refusing to take part, Justinian presented the bishops with the problem of a text known as The Three Chapters, which attacked the Antiochene Christology.[20] bishops drew up a list of anathemata against the heretical teachings contained within The Three Chapters and those associated with them.[20] In the official text of the eleventh anathema, Origen is condemned as a Christological heretic,[20][24] but Origen's name does not appear at all in the Homonoia, the first draft of the anathemata issued by the imperial chancery,[20] nor does it appear in the version of the conciliar proceedings that was eventually signed by Pope Vigillius, a long time afterwards.[20] These discrepancies may indicate that Origen's name may have been retrospectively inserted into the text after the Council.[20] Some authorities believe these anathemata belong to an earlier local synod.[25] Even if Origen's name did appear in the original text of the anathema, the teachings attributed to Origen that are condemned in the anathema were actually the ideas of later Origenists, which had very little grounding in anything Origen himself had actually written.[20][21][16] In fact, Popes Vigilius (537–555), Pelagius I (556–61), Pelagius II (579–90), and Gregory the Great (590–604) were only aware that the Fifth Council specifically dealt with The Three Chapters and make no mention of Origenism or Universalism, nor spoke as if they knew of its condemnation—even though Gregory the Great was opposed to Universalism.[21] Egypt, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint;

Egypt, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy
Constantinople, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy, teachers oTruth, defenders oChrist's Church, Dogmatic writings which, affirm Truth, interpret sctipture, censure heretics, Cyril wTheophilus' nephew who educated him, 412 C replaced T as Patriarch, but deposed Nestorian intrigues, later resumed, 431 presided 3rd EC, censured N blasphemy against Theotokos, departed 444; Egypt, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria, presided in the 3rd E Council 431, winning the day for orthodoxy; Alexandria; Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandriam Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which the truth of the Orthodox Faith, interpret the Holy Scripture, censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Athanasius took part in the First Ecumenical Council when he was still a deacon. He surpassed everyone there in his zeal to uphold the teaching that Christ is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and not merely a creature, as the Arians proclaimed. radiant beacon of Orthodoxy spent most of his life in exile from his See, because of the plotting of his enemies. He returned to his flock as he was approaching the end of his life. Like an evening star, he illumined the Orthodox faithful with his words for a little while, then reposed in 373. He is also commemorated on May 2 (the transfer of his holy relics).

Egypt, 396-444, Cyril, dogmatic writings, Orthodox truth, interpret Scripture, censure heretics
Byzantine Saint, 396-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose).

Egypt, 400, 5th Century Folder, Nestorius, Mary of Egypt, Cyril of Alexandria

Egypt, 406-450, Nestorius, Egyptian Heratic
Egypt, 406-450, Egyptian Heratic, Nestorius; Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Egypt, 410, Lot oEgyptian desert, strove to be like flame in prayer, his sayings found in Paradise ot Fathers
Constantinople, 410, Lot oEgyptian desert, strove to be like flame in prayer, his sayings found in Paradise ot Fathers; Egyptian Desert (Nitrian Desert) ; There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile. Venerable Lot of Egypt, Commemorated on October 22; Lot was a wise ascetic of the desert who reposed in peace in the early fifth century. of his sayings are to be found in the "Paradise of the Fathers," which describes the life of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic Fathers of the deserts of Egypt compiled by Saint Athanasios of Alexandria, Saint Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis, Saint Jerome and others. Nikodemos (Νikόdēmos) of the Holy Mountain writes: the Paradise of the Fathers, it is said that Saint Lot asked Abba Joseph of Panephysis the following question: 'Abba, as much as I am able, I pray a little, fast a little, study, and keep silent. According to my strength, I keep my mind free of evil thoughts. else should I do?' " Abba Joseph stood up and lifted his hands to heaven. And - O the miracle - the ten fingers of his hands became like ten lit candles, then he said to Abba Lot. "Strive, if you will, so that in prayer you may become entirely like a flame." Greek usage Abba Lot is commemorated on October 22. He is also commemorated with the Holy God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in the ascetic life, on Cheesefare Saturday at Matins (Ode 4 of the Canon).

Egypt, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, C of Ephesus 431, anti Nestor, Novat and Jew
Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire. wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the late-4th and 5th centuries. was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431, which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople. is counted among the Church Fathers and also as a Doctor of the Church, and his reputation within the Christian world has resulted in his titles Pillar of Faith and Seal of all the Fathers. Roman Emperor Theodosius II, however, condemned him for behaving like a "proud pharaoh", and the Nestorian bishops at their synod at the Council of Ephesus declared him a heretic, labelling him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church."[1] is well known for his dispute with Nestorius and his supporter Patriarch John of Antioch whom Cyril excluded from the Council of Ephesus for arriving late. is also known for his expulsion of Novatians and Jews from Alexandria and for inflaming tensions that led to the murder of the Hellenistic philosopher Hypatia by a Christian mob. Historians disagree over the extent of his responsibility in this. tried to oblige the pious Christian emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450) to himself by dedicating his Paschal table to him.[2] It is also important to note that Cyril's Paschal table was provided with a Metonic basic structure in the form of a Metonic 19-year lunar cycle adopted by him around AD 425, which was very different from the first Metonic 19-year lunar cycle invented around AD 260 by Anatolius, but exactly equal to the similar lunar cycle which had been introduced around AD 412 by Annianus; the julian equivalent of this Alexandrian lunar cycle adopted by Cyril and nowadays referred to as the 'classical (Alexandrian) 19-year lunar cycle' would only much later emerge again: a century later in Rome as the basic structure of Dionysius Exiguus’ Paschal table (AD 525) and two more centuries later in England as the one of Beda's Easter table (AD 725).[3] Catholic Church did not commemorate Saint Cyril in the Tridentine Calendar: it added his feast only in 1882, assigning to it the date of 9 February. This date is used by the Western Rite Orthodox Church. Yet the 1969 Catholic Calendar revision moved it to 27 June, considered to be the day of the saint's death, as celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church.[4] The same date has been chosen for the Lutheran calendar. The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches celebrate his feast day on 9 June and also, together with Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria, on 18 January. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a distinguished champion of Orthodoxy and a great teacher of the Church, came from an illustrious and pious Christian family. He studied the secular sciences, including philosophy, but most of all he strove to acquire knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the truths of the Christian Faith. In his youth Cyril entered the monastery of Macarius in the Nitreia hills, where he stayed for six years. Theophilus (385-412), the Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him as a deacon, numbered him among the clergy and entrusted him to preach. the death of Patriarch Theophilus, Cyril was unanimously chosen to the patriarchal throne of the Alexandrian Church. He led the struggle against the spread of the Novatian heresy in Alexandria, which taught that any Christian who had fallen away from the Church during a time of persecution, could not be received back into it. seeing the futility of admonishing the heretics, sought their expulsion from Alexandria. The Jews appeared a greater danger for the Church, repeatedly causing riots, accompanied by the brutal killing of Christians. The saint long contended with them. In order to wipe out the remnants of paganism, the saint cast out devils from an ancient pagan temple and built a church on the spot, and the relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John were transferred into it. A more difficult struggle awaited the saint with the emergence of the Nestorian heresy. a presbyter of the Antiochian Church, was chosen in 428 to the see of Constantinople and there he was able to spread his heretical teaching against the dogma about the uncommingled union of two natures in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorius called the Mother of God not the Theotokos, but rather Christotokos or “Birth-giver of Christ,â€ implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. The holy Patriarch Cyril repeatedly wrote to Nestorius and pointed out his error, but Nestorius continued to persevere in it. Then the saint sent out epistles against Nestorianism to the clergy of Constantinople and to the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), denouncing the heresy. Cyril wrote also to other Churches, to Pope Celestine and to the other Patriarchs, and even to monks of several monasteries, warning of the emergence of a dangerous heresy. started an open persecution against the Orthodox. In his presence one of his partisans, Bishop Dorotheus, pronounced an anathema against anyone who would call the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Theotokos. hated Cyril and brought out against him every kind of slander and fabrication, calling him a heretic. The saint continued to defend Orthodoxy with all his powers. The situation became so aggravated, that it became necessary to call an Ecumenical Council, which convened in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. At the Council 200 bishops arrived from all the Christian Churches. Nestorius, awaiting the arrival of Bishop John of Antioch and other Syrian bishops, did not agree to the opening of the Council. But the Fathers of the Council began the sessions with Cyril presiding. Having examined the teaching of Nestorius, the Council condemned him as a heretic. Nestorius did not submit to the Council, and Bishop John opened a “robber councilâ€, which decreed Cyril a heretic. The unrest increased. By order of the emperor, Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Archbishop Memnon of Ephesus were locked in prison, and Nestorius was deposed. Saints Cyril and Memnon were freed, and the sessions of the Council continued. Nestorius, not submitting himself to the determinations of the Council, was deprived of priestly rank. By order of the emperor he was sent to the faraway place Sasim in the Libyan wilderness, where he died in grievous torments. His tongue, having blasphemed the Mother of God, was overtaken by punishment -- in it there developed worms. Even Bishop John of Antioch and the remaining Syrian bishops signed the decrees of the Council of Ephesus. guided the Alexandrian Church for 32 years, and towards the end of his life the flock was cleansed of heretics. Gently and cautiously Cyril approached anyone, who by their own simpleness and lack of knowledge, fell into false wisdom. There was a certain Elder, an ascetic of profound life, who incorrectly considered the Old Testament Priest Melchizedek to be the Son of God. Cyril prayed for the Lord to reveal to the Elder the correct way to view the righteous one. After three days the Elder came to Cyril and said that the Lord had revealed to him that Melchizedek was a mere man. learned to overcome his prejudice against the memory of the great John Chrysostom (November 13). Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and uncle of Cyril, was an antagonist of John, and presided in a council in judgment of him. Cyril thus found himself in a circle antagonistic to John Chrysostom, and involuntarily acquired a prejudice against him. Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) repeatedly wrote to Cyril and urged him to include the name of the great Father of the Church into the diptychs of the saints, but Cyril would not agree. in a dream he saw a wondrous temple, in which the Mother of God was surrounded by a host of angels and saints, in whose number was John Chrysostom. When Cyril wanted to approach the All-Holy Lady and venerate her, John Chrysostom would not let him. The Theotokos asked John to forgive Cyril for having sinned against him through ignorance. Seeing that John hesitated, the Mother of God said, “Forgive him for my sake, since he has labored much for my honor, and has glorified me among the people calling me Theotokos.â€ John answered, “By your intercession, Lady, I do forgive him,â€ and then he embraced Cyril with love. repented that he had maintained anger against the great saint of God. Having convened all the Egyptian bishops, he celebrated a solemn feast in honor of John Chrysostom. died in the year 444, leaving behind many works. In particular, the following ought to be mentioned: commentaries On the Gospel of Luke, On the Gospel of John, On the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews; also an Apologia in Defense of Christianity against the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Of vast significance are his Five Books against Nestorius; a work on the Most Holy Trinity under the title Thesaurus, written against Arius and Eunomios. Also two dogmatic compositions on the Most Holy Trinity, distinguished by a precise exposition of the Orthodox teaching on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. Cyril wrote Against Anthropomorphism for several Egyptians, who through ignorance depicted God in human form. Among Cyril’s works are also the Discussions, among which is the moving and edifying Discourse on the Exodus of the Soul, inserted in the Slavonic “Following Psalterâ€. we commemorate the repose of this great Father of the Church. He is also remembered on January 18, the date of his flight from Alexandria. 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Egyptian Saint, was eunuch Smaragdos in men's monastery
Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Euphrosyne of Alexandria was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. She was the only child in her family of illustrious and rich parents. Since her mother died early, she was raised by her father, Paphnutius, a deeply believing and pious Christian. He frequented a monastery, the igumen of which was his spiritual guide. Euphrosynē turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. He went to the monastery to his spiritual guide to receive his blessing for the planned wedding of his daughter. The igumen conversed with the daughter and gave her his blessing, but Saint Euphrosyneyearned for the monastic life. secretly accepted tonsure from a wandering monk, left her father’s house and decided to enter a monastery in order to lead her life in solitude and prayer. She feared, however, that in a women’s monastery her father would find her. Calling herself the eunuch Smaragdos, she went to the very same men’s monastery which she had visited with her father since childhood. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s garb, and so they accepted her into the monastery. Here in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosynē spent 38 years in works, fasting and prayer, and attained a high level of spiritual accomplishment. father grieved over the loss of his beloved daughter and more than once, on the advice of the igumen, he conversed with the monk Smaragdos, revealing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. Before her death, the nun Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving father and asked that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. Having buried his daughter, Paphnutius distributed all his wealth to both the poor and to the monastery, and then he accepted monasticism. For ten years right up to his own death, he labored in the cell of his daughter. Saint Euphrosyne is also commemorated on September 25.

Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne oAlexandria, she wanted monastic, entered father's monastery, counciled him incognito
Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, only child of rich illustrious parents, raised by her father, a deeply believing and pious christian, Igumen was his spiritual father, at 18 father wanted her to marry, so he went to his Igumen for blessing, Igumen talked with Euphrosyne, gave blessing, but E wanted monastic life, she accepted tonsure from wandering monk, left her house, decided enter monastery, father would find her in woman's so she entered father's monastery as Smaragdos, not knowing, her father sent to S, 38 yrs, death approaching she told her father and asked him to by himself prepare her for burial, after burial Paphnutius gave his wealth and became monk in her cell; Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria; - Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15: Euphrosyne of Alexandria was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child in her family of illustrious and rich parents. her mother died early, she was raised by her father, Paphnutius, a deeply believing and pious Christian. frequented a monastery, the igumen of which was his spiritual guide. Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to his spiritual guide to receive his blessing for the planned wedding of his daughter. igumen conversed with the daughter and gave her his blessing, but Saint Euphrosyne yearned for the monastic life. secretly accepted tonsure from a wandering monk, left her father’s house and decided to enter a monastery in order to lead her life in solitude and prayer. feared, however, that in a women’s monastery her father would find her. herself the eunuch Smaragdos, she went to the very same men’s monastery which she had visited with her father since childhood. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s garb, and so they accepted her into the monastery. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosyne spent 38 years in works, fasting and prayer, and attained a high level of spiritual accomplishment. father grieved over the loss of his beloved daughter and more than once, on the advice of the igumen, he conversed with the monk Smaragdos, revealing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, the nun Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving father and asked that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. buried his daughter, Paphnutius distributed all his wealth to both the poor and to the monastery, and then he accepted monasticism. ten years right up to his own death, he labored in the cell of his daughter. Euphrosyne is also commemorated on September 25. Venerable Paphnutius and Euphrosynē of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; Story as above venerable Mother Euphrosynē was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child of illustrious and wealthy parents. she was twelve years old, her mother reposed, and so the girl was raised by her Father, Paphnutios, was a very devout Christian. was in the habit of visiting a certain monastery, where the Igoumen was his Spiritual Father. Euphrosynē turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to obtain the Igoumen's blessing for his daughter's wedding. Igoumen talked with her and gave her his blessing, Saint Euphrosynē longed for the monastic life. day, she gave away her possessions to the poor, and then she snuck out of the house. Saint had decided to enter a monastery in order to spend her life in solitude and prayer, she was afraid that her father was apt to find find her in a women’s monastery. she disguised herself as a man and entered the same men's monastery which she had visited with her father from her childhood, herself Smaragdos. monks did not recognize Euphrosynē dressed in men’s clothes, and so they received her into the monastery. monks were impressed by her spiritual struggles and by her willingness to serve everyone. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosynē spent 38 years in spiritual endeavors, fasting and prayer, thereby attaining a high level of spiritual accomplishment. was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved daughter; than once, on the advice of his Spiritual Father, he spoke to the "monk" Smaragdos, disclosing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, Saint Euphrosynē revealed her secret to her grieving parent insisted that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. he buried his daughter, Paphnutios distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the monastery, then he was tonsured. ten years, until the time of his own repose, he labored in his daughter's cell. her life, Saint Euphrosynē reminds us that we must renounce "worldly passions and live soberly, uprightly, and devoutly" (Titus 2:12). is, after rejecting the desires of this vain and sinful world, we ought to live abstemiously, with justice toward our fellow human beings, and with piety toward God. Euphrosynē and her father are also commemorated on September 25.

Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne oAlexandria, virtuous father, E rejected his desire for her to marry, E became accomplished monk
Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, only child wealthy parents, at 12 mother reposed, raised by devout father Paphnutios, who often visited spiritual father igumen at monastery, at 18 her father wanted her to marry, got igumen's blessing, igumen talked tE amd blessed her, but E longed for monastic spiritual life, she gave possessions and snuck out, to avoid capture at woman's monastery she went to her father's favorite m, to spend life in solitude and prayer, disguised as a man, calling self Smaragdos, monks impressed by her spiritual struggles, willingness to serve, spent 38 yrs, spiritual endeavors fasting prayer, high level spiritual accomplishment, Paphnutions deeply saddened, more than once P spoke with S receiving spiritual comfort, before her death E spoke with her father revealing secret, insisting he prepare her body, after burial P distributed wealth and was tonsured, monk 10 yrs in daughter's cell, Euphrosyne reminds us we must renounce worldly passions, live soberly, uprightly, devoutly (Titus 2:12), rejecting desires of vain sinful world; Alexandria; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 25 ; venerable Mother Euphrosyne (Euphrosynē) was born at the beginning of the fifth century in the city of Alexandria. was the only child of illustrious and wealthy parents. she was twelve years old, her mother reposed, and so the girl was raised by her Father, Paphnutios, who was a very devout Christian. was in the habit of visiting a certain monastery, where the Igoumen was his Spiritual Father. Euphrosyne turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry. went to the monastery to obtain the Igoumen's blessing for his daughter's wedding. Igoumen talked with her and gave her his blessing, Saint Euphrosyne longed for the monastic life. day, she gave away her possessions to the poor, and then she snuck out of the house. Saint had decided to enter a monastery in order to spend her life in solitude and prayer, she was afraid that her father was apt to find find her in a women’s monastery. she disguised herself as a man and entered the same men's monastery which she had visited with her father from her childhood, herself Smaragdos. monks did not recognize Euphrosyne dressed in men’s clothes, so they received her into the monastery. monks were impressed by her spiritual struggles and by her willingness to serve everyone. in a solitary cell, Saint Euphrosyne spent 38 years spiritual endeavors, fasting and prayer, thereby attaining a high level of spiritual accomplishment. was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved daughter; than once, on the advice of his Spiritual Father, he spoke to the "monk" Smaragdos, disclosing his grief and receiving spiritual comfort. her death, Saint Euphrosyne revealed her secret to her grieving parent insisted that no one but he should prepare her body for burial. he buried his daughter, Paphnutios distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the monastery, and then he was tonsured. ten years, until the time of his own repose, he labored in his daughter's cell. her life, Saint Euphrosyne reminds us that we must renounce "worldly passions and live soberly, uprightly, and devoutly" (Titus 2:12). is, after rejecting the desires of this vain and sinful world, ought to live abstemiously (not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking), justice toward our fellow human beings, and with piety toward God. Paphnutios and his daughter Saint Euphrosyne are both commemorated today, and once again on February 15.

Egypt, 420-458, Euphrosyne's Father Paphnutius oAlexandria, she counciled him incognito, He buried her then was monk in her cell.kmz

Egypt, 444-451, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, Coptic, Monophysite, 451 Council Heretic
Egyptian Patriarch, 444-451, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria, Monophysite; I was the pope of Alexandria and patriarch of the See of St. Mark who was deposed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451. He was recognized as patriarch by the Coptic Church until his death. He died on the island of Gangra, Paphlagonia, in September 454. He is venerated as a saint by the Coptic and other Oriental Orthodox Churches. life[edit] served as the dean of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, and was the personal secretary of Cyril of Alexandria, whom he accompanied to the Council of Ephesus in 431. He eventually rose to the position of archdeacon.[2] to Nestorius[edit] his struggle against Nestorius, Cyril explained the union between the divine and human natures of Christ as "inward and real without any division, change, or confusion." He rejected the Antiochene theory of "indwelling,", or "conjunction" or "close participation," as insufficient. Thus the Alexandrian formula adopted by Cyril and Dioscorus was "one nature of God the Word Incarnate," which translates into Greek as mia physis tou theou logou sesarkomene, by which Cyril meant "one nature"—that Christ is at once God and man. On the other hand, the Antiochene formula was "two natures after the union," or "in two natures," which translates to dyo physis. This formula explained Christ as existing in two natures, God and man. was condemned and deposed by the First Council of Ephesus, which approved of the Second Epistle of Cyril to Nestorius. of Alexandria[edit] succeeded Cyril as Patriarch of Alexandria in the summer of 444.[3] According to the deacon Ischyrion, Dioscorus had laid waste property, inflicted fines and exile, and bought up and sold at a high price the wheat sent by the government to Libya. According to Cyril's nephew, a priest named Athanasius, from the outset of his episcopate, Dioscorus harassed him and his brother by using influence with the court, so that the brother died of distress, and Athanasius, with his aunts, sister-in-law, and nephews, were bereft of their homes by the patriarch's malignity. Such accusations were readily made, and some allowance made for wrongs done by his agents that may have been in some cases unfairly called his acts. Still, it is but too likely that there was sufficient truth in them to demonstrate the effect on his character of elevation to a post of almost absolute power.[4] of Eutyches[edit] was an archmandrite in Constantinople. in his opposition to Nestorianism, he seemed to take an equally extreme, although opposite view. Eutyches claimed to be a faithful follower of Cyril. In November 448, Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople held a synod regarding a point of discipline connected with the province of Sardis. Eutyches had been accusing various personages of covert Nestorianism, and at the end of the session of this synod one of those inculpated, Eusebius, Bishop of Dorylaeum, brought the question forward, and proffered a counter charge of heresy against the archimandrite.[3] Eutyches was summoned to clarify his position regarding the nature of Christ. Finding his response unsatisfactory, the synod condemned and exiled Eutyches. appealed against this decision, labeling Flavian a Nestorian, and received the support of Dioscorus. In his famous Tome, Pope Leo I confirmed Flavian's theological position but as he concluded that Eutyches had erred through ignorance, he also requested that Eutyches should be readmitted if he repented.[5] synod"[edit] the influence of the court official Chrysaphius, the godson of Eutyches, in 449, Emperor Theodosius II convened the Second Council of Ephesus. In remembrance of Cyril's role during the council of 431, the emperor asked Dioscorus to preside over the meetings. The council subsequently decided to reinstate Eutyches and to depose Flavian, as well as Eusebius of Dorylaeum, Theoderet of Cyrrus, Ibas of Edessa, and Domnus II of Antioch. Leo's legates protested but were ignored.[2] Flavian was brutally treated, kicked, beaten, imprisoned, and soon exiled, and died from the effect of his injuries, three days after his deposition. He was regarded as a martyr for the doctrine of "the two natures in the one person" of Christ. Anatolius, who had been the agent (apocrisiarius) of Dioscorus at Constantinople, was appointed his successor.[1] and his council proceeded to depose Theodoret and several other bishops. Pope Leo called the council a "robber synod" and declared its decisions void. In the spring of 450 at Nicaea, Dioscorus, while on his way to the court, he caused ten bishops whom he had brought from Egypt to sign a document excommunicating Pope Leo.[4] supported the council's decisions until he died on 28 July 450. His sister Pulcheria returned to power and made the officer Marcian her consort and emperor. She consulted with Pope Leo on convoking a new council, gathering signatures for his Tome to be introduced as the basic paper for the new council, but also insisted, against Leo's wishes, that the council should be held not in Italy but in the East. Meanwhile, the new imperial couple brought Flavian's remains back to Constantinople and exiled Eutyches to Syria. of Chalcedon[edit] Main article: Council of Chalcedon Council of Chalcedon in October 451 dealt with the Christological views of Eutyches but also with Dioscorus' views and earlier behaviour; specifically, his condemnation of the bishop Flavian in Ephesus II was questioned. When, at the Council of Chalcedon, he was asked why he had deposed Flavian, he, according to the minutes of Chalcedon, responded, "Flavian was deposed for this reason, that he spoke of two natures after the union. But I have quotations from the holy fathers Athanasius, Gregory and Cyril saying in numerous places that one should not speak of two natures after the union".[6] the Council, Dioscorus expressed a willingness to condemn Eutyches. According to the minutes of the council of Chalcedon, Dioscorus stated: "If Eutyches holds opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church, he deserves not only punishment but hell fire. For my concern is for the catholic and apostolic faith and not for any human being."[4] Council deposed Dioscorus and other bishops that had been responsible for the decisions of 449 for violations of canon law rather than of heresy; Dioscorus had not attended the council of Chalcedon from the third session onward despite an imperial call to do so, which was a deposable offence. According to the minutes of the council of Chalcedon, Dioscorus had given the reason of ill health for his nonattendance from the third session. However, Oriental sources indicate otherwise that it was subterfuge. Whatever the real reason, the result of Dioscorus not being there saw him exiled to Gangra Island.[2][5] Dioscorus's deposition and exile, an Alexandrian priest named Proterius was appointed Patriarch in his stead, with the approval of the emperor. There was no public opposition to Proterius. Nonetheless, some Christians continued to support Dioscorus in secret, considering him the legitimate Patriarch. died in exile in 454. When the news reached Egypt, his supporters assembled and elected Timothy, a disciple of his, to be the new Patriarch. Timothy immediately went into hiding, but was recognized among the Coptic inhabitants of the countryside, creating the split between the Coptic and the Melchite (i.e. Imperial) Church. Orthodox Churches remain in disagreement with Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches regarding Dioscorus's character and positions. He is considered a saint by the Coptic, Syriac, and other Oriental Orthodox Churches, while Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches have frequently deemed him a heretic. modern theologians suggest that both Leo and Dioscorus were orthodox in their agreement with Saint Cyril's Twelve Chapters, even though both have been (and still are) considered heretical by some.[7] Some commentators like Anatolius and John S. Romanides argue that Dioscorus was not deposed for heresy but for "grave administrative errors" at Ephesus II, among which they mention his restoration of Eutyches, his attack on Flavian, and afterwards, his excommunication of Pope Leo I. Defenders of Dioscorus argue that Eutyches was orthodox at the time of his restoration and only later lapsed into heresy, that Flavian was a Nestorian, and that Pope Leo had supported Nestorianism.[7][8] controversial aspect of Dioscorus's legacy is the accusation, frequently levelled by Chalcedonian churches, that the Oriental Orthodox Churches accept Eutychianism. They deny this charge, arguing that they reject both the Monophysitism of Eutyches, whom they consider a heretic, as well as Dyophysitism espoused by the Council of Chalcedon, which they equate with Nestorianism, for a doctrine they term miaphysitism, or that in Jesus Christ, divinity and humanity exist as "one incarnate nature" (physis), as opposed to the orthodox Chalcedonian teaching of a divine and a human nature united in the one person (hypostasis) of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, a doctrine called the "hypostatic union".[9] recent times, Oriental Orthodox churches have engaged in ecumenical dialogue with Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches on the issues of Dioscorus's day. In May 1973 Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria visited Pope Paul VI in Rome and declared a common faith in the nature of Christ, the issue which caused the schism of the church in the Council of Chalcedon.[10] A similar declaration was reached between the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches in 1990 in Geneva, in which both agreed in condemnation of the Nestorian and Eutychian "heresies" and in rejection of interpretations of ecumenical councils which do not fully agree with the Horos of the Third Ecumenical Council and the letter (433) of Cyril of Alexandria to John of Antioch.[11] They also agreed to lift the anathemas and condemnations of the past.[12] In the summer of 2001, the Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates of Alexandria agreed to mutually recognize baptisms performed in each other's churches.[13] Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28;

Egypt, 450, 5th Century, Achilles, monk of Scetis, Egyptian Desert, wish eat sauce, Go Egypt, Peace Blood
Egypt, 450, 5th Century, Achilles, monk of Scetis, Egyptian Desert, A said: Tell Me What You are Eating, water and salt with Palm Leaves, Later A said: Come Brothers, see Isaiah eating, If you wish to eat sauce in Sketis, go to Egypt!, later Elder seeing A spitting Blood, asked what was wrong, A said: Word of Brother grieved me. I struggled not to tell him, I prayed God would remove rememberance of that Word. Then it became as blood in my mouth, and I spat it out. Now I am at peace, and I have forgotten my sorrow; Scetis ; Venerable Achilles, Commemorated on January 17; Akhillás (or Achilles) was an anchorite of the desert during the V century. Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain writes: "It is said of Saint Akhillás in the Evergetinós that he once went to Abba Isaiah, and found him eating something which he had mixed with salt and water on a plate. When the Elder saw that he was hiding it behind some plaited reeds, he said, "Tell me, what are you eating?" Isaiah replied, "Forgive me, Father. I was cutting palm leaves and I went out in the heat. I put some into my mouth, with some salt, but the heat burned my throat and I was unable to swallow. So I had to add some water to the salt in order to swallow. Forgive me, Father." Akhillás called the other monks and said, "Come here, Brothers, and behold Abba Isaiah eating sauce in Skḗtis. If you wish to eat sauce, go to Egypt!" Elder who came to see Abba Akhillás found him spitting out blood from his mouth. He asked him what was wrong, but he did not respond. he said, "The word of a brother grieved me. I struggled not to tell him so, thus I prayed that God would remove from me the remembrance of that word. the word became as blood in my mouth, and I spat it out. Now I am at peace, and I have forgotten my sorrow." Akhillás reposed in peace. the third Troparion of Ode One of the Canon for Saturday of Cheesefare Week, Saint Akhillás Is mentioned along with Saint Ammoun: "Achilles and Ammoun, the flowers of the desert."

Egypt, 450 4th&5th C Folder, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, 90 as solitary, great writer, English PHILOKALIA, fAthens
Greece, 450 4th&5th C Folder, Mark tAscetic oEgypt, Lived 120 Yrs, fAthens, Greece, Nitrain Desert monk, it said he knew whole Bible by Heart, 9 of 30 discourses down to us, 3 in English PHILOKALIA, Byzantines said sell everything and buy Mark, noted for gentle pure soul, known as the "Ascetic" for abstinence, solitary 90 yrs, lived 120 yrs; Athens; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Mark the Ascetic was born in Athens during the fifth century, and became a monk in the Nitrian desert (Lower Egypt). his youth his fondest pursuit was the reading of Holy Scripture. It is said that he knew the whole Bible by heart. of his thirty discourses have come down to us. of them are in Volume I of the English PHILOKALIA. Byzantines had such a high regard for his writings that they said, “Sell everything and buy Mark.” was noted for his gentleness and purity of soul. was known as “the Ascetic” because of his abstinence. He lived for ninety years as a solitary, then surrendered his soul to God when he was one hundred and twenty years old.

Egypt, 450&350, Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, they recorded slaughter, Arabs slept past sacrifice

Egypt, 451-457, Proterius of Alexandria, Egyptian Patriarch, replaced Monophysite heretic Dioscorus
Egypt, 451-457, Egyptian Patriarch, Proterius of Alexandria; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Proterius, Patriarch of Alexandria, and those with him. The priest Proterius lived in Alexandria during the patriarchal tenure of Dioscorus (444-451), an adherent of the Monophysite heresy of Eutyches. Proterius fearlessly denounced the heretics and confessed the Orthodox Faith. 451 at the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, the heresy of Eutyches was condemned and the teaching of Christ as Perfect God and Perfect Man, existing in these two natures “unconfusedly” and “indivisibly” [and “immutably” and “inseparably”] was set forth. The heretic Dioscorus was deposed and exiled, and Proterius, distinguished for his strict and virtuous life, was placed upon the patriarchal throne of Alexandria. many supporters of Dioscorus remained in Alexandria. Rebelling against the election of Proterius, they rioted and burned the soldiers who were sent out to pacify them. The pious emperor Marcian (450-457) deprived the Alexandrians of all the privileges they were accustomed to, and sent new and reinforced detachments of soldiers. The inhabitants of the city then quieted down and begged Patriarch Proterius to intercede with the emperor to restore their former privileges to them. The kindly saint consented and readily obtained their request. the death of Marcian the heretics again raised their heads. Presbyter Menignus (“the Cat”), himself striving for the patriarchal dignity, and taking advantage of the absence of the prefect of the city, was at the head of the rioters. Saint Proterius decided to leave Alexandria, but that night he saw in a dream the holy Prophet Isaiah, who said to him, “Return to the city, I am waiting to take you.” The saint realized that this was a prediction of his martyric end. He returned to Alexandria and concealed himself in a baptistry. insolent heretics broke into this refuge and killed the Patriarch and six men who were with him. The fact that it was Holy Saturday and the Canon of Pascha was being sung did not stop them. In their insane hatred they tied a rope to the body of the murdered Patriarch, and dragged it through the streets. They beat and lacerated it, and finally they burned it, scattering the ashes to the wind. Orthodox reported this to the holy Emperor Leo (457-474) and Saint Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3). An army arrived at Alexandria, the rebellion was crushed, and Menignus was brought to trial and exiled. the death of the Hieromartyr Proterius, four Thracian bishops of his time wrote: “We consider His Holiness Proterius to be in the ranks and choir of the saints, and we beseech God to be compassionate and merciful to us through his prayers.”

Egypt, 457-470, Apollinaria, Sketis Desert, prayed fVirginity, entered mens m, her demonic sister accused her oRape, secret rvld
Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert, daughter oRoman Empire procounsul fThedosis tYounger during his minority, renouned beauty wiscom, fervent faith, inclined virginity till death, prayed for that, asked parents go Jerusalem, took servants &gold, distributed tPoor, venerated, freed servants, kept 1 plus old eunuch, tAlexandria, slipped away, monk garb, hid marsh, asceticism there, Angel appeared iDream, go Marcarius' Sketis monastery, call yourself Dorotheus, distinguished ascetical life, parents sent her sister possessed by spirit tMacarius, M brought sister tBro Dorotheus, sister healed, D returened to her cell, violent deamon made sister look pregnant, deamon through sisters lips said D responsible, D or A took blame & went home tRome, She reveals secret tParents, healed sister again, returned to Sketis, reposed 470, then monks discovered secret; Egypt, 380-457, Saint Apollinaria; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; renowned Apollinaria lived during the reign of Leo the Great (‎457–474), was the daughter of Anthemius, a former proconsul of Rome during the minority of Theodosius the Younger (408-450). Apollinaria was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, well as for her fervent faith and whole-hearted devotion to Christ. a young age she was inclined to live a life of virginity, she prayed to God night and day that she might achieve her desire, which was to remain a virgin until death. this reason she entreated her parents to let her go to Jerusalem. they granted her permission, the blessed one took some male and female servants with her, as well as gold, silver and expensive clothes, and left for Jerusalem. she distributed everything to the poor. she venerated the Holy Places, she freed her servants, keeping just one old servant and a eunuch with her. them, she went to Alexandria. Arriving there at a level and even place, she decided to rest a little from her weary journey. away from her servants, she changed into monastic garb and hid in a marsh, she lived a life of asceticism for several years in strict fasting and prayer. day, an angel appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to go to the monastery of Sketis, was under the spiritual direction of Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19), to call herself Dorotheus. Macarius accepted her as one of the brethren, and she quickly distinguished herself by her ascetical life. Apollinaria’s parents had another daughter who was possessed by an unclean spirit. sent her to Saint Macarius at Sketis, brought the afflicted girl to "Father Dorotheus." her prayers, and by divine grace, her sister was healed. wanted her to remain with them, but she bade all of them farewell and returned to her monastic cell. her sister was attacked by a violent demon, made her appear to be pregnant. demon spoke through the girl’s lips, saying that Dorotheus had forced himself on her. outraged parents sent soldiers to the monastery to find the monk who had defiled their daughter. Apollinaria took the blame and accompanied the envoys to the home of her parents in Rome. she revealed her secret to them, healed her sister, and returned to Sketis. reposed in the year 470, and was found worthy to dwell in the heavenly abodes (John 14:2). after her death, as the monks were preparing her body for burial, was it discovered that “he” was actually a woman. Saint was buried in a cave in the monastery church of Saint Macarius of Egypt. Apollinaria is commemorated on January 4 in Greek usage, while the Slavic churches honor her on January 5.

Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert
Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert, daughter oRoman Empire procounsul fThedosis tYounger during his minority, renouned beauty wiscom, fervent faith, inclined virginity till death, prayed for that, asked parents go Jerusalem, took servants &gold, distributed tPoor, venerated, freed servants, kept 1 plus old eunuch, tAlexandria, slipped away, monk garb, hid marsh, asceticism there, Angel appeared iDream, go Marcarius' Sketis monastery, call yourself Dorotheus, distinguished ascetical life, parents sent her sister possessed by spirit tMacarius, M brought sister tBro Dorotheus, sister healed, D returened to her cell, violent deamon made sister look pregnant, deamon through sisters lips said D responsible, D or A took blame & went home tRome, She reveals secret tParents, healed sister again, returned to Sketis, reposed 470, then monks discovered secret; Egypt, 380-457, Saint Apollinaria; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Egypt, 457-470, Apollinaria, rich beauty, virginity, l in marsh yrs, angel, Sketis, bro Dorotheus, sister, deamon
Egypt, 457-470, Saint Apollinaria, Marcarius Monastery, Sketis Desert, daughter oRoman Empire procounsul fThedosis tYounger during his minority, renouned beauty wiscom, fervent faith, inclined virginity till death, prayed for that, asked parents go Jerusalem, took servants &gold, distributed tPoor, venerated, freed servants, kept 1 plus old eunuch, tAlexandria, slipped away, monk garb, hid marsh, asceticism there, Angel appeared iDream, go Marcarius' Sketis monastery, call yourself Dorotheus, distinguished ascetical life, parents sent her sister possessed by spirit tMacarius, M brought sister tBro Dorotheus, sister healed, D returened to her cell, violent deamon made sister look pregnant, deamon through sisters lips said D responsible, D or A took blame & went home tRome, She reveals secret tParents, healed sister again, returned to Sketis, reposed 470, then monks discovered secret; Egypt, 380-457, Saint Apollinaria; Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert; Saint Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; renowned Apollinaria lived during the reign of Leo the Great (‎457–474), and was the daughter of Anthemius, a former proconsul of Rome during the minority of Theodosius the Younger (408-450). Apollinaria was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, as well as for her fervent faith and whole-hearted devotion to Christ. From a young age she was inclined to live a life of virginity, and she prayed to God night and day that she might achieve her desire, which was to remain a virgin until death. For this reason she entreated her parents to let her go to Jerusalem. When they granted her permission, the blessed one took some male and female servants with her, as well as gold, silver and expensive clothes, and left for Jerusalem. There she distributed everything to the poor. After she venerated the Holy Places, she freed her servants, keeping just one old servant and a eunuch with her. With them, she went to Alexandria. Arriving there at a level and even place, she decided to rest a little from her weary journey. Slipping away from her servants, she changed into monastic garb and hid in a marsh, where she lived a life of asceticism for several years in strict fasting and prayer. One day, an angel appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to go to the monastery of Sketis, which was under the spiritual direction of Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19), and to call herself Dorotheus. Saint Macarius accepted her as one of the brethren, and she quickly distinguished herself by her ascetical life. Apollinaria’s parents had another daughter who was possessed by an unclean spirit. They sent her to Saint Macarius at Sketis, who brought the afflicted girl to "Father Dorotheus." Through her prayers, and by divine grace, her sister was healed. Everyone wanted her to remain with them, but she bade all of them farewell and returned to her monastic cell. Soon, her sister was attacked by a violent demon, who made her appear to be pregnant. The demon spoke through the girl’s lips, saying that Dorotheus had forced himself on her. Her outraged parents sent soldiers to the monastery to find the monk who had defiled their daughter. Saint Apollinaria took the blame and accompanied the envoys to the home of her parents in Rome. There she revealed her secret to them, healed her sister, and returned to Sketis. She reposed in the year 470, and was found worthy to dwell in the heavenly abodes (John 14:2). Only after her death, as the monks were preparing her body for burial, was it discovered that “he” was actually a woman. The Saint was buried in a cave in the monastery church of Saint Macarius of Egypt. Apollinaria is commemorated on January 4 in Greek usage, while the Slavic churches honor her on January 5.

Egypt, 480-560, Saint, St Mary of Egypt with St Zosimas of Palestine
Egypt, 480-560, Saint, St Mary of Egypt with St Zosimas of Palestine; Palestine, 480-560, Saint, Zosimas of Palestine, with St Mary of Egypt; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1;

Egypt, 495-552, Gregory, Archbishop oHomer (Omrits), called tHomer bMiracles, Converted Jews bDebate&Jesus appearing

Egypt, 500, 6th Century Folder, Pope Theodosius of Alexandria

Egypt, 510-520, Mary oAlexandria, fBithynia, stayed wFather at Men's monastery as Marinus , did well, blamed for fathering child
Egypt, 510-520, Mary aka Marinus oAlexandria, Goshen, Egypt, beginning of 6th C, iBithynia, after mother died followed her father to men's monastery, did not want separate from dad, donned men's clothes, entered manastery near Alexandria, tonsured as Marinus, distinguished humility obedience, excelled virtues, father reposed, intensified ascetic labors, gift of healing & deliverance, one day out of m on business, repulsed humiliated pregnant inkeepers daughter accused mary of seduction, named him father of her child, then possessed by demon, inkeeper complained , Igumen kicked her out, Mary not deny, Inkeeper gave child to Marinus, raised him as own, after 3 yrs Mary brought back to monastery, most onerous obediences, 3 more years she dies and discovered, Igumen, inkeeper, daughter all ask forgiveness, dauthter confessed and delivered, boy becomes monk, her relics tConstantinople then Venice;; Alexandria; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (called Marinus) and her father Eugene, lived at the beginning of the VI century in Bithynia (Bithynίa - in the northwestern region of Asia Minor). Maria's mother died, her father decided to enter a monastery, Maria also wished to betroth herself to Christ . Mary could not bear to be separated from her father, so she donned male clothing. they entered a monastery, not far from Alexandria, she was tonsured with the name Marinus. Marinus excelled in the virtues, was distinguished by humility and obedience. a few years later, Saint Mary's father reposed, intensified her ascetical labors received from the Lord the gift of healing those possessed by unclean spirits. day the "monk" Marinus, along with some other brethren, was sent out on monastery business, on the way they had to spend the night at an inn. innkeeper's daughter, who had sinned with a soldier, and became pregnant, believed that Mary was a man, and burned with desire for the young "monk." daughter humiliated herself when Mary repulsed her, and the wanton woman sought revenge. she accused the "monk" of seducing her, naming "him" as the father of her child. she became possessed by a demon. innkeeper complained to the Igoumen of the monastery, expelled the "brother" who had sinned. did not deny the false accusation, but went out to live near the monastery wall. a boy was born to the sinful daughter, the innkeeper brought him to the "monk" Marinus, leaving his grandson with her and departed. Saint took the infant and raised him as her own. three years, the brethren begged the Igoumen to accept the "monk" Marinus into the monastery again. reluctantly the Igoumen gave in to their requests, assigning to "Brother Marinus" the most onerous obediences, which the nun fulfilled with the utmost zeal, continuing to bring up her supposed son. years later, the Saint peacefully departed to the Lord in her cell. brethren who came saw the deceased "monk" and the boy weeping over "him." they began to prepare her body for burial, her secret was revealed. Igoumen tearfully begged forgiveness from the deceased, and the innkeeper followed his example. Saint's body was reverently buried in the monastery. daughter of the innkeeper came to the Saint's tomb and openly confessed her sin, which she was immediately healed of her demonic possession. the boy who was brought up by the nun, became a monk. Saint's relics were transferred to Constantinople, and from there they were taken to Venice in 1113.

Egypt, 520-571, Menas of Sinai monastery, est 565, ascetic 50yrs+, wonderful, Myrrh flowed from relics, mentioned itLadder
Egypt, 520-571, Menas of Sinai monastery, Egypt, est 565, ascetic more than 50yrs, wonderful, Myrrh flowed from his relics, mentioned itLadder; Sinai monastery; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Menas lived in asceticism for more than fifty years in the monastery of Sinai, he died peacefully in the second half of the sixth century. flowed from his holy relics. John Climacus speaks of this wonderful man in The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Step 4:34).

Egypt, 536-567, Patriarch, Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 536-567, Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Egypt, 550, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead, no f, how possible obedient to die
Egypt, 550, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead? No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?; Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Acacius of Sinai lived during the sixth century and was a novice at a certain monastery in Asia. humble monk distinguished himself by his patient and unquestioning obedience to his Elder, a harsh and dissolute man. He forced his disciple to toil excessively, starved him with hunger, and beat him without mercy. such treatment, Saint Acacius meekly endured the affliction and thanked God for everything. Saint Acacius died after suffering these torments for nine years. days after Acacius was buried, his Elder told another Elder about the death of his disciple. second Elder did not believe that the young monk was dead. They went to the grave of Acacius and the second Elder called out: “Brother Acacius, are you dead?” From the grave a voice replied, “No, Father, how is it possible for an obedient man to die?” The startled Elder of Saint Acacius fell down with tears before the grave, asking forgiveness of his disciple. this he repented, constantly saying to the Fathers, “I have committed murder.” He lived in a cell near the grave of Saint Acacius, and he ended his life in prayer and in meekness. Saint John Climacus (March 30) mentions Saint Acacius in The Ladder (Step 4:110) as an example of endurance and obedience, and of the rewards for these virtues. Saint Acacius is also commemorated on July 7.

Egypt, 550's, Second of Two Origenist Crises
Egypt, 550's, Second of Two Origenist Crises; Egypt, 204-254, Church Father Origen, but not saint;

Egypt, 565, Acacius of Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Acacius, are you dead, no f, how possible obedient to die

Egypt, 565, Zosima Bishop oBabylon Fortress, Egypt, Babylon prophecy, Alexandria errand, Bishop oB into old age, returned tSinai
Egypt, 565, Zosima Bishop oBabylon Fortress, Egypt (Nile River & Pharonic Canal to Red Sea), fCilicia, Lebanon&Sinai Monastery 565, Babylon prophecy, Alexandria errand, Bishop oB into old age, returned tSinai; Babylon Fortress, Egypt; Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on June 4; Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, was born in Cilicia (Asia Minor). still a youth he left the world and settled on Mount Sinai, later he withdrew to a more solitary place in Lebanon. time he encountered an elderly ascetic, who foretold that he would be bishop in Babylon. Zosima returned to Sinai, he was sent on an errand to Alexandria. Patriarch of Alexandria made him Bishop of Babylon, and into old age he wisely guided his flock. the approach of death, he returned to Sinai and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (5th century). St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; Zosimus as above

Egypt, 567, Saint, Anastasia the Patrician
Egypt, 567, Saint, Anastasia the Patrician; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10;

Egypt, 567-608, Daniel oScetis, Egypt, killed wEscaping, conscience nResolved bConfession, begged execution, acquitted, Leper c
Egypt, 550 6th Century, Daniel oScetis, Egyptian Desert, monk as young boy, barbarian prisoner, bought by Christian, recapturedd, killed captor wEscaping, rtSketis, conscience burden, confessed to Alexandria Patriarch Roman Pope other patriarchs Constantinople Antioch Jerusalem but all no peace or penance, so he surrendered as murderer begged to be executed, into prison, trial gpvernor said go your way, Daniel resolved care for Lepers, renouned and mentioned in many saints stories, Anastasia, Mark the Fool, despised Ermopoleos Monastery nun, Thomais killed by her father-in-Law, Eulogios the Hospitable, Andronikos, Athanasia, and Douda; Scetis ; Venerable Daniel of Sketis, Commemorated on June 7; Daniel lived in the sixth century, becoming a monk at Sketis when he was a young boy. was taken prisoner when Sketis was attacked by barbarians, who held him captive for two years. Daniel was was bought by a devout Christian, but then he was recaptured. six months, while attempting to escape, he struck one of his captors with a stone and killed him, and then he made his escape and returned to Sketis. sin of murder was a heavy burden on his conscience. about what he ought to do, he went to Patriarch Timothy of Alexandria, and asked for his advice. Patriarch heard his Confession, but did not give him a penance. his conscience continued to trouble him, and he went to Rome to see the Pope. Pope gave him the same reply as the Patriarch had done. Abba Daniel visited the other Patriarchs in turn, going to Constantinople, Antioch and Jerusalem, confessing to each of them and asking for advice. found no peace, however. So he returned home to Alexandria and surrendered himself to the civil authorities as a murderer, was thrown into prison. his trial before the governor, Daniel told him all that had happened, and begged to be executed, so that his soul might be saved from the eternal fire. The governor was astonished by his story, and said to him, "Go your way, Father, and pray to God for me, and I wish you had killed seven more!" dissatisfied with this, Daniel resolved to take a leper into his cell and care for him until he died, and then he would find another. He did as he had resolved, and in this way brought peace to his conscience. as Abba Daniel and Abba Ammon were walking together, Abba Ammon said, "When will we sit in our own cell, Father?" Abba Daniel replied, "Who can separate us from God? God is in the cell, and God is also outside of it." became so renowned for his virtues that he was named Igoumen of Sketis and he was revered throughout Egypt as "a new Abraham, and the host of Christ." visited Saint Anastasia the Patrician (March 10) on the day of her death. She had disguised herself as a eunuch and lived in a men's monastery eighteen miles from Sketis. Daniel discovered that she was a woman when he prepared her body for burial. Daniel encountered saints who wished to remain hidden, such as the Mark the Fool of Alexandria, the nun at the Ermopoleos Monastery of Abba Jeremiah. She feigned drunkenness, earning the contempt of the other nuns. Daniel and his disciple sought shelter in the monastery, at night they saw that nun lifting her arms to Heaven, weeping copiously, and making prostrations. following night they had the Igoumeness watch with them so she could see how that despised nun spent her nights. her holy life became known, she left the monastery so that she would not be praised by the other nuns. Daniel is also mentioned in the Life of Saint Thomais, who was killed by her father-in-law because she wished to preserve her chastity (April 13 in Slavic usage, April 14 in Greek usage), in the Life of Saint Eulogios the Hospitable (April 27), the Life of Saints Andronikos and Athanasia (October 9), well as in the Life of Abba Doula.

Egypt, 579-608, Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria and Antioch
Egypt, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria and Antioch; Saint Eulogius, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13;

Egypt, 579-608, St Eulogius of Alexandria, Egypt, anti - Monophysitism Novatian Nestorian Eutyches, voice of truth
Egypt, 579-608, St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, enlightened, first at Antioch, 579 at A, Orthodox two natures theology, anti Monophysitism, friend of Pope Gregory the Great, anti Novatian, vindicated hypostatic union, anti Nestorian and Eutyches, voice of truth; of Alexandria was Greek Patriarch of that see from about 580 to 608. He is regarded as a saint, with a feast day of September 13. was first igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch.[1] He was a successful combatant of various phases of Monophysitism.[2] He was a warm friend of Pope Gregory the Great, who corresponded with him, and received from that pope many flattering expressions of esteem and admiration.[3][4] refuted the Novatians, some communities of which ancient sect still existed in his diocese, and vindicated the hypostatic union of the two natures in Christ, against both Nestorius and Eutyches. Cardinal Baronius says that Gregory wished Eulogius to survive him, recognizing in him the voice of truth.[2] has been said that he restored for a brief period to the Church of Alexandria life and youthful vigour.[3] the above works and a commentary against various sects of Monophysites (Severans, Theodosians, Cainites and Acephali) he left eleven discourses in defence of Pope Leo I and the Council of Chalcedon, also a work against the Agnoetae, submitted by him before publication to Pope Gregory I, who after some observations authorized it unchanged. With exception of one sermon and a few fragments, all the writings of Eulogius have perished.[3] Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, was one of the enlightened hierarchs of the sixth century. At first he was igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch, and then in 579 he was chosen as Patriarch of Alexandria, where he served for twenty-seven years. his life, the saint struggled vigorously against heresies. He was also a friend of Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12), and some of their correspondence has been preserved. Eulogius died in 607 or 608. Saint Photius quotes from his writings, which reveal an Orthodox theology of the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only one of his sermons, for Palm Sunday, has survived in complete form.

Egypt, 590-620approx, Palladius of Thessalonica&Alexandria, not Palladius oGalatia, limited info
Venerable Palladius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 27; in Thessaloniki, he contended in asceticism in Alexandria at the end of the VI and the beginning of the VII century. His Service is sung at Compline. Saint should not be confused with the fourth century Saint Palladius of Galatia (January 28), the author of the Lausiac History, which contains the Lives of the Egyptian ascetics.

Egypt, 600-640, 7th Century Folder, St John of the Ladder

Egypt, 601-649, John of the Ladder (Climacus) Sinai, great ascetic, solitary, silence 40 yrs, tears, clairvoyant, wonderworker
Egypt, 600-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ; Commemorated on March 30; John of the Ladder is honored by Holy Church as a great ascetic and author of the renowned spiritual book called THE LADDER, from which he is also called “of the Ladder” (Climacus). is almost no information about Saint John’s origins. One tradition suggests that he was born in Constantinople around the year 570, and was the son of Saints Xenophon and Maria (January 26). went to Sinai when he was sixteen, submitting to Abba Martyrius as his instructor and guide. After four years, Saint John was tonsured as a monk. Abba Strategios, who was present at Saint John’s tonsure, predicted that he would become a great luminary in the Church of Christ. nineteen years Saint John progressed in monasticism in obedience to his spiritual Father. After the death of Abba Martyrius, Saint John embarked on a solitary life, settling in a wild place called Thola, where he spent forty years laboring in silence, fasting, prayer, and tears of penitence. is not by chance that in THE LADDER Saint John speaks about tears of repentance: “Just as fire burns and destroys the wood, so pure tears wash away every impurity, both external and internal.” His holy prayer was strong and efficacious, as may be seen from an example from the life of the God-pleasing saint. John had a disciple named Moses. Once, the saint ordered his disciple to bring dung to fertilize the vegetable garden. When he had fulfilled the obedience, Moses lay down to rest under the shade of a large rock, because of the scorching heat of summer. Saint John was in his cell in a light sleep. Suddenly, a man of remarkable appearance appeared to him and awakened the holy ascetic, reproaching him, “John, why do you sleep so heedlessly, when Moses is in danger?” John immediately woke up and began to pray for his disciple. When Moses returned in the evening, Saint John asked whether any sort of misfortune had befallen him. monk replied, “A large rock would have fallen on me as I slept beneath it at noon, but I left that place because I thought I heard you calling me.” Saint John did not tell his disciple of his vision, but gave thanks to God. John ate the food which is permitted by the monastic rule, but only in moderation. He did not sleep very much, only enough to keep up his strength, so that he would not ruin his mind by unceasing vigil. “I do not fast excessively,” he said of himself, “nor do I give myself over to intense all-night vigil, nor lay upon the ground, but I restrain myself..., and the Lord soon saved me.” following example of Saint John’s humility is noteworthy. Gifted with discernment, and attaining wisdom through spiritual experience, he lovingly received all who came to him and guided them to salvation. day some envious monks reproached him for being too talkative, and so Saint John kept silence for a whole year. The monks realized their error, and they went to the ascetic and begged him not to deprive them of the spiritual profit of his conversation. his ascetic deeds from others, Saint John sometimes withdrew into a cave, but reports of his holiness spread far beyond the vicinity. Visitors from all walks of life came to him, desiring to hear his words of edification and salvation. After forty years of solitary asceticism, he was chosen as igumen of Sinai when he was seventy-five. Saint John governed the holy monastery for four years. Toward the end of his life, the Lord granted him the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. the request of Saint John, igumen of the Raithu monastery (Commemorated on Cheesefare Saturday), he wrote the incomparable LADDER, a book of instruction for monks who wished to attain spiritual perfection. of the wisdom and spiritual gifts of Saint John of Sinai, the igumen of Raithu requested him to write down whatever was necessary for the salvation of those in the monastic life. Such a book would be “a ladder fixed on the earth” (Gen. 28:12), leading people to the gates of Heaven. John felt that such a task was beyond his ability, yet out of obedience he fulfilled the request. The saint called his work THE LADDER, for the book is “a fixed ladder leading from earthly things to the Holy of Holies....” The thirty steps of spiritual perfection correspond to the thirty years of the Lord’s age. When we have completed these thirty steps, we will find ourselves with the righteous and will not stumble. THE LADDER begins with renunciation of the world, and ends with God, Who is love (1 John 4:8). the book was written for monks, any Christian living in the world will find it an unerring guide for ascending to God, and a support in the spiritual life. Saints Theodore the Studite (November 11 and January 26), Sergius of Radonezh (September 25 and July 5), Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9 and October 18), and others relied on THE LADDER as an important guide to salvation. twenty-second step of THE LADDER deals with various forms of vainglory. Saint John writes: “When I fast, I am vainglorious; and when I permit myself food in order to conceal my fasting from others I am again vainglorious about my prudence. When I dress in fine clothing, I am vanquished by vanity, and if I put on drab clothing, again I am overcome by vanity. If I speak, vainglory defeats me. If I wish to keep silence, I am again given over to it. Wherever this thorn comes up, it stands with its points upright. vain person seems to honor God, but strives to please men rather than God. of lofty spirit bear insult placidly and willingly, but only the holy and righteous may hear praise without harm. you hear that your neighbor or friend has slandered you behind your back, or even to your face, praise and love him. is not the one who reproaches himself who shows humility, for who will not put up with himself? It is the one who is slandered by another, yet continues to show love for him. is proud of his natural gifts, intelligence, learning, skill in reading, clear enunciation, and other similar qualities, which are acquired without much labor, will never obtain supernatural gifts. Whoever is not faithful in small things (Luke 16:10), is also unfaithful in large things, and is vainglorous. often happens that God humbles the vainglorious, sending a sudden misfortune. If prayer does not destroy a proud thought, we bring to mind the departure of the soul from this life. And if this does not help, let us fear the shame which follows dishonor. “For whoever humbles himself shall be exalted, and whoever exalts himself shall be humbled” (Luke 14:11). When those who praise us, or rather seduce us, start to praise us, let us recall our many sins, then we shall find that we are not worthy of what they say or do to honor us.” THE LADDER Saint John describes the ascent toward spiritual perfection, which is essential for anyone who wishes to save his soul. It is a written account of his thoughts, based on the collected wisdom of many wise ascetics, and on his own spiritual experience. The book is a great help on the path to truth and virtue. steps of THE LADDER proceed gradually from strength to strength on the path of perfection. The summit is not reached suddenly, but gradually, as the Savior says: “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Mt.11:12). John is also commemorated on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent.

Egypt, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Egypt, 606-616, John tMerciful oAlexandria, Patriarch, many examples of mercy, great story, against Monophysite h
Egyptian Patriarch, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria ; Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, was born on Cyprus in the seventh century into the family of the illustrious dignitary Epiphanius. the wish of his parents he entered into marriage and had children. the wife and the children of the saint died, he became a monk. He was zealous in fasting and prayer, and had great love for those around him. spiritual exploits won him honor among men, and even the emperor revered him. the Patriarchal throne of Alexandria fell vacant, the emperor Heraclius and all the clergy begged Saint John to occupy the Patriarchal throne. saint worthily assumed his archpastoral service, concerning himself with the moral and dogmatic welfare of his flock. As patriarch he denounced every soul-destroying heresy, and drove out from Alexandria the Monophysite Phyllonos of Antioch. considered his chief task to be charitable and to give help all those in need. the beginning of his patriarchal service he ordered his stewards to compile a list of all the poor and downtrodden in Alexandria, which turned out to be over seven thousand men. The saint ordered that all of these unfortunates be provided for each day out of the church’s treasury. during the week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, he emerged from the doors of the patriarchal cathedral, and sitting on the church portico, he received everyone in need. settled quarrels, helped the wronged, and distributed alms. times a week he visited the sick-houses, and rendered assistance to the suffering. was during this period that the emperor Heraclius led a tremendous army against the Persian emperor Chosroes II. The Persians ravaged and burned Jerusalem, taking a multitude of captives. The holy Patriarch John gave a large portion of the church treasury for their ransom. saint never refused suppliants. One day, when the saint was visiting the sick, he met a beggar and commanded that he be given six silver coins. The beggar changed his clothes, ran on ahead of the Patriarch, and again asked for alms. Saint John gave him six more silver coins. however, the beggar sought charity a third time, and the servants began to chase the fellow away, the Patriarch ordered that he be given twelve pieces of silver, saying, he is Christ putting me to the test. the saint gave money to a merchant that had suffered shipwreck, and a third time gave him a ship belonging to the Patriarchate and filled with grain, with which the merchant had a successful journey and repaid his obligations. John the Merciful was known for his gentle attitude towards people. the saint was compelled to excommunicate two clergymen for a certain time because of some offense. of them repented, but the other fellow became angry with the Patriarch and fell into greater sins. saint wanted to summon him and calm him with kind words, but it slipped his mind. he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the saint was suddenly reminded by the words of the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar ... first, be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt. 5:23-24). saint came out of the altar, called the offending clergyman to him, and falling down on his knees before him in front of all the people he asked forgiveness. cleric, filled with remorse, repented of his sin, corrected himself, and afterwards was found worthy to be ordained to the priesthood. was a time when a certain citizen insulted George, the Patriarch’s nephew. George asked the saint to avenge the wrong. The saint promised to deal with the offender so that all of Alexandria would marvel at what he had done. This calmed George, and Saint John began to instruct him, speaking of the necessity for meekness and humility. Then he summoned the man who insulted George. When Saint John learned that the man lived in a house owned by the church, he declared that he would excuse him from paying rent for an entire year. Alexandria indeed was amazed by such a “revenge,” and George learned from his uncle how to forgive offenses and to bear insults for God’s sake. John, a strict ascetic and man of prayer, was always mindful of his soul, and of death. He ordered a coffin for himself, but told the craftsmen not to finish it. Instead, he would have them come each feastday and ask if it was time to finish the work. John was persuaded to accompany the governor Nicetas on a visit to the emperor in Constantinople. While on his way to visit the earthly king, he dreamed of a resplendent man who said to him, “The King of Kings summons you.” He sailed to his native island of Cyprus, and at Amanthos the saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (616-620). Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22;

Egypt, 610-685, Anastasius, Sinai, Great ascetic, discernment, guardian angels, d away like smoke
Egyptian Saint, 610-685, Anastasius Sinaita; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Anastasius of Sinai lived in the seventh century, and was one of the great ascetics who flourished on Mt. Sinai. his youth, he was raised in great piety and love for God. When he reached manhood, Saint Anastasius left the world and entered a monastery to take upon himself the yoke of Christ (Mt.11:29). Wishing to perfect himself in virtue, he went to Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, where Saint John of the Ladder (March 30) was abbot. There he profited from the example of many holy men who were proficient in monasticism. of his humility, Saint Anastasius received wisdom and spiritual discernment from God. He wrote the Lives of several holy Fathers, as well as other spiritually instructive books. In time, he was found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Saint John and his brother George, Saint Anastasius became abbot of Sinai. He was most zealous in his opposition to heresy, exposing it, refuting it, and covering its adherents with shame. He even traveled to Syria, Egypt, and Arabia to uproot heresy and strengthen the Church of Christ. Anastasius taught that God gives each Christian an angel to care for him throughout his life. However, we can drive our Guardian Angel away by our sins, just as bees are driven away by smoke. While the demons work to deprive us of the heavenly Kingdom, the holy angels guide us to do good. Therefore, only the most foolish individuals would drive away their Guardian Angel from themselves. a long life of faithfully serving God, Saint Anastasius fell asleep in the Lord in the year 685. He and the other ascetics of Mt. Sinai are also commemorated on Bright Wednesday, the Synaxis of the Monastic Fathers of Sinai.

Egypt, 640 - Present, History Folder, Arab and Moslem Period

Egypt, 640-699, 7th Century Folder, Muslim conquest of Alexandria

Egypt, 640-644, Arab Muslim Commander and Governor, Rashidun and Ummayad
Egypt, 640-644, Arab Muslim Commander and Governor, Rashidun and Ummayad; Arab Muslim Conqest of Babylon Fortress Egypt 640

Egypt, 641, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded
Egypt, 640, Mirax, Tanis, Egypt, raised christian, trampled on cross, became moslem, repented, tortured, beheaded; Tanis or Tathnis; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyr Mirax was born into a Christian family living in the city of Tanis (Egypt) during the seventh century. was raised in piety, but yielded to demonic temptation and trampled on a cross. went to the Emir, the ruler of Egypt, and taking his sword in hand, he declared himself a Moslem. parents, grieving over the terrible downfall of their son, incessantly prayed for him. And then the grace of God illumined the heart of the prodigal. deeply repented and returned home. His parents counselled him to acknowledge his fall into darkness and to show his repentance. Mirax obeyed them. He went before the Emir and announced that he had become a Christian once more. ruler condemned him to tortures, after which the saint was beheaded and cast into the sea (this occurred around the year 640). Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Egypt, 642, Arab Muslim Conquest of Alexandria
Arab Muslim Conquest of Alexandria 642;

Egypt, 700, 8th Centory Folder, Gregory of Alexandria

Egypt, 741, Gregory, Archbishop oAlexandria, Egypt, flogged, imprisoned, starved b Leo tIconoclast
Egypt, 741, Gregory, Archbishop oAlexandria, Egypt, flogged, imprisoned, starved b Leo tIconoclast; Alexandria; St Gregory the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 5 ; Gregory the Archbishop of Alexandria lived in the ninth century. He was flogged and thrown into prison in the reign of Leo the iconoclast. He was left in prison without food until he died.

Egypt, 800, 9th Century Folder, Tulunid Dynasty, Sunni

Egypt, 867-886, Uncovering Menas' relics, Alexandria, relics discovered when Menas appeared & revealed where they were
Egypt, 867-886, Uncovering Menas' relics, Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, fAthens, died as Martyr 313, commander Marcian discovered his relics 867-886 when Menas appeared to pious man in a dream and revealed where they were; Alexandria; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; Holy Martyr Menas Kallikelados (Well Speaking), an Athenian, as a martyr with Saints Hermogenes and Eugraphus in about the year 313 (December 10). the reign of Emperor Basil the Macedonian (867-886), military commander Marcian discovered the saint’s relics Saint Menas appeared to a certain pious man in a dream to reveal where they were.

Egypt, 868-905, Sultan Ahmad ibn Tulun, Founder Tulunid Dynasty, Sunni
Egypt, 868-905, Sultan Ahmad ibn Tulun, Founder Tulunid Dynasty, Sunni ; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robed of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Egypt, 900, 10th Century Folder, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia

Egypt, 909-1171, m's d, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia Islam, all of North Africa, Egypt in 969, Levant, Sicily
Egypt, 909-1171, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia Islam Fatimid Caliphate, an Ismaili Shia caliphate of the 10th to the 12th centuries AD, spanned a large area of North Africa, from the Red Sea in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Fatimid dynasty, of Arab origin,[4] ruled territories across the Mediterranean coast of Africa and ultimately made Egypt the center of the caliphate. At its height the caliphate included - in addition to Egypt - varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hijaz. The Fatimid caliphate represented the peak of Ismaili political success. Ismailis had faithful supporters in the lands governed by the Fatimids' rivals, and areas with a significant Ismaili population and presences were able to set up their own independently-administered polities, which were loyal to the Imam in Egypt.[5] The Fatimids claimed descent from Fatimah, the daughter of the prophet Muhammad. The Fatimid state took shape among the Kutama, Berbers living in the west of the North African littoral (in Kabylie in present-day Algeria). In 909, using the military resources of the Kutama, the Fatimids occupied Raqqada, the Aghlabid capital. In 921 the Fatimids established the Tunisian city of Mahdia as their new capital. In 948 they shifted their capital to al-Mansuriyya, near Kairouan in Tunisia. In 969 they conquered Egypt, and in 973 they established Cairo as the capital of their caliphate. Egypt became the political, cultural, and religious centre of their empire, which developed a new and "indigenous Arabic" culture.[6] The ruling class belonged to the Ismai'li branch of Shi'a Islam, as did the leaders of the dynasty. The existence of the caliphate marked the only time the descendants of Ali and Fatimah were united to any degree (except for the final period of the Rashidun Caliphate under Ali himself from 656 to 661) and the name "Fatimid" refers to Fatimah. Orientalist authors sometimes use the separate term Fatimi (or "Fatimite") to refer to the caliphate's subjects. After its initial conquests, the caliphate often allowed a degree of religious tolerance towards non-Shia sects of Islam, as well as to Jews, Maltese Christians, and Copts.[7] However, its leaders made little headway in persuading the Egyptian population to adopt its religious beliefs.[8][need quotation to verify] During the late eleventh and twelfth centuries the Fatimid caliphate declined rapidly, and in 1171 Saladin invaded its territory. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty and incorporated the Fatimid state into the Abbasid Caliphate.[9]

Egypt, 909-934, F Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah, F&Ali's son, Umayyads r, as usurpers, Abbasids r, not Ali's sons, occultation, millenialist ex
Egypt, 909-934, Fatmid Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah; Muhammad Ubayd Allah ibn al-Husayn (873 -“ 4 March 934), better known by his regnal name Abu Muhammad Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah , was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islamic history, and the eleventh imam of the Isma'ili faith. in the late 9th century since the murder of Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, in 661, which led to the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, a large part of the Muslim community rejected the Umayyads as usurpers and called for the establishment of a regime led by a member of the Ahl al-Bayt, the Family of Muhammad. The Abbasids, who claimed descent from Muhammad's paternal uncle Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, profited from this during their rise to power against the Umayyads; but their claim too was rejected by the Shi'a, who insisted on the exclusive right of the descendants of al-Husayn and Hasan, Ali's sons by Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.[1] A line of imams emerged from the offspring of Husayn, who did not openly lay claim to the caliphate, but were considered by their followers as the true representatives of God on earth.[1] The sixth imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, had appointed his son Isma'il ibn Ja'far as his successor, but Isma'il died before his father, and when al-Sadiq himself died in 765, the succession was left open. One faction of Shi'a held that al-Sadiq had designated another son, Musa al-Kazim, as his heir. Others followed other sons, Muhammad and Abdallah al-Aftah ”shortly after his death, they went over to Musa's camp ”or even refused to believe that al-Sadiq had died, and expected his return as a messiah.[2] Musa's adherents, who constituted the majority of al-Sadiq's followers, followed his line down to the twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who vanished in 874.[1][3] Another branch believed that Ja'far was followed by a seventh imam, who also had gone into hiding; hence this party is known as the Seveners. The exact identity of that seventh imam was disputed, but by the late 9th century had commonly been identified with Muhammad, son of Isma'il and grandson of al-Sadiq. From Muhammad's father, Isma'il, the sect receives its name of "Isma'ili".[1][4][5] Neither Isma'il's nor Muhammad's lives are well known, and after Muhammad's death during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), the history of the early Isma'ili movement becomes obscure.[6] Both the Twelvers and the Seveners held that their final imams were not dead, but had simply gone into hiding ("occultation"), and that they would soon return as a messiah, a mahdÄ« ("the Rightly Guided One") or qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m ("He Who Arises"), to usher in the end times.[1][7] The mahdÄ« would rapidly overthrow the usurping Abbasids and destroy their capital Baghdad, restore the unity of the Muslims, conquer Constantinople, ensure the final triumph of Islam and establish a reign of peace and justice.[8] The Isma'ilis in particular believed that the mahdÄ« would reveal the true, "inner" (bÄÂÂá¹ÂÂin) meaning of religion, which was until then reserved for a few selected initiates. The mahdÄ« would dissolve the outer forms and strictures of Islam, since henceforth the true religion, the religion of Adam, would be manifested without the need for symbols and other mediating devices.[9] Secret leadership of the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa at Salamiya While the mahdÄ« Muhammad ibn Isma'il remained hidden, however, he would need to be represented by agents, who would gather the faithful, spread the word (daÊ¿wa, "invitation, calling"), and prepare his return. The head of this secret network was the living proof of the imam's existence, or "seal" (á¸¥ujja).[10] The first known á¸¥ujja was a certain Abdallah al-Akbar ("Abdallah the Elder"), a wealthy merchant from Askar Mukram, in what is now southwestern Iran. Apart from improbable stories circulated by later anti-Isma'ili polemicists, his exact origin is unknown.[11] His teachings led to his being forced to flee his native city to escape persecution by the Abbasid authorities, and seek refuge in Basra, where he claimed to belong to the Aqil branch of the Banu Hashim, the clan of Muhammad. Once again, his teachings attracted the attention of the authorities and he moved on to the small town of Salamiya on the western edge of the Syrian Desert.[12] There he settled as a merchant from Basra, and had two sons, Ahmad and Ibrahim. When Abdallah died c. 827/8, Ahmad succeeded his father as the head of the Isma'ili movement, and was in turn succeeded by his younger son, Muhammad, known as Abu'l-Shalaghlagh.[13][14] During the late 9th century, millenialist expectations increased in the Muslim world, coinciding with a deep crisis of the Abbasid Caliphate during the decade-long Anarchy at Samarra, the rise of breakaway and autonomous regimes in the provinces, and the large-scale Zanj Rebellion, whose leader claimed Alid descent and proclaimed himself as the mahdÄ«.[15] In this chaotic atmosphere, where the Abbasids were preoccupied with suppressing the uprising, the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa spread rapidly, aided by dissatisfaction among Twelver adherents with the political quietism of their leadership and the recent disappearance of the twelfth imam.[16] Missionaries (dÄÂÂ'Ä«s) like Hamdan Qarmat and his brother-in-law Abu Muhammad Abdan spread the network of agents to the area round Kufa in the late 870s, and from there to Yemen (Ibn Hawshab, 882) and thence India (884), Bahrayn (Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi, 899), Persia, and the Maghreb (Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, 893).[17][18] The real leadership remained hidden at Salamiya, and only the chief dÄÂÂ'Ä«s of each region, such as Hamdan Qarmat, knew and corresponded with it.[19] The true head of the movement remained hidden even from the senior missionaries, however, and a certain Fayruz functioned as chief missionary (dÄÂÂ'Ä« al-duÊ¿ÄÂÂt) and "gateway" (bÄÂÂb) to the hidden leader.[20] Early life The future caliph al-Mahdi Billah was born as Sa'id, the son of Ahmad's elder son, al-Husayn, who died around 880.[21] The official biography gives the date of birth as 31 July 874, although a different tradition gives a date exactly one year earlier.[22] After his father's death, he was fostered by his uncle Abu'l-Shalaghlagh, who was without an heir of his own—his son and grandchild were reportedly captured and imprisoned by the Abbasids. Sa'id was thus designated as his successor, and given his uncle's daughter in marriage.[22] Most of the information about Sa'id's early life comes from the memoirs of the eunuch chamberlain Ja'far, who was a few months older than Sa'id and came with him to the household at Salamiya. The two were reared by the same wet-nurse, and Ja'far became a close confidant of Sa'id until his death.[23] Sa'id's only child, Abd al-Rahman, the future al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, was born in March or April 893.[22] While ostensibly merely the stewards for the absent imam, Ja'far reports that Abu'l-Shalaghlagh—perhaps encouraged by the rapid progress of the daÊ¿wa, now establishing armed strongholds—secretly declared himself to senior members of the daÊ¿wa not as the á¸¥ujja for Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but the actual imam; and that he claimed for his nephew the title of mahdÄ«, and the latter's infant son the title of qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m.[24] Various genealogies were later put forth by the Fatimids to justify this claim (see below). In the most common, Abdallah the Elder was proclaimed to be the son of Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but even in pro-Isma'ili sources, the succession and names of imams who supposedly preceded Ahmad is not the same; for example, Sa'id himself in a letter claimed descent not from Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but from the latter's older brother Abdallah. Anti-Isma'ili Sunni and Twelver sources of course reject any Fatimid descent from the Alids altogether and consider them impostors. The situation is further complicated by the use of the title qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m, normally a synonym for the mahdÄ«, for Sa'id's son. This has led to suggestions (first by Bernard Lewis) of two parallel lines of imams, one public (and of non-Alid descent), serving as trustees of the hidden, real one. In this interpretation, Sa'id was the last representative of the former line, and his "son" was the genuine imam.[25][26] Leadership of the daÊ¿wa When Abu'l-Shalaghlagh died around 899, Sa'id became the new head of the movement.[27] Soon after, the letters from Salamiya revealed changes in the official doctrine of the daÊ¿wa. This worried Hamdan Qarmat, who sent his brother-in-law to Salamiya to investigate the matter. It was there that Abdan learned that Sa'id claimed that the imam was not Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but Sa'id's father al-Husayn, and now Sa'id himself. This caused a major rift in the movement: Hamdan denounced the leadership in Salamiya, gathered the Iraqi dÄÂÂ'Ä«s and ordered them to cease the missionary effort. Shortly after he disappeared from his headquarters.[28][29] It was Al-Shi'i's success which was the signal to Al Mahdi to set off from Salamyah disguised as a merchant. In 905 he started proselytising. However, he was captured by the Aghlabid ruler Ziyadat-Allah due to his Ismaili beliefs and thrown into a dungeon in Sijilmasa. In early 909 Al-Shi'i sent a large expedition force to rescue Al Mahdi, conquering the Khariji state of Tahert on its way there. After gaining his freedom, Al Mahdi became the leader of the growing state and assumed the position of imam and caliph. Al Mahdi then led the Kutama Berbers who captured the cities of Qairawan and Raqqada. By March 909, the Aghlabid Dynasty had been overthrown and replaced with the Fatimids. As a result, the last stronghold of Sunni Islam in North Africa was removed from the region. Reign Al-Mahdi established himself at the former Aghlabid residence at Raqqada, Al-Qayrawan (in what is now Tunisia). After that his power grew. At the time of his death he had extended his reign over the Maghreb, but campaigns into Egypt (in 914–915 and 919–921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. The historian Heinz Halm has described the early Fatimid regime as being little more than a "hegemony of the Kutama".[30] The position of these semi-civilized tribesmen as the chosen warriors of the imam-caliph was greatly resented, not only by the other Berber tribes, but chiefly by the inhabitants of the cities, where the Arabic culture predominated.[31] As Halm writes, the situation was similar to a scenario where, "in the early eighteenth-century North America, the Iroquois, converted to Catholicism by Jesuit missionaries, had overrun the Puritan provinces of New England, installed their chieftains as governors in Boston, Providence and Hartford, and proclaimed a European with dubious credentials as King of England".[31] The first years of Fatimid rule in Ifriqiya, Sicily, and Tripolitania were marked by revolts by the local inhabitants against the arrogance and exactions of the Kutama.[32] Al-Mahdi founded the capital of his empire, al-Mahdiyyah, on the Tunisian coast sixteen miles south-east of Al-Qayrawan, which he named after himself. The city was located on a peninsula on an artificial platform "reclaimed from the sea", as mentioned by the Andalusian geographer Al-Bakri. The Great mosque of Mahdia was built in 916 on the southern side of the peninsula.[33] Al-Mahdi took up residence there in 920. In 922 the Bulgarian emperor Simeon I sent envoys to al-Mahdi to propose a joint attack on the Byzantine capital Constantinople with the Bulgarians providing a large land army, and the Arabs a navy. It was proposed that all spoils would be divided equally, with the Bulgarians keeping Constantinople and the Fatimids gaining the Byzantine territories in Sicily and South Italy.[34] As a result of the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927, by 922 the Bulgarians controlled almost the whole Balkan peninsula but Simeon I's main objective to capture Constantinople remained out of his reach because he lacked a navy. Although the Byzantines and the Fatimids had concluded a peace treaty in 914, since 918 the Fatimids had renewed their attacks on the Italian coast.[34] Al-Mahdi accepted the proposal and sent back his own emissaries to conclude the agreement.[34] On the way home the ship was captured by the Byzantines near the Calabrian coast and the envoys of both countries were sent to Constantinople.[34] When the Byzantine emperor Romanos I learned about the secret negotiations, the Bulgarians were imprisoned, while the Arab envoys were allowed to return to Al-Mahdiyyah with rich gifts for the caliph. The Byzantines then sent their own embassy to North Africa to outbid Simeon I and eventually the Fatimids agreed not to aid Bulgaria.[35] After his death, Al-Mahdi was succeeded by his son, Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Al-Qaim, who continued his expansionist policy. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Egypt, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im, reconquest of Sicily
Egypt, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im; Muhammad ibn Abdallah ; April 893 -“ 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah, "He who carries out God's orders"), was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith. History[edit] Al-Qa'im was born in Salamiyah in Syria in 895 with the name Muhammad. After his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (910-934) seized power in Ifriqiya he was named heir to the throne in 912, and helped put down several revolts. However, campaigns into Egypt (in 914-“915 and 919-“921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. In 934 Al-Qa'im succeeded his father as Caliph, after which he never again left the royal residence at Mahdia. Nevertheless, the Fatimid realm became an important power in the Mediterranean. After the re-conquest of Sicily the Byzantine province of Calabria and the Ligurian coast was plundered and the city of Genoa sacked. From 944 to 947 the realm was plunged into crisis by the revolt of Abu Yazid, who had united the Kharijite Berber tribes of the Aurès Mountains of eastern Algeria and overrun Ifriqiya. Imam Al-Qa'im was able to hold out in Mahdia with the help of the navy for over a year, but died (13th Shawwal 334 AH (Mahdiyya)/17 May 946) before the revolt could be put down. He was succeeded by his son Ismail al-Mansur (r. 946-953). Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Egypt, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah, supressed the large-scale Kharijite rebellion
Egypt, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah; Tahir Isma'il ; January 914 -“ 18 March 953), better known by his regnal name al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah , lit. 'The Victor with the Help of God'), was the third caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya, ruling from 946 until his death. He presided over a period of crisis, having to confront the large-scale Kharijite rebellion of Abu Yazid. He succeeded in suppressing the revolt and restoring the stability of the Fatimid regime. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Egypt, 950, 10th C, Daniel tConfessor, oNiverta Is, b monk, iRome, tJerusalem, great Schema, martyred bSaracens

Egypt, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, Fatmid center moved to Cairo from Tunis in 969
Egypt, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah; Tamim Ma'ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah lit. 'Glorifier of the Religion of God'; 26 September 932 -“ 19 December 975) was the fourth Fatimid Caliph and 14th Ismaili imam, reigning from 953 to 975. It was during his caliphate that the center of power of the Fatimid dynasty was moved from Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) to Egypt. The Fatimids founded the city of al-Qhirah (Cairo) "the Victorious" in 969 as the new capital of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt.[1] Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Egypt, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah, good admin, econ, but extrav, Katuma Berbers west, Turks east, replacng slaves, into Syria, empl Ch Jews, not sunnis
Egypt, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah; Mansur Nizar (10 May 955 -14 October 996), known by his regnal name as al-Aziz Billah lit. 'the mighty through God'), was the fifth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, from 975 to his death in 996. Nizar, the future al-Aziz Billah, was born on 10 May 955, the third son of the fourth Fatimid Caliph, al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (r. 953-“975).[1][2] His mother, Durzan, usually known as al-Sayyida al-MuÃya ("the Lady of al-Mu'izz") was the chief concubine of al-Mu'izz, and likely of Bedouin origin. She was known for her beautiful singing voice, which earned her the nickname Taghrd ("Twitter").[3] She died in 995.[4] In 974 his older brother Abdallah ibn al-Mu'izz ”who had been the designated heir in preference to the oldest of al-Mu'izz's sons, Tamim”died, and Nizar found himself as his father's designated successor .[5] The succession was not confirmed in front of the members of the dynasty and court, however, until a day before al-Mu'izz's death on 18 December 975.[1] His official proclamation as caliph was delayed until 9 August 976.[1] Administration and economy[edit] According to the sources, al-Aziz Billah was "tall, with red hair and blue eyes, generous, brave, fond of horses and hunting and very humane and tolerant in disposition".[1] He was marked for his skill as an administrator, reforming the finances of the Fatimid state, standardizing and streamlining the payment of officials, and taking steps to ensure their integrity.[1] At the same time, he was known for his extravagant lifestyle and obsession for precious objects and materials, rare animals and delicacies; it is said that on one occasion, he had carrier pigeons bring him cherries from Ba'albek.[6] The Egyptian economy was also nurtured, and tax revenue thereby increased, through the expansion of streets and canals and the establishment of a stable currency. The general economic well-being was also apparent in an elaborate building programme. The most influential official during most of his reign was Ya'qub ibn Killis, who was the first in Fatimid history to be designated as "vizier", in 979. Apart from two brief periods when Ibn Killis fell into disgrace ”in 979 and 984 ”he remained al-Aziz's chief minister until his death in 991.[1] Just like his master, Ibn Killis lived in great luxury, facilitated by a salary of 100,000 gold dinars.[7] Ibn Killis is credited with the capable administration of the public finances, which ensured a full treasury despite the vast sums expended by the luxury-loving Caliph,[8] but also for his role as a patron of men of letters, and the author of a book that codified Fatimid laws.[1] In contrast, his successors did not long remain in office, and in the short space of five years, the post of vizier was occupied by six men: Ali ibn Umar al-Addas, Abu'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn al-Furat, al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Baziyar, Abu Muhammad ibn Ammar, al-Fadl ibn Salih, and Isa ibn Nasturus ibn Surus.[1] Military reforms[edit] Al-Aziz also undertook major military reforms. Berbers, and especially the Kutama tribe, had traditionally provided the mainstay of the Fatimid armies, and had played the main role in the takeover of Ifriqiya and the conquest of Egypt and the southern Levant under al-Aziz's predecessors.[9] Until the 970s, the Kutama provided the cavalry, with the infantry composed of Slavic , Greek and Black African slaves.[10][11] However, the forays into the Levant revealed the inadequacies of an army based solely on the Kutama, and from 978, al-Aziz, began to introduce mercenaries from the Islamic East, especially Turks and Daylamites. The adoption of the ghilmn system had far-reaching repercussions, as the Turkish ghilmn assumed senior positions in the state and began to rival the Kutama for influence, especially as the flow of new recruits from the Kutama homeland ebbed after c.987/88.[12][13] Consequently, a fierce antagonism developed between the two groups, termed Maghriba ("Westerners") and Mashriqa ("Easterners") respectively, which would erupt in open warfare after al-Aziz's death.[14][15][16] Religious policies[edit] The employment of the Christian Ibn Nesturus, just as that of the Jew Manashsha as Secretary for Syria, was a prominent example of the Fatimids' tolerance in religious matters, further encouraged under al-Aziz by his Melkite Christian wife. Two of her brothers, Orestes and Arsenius, were appointed as Patriarch of Jerusalem and metropolitan bishop of Cairo, respectively.[1] The Coptic Christians also benefited from the Caliph's favour, allowing them to rebuilt the Saint Mercurius Church despite Muslim opposition, or refusing to punish a Muslim man who converted to Christianity.[1] This leniency, crowned by the appointment to high office of Ibn Nesturus and Manashsha, was resented by the Muslim populace, with Muslim opinion incensed by hostile tracts circulating among them. The Caliph was briefly forced to depose his two ministers and imprison them, but soon their undoubted skill ensured their release and reinstatement.[1] Anti-Christian animus was most evident in 996, when merchants from Amalfi were suspected of being responsible for a fire that destroyed the arsenal at Cairo; in a city-wide anti-Christian pogrom, the Amalfitans were murdered and churches were ransacked.[1] This tolerance did not extend towards the Sunni Muslim population, however, as al-Aziz followed a fervently Isma'ili agenda: he erected inscriptions denouncing the Companions of the Prophet, abolished the Tarawih prayers in 982, and initiated the celebration of the Ashura festival in Cairo. In 991, a man found in possession of the Sunni legal treatise Muwatta Imam Malik was executed.[1] The reign of Al-Aziz was also culturally significant. Ibn Killis founded the al-Azhar University in Cairo (988) which went on to become the most important centre of learning in the Islamic world. Likewise a library with 200,000 volumes was built in Cairo. According to Professor Samy S. Swayd Fatimid missionaries made their Dawah in China during the reign of Al-Aziz.[17] Expansion into Syria[edit] Map of Early Islamic Syria and its provinces in the 9th-“10th centuries In foreign affairs, al-Aziz concentrated on the extension of Fatimid control over Syria,[7] whose conquest had begun immediately after the Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969.[18][19] Background[edit] Possession of Syria, and particularly Palestine, was a constant foreign policy objective for many rulers of Egypt both before and after the Fatimids, to foreclose the most likely invasion route into the country by the powers of Western Asia.[20] In the Fatimid case, this drive was given additional impetus by their ambitions to lead the entire Islamic world and unseat the Abbasid Caliphate by conquering Iraq and the eastern Islamic lands, which was possible only via Syria.[7][21] At the same time, the balance of power in the region was altered with the simultaneous expansion of the Byzantine Empire into northern Syria against the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo, culminating in the capture of Antioch in 969. The Fatimids used the Byzantine advance as a major item in their propaganda, claiming to be the only power capable of championing the jihad against the "infidel" threat.[22] However, Fatimid policy with regard to Syria during the early part of al-Aziz's reign was dominated by the vizier Ibn Killis, who, according to historian Hugh N. Kennedy, "believed that the Fatimids should concentrate on controlling Palestine and southern Syria, while leaving the north of the Hamdanids and their successors to form a buffer state against the Byzantines, with whom the caliph should try to keep on good terms".[21] Despite initial successes, the initial Fatimid invasion of Syria, under the Kutama general Ja'far ibn Fallah, quickly came to a halt through a combination of rebellions by the citizens of Damascus and the Bedouin tribes of the Syrian Desert.[23][24] In August 971, the Fatimids were defeated in battle against the Bedouin and their Qarmatian allies, leading to the near total collapse of Fatimid control in southern Syria and Palestine, and even a short-lived Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.[18][25][26] When al-Aziz came to power, Damascus was ruled by the Turk Alptakin, who with only 300 of his fellow Turks had taken power by exploiting the unpopularity of the Fatimids' Kutama troops, gained popular support by restoring order in the city, and held it against the Fatimids, recognizing Abbasid suzerainty.[7][21] Further south, Palestine was under Fatimid control, but the powerful Bedouin chieftain of the Banu Tayy tribe, Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn al-Jarrah, was opposed to them and held the provincial capital Ramla.[7] Reconquest of Damascus[edit] "O Commander of the Faithful, maintain peace with the Byzantines as long as they maintain peace with you. Be satisfied if the Hamdanids [of Aleppo] recognize you in the mint and the [Friday] oration. Do not spare Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn Jarrah, [however], if you get hold of him." Advice of Ya'qub ibn Killis to al-Aziz on his deathbed.[27] In 975 al-'Aziz took control of Baniyas in an attempt to subdue the anti-Fatimid agitation of the Sunni Mahammad b. Ahmad al-Nablusi and his followers.[28] In 976, the Fatimid general Jawhar, the conqueror of Egypt, campaigned against Damascus, but after two months of clashes before the city he had to retreat due to the arrival of Alptakin's Qarmatian allies.[7] Followed by Alptakin's forces, Jawhar was pushed back to Tiberias, Ramla and finally Ascalon, where he was besieged.[7] The siege lasted for seventeen months and ended in early 978 with a negotiated agreement, which abandoned the entire territory from Ascalon to Damascus to Alptakin. Only Gaza remained under direct Fatimid control, although Alptakin was prepared to acknowledge the nominal suzerainty of al-Aziz over the territories he ruled. Jawhar and his men had also to undergo the humiliation of passing under a sword and lance in token of their defeat while departing Ascalon for Egypt.[7][29] The Fatimid court could not accept this humiliating agreement, which not only left Egypt vulnerable to attack, but also deprived senior members of the Fatimid elite, ”including Ibn Killis himself,”of important properties around Damascus.[30] As a result, al-Aziz took the field in person and, at the head of an enormous army, defeated and captured Alptakin in August 978.[7][30] The Qarmatians were bribed with promises of an annual payment of tribute to retreat to Bahrayn, thus bringing an end to their incursions into Syria.[7][30] The events of the previous years also demonstrated to Ibn Killis the dangers of continuing to rely on the Kutama. As a result, the Caliph unexpectedly showed clemency to Alptakin, taking him and his Turkish followers into Fatimid service.[7][30] Alptakin himself was taken to Cairo, where he was lavishly honoured by the Caliph, arousing the envy of Ibn Killis, who had Alptakin poisoned.[7] Nevertheless, as noted before, this event was of momentous importance and marked a major departure from previous Fatimid practice; especially in Syria, the Turkish ghilmn remained influential and often occupied the position of governor of Damascus.[13] Damascus itself was taken over by one of Alptakin's lieutenants, Qassam, with the support of the local population and the city militia, who wished to avoid a renewed Berber occupation.[7][30] The Fatimid general al-Fadl ibn Salih, a prot of Ibn Killis, was sent with a Berber army against Qassam, but other than a show of force against the coastal cities failed to achieve anything and retreated to Palestine.[7][31] Matters became complicated with the arrival of Abu Taghlib, the ousted Hamdanid ruler of Mosul, who contacted al-Aziz with an offer to capture the city if they supported him with troops. This was opposed by Ibn al-Jarrah, who feared lest the Hamdanid and his followers form the Banu Uqayl tribe, rivals to the Tayy, threaten his own position, particularly his possession of Ramla and the pasture lands of his tribe. Al-Fadl apparently played a duplicitous game, encouraging Abu Taghlib in his designs on Ramla in an effort to sow dissension among the Arab tribes and strengthen Fatimid authority; however, in August 979, when Ibn al-Jarrah attacked Abu Taghlib and his men at Ramla, al-Fadl came to his aid with his own troops. Abu Taghlib was taken captive and executed.[7][32][33] This battle established Ibn al-Jarrah and his Tayy as a major player in the region's power politics: despite his recognition of Fatimid suzerainty, the Tayy chieftain was a virtually independent ruler and remained a constant nuisance for the Fatimid government for decades.[31] Bowl fragment with a mounted warrior, 11th century Damascus continued to resist Fatimid attempts to capture it, notably under the Kutama chieftain Sulayman ibn Ja'far ibn Fallah in 979/80,[7][31] while, despite al-Fadl's efforts to use the Uqayl to contain them, the Tayy and their unchecked depredations grew to be a menace to the settled and agrigultural districts of southern Syria: Ramla was "reduced to a ghost town", in the words of Kennedy, and the Ghuta plain around Damascus and the Hawran region were so devastated that Damascus faced famine, alleviated only through supplies sent from Homs, ruled by the Turk Bakjur for the Hamdanids of Aleppo.[31] As a result of the successive failures of Berber commanders to capture Damascus and restore order in the province, the Fatimid court appointed a Turk, Baltakin, a former follower of Alptakin, as commander of the next expedition into Syria. Baltakin defeated Ibn al-Jarrah, who fled north to Antioch and the protection of the Byzantines, while Qassam was finally forced to surrender Damascus in early 983, albeit under generous terms that allowed him to remain in control under a Fatimid-appointed governor.[7][31] Contest for Aleppo[edit] After securing Fatimid rule in central and southern Syria, Caliph al-Aziz aimed to capture Aleppo as well, but was restrained by Ibn Killis while he lived.[7] The question of Aleppo was complicated, as it risked provoking a direct confrontation with Byzantium.[34] Since 969, the Hamdanid emirate had been tributary to the Byzantines. Its ruler, Sa'd al-Dawla (r. 967–991), resented this dependence, but was forced to abide with it in order to prevent an outright Fatimid conquest. As a result, his policy vacillated between the two powers.[35][36] Nevertheless, the Fatimids benefited from the weakness of the Hamdanids, as many Hamdanid supporters began entering Fatimid service. For example, Raja al-Siqlabi defected with 300 of his men, and was appointed governor of Acre and Caesarea.[11] The most important such defection was that of the Hamdanid governor of Homs, Bakjur, in 983. Bakjur contacted al-Aziz directly and offered to enter Fatimid service against Aleppo in exchange for the governorship of Damascus.[7][11] Attracted by the possibility of taking over not only Homs but possibly Aleppo as well, al-Aziz agreed to Bakjur's offer over the vehement opposition of Ibn Killis, who was briefly deposed and imprisoned in conjunction with a harvest failure that led to famine in the capital.[11] The Caliph provided Bakjur with an army, with which he attacked Aleppo in September. Sa'd al-Dawla was forced to appeal to the Byzantine emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) for help, who sent his general Bardas Phokas the Younger to assist Aleppo. Forewarned of the Byzantines' approach by the exiled Ibn al-Jarrah, Bakjur raised the siege and fled to Fatimid territory. The Byzantines proceeded to sack Homs in October, and returned the city to Hamdanid control.[7][37] In 987/8, a seven-year truce was concluded with the Byzantines. It stipulated an exchange of prisoners, the recognition of the Byzantine emperor as protector of Christians under Fatimid rule and of the Fatimid Caliph as protector of Muslims under Byzantine control, and the replacement of the name of the Abbasid caliph with that of the Fatimid caliph in the Friday prayer in the mosque at Constantinople.[38] Despite his failure, Bakjur was named governor of Damascus by al-Aziz, and was joined by Ibn al-Jarrah. Ibn Killis, who was released and restored to his office after barely two months, immediately began working against the two. Bakjur gradually made himself unpopular to the Damascenes due to his cruelty, and after several failed efforts, in 989 Ibn Killis finally persuaded al-Aziz to replace Bakjur with one of the vizier's personal ghilmÄÂÂn, Ya'qub al-Siqlabi. Bakjur fled to Raqqa, from where he continued his unsuccessful attacks on Aleppo.[7][11] At the same time, Baltakin was sent to pacify the Bedouin tribes who were raiding the Hajj caravans, leading to the establishment of a Fatimid garrison at Wadi al-Qura, north of Medina.[11] Ibn Killis' death in 991 freed al-Aziz to pursue a more aggressive stance in the Aleppo question. Immediately he dismissed Ibn Killis' protégé and appointed the Turk Manjutakin as governor of Damascus.[7][39] Manjutakin's use of Damascus as his base during the subsequent campaigns shows the consolidation of Fatimid control in the area, but also, as Hugh Kennedy remarks, the changes it brought to the "political and economic geography of Syria": given the continued insecurity of the overland routes due to the depredations of the Bedouin, the Fatimids supplied their forces in Syria by sea—notably via Tripoli—and as a result the chief coastal towns rose in importance, as centres of Fatimid control and administration as well as commerce, experiencing a revival which continued into the 12th century.[40] Manjutakin invaded the Hamdanid emirate, defeated a Byzantine force under the doux of Antioch, Michael Bourtzes, in June 992, and laid siege to Aleppo. However, he failed to pursue the siege with vigour and the city was easily able to resist until, in the spring of 993, after thirteen months of campaigning, Manjutakin was forced to return to Damascus due to lack of supplies.[41] In spring 994, Manjutakin launched another invasion, again defeated Bourtzes at the Battle of the Orontes in September and again besieged Aleppo. The blockade was far more effective this time and soon caused a severe lack of food, but the city's defenders held out until the sudden arrival of the Byzantine emperor, Basil II, in person in April 995.[41] Basil crossed Asia Minor in only sixteen days at the head of an army; his sudden arrival, and the exaggerated numbers circulating for his army, caused panic in the Fatimid army. Manjutakin burned his camp and retreated to Damascus without giving battle.[41] The Byzantines besieged Tripoli but failed to capture it; nevertheless, the Fatimids lost control of the city, which became independent under its qadi.[38] The Byzantine emperor then occupied and fortified Tartus.[38] Al-Aziz himself now prepared to take the field against the Byzantines himself, beginning large-scale preparations at Cairo.[42][43] Byzantine and Hamdanid embassies carrying proposals for a truce were received in September 995, but rejected.[42] Al-Aziz's preparations were set back when the fleet being prepared at Cairo was destroyed by a fire, which set off an anti-Christian pogrom in the city.[44] Manjutakin was ordered to recapture Tartus, but its Armenian garrison was able to fend off his attacks; and a Fatimid fleet sent to assist the siege was lost in a storm off the coast.[38][44] Al-Aziz died on 14 October 996, before setting out on his campaign.[45] The Byzantine–Fatimid conflict continued under his successor until the conclusion of a ten-year truce in 1000.[46] Arabia and North Africa[edit] Along with Syria, al-Aziz presided over an expansion of Fatimid influence in the Arabian peninsula. The Hajj—at least those caravans setting off from Cairo with the pilgrims of the western Islamic world—was placed under Fatimid control and protection, despite the considerable cost.[47] The emirs of Mecca, although de facto autonomous, recognized the Fatimids' suzerainty, in token of which the Fatimids enjoyed the prestigious privilege of furnishing each year the new cover of the Kaaba (the kiswa).[47] Finally, in 992 the Fatimids were acknowledged as caliphs in the Yemen,[47] and even their old enemies, the Qarmatians of Bahrayn, came around to acknowledge their claims.[47] According to Kennedy, these diplomatic victories were the result of the more energetic foreign policy pursued by al-Aziz, particularly after the death of Ibn Killis, which bolstered his credentials by demonstrating "his ability and willingness to undertake the two major public responsibilities of a caliph, to safeguard the Hajj and to lead the Muslims against the infidel Byzantines".[47] On the other hand, North Africa, including the former Fatimid heartland of Ifriqiya, was mostly neglected.[7] Effective power there had passed to the Zirid viceroy of Ifriqiya, Buluggin ibn Ziri (r. 972–984), who was confirmed in office by al-Aziz, as was his son al-Mansur (r. 984–996).[7] In 992, al-Aziz even confirmed al-Mansur's son Badis as heir-apparent, thereby strengthening the Zirids' claim to dynastic succession.[47] Indeed, as Kennedy remarks, "nothing is more striking than the speed with which [the Fatimids] were prepared to allow North Africa to go its own way";[47] apart from diplomatic exchanges of gifts,[47] the Zirids governed their domains increasingly independently from the Fatimid court, even to the point of warring with the Kutama, the erstwhile mainstay of the Fatimid regime.[7] In a similar manner, al-Aziz contended himself with recognizing the succession of the Kalbid emirs of Sicily after the event.[7] Nearer to Egypt, the governor of Barqa (Cyrenaica) is known to have brought presents to the court of Cairo, but otherwise there are no indications of the Fatimids' exercising any control over him.[47] Al-Aziz died on 13 October 996. His son Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (996-1021) succeeded him as Caliph.

Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), important Shia
Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), despoiler of the Holy Places ; Hakim (13 August 985 -“ 13 February 1021), better known by his regnal name al-kim bi-Amr Allah literally "The Ruler by the Order of God"[1]), was the sixth Fatimid caliph[2] and 16th Ismaili[3] imam (996-“1021). Al-Hakim is an important figure in a number of Shia Ismaili religions, such as the world's 15 million Nizaris and 1-2 million Musta™lis, in addition to the 2 million Druze of the Levant whose eponymous founder ad-Darazi proclaimed him as the incarnation of God in 1018.[4][5] Histories of al-Hakim can prove controversial, as diverse views of his life and legacy exist.[6][7] Historian Paul Walker writes: "Ultimately, both views of him, the mad and despotic tyrant (like Germanic and Roman despots) irrationally given to killing those around him on a whim, and the ideal supreme ruler, divinely ordained and chosen, whose every action was just and righteous, were to persist, the one among his enemies and those who rebelled against him, and the other in the hearts of true believers, who, while perhaps perplexed by events, nonetheless remained avidly loyal to him to the end."[8] The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ;

Egypt, 1200, 13th Century Folder, Abbasid Caliphate, Sunni

Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), Sunni Islam, Owned slave, freed a training, but loyal to master
Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Sunni Islam; Mamluk Sultanate was a medieval realm spanning Egypt, the Levant and Hejaz that established itself as a caliphate. lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. have traditionally broken the era of Mamluk rule into two periods, one covering 1250–1382 and the other 1382–1517, named after the ruling dynasties of the respective eras. Modern sources also refer to the same divisions as the Turkis and Circassian periods to stress the change in the ethnic origins of most Mamluks.[5][6][7][8][9] term Mamluk Sultanat is a modern historiographical term.[10] The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, soldiers predominantly of Cuman-Kipchaks (from Crimea),[11] Circassian, Abkhazian,[12] Oghuz Turks[13] Albanian, Slavic, Greek, Armenian and Georgian slave origin.[14][15] Mamluks were purchased, their status was above that of ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. were considered to be true lords, with social status above citizens of Egypt. it declined towards the end of its existence, at its height the sultanate represented the zenith of medieval Egyptian and Levantine political, economic, and cultural glory in the Islamic Golden Age.[16] See also: Mamluk A Mamluk nobleman from Aleppo mamluk was an owned slave, distinguished from the ghulam, or household slave. After thorough training in various fields such as martial arts, court etiquette and Islamic sciences, these slaves were freed. they were still expected to remain loyal to their master and serve his household.[19] had formed a part of the state or military apparatus in Syria and Egypt since at least the 9th century, rising to become governing dynasties of Egypt and the Levant during the Tulunid and Ikhshidid periods.[20] regiments constituted the backbone of Egypt's military under Ayyubid rule in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, beginning with Sultan Saladin (r. 1174–1193) who replaced the Fatimids' black African infantry with mamluks.[21] Ayyubid sultan and high-ranking emir had a private mamluk corps.[22] of the mamluks in the Ayyubids' service were ethnic Kipchak Turks from Central Asia, who, upon entering service, were converted to Sunni Islam and taught Arabic.[21] mamluk was highly committed to his master, to whom he often referred as "father", and was in turn treated more as a kinsman than as a slave.[21] as-Salih Ayyub (r. 1240–1249), the last of the Ayyubid sultans, had acquired some 1 000 mamluks (some of them free-born) from Syria, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula by 1229, while serving as na'ib (viceroy) of Egypt during the absence of his father, Sultan al-Kamil (r. 1218–1238). These mamluks were called the "Salihiyyah" (singular "Salihi") after their master.[23] A Mamluk training with a lance, early 16th century became sultan of Egypt in 1240, and, upon his accession to the Ayyubid throne, he manumitted and promoted large numbers of his original and newly recruited Mamluks on the condition that they remain in his service.[23] provision his mamluks, as-Salih forcibly seized the iqtaʿat (fiefs; singular iqtaʿ) of his predecessors' emirs.[23] As-Salih sought to create a paramilitary apparatus in Egypt loyal to himself, and his aggressive recruitment and promotion of mamluks led contemporaries to view Egypt as "Salihi-ridden", according to historian Winslow William Clifford.[24] his close relationship with his mamluks, tensions existed between as-Salih and the Salihiyyah, and a number of Salihi mamluks were imprisoned or exiled throughout as-Salih's reign.[25] historian Stephen Humphreys asserts that the Salihiyyah's increasing dominance of the state did not personally threaten as-Salih due to their fidelity to him, Clifford believes that the Salihiyyah developed an autonomy within the state that fell short of such loyalty.[26] among the Salihiyyah to as-Salih rose when the latter ordered the assassination of his brother Abu Bakr al-Adil in 1249, a task that affronted many of the Salihiyyah and by whom was rejected; four of the Salihiyyah ultimately agreed to execute the controversial operation.[25] to power[edit] with the Ayyubids[edit] between As-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub and his mamluks came to a head later in 1249 when Louis IX of France's forces captured Damietta in their bid to conquer Egypt during the Seventh Crusade.[25] As-Salih believed Damietta should not have been evacuated and was rumored to have threatened punitive action against the Damietta garrison. The rumor, accentuated by the execution of civilian notables who evacuated Damietta, provoked a mutiny by the garrison of his camp in al-Mansurah, which included numerous Salihi mamluks.[25] The situation was calmed after the intervention of the atabeg al-askar (commander of the military), Fakhr ad-Din ibn Shaykh al-Shuyukh.[25] the Crusaders advanced, as-Salih died and was succeeded by his son al-Muazzam Turanshah,[27] who was in al-Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) at the time. Initially, the Salihiyyah welcomed Turanshah's succession, with many greeting him and requesting confirmation of their administrative posts and iqtaʿ assignments at his arrival to the Egyptian frontier.[28] However, Turanshah sought to challenge the dominance of the Salihiyyah in the paramilitary apparatus by promoting his Kurdish retinue from Upper Mesopotamia ("al-Jazira" in Arabic) and the Levant as a counterweight to the predominantly Turkic Salihiyyah.[28] to Turanshah's arrival at the front facing the French, the Bahriyyah, a junior regiment of the Salihiyyah commanded by Baibars al-Buduqdari, defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of al-Mansurah on 11 February 1250. On 27 February, Turanshah, as new sultan, arrived in Egypt from Hasankeyf (Turkish for "rock fortress"), where he had been Emir (Arabic for "Prince") of Hisn Kayfa (Arabic for "rock fortress") since AH 636 (1238/1239 CE), and went straight to al-Mansurah to lead the Egyptian army. On 5 April 1250, covered by the darkness of night, the Crusaders evacuated their camp opposite al-Mansurah and began to flee northward towards Damietta. The Egyptians followed them into the Battle of Fariskur where the Egyptians utterly destroyed the Crusaders on 6 April. King Louis IX and a few of his surviving nobles surrendered and were taken as prisoners, effectively ending the Seventh Crusade.[29] proceeded to place his own entourage and mamluks, known as the "Mu'azzamiyah",[27] in positions of authority to the detriment of Salihi interests. On 2 May 1250,[27] a group of disgruntled Salihi officers had Turanshah assassinated at his camp in Fariskur.[30] to Humphreys, as-Salih's frequent wars against his Ayyubid relatives likely voided the Salihiyyah's loyalty to other members of the Ayyubid dynasty.[31] Nonetheless, the Salihiyyah were careful not to depict the assassination of Turanshah as an assault against Ayyubid legitimacy, but rather an act against a deviant of the Muslim polity.[32] Moreover, an electoral college dominated by the Salihiyyah convened to choose a successor to Turanshah among the Ayyubid emirs, with opinion largely split between an-Nasir Yusuf of Damascus and al-Mughith Umar of al-Karak. Ultimately, however, consensus settled on as-Salih's widow, Shajar ad-Durr.[32] ad-Durr ensured the Salihiyyah's dominance of the paramilitary elite, and ushered in a process of establishing patronage and kinship ties with the Salihiyyah. In particular, she cultivated close ties with the Jamdari (pl. Jamdariyyah) and Bahri (pl. "Bahriyyah") elements of the Salihiyyah, by distributing to them iqtaʿ and other benefits.[33] The Bahriyya were named after the Arabic word bahr, meaning "sea" or "large river", because their barracks was located on the Nile River island of Rawda. They were mostly drawn from among the Cumans-Kipchaks who controlled the steppes north of the Black Sea.[22] Shajar al-Durr's efforts and the lingering desire among the military in Egypt to maintain the Ayyubid state was made evident when the Salihi mamluk and atabeg al-askar, Aybak, attempted to claim the sultanate, but was prevented from monopolizing power by the army and the Bahriyyah and Jamdariyyah, which asserted that only an Ayyubid could exercise sultanic authority.[32][33] The Bahriyyah compelled Aybak to share power with al-Ashraf Musa, a grandson of Sultan al-Kamil.[34] power struggles[edit] was one of the oldest of the Salihi mamluks and a senior member of as-Salih's inner circle, despite only being an emir awsat (middle-ranked emir).[35] He served as the principal bulwark against the more junior Bahri and Jamdari elements of the Salihiyyah, and his promotion to atabeg al-askar was met by Bahri rioting in Cairo, the first of many examples of intra-Salihi tensions surrounding Aybak's ascendancy.[36] The Bahriyyah and Jamdariyyah were represented by their patron, Faris ad-Din Aktay, a principal organizer of Turanshah's assassination and the recipient of Fakhr ad-Din's large estate by Shajar al-Durr; the latter saw Aktay as a counterweight to Aybak.[36] Aybak moved against the Bahriyyah in 1251 by shutting down their Rawda headquarters in a bid to sap Aktay's power base. Aybak was still unable to promote his own mamluks, known as the "Mu'izziyah", to senior posts until 1252. That year, he managed to dispatch Aktay to Upper Egypt to suppress an Arab uprising.[37] Instead of isolating Aktay as was Aybak's intention, the assignment allowed Aktay to impose extortionate taxes in Upper Egypt and provide him the personal funds to finance his patronage of the Bahriyyah. In 1254, Aybak had his Mu'izzi mamluks assassinate Aktay in the Citadel of Cairo.[38] Aybak proceeded to purge those in his retinue and in the Salihiyyah whom he believed were disloyal to him, causing a temporary exodus of Bahri mamluks, most of whom settled in Gaza, but also in Upper Egypt and Syria.[34][39] The purge led to a dearth of military support for Aybak, which in turn led to Aybak's recruitment of new supporters from among the army in Egypt and the Turkic Nasiri and Azizi mamluks from Syria, who had defected from their Ayyubid masters, namely an-Nasir Yusuf, and moved to Egypt in 1250.[39] The Syrian mamluks were led by their patron Jamal ad-Din Aydughdi and were assigned most of the iqtaʿ of Aktay and his allies. However, Aydughdi's growing ambitions made Aybak view him as a threat. After Aybak learned that Aydughdi was plotting to topple him and recognize an-Nasir Yusuf as Ayyubid sultan, which would likely leave Aydughdi in virtual control of Egypt, Aybak had Aydughdi imprisoned in Alexandria in 1254 or 1255.[40] the Bahriyya faction in Gaza commanded by Baybars sought to enlist their services with an-Nasir Yusuf. In an attempt to dislodge Aybak, the Bahriyyah petitioned an-Nasir Yusuf to claim the Ayyubid throne and invade Egypt, but an-Nasir Yusuf initially refused. However, in 1256, he dispatched a Bahri-led expedition to Egypt, but no battle occurred when Aybak met an-Nasir Yusuf's army.[41] Aybak was assassinated on 10 April 1257,[41] possibly on the orders of Shajar al-Durr,[42] who was assassinated a week later.[41] Their deaths left a relative power vacuum in Egypt, with Aybak's teenage son, al-Mansur Ali, as heir to the sultanate.[41] While al-Mansur Ali was sultan, the strongman in Egypt was Aybak's former close aide, Sayf ad-Din Qutuz,[43] who also had hostile relations with the Salihiyyah, including the Bahri mamluks.[44] the time of Aybak's death, the Bahriyyah had entered the service of al-Mughith Umar of al-Karak, who agreed to invade Egypt and claim the Ayyubid sultanate, but al-Mughith's small Bahri-dominated invading force was routed at the frontier with Egypt in November.[41] The Bahriyyah and al-Mughith launched a second expedition in 1258, but were again defeated.[43] The Bahriyyah subsequently raided areas around Syria, threatening an-Nasir Yusuf's power in Damascus. After a first attempt to defeat the Bahriyyah near Gaza failed, an-Nasir Yusuf launched a second expedition against them with al-Mansur Muhammad II of Hama, resulting in a Bahriyyah defeat at Jericho.[43] An-Nasir Yusuf proceeded to besiege al-Mughith and the Bahriyyah at al-Karak, but the growing threat of a Mongol invasion of Syria ultimately led to a reconciliation between an-Nasir Yusuf and al-Mughith, and Baybars's defection to the former.[43] Qutuz deposed al-Mansur Ali in 1259. Afterward, he purged and/or arrested the Mu'izziyah and any Bahri mamluks he could locate in Egypt in a bid to eliminate dissent towards his rule.[44] The surviving Mu'izzi and Bahri mamluks made their way to Gaza, where Baybars had created a virtual shadow state in opposition to Qutuz.[44] lancers, early 16th century (etching by Daniel Hopfer) While various mamluk factions competed for control of Egypt and Syria, the Mongols under the command of Hulagu Khan had sacked Baghdad, the intellectual and spiritual center of the Islamic world, in 1258, and proceeded westward, capturing Aleppo and Damascus.[45] Qutuz sent military reinforcements to his erstwhile enemy an-Nasir Yusuf in Syria, and reconciled with the Bahriyyah, including Baybars, who was allowed to return to Egypt, to face the common Mongol threat.[46] Hulagu sent emissaries to Qutuz in Cairo, demanding submission to Mongol rule. Qutuz had the emissaries killed, an act which historian Joseph Cummins called the "worst possible insult to the Mongol throne".[45] Qutuz then prepared Cairo's defenses to ward off the Mongols' threatened invasion of Egypt, but after hearing news that Hulagu withdrew from Syria to claim the Mongol throne, Qutuz began preparations for the conquest of Syria. He mobilized a force of some 120,000 soldiers and gained the support of his main Mamluk rival, Baybars.[47] Mamluks entered Palestine to confront the Mongol army that Hulagu left behind under the command of Kitbuqa.[47] In September 1260, the two sides met in the plains south of Nazareth in a major confrontation known as the Battle of Ain Jalut.[48] Qutuz had some of his cavalry units hide in the hills around Ain Jalut (Goliath's Spring), while directing Baybars's forces to advance past Ain Jalut against Kitbuqa's Mongols. In the ensuing half-hour clash, Baybars's men feigned a retreat and were pursued by Kitbuqa. The latter's forces fell into a Mamluk trap once they reached the springs of Ain Jalut, with Baybars's men turning around to confront the Mongols and Qutuz's units ambushing the Mongols from the hills.[47] The battle ended in a Mongol rout and Kitbuqa's capture and execution. Afterward, the Mamluks proceeded to recapture Damascus and the other Syrian cities taken by the Mongols.[49] Upon Qutuz's triumphant return to Cairo, he was assassinated in a Bahri plot. Baybars subsequently assumed power in Egypt in late 1260,[46] and established the Bahri Mamluk sultanate.[50]

Egypt, 1259-1260, Mamluk Sultan, Qutuz, or al-Malik al-Muzaffar Saif ad-Din Qutuz
Egypt, 1259-1260, Mamluk Sultan, Qutuz, or al-Malik al-Muzaffar Saif ad-Din Qutuz ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated on October 19; St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12;

Egypt, 1260-1277, Abbasid Sultan, Rukn al-Din Baibars, Sunni
Egypt, 1260-1277, Abbasid Sultan, Rukn al-Din Baibars, Sunni; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Egypt, 1261-1517, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate), Sunni, from Cairo, Egypt
Egypt, 1261-1517, Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate), Sunni, from Cairo, Egypt ; Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), 1250-1517

Egypt, 1270, Mamluk Sultan Baibars expels Crusaders from Palestine
Egypt, 1260-1277, Mamluk Sultan, Baibars, or Zakhir-Rukedin-Baibars-Bundukdar; St. Daniel II the Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on December 20;

Egypt, 1270, Crusaders and Mamluk Sultan Baibars join to Loot and Plunder Athonite Monasteries

Egypt, 1277, Luke, Holy Cross Georgian Monastery, Jerusalem, L followed mother to Jerusalem, severed head thanked God

Egypt, 1277-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Said Barakah, Sunni
Egypt, 1277-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Said Barakah, Sunni;

Egypt, 1279-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Solamish, Sunni
Egypt, 1279-1279, Abbasid Sultan, Solamish, Sunni;

Egypt, 1279-1290, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Qalawun, Sunni
Egypt, 1279-1290, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Qalawun, Sunni; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8;

Egypt, 1290-1293, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil, Sunni
Egypt, 1290-1293, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Khalil, Sunni ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8;

Egypt, 1300, 14th Century Folder, Slave SoldierMamluks and their RINO's

Egypt, 1304-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni, 3 Reigns
Arabs, 1293-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad, Sunni;

Egypt, 1341-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Abu Bakr, Sunni, deposed by his father's emir Qawsun
Arabs, 1341-1341, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Abu Bakr, Sunni, deposed by his father's emir Qawsun;

Egypt, 1341-1342, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Kujuk, Sunni, controlled by Qawsun
Arabs, 1341-1342, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Kujuk, Sunni, controlled by Qawsun ;

Egypt, 1342-1342, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, stayed in Karak Transjordan, killed
Arabs, 1342-1342, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Ahmad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, stayed in Karak Transjordan, killed because he did not want to go to Egypt.;

Egypt, 1342-1345, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Ismail, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Killed brothers, mamluk slave soldiers, sick and died

Egypt, 1345-1346, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Kamil Sha'ban, Sunni, Killed in brother's revolt
Arabs, 1345-1346, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Kamil Sha'ban, Sunni, Killed in brother's revolt;

Egypt, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, loved sports, killed by his Mamluks
Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, love of sports, killed by his Mamluk slave soldiers;

Egypt, 1347-1361, Abbasid Sultan, An-Nasir Hasan, Sunni, 2 reigns by Mamluks, Killed and k by Mamluks
Arabs, 1346-1347, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Muzaffar Hajji, Sunni, love of sports, killed by his Mamluk slave soldiers; Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14;

Egypt, 1361-1363, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Muhammad, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk ruler in name only, adolescent

Egypt, 1363-1377, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Sha'ban, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, but with partisans and commoners tried to kill Mamluks
Arabs, 1363-1377, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Ashraf Sha'ban, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, but with partisans and commoners tried to kill Mamluks emirs;

Egypt, 1377-1381, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Ali II, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, died still and adolescent
Arabs, 1377-1381, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mansur Ali II, Sultan of Egypt, Sunni, Mamluk RINO, died still and adolescent;

Egypt, 1382,1389, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Hajji, Sunni, Mamluk RINO
Arabs, 1382,1389, Abbasid Sultan, As-Salih Hajji, Sunni, Mamluk RINO;

Egypt, 1382-1399, Abbasid Sultan, Barquq, Sunni, a Mamluk Sultan, Slave Soldier
Arabs, 1382-1399, Abbasid Sultan, Barquq, Sunni, a Mamluk Sultan, Slave Soldier, Timur enemy, joined Ottoman Empire in 1393;

Egypt, 1400, 15th Century History Folder, Abbasid, Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt

Egypt, 1497-1508, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mustamsik, Sunni
Egypt, 1497-1508, Abbasid Sultan, Al-Mustamsik, Sunni; St. Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27;

Egypt, 1800, 19th Century Folder, Independent Sultan Muhammad Ali of Egypt

Egypt, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali, modern independent Egypt, Christians protected, dynasty till 52
Egypt, 1805-1848, Ottoman Sultan Muhammad Ali of Egypt; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Egypt, 1847-1858, Patriarch Hierotheus II of Alexandria
Egypt, 1847-1858, Patriarch Hierotheus II of Alexandria; II served as Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria between 1847 and 1858. He was born in Sifnos. Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23;

Egypt, 1863-1899, Patriarch, Sophronius III, Constantinople, Alexandria, unfair Nectarios expulsion
Egypt, 1863-1899, Sophronius III of Constantinople, and Alexandria; St. Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9;

Egypt, 1900, 20th Century Folder, Lillian Trasher's Orphanage

Egypt, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, established orphanage in Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), pentecostal missionary, evangelist
Egypt, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), missionary, evangelist, established orphanage, in Assiout, Egypt, Nile Mother oEgypt, fFlorida&Georgia, Catholic then Filled with the Spirit at Bible College in South Carolina, pastored Pentacostal Church, traveled wEvangelist, returned tWork at Orphanage, broke engagement, felt called tAfrica, arrived Egypt wOnly $100, dying mother gave baby, man asks tCare for daughter, ordained Church oGod Cleveland TN, fFinancial prayer joined Assemblies oGod, worked 25 yrs 1929-1954 woFurlough, orphanage 1200 children ; Egypt, 1907-1961, LILLIAN TRASHER, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14), missionary, evangelist, established orphanage; Hunt Trasher (27 September 1887 – 17 December 1961) was a Christian missionary to Asyut, Egypt, as well as the founder of the first orphanage in Egypt. She is famed as the "Nile Mother" of Egypt. life was born in Jacksonville, Florida and was raised Roman Catholic in Brunswick, Georgia.[1] According to one account, her Quaker family had moved to the South after the Civil War.[2] still in her late teens, Trasher attended Bible college for one term, and then worked at Faith Orphanage in North Carolina in 1908–1910, after she failed to get a reporting job that she wanted. After becoming engaged to marry minister Tom Jordan, Trasher heard a missionary from India speak. Deciding that her mission lay in Africa, she broke off the engagement ten days before the wedding after her prospective husband failed to share her call. Trasher also taught at a second Bible school in South Carolina, pastored a Pentecostal church, and briefly travelled with an evangelist, but later returned to work again at the orphanage. 1910 after meeting Pastor Brelsford (or Perlsford) of Assiout, Egypt at a missionary conference, Trasher decided to defy her family's wishes and leave for that country.[3] Inspired as well by opening a bible to Acts 7:34, which referred to Egypt, Lilian and her sister Jennie sailed to Africa with less than 100 dollars in their pockets. in Egypt and starting the orphanage in Assiout, (some 230 miles south of Cairo), she soon met a man who came to the mission house seeking someone to attend to a dying woman nearby. Lillian and an older woman named Sela went to see the woman, who died shortly after they arrived, but left them her malnourished baby girl, clinging to life. When they arrived, their Arabic translator told Miss Trasher that the old woman then holding the baby (its grandmother) planned to throw it into the great river Nile. At the thought of this Lillian Trasher could not leave the baby, whom she named Fareida. Thus she defied her then-mission organization and began an orphanage.[4] By the turn of 1918 her orphanage family had grown to fifty children and eight widows. When Trasher returned to the States briefly in 1919 (Britain expelled foreigners during civil unrest) and saw the financial and prayer support to be found in the Assemblies of God, Trasher joined the missions-oriented movement. Upon returning to Egypt, she expanded her mission to include widows and the blind. Trasher worked 50 years among Egypt's orphans and other forgotten people, from 1911 to 1961, without a furlough, including through the Nazi occupation during World War II. and legacy the time she died in 1961, the Lillian Trasher Orphanage had grown to some 1200 children. Today, the institution is entirely the responsibility of the Assemblies of God of Egypt, with 85% of its daily needs being met by donations from the Presbyterian churches of Egypt, the Soul Salvation Society, and other Egyptian church bodies. Lillian lies buried on her orphanage's cemetery. In accordance with Egyptian law she was buried the same day that she died. The orphanage she founded still helps people to this day. is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on December 19. Assiout, Egypt; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; Hunt Trasher (27 September 1887–17 December 1961) was a Christian missionary to Assiout, Egypt, as well as the founder of the first orphanage in Egypt, famed as the “Nile Mother” of Egypt. was born in Florida, and grew up in Georgia. She followed Roman Catholicism as a young girl. In her teens, through Bible reading and Bible studies at a friend's house, she chose to make a personal commitment of her life to Jesus Christ. still in her late teens, Trasher attended Bible college for one term, and then worked at an orphanage in North Carolina. She received the infilling of the Holy Spirit at a second Bible school in South Carolina, and pastored a Pentecostal church. For a brief period, she traveled with an evangelist, but later returned to work again at the orphanage. was only ten days away from her wedding date when she broke her engagement to Tom Jordan. She felt called to Africa, he didn't, and in that same year of 1910 she defied her family's wishes and sailed to Africa with less than 100 dollars in her pocket. Her sister Jennie accompanied her, and was a valuable companion through decades of work overseas. in Egypt, Trasher had little idea what exactly she should do. That was decided for her when a dying Egyptian mother gave her baby to Trasher to care for. rented a home in the predominantly Christian city of Assiout (some 230 miles south of Cairo), and, after a period of a few months, a man came to her with his infant daughter whose mother was dying. The man asked her to take care of the girl for him, and this was the beginning of the Lillian Trasher Orphanage, accepting that her previous experience in that work was a sign of God's leading. 1912, the Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee ordained Trasher, and by 1916 her orphanage family had grown to fifty children. When she returned to the States in 1919 and saw the financial and prayer support to be found in the Assemblies of God, Trasher joined the very missions-minded new organization. Trasher worked 25 years--from 1929 to 1954--without a furlough. the time of her death in 1961, the Lillian Trasher Orphanage had grown to some 1200 children. the institution is entirely the responsibility of the Assemblies of God of Egypt, with some 85% of its daily needs being met by donations from the Presbyterian churches of Egypt, the Soul Salvation Society, and other Egyptian church bodies. Lillian lies buried in a simple Egyptian tomb several miles outside the city of Assiout. from Wikipedia

Egypt, 1944-1994, Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, saw tLord a15, special blessing lElisha, visions
Armenia, 1944-1994, Paisios otHoly Mountain, fCappadocia, Armenia (Central Anatolia, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates, Kizilirmak River), saw the Lord at 15, carpenter at 15, Soldier Greek Civil War 1945-49, to Greece exchange of populations, Kephalonia Is, special blessing bArsenios, monk prophesy, Konitsa in Epeiros, repelled demonic assault wPhilotimo thought, humble t, tἘsphigmenou MAthos, tPhilotheou, idiorhythmic, alone, small schema, professed monastic, tMonastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, tMt Sinai, St Catherins's M, false dLight, beloved bBedouins, cookies fChildren, cross handiwork, more grace, rtMA, Earth sojourner, devine mysteries, conversed wSaints appearing before him, Guardian Angel vision, angelic hymns, shone wHeavenly light, 1966 illness, part lungs r, Convent at Sourote, Thessaloniki, btKatounakia, Lavriote keli oHypatios (Vlachika), uncreated light vision, saints, MOG, &Christ, discussed church matters wEuphemia, illness lMA, returned, Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes, many visitors, 1980s leli aKoutloumousiou, 1993 hemorage, hospitalized, tSourote, tumor large intestine, no medicine painkillers; St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ; St Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai; Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Father Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain was born to devout parents, Pródromos and Eulampίa Enzepίdē, Phárasa in Cappadocia on July 25, 1924. before the family left for Greece because of the exchange of populations,1 he was baptized by Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia (November 10). godfather wanted to name the child Christos, after his grandfather, Archimandrite Arsenios, the parish priest, refused saying, "Not so! He shall be called Arsenios. You shall have many other children, but I am a monk; I will have no children. I want him to be a reminder of me." Arsenios, a man who lived a most holy life, also foretold that he was leaving a monk in his place. gave the child a special blessing, and so, like Elijah and Elisha,2 grace passed from the Spiritual Father to his child. also predicted that he himself would not live more than forty days after he arrived in Greece. Forty days after their arrival in Greece, Saint Arsenios went to the Lord and was buried on the island of Kephaloniá. Greece, the family of little Arsenios settled in Konitsa in Epeiros, he spent his childhood and youth. Nurtured with stories about the wondrous life of Saint Arsenios, the boy, at the age of five, declared that he would become a monk. he learned to read, he was loved by those who had not been taught. went into the forest to study and pray in silence. in the Lives of the Saints, he tried to imitate their ascetical contests with fervent zeal and astonishing exactness. At the same time, he cultivated the virtues of humility and love. completing his studies, Arsenios did not wish to continue with his education, preferring to imitate Christ, and so he learned the trade of a carpenter, which he practiced with diligence and skill. the age of fifteen, he was deemed worthy of seeing the Lord, because of one philotimo3 thought, by which he repelled a demonic assault and a temptation toward impiety. From that time, the fire of God's love increased in him even more, as well as a longing for the monastic life. of turmoil and upheaval followed for Greece, because of foreign occupation and civil war (1945-1949). However, he was both a citizen and a soldier during his service, displaying unparalleled courage and self-sacrifice. Sometimes he volunteered to take the place of married men with families, who were about to be sent to the Front. He was willing to give every moment, and even his life, to save others. In fact, he was often in the line of fire. Not only did he protect many soldiers by his fervent prayers, but he also guarded himself in a miraculous way. most of his military service Arsenios served as a radio operator. He said that they all felt secure only when they communicated with their Division every hour. "When our communication was limited to every two hours," he revealed later, "we felt a bit insecure. Sometimes, when we could be in touch with them just twice a day, we felt uncomfortable, lonely, and lost. The same thing applies to our prayers. The more we pray, the more we feel secure, on a spiritual basis, of course." all these things, he wanted to embrace the angelic life of monasticism, which gives wings of divine love.4 Thus, he went to the Holy Mountain seeking a guide to a life of godly silence. However, he did not manage to fulfill his desire right away. At the same time, people found themselves in great economic difficulty when they called on him for help. Thus, he returned to Konitsa and worked as a carpenter. In 1953, at the age of 29, he forsook the world and went to the Holy Mountain. visiting various Skḗtēs and Kalyves,5 the Saint finally followed the advice of a venerable Elder and joined the brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Ἐsphigmenou, known at the time for its strictness. There he lived in the midst of everyone and engaged in severe asceticism, surpassing the others in his labors for the grace of Christ and his brethren. Then, on March 27, 1954, he was tonsured and received the name Averkios. But desiring a stricter life of asceticism, he received the Igoumen's blessing and went to live in the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, which was then idiorhythmic. Under the guidance of a hermit, they lived a very strict ascetical life. When his Elder reposed, he left and went to another hermit. This Elder would greet people he had never met by name, and that is what he did with Father Averkios. However, he did not permit Father to live with him. Instead, he told him to take care of another old and sick hermit, and then come back to him for Confession. In this way, Father Averkios prepared himself for the eremitic life, under the guidance of a wise monk, Elder Simeon. March 12, 1956 he was tonsured into the Small Schema and received the name Paϊsios (which means "child"), thanks to Metropolitan Paϊsios II of Caesarea, who was also his compatriot. August 1958, heeding divine counsel, he did not move to the desert, for which he was being prepared, but into the ruined Monastery of the Mother of God of Stomio, which is located near Konitsa. There he lived for four years, living an angelic life, struggling with temptation, working for the people of the region, saving many from the false teachings of Protestant sects who were actiive in their midst, and restored the Monastery with a great deal of labor. 1962, when the work of restoration and the danger from heterodox groups was ended, he left. The Saint pleaded fervently with God to remove the temptations which besieged him every day, and to show him the path he must follow. So, he accepted the invitation of a certain Hierodeacon to accompany him to the God-trodden Mount Sinai. In this waterless place, in the kelli6 of Saints Galaktion and Epistḗmē (November 5) near Saint Katherine's Monastery, living in solitude and in asceticism. One day, as he searched for matches to light his lamp in order to read, a light shone in his cell showing where the matches were. Father Paϊsios did not trust this, so he made the Sign of the Cross, and the light disappeared. At last he lived as he had wanted to live for years, alone and near God. was beloved by the Bedouins, giving them food and money which he earned by selling to the pilgrims wooden crosses that he made himself. The Arab children in the area often visited Father Paϊsios. He wished that he had something to give them, but when he brought his handiwork to the Monastery he asked for some cookies and was told that he had to bring more handiwork to obtain cookies. Father Paϊsios shortened his Prayer Rule and spent more time for his handiwork so that he might have cookies for the children. By this act of love, he discerned that he received even more grace from God. to Mount Athos in 1964, he did not cease his ascetical contests despite his bodily ailments, but maintained his former fervor in his soul. So, living as a stranger and a sojourner on the earth (Genesis 23:4, LXX), he became a citizen of the Heavens. He attained the heights and became a partaker of divine mysteries, with the blessing of the Mother of God. In addition, he conversed with the Saints who appeared before him, and he had a vision of his Guardian Angel. He also heard angelic hymns, and he shone with heavenly light. 1966 he became seriously ill and was admitted to the Center for Thoracic Diseases of Northern Greece (Papanikolaou Hospital). He had a major operation, which resulted in the partial removal of his lungs. Some young women who wished to become nuns donated their blood for his operation. When he recovered he helped them to establish their Convent at Sourotḗ, and was able return to the Holy Mountain. He recuperated at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist in Sourotḗ in Thessaloniki, and returned to the Holy Mountain after his recovery. 1967, he moved to Katounákia, specifically to the Lavriote kelli of Hypatios (Vlachika), where he had a vision of the Uncreated Light. He also saw various Saints, the Mother of God, and even Christ Himself. On one occasion, he was visited by Saint Euphēmίa, with whom he discussed certain Church matters. August 12, 1968, Saint Paϊsios came to the Holy Monastery of Stavronikita and lived alone in the kelli of the Holy Cross. There he was tonsured into the Great Schema by the Russian Elder Tikhon, who had the gift of tears. After the latter's repose, Father Paϊsios would visit the Elder's grave to ask him questions, and Father Tikhon would reply from the grave. Paϊsios became ill shortly afterward, and had to leave the Holy Mountain. Then he lived for a time in a monastery in northern Greece. As a consolation, he took with him the relics of Saint Arsenios, who had baptized him. Father Paϊsios did return to Mount Athos and settled in a cell. 1979 he left Holy Cross and, looking for a kelli, went to the Panagouda kelli of Koutloumousίou Monastery, near Karyes. He worked hard to create a kelli with a "Confessor", where he stayed until the end of his life. From the time he settled in Panagouda, a large number of people visited him. In fact, it got so crowded that there were special markers showing the way to his cell, so that the monks would not be disturbed by so many visitors. He also received too many letters. As the Saint said, he became very upset by reading the letters, because he learned only about divorces and mental or physical illnesses. Despite his busy schedule, he continued his intense ascetical life, pausing to rest only two or three hours a day. But he continued to receive and help visitors. He also used to make small printed icons which he gave to them as a blessing. the daily fatigue of Saint Paϊsios, some health problems were added, which tormented him. In the final years of his life, the pains of various diseases such as colitis, which left him permanently dyspeptic, an inguinal hernia, and especially from the cancer with which he had been diagnosed. There was more and more of this, nevertheless, he was calm and did not complain at all. On the contrary, he continued to pray for everyone. the early 1980s he moved near Karyes, to a kelli at Koutloumousίou. 1993 he began to hemorrhage, for which he was hospitalized, saying that "everything will be done, it is convenient for me." In November of the same year, he left the Holy Mountain for the last time, and went to Sourotḗ, to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian for its Feast Day; and later for the Feast of Saint Arsenios (November 10). He stayed for a few days, but when he was preparing to leave, he fell ill and was taken to Theageneio, where he was diagnosed with a tumor in the large intestine. asked God to grant him bodily and spiritual health. On February 4, 1994, he underwent surgery. The disease was not halted, but it metastasized to the lungs and to the liver. The Saint announced his desire to return to the Holy Mountain on June 13, but a high fever and shortness of breath forced him to remain. At the end of June, his doctors announced that he had only two or three weeks to live at most. On Monday, July 11, 1994 (the Feast of Saint Euphēmίa), Father Paϊsios received Holy Communion for the last time, kneeling by his bed. In the last days of his life he decided not to take medicines or painkillers, despite the horrible pains of his sickness. He reposed on Tuesday, July 12, 1994 at 11:00 and was buried in the Holy Hesychasterion of Saint John the Theologian in Sourotḗ, Thessaloniki, next to Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose Life was written by Saint Paϊsios. January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople met and decided to include Saint Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church. May his blessing be upon us. 1 Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Greeks living in Asia Minor were forced to move to Greece, and Turks living in Greece had to return to Turkey. 2 4 Kings 2:15 (Septuagint). 3 According to Saint Paϊsios, philotimo is a reverent distribution of goodness, the love shown by humble persons, from which every trace of self (ego) has been rooted out. Their hearts are filled with gratitude toward God and to their fellow man; and out of spiritual sensitivity, they try to repay the slightest good which others do to them. 4 "Life is blessed for those in the wilderness, as they fly upon the wings of divine love" (Sunday Matins: Hymn of Degrees, Tone 5, First Antiphon). 5 Skḗtē: Typically a settlement of hermits near a common church, known as the kyriakon. Kalyva: cells gathered around a church. 6 A monk's cell, or a monastic establishment consisting of a building with a chapel in it, and some land. Usually, a kelli was inhabited by three monks.

Egypt, 9999, Century Not Known Folder

Egypt, 9999, Patapius of Thebes, wished silence but many people came every day, healing gift, Woman wWorms in Breasts story
Egypt, 9999, Patapius of Thebes, Egypt (Nile River 13), tEgyptian Desert a13, wished silence but people came, offered rest hospatality spiritual instructions salvation counsel, rep spread quickly, many arrived every day, later tBlachernae, same thing plus gift oHealing, Woman wCancer story, worms from her breasts, pain throughout body, c reached her heart, near death, begged P heal her, if you have faith in Lord, &no doubt, let it be done to your faith, she said I believe, Lord you know all, you are all powerful, therfore have mercy and heal me, P asked to see breasts, your affliction is great&difficult to cure, go in peace you will not suffer any more, instantly healed when he said this, went home rejoicing, told everyone, praised P; Thebes, Egypt; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated December 8 ; Patapios was born at Thebes into a pious Christian family. the age of maturity, he scorned the vanity of this world, and so he went into the Egyptian desert where he became known for his ascetic deeds. he wished to live in silence, people began coming to him for advice. every tired pilgrim who visited his cell, he offered rest and hospitality, as well as spiritual instructions and profitable counsel for the salvation of one's soul., Saint's reputation spread quickly, and every day many arrived at his cell in order to hear these beneficial instructions from his lips. he went to Constantinople, where he had a cell by the city wall, near the Blachernae church. even here, he soon became known. infirm started to gather around Patapios, and because he had been granted the gift of healing, he helped all those in need. a certain woman was afflicted by the terrible disease of cancer, and worms came forth from her breasts. only did she suffer a great deal of pain in her chest, but throughout her entire body as well. was in constant pain, and it reached her heart, so that she was near death. doctors could not help her, and she felt she was wasting her money without obtaining relief. Therefore, she came to Saint Patapios and fell at his feet, begging him to heal her. worms were devouring her flesh even before she was in the grave, causing her such pain that she longed for death. Saint answered, "If you have faith in the Lord, and have no doubt that you shall be healed, then let it be done according to your faith." from the depths of her soul, she said, "I believe, O Lord that You know all things which are hidden and unknown, and that You are all-powerful. Therefore, have mercy on me and heal me." the Saint asked the woman to let him see the effects of her distress. When he saw the ravages of the disease, he was struck with awe, saying, "Your affliction is indeed great, and difficult to cure. Go in peace, for you shall not suffer anymore." soon as he said this, the woman was healed and went home rejoicing and glorifying God. told of this miracle everywhere, and praised Saint Patapios. a life adorned with virtue and miracles, Saint Patapios fell asleep in the Lord and was buried in the church of Saint John the Baptist.

Egypt, 9999, Martha, Mary&Bro Lycarion iEgypt, M&M desired martyrdom, forced Pagan Commander tCrucify them wTheir brother
Egypt, 9999, Martha, Mary and their Brother Lycarion iEgypt (aka Rahab), M&M fervently desired tSuffer for Lord Jesus Christ, Pagan Commander marched past their house, sisters went out to him and loudly declared themselves Christians, he ignored them, they continued, they arrested with their Brother Lycarion, all 3 crucified, their mother came out and encouraged them, sisters pierced wSpears, Lykarion beheaded; Egypt; Rahab; Virgin Martyrs Martha and Mary, and their brother Lycarion, in Egypt, Commemorated on February 6; holy virgin martyrs Martha and Mary were sisters who lived in Asia Minor, and fervently desired to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. a pagan military commander marched past their house. sisters went out to him and loudly declared that they were Christians. first the commander paid no attention to them, but they persistently shouted after him, repeating their confession. were arrested together with their brother Lykarion. three were crucified, during the execution their mother came to them, encouraging them in their sufferings for Christ. sisters were pierced with spears, Lykarion was beheaded by the sword.

Egypt, Goshen, Alexandria Side Folder

Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt
Alexandria;

Goshen Land
Goshen Land; land of Goshen (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן or ארץ גושן‎ Eretz Gošen) is named in the Hebrew Bible as the place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh of Joseph (Book of Genesis, Genesis 45:9–10), and the land from which they later left Egypt at the time of the Exodus. It is believed to have been located in the eastern Nile Delta, lower Egypt; perhaps at or near Avaris, the seat of power of the Hyksos kings. of the name the Septuagint reading "Gesem" is correct, the word, which in its Hebrew form has no known meaning, may mean "cultivated"—comparing the Arabic root j-š-m, "to labor".[citation needed] have suggested a connection with the Egyptian word qis, meaning "inundated land".[citation needed] Because Goshen was apparently the same region, called by the Greeks the "Arabian nome," which had its capital at Phakousa. The name represented the Egyptian Pa-qas (Brugsch, Geog., I, 298), the name of a town, with the determinative for "pouring forth".[1] Donald Redford, while not disputing the location of Goshen, gives a different origin for the name, deriving it from "Gasmu," the rulers of the Bedouin Qedarites who occupied the eastern Delta from the 7th century BCE, but John Van Seters thinks this unlikely.[2] in Egypt of Goshen rouge croix frontier vert green.gif to the Joseph narrative in the Book of Genesis, the sons of Jacob (Israel) who were living in Hebron, experienced a severe famine that lasted for seven years. Word was that Egypt was the only kingdom able to supply food, and thus the sons of Jacob (Israel) journeyed there to buy goods. the second year of famine,[3] the Vizier of Egypt, Joseph,[4][5] invited the sons of Israel to live in Egyptian territory. settled in the country of Goshen.[6] is described as the best land in Egypt, suitable for both crops and livestock. has been suggested that this location may have been somewhat apart from Egypt, because Genesis 46:34 states, "Ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians." the death of Joseph and those of his generation, the following generations of Israelites had become populous in number. The Egyptians feared potential integration or takeover, so they enslaved the Israelites. hundred thirty years later, to the day,[7] Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, from Goshen (Ramesses) to Succoth,[8] the first waypoint of the Exodus. pitched at 41 locations after initially crossing the Nile Delta to the east, and then also crossing the Red Sea, to the last station being the "plains of Moab".[9] of Goshen is located in Egypt PithomPithomRaamsesRaamsesOnOn Locations of Pithom, Raamses and On (Heliopolis) in northern Egypt 1885, Édouard Naville identified Goshen as the 20th nome of Egypt, located in the eastern Delta, and known as "Gesem" or "Kesem" during the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt (672–525 BCE). It covered the western end of the Wadi Tumilat, the eastern end being the district of Succoth, which had Pithom as its main town, extended north as far as the ruins of Pi-Ramesses (the "land of Rameses"), and included both crop land and grazing land.[10]

Catechetical School of Alexandria, St Mark, 62-400
Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria;

Library at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, by P II Philadelphus in 285 BC
Library at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt; Alexandria;

Pharos Island, lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt
Pharos Island, Alexandria, Egypt;

Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark in 62, or Pantaenus in 181
Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark, AD 50 Approx.; The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and priests in Alexandria.[1] The teachers and students of the school (also known as the Didascalium) were influential in many of the early theological controversies of the Christian church. It was one of the two major centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity, the other being the School of Antioch. According to Jerome the Alexandrian school was founded by John Mark the Apostle. The earliest recorded dean was supposedly Athenagoras (176).[citation needed] He was succeeded by Pantaenus 181, who was succeeded as head of the school by his student Clement of Alexandria in 190.[2] Other notable theologians with a connection to the school include Origen, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Heraclas, Dionysius "the Great", and Didymus the Blind. Others, including Jerome and Basil, made trips to the school to interact with the scholars there. Continuity with the ancient school is claimed by the Coptic Theological Seminary, Cairo.

El Alamein
El Alamein; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11;

Monastery of Saint Mina
Monastery of Saint Mina; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11;

Egypt, Goshen, Alexandria side, Egyptian Desert Locations Folder
There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile.

Egyptian desert
Egyptian Desert (Nitrian Desert) ; There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile.

Egyptian Desert Fathers (Scetes Desert)
Scetis ;

one of the Egyptian monasteries
one of the Egyptian monasteries Venerable Pimen the Great. St. Pimen was Located at one of the Egyptian Monestaries.;

Syrian Monastery, Egypt, 6th Century
Syrian Monastery, Egypt, 6th Century;

Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert, 360
Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Sketis Desert;

Paromeos Monastery, Sketis Desert, 335
Paromeos Monastery, Sketis Desert;

Monastery of Saint Pishoy, 4th Century
Monastery of Saint Pishoy, 4th Century;

Egyptian Sand Sea
Egyptian Sand Sea, Egyptian Desert;

Scetes monasteries, Egyptian Desert, 330, 360 of them
Scetes monestary;

Scetis, Egyptian Desert
Scetis ; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Achilles, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Nitrian desert and Caves of Scetis
Nitrian desert; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Lot of Egypt, Commemorated on October 22; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Nitrean Desert (Egyptian Hermits)
Nitria; Nitrian Desert ;

Monestary of the Cells (Kellia), Egyptian Desert, 338
Monestary of the Cells (Kellia), Egyptian Desert, 338;

Nitria (first Lavra, Lake Nitria) 330
Nitria; Nitrian Desert ;

Lake Nitria
Lake Nitria, Lake Nitria is one kilometer south of Nitria;

Canopis, Egypt
Canopis, Egypt ;

Manuphin, Egypt (village nearby Canopis)
Canopis, Egypt ;

Salamis monastery near Alexandria, Egypt
Salamis monastery, somewhere near Alexandria;

Antipolis (opposite (other side from)) Alexandria
Antipolis (opposite (other side from)) Alexandria;

St Menas Monastery southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery, 650
St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ;

St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery, 650
St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ;

Egypt, Goshen, Pelusium Side Folder

Egypt, Goshen, Pelusium Side, Way of the Sea Folder (Egypt to Syria) Pelusium

Way of the Sea 1 (El-Qantarah)

Way of the Sea 2 (Pelusium)

Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Mt Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt
Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9;

Way of the Sea 3 (Arish, Egypt)

Way of the Sea 4 (Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine)

Way of the Sea 5 (Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine)

Way of the Sea (Askalon, Gaza Strip, Palestine)

Way of the Sea 6 (Ashdod, Gaza Strip, Palestine)

Way of the Sea 7 (Joppa, Israel)

Way of the Sea 8 (Caesarea, Dor, Israel)

Way of the Sea 9 (Megiddo, Israel)

Way of the Sea 10 (Jezreel Valley)

Way of the Sea 11 (Tiberias, Israel)

Way of the Sea 12 (Migdal, Israel)

Way of the Sea 13 (Capernaum, Israel)

Way of the Sea 14 (Hazor, Israel)

Way of the Sea 15 (Jacob's Ford, Israel)

Way of the Sea 16 (Golan Heights, Israel)

Way of the Sea 17 (Damascas, Syria)

Egypt, Goshen, Pelusium Side, Kings Highway Folder, Heliopolis

Heliopolis, Egypt (intersection Kings HWY and Way to the Sea)
Heliopolis, Egypt ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Damietta, Goshen, Egypt
Damietta, Egypt ; Louis IX, (25 August 1270) ;

Tanis, Egypt
Tanis or Tathnis; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Zoan (Pi-Ramses), Moses' Miracles before Pharoh
Zoan (Pi-Ramses); Psalm 78: Part II ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Ramses City, Goshen, aka Zoan (Pi-Ramses), Moses' Miracles before Pharoh
Zoan (Pi-Ramses); Psalm 78: Part II Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Avaris Egypt, Home of the Pharoh's
Avaris Egypt, Home of the Pharoh's ; Righteous Joseph the Patriarch, Commemorated on March 31;

Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times, 597 BC
Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Thmuis, Egypt (Goshen or Lower Egypt)
Thmuis; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Saint Serapion, Bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt, Commemorated on March 21;

Mansurah, Goshen, Egypt
Mansurah, Egypt ; Louis IX (25 August 1270) ;

Cairo, Egypt (Goshen, Pelusium Side)
Cairo, Egypt; Venerable Akepsimas the Hermit of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated November 3 ;

Egypt, Nile River Folder, Thebaid, Tabenna and Cairo

Nile River

Blue Nile 19 (Egypt)

Nile River Way (Alexandria)

Nile River Source 1 (Blue Nile Spring Mt Gish, Ethiopia)
Mt Gish Blue Nile Spring (sacred source of the Nile, at 9,000 ft elevation, in Ethiopia); Gish Abay Spring;

Nile River Source 2 (Blue Nile and White Nile confluence, Sudan)

Nile River 1 (Shendi, Sudan)

Nile River 2 (Atbara, Sudan)

Abarta River Mouth (Nile River 2)

Nile River 3

Nile River 4

Nile River 5

Nile River 9 (Sudan)

Nile River 10 (Egypt)

Nile River 11 (Aswan Dam)

Syene, Aswan, named for Syenite
Syene, Aswan, named for Syenite;

Nile River 12 (Tabenna)

Tabenna, Upper Egypt (Nile River 12)
Tabenna, in Upper Egypt; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Maria's monestary, 323
Maria's monestary on the other side of the Nile from Tabenna which is located on an Island in the Nile (this is the largest island?) near Thebes. Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15;

Tabennisi monastery (Nile River 12) 323
Tabennisi monastery on Tabenna (probably the largest island in upper Egypt); Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Pachomius' Tabennisi monastery (Nile River 12) 323
Tabennisi monastery on Tabenna (probably the largest island in upper Egypt); Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Pathysian desert could be near Pathris, Egypt
Pathysian desert could be near Pathris, Egypt, on the Nile ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Nile River 13 (Thebes, Thebaid)

Thebaid Region (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13)
Thebaid; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Thebaid Region of Ancient Egypt; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 3 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Thebes, Egypt (Nile River 13)
Thebes, Egypt; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable John the Chozebite, Commemorated on October 28; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated December 8 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12;

Pathros, aka Thebaid, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Pathros, aka Thebaid, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Shenesit (Nile River 13), Anthony's Fort
Shenesit; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15;

Anthony's Fort Across the River from Thebaid, Shenesit (Nile River 13)
Shenesit; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15;

Nile River 14 (Assiout)

Lycopolis, Middle Egypt (Nile River 14)
Lycopolis; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27;

Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14)
Assiout, Egypt; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ;

Lillian Trasher Orphanage, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14) 1912
Lillian Trasher Orphanage, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14); Assiout, Egypt; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ;

Nile River 15 (Hermopolis and Antinoe)

Hermopolis, Middle Egypt (Nile River 15)
Hermopolis (Nile River); St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Bishop Dioscorus; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12 ;

desert of Hermopolis
desert of Hermopolis; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ;

Antinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15)
Antinoe or Antinopolis; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31

Nile River 16 (Oxyrhynchos)

Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid, Nile River 16)
Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, Hermits, of Egypt, Commemorated on June 12;

Anthony the Great's monastery, East of Nile 16 on Gulf of Suez
Anthony the Great's monastery; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; ANTONY OF EGYPT, MONASTIC (17 JAN 356);

Heracleopolis, Egypt

Nile River 17 (Memphis)

Nile River Mouth (Heliopolis, Cairo, Nile Delta, Mediteranean Sea)

Cairo, Egypt (Nile River Mouth)
Cairo, Egypt; Venerable Akepsimas the Hermit of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated November 3 ;

Church of Saint Menas (Cairo)
Church of Saint Menas (Cairo); Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11

Babylon Fortress, Egypt (Nile River & Pharonic Canal to Red Sea)
Babylon Fortress, Egypt; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on June 4; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4;

Pharonic Canal Folder (Canal of the Pharaohs, Mediteranian Sea, Nile River to Red Sea)

Zagazig (Pharonic Canal 1)

Pharonic Canal (connects Mediteranean Sea, Nile River, Red Sea)
Pharonic Canal; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31;

Pharonic Canal 2 & Kings Highway 2 (Clysma, Egypt)

Bable, Egypt (Babylon Fortress)
Babylon Fortress, Egypt; Saint Apollonios (Apollo) of the Egyptian Thebaid, Commemorated on May 31; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4;

Memphis, Egypt (Nile River 17)
Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

Itjtawy, Egyptian Capitol, near Memphis
Itjtawy, Egyptian Capitol; iis the name of the royal city founded as a new capital by Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian King Amenemhat I, who ruled from approximately 1991 BC to 1962 BC, during year 20 of his reign.[1] As yet, the exact location of the royal city remains unidentified. Itjtawy is known to have been located in the Faiyum region and documentation exists that its cemeteries were located at Lisht, el-Lahun, and Dahshur. of the capital may have been a strategic move. The site for Itjtawy may have been chosen for its proximity to the source of Asiatic incursions into Egypt, in order to help prevent further attacks.[2] Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ; Holy Prophet and God-Seer Moses was of the tribe of Levi, the son of Abram and Jochabed (Exodus 6:20). His life is described in the Bible (Exodus 2 through Deuteronomy 34:12). was born in Egypt around 1689 B.C. When Pharaoh ordered all male children of the Hebrew slaves to be killed (Exodus 1:22), Moses’ mother placed him in a basket of papyrus coated with pitch, and set him adrift on the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and raised him as her own son. the age of eighty, Moses fled to Midian, where he spoke to God in the Burning Bush on Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3:2). God chose Moses to lead His people from the slavery of Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land, and for forty years they wandered in the desert. in the land of Moab, Moses went to the top of Mt. Nabau, or Nebo (Deuteronomy 32:49), which is called Phasga (Deut. 34:1). There, according to the will of God, he died in 1569 B.C. at the age of 120 without entering the Promised Land. first two Biblical Odes are attributed to Moses: “Let us sing to the Lord...” (Exodus 15:1-9), which was sung on the shores of the Red Sea after the Hebrews had crossed it. “Attend, O heaven...” (Deut. 32:1-43) was sung in the land of Moab, a few days before Moses’ death. He is also regarded as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). holy Prophet Moses performed many miracles during his lifetime, and also after his death. He appeared on Tabor with the Prophet Elias at the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6). the day that Saint John of the Ladder (March 30) was installed as abbot of Mt. Sinai, the Prophet Moses was seen going around and giving orders to the cooks, stewards, and servants. When the guests had gone and the monks were sitting at table, they wondered what had become of the stranger who had been giving orders. Saint John said, “Our Lord Moses does nothing strange by serving in the place which belongs to him.”

Troe, only mountain near Memphis, Egypt
Troe, only mountain near Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

Egypt, Sinai Peninsula Folder, Sinai Monastery, an icon of Horeb in Median

Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Sinai Peninsula; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Sinai Desert, Egypt
Sinai Desert, Egypt; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3;

Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt
Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Mount Horeb (Sinai) in Egypt
Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt, 565
St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ; St Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai; Venerable Paϊsios of the Holy Mountain, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 11; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush", Commemorated September 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Sinai monastery, Egypt, 565
Sinai monastery; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated November 29 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Goshen to Red Sea Crossing at Nevitot
Distance: 531 km (about 8 hours 16 mins)
Map data ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â‚ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â©2011 ORION-ME

Raithu, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Raithu; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30;

Hazeroth, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Hazeroth, in Numbers Chapters 11, 12 and 33

Elim, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Elim, The Desert of Sin is between Elim and Mt Horeb (Mt Sinai) in Midian; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14;

Mara in the Wilderness of Shur, Sinai, Egypt
Mara in the Wilderness of Shur, Egypt;

Mount Publion - Near Mt Sinai in Egypt
Mount Publion - Near Mt Sinai in Egypt; Martyrs Galaction and his wife, Epistemis, at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5;

Egypt (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers and places Folder

Egypt (Clean), its Area
Egypt, its Area

Egypt (Clean) Egyptian Desert, its Area
Continental Divides - Egyptian Desert

Egypt (aka Rahab)
Egypt; Rahab;

Egypt (Clean), Cairo and Memphis Folder, Southern Tip of Goshen

Memphis, Egypt
Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon;

Church of Saint Menas (Cairo)
Church of Saint Menas (Cairo);

Babylon Fortress, Egypt (Nile River & Pharonic Canal to Red Sea)
Babylon Fortress, Egypt;

Egypt (Clean), Goshen, Pelusium Side Folder

Mt Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium; Virgin Abbess Sarah of Sketis in Libya, Commemorated on July 13;

Egypt (Clean), Goshen, Pelusium Side, Way of the Sea Folder - centered on Zoan

Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium;

Mt Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium;

Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt
Ostrachina, Northeast Goshen, Egypt;

Egypt (Clean), Goshen, Pelusium Side, Kings Highway Folder, Heliopolis

Heliopolis, Egypt (intersection Kings HWY and Way to the Sea)
Heliopolis, Egypt ;

Damietta, Goshen, Egypt
Damietta, Egypt ;

Tanis, Egypt
Tanis or Tathnis;

Zoan (Pi-Ramses), Moses' Miracles before Pharoh
Zoan (Pi-Ramses); Psalm 78: Part II ;

Ramses City, Goshen, aka Zoan (Pi-Ramses), Moses' Miracles before Pharoh
Zoan (Pi-Ramses); Psalm 78: Part II

Avaris Egypt, Home of the Pharoh's
Avaris Egypt, Home of the Pharoh's ;

Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times, 597 BC
Tathnis aka Tahpanhes, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times;

Thmuis, Egypt (Goshen or Lower Egypt)
Thmuis;

Mansurah, Goshen, Egypt
Mansurah, Egypt ;

Cairo, Egypt (Goshen, Pelusium Side)
Cairo, Egypt;

Egypt (Clean), Goshen, Alexandria Side Folder

El Alamein
El Alamein;

Monastery of Saint Mina
Monastery of Saint Mina;

Egypt (Clean), Goshen, Alexandria side, Egyptian Desert Locations Folder
There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile.

Egyptian desert
Egyptian Desert (Nitrian Desert) ;

Egyptian Desert Fathers (Scetes Desert)
Scetis ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated August 16; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405 ; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated August 28 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt,Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

one of the Egyptian monasteries
one of the Egyptian monasteries Venerable Pimen the Great. St. Pimen was Located at one of the Egyptian Monestaries.; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29;

Egyptian Sand Sea
Egyptian Sand Sea, Egyptian Desert; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Scetis, Egyptian Desert
Scetis ;

Nitrian desert and Caves of Scetis
Nitrian desert;

Nitria (first Lavra, Lake Nitria) 330
Nitria;

Lake Nitria
Lake Nitria, Lake Nitria is one kilometer south of Nitria; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5;

Canopis, Egypt
Canopis, Egypt ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.â€ Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping. Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Translation of the Relics of the holy and wonderworking Unmercenaries Cyrus and John, Commemorated on June 28; Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs, Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cyrus and John from the city of Konopa, near Alexandria (where they suffered in the year 311) to the nearby village of Manuphin, took place in the year 412. Egyptian village prompted fear in everyone, since in a former time there was a pagan temple inhabited by evil spirits. Theophilus (385-412) wanted to cleanse this place of demons, but he died. His wish was fulfilled by his successor in the See of Alexandria, the holy Patriarch Cyril (412-444). prayed fervently in carrying out this project. An angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to the hierarch and commanded the venerable relics of Saints Cyrus and John be transferred to Manuphin. His Holiness Patriarch Cyril did the angel’s bidding and built a church at Manuphin in the name of the holy martyrs. that time this place was purified of the Enemy’s influence, and by the prayers of the holy Martyrs Cyrus and John there began to occur many miracles, healings of the sick and infirm. An account Saints Cyrus and John is located under January 31.

Manuphin, Egypt (village nearby Canopis)
Canopis, Egypt ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.â€ Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping. Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.â€ Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness. the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower. learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ. Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom. the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28). Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping. Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Translation of the Relics of the holy and wonderworking Unmercenaries Cyrus and John, Commemorated on June 28; Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Martyrs, Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cyrus and John from the city of Konopa, near Alexandria (where they suffered in the year 311) to the nearby village of Manuphin, took place in the year 412. Egyptian village prompted fear in everyone, since in a former time there was a pagan temple inhabited by evil spirits. Theophilus (385-412) wanted to cleanse this place of demons, but he died. His wish was fulfilled by his successor in the See of Alexandria, the holy Patriarch Cyril (412-444). prayed fervently in carrying out this project. An angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to the hierarch and commanded the venerable relics of Saints Cyrus and John be transferred to Manuphin. His Holiness Patriarch Cyril did the angel’s bidding and built a church at Manuphin in the name of the holy martyrs. that time this place was purified of the Enemy’s influence, and by the prayers of the holy Martyrs Cyrus and John there began to occur many miracles, healings of the sick and infirm. An account Saints Cyrus and John is located under January 31.

Salamis monastery near Alexandria, Egypt
Salamis monastery, somewhere near Alexandria; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 31 ;

Antipolis (opposite (other side from)) Alexandria
Antipolis (opposite (other side from)) Alexandria; Virginmartyr Rhais of Alexandria, Commemorated September 5 ; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ;

St Menas Monastery southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery, 650
St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11 ; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ;

Egypt (Clean, Nile River Folder, Thebaid, Tabenna and Cairo)

Maria's monestary, 323
Maria's monestary on the other side of the Nile from Tabenna which is located on an Island in the Nile (this is the largest island?) near Thebes.

Tabennisi monastery (Nile River 12) 323
Tabennisi monastery on Tabenna (probably the largest island in upper Egypt);

Pachomius' Tabennisi monastery (Nile River 12) 323
Tabennisi monastery on Tabenna (probably the largest island in upper Egypt);

Pathysian desert could be near Pathris, Egypt
Pathysian desert could be near Pathris, Egypt, on the Nile ;

Thebaid Region (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13)
Thebaid;

Thebaid Region (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13), Thebaid Desert
Thebaid;

Thebes, Egypt (Nile River 13)
Thebes, Egypt;

Pathros, aka Thebaid, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Pathros, aka Thebaid, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times;

Shenesit (Nile River 13), Anthony's Fort
Shenesit;

Anthony's Fort Across the River from Thebaid, Shenesit (Nile River 13)
Shenesit;

Lycopolis, Middle Egypt (Nile River 14)
Lycopolis;

Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14)
Assiout, Egypt;

Lillian Trasher Orphanage, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14) 1912
Lillian Trasher Orphanage, Assiout, Egypt (Nile River 14); Assiout, Egypt;

Hermopolis, Middle Egypt (Nile River 15)
Hermopolis (Nile River);

desert of Hermopolis
desert of Hermopolis;

Antinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15)
Antinoe or Antinopolis;

Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid, Nile River 16)
Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid);

Anthony the Great's monastery, East of Nile 16 on Gulf of Suez
Anthony the Great's monastery; <

Cairo, Egypt (Nile River Mouth)
Cairo, Egypt;

Bable, Egypt (Babylon Fortress)
Babylon Fortress, Egypt;

Memphis, Egypt (Nile River 17)
Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon;

Itjtawy, Egyptian Capitol, near Memphis
Itjtawy, Egyptian Capitol; iis the name of the royal city founded as a new capital by Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian King Amenemhat I, who ruled from approximately 1991 BC to 1962 BC, during year 20 of his reign.[1] As yet, the exact location of the royal city remains unidentified. Itjtawy is known to have been located in the Faiyum region and documentation exists that its cemeteries were located at Lisht, el-Lahun, and Dahshur. of the capital may have been a strategic move. The site for Itjtawy may have been chosen for its proximity to the source of Asiatic incursions into Egypt, in order to help prevent further attacks.[2]

Troe, only mountain near Memphis, Egypt
Troe, only mountain near Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon;

Egypt (Clean), Roman Road, Kings Highway

Egypt (Clean), Roman Road, Nile River Way

Tabenna, Upper Egypt (Nile River 12)
Tabenna, in Upper Egypt;

Egypt (Clean), Roman Road, Pharonic Canal

Pharonic Canal (connects Mediteranean Sea, Nile River, Red Sea)
Pharonic Canal;

Egypt (Clean), Roman Road, Way of the Sea

Egypt (Clean), Sinai Peninsula Folder

Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt
Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Like an icon, many miracles still happened in this mistaken location;

Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Sinai Peninsula;

Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt
Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location;

Sinai Desert, Egypt
Sinai Desert, Egypt;

Mount Horeb (Sinai) in Egypt
Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location;

Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt, 565
St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ; St Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai;

Sinai monastery, Egypt, 565
Sinai monastery;

Goshen to Red Sea Crossing at Nevitot
Distance: 531 km (about 8 hours 16 mins)
Map data ©2011 ORION-ME

Red Sea Crossing at Nevitot
Red Sea Crossing Path (8 mile gulf, 2 mile wide ADA compliant path under the water, 5,000 ft deep on either side, created by sand from watercourses on either side, 2 mile beaches on either side)

Exodus, Goshen to Red Sea Crossing at Nevitot
Map data ©2011 ORION-ME

Raithu, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Raithu;

Elim, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Elim, The Desert of Sin is between Elim and Mt Horeb (Mt Sinai) in Midian;

Mount Publion - Near Mt Sinai in Egypt
Mount Publion - Near Mt Sinai in Egypt;

Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt, 565
St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ;

England Folder (Roman Britain, Great Britain, British Empire)

England
England; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5 ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL; RICHARD HOOKER; WILLIAM TEMPLE; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; THOMAS TALLIS; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

British Empire - England
England; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5 ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL; RICHARD HOOKER; WILLIAM TEMPLE; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; THOMAS TALLIS; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

England, 43-410, Roman Britain
England, 43-410, Roman Britain; England, 47, Roman Britain, Londinium, AD 47 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Britain, 43-410, Roman Britain
England, 43-410, Roman Britain; England, 47, Roman Britain, Londinium, AD 47 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ;

England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16;

England, 410-1066, Anglo-Saxons
England, 410-1066, Anglo-Saxons;

England, 410-1066, Kingdom of East Anglia, Broads
England, 410-1066, Kingdom of East Anglia; Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634 ; Rendlesham; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

England, 410-461, Saint Patrick of Ireland
England, Saint, 410-461, Patrick of Ireland; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461) ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

England, 420-634, Kingdom of Bernicia, Northumbria
Kingdom of Bernicia; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

England, 450-1045, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom
England, 450-1045, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom;

England, 455-871, Kingdom of Kent
England, 455-871, Kingdom of Kent ; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

England, 527-825, Kingdom of Essex (East Saxons)
England, 527-825, Kingdom of Essex (East Saxons); St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31;

England, 559-“664, Kingdom of Deira, Yorkshire (from the Huber to the Tees, aka Vale of York)
Kingdom of Deira; Vale of York St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

England, 593-1093, House of Wessex
England, 593-1093, House of Wessex; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

England, 653-954, Kingdom of Northumbria (North Anglia)
Kingdom of Northumbria, north of the Humber Estuary from the River Tees to the River Tweed; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Adian, the bishop of Lindisfarne, Commemorated August 31; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, 793-1066, Viking Invasions of England
England, 793-1066, Viking Invasions of England; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

England, 1066-1087, King of England, William the Conqueror, Norman King
England, King of England, 1066-1087, William the Conqueror, Norman King ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109); WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095);

England, 1093-1707, Heptarchy, Kingdom of England
England, 1093-1707, Heptarchy, Kingdom of England;

England, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with France to control France
France, 1337-1453, 100 Years War, with England to control France;

England, 1517, Ninety Five Theses, Martin Luther, Protestant

England, 1642-1651, English Civil War
England, 1642-“1651, English Civil War; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688;

England, 1707-1800, Kingdom of Great Britain
England, 1707-1800, Kingdom of Great Britain;

England, 1800-Present, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

England, 1894-1962, Uganda Protectorate
England, 1894-1962, Uganda Protectorate; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain; of Britannia is a Christian saint named by Hippolytus of Rome (170-235) and Dorotheus of Gaza (505-565) as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in Luke 10:1–24 and as the first bishop in Roman Britain.[2] title in various languages[edit] Saint Aristibule the Old, Apostle, Martyr, and First Bishop of Britain Greek: Ἅγιος Ἀριστόβουλος, ἐπίσκοπος Βρετανίας, ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα,[3] translit. Hagios Aristoboulos episkopos Brettanias, adelphos tou apostolou Barnaba, transcr. (Byzantine/Modern) Aghios Apostolos Aristovoulos, episkopos Vrettanias, adelfos tou apostolou Varnava ("The Holy Apostle Aristobulus, Bishop of Britain, brother of the Apostle Barnabas") Latin: Sanctus Aristobulus Senex, Apostolus, Martyr, Episcopus Primus Britanniae Arwystli Hen Episcob Cyntaf Prydain ("Aristibule the Old, First Bishop of Britain") lists "Aristobulus, bishop of Britain" among the seventy disciples.[2] may be mentioned in the New Testament in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10: "...Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household") although this may mean members of the household of the late Aristobulus IV.[4] According to Lionel Smithett Lewis, the writings of St Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre AD 303, assert that he is the one saluted by Paul in the Epistle to the Romans.[5] : 118–121  tradition[edit] tradition says Aristobulus was the brother of the Apostle Barnabas, of Jewish Cypriot origin. Like Barnabas, he accompanied Saint Paul on his journeys.[6] He was one of the assistants of Saint Andrew,[7] along with Urban of Macedonia, Stachys, Ampliatus, Apelles of Heraklion and Narcissus of Athens (all of these names are mentioned together by St. Paul in Romans 16:8-11, which cannot be casual). On his missionary journey to Britain, he stopped to preach to the Celtiberians of northern Hispania.[7] Catholic tradition identifies Aristobulus with Zebedee, father of James and John.[8] preached and died in Roman Britain.[6] While some orthodox traditions say he "died in peace",[9] others say he was martyred in Wales.[7] Catholic tradition says he was martyred.[8] The Benedictine monk Serenus de Cressy (1605–1674) maintained that Aristobulus was ordained by St. Paul and died at Glastonbury Abbey in 99; but Michael Alford (author of Fides Regia Britannica Sive Annales Ecclesiae Britannicae) says that Aristobulus was the husband of "Mary" Salome, which makes this date appear too late.[5] Alford gives his death as "the second year of Nero" – 56.[10] Alford also asserts that "It is perfectly certain that, before St Paul had come to Rome, Aristobulus was away in Britain".[11][12] This is in accord with the date given by Gildas (c. 500–570 AD) that the "Light of Christ" shone in Britain in the last year of Emperor Tiberius.[13] However, George Smith points out that this a misinterpretation of Gildas, and asserts that the Gospel was not preached in Britain before the reign of Claudius,[14] whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. tradition[edit] these traditions, it seems that Aristobulus was the founder of British Christianity. There is no evidence for any connection with Glastonbury and John Scott shows in An Early History of Glastonbury that the legend purporting that Joseph of Arimathea founded the Abbey there is of 12th or 13th-century origin and has no basis in fact. Rather, the early writings frequently centre on Aristobulus.[5] There is no mention of Joseph prior to the Conquest. For this and other reasons, Smith also considers the account of Joseph of Arimathea a "superstitious fable of comparatively modern invention".[15] Williams identifies Aristobulus with Arwystli Hen, a "man of Italy", and one of four missionaries believed to have brought Christianity to the British Isles.[16] There is a tradition linking him to one of the medieval Welsh saints Arwstyl ap Cunedda.[17] The title "Arwystli Hen"[5]: 119  may have originated through a later British tradition. parallels[edit] of Chalcis was the son of Herod of Chalcis and Mariamme, the daughter of Olympias.[18] He married Salome, the daughter of Herod II and Herodias.[19] They had three sons: Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus.[20] Lionel Smithett Lewis maintains that this latter Aristobulus could have been the Aristobulus of Britannia,[21] and referred to by Cressy. However, it is this man's father who was the husband of Salome, as mentioned by Alford (see previous section). 55, Nero appointed Aristobulus of Chalcis as King of Armenia Minor. He participated with his forces in the Roman–Parthian War of 58–63, where he received a small portion of Armenia in exchange,[22] an area he continued to rule until 72 when Vespasian reduced the regional autonomy of some of the provinces.[23] is probable that the "Philip" (mentioned above) are those mentioned in the New Testament are Philip the Tetrarch. The matter is disputed by scholars. There is no contemporary evidence for Philip the Tetrarch's use of the name "Herod Philip" as a dynastic title, as did occur with his brothers Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus, yet he was of the same family and the scriptural reference may be emphasising this fact, as do later scriptural commentators. Today, Herod II is sometimes called "Herod Philip I" (because the gospels call the husband of Herodias "Philip"), and then Philip the Tetrarch is called "Herod Philip II", but this is an anachronistic convention.[a][24] Kokkinos says, "The stubborn existence of many theologians in referring to Herod III as 'Herod Philip' is without any value...No illusory Herod Philip ever existed."[24][p 223-233]; [266] Philip the Tetrarch, "unlike his brothers, did not use Herod as a dynastic name."[25] Philip's half-brothers, Archelaus and Antipas, had adopted the name of Herod, "presumably" for a dynastic claim from Herod the Great.[26] the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, Aristobulus' personal feast day is 16 March.[6] He is also one of the saints commemorated on 4 January (feast of the Seventy Disciples)[27] and on 31 October (feast of the assistants of Saint Andrew).[9] In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, his feast is 15 March.[8] Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16;

England, London History Folders (England and Great Britain)

England, 000-399, Folder, before the 5th Century, Roman Britain, Joseph of Arimathaea, Aristobulus of the Seventy

England, 000, 1st Century Folder, Joseph of Arimathaea, Aristibulus of the Seventy, Apostle Simon the Zealot

England, 1-33 Jesus' Time, Joseph of Arimathaea
England, 1-45 Jesus' Time, Joseph of Arimathaea; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT);

England, 30-73 Jesus' Time, Apostle Simon the Zealot, the bridegroom at Cana, t from Britain to Black Sea
England, 30-50 Jesus' Time, Apostle Simon the Zealot; Apostle Simon the Zealot, Commemorated on May 10; traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. Simon was from Cana in Galilee, and was known to the Lord and His Mother. Tradition says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. After witnessing the miracle of the water which had been turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, he is known as Saint Simon the Zealot. Simon was one of the twelve Apostles, and received the Holy Spirit with the others on Pentecost. He traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. After winning many pagans to the Lord, Saint Simon suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Demetrius of Rostov says that this Saint Simon is to be distinguished from the Apostle Simon Peter, and from the Lord’s relative Simon (Mt.13:55), who was the second Bishop of Jerusalem. Simon is also commemorated on June 30 with the other Apostles.

England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain, sent by Paul to B, Scotland and Ireland
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain; of Britannia is a Christian saint named by Hippolytus of Rome (170-235) and Dorotheus of Gaza (505-565) as one of the Seventy Disciples mentioned in Luke 10:1–24 and as the first bishop in Roman Britain.[2] title in various languages[edit] Saint Aristibule the Old, Apostle, Martyr, and First Bishop of Britain Greek: Ἅγιος Ἀριστόβουλος, ἐπίσκοπος Βρετανίας, ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα,[3] translit. Hagios Aristoboulos episkopos Brettanias, adelphos tou apostolou Barnaba, transcr. (Byzantine/Modern) Aghios Apostolos Aristovoulos, episkopos Vrettanias, adelfos tou apostolou Varnava ("The Holy Apostle Aristobulus, Bishop of Britain, brother of the Apostle Barnabas") Latin: Sanctus Aristobulus Senex, Apostolus, Martyr, Episcopus Primus Britanniae Arwystli Hen Episcob Cyntaf Prydain ("Aristibule the Old, First Bishop of Britain") lists "Aristobulus, bishop of Britain" among the seventy disciples.[2] may be mentioned in the New Testament in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10: "...Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household") although this may mean members of the household of the late Aristobulus IV.[4] According to Lionel Smithett Lewis, the writings of St Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre AD 303, assert that he is the one saluted by Paul in the Epistle to the Romans.[5] : 118–121  tradition[edit] tradition says Aristobulus was the brother of the Apostle Barnabas, of Jewish Cypriot origin. Like Barnabas, he accompanied Saint Paul on his journeys.[6] He was one of the assistants of Saint Andrew,[7] along with Urban of Macedonia, Stachys, Ampliatus, Apelles of Heraklion and Narcissus of Athens (all of these names are mentioned together by St. Paul in Romans 16:8-11, which cannot be casual). On his missionary journey to Britain, he stopped to preach to the Celtiberians of northern Hispania.[7] Catholic tradition identifies Aristobulus with Zebedee, father of James and John.[8] preached and died in Roman Britain.[6] While some orthodox traditions say he "died in peace",[9] others say he was martyred in Wales.[7] Catholic tradition says he was martyred.[8] The Benedictine monk Serenus de Cressy (1605–1674) maintained that Aristobulus was ordained by St. Paul and died at Glastonbury Abbey in 99; but Michael Alford (author of Fides Regia Britannica Sive Annales Ecclesiae Britannicae) says that Aristobulus was the husband of "Mary" Salome, which makes this date appear too late.[5] Alford gives his death as "the second year of Nero" – 56.[10] Alford also asserts that "It is perfectly certain that, before St Paul had come to Rome, Aristobulus was away in Britain".[11][12] This is in accord with the date given by Gildas (c. 500–570 AD) that the "Light of Christ" shone in Britain in the last year of Emperor Tiberius.[13] However, George Smith points out that this a misinterpretation of Gildas, and asserts that the Gospel was not preached in Britain before the reign of Claudius,[14] whose full name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. tradition[edit] these traditions, it seems that Aristobulus was the founder of British Christianity. There is no evidence for any connection with Glastonbury and John Scott shows in An Early History of Glastonbury that the legend purporting that Joseph of Arimathea founded the Abbey there is of 12th or 13th-century origin and has no basis in fact. Rather, the early writings frequently centre on Aristobulus.[5] There is no mention of Joseph prior to the Conquest. For this and other reasons, Smith also considers the account of Joseph of Arimathea a "superstitious fable of comparatively modern invention".[15] Williams identifies Aristobulus with Arwystli Hen, a "man of Italy", and one of four missionaries believed to have brought Christianity to the British Isles.[16] There is a tradition linking him to one of the medieval Welsh saints Arwstyl ap Cunedda.[17] The title "Arwystli Hen"[5]: 119  may have originated through a later British tradition. parallels[edit] of Chalcis was the son of Herod of Chalcis and Mariamme, the daughter of Olympias.[18] He married Salome, the daughter of Herod II and Herodias.[19] They had three sons: Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus.[20] Lionel Smithett Lewis maintains that this latter Aristobulus could have been the Aristobulus of Britannia,[21] and referred to by Cressy. However, it is this man's father who was the husband of Salome, as mentioned by Alford (see previous section). 55, Nero appointed Aristobulus of Chalcis as King of Armenia Minor. He participated with his forces in the Roman–Parthian War of 58–63, where he received a small portion of Armenia in exchange,[22] an area he continued to rule until 72 when Vespasian reduced the regional autonomy of some of the provinces.[23] is probable that the "Philip" (mentioned above) are those mentioned in the New Testament are Philip the Tetrarch. The matter is disputed by scholars. There is no contemporary evidence for Philip the Tetrarch's use of the name "Herod Philip" as a dynastic title, as did occur with his brothers Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus, yet he was of the same family and the scriptural reference may be emphasising this fact, as do later scriptural commentators. Today, Herod II is sometimes called "Herod Philip I" (because the gospels call the husband of Herodias "Philip"), and then Philip the Tetrarch is called "Herod Philip II", but this is an anachronistic convention.[a][24] Kokkinos says, "The stubborn existence of many theologians in referring to Herod III as 'Herod Philip' is without any value...No illusory Herod Philip ever existed."[24][p 223-233]; [266] Philip the Tetrarch, "unlike his brothers, did not use Herod as a dynastic name."[25] Philip's half-brothers, Archelaus and Antipas, had adopted the name of Herod, "presumably" for a dynastic claim from Herod the Great.[26] the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, Aristobulus' personal feast day is 16 March.[6] He is also one of the saints commemorated on 4 January (feast of the Seventy Disciples)[27] and on 31 October (feast of the assistants of Saint Andrew).[9] In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, his feast is 15 March.[8] Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Paul made Aristóboulos a bishop and sent him to preach the Gospel in Britain, Scotland, and Hibernia (Ireland), where he converted many people to Christ. He also had to endure many torments and afflictions from hostile pagans, who beat him and mocked him. Eventually, he won them over and brought them to Christ as well. Aristóboulos reposed peacefully in Britain among the people he had evangelized. Some sources say he suffered a martyr's death in Wales at an advanced age. Holy Apostle Aristóboulos of the Seventy was born on Cyprus. He and his brother, the Apostle Barnabas (June 11), accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys. Saint Aristóboulos is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10). are several conflicting narratives about the hierarch's life before he went to Britain. Some identify him with Zebedee, the father of the Apostles James and John. Others say that he was the father-in-law of the Apostle Peter. Most of these are unreliable, however. Paul made Aristóboulos a bishop and sent him to preach the Gospel in Britain, Scotland, and Hibernia (Ireland), where he converted many people to Christ. He also had to endure many torments and afflictions from hostile pagans, who beat him and mocked him. Eventually, he won them over and brought them to Christ as well. Aristóboulos reposed peacefully in Britain among the people he had evangelized. Some sources say he suffered a martyr's death in Wales at an advanced age. Aristóboulos is also commemorated on October 31 (with Saints Stachys, Apellēs, Amplias, Urban, and Narcissus), and also on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4). In Greek usage he is commemorated on March 15.

England, 47, Roman Britain, Londinium, AD 47
England, 47, Roman Britain, Londinium, AD 47 ; Roman Britain; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31 ;

England, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Britain, Gaul Caesar, Constantine's Father

England, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great
England, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

England, 300, 4th Century Folder, Morgan or Pelagius (Islander)

England, 304, England's first Martyr, St Alban, Hertfordshire
St Albans; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

England, 380-418, Morgan or Pelagius (Islander)
England, 360-418, Morgan or Pelagius (Islander); AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

England, 400-999, Folder 5th - 10th Century, Anglo Saxon Vikings

England, 400-499, 5th Century Folder, Anglo Saxons, St Patrick, King Arthur

England, 410-1066, Kingdom of East Anglia
England, 410-1066, Kingdom of East Anglia; Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634 ; Rendlesham; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

England, 410-461, Saint, Patrick of Ireland
England, Saint, 410-461, Patrick of Ireland; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461) ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

England, 430's, Coroticus of Dumbarton, Briton Chieftan (River Clyde 6)
Coroticus of Dumbarton, Scotland (River Clyde 6); Alt Clut (Dumbarton), Scotland; Epistle to Coroticus; St. Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

England, Wales, Kingdom of Gwynedd, 450-1216, AKA Cwynedd
Wales, Kingdom of Gwynedd, 450-1216; Wales, 625-634, King Caedwalla of Cwynedd (North Wales), 625-634, AKA Cadwallon ap Cadfan; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

England, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom, 450-1045
England, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom, 450-1045;

England, 450-490, Wales, Brycheiniog King, Brychan
England, Wales, Brycheiniog King, 450-490, Brychan; England, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom, 450-1045; St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated on January 7; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England, 488-510, Wales, Brycheiniog King, Nectan of Hartland
England, Wales, Brycheiniog King, 488-510, Nectan of Hartland; England, Wales, Brycheiniog King, 450-490, Brychan; England, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom, 450-1045; St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated on January 7; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England, 488-589 , Wales, Brycheiniog Saint, Saint David, apostle of Wales
England, Wales, Brycheiniog Saint, 500-589, Saint David; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544); the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries, many British Christians sought refuge in the hill country of Wales. they developed a style of Christian life devoted to learning, asceticism, and missionary fervor. Since there were no cities, the centers of culture were the monasteries, and most abbots were bishops as well. (David in English) was the founder, abbot, and bishop of the monastery of Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire. was responsible for much of the spread of Christianity in Wales, and his monastery was sought out by many scholars from Ireland and elsewhere. He is commonly accounted the apostle of Wales, as Patrick is of Ireland. His tomb is in St. David's cathedral, on the site of ancient Mynyw, now called Ty-Dewi (House of David). of St. David, at St. David's CathedralThe ancient custom in Wales, as throughout Celtic Christendom, was to have bishops who were abbots of monasteries, and who had no clear territorial jurisdiction, simply traveling about as they were needed. Eventually, however, the bishops of Bangor, Llandaff, St. Asaph, and St. Davids became the heads of four territorial dioceses, to which the diocese of Monmouth and the diocese of Swansea and Brecon have been added in this century. many centuries the Church in Wales had closer ties with the Celtic Churches in Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany than with the Church in Anglo-Saxon England. However, after the Norman conquest of Britain (1066 and after), the Anglo-Norman Kings began to contemplate the conquest of Wales. William the Conqueror began with the subjugation of South Wales as far as Carmathen, but the Welsh uplands remained independent far longer, and the conquest was not complete until about 1300, under Edward I. But eventually all of Wales came under English control, and the Church in Wales was placed under the jurisdiction of Canterbury, and thus became identified in the minds of many with the English supremacy. In 1920 the Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru) became independent of outside jurisdiction (though still in communion with other Anglican Churches, in England and elsewhere) and clear of all ties with the government. It is bilingual and active in the preservation of the Welsh language and culture. by James Kiefer

England, 475-525, King Arthur, Late 5th Early 6th Century, led Britain defense against Saxons, swallowed to neck by Padarn
England, 475-525, King Arthur, Late 5th Early 6th Century; Arthur was a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of Welsh and English folklore and literary invention, and modern historians generally agree that he is unhistorical.[2][3] The sparse historical background of Arthur is gleaned from various sources, including the Annales Cambriae, the Historia Brittonum, and the writings of Gildas. Arthur's name also occurs in early poetic sources such as Y Gododdin.[4] is a central figure in the legends making up the Matter of Britain. The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain).[5] some Welsh and Breton tales and poems that date from before this work, Arthur appears either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatural enemies or as a magical figure of folklore, sometimes associated with the Welsh otherworld Annwn.[6] How much of Geoffrey's Historia (completed in 1138) was adapted from such earlier sources, rather than invented by Geoffrey himself, is unknown. the themes, events and characters of the Arthurian legend varied widely from text to text, and there is no one canonical version, Geoffrey's version of events often served as the starting point for later stories. Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established a vast empire. Many elements and incidents that are now an integral part of the Arthurian story appear in Geoffrey's Historia, including Arthur's father Uther Pendragon, the magician Merlin, Arthur's wife Guinevere, the sword Excalibur, Arthur's conception at Tintagel, his final battle against Mordred at Camlann, and final rest in Avalon. 12th-century French writer Chrétien de Troyes, who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story, began the genre of Arthurian romance that became a significant strand of medieval literature. In these French stories, the narrative focus often shifts from King Arthur himself to other characters, such as various Knights of the Round Table. Arthurian literature thrived during the Middle Ages but waned in the centuries that followed until it experienced a major resurgence in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the legend continues to have prominence, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theatre, film, television, comics and other media. England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; ( ? – c. 550 AD)[1] was an early 6th century sanctified British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in[2] Ceredigion, Wales. first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy appear to be the same person. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Padarn's early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3] Vita Sancti Paterni, a major source for biographical details of Padarn, may be an epitome of a previous and more extensive source. According to the Vita Sancti Paterni, Padarn is Armorican by race, born to "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother".[1] His parents "dedicated themselves to Christ" and Petran left Letavia (modern Brittany) for Ireland. Thomas Wakeman names Padarn a nephew of Hoel of Cornouaille.[4] However, Canon G. H. Doble believes Padarn was likely Welsh, and was later confused with Breton saints of the same name.[5] the year 524 Padarn traveled to join his father in Ireland. He joined a fellowship of monks led by his cousin, St. Cadvan, who were travelling to Britannia. At this time, as in many saints' lives of the era, there appears to be an aristocratic military function in Padarn's career, for among the travellers were Padarn's cousins, who appointed him as the fourth leader of the troop, saying "you should rule over people for example of life".[4] 1878 stained glass window of St. Paternus at the Cathedral of Vannes in Morbihan. became a student at Illtud's school, Cor Tewdws.[4] Padarn later founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, which became the seat of a new diocese, with him as its first bishop.[1] He then left it in the charge of a trusted steward and proceeded to Ireland. Padarn's spiritual countenance was sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces.[6] Padarn returned to Llanbadarn Fawr, Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to cheat him out of property belonging to the monastery. Two of Maelgwn's evil heralds were undone by the trial by ordeal of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."[7] Maelgwn Gwynedd himself is first cursed and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness, and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed: "a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged."[8] the Vita Sancti Paterni Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Saint David and Saint Teilo for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. Along the way they acquired the gift of tongues so that whomever they spoke to understood them in his own language.[6] The patriarch gave Paternus two gifts, a crozier and a finely woven tunic. On their return, they amicably divided Britannia into three bishoprics.[9] finally returned to Letavia, where his fame filled the region and "made peace" with the bishop Samson in Vannes, where Padarn his built a monastery and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica, of which he now made a seventh. and Arthur[edit] sketch from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Benzinger Brothers. the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic and subsequently becomes Christian. It's too late to be reliable. But the episode was probably meant to increase Padarn's prestige and credibility as a saint by being granted credit for "Christianizing" the semi-historical leader who allegedly defeated the Anglo-Saxons with the help of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the battle of Mount Badon according to the 9th century ad monk Nennius. The author also seemed to confuse this Padarn with Padarn Redcoat whose coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain;[6] Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.[10] of Avranches[edit] British Padarn appears to be the same person as Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. By tradition, it is said that he was born in Poitiers, became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes [fr] in France, and retreated with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion, to the forest of Scissy [fr] in the diocese of Coutances before the Bishop of Coutances made him a priest in 512.[11] day: April 16 [12] Three days were kept to honor Padern in Armorica; the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, namely, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, the day of his obit, and the day he received the order of the episcopate, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July. well as the church at Llanbadarn Fawr, there is a second church dedicated to him, in Llanberis in Gwynedd. Padarn’s Institute, located at St Michael’s Conference Centre, Llandaff, handles training for ministry in the Church in Wales.[13] AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

England, 500-599, 6th Century Folder, Augustine of Canterbury, St Columba, Ireland called Scotland

England, 501-570, Irish Saint, St Ita of Killeady
England, Irish Saint, 500-570, St Ita of Killeady ; Ireland (then called Scotland); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ;

England, 501-589 , Wales, Brycheiniog Saint, Saint David
England, Wales, Brycheiniog Saint, 500-589, Saint David; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544); the pagan Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries, many British Christians sought refuge in the hill country of Wales. they developed a style of Christian life devoted to learning, asceticism, and missionary fervor. Since there were no cities, the centers of culture were the monasteries, and most abbots were bishops as well. (David in English) was the founder, abbot, and bishop of the monastery of Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire. was responsible for much of the spread of Christianity in Wales, and his monastery was sought out by many scholars from Ireland and elsewhere. He is commonly accounted the apostle of Wales, as Patrick is of Ireland. His tomb is in St. David's cathedral, on the site of ancient Mynyw, now called Ty-Dewi (House of David). of St. David, at St. David's CathedralThe ancient custom in Wales, as throughout Celtic Christendom, was to have bishops who were abbots of monasteries, and who had no clear territorial jurisdiction, simply traveling about as they were needed. Eventually, however, the bishops of Bangor, Llandaff, St. Asaph, and St. Davids became the heads of four territorial dioceses, to which the diocese of Monmouth and the diocese of Swansea and Brecon have been added in this century. many centuries the Church in Wales had closer ties with the Celtic Churches in Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany than with the Church in Anglo-Saxon England. However, after the Norman conquest of Britain (1066 and after), the Anglo-Norman Kings began to contemplate the conquest of Wales. William the Conqueror began with the subjugation of South Wales as far as Carmathen, but the Welsh uplands remained independent far longer, and the conquest was not complete until about 1300, under Edward I. But eventually all of Wales came under English control, and the Church in Wales was placed under the jurisdiction of Canterbury, and thus became identified in the minds of many with the English supremacy. In 1920 the Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru) became independent of outside jurisdiction (though still in communion with other Anglican Churches, in England and elsewhere) and clear of all ties with the government. It is bilingual and active in the preservation of the Welsh language and culture. by James Kiefer

England, 501-550, St Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr, Wales, earth opened and Arthur swallowed to his neck
St Padarm's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr; England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; ( ? – c. 550 AD)[1] was an early 6th century sanctified British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in[2] Ceredigion, Wales. first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy appear to be the same person. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Padarn's early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3] Vita Sancti Paterni, a major source for biographical details of Padarn, may be an epitome of a previous and more extensive source. According to the Vita Sancti Paterni, Padarn is Armorican by race, born to "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother".[1] His parents "dedicated themselves to Christ" and Petran left Letavia (modern Brittany) for Ireland. Thomas Wakeman names Padarn a nephew of Hoel of Cornouaille.[4] However, Canon G. H. Doble believes Padarn was likely Welsh, and was later confused with Breton saints of the same name.[5] the year 524 Padarn traveled to join his father in Ireland. He joined a fellowship of monks led by his cousin, St. Cadvan, who were travelling to Britannia. At this time, as in many saints' lives of the era, there appears to be an aristocratic military function in Padarn's career, for among the travellers were Padarn's cousins, who appointed him as the fourth leader of the troop, saying "you should rule over people for example of life".[4] 1878 stained glass window of St. Paternus at the Cathedral of Vannes in Morbihan. became a student at Illtud's school, Cor Tewdws.[4] Padarn later founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, which became the seat of a new diocese, with him as its first bishop.[1] He then left it in the charge of a trusted steward and proceeded to Ireland. Padarn's spiritual countenance was sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces.[6] Padarn returned to Llanbadarn Fawr, Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to cheat him out of property belonging to the monastery. Two of Maelgwn's evil heralds were undone by the trial by ordeal of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."[7] Maelgwn Gwynedd himself is first cursed and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness, and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed: "a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged."[8] the Vita Sancti Paterni Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Saint David and Saint Teilo for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. Along the way they acquired the gift of tongues so that whomever they spoke to understood them in his own language.[6] The patriarch gave Paternus two gifts, a crozier and a finely woven tunic. On their return, they amicably divided Britannia into three bishoprics.[9] finally returned to Letavia, where his fame filled the region and "made peace" with the bishop Samson in Vannes, where Padarn his built a monastery and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica, of which he now made a seventh. and Arthur[edit] sketch from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Benzinger Brothers. the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic and subsequently becomes Christian. It's too late to be reliable. But the episode was probably meant to increase Padarn's prestige and credibility as a saint by being granted credit for "Christianizing" the semi-historical leader who allegedly defeated the Anglo-Saxons with the help of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the battle of Mount Badon according to the 9th century ad monk Nennius. The author also seemed to confuse this Padarn with Padarn Redcoat whose coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain;[6] Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.[10] of Avranches[edit] British Padarn appears to be the same person as Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. By tradition, it is said that he was born in Poitiers, became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes [fr] in France, and retreated with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion, to the forest of Scissy [fr] in the diocese of Coutances before the Bishop of Coutances made him a priest in 512.[11] day: April 16 [12] Three days were kept to honor Padern in Armorica; the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, namely, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, the day of his obit, and the day he received the order of the episcopate, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July. well as the church at Llanbadarn Fawr, there is a second church dedicated to him, in Llanberis in Gwynedd. Padarn’s Institute, located at St Michael’s Conference Centre, Llandaff, handles training for ministry in the Church in Wales.[13]

England, 527-918, Kingdom of Mercia, Pagan King Penda from 626-655
Severn Valley, Mercia; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; Penda, King of Mercia, 626-655; Kingdom of Mercia, 527-918;

England, 541-597, Columba, Irish and Scottish Saint, abby of Iona, Celtic Christianity
England, Scottish Saint, 541-597, St Columba; or Colmcille[a] (7 December 521 – 9 June 597) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission.[3][4] He founded the important abbey on Iona, which became a dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries. He is the patron saint of Derry. He was highly regarded by both the Gaels of Dál Riata and the Picts, and is remembered today as a Catholic saint and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.[5] studied under some of Ireland's most prominent church figures and founded several monasteries in the country. Around 563 he and his twelve companions crossed to Dunaverty near Southend, Argyll, in Kintyre before settling in Iona in Scotland, then part of the Ulster kingdom of Dál Riata, where they founded a new abbey as a base for spreading Celtic Christianity among the pagan Northern Pictish kingdoms.[6][7] He remained active in Irish politics, though he spent most of the remainder of his life in Scotland. Three surviving early medieval Latin hymns may be attributed to him.[4] St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14;

England, 553-604, Augustine of Canterbury, Gregorian mission 595, Bertha, wife of K Aethelberht, Franc Christian, K converted
England, 553-604, Saint, Augustine of Canterbury; of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.[4] was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht and his Kingdom of Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Kent was probably chosen because Æthelberht had married a Christian princess, Bertha, daughter of Charibert I the King of Paris, who was expected to exert some influence over her husband. Before reaching Kent, the missionaries had considered turning back, but Gregory urged them on, and in 597, Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Æthelberht's main town of Canterbury. Æthelberht converted to Christianity and allowed the missionaries to preach freely, giving them land to found a monastery outside the city walls. Augustine was consecrated as a bishop and converted many of the king's subjects, including thousands during a mass baptism on Christmas Day in 597. Pope Gregory sent more missionaries in 601, along with encouraging letters and gifts for the churches, although attempts to persuade the native British bishops to submit to Augustine's authority failed. Roman bishops were established at London, and Rochester in 604, and a school was founded to train Anglo-Saxon priests and missionaries. Augustine also arranged the consecration of his successor, Laurence of Canterbury. The archbishop probably died in 604 and was soon revered as a saint. St Augustine's Abby; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

England, 559-664, Kingdom of Deira, Yorkshire (from the Huber to the Tees, aka Vale of York)
Kingdom of Deira; to Simeon of Durham (writing early in the 12th century), it extended from the Humber to the Tyne, but the land was waste north of the Tees. was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom.[2] Deira[edit] the Roman withdrawal from Britain a number of successor kingdoms rose in northern England, reflecting pre-Roman tribal territories. The area between the Humber and River Tees was known as Deywr or Deifr corresponds to the tribal lands of the Parisi, bordered to the West and North by the Brythonic kingdoms of Elfed and Bryneich respectively, and to the East by the North Sea. Deira may have centred on Petuaria (modern Brough) and archaeological evidence shows that the town was refortified. Petuaria was a great tribal centre for the Parisi, but declined in importance from the mid-fourth century (possibly as the harbour silted up). After this period, Derventio (modern Malton) may have functioned as the region's capital.[6] is not known if Deira was ever an independent Brythonic kingdom, and no British king has been identified with the area from the surviving genealogies, poems or chronicles. However the area was subject to the same fractious inheritance traditions and changing power dynamic (following the Roman withdrawal) that allowed Elfed and Bryneich to become independent hereditary kingdoms in the early fifth century. In Welsh literature Deira is part of the Hen Ogledd (Old North) region, which was divided into many related kingdoms after the death of Coel Hen (Coel the Old).[7][8] Deira[edit] kingdom was previously inhabited by Britons and was probably created in the third quarter of the fifth century when Anglian warriors invaded the Derwent Valley.[9] Anglian Deira's territory also extended from the Humber to the Tees, and from the sea to the western edge of the Vale of York. It later merged with the kingdom of Bernicia, its northern neighbour, to form the kingdom of Northumbria. to Simeon of Durham (writing early in the 12th century), it extended from the Humber to the Tyne, but the land was waste north of the Tees. After the Brythonic kingdom centred on Eboracum, which may have been called Ebrauc, was taken by King Edwin, the city of Eboracum became its capital, and Eoforwic ("boar-place") was taken by the Angles.[10] suggests that the Anglian royal house was in place by the middle of the fifth century, but the first certainly recorded king is Ælla in the late sixth century.[11] After his death, Deira was subject to king Æthelfrith of Bernicia, who united the two kingdoms into Northumbria. Æthelfrith ruled until the accession of Ælla's son Edwin, in 616 or 617, who also ruled both kingdoms until 633.[12] the nephew of Edwin, ruled Deira after Edwin, but his son Oswine was put to death by Oswiu in 651. For a few years subsequently, Deira was governed by Æthelwald son of Oswald of Bernicia.[13] wrote of Deira in his Historia Ecclesiastica (completed in 731).[14] Vale of York St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

England, 584-612, Kentigern Mungo, Scottish Welsh Saint, Asaph and Glaskow monasteries
England, Scottish Welsh Saint, 584-612, St Kentigern Mungo; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14; Kentigern was from Lothian (in Scotland), and may have been of royal blood. He left home at an early age and was brought up by a hermit named Servan (July 1) on the Firth of Forth. It was Saint Servan who gave him the name Mungo (or dear friend). Kentigern Mungo labored in Strathclyde, and founded a monastery where the city of Glasgow stands today. He was made a bishop, taking Glasgow for his See. from Scotland by the enmity of a local ruler, Saint Kentigern went to Wales and founded the monastery of Saint Asaph. Eventually, he returned to Scotland and resumed his missionary work, baptizing many people. 584 he met Saint Columba (June 9), and exchanged croziers with him. Kentigern was a strict ascetic who traveled everywhere on foot. It is believed that he died in Glasgow around 612 at the age of eighty-five. A Gothic cathedral was built over his shrine in the thirteenth century.

England, 590-616, Aethelberht of Kent, E King, first E christian king, Queen Bertha brought c from France, first German Law
England, 590-616, King of the English, King of Kent, Aethelberht of Kent ; Æthelberht (c. 550 - 24 February 616) was King of Kent from about 589 until his death. The eighth-century monk Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, lists him as the third king to hold imperium over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the late ninth century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he is referred to as a bretwalda, or "Britain-ruler". He was the first English king to convert to Christianity. Æthelberht was the son of Eormenric, succeeding him as king, according to the Chronicle. He married Bertha, the Christian daughter of Charibert I, king of the Franks, thus building an alliance with the most powerful state in contemporary Western Europe; the marriage probably took place before he came to the throne. Bertha's influence may have led to Pope Gregory I's decision to send Augustine as a missionary from Rome. Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet in east Kent in 597. Shortly thereafter, Æthelberht converted to Christianity, churches were established, and wider-scale conversion to Christianity began in the kingdom. He provided the new church with land in Canterbury, thus helping to establish one of the foundation stones of English Christianity. Æthelberht's law for Kent, the earliest written code in any Germanic language, instituted a complex system of fines; the law code is preserved in the Textus Roffensis. Kent was rich, with strong trade ties to the Continent, and Æthelberht may have instituted royal control over trade. Coinage probably began circulating in Kent during his reign for the first time since the Anglo-Saxon settlement. He later came to be regarded as a saint for his role in establishing Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons. His feast day was originally 24 February but was changed to 25 February. Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

England, 593-1093, House of Wessex
England, 593-1093, House of Wessex;

England, 593-616, Ethelred of Bernicia, E King, first B king to control Diera, over brits and irish
England, 593-616, King of the English, Ethelred of Bernicia, Ethelfirth ; Æthelfrith (died c. 616) was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until his death. Around 604 he became the first Bernician king to also rule the neighboring land of Deira, giving him an important place in the development of the later kingdom of Northumbria. He was especially notable for his successes against the Britons and his victory over the Gaels of Dál Riata. Although he was defeated and killed in battle and replaced by a dynastic rival, his line was eventually restored to power in the 630s. St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

England, 596, Gregorian Mission, headed by Augustine of Canterbury
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; Gregorian mission[1] or Augustinian mission[2] was a Christian mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 596 to convert Britain's Anglo-Saxons.[3] The mission was headed by Augustine of Canterbury. By the time of the death of the last missionary in 653, the mission had established Christianity in southern Britain. Along with the Irish and Frankish missions it converted other parts of Britain as well and influenced the Hiberno-Scottish missions to Continental Europe. the time the Roman Empire recalled its legions from the province of Britannia in 410, parts of the island had already been settled by pagan Germanic tribes who, later in the century, appear to have taken control of Kent and other coastal regions no longer defended by the Roman Empire. In the late 6th century Pope Gregory sent a group of missionaries to Kent to convert Æthelberht, King of Kent, whose wife, Bertha of Kent, was a Frankish princess and practising Christian. Augustine had been the prior of Gregory's own monastery in Rome and Gregory prepared the way for the mission by soliciting aid from the Frankish rulers along Augustine's route. In 597, the forty missionaries arrived in Kent and were permitted by Æthelberht to preach freely in his capital of Canterbury. the missionaries wrote to Gregory telling him of their success, and of the conversions taking place. The exact date of Æthelberht's conversion is unknown but it occurred before 601. A second group of monks and clergy was dispatched in 601 bearing books and other items for the new foundation. Gregory intended Augustine to be the metropolitan archbishop of the southern part of the British Isles, and gave him power over the clergy of the native Britons, but in a series of meetings with Augustine the long-established Celtic bishops refused to acknowledge his authority. Æthelberht's death in 616, a number of other bishoprics had been established. However, after that date, a pagan backlash set in and the see, or bishopric, of London was abandoned. Æthelberht's daughter, Æthelburg, married Edwin, the king of the Northumbrians, and by 627 Paulinus, the bishop who accompanied her north, had converted Edwin and a number of other Northumbrians. When Edwin died, in about 633, his widow and Paulinus were forced to flee back to Kent. Although the missionaries could not remain in all of the places they had evangelised, by the time the last of them died in 653, they had established Christianity in Kent and the surrounding countryside and contributed a Roman tradition to the practice of Christianity in Britain. England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

England, 597-604, St Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury, Gregorian Mission, Bertha, wife of k Aethelberht, christian from Franks, k converted
England, 597-604, St Augustine, Archbishop of Canterbury; of Canterbury (early 6th century – probably 26 May 604) was a monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He is considered the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church.[4] was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht and his Kingdom of Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Kent was probably chosen because Æthelberht had married a Christian princess, Bertha, daughter of Charibert I the King of Paris, who was expected to exert some influence over her husband. Before reaching Kent, the missionaries had considered turning back, but Gregory urged them on, and in 597, Augustine landed on the Isle of Thanet and proceeded to Æthelberht's main town of Canterbury. Æthelberht converted to Christianity and allowed the missionaries to preach freely, giving them land to found a monastery outside the city walls. Augustine was consecrated as a bishop and converted many of the king's subjects, including thousands during a mass baptism on Christmas Day in 597. Pope Gregory sent more missionaries in 601, along with encouraging letters and gifts for the churches, although attempts to persuade the native British bishops to submit to Augustine's authority failed. Roman bishops were established at London, and Rochester in 604, and a school was founded to train Anglo-Saxon priests and missionaries. Augustine also arranged the consecration of his successor, Laurence of Canterbury. The archbishop probably died in 604 and was soon revered as a saint. GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604); BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

England, 599-624, Redwald of East Anglia, English King, south of Heber, wide ruler, Christian b 605, over Edwin
England, 599-624, King of the English, Redwald of East Anglia ; (power in counsel), also written as Raedwald or Redwald, was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which included the present-day English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the son of Tytila of East Anglia and a member of the Wuffingas dynasty (named after his grandfather, Wuffa), who were the first kings of the East Angles. Details about Rædwald's reign are scarce, primarily because the Viking invasions of the 9th century destroyed the monasteries in East Anglia where many documents would have been kept. reigned from about 599 until his death around 624, initially under the overlordship of Ethelberht of Kent. In 616, as a result of fighting the Battle of the River Idle and defeating AEthelfrith of Northumbria, he was able to install Edwin, who was acquiescent to his authority, as the new king of Northumbria. During the battle, both AEthelfrith and Rædwald's son Rægenhere were killed. around 616, Rædwald was the most powerful of the English kings south of the River Humber. According to Bede he was the fourth ruler to hold imperium over other southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: he was referred to in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written centuries after his death, as a bretwalda (an Old English term meaning 'Britain-ruler' or 'wide-ruler'). He was the first king of the East Angles to become a Christian, converting at Æthelberht's court some time before 605, while also maintaining a pagan temple. He helped Christianity to survive in East Anglia during the apostasy of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Essex and Kent. Historians consider him the most likely occupant of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial, although other theories have been advanced. St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

England, 600-699, 7th Century Folder, Adian of Lindisfarne, Synod of Whitby

England, 601-644, Paulinus of York, Gregorian Mission, to Northumbria with Ethelburga to marry Edwin
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; (died 10 October 644) was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York.[b] A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group. Little is known of Paulinus's activities in the following two decades. some years spent in Kent, perhaps in 625, Paulinus was consecrated a bishop0. He accompanied Æthelburg of Kent, sister of King Eadbald of Kent, on her journey to Northumbria to marry King Edwin of Northumbria, and eventually succeeded in converting Edwin to Christianity. Paulinus also converted many of Edwin's subjects and built some churches. One of the women Paulinus baptised was a future saint, Hilda of Whitby. Following Edwin's death in 633, Paulinus and Æthelburg fled Northumbria, leaving behind a member of Paulinus's clergy, James the Deacon. Paulinus returned to Kent, where he became Bishop of Rochester. He received a pallium from the pope, symbolizing his appointment as Archbishop of York, but too late to be effective. After his death in 644, Paulinus was canonized as a saint and is now venerated in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican Churches. England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

England, 601-671, James the Deacon, Gregorian Mission, assisted Paulinus, hateful year 633, P left with E, G chants
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; Gregorian mission[1] or Augustinian mission[2] was a Christian mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 596 to convert Britain's Anglo-Saxons.[3] The mission was headed by Augustine of Canterbury. By the time of the death of the last missionary in 653, the mission had established Christianity in southern Britain. Along with the Irish and Frankish missions it converted other parts of Britain as well and influenced the Hiberno-Scottish missions to Continental Europe. the time the Roman Empire recalled its legions from the province of Britannia in 410, parts of the island had already been settled by pagan Germanic tribes who, later in the century, appear to have taken control of Kent and other coastal regions no longer defended by the Roman Empire. In the late 6th century Pope Gregory sent a group of missionaries to Kent to convert Æthelberht, King of Kent, whose wife, Bertha of Kent, was a Frankish princess and practising Christian. Augustine had been the prior of Gregory's own monastery in Rome and Gregory prepared the way for the mission by soliciting aid from the Frankish rulers along Augustine's route. In 597, the forty missionaries arrived in Kent and were permitted by Æthelberht to preach freely in his capital of Canterbury. the missionaries wrote to Gregory telling him of their success, and of the conversions taking place. The exact date of Æthelberht's conversion is unknown but it occurred before 601. A second group of monks and clergy was dispatched in 601 bearing books and other items for the new foundation. Gregory intended Augustine to be the metropolitan archbishop of the southern part of the British Isles, and gave him power over the clergy of the native Britons, but in a series of meetings with Augustine the long-established Celtic bishops refused to acknowledge his authority. Æthelberht's death in 616, a number of other bishoprics had been established. However, after that date, a pagan backlash set in and the see, or bishopric, of London was abandoned. Æthelberht's daughter, Æthelburg, married Edwin, the king of the Northumbrians, and by 627 Paulinus, the bishop who accompanied her north, had converted Edwin and a number of other Northumbrians. When Edwin died, in about 633, his widow and Paulinus were forced to flee back to Kent. Although the missionaries could not remain in all of the places they had evangelised, by the time the last of them died in 653, they had established Christianity in Kent and the surrounding countryside and contributed a Roman tradition to the practice of Christianity in Britain. England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18 James lived in the seventh century, and assisted Saint Paulinus of York (October 10) in evangelizing the north of England. the death of Saint Edwin (October 12) in 633, the northern kingdom experienced many trials, including military defeats, famine, and plague. The year 633-634 was so fraught with misfortune that it became known as “The Hateful Year.” Saint Paulinus accompanied Saint Ethelburga (April 5) back to her native Kent after the death of her husband King Edwin, leaving Saint James behind to care for the new converts in northern England. James has been described as “faithful and undismayed,” even though the secular power which supported the Church had been overthrown. Even so, he would not abandon the people in his care, nor would he cease his missionary labors. faithful servant of the Lord established himself near the village of Catterick in Yorkshire, teaching, comforting, and encouraging his flock. Even in such difficult times, Saint James was able to win many converts to Christ. He had a talent for music, and was skilled in the Roman chants composed by Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12) which were being used in Kent. James taught these chants to the Christians of the north. When peace returned and the churches reopened, their services were beautified with the chants which Saint James had given them. do not know exactly when Saint James died, but it is believed that he survived for at least thirty years after “The Hateful Year,” and participated in the Synod of Whitby in 664. James does not appear to have been ordained to the holy priesthood, but through his tireless labors he built up the Church in the north. Saint Bede (May 27) calls him “a man of great energy and repute in Christ’s Church” (History of the English Church and People, Book II, chapter 16).

England, 601, Gregorian Mission, pope gregory sent Augustine to convert the Anglo-Saxons
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; Gregorian mission[1] or Augustinian mission[2] was a Christian mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 596 to convert Britain's Anglo-Saxons.[3] The mission was headed by Augustine of Canterbury. By the time of the death of the last missionary in 653, the mission had established Christianity in southern Britain. Along with the Irish and Frankish missions it converted other parts of Britain as well and influenced the Hiberno-Scottish missions to Continental Europe. the time the Roman Empire recalled its legions from the province of Britannia in 410, parts of the island had already been settled by pagan Germanic tribes who, later in the century, appear to have taken control of Kent and other coastal regions no longer defended by the Roman Empire. In the late 6th century Pope Gregory sent a group of missionaries to Kent to convert Æthelberht, King of Kent, whose wife, Bertha of Kent, was a Frankish princess and practising Christian. Augustine had been the prior of Gregory's own monastery in Rome and Gregory prepared the way for the mission by soliciting aid from the Frankish rulers along Augustine's route. In 597, the forty missionaries arrived in Kent and were permitted by Æthelberht to preach freely in his capital of Canterbury. the missionaries wrote to Gregory telling him of their success, and of the conversions taking place. The exact date of Æthelberht's conversion is unknown but it occurred before 601. A second group of monks and clergy was dispatched in 601 bearing books and other items for the new foundation. Gregory intended Augustine to be the metropolitan archbishop of the southern part of the British Isles, and gave him power over the clergy of the native Britons, but in a series of meetings with Augustine the long-established Celtic bishops refused to acknowledge his authority. Æthelberht's death in 616, a number of other bishoprics had been established. However, after that date, a pagan backlash set in and the see, or bishopric, of London was abandoned. Æthelberht's daughter, Æthelburg, married Edwin, the king of the Northumbrians, and by 627 Paulinus, the bishop who accompanied her north, had converted Edwin and a number of other Northumbrians. When Edwin died, in about 633, his widow and Paulinus were forced to flee back to Kent. Although the missionaries could not remain in all of the places they had evangelised, by the time the last of them died in 653, they had established Christianity in Kent and the surrounding countryside and contributed a Roman tradition to the practice of Christianity in Britain. England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18

England, 604-616, Sabert of the East Saxons, English King, first ES Christian king
England, King of the English, 604-616, King Sabert of the East Saxons; æberht, Saberht or Sæbert[1] (d. c. 616) was an Anglo-Saxon King of Essex (r. c. 604 – c. 616), in succession of his father King Sledd. He is known as the first East Saxon king to have been converted to Christianity. principal source for his reign is the early 8th-century Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum by Bede (d. 735), who claims to have derived his information about the missionary work of Mellitus among the East Saxons from Abbot Albinus of Canterbury through the London priest Nothhelm, later Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 739).[2] Other sources include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an East Saxon genealogy possibly of the late 9th century (British Library Add MS 23211), and a handful of genealogies and regnal lists written down by Anglo-Norman historians. St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31;

England, 610-651, Aidan of Lindisfarne, Saint, Irish Monk, restored christiantiy in northumbria
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); Gospel first came to the northern English in 627, When King Edwin of Northumbria was converted by a mission from Canterbury led by Bishop Paulinus, who established his see at York. Edwin's death in battle in 632 was followed by a severe pagan reaction. A year later, Edwin's exiled nephew Oswald gained the kingdom, and proceeded at once to restore the Christian mission. of St. Aidan at LinsifarneDuring his exile, Oswald had lived at Columba's monastery of Iona (see 9 June), where he had been converted and baptized. Hence he sent to Iona, rather than to Canterbury, for missionaries. The first monk to preach was a man named Corman, who had no success, and returned to Iona to complain that the Northumbrians were a savage and unteachable race. A young monk named Aidan responded, "Perhaps you were too harsh with them, and they might have responded better to a gentler approach." At this, Aidan found himself appointed to lead a second expedition to Northumbria. He centered his work, not at York, but in imitation of his home monastery, on Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England, now often called Holy Isle. With his fellow monks and the English youths whom he trained, Aidan restored Christianity in Northumbria, King Oswald often serving as his interpreter, and extended the mission through the midlands as far south as London. Lindisfarne Ruins of the medieval monastery at Lindisfarne [photo by author] Aidan died at the royal town of Bamburgh, 31 August, 651. The historian Bede said of him: "He neither sought nor loved anything of this world, but delighted in distributing immediately to the poor whatever was given him by kings or rich men of the world. He traversed both town and country on foot, never on horseback, unless compelled by some urgent necessity. Wherever on his way he saw any, either rich or poor, he invited them, if pagans, to embrace the mystery of the faith; or if they were believers, he sought to strengthen them in their faith and stir them up by words and actions to alms and good works." by James Kiefer

England, 616-640, Eadbald of Kent, Anglo Saxons (English), E King, Christian setback, pagan then convert late
England, 616-640, King of the English, Eadbald of Kent ; (Old English: Eadbald) was King of Kent from 616 until his death in 640. He was the son of King Æthelberht and his wife Bertha, a daughter of the Merovingian king Charibert.[1] Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign and became the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity from Anglo-Saxon paganism. accession was a significant setback for the growth of the church, since he retained his people's paganism and did not convert to Christianity for at least a year, and perhaps for as much as eight years. He was ultimately converted by either Laurentius or Justus, and separated from his first wife, who had been his stepmother, at the insistence of the church. Eadbald's second wife was Emma, who may have been a Frankish princess. She bore him two sons, Eormenred and Eorcenberht, and a daughter, Eanswith. influence was less than his father's, but Kent was powerful enough to be omitted from the list of kingdoms dominated by Edwin of Northumbria. Edwin's marriage to Eadbald's sister, Æthelburg, established a good relationship between Kent and Northumbria which appears to have continued into Oswald's reign. When Æthelburg fled to Kent on Edwin's death in about 633, she sent her children to Francia for safety, fearing the intrigues of both Eadbald and Oswald. Kentish royal line made several strong diplomatic marriages over the succeeding years, including the marriage of Eanflæd, Eadbald's niece, to Oswiu, and of Eorcenberht to Seaxburh, daughter of King Anna of East Anglia. died in 640 and was buried in the Church of St Mary, which he had built in the precincts of the monastery of St Peter and St Paul in Canterbury (a church later incorporated within the Norman edifice of St Augustine's).[1] At that time, his relics were translated for reburial in the south transept ca. A.D. 1087.[2] was succeeded by Eorcenberht. Eormenred may have been his oldest son, but if he reigned at all it was only as a junior king. Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 616-633, Edwin of Northumbria , King of the Angles (English)(Bernecia, Deira), christian in 627
King of the English, 616-633, Edwin of Northumbria (Bernecia); (Old English: Ēadwine; c. 586 – 12 October 632/633), also known as Eadwine or Æduinus, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint. was the son of Ælle, the first known king of Deira, and seems to have had at least two siblings. His sister Acha was married to Æthelfrith, king of neighbouring Bernicia. An otherwise unknown sibling fathered Hereric, who in turn fathered Abbess Hilda of Whitby and Hereswith, wife to Æthelric, the brother of king Anna of East Anglia.[1] AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 620-647, Ethelburga, Kent, E Queen, wife of Edwin, marriage triggered christianity, not E of Barking 645
England, 620-647, English Queen, Ethelburg of Kent ; Æthelburh of Kent (born 601,[1] sometimes spelled Æthelburg, Ethelburga, Æthelburga; Old English: Æþelburh, Æðelburh, Æðilburh, also known as Tate or Tata),[2][3] was an early Anglo-Saxon queen consort of Northumbria, the second wife of King Edwin. As she was a Christian from Kent, their marriage triggered the initial phase of the conversion of the pagan north of England to Christianity. Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 624-632, Eorpwald of East Anglia, English King, baptised 627, killed, saint and martyr
England, King of the English, 624-632, Eorpwald of East Anglia; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, (reigned from c. 624, assassinated c. 627 or 632), succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles. Eorpwald was a member of the East Anglian dynasty known as the Wuffingas, named after the semi-historical king Wuffa. is known of Eorpwald's life or of his short reign, as little documentary evidence about the East Anglian kingdom has survived. The primary source for Eorpwald is the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written by Bede in the 8th century. Soon after becoming king, Eorpwald received Christian teaching and was baptised in 627 or 632. Soon after his conversion he was killed by Ricberht, a pagan noble, who may have succeeded him and ruled for three years. The motive for Eorpwald's assassination was probably political as well as religious. He was the first early English king to suffer death as a consequence of his Christian faith and was subsequently venerated by the Church as a saint and martyr. 1939, a magnificent ship-burial was discovered under a large mound at Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk. Although Rædwald is usually considered to have been buried with the ship (or commemorated by it), another possibility is Eorpwald. Alternatively, he might also have had his own ship-burial nearby. St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 625-655, Penda, , Pagan, Mercian supremacy, defeated Edwin 633 & Oswald 642, d by Oswiu, O's b
Severn Valley, Mercia; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; Penda, King of Mercia, 626-655; (died 15 November 655)[1] was a 7th-century King of Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is today the Midlands. pagan at a time when Christianity was taking hold in many of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Penda took over the Severn Valley in 628 following the Battle of Cirencester before participating in the defeat of the powerful Northumbrian king Edwin at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.[2] years later, he defeated and killed Edwin's eventual successor, Oswald, at the Battle of Maserfield; from this point he was probably the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon rulers of the time, laying the foundations for the Mercian Supremacy over the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. He repeatedly defeated the East Angles and drove Cenwalh the king of Wessex into exile for three years. He continued to wage war against the Bernicians of Northumbria. Thirteen years after Maserfield, he suffered a crushing defeat by Oswald's successor and brother Oswiu, and was killed at the Battle of the Winwaed in the course of a final campaign against the Bernicians. Kingdom of Mercia, 527-918;

England, 625-634, Caedwalla, Cwynedd, K North Wales & Britain, defeated and killed Edwin, killed by Oswald
Wales, Kingdom of Gwynedd, 450-1216; Wales, 625-634, King Caedwalla of Cwynedd (North Wales), 625-634, AKA Cadwallon ap Cadfan; ap Cadfan (died 634[1]) was the King of Gwynedd from around 625 until his death in battle. The son and successor of Cadfan ap Iago, he is best remembered as the King of the Britons who invaded and conquered the Kingdom of Northumbria, defeating and killing its king, Edwin, prior to his own death in battle against Oswald of Bernicia. His conquest of Northumbria, which he held for a year or two after Edwin died, making him one of the last recorded culturally traditional Celtic Britons to hold substantial territory in eastern Britain until the rise of the Welsh House of Tudor.[2] He was thereafter remembered as a national hero by the Britons and as a tyrant by the Anglo-Saxons of Northumbria. Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

England, 629-634, Sigeberht of East Anglia, Christian education before kingship, Alliances w C kings, left to monasticism
Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634 ; of East Anglia (also known as Saint Sigebert), (Old English: Sigebryht) was a saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the first English king to receive a Christian baptism and education before his succession and the first to abdicate in order to enter the monastic life. The principal source for Sigeberht is Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which was completed in the 730s. was probably either a younger son of Rædwald of East Anglia, or his step-son from Rædwald's marriage to a pagan princess from the kingdom of Essex. Nothing is known of his life before he was exiled to Gaul, which was possibly done in order to ensure that Rædwald's own descendants ruled the kingdom. After his step-brother Eorpwald's assassination in about 627, Sigeberht returned to East Anglia and (perhaps in the aftermath of a military campaign) became king, ruling jointly with Ecgric, who may have been either a son of Rædwald's, or his nephew. Sigeberht's reign the cause of Christianity in East Anglia was advanced greatly, even though his co-ruler Ecgric probably remained a pagan. Alliances were strengthened between the Christian kingdoms of Kent, Northumbria and East Anglia, with Sigeberht playing an important part in the establishment of the Christian faith in his kingdom: Saint Felix arrived in East Anglia to assist him in establishing his episcopal see at Dommoc, he started a school for teaching Latin and he granted the Irish monk Saint Fursey a monastery site at Cnobheresburg (possibly Burgh Castle). He eventually abdicated his power to Ecgric and retired to his monastery at Beodricesworth. At an unknown date, East Anglia was attacked by a Mercian army led by its king, Penda. Ecgric and the East Anglians appealed to Sigeberht to lead them in battle, but he refused and had to be dragged from his monastery to the battlefield. He refused to bear arms during the battle, during which both kings were slain and the East Anglian army was destroyed. Rendlesham; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

England, 630-640, St Eanswythe & Folkstone Abby, Eadbald d, paganism return, Laurence, Gaul, Peter, f conversion, relics
England, 630-640, St Eanswythe and her Folkstone Abby ; St Eanswy, the the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated August 31 ; Eanswythe was born around 614, the only daughter of King Eadbald of Kent and his wife Emma, who was a Frankish princess. At the time of Eanswythe’s birth, her father was probably a pagan, while her mother was almost certainly a Christian. Therefore, it is highly likely that Eanswythe was baptized and raised as a Christian. she was two years old, her paternal grandfather King Ethelbert of Kent (February 25) died. Saint Ethelbert had been baptized at Saint Martin’s church in Canterbury by Saint Augustine of Canterbury (May 28). It was Saint Augustine who came to England in 597 with several monks in order to re-establish Christianity, which had almost been wiped out by the pagan Anglo-Saxons. These monks carried out their missionary work under the protection of King Ethelbert. ’s father King Eadbald offered no opposition to Christianity while his father was alive. When Saint Ethelbert died, however, Eadbald’s attitude changed. Not only did he embrace idolatry, he also married his father’s second wife (Bede, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE Book 2, ch. 1). While this practice was prohibited by Church law, it was quite common among the pagan royalty. this time, King Sabert of the East Saxons (and a convert to Christianity) passed away. His three sons were pagans, and so idolatry returned to that territory as well. Laurence of Canterbury (February 3), Saint Mellitus of London (April 24), and Saint Justus of Rochester (November 10) held a council to determine what they should do. They decided that they should not waste their time among the pagans, and to go where people would be more receptive to their preaching. Appalled by the King’s behavior and by the rise of paganism, Saints Mellitus and Justus went to Gaul. night before he was to leave Canterbury, Saint Laurence decided to sleep in the church of Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter appeared to him and rebuked him for even thinking of leaving his flock. He also beat Saint Laurence, who remained with his flock and even converted King Eadbald. king ended his unlawful marriage and was baptized. Within a year, Saint Justus returned to Rochester. The people of London, who lived in the realm of the East Saxons, refused to accept Saint Mellitus back to his See. Following the death of Saint Laurence in 619, Saint Mellitus succeeded him as Archbishop of Canterbury. her childhood, Saint Eanswythe showed little interest in worldly pursuits, for she desired to dedicate her virginity to God and to serve Him as a nun. Her father, on the other hand, wanted her to marry. Saint Eanswythe told him that she would not have any earthly suitor whose love for her might also be mixed with dislike. There was a high rate of mortality for children in those days, so she knew it was likely that at least some of hers would also die. All of these sorrows awaited her if she obeyed her father. The young princess told her father that she had chosen an immortal Bridegroom Who would give her unceasing love and joy, and to Whom she had dedicated herself. She went on to say that she had chosen the good portion (Luke 10:42), and she asked her father to build her a cell where she might pray. king ultimately gave in to his daughter, and built her a monastery in Folkestone in Kent. While the monastery was under construction, a pagan prince came to Kent seeking to marry Eanswythe. King Eadbald, whose sister Saint Ethelburga (April 5) married the pagan King Edwin (October 12) two or three years before, recalled that this wedding resulted in Edwin’s conversion. Perhaps he hoped that something similar would happen if Eanswythe married the Northumbrian prince. Eanswythe, however, insisted that she would not exchange heavenly blessings for the things of this world, nor would she accept the fleeting joys of this life in place of eternal bliss. the year 630, the building of the monastery was completed. This was the first women’s monastery to be founded in England. Saint Eanswythe lived there with her companions in the monastic life, and they may have been guided by some of the Roman monks who had come to England with Saint Augustine in 597. Eanswythe was not made abbess at this time, for she was only sixteen years old. We do not know of any other abbess before Saint Eanswythe, but a few experienced nuns may have been sent from Europe to teach the others the monastic way of life. A temporary Superior could have been appointed until the nuns were able to elect their own abbess. are many stories of Saint Eanswythe’s miracles before and after her death. Among other things, she gave sight to a blind man, and cast out a demon from one who had been possessed. know few details about the rest of Saint Eanswythe’s life. Following the monastic Rule, she prayed to God day and night. When she was not in church, she spent her waking hours reading spiritual books and in manual labor. This may have consisted of copying and binding manuscripts. The nuns probably wove cloth for their clothing, and also for church vestments. They cared for the sick and aged nuns of their own community, as well as for the poor and infirm from outside. Then there was the daily routine of cooking and cleaning. to Tradition, Saint Eanswythe fell asleep in the Lord on the last day of August 640 when she was only in her mid-twenties. Her father King Eadbald also died in the same year. monastery at Folkestone did not last very long after the saint’s death. Some say it was destroyed by the sea, while others say it was sacked by the Danes in 867. Saint Eanswythe’s holy relics were moved to the nearby church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was farther away from the sea. In 927 King Athelstan granted the land where the monastery had stood to the monks of Christchurch, Canterbury. time passed, the sea continued to encroach on the land. In 1138 a new monastery and church, dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe, were built farther inland. The relics of Saint Eanswythe were transferred once again, this time from the church of Saints Peter and Paul to the new priory church. During the Middle Ages, this second transfer of her relics was celebrated on September 12, which is the present Feast Day of the church of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe. November 15, 1535 the priory was seized by the officers of the King, who plundered the church of its valuables. The shrine of Saint Eanswythe was destroyed, but her relics had been hidden to protect them. June 17, 1885 workmen in the church discovered a niche in the walls which had been plastered up. Removing the plaster, they found a reliquary made of lead, about fourteen inches long, nine inches wide, and eight inches high. Judging by the ornamentation on the reliquary, it dated from the twelfth century. A number of bones were found inside, which experts said were those of a young woman. Today the niche is lined with alabaster, and is covered by a brass door and a grille. first, the holy relics were brought out for veneration every year on the parish Feast Day. This practice ended when several parishioners accused the Vicar of “worshiping” the relics. Although Saint Eanswythe’s relics are no longer offered for public veneration, candles and flowers are sometimes placed before the brass door where they are immured. Orthodox iconographer has presented the parish of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe with an icon of the saint.

England, 630-648, Saint Felix of Burgundy and Dunwich, he converted Sigeberht, churches, abbys, schools, Cambirdge
England, 630-648, Saint Felix of Burgundy and Dunwich; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; Felix, the Apostle of East Anglia, was born in the Burgundy region of Gaul (now France). It was he who converted King Sigebert (September 27), King of East Anglia, while he was in exile in Gaul. He was forced to flee there, in order to save himself from the intrigues of his kinsmen. Saint Sigebert (or Sigerberht, which means 'bright victory') was summoned home to claim his ancestral crown, he invited his Spiritual Father, Saint Felix, to leave Gaul to assist him in converting his idolatrous subjects to Christianity. Saint Felix was consecrated as a bishop in 631 by Archbishop Honorius of Canterbury (September 30), who sent him to preach in East Anglia. new Bishop was quite successful in his ministry. After seventeen years.he had converted almost the entire region. He established churches, monasteries, and a school for boys with the help of King Siegbert, and Saint Felix provided him with teachers from Canterbury. Because of this, some regard him as the founder of the university of Cambridge. Saint Felix also established schools at Felixstoe and at Flixton, or Felixton. after two years, King Sigebert abdicated in favor of his cousin Egric, and entered the monastery at Cnobersburgh, now Burgh Castle in Suffolk, the monastery he had founded for Saint Fursey, or Fursa (January 16), who had lived there for about ten years. In 642, after Saint Sigebert was killed in battle against King Penda of Mercia, Saint Fursey made a pilgrimage to Rome.Then he travelled to Gaul, where he established a monastery at Lagny-sur-Marne, near Paris, around the year 644. Felix reposed in 648 and was buried at Dunwich, but his relics were transferred to Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire in 971. Saint Felix has given his name to Felixstowe in Suffolk, and to Felixkirk in Yorkshire. He is mentioned by Saint Bede (History of the English Church and People, Book 3, chapters 18 and 20). was once a large city, with fifty-two religious establishments, but was gradually swallowed up by the sea. The remains of the steeples may still be seen, underwater, about five miles from shore.

England, 632-636, Ecgric of East Anglia, King of the English, Sigeberht's b, joint rule, pagan, S retired 634, k by Penda
England, King of the English, 632-636, Ecgric of East Anglia; (killed c.636) was a king of East Anglia, the independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom that today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was a member of the ruling Wuffingas dynasty, but his relationship with other known members of the dynasty is not known with any certainty. Anna of East Anglia may have been his brother, or his cousin. It has also been suggested that he was identical with Æthelric, who married the Northumbrian princess Hereswith and was the father of Ealdwulf of East Anglia. The primary source for the little that is known about Ecgric's life is Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, written by the English Benedictine monk Bede in around 731 AD. the years that followed the reign of Rædwald and the murder of Rædwald's son and successor Eorpwald in around 627, East Anglia lost its dominance over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Three years after Eorpwald's murder at the hands of a pagan, kinsman Sigeberht returned from exile and they ruled East Anglia jointly, with Ecgric perhaps ruling the northern part of the kingdom. Sigeberht succeeded in re-establishing Christianity throughout East Anglia, but Ecgric may have remained a pagan, as Bede praises only Sigeberht for his accomplishments, and his lack of praise for his co-ruler is significant. Ecgric ruled alone after Sigeberht retired to his monastery at Beodricesworth in around 634: it has also been suggested that he was a sub-king who only became king after Sigeberht's abdication. Both Ecgric and Sigeberht were killed in battle in around 636, at an unknown location, when the East Anglians were forced to defend themselves from a Mercian military assault led by their king, Penda. Ecgric, whose grave may have been the ship burial under Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo, was succeeded by Anna. St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 633-642, Oswald, Northumbria, E King, York, Diera, Bernicia, d Brit Cadwallon, promoted Christianity, k by Penda
King of the English, 633-642, Oswald of Northumbria; (c 604 - 5 August 641/642[1]) was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is venerated as a saint,[2] of whom there was a particular cult in the Middle Ages.[3] was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile. After defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira once again under a single ruler, and promoted the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. He was given a strongly positive assessment by the historian Bede, writing a little less than a century after Oswald's death, who regarded Oswald as a saintly king; it is also Bede who is the main source for present-day historical knowledge of Oswald. After eight years of rule, in which he was the most powerful ruler in Britain, Oswald was killed in the Battle of Maserfield. AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 636-654, Anna of East Anglia, he, E King, after P d Ecgric, strong Christian family, converted C of Wessex, k by Penda
England, King of the English, 636-654, Queen Anna of East Anglia; (or Onna; killed 653 or 654) was king of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles, and one of the three sons of Eni who ruled the kingdom of East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia. Anna was praised by Bede for his devotion to Christianity and was renowned for the saintliness of his family: his son Jurmin and all his daughters – Seaxburh, Æthelthryth, Æthelburh and possibly a fourth, Wihtburh – were canonised. is known of Anna's life or his reign, as few records have survived from this period. In 631 he may have been at Exning, close to the Devil's Dyke. In 645 Cenwalh of Wessex was driven from his kingdom by Penda and, due to Anna's influence, he was converted to Christianity while living as an exile at the East Anglian court. Upon his return from exile, Cenwalh re-established Christianity in his own kingdom and the people of Wessex then remained firmly Christian. 651 the land around Ely was absorbed into East Anglia, following the marriage of Anna's daughter Æthelthryth. Anna richly endowed the coastal monastery at Cnobheresburg. In 651, in the aftermath of an attack by Penda on Cnobheresburg, Anna was forced to flee into exile, perhaps to the western kingdom of the Magonsæte. He returned to East Anglia in about 653, but soon afterwards the kingdom was attacked again by Penda and at the Battle of Bulcamp the East Anglian army, led by Anna, was defeated by the Mercians, and both Anna and his son Jurmin were killed. Anna was succeeded by his brother, Æthelhere. Botolph's monastery at Iken may have been built in commemoration of the king. After Anna's reign, East Anglia seems to have been eclipsed by its more powerful neighbour, Mercia. St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, 642-670, Oswiu, Northumbria, E King, after Oswald, k Pends 655, over Mercia, Celtic C, Abbys, S of Whitby 664
King of the English, 642-670, Oswiu of Northumbria ; also known as Oswy or Oswig (c. 612 - 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider Catholic Church. of the sons of Æthelfrith of Bernicia, Oswiu became king following the death of his brother Oswald in 642. Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over Deira, the other constituent kingdom of medieval Northumbria, for much of his reign. and his brothers were raised in exile in the Irish kingdom of Dal Riata in present-day Scotland after their father's death at the hands of Edwin of Deira, only returning after Edwin's death in 633. rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against Penda of Mercia. The early part of his reign was defined by struggles to assert control over Deira and his contentious relationship with Penda, his overlord.[1] 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the Battle of the Winwaed, establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain. He secured control of Deira, with his son Alhfrith serving as a sub-king,[2] and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as bretwalda over much of Great Britain.[3] was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including Gilling Abbey and Whitby Abbey.[4] He was raised in the Celtic Christian tradition of much of the Irish world, rather than the Roman tradition practiced by the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as some members of the Deiran nobility, including Oswiu's queen Eanflæd. 664, Oswiu presided over the Synod of Whitby, where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.[5] Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith.[6] His feast is 15 February in the East and in the West.[7] St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

England, 645-688, Ethelberga of Barking, E Saint, miracles, time of death vision and appearances, not Edwin's w 620
English Saint, 645-688, Ethelberga of Barking; Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11; Ethelburga (Aethelburh) was born into the royal family of East Anglia in the seventh century. She was the sister of Saint Erconwald (May 13), who founded the monastery of Barking (Berecingum) in Essex. Saint Ethelburga became the first abbess of this monastery. Bede (May 27) says (History of the English Church and People, Book IV, Chapters. 6-9) that she was worthy of her holy brother in every way. She led a virtuous life and guided those who were under her. It is said that many miracles took place at the monastery during her time. before Saint Ethelburga’s death, a nun called Tortgith had a vision in which she saw a body wrapped in a shroud, and shining with a bright light. She watched as the body was drawn up to Heaven on cords which seemed brighter than gold. Sister Tortgith had no doubt that this vision signified the imminent death of one of the nuns. Not many days later, Saint Ethelburga fell asleep in the Lord. later, when the nun Tortgith was dying, Saint Ethelburga appeared to her and told her that the hour of her passing was at hand. Saint Ethelburga should not be confused with another saint of the same name (April 5), who was married to the holy martyred King Edwin of Northumbria (October 12). St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18;

England, 653-954, Kingdom of Northumbria (North Anglia) north of the Humber Estuary
Kingdom of Northumbria, north of the Humber Estuary from the River Tees to the River Tweed; an early medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is now Northern England and south-east Scotland. name derives from the Old English Norþan-hymbre meaning "the people or province north of the Humber",[2] as opposed to the people south of the Humber Estuary. started to consolidate into one kingdom in the early seventh century, when the two earlier core territories of Deira and Bernicia entered into a dynastic union. At its height, the kingdom extended from the Humber, Peak District and the River Mersey on the south to the Firth of Forth (now in Scotland) on the north. Northumbria ceased to be an independent kingdom in the mid-tenth century when Deira was conquered by the Danes and formed into the Kingdom of York. The rump Earldom of Bamburgh maintained control of Bernicia for a period of time, however, the area north of the Tweed was eventually absorbed into the medieval Kingdom of Scotland while the portion south of the Tweed was absorbed into the Kingdom of England and formed into the county of Northumberland and County Palatine of Durham. St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Adian, the bishop of Lindisfarne, Commemorated August 31; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, 654-687, Cuthbert, of Britain, Melrose Abby, Wonderworker, uncorrupt relics, help from angels, bishop
England, 654-687, Saint, Cuthbert; Melrose Abbey; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; Cuthbert, the wonderworker of Britain, was born in Northumbria around 634. Very little information has come down to us about Cuthbert’s early life, but there is a remarkable story of him when he was eight. a child, Cuthbert enjoyed games and playing with other children. He could beat anyone his own age, and even some who were older, at running, jumping, wrestling, and other exercises. One day he and some other boys were amusing themselves by standing on their heads with their feet up in the air. A little boy who was about three years old chided Cuthbert for his inappropriate behavior. “Be sensible,” he said, “and give up these foolish pranks.” and the others ignored him, but the boy began to weep so piteously that it was impossible to quiet him. When they asked him what the matter was, he shouted, “O holy bishop and priest Cuthbert, these unseemly stunts in order to show off your athletic ability do not become you or the dignity of your office.” Cuthbert immediately stopped what he was doing and attempted to comfort the boy. the way home, he pondered the meaning of those strange words. From that time forward, Cuthbert became more thoughtful and serious.This incident reveals Saint Cuthbert as God’s chosen vessel (2 Tim. 2:20-21), just like Samuel, David, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and others who, from an early age, were destined to serve the Lord. another occasion, he was suffering from an injured knee. It was quite swollen and the muscles were so contracted that he limped and could scarcely place his foot on the ground. One day a handsome stranger of noble bearing, dressed in white, rode up on horseback to the place where Cuthbert was sitting in the sun beside the house. The stranger asked courteously if the boy would receive him as a guest. Cuthbert said that if only he were not hampered by his injuries, he would not be slow to offer hospitality to his guest. man got down from his horse and examined Cuthbert’s knee, advising him to cook up some wheat flour with milk, and to spread the warm paste on his sore knee. After the stranger had gone, it occurred to him that the man was really an angel who had been sent by God. A few days later, he was completely well. From that time forward, as Saint Cuthbert revealed in later years to a few trusted friends, he always received help from angels whenever he prayed to God in desperate situations. his prose Life of Saint Cuthbert, Saint Bede of Jarrow (May 27) reminds skeptics that it is not unknown for an angel to appear on horseback, citing 2 Maccabees 11:6-10 and 4 Maccabees 4:10. the saint was still young, he would tend his master’s sheep in the Lammermuir hills south of Edinburgh near the River Leader. One night while he was praying, he had a vision of angels taking the soul of Saint Aidan (August 31) to heaven in a fiery sphere. Cuthbert awakened the other shepherds and told them what he had seen. He said that this must have been the soul of a holy bishop or some other great person. A few days later they learned that Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne had reposed at the very hour that Cuthbert had seen his vision. an adult, Saint Cuthbert decided to give up his life in the world and advanced to better things. He entered the monastery at Melrose in the valley of the Tweed, where he was received by the abbot Saint Boisil (February 23). Saint Cuthbert was accepted into the community and devoted himself to serving God. His fasting and vigils were so extraordinary that the other monks marveled at him. He often spent entire nights in prayer, and would not eat anything for days at a time. can describe his angelic life, his purity or his virtue? Much of this is known only to God, for Saint Cuthbert labored in secret in order to avoid the praise of men. few years later, Saint Eata (October 26) chose some monks of Melrose to live at the new monastery at Ripon. Among them was Saint Cuthbert. Both Eata and Cuthbert were expelled from Ripon and sent back to Melrose in 661 because they (and some other monks) refused to follow the Roman calculation for the date of Pascha. The Celtic Church, which followed a different, older reckoning, resisted Roman practices for a long time. However, in 664 the Synod of Whitby determined that the Roman customs were superior to those of the Celtic Church, and should be adopted by all. Saint Bede discusses this question in his HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE (Book III, 25). Cuthbert was chosen to be abbot of Melrose after the death of Saint Boisil, guiding the brethren by his words and by his example. He made journeys throughout the surrounding area to encourage Christians and to preach the Gospel to those who had never heard it. Sometimes he would be away from the monastery for a month at a time, teaching and preaching. He also worked many miracles, healing the sick and freeing those who were possessed by demons. 664, Cuthbert went with Saint Eata to Lindisfarne, and extended his territory to include the inhabitants of Northumberland and Durham. Soon Saint Eata appointed Cuthbert as prior of Lindisfarne (Holy Island). At that time both monasteries were under the jurisdiction of Saint Eata. While at Lindisfarne, Saint Cuthbert continued his habit of visiting the common people in order to inspire them to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. some of the monks prefered their negligent way of life to the monastic rule, Saint Cuthbert gradually brought them around to a better state of mind. At first he had to endure many arguments and insults, but eventually he brought them to obedience through his patience and gentle admonition. He had a great thirst for righteousness, and so he did not hesitate to correct those who did wrong. However, his gentleness made him quick to forgive those who repented. When people confessed to him, he often wept in sympathy with their weakness. He also showed them how to make up for their sins by doing their penances himself. Cuthbert was a true father to his monks, but his soul longed for complete solitude, so he went to live on a small island (Saint Cuthbert’s Isle), a short distance from Lindisfarne. After gaining victory over the demons through prayer and fasting, the saint decided to move even farther away from his fellow men. In 676, he retired to Inner Farne, an even more remote location. Saint Cuthbert built a small cell which could not be seen from the mainland. A few yards away, he built a guest house for visitors from Lindisfarne. Here he remained for nearly nine years. synod at Twyford, with the holy Archbishop Theodore (September 19) presiding, elected Cuthbert Bishop of Hexham in 684. Letters and messengers were sent to inform him of the synod’s decision, but he refused to leave his solitude. King Ecgfrith and Bishop Trumwine (February 10) went to him in person, entreating him in Christ’s name to accept. At last, Saint Cuthbert came forth and went with them to the synod. With great reluctance, he submitted to the will of the synod and accepted the office of bishop. Almost immediately, he exchanged Sees with Saint Eata, and became Bishop of Lindisfarne while Saint Eata went to Hexham. Cuthbert remained as humble as he had been before his consecration, avoiding finery and dressing in simple clothing. He fulfilled his office with dignity and graciousness, while continuing to live as a monk. His virtue and holiness of life only served to enhance the authority of his position. life as Bishop of Lindisfarne was quite similar to what it had been when he was prior of that monastery. He devoted himself to his flock, preaching and visiting people throughout his diocese, casting out demons, and healing all manner of diseases. He served as a bishop for only two years, however. Saint Cuthbert was invited to Carlisle to ordain seven deacons to the holy priesthood. The holy priest Hereberht was living in solitude on an island in that vicinity. Hearing that his spiritual friend Cuthbert was staying at Carlisle, he went to see him in order to discuss spiritual matters with him. Saint Cuthbert told him that he should ask him whatever he needed to ask, for they would not see one another in this life again. When he heard that Saint Cuthbert would die soon, Hereberht fell at his feet and wept. By God’s dispensation, the two men would die on the very same day. he was only in his early fifties, Saint Cuthbert felt the time of his death was approaching. He laid aside his archpastoral duties, retiring to the solitude of Inner Farne shortly after the Feast of the Lord’s Nativity in 686 to prepare himself. He was able to receive visitors from Lindisfarne at first, but gradually he weakened and was unable to walk down to the landing stage to greet them. last illness came upon him on February 27, 687. The pious priest Herefrith (later the abbot of Lindisfarne) came to visit him that morning. When he was ready to go back, he asked Saint Cuthbert for his blessing to return. The saint replied, “Do as you intend. Get into your boat and return safely home.” Cuthbert also gave Father Herefrith instructions for his burial. He asked to be laid to rest east of the cross that he himself had set up. He told him where to find a stone coffin hidden under the turf. “Put my body in it,” he said, “and wrap it in the cloth you will find there.” The cloth was a gift from Abbess Verca, but Saint Cuthbert thought it was too fine for him to wear. Out of affection for her, he kept it to be used as his winding sheet. Herefrith wanted to send some of the brethren to look after the dying bishop, but Saint Cuthbert would not permit this. “Go now, and come back at the proper time.” Herefrith asked when that time might be, Saint Cuthbert replied, “When God wishes. He will show you.” returned to Lindisfarne and told the brethren to pray for the ailing Cuthbert. Storms prevented the brethren from returning to Inner Farne for five days. When they did land there, they found the saint sitting on the beach by the guest house. He told them he had come out so that when they arrived to take care of him they would not have to go to his cell to find him. He had been sitting there for five days and nights, eating nothing but onions. He also revealed that during those five days he had been more severely assailed by demons than ever before. time, Saint Cuthbert consented to have some of the brethren attend him. One of these was his personal servant, the priest Bede. He asked particularly for the monk Walhstod to remain with him to help Bede take care of him. Father Herefrith returned to Lindisfarne and informed the brethren of Cuthbert’s wish to be buried on his island. and the others, however, wanted to bury him in their church with proper honor. Therefore, Herefrith went back to Cuthbert and asked for permission to do this. Saint Cuthbert said that he wanted to be buried there at the site of his spiritual struggles, and he pointed out that the peace of the brethren would be disturbed by the number of pilgrims who would come to Lindisfarne to venerate his tomb. insisted that they would gladly endure the inconvenience out of love for Cuthbert. Finally, the bishop agreed to be buried in the church on Lindisfarne so the monks would always have him with them, and they would also be able to decide which outsiders would be allowed to visit his tomb. Cuthbert grew weaker and weaker, so the monks carried him back into his cell. No one had ever been inside, so they paused at the door and asked that at least one of them be permitted to see to his needs. Cuthbert asked for Wahlstod to come in with him. Now Wahlstod had suffered from dysentery for a long time. Even though he was sick, he agreed to care for Cuthbert. As soon as he touched the holy bishop, his illness left him. Although he was sick and dying, Saint Cuthbert healed his servant Wahlstod. Remarkably, the holy man’s spiritual power was not impaired by his bodily weakness. About three o’clock in the afternoon Wahlstod came out and announced that the bishop wanted them to come inside. Herefrith asked Cuthbert if he had any final instructions for the monks. He spoke of peace and harmony, warning them to be on guard against those who fostered pride and discord. Although he encouraged them to welcome visitors and offer them hospitality, he also admonished them to have no dealings with heretics or with those who lived evil lives. He told them to learn the teachings of the Fathers and put them into practice, and to adhere to the monastic rule which he had taught them. passing the evening in prayer, Saint Cuthbert sat up and received Holy Communion from Father Herefrith. He surrendered his holy soul to God on March 20, 687at the time appointed for the night office years later, Saint Cuthbert’s tomb was opened and his relics were found to be incorrupt. In the ninth century, the relics were moved to Norham, then back to Lindisfarne. Because of the threat of Viking raids, Saint Cuthbert’s body was moved from place to place for seven years so that it would not be destroyed by the invaders. Cuthbert’s relics were moved to Chester-le-Street in 995. They were moved again because of another Viking invasion, and then brought to Durham for safekeeping. Around 1020 the relics of Saints Bede (May 27), Aidan (August 31), Boisil (February 23), Aebbe (August 25), Eadberht (May 6), Aethilwald (February 12), and other saints associated with Saint Cuthbert were also brought to Durham. tomb was opened again on August 24, 1104, and the incorrupt and fragrant relics were placed in the newly-completed cathedral. Relics of the other saints mentioned above were placed in various places around the church. The head of Saint Oswald of Northumbria (August 5), however, was left in Saint Cuthbert’s coffin. 1537 three commissioners of King Henry VIII came to plunder the tomb and desecrate the relics. Saint Cuthbert’s body was still incorrupt, and was later reburied. The tomb was opened again in 1827. A pile of bones was found in the outer casket, probably the relics of the various saints which had been collected seven centuries before, then replaced after the Protestant commissioners had completed their work. the inner casket was a skeleton wrapped in a linen shroud and five robes. In the vestments a gold and garnet cross was found, probably Saint Cuthbert’s pectoral cross. Also found were an ivory comb, a portable wood and silver altar, a stole (epitrachilion), pieces of a carved wooden coffin, and other items. These may be seen today in the Dean and Chapter library of Durham Cathedral. The tomb was opened again in 1899, and a scientific examination determined that the bones were those of a man in his fifties, Cuthbert’s age when he died. Saint Cuthbert’s relics (and the head of Saint Oswald) lie beneath a simple stone slab on the site of the original medieval shrine in the Chapel of the Nine Altars, and Saint Bede’s relics rest at the other end of the cathedral. The relics and the treasures in the Library make Durham an appropriate place for pilgrims to visit.

England, 663-664, Synod of Whitby, went with Rome, at Hilda's double monastery
Synod of Whitby 663-664; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

England, 665-666, Great Plague of London
England, 665-666, Great Plague of London; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

England, 668-690, Theodore of Tarsus, 8th Archbishop of Canterbury, first E council, condemned monotheists, incorrupt r
England, 668-690, Saint Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. He was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. He was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury at the age of sixty-five. Saint Adrian (January 9), an African who was the abbot of a monastery near Naples, was sent to assist Saint Theodore. Theodore arrived in Kent in 669, when he was almost seventy. In spite of his age, he was quite energetic, traveling throughout England founding churches and consecrating bishops to fill those Sees which were left vacant by an outbreak of plague. He also created new Sees and established a school in Canterbury where Greek was taught. Northumbria, Saint Theodore settled a dispute involving episcopal succession. Saint Wilfrid (October 12) had been elected Bishop of Lindisfarne (the See was later transferred to York), and he traveled to Gaul to be consecrated by a Roman bishop, because he would not accept consecration from a Celtic bishop. In the meantime, Saint Chad, or Ceadda (March 2), had been elected and uncanonically consecrated because Wilfrid remained in Gaul for three years. Although Saint Theodore deposed Saint Chad, he recognized his worthiness to be a bishop. He regularized the consecration, then sent Saint Chad to be Bishop of Mercia. Saint Wilfred was restored to his See. Theodore summoned a council of the entire English Church at Hertford in 672. Not only was this the first church council in England, it was the first assembly of any kind attended by representatives from all over the country. In 679 he convened another synod at Hatfield to maintain the purity of Orthodox doctrine and to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism. Theodore fell asleep in the Lord in 690, and his body remained incorrupt for a long time. Under his leadership, the English Church became united in a way that the various tribal kingdoms did not. The diocesean structures which he established continue to serve as the basis for church administration in England. He was respected for his administrative skills, and also for his moral and canonical decisions. THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

England, 668-690, Theodore of Tarsus, after plague, traveled throughout england, Hertford Council, incorrupt relics
Kent, England, 668-690, Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury; Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury at the age of sixty-five. Saint Adrian (January 9), an African who was the abbot of a monastery near Naples, was sent to assist Saint Theodore. Theodore arrived in Kent in 669, when he was almost seventy. In spite of his age, he was quite energetic, traveling throughout England founding churches and consecrating bishops to fill those Sees which were left vacant by an outbreak of plague. He also created new Sees and established a school in Canterbury where Greek was taught. Northumbria, Saint Theodore settled a dispute involving episcopal succession. Saint Wilfrid (October 12) had been elected Bishop of Lindisfarne (the See was later transferred to York), and he traveled to Gaul to be consecrated by a Roman bishop, because he would not accept consecration from a Celtic bishop. In the meantime, Saint Chad, or Ceadda (March 2), had been elected and uncanonically consecrated because Wilfrid remained in Gaul for three years. Although Saint Theodore deposed Saint Chad, he recognized his worthiness to be a bishop. He regularized the consecration, then sent Saint Chad to be Bishop of Mercia. Saint Wilfred was restored to his See. Theodore summoned a council of the entire English Church at Hertford in 672. Not only was this the first church council in England, it was the first assembly of any kind attended by representatives from all over the country. In 679 he convened another synod at Hatfield to maintain the purity of Orthodox doctrine and to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism. Theodore fell asleep in the Lord in 690, and his body remained incorrupt for a long time. Under his leadership, the English Church became united in a way that the various tribal kingdoms did not. The diocesean structures which he established continue to serve as the basis for church administration in England. He was respected for his administrative skills, and also for his moral and canonical decisions.

England, 668-710, Saint Adrian of Canterbury, North African, Naples Abbot, came w Theodore, Educator
England, 668-710, Educator, Saint Adrian of Canterbury; also spelled Hadrian (born before 637, died 710), was a North African scholar in Anglo-Saxon England and the abbot of Saint Peter's and Saint Paul's in Canterbury. was a noted teacher and commentator of the Bible.[1] Adrian was born between 630 and 637.[1] According to Bede, he was "by nation an African",[2] and thus a Berber[3][4] native of North Africa, and was abbot of a monastery near Naples, called Monasterium Niridanum (perhaps a mistake for Nisidanum, as being situated on the island of Nisida). England, 668-690, Saint Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

England, 670-685, Ecgfrith of Northumbria, E King, heighth of N power, killed by Picts at N
King of the English, 670-685, Ecgfrith of Northumbria; (c. 645 - 20 May 685) was the King of Deira from 664 until 670, and then King of Northumbria from 670 until his death in 685. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Nechtansmere in which he lost his life. CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

England, 672, Synod of Hertford, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, first anglo-saxon council
England, 672, Synod of Hertford, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury ; Council of Hertford, 672; Council of Hertford was the first general council of the Anglo-Saxon Church.[1] It was convened in Anglo-Saxon Herutford, most likely modern Hertford, in 672 by Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury.[2] The Venerable Bede is the historical source for this council, as he included its text in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People.[3] council was attended by a number of bishops from across Anglo-Saxon England. Bede also records royal attendance, as King Ecgfrith of Northumbria was present.[4] The Council of Hertford acted as a milestone in the organisation of the Anglo-Saxon Church, as the decrees passed by its delegates focused on issues of authority and structure within the church.[5] The council helped achieve unification in the English Church. St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

England, 673-735, Saint Bede, Historian
English Saint, 673-735, Bede ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735) ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

England, 675-693, Earconwald, London bishop, converted E Saxon King, established abbys, sister Aethelburga, K Ine's law code
England, English Saint, 675-693, Earconwald, Bishop of London; or Erkenwald[a] (died 693) was Bishop of London between 675 and 693. was born at Lindsey in Lincolnshire,[1] and was supposedly of royal ancestry.[2] Earconwald gave up his share of family money[citation needed] to help establish two Benedictine abbeys, Chertsey Abbey in Surrey[3] in 666 for men, and Barking Abbey for women.[1][4] His sister, Æthelburg, was Abbess of Barking,[1][5] while he served as Abbot of Chertsey.[6] 675, Earconwald became the Bishop of London, after Wine.[7] He was the choice of Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury.[6] While bishop, he contributed to King Ine of Wessex's law code, and is mentioned specifically in the code as a contributor.[8] He is also reputed to have converted Sebba, King of the East Saxons to Christianity in 677.[citation needed] Current historical scholarship credits Earconwald with a large role in the evolution of Anglo-Saxon charters, and it is possible that he drafted the charter of Caedwalla to Farnham.[5] King Ine of Wessex named Earconwald as an advisor on his laws.[9] died in 693[7] and his remains were buried at Old St Paul's Cathedral. His grave was a popular place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, and was destroyed together with a number of other tombs in the cathedral during the Reformation.[10] feast day is 30 April, with translations being celebrated on 1 February and 13 May.[2] He is a patron saint of London.[11] Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11;

England, 678-739, WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, from Northumbria, Missionary to pagans of Friesia (Netherlands+)
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739); first Archbishop of Utrecht, is one of the missionaries sent out by the Anglo-Saxon Christians about a century after they had themselves been Christianized by missionaries in the south and east of England from Rome and the Continent, and in the north and west from the Celtic peoples of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Our information about Willibrord comes to us from the Venerable Bede (History of the English Church and People, v. 10-11) and from a biography by his younger kinsman Alcuin (see 20 May), Minister of Education under the Emperor Charlemagne. was born in Northumbria in England about 658, and studied in France and Ireland. In 690 he set out with 12 companions to preach to the pagans of Frisia (a region roughly coextensive with the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, including some adjacent territories and the Frisian islands in the North Sea). His work was interrupted several times by wars, and he left for a while to preach to the Danes instead. He died 7 November 739. Willibrord is a symbol of ties between the Christians of England and those of Holland. Today the historic See of Utrecht is in full communion with the Church of England. by James Kiefer

England, 679, Synod of Hatfield, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, condemned monotheism
England, 679, Synod of Hatfield, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. He was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. He was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury at the age of sixty-five. Saint Adrian (January 9), an African who was the abbot of a monastery near Naples, was sent to assist Saint Theodore. Theodore arrived in Kent in 669, when he was almost seventy. In spite of his age, he was quite energetic, traveling throughout England founding churches and consecrating bishops to fill those Sees which were left vacant by an outbreak of plague. He also created new Sees and established a school in Canterbury where Greek was taught. Northumbria, Saint Theodore settled a dispute involving episcopal succession. Saint Wilfrid (October 12) had been elected Bishop of Lindisfarne (the See was later transferred to York), and he traveled to Gaul to be consecrated by a Roman bishop, because he would not accept consecration from a Celtic bishop. In the meantime, Saint Chad, or Ceadda (March 2), had been elected and uncanonically consecrated because Wilfrid remained in Gaul for three years. Although Saint Theodore deposed Saint Chad, he recognized his worthiness to be a bishop. He regularized the consecration, then sent Saint Chad to be Bishop of Mercia. Saint Wilfred was restored to his See. Theodore summoned a council of the entire English Church at Hertford in 672. Not only was this the first church council in England, it was the first assembly of any kind attended by representatives from all over the country. In 679 he convened another synod at Hatfield to maintain the purity of Orthodox doctrine and to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism. Theodore fell asleep in the Lord in 690, and his body remained incorrupt for a long time. Under his leadership, the English Church became united in a way that the various tribal kingdoms did not. The diocesean structures which he established continue to serve as the basis for church administration in England. He was respected for his administrative skills, and also for his moral and canonical decisions. THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

England, 685-705, Aldfrith, Northumbria, E King, recalled from Iona, succeded b Ecgfrith, who d in Picts v, restored kingdom
England, 685-705, King of the English, Aldfrith of Northumbria; (died 14 December 704 or 705) was king of Northumbria from 685 until his death. He is described by early writers such as Bede, Alcuin and Stephen of Ripon as a man of great learning. Some of his works and some letters written to him survive. His reign was relatively peaceful, marred only by disputes with Bishop Wilfrid, a major figure in the early Northumbrian church. was born on an uncertain date to Oswiu of Northumbria and an Irish princess named Fín. Oswiu later became King of Northumbria; he died in 670 and was succeeded by his son Ecgfrith. was educated for a career in the church and became a scholar. in 685, when Ecgfrith was killed at the battle of Nechtansmere, Aldfrith was recalled to Northumbria, reportedly from the Hebridean island of Iona, and became king. his early-8th-century account of Aldfrith's reign, Bede states that he "ably restored the shattered fortunes of the kingdom, though within smaller boundaries".[2] His reign saw the creation of works of Hiberno-Saxon art such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Codex Amiatinus, and is often seen as the start of Northumbria's golden age. WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672); BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

England, 700-799, 8th Century Folder, Anglo Saxons, Viking Invasions

England, 701-754, Boniface, Sacred Oak at Geismar, from Cornwall, evangelized Netherlands, France, and West Germany
BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); nicknamed Boniface ("good deeds"), was born around 680 near Crediton in Devonshire, England. he was five, he listened to some monks who were staying at his father's house. They had returned from a mission to the pagans on the continent, and Boniface was so impressed by them that he resolved to follow their example. Although his father had intended him for a secular career, he gave way to his son's entreaties and sent him at the age of seven to a monastery school. eventually became director of the school at Nursling, in Winchester, where he wrote the first Latin grammar in England, and gave lectures that were widely copied and circulated. illumination showing Bonface baptizing, and his martyrdom thirty, he was ordained and set out to preach in Friesland (overlaps with modern Holland), whence he was soon expelled because of war between its heathen king and Charles Martel of France. after a brief withdrawal, went into Hesse and Bavaria, having secured the support of the Pope and of Charles Martel for his work there. Hesse, in the presence of a large crowd of pagans, he cut down the Sacred Oak of Geismar, a tree of immense age and girth, sacred to the god Thor. It is said that after only a few blows of his axe, the tree tottered and crashed to the ground, breaking into four pieces and revealing itself to be rotted away within. was the beginning of a highly successful missionary effort, and the planting of a vigorous Christian church in Germany, where Boniface was eventually consecrated bishop. He asked the Christian Saxons of England to support his work among their kinsmen on the continent, and they responded with money, books, supplies, and above all, with a steady supply of monks to assist him in teaching and preaching. felling the oak, from an old German book of Saints did not confine his attentions to Germany. He worked to establish cooperation between the Pope and others in Italy on the one hand and Charles and his successors in France on the other. He persuaded Carloman and Pepin, the sons of Charles, to call synods for the reform of the church in their territories, where under previous rulers bishoprics had often been sold to the highest bidder. never forgot his initial failure in Friesland, and in old age resigned his bishopric and returned to work there. Many Frisians had been converted earlier by Willibrord (another Saxon missionary from England--see 7 Nov), but had lapsed after his death. Boniface preached among them with considerable success. On June 5, the eve of Pentecost, 754, he was preparing a group of Frisians for confirmation when they were attacked and killed by heathen warriors. historian Christopher Dawson estimates that he has had a greater influence on the history of Europe than any other Englishman. Sacred Oak of Thor at Geismar;

England, 709-716, King of the English, Ceolred of Mercia
England, King of the English, 709-716, Ceolred of Mercia ; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739); BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

England, 716-757, King of the English, Aethelbald of Mercia
England, King of the English, 716-757, Aethelbald of Mercia; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

England, 755-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne
England, 755-804, Alcuin, Scholar and Theologian for Charlemagne; York; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739); ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

England, 757-796, King of the English, Offa of Mercia
England, King of the English, 757-796, Offa of Mercia; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

England, 800-899, 9th Century Folder, Viking Invasions, Alfred the Great, Battle of Edington

England, 855-870, King of the English, Edmund of East Anglia (Edmund the Martyr)
England, King of the English, 855-870, Edmund of East Anglia (Edmund the Martyr) ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870);

England, 869-899, Alfred the Great, Alfred's victory in 878
Wessex, 869-899, Alfred the Great King Alfred's Victory, 878; Great Heathen Army (Old English: mycel hæþen here; Danish: Store Hedenske Hær), also known as the Viking Great Army,[1] was a coalition of Scandinavian warriors, mainly Danes, who invaded England in 865 AD. Since the late 8th century, the Vikings[a] had been engaging in raids on centres of wealth such as monasteries. The Great Heathen Army was much larger and aimed to occupy and conquer the four kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex. The name Great Heathen Army is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 865. Legend has it that the force was led by three of the five sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, including Halfdan Ragnarsson, Ivar the Boneless and Ubba.[b] The campaign of invasion and conquest against the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms lasted 14 years. Surviving sources give no firm indication of its numbers, but it was amongst the largest forces of its kind. The invaders initially landed in East Anglia, where the king provided them with horses for their campaign in return for peace. They spent the winter of 865–66 at Thetford, before marching north to capture York in November 866. York had been founded as the Roman legionary fortress of Eboracum and revived as the Anglo-Saxon trading port of Eoforwic. During 867, the army marched deep into Mercia and wintered in Nottingham. The Mercians agreed to terms with the Viking army, which moved back to York for the winter of 868–69. In 869, the Great Army returned to East Anglia, conquering it and killing its king. The army moved to winter quarters in Thetford. In 871, the Vikings moved on to Wessex, where Alfred the Great paid them to leave. The army then marched to London to overwinter in 871–72. The following campaigning season the army first moved to York, where it gathered reinforcements. This force campaigned in northeastern Mercia, after which it spent the winter at Torksey, on the Trent close to the Humber.[1] The following campaigning season it seems to have subdued much of Mercia. Burgred, the king of Mercia, fled overseas and Coelwulf, described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as "a foolish king's thegn" was imposed in his place. The army spent the following winter at Repton on the middle Trent, after which the army seems to have divided. One group seems to have returned to Northumbria, where they settled in the area, while another group seems to have turned to invade Wessex.[5] By this time, only the kingdom of Wessex had not been conquered. In May of 878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington, and a treaty was agreed whereby the Vikings were able to remain in control of much of northern and eastern England. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle does not mention the reason for this invasion, perhaps because Viking raids were fairly common during that period of time. The Tale of Ragnar's Sons,[6] on the other hand, mentions that the invasion of England by the Great Heathen Army was aimed at avenging the death of Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Viking ruler of Sweden and Denmark.[c] In the Viking saga, Ragnar is said to have conducted a raid on Northumbria during the reign of King Ælla. The Vikings were defeated and Ragnar was captured by the Northumbrians. Ælla then had Ragnar executed by throwing him into a pit of venomous snakes. When the sons of Ragnar received news of their father's death, they decided to avenge him.[7][8] Contents Background[edit] Viking[d] raids began in England in the late 8th century, primarily on monasteries.[10] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for AD 787[e] reports the first confrontation with the Vikings[a] in England.[11][12] AD 787 – This year king Bertric took to wife Eadburga, king Offa's daughter; and in his days first came three ships of Northmen, out of Hæretha-land [Denmark]. And then the reeve rode to the place, and would have driven them to the king's town, because he knew not who they were: and they there slew him. These were the first ships of Danishmen which sought the land of the English nation. This incident is regarded, by some, as the first raid on England.[13] Æthelweard's version of the Chronicle, known as the Chronicon Æthelweardi, has a slightly different version of events, saying that the reeve, a certain Beaduheard, had spoken to the visitors in an "authoritative tone" and this is why they killed him.[13] The designation of these "Hæretha-landers" as Danes is somewhat problematic. Sara María Pons-Sanz states, in "Analysis of the Scandinavian Loanwords in the Aldredian Glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospels", that they were either men from Harthæsysæl (Hardsyssel) in Jutland, so actually Danes, or from Hörthaland in Norway, so that in the last case the word "Danish" refers to all Scandinavian people.[14] The first monastery to be raided was in 793 at Lindisfarne, off the northeast coast; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle described the Vikings as "heathen men".[15] Monasteries and minster churches were popular targets as they were wealthy and had valuable, portable objects.[16] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 840 says that Æthelwulf of Wessex was defeated at Carhampton, Somerset, after 35 Viking ships had landed in the area.[17] The Annals of St. Bertin also reported the incident, stating: The Northmen launched a major attack; in three days, the Northmen emerged the winners – plundering, looting, slaughtering, and controlling the land.[f] Despite this, Æthelwulf had some success against the Vikings. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has repeated references during his reign of victories won by ealdormen with the men of their shires.[19] However, the raiding of England continued on and off until the 860s, when instead of raiding, the Vikings changed their tactics and sent a great army to invade England. This army was described by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a "Great Heathen Army" (OE: mycel hæþen here or mycel heathen here).[20][21][22][23] The size of the army[edit] A reconstruction of a Viking from Repton in Mercia. This model is now in Derby Museum.[g] Historians provide varying estimates for the size of the Great Heathen Army.[24] According to the 'minimalist' scholars, such as Pete Sawyer, the army may have been smaller than traditionally thought.[25][26] Sawyer notes that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 865 referred to the Viking force as a Heathen Army, or in Old English "hæþen here".[25][22] The law code of King Ine of Wessex, issued in about 694, provides a definition of here (pronounced /ˈheːre/) as "an invading army or raiding party containing more than thirty five men", thus differentiating between the term for the invading Viking army and the Anglo-Saxon army that was referred to as the fyrd.[25][27] The scribes who wrote the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle used the term here to describe the Viking forces. The historian Richard Abels suggested that this was to differentiate between the Viking war bands and those of military forces organised by the state or the crown. However, by the late 10th and early 11th century, here was used more generally as the term for army, whether it was Viking or not.[24] Sawyer produced a table of Viking ship numbers, as documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and assumes that each Viking ship could carry no more than 32 men[h] leading to his conclusion that the army would have consisted of no more than 1,000 men.[25] Other scholars give higher estimates. For example, Laurent Mazet-Harhoff observes that many thousands of men were involved in the invasions of the Seine area. However, Mazet-Harhoff does say that the military bases that would accommodate these large armies have yet to be rediscovered.[29][30] Guy Halsall reported that, in the 1990s, several historians suggested that the Great Heathen Army would have numbered in the low thousands; however, Halsall advises that there "clearly is still much room for debate".[26] The army probably developed from the campaigns in France. In Francia, there was a conflict between the Emperor and his sons, and one of the sons had welcomed the support from a Viking fleet.[31] By the time that the war had ended, the Vikings had discovered that monasteries and towns situated on navigable rivers were vulnerable to attack. In 845, a raid on Paris was prevented by the large payment of silver to the Vikings. The opportunity for rich pickings drew other Vikings to the area, and by the end of the decade all the main rivers of West Francia were being patrolled by Viking fleets.[31] In 862, the West Frankish king responded to the Vikings, fortifying his towns and defending his rivers, thus making it difficult for the Vikings to raid inland. The lower reaches of the rivers and the coastal regions were left largely undefended. Religious communities in these areas, however, chose to move inland away from the reaches of the Viking fleets. With the changes in Francia making raiding more difficult, the Vikings turned their attention to England.[31] Invasion of England[edit] The Viking leaders would often join together for mutual benefit and then dissolve once profit had been achieved.[24] Several of the Viking leaders who had been active in Francia and Frisia joined forces to conquer the four kingdoms constituting Anglo-Saxon England. The composite force probably contained elements from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Ireland as well as those who had been fighting on the continent. The Anglo-Saxon historian Æthelweard was very specific in his chronicle and said that "the fleets of the viking tyrant Ivar the Boneless landed in England from the north".[31][32] The Vikings had been defeated by the West Saxon King Æthelwulf in 851, so rather than land in Wessex they decided to go further north to East Anglia.[20][31][33] Legend has it that the united army was led by the three sons[b] of Ragnar Lodbrok: Halfdan Ragnarsson, Ivar the Boneless (Hingwar), and Ubba.[20][31][33] Norse sagas consider the invasion by the three brothers[c] as a response to the death of their father at the hands of Ælla of Northumbria in 865, but the historicity of this claim is uncertain.[34][8] Start of the invasion, 865[edit] Silver penny of Æthelred I, King of Wessex (865–871) In late 865, the Great Heathen Army encamped in the Isle of Thanet and was promised by the people of Kent danegeld in exchange for peace. Regardless, the Vikings did not abide by this agreement and proceeded to rampage across eastern Kent.[35][36] The Vikings used East Anglia as a starting point for an invasion. The East Anglians made peace with the invaders by providing them with horses.[37] The Vikings stayed in East Anglia for the winter before setting out for Northumbria towards the end of 866, establishing themselves at York. In 867, the Northumbrians paid danegeld and the Viking Army established a puppet leader in Northumbria before setting off for the Kingdom of Mercia, where in 867 they captured Nottingham. The king of Mercia requested help from the king of Wessex to help fight the Vikings. A combined army from Wessex and Mercia besieged the city of Nottingham with no clear result, so the Mercians settled on paying the Vikings off. The Vikings returned to Northumbria in autumn 868 and overwintered in York, staying there for most of 869. They returned to East Anglia and spent the winter of 869–70 at Thetford. While in Thetford, they were attacked by Edmund, king of East Anglia, with whom they had no peace agreement. The Viking army was victorious in these battles, and Edmund was captured, possibly tortured, and killed. He would later come to be known as Edmund the Martyr.[38] In 871, the Great Summer Army arrived from Scandinavia, led by Bagsecg.[39] The reinforced Viking army turned its attention to Wessex but the West Saxons, led by King Æthelred's brother Alfred, defeated them on 8 January 871 at the Battle of Ashdown, slaying Bagsecg in the process. Three months later, Æthelred died and was succeeded by Alfred (later known as Alfred the Great), who bought[i] the Vikings off to gain time. During 871–72, the Great Heathen Army wintered in London before returning to Northumbria. It seems that there had been a rebellion against the puppet ruler in Northumbria, so they returned to restore power. They then established their winter quarters for 872–73 at Torksey in the Kingdom of Lindsey (now part of Lincolnshire).[41] The Mercians again paid them off in return for peace,[i] and at the end of 873 the Vikings took up winter quarters at Repton in Derbyshire.[42] In 874, following their winter stay in Repton, the Great Heathen Army drove the Mercian king into exile and finally conquered Mercia; the exiled Mercian king was replaced by Ceolwulf. According to Alfred the Great's biographer Asser, the Vikings then split into two bands.[43][44] Halfdan led one band north to Northumbria, where he overwintered by the river Tyne (874–75). In 875 he ravaged further north to Scotland, where he fought the Picts and the Britons of Strathclyde.[45] Returning south of the border in 876, he shared out Northumbrian land amongst his men, who "ploughed the land and supported themselves"; this land was part of what became known as the Danelaw.[44] King Alfred's victory[edit] According to Asser, the second band was led by Guthrum, Oscetel, and Anwend. This group also left Repton in 874 and established a base at Cambridge for the winter of 874–75. In late 875 they moved onto Wareham, where they raided the surrounding area and occupied a fortified position. Asser reports that Alfred made a treaty with the Vikings to get them to leave Wessex.[43][46] The Vikings left Wareham, but it was not long before they were raiding other parts of Wessex, and initially they were successful. Alfred fought back, however, and eventually won victory over them at the Battle of Edington in 878. This was followed closely by what was described by Asser as the Treaty of Wedmore, where Guthrum agreed to be baptised and then for him and his army to leave Wessex.[47] Then some time after, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum was agreed, that set out the boundaries between Alfred and Guthrum's territories as well as agreements on peaceful trade, and the weregild value of their people.[48] Aftermath[edit] A sword of a Viking buried at Repton in Mercia. This sword is now in Derby Museum. In late 878, Guthrum's band withdrew to Cirencester, in the kingdom of Mercia.[49] Then, probably in late 879, it moved to East Anglia,[50] where Guthrum, who was also known by his baptismal name of Aethelstan, reigned as king until his death in 890.[51] The part of the army that did not go with Guthrum mostly went on to more settled lives in Northumbria and York. Some may have settled in Mercia. Evidence for this is the presence of two Viking cemeteries in Derbyshire that are believed to be connected to the Great Army, at Repton and at Heath Wood.[5] In 878, a third Viking army gathered on Fulham by the Thames. It seems they were partly discouraged by the defeat of Guthrum but also Alfred's success against the Vikings coincided with a period of renewed weakness in Francia. The Frankish emperor, Charles the Bald, died in 877 and his son shortly after, precipitating a period of political instability of which the Vikings were quick to take advantage. The assembled Viking army on the Thames departed in 879 to begin new campaigns on the continent.[52][53] In 892, the army that had encamped on Fulham, now comprising 250 ships, had returned and re-established itself in Appledore, Kent.[54] Another army of 80 ships soon afterwards also encamped in Milton Regis, posing a threat to the West Saxons.[54] The army subsequently launched a series of attacks on Wessex. Due in part to the king's efforts to resist the invaders and defend Wessex, the Heathen army made less of an impact against the kingdom than hoped and saw little progress, eventually disbanding in 896.[55] Throughout the 880s, the Viking presence in his kingdom encouraged Alfred to protect Wessex. The king realised the importance of naval combat against the Vikings and saw to the creation of a navy; Alfred ordered the construction of specialised ships that were supposedly twice as long as Viking ships, some possessing 60 oars, others possessing even more.[36][56] Alfred also reorganised the army and set up a powerful system of fortified towns known as burhs. Alfred mainly used old Roman cities for his burhs, as he was able to rebuild and reinforce their existing fortifications.[57][58] Every freeman in the land could be called out to protect the realm in times of trouble but the speed of Viking hit-and-run raids had been too quick for the local militias to act; part of Alfred's reforms was to create a standing army that could react rapidly to attacks. The Anglo-Saxon rural population lived within a 24 km (15-mile) radius of each burh, so they were able to seek refuge when necessary.[59] To maintain the burhs, as well as the standing army, Alfred set up a system of taxation and conscription that is recorded in a document now known as the Burghal Hidage.[60] The burhs were connected with a network of military roads, known as herepaths, enabling Alfred's troops to move swiftly to engage the enemy. Some historians believe that each burh would have had a mounted force ready for action against the Vikings.[61] Based on figures from the Burghal Hidage, it is probable that a fifth of the adult male population of Wessex (27,000 men) would have been mobilised.[62] A common Viking tactic was to seize a centre, usually some sort of fortification, that they could reinforce and then use as a base to plunder the surrounding district. From 884 Alfred's reforms prevented them from doing this in Wessex.[62] By 896, the Viking army was all but defeated and no longer saw any reason to continue their attacks and dispersed to East Anglia and Northumbria. Those that were penniless found themselves ships and went south across the sea to the Seine.[36][55][63][64] This influx of new settlers helped consolidate the ever-growing establishment of Danelaw.[65] Anglo-Saxon England had been torn apart by the invading Great Heathen Army and the Vikings had control of northern and eastern England, while Alfred and his successors had defended their kingdom and remained in control of Wessex.[66] Archaeological sites[edit] The stone church of St Wystan at Repton was, in the 9th century, the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery and church. Excavations at the site between 1974 and 1988 found a D-shaped earthwork on the river bank, incorporated into the church. Burials of Viking type were made at the east end of the church, and an existing building was cut down and converted into the chamber of a burial mound that revealed the disarticulated remains of at least 249 people, with their long bones pointing towards the centre of the burial. A large stone coffin was found in the middle of the mass grave; however, the remains of this individual did not survive. A study of the skeletal remains revealed that at least 80% of the individuals were male, and were between the ages of 15 and 45.[67] Further investigation of the male skeletal remains revealed that they were dissimilar to the local population of Repton, most likely of Scandinavian descent, and many showed signs of violent injury. In contrast, analysis of the female remains revealed that they were similar to the local population, suggesting an Anglo-Saxon lineage.[67] It is possible that the people in the grave may have suffered some sort of epidemic when the army overwintered in Repton during 873–74, leading to the mass burial.[44] A variety of Viking artifacts, such as a silver Thor's hammer, were also found among the bones.[67] Although initial radiocarbon dating suggested that the bodies had accumulated there over several centuries, in February 2018, a team out of the University of Bristol announced that the remains could indeed all be dated to the late 9th century, consistent with the time the army wintered in Derbyshire. They attributed the initial discrepancies to the high consumption of seafood by the Vikings. Because the carbon in the Earth's oceans is older than much of the carbon found by organisms on land, radiocarbon dating must be adjusted. This is called the marine reservoir effect.[68][69] The nearby Heath Wood barrow cemetery contains about sixty cremations (rather than burials). Finds of cremation sites in the British Isles are very rare, and this one probably was the war cemetery of the Great Heathen Army.[5] Great Heathen Army, Great Danish Army; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 13 ;

England, 871-899, King of the English, Alphred the Great, King of Wessex, m tactics, biblical law code, education
England, King of the English, 871-899, Alphred the Great, King of Wessex ; the Great (848/49 – 26 October 899) was king of the West Saxons from 871 to c. 886 and king of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf, who died when Alfred was young. Three of Alfred's brothers, Æthelbald, Æthelberht and Æthelred, reigned in turn before him. Under Alfred's rule, considerable administrative and military reforms were introduced, prompting lasting change in England.[2] After ascending the throne, Alfred spent several years fighting Viking invasions. He won a decisive victory in the Battle of Edington in 878 and made an agreement with the Vikings, creating what was known as the Danelaw in the North of England. Alfred also oversaw the conversion of Viking leader Guthrum to Christianity. He defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, becoming the dominant ruler in England.[3] Details of his life are described in a work by 9th-century Welsh scholar and bishop Asser. Alfred had a reputation as a learned and merciful man of a gracious and level-headed nature who encouraged education, proposing that primary education be conducted in Old English rather than Latin and improving the legal system and military structure and his people's quality of life. He was given the epithet "the Great" in the 16th century. Contents Family[edit] Further information: House of Wessex family tree Alfred was a son of Æthelwulf, king of Wessex, and his wife Osburh.[4] According to his biographer, Asser, writing in 893, "In the year of our Lord's Incarnation 849 Alfred, King of the Anglo-Saxons", was born at the royal estate called Wantage, in the district known as Berkshire[a] (which is so called from Berroc Wood, where the box tree grows very abundantly)." This date has been accepted by the editors of Asser's biography, Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge,[5] and by other historians such as David Dumville and Richard Huscroft.[6] However, West Saxon genealogical lists state that Alfred was 23 when he became king in April 871, implying that he was born between April 847 and April 848.[7] This dating is adopted in the biography of Alfred by Alfred Smyth, who regards Asser's biography as fraudulent,[8] an allegation which is rejected by other historians.[9] Richard Abels in his biography discusses both sources but does not decide between them and dates Alfred's birth as 847/849, while Patrick Wormald in his Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article dates it 848/849.[b] Berkshire had been historically disputed between Wessex and Mercia, and as late as 844, a charter showed that it was part of Mercia, but Alfred's birth in the county is evidence that, by the late 840s, control had passed to Wessex.[11] He was the youngest of six children. His eldest brother, Æthelstan, was old enough to be appointed sub-king of Kent in 839, almost 10 years before Alfred was born. He died in the early 850s. Alfred's next three brothers were successively kings of Wessex. Æthelbald (858-860) and Æthelberht (860-865) were also much older than Alfred, but Æthelred (865-871) was only a year or two older. Alfred's only known sister, Æthelswith, married Burgred, king of the midland kingdom of Mercia in 853. Most historians think that Osburh was the mother of all Æthelwulf's children, but some suggest that the older ones were born to an unrecorded first wife. Osburh was descended from the rulers of the Isle of Wight. She was described by Alfred's biographer Asser as "a most religious woman, noble by temperament and noble by birth". She had died by 856 when Æthelwulf married Judith, daughter of Charles the Bald, king of West Francia.[12] In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of the Mercian nobleman Æthelred Mucel, ealdorman of the Gaini, and his wife Eadburh, who was of royal Mercian descent.[13][c] Their children were Æthelflæd, who married Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians; Edward the Elder, Alfred's successor as king; Æthelgifu, abbess of Shaftesbury; Ælfthryth, who married Baldwin, count of Flanders; and Æthelweard.[15] Background[edit] Map of Britain in 886 Alfred's grandfather, Ecgberht, became king of Wessex in 802, and in the view of the historian Richard Abels, it must have seemed very unlikely to contemporaries that he would establish a lasting dynasty. For 200 years, three families had fought for the West Saxon throne, and no son had followed his father as king. No ancestor of Ecgberht had been a king of Wessex since Ceawlin in the late sixth century, but he was believed to be a paternal descendant of Cerdic, the founder of the West Saxon dynasty.[d] This made Ecgberht an ætheling – a prince eligible for the throne. But after Ecgberht's reign, descent from Cerdic was no longer sufficient to make a man an ætheling. When Ecgberht died in 839, he was succeeded by his son Æthelwulf; all subsequent West Saxon kings were descendants of Ecgberht and Æthelwulf, and were also sons of kings.[18] At the beginning of the ninth century, England was almost wholly under the control of the Anglo-Saxons. Mercia dominated southern England, but its supremacy came to an end in 825 when it was decisively defeated by Ecgberht at the Battle of Ellendun.[19] The two kingdoms became allies, which was important in the resistance to Viking attacks.[20] In 853, King Burgred of Mercia requested West Saxon help to suppress a Welsh rebellion, and Æthelwulf led a West Saxon contingent in a successful joint campaign. In the same year Burgred married Æthelwulf's daughter, Æthelswith.[21] In 825, Ecgberht sent Æthelwulf to invade the Mercian sub-kingdom of Kent, and its sub-king, Baldred, was driven out shortly afterwards. By 830, Essex, Surrey and Sussex had submitted to Ecgberht, and he had appointed Æthelwulf to rule the south-eastern territories as king of Kent.[22] The Vikings ravaged the Isle of Sheppey in 835, and the following year they defeated Ecgberht at Carhampton in Somerset,[23] but in 838 he was victorious over an alliance of Cornishmen and Vikings at the Battle of Hingston Down, reducing Cornwall to the status of a client kingdom.[24] When Æthelwulf succeeded, he appointed his eldest son Æthelstan as sub-king of Kent.[25] Ecgberht and Æthelwulf may not have intended a permanent union between Wessex and Kent because they both appointed sons as sub-kings and charters in Wessex were attested (witnessed) by West Saxon magnates, and Kentish charters were witnessed by the Kentish elite; both kings kept overall control and the sub-kings were not allowed to issue their own coinage.[26] Viking raids increased in the early 840s on both sides of the English Channel, and in 843 Æthelwulf was defeated at Carhampton.[25] In 850, Æthelstan defeated a Danish fleet off Sandwich in the first recorded naval battle in English history.[27] In 851 Æthelwulf and his second son, Æthelbald, defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Aclea and, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "there made the greatest slaughter of a heathen raiding-army that we have heard tell of up to this present day, and there took the victory".[28] Æthelwulf died in 858 and was succeeded by his oldest surviving son, Æthelbald, as king of Wessex and by his next oldest son, Æthelberht, as king of Kent. Æthelbald only survived his father by two years and Æthelberht then for the first time united Wessex and Kent into a single kingdom.[29] Childhood[edit] Alfred's father Æthelwulf of Wessex in the early 14th-century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England According to Asser, in his childhood Alfred won a beautifully decorated book of English poetry, offered as a prize by his mother to the first of her sons able to memorise it. He must have had it read to him because his mother died when he was about six and he did not learn to read until he was 12.[30] In 853, Alfred is reported by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have been sent to Rome where he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV, who "anointed him as king".[31] Victorian writers later interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his eventual succession to the throne of Wessex. This is unlikely; his succession could not have been foreseen at the time because Alfred had three living elder brothers. A letter of Leo IV shows that Alfred was made a "consul" and a misinterpretation of this investiture, deliberate or accidental, could explain later confusion.[15] It may be based upon the fact that Alfred later accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to Rome where he spent some time at the court of Charles the Bald, king of the Franks, around 854–855.[32] On their return from Rome in 856, Æthelwulf was deposed by his son Æthelbald. With civil war looming, the magnates of the realm met in council to form a compromise. Æthelbald retained the western shires (i.e. historical Wessex), and Æthelwulf ruled in the east. After King Æthelwulf died in 858, Wessex was ruled by three of Alfred's brothers in succession: Æthelbald, Æthelberht and Æthelred.[33] The reigns of Alfred's brothers[edit] A map of the route taken by the Viking Great Heathen Army which arrived in England from Denmark, Norway, and southern Sweden in 865 Alfred is not mentioned during the short reigns of his older brothers Æthelbald and Æthelberht. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the Great Heathen Army of Danes landing in East Anglia with the intent of conquering the four kingdoms which constituted Anglo-Saxon England in 865.[34] Alfred's public life began in 865 at age 16 with the accession of his third brother, 18-year-old Æthelred. During this period, Bishop Asser gave Alfred the unique title of secundarius, which may indicate a position similar to the Celtic tanist, a recognised successor closely associated with the reigning monarch. This arrangement may have been sanctioned by Alfred's father or by the Witan to guard against the danger of a disputed succession should Æthelred fall in battle. It was a well known tradition among other Germanic peoples - such as the Swedes and Franks to whom the Anglo-Saxons were closely related - to crown a successor as royal prince and military commander.[35] Viking invasion[edit] In 868, Alfred was recorded as fighting beside Æthelred in a failed attempt to keep the Great Heathen Army led by Ivar the Boneless out of the adjoining Kingdom of Mercia.[36] The Danes arrived in his homeland at the end of 870, and nine engagements were fought in the following year, with mixed results; the places and dates of two of these battles have not been recorded. A successful skirmish at the Battle of Englefield in Berkshire on 31 December 870 was followed by a severe defeat at the siege and the Battle of Reading by Ivar's brother Halfdan Ragnarsson on 5 January 871. Four days later, the Anglo-Saxons won a victory at the Battle of Ashdown on the Berkshire Downs, possibly near Compton or Aldworth.[35] The Saxons were defeated at the Battle of Basing on 22 January. They were defeated again on 22 March at the Battle of Merton (perhaps Marden in Wiltshire or Martin in Dorset).[35] Æthelred died shortly afterwards in April.[35] King at war[edit] Early struggles[edit] In April 871 King Æthelred died and Alfred acceded to the throne of Wessex and the burden of its defence, even though Æthelred left two under-age sons, Æthelhelm and Æthelwold. This was in accordance with the agreement that Æthelred and Alfred had made earlier that year in an assembly at an unidentified place called Swinbeorg. The brothers had agreed that whichever of them outlived the other would inherit the personal property that King Æthelwulf had left jointly to his sons in his will. The deceased's sons would receive only whatever property and riches their father had settled upon them and whatever additional lands their uncle had acquired. The unstated premise was that the surviving brother would be king. Given the Danish invasion and the youth of his nephews, Alfred's accession probably went uncontested.[37] While he was busy with the burial ceremonies for his brother, the Danes defeated the Saxon army in his absence at an unnamed spot and then again in his presence at Wilton in May.[35] The defeat at Wilton smashed any remaining hope that Alfred could drive the invaders from his kingdom. Alfred was forced instead to make peace with them. Although the terms of the peace are not recorded, Bishop Asser wrote that the pagans agreed to vacate the realm and made good their promise.[38] The Viking army withdrew from Reading in the autumn of 871 to take up winter quarters in Mercian London. Although not mentioned by Asser or by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Alfred probably paid the Vikings cash to leave, much as the Mercians were to do in the following year.[38] Hoards dating to the Viking occupation of London in 871/872 have been excavated at Croydon, Gravesend and Waterloo Bridge. These finds hint at the cost involved in making peace with the Vikings. For the next five years, the Danes occupied other parts of England.[39] In 876, under their three leaders Guthrum, Oscetel and Anwend, the Danes slipped past the Saxon army and attacked and occupied Wareham in Dorset. Alfred blockaded them but was unable to take Wareham by assault. He negotiated a peace that involved an exchange of hostages and oaths, which the Danes swore on a "holy ring" associated with the worship of Thor. The Danes broke their word, and after killing all the hostages, slipped away under cover of night to Exeter in Devon.[40] Alfred blockaded the Viking ships in Devon, and with a relief fleet having been scattered by a storm, the Danes were forced to submit. The Danes withdrew to Mercia. In January 878, the Danes made a sudden attack on Chippenham, a royal stronghold in which Alfred had been staying over Christmas "and most of the people they killed, except the King Alfred, and he with a little band made his way by wood and swamp, and after Easter he made a fort at Athelney in the marshes of Somerset, and from that fort kept fighting against the foe".[41] From his fort at Athelney, an island in the marshes near North Petherton, Alfred was able to mount a resistance campaign, rallying the local militias from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire.[35] 878 was the nadir of the history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. With all the other kingdoms having fallen to the Vikings, Wessex alone was resisting.[42] The cake legend[edit] A legend tells how when Alfred first fled to the Somerset Levels, he was given shelter by a peasant woman who, unaware of his identity, left him to watch some wheaten cakes she had left cooking on the fire.[42][43] Preoccupied with the problems of his kingdom, Alfred accidentally let the cakes burn and was roundly scolded by the woman upon her return. There is no contemporary evidence for the legend, but it is possible that there was an early oral tradition. The first known written account of the incident is from about 100 years after Alfred's death.[43] Counter-attack and victory[edit] King Alfred's Tower (1772) on the supposed site of Egbert's Stone, the mustering place before the Battle of Edington.[e] In the seventh week after Easter (4–10 May 878), around Whitsuntide, Alfred rode to Egbert's Stone east of Selwood where he was met by "all the people of Somerset and of Wiltshire and of that part of Hampshire which is on this side of the sea (that is, west of Southampton Water), and they rejoiced to see him".[41] Alfred's emergence from his marshland stronghold was part of a carefully planned offensive that entailed raising the fyrds of three shires. This meant not only that the king had retained the loyalty of ealdormen, royal reeves and king's thegns, who were charged with levying and leading these forces, but that they had maintained their positions of authority in these localities well enough to answer his summons to war. Alfred's actions also suggest a system of scouts and messengers.[45] Alfred won a decisive victory in the ensuing Battle of Edington which may have been fought near Westbury, Wiltshire. He then pursued the Danes to their stronghold at Chippenham and starved them into submission. One of the terms of the surrender was that Guthrum convert to Christianity. Three weeks later, the Danish king and 29 of his chief men were baptised at Alfred's court at Aller, near Athelney, with Alfred receiving Guthrum as his spiritual son.[35] According to Asser, The unbinding of the chrisom[f] on the eighth day took place at a royal estate called Wedmore. — Keynes & Lapidge 1983, Ch. 56 At Wedmore, Alfred and Guthrum negotiated what some historians have called the Treaty of Wedmore, but it was to be some years after the cessation of hostilities that a formal treaty was signed.[47] Under the terms of the so-called Treaty of Wedmore, the converted Guthrum was required to leave Wessex and return to East Anglia. Consequently, in 879 the Viking army left Chippenham and made its way to Cirencester.[48] The formal Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, preserved in Old English in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (Manuscript 383), and in a Latin compilation known as Quadripartitus, was negotiated later, perhaps in 879 or 880, when King Ceolwulf II of Mercia was deposed.[49] That treaty divided up the kingdom of Mercia. By its terms, the boundary between Alfred's and Guthrum's kingdoms was to run up the River Thames to the River Lea, follow the Lea to its source (near Luton), from there extend in a straight line to Bedford, and from Bedford follow the River Ouse to Watling Street.[50] Alfred succeeded to Ceolwulf's kingdom consisting of western Mercia, and Guthrum incorporated the eastern part of Mercia into an enlarged Kingdom of East Anglia (henceforward known as the Danelaw). By terms of the treaty, moreover, Alfred was to have control over the Mercian city of London and its mints—at least for the time being.[51] In 825, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle had recorded that the people of Essex, Sussex, Kent and Surrey surrendered to Egbert, Alfred's grandfather. From then until the arrival of the Great Heathen Army, Essex had formed part of Wessex. After the foundation of Danelaw, it appears that some of Essex would have been ceded to the Danes, but how much is not clear.[52] 880s[edit] Further information: Londinium and Anglo-Saxon London With the signing of the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, an event most commonly held to have taken place around 880 when Guthrum's people began settling East Anglia, Guthrum was neutralised as a threat.[53] The Viking army, which had stayed at Fulham during the winter of 878–879, sailed for Ghent and was active on the continent from 879 to 892.[54][55] There were local raids on the coast of Wessex throughout the 880s. In 882, Alfred fought a small sea battle against four Danish ships. Two of the ships were destroyed, and the others surrendered. This was one of four sea battles recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, three of which involved Alfred.[56] Similar small skirmishes with independent Viking raiders would have occurred for much of the period as they had for decades.[57] In 883, Pope Marinus exempted the Saxon quarter in Rome from taxation, probably in return for Alfred's promise to send alms annually to Rome, which may be the origin of the medieval tax called Peter's Pence. The pope sent gifts to Alfred, including what was reputed to be a piece of the True Cross.[58] After the signing of the treaty with Guthrum, Alfred was spared any large-scale conflicts for some time. Despite this relative peace, the king was forced to deal with a number of Danish raids and incursions. Among these was a raid in Kent, an allied kingdom in South East England, during the year 885, which was possibly the largest raid since the battles with Guthrum. Asser's account of the raid places the Danish raiders at the Saxon city of Rochester,[54] where they built a temporary fortress in order to besiege the city. In response to this incursion, Alfred led an Anglo-Saxon force against the Danes who, instead of engaging the army of Wessex, fled to their beached ships and sailed to another part of Britain. The retreating Danish force supposedly left Britain the following summer.[59] Not long after the failed Danish raid in Kent, Alfred dispatched his fleet to East Anglia. The purpose of this expedition is debated, but Asser claims that it was for the sake of plunder.[59] After travelling up the River Stour, the fleet was met by Danish vessels that numbered 13 or 16 (sources vary on the number), and a battle ensued.[59] The Anglo-Saxon fleet emerged victorious, and as Huntingdon accounts, "laden with spoils".[60] The victorious fleet was surprised when attempting to leave the River Stour and was attacked by a Danish force at the mouth of the river. The Danish fleet defeated Alfred's fleet, which may have been weakened in the previous engagement.[61] A plaque in the City of London noting the restoration of the Roman walled city by Alfred A year later, in 886, Alfred reoccupied the city of London and set out to make it habitable again.[62] Alfred entrusted the city to the care of his son-in-law Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia. The restoration of London progressed through the latter half of the 880s and is believed to have revolved around a new street plan; added fortifications in addition to the existing Roman walls; and, some believe, the construction of matching fortifications on the south bank of the River Thames.[63] This is also the period in which almost all chroniclers agree that the Saxon people of pre-unification England submitted to Alfred.[64] In 888, Æthelred, the archbishop of Canterbury, also died. One year later Guthrum, or Athelstan by his baptismal name, Alfred's former enemy and king of East Anglia, died and was buried in Hadleigh, Suffolk.[65] Guthrum's death changed the political landscape for Alfred. The resulting power vacuum stirred other power-hungry warlords eager to take his place in the following years. The quiet years of Alfred's life were coming to a close.[66] Viking attacks (890s)[edit] After another lull, in the autumn of 892 or 893, the Danes attacked again. Finding their position in mainland Europe precarious, they crossed to England in 330 ships in two divisions. They entrenched themselves, the larger body, at Appledore, Kent and the lesser under Hastein, at Milton, also in Kent. The invaders brought their wives and children with them indicating a meaningful attempt at conquest and colonisation. Alfred, in 893 or 894, took up a position from which he could observe both forces.[67] While he was in talks with Hastein, the Danes at Appledore broke out and struck north-westwards. They were overtaken by Alfred's eldest son, Edward and were defeated at the Battle of Farnham in Surrey. They took refuge on an island at Thorney, on the River Colne between Buckinghamshire and Middlesex, where they were blockaded and forced to give hostages and promise to leave Wessex.[68][67] They then went to Essex and after suffering another defeat at Benfleet, joined with Hastein's force at Shoebury.[68] Alfred had been on his way to relieve his son at Thorney when he heard that the Northumbrian and East Anglian Danes were besieging Exeter and an unnamed stronghold on the North Devon shore. Alfred at once hurried westward and raised the Siege of Exeter. The fate of the other place is not recorded.[69] The force under Hastein set out to march up the Thames Valley, possibly with the idea of assisting their friends in the west. They were met by a large force under the three great ealdormen of Mercia, Wiltshire and Somerset and forced to head off to the north-west, being finally overtaken and blockaded at Buttington. (Some identify this with Buttington Tump at the mouth of the River Wye, others with Buttington near Welshpool.) An attempt to break through the English lines failed. Those who escaped retreated to Shoebury. After collecting reinforcements, they made a sudden dash across England and occupied the ruined Roman walls of Chester. The English did not attempt a winter blockade but contented themselves with destroying all the supplies in the district.[69] Early in 894 or 895 lack of food obliged the Danes to retire once more to Essex. At the end of the year, the Danes drew their ships up the River Thames and the River Lea and fortified themselves twenty miles (32 km) north of London. A frontal attack on the Danish lines failed but later in the year, Alfred saw a means of obstructing the river to prevent the egress of the Danish ships. The Danes realised that they were outmanoeuvred, struck off north-westwards and wintered at Cwatbridge near Bridgnorth. The next year, 896 (or 897), they gave up the struggle. Some retired to Northumbria, some to East Anglia. Those who had no connections in England returned to the continent.[69] Military reorganisation[edit] Alfred the Great silver offering penny, 871–899. Legend: AELFRED REX SAXONUM ('Alfred King of the Saxons'). The Germanic tribes who invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries relied upon the unarmoured infantry supplied by their tribal levy, or fyrd, and it was upon this system that the military power of the several kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England depended.[70] The fyrd was a local militia in the Anglo-Saxon shire in which all freemen had to serve; those who refused military service were subject to fines or loss of their land.[71] According to the law code of King Ine of Wessex, issued in about 694, If a nobleman who holds land neglects military service, he shall pay 120 shillings and forfeit his land; a nobleman who holds no land shall pay 60 shillings; a commoner shall pay a fine of 30 shillings for neglecting military service — Attenborough 1922, pp. 52–53 Wessex's history of failures preceding Alfred's success in 878 emphasised to him that the traditional system of battle he had inherited played to the Danes' advantage. While the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes attacked settlements for plunder, they employed different tactics. In their raids the Anglo-Saxons traditionally preferred to attack head-on by assembling their forces in a shield wall, advancing against their target and overcoming the oncoming wall marshalled against them in defence.[72] The Danes preferred to choose easy targets, mapping cautious forays to avoid risking their plunder with high-stake attacks for more. Alfred determined their tactic was to launch small attacks from a secure base to which they could retreat should their raiders meet strong resistance.[72] The bases were prepared in advance, often by capturing an estate and augmenting its defences with ditches, ramparts and palisades. Once inside the fortification, Alfred realised, the Danes enjoyed the advantage, better situated to outlast their opponents or crush them with a counter-attack because the provisions and stamina of the besieging forces waned.[72] The means by which the Anglo-Saxons marshalled forces to defend against marauders also left them vulnerable to the Vikings. It was the responsibility of the shire fyrd to deal with local raids. The king could call up the national militia to defend the kingdom but in the case of the Viking raids, problems with communication and raising supplies meant that the national militia could not be mustered quickly enough. It was only after the raids had begun that a call went out to landowners to gather their men for battle. Large regions could be devastated before the fyrd could assemble and arrive. Although the landowners were obliged to the king to supply these men when called, during the attacks in 878 many of them abandoned their king and collaborated with Guthrum.[73][74] With these lessons in mind Alfred capitalised on the relatively peaceful years following his victory at Edington with an ambitious restructuring of Saxon defences. On a trip to Rome Alfred had stayed with Charles the Bald and it is possible that he may have studied how the Carolingian kings had dealt with Viking raiders. Learning from their experiences he was able to establish a system of taxation and defence for Wessex. There had been a system of fortifications in pre-Viking Mercia that may have been an influence. When the Viking raids resumed in 892 Alfred was better prepared to confront them with a standing, mobile field army, a network of garrisons and a small fleet of ships navigating the rivers and estuaries.[75][76][77] Administration and taxation[edit] Tenants in Anglo-Saxon England had a threefold obligation based on their landholding: the so-called "common burdens" of military service, fortress work, and bridge repair. This threefold obligation has traditionally been called trinoda necessitas or trimoda necessitas.[78] The Old English name for the fine due for neglecting military service was fierdwite.[79] To maintain the burhs, and to reorganise the fyrd as a standing army, Alfred expanded the tax and conscription system based on the productivity of a tenant's landholding. The hide was the basic unit of the system on which the tenant's public obligations were assessed. A hide is thought to represent the amount of land required to support one family. The hide differed in size according to the value and resources of the land and the landowner would have to provide service based on how many hides he owned.[78][80] Burghal system[edit] See also: Burghal Hidage A map of burhs named in the Burghal Hidage The walled defence round a burh. The City Walls of Alfred's capital, Winchester. Saxon and medieval work on Roman foundations. The foundation of Alfred's new military defence system was a network of burhs, distributed at tactical points throughout the kingdom.[81] There were thirty-three burhs, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) apart, enabling the military to confront attacks anywhere in the kingdom within a day.[82][83] Alfred's burhs (of which 22 developed into boroughs) ranged from former Roman towns, such as Winchester, where the stone walls were repaired and ditches added, to massive earthen walls surrounded by wide ditches, probably reinforced with wooden revetments and palisades, such as at Burpham in West Sussex.[84][85][86][g] The size of the burhs ranged from tiny outposts such as Pilton in Devon, to large fortifications in established towns, the largest being at Winchester.[88] A document now known as the Burghal Hidage provides an insight into how the system worked. It lists the hidage for each of the fortified towns contained in the document. Wallingford had a hidage of 2,400, which meant that the landowners there were responsible for supplying and feeding 2,400 men, the number sufficient for maintaining 9,900 feet (1.88 miles; 3.0 kilometres) of wall.[89] A total of 27,071 soldiers were needed, approximately one in four of all the free men in Wessex.[90] Many of the burhs were twin towns that straddled a river and were connected by a fortified bridge, like those built by Charles the Bald a generation before.[76] The double-burh blocked passage on the river, forcing Viking ships to navigate under a garrisoned bridge lined with men armed with stones, spears or arrows. Other burhs were sited near fortified royal villas, allowing the king better control over his strongholds.[91] The burhs were connected by a road system maintained for army use (known as herepaths). The roads allowed an army quickly to be assembled, sometimes from more than one burh, to confront the Viking invader.[92] The road network posed significant obstacles to Viking invaders, especially those laden with booty. The system threatened Viking routes and communications making it far more dangerous for them. The Vikings lacked the equipment for a siege against a burh and a developed doctrine of siegecraft, having tailored their methods of fighting to rapid strikes and unimpeded retreats to well-defended fortifications. The only means left to them was to starve the burh into submission but this gave the king time to send his field army or garrisons from neighbouring burhs along the army roads. In such cases, the Vikings were extremely vulnerable to pursuit by the king's joint military forces.[93] Alfred's burh system posed such a formidable challenge against Viking attack that when the Vikings returned in 892 and stormed a half-built, poorly garrisoned fortress up the Lympne estuary in Kent, the Anglo-Saxons were able to limit their penetration to the outer frontiers of Wessex and Mercia.[94] Alfred's burghal system was revolutionary in its strategic conception and potentially expensive in its execution. His contemporary biographer Asser wrote that many nobles balked at the demands placed upon them even though they were for "the common needs of the kingdom".[95][96] English navy[edit] Alfred also tried his hand at naval design. In 896 he ordered the construction of a small fleet, perhaps a dozen or so longships that, at 60 oars, were twice the size of Viking warships.[97] This was not, as the Victorians asserted, the birth of the English Navy. Wessex had possessed a royal fleet before this. Alfred's older brother sub-king Æthelstan of Kent and Ealdorman Ealhhere had defeated a Viking fleet in 851 capturing nine ships and Alfred had conducted naval actions in 882.[98] The year 897 marked an important development in the naval power of Wessex. The author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle related that Alfred's ships were larger, swifter, steadier and rode higher in the water than either Danish or Frisian ships. It is probable that, under the classical tutelage of Asser, Alfred used the design of Greek and Roman warships, with high sides, designed for fighting rather than for navigation.[99] Alfred had seapower in mind; if he could intercept raiding fleets before they landed, he could spare his kingdom from being ravaged. Alfred's ships may have been superior in conception, but in practice they proved to be too large to manoeuvre well in the close waters of estuaries and rivers, the only places in which a naval battle could be fought.[100] The warships of the time were not designed to be ship killers but rather troop carriers. It has been suggested that, like sea battles in late Viking age Scandinavia, these battles may have entailed a ship coming alongside an opposing vessel, lashing the two ships together and then boarding the craft. The result was a land battle involving hand-to-hand fighting on board the two lashed vessels.[101] In the one recorded naval engagement in 896, Alfred's new fleet of nine ships intercepted six Viking ships at the mouth of an unidentified river in the south of England. The Danes had beached half their ships and gone inland.[102][97] Alfred's ships immediately moved to block their escape. The three Viking ships afloat attempted to break through the English lines. Only one made it; Alfred's ships intercepted the other two.[97] Lashing the Viking boats to their own, the English crew boarded and proceeded to kill the Vikings. One ship escaped because Alfred's heavy ships became grounded when the tide went out.[101] A land battle ensued between the crews. The Danes were heavily outnumbered, but as the tide rose, they returned to their boats which, with shallower drafts, were freed first. The English watched as the Vikings rowed past them but they suffered so many casualties (120 dead against 62 Frisians and English) that they had difficulty putting out to sea.[101] All were too damaged to row around Sussex, and two were driven against the Sussex coast (possibly at Selsey Bill).[97][101] The shipwrecked crew were brought before Alfred at Winchester and hanged.[97] Legal reform[edit] Main article: Doom book A coin of Alfred, London, 880 (based upon a Roman model) In the late 880s or early 890s, Alfred issued a long domboc or law code consisting of his own laws, followed by a code issued by his late seventh-century predecessor King Ine of Wessex.[103] Together these laws are arranged into 120 chapters. In his introduction Alfred explains that he gathered together the laws he found in many "synod-books" and "ordered to be written many of the ones that our forefathers observed—those that pleased me; and many of the ones that did not please me, I rejected with the advice of my councillors, and commanded them to be observed in a different way".[104] Alfred singled out in particular the laws that he "found in the days of Ine, my kinsman, or Offa, king of the Mercians, or King Æthelberht of Kent who first among the English people received baptism". He appended, rather than integrated, the laws of Ine into his code and although he included, as had Æthelbert, a scale of payments in compensation for injuries to various body parts, the two injury tariffs are not aligned. Offa is not known to have issued a law code, leading historian Patrick Wormald to speculate that Alfred had in mind the legatine capitulary of 786 that was presented to Offa by two papal legates.[105] About a fifth of the law code is taken up by Alfred's introduction which includes translations into English of the Ten Commandments, a few chapters from the Book of Exodus, and the Apostolic Letter from the Acts of the Apostles (15:23–29). The introduction may best be understood as Alfred's meditation upon the meaning of Christian law.[106] It traces the continuity between God's gift of law to Moses to Alfred's own issuance of law to the West Saxon people. By doing so, it linked the holy past to the historical present and represented Alfred's law-giving as a type of divine legislation.[107] Similarly Alfred divided his code into 120 chapters because 120 was the age at which Moses died and, in the number-symbolism of early medieval biblical exegetes, 120 stood for law.[108] The link between Mosaic law and Alfred's code is the Apostolic Letter which explained that Christ "had come not to shatter or annul the commandments but to fulfill them; and he taught mercy and meekness" (Intro, 49.1). The mercy that Christ infused into Mosaic law underlies the injury tariffs that figure so prominently in barbarian law codes since Christian synods "established, through that mercy which Christ taught, that for almost every misdeed at the first offence secular lords might with their permission receive without sin the monetary compensation which they then fixed".[109] The only crime that could not be compensated with a payment of money was treachery to a lord "since Almighty God adjudged none for those who despised Him, nor did Christ, the Son of God, adjudge any for the one who betrayed Him to death; and He commanded everyone to love his lord as Himself".[109] Alfred's transformation of Christ's commandment, from "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matt. 22:39–40) to love your secular lord as you would love the Lord Christ himself, underscores the importance that Alfred placed upon lordship which he understood as a sacred bond instituted by God for the governance of man.[110] When one turns from the domboc's introduction to the laws themselves, it is difficult to uncover any logical arrangement. The impression is of a hodgepodge of miscellaneous laws. The law code, as it has been preserved, is singularly unsuitable for use in lawsuits. In fact, several of Alfred's laws contradicted the laws of Ine that form an integral part of the code. Patrick Wormald's explanation is that Alfred's law code should be understood not as a legal manual but as an ideological manifesto of kingship "designed more for symbolic impact than for practical direction".[111] In practical terms the most important law in the code may well have been the first: "We enjoin, what is most necessary, that each man keep carefully his oath and his pledge" which expresses a fundamental tenet of Anglo-Saxon law.[112] Alfred devoted considerable attention and thought to judicial matters. Asser underscores his concern for judicial fairness. Alfred, according to Asser, insisted upon reviewing contested judgments made by his ealdormen and reeves and "would carefully look into nearly all the judgements which were passed [issued] in his absence anywhere in the realm to see whether they were just or unjust".[113] A charter from the reign of his son Edward the Elder depicts Alfred as hearing one such appeal in his chamber while washing his hands.[114] Asser represents Alfred as a Solomonic judge, painstaking in his own judicial investigations and critical of royal officials who rendered unjust or unwise judgments. Although Asser never mentions Alfred's law code he does say that Alfred insisted that his judges be literate so that they could apply themselves "to the pursuit of wisdom". The failure to comply with this royal order was to be punished by loss of office.[115] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, commissioned at the time of Alfred, was probably written to promote unification of England,[116] whereas Asser's The Life of King Alfred promoted Alfred's achievements and personal qualities. It was possible that the document was designed this way so that it could be disseminated in Wales because Alfred had acquired overlordship of that country.[116] Foreign relations[edit] Asser speaks grandiosely of Alfred's relations with foreign powers but little definite information is available.[69] His interest in foreign countries is shown by the insertions which he made in his translation of Orosius. He corresponded with Elias III, the patriarch of Jerusalem,[69] and embassies to Rome conveying the English alms to the pope were fairly frequent.[76][h] Around 890, Wulfstan of Hedeby undertook a journey from Hedeby on Jutland along the Baltic Sea to the Prussian trading town of Truso. Alfred personally collected details of this trip.[118] Alfred's relations with the Celtic princes in the western half of Great Britain are clearer. Comparatively early in his reign, according to Asser, the southern Welsh princes, owing to the pressure on them from North Wales and Mercia, commended themselves to Alfred. Later in his reign, the North Welsh followed their example and the latter cooperated with the English in the campaign of 893 (or 894). That Alfred sent alms to Irish and Continental monasteries may be taken on Asser's authority. The visit of three pilgrim "Scots" (i.e., Irish) to Alfred in 891 is undoubtedly authentic. The story that, in his childhood, he was sent to Ireland to be healed by Saint Modwenna may show Alfred's interest in that island.[69] Religion, education and culture[edit] Alfred depicted in a stained-glass window of c. 1905 in Bristol Cathedral In the 880s, at the same time that he was "cajoling and threatening" his nobles to build and man the burhs, Alfred, perhaps inspired by the example of Charlemagne almost a century before, undertook an equally ambitious effort to revive learning.[69] During this period, the Viking raids were often seen as a divine punishment, and Alfred may have wished to revive religious awe in order to appease God's wrath.[119] This revival entailed the recruitment of clerical scholars from Mercia, Wales and abroad to enhance the tenor of the court and of the episcopacy; the establishment of a court school to educate his own children, the sons of his nobles, and intellectually promising boys of lesser birth; an attempt to require literacy in those who held offices of authority; a series of translations into the vernacular of Latin works the king deemed "most necessary for all men to know";[120] the compilation of a chronicle detailing the rise of Alfred's kingdom and house, with a genealogy that stretched back to Adam, thus giving the West Saxon kings a biblical ancestry.[121] Very little is known of the church under Alfred. The Danish attacks had been particularly damaging to the monasteries. Although Alfred founded monasteries at Athelney and Shaftesbury, these were the first new monastic houses in Wessex since the beginning of the eighth century.[122] According to Asser, Alfred enticed foreign monks to England for his monastery at Athelney because there was little interest for the locals to take up the monastic life.[123] Alfred undertook no systematic reform of ecclesiastical institutions or religious practices in Wessex. For him, the key to the kingdom's spiritual revival was to appoint pious, learned, and trustworthy bishops and abbots. As king, he saw himself as responsible for both the temporal and spiritual welfare of his subjects. Secular and spiritual authority were not distinct categories for Alfred.[124][125] He was equally comfortable distributing his translation of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care to his bishops so that they might better train and supervise priests and using those same bishops as royal officials and judges. Nor did his piety prevent him from expropriating strategically sited church lands, especially estates along the border with the Danelaw, and transferring them to royal thegns and officials who could better defend them against Viking attacks.[125][126] Effect of Danish raids on education[edit] The Danish raids had a devastating effect on learning in England. Alfred lamented in the preface to his translation of Gregory's Pastoral Care that "learning had declined so thoroughly in England that there were very few men on this side of the Humber who could understand their divine services in English or even translate a single letter from Latin into English: and I suppose that there were not many beyond the Humber either".[127] Alfred undoubtedly exaggerated, for dramatic effect, the abysmal state of learning in England during his youth.[32] That Latin learning had not been obliterated is evidenced by the presence in his court of learned Mercian and West Saxon clerics such as Plegmund, Wæferth, and Wulfsige.[128] Manuscript production in England dropped off precipitously around the 860s when the Viking invasions began in earnest, not to be revived until the end of the century.[129] Numerous Anglo-Saxon manuscripts burnt along with the churches that housed them. A solemn diploma from Christ Church, Canterbury, dated 873, is so poorly constructed and written that historian Nicholas Brooks posited a scribe who was either so blind he could not read what he wrote or who knew little or no Latin. "It is clear", Brooks concludes, "that the metropolitan church [of Canterbury] must have been quite unable to provide any effective training in the scriptures or in Christian worship".[130] Establishment of a court school[edit] Alfred established a court school for the education of his own children, those of the nobility, and "a good many of lesser birth". There they studied books in both English and Latin and "devoted themselves to writing, to such an extent ... they were seen to be devoted and intelligent students of the liberal arts".[131] He recruited scholars from the Continent and from Britain to aid in the revival of Christian learning in Wessex and to provide the king personal instruction. Grimbald and John the Saxon came from Francia; Plegmund (whom Alfred appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 890), Bishop Wærferth of Worcester, Æthelstan, and the royal chaplains Werwulf, from Mercia; and Asser, from St David's in southwestern Wales.[132] Advocacy of education in English[edit] Line drawing of the Alfred Jewel, showing the socket at its base Alfred's educational ambitions seem to have extended beyond the establishment of a court school. Believing that without Christian wisdom there can be neither prosperity nor success in war, Alfred aimed "to set to learning (as long as they are not useful for some other employment) all the free-born young men now in England who have the means to apply themselves to it".[133] Conscious of the decay of Latin literacy in his realm Alfred proposed that primary education be taught in English, with those wishing to advance to holy orders to continue their studies in Latin.[134] There were few "books of wisdom" written in English. Alfred sought to remedy this through an ambitious court-centred programme of translating into English the books he deemed "most necessary for all men to know".[134] It is unknown when Alfred launched this programme but it may have been during the 880s when Wessex was enjoying a respite from Viking attacks. Alfred was, until recently, often considered to have been the author of many of the translations but this is now considered doubtful in almost all cases.[135] Scholars more often refer to translations as "Alfredian" indicating that they probably had something to do with his patronage but are unlikely to be his own work.[136] Apart from the lost Handboc or Encheiridio, which seems to have been a commonplace book kept by the king, the earliest work to be translated was the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, a book greatly popular in the Middle Ages. The translation was undertaken at Alfred's command by Wærferth, Bishop of Worcester, with the king merely furnishing a preface.[69] Remarkably, Alfred – undoubtedly with the advice and aid of his court scholars – translated four works himself: Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, St. Augustine's Soliloquies and the first fifty psalms of the Psalter.[137] One might add to this list the translation, in Alfred's law code, of excerpts from the Vulgate Book of Exodus. The Old English versions of Orosius's Histories against the Pagans and Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People are no longer accepted by scholars as Alfred's own translations because of lexical and stylistic differences.[137] Nonetheless the consensus remains that they were part of the Alfredian programme of translation. Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge suggest this also for Bald's Leechbook and the anonymous Old English Martyrology.[138] The preface of Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care[133] explained why he thought it necessary to translate works such as this from Latin into English. Although he described his method as translating "sometimes word for word, sometimes sense for sense", the translation keeps very close to the original although, through his choice of language, he blurred throughout the distinction between spiritual and secular authority. Alfred meant the translation to be used, and circulated it to all his bishops.[139] Interest in Alfred's translation of Pastoral Care was so enduring that copies were still being made in the 11th century.[140] Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy was the most popular philosophical handbook of the Middle Ages. Unlike the translation of the Pastoral Care the Alfredian text deals very freely with the original and, though the late Dr. G. Schepss showed that many of the additions to the text are to be traced not to the translator himself[141] but to the glosses and commentaries which he used, still there is much in the work which is distinctive to the translation and has been taken to reflect philosophies of kingship in Alfred's milieu. It is in the Boethius that the oft-quoted sentence occurs: "To speak briefly: I desired to live worthily as long as I lived, and after my life to leave to them that should come after, my memory in good works."[142] The book has come down to us in two manuscripts only. In one of these[143] the writing is prose, in the other[144] a combination of prose and alliterating verse. The latter manuscript was severely damaged in the 18th and 19th centuries.[145] The last of the Alfredian works is one which bears the name Blostman ('Blooms') or Anthology. The first half is based mainly on the Soliloquies of St Augustine of Hippo, the remainder is drawn from various sources. The material has traditionally been thought to contain much that is Alfred's own and highly characteristic of him. The last words of it may be quoted; they form a fitting epitaph for the noblest of English kings. "Therefore, he seems to me a very foolish man, and truly wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear."[139] Alfred appears as a character in the twelfth- or 13th-century poem The Owl and the Nightingale where his wisdom and skill with proverbs is praised. The Proverbs of Alfred, a 13th-century work, contains sayings that are not likely to have originated with Alfred but attest to his posthumous medieval reputation for wisdom.[146] The Alfred Jewel, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, commissioned by Alfred; probably a pointer to aid reading The Alfred jewel, discovered in Somerset in 1693, has long been associated with King Alfred because of its Old English inscription AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN ('Alfred ordered me to be made'). The jewel is about 2+1⁄2 inches (6.4 centimetres) long, made of filigreed gold, enclosing a highly polished piece of quartz crystal beneath which is set in a cloisonné enamel plaque with an enamelled image of a man holding floriate sceptres, perhaps personifying Sight or the Wisdom of God.[147] It was at one time attached to a thin rod or stick based on the hollow socket at its base. The jewel certainly dates from Alfred's reign. Although its function is unknown it has been often suggested that the jewel was one of the æstels – pointers for reading – that Alfred ordered sent to every bishopric accompanying a copy of his translation of the Pastoral Care. Each æstel was worth the princely sum of 50 mancuses which fits in well with the quality workmanship and expensive materials of the Alfred jewel.[148] Historian Richard Abels sees Alfred's educational and military reforms as complementary. Restoring religion and learning in Wessex, Abels contends, was to Alfred's mind as essential to the defence of his realm as the building of the burhs.[149] As Alfred observed in the preface to his English translation of Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, kings who fail to obey their divine duty to promote learning can expect earthly punishments to befall their people.[150] The pursuit of wisdom, he assured his readers of the Boethius, was the surest path to power: "Study wisdom, then, and, when you have learned it, condemn it not, for I tell you that by its means you may without fail attain to power, yea, even though not desiring it".[151] The portrayal of the West-Saxon resistance to the Vikings by Asser and the chronicler as a Christian holy war was more than mere rhetoric or propaganda. It reflected Alfred's own belief in a doctrine of divine rewards and punishments rooted in a vision of a hierarchical Christian world order in which God is the Lord to whom kings owe obedience and through whom they derive their authority over their followers. The need to persuade his nobles to undertake work for the 'common good' led Alfred and his court scholars to strengthen and deepen the conception of Christian kingship that he had inherited by building upon the legacy of earlier kings including Offa, clerical writers including Bede, and Alcuin and various participants in the Carolingian renaissance. This was not a cynical use of religion to manipulate his subjects into obedience but an intrinsic element in Alfred's worldview. He believed, as did other kings in ninth-century England and Francia, that God had entrusted him with the spiritual as well as physical welfare of his people. If the Christian faith fell into ruin in his kingdom, if the clergy were too ignorant to understand the Latin words they butchered in their offices and liturgies, if the ancient monasteries and collegiate churches lay deserted out of indifference, he was answerable before God, as Josiah had been. Alfred's ultimate responsibility was the pastoral care of his people.[149] Appearance and character[edit] No known portrait of Alfred the Great exists from life. A likeness by artist and historian George S. Stuart created from his physical description mentioned in historical records. Asser wrote of Alfred in his Life of King Alfred, Now, he was greatly loved, more than all his brothers, by his father and mother—indeed, by everybody—with a universal and profound love, and he was always brought up in the royal court and nowhere else...[He] was seen to be more comely in appearance than his other brothers, and more pleasing in manner, speech and behaviour...[and] in spite of all the demands of the present life, it has been the desire for wisdom, more than anything else, together with the nobility of his birth, which have characterized the nature of his noble mind. — Keynes & Lapidge 1983, pp. 74–75 It is also written by Asser that Alfred did not learn to read until he was 12 years old or later, which is described as "shameful negligence" of his parents and tutors. Alfred was an excellent listener and had an incredible memory and he retained poetry and psalms very well. A story is told by Asser about how his mother held up a book of Saxon poetry to him and his brothers, and said; "I shall give this book to whichever one of you can learn it the fastest." After excitedly asking, "Will you really give this book to the one of us who can understand it the soonest and recite it to you?" Alfred then took it to his teacher, learned it, and recited it back to his mother.[152] Alfred is noted as carrying around a small book, probably a medieval version of a small pocket notebook, that contained psalms and many prayers that he often collected. Asser writes: these "he collected in a single book, as I have seen for myself; amid all the affairs of the present life he took it around with him everywhere for the sake of prayer, and was inseparable from it."[152] An excellent hunter in every branch of the sport, Alfred is remembered as an enthusiastic huntsman against whom nobody's skills could compare.[152] Although he was the youngest of his brothers, he was probably the most open-minded. He was an early advocate for education. His desire for learning could have come from his early love of English poetry and inability to read or physically record it until later in life. Asser writes that Alfred "could not satisfy his craving for what he desired the most, namely the liberal arts; for, as he used to say, there were no good scholars in the entire kingdom of the West Saxons at that time".[152] Family[edit] A posthumous image of Queen Ealhswith, 1220 In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini. The Gaini were probably one of the tribal groups of the Mercians. Ealhswith's mother, Eadburh, was a member of the Mercian royal family.[153] They had five or six children together, including Edward the Elder who succeeded his father as king; Æthelflæd who became lady of the Mercians; and Ælfthryth who married Baldwin II, Count of Flanders. His mother was Osburga, daughter of Oslac of the Isle of Wight, Chief Butler of England. Asser, in his Vita Ælfredi asserts that this shows his lineage from the Jutes of the Isle of Wight. This is unlikely because Bede tells us that they were all slaughtered by the Saxons under Cædwalla.[154] Osferth was described as a relative in King Alfred's will and he attested charters in a high position until 934. A charter of King Edward's reign described him as the king's brother – mistakenly according to Keynes and Lapidge, and in the view of Janet Nelson, he probably was an illegitimate son of King Alfred.[155][156] Name Birth Death Notes Æthelflæd 12 June 918 Married c. 886, Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians d. 911; had issue Edward c. 874 17 July 924 Married (1) Ecgwynn, (2) Ælfflæd, (3) 919 Eadgifu Æthelgifu Abbess of Shaftesbury Æthelweard 16 October 922(?) Married and had issue Ælfthryth 929 Married Baldwin II d. 918; had issue Death and burial[edit] Alfred's will Alfred died on 26 October 899 at the age of 50 or 51.[157] How he died is unknown, but he suffered throughout his life with a painful and unpleasant illness. His biographer Asser gave a detailed description of Alfred's symptoms, and this has allowed modern doctors to provide a possible diagnosis. It is thought that he had either Crohn's disease or haemorrhoids.[158][159] His grandson King Eadred seems to have suffered from a similar illness.[160][i] Alfred was temporarily buried at the Old Minster in Winchester with his wife Ealhswith and later, his son Edward the Elder. Before his death he ordered the construction of the New Minster hoping that it would become a mausoleum for him and his family.[162] Four years after his death, the bodies of Alfred and his family were exhumed and moved to their new resting place in the New Minster and remained there for 211 years. When William the Conqueror rose to the English throne after the Norman conquest in 1066, many Anglo-Saxon abbeys were demolished and replaced with Norman cathedrals. One of those unfortunate abbeys was the very New Minster abbey where Alfred was laid to rest.[162] Before demolition, the monks at the New Minster exhumed the bodies of Alfred and his family to safely transfer them to a new location. The New Minster monks moved to Hyde in 1110 a little north of the city, and they transferred to Hyde Abbey along with Alfred's body and those of his wife and children, which were interred before the high altar.[162] In 1536, many Roman Catholic churches were vandalized by the people of England spurred by disillusionment with the church during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. One such Catholic church was the site of Alfred's burial, Hyde Abbey. Once again, Alfred's place of rest was disturbed for the now 3rd time. Hyde Abbey was dissolved in 1538 during the reign of Henry VIII,[162] the church site was demolished and treated like a quarry, as the stones that made up the abbey were then re-used in local architecture.[163] The stone graves housing Alfred and his family stayed underground, and the land returned to farming. These graves remained intact until 1788 when the site was acquired by the county for the construction of a town jail. Before construction began, convicts that would later be imprisoned at the site were sent in to prepare the ground, to ready it for building. While digging the foundation trenches, the convicts discovered the coffins of Alfred and his family. The local Catholic priest, Dr. Milner recounts this event: Thus miscreants couch amidst the ashes of our Alfreds and Edwards; and where once religious silence and contemplation were only interrupted by the bell of regular observance, the chanting of devotion, now alone resound the clank of the captives chains and the oaths of the profligate! In digging for the foundation of that mournful edifice, at almost every stroke of the mattock or spade some ancient sepulchre was violated, the venerable contents of which were treated with marked indignity. On this occasion a great number of stone coffins were dug up, with a variety of other curious articles, such as chalices, patens, rings, buckles, the leather of shoes and boots, velvet and gold lace belonging to chasubles and other vestments; as also the crook, rims, and joints of a beautiful crosier double gilt.[164] The convicts broke the stone coffins into pieces, the lead, which lined the coffins, was sold for two guineas, and the bones within scattered around the area.[163] The prison was demolished between 1846 and 1850.[165] Further excavations were inconclusive in 1866 and 1897.[166][167] In 1866, amateur antiquarian John Mellor claimed to have recovered a number of bones from the site which he said were those of Alfred. These came into the possession of the vicar of nearby St Bartholomew's Church who reburied them in an unmarked grave in the church graveyard.[165] Excavations conducted by the Winchester Museums Service of the Hyde Abbey site in 1999 located a second pit dug in front of where the high altar would have been located, which was identified as probably dating to Mellor's 1866 excavation.[166] The 1999 archeological excavation uncovered the foundations of the abbey buildings and some bones, suggested at the time to be those of Alfred; they proved instead to belong to an elderly woman.[168] In March 2013, the Diocese of Winchester exhumed the bones from the unmarked grave at St Bartholomew's and placed them in secure storage. The diocese made no claim that they were the bones of Alfred, but intended to secure them for later analysis, and from the attentions of people whose interest may have been sparked by the recent identification of the remains of King Richard III.[168][169] The bones were radiocarbon-dated but the results showed that they were from the 1300s and therefore not of Alfred. In January 2014, a fragment of pelvis that had been unearthed in the 1999 excavation of the Hyde site, and had subsequently lain in a Winchester museum store room, was radiocarbon-dated to the correct period. It has been suggested that this bone may belong to either Alfred or his son Edward, but this remains unproven.[170][171] Legacy[edit] See also: Cultural depictions of Alfred the Great Statue of Alfred the Great at Wantage, Oxfordshire Alfred is venerated as a saint by some Christian traditions.[172] Though Henry VI of England attempted unsuccessfully to have him canonized by Pope Eugene IV in 1441, he was venerated sometimes in the Catholic Church; however the current "Roman Martyrology" does not mention him.[173][174][j] The Anglican Communion venerates him as a Christian hero, with a Lesser Festival on 26 October,[175] and he may often be found depicted in stained glass in Church of England parish churches.[176] Alfred commissioned Bishop Asser to write his biography, which inevitably emphasised Alfred's positive aspects. Later medieval historians such as Geoffrey of Monmouth also reinforced Alfred's favourable image. By the time of the Reformation, Alfred was seen as a pious Christian ruler who promoted the use of English rather than Latin, and so the translations that he commissioned were viewed as untainted by the later Roman Catholic influences of the Normans. Consequently, it was writers of the 16th century who gave Alfred his epithet as "the Great", not any of Alfred's contemporaries.[177] The epithet was retained by succeeding generations who admired Alfred's patriotism, success against barbarism, promotion of education, and establishment of the rule of law.[177] A number of educational establishments are named in Alfred's honour: The University of Winchester created from the former King Alfred's College, Winchester (1928 to 2004) Alfred University and Alfred State College in Alfred, New York; the local telephone exchange for Alfred University is 871 in commemoration of the year of Alfred's ascension to the throne. Additionally, the mascot of Alfred University is named Lil' Alf and is modeled after the king The University of Liverpool created a King Alfred Chair of English Literature Eighteenth-century portrait of Alfred by Samuel Woodforde King Alfred's Academy, a secondary school in Wantage, Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Alfred King's Lodge School in Chippenham, Wiltshire, so named because King Alfred's hunting lodge is reputed to have stood on or near the site of the school The King Alfred School and Specialist Sports Academy, Burnham Road, Highbridge, so named due to its rough proximity to Brent Knoll (a Beacon site) and Athelney The King Alfred School in Barnet, North London, UK King Alfred's house in Bishop Stopford's School at Enfield King Alfred Swimming Pool & Leisure complex in Hove, Brighton UK The Royal Navy named one ship and two shore establishments HMS King Alfred, and one of the early ships of the U.S. Navy was named USS Alfred in his honour. In 2002, Alfred was ranked number 14 in the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote.[178] Statues[edit] Winchester[edit] A bronze statue of Alfred the Great stands at the eastern end of The Broadway, close to the site of Winchester's medieval East Gate. The statue was designed by Hamo Thornycroft, cast in bronze by Singer & Sons of Frome and erected in 1899 to mark one thousand years since Alfred's death.[179][180] The statue is placed on a pedestal consisting of two immense blocks of grey Cornish granite.[181] Pewsey[edit] Pewsey statue, 1913 A prominent statue of King Alfred the Great stands in the middle of Pewsey. It was unveiled in June 1913 to commemorate the coronation of King George V.[182] Wantage[edit] A statue of Alfred the Great, situated in the Wantage market place, was sculpted by Count Gleichen, a relative of Queen Victoria, and unveiled on 14 July 1877 by the Prince and Princess of Wales.[183] The statue was vandalised on New Year's Eve 2007, losing part of its right arm and axe. After the arm and axe were replaced, the statue was again vandalised on Christmas Eve 2008, losing its axe.[183] Alfred University, New York[edit] Statue at Alfred University The centerpiece of Alfred University's quad is a bronze statue of the king, created in 1990 by then-professor William Underhill. It features the king as a young man, holding a shield in his left hand and an open book in his right.[184] Cleveland, Ohio[edit] A marble statue of Alfred the Great stands on the North side of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It was sculpted by Isidore Konti in 1910.[185] Chronology[edit] Date Event c. 848 Alfred is born in Wantage, Berkshire. c. 852 Alfred's oldest brother Æthelstan of Kent dies. c. 853 Alfred's sister, Æthelswith marries Burgred, the king of Mercians. c. 854 Alfred's father Æthelwulf sends Alfred and his youngest older brother Æthelred on a pilgrimage to Rome.[186] Alfred's mother Osburh dies. c. 855 Æthelwulf goes on a pilgrimage with Alfred, after dividing his realm between his sons, Æthelbald and Æthelberht.[187] c. 856 Preteen Judith of Flanders becomes the stepmother of Alfred after Æthelwulf marries her.[187] Æthelwulf returns home, but Æthelbald refuses to give up his position, forcing Æthelwulf to retire to Kent with Æthelberht.[188] c. 858 Æthelwulf dies. c. 860 Æthelbald dies and is succeeded by his brother Æthelberht. c. 865 Æthelberht dies and is succeeded by his brother Æthelred. The Great Heathen Army lands in East Anglia. c. 868 Æthelred aids Burgred against the Danes. Alfred marries Ealhswith in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. c. 870 Alfred's first child Æthelflæd is born. c. 871 Æthelred dies and is succeeded by Alfred. Alfred makes peace with the Danes and takes Winchester as his residence. c. 872 Burgred pays tribute to the Danes. c. 873 The Danes invade Mercia and seize Repton. c. 874 Danes sack Tamworth, exiling Burgred. Alfred's first son Edward the Elder is born. The Great Heathen Army splits as Halfdan retires to Northumbria. c. 875 Guthrum invades Alfred's realm. c. 876 Guthrum takes Wareham, but is besieged by Alfred. The Danes abandon Wareham, only to take Exeter instead. c. 877 Alfred besieges Exeter and is able to expel the Danes from his realm. c. 878 Alfred is forced to flee to Somerset Levels and begin guerilla warfare. Alfred defeats Guthrum decisively in the Battle of Edington, causing Guthrum's conversion to Christianity. Alfred's subject defeats another Danish invasion in the Battle of Cynwit. c. 886 Alfred conquers London and declares himself the king of the Anglo-Saxons.[189] c. 888 Æthelswith dies in Pavia. c. 893 Edward marries Ecgwynn. c. 894 Alfred becomes a grandfather when Ecgwynn gives birth to Æthelstan, the son of Edward. 899 Alfred dies. ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); the Gospel was first preached in Britain, the island was inhabited by Celtic peoples. In the 400's, pagan Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded Britain and drove the Christian Celts out of what is now England into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The new arrivals (called collectively the Anglo-Saxons) were then converted by Celtic missionaries moving in from the one side and Roman missionaries moving in from the other. (They then sent missionaries of their own, such as Boniface, to their pagan relatives on the Continent.) the 800's the cycle partly repeated itself, as the Christian Anglo-Saxons were invaded by the Danes, pagan raiders, who rapidly conquered the northeast portion of England. They seemed about to conquer the entire country and eliminate all resistance when they were turned back by Alfred, King of the West Saxons. was born in 849 at Wantage, Berkshire, youngest of five sons of King Aethelwulf. He wished to become a monk, but after the deaths (all in battle, I think) of his father and his four older brothers, he was made king in 871. He proved to be skilled at military tactics, and devised a defensive formation which the Danish charge was unable to break. After a decisive victory at Edington in 878, he reached an agreement with the Danish leader Guthrum, by which the Danes would retain a portion of northeastern England and be given other concessions in return for their agreement to accept baptism and Christian instruction. From a later point of view, it seems obvious that such a promise could not involve a genuine change of heart, and was therefore meaningless (and indeed, one Dane complained that the white robe that he was given after his baptism was not nearly so fine as the two that he had received after the two previous times that he had been defeated and baptized). However, Alfred's judgement proved sound. Guthrum, from his point of view, agreed to become a vassal of Christ. His nobles and chief warriors, being his vassals, were thereby obligated to give their feudal allegiance to Christ as well. They accepted baptism and the presence among them of Christian priests and missionaries to instruct them. The door was opened for conversions on a more personal level in that and succeeding generations. his later years, having secured a large degree of military security for his people, Alfred devoted his energies to repairing the damage that war had done to the cultural life of his people. He translated Boethius' Consolations of Philosophy into Old English, and brought in scholars from Wales and the Continent with whose help various writings of Bede, Augustine of Canterbury, and Gregory the Great were likewise translated. He was much impressed by the provisions in the Law of Moses for the protection of the rights of ordinary citizens, and gave order that similar provisions should be made part of English law. He promoted the education of the parish clergy. In one of his treatises, he wrote: "He seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear." died on 26 October 899, and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester. Alone among English monarchs, he is known as "the Great." writer G K Chesterton has written a long narrative poem about Alfred, called, "The Ballad of the White Horse." In my view, it would be improved by abridgement (I would, for example, terminate the prologue after the line "And laid peace on the sea"), but I think it well worth reading as it stands, both for the history and (with minor reservations) for the theology. by James Kiefer DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 878, Battle of Edington, Wessex, A S Kingdom of Wessex under Alfred over Great Summer Army of Dane Grunthrum
Battle of Edington in 878; the Battle of Edington, an army of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex under Alfred the Great defeated the Great Heathen Army led by the Dane Guthrum on a date between 6 and 12 May 878, resulting in the Treaty of Wedmore later the same year. sources locate the battle at "Eðandun". Until a scholarly consensus linked the battle site with the present-day town of Edington in Wiltshire, it was known as the Battle of Ethandun. This name continues to be used. Guthrum; (c. 835 - c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. A native of Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces with the Great Danish Army, whose intentions were to conquer the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. combined armies were successful in conquering the kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria, and overran Alfred the Great's Wessex, but were ultimately defeated by Alfred at the Battle of Edington in 878. Danes retreated to their stronghold, where Alfred laid siege and eventually Guthrum surrendered. the terms of his surrender, Guthrum was obliged to be baptised as a Christian and then leave Wessex. The subsequent Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum set out the boundaries between Alfred and Guthrum's territories, as well as agreements on peaceful trade and the weregild value of its people. treaty is seen as the foundation of the Danelaw. Guthrum ruled East Anglia under his baptismal name of Æthelstan until his death.[1] ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

England, 900-999, 10th Century Folder, Battle of Brunaburh, Eng. v Scot. and Ire.

England, 924-939, King of the English, Athelstan, conquered Viking York, first king of England, invaded Scotland, Brunaburh v
English King, 924-939, Athelstan; or Athelstan (c. 894 - 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to 939 when he died.[a] He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. historians regard him as the first King of England and one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings. He never married and had no children. He was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund. Edward died in July 924, Æthelstan was accepted by the Mercians as king. His half-brother Ælfweard may have been recognised as king in Wessex, but died within three weeks of their father's death. Æthelstan encountered resistance in Wessex for several months, and was not crowned until September 925. 927 he conquered the last remaining Viking kingdom, York, making him the first Anglo-Saxon ruler of the whole of England. 934 he invaded Scotland and forced Constantine II to submit to him, but Æthelstan's rule was resented by the Scots and Vikings, and in 937 they invaded England. Æthelstan defeated them at the Battle of Brunanburh, a victory which gave him great prestige both in the British Isles and on the Continent. his death in 939 the Vikings seized back control of York, and it was not finally reconquered until 954. centralised government; he increased control over the production of charters and summoned leading figures from distant areas to his councils. These meetings were also attended by rulers from outside his territory, especially Welsh kings, who thus acknowledged his overlordship. legal texts survive from his reign than from any other 10th-century English king. They show his concern about widespread robberies, and the threat they posed to social order. His legal reforms built on those of his grandfather, Alfred the Great. was one of the most pious West Saxon kings, and was known for collecting relics and founding churches. household was the centre of English learning during his reign, and it laid the foundation for the Benedictine monastic reform later in the century. No other West Saxon king played as important a role in European politics as Athelstan, and he arranged the marriages of several of his sisters to continental rulers. Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England, 929-988, Dunstan of Glasconbury, Archbishop of Canterbury
England, 929-988, Dunstan of Glasconbury, Archbishop of Canterbury; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

England, 937, Battle of Brunaburh, United England v invading Scotland&Ireland who lost
England, 937, Battle of Brunaburh, Saxon England v Scotland and Ireland; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England, 939-946, King of the English, Edmund I, constant warfare, reconquests, killed in a brawl w outlaw
England, King of the English, 939-946, Edmund I ; I (921 - 26 May 946) was King of the English from 939 until his death. His epithets include the Elder, the Deed-doer, the Just, and the Magnificent.[2] was the son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. Edmund was a young child when his father died in 924 and was succeeded by his eldest son and Edmund's half-brother Æthelstan, who died in 939. Edmund then became king. reign was marked by almost constant warfare, including conquests or reconquests of the Midlands, Northumbria, and Strathclyde (the last of which was ceded to Malcolm I of Scotland). was killed in a brawl with an outlaw at Pucklechurch in Gloucestershire after six-and-a-half years as king. He was succeeded by his brother Eadred, who was succeeded by Edmund's sons Eadwig and then Edgar the Peaceful. DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 946-955, King of the English, Edread, won Northumbria
England, King of the English, 946-955, Edread; (also Edred, 'the Weak-in-the-Feet'[1]) (923 - 23 November 955) was King of the English from 946 until his death. He was the son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. Eadred came to the throne following the assassination of his older brother, Edmund I. chief achievement of his reign was to bring the Kingdom of Northumbria under total English control, which occurred with the defeat and expulsion of Eric Bloodaxe in 954. died at the age of 32 having never married, and was succeeded by his 15-year-old nephew, Eadwig. DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 955-959, King of the English, Eadwig (Edwy), disputes with nobles and church, premature death
England, King of the English, 955-959, Eadwig ; also spelled Edwy or Eadwige (c. 940 - October 959), sometimes called the All-Fair,[2] was King of the English from 955 until his premature death. elder son of Edmund I and Alfgifu of Shaftesbury, Eadwig became king in 955 aged 15 following the death of his uncle Eadred. short reign was tarnished by disputes with nobles and men of the church, including Archbishops Dunstan and Oda. He died in 959, having ruled less than four years. He was buried in the capital Winchester. His brother Edgar the Peaceful succeeded him. DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 959-975, King of the English, Edgar the Peaceful, unity, relative stability, advisor Dunstan
England, King of the English, 959-975, Edgar the Peaceful; (c. 943 – 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death. He was the younger son of Edmund I and Alfgifu of Shaftesbury, and came to the throne as a teenager, following the death of his older brother Eadwig. king, Edgar further consolidated the political unity achieved by his predecessors, with his reign being noted for its relative stability. most trusted advisor was Dunstan, whom he recalled from exile and made Archbishop of Canterbury. The pinnacle of Edgar's reign was his coronation at Bath in 973, which was organised by Dunstan and forms the basis for the current coronation ceremony. After his death he was succeeded by his son Edward, although the succession was disputed. ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 973, Council of Winchester, Regularis Concordia (Winchester)
England, 973, Council of Winchester, Regularis Concordia (Winchester); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

England, 975-978, King of the English, Edward the Martyr
England, King of the English, 975-978, Edward the Martyr; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 978-1016, King of the English, Ethelred the Unready
England, King of the English, 978-1016, Ethelred the Unready ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

England, 1000-1699, Folder 11th - 17th Century, Normans or Vikings

England, 1000-1099, London, 11th Century History Folder, Viking, William the Conqueror, King of England and Normandy

England, 1013-1014, King of England, Swein Forkbeard
England, 1013-1014, King of England, Swein Forkbeard ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

England, 1014-1016, King of England, Aethelred the Unready
England, 1014-1016, King of England, Aethelred the Unready ;

England, 1016-1016, King of England, Edmund Ironside, Valourous, resisted the Danes
England, 1016-1016, King of England, Edmund Ironside; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ;

England, 1016-1035, King of England, Cnut the Great
England, 1016-1035, King of England, Cnut the Great ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

England, 1035-1040, King of England, Harold Harefoot
England, 1035-1040, King of England, Harold Harefoot ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

England, 1040-1042, King of England, Harthacnut
England, 1040-1042, King of England, Harthacnut; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

England, 1042-1066, King of England, Edward the Confessor, Anglo Saxon
England, 1042-1066, King of England, Edward the Confessor; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109); St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

England, 1062-1095, Saint of England, Wulfstan of Worchester
England, 1062-1095, Saint of England, Wulfstan of Worchester; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095);

England, 1066-1087, King of England, William the Conqueror, Norman King
England, 1066-1087, King of England, William the Conqueror, Norman King ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, MONK, ARCHBISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (21 APR 1109); WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095);

England, 1087-1100, King of England, William II of England
England, 1087-1100, King of England, William II of England; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, BISHOP (19 JAN 1095);

England, 1100-1199, London, 12th Century History Folder, Third Crusade, Richard the Lion Heart, King John

England, 1101-1135, King of England, Henry I of England, son of Conqueror, fought with b and french kings for Normandy, harsh but effective
England, 1100-1135, King of England, Henry I of England; I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, Henry was left landless. He purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy from Robert, but his brothers deposed him in 1091. He gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William against Robert. at the place where his brother William died in a hunting accident in 1100, Henry seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. married Matilda of Scotland and they had two surviving children, William Adelin and Empress Matilda; he also had many illegitimate children by his many mistresses. who invaded in 1101, disputed Henry's control of England; this military campaign ended in a negotiated settlement that confirmed Henry as king. peace was short-lived, and Henry invaded the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and 1106, finally defeating Robert at the Battle of Tinchebray. kept Robert imprisoned for the rest of his life. Henry's control of Normandy was challenged by Louis VI of France, Baldwin VII of Flanders and Fulk V of Anjou, who promoted the rival claims of Robert's son, William Clito, and supported a major rebellion in the Duchy between 1116 and 1119. Following Henry's victory at the Battle of Brémule, a favourable peace settlement was agreed with Louis in 1120. by contemporaries to be a harsh but effective ruler, Henry skillfully manipulated the barons in England and Normandy. England, he drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxation, but also strengthened it with additional institutions, including the royal exchequer and itinerant justices. was also governed through a growing system of justices and an exchequer. Many of the officials who ran Henry's system were "new men" of obscure backgrounds, rather than from families of high status, who rose through the ranks as administrators. encouraged ecclesiastical reform, but became embroiled in a serious dispute in 1101 with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, which was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105. supported the Cluniac order and played a major role in the selection of the senior clergy in England and Normandy. son William drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120, throwing the royal succession into doubt. took a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, in the hope of having another son, but their marriage was childless. response to this, he declared his daughter Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou. relationship between Henry and the couple became strained, and fighting broke out along the border with Anjou. Henry died on 1 December 1135 after a week of illness. his plans for Matilda, the king was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois, resulting in a period of civil war known as the Anarchy. 1 Early life, 1068–1099 1.1 Childhood and appearance, 1068–86 1.2 Inheritance, 1087–88 1.3 Count of the Cotentin, 1088–90 1.4 Fall and rise, 1091–99 2 Early reign, 1100–06 2.1 Taking the throne, 1100 2.2 Marriage to Matilda, 1100 2.3 Treaty of Alton, 1101–02 2.4 Conquest of Normandy, 1103–06 3 Government, family and household 3.1 Government, law and court 3.2 Relations with the Church 4 Later reign, 1107–35 4.1 Continental and Welsh politics, 1108–14 4.2 Rebellion, 1115–20 4.3 Succession crisis, 1120–24 4.4 Planning the succession, 1125–34 5 Death and legacy 5.1 Death 5.2 Historiography 6 Family and children 6.1 Legitimate 6.2 Illegitimate 6.3 Family tree 7 Notes 8 References 9 Bibliography life, 1068–1099[edit] and appearance, 1068–86[edit] was probably born in England in 1068, in either the summer or the last weeks of the year, possibly in the town of Selby in Yorkshire.[1][nb 1] His father was William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy who had invaded England in 1066 to become the king of England, establishing lands stretching into Wales. The invasion had created an Anglo-Norman ruling class, many with estates on both sides of the English Channel.[2] These Anglo-Norman barons typically had close links to the Kingdom of France, which was then a loose collection of counties and smaller polities, under only the nominal control of the king.[3] Henry's mother, Matilda of Flanders, was the granddaughter of Robert II of France, and she probably named Henry after her uncle, King Henry I of France.[4] was the youngest of William and Matilda's four sons. Physically he resembled his older brothers Robert Curthose, Richard and William Rufus, being, as historian David Carpenter describes, "short, stocky and barrel-chested," with black hair.[5] As a result of their age differences and Richard's early death, Henry would have probably seen relatively little of his older brothers.[6] He probably knew his sister Adela well, as the two were close in age.[7] There is little documentary evidence for his early years; historians Warren Hollister and Kathleen Thompson suggest he was brought up predominantly in England, while Judith Green argues he was initially brought up in the Duchy.[8][nb 2] He was probably educated by the Church, possibly by Bishop Osmund, the King's chancellor, at Salisbury Cathedral; it is uncertain if this indicated an intent by his parents for Henry to become a member of the clergy.[10][nb 3] It is also uncertain how far Henry's education extended, but he was probably able to read Latin and had some background in the liberal arts.[11] He was given military training by an instructor called Robert Achard, and Henry was knighted by his father on 24 May 1086.[12] 1087–88[edit] century picture ------------------13th-century depiction of Henry 1087, William was fatally injured during a campaign in the Vexin.[13] Henry joined his dying father near Rouen in September, where the King partitioned his possessions among his sons.[14] The rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, primogeniture, in which the eldest son would inherit a title, was growing in popularity.[15] In other parts of Europe, including Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands – usually considered to be the most valuable – and younger sons given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates.[15] dividing his lands, William appears to have followed the Norman tradition, distinguishing between Normandy, which he had inherited, and England, which he had acquired through war.[16] William's second son, Richard, had died in a hunting accident, leaving Henry and his two brothers to inherit William's estate. Robert, the eldest, despite being in armed rebellion against his father at the time of his death, received Normandy.[17] England was given to William Rufus, who was in favour with the dying king.[17] Henry was given a large sum of money, usually reported as £5,000, with the expectation that he would also be given his mother's modest set of lands in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire.[18][nb 4] William's funeral at Caen was marred by angry complaints from a local man, and Henry may have been responsible for resolving the dispute by buying off the protester with silver.[20] returned to Normandy, expecting to have been given both the Duchy and England, to find that William Rufus had crossed the Channel and been crowned king.[21] The two brothers disagreed fundamentally over the inheritance, and Robert soon began to plan an invasion of England to seize the kingdom, helped by a rebellion by some of the leading nobles against William Rufus.[22] Henry remained in Normandy and took up a role within Robert's court, possibly either because he was unwilling to side openly with William Rufus, or because Robert might have taken the opportunity to confiscate Henry's inherited money if he had tried to leave.[21][nb 5] William Rufus sequestered Henry's new estates in England, leaving Henry landless.[24] 1088, Robert's plans for the invasion of England began to falter, and he turned to Henry, proposing that his brother lend him some of his inheritance, which Henry refused.[25] Henry and Robert then came to an alternative arrangement, in which Robert would make Henry the count of western Normandy, in exchange for £3,000.[25][nb 6] Henry's lands were a new countship created by a delegation of the ducal authority in the Cotentin, but it extended across the Avranchin, with control over the bishoprics of both.[27] This also gave Henry influence over two major Norman leaders, Hugh d'Avranches and Richard de Redvers, and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, whose lands spread out further across the Duchy.[28] Robert's invasion force failed to leave Normandy, leaving William Rufus secure in England.[29] of the Cotentin, 1088–90[edit] of Bishop Odo (wielding club at centre) who imprisoned Henry from 1088–89. From the Bayeux Tapestry. Henry quickly established himself as count, building up a network of followers from western Normandy and eastern Brittany, whom historian John Le Patourel has characterised as "Henry's gang".[30] His early supporters included Roger of Mandeville, Richard of Redvers, Richard d'Avranches and Robert Fitzhamon, along with the churchman Roger of Salisbury.[31] Robert attempted to go back on his deal with Henry and re-appropriate the county, but Henry's grip was already sufficiently firm to prevent this.[32] Robert's rule of the duchy was chaotic, and parts of Henry's lands became almost independent of central control from Rouen.[33] this period, neither William nor Robert seems to have trusted Henry.[34] Waiting until the rebellion against William Rufus was safely over, Henry returned to England in July 1088.[35] He met with the King but was unable to persuade him to grant him their mother's estates, and travelled back to Normandy in the autumn.[36] While he had been away, however, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who regarded Henry as a potential competitor, had convinced Robert that Henry was conspiring against the duke with William Rufus.[37] On landing, Odo seized Henry and imprisoned him in Neuilly-la-Forêt, and Robert took back the county of the Cotentin.[38] Henry was held there over the winter, but in the spring of 1089 the senior elements of the Normandy nobility prevailed upon Robert to release him.[39] no longer formally the Count of Cotentin, Henry continued to control the west of Normandy.[40] The struggle between his brothers continued. William Rufus continued to put down resistance to his rule in England, but began to build a number of alliances against Robert with barons in Normandy and neighbouring Ponthieu.[41] Robert allied himself with Philip I of France.[42] In late 1090 William Rufus encouraged Conan Pilatus, a powerful burgher in Rouen, to rebel against Robert; Conan was supported by most of Rouen and made appeals to the neighbouring ducal garrisons to switch allegiance as well.[43] issued an appeal for help to his barons, and Henry was the first to arrive in Rouen in November.[44] Violence broke out, leading to savage, confused street fighting as both sides attempted to take control of the city.[44] Robert and Henry left the castle to join the battle, but Robert then retreated, leaving Henry to continue the fighting.[45] The battle turned in favour of the ducal forces and Henry took Conan prisoner.[45] Henry was angry that Conan had turned against his feudal lord. He had him taken to the top of Rouen Castle and then, despite Conan's offers to pay a huge ransom, threw him off the top of the castle to his death.[46] Contemporaries considered Henry to have acted appropriately in making an example of Conan, and Henry became famous for his exploits in the battle.[47] and rise, 1091–99[edit] of Mont St Michel ----------------- Mont Saint-Michel, site of the 1091 siege the aftermath, Robert forced Henry to leave Rouen, probably because Henry's role in the fighting had been more prominent than his own, and possibly because Henry had asked to be formally reinstated as the count of the Cotentin.[48] In early 1091, William Rufus invaded Normandy with a sufficiently large army to bring Robert to the negotiating table.[49] The two brothers signed a treaty at Rouen, granting William Rufus a range of lands and castles in Normandy. In return, William Rufus promised to support Robert's attempts to regain control of the neighbouring county of Maine, once under Norman control, and help in regaining control over the duchy, including Henry's lands.[49] They nominated each other as heirs to England and Normandy, excluding Henry from any succession while either one of them lived.[50] now broke out between Henry and his brothers.[51] Henry mobilised a mercenary army in the west of Normandy, but as William Rufus and Robert's forces advanced, his network of baronial support melted away.[52] Henry focused his remaining forces at Mont Saint-Michel, where he was besieged, probably in March 1091.[53] The site was easy to defend, but lacked fresh water.[54] The chronicler William of Malmesbury suggested that when Henry's water ran short, Robert allowed his brother fresh supplies, leading to remonstrations between Robert and William Rufus.[55] The events of the final days of the siege are unclear: the besiegers had begun to argue about the future strategy for the campaign, but Henry then abandoned Mont Saint-Michel, probably as part of a negotiated surrender.[56][nb 7] He left for Brittany and crossed over into France.[57] next steps are not well documented; one chronicler, Orderic Vitalis, suggests that he travelled in the French Vexin, along the Normandy border, for over a year with a small band of followers.[58] By the end of the year, Robert and William Rufus had fallen out once again, and the Treaty of Rouen had been abandoned.[59] In 1092, Henry and his followers seized the Normandy town of Domfront.[60] Domfront had previously been controlled by Robert of Bellême, but the inhabitants disliked his rule and invited Henry to take over the town, which he did in a bloodless coup.[61] Over the next two years, Henry re-established his network of supporters across western Normandy, forming what Judith Green terms a "court in waiting".[62] By 1094, he was allocating lands and castles to his followers as if he were the Duke of Normandy.[63] William Rufus began to support Henry with money, encouraging his campaign against Robert, and Henry used some of this to construct a substantial castle at Domfront.[64] Rufus crossed into Normandy to take the war to Robert in 1094, and when progress stalled, called upon Henry for assistance.[65] Henry responded, but travelled to London instead of joining the main campaign further east in Normandy, possibly at the request of the King, who in any event abandoned the campaign and returned to England.[66][nb 8] Over the next few years, Henry appears to have strengthened his power base in western Normandy, visiting England occasionally to attend at William Rufus's court.[68] In 1095 Pope Urban II called the First Crusade, encouraging knights from across Europe to join.[67] Robert joined the Crusade, borrowing money from William Rufus to do so, and granting the King temporary custody of his part of the Duchy in exchange.[69] The King appeared confident of regaining the remainder of Normandy from Robert, and Henry appeared ever closer to William Rufus. They campaigned together in the Norman Vexin between 1097 and 1098.[70] reign, 1100–06[edit] the throne, 1100[edit] Pontificals --------------A 17th-century manuscript drawing of Henry's coronation. the afternoon of 2 August 1100, King William went hunting in the New Forest, accompanied by a team of huntsmen and a number of the Norman nobility, including Henry.[71] An arrow, possibly shot by the baron Walter Tirel, hit and killed William Rufus.[72] Numerous conspiracy theories have been put forward suggesting that the King was killed deliberately; most modern historians reject these, as hunting was a risky activity, and such accidents were common.[73][nb 9] Chaos broke out, and Tirel fled the scene for France, either because he had shot the fatal arrow, or because he had been incorrectly accused and feared that he would be made a scapegoat for the King's death.[72] rode to Winchester, where an argument ensued as to who now had the best claim to the throne.[75] William of Breteuil championed the rights of Robert, who was still abroad, returning from the Crusade, and to whom Henry and the barons had given homage in previous years.[76] Henry argued that, unlike Robert, he had been born to a reigning king and queen, thereby giving him a claim under the right of porphyrogeniture.[77] Tempers flared, but Henry, supported by Henry de Beaumont and Robert of Meulan, held sway and persuaded the barons to follow him.[78] He occupied Winchester Castle and seized the royal treasury.[79] was hastily crowned king in Westminster Abbey on 5 August by Maurice, the bishop of London, as Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, had been exiled by William Rufus, and Thomas, the archbishop of York, was in the north of England at Ripon.[80] In accordance with English tradition and in a bid to legitimise his rule, Henry issued a coronation charter laying out various commitments.[81] The new king presented himself as having restored order to a trouble-torn country.[82] He announced that he would abandon William Rufus's policies towards the Church, which had been seen as oppressive by the clergy; he promised to prevent royal abuses of the barons' property rights, and assured a return to the gentler customs of Edward the Confessor; he asserted that he would "establish a firm peace" across England and ordered "that this peace shall henceforth be kept".[83] addition to his existing circle of supporters, many of whom were richly rewarded with new lands, Henry quickly co-opted many of the existing administration into his new royal household.[84] William Giffard, William Rufus's chancellor, was made the bishop of Winchester, and the prominent sheriffs Urse d'Abetot, Haimo Dapifer and Robert Fitzhamon continued to play a senior role in government.[84] By contrast, the unpopular Ranulf Flambard, the bishop of Durham and a key member of the previous regime, was imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with corruption.[85] The late king had left many Church positions unfilled, and Henry set about nominating candidates to these, in an effort to build further support for his new government.[86] The appointments needed to be consecrated, and Henry wrote to Anselm, apologising for having been crowned while the archbishop was still in France and asking him to return at once.[87] to Matilda, 1100[edit] ------------Picture of Matilda first wife, Matilda of Scotland 11 November 1100 Henry married Matilda, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland.[88] Henry was now around 31 years old, but late marriages for noblemen were not unusual in the 11th century.[89] The pair had probably first met earlier the previous decade, possibly being introduced through Bishop Osmund of Salisbury.[90] Historian Warren Hollister argues that Henry and Matilda were emotionally close, but their union was also certainly politically motivated.[91][nb 10] Matilda had originally been named Edith, an Anglo-Saxon name, and was a member of the West Saxon royal family, being the niece of Edgar the Ætheling, the great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside and a descendant of Alfred the Great.[93] For Henry, marrying Matilda gave his reign increased legitimacy, and for Matilda, an ambitious woman, it was an opportunity for high status and power in England.[94] had been educated in a sequence of convents, however, and may well have taken the vows to formally become a nun, which formed an obstacle to the marriage progressing.[95] She did not wish to be a nun and appealed to Anselm for permission to marry Henry, and the Archbishop established a council at Lambeth Palace to judge the issue.[95] Despite some dissenting voices, the council concluded that although Matilda had lived in a convent, she had not actually become a nun and was therefore free to marry, a judgement that Anselm then affirmed, allowing the marriage to proceed.[95][nb 11] Matilda proved an effective queen for Henry, acting as a regent in England on occasion, addressing and presiding over councils, and extensively supporting the arts.[97] The couple soon had two children, Matilda, born in 1102, and William Adelin, born in 1103; it is possible that they also had a second son, Richard, who died young.[98][nb 12] Following the birth of these children, Matilda preferred to remain based in Westminster while Henry travelled across England and Normandy, either for religious reasons or because she enjoyed being involved in the machinery of royal governance.[100] had a considerable sexual appetite and enjoyed a substantial number of sexual partners, resulting in many illegitimate children, at least nine sons and 13 daughters, many of whom he appears to have recognised and supported.[101] It was normal for unmarried Anglo-Norman noblemen to have sexual relations with prostitutes and local women, and kings were also expected to have mistresses.[102][nb 13] Some of these relationships occurred before Henry was married, but many others took place after his marriage to Matilda.[103] Henry had a wide range of mistresses from a range of backgrounds, and the relationships appear to have been conducted relatively openly.[100] He may have chosen some of his noble mistresses for political purposes, but the evidence to support this theory is limited.[104] of Alton, 1101–02[edit] of Henry -----------Early 14th-century depiction of Henry early 1101, Henry's new regime was established and functioning, but many of the Anglo-Norman elite still supported his brother Robert, or would be prepared to switch sides if Robert appeared likely to gain power in England.[105] In February, Flambard escaped from the Tower of London and crossed the Channel to Normandy, where he injected fresh direction and energy to Robert's attempts to mobilise an invasion force.[106] By July, Robert had formed an army and a fleet, ready to move against Henry in England.[107] Raising the stakes in the conflict, Henry seized Flambard's lands and, with the support of Anselm, Flambard was removed from his position as bishop.[108] The King held court in April and June, where the nobility renewed their oaths of allegiance to him, but their support still appeared partial and shaky.[109] the invasion imminent, Henry mobilised his forces and fleet outside Pevensey, close to Robert's anticipated landing site, training some of them personally in how to counter cavalry charges.[110] Despite English levies and knights owing military service to the Church arriving in considerable numbers, many of his barons did not appear.[111] Anselm intervened with some of the doubters, emphasising the religious importance of their loyalty to Henry.[112] Robert unexpectedly landed further up the coast at Portsmouth on 20 July with a modest force of a few hundred men, but these were quickly joined by many of the barons in England.[113] However, instead of marching into nearby Winchester and seizing Henry's treasury, Robert paused, giving Henry time to march west and intercept the invasion force.[114] two armies met at Alton, Hampshire, where peace negotiations began, possibly initiated by either Henry or Robert, and probably supported by Flambard.[114] The brothers then agreed to the Treaty of Alton, under which Robert released Henry from his oath of homage and recognised him as king; Henry renounced his claims on western Normandy, except for Domfront, and agreed to pay Robert £2,000 a year for life; if either brother died without a male heir, the other would inherit his lands; the barons whose lands had been seized by either the King or the Duke for supporting his rival would have them returned, and Flambard would be reinstated as bishop; the two brothers would campaign together to defend their territories in Normandy.[115][nb 14] Robert remained in England for a few months more with Henry before returning to Normandy.[117] the treaty, Henry set about inflicting severe penalties on the barons who had stood against him during the invasion.[118] William de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, was accused of fresh crimes, which were not covered by the Alton amnesty, and was banished from England.[119] In 1102 Henry then turned against Robert of Bellême and his brothers, the most powerful of the barons, accusing him of 45 different offences.[120] Robert escaped and took up arms against Henry.[121] Henry besieged Robert's castles at Arundel, Tickhill and Shrewsbury Castles, pushing down into the south-west to attack Bridgnorth.[122] His power base in England broken, Robert accepted Henry's offer of banishment and left the country for Normandy.[123] of Normandy, 1103–06[edit] of Tinchebray ------The village of Tinchebray in 2008 network of allies in Normandy became stronger during 1103.[124] He arranged the marriages of his illegitimate daughters, Juliane and Matilda, to Eustace of Breteuil and Rotrou III, Count of Perche, respectively, the latter union securing the Norman border.[125] Henry attempted to win over other members of the Norman nobility and gave other English estates and lucrative offers to key Norman lords.[126] Duke Robert continued to fight Robert of Bellême, but the Duke's position worsened, until by 1104, he had to ally himself formally with Bellême to survive.[127] Arguing that the Duke had broken the terms of their treaty, the King crossed over the Channel to Domfront, where he met with senior barons from across Normandy, eager to ally themselves with him.[128] He confronted the Duke and accused him of siding with his enemies, before returning to England.[129] continued to disintegrate into chaos.[130] In 1105, Henry sent his friend Robert Fitzhamon and a force of knights into the Duchy, apparently to provoke a confrontation with Duke Robert.[131] Fitzhamon was captured, and Henry used this as an excuse to invade, promising to restore peace and order.[130] Henry had the support of most of the neighbouring counts around Normandy's borders, and King Philip of France was persuaded to remain neutral.[132] Henry occupied western Normandy, and advanced east on Bayeux, where Fitzhamon was held.[133] The city refused to surrender, and Henry besieged it, burning it to the ground.[133] Terrified of meeting the same fate, the town of Caen switched sides and surrendered, allowing Henry to advance on Falaise, Calvados, which he took with some casualties.[134] His campaign stalled, and the King instead began peace discussions with Robert.[135] The negotiations were inconclusive and the fighting dragged on until Christmas, when Henry returned to England.[136] invaded again in July 1106, hoping to provoke a decisive battle.[137] After some initial tactical successes, he turned south-west towards the castle of Tinchebray.[138] He besieged the castle and Duke Robert, supported by Robert of Bellême, advanced from Falaise to relieve it.[138] After attempts at negotiation failed, the Battle of Tinchebray took place, probably on 28 September.[139][nb 15] The battle lasted around an hour, and began with a charge by Duke Robert's cavalry; the infantry and dismounted knights of both sides then joined the battle.[141] Henry's reserves, led by Elias I, Count of Maine, and Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, attacked the enemy's flanks, routing first Bellême's troops and then the bulk of the ducal forces.[142] Duke Robert was taken prisoner, but Bellême escaped.[142] mopped up the remaining resistance in Normandy, and Duke Robert ordered his last garrisons to surrender.[143] Reaching Rouen, Henry reaffirmed the laws and customs of Normandy and took homage from the leading barons and citizens.[144] The lesser prisoners taken at Tinchebray were released, but the Duke and several other leading nobles were imprisoned indefinitely.[145] The Duke's son, William Clito, was only three years old and was released to the care of Helias of Saint-Saens, a Norman baron.[146] Henry reconciled himself with Robert of Bellême, who gave up the ducal lands he had seized and rejoined the royal court.[147] Henry had no way of legally removing the Duchy from his brother, and initially Henry avoided using the title "duke" at all, emphasising that, as the King of England, he was only acting as the guardian of the troubled Duchy.[148] family and household[edit] Government, law and court[edit] Henry's royal seal, showing the King on horseback (l) and seated on his throne (r) information on English government during this period: England in the Middle Ages § High Middle Ages (1066–1272) inherited the kingdom of England from William Rufus, giving him a claim of suzerainty over Wales and Scotland, and acquired the Duchy of Normandy, a complex entity with troubled borders.[149] The borders between England and Scotland were still uncertain during Henry's reign, with Anglo-Norman influence pushing northwards through Cumbria, but his relationship with King David I of Scotland was generally good, partially due to Henry's marriage to his sister.[150] In Wales, Henry used his power to coerce and charm the indigenous Welsh princes, while Norman Marcher Lords pushed across the valleys of South Wales.[151] Normandy was controlled via various interlocking networks of ducal, ecclesiastical and family contacts, backed by a growing string of important ducal castles along the borders.[152] Alliances and relationships with neighbouring counties along the Norman border were particularly important to maintaining the stability of the Duchy.[153] ruled through the various barons and lords in England and Normandy, whom he manipulated skilfully for political effect.[154] Political friendships, termed amicitia in Latin, were important during the 12th century, and Henry maintained a wide range of these, mediating between his friends in various factions across his realm when necessary, and rewarding those who were loyal to him.[155] He also had a reputation for punishing those barons who stood against him, and he maintained an effective network of informers and spies who reported to him on events.[156] Henry was a harsh, firm ruler, but not excessively so by the standards of the day.[157] Over time, he increased the degree of his control over the barons, removing his enemies and bolstering his friends until the "reconstructed baronage", as historian Warren Hollister describes it, was predominantly loyal and dependent on the King.[158] itinerant royal court comprised various parts.[159] At the heart was his domestic household, called the domus; a wider grouping was termed the familia regis, and formal gatherings of the court were termed curia.[160] The domus was divided into several parts. The chapel, headed by the chancellor, looked after the royal documents, the chamber dealt with financial affairs and the master-marshal was responsible for travel and accommodation.[161] The familia regis included Henry's mounted household troops, up to several hundred strong, who came from a wider range of social backgrounds, and could be deployed across England and Normandy as required.[162] Initially Henry continued his father's practice of regular crown-wearing ceremonies at his curia, but they became less frequent as the years passed.[163] Henry's court was grand and ostentatious, financing the construction of large new buildings and castles with a range of precious gifts on display, including his private menagerie of exotic animals, which he kept at Woodstock Palace.[164] Despite being a lively community, Henry's court was more tightly controlled than those of previous kings.[165] Strict rules controlled personal behaviour and prohibited members of the court from pillaging neighbouring villages, as had been the norm under William Rufus.[165] was responsible for a substantial expansion of the royal justice system.[166][nb 16] In England, Henry drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxes, but strengthened it with additional central governmental institutions.[168] Roger of Salisbury began to develop the royal exchequer after 1110, using it to collect and audit revenues from the King's sheriffs in the shires.[169] Itinerant justices began to emerge under Henry, travelling around the country managing eyre courts, and many more laws were formally recorded.[170] Henry gathered increasing revenue from the expansion of royal justice, both from fines and from fees.[171] The first Pipe Roll that is known to have survived dates from 1130, recording royal expenditures.[172] Henry reformed the coinage in 1107, 1108 and in 1125, inflicting harsh corporal punishments to English coiners who had been found guilty of debasing the currency.[173][nb 17] In Normandy, he restored law and order after 1106, operating through a body of Norman justices and an exchequer system similar to that in England.[175] Norman institutions grew in scale and scope under Henry, although less quickly than in England.[176] Many of the officials that ran Henry's system were termed "new men", relatively low-born individuals who rose through the ranks as administrators, managing justice or the royal revenues.[177][nb 18] with the Church[edit] information on religion in England during this period: Religion in Medieval England and the King[edit] of seal seal of Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury ability to govern was intimately bound up with the Church, which formed the key to the administration of both England and Normandy, and this relationship changed considerably over the course of his reign.[179] William the Conqueror had reformed the English Church with the support of his Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, who became a close colleague and advisor to the King.[180][nb 19] Under William Rufus this arrangement had collapsed, the King and Archbishop Anselm had become estranged and Anselm had gone into exile. Henry also believed in Church reform, but on taking power in England he became embroiled in the investiture controversy.[182] argument concerned who should invest a new bishop with his staff and ring: traditionally, this had been carried out by the King in a symbolic demonstration of royal power, but Pope Urban II had condemned this practice in 1099, arguing that only the papacy could carry out this task, and declaring that the clergy should not give homage to their local temporal rulers.[183] Anselm returned to England from exile in 1100 having heard Urban's pronouncement, and informed Henry that he would be complying with the Pope's wishes.[184] Henry was in a difficult position. On one hand, the symbolism and homage was important to him; on the other hand, he needed Anselm's support in his struggle with his brother Duke Robert.[185] stuck firmly to the letter of the papal decree, despite Henry's attempts to persuade him to give way in return for a vague assurance of a future royal compromise.[186] Matters escalated, with Anselm going back into exile and Henry confiscating the revenues of his estates. Anselm threatened excommunication, and in July 1105 the two men finally negotiated a solution.[187] A distinction was drawn between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates, under which Henry gave up his right to invest his clergy, but retained the custom of requiring them to come and do homage for the temporalities, the landed properties they held in England.[188] Despite this argument, the pair worked closely together, combining to deal with Duke Robert's invasion of 1101, for example, and holding major reforming councils in 1102 and 1108.[189] long-running dispute between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York flared up under Anselm's successor, Ralph d'Escures.[190] Canterbury, traditionally the senior of the two establishments, had long argued that the Archbishop of York should formally promise to obey their Archbishop, but York argued that the two episcopates were independent within the English Church and that no such promise was necessary. Henry supported the primacy of Canterbury, to ensure that England remained under a single ecclesiastical administration, but the Pope preferred the case of York.[190] The matter was complicated by Henry's personal friendship with Thurstan, the Archbishop of York, and the King's desire that the case should not end up in a papal court, beyond royal control.[190] Henry needed the support of the Papacy in his struggle with Louis of France, however, and therefore allowed Thurstan to attend the Council of Rheims in 1119, where Thurstan was then consecrated by the Pope with no mention of any duty towards Canterbury.[191] Henry believed that this went against assurances Thurstan had previously made and exiled him from England until the King and Archbishop came to a negotiated solution the following year.[192] after the investiture dispute, Henry continued to play a major role in the selection of new English and Norman bishops and archbishops.[193] He appointed many of his officials to bishoprics and, as historian Martin Brett suggests, "some of his officers could look forward to a mitre with all but absolute confidence".[194] Henry's chancellors, and those of his queens, became bishops of Durham, Hereford, London, Lincoln, Winchester and Salisbury.[195] Henry increasingly drew on a wider range of these bishops as advisors – particularly Roger of Salisbury – breaking with the earlier tradition of relying primarily on the Archbishop of Canterbury.[196] The result was a cohesive body of administrators through which Henry could exercise careful influence, holding general councils to discuss key matters of policy.[197] This stability shifted slightly after 1125, when he began to inject a wider range of candidates into the senior positions of the Church, often with more reformist views, and the impact of this generation would be felt in the years after Henry's death.[198] beliefs and piety[edit] of Reading Abbey ruined chapter house of Reading Abbey in 2008 other rulers of the period, Henry donated to the Church and patronised various religious communities, but contemporary chroniclers did not consider him an unusually pious king.[199] His personal beliefs and piety may, however, have developed during the course of his life. Henry had always taken an interest in religion, but in his later years he may have become much more concerned about spiritual affairs.[200] If so, the major shifts in his thinking would appear to have occurred after 1120, when his son William Adelin died, and 1129, when his daughter's marriage teetered on the verge of collapse.[201][nb 20] a proponent of religious reform, Henry gave extensively to reformist groups within the Church.[203] He was a keen supporter of the Cluniac order, probably for intellectual reasons.[204] He donated money to the abbey at Cluny itself, and after 1120 gave generously to Reading Abbey, a Cluniac establishment.[204] Construction on Reading began in 1121, and Henry endowed it with rich lands and extensive privileges, making it a symbol of his dynastic lines.[205] He also focused effort on promoting the conversion of communities of clerks into Augustinian canons, the foundation of leper hospitals, expanding the provision of nunneries, and the charismatic orders of the Savigniacs and Tironensians.[206] He was an avid collector of relics, sending an embassy to Constantinople in 1118 to collect Byzantine items, some of which were donated to Reading Abbey.[207] reign, 1107–35[edit] and Welsh politics, 1108–14[edit] faced an increased threat from France, Anjou and Flanders after 1108.[208] King Louis VI succeeded to the French throne in 1108 and began to reassert central royal power.[208] Louis demanded Henry give homage to him and that two disputed castles along the Normandy border be placed into the control of neutral castellans.[209] Henry refused, and Louis responded by mobilising an army.[210] After some arguments, the two kings negotiated a truce and retreated without fighting, leaving the underlying issues unresolved.[210][nb 21] Fulk V assumed power in Anjou in 1109 and began to rebuild Angevin authority.[212] He inherited the county of Maine, but refused to recognise Henry as his feudal lord and instead allied himself with Louis.[213] Robert II of Flanders also briefly joined the alliance, before his death in 1111.[214] of coin coin of Henry's rival, Louis VI of France 1108, Henry betrothed his six-year-old daughter, Matilda, to Henry V, the future Holy Roman Emperor.[215] For King Henry, this was a prestigious match; for Henry V, it was an opportunity to restore his financial situation and fund an expedition to Italy, as he received a dowry of £6,666 from England and Normandy.[216][nb 22] Raising this money proved challenging, and required the implementation of a special "aid", or tax, in England.[218] Matilda was crowned German queen in 1110.[219] responded to the French and Angevin threat by expanding his own network of supporters beyond the Norman borders.[220] Some Norman barons deemed unreliable were arrested or dispossessed, and Henry used their forfeited estates to bribe his potential allies in the neighbouring territories, in particular Maine.[221] Around 1110, Henry attempted to arrest the young William Clito, but William's mentors moved him to the safety of Flanders before he could be taken.[222] At about this time, Henry probably began to style himself as the duke of Normandy.[223][nb 23] Robert of Bellême turned against Henry once again, and when he appeared at Henry's court in 1112 in a new role as a French ambassador, he was arrested and imprisoned.[225] broke out in France and Anjou between 1111 and 1113, and Henry crossed into Normandy to support his nephew, Count Theobald II, Count of Champagne, who had sided against Louis in the uprising.[226] In a bid to isolate Louis diplomatically, Henry betrothed his young son, William Adelin, to Fulk's daughter Matilda, and married his illegitimate daughter Matilda to Duke Conan III of Brittany, creating alliances with Anjou and Brittany respectively.[227] Louis backed down and in March 1113 met with Henry near Gisors to agree a peace settlement, giving Henry the disputed fortresses and confirming Henry's overlordship of Maine, Bellême and Brittany.[228] the situation in Wales was deteriorating. Henry had conducted a campaign in South Wales in 1108, pushing out royal power in the region and colonising the area around Pembroke with Flemings.[229] By 1114, some of the resident Norman lords were under attack, while in Mid-Wales, Owain ap Cadwgan blinded one of the political hostages he was holding, and in North Wales Gruffudd ap Cynan threatened the power of the Earl of Chester.[230] Henry sent three armies into Wales that year, with Gilbert Fitz Richard leading a force from the south, Alexander, King of Scotland, pressing from the north and Henry himself advancing into Mid-Wales.[230] Owain and Gruffudd sued for peace, and Henry accepted a political compromise.[231] He reinforced the Welsh Marches with his own appointees, strengthening the border territories.[232] 1115–20[edit] pennies of Henry I, struck at the Oxford mint about the succession, Henry sought to persuade Louis VI to accept his son, William Adelin, as the legitimate future Duke of Normandy, in exchange for his son's homage.[233] Henry crossed into Normandy in 1115 and assembled the Norman barons to swear loyalty; he also almost successfully negotiated a settlement with Louis, affirming William's right to the Duchy in exchange for a large sum of money. However, Louis, backed by his ally Baldwin of Flanders, instead declared that he considered William Clito the legitimate heir to the Duchy.[234] broke out after Henry returned to Normandy with an army to support Theobald of Blois, who was under attack from Louis.[235] Henry and Louis raided each other's towns along the border, and a wider conflict then broke out, probably in 1116.[235][nb 24] Henry was pushed onto the defensive as French, Flemish and Angevin forces began to pillage the Normandy countryside.[237] Amaury III of Montfort and many other barons rose up against Henry, and there was an assassination plot from within his own household.[237] Henry's wife, Matilda, died in early 1118, but the situation in Normandy was sufficiently pressing that Henry was unable to return to England for her funeral.[238] responded by mounting campaigns against the rebel barons and deepening his alliance with Theobald.[239] Baldwin of Flanders was wounded in battle and died in September 1118, easing the pressure on Normandy from the north-east.[240] Henry attempted to crush a revolt in the city of Alençon, but was defeated by Fulk and the Angevin army.[241] Forced to retreat from Alençon, Henry's position deteriorated alarmingly, as his resources became overstretched and more barons abandoned his cause.[242] Early in 1119, Eustace of Breteuil and Henry's daughter, Juliana, threatened to join the baronial revolt.[243] Hostages were exchanged in a bid to avoid conflict, but relations broke down and both sides mutilated their captives.[244] Henry attacked and took the town of Breteuil, Eure, despite Juliana's attempt to kill her father with a crossbow.[244][nb 25] In the aftermath, Henry dispossessed the couple of almost all of their lands in Normandy.[246] situation improved in May 1119 when he enticed Fulk to switch sides by finally agreeing to marry William Adelin to Fulk's daughter, Matilda, and paying Fulk a large sum of money.[247] Fulk left for the Levant, leaving the County of Maine in Henry's care, and the King was free to focus on crushing his remaining enemies.[248] During the summer Henry advanced into the Norman Vexin, where he encountered Louis's army, resulting in the Battle of Brémule.[249] Henry appears to have deployed scouts and then organised his troops into several carefully formed lines of dismounted knights.[250] Unlike Henry's forces, the French knights remained mounted; they hastily charged the Anglo-Norman positions, breaking through the first rank of the defences but then becoming entangled in Henry's second line of knights.[251] Surrounded, the French army began to collapse.[250] In the melee, Henry was hit by a sword blow, but his armour protected him.[252] Louis and William Clito escaped from the battle, leaving Henry to return to Rouen in triumph.[253] war slowly petered out after this battle, and Louis took the dispute over Normandy to Pope Callixtus II's council in Reims that October.[254] Henry faced a number of French complaints concerning his acquisition and subsequent management of Normandy, and despite being defended by Geoffrey, the Archbishop of Rouen, Henry's case was shouted down by the pro-French elements of the council.[255] Callixtus declined to support Louis, however, and merely advised the two rulers to seek peace.[256] Amaury de Montfort came to terms with Henry, but Henry and William Clito failed to find a mutually satisfactory compromise.[257] In June 1120, Henry and Louis formally made peace on terms advantageous to the King of England: William Adelin gave homage to Louis, and in return Louis confirmed William's rights to the Duchy.[258] crisis, 1120–24[edit] of White Ship 14th-century depiction of the sinking of the White Ship at Barfleur on 25 November 1120 succession plans were thrown into chaos by the sinking of the White Ship on 25 November 1120.[259] Henry had left the port of Barfleur for England in the early evening, leaving William Adelin and many of the younger members of the court to follow on that night in a separate vessel, the White Ship.[260] Both the crew and passengers were drunk and, just outside the harbour, the ship hit a submerged rock.[261][nb 26] The ship sank, killing as many as 300 people, with only one survivor, a butcher from Rouen.[261] Henry's court was initially too scared to report William's death to the King. When he was finally told, he collapsed with grief.[263] disaster left Henry with no legitimate son, his various nephews now the closest possible male heirs.[264] Henry announced he would take a new wife, Adeliza of Louvain, opening up the prospect of a new royal son, and the two were married at Windsor Castle in January 1121.[265][nb 27] Henry appears to have chosen her because she was attractive and came from a prestigious noble line. Adeliza seems to have been fond of Henry and joined him in his travels, probably to maximise the chances of her conceiving a child.[267] The White Ship disaster initiated fresh conflict in Wales, where the drowning of Richard, Earl of Chester, encouraged a rebellion led by Maredudd ap Bleddyn.[268] Henry intervened in North Wales that summer with an army and, although he was hit by a Welsh arrow, the campaign reaffirmed royal power across the region.[268] alliance with Anjou – which had been based on his son William marrying Fulk's daughter Matilda – began to disintegrate.[269] Fulk returned from the Levant and demanded that Henry return Matilda and her dowry, a range of estates and fortifications in Maine.[269] Matilda left for Anjou, but Henry argued that the dowry had in fact originally belonged to him before it came into the possession of Fulk, and so declined to hand the estates back to Anjou.[270] Fulk married his daughter Sibylla to William Clito, and granted them Maine.[271] Once again, conflict broke out, as Amaury de Montfort allied himself with Fulk and led a revolt along the Norman-Anjou border in 1123.[271] Amaury was joined by several other Norman barons, headed by Waleran de Beaumont, one of the sons of Henry's old ally, Robert of Meulan.[272][nb 28] dispatched Robert of Gloucester and Ranulf le Meschin to Normandy and then intervened himself in late 1123.[274] He began the process of besieging the rebel castles, before wintering in the Duchy.[275] In the spring of 1124, campaigning began again. In the battle of Bourgthéroulde, Odo Borleng, castellan of Bernay, Eure, led the King's army and received intelligence that the rebels were departing from the rebel base in Beaumont-le-Roger allowing him to ambush them as they traversed through the Brotonne forest. Waleran charged the royal forces, but his knights were cut down by Odo's archers and the rebels were quickly overwhelmed.[276] Waleran was captured, but Amaury escaped.[276] Henry mopped up the remainder of the rebellion, blinding some of the rebel leaders – considered, at the time, a more merciful punishment than execution – and recovering the last rebel castles.[277] He paid Pope Callixtus a large amount of money, in exchange for the Papacy annulling the marriage of William Clito and Sibylla on the grounds of consanguinity.[278][nb 29] the succession, 1125–34[edit] and Adeliza did not conceive any children, generating prurient speculation as to the possible explanation, and the future of the dynasty appeared at risk.[280][nb 30] Henry may have begun to look among his nephews for a possible heir. He may have considered Stephen of Blois as a possible option and, perhaps in preparation for this, he arranged a beneficial marriage for Stephen to a wealthy heiress, Matilda.[282] Theobald of Blois, his close ally, may have also felt that he was in favour with Henry.[283] William Clito, who was King Louis's preferred choice, remained opposed to Henry and was therefore unsuitable.[284] Henry may have also considered his own illegitimate son, Robert of Gloucester, as a possible candidate, but English tradition and custom would have looked unfavourably on this.[285] plans shifted when the Empress Matilda's husband, the Emperor Henry, died in 1125.[286] The King recalled his daughter to England the next year and declared that, should he die without a male heir, she was to be his rightful successor.[287] The Anglo-Norman barons were gathered together at Westminster at Christmas 1126, where they swore to recognise Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have.[287][nb 31] Putting forward a woman as a potential heir in this way was unusual: opposition to Matilda continued to exist within the English court, and Louis was vehemently opposed to her candidacy.[289] conflict broke out in 1127, when the childless Charles I, Count of Flanders, was murdered, creating a local succession crisis.[290] Backed by King Louis, William Clito was chosen by the Flemings to become their new ruler.[291] This development potentially threatened Normandy, and Henry began to finance a proxy war in Flanders, promoting the claims of William's Flemish rivals.[292] In an effort to disrupt the French alliance with William, Henry mounted an attack into France in 1128, forcing Louis to cut his aid to William.[293] William died unexpectedly in July, removing the last major challenger to Henry's rule and bringing the war in Flanders to a halt.[294] Without William, the baronial opposition in Normandy lacked a leader. A fresh peace was made with France, and Henry was finally able to release the remaining prisoners from the revolt of 1123, including Waleran of Meulan, who was rehabilitated into the royal court.[295] Henry rebuilt his alliance with Fulk of Anjou, this time by marrying Matilda to Fulk's eldest son, Geoffrey.[296] The pair were betrothed in 1127 and married the following year.[297] It is unknown whether Henry intended Geoffrey to have any future claim on England or Normandy, and he was probably keeping his son-in-law's status deliberately uncertain. Similarly, although Matilda was granted a number of Normandy castles as part of her dowry, it was not specified when the couple would actually take possession of them.[298] Fulk left Anjou for Jerusalem in 1129, declaring Geoffrey the Count of Anjou and Maine.[299] The marriage proved difficult, as the couple did not particularly like each other and the disputed castles proved a point of contention, resulting in Matilda returning to Normandy later that year.[300] Henry appears to have blamed Geoffrey for the separation, but in 1131 the couple were reconciled.[301] Much to the pleasure and relief of Henry, Matilda then gave birth to a sequence of two sons, Henry and Geoffrey, in 1133 and 1134.[302] and legacy[edit] of Henry 14th-century depiction of Henry mourning the death of his son between Henry, Matilda, and Geoffrey became increasingly strained during the King's final years. Matilda and Geoffrey suspected that they lacked genuine support in England. In 1135 they urged Henry to hand over the royal castles in Normandy to Matilda whilst he was still alive, and insisted that the Norman nobility swear immediate allegiance to her, thereby giving the couple a more powerful position after Henry's death.[303] Henry angrily declined to do so, probably out of concern that Geoffrey would try to seize power in Normandy.[304] A fresh rebellion broke out amongst the barons in southern Normandy, led by William III, Count of Ponthieu, whereupon Geoffrey and Matilda intervened in support of the rebels.[305] campaigned throughout the autumn, strengthening the southern frontier, and then travelled to Lyons-la-Forêt in November to enjoy some hunting, still apparently healthy.[306] There he fell ill – according to the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon, he ate too many ("a surfeit of") lampreys against his physician's advice – and his condition worsened over the course of a week.[307] Once the condition appeared terminal, Henry gave confession and summoned Archbishop Hugh of Amiens, who was joined by Robert of Gloucester and other members of the court.[308] In accordance with custom, preparations were made to settle Henry's outstanding debts and to revoke outstanding sentences of forfeiture.[309] The King died on 1 December 1135, and his corpse was taken to Rouen accompanied by the barons, where it was embalmed; his entrails were buried locally at the priory of Notre-Dame du Pré, and the preserved body was taken on to England, where it was interred at Reading Abbey.[310] Henry's efforts, the succession was disputed. When news began to spread of the King's death, Geoffrey and Matilda were in Anjou supporting the rebels in their campaign against the royal army, which included a number of Matilda's supporters such as Robert of Gloucester.[15] Many of these barons had taken an oath to stay in Normandy until the late king was properly buried, which prevented them from returning to England.[311] The Norman nobility discussed declaring Theobald of Blois king.[312] Theobald's younger brother, Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed from Boulogne to England, however, accompanied by his military household.[313] Hugh Bigod dubiously testified that Henry, on his deathbed, had released the barons from their oath to Matilda,[314] and with the help of his brother, Henry of Blois, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned king on 22 December.[315] Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, appealing at first to the Pope against the decision to allow the coronation of Stephen,[314] and then invading England to start a prolonged civil war, known as the Anarchy, between 1135 and 1153.[316] AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

England, 1135-1154, King, Stephen. of Blois, Boulogne, Normandy, Anarchy, long Civil War w Matilda and Henry
England, 1135-1154, King of England, Stephen, King of England ; (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death. A younger son of the Count of Blois, he was Count of Boulogne jure uxoris from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 until 1144. His reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda, whose son, Henry II, succeeded Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England. was born in the County of Blois in central France; his father, Count Stephen-Henry, died while Stephen was still young, and he was brought up by his mother, Adela, daughter of William the Conqueror. Placed into the court of his uncle, Henry I of England, Stephen rose in prominence and was granted extensive lands. He married Matilda of Boulogne, inheriting additional estates in Kent and Boulogne that made the couple one of the wealthiest in England. Stephen narrowly escaped drowning with Henry I's son, William Adelin, in the sinking of the White Ship in 1120; William's death left the succession of the English throne open to challenge. When Henry died in 1135, Stephen quickly crossed the English Channel and with the help of his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester and Abbot of Glastonbury, took the throne, arguing that the preservation of order across the kingdom took priority over his earlier oaths to support the claim of Henry I's daughter, the Empress Matilda. early years of Stephen's reign were largely successful, despite a series of attacks on his possessions in England and Normandy by David I of Scotland, Welsh rebels, and the Empress Matilda's husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. In 1138, the Empress's half-brother Robert of Gloucester rebelled against Stephen, threatening civil war. Together with his close advisor, Waleran de Beaumont, Stephen took firm steps to defend his rule, including arresting a powerful family of bishops. When the Empress and Robert invaded in 1139, Stephen was unable to crush the revolt rapidly, and it took hold in the south-west of England. Captured at the battle of Lincoln in 1141, he was abandoned by many of his followers and lost control of Normandy. He was freed only after his wife and William of Ypres, one of his military commanders, captured Robert at the Rout of Winchester, but the war dragged on for many years with neither side able to win an advantage. became increasingly concerned with ensuring that his son Eustace would inherit his throne. The King tried to convince the Church to agree to crown Eustace to reinforce his claim; Pope Eugene III refused, and Stephen found himself in a sequence of increasingly bitter arguments with his senior clergy. In 1153, the Empress's son Henry invaded England and built an alliance of powerful regional barons to support his claim for the throne. The two armies met at Wallingford, but neither side's barons were keen to fight another pitched battle. Stephen began to examine a negotiated peace, a process hastened by the sudden death of Eustace. Later in the year Stephen and Henry agreed to the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognised Henry as his heir in exchange for peace, passing over William, Stephen's second son. Stephen died the following year. Modern historians have extensively debated the extent to which his personality, external events, or the weaknesses in the Norman state contributed to this prolonged period of civil war. AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

England, 1140-1170, Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, killed over rights of the church
England, 1140-1170, Saint Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury; Becket (/ËˆbÉ›kÉªt/), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London[1] and later Thomas à Becket[note 1] (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

England, 1154-1189, King of E, Henry II, Norman, Angevin Empire, Common Law, Matilda's son, Brittany, Anjou, Maine, Touraine
England, 1154-1189, King of England, Henry II of England ; II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (French: Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 to his death. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. Louis VII of France made him Duke of Normandy in 1150. Henry became Count of Anjou and Maine upon the death of his father, Geoffrey of Anjou, in 1151. marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII had recently been annulled, made him Duke of Aquitaine. became Count of Nantes by treaty in 1185. he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France—an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire. At various times, Henry also partially controlled Scotland, Wales and the Duchy of Brittany. became actively involved by the age of 14 in the efforts of his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later. Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign the younger Henry restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine. Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket's murder in 1170. Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII, and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire at Louis's expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. and Eleanor had eight children—three daughters and five sons. Three of his sons would be king, though Henry the Young King was named his father's co-ruler rather than a stand-alone king. As the sons grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard (later a king) and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Brittany, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John (later a king), but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. By 1189, Young Henry and Geoffrey were dead, and Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry II would make John king, leading to a final rebellion. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon Castle in Anjou. He died soon afterwards and was succeeded by Richard. empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his son John (who succeeded Richard), but many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule had long-term consequences. Henry's legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales, and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems. Historical interpretations of Henry's reign have changed considerably over time. In the 18th century, scholars argued that Henry was a driving force in the creation of a genuinely English monarchy and, ultimately, a unified Britain. During the Victorian expansion of the British Empire, historians were keenly interested in the formation of Henry's own empire, but they also expressed concern over his private life and treatment of Becket. Late-20th-century historians have combined British and French historical accounts of Henry, challenging earlier Anglocentric interpretations of his reign. HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (29 DEC 1170); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England, Lion Heart, French and English hero, only 6 mos in England
England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine and seemed unlikely to become king, but all his brothers except the youngest, John, predeceased their father. Richard is known as Richard CÅ“ur de Lion (Norman French: Le quor de lion) or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.[1] troubador Bertran de Born also called him Richard Oc-e-Non (Occitan for Yes and No), possibly from a reputation for terseness.[2] the age of 16, Richard had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou against his father.[1] Richard was an important Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and achieving considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he finalized a peace treaty and ended the campaign without retaking Jerusalem.[3] probably spoke both French and Occitan.[4] He was born in England, where he spent his childhood; before becoming king, however, he lived most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine, in the southwest of France. his accession, he spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England. Most of his life as king was spent on Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending his lands in France. than regarding his kingdom as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, he has been perceived as preferring to use it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies.[5] Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects.[6] He remains one of the few kings of England remembered more commonly by his epithet than his regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.[7] HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade and Richard the Lion Heart
England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade; England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade riots against Jews, stopped by Hugh of Lincoln
England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade riots against Jews, stopped by Hugh of Lincoln England, 1189-1192, Third Crusade; England, 1189-1199, King of England, Richard I of England ; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

England, 1194-1240, Edmund Rich (Edmund of Abingdon)
Edmund Rich (Edmund of Abingdon); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253) Richard of Wyche;

England, 1195-1253, Robert Grosseteste
England, 1195-1253, Robert Grosseteste; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253) Richard of Wyche ;

England, 1199-1216, King of E, John, collapse of Angevin E, to Capetian France, Magna Carta, Villain
England, 1199-1216, King of England, John, King of England; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

England, 1200-1299, London, 13th Century History Folder, Magna Carta by John, and Henry III

England, 1215, Magna Carta Signing at Runnymede (Thames River 4)
Magna Carta Signing at Runnymede ; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ;

England, 1216-1272, King, Henry III of England, defeated popular rebel barons, charter of 1225, allied w Poitevins
England, King of England, 1216-1272, Henry III of England; HUGH OF LINCOLN, BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253);

England, 1300-1399, London, 14th Century History Folder, 100 Years War, John Wycliff, Julian of Norwich

England, 1307-1327, King, Edward II, boyfriend Gaveston, d by Robert the Bruce, Parliment growth
King of England, 1307-1327, Edward II of England; II (25 April 1284 - 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother Alphonso. in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on campaigns to pacify Scotland. In 1306, he was knighted in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey. his father's death, Edward succeeded to the throne in 1307. married Isabella, the daughter of the powerful King Philip IV of France, in 1308, as part of a long-running effort to resolve tensions between the English and French crowns. had a close and controversial relationship with Piers Gaveston, who had joined his household in 1300. The precise nature of their relationship is uncertain; they may have been friends, lovers, or sworn brothers. relationship with Gaveston inspired Christopher Marlowe's 1592 play Edward II, along with other plays, films, novels and media. power as Edward's favourite provoked discontent both among the barons and the French royal family, and Edward was forced to exile him. On Gaveston's return, the barons pressured the king into agreeing to wide-ranging reforms, called the Ordinances of 1311. The newly empowered barons banished Gaveston, to which Edward responded by revoking the reforms and recalling his favourite. Led by Edward's cousin Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, a group of the barons seized and executed Gaveston in 1312, beginning several years of armed confrontation. English forces were pushed back in Scotland, where Edward was decisively defeated by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Widespread famine followed, and criticism of the king's reign mounted. Despenser family, in particular Hugh Despenser the Younger, became close friends and advisers to Edward, but Lancaster and many of the barons seized the Despensers' lands in 1321, and forced the king to exile them. In response, Edward led a short military campaign, capturing and executing Lancaster. Edward and the Despensers strengthened their grip on power, formally revoking the 1311 reforms, executing their enemies and confiscating estates. Unable to make progress in Scotland, Edward finally signed a truce with Robert. Opposition to the regime grew, and when Isabella was sent to France to negotiate a peace treaty in 1325, she turned against Edward and refused to return. Instead, she allied herself with the exiled Roger Mortimer, and invaded England with a small army in 1326. Edward's regime collapsed and he fled to Wales, where he was captured in November. The king was forced to relinquish his crown in January 1327 in favour of his 14 year-old son, Edward III, and he died in Berkeley Castle on 21 September, probably murdered on the orders of the new regime. contemporaries criticised his performance as king, noting his failures in Scotland and the oppressive regime of his later years, although 19th-century academics later argued that the growth of parliamentary institutions during his reign was a positive development for England over the longer term.

England, 1310-1349, Richard Rolle of Hampole, Mystic and Writer
England, 1310-1349, Richard Rolle of Hampole, Mystic and Writer ; Richard Rolle of RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE, MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

England, 1327-1377, King of England, Edward III of England, formidable Military, claimed French throne, starting 100 yr war
England, King of England, 1327-1377, Edward III of England; III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, Edward II. III transformed the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe. fifty-year reign was the second-longest in medieval English history, and saw vital developments in legislation and government, in particular the evolution of the English Parliament, as well as the ravages of the Black Death. He outlived his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, and the throne passed to his grandson, Richard II. was crowned at age fourteen after his father was deposed by his mother, Isabella of France, and her lover Roger Mortimer. At age seventeen he led a successful coup d'état against Mortimer, the de facto ruler of the country, and began his personal reign. a successful campaign in Scotland he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1337. started what became known as the Hundred Years' War.[1] some initial setbacks, this first phase of the war went exceptionally well for England; victories at Crécy and Poitiers led to the highly favourable Treaty of Brétigny, in which England made territorial gains, and Edward renounced his claim to the French throne. This phase would become known as the Edwardian War. Edward's later years were marked by international failure and domestic strife, largely as a result of his inactivity and poor health. was a temperamental man but capable of unusual clemency. He was in many ways a conventional king whose main interest was warfare. Admired in his own time and for centuries after, he was denounced as an irresponsible adventurer by later Whig historians such as Bishop William Stubbs, but modern historians credit him with some significant achievements.[2][3] JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384;

England, 1348, Order of the Garter
England, 1348, Order of the Garter ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

England, 1350-1384, JOHN WYCLIFF, Bible Translator
England, 1350-1384, JOHN WYCLIFF; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384;

England, 1360-1399, John of Gaunt, nobleman, soldier, statesman and prince
Gaunt; England, 1360-1399, John of Gaunt, nobleman, soldier, statesman and prince JOHN WYCLIF, Commemorated October 30 ;

England, 1360-1396, Author Walter Hilton
England, 1360-1396, Author Walter Hilton; Walter Hilton of RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

England, 1362-1416, Author, Julian of Norwich
England, 1362-1416, Author, Julian of Norwich; Julian's Business Model, The Passion of Christ, using business terminology; England, 1400-1438, Author Margery Kempe; Margery Kemp of RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE, MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440, Commemorated September 28 ;

England, 1377-1399, King of England, Richard II of England, regents, 100yr war, personality disorder, deposed
England, 1377-1399, King of England, Richard II of England; II (6 January 1367 - c. 14 February 1400), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard's father, Edward, Prince of Wales, died in 1376, leaving Richard as heir apparent to his grandfather, King Edward III. Upon the death of Edward III, the 10-year-old Richard succeeded to the throne. Richard's first years as king, government was in the hands of a series of regency councils, influenced by Richard's uncles John of Gaunt and Thomas of Woodstock. England then faced various problems, most notably the Hundred Years' War. A major challenge of the reign was the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, and the young king played a central part in the successful suppression of this crisis. Less warlike than either his father or grandfather, he sought to bring an end to the Hundred Years' War. A firm believer in the royal prerogative, Richard restrained the power of the aristocracy and relied on a private retinue for military protection instead. In contrast to his grandfather, Richard cultivated a refined atmosphere centred on art and culture at court, in which the king was an elevated figure. king's dependence on a small number of courtiers caused discontent among the influential, and in 1387 control of government was taken over by a group of aristocrats known as the Lords Appellant. By 1389 Richard had regained control, and for the next eight years governed in relative harmony with his former opponents. In 1397, he took his revenge on the Appellants, many of whom were executed or exiled. The next two years have been described by historians as Richard's "tyranny". In 1399, after John of Gaunt died, the king disinherited Gaunt's son, Henry Bolingbroke, who had previously been exiled. Henry invaded England in June 1399 with a small force that quickly grew in numbers. Meeting little resistance, he deposed Richard and had himself crowned king. Richard is thought to have been starved to death in captivity, although questions remain regarding his final fate. posthumous reputation has been shaped to a large extent by William Shakespeare, whose play Richard II portrayed Richard's misrule and his deposition as responsible for the 15th-century Wars of the Roses. Modern historians do not accept this interpretation, while not exonerating Richard from responsibility for his own deposition. While probably not insane, as many historians of the 19th and 20th centuries believed, he may have had a personality disorder, particularly manifesting itself towards the end of his reign. Most authorities agree that his policies were not unrealistic or even entirely unprecedented, but that the way in which he carried them out was unacceptable to the political establishment, leading to his downfall. JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384; DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417);

England, 1381, Peasants' Revolt 1381
Peasants' Revolt 1381; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ; DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417);

England, 1400-1499, London, 15th Century History Folder, Battle of Agincourt in 100 Yrs War, King Henry V, Printing

England, 1400-1438, Author Margery Kempe
England, 1400-1438, Author Margery Kempe; Margery Kemp of RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE, MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440, Commemorated September 28 ;

England, 1413-1422, King, Henry V, claimed F Throne, 100 Y War success, Agincourt, but died before uni, immortalized by S
England, 1413-1422, King of England, Henry V ; V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against France made England one of the strongest military powers in Europe.[1] Immortalised in Shakespeare's "Henriad" plays, Henry is known and celebrated as one of the greatest warrior kings of medieval England. the reign of his father Henry IV, Henry gained military experience fighting the Welsh during the revolt of Owain GlyndÅµr and against the powerful aristocratic Percy family of Northumberland at the Battle of Shrewsbury. Henry acquired an increasing role in England's government due to the king's declining health, but disagreements between father and son led to political conflict between the two. After his father's death in 1413, Henry assumed control of the country and asserted the pending English claim to the French throne. 1415, Henry embarked on war with France in the ongoing Hundred Years' War (1337-“1453) between the two nations. His military successes culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt (1415) and saw him come close to conquering France. Taking advantage of political divisions within France, he conquered large portions of the kingdom, resulting in Normandy's occupation by the English for the first time since 1345-“1360. After months of negotiation with Charles VI of France, the Treaty of Troyes (1420) recognised Henry V as regent and heir apparent to the French throne, and he was subsequently married to Charles's daughter, Catherine of Valois. seemed to point to the formation of a union between the kingdoms, in the person of Henry. However, he died two years later and was succeeded by his only child, the infant Henry VI. JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

England, 1415, Battle of Agincourt in 100 Years War with France 1337-1453
Battle of Agincourt; Hundred Years War (1337-1453); GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

England, 1422-1461, Henry VI, disputed f king, regents, timid, unstable, Q Margaret, private armies in E, Richard, civil W of Roses, colleges
England, 1422-1461, King of England, Henry VI; VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at the age of nine months upon his father's death, and succeeded to the French throne on the death of his maternal grandfather, Charles VI, shortly afterwards. inherited the long-running Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), in which his uncle Charles VII contested his claim to the French throne. He is the only English monarch to have been also crowned King of France (as Henry II, in 1431). early reign, when several people were ruling for him, saw the pinnacle of English power in France, but subsequent military, diplomatic, and economic problems had seriously endangered the English cause by the time Henry was declared fit to rule in 1437. found his realm in a difficult position, faced with setbacks in France and divisions among the nobility at home. his father, Henry is described as timid, shy, passive, well-intentioned and averse to warfare and violence; he was also at times mentally unstable. ineffective reign saw the gradual loss of the English lands in France. Partially in the hope of achieving peace, in 1445 Henry married Charles VII's niece, the ambitious and strong-willed Margaret of Anjou. peace policy failed, leading to the murder of one of Henry's key advisers, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, and the war recommenced, with France taking the upper hand; by 1453, Calais was Henry's only remaining territory on the continent. the situation in France worsened, there was a related increase in political instability in England. With Henry effectively unfit to rule, power was exercised by quarrelsome nobles, while factions and favourites encouraged the rise of disorder in the country. Regional magnates and soldiers returning from France formed and maintained increasing numbers of private armed retainers, with whom they fought one another, terrorised their neighbours, paralysed the courts, and dominated the government.[1] Margaret did not remain unpartisan and took advantage of the situation to make herself an effective power behind the throne. military disasters in France and a collapse of law and order in England, the Queen and her clique came under accusations, especially from Henry VI's increasingly popular cousin Richard, Duke of York, of misconduct of the war in France and misrule of the country. in 1453, Henry had a series of mental breakdowns, and tensions mounted between Margaret and Richard of York over control of the incapacitated King's government and over the question of succession to the English throne. war broke out in 1455, leading to a long period of dynastic conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. Henry was deposed on 4 March 1461 by Richard's son, who took the throne as Edward IV. Margaret continuing to lead a resistance to Edward, Henry was captured by Edward's forces in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. was restored to the throne in 1470 but Edward retook power in 1471, killing Henry's only son and heir, Edward of Westminster, in battle and imprisoning Henry once again. "lost his wits, his two kingdoms and his only son",[2] Henry died in the Tower during the night of 21 May, possibly killed on the orders of King Edward. were attributed to Henry after his death and he was informally regarded as a saint and martyr until the 16th century. He left a legacy of educational institutions, having founded Eton College, King's College, Cambridge, and, (together with Henry Chichele), All Souls College, Oxford. Shakespeare wrote a trilogy of plays about his life, depicting him as weak-willed and easily influenced by his wife, Margaret. JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

England, 1461-1483, King, Edward IV, Civil War of Roses, Killed by Henry Tudor who married Edward's daughter
England, 1461-1483, King, Edward IV; IV (28 April 1442 - 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470,[1] then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England fought between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions between 1455 and 1487. inherited the Yorkist claim when his father, Richard, Duke of York, died at the Battle of Wakefield in December 1460. defeating Lancastrian armies at Mortimer's Cross and Towton in early 1461, he deposed King Henry VI and took the throne. His marriage to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464 led to conflict with his chief advisor, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, known as the "Kingmaker". In 1470, a revolt led by Warwick and Edward's brother George, Duke of Clarence, briefly re-installed Henry VI. fled to Flanders, where he gathered support and invaded England in March 1471; after victories at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, he resumed the throne. Shortly afterwards, Henry VI was found dead in the Tower of London. Despite a continuing threat from Henry Tudor, the last Lancastrian claimant, Edward reigned in relative peace for the next twelve years. Edward died suddenly in April 1483, his minor son became King Edward V, with his father's brother, the Duke of Gloucester, as Lord Protector. In June, Gloucester seized the throne as Richard III after declaring his nephews illegitimate; they are generally supposed to have been murdered shortly afterwards. In 1485, he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, who ruled as Henry VII, and married Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth of York, thus uniting the two houses. JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

England, 1483-1483, King, Edward V, dominated by his uncle who deposed him, King Richard III
England, 1483-1483, King, Edward V; V (2 November 1470 - c. June/July 1483)[1] was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 9 April to 26 June 1483. He succeeded his father, Edward IV,[2] upon the latter's death. V was never crowned, and his brief reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle and Lord Protector, the Duke of Gloucester, who deposed him to reign as King Richard III; this was confirmed by the Act entitled Titulus Regius, which denounced any further claims through his father's heirs. V and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York were the Princes in the Tower who disappeared after being sent to heavily guarded royal lodgings in the Tower of London. Responsibility for their deaths is widely attributed to Richard III, but the lack of any solid evidence and conflicting contemporary accounts allow for other possibilities.

England, 1483-1485, King, Richard III, two revolts, Henry Tudor and French Troups won second revolt
England, 1483-1485, King, Richard III; III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the protagonist of Richard III, one of William Shakespeare's history plays. Richard was created Duke of Gloucester in 1461 after his brother ascended the throne as King Edward IV. In 1472 he married Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. He governed northern England during Edward's reign and played a role in the invasion of Scotland in 1482. When Edward IV died in April 1483, Richard was named Lord Protector of the realm for Edward's eldest son and successor, the 12-year-old Edward V. Arrangements were made for Edward V's coronation on 22 June 1483. Before the king could be crowned, the marriage of his parents was declared bigamous and therefore invalid. Now officially illegitimate, their children were barred from inheriting the throne. On 25 June, an assembly of lords and commoners endorsed a declaration to this effect and proclaimed Richard as the rightful king. He was crowned on 6 July 1483. Edward and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, called the "Princes in the Tower", were not seen in public after August and accusations circulated that they had been murdered on King Richard's orders. were two major rebellions against Richard during his reign. October 1483, an unsuccessful revolt was led by staunch allies of Edward IV and Richard's former ally, Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. in August 1485, Henry Tudor and his uncle, Jasper Tudor, landed in southern Wales with a contingent of French troops and marched through Pembrokeshire, recruiting soldiers. Henry's forces defeated Richard's army near the Leicestershire town of Market Bosworth. Richard was slain, making him the last English king to die in battle. Henry Tudor then ascended the throne as Henry VII.

England, 1485-1509, King, Henry Tudor, Henry VII, with French help, ended war of Roses, married Edward IV's daughter
England, 1485-1509, King, Henry Tudor, Henry VII; VII (28 January 1457 - 21 April 1509) was the King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, a half-brother of Henry VI of England and descendant of the Welsh Tudors of Penmynydd, died three months before his son Henry was born. During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI was fighting against Edward of York (later King Edward IV), a member of the Yorkist Plantagenet branch. Edward re-took the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. He attained the throne when his forces, supported by France, Scotland, and Wales, defeated Edward IV's brother Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle. He cemented his claim by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward. was successful in restoring power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war. He is credited with a number of administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives. His supportive policy toward England's wool industry and his standoff with the Low Countries had long-lasting benefit to the whole English economy. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. New taxes stabilised the government's finances. After his death, a commission found widespread abuses in the tax collection process. Henry reigned for nearly 24 years and was peacefully succeeded by his son, Henry VIII.

England, 1500-1599, London, 16th Century History Folder, Luther's 95 Theses, Henry VIII, Book of Common Prayer

England, 1505-1536, Bible Translator, William Tyndall
England, 1505-1536, Bible Translator, William Tyndall; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); England, 1533-1555, Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER , Commemorated May 22;

England, 1507-1555, Hugh Latimer, preacher, martyr, play the man brother Ridley...candle in England
Worcester (pronounced "Wooster") Cathedral; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555); CHARLES GORE; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, AKA Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale
England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); England, 1533-1555, Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER , Commemorated May 22;

England, 1509-1547, King of England, Henry VIII, 6 marriages, E Reformation
England, 1509-1547, King of England, Henry VIII ; Tudor Dynasty, Lancaster York; Palace of Whitehall; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ;

England, 1520-1555 , Nicholas Ridley, book C Prayer, Cranmer's& King's chaplin, debates Papal s & vestments, Latimer's candle
England, 1500- , Nicholas Ridley; Ridley (c. 1500 - 16 October 1555) was an English Bishop of London (the only bishop called "Bishop of London and Westminster"[1]). was burned at the stake as one of the Oxford Martyrs during the Marian Persecutions for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey. He is remembered with a commemoration in the calendar of saints (with Hugh Latimer) in some parts of the Anglican Communion (Church of England) on 16 October.[2] years and advancement (c.1500–50) came from a prominent family in Tynedale, Northumberland. He was the second son of Christopher Ridley, first cousin to Lancelot Ridley and grew up in Unthank Hall from the old House of Unthank located on the site of an ancient watch tower or pele tower. a boy, Ridley was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, and Pembroke College, Cambridge,[3] where he proceeded to Master of Arts in 1525.[4][5] afterward he was ordained as a priest and went to the Sorbonne, in Paris, for further education. returning to England around 1529, he became the senior proctor of Cambridge University in 1534. that time there was significant debate about the Pope's supremacy. Ridley was well versed on Biblical hermeneutics, through his arguments the university came up with the following resolution: "That the Bishop of Rome had no more authority and jurisdiction derived to him from God, in this kingdom of England, than any other foreign bishop." graduated B.D. in 1537 and was then appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, to serve as one of his chaplains. April 1538, Cranmer made him vicar of Herne, in Kent.[6] 1540–1, he was made one of the King's Chaplains, and was also presented with a prebendal stall in Canterbury Cathedral. 1540 he was made Master of Pembroke College and in 1541 was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity.[7] 1543 he was accused of heresy, but he was able to beat the charge. Cranmer had resolved to support the English Reformation by gradually replacing the old guard in his ecclesiastical province with men who followed the new thinking.[8] was made the Bishop of Rochester in 1547, and shortly after coming to office, directed that the altars in the churches of his diocese should be removed, and tables put in their place to celebrate the Lord's Supper. 1548 he helped Cranmer compile the Book of Common Prayer and in 1549 he was one of the commissioners who investigated Bishops Stephen Gardiner and Edmund Bonner. He concurred that they should be removed. John Ponet took Ridley's former position. Incumbent conservatives were uprooted and replaced with reformers.[9] Ridley was appointed to the see of London by letters patent on 1 April 1550, he was called the "Bishop of London and Westminster" because the Diocese of London had just re-absorbed the dissolved Diocese of Westminster.[1] controversy (1550–3) played a major part in the vestments controversy. John Hooper, having been exiled during King Henry's reign, returned to England in 1548 from the churches in Zürich that had been reformed by Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger in a highly iconoclastic fashion. Hooper was invited to give a series of Lenten sermons before the king in February 1550, he spoke against Cranmer's 1549 ordinal whose oath mentioned "all saints" and required newly elected bishops and those attending the ordination ceremony to wear a cope and surplice. Hooper's view, these requirements were vestiges of Judaism and Roman Catholicism, which had no biblical warrant for Christians since they were not used in the early Christian church.[10] Heinrich Bullinger, a major influence on John Hooper, Ridley's opponent in the vestments controversy. to answer to the Privy Council and archbishop—who were primarily concerned with Hooper's willingness to accept the royal supremacy, which was also part of the oath for newly ordained clergy—Hooper evidently made sufficient reassurances, as he was soon appointed to the bishopric of Gloucester. declined the office, however, because of the required vestments and oath by the saints. king accepted Hooper's position, but the Privy Council did not. Called before them on 15 May 1550, a compromise was reached. Vestments were to be considered a matter of adiaphora, or Res Indifferentes ("things indifferent", as opposed to an article of faith), and Hooper could be ordained without them at his discretion, but he must allow that others could wear them. Hooper passed confirmation of the new office again before the king and council on 20 July 1550 when the issue was raised again, and Cranmer was instructed that Hooper was not to be charged "with an oath burdensome to his conscience".[10] assigned Ridley to perform the consecration, and Ridley refused to do anything but follow the form of the ordinal as it had been prescribed by Parliament. Ridley, it seems likely, had some particular objection to Hooper. It has been suggested that Henrician exiles like Hooper, who had experienced some of the more radically reformed churches on the continent, were at odds with English clergy who had accepted and never left the established church. John Henry Primus also notes that on 24 July 1550, the day after receiving instructions for Hooper's unique consecration, the church of the Austin Friars in London had been granted to Jan Laski for use as a Stranger church. This was to be a designated place of worship for Continental Protestant refugees, a church with forms and practices that had taken reforms much further than Ridley would have liked. This development—the use of a London church virtually outside Ridley's jurisdiction—was one that Hooper had had a hand in.[11] Privy Council reiterated its position, and Ridley responded in person, agreeing that vestments are indifferent but making a compelling argument that the monarch may require indifferent things without exception. The council became divided in opinion, and the issue dragged on for months without Hooper now insisted that vestments were not indifferent, since they obscured the priesthood of Christ by encouraging hypocrisy and superstition. disagreed, emphasising that the king must be obeyed in things indifferent, and he pointed to St Paul's concessions to Jewish traditions in the early church. an acrimonious debate with Ridley went against Hooper. Ridley's position centred on maintaining order and authority; not the vestments themselves, Hooper's primary concern.[10] –Ridley debate John Hooper clashed with Ridley as he advocated more radical reforms. Portrait by Henry Bryan Hall, 1839. a Latin letter dated 3 October 1550, Hooper laid out his argument contra usum vestium.[12] With Ridley's reply (in English), it marks the first written representation of a split in the English Reformation. Hooper's argument is that vestments should not be used as they are not indifferent, nor is their use supported by scripture, a point he takes as self-evident. He contends that church practices must either have express biblical support or be things indifferent, approval for which is implied by scripture. Furthermore, an indifferent thing, if used, causes no profit or loss. Ridley objected in his response, saying that indifferent things do have profitable effects, which is the only reason they are used. Failing to distinguish between conditions for indifferent things in general and the church's use of indifferent things, Hooper then all but excludes the possibility of anything being indifferent in the four conditions he sets: An indifferent thing has either an express justification in scripture or is implied by it, finding its origin and foundation in scripture. Hooper cites Romans 14:23 (whatever is not faith is sin), Romans 10:17 (faith comes from hearing the word of God), and Matthew 15:13 (everything not "planted" by God will be "rooted up") to argue that indifferent things must be done in faith, and since what cannot be proved from scripture is not of faith, indifferent things must be proved from scripture, which is both necessary and sufficient authority, as opposed to tradition. Hooper maintains that priestly garb distinguishing clergy from laity is not indicated by scripture; there is no mention of it in the New Testament as being in use in the early church, and the use of priestly clothing in the Old Testament is a Hebrew practice, a type or foreshadowing that finds its antitype in Christ, who abolishes the old order and recognises the spiritual equality, or priesthood, of all Christians. The historicity of these claims is further supported by Hooper with a reference to Polydore Vergil's De Inventoribus Rerum. response, Ridley rejected Hooper's insistence on biblical origins and countered Hooper's interpretations of his chosen biblical texts. He points out that many non-controversial practices are not mentioned or implied in scripture. Ridley denies that early church practices are normative for the present situation, and he links such primitivist arguments with the Anabaptists. Joking that Hooper's reference to Christ's nakedness on the cross is as insignificant as the clothing King Herod put Christ in and "a jolly argument" for the Adamites, Ridley does not dispute Hooper's main typological argument, but neither does he accept that vestments are necessarily or exclusively identified with Israel and the Roman church. On Hooper's point about the priesthood of all believers, Ridley says it does not follow from this doctrine that all Christians must wear the same clothes. An indifferent thing must be left to individual discretion; if required, it is no longer indifferent. For Ridley, on matters of indifference, one must defer conscience to the authorities of the church, or else "thou showest thyself a disordered person, disobedient, as [a] contemner of lawful authority, and a wounder of thy weak brother his conscience." For him, the debate was finally about legitimate authority, not the merits and demerits of vestments themselves. He contended that it is only accidental that the compulsory ceases to be indifferent; the degeneration of a practice into non-indifference can be corrected without throwing out the practice. Things are not, "because they have been abused, to be taken away, but to be reformed and amended, and so kept still." An indifferent thing's usefulness must be demonstrated and not introduced arbitrarily. For this point, Hooper cites 1 Corinthians 14 and 2 Corinthians 13. As it contradicts the first point above, Primus contends that Hooper must now refer to indifferent things in the church and earlier meant indifferent things in general, in the abstract. Regardless, the apparent contradiction was seized by Ridley and undoubtedly hurt Hooper's case with the council. Indifferent things must be introduced into the church with apostolic and evangelical lenity, not violent tyranny. making such an inflammatory, risky statement (he later may have called his opponents "papists" in a part of his argument that is lost), Hooper may not have been suggesting England was tyrannical but that Rome was—and that England could become like Rome. Ridley warned Hooper of the implications of an attack on English ecclesiastical and civil authority and of the consequences of radical individual liberties, while also reminding him that it was Parliament that established the "Book of Common Prayer in the church of England". closing, Hooper asks that the dispute be resolved by church authorities without looking to civil authorities for support—although the monarch was the head of both the church and the state. This hint of a plea for a separation of church and state would later be elaborated by Thomas Cartwright, but for Hooper, although the word of God was the highest authority, the state could still impose upon men's consciences (such as requiring them not to be Roman Catholic) when it had a biblical warrant. Hooper himself addressed the civil magistrates, suggesting that the clergy supporting vestments were a threat to the state, and he declared his willingness to be martyred for his cause. by contrast, responds with humour, calling this "a magnifical promise set forth with a stout style". He invites Hooper to agree that vestments are indifferent, not to condemn them as sinful, and then he will ordain him even if he wears street clothes to the ceremony.[10] of the controversy weaknesses in Hooper's argument, Ridley's laconic and temperate rejoinder, and Ridley's offer of a compromise no doubt turned the council against Hooper's inflexible convictions when he did not accept it. Heinrich Bullinger, Pietro Martire Vermigli, and Martin Bucer, while agreeing with Hooper's views, ceased to support him for the pragmatic sake of unity and slower reform. Only Jan Laski remained a constant ally. time in mid-December 1550, Hooper was put under house arrest, during which time he wrote and published A godly Confession and protestation of the Christian faith. Because of this publication, his persistent nonconformism, and violations of the terms of his house arrest, Hooper was placed in Thomas Cranmer's custody at Lambeth Palace for two weeks by the Privy Council on 13 January 1551. Hooper was then sent to Fleet Prison by the council, who made that decision on 27 January. On 15 February, Hooper submitted to consecration in vestments in a letter to Cranmer. He was consecrated Bishop of Gloucester on 8 March 1551, and shortly thereafter, preached before the king in vestments.[10] (1553–5) death of Edward VI, here as Prince of Wales, brought about Ridley's downfall. 2 February 1553 Cranmer was ordered to appoint John Knox, a Scot, as vicar of All Hallows, Bread Street in London, placing him under the authority of Ridley. Knox returned to London in order to deliver a sermon before the king and the court during Lent after which he refused to take his assigned post.[13] That same year, Ridley pleaded with Edward VI to give some of his empty palaces over to the city to house homeless women and children. One such foundation was Bridewell Royal Hospital, which is today known as King Edward's School, Witley.[14] VI became seriously ill from tuberculosis and in mid-June the councillors were told that he did not have long to live. They set to work to convince several judges to put on the throne Lady Jane Grey, Edward's cousin, instead of Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and a Roman Catholic. On 17 June 1553 the king made his will noting Jane would succeed him, contravening the Third Succession Act.[15] signed the letters patent giving the English throne to Lady Jane Grey. On 9 July 1553 he preached a sermon at St Paul's cross in which he affirmed that the princesses Mary and Elizabeth were bastards. By mid-July, there were serious provincial revolts in Mary's favour and support for Jane in the council fell. As Mary was proclaimed queen, Ridley, Jane's father, the Duke of Suffolk and others were imprisoned. Ridley was sent to the Tower of London.[16] February 1554 Jane and her leading supporters were executed. After that, there was time to deal with the religious leaders of the English Reformation and so on 8 March 1554 the Privy Council ordered Cranmer, Ridley, and Hugh Latimer to be transferred to Bocardo prison in Oxford to await trial for heresy. The trial of Latimer and Ridley started shortly after Cranmer's with John Jewel acting as notary to Ridley. Their verdicts came almost immediately and they were to be burned at the stake.[17] and legacy Ridley being burned at the stake, together with Hugh Latimer. From John Foxe's Book of Martyrs. sentence was carried out on 16 October 1555 in Oxford. Cranmer was taken to a tower to watch the proceedings. Ridley burned extremely slowly and suffered a great deal: his brother-in-law had put more tinder on the pyre in order to speed his death, but this only caused his lower parts to burn. Latimer is supposed to have said to Ridley, "Be of good comfort, and play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out." This was quoted in Foxe's Book of Martyrs.[18] metal cross in a cobbled patch of road in Broad Street, Oxford, marks the site. Eventually Ridley and Latimer were seen as martyrs for their support of a Church of England independent from the Roman Catholic Church. Along with Thomas Cranmer, they are known as the Oxford Martyrs. the Victorian era, his death was commemorated by the Martyrs' Memorial, located near the site of his execution. As well as being a monument to the English Reformation and the doctrines of the Protestant and Reformed doctrines, the memorial is a landmark of the 19th century, a monument stoutly resisted by John Keble, John Henry Newman and others of the Tractarian Movement and Oxford Movement. Profoundly alarmed at the Romewardizing intrusions and efforts at realignment that the movement was attempting to bring into the Church of England, Protestant and Reformed Anglican clergymen raised the funds for erecting the monument, with its highly anti-Roman Catholic inscription, a memorial to over three hundred years of history and reformation. As a result, the monument was built 300 years after the events it commemorates.[19] Stained glass window depicting Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, the Oxford Martyrs 1881, Ridley Hall in Cambridge, England, was founded in his memory for the training of Anglican priests. Ridley College, a private University-preparatory school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, was founded in his honour in 1889. Also named after him is Ridley Melbourne, a theological college in Australia, founded in 1910. There is a Church of England church dedicated to him in Welling, southeast London. The words spoken to Ridley by Latimer at their execution are used. Ridley and Latimer are remembered with a commemoration in the Calendar of saints in some parts of the Anglican Communion on 16 October.[20] Cambridge; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761) ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872) ; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

England, 1532-1540, Thomas Cromwell, Chief Minister to Henry VIII, arranged the marriages, executed for treason
England, 1532-1540, Thomas Cromwell, Chief Minister to Henry VIII ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, 1549, Commemorated May 22 ;

England, 1533-1555, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, reformer, book of C P, r supremacy, 39 A, executed
England, 1533-1555, Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER , Commemorated May 22;

England, 1539, House of Lords
England, 1539, House of Lords; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

England, 1542-1567, King of Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots, and France, married the Dauhin
England, 1542-1567, King of England, Mary, Queen of Scots ; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600);

England, 1547-1553, King of England, Edward VI, never reached maturity, social problems, protestant
England, 1547-1553, King of England, Edward VI ; Tudor Dynasty, Lancaster York; Palace of Whitehall; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22 ;

England, 1549, First Book of Common Prayer
England, 1549, First Book of Common Prayer; Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, 1549, Commemorated May 22 ;

England, 1553-1558, King of England, Queen Mary 1, Tudor, Bloody Mary, to reverse reformation
England, 1553-1558, King of England, Queen Mary 1, Bloody Mary ; Tudor Dynasty, Lancaster York; Palace of Whitehall; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ;

England, 1558-1603, Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth 1, established E protestant church
England, 1558-1603, Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth 1; England, 1509-1547, King of England, Henry VIII ; Tudor Dynasty, Lancaster York; Palace of Whitehall; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ;

England, 1560-1617, Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley, legal advocate for the Crown
England, 1560-1617, Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley; Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley, PC (1540 - 15 March 1617), known as 1st Baron Ellesmere from 1603 to 1616, was an English nobleman, judge and statesman from the Egerton family who served as Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor for twenty-one years. JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1567-1625, King of Scotland and England, James VI and I, S and E Union, Literature
England, 1567-1625, King of England, James I ; VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566-“ 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. The kingdoms of Scotland and England were individual sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, though both were ruled by James in personal union. was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and thus a potential successor to all three thrones. James succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother was compelled to abdicate in his favour. Four different regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government until 1583. In 1603, he succeeded the last Tudor monarch of England and Ireland, Elizabeth I, who died childless. He continued to reign in all three kingdoms for 22 years, a period known after him as the Jacobean era, until his death. After the Union of the Crowns, he based himself in England (the largest of the three realms) from 1603, returning to Scotland only once, in 1617, and styled himself "King of Great Britain and Ireland". He was a major advocate of a single parliament for England and Scotland. In his reign, the Plantation of Ulster and British colonisation of the Americas began. 57 years and 246 days, James's reign in Scotland was the longest of any Scottish monarch. He achieved most of his aims in Scotland but faced great difficulties in England, including the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and repeated conflicts with the English Parliament. Under James, the "Golden Age" of Elizabethan literature and drama continued, with writers such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon contributing to a flourishing literary culture.[1] James himself was a talented scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie (1597), The True Law of Free Monarchies (1598), and Basilikon Doron (1599). He sponsored the translation of the Bible into English that would later be named after him: the Authorized King James Version.[2] Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed "the wisest fool in Christendom", an epithet associated with his character ever since.[3] Since the latter half of the 20th century, historians have tended to revise James's reputation and treat him as a serious and thoughtful monarch.[4] He was strongly committed to a peace policy, and tried to avoid involvement in religious wars, especially the Thirty Years' War (1618-“1648) that devastated much of Central Europe. He tried but failed to prevent the rise of hawkish elements in the English Parliament who wanted war with Spain.[5] RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600); John Merbecke of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; Thomas Tallis of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE, and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585. Commemorated on November 21 ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637); WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645); Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1574-1600, Richard Hooker, Theologian, redemed reason, revelation, reason and tradition, natural law, Aristotelian
England, 1574-1600, Richard Hooker, Theologian; Hooker (25 March, 1554 - 2 November 1600)[2] was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.[3] was one of the most important English theologians of the sixteenth century.[4] His defence of the role of redeemed reason informed the theology of the seventeenth century Caroline Divines and later provided many members of the Church of England with a theological method which combined the claims of revelation, reason and tradition.[4] disagree regarding Hooker's relationship with what would later be called "Anglicanism" and the Reformed theological tradition. Traditionally, he has been regarded as the originator of the Anglican via media between Protestantism and Catholicism.[5]:1 However, a growing number of scholars have argued that he should be considered as being in the mainstream Reformed theology of his time and that he only sought to oppose the extremists (Puritans), rather than moving the Church of England away from Protestantism.[5]:4 The term "Anglican" is not found in his writings and indeed first appears early in the reign of Charles I as the Church of England moved towards an Arminian position doctrinally and a more "Catholic" look liturgically under the leadership of Archbishop William Laud. RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600); any list of great English theologians, the name of Richard Hooker would appear at or near the top. His masterpiece is The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. Its philosophical base is Aristotelian, with a strong emphasis on natural law eternally planted by God in creation. On this foundation, all positive laws of Church and State are developed from Scriptural revelation, ancient tradition, reason, and experience. The occasion of his writing was the demand of English Puritans for a reformation of Church government. Calvin had established in Geneva a system whereby each congregation was ruled by a commission comprising two thirds laymen elected annually by the congregation and one third clergy serving for life. The English Puritans (by arguments more curious than convincing) held that no church not so governed could claim to be Christian. Hooker replies to this assertion, but in the process he raises and considers fundamental questions about the authority and legitimacy of government (religious and secular), about the nature of law, and about various kinds of law, including the laws of physics as well as the laws of England. In the course of his book he sets forth the Anglican view of the Church, and the Anglican approach to the discovery of religious truth (the so-called via media, or middle road), and explains how this differs from the position of the Puritans, on the one hand, and the adherents of the Pope, on the other. He is very heavy reading, but well worth it. (He says, on the first page of Chapter I: "Those unto whom we shall seem tedious are in no wise injuried by us, seeing that it lies in their own hands to spare themselves the labor they are unwilling to endure." This translates into modern English as: "If you can't take the intellectual heat, get out of the kitchen. If you can't stand a book that makes you think, go read the funny papers.") The effect of the book has been considerable. Hooker greatly influenced John Locke, and (both directly and through Locke), American political philosophy in the late 1700's. Although Hooker is unsparing in his censure of what he believes to be the errors of Rome, his contemporary, Pope Clement VIII (died 1605), said of the book: "It has in it such seeds of eternity that it will abide until the last fire shall consume all learning." best short work is his sermon, "A Learned discourse of Justification." In an earlier sermon, Hooker had expressed the hope of seeing in Heaven many who had been Romanists on earth. A Puritan preacher took him to task for this, saying that since the Romanists did not believe the doctrine of Justification by Faith, they could not be justified. Hooker replied at length in this sermon, in which (1) he sets forth the Doctrine of Justification by Faith, and agrees with his opponent that the official theology of Rome is defective on this point; (2) he defends his assertion that those who do not rightly understand the means that God has provided for our salvation may nonetheless be saved by it, in which connection he says (I quote from memory): "God is no captious sophister, eager to trip us up whenever we say amiss, but a courteous tutor, ready to amend what, in our weakness or our ignorance, we say ill, and to make the most of what we say aright." His sermon is often bound with the Laws, and is also available in the paperback volume Faith and Works (ed. Philip Edgecumbe Hughes, Morehouse-Barlow, Wilton CN 06897, ISBN 0-8192-1315-2) [Note: this book is out of print but should be available used] by James Kiefer England, 1574-1618, Sir Walter Raleigh; England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible; England, King of England, 1567-1625, James I ; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1574-1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, statesman, soldier, spy, writer, poet, explorer, landed gentleman, America, S Armada
England, 1574-1618, Sir Walter Raleigh; Walter Raleigh, ( c. 1552 - 29 October 1618) also spelled Ralegh,[a] was an English statesman, soldier, spy, writer, poet, explorer and landed gentleman. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion in Ireland, helped defend England during the Spanish Armada and held political positions under Elizabeth I. was born to a Protestant family in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne, and a cousin of Sir Richard Grenville and younger half-brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Little is known of his early life, though in his late teens he spent some time in France taking part in the religious civil wars. In his 20s he took part in the suppression of rebellion in the colonisation of Ireland; he also participated in the siege of Smerwick. Later, he became a landlord of property in Ireland and mayor of Youghal in East Munster, where his house still stands in Myrtle Grove.[2] rose rapidly in the favour of Queen Elizabeth I and was knighted in 1585. He was granted a royal patent to explore Virginia, paving the way for future English settlements. In 1591, he secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, without the Queen's permission, for which he and his wife were sent to the Tower of London. After his release, they retired to his estate at Sherborne, Dorset. 1594, Raleigh heard of a "City of Gold" in South America and sailed to find it, publishing an exaggerated account of his experiences in a book that contributed to the legend of "El Dorado". Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, Raleigh was again imprisoned in the Tower, this time for being involved in the Main Plot against King James I, who was not favourably disposed towards him. 1616, he was released to lead a second expedition in search of El Dorado. During the expedition, men led by his top commander ransacked a Spanish outpost, in violation of both the terms of his pardon and the 1604 peace treaty with Spain. Raleigh returned to England and, to appease the Spanish, he was arrested and executed in 1618. England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible; England, King of England, 1567-1625, James I ; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible
England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible; England, King of England, 1567-1625, James I ; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626);

England, 1584-1616, William Shakesphere, Poet and Playwright
England, 1584-1616, William Shakesphere, Poet and Playwright; England, 1584-1616, William Shakesphere, Poet and Playwright;

England, 1585-1601, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, favorite of Q Eliz, general, coup, executed by Q Eliz for treason
England, 1585-1601, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex; Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG, PC (10 November 1565[1] - 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599. In 1601, he led an abortive coup d'état against the government of Elizabeth I and was executed for treason. England, 1574-1618, Sir Walter Raleigh; England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible; England, King of England, 1567-1625, James I ; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1593-1631, JOHN DONNE, all mankind is one volume...pages...translated...several translators...bind up again... open
England, 1593-1631, JOHN DONNE: England, 1574-1618, Sir Walter Raleigh; England, 1575-1626, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, King James Bible; England, King of England, 1567-1625, James I ; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); “All mankind is one volume. When one man dies, one chapter is torn out of the book and translated into a better language. And every chapter must be so translated. God employs several translators. Some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice. But God's hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to another.” Donne (rhymes with “sun”) was born in 1573 (his father died in 1576) into a Roman Catholic family, and from 1584 to 1594 was educated at Oxford and Cambridge and Lincoln's Inn (this last a highly regarded law school). He became an Anglican (probably around 1594) and aimed at a career in government. He joined with Raleigh and Essex in raids on Cadiz and the Azores, and became private secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton. But in 1601 he secretly married Anne More, the 16-year-old niece of Egerton, and her enraged father had Donne imprisoned. The years following were years of poverty, debt, illness, and frustration. In 1615 he was ordained, perhaps largely because he had given up hope of a career in Parliament. From the above information, the reader might conclude that Donne's professed religious belief was mere opportunism. But the evidence of his poetry is that, long before his ordination, and probably beginning with his marriage, his thoughts were turned toward holiness, and he saw in his wife Anne (as Dante had earlier seen in Beatrice) a glimpse of the glory of God, and in human love a revelation of the nature of Divine Love. His poetry, mostly written before his ordination, includes poems both sacred and secular, full of wit, puns, paradoxes, and obscure allusions at whose meanings we can sometimes only guess, presenting amorous experience in religious terms and devotional experience in erotic terms, so that I have seen one poem of his both in a manual of devotion and in a pornography collection. After his ordination, his reputation as a preacher grew steadily. From 1622 until his death he was Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and drew huge crowds to hear him, both at the Cathedral and at Paul's Cross, an outdoor pulpit nearby. His prose style is in some ways outdated, but his theme continues to fascinate: “the paradoxical and complex predicament of man as he both seeks and yet draws away from the inescapable claim of God on him.” Various collections of his sermons (a ten-volume complete edition and a one-volume selection) have been published. Most anthologies of English poetry contain at least a few of his poems, and it is a poor college library that does not have a complete set of them. His friend Izaak Walton (author of The Compleat Angler) has written a biography. Three poems and a portion of a meditation follow. THREE POEMS BY JOHN DONNE portrait of a younger John DonneNOTES ON PRONUNCIATION: Since this is an international list, and not all listmembers are familiar with the traditional conventions of English poetry, a few explanations may be useful. All of the poems that follow are written in iambic pentameter. That is, a line normally has ten syllables, with five stresses, which normally fall on the even-numbered syllables, although their position may vary (in particular, the stress on the second syllable is often transferred to the first). A sonnet has fourteen lines: an octet of eight lines, followed by a sestet of six. In some of these poems, Donne uses a convention that is a requirement of classical Latin poetry: the elision. If a word ends in a vowel (or diphthong) and the next word begins with one, the first vowel is omitted and the number of syllables in the line reduced by one. As an aid to the reader, I have inserted an “=” sign at each elision. In modern English the “e” in the ending “-ed” of a verb is usually silent. Sometimes in older English it is sounded, creating an extra syllable. When this happens, I have capitalized the “-ED” SONNET XIV Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me= and bend Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. I, like a usurped town to= another due, Labor to= admit you, but oh, to no end; Reason, your viceroy= in me, me should defend, But is captived, and proves weak or untrue. Yet dearly= I love you,= and would be lov-ED fain, But am betrothed unto your enemy Divorce me,= untie or break that knot again; Take me to you, imprison me, for I Except you= enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. SONNET X Death, be not proud, though some have call-ED thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill me. From rest and sleep, which but thy picture be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow; And soonest our best men with thee do go-- Rest of their bones and souls' delivery! Thou= art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell; And poppy= or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke, Why swell'st thou then? One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And Death shall be no more: Death, thou shalt die! HYMN TO GOD, MY GOD, IN MY SICKNESS (Numbered footnotes below.) Since I am coming to that holy room Where, with thy choir of saints for evermore I shall be made thy music, as I come I tune the instrument here at the door, And what I must do then, think here before.(1) Whilst my physicians by their love are grown Cosmographers(2), and I their map, who lie Flat on this bed, that by them may be shown That this is my southwest discovery,(3) PER FRETUM FEBRIS,(4) by these straits to die,(5) I joy that in these straits I see my west; For though their currents yield return to none, What shall my west hurt me? As west and east In all flat maps (and I am one) are one, So death doth touch the resurrection. (6) Is the Pacific Sea my home? Or are The eastern riches? Is Jerusalem? Anyan,(7) and Magellan, and Gibraltar,(8) All straits, and none but straits, are ways to them,(9) Whether where Japhet dwelt, or Cham, or Shem.(10) We think that Paradise, and Calvary, Christ's cross, and Adam's tree, stood in one place;(11) Look, Lord, and find both Adams met in me; As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face, May the last Adam's blood my soul embrace. So, in his purple wrapp'd receive me, Lord, By these his thorns give me his other crown; And as to others' souls I preached thy word, Be this my text, my sermon to mine own: “Therefore, that he may raise, the Lord throws down.” NOTES: (1) That is: “Since I am on the verge of death, let me prepare my thoughts.” (2) Cosmography is the study of the basic structure and constitution of the world. (3) “Southwest discovery” refers to the fact that from England one can reach the riches of the Orient by sailing southwest around South America through the Straits of Magellan, or northwest around North America through the Bering Straits, or southeast around Africa, or northeast around Norway and Siberia. One can also go east through the Straits of Gibraltar and then across land, either across the Isthmus of Suez and then again by sea to India or else by the Silk Road to China along the route of Marco Polo. Donne here speaks of the “southwest discovery,” the route taken by the explorer Magellan. (4) “Per fretum febris,” by the wearing away of a fever (Latin). The explorer Magellan, who made the “southwest discovery,” died “per fretum febris” before he could complete his goal of sailing around the earth. Donne, at the time of this writing, is ill with a fever. (5) “Strait” means “narrow, constricted, or tight” (as in “strait-laced,” referring to the extremely tight corsets that were once fashionable, and thence by analogy to someone considered to be inflexible in his behavior). It is not to be confused with “straight”, meaning “not crooked”. A strait is a narrow passage, a tight squeeze, especially a narrow sea passage connecting two larger bodies of water, and bounded closely on either side by land. The word also refers, especially in the plural, to a situation of distress, deprivation, difficulty, perplexity, misfortune, or the like. (A man lost in the desert is said to be “in dire straits”.) Hence Donne, playing on the double meaning of the word “strait,” says that he is about to die of his present distress, meaning his fever and his illness. (6) On a flat map of the whole world the far east (the rightmost edge of the map) and the far west (the leftmost edge of the map) are places that touch on a globe or in the real world. (7) “Anyan” is another name for the Bering Straits. (8) We place the stresses in this line as follows: “AN-yan, and MA-gel-LAN, and GIB-ral-TAR”. (9) No matter what desirable and fabled country is my destiny, I must sail through a narrow strait to reach it. The same is true of Heaven, which I shall reach by passing through the strait of death. (10) The three sons of Noah were named Shem, Ham and Japheth. (The initial sound of “Ham,” or “Cham” is a throaty breathing as in the name “Bach.” Neither Greek nor Hebrew nor Latin has the sound of “ch” used in English words like “church,” and therefore a name in the Bible with a “CH” in it should always be pronounced in English with a “K” sound or a German “CH” sound, unless the name has been thoroughly assimilated into English (like “Rachel”, for example). The three sons are thought of as ancestors of the inhabitants of the thee continents known to the ancients: Asia, Africa, and Europe. (11) A common Christian usage, going back to the Apostle Paul (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-22,45-49), is to contrast Adam and Christ, or to call Christ the new Adam. The old Adam is the beginning of the fallen and wounded race of humanity; the new Adam is the beginning of the restored and healed race. What Adam did, Christ has undone. Hence the common supposition in poetry that the Cross was cut from the wood of the Forbidden Tree that once stood in the Garden of Eden, and that the hill of Calvary (“Skull Hill”) where Christ was crucified was so called because that was where Adam was buried. MEDITATION 17, BY JOHN DONNE NUNC LENTO SONITU DICUNT, MORIERIS [Now this bell tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die.] Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill as that he know not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me and see my state may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that. The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that body which is my head too, and ingrafted into that body whereof I am a member. And when she buries a man, that action concerns me: all mankind is of one author and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated. God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation, and his hand shall bind up all our scattered leaves again for that library where every book shall lie open to one another. As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come, so this bell calls us all; but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness. There was a contention as far as a suit (in which piety and dignity, religion and estimation, were mingled) which of the religious orders should ring to prayers first in the morning; and it was determined that they should ring first that rose earliest. If we understand aright the dignity of this bell that tolls for our evening prayer, we would be glad to make it ours by rising early, in that application, that it might be ours as well as his whose indeed it is. The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth; and though it intermit again, yet from that minute that that occasion wrought upon him, he is united to God. Who casts not up his eye to the sun when it rises? but who takes off his eye from a comet when that breaks out? Who bends not his ear to any bell which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell which is passing a piece of himself out of this world? No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Neither can we call this a begging of misery or a borrowing of misery, as though we were not miserable enough of ourselves but must fetch in more from the next house, in taking upon us the misery of our neighbors. Truly it were an excusable covetousness if we did; for affliction is a treasure, and scarcely any man hath enough of it. No man hath affliction enough that is not matured and ripened by it and made fit for God by that affliction. If a man carry treasure in bullion, or in a wedge of gold, and have none coined into current money, his treasure will not defray him as he travels. Tribulation is treasure in the nature of it, but it is not current money in the use of it, except we get nearer and nearer our home, heaven, by it. Another man may be sick too, and sick unto death, and this affliction may lie in his bowels as gold in a mine and be no use to him; but this bell that tells me of his affliction digs out and applies that gold to me, if by this consideration of another's danger I take mine own into contemplation and so secure myself by making my recourse to my God, who is our only security. by James Kiefer

England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD, martyr, killed by the protestants
England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645);

England, 1600-1699, London, 17th Century History Folder, English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell

England, 1601, Essex House, London, Earl of Essex Rebellion
Essex House, London, Earl of Essex Rebellion 1601; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1604-1610, Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard Bancroft, chief overseer of King James Bible
England, 1604-1610, Archbishop of Canterbury, Richard Bancroft ; Bancroft (1544 - 2 November 1610) was an English churchman, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1604 to 1610 and "chief overseer" of the King James Bible. ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

England, 1613-1633, Priest and Poet, George Herbert, remembered for his book of poems
England, 1613-1633, Priest and Poet, George Herbert; Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633)[1] was a Welsh-born poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devotional lyricists."[2] was born into an artistic and wealthy family and largely raised in England. He received a good education that led to his admission to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1609. He went there with the intention of becoming a priest, but he became the University's Public Orator and attracted the attention of King James I. He served in the Parliament of England in 1624 and briefly in 1625.[3] the death of King James, Herbert renewed his interest in ordination. He gave up his secular ambitions in his mid-thirties and took holy orders in the Church of England, spending the rest of his life as the rector of the rural parish of Fugglestone St Peter, just outside Salisbury. He was noted for unfailing care for his parishioners, bringing the sacraments to them when they were ill and providing food and clothing for those in need. Henry Vaughan called him "a most glorious saint and seer".[4] He was never a healthy man and died of consumption at age 39. GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); Herbert was born in 1593, a cousin of the Earl of Pembroke. His mother was a friend of the poet John Donne. George attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and became the Public Orator of the University, responsible for giving speeches of welcome in Latin to famous visitors, and writing letters of thanks, also in Latin, to acknowledge gifts of books for the University Library. brought him to the attention of King James I, who granted him an annual allowance, and seemed likely to make him an ambassador. However, in 1625 the king died, and George Herbert, who had originally gone to college with the intention of becoming a priest, but had his head turned by the prospect of a career at Court, determined anew to seek ordination. In 1626 he was ordained, and became vicar and then rector of the parish of Bemerton and neighboring Fugglestone, not far from Salisbury. He served faithfully as a parish priest, diligently visiting his parishioners and bringing them the sacraments when they were ill, and food and clothing when they were in want. He read Morning and Evening Prayer daily in the church, encouraging the congregation to join him when possible, and ringing the church bell before each service so that those who could not come might hear it and pause in their work to join their prayers with his. He used to go once a week to Salisbury to hear Evening Prayer sung there in the cathedral. On one occasion he was late because he had met a man whose horse had fallen with a heavy load, and he stopped, took off his coat, and helped the man to unload the cart, get the horse back on its feet, and then reload the cart. His spontaneous generosity and good will won him the affection of his parishioners. Today, however, he is remembered chiefly for his book of poems, The Temple, which he sent shortly before his death to his friend Nicholas Ferrar, to publish if he thought them suitable. They were published after Herbert's death, and have influenced the style of other poets, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Several of them have been used as hymns, in particular "Teach me, my God and King," and "Let all the world in every corner sing." Another of his poems contains the lines: Prayer, the Church's banquet, Angel's age, God's breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, the heart in pilgrimage, The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth. more of his poems follow: THE FLOWER How fresh, O Lord, how sweet and clean are Thy returns! Even as the flowers in spring, to which, besides their own demean, the late-past frosts tributes of pleasure bring. Grief melts away like snow in May, As if there were no such cold thing. Who would have thought my shrivelled heart could have recovered greenness? It was gone quite underground, as flowers depart to see their mother-root, when they have blown; where they together all the hard weather, dead to the world, keep house unknown. These are Thy wonders, Lord of power, killing and quickening, bringing down to hell and up to heaven in an hour; making a chiming of a passing-bell. We say amiss this or that is; Thy word is all, if we could spell. Oh, that I once past changing were, fast in Thy paradise, where no flower can wither! Many a spring I shoot up fair, offering at heaven, growing and groaning thither; nor doth my flower want a spring shower, my sins and I joining together. But while I grow in a straight line, still upwards bent, as if heaven were mine own, Thy anger comes, and I decline. What frost to that? What pole is not the zone where all things burn, when Thou dost turn, and the least frown of Thine is shown? And now in age I bud again; after so many deaths I love and write; I once more smell the dew and rain, and relish versing. O my only Light, it cannot be that I am he on whom Thy tempests fell all night. These are Thy wonders, Lord of love, to make us see we are but flowers that glide; which when we once can find and prove, Thou hast a garden for us where to bide. Who would be more, swelling through store, forfeit their paradise by their pride. LOVE (III) Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back, guilty of dust and sin. But quicked-ey'd Love, Observing me grow slack from my first entrance in, Drew near to me, sweetly questioning, if I lack'd any thing. A guest, I answer'd, worthy to be here: Love said, You should be he. I the unkinde, engrateful? ah my deare, I can not look on thee. Love took my hand, and smiling did reply, Who made the eyes but I? Truth Lord, but I hav marr'd them: let my shame go where it doth deserve. And know you not, sayes Love, who bore the blame? My deare, then I will serve. You must sit down, sayes love, and taste my meat: So I did sit and eat. Glory to God on High And on earth Peace good will toward man. George Herbert (1595-1633) He also wrote a volume for parish clergy called A Priest to the Temple, or the Country Parson. died on 1 March 1633, but is commemorated two days earlier, to avoid conflict with other commemorations. by James Kiefer

England, 1625-1649, Charles I, King, divine right of k, high church, civil war, killed
England, 1625-1649, King of England, Charles I ; I (19 November 1600-“ 30 January 1649)[a] was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after his father inherited the English throne in 1603 (as James I), he moved to England, where he spent much of the rest of his life. He became heir apparent to the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1612 on the death of his elder brother Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. unsuccessful and unpopular attempt to marry him to the Spanish Habsburg princess Maria Anna culminated in an eight-month visit to Spain in 1623 that demonstrated the futility of the marriage negotiations. Two years later he married the Bourbon princess Henrietta Maria of France. his succession in 1625, Charles quarrelled with the Parliament of England, which sought to curb his royal prerogative. believed in the divine right of kings, and was determined to govern according to his own conscience. Many of his subjects opposed his policies, in particular the levying of taxes without parliamentary consent, and perceived his actions as those of a tyrannical absolute monarch. religious policies, coupled with his marriage to a Roman Catholic, generated antipathy and mistrust from Reformed religious groups such as the English Puritans and Scottish Covenanters, who thought his views were too Catholic. supported high church Anglican ecclesiastics such as Richard Montagu and William Laud, and failed to aid continental Protestant forces successfully during the Thirty Years' War. His attempts to force the Church of Scotland to adopt high Anglican practices led to the Bishops' Wars, strengthened the position of the English and Scottish parliaments, and helped precipitate his own downfall. 1642, Charles fought the armies of the English and Scottish parliaments in the English Civil War. After his defeat in 1645, he surrendered to a Scottish force that eventually handed him over to the English Parliament. Charles refused to accept his captors' demands for a constitutional monarchy, and temporarily escaped captivity in November 1647. Re-imprisoned on the Isle of Wight, Charles forged an alliance with Scotland, but by the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army had consolidated its control over England. Charles was tried, convicted, and executed for high treason in January 1649. The monarchy was abolished and the Commonwealth of England was established as a republic. The monarchy would be restored to Charles's son, Charles II, in 1660. JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645); Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1633-1667, Jeremy Taylor, many books on theological, moral, and devotional subjects, freedom of speech and conscience
England, 1633-1667, Jeremy Taylor, Cambridge, many books on theological, moral, and devotional subjects, freedom of speech and conscience; Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is frequently cited as one of the greatest prose writers in the English language. He is remembered in the Church of England's calendar of saints with a Lesser Festival on 13 August. was under the patronage of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury. He went on to become chaplain in ordinary to King Charles I as a result of Laud's sponsorship. This made him politically suspect when Laud was tried for treason and executed in January 1644/5 by the Puritan parliament during the English Civil War. After the parliamentary victory over the King, he was briefly imprisoned several times. he was allowed to live quietly in Wales, where he became the private chaplain of the Earl of Carbery. After the Restoration, he was made Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland. He also became vice-chancellor of the University of Dublin. Cambridge; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Taylor was born at Cambridge in 1613 and ordained in 1633. In the years between 1633 and the ascendency of the Puritans in 1645, he was a Fellow of two Cambridge colleges, and chaplain to Archbishop Laud and to King Charles. Puritan rule, he was imprisoned three times, and forced into retirement as a family chaplain in Wales. the Restoration, in 1661, he became Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland. his many books on theological, moral, and devotional subjects, the best known are The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650) and The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying (1651), usually cited simply as Holy Living and Holy Dying. Many readers, including Charles Wesley a century later, have reported finding these books of great spiritual benefit. work of his, Liberty of Prophesying, argues for freedom of conscience and freedom of speech in a religious context. Being stationed in an area that was largely Roman Catholic, he was, perhaps inevitably, drawn into controversy, and he wrote a book called Dissuasion (or Dissuasive) against Popery.

England, 1635-1691, RICHARD BAXTER, protestant writer
England, 1635-1691, RICHARD BAXTER; Baxter (12 November 1615 - 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, theologian and controversialist, called by Dean Stanley "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long and prolific career as theological writer. After the Restoration he refused preferment [i. e., an appointment within the Church of England], while retaining a non-separatist presbyterian approach, and became one of the most influential leaders of the nonconformists, spending time in prison. ministry at Kidderminster continued, with many interruptions, for about nineteen years; and during that time he accomplished many reforms. He formed the ministers in the country around him into an association, uniting them irrespective of their differences as Presbyterians, Episcopalians and Independents. The Reformed Pastor was a book which Baxter published in relation to the general ministerial efforts he promoted. the outbreak of the English Civil War, Baxter blamed both parties and recommended the Protestation, an attempt to avert civil war. In 1647, Baxter was staying at the home of Lady Rouse, wife of Sir Thomas Rouse, 1st Baronet, of Rouse Lench in Warwickshire. There, though debilated by illness, he wrote the most of a major work, The Saints' Everlasting Rest (1650). the Restoration in 1660 Baxter, who had helped to bring about that event, settled in London. He preached there till the Act of Uniformity 1662 took effect, and looked for such terms of comprehension as would have permitted the moderate dissenters with whom he acted to have remained in the Church of England. In this hope he was sadly disappointed. The Savoy conference [which formed the basis of the 1662 BCP] resulted in Baxter's Reformed Liturgy, though it was cast aside without consideration. 1662 until the indulgence of 1687, Baxter's life was constantly disturbed by persecution of one kind or another. Baxter's health had grown even worse, yet this was the period of his greatest activity as a writer. He wrote 168 or so separate works -- such treatises as the Christian Directory, the Methodus Theologiae Christianae, and the Catholic Theology, might each have represented the life's work of an ordinary man. Without doubt, however, his most famous and enduring contribution to Christian literature was a devotional work published in 1658 under the title Call to the Unconverted to Turn and Live. This slim volume was credited with the conversion of thousands and formed one of the core extra-biblical texts of evangelicalism until at least the middle of the nineteenth century. from Wikipedia RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ;

England, 1642-1651, English Civil War
England, 1642-“1651, English Civil War; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645);

England, 1648-1688, John Bunyan, lay preacher and writer, Pilgrim's Progress
England, 1648-1688, John Bunyan, lay preacher and writer, Pilgrim's Progress; Bunyan (baptised 30 November 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress. In addition to The Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan wrote nearly sixty titles, many of them expanded sermons. came from the village of Elstow, near Bedford. He had some schooling and at the age of sixteen joined the Parliamentary Army during the first stage of the English Civil War. After three years in the army he returned to Elstow and took up the trade of tinker, which he had learned from his father. He became interested in religion after his marriage, attending first the parish church and then joining the Bedford Meeting, a nonconformist group in Bedford, and becoming a preacher. After the restoration of the monarch, when the freedom of nonconformists was curtailed, Bunyan was arrested and spent the next twelve years in jail as he refused to give up preaching. During this time he wrote a spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, and began work on his most famous book, The Pilgrim's Progress, which was not published until some years after his release. later years, in spite of another shorter term of imprisonment, were spent in relative comfort as a popular author and preacher, and pastor of the Bedford Meeting. He died aged 59 after falling ill on a journey to London and is buried in Bunhill Fields. The Pilgrim's Progress became one of the most published books in the English language; 1,300 editions having been printed by 1938, 250 years after the author's death. is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 30 August,[1] and on the liturgical calendar of the United States Episcopal Church on 29 August. Some other churches of the Anglican Communion, such as the Anglican Church of Australia, honour him on the day of his death (31 August). life Bunyan's High Street cottage Bunyan was born in 1628 to Thomas and Margaret Bunyan at Bunyan's End in the parish of Elstow, Bedfordshire. Bunyan's End is about halfway between the hamlet of Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford) and Elstow High Street. Bunyan's date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 30 November 1628, the baptismal entry in the parish register reading "John the sonne of Thomas Bunnion Jun., the 30 November".[2] The name Bunyan was spelt in many ways (there are 34 variants in Bedfordshire Record Office) and probably had its origins in the Norman-French name Buignon.[3] There had been Bunyans in Bedfordshire since at least 1199.[4] father was a brazier or tinker who travelled around the area mending pots and pans, and his grandfather had been a chapman or small trader.[4] The Bunyans owned land and properties in Elstow, so Bunyan's origins were not quite as humble as he suggested in his autobiographical work Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners when he wrote that his father's house was "of that rank that is meanest and most despised in the country".[5] a child Bunyan learned his father's trade of tinker and was given some schooling[6] but it is not known which school he attended. In Grace Abounding Bunyan recorded few details of his upbringing, but he did note how he picked up the habit of swearing (from his father), suffered from nightmares, and read the popular stories of the day in cheap chap-books. In the summer of 1644 Bunyan lost both his mother and his sister Margaret.[7] That autumn, shortly before or after his sixteenth birthday, Bunyan enlisted in the Parliamentary army when an edict demanded 225 recruits from the town of Bedford. There are few details available about his military service, which took place during the first stage of the English Civil War. A muster roll for the garrison of Newport Pagnell shows him as private "John Bunnian".[8] In Grace Abounding, he recounted an incident from this time, as evidence of the grace of God: I was a Souldier, I, with others, were drawn out to go to such a place to besiege it; But when I was just ready to go, one of the company desired to go in my room, to which, when I had consented, he took my place; and coming to the siege, as he stood Sentinel, he was shot into the head with a Musket bullet and died.[9] army service provided him with a knowledge of military language which he then used in his book The Holy War, and also exposed him to the ideas of the various religious sects and radical groups he came across in Newport Pagnell.[10] The garrison town also gave him opportunities to indulge in the sort of behaviour he would later confess to in Grace Abounding: "So that until I came to the state of Marriage, I was the very ringleader of all the Youth that kept me company, in all manner of vice and ungodliness".[11] Bunyan spent nearly three years in the army, leaving in 1647 to return to Elstow and his trade as a tinker. His father had remarried and had more children and Bunyan moved from Bunyan's End to a cottage in Elstow High Street. and conversion two years of leaving the army, Bunyan married. The name of his wife and the exact date of his marriage are not known, but Bunyan did recall that his wife, a pious young woman, brought with her into the marriage two books that she had inherited from her father: Arthur Dent's Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven and Lewis Bayly's Practice of Piety. He also recalled that, apart from these two books, the newly-weds possessed little: "not having so much household-stuff as a Dish or a Spoon betwixt us both".[12] The couple's first daughter, Mary, was born in 1650, and it soon became apparent that she was blind. They would have three more children, Elizabeth, Thomas and John. his own account, Bunyan had as a youth enjoyed bell-ringing, dancing and playing games including on Sunday, which was forbidden by the Puritans, who held a particularly high view of Sunday, called the Lord's Day. One Sunday the vicar of Elstow preached a sermon against Sabbath breaking, and Bunyan took this sermon to heart. That afternoon, as he was playing tip-cat (a game in which a small piece of wood is hit with a bat) on Elstow village green, he heard a voice from the heavens "Wilt thou leave thy sins, and go to Heaven? Or have thy sins, and go to Hell?"[13] The next few years were a time of intense spiritual conflict for Bunyan as he struggled with his doubts and fears over religion and guilt over what he saw as his state of sin.[14] this time Bunyan, whilst on his travels as a tinker, happened to be in Bedford and pass a group of women who were talking about spiritual matters on their doorstep. The women were in fact some of the founding members of the Bedford Free Church or Meeting and Bunyan, who had been attending the parish church of Elstow, was so impressed by their talk that he joined their church.[15] At that time the nonconformist group was meeting in St John's church in Bedford under the leadership of former Royalist army officer John Gifford.[16] At the instigation of other members of the congregation Bunyan began to preach, both in the church and to groups of people in the surrounding countryside.[17] In 1656, having by this time moved his family to St Cuthbert's Street in Bedford, he published his first book, Gospel Truths Opened, which was inspired by a dispute with Ranters and Quakers.[18] 1658 Bunyan's wife died, leaving him with four small children, one of them blind. A year later he married an eighteen-year-old woman named Elizabeth.[19] in prison as imagined in 1881 religious tolerance which had allowed Bunyan the freedom to preach became curtailed with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The members of the Bedford Meeting were no longer able to meet in St John's church, which they had been sharing with the Anglican congregation.[20] That November, Bunyan was preaching at Lower Samsell, a farm near the village of Harlington, thirteen miles from Bedford, when he was warned that a warrant was out for his arrest. Deciding not to make an escape, he was arrested and brought before the local magistrate Sir Francis Wingate, at Harlington House. Bunyan was arrested under the Conventicle Act of 1593, which made it an offence to attend a religious gathering other than at the parish church with more than five people outside their family. The offence was punishable by 3 months' imprisonment followed by banishment or execution if the person then failed to promise not to re-offend. The Act had been little used, and Bunyan's arrest was probably due in part to concerns that non-conformist religious meetings were being held as a cover for people plotting against the king (although this was not the case with Bunyan's meetings). The Act of Uniformity, which made it compulsory for preachers to be ordained by an Anglican bishop and for the revised Book of Common Prayer to be used in church services, was still two years away, and the Act of Conventicles, which made it illegal to hold religious meetings of five or more people outside the Church of England was not passed until 1664.[21] trial of Bunyan took place in January 1661 at the quarter sessions in Bedford, before a group of magistrates under John Kelynge, who would later help to draw up the Act of Uniformity.[22] Bunyan, who had been held in prison since his arrest, was indicted of having "devilishly and perniciousy abstained from coming to church to hear divine service" and having held "several unlawful meetings and conventicles, to the great disturbance and distraction of the good subjects of this kingdom".[23] He was sentenced to three months imprisonment with transportation to follow if at the end of this time he did not agree to attend the parish church and desist from preaching.[24] Bunyan refused to agree to give up preaching, his period of imprisonment eventually extended to 12 years and brought great hardship to his family. Elizabeth, who made strenuous attempts to obtain his release, had been pregnant when her husband was arrested and she subsequently gave birth prematurely to a still-born child.[25] Left to bring up four step-children, one of whom was blind, she had to rely on the charity of Bunyan's fellow members of the Bedford Meeting and other supporters and on what little her husband could earn in gaol by making shoelaces. But Bunyan remained resolute: "O I saw in this condition I was a man who was pulling down his house upon the head of his Wife and Children; yet thought I, I must do it, I must do it".[26] spent his 12 years' imprisonment in Bedford County Gaol, which stood on the corner of the High Street and Silver Street. There were however occasions when he was allowed out of prison, depending on the gaolers and the mood of the authorities at the time, and he was able to attend the Bedford Meeting and even preach. His daughter Sarah was born during his imprisonment (the other child of his second marriage, Joseph, was born after his release in 1672).[27] prison, Bunyan had a copy of the Bible and of John Foxe's Book of Martyrs, as well as writing materials. He also had at times the company of other preachers who had been imprisoned. It was in Bedford Gaol that he wrote Grace Abounding and started work on The Pilgrim's Progress, as well as penning several tracts that may have brought him a little money.[28] In 1671, while still in prison, he was chosen as pastor of the Bedford Meeting.[29] By that time there was a mood of increasing religious toleration in the country and in March 1672 the king issued a declaration of indulgence which suspended penal laws against nonconformists. Thousands of nonconformists were released from prison, amongst them Bunyan and five of his fellow inmates of Bedford Gaol. Bunyan was freed in May 1672 and immediately obtained a licence to preach under the declaration of indulgence.[30] life his release from jail in 1672 Bunyan probably did not return to his former occupation of a tinker. Instead, he devoted his time to writing and preaching.[31] He continued as pastor of the Bedford Meeting and traveled over Bedfordshire and adjoining counties on horseback to preach, becoming known affectionately as "Bishop Bunyan". His preaching also took him to London, where Lord Mayor Sir John Shorter became a friend and presented him with a silver-mounted walking stick.[31] The Pilgrim's Progress was published in 1678 by Nathaniel Ponder and immediately became popular, though probably making more money for its publisher than for its author.[31] events marred Bunyan's life during the later 1670s. Firstly he became embroiled in a scandal concerning a young woman called Agnes Beaumont. When going to preach in Gamlingay in 1674 he allowed Beaumont, a member of the Bedford Meeting, to ride pillion on his horse, much to the anger of her father, who then died suddenly. His daughter was initially suspected of poisoning him, though the coroner found he had died of natural causes.[32] In 1676-7 he underwent a second term of imprisonment, probably for refusing to attend the parish church.[33] This second imprisonment lasted six months.[34] effigy on his grave in Bunhill Fields 1688, on his way to London, Bunyan made a detour to Reading, Berkshire, to try and resolve a quarrel between a father and son. Continuing to London to the house of his friend, grocer John Strudwick of Snow Hill in the City of London, he was caught in a storm and fell ill with a fever. He died in Strudwick's house on the morning of 31 August 1688 and was buried in the tomb belonging to Strudwick in Bunhill Fields nonconformist burial ground in London.[35] estate at his death was worth £42 19s 0d. His widow Elizabeth died in 1691.[36] Progress, first edition 1678. Between 1656, when he published his first work, Some Gospel Truths Opened (a tract against the Ranters and Quakers—has—who at the time were somewhat indistinguishable), and his death in 1688, Bunyan published 42 titles. A further two works, including his Last Sermon, were published the following year by George Larkin. In 1692 Southwark comb-maker Charles Doe, who was a friend of Bunyan's later years, brought out, with the collaboration of Bunyan's widow, a collection of the author's works, including 12 previously unpublished titles, mostly sermons. Six years later Doe published The Heavenly Footman and finally in 1765 Relation of My Imprisonment was published, giving a total of 58 published titles.[37] is the allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, written during Bunyan's twelve-year imprisonment although not published until 1678 six years after his release, that made Bunyan's name as an author with its immediate success. It remains the book for which Bunyan is best remembered.[37] The images Bunyan uses in The Pilgrim's Progress are reflections of images from his own world; the strait gate is a version of the wicket gate at Elstow Abbey church,[38] the Slough of Despond is a reflection of Squitch Fen, a wet and mossy area near his cottage in Harrowden, the Delectable Mountains are an image of the Chiltern Hills surrounding Bedfordshire. Even his characters, like the Evangelist as influenced by John Gifford, are reflections of real people. allegorical works were to follow: The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), Pilgrim's Progress Part II and The Holy War (1682). Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, a spiritual autobiography, was published in 1666, when he was still in jail. There is a small obelisk marking his birthplace in a field beside 'Bumpy Lane', which is inbetween Elstow and Old Harrowden Lane Bunhill Fields funerary monument In 1862 a recumbent statue was created to adorn Bunyan's grave; it was restored in 1922.[39] 1874, a bronze statue of John Bunyan, sculpted by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, was erected in Bedford. This stands at the south-western corner of St Peter's Green, facing down Bedford's High Street. The site was chosen by Boehm for its significance as a crossroads. Bunyan is depicted expounding the Bible, to an invisible congregation, with a broken fetter representing his imprisonment by his left foot. There are three scenes from "The Pilgrim's Progress" on the stone plinth: Christian at the wicket gate; his fight with Apollyon; and losing his burden at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The statue was unveiled by Lady Augusta Stanley, wife of the Dean of Westminster, on Wednesday 10 June 1874.[40] In 1876 the Duke of Bedford gave bronze doors by Frederick Thrupp depicting scenes from The Pilgrim's Progress to the John Bunyan Meeting (the former Bedford Meeting which had been renamed in Bunyan's honour, and now houses the John Bunyan Museum).[41] is another statue of him in Kingsway, London, and there are memorial windows in Westminster Abbey, Southwark Cathedral and various churches, including Elstow Abbey (the parish church of Elstow) and the Bunyan Meeting Free Church in Bedford.[42] is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the United States Episcopal Church on 29 August. Some other churches of the Anglican Communion, such as the Anglican Church of Australia, honour him on the day of his death (31 August). is best remembered for The Pilgrim's Progress, a book which gained immediate popularity. By 1692, four years after the author's death, publisher Charles Doe estimated that 100,000 copies had been printed in England, as well as editions "in France, Holland, New England and Welch".[43] By 1938, 250 years after Bunyan's death, more than 1,300 editions of the book had been printed.[44] the 18th century Bunyan's unpolished style fell out of favour, but his popularity returned with Romanticism, poet Robert Southey writing a lengthy appreciative biography in 1830 to accompany an edition of The Pilgrim's Progress that many critics deem a turning point in Bunyan scholarship.[45] Bunyan's reputation was further enhanced by the evangelical revival and he became a favourite author of the Victorians.[46] The tercentenary of Bunyan's birth, celebrated in 1928, elicited praise from his former adversary, the Church of England.[47] Although popular interest in Bunyan waned during the second half of the twentieth century, academic interest in the writer has increased and Oxford University Press brought out a new edition of his works, beginning in 1976.[48] Authors who have been influenced by Bunyan include C. S. Lewis, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott and George Bernard Shaw.[47] work, in particular The Pilgrim's Progress, has reached a wider audience through stage productions, film, TV, and radio. A stage work by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which the composer styled a Morality, based on The Pilgrim's Progress was first performed at the Royal Opera House in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain and revived in 2012 by the English National Opera.[49] Bunyan had six children, five of whom are known to have married, of whom four had children. Moot Hall Museum (in Elstow) has a record of John's descendants, down to the nineteenth century but as of September 2013, no verifiable trace of later descendants has been found.[50][page needed] Bedford ; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; was born in 1628 near Bedford, in the agricultural midlands of England. He was the son of a tinker (a maker and mender of metal pots). He had little schooling. During the English Civil War, he served in the Parliamentary Army. He underwent a period of acute spiritual anxiety, and finally found peace in a Baptist congregation. He became a lay preacher, while earning his living as a tinker. the Restoration in 1660, Bunyan (under suspicion for having fought on the anti-Anglican side) was ordered to preach no more, and, since he refused to desist, he was several times sentenced to jail, where he spent his time studying, preaching to his fellow prisoners, and writing. His first substantial work was an autobiography, Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners. This was followed by other works, of which by far the most read and most loved is his The Pilgrim's Progress From This World To That Which Is To Come, usually called Pilgrim's Progress. The work recounts in allegorical form the experience of a person (called Christian), from his his first awareness of his sinfulness and spiritual need, to his personal conversion to Christ, to his walk as a believer. He is shown as a pilgrim in this world on his way to the "Celestial City," which will be his true home forever. The work was an immediate sensation, and its popularity endured. For a century and more thereafter, there were many English-speaking Christians who were thoroughly familiar with only two books, The Bible and Pilgrim's Progress. (Those who have read the book or seen the movie Little Women, portraying the life of an American family in the 1860's, will remember that the book was a family favorite.) extracts follow: Pilgrim's Progress In the Similitude of A Dream I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on A certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and, as he read, he wept, and trembled; and, not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, What shall I do? this plight, therefore, he went home and refrained himself As long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased. Wherefore at length he brake his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: O my dear wife, said he, and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in my self undone by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me; moreover, I am for certain informed that this our city will be burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found, whereby we may be delivered. At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesome to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would know how he did. He told them, Worse and worse: he also set to talking to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also sought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriages to him; sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery; he would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying: and thus for some days he spent his time. I saw, upon a time, when he was walking in the fields, That he was, as he was wont, reading in his book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out, as he had done before, crying, What shall I do to be saved? saw also that he looked this way and that way, as if he would Run; yet he stood still, because, as I perceived, he could not tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, who asked, Wherefore dost thou cry? He answered, Sir, I perceive by the book in my hand, at I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment; and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second. said Evangelist, Why not willing to die, since this life Is attended with so many evils? The man answered, Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet. And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am sure, to go to judgment, and from thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry. said Evangelist, If this be thy condition, why standest Thou still? He answered, Because I know not whither to go. Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, Flee from the wrath to come. when he [Christian] was got up to the top of the Hill, There came two men running up against him amain; the name of the one was Timorous, and the name of the other Mistrust. To whom Christian said, "Sirs, what's the matter you run the wrong way?" Timorous answered that they were going to the city of Sion, and had got up that difficult place; "But," said he, "the further we go, the more danger we meet with, wherefore we turned, and are going back again." said Mistrust, 'for just before us lie a couple of Lions in the way, whether sleeping or waking we know not and we could not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces." said Christian, "You make me afraid, but whither Shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture: to go back is nothing but death, to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward." So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the Hill, and Christian went on his way. I saw in my dream, that these two men [Christian and Hopeful] went in at the Gate; and lo, as these entered they were transfigured, and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There was also that met them, with harps and crowns, and gave them to them, the harp to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard in my dream, that all the bells in the City rang again for joy; and that it was said unto them, "Enter Ye Into the Joy of Your Lord." I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice, saying, "Blessing, Honour, Glory, and Power, Be To Him That Sitteth Upon the Throne and To the Lamb For Ever and Ever." just as the Gates were opened to let in the men, I Looked in after them; and behold, the City shone like the sun, the streets also were paved with gold, and in them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises withal. were also of them that had wings, and they answered One another without intermission, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Is The Lord. And after that, they shut up the Gates: which when I had seen, I wished myself among them. died 31 August 1688, and is remembered on the 30th. [August 29th in the Episcopal Church.] by James Kiefer

England, 1649-1651, Charles II, 1660-1685, King, defeated by Cromwell, reinstated after C's death, Clarendon Code laws, 2nd Dutch war
England, 1649-1651, 1660-1685, King of England, Charles II ; II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685)[c] was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of Scotland, England and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. II was the eldest surviving child of Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and Henrietta Maria of France. After Charles I's execution at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War, the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II king on 5 February 1649. But England entered the period known as the English Interregnum or the English Commonwealth, and the country was a de facto republic led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, and Charles fled to mainland Europe. Cromwell became virtual dictator of England, Scotland and Ireland. Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France, the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands. The political crisis that followed Cromwell's death in 1658 resulted in the restoration of the monarchy, and Charles was invited to return to Britain. On 29 May 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. After 1660, all legal documents stating a regnal year did so as if he had succeeded his father as king in 1649. English parliament enacted laws known as the Clarendon Code, designed to shore up the position of the re-established Church of England. Charles acquiesced to the Clarendon Code even though he favoured a policy of religious tolerance. The major foreign policy issue of his early reign was the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In 1670, he entered into the Treaty of Dover, an alliance with his cousin King Louis XIV of France. Louis agreed to aid him in the Third Anglo-Dutch War and pay him a pension, and Charles secretly promised to convert to Catholicism at an unspecified future date. Charles attempted to introduce religious freedom for Catholics and Protestant dissenters with his 1672 Royal Declaration of Indulgence, but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw it. In 1679, Titus Oates's revelations of a supposed Popish Plot sparked the Exclusion Crisis when it was revealed that Charles's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, was Catholic. The crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion Whig and anti-exclusion Tory parties. Charles sided with the Tories, and after the discovery of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles and James in 1683, some Whig leaders were executed or forced into exile. Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1681 and ruled alone until his death in 1685. He was allegedly received into the Catholic Church on his deathbed. considered one of the most popular English kings,[1] Charles is known as the Merry Monarch, a reference to the liveliness and hedonism of his court. He acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children by various mistresses, but left no legitimate children and was succeeded by his brother, James. Palace of Whitehall; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1649-1660, King of England, English Interregnum
England, 1649-1660, King of England, English Interregnum Palace of Whitehall; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1653-1658, Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, Cromwell's (Parliment's) Army, E Civil War
England, 1653-1658, Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, Cromwell's Army ; Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599-“ 3 September 1658)[note 1] was an English general and statesman who led the Parliament of England's armies against King Charles I during the English Civil War and ruled the British Isles as Lord Protector from 1653 until his death in 1658. He acted simultaneously as head of state and head of government of the new republican commonwealth. Cromwell was born into the middle gentry to a family descended from the sister of Henry VIII's minister Thomas Cromwell. Little is known of the first 40 years of his life, as only four of his personal letters survive along with a summary of a speech that he delivered in 1628.[2] He became an Independent Puritan after undergoing a religious conversion in the 1630s, taking a generally tolerant view towards the many Protestant sects of his period.[3] He was an intensely religious man, and he fervently believed that God was guiding his victories. He was elected Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628 and for Cambridge in the Short (1640) and Long (1640-“1649) Parliaments. He entered the English Civil Wars on the side of the "Roundheads" or Parliamentarians. His nickname was "Old Ironsides". He demonstrated his ability as a commander and was quickly promoted from leading a single cavalry troop to being one of the principal commanders of the New Model Army, playing an important role under General Sir Thomas Fairfax in the defeat of the Royalist ("Cavalier") forces. Cromwell was one of the signatories of King Charles I's death warrant in 1649, and he dominated the short-lived Commonwealth of England as a member of the Rump Parliament (1649-“1653). He was selected to take command of the English campaign in Ireland in 1649-“1650. Cromwell's forces defeated the Confederate and Royalist coalition in Ireland and occupied the country, bringing to an end the Irish Confederate Wars. During this period, a series of Penal Laws were passed against Roman Catholics (a significant minority in England and Scotland but the vast majority in Ireland), and a substantial amount of their land was confiscated. Cromwell also led a campaign against the Scottish army between 1650 and 1651. On 20 April 1653, he dismissed the Rump Parliament by force, setting up a short-lived nominated assembly known as Barebone's Parliament before being invited by his fellow leaders to rule as Lord Protector of England (which included Wales at the time), Scotland, and Ireland from 16 December 1653.[4] As a ruler, he executed an aggressive and effective foreign policy. He died from natural causes in 1658 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. The Royalists returned to power along with King Charles II in 1660, and they had his corpse dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded. Cromwell is one of the most controversial figures in the history of the British Isles, considered a regicidal dictator by historians such as David Sharp,[5] a military dictator by Winston Churchill,[6] and a hero of liberty by John Milton, Thomas Carlyle, and Samuel Rawson Gardiner. His tolerance of Protestant sects did not extend to Catholics; his measures against them in Ireland have been characterised by some as genocidal or near-genocidal,[7] and his record is strongly criticised in Ireland.[8] He was selected as one of the ten greatest Britons of all time in a 2002 BBC poll.[9] JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1656-1674, Thomas Traherne, Progressive Poet, Discovered in 1902
England, 1656-1674, Thomas Traherne, Progressive Poet, Discovered in 1902; THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674;

England, 1659, Christian Commonwealth, Pure Biblical Republic
England, 1659, Christian Commonwealth, Pure Biblical Republic ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1660, The Restoration, Charles II Crowned in Westminster Abby
England, 1660, The Restoration, Charles II Crowned in Westminster Abby; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667);

England, 1660-1685, Charles II, King, restoration
England, 1660-1685, King of England, Charles II of England; Henry Purcell of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711);

England, 1662, Act of Uniformity 1662 (to Book of Common Prayer)
England, 1662, Act of Uniformity 1662 (to Book of Common Prayer); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

England, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot and American Catechist
France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot and American Catechist; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, Commemoratedd 7 September; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. In that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. In addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. For the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. This benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. As early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. He himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. Neau’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. He succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” Further confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” Neau’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. For some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Yet Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” Not so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” The Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty.

England, 1685-1688, James II & VIII, King, last catholic monarch
England, 1685-1688, King of England, James II & VIII ; Palace of Whitehall; Henry Purcell of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 169;

England, 1687, Declaration of Indulgence, for freedom of religion
England, 1687, Declaration of Indulgence (1687); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

England, 1689-1702, William and Mary, King and Queen, William of Orange, Protestant, Glorious Revolution
England, 1689-1702, King of England, William and Mary, King and Queen ; III (William Henry; Dutch: Willem Hendrik; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702),[b] also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from the 1670s and King of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until his death. As King of Scotland, he is known as William II.[1] He is sometimes informally known as "King Billy" in Ireland and Scotland.[2] His victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 is commemorated by unionists, who display orange colours in his honour. Popular histories usually refer to his joint reign with his wife, Queen Mary II, as that of William and Mary. was the only child of William II, Prince of Orange, who died a week before his birth, and Mary, Princess of Orange, the daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland. In 1677, during the reign of his uncle King Charles II of England, Scotland, and Ireland, he married his cousin Mary, the fifteen-year-old daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of York. A Protestant, William participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic King Louis XIV of France, in coalition with both Protestant and Catholic powers in Europe. Protestants heralded him as a champion of their faith. In 1685, his Catholic uncle and father-in-law, James, became king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. James's reign was unpopular with the Protestant majority in Britain, who feared a revival of Catholicism. by a group of influential British political and religious leaders, William invaded England in what became known as the Glorious Revolution. In 1688, he landed at the south-western English port of Brixham. Shortly afterwards, James was deposed. reputation as a staunch Protestant enabled him and his wife to take power. During the early years of his reign, William was occupied abroad with the Nine Years' War (1688–97), leaving Mary to govern the kingdom alone. She died in 1694. 1696, the Jacobites plotted unsuccessfully to assassinate William and return his father-in-law to the throne. lack of children and the death in 1700 of his nephew Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, the son of his sister-in-law Anne, threatened the Protestant succession. The danger was averted by placing distant relatives, the Protestant Hanoverians, in line to the throne with the Act of Settlement 1701. his death in 1702, the king was succeeded in Britain by Anne and as titular Prince of Orange by his cousin, John William Friso. Palace of Whitehall; Henry Purcell of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE); RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

England, 1690-1748, Isaac Watts, Hymnographer, new poetry
England, 1690-1748, Isaac Watts, Hymnographer, new poetry; Stoke Newington; ISAAC WATTS HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ;

England, 1697-1737, Prime Minister, Robert Walpole
Houghton, Norfolk (Robert Walpole); Robert Walpole; England, 1712-1752, Saint, Joseph Butler, Butler's Analogy; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16;

England, 1700-Present, Folder 18th - 21st Century, Great Britain

England, 1701-1799, 18th Century Folder, Great Britain, Methodists

England, 1702-1714, Queen Anne, 1st King of Great Britain, 17 pregnancies no h, protestant
England, 1702-1714, King of Great Britain, Queen Anne ; George Frederick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; ELIE NAUD (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722 ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761); George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, 1705-1753, Saint, George Berkeley (to be is to be perceived)
England, 1705-1753, Saint, George Berkeley (to be is to be perceived); George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) ;

England, 1703-1737, Caroline of Ansbach, Queen to George II, Protector of the Realm
Leicester House Square, home of Caroline and George II; Caroline of Ansbach. Queen to George II; of Brandenburg-Ansbach (Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline; 1 March 1683 – 20 November 1737[1]) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George II. father, Margrave John Frederick of Brandenburg-Ansbach, belonged to a branch of the House of Hohenzollern and was the ruler of a small German state, the Principality of Ansbach. Caroline was orphaned at a young age and moved to the enlightened court of her guardians, King Frederick I and Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia. At the Prussian court, her previously limited education was widened, and she adopted the liberal outlook possessed by Sophia Charlotte, who became her good friend and whose views influenced Caroline all her life. a young woman, Caroline was much sought-after as a bride. After rejecting the suit of the nominal King of Spain, Archduke Charles of Austria, she married George Augustus, the third-in-line to the British throne and heir apparent to the Electorate of Hanover. They had eight children, seven of whom grew to adulthood. moved permanently to Britain in 1714 when her husband became Prince of Wales. As Princess of Wales, she joined her husband in rallying political opposition to his father King George I. In 1717, her husband was expelled from court after a family row. Caroline came to be associated with Robert Walpole, an opposition politician who was a former government minister. Walpole rejoined the government in 1720, and Caroline's husband and King George I reconciled publicly, on Walpole's advice. Over the next few years, Walpole rose to become the leading minister. became queen and electress consort upon her husband's accession in 1727. Her eldest son, Frederick, became Prince of Wales. He was a focus for the opposition, like his father before him, and Caroline's relationship with him was strained. princess and as queen, Caroline was known for her political influence, which she exercised through and for Walpole. Her tenure included four regencies during her husband's stays in Hanover, and she is credited with strengthening the House of Hanover's place in Britain during a period of political instability. Caroline was widely mourned by her political allies following her death in 1737, as well as by the King, who refused to remarry. 1 Early life 1.1 Education 2 Marriage 3 Princess of Wales 4 Queen and regent 5 Final years 6 Legacy 7 Titles, styles, honours and arms 7.1 Titles and styles 7.2 Honours 7.3 Arms 8 Issue 9 Ancestry 10 Notes 11 Sources 12 Further reading 13 External links life[edit] in the 17th century Caroline was born on 1 March 1683 at Ansbach, the daughter of John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, and his second wife, Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach.[2][3] Her father was the ruler of one of the smallest German states; he died of smallpox at the age of 32, when Caroline was three years old. Caroline and her only full sibling, her younger brother Margrave William Frederick, left Ansbach with their mother, who returned to her native Eisenach.[4] In 1692, Caroline's widowed mother was pushed into an unhappy marriage with the Elector of Saxony, and she and her two children moved to the Saxon court at Dresden. Eleonore Erdmuthe was widowed again two years later, after her unfaithful husband contracted smallpox from his mistress.[5] Eleonore remained in Saxony for another two years, until her death in 1696.[3][6] The orphaned Caroline and William Frederick returned to Ansbach to stay with their elder half-brother, Margrave George Frederick II. George Frederick was a youth with little interest in parenting a girl, and so Caroline soon moved to Lützenburg outside Berlin, where she entered into the care of her new guardians, Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, and his wife, Sophia Charlotte, who had been a friend of Eleonore Erdmuthe.[7] and Sophia Charlotte became king and queen of Prussia in 1701. The queen was the daughter of Dowager Electress Sophia of Hanover, and the sister of George, Elector of Hanover. She was renowned for her intelligence and strong character, and her uncensored and liberal court attracted a great many scholars, including philosopher Gottfried Leibniz.[8] Caroline was exposed to a lively intellectual environment quite different from anything she had experienced previously. Before she began her education under Sophia Charlotte's care, Caroline had received little formal education; her handwriting remained poor throughout her life.[3][9] With her lively mind, Caroline developed into a scholar of considerable ability.[8] She and Sophia Charlotte developed a strong relationship in which Caroline was treated as a surrogate daughter;[10] the queen once declared Berlin was "a desert" without Caroline whenever she left temporarily for Ansbach.[3][9] of the royal couple and their seven children who survived infancy intelligent and attractive woman, Caroline was much sought-after as a bride. Dowager Electress Sophia called her "the most agreeable Princess in Germany".[11] She was considered for the hand of Archduke Charles of Austria, who was a candidate for the throne of Spain and later became Holy Roman Emperor. Charles made official overtures to her in 1703, and the match was encouraged by King Frederick of Prussia. After some consideration, Caroline refused in 1704, as she would not convert from Lutheranism to Catholicism.[3][12] Early in the following year, Queen Sophia Charlotte died on a visit to her native Hanover.[13] Caroline was devastated, writing to Leibniz, "The calamity has overwhelmed me with grief and sickness, and it is only the hope that I may soon follow her that consoles me."[13] June 1705, Queen Sophia Charlotte's nephew, Prince George Augustus of Hanover, visited the Ansbach court, supposedly incognito, to inspect Caroline, as his father the Elector did not want his son to enter into a loveless arranged marriage as he himself had.[14] The nephew of three childless uncles, George Augustus was under pressure to marry and father an heir to prevent endangering the Hanoverian succession.[15] He had heard reports of Caroline's "incomparable beauty and mental attributes".[16] He immediately took a liking to her "good character" and the British envoy reported that George Augustus "would not think of anybody else after her".[3][17] For her part, Caroline was not fooled by the prince's disguise, and found her suitor attractive.[18] He was the heir apparent of his father's Electorate of Hanover and third-in-line to the British throne of his distant cousin Queen Anne, after his grandmother Dowager Electress Sophia and his father the Elector.[18] 22 August 1705, Caroline arrived in Hanover for her wedding to George Augustus; they were married that evening in the palace chapel at Herrenhausen.[2][3][19] By May of the following year, Caroline was pregnant, and her first child Prince Frederick was born on 20 January 1707.[20] A few months after the birth, in July, Caroline fell seriously ill with smallpox followed by pneumonia. Her baby was kept away from her, but George Augustus remained at her side devotedly, and caught and survived the infection himself.[21] Over the next seven years, Caroline had three more children, Anne, Amelia, and Caroline, all of whom were born in Hanover.[22] Howard, Countess of Suffolk (pictured) was one of Caroline's Women of the Bedchamber in addition to being one of Caroline's husband's mistresses. Augustus and Caroline had a successful and loving marriage, though he continued to keep mistresses, as was customary for the time.[23] Caroline was well aware of his infidelities, as they were well known and he told her about them. His two best-known mistresses were Henrietta Howard, later Countess of Suffolk, and, from 1735, Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth. Howard was one of Caroline's Women of the Bedchamber and became Mistress of the Robes when her husband inherited a peerage in 1731; she retired in 1734.[24] In contrast with her mother-in-law and husband, Caroline was known for her marital fidelity; she never made any embarrassing scenes nor did she take lovers.[23] She preferred her husband's mistresses to be ladies-in-waiting, as that way she believed she could keep a closer eye on them.[25] succession of her husband's family to the British throne was still insecure, as Queen Anne's half-brother James Stuart contested the Hanoverian claim, and Queen Anne and Caroline's grandmother-in-law Dowager Electress Sophia had fallen out. refused permission for any of the Hanoverians to visit Britain in her lifetime.[26] Caroline wrote to Leibniz, "I accept the comparison which you draw, though all too flattering, between me and Queen Elizabeth as a good omen. Like Elizabeth, the Electress's rights are denied her by a jealous sister [Queen Anne], and she will never be sure of the English crown until her accession to the throne."[27] June 1714, Dowager Electress Sophia died in Caroline's arms at the age of 83, and Caroline's father-in-law became heir presumptive to Queen Anne. Just weeks later, Anne died and the Elector of Hanover was proclaimed as her successor, becoming George I of Great Britain.[28] of Wales[edit] Princess of Wales, painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller in 1716 Augustus sailed to England in September 1714, and Caroline and two of her daughters followed in October.[29] Her journey across the North Sea from The Hague to Margate was the only sea voyage she took in her life.[30] Their young son, Prince Frederick, remained in Hanover for the rest of George I's reign to be brought up by private tutors.[22] the accession of George I in 1714, Caroline's husband automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. Shortly afterwards, he was invested as Prince of Wales, whereupon she became Princess of Wales. was the first woman to receive the title at the same time as her husband received his.[18] She was the first Princess of Wales in over two hundred years, the last one being Catherine of Aragon. As George I had repudiated his wife Sophia Dorothea of Celle in 1694 prior to his becoming King of Great Britain, there was no queen consort, and Caroline was the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom.[22] Augustus and Caroline made a concerted effort to "anglicise" by acquiring knowledge of England's language, people, politics and customs.[31] Two separate courts developed with strong contrasts; the old king's had German courtiers and government ministers, while the Wales's court attracted English nobles out of favour with the King, and was considerably more popular with the British people. George Augustus and Caroline gradually became centres of the political opposition to the King.[32] years after their arrival in England, Caroline suffered a stillbirth, which her friend the Countess of Buckeburg blamed on the incompetence of English doctors,[33] but the following year she had another son, Prince George William in November. the baptism, her husband fell out with his father over the choice of godparents, leading to the couple's placement under house arrest at St. James's Palace prior to their banishment from court.[34] was originally allowed to stay with their children, but refused as she believed her place was with her husband.[35] She and her husband moved into Leicester House, while their children remained in the care of the King.[36] Caroline fell sick with worry, and fainted during a secret visit to her children made without the King's approval.[37] By January, the King had relented and allowed Caroline unrestricted access. February, Prince George William fell ill, and the King allowed both George Augustus and Caroline to see him at Kensington Palace without any conditions. When the baby died, a post-mortem was conducted to prove that the cause of death was disease (a polyp on the heart) rather than the separation from his mother.[38] tragedy occurred in 1718, when she miscarried at Richmond Lodge, her country residence,[39] after being startled by a violent storm.[40] Over the next few years, Caroline had three more children: William, Mary and Louise.[41] In July 1725, her 11th and final pregnancy ended in a second miscarriage.[42] House became a frequent meeting place for the ministry's political opponents. Caroline struck up a friendship with politician Sir Robert Walpole, a former minister in the Whig government who led a disgruntled faction of the party. In April 1720, Walpole's wing of the Whig party reconciled with the governing wing, and Walpole and Caroline helped to effect a reconciliation between the King and her husband for the sake of public unity.[3][43] Caroline wanted to regain her three eldest daughters, who remained in the care of the King, and thought the reconciliation would lead to their return, but negotiations came to nothing. George Augustus came to believe that Walpole had tricked him into the reconciliation as part of a scheme to gain power. The prince was isolated politically when Walpole's Whigs joined the government,[44] and Leicester House played host to literary figures and wits, such as John Arbuthnot and Jonathan Swift, rather than politicians.[45] Arbuthnot told Swift that Caroline had enjoyed his Gulliver's Travels, particularly the tale of the crown prince who wore one high-heel and one low-heel in a country where the King and his party wore low heels, and the opposition wore high ones: a barely veiled reference to the political leanings of the Prince of Wales.[46] intellect far outstripped her husband's, and she read avidly. She established an extensive library at St. James's Palace. As a young woman, she corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz, the intellectual colossus who was courtier and factotum to the House of Hanover. She later facilitated the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence, arguably the most important philosophy of physics discussion of the 18th century. She helped to popularise the practice of variolation (an early type of immunisation), which had been witnessed by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Charles Maitland in Constantinople. At the direction of Caroline, six condemned prisoners were offered the chance to undergo variolation instead of execution: they all survived, as did six orphan children given the same treatment as a further test. Convinced of its medical value, Caroline had her children Amelia, Caroline and Frederick inoculated against smallpox in the same manner.[47] In praising her support for smallpox inoculation, Voltaire wrote of her, "I must say that despite all her titles and crowns, this princess was born to encourage the arts and the well-being of mankind; even on the throne she is a benevolent philosopher; and she has never lost an opportunity to learn or to manifest her generosity."[48] and regent[edit] Coronation medal of Queen Caroline in 1727 by J. Croker by Jacopo Amigoni, 1735 became queen consort on the death of her father-in-law in 1727, and she was crowned alongside her husband at Westminster Abbey on 11 October that year.[49] She was the first queen consort to be crowned since Anne of Denmark in 1603.[50] George II denounced Walpole as a "rogue and rascal" over the terms of the reconciliation with his father, Caroline advised her husband to retain Walpole as the leading minister.[3] commanded a substantial majority in Parliament and George II had little choice but to accept him or risk ministerial instability.[51] secured a civil list payment of £100,000 a year for Caroline, and she was given both Somerset House and Richmond Lodge.[52] Lord Hervey called Walpole "the Queen's minister" in recognition of their close relationship.[3] the next ten years, Caroline had immense influence. She persuaded the King to adopt policies at the behest of Walpole, and persuaded Walpole against taking inflammatory actions. had absorbed the liberal opinions of her mentor, Queen Sophia Charlotte of Prussia, and supported clemency for the Jacobites (supporters of the rival Stuart claim to the throne), freedom of the press, and freedom of speech in Parliament.[53] the next few years, she and her husband fought a constant battle against their eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who had been left behind in Germany when they came to England. He joined the family in 1728, by which time he was an adult, had mistresses and debts, and was fond of gambling and practical jokes. He opposed his father's political beliefs, and complained of his lack of influence in government.[3][54] Regency Act 1728 made Caroline rather than Frederick regent when her husband was in Hanover for five months from May 1729. During her regency, a diplomatic incident with Portugal (where a British ship had been seized on the Tagus) was defused, and the negotiation of the Treaty of Seville between Britain and Spain was concluded.[54][55] May 1732, she was regent for four months while George II was again away in Hanover. An investigation into the penal system uncovered widespread abuses, including cruel treatment and conspiracy in the escape of wealthy convicts. Caroline pressed Walpole for reform, largely unsuccessfully.[56] In March 1733, Walpole introduced an unpopular Excise Bill to parliament, which the Queen supported, but it gathered such strong opposition that it was eventually dropped.[57] entire life in Britain was spent in the South-East of England in or around London.[58] As queen, she continued to surround herself with artists, writers and intellectuals. She collected jewellery, especially cameos and intaglios, acquired important portraits and miniatures, and enjoyed the visual arts. She commissioned works such as terracotta busts of the kings and queens of England from Michael Rysbrack,[59] and supervised a more naturalistic design of the royal gardens by William Kent and Charles Bridgeman.[60] In 1728, she rediscovered sets of sketches by Leonardo da Vinci and Hans Holbein that had been hidden in a drawer since the reign of William III.[61] eldest daughter Anne married William IV of Orange in 1734, and moved with her husband to the Netherlands. Caroline wrote to her daughter of her "indescribable" sadness at the parting.[62] Anne soon felt homesick, and travelled back to England when her husband went on campaign. Eventually, her husband and father commanded her to return to Holland.[63] years[edit] by Joseph Highmore, 1735 mid-1735, Frederick, Prince of Wales, was further dismayed when Caroline, rather than himself, again acted as regent while the King was absent in Hanover.[64] King and Queen arranged Frederick's marriage, in 1736, to Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. Shortly after the wedding, George went to Hanover, and Caroline resumed her role as "Protector of the Realm". As regent, Caroline considered the reprieve of Captain John Porteous, who had been convicted of murder in Edinburgh. Before she could act, a mob stormed the jail where he was held and killed him. Caroline was appalled.[65] King's absences abroad were leading to unpopularity, and in late 1736 he made plans to return, but his ship was caught in poor weather, and it was rumoured that he had been lost at sea. Caroline was devastated, and disgusted by the insensitivity of her son, who hosted a grand dinner while the gale was blowing.[66] her regency, the Prince of Wales attempted to start a number of quarrels with his mother, whom he saw as a useful proxy to irritate the King.[3] George eventually returned in January 1737.[67] Frederick applied to Parliament unsuccessfully for an increased financial allowance that had hitherto been denied him by the King, and public disagreement over the money drove a further wedge between parents and son. the advice of Walpole, Frederick's allowance was raised in an attempt to mitigate further conflict, but by less than he had asked.[68] June 1737, Frederick informed his parents that Augusta was pregnant, and due to give birth in October. In fact, Augusta's due date was earlier and a peculiar episode followed in July in which the prince, on discovering that his wife had gone into labour, sneaked her out of Hampton Court Palace in the middle of the night, to ensure that the King and Queen could not be present at the birth.[69] and Caroline were horrified. Traditionally, royal births were witnessed by members of the family and senior courtiers to guard against supposititious children, and Augusta had been forced by her husband to ride in a rattling carriage for an hour and a half while heavily pregnant and in pain. a party including two of her daughters and Lord Hervey, the Queen raced over to St. James's Palace, where Frederick had taken Augusta.[70] Caroline was relieved to discover that Augusta had given birth to a "poor, ugly little she-mouse" rather than a "large, fat, healthy boy" as the pitiful nature of the baby made a supposititious child unlikely.[71] circumstances of the birth deepened the estrangement between mother and son.[71] According to Lord Hervey, she once remarked after seeing Frederick, "Look, there he goes—that wretch!—that villain!—I wish the ground would open this moment and sink the monster to the lowest hole in hell!"[3][72] the final years of her life, Caroline was troubled by gout in her feet,[73] but more seriously she had suffered an umbilical hernia at the birth of her final child in 1724.[74] On 9 November 1737, she felt an intense pain and, after struggling through a formal reception, took to her bed. Part of her small intestine had poked through the hernia opening.[75] Over the next few days she was bled, purged, and operated on, without anaesthetic, but there was no improvement in her condition.[76] King refused Frederick permission to see his mother,[77] a decision with which she complied; she sent her son a message of forgiveness through She asked her husband to remarry after her death, which he rejected saying he would take only mistresses; she replied "Ah, mon Dieu, cela n'empêche pas" ("My God, that doesn't prevent it").[79] 17 November, her strangulated bowel burst.[80][81] She died on 20 November 1737 at St. James's Palace.[2] was buried in Westminster Abbey on 17 December.[82] Frederick was not invited to the funeral. George Frideric Handel composed an anthem for the occasion, The Ways of Zion Do Mourn / Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline. The King arranged for a pair of matching coffins with removable sides, so that when he followed her to the grave (23 years later), they could lie together again.[83] to Caroline on the bank of the Serpentine, a picturesque lake in London created at her request was widely mourned. The Protestants lauded her moral example, and even the Jacobites acknowledged her compassion, and her intervention on the side of mercy for their compatriots.[84] During her lifetime her refusal to convert when offered the hand of Archduke Charles was used to portray her as a strong adherent to Protestantism.[3] For example, John Gay wrote of Caroline in A Letter to A Lady (1714): The pomp of titles easy faith might shake, She scorn'd an empire for religion's sake: For this, on earth, the British crown is giv'n, And an immortal crown decreed in heav'n. She was widely seen by both the public and the court as having great influence over her husband.[85] A satirical verse of the period went:[86] You may strut, dapper George, but 'twill all be in vain, We all know 'tis Queen Caroline, not you, that reign – You govern no more than Don Philip of Spain. Then if you would have us fall down and adore you, Lock up your fat spouse, as your dad did before you. memoirs of the 18th century, particularly those of John, Lord Hervey, fed perceptions that Caroline and Walpole governed her husband. Peter Quennell wrote that Hervey was the "chronicler of this remarkable coalition" and that she was Hervey's "heroine".[87] Using such sources, biographers of the 19th and 20th centuries credit her with aiding the establishment of the House of Hanover in Britain, in the face of Jacobite opposition. R. L. Arkell wrote "by her acumen and geniality, [Caroline] ensured the dynasty's rooting itself in England", and William Henry Wilkins said her "gracious and dignified personality, her lofty ideals and pure life did much to counteract the unpopularity of her husband and father-in-law, and redeem the early Georgian era from utter grossness."[88] Although modern historians tend to believe that Hervey, Wilkins and Arkell have overestimated her importance, it is nevertheless probable that Caroline of Ansbach was one of the most influential consorts in British history.[3] JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOP and THEOLOGIAN (1752) , Commemorated June 16;

England, 1707-1800, Kingdom of Great Britain, united England (including Wales) and Scotland
England, 1707-1800, Kingdom of Great Britain;

England, 1712, New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway
New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway; New York Slave Revolt of 1712 was an uprising in New York City, in the Province of New York, of 23 enslaved Africans. They killed nine whites and injured another six before they were stopped. More than three times that number of black people, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. the early 18th century, New York City had one of the largest enslaved populations of any of the settlements in the Thirteen Colonies. Slavery in the city differed from some of the other colonies because there were no plantations producing cash crops. Slaves worked as domestic servants, artisans, dock workers, and various skilled laborers.[1] Enslaved Africans lived near each other, making communication easy. They also often worked among free black people, a situation that did not exist on most Southern plantations. Slaves in the city could communicate and plan a conspiracy more easily than among those on plantations.[2] the seizure of New Netherland in 1667 and it's incorporation into the Province of New York, the rights of the Free Negro social group were gradually eroded. In 1702, the first of the New York slave codes were passed, which further limited the rights enjoyed by the African community in New York; many of these legal rights, such as the right to own land and marry, were granted during the Dutch colonial period.[3] On December 13, 1711, the New York City Common Council established the city's first slave market near Wall Street for the sale and rental of enslaved Africans and Native Americans.[4][5] the early 1700s, about 20 percent of the population were enslaved black people. The colonial government in New York restricted this group through several measures: requiring slaves to carry a pass if traveling more than a mile (1.6 km) from home; discouraging marriage among them; prohibiting gatherings in groups of more than three persons; and requiring them to sit in separate galleries at church services.[6] group of more than twenty black slaves gathered on the night of April 6, 1712, and set fire to a building on Maiden Lane near Broadway.[2] While the white colonists tried to put out the fire, the enslaved blacks, armed with guns, hatchets, and swords, attacked the whites then ran off. Almost immediately all runaway slaves were captured and returned to their owners.[7] forces arrested seventy blacks and jailed them. Six are reported to have committed suicide. Twenty-seven were put on trial, 21 of whom were convicted and sentenced to death, including one woman with child.[7] Twenty were burned to death and one was executed on a breaking wheel.[8][citation needed] the revolt, the city and colony passed more restrictive laws governing black and Indian slaves. Slaves were not permitted to gather in groups of more than three, they were not permitted to carry firearms, and gambling was outlawed. Crimes of property damage, rape, and conspiracy to kill qualified for the death penalty. Free blacks were still allowed to own land, however. Anthony Portuguese (alternately spelled Portugies),[3] owned land that makes up a portion of present-day Washington Square Park; this continued to be owned by his daughter and grandchildren.[9] colony required slave owners who wanted to free their slaves to pay a tax of £200 per person, then an amount much higher than the cost of a slave. In 1715 Governor Robert Hunter argued in London before the Lords of Trade that manumission and the chance for a slave to inherit part of a master's wealth was important to maintain in New York. He said that this was a proper reward for a slave who had helped a master earn a lifetime's fortune, and that it could keep the slave from descending into despair.[7] ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, Commemoratedd 7 September; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. In that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. In addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. For the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. This benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. As early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. He himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. Neau’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. He succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” Further confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” Neau’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. For some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Yet Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” Not so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” The Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty.

England, 1712-1752, Saint, Joseph Butler, Butler's Analogy
England, 1712-1752, Saint, Joseph Butler, Butler's Analogy; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16;

England, 1714-1727, King of GB, George I, Hanover in HRE, European Wars, o jacobites, parliment
King of Great Britain, 1714-1727, George I ; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13; George Frederick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; ELIE NAUD (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722 ; ELIE NAUD (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722 ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761); George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, 1727-1791, Salina Hastings, Calvinist Methodist Church Builder
England, 1727-1791, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, built Calvanist Methodist Churches; Donnington Hall, Salina Hastings, Calvinist Methodist Church Builder; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

England, 1727-1760, King of GB, George II, Summers in Hanover G, H Succession, little domestic control, war hero
England, King of Great Britain, 1727-1760, George II; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ; George Frederick Handel of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695. Commemorated July 28; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787 ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761); NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, 1729, Holy Club at Christ Church Oxford (The Methodists)
Holy Club at Christ Church Oxford (The Methodists); FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15;

England, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

England, 1755-1774, Major General William Johnson, Husband of Mohawk Molly Bryant
Major General William Johnson, Husband of Molly Bryant, served 1755-1774; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

England, 1760-1820, King of GB and UK, George III, conflicts, his Kingdom, Europe, Colonies, Africa, Asia
England, 1760-1820, King of Great Britain, George III of the United Kingdom; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787 ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE); Francis Ashbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16;

England, 1776, Declaration of Independence, Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House)
England, 1776, Declaration of Independence, Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House); Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House); Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

England, 1779-1836, CHARLES SIMEON, Teacher
England, 1779-1836, CHARLES SIMEON, Teacher; Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) ;

England, 1780, Bampton Lectures, Oxford, new Christian theology
Bampton Lectures; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

England, 1780-1834, William Carey, Baptist Missionary to India
England, 1795, London Missionary Society, Baptist Missionary Society; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834;

England, 1780-1825, Parlimentarian, William Wilberforce, social reformer, abolition of slavery
England, 1780-1825, Parlimentarian, William Wilberforce ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30;

England, 1795-1966, London Missionary Society, Baptist Missionary Society
England, 1795, London Missionary Society, Baptist Missionary Society; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22;

England, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, Q Victria, C Socialism, Smith Wigglesworth, Salvatn Army

England, 1801-1812 , Henry Martyn, Sr Wrangler, Cambridge, Translator, C Simeon, India, Pakistan, Hindi, Persian, Arabic
England, 1801-1812 , Henry Martyn, Senior Wrangler, Cambridge, Translator, Charles Simeon, India, Pakistan, Hindi, Persian, Arabic; Martyn (18 February 1781 - 16 October 1812) was an Anglican priest and missionary to the peoples of India and Persia. Born in Truro, Cornwall, he was educated at Truro Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge.[1] A chance encounter with Charles Simeon led him to become a missionary. He was ordained a priest in the Church of England and became a chaplain for the British East India Company. arrived in India in April 1806, where he preached and occupied himself in the study of linguistics. He translated the whole of the New Testament into Urdu, Persian and Judaeo-Persic. He also translated the Psalms into Persian and the Book of Common Prayer into Urdu. From India, he set out for Bushire, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tabriz. was seized with fever, and, though the plague was raging at Tokat, he was forced to stop there, unable to continue. On 16 October 1812, he died. He was remembered for his courage, selflessness and his religious devotion. In parts of the Anglican Communion he is celebrated with a Lesser Festival on 19 October. Martyn's papers and private letters are held at the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide at Westminster College in Cambridge, England. University of Cambridge; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; Martyn was born in 1781, studied at Cambridge, and became Senior Wrangler. (That is, he won the Cambridge University annual mathematics problem-solving competition, and was accordingly recognized as the University's best undergraduate mathematician. "Wrangling" is a British University expression for solving mathematical problems.) He had, moreover, a considerable facility in languages. Under the encouragement of Charles Simeon (see 12 Nov 1836), he abandoned his intention of going into law and instead went to India as a chaplain in 1806. In the six remaining years of his life, he translated the New Testament into Hindi and Persian, revised an Arabic translation of the New Testament, and translated the Psalter into Persian and the Prayer Book into Hindi. In 1811 he left India for Persia, hoping to do further translations and to improve his existing ones, there and in Arabia. But travel in those days was not a healthy occupation, and he fell ill and eventually died at Tokat on October 16, 1812. (The American Calendar commemorates him on 19 October.) He was buried by the Armenian church there, with the honors ordinarily reserved for one of their own bishops. His diary (vol. 1, vol. 2) has been called "one of the most precious treasures of Anglican devotion." by James Kiefer

England, 1803-1815, Napoleonic Wars
England, 1803-1815, Napoleonic Wars; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

England, 1820-1830,George IV of the United Kingdom, extravagant, regency f 1810, L Liverpool
England, 1820-1830, King of Great Britain, George IV of the United Kingdom; IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as regent during his father's final mental illness. IV was the eldest child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. He led an extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the Regency era. He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and commissioned Sir Jeffry Wyatville to rebuild Windsor Castle. George's charm and culture earned him the title "the first gentleman of England", but his dissolute way of life and poor relationships with his parents and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, earned him the contempt of the people and dimmed the prestige of the monarchy. He excluded Caroline from his coronation and asked the government to introduce the unpopular Pains and Penalties Bill in an unsuccessful attempt to divorce her. presiding over the British Empire's emergence as a global hegemon, George IV's rule was tarnished by scandal and financial extravagance. His ministers found his behaviour selfish, unreliable and irresponsible, and he was strongly influenced by favourites.[1] Taxpayers were angry at his wasteful spending during the Napoleonic Wars. During most of George's regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Liverpool's government presided over Britain's ultimate victory over Napoleon and negotiated a peace settlement with the French. After Liverpool's retirement, George IV was forced to accept Catholic emancipation despite opposing it. His only legitimate child, Princess Charlotte, predeceased him in 1817; on his death, he was succeeded by his younger brother, King William IV. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872);

England, 1820-1882, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation and Plymouth Brethern
Ireland, 1820-1882, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation and Plymouth Brethern; Leap Castle (Barrow River Source); PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

England, 1825-1872, F.D. Maurice, Anglican theologian, Christian Socialism
England, Broads, 1825-1872, F.D. Maurice, Anglican theologian, Christian Socialism; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941);

England, 1830-1837, William IV of the United Kingdom, reforms, child labor, slavery, electoral sys
England, 1830-1837, King of Great Britain, William IV of the United Kingdom ; IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover. served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending time in North America and the Caribbean, and was later nicknamed the "Sailor King".[1][2] 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. In 1827, he was appointed as Britain's first Lord High Admiral since 1709. As his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all of the British Empire, and the British electoral system refashioned by the Reform Act 1832. William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a British prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. He granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution. the time of his death, William had no surviving legitimate children, but he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for twenty years. Late in life, he married and apparently remained faithful to the young princess who would become Queen Adelaide. was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom, and his brother King Ernest Augustus in Hanover. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

England, 1833-1841, Oxford Tracts, Eucharist every Sunday, Sermon at Devine Liturgy
England, 1833-1841, Oxford Tracts, Eucharist every Sunday, Sermon at Devine Liturgy; Tracts for the Times were a series of 90 theological publications, varying in length from a few pages to book-length, produced by members of the English Oxford Movement, an Anglo-Catholic revival group, from 1833 to 1841. were about a dozen authors, including Oxford Movement leaders John Keble, John Henry Newman and Edward Bouverie Pusey, with Newman taking the initiative in the series, and making the largest contribution. the wide distribution associated with the tract form, and a price in pennies, the Tracts succeeded in drawing attention to the views of the Oxford Movement on points of doctrine, but also to its overall approach, to the extent that Tractarian became a synonym for supporter of the movement. Oxford Movement; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; John Henry Newman EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); Other well-known Tractarians included John Keble, Charles Marriott, Richard Hurrell Froude, Robert Wilberforce, Isaac Williams and William Palmer. RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

England, 1833-1841, Oxford Movement, High Church doctrine and discipline
Oxford Movement; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; John Henry Newman EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); Other well-known Tractarians included John Keble, Charles Marriott, Richard Hurrell Froude, Robert Wilberforce, Isaac Williams and William Palmer. RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

England, 1837-1901, Victoria, Queen and King, Victorian Era, expansion, industry, science
England, 1837-1901, King of Great Britain, Queen Victoria ; (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death, in 1901. Known as the Victorian era, her reign of 63 years and seven months was longer than that of any of her predecessors. It was a period of industrial, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. In 1876, Parliament voted her the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (the fourth son of King George III), and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After both the Duke and his father died in 1820, she was raised under close supervision by her mother and her comptroller, John Conroy. She inherited the throne aged 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. Though a constitutional monarch, privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality. Victoria married her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. Their children married into royal and noble families across the continent, earning Victoria the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe" and spreading haemophilia in European royalty. After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism in the United Kingdom temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration. She died on the Isle of Wight in 1901. The last British monarch of the House of Hanover, she was succeeded by her son Edward VII of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, Poet, Commemorated August 7 ; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885); KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII , (28 NOV 1864); JOHN HORDEN, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915 AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated March 12; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922. Commemorated April 5; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET, 1894, Commemorated April 27 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ;

England, 1838, Christian Socialists Movement (CSM), F.D. Maurice
England, 1838, Christian Socialists Movement (CSM), F.D. Maurice; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872);

England, 1840-1910, Florence Nightingale, Nurse, N school, medical knowledge, hunger relief, infographics
England, 1840-1910, Florence Nightingale, Nurse; Nightingale, OM, RRC, DStJ (12 May 1820 - 13 August 1910) was a British social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople.[3] She gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.[4][5] commentators have asserted that Nightingale's Crimean War achievements were exaggerated by the media at the time, but critics agree on the importance of her later work in professionalising nursing roles for women.[6] 1860, she laid the foundation of professional nursing with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas' Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the world, and is now part of King's College London.[7] In recognition of her pioneering work in nursing, the Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses, and the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, were named in her honour, and the annual International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday. Her social reforms included improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating better hunger relief in India, helping to abolish prostitution laws that were harsh for women, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce. was a prodigious and versatile writer. In her lifetime, much of her published work was concerned with spreading medical knowledge. Some of her tracts were written in simple English so that they could easily be understood by those with poor literary skills. She was also a pioneer in data visualization with the use of infographics, effectively using graphical presentations of statistical data.[6] Much of her writing, including her extensive work on religion and mysticism, has only been published posthumously. Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); commemoration of Florence Nightingale is controversial. On the one hand, she doubted or denied many of the central articles of the Creed. On the other hand, she believed in God and devoted her life to His service as she understood it. was born in Florence on 12 May 1820 of upper-class English parents travelling through Italy, and named for her native city. ("Florence" was not an accepted first name at the time. Her sister was born in Naples and named "Parthenope," the Greek name for that city.) Florence was reared in the Unitarian Church, but later joined the Church of England. her diary, an entry shortly before her seventeenth birthday reads: "On February 7th, 1837, God spoke to me and called me to his service." She did not know what the service would be, and therefore decided that she must remain single, so as to have no encumbrances and be ready for anything. With this in mind, she rejected a proposal of marriage from a young man whom she dearly loved. She suffered from "trances" or "dreaming" spells, in which she would lose consciousness for several minutes or longer, and be unaware when she recovered that time had passed. (Could this be a form of petit mal epilepsy? No biographer of hers that I have read uses the word.) She found the knowledge that she was subject to such spells terrifying, and feared that they meant that she was unworthy of her calling, particularly since she did not hear the voice of God again for many years. In the spring of 1844 she came to believe that her calling was to nurse the sick. In 1850 her family sent her on a tour of Egypt for her health. Some extracts from her diary follow: 7. God called me in the morning and asked me would I do good for Him, for Him alone without the reputation. 9. During half an hour I had by myself in my cabin, settled the question with God. 1. Not able to go out but wished God to have it all His own way. I like Him to do exactly as He likes without even telling me the reason. 12. Today I am thirty--the age Christ began his mission. no more childish things. No more love. No more marriage. Now Lord let me think only of Thy Will, what Thou willest me to do. Oh Lord Thy Will, Thy Will. June 10. The Lord spoke to me; he said, Give five minutes every hour to the thought of Me. Coudst thou but love Me as Lizzie loves her husband, how happy wouldst thou be." But Lizzie does not give five minutes every hour to the thought of her husband, she thinks of him every minute, spontaneously. decided that she must train to be a nurse. Her family was horrified. In her day, nursing was done mostly by disabled army veterans or by women with no other means of support. It was common for nurses of either sex to be drunk on the job most of the time, and they had no training at all. It was common practice never to wash or change the sheets on a bed, not even when a patient died and his bed was given to a new patient. Florence was told to go to Kaiserswerth, Germany, to learn and train with the Lutheran order of Deaconesses who were running a hospital there. Back in England again, she used the influence of Sidney Herbert, a family friend and Member of Parliament, to be appointed supervisor of a sanatorium in London. Under her able guidance, it turned from a chamber of horrors into a model hospital. The innovations introduced by Miss Nightingale were, for their day, little short of revolutionary. She demanded, and got, a system of dumb-waiters that enabled food to be sent directly to every floor, so that nurses did not exhaust themselves carrying trays up numerous flights of stairs. She also invented and had installed a system of call bells by which a patient could ring from his bed and the bell would sound in the corridor, with a valve attached to the bell which opened when the bell rang, and remained open so that the nurse could see who had rung. "Without a system of this kind," she wrote, "a nurse is converted to a pair of legs." working in the poorer districts of London, Miss Nightingale encountered a Roman Catholic priest, Henry Edward Manning (later Cardinal Manning), who was working among the poor of London. She was impressed by the assistance he gave to many who had nowhere else to turn, and they became friends for life. She was greatly attracted by Roman Catholicism, but rejected much of its theology, and so reluctantly decided against joining it. Nightingale attending patientsThen war broke out in the Crimea (in Russia, on the north edge of the Black Sea), and Sir Sidney Herbert, now Secretary of War, obtained permission for Florence to lead a group of 38 nurses there. Of these, 10 were Roman Catholic nuns, 14 were Anglican nuns, and the remaining 14 were "of no particular religion, unless one counts the worship of Bacchus." They found conditions appalling. Blankets were rotting in warehouses while the men did without, because no one had issued the proper forms for their distribution. The lavatories in the hospitals had no running water, and the latrines were tubs to be emptied by hand. But no one emptied them, since official regulations did not specify which department was responsible for doing so. The result was that the hospital had a foul stench that could be smelled for some distance outside its walls. Far more men were dying in hospitals of infection than of wounds. The chief concern of many of the Army doctors was that the nurses might usurp some of their authority. Florence gradually managed to win the doctors and other authorities over, and to reform hospital procedures, with spectacular results. Once the medical situation had ceased to be an acute problem, she turned her attention to other aspects of the soldiers' welfare. For example, most of them squandered all their pay on drink. She noted that there was no trustworthy way for them to send money home to their families, and she set up facilities for them to do so. First, she undertook to send money home herself for any soldier in the hospital that wanted it sent, and the soldiers brought in about 1000 pounds a month. She asked the authorities to set up an official service to do this, and they refused. By appealing to Queen Victoria herself, she overcame opposition to the idea, and the men sent home 71,000 pounds sterling in less than six months. She established with her own money a reading-room with tables for writing letters, and the men used it enthusiastically. She imported four schoolmasters to give lectures, and the halls were filled to overflowing. All this was done despite opposition from officers who said, "The men are hopeless brutes. You cannot expect anything from them." night, she would often patrol the wards, carrying a dim lamp, to make sure that all was well and no one was in need of help. She became famous as "the Lady with the Lamp." Nightingale, "The lady with the lamp"In April 1856 the war was over, and by mid-July the hospital was emptied and her work in Crimea over. She returned to England a national hero, with a great welcome prepared for her; but she slipped into the country unnoticed and went to a convent that had supplied some of her nurses. There, she spent the day in prayer before coming out to face the public and beginning to lobby Parliament for suitable legislation. She wrote pamphlet after pamphlet, pointing out by pie charts, for example, that the major cause of deaths in the Army was not wounds caused by enemy action but disease caused by lack of proper sanitation. She is perhaps the first person to use pie charts and similar graphic devices to convey statistical information. She obtained the formation of an Army Medical Staff Corps and a Sanitary Commission to oversee military health conditions. these efforts, she relied on the help of Sidney Herbert, insisting that he must work hard and long to get the legislation she needed through Parliament. When he protested that she was asking too much, she would not listen. His health broke, and he died in August 1861. Florence prayed God to raise him from the dead, explaining that she needed him for the job. When God failed to comply, her faith was badly shaken. She wrote a book called, Suggestions for Thought: An Address to the Artisans of England, in which she explained that God was less of a Person and more of a Cosmic Force than is generally supposed by Christians. (But note that she was working on this book before Sir Sidney died, and one cannot call it simply a response to his death.) Advance copies were given to a few friends, such as John Stuart Mill, who praised it highly. However, it was never published (I have not seen it, and neither the Library of Congress nor the National library of Medicine has a copy, nor any other library in the United States that I have been able to learn of), since Florence kept revising it -- arguably, because her beliefs on the nature of God were simply not internally consistent. Eventually, it seems, God spoke to her again and said, "You are here to carry out my program. I am not here to carry out yours." She wrote in her diary, "I must remember that God is not my private secretary." his death, Sir Sidney had gotten her involved in Indian affairs. She served on the Indian Sanitary Commission. In May 1859, she decided that there were insufficient data available in England on conditions in the Indian Army, and she wrote to 200 military stations there, asking for copies of all regulations and all documents relating to the health and sanitary administration of the army. The reports that came back filled two vans. She read them all and summarized them for the Report of the Commission. Her conclusion was that the death toll from disease in the Indian Army was appallingly high (69 out of 1000 annually), and that this was largely due, not to the climate, but to lack of sanitation, and that preventive measures included sanitation not just for army posts but for neighboring villages and, in the long run, for all of India. was a friend of General Charles George Gordon, who captured the British imagination when he and his troops were beseiged at Khartoum in the Sudan, and finally captured and killed. After his death, Florence wrote to a friend that suffering, disappointment, and lack of success are the tribute which it is the soul's greatest privilege to present to God. In Gordon's death, she wrote, we see "the triumph of failure, the triumph of the Cross. With him, all is well." met the scholar Benjamin Jowett, who was translating Plato into English. They became fast friends, and she contributed to the translation. She also began an anthology of mystical writings, called "Notes from Devotional Authors of the Middle Ages, Collected, Chosen, and Freely Translated by Florence Nightingale." It was her contention that mystical prayer is not just for monks and nuns, but should form a part of the every-day life of ordinary persons. the strain of ceaseless overwork, her own health broke, and she was an invalid for the latter half of her life. On Christmas Day when she was sixty-five, she wrote: "Today, O Lord, let me dedicate this crumbling old woman to thee. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. I was thy handmaid as a girl. Since then, I have backslid." She wrote a manual called Notes for Nurses, and a set of instructions for the matron in charge of training nurses, emphasizing the importance for a nurse of a schedule of daily prayer. A few years before her death, she was the first woman to receive the Order of Merit from the British government. She died at ninety, and, by her directions, her tombstone read simply, "F.N. 1820-1910". Nightingale died on 13 August 1910, and is commemorated on this day on the Lutheran Calendar. The Episcopal calendar commemorates Jeremy Taylor on 13 August, and accordingly has shifted the commemoration of Nightingale to 18 May. I am not sure of the significance of this date, but it is the date (or nearly) of the opening of the Nightingale Training School for Nurses in 1860. [Note: the current date in the Episcopal Church for her commemoration is 12 Aug.] by James Kiefer

England, 1840, World Antislavery Convention, Exeter Hall, London
World Antislavery Convention, Exeter Hall, London, 1840 (Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Honeymoon); Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. Anti-Slavery Convention Mott on their honeymoon in England in 1840, the Stantons attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. Elizabeth was appalled by the convention's male delegates, who voted to prevent women from participating even if they had been appointed as delegates of their respective abolitionist societies. The men required the women to sit in a separate section, hidden by curtains from the convention's proceedings. William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent American abolitionist and supporter of women's rights who arrived after the vote had been taken, refused to sit with the men and sat with the women instead.[26] Mott, a Quaker minister, abolitionist and women's rights advocate, was one of the women who had been sent as a delegate. Although Mott was much older than Stanton, they quickly bonded in an enduring friendship, with Stanton eagerly learning from the more experienced activist. While in London, Stanton heard Mott preach in a Unitarian chapel, the first time Stanton had heard a woman give a sermon or even speak in public.[27] Stanton later gave credit to this convention for focusing her interests on women's rights.[28]

England, 1847-1871, John C Patteson, Melanesia, Polynesia, L 23 languages, f school, d ended slave trade there
England, 1847-1871, John Coleridge Patteson, Bishop, Melanesia; Balliol College, Oxford; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; Coleridge Patteson was born in London in 1827. attended Balliol College, Oxford, and graduated in 1849. a tour of Europe and a study of languages, he became a fellow of Merton College, Oxford, in 1852. 1855, he heard Bishop George Selwyn of New Zealand (see 11 Apr.) call for volunteers to go the South Pacific to preach the Gospel. He went there, and founded a school for the education of native Christian workers. He was adept at languages, and learned twenty-three of the languages spoken in the Polynesian and Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific. In 1861 he was consecrated Bishop of Melanesia. The slave-trade was technically illegal in the South Pacific at that time, but the laws were only laxly enforced and in fact slave-raiding was a flourishing business. Patteson was actively engaged in the effort to stamp it out. However, injured men do not always distinguish friends from foes. After slave-raiders had attacked the island of Nakapu, in the Santa Cruz group, Patteson and several companions visited the area. They were assumed to be connected with the raiders, and Patteson's body was floated back to his ship with five hatchet wounds in the chest, one for each native who had been killed in the earlier raid. The death of Bishop Patteson caused an uproar back in England, and stimulated the government there to take firm measures to stamp out slavery and the slave trade in its Pacific territories. It was also the seed of a strong and vigorous Church in Melanesia today. Patteson and his companions died on 20 September 1871. by James Kiefer

England, 1849-1912, William Boothe, Founder Salvation Army
England, 1849-1912, William Boothe, Founder Salvation Army; PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

England, 1852, William Palmer, Theologian, Orthodox communion
English Theologian, 1852, William Palmer, Orthodox communion; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

England, 1859, Charles Darwin and his book On the Origin of Species, Theory of Evolution
England, 1859, Charles Darwin and his book On the Origin of Species;

England, 1865, Salvation Army, Blind Beggar Tavern, London
Salvation Army, 1865, Blind Beggar Tavern, London; Salvation Army, 1865, Blind Beggar Tavern, London; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

England, 1866, Cowley, Oxfordshire, Society of St. John the Evangelist, Anglican monasteries
Society of St. John the Evangelist; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

England, 1867-1942, WILSON CARLILE, THE CHURCH ARMY
England, 1867-1942, WILSON CARLILE, THE CHURCH ARMY; WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942.;

England, 1867, First Lambeth Conference, Anglican, expressing mind of communion on issues of day
England, 1937, Lambeth Conference of 1937; Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. the Anglican Communion is an international association of autonomous national and regional churches and is not a governing body, the Lambeth Conferences serve a collaborative and consultative function, expressing "the mind of the communion" on issues of the day.[1] which a Lambeth Conference may pass are without legal effect, but they are nonetheless influential. So, although the resolutions of conferences carry no legislative authority, they "do carry great moral and spiritual authority."[This quote needs a citation] "Its statements on social issues have influenced church policy in the churches."[2] conferences form one of the communion's four "Instruments of Communion".[3] Lambeth; Lambeth Convention; PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

England, 1867-1885, James Hannington and Martyrs of Uganda, East Africa
Uganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; the new nations of Africa, Uganda is the most predominantly Christian. Mission work began there in the 1870's with the favor of King Mutesa, who died in 1884. However, his son and successor, King Mwanga, opposed all foreign presence, including the missions. Hannington, born 1847, was sent out from England in 1884 by the Anglican Church as missionary Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa. As he was travelling toward Uganda, he was apprehended by emissaries of King Mwanga. He and his companions were brutally treated and, a week later, 29 October 1885, most of them were put to death. Hannington's last words were: "Go tell your master that I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood." first native martyr was the Roman Catholic Joseph Mkasa Balikuddembe, who was beheaded after having rebuked the king for his debauchery and for the murder of Bishop Hannington. On 3 June 1886, a group of 32 men and boys, 22 Roman Catholic and 10 Anglican, were burned at the stake. Most of them were young pages in Mwanga's household, from their head-man, Charles Lwanga, to the thirteen-year-old Kizito, who went to his death "laughing and chattering." These and many other Ugandan Christians suffered for their faith then and in the next few years. 1977, the Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum and many other Christians suffered death for their faith under the tyrant Idi Amin. largely to their common heritage of suffering for their Master, Christians of various communions in Uganda have always been on excellent terms. by James Kiefer JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886) ;

England, 1877, Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORIN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

England, 1879-1947, Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT
England, 1879-1947, Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT; Menston, Yorkshire, birthplace of Smith Wigglesworth; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

England, 1882, Church Army, St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums
England, 1882, Church Army, St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums; WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, 1889, Christian Social Union (UK) 1889 at Oxford
Christian Social Union (UK) 1889 at Oxford; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940. Commemorated February 12;

England, 1894-1936, G K Chesterton, Writer and Apologist in defense of Roman Catholicism
England, 1894-1936, G K Chesterton, Writer and Apologist in defense of Roman Catholicism; Keith Chesterton KC*SG (29 May 1874 - 14 June 1936) was an English writer,[2] philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox".[3] Time magazine observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out."[4] created the fictional priest-detective Father Brown,[5] and wrote on apologetics. Even some of those who disagree with him have recognised the wide appeal of such works as Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man.[4][6] Chesterton routinely referred to himself as an "orthodox" Christian, and came to identify this position more and more with Catholicism, eventually converting to Catholicism from High Church Anglicanism. Biographers have identified him as a successor to such Victorian authors as Matthew Arnold, Thomas Carlyle, John Henry Newman, and John Ruskin.[7] On his contributions, T. S. Eliot wrote: was importantly and consistently on the side of the angels. Behind the Johnsonian fancy-dress, so reassuring to the British public, he concealed the most serious and revolutionary designs—concealing them by exposure ... Chesterton's social and economic ideas...were fundamentally Christian and Catholic. He did more, I think, than any man of his time—and was able to do more than anyone else, because of his particular background, development and abilities as a public performer—to maintain the existence of the important minority in the modern world. He leaves behind a permanent claim upon our loyalty, to see that the work that he did in his time is continued in ours.[8] GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12; Keith Chesterton was born in London in 1874. He became a well-known writer and lecturer. He was officially received into the Roman Catholic Church in 1922, but had been writing from a Romanist point of view for a long time before that. Some of his writing is specifically Roman Catholic, and (in my judgement) he sometimes attacks Protestant positions without troubling to understand them. However, much of his writing is "generic Christian," and is read with profit and delight by many theologically well-informed Protestant readers. If you are a Protestant, you will have to read him with your mind in gear, but then you have no business to read anything whatsoever with your mind out of gear.

England, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, Oxford Group, World Wars I and II, Queen Elizabeth

England, 1901-1944, WILLIAM TEMPLE, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dialectic, Socialist, Progressive, Ecumenical Movement
England, 1900-1944, WILLIAM TEMPLE, Archbishop of Canterbury; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944; admirers have called him "a philosopher, theologian, social teacher, educational reformer, and the leader of the ecumenical movement of his generation," "the most significant Anglican churchman of the twentieth century," "the most renowned Primate in the Church of England since the English Reformation," "Anglican's most creative and comprehensive contribution to the theological enterprise of the West." of his biographers lists him (along with Richard Hooker, Joseph Butler, and Frederick Denison Maurice) as one of the Four Great Doctors of the (post-Reformation) Anglican Communion. Knox, in a satiric poem, described him thus: A man so broad, to some he seem'd to be Not one, but all Mankind in Effigy. Who, brisk in Term, a Whirlwind in the Long, Did everything by turns, and nothing wrong. Bill'd at each Lecture-Hall from Thames to Tyne, As Thinker, Usher, Statesman, or Divine. George Bernard Shaw called him, "a realized impossibility." Who was this remarkable person? Temple, 98th Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in 1881, the second son of Frederick Temple (born 1821, priest 1847, headmaster of Rugby 1857, Bishop of Exeter 1869, Bishop of London 1884, Archbishop of Canterbury 1897, died 1902). At the age of two, he had the first attack of the gout that would be with him throughout life and eventually kill him. His eyesight was bad, and a cataract, present from infancy, left him completely blind in the right eye when he was 40. However, he was an avid reader, with a near-photographic memory, and once he had read a book, it was his. He was a passionate lover of the music of Bach. In literature, his special enthusiasms were poetry (Browning and Shelley), drama (the Greeks and Shakespeare), and a few novels, especially The Brothers Karamazov. He believed that theological ideas were often explored most effectively by writers who were not explicitly writing theology. was at Oxford (Balliol) from 1900 to 1904, and was president of the Oxford Union (the debating society of the University). Here he developed a remarkable ability to sum up an issue, expressing the pros and cons so clearly and fairly that the original opponents often ended up agreeing with each other. This ability served him in good stead later when he moderated conferences on theological and social issues. However, it was not just a useful talent for settling disputes. It was, or developed into, an important part of his philosophy, a belief in Dialectic, derived from Hegel and from Plato. He thought that beliefs and ideas reach their full maturity through their response to opposing ideas. 1906, he applied for ordination, but the Bishop of Oxford would not ordain him because he admitted that his belief in the Virgin Birth and the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus was shaky. However, Davidson, the Archbishop of Canterbury, after a careful examination, decided that Temple's thought was developing in a direction that would inevitably bring him into an orthodox position, and decided to take a chance on ordaining him (deacon 1909, priest 1910). He may be said to have won his bet, in that by 1913 Temple had indeed committed himself fully to the orthodox position, and could write: "I believe in the Virgin Birth...it wonderfully holds before the imagination the truth of Our Lord's Deity and so I am glad that it is in the Creed. Similarly I believe in our Lord's Bodily Resurrection." 1908 he became president of the Workers' Educational Association (founded by Frederick Denison Maurice), and in 1918 joined the British Labour Party, and worked actively for the implementing of its platform. He also became vigorously involved in movements for Christian co-operation and unity, in missions, in the British Council of Churches, in the World Council of Churches, in the Church of South India (a merger of Anglican, Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches into a single church, with provisions for safeguarding what each group thought essential). 1916 he married Frances Anson, and the night before the wedding he stayed up late to finish writing his first major theological treatise, Mens Creatrix (the Creative Mind). Eight years later he published a companion volume, expanding and clarifying the ideas of the first, called Christus Veritas (Christ the Truth). In 1921 he was made Bishop of Manchester, a heavily industrial city. In 1926 Britain experienced what was known as the General Strike, in which most workmen in all trades and industries went on strike, not against their particular employers, but against the social and economic policies of the country as a whole. In Manchester this meant primarily a coal stoppage. Temple worked extensively to mediate between the parties, and helped to bring about a settlement that both sides regarded as basically fair. excelled, it would seem, not as a scholar, but as a moderator, and above all as a teacher and preacher. In 1931, at the end of the Oxford Mission (what is known in many Protestant circles as a Revival Meeting), he led a congregation in the University Church, St Mary the Virgin, in the singing of the hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Just before the last stanza, he stopped them and asked them to read the words to themselves. "Now," he said, if you mean them with all your heart, sing them as loud as you can. If you don't mean them at all, keep silent. If you mean them even a little and want to mean them more, sing them very softly." The organ played, and two thousand voices whispered: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. many who participated, it was a never-forgotten experience. became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1942, when a German invasion seemed likely. He worked for the relief of Jewish refugees from Naziism, and publicly supported a negotiated peace, as opposed to the unconditional surrender that the Allied leaders were demanding. gout worsened. His last public appearance was at a clergy retreat (a time spent in a secluded place, with silence, prayer, meditation, reading, and listening to sermons), where he was taken by ambulance and spoke standing on his one good foot. He died on 26 October 1944. current issue of Books in Print (American) shows the following works available by him. in St. John's Gospel, 1985, Morehouse Pub, 391 pp, paper, LC 84-62374, ISBN 0-8192-1360-8 (a bargain! Highly recommended) [currently out of print but should be avilable used] of a New World, ISBN 0-8369-1778-2 Faith and Life, Morehouse, 150pp, pap, ISBN 0-8192-1631-3 (originally delivered as the Oxford Mission addresses, first published in 1931 from shorthand notes of the addresses) [currently out of print but should be avilable used] Man, and God (the Gifford Lectures 1932-33). Ams Press. (The Gifford Lectures are an endowed annual series of lectures on Natural Theology--that is, the lecturer is to take his evidence from the observed facts of nature and not ask his listeners to accept the genuineness of any particular revelation to Moses or David or Mohammed or.... The series is prestigious. William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience and Edwyn Bevan's Symbolism and Belief were both originally Gifford's Lectures.) Works in 4 Volumes. (out of print) Other works of his, not listed as being in print, but presumably included in the Works mentioned above (although the title does not explicitly say Complete Works), include the following: Christus Veritas: An Essay, London, Macmillan, 1924. [currently out of print but should be available used] Mens Creatrix: An Essay, London, Macmillan, 1917. Christianity and the Social Order, New York, Penguin Books, 1942. by James Kiefer

England, 1901-1910, King of Great Britain, Edward VII, military modernization, peacemaker, socialism
England, 1901-1910, King of Great Britain, Edward VII ; VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and nicknamed Bertie, Edward was related to royalty throughout Europe. He was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne for almost 60 years. During the long reign of his mother, he was largely excluded from political power, and came to personify the fashionable, leisured elite. He travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial public duties, and represented Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and the Indian subcontinent in 1875 were popular successes, but, despite public approval, his reputation as a playboy prince soured his relationship with his mother. king, Edward played a role in the modernisation of the British Home Fleet and the reorganisation of the British Army after the Second Boer War. He reinstituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised. He fostered good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially France, for which he was popularly called Peacemaker, but his relationship with his nephew, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, was poor. The Edwardian era, which covered Edward's reign and was named after him, coincided with the start of a new century and heralded significant changes in technology and society, including steam turbine propulsion and the rise of socialism. He died in 1910 in the midst of a constitutional crisis that was resolved the following year by the Parliament Act 1911, which restricted the power of the unelected House of Lords. CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915 AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940. Commemorated February 12 ; Woodbine Willie aka GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated March 12; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922. Commemorated April 5; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ; EVELYN UNDERHILL, THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC (15 JUNE 1941);

England, 1904-1905, Welsh Revival, Swansea, Wales
Wales, 1904-1905, Welsh Revival, Swansea, Wales ; 1904-1905 Welsh Revival; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

England, 1910-1936, GB King, George V, socialism, communism, fascism, Irish Republicism, Indian Indepence
England, 1910-1936, King of Great Britain, George V; V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. during the reign of his grandmother Queen Victoria, George was third in the line of succession behind his father, Prince Albert Edward, and his own elder brother, Prince Albert Victor. From 1877 to 1892, George served in the Royal Navy, until the unexpected death of his elder brother in early 1892 put him directly in line for the throne. On the death of Victoria in 1901, George's father ascended the throne as Edward VII, and George was created Prince of Wales. He became king-emperor on his father's death in 1910. V's reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, and the Indian independence movement, all of which radically changed the political landscape of the British Empire. The Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. As a result of the First World War (1914–1918), the empires of his first cousins Nicholas II of Russia and Wilhelm II of Germany fell, while the British Empire expanded to its greatest effective extent. In 1917, George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, which he renamed from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as a result of anti-German public sentiment. 1924 he appointed the first Labour ministry and in 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognised the dominions of the Empire as separate, independent states within the British Commonwealth of Nations. He had smoking-related health problems throughout much of his later reign and at his death was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII. GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915 AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; Woodbine Willie aka GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated March 12; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922. Commemorated April 5; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ; EVELYN UNDERHILL, THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC (15 JUNE 1941);

England, 1921, Oxford Group, First Century Christian Fellowship
England, 1921, Oxford Group, First Century Christian Fellowship Keswick, England ; Keswik, England, home of the Oxford Group; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

England, 1936-1952, King of Great Britain, George VI, WWII, Empire decline after the war
England, 1936-1952, King of Great Britain, George VI; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND "ÂœFRIEND OF THE POOR"Â IN INDIA, 1940. Commemorated February 12 ; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); ERIC LIDDELL, MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated March 12; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945; EVELYN UNDERHILL, THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC (15 JUNE 1941);

England, 1937, Lambeth Conference of 1937 (1930?) remarrige, contraception, abortion, war, Orthodox unity, women deacons
England, 1937, Lambeth Conference of 1937; Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. the Anglican Communion is an international association of autonomous national and regional churches and is not a governing body, the Lambeth Conferences serve a collaborative and consultative function, expressing "the mind of the communion" on issues of the day.[1] which a Lambeth Conference may pass are without legal effect, but they are nonetheless influential. So, although the resolutions of conferences carry no legislative authority, they "do carry great moral and spiritual authority."[This quote needs a citation] "Its statements on social issues have influenced church policy in the churches."[2] conferences form one of the communion's four "Instruments of Communion".[3] 1930[edit] Presided over by: Cosmo Gordon Lang[10] 308 bishops attended.[a] had been ill prior to the Conference and had to rest the month of June to be in shape to preside over the Conference. Lang said that he weathered the five weeks without "illness" or "undue fatigue"[23] conference opened with a "day of devotion" at Fulham Palace, the residence of the Bishop of London. Holy Communion was celebrated at 8:30 am with an address by 86-year-old Edward Talbot, retired Bishop of Winchester.[19] conference's "manner of deliberations" followed the pattern used in earlier conferences. six subjects (see the list of subjects in the Resolutions section below) proposed for consideration were brought before sessions of the whole Conference for six days, from July 7 to July 12. subjects were all referred to committees. The work of the committees was aided by the essays and papers that had been prepared for them in advance. After their two-weeks of deliberations, the committees presented their reports and resolutions to the whole conference from July 28 to August 9.[24] resolutions passed The subjects on which resolutions were passed at the Conference are the following:[25] I. the Christian Doctrine of God II. the Life and Witness of the Christian Community III. the Unity of the Church IV. the Anglican Communion V. the Ministry of the Church VI. Youth and Its Vocation Sampling of Resolutions by subject The Conference adopted seventy-five Resolutions. They can all be seen at Anglican Communion Document Library: 1930 Conference. I. Christian Doctrine of God: Resolutions 1-8 Resolution 2 expressed an "urgent need in the face of many erroneous conceptions for a fresh presentation of the Christian doctrine of God". Resolution 3 admonished "Christian people" to banish "from their minds the ideas concerning the character of God which are inconsistent with the character of Jesus Christ." II. Life and Witness of the Christian Community (1) Marriage and Sex: Resolutions 9-20 Resolution 11 recommended that "the marriage of one, whose former partner is still living, should not be celebrated according to the rites of the Church," and when "an innocent person has remarried under civil sanction and desires to receive the Holy Communion," the case should be referred to the bishop. Resolution 15 allowed "in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in the light of the same Christian principles." The vote for this Resolution was 193 for it, 67 against it, and 47 not voting. This was the only Resolution for which a record of the numbers voting was required.[25] The London Times of June 30, 1930, predicted that the Lambeth Conference would change the "social and moral life" of humanity. This was done by the Conference's Resolution 15 in which in contradiction to earlier Resolutions (1908 Resolution 41 and 1920 Resolution 66) allowed the use of contraception in marriage.[26] Walter Carey, Bishop of Bloemfontein, withdrew from the Conference in protest and even sent a petition to the King on the subject.[27] Resolution 16 expressed "abhorrence of the sinful practice of abortion." Resolution 18 reckoned "sexual intercourse between persons who are not legally married" to be "a grievous sin." (2) Race: Resolutions 21-24 Resolution 22 affirmed the Conference's "conviction that all communicants without distinction of race or colour should have access in any church to the Holy Table of the Lord, and that no one should be excluded from worship in any church on account of colour or race." (3) Peace and War: Resolutions 25-30 Resolution 25 affirmed that "war as a method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of our Lord Jesus Christ." Resolution 26 noted with approval the work of the League of Nations. III. Unity of the Church: Resolutions 31-47 "The Conference encouraged the Unity of the Church in all parts of the world."[citation needed] It was primarily concerned (1) with the relations of the Churches of the Anglican Communion to the Orthodox Churches of the East, and (2) with the Proposed Scheme of Union in South India, and (3) with the problems arising in Special Areas.[25] Various Churches sent delegations to consult with the Conference, notably the Old Catholics.[25] Resolution 31 recorded, "with deep thanks to Almighty God, the signs of a growing movement towards Christian unity in all parts of the world since the issue of the "Appeal to All Christian People" by the Lambeth Conference in 1920 and reaffirmed "the principles contained in it and in the Resolutions dealing with reunion adopted by that Conference." Resolution 47 applied the call for Unity of the Church to the Anglican Communion by calling on its members "to promote the cause of union by fostering and deepening in all possible ways the fellowship of the Anglican Communion itself." IV. Anglican Communion: Resolutions 48-60 Resolution 49 approved a statement of the "nature and status of the Anglican Communion," namely that "the Anglican Communion is a fellowship, within the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, of those duly constituted dioceses, provinces or regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury," which have three things in common: (a) "they uphold and propagate the Catholic and Apostolic faith and order as they are generally set forth in the Book of Common Prayer as authorised in their several Churches" (b) "they are particular or national Churches, and, as such, promote within each of their territories a national expression of Christian faith, life and worship" (c) they are bound together "by mutual loyalty sustained through the common counsel of the bishops in conference." This Resolution was a Lambeth Conference's first attempts at defining the Anglican Communion.[28] Resolution 50 reaffirmed Resolution 44 of the Lambeth Conference of 1920, "that the Consultative Body is of the nature of a continuation committee of the Lambeth Conference, and neither possesses nor claims any executive or administrative power" and added further directions for its operation. V. Ministry of the Church: Resolutions 61-74 (1) The Ministry of Women: Resolutions 61-72 Resolution 66 stressed the "great importance of offering to women of ability and education" a role in directing "the work of the Church." Resolution 67 reaffirmed the 1920 Conference that "the order of deaconess is for women the one and only order of the ministry which we can recommend our branch of the Catholic Church to recognise and use." The 1920 Lambeth Conference had acknowledged that the Church had "undervalued and neglected the gifts of women." Nevertheless, it still held to the "differences between women and men" and said that deaconess was the "only Order of the Ministry" with Apostolic approval. The 1930 Lambeth Conference again rejected any parity of deaconesses with deacons because a deaconess was "outside the historic Orders of the ministry."[29] Resolution 70 allowed bishops, "on the request of the parish priest" to entrust specific functions to deaconesses, namely, "a. to assist the minister in the preparation of candidates for baptism and for confirmation; b. to assist at the administration of Holy Baptism by virtue of her office; c. to baptize in church, and to officiate at the Churching of Women; d. in church to read Morning and Evening Prayer and the Litany, except such portions as are reserved to the priest, and to lead in prayer; with the license of the bishop, to instruct and preach, except in the service of Holy Communion." (2) Religious Communities: Resolution 74 Resolution 74 recognized "the growth of religious communities both of men and women in the Anglican Communion and the contribution which they have made." Cost of the Conference Traditionally the Archbishop of Canterbury bore the cost of a Lambeth Conference. For the 1930 Conference, the British Church Assembly provided £2,000. toward the cost. However, this was only a fraction of the total cost. One item, providing lunch and afternoon tea every day for five weeks, cost £1,400.[30] 1948[edit] Presided over by: Geoffrey Fisher 349 bishops attend that the ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi "would be against the tradition and order...of the Anglican Communion" and dismissed the need for further examination of women's ordination. full communion between the Anglican and Old Catholic churches. that "discrimination between men on the grounds of race alone is inconsistent with the principles of Christ's religion". 1958[edit] Presided over by: Geoffrey Fisher 310 bishops attend for respect for the "consciences" of married couples who use birth control. considering the renewal of the permanent diaconate. 1968[edit] was the first conference not to take place in Lambeth Palace. This was because of the increase in the number of bishops attending, as well as the presence of almost 100 observers and consultants. Meetings were instead held at Church House, Westminster although the bishops, with their spouses, were invited to dinner at Lambeth by rotation. over by Michael Ramsey who famously dozed off during at least one debate. bishops attended the ordination of women to the diaconate and the recognition of previously-appointed "deaconesses" as deacons. the arguments for and against women in the priesthood "inconclusive". that assent to the Thirty-Nine Articles no longer be required of clergy. open communion. 1978[edit] Presided over by Donald Coggan 440 bishops attended.[31] conference "recognised the autonomy of each of its member churches...legal right of each Church to make its own decision" about women priests. It also denounced the use of capital punishment and called for a common lectionary. was the first conference to be held on the campus of the University of Kent at Canterbury where every subsequent conference has been held.[32] 1978 Conference included forty assistant bishops.[33] 1988[edit] Presided over by Robert Runcie 518 bishops present conference dealt with the question of the inter-relations of Anglican international bodies and issues such as marriage and family, human rights, poverty and debt, environment, militarism, justice and peace. Women's ordination to the priesthood was also a major topic of discussion. Archbishop Michael Peers, Bishop Graham Leonard, Bishop Samir Kafity, and the Reverend Nan Arrington Peete spoke to the assembly on the topic.[34][35] Peete, who was ordained in the Episcopal Church USA, was the first female priest to speak at the Lambeth Conference.[36] The conference decided that "each province respect the decision of other provinces in the ordination or consecration of women to the episcopate." previous Lambeth Conferences, only bishops were invited to attend, but all members of the Anglican Consultative Council and representative bishops from the "Churches in Communion" (i.e. the Churches of Bangladesh, North and South India and Pakistan) were invited to attend.[37] 1998[edit] Presided over by: George Carey 749 bishops present including, for the first time, eleven of them women most hotly debated issue at this conference was homosexuality in the Anglican Communion. was finally decided, by a vote of 526–70, to pass a resolution (1.10) calling for a "listening process" but stating (in an amendment passed by a vote of 389–190)[38] that "homosexual practice" (not necessarily orientation) is "incompatible with Scripture".[39] subsequent public apology was issued to gay and lesbian Anglicans in a "Pastoral Statement" from 182 bishops worldwide, including eight primates (those of Brazil, Canada, Central Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales),[40] and an attempt was made at conciliation the following year in the form of the Cambridge Accord. and controversy centred on this motion and its application continued to the extent that, ten years later, in 2007, Giles Goddard of Inclusive Church suggested in published correspondence with Andrew Goddard across the liberal–evangelical divide: "It's possible to construct a perfectly coherent argument that the last 10 years have been preoccupied with undoing the damage Lambeth 1.10 caused to the Communion."[41] controversial incident occurred during the conference when Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of Enugu, Nigeria, attempted to exorcise the "homosexual demons" from Richard Kirker, a British priest and the general secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, who was passing out leaflets. Chukwuma told Kirker that he was "killing the church"; Kirker's civil response to the attempted exorcism was "May God bless you, sir, and deliver you from your prejudice against homosexuality."[42] about a mission to fight poverty, create jobs and transform lives by empowering the poor in developing countries using innovative savings and microcredit programs, business training and spiritual development led to the formation of Five Talents.[43] 2008[edit] The 2008 Lambeth Conference logo Presided over by Rowan Williams Around 670 bishops present[10] fourteenth conference took place from 16 July to 4 August 2008 at the University of Kent's Canterbury campus. In March 2006 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, issued a pastoral letter[44] to the 38 primates of the Anglican Communion and moderators of the united churches setting out his thinking for the next Lambeth Conference. indicated that the emphasis will be on training, "for really effective, truthful and prayerful mission". He ruled out (for the time being) reopening of the controversial resolution 1.10 on human sexuality from the previous Lambeth Conference, but emphasised the "listening process" in which diverse views and experiences of human sexuality were being collected and collated in accordance with that resolution and said it "will be important to allow time for this to be presented and reflected upon in 2008". indicated that the traditional plenary sessions and resolutions would be reduced and that "We shall be looking at a bigger number of more focused groups, some of which may bring bishops and spouses together." at the Lambeth Conference is by invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Invitations were sent to more than 880 bishops around the world for the Fourteenth Conference. Notably absent from the list of those invited are Gene Robinson and Martyn Minns. Robinson was the first Anglican bishop to exercise the office while in an acknowledged same-sex relationship, and Rowan Williams said it was "proving extremely difficult to see under what heading he might be invited to be around", drawing criticism.[45] Minns, the former rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia, was the head of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a splinter group of American Anglicans; the Church of Nigeria considered him a missionary bishop to the United States, despite protest from Canterbury and the U.S. Episcopal Church. 2008, four Anglican primates announced that they intended to boycott the Lambeth conference because of their opposition to the actions of Episcopal Church in the USA (the American province of the Anglican Communion) in favour of homosexual clergy and same-sex unions.[46][47] These primates represent the Anglican provinces of Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. In addition, Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney, Australia and Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, among others announced their intentions not to attend. Global Anglican Future Conference, a meeting of conservative bishops held in Jerusalem in June 2008 (one month prior to Lambeth), was thought by some to be an "alternative Lambeth" for those who are opposed to the consecration of Robinson.[48] GAFCON involved Martyn Minns, Peter Akinola and other dissenters[49] who considered themselves to be in a state of impaired communion with the American Episcopal Church and the See of Canterbury.[citation needed] The June 2008 church blessing of Peter Cowell, an Anglican chaplain at the Royal London Hospital and priest at Westminster Abbey, and David Lord, an Anglican priest serving at a parish in Waikato, New Zealand, renewed the debate one month prior to the conference. Martin Dudley, who officiated at the ceremony at St Bartholomew-the-Great, maintained that the ceremony was a "blessing" rather than a matrimonial ceremony.[50] Icon of the Melanesian Martyrs at Canterbury Cathedral Icon of the Melanesian Martyrs at Canterbury Cathedral 2008, the seven martyred members of the Melanesian Brotherhood were honoured during the concluding Eucharist of the 2008 conference at Canterbury Cathedral. Their names were added to the book of contemporary martyrs and placed, along with an icon, on the altar of the "Chapel of the Saints and Martyrs of Our Times". When the Eucharist was over, bishops and others came to pray in front of the small altar in the chapel.[51] The icon stands in the cathedral[52] as a reminder of their witness to peace and of the multi-ethnic character of global Anglicanism. 2022[edit] ten-year cycle followed since 1948 would have suggested a Lambeth Conference in 2018. In September 2014, Katharine Jefferts Schori, primate of the Episcopal Church in the United States, advised that she had been told by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, that this conference had been cancelled, and that he would not call one until he was "reasonably certain that the vast majority of bishops would attend. It needs to be preceded by a primates meeting at which a vast majority of primates are present" (Schori's words).[53] Welby later responded to reports of cancellation by stating, "As it hasn't been called, it can’t have been cancelled", explaining that he had previously told primates he would not call a Lambeth Conference until he had visited each of them in their own countries, which when added to practical considerations relating to venues precluded a conference as soon as 2018.[54] communiqué issued after the primates' meeting in Canterbury in January 2016 said the primates had accepted Welby's proposal that the Fifteenth Conference should be held in 2020.[55][56] At the same meeting, the U.S. Episcopal Church was suspended from Anglican Communion decision-making on "issues pertaining to doctrine or polity" for three years because of its support for same-sex marriage, a suspension which would end by the time of the Lambeth Conference. In 2017 an international organising group chaired by the Archbishop of Cape Town set a date (the last week in July 2020) and announced a theme ("God’s Church for God’s world") for the conference.[57] to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it was initially announced in March 2020 that the 15th Lambeth Conference would be rescheduled to summer 2021.[58] In July 2020 it was further announced that due to continued uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the 15th Lambeth Conference would be further delayed to 2022.[59] Lambeth; Lambeth Convention; PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

England and US, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date
England and US, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date ; US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy;

England and US, 1941, March 12, 1941: Ephraim's Seal Date
England and US, 1941, March 12, 1941: Ephraim's Seal Date ; US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy;

England, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease, England and US Policy
US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date;

England, 1952- , Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II, decolonization, commonwealth, long reign and life
England, 1952- , Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

England, General Locations Folder

Scottish Highlands (moorland)
Scottish Highlands (moorland) ;

Southern Uplands (moorland)

Lake District (moorland)
Lake District (moorland);

Forest of Bowland (moorland)
Forest of Bowland (moorland);

Rombalds Moor including Ilkley Moor (moorland)

West Pennine Moors (moorland)
West Pennine Moors (moorland) ;

North Yorkshire Moors (moorland)
North Yorkshire Moors; Moorland: uncultivated hill lands or wetlands; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

Bleaklow moor (of Dark Peak)
Bleaklow moor;

Dark Peak (moorland)
Dark Peak (moorland);

White Peak (moorland)
White Peak;

Saddleworth Moor (moorland)
Saddleworth Moor (moorland) ;

Staffordshire Moorlands area

Staffordshire Moorlands

Mynydd Hiraethog (moorland)
Mynydd Hiraethog (moorland) ;

Migneint (moorland)
Migneint (moorland) ;

Desert of Wales (moorland, Cambrian Mountains)
Desert of Wales area (moorland)

Shropshire Hills (moorland)

Somerset Levels (wetlands)
Somerset Levels (moors) ;

Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills;

Blackdown Hills
Blackdown Hills;

Exmoor (moorland)
Exmoor (Moorland) ;

Dartmoor (moorland)
Dartmoor (moorland) ;

Bodmin Moor
Bodmin Moor;

England, Great North Roman Road Folder

Great North Road - Shelby to York to Topcliffe

Great North Road (A1) - Smithfield

Smithfield, North London (Great North Road (AI), Smithfield)
Smithfield, North London (Great North Road (AI), Smithfield); Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Rolls Chapel, London at Maughan Library (near Smithfield and Great North Road)
Rolls Chapel, London at Maughan Library; JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOP and THEOLOGIAN (1752), Commemorated June 16;

Great North Road (A1) - Angel, Islington

Great North Road (A1) - Alconbury
At Alconbury, the Great North Road joined the Old North Road, an older route from London which follows the Roman Ermine Street. Here a milestone records mileages to London via both routes: 65 by the Old North Road and 68 by the Great North Road.[4] From Alconbury the Great North Road follows the line of Ermine Street north, through Stilton and Stamford as far as Colsterworth (at the A151 junction).

Great North Road (A10) - Stilton

Great North Road (A1) - Stamford

Great North Road (A1) - Colsterworth
At Colsterworth the Great North Road diverges west of the Roman road and continues through Grantham, Newark, Retford and Bawtry to Doncaster. North of Doncaster the Great North Road again follows a short section of Ermine Street called Roman Rigg or Roman Ridge. Further north the Great North Road crossed the Roman Dere Street near Boroughbridge from where it went via Dishforth and Topcliffe to Northallerton and then through Darlington and Durham. A road forked off to the left at the bridge in Boroughbridge to follow Dere Street, thence from Scotch Corner to Penrith and on to Glasgow. Part of this route was used for the original A1, with a local road from Scotch Corner via Barton to Darlington making the link back to the old Great North Road.

Great North Road (A1) - Doncaster
Great North Road (A1) - Doncaster (left to Ferrybridge and Edinburgh, right to Selby and York)

Great North Road (A1) - Roman Ridge

Great North Road (A1) - Ferrybridge (to Edinburgh)

Great North Road (A1) - Boroughbridge (Overview)

Great North Road (A1) - Dishforth
Great North Road (A1) - Dishforth (right to Topcliffe and Darrington, left to Scotch Corner and Glascow or Scotch Corner, Darrington and Edinburgh)

Great North Road (A1) - Topcliffe

Great North Road (A1) - Northallerton

Great North Road (A1) - Scotch Corner (to Glasgow turn left)
Great North Road (A1) - Scotch Corner (to Glasgow, Scotland turn left; continue on A1 to Edinburg, Scotland)

Great North Road (A1) - Darlington

Great North Road (A1) - Durham

Great North Road (A1) - Selby (to York)

Great North Road (A1) - York

Great North Road (A1) - Edinburgh

Great North Road (A1) - Glasgow

England - Great Britain
Great Britain; The Island of Great Britain; Britons (historical); GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelist, 1770; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Britain, England - Great Britain
Great Britain; The Island of Great Britain; Britons (historical); GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelist, 1770; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

England - United Kingdom
United Kingdom; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

England - British Empire
British Empire; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND œFRIEND OF THE POOR IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; CHARLES SIMEON;

England - Land of the Anglo-Saxons (Southeast Britain)
Anglo-Saxons, were Germans who setteled in Southeast Britain. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

England - Britain
Britain; Roman Britain; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10 ; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304); St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31;

England - Britain of the Middle Ages
Britain of the Middle Ages; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

England - Roman Britain (England)
Roman Britain; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

England - British Isles
British Isles; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

England (Clean), Roman Roads and Rivers Folders

England (Clean), its Area
England, its Area

England (Clean), North Sea Empire, its Area, 1013-66, 53 years
North Sea Empire, its Area, 1013-66, 53 years

England (Clean) Angevin Empire, its Area 1154-1214
Angevin Empire, its Area;

England - British Empire, the sun never sets, 150 languages, 1815-1915 World Peace
British Empire;

England (Clean), Roman Road, Great North Road

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Lake District, Northwest ENG

England (Clean), Lake District, its Area

Lake District of England
Lake District of England; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430); SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Solway Firth (inlet)
Solway Firth (inlet);

England, Lake District, Lyne River Folder, Solway Firth

Lyne River

Lyne River Black Lyne

England, Lake District, Eden River Folder, Solway Firth

Eden River

England, Lake District, Eden Rivr 1, Caldew River Folder

Caldew River

England, Lake District, Eden River 1, Petteril River Folder

Petteril River

England, Lake District, Esk River Folder, Lake District

Esk River

Isle of Man
Isle of Man;

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Northeast ENG, Humber Estuary North

England (Clean), Northeast ENG, Northumbria, its Area

Northumbria (North Anglia, North of the Humber to Roman Wall)
Kingdom of Northumbria, north of the Humber Estuary from the River Tees to the River Tweed; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Adian, the bishop of Lindisfarne, Commemorated August 31; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Humber Estuary, Ouse River Mouth
Humber Estuary;

River Ouse

England (Clean), Northumbria, Scottish Borders Folder

Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

England, Northumbria, Scottish Borders, Tweed River Folder

Tweed River

England, Northumbria, Scottish Borders, Tweed River 5, River Leader Folder

River Leader

England (Clean), Northumbria, Tyne River Folder

Tyne River

Durham, Northumbria (Great North Road and Tyne River)
Durham;

Tyne River - North Tyne River

Tyne River - South Tyne River

Wearmouth-Jarrow Abby (Tyne River Mouth) 682
Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey;

England (Clean), Northumbria, Roman Wall Folder - The Wall - Hadrian's Wall

England (Clean), Northumbria, Tees River Folder

Tees River

England (Clean), Northumbria, River Esk Folder, Whidby Abby

River Esk

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Northwest Midlands

England (Clean), Northwest Midlands, Manchester, Mersy River, its Area
England, Northwest Midlands, Manchester, Mersy River, its Area

Manchester, England
Manchester; CATHERINE WINKWORTH. POET, 7 August 1878; WILLIAM TEMPLE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Mersey River

Mersey River Source 2

England, Manchester, Mersey River 8, River Irwell Folder, Manchester Ship Canal

River Irwell

England, Manchester, Mersey River 8, Irwell River 3, Medlock River Folder

River Medlock

Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal;

England, Manchester, Mersey River 12, Bridgewater Canal Folder

Bridgewater Canal

Liverpool (Mersy River Estuary, Irish Sea)
Liverpool; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie PRIEST, 1929;

Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Battle of Brunaburh, 937, Wirral Penninsula, Mersey and Dee River Mouths
England, 937, Battle of Brunaburh, Saxon England v Scotland and Ireland, English National Identity;

England, Manchester, Mersey River Mouth, East Side River Dee Folder

River Dee (Wales)

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, West Midlands Mercia

England (Clean), West Midlands, its Area
West Midlands, its Area

West Midlands of England
West Midlands Region of England; RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, Commemorated January 19 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

England, Roman Roads, West Midlands Mercia, Birmingham Folder

Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Birmingham; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915. AND CHARLES GORE. BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, both commemorated January 16;

England, Roman Roads, West Midlands Mercia, River Avon Folder

River Avon

Rugby, Warwickshire, West Midlands (River Avon 3)
Rugby, Warwickshire;

England, Roman Roads, West Midlands Mercia, River Severn Folder (Wales and West Midlands)

River Severn

Severn Valley, Mercia
Severn Valley, Mercia; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; Penda, King of Mercia; Kingdom of Mercia, 527-918;

Worcester, West Midlands, England (River Severn 6)
Worcester;

Droitwich Spa (Wyche), Worchester West Midlands
Wyche (Droitwich Spa);

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, East Midlands

England (Clean), East Midlands, its Area, partially within The Broads

East Midlands, England
East Midlands, England, including Northhamptonshire, Buckinghamtonshire and Bedfordshire ; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

England, East Midlands, River Witham Folder, North

River Witham

England, East Midlands, River Welland Folder, North Central

River Welland

Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, East Midlands and The Broads
Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire;

England, East Midlands, River Nene Folder, South Central

River Nene

England, East Midlands, River Nene 9, The Fens Folder, North Cambridgeshire, Central

The Fens (Wetlands, all of East Midlands)
The Fens or Fensland; NICHOLAS FERRAR;

England, East Midlands, Great River Ouse Folder, South

Great River Ouse

Great River Ouse (Old Section)

England, East Midlands, Cotswolds and Chitten Hills Folder, Southeast

Cotswolds Area, Limestone

Chitten Hills Area, Chalk

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, East Anglia, Broads River System

England (Clean), The Broads, its Area
The Broads, its Area

Broads (a broad network of navagatable rivers Suffolk and Norfolk)
The Broads; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

East Anglia (The Broads)
East Anglia; Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

England (Clean), Broads, River Cam Folder, Cambridge, Upstream and West

River Cam

Cambridge (at the head of the Broads River System, River Cam 2)
Cambridge;

Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 1584
Emmanuel College, Cambridge;

Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 630 or 1209
University of Cambridge;

England (Clean), Broads, Great River Ouse Folder, Western Broads

England (Clean), Broads, Lower Great River Ouse Folder, Navigation and Tidal Section

Lower Great River Ouse (navigatable section)

England (Clean), Broads, River Yare Folder, Norwich, Northeast

River Yare

Norwich, The Broads (River Wensum Mouth, River Yare 1)
Norwich;

England, Broads, River Yare 1, River Wensum Folder, Norwich

River Wensum

England (Clean), Broads, Bungay River Folder, Dunwich, East

Bungay River

England (Clean), Broads, Rivers Orwell and Stour Folder, Suffolk County, Southeast

River Orwell

River Stour

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, East Central ENG, Yorkshire, Northumbria

England (Clean) East Central ENG, Yorkshire, Northumbria, its Area

Yorkshire, England
Yorkshire; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Great North Road Folder

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Moors Folder, North YOR

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary Rivers Folder, South YOR

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Hull River Folder, North Estuary

River Hull

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Ouse River Folder, Central Estuary

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Ouse River 1, Ure River Folder

Ure River

Cover River

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Ouse River 6, Foss River Folder

River Foss

York, England, Yorkshire (River Foss Mouth at River Ouse 8)
York; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 18 ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; St James the Deacon; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, Commemorated March 2 ; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Rievaulx, Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire, 1132
Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire;

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Ouse River 22, Aire River Folder

Aire River

Leeds, West Yorkshire (River Aire 9)
Leeds;

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Ouse River 22, Aire River 12, Calder and Hebble Navigation Folder

Calder River

Hebble Brook

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Trent River Folder, South Estuary

Trent River

London College of Divinity, Nottingham, Trent River14, South Yorkshire, 1863
London College of Divinity (St John's College, Nottingham);

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Humber Estuary, Trent River 10, Dove River Folder

Dove River

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire, Trent River 13.3, Soar River Folder, also called East Midlands

River Soar

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Wales Folder, West of ENG

England (Clean), Wales, its Area
Wales, its Area

Wales, West of England
Wales, Wales is largely mountainous; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22 ; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England (Clean), Wales, Wey River Folder, Herfordshire, Southeast WAL

River Wey (Herefordshire)

England, Wales, Wey River 2, Monnow River Folder

Monnow River

Brecknock (Brecon), Wales
Brecknock;

Hereford, Wales (Monnow River 1)
Hereford, England; THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674 ;

England (Clean), Wales, River Severn Folder, Central WAL

England (Clean), Wales, River Towy Folder, Saint David's, West WAL

River Towy

Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire;

St. Davids, West Wales
St. Davids;

England, Wales, River Towy area, Lladbadarn Fawr Folder, on the Channel

Llandabarn Fawr
Llandabarn Fawr; England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; ( ? – c. 550 AD)[1] was an early 6th century sanctified British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in[2] Ceredigion, Wales. first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy appear to be the same person. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Padarn's early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3] Vita Sancti Paterni, a major source for biographical details of Padarn, may be an epitome of a previous and more extensive source. According to the Vita Sancti Paterni, Padarn is Armorican by race, born to "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother".[1] His parents "dedicated themselves to Christ" and Petran left Letavia (modern Brittany) for Ireland. Thomas Wakeman names Padarn a nephew of Hoel of Cornouaille.[4] However, Canon G. H. Doble believes Padarn was likely Welsh, and was later confused with Breton saints of the same name.[5] the year 524 Padarn traveled to join his father in Ireland. He joined a fellowship of monks led by his cousin, St. Cadvan, who were travelling to Britannia. At this time, as in many saints' lives of the era, there appears to be an aristocratic military function in Padarn's career, for among the travellers were Padarn's cousins, who appointed him as the fourth leader of the troop, saying "you should rule over people for example of life".[4] 1878 stained glass window of St. Paternus at the Cathedral of Vannes in Morbihan. became a student at Illtud's school, Cor Tewdws.[4] Padarn later founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, which became the seat of a new diocese, with him as its first bishop.[1] He then left it in the charge of a trusted steward and proceeded to Ireland. Padarn's spiritual countenance was sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces.[6] Padarn returned to Llanbadarn Fawr, Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to cheat him out of property belonging to the monastery. Two of Maelgwn's evil heralds were undone by the trial by ordeal of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."[7] Maelgwn Gwynedd himself is first cursed and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness, and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed: "a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged."[8] the Vita Sancti Paterni Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Saint David and Saint Teilo for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. Along the way they acquired the gift of tongues so that whomever they spoke to understood them in his own language.[6] The patriarch gave Paternus two gifts, a crozier and a finely woven tunic. On their return, they amicably divided Britannia into three bishoprics.[9] finally returned to Letavia, where his fame filled the region and "made peace" with the bishop Samson in Vannes, where Padarn his built a monastery and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica, of which he now made a seventh. and Arthur[edit] sketch from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Benzinger Brothers. the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic and subsequently becomes Christian. It's too late to be reliable. But the episode was probably meant to increase Padarn's prestige and credibility as a saint by being granted credit for "Christianizing" the semi-historical leader who allegedly defeated the Anglo-Saxons with the help of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the battle of Mount Badon according to the 9th century ad monk Nennius. The author also seemed to confuse this Padarn with Padarn Redcoat whose coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain;[6] Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.[10] of Avranches[edit] British Padarn appears to be the same person as Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. By tradition, it is said that he was born in Poitiers, became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes [fr] in France, and retreated with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion, to the forest of Scissy [fr] in the diocese of Coutances before the Bishop of Coutances made him a priest in 512.[11] day: April 16 [12] Three days were kept to honor Padern in Armorica; the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, namely, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, the day of his obit, and the day he received the order of the episcopate, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July. well as the church at Llanbadarn Fawr, there is a second church dedicated to him, in Llanberis in Gwynedd. Padarn’s Institute, located at St Michael’s Conference Centre, Llandaff, handles training for ministry in the Church in Wales.[13]

England (Clean), Wales, River Taff Folder, Cardiff, South Wal

River Taff

England, Wales, River Taff Mouth, Cardiff, Swansea Folder

Swansea, South Wales
Swansea, South Wales; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

England (Clean), Wales, River Dee Folder, North WAL

monastery of St Asaph, North Wales, before 544 in 6th Century
monastery of St Asaph;

England (Clean), Wales, River Conwy Folder, Banghor, Northwest WAL

River Conwy

Dyserth, Wales, home of JOHN ROBERTS, American Indian Missionary
Dyserth, Wales;

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Southwest ENG, Cornwall

England (Clean), Southwest ENG, Cornwall Penninsula, its Area

England (Clean), Devon or Devonshire County, its Area

Cornwall Penninsula, England
Cornwall Peninsula;

South West England (Cornwall)
South West England; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, Commemorated January 19 ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

England (Clean), Cornwall, Glastonbury and Wells Folder, Northeast

Glastonbury, Somerset (SW England, Cornwall)
Glastonbury;

Wells, Cornwall (three wells at this location), SW England
Wells;

England (Clean), Cornwall, Bristol Bay Folder, Northern

Combe Martin, Cornwall (Bristol Channel)
Combe Martin, Bristol Channel; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Braunton, Cornwall, Bristol Bay
Braunton; St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ;

Hartland, Devon, Cornwall (a port on Hartland Point, Celtic Sea)
Hartland, Devon;

Devon or Devonshire County
Devon or Devonshire County;

England (Clean), Cornwall, Exe River Folder, Central

Exe River

England, Cornwall, Creedy River Folder, Devonshire, Central and Western

Creedy River

Crediton, Devon, Cornwall (a crossroads in Creedy River Valley)
Crediton, Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837.[1] The town is situated in the narrow vale of the River Creedy, between two steep hills and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town. ;

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, Southeast ENG

England (Clean), Canterbury and Kent, its Area

Kent, Southeast ENG, including Canterbury
Kent;

England (Clean), Canterbury and Kent, Stour River Folder

Stour River - Upper Great Stour

Stour River - East Stour River

Stour River - Little Stour River

Stour River - Lower Great Stour River

Canterbury, Kent, England (crossroads of 4 Roman roads, Stour River 5)
Canterbury (crossraods of 4 Roman roads);

England, Canterbury and Kent, Medway River Folder

River Medway

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, South Saxons, Sussex

England (Clean), South Saxons, Sussex, its Area

River Levant

Chichester, Sussex (River Levant, Chichester Harbour)
Chichester (River Levant Chichester Harbour);

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, West Saxons, Wessex

England (Clean), West Saxons, Wessex, its Area

Wessex (Bordered by Dee, Severn and Thames Rivers)
Kingdom of the West Saxons; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, Poet, Commemorated August 7 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

West Saxons (Wessex)
Kingdom of the West Saxons; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, Poet, Commemorated August 7 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England (Clean), West Saxons, Wessex, Test River & Hamshire Folder, East Central

Anton River

Andover, Hampshire, Wessex (Anton River Source)
Andover, Hampshire; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Test River

Nursling, Wessex (Test River Valley)
Nursling; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

River Itchen

Hampshire County, Wessex
Hampshire County; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Old Minster, Winchester
Old Minster, Winchester; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ;

Winchester, Wessex (Itchen River 1)
Winchester City, county seat of Hampshire County, The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen.;

Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, Wessex, 1079
Winchester Cathedral; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Hursley near Winchester
Hursley near Winchester ; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866);

Isle of Wight, Wessex
Isle of Wight; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

England (Clean), West Saxons, Wessex, Avon River Folder, Northwest

Avon River

Bath, Wessex (hot springs, Avon River 11) 60
Bath, Somerset;

Bristol, Wessex (Avon River Mouth, Seven River 8)
Bristol;

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Avon River 4, Tetbury Avon Folder

Tetbury Avon River

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Avon River 5, Marden River Folder

Marden River

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Avon River 8, Frome River Folder

Frome River

England (Clean), West Saxons, Wessex, Dorset Stour River Folder, Southwest

Dorset Stour River

Dorchester, Wessex (Dorset Stour River 4)
Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4);

England (Clean), West Saxons, Wessex, Salisbury Area Folder, West Central

England (Clean), Roads and Rivers, East Saxons, London

England (Clean), East Saxons, its Area, Thames River, London
England, East Saxons, its Area, Thames River, London

London, Essex, England
London;

Lincoln'™s Inn, London, 1234
Lincol'™s Inn; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge;

Smithfield, aka S Market, North London (Great North Road (AI), Smithfield)
Smithfield, North London (Great North Road (AI), Smithfield);

Rolls Chapel, London at Maughan Library (near Smithfield and Great North Road)
Rolls Chapel, London at Maughan Library;

King's College London, 1829
King's College London;

Tower of London, 1078
Tower of London;

Working Men's College (north of London) 1854
Working Men's College ;

St. Mary Magdalene "house of charity" in Highgate, north of London
St. Mary Magdalene "house of charity" in Highgate;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River Folder

England (Clean), East Saxons, London Airport Area, Essex Folder

Essex County (London Airport, East Anglia)
Essex County;

Barking Monastery (Abbey), East London
Barking Monastery (Abbey);

Bradwell-On-Sea, Essex, Fort & Monastery, M estab by Cedd 653 for Exxex evangelisation
Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7

London Stansted Airport

Heathrow Airport

London Southend Airport

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (First London Elim Church, Thames River Mouth)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex;

London Luton Airport

London City Airport

Waltham Abbey, 610
Waltham Abbey Church;

Ingatestone, Essex
Ingatestone, Essex; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River 1, Oxford Folder

Oxford (Thames River 1, upstream from London)
Oxford;

Oxford University, 1096
Oxford University;

King's College, Oxford, 1324
King's College, Oxford;

Christ Church, Oxford, 1546, A School
Christ Church, Oxford;

Cowley, Oxfordshire
Cowley, Oxfordshire;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River 2, River Kennet Folder

River Kennet

River Kennet 2

Ramsbury, Wiltshire (River Kennet 1)
Ramsbury, Wiltshire, Wessex ;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River 4, River Colne Folder, Hertfordshire

England (Clean), Herfordshire, its Area

Continental Divides - Herford Divide

River Colne

Surbiton, London (Thames River 5)
Surbiton, London;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River 4 , River Colne 2, Ver River Folder

River Ver

Redbourn (River Ver 2)
Redbourn;

St Albans, Hertfordshire
St Albans;

St. Alban's Cathedral, 1077
St. Alban's Cathedral;

Holmhurst Hill (Ver River Mouth, Colne River 2)
Holmhurst Hill, St Alban's Cathedral is built on Holmhurst Hill;

England (Clean), East Saxons, London, Thames River 5, London Area Folder

London, England (Thames River 5)
London;

Westminster Abby, West London, 960
Westminster Abby

Brixton district, South London
Brixton district, London; WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

St Mary Abbots Church, High Street, Kensington, 1262
St Mary Abbots Church, High Street, Kensington; WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

Church Army International
Church Army International Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

Kensington Borough, West London
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

Lambeth Palace Library in London
Lambeth Palace; Lambeth Palace Library in London ; THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674;

Minor History Locations, 54 Folders

Italy Folder

Italy (Clean) Folder

Italy, its Area

Italy
Italy: Northern Italy, Milan and Venice; Central Italy, Rome; South Central, Naples; Southern Italy, Calabria, Sicily, and Islands of Corsica and Sardinia;

island of Patalareia, near Malta, between Tunisia NAfrica & Sicily
island of Patalareia;

Italy, 9999, Martyr Marinus, destroyed a idol temple, trampling sacrifices underfoot, beheaded
Italy, 9999, Martyr Saint Marinus, inspired by ardent love for Christ the Savior, destroyed a temple of the idolaters during one of the pagan festivals, trampling the sacrifices underfoot and confessed himself a Christian. After cruel tortures, the saint was beheaded.; Italy; Martyr Marinus, Commemorated on March 17;

Afghanistan Folder, its Helmand rivers and Grand Trunk Road

Afghanistan, 1220-1231, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazmian d, Sunni, wall against G Khan, 1227 attacked Tiblisi, gates opened
Afghanistan Sultan, 1220-1231, Jalal al-Din, Khwarazmian dynasty, Sunni Islam; al-Din Mangburni, also known as Jalal al-Din Khwarazmshah was the last Khwarazmshah of the Anushtegin line, ruling parts of Iran and northwestern India from 1220 to 1231. He was the son and successor of Ala ad-Din Muhammad II. is best known as the nemesis of and a heroic fighter against the Mongol Empire[1] and credited with halting the Mongol expansions into the Levant, Anatolia and Baghdad by at least a decade. He is considered the mighty wall between the Mongol Empire and the West.[2][3][a] al-Din only ruled his ancestral kingdom in Khwarazm briefly, until he was forced to leave for the southwestern part of the realm (roughly corresponding to present-day Afghanistan), due to facing opposition by many of his Turkic commanders, who supported his brother and original heir-apparent, Uzlagh-Shah. following year, the Khwarazmian capital of Gurganj was captured and devastated by the Mongols. Meanwhile, at the city of Ghazni, Jalal al-Din rallied a substantial army which consisted of Khwarazmians, Turks, and Ghurids, subsequently defeating the pursuing forces of the Mongol leader Genghis Khan at the battle of Ustuva, the battle of Kandakhar, the battle of Waliyan, the battle of Djerdin and the battle of Parwan.[1][4] al-Din was, however, forced to withdraw to northwestern India by the Mongol forces. Afghanistan, Khwarazmian dynasty, 1077-1256; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia. On the first day of the battle the Georgian army valorously warded off the invaders as they were approaching Tbilisi. That night, however, a group of Persians who were living in Tbilisi secretly opened the gates and summoned the enemy army into the city. to one manuscript in which this most terrible day in Georgian history was described: “Words are powerless to convey the destruction that the enemy wrought: tearing infants from their mothers’ breasts, they beat their heads against the bridge, watching as their eyes dropped from their skulls....” river of blood flowed through the city. The Turkmen castrated young children, raped women, and stabbed mothers to death over their children’s lifeless bodies. The whole city shuddered at the sound of wailing and lamentation. The river and streets of the city were filled with death. sultan ordered that the cupola of Sioni Cathedral be taken down and replaced by his vile throne. And at his command the icons of the Theotokos and our Savior were carried out of Sioni Cathedral and placed at the center of the bridge across the Mtkvari River. The invaders goaded the people to the bridge, ordering them to cross it and spit on the holy icons. Those who betrayed the Christian Faith and mocked the icons were spared their lives, while the Orthodox confessors were beheaded. hundred thousand Georgians sacrificed their lives to venerate the holy icons. One hundred thousand severed heads and headless bodies were carried by the bloody current down the Mtkvari River.

Illyria Folder, Western Balkans

Illyria, Western Balkans
Illyria; Yugoslavia; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23;

Illyria, north of the Aous River and K Triangle, Albania
Illyria; Yugoslavia; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the “Deliverer from Potionsâ€, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23;

Illyria, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother
Illyria, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother, Eparch tortured him then converted; Illyria; Yugoslavia; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, was raised in Christian piety by his mother. virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. Eparch Caribus, who had tortured Saint Eleutherius, also came to believe in Christ and was executed. Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15;

Illyia, 117-138, Evanhtia, Eleutherius' Mother, Illyria, pious wife oIllustrious Roman Citizen, tortured beheaded wSon bHadrian
Illyia, 117-138, Evanhtia, Eleutherius' Mother, Illyria, Western Balkans, wife oIllustrious Roman Citizen, pious, son was bishop at 20, Hadrian tortured and beheaded them, torturer Eparch Carbus also came to believe; Illyria; Yugoslavia; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, raised in Christian piety by his mother. virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. Eparch Caribus, who had tortured Saint Eleutherius, also came to believe in Christ and was executed.

Illyria, 303-313, Anastasia, visited prisons, fed, clothed, ransomed, A beaten by h, be patient, accept lords will, much more
Rome, 303-313, Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Rome, teacher Chrysogonus, given in marriage to a pagan, feigned illness, visited prisons clothed as a beggar, fed, clothed, ransomed, betrayed by servant to husband, beaten, C said be patient, cleave cross, accept lords will, also prophet h sea death, then she distributed, Diocletian, c prisoners endured torturers stoicly, kill them all order, she followed C to Aquileia, C beheaded, into sea, waves carried head and b back, presby Zolius concealed, C appeared to Z, informed about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Illyria, 303-313, Anastasia's mentor Chrysogonus, foretold A's husband death at sea, C tortured, behead iAquileia, appears&informs
Rome, 303-313, Anastasia's teacher Chrysogonus, A beaten by h, C said be patient, accept lords will, cleave cross, C foretold h's death at sea, Diocletian kill them all order, C tortured sent tAquileia, A followed C tA, C beheaded, thrown into sea, waves carried head body back, presby Zolius concealed, C appears to Z, informs about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia, K Triangle, Roman Road Via Egnatia
Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia;

Illyria Folder, Western Balkans (Clean)

Illyria, its Area
Illyria;

Illyria, Western Balkans
Illyria; Yugoslavia;

Illyria, north of the Aous River and K Triangle, Albania
Illyria; Yugoslavia;

Ireland Folder, its rivers and mountains

Ireland
Ireland; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ;

British Empire - Ireland
Ireland; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ;

Ireland - Land of the Scots (Lowland Scots)
Land of the Scots (Lowland Scots, Ulster Scots) ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Ireland, 900 BC-1922, Monarchs of Ireland
Ireland, 900 BC-1922, Monarchs of Ireland;

Ireland, 1922-Present, Republic of Ireland
Ireland, 1922-Present, Republic of Ireland;

Ireland 400-700 and 1820, Ireland History Folder

Ireland, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostle Aristobulus

Ireland, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Holy Apostle Aristóboulos of the Seventy was born on Cyprus. He and his brother, the Apostle Barnabas (June 11), accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys. Saint Aristóboulos is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10). are several conflicting narratives about the hierarch's life before he went to Britain. Some identify him with Zebedee, the father of the Apostles James and John. Others say that he was the father-in-law of the Apostle Peter. Most of these are unreliable, however. Paul made Aristóboulos a bishop and sent him to preach the Gospel in Britain, Scotland, and Hibernia (Ireland), where he converted many people to Christ. He also had to endure many torments and afflictions from hostile pagans, who beat him and mocked him. Eventually, he won them over and brought them to Christ as well. Aristóboulos reposed peacefully in Britain among the people he had evangelized. Some sources say he suffered a martyr's death in Wales at an advanced age. Aristóboulos is also commemorated on October 31 (with Saints Stachys, Apellēs, Amplias, Urban, and Narcissus), and also on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4). In Greek usage he is commemorated on March 15.

Ireland, 400-800, Then Called Scotland

Ireland, 400-499, 5th Century Folder, Sts Patrick, Brigit, Ciaran, Finnian, Abban

Ireland, 400-800 (then called Scotland)
Ireland, 400-800 (then called Scotland) Ireland Seventh Century (then called Scotland); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523);

Ireland, 410-461, Saint Patrick of Ireland, Enlightener of Ireland, from Wales, Irish slave, acquired I language, visions, dream
Ireland, 410-461, Saint Patrick of Ireland, Enlightener of Ireland, from Wales, slave in Ireland, acquired I language, 2 visions, return home, ship ready, studied in Auxerre, Gaul, mission to I, after Palladius, Angel dream, letters, Voice of the Irish, not the first I missionary, most successful, autobiogaphical confessions ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461) ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland was born around 385, the son of Calpurnius, a Roman decurion (an official responsible for collecting taxes). lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniae, which may have been located at the mouth of the Severn River in Wales. district was raided by pirates when Patrick was sixteen, and he was one of those taken captive. He was brought to Ireland and sold as a slave, and was put to work as a herder of swine on a mountain identified with Slemish in Co. Antrim. his period of slavery, Patrick acquired a proficiency in the Irish language which was very useful to him in his later mission. prayed during his solitude on the mountain, and lived this way for six years. He had two visions. The first told him he would return to his home. The second told him his ship was ready. Setting off on foot, Patrick walked two hundred miles to the coast. There he succeeded in boarding a ship, and returned to his parents in Britain. time later, he went to Gaul and studied for the priesthood at Auxerre under Saint Germanus (July 31). Eventually, he was consecrated as a bishop, and was entrusted with the mission to Ireland, succeeding Saint Palladius (July 7). Saint Palladius did not achieve much success in Ireland. After about a year he went to Scotland, where he died in 432. had a dream in which an angel came to him bearing many letters. Selecting one inscribed “The Voice of the Irish,” he heard the Irish entreating him to come back to them. Saint Patrick achieved remarkable results in spreading the Gospel, he was not the first or only missionary in Ireland. He arrived around 432 (though this date is disputed), about a year after Saint Palladius began his mission to Ireland. There were also other missionaries who were active on the southeast coast, but it was Saint Patrick who had the greatest influence and success in preaching the Gospel of Christ. Therefore, he is known as “The Enlightener of Ireland.” autobiographical Confession tells of the many trials and disappointments he endured. Patrick had once confided to a friend that he was troubled by a certain sin he had committed before he was fifteen years old. The friend assured him of God’s mercy, and even supported Patrick’s nomination as bishop. Later, he turned against him and revealed what Patrick had told him in an attempt to prevent his consecration. Many years later, Patrick still grieved for his dear friend who had publicly shamed him. Patrick founded many churches and monasteries across Ireland, but the conversion of the Irish people was no easy task. There was much hostility, and he was assaulted several times. He faced danger, and insults, and he was reproached for being a foreigner and a former slave. There was also a very real possibility that the pagans would try to kill him. Despite many obstacles, he remained faithful to his calling, and he baptized many people into Christ. saint’s Epistle to Coroticus is also an authentic work. In it he denounces the attack of Coroticus’ men on one of his congregations. The Breastplate (Lorica) is also attributed to Saint Patrick. In his writings, we can see Saint Patrick’s awareness that he had been called by God, as well as his determination and modesty in undertaking his missionary work. He refers to himself as “a sinner,” “the most ignorant and of least account,” and as someone who was “despised by many.” He ascribes his success to God, rather than to his own talents: “I owe it to God’s grace that through me so many people should be born again to Him.” the time he established his episcopal See in Armargh in 444, Saint Patrick had other bishops to assist him, many native priests and deacons, and he encouraged the growth of monasticism. Patrick is often depicted holding a shamrock, or with snakes fleeing from him. He used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Its three leaves growing out of a single stem helped him to explain the concept of one God in three Persons. Many people now regard the story of Saint Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland as having no historical basis. Patrick died on March 17, 461 (some say 492). There are various accounts of his last days, but they are mostly legendary. Muirchu says that no one knows the place where Saint Patrick is buried. Saint Columba of Iona (June 9) says that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that Patrick was buried at Saul, the site of his first church. A granite slab was placed at his traditional grave site in Downpatrick in 1899.

Ireland, 430-530, Saint, Ciaran of Saigir, Ciaran the Elder, 12 Apostles of Ireland, first irish born saint
Ireland, Saint, 430-530, Ciaran of Saigir, Ciaran the Elder; án of Saigir[needs IPA] (5th century – c. 530), also known as Ciarán mac Luaigne or Saint Kieran (Welsh: Cieran), one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland[2] and is considered the first saint to have been born in Ireland,[3] although the legend that he preceded Saint Patrick is questionable. Ciarán was bishop of Saighir (Seir-Kieran) and remains the patron saint of its successor, the diocese of Ossory. feast day is celebrated on 5 March. He is sometimes called Saint Ciarán the Elder to distinguish him from the other 6th-century Irish Saint Ciarán, who was abbot of Clonmacnoise. He shares the feast date of 5 March with his mother, St. Liadán, and his disciple and episcopal successor, St. Carthach the Elder. identity is sometimes equated with that of Saint Piran - St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 473-524, BRIDGET OF kILDARE, began women's monasticism in Ireland, kings sword gift story
Ireland, 473-524, Saint, Brigit of Kildare, began women's monasticism in Ireland, kings sword gift story; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523); Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1; Brigid, “the Mary of the Gael,” was born around 450 in Faughart, about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth. According to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves. as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. She would give away food, clothing, and even her father’s possessions to the poor. One day he took Brigid to the king’s court, leaving her outside to wait for him. He asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. The king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. They were just in time to see her give away her father’s sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, who said, “I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap.” Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of Saint Mael of Ardagh (February 6). Soon after this, she established a monastery on land given to her by the King of Leinster. The land was called Cill Dara (Kildare), or “the church of the oak.” This was the beginning of women’s cenobitic monasticism in Ireland. miracles performed by Saint Brigid are too numerous to relate here, but perhaps one story will suffice. One evening the holy abbess was sitting with the blind nun Dara. From sunset to sunrise they spoke of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the love of Christ, losing all track of time. Saint Brigid was struck by the beauty of the earth and sky in the morning light. Realizing that Sister Dara was unable to appreciate this beauty, she became very sad. Then she prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over Dara’s eyes. All at once, the blind nun’s eyes were opened and she saw the sun in the east, and the trees and flowers sparkling with dew. She looked for a while, then turned to Saint Brigid and said, “Close my eyes again, dear Mother, for when the world is visible to the eyes, then God is seen less clearly by the soul.” Saint Brigid prayed again, and Dara became blind once more. Brigid fell asleep in the Lord in the year 523 after receiving Holy Communion from Saint Ninnidh of Inismacsaint (January 18). She was buried at Kildare, but her relics were transferred to Downpatrick during the Viking invasions. It is believed that she was buried in the same grave with Saint Patrick (March 17) and Saint Columba of Iona (June 9). in the thirteenth century, her head was brought to Portugal by three Irish knights on their way to fight in the Holy Land. They left this holy relic in the parish church of Lumiar, about three miles from Lisbon. Portions of the relic were brought back to Ireland in 1929 and placed in a new church of Saint Brigid in Dublin. relics of Saint Brigid in Ireland were destroyed in the sixteenth century by Lord Grey during the reign of Henry VIII. tradition of making Saint Brigid’s crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland, where devotion to her is still strong. She is also venerated in northern Italy, France, and Wales.

Ireland, 473-524, BRIDGET OF KILDARE, Druid tdaughter oCourt Poet, became nun early, Established Kildare Nunnery
Ireland, 473-524, BRIDGET OF KILDARE, Druid tdaughter oCourt Poet to King Loeghaire, became nun early, Established Kildare Nunnery, Church otOak, later joined by Conlaed's monks, K a converted Pagan shrine with fire, kept fire w Christian interpretation, generosity to needy, funny poem; Ireland, Saint, 473-524, Brigit of Kildare; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523); (Brigid, Bride, Bridey, or in Welsh, Ffraid) of Kildare was born around 450 into a Druid family, the daughter of Dubhthach, court poet to King Loeghaire. an early age, she decided to become a Christian, and she eventually took vows as a nun. with a group of other women, she established a nunnery at Kildare (meaning, Church of the Oak). was later joined by a community of monks led by Conlaed. had formerly been a pagan shrine where a sacred fire was kept perpetually burning, Bridget and her nuns, instead of stamping out the fire, kept it going but gave it a Christian interpretation. was in keeping with the general process whereby Druidism in Ireland gave way to Christianity with very little opposition, Druids for the most part saying that their own beliefs were a partial and tentative insight into the nature of God, that they recognized in Christianity what they had been looking for.) as an abbess participated in several Irish councils, and her influence on the policies of the Church in Ireland was considerable. stories of her younger days deal with her generosity toward the needy. aspect of her character has been the subject of a poem: Giveaway" (from The Love Leters of Phyllis McGinley, New York, Viking Press, 1954) St. Brigid's HeadstoneSaint Bridget was A problem child. Although a lass Demure and mild, And one who strove To please her dad, Saint Bridget drove The family mad. For here's the fault in Bridget lay: She would give everything away. To any soul Whose luck was out She'd give her bowl Of stirabout; She'd give her shawl, Divide her purse With one or all. And what was worse, When she ran out of things to give She'd borrow from a relative. Her father's gold, Her grandsire's dinner, She'd hand to cold and hungry sinner; Give wine, give meat, No matter whose; Take from her feet The very shoes, And when her shoes had gone to others, Fetch forth her sister's and her mother's. She could not quit. She had to share; Gave bit by bit The silverware, The barnyard geese, The parlor rug, Her little niece's christening mug, Even her bed to those in want, And then the mattress of her aunt. An easy touch For poor and lowly, She gave so much And grew so holy That when she died Of years and fame, The countryside Put on her name, And still the Isles of Erin fidget With generous girls named Bride or Bridget. Well, one must love her. Nonetheless, In thinking of her Givingness, There's no denial She must have been A sort of trial Unto her kin. The moral, too, seems rather quaint. Who had the patience of a saint, From evidence presented here? Saint Bridget? Or her near and dear? is reported of Francis of Assisi that as a young man he had a dream in which God said to him, "Francis, repair my church." took this to refer to a church building near Assisi which was in need of repair, and he sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to obtain building materials. father was furious. Francis had not asked for permission: he simply took it for granted that his father would wish to contribute to such a worthy cause. is said of Bridget that as a young girl she made similar assumptions about her family. Bridgit's Cross St. Bridgit's Cross, at St. Bridgit's Church in Kildare is a problem here. On the one hand, it can be argued that if our family members do not choose to make sacrifices for God we have no right to make that choice for them. time ago, if I remember aright, one listmember wrote in considerable bitterness about a childhood that had been blighted by the decision of the father that it would be nice if the whole family lived in Christian Poverty. listmember found no spiritual blessings in the experience, and saw no sign that anyone else did, emphatically including said father.) the other hand, I far more frequently hear Christians argue that their sacred duty to keep everything nice for their spouses and children prevents them, not only from going as missionaries to distant shores, but also from volunteering even quite moderate amounts of their time and money for worthy causes down the block. that all unattached Christians are blameless in this regard.) will note that Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians, told them that marriage, while instituted of God and a sign of the union between Christ and His Church, was not without its dangers to the spiritual life of the Christian. the danger he saw had nothing to do with sex. He was concerned instead that the married are tempted to overvalue security, to feel that they cannot afford, for their families' sakes, to take chances. And since he expected Christians to be facing persecution soon, he saw this as a matter of urgency. as I said, there is a problem here. I have no final answer to give, but commend it to your consideration. by James Kiefer Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1; Brigid, “the Mary of the Gael,” was born around 450 in Faughart, about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth. to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves. as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. would give away food, clothing, and even her father’s possessions to the poor. day he took Brigid to the king’s court, leaving her outside to wait for him. asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. were just in time to see her give away her father’s sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, said, “I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap.” Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of Saint Mael of Ardagh (February 6). after this, she established a monastery on land given to her by the King of Leinster. The land was called Cill Dara (Kildare), or “the church of the oak.” was the beginning of women’s cenobitic monasticism in Ireland. miracles performed by Saint Brigid are too numerous to relate here, but perhaps one story will suffice. evening the holy abbess was sitting with the blind nun Dara. sunset to sunrise they spoke of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the love of Christ, losing all track of time. Brigid was struck by the beauty of the earth and sky in the morning light. that Sister Dara was unable to appreciate this beauty, she became very sad. she prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over Dara’s eyes. at once, the blind nun’s eyes were opened and she saw the sun in the east, and the trees and flowers sparkling with dew. looked for a while, then turned to Saint Brigid and said, “Close my eyes again, dear Mother, for when the world is visible to the eyes, then God is seen less clearly by the soul.” Brigid prayed again, and Dara became blind once more. Brigid fell asleep in the Lord in the year 523 receiving Holy Communion from Saint Ninnidh of Inismacsaint (January 18). was buried at Kildare, her relics were transferred to Downpatrick during the Viking invasions. is believed that she was buried in the same grave with Saint Patrick (March 17) and Saint Columba of Iona (June 9). in the thirteenth century, her head was brought to Portugal by three Irish knights on their way to fight in the Holy Land. They left this holy relic in the parish church of Lumiar, about three miles from Lisbon. of the relic were brought back to Ireland in 1929 and placed in a new church of Saint Brigid in Dublin. relics of Saint Brigid in Ireland were destroyed in the sixteenth century by Lord Grey during the reign of Henry VIII. tradition of making Saint Brigid’s crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland, where devotion to her is still strong. is also venerated in northern Italy, France, and Wales.

Ireland, 473-524, Bridget oKildare, Healed blind nun who wanted back to blind because God seen less clearly, many miracles
Ireland, 473-524, Bridget oKildare, Healed blind nun who wanted back to blind because God seen less clearly, many miracles, fFaughart near Dundalk in Louth, compassion fPoor as child, Druid father tried to sell her to King but too expensive, already gave his sword, estab Kildare monastery; Ireland, Saint, 473-524, Brigit of Kildare; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1; Brigid, “the Mary of the Gael,” was born around 450 in Faughart, about two miles from Dundalk in County Louth. to Tradition, her father was a pagan named Dubthach, and her mother was Brocessa (Broiseach), one of his slaves. as a child, she was known for her compassion for the poor. would give away food, clothing, and even her father’s possessions to the poor. day he took Brigid to the king’s court, leaving her outside to wait for him. asked the king to buy his daughter from him, since her excessive generosity made her too expensive for him to keep. king asked to see the girl, so Dubthach led him outside. were just in time to see her give away her father’s sword to a beggar. This sword had been presented to Dubthach by the king, said, “I cannot buy a girl who holds us so cheap.” Brigid received monastic tonsure at the hands of Saint Mael of Ardagh (February 6). after this, she established a monastery on land given to her by the King of Leinster. The land was called Cill Dara (Kildare), or “the church of the oak.” was the beginning of women’s cenobitic monasticism in Ireland. miracles performed by Saint Brigid are too numerous to relate here, but perhaps one story will suffice. evening the holy abbess was sitting with the blind nun Dara. sunset to sunrise they spoke of the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the love of Christ, losing all track of time. Brigid was struck by the beauty of the earth and sky in the morning light. that Sister Dara was unable to appreciate this beauty, she became very sad. she prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over Dara’s eyes. at once, the blind nun’s eyes were opened and she saw the sun in the east, and the trees and flowers sparkling with dew. looked for a while, then turned to Saint Brigid and said, “Close my eyes again, dear Mother, for when the world is visible to the eyes, then God is seen less clearly by the soul.” Brigid prayed again, and Dara became blind once more. Brigid fell asleep in the Lord in the year 523 receiving Holy Communion from Saint Ninnidh of Inismacsaint (January 18). was buried at Kildare, her relics were transferred to Downpatrick during the Viking invasions. is believed that she was buried in the same grave with Saint Patrick (March 17) and Saint Columba of Iona (June 9). in the thirteenth century, her head was brought to Portugal by three Irish knights on their way to fight in the Holy Land. They left this holy relic in the parish church of Lumiar, about three miles from Lisbon. of the relic were brought back to Ireland in 1929 and placed in a new church of Saint Brigid in Dublin. relics of Saint Brigid in Ireland were destroyed in the sixteenth century by Lord Grey during the reign of Henry VIII. tradition of making Saint Brigid’s crosses from rushes and hanging them in the home is still followed in Ireland, where devotion to her is still strong. is also venerated in northern Italy, France, and Wales. ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523); (Brigid, Bride, Bridey, or in Welsh, Ffraid) of Kildare was born around 450 into a Druid family, the daughter of Dubhthach, court poet to King Loeghaire. an early age, she decided to become a Christian, and she eventually took vows as a nun. with a group of other women, she established a nunnery at Kildare (meaning, Church of the Oak). was later joined by a community of monks led by Conlaed. had formerly been a pagan shrine where a sacred fire was kept perpetually burning, Bridget and her nuns, instead of stamping out the fire, kept it going but gave it a Christian interpretation. was in keeping with the general process whereby Druidism in Ireland gave way to Christianity with very little opposition, Druids for the most part saying that their own beliefs were a partial and tentative insight into the nature of God, that they recognized in Christianity what they had been looking for.) as an abbess participated in several Irish councils, and her influence on the policies of the Church in Ireland was considerable. stories of her younger days deal with her generosity toward the needy. aspect of her character has been the subject of a poem: Giveaway" (from The Love Leters of Phyllis McGinley, New York, Viking Press, 1954) St. Brigid's HeadstoneSaint Bridget was A problem child. Although a lass Demure and mild, And one who strove To please her dad, Saint Bridget drove The family mad. For here's the fault in Bridget lay: She would give everything away. To any soul Whose luck was out She'd give her bowl Of stirabout; She'd give her shawl, Divide her purse With one or all. And what was worse, When she ran out of things to give She'd borrow from a relative. Her father's gold, Her grandsire's dinner, She'd hand to cold and hungry sinner; Give wine, give meat, No matter whose; Take from her feet The very shoes, And when her shoes had gone to others, Fetch forth her sister's and her mother's. She could not quit. She had to share; Gave bit by bit The silverware, The barnyard geese, The parlor rug, Her little niece's christening mug, Even her bed to those in want, And then the mattress of her aunt. An easy touch For poor and lowly, She gave so much And grew so holy That when she died Of years and fame, The countryside Put on her name, And still the Isles of Erin fidget With generous girls named Bride or Bridget. Well, one must love her. Nonetheless, In thinking of her Givingness, There's no denial She must have been A sort of trial Unto her kin. The moral, too, seems rather quaint. Who had the patience of a saint, From evidence presented here? Saint Bridget? Or her near and dear? is reported of Francis of Assisi that as a young man he had a dream in which God said to him, "Francis, repair my church." took this to refer to a church building near Assisi which was in need of repair, and he sold a bale of silk from his father's warehouse to obtain building materials. father was furious. Francis had not asked for permission: he simply took it for granted that his father would wish to contribute to such a worthy cause. is said of Bridget that as a young girl she made similar assumptions about her family. Bridgit's Cross St. Bridgit's Cross, at St. Bridgit's Church in Kildare is a problem here. On the one hand, it can be argued that if our family members do not choose to make sacrifices for God we have no right to make that choice for them. time ago, if I remember aright, one listmember wrote in considerable bitterness about a childhood that had been blighted by the decision of the father that it would be nice if the whole family lived in Christian Poverty. listmember found no spiritual blessings in the experience, and saw no sign that anyone else did, emphatically including said father.) the other hand, I far more frequently hear Christians argue that their sacred duty to keep everything nice for their spouses and children prevents them, not only from going as missionaries to distant shores, but also from volunteering even quite moderate amounts of their time and money for worthy causes down the block. that all unattached Christians are blameless in this regard.) will note that Saint Paul, writing to the Corinthians, told them that marriage, while instituted of God and a sign of the union between Christ and His Church, was not without its dangers to the spiritual life of the Christian. the danger he saw had nothing to do with sex. He was concerned instead that the married are tempted to overvalue security, to feel that they cannot afford, for their families' sakes, to take chances. And since he expected Christians to be facing persecution soon, he saw this as a matter of urgency. as I said, there is a problem here. I have no final answer to give, but commend it to your consideration. by James Kiefer

Ireland, 490-549, Saint, Finnian of Clonard Abby, the 12 Apostles of Ireland studied under him, f Irish monastics
Ireland, Saint, 490-549, Finnian of Clonard; of Clonard ('Cluain Eraird') – also Finian, Fionán or Fionnán in Irish; or Finianus and Finanus in its Latinised form[1][2] (470–549) – one of the early Irish monastic saints, who founded Clonard Abbey in modern-day County Meath. Twelve Apostles of Ireland studied under him. Finnian of Clonard (along with Enda of Aran) is considered one of the fathers of Irish monasticism.[3] St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 490-520, Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois
Ireland, Saint, 490-520, Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois, Gobnata's Brother? Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ;

Ireland, 500-599, 6th Century Folder, Sts Gobnata, Ita, Brendan, Ninnidh, Ciaran, Colomba

Ireland, 501-550, St Gobnata oBallyvourney, Angel ordered leave Islands till see 9 white deer, land fWomen's monastery, set bees
Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, f Claire, tAran Islands, Angel appeared, commanded leave till see 9 white deer, 3 in Clondrohid, 6 at Ballymakeera, finally 9 at Ballyvourney, there given land for women's monastery, by Abban oKilabban, installed as abbas, healing gift, 1951 excavations proved monastery there, Kept plague from Ballyvourney, bee-keeping, invading chieftan, she sent bees to attack, they left without their plunder, patron saint oBallyvourney but revered throuout Ireland and Scotland; Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Gobnata was born in Co.Clare at the end of the fifth, or the beginning of the sixth century. she fled to the Aran Islands to escape from some enemy. angel appeared to her one day and told her to leave that place and to keep walking until she found nine white deer. saw three white deer at Clondrohid, Co. Cork, and decided to follow them. at Ballymakeera, she saw six white deer. at Ballyvourney she came upon nine white deer grazing in a wood. she was given land for a women’s monastery by her spiritual Father Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois (March 16), he installed her as abbess. in 1951 proved that indeed there had been an early Christian settlement on the site. Gobnata was renowned for her gift of healing, there is a story of how she kept the plague from Ballyvourney. is also famous for her skill as a bee-keeper. day, Saint Gobnata was watching from a hill overlooking a valley as an invading chieftain and his army came through, destroying crops and driving off cattle. sent the bees to attack them, and they were thrown into such confusion that they left without their plunder. holy virgin Saint Gobnata fell asleep in the Lord on February 11. exact year of her death is not known, but it probably occurred in the sixth century. she is regarded as the patron saint of Ballyvourney, she is venerated throughout southern Ireland. are churches dedicated to her in Waterford and Kerry, for example, and she is also revered in Scotland.

Ireland, 501-570, St Ita, Hermitess of Kileedy, Limerick, Ireland, the foster mother of Irish saints
England, 501-570, St Ita, Hermitess of Kileedy, Limerick, Ireland, the foster mother of Irish saints, born 1480, of nobility, Waterford Co, founded Killedy convent (Cille Ide), near Newcastle West in Limerick Co, Holy Well, Local Chieftain land grant, training ground young boys, Brendan tVoyager, St Mochaemhock, practiced medicine, repentence asceticism, three things most displeasing tGod 1 face tHates mankind, 2 will tClings love oEvil, 3 placing entire trust iRiches, Proverbs 6 16-19, 3 things most pleasing 1 firm belief Gods pure heart 2 simple religious life 3 liberality wCharity, died 570, popular Irish girl name; Ireland, 501-570, St Ita, Hermitess of Kileedy, Limerick, Ireland, the foster mother of Irish saints; Kileedy; Ireland (then called Scotland); St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ; Ita, “the Foster Mother of the Irish Saints,” born in the fifth century. like many of the Irish saints, was of the nobility. Her parents were devout Christians who lived in County Waterford. founded a school and convent at Killeedy (Cille Ide) which still bears her name near Newcastle West in Co. Limerick. A holy well still marks the site of her church. she decided to settle in Killeedy, a local chieftain offered her a grant of land for the support of the convent, which Saint Ita accepted and cultivated. convent became known as a training ground for young boys, many of whom became famous churchmen. received Saint Brendan the Voyager (May 16) when he was only a year old, and kept him until he was six. She also cared for her nephew Saint Mochaemhoch (March 13) in his infancy. She called him “Pulcherius,” because he was such a handsome child. people sought her spiritual counsels, and she also seems to have practiced medicine to some degree. Her life was spent in repentance and asceticism. Ita once told Saint Brendan that the three things most displeasing to God are: A face that hates mankind, a will that clings to the love of evil, and placing one’s entire trust in riches (Compare Proverbs 6:16-19). three things most pleasing to God are: The firm belief of a pure heart in God, the simple religious life, and liberality with charity. Ita fell asleep in the Lord in 570. Her Feast Day is a local holiday in the district, and her name is a popular one for Irish girls. St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

Ireland, 502-577, Saint, St Brendan the Voyager, to find promised land of the saints
Ireland, Saint, 502-577, St Brendan the Voyager; of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) Brenainn moccu Alti or Brénainn maccu Alti[1][2] (Irish: Naomh Bréanainn or Naomh Breandán; Latin: Brendanus; Icelandic: (heilagur) Brandanus), also referred to as "Brendán moccu Altae" (Brendan of the Fosterling Folk), called "the Navigator", "the Voyager", "the Anchorite", and "the Bold", one of the early Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.[3] is primarily renowned for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed", also denominated "Saint Brendan's Island". The Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis ("Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot") can be described as an immram, i. e., Irish navigational narrative. Brendan's feast day is celebrated on 16 May by Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox Christians.[4] is very little secure information concerning Brendan's life, although at least the approximate dates of his birth and death, and accounts of some events in his life, are found in Irish annals and genealogies. earliest mention of Brendan is in the Vita Sancti Columbae (Life of Saint Columba) of Adamnan written between AD 679 and 704. earliest mention of him as a seafarer appears in the Martyrology of Tallaght of the ninth century.[5] principal works regarding Brendan and his legend are a "Life of Brendan" in several Latin (Vita Brendani) and Irish versions (Betha Brenainn) and the better known Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot).[6] the versions of the Vita and the Navigatio provide little reliable information of his life and travels; they do, however, attest to the development of devotion to him in the centuries after his death. additional problem is that the precise relationship between the Vita and the Navigatio traditions is uncertain. date when the Vita tradition began is uncertain. The earliest surviving copies are no earlier than the end of the twelfth century, but scholars suggest that a version of the Vita was composed before AD 1000. Navigatio was probably written earlier than the Vita, perhaps in the second half of the eighth century.[7] Aengus the Culdee, in his Litany, composed in the end of the eighth century, invoked "the sixty who accompanied St. Brendan in his quest for the Land of Promise".[6] attempt to reconstruct the facts of the life of Brendan or to understand the nature of his legend must be based principally on Irish annals and genealogies and on the various versions of the Vita Brendani.[8] life[edit] was born in AD 484 in Tralee, in County Kerry, in the province of Munster, in the south-west of Ireland.[9] was born among the Altraige, an Irish clan originally centred around Tralee Bay, to parents called Finnlug and Cara. has it that he was born in the Kilfenora/Fenit area on the North side of the bay. He was baptised at Tubrid, near Ardfert by Erc of Slane,[3] and was originally to be called "Mobhí" but signs and portents attending his birth and baptism led to him being christened 'Broen-finn' or 'fair-drop'. five years he was both educated and given in fosterage to St. Íte of Killeedy, "The Brigid of Munster". When he was six he was sent to Jarlath's monastery school at Tuam to further his education. is considered one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland", one of those said to have been tutored by the great teacher, Finnian of Clonard.[10] the age of twenty-six, Brendan was ordained a priest by Erc.[11] Afterwards, he founded a number of monasteries. first voyage took him to the Aran Islands, where he founded a monastery. He also visited Hinba (Argyll), an island off of Scotland where he is said to have met Columcille. the same voyage he travelled to Wales and finally to Brittany, on the northern coast of France. Between AD 512 and 530 Brendan built monastic cells at Ardfert, and Shanakeel (Seana Cill, usually translated as the "Old Church"), at the foot of Mount Brandon. there he is supposed to have embarked on his famous voyage of 7 years for Paradise. The old Irish calendars assigned a feast for the "egressio familiae Sancti Brendani".[6] journey[edit] is primarily renowned for his legendary journey to the Isle of the Blessed as described in the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot) of the ninth century. versions exist that narrate how he set out on the Atlantic Ocean with sixteen monks (although other versions record fourteen monks and three unbelievers who joined in the last minute) to search for the Garden of Eden. of these companions is said to have been Malo.[12] voyage is dated to AD 512–530, before his travel to the island of Great Britain. his trip, Brendan is supposed to have seen Saint Brendan's Island, a blessed island covered with vegetation. also encountered a sea monster, an adventure he shared with his contemporary Columcille. The most commonly illustrated adventure is his landing on an island which turned out to be a giant sea monster named "Jasconius". Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot[edit] earliest extant version of the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot) was recorded c. AD 900. There are over 100 manuscripts of the narrative throughout Europe and many translations. Navigatio is plainly a Christian narrative, but also narrates natural phenomena and fantastical events and places, which appealed to a broad audience. The Navigatio contains many parallels and inter-textual references to Bran and The Voyage of Máel Dúin. the Kerry coast, Brendan built a currach-like boat of wattle, covered it with hides tanned in oak bark and softened with butter, and set up a mast and a sail. He and a small group of monks fasted for 40 days, and after a prayer on the shore, embarked in the name of the Most Holy Trinity.[13] narrative is characterized by much literary licence, e. g., it refers to Hell where "great demons threw down lumps of fiery slag from an island with rivers of gold fire" and also to "great crystal pillars". Many speculate that these are references to volcanic activity around Iceland and to icebergs.[14] Synopsis Saint Barrid tells of his visit to the Island of Paradise, which prompts Brendan to go in search of the isle. Brendan assembles 14 monks to accompany him. They fast at three-day intervals for 40 days, and visit Saint Enda for 3 days and 3 nights. 3 latecomers join the group. They interfere with Brendan's sacred numbers. They find an island with a dog, mysterious hospitality (no people, but food left out), and an Ethiopian devil. One latecomer admits to stealing from the mysterious island; Brendan exorcises the Ethiopian devil from the latecomer; and the latecomer dies and is buried. They find an island inhabited by a boy eating bread and milk, and he shares with them. They find an island of sheep, eat some, and stay for Holy Week (before Easter). They find the island of Jasconius, celebrate Easter Mass, and hunt whales and fish. They find an island that is the "Paradise of Birds", and the birds sing psalms and praise God. They find the island of the monks of Ailbe, who have magic loaves, do not age, and maintain complete silence. They celebrate Christmas. A long voyage after Lent. They find an island with a well, and drinking the water puts them to sleep for 1, 2, or 3 days contingent on the number of cups each man drank. They find a "coagulated" sea. They return to the islands of sheep, Jasconius, and the Paradise of Birds. A bird prophesies that the men must continue this year-long cycle for 7 years before they will be holy enough to reach the Island of Paradise. A sea creature approaches the boat, but God shifts the sea to protect the men. Another sea creature comes, chops the first into three pieces, and leaves. The men eat the dead sea creature. They find an island of 3 choirs of anchorites (monks), who give them fruit, and the second latecomer remains while the others leave. They find an island of grapes, on which they stay for 40 days. They find a gryphon and a bird battle. The gryphon dies. Journey to the monastery at Ailbe again for Christmas. The sea is clear, and many threatening fish circle their boat, but God protects them. They find an island, but when they light a fire, the island sinks; they realize that it is actually a whale. They pass a "silver pillar wrapped in a net" in the sea. They pass an island of blacksmiths, who throw slag at them. They find a volcano, and demons take the third latecomer down to Hell. They find Judas Iscariot sitting unhappily on a cold, wet rock in the sea, and learn that this is his respite from Hell for Sundays and feast days. Brendan protects Judas from the demons of Hell for one night. They find an island where Paul the Hermit has lived a perfect monastic life for 60 years. He wears nothing but hair and is fed by an otter. They return to the islands of sheep, Jasconius, and the Paradise of Birds. They find the Promised Land of the Saints. They return home, and Brendan dies. Sculpture of St Brendan, The Square Bantry, County Cork Navigatio fits in with a then-popular literary genre, peculiar to Ireland, denominated an immram. immrama flourished during the seventh and eighth centuries. Typically, an immram is a tale that describes the hero's series of seafaring adventures. of these immrams involved the search for, and visits to, Tir na nOg, an island far to the west, beyond the edges of the world map. appear to be similarities with The Voyage of Bran written much earlier. the Navigatio, this style of storytelling meshed with a religious ascetic tradition in which Irish monks travel alone in boats, the same way their desert brothers isolated themselves in caves. voyages were one of the most remarkable and enduring of European legends. many of the facts of Brendan's journeys coming from the Navigatio, it has been difficult for scholars to distinguish fact and folklore. narrative of Brendan's voyage, developed during this time, shares some characteristics with immram. an immram, the Navigatio tells the story of Brendan, who, with some companion monks, sets out to find the terra repromissionis sanctorum, ("Promised Land of the Saints"), i. e., the Earthly Paradise.[15] S. Mackley holds that efforts to identify possible, actual locations referenced in the Navigatio distract from the author's purpose of presenting a legend of "salvation, monastic obedience and the faith required to undertake such a pilgrimage."[16] debate whether the Navigatio influenced The Voyage of Máel Dúin or vice versa. Jude Mackley suggests that an early Navigatio influenced an equally early Mael Duin and that inter-borrowing continued as the traditions developed. The Navigatio adapts the immram traditions to a Christian context.[16] principal similarity between Mael Duin and the Navigatio is the introduction in both of 3 additional passengers. Mael Dúin is joined by his foster brothers, and Brendan by 3 additional monks. Both additions upset the equilibrium of the voyages, and only when the additional persons are no longer on board can each voyage be completed.[16] Dutch version[edit] of the earliest extant written versions of Brendan's legend is the Dutch De Reis van Sinte Brandaen (Mediaeval Dutch for The Voyage of Saint Brendan) of the twelfth century. Scholars believe it is derived from a now lost Middle High German text combined with Gaelic elements from Ireland and that it combines Christian and fairy tale elements. Reis van Sinte Brandaen describes "Brandaen", a monk from Galway, and his voyage around the world for 9 years. journey began as a punishment by an angel who saw that Brendan did not believe in the truth of a book of the miracles of creation and saw Brandaen throw it into a fire. The angel tells him that truth has been destroyed. his journeys Brandaen encounters the wonders and horrors of the world, such as Judas Iscariot frozen on one side and burning on the other; people with swine heads, dog legs, and wolf teeth carrying bows and arrows; and an enormous fish that encircles Brandaen's ship by holding its tail in its mouth. English poem the Life of Saint Brandan is a later derivation from the Dutch version.[17] link to North America[edit] Faroese stamp depicting Saint Brendan, taking up the version that the island he discovered was in the Faroe Islands. the narrative is often assumed to be a religious allegory, there has been considerable discussion as to whether the legends are based on fact. There have been many interpretations of the possible geographical location of Saint Brendan's Island. Various pre-Columbian sea charts indicated it everywhere from the southern part of Ireland to the Canary Islands, Faroes, or Azores; to the island of Madeira; to a point 60 degrees west of the first meridian and very near the equator. Belief in the existence of the island was almost completely abandoned when a new theory arose that the Irish were the first Europeans to encounter the Americas. is no reliable evidence to indicate that Brendan ever reached Greenland or the Americas.[18] The Saint Brendan Society celebrates the belief that Brendan was the first European to reach North America. Tim Severin demonstrated that it is possible for a leather-clad boat such as the one described in the Navigatio to reach North America.[19][20][21][22] Severin's film The Brendan Voyage of 1978, which documented his team's feat, inspired the Irish composer Shaun Davey to write his orchestral suite "The Brendan Voyage". Navigatio was known widely in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.[23] Maps of Christopher Columbus’ time often included an island denominated Saint Brendan's Isle that was placed in the western Atlantic Ocean. Paul Chapman argues that Christopher Columbus learned from the Navigatio that the currents and winds would favor westbound travel by a southerly route from the Canary Islands, and eastbound on the return trip by a more northerly route, and hence followed this itinerary on all of his voyages.[24] life[edit] travelled to Wales and the holy island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland; to Ireland, he founded a monastery in Annaghdown, where he spent the rest of his life.[25] He also founded a convent at Annaghdown for his sister Briga.[11] Having established the bishopric of Ardfert, Brendan proceeded to Thomond, and founded a monastery at Inis-da-druim (currently Coney Island), in the present parish of Killadysert, County Clare, c. AD 550. then journeyed to Wales and studied under Gildas at Llancarfan, thence to Iona, for he is said to have left traces of his apostolic zeal at Kil-brandon (near Oban) and Kil-brennan Sound. a mission of three years in Britain he returned to Ireland, and evangelized further in various parts of Leinster, especially at Dysart, County Kilkenny, Killeney near Durrow (Tubberboe Irish: Tóbar Bó, meaning 'Well of the cow'),[26] and Brandon Hill. He established churches at Inchiquin, County Galway, and Inishglora, County Mayo, and founded Clonfert in Galway c. AD 557. He died c. AD 577 in Annaghdown, while visiting his sister Briga. that after his death his devotees might take his remains as relics, Brendan had previously arranged to have his body secretly returned to the monastery he founded in Clonfert, concealed in a luggage cart. He was interred in Clonfert Cathedral. was recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church. His feast day is celebrated on 16 May. the legend of the seven years voyage spread, crowds of pilgrims and students flocked to Ardfert. houses were formed at Gallerus, Kilmalchedor, Brandon Hill, and the Blasket Islands, to meet the wants of those who came for spiritual guidance from Brendan.[3] is the patron saint of sailors and travellers. At the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, a large stained glass window commemorates Brendan's achievements. At Fenit Harbour, Tralee, a substantial bronze sculpture by Tighe O'Donoghue/Ross was erected to honour the memory of Brendan. The project, including a Heritage Park and the Slí Bhreanainn (the Brendan way) was headed by Fr. Gearóid Ó Donnchadha and completed through the work of the St. Brendan Committee. Statue of Brendan at Fenit Harbour the Navigator or Brénainn moccu Alti as he is often known in the medieval Irish tradition is the patron saint of two Irish dioceses, Kerry and Clonfert. He is also a patron saint of boatmen, mariners, travelers, elderly adventurers, and whales,[27] and also of portaging canoes.[10] Brendan's activities as a churchman, however, were developed in Western Ireland, where his most important foundations are found, i.e., Ardfert (Co. Kerry), Inishdadroum (Co. Clare), Annaghdown (Co. Galway), and Clonfert (Co. Galway). His name is perpetuated in numerous place names and landmarks along the Irish coast (e.g., Brandon Hill, Brandon Point, Mount Brendan, Brandon Well, Brandon Bay, Brandon Head).[28] most celebrated foundation was Clonfert Cathedral, in the year 563, over which he appointed Moinenn as Prior and Head Master. Brendan was interred in Clonfert. group of ecclesiastical remains at Ardfert is one of the most interesting and instructive now existing in Ireland. The ruins of the ancient Cathedral of St Brendan, and of its annexed chantries and detached chapels, form a very complete reliquary of Irish ecclesiastical architecture, in its various orders and ages, from the plain but solid Danhliag of the seventh or eighth century to some late and most ornate examples of medieval Gothic. The cathedral, as it now stands, or rather as it stood before it was finally dismantled in A.D. 1641.[29] St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 522-534+, Saint, Ninnidh (Nennius) of Lough Erne
Ireland, Saint, 522-534+, Ninnidh (Nennius) of Lough Erne ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 522-549, Saint, Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Ciaran the Younger
Ireland, Saint, 522-549, Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Ciaran the Younger; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 541-597, Columba, Irish and Scottish Saint, abby of Iona, Celtic Christianity
England, Scottish Saint, 541-597, St Columba; or Colmcille[a] (7 December 521 – 9 June 597) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission.[3][4] founded the important abbey on Iona, which became a dominant religious and political institution in the region for centuries. is the patron saint of Derry. was highly regarded by both the Gaels of Dál Riata and the Picts, is remembered today as a Catholic saint and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.[5] studied under some of Ireland's most prominent church figures founded several monasteries in the country. 563 he and his twelve companions crossed to Dunaverty near Southend, Argyll, in Kintyre before settling in Iona in Scotland, part of the Ulster kingdom of Dál Riata, they founded a new abbey as a base for spreading Celtic Christianity among the pagan Northern Pictish kingdoms.[6][7] remained active in Irish politics, though he spent most of the remainder of his life in Scotland. surviving early medieval Latin hymns may be attributed to him.[4] St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14;

Ireland, 541-597, Colomba, excommunicated but recognized by dLight&angels, w12 missions fTheir Iona Monastery 30yrs+4, Much more
Ireland, 541-597, Saint, Colomba of Iona, noble birth, powerful Ui Néill clan, priest foster father, preached Ireland, Derry&Downs Monasteries, 100 churches, Battle oCul Dremhne 561, because Vulgate copy dispute, Pagan King decided against him, stirred relatives, caused christian deaths, remorse, decided gain as many souls, excommunicated aSynod oTeltown 562, Brendan kissing him approaching, Synod criticozed B, W k excommunicated, because God glorifies him, saw bright column light before him &holy angels, Synod dropped charges, 563 left Ireland w12, pilgrim fChrist, Island Iona, prayed for 30yrs there, then call tHeavenly Kingdom, cells&chapel then missionary activity, gospel converts churches, other islands&inland, Iona important for Northern England&Scotland, by 574 Hinba Is dependency, C maintained ties wIrish churches&others, 574 anointed Dalraida King first time European history, historian Adomnan pattern I prophetic II miracles III angels, Angels came for his soul a30yrs, joy&gladness, then sorrow moment later, 2Monks witnessed &asked him, No do not ask, begged him, b I love you must promise as long as I am alive, that day 30th yr, joy seeing angels come to get, then sorrow they returned b prayers mChurches, April 597 fulfilled prophecy remain 4yrs longer, after Pascal Joy till May, Angel sent recover loan watching blessing them in service, will take his soul between Sat eve&Sun morn, bless barn on Sat, yrs bread in case I go somewhere, tells servant Diarmait not to tell, I go tLord wHe calls me middle of night, Lord himself rThis, stop on way back halfway cross&milestone, White horse story Lord revealed brute his master going away, C went to copy psalms to Rich hBecome poor&hungry but those who seek diligently shall not want any good thing, here I must stop, Vespers then bead of stone stone pillow, last instructions to D Love one another follow Holy Fathers, God will help you I will intercede for you, 12th hr bell midnight office, D saw church filled Angelic light around C, at door light vanished, where are you, with head on D''s lap he saw Angels there to carry his soul away, D held up his hand to help bless monks then soul departed, two men far off separate visions soul departing by angels, one in the spirit the other while fishing, after repose Matins hymns&body tLodging, 3days&nights Funeral, 634 Miracle fOswald over Cadwallon, told him to march at night for C's deliverance into O's hands, O reported this himself; Ireland, Saint, 541-597, Colomba of Iona ; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Columba (or Colum Cille, "the dove of the Church") was of noble birth, a member of the powerful Ui Néill clan, which traced its descent to Niall of the Nine Hostages, who died around the year 450. parents were Fedelmid mac Ferguso and Eithne. Although it is difficult to determine the date of Saint Columba's birth with any degree of certainty, is believed that he was born in County Donegal on December 7, 521. parents may have been pagans, and named their son Crimthann. was brought up by a foster-father, according to the custom of that time, a priest named Cruithnechan. do not know what happened in Saint Columba's life from the time he completed his studies until his departure from Ireland in 563. may have been baptized with the name Colum, which later became Columba (dove). sources state that after being ordained as a priest, Saint Columba preached in Ireland, and established monasteries at Derry and Durrow. It is said that he also founded one hundred churches. says (I: 7) that the Saint left Ireland two years after the Battle of Cúl Dreimhne (561), supposedly for causing the deaths of so many men. Adomnan does not explain why the Saint blamed himself. in a different Life of Saint Columba it is stated that there was a dispute between Saints Columba and Finnian of Moville (September 10), concerning the ownership of a copy of Saint Jerome’s Latin Vulgate version of the Bible (some sources say it was a Psalter). dispute involved the ownership of the copy. Finnian claimed that the copy was his, since he owned the original manuscript. Saint Columba maintained that the copy was his, since he had copied the original. High King Diarmait mac Cerbaill, who was a pagan, decided in favor of Finnian. He said, "To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy." Saint is said to have been so angry that he stirred up his relatives of the Uí Néill clan to make war against the High King. Battle of Cúl Dreimhne led to the loss of many Christian lives. In his remorse, Saint Columba decided that he must gain as many souls for Christ as had been slain on the battlefield. also mentions the Synod of Teltown in County Meath (III:3) which met in 562, one year after the battle, and one year before Saint Columba left Ireland. declares that "Saint Columba was excommunicated for some trivial and quite excusable offenses by a Synod which, as eventually became known, had acted wrongly. The Saint himself came to the assembly that had been convoked against him." Saint Brendan of Birr (November 29) saw Saint Columba approaching at a distance, after the Synod had excommunicated him in absentia, he ran out to meet him, kissing him with reverence. the members of the Synod saw this they criticized him, saying, "Why did you get up to kiss a man who has been excommunicated?” Brendan replied, “If you had seen what the Lord has deigned to reveal to me today, concerning this chosen one whom you refuse to honor, you would never have excommunicated him. God does not excommunicate in accordance with your erroneous judgement, but instead, He glorifies him more and more." they became incensed and said that they should like to know just how God had glorified Saint Columba, whom they had excommunicated, as they asserted, with good reason. Brendan replied, "I saw a very bright column of light going before the man of God, whom you despise, and holy angels as his companions traveling over the plain." hearing this, the Synod dropped the charges and honored Saint Columba with much reverence. 563, Saint Columba left Ireland, saying that he wished to be a pilgrim for Christ. twelve companions with him, the Saint settled on the island of Iona, off the southwestern coast of Mull. prayed that God would permit him to live there for thirty years more, and then call him to the heavenly Kingdom. is not known whether the island was inhabited when they arrived, but there is archaeological evidence of prehistoric occupation. building cells and a chapel, the monks began a period of missionary activity, proclaiming the Gospel, making converts, and founding churches. sailed to other islands, and even went inland in their labors to bring people to Christ. a result, Iona became an important center of Christianity for northern England and Scotland. 574, Abbot Columba had at least one dependency on the island of Hinba. There were others on the various islands, all under the authority of Iona. Columba also maintained ties with his churches in Ireland and people in other places. is an account of Saint Columba anointing Aedan mac Gabrain in 574 to succeed King Conall as the King of Dalriada, just as King Saul and King David had been anointed by Samuel. regard this as the first time in European history that Christian ritual was used to consecrate a King. There is much debate on the significance of this event, although Saint Columba did have a special relationship with the ruling dynasty of Dalriada. has not written a Saint's Life according to the traditional pattern. Rather than presenting a continuous narrative from birth to death, he describes Saint Columba's prophetic revelations in Book I; his miracles of power in Book II; and his visions of angels in Book III. Book III:22, Adomnan relates how Saint Columba beheld the angels who had come to receive his soul in the thirtieth year after his arrival on Iona. he raised his eyes to Heaven, and he was filled with great joy and gladness. a moment later, his joy had turned to sorrow. monks stood outside his hut when this occurred, and they asked him about it. told them to go in peace, and not to ask him to tell them the cause of his gladness, nor of his sorrow. fell to the ground with profuse tears and begged him to reveal what he had been told. their distress, the holy Elder said, "Because I love you, I do not wish to grieve you. First, you must promise not to betray to anyone, as long as I am alive, the mystery that you seek to know." they had given their word, Saint Columba said that day was exactly thirty years since he had begun to live "in pilgrimage in Britain." He had asked God to call him to Heaven at the end of thirty years. That is why he seemed so glad. He had seen the angels who had been sent to separate his soul from his body, now they seemed to be delayed. They were waiting on a rock across the Sound from Iona. It was as if they wished to accomplish their task, but they were not permitted to come any closer. Soon they would return to Heaven. though he desired to go with them, the prayers of many churches had caused this change in plans. "Even though I do not wish it, I must remain in this flesh four years longer. This sorrowful delay is the cause of my great distress today." the holy Abbot predicted that at the end of four years, he would die suddenly, and without pain, when the angels would come for him again, and he would depart to the Lord. is precisely what happened. April of 597, on the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection, Saint Columba was longing to depart from this life in order to be with Him. God would have granted his wish right then, but he did not want to turn the paschal joy of his disciples into sorrow, and so his death was delayed for the sake of the monks. May, as the brethren were working on the western side of Iona, Saint Columba was taken there in a cart, for he was then an old man of seventy-five. began to speak to them of his approaching death, so that they would be prepared. When he told them how his death had been merely postponed in April, they became very sorrowful. The Saint tried to console them as much as he could. Then he looked toward the east and blessed the island, and those who dwelt there. few days later, during the Sunday liturgy, Saint Columba looked up and his face became suffused with joy and exultation. he could see the angel hovering over them inside the church. Then the angel passed right through the roof of the church, leaving no trace of his passing. the monks noticed the Elder looking upward they asked him why he seemed so happy. told them that an angel had been sent to recover a loan, and had been watching and blessing them during the service. of the monks understood what sort of loan the angel had been sent to recover, but Saint Columba was referring to his soul, which the angel would take sometime between the following Saturday evening and Sunday morning. the end of the week, on Saturday, Saint Columba and his servant Diarmait went to bless the nearest barn. The venerable Elder said that he was glad to know that the monks would have enough bread to last for a year, in case he had to "go away somewhere." Diarmait was saddened by his words and said, "Father, this year you have made us sad too often by speaking frequently about your passing." Columba said that he would speak more plainly about his departure if Diarmait promised not to tell anyone until after he had reposed. When Diarmait had given his word, the Saint explained that the Sabbath is a day of rest, and on this Saturday he would go the way of his fathers. "I shall go to the Lord when He calls me, in the middle of this night. The Lord Himself has revealed this to me." these words, Diarmait began to weep. Then they started back to the monastery, but Saint Columba had to stop and rest when they reached the halfway point. a cross was set up on that spot and set in a millstone. a white horse, which used to carry pails of milk to the monastery, came and placed its head on the Saint's bosom. Tears fell from its eyes, and the horse mourned like a person. Diarmait would have driven the horse away, but the Elder stopped him saying, "Leave him alone! Let him who loves us pour out the tears of bitterest mourning here at my breast. though you have a man's rational soul, you would not know of my departure if I hadn't told you just now. to His will, the Creator has revealed to this brute and unreasoning animal that his master is going away." Then he blessed the horse as it turned away. he returned to the monastery, Saint Columba went to his hut to copy some Psalms. copied as far as Psalm 33/34:10: "The rich have become poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord diligently shall not want any good thing." he said, "Here at the end of the page I must stop. Let Baithene write what follows." he finished writing, Saint Columba went to church for Vespers, and then he returned to his lodging and rested on his bed. of a bed of straw, he always slept upon bare rock, with a stone for his pillow. he gave his last instructions to Diarmait, commanding the brethren to love one another, and to follow the example of the Holy Fathers. continued, "God, Who strengthens the good, will help you, and I, dwelling with Him, shall intercede for you." the bell rang for the Midnight Office, Saint Columba hastened to the church before the others, and then he knelt before the altar in prayer. following at a distance, saw the church filled with angelic light around the Saint. he reached the door, the light vanished, although some of the brethren had seen it as well. entered the church and called out in a tearful voice, "Father, where are you?" lamps carried by the brethren had not yet been brought into the church. his way in the dark, Diarmait found the Elder lying before the altar. Raising him a little, he sat by his side and cradled his head on his bosom. other monks related that before Saint Cuthbert's soul had left his body, he opened his eyes and looked about with joy and gladness upon his face, for he saw angels coming to meet him. held up the Saint's right hand to bless the monks. The venerable Father, as much as he could, also moved his hand to bless the brethren, though he was unable to speak. Then at once his soul departed. men had separate visions of the Saint's soul being carried to Heaven by angels. mac Tailchain, "a just man and a sage," told a man named Fergnae of his vision. Although Lugaid had never been to Iona, he saw it, in the Spirit, bathed in a bright light. He beheld the radiance of countless angels who had been sent to carry the Saint's soul to Heaven, accompanied by the sweetest songs of the angelic hosts. soldier of Christ, Ernene moccu Fir Roide had a vision at the same hour. When he was an old man, he related it to Adomnan, who was then a young man. Ernene and some other men were fishing in the River Finn, when suddenly, the entire sky lit up. Looking toward the east, they saw a fiery pillar rising upwards and lighting the area like the summer sun at Noon. When the pillar passed out of sight, the darkness returned once more. Saint Columba's blessed repose, the Matins hymns were chanted, and his body was carried from the church to his lodging. three days and nights, the funeral rites were performed in a manner befitting one of his honor and rank. holy relics were wrapped in linen and placed in the grave with due reverence, from which he shall rise in bright, and everlasting light. following miracle is mentioned in Book I:1. In the year 634, at Heavenfield in Northumbria, on the eve of a battle, Saint Columba appeared to Saint Oswald (August 5), revealing his name to the King. He promised to help Saint Oswald, ordering him to march on his enemy Cadwallon that night. He said that the enemy would be put to flight, and that Cadwallon would be delivered into King Oswald's hands. Abbot Failbe, Adomnan's predecessor, told him of this vision, swearing that he had the story from the lips of Saint Oswald himself.

Ireland, 542-618, Kevin oGlendalough, Kathleen story like Potiphar's wife, but repented, assisted by Angels&Animals, incorrupt r
Ireland, 542-618, St Kevin oGlendalough, Kevin's Monastery (between coast and Barrow River 3), noble family, kings oLeinster, taught by Petroc a7, a12 under 3Elders, Kathleen Story like Potiphar's W but with repentence, Kath became Nun, imitating Egyptian desert dwellers&Gaul monks Celtic monks longed tbHermits, Elders not let him go, people came, left in secret, Angel led him tGlendalough (Vale otTwo Lakes), hollow oaTree upper lake shore, wild herbs and water, discovered in tree by cow licking his clothes gives more milk, trees bend down, K blesses forest, 3 Elders come to bring him back, but blessed him to leave monastery, nothing more to teach him, Bishop Lugidus ordained K as Priest, sent him start Cluainduach church, returned Glendalough, Angel led oWicklow Mts establish monastery two rivers, then returned upper valley 4-7yrs, wild animals come, blackbird lays egg in his hand, still till it hatched, cave known as Kevin's bed, Angel told him rock about to fall, stayed till Pascha, left, then fell, finding space fMonastery angel suggested flattening mountains but K declined to protect tAnimals, chosen spot rocky ground cleared by Angel & cleared of thistles by local Chieftain ; Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery; Saint Kevin of Glendalough, Commemorated on June 3; Kevin (Coemgen) was born in Leinster in the early decades of the sixth century, age of Saints Columba (June 9), Columbanus of Luxeuil (November 21), Comgall of Bangor (May 10), Finnian of Clonard (December 12), Kieran of Clonmacnoise (September 9), and many other great saints. holy ascetic belonged to a noble family which had included several Kings of Leinster. himself, however, was a model of humility and self-denial. There are several miraculous stories connected with his birth and childhood, but most are unreliable. holy youth was baptized by a priest named Cronan and was named Kevin, which means "fair-begotten." There are so many saints named Cronan that it is not clear which one baptized Saint Kevin. he was seven years old, his parents sent him to be taught by Saint Petroc (June 4), who happened to be visiting Ireland at the time. a boy of twelve, Saint Kevin was placed in the charge of three holy Elders: Eogoin of Ardstraw (August 23), Lochan, and Enna. is known of these teachers or where their establishment was located. secular studies were certainly enhanced by spiritual instruction. He learned to read the Holy Scriptures, and to profit from the example of the virtuous men and women of the Old and New Testaments. Kevin was so handsome that a young girl named Kathleen became inflamed with desire for him, the holy youth resisted all her allurements. She pestered him so much with her attentions that he fled from her, just as Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:12). Kathleen followed him and found him alone in a field, so she approached him and threw her arms around him. Arming himself with the Sign of the Cross, and filled with the Holy Spirit, Saint Kevin broke away from her and ran into the woods. She soon discovered him hiding in a bed of nettles. Grabbing a bunch of nettles, the saint struck her about the face, hands and feet. Wounded by the nettles, the girl's passion quickly cooled. She fell on her knees in repentance, begged forgiveness from God and from Saint Kevin, and promised to become a nun. successfully resisting the temptations of the flesh, Saint Kevin continued to devote himself to his studies, and longed to live the monastic life as a hermit. was a common practice in the Celtic Church, which was influenced by the lives of the Egyptian desert dwellers, and by monks who had come from Gaul. Kevin was anxious to leave the monastery, but his three Elders would not let him go. he had acquired a reputation for holiness, and people from the surrounding area came to seek his advice. to flee from such unwelcome attention, he left the monastery in secret and went into the wilderness. is said that an angel led him to Glendalough (the Vale of the Two Lakes) where he lived in the hollow of a tree somewhere by the shores of the Upper Lake. ascetic remained in this place for several days, living on wild herbs and water. A cow wandered off and came to the tree where the Saint was living, and began to lick his clothing. After some time had passed, the cow showed an unusual increase in its milk, so her owner told his herdsman follow the animal. She led him to Glendalough, and there the herdsman discovered Saint Kevin, weak with hunger, and hiding in the tree. herdsman had to remove Saint Kevin on a litter by force, since the holy ascetic did not wish to leave. As he was being carried off, the trees bent down to make way for them. Saint Kevin then bestowed his blessing on the forest. of Saint Kevin reached his three Elders, who came to bring him back to their monastery. Recognizing the holiness of his life, they understood that they had nothing more to teach him, so they blessed him to leave the monastery. certain Bishop Lugidus ordained Saint Kevin to the priesthood, and sent him and a few other monks to found a new church. He spent a little time converting people at Cluainduach, but later moved back to Glendalough. by an angel, Saint Kevin crossed the Wicklow Mountains and established a monastery in the lower part of the valley where two rivers flow together. Once the monastery was organized, he appointed one of the monks as abbot, and then he retired to the upper valley a mile away to resume his life of solitude. He built a small dwelling on a narrow place between the mountain and the lake, where there were dense woods and clear rivulets. Some sources say that Saint Kevin lived there for four years, while others say seven years. this period of his life, wild animals would come to drink water out of his hands. Once during Lent, Saint Kevin stood praying in his hut with his hand sticking out of the window. Just then a blackbird nested in his hand and laid an egg. So gentle and compassionate was the Saint that he remained in this position until the eggs hatched and the fledglings were able to fly away. is a small cave above the Upper Lake known as Saint Kevin's Bed. One year he retired there for Lent, and an angel came and told him he would have to move because a rock was about to fall on that spot. Saint Kevin told the angel he could not interrupt his Lenten struggles or leave that place. On the eve of Pascha the angel returned to take him away. The venerable one protested that he would like to remain there for the rest of his life. He was persuaded to go, however, by the angel's promise that great benefits would follow for all who would come there in the future, both to live in the monastic city and to be buried there. Just as he was leaving with the angel, the rock came tumbling down and landed on the very spot where he had been standing. over the lake, they discussed the problem of finding sufficient space for so many people. The angel said that if Saint Kevin wished, God could transform the four mountains surrounding the valley to level fields, fruitful and easy to work. The holy ascetic replied that he would not want God's creatures to perish on his account. All of the animals of those mountains were tame and humble toward him, and they would be saddened by this proposal. they arrived at the chosen spot, Saint Kevin saw that the ground was rocky and unsuitable for burial. The angel fixed that by clearing all the stones away. The site is to the east of the smaller (Lower) lake. Saint Kevin told the local chieftain Dimma and his sons to cut away the thorns and thistles, and to make this a beautiful spot. is not certain just where in the valley Saint Kevin fell asleep in the Lord. It was not at the hermitage, however, because he sent a party of monks there to pray for him. Local tradition says that Saint Kevin is buried in the church of the Mother of God in that vicinity. Kevin was succeeded as abbot by his nephew Molibba (Jan. 8), who seems to have been the first bishop there. According to the Annals of Ulster, the holy abbot and confessor Kevin departed to Christ on June 3, 618.

Ireland, 600-699, 7th Century Folder, Sts Aidan of Lindsfarne, and WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT

Ireland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651);

Ireland, 678-739, Saint, WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, from Northumbria, England
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739);

Ireland, 1500, 16th C Folder, WILLIAM LAUD, Defended Church Customs, Threatened Parlimentarians, Executed

Ireland, 1593-1645, WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP, defended church order, for Clergy independence, threatened Parliament, executed
England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD, A oCanterbury 1633-1645, turbulent time before English Civil War, surplice controversy, like Christmas Celebration c, Bible no commands, Pagan Roman Catholic rite, marks person as idolater, Laud said Let all things be don decently and in order, Puritans interrupted services, stole surplices, into dung-pit, ruined altar hangings wPitch, Laud's office to maintain order&punish church peace offences, punished rich&poor, equal under law, cost his life, also punished speech against Church doctrine (no free speech), so Laud made enemies 3ways, 1. Puritins punished by Laud for vandalizing or scolding Church, 2. upheld harmless customs like surplice which suppoled Return Roman Catholic rule, 3. sought financial independence oClergy from local squire, by returning church lands seized bHenry 8th, no details, but every landholder threatened, His execution, 1637 attempt Common Prayer book in Scotland caused rioting, 1638 Scottish National Covenant for Puritin position, S voted excomminicate every Bishop, unrest spread tEngland, 1640 Laud arrested high treason, in Tower 4yrs, 1644 a71 found guilty, no evidence, House oCommons wanted him dead, prayed oScaffold, recieve my soul, have mercy oMe, bless Kingdom wPeace, that no this effusion Christian blood ; England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645); Laud, born in 1573, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 in the days of King Charles I. was a turbulent time throughout, one of violent divisions in the Church of England, eventually culminating in the English Civil War. example is the surplice controversy. have all encountered Christians who are opposed to celebrating Christmas on the grounds that the Bible nowhere commands us to celebrate Christmas, and does not mention the 25th of December; and the pagans had a festival in December at which they built fires and feasted and exchanged gifts, from which it follows that those who celebrate Christmas are participating in pagan rites. in the late 1500's and early 1600's, there were Christians in England who objected to the garment called the surplice. participating in the services of Morning and Evening Prayer in Church, clergy, including choir members, normally wore a cassock (a black, floor-length, fairly tight-fitting garment) covered by a surplice (a white, knee-length, fairly loose garment with loose sleeves). Puritans objected to the surplice as not mentioned in the Bible, and as something that the Roman Catholics had worn before the Reformation, which made it one of the props of idolatrous worship, and marked anyone who wore it as an idolater. Laud regarded it as a seemly, dignified, garment, an appropriate response to the Apostle Paul's injunction, all things be done decently and in order." Puritans stood by their objections, and violently interrupted services at which the surplice was worn. one occasion, a group of Puritans broke into an Oxford chapel the night before a service and stole the surplices, which they thrust into a the dung-pit of a privy. a woman marched into Lichfield Cathedral, accompanied by the town clerk and his wife, and ruined the altar hangings with a bucket of pitch. English Law, it was part of Laud's office as Archbishop to maintain order and to punish offences against the peace of the Church. made it his practice to proceed not only against poor and obscure offenders, but also, perhaps especially, against rich and powerful ones. is well that men should be equal before the law, but his integrity on this point ultimately cost Laud his life. was also the prosecutor of record in the trials of those who published seditious or violent and abusive attacks on the doctrine and discipline of the Church, the Puritans produced an abundance of scurrilous attacks on those who disagreed with them, which were duly punished, with Laud taking the responsibility. 1630 (before Laud became Archbishop), when Alexander Leighton published Zion's Pleas Against Prelacy, a violent attack on the Bishops as tools of Antichrist, he was sentenced to be publicly whipped and branded, and to have his ears cut off. was sixty years old and a Doctor of Divinity, and the sentence aroused great public indignation. (It is not certain that it was actually carried out.) made enemies chiefly in three ways. He punished those who attacked the Church, both those who vandalized and those who merely scolded. He upheld various customs in public worship (such as the wearing of the surplice) that were harmless in themselves, but which aroused the suspicion and fury of those who feared a return to power of Roman Catholicism. He sought the financial independence of the clergy, so that a preacher was not dependent on what support the local squire was pleased to give him. proposed means to this end was to restore to the Church some of the Church lands that had been seized by Henry VIII and given or sold to various nobles and gentlemen. proposal never reached the stage of discussion about details, so it was not clear how compensation would be handled, the mere whisper of such a proposal was enough to make every landholder in the country feel personally threatened. William Laud at his execution Laud at his execution 1637 an attempt was made to introduce the Book of Common Prayer into general use in Scotland this book is online at the Book of Common Prayer site], it immediately caused rioting. February of 1638, Scottish leaders signed the National Covenant, by which they pledged themselves to uphold the Puritan position by force, by the end of the year they had voted to depose and excommunicate every bishop in Scotland. unrest spread to England, in 1640 Laud was arrested on a charge of high treason. was kept in the Tower for four years, and tried in 1644, at the age of seventy-one. was found guilty, not because there was any evidence of his guilt, but because the House of Commons was determined that he should die. the scaffold he prayed: "The Lord receive my soul, and have mercy on me, and bless this kingdom with peace and charity, that there may not be this effusion of Christian blood amongst them." by James Kiefer

Ireland, 1600, 17th C Folder, English Civil War unified Eng Ire Scot

Ireland, 1642-1651, English Civil War, Parlimentarians v Royalists, P's won, Cromwell ruled, Commonwealth, inified Eng Ire Scot
England, 1642-“1651, English Civil War; English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers"), over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedom.[2] was part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms. first (1642–1646) and second (1648–1649) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, the third (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. wars also involved the Scottish Covenanters and Irish Confederates. war ended with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. other civil wars in England, which were mainly fought over who should rule, conflicts were also concerned with how the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland should be governed. outcome was threefold: the trial of and execution of Charles I (1649); exile of his son, Charles II (1651); the replacement of English monarchy with the Commonwealth of England, from 1653 (as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) unified the British Isles under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1658) briefly his son Richard (1658–1659). England, the monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship was ended, in Ireland, the victors consolidated the established Protestant Ascendancy. the outcome of the wars established the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament's consent, the idea of Parliamentary sovereignty was legally established only as part of the Glorious Revolution in 1688.[3] JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645);

Ireland, 1700-1799, 18th Century Folder, George Berekeley, Immaterialism

Ireland, 1705-1753, George Berekeley, Immaterialism, father of Idealism
Ireland, 1705-1753, George Berekeley, Immaterialism, father of Idealism; Berkeley ([5][6] 12 March 1685 - 14 January 1753) – known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) - an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to as "subjective idealism" by others). This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are ideas perceived by the minds and, as a result, cannot exist without being perceived. Berkeley is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.[7] 1709, Berkeley published his superabundant first major work, An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision, in which he discussed the limitations of human vision and advanced the theory that the proper objects of sight are not material objects, but light and colour.[8] foreshadowed his chief philosophical work, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, in 1710, which, after its poor reception, he rewrote in dialogue form and published under the title Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous in 1713.[9] this book, Berkeley's views were represented by Philonous (Greek: "lover of mind"), while Hylas ("hyle", Greek: "matter") embodies the Irish thinker's opponents, in particular John Locke. argued against Isaac Newton's doctrine of absolute space, time and motion in De Motu[10] (On Motion), published 1721. arguments were a precursor to the views of Mach and Einstein.[11][12] In 1732, he published Alciphron, a Christian apologetic against the free-thinkers, and in 1734, he published The Analyst, a critique of the foundations of calculus, which was influential in the development of mathematics.[13] in Berkeley's work increased after World War II because he tackled many of the issues of paramount interest to philosophy in the 20th century, such as the problems of perception, the difference between primary and secondary qualities, and the importance of language.[14] 1 Biography 1.1 Ireland 1.2 England and Europe 1.3 Marriage and America 1.4 Episcopate in Ireland 1.5 Humanitarian work 1.6 Last works 2 Contributions to philosophy 2.1 Theology 2.2 Relativity arguments 2.3 New theory of vision 2.4 Philosophy of physics 2.5 Berkeley's razor 2.6 Philosophy of mathematics 2.7 Moral philosophy 2.8 Immaterialism 3 Influence 4 Appearances in Literature 5 Commemoration 5.1 Veneration 6 Writings 6.1 Original publications 6.2 Collections 7 See also 8 References 9 Sources 9.1 Bibliographic resources 9.2 Philosophical studies 10 Further reading 11 External links was born at his family home, Dysart Castle, near Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland, the eldest son of William Berkeley, a cadet of the noble family of Berkeley. Little is known of his mother. was educated at Kilkenny College and attended Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected a Scholar in 1702, being awarded BA in 1704 and MA and a Fellowship in 1707. He remained at Trinity College after completion of his degree as a tutor and Greek lecturer. earliest publication was on mathematics, but the first that brought him notice was his An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision, first published in 1709. the essay, Berkeley examines visual distance, magnitude, position and problems of sight and touch. While this work raised much controversy at the time, its conclusions are now accepted as an established part of the theory of optics. next publication to appear was the Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge in 1710, which had great success and gave him a lasting reputation, though few accepted his theory that nothing exists outside the mind. was followed in 1713 by Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, in which he propounded his system of philosophy, the leading principle of which is that the world, as represented by our senses, depends for its existence on being perceived. this theory, the Principles gives the exposition and the Dialogues the defence. One of his main objectives was to combat the prevailing materialism of his time. The theory was largely received with ridicule, while even those such as Samuel Clarke and William Whiston, who did acknowledge his "extraordinary genius," were nevertheless convinced that his first principles were false. and Europe afterwards, Berkeley visited England and was received into the circle of Addison, Pope and Steele. the period between 1714 and 1720, he interspersed his academic endeavours with periods of extensive travel in Europe, including one of the most extensive Grand Tours of the length and breadth of Italy ever undertaken.[15] In 1721, he took Holy Orders in the Church of Ireland, earning his doctorate in divinity, and once again chose to remain at Trinity College Dublin, lecturing this time in Divinity and in Hebrew. 1721/2 he was made Dean of Dromore and, in 1724, Dean of Derry. 1723, following her violent quarrel with Jonathan Swift, who had been her intimate friend for many years, Esther Vanhomrigh (for whom Swift had created the nickname "Vanessa") named Berkeley her co-heir along with the barrister Robert Marshall; her choice of legatees caused a good deal of surprise since she did not know either of them well, although Berkeley as a very young man had known her father. Swift said generously that he did not grudge Berkeley his inheritance, much of which vanished in a lawsuit in any event. A story that Berkeley and Marshall disregarded a condition of the inheritance that they must publish the correspondence between Swift and Vanessa is probably untrue. 1725, he began the project of founding a college in Bermuda for training ministers and missionaries in the colony, in pursuit of which he gave up his deanery with its income of £1100. and America 1728, he married Anne Forster, daughter of John Forster, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, and his first wife Rebecca Monck. He then went to America on a salary of £100 per annum. landed near Newport, Rhode Island, where he bought a plantation at Middletown – the famous "Whitehall". purchased several slaves to work the plantation.[16][17] has been claimed that "he introduced Palladianism into America by borrowing a design from [William] Kent's Designs of Inigo Jones for the door-case of his house in Rhode Island, Whitehall."[citation needed] He also brought to New England John Smibert, the Scottish artist he "discovered" in Italy, who is generally regarded as the founding father of American portrait painting.[18] he drew up plans for the ideal city he planned to build on Bermuda.[19] He lived at the plantation while he waited for funds for his college to arrive. The funds, however, were not forthcoming. "With the withdrawal from London of his own persuasive energies, opposition gathered force; and the Prime Minister, Walpole grew steadily more sceptical and lukewarm. last it became clear that the essential Parliamentary grant would be not forthcoming"[20] and in 1732 he left America and returned to London. He and Anne had four children who survived infancy: Henry, George, William and Julia, and at least two other children who died in infancy. William's death in 1751 was a great cause of grief to his father. in Ireland was nominated to be the Bishop of Cloyne in the Church of Ireland on 18 January 1734. He was consecrated as such on 19 May 1734. He was the Bishop of Cloyne until his death on 14 January 1753, although he died at Oxford (see below). work living in London's Saville Street, he took part in efforts to create a home for the city's abandoned children. The Foundling Hospital was founded by Royal Charter in 1739, and Berkeley is listed as one of its original governors. works last two publications were A Chain of Philosophical Reflexions and Inquiries Concerning the Virtues of Tarwater, And divers other Subjects connected together and arising one from another (1744) Further Thoughts on Tar-water (1752). Pine tar is an effective antiseptic and disinfectant when applied to cuts on the skin, but Berkeley argued for the use of pine tar as a broad panacea for diseases. His 1744 work on tar-water sold more copies than any of his other books during Berkeley's lifetime.[21] remained at Cloyne until 1752, when he retired. With his wife and daughter Julia he went to Oxford to live with his son George and supervise his education.[22] He died soon afterward and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. His affectionate disposition and genial manners made him much loved and held in warm regard by many of his contemporaries. Anne outlived her husband by many years, and died in 1786.[23] to philosophy article: Subjective idealism According to Berkeley there are only two kinds of things: spirits and ideas. Spirits are simple, active beings which produce and perceive ideas; ideas are passive beings which are produced and perceived.[24] use of the concepts of "spirit" and "idea" is central in Berkeley's philosophy. As used by him, these concepts are difficult to translate into modern terminology. His concept of "spirit" is close to the concept of "conscious subject" or of "mind", and the concept of "idea" is close to the concept of "sensation" or "state of mind" or "conscious experience". Berkeley denied the existence of matter as a metaphysical substance, but did not deny the existence of physical objects such as apples or mountains ("I do not argue against the existence of any one thing that we can apprehend, either by sense or reflection. That the things I see with mine eyes and touch with my hands do exist, really exist, I make not the least question. only thing whose existence we deny, is that which philosophers call matter or corporeal substance. And in doing of this, there is no damage done to the rest of mankind, who, I dare say, will never miss it.", Principles #35). basic claim of Berkeley's thought, his "idealism", is sometimes and somewhat derisively called "immaterialism" or, occasionally, subjective idealism. In Principles #3, he wrote, using a combination of Latin and English, esse is percipi (to be is to be perceived), most often if slightly inaccurately attributed to Berkeley as the pure Latin phrase esse est percipi.[25] The phrase appears associated with him in authoritative philosophical sources, e.g., "Berkeley holds that there are no such mind-independent things, that, in the famous phrase, esse est percipi (aut percipere)—to be is to be perceived (or to perceive)."[21] human knowledge is reduced to two elements: that of spirits and of ideas (Principles #86). In contrast to ideas, a spirit cannot be perceived. A person's spirit, which perceives ideas, is to be comprehended intuitively by inward feeling or reflection (Principles #89). For Berkeley, we have no direct 'idea' of spirits, albeit we have good reason to believe in the existence of other spirits, for their existence explains the purposeful regularities we find in experience[26] ("It is plain that we cannot know the existence of other spirits otherwise than by their operations, or the ideas by them excited in us", Dialogues #145). This is the solution that Berkeley offers to the problem of other minds. Finally, the order and purposefulness of the whole of our experience of the world and especially of nature overwhelms us into believing in the existence of an extremely powerful and intelligent spirit that causes that order. According to Berkeley, reflection on the attributes of that external spirit leads us to identify it with God. Thus a material thing such as an apple consists of a collection of ideas (shape, color, taste, physical properties, etc.) which are caused in the spirits of humans by the spirit of God. convinced adherent of Christianity, Berkeley believed God to be present as an immediate cause of all our experiences. He did not evade the question of the external source of the diversity of the sense data at the disposal of the human individual. He strove simply to show that the causes of sensations could not be things, because what we called things, and considered without grounds to be something different from our sensations, were built up wholly from sensations. There must consequently be some other external source of the inexhaustible diversity of sensations. The source of our sensations, Berkeley concluded, could only be God; He gave them to man, who had to see in them signs and symbols that carried God's word.[27] is Berkeley's proof of the existence of God: Whatever power I may have over my own thoughts, I find the ideas actually perceived by Sense have not a like dependence on my will. When in broad daylight I open my eyes, it is not in my power to choose whether I shall see or no, or to determine what particular objects shall present themselves to my view; and so likewise as to the hearing and other senses; the ideas imprinted on them are not creatures of my will. There is therefore some other Will or Spirit that produces them. (Berkeley. Principles #29) T. I. Oizerman explained: Berkeley's mystic idealism (as Kant aptly christened it) claimed that nothing separated man and God (except materialist misconceptions, of course), since nature or matter did not exist as a reality independent of consciousness. The revelation of God was directly accessible to man, according to this doctrine; it was the sense-perceived world, the world of man's sensations, which came to him from on high for him to decipher and so grasp the divine purpose.[27] believed that God is not the distant engineer of Newtonian machinery that in the fullness of time led to the growth of a tree in the university quadrangle. Rather, the perception of the tree is an idea that God's mind has produced in the mind, and the tree continues to exist in the quadrangle when "nobody" is there, simply because God is an infinite mind that perceives all. philosophy of David Hume concerning causality and objectivity is an elaboration of another aspect of Berkeley's philosophy. A.A. Luce, the most eminent Berkeley scholar of the 20th century, constantly stressed the continuity of Berkeley's philosophy. The fact that Berkeley returned to his major works throughout his life, issuing revised editions with only minor changes, also counts against any theory that attributes to him a significant volte-face.[citation needed] arguments also: Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous Locke (Berkeley's intellectual predecessor) states that we define an object by its primary and secondary qualities. He takes heat as an example of a secondary quality. If you put one hand in a bucket of cold water, and the other hand in a bucket of warm water, then put both hands in a bucket of lukewarm water, one of your hands is going to tell you that the water is cold and the other that the water is hot. Locke says that since two different objects (both your hands) perceive the water to be hot and cold, then the heat is not a quality of the water. Locke used this argument to distinguish primary from secondary qualities, Berkeley extends it to cover primary qualities in the same way. For example, he says that size is not a quality of an object because the size of the object depends on the distance between the observer and the object, or the size of the observer. Since an object is a different size to different observers, then size is not a quality of the object. Berkeley rejects shape with a similar argument and then asks: if neither primary qualities nor secondary qualities are of the object, then how can we say that there is anything more than the qualities we observe?[clarification needed] is the idea that there is no objective, universal truth; it is a state of dependence in which the existence of one independent object is solely dependent on that of another. According to Locke, characteristics of primary qualities are mind-independent, such as shape, size, etc., whereas secondary qualities are mind-dependent, for example, taste and color. George Berkeley refuted John Locke's belief on primary and secondary qualities because Berkeley believed that "we cannot abstract the primary qualities (e.g shape) from secondary ones (e.g color)".[28] Berkeley argued that perception is dependent on the distance between the observer and the object, and "thus, we cannot conceive of mechanist material bodies which are extended but not (in themselves) colored".[28] What perceived can be the same type of quality, but completely opposite form each other because of different positions and perceptions, what we perceive can be different even when the same types of things consist of contrary qualities. Secondary qualities aid in people's conception of primary qualities in an object, like how the color of an object leads people to recognize the object itself. More specifically, the color red can be perceived in apples, strawberries, and tomatoes, yet we would not know what these might look like without its color. We would also be unaware of what the color red looked like if red paint, or any object that has a perceived red color, failed to exist. From this, we can see that colors cannot exist on their own and can solely represent a group of perceived objects. Therefore, both primary and secondary qualities are mind-dependent: they cannot exist without our minds. Berkeley was a philosopher who was against rationalism and "classical" empiricism. He was a "subjective idealist" or "empirical idealist", who believed that reality is constructed entirely of immaterial, conscious minds and their ideas; everything that exists is somehow dependent on the subject perceiving it, except the subject themselves. He refuted the existence of abstract objects that many other philosophers believed to exist, notably Plato. According to Berkeley, "an abstract object does not exist in space or time and which is therefore entirely non-physical and non-mental";[29] however, this argument contradicts with his relativity argument. If "esse est percipi",[30] (Latin meaning that to exist is to be perceived) is true, then the objects in the relativity argument made by Berkeley can either exist or not. Berkeley believed that only the minds' perceptions and the Spirit that perceives are what exists in reality; what people perceive every day is only the idea of an object's existence, but the objects themselves are not perceived. Berkeley also discussed how, at times, materials cannot be perceived by oneself, and the mind of oneself cannot understand the objects. However, there also exists an "omnipresent, eternal mind"[31] that Berkeley believed to consist of God and the Spirit, both omniscient and all-perceiving. According to Berkeley, God is the entity who controls everything, yet Berkeley also argued that "abstract object[s] do not exist in space or time".[29] In other words, as Warnock argues, Berkeley "had recognized that he could not square with his own talk of spirits, of our minds and of God; for these are perceivers and not among objects of perception. Thus he says, rather weakly and without elucidation, that in addition to our ideas we also have notions—we know what it means to speak of spirits and their operations."[32] the relativity argument violates the idea of immaterialism. Berkeley's immaterialism argues that "esse est percipi (aut percipere)",[33] which in English is to be is to be perceived (or to perceive). That is saying only what perceived or perceives is real, and without our perception or God's nothing can be real. Yet, if the relativity argument, also by Berkeley, argues that the perception of an object depends on the different positions, then this means that what perceived can either be real or not because the perception does not show that whole picture and the whole picture cannot be perceived. Berkeley also believes that "when one perceives mediately, one perceives one idea by means of perceiving another".[34] By this, it can be elaborated that if the standards of what perceived at first are different, what perceived after that can be different, as well. In the heat perception described above, one hand perceived the water to be hot and the other hand perceived the water to be cold due to relativity. If applying the idea "to be is to be perceived", the water should be both cold and hot because both perceptions are perceived by different hands. However, the water cannot be cold and hot at the same time for it self-contradicts, so this shows that what perceived is not always true because it sometimes can break the law of noncontradiction. In this case, "it would be arbitrary anthropocentrism to claim that humans have special access to the true qualities of objects".[4] The truth for different people can be different, and humans are limited to accessing the absolute truth due to relativity. Summing up, nothing can be absolutely true due to relativity or the two arguments, to be is to be perceived and the relativity argument, do not always work together. theory of vision his Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision, Berkeley frequently criticised the views of the Optic Writers, a title that seems to include Molyneux, Wallis, Malebranche and Descartes.[35] In sections 1–51, Berkeley argued against the classical scholars of optics by holding that: spatial depth, as the distance that separates the perceiver from the perceived object is itself invisible. That is, we do not see space directly or deduce its form logically using the laws of optics. Space for Berkeley is no more than a contingent expectation that visual and tactile sensations will follow one another in regular sequences that we come to expect through habit. goes on to argue that visual cues, such as the perceived extension or 'confusion' of an object, can only be used to indirectly judge distance, because the viewer learns to associate visual cues with tactile sensations. Berkeley gives the following analogy regarding indirect distance perception: one perceives distance indirectly just as one perceives a person's embarrassment indirectly. When looking at an embarrassed person, we infer indirectly that the person is embarrassed by observing the red color on the person's face. We know through experience that a red face tends to signal embarrassment, as we've learned to associate the two. question concerning the visibility of space was central to the Renaissance perspective tradition and its reliance on classical optics in the development of pictorial representations of spatial depth. This matter was debated by scholars since the 11th-century Arab polymath and mathematician Alhazen (al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham) affirmed in experimental contexts the visibility of space. This issue, which was raised in Berkeley's theory of vision, was treated at length in the Phenomenology of Perception of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, in the context of confirming the visual perception of spatial depth (la profondeur), and by way of refuting Berkeley's thesis.[36] wrote about the perception of size in addition to that of distance. He is frequently misquoted as believing in size–distance invariance—a view held by the Optic Writers. This idea is that we scale the image size according to distance in a geometrical manner. The error may have become commonplace because the eminent historian and psychologist E. G. Boring perpetuated it.[37] In fact, Berkeley argued that the same cues that evoke distance also evoke size, and that we do not first see size and then calculate distance.[38] It is worth quoting Berkeley's words on this issue (Section 53): What inclines men to this mistake (beside the humour of making one see by geometry) is, that the same perceptions or ideas which suggest distance, do also suggest magnitude ... I say they do not first suggest distance, and then leave it to the judgement to use that as a medium, whereby to collect the magnitude; but they have as close and immediate a connexion with the magnitude as with the distance; and suggest magnitude as independently of distance, as they do distance independently of magnitude. claimed that his visual theories were “vindicatedâ€ by a 1728 report regarding the recovery of vision in a 13-year-old boy operated for congenital cataracts by surgeon William Cheselden. In 2021, the name of Cheselden's patient was published for the first time: Daniel Dolins.[39] Berkeley knew the Dolins family, had numerous social links to Cheselden, including the poet Alexander Pope, and Princess Caroline, to whom Cheselden's patient was presented.[39] The report misspelled Cheselden's name, used language typical of Berkeley, and may even have been ghost-written by Berkeley.[39] Unfortunately, Dolins was never able to see well enough to read, and there is no evidence that the surgery improved Dolins' vision at any point prior to his death at age 30.[39] of physics also: De Motu (Berkeley's essay) works display his keen interest in natural philosophy [...] from his earliest writings (Arithmetica, 1707) to his latest (Siris, 1744). Moreover, much of his philosophy is shaped fundamentally by his engagement with the science of his time."[40] The profundity of this interest can be judged from numerous entries in Berkeley's Philosophical Commentaries (1707–1708), e.g. "Mem. to Examine & accurately discuss the scholium of the 8th Definition of Mr Newton's Principia." (#316) argued that forces and gravity, as defined by Newton, constituted "occult qualities" that "expressed nothing distinctly". He held that those who posited "something unknown in a body of which they have no idea and which they call the principle of motion, are in fact simply stating that the principle of motion is unknown." Therefore, those who "affirm that active force, action, and the principle of motion are really in bodies are adopting an opinion not based on experience."[41] Forces and gravity existed nowhere in the phenomenal world. On the other hand, if they resided in the category of "soul" or "incorporeal thing", they "do not properly belong to physics" as a matter. Berkeley thus concluded that forces lay beyond any kind of empirical observation and could not be a part of proper science.[42] He proposed his theory of signs as a means to explain motion and matter without reference to the "occult qualities" of force and gravity. razor razor is a rule of reasoning proposed by the philosopher Karl Popper in his study of Berkeley's key scientific work De Motu.[10] Berkeley's razor is considered by Popper to be similar to Ockham's razor but "more powerful". It represents an extreme, empiricist view of scientific observation that states that the scientific method provides us with no true insight into the nature of the world. Rather, the scientific method gives us a variety of partial explanations about regularities that hold in the world and that are gained through experiment. The nature of the world, according to Berkeley, is only approached through proper metaphysical speculation and reasoning.[43] Popper summarises Berkeley's razor as such: A general practical result—which I propose to call "Berkeley's razor"—of [Berkeley's] analysis of physics allows us a priori to eliminate from physical science all essentialist explanations. If they have a mathematical and predictive content they may be admitted qua mathematical hypotheses (while their essentialist interpretation is eliminated). If not they may be ruled out altogether. This razor is sharper than Ockham's: all entities are ruled out except those which are perceived.[44] another essay of the same book[45] titled "Three Views Concerning Human Knowledge", Popper argues that Berkeley is to be considered as an instrumentalist philosopher, along with Robert Bellarmine, Pierre Duhem and Ernst Mach. According to this approach, scientific theories have the status of serviceable fictions, useful inventions aimed at explaining facts, and without any pretension to be true. Popper contrasts instrumentalism with the above-mentioned essentialism and his own "critical rationalism". of mathematics addition to his contributions to philosophy, Berkeley was also very influential in the development of mathematics, although in a rather indirect sense. "Berkeley was concerned with mathematics and its philosophical interpretation from the earliest stages of his intellectual life."[7] Berkeley's "Philosophical Commentaries" (1707–1708) witness to his interest in mathematics: Axiom. No reasoning about things whereof we have no idea. Therefore no reasoning about Infinitesimals. (#354) Take away the signs from Arithmetic & Algebra, & pray what remains? (#767) These are sciences purely Verbal, & entirely useless but for Practise in Societys of Men. No speculative knowledge, no comparison of Ideas in them. (#768) 1707, Berkeley published two treatises on mathematics. In 1734, he published The Analyst, subtitled A DISCOURSE Addressed to an Infidel Mathematician, a critique of calculus. Florian Cajori called this treatise "the most spectacular event of the century in the history of British mathematics."[46] However, a recent study suggests that Berkeley misunderstood Leibnizian calculus.[47] The mathematician in question is believed to have been either Edmond Halley, or Isaac Newton himself—though if to the latter, then the discourse was posthumously addressed, as Newton died in 1727. The Analyst represented a direct attack on the foundations and principles of calculus and, in particular, the notion of fluxion or infinitesimal change, which Newton and Leibniz used to develop the calculus. In his critique, Berkeley coined the phrase "ghosts of departed quantities", familiar to students of calculus. Ian Stewart's book From Here to Infinity captures the gist of his criticism. regarded his criticism of calculus as part of his broader campaign against the religious implications of Newtonian mechanics – as a defence of traditional Christianity against deism, which tends to distance God from His worshipers. Specifically, he observed that both Newtonian and Leibnizian calculus employed infinitesimals sometimes as positive, nonzero quantities and other times as a number explicitly equal to zero. Berkeley's key point in "The Analyst" was that Newton's calculus (and the laws of motion based in calculus) lacked rigorous theoretical foundations. He claimed that In every other Science Men prove their Conclusions by their Principles, and not their Principles by the Conclusions. But if in yours you should allow your selves this unnatural way of proceeding, the Consequence would be that you must take up with Induction, and bid adieu to Demonstration. And if you submit to this, your Authority will no longer lead the way in Points of Reason and Science.[48] did not doubt that calculus produced real world truth; simple physics experiments could verify that Newton's method did what it claimed to do. "The cause of Fluxions cannot be defended by reason",[49] but the results could be defended by empirical observation, Berkeley's preferred method of acquiring knowledge at any rate. Berkeley, however, found it paradoxical that "Mathematicians should deduce true Propositions from false Principles, be right in Conclusion, and yet err in the Premises." In The Analyst he endeavoured to show "how Error may bring forth Truth, though it cannot bring forth Science".[50] Newton's science, therefore, could not on purely scientific grounds justify its conclusions, and the mechanical, deistic model of the universe could not be rationally justified.[51] difficulties raised by Berkeley were still present in the work of Cauchy whose approach to calculus was a combination of infinitesimals and a notion of limit, and were eventually sidestepped by Weierstrass by means of his (Îµ, Î´) approach, which eliminated infinitesimals altogether. More recently, Abraham Robinson restored infinitesimal methods in his 1966 book Non-standard analysis by showing that they can be used rigorously. philosophy also: Passive obedience tract A Discourse on Passive Obedience (1712) is considered Berkeley's major contribution to moral and political philosophy. A Discourse on Passive Obedience, Berkeley defends the thesis that people have "a moral duty to observe the negative precepts (prohibitions) of the law, including the duty not to resist the execution of punishment."[52] However, Berkeley does make exceptions to this sweeping moral statement, stating that we need not observe precepts of "usurpers or even madmen"[53] and that people can obey different supreme authorities if there are more than one claims to the highest authority. defends this thesis with a deductive proof stemming from the laws of nature. First, he establishes that because God is perfectly good, the end to which he commands humans must also be good, and that end must not benefit just one person, but the entire human race. Because these commands—or laws—if practiced, would lead to the general fitness of humankind, it follows that they can be discovered by the right reason—for example, the law to never resist supreme power can be derived from reason because this law is "the only thing that stands between us and total disorder".[52] Thus, these laws can be called the laws of nature, because they are derived from God—the creator of nature himself. "These laws of nature include duties never to resist the supreme power, lie under oath ... or do evil so that good may come of it."[52] may view Berkeley's doctrine on Passive Obedience as a kind of 'Theological Utilitarianism', insofar as it states that we have a duty to uphold a moral code which presumably is working towards the ends of promoting the good of humankind. However, the concept of 'ordinary' Utilitarianism is fundamentally different in that it "makes utility the one and only ground of obligation"[54]—that is, Utilitarianism is concerned with whether particular actions are morally permissible in specific situations, while Berkeley's doctrine is concerned with whether or not we should follow moral rules in any and all circumstances. Whereas Act Utilitarianism might, for example, justify a morally impermissible act in light of the specific situation, Berkeley's doctrine of Passive Obedience holds that it is never morally permissible to not follow a moral rule, even when it seems like breaking that moral rule might achieve the happiest ends. Berkeley holds that even though sometimes, the consequences of an action in a specific situation might be bad, the general tendencies of that action benefits humanity. important sources for Berkeley's views on morality are Alciphron (1732), especially dialogues I–III, and the Discourse to Magistrates (1738)."[55] Passive Obedience is notable partly for containing one of the earliest statements of rule utilitarianism.[56] Immaterialism Berkeley’s theory that matter does not exist comes from the belief that "sensible things are those only which are immediately perceived by sense."[57] Berkeley says in his book called The Principles of Human Knowledge that "the ideas of sense are stronger, livelier, and clearer than those of the imagination; and they are also steady, orderly and coherent."[58] From this we can tell that the things that we are perceiving are truly real rather than it just being a dream. knowledge comes from perception; what we perceive are ideas, not things in themselves; a thing in itself must be outside experience; so the world only consists of ideas and minds that perceive those ideas; a thing only exists so far as it perceives or is perceived.[59] Through this we can see that consciousness is considered something that exists to Berkeley due to its ability to perceive. "'To be,' said of the object, means to be perceived, 'esse est percipi'; 'to be', said of the subject, means to perceive or 'percipere'."[60] Having established this, Berkeley then attacks the "opinion strangely prevailing amongst men, that houses, mountains, rivers, and in a word all sensible objects have an existence natural or real, distinct from being perceived".[58] He believes this idea to be inconsistent because such an object with an existence independent of perception must have both sensible qualities, and thus be known (making it an idea), and also an insensible reality, which Berkeley believes is inconsistent.[61] Berkeley believes that the error arises because people think that perceptions can imply or infer something about the material object. Berkeley calls this concept abstract ideas. He rebuts this concept by arguing that people cannot conceive of an object without also imagining the sensual input of the object. He argues in Principles of Human Knowledge that, similar to how people can only sense matter with their senses through the actual sensation, they can only conceive of matter (or, rather, ideas of matter) through the idea of sensation of matter.[58] This implies that everything that people can conceive in regards to matter is only ideas about matter. Thus, matter, should it exist, must exist as collections of ideas, which can be perceived by the senses and interpreted by the mind. But if matter is just a collection of ideas, then Berkeley concludes that matter, in the sense of a material substance, does not exist as most philosophers of Berkeley's time believed. Indeed, if a person visualizes something, then it must have some color, however dark or light; it cannot just be a shape of no color at all if a person is to visualize it.[62] ideas raised controversy because his argument refuted Descartes' worldview, which was expanded upon by Locke, and resulted in the rejection of Berkeley's form of empiricism by several philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In Locke's worldview, "the world causes the perceptual ideas we have of it by the way it interacts with our senses."[59] This contradicts with Berkeley's worldview because not only does it suggest the existence of physical causes in the world, but in fact there is no physical world beyond our ideas. The only causes that exist in Berkeley's worldview are those that are a result of the use of the will. theory relies heavily on his form of empiricism, which in turn relies heavily on the senses. His empiricism can be defined by five propositions: all significant words stand for ideas; all knowledge of things is about ideas; all ideas come from without or from within; if from without it must be by the senses, and they are called sensations (the real things), if from within they are the operations of the mind, and are called thoughts.[62] Berkeley clarifies his distinction between ideas by saying they "are imprinted on the senses," "perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind," or "are formed by help of memory and imagination."[62] One refutation of his idea was: if someone leaves a room and stops perceiving that room does that room no longer exist? Berkeley answers this by claiming that it is still being perceived and the consciousness that is doing the perceiving is God. (This makes Berkeley's argument hinge upon an omniscient, omnipresent deity.) This claim is the only thing holding up his argument which is "depending for our knowledge of the world, and of the existence of other minds, upon a God that would never deceive us."[59] Berkeley anticipates a second objection, which he refutes in Principles of Human Knowledge. He anticipates that the materialist may take a representational materialist standpoint: although the senses can only perceive ideas, these ideas resemble (and thus can be compared to) the actual, existing object. Thus, through the sensing of these ideas, the mind can make inferences as to matter itself, even though pure matter is non-perceivable. Berkeley's objection to that notion is that "an idea can be like nothing but an idea; a color or figure can be like nothing but another color or figure".[58] Berkeley distinguishes between an idea, which is mind-dependent, and a material substance, which is not an idea and is mind-independent. As they are not alike, they cannot be compared, just as one cannot compare the color red to something that is invisible, or the sound of music to silence, other than that one exists and the other does not. This is called the likeness principle: the notion that an idea can only be like (and thus compared to) another idea. attempted to show how ideas manifest themselves into different objects of knowledge: It is evident to anyone who takes a survey of the objects of human knowledge, that they are either ideas actually imprinted on the senses; or else such as are perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind; or lastly ideas formed by help of memory and imagination—either compounding, dividing, or barely representing those originally perceived in the aforesaid ways". (Berkeley's emphasis.)[63] also attempted to prove the existence of God throughout his beliefs in immaterialism.[4] Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge was published three years before the publication of Arthur Collier's Clavis Universalis, which made assertions similar to those of Berkeley's.[64] However, there seemed to have been no influence or communication between the two writers.[65] philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote of him: "Berkeley was, therefore, the first to treat the subjective starting-point really seriously and to demonstrate irrefutably its absolute necessity. He is the father of idealism ...".[66] Berkeley is considered one of the originators of British empiricism.[67] A linear development is often traced from three great "British Empiricists", leading from Locke through Berkeley to Hume.[68] influenced many modern philosophers, especially David Hume. Thomas Reid admitted that he put forward a drastic criticism of Berkeleianism after he had been an admirer of Berkeley's philosophical system for a long time.[69] Berkeley's "thought made possible the work of Hume and thus Kant, notes Alfred North Whitehead."[70] Some authors[who?] draw a parallel between Berkeley and Edmund Husserl.[clarification needed][71] Berkeley visited America, the American educator Samuel Johnson visited him, and the two later corresponded. Johnson convinced Berkeley to establish a scholarship program at Yale, and to donate a large number of books as well as his plantation to the college when the philosopher returned to England. It was one of Yale's largest and most important donations; it doubled its library holdings, improved the college's financial position and brought Anglican religious ideas and English culture into New England.[72] Johnson also took Berkeley's philosophy and used parts of it as a framework for his own American Practical Idealism school of philosophy. As Johnson's philosophy was taught to about half the graduates of American colleges between 1743 and 1776,[73] and over half of the contributors to the Declaration of Independence were connected to it,[74] Berkeley's ideas were indirectly a foundation of the American Mind. of America, during Berkeley's lifetime his philosophical ideas were comparatively uninfluential.[75] But interest in his doctrine grew from the 1870s when Alexander Campbell Fraser, "the leading Berkeley scholar of the nineteenth century",[76] published "The Works of George Berkeley." A powerful impulse to serious studies in Berkeley's philosophy was given by A. A. Luce and Thomas Edmund Jessop, "two of the twentieth century's foremost Berkeley scholars,"[77] thanks to whom Berkeley scholarship was raised to the rank of a special area of historico-philosophical science. In addition, the philosopher Colin Murray Turbayne wrote extensively on Berkeley's use of language as model for visual, physiological, natural and metaphysical relationships.[78] proportion of Berkeley scholarship, in literature on the history of philosophy, is increasing. This can be judged from the most comprehensive bibliographies on George Berkeley. During the period of 1709–1932, about 300 writings on Berkeley were published. That amounted to 1.5 publication per annum. During the course of 1932–79, over one thousand works were brought out, i.e., 20 works per annum. Since then, the number of publications has reached 30 per annum.[79] In 1977 publication began in Ireland of a special journal on Berkeley's life and thought (Berkeley Studies). Similarly, in 1988, the Australian philosopher Colin Murray Turbayne established the International Berkeley Essay Prize Competition at the University of Rochester in an effort to advance scholarship and research on the works of George Berkeley in the future.[80][81] than philosophy, Berkeley also influenced modern psychology with his work on John Locke's theory of association and how it could be used to explain how humans gain knowledge in the physical world. He also used the theory to explain perception, stating that all qualities were, as Locke would call them, secondary qualities, therefore perception laid entirely in the perceiver and not in the object. These are both topics today studied in modern psychology.[82] Cloyne, Cork, Ireland; George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ;

Ireland, 1705-1753, GEORGE BERKELEY. B of Cloyne, Ireland, Theologian, Immaterialism, must be percieved, only spirits & ideas
Ireland, 1705-1753, GEORGE BERKELEY. Bishop of Cloyne, Cork, Southern Ireland, Theologian, Immaterialism, must be percieved Berkeley (/ˈbɑːrkli/;[5][6] 12 March 1685 – 14 January 1753) – known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) – an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to as "subjective idealism" by others). theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are ideas perceived by the mind and, as a result, cannot exist without being perceived. is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.[7] 1709, Berkeley published his first major work, An Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision, in which he discussed the limitations of human vision and advanced the theory that the proper objects of sight are not material objects, but light and colour.[8] foreshadowed his chief philosophical work, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, in 1710, which, after its poor reception, he rewrote in dialogue form and published under the title Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous in 1713.[9] this book, Berkeley's views were represented by Philonous (Greek: "lover of mind"), while Hylas ("hyle", Greek: "matter") embodies the Irish thinker's opponents, in particular John Locke. argued against Isaac Newton's doctrine of absolute space, time and motion in De Motu[10] (On Motion), published 1721. arguments were a precursor to the views of Mach and Einstein.[11][12] 1732, he published Alciphron, a Christian apologetic against the free-thinkers, in 1734, he published The Analyst, a critique of the foundations of calculus, which was influential in the development of mathematics.[13] in Berkeley's work increased after World War II because he tackled many of the issues of paramount interest to philosophy in the 20th century, such as the problems of perception, the difference between primary and secondary qualities, and the importance of language.[14] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) was born at his family home, Dysart Castle, near Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland, the eldest son of William Berkeley, a cadet of the noble family of Berkeley whose ancestry can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period and who had served as feudal lords and landowners in Gloucester, England. Little is known of his mother. was educated at Kilkenny College and attended Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected a Scholar in 1702, being awarded BA in 1704 and MA and a Fellowship in 1707. He remained at Trinity College after completion of his degree as a tutor and Greek lecturer. earliest publication was on mathematics, but the first that brought him notice was his An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision, first published in 1709. the essay, Berkeley examines visual distance, magnitude, position and problems of sight and touch. While this work raised much controversy at the time, its conclusions are now accepted as an established part of the theory of optics. next publication to appear was the Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge in 1710, had great success and gave him a lasting reputation, though few accepted his theory that nothing exists outside the mind. This was followed in 1713 by Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, in which he propounded his system of philosophy, the leading principle of which is that the world, as represented by our senses, depends for its existence on being perceived. this theory, the Principles gives the exposition and the Dialogues the defence. of his main objectives was to combat the prevailing materialism of his time. theory was largely received with ridicule, while even those such as Samuel Clarke and William Whiston, who did acknowledge his "extraordinary genius," were nevertheless convinced that his first principles were false. and Europe afterwards, Berkeley visited England and was received into the circle of Addison, Pope and Steele. the period between 1714 and 1720, he interspersed his academic endeavours with periods of extensive travel in Europe, including one of the most extensive Grand Tours of the length and breadth of Italy ever undertaken.[15] 1721, he took Holy Orders in the Church of Ireland, earning his doctorate in divinity, and once again chose to remain at Trinity College Dublin, lecturing this time in Divinity and in Hebrew. In 1721/2 he was made Dean of Dromore and, in 1724, Dean of Derry. 1723, following her violent quarrel with Jonathan Swift, who had been her intimate friend for many years, Esther Vanhomrigh (for whom Swift had created the nickname "Vanessa") named Berkeley her co-heir along with the barrister Robert Marshall; her choice of legatees caused a good deal of surprise since she did not know either of them well, although Berkeley as a very young man had known her father. said generously that he did not grudge Berkeley his inheritance, much of which vanished in a lawsuit in any event. story that Berkeley and Marshall disregarded a condition of the inheritance that they must publish the correspondence between Swift and Vanessa is probably untrue. 1725, he began the project of founding a college in Bermuda for training ministers and missionaries in the colony, in pursuit of which he gave up his deanery with its income of £1100. and America A group portrait of Berkeley and his entourage by John Smibert 1728, he married Anne Forster, daughter of John Forster, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas, and his first wife Rebecca Monck. then went to America on a salary of £100 per annum. He landed near Newport, Rhode Island, where he bought a plantation at Middletown – the famous "Whitehall". purchased several enslaved Africans to work on the plantation.[16][17] It has been claimed that "he introduced Palladianism into America by borrowing a design from [William] Kent's Designs of Inigo Jones for the door-case of his house in Rhode Island, Whitehall."[18] also brought to New England John Smibert, the Scottish artist he "discovered" in Italy, who is generally regarded as the founding father of American portrait painting.[19] he drew up plans for the ideal city he planned to build on Bermuda.[20] lived at the plantation while he waited for funds for his college to arrive. The funds, however, were not forthcoming. the withdrawal from London of his own persuasive energies, opposition gathered force; and the Prime Minister, Walpole grew steadily more sceptical and lukewarm. At last it became clear that the essential Parliamentary grant would be not forthcoming"[21] in 1732 he left America and returned to London. and Anne had four children who survived infancy: Henry, George, William and Julia, and at least two other children who died in infancy. William's death in 1751 was a great cause of grief to his father. in Ireland was nominated to be the Bishop of Cloyne in the Church of Ireland on 18 January 1734. He was consecrated as such on 19 May 1734. He was the Bishop of Cloyne until his death on 14 January 1753, although he died at Oxford (see below). work living in London's Saville Street, he took part in efforts to create a home for the city's abandoned children. The Foundling Hospital was founded by Royal Charter in 1739, and Berkeley is listed as one of its original governors. works last two publications were Siris: A Chain of Philosophical Reflexions and Inquiries Concerning the Virtues of Tarwater, And divers other Subjects connected together and arising one from another (1744) and Further Thoughts on Tar-water (1752). Pine tar is an effective antiseptic and disinfectant when applied to cuts on the skin, but Berkeley argued for the use of pine tar as a broad panacea for diseases. His 1744 work on tar-water sold more copies than any of his other books during Berkeley's lifetime.[22] remained at Cloyne until 1752, when he retired. With his wife and daughter Julia he went to Oxford to live with his son George and supervise his education.[23] died soon afterward and was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. affectionate disposition and genial manners made him much loved and held in warm regard by many of his contemporaries. Anne outlived her husband by many years, and died in 1786.[24] to philosophy Main article: Subjective idealism to Berkeley there are only two kinds of things: spirits and ideas. Spirits are simple, active beings which produce and perceive ideas; ideas are passive beings which are produced and perceived.[25] use of the concepts of "spirit" and "idea" is central in Berkeley's philosophy. As used by him, these concepts are difficult to translate into modern terminology. His concept of "spirit" is close to the concept of "conscious subject" or of "mind", and the concept of "idea" is close to the concept of "sensation" or "state of mind" or "conscious experience". Berkeley denied the existence of matter as a metaphysical substance, but did not deny the existence of physical objects such as apples or mountains ("I do not argue against the existence of any one thing that we can apprehend, either by sense or reflection. That the things I see with mine eyes and touch with my hands do exist, really exist, I make not the least question. The only thing whose existence we deny, is that which philosophers call matter or corporeal substance. And in doing of this, there is no damage done to the rest of mankind, who, I dare say, will never miss it.", Principles #35). This basic claim of Berkeley's thought, his "idealism", is sometimes and somewhat derisively called "immaterialism" or, occasionally, subjective idealism. In Principles #3, he wrote, using a combination of Latin and English, esse is percipi (to be is to be perceived), most often if slightly inaccurately attributed to Berkeley as the pure Latin phrase esse est percipi.[26] The phrase appears associated with him in authoritative philosophical sources, e.g., "Berkeley holds that there are no such mind-independent things, that, in the famous phrase, esse est percipi (aut percipere)—to be is to be perceived (or to perceive)."[22] Hence, human knowledge is reduced to two elements: that of spirits and of ideas (Principles #86). In contrast to ideas, a spirit cannot be perceived. A person's spirit, which perceives ideas, is to be comprehended intuitively by inward feeling or reflection (Principles #89). For Berkeley, we have no direct 'idea' of spirits, albeit we have good reason to believe in the existence of other spirits, for their existence explains the purposeful regularities we find in experience[27] ("It is plain that we cannot know the existence of other spirits otherwise than by their operations, or the ideas by them excited in us", Dialogues #145). This is the solution that Berkeley offers to the problem of other minds. Finally, the order and purposefulness of the whole of our experience of the world and especially of nature overwhelms us into believing in the existence of an extremely powerful and intelligent spirit that causes that order. According to Berkeley, reflection on the attributes of that external spirit leads us to identify it with God. Thus a material thing such as an apple consists of a collection of ideas (shape, color, taste, physical properties, etc.) which are caused in the spirits of humans by the spirit of God. Theology A convinced adherent of Christianity, Berkeley believed God to be present as an immediate cause of all our experiences. He did not evade the question of the external source of the diversity of the sense data at the disposal of the human individual. He strove simply to show that the causes of sensations could not be things, because what we called things, and considered without grounds to be something different from our sensations, were built up wholly from sensations. There must consequently be some other external source of the inexhaustible diversity of sensations. The source of our sensations, Berkeley concluded, could only be God; He gave them to man, who had to see in them signs and symbols that carried God's word.[28] Here is Berkeley's proof of the existence of God: Whatever power I may have over my own thoughts, I find the ideas actually perceived by Sense have not a like dependence on my will. When in broad daylight I open my eyes, it is not in my power to choose whether I shall see or no, or to determine what particular objects shall present themselves to my view; and so likewise as to the hearing and other senses; the ideas imprinted on them are not creatures of my will. There is therefore some other Will or Spirit that produces them. (Berkeley. Principles #29) As T. I. Oizerman explained: Berkeley's mystic idealism (as Kant aptly christened it) claimed that nothing separated man and God (except materialist misconceptions, of course), since nature or matter did not exist as a reality independent of consciousness. The revelation of God was directly accessible to man, according to this doctrine; it was the sense-perceived world, the world of man's sensations, which came to him from on high for him to decipher and so grasp the divine purpose.[28] Berkeley believed that God is not the distant engineer of Newtonian machinery that in the fullness of time led to the growth of a tree in the university quadrangle. Rather, the perception of the tree is an idea that God's mind has produced in the mind, and the tree continues to exist in the quadrangle when "nobody" is there, simply because God is an infinite mind that perceives all. The philosophy of David Hume concerning causality and objectivity is an elaboration of another aspect of Berkeley's philosophy. A.A. Luce, the most eminent Berkeley scholar of the 20th century, constantly stressed the continuity of Berkeley's philosophy. The fact that Berkeley returned to his major works throughout his life, issuing revised editions with only minor changes, also counts against any theory that attributes to him a significant volte-face.[citation needed] arguments See also: Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous Locke (Berkeley's intellectual predecessor) states that we define an object by its primary and secondary qualities. He takes heat as an example of a secondary quality. If you put one hand in a bucket of cold water, and the other hand in a bucket of warm water, then put both hands in a bucket of lukewarm water, one of your hands is going to tell you that the water is cold and the other that the water is hot. Locke says that since two different objects (both your hands) perceive the water to be hot and cold, then the heat is not a quality of the water. Locke used this argument to distinguish primary from secondary qualities, Berkeley extends it to cover primary qualities in the same way. For example, he says that size is not a quality of an object because the size of the object depends on the distance between the observer and the object, or the size of the observer. Since an object is a different size to different observers, then size is not a quality of the object. Berkeley rejects shape with a similar argument and then asks: if neither primary qualities nor secondary qualities are of the object, then how can we say that there is anything more than the qualities we observe?[clarification needed] is the idea that there is no objective, universal truth; it is a state of dependence in which the existence of one independent object is solely dependent on that of another. According to Locke, characteristics of primary qualities are mind-independent, such as shape, size, etc., whereas secondary qualities are mind-dependent, for example, taste and color. George Berkeley refuted John Locke's belief on primary and secondary qualities because Berkeley believed that "we cannot abstract the primary qualities (e.g shape) from secondary ones (e.g color)".[29] Berkeley argued that perception is dependent on the distance between the observer and the object, and "thus, we cannot conceive of mechanist material bodies which are extended but not (in themselves) colored".[29] What perceived can be the same type of quality, but completely opposite from each other because of different positions and perceptions, what we perceive can be different even when the same types of things consist of contrary qualities. Secondary qualities aid in people's conception of primary qualities in an object, like how the color of an object leads people to recognize the object itself. More specifically, the color red can be perceived in apples, strawberries, and tomatoes, yet we would not know what these might look like without its color. We would also be unaware of what the color red looked like if red paint, or any object that has a perceived red color, failed to exist. From this, we can see that colors cannot exist on their own and can solely represent a group of perceived objects. Therefore, both primary and secondary qualities are mind-dependent: they cannot exist without our minds. Berkeley was a philosopher who was against rationalism and "classical" empiricism. He was a "subjective idealist" or "empirical idealist", who believed that reality is constructed entirely of immaterial, conscious minds and their ideas; everything that exists is somehow dependent on the subject perceiving it, except the subject themselves. He refuted the existence of abstract objects that many other philosophers believed to exist, notably Plato. According to Berkeley, "an abstract object does not exist in space or time and which is therefore entirely non-physical and non-mental";[30] however, this argument contradicts with his relativity argument. If "esse est percipi",[31] (Latin meaning that to exist is to be perceived) is true, then the objects in the relativity argument made by Berkeley can either exist or not. Berkeley believed that only the minds' perceptions and the Spirit that perceives are what exists in reality; what people perceive every day is only the idea of an object's existence, but the objects themselves are not perceived. Berkeley also discussed how, at times, materials cannot be perceived by oneself, and the mind of oneself cannot understand the objects. However, there also exists an "omnipresent, eternal mind"[32] that Berkeley believed to consist of God and the Spirit, both omniscient and all-perceiving. According to Berkeley, God is the entity who controls everything, yet Berkeley also argued that "abstract object[s] do not exist in space or time".[30] In other words, as Warnock argues, Berkeley "had recognized that he could not square with his own talk of spirits, of our minds and of God; for these are perceivers and not among objects of perception. Thus he says, rather weakly and without elucidation, that in addition to our ideas we also have notions—we know what it means to speak of spirits and their operations."[33] the relativity argument violates the idea of immaterialism. Berkeley's immaterialism argues that "esse est percipi (aut percipere)",[34] which in English is to be is to be perceived (or to perceive). That is saying only what perceived or perceives is real, and without our perception or God's nothing can be real. Yet, if the relativity argument, also by Berkeley, argues that the perception of an object depends on the different positions, then this means that what perceived can either be real or not because the perception does not show that whole picture and the whole picture cannot be perceived. Berkeley also believes that "when one perceives mediately, one perceives one idea by means of perceiving another".[35] By this, it can be elaborated that if the standards of what perceived at first are different, what perceived after that can be different, as well. In the heat perception described above, one hand perceived the water to be hot and the other hand perceived the water to be cold due to relativity. If applying the idea "to be is to be perceived", the water should be both cold and hot because both perceptions are perceived by different hands. However, the water cannot be cold and hot at the same time for it self-contradicts, so this shows that what perceived is not always true because it sometimes can break the law of noncontradiction. In this case, "it would be arbitrary anthropocentrism to claim that humans have special access to the true qualities of objects".[4] The truth for different people can be different, and humans are limited to accessing the absolute truth due to relativity. Summing up, nothing can be absolutely true due to relativity or the two arguments, to be is to be perceived and the relativity argument, do not always work together. theory of vision his Essay Towards a New Theory of Vision, Berkeley frequently criticised the views of the Optic Writers, a title that seems to include Molyneux, Wallis, Malebranche and Descartes.[36] sections 1–51, Berkeley argued against the classical scholars of optics by holding that: spatial depth, as the distance that separates the perceiver from the perceived object is itself invisible. is, we do not see space directly or deduce its form logically using the laws of optics. Space for Berkeley is no more than a contingent expectation that visual and tactile sensations will follow one another in regular sequences that we come to expect through habit. goes on to argue that visual cues, such as the perceived extension or 'confusion' of an object, can only be used to indirectly judge distance, because the viewer learns to associate visual cues with tactile sensations. gives the following analogy regarding indirect distance perception: one perceives distance indirectly just as one perceives a person's embarrassment indirectly. When looking at an embarrassed person, we infer indirectly that the person is embarrassed by observing the red color on the person's face. We know through experience that a red face tends to signal embarrassment, as we've learned to associate the two. question concerning the visibility of space was central to the Renaissance perspective tradition and its reliance on classical optics in the development of pictorial representations of spatial depth. matter was debated by scholars since the 11th-century Arab polymath and mathematician Alhazen (al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham) affirmed in experimental contexts the visibility of space. issue, which was raised in Berkeley's theory of vision, was treated at length in the Phenomenology of Perception of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, in the context of confirming the visual perception of spatial depth (la profondeur), and by way of refuting Berkeley's thesis.[37] wrote about the perception of size in addition to that of distance. He is frequently misquoted as believing in size–distance invariance—a view held by the Optic Writers. This idea is that we scale the image size according to distance in a geometrical manner. The error may have become commonplace because the eminent historian and psychologist E. G. Boring perpetuated it.[38] In fact, Berkeley argued that the same cues that evoke distance also evoke size, and that we do not first see size and then calculate distance.[39] is worth quoting Berkeley's words on this issue (Section 53): inclines men to this mistake (beside the humour of making one see by geometry) is, that the same perceptions or ideas which suggest distance, do also suggest magnitude ... I say they do not first suggest distance, and then leave it to the judgement to use that as a medium, whereby to collect the magnitude; but they have as close and immediate a connexion with the magnitude as with the distance; and suggest magnitude as independently of distance, as they do distance independently of magnitude. claimed that his visual theories were “vindicated” by a 1728 report regarding the recovery of vision in a 13-year-old boy operated for congenital cataracts by surgeon William Cheselden. 2021, the name of Cheselden's patient was published for the first time: Daniel Dolins.[40] Berkeley knew the Dolins family, had numerous social links to Cheselden, including the poet Alexander Pope, and Princess Caroline, to whom Cheselden's patient was presented.[40] report misspelled Cheselden's name, used language typical of Berkeley, and may even have been ghost-written by Berkeley.[40] Dolins was never able to see well enough to read, and there is no evidence that the surgery improved Dolins' vision at any point prior to his death at age 30.[40] of physics See also: De Motu (Berkeley's essay) works display his keen interest in natural philosophy [...] from his earliest writings (Arithmetica, 1707) to his latest (Siris, 1744). Moreover, much of his philosophy is shaped fundamentally by his engagement with the science of his time."[41] The profundity of this interest can be judged from numerous entries in Berkeley's Philosophical Commentaries (1707–1708), e.g. "Mem. to Examine & accurately discuss the scholium of the 8th Definition of Mr Newton's Principia." (#316) argued that forces and gravity, as defined by Newton, constituted "occult qualities" that "expressed nothing distinctly". He held that those who posited "something unknown in a body of which they have no idea and which they call the principle of motion, are in fact simply stating that the principle of motion is unknown." those who "affirm that active force, action, and the principle of motion are really in bodies are adopting an opinion not based on experience."[42] and gravity existed nowhere in the phenomenal world. On the other hand, if they resided in the category of "soul" or "incorporeal thing", they "do not properly belong to physics" as a matter. thus concluded that forces lay beyond any kind of empirical observation and could not be a part of proper science.[43] He proposed his theory of signs as a means to explain motion and matter without reference to the "occult qualities" of force and gravity. razor razor is a rule of reasoning proposed by the philosopher Karl Popper in his study of Berkeley's key scientific work De Motu.[10] razor is considered by Popper to be similar to Ockham's razor but "more powerful". It represents an extreme, empiricist view of scientific observation that states that the scientific method provides us with no true insight into the nature of the world. the scientific method gives us a variety of partial explanations about regularities that hold in the world and that are gained through experiment. The nature of the world, according to Berkeley, is only approached through proper metaphysical speculation and reasoning.[44] summarises Berkeley's razor as such: A general practical result—which I propose to call "Berkeley's razor"—of [Berkeley's] analysis of physics allows us a priori to eliminate from physical science all essentialist explanations. If they have a mathematical and predictive content they may be admitted qua mathematical hypotheses (while their essentialist interpretation is eliminated). If not they may be ruled out altogether. This razor is sharper than Ockham's: all entities are ruled out except those which are perceived.[45] another essay of the same book[46] titled "Three Views Concerning Human Knowledge", Popper argues that Berkeley is to be considered as an instrumentalist philosopher, along with Robert Bellarmine, Pierre Duhem and Ernst Mach. to this approach, scientific theories have the status of serviceable fictions, useful inventions aimed at explaining facts, and without any pretension to be true. Popper contrasts instrumentalism with the above-mentioned essentialism and his own "critical rationalism". of mathematics addition to his contributions to philosophy, Berkeley was also very influential in the development of mathematics, although in a rather indirect sense. "Berkeley was concerned with mathematics and its philosophical interpretation from the earliest stages of his intellectual life."[7] "Philosophical Commentaries" (1707–1708) witness to his interest in mathematics: Axiom. No reasoning about things whereof we have no idea. Therefore no reasoning about Infinitesimals. (#354) Take away the signs from Arithmetic & Algebra, & pray what remains? (#767) These are sciences purely Verbal, & entirely useless but for Practise in Societys of Men. No speculative knowledge, no comparison of Ideas in them. (#768) 1707, Berkeley published two treatises on mathematics. In 1734, he published The Analyst, subtitled A DISCOURSE Addressed to an Infidel Mathematician, a critique of calculus. Florian Cajori called this treatise "the most spectacular event of the century in the history of British mathematics."[47] However, a recent study suggests that Berkeley misunderstood Leibnizian calculus.[48] The mathematician in question is believed to have been either Edmond Halley, or Isaac Newton himself—though if to the latter, then the discourse was posthumously addressed, as Newton died in 1727. The Analyst represented a direct attack on the foundations and principles of calculus and, in particular, the notion of fluxion or infinitesimal change, which Newton and Leibniz used to develop the calculus. In his critique, Berkeley coined the phrase "ghosts of departed quantities", familiar to students of calculus. Ian Stewart's book From Here to Infinity captures the gist of his criticism. regarded his criticism of calculus as part of his broader campaign against the religious implications of Newtonian mechanics – a defence of traditional Christianity against deism, which tends to distance God from His worshipers. Specifically, he observed that both Newtonian and Leibnizian calculus employed infinitesimals sometimes as positive, nonzero quantities and other times as a number explicitly equal to zero. Berkeley's key point in "The Analyst" was that Newton's calculus (and the laws of motion based in calculus) lacked rigorous theoretical foundations. claimed that in every other Science Men prove their Conclusions by their Principles, and not their Principles by the Conclusions. But if in yours you should allow your selves this unnatural way of proceeding, the Consequence would be that you must take up with Induction, and bid adieu to Demonstration. And if you submit to this, your Authority will no longer lead the way in Points of Reason and Science.[49] did not doubt that calculus produced real world truth; simple physics experiments could verify that Newton's method did what it claimed to do. cause of Fluxions cannot be defended by reason",[50] but the results could be defended by empirical observation, Berkeley's preferred method of acquiring knowledge at any rate. however, found it paradoxical that "Mathematicians should deduce true Propositions from false Principles, be right in Conclusion, and yet err in the Premises. In The Analyst he endeavoured to show "how Error may bring forth Truth, though it cannot bring forth Science".[51] Newton's science, therefore, could not on purely scientific grounds justify its conclusions, and the mechanical, deistic model of the universe could not be rationally justified.[52] difficulties raised by Berkeley were still present in the work of Cauchy whose approach to calculus was a combination of infinitesimals and a notion of limit, and were eventually sidestepped by Weierstrass by means of his (ε, δ) approach, which eliminated infinitesimals altogether. More recently, Abraham Robinson restored infinitesimal methods in his 1966 book Non-standard analysis by showing that they can be used rigorously. philosophy See also: Passive obedience tract A Discourse on Passive Obedience (1712) is considered Berkeley's major contribution to moral and political philosophy. A Discourse on Passive Obedience, Berkeley defends the thesis that people have "a moral duty to observe the negative precepts (prohibitions) of the law, including the duty not to resist the execution of punishment."[53] Berkeley does make exceptions to this sweeping moral statement, stating that we need not observe precepts of "usurpers or even madmen"[54] and that people can obey different supreme authorities if there are more than one claims to the highest authority. defends this thesis with a deductive proof stemming from the laws of nature. he establishes that because God is perfectly good, the end to which he commands humans must also be good, and that end must not benefit just one person, but the entire human race. Because these commands—or laws—if practiced, would lead to the general fitness of humankind, it follows that they can be discovered by the right reason— example, the law to never resist supreme power can be derived from reason because this law is "the only thing that stands between us and total disorder".[53] these laws can be called the laws of nature, because they are derived from God—the creator of nature himself. "These laws of nature include duties never to resist the supreme power, lie under oath ... or do evil so that good may come of it."[53] may view Berkeley's doctrine on Passive Obedience as a kind of 'Theological Utilitarianism', insofar as it states that we have a duty to uphold a moral code which presumably is working towards the ends of promoting the good of humankind. However, the concept of 'ordinary' Utilitarianism is fundamentally different in that it "makes utility the one and only ground of obligation"[55]—that is, Utilitarianism is concerned with whether particular actions are morally permissible in specific situations, while Berkeley's doctrine is concerned with whether or not we should follow moral rules in any and all circumstances. Whereas Act Utilitarianism might, for example, justify a morally impermissible act in light of the specific situation, Berkeley's doctrine of Passive Obedience holds that it is never morally permissible to not follow a moral rule, even when it seems like breaking that moral rule might achieve the happiest ends. Berkeley holds that even though sometimes, the consequences of an action in a specific situation might be bad, the general tendencies of that action benefits humanity. important sources for Berkeley's views on morality are Alciphron (1732), especially dialogues I–III, and the Discourse to Magistrates (1738)."[56] Passive Obedience is notable partly for containing one of the earliest statements of rule utilitarianism.[57] Berkeley’s theory that matter does not exist comes from the belief that "sensible things are those only which are immediately perceived by sense."[58] says in his book called The Principles of Human Knowledge that "the ideas of sense are stronger, livelier, and clearer than those of the imagination; and they are also steady, orderly and coherent."[59] From this we can tell that the things that we are perceiving are truly real rather than it just being a dream. knowledge comes from perception; what we perceive are ideas, not things in themselves; a thing in itself must be outside experience; so the world only consists of ideas and minds that perceive those ideas; a thing only exists so far as it perceives or is perceived.[60] Through this we can see that consciousness is considered something that exists to Berkeley due to its ability to perceive. be,' said of the object, means to be perceived, 'esse est percipi'; 'to be', said of the subject, means to perceive or 'percipere'."[61] established this, Berkeley then attacks the "opinion strangely prevailing amongst men, that houses, mountains, rivers, and in a word all sensible objects have an existence natural or real, distinct from being perceived".[59] believes this idea to be inconsistent because such an object with an existence independent of perception must have both sensible qualities, and thus be known (making it an idea), and also an insensible reality, which Berkeley believes is inconsistent.[62] believes that the error arises because people think that perceptions can imply or infer something about the material object. calls this concept abstract ideas. rebuts this concept by arguing that people cannot conceive of an object without also imagining the sensual input of the object. argues in Principles of Human Knowledge that, similar to how people can only sense matter with their senses through the actual sensation, they can only conceive of matter (or, rather, ideas of matter) through the idea of sensation of matter.[59] implies that everything that people can conceive in regards to matter is only ideas about matter. Thus, matter, should it exist, must exist as collections of ideas, which can be perceived by the senses and interpreted by the mind. if matter is just a collection of ideas, then Berkeley concludes that matter, in the sense of a material substance, does not exist as most philosophers of Berkeley's time believed. Indeed, if a person visualizes something, then it must have some color, however dark or light; it cannot just be a shape of no color at all if a person is to visualize it.[63] ideas raised controversy because his argument refuted Descartes' worldview, which was expanded upon by Locke, and resulted in the rejection of Berkeley's form of empiricism by several philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Locke's worldview, "the world causes the perceptual ideas we have of it by the way it interacts with our senses."[60] contradicts with Berkeley's worldview because not only does it suggest the existence of physical causes in the world, but in fact there is no physical world beyond our ideas. The only causes that exist in Berkeley's worldview are those that are a result of the use of the will. theory relies heavily on his form of empiricism, which in turn relies heavily on the senses. empiricism can be defined by five propositions: all significant words stand for ideas; knowledge of things is about ideas; ideas come from without or from within; from without it must be by the senses, and they are called sensations (the real things), from within they are the operations of the mind, and are called thoughts.[63] clarifies his distinction between ideas by saying they "are imprinted on the senses," "perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind," or "are formed by help of memory and imagination."[63] refutation of his idea was: if someone leaves a room and stops perceiving that room does that room no longer exist? answers this by claiming that it is still being perceived and the consciousness that is doing the perceiving is God. (This makes Berkeley's argument hinge upon an omniscient, omnipresent deity.) claim is the only thing holding up his argument which is "depending for our knowledge of the world, and of the existence of other minds, upon a God that would never deceive us."[60] anticipates a second objection, which he refutes in Principles of Human Knowledge. anticipates that the materialist may take a representational materialist standpoint: although the senses can only perceive ideas, these ideas resemble (and thus can be compared to) the actual, existing object. Thus, through the sensing of these ideas, the mind can make inferences as to matter itself, even though pure matter is non-perceivable. objection to that notion is that "an idea can be like nothing but an idea; a color or figure can be like nothing but another color or figure".[59] Berkeley distinguishes between an idea, which is mind-dependent, and a material substance, which is not an idea and is mind-independent. As they are not alike, they cannot be compared, just as one cannot compare the color red to something that is invisible, or the sound of music to silence, other than that one exists and the other does not. This is called the likeness principle: the notion that an idea can only be like (and thus compared to) another idea. attempted to show how ideas manifest themselves into different objects of knowledge: is evident to anyone who takes a survey of the objects of human knowledge, that they are either ideas actually imprinted on the senses; or else such as are perceived by attending to the passions and operations of the mind; or lastly ideas formed by help of memory and imagination—either compounding, dividing, or barely representing those originally perceived in the aforesaid ways". (Berkeley's emphasis.)[64] also attempted to prove the existence of God throughout his beliefs in immaterialism.[4] Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge was published three years before the publication of Arthur Collier's Clavis Universalis, which made assertions similar to those of Berkeley's.[65] However, there seemed to have been no influence or communication between the two writers.[66] philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote of him: "Berkeley was, therefore, the first to treat the subjective starting-point really seriously and to demonstrate irrefutably its absolute necessity. He is the father of idealism ...".[67] is considered one of the originators of British empiricism.[68] A linear development is often traced from three great "British Empiricists", leading from Locke through Berkeley to Hume.[69] influenced many modern philosophers, especially David Hume. Thomas Reid admitted that he put forward a drastic criticism of Berkeleianism after he had been an admirer of Berkeley's philosophical system for a long time.[70] Berkeley's "thought made possible the work of Hume and thus Kant, notes Alfred North Whitehead."[71] Some authors[who?] draw a parallel between Berkeley and Edmund Husserl.[clarification needed][72] Berkeley visited America, the American educator Samuel Johnson visited him, and the two later corresponded. Johnson convinced Berkeley to establish a scholarship program at Yale, and to donate a large number of books as well as his plantation to the college when the philosopher returned to England. It was one of Yale's largest and most important donations; it doubled its library holdings, improved the college's financial position and brought Anglican religious ideas and English culture into New England.[73] Johnson also took Berkeley's philosophy and used parts of it as a framework for his own American Practical Idealism school of philosophy. As Johnson's philosophy was taught to about half the graduates of American colleges between 1743 and 1776,[74] and over half of the contributors to the Declaration of Independence were connected to it,[75] Berkeley's ideas were indirectly a foundation of the American Mind. of America, during Berkeley's lifetime his philosophical ideas were comparatively uninfluential.[76] But interest in his doctrine grew from the 1870s when Alexander Campbell Fraser, "the leading Berkeley scholar of the nineteenth century",[77] published The Works of George Berkeley. A powerful impulse to serious studies in Berkeley's philosophy was given by A. A. Luce and Thomas Edmund Jessop, "two of the twentieth century's foremost Berkeley scholars",[78] thanks to whom Berkeley scholarship was raised to the rank of a special area of historico-philosophical science. In addition, the philosopher Colin Murray Turbayne wrote extensively on Berkeley's use of language as model for visual, physiological, natural and metaphysical relationships.[79] proportion of Berkeley scholarship, in literature on the history of philosophy, is increasing. This can be judged from the most comprehensive bibliographies on George Berkeley. During the period of 1709–1932, about 300 writings on Berkeley were published. That amounted to 1.5 publication per annum. During the course of 1932–79, over one thousand works were brought out, i.e., 20 works per annum. Since then, the number of publications has reached 30 per annum.[80] In 1977 publication began in Ireland of a special journal on Berkeley's life and thought (Berkeley Studies). In 1988, the Australian philosopher Colin Murray Turbayne established the International Berkeley Essay Prize Competition at the University of Rochester in an effort to advance scholarship and research on the works of Berkeley.[81][82] than philosophy, Berkeley also influenced modern psychology with his work on John Locke's theory of association and how it could be used to explain how humans gain knowledge in the physical world. He also used the theory to explain perception, stating that all qualities were, as Locke would call them, "secondary qualities", therefore perception laid entirely in the perceiver and not in the object. These are both topics today studied in modern psychology.[83] in literature Byron's Don Juan references immaterialism in the Eleventh Canto: When Bishop Berkeley said 'there was no matter,' And proved it—'t was no matter what he said: They say his system 't is in vain to batter, Too subtle for the airiest human head; And yet who can believe it? I would shatter Gladly all matters down to stone or lead, Or adamant, to find the world a spirit, And wear my head, denying that I wear it. Melville humorously references Berkeley in Chapter 20 of Mardi (1849), when outlining a character's belief of being on board a ghostship: here be it said, that for all his superstitious misgivings about the brigantine; his imputing to her something equivalent to a purely phantom-like nature, honest Jarl was nevertheless exceedingly downright and practical in all hints and proceedings concerning her. Wherein, he resembled my Right Reverend friend, Bishop Berkeley–truly, one of your lords spiritual—who, metaphysically speaking, holding all objects to be mere optical delusions, was, notwithstanding, extremely matter-of-fact in all matters touching matter itself. Besides being pervious to the points of pins, and possessing a palate capable of appreciating plum-puddings:—which sentence reads off like a pattering of hailstones. Joyce references Berkeley's philosophy in the third episode of Ulysses (1922): watches me here? Who ever anywhere will read these written words? Signs on a white field. Somewhere to someone in your flutiest voice. The good bishop of Cloyne took the veil of the temple out of his shovel hat: veil of space with coloured emblems hatched on its field. Hold hard. Coloured on a flat: yes, that's right. Flat I see, then think distance, near, far, flat I see, east, back. Ah, see now! In commenting on a review of Ada or Ardor, author Vladimir Nabokov alludes to Berkeley's philosophy as informing his novel: finally I owe no debt whatsoever (as Mr. Leonard seems to think) to the famous Argentine essayist and his rather confused compilation "A New Refutation of Time." Mr. Leonard would have lost less of it had he gone straight to Berkeley and Bergson. (Strong Opinions, pp. 2892–90) Boswell, in the part of his Life of Samuel Johnson covering the year 1763, recorded Johnson's opinion of one aspect of Berkeley's philosophy: we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is untrue, it is impossible to refute it. I shall never forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it,– "I refute it thus." the University of California, Berkeley, and the city of Berkeley, California, were named after him, although the pronunciation has evolved to suit American English: (/ˈbɜːrkli/ BURK-lee). The naming was suggested in 1866 by Frederick H. Billings, a trustee of the then College of California. Billings was inspired by Berkeley's Verses on the Prospect of Planting Arts and Learning in America, particularly the final stanza: "Westward the course of empire takes its way; The first four Acts already past, A fifth shall close the Drama with the day; Time's noblest offspring is the last."[84] Town of Berkley, currently the least populated town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, was founded on 18 April 1735 and named after the renowned philosopher. It is located 40 miles south of Boston and 25 miles north of Middletown, Rhode Island. residential college and an Episcopal seminary at Yale University also bear Berkeley's name, as does the Berkeley Library at Trinity College Dublin. Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida, a private school affiliated with the Episcopal Church, is also named for him. Berkeley's Gold Medals" are two awards given annually at Trinity College Dublin, "provided outstanding merit is shown", to candidates answering a special examination in Greek. The awards were founded in 1752 by Berkeley.[85] An Ulster History Circle blue plaque commemorating him is located in Bishop Street Within, city of Derry. farmhouse in Middletown, Rhode Island, is preserved as Whitehall Museum House, also known as Berkeley House, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. St. Columba's Chapel, located in the same town, was formerly named "The Berkeley Memorial Chapel," and the appellation still survives at the end of the formal name of the parish, "St. Columba's, the Berkeley Memorial Chapel". Cloyne, Cork, Ireland; George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ; longer there

Ireland, 1800-1899, 19th Century Folder, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation, Plymouth Brethern

Ireland, 1820-1882, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation and Plymouth Brethern
Ireland, 1820-1882, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation and Plymouth Brethern; Leap Castle (Barrow River Source); PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

Ireland, Derry Folder, Northern IRL

Derry, Ireland (Londonderry)
Derry, Ireland ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Movilla Abbey
Movilla Abbey; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Movillel, Ireland, on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donega
Movillel, Ireland, on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donega; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Ireland, Lough Neagh and Lagan River Folder, Ulster Province, Belfast, Northeastern IRL

Lough Neagh, Ireland
Lough Neagh; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667);

Ulster Province, Ireland
Ulster, Ireland ; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Slemish Mountain
Slemish Mountain; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Ballymena, Ulster, Northern Ireland
Ballymena, Ulster, Northern Ireland; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor, Lough Neagh, Ireland
Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor; JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667);

River Lagan

River Lagan Source (Slieve Croob Mountain)

Moneyslane, Ulster, Northern Ireland (Lagan River Source)
Moneyslane, Ulster, Northern Ireland; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Downpatrick, Northern Ireland (outside Belfast, Lagan River Source)
Downpatrick; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Saul, County Down, Northern Ireland
Saul, County Down; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

River Lagan 1

River Lagan 2

River Lagan 3

Armagh, Northern Ireland
Armagh; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Portadown, Armagh, Ulster, Northern Ireland (Rail Center, Lough Neagh, River Lagan 3)
Portadown, Ulster, Northern Ireland (Rail Center, Lough Neagh, River Lagan 3); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Dalaradia Kingdom, Ireland (centered Northeast Shore of Lough Neagh)
Dalaradia Kingdom Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

River Lagan Mouth (Irish Sea)

Belfast, Ireland (River Lagan Mouth)
Belfast (River Lagan Mouth); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1 ;

Delraida Kingdom, Inner Hebrides Scotland and Northern Ireland
Delraida Kingdom, Inner Hebrides Scotland and Northern Ireland; Inner Hebrides; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9;

Bangor (Bennchor), Ireland (Belfast Loch)
Bangor (Bennchor), County Down; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Killeady
St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady;

Ireland, Erne River Folder, Northwest Central IRL

River Erne

Lough Erne

River Erne Source (along the border)

River Erne 1

River Erne 2

Devenish Island (near Inismacsaint Island, River Erne 2)
ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

River Erne 3

Lough Erne, An Island in Lough Erne, Ireland, same time as Banghor Monastery, 552
This is the largest Island in Lough Erne. Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

River Erne Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Battle oCul Dremhne 561, Battle of the (Columba's) Book (20miles South oErne River Mouth, 27miles West oShannon River Source
Battle oCul Dremhne 561, Battle of the (Columba's) Book; Saint Columba from powerful family copied Vulgate Copy, Owner of VCopy claimed ownership of Columba's Copy, Pagan King agreed with Owner saying calf belongs to mother. Columba riled up his powerful relatives causing the battle. Many christians killed. Columba vows to bring in many Pagans to replace them. Does so at and from Iona Is, Scotland.

Ireland, Shannon River Folder, West Central IRL

Shannon River

Shannon River Source

Shannon River 1

Shannon River 2

Connacht Province, Ireland
Connacht, Ireland; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ;

Galway, Connacht, Ireland
Galway, largest city in Connacht, Ireland;

Downs Townland, County Westmeath (east of Shannon River 2.5)
Downs Townland, County Westmeath; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9;

Lough Ree, (Shannon River 3) a Ciaran Monastery, 540
Lough Ree, Ciaran Monastery, (Shannon River 3); St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Commemorated on September 9;

Shannon River 3

Durrow, Ireland (east of Shannon River 3)
Durrow, Ireland ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Clonmacnois, Ireland (Shannon River 3) Ciaran's Monastery, 544
Clonmacnois ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ;

Shannon River Mouth (Limerick)

Kileedy, Limerick, Ireland
Kileedy; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ;

County Clare, Ireland (Shannon River Mouth, Limerick)
Co.Clare; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Enda Monastery, the first Irish monastery at Killeaney on Aran Mor, 484
Enda Monastery, Aran Mor; St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Commemorated on September 9;

County Limerick, Ireland
County Limerick; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ;

Aran Islands, Ireland (near Shannon River Mouth, Gore Family)
Aran Islands, Ireland; Earl of Aran, the Gore Family; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; CHARLES GORE BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Newcastle West, Limerick, Ireland
Newcastle West St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated January 15 ;

Scattery Island, Scotland (Shannon Estuary) Senan Monastery, 520
Scattery Island ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ;

County Kerry, Ireland
County Kerry; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Kerry, Ireland
Kerry, Ireland; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Ireland, Castletown River Folder, Northeast Central IRL

Castletown River

Castletown River Source

Elim Pentecostal Church, Monaghan, Ireland
Elim Pentecostal Church, Monaghan, Ireland; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Ulster Province, Northern Ireland
Ulster Province; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Castletown River Mouth (Dundalk Bay, Irish Sea)

Faughart, Ireland (Castletown River Mouth, Dundalk Bay)
Faughart, Ireland; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

Dundalk, Ireland (Castletown River Mouth, Irish Sea)
Dundalk, Ireland; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

Ireland, Dublin Folder, East Central IRL

Dublin, Ireland
Dublin; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Plymouth Brethern, Dublin, Ireland
Plymouth Brethern, Dublin, Ireland; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Leinster Province, Ireland (Dublin)
Leinster, Ireland (Dublin) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Plymouth Brethren, Dublin, Ireland, 1820's
Plymouth Brethren, Dublin, Ireland; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, 1592
Trinity College, Dublin; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Teltown, Ireland (32 Miles North Northwest of Dublin, Synod of Teltown 562, 45 Miles East of Shannon River 2)
Teltown, Ireland (32 Miles North Northwest of Dublin, Synod of Teltown 562); Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9;

Ireland, Barrow, Nore and Suir Rivers Folder, Southeast Central IRL

Ireland, River Barrow Folder

Barrow River

Barrow River Source (Slieve Bloom Mountains)

Leap Castle (Barrow River Source)
Leap Castle (Barrow River Source); Ireland, 1820-1882, John Nelson Darby, Bible Translation and Plymouth Brethern; PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

County Laois, Ireland
Kilabban, Co. Laois; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Barrow River 1

Clonard Abbey (Barrow River 1, near Dublin) 520
Clonard Abbey, 520; St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, Commemorated on September 9;

Barrow River 2

Kildare, Ireland (a crossroads)
Kildare, Ireland (a crossroads), caused by the founding by St. Brigid of the Church of the Oak monestary ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

Church of the Oak Monestary, Kildare, Ireland, 473
Church of the Oak Monestary; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ;

Barrow River 3

Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains; Saint Kevin of Glendalough, Commemorated on June 3;

Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery (between coast and Barrow River 3)
Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery; Saint Kevin of Glendalough, Commemorated on June 3;

Kilabban (Killeshin), Co. Laois (River Barrow 4)
Kilabban (Killeshin), Co. Laois ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney;

Barrow River Mouth (Waterford Harbour, Celtic Sea)

Waterford (Harbour, Three Sisters (Nore, Suir, and Barrow)
Waterford; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Ireland, Barrow River 6, Nore River Folder

River Nore

River Nore Source (Devils Bit Mountain)

River Nore 1

River Nore 2

River Nore 3

River Nore Mouth (Barrow River 6)

River Nore Mouth (Waterford Harbour, Celtic Sea)

Ireland, River Suir Folder

Suir River

Suir River Source (Devils Bit Mountain)

Suir River 1

Suir River 2

Suir River 3

County Waterford, Ireland
County Waterford ; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ;

Bessborough, Pilton, Ireland
Bessborough, Pilton ; Earl of Bessborough; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Suir River Mouth (River Barrow at Checkpoint)

Ireland, Cork County, Southern IRL

Munster Province, Ireland
Munster Province, Ireland;

Cloyne, Cork, Southern Ireland
Cloyne, Cork, Ireland; George Berkeley of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752) , Commemorated June 16 ;

Cork (city), largest city of Munster Province
Cork (city), largest city of Munster Province;

Clondrohid, Co. Cork, Ireland
Clondrohid, Co. Cork; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Ballyvourney, Ireland
Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Ballymakeera, Ireland
Ballymakeera; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated February 11 ;

Ireland (Clean), Roman Roads or Irish Provinces

Ireland (Clean), its Area
Ireland, its Area

Ireland (Clean), Ulster Province and Belfast

Ireland (Clean), Ulster Province, its Area

Ireland, Ulster Province Southern Border

Belfast, Ireland (River Lagan Mouth)
Belfast (River Lagan Mouth);

Armagh, Northern Ireland
Armagh;

Dalaradia Kingdom, Ireland (centered Northeast Shore of Lough Neagh)
Dalaradia Kingdom

Bangor (Bennchor), Ireland (Belfast Loch)
Bangor (Bennchor), County Down;

Movillel, Ireland, on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donega
Movillel, Ireland, on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donega;

Lough Erne, An Island in Lough Erne, Ireland, same time as Banghor Monastery, 552
This is the largest Island in Lough Erne.

Ireland (Clean), Connacht Province and Galway

Ireland (Clean), Connacht Province, its Area

Ireland, Connacht Province

Connacht Province, Ireland
Connacht, Ireland;

Ireland (Clean), Leinster Province, Duiblin and Waterford

Ireland Clean), Leister Province, Its Area

Ireland (Clean), Leister Province Southwest Border, its Area
Ireland, Leister Province Southwest Border, its Area

Dublin, Ireland
Dublin;

Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, 1592
Trinity College, Dublin;

Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery (between coast and Barrow River 3)
Glendalough, Kevin's Monastery;

Wicklow Mountains, Kevin's monastery is in the Wicklow Mountains
Wicklow Mountains;

Kildare, Ireland (a crossroads)
Kildare, Ireland (a crossroads), caused by the founding by St. Brigid of the Church of the Oak monestary ;

Church of the Oak Monestary, Kildare, Ireland, 473
Church of the Oak Monestary;

Kilabban (Killeshin), Co. Laois (River Barrow 4)
Kilabban (Killeshin), Co. Laois ;

Waterford (Harbour, Three Sisters (Nore, Suir, and Barrow)
Waterford;

County Laois, Ireland, in Leinster Province
Kilabban, Co. Laois;

Ireland (Clean), Munster Province and Cork

Ireland (Clean), Munster Province, its Area

Ireland, Munster Province, Northwestern Boundary
Ireland, Munster Province

County Clare, Ireland (Shannon River Mouth, Limerick)
Co.Clare;

Enda Monastery, the first Irish monastery at Killeaney on Aran Mor, 484
Enda Monastery, Aran Mor;

Clondrohid, Co. Cork, Ireland
Clondrohid, Co. Cork;

Ballymakeera, Ireland
Ballymakeera;

Cloyne, Cork, Southern Ireland
Cloyne, Cork, Ireland;

County Kerry, Ireland
County Kerry;

Ballyvourney, Ireland
Ballyvourney;

USA, States

USA, South Idaho Folder

Idaho, South Idaho (South Idaho is mostly in the Snake River drainage, North Idaho is in the Spokane Drainage)
Idaho; Except for Malad and the Bear River, South Idaho is the Snake River Drainage, The waters of North Idaho all pass by Spokane in Eastern Washington.;

Northern Shoshone people
Northern Shoshone people;

South Idaho, Snake River Folder, Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Pocatello (Fort Hall)

Snake River Source (Yellowstone National Park)
Yellowstone National Park;

Snake River 1 (Jackson Lake)

Snake River 1 (Teton Range)
Teton Range;

Snake River 2 (Jackson Hole)

Snake River 3 (Hoback River Mouth)

Snake River 4 (Star Valley)
Star Valley and Salt River Range;

Snake River 4 (Salt River Mouth)

Snake River 4 (Snake River Canyon (Wyoming))
Snake River Canyon (Wyoming);

Snake River 4 (Greys River Mouth)

Snake River 4 (Snake River Range)
Snake River Range;

Snake River 5 (Rexburg, ID and Henrys Fork River Mouth)

Snake River 6 (Idaho Falls, ID)

Snake River 7 (Fort Hall and Pocatello, ID)

Snake River 8 (Snake River Plain)
Snake River Plain;

Snake River 9 (American Falls, ID, Portneuf River Mouth )

Snake River 9 (American Falls, ID, Massacre Rocks)
Massacre Rocks;

Snake River 9 (California Trail, Raft River Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 9, Raft River Folder, California Trail, Utah Border

Raft River Mountains
Raft River Mountains;

Albion Mountains
Albion Mountains;

Raft River Source (east side of Albion Mountains)

Raft River 1 (Alamo)

Raft River 2

Raft River 3

Raft River 4

Parting of the Ways - California Trail from Oregon Trail

Raft River Mouth (Snake River 9)

Snake River 10 (Twin Falls, ID, Caldron Linn Rapids)

Snake River 10 (Twin Falls, ID, Shoshone Falls)
Shoshone Falls;

Snake River 10 (Snake River Canyon, Twin Falls (Idaho))

South Idaho, Snake River 10, Malad River Folder, Twin Falls, Wood Rivers, Sun Valley

Little Wood River Source (Pioneer Mountains)

Little Wood River Mouth (Gooding, Malad River Source)

Big Wood River Source (Galena Summit)

Big Wood River Mouth (Malad River (Idaho) Source)

Malad River (Idaho) Source

Malad River (Idaho) Mouth (Snake River 10)

Snake River 11 (Glenns Ferry, ID, Three Island Crossing)
Three Island Crossing, Glenns Ferry;

Snake River 11 (Boise, ID)

Snake River 12 (Owyhee River Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 12, Boise River Folder, Boise, Nampa, Caldwell

South Idaho, Boise, Idaho (Snake River 12, Boise River Mouth)
Boise, Idaho; Kathryn Kuhlman, Commemorated February 20

South Idaho, Snake River 12, Owyhee River Folder, Caldwell, ID

Owyhee River Source (near Wild Horse)
Owyhee River;

Jordan Creek

Owyhee River Mouth (Snake River 12)

Dry Lake Creek

Snake River 12 (Boise River Mouth)

Snake River 12 (Payett River Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 12, Payette River Folder, McCall, Horseshoe Bend, Emmett, Payette, ID

Payette River South Fork Source

Payette River North Fork Source (Deep Lake)

Payette River (McCall, ID)

Payette River (Cascade, ID)

Payette River Source Confluence (near Banks, ID)

Payette River (Horseshoe Bend, ID)

Payette River (Emmett, ID)

Payette River Mouth (Ontario, OR, Snake River 12)

Snake River 13 (Weiser, ID, Weiser River Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 13, Weiser River Folder, Weiser

Weiser River Source (near New Meadows)

Weiser River Mouth (Weiser, Snake River 13)

Snake River 14 (Hells Canyon)
Hells Canyon;

Snake River 15 (Salmon River Mouth, Hells Canyon Midpoint, Cottonwood)

South Idaho, Snake River 15, Salmon River Folder, Stanley, Clayton, Chalis and Salmon, ID

Salmon River Source (Galena Summit)
Galena Summit;

Salmon River 1 (Sawtooth Valley)

Salmon River 2 (Stanley, ID)

Salmon River 3 (Clayton, ID)

Salmon River 4 (Challis, ID)

Salmon River 5 (Salmon, ID)

Salmon River 6 (North Fork Salmon Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 15, Salmon River 6, North Fork Salmon Folder

Salmon River North Fork

North Fork Salmon River Source

Salmon River 7 (Middle Fork Salmon River)
Middle Fork Salmon River

South Idaho, Snake River 15, Salmon River 7, Middle Fork Salmon Folder

Middle Fork Salmon River Source (Bear Valley Creek Hot Springs)

Salmon River 8 (Riggins, ID)

Salmon River 9 (White Bird, ID)

Salmon River Mouth (Hells Canyon Midpoint, Snake River 15)

Snake River 16 (Hells Canyon End, Grande Ronde River Mouth)

South Idaho, Snake River 16, Grande Ronde River Folder, Joseph and Enterprise, OR

Snake River 17 (Clearwater River Mouth, Lewiston, ID)

Snake River 17 (Palouse Hills)
Palouse Hills;

South Idaho, Snake River 17, Clearwater Rivers Folder, Lewiston

Lochsa River Source (near Powell Ranger Station)

Clearwater River South Fork Source (Elk City)

Clearwater River South Fork (Kooskia, ID)

Clearwater River North Fork Source (near Illinois Peak)

Joseph Plaine
Joseph Plaines

Snake River Mouth (Columbia River, Pasco, WA)

South Idaho, South Flowing Rivers, Bear Malad and Logan Rivers Folder

Bear River drainage (Southeast of Snake River Plain)
Snake River Plain;

Bear River Source (just west of Hayden Peak)

Bear River 1 (Evanston, WY)

Bear River 2 (Bear Lake County, ID)

Bear River 3 (Montpelier, ID)

Bear River 4 (Soda Springs, ID)

Bear River 5 (Preston, ID)

Bear River 6 (Bear River Massacre)

Bear River 7 (Cornish, UT)

Bear River 8 (Newton, UT)

Bear River 8 (Little Bear River Mouth, Logan, UT)

Bear River 9 (Bear River City, UT)

Bear River 10 (Malad River Mouth)

Bear River Mouth (Great Salt Lake)

USA, Spokane Rivers Folder, Eastern BC, Western MT, Eastern WA, and North Idaho

Spokane, WA (S. Falls near Spokane River Mouth, Columbia River 21)
Spokane, Washington ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ;

Idaho, North Idaho (North Idaho is mostly in the Spokane Drainage, South Idaho the Snake)
Idaho; Except for Malad and the Bear River, South Idaho is the Snake River Drainage, The waters of North Idaho all pass by Spokane in Eastern Washington.;

Spokane House
Spokane House;

Spokane Indian Reservation
Spokane Indian Reservation;

Columbia Mountains
Columbia Mountains ;

Cariboo Mountains (above Columbia River, waters go to Vancouver)
Cariboo Mountains;

Monashee Mountains (above Columbia River)
Monashee Mountains;

Selkirk Mountains (waters go to Spokane)
Selkirk Mountains;

Cabinet Mountains (waters go to Spokane)
Cabinet Mountains (East of the Purcell Trench);

Spokane Rivers History Folder

Spokane Rivers, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland
US, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland; Graham Lake (March 18, 1870 – September 16, 1935) was a Canadian-American leader in the Pentecostal movement that began in the early 20th century, and is known as a faith healer, missionary, and with Thomas Hezmalhalch, co-founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa. his 1908–19 African missionary work, Lake played a decisive role in the spread of Pentecostalism in South Africa, the most successful southern African religious movement of the 20th century.[1]: 98 [2]: 34  completing his missionary work in Africa, Lake evangelized for 20 years, primarily along the west coast of the United States setting up "healing rooms" and healing campaigns, and establishing churches. was influenced by the healing ministry of John Alexander Dowie and the ministry of Charles Parham.[3] Saint Mary's, Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie); John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Spokane Rivers, Coeur d' Alene Lake Rivers Folder

Coeur d'Alene Mountains (waters go to Spokane)
Coeur d'Alene Mountains

Spokane Rivers,Coeur d' Alene Lake, Spokane River Folder, CDA to SPO

Spokane River Source (Coeur d'Alene Lake)

Spokane River Mouth (Fort Spokane, Columbia River 20)

Fort Spokane
Fort Spokane;

Spokane Rivers, Coeur d' Alene Lake, Coeur d' Alene River Folder, Mullan, Wallace, Kellogg, CDA

Coeur d'Alene River

Coeur d' Alene River Source

Coeur d'Alene River Mouth (Lake Coeur d'Alene)

Spokane Rivers, Coeur d' Alene Lake, St Joe River Folder, Avery, Calder, St Maries

Saint Joe River Source

St Joe River Mouth (Lake Coeur d'Alene

Spokane Rivers, Coeur d' Alene Lake, Saint Maries River Folder, Elk River, Clarkia, St Maries

Saint Maries River

Saint Maries River Middle Fork

Saint Maries River - Boville Hemlock Butte Branch

Saint Maries River Source (Jackson Mountain)

St. Maries River (Clarkia, ID)

Saint Maries River (St. Maries, ID)

Spokane Rivers, Pend Orielle River and Lake Folder, Sandpoint, ID, Castlegar, BC

Pend Oreille River Mouth (US Canada Border, Columbia River 16, south of Trail, BC)

Seneacquoteen or Sineacateen (crossing, ferry, Wild Horse Trail)
Seneacquoteen or Sineacateen (crossing, ferry); Wild Horse Trail;

Priest River

Pack River

Lightning Creek

Spokane Rivers, Clark Fork River Folder, Butte, Anaconda, Missoula, Sandpoint

Clark Fork River Source (Warm Springs Creek, Butte Circle of Continental Divide)

Clark Fork River Source (Butte Circle of Continental Divide)

Bitterroot River Source (along the border)

Bitterroot Valley (Hamilton, MT)

Bitterroot River Mouth (Clark Fork River, Missoula, MT)

Flathead River and Lake, and Lake McDonald

Flathead River Source (Glacier National Park)

Flathead River Mouth (Clark Fork River)

Saleesh House
Saleesh House;

Kullyspell House (approx. loc.)Kullyspell House
Kullyspell House;

Clark Fork River Mouth (Pend Orielle Lake)

Spokane Rivers, Kootenai River Folder, BC, MT, ID, BC

Kootenai River Source (Castle Mountain)

Kootenai River 1

Kootenai River 2 (Kootenay Crossing)

Kootenai River 3 (Vermillion River Mouth)

Spokane Rivers, Kootenai River 3, Vermillion River Folder, Banff, Radium Hot Springs

Vermillion Pass - (Bow River to Vermillion River, 5 mile hike)
Short flat 5 mile, 1,000 vertical ft, 6% grade hike (Bow River to Vermillion River)

Vermillion River Source (Vermillion Pass)

Vermillion River 1

Simson River Mouth (Vermillion River)

Vermillion River 2

Vermillion River 3

Vermilion River (British Columbia) Mouth (Kootenai River)

Kootenai River 4

Kootenai River 5

Kootenai River 6 (Canal Flats to Columbia Lake)

Kootenai River 7 (Skookumchuck)

Kootenai River 8 (Fort Steel, Saint Mary River Mouth)

Spokane Rivers, Kootenai River 9, Cranbrook and Kimberly Folder

Mt St Mary Creek

Mt Buhl Creek

Mt Buhl E4 Creek

North Star Creek

Kimberly

Saint Mary River

Cranbrook

Cranbrook Mountain

Richmond Lake Creek

Higgins Peak Creek

Mt Flett Creek

Haystack Mountain Creek

Mt Goodwin Creek

Nowitka Mountain Creek

Mt Alton Creek

Skookumchuck Mountain Creek

Duncan River

Bow River

North Saskathewan River

South Saskathewan River

Moyie River

Yaak Creston section Hwy 3

Yaak Pass (Yaak to Creston of Hwy 3)

Creek from Mt Mckay

Creek from South Summerfield Mountain

Creek from Mt. Thompson

Kootenai River 9 (Bull River)

Elk River

Elk River Source (Sparwood)

Kootenai River 10 (Rexford, MT)

Kootenai River 11 (Libby Dam)

Kootenai River 12 (Libby, MT)

Kootenai River 13 (Troy, MT)

Kootenai River 14 (Yaak River Mouth)

Kootenai River 15 (Moyie Springs, ID, Moyie River Mouth)

Spokane Rivers, Kootenai River 15, Moyie River Folder, Cranbrook BC, Bonners Ferry, ID

Sommerfield Mountain Creek

Lumberton Creek

Moyie River Source

Moyie River 2

Moyie River 3 (Moyie Lake)

Moyie River 4 (Moyie Lake)

Moyie River 5 (Yahk, BC)

Moyie River 6 (US Canada border, Kingsgate, BC, Eastport, ID)

Moyie River 7 (Good Grief, Addie)

Skin Creek (Eileen Dam) Mouth (Moyie River)

Moyie River 8 (Moyie Dam)

Moyie River Mouth (Kootenai River 15, Moyie Springs)

David Thompson's Camp on Great Road of the Flatheads
David Thompson's Camp, 48 degrees ° 42 minutes 45 seconds N, 116 degrees 00 minutes 08 seconds W, on the Great Road of the Flat Heads"";

Kootenai River 16 (Bonners Ferry, ID)

Kootenai River 17 (Copeland Bridge)

Kootenai River 18 (Creston, BC)

Kootenai River 19 (Wynndel, BC)

Kootenai River 21 (Kootenay Lake Ferry)

Kootenai River 22 (Balfour)

Kootenai River 23 (Crescent Bay)

Kootenai River 24 (Nelson)

Kootenai River Mouth (Castlegar, Columbia River 14)

Spokane Rivers, Kootenai River Mouth, West Kootenay Creeks

North Kookanee Peak to Kaslo Creek

South Kookanee Peak to Crescent Bay Creek

East Kookanee Peak to Ainsworth Creek

Fishhook area to Nakusp Creek

West Tenderfoot Mountain to Nakusp Creek

Herrige Mountain to Arrow Lake Creek

Borderline area to Arrow Lake Creek

Mount Wilkie to Galena Bay Creek

Virtue Mountain to Beaton Creek

Mt Marion to Rosebery Creek

Whitewater Mountain to New Denver Creek

Mt Brennan to Kaslo Creek

Summit Mountain to Slocan Creek

Spokane Rivers, Purcell Trench Folder

Purcell Trench 200 Miles Golden to Bonners Ferry

Beaver River Source (Glacier National Park)

Duncan River Source (near Mt Dawson, Purcell Trench)
Duncan River;

Purcell Trench 1 (Duncan River)
Purcell Trench;

Purcell Mountains (waters go to Spokane)
Purcell Mountains

Purcell Trench 2 (Kootenai River, Lake Pend Oreille)

Spokane Rivers, Purcell Trench, East Kootenay Creeks, Columbia River Creeks further north

Mt Toby Creek

Caldron Mt Creek

Mount Griffith Creek

Mt Conrad Creek

Thorington Mountain Creek

Moonraker Mountain Creek

Dawn Mountain Creek

Silent Mountain Creek

Bugaboo Spire Creek

Hanging Glacier Creek

Mount Katherine Panorama Creek

Mount Peechee Fairmont Hot Springs Creek

Spokane Rivers, Columbia River Folder

Columbia River Source (Columbia Lake)

Columbia River 1 (Windermere and Invermere)

Columbia River 2 (Radium Hot Springs)

Columbia River 3 (Spillimacheen, BC, Bugaboo Spire Creek)

Columbia River 4 (Golden, BC)

Columbia River 5 (Beaver River Mouth)

Columbia River 6

Columbia River 7

Columbia River 8

Columbia River 10 (Revelstoke)

Columbia River 11 (Arrowhead)

Columbia River 12 (Lower Arrow Lake)

Columbia River 14 (Castelgar, Kootenai River Mouth)

Columbia River 15 (Trail)

Columbia River 16 (Pend O'reille River Mouth, Border US and Canada)

Columbia River 18 (Colville)

Fort Colville
Fort Colville;

Columbia River 20 (Spokane River Mouth, Fort Spokane)

Columbia River 21 (Colville Indian Reservation)

Colville Indian Reservation
Colville Indian Reservation;

Columbia River 22 (Brewster, Okanogan River Mouth)

Columbia River 23 (Wenatchee, Wenatchee River Mouth)

Columbia River 28 (Tri Cities, Yakima River Mouth)

Columbia River 29 (Hanford Reach)

Columbia River 31 (Washington Oregon Border)

Columbia River 32 (The Dalles, Deschutes River Mouth)

Columbia River 33 (Portland, Willamett River Mouth)

Columbia River 34 (Longview, Cowlitz River Mouth)

Columbia River Mouth (Astoria, Pacific Ocean)

USA, South Dakota Folder, and its rivers

South Dakota
South Dakota; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

South Dakota History Folder

South Dakota, 1861-1889, Dakota Territory (ND, SD, MT and Northern Wyoming)
Dakota Territory (1861-1889); WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

South Dakota, 1862, Sioux Uprising of 1862
Sioux Uprising of 1862; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

South Dakota, Western SD, Cheyanne River Folder, Black Hills, Badlands, Pine Ridge

Cheyanne River Source (Thunder Basin, WY)
Thunder Basin;

104th Meridian (Territorial and State division)
104th Meridian West (Territorial and State division), see borders for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and the Northwest border of Nebraska. WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909;

Cheyanne River 1 (Edgemont, SD)

Cheyanne River 2 (Angrousta, SD)

Cheyanne River 3 (Oral, SD)

Buffalo Gap Grassland
Buffalo Gap

Cheyanne River 4 (Rapid Creek Mouth, SD)

Black Hills area
Black Hills

Cheyanne Land - Black Hills, South Dakota
Cheyanne Land - Black Hills; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Black Hills, SD
Black Hills

The Badlands, SD
Badlands National Park; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Cheyanne River, Badlands, SD and NB
Pine Ridge Ogala Sioux Indian Reservation; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Pine Ridge Country
Pine Ridge Country; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909;

South Dakota, Western SD, Cheyanne River 4, Rapid Creek Folder, Rapid City, SD

Rapid Creek

Rapid Creek 1 (Rapid City, SD)

Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Rapid Creek Mouth (Cheyanne River 4)

Cheyanne River 5 (Wasta, SD)

Cheyanne River 6 (Belle Fourche River Mouth, SD)

Belle Fourche River Mouth (Cheyanne River 6)

Cheyanne River 7 (Cherry Creek Mouth, SD)

Cheyanne River Mouth (Pierre, SD, Missouri River 17)

Cheyanne River Indian Reservation, SD
Cheyenne River Teton Sioux Indian Reservation; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

South Dakota, Central SD, Missouri River Folder, Yankton, SD

Missouri River 2

Missouri (official) Headwaters (Three Forks of the Missouri)

Three Forks of the Missouri River (Bozeman, MT)

Missouri River 3

Missouri River 4 (Cascade, MT)

Missouri River 5 (Great Falls, MT)

Missouri River 10 (Yellowstone River)

Missouri river 12

Missouri River 17 (Cheyanne River)

Missouri River 18 (Niobrara River)

Missouri River 19 (Yankton, James (Dakota) River)

Yankton, SD (Missouri River 19)
Yankton, SD; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909;

Missouri River 20 (Sioux City, IA)

Missouri River 21 (Omaha, Platte River)

Missouri River 22 (St Joseph, MO)

Missouri River 23 (Kansas City, KS and MO, Kansas River)

Missouri River 24 (Jefferson City, MO)

Missouri River Mouth (St Louis, MO, Mississippi River 7)

South Dakota, East Central SD, James (Dakota) River Folder, Yankton, SD

James (Dakota) River Source (Laurentian Divide)

James (Dakota) River 1 (Jamestown, ND)

James (Dakota) River Mouth (Yankton, SD, Missouri River 19)

Sioux People, South Dakota
Sioux People; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Yankton Tribe, Nakota Sioux (SD and NB)
Yankton Nakota Sioux ; Yankton, SD; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909;

South Dakota, Eastern SD, Big Sioux River Folder, Sioux Falls, SD, Sioux City, IA

Big Sioux River

Big Sioux River Source (Coteau des Prairies)
Coteau des Prairies ; Pipestone National Monument;

Coteau des Prairies
Coteau des Prairies, Coteau: clothes iron shaped slopes ;

Big Sioux River 1 (Sioux Falls)

Big Sioux River Mouth (Sioux City, Missouri River 20)

USA, South Carolina Folder, and its rivers

Sourth Carolina
South Carolina; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

South Carolina, 1863, Raid on Combahee Ferry, Beaufort and Colleton counties in the SC Lowcountry, led by Harriet Tubman
Raid on Combahee Ferry, June 1, 1863, Beaufort and Colleton counties in the South Carolina Lowcountry; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people.

South Carolina, Myrtle Beach Folder, Pee Dee River, North SC

Pee Dee River Source (Confluence Yadkin and Uwharrie Rivers)

Pee Dee River Mouth (Myrtle Beach, Northern SC)
Pee Dee River Mouth (Myrtle Beach, Northern SC); Henry Delaney of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany;

Little Pee Dee River Source (Fort Brag, NC)

South Carolina, Cooper River above Lake Moultrie Folder, North Central SC

Wateree River in SC Catawba River in NC

Saluda River to Conagree River

Saluda River

Broad River (Carolinas)

Saluda River Source (along the border, Great Smokey Mountains)

Saluda River Mouth (Cooper River Headwater)

Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains;

Conagree River (Cooper River Headwater)

Broad River Source, Black Mt, NC

Broad River 1 (Cherokee Falls, SC)

Broad River 2 (Lockhart, SC)

Broad River Mouth (Columbia, SC)

Benedict College, Columbia, SC (Saulda and Broad Rivers Confluence)
Benedict College; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Wateree River in SC Mouth (Conagree River Source)

Conagree River Mouth (Cooper River Headwater)

Santee River (Cooper River Headwater)

Santee River Mouth (Cooper River Headwater)

South Carolina, Ashley and Cooper Rivers Folder, South Central SC

Bamberg County, South Carolina
Bamberg County, South Carolina; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Voorhees College, Denmark, South Carolina, 1897
Voorhees College; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Denmark, South Carolina (Ashley River 2)
Denmark, South Carolina; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Ashley River Source

Ashley River Mouth (Charleston)

Raid on Combahee Ferry, 1863, Beaufort and Colleton counties in the SC Lowcountry, led by Harriet Tubman
Raid on Combahee Ferry, June 1, 1863, Beaufort and Colleton counties in the South Carolina Lowcountry; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 enslaved people.

Charleston, SC (Ashley River, Cooper River, Charleston Harbor)
Charleston, South Carolina; SAMUEL FERGUSON, MISSIONARY BISHOP FOR WEST AFRICA, 1916, Commemorated August 2 ; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787 ; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Hampton County, South Carolina
Hampton County, South Carolina; ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, Educator (1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Military College of South Carolina (now the Citadel) 1842
Military College of South Carolina (now the Citadel) ; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918);

Cooper River Source (Lake Moultrie)

Cooper River Mouth (Charleston)

South Carolina, Savana River Folder, South SC

Whitewater River

Toxaway River

Keowee River

Seneca River

Savannah River Source (Lake Hartwell)
Savannah River;

Savanna River 1 (Augusta)

Savanna River Mouth (Savanna, GA, Atlantic Ocean)

Seneca River Source (Clemson, SC, Lake Keowee)

Seneca River Mouth (Savanna River Source)

Lake Toxaway, Toxaway River Source

Keowee River Source (Lake Kocasee (Toxaway and Whitewater Rivers))

Whitewater River Source

Tugaloo River Source (Lake Tugaloo)

Tugaloo River Mouth (Savanna River Source)

USA, Montana Folder, and its rivers

Montana
Montana; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Browning and Cutbank
Blackfeet Indian Reservation;

Montana, Kootenai River Folder, Northwestern MT

Vermillion River Folder

Kootenai River 4, Palliser River Mouth

Kootenai River 5, White River Mouth

Kootenai River 9, Bull River Mouth

Montana, Kootenai River 14, Yaak River Folder

Yaak River

Yaak River Source (Yahk Mountain)

Yaak River 1

Yaak River 2 (Canada US border)

Yaak River 3 (East Fork Yaak River)

Yaak River East Fork

Yaak River 4 (West Fork Yaak River)

Yaak River West Fork

Yaak River 5 (South Fork Yaak River)

Yaak River South Fork

Yaak River 6 (Spread Creek)

Spread Creek

Yaak River Mouth (Kootenai River 14)

Pipe Creek

Cabinet Mountains (East of the Purcell Trench)
Cabinet Mountains (East of the Purcell Trench);

Saint Mary River Source (Gunsight Mt, Glacier Park)
Gunsight Mountain; Glacier Park;

Montana, Clark Fork River Folder, Western MT

Clark Fork River Source (Butte)

Clark Fork River Source (Warm Springs Creek, Anaconda)

Clark Fork River 1 (Missoula, MT)

Montana, Clark Fork River 1, Bitterroot River Folder

Montana, Clark Fork River 1, Blackfoot Rivers Folder

Blackfoot River

Blackfoot River Source (near Lincoln)

Blackfoot River Mouth (Clark Fork River 1, Missoula, MT)

Clark Fork River 2 (Paradise and Plains, MT)

Montana, Clark Fork River 2, Flathead River Folder

Flathead Range
Flathead Range;

Clark Range (Canada)
Clark Range (Canada);

North Fork Flathead River Source (Clark Range)

North Fork Flathead River 1
North Fork Flathead River;

North Fork Flathead River

Swan Range
Swan Range;

Bob Marshall Wilderness
Bob Marshall Wilderness, 60 miles along the Continental Divide;

South Fork Flathead River Source (Bob Marshall Wilderness)

South Fork Flathead River 1
South Fork Flathead River;

South Fork Flathead River

27 Miles of 60 Mile Bob Marshall Wilderness

33 Miles of 60 mile Bob Marshall Wilderness

Middle Fork Flathead River Source (Bob Marshall Wilderness)

Middle Fork Flathead River Mouth (Flathead River Source)
Middle Fork Flathead River;

Middle Fork Flathead River

Flathead Lake

Montana, Continental Divide Folder, West Central MT

Continental Divide - Montana

Montana, Missouri River Folder, Southwestern, Central and Northeastern MT

Missouri River Source (Brower's Spring, Idaho Montana)

Missouri River 1 (Clark Canyon Reservoir, Montana)

Missouri River 2 (Twin Bridges, Montana)

Three Forks of the Missouri River (near Bozeman, MT)
Three Forks of the Missouri River (near Bozeman, MT); Bozeman, MT;

Bozeman, MT
Bozeman, MT; Three Forks of the Missouri River (near Bozeman, MT);

Montana, Missouri River Source, Three Forks of the Missouri

Montana, Missouri River Source, Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Folder

Three Forks of the Missouri River (28Miles NW of Bozeman, MT)

Jefferson River Source (Twin Bridges, Montana)

Jefferson River

Madison River Source (Madison Junction, Wyoming)

Madison River

Gallatin River Source (Gallatin Range, Wyoming)

Gallatin River (Big Sky, Montana)

Gallatin River

Bridger Bowl
Bridger Bowl;

Missouri River 6 (Marias River Mouth)

Missouri River 8 (Glasgow and Fort Peck)

Montana, Missouri River 8, Laurentian Divide Rivers Folder, Highline, Havre, Bear Paw Mts

Havre River

Havre River 1 (Havre)

Bear Paw Mountains
Bear Paw Mountains;

Coteau du Missouri River

Coteau du Missouri
Coteau du Missouri;

Missouri River 9 (Poplar)

Montana, Bozeman Trail Folder, South Central MT

Bozeman Trail - Fort Laramie, Wyoming (Laramie and Platte Rivers)
Fort Laramie, Wyoming;

Bozeman Trail - Fort Reno, Wyoming (Powder River)
Fort Reno (Wyoming);

Bozeman Trail - Piney Creek, Buffalo, Wyoming
Piney Creek, Buffalo, Wyoming; War - Red Cloud's War;

Crazy Woman's Fork - Crazy Woman Creek - Powder River Wyoming
Crazy Woman Creek ; Crazy Woman's Fork ; Powder River Expedition (1865) ;

Bozeman Trail - Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming
Fort Phil Kearny;

Bozeman Trail - Fetterman Massacre 1866
Fetterman Massacre;

Bozeman Trail - Lodge Trail Ridge, Wyoming
Lodge Trail Ridge, Wyoming Red Cloud's War - The War for the Bozeman Trail, or the Powder River War

Bozeman Trail - Wagon Box Fight 1867
Wagon Box Fight;

Goose Creek, Sheridan County, Wyoming

Lodge Grasss Creek, Lodge Grass, Montana

Bozeman Trail - Fort Smith, Montana (Big Horn River)
Fort Smith, Montana;

Bozeman Trail - Bozeman Pass
Bozeman Pass;

Bozeman Trail - Fort Ellis, Bozeman, Montana
Fort Ellis;

Bozeman Trail - Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City, Montana

Bozeman Trail - Fort Benton, Montana (Missouri River)
Fort Benton, Montana;

Montana, Yellowstone River Folder, Southern and Eastern MT

Red Lodge Mountain Resort
Red Lodge Mountain Resort;

Red Lodge, Montana

Yellostone River Source (Younts Peak, Absaroka Range, Wyoming)

Yellowstone River 1 (Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming)

Yellowstone River 2 (Yellowstone Falls, Wyoming)

Yellowstone River 3 (Grand Canyon, Wyoming)

Yellowstone River 4 (Black Canyon, Wyoming)

Yellowstone River 5 (Paradise Valley, Montana)

Yellowstone River 6 (Livingston, Montana)

Yellowstone River 7 (Billings)

Crow Indian Land - Yellowstone River Valley, MT
Land of the Crow Indians - Yellowstone River Valley; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Yellowstone River 8 (Big Horn River)

Montana, Yellowstone River 8, Big Horn River Folder (WY and MT)

Big Horn River Source (Absaroka Range, Wyoming)

Big Horn River Mouth, Montana (Yellowstone River 8)

Lodge Grass Creek

Lodge Grass Creek - Upper Fork

Yellowstone River 9 (Tongue River, Miles City, MT)

Montana,Yellowstone River 9, Tongue River Folder

Tongue River Source, Bozeman Trail (Fort Kearny, Wagon Box, Fetterman)

Tongue River Mouth (Yellowstone River 9, Miles City, MT)

Yellowstone River 10 (Powder River)

Yellowstone River 11 (Glendive)

Yellowstone River Mouth (Missouri River 10, Williston, SD)

Montana, Powder River Folder, Southeastern MT

Powder River Source (Granite Mountains, Wyoming)

Powder River 1 (three forks meet, Fort Reno, Wyoming)

Powder River 2 (Little Powder River Mouth, Montana)

Powder River Mouth (Yellowstone River 10, Montana)

Cheyanne Land - Powder River Country (MT & WY)
Cheyanne Land - Powder River Country; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Little Powder River

Little Powder River Mouth (Powder River 2)

Piney Creek

USA, Mississippi Folder, and its rivers

Mississippi
Mississippi; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Mississippi, Mississippi River Folder, Western MS, Jackson

Jackson, MS (Mississippi River 11, over on Pearl River)
Jackson, Mississippi; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Mississippi, Mississippi River 11, Yazoo River Folder, Northwest MS, Tallahatchie Co.

Yazoo River and its tributaries

Coldwater River

Coldwater River Source (along the border)

Coldwater River (Marks, Mississippi)
Coldwater River (Marks, Mississippi);

Tallahatchie River

Tallahatchie River Source (Tippah County)

Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

Yalobusha River

Yalobusha River Source (north of Houston, Chickasaw County)

Yalobusha River, Grenada, MS

Yalobusha River Mouth

Yazoo River Source (Confluence of Tallahatchie and Yalobusha Rivers)

Yazoo River Mouth (Mississippi River 11)
Yazoo River;

Mississippi, Mississippi River 11.5, Big Black River Folder, West Central MS, Lexington

Big Black River (Mississippi)

Big Black River Source (Eupora, Webster County)

Big Black River 1 (Eupora and Stewart)

Big Black River 2 (Lexington and Durant)

Lexington, MS - Saints College (Big Black River 2)
Lexington, MS - Saints College ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Battle of Big Black River Bridge, 1863
Battle of Big Black River Bridge, 1863;

Big Black River (Mississippi) Mouth (Mississippi River 11.5, Vicksburg)
Big Black River (Mississippi);

Mississippi, Mississippi River 12, Homochitto River Folder, Southwest MS, Natches

Homochitto River

Homochitto River Source (along the border)

Homochitto River Mouth (Mississippi River 12)

Mississippi, Pearl River Folder, Central MS, Jackson

Pearl River 1 (Philadelphia, Mississippi)

Nanih Waiya, Mississippi, origins of the Choctaw (Pearl River Source, Mississippi)
Nanih Waiya, Mississippi, origins of the Choctaw ; Choctaw Native Americans; Oral Roberts - PENTACOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 15;

Choctaw Native Americans, originated Nanih Waiya, Mississippi (Pearl River Source, Mississippi)
Nanih Waiya, Mississippi, origins of the Choctaw ; Choctaw Native Americans; Oral Roberts - PENTACOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 15;

Pearl River 2 (Pearl River, Mississippi)

Pearl River 3 (Carthage, Mississippi)

Pearl River 4 (Jackson, Mississippi)

Jackson, MS (Mississippi River 11, Pearl River 4)
Jackson, Mississippi; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Pearl River 5 (Flowood, Mississippi)

Pearl River 6 (Pearl, Mississippi)

Pearl River 7 (Georgetown, Mississippi)

Hazlehurst, MS (Pearl River 7)
Hazlehurst, MS; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Pearl River 8 (Rockport, Mississippi)

Pearl River 9 (Monticello, Mississippi)

Pearl River 10 (Columbia, Mississippi)

Holmsville, MS (Pearl River 10)
Holmsville, Mississippi; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER (30 December 1934) ;

Pearl River 11 (Bogalusa, Louisiana)

Pearl River 12 (Picayune, Mississippi)

Pearl River Mouth (Pearlington, Mississippi)

Pearl River Mouth, Gulf of Mexico

Mississippi, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Northeast MS, Tupelo, Columbus

Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (Divide Cut to Tennessee River)
Divide Cut;

Pickwick Lake, MS, AL, TN (the Divide Cut to Tennessee River)
Divide Cut;

Bay Springs Lake, MS (the Divide Cut to Tennessee River)
Divide Cut;

Tombigbee River 1 (Tupelo, MS)

Tombigbee River 2 (Columbus, MS)
Columbus, MS ;

Columbus Air Force Base
Columbus Air Force Base;

“Tombigbee River 3 (Demopolis, Alabama)

Tombigbee River Mouth (Mobile River Source)

USA, Michigan Folder

Michigan
Michigan; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Michigan, Upper Penninsula Folder

Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Penninsula, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Ojibwa People, Michigan and Ontario (Saultiers)
Ojibwa People; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Michigan, Lower Penninsula Folder, Detroit

Detroit, MI (Lake St Clair, Detroit River, Lake Earie, Lake Huron)
Detroit; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit) 1907
Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

USA, Missouri Folder, and its rivers

Missouri
Missouri; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Missouri History

Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill of 1921, Republican Rep. Dyer of Missouri
Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill of 1921; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Missouri, Missouri River Folder, Central and Northern MO, Kansas City and St Louis

St Joseph, MO
St Joseph, MO; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas River Mouth, Missouri River 23)
Kansas City, Missouri; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Concordia, Missouri (Missoiuri River 23)
Concordia, Missouri ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

Saint Louis (Missouri River Mouth, Mississippi River 7)
Saint Louis both the Illinois and Missouri Rivers meet the Mississippi just north of Saint Louis; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870);

Missouri, Mississippi River Folder, Eastern MO

Saint Louis (Missouri River Mouth, Mississippi River 7)
Saint Louis both the Illinois and Missouri Rivers meet the Mississippi just north of Saint Louis; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870); Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Missouri, Springfield Area Folder, Central and Southern MO

El Dorado Springs, Missouri (on the edge of the Great Plains, Springfield Area)
El Dorado Springs, Missouri ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Miller, Missouri (between Springfield and Joplin)
Miller, Missouri; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Central Bible Institute and Seminary, Springfield, MO
Central Bible Institute and Seminary ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Joplin, MO (mining town, Southwestern Missouri, next to Galena, KS)
Galena, Kansas ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

USA, Maine Folder, and its rivers

Maine
Maine; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

World, New England (ME, MA, NH, VT, RI, and CT)
New England, consisting of six states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Algonquian People, Land of the Algonquian peoples (Maine to Massachusetts)
Algonquian peoples were widespread but primarily in New England; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Maine, Southern ME, Androscoggin River Folder

Androscoggin River Source (Errol, New Hampshire)

Androscoggin River 1 (NH & ME border)

Androscoggin River 2

Paris Hill, Maine (near Androscoggin River 2.5)
Paris Hill, Lake Sebago, Maine; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Androscoggin River 3

Shiloh, Maine (Frank Sanford Movement, Androscoggin River 3)
Shiloh (Frank Sanford Movement); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Sebago Lake, Maine
Sebago Lake, Maine; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Androscoggin River Mouth (Brunswick, ME, Casco Bay)

Brunswick, Maine (Androscoggin River Mouth)
Brunswick, Maine; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
Bowdoin College; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

USA, Maryland Folder, its rivers and roads

Maryland
Maryland; HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN, Commemorated July 20 ; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Maryland History Folder

Maryland, 1776, Continental Congress 1776 (3rd at Henry Fite House, Baltimore, MD)
Henry Fite House; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Maryland, 1783, Continental Congress 1783 (10th at Annapolis, Maryland)
Annapolis, Maryland; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Maryland, 1790-1806, Harry Hosier, Black Harry, Methodist Preacher during Second Great Awakening
Maryland, 1790-1806, Harry Hosier, Black Harry, Methodist Preacher during Second Great Awakening; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770;

Maryland, 1837-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement
Maryland, 1837-1895, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement; Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, c. February 1817[a] - February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York, becoming famous for his oratory[5] and incisive antislavery writings. Accordingly, he was described by abolitionists in his time as a living counterexample to slaveholders' arguments that slaves lacked the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens.[6][7] Likewise, Northerners at the time found it hard to believe that such a great orator had once been a slave.[8] wrote three autobiographies, describing his experiences as a slave in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), which became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition, as was his second book, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). Following the Civil War, Douglass was active campaigner for the rights of freed slaves and wrote his last autobiography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. First published in 1881 and revised in 1892, three years before his death, the book covers events both during and after the Civil War. Douglass also actively supported women's suffrage, and held several public offices. Without his permission, Douglass became the first African-American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.[9] believed in dialogue and in making alliances across racial and ideological divides, as well as in the liberal values of the U.S. Constitution.[10] When radical abolitionists, under the motto "No Union with Slaveholders", criticized Douglass's willingness to engage in dialogue with slave owners, he replied: "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."[11] as a slave Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, Maryland. The plantation was between Hillsboro and Cordova;[12] his birthplace was likely his grandmother's cabin[b] east of Tappers Corner, (38.8845°N 75.958°W) and west of Tuckahoe Creek.[13][14][15] In his first autobiography, Douglass stated: "I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it."[16] However, based on the extant records of Douglass's former owner, Aaron Anthony, historian Dickson J. Preston determined that Douglass was born in February 1818.[3] Though the exact date of his birth is unknown, he chose to celebrate February 14 as his birthday, remembering that his mother called him her "Little Valentine."[17][18] family was of mixed race, which likely included Native American[19] and African on his mother's side, as well as European.[20] In contrast, his father was "almost certainly white", according to historian David W. Blight in his 2018 biography of Douglass.[21] Douglass said his mother Harriet Bailey gave him his name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey and, after he escaped to the North in September 1838, he took the surname Douglass, having already dropped his two middle names.[22] later wrote of his earliest times with his mother:[23] The opinion was…whispered that my master was my father; but of the correctness of this opinion I know nothing. … My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant. … It is a common custom, in the part of Maryland from which I ran away, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. … I do not recollect of ever seeing my mother by the light of day. She was with me in the night. She would lie down with me, and get me to sleep, but long before I waked she was gone. separation from his mother during infancy, young Frederick lived with his maternal grandmother Betsy Bailey, who was also a slave, and his maternal grandfather Isaac, who was free.[24] Betsy would live until 1849.[25] mother remained on the plantation about 12 miles (19 km) away, only visiting Frederick a few times before her death when he was 7 years old. learning and experience Auld family of a series on Slavery the age of 6, Frederick was separated from his grandparents and moved to the Wye House plantation, where Aaron Anthony worked as overseer.[15] After Anthony died in 1826, Douglass was given to Lucretia Auld, wife of Thomas Auld, who sent him to serve Thomas' brother Hugh Auld in Baltimore. Douglass felt that he was lucky to be in the city, where he said slaves were almost freemen, compared to those on plantations. Douglass was about 12, Hugh Auld's wife Sophia began teaching him the alphabet. From the day he arrived, she saw to it that Douglass was properly fed and clothed, and that he slept in a bed with sheets and a blanket.[26] Douglass described her as a kind and tender-hearted woman, who treated him "as she supposed one human being ought to treat another."[27] Auld disapproved of the tutoring, feeling that literacy would encourage slaves to desire freedom. Douglass later referred to this as the "first decidedly antislavery lecture" he had ever heard. "'Very well, thought I,'" wrote Douglass. "'Knowledge unfits a child to be a slave.' I instinctively assented to the proposition, and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom."[28] her husband's influence, Sophia came to believe that education and slavery were incompatible and one day snatched a newspaper away from Douglass.[29] She stopped teaching him altogether and hid all potential reading materials, including her Bible, from him.[26] In his autobiography, Douglass related how he learned to read from white children in the neighborhood, and by observing the writings of the men he worked with.[30] continued, secretly, to teach himself to read and write. He later often said, "knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom."[31] As Douglass began to read newspapers, pamphlets, political materials, and books of every description, this new realm of thought led him to question and condemn the institution of slavery. later years, Douglass credited The Columbian Orator, an anthology that he discovered at about age 12, with clarifying and defining his views on freedom and human rights. First published in 1797, the book is a classroom reader, containing essays, speeches, and dialogues, to assist students in learning reading and grammar. He later learned that his mother had also been literate, about which he would later declare: I am quite willing, and even happy, to attribute any love of letters I possess, and for which I have got—despite of prejudices—only too much credit, not to my admitted Anglo-Saxon paternity, but to the native genius of my sable, unprotected, and uncultivated mother—a woman, who belonged to a race whose mental endowments it is, at present, fashionable to hold in disparagement and contempt.[32] Freeland Douglass was hired out to William Freeland, he taught other slaves on the plantation to read the New Testament at a weekly Sunday school. As word spread, the interest among slaves in learning to read was so great that in any week, more than 40 slaves would attend lessons. For about six months, their study went relatively unnoticed. While Freeland remained complacent about their activities, other plantation owners became incensed about their slaves being educated. One Sunday they burst in on the gathering, armed with clubs and stones, to disperse the congregation permanently. Edward Covey In 1833, Thomas Auld took Douglass back from Hugh ("[a]s a means of punishing Hugh," Douglass later wrote). Thomas sent Douglass to work for Edward Covey, a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker". He whipped Douglass so frequently that his wounds had little time to heal. Douglass later said the frequent whippings broke his body, soul, and spirit.[33] The 16-year-old Douglass finally rebelled against the beatings, however, and fought back. After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey never tried to beat him again.[34][35] Recounting his beatings at Covey's farm in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Douglass described himself as "a man transformed into a brute!"[36] Still, Douglass came to see his physical fight with Covey as life-transforming, and introduced the story in his autobiography as such: "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."[37] From slavery to freedom Douglass first tried to escape from Freeland, who had hired him from his owner, but was unsuccessful. In 1837, Douglass met and fell in love with Anna Murray, a free black woman in Baltimore about five years his senior. Her free status strengthened his belief in the possibility of gaining his own freedom. Murray encouraged him and supported his efforts by aid and money.[38] Anna Murray Douglass, Douglass's wife for 44 years, portrait ca. 1860 On September 3, 1838, Douglass successfully escaped by boarding a northbound train of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad.[39] The area where he boarded was thought to be a short distance east of the train depot, in a recently developed neighborhood between the modern neighborhoods of Harbor East and Little Italy. This depot was at President and Fleet Streets, east of "The Basin" of the Baltimore harbor, on the northwest branch of the Patapsco River. Research cited in 2021, however, suggests that Douglass in fact boarded the train at the Canton Depot of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad on Boston Street, in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, further east.[40][41][42] Young Douglass reached Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County, in the northeast corner of the state, along the southwest shore of the Susquehanna River, which flowed into the Chesapeake Bay. Although this placed him only some 20 miles (32 km) from the Maryland–Pennsylvania state line, it was easier to continue by rail through Delaware, another slave state. Dressed in a sailor's uniform provided to him by Murray, who also gave him part of her savings to cover his travel costs, he carried identification papers and protection papers that he had obtained from a free black seaman.[38][43][44] Douglass crossed the wide Susquehanna River by the railroad's steam-ferry at Havre de Grace to Perryville on the opposite shore, in Cecil County, then continued by train across the state line to Wilmington, Delaware, a large port at the head of the Delaware Bay. From there, because the rail line was not yet completed, he went by steamboat along the Delaware River further northeast to the "Quaker City" of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, an anti-slavery stronghold. He continued to the safe house of noted abolitionist David Ruggles in New York City. His entire journey to freedom took less than 24 hours.[45] Douglass later wrote of his arrival in New York City: I have often been asked, how I felt when first I found myself on free soil. And my readers may share the same curiosity. There is scarcely anything in my experience about which I could not give a more satisfactory answer. A new world had opened upon me. If life is more than breath, and the "quick round of blood," I lived more in one day than in a year of my slave life. It was a time of joyous excitement which words can but tamely describe. In a letter written to a friend soon after reaching New York, I said: "I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions." Anguish and grief, like darkness and rain, may be depicted; but gladness and joy, like the rainbow, defy the skill of pen or pencil.[46] Once Douglass had arrived, he sent for Murray to follow him north to New York. She brought the basics for them to set up a home. They were married on September 15, 1838, by a black Presbyterian minister, just eleven days after Douglass had reached New York.[45] At first they adopted Johnson as their married name, to divert attention.[38] Abolitionist and preacher Frederick Douglass, c. 1840s, in his 20s The couple settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts, (an abolitionist center, full of former slaves), in 1838, moving to Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1841.[47] After meeting and staying with Nathan and Mary Johnson, they adopted Douglass as their married name:[38] Douglass had grown up using his mother's surname of Bailey; after escaping slavery he had changed his surname first to Stanley and then to Johnson. In New Bedford, the latter was such a common name that he wanted one that was more distinctive, and asked Nathan Johnson to choose a suitable surname. Nathan suggested "Douglass",[48] after having read the poem The Lady of the Lake by Walter Scott, in which two of the principal characters have the surname "Douglas".[49] The home and meetinghouse of the Johnsons, where Douglass and his wife lived in New Bedford, Massachusetts Douglass thought of joining a white Methodist Church, but was disappointed, from the beginning, upon finding that it was segregated. Later, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, an independent black denomination first established in New York City, which counted among its members Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.[50] He became a licensed preacher in 1839,[51] which helped him to hone his oratorical skills. He held various positions, including steward, Sunday-school superintendent, and sexton. In 1840, Douglass delivered a speech in Elmira, New York, then a station on the Underground Railroad, in which a black congregation would form years later, becoming the region's largest church by 1940.[52] Douglass also joined several organizations in New Bedford, and regularly attended abolitionist meetings. He subscribed to William Lloyd Garrison's weekly newspaper, The Liberator. He later said that "no face and form ever impressed me with such sentiments [of the hatred of slavery] as did those of William Lloyd Garrison." So deep was this influence that in his last biography, Douglass said "his paper took a place in my heart second only to The Bible."[53] Garrison was likewise impressed with Douglass, and had written about his anti-colonialist stance in The Liberator as early as 1839. Douglass first heard Garrison speak in 1841, at a lecture that Garrison gave in Liberty Hall, New Bedford. At another meeting, Douglass was unexpectedly invited to speak. After telling his story, Douglass was encouraged to become an anti-slavery lecturer. A few days later, Douglass spoke at the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society's annual convention, in Nantucket. Then 23 years old, Douglass conquered his nervousness and gave an eloquent speech about his rough life as a slave. William Lloyd Garrison, abolitionist and one of Douglass's first friends in the North While living in Lynn, Douglass engaged in early protest against segregated transportation. In September 1841, at Lynn Central Square station, Douglass and friend James N. Buffum were thrown off an Eastern Railroad train because Douglass refused to sit in the segregated railroad coach.[47][54][55][56] In 1843, Douglass joined other speakers in the American Anti-Slavery Society's "Hundred Conventions" project, a six-month tour at meeting halls throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. During this tour, slavery supporters frequently accosted Douglass. At a lecture in Pendleton, Indiana, an angry mob chased and beat Douglass before a local Quaker family, the Hardys, rescued him. His hand was broken in the attack; it healed improperly and bothered him for the rest of his life.[57] A stone marker in Falls Park in the Pendleton Historic District commemorates this event. In 1847, Frederick Douglass explained to Garrison, "I have no love for America, as such; I have no patriotism. I have no country. What country have I? The Institutions of this Country do not know me—do not recognize me as a man."[58] Further information: Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts Autobiography Douglass's best-known work is his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, written during his time in Lynn, Massachusetts[59] and published in 1845. At the time, some skeptics questioned whether a black man could have produced such an eloquent piece of literature. The book received generally positive reviews and became an immediate bestseller. Within three years, it had been reprinted nine times, with 11,000 copies circulating in the United States. It was also translated into French and Dutch and published in Europe. Douglass published three versions of his autobiography during his lifetime (and revised the third of these), each time expanding on the previous one. The 1845 Narrative was his biggest seller, and probably allowed him to raise the funds to gain his legal freedom the following year, as discussed below. In 1855, Douglass published My Bondage and My Freedom. In 1881, after the Civil War, Douglass published Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, which he revised in 1892. Travels to Ireland and Great Britain Plaque to Frederick Douglass, West Bell St., Dundee, Scotland Douglass in 1847, around 29 years of age Douglass's friends and mentors feared that the publicity would draw the attention of his ex-owner, Hugh Auld, who might try to get his "property" back. They encouraged Douglass to tour Ireland, as many former slaves had done. Douglass set sail on the Cambria for Liverpool, England, on August 16, 1845. He traveled in Ireland as the Great Famine was beginning. The feeling of freedom from American racial discrimination amazed Douglass:[60] Eleven days and a half gone and I have crossed three thousand miles of the perilous deep. Instead of a democratic government, I am under a monarchical government. Instead of the bright, blue sky of America, I am covered with the soft, grey fog of the Emerald Isle [Ireland]. I breathe, and lo! the chattel [slave] becomes a man. I gaze around in vain for one who will question my equal humanity, claim me as his slave, or offer me an insult. I employ a cab—I am seated beside white people—I reach the hotel—I enter the same door—I am shown into the same parlour—I dine at the same table—and no one is offended ... I find myself regarded and treated at every turn with the kindness and deference paid to white people. When I go to church, I am met by no upturned nose and scornful lip to tell me, 'We don't allow niggers in here!' Still, Douglass was astounded by the extreme levels of poverty he encountered, much of it reminding him of his experiences in slavery. In a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass wrote "I see much here to remind me of my former condition, and I confess I should be ashamed to lift up my voice against American slavery, but that I know the cause of humanity is one the world over. He who really and truly feels for the American slave, cannot steel his heart to the woes of others; and he who thinks himself an abolitionist, yet cannot enter into the wrongs of others, has yet to find a true foundation for his anti-slavery faith."[61] He also met and befriended the Irish nationalist and strident abolitionist Daniel O'Connell,[62][63] who was to be a great inspiration.[64][65] Douglass spent two years in Ireland and Great Britain, lecturing in churches and chapels. His draw was such that some facilities were "crowded to suffocation". One example was his hugely popular London Reception Speech, which Douglass delivered in May 1846 at Alexander Fletcher's Finsbury Chapel. Douglass remarked that in England he was treated not "as a color, but as a man."[66] In 1846, Douglass met with Thomas Clarkson, one of the last living British abolitionists, who had persuaded Parliament to abolish slavery in Great Britain's colonies.[67] During this trip Douglass became legally free, as British supporters led by Anna Richardson and her sister-in-law Ellen of Newcastle upon Tyne raised funds to buy his freedom from his American owner Thomas Auld.[66][68] Many supporters tried to encourage Douglass to remain in England but, with his wife still in Massachusetts and three million of his black brethren in bondage in the United States, he returned to America in the spring of 1847,[66] soon after the death of Daniel O'Connell.[69] In the 21st century, historical plaques were installed on buildings in Cork and Waterford, Ireland, and London to celebrate Douglass's visit: the first is on the Imperial Hotel in Cork and was unveiled on August 31, 2012; the second is on the façade of Waterford City Hall, unveiled on October 7, 2013. It commemorates his speech there on October 9, 1845.[70] The third plaque adorns Nell Gwynn House, South Kensington in London, at the site of an earlier house where Douglass stayed with the British abolitionist George Thompson.[71] Douglass spent time in Scotland and was appointed "Scotland's Antislavery agent."[72] He made anti-slavery speeches and wrote letters back to the USA. He considered the city of Edinburgh to be elegant, grand and very welcoming. Maps of the places in the city that were important to his stay are held by the National Library of Scotland.[73][74] A plaque and a mural on Gilmore Place in Edinburgh mark his stay there in 1846. "A variety of collaborative projects are currently [in 2021] underway to commemorate Frederick Douglass’s journey and visit to Ireland in the 19th century."[75] Return to the United States Douglass circa 1847–52, around his early 30s After returning to the U.S. in 1847, using £500 (equivalent to $46,030 in 2019) given to him by English supporters,[66] Douglass started publishing his first abolitionist newspaper, the North Star, from the basement of the Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, New York.[76] Originally, Pittsburgh journalist Martin Delany was co-editor but Douglass didn't feel he brought in enough subscriptions, and they parted ways.[77] The North Star's motto was "Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."[78] The AME Church and North Star vigorously opposed the mostly white American Colonization Society and its proposal to send blacks back to Africa. Douglass also soon split with Garrison, perhaps because the North Star competed with Garrison's National Anti-Slavery Standard and Marius Robinson's Anti-Slavery Bugle. Besides publishing the North Star and delivering speeches, Douglass also participated in the Underground Railroad. He and his wife provided lodging and resources in their home to more than four hundred escaped slaves.[79] Douglass also came to disagree with Garrison. Earlier Douglass had agreed with Garrison's position that the Constitution was pro-slavery, because of the three-fifths clause its compromises related to apportionment of Congressional seats, based on partial counting of slave populations with state totals; and protection of the international slave trade through 1807. Garrison had burned copies of the Constitution to express his opinion. However, Lysander Spooner published The Unconstitutionality of Slavery (1846), which examined the United States Constitution as an anti-slavery document. Douglass's change of opinion about the Constitution and his splitting from Garrison around 1847 became one of the abolitionist movement's most notable divisions. Douglass angered Garrison by saying that the Constitution could and should be used as an instrument in the fight against slavery.[80] In September 1848, on the tenth anniversary of his escape, Douglass published an open letter addressed to his former master, Thomas Auld, berating him for his conduct, and inquiring after members of his family still held by Auld.[81][82] In the course of the letter, Douglass adeptly transitions from formal and restrained to familiar and then to impassioned. At one point he is the proud parent, describing his improved circumstances and the progress of his own four young children. But then he dramatically shifts tone: Oh! sir, a slaveholder never appears to me so completely an agent of hell, as when I think of and look upon my dear children. It is then that my feelings rise above my control. … The grim horrors of slavery rise in all their ghastly terror before me, the wails of millions pierce my heart, and chill my blood. I remember the chain, the gag, the bloody whip, the deathlike gloom overshadowing the broken spirit of the fettered bondman, the appalling liability of his being torn away from wife and children, and sold like a beast in the market.[83] In a graphic passage, Douglass asked Auld how he would feel if Douglass had come to take away his daughter Amanda as a slave, treating her the way he and members of his family had been treated by Auld.[81][82] Yet in his conclusion Douglass shows his focus and benevolence, stating that he has "no malice towards him personally," and asserts that, "there is no roof under which you would be more safe than mine, and there is nothing in my house which you might need for comfort, which I would not readily grant. Indeed, I should esteem it a privilege, to set you an example as to how mankind ought to treat each other."[83] Women's rights In 1848, Douglass was the only African American to attend the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, in upstate New York.[84][85] Elizabeth Cady Stanton asked the assembly to pass a resolution asking for women's suffrage.[86] Many of those present opposed the idea, including influential Quakers James and Lucretia Mott.[87] Douglass stood and spoke eloquently in favor of women's suffrage; he said that he could not accept the right to vote as a black man if women could not also claim that right. He suggested that the world would be a better place if women were involved in the political sphere. In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but the maiming and repudiation of one-half of the moral and intellectual power of the government of the world.[87] After Douglass's powerful words, the attendees passed the resolution.[87][88] In the wake of the Seneca Falls Convention, Douglass used an editorial in The North Star to press the case for women's rights. He recalled the "marked ability and dignity" of the proceedings, and briefly conveyed several arguments of the convention and feminist thought at the time. On the first count, Douglass acknowledged the "decorum" of the participants in the face of disagreement. In the remainder, he discussed the primary document that emerged from the conference, a Declaration of Sentiments, and the "infant" feminist cause. Strikingly, he expressed the belief that "[a] discussion of the rights of animals would be regarded with far more complacency...than would be a discussion of the rights of women," and Douglass noted the link between abolitionism and feminism, the overlap between the communities. His opinion as the editor of a prominent newspaper carried weight, and he stated the position of the North Star explicitly: "We hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man." This letter, written a week after the convention, reaffirmed the first part of the paper's slogan, "right is of no sex." After the Civil War, when the 15th Amendment giving Blacks the right to vote was being debated, Douglass split with the Stanton-led faction of the women's rights movement. Douglass supported the amendment, which would grant suffrage to black men. Stanton opposed the 15th Amendment because it limited the expansion of suffrage to black men; she predicted its passage would delay for decades the cause for women's right to vote. Stanton argued that American women and black men should band together to fight for universal suffrage, and opposed any bill that split the issues.[89] Douglass and Stanton both knew that there was not yet enough male support for women's right to vote, but that an amendment giving black men the vote could pass in the late 1860s. Stanton wanted to attach women's suffrage to that of black men so that her cause would be carried to success.[90] Douglass thought such a strategy was too risky, that there was barely enough support for black men's suffrage. He feared that linking the cause of women's suffrage to that of black men would result in failure for both. Douglass argued that white women, already empowered by their social connections to fathers, husbands, and brothers, at least vicariously had the vote. African-American women, he believed, would have the same degree of empowerment as white women once African-American men had the vote.[90] Douglass assured the American women that at no time had he ever argued against women's right to vote.[91] Ideological refinement Frederick Douglass in 1856, around 38 years of age Meanwhile, in 1851, Douglass merged the North Star with Gerrit Smith's Liberty Party Paper to form Frederick Douglass' Paper, which was published until 1860. On July 5, 1852, Douglass delivered an address to the ladies of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Society. This speech eventually became known as "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"; one biographer called it "perhaps the greatest antislavery oration ever given."[92] In 1853, he was a prominent attendee of the radical abolitionist National African American Convention in Rochester. Douglass's was one of five names attached to the address of the convention to the people of the United States published under the title, The Claims of Our Common Cause, along with Amos Noë Freeman, James Monroe Whitfield, Henry O. Wagoner, and George Boyer Vashon.[93] Like many abolitionists, Douglass believed that education would be crucial for African Americans to improve their lives; he was an early advocate for school desegregation. In the 1850s, Douglass observed that New York's facilities and instruction for African-American children were vastly inferior to those for whites. Douglass called for court action to open all schools to all children. He said that full inclusion within the educational system was a more pressing need for African Americans than political issues such as suffrage. John Brown Douglass argued against John Brown's plan to attack the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, painting by Jacob Lawrence See also: Shields Green On March 12, 1859, Douglass met with radical abolitionists John Brown, George DeBaptiste, and others at William Webb's house in Detroit to discuss emancipation.[94] Douglass met Brown again when Brown visited his home two months before leading the raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown penned his Provisional Constitution during his two-week stay with Douglass. Also staying with Douglass for over a year was Shields Green, a fugitive slave that Douglass was helping, as he often did. The secret meeting in the Chambersburg stone quarry Shortly before the raid, Douglass, taking Green with him, travelled from Rochester, via New York City, to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, John Brown's communications headquarters. He was recognized there by Blacks, who asked him for a lecture. Douglass agreed, although he said his only topic was slavery. John Brown, incognito, sat in the audience; Shields Green joined him on the stage. A white reporter, referring to "Nigger Democracy", called it a "flaming address" by "the notorious Negro Orator".[95] There, in an abandoned stone quarry for secrecy, Douglass and Green met with Brown and John Henri Kagi, to discuss the raid. After discussions lasting, as Douglass put it, "a day and a night", he disappointed Brown by declining to join him, considering the mission suicidal. To Douglass's surprise, Green went with Brown instead of returning to Rochester with Douglass. Anne Brown said that Green told her that Douglass promised to pay him on his return, but David Blight called this "much more ex post facto bitterness than reality.[96]: 172–174  Almost all that is known about this incident comes from Douglass. It is clear that it was of immense importance to him, both as a turning point in his life—not accompanying John Brown—and its importance in his public image. The meeting was not revealed by Douglass for 20 years. He first disclosed it in his speech on John Brown at Storer College in 1881, trying unsuccessfully to raise money to support a John Brown professorship at Storer, to be held by a Black man. He again referred to it stunningly in his last Autobiography. After the raid, which took place between October 16 and 18, 1859, Douglass was accused both of supporting Brown and of not supporting him enough.[97] He was nearly arrested on a Virginia warrant,[98][99][100] and fled for a brief time to Canada before proceeding onward to England on a previously-planned lecture tour, arriving near the end of November.[101] During his lecture tour of Great Britain, on March 26, 1860, Douglass delivered a speech before the Scottish Anti-Slavery Society in Glasgow, "The Constitution of the United States: Is It Pro-Slavery or Antislavery?", outlining his views on the American Constitution.[102] That month, on the 13th, Douglass's youngest daughter Annie died in Rochester, New York, just days shy of her 11th birthday. Douglass sailed back from England the following month, traveling through Canada to avoid detection. Douglass's Storer College address (1881) Years later, in 1881, Douglass shared a stage at Storer College in Harpers Ferry with Andrew Hunter, the prosecutor who secured Brown's conviction and execution. Hunter congratulated Douglass.[103] Photography Douglass considered photography very important in ending slavery and racism, and believed that the camera would not lie, even in the hands of a racist white, as photographs were an excellent counter to the many racist caricatures, particularly in blackface minstrelsy. He was the most photographed American of the 19th century, consciously using photography to advance his political views.[104][105] He never smiled, specifically so as not to play into the racist caricature of a happy slave. He tended to look directly into the camera to confront the viewer, with a stern look.[106][107] Religious views As a child, Douglass was exposed to a number of religious sermons, and in his youth, he sometimes heard Sophia Auld reading the Bible. In time, he became interested in literacy; he began reading and copying bible verses, and he eventually converted to Christianity.[108][109] He described this approach in his last biography, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass: I was not more than thirteen years old, when in my loneliness and destitution I longed for some one to whom I could go, as to a father and protector. The preaching of a white Methodist minister, named Hanson, was the means of causing me to feel that in God I had such a friend. He thought that all men, great and small, bond and free, were sinners in the sight of God: that they were by nature rebels against His government; and that they must repent of their sins, and be reconciled to God through Christ. I cannot say that I had a very distinct notion of what was required of me, but one thing I did know well: I was wretched and had no means of making myself otherwise. I consulted a good old colored man named Charles Lawson, and in tones of holy affection he told me to pray, and to "cast all my care upon God." This I sought to do; and though for weeks I was a poor, broken-hearted mourner, traveling through doubts and fears, I finally found my burden lightened, and my heart relieved. I loved all mankind, slaveholders not excepted, though I abhorred slavery more than ever. I saw the world in a new light, and my great concern was to have everybody converted. My desire to learn increased, and especially, did I want a thorough acquaintance with the contents of the Bible.[110] Douglass was mentored by Rev. Charles Lawson, and, early in his activism, he often included biblical allusions and religious metaphors in his speeches. Although a believer, he strongly criticized religious hypocrisy[111] and accused slaveholders of wickedness, lack of morality, and failure to follow the Golden Rule. In this sense, Douglass distinguished between the "Christianity of Christ" and the "Christianity of America" and considered religious slaveholders and clergymen who defended slavery as the most brutal, sinful, and cynical of all who represented "wolves in sheep's clothing".[112][113] Notably, in a famous oration given in the Corinthian Hall of Rochester,[114] he sharply criticized the attitude of religious people who kept silent about slavery, and held that religious ministers committed a blasphemy when they taught it as sanctioned by religion. He considered that a law passed to support slavery was "one of the grossest infringements of Christian Liberty" and said that pro-slavery clergymen within the American Church "stripped the love of God of its beauty, and leave the throne of religion a huge, horrible, repulsive form", and "an abomination in the sight of God".[111] Of ministers like John Chase Lord, Leonard Elijah Lathrop, Ichabod Spencer, and Orville Dewey, he said that they taught, against the Scriptures, that "we ought to obey man's law before the law of God". He further asserted, "in speaking of the American church, however, let it be distinctly understood that I mean the great mass of the religious organizations of our land. There are exceptions, and I thank God that there are. Noble men may be found, scattered all over these Northern States ... Henry Ward Beecher of Brooklyn, Samuel J. May of Syracuse, and my esteemed friend [Robert R. Raymonde]".[111] He maintained that "upon these men lies the duty to inspire our ranks with high religious faith and zeal, and to cheer us on in the great mission of the slave's redemption from his chains". In addition, he called religious people to embrace abolitionism, stating, "let the religious press, the pulpit, the Sunday school, the conference meeting, the great ecclesiastical, missionary, Bible and tract associations of the land array their immense powers against slavery and slave-holding; and the whole system of crime and blood would be scattered to the winds."[111] During his visits to the United Kingdom between 1846 and 1848, Douglass asked British Christians never to support American churches that permitted slavery,[115] and he expressed his happiness to know that a group of ministers in Belfast had refused to admit slaveholders as members of the Church. On his return to the United States, Douglass founded the North Star, a weekly publication with the motto "Right is of no sex, Truth is of no color, God is the Father of us all, and we are all Brethren." Douglass later wrote a letter to his former slaveholder, in which he denounced him for leaving Douglass's family illiterate: Your wickedness and cruelty committed in this respect on your fellow creatures, are greater than all the stripes you have laid upon my back or theirs. It is an outrage upon the soul, a war upon the immortal spirit, and one for which you must give account at the bar of our common Father and Creator. — Letter to His Old Master. To my Old Master Thomas Auld.[60] Sometimes considered a precursor of a non-denominational liberation theology,[116][117] Douglass was a deeply spiritual man, as his home continues to show. The fireplace mantle features busts of two of his favorite philosophers, David Friedrich Strauss, author of "The Life of Jesus", and Ludwig Feuerbach, author of "The Essence of Christianity"[dubious – discuss]. In addition to several Bibles and books about various religions in the library, images of angels and Jesus are displayed, as well as interior and exterior photographs of Washington's Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.[52] Throughout his life, Douglass had linked that individual experience with social reform, and like other Christian abolitionists, he followed practices such as abstaining from tobacco, alcohol and other substances that he believed corrupted body and soul.[118] Civil War years Before the Civil War By the time of the Civil War, Douglass was one of the most famous black men in the country, known for his orations on the condition of the black race and on other issues such as women's rights. His eloquence gathered crowds at every location. His reception by leaders in England and Ireland added to his stature. Fight for emancipation and suffrage A 1863 Broadside listing Douglass as a speaker calling men of color to arms Douglass and the abolitionists argued that because the aim of the Civil War was to end slavery, African Americans should be allowed to engage in the fight for their freedom. Douglass publicized this view in his newspapers and several speeches. In August 1861 he published an account of the First Battle of Bull Run, noting that some blacks were already in the Confederate ranks. A few weeks later, Douglass brought the subject up again, quoting a witness to the battle who said they saw black Confederates "with muskets on their shoulders and bullets in their pockets."[119] Douglass conferred with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 on the treatment of black soldiers,[120] and with President Andrew Johnson on the subject of black suffrage.[121] President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of all slaves in Confederate-held territory. (Slaves in Union-held areas were not covered by this war-measures act; slaves in Union-held areas and Northern states were freed with the adoption of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865.) Douglass described the spirit of those awaiting the proclamation: "We were waiting and listening as for a bolt from the sky ... we were watching ... by the dim light of the stars for the dawn of a new day ... we were longing for the answer to the agonizing prayers of centuries."[122] During the U.S. Presidential Election of 1864, Douglass supported John C. Frémont, who was the candidate of the abolitionist Radical Democracy Party. Douglass was disappointed that President Lincoln did not publicly endorse suffrage for black freedmen. Douglass believed that since African-American men were fighting for the Union in the American Civil War, they deserved the right to vote.[123] With the North no longer obliged to return slaves to their owners in the South, Douglass fought for equality for his people. He made plans with Lincoln to move liberated slaves out of the South. During the war, Douglass also helped the Union cause by serving as a recruiter for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. His eldest son, Charles Douglass, joined the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, but was ill for much of his service.[51] Lewis Douglass fought at the Battle of Fort Wagner.[124] Another son, Frederick Douglass Jr., also served as a recruiter. After Lincoln's death The post-war (1865) ratification of the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery. The 14th Amendment provided for citizenship and equal protection under the law. The 15th Amendment protected all citizens from being discriminated against in voting because of race.[89] On April 14, 1876, Douglass delivered the keynote speech at the unveiling of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington's Lincoln Park. He spoke frankly about Lincoln, noting what he perceived as both positive and negative attributes of the late President. Calling Lincoln "the white man's president", Douglass criticized Lincoln's tardiness in joining the cause of emancipation, noting that Lincoln initially opposed the expansion of slavery but did not support its elimination. But Douglass also asked, "Can any colored man, or any white man friendly to the freedom of all men, ever forget the night which followed the first day of January 1863, when the world was to see if Abraham Lincoln would prove to be as good as his word?"[125] He also said: "Though Mr. Lincoln shared the prejudices of his white fellow-countrymen against the Negro, it is hardly necessary to say that in his heart of hearts he loathed and hated slavery ..." The crowd, roused by his speech, gave Douglass a standing ovation. Lincoln's widow Mary Lincoln supposedly gave Lincoln's favorite walking-stick to Douglass in appreciation. That walking-stick still rests in his final residence, "Cedar Hill", now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. delivering the speech, Frederick Douglass immediately wrote to the National Republican newspaper in Washington (which published five days later, April 19), criticizing the statue's design and suggesting the park could be improved by more dignified monuments of free Black people. "The negro here, though rising, is still on his knees and nude," Douglass wrote. "What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man."[126] era Frederick Douglass in 1876, around 58 years of age the Civil War, Douglass continued to work for equality for African-Americans and women. Due to his prominence and activism during the war, Douglass received several political appointments. He served as president of the Reconstruction-era Freedman's Savings Bank.[127] white insurgents had quickly arisen in the South after the war, organizing first as secret vigilante groups, including the Ku Klux Klan. Armed insurgency took different forms. Powerful paramilitary groups included the White League and the Red Shirts, both active during the 1870s in the Deep South. They operated as "the military arm of the Democratic Party", turning out Republican officeholders and disrupting elections.[128] Starting 10 years after the war, Democrats regained political power in every state of the former Confederacy and began to reassert white supremacy. They enforced this by a combination of violence, late 19th-century laws imposing segregation and a concerted effort to disfranchise African Americans. New labor and criminal laws also limited their freedom.[129] combat these efforts, Douglass supported the presidential campaign of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. In 1870, Douglass started his last newspaper, the New National Era, attempting to hold his country to its commitment to equality.[51] President Grant sent a Congressionally sponsored commission, accompanied by Douglass, on a mission to the West Indies to investigate if the annexation of Santo Domingo would be good for the United States. Grant believed annexation would help relieve the violent situation in the South by allowing African Americans their own state. Douglass and the commission favored annexation, however, Congress remained opposed to annexation. Douglass criticized Senator Charles Sumner, who opposed annexation, stating if Sumner continued to oppose annexation he would "regard him as the worst foe the colored race has on this continent."[130] Douglass's former residence in the U Street Corridor of Washington, D.C. He built 2000–2004 17th Street, NW, in 1875. the midterm elections, Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also known as the Klan Act), and the second and third Enforcement Acts. Grant used their provisions vigorously, suspending habeas corpus in South Carolina and sending troops there and into other states. Under his leadership over 5,000 arrests were made. Grant's vigor in disrupting the Klan made him unpopular among many whites, but earned praise from Douglass. A Douglass associate wrote that African Americans "will ever cherish a grateful remembrance of [Grant's] name, fame and great services." 1872, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States, as Victoria Woodhull's running mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket. He was nominated without his knowledge. Douglass neither campaigned for the ticket nor acknowledged that he had been nominated.[9] In that year, he was presidential elector at large for the State of New York, and took that state's votes to Washington, D.C.[131] in early June of that year, Douglass's third Rochester home, on South Avenue, burned down; arson was suspected.[132][133] There was extensive damage to the house, its furnishings, and the grounds; in addition, sixteen volumes of the North Star and Frederick Douglass' Paper were lost.[134] Douglass then moved to Washington, D.C. the Reconstruction era, Douglass continued speaking, emphasizing the importance of work, voting rights and actual exercise of suffrage. His speeches for the twenty-five years following the war emphasized work to counter the racism that was then prevalent in In a November 15, 1867, speech he said "A man's rights rest in three boxes. The ballot box, jury box and the cartridge box. Let no man be kept from the ballot box because of his color. Let no woman be kept from the ballot box because of her sex."[136][137] Douglass spoke at many colleges around the country, including Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, in 1873. 1881, Douglass delivered at Storer College, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a speech praising John Brown and revealing unknown information about their relationship, including their meeting in an abandoned stone quarry near Chambersburg shortly before the raid. [138] life Frederick Douglass after 1884 with his second wife Helen Pitts Douglass (sitting). The woman standing is her sister Eva Pitts. Further information: Douglass family and Anna Murray had five children: Rosetta Douglass, Lewis Henry Douglass, Frederick Douglass Jr., Charles Remond Douglass, and Annie Douglass (died at the age of ten). Charles and Rosetta helped produce his newspapers. Douglass remained a loyal supporter of her husband's public work. His relationships with Julia Griffiths and Ottilie Assing, two women with whom he was professionally involved, caused recurring speculation and scandals.[139] Assing was a journalist recently immigrated from Germany, who first visited Douglass in 1856 seeking permission to translate My Bondage and My Freedom into German. Until 1872, she often stayed at his house "for several months at a time" as his "intellectual and emotional companion."[77]: 387, 290–291  held Anna Douglass "in utter contempt" and was vainly hoping that Douglass would separate from his wife. Douglass biographer David W. Blight concludes that Assing and Douglass "were probably lovers."[77]: 387, 290–291  Though Douglass and Assing are widely believed to have had an intimate relationship, the surviving correspondence contains no proof of such a relationship.[77]: 521–522, 529, 570, 572–574  Anna died in 1882, in 1884 Douglass married again, to Helen Pitts, a white suffragist and abolitionist from Honeoye, New York. Pitts was the daughter of Gideon Pitts Jr., an abolitionist colleague and friend of Douglass's. graduate of Mount Holyoke College (then called Mount Holyoke Female Seminary), Pitts worked on a radical feminist publication named Alpha while living in Washington, D.C. She later worked as Douglass's secretary.[140] who had depression and was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, committed suicide in France in 1884 after hearing of the marriage.[141] Upon her death, Assing bequeathed Douglass $13,000, albums, and his choice of books from her library.[142] marriage of Douglass and Pitts provoked a storm of controversy, since Pitts was both white and nearly 20 years younger. Her family stopped speaking to her; his children considered the marriage a repudiation of their mother. feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton congratulated the couple.[143] Douglass responded to the criticisms by saying that his first marriage had been to someone the color of his mother, and his second to someone the color of his father.[144] years in Washington, D.C. Freedman's Savings Bank went bankrupt on June 29, 1874, just a few months after Douglass became its president in late March.[145] During that same economic crisis, his final newspaper, The New National Era, failed in September.[146] Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president, he named Douglass as United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, the first person of color to be so named. The Senate voted to confirm him on March 17, 1877.[147] Douglass accepted the appoint, which helped assure his family's financial security.[51] his tenure, Douglass was urged by his supporters to resign from his commission, since he was never asked to introduce visiting foreign dignitaries to the President, which is one of the usual duties of that post. However, Douglass believed that no covert racism was implied by the omission, and stated that he was always warmly welcomed in presidential circles.[148][149] Cedar Hill, Douglass's house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is preserved as a National Historic Site. 1877, Douglass visited his former slavemaster Thomas Auld on his deathbed, and the two men reconciled. Douglass had met Auld's daughter, Amanda Auld Sears, some years prior. She had requested the meeting and had subsequently attended and cheered one of Douglass's speeches. Her father complimented her for reaching out to Douglass. The visit also appears to have brought closure to Douglass, although some criticized his effort.[81] same year, Douglass bought the house that was to be the family's final home in Washington, D.C., on a hill above the Anacostia River. He and Anna named it Cedar Hill (also spelled CedarHill). They expanded the house from 14 to 21 rooms, and included a china closet. One year later, Douglass purchased adjoining lots and expanded the property to 15 acres (61,000 m2). The home is now preserved as the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. 1881, Douglass published the final edition of his autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. That year he was appointed as Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia. His wife Anna Murray Douglass died in 1882, leaving the widower devastated. After a period of mourning, Douglass found new meaning from working with activist Ida B. Wells. He remarried in 1884, as mentioned above. also continued his speaking engagements and travel, both in the United States and abroad. With new wife Helen, Douglass traveled to England, Ireland, France, Italy, Egypt and Greece from 1886 to 1887. He became known for advocating Irish Home Rule and supported Charles Stewart Parnell in Ireland. addition to his travel abroad during those years, he lectured in small towns in the United States. On December 28, 1885, the aging orator spoke to the literary society in Rising Sun, a town in northeastern Maryland below the Mason–Dixon line.[150] The program, "The Self-Made Man," attracted a large audience including students from Lincoln University in Chester County, PA, the Oxford Press reported. "Mr. Douglass is growing old and has lost much of his fire and vigor of mind as well as body, but he is still able to interest an audience. He is a remarkable man and is a bright example of the capability of the colored race, even under the blighting influence of slavery, from which he emerged and became one of the distinguished citizens of the country," the Chester County PA newspaper remarked.[151] The gravestone of Frederick Douglass located in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester the 1888 Republican National Convention, Douglass became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote.[152][153][154] That year, Douglass spoke at Claflin College, a historically black college in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and the state's oldest such institution.[155] African Americans, called Exodusters, escaped the Klan and racially discriminatory laws in the South by moving to Kansas, where some formed all-black towns to have a greater level of freedom and autonomy. Douglass did not favor this, nor the Back-to-Africa movement. He thought the latter resembled the American Colonization Society which he had opposed in his youth. In 1892, at an Indianapolis conference convened by Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, Douglass spoke out against the separatist movements, urging blacks to stick it out.[51] He made similar speeches as early as 1879, and was criticized both by fellow leaders and some audiences, who even booed him for this position.[156] Speaking in Baltimore in 1894, Douglass said, "I hope and trust all will come out right in the end, but the immediate future looks dark and troubled. I cannot shut my eyes to the ugly facts before me."[157] Harrison appointed Douglass as the United States's minister resident and consul-general to the Republic of Haiti and Chargé d'affaires for Santo Domingo in 1889.[158] but Douglass resigned the commission in July 1891 when it became apparent that the American President was intent upon gaining permanent access to Haitian territory regardless of that country's desires.[159] In 1892, Haiti made Douglass a co-commissioner of its pavilion at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[160] 1892, Douglass constructed rental housing for blacks, now known as Douglass Place, in the Fells Point area of Baltimore. The complex still exists, and in 2003 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[161][162] Death February 20, 1895, Douglass attended a meeting of the National Council of Women in Washington, D.C. During that meeting, he was brought to the platform and received a standing ovation. Shortly after he returned home, Douglass died of a massive heart attack.[163] He was 77. funeral was held at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Thousands of people passed by his coffin to show their respect. Although Douglass had attended several churches in the nation's capital, he had a pew here and had donated two standing candelabras when this church had moved to a new building in 1886. He also gave many lectures there, including his last major speech, "The Lesson of the Hour."[52] coffin was transported to Rochester, New York, where he had lived for 25 years, longer than anywhere else in his life. He was buried next to Anna in the Douglass family plot of Mount Hope Cemetery. Helen was also buried there in 1903.[164] JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911):;

Maryland, 1871, Episcopal General Convention 1871, Baltimore, MD
Provence 3 Episcopal Church of America; List of General Conventions of the Episcopal Church of America; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ;

Maryland, 1936, Murray v Pearson
Maryland, 1936, Murray v Pearson; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

Maryland, Patomac River Folder, Northern, Southern and Western MD

Patomac River 1 (Frostburg, MD, Cumberland Road)

Maryland, Patomac River 1, National Road (Cumberland Road, National Pike) 1811-37

Patomac River 2 (Oldtown, MD, South Branch)

Maryland, Patomac River 2, South Branch Folder, Western MD

Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains;

Potomac River South Branch

Potomac River South Branch Source (near Hightown)

Patomac River South Branch Mouth (east of Green Spring)

Patomac River 3 (Berkeley Springs, Hagerstown)

Patomac River 4 (Monocacy River, Leesburg)

Maryland, Patomac River 4, Monacacy River Folder, Northern MD, Gettysburg, PA

Monocacy River Source (Harney, MD)

Emmitsburg, MD (near Gettysburg, PA)
Emmitsburg, near the base of Catoctin Mountain; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated January 4 ;

Monocacy River 1 (Frederick, MD)

All Saints Church (Frederick, Maryland) 1742
All Saints Church (Frederick, Maryland) 1742; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Monocacy River Mouth (Potomac River)

Patomac River 5 (Washington, DC, Anacostia River)

Maryland, Patomac River 5, Anacostia River Folder, Washington, DC

Maryland, Patapsco River Folder, Central MD, Baltimore

Patapsco River Source (Marriottsville)

Patapsco River 1 (Eldersburg)

Patapsco River 2 (Ellicott City)

Patapsco River Mouth (Baltimore, Chesapeake Bay)

Baltimore, MD (Patapsco River Mouth, Chesapeake Bay)
Baltimore; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated January 4 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776); PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Baltimore, Maryland) 1692
St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Baltimore, Maryland); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

St James Episcopal Church (Baltimore, Maryland) 1824
St James Episcopal Church (Baltimore, Maryland); GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940;

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1876
Johns Hopkins University; RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943;

Lutheran Services in America, Hdqtr Baltimore, MD
Lutheran Services in America; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Maryland, Eastern Shore folder, Eastern MD

Eastern Shore of Maryland
Eastern Shore of Maryland; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730);

Talbot County, Maryland (Eastern Shore)
Talbot County, Maryland (Eastern Shore); FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20;

Talbot County Plantation, Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and leader in abolition movement

Dorchester County, Eastern Shore, Maryland (Harriet Tubman's Roots)
Dorchester County, Maryland (Harriet Tubman's Roots); Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822[1] – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends,[2] using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage. enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten and whipped by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate overseer threw a heavy metal weight intending to hit another enslaved person, but hit her instead. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she ascribed to premonitions from God. These experiences, combined with her Methodist upbringing, led her to become devoutly religious. 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America (Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad; Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada.[1] The scheme was assisted by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees.[2] The enslaved who risked escape and those who aided them are also collectively referred to as the "Underground Railroad".[3] Various other routes led to Mexico,[4] where slavery had been abolished, and to islands in the Caribbean that were not part of the slave trade.[5] An earlier escape route running south toward Florida, then a Spanish possession (except 1763–83), existed from the late 17th century until approximately 1790.[6][7] However, the network now generally known as the Underground Railroad was formed in the late 18th century. It ran north and grew steadily until the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.[8] One estimate suggests that, by 1850, 100,000 enslaved people had escaped via the network.[8] Dorchester County, Maryland (Harriet Tubman's Roots); Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Tubman (born Araminta Ross, c. March 1822[1] – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends,[2] using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage. enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland, Tubman was beaten and whipped by her various masters as a child. Early in life, she suffered a traumatic head wound when an irate overseer threw a heavy metal weight intending to hit another enslaved person, but hit her instead. The injury caused dizziness, pain, and spells of hypersomnia, which occurred throughout her life. After her injury, Tubman began experiencing strange visions and vivid dreams, which she ascribed to premonitions from God. These experiences, combined with her Methodist upbringing, led her to become devoutly religious. 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America (Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry.

USA, Minnesota Folder, its rivers and lakes

Minnesota
Minnesota; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; Charles Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902); Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Minnesota, Red River Folder, Northwestern MN

Red River Source - Otter Trail

Red River Source - Bois de Sioux

Red River Source (Wahpeton, Confluence Bois de Sioux and Otter Trail Rivers)

Bois de Sioux River Mouth (Red River Source)

Otter Trail River Mouth (Red River Source)

Red River 1

Minnesota, Red River 1, Wild Rice River Folder

Wild Rice River (Minnesota) Source (Mud Lake)

Wild Rice River (Minnesota) 1

Wild Rice River (Minnesota) 2 (Mahnomen, White Earth River Mouth)

Wild Rice River (Minnesota) 3 (Twin Valley)

Wild Rice River (Minnesota) Mouth (Hendrum, Red River 2)

Minnesota, Red River 1, Wild Rice River 2, White Earth River Folder

White Earth River Source (White Earth Lake)

White Earth, Minnesota (White Earth River Source)
White Earth; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

White Earth River 1 (White Earth Reservation)

White Earth Indian Reservation, Minnesota (along Wild Rice and White Earth rivers)
White Earth Indian Reservation; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

White Earth River Mouth (Wild Rice River 2)

Red River 2 (High Line, Grand Forks, ND)

Red River Colony
Red River Colony; HENRY BUDD. Commemorated December 22 ;

Red River 3

Point Douglas (Winnipeg, Red River 3)
Point Douglas, on the Red River, half a mile north of Upper Fort Carry ; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ;

Point Douglas, on the Red River, half a mile north of Upper Fort Carry
Point Douglas; ROBERT McDONALD;

Red River Mouth (Lake Winnipeg)

Sheyenne River Mouth (Red River of the North)

Assiniboine River Mouth (Red River)

Minnesota, Mississippi River Folder, Northern, Western,Central and Southern MN

Mississippi River 1 (Crow Wing and Fort Ripley)

Minnesota, Mississippi River 1, Leech Lake and Crow Wing Folder, Northern MN

Becker County, Minnesota (Mississippi River Source)
Becker County, Minnesota ; White Earth Indian Reservation; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876) ; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Leech Lake Indian Reservation (Mississippi River Source)
Leech Lake Indian Reservation; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876) ;

Leech Lake

Chippewa Indians around Leech Lake and Becker County
Chippewa Indians around Leech Lake and Becker County, Ojibwe people ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876);

Crow Wing, Minnesota (Mississippi River 1)
Crow Wing; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

St. Columba Mission at Gull Lake Minnesota
St. Columba Mission at Gull Lake Minnesota; Columba Mission was an Ojibwe community on Gull Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States, about 11 miles (18 km) north of Fort Ripley.[1] It centered on the first Native American Christian church in the United States west of the Mississippi River, founded in 1852 by the Episcopal missionary James Lloyd Breck and Enmegahbowh, who served as deacon.[2] The squared log church was consecrated in 1853 by Bishop Jackson Kemper.[3] November 1859, Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple visited the mission.[4] He wrote that with an interpreter they "held a sweet service in the log church of St. Columba on the banks of the loveliest of Minnesota lakes" and dedicated a cemetery.[5] village that grew up around the mission included a school and a store. All of it was burned to the ground in the Dakota War of 1862, after which the mission moved to the White Earth Indian Reservation.[6][7] visible trace of the settlement remains at the Gull Lake site, but it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places[8] and a historic marker was placed nearby on Minnesota State Highway 371.[9][10] ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Fort Ripley, Minnesota (Mississippi River 1)
Fort Ripley, Minnesota; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Nokasippi River Mouth (Fort Ripley, Mississippi River 1)

Mille Lacs Lake (one thousand lakes lake)
Mille Lacs Lake;

Mississippi River 2 (Minneapolis and Saint Paul)

Minnesota, Mississippi River 2, Minnesota River Folder, Central MN, Minneapolis Saint Paul

Minnesota River Source (Laurentian Divide 9)

Minnesota River 1 (Ortonville)

Fort Ridgely, Minnesota (Minnesota River 1.6)
Fort Ridgely, Minnesota (Minnesota River 1.6); Ridgely was a frontier United States Army outpost from 1851 to 1867, built 1853–1854 in Minnesota Territory. It was located northwest of Mankato near Fairfax, and half of the fort's land was on the Dakota reservation in the Minnesota river valley. Fort Ridgely had no defensive wall, palisade, or guard towers. The Army referred to the fort as the "New Post on the Upper Minnesota" until it was named for three brothers named Ridgely, killed in the Mexican–American War.[2] ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

Minnesota River 2 (LaSuer, MN)

LeSeur, MN
LeSeur, MN; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Minnisota River Mouth (near St Paul, Mississippi River 2)

Minneapolis, Minnesota (Mississippi River 2)
Minneapolis; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7;

St Paul, Minnesota
St Paul, Minnesota Apostolic Bible Institute, St Paul; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Fort Snelling (Minnisota River Mouth, Mississippi River 1.8, near Minneapolis and St Paul)
Fort Snelling (Minnisota River Mouth, Mississippi River 1.8, near Minneapolis and St Paul); ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902), Commemorated June 12;

United Evangelical Lutheran Church (Anti-Grundtvig)
United Evangelical Lutheran Church ; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ;

Apostolic Bible Institute, St Paul, Minnesota
Apostolic Bible Institute, St Paul; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Minnesota, Mississippi River 2, St Croix River Folder, Eastern MN, Wisconsin border

Saint Croix River Source (Wisconsin Border)

St. Croix River Mouth (Wisconsin Border, Mississippi River 2)

St. Croix River Mouth (Mississippi River 2)

Minnesota, Mississippi River 3, Zumbro River Folder, Southern MN, Rocester

Zumbro River

Zumbro River Source (South Fork)

Zumbro River 1 (Rochester, MN)

Rochester, Minnesota (Zumbro River 1)
Rochester, Minnesota; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Charles Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (Zumbro River 1) 1864
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (Zumbro River 1); Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953;

Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minn.
Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minn.; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Charles Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Saint Mary's Hospital, Rochester, MN, 1889
Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minn.; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Charles Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Zumbro River 2

Zumbro River 3

Zumbro River 4 (Middle Fork Zumbro River Mouth)

Minnesota, Mississippi River 3, Zumbro River 4, Middle Fork Zumbro River Folder

Zumbro River Middle Fork

Middle Fork Zumbro River Source

Middle Fork Zumbro River 1

Middle Fork Zumbro River 2

Zumbro River 5 (North Fork Zumbro River Mouth)

Minnesota, Mississippi River 3, Zumbro River 5, North Fork Zumbro River Folder

Zumbro River North Fork

North Fork Zumbro River Source

Seabury Divinity School at Faribault, MN
Seabury Divinity School at Faribault ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876);

North Fork Zumbro River 1

North Fork Zumbra River 2

North Fork Zumbro River 3

North Fork Zumbro River 4

Zumbro River 6

Zunbro River Mouth (Mississippi River 3)

Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest

Minnesota, Boundary Waters, Rainy and Pigeon Rivers Folder, Northeastern MN

Pigeon River Source (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness)

Pigeon River Mouth, Lake Superior

Height of Land Portage (between Pigeon and Rainy River drainages)
Height of Land Portage;

Rainy Lake Source (Boundary Waters)

Rainy River Source (International Falls, MN, Rainy Lake)

Rainy River Mouth (Lake of the Woods)
Rainy River;

USA, North Dakota Folder

Coteau du Missouri South
Coteau du Missouri;

North Dakota, Red River Folder (MN, ND and MAN) Northeastern ND

Red River Colony (on the ND Canada border)
Red River Colony; HENRY BUDD. Commemorated December 22 ;

North Dakota, James (Dakota) River Folder, Southcentral ND

North Dakota, Missouri River Folder, Southwestern ND

USA, Nevada Folder, and its rivers and Mountains

Nevada
Nevada;

Nevada, Northern Nevada, Black Rock River Folder

Black Rock River Mouth (Black Rock Desert)

Nevada, Northern Nevada, California Trail Folder

California Trail 4 (City of Rocks, ID)

Pah Rah Range

Carson Range
Carson Range;

Truckee River Source (Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, CA)

Truckee River 1 (Squaw Valley, CA)

Truckee River 2 (Truckee, CA)

Truckee River 3 (Floriston, CA)

Truckee River 4 (Verdi, NV)

Truckee River 5 (Reno and Sparks, NV)
Truckee River;

Truckee River 6 (Fernley, NV)

Truckee River Mouth (Pyramid Lake)

Nevada, Northern Nevada, Central Overland Route Folder

Nevada, Northern Nevada, Humboldt River Folder

Forty-mile Desert (Center of the 40 mile section)
Forty-mile Desert;

Forty-Mile Desert (Center of the Lahontan Valley)
Forty-mile Desert;

West Humboldt Range

Humboldt Range
Humboldt Range;

Sonoma Range
Sonoma Range;

Great Basin
Great Basin;

Emigrant Pass, NV
Emigrant Pass, NV;

Tuscarora Mountains
Tuscarora Mountains;

Ruby Mountains at Overland Pass
Ruby Mountains;

Overland Lake

Ruby Crest National Recreation Trail

Cherry Creek Range
Cherry Creek Range;

Schell Creek Range
Schell Creek Range;

Schellbourne Pass
Schellbourne Pass;

Diamond Mountains
Diamond Mountains;

Humboldt River Source (Humbolt Wells, near Wells, Nevada)

North Fork Humboldt River Mouth (Humboldt River 1)

Humboldt River 1 (Elko, Nevada)

South Fork Humboldt River Mouth (Humboldt River 2)

Humboldt River 2 (Carlin, Nevada)

Humboldt River 3 (Palisade, Nevada)

Humboldt River 4 (Palisade Canyon)
Palisade Canyon;

Humboldt River 5 (Battle Mountain)

Humboldt River 6 (Golconda, Nevada)

Humboldt River 7 (Winnemucca, Nevada)

Humboldt River 8

Humboldt River Mouth (Humbolt Sink)

Desatoya Mountains
Desatoya Mountains;

Toiyabe Range

Shoshone Range
Shoshone Range;

Fish Creek Mountains

Reese River Source (near Arc Dome)

Reese River 1

Reese River 2

Reese River Mouth (Humboldt River 5)

Little Humboldt River Mouth (Winnemucca, Humboldt River 7)

Nevada, Western Nevada, Carson River Folder

Virginia Range
Virginia Range;

Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode;

Virginia City, NV
Virginia City; Comstock Lode;

Carson River Source (near Minden, NV)
Carson River;

West Fork Carson River Source (Lost Lakes, NV)

West Fork Carson River 1

West Fork Carson River 2

West Fork Carson River 3

Carson River Mouth (Carson Sink)

West Fork Carson River 5 (Minden, NV)

West Fork Carson River 6 (Carson City, NV)

West Fork Carson River 7 (Dayton, NV)

West Fork Carson River 8 (Fallon, NV)

West Fork Carson River Mouth (near Minden, NV)

Clear Creek Source (southern slope Snow Valley Peak)

Clear Creek 1

Clear Creek 2

Clear Creek Mouth (southeast Carson City)

East Fork Carson River Source (Sonora Peak)

East Fork Carson River 1

East Fork Carson River 2

East Fork Carson River 3

East Fork Carson River Mouth (near Minden, NV)

Nevada, Southwestern Nevada, Walker River Folder

West Fork Walker River Source (Sierra Nevada Mountains)

West Fork Walker River 1

West Fork Walker River 2

West Fork Walker River 3

West Fork Walker River 9 (Wellington, NV)

West Fork Walker River 11 (Yerington, NV)

West Fork Walker River 12 (Schurz, NV)

West Fork Walker River Mouth (Walker Lake, NV)

East Fork Walker River 1

East Fork Walker River 2

East Fork Walker River 3

East Fork Walker River Mouth (West Fork Walker River 11)

USA, New York State Folder

New York State
New York State; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18 ; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

New York State, New York City Folder

New York City
New York City; SOJOURNER TRUTH; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; ELIE NAUD (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722 ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; Francis Asbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; ELIZABETH SETON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY, 1821, Commemorated January 4 ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; ABSALOM JONES, (13 FEB 1818); CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 26 ; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985); Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914. Commemorated July 2 ;

New York State, New York City History Folder

New York, 1712, New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway
New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway; New York Slave Revolt of 1712 was an uprising in New York City, in the Province of New York, of 23 enslaved Africans. They killed nine whites and injured another six before they were stopped. More than three times that number of black people, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. Contents Events By the early 18th century, New York City had one of the largest enslaved populations of any of the settlements in the Thirteen Colonies. Slavery in the city differed from some of the other colonies because there were no plantations producing cash crops. Slaves worked as domestic servants, artisans, dock workers, and various skilled laborers.[1] Enslaved Africans lived near each other, making communication easy. They also often worked among free black people, a situation that did not exist on most Southern plantations. Slaves in the city could communicate and plan a conspiracy more easily than among those on plantations.[2] After the seizure of New Netherland in 1667 and it's incorporation into the Province of New York, the rights of the Free Negro social group were gradually eroded. In 1702, the first of the New York slave codes were passed, which further limited the rights enjoyed by the African community in New York; many of these legal rights, such as the right to own land and marry, were granted during the Dutch colonial period.[3] On December 13, 1711, the New York City Common Council established the city's first slave market near Wall Street for the sale and rental of enslaved Africans and Native Americans.[4][5] By the early 1700s, about 20 percent of the population were enslaved black people. The colonial government in New York restricted this group through several measures: requiring slaves to carry a pass if traveling more than a mile (1.6 km) from home; discouraging marriage among them; prohibiting gatherings in groups of more than three persons; and requiring them to sit in separate galleries at church services.[6] A group of more than twenty black slaves gathered on the night of April 6, 1712, and set fire to a building on Maiden Lane near Broadway.[2] While the white colonists tried to put out the fire, the enslaved blacks, armed with guns, hatchets, and swords, attacked the whites then ran off. Almost immediately all runaway slaves were captured and returned to their owners.[7] forces arrested seventy blacks and jailed them. Six are reported to have committed suicide. Twenty-seven were put on trial, 21 of whom were convicted and sentenced to death, including one woman with child.[7] Twenty were burned to death and one was executed on a breaking wheel.[8][citation needed] the revolt, the city and colony passed more restrictive laws governing black and Indian slaves. Slaves were not permitted to gather in groups of more than three, they were not permitted to carry firearms, and gambling was outlawed. Crimes of property damage, rape, and conspiracy to kill qualified for the death penalty. Free blacks were still allowed to own land, however. Anthony Portuguese (alternately spelled Portugies),[3] owned land that makes up a portion of present-day Washington Square Park; this continued to be owned by his daughter and grandchildren.[9] colony required slave owners who wanted to free their slaves to pay a tax of £200 per person, then an amount much higher than the cost of a slave. In 1715 Governor Robert Hunter argued in London before the Lords of Trade that manumission and the chance for a slave to inherit part of a master's wealth was important to maintain in New York. He said that this was a proper reward for a slave who had helped a master earn a lifetime's fortune, and that it could keep the slave from descending into despair.[7] ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, Commemoratedd 7 September; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. In that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. In addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. For the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. This benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. As early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. He himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. Neau’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. He succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” Further confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” Neau’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. For some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Yet Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” Not so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” The Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty.

New York, 1784, Woodrow, Staten Island, NY, Ashbury's first sermon in the Colonies, 1771
Woodrow, Staten Island, Ashbury's first sermon in the Colonies; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770;

New York, 1784, Continental Congress 1784 (12th at City Hall, New York City)
City Hall, New York City; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New York, 1785, Continental Congress 1785 (13th at Fraunces Tavern, Manhattan, New York City)
Fraunces Tavern; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New York, 1789, 1st United States Congress 1789 (Federal Hall, Manhattan, NYC)
Federal Hall; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New York, 1818, Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and woman's rights activist
New York, 1818, Sojourner Truth; Truth (c. 1797 - November 26, 1883) was an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. gave herself the name Sojourner Truth in 1843 after she became convinced that God had called her to leave the city and go into the countryside "testifying the hope that was in her".[1] Her best-known speech was delivered extemporaneously, in 1851, at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. The speech became widely known during the Civil War by the title "Ain't I a Woman?", a variation of the original speech re-written by someone else using a stereotypical Southern dialect, whereas Sojourner Truth was from New York and grew up speaking Dutch as her first language. During the Civil War, Truth helped recruit black troops for the Union Army; after the war, she tried unsuccessfully to secure land grants from the federal government for formerly enslaved people (summarized as the promise of "forty acres and a mule"). She continued to fight on behalf of women and African Americans until her death. As her biographer Nell Irvin Painter wrote, "At a time when most Americans thought of slaves as male and women as white, Truth embodied a fact that still bears repeating: Among the blacks are women; among the women, there are blacks."[2] memorial bust of Truth was unveiled in 2009 in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor's Center. She is the first African American woman to have a statue in the Capitol building.[3] In 2014, Truth was included in Smithsonian magazine's list of the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time".[4] City Hall, New York City; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New York, 1838-1895, Brooklyn, Frederick Douglass, Social Reformer, Abolitionist
Brooklyn, 1838-1895, Frederick Douglass; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911):; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 20th;

New York, 1857-1913, Banker, J.P. Morgan
Connecticut, 1857-1913, Banker, J.P. Morgan; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949;

New York, 1858-1877, Tammany Hall, Park Ave S and E17th St, Boss Tweed, Democrats
Tammany Hall; Boss Tweed, William M. Tweed; William Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

New York, 1874, Episcopal General Convention 1874, New York, NY
Provence 2 Episcopal Church of America; List of General Conventions of the Episcopal Church of America; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ;

New York,1880-1915, Raphael of Brooklyn
Brooklyn,1880-1915, Raphael of Brooklyn; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9;

New York, 1885-1925, Tikhon, Apostle to America, Patriarch of Moscow
Moscow, 1885-1925, Tikhon, Apostle to America, Patriarch of Moscow; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9;

New York, 1891-1917, Priestmartyr John Kochurov
New York State, New York City, 1891-1917, Priestmartyr John Kochurov; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

New York, 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (at NYU, Greenwich Village, NYC)
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, commemorated May 13 ;

New York, 1917, NCAACP Mass Tactics, 1917, silent protest parade down Fifth Avenue
Harlem Renaissance (1920); JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ; engaged the NAACP in mass tactics, such as a silent protest parade down New York's Fifth Avenue in which ten thousand African Americans took part on July 28, 1917.

New York, 1920, Harlem Renaissance (1920) Stanley Weldon Johnson
Harlem Renaissance (1920); Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater and politics centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after The New Negro, a 1925 anthology edited by Alain Locke. The movement also included the new African American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by a renewed militancy in the general struggle for civil rights for African Americans that occurred in the wake of civil rights struggles in the then-still-segregated US Armed Forces in WWI and which was further inspired by the NAACP, the Garveyite movement and the Russian Revolution, combined with the Great Migration of African American workers fleeing the racist conditions of the Jim Crow Deep South,[1] Harlem being the final destination of the largest number of those who migrated north. it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood, many francophone black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the movement,[2][3][4][5] which spanned from about 1918 until the mid-1930s.[6] Many of its ideas lived on much longer. zenith of this "flowering of Negro literature", as James Weldon Johnson preferred to call the Harlem Renaissance, took place between 1924—when Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life hosted a party for black writers where many white publishers were in attendance—and 1929, the year of the stock-market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. Harlem Renaissance is considered to have been a rebirth of the African-American arts.[7] Many people[who?] would argue that the Harlem Renaissance never ended and has continued to be an important cultural force in the United States through the decades: from the age of stride piano jazz and blues to the ages of bebop, rock and roll, soul, disco and hip-hop. JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ; the 1920s he was one of the major inspirations and promoters of the Harlem Renaissance trying to refute condescending white criticism and helping young black authors to get published.

New York, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City, Forgotten Martyr
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City, 302 West 91st Street, New York, NY 10024; Greece, 1967, Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese (Pamisos River Mouth, Gulf of Messini), forgotten martyr 1700yrs, 318-1967, asked Fr George Nsis, NYC to paint her Icon holding a cross, research found young woman blond blue eyes, since then many miracles, Kalamata church built 1993; Kalamata, Messenia, Peloponnese; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa of Kalamata, Commemorated on May 3; Holy Great Martyr Xenίa was born in Kalamata in 291 to devout and God-loving parents, Nicholas and Despina, were from the eastern part of Italy. Because of the persecution of Christians at that time, they fled to Kalamata in the Peloponnesos, where they had a farm outside the city, because her father was a farmer. a young age Saint Xenίa adorned her soul with fasting, temperance, silence, unceasing prayer, tears, vigils, and charity. Dometian, the eparch of that region, happened to meet the Saint, he was dazzled by her beauty and wanted to make her his wife. Xenίa absolutely refused to change her faith, or to become the wife of an idolater. Dometian had her arrested. The Saint was tortured mercilessly and then beheaded in 318. Thus, she entered into the joy of her Lord and received an unfading crown of glory from Christ God. George Nasis, the rector of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in New York City from 1942-1967 praying one day when a beautiful woman appeared to him. She said her name was Xenίa, martyr who had been forgotten for almost 1700 years. She asked him to paint an icon, depicting her holding a cross. first Father George did not mention this to anyone, thinking that perhaps people would mock him. Then he decided to inform the Archbishop. Researchers tried to find references to Saint Xenίa of Kalamata, but they were not successful. they found her name in a list of Saints, where she is described as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. God's grace, the Saint has worked many miracles after her death. 1993, a new parish church of the Holy Trinity was built in the western part of Kalamata, which has a chapel dedicated to Saint Xenia.

New York State, New York City, Long Island Folder

New York State, New York City, Long Island, Peconic River Folder

St. Johnland, in King's Park, Long Island
Saint Johnland House ; St Johnland Nursing Center, History; Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; ANNE AYRES, RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8;

Peconic River

Peconic River Source (Brookhaven National Laboratory)
Peconic River;

Peconic River Mouth (Peconic Bay)

Riverhead, Long Island, NYC
Riverhead (town), New York; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ;

Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County, New York; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14;

Shinnecock Indian Nation, Long Island, NYC
Shinnecock Indian Nation; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ;

Montauk, Long Island, NYC
Montauk, Long Island, NYC; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ;

Poosepatuck Reservation, Long Island, NYC
Poosepatuck Reservation, New York; PAUL CUFFEE, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE SHINNECOCK, 1812, Commemorated March 4 ;

New York State, New York City, Hudson River Folder

Hudson River Source (Henderson Lake)

Hudson River Mouth (Upper New York Bay)

NY State, NY City, H. River, Uptown Manhattan Island Folder, Central Park North

Central Park, NYC
Central Park ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

Hunter College, Uptown, NYC
Hunter College, NYC ; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Brearley School, Upper East Side Manhattan Island
Brearley School; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, upper west side
552 West End Ave, New York, NY 10024
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, upper west side ; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (New York City) 1851
Jesuit Church of St. Ignatius Loyola (New York City); PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, New York, North Central Park, 1901
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, New York ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9;

Episcopal Diocese of New York, Uptown Manhattan, NYC
Episcopal Diocese of New York; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

St Lukes Hospital, Mt Sinai Morningside, Uptown Manhattan, NYC
St Lukes Hospital, Mt Sinai Morningside, Uptown Manhattan, NYC; ANNE AYRES, RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896). Commemorated April 8;

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Uptown, Manhattan, NYC, 1892
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Columbia University, Upper NY City, above Central Park, 1754
Columbia University; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870); FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

St. Paul's Chapel (Columbia University) 1903
St. Paul's Chapel (Columbia University); JOHN LAFARGE, Artist, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Kings College (Columbia University)
King's College; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Columbia College, Columbia University, 1754
Columbia College, Columbia University; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870);

Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Barnard College, Columbia University, NYC
Barnard College, Columbia University; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

Harlem, Uptown, NYC
Harlem; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

St. Philip'™s Episcopal Church in Harlem, Manhattan, NYC
St. Philip'™s Episcopal Church in Harlem, Manhattan, NYC; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

St. Ann's Church for the Deaf-Mutes, 511 W 148th St. (1852)
St. Ann's Church for the Deaf-Mutes, 511 W 148th St.; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) , Commemorated August 27;

Inwood Park
Inwood Park ;

Inwood Hill Park House of Mercy, 1865
Inwood Hill Park; House of Mercy and St. Mary's Free Hospital for Poor Children; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Sisters of St. Mary, House of Mercy, 1865
Inwood Hill Park; House of Mercy and St. Mary's Free Hospital for Poor Children; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

NY State, NY City, H. River, Midtown Manhattan Is Folder, Greenwich V, NYU, Times Sq, Broadway

Judson Memorial Church, Greenwich Village, NY
Judson Memorial Church, Greenwich Village, NY; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

New York University, Midtown, NYC
New York University ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village
Washington Square Park ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, commemorated May 13 ;

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1911 (at NYU, Greenwich Village, NYC)
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, commemorated May 13 ;

Grace Church (New York City) 1846
Grace Church (New York); WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Church of the Ascension, Episcopal (Midtown Manhattan) 1840
Church of the Ascension, Episcopal (Manhattan); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

National Conservatory of Music of America, NYC (Union Square)
National Conservatory of Music of America (Union Square); Union Square; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949;

Tammany Hall, Park Ave S and E17th St, Boss Tweed, Democrats, 1858-1877
Tammany Hall; Boss Tweed, William M. Tweed; William Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

St. George's Episcopal church, Midtown, Manhattan, NYC
St. George's Episcopal church in New York City; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949 ;

Calvary Church in New York City, Midtown
Calvary Church in New York City; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ;

Church of the Holy Communion, NYC, 1846
Church of the Holy Communion, New York City ; William Augustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8 ;

Sisters of the Holy Communion, Church of the Holy Communion, NYC, 1846
Church of the Holy Communion, New York City ; William Augustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8 ;

Workers Defense League, Madison Square Station, NYC, Socialist
Workers Defense League, Madison Square Station, NYC, Socialist; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Bellevue Hospital, Midtown, New York City
Bellevue Hospital; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ;

University Medical College, New York University
University Medical College, New York University; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ;

General Theological Seminary in New York City, 1817
General Theological Seminary in New York City; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

Episcopal Church Center, 815 2nd Ave
Episcopal Church Center, 815 2nd Avenue, New York; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, NY, Theater District
Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, NY, Theater District ;

Saint Thomas Church (Midtown Manhattan)
Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

NY State, NY City, H. River, Downtown Manhattan Island Folder, Financial Dist. Wall Street and Broad

Trinity Church, Wall Street and Broadway, Downtown Manhattan, NYC, 1696
Trinity Church Manhattan; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Wall Street, South Manhattan, NYC
Wall Street, South Manhattan, NYC; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway
New York Slave Riot, 1712, Maiden Lane and Broadway; New York Slave Revolt of 1712 was an uprising in New York City, in the Province of New York, of 23 enslaved Africans. They killed nine whites and injured another six before they were stopped. More than three times that number of black people, 70, were arrested and jailed. Of these, 27 were put on trial, and 21 convicted and executed. Contents Events By the early 18th century, New York City had one of the largest enslaved populations of any of the settlements in the Thirteen Colonies. Slavery in the city differed from some of the other colonies because there were no plantations producing cash crops. Slaves worked as domestic servants, artisans, dock workers, and various skilled laborers.[1] Enslaved Africans lived near each other, making communication easy. They also often worked among free black people, a situation that did not exist on most Southern plantations. Slaves in the city could communicate and plan a conspiracy more easily than among those on plantations.[2] After the seizure of New Netherland in 1667 and it's incorporation into the Province of New York, the rights of the Free Negro social group were gradually eroded. In 1702, the first of the New York slave codes were passed, which further limited the rights enjoyed by the African community in New York; many of these legal rights, such as the right to own land and marry, were granted during the Dutch colonial period.[3] On December 13, 1711, the New York City Common Council established the city's first slave market near Wall Street for the sale and rental of enslaved Africans and Native Americans.[4][5] By the early 1700s, about 20 percent of the population were enslaved black people. The colonial government in New York restricted this group through several measures: requiring slaves to carry a pass if traveling more than a mile (1.6 km) from home; discouraging marriage among them; prohibiting gatherings in groups of more than three persons; and requiring them to sit in separate galleries at church services.[6] A group of more than twenty black slaves gathered on the night of April 6, 1712, and set fire to a building on Maiden Lane near Broadway.[2] While the white colonists tried to put out the fire, the enslaved blacks, armed with guns, hatchets, and swords, attacked the whites then ran off. Almost immediately all runaway slaves were captured and returned to their owners.[7] forces arrested seventy blacks and jailed them. Six are reported to have committed suicide. Twenty-seven were put on trial, 21 of whom were convicted and sentenced to death, including one woman with child.[7] Twenty were burned to death and one was executed on a breaking wheel.[8][citation needed] the revolt, the city and colony passed more restrictive laws governing black and Indian slaves. Slaves were not permitted to gather in groups of more than three, they were not permitted to carry firearms, and gambling was outlawed. Crimes of property damage, rape, and conspiracy to kill qualified for the death penalty. Free blacks were still allowed to own land, however. Anthony Portuguese (alternately spelled Portugies),[3] owned land that makes up a portion of present-day Washington Square Park; this continued to be owned by his daughter and grandchildren.[9] colony required slave owners who wanted to free their slaves to pay a tax of £200 per person, then an amount much higher than the cost of a slave. In 1715 Governor Robert Hunter argued in London before the Lords of Trade that manumission and the chance for a slave to inherit part of a master's wealth was important to maintain in New York. He said that this was a proper reward for a slave who had helped a master earn a lifetime's fortune, and that it could keep the slave from descending into despair.[7] ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722, Commemoratedd 7 September; most effective work of the Society [for the Propogation of the Gospel] among Negroes of the Northern colonies was accomplished in New York. In that colony, the instruction of the Negro and Indian slaves to prepare them for conversion, baptism, and communion was a primary charge oft repeated to every missionary and schoolmaster of the Society. In addition to the general efforts put forth in the colonies, there was in New York a special provision for the employment of sixteen clergymen and thirteen lay teachers mainly for the evangelization of the slaves and the free Indians. For the Negro slaves a catechizing school was opened in New York City in 1704 under the charge of Elias Neau. This benevolent man, after several years’ imprisonment because of his Protestant faith, had come to New York to try his fortunes as a trader. As early as 1703 he called the attention of the Society to the great number, of slaves in New York “who were without God in the world, and of whose souls there was no manner of care taken” and proposed the appointment of a catechist to undertake their instruction. He himself finally being prevailed upon to accept this position, obtained a license from the Governor, resigned his position as elder in the French church [Église du Saint Esprit] and conformed to the Established Church of England, “not upon any worldly account but through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation of the English liturgy.” He was later licensed by the Bishop of London. Neau’s task was not an easy one. At first he went from house to house, but afterwards arranged for some of the slaves to attend him. He succeeded, however, in obtaining gratifying results. He was commended to the Society by Rev. Mr. Vesey in 1706 as a “constant communicant of our church, and a most zealous and prudent servant of Christ, in proselyting the miserable Negroes and Indians among them to the Christian Religion, whereby he does great service to God and his church.” Further confidence in him was attested by an act of the Society in preparing at his request “a Bill to be offered to Parliament for the more effectual Conversion of the Negro and other Servants in the Plantations, to compell Owners of Slaves to cause children to be baptized within 3 months after their birth and to permit them when come to years of discretion to be instructed in the Christian Religion on our Lord’s day by the Missionaries under whose ministry they live.” Neau’s school suffered greatly in 1712 because of the prejudice engendered by the declaration that instruction was the main cause of the Negro riot in that city. For some days Neau dared not show himself, so bitter was the feeling of the masters. Upon being assured, however, that only one Negro connected with the school had participated in the affair and that the most criminal belonged to the masters who were openly opposed to educating them, the institution was permitted to continue its endeavors, and the Governor extended to it his protection and recommended that masters have their slaves instructed. Yet Neau had still to complain thereafter of the struggle and opposition of the generality of the inhabitants, who were strongly prejudiced with a horrid motive thinking that Christian knowledge “would be a means to make the slave more cunning and apter to wickedness.” Not so long thereafter, however, the support of the best people and officials of the community made his task easier. Neau could say in 1714 that “if the slaves and domestics in New York were not instructed it was not his fault.” The Governor, the Council, Mayor, the Recorder and the Chief Justice informed the Society that Neau had performed his work “to the great advancement of religion in general and the particular benefit of the free Indians, Negro slaves, and other Heathens in those parts, with indefatigable zeal and application.” Elias Neau signature Neau died in 1722. His work was carried on by Mr. Huddlestone, Rev. Mr. Whitmore, Rev. Mr. Colgan, Rev. R. Charlton, and Rev. S. Auchmutty.

St Nicholas Orthodox Church, South Manhattan, New York City, 1895, 1901, 1916 and 2018
St Nicholas Orthodox Church; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Diocese of the Aluetians and North America, New York City, 1900
Diocese of the Aluetians and North America; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

St. Paul's Chapel, Episcopal, Manhattan, NYC
St. Paul's Chapel, Episcopal, New York City; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

TBN, New York City, Downtown Manhattan
TBN, New York City ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Five Points, Manhattan
Five Points, Manhattan; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City
Lower East Side; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2;

NY State, NY City, H. River, East Side, Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx

Pacific Street in Brooklyn, Orthodox Church
Pacific Street in Brooklyn, Orthodox Church Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Saint Nicholas church, Brooklyn (Anitochian Orthodox) 1902
church of St Nicholas in Brooklyn (Anitochian Orthodox); Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ;

Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Prospect Park (Brooklyn) ;

New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam;

New Netherlands (New York City, and from Delaware to Cape Cod)
New Netherlands; New Amsterdam; Anne Hutchison of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Glendale and Forest Park in Queens
Glendale and Forest Park in Queens;

Flushing Institute, Flushing, NY (St Paul's College) 1828
Flushing Institute (later St Paul's College), a boys' school in Flushing, New York ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); William Augustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8 ;

Flushing Institute, Flushing, Queens, NY, 1827
Flushing Institute, Flushing, NY; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); William Augustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8 ;

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY;

Split Rock, The Bronx (Anne Hutchinson, 1643)
Split Rock, The Bronx (Anne Hutchinson, 1643); Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated January 5;

St. Ann's Church Complex (Bronx, New York) 1840
St. Ann's Church Complex (Bronx, New York); Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ;

Yonkers, North East New York City
Yonkers, New York ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Trinity-St. Paul's Episcopal Church (New Rochelle, New York) 1862
Trinity-St. Paul's Episcopal Church (New Rochelle, New York) 1862; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

St Vladimir's Seminary in Yonkers, NY, 1938
St Vladimir's Seminary in NY; Repose of St Nikolai of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

New York State, Upstate Folder

New York State, Upstate History

New York State, Upstate, 1450-1776, Iroquois League (Finger Lakes Region, New York State)
Iroquois League; Finger Lakes Region; Mohawk Valley; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

New York State, Upstate, 1640, Onondaga Village (Capital of the Iroquois League)
Onondaga Village 1640 (Capital of the Iroquois League); CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

New York State, Upstate, 1755-1774, Major General William Johnson, Husband of Molly Bryant,
Major General William Johnson, Husband of Molly Bryant, served 1755-1774; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

New York State, Upstate, 1848, Seneca Falls Convention
Seneca Falls Convention; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention to be called for the sole purpose of discussing women's rights, and was the primary author of its Declaration of Sentiments. Her demand for women's right to vote generated a controversy at the convention but quickly became a central tenet of the women's movement. She was also active in other social reform activities, especially abolitionism. 1851, she met Susan B. Anthony and formed a decades-long partnership that was crucial to the development of the women's rights movement. During the American Civil War, they established the Women's Loyal National League to campaign for the abolition of slavery, and they led it in the largest petition drive in U.S. history up to that time. They started a newspaper called The Revolution in 1868 to work for women's rights. the war, Stanton and Anthony were the main organizers of the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for both African Americans and women, especially the right of suffrage. When the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was introduced that would provide suffrage for black men only, they opposed it, insisting that suffrage should be extended to all African Americans and all women at the same time. Others in the movement supported the amendment, resulting in a split. During the bitter arguments that led up to the split, Stanton sometimes expressed her ideas in elitist and racially condescending language, for which her old friend Frederick Douglass reproached her. became the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, which she and Anthony created to represent their wing of the movement. When the split was healed more than twenty years later, Stanton became the first president of the united organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. This was largely an honorary position; Stanton continued to work on a wide range of women's rights issues despite the organization's increasingly tight focus on women's right to vote. was the primary author of the first three volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage, a massive effort to record the history of the movement, focusing largely on her wing of it. She was also the primary author of The Woman's Bible, a critical examination of the Bible that is based on the premise that its attitude toward women reflects prejudice from a less civilized age. Falls Convention accumulation of experiences was having an effect on Stanton. The London convention had been a turning point in her life. Her study of law books had convinced her that legal changes were necessary to overcome gender inequities. She had personal experience of the stultifying role of women as wives and housekeepers. She said, "the wearied, anxious look of the majority of women, impressed me with a strong feeling that some active measures should be taken to remedy the wrongs of society in general, and of women in particular."[29] This knowledge, however, did not immediately lead to action. Relatively isolated from other social reformers and fully occupied with household duties, she was at a loss as to how she could engage in social reform. the summer of 1848, Lucretia Mott traveled from Pennsylvania to attend a Quaker meeting near the Stanton's home. Stanton was invited to visit with Mott and three other progressive Quaker women. Finding herself in sympathetic company, Stanton said she poured out her "long-accumulating discontent, with such vehemence and indignation that I stirred myself, as well as the rest of the party, to do and dare anything."[29] The gathered women agreed to organize a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls a few days later, while Mott was still in the area.[30] history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her… He has not ever permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. Cady Stanton, the Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Convention was the primary author of the convention's Declaration of Rights and Sentiments,[31] which was modeled on the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Its list of grievances included the wrongful denial of women's right to vote, signaling Stanton's intent to generate a discussion of women's suffrage at the convention. This was a highly controversial idea at the time but not an entirely new one. Her cousin Gerrit Smith, no stranger to radical ideas himself, had called for women's suffrage shortly before at the Liberty League convention in Buffalo. When Henry Stanton saw the inclusion of woman suffrage in the document, he told his wife that she was acting in a way that would turn the proceedings into a farce. Lucretia Mott, the main speaker, was also disturbed by the proposal.[32] estimated 300 women and men attended the two-day Seneca Falls Convention.[33] In her first address to a large audience, Stanton explained the purpose of the gathering and the importance of women's rights. Following a speech by Mott, Stanton read the Declaration of Sentiments, which the attendees were invited to sign.[34] Next came the resolutions, all of which the convention adopted unanimously except for the ninth, which read, "it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves the sacred right of the elective franchise."[35] Following a vigorous debate, this resolution was adopted only after Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist leader who had formerly been enslaved, gave it his strong support.[36] Douglass sister Harriet attended the convention and signed its Declaration of Sentiments. Her husband, however, made her remove her signature.[37] this was a local convention organized on short notice, its controversial nature ensured that it was widely noted in the press, with articles appearing in newspapers in New York City, Philadelphia and many other places.[38] The Seneca Falls Convention is now recognized as an historic event, the first convention to be called for the purpose of discussing women's rights. The convention's Declaration of Sentiments became "the single most important factor in spreading news of the women's rights movement around the country in 1848 and into the future," according to Judith Wellman, a historian of the convention.[39] The convention initiated the use of women's rights conventions as organizing tools for the early women's movement. By the time of the second National Women's Rights Convention in 1851, the demand for women's right to vote had become a central tenet of the United States women's rights movement.[40] Rochester Women's Rights Convention was held in Rochester, New York two weeks later, organized by local women who had attended the one in Seneca Falls. Both Stanton and Mott spoke at this convention. The convention in Seneca Falls had been chaired by James Mott, the husband of Lucretia Mott. The Rochester convention was chaired by a woman, Abigail Bush, another historic first. Many people were disturbed by the idea of a woman chairing a convention of both men and women. How, for example, might people react if a woman ruled a man out of order? Stanton herself spoke in opposition to the election of a woman as the chair of this convention, although she later acknowledged her mistake and apologized for her action.[41] the first National Women's Rights Convention was organized in 1850, Stanton was unable to attend because she was pregnant. Instead, she sent a letter to the convention that outlined the movement's goals. Thereafter it became a tradition to open national women's rights conventions with a letter by Stanton, who not did participate in person in a national convention until 1860.[42]

New York State, Upstate, Hudson River Folder

Saranac Lake, New York (near Hudson River Source)
Saranac Lake, New York; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains;

Adirondack Park

New York, Upstate, Land of the Oneida, Adriondack Mountains
Oneida People; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

North Hudson, New York (Adirondacks)
North Hudson, New York (Adirondacks); HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

Hudson River 1 (Cedar River)

Hudson River 2 (Schroon River)

Hudson River 3 (Sacandaga River)

Hudson River 4 (Batten Kill River)

Hudson River 5 (Hoosic River)

Hudson River 6 (Mohawk River, Troy)

Troy Female Seminary, Emma Willard School, 1814 (Hudson River 6, Erie Canal 2)
Troy Female Seminary, Emma Willard School, 1814; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. and intellectual development received a better education than most women of her era. She attended Johnstown Academy in her hometown until the age of 15. The only girl in its advanced classes in mathematics and languages, she won second prize in the school's Greek competition and became a skilled debater. She enjoyed her years at the school and said she did not encounter any barriers there because of her sex.[6][7] was made sharply aware of society's low expectations for women when Eleazar, her last surviving brother, died at the age of 20 just after graduating from Union College in Schenectady, New York. Her father and mother were incapacitated by grief. The ten-year-old Stanton tried to comfort her father, saying she would try to be all her brother had been. Her father said, "Oh my daughter, I wish you were a boy!"[8][7] had many educational opportunities as a young child. Their neighbor, Reverend Simon Hosack, taught her Greek and mathematics. Edward Bayard, her brother-in-law and Eleazar's former classmate at Union College, taught her philosophy and horsemanship. Her father brought her law books to study so she could participate in debates with his law clerks at the dinner table. She wanted to go to college, but no colleges at that time accepted female students. Moreover, her father initially decided she did not need further education. He eventually agreed to enroll her in the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, which was founded and run by Emma Willard.[7] In her memoirs, Stanton said that during her student days in Troy she was greatly disturbed by a six-week religious revival conducted by Charles Grandison Finney, an evangelical preacher and central figure in the revivalist movement. His preaching, combined with the Calvinistic Presbyterianism of her childhood, terrified her with the possibility of her own damnation: "Fear of judgment seized my soul. Visions of the lost haunted my dreams. Mental anguish prostrated my health."[9] Stanton credited her father and brother-in-law with convincing her to disregard Finney's warnings. She said they took her on a six-week trip to Niagara Falls during which she read works of rational philosophers who restored her reason and sense of balance. Lori D. Ginzberg, one of Stanton's biographers, says there are problems with this story. For one thing, Finney did not preach for six weeks in Troy while Stanton was there. Ginzberg suspects that Stanton embellished a childhood memory to underline her belief that women harm themselves by falling under the spell of religion.[10]

New York State, Upstate, Hudson River 6, Mohawk River Folder

Mohawk River Source, East West Confluence

Mohawk River, East Branch

Mohawk River Source, East Branch, Constableville, NY

Mohawk River, West Branch

Mohawk River, West Branch Source, Swancott Mills, NY

Oneida County (Mohawk River Source)
Oneida County; Brothertown Indians; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Brothertown Indians (Mohawk River Source, Upstate New York)
Brothertown Indians; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Mohawk River 1 (Rome)

Mohawk Valley (Mohawk River 1)
Mohawk Valley; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

Mohawk River 2 (Utica)

Utica, NY (Mohawk Valley 2)
Utica, New York; Mohawk Valley; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Unadilla River Source (Utica, NY)

Mohawk River 3 (Little Falls)

Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY (Mohawk River 3) 1926
Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18 ;

American North
American North; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Mohawk River 4 (Canajoharie Village)

Canajoharie Village (Mohawk River 4)
Canajoharie Village; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

Mohawk River 5 (Amsterdam)

Johnson Hall, Johnstown (Mohawk Valley, Upstate New York)
Johnstown (Mohawk Valley) ; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16:;

Johnstown (city), New York (Mohawk Valley, Upstate New York) Elizabeth Cady Stanton roots
Johnstown (city), New York (Mohawk Valley, Upstate New York) Johnstown (Mohawk Valley) ; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. Cady was born into the leading family of Johnstown, New York. Their family mansion on the town's main square was handled by as many as twelve servants. Her conservative father, Daniel Cady, was one of the richest landowners in the state. A member of the Federalist Party, he was an attorney who served one term in the U.S. Congress and became a justice in the New York Supreme Court.[1] Her mother, Margaret Livingston Cady, was more progressive, supporting the radical Garrisonian wing of the abolitionist movement and signing a petition for women's suffrage in 1867.[2] was the seventh of eleven children, six of whom died before reaching full adulthood, including all of the boys. Her mother, exhausted by giving birth to so many children and the anguish of seeing so many of them die, became withdrawn and depressed. Tryphena, the oldest daughter, together with her husband Edward Bayard, assumed much of the responsibility for raising the younger children.[3] her memoir, Eighty Years & More, Stanton said there were three African American menservants in her household when she was young. Researchers have determined that one of them, Peter Teabout, was a slave and probably remained so until all enslaved people in New York state were freed on July 4, 1827. Stanton recalled him fondly, saying that she and her sisters attended the Episcopal church with Teabout and sat with him in the back of the church rather than in front with the white families.[4][5] MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16:;

New York State, Upstate, Hudson River 6, Mohawk River 5, Schoharie Creek Folder

Upper Schoharie Valley
Iroquois; Mowhawk Language; Conrad Weiser;

Schoharie Creek Source

Schoharie Creek 2

Schoharie Creek 3

Schoharie Creek Mouth (Fort Hunter, Mohawk River 5)

Schoharie (Creek) Valley of New York
Conrad Weiser German Palantines

Queen Anne's chapel at Fort Hunter, New York (Schoharie Creek, Mohawk River 5)
Queen Anne's chapel at Fort Hunter; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

Mohawk River 6 (Schenectady)

Mohawks Valley (Land of the Mohawk People)
Mohawk Valley (Land of the Mohawk People); CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Comemorated July 13 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

Mohawk River Mouth (Hudson River 6)

New York State, Upstate, Hudson River 6, Erie Canal Folder

Zion Episcopal Church, Rome, NY (Erie Canal 6) 1850
Zion Episcopal Church, Rome, NY (Erie Canal 6) 1850 Zion Episcopal Church, Rome, NY (Erie Canal 6); Robert Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Syracuse, NY (Earie Canal 9, Finger Lakes Crossroads)
Syracuse; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760;

Saint Andrew's Divinity School, Highland Avenue, Syracuse, NY, 1876-1905
Saint Andrews Divinity School, Syracuse, NY 1876-1905 Saint Andrew's Divinity School, Highland Avenue, Syracuse, New York; Saint Andrew's Divinity School, Highland Avenue, Syracuse, New York; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ;

Oneida, NY (Erie Canal 8, Oneida Lake, east of Finger Lakes)
City of Oneida, NY; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27;

Auburn, New York (Erie Canal 9, Finger Lakes)
Auburn, New York ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; the war, she retired to the family home on property she had purchased in 1859 in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her aging parents. She was active in the women's suffrage movement until illness overtook her, and she had to be admitted to a home for elderly African Americans that she had helped to establish years earlier. After her death in 1913, she became an icon of courage and freedom.

Seneca Falls, NY (on SF Canal at Earie Canal 10)
Seneca Falls Convention; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention to be called for the sole purpose of discussing women's rights, and was the primary author of its Declaration of Sentiments. Her demand for women's right to vote generated a controversy at the convention but quickly became a central tenet of the women's movement. She was also active in other social reform activities, especially abolitionism. 1851, she met Susan B. Anthony and formed a decades-long partnership that was crucial to the development of the women's rights movement. During the American Civil War, they established the Women's Loyal National League to campaign for the abolition of slavery, and they led it in the largest petition drive in U.S. history up to that time. They started a newspaper called The Revolution in 1868 to work for women's rights. the war, Stanton and Anthony were the main organizers of the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for both African Americans and women, especially the right of suffrage. When the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was introduced that would provide suffrage for black men only, they opposed it, insisting that suffrage should be extended to all African Americans and all women at the same time. Others in the movement supported the amendment, resulting in a split. During the bitter arguments that led up to the split, Stanton sometimes expressed her ideas in elitist and racially condescending language, for which her old friend Frederick Douglass reproached her. became the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, which she and Anthony created to represent their wing of the movement. When the split was healed more than twenty years later, Stanton became the first president of the united organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. This was largely an honorary position; Stanton continued to work on a wide range of women's rights issues despite the organization's increasingly tight focus on women's right to vote. was the primary author of the first three volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage, a massive effort to record the history of the movement, focusing largely on her wing of it. She was also the primary author of The Woman's Bible, a critical examination of the Bible that is based on the premise that its attitude toward women reflects prejudice from a less civilized age.

Seneca Falls Convention, 1848, Seneca Falls, NY, Woman's Rights, Voting, Abolition of Slavery
Seneca Falls Convention; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first convention to be called for the sole purpose of discussing women's rights, and was the primary author of its Declaration of Sentiments. Her demand for women's right to vote generated a controversy at the convention but quickly became a central tenet of the women's movement. She was also active in other social reform activities, especially abolitionism. 1851, she met Susan B. Anthony and formed a decades-long partnership that was crucial to the development of the women's rights movement. During the American Civil War, they established the Women's Loyal National League to campaign for the abolition of slavery, and they led it in the largest petition drive in U.S. history up to that time. They started a newspaper called The Revolution in 1868 to work for women's rights. the war, Stanton and Anthony were the main organizers of the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for both African Americans and women, especially the right of suffrage. When the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was introduced that would provide suffrage for black men only, they opposed it, insisting that suffrage should be extended to all African Americans and all women at the same time. Others in the movement supported the amendment, resulting in a split. During the bitter arguments that led up to the split, Stanton sometimes expressed her ideas in elitist and racially condescending language, for which her old friend Frederick Douglass reproached her. became the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association, which she and Anthony created to represent their wing of the movement. When the split was healed more than twenty years later, Stanton became the first president of the united organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. This was largely an honorary position; Stanton continued to work on a wide range of women's rights issues despite the organization's increasingly tight focus on women's right to vote. was the primary author of the first three volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage, a massive effort to record the history of the movement, focusing largely on her wing of it. She was also the primary author of The Woman's Bible, a critical examination of the Bible that is based on the premise that its attitude toward women reflects prejudice from a less civilized age. Falls Convention accumulation of experiences was having an effect on Stanton. The London convention had been a turning point in her life. Her study of law books had convinced her that legal changes were necessary to overcome gender inequities. She had personal experience of the stultifying role of women as wives and housekeepers. She said, "the wearied, anxious look of the majority of women, impressed me with a strong feeling that some active measures should be taken to remedy the wrongs of society in general, and of women in particular."[29] This knowledge, however, did not immediately lead to action. Relatively isolated from other social reformers and fully occupied with household duties, she was at a loss as to how she could engage in social reform. the summer of 1848, Lucretia Mott traveled from Pennsylvania to attend a Quaker meeting near the Stanton's home. Stanton was invited to visit with Mott and three other progressive Quaker women. Finding herself in sympathetic company, Stanton said she poured out her "long-accumulating discontent, with such vehemence and indignation that I stirred myself, as well as the rest of the party, to do and dare anything."[29] The gathered women agreed to organize a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls a few days later, while Mott was still in the area.[30] history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her… He has not ever permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. Cady Stanton, the Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Convention was the primary author of the convention's Declaration of Rights and Sentiments,[31] which was modeled on the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Its list of grievances included the wrongful denial of women's right to vote, signaling Stanton's intent to generate a discussion of women's suffrage at the convention. This was a highly controversial idea at the time but not an entirely new one. Her cousin Gerrit Smith, no stranger to radical ideas himself, had called for women's suffrage shortly before at the Liberty League convention in Buffalo. When Henry Stanton saw the inclusion of woman suffrage in the document, he told his wife that she was acting in a way that would turn the proceedings into a farce. Lucretia Mott, the main speaker, was also disturbed by the proposal.[32] estimated 300 women and men attended the two-day Seneca Falls Convention.[33] In her first address to a large audience, Stanton explained the purpose of the gathering and the importance of women's rights. Following a speech by Mott, Stanton read the Declaration of Sentiments, which the attendees were invited to sign.[34] Next came the resolutions, all of which the convention adopted unanimously except for the ninth, which read, "it is the duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves the sacred right of the elective franchise."[35] Following a vigorous debate, this resolution was adopted only after Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist leader who had formerly been enslaved, gave it his strong support.[36] Douglass sister Harriet attended the convention and signed its Declaration of Sentiments. Her husband, however, made her remove her signature.[37] this was a local convention organized on short notice, its controversial nature ensured that it was widely noted in the press, with articles appearing in newspapers in New York City, Philadelphia and many other places.[38] The Seneca Falls Convention is now recognized as an historic event, the first convention to be called for the purpose of discussing women's rights. The convention's Declaration of Sentiments became "the single most important factor in spreading news of the women's rights movement around the country in 1848 and into the future," according to Judith Wellman, a historian of the convention.[39] The convention initiated the use of women's rights conventions as organizing tools for the early women's movement. By the time of the second National Women's Rights Convention in 1851, the demand for women's right to vote had become a central tenet of the United States women's rights movement.[40] Rochester Women's Rights Convention was held in Rochester, New York two weeks later, organized by local women who had attended the one in Seneca Falls. Both Stanton and Mott spoke at this convention. The convention in Seneca Falls had been chaired by James Mott, the husband of Lucretia Mott. The Rochester convention was chaired by a woman, Abigail Bush, another historic first. Many people were disturbed by the idea of a woman chairing a convention of both men and women. How, for example, might people react if a woman ruled a man out of order? Stanton herself spoke in opposition to the election of a woman as the chair of this convention, although she later acknowledged her mistake and apologized for her action.[41] the first National Women's Rights Convention was organized in 1850, Stanton was unable to attend because she was pregnant. Instead, she sent a letter to the convention that outlined the movement's goals. Thereafter it became a tradition to open national women's rights conventions with a letter by Stanton, who not did participate in person in a national convention until 1860.[42]

Hobart College, Geneva, New York (Erie Canal 10, Finger Lakes)
Hobart College; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell U, Itaca, NY
New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

Cornell University, NY, 1865 (Ithaca, South End Finger Lakes, Erie Canal 10)
Cornell University; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

Homer, New York, South Finger Lakes, AMELIA JENKS BLOOMER's roots, women's rights and temperance advocate
Homer, New York, AMELIA JENKS BLOOMER's roots; Amelia Bloomer of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 – December 30, 1894) was an American women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associated with it because of her early and strong advocacy. In her work with The Lily, she became the first woman to own, operate and edit a newspaper for women. life Jenks was born in 1818 in Homer, New York, to Ananias Jenks and Lucy (Webb) Jenks. She came from a family of modest means and received only a few years of formal education in the local district school.[1] a brief time as a school teacher at the age of 17, she decided to relocate, and moved in with her newly married sister Elvira, then living in Waterloo. Within a year she had moved into the home of the Oren Chamberlain family in Seneca Falls to act as the live-in governess for their three youngest children.[2] April 15, 1840, when she was 22, she married law student Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. Bloomer supported her activism; he even gave up drinking as part of the Temperance Movement.[1] spent her early years in Cortland County, New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852.[3] activism 1848, Bloomer attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, though she did not sign the Declaration of Sentiments and subsequent resolutions, due to her deep connection with the Episcopal Church. This meeting would serve as her inspiration to start her newspaper. following year, she began editing the first newspaper by and for women, The Lily. Published biweekly from 1849 until 1853, the newspaper began as a temperance journal, but came to have a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, particularly when under the influence of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Bloomer felt that because women lecturers were considered unseemly, writing was the best way for women to work for reform. Originally, The Lily was to be for “home distributionâ€ among members of the Seneca Falls Ladies Temperance Society, which had formed in 1848, and eventually had a circulation of over 4,000. The paper encountered several obstacles early on, and the Society's enthusiasm died out. Bloomer felt a commitment to publish and assumed full responsibility for editing and publishing the paper. Originally, the title page had the legend “Published by a committee of ladies.â€ But after 1850 – only Bloomer's name appeared on the masthead.[4] This newspaper was a model for later periodicals focused on women's suffrage. described her experience as the first woman to own, operate and edit a news vehicle for women: was a needed instrument to spread abroad the truth of a new gospel to woman, and I could not withhold my hand to stay the work I had begun. I saw not the end from the beginning and dreamed where to my propositions to society would lead me. Suit of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her (a tunic + "pantelettes"). her publication, Bloomer promoted a change in dress standards for women that would be less restrictive in regular activities. costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance. 1851, New England temperance activist Elizabeth Smith Miller (aka Libby Miller) adopted what she considered a more rational costume: loose trousers gathered at the ankles, like women's trousers worn in the Middle East and Central Asia, topped by a short dress or skirt and vest.[5] The costume was worn publicly by actress Fanny Kemble.[citation needed] Miller displayed her new clothing to Stanton, her cousin, who found it sensible and becoming, and adopted it immediately. In this garb Stanton visited Bloomer, who began to wear the costume and promote it enthusiastically in her magazine.[citation needed] Articles on the clothing trend were picked up in The New York Tribune. More women wore the fashion which was promptly dubbed The Bloomer Costume or "Bloomers".[citation needed] However, the Bloomers were subjected to ceaseless ridicule in the press and harassment on the street.[citation needed] Bloomer herself dropped the fashion in 1859, saying that a new invention, the crinoline, was a sufficient reform that she could return to conventional dress.[citation needed] in 1851, Bloomer introduced the suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to each other.[6][7] 1854, when Bloomer and her husband decided to move to Council Bluffs, Iowa, Bloomer sold The Lily to Mary Birdsall in Richmond, Indiana. Birdsall and Dr. Mary F. Thomas kept the publication going at least through 1859.[1][8] remained a suffrage pioneer and writer throughout her life, writing for a wide array of periodicals. Although Bloomer was far less famous than some other feminists, she made many significant contributions to the women's movement — particularly concerning dress reform. Bloomer also led suffrage campaigns in Nebraska and Iowa and served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association from 1871 until 1873.[4] and burial died in 1894, at the age of 76, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa.[9][10]

Cortland County, New York, south of Finger Lakes, Emily Bloomer
Cortland County, New York, south of Finger Lakes, Emily Bloomer; Amelia Bloomer of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; April 15, 1840, when she was 22, she married law student Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. Bloomer supported her activism; he even gave up drinking as part of the Temperance Movement.[1] She spent her early years in Cortland County, New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852.[3]

Buffalo, New York (Erie Canal 11)
Buffalo, New York ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935) ; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796, Commemorated April 16 ;

Niagara Falls, Erie Canal, Western New York State
Western New York (Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls) ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830);

Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, NY (Erie Canal 11) 1889
Trinity Episcopal Church, Buffalo, NY; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

St. Paul's Cathedral (Buffalo, New York, Erie Canal 11) 1848
St. Paul's Cathedral (Buffalo, New York); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Bishopric and Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, Buffalo
Bishopric of Western New York, Episcopal Diocese of Western New York; St. Paul's Cathedral (Buffalo, New York); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Erie County, New York
Erie, NY, USA
Erie County, New York ;
New York
Erie

Ripley, New York (Lake Erie)
Ripley, New York; RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943;

Hudson River 7 (Mill Creek, Albany)

St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York) 1715
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York) 1715; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Diocese of New York, Episcopal (46,000 square miles and virtual wilderness west and north of Albany)
Diocese of New York, Episcopal (46,000 square miles and virtual wilderness west and north of Albany); JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830);

Hudson River 8 (Moordener Kill Creek)

Hudson River 9 (Coeymans Creek)

Hudson River 10 (Catskill Creek)

Hudson River 11 (Roeliff Jansen Kill Creek)

Hudson River 12 (Esopus Creek)

Hudson River 13 (Rondout Creek)

Kingston, New York (Hudson River 13, Sojourner Truth sold as a slave at 9, 1806, $100)
Kingston, New York (Hudson River 13, Sojourner Truth sold as a slave); Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Hardenbergh inherited his father's estate and continued to enslave people as a part of that estate's property.[7] Charles Hardenbergh died in 1806, nine-year-old Truth (known as Belle), was sold at an auction with a flock of sheep for $100 to John Neely, near Kingston, New York. Until that time, Truth spoke only Dutch,[8] and after learning English, she spoke it with a Dutch accent, not the stereotypical "Black slave" English.[9] She later described Neely as cruel and harsh, relating how he beat her daily and once even with a bundle of rods. In 1808 Neely sold her for $105 to tavern keeper Martinus Schryver of Port Ewen, New York, who owned her for 18 months.

Port Ewen, New York, (Hudson River 13, Sojourner Truth sold for $105, 1808)
Port Ewen, New York, (Hudson River 13, Sojourner Truth sold for $105, 1808); Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1808 Neely sold her for $105 to tavern keeper Martinus Schryver of Port Ewen, New York, who owned her for 18 months. Schryver then sold Truth in 1810 to John Dumont of West Park, New York.[10]

Swartekill, New York (Hudson River 13.7, birthplace of Sojourner Truth)
Swartekill, New York (birthplace of Sojourner Truth); Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man.

Hudson River 14 (Casper Creek, Poughkeepsie, Vassar College)

Poughkeepsie, NY (Hudson River 14)
Poughkeepsie; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Church of the Holy Comforter (Poughkeepsie, NY) 1860
Church of the Holy Comforter (Poughkeepsie, NY) 1860; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY (Hudson River 14) 1861
Vassar College; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ;

West Park, NY, Holy Cross Monastery (near Poughkeepsie, Hudson River 14) 1904
West Park, New York; Order of the Holy Cross Monastery, West Park; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20;

West Park, NY (Hudson River 14, Sojourner Truth sold to Durant, rape, jealous wife, boyfriend, 1815)
West Park, New York; Order of the Holy Cross Monastery, West Park; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; then sold Truth in 1810 to John Dumont of West Park, New York.[10] John Dumont raped her repeatedly, and considerable tension existed between Truth and Dumont's wife, Elizabeth Waring Dumont, who harassed her and made her life more difficult.[11] 1815, Truth met and fell in love with an enslaved man named Robert from a neighboring farm. Robert's owner (Charles Catton, Jr., a landscape painter) forbade their relationship; he did not want the people he enslaved to have children with people he was not enslaving, because he would not own the children. One day Robert sneaked over to see Truth. When Catton and his son found him, they savagely beat Robert until Dumont finally intervened. Truth never saw Robert again after that day and he died a few years later.[12] The experience haunted Truth throughout her life. Truth eventually married an older enslaved man named Thomas. She bore five children: James, her firstborn, who died in childhood, Diana (1815), the result of a rape by John Dumont, and Peter (1821), Elizabeth (1825), and Sophia (ca. 1826), all born after she and Thomas united.[13]

New Paltz, New York, (Hudson River 14, Sojourner Truth escapes with daughter, leaving children, 1826)
New Paltz, New York, (Hudson River 14, Sojourner Truth escapes with daughter, leaving children, 1826); Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1799, the State of New York began to legislate the abolition of slavery, although the process of emancipating those people enslaved in New York was not complete until July 4, 1827. Dumont had promised to grant Truth her freedom a year before the state emancipation, "if she would do well and be faithful". However, he changed his mind, claiming a hand injury had made her less productive. She was infuriated but continued working, spinning 100 pounds (45 kg) of wool, to satisfy her sense of obligation to him.[8] in 1826, Truth escaped to freedom with her infant daughter, Sophia. She had to leave her other children behind because they were not legally freed in the emancipation order until they had served as bound servants into their twenties. She later said, "I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right."[8] found her way to the home of Isaac and Maria Van Wagenen in New Paltz, who took her and her baby in. Isaac offered to buy her services for the remainder of the year (until the state's emancipation took effect), which Dumont accepted for $20. She lived there until the New York State Emancipation Act was approved a year later.[8][14]

Holy Cross Monastery, New York (West Park, Hudson River 14) 1904
Holy Cross Monastery (West Park, New York); JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; RALPH ADAMS CRAM, Architect, 1942, Commemorated December 16;

Pleasant Valley (town, near Poughkeepsie, NY, Hudson River 14)
Pleasant Valley (town), New York; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870);

Culinary Institute of America (Hudson River 14, near Poughkeepsie)
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, in Poughkeepsie, NY; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Hudson River 15 (Wappinger Creek)

Hudson River 16 (Quassaick Creek)

Hudson River 16 (Fishkill Creek)

Hudson River 16 (Moodna Creek)

St. Philip's Church in the Highlands, Garrison, NY (Hudson River 16.3) 1865
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands, Garrison, NY (Hudson River 16.3) 1865; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Hudson River 17 (Croton River)

New York State, Upstate, Hudson River 17, Croton River Folder

Croton River

Croton River 2

Croton River Source (Croton Falls Reservoir) Water for NYC

Brewster, NY (Croton River Source, Hudson River 17)
Brewster, NY ; Fanny Crosby early life and education; FANNY CROSBY, (FRANCES JANE VAN ALSTYNE CROSBY), HYMNWRITER, 1915, Commemorated February 11;

Croton River Mouth (Hudson River 17)

Hudson River 18 (Sparkill Creek)

Hudson River 19 (Saw Mill River, Yonkers)

New York State, Upstate, Genesee River Folder (Rocherster)

Genesee River Source (along the divide)

Twin Tiers Region (42nd Parallell Counties in New York and Pennsylvania)
Twin Tiers Region;

Twin Tiers - Southern Tier Counties New York State on 42nd Parallel
Southern Tier;

Twin Tiers - Northern Tier Counties (in Pennsylvania on 42nd Parallel)
Northern Tier; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

St Bonaventure University, NY, 1858 (Gennessee River Source, Alleghany River 3)
St Bonaventure University; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Genesee River Mouth (Rochester, NY, Lake Ontario)

Rochester Theological Seminary
Rochester Theological Seminary; Walter Rauschenbusch of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

Rochester, NY
Rochester, NY; Walter Rauschenbusch of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

Western New York (Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls)
Western New York (Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls) ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830);

New York State, Upstate, Susquehanna River Folder

Susquehanna River Source (Otsego Lake, Cooperstown, NY)

Susquehanna River West Branch

Susquehanna River West Branch Source (Carrolton, PA)

Susquehanna River West Branch Mouth (Susquehanna River 6)

Susquehanna River 1 (Oneonta, NY)

Susquehanna River 2 (Sidney, NY)

New York State, Upstate, Susquehanna River 2, Unadilla River Folder

Unadilla River Source (high point in Utica, NY Mohawk Valley)

Unadilla River 1 (Leonardsville)

Unadilla River 2 (New Berlin, NY)

Unadilla River 3 (Mt Upton)

Unadilla River Mouth (Susquehanna River 1, Sidney, NY)

Sussquehanna River 3 (Binghamton, NY)

Binghamton, New York (Chenango Mouth, Sussquehanna 3)
Binghamton, New York ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

New York State, Upstate, Sussquehanna River 3, Chenango River Folder

Chenango River Source

New Stockbridge, New York (Chenago River Source)
New Stockbridge, New York; Brothertown Indians; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Sussquehanna River 4 (Sayre, PA)

New York State, Upstate, Susquehanna River 4, Chemung River Folder

Chemung River Source (Painted Post, NY)

Chemung River Mouth (Susquehanna 4)

New York State, Upstate, Upper Delaware River

Delaware River East Branch

Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains;

Land of the Lenape (Delaware) People
Land of the Lenape (Delaware) People - Delaware River Valley ; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

Delaware River East Branch Source (Roxbury)

Livingston Manor, New York (Route 17)
Livingston Manor, New York (Route 17); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955 ;

Delaware River 1 (Cannonsville Reservoir, NY)

Delaware River 2 (Pepacton Reservoir, NY)

Delaware River 3 (Hancock)

Delaware River 4 (between South Canaan, PA and Livingston Manor, NY)

Delaware River 5 (Port Jervis)

Delaware River 5 (Kittatinny Ridge,5-Philadelphia is PA-DE border)
Kittatinny Ridge;

USA, New Mexico Folder

New Mexico, Rio Grande River Folder, Central NM

Rio Grande River Source (Canby Mountain, CO, Continental Divide)

Rio Grande River 1 (Conejos River Mouth, CO)

Rio Grande River 2 (Red River Mouth, NM)

New Mexico, Rio Grande River 4, Rio Pueblo de Taos Folder

Wheeler Peak, New Mexico (Taos Ski Valley)

Rio Pueblo de Taos River Source (Blue Lake, Taos Mountains)

New Mexico, Rio Pueblo de Taos 1, River Lucero Folder

River Lucero Mouth (Rio Pueblo de Taos 1, Taos)

Taos, New Mexico (Rio Pueblo de Taos 1)
Taos, New Mexico ;

Puebloan peoples (Taos)
Puebloan peoples ; Taos Pueblo ;

Martinez Hacienda
Martinez Hacienda ;

Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico (Rio Grande de Ranchos River)
Ranchos De Taos (Rio Grande de Ranchos River);

Rio Pueblo de Taos River Mouth (Rio Grande River 4)

Rio Grande River 5 (Embudo River Mouth, NM)

Rio Grande River 6 (Rio Chama River Mouth, NM)

Rio Grande River 7.5 (Albuquerque, NM)

Rio Grande River 8,5 (El Paso, TX)

Rio Grande River 9 (Forts Hancock and Quitman, TX)

New Mexico, Pecos River Folder, Eastern NM

Pecos River Source (Pecos Falls, NM)

Pecos River (Roswell, NM)

Pecos River (Pecos, TX)

New Mexico, San Juan River Folder, Northwestern NM

San Juan River Source (Wolf Pass, CO)

San Juan Mountains, Colorado
San Juan Mountains ;

San Juan River (Bluff, Utah)
Bluff, Utah ;

San Juan River Mouth (Colorado River 9, Lake Powell, CO)
San Juan River ;

New Mexico, San Juan River 1, Animas River Folder

Animas River Source (San Juan Mountains, Colorado)

Animas River Mouth (San Juan River 1, NM)

New Mexico, San Juan River 2, Chaco Wash Folder

Chaco Canyon, NM
Chaco Canyon ;

Chaco Wash (Chaco Canyon)
Chaco Wash

Puebloan peoples (Zuni)
Puebloan peoples ; Zuni Pueblo ;

Puebloan peoples (Acoma)
Puebloan peoples ; Acoma Pueblo ;

Chaco Wash Mouth (San Juan River 2)

New Mexico, Gila River Folder, Southwestern NM

Gila River Source (Black Range, NM)

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument;

Black Range

Gila River 1 (Stafford, Arizona)

Gila River 2 (Peridot, San Carlos Lake)

Gila River 3 (Tonto and Agua Rivers)

Gila River 4 (Phoenix, Arizona)

Gila River 5 (Gila Bend, Arizona)

Gila River Mouth (Colorado River)

New Mexico, Canadian River Folder, Northeastern NM

Canadian River Water Source (Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains)

Canadian River 1

Canadian River 2 (Raton, NM)

New Mexico, Canadian River 2.7, Vermejo River Folder

Canadian River 7 (Overview)

Vermejo River North Fork Source (foothills Sangre de Christo Mts)

Vermejo River Source (North Fork Vermejo River)

Vermejo River Mouth (Canadian River 2.7, near Maxwell)

Canadian River 3 (Cimarron River Mouth, Springer, NM)

New Mexico, Canadian River 3, Cimarron River Folder

Cimarron River (Canadian River) Source (Eagle Nest, NM, Sangre de Christo Mts)

Cimarron River Mouth (Springer, NM, Canadian River 3)

Canadian River 4 (Conchas Lake, NM)

Canadian River 5 (Logan, NM, and Ute Lake)

Canadian River 6 (Sanford, TX and Lake Merridith)

Canadian River 8 (Oklahoma City, OK)

Canadian River 9 (Eufaula, OK and Eufaula Lake)

Canadian River Mouth (Arkansas River 12)

USA, New Hampshire Folder, and its rivers

New Hampshire
New Hampshire, New Hampshire is West of the Connecticut River; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); PHILANDER CHASE; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ;

New Hampshire, Northern NH Folder, Connecticut River 1-11, Lake Champlain

Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, Connecticut River 11) 1769
Dartmouth College; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ;

New Hampshire, Southern NH Folder, Connecticut River 12-19

New Hampshire, Southern NH, Sugar River Folder, Connecticut River 13

Sugar River Source (Lake Sunapee)

Sugar River 1 (Newport)

Newport, New Hampshire (Sugar River 1)
Newport, New Hampshire; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ;

Sugar River Mouth (Connecticut River 13)

New Hampshire, Southern NH, Ashelot River Folder

Ashuelot River Source, Monadrock Mts

Keene, New Hampshire (Ashuelot River 1)
Keene, New Hampshire (Ashuelot River 1); JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965) ;

Ashuelot River Mouth (Connecticut River 19)

New Hampshire, Central NH, Merrimack River Folder (NH and MA)

Merrimack (Pemigewasset) River Source (Profile Lake)

Merrimack River Source (Haverhill, NH)

Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown, New Hampshire; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Phillips Academy, Andover, MA (near Merrimack River Mouth, NH)
Phillips Academy; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926;

Lawrence, MA (near New Hampshire on Merrimack River)
Lawrence, Massachusetts (Merrimack River); Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954);

Merrimack River Mouth (Scanturn Basin)

Lowell MA (Merrimack River)
Lowell MA (Merrimack River); WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ;

Byfield, MA, Adelynrood (near New Hampshire)
Adelynrood, Byfield, MA; Byfield, MA; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Christ Church, Exeter, NH
Christ Church, Exeter, NH; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ;

New Hampshire, Western New Hampshire, Connecticut River Folder

Connecticut River Source (Fourth Connecticut Lake, NH)

Connecticut River 1 (Connecticut Lakes)

Connecticut River 2 (Mohawk River, New Hampshire)

Connecticut River 2 (Simms Stream)

Connecticut River 3 (Upper Ammonoosuc River)

Connecticut River 4 (Israel River)

Connecticut River 5 (Johns River, NH)

Connecticut River 6 (Passumpsic River, Vermont)

Connecticut River 6 (Stevens River)

Connecticut River 7 (Ammonoosuc River)

Connecticut River 7 (Wells River)

Connecticut River 8 (Oliverian Brook)

Connecticut River 9 (Waits River)

Connecticut River 10 (Ompompanoosuc River)

Connecticut River 11 (Mink Brook, Dartmouth College)

Connecticut River 11 (Ottauquechee River)

Connecticut River 11 (White River, Hartford)

Connecticut River 11 (Mascoma River)

Connecticut River 12 (Blow-me-down Brook)

Connecticut River 13 (Sugar River)

Connecticut River 14 (Little Sugar River)

Connecticut River 15 (Black River)

Connecticut River 16 (Williams River)

Connecticut River 17 (Saxtons River)

Connecticut River 17 (Cold River)

Connecticut River 18 (Partridge Brook)

Connecticut River 19 (West River)

Connecticut River 20 (Millers River)

Connecticut River 20 (Deerfield River)

Connecticut River 21 (Manhan River at the Oxbow)

Connecticut River 22 (Springfield, MA)

Connecticut River 23 (Scantic River, CT)

Connecticut River 23 (Farmington River)

Connecticut River 24 (Park River, Hartford)

Connecticut River 24 (Hockanum River, East Hartford)

Connecticut River 25 (Mattabeseck River)

Connecticut River 26 (Salmon River)

Connecticut River 26 (Eightmile River)

Connecticut River Mouth (Long Island Sound)

USA, New Jersey Folder, and its rivers

New Jersey
State of New Jersey; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

New Jersey History Folder

New Jersey, 1783, Continental Congress 1783 (8th at Prospect House, Princeton, New Jersey)
Princeton, New Jersey; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New Jersey, 1783, Continental Congress 1783 (9th at Nassau Hall, Princeton University)
Nassau Hall of Princeton University; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New Jersey, 1784, Continental Congress 1784 (11th at French Arms Tavern, Trenton, New Jersey)
Trenton, New Jersey; French Arms Tavern; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

New Jersey, Passaic River Folder, North East NJ, NYC across the Hudson River

Passiac River Source (The Great Swamp)

Passaic River 1

Passaic River 2

Passaic River 3

Passaic River 4 (Wayne, NJ)

Passaic River 5 (Passaic, NJ)

Passaic, New Jersey (Passaic River 5)
Passaic, New Jersey; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Passaic River Mouth (Newark Bay of New York Harbor)

Grace Episcopal Church, Newark, NJ (Passaic River Mouth) 1837
Grace Episcopal Church, Newark; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Woodrow, Staten Island, NY, Ashbury's first sermon in the Colonies
Woodrow, Staten Island, Ashbury's first sermon in the Colonies; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770;

All Saint's Memorial Church (Navesink, New Jersey) 1864
All Saint's Memorial Church (Navesink, New Jersey) 1864; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

New Jersey, Princeton Folder, Central NJ, Half Way NYC and Philly

Princeton, NJ (half way between New York and Philadelphia)
Princeton, NJ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Princeton University, New Jersey, 1746
Princeton University; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; TOYOHIKO KAGAWA, RENEWER OF SOCIETY, 23 APRIL 1960; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, Trenton, Delaware River 7.5 Southwest of Princeton
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

Clinton, New Jersey
Clinton, New Jersey; ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATOR, 1906, Commemorated February 28;

New Jersey, Lower Delaware River Folder, South NJ, Philly across the river

Delaware River Source - West (Mohawk) Branch

Delaware River 6
Kittatinny Ridge;

Kittatinny Ridge
Kittatinny Ridge;

Delaware River 7 (Bethlehem, PA; Clinton, NJ)

Delaware River 8 (Trenton, Princeton)

St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey (Delaware River 8.3) 1702 and 1846
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Delaware River 9 (Philadelphia)

New Jersey, Lower Delaware River 9, South Jersey, Philidelphia

Camden, NJ (Across the River from Philidelphia)
Camden, NJ; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938;

Delaware River Mouth (Delaware Bay)

USA, North Carolina Folder, and its rivers

North Carolina
North Carolina ; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14;

North Carolina, Raleigh Durham Folder, Central NC

Durham, NC
Durham, NC ; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Raleigh, NC (on the fall line)
Raleigh, North Carolina, on the fall line between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14;

Christ Episcopal Church (Raleigh, North Carolina) 1848
Christ Episcopal Church (Raleigh, North Carolina) ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Chapel of the Cross (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) first Woman Episcopal Sermon, 1977
Chapel of the Cross (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) first Woman Episcopal Sermon, 1977; year she celebrated her first Eucharist by invitation and preached her first sermon at Chapel of the Cross. That was the first time a woman celebrated the Eucharist at an Episcopal church in North Carolina. PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985); inspired by her connections with other women in the Episcopal Church, Murray, then more than sixty years old, left Brandeis to attend the seminary.[29] She was ordained to the diaconate in 1976[61] and, after three years of study, in 1977 she became the first African-American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest and was among the first generation of Episcopal women priests.[17] That year she celebrated her first Eucharist by invitation and preached her first sermon at Chapel of the Cross. That was the first time a woman celebrated the Eucharist at an Episcopal church in North Carolina.[15] In 1978, she preached in her home town of Durham, North Carolina, on Mother's Day at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, where her mother and grandparents had attended in the 19th century. She announced her mission of reconciliation.[15] For the next seven years, Murray worked in a parish in Washington, DC, focusing particularly on ministry to the sick.[29] has been said that Murray had just two significant romantic relationships in her life, both with white women. The first, in 1934, was brief. The second was with Irene Barlow, whom she met at Paul, Weiss. This relationship lasted nearly a quarter of a century. Irene has been described by Murray's biographer as Pauli's "life partner," even while the pair never lived in the same house and only occasionally lived in the same city. Due to Murray destroying Barlow's letters, a lot of the story is unknowable. However, while Barlow does not make an appearance in Murray's memoir, in 1973, when Barlow was dying of a brain tumor, she describes Pauli as "my closest friend."[62]

St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute, Raleigh, NC, 1867
St. Augustine Normal School and Collegiate Institute; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; Henry Beard Delany of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14;

Goldsboro River Mouth (New Bern)

Rocky Mount Greenville River (Tar River)

Rocky Mount River Mouth (Greenville, NC)

North Carolina, Pee Dee and Cape Fear Rivers Folder, Southeast NC

Yadkin River Source (along the border)

Yadkin River Mouth (Pee Dee River Source)

Uwharrie River Source (High Point, NC)

Cape Fear River Source (along the border)

Cape Fear River 1 (Winston-Salem)

Winston-Salem, NC (Cape Fear River 1)
Winston-Salem, NC (Cape Fear River 1);

Salem, Old Salem, NC, Moravian Community
Salem, Old Salem, NC, Moravian Community; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

St Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston Salem, NC 1929
St Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston Salem, NC 1929; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Deep River Source (High Point, NC)

Fort Bragg, NC

Pope AFB, Fayetville, NC

Cape Fear River Mouth (Wilmington, NC)

North Carolina, Ashville, Charlotte and Gastonia Folder, Southwest NC

North Carolina, Roanoke River Folder, Northeastern NC

Roanoke River Source (Confluence of North and South forks)

Warrenton, North Carolina (Virginia Border, Roanoke River)
Warrenton, North Carolina ; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., August 3rd;

Roanoke River Mouth (Albemarle Sound)

Roanoke River Mouth (Pamilico Sound)

Chowan River Mouth (Albemarle Sound)

Chowan River Source, Fall Line, VA

USA, Nebraska Folder

Nebraska
Nebraska; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Nebraska History Folder

Nebraska, 1897-1958, F. F. Bosworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24
Nebraska, 1897-1958, F. F. Bosworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

Nebraska, Niobrara River Folder, Northern NB

Niobrara River Source (High Plains, Niobrara County, WY)

Niobrara River 1 (Lusk, WY)

Niobrara River 2 (Agate Fossil Beds)
Agate Fossil Beds;

Niobrara River 3

Niobrara River 4 (Marsland, NB)

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Pine Ridge NB, Badlands, SD, Niobrara River and Cheyanne River
Pine Ridge Ogala Sioux Indian Reservation; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Sandhills of Nebraska
Sandhills of Nebraska;

Snake River Mouth (Niobrara River 5)

Niobrara River 5 (Valentine, NB)

Keya Paha River Mouth (Niobrara River 6)

Niobrara River 6 (Keya Paha River)

Niobrara River Mouth (Niobrara Reservation, Missouri River 18)

Niobrara Reservation, Nebraska (Niobara River)
Niobrara Reservation; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Yankton Tribe, Nakota Sioux (SD and NB, Niobrara River, Missouri River 19)
Yankton Nakota Sioux ; Yankton, SD; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909;

Nebraska, Missouri River Folder, Eastern NB, Omaha

Missouri River 18 (Niobrara River, NB)

Missouri River 19 (NB, Yankton, James (Dakota) River)

Missouri River 20 (NB, Sioux City, IA)

Missouri River 21 (Omaha, NB, Platte River)

Missouri River 22 (KS, St Joseph, MO)

Nebraska, Platte River Folder, Central NB

Platte River Source (North Platte)

Platte River 1 (Fort Kearny, NB)

St Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Hastings, NE (Platte River 1.5) 1922
St Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Hastings, NE; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Platte River 2 (Grand Island, NB)

Platte River 3 (Columbus, NB)

Platte River 4 (North Bend, NB)

Platte River 5 (Fremont, NB)

Platte River 6 (Omaha, NB)

Platte River Mouth (Council Bluffs, Iowa, Missouri River 21)

North Platte River Source (Jackson Co., CO, Continental Divide)

North Platte River 1 (Walden, CO)

North Platte River 2 (North Park (Colorado basin))
North Park (Colorado basin);

North Platte River 3 (Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest)
Medicine Bow Routt National Forest;

North Platte River 4 (Casper, WY)

North Platte River 5 (Laramie, WY)

North Platte River 6 (Scottsbluff, NB)

North Platte River 7 (Ash Hollow Cave)

Mosquito Range
Mosquito Range;

Front Range
Front Range ;

Colorado Front Range - From Fort Collins to the South
Colorado Front Range; The Colorado Front Range communities include (in a roughly north-to-south order): Fort Collins Greeley Loveland Longmont Boulder Golden Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area Castle Rock Colorado Springs Pueblo

Colorado Eastern Plains, Denver Basin (Julesburg, CO)
Colorado Eastern Plains Denver Basin; High Plains Great Plains

South Platte River 17 (Big Springs, NB)

South Platte River Mouth (Platte River Source, North Platte, NB)

Nebraska, Republican and Blue Rivers Folder, Southern NB

Republican River 2nd Source

Republican River Source (Dundy County, NB)

Big Blue River Source (Aurora, NB)

Little Blue River Source (just south of Minden)

Little Blue River 1 (Hebron, NB)

Little Blue River 2 (Fairbury, NB)

Little Blue River 3 (Hanover, NB)

Little Blue River Mouth (Big Blue River, Blue Rapids, KS)

Nebraska, Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder (1804-06)

Kansas City, Kansas (Kansas River Mouth, Missouri River 23)

Nebraska, Santa Fe Trail Folder (MO, KS, OK, NM, & Mexico)

Nebraska, Oregon Trail, Kansas City, Topeka to Little Blue Mouth on Big Blue

Nebraska, Great Plains and High Plains Folder

Great Plains (CO, KS, MT, NB, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX, and WY + ALB, MAN & SAS)
Great Plains;

High Plains (Great Plains)
High Plains;

USA, Wyoming Folder, its rivers and mountains

Wyoming
Wyoming; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Dakota Territory, 1861-1889 (ND, SD, MT and Northern Wyoming)
Dakota Territory (1861-1889); WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ;

Wyoming, Green River Folder, Western WY

Green River Source (Windriver Mountains, Wyoming)
Green River; Windriver Mountains;

Green River - Bridger-Teton National Forest
Bridger-Teton National Forest; Windriver Mountains; Green River;

Green River 1 (Upper Green River Rendezvous Site, Daniel, WY)
Upper Green River Rendezvous Site;

Green River 2 (Wardell Buffalo Trap, Big Piney, WY)
Green River 2 (Wardell Buffalo Trap, Big Piney, WY);

Green River 3 (La Barge, WY)

Green River 4 (Big Sandy River Mouth, WY)

Wyoming, Green River 4, Big Sandy River Folder

Big Sandy Creek

Big Sandy Creek Source (Bridger Wilderness)
Big Sandy Creek Bridger Wilderness;

Big Sandy Creek 1

Big Sandy Creek 2 (Big Sandy Reservoir)

Big Sandy Creek 3 (Farson, WY)

Big Sandy Creek Mouth (Green River 4)

Green River 5 (Blacks Fork River Mouth, WY)

Green River 6 (around the Uinta Mountains)
Uinta Mountains; Green River;

Green River 6 (Browns Park, Utah)
Browns Park on the Green River;

Green River 6 (Gates of Lodore, CO)
Gates of Lodore;

Green River 7 (Steamboat Rock, Yampa River Mouth, CO)
Steamboat Rock, Yampa River Mouth;

Green River 8 (Duchesne River Mouth, Utah)

Green River 8 (White River Mouth, Utah)

Green River 9 (Desolation Canyon, Utah)
Desolation Canyon;

Green River (Green River, UT, Canyonlands National Park)
Canyonlands National Park;

Green River (mostly on the Colorado Plateau)
Colorado Plateau;

Green River Mouth (Colorado River, Colorado Plateau, Utah)

Wyoming, Snake River Folder, Northwest WY, Jackson Hole

Wyoming, Snake River 3, Hoback River Folder

Hoback River 1

Wyoming, Snake River 4, Greys River Folder

Greys River 1

Greys River Mouth (Snake River 4)

Snake River 14 (Blue Mountains)
Blue Mountains;

Snake River 14 (Salmon River Mountains)
Salmon River Mountains;

Snake River 15 (Salmon River Mouth, Hells Canyon Midpoint)

Wyoming, Yellowstone River Source and 1-4 Folder, Northwest WY

Yellostone River Source (Younts Peak, Absaroka Range)

Yellowstone River 1 (Yellowstone Lake)

Yellowstone River 2 (Yellowstone Falls)

Yellowstone River 3 (Grand Canyon)

Yellowstone River 9 (Tongue River)

Yellowstone River Mouth (Williston, SD, Missouri River 10)

Wyoming, Yellowstone River 8, Big Horn River Folder, Windriver Mountains, Northcentral WY

Big Horn River 1 (Windriver Mountains)

Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming (Bighorn River 1) 1868
Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming; Eastern Shoshone; Northern Arapaho; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25;

Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School (Bighorn River 1) 1889
Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25;

Arapaho, Northern Arapaho people (Big Horn River 1)
Northern Arapaho people; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25;

Shoshone, Eastern Shoshone (Big Horn River 1)
Eastern Shoshone ; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25;

Fort Washakie Indian Boarding School (Bighorn River 1) 1883
Washakie; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25;

Custer's Battle of the Little Big Horn
Custer's Battle of the Little Big Horn;

Little Big Horn River

Wyoming, Yellowstone River 9, Tongue River Folder, Northcentral WY

Tongue River 1 (Goose Creek Mouth)

Tongue River Mouth (Yellowstone River 9)

Wyoming, Yellowstone River 9, Tongue River1, Goose Creek Folder, Northcentral WY

Goose Creek Source, Bozeman Trail, Sheridan County, Wyoming

Goose Creek Mouth (Tongue River 1)

Wyoming, Yellowstone River 10, Powder River Folder, Central to Northeast WY

Cheyanne Land - Powder River Country (WY & MT)
Cheyanne Land - Powder River Country; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17;

Crazy Woman's Creek

Crazy Woman Creek - Powder River, Wyoming
Crazy Woman Creek ; Crazy Woman's Fork ; Powder River Expedition (1865) ;

Powder River 2 (Montana, Little Powder River Mouth)

Powder River Mouth (Yellowstone River 10)

Wyoming, Bozeman Trail Folder, Central WY

Bozeman Trail - Fort Laramie, Wyoming (Platte River)
Fort Laramie, Wyoming;

Big Horn Mountains (WY and MT)
Big Horn Mountains;

Wyoming, Black Hills Cheyanne River Folder, Northeast WY

Wyoming, Black's Fork River Folder, Southwest WY

Blacks Fork (of Green River) Source (Uinta Mountains)
Uinta Mountains; Green River;

Blacks Fork River 1

Blacks Fork River 2 (Fort Bridger and Lyman, WY)

Blacks Fork River 3

Blacks Fork River 4 (Granger, WY)

Blacks Fork River 5

Blacks Fork River Mouth (Green River 5)

Wyoming, Oregon Trail Folder, South Central WY

Oregon Trail 7 - South Pass, Sweetwater River Valley 3

Oregon Trail, Big Sandy Creek, Farson, WY

Oregon Trail (Fort Bridger, WY)
Oregon Trail (Fort Bridger);

Oregon Trail (Fort Hall, ID)
Oregon Trail (Fort Hall);

Wyoming, North Platte River Folder, Southeast WY

North Platte River 3 (Medicine Bow, Routt National Forest)
Medicine Bow, Routt National Forest;

Wyoming, Southeastern WY, North Platte River 4, Medicine Bow River

Medicine Bow River Source (Battle Pass, WY)

Medicine Bow River 1 (Medicine Bow, WY)

Medicine Bow River Mouth (Seminoe Reservoir, North Paltte River 4)

Wyoming, Southeastern WY, North Platte River 4, Sweetwater River Folder

Sweetwater River Source (Windriver Mountains)

Sweetwater River Mouth (North Platte River 4, Casper, WY)

Wyoming, Southeastern WY, North Platte River 5, Laramie River Folder

Laramie River Source (along the divide, Colorado)

Laramie River Mouth (Laramie, Wy, North Palatte River 5)

Wyoming, City of Cheyenne Folder, Southeast WY, Cow Creek on the Goodnight Trail

Crow Creek Mouth (Greely, Colorado, South Platte River 12)

Wyoming, Santa Fe Trail Northern Route Folder, Southeast WY

USA, Washington State, Western and Central Washington

Washington, Territory of Washington
Territory of Washington ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Green River Folder

Green River Source, Cascades near Mt Ranier

Green River, Mount Ranier

Green River 1, Eagle Gorge, WA
Eagle Gorge, WA

Green River, Kanaskat-Palmer State Park

Green River, Franklin Ghost Town, Black Diamond, WA
Franklin Ghost Town, Black Diamond, WA

Green River, Nolte State Park

Green River, Flaming Geyser State Park

Green River, Covington, WA

Green River, Soos Creek

Green River Mouth (Duwamish River)
Green River (Duwamish River tributary)

Cedar River Folder

Cedar River Source, Cascades

Cedar River 1, Chester Morse Lake

Cedar River 2, Cedar Falls, WA, Historic Hydro electric plant

Cedar River 3, Maple Valley

Cedar River Mouth, Renton, Lake Washington

Washington, Central and Soutwestern Washington, Columbia River Folder

Columbia River 16 (Pend O'reille River Mouth)

Columbia River 20 (Spokane River Mouth)

Washington, Columbia River 22, Okanogan River Folder, Kewlona, BC, Brewster, WA

Okanogan River Mouth (Columbia River)

Washington, Columbia River 23, Wenatchee River Folder

Wenatchee River Source, Lake Wenatchee

Wenatchee River Mouth (Columbia River)

Washington, Columbia River 28, Yakima River Folder

Yakima River Mouth (Columbia River 28)

Columbia River 30 (Snake River mouth, Pasco, WA)

Washington, Columbia River 34, Cowlitz River Folder

Cowlitz River Mouth (Longview, Columbia River 34)

Columbia River Mouth (Pacific Ocean)

Washington, Northwestern Washington, Skagit River Folder, Ross Dam, Mt Vernon

Washington, Western Washington, Puget Sound and Olympic Penninsula Folder

Washington, Western Washingtno, Puget Sound, Snohomish River Folder

Snohomish River Source, Monroe, WA, Skykomish River Snoqualmie River Confluence

Washington, Western Washington, Snohomish River 1, Pilchuck River Folder

Pilchuck River Source, Spada Lake

Pilchuck River Mouth (Snohomish 1, Snohomish)

Washington, Western Washington, Snohomish River Source, Skykomish River Folder

Skykomish River Source, North and South Fork Confluence

Sultan, WA

Gold Bar, WA

Washington, Western Washington, Snohomish River Source, Snoqualmie River Folder

Duvall, WA

Carnation, WA

Fall City, WA

North Bend

Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie River Sourth, North Fork and Middle Fork Confluence

Washington, Western Washington, Puget Sound, Puyallup River Folder

USA, Virginia Folder, and its rivers

Virginia
Virginia ; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); JAMES CHISHOLM, PRIEST, 15 Sept. 1855 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

Virginia, 1859, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America (Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. and family Cady Stanton and her daughter, Harriot a young woman, Stanton traveled often to the home of her cousin, Gerrit Smith, who also lived in upstate New York. His views were very different from those of her conservative father. was an abolitionist and a member of the "Secret Six," a group of men who financed John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an armed uprising of enslaved African Americans.[11] At Smith's home, she met Henry Brewster Stanton, a prominent abolitionist agent. her father's reservations, the couple married in 1840, omitting the word "obey" from the marriage ceremony. Stanton later wrote, "I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I was entering into an equal relation."[12] uncommon, this practice was not unheard of; Quakers had been omitting "obey" from the marriage ceremony for some time.[13] took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but not Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. after returning from their European honeymoon, the Stantons moved into the Cady household in Johnstown. Henry Stanton studied law under his father-in-law until 1843, when the Stantons moved to Boston (Chelsea), Massachusetts, where Henry joined a law firm. While living in Boston, Elizabeth enjoyed the social, political, and intellectual stimulation that came with a constant round of abolitionist gatherings. Here, she was influenced by such people as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Ralph Waldo Emerson.[14] In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. Their house, which is now a part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park, was purchased for them by Elizabeth's father.[15] Stanton house in Seneca Falls couple had seven children. At that time, child-bearing was considered to be a subject that should be handled with great delicacy. Stanton took a different approach, raising a flag in front of her house after giving birth, a red flag for a boy and a white one for a girl.[16] One of her daughters, Harriot Stanton Blatch, became, like her mother, a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Because of the spacing of their children's births, one historian has concluded that the Stantons must have used birth control methods. Stanton herself said her children were conceived by what she called "voluntary motherhood." In an era when it was commonly held that a wife must submit to her husband's sexual demands, Stanton believed that women should have command over their sexual relationships and childbearing.[17] She also said, however, that "a healthy woman has as much passion as a man."[18] encouraged both her sons and daughters to pursue a broad range of interests, activities, and learning.[19] She was remembered by her daughter Margaret as being "cheerful, sunny and indulgent."[20] She enjoyed motherhood and running a large household, but she found herself unsatisfied and even depressed by the lack of intellectual companionship and stimulation in Seneca Falls.[21] the 1850s, Henry's work as a lawyer and politician kept him away from home for nearly 10 months out of every year. This frustrated Elizabeth when the children were small, because it made it difficult for her to travel.[22] The pattern continued in later years, with husband and wife living apart more often than together, maintaining separate households for several years. Their marriage, which lasted 47 years, ended with Henry Stanton's death in 1887.[23] Henry and Elizabeth were staunch abolitionists, but Henry, like Elizabeth's father, disagreed with the idea of female suffrage.[24] One biographer described Henry as, "at best a halfhearted 'women's rights man.'"[25]

Virginia, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, direct evangelism, woman to w, china missionary 40 years, Chinese culture and clothes helped
Virginia, 1860-1912, LOTTIE MOON, Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia (Rivanna River 1), direct evangelism, woman to woman, southern slave plantation, master of Arts 1861, china missionary 40 years 1873-1912, taking on Chinese culture and clothes helped; Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virgini; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; Digges "Lottie" Moon (December 12, 1840 – December 24 , 1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years (1873-1912) helping the Chinese. As a teacher and evangelist she laid a foundation for traditionally solid support for missions among Baptists in America. was born to affluent parents who were staunch Baptists, on the family's ancestral fifteen-hundred-acre slave-labor tobacco plantation called Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Moon family valued education, and at age fourteen Lottie went to school at the Baptist-affiliated Virginia Female Seminary (high school, later Hollins Institute) and Albemarle Female Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. 1861 Moon received one of the first Master of Arts degrees awarded to a woman by a southern institution. underwent a spiritual awakening at the age of 18, after a series of revival meetings on the college campus. On July 7, 1873, the Foreign Mission Board officially appointed Lottie as a missionary to China. joined her sister Edmonia at the North China Mission Station in the treaty port of Dengzhou, and began her ministry by teaching in a girls school. (Edmonia had to return home a short time later for health reasons.) accompanying some of the seasoned missionary wives on “country visits” to outlying villages, Lottie discovered her passion: direct evangelism. mission work at that time was done by married men, but the wives of China missionaries Tarleton Perry Crawford and Landrum Holmes had discovered an important reality: women could reach Chinese women. Lottie soon became frustrated, convinced that her talent was being wasted and could be better put to use in evangelism and church planting. Lottie wrote: we wonder at the mortal weariness and disgust, the sense of wasted powers and the conviction that her life is a failure, that comes over a woman when, instead of the ever broadening activities that she had planned, she finds herself tied down to the petty work of teaching a few girls? in a family “of culture and means,” Lottie at first thought of the Chinese as an inferior people, and insisted on wearing American clothes to maintain a degree of distance from the “heathen” people. gradually she came to realize that the more she shed her westernized trappings and identified with the Chinese people, the more their simple curiosity about foreigners (and sometimes rejection) turned into genuine interest in the Gospel. began wearing Chinese clothes, adopted Chinese customs, learned to be sensitive to Chinese culture, and came to respect and admire Chinese culture and learning. In turn she gained love and respect from many Chinese people. Moon has come to personify the missionary spirit for Southern Baptists and many other Christians, as well. The annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Missions has raised a total of $1.5 billion for missions since 1888, and finances half the entire Southern Baptist missions budget every year. more from Wikipedia

Virginia, Eastern Divide Folder, Eastern VA

Eastern Divide 20 Eastern Virginia

Eastern Divide 21 Eastern Virginia

Eastern Divide 22 Eastern Virginia

Virginia, Patomac River Folder, Northern VA

Potomac River Source, WV (Fairfax Stone, North Branch Source)
Fairfax Stone

Potomac River 1 (Mechanicsville, VA)

Virginia, Potomac River 1, Shenandoah River Folder

Shenandoah River Source (Front Royal, Virginia)

Shenandoah River Mouth (Potomac River 1, Harpers Ferry, MD)

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (Shenandoah River Mouth, Potomac River 1) John Brown, Harriet Tubman, E Cady Stanton
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Harriet Ross Tubman of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1849, Tubman escaped to Philadelphia, only to return to Maryland to rescue her family soon after. Slowly, one group at a time, she brought relatives with her out of the state, and eventually guided dozens of other enslaved people to freedom. Traveling by night and in extreme secrecy, Tubman (or "Moses", as she was called) "never lost a passenger".[3] After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into British North America (Canada), and helped newly freed enslaved people find work. Tubman met John Brown in 1858, and helped him plan and recruit supporters for his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. and family Cady Stanton and her daughter, Harriot a young woman, Stanton traveled often to the home of her cousin, Gerrit Smith, who also lived in upstate New York. His views were very different from those of her conservative father. was an abolitionist and a member of the "Secret Six," a group of men who financed John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an armed uprising of enslaved African Americans.[11] At Smith's home, she met Henry Brewster Stanton, a prominent abolitionist agent. her father's reservations, the couple married in 1840, omitting the word "obey" from the marriage ceremony. Stanton later wrote, "I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I was entering into an equal relation."[12] uncommon, this practice was not unheard of; Quakers had been omitting "obey" from the marriage ceremony for some time.[13] took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but not Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. after returning from their European honeymoon, the Stantons moved into the Cady household in Johnstown. Henry Stanton studied law under his father-in-law until 1843, when the Stantons moved to Boston (Chelsea), Massachusetts, where Henry joined a law firm. While living in Boston, Elizabeth enjoyed the social, political, and intellectual stimulation that came with a constant round of abolitionist gatherings. Here, she was influenced by such people as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Ralph Waldo Emerson.[14] In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. Their house, which is now a part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park, was purchased for them by Elizabeth's father.[15] Stanton house in Seneca Falls couple had seven children. At that time, child-bearing was considered to be a subject that should be handled with great delicacy. Stanton took a different approach, raising a flag in front of her house after giving birth, a red flag for a boy and a white one for a girl.[16] One of her daughters, Harriot Stanton Blatch, became, like her mother, a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Because of the spacing of their children's births, one historian has concluded that the Stantons must have used birth control methods. Stanton herself said her children were conceived by what she called "voluntary motherhood." In an era when it was commonly held that a wife must submit to her husband's sexual demands, Stanton believed that women should have command over their sexual relationships and childbearing.[17] She also said, however, that "a healthy woman has as much passion as a man."[18] encouraged both her sons and daughters to pursue a broad range of interests, activities, and learning.[19] She was remembered by her daughter Margaret as being "cheerful, sunny and indulgent."[20] She enjoyed motherhood and running a large household, but she found herself unsatisfied and even depressed by the lack of intellectual companionship and stimulation in Seneca Falls.[21] the 1850s, Henry's work as a lawyer and politician kept him away from home for nearly 10 months out of every year. This frustrated Elizabeth when the children were small, because it made it difficult for her to travel.[22] The pattern continued in later years, with husband and wife living apart more often than together, maintaining separate households for several years. Their marriage, which lasted 47 years, ended with Henry Stanton's death in 1887.[23] Henry and Elizabeth were staunch abolitionists, but Henry, like Elizabeth's father, disagreed with the idea of female suffrage.[24] One biographer described Henry as, "at best a halfhearted 'women's rights man.'"[25]

Virginia, Potomac River 1, Shenandoah River, North Fork Folder

Shenandoah River North Fork

Shenandoah River North Fork Source (Shenandoah Mountain)

Shenandoah Mountain
Shenandoah Mountain;

Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians

Shenandoah River North Fork 1 (Shenandoah Valley)

Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley;

Land of the 17th Century Shawnee (Shenandoah Valley)
Shawnee; Shenandoah Valley;

Shenandoah River North Fork Mouth (Shenandoah River Source)

Virginia, Potomac River 1, Shenandoah River, North River Folder

Shenandoah River North River (South Fork Shenandoah River)

Shenandoah River North River Source (South Fork, Below Dyers Knob)

Shenandoah River North River 1 (Bridgewater, VA)

Shenandoah River North River 2 (Middle River Mouth, Grottoes, VA)

Middle River (South Fork Shenandoah Rivier)

Shennandoah River North River Mouth, Shennandoah River Source

Virginia, Potomac River 1, Shenandoah River, South Fork Folder

Shenandoah River South Fork

Shenandoah River South Fork Source (Fort Republic)

Shenandoah River South Fork 1, Page Valley
Page Valley;

Virginia, Potomac River 1, Shenandoah River, South River Folder

South River (South Fork Shenandoah River)

South River Source (South Fork Shenandoah River, Staunton, VA)

Potomac River 2 (Arlington, VA)

Virginia Theological Seminary, near Washington, DC
Virginia Theological Seminary; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ;

Saint Stephen's Normal and Industrial School, near Washington, DC, 1884 (merged into VTS)
Virginia Theological Seminary; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ;

Virginia, James River Folder, Central VA

James River Source (Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers, Appalacian Mountains near Iron Gate)

Virginia, James River Source, Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers Folder

Jackson River Source (Eastern Divide 21)

Jackson River Mouth (James River Source)

Cowpasture River Source (along the border)

Cowpasture River Mouth, James River Source

Bullpasture River Source (along the border)

Bullpasture River Mouth (Cowpasture River 1)

James River 1 (Buchanan, Roanoke and Lexington)

Virginia, James River 1, Maury River Folder, Lexington

Maury River Source (Calfpasture and Little Calfpasture Rivers Confluence)

Calfpasture River Source (Gordon's Peak)

Calfpasture River 1 (Goshen, VA)

Maury River 1 (Lexington, Virginia)
Lexington, Virginia (Maury River) ; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Lexington Virginia (Maury River 1)
Lexington, Virginia (Maury River) ; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Maury River Mouth (James River 1)

James River 2 (Lynchburg)

James River 3 (Scottsville)

James River 4 (Rivanna River, Columbia)

Virginia, James River 4, Rivanna River Folder, Charlottesville

Rivanna River Source, Blue Ridge Mts

Rivanna River 1 (Charlottesville)

Charlottesville, VA (Rivanna River 1)
Charlottesville, VA ; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

University of Virginia in Charlottesville, 1819
University of Virginia in Charlottesville; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918);

Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virginia (Rivanna River 1)
Viewmont, in Albemarle County, Virgini; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

Rivanna River 2 (Lake Monticello and Palmyra)

Rivanna River Mouth (James River 3,5)

James River 5 (Richmond)

Richmond, Virginia (James River 5)
Richmond, Virginia; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ;

American South
Amerian South; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

James River 5 (Warwick and Richmond)

James River 6 (Appomattox River, Bermuda Hundred)

Virginia, James River 6, Appomattox River Folder

Appomattox River Source (Appomattox)

Appomattox River 1 (Farmville)

Appomattox River 2 (Sutherland and Petersburg)

St. Stephen'™s Episcopal Church for Negroes in Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940;

Lawrenceville, Virginia and St Pauls College
Lawrenceville, Virginia; Saint Paul's College (Virginia); ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, DEACONESS AND TEACHER, 24 SEPT. 1947, Commemorated September 24; Ellison Butler Alexander (circa 1865 – September 24, 1947) was the first and only African-American consecrated a Deaconess in the Episcopal Church. She served in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia during her entire career Alexander was born in 1865 to recently-emancipated slaves on the Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia. Her father had been taught to read by the English actress Fanny Kemble (who later wrote an influential book condemning slave life there). Perhaps this encouraged Anna interest in education. Alexander family soon moved to Pennick, Georgia, just outside Brunswick, to take advantage of land south of the Altamaha River previously held by poor whites. Her father became a carpenter-builder and a community leader. first taught at the public school in Pennick. Later, she moved to Darien, Georgia, where her sister Mary founded a school affiliated with St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, and all three sisters taught. In 1894, with the cooperation of the Brunswick priest, Anna founded a mission in Pennick, while still teaching at Darien during the week, making a 40 mile round trip by boat and foot. The mission faltered when Anna accepted a position at St. Paul's Normal and Industrial School (as well as enrolled in the new teachers college there) in Lawrenceville, Virginia. In 1897, she returned to Pennick and revitalized the mission. The congregation was renamed Church of the Good Shepherd, and Alexander also started a school. She supported herself by taking in sewing, and managed to buy property in 1902, where her brother Charles Alexander and other men then erected a church. 1907, bishop Cleland Kinloch Nelson addressed the second annual meeting of the diocese's council of colored churchmen, held at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and consecrated Anna as a deaconess. She became the first and only African-American deaconess. She worked in the Altamaha River area for the rest of her life, teaching not only academic subjects, but also moral values. diocese of Georgia split in 1907 and Nelson chose to associate with the new Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. His successor in the Diocese of Georgia, Frederick Focke Reese, excluded African-Americans from church government in the diocese, and extended almost no diocesan financial support to African-Americans. This forced Alexander and others to make do, as well as seek support from outside the diocese, including from the Episcopal Board of Missions. During the bad crop years of the late 1920s through the Great Depression, Alexander continued to work in her hardscrabble community, whose members built the current wooden church building in 1928. died on September 24, 1947 and was buried at the cemetery at Camp Reese, a diocesan camp on St. Simons where she had worked. In 2004, she was reinterred at Good Shepherd Church in Pennick, which she had founded and where she had worked for many years.

Petersburg, Virginia (Appomattox River 2)
Petersburg, Virginia; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 3 August 1940;

Appomattox River Mouth (James River 6)

James River 6 (City Point)

James River 7 (Claremont)

Virginia, James River 7, Chickahoominy River Folder, Jamestown

Chickahominy River Source (15 miles (24 km) northwest of Richmond)

Chickahominy River Mouth (James River 7)

Jamestown, Virginia (James River 7)
Jamestown, Virginia ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

colony of Virginia
colony of Virginia; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Virginia Company (London Company, Plymouth Company)
Virginia Company including: London Company and Plymouth Company. NICHOLAS FERRAR ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608;

British North American colonies
British North American colonies; GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelist, 1770; FRANCIS ASBURY, Evangelist, 1816 ;

New World
New World; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

James River 8 (Smithfield)

Virginia, James River 8, Pagan River Folder

Pagan River Mouth (James River 8)

Virginia, James River 8, Nansemond River Folder

Lake Meade

Nansemond River Mouth (James River 8)

Warwick River Mouth (James River 8)

James River Mouth (Hampton Roads Harbor, Chesapeake Bay)

Chesapeake Bay, Virginia and Maryland
Chesapeake Bay; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

Cape Henry, Virginia
Cape Henry; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

Norfolk, VA (James River Mouth, Chessapeak Bay Bridge)
Norfolk, VA; GEORGE FREEMAN BRAGG, Jr., PRIEST, 1940, Commemorated August 3;

Virginia, James River Mouth, Elizabeth River Folder

Elizabeth River Mouth (Hampton Roads Harbor)

Portsmouth, Virginia (Elizabeth River Mouth, Harbor of Hampton Roads)
Portsmouth, Virginia; JAMES CHISHOLM, PRIEST, 15 Sept. 1855 ;

Virginia, Roanoke River Folder, Southern VA

Roanoke River Source (Eastern Divide 20, near Roanoke)

Virginia Female Seminary (Roanoke, Roanoke River 1)
Virginia Female Seminary (high school, later Hollins Institute); LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

Roanoke River Mouth (Palmlico Sound, NC)

USA, Hawaii Folder

Hawaii History Folder

Hawaii, 1855-1898, Christian Kingdom of Hawaii

Hawaii, 1855-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV
Hawaii, 1855-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Hawaii, 1855-1885, Hawaiian Queen Emma
Hawaii, 1855-1885, Hawaiian Queen Emma; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Hawaii, 1863-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha V
Hawaii, 1863-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha V; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Hawaii, 1874-1891, Hawaiian King Kalakaua
Hawaii, 1874-1891, Hawaiian King Kalakaua ; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani
Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864); DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation
Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation; Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864); DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Hawaii, Pacific Islands
Hawaii; Republic of Hawaii; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ;

Honolulu, Hawaii (Oahu Island)
Honolulu; Oahu Island; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Queen's Hospital, Hawaii
Queen's Hospital; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ;

Molokai Island, Hawaii
Molokai; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Kalaupapa, Hawaii (Molokai Island)
Kalaupapa; Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement ; DAMIEN of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889, Commemorated April 15 ;

USA, Connecticut Folder

Connecticut
Connecticut; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ; Maria Steward of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879 Commemorated December 17 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417); HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Connecticut History Folder

Connecticut, 1608-1913

Connecticut, 1608-1683, Famous Mohegan Chief Uncas
Connecticut, 1608-1683, Famous Mohegan Chief Uncas; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14;

Connecticut, 1735-1745, First Great Awakening, Mid 1730's to Mid 1740's
First Great Awakening, Mid 1730's to Mid 1740's ; New London, Connecticut ; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Connecticut, 1731-1779, English Educator, Eleazar Wheelock
English Educator, 1731-1779, Eleazar Wheelock; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Connecticut, 1789-1792, Samuel Seabury, First American Episcopal Bishop
Samuel Seabury, First American Episcopal Bishop, 1789-1792; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE); New London, Connecticut ; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

Connecticut, 1857-1913, Banker, J.P. Morgan
Connecticut, 1857-1913, Banker, J.P. Morgan; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949;

Connecticut, Pequonnock River Folder, Southwest CT

Bridgeport, CT (Pequonnock River Mouth, Long Island Sound)
Bridgeport; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Pequonnock River 1 (Newton)

Pequonnock River 2 (Monroe)

Pequonnock River 3 (Trumbull)

Pequonnock River Mouth (Bridgeport, Long Island Sound)

Connecticut, Stamford Folder, New York border, Southwestern CT

Stamford, CT
Stamford, CT ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Riverside Neighborhood of Greenwich, CT
Riverside Neighborhood of Greenwich, CT; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Connecticut, Housatonic River Folder (MA and CT), Western CT

Housatonic River Source (Pittsfield, MA)

Housatonic River 1 (Sheffield, MA, Komkapot River Mouth)

Housatanic River 2 (Canaan, CT)

Housatonic River 3 (New Milford, Still River Mouth)

Housatonic River 4 (Shepaug River Mouth)

Pomperaug River Mouth (Housatonic River 5)

Housatonic River 5 (Pomperaug River Mouth)

Housatonic River 6 (Naugatuck River Mouth)

Housatonic River Mouth (Long Island Sound)

Stratford, CT (Housatonic River Mouth)
Stratford, Connecticut ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Konkapot River Source (Lake Garfield)

Berkshire Mountains
The Berkshire Mountains;

Beulahland in Blandford, Massachusetts
Blandford, Massachusetts ; Beulahland in Blandford, Massachusetts; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Konkapot River 1 (Lake Buel, Hartsville)

Still River Source (Farringtons Pond, NY, Danbury, CT)

Still River 1(Sanford Pond)

Still River 2 (Lake Kenosia)

Still River 3 (Downtown Danbury, CT)

Still River 4 (Brookfield, CT)

Still River Mouth (Housatonic River 3)

Shepaug River Source (Warren, Connecticut)

Shepaug River 1 (Washington, CT)

Shepaug River 2 (Roxbury, CT)

Shepaug River 3 (Southbury, CT)

Shepaug River Mouth (Housatonic River 4)

Naugatuck River Source (Winchester, CT)

Winsted, Connecticut
Winsted, Connecticut; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Naugatuck River 1 (Torrington, CT)

Naugatuck River 2 (Harwinton, CT)

Naugatuck River 3 (Tomaston)

Central Naugatuck Valley (Waterbury, CT)
Central Naugatuck Valley;

Waterbury, CT (Central Naugatuck Valley)
Waterbury, CT ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Naugatuck River 4 (Beacon Falls)

Lower Naugatuck Valley (Derby, CT)
Lower Naugatuck Valley;

Naugatuck River Mouth (Housatonic River 6)

Naugatuck River East Branch 1 (Riverton, CT)

Naugatuck River East Branch 2 (New Hartford, CT)

Upper Naugatuck River Valley or Litchfield Hills
Upper Naugatuck River Valley or Litchfield Hills;

Litchfield, Connecticut (Naugatuck River West Branch)
Litchfield, Connecticut; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Naugatuck River West Branch 1 (Morris, CT)

Naugatuck River West Branch 2 (Litchfield, CT)

Naugatuck River West Branch 3 (Goshen, CT)

Connecticut, Thames River Folder, New London, Eastern CT

Thames River to New London

Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich, Connecticut (mouths of Yantic, Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers); Order of Julian Norwich, DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417);

Mohegan Nation (Thames River, Connecticut)
Mohegan People; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ;

New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut ; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE); Samuel Seabury, First American Episcopal Bishop, 1789-1792;

Quinebaug River Source (Mashapaug Pond, CT)

Quinebaug River 1 (Putnam, CT)

Putnam Elms, Brooklyn, CT
Brooklyn, Connecticut or Mortlake, Connecticut; Putnam Elms, Brooklyn, Connecticut; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Quinebaug River 2 (Kingswood and Danielson, CT)

Kingswood, Brooklyn, CT
Brooklyn, Connecticut or Mortlake, Connecticut; Kingswood, Brooklyn, Connecticut; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Qunebaug River 3 (Plainfield, CT)

Quinebaug River 4 (Canterbury, CT)

Canterbury, Connecticut (Quinebaugh River 4)
Canterbury, Connecticut; PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890;

Quinebaug River 5 (Jewett City, CT)

Quinebaug River Mouth (Shetucket River, Thames River Source)

Willimantic River Mouth (Shetucket River Source)

Natchaug River Mouth (Shetucket River Source)

Shetucket River Source

Shetucket River 1

Shetucket River 2

Shetucket River 3

Shetucket River Mouth (Norwich, Thames River Source)

Yantic River Source (Colchester, CT)

Yantic River 1

Yantic River Mouth (Norwich, Thames River Source)

Connecticut, New Haven and West Haven Folder. West Central CT

Connecticut, New Haven and West Haven (Quinnipiac, Mill, West, and Oyster Rivers)

Quinnipiac River 1 (Plantsville)

Quinnipiac River Mouth (New Haven Harbour, Long Island Sound)

Guilford, Connecticut
Guilford, Connecticut; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Mill River Source (Cheshire, CT)

Cheshire Academy
Cheshire Academy; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Mill River 1

Mill River Mouth (Yale, New Haven, Long Island Sound)

New Haven, Connecticut
St Luke™s Church in New Haven, Connecticut; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Yale College, New Haven, CT, 1701
Yale College; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1701
Yale University; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

St Luke's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, 1844, 1905
St Luke™s Church in New Haven, Connecticut; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Christ Church, New Haven, CT
Christ Church, New Haven, CT; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

West Haven, CT (West River Mouth)
West Haven, CT; Samuel Johnson of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

West River (Bethany, CT)

West River Mouth (West Haven, Long Island Sound)

Oyster River (Orange, CT)

Oyster River Mouth

Connecticut, Metacomet Ridge Folder, Central CT

Beacon Hill of Metacomet Ridge

Saltonstall Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

East Rock of Metacomet Ridge

Peter's Rock of Metacomet Ridge

West Rock Ridge of Metacomet Ridge 1

Mount Sanford of Metacomet Ridge

Peck Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Metacomet Ridge (west end of)
Metacomet Ridge;

Totoket Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Pistapaug Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Fowler Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Trimountain of Metacomet Ridge

Besek Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Higby Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Talcott Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Farmington, Ct, Miss Proctor's School, Talcott Mountain of Metacomet Ridge
Miss Proctor's School, Farmington, Ct; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Manitook Mountain of Metacomet Ridge

Metacomet Ridge (Mt Tolby)

Connecticut, Connecticut River Folder, East Central CT

Hartford, CT (Connecticut River 24)
Hartford, Connecticut; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Maria Steward of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879 Commemorated December 17 ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Hartford Theological Seminary
Hartford Theological Seminary; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926;

Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, Hartford
Christ Church Cathedral, 45 Church Street, Hartford, Connecticut; Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ;

Christ's Church, Episcopal, Hartford Connecticut, Philander Chase, 1811
Christ's Church, Episcopal, Hartford Connecticut, Philander Chase, 1811; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852, Commemorated September 22; Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He served congregations in Lake George, Poughkeepsie, New Orleans and Hartford, but felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west in 1817. He became bishop of Ohio in 1818, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions in 1831 and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death, and as Presiding Bishop from 1843. Much more can be found on a site devoted to Philander Chase, at Kenyon College. A biography of him is also available from the Internet Archive.

Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, 1823
Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut ; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; Henry Winter Syle of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Hartford, CT, 108 Farmington Avenue
EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Wadsworth Atheneum art museum, Hartford, CT, 1844
Wadsworth Atheneum art museum, Hartford, CT; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Commemorated February 26;

Heartsease, at Saybrook, CT, (Connecticut River Mouth)
Heartsease, at Saybrook, Connecticut; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Old Lyme, resort and artist's colony (Connecticut River Mouth)
Old Lyme (resort and artist's colony); RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943;

USA, California Folder, Spanish 1579-1821, Mexican, then US from 1848

California
California; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Peter the Aleut, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Spanish California (From Baja up to 42 Degrees North, Cresent City)
The Californias; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Peter the Aleut, September 24;

California, Northern Cal Folder, San Francisco and Sacramento

San Francisco, California
San Francisco; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2;

Northern California
Northern California; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
Sierra Nevada Mountains; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Sierra Club, San Francisco, CA
Sierra Club; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

San Francisco Holy Virgin Orthodox Cathedral, 1812 & 1961, Current Location
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; San Francisco Holy Virgin Orthodox Cathedral; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

San Francisco Holy Virgin Orthodox Cathedral, 1812, Original Location
San Francisco Holy Virgin Orthodox Cathedral; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4;

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento River Folder

Sacramento River Source

Sacramento River 1 (Mt Shasta, CA)

Sacramento River 2 (Dunsmuir, CA)

Sacramento River 3 (Pit River Mouth)

Sacramento River 3 (Redding, CA)

Sacramento River 4 (Clear Creek)

Sacramento River 4 (Anderson, CA)

Sacramento River 4 (Cottonwood Creek)

Sacramento River 5 (Red Bluff, CA)

Sacramento River 5 (Deer Creek)

Sacramento River 6 (Stony Creek)

Sacramento River 6 (Princeton, CA)

Sacramento River 7 (Colusa, CA)

Sacramento River 7 (Butte Creek)

Sacramento River 8 (Davis, CA)

Sacramento River 9 (Feather River)

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento River 9 (Feather River Folder)

Feather River Source (North Feather River)

Feather River Source 2 Middle Fork

Feather River Source Confluence (Lake Orville)

Feather River 1 (Oroville, CA)

Sutter By-Pass Beginning (Sutter Butes)

Sutter By-Pass End, Feather River By-Pass

Feather River 2 (Yuba City and Marysville, CA)

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento 9, Feather River 2, Yuba River Folder

North Fork Yuba River Source

Tahoe National Forest
Tahoe National Forest;

North Fork Yuba River 1

North Fork Yuba River 2

North Fork Yuba River 2, Downie River Mouth

North Fork Yuba River 3

Middle Fork Yuba River 1

Middle Fork Yuba River 2

Middle Fork Yuba River 3

Middle Fork Yuba River Mouth (Yuba River Source)

South Fork Yuba River Source (Donner Pass)

Donner Lake

Mt Lincoln

Roller Pass
Roller Pass is a 7,800 feet (2,400 m) saddle between Mt. Judah and Mt. Lincoln, about two miles (3 km) south of Donner's pass.

Line Measure - Roller Pass 2 miles south of Donner Pass

Mt Judah

Donner Pass
Donner Pass;

South Fork Yuba River 1 (Summit Valley (now Lake Van Norden reservoir))

South Fork Yuba River 2 (Lake Spaulding)

California, Northern Cal, South Fork Yuba 2, Californai Trail from Emigrant Gap Folder

Emigrant Gap, CA
Emigrant Gap, CA;

Nevada City, CA
Nevada City, CA;

South Fork Yuba River 3 (Washington, CA)

South Fork Yuba River 4

South Fork Yuba River 5

South Fork Yuba River Mouth (Yuba River )

Yuba River Source

Yuba River Mouth (Feather River 2, Marysville, CA)

Feather River 3 (Bear River)

Feather River Mouth (Sacramento River 9)

Sacramento River 9 (Cache Creek)

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento River 9.3, American River Folder

American River Source (North Face Granite Mountain, Squaw Valley, CA)

Granite Chief Mountain

American River 1 (Soda Springs)

American River 2

American River 3

American River 4

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento River 9.3, American River 8, Middle Fork Folder

Middle Fork American River Source (South Face Granite Mountain)

Middle Fork American River 1

Middle Fork American River 2

Middle Fork American River 3

Middle Fork American River Mouth (American River 8, Auburn, CA)

American River 9 (North and South Forks confluence, Folsom Lake, CA)

California, Northern Cal, Sacramento River 9.3, American River 9, South Fork Folder

California Trail (Johnson Cutoff (Placerville, CA to Carson City, NV))

Placerville, CA
Placerville, CA;

Carson Pass
Carson Pass;

South Fork American River Source (Nebelhorn, CA)

South Fork American River 1

South Fork American River 2

South Fork American River 3

South Fork American River Mouth (American River 9)

American River Mouth (Sacramento River 9.3)

Sacramento River 9 (Sacramento, CA)

Sacramento River 9 (West Sacramento, CA)

Sacramento River 9 (Putah Creek)

Sacramento River 10 (Isleton, CA)

Sacramento River 10 (Rio Vista, CA)

Sacramento River Mouth, Suisun Bay (Antioch, CA)

California, Northern CA, Sonora Road Folder, California Trail

Sonora, CA
Sonora, CA;

California, Northern CA, San Joaquin River Folder, Fresno, Merced

San Joaquin River, North Fork Source, Mt Lyell

San Joaquin River Source, Thousand Island Lake, Middle Fork

San Joaquin River, South Fork Source, Martha Lake (California)

San Joaquin River 1 (Florence Lake)
Florence Lake;

San Joaquin River 2, Millerton, Madera County, California
Millerton, Madera County, California;

San Joaquin River 3, Fresno
Fresno, San Joaquin Valley;

San Joaquin River 5, Mendota, California
San Joaquin River 5, Mendota, California;

San Joaquin River4, San Joaquin Valley

San Joaquin River 6, Dos Palos, California
Dos Palos, California;

San Joaquin River 6.5 (Merced River Mouth)
Merced River

California, Northern CA, San Joaquin River 6.5, Merced River Folder

Merced River Source, Merced Peak, Yosemite

Merced River 1 (Yosemite Valley_
Yosemite Valley; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Yosemite National Park, Northern California
Yosemite National Park; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Merced River Mouth (San Joaquin River 6.5)

San Joaquin River 7, Vernalis, California
Vernalis, California;

Sacramento, San Joaquin River Delta, Suisun Bay
Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta; Suisun Bay;

San Joaquin River Mouth, Antioch, CA, Suisun Bay

California, Northern Cal, Monterey and Sequoia Folder, Fresno

California, Southern Cal Folder, Los Angeles Folder, and its water

Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

Julia Hutchins' church Santa Fe Ave & W 9th St
Julia Hutchins' church Santa Fe Ave & W 9th St, Long Beach, CA 90813 William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale
California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Azusa Street Revival, Los Angeles, CA, 1906
Azusa Street Revival. 312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Asberry Home at North Bonnie Brae Street, 1906
Richard and Ruth Asberry at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Angelus Temple, LA, California, 1923-Present
Angelus Temple ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

Philharmonic Auditorium of Hazard's Pavillion, 1887-1963
Philharmonic Auditorium of Hazard's Pavillion; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ;

Burbank, California
Burbank, California; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Corona, California
Corona, California ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

San Bernardino, CA
San Bernardino, California ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

TBN History 1973, Ontario, CA
TBN, Ontario, CA; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

TBN History 1974, Fontana, California
TBN History, Fontana, California 1974; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

TBN History 1983, Original Home Base Santa Ana
TBN History Original Home Base Santa Ana 1983; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) Headquarters, Costa Mesa, CA
Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) Headquarters, Costa Mesa, CA; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

American Christian Theological Seminary, Anaheim, California, was at Melody Church and The GardenWalk
American Christian Theological Seminary, Anaheim, California, at Melody Church and the GardenWalk; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

California, Southern Cal, Los Angeles Aqueduct Folder

Los Angeles Mono Extension (Upper Lee Vining Creek, Mono County)

Los Angeles Aqueduct Mono Extension Ends Owens River

Los Angeles Aqueduct First Source (Owens River, Inyo County)

Los Angeles Aqueduct Second Source (Haiwee Reservoir, Inyo County)

Los Angeles Aqueduct End (Upper Van Norman Lake (Los Angeles Reservoir), Granada Hills

California, Southern Cal, Los Angeles, California Aqueduct Folder

California, Southern CA, California Aquaduct, Kings River Folder

Kings River South Fork Source

Sequoia National Park, California (Kings River Source_
Sequoia National Park; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Kings River Middle Fork Source

Kings River Source (confluence Middle and South Fork)

Kings River 1 (Pine Flat Lake)
Pine Flat Lake

Kings River (California) Mouth
Kings River (California);

California Aqueduct Source (Clifton Court Forebay)

California Aqueduct Bethany Reservoir

California Aqueduct O'Neill Forebay San Luis Reservoir

California Aqueduct Dos Amigos Pumping Plant

California Aqueduct Buena Vista Pumping Plant

California Aqueduct Edmonston Pumping Plant

California Aqueduct Tehachapi Mountains

California Aqueduct West Branch Ends Castaic Lake

California Aqueduct East Branch Ends Silverwood Lake

California Aqueduct East Branch Lake Palmdale

California Aqueduct East Branch End Lake Perris

California Aqueduct Coastal Branch Vandenberg AFB

Californai Aqueduct Coastal Branch Vandenberg Village

California Aqueduct Coastal Branch Lompoc, California

California Aqueduct Costal Branch Ends Lake Cachuma

California Aqueduct Coastal Branch Solvang, California

Californai Aqueduct Coastal Branch Buellton, California

California, Southern Cal, Los Angeles, Colorado River Aqueduct Folder

Colorado River Aqueduct Source Lake Havasu

Colorado River Aqueduct Whipple Mountains

Colorado River Aqueduct Iron Mountain

Colorado River Aqueduct Eagle Mountains

Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley;

Colorado River Aqueduct Coachella Valley

Colorado River Aqueduct Cabazon, California

Colorado River Aqueduct End Lake Matthews

California, Southern California, Aquaduct, Colorado River Folder

Colorado River Source (La Poudre Pass, CO)
La Poudre Pass;

Colorado River (Grand Lake, CO)

Colorado River (Kremmling, CO)

Colorado River (Gore Canyon, CO)
Gore Canyon;

Colorado River (Glenwood Canyon, CO)
Glenwood Canyon;

Colorado River (De Beque Canyon, CO)
De Beque Canyon;

Colorado River (Grand Valley, CO)
Grand Valley;

Colorado River (Colorado Plateau, Utah)
Colorado Plateau;

Colorado River (Cataract Canyon, Utah)
Cataract Canyon;

Colorado River (Lake Powell, AZ)
Lake Powell;

Colorado River (Lee's Ferry, AZ)
Lee's Ferry;

Colorado River (Grand Canyon, AZ)
Grand Canyon;

Colorado River (Lake Mead, Las Vegas, NV)

Colorado River (Imperial Dam, CA and AZ)
Imperial Dam;

Colorado River Mouth (Gulf of California, Mexico)

USA, Colorado Folder, and its rivers

Colorado
Colorado ; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Colorado, Central to Northeast CO, South Platte River Folder, Denver and Fort Collins

South Platte River Source (Park County, CO)

South Platte River 1 (South Park (Colorado basin))

South Platte River 2 (Middle Fork Platte River)

South Platte River 3 (Platte Canyon, CO)
Platte Canyon;

South Platte River 4 (Littleton, CO)

South Platte River 5 (Cherry Creek, Denver, CO)

Denver, CO (South Platte River 5)
Denver, CO; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

South Platte River 6 (Clear Creek, Denver CO)
Clear Creek (Colorado);

South Platte River 7 (Brighton, CO)

South Platte River 8 (Fort Lupton, CO)

South Platte River 9 (St. Vrain Creek)

South Platte River 10 (Little Thompson River)

South Platte River 11 (Big Thompson River)

South Platte River 12 (Powder River, Greely, CO)
Cache La Poudre River;

South Platte River 13 (Fort Morgan, CO)

South Platte River 14 (Brush, CO)

South Platte River 15 (Sterling, CO)

South Platte River 16 (Julesburg, CO)

Colorado, Central to Southeast CO, Arkansas River Folder, Leadville and Pueblo

Arkansas River Source (Near Leadville)

Arkansas River Snowpack Source (Collegiate Peaks Sawatch Range)

Arkansas River 1 (The Numbers)

Arkansas River 2 (Entrance to Royal Gorge)

Arkansas River 3 (Canyon City, CO)

Arkansas River 4 (Pueblo, CO)

Arkansas River 5 (Lamar, CO)

Arkansas River 6 (Grand Bend, KS)

Arkansas River 7 (Hutchinson, KS)

Arkansas River 8 (Wichita, KS)

Arkansas River 9 (Ponca City, OK)

Arkansas River 10 (Tulsa, OK)

Arkansas River 11 (Barge Traffic Ends in OK)

Arkansas River 12 (Muskogee, Fort Gibson)

Arkansas River 13 (Fort Smith, AR)

Arkansas River 14 (Little Rock, AR)

Arkansas River Mouth (Mississippi River 10.1)

Salt Fork Arkansas River Source (Comanche County, KS)

Salt Fork Arkansas River 1

Salt Fork Arkansas River 2

Salt Fork Arkansas River 3

Chikaskia River Mouth (Salt Fork Arkansas River 5)

Salt Fork River Mouth (Arkansas River 9)

Colorado, Central to Southcentral CO, Rio Grande River, Alamosa

Rio Grande River 1 (Alamosa, CO, Conejos River Mouth)

Colorado, Central to Southwest CO, Animas River Folder, Four Corners

Ancient Pueblo peoples (Anasazi, Four Corners)
Ancient Pueblo peoples (Anasazi, Four Corners) ; Four Corners;

Colorado, Central to Western CO, Colorado River Folder, Vail, Aspen, Grand Junction

Colorado River 1 (Grand Lake, CO)

Colorado River 2 (Kremmling, CO)

Colorado River 3 (Gore Canyon, CO)
Gore Canyon;

Colorado, Colorado River 3.5, Vail Folder

Eagle River Source (Continental Divide)

Copper Mountain (Colorado)
Copper Mountain (Colorado) ;

Gore Creek Source

Colorado River 4 (Glenwood Canyon, CO)
Glenwood Canyon;

Colorado, Colorado River 4, Aspen Folder

Roaring Fork River Source (Independence Pass, CO)
Independence Pass, Continental Divide;

Roaring Fork River Mouth (Colorado River 4)

Colorado River 5 (De Beque Canyon, CO)
De Beque Canyon;

Colorado River 5.5 (Gunnison River, Grand Junction, CO)
Grand Junction, CO;

Colorado, Colorado River 5.5, Gunnison River Folder, Grand Junction, CO

Taylor River Source (Castle Peak)
Castle Peak;

Taylor River Mouth (Gunnison River Source)

East Taylor River Source (Taylor Lake)

East Taylor River Mouth (Gunnison River Source)

Gunnison River Source (Almont)

Gunnison River 1

Gunnison River 2 (Cimarron Rivers)

Colorado, Colorado River 5.5, Gunnison River 2, Cimarron Rivers Folder

Cimarron River (Gunnison River) Source (a confluence of north and middle)

Little Cimarron River Source (Silver Peak, Uncompahgre Wilderness, CO)

Gunnison River 3 (Uncompahgre River)

Colorado, Colorado River 5.5, Gunnison River 3, Uncompahgre River Folder

Uncompahgre River Source (Lake Como, Colorado)

Uncompahgre Valley, Western Colorado
Uncompahgre Valley ;

Gunnison River Mouth (Colorado River 5.5, Grand Junction, CO)

Colorado River 6 (Grand Valley, CO)
Grand Valley;

Colorado, Colorado River 6.5, Delores River Folder

Dolores River Source (Dolores Peak, Wilson Mt, San Miguel Mountains)

Lizard Head Pass, CO (Delores River Source)
Lizard Head Pass ;

Dolores River 1 (McPhee Reservoir)
McPhee Reservoir;

Delores River 2 (Delores River Canyon)
Delores River Canyon ;

Delores River 3 (Paradox Valley, Colorado)
Paradox Valley;

Colorado, Colorado River 6.5, Delores River 3, San Miguel River Folder

San Miguel River

San Miguel River Source (Telluride, CO, San Juan Mountains)

Telluride, Colorado (San Miguel River Source)
Telluride, Colorado ;

San Miguel River Mouth (Delores River 3)

Delores River Mouth (Dewey Bridge, Utah, Colorado River 6.5)
Dewey Bridge;

Colorado River 7 (Green River, Colorado Plateau, Utah)
Colorado Plateau;

Colorado, Colorado River 7, Green River Folder

Colorado, Colorado River 7, Green River 7, Yampa River Folder

Yampa River

Yampa River Source (Yampa, CO, Bear River and Phillips Creek)

Bear River

Bear River Source, Flat Tops Wilderness
Flat Tops Wilderness

Yampa River 1 (Steamboat Springs, CO)
Steamboat Springs, Colorado;

Colorado, Colorado River 7, Green River 7, Yampa River 2, Elk River Folder

Elk River Source

Elk River Mouth (Yampa River 2)

Yampa River 3 (Craig, CO)

Yampa River 3-4 (Yampa River State Park)
Yampa River State Park;

Yampa River 4 (Little Snake River Mouth)

Yampa River 5

Yampa River 6 (Dinosaur National Monument)
Dinosaur National Monument;

Yampa River Mouth (Green River 7)

Colorado River 8 (Cataract Canyon, Utah)
Cataract Canyon;

Colorado, Colorado River 9, San Juan River Folder, Four Corners

San Juan River Mouth (Colorado River, Lake Powell)
San Juan River ;

Colorado River 9 (Lake Powell, AZ)
Lake Powell;

Colorado River 9.1 (Lee's Ferry, AZ)
Lee's Ferry;

Colorado River 10 (Grand Canyon, AZ)
Grand Canyon;

Colorado River 11 (Lake Mead, Las Vegas, NV)

Colorado River 12, CR Aqueduct Source Lake Havasu

Colorado River 13 (Imperial Dam, CA and AZ)
Imperial Dam;

USA, Pennsylvania Folder

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; FIRST ORDINATION OF WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (29 JULY 1974) ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; WILLIAM WHITE Bishop of Pennsylvania, Commemorated July 17 ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Pennsylvania History Folder

Pennsylvania, 1774, Continental Congress 1774 (1st at Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia)
Continental Congress; Carpenters Hall, Philidelphia; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1775, Continental Congress 1775 (2nd at Philidelphia's State House)
Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House); Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1777, Continental Congress 1777 (4th at Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1777, Continental Congress 1777 (5th at York, Pennsylvania)
York Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1778, Continental Congress 1778 (6th at College Hall, Philidelphia)
College Hall, University of Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1778, Continental Congress 1778 (7th at State House, Philidelphia)
State House, Philidelphia; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Pennsylvania, 1974, Philadelphia Eleven, First Ordination of Women
Pennsylvania, 1974, Philadelphia Eleven, First Ordination of Women; Church of the Advocate, Philadelphia; FIRST ORDINATION OF WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (29 JULY 1974) ;

Orthodox Church in Ameria Metropolitan, 2002- Current, Herman (Swaiko)
Orthodox Church in Ameria Metropolitan, 2002- Current, Herman (Swaiko); Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Pennsylvania, Eastern PA Folder, Philadelphia

Pennsylvania, Eastern PA, Lower Delaware River Folder, Philadelphia

Whitefield House, Nazareth, PA (Delaware River 7)
Whitefield House, Nazareth, PA ; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15;

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (Delaware River 7)
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey
St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Pennsylvania, Eastern PA, Schuylkill River Folder, Philadelphia

Schuylkill River 1

Schuylkill River Source (Tuscarora, Coal Country)

Schuylkill River 2

Schuylkill River 3 (Reading, PA)

Reading, PA
Reading, PA; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13;

Tulpehocken (near Reading)
Tulpehocken (near Reading); CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760;

Schuylkill River 4

Trappe, Pennsylvania, Home of Henry Muhlenberg, 1720-1787 (Schuylkill 4)
Trappe, Pennsylvania, Home of Henry Muhlenberg; HENRY MUHLENBERG, PATRIARCH OF AMERICAN LUTHERANS, 7 October 1787;

Schuylkill River 5 (Norristown and Bryn Mawr College)

Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia (Schuylkil River 5.5)
Bryn Mawr College; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ;

Schuylkill River Mouth (Philadelphis, Delaware River 9)

Philadelphia, PA (Schuykill River Mouth, Delaware River 9)
Philadelphia ; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; FIRST ORDINATION OF WOMEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, (29 JULY 1974) ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830); Francis Asbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; ABSALOM JONES, (13 FEB 1818); Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909; Continental Congress; RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831. Commemorated March 26 ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; William Augustus Muhlenberg of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8 ; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Hahnemann (Drexel U, Philidelphia) Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1848
Hahnemann (Drexel U) Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1848; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Mount Sinai Holy Church of America, Philidelphia, 1924
Mount Sinai Holy Church of America, Founded by Bishop Ida B. Robinson; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

University of Pennsylvania, Philidelphia, 1740
University of Pennsylvania; JOHN HENRY HOBART, BISHOP OF NEW YORK (12 SEPT 1830) ; WILLIAM HOBART HARE, BISHOP OF NIOBRARA, and of SOUTH DAKOTA, 1909, Commemorated May 17 ; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, 1769
St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia; ABSALOM JONES, (13 FEB 1818); RICHARD ALLEN, FIRST BISHOP OF THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1831, Commemorated March 26:

St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia); ABSALOM JONES, PRIEST (13 FEB 1818);

Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House)
Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House); Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Continental Congress 1774 (1st at Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia)
Continental Congress; Carpenters Hall, Philidelphia; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Continental Congress 1775 (2nd at Philidelphia's State House)
Independence Hall (Philidelphia's State House); Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Continental Congress 1778 (6th at College Hall, Philidelphia)
College Hall, University of Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Continental Congress 1778 (7th at State House, Philidelphia)
State House, Philidelphia; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, 1796
First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia ; JOHN LAFARGE, Artist, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Triennial Missionary Convention, Baptist, Philidelphia, 1814
Triennial Missionary Convention, Baptist, Philidelphia, 1814; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated October 19;

Pennsylvania, Eastern PA, Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Folder

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal

Pennsylvania, Eastern PA, Monocacy River Folder, Gettysburg

Monocacy River Source (Gettysburg, PA)

Old Forge, PA (Franklin County, Southeastern PA, near Gettysburg)
Old Forge, PA (Franklin County, Southeastern PA, near Gettysburg) ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Pennsylvania, Central PA Folder, Susquehanna River

Susquehanna River 5 (Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, PA)

Old Forge, Susquehanna River 5, Central PA
Old Forge, Lackawanna County, PA (near South Canaan, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Wilkes-Barre, Central PA (Wyoming Valley, Susquehanna River 5)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941);

Susquehanna River 6 (Northumberland, PA)

Sunbury, Pennsylvania (Susquehanna River 6)
Sunbury, Pennsylvania; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Susquehanna River 7 (Harrisburg, PA)

Juniata River Mouth (Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 4, Susquchanna 7)

Susquehanna River 8 (Lancaster, PA)

Continental Congress 1777 (4th at Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Lincoln University (South Central Pennsylvania) 1854
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania); THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

Continental Congress 1777 (5th at York, Pennsylvania)
York Pennsylvania; Continental Congress; INDEPENDENCE DAY, (United States of America) (4 JULY 1776);

Ephrata Cloister, Central PA near Lancaster
Ephrata Cloister; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13;

Susquehanna River Mouth (Chesapeake Bay in MD)

Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania (near Reading)
Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

St Tikhon Monastery, South Canaan, PA, 1905, 1938
St Tikhon Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

South Canaan, PA (Central Pennsylvania)
South Canaan, PA; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ;

St Tikhon'™s Monastery, Central Pennsylvania, 1905, 1938
St Tikhon'™s Monastery; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Pennsylvania, Western PA Folder, Pittsburg

Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Pittsburgh, Western PA, Ohio River Source, Allagheny&Monongahela Confluence
Pittsburgh; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Pittsburg History

Battle of Jumonville Glen (1754)
Battle of Jumonville Glen (1754);

French and Indian War, Began at Ft Duquesne, Pittsburg, 1756
French and Indian War (1756); CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13 ;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, National Road Folder (Cumberland Road, National Pike)

National Road (Western Maryland to Central Illinois)

Jefferson College, Western PA (Cumberland Road 4) 1781
Jefferson College; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Campbellite Restoration Movement, Western PA (Campbell of Stone-Campbell) 1832
Campbellite Restoration Movement (Campbell of Stone-Campbell, Bethany, West Virginia); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Erie Folder

Erie, Western Pennsylvania (Lake Erie)
Erie, Pennsylvania; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Folder

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 2 (Susquehanna 8 at Lancaster, PA)

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 3 (Susquehanna 7 at Harrisburg)

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 4 (Susquehanna 7 near Harrisburg, PA, then W across country to)

Johnstown, PA (Pennsylvania Main Line Canal 6)
Johnstown, PA (Pennsylvania Main Line Canal); Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Osceola Mills, Western PA, (Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, Wilderness Rd, Kittanning Gap)
Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Greensburg, Western PA
Greensburg, Western Pennsylvania ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Ohio River Folder

Ohio River Source (Point State Park, Pittsburg)

Pittsburgh, Western PA (Ohio River Source, Allegheny&Mongohela Confluence)
Pittsburgh; CONRAD WEISER, WITNESS TO PEACE and RECONCILIATION, 1760, Commemorated July 13; HARRY THACKER BURLIEGH, COMPOSER, 11 Sept. 1949; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne;

Ohio River Source (Allegany River Mouth, Pittsburg)

Pittsburgh Infirmary (now Passavant Hospital, UPMC)
Pittsburgh Infirmary (now Passavant Hospital, UPMC); WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3;

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Ohio River Source, Allegheny River Folder

Allegheny River Source (Allegheny Township)

Alleghany River 1 (Coudersport)

Alleghany River 2 (Port Allegany)

Alleghany River 3 (St Bonaventure University, NY)

Alleghany River 4 (Salamanca, NY)

Alleghany River 5 (Warren, PA)

Alleghany River 6 (Tidioute, PA)

Pleasantville, Venango County, PA (Alleghany River 6.5)
Pleasantville, Venango County, PA; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ;

Alleghany River 7 (Oil City, PA)

Alleghany River 8 (Kittanning and Ford City, PA)

Alleghany River Mouth (Pittsburg, Ohio River Source)

Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, PA (Alleghany River Mouth, Ohio River Source) 1861
Calvary Church, Pittsburgh; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ;

Ohio River Source (Monongahela River Mouth, Pittsburg)

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Ohio River Source, Monongahela River Folder

Monongahela River West Fork Source (Rock Cave, WV)

Monongahela River Source (Tygart Valley, Fairmont, WV)

Monongahela River (Point Marion, PA)
Point Marion, Pennsylvania ;

Monongahela River (McKeesport, PA)
McKeesport, Pennsylvania ;

Monongahela River Mouth (Pittsburg, Ohio River Source)

Youghiogheny River Source (Silver Lake, WV)
Youghiogheny River Source (Silver Lake);

Youghiogheny River (Friendsville, MD, Rafting)
Youghiogheny River ; Friendsville, Maryland ;

Youghiogheny River (Ohiopyle, PA, Rafting)
Youghiogheny River ; Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania ;

Cheat River (Albright, WV, Rafting)
Cheat River ; Albright, West Virginia ;

Tygart Valley River (Belington, WV, Rafting)
Tygart Valley River ; Belington, West Virginia ;

Ohio River 2 (Beaver River Mouth, Rochester, Penn.)

Pennsylvania, Western PA, Ohio River 2, Beaver River Folder

Bever River Source (Shenango and Mahoning Rivers)

Beaver River (New Beaver)

Beaver River Mouth (Ohio River 2)

Zelienople, Western Pennsylvania (Coal and Iron Ore)
Zelienople, Pennsylvania; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Baden, Western PA (Ohio River 2, Beaver River Mouth)
Baden, Pennsylvania; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Shenango River Source (Crawford County, Pennsylvania)
Crawford County, Pennsylvania

Shenango River (Pymatuning Reservoir)

Shenango River (Greenville)

Thiel College (Shenango River of Beaver River) 1866
Thiel College; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Shenango River (Sharpsville, Pennsylvania)
Sharpsville, Pennsylvania;

Shenango River (West Middlesex)

Shenango River (New Castle, Pennsylvania)
New Castle, Pennsylvania;

Mahoning River Source (Winona, Columbiana County)
Mahoning River;

New Lisbon, OH (Mahoning River Source)
New Lisbon, OH; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19;

Mahoning River (Leavittsburg, Ohio)
Leavittsburg, Ohio;

Mahoning River (Youngstown, OH)

USA, Illinois Folder, and its rivers

Illinois
Illinois; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Illinois History Folder

Third Great Awakening, 1855-1930, Moody Bible Institute 1886, Chicago
Third Great Awakening, 1855-1930, Moody Bible Institute;

Illinois, 1870, Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral, William Reed Huntington
Illinois, 1870, Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral ; Chicago; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909);

Illinois, 1893, Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893, Columbian Exposition
Illinois, 1893, Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

Illinois, 1926-1973, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, James Gordon Lindsay, Commemorated December 24
Illinois, 1926-1973, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, James Gordon Lindsay, Commemorated December 24 ; Zion, Illinois; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Illinois, 1949, Chicago, Appearance of St Luke's Tikhvin Icon
Chicago, 1949, Appearance of St Luke's Tikhvin Icon; the World War II German occupation, the Nazis removed the icon from the Tikhvin Monastery, from where it was taken to Pskov and subsequently to Riga, Latvia. When the city was evacuated, Bishop John [Garklavs] of Riga, in whose care the icon was placed, took the icon to Bavaria, where it was venerated by Orthodox faithful who had been displaced because of the war. While Soviet agents had spotted the icon, Bishop John was permitted to take the icon to the United States in 1949, under the pretext that the icon in his care was a reproduction, the work of a simple monk, and that it was of little historic or monetary value. Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Bishop John, who was later elevated to the rank of Archbishop, was elected to oversee the Diocese of Chicago, and the icon was regularly displayed and venerated in Chicago’s Holy Trinity Cathedral. John frequently took the icon on pilgrimage to various places throughout the United States and Canada. Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois); Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Illinois, Northern Illinois, Chicago Area Folder

Chicago, Illinois
Chicago; Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Harvey, Illinois, Chicago Suburb
Harvey, Illinois ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ;

Episcopal Diocese of Illinois
Episcopal Diocese of Illinois ; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ;

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Hdqtr Chicago, IL
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; WILLIAM PASSAVANT, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1894, Commemorated January 3 ;

Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois)
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Saint Vladimir's Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois) 1903
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Chicago, Illinois); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

World Council of Churches 1954 (Evanston, IL)
World Council of Churches 1954; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Illinois, Northern Illinois, West Shore Lake Michigan Folder

Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois
Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 14 ;

St Sava'™s Seminary in Libertyville, IL
St Sava'™s Seminary in Libertyville, IL; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Zion, Illinois (Westshore, Lake Michigan, IL WI Border)
Zion, Illinois; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Rock River Source (Horicon Marsh

Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Rockford, IL (Rock River 1)
Rockford, IL (Rock River 1);

Rock River Mouth (Mississippi River 5)

Illinois, Western Illinois, Illinois River Folder, Chicago to St Louis

Illinois River Source (St Lawrence Divide)

Illinois, Western Illinois, Illinois River 1, Vermillion River Folder, Central IL

Vermillion River Mouth (Oglesby, Illinois River 1)

Kangley, Illinois (Coal Mines, Vermillion 9.5)
Kangley, Illinois (Coal Mines) ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ;

Streator, Illinois (Coal Mines, Vermillion River 9)
Streatorland; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ;

Vermillion River 8 (Long Point)

Vermillion River 7 (Cornell)

Vermillion River 6 (Pontiac)

Vermillion River 5 (Chenoa)

Vermillion River 4 (Fairbury)

Vermillion River 3 (Forrest)

Vermillion River 2 (Chatsworth)

Vermillion River 1 (Piper City)

Vermillion River Source (Roberts, High Point, Flows NW)

Middle Fork Vermillion River Source (Roberts, High Point, flows SE)

Middle Fork Vermillion River 1 (Paxton)

Middle Fork Vermillion River 2

Middle Fork Vermillion River 3 (Champaign)

Middle Fork Vermillion River 4

Middle Fork Vermillion River 5 (St Joseph)

Middle Fork Vermillion River 6 (Sidney)

Middle Fork Vermillion River 7

Middle Fork Vermillion River Mouth (Danville, IL, Wabash River 2)

Illinois River 2 (Jubilee)

Jubilee, IL and Jubilee College (Illinois River 2, south of Chicago, Philander Chase) 1839
Jubilee, IL and Jubilee College (Illinois River 2, south of Chicago, Philander Chase) 1839; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852, Commemorated September 22; Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He served congregations in Lake George, Poughkeepsie, New Orleans and Hartford, but felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west in 1817. He became bishop of Ohio in 1818, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions in 1831 and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death, and as Presiding Bishop from 1843. Much more can be found on a site devoted to Philander Chase, at Kenyon College. A biography of him is also available from the Internet Archive.

Illinois River Mouth (St Louis, Mississippi River 7)

Madison, IL, across the river from St. Louis, MO (Illinois and Missouri Rivers, Mississippi 7)
Madison, IL, across the river from St. Louis, MO; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

Illinois, Western Illinois, Mississippi River Folder, MR 4-8

Mississippi River 4 (Dubuque, IA, Illinois Northwest Border)

Mississippi River 6 (Hannibal, MO)

Illinois, Central Illinois, Kaskaskia River Folder

Kaskaskia River Source (Hwy 74 at Lake of the Woods, IL)

Kaskaskia River 1 (West Okaw River)

Kaskaskia River 2 (Vandalia, End of the National Road)

Illinois, Central Illinois, National Road (Cumberland Road, National Pike)

National Road (Cumberland Road)

Kaskaskia River 3 (Okawville)

Kaskaskia River Mouth (Evansville, Mississippi River 7)

Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Wabash River Folder

Wabash Source, Ohio Border 600Mi east of Minneapolis

Wabash 1 Terre Haute, National Road, 600Mi West of Minneapolis
National Road (Cumberland Road) ; Terre Haute, Indiana;

Wabash River Mouth (near Evansville, IN, Ohio River 18)

USA, Iowa Folder, and its rivers

Iowa
Iowa; AMELIA JENKS BLOOMER: ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ;

Iowa History Folder

Iowa, 1893-1929, Evangelist, Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL
Iowa, 1893-1929, Evangelist, Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL; Muscatine, Iowa; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Iowa, Northeastern Iowa, Iowa River Folder

Iowa River Sources (Hancock County, Iowa)
Iowa River Sources (Hancock County, Iowa);

Iowa River 1 (Belmond, IA)
Iowa River 1 (Belmond, IA);

Iowa River 2 (Iowa Falls, Iowa)
Iowa River 2 (Iowa Falls, Iowa);

Iowa River 3 (Steamboat Rock, Iowa)
Iowa River 3 (Steamboat Rock, Iowa);

(Eldora, Iowa)
(Eldora, Iowa);

Iowa River 4 (Marshalltown, Iowa)
(Marshalltown, Iowa);

(Tama, Iowa)
(Tama, Iowa);

Iowa River 5 (Marengo, Iowa)
(Marengo, Iowa);

(Amana (CDP), Iowa, Amana Colonies)
(Amana (CDP), Iowa, Amana Colonies);

Iowa River 6 (Iowa City, Iowa)
(Iowa City, Iowa);

Iowa River 7 (Cedar River Mouth)
Cedar River (Iowa River tributary) Mouth; (Cedar River Mouth, Louisa County, Columbus Junction, Iowa River );

Iowa, Iowa River 7, Cedar River Folder, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids

Cedar River Source, West Fork and Middle Fork (Blooming Prairie, MN)
Cedar River Source, West Fork and Middle Fork (Blooming Prairie, MN);

(Udolpho Township, Mower County, Minnesota)

(Lansing Township, Mower County, Minnesota)
(Lansing Township, Mower County, Minnesota);

Cedar River 1 (Austin Township, Mower County, Minnesota)
(Austin Township, Mower County, Minnesota);

Cedar River 2 (Lyle Township, Mower County, Minnesota)
(Lyle Township, Mower County, Minnesota);

Cedar River 3 (Mitchell County, Iowa)
(Mitchell County, Iowa);

Cedar River 4 (Floyd County, Iowa)
(Floyd County, Iowa)

Cedar River 5 (Waterloo, Iowa)
Cedar River 5 (Waterloo, Iowa);

Waterloo, Iowa (Cedar River 5) Emily Bloomer
Waterloo, Iowa (Cedar River 5) Emily Bloomer; Amelia Bloomer of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; April 15, 1840, when she was 22, she married law student Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. Bloomer supported her activism; he even gave up drinking as part of the Temperance Movement.[1] She spent her early years in Cortland County, New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852.[3] activism 1848, Bloomer attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, though she did not sign the Declaration of Sentiments and subsequent resolutions, due to her deep connection with the Episcopal Church. This meeting would serve as her inspiration to start her newspaper. following year, she began editing the first newspaper by and for women, The Lily. Published biweekly from 1849 until 1853, the newspaper began as a temperance journal, but came to have a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, particularly when under the influence of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. felt that because women lecturers were considered unseemly, writing was the best way for women to work for reform. Originally, The Lily was to be for “home distributionâ€ among members of the Seneca Falls Ladies Temperance Society, which had formed in 1848, and eventually had a circulation of over 4,000. The paper encountered several obstacles early on, and the Society's enthusiasm died out. Bloomer felt a commitment to publish and assumed full responsibility for editing and publishing the paper. Originally, the title page had the legend “Published by a committee of ladies.â€ But after 1850 – only Bloomer's name appeared on the masthead.[4] This newspaper was a model for later periodicals focused on women's suffrage. described her experience as the first woman to own, operate and edit a news vehicle for women: It was a needed instrument to spread abroad the truth of a new gospel to woman, and I could not withhold my hand to stay the work I had begun. I saw not the end from the beginning and dreamed where to my propositions to society would lead me. Suit Depiction of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her Depiction of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her (a tunic + "pantelettes"). her publication, Bloomer promoted a change in dress standards for women that would be less restrictive in regular activities. The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance. 1851, New England temperance activist Elizabeth Smith Miller (aka Libby Miller) adopted what she considered a more rational costume: loose trousers gathered at the ankles, like women's trousers worn in the Middle East and Central Asia, topped by a short dress or skirt and vest.[5] The costume was worn publicly by actress Fanny Kemble.[citation needed] Miller displayed her new clothing to Stanton, her cousin, who found it sensible and becoming, and adopted it immediately. In this garb Stanton visited Bloomer, who began to wear the costume and promote it enthusiastically in her magazine.[citation needed] Articles on the clothing trend were picked up in The New York Tribune. More women wore the fashion which was promptly dubbed The Bloomer Costume or "Bloomers".[citation needed] However, the Bloomers were subjected to ceaseless ridicule in the press and harassment on the street.[citation needed] Bloomer herself dropped the fashion in 1859, saying that a new invention, the crinoline, was a sufficient reform that she could return to conventional dress.[citation needed] in 1851, Bloomer introduced the suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to each other.[6][7] 1854, when Bloomer and her husband decided to move to Council Bluffs, Iowa, Bloomer sold The Lily to Mary Birdsall in Richmond, Indiana. Birdsall and Dr. Mary F. Thomas kept the publication going at least through 1859.[1][8] remained a suffrage pioneer and writer throughout her life, writing for a wide array of periodicals. Although Bloomer was far less famous than some other feminists, she made many significant contributions to the women's movement — particularly concerning dress reform. Bloomer also led suffrage campaigns in Nebraska and Iowa and served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association from 1871 until 1873.[4] Death and burial She died in 1894, at the age of 76, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa.[9][10]

Iowa, Iowa River 7, Cedar River 5, Shell Rock River Folder, Northwood

Shell Rock River Source (Albert Lea Lake, Freeborn County, MN)

(Northwood, Iowa)
(Northwood, Iowa);

Shell Rock River 1 (Eastern Worth County, Iowa)

(Plymouth, Iowa)
(Plymouth, Iowa);

(Rock Falls, Iowa)
(Rock Falls, Iowa);

Shell Rock River 2 (Winnebago River Mouth)
Winnebago River Mouth (Shell Rock River 2);

Iowa, Iowa River 7, Cedar River 5, Shell Rock River 2, Winnebago River Folder, Mason City

Winnebago River Source (North of Leland)
Winnebago River Source (North of Leland);

Winnebago River 1 (Forest City, Iowa)
Winnebago River 1 (Forest City, Iowa);

Winnebago River 2 (Mason City, Iowa) River City
Winnebago River 2 (Mason City, Iowa)

Mason City, Iowa (Winnebago River 2), Music Man's River City
Mason City, Iowa; Kathryn Kuhlman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1976, Commemorated February 20 ;

Winnebago River Mouth (Shell Rock River 2)
Winnebago River Mouth (Shell Rock River 2);

(Marble Rock, Iowa)
(Marble Rock, Iowa);

(Greene, Iowa)
(Greene, Iowa);

(Clarksville, Iowa)
(Clarksville, Iowa);

Shell Rock River Mouth (Shell Rock and Waterloo, Iowa, Cedar River 5)
Shell Rock River Mouth (Shell Rock, Iowa);

(Nora Springs, Iowa)
(Nora Springs, Iowa);

(Cerro Gordo County, Iowa)
(Cerro Gordo County, Iowa);

(Rockford, Iowa)
(Rockford, Iowa);

Cedar River 6 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Cedar River 6 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa);

Cedar River Mouth (Iowa River 7)
Cedar River (Iowa River tributary) Mouth; (Cedar River Mouth, Louisa County, Columbus Junction, Iowa River );

Iowa River Mouth (Mississippi River 5.2)
Iowa River Mouth (Mississippi River 5.2);

Iowa, Eastern Iowa, Mississippi River Folder

Pottsville, Iowa
Pottsville, Iowa ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955;

Upper Iowa University, 1857
Upper Iowa University; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955;

Muscatine, Iowa (Rock River Mouth, Mississippi River 5)
Muscatine, Iowa; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Iowa, Central Iowa, Des Moines River Folder

Des Moines River

Des Moines River Source (Lake Shetek, MN)

Des Moines River (Des Moines, IA)

Des Moines River Mouth Keokuk and (Mississippi River 5.5)

Iowa, Western Iowa, Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers Folder

Council Bluffs, Iowa (Missouri River 21) Amelia Bloomer
Council Bluffs, Iowa ; AMELIA JENKS BLOOMER: ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20 ; Amelia Bloomer of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; April 15, 1840, when she was 22, she married law student Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier. Bloomer supported her activism; he even gave up drinking as part of the Temperance Movement.[1] She spent her early years in Cortland County, New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852.[3] activism 1848, Bloomer attended the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, though she did not sign the Declaration of Sentiments and subsequent resolutions, due to her deep connection with the Episcopal Church. This meeting would serve as her inspiration to start her newspaper. following year, she began editing the first newspaper by and for women, The Lily. Published biweekly from 1849 until 1853, the newspaper began as a temperance journal, but came to have a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, particularly when under the influence of suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. felt that because women lecturers were considered unseemly, writing was the best way for women to work for reform. Originally, The Lily was to be for “home distributionâ€ among members of the Seneca Falls Ladies Temperance Society, which had formed in 1848, and eventually had a circulation of over 4,000. The paper encountered several obstacles early on, and the Society's enthusiasm died out. Bloomer felt a commitment to publish and assumed full responsibility for editing and publishing the paper. Originally, the title page had the legend “Published by a committee of ladies.â€ But after 1850 – only Bloomer's name appeared on the masthead.[4] This newspaper was a model for later periodicals focused on women's suffrage. described her experience as the first woman to own, operate and edit a news vehicle for women: It was a needed instrument to spread abroad the truth of a new gospel to woman, and I could not withhold my hand to stay the work I had begun. I saw not the end from the beginning and dreamed where to my propositions to society would lead me. Suit Depiction of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her Depiction of Amelia Bloomer wearing the famous "bloomer" costume which was named after her (a tunic + "pantelettes"). her publication, Bloomer promoted a change in dress standards for women that would be less restrictive in regular activities. The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and, while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance. 1851, New England temperance activist Elizabeth Smith Miller (aka Libby Miller) adopted what she considered a more rational costume: loose trousers gathered at the ankles, like women's trousers worn in the Middle East and Central Asia, topped by a short dress or skirt and vest.[5] The costume was worn publicly by actress Fanny Kemble.[citation needed] Miller displayed her new clothing to Stanton, her cousin, who found it sensible and becoming, and adopted it immediately. In this garb Stanton visited Bloomer, who began to wear the costume and promote it enthusiastically in her magazine.[citation needed] Articles on the clothing trend were picked up in The New York Tribune. More women wore the fashion which was promptly dubbed The Bloomer Costume or "Bloomers".[citation needed] However, the Bloomers were subjected to ceaseless ridicule in the press and harassment on the street.[citation needed] Bloomer herself dropped the fashion in 1859, saying that a new invention, the crinoline, was a sufficient reform that she could return to conventional dress.[citation needed] in 1851, Bloomer introduced the suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to each other.[6][7] 1854, when Bloomer and her husband decided to move to Council Bluffs, Iowa, Bloomer sold The Lily to Mary Birdsall in Richmond, Indiana. Birdsall and Dr. Mary F. Thomas kept the publication going at least through 1859.[1][8] remained a suffrage pioneer and writer throughout her life, writing for a wide array of periodicals. Although Bloomer was far less famous than some other feminists, she made many significant contributions to the women's movement — particularly concerning dress reform. Bloomer also led suffrage campaigns in Nebraska and Iowa and served as president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association from 1871 until 1873.[4] Death and burial She died in 1894, at the age of 76, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Iowa.[9][10]

Winter Quarters (North Omaha, Nebraska)

Big Sioux River Source (Coteau des Prairies)
Coteau des Prairies

Big Sioux River 1 (Sioux Falls, SD)

Big Sioux River Mouth, Sioux City, IA (Missouri River 20)

USA, Indiana Folder, and its rivers

Indiana
Indiana; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Charles Memmimger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Indiana, Northern Indiana, Lake Michigan Folder, Gary and La Porte

Indiana Medical College in La Porte, Indiana, 1903
Indiana Medical College in La Porte, Indiana, 1903; La Porte, Indiana; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Plymouth, Indiana
Plymouth, Indiana ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

La Paz, Indiana
La Paz, Indiana ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Mishawaka, Indiana (St Joseph River_
Mishawaka, Indiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Saint Joseph River Source (Baw Beese Lake, MI)

St. Joseph River Mouth (Lake Michigan)

Indiana, Central Indiana, National Road (Cumberland Road, National Pike) Indy and TH

Indiana, Central and Western Indiana, Wabash River Folder, Terre Haute

Wabash River Source (near Fort Recovery, Ohio)
Fort Recovery, Ohio;

Wabash Source, Ohio Border east of Minneapolis

Wabash River 1 (Little River, Wabash, IN)
Wabash, Indiana;

Indiana, Northeastern Indiana, Wabash River 1, Little River Folder

Little River Source (St Lawrence Divide near Fort Wayne)
Little River;

Indiana, Northeastern Indiana, Wabash River 1, Mississinewa River Folder

Mississinewa River Source (Drake County, Ohio)

Missisinewa River Mouth (Peru, IN, Wabash River 1)

Wabash River 2 (Lafayette, Purdue University)

Wabash Valley

Wabash River 3 (Terre Haute, IN)

Wabash River 4 (White River)

Indiana, Central and Western Indiana, Wabash River 4, White River Folder, Indianapolis

White River Central Fork Source

White River (Illinois) West Fork Source (40- 04' 46" N, 84- 55' 58" W)

White River East Fork Source

White River West Fork 1 (Muncie, Indiana)

White River West Fork 2 (Anderson, Indiana)

White River West Fork 3 (Indianapolis)

Indianapolis, Indiana (a crossroads, Cumberland Road and White River West Fork 3)
Indianapolis; Maria Woodworth-Etter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated September 19; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; JOHN MUIR, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914;

White River West Fork (East Fork Mouth)

White River East Fork (Columbus, Indiana)

White River 1 (Spencer and Bloomington)

Indiana University, 1820 (Bloomington, White River 1 below the Forks)
Indiana University; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

White River Mouth (Wabash River 4)

Indiana, Southern Indiana, Ohio River Folder, OR 13-19, Jeffersonville, Tell City

Ohio River 1 (Allegany River Mouth, Pittsburg)

Ohio River 1 (Monongahela River Mouth, Pittsburg)

Ohio River 1 (Chartiers Creek, McKees Rocks)

Ohio River 3 (Wheeling (Creek), West Virginia)

Ohio River 4 (Little Muskingum River Mouth)

Ohio River 4 (Muskingum River Mouth)

Ohio River 5 (Little Kanawha River Mouth, Parkersburg, WV)

Ohio River 6 (Hocking River Mouth, Hockingport, Ohio)

Ohio River 7 (Kanawha River Mouth, Point Pleasant, WV)

Ohio River 8 (Guyandotte River Mouth, Huntington, WV)

Ohio River 9 (Big Sandy River Mouth)

Ohio River 9 (Ashland, Kentucky)

Ohio River 10 (Little Sandy River Mouth, Greenup, KY)

Ohio River 11 (Little Scioto River Mouth, Portsmouth, OH)

Ohio River 11 (Scioto River Mouth, Portsmouth, Ohio)

Ohio River 12 (Little Miami River Mouth, Cincinatti, OH)

Ohio River 12 (Licking River Mouth, Newport-Covington, KY)

Ohio River 12 (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Ohio River 13 (Great Miami River Mouth)

Ohio River 14 (Kentucky River Mouth, Carrollton, KY)

Ohio River 15 (Jeffersonville, Indiana)

Ohio River 15 (Louisville, Kentucky)

Ohio River 15 (New Albany, Indiana)

Ohio River 16 (Salt River Mouth, West Point, KY)

Ohio River 17 (Tell City, Indiana)

Tell City, Indiana (Ohio River 17)
Tell City, Indiana; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Ohio River 17 (Owensboro, Kentucky)

Ohio River 18 (Green River Mouth)

Ohio River 18 (Evansville, Indiana)

Ohio River 18 (Henderson, Kentucky)

Ohio River 19 (Wabash River Mouth)

Ohio River 19 (Saline River Mouth)

Ohio River 20 (Cumberland River Mouth, Smithland, KY)

Ohio River 20 (Tennessee River Mouth, Paducah, KY)

Ohio River 20 (Paducah, Kentucky)

Ohio River 21 (Cache River Mouth)

Ohio River 21 (Cairo, Illinois)

Ohio River Mouth (Mississippi River 8)

USA, Utah Folder, and its rivers

Utah
Utah ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941);

Utah, Northern Utah, Bear River Folder, Logan UT

Little Bear River

Utah, Northern, Bear River 8, Logan River Folder

Logan River Source (Bear River Mts Wasatch Range ID)

Logan River (Utah) Mouth (Little Bear River)

Logan, Utah (Logan River Mouth, Bear River 8)
Logan, Utah; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941);

Logan Canyon (Garden City Bear Lake to Logan)
Logan Canyon (Garden City Bear Lake to Logan);

Utah, Northern, Bear River 10, Malad River Folder

Malad River (Utah)

Malad River (Utah) Source (northwest of Malad City, Idaho)

Malad River Mouth (Bear River 10)

Utah, Northern Utah, California Trail Folder

California Trail 1 (Fort Bridger, WY)

California Trail 2 (Salt Lake City, UT)

Episcopal Diocese of Utah, St Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake, 1867
Episcopal Diocese of Utah, St Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941) ;

California Trail 3 (Bear River 10, Malad River Mouth, UT)

Utah, Northeastern Utah, Oregon Trail Folder

Oregon Trail - Bear River Section - Fort Bridger, WY to Soda Springs, ID

Utah, Oregon Trail Points Folder

Utah, Northeastern Utah, Weber River Folder, Ogden

Weber River Source, Bald Mt Utah

Weber River Mouth. Great Salt Lake

Utah, North Central Utah, Central Overland Route Folder, to Carson City, NV

Central Overland Route (Salt Lake City, UT to Carson City, NV, Highway 50)
Central Overland Route ;

Central Overland Route 1 (Fairfield, UT, Camp Floyd)

Central Overland Route 2 (Fish Springs, UT)

Ely, Nevada
Ely, Nevada;

Central Overland Route 6 (Ruth, NV)

Ruby Valley
Ruby Valley;

Fort Ruby
Fort Ruby;

Delta, Utah
Delta, Utah;

Central Overland Route 10 (Eureka, NV)

Eureka, Nevada
Eureka, Nevada;

Central Overland Route 11 (Ruby Hill, NV)

Central Overland Route 12 (Toiyave Range)

Central Overland Route 13 (Austin, NV, Hickison Petroglyphs)

Hickison Petroglyphs
Hickison Petroglyphs;

Central Overland Route 14 (Toiyabe Range)

Toiyabe Range
Toiyabe Range;

Central Overland Route 15 (Austin, NV)

Central Overland Route 16 (Austin, NV)

Austin, Nevada

Central Overland Route 17 (Desatoya Mts)

Central Overland Route 18 (Desatoya Mts)

Central Overland Route 19 (Desatoya Mts)

Middlegate, Nevada
Middlegate, Nevada;

Central Overland Route 20 (Lahontan Valley)

Lahontan Valley
Lahontan Valley;

Utah, Central Utah, Jordan River Folder, Salt Lake

Jordan River Source (Utah Lake)

Jordan River (Utah) Mouth, Great Salt Lake

American Fork River Mouth, Utah Lake

American Fork River, American Fork Canyon

American River Source, Mount Timpanogos

Provo River Mouth, Utah Lake Jordan River

Provo River Source, Uinta Mts

Provo River, Jordanelle Reservoir

Provo River, Deer Creek Dam and Reservoir

Hobble Creek Source, Wausach Range

Hobble Creek (Utah County, Utah)

Spanish Fork River Source, Wasatch Range

Spanish Fork River Mouth, Utah Lake Jordan River

Strawberry River (Utah)

Currant Creek Dam

Utah, Southern Utah, Servier Lake Basin

Servier Lake

Beaver River Source, Tushar Mountains

Beaver River (Utah) Mouth, Servier River Mouth

Sevier River Mouth, Servier Lake

Utah, Southern Utah, Colorado River Folder

Colorado River 7 (Colorado Plateau, Utah)

Utah, Colorado River 7, Green River Folder

Green River10 (Green River, UT, Canyonlands National Park)
Canyonlands National Park;

Green River 11 (mostly on the Colorado Plateau, Utah)

Green River Mouth (Colorado River 7, Colorado Plateau, Utah)

Utah, Colorado River 9, San Juan River Folder (Four Corners)

San Juan River, Four Corners (UT, CO, NM, and AZ)

USA, Florida Folder, and its rivers

Florida
Florida; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Florida, Northwestern Florida Folder, The Panhandle, Apalachicola River

Apalachicola River Source (Lake Seminole)

Mikasuki-Seminole Indians, Miccosukee, Tallahasee, Northern Florida
Mikasuki-Seminole Indians, Miccosukee, Northern Florida; Mikasuki-Seminole Indians, Miccosukee, Northern Florida; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969);

Apalachicola River Mouth (Panama City, Gulf of Mexico)

Florida, Northern Florida, The Panhandle, Suwannee River Folder

Suwannee River Source (Fargo, GA, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge)

Suwannee River 1 (White Springs, FL)

Suwannee River 2 (Branford, FL)

Suwannee River Mouth

Florida, Northeast FL Folder, Saint John's River, Jacksonville

Saint Johns River Source (Indian River County)

Saint Johns River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Jacksonville, Florida (Saint Johns River Mouth)
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St Augustine, Florida
St Augustine ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ;

Castillo de San Marcos, St Augustine, Florida, Indian Prison
Castillo de San Marcos ; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ;

Florida, West Central Florida Folder, Tampa

Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven, Florida ; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

TBN, Orlando, Florida, West Central Florida
TBN, Orlando, Florida ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Florida, Southern FL Folder, Miami

TBN, Miami, Florida
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Florida, Southern FL, Seminole Indian Reservations Folder

Seminole Tribe of Southern Florida
Seminole Tribe of Florida ; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida
Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida ; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida
Big Cypress Indian Reservation, Florida; HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Hollywood Seminole Indian Reservation, Florida
Hollywood Seminole Indian Reservation; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Florida, Southern FL, Palm Beach, FL

Palm Beach
Florida
Palm Beach is a town in South Florida, separated from the mainland by the Lake Worth Lagoon. ItÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s known for its glitzy estates and its beaches, including the long, sandy Palm Beach Municipal Beach. Worth Avenue is lined with upscale boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Art and antique furnishings are displayed at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, inside the hotel and railroad tycoonÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s huge Gilded Age mansion.

Florida, Southern FL, Broward, FL

Broward County
Florida
Broward County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. According to a 2017 census report, the county had a population of 1,935,878, making it the second-most populous county in Florida and the 15th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Fort Lauderdale.
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Florida, Southern FL, Dade county courthouse, Southeast 12th Terrace, Miami, FL

Dade county courthouse
1170 SE 12th Terrace, Miami, FL 33131
Dade county courthouse - County Government Office
1170 SE 12th Terrace
Miami, FL 33131
miami-dadeclerk.com
county courthouse, 1170 SE 12th Terrace, Miami, FL Windows (6.2.9200.0);en;kml:2.2;client:Pro;type:default)

Miami, FL
Miami, FL; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ;

Florida, Southern FL, Homestead, FL

Homestead
Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area.
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Florida, Southern FL, Key West, FL

Key West
Florida 33040
Key West, a U.S. island city, is part of the Florida Keys archipelago. It's also Florida's southernmost point, lying roughly 90 miles north of Cuba. Famed for its pastel-hued, conch-style houses, itÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s a cruise-ship stop also accessible from the mainland via the Overseas Highway. ItÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s known more for its coral reefs ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“ destinations for diving and snorkeling ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“ than for its beaches.

USA, Alaska Folder, its rivers and mountains, Russia till 1867

Alaska
Alaska; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Synaxis of All Saints of Alaska, Commemorated September 24; Martyr Peter the Aleut; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Alaska History Folder

Alaska, 1770-1867, Folder, Russian Alaska

Alaska, 1776-1837, Herman, Wonderworker, N Valaam Spruce Is Alaska, what do you love, 40 years & can't completely
Russia, St Petersburg, 1776-1837, Herman, Serpukhov merchants, Trinity-Sergius St Petersburg, Sarov, Nazarius, Sanaxar, Sergius Hermitage, Valaam on Lake Ladoga, Innocent, Serdobol marble q, Herman's wilderness, Aleutian Is, chain Kamchatka to N America, natives, 10 men selected, holy zeal several thousand accepted, school, church, Phoenix, The New Valaam — Spruce Island, his home, clothes, bed, blanket, pillow, food, fertilizer, visits, reestablish understandng in families, children, Epedemic, admonished fear, spiritual teacher, school, chapel near cell, powerful sermons w students singing, Sophia Vlasova lived there, Yanovsky, naval captain and educated men lost for an answer before him, one general question, what do you love above all, certainly we love god, but I have been trying 40 yrs, and can't love him completely, always remember him, try to please him, he talked of eternity, salvation, our destinies under God, lives of Saints, Prologue, nothing frivolous, description- short, pale, sparkly grey-blue eyes, few grey hairs, pleasant voice, Peter's martyrdom, Spanish Jesuit torture, saved by Monterey order, Supernatural gifts, icon stopping flood, moss fire break, epedemic unites the aleuts, I will not be forgotten, 30 yrs from now you will be old when I will be remembered, death prophecies; Valaam Monastery ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America. A spiritual mission was organized in 1793 with volunteers from the monks of the Valaam Monastery. were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who had come under the sovereignty of Russia only ten years before. Saint Herman was one of the members of this mission. Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow diocese. name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. There is a possibility, however, that his baptismal name was Gerasimus. had a great zeal for piety from his youth, and he entered monastic life at sixteen. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. also spent time at at Sarov, where he first met Father Nazarius, who became his Elder at Valaam. Later, Saint Herman followed him to Sanaxar where Saint Theodore (February 19) was their igumen. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward everything’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff), the Hieromonks, Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan and Nectarius, Hierodeacons, Nectarius and Stephen, and the monks Joasaph, and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman, himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself, “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors in behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. face was pale and covered with wrinkles. eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, on his head there were a few gray hairs. voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Herman. for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us!

Alaska, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska
Alaska, 1781-1796, Saint Juneval of Alaska; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated on September 24;

Alaska, 1799-1867, Russian American Company
Russian American Company, 1799-1867; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Alaska, 1817-1879, Innocent of Alaska (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow
Alaskan Saint, 1823-1879, Innocent of Alaska (Veniaminov); Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Alaska, 1822-1864, Alaskan Saint, Jacob Netsvetov
Alaskan Saint, 1828-1864, Jacob Netsvetov; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Alaska, 1867-Present, US Alaska

Alaska, 1867, Sewards Folly, Alaska Purchase from Russia
Sewards Folly (Department of Alaska); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Alaska, 1885-1925, Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitan of Moscow
Alaska, 1885-1925, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow; St. Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7;

Alaska, 1904-1920, Alaskan Saint, HUDSON STUCK
Alaskan Saint, 1904-1920, HUDSON STUCK; Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Alaska, North Slope Folder, North AK, Brooks Range

Alaska, Alcan Hwy Folder, Northeast AK

Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) Hwy 1 (Fort St John, BC)
Fort St John, BC;

ALCAN Hwy 2 (Fort Nelson, BC)
Fort Nelson, BC;

ALCAN Hwy 3 (Watson Lake, YT)
Watson Lake, YT;

ALCAN Hwy 4 (Whitehorse, YT)
Whitehorse, YT;

ALCAN Hwy 5 (Tok, AK)
Tok, Alaska;

ALCAN Hwy 6 (Delta Junction, Tanana Valley)
Delta Junction, Alaska;

Alaska, Norton Sound Folder, Northwest AK

Alaska, Yukon River Folder, North Central AK

Yukon River Source (Atlin Lake)

Yukon River A (Teslin Lake)

Yukon River B (Atlin Lake)

Yukon River C (Tagish Lake)

Yukon River D (Marsh Lake)

Yukon River E (Lake Laberge)

Yukon River F (Kasawa Lake)

Yukon River G (Kluane Lake)

Yukon River H (Bennett Lake)

Yukon River 1 (Whitehorse)

Yukon River 2 (Camacks)

Yukon River 3

Yukon River 4

Yukon River 5

Yukon River 8 (Fortymile, YT)

Yukon River 9 (Alaska border)

Yukon River10

Yukon River 12 (Fort Yukon, Yukon Flats)

Porcupine River Source (Ogilvie Mountains north of Dawson City)

Porcupine River 1

Porcupine River 2 (Old Crow, Yukon)

Porcupine River 3

Porcupine River Mouth (Yukon River 12)
Porcupine River ; HUDSON STUCK, PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920;

Yukon River 13 (Yukon Flats)

Yukon River 15 (Tananna, AK)

Tanana River Source (Nabesna and Chisana Rivers)

Tanana River 1

Tanana River 2

Tanana River 3

Tanana River 9 (Tanana Valley)
Tananna Valley;

Tanana River 10 (Fairbanks)

Tanana River Mouth (Yukon River 15)

Chisana River Source (Wrangell Park)
Wrangell Park;

Chisana River Mouth (Tanana River Source)

Nabesna River Source (Wrangell Park)

Nabesna River Mouth (Tanana River Source)

Yukon River 17 (Koyukuk)

Yukon River 18 (Anvik)

Yukon River 19 (Holy Cross, AK)

Innoko River Source

Innoko River 1

Innoko River 2

Innoko River 3 (Overview)

Innoko River 4 (Middle of the Innoko River)
Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Innoko River 5

Innoko River Mouth (Yukon River 19)

Yukon River 20 (Russian Mission)

Yukon River Mouth (Bering Sea)

Alaska, Anchorage, Kenai Bay and Kenai Peninsula Folder, South Central AK

Kenai Bay (Anchorage)

Susitna River Source

Matanuska River Source

Topper River Source

Christochina River Source

Cooper River Source

Alaska, Kodiak Island Folder, South Central AK

Kodiak Island, Alaska
Kodiak Island ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Martyr Peter the Aleut, Commemorated September 24 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Spruce Island, Kodiac Archipelago, Alaska, St Herman's Hermitage
Spruce Island, Alaska; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; spiritual mission was organized in 1793, made up of monks of the Valaam Monastery. They were sent to preach the Word of God to the native inhabitants of northwestern America, who only ten years before had come under the sovereignty of Russia. Saint Herman was among the members of this Mission. Saint Herman came from a family of merchants of Serpukhov, a city of the Moscow Diocese. His name before he was tonsured, and his family name are not known. (The monastic name is given when a monk takes his vows). He had a great zeal for piety from youth, and at sixteen he entered monastic life. (This was in 1772, if we assume that Herman was born in 1756, although sometimes 1760 is given as the date of his birth.) First he entered the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage which was located near the Gulf of Finland on the Peterhof Road, about 15 versts (about 10 miles) from Saint Petersburg. Healing the Saint Sergius Hermitage there occurred the following incident to Father Herman. On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess. The swelling grew rapidly, disfiguring his face. It became difficult for him to swallow, and the odor was unbearable. In this critical condition Father Herman awaited death. He did not appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed. He prayed the whole night. Then he took a wet towel and with it wiped the face of the Most Holy Mother, and with this towel he covered the swelling. He continued to pray with tears until he fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the floor. In a dream he saw the Virgin Mary healing him. Herman awoke in the morning, he found to his great surprise that he was fully healed. The swelling had disappeared, even though the abscess had not broken through, leaving behind but a small mark as though a reminder of the miracle. Physicians to whom this healing was described did not believe it, arguing that it was necessary for the abscess to have either broken through of its own accord or to have been cut open. But the words of the physicians were the words of human experience, for where the grace of God operates there the order of nature is overcome. Such occurrences humble human reason under the strong hand of God’s Mercy. at Valaam five or six years Father Herman continued to live in the Saint Sergius Hermitage, and then he transferred to the Valaam Monastery, which was widely scattered on the large islands in the waters of the great Lake Ladoga. He came to love the Valaam haven with all his soul, as he came to love its unforgettable Superior, the pious Elder Nazarius, and all the brethren. He wrote to Father Nazarius later from America, “Your fatherly goodness to me, humble one, will be erased out of my heart neither by the terrible, unpassable Siberian lands, nor by the dark forests. Nor will it be wiped out by the swift flow of the great rivers; nor will the awful ocean quench these feelings. In my mind I imagine my beloved Valaam, looking to it beyond the great ocean.” He praised the Elder Nazarius in his letters as, “the most reverend, and my beloved father,” and the brethren of Valaam he called, “my beloved and dearest.” The place where he lived in America, deserted Spruce Island, he called “New Valaam.” And as we can see, he always remained in spiritual contact with his spiritual homeland, for as late as 1823, that is after thirty years of his life within the borders of America, he wrote letters to the successor of Father Nazarius, the lgumen Innocent. Barlaam, later lgumen of Valaam, and a contemporary of Father Herman, who accepted his tonsure from Father Nazarius, wrote thus of the life of Father Herman. “Father Herman went through the various obediences here, and being ‘well disposed toward every thing’ was in the course of events sent to Serdobol to oversee there the work of quarrying marble. The Brothers loved Father Herman, and awaited impatiently his return to the cloisters from Serdobol. Recognizing the zeal of the young hermit the wise elder, Father Nazarius, released him to take abode in the wilderness. This wilderness was in the deep forest about a mile from the cloister: to this day this place has retained the name ‘Herman’s.’ On holy days, Father Herman returned to the monastery from the wilderness. Then it was that at Little Vespers he would stand in the choir and sing in his pleasant tenor the responses with the brethren from the Canon, ‘O Sweetest Jesus, save us sinners. Most Holy Theotokos, Save us,’ and tears would fall like hail from his eyes.” First Mission to America the second half of the 18th century the borders of Holy Russia expanded to the north. In those years Russian merchants discovered the Aleutian Islands which formed in the Pacific Ocean a chain from the eastern shores of Kamchatka to the western shores of North America. With the opening of these islands there was revealed the sacred necessity to illumine with the light of the Gospel the native inhabitants. With the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Gabriel gave to the Elder Nazarius the task of selecting capable persons from the brethern of Valaam for this holy endeavor. Ten men were selected, and among them was Father Herman. The chosen men left Valaam for the place of their great appointment in 1793. (The members of this historical mission were: Archimandrite Joseph (Bolotoff); the hieromonks Juvenal, Macarius, Athanasius, Stephan, and Nectarius; hierodeacons Nectarius and Stephen; and the monks Joasaph and Herman.) a result of the holy zeal of the preachers the light of the evangelic sermon quickly poured out among the sons of Russia, and several thousand pagans accepted Christianity. A school for the education of newly-baptized children was organized, and a church was built at the place where the missionaries lived. But by the inscrutable providence of God the general progress of the mission was unsatisfactory. After five years of very productive labor, Archimandrite Joasaph, who had just been elevated to the rank of bishop, was drowned with his party. (This occurred on the Pacific Ocean between Kamchatka and the Aleutian Islands. The ship, Phoenix, one of the first sea-going ships built in Alaska, sailed from Okhotsk carrying the first Bishop for the American Mission and his party. The Phoenix was caught in one of the many storms which periodically sweep the northern Pacific, and the ship and all hands perished together with Bishop Joasaph and his party.) Before this the zealous Hieromonk Juvenal was granted the martyr’s crown. The others died one after another until in the end only Father Herman remained. The Lord permitted him to labor longer than any of his brethren in the apostolic task of enlightening the Aleutians. New Valaam — Spruce Island America, Father Herman chose as his place of habitation Spruce Island, which he called New Valaam. This island is separated by a strait about a mile and a quarter wide from Kodiak Island on which had been built a wooden monastery for the residence of the members of the mission, and a wooden church dedicated to the Resurrection of the Savior. (New Valaam was named for Valaam on Lake Ladoga, the monastery from which Father Herman came to America. It is interesting to note that Valaam is also located on an island, although, this island is in a fresh water lake, whereas, Spruce Island is on the Pacific Ocean, although near other islands and the Alaskan mainland.) Island is not large, and is almost completely covered by a forest. Almost through its middle a small brook flows to the sea. Herman selected this picturesque island for the location of his hermitage. He dug a cave out of the ground with his own hands, and in it he lived his first full summer. For winter there was built for him a cell near the cave, in which he lived until his death. The cave was converted by him into a place for his burial. A wooden chapel, and a wooden house to be used as a schoolhouse and a guest house were built not too distant from his cell. A garden was laid out in front of his cell. For more than forty years Father Herman lived here. Herman’s Way of Life Herman himself spaded the garden, planted potatoes and cabbage and various vegetables in it. For winter, he preserved mushrooms, salting or drying them. The salt was obtained by him from ocean water. It is said that a wicker basket in which the Elder carried seaweed from the shore, was so large that it was difficult for one person to carry. The seaweed was used for fertilizing the soil. But to the astonishment of all, Father Herman carried a basket filled with seaweed for a long distance without any help at all. By chance his disciple, Gerasim, saw him one winter night carrying a large log which normally would be carried by four men; and he was bare footed. Thus worked the Elder, and everything that he acquired as a result of his immeasurable labors was used for the feeding and clothing of orphans and also for books for his students. clothes were the same for winter as for summer. He did not wear a shirt; instead he wore a smock of deer skin, which he did not take off for several years at a time, nor did he change it, so that the fur in it was completely worn away, and the leather became glossy. Then there were his boots or shoes, cassock (podrasnik), an ancient and faded out cassock (riasa) full of patchwork, and his headdress (klobuk). He went everywhere in these clothes, and at all times; in the rain, in snowstorms, and during the coldest freezing weather. In this, Father Herman followed the example of many Eastern Ascetic Fathers and Monks who showed the greatest concern for the welfare and needs of others. Yet, they themselves wore the oldest possible clothes to show their great humility before God, and their detachment from worldly things. small bench covered with a time-worn deerskin served as Father Herman’s bed. He used two bricks for a pillow; these were hidden from visitors by a skin or a shirt. There was no blanket. Instead, he covered himself with a wooden board which lay on the stove. This board Father Herman himself called his blanket, and he willed that it be used to cover his remains; it was as long as he was tall. “During my stay in the cell of Father Herman,” writes the creole Constantine Larionov, “I, a sinner, sat on his ‘blanket’-and I consider this the acme of my fortune!” (‘creole’ is the name by which the Russians referred to the children of mixed marriages of native Indians of Alaska, Eskimo and Aleuts with Russians.) the occasions when Father Herman was the guest of administrators of the American Company and in the course of their soul-saving talks he sat up with them until midnight. He never spent the night with them, but regardless of the weather he always returned to his hermitage. If for some extraordinary reason it was necessary for him to spend the night away from his cell, then in the morning the bed which had been prepared for him would be found untouched; the Elder not having slept at all. The same was true in his hermitage where having spent the night in talks, he never rested. Elder ate very little. As a guest, he scarcely tasted the food, and remained without dinner. In his cell his dinner consisted of a very small portion of a small fish or some vegetables. His body, emaciated as a result of his labors, his vigils, and fasting, was crushed by chains which weighed about sixteen pounds. These chains are kept to this day in the chapel. Telling of these deeds of Father Herman, his disciple, the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, added, “Yes, Apa led a very hard life, and no one can imitate his life!” (The Aleutian word “Apa” means Elder or grandfather, and it is a name indicative of the great affection in which he was held). writing of the incidents in the life of the Elder deal, so to speak, with the external aspects of his labor. “His most important works,” says the Bishop Peter, “were his exercises in spiritual endeavor in his isolated cell where no one saw him, but outside the cell they heard him singing and celebrating services to God according to the monastic rule.” This witness of the Bishop is supported by the following answers of Father Herman, himself: “How do you manage to live alone in the forest, Father Herman? Don’t you ever become lonesome?” He answered, “No I am not there alone! God is here, as God is everywhere. The Holy Angels are there. With whom is it better to talk, with people, or with Angels? Most certainly with Angels.” Herman and the Native Alaskans way in which Father Herman looked upon the natives of America, how he understood his own relations with them, and how he was concerned for their needs he expressed himself in one of his letters to the former administrator of the colony, Simeon Yanovsky. He wrote, “Our Creator granted to our beloved homeland this land which like a newly-born babe does not yet have the strength for knowledge or understanding. It requires not only protection, because of its infantile weakness and impotence, but also his sustenance. Even for this it does not yet have the ability to make an appeal on its own behalf. And since the welfare of this nation by the Providence of God, it is not known for how long, is dependent on and has been entrusted into the hands of the Russian government which has now been given into your own power, therefore I, the most humble servant of these people, and their nurse (nyanka) stand before you in their behalf, write this petition with tears of blood. Be our Father and our Protector. Certainly we do not know how to be eloquent, so with an inarticulate infant’s tongue we say: Wipe away the tears of the defenseless orphans, cool the hearts melting away in the fire of sorrow. Help us to know what consolation means.” Elder acted the way he felt. He always interceded before the governors on behalf of those who had transgressed. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available. The Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him. Some asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received the greatest possible satisfaction from the Elder. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, the Elder prevailed upon them to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.” Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the children were fond of the Elder. Father Herman’s love for the Aleuts reached the point of self-denial. Epidemic Strikes ship from the United States brought to Sitka Island, and from there to Kodiak Island, a contagious disease, a fatal illness. It began with a fever, a heavy cold, and difficult respiration, and it ended with chills; in three days the victim died. On the island there was neither a doctor nor medicine. The illness spread rapidly through the village, and then throughout the nearby areas. The disease affected all, even infants. The fatalities were so great that for three days there was no one to dig graves, and the bodies remained unburied. An eyewitness said, “I cannot imagine anything more tragic and horrible than the sight which struck me when I visited an Aleutian ‘Kazhim’. This was a large building, or barracks, with dividing sections, in which the Aleuts lived with their families; it contained about 100 people. Here some had died, their cold bodies lay near the living; others were dying; there were groans and weeping which tore at one’s soul.” “I saw mothers over whose bodies cold in death crawled a hungry child, crying and searching in vain for its food...My heart was bursting with compassion! It seemed that if anyone could paint with a worthy brush the full horror of this tragic scene, that he would have successfully aroused fear of death in the most embittered heart.” Father Herman, during this terrible sickness which lasted a whole month, gradually dying out towards the end, visited the sick, never tiring. He admonished them in their fear, prayed, brought them to penance, or prepared them for death. He never spared himself. Herman as a Spiritual Teacher Elder was concerned in particular for the moral growth of the Aleuts. With this end in mind a school was built for children-the orphans of the Aleuts. He himself taught them the Law of God and church music. For this same purpose he gathered the Aleuts on Sunday and Holy Days for prayer in the chapel near his cell. Here his disciple read the Hours and the various prayers while the Elder himself read the Epistle and Gospel. He also preached to them. His students sang, and they sang very well. The Aleuts loved to hear his sermons, gathering around him in large numbers. The Elder’s talks were captivating, and his listeners were moved by their wonderous power. He himself writes of one example of the beneficial results of his words. “Glory to the holy destinies of the Merciful God! He has shown me now through his unfathomable Providence a new occurrence which I, who have lived here for twenty years had never seen before on Kodiak,” he wrote. “Recently after Easter, a young girl about twenty years of age who knows Russian well, came to me. Having heard of the Incarnation of the Son of God and of Eternal Life, she became so inflamed with love for Jesus Christ that she does not wish to leave me. She pleaded eloquently with me. Contrary to my personal inclination and love for solitude, and despite all the hindrances and difficulties which I put forward before accepting her, she has now been living near the school for a month and is not lonesome. I, looking on this with great wonder, remembered the words of the Savior: ‘that which is hidden from the wise and learned is revealed to babes’” (Matthew 11:25). woman lived at the school until the death of the Elder. She watched for the good conduct of the children who studied in his school. Father Herman willed that after his death she was to continue to live on Spruce Island. Her name was Sophia Vlasova. writes about the character and the eloquence of the talks of the Elder thus: “When I met Father Herman I was thirty years old. I must say that I was educated in the naval corps school; that I knew many sciences having read extensively. But to my regret, the Science of sciences, that is the Law of God, I barely remembered the externals—and these only theoretically, not applying them to life. I was a Christian in name only, but in my soul and in reality, I was a freethinker. Furthermore, I did not admit the divinity and holiness of our religion, for I had read through many atheistic works. Father Herman recognized this immediately and he desired to reconvert me. To my great surprise he spoke so convincingly, wisely—and he argued with such conviction—that it seemed to me that no learning or worldly wisdom could stand one’s ground before his words. We conversed with him daily until midnight, and even later, of God’s love, of eternity, of the salvation of souls, and of Christian living. From his lips flowed a ceaseless stream of sweet words! By these continual talks and by the prayers of the holy Elder the Lord returned me completely to the way of Truth, and I became a real Christian. I am indebted for all this to Father Herman; he is my true benefactor. “Several years ago,” continues Yanovsky, “Father Herman converted a certain naval captain G. to Orthodoxy from the Lutheran Faith. This captain was well educated. Besides many sciences, he was well versed in languages. He knew Russian, English, German, French, Italian and also some Spanish. But for all this he could not resist the convictions and proofs of Father Herman. He changed his faith and was united to the Orthodox Church through Chrismation. When he was leaving America, the Elder said to him while they were parting, “Be on guard, if the Lord should take your wife from you then do not marry a German woman under any circumstance. If you do marry a German woman, undoubtedly she will damage your Orthodoxy.” The Captain gave his word, but he failed to keep it. The warning of the Elder was prophetic. Indeed, after several years the Captain’s wife did die, and he married a German woman. There is no doubt that his faith weakened or that he left it; for he died suddenly without penance.” on Yanovsky writes, “Once the Elder was invited aboard a frigate which came from Saint Petersburg. The Captain of the frigate was a highly educated man, who had been sent to America by order of the Emperor to make an inspection of all the colonies. There were more than twenty-five officers with the Captain, and they also were educated men. In the company of this group sat a monk of a hermitage, small in stature and wearing very old clothes. All these educated conversationalists were placed in such a position by his wise talks that they did not know how to answer him. The Captain himself used to say, ‘We were lost for an answer before him.’ “Father Herman gave them all one general question: ‘Gentlemen, What do you love above all, and what will each of you wish for your happiness?’ Various answers were offered ... Some desired wealth, others glory, some a beautiful wife, and still others a beautiful ship he would captain; and so forth in the same vein. ‘It is not true,’ Father Herman said to them concerning this, ‘that all your various wishes can bring us to one conclusion—that each of you desires that which in his own understanding he considers the best, and which is most worthy of his love?’ They all answered, ‘Yes, that is so!’ He then continued, ‘Would you not say, Is not that which is best, above all, and surpassing all, and that which by preference is most worthy of love, the Very Lord, our Jesus Christ, who created us, adorned us with such ideals, gave life to all, sustains everything, nurtures and loves all, who is Himself Love and most beautiful of all men? Should we not then love God above every thing, desire Him more than anything, and search Him out?’ “All said, ‘Why, yes! That’s self-evident!’ Then the Elder asked, ‘But do you love God?’ They all answered, ‘Certainly, we love God. How can we not love God?’ ‘And I a sinner have been trying for more than forty years to love God, I cannot say that I love Him completely,’ Father Herman protested to them. He then began to demonstrate to them the way in which we should love God. ‘If we love someone,’ he said, ‘we always remember them; we try to please them. Day and night our heart is concerned with the subject. Is that the way you gentlemen love God? Do you turn to Him often? Do you always remember Him? Do you always pray to Him and fulfill His holy commandments?’ They had to admit that they had not! ‘For our own good, and for our own fortune,’ concluded the Elder, ‘let us at least promise ourselves that from this very minute we will try to love God more than anything and to fulfill His Holy Will!’ Without any doubt this conversation was imprinted in the hearts of the listeners for the rest of their lives.’ “In general, Father Herman liked to talk of eternity, of salvation of the future life, of our destinies under God. He often talked on the lives of the Saints, on the Prologue, but he never spoke about anything frivolous. It was so pleasant to hear him that those who conversed with him, the Aleuts and their wives, were so captivated by his talks that often they did not leave him until dawn, and then they left him with reluctance;” thus witnesses the Creole, Constantine Larionov. Description of Father Herman writes a detailed description of Father Herman. “I have a vivid memory,” he said, “Of all the features of the Elder’s face reflecting goodness; his pleasant smile, his meek and attractive mien, his humble and quiet behavior, and his gracious word. He was short of stature. His face was pale and covered with wrinkles. His eyes were greyish-blue, full of sparkle, and on his head there were a few gray hairs. His voice was not powerful, but it was very pleasant.” Yanovsky relates two incidents from his conversations with the Elder. “Once,” he writes, “I read to Father Herman the ode, ‘God,’ by Derzhavin. The Elder was surprised, and entranced. He asked me to read it again. I read it once more, “Is it possible that a simple, educated man wrote this?” he asked. “Yes, a learned poet,” I answered. “This has been written under God’s inspiration,” said the Elder. Martyrdom of Peter “On another occasion I was relating to him how the Spanish in California had imprisoned fourteen Aleuts, and how the Jesuits were forcing all of them to accept the Catholic Faith. But this Aleut would not agree under any circumstances, saying, ‘We are Christians.’ The Jesuits protested, ‘That’s not true; you are heretics and schismatics. If you do not agree to accept our faith then we will torture all of you.’ Then the Aleuts were placed in cells until evening; two to a cell. At night the Jesuits came to the prison with lanterns and lighted candles. They began to persuade the Aleuts in the cell once again to accept the Catholic Faith. ‘We are Christians,’ was the answer of the Aleuts, ‘and we will not change our Faith.’ Then the Jesuits began to torture them, at first the one while his companion was the witness. They cut the toes off his feet, first one joint and then the other joint. And then they cut the first joint on the fingers of the hands, and then the other joint. Afterwards they cut off his feet, and his hands; the blood flowed. The martyr endured all and steadfastly insisted on one thing: ’I am a Christian.’ In such suffering, he bled to death. The Jesuit promised to torture to death his comrades also on the next day.... But that night an order was received from Monterey stating that the imprisoned Aleuts were to be released immediately, and sent there under escort. Therefore, in the morning all were dispatched to Monterey with the exception of the martyred Aleut. This was related to me by a witness, the same Aleut who was the comrade of the tortured Aleut. Afterwards he escaped from imprisonment, and I reported this incident to the supreme authorities in Saint Petersburg. When I finished my story, Father Herman asked, ‘And how did they call the martyred Aleut?’ I answered, ‘Peter; I do not remember his family name.’ The Elder stood up before an icon reverently, made the sign of the Cross and pronounced, ’Holy newly-martyred Peter, pray to God for us!’” Spirit of Father Herman’s Teaching order to express the spirit of Father Herman’s teaching, we present here a quotation from a letter that was written by his own hand. “The empty years of these desires separate us from our heavenly homeland, and our Love for these desires and our habits clothe us, as it were, in an odious dress; it is called by the Apostle ‘the external (earthy) man’ (1 Corinthians 15:47). We who are wanderers in the journey of this life call to God for aid. We must divest ourselves of this repulsiveness, and put on new desires, and a new love for the coming age. Thus, through this we will know either an attraction or a repulsion for the heavenly homeland. It is possible to do this quickly, but we must follow the example of the sick, who wishing for desired health, do not stop searching for means of curing themselves. But I am not speaking clearly.” desiring anything for himself in life, when he first came to America, he refused in his humility the dignity of hieromonk and archimandrite, deciding to remain forever a common monk, Father Herman, without the least fear before the powerful, strove with all sincerity for God. With gentle love, and disregarding the person, he criticized many for intemperate living, for unworthy behavior, and for oppressing the Aleuts. Evil armed itself against him and gave him all sorts of trouble and sorrow. But God protected the Elder. The Administrator of the Colony, Yanovsky, not having yet seen Father Herman, after receiving one of those complaints, had already written to Saint Petersburg of the necessity of his removal. He explained that it seemed that he was arousing the Aleuts against the administration. But this accusation turned out to be unjust, and in the end Yanovsky was numbered among the admirers of Father Herman. an inspector came to Spruce Island with the Administrator of the Colony and with company employees to search through Father Herman’s cell. This party expected to find property of great value in Father Herman’s cell. But when they found nothing of value, an employee of the American Company, Ponomarkhov, began to tear up the floor with an axe, undoubtedly with the consent of his seniors. Then Father Herman said to him, “My friend, you have lifted the axe in vain; this weapon shall deprive you of your life.” Some time later people were needed at Fort Nicholas, and for that reason several Russian employees were sent there from Kodiak; among them was Ponomarkhov; there the natives of Kenai cut off his head while he slept. Temptations of Father Herman great sorrows were borne by Father Herman from evil spirits. He himself revealed this to his disciple, Gerasim. Once when he entered Father Herman’s cell without the usual prayer he received no answer from Father Herman to any of his questions. The next day Gerasim asked him the reason for his silence. On that occasion Father Herman said to him, “When I came to this island and settled in this hermitage the evil spirits approached me ostensibly to be helpful. They came in the form of a man, and in the form of animals. I suffered much from them; from various afflictions and temptations. And that is why I do not speak now to anyone who enters into my presence without prayer.” (It is customary among devout laymen, as well as clergy, to say out loud a prayer, and upon hearing a response ending with Amen, to enter and go to the icon in the room to reverence it, and to say a prayer before greeting the host). Gifts from God dedicated himself fully for the Lord’s service; he strove with zeal solely for the glorification of His Most Holy Name. Far from his homeland in the midst of a variety of afflictions and privations Father Herman spent several decades performing the noblest deeds of self-sacrifice. He was privileged to receive many supernatural gifts from God. the midst of Spruce Island down the hill flows a little stream into the sea. The mouth of this stream was always swept by surf. In the spring when the brook fish appeared the Elder raked away some of the sand at its mouth so that the fish could enter, and at their first appearance they rushed up the stream. His disciple, lgnaty, said, “it was so that if ‘Apa’ would tell me, I would go and get fish in the stream!” Father Herman fed the birds with dried fish, and they would gather in great numbers around his cell. Underneath his cell there lived an ermine. This little animal can not be approached when it has had its young, but the Elder fed it from his own hand. “Was not this a miracle that we had seen?” said his disciple, Ignaty. They also saw Father Herman feeding bears. But when Father Herman died the birds and animals left; even the garden would not give any sort of crops even though someone had willingly taken care of it, Ignaty insisted. Spruce Island there once occurred a flood. The inhabitants came to the Elder in great fear. Father Herman then took an icon of the Mother of God from the home where his students lived, and placed it on a “laida” (a sandy bank) and began to pray. After his prayer he turned to those present and said,“Have no fear, the water will not go any higher than the place where this holy icon stands.” The words of the Elder were fulfilled. After this he promised the same aid from this holy icon in the future, through the intercessions of the Mother of God. He entrusted the icon to his disciple Sophia; in case of future floods the icon was to be placed on the “laida.” This icon is preserved on the island to this day. the request of the Elder, Baron F. P. Wrangel wrote a letter to a Metropolitan (his name is not known) which was dictated by Father Herman. When the letter was completed and read, the Elder congratulated the Baron upon his attaining the rank of admiral. The Baron was taken aback. This was news to him. It was confirmed, but only after an elapse of some time, and just before he departed for Saint Petersburg. Herman said to the administrator Kashevarov, from whom he accepted his son from the font (during the Sacrament of Baptism), “I am sorry for you, my dear ‘kum.’ It’s a shame; the change will be unpleasant for you.” In two years, during a change of administration, Kashevarov was sent to Sitka in chains. the forest on Spruce Island caught fire. The Elder, with his disciple Ignaty, in a thicket of the forest made a belt about a yard wide in which they turned over the moss. They extended it to the foot of the hill. The Elder said, “Rest assured, the fire will not pass this line.” On the next day, according to the testimony of Ignaty, there was no hope of salvation (from the fire) and the fire, pushed by a strong wind, reached the place where the moss had been turned over by the Elder. The fire ran over the moss and halted, leaving untouched the thick forest which was beyond the line. Elder often said that there would be a Bishop for America; this at a time when no one even thought of it, and there was no hope that there would be a Bishop for America. This was related by Bishop Peter, and his prophecy was fulfilled in time. “After my death,” said Father Herman, “there will be an epidemic, many people shall die during it, and the Russians shall unite the Aleuts.” And so it happened. It seems that about a half a year after his passing, there was a smallpox epidemic; the death rate in America during the epidemic was tremendous. In some villages, only a few inhabitants remained alive. This led the administration of the colony to unite the Aleuts; the twelve settlements were consolidated into seven. “Although a long time shall elapse after my death, I will not be forgotten” said Father Herman to his disciples. “My place of habitation will not remain empty. A monk like me, who will be escaping from the glory of men, will come and he will live on Spruce Island, and Spruce Island will not be without people.” (This prophecy has now been fulfilled in its entirety. Just such a monk as Father Herman described lived on Spruce Island for many years; his name was Archimandrite Gerasim, who died on October 13, 1969. This monk took on himself the responsibility of taking care of the Chapel under which the Elder Herman was first buried. Metropolitan Leonty, soon after his elevation to the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in America, made a pilgrimage to Spruce Island, and the grave of Saint Herman.) for the Future Creole Constantine, when he was not more than twelve years old, was asked by Father Herman, “My beloved one, what do you think; this chapel which they are building now, will it ever stand empty?” The youngster answered, “I do not know, Apa.” “Indeed,” said Constantine, “I did not understand his question at that time, even though the whole conversation with the Elder remains vivid in my memory.” The Elder remained silent for some time, and then said, “My child, remember, in time there will be a monastery in this place.” Herman said to his disciple the Aleut Ignaty Aligyaga, “Thirty years shall pass after my death, and all those living on Spruce Island will have died, but you alone will remain alive. You will be old and poor when I will be remembered.” And indeed after the death of Father Herman thirty years passed when they were reminded of him, and they began to gather information and facts about him, on the basis of which his Life was written. “It is amazing,” exclaims Ignaty, “how a man like us could know all this so long before it happened! However, no, he was no ordinary man! He knew our thoughts, and involuntarily he led us to the point where we revealed them to him, and we received counsel from him.” “When I die,” the Elder said to his disciple, “you will bury me alongside Father Joasaph. You will bury me by yourself, for you will not wait for the priest. Do not wash my body. Lay it on a board. Clasp my hands over my chest, wrap me in my mantia (the monk’s outer cloak), and with its wings cover my face and place the klobuk (monastic head covering) on my head. If anyone wishes to bid farewell to me, let them kiss the Cross. Do not show my face to anyone....” Repose of Father Herman time of the Elder’s passing had come. One day he ordered his disciple Gerasim to light a candle before the Icons, and to read the Acts of the Holy Apostles. After some time his face glowed brightly and he said in a loud voice, “Glory to Thee, O Lord!” He then ordered the reading to be halted, and he announced that the Lord had willed that his life would now be spared for another week. A week later, again by his orders, candles were lit, and the Acts of the Holy Apostles were read. Quietly, the Elder bowed his head on Gerasim’s chest; the cell was filled with a sweet-smelling odor; and his face glowed, and Father Herman was no more! Thus he died in blessedness, he passed away in the sleep of a righteous man in the eighty-first year of his life of great labor the 25th day of December 1837. (It was the 13th of December according to the Julian Calendar, although there are some records which state that he died on November 28th and was buried on December 26th). sent with the sad news to the harbor returned to announce that the administrator of the colony Kashevarov had forbidden the burial of the Elder until his own arrival. He also ordered that a finer coffin be made for Father Herman, and that he would come as soon as possible and would bring a priest with him. But then a great wind came up, a rain fell, and a terrible storm broke. The distance from the harbor to Spruce Island is not great—about a two hour journey—but no one would agree to go to sea in such weather. Thus it continued for a full month, and although the body lay in state for a full month in the warm house of his students, his face did not undergo any change at all, and not the slightest odor emanated from his body. Finally, through the efforts of Kuzma Uchilischev, a coffin was obtained. No one arrived from the harbor, and the inhabitants of Spruce Island alone buried the remains of the Elder in the ground. Thus the words which Father Herman uttered before his death were fulfilled. After this the wind quieted down, and the surface of the sea became as smooth as a mirror. evening, above the village Katani (on Afognak) an unusual pillar of light which reached up to heaven was seen above Spruce Island. Astonished by the miraculous appearance, experienced elders and the Creole Gerasim Vologdin and his wife Anna said, “It seems that Father Herman has left us,” and they began to pray. After a time, they were informed that the Elder had indeed passed away that very night. This same pillar was seen in various places by others. On the night of his death a vision was seen in another of the settlements on Afognak; it seemed as though a man was rising from Spruce Island into the clouds. disciples buried their father, and placed a wooden memorial marker above his grave. Father Peter Kashevarov, the priest on Kodiak, says, “I saw it myself, and I can say that today it seems as though it had never been touched by time; as though it had been cut this day.” witnessed the life of Father Herman glorified by his zealous labors, having seen his miracles, and the fulfillment of his predictions, finally having observed his blessed falling asleep, “in general, all the local inhabitants,” Bishop Peter witnesses, “have the highest esteem for him, as though he was a holy ascetic, and they are fully convinced that he has found favor in the presence of God.” 1842, five years after the passing away of the Elder, Archbishop Innocent of Kamchatka and the Aleutians, was near Kodiak on a sailing vessel which was in great distress. He looked to Spruce Island, and said to himself, “If you have found favor in God’s presence, Father Herman, then may the wind change.” It seems as though not more than fifteen minutes had passed, said the bishop, when the wind became favorable, and he successfully reached the shore. In thanksgiving for being saved, Archbishop Innocent himself conducted a Memorial Service (Panikhida) over the grave of the blessed Father Herman. O Holy Father Herman of Alaska, pray unto God for us! HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

New Valaam, Alaska (Spruce Island), St Herman's Hermitage
New Valaam, Alaska (Spruce Island); Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Alaska, Southeast Alaska Folder

Stikine River Source (Spatsizi Plateau)

Stikine River 1 (Grand Canyon of the Stikine)
Grand Canyon of the Stikine;

Stikine River 2 (Telegraph Creek, British Columbia)

Stikine River 3 (Stikine Gold Rush)
Stikine Gold Rush;

Stikine River Mouth (Alexander Archipelago, Pacific Ocean)

Alaska, Kuskokwim River Folder, West AK

Kuskowim River North Fork Source (Alaska Range)

Kuskowim River North Fork 1

Kuskowim River North Fork 2

Kuskowim River East Fork Source (Alaska Range)

Kuskowim River East Fork 1

Kuskokwim River East Fork 2

Kuskokwim River Source

Kuskowim River 1

Kuskowim River 2

Kuskowim River 3

Kuskowim River 6 (Overview)

Alaska, Nushagak River Folder, West AK

Nushagak River Source (Alaska Range)

Nushagak River Mouth (Nushagak Bay, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea)

Alaska, Aleutian Islands Folder, Southwest AK

USA, Arkansas Folder, and its rivers

Arkansas
Arkansas; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ;

Arkansas, Central AR, Arkansas River Folder, Little Rock, AR

Preston, Arkansas (Arkansas River 13.7)
Preston, Arkansas (Arkansas River 13.7, Near Conway, north of Little Rock) Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Little Rock, AR (Arkansas River 14)
Little Rock, Arkansas ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ;

Arkansas Baptist College, 1884, Little Rock
Arkansas Baptist College, 1884; Charles Harrison Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated November 17.;

Assemblies of God, 1914, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Assemblies of God, 1914, Hot Springs, Arkansas; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas; Assemblies of God, 1914, Hot Springs, Arkansas; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Arkansas, Northern AK, White River Folder, Sulphur Rock, AK

White River (Arkansas) Source (Boston Mountains)

Boston Mountains

Sulphur Rock, Arkansas (White River 1)
Sulphur Rock, Arkansas ; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Jonesboro, AR (Center of the US East of the Rockies)
Jonesboro, AR (Center of the US East of the Rockies); William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

White River (Arkansas) Mouth (Mississippi River 10)

Arkansas, Eastern AK, Mississippi River Folder, Little Rock, AK

USA, Alabama Folder, and its rivers

Alabama
Alabama; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); CHARLES GORE BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Alabama History Folder

Alabama, 1876-1915, dominant leader, Booker T. Washington
Alabama, 1876-1915, Booker T. Washington; W. E. B. DU BOIS, SOCIOLOGIST, 3 August 1963;

Alabama, 1955, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks
Alabama, 1955, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks; Alabama, 1949-1968, Dr Martin Luther King;

Alabama, 1949-1968, Dr Martin Luther King
Alabama, 1949-1968, Dr Martin Luther King; Alabama, 1955, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Alabama, 1965, Selma to Montgomery Marches, 54 Miles
Selma to Montgomery Marches 1965; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Alabama, 1965, Selma to Montgomery Marches (3), Martin Luther King Jr.
1965 Selma to Montgomery Marches (3); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968) ;

Alabama, 1965, Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Martyr, lost fear, baptized, Lord's death, mixed motives, self-seeking messianism
Selma, Alabama; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); lost fear in the black belt when I began to know in my bones and sinews that I had been truly baptized into the Lord's death and Resurrection, that in the only sense that really matters I am already dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God. I began to lose self-righteousness when I discovered the extent to which my behavior was motivated by worldly desires and by the self-seeking messianism of Yankee deliverance! The point is simply, of course, that one's motives are usually mixed, and one had better know it. Myrick Daniels was born in Keene, New Hampshire in 1939, one of two offspring of a Congregationalist physician. When in high school, he had a bad fall which put him in the hospital for about a month. It was a time of reflection. Soon after, he joined the Episcopal Church and also began to take his studies seriously, and to consider the possibility of entering the priesthood. After high school, he enrolled at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia, where at first he seemed a misfit, but managed to stick it out, and was elected Valedictorian of his graduating class. During his sophomore year at VMI, however, he began to experience uncertainties about his religious faith and his vocation to the priesthood that continued for several years, and were probably influenced by the death of his father and the prolonged illness of his younger sister Emily. In the fall of 1961 he entered Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston, to study English literature, and in the spring of 1962, while attending Easter services at the Church of the Advent in Boston, he underwent a conversion experience and renewal of grace. Soon after, he made a definite decision to study for the priesthood, and after a year of work to repair the family finances, he enrolled at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1963, expecting to graduate in the spring of 1966. March 1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, asked students and others to join him in Selma, Alabama, for a march to the state capital in Montgomery demonstrating support for his civil rights program. News of the request reached the campus of ETS on Monday 8 March (my sources are a bit confused on the chronology of that week, but I think this is correct), and during Evening Prayer at the chapel, Jon Daniels decided that he ought to go. Later he wrote: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." I had come to Evening Prayer as usual that evening, and as usual I was singing the Magnificat with the special love and reverence I have always felt for Mary's glad song. "He hath showed strength with his arm." As the lovely hymn of the God-bearer continued, I found myself peculiarly alert, suddenly straining toward the decisive, luminous, Spirit-filled "moment" that would, in retrospect, remind me of others--particularly one at Easter three years ago. Then it came. "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things." I knew then that I must go to Selma. The Virgin's song was to grow more and more dear in the weeks ahead. Jonathan Daniels & kids and others left on Thursday for Selma, intending to stay only that weekend; but he and a friend missed the bus back, and began to reflect on how an in-and-out visit like theirs looked to those living in Selma, and decided that they must stay longer. They went home to request permission to spend the rest of the term in Selma, studying on their own and returning to take their examinations. In Selma, many proposed marches were blocked by rows of policemen. Jon describes one such meeting (ellipses not marked). After a week-long, rain-soaked vigil, we still stood face to face with the Selma police. I stood, for a change, in the front rank, ankle-deep in an enormous puddle. To my immediate right were high school students, for the most part, and further to the right were a swarm of clergymen. My end of the line surged forward at one point, led by a militant Episcopal priest whose temper (as usual) was at combustion-point. Thus I found myself only inches from a young policeman. The air crackled with tension and open hostility. Emma Jean, a sophomore in the Negro high school, called my name from behind. I reached back for her hand to bring her up to the front rank, but she did not see. Again she asked me to come back. My determination had become infectiously savage, and I insisted that she come forward--I would not retreat! Again I reached for her hand and pulled her forward. The young policeman spoke: "You're dragging her through the puddle. You ought to be ashamed for treating a girl like that." Flushing--I had forgotten the puddle--I snarled something at him about whose-fault-it-really-was, that managed to be both defensive and self-righteous. We matched baleful glances and then both looked away. And then came a moment of shattering internal quiet, in which I felt shame, indeed, and a kind of reluctant love for the young policeman. I apologized to Emma Jean. And then it occurred to me to apologize to him and to thank him. Though he looked away in contempt--I was not altogether sure I blamed him--I had received a blessing I would not forget. Before long the kids were singing, "I love ---." One of my friends asked [the young policeman] for his name. His name was Charlie. When we sang for him, he blushed and then smiled in a truly sacramental mixture of embarrassment and pleasure and shyness. Soon the young policeman looked relaxed, we all lit cigarettes (in a couple of instances, from a common match, and small groups of kids and policemen clustered to joke or talk cautiously about the situation. It was thus a shock later to look across the rank at the clergymen and their opposites, who glared across a still unbroken "Wall" in what appeared to be silent hatred. Had I been freely arranging the order for Evening Prayer that night, I think I might have followed the General Confession directly with the General Thanksgiving--or perhaps the Te Deum. Jon devoted many of his Sundays in Selma to bringing small groups of Negroes, mostly high school students, to church with him in an effort to integrate the local Episcopal church. They were seated but scowled at. Many parishioners openly resented their presence, and put their pastor squarely in the middle. (He was integrationist enough to risk his job by accommodating Jon's group as far as he did, but not integrationist enough to satisfy Jon.) May, Jon went back to ETS to take examinations and complete other requirements, and in July he returned to Alabama, where he helped to produce a listing of local, state, and federal agencies and other resources legally available to persons in need of assistance. On Friday 13 August Jon and others went to the town of Fort Deposit to join in picketing three local businesses. On Saturday they were arrested and held in the county jail in Hayneville for six days until they were bailed out. (They had agreed that none would accept bail until there was bail money for all.) After their release on Friday 20 August, four of them undertook to enter a local shop, and were met at the door by a man with a shotgun who told them to leave or be shot. After a brief confrontation, he aimed the gun at a young girl in the party, and Jon pushed her out of the way and took the blast of the shotgun himself. (Whether he stepped between her and the shotgun is not clear.) He was killed instantly. Not long before his death he wrote: I lost fear in the black belt when I began to know in my bones and sinews that I had been truly baptized into the Lord's death and Resurrection, that in the only sense that really matters I am already dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God. I began to lose self-righteousness when I discovered the extent to which my behavior was motivated by worldly desires and by the self-seeking messianism of Yankee deliverance! The point is simply, of course, that one's motives are usually mixed, and one had better know it. As Judy and I said the daily offices day by day, we became more and more aware of the living reality of the invisible "communion of saints"--of the beloved comunity in Cambridge who were saying the offices too, of the ones gathered around a near-distant throne in heaven--who blend with theirs our faltering songs of prayer and praise. With them, with black men and white men, with all of life, in Him Whose Name is above all the names that the races and nations shout, whose Name is Itself the Song Which fulfils and "ends" all songs, we are indelibly, unspeakably ONE. (NOTE: Much of Alabama has brick-red clayey soil. The region where the soil is black loam is called "the black belt." The term has no racial referent, although Yankees often assume that it does.) (NOTE: Because Bernard of Clairvaux is remembered on 20 August, Jonathan Daniels is remembered on the day of his arrest, 14 August.) SOURCE: The Jon Daniels Story, ed. William J Schneider (Morehouse, 1992 ; ISBN: 0819215864 - out of print but should be available used) (orig. publ. 1967) by James Kiefer Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968);

Alabama, Huntsville Folder (Tennessee River), North AL

Tennessee River 3 (Florence, Decatur, and Huntsville, AB)

Alabama, Mobile River Folder, South AL

Mobile River Source (Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers)

Mobile River Mouth (Mobile Bay, Gulf of Mexico)

Alabama, Montgomery Folder (Alabama, Talaloosa, and Coosa Rivers), East AL

Alabama River Source (Tallapoosa and Coosa Rivers, Montgomery, AL)

Alabama River Mouth (Mobile River Source)

Oostanaula River (Resaca, Georgia)

Oostanaula River (Calhoun, Georgia)

Oostanaula River Mouth (Coosa River Source, Rome Georgia)

Coosa River Source (Mouths of Oostanaula and Etowah Rivers, Rome, GA)

Coosa River 1 (Gadsden, Alabama)

TBN, Gadsden, Alabama (Coosa River 1) outside Birmingham
TBN, Gadsden, Alabama ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Coosa River 2 (Childersburg, Alabama)

Coosa River 3 (Lake Jordan, Holtsville, AB)

Coosa River 4 (Lake Bouldin, Holtsville, AB)

Coosa River Mouth (Montgomery, Alabama River Source)

Montgomery (Alabama River Source, Talapoosa and Coosa Rivers)
Montgomery, AL; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968);

Tallapoosa River Source (Palding County Georgia)

Talapoosa River 1 (Talapoosa, Georgia)

Talaloosa River 2 (Lake Wedowee, AL)

Talapoosa River 3 (Lake Martin, AL)

Tuskegee Institute, Alabama (Talapoosa River 3) 1881
Tuskegee Institute; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28 ;

Talapoosa River Mouth (Montgomery, Alabama River Source)

Alabama River 1 (Selma, Haynesville, and Fort Deposit)

Selma (Alabama River 1)
Selma, Alabama; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Myrick Daniels was born in Keene, New Hampshire in 1939, one of two offspring of a Congregationalist physician. When in high school, he had a bad fall which put him in the hospital for about a month. It was a time of reflection. Soon after, he joined the Episcopal Church and also began to take his studies seriously, and to consider the possibility of entering the priesthood. After high school, he enrolled at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia, where at first he seemed a misfit, but managed to stick it out, and was elected Valedictorian of his graduating class. During his sophomore year at VMI, however, he began to experience uncertainties about his religious faith and his vocation to the priesthood that continued for several years, and were probably influenced by the death of his father and the prolonged illness of his younger sister Emily. In the fall of 1961 he entered Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston, to study English literature, and in the spring of 1962, while attending Easter services at the Church of the Advent in Boston, he underwent a conversion experience and renewal of grace. Soon after, he made a definite decision to study for the priesthood, and after a year of work to repair the family finances, he enrolled at Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1963, expecting to graduate in the spring of 1966. March 1965 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, asked students and others to join him in Selma, Alabama, for a march to the state capital in Montgomery demonstrating support for his civil rights program. News of the request reached the campus of ETS on Monday 8 March (my sources are a bit confused on the chronology of that week, but I think this is correct), and during Evening Prayer at the chapel, Jon Daniels decided that he ought to go. Later he wrote: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." I had come to Evening Prayer as usual that evening, and as usual I was singing the Magnificat with the special love and reverence I have always felt for Mary's glad song. "He hath showed strength with his arm." As the lovely hymn of the God-bearer continued, I found myself peculiarly alert, suddenly straining toward the decisive, luminous, Spirit-filled "moment" that would, in retrospect, remind me of others--particularly one at Easter three years ago. Then it came. "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things." I knew then that I must go to Selma. The Virgin's song was to grow more and more dear in the weeks ahead. Jonathan Daniels & kids and others left on Thursday for Selma, intending to stay only that weekend; but he and a friend missed the bus back, and began to reflect on how an in-and-out visit like theirs looked to those living in Selma, and decided that they must stay longer. They went home to request permission to spend the rest of the term in Selma, studying on their own and returning to take their examinations. In Selma, many proposed marches were blocked by rows of policemen. Jon describes one such meeting (ellipses not marked). After a week-long, rain-soaked vigil, we still stood face to face with the Selma police. I stood, for a change, in the front rank, ankle-deep in an enormous puddle. To my immediate right were high school students, for the most part, and further to the right were a swarm of clergymen. My end of the line surged forward at one point, led by a militant Episcopal priest whose temper (as usual) was at combustion-point. Thus I found myself only inches from a young policeman. The air crackled with tension and open hostility. Emma Jean, a sophomore in the Negro high school, called my name from behind. I reached back for her hand to bring her up to the front rank, but she did not see. Again she asked me to come back. My determination had become infectiously savage, and I insisted that she come forward--I would not retreat! Again I reached for her hand and pulled her forward. The young policeman spoke: "You're dragging her through the puddle. You ought to be ashamed for treating a girl like that." Flushing--I had forgotten the puddle--I snarled something at him about whose-fault-it-really-was, that managed to be both defensive and self-righteous. We matched baleful glances and then both looked away. And then came a moment of shattering internal quiet, in which I felt shame, indeed, and a kind of reluctant love for the young policeman. I apologized to Emma Jean. And then it occurred to me to apologize to him and to thank him. Though he looked away in contempt--I was not altogether sure I blamed him--I had received a blessing I would not forget. Before long the kids were singing, "I love ---." One of my friends asked [the young policeman] for his name. His name was Charlie. When we sang for him, he blushed and then smiled in a truly sacramental mixture of embarrassment and pleasure and shyness. Soon the young policeman looked relaxed, we all lit cigarettes (in a couple of instances, from a common match, and small groups of kids and policemen clustered to joke or talk cautiously about the situation. It was thus a shock later to look across the rank at the clergymen and their opposites, who glared across a still unbroken "Wall" in what appeared to be silent hatred. Had I been freely arranging the order for Evening Prayer that night, I think I might have followed the General Confession directly with the General Thanksgiving--or perhaps the Te Deum. Jon devoted many of his Sundays in Selma to bringing small groups of Negroes, mostly high school students, to church with him in an effort to integrate the local Episcopal church. They were seated but scowled at. Many parishioners openly resented their presence, and put their pastor squarely in the middle. (He was integrationist enough to risk his job by accommodating Jon's group as far as he did, but not integrationist enough to satisfy Jon.) May, Jon went back to ETS to take examinations and complete other requirements, and in July he returned to Alabama, where he helped to produce a listing of local, state, and federal agencies and other resources legally available to persons in need of assistance. On Friday 13 August Jon and others went to the town of Fort Deposit to join in picketing three local businesses. On Saturday they were arrested and held in the county jail in Hayneville for six days until they were bailed out. (They had agreed that none would accept bail until there was bail money for all.) After their release on Friday 20 August, four of them undertook to enter a local shop, and were met at the door by a man with a shotgun who told them to leave or be shot. After a brief confrontation, he aimed the gun at a young girl in the party, and Jon pushed her out of the way and took the blast of the shotgun himself. (Whether he stepped between her and the shotgun is not clear.) He was killed instantly. Not long before his death he wrote: I lost fear in the black belt when I began to know in my bones and sinews that I had been truly baptized into the Lord's death and Resurrection, that in the only sense that really matters I am already dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God. I began to lose self-righteousness when I discovered the extent to which my behavior was motivated by worldly desires and by the self-seeking messianism of Yankee deliverance! The point is simply, of course, that one's motives are usually mixed, and one had better know it. As Judy and I said the daily offices day by day, we became more and more aware of the living reality of the invisible "communion of saints"--of the beloved comunity in Cambridge who were saying the offices too, of the ones gathered around a near-distant throne in heaven--who blend with theirs our faltering songs of prayer and praise. With them, with black men and white men, with all of life, in Him Whose Name is above all the names that the races and nations shout, whose Name is Itself the Song Which fulfils and "ends" all songs, we are indelibly, unspeakably ONE. (NOTE: Much of Alabama has brick-red clayey soil. The region where the soil is black loam is called "the black belt." The term has no racial referent, although Yankees often assume that it does.) (NOTE: Because Bernard of Clairvaux is remembered on 20 August, Jonathan Daniels is remembered on the day of his arrest, 14 August.) SOURCE: The Jon Daniels Story, ed. William J Schneider (Morehouse, 1992 ; ISBN: 0819215864 - out of print but should be available used) (orig. publ. 1967) by James Kiefer Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968);

1965 Selma to Montgomery Marches (3), Martin Luther King Jr.
1965 Selma to Montgomery Marches (3); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968) ;

St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Selma, Alabama) 1875
St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Selma, Alabama) 1875; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Fort Deposit, Alabama (Alabama River 1)
Fort Deposit, Alabama; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Hayneville, Alabama (Alabama River 1)
Hayneville; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Alabama, Birmingham Folder (Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers), West AL

Tombigbee-Tennessee Waterway

Black Warrior River Source

Black Warrior River 1 (Birmingham)

Birmingham, Alabama (Black Warrior River 1)
Birmingham, Alabama ; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968) ;

Black Warrior River 2 (Tuscaloosa)

Black Belt (region of Alabama)
Black Belt (region of Alabama); JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Black Warrior River Mouth (Demopolis, Tombigbee River Source)

Tennessee “Tombigbee Waterway (Demopolis, Alabama)

Tombigbee River Source (Demopolis, Black Warrior River)

USA, Arizona Folder, and its rivers

Arizona
Arizona;

Arizona, Colorado River Folder, Northern and Western AZ

Lukachukai Mountains, AZ
Lukachukai Mountains ;

Basketmaker culture (Canyon de Chelly) AZ
Basketmaker culture ; Canyon de Chelly National Monument ;

Navajo National Monument, AZ
Navajo National Monument;

Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau ;

Inscription House, AZ
Inscription House;

Arizona, Prescott Folder (Tonto, Agua and Verde Rivers), North Central AZ

Tonto Basin (Plesant Valley)
Tonto Basin (Plesant Valley) ;

Verde River Source (Sullivan Lake near Paulden, AZ)

Verde River Mouth (Salt River)

Agua Fria River Source (Granite Dells just north of Prescott)

Fort Whipple

Prescott, AZ
Prescott, Arizona

Agua Fria River Mouth (Gila River 3, Phoenix, AZ)

Arizona, Gila River Folder, Central AZ, Phoenix, Central Arizona

White Mountains, in AZ
White Mountains, Arizona, Mount Baldy

Gila National Forest, NM
Gila National Forest;

Gila Mountains (Graham County, AZ)
Gila Mountains (Graham County);

Apache Junction, AZ
Apache Junction, Arizona;

Phoenix, Arizona (Gila River 4)
Phoenix, Arizona (Gila River 4); William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

TBN History, 1977, Phoenix, AZ
TBN History, 1977, Phoenix, AZ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Salt River Source (White Mountains)

Salt River Mouth (Gila River 4, Phoenix)

Ajo, Arizona (Gila River 5)
Ajo, Arizona ;

Gila Mountains (Yuma County)
Gila Mountains (Yuma County);

Arizona, Santa Cruz River Folder, Southern AZ, Tucson

Santa Cruz River Source, San Rafael Valley, AZ

Santa Rita Mountains
Santa Rita Mountains;

Santa Cruz River 1 (Miracle Valley Arizona, US Mexico Border)

Miracle Valley, Arizona (Santa Cruz River 1)
Miracle Valley, Arizona; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Santa Cruz River 2 (Tuscon)

Rincon Mountains
Rincon Mountains;

Tucson, AZ
Tucson, Arizona;

Tucson Mountains
Tucson Mountains;

Santa Catalina Mountains
Santa Catalina Mountains;

Tortolita Mountains
Tortolita Mountains;

Galiuro Mountains
Galiuro Mountains ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Sunset Peak 40 miles NE of Tuscon
Sunset Peak 40 miles NE of Tuscon in Galiuro Mountains Galiuro Mountains ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Santa Cruz River 3

Santa Cruz River Mouth (Gila River 3, Phoenix)

USA, Kansas Folder, its rivers and roads

Kansas
Kansas; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ; Charles Memmimger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Kansas History Folder

Kansas, 1952-1954, Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka
Kansas, 1952-1954, Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

Kansas, Northern Kansas, Kansas River Folder

Kansas River Source (Junction City, KS)

Kansas, Kansas River Source, Smokey Hill River Folder

Smoky Hill River North Fork Source

Smoky Hill North Fork Mouth (Smoky Hill River, near Russell Springs, CO)

Smoky Hill River Source (Cheyenne County, CO)

Smokey Hill River 1 (North Fork Smokey Hill River)

Smokey Hill River 2 (Ellsworth, KS, Chisholm Trail)

Smokey Hill River 3 (Salina, KS, Saline River Mouth)

Saline River Source (Sheridan County, KS)

Saline River (Kansas) Mouth (Salina, KS, Smoky Hill River)

Smokey Hill River 4 (Abilene, KS, Chisholm Trail, Solomon River)

Solomon River Mouth (Smoky Hill River 4, Abiline)

Smoky Hill River Mouth (Kansas River Source, Republican River, Junction City, Fort Riley)

Kansas, Kansas River Source, Republican River Folder

Republican River Mouth (Junction City, KS, Kansas River Source)

Kansas River 1 (Manhattan, KS)

Kansas, Kansas River 1, Big Blue River Folder, Manhattan, KS

Big Blue River 1 (Blue Rapids, Little Blue River Mouth)

Big Blue River Mouth (Mahattan, KS, Kansas River)

Kansas River 2 (Topeka, KS)

Topeka, Kansas (Kansas River 2, Oregon Trail 3)
Topeka, Kansas; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; THURGOOD MARSHALL, LAWER AND JURIST, 1993, Commemorated May 17;

Kansas Medical College, Topeka, Kansas
Kansas Medical College; Kansas Medical College; Charles Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, 1865
Washburn University ; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; Charles Memmimger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Topeka VA Medical Center, 2200 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka, KS 66622
Topeka VA Medical Center, 2200 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka, KS 66622; Karl Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Winter VA Medical Center, 2200 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka, KS 66622
Topeka VA Medical Center, 2200 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka, KS 66622; Karl Memminger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6;

Bethel Bible College, Topeka, KS, 1900
Bethel Bible College, Topeka, KS ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ; Agnes Ozman, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1937 January 1 ;

Kansas River 3 (Lawrence, KS)

Kansas, Kansas River 3, Wakarusa River Folder

Wakarusa River Source

Wakarusa River 1 (South Lawrence)

Wakarusa River 2 (Eudora)

Wakarusa River Mouth (Kansas River 3)

Kansas River Mouth (Missouri River 23, Kansas City)

Kansas, Southwestern Kansas, Arkansas River Folder

Cheney, Kansas (High Plains, Chisholm Trail to Ellsworth, Arkansas River 8)
Cheney, Kansas; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Southwestern College (Winfield, Kansas, Arkansas River 8.5) 1885
Southwestern College (Winfield, Kansas) ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Kansas, Southeast Kansas Folder, Galena, KS

Galena, Kansas (mining town, next to Joplin, MO)
Galena, Kansas ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Keelville, Kansas (mining town)
Keelville, Kansas; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Kansas, Chisholm Trail Folder - 1867-84, Wichita, Newton, Abilene and Elsworth, Kansas

Chisholm Trail - Abilene, Kansas
Chisholm Trail; Abilene, Kansas, Kansas Pacific Railway

Chisholm Trail - Ellsworth, KS
Ellsworth, KS;

Chisholm Trail - Newton, Kansas
Newton, Kansas;

Chisholm Trail - Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas;

Chisholm Trail - Red River Station, Texas
Red River Station, Texas;

Chisholm Trail - Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas;

Kansas, Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder (1804-06)

Kansas, Oregon Trail Folder, Kansas City, Topeka to Little Blue Mouth on Big Blue

Kansas, Santa Fe Trail Folder (MO, KS, OK, NM, & Mexico)

Kansas, Great Plains and High Plains Folder

USA, Kentucky Folder, and its rivers

Kentucky
Kentucky ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

Kentucky, Ohio River Folder, Northern KY

Mason County, KY (Ohio River 11)
Mason County, KY ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

Jeffersonville, Indiana (Ohio River 15) across river from Louisville
Jeffersonville, Indiana (Ohio River 15); William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Louisville, Kentucky (Ohio River 15)
Louisville, Kentucky ; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemrated December 10 ;

New Albany, Indiana (Ohio River 15) across river from Louisville
New Albany, Indiana (Ohio River 15); William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Kentucky, Wilderness Road Folder, Central and Eastern KY

Wilderness Road 3 (Kanes Gap, VA)
Wilderness Road 3 (Kanes Gap - 36.7326°N 82.8241°W)

Burkesville, Cumberland County, KY (Wilderness Road South to Nashville, Cumberland River)
Burkesville, Cumberland County, KY ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Kentucky, 1929-1965, William Branham, PS, faith healer, led healing movement, led restorationists, largest meetings, worldwide
US, 1929-1965, William Branham, PS, fBurkesville, Cumberland County, KY(Wilderness Road South to Nashville, Cumberland River), an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to prelude Christ's second coming; some of his followers have been labeled a doomsday cult, a principal architect of restorationist thought, leading individual in the Second Wave of Pentecostalism, largest religious meetings ever at that time, America, Europe, Africa, India, angelic visions, many controversies; Burkesville, Cumberland County, KY ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post-World War II healing revival, and claimed to be a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to prelude Christ's second coming; some of his followers have been labeled a "doomsday cult".[1][2][3] He is credited as "a principal architect of restorationist thought" for charismatics by some Christian historians,[4] has been called the "leading individual in the Second Wave of Pentecostalism."[5] made a lasting influence on televangelism and the modern charismatic movement,[6] and his "stage presence remains a legend unparalleled in the history of the Charismatic movement".[7] the time they were held, his inter-denominational meetings were the largest religious meetings ever held in some American cities. was the first American deliverance minister to successfully campaign in Europe; his ministry reached global audiences with major campaigns held in North America, Europe, Africa, and India. claimed that he had received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry and launching his campaigning career in mid-1946. fame rapidly spread as crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitations and reports of miracles happening at his meetings. ministry spawned many emulators and set in motion the broader healing revival that later became the modern charismatic movement. the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, Branham was widely adored and "the neo-Pentecostal world believed Branham to be a prophet to their generation".[8] 1955, Branham's campaigning and popularity began to decline as the Pentecostal churches began to withdraw their support from the healing campaigns for primarily financial reasons. By 1960, Branham transitioned into a teaching ministry. his contemporaries, who followed doctrinal teachings which are known as the Full Gospel tradition, Branham developed an alternative theology which was primarily a mixture of Calvinist and Arminian doctrines, and had a heavy focus on dispensationalism and Branham's own unique eschatological views. While widely accepting the restoration doctrine he espoused during the healing revival, his divergent post-revival teachings were deemed increasingly controversial by his charismatic and Pentecostal contemporaries, who subsequently disavowed many of the doctrines as "revelatory madness".[9] His racial teachings on serpent seed and his belief that membership in a Christian denomination was connected to the mark of the beast alienated many of his former supporters. His closest followers, however, accepted his sermons as oral scripture and refer to his teachings as The Message. Despite Branham's objections, some followers of his teachings placed him at the center of a cult of personality during his final years. Branham claimed that he had converted over one million people during his career. His teachings continue to be promoted by the William Branham Evangelistic Association, which reported that about 2 million people received its material in 2018. Branham died following a car accident in 1965. his healing revivals, Branham was accused of committing fraud by investigative news reporters, fellow ministers, host churches, and governmental agencies. Numerous people pronounced healed died shortly thereafter, investigators discovered evidence suggesting miracles may have been staged, and Branham was found to have significantly embellished and falsified numerous stories he presented to his audiences as fact. Branham faced legal problems as a result of his practices. The governments of South Africa and Norway intervened in order to stop his healing campaigns in their countries. In the United States, Branham was charged with tax evasion for failing to account for the donations received through his ministry; admitting his liability, he settled the case out of court. The news media has linked Branham to multiple notorious figures. Branham was baptized and ordained a minister by Roy Davis, the National Imperial Wizard (leader) of the Ku Klux Klan; the two men maintained a lifelong relationship. Branham helped launch and popularize the ministry of Jim Jones. Paul Schäfer, Robert Martin Gumbura, Leo Mercer, the Malindi cult and other followers of William Branham's teachings have regularly been in the news due to the serious crimes which they committed. Followers of Branham's teachings in Colonia Dignidad were portrayed in the 2015 film Colonia. life[edit] A log cabin with some logs missing and a lean-to attached to its side The dirt-floor log cabin that was William Marrion Branham's birthplace as shown in his biography William Branham: A Man Sent From God M. Branham was born near Burkesville, Kentucky, on April 6, 1909,[10][11][12][a][b] son of Charles and Ella Harvey Branham, oldest of ten children.[15] claimed that at his birth, a "Light come [sic] whirling through the window, about the size of a pillow, and circled around where I was, and went down on the bed".[11] told his publicist Gordon Lindsay that he had mystical experiences from an early age;[10] and that at age three he heard a "voice" speaking to him from a tree telling him "he would live near a city called New Albany".[10][11] to Branham, that year his family moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana.[11] also said that when he was seven years old, God told him to avoid smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.[10][16] Branham stated he never violated the command.[10] told his audiences that he grew up in "deep poverty",[10] often not having adequate clothing, and that his family was involved in criminal activities.[12] neighbors reported him as "someone who always seemed a little different", but said he was a dependable youth.[10] explained that his tendency towards "mystical experiences and moral purity" caused misunderstandings among his friends, family, and other young people; he was a "black sheep" from an early age.[17] called his childhood "a terrible life."[16] father owned a farm near Utica, Indiana, and took a job working for O. H. Wathen, owner of R. E. Wathen Distilleries in nearby Louisville, Kentucky.[18] was a supplier for Al Capone's bootlegging operations.[19] told his audiences that he was required to help his father with the illegal production and sale of liquor during prohibition. March 1924, Branham's father was arrested for his criminal activities; he was convicted and sentenced to a prison.[20] Indiana Ku Klux Klan claimed responsibility for attacking and shutting down the Jeffersonville liquor producing ring.[21] was involved in a firearms incident and was shot in both legs in March 1924, at age 14; he later told his audiences he was involved in a hunting accident. Two of his brothers also suffered life-threatening injuries at the same time.[22] was rushed to the hospital for treatment. family was unable to pay for his medical bills, but members of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan stepped in to cover the expenses.[23] help of the Klan during his impoverished childhood had a profound impact on Branham throughout his life. As late as 1963, Branham continued to speak highly of the them saying, "the Ku Klux Klan, paid the hospital bill for me, Masons. I can never forget them. See? No matter what they do, or what, I still ... there is something, and that stays with me ...".[24] Branham would go on to maintain lifelong connections to the KKK.[25] and early influences[edit] William Branham c. 1930 told his audiences that he left home at age 19 in search of a better life, traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked on a ranch for two years and began a successful career in boxing.[10] Branham was away, his brother Edward aged 18, shot and killed a Jeffersonville man and was charged with murder.[26][27] Edward died of a sudden illness only a short time later.[28] returned to Jeffersonville in June 1929 to attend the funeral.[10][29] had no experience with religion as a child; he said that the first time he heard a prayer was at his brother's funeral.[30] Roy Davis, William Branham's first pastor. afterward, while he was working for the Public Service Company of Indiana, Branham was overcome by gas and had to be hospitalized.[30] said that he heard a voice speaking to him while he was recovering from the accident, which led him to begin seeking God.[30] thereafter, he began attending the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville, where he converted to Christianity.[31][10] church was pastored by Roy Davis, a founding member of the second Ku Klux Klan and a leading recruiter for the organization. Davis later became the National Imperial Wizard (leader) of the KKK. baptized Branham and six months later, he ordained Branham as an Independent Baptist minister and an elder in his church.[10] by the KKK's Imperial Kludd (chaplain) Caleb Ridley, Branham traveled with Davis and they participated together in revivals in other states.[32][33] the time of Branham's conversion, the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville was a nominally Baptist church which adhered to some Pentecostal doctrines, including divine healing and speaking in tongues; reported that his baptism at the church was done using the Jesus name formula of Oneness Pentecostalism.[34] claimed to have been opposed to Pentecostalism during the early years of his ministry. according to multiple Branham biographers, like Baptist historian Doug Weaver and Pentecostal historian Bernie Wade, Branham was exposed to Pentecostal teachings from his conversion.[35] claimed to his audiences he was first exposed to a Pentecostal church in 1936, which invited him to join, but he refused.[34][c] speculated that Branham may have chosen to hide his early connections to Pentecostalism to make his conversion story more compelling to his Pentecostal audiences during the years of the healing revival. Weaver identified several parts of Branham's reported life story that conflicted with historical documentation and suggested that Branham began significantly embellishing his early life story to his audiences beginning in the 1940s.[35] June 1933, Branham held tent revival meetings that were sponsored by Davis and the First Pentecostal Baptist Church.[10][37] June 2 that year, the Jeffersonville Evening News said the Branham campaign reported 14 converts.[38] followers believed his ministry was accompanied by miraculous signs from its beginning, and that when he was baptizing converts on June 11, 1933, in the Ohio River near Jeffersonville, a bright light descended over him and that he heard a voice say, "As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ, so your message will forerun His second coming".[39][40] in the baptismal story is a critical element of faith among Branham's followers.[41] In his early references to the event during the healing revival, Branham interpreted it to refer to the restoration of the gifts of the spirit to the church.[42] later years, Branham significantly altered how he told the baptismal story, and came to connect the event to his teaching ministry. He claimed reports of the baptismal story were carried in newspapers across the United States and Canada.[43] of the way Branham's telling of the baptismal story changed over the years, and because no newspaper actually covered the event, Weaver said Branham may have embellished the story after he began achieving success in the healing revival during the 1940s.[44] House of David commune in Michigan Roy Davis and the First Pentecostal Baptist Church, Branham reported interaction with other groups during the 1930s who were an influence on his ministry. the early 1930s, he became acquainted with William Sowders' School of the Prophets, a Pentecostal group in Kentucky and Indiana. Through Sowders' group, he was introduced to the British Israelite House of David and in the autumn of 1934, Branham traveled to Michigan to meet with members of the group.[45] ministry[edit] The front of a brick building with white double doors and windows on either side and a sign above the door Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle c. 1935 took over leadership of Roy Davis's Jeffersonville church in 1934, after Davis was arrested again and extradited to stand trial.[46] during March or April 1934, the First Pentecostal Baptist Church was destroyed by a fire and Branham's supporters at the church helped him organize a new church in Jeffersonville.[47] first Branham preached out of a tent at 8th and Pratt street, and he also reported temporarily preaching in an orphanage building.[48] 1936, the congregation had constructed a new church on the same block as Branham's tent, at the corner of 8th and Penn street. church was built on the same location reported by the local newspaper as the site of his June 1933 tent campaign.[38] Newspaper articles reported the original name of Branham's new church to be the Pentecostal Tabernacle. The church was officially registered with the City of Jeffersonville as the Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle in November 1936. Newspaper articles continued to refer to his church as the Pentecostal Tabernacle until 1943.[49][50][51][52][53][54][55] Branham served as pastor until 1946, and the church name eventually shortened to the Branham Tabernacle.[47] The church flourished at first, but its growth began to slow. Because of the Great Depression, it was often short of funds, so Branham served without compensation.[47] continued traveling and preaching among Pentecostal churches while serving as pastor of his new church. obtained a truck and had it painted with advertisements for his healing ministry which he toured in. September 1934, he traveled to Mishawaka, Indiana where he was invited to speak at the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC) General Assembly meetings organized by Bishop G. B. Rowe. was "not impressed with the multi-cultural aspects of the PAJC as it was contrary to the dogmas advanced by his friends in the Ku Klux Klan."[32][56][34] and his future wife Amelia Hope Brumbach (b. July 16, 1913) attended the First Pentecostal Baptist Church together beginning in 1929 where Brumbach served as young people's leader.[15] couple began dating in 1933.[48] Branham married Brumbach in June 1934.[57] Their first child, William "Billy" Paul Branham was born soon after their marriage; the date given for his birth varies by source. In some of Branham's biographies, his first son's birth date is reported as September 13, 1935, but in government records his birth date is reported as September 13, 1934.[57][58] wife became ill during the second year of their marriage. According to her death certificate, she was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in January 1936, beginning a period of declining health. her diagnosis, the couple had a second child, Sharon Rose, who was born on October 27, 1936.[57] In September 1936, the local news reported that Branham held a multi-week healing revival at the Pentecostal Tabernacle in which he reported eight healings.[59] following year, disaster struck when Jeffersonville was ravaged by the Ohio River flood of 1937.[34] congregation was badly impacted by the disaster and his family was displaced from their home.[60] By February 1937, the floodwaters had receded, his church survived intact and Branham resumed holding services at the Pentecostal Tabernacle. the January flood, Hope's health continued to decline, and she succumbed to her illness and died on July 22, 1937. Rose, who had been born with her mother's illness, died four days later (July 26, 1937).[60] obituaries reported Branham as pastor of the Pentecostal Tabernacle, the same church where their funerals were held.[61] frequently related the story of the death of his wife and daughter during his ministry and evoked strong emotional responses from his audiences. told his audiences that his wife and daughter had become suddenly ill and died during the January flood as God's punishment because of his failure to embrace Pentecostalism.[39][34] said he made several suicide attempts following their deaths.[39][34] Duyzer noted that Branham's story of the events surrounding the death of his wife and daughter conflicted with historical evidence; they did not die during the flood, he and his wife were both already Pentecostals before they married, and he was pastor of a Pentecostal church at the time of their deaths.[15] the summer of 1940, Branham had resumed traveling and held revival meetings in other nearby communities.[54] Branham married his second wife Meda Marie Broy in 1941, and together they had three children; Rebekah (b. 1946), Sarah (b. 1950), and Joseph (b. 1955).[15] revival[edit] is known for his role in the healing revivals that occurred in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s,[62] and most participants in the movement regarded him as its initiator.[63] writer John Crowder described the period of revivals as "the most extensive public display of miraculous power in modern history".[64] like Christian author and countercult activist Hank Hanegraaff, rejected the entire healing revival as a hoax and condemned the movement as cult in his 1997 book Counterfeit Revival.[65] healing is a tradition and belief that was historically held by a majority of Christians but it became increasingly associated with Evangelical Protestantism.[66] fascination of most of American Christianity with divine healing played a significant role in the popularity and inter-denominational nature of the revival movement.[67] held massive inter-denominational meetings, from which came reports of hundreds of miracles.[63] David Harrell described Branham and Oral Roberts as the two giants of the movement and called Branham its "unlikely leader."[63] campaigns[edit] Two middle-aged men stand side-by-side wearing overcoats and holding their hats in their hands William Branham and F. F. Bosworth, c. 1950 had been traveling and holding revival meetings since at least 1940 before attracting national attention.[54] popularity began to grow following the 1942 meetings in Milltown, Indiana where it was reported that a young girl had been healed of tuberculosis. news of the reported healing was slow to spread, but was eventually reported to a family in Missouri who in 1945 invited Branham to pray for their child who was suffering from a similar illness; Branham reported that the child recovered after his prayers.[68] of two events eventually reached W. E. Kidston. Kidston was intrigued by the reported miracles and invited Branham to participate in revival meetings that he was organizing. E. Kidston, was editor of The Apostolic Herald and had many contacts in the Pentecostal movement.[68] served as Branham's first campaign manager and was instrumental in helping organize Branham's early revival meetings.[68] held his first large meetings as a faith healer in 1946.[69] His healing services are well documented, and he is regarded as the pacesetter for those who followed him.[70] At the time they were held, Branham's revival meetings were the largest religious meetings some American cities he visited had ever seen;[71] reports of 1,000 to 1,500 converts per meeting were common.[71] name his June 1946 St. Louis meetings as the inauguration of the healing revival period.[72] said he had received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry.[73] In his later years, he also connected the angelic visitation with the establishment of the nation of Israel, at one point mistakenly stating the vision occurred on the same day.[74][74][d][e] first reported revival meetings of the period were held over 12 days during June 1946 in St. Louis.[68] Time magazine reported on his St. Louis campaign meetings,[77] and according to the article, Branham drew a crowd of over 4,000 sick people who desired healing and recorded him diligently praying for each.[68] Branham's fame began to grow as a result of the publicity and reports covering his meetings.[68] of Faith magazine which was edited by prominent Pentecostal minister Joseph Mattsson-Boze and published by Philadelphia Pentecostal Church in Chicago began following and exclusively publishing stories from the Branham campaigns, giving Branham wide exposure to the Pentecostal movement. the St. Louis meetings, Branham launched a tour of small Oneness Pentecostal churches across the Midwest and southern United States, from which stemmed reports of healing and one report of a resurrection.[68] August his fame had spread widely. He held meetings that month in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and drew a crowd of 25,000 with attendees from 28 different states.[78] size of the crowds presented a problem for Branham's team as they found it difficult to find venues that could seat large numbers of attendees.[78] Thousands of spectators in a large arena look towards a man standing behind a podium on a platform F. F. Bosworth counsels attendees on the doctrine of divine healing at a Branham Campaign meeting in Tacoma, Washington, April 1948. revivals were interracial from their inception and were noted for their "racial openness" during the period of widespread racial unrest.[79] African American minister participating in the St. Louis meetings claimed to be healed during the revival, helping to bring Branham a sizable African American following from the early days of the revival. held interracial meetings even in the southern states. To satisfy segregation laws when ministering in the south, Branham's team would use a rope to divide the crowd by race.[79] and researcher Patsy Sims noted that venues used to host campaign meetings also hosted KKK rallies just days prior to the revival meetings, which sometimes led to racial tensions. Sims, who attended both the KKK rallies and the healing revivals, was surprised to see some of the same groups of people at both events.[79] According to Steven Hassan, KKK recruitment was covertly conducted through Branham's ministry.[25] holding a very successful revival meeting in Shreveport during mid-1947, Branham began assembling an evangelical team that stayed with him for most of the revival period.[80] first addition to the team was Jack Moore and Young Brown, who periodically assisted him in managing his meetings.[81] Following the Shreveport meetings, Branham held a series of meetings in San Antonio, Phoenix, and at various locations in California.[80] invited his friend Gordon Lindsay to join the campaign team, which he did beginning at a meeting in Sacramento, California, in late 1947.[81] was a successful publicist and manager for Branham, and played a key role in helping him gain national and international recognition.[82][83] 1948, Branham and Lindsay founded Voice of Healing magazine, which was originally aimed at reporting Branham's healing campaigns.[82][f] The story of Samuel the Prophet, who heard a voice speak to him in the night, inspired Branham's name for the publication.[84] was impressed with Branham's focus on humility and unity, and was instrumental in helping him gain acceptance among Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal groups by expanding his revival meetings beyond the United Pentecostal Church to include all of the major Pentecostal groups.[85][77] The front page of the Voice of Healing magazine with headline stating; "Branham Campaign stirs Pensacola and Kansas City" The April 1948 cover of Voice of Healing magazine first meetings organized by Lindsay were held in northwestern North America during late 1947.[81][77] At the first of these meetings, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canadian minister Ern Baxter joined Branham's team.[81] Lindsay reported 70,000 attendees to the 14 days of meetings and long prayer lines as Branham prayed for the sick.[81] Hawtin, a Canadian Pentecostal minister, attended one of Branham's Vancouver meetings in November 1947 and was impressed by Branham's healings. Branham was an important influence on the Latter Rain revival movement, which Hawtin helped initiate.[86] January 1948, meetings were held in Florida;[81] F. F. Bosworth met Branham at the meetings and also joined his team.[87] Bosworth was among the pre-eminent ministers of the Pentecostal movement and a founding minister of the Assemblies of God; Bosworth lent great weight to Branham's campaign team.[87] He remained a strong Branham supporter until his death in 1958.[87] Bosworth endorsed Branham as "the most sensitive person to the presence and working of the Holy Spirit" he had ever met.[88][8] early 1947, a major campaign was held in Kansas City, where Branham and Lindsay first met Oral Roberts.[81] Roberts and Branham had contact at different points during the revival.[89] Roberts said Branham was "set apart, just like Moses".[89] Five men wearing suites stand side by side From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay; photo taken at Kansas City in 1948 spent many hours ministering and praying for the sick during his campaigns, and like many other leading evangelists of the time he suffered exhaustion.[90] one year of campaigning, his exhaustion began leading to health issues. Branham reported to his audiences that he suffered a nervous breakdown and required treatment by the Mayo Clinic.[91] Branham's illness coincided with a series of allegations of fraud in his healing revivals. Attendees reported seeing him "staggering from intense fatigue" during his last meetings.[81] as Branham began to attract international attention in May 1948, he announced that due to illness he would have to halt his campaign.[81][92] illness shocked the growing movement,[93] his abrupt departure from the field caused a rift between him and Lindsay over the Voice of Healing magazine.[81] insisted that Lindsay take over complete management of the publication.[81] With the main subject of the magazine no longer actively campaigning, Lindsay was forced to seek other ministers to promote.[81] He decided to publicize Oral Roberts during Branham's absence, and Roberts quickly rose to prominence, in large part due to Lindsay's coverage.[87] partially recovered from his illness and resumed holding meetings in October 1948; in that month he held a series of meetings around the United States without Lindsay's support.[87] Branham's return to the movement led to his resumed leadership of it.[87] November 1948, he met with Lindsay and Moore and told them he had received another angelic visitation, instructing him to hold a series of meetings across the United States and then to begin holding meetings internationally.[94] As a result of the meeting, Lindsay rejoined Branham's campaigning team.[94] Two men stand facing each other on a platform as thousands of spectators on the ground floor and a balcony watch Branham at a healing campaign meeting revivalists of the era were flamboyant but Branham was usually calm and spoke quietly, only occasionally raising his voice.[89] His preaching style was described as "halting and simple", and crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitation and "constant communication with God".[63] tailored his language usage to best connect to his audiences. When speaking to poor and working-class audiences, he tended to use poor grammar and folksy language; when speaking to more educated audiences and ministerial associations, he generally spoke using perfect grammar and avoided slang usage.[95] refused to discuss controversial doctrinal issues during the healing campaigns,[96][97] and issued a policy statement that he would only minister on the "great evangelical truths".[98] He insisted his calling was to bring unity among the different churches he was ministering to and to urge the churches to return to the roots of early Christianity.[89] the first part of his meetings, one of Branham's companion evangelists would preach a sermon.[81] Ern Baxter or F. F. Bosworth usually filled this role, but other ministers like Paul Cain also participated in Branham's campaigns in later years.[81] generally focused on bible teaching; Bosworth counseled supplicants on the need for faith and the doctrine of divine healing.[99] Following their build-up, Branham would take the podium and deliver a short sermon,[81] in which he usually related stories about his personal life experiences.[96] would often request God to "confirm his message with two-or-three faith inspired miracles".[99] Supplicants seeking healing submitted prayer cards to Branham's campaign team stating their name, address, and condition; Branham's team would select a number of submissions to be prayed for personally by Branham and organized a prayer line.[99] After completing his sermon, he would proceed with the prayer line where he would pray for the sick. Branham would often tell supplicants what they suffered from, their name, and their address.[100] would pray for each of them, pronouncing some or all healed. Branham generally prayed for a few people each night and believed witnessing the results on the stage would inspire faith in the audience and permit them to experience similar results without having to be personally prayed for.[100] Branham would also call out a few members still in the audience, who had not been accepted into the prayer line, stating their illness and pronouncing them healed.[89] A prayer card from a William Branham healing campaign. told his audiences that he was able to determine their illness, details of their lives, and pronounce them healed as a result of an angel who was guiding him. Describing Branham's method, Bosworth said "he does not begin to pray for the healing of the afflicted in body in the healing line each night until God anoints him for the operation of the gift, and until he is conscious of the presence of the Angel with him on the platform. Without this consciousness he seems to be perfectly helpless."[101] explained to his audiences that the angel that commissioned his ministry had given him two signs by which they could prove his commission.[101] described the first sign as vibrations he felt in his hand when he touched a sick person's hand, which communicated to him the nature of the illness, but did not guarantee healing.[101][102] Branham's use of what his fellow evangelists called a word of knowledge gift separated him from his contemporaries in the early days of the revival.[69][96] second sign did not appear in his campaigns until after his recovery in 1948, and was used to "amaze tens of thousands" at his meetings.[96] As the revival progressed, his contemporaries began to mirror the practice.[96] According to Bosworth, this gift of knowledge allowed Branham "to see and enable him to tell the many events of [people's] lives from their childhood down to the present".[96][103] caused many in the healing revival to view Branham as a "seer like the old testament prophets".[96] amazed even fellow evangelists, which served to further push him into a legendary status in the movement.[96] Branham's audiences were often awestruck by the events during his meetings.[89][104] At the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, Branham was widely adored and "the neo-Pentecostal world believed Branham to be a prophet to their generation".[8] fame and international campaigns[edit] A man stands at a podium with a light colored object above his head Branham at the Sam Houston Coliseum in 1950 January 1950, Branham's campaign team held their Houston campaign, one of the most significant series of meetings of the revival.[87] The location of their first meeting was too small to accommodate the approximately 8,000 attendees, and they had to relocate to the Sam Houston Coliseum.[87] On the night of January 24, 1950, Branham was photographed during a debate between Bosworth and local Baptist minister W. E. Best regarding the theology of divine healing.[105][94] argued in favor, while Best argued against.[105] The photograph showed a light above Branham's head, which he and his associates believed to be supernatural.[105][94] The photograph became well-known in the revival movement and is regarded by Branham's followers as an iconic relic.[106] Branham believed the light was a divine vindication of his ministry;[105] others believed it was a glare from the venue's overhead lighting.[107] January 1951, former US Congressman William Upshaw was sent by Roy Davis to a Branham campaign meeting in California.[g] Upshaw had limited mobility for 59 years as the result of an accident, and said he was miraculously healed in the meeting. The publicity of the event took Branham's fame to a new level.[106] Upshaw sent a letter describing his healing claim to each member of Congress.[108][106] The Los Angeles Times reported on the healing in an article titled "Ex-Rep. Upshaw Discards Crutches After 59 Years". Upshaw explained to reporters that he had been able to walk two or three steps without the aid of his crutches prior to attending Branham's meeting, but following Branham's prayer his strength increased so that he had walked four blocks.[109] Upshaw died in November 1952, at the age of 86.[110] to Pentecostal historian Rev. Walter Hollenweger, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world" during his five major international campaigns.[94][111] Branham held his first series of campaigns in Europe during April 1950 with meetings in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.[112][94] Attendance at the meetings generally exceeded 7,000 despite resistance to his meetings by the state churches.[98] Branham was the first American deliverance minister to successfully tour in Europe.[113] 1952 campaign in South Africa had the largest attendance in Branham's career, with an estimated 200,000 attendees.[98][7] According to Lindsay, the altar call at his Durban meeting received 30,000 converts.[98] During international campaigns in 1954, Branham visited Portugal, Italy, and India.[98] Branham's final major overseas tour in 1955 included visits to Switzerland and Germany.[114] meetings were regularly attended by journalists,[115] who wrote articles about the miracles reported by Branham and his team throughout the years of his revivals, and claimed patients were cured of various ailments after attending prayer meetings with Branham.[115] Durban Sunday Tribune and The Natal Mercury reported wheelchair-bound people rising and walking.[116][117] Winnipeg Free Press reported a girl was cured of deafness.[118] El Paso Herald-Post reported hundreds of attendees at one meeting seeking divine healing.[119] Despite such occasional glowing reports, most of the press coverage Branham received was negative.[111] of fraud[edit] his American audiences, Branham claimed several high profile events occurred during his international tours. Branham claimed to visit and pray for King George VI while en route to Finland in 1950. He claimed the king was healed through his prayers. Researchers found no evidence that Branham ever met King George; King George was chronically ill and died about a year after Branham claimed to heal him.[113][120] also claimed to pray for and heal the granddaughter of Florence Nightingale at a London airport. Branham's campaign produced photos of an emaciated woman who they claimed to be Nightingale's granddaughter. However, Florence Nightingale never married and had no children or grandchildren. Investigators of Branham's claim were unable to identify the woman in the photograph.[121] similarly claimed to pray for King Gustaf V while in Sweden in April 1950. Investigators found no evidence for the meeting; King Gustaf V died in October 1950. Branham claimed to stop in Egypt in 1954 while en route to India to meet with King Farouk; however Farouk had been deposed in 1952 and was not living in Egypt at the time. Branham claimed to visit the grave of Buddha while in India, however Buddha was cremated and has no grave. In total, critics of Branham identified many claims which appeared to be false when investigated. Weaver accused Branham of major embellishments.[44][122] faced criticism and opposition from the early days of the healing revival, and he was repeatedly accused of fraud throughout his ministry.[123] According to historian Ronald Kydd, Branham evoked strong opinions from people with whom he came into contact; "most people either loved him or hated him".[124][125] Kydd stated that it "is impossible to get even an approximate number of people healed in Branham's ministry."[126] No consistent record of follow-ups of the healing claims were made, making analysis of many claims difficult to subsequent researchers.[127][128] Additionally, Branham's procedures made verification difficult at the time of his revivals. Branham believed in positive confession. He required supplicants to claim to be healed to demonstrate their faith, even if they were still experiencing symptoms. He frequently told supplicants to expect their symptoms to remain for several days after their healing. This led to people professing to be healed at the meetings, while still suffering from the condition. Only follow up after Branham's waiting period had passed could ascertain the result of the healing.[127][128] A 1947 Vancouver Sun Headline about Branham Campaign the early days of the healing revival, Branham received overwhelmingly unfavorable coverage in the news media, which was often quite critical.[111] At his June 1947 revivals in Vandalia, Illinois, the local news reported that Beck Walker, a man who was deaf and mute from birth, was pronounced healed but failed to recover. Branham claimed Walker failed to recover his hearing because he had disobeyed Branham's instruction to stop smoking cigarettes. Branham was lambasted by critics who asked how it was possible the deaf man could have heard his command to stop smoking.[129] his 1947 meetings in Winnipeg, Branham claimed to have raised a young man from the dead at a Jeffersonville funeral parlor. Branham's sensational claim was reported in the news in the United States and Canada, leading to a news media investigation to identify the funeral home and the individual raised from the dead. Reporters subsequently found no evidence of a resurrection; no funeral parlor in the city corroborated the story.[130] The same year the news media in Winnipeg publicized Branham's cases of failed healing. In response, the churches which hosted Branham's campaign conducted independent follow-up interviews with people Branham pronounced healed to gather testimonies which they could use to counter the negative press. To their surprise, their investigation failed to confirm any cases of actual healing; every person they interviewed had failed to recover.[123][128][131] meetings in Vancouver during 1947, newspaper reporters discovered that one young girl had been in Branham's prayer lines in multiple cities posing as a cripple, but rising to walk after Branham pronounced her healed each time. An investigative reporter suspected Branham had staged the miracle. Reporters at the meeting also attempted to follow up on the case of a Calgary woman pronounced healed by Branham who had died shortly after he left the city. Reporters attempted to confront Branham over these issues, but Branham refused to be interviewed.[132] was also accused of fraud by fellow ministers and churches that hosted his meetings. In 1947, Rev. Alfred Pohl, the Missionary-Secretary of Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, served as Branham's guide and host at meetings across western Canada. Pohl stated that many people Branham pronounced as healed later died and produced witnesses to validate his allegations. Pohl stated that the numerous deaths "severely tested the faith" of many ministers who had trusted in Branham.[123][128] Pohl also claimed Branham was frequently given and accepted large financial gifts from individuals who he pronounced as healed, including those who subsequently died.[133] 1948, W. J. Taylor, a district superintendent with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, raised concerns again following another wave of Branham meetings and asked for a thorough investigation.[106] Taylor presented evidence that claims of the number of people healed were vastly overestimated, and that multiple people pronounced healed by Branham had subsequently died.[97] While he stated his personal admiration for Branham, the troubling number of deaths led him to suggest "there is a possibility that this whole thing is wrong".[134][106] in Canada continued to experience crises following Branham campaign meetings as they attempted to explain the numerous failed healings to their congregations.[128] At meetings in Regina, Branham pronounced the wife of a prominent minister healed of cancer. The minister and his wife were overjoyed, and the minister excitedly shared the details of the healing with his radio audience in Ontario later that week. To his surprise, his wife died only days later of her illness. The confusion created by the situation led ministers to claim Branham had deceived them.[135] to Kydd, "the controversy surrounding Branham deepened" with time.[97] Kydd reported that by watching films of the revival meetings, "the viewer would assume almost everyone was healed", but "results were less promising whenever follow-up was made."[127] One such case was Carol Strubler, who at age nine in 1954 was prayed for by Branham at a recorded revival in Washington, D.C., when he preached a sermon entitled "The Deep Calleth Unto The Deep". One newspaper reported, "Rev. William Branham of Jeffersonville, Ind., prayed for her and assured the heartbroken mother her daughter would live.[136] A week later the mother told this newspaper she was confident the evangelist's words were true and had cancelled a scheduled visit to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia." However, Strubbler died "of acute leukemia, just three weeks after [Branham] told her mother she was healed of the fatal sickness."[136] Another case was four-year-old Donny Morton, who was diagnosed with a rare brain condition. At recorded meetings in California during April 1951, Branham pronounced Morton healed, but the child subsequently died in October. His story was published in Reader's Digest.[137][138] allegations came from Branham's European campaigns. Rev. Walter Hollenweger, who served as a translator on Branham's European tours, reported that "very few were actually healed" in the campaigns, and the overwhelming majority pronounced healed by Branham failed to recover. Hollenweger said that while there were a few "well-attested cases of miraculous healing", Branham was "naïve" and "dishonest" and misled his audiences when he reported the number of people healed. Hollenweger was disappointed that Branham refused to acknowledge the numerous failed pronouncements of healings.[139][140] 1955, Leonard Steiner, pastor of a Pentecostal church in Zurich Switzerland that hosted a Branham meeting reported cases of failed healing and the negative consequences for members of his congregation.[141] Allegations in Norway led authorities to limit Branham's ability to hold meetings; the Directorate of Health forbade Branham from laying hands on the sick and sent police to his meetings to enforce the order.[142] allegations also were made following Branham's meetings in South Africa during 1952 and complaints were lodged with government authorities.[143] Michael Plaff, a doctor, was pronounced healed of cancer by Branham during one meeting. In February 1952, the Branham campaign published an article claiming Plaff had visited the hospital the day after he was prayed for and his cure was confirmed by medical tests. However, Plaff had died of his cancer just days after being pronounced healed.[144] A minister attending meetings in Durban with his congregation reported that over twenty people suffering from tuberculosis were pronounced healed by Branham, but all failed to recover. In another case, a woman suffering a heart condition was pronounced healed by Branham, but died less than a week later. A 23-year-old leukemia patient was pronounced healed by Branham, but failed to recover and died about thirteen months later.[144] Branham campaign published a book entitled "A Prophet Visit South Africa" to publicize the success of the tour. The book related the details of dozens of healings. Investigators in South Africa followed up on the reported healings and found that 46 of the people Branham said had been healed had failed to recover.[144] After reviewing the results of the investigation, one minister concluded "that the cures claimed are so largely exaggerated as to be almost fraudulent in their claim."[144] When Branham attempted to visit South Africa again in 1965, the South African government placed restrictions on his visa preventing him from holding any healing revivals while he was in the country.[143] Baxter, who participated in most of Branham's campaigns between November 1947 and 1953 including his tours to India and Europe, reflected on the exaggerated reports of miracles in the healing revival in a 1978 interview. He explained that the allegations eroded the trust of the crowds who attended the healing services.[145] remember in the beginning of the healing movement, simply to report a healing would produce great jubilation and praise from congregations. However, the cynicism became so deep that the people's confidence was diminished. Even to this day, people are affected. People began to circulate healing testimonies which, when they were checked out by reputable journalists and reporters, even those who were friendly to the movement, were found to be false. The percentage of healings that stood up after investigation was embarrassingly low.[145] — Ern Baxter attendees of Branham's meetings believed that some healings were staged and accused him of selectively choosing who could enter the prayer line.[146] Some people left his meetings disappointed after finding Branham's conviction that everyone in the audience could be healed without being in the prayer line proved incorrect.[146] Branham generally attributed the failure of supplicants to receive healing to their lack of faith.[147] According to Pohl, Hollenweger, and Steiner, Branham's practice of blaming the supplicant for lack of faith was severely damaging in multiple churches and left many people who failed to receive healing in despair.[128][148] expectations had been raised so high, only to be dashed after all the excitement was over. Some seemed to experience a momentary relief from pain, but all too many would discover no lasting benefit. And by that time the healer would be too far away to be questioned or to explain. The sick person would then simply be forced to accuse himself of lack of faith, or in some cases, throw his faith overboard.[149] — Alfred Pohl "word of knowledge" gift used by Branham was also subject to much criticism.[124] Hollenweger investigated Branham's use of the "word of knowledge gift" and found no instances in which Branham was mistaken in his often-detailed pronouncements.[124] Criticism of Branham's use of this gift was primarily around its nature; some asserted that it was a non-Christian practice and accused him of witchcraft and telepathy.[127] Branham was openly confronted with such criticisms and rejected the assertions.[127] alleged that Branham's discernments were not genuine. Many people Branham prayed for were required to first write their name, address, and what they were seeking prayer for on prayer cards. The cards were submitted to Branham's team who would choose the supplicants to be prayed for by Branham and organize the prayer line. Some critics accused Branham's team of sharing prayer card information with Branham before he began his prayer lines.[127][122] difficulties[edit] 1955, Branham's campaigning career began to slow following financial setbacks.[8][150] Even after he became famous, Branham continued to wear inexpensive suits and refused large salaries; he was not interested in amassing wealth as part of his ministry[12] and was reluctant to solicit donations during his meetings.[151] During the early years of his campaigns, donations had been able to cover costs, but from 1955, donations failed to cover the costs of three successive campaigns,[8] one of which incurred a $15,000 deficit. ($144,913 in 2020 dollars)[150] of Branham's business associates thought he was partially responsible because of his lack of interest in the financial affairs of the campaigns and tried to hold him personally responsible for the debt.[8] Branham briefly stopped campaigning and said he would have to take a job to repay the debt, but the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International ultimately offered financial assistance to cover the debt.[151] Branham became increasingly reliant on the Full Gospel Businessmen to finance his campaign meetings as the Pentecostal denominations began to withdraw their financial support.[151] became an issue again in 1956 when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) charged Branham with tax evasion.[8] The American government targeted the other leading revivalists with lawsuits during the same time period, including Oral Roberts, Jack Coe, and A. A. Allen.[152] The IRS asserted income reported by the ministers as non-taxable gifts was taxable,[150] despite the fact Branham had not kept the gifts for himself.[153] Except Allen, who won his legal battle, the evangelists settled their cases out of court.[150] IRS investigation showed Branham did not pay close attention to the amount of money flowing through his ministry,[154] and had failed to document gifts and donations he received or how the proceeds were used.[150] It also revealed that others assisting in his campaigns were taking financial advantage of the campaigns.[154] Branham reported his annual salary to the IRS as $7,000 ($66,633 in 2020 dollars) while his manager Gordon Lindsay's was reported at $80,000. ($761,518 in 2020 dollars)[150] Comparatively, Oral Roberts earned a salary of $15,000 in the same years.[155] Branham's case was eventually settled out of court when Branham admitted to tax evasion and agreed to pay of a $40,000 penalty. ($380,759 in 2020 dollars)[8][156] Branham was never able to completely pay off the tax liability.[8][156] of the revival[edit] the mid-1950s, dozens of the ministers associated with Branham and his campaigns had launched similar healing campaigns.[157] In 1956, the healing revival reached its peak, as 49 separate evangelists held major meetings.[158] Branham and Lindsay ineffectively attempted to encourage the other evangelists to help their local churches rather than launch national careers.[157] The Branham campaign held meetings across the United States in 1956, and a large meeting in Mexico City that had 20,000 in attendance. However the swelling number of competitors and emulators were further reducing attendance at Branham's meetings.[157] correspondence also decreased sharply. Whereas he had once received "a thousand letters a day", by 1956 his mail dropped to 75 letters a day. Branham thought the decline was temporary.[159] He continued expecting something greater, which he said "nobody will be able to imitate".[157] In 1955, he reported a vision of a renewed tent ministry and a "third pull which would be dramatically different" than his earlier career; he began to increasingly refer to the vision as his popularity began to decline.[157] the financial issues in 1956, Lindsay left Branham's campaign team. Branham eventually criticized the Voice of Healing magazine which he had helped create as a "massive financial organization" that put making money ahead of promoting good.[93] The loss of Lindsay as a manager and the publicity of Voice of Healing was a major setback for Branham. After 1956, attendance at Branham's meetings dwindled and his appeal became limited to the loyal following that developed around him during the earlier years. Branham came to depend on The Herald of Faith published by Joseph Mattsson-Bose as his primary publicity tool for the final years of his ministry.[93] also began to criticize other leading contemporaries in the healing revival leading to open hostilities between the evangelists. In 1957 Branham openly criticized A. A. Allen concerning the validity of a miracle reported in his campaigns. Allen replied by circulating a letter at the Christian Fellowship Convention criticizing Branham for creating divisions and suggesting Branham may soon die as a result of his actions. [160] Branham also began to criticize Oral Roberts and Billy Graham.[161] The bad feelings and breakdown of cooperation between the leaders of the movement contributed to the end of the healing revival.[160] the closing years of the revival, Branham helped launch and popularize the ministry of Jim Jones, the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple.[162] According to Historian Catherine Wessinger, while rejecting Christianity as a false religion, Jones covertly used popular Christian figures to advance his own ideology.[163] Jones needed a religious headliner to endorse his ministry and invited Branham to share the platform with him at a self-organized religious convention held at the Cadle Tabernacle auditorium in Indianapolis from June 11 to 15, 1956.[162] critics Peter Duyzer and John Collins reported that Branham "performed numerous miracles", drawing a crowd of 11,000.[164] Branham was an important influence on Jones, who copied many of his styles, methods, and teachings. Jones later became known for the mass murder and suicide at Jonestown in November 1978.[162] to Collins, Jim Jones and Paul Schäfer were influenced to move to South America by Branham's 1961 prophecy concerning the destruction of the United States in a nuclear war. Jones later said that he and Branham "did not see eye to eye", and accused Branham of being disingenuous.[165][166][h] among historians is that the healing revival ended in 1958.[127] By 1960, the number of evangelists holding national campaigns dropped to 11.[158] Several perspectives on the decline of the healing revival have been offered. Crowder suggested Branham's gradual separation from Gordon Lindsay played a major part in the decline.[167] Harrell attributed the decline to the increasing number of evangelists crowding the field and straining the financial resources of the Pentecostal denominations.[157] agreed that Pentecostal churches gradually withdrew their support for the healing revival, mainly over the financial stresses put on local churches by the healing campaigns.[168] The Assemblies of God were the first to openly withdraw support from the healing revival in 1953.[168] Weaver pointed to other factors that may have helped destroy the initial ecumenism of the revival; tension between the independent evangelists and the Pentecostal churches caused by the evangelists' fund-raising methods, denominational pride, sensationalism, and doctrinal conflicts – particularly between the Oneness and Trinitarian factions within Pentecostalism.[168] Weaver also believed that "fraud and chicanary" by the revivals evangelists also played a major role in the decline.[169] life[edit] ministry[edit] the healing revival began to wane, many of Branham's contemporaries moved into the leadership of the emerging Charismatic movement, which emphasized use of spiritual gifts.[150] The Charismatic movement is a global movement within both Protestant and non-Protestant Christianity that supports the adoption of traditionally Pentecostal beliefs, especially the spiritual gifts (charismata). The movement began in the teachings of the healing revival evangelists and grew as their teachings came to receive broad acceptance among millions of Christians.[170] the same time the Charismatic movement was gaining broad acceptance, Branham began to transition to a teaching ministry. He began speaking on the controversial doctrinal issues he had avoided for most of the revival.[171] By the 1960s, Branham's contemporaries and the Pentecostal denominations that had supported his campaigns regarded him as an extremely controversial teacher.[172] leadership of the Pentecostal churches pressed Branham to resist his urge to teach and to instead focus on praying for the sick.[173] Branham refused, arguing that the purpose of his healing ministry was to attract audiences and, having thus been attracted, it was time to teach them the doctrines he claimed to have received through supernatural revelation.[174] Branham argued that his entire ministry was divinely inspired and could not be selectively rejected or accepted, saying, "It's either all of God, or none of God".[173] first, Branham taught his doctrines only within his own church at Jeffersonville, but beginning in the 1960s he began to preach them at other churches he visited.[173] His criticisms of Pentecostal organizations, and especially his views on holiness and the role of women, led to his rejection by the growing Charismatic movement and the Pentecostals from whom he had originally achieved popularity.[175] Branham acknowledged their rejection and said their organizations "had choked out the glory and Spirit of God".[175] As a result of their view of his teachings, many Pentecostals judged that Branham had "stepped out of his anointing" and had become a "bad teacher of heretical doctrine".[176] his rejection by the growing Charismatic movement, Branham's followers became increasingly dedicated to him during his later life. Some even claimed he was the Messiah, treated him as deity, and began to baptise and pray in his name.[177] Branham quickly condemned their belief as heresy and threatened to stop ministering, but the belief persisted.[177] Many followers moved great distances to live near his home in Jeffersonville and, led by Leo Mercer, subsequently set up a colony in Arizona following Branham's move to Tucson in 1962.[177] believed the rapture was imminent and that it was necessary to be near Branham in Arizona to take part.[177] Branham lamented Mercer and the actions of his group as he worried that a cult was potentially being formed among his most fanatical followers.[177] Before he died, some of his followers had already begun compiling his sermons and treating them as oral scripture, with a significant minority of his followers believing in his divinity.[172] "Branhamism" redirects here. For Brahmanism, see historical Vedic religion. developed a unique theology and placed emphasis on a few key doctrines, including his eschatological views, annihilationism, oneness of the Godhead, predestination, eternal security, and the serpent's seed.[178] His followers refer to his teachings collectively as "The Message".[179] Kydd and Weaver have both referred to Branham's teachings as "Branhamology"; other sources refer to his teachings as "Branhamism".[180][179] of Branham's teachings have precedents within sects of the Pentecostal movement or in other non-Pentecostal denominations.[181] The doctrines Branham imported from non-Pentecostal theology and the unique combination of doctrines that he created as a result led to widespread criticism from Pentecostal churches and the Charismatic movement.[181][182] His unique arrangement of doctrines, coupled with the highly controversial nature of the serpent seed doctrine, caused the alienation of many of his former supporters.[181][182][183] Full Gospel tradition, which has its roots in Wesleyan Arminianism, is the theology generally adhered to by the Charismatic movement and Pentecostal denominations.[179] Branham's doctrines are a blend of both Calvinism and Arminianism, which are considered contradictory by many theologians; the teachings have been described as "jumbled and contradictory and difficult to categorize".[184] As a result, the theology he developed in the later years of his life seemed "complicated and bizarre" to many people who admired him personally during the years of the healing revival.[182] Many of his followers regard his sermons as oral scripture and believe Branham had rediscovered the true doctrines of the early church.[179] healing[edit] Further information: Faith healing § Christianity, and Deliverance ministry his ministry, Branham taught a doctrine of faith healing that was often the central teaching he espoused during the healing campaign.[185] He believed healing was the main focus of the ministry of Jesus Christ and believed in a dual atonement; "salvation for the soul and healing for the body".[185] He believed and taught that miracles ascribed to Christ in the New Testament were also possible in modern times.[185] believed that all sickness was a result of demonic activity and could be overcome by the faith of the person desiring healing.[185] Branham argued that God was required to heal when faith was present.[185] This led him to conclude that individuals who failed to be healed lacked adequate faith.[185] Branham's teaching on divine healing were within the mainstream of Pentecostal theology and echoed the doctrines taught by Smith Wigglesworth, Bosworth, and other prominent Pentecostal ministers of the prior generation.[185] Further information: Restorationism all of Branham's doctrines, his teachings on Christian restorationism have had the most lasting influence on modern Christianity.[186] Charismatic writer Michael Moriarty described his teachings on the subject as "extremely significant" because they have "impacted every major restoration movement since".[187] As a result, Moriarty concluded Branham has "profoundly influenced" the modern Charismatic movement.[188] Branham taught the doctrine widely from the early days of the healing revival, in which he urged his audiences to unite and restore a form of church organization like the primitive church of early Christianity.[186] teaching was accepted and widely taught by many of the evangelists of the healing revival, and they took it with them into the subsequent Charismatic and evangelical movements. Paul Cain, Bill Hamon, Kenneth Hagin, and other restoration prophets cite Branham as a major influence. They played a critical role in introducing Branham's restoration views to the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement, the Association of Vineyard Churches, and other large Charismatic organizations.[186] The Toronto Blessing, the Brownsville Revival, and other nationwide revivals of the late 20th century have their roots in Branham's restorationist teachings.[186] teaching holds that Christianity should return to a form mirroring the primitive Christian church.[186] It supports the restoration of apostles and prophets, signs and wonders, spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare, and the elimination of non-primitive features of modern Christianity.[186] Branham taught that by the end of the first century of Christianity, the church "had been contaminated by the entrance of an antichrist spirit".[187] As a result, he believed that from a very early date, the church had stopped following the "pure Word of God" and had been seduced into a false form of Christianity.[187] stated the corruption came from the desire of early Christianity's clergy to obtain political power, and as a result became increasingly wicked and introduced false creeds.[187] This led to denominationalism, which he viewed as the greatest threat to true Christianity.[187] Branham viewed Martin Luther as the initiator of a process that would result in the restoration of the true form of Christianity, and traced the advancement of the process through other historic church figures.[189] He believed the rapture would occur at the culmination of this process.[189] Although Branham referred in his sermons to the culmination of the process as a future event affecting other people, he believed he and his followers were fulfilling his restoration beliefs.[9] Charles Parham, an early leader of Pentecostalism and preacher of annihilationism Further information: Annihilationism the doctrine that the damned will be totally destroyed after the final judgment so as to not exist, was introduced to Pentecostalism in the teachings of Charles Fox Parham (1873–1929).[190] Not all Pentecostal sects accepted the idea.[191] Prior to 1957, Branham taught a doctrine of eternal punishment in hell.[192] By 1957 he began promoting an annihilationist position in keeping with Parham's teachings.[190] believed that "eternal life was reserved only for God and his children".[190] In 1960, Branham claimed the Holy Spirit had revealed this doctrine to him as one of the end-time mysteries.[193] Promoting annihilationism led to the alienation of Pentecostal groups that had rejected Parham's teaching on the subject.[193] Further information: Oneness Pentecostalism other doctrines, the Godhead formula was a point of doctrinal conflict within Pentecostalism.[193] As Branham began offering his own viewpoint, it led to the alienation of Pentecostal groups adhering to Trinitarianism.[193] Branham shifted his theological position on the Godhead during his ministry.[193] Early in his ministry, Branham espoused a position closer to an orthodox Trinitarian view.[193] the early 1950s, he began to privately preach the Oneness doctrine outside of his healing campaigns.[193] By the 1960s, he had changed to openly teaching the Oneness position, according to which there is one God who manifests himself in multiple ways; in contrast with the Trinitarian view that three distinct persons comprise the Godhead.[172] came to believe that trinitarianism was tritheism and insisted members of his congregation be re-baptized in Jesus's name in imitation of Paul the Apostle.[194] Branham believed his doctrine had a nuanced difference from the Oneness doctrine and to the end of his ministry he openly argued that he was not a proponent of Oneness doctrine.[194] He distinguished his baptismal formula from the Oneness baptism formula in the name of Jesus by teaching that the baptismal formula should be in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.[194] He argued that there were many people named Jesus but there is only one Lord Jesus Christ.[194] By the end of his ministry, his message required an acceptance of the oneness of the Godhead and baptism in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.[184] to modern culture[edit] Further information: Holiness movement § Relation and reaction to Pentecostalism, and Asceticism § Christianity As Branham's ministry progressed, he increasingly condemned modern culture.[173] to Weaver, Branham's views on modern culture were the primary reason the growing Charismatic movement rejected him; his views also prevented him from following his contemporaries who were transitioning from the healing revival to the new movement.[173] He taught that immoral women and education were the central sins of modern culture.[195] Branham viewed education as "Satan's snare for intellectual Christians who rejected the supernatural" and "Satan's tool for obscuring the 'simplicity of the Message and the messenger'".[195] Weaver wrote that Branham held a "Christ against Culture" opinion,[195] according to which loyalty to Christ requires rejection of non-Christian culture.[196] inherited the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification and outward holiness from its founders, who came from Wesleyan-influenced denominations of the post-American Civil War era.[197] The rigid moral code associated with the holiness movement had been widely accepted by Pentecostals in the early twentieth century.[172][198] Branham's strict moral code echoed the traditions of early Pentecostalism but became increasingly unpopular because he refused to accommodate mid-century Pentecostalism's shifting viewpoint.[172][199] He denounced cigarettes, alcohol, television, rock and roll, and many forms of worldly amusement.[200] strongly identified with the lower-class roots of Pentecostalism and advocated living an ascetic lifestyle.[200] When he was given a new Cadillac, he kept it parked in his garage for two years out of embarrassment.[200] Branham openly chastised other evangelists, who seemed to be growing wealthy from their ministries and opposed the prosperity messages being taught.[200] Branham did not view financial prosperity as an automatic result of salvation.[200] He rejected the financial aspects of the prosperity gospel that originated in the teachings of Oral Roberts and A. A. Allen.[200] Branham condemned any emphasis on expensive church buildings, elaborate choir robes, and large salaries for ministers, and insisted the church should focus on the imminent return of Christ.[200][95] opposition to modern culture emerged most strongly in his condemnation of the "immorality of modern women".[200] He taught that women with short hair were breaking God's commandments and "ridiculed women's desire to artificially beautify themselves with makeup".[201] Branham believed women were guilty of committing adultery if their appearance was intended to motivate men to lust, and viewed a woman's place as "in the kitchen".[201] Citing the creation story in which Eve is taken from Adam's side, Branham taught that woman was not part of God's original creation, and she was a byproduct of man.[199] is nothing designed to stoop so low, or be filthy, but a woman. A dog can't do it, a hog can't do it, a bird can't do it. No animal is immoral, nor it can be, for it is not designed so it can be. A female hog can't be immoral, a female dog can't be immoral, a female bird can't be immoral. A woman is the only thing can do it. She is designed, alone, for filth and unclean living. ... A dog can't, and no other female can. It's just the woman that can. A dog or any other animals, once a year, and that for her babies; not for sexual pleasure, but for her babies. The old sow hog, the old slut dog, once a year, one moment, that's for her babies. But a woman is designed for any time she desires. ... A woman is a by-product of a man. She's not even in the original creation. That's exactly right. ... By her beauty and her sex control, her shape that was given to her by Satan, the by-product that Satan did, she is sent to deceive sons of God. And she can sway more of them to hell than any other instrument Satan has got. That's exactly right. Only a piece, scrap, made of a man, to deceive him by; God made it, right here has proved it. That's what she was made for. — William Branham, Marriage and Divorce, February 21, 1965 According to Weaver, "his pronouncements with respect to women were often contradictory".[199] Branham once told women who refused to dress according to his instructions "not to call themselves Christians" but qualified his denunciations by affirming that obedience to the holiness moral code was not a requirement for salvation.[199] While he did not condemn women who refused the holiness moral code to Hell, he insisted they would not be part of the rapture.[199] wrote that Branham's attitude to women concerning physical appearance, sexual drive, and marital relations was misogynistic,[202] and that Branham saw modern women as "essentially immoral sexual machines who were to blame for adultery, divorce and death. They were the tools of the Devil."[195] Some of Branham's contemporaries accused him of being a "woman hater", but he insisted he only hated immorality.[199] According to Edward Babinski, women who follow the holiness moral code Branham supported regard it as "a badge of honor".[203] seed, Predestination, & Race[edit] Further information: Serpent Seed, Original Sin, Conditional election, and Unconditional election taught an unorthodox doctrine on the source of original sin.[181] He believed that the story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden is allegorical and interpreted it to mean that the serpent had sexual intercourse with Eve, and their offspring was Cain.[181][204][25] Branham also taught the belief that Cain's modern descendants were masquerading as educated people and scientists,[205] and were "a big religious bunch of illegitimate bastard children"[206][103] who comprised the majority of society's criminals.[207] He believed that the serpent was an intelligent human-like ape he described as the missing link between the chimpanzee and man.[208][209] Branham believed that the serpent was transformed into a reptile snake after it was cursed by God.[210] believed the term "predestination" was widely misunderstood and preferred to use the word "foreknowledge" to describe his views. Branham's teachings on Predestination were deeply connected to his serpent seed doctrine.[211] Branham taught that humanity's choice in salvation was negated by their ancestry, and that genetics determined one's eternal destiny; the offspring of Cain were foreordained to damnation while the offspring of Seth were foreordained to salvation.[212] commented that Branham seemed unaware that his teachings conflicted with free will,[211] and that he taught a Calvinistic form of the doctrine of predestination and openly supported Calvin's doctrine of Eternal Security, both of which were at odds with the Arminian view of predestination held by Pentecostalism.[184] Unlike his views on the Godhead and Annihilationism, there was no precedent within Pentecostalism for his views on predestination, and opened him to widespread criticism.[194] Branham lamented that more so than any other teaching, Pentecostals criticized him for his predestination teachings.[211] to Steven Hassan, "Branham's sermons lay the foundation to believe that black people are the inferior race."[25] Branham used the term "hybrid" to describe anything he believed to be tainted by the serpent.[25] Branham accused Eve of producing a "hybrid" race, and he provided a way to trace the hybrid line of the Serpent's Seed to Africans and Jews through Ham the biblical progenitor of the African peoples, King Ahab, and Judas Iscariot.[209][210][122] --------------------------

Wilderness Road North Fork 5 - Boonesborough, KY (for salt)

Trappist monastery of Gethsemani, Kentucky, 1848
Trappist monastery of Gethsemani near Louisville, KY.; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Kentucky, Bluegrass Region Folder, Central KY

Bluegrass region, Kentucky
Bluegrass region;

Jeffersonville, Kentucky
Jeffersonville, Kentucky ; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

Campbellite Restoration Movement (Stone of Stone-Campbell), Kentucky
Campbellite Restoration Movement (Stone of Stone-Campbell from Cane Ridge, Kentucky); JOHN MUIR, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914;

Kentucky, Three Rivers and Paducah Folder, Far Western KY

Tennessee River Mouth, Paducah, KY (Ohio River 20)

Kentucky, Mississippi River Folder, Western KY

Mississippi River 8 (Cape Girardeau, MO, Paduka, KY)

Kentucky, Kentucky River Folder

Kentucky River Mouth (Ohio 14, Carrollton, KY

Kentucky River Confluence, Beattyville, North, Middle, South

South Fork

USA, Oklahoma Folder, and its rivers

Oklahoma
Oklahoma; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931) ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ; HARRIET BEDELL DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969) ;

Oklahoma, 1870-1931, David P. Oakerhater, Cheyanne War Hero, then Christian Deacon and Evangelist
Southern Cheyanne in Western Oklahoma; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace. P. Oakerhater (born around 1850) was a warrior and leader of the Cheyenne Indians of Oklahoma, and led a corps of fighters against the United States government in a dispute over Indian land rights. 1875 he and 27 other military leaders were taken prisoner by the U S Army and sent to a military post in Florida. There, thanks to the efforts of a concerned Army captain, they learned English, were encouraged to earn money by giving art and archery lessons to visitors, and encountered the Christian faith. and three others were moved to become Christians and to go north to study for the ministry. David was baptized in Syracuse, New York, in 1878, and ordained to the diaconate in 1881. returned to Oklahoma and there founded schools and missions, and continued to work among his people until his death on 31 August 1931. When he first returned to Oklahoma in 1881, he said: You all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace. by James Kiefer Note: the "military post in Florida" is Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, now a National Monument. Should you visit, you can learn more about his imprisonment there. HARRIET BEDELL at Whirlwind Mission, HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY (8 January 1969);

Oklahoma, North Eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas River Folder, Tulsa

Texas, Goodnight Denver Trail Folder 1866-, up Pecos River, West TX

Goodnight-“Loving Trail - Fort Belknap, TX
Goodnight-“Loving Trail ; Goodnight “Loving Trail - Fort Belknap, TX;

Goodnight-Loving Trail - Horsehead Crossing
Horsehead Crossing ;

Goodnight-Loving Trail - Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner;

Goodnight-Loving Trail - Raton Pass
Raton Pass, on the Santa Fe Trail

Goodnight-Loving Trail - Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado;

Goodnight-Loving Trail - Denver, Co
Denver, Co;

Goodnight Trail - Cheyenne, Wyoming 1868
Cheyenne, Wyoming;

Oklahoma, North Eastern OK, Arkansas River 9, Salt Fork Folder, Enid

Salt Fork Arkansas River 1 (KS)

Salt Fork Arkansas River 2 (OK)

Salt Fork Arkansas River 3 (Alva, OK)

Salt Fork Arkansas River 4 (Cherokee, OK)

Medicine Lodge River Mouth (Salt Fork Arkansas River 4)

Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Phillips University (Enid, OK) 1906
Phillips University ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association
Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

TBN, Tulsa, Oklahoma
TBN, Tulsa, Oklahoma ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK, 1963 (Arkansas River 10)
Oral Roberts University ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

City of Faith Medical and Research Center, 1981
City of Faith Medical and Research Center ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Cherokee, Native American People, (Arkansas River 12, Oklahoma)
Cherokee, Native American People, Oklahoma; Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Oklahoma, Northern and Easternl Oklahoma, Cimarron River Folder, Tulsa

Cimarron River Source (Johnson Mesa, NM)

Cimarron River 1 (Camp Nichols, Wheeless, OK)

Cimarron River 2 (Kenton, OK)

Texas, Western Dodge City Trail Folder - 1876-84, from near San Antonio

Dodge City Trail - Bandera Texas
Dodge City Trail AKA Great Western Trail; Bandera Texas;

Dodge City Trail - Buffalo Gap, Texas
Buffalo Gap, Texas ;

Dodge City Trail - Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas;

Dodge City Trail - Doan's Store and Crossing
Wilbarger County Texas

Dodge City Trail - Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas

Dodge City Trail - Ogallala, Nebraska
Ogallala, Nebraska;

Cimarron River 3 (Chisohlm Trail River Crossing, Dover, OK)

Texas, Chisholm Abilene, Kansas Trail Folder - 1867-84, from Dallas

Dallas, TX (Chisholm Trail Source)
Dallas, TX; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

TBN, Irving, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth
TBN, Irving, Texas; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

St. Matthew's Cathedral in Dallas, Texas, 1856
St. Matthew's Cathedral in Dallas; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Cimarron River 4 (Creek Nation Cave, Ingalls, OK)

Cimarron River Mouth (Tulsa,OK, Arkansas River 10)

Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma, Canadian River Folder, Oklahoma City

Canadian River Water Source (Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado)

Canadian River 1, New Mexico

Canadian River 7 (Wirlwind Reservation)

Wirlwind Indian Reservation (Canadian River 7.5) 1887
Wirlwind Indian Reservation, near Fay, OK; In 1887 Oakerhater began work at newly built missions in Bridgeport, and in 1889 at the Whirlwind Mission near Fay, seventeen miles west of Watonga, Oklahoma. The mission, built in 1887, was on the Dawes Act allotment land of Chief Whirlwind, one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Medicine Lodge.[8] HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY, (8 January 1969);

Oklahoma City, OK (Canadian River 8)
Oklahoma City, OK (Canadian River 8); Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ;

Pontotoc County, Oklahoma (Canadian River 8.5)
Pontotoc County, Oklahoma ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Southern Arapaho people
Southern Arapaho people;

Cheyanne Land, Southern Cheyanne in Western Oklahoma, Canadian River 8
Southern Cheyanne in Western Oklahoma; DAVID PENDLETON OAKERHATER, DEACON AND MISSIONARY (1 SEP 1931); all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace. P. Oakerhater (born around 1850) was a warrior and leader of the Cheyenne Indians of Oklahoma, and led a corps of fighters against the United States government in a dispute over Indian land rights. 1875 he and 27 other military leaders were taken prisoner by the U S Army and sent to a military post in Florida. There, thanks to the efforts of a concerned Army captain, they learned English, were encouraged to earn money by giving art and archery lessons to visitors, and encountered the Christian faith. and three others were moved to become Christians and to go north to study for the ministry. David was baptized in Syracuse, New York, in 1878, and ordained to the diaconate in 1881. returned to Oklahoma and there founded schools and missions, and continued to work among his people until his death on 31 August 1931. When he first returned to Oklahoma in 1881, he said: You all know me. You remember when I led you out to war I went first, and what I told you was true. Now I have been away to the East and I have learned about another captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is my leader. He goes first, and all He tells me is true. I come back to my people to tell you to go with me now in this new road, a war that makes all for peace. by James Kiefer Note: the "military post in Florida" is Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, now a National Monument. Should you visit, you can learn more about his imprisonment there. HARRIET BEDELL at Whirlwind Mission, HARRIET BEDELL, DEACONESS AND MISSIONARY (8 January 1969);

Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, OK) 1910
Oklahoma Baptist University ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Hartshorne, OK (Canadian River 9)
Hartshorne, OK (Canadian River 9); Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

Oklahoma, Southern Oklahoma, Red River of the South Folder, Fort Sill at Lawton

Prarie Dog Town Fork of Red River Source (Canyon Texas)
Prarie Dog Town Fork of Red River Source (Canyon Texas);

Red River Source (Prarie Dog Town Forkl, Duck Creek)
Red River of the South Source (Prarie Dog Town Fork, Duck Creek);

Medicine Bluff, Wichita Mountains
Medicine Bluff of Wichita Mountains;

Lake Lawtonka, Medicine Bluff Creek
Lake Lawtonka, Medicine Bluff Creek;

Fort Sill, Lawton, OK
Fort Sill;

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Southeastern OK, From here South of the Canadian North of the Red)
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma ; Oral Roberts, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2009, Commemorated December 15 ;

Oklahoma, Great Plains and High Plains Folder

USA, Ohio Folder, and its rivers

Ohio
Ohio; Ohio means "Great River", the Ohio River. PHILANDER CHASE; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

Ohio, Cuyahoga River, Lake Erie Folder, North OH, Cleveland, OH

Cuyahoga River 1 Hambden

Cuyahoga River 2 Burton

Cuyahoga River Source

Cuyahoga River 3 Kent

Cuyahoga River 4 Akron

Akron, Ohio (Cuyahoga River 4, 30 miles south of Cleveland) Sojourner Truth and Rex Humbard
Akron, Ohio; Cathedral of Tomorrow, Cuyahoga Falls, OH ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20;

Cuyahoga River 5 Cuyahoga Falls

Cathedral of Tomorrow, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, near Akron
Cathedral of Tomorrow, Cuyahoga Falls, OH ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ;

Cuyahoga River 6 Cuyahoga Valley

Cuyahoga River 7 Independence

Cuyahoga River 7 Valley View

Cuyahoga River 8 Cuyahoga Heights

Cuyahoga River 9 Newburgh Heights

Cuyahoga River 10 Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Oberlin College, Ohio (30 miles west of Cleveland)
Oberlin College; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ;

Ohio, Ohio River Folder, South OH, Portsmouth and Cincinatti, OH

Ohio River 2 (Beaver River Mouth, Rochester, PA)

Ohio River 3 (National Road 5, Wheeling (Creek), WV, OH)

Ohio River 4 (Little Muskingum River Mouth, OH)

Ohio River 4 (Muskingum River Mouth, OH)

Ohio River 5 (Little Kanawha River Mouth, Parkersburg, WV, OH)

Ohio, Ohio River 11, Scioto River Folder, Central OH, Portsmouth and Columbus

Scioto River

Scioto River Source (Auglaize County)

Scioto River 1 (Scioto, OH)

Scioto River 2 (Dublin, OH)

Scioto River 3 (Olentangy River, National Road, Columbus, OH)

Ohio, Ohio River 11, Scioto River 3, Olentangy River Folder, Columbus

Olentangy River

Olentangy River Source (2 miles NE of Galion)

Kenyon College, OH (Olentangy River Source, above Columbus on National Road) 1824
Kenyon College; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852 ;

Olentangy River Mouth (Scioto 2 at Columbus)

St Johns Church, Episcopal, Worthington, Ohio (Olentangy Mouth) 1804, Philander Case 1817
St Johns Church, Episcopal, Worthington, Ohio, 1804, Philander Case 1817; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852, Commemorated September 22; Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He served congregations in Lake George, Poughkeepsie, New Orleans and Hartford, but felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west in 1817. He became bishop of Ohio in 1818, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions in 1831 and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death, and as Presiding Bishop from 1843. Much more can be found on a site devoted to Philander Chase, at Kenyon College. A biography of him is also available from the Internet Archive.

Columbus, Ohio (National Road 8, Olentangy River, Scioto River 3)
Columbus, Ohio; Washington Gladden of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ;

Scioto River 4 (Circleville, OH)

Scioto River 5 (Chilicothe, OH)

Scioto River Mouth (Portsmouth, Ohio River 11)

Ohio, Ohio River 12, Miami River Folder, Cincinnati and Dayton

Miami River Source (Indian Lake)

Miami River 1, Dayton, Great Miami River, Miami Valley
Miami River, Great Miami River, Miami Valley;

Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio, 1856
Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28;

Miami River Mouth (Ohio River 12, Cincinatti)

Cincinnati (Miami River Mouth, Ohio River 12)
Cincinnati; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Cincinnati College (University, Miami River Mouth, Ohio River 12) 1819, Philander Chase, President, 1822
Cincinnati College (University) 1819, Philander Chase, President, 1822; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852, Commemorated September 22; Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He served congregations in Lake George, Poughkeepsie, New Orleans and Hartford, but felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west in 1817. He became bishop of Ohio in 1818, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions in 1831 and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death, and as Presiding Bishop from 1843. Much more can be found on a site devoted to Philander Chase, at Kenyon College. A biography of him is also available from the Internet Archive.

Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio
Lane Theological Seminary; HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, WRITER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, July 1, 1896;

Ohio, National Road Folder, Central OH, Columbus, OH, 1811

National Road (National Pike, Western Maryland to Central Illinois)

Ohio, Mahoning River Folder, Northeast OH, Youngstown, OH

Mahoning River 1 (Leavittsburg, Ohio)
Leavittsburg, Ohio;

Mahoning River 2 (Youngstown, OH)
Youngstown, OH;

USA, Oregon Folder

Oregon
Oregon; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

Oregon History Folder

Oregon, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland

Oregon, Northwest Oregon, Willamett River Folder

Willamette River Mouth (Columbia River 34)

Portland, Oregon (Willamett River, Columbia River 33)
Portland, Oregon ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ;

Oregon, Western Oregon, Oregon Coast Folder

Coos Bay, Oregon
Sir Francis Drake's landfall at California in 1579; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ;

Oregon, 1579, Sir Francis Drake's landfall at California in 1579
Sir Francis Drake's landfall at California in 1579; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608;

Oregon, North Central Oregon, Deschutes River Folder

Deschutes River (Oregon) Mouth (Columbia River 32)

Oregon, Central and South Central Oregon, Great Basin Folder

Mt Bachelor near Bend

Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Owyhee and Snake Rivers Folder

Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Snake River Folder

Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Owyhee River Folder

North Fork Humboldt River

USA, Texas Folder, and its rivers

Texas
Texas; HUDSON STUCK, PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920; Jack Coe, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1956, Commemorated December 17 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Texas,Canadian River Folder, TX, NM and OK, Northern Texas, Adobe Walls, Comancheria

Canadian River 1 (CO-NM border)

Canadian River 3 (Springer, NM, Cimarron River Mouth)

Comancheria
Comancheria;

Adobe Walls, Texas (Canadian River 7)
Adobe Walls, Texas ;

Texas, Red River of the South Folder, Northeastern Border and OK, Doan's Store on Dodge City Trail

Red River Source (Prarie Dog Town Fork, Duck Creek)
Red River of the South Source (Prarie Dog Town Fork, Duck Creek);

Texas, Red River Source, Sweet Water Creek Folder, TX and OK

Fort Elliott (Sweetwater Creek, Texas)
Fort Elliott;

Red River Mouth (Mississippi River 12 at Alexandria LA)

Texas, Sabine River Folder, Southeastern Tx, LA Border, Beaumont

Sabine River (Texas-“Louisiana) Source (Lake Tawakoni)
Sabine River (Texas-“Louisiana);

Diboll, Texas (west of middle of Sabine River and Texas-Louisiana border)
Diboll, Texas; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Lufkin, Texas
Lufkin, Texas; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Sabine River (Beaumont, Sabine Lake, Gulf of Mexico)

Texas, Brazos River Folder, Central TX, Northwest to Southeast, Houston

Brazos River Headwater (Blackwater Draw, NM)
Blackwater Draw;

Brazos River Source (Llano Escatado)
Brazos River Source (Llano Escatado);

Double Mountain Fork Brazos River

Double Mountain Fork Brazos River Source (LLano Escatado)

Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
Double Mountain Fork Brazos River ;

Brazos River (Clear Fork Brazos River, Fort Belknap, Goodnight Loving Trail)
Clear Fork Brazos River;

Brazos River Mouth (Gulf of Mexico)

Houston, TX (Brazos River Mouth)
Houston, TX; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ; Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Trinity Episcopal Church (Houston) 1893
Trinity Episcopal Church (Houston) 1893; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Menninger Clinic and Sanitarium, Houston, TX
Menninger Clinic and Sanitarium;

Brunner, Texas
Brunner, Texas; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Texas, Colorado River TX Folder, South Central TX, San Antonio

Colorado River (Texas) Source (Llano Escatado)

Colorado River 1 (Concho River Mouth, near Fort Concho West Texas)

Texas, Colorado River 1, Concho River Folder, , South Central Texas, San Angelo

Concho River Source

Concho River North Source

Fort Concho, West Texas
Fort Concho;

Concho River South Source

Colorado River 2 (San Saba River Mouth)

Texas, Colorado River 2, San Saba River Folder, , South Central Texas

San Saba River (Fort McKavett, Texas)

San Saba River Mouth (Colorado River 2)

Colorado River 3 (Llano River)

Texas, Colorado River 3, Llano River Folder, , South Central Texas

Llano River Source (Junction, Edwards Plateau)

South Llano River State Park

Llano River Mouth (Kingsland, Texas Hill Country, Colorado River)

Colorado River 4 (Austin, TX)

Texas, Colorado River 4, Balcones Fault - Edwards Aquifer Folder, San Antonio

Balcones Fault - San Pedro Springs - Edwards Aquifer
Balcones Fault - San Pedro Springs

San Antonio, TX (Balcones Fault, San Pedro Springs, Edwards Aquifer)
San Antonio, TX (Balcones Fault, San Pedro Springs, Edwards Aquifer); William M. Branham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1965, Commemorated December 24 ;

St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas) 1858
St. Mark's Episcopal Church (San Antonio, Texas) 1858; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Balcones Fault - Comal Springs - Edwards Aquifer
Balcones Fault - Comal Springs - Edwards Aquifer;

Balcones Fault - Barton Springs - Edwards Aquifer
Balcones Fault - Barton Springs - Edwards Aquifer;

Balcones Fault - San Marcos Springs - Edwards Aquifer
Balcones Fault - San Marcos Springs - Edwards Aquifer ;

Balcones Fault - Salado Springs - Edwards Aquifer
Balcones Fault - Salado Springs - Edwards Aquifer;

Colorado River (Texas) Mouth

Corpus Christi, TX (between Colorado River Mouth and Rio Grande Mouth)
Corpus Christi, TX; A. A. Allen, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1970, Commemorated June 11;

Texas, Llano Estacado Folder, large mesa, edge of Great Plains, in West TX and NM

Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado;

Texas, Rio Grande River Folder, Southwest TX, Brownsville

Rio Grande River 3 (Rio Hondo Mouth, NM)

Rio Grande River 7 (Santa Fe River Mouth, NM)

Fort Hancock, Texas, 1882
Fort Hancock, Texas ;

Fort Quitman, Texas, 1858
Fort Quitman;

Rio Grande River 9 (Fort Davis, TX)

Fort Davis, Texas, 1854
Fort Davis;

Davis Mountains

Rio Grande River 10 (Rio Conchos River Mouth, TX)

Big Bend (Texas)
Big Bend (Texas) ;

Chisos Mountains
Chisos Mountains ;

Rio Grande River 11 (Pecos River Mouth, TX)

Texas, Rio Grande River 11, Pecos River Folder, West TX

Rio Grande River 12 (Devils River Mouth, TX)

Texas, Rio Grande River 12, Devils River Folder, West TX

Devils River (Texas) Source (Sutton County, Six Watercourses)

Devils River Mouth (Rio Grande River 12)

Rio Grande River 13 (Rio Salado River Mouth, TX)

Rio Grande River 13 (Rio Alamo River Mouth, TX)

Rio Grande River 13 (San Juan River Mouth, Rio Grande City, TX)

Rio Grande River Mouth (Gulf of Mexico, Brownsville, TX)
Rio Grande River;

Matamoros-Brownsville Area
Matamoros-Brownsville Area;

Texas, Abilene Stage Line Folder, Austin North to Canadian River, Central to TX Panhandle

Abilene Stage Line

Stage Line Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas;

Stage Line Fredericksburg, TX
Fredericksburg, TX ;

Stage Line San Saba, Texas
San Saba, Texas;

Stage Line, Comanche, Texas
Comanche, Texas ;

Stage Line Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas;

Stage Line Tascosa, Texas
Tascosa, Texas;

Texas, Santa Fe Trail Folder (MO, KS, OK, NM, & Mexico) from St Louis

Texas, Great Plains and High Plains Folder, From Canada to Southwest Texas

USA, Tennessee Folder, and its rivers

Tennessee
Tennessee; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918); CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS, THE MARTYRS OF MEMPHIS (9 SEP 1878) ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Tennessee History Folder

Tennessee, 1878, Martyrs of Memphis, Sisters of St Mary
Martyrs of Memphis, Sisters of St Mary; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Tennessee, 1968, Martin Lither King Assasinated, Memphis
Memphis; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, D.C., to be called the Poor People's Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee. His death was followed by riots in many U.S. cities. Allegations that James Earl Ray, the man convicted of killing King, had been framed or acted in concert with government agents persisted for decades after the shooting. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2003. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a holiday in cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971; the holiday was enacted at the federal level by legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Hundreds of streets in the U.S. have been renamed in his honor, and the most populous county in Washington State was rededicated for him. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011.

Tennessee, Mississippi River Folder, West TN, Memphis

Tennessee, Wolf River Folder, Southwest TN, Memphis

Wolf River Source (Baker's Pond Holly Springs Ntnl Forest)

Wolf River 1

Wolf River 2

Wolf River 3

Wolf River 4 (Overview)

Bartlett, Tennessee
Bartlett, Tennessee ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Wolf River Mouth (Memphis, Mississippi River 9)

Shelby County, TN (Memphis, Wolf River Mouth)
Shelby, County, TN; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; Charles Harrison Mason Sr. (September 8, 1866 – November 17, 1961) was an American Holiness–Pentecostal pastor and minister.[1][2] He was the founder and first Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, based in Memphis, Tennessee. It developed into what is today the largest Holiness Pentecostal church denomination and one of the largest predominantly African-American Christian denominations in the United States.[1][3] and early ministry was born the son of former slaves Jerry and Eliza Mason in Shelby County, Tennessee. He lived with his family in an unincorporated area near Bartlett. Mason worked with his family sharecropping and he did not receive an early formal education. As a child, Mason was greatly influenced by the religion of his parents. In at the age of fifteen Mason joined the Missionary Baptist Church in Shelby County; he was later baptized as a Christian by his older half-brother, Rev. I. S. Nelson.[4] had initially opposed pursuing ministry as a clergyman during his childhood and told his family he only wanted to remain a church lay member. Mason was 14 years old, he contracted tuberculosis, when a tuberculosis and yellow fever epidemic spread through Shelby County in 1880.[5] Because there were no medical centers or hospitals that would treat African Americans in Shelby County, and the small, poor medical centers that were owned and operated by African Americans proved to be of little help to the residents of Shelby County, Mason's father, Jerry died from the infectious disease, and the family was forced to relocate to Preston, Arkansas. moving to Arkansas, as his own health briefly worsened, when Mason's mother and siblings prayed for him and asked the parishioners at a local Baptist church to pray for him, Mason was reportedly miraculously healed and quickly recovered. After fully recovering from the tuberculosis, it was then when he told his family and the local parishioners of the Baptist church his family had joined (which would later be known as the Mount Gale Missionary Baptist Church), "he believed God had healed him for the express purpose of alerting him to his spiritual duty"; He acknowledged throughout his teenage and young adult years subsequently that he believed "God called him into full-time ministry from then on."[4][6][5] 1893, at the age of 27, Mason began his own ministerial career by accepting a local license from the Mount Gale Missionary Baptist Church in Preston, Arkansas. On November 1, 1893, Mason entered the Arkansas Baptist College, but withdrew after three months because of his dissatisfaction with their curriculum and methodology. He claimed his reason for leaving was because he believed "the teachings being promulgated at the particular Bible college were too liberal," and "...did not have a strong enough emphasis on the Word of God"; he was deeply disturbed by the particular hermeneutics and philosophical presuppositions that were underlying the curriculum set forth by the college and left in January 1894.[7][8] to Holiness and Pentecostalism this period Mason became enamored with the autobiography of Amanda Berry Smith, an African Methodist Episcopal church evangelist. Smith had converted to the new wave of Holiness that was spreading during the latter part of the nineteenth century.[4] Those who had accepted the Holiness message testified to being "entirely sanctified" and cleansed from sin. Mason claimed sanctification and began preaching the doctrine of Holiness and Sanctification in the local Baptist churches. In 1895, Mason also became acquainted with Charles Price Jones, a popular Baptist preacher from Mississippi who shared his enthusiasm for Holiness teachings, as well as J. E. Jeter from Little Rock, Arkansas, and W. S. Pleasant from Hazelhurst, Mississippi. These men spread the doctrine of Holiness and Sanctification throughout the African-American Baptist churches in Mississippi, Arkansas, and western Tennessee.[4][8][5] June 1896, these men conducted a revival, preaching the message of Sanctification and Holiness that eventually led to their expulsion from the local Baptist association.[7] In 1897, Mason and Jones formed a new fellowship of churches named simply "Church of God." Mason suggested the name "the Church of God in Christ," a name that he said came to him during a vision in Little Rock, Arkansas. The name could distinguish the new church from a number of "Church of God" groups that were forming at the time. March 1907, Mason was sent by the church to Los Angeles to investigate the Azusa Street Revival being led by Reverend William J. Seymour.[9] His stay lasted six weeks, and before it was over he experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues.[8][5][10] testimony of receiving the baptism with the Holy Ghost Main article: Baptism with the Holy Spirit following are excerpts from Elder Mason's personal testimony regarding his receiving the Holy Ghost. "The first day in the meeting I sat to myself, away from those that went with me. I began to thank God in my heart for all things, for when I heard some speak in tongues, I knew it was right though I did not understand it. Nevertheless, it was sweet to me. I also thank God for Elder Seymour who came and preached a wonderful sermon. His words were sweet and powerful and it seems that I hear them now while writing. When he closed his sermon, he said 'All of those that want to be sanctified or baptized with the Holy Ghost, go to the upper room; and all those that want to be justified, come to the altar.' I said that is the place for me, for it may be that I am not converted and if not, God knows it and can convert me..." "Glory!" "The second night of prayer I saw a vision. I saw myself standing alone and had a dry roll of paper in my mouth trying to swallow it. Looking up towards the heavens, there appeared a man at my side. I turned my eyes at once, then I awoke and the interpretation came. God had me swallowing the whole book and if I did not turn my eyes to anyone but God and Him only, He would baptize me. I said yes to Him, and at once in the morning when I arose, I could hear a voice in me saying, "I see..." "I got a place at the altar and began to thank God. After that, I said Lord if I could only baptize myself, I would do so; for I wanted the baptism so bad I did not know what to do. I said, Lord, You will have to do the work for me; so I turned it over into His hands." "Then, I began to ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost according to Acts 2:4("All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them") and Acts 2:41 ("Then they that gladly received His word were baptized"). Then I saw that I had a right to be glad and not sad." "The enemy said to me, there may be something wrong with you. Then a voice spoke to me saying, "If there is anything wrong with you, Christ will find it and take it away and marry you...Someone said, 'Let us sing.' I arose and the first song that came to me was 'He brought me out of the Miry Clay.' O Glory Hallelujah! Praise His most wonderful name! The Spirit came upon the saints and upon me...Then I gave up for the Lord to have His way within me. So there came a wave of Glory into me and all of my being was filled with the Glory of the Lord. So when He had gotten me straight on my feet, there came a light which enveloped my entire being above the brightness of the sun. When I opened my mouth to say Glory, a flame touched my tongue which ran down me. My language changed and no word could I speak in my own tongue. Oh! I was filled with the Glory of the Lord. My soul was then satisfied.[7] and Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ after his experience in Los Angeles, he returned to Mississippi preaching the new Pentecostal teachings on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. He found that Elder Jones, the general overseer of the group, was opposed to it. After much debate at the general convocation in June 1907, Mason was expelled from the church. Later in November, he established a new pentecosal group in Memphis. He was elected the General Overseer of his group. years of conflict, in 1915 Mason won the legal rights to the name and charter of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). In the years that followed, Mason directed his fledgling denomination. He commissioned traveling evangelists to spread COGIC's message, establishing working partnerships with various individuals, and particularly targeting the masses of African Americans headed for work in Northern cities in the Great Migration. He also founded two churches, Temple Church of God in Christ and St. Paul's Church of God in Christ. moving to Memphis and establishing it as the headquarters of COGIC, Mason founded and pastored the Temple COGIC. He established the annual "International Holy Convocation" to be held annually each year. As the church continued to grow, he established departments and auxiliaries including the Women's Department, Sunday School, and Young People Willing Workers (YPWW) which is known today as the International Youth Department (IYD). He also appointed overseers and established dioceses of the church throughout the country. Bishop Mason's preaching was very practical and his delivery was spontaneous, often moving from teaching to preaching to singing and praying all in one presentation. However, he is most known for his consistent, disciplined and deliberate prayer life. In fact, COGIC prides itself as a church built on prayer and fasting. Bishop Mason is credited with writing the prayer chant, "Yes Lord" that has become known worldwide and sung not only by COGIC, but countless churches and other denominations and reformations. traveled the length and breadth of the country and many foreign lands preaching and establishing COGIC churches. Bishop Mason was not exclusive in his ministry, he preached in COGIC and non-COGIC churches alike. He also preached to interracial audiences as well. In fact Bishop Mason licensed several white Pentecostal ministers and in 1914 he preached at the founding meeting of the Assemblies of God. In 1911, he established the first auxiliaries and departments of the church including: Women, Young People Willing Workers (YPWW), and Sunday School. In 1917, he was monitored by the government for speaking in opposition to America's entrance and support of World War I. His opposition, however, stemmed from the use of African-American men being called to fight for democracy abroad while having to face racism and discrimination here at home. In 1917, he also purchased 400 acres in Lexington, MS to establish the Saints Industrial and Literary School. The school began classes in 1918 and eventually became Saint's College. The college was the major institution of higher learning for COGIC youth until closed in 1976.[5] 1926, Mason further organized COGIC by authorizing the church's constitution outlining the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the church. 1933, Bishop Mason set apart five overseers who became the first bishops in the church. 1945, Mason dedicated the now historic Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. At that time, it was the largest auditorium of any African-American religious group in the United States. In 1951, he set up a "special commission" and selected Bishop A. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O.M. Kelly as his assistants to help with the administration and oversight of the church. In 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson, Sr. to this commission. Also in 1952, Bishop Mason revised the constitution to determine the leadership and succession of the church after his demise.[7][8] life 1890, Mason dated, courted, and married Alice Saxton, the daughter of one of his mother's friends.[4] Two years later, they divorced, due to Saxton's disagreement over Mason's ministerial life. remarried years later.[4] Saxton would succumb to illness and die in 1904.[4] A year after the death of his first wife, he courted and married Lelia Washington in 1905,[5] and to this union were born seven children; Deborah Indiana Mason Patterson, Lelia Mason Byas, Robert Mason, Arthur Mason, Alice Mason Amos, Mary Ester Mason, Julia Mason Atkins, and Ruth Mason Lewis. 1943, after the death of his second wife in 1936, he married his third and final wife, Elsie Washington (no relation to Leila Washington), who died in 2006. Bishop Mason died on November 17, 1961 in Detroit, MI at the age of 97.[4][8] funeral was held during the International Holy Convocation in Memphis and he was entombed in Mason Temple. He served as Senior Bishop of COGIC for 54 years and is recognized as one of the longest serving founders of a religious organization. By the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had spread to every state in the Union and to many foreign countries; its membership was more than 400,000 and it had more than 4000 churches.[11] In the early 21st century, it is the largest Pentecostal Church in the United States, with an estimated membership of more than 7 million members and 12,000 churches. located in every state in the Union.[12] It is also located in more than 83 countries around the world. Its international membership is estimated to be between 1 and 3 million members and more than 25,000 churches.[13] Its worldwide membership is estimated to be between 6 and 8 million members.[14][15] COGIC began in 1907 with ten congregations in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. The current leader and presiding bishop is Bishop Charles Blake of Los Angeles, California. The C. H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1970 and named in his honor. It is part of the Interdemoninational Theological Center (ITC). The C.H. Mason System of Bible Colleges in numerous US locations awards certificates and associate level degrees in theology and ministry.

Memphis, Tennessee (Wolf River Mouth, Mississippi River 9)
Memphis; CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS, THE MARTYRS OF MEMPHIS (9 SEP 1878) ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; HARRIET STARR CANNON, RELIGIOUS, 1896, Commemorated May 7 ;

Mason Temple, Memphis, Tennessee (COGIC national meeting place)
Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ (COGIC) national meeting place) ; Charles Harrison (C.H.) Mason, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1961, Commemorated November 17 ;

Mason, Tennessee (near Memphis, Wolf River Mouth and Mississippi River 9)
Mason, Tennessee ; Edward Thomas Demby of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14;

Tennessee, Tennessee River Folder, East TN, Central TN, Chattanooga, TN

Tennessee River Source (Knoxville)

Holston River (Kingsport, Tennessee)

Long Island on the Holsten River

Wilderness Road 2 (Moccasin Gap of Cinch Mt)

Holston River Mouth (Tennessee River Source, Knoxville, TN)

French Broad River Source (Rosman, NC)

Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains;

French Broad River Mouth (Tennessee River Source)

Tennessee River 1 (Lenoir City, TN and Loudon, TN)

Tennessee, Tennessee River 1, Cinch River Folder, East TN

Clinch River Source (near Tazewell, VA)

Clinch River (Norris Dam)

Clinch River (Melton Hill Dam)

Powell River

Powell River Source (NW of Norton, VA)

Powell Mt (Norton, VA to Tazewell, TN)
Powell Mountain;

Powell Mountain ( a 60 mile long ridge)

Powell Mt (Tazewell, TN to Norton, VA)
Powell Mountain;

Powell River Mouth (Cinch River, Norris Dam)

Clinch River Mouth (Tennessee River 1)

Tennessee River 2 (Chattanooga, TN and Cleveland, TN)

Church of God of Cleveland, TN (Tennessee River 2)
Church of God of Cleveland, Tennessee; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Lee College
Lee College aka Lee University ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Sewanee, Tennessee, University of the South (Tennessee River 2) 1857
Sewanee: The University of the South ; WILLIAM PORCHER DUBOSE, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (18 AUGUST 1918) ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Tennessee River 3 (Florence, AB, and Huntsville, AB)

Tennessee River 4 (Linden, TN and Parsons, TN)

Tennessee River Mouth (Ohio River 20, Paducah, KY)

Tennessee, Cumberland River Folder, North TN, Nashville

Cumberland River Source (Cumberland Falls, KY, confluence of Martin's Fork and Powell River)
Cumberland Falls

Martin's Fork Cumberland River Source, Cumberland Gap

Tennessee, Cumberland River to Nashville, Wilderness Road South Fork Folder

Wilderness Road South Fork 6 (Nashville)

Cumberland Gap, TN
Cumberland Gap of Wilderness Road;

Cumberland Falls, KY
Cumberland Falls

Clover Fork Cumberland River Source, KY

Cumberland River 4 (Nashville, TN)

Cumberland Plateau, TN
Cumberland Plateau, from the head of the Cumberland river down through Swanee into Alabama ;

Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee (Cumberland River 4)
Fisk University; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee in Nashville
Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee; CHARLES TODD QUINTARD, BISHOP OF TENNESSEE, 1898, Commemorated February 16 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

TBN, Hendersonville, Tennessee, outside Nashville
TBN, Hendersonville, Tennessee ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Cumberland River Mouth (Ohio River 20, Smithland, KY)

USA, Louisiana Folder, and its rivers

Louisiana
Louisiana; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER (30 December 1934) ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Louisiana, Northwest to Central Louisiana, Red River Folder, Oklahoma border, Shreveport and Alexandria

Red River 4 (Shreveport, LA)

Shreveport, Louisiana (Red River of the South 4)
Shreveport, Louisiana; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe, Louisiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Clarks, Louisiana (Caldwell Parish, 30 miles south of Monroe, 100 miles southeast of Shreveport)
Clarks, Louisiana ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Eros, Louisiana
Eros, Louisiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Hodge, Louisiana
Hodge, Louisiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Red River 5 (Alexandria, Louisiana)

Alexandria, Lousiana (near Red River Mouth)
Alexandria, Lousiana ; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Red River Mouth (Simmesport, Mississippi River 12)

Louisiana, Eastern Lousiiana, Mississippi River Folder, New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934) ;

Straight College (facing Canal Street)
Straight College ; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934) ;

Christ's Church, Episcopal, New Orleans, Louisiana, Philander Chase, 1805
Christ's Church, Episcopal, New Orleans, Louisiana; PHILANDER CHASE, BISHOP OF OHIO, AND OF ILLINOIS, 22 SEPT. 1852, Commemorated September 22; Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He served congregations in Lake George, Poughkeepsie, New Orleans and Hartford, but felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west in 1817. He became bishop of Ohio in 1818, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions in 1831 and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death, and as Presiding Bishop from 1843. Much more can be found on a site devoted to Philander Chase, at Kenyon College. A biography of him is also available from the Internet Archive.

Saint Lukes Community Center, North Dorgenois Street
Saint Lukes Community Center, North Dorgenois Street; Gaudet Normal and Industrial School; Gaudet Episcopal Home; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER (30 December 1934) ;

Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana (New Orleans, LA Mississippi River 14)
Centerville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana (New Orleans, LA Mississippi River 14) ; William J. Seymour, Pentecostal Saint, Commemorated September 28, 1922;

Louisiana, Western Louisiana, Sabine River Folder, Texas Louisiana Border

Sabine River (Texas border) Source (Lake Tawakon, NE Texasi)
Sabine River (Texas-“Louisiana);

Starks, Louisiana (Sabine River Mouth, Texas border)
Starks, Louisiana (near Sabine River Mouth, East of Texas-Louisiana border); Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

DeQuincy, Louisiana (near Texas border, Sabine River Mouth)
DeQuincy, Louisiana; Gerald Archie (G.A.) Mangun, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2010, Commemorated June 17 ;

Sabine River Mouth (Beaumont, Sabine Lake, Gulf of Mexico)

USA, Wisconsin Folder, its rivers and bay

Wisconsin
Wisconsin; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

Wisconsin, Wisconsin River Folder, Central WI, Oneida, Wasau, Madison

Wisconsin River Source (Lac View Desert)
Wisconsin River;

Oneida County, WI (Wisconsin River Source)
Oneida County, Wisconsin; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

Iroquois Confederacy (1603 and before)
Iroquois Confederacy; Iroquois or Haudenosaunee (;[3] People of the Longhouse) are an indigenous confederacy in northeast North America. They were known during the colonial years to the French as the Iroquois League, and later as the Iroquois Confederacy. The English called them the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. After 1722, the Iroquois accepted the Tuscarora people from the southeast into their confederacy, as they were also Iroquoian-speaking; the confederacy became known as the Six Nations. Iroquois have absorbed many other individuals from various peoples into individual families of their tribes as a result of warfare and adoption of captives, and offering shelter to displaced peoples. Culturally, when such adoptees become fully assimilated, they are considered full members of the families, clans and tribes into which they are adopted. Historically such adoptees have married into the tribes, and some have become chiefs or respected elders. historic St. Lawrence Iroquoians, and the later Wyandot (Huron), Erie, and Susquehannock, all independent peoples known to the European colonists, also spoke Iroquoian languages. In the larger sense of linguistic families, these peoples are considered Iroquoian peoples because of their similar languages and cultures, all descended from the Proto-Iroquoian people and language. But politically, they were historically competitors and enemies of the nations of the Iroquois League.[4] addition, Cherokee is an Iroquoian language: the Cherokee people are believed to have migrated south from the Great Lakes in ancient times, settling in the Appalachian backcountry of the Southeast United States, including what is now southeast Tennessee, western North and South Carolina (where they were first encountered by English traders and colonists, and northeast Georgia. 2010, more than 45,000 enrolled Six Nations people lived in Canada, and over 81,000 in the United States.[5][6] Oneida County, Wisconsin; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

Iroquois League
Iroquois League ; LEAGUE. Iroquois League was the name of the confederation of six distinct Iroquoian-speaking Indian nations: the Mohawks, the 1. Number of Warriors in the Iroquois League 1763 1775–1783 The Gale Group. Source: J. N. B. Hewett, Handbook of American Indians. Mohawk 160 300 Oneida 250 150 tuscarora 140 200 Onondaga 150 300 Cayuga 200 230 Seneca 1,050 400 ― ― 1,950 1,580 the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Senecas, and the Tuscaroras. The Iroquois were arguably the most powerful and important group of American Indians in eastern North America during the eighteenth century. They were firm British allies in the middle decades of the eighteenth century but were sharply divided by the American Revolution. Members of the Iroquois League fought on both the British and American sides during that conflict, and campaigns conducted within the Iroquois homeland proved particularly devastating. COVENANT CHAIN most of the eighteenth century, the Iroquois League occupied most of what became upstate New York. The five original nations of the league—the Mohawks, the Cayugas, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, and the Senecas—had been joined together in an alliance that predated European contact. The Iroquois League was not only a political organization but a spiritual one as well, as the origins of the confederation were explained through an elaborate story in the Iroquois mythos that anthropologists and historians label the Deganawidah Epic. The proper name for the political-spiritual Iroquois League was the Great League of Peace and Power, or the Haudenosaunee, the Iroquois word meaning longhouse. Europeans most often referred to the Iroquois League first as the Five Nations and then as the Six Nations after the addition of the Tuscaroras to the League in 1722. The Iroquois political forms included not only the league that bound the member nations to one another, but also a set of foreign alliances, conceptualized as fictive kinship relationships, known as the Covenant Chain. This alliance structure tied together neighboring Indian nations, such as the Delawares, as well as the British colonies that had dealings with the Iroquois and their neighbors. Periodic ceremonies conducted at Albany by colonial officials—notably Sir William Johnson, superintendent of the Northern Indian Department—and Iroquois leaders, which included the exchange of trade goods, served to renew and "brighten" the Chain. It was through this alliance structure that the Iroquois remained British allies during the Seven Years' War and into the early part of the American Revolution. It was also under the aegis of the Covenant Chain that the Iroquois claimed title to western lands they sold to various colonial governments. Iroquois Confederacy; Iroquois or Haudenosaunee (;[3] People of the Longhouse) are an indigenous confederacy in northeast North America. They were known during the colonial years to the French as the Iroquois League, and later as the Iroquois Confederacy. The English called them the Five Nations, comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca. After 1722, the Iroquois accepted the Tuscarora people from the southeast into their confederacy, as they were also Iroquoian-speaking; the confederacy became known as the Six Nations. Iroquois have absorbed many other individuals from various peoples into individual families of their tribes as a result of warfare and adoption of captives, and offering shelter to displaced peoples. Culturally, when such adoptees become fully assimilated, they are considered full members of the families, clans and tribes into which they are adopted. Historically such adoptees have married into the tribes, and some have become chiefs or respected elders. historic St. Lawrence Iroquoians, and the later Wyandot (Huron), Erie, and Susquehannock, all independent peoples known to the European colonists, also spoke Iroquoian languages. In the larger sense of linguistic families, these peoples are considered Iroquoian peoples because of their similar languages and cultures, all descended from the Proto-Iroquoian people and language. But politically, they were historically competitors and enemies of the nations of the Iroquois League.[4] addition, Cherokee is an Iroquoian language: the Cherokee people are believed to have migrated south from the Great Lakes in ancient times, settling in the Appalachian backcountry of the Southeast United States, including what is now southeast Tennessee, western North and South Carolina (where they were first encountered by English traders and colonists, and northeast Georgia. 2010, more than 45,000 enrolled Six Nations people lived in Canada, and over 81,000 in the United States.[5][6] Oneida County, Wisconsin; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27 ;

Wisconsin River (Wausau, Wisconsin)

Wisconsin River (Stevens Point, Wisconsin)

Dells of the Wisconsin River (narrows, a narrow gorge)
Dells of the Wisconsin River

Portage, Wisconsin (Wisconsin River Dells)
Portage, Wisconsin; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin (Wisconsin River, Madison) 1848
University of Wisconsin-Madison; RICHARD THEODORE ELY, October 8, ECONOMIST, 1943; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Wisconsin River Mouth (Mississippi River 3.5)

Wisconsin, St Croix and Mississippi Rivers, Western WI, Lacrosse, WI

Saint Croix River Source (St Lawrence Divide, MN Border)

Wisconsin, Green Bay and Lake Winnebago Folder, Northeastern WI

Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Green Bay (Lake Michigan) ;

Hobart Chapel, Oneida, WI
Hobart Chapel, Oneida, WI; CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27

American Evangelical Lutheran Church (Grundtvigian)
American Evangelical Lutheran Church; NIKOLAI GRUNDTVIG, BISHOP AND HYMNWRITER, 8 Sept. 1872; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ;

Lake Winnebago
Lake Winnebago ;

Fond du Lac, WI (Lake Winnebago, bottom of the lake)
Fond du Lac; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912;

Wisconsin, Milwaukee Folder, Southeastern WI, Natosha, WI

Milwaukee, WI (Lake Michigan)
Milwaukee; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

Nashotah, Wisconsin (near Milwaulkee)
Nashotah, Wisconsin; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870) ;

Nashota House, 1844
Nashota House; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; JAMES LLOYD BRECK, Priest, Educator, and Missionary (2 April 1876); JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870); CORNELIUS HILL, PRIEST and CHIEF AMONG THE ONEIDA, 1907, Commemorated June 27;

St John Chrystostom little red church on the hill, Delafield, WI, 1853
St John Chrystostom little red church on the hill, Delafield, WI, 1853; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Racine, Wisconsin (Lake Michigan, near Milwaukee)
Racine, Wisconsin; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ;

Racine College, WI, 1852
Racine College ; JAMES DE KOVEN, PRIEST (22 MAR 1879) ; JACKSON KEMPER, BISHOP, MISSIONARY (24 MAY 1870);

USA, Delaware Folder, and its rivers

State of Delaware
State of Delaware; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18;

Delaware River 10 (Wilmington, Delaware)

Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay ;

USA, Georgia Folder, its rivers and mountains

Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia; W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25;

Georgia History Folder

Georgia, 1731-1785, General James Olgethorpe, founder of Georgia
Georgia, 1731-1785, General James Olgethorpe; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730);

Georgia, 1961, Albany Movement, Albany, Georgia (Flint River 3)
Georgia, 1961, Albany Movement, Albany, Georgia (Flint River 3); Albany, Georgia; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968);

Georgia, Over the Divide, Flint and Chatthoochee Rivers Folder, Western GA, Atlanta

Chattahoochee River Source (Jack's Knob, Blue Ridge Mounatins)
Jack's Knob, Blue Ridge Mounatins;

Chattahoochee River Mouth (Lake Seminole, Chattahoochee, FL)

Flint River Source (Eastern Divide 9, Atlanta, GA)

Atlanta, GA (Flint River Source, Chattahoochee 4, Eastern Divide 8 )
Atlanta, GA; MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968); W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25;

Atlanta University, Clark Atlanta University, 1865
Atlanta University; W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25;

TBN, Decatur, Georgia, outside Atlanta
TBN, Decatur, Georgia ; Paul Crouch, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2013, Commemorated November 30 ;

Flint River (East Point, GA)
Flint River;

Flint River 1 (Sprewell Bluff State Park)
Sprewell Bluff State Park;

Talbotton, Georgia (Flint River 1)
Talbotton, Georgia; Georgia, 1892-1906, Educator, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright; Elizabeth Evelyn Wright of ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER and ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT, EDUCATORS, (1964, 1906), Commemorated February 28;

Flint River 2 (Andersonville Prison, Civil War)
Andersonville, Georgia;

Flint River 3 (Albany, GA)

Albany, Georgia (Flint River 3)
Albany, Georgia; Georgia, 1961, Albany Movement, Albany, Georgia (Flint River 3); MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Civil Rights Leader (4 April 1968);

Flint River 4 (Bainbridge, GA)

Flint River Mouth (Lake Seminole, Apalachicola river source)
Lake Seminole

Georgia, Savanna River Folder, Northeastern GA, Augusta and Savannah

Savannah, Georgia (Savannah River Mouth, First Great Awakening)
Savannah, Georgia ; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Bethesda Orphanage, Savanna, GA (Whitefield, First Great Awakening)
Bethesda Orphanage, GA; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15;

Chattooga River Source (near Cashiers, NC)

Chattooga River 1
Chattooga River;

Tallulah River Source (near Standing Indian Mountain in NC)
Standing Indian Mountain in North Carolina;

Tallulah River Mouth (Tugaloo River Source)

Georgia, Altamaha River Folder, Central GA, Athens

Oconee River Source (Hall County Georgia)

Oconee River, Athens

Oconee River Mouth (Altamaha River Source)

Ocmulgee River Source (confluence of 3 Rivers)

Ocmulgee River Mouth (Hazelhurst)

Altamaha River Source

Hazlehurst, Georgia (Altamaha River Source, Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers)
Hazlehurst, Georgia; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOATAL SAINT, Commemorated April 20;

Altamaha River Mouth

Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia
Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947;

Pennick, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Pennick, on Rt 25
Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Pennick, on Rt 25, just north of Brunswick; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947;

Darien, Georgia (Altamaha River Mouth) home of Anna Ellison Butler Alexander, to teach school w sister
Darien, Georgia; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, DEACONESS AND TEACHER, 24 SEPT. 1947, Commemorated September 24; Ellison Butler Alexander (circa 1865 – September 24, 1947) was the first and only African-American consecrated a Deaconess in the Episcopal Church. She served in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia during her entire career Alexander was born in 1865 to recently-emancipated slaves on the Butler plantation on St. Simons Island, Glynn Co., Georgia. Her father had been taught to read by the English actress Fanny Kemble (who later wrote an influential book condemning slave life there). Perhaps this encouraged Anna interest in education. Alexander family soon moved to Pennick, Georgia, just outside Brunswick, to take advantage of land south of the Altamaha River previously held by poor whites. Her father became a carpenter-builder and a community leader. first taught at the public school in Pennick. Later, she moved to Darien, Georgia, where her sister Mary founded a school affiliated with St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, and all three sisters taught. In 1894, with the cooperation of the Brunswick priest, Anna founded a mission in Pennick, while still teaching at Darien during the week, making a 40 mile round trip by boat and foot. The mission faltered when Anna accepted a position at St. Paul's Normal and Industrial School (as well as enrolled in the new teachers college there) in Lawrenceville, Virginia. In 1897, she returned to Pennick and revitalized the mission. The congregation was renamed Church of the Good Shepherd, and Alexander also started a school. She supported herself by taking in sewing, and managed to buy property in 1902, where her brother Charles Alexander and other men then erected a church. 1907, bishop Cleland Kinloch Nelson addressed the second annual meeting of the diocese's council of colored churchmen, held at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and consecrated Anna as a deaconess. She became the first and only African-American deaconess. She worked in the Altamaha River area for the rest of her life, teaching not only academic subjects, but also moral values. diocese of Georgia split in 1907 and Nelson chose to associate with the new Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. His successor in the Diocese of Georgia, Frederick Focke Reese, excluded African-Americans from church government in the diocese, and extended almost no diocesan financial support to African-Americans. This forced Alexander and others to make do, as well as seek support from outside the diocese, including from the Episcopal Board of Missions. During the bad crop years of the late 1920s through the Great Depression, Alexander continued to work in her hardscrabble community, whose members built the current wooden church building in 1928. died on September 24, 1947 and was buried at the cemetery at Camp Reese, a diocesan camp on St. Simons where she had worked. In 2004, she was reinterred at Good Shepherd Church in Pennick, which she had founded and where she had worked for many years.

Brunswick, GA
Brunswick, GA; ANNA ELLISON BUTLER ALEXANDER, EDUCATOR, 24 SEPT. 1947;; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961, Commemorated December 19;

St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys, Georgia; Henry Delaney of HENRY BEARD DELANY and EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY, BISHOPS, 1928, 1957, Commemorated April 14; Henry Beard Delany;

USA, Rhode Island Folder, its rivers and bays

Rhode Island
Rhode Island; PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890 ; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Anne Hutchison of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

Rhode Island, Providence River Narragansett Bay Folder, Eastern RI

Providence River Source

Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Providence Plantations, Rhode Island
Providence Plantations; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Grace Church (Providence, Rhode Island) 1829
Grace Church (Providence, Rhode Island); Richard Upjohn and Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Brown University, Providence, RI, 1764
Brown University ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

S. Stephen's Church (Providence, Rhode Island) 1860
S. Stephen's Church (Providence, Rhode Island) 1860; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Portsmouth, Rhode Island (Narragansett Bay)
Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated January 5;

Emmanuel Church (Narragansett Bay, Newport, Rhode Island) 1841
Emmanuel Church (Newport, Rhode Island) 1841; Emmanuel Church (Newport, Rhode Island); Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Nantucket, Rhode Island (N Shoals, Sojourner Truth's son Peter on whaling ship, 1839)
Nantucket, Rhode Island (N Shoals, Sojourner Truth's son Peter on whaling ship); Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; 1839, Truth's son Peter took a job on a whaling ship called the Zone of Nantucket. From 1840 to 1841, she received three letters from him, though in his third letter he told her he had sent five. Peter said he also never received any of her letters. When the ship returned to port in 1842, Peter was not on board and Truth never heard from him again.[7]

Rhode Island, Hopkinton Folder, Southwest RI

Hopkinton, Rhode Island
Hopkinton, Rhode Island ; PRUDENCE CRANDALL, TEACHER AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 3 Sept. 1890 ;

Rhode Island, Woonasquatuchet River Folder, Northcentral RI

Woonasquatucket River Source (North Smithfield, RI)

Woonasquatucket River Mouth
Woonasquatucket River

Rhode Island, Moshassuck River Folder, Northeastern RI

Moshassuck River Source (high point west of Valley Falls)

Moshassuck River Mouth (Providence, RI, Providence River Source)
Moshassuck River;

Rhode Island, Blackstone River Folder, Northeastern RI

Blackstone River Source (Worcester, MA)

Blackstone River Mouth (Providence, RI, Seekonk River)

USA, Boston and Massachusetts Folder, and its rivers

Massachusetts
Massachusetts; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; Anne Hutchison of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Boston and Massachusetts History Folder

Boston, 1659, Christian Commonwealth, by John Elliot
Boston, 1659, Christian Commonwealth, by John Elliot; Biblical Republican Government, The Christian Commonwealth JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Boston, 1675, King Philip's War (Indian leader, to drive English out of New England)
Boston, King Philip's War in 1675 seemed to begin in Plymouth Colony but spread throughout all New England; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912; Lawrence Textile Strike, also known as the Bread and Roses Strike, was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). by a two-hour pay cut corresponding to a new law shortening the workweek for women, the strike spread rapidly through the town, growing to more than twenty thousand workers and involving nearly every mill in Lawrence.[2] January 1, 1912, the Massachusetts government enforced a law that cut mill workers' hours in a single work week from 56 hours, to 54 hours. Ten days later, they found out that pay had been reduced along with the cut in hours.[3] strike united workers from more than 51 different nationalities[4] many of whom knew little to no English.[citation needed] A large portion of the striking workers, including many of the leaders of the strike, were Italian immigrants. Carried on throughout a brutally cold winter, the strike lasted more than two months, from January to March, defying the assumptions of conservative trade unions within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that immigrant, largely female and ethnically divided workers could not be organized. In late January, when a striker, Anna LoPizzo, was killed by police during a protest, IWW organizers Joseph Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti were framed and arrested on charges of being accessories to the murder.[5] leaders Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn came to Lawrence to run the strike. Together they masterminded its signature move, sending hundreds of the strikers' hungry children to sympathetic families in New York, New Jersey, and Vermont. The move drew widespread sympathy, especially after police stopped a further exodus, leading to violence at the Lawrence train station.[5] Congressional hearings followed, resulting in exposure of shocking conditions in the Lawrence mills and calls for investigation of the "wool trust." Mill owners soon decided to settle the strike, giving workers in Lawrence and throughout New England raises of up to 20 percent. Within a year, however, the IWW had largely collapsed in Lawrence.[5] Lawrence strike is often referred to as the "Bread and Roses" strike. It has also been called the "strike for three loaves".[6] The phrase "bread and roses" actually preceded the strike, appearing in a poem by James Oppenheim published in The American Magazine in December 1911.[7] A 1915 labor anthology, The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest by Upton Sinclair, attributed the phrase to the Lawrence strike, and the association stuck.[8][9] popular rallying cry from the poem that has interwoven with the memory of the strike:[3] As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! —James Oppenheim VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); started a group for Italian immigrants at Denison House and took an active part in organizing the Women’s Trade Union League. In 1911, Scudder founded the Episcopal Church Socialist League, and formally joined the Socialist party. Her support of striking textile workers in the Lawrence, Massachuetts strike in 1912 drew a great deal of criticism and threatened her teaching position.

Boston and Massachusetts, Charles River Folder, East Central MA, Boston

Charles River Source (Echo Lake, Hopkington)

Charles River 1

Charles River 2 (Nattic, MA, Wellesley)

Wellesley College, MA (Charles River 2) 1870
Wellesley College, MA ; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954);

Natick, MA (central place of hills, Charles River 2)
Natick, Massachusetts; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Charles River 3

Charles River 4 (Mother Brook in Dedam)

Charles River 5 (Andover)

Andover Theological Seminary, MA (Charles River 5) 1778
Andover Theological Seminary; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Charles River 6 (Brandeis University)

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (Charles River 6)
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA; PAULI MURRAY, PRIEST (1 July 1985);

Charles River 7 (Watertown Dam)

Charles River 8 (Cambridge)

Cambridge, MA
Cambridge, MA; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, commemorated July 19; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965);

Charles River 9 (Harvard University)

Harvard, (Charles River 9) 1636
Harvard; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935), Land Tax ; W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Peets Coffee, Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA

Peet's Coffee
100 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Peet's Coffee - Coffee Shop
100 Mt Auburn St
Cambridge, MA 02138
Berkeley-born chain featuring signature coffee, tea & blended drinks alongside baked goods.
Open until 9:00 PM
peets.com
4.2 223 reviews
Coffee, 100 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA Windows (6.2.9200.0);en;kml:2.2;client:Pro;type:default)

Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge (Charles River 9) 1974
Episcopal Divinity School ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941) ;

Episcopal Theological School Cambridge MA (Charles River 9) 1867
Episcopal Theological School Cambridge MA ; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941) ;

Harvard Bridge

Charles River 10 (Boston University)

Boston and Massachusetts, Charles River 10, Muddy River Folder

Muddy River Source (Jamaica Pond)
Jamaica Pond;

Arborway
Arborway;

Arnold Arboretum
Arnold Arboretum;

Franklin Park (Boston)

Jamaicaway
Jamaicaway;

Roxbury, Boston (Muddy River of Charles River)
Roxbury, Boston; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Olmsted Park
Olmsted Park;

Boston Psychopathic Hospital, 1909
Boston Psychopathic Hospital; CARL MENNINGER of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Harvard Medical School, Boston (Muddy River 5) 1782
Harvard Medical School; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

The Riverway
The Riverway;

Back Bay Fens

Fenway Park
Fenway Park;

Muddy River Mouth (Boston University, Harvard Bridge, Charles River 10)

Charles River 10 (MIT)

Back Bay, Commonwealth Ave (Charles River 10)
Back Bay, Commonwealth Ave; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Trinity Church, Boston (Back Bay, Charles River 10) 1733
Trinity Church (Boston); John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ;

Charles River 11 (Cambridge)

Charles River 11 (Hatch Shell)
Hatch Shell, Boston Pops Orchestra

Longfellow Bridge

Emerald Necklace
Emerald Necklace; Boston Public Garden, Emerald Neclace 2; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Church of the Advent, Boston
Church of the Advent, Boston; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912;

Boston Common
Boston Common;

Diocese of Massachusets (Boston Common, Charles River 11)
Diocese of Massachusets is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Boston ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898);

Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston ; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ;

Highway 28

Hwy 1, Hwy 93

Freedom Trail, Hwy 99

Charlestown, MA
Charlestown, MA ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Charles River Miouth (Boston Harbor)

Boston, MA (Boston Harbor, Charles River Mouth)
Boston; ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; W. E. B. DU BOIS, Commemorated August 3 ; JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS, SEMINARIAN (14 AUGUST 1965); Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941); ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898) ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17; Maria Steward of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879 Commemorated December 17 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882) ; JAMES OTIS SARGENT HUNTINGTON, FOUNDER (25 NOV 1935) ; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; Society of St. John the Evangelist; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; PHILLIPS BROOKS, BISHOP AND PREACHER (23 JAN 1893) ; Anne Hutchison of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Carl Menninger of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); SARAH JOSEPHA BUELL HALE, EDITOR and PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1879, Commemorated April 30 ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

Christ Church, Boston (Old North Church, Charles River Mouth)
Christ Church, Boston (Old North Church) ; Timothy Cutler of SAMUEL JOHNSON, TIMOTHY CUTLER, & THOMAS BRADBURY CHANDLER, PRIESTS, 1772, 1765, 1790, Commemorated August 17 ;

Boston and Massachusetts, Charles River Mouth, Mystic River Folder

Mystic River Source (Lower Mystic Lake)
Lower Mystic Lake;

Mystic River 1 (Arlington)

Arlington (Mystic River 1)
Arlington;

Mystic River 2 (Medford and Malden)

Malden, Massachusetts (Mistic River 2)
Malden, Massachusetts; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Mystic River 3 (Somerville)

Mystic River 4 (Everett)

Mystic River 5 (Charlestown)

Mystic River 6 (Chelsea)

Chelsea, MA (Mystic River 6) Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Boston Home
Chelsea, MA (Mystic River 6) Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Boston Home; Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. and family Cady Stanton and her daughter, Harriot a young woman, Stanton traveled often to the home of her cousin, Gerrit Smith, who also lived in upstate New York. His views were very different from those of her conservative father. was an abolitionist and a member of the "Secret Six," a group of men who financed John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in an effort to spark an armed uprising of enslaved African Americans.[11] At Smith's home, she met Henry Brewster Stanton, a prominent abolitionist agent. her father's reservations, the couple married in 1840, omitting the word "obey" from the marriage ceremony. Stanton later wrote, "I obstinately refused to obey one with whom I supposed I was entering into an equal relation."[12] uncommon, this practice was not unheard of; Quakers had been omitting "obey" from the marriage ceremony for some time.[13] took her husband's surname as part of her own, signing herself Elizabeth Cady Stanton or E. Cady Stanton, but not Mrs. Henry B. Stanton. after returning from their European honeymoon, the Stantons moved into the Cady household in Johnstown. Henry Stanton studied law under his father-in-law until 1843, when the Stantons moved to Boston (Chelsea), Massachusetts, where Henry joined a law firm. While living in Boston, Elizabeth enjoyed the social, political, and intellectual stimulation that came with a constant round of abolitionist gatherings. Here, she was influenced by such people as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Ralph Waldo Emerson.[14] In 1847, the Stantons moved to Seneca Falls, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. Their house, which is now a part of the Women's Rights National Historical Park, was purchased for them by Elizabeth's father.[15] Stanton house in Seneca Falls couple had seven children. At that time, child-bearing was considered to be a subject that should be handled with great delicacy. Stanton took a different approach, raising a flag in front of her house after giving birth, a red flag for a boy and a white one for a girl.[16] One of her daughters, Harriot Stanton Blatch, became, like her mother, a leader of the women's suffrage movement. Because of the spacing of their children's births, one historian has concluded that the Stantons must have used birth control methods. Stanton herself said her children were conceived by what she called "voluntary motherhood." In an era when it was commonly held that a wife must submit to her husband's sexual demands, Stanton believed that women should have command over their sexual relationships and childbearing.[17] She also said, however, that "a healthy woman has as much passion as a man."[18] encouraged both her sons and daughters to pursue a broad range of interests, activities, and learning.[19] She was remembered by her daughter Margaret as being "cheerful, sunny and indulgent."[20] She enjoyed motherhood and running a large household, but she found herself unsatisfied and even depressed by the lack of intellectual companionship and stimulation in Seneca Falls.[21] the 1850s, Henry's work as a lawyer and politician kept him away from home for nearly 10 months out of every year. This frustrated Elizabeth when the children were small, because it made it difficult for her to travel.[22] The pattern continued in later years, with husband and wife living apart more often than together, maintaining separate households for several years. Their marriage, which lasted 47 years, ended with Henry Stanton's death in 1887.[23] Henry and Elizabeth were staunch abolitionists, but Henry, like Elizabeth's father, disagreed with the idea of female suffrage.[24] One biographer described Henry as, "at best a halfhearted 'women's rights man.'"[25]

Mystic River 7 (East Boston)

Mystic River Mouth (Charles River and Boston Harbor)

Boston and Massachusetts, Merrimack River Folder, Northeast MA

Lawrence, MA (near New Hampshire on Merrimack River)
Lawrence, Massachusetts (Merrimack River); Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912; Lawrence Textile Strike, also known as the Bread and Roses Strike, was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912 led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). by a two-hour pay cut corresponding to a new law shortening the workweek for women, the strike spread rapidly through the town, growing to more than twenty thousand workers and involving nearly every mill in Lawrence.[2] January 1, 1912, the Massachusetts government enforced a law that cut mill workers' hours in a single work week from 56 hours, to 54 hours. Ten days later, they found out that pay had been reduced along with the cut in hours.[3] strike united workers from more than 51 different nationalities[4] many of whom knew little to no English.[citation needed] A large portion of the striking workers, including many of the leaders of the strike, were Italian immigrants. Carried on throughout a brutally cold winter, the strike lasted more than two months, from January to March, defying the assumptions of conservative trade unions within the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that immigrant, largely female and ethnically divided workers could not be organized. In late January, when a striker, Anna LoPizzo, was killed by police during a protest, IWW organizers Joseph Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti were framed and arrested on charges of being accessories to the murder.[5] leaders Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn came to Lawrence to run the strike. Together they masterminded its signature move, sending hundreds of the strikers' hungry children to sympathetic families in New York, New Jersey, and Vermont. The move drew widespread sympathy, especially after police stopped a further exodus, leading to violence at the Lawrence train station.[5] Congressional hearings followed, resulting in exposure of shocking conditions in the Lawrence mills and calls for investigation of the "wool trust." Mill owners soon decided to settle the strike, giving workers in Lawrence and throughout New England raises of up to 20 percent. Within a year, however, the IWW had largely collapsed in Lawrence.[5] Lawrence strike is often referred to as the "Bread and Roses" strike. It has also been called the "strike for three loaves".[6] The phrase "bread and roses" actually preceded the strike, appearing in a poem by James Oppenheim published in The American Magazine in December 1911.[7] A 1915 labor anthology, The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest by Upton Sinclair, attributed the phrase to the Lawrence strike, and the association stuck.[8][9] popular rallying cry from the poem that has interwoven with the memory of the strike:[3] As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men, For they are women's children, and we mother them again. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses! —James Oppenheim VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); started a group for Italian immigrants at Denison House and took an active part in organizing the Women’s Trade Union League. In 1911, Scudder founded the Episcopal Church Socialist League, and formally joined the Socialist party. Her support of striking textile workers in the Lawrence, Massachuetts strike in 1912 drew a great deal of criticism and threatened her teaching position.

Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts strike in 1912; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954);

Adelynrood, Byfield, MA (near New Hampshire)
Adelynrood, Byfield, MA; Byfield, MA; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Boston and Massachusetts, Acushnet River Folder, South MA, New Bedford, MA

New Bedford, MA (Acushnet River Mouth, Buzzards Bay)
New Bedford, Massachusetts; Richard Upjohn of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18;

Acushnet River Source (Long Pond)
Acushnet River

Boston and Massachusetts, Neponset River Folder, South Boston, Foxborough and Quincy

Neponset River Source (Foxborough, near the Stadium)

Unity Church of North Easton, Massachusetts, 1887
Unity Church of North Easton, Massachusetts; North Easton, Massachusetts; Unity Church of North Easton John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Wheaton College (Norton, MA) 1912
Wheaton College (Norton, MA) 1912; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Neponset River 1 (Foxborough)

Neponset River 2 (Walpole)

Neponset River 3 (Sharon)

Neponset River 4 (Norwood)

Neponset River 5 (Readville)

Neponset River 6 (Hyde Park)

Neponset River 7 (Mattapan)

Neponset River 8 (Dorchester)

All Saints Church, Ashmont, 209 Ashmont St., Dorchester MA (Neponset River 8)
All Saints Church, Ashmont, 209 Ashmont St., Dorchester MA 02124 ; Ralph Adams Cram of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE, ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16;

Neponset River Mouth (Painted Glass Tank, Boston Harour)
Rainbow Swash;

South Boston
South Boston; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Denison House in South Boston, immigrant education, social services, relief, housing investigations, labor organizing
Denison House in Boston; House was a woman-run settlement house in Boston's old South Cove neighborhood. Founded in 1892 by the College Settlements Association, it provided a variety of social and educational services to neighborhood residents, most of whom were immigrants. Several notable women worked there, including Nobel Prize winner Emily Greene Balch, labor organizer Mary Kenney O'Sullivan, and pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart. The original site at 93 Tyler Street is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. House was established in 1892, donated by Cornelia Warren,[1] as one of the earliest branches of the College Settlements Association.[note 1] The CSA had been founded in 1887 by a small group of Wellesley College faculty and alumnae including noted pacifist Emily Greene Balch, labor organizer Vida Scudder, and the writer and college professor Katharine Lee Bates.[2] It was named for Edward Denison, an English social reformer who advocated living among the poor.[3] Balch was an admirer of Jane Addams, whom she had met at an Ethical Culture Society gathering; Denison House was modeled after Addams's Hull House in Chicago. Its mission was to provide Boston's poor with social services and education, not only for philanthropic purposes but to break down class barriers. The women hoped that bringing people of different backgrounds together under one roof would further the purpose of democracy, which they defined as "a free flowing life between group and group".[4] original Denison House was located at 93 Tyler Street, a red brick row house across from the old Josiah Quincy School. It quickly outgrew that space, and the adjoining house was added on. By the 1920s it occupied five row houses with a shared entrance at number 93.[5] Its first head resident was Balch herself, who served there briefly before returning to academia.[6] –1912[edit] Italo-Americano, an Italian-American group, held cultural events at Denison House. was replaced as head resident by Helena Dudley, who served from 1893 to 1912.[7] Arriving during the Panic of 1893, Dudley immediately set to work organizing the house as a relief agency that could distribute such basic necessities as milk and coal. Under her direction, Denison House became an important neighborhood center, offering classes in nursing, English literature, crafts, cooking, and carpentry, as well as sports and a summer camp for children, and clubs for adults. It had a library, a gymnasium, and a clinic.[8] Later, Dudley cooperated with Robert Archey Woods and other residents of South End House—Boston's first settlement house, located just a few blocks away—to hold art exhibitions, conduct housing investigations, and campaign for public bathhouses and gymnasiums.[7] men and women who frequented Denison House, most of whom were immigrants, were encouraged to celebrate their heritage through cultural festivals and craft exhibitions. One such exhibition took place at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art in 1917. On display was "the work of Italian, Syrian, Greek and Armenian craftsmen and craftswomen, in silver, leather, linen, silk embroideries, etc., from old designs copied in part from treasure pieces in palaces, museums and private collections in Europe and America." The exhibition was reportedly a great success, with many of the items being sold.[9] The teenaged boys of the Denison House dramatic club performed Shakespearean plays to raise funds for renovations, and received encouraging reviews in the Boston Globe.[10][11] the early residents of Denison House was the labor organizer Mary Kenney O'Sullivan, who lived there for several years in the 1890s with her husband and three children. O'Sullivan, Dudley, and Scudder were among the founding members of the Women's Trade Union League in 1903. Mary Morton Kehew, president of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, was treasurer of Denison House in the late 1890s,[12] and the Christian Socialist writer W. D. P. Bliss gave a speech there in 1898.[13] In an address at Wesleyan Hall, Dudley said that the college women had learned, through their work at the settlement house, "of the conditions which press upon the wage earners. We have found women making shirts for 37 and a half cents a dozen...and it is because of this knowledge that we have become interested in trade unions."[14] Dudley's tenure several trade unions met regularly at Denison House,[7] and in 1904 she hosted Catherine Breshkovsky, "grandmother of the Russian Revolution", at Denison House for several weeks.[15] In 1912 Dudley and O'Sullivan paid the bail of $500 each for Joseph Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti, leaders of the 1912 Lawrence textile strike who had been arrested on trumped-up charges.[16] Another Denison House worker, Vida Scudder, also supported the Lawrence strikers, and gave a widely publicized speech at a strike meeting. Wealthy donors were troubled by the house's connections to organized labor, and as fundraising became increasingly difficult, both Dudley and Scudder were forced to resign their positions.[7] –1942[edit] she became a famous aviator, Amelia Earhart was a social worker at Denison House. She was hired in 1926 and in the fall of 1927 became a full-time staffer at 93 Tyler street, where she worked until her historic flight in the Friendship in June 1928.[4][17][18][19] Commuting from Medford, Massachusetts in her yellow Kissel Speedster, she worked as a teacher and home visitor during the week, and spent her weekends flying.[4] By that time the neighborhood was home to an increasing number of Chinese immigrants. Earhart was in charge of adult education, and supervised the girls' program. She organized women's clubs, such as the Syrian Mothers Club, and coached girls' basketball and fencing. In 1927 she flew over Boston and Cambridge, dropping leaflets to advertise a Denison House fundraiser.[20] The following year she represented Denison House at the conference of the National Federation of Settlements, held in Boston, where she impressed leading members as "one of the most promising social workers of her generation".[21] –present[edit] 1942, Denison House relocated to Dorchester, where it occupied several local buildings before moving into the former Howard Avenue School in 1949. In 1965 it merged with Little House, Dorchester House, and the Columbia Point Youth Center to form the Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses (FDNH),[8] which became College Bound Dorchester in 2010.[22] The original site on Tyler Street, now occupied by apartment buildings, is a stop on the Chinatown/South Cove walk of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.[23] Kingsbury Simkhovitch, a city planner and social worker, met Helena Dudley and visited Denison House while living in Boston. The experience had a lasting influence on Simkhovitch; in 1902, she founded Greenwich House, a New York City settlement house which is still in operation today.[24] poet Kahlil Gibran and his younger relative, the sculptor Kahlil Gibran, lived in the South End as children and were frequent visitors to Denison House. It was there that the elder Gibran was introduced to the avant-garde Boston artist, photographer, and publisher Fred Holland Day, who encouraged him in his creative endeavors.[25] The younger Gibran later recalled seeing Amelia Earhart there, dressed in jodhpurs and driving her bright yellow car.[26] VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954);

Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, MA, 1882
Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, MA; John Lefarge of RALPH ADAMS CRAM, RICHARD UPJOHN, AND JOHN LAFARGE ARCHITECTS, 1942, 1878; ARTIST, 1910, Commemorated December 16 ;

Boston and Massachusetts, Blackstone River Folder, Central MA, Worchester, MA

Worchester, MA (Between Boston and Springfield)
Worchester, MA ; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, commemorated May 13 ; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; started dictating her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert and in 1850 William Lloyd Garrison privately published her book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave.[8] That same year, she purchased a home in Florence for $300 and spoke at the first National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1854, with proceeds from sales of the narrative and cartes-de-visite captioned, "I sell the shadow to support the substance", she paid off the mortgage held by her friend from the community, Samuel L. Hill.[25][26][14]

National Women's Rights Convention, 1850, Worchester, MA (Between Boston and Springfield)
National Women's Rights Convention, 1850, Worchester, MA (Between Boston and Springfield); National Women's Rights Convention was an annual series of meetings that increased the visibility of the early women's rights movement in the United States. First held in 1850 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the National Women's Rights Convention combined both female and male leadership and attracted a wide base of support including temperance advocates and abolitionists. Speeches were given on the subjects of equal wages, expanded education and career opportunities, women's property rights, marriage reform, and temperance. Chief among the concerns discussed at the convention was the passage of laws that would give women the right to vote. Worchester, MA ; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, commemorated May 13 ; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; started dictating her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert and in 1850 William Lloyd Garrison privately published her book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave.[8] That same year, she purchased a home in Florence for $300 and spoke at the first National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1854, with proceeds from sales of the narrative and cartes-de-visite captioned, "I sell the shadow to support the substance", she paid off the mortgage held by her friend from the community, Samuel L. Hill.[25][26][14]

Boston and Massachusetts, Connecticut River Folder, West MA, The Oxbow and Springfield, MA

Connecticut River 1 (Connecticut Lakes, NH)

Connecticut River 2 (Mohawk River, NH)

Connecticut River 2 (Simms Stream, NH)

Connecticut River 3 (Upper Ammonoosuc River, NH)

Connecticut River 4 (Israel River, NH)

Connecticut River 6 (Stevens River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 7 (Ammonoosuc River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 7 (Wells River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 8 (Oliverian Brook, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 9 (Waits River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 10 (Ompompanoosuc River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 11 (Mink Brook, Dartmouth College, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 11 (White River, Hartford, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 11 (Mascoma River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 11 (Ottauquechee River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 12 (Blow-me-down Brook, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 13 (Sugar River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 14 (Little Sugar River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 15 (Black River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 16 (Williams River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 17 (Cold River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 17 (Saxtons River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 18 (Partridge Brook, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 19 (West River, VT, NH)

Connecticut River 20 (Millers River, MA)

Connecticut River 20 (Deerfield River, MA)

Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley, the western Massachusetts portion of the Connecticut River Valley

Connecticut River 21 (Manhan River at the Oxbow, MA)

Florence, Massachusetts (Connecticut River 21, Pioneer Valley, Oxbow) Sojourner Truth 1844
Florence, Massachusetts (Connecticut River 21, Pioneer Valley, Oxbow) Sojourner Truth 1844; Sojourner Truth of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; year 1843 was a turning point for Baumfree. She became a Methodist, and on June 1, Pentecost Sunday, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth. She chose the name because she heard the Spirit of God calling on her to preach the truth.[18][19] She told her friends: "The Spirit calls me, and I must go", and left to make her way traveling and preaching about the abolition of slavery.[20] Taking along only a few possessions in a pillowcase, she traveled north, working her way up through the Connecticut River Valley, towards Massachusetts.[14] that time, Truth began attending Millerite Adventist camp meetings. Millerites followed the teachings of William Miller of New York, who preached that Jesus would appear in 1843–1844, bringing about the end of the world. Many in the Millerite community greatly appreciated Truth's preaching and singing, and she drew large crowds when she spoke.[21] Like many others disappointed when the anticipated second coming did not arrive, Truth distanced herself from her Millerite friends for a time.[22][23] 1844, she joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry in Florence, Massachusetts.[14] Founded by abolitionists, the organization supported women's rights and religious tolerance as well as pacifism. There were, in its four-and-a-half year history, a total of 240 members, though no more than 120 at any one time.[24] They lived on 470 acres (1.9 km2), raising livestock, running a sawmill, a gristmill, and a silk factory. Truth lived and worked in the community and oversaw the laundry, supervising both men and women.[14] While there, Truth met William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and David Ruggles. Encouraged by the community, Truth delivered her first anti-slavery speech that year. 1846, the group disbanded, unable to support itself.[8] In 1845, she joined the household of George Benson, the brother-in-law of William Lloyd Garrison. In 1849, she visited John Dumont before he moved west.[7] started dictating her memoirs to her friend Olive Gilbert and in 1850 William Lloyd Garrison privately published her book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave.[8] That same year, she purchased a home in Florence for $300 and spoke at the first National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1854, with proceeds from sales of the narrative and cartes-de-visite captioned, "I sell the shadow to support the substance", she paid off the mortgage held by her friend from the community, Samuel L. Hill.[25][26][14]

Mount Holyoke College, MA (Connecticut River 21 at the Oxbow) 1837
Mount Holyoke College; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

Smith College, MA (Connecticut River 21 at the Oxbow) 1871, Vida Dutton Scudder
Smith College; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); ScudderVida Dutton Scudder (December 15, 1861- October 9, 1954), educator, activist and founder of the Episcopal Church Socialist League was born to Congregationalist missionaries in India. In the 1870s, Vida and her mother were confirmed as Episcopalians by Phillips Brooks. studying English literature at Smith College and Oxford University, Scudder began teaching at Wellesley College. love of scholarship was matched by her social conscience and deep spirituality. As a young woman, Scudder began the College Settlements Association, joined the Society of Christian Socialists, and began her life-long association with the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross in 1889. 1893, Scudder took a leave of absence from Wellesley to work with Helena Stuart Dudley to found Denison House in Boston. experienced a breakdown in 1901 due to the stress of teaching and activism. After two years of recuperation in Italy, she returned renewed and became more active in church and socialist groups; started a group for Italian immigrants at Denison House and took an active part in organizing the Women’s Trade Union League. 1911, Scudder founded the Episcopal Church Socialist League, and formally joined the Socialist party. support of striking textile workers in the Lawrence, Massachuetts strike in 1912 drew a great deal of criticism and threatened her teaching position. she initially supported World War I, she joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1923, and by the 1930s she was a pacifist. her life Scudder’s primary relationships and support network were women; her closest companion was Florence Converse, who shared in her religious faith and political ideals. retirement, Scudder authored sixteen books on religious and political subjects, combining her intense activism with and an equally vibrant spirituality. She was the first woman published in the Anglican Theological Review.

Boston and Massachusetts, Connecticut River 22, Swift River Folder, West MA, Springfield, MA

Springfield, MA (Swift River Mouth, Connecticut River 22)
Springfield, MA ; WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON, PRIEST (27 JULY 1909) ; FRANCES PERKINS, PUBLIC SERVANT AND PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1965, Commemorated May 13 ;

Holyoke Range in MA
Holyoke Range;

Mount Tom Range in MA
Mount Tom Range;

Quabbin-Swift River Valley
Quabbin-Swift River Valley;

Quabbin Reservoir, Swift River
Quabbin Reservoir ;

Connecticut River 23 (Farmington River, CT)

Connecticut River 24 (Park River, Hartford, CT)

Connecticut River 24 (Hockanum River, East Hartford, CT)

Connecticut River 25 (Mattabeseck River, CT)

Connecticut River 26 (Salmon River, CT)

Connecticut River 26 (Eightmile River, CT)

Connecticut River Mouth (Long Island Sound, CT)

Boston and Massachusetts, Housatonic River Folder, Southwest MA (Blanford, MA and CT)

Berkshire Mountains in MA
The Berkshire Mountains;

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1855-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV
Hawaii, 1855-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha IV; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1855-1885, Hawaiian Queen Emma
Hawaii, 1855-1885, Hawaiian Queen Emma; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1863-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha V
Hawaii, 1863-1863, Hawaiian King Kamehameha V; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864);

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1874-1891, Hawaiian King Kalakaua
Hawaii, 1874-1891, Hawaiian King Kalakaua ; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani
Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864); DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation
Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation; Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864); DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Queen's Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii (1859)
Queen's Hospital; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ;

North Atlantic Folder

North Atlantic
North Atlantic;

North Atlantic, Greenland
Greenland, North Atlantic ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3;

North Atlantic, Greenland etc., its Area, Potential For Defence
Greenland etc. Potential For Defence

North Atlantic, Iceland
Iceland; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, February 3, 1943;

Noth Atlantic, Iceland, its Area

North Atlantic History Folder

North Atlantic, 1943, DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS, England (Dorset Stour River 4), gave lives to save other soldiers
Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4); DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3; Four Chaplains were four United States Army chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT Dorchester during World War II. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out; 230 of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued. Life jackets offered little protection from hypothermia which killed most men in the water. Water temperature was 34 °F (1 °C) and air temperature was 36 °F (2 °C). By the time additional rescue ships arrived "...hundreds of dead bodies were seen floating on the water, kept up by their life jackets." chaplains, who all held the rank of lieutenant, were the Methodist Reverend George L. Fox, the Jewish Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, the Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington and the Reformed Church in America Reverend Clark V. Poling. were sailing on the USAT Dorchester troop transport on February 3, 1943, when the vessel, travelling in convoy, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 in the North Atlantic. As the vessel sank, the four chaplains calmed the frightened soldiers and sailors, aided in the evacuation of the ship, and helped guide wounded men to safety. The chaplains also gave up their own life jackets. I swam away from the ship, I looked back. The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under. The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again. They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets.—Grady Clark, survivor December 19, 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross. The Four Chaplains' Medal was established by act of Congress on July 14, 1960, and was presented posthumously to their next of kin by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Ft. Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961. chaplains were also honored with a stamp, issued in 1948 and by an act of Congress designating February 3 as "Four Chaplains Day." Poling and Washington had served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America. — from Wikipedia Fox, Goode, Poling, and Washington responded to a high calling from God to represent his love among men of war. On the day they died, they personified the words of Jesus found in John 15:13"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." — from Holy Women, Holy Men

North Atlantic (Clean) Folder

North Atlantic, Greenland
Greenland, North Atlantic ;

North Atlantic, Greenland etc. Potential For Defence
Greenland etc. Potential For Defence

North Atlantic, Iceland
Iceland;

North Black Sea Region Folder

North Black Sea Region, Danube River Folder

North Black Sea Region, Bosporan Kingdom Folder, in Thaurica (Crimea), Roman Empire

North Black Sea (Clean), Bosporan Kingdom, its Area, Roman Empire
North Black Sea (Clean), Bosporan Kingdom, its Area

Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD

Hieromartyrs of Cherson, 303-313 Diocletian Persecution

Cherson, Crimea, Bosporan Kingdom in Thaurica (Crimea), 438 BC - 370 AD

Danube Mouth (North Black Sea)
Danube Mouth (North Black Sea); Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30; The Holy Hieromartyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Capito, Eugene, Aetherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capiton carried the Gospel of Christ into the North Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dniper, including the Crimea. They were bishops of Cherson at different times during the fourth century, and they sealed their apostolic activity with martyrdom. Only Aetherius died in peace. before the Baptism of Rus under Saint Vladimir, the Christian Faith had already spread into the Crimea, which in antiquity was called Tauridia and was ruled by the Roman Emperor. The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30).

Dnieper River Mouth (Dnieper Gulf, North Black Sea)
Dnieper River Mouth (Dnieper Gulf, North Black Sea); Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30; The Holy Hieromartyrs of Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Capito, Eugene, Aetherius, Elpidius, and Agathodorus Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Aetherius, and Capiton carried the Gospel of Christ into the North Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dniper, including the Crimea. They were bishops of Cherson at different times during the fourth century, and they sealed their apostolic activity with martyrdom. Only Aetherius died in peace. before the Baptism of Rus under Saint Vladimir, the Christian Faith had already spread into the Crimea, which in antiquity was called Tauridia and was ruled by the Roman Emperor. The beginning of the enlightenment of Tauridia is attributed to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30).

North Black Sea Region, Kuban River Folder

Kuban River Source (Mount Elbrus)
Mount Elbrus;

North Black Sea Region, Northwestern Georgia Folder, Abkhazeti

Khobi River Source

North Black Sea Region - Khazars, Commanded Western Silk Road

North Black Sea Region, 650-1048, Khazars, Commanded Western Silk Road
Scythia, 650-1048, Khazars Scythia, Turks of Atil, 750-969, Khazars; Atil and the Land of the Khazars, 9th and 10th Century, (Volga Delta, Scythia); Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ;

Netherlands Folder, Holland, Friesia, Dutch Republic, Lower Rhine and Meuse Rivers

Netherlands
Netherlands; Dutch; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); NICHOLAS FERRAR; NICHOLAS OF MYRA;

Dutch Republic (Netherlands) 1581-1795
Dutch Republic; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Netherlands 700-1907, Netherlands History Folder

Netherlands, 701-754, Boniface, Sacred Oak at Geismar, from Cornwall, evangelized Netherlands, France, and West Germany

Netherlands, 701-754, BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR, Crediton, Devon, Cornwall, greatest English influence in Europe

Netherlands, 1579, Union of Utrecht, Tribe of Dan Seal Date
Netherlands, 1579, Union of Utrecht, Tribe of Dan Seal Date; October 16, 1579 NS: Dan's Seal Date;

Netherlands, 1581-1795, Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Netherlands, 1899 and 1907, Peace Conferences at The Hague Center
Netherlands, 1899 and 1907, Peace Conferences at The Hague Center; Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are a series of international treaties and declarations negotiated at two international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands. Along with the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions were among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in the body of secular international law. A third conference was planned for 1914 and later rescheduled for 1915, but it did not take place due to the start of World War I. The Hague Center, The Netherlands; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Netherlands, West Netherlands, Lower Muse and Rhine Rivers Folder, Holland

Holland (a County of the HRE, Western Netherlands, Lower Rhine, Lower Meuse Rivers)
Holland is the western part of the Netherlands. Dutch; GEORGE BELL; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Meuse River Source (Langres plateau, France)
Langres plateau; The Meuse rises in Pouilly-en-Bassigny, commune of Le Chtelet-sur-Meuse on the Langres plateau in France from where it flows northwards past Sedan (the head of navigation) and Charleville-Mures into Belgium.[3] At Namur it is joined by the River Sambre. Beyond Namur the Meuse winds eastwards, skirting the Ardennes, and passes Liuge before turning north. The river then forms part of the Belgian-Dutch border, except that at Maastricht the border lies further to the west. In the Netherlands it continues northwards through Venlo closely along the border to Germany, then turns towards the west, where it runs parallel to the Waal river and forms part of the extensive Rhine “Meuse “Scheldt delta, together with the Scheldt river in its south and the Rhine river in the north. The river has been divided near Heusden into the Afgedamde Maas on the right and the Bergse Maas on the left. The Bergse Maas continues under the name of Amer, which is part of the Biesbosch. The Afgedamde Maas joins the Waal, the main stem of the Rhine at Woudrichem, and then flows under the name of Boven Merwede to Hardinxveld-Giessendam, where it splits into Nieuwe Merwede and Beneden Merwede. Near Lage Zwaluwe, the Nieuwe Merwede joins the Amer, forming the Hollands Diep, which splits into Grevelingen and Haringvliet, before finally flowing into the North Sea.

Aachen, Belgium (Charlemagne's Capital, a spa town, near Meuse River)
Aachen; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804);

Netherlands, North of the Roman German Frontier Wall, Friesland

Frisian islands in the North Sea, Netherlands
Frisian islands in the North Sea, The Frisian Islands chain extends from The Netherlands, over Germany and to Denmark; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

British Empire - Helogoland - East of Frisian Islands in the North Sea, Netherlands
British Empire - Helogoland - East of Frisian Islands in the North Sea, Netherlands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Friesland, Netherlands (North of the Frontier)
Friesland; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Frisia, Netherlands, Amsterdam
Frisia; WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Lower Rhine Frontier Folder

Utrecht, Netherlands (Roman German Frontier - Lower Limes Germanica, Rhine River 13)
Utrecht (Rhine River 13); WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ;

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Upper Rhine Frontier Folder

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Rhaetian Frontier Folder
Roman Province of Rhaetia; Reschen Pass;

Netherlands, Lower Rhine River Folder, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague

Utrecht, Netherlands (Rhine River 13)
Utrecht (Rhine River 13); WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739) ;

Rhine River 14 (Rotterdam)

The Hague Center, The Netherlands (Rhine River Mouth)
The Hague Center, The Netherlands; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Dutch Republic (Netherlands) 1581-1795
Dutch Republic;

Netherlands (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Netherlands (Clean), its Area

Netherlands (Clean), Holland, HRE, its Area
Netherlands (Clean), Holland, its Area

Belgium, south of Netherlands Folder (what's in the circular continental divide)

Netherlands, West Netherlands (Clean), Lower Muse and Rhine Rivers Folder, Holland

Netherlands (Clean), Friesland, North of the Roman German Frontier Wall and East of Holland

Friesland, Netherlands (North of the Frontier, East of Holland)
Friesland;

Netherlands (Clean), Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Lower Rhine Frontier Folder (Clean)

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Upper Rhine Frontier Folder (Clean)

Netherlands, Gaul, German Frontier, Rhaetian Frontier Folder (Clean)

Netherlands (Clean), Lower Rhine River Folder, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague

The Hague Center, The Netherlands (Rhine River Mouth)
The Hague Center, The Netherlands;

Northern Italy Folder (the Po River, its tributaries, Adriatic neighbors and Arno River Tuscany)

Northern Italy
Northern Italy (the Po River, its tributaries, and Adriatic neighbors); Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556); DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDeliverer from PotionsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31 ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Western Europe -Western Roman Empire
Western Europe - European region of the Western Roman Empire;

Lombardy, Northern Italy
Lombardy, Northern Italy;

Northern Italy, 35-1797, Northern Italy History Folder

Northern Italy, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostle Epaphroditus, Ravenna Bishop Hieromartyr Apollinarius,

Northern Italy, 35-61, Apostle Epaphroditus of the 70, Adriaca, (Adige River 9.5)
Northern Italy, 35-61, Apostle Epaphroditus of the 70, Adriaca, (Adige River 9.5); is a New Testament figure appearing as an envoy of the Philippian church to assist the Apostle Paul (Philippians 2:25-30). He is regarded as a saint of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, first Bishop of Philippi, and of Andriaca (there are at least two ancient towns called Andriaca, one in Thrace and one in Asia Minor), and first Bishop of Terracina, Italy. There is little evidence that these were all the same man. Adriaca; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Northern Italy, 40-75, Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Iraneous' blind son, Tribune's wife, Boniface's speech
Ravenna; Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apollinaris was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, whom he followed from Antioch to Rome sometime during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (41-54). Saint Peter appointed Apollinaris as Bishop of Ravenna. Arriving in Ravenna as a stranger, Saint Apollinaris asked shelter of a local inhabitant, the soldier Irenaeus, and during their conversation he revealed the purpose for which he had come. had a blind son, whom Saint Apollinaris healed, after he had prayed to the Lord. The soldier Irenaeus and his family were the first people in Ravenna to believe in Christ. The saint stayed at the house of Irenaeus and preached about Christ to everyone who wished to hear his words. One of the miracles that Saint Apollinaris performed was the healing of Thekla, the incurably sick wife of the tribune. Through the prayers of the saint, she got up from her bed completely healthy. Not only did she believe in Christ, but so did her husband the tribune. In their house Saint Apollinaris set up a small church, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Saint Apollinaris ordained two presbyters, Aderetus and Calocyrus, and also two deacons for the newly-baptized people of Ravenna. Apollinaris labored with great zeal, preaching the Gospel at Ravenna for twelve years, and the number of Christians steadily increased. Pagan priests complained about the bishop to the governor Saturninus. The hierarch was brought to trial and subjected to grievous tortures. Thinking that he had died, the torturers took him out of the city to the seacoast and threw him into the water. The saint, however, was still alive. A certain pious Christian widow helped him and gave him shelter in her home. Saint Apollinaris stayed with her for six months, and secretly continued to preach about Christ. The saint’s whereabouts became known when he restored the power of speech to an illustrious resident of the city named Boniface, whose wife had requested the saint to help her husband. this miracle many pagans were converted to Christ, and once again Saint Apollinaris was brought to trial and tortured. His bare feet were placed on red-hot coals. They expelled him from the city a second time, but the Lord again kept him alive. The saint did not cease preaching until he left the city. For a certain time Saint Apollinaris found himself elsewhere in Italy, where he continued to preach the Gospel as before. Returning to his flock in Ravenna, Saint Apollinaris went on trial yet again and was sentenced to banishment. heavy fetters, he was placed on a ship bound for Illyrica and the Danube River. Two soldiers were responsible for escorting him to his place of exile. Three of the clergy voluntarily followed their bishop into exile. Along the way the vessel was wrecked and everyone drowned, except for Saint Apollinaris, his clergy and the two soldiers. The soldiers, listening to Saint Apollinaris, believed in the Lord and were baptized. Not finding any shelter, the travelers came to Moisia in Thrace, where Saint Apollinaris healed a certain illustrious inhabitant from leprosy. Both he and his companions were given shelter at the man’s home. In this land Saint Apollinaris preached tirelessly about Christ and he converted many of the pagans to Christianity, for which he was subjected to persecution by the unbelievers. They beat the saint mercilessly, then they sent him back to Italy aboard a ship. a three year absence, Saint Apollinaris returned to Ravenna and was joyfully received by his flock. The pagans, however, entered the church where the saint was serving the Divine Liturgy, scattered those at prayer, and dragged the saint before the idolatrous priests at the pagan temple of Apollo. The idol fell and shattered to pieces just as the saint was brought in. The pagan priests brought Saint Apollinaris to Taurus, the new governor of the district for trial. Apollinaris performed a new miracle, healing the son of the governor, who had been blind from birth. In gratitude for the healing of his son, Taurus tried to protect Saint Apollinaris from the angry crowd. He sent him to his own estate outside the city. Although Taurus’s wife and son were baptized, he feared the anger of the emperor, and did not receive Baptism. However, he was filled with gratitude and love toward his benefactor. Apollinaris lived for five years at Taurus’s estate and preached without hindrance. During this time pagan priests sent letters of denunciation to Emperor Vespasian requesting a sentence of death or exile for the Christian “sorcerer” Apollinaris. But the emperor told the pagan priests that the gods were sufficiently powerful to take revenge for themselves, if they felt insulted. All the wrath of the pagans fell upon Saint Apollinaris: they seized him and beat him fiercely as he was leaving the city for a nearby settlement. Christians found him barely alive and took him to the settlement, where he lived for seven days. During his final illness the saint did not cease to teach his flock. He predicted that after the persecutions ended, Christians would enter upon better times when they could openly and freely confess their faith. After bestowing his archpastoral blessing upon those present, the hieromartyr Apollinaris fell asleep in the Lord. Saint Apollinaris was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-eight years, and he reposed in the year 75.

Northern Italy, 40-75, Hieromartyr Apollinarius of Ravenna, Peter's disciple, Antioch to Rome to, healed many for safe church
Northern Italy, 40-75, Hieromartyr Apollinarius of Ravenna, Northern Italy (Candiano Canal, Reno River Mouth), Peter's disciple, from Antioch to Rome, healed soldier Irenius' blind son, healed incurable Thekla tribune's wife, church in their house, 2 presbyters, 2 deacons, 12yrs, tortured left for dead, saved from water by widow, 6mos, healed Boniface speech, tortured red hot coals, elsewhere in italy, banished from Ravenna again, ship to Illyrica and Danube, shipwreck all drowned except his group, soldiers believed, Thrace healed illustrious of leprosy, shelter in his home, tortured back to Italy, Ravenna after 3yrs, dragged temple, Apollo to pieces, brought to Taurus, healed gov's son, 5yrs his estate, Pagan letters to Vespasian, gods sufficiently powerful, beaten, lived 7 days settlement, predicted end persecutions ; Ravenna; Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apollinaris was a disciple of the Apostle Peter, he followed from Antioch to Rome sometime during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (41-54). Peter appointed Apollinaris as Bishop of Ravenna. in Ravenna as a stranger, Saint Apollinaris asked shelter of a local inhabitant, the soldier Irenaeus, and during their conversation he revealed the purpose for which he had come. had a blind son, whom Saint Apollinaris healed, after he had prayed to the Lord. soldier Irenaeus and his family were the first people in Ravenna to believe in Christ. saint stayed at the house of Irenaeus and preached about Christ to everyone who wished to hear his words. of the miracles that Saint Apollinaris performed was the healing of Thekla, the incurably sick wife of the tribune. Through the prayers of the saint, she got up from her bed completely healthy. only did she believe in Christ, but so did her husband the tribune. their house Saint Apollinaris set up a small church, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Saint Apollinaris ordained two presbyters, Aderetus and Calocyrus, and also two deacons for the newly-baptized people of Ravenna. Apollinaris labored with great zeal, preaching the Gospel at Ravenna for twelve years, and the number of Christians steadily increased. priests complained about the bishop to the governor Saturninus. The hierarch was brought to trial and subjected to grievous tortures. that he had died, the torturers took him out of the city to the seacoast and threw him into the water. saint, however, was still alive. A certain pious Christian widow helped him and gave him shelter in her home. Saint Apollinaris stayed with her for six months, and secretly continued to preach about Christ. saint’s whereabouts became known when he restored the power of speech to an illustrious resident of the city named Boniface, whose wife had requested the saint to help her husband. this miracle many pagans were converted to Christ, and once again Saint Apollinaris was brought to trial and tortured. bare feet were placed on red-hot coals. expelled him from the city a second time, but the Lord again kept him alive. The saint did not cease preaching until he left the city. a certain time Saint Apollinaris found himself elsewhere in Italy, where he continued to preach the Gospel as before. to his flock in Ravenna, Saint Apollinaris went on trial yet again and was sentenced to banishment. heavy fetters, he was placed on a ship bound for Illyrica and the Danube River. Two soldiers were responsible for escorting him to his place of exile. Three of the clergy voluntarily followed their bishop into exile. the way the vessel was wrecked and everyone drowned, except for Saint Apollinaris, his clergy and the two soldiers. The soldiers, listening to Saint Apollinaris, believed in the Lord and were baptized. finding any shelter, the travelers came to Moisia in Thrace, where Saint Apollinaris healed a certain illustrious inhabitant from leprosy. Both he and his companions were given shelter at the man’s home. this land Saint Apollinaris preached tirelessly about Christ and he converted many of the pagans to Christianity, which he was subjected to persecution by the unbelievers. They beat the saint mercilessly, then they sent him back to Italy aboard a ship. a three year absence, Saint Apollinaris returned to Ravenna and was joyfully received by his flock. pagans, however, entered the church where the saint was serving the Divine Liturgy, scattered those at prayer, and dragged the saint before the idolatrous priests at the pagan temple of Apollo. idol fell and shattered to pieces just as the saint was brought in. pagan priests brought Saint Apollinaris to Taurus, the new governor of the district for trial. Apollinaris performed a new miracle, healing the son of the governor, who had been blind from birth. gratitude for the healing of his son, Taurus tried to protect Saint Apollinaris from the angry crowd. He sent him to his own estate outside the city. Although Taurus’s wife and son were baptized, he feared the anger of the emperor, and did not receive Baptism. However, he was filled with gratitude and love toward his benefactor. Apollinaris lived for five years at Taurus’s estate and preached without hindrance. this time pagan priests sent letters of denunciation to Emperor Vespasian requesting a sentence of death or exile for the Christian “sorcerer” Apollinaris. the emperor told the pagan priests that the gods were sufficiently powerful to take revenge for themselves, if they felt insulted. the wrath of the pagans fell upon Saint Apollinaris: they seized him and beat him fiercely as he was leaving the city for a nearby settlement. found him barely alive and took him to the settlement, where he lived for seven days. his final illness the saint did not cease to teach his flock. He predicted that after the persecutions ended, Christians would enter upon better times when they could openly and freely confess their faith. bestowing his archpastoral blessing upon those present, the hieromartyr Apollinaris fell asleep in the Lord. Apollinaris was Bishop of Ravenna for twenty-eight years, and he reposed in the year 75.

Northern Italy, 200, 3rd C Folder, Pontious iCimelum City

Northern Italy, 236-257. Pontious iCimelum City, hiding fDecius, admonished torturers, see power oGod, rack fell, bears mT
Rome, 236-257. Pontious in Cimelum City, buried martyrs wFabian, distributed substance, converted Emperor Philip, destroyed pagan temple, built church, Decius killed Fabian, Pontious hid iCimelum, cruel torturers sent, Pontious confessed, calmly admonished torturers, see the power of God, rack fell to pieces, torturers fell, bears mauled torturers instead, spectators shout great is Christian God, beheaded ; Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa); Savoy (of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France, Leysse and Albane Rivers); Hieromartyr Fabian, Pope of Rome, and Martyr Pontious, Commemorated on August 5; Fabian, as a presbyter, fearlessly gave burial to the bodies of martyrs. the death of Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Saint Fabian succeeded him as Pope. Fabian loved Saint Pontius as though he were his own son. Pontius distributed with Saint Fabian all his substance on the needs of the poor. the death of the impious Maximian, the new emperor Gordian (238-244) did not persecute Christians. emperor Philip (244-249), together with his son and co-regent Philip, was persuaded by the conversations and preaching of Saint Pontius to believe in Christ and to accept Baptism from Saint Fabian. the permission of the emperors, Saints Pontius and Fabian destroyed the statue of Jupiter in the pagan temple and built a church on this place. four years the Church of Christ dwelt in peace and tranquility. Decius (249-251) ascended the throne, after organizing a rebellion and murdering the emperor Philip and his son. during this time Saint Fabian, Bishop of Rome (+ 250), accepted death for Christ. Pontius left Rome for the city of Cimelum (on the border of Italy and Gaul) and lived there as a stranger. the time of the emperor Valerian (253-259), cruel torturers were sent out with full authority to seek out and kill Christians. Thus Claudius and Anubius arrived in the city of Cimelum for this purpose. Pontius fearlessly confessed himself a Christian and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. shackled him in irons and threw him in prison. the very beginning of the torture the saint calmly admonished the torturers, saying that the Lord would bring the torture to naught, and they would see the power of God. soon as the servants attempted to tie Saint Pontius to the rack, it fell to pieces, and the torturers fell on the ground as though dead. “Be convinced, O man of little faith, of the power of my Lord,” said Saint Pontius to Claudius, on the advice of Anubius he gave Saint Pontius over to be eaten by two bears in the circus. wild beasts, while not touching the saint, fell instead upon their keepers and mauled them. spectators began to shout: “The only God is the Christian God, in Whom Pontius believes.” order of the torturers a fire was built, but it burned out and the saint remained alive. Not even his clothes were burnt. crowd shouted all the more strongly: “Great is the God of the Christians!” Pontius then was sentenced to beheading by the sword, and his execution took place in the year 257. body of Saint Pontius was given burial by his friend Valerian.

Northern Italy, 300, 4th C Folder, Edict oMilan, Bishop Auxentius fArian tOrthodox, Ambrose oMilan, Augistine oHippo

Northern Italy, 303-313, Anastasia, visited prisons, fed, clothed, ransomed, A beaten by h, be patient, accept lords will, more

Northern Italy, 303-313, Anastasia's mentor Chrysogonus, foretold A's husband death at sea, C tortured, bhead iAquileia, appears
Rome, 303-313, Anastasia's teacher Chrysogonus, A beaten by h, C said be patient, accept lords will, cleave cross, C foretold h's death at sea, Diocletian kill them all order, C tortured sent tAquileia, A followed C tA, C beheaded, thrown into sea, waves carried head body back, presby Zolius concealed, C appears to Z, informs about m for Agape, Chone and Irene, C sent Anastasia to encourage them, also that Z would d same day, 9 days later fulfilled, she burried them, back to ministeriing to prisoners city to city, she gave medical arts to captives far and wide, Theodora as helper, arrested in Illyricum after fiinding no one in the prisons, wept loudly, Jailers realized, back to Pagan priest in Rome, set before her riched and tools of torture, chose tools, 3 days to reconsider, Anastasia's beauty, blind by touching her, headache, appeal to idols but died, A and T free again to care for prisoners, T and her 3 sons martyred, Evodus endured, all red hot oven. A caught again, starvation ordered, 60 days no food, every night T appeared, Judge ordered drowning w prisoners incl Euthychianus, open sea, holes bored, T appeared and steered to shore, 120 believed and baptized, all captured and martyred, A stretched and burned alive, body not harmed, Apollinaria buried her in her garden, relics transfered in 5th century, then to near Athos; Rome; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from Potions, Commemorated on December 22; Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Potions, a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ at the time of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. father was a pagan, but her mother was secretly a Christian. Anastasia’s teacher in her youth was an educated and pious Christian named Chrysogonus. the death of her mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Publius, but feigning illness, she preserved her virginity. herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she visited the prisons. She fed, doctored and often ransomed captives who were suffering for their faith in Christ. her servant told Publius about everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Anastasia then began to correspond secretly with Chrysogonus, who told the saint to be patient, to cleave to the Cross of Christ, and to accept the Lord’s will. also foretold the impending death of Publius in the sea. a certain while Publius did indeed drown, as he was setting out with a delegation to Persia. the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia began to distribute her property to the poor and suffering. was informed that the Christians who filled the prisons of Rome stoically endured tortures. He gave orders to kill them all in a single night, and for Chrysogonus to be sent to him at Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance. emperor interrogated Chrysogonus personally, but could not make him renounce his faith. Therefore, he commanded that he be beheaded and thrown into the sea. body and severed head of the holy martyr were carried to shore by the waves. by divine Providence, the relics were found by a presbyter named Zoilus who placed them in a coffer, and concealed them at his home. Chrysogonus appeared to Zoilus and informed him that martyrdom was at hand for Agape, Chione and Irene (April 16), three sisters who lived nearby. He told him to send Saint Anastasia to them to encourage them. Chrysogonus foretold that Zoilus would also die on the same day. Nine days later, the words of Saint Chrysogonus were fulfilled. Zoilus fell asleep in the Lord, and Saint Anastasia visited the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs gave up their souls to the Lord, she buried them. carried out her teacher’s request, the saint went from city to city ministering to Christian prisoners. Proficient in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for captives far and wide, healing their wounds and relieving their suffering. of her labors, Saint Anastasia received the name Deliverer from Potions (Pharmakolytria), since by her intercessions she has healed many from the effects of potions, poisons, and other harmful substances. made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodota, finding in her a faithful helper. Theodota was taken for questioning when it was learned that she was a Christian. Saint Anastasia was arrested in Illyricum. occurred just after all the Christian captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian. Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she began to weep loudly. The jailers realized that she was a Christian and took her to the prefect of the district, who tried to persuade her to deny Christ by threatening her with torture. After his unsuccessful attempts to persuade Saint Anastasia to offer sacrifice to idols, he handed her over to the pagan priest Ulpian in Rome. cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her gold, precious stones and fine clothing, and also fearsome instruments of torture. The crafty man was put to shame by the bride of Christ. Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. the Lord prolonged the earthly life of the saint, and Ulpian gave her three days to reconsider. by Anastasia’s beauty, the pagan priest decided to defile her purity. However, when he tried to touch her he suddenly became blind. His head began to ache so severely that he screamed like a madman. He asked to be taken to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols for help, but on the way he fell down and died. Anastasia was set free and she and Theodota again devoted themselves to the care of imprisoned Christians. long, Saint Theodota and her three sons accepted a martyrdom. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and endured beatings without protest. After lengthy torture, they were all thrown into a red-hot oven. Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. remained in prison without food for sixty days. Theodota appeared to the martyr every night and gave her courage. that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with other prisoners. Among them was Eutychianus, who was condemned for his Christian faith. prisoners were put into a boat which went out into the open sea. The soldiers bored holes in the boat and got into a galley. Saint Theodota appeared to the captives and steered the ship to shore. When they reached dry land, 120 men believed in Christ and were baptized by Saints Anastasia and Eutychianus. were captured and received a martyr’s crown. Saint Anastasia was stretched between four pillars and burned alive. A certain pious woman named Apollinaria buried her body, which was unharmed by the fire, in the garden outside her house. the fifth century the relics of Saint Anastasia were transferred to Constantinople, where a church was built and dedicated to her. Later the head and a hand of the Great Martyr were transferred to the monastery of Saint Anastasia [Deliverer from Potions], near Mount Athos.

Northern Italy, 313 and 323, Edict of Milan
Edict of Milan, 313 Western Roman Empire and 323 extended to the Eastern Roman Empire; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Northern Italy, 355-374, Bishop of Milan, Auxentius, Arian then Orthodox by Hilliary
Northern Italy, 355-374, Bishop of Milan, Auxentius, Arian; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367);

Northern Italy, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine
Northern Italy, 360-397, AMBROSE OF MILAN, Northern Italy Governor, Milan bishop, theologian, against Arianism, c Augustine, Antiphonal Chant, doctor of unified Church, from Gaul, bees mouth honey on tongue, Bishop as a catachumen, fame, Persians, converted queen Fritigelda of the Markomanni; of Milan (c. 340 - 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose,[a] was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperors Theodosius I and Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354–430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. Milan; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was born in the year 340 into the family of the Roman prefect of Gaul (now France). Even in the saint’s childhood there appeared presentiments of his great future. Once, bees covered the face of the sleeping infant. They flew in and out of his mouth, leaving honey on his tongue. Soon they flew away so high that they could no longer be seen. Ambrose’s father said that the child would become something great when he reached manhood. the death of the father of the family, Ambrose journeyed to Rome, where the future saint and his brother Satyrius received an excellent education. About the year 370, upon completion of his course of study, Ambrose was appointed to the position of governor (consular prefect) of the districts of Liguria and Aemilia, though he continued to live at Mediolanum (now Milan). the year 374 Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Mediolanum, died. This led to complications between the Orthodox and the Arians, since each side wanted to have its own bishop. Ambrose, as the chief city official, went to the church to resolve the dispute. he was speaking to the crowd, suddenly a child cried out, “Ambrose for bishop!” The people took up this chant. Ambrose, who at this time was still a catechumen, considered himself unworthy, and tried to refuse. He disparaged himself, and even tried to flee from Mediolanum. The matter went ultimately before the emperor Valentinian the Elder (364-375), whose orders Ambrose dared not disobey. He accepted holy Baptism from an Orthodox priest and, passing through all the ranks of the Church clergy in just seven days, on December 7, 374 he was consecrated Bishop of Mediolanum. dispersed all his possessions, money and property for the adornment of churches, the upkeep of orphans and the poor, and he devoted himself to a strict ascetic life. combined strict temperance, intense vigilance and work within the fulfilling of his duties as archpastor. Saint Ambrose, defending the unity of the Church, energetically opposed the spread of heresy. Thus, in the year 379 he traveled off to establish an Orthodox bishop at Sirmium, and in 385-386 he refused to hand over the basilica of Mediolanum to the Arians. preaching of Saint Ambrose in defense of Orthodoxy was deeply influential. Another noted Father of the Western Church, Saint Augustine (June 15), bore witness to this, having accepted holy Baptism in the year 387 by the grace of the preaching of the bishop of Mediolanum. Ambrose also actively participated in civil matters. Thus, the emperor Gracian (375-383), having received from him the “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” (De Fide), removed, by decree of the saint, the altar of Victory from the halls of the Senate at Rome, on which oaths were wont to be taken. a pastoral boldness, Saint Ambrose placed a severe penance on the emperor Theodosius I (379-395) for the massacre of innocent inhabitants of Thessalonica. For him there was no difference between emperor and commoner. he released Theodosius from the penance, the saint would not permit the emperor to commune at the altar, but compelled him to do public penance. fame of Bishop Ambrose and his actions attracted to him many followers from other lands. From far away Persia learned men came to him to ask him questions and absorb his wisdom. Fritigelda (Frigitil), queen of the military Germanic tribe of the Markomanni, which often had attacked Mediolanum, asked the saint to instruct her in the Christian Faith. The saint in his letter to her persuasively stated the dogmas of the Church. And having become a believer, the queen converted her own husband to Christianity and persuaded him to conclude a treaty of peace with the Roman Empire. saint combined strictness with an uncommon kindliness. Granted a gift of wonderworking, he healed many from sickness. One time at Florence, while staying at the house of Decentus, he resurrected a dead boy. repose of Saint Ambrose, who departed to the Lord on the night of Holy Pascha, was accompanied by many miracles. He even appeared in a vision to the children being baptized that night. The saint was buried in the Ambrosian basilica in Mediolanum, beneath the altar, between the Martyrs Protasius and Gervasius (October 14). zealous preacher and valiant defender of the Christian Faith, Saint Ambrose received particular renown as a Church writer. In dogmatic compositions he set forth the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity, the Sacraments, and Repentance: “Five Books on the Faith” (De Fide); “Explication of the Symbol of the Faith” (Explanatio Symboli); “On the Incarnation” (De Incarnationis); “Three Books on the Holy Spirit” (De Spiritu Sancto); “On the Sacraments” (De Sacramento); “Two Books on Repentance” (De Paenitentia). In writings about Christian morality, he explained the excellence of Christian moral teaching compared to pagan moral teaching. well-known work of Saint Ambrose, “On the Duties of the Clergy” (De Officiis Ministrorum) evidences his deep awareness of pastoral duty. He stresses that those who serve in the Church should have not only the proper knowledge of Church services, but also the proper knowledge of moral precepts. Ambrose was also a reformer of Church singing. He introduced antiphonal singing (along the Eastern or Syrian form) into the Western Church, which became known as “Ambrosian Chant.” He also composed twelve hymns which were used during his lifetime. The hymn, “Thee, O God, we praise” (Te Deum), attributed to Saint Ambrose, entered into the divine services of the Orthodox Church (Molieben). AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; was governor of Northern Italy, with capital at Milan. When the see of Milan fell vacant, it seemed likely that rioting would result, since the city was evenly divided between Arians and Athanasians. Note: Athanasians affirm that the Logos or Word (John 1:1) is fully God in the same sense that the Father is, while Arians affirm that the Logos is a creature, the first being created by the Father. East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Prebyterians, Reformed, Baptists, Methodists, etc. are Athanasians. The Watchtower Society (J's Witnesses), the Philippine group called the Iglesia ni Christi (spelling?), and some other groups are Arians. The Unitarians started out as Arians, and some of them still hold this position.) went to the meeting where the election was to take place, and appealed to the crowd for order and good will on both sides. He ended up being elected bishop with the support of both sides. He gave away his wealth, and lived in simplicity. By his preaching, he converted the diocese to the Athanasian position, except for the Goths and some members of the Imperial Household. The Arian emperor Constantius (son of Constantine the Great) had sent missionaries (Arians, of course) to convert the Gothic tribes. The Goths were the chief source of mercenary troops for the Empire. Thus for many years the Army was Arian although a majority of civilians were Athanasian.) one occasion, the Empress ordered him to turn over a church to the Arians so that her Gothic soldiers could worship in it. Ambrose refused, and he and his people occupied the church. Ambrose composed Latin hymns in the rhythm of "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow," and taught them to the people, who sang them in the church as the soldiers surrounded it. The Goths were unwilling to attack a hymn-singing congregation, and Ambrose won that dispute. subsequently won another dispute, when the Emperor, enraged by a crowd who defied him, ordered them all killed by his soldiers. he next appeared at church, Ambrose met him at the door and said, "You may not come in. There is blood on your hands." The emperor finally agreed to do public penance and to promise that thereafter he would never carry out a sentence of death without a forty-day delay after pronouncing it. creditable, to modern Christians, is Ambrose's dispute with the emperor when certain Christians burned a Jewish synagogue, and the emperor commanded them to make restitution. Ambrose maintained that no Christian could be compelled to provide money for the building of a non-Christian house of worship, no matter what the circumstances. was largely responsible for the conversion of St. Augustine. The hymn Te Deum Laudamus ("We praise Thee, O God") was long thought to have been composed by Ambrose in thanksgiving for that conversion. The current opinion is that Ambrose did not write it, but that he may well have written the Creed known as the Athanasian Creed. is perhaps the first writer of Christian hymns with rhyme and (accentual) meter, and northern Italy still uses his style of plainchant, known as Ambrosian chant, rather than the more widespread Gregorian chant. the negative side, many Christians will regret his contribution to increased preoccupation with the relics of martyrs. died 4 April 397, but (because this date so often falls in Holy Week or Easter Week) he is commonly remembered on the anniversary of his consecration as bishop, 7 December. is regarded as one of the Eight Great Doctors (=Teachers) of the Undivided Church. The list includes four Latin (Western) Doctors (Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Pope Gregory the Great), and four Greek (Eastern) Doctors (Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus -- not to be confused with Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of Basil). by James Kiefer Northern Italy, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. 1 Life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Bishop of Milan 1.3 Arianism 1.4 Imperial relations 1.5 Attitude towards Jews 1.6 Attitude towards pagans 1.7 Later years and death 1.8 Character 2 Theology 2.1 Giving to the poor 2.2 Mariology 3 Writings 4 Church music 5 Augustine 5.1 Reading 6 Bibliography 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Citations 8.3 Works cited 9 External links life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Saint Bassian, Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Northern Italy, 374-430, Augistine of Hippo, professor of rhetoric
Northern Italy, 374-430, Augistine of Hippo, professor of rhetoric; prospered in Rome, and was eventually appointed chief professor of rhetoric for the city of Milan, at that time the capital city of the Empire in the West. It should be noted that this was an extremely prestigious appointment. In classical times, when laws were often made and issues voted on by huge public assemblies, when even juries typically had several hundred members, and when a man's public influence, or even on occasion his life, depended on his ability to sway large audiences, rhetoric -- the art of manipulating an audience -- was a skill that few men thought they could afford to neglect. (Socrates was one of the few, and we know what happened to him!) The art, at first intensely practical, had by Augustine's day become a display form admired for its own sake. However, the admiration was there. Every lawyer, arguing a case, was expected to give an eloquent speech, full of classical allusions and standard rhetorical flourishes. And Augustine was at the top of the field. St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli St. Augustine entering Milan, by Gozzoli Milan Augustine met the bishop Ambrose, and was startled to find in him a reasonableness of mind and belief, a keenness of thought, and an integrity of character far in excess of what he had found elsewhere. For the first time, Augustine saw Christianity as a religion fit for a philosopher. Soon after his arrival in Milan, Augustine was plunged into two crises. First, his mother arrived from Africa, and persuaded him that he ought to give up his mistress and get married. He agreed to a betrothal to a suitable young lady; but his betrothed was too young for immediate marriage, and so the actual wedding was postponed for two years. Meanwhile the mistress had been sent back to Africa. Augustine, not ready for two years of sexual abstinence, lapsed back into promiscuity. The second crisis was that Augustine became a neo-Platonist. Plato, as interpreted by his later spokesmen, in particular by Plotinus, taught that only God is fully real, and that all other things are degenerations in varying degrees from the One--things are progressively less good, less spiritual, and less real as one goes rung by rung down the cosmic ladder. By contemplating spiritual realities, directing one's attention first to one's own mind and then moving up the ladder rung by one to the contemplation of God, one acquires true wisdom, true self-fulfilment, true spirituality, and union with God, or the One. Augustine undertook this approach, and believed that he had in fact had an experience of the presence of God, but found that this only made him more aware of the gulf between what he was and what he realized that he ought to be. he continued to hear Bishop Ambrose. And finally, partly because Ambrose had answers for his questions, partly because he admired Ambrose personally, and chiefly (or so he believed) because God touched his heart, he was converted to Christianity in 386 and was baptised by Ambrose at Easter of 387. Northern Italy, 360-397, Bishop of Milan, Ambrose, against Arianism, antiphonal chant, Augistine of H; (born Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 340 -“ 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose[a], was the Bishop of Milan, a theologian, and one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. was serving as the Roman governor of Aemilia-Liguria in Milan when he was unexpectedly made Bishop of Milan in 374 by popular acclamation. As bishop, he took a firm position against Arianism and attempted to mediate the conflict between the emperor Theodosius I and the usurper Magnus Maximus. Tradition credits Ambrose with promoting "antiphonal chant", a style of chanting in which one side of the choir responds alternately to the other, as well as with composing Veni redemptor gentium, an Advent hymn. He also had notable influence on Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. life[edit] was born into a Roman Christian family about 340 and was raised in Gallia Belgica, the capital of which was Augusta Treverorum.[3] His father is sometimes identified with Aurelius Ambrosius,[4][5] a praetorian prefect of Gaul;[6] but some scholars identify his father as an official named Uranius who received an imperial constitution dated 3 February 339 (addressed in a brief extract from one of the three emperors ruling in 339, Constantine II, Constantius II, or Constans, in the Codex Theodosianus, book XI.5).[7][8][9] mother was a woman of intellect and piety[10] and a member of the Roman family Aurelii Symmachi,[11] and thus Ambrose was cousin of the orator Quintus Aurelius Symmachus. He was the youngest of three children, who included Marcellina and Satyrus (who is the subject of Ambrose's De excessu fratris Satyri), also venerated as saints.[12] There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. the year 354 Ambrosius, the father, died, whereupon the family moved to Rome.[13] There he studied literature, law, and rhetoric. He then followed in his father's footsteps and entered public service. Praetorian Prefect Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus first gave him a place in the council and then in about 372 made him governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters at Milan.[6] In 286 Diocletian had moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum (Milan). was the Governor of Aemilia-Liguria in northern Italy until 374, when he became the Bishop of Milan. Ambrose was a very popular political figure, and since he had been the Governor in the effective capital in the Roman West, he was a recognizable figure in the court of Valentinian I. of Milan[edit] the late 4th century there was a deep conflict in the diocese of Milan between the Nicene Church and Arians.[14][15] In 374 the bishop of Milan, Auxentius, an Arian, died, and the Arians challenged the succession. Ambrose went to the church where the election was to take place, to prevent an uproar, which was probable in this crisis. His address was interrupted by a call, "Ambrose, bishop!", which was taken up by the whole assembly.[15] was known to be Nicene Christian in belief, but also acceptable to Arians due to the charity shown in theological matters in this regard. At first he energetically refused the office, for which he was in no way prepared: Ambrose was neither baptized nor formally trained in theology.[6] Upon his appointment, Ambrose fled to a colleague's home seeking to hide. Upon receiving a letter from the Emperor Gratian praising the appropriateness of Rome appointing individuals evidently worthy of holy positions, Ambrose's host gave him up. Within a week, he was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan. bishop, he immediately adopted an ascetic lifestyle, apportioned his money to the poor, donating all of his land, making only provision for his sister Marcellina (who had become a nun). This raised his popularity even further, giving him considerable political leverage over even the emperor. Upon the unexpected appointment of Ambrose to the episcopate, his brother Satyrus resigned a prefecture in order to move to Milan, where he took over managing the diocese's temporal affairs.[3] 383 Gratian was assassinated at Lyon, France, and Paulinus of Nola, who had served as governor of Campania, went to Milan to attend the school of Ambrose.[16] of Saint Ambrose with a scourge in Museo del Duomo, Milan. Unknown Lombard author, early 17 century. studied theology with Simplician, a presbyter of Rome.[10] Using to his advantage his excellent knowledge of Greek, which was then rare in the West, he studied the Old Testament and Greek authors like Philo, Origen, Athanasius, and Basil of Caesarea, with whom he was also exchanging letters.[17] He applied this knowledge as preacher, concentrating especially on exegesis of the Old Testament, and his rhetorical abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who hitherto had thought poorly of Christian preachers. the confrontation with Arians, Ambrose sought to theologically refute their propositions, which were contrary to the Nicene creed and thus to the officially defined orthodoxy. The Arians appealed to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires. Although the western Emperor Gratian supported orthodoxy, the younger Valentinian II, who became his colleague in the Empire, adhered to the Arian creed.[18] Ambrose did not sway the young prince's position. In the East, Emperor Theodosius I likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there were many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions,[10] especially among the higher clergy. this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevailed upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire. This request appeared so equitable that he complied without hesitation. However, Ambrose feared the consequences and prevailed upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops. Accordingly, a synod composed of thirty-two bishops was held at Aquileia in the year 381. Ambrose was elected president and Palladius, being called upon to defend his opinions, declined. A vote was then taken and Palladius and his associate Secundianus were deposed from their episcopal offices.[10] the increasing strength of the Arians proved a formidable task for Ambrose. In 385[18] or 386 the emperor and his mother Justina, along with a considerable number of clergy and laity, especially military, professed Arianism. They demanded two churches in Milan, one in the city (the Basilica of the Apostles), the other in the suburbs (St Victor's), be allocated to the Arians.[18] Ambrose refused and was required to answer for his conduct before the council.[6][page needed] He went, his eloquence in defense of the Church reportedly overawing the ministers of Valentinian, so he was permitted to retire without making the surrender of the churches. The day following, when he was performing divine service in the basilica, the prefect of the city came to persuade him to give up at least the Portian basilica in the suburbs. As he still refused, certain deans or officers of the court were sent to take possession of the Portian basilica, by hanging up in it imperial escutcheons[18] to prepare for the arrival of the emperor and his mother at the ensuing festival of Easter.[19] spite of Imperial opposition, Ambrose declared, "If you demand my person, I am ready to submit: carry me to prison or to death, I will not resist; but I will never betray the church of Christ. I will not call upon the people to succour me; I will die at the foot of the altar rather than desert it. The tumult of the people I will not encourage: but God alone can appease it."[19] 386 Justina and Valentinian received the Arian bishop Auxentius the younger, and Ambrose was again ordered to hand over a church in Milan for Arian usage. Ambrose and his congregation barricaded themselves inside the church, and the imperial order was rescinded.[20 relations[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral by Anthony van Dyck. National Gallery, London. imperial court was displeased with the religious principles of Ambrose, though his aid was soon solicited by the Emperor. When Magnus Maximus usurped the supreme power in Gaul, and was meditating a descent upon Italy, Valentinian sent Ambrose to dissuade him from the undertaking, and the embassy was successful.[19] second later embassy was unsuccessful. The enemy entered Italy and Milan was taken. Justina and her son fled but Ambrose remained at his post and did good service to many of the sufferers by causing the plate of the church to be melted for their relief.[19] I, the emperor of the East, espoused the cause of Justina, and regained the kingdom. Theodosius was excommunicated by Ambrose for the massacre of 7,000 people at Thessalonica in 390,[19] after the murder of the Roman governor there by rioters.[6][page needed] - Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt,[19] and he readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance. This shows the strong position of a bishop in the western part of the empire, even when facing a strong emperor. The controversy of John Chrysostom with a much weaker emperor a few years later in Constantinople led to a crushing defeat of the bishop. 392, after the death of Valentinian II and the fall of Eugenius, Ambrose supplicated the emperor for the pardon of those who had supported Eugenius after Theodosius was eventually victorious.[19] of St. Ambrose Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome towards Jews[edit] his treatise on Abraham, Ambrose warns against intermarriage with pagans, Jews, or heretics.[21] 388, Emperor Theodosius the Great was informed that a crowd of Christians, led by their bishop, had destroyed the synagogue at Callinicum on the Euphrates. He ordered the synagogue rebuilt at the expense of the bishop,[22] but Ambrose persuaded Theodosius to retreat from this position.[23] He wrote to the Emperor, pointing out that he was thereby "exposing the bishop to the danger of either acting against the truth or of death"; in the letter "the reasons given for the imperial rescript are met, especially by the plea that the Jews had burnt many churches".[24] Ambrose, referring to a prior incident where Magnus Maximus issued an edict censuring Christians in Rome for burning down a Jewish synagogue, warned Theodosius that the people in turn exclaimed "the emperor has become a Jew", implying that if Theodosius attempted to apply the law to protect his Jewish subjects he'd be viewed similarly.[25] In the course of the letter Ambrose speaks of the clemency that the emperor had shown with regard to the many houses of wealthy people and churches that had been destroyed by unruly mobs, with many then still not restored and then adds: "There is, then, no adequate cause for such a commotion, that the people should be so severely punished for the burning of a building, and much less since it is the burning of a synagogue, a home of unbelief, a house of impiety, a receptacle of folly, which God Himself has condemned. For thus we read, where the Lord our God speaks by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: 'And I will do to this house, which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh, and I will cast you forth from My sight, as I cast forth your brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim. And do not thou pray for that people, and do not thou ask mercy for them, and do not come near Me on their behalf, for I will not hear thee. Or seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah?'[Jeremiah 7:14] God forbids intercession to be made for those."[24][26] Yet, Ambrose did not oppose punishing those who were directly responsible for destroying the synagogue. his exposition of Psalm 1, Ambrose says: "Virtues without faith are leaves, flourishing in appearance, but unproductive. How many pagans have mercy and sobriety but no fruit, because they do not attain their purpose! The leaves speedily fall at the wind's breath. Some Jews exhibit purity of life and much diligence and love of study, but bear no fruit and live like leaves."[27] towards pagans[edit] article: Anti-paganism influenced by Saint Ambrose his influence, emperors Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I carried on a persecution of paganism;[28][b][30][31] Theodosius issued the 391 "Theodosian decrees," which with increasing intensity outlawed pagan practices.[29][32]The Altar of Victory was removed by Gratian. Ambrose prevailed upon Gratian, Valentinian and Theodosius to reject requests to restore the altar. years and death[edit] silver urn with the body of Ambrose (with white vestments) in the crypt of Sant'Ambrose, with the skeletons of Gervase and Protase. April 393 Arbogast, magister militum of the West and his puppet Emperor Eugenius, marched into Italy to consolidate their position in regard to Theodosius I and his son, Honorius, whom Theodosius had appointed Augustus to govern the western portion of the empire. Arbogast and Eugenius courted Ambrose's support by very obliging letters; but before they arrived at Milan, he had retired to Bologna, where he assisted at the translation of the relics of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. From there he went to Florence, where he remained until Eugenius withdrew from Milan to meet Theodosius in the Battle of the Frigidus in early September 394.[33] after acquiring the undisputed possession of the Roman Empire, Theodosius died at Milan in 395, and two years later (4 April 397) Ambrose also died. He was succeeded as bishop of Milan by Simplician.[19] Ambrose's body may still be viewed in the church of Saint Ambrogio in Milan, where it has been continuously venerated“ along with the bodies identified in his time as being those of Saints Gervase and Protase. Drawing based on a statue of Saint Ambrose circumstances in the history of Ambrose are characteristic of the general spirit of the times. The chief causes of his victory over his opponents were his great popularity and the reverence paid to the episcopal character at that period. He used several indirect means to obtain and support his authority with the people.[19] was his custom to comment severely in his preaching on the public characters of his times; and he introduced popular reforms in the order and manner of public worship. It is alleged, too, that at a time when the influence of Ambrose required vigorous support, he was admonished in a dream to search for, and found under the pavement of the church, the remains of two martyrs, Gervasius and Protasius. The saints, although they would have had to have been hundreds of years old, looked as if they had just died. The applause of the people was mingled with the derision of the court party.[19] joins Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great as one of the Latin Doctors of the Church. Theologians compare him with Hilary, who they claim fell short of Ambrose's administrative excellence but demonstrated greater theological ability. He succeeded as a theologian despite his juridical training and his comparatively late handling of Biblical and doctrinal subjects.[19] intense episcopal consciousness furthered the growing doctrine of the Church and its sacerdotal ministry, while the prevalent asceticism of the day, continuing the Stoic and Ciceronian training of his youth, enabled him to promulgate a lofty standard of Christian ethics. Thus we have the De officiis ministrorum, De viduis, De virginitate and De paenitentia.[19] displayed a kind of liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place. His advice to Augustine of Hippo on this point was to follow local liturgical custom. "When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday; when I am at Milan, I do not. Follow the custom of the church where you are."[34][35] Thus Ambrose refused to be drawn into a false conflict over which particular local church had the "right" liturgical form where there was no substantial problem. His advice has remained in the English language as the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." interpretation of Ambrose's writings is that he was a Christian universalist.[36] It has been noted that Ambrose's theology was significantly influenced by that of Origen and Didymus the Blind, two other early Christian universalists.[36] quotation cited in favor of this belief is: Our Savior has appointed two kinds of resurrection in the Apocalypse. 'Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection,' for such come to grace without the judgment. As for those who do not come to the first, but are reserved unto the second resurrection, these shall be disciplined until their appointed times, between the first and the second resurrection.[37] could interpret this passage as being another example of the mainstream Christian belief in a general resurrection (that both those in heaven and in hell undergo a bodily resurrection), or an allusion to purgatory (that some destined for heaven must first undergo a phase of purification). Several other works by Ambrose clearly teach the mainstream view of salvation. For example: "The Jews feared to believe in manhood taken up into God, and therefore have lost the grace of redemption, because they reject that on which salvation depends."[38] to the poor[edit] was also interested in the condition of contemporary Italian society.[39] Ambrose considered the poor not a distinct group of outsiders, but a part of the united, solidary people. Giving to the poor was not to be considered an act of generosity towards the fringes of society but a repayment of resources that God had originally bestowed on everyone equally and that the rich had usurped.[40] The theological treatises of Ambrose of Milan would come to influence Popes Damasus, Siricius and Leo XIII. Central to Ambrose is the virginity of Mary and her role as Mother of God.[41] virgin birth is worthy of God. Which human birth would have been more worthy of God, than the one in which the Immaculate Son of God maintained the purity of his immaculate origin while becoming human?[42] confess that Christ the Lord was born from a virgin, and therefore we reject the natural order of things. Because she conceived not from a man but from the Holy Spirit.[43] is not divided but one. If we adore him as the Son of God, we do not deny his birth from the virgin. ... But nobody shall extend this to Mary. Mary was the temple of God but not God in the temple. Therefore, only the one who was in the temple can be worshiped.[44] truly blessed for having surpassed the priest (Zechariah). While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.[45] viewed celibacy as superior to marriage and saw Mary as the model of virginity.[46] St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430);

Northern Italy, 400, 5th C Folder, Atilla meeting tPope, Ostrogothic (and Visigothic) King, Theodoric the Great

Northern Italy, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great (Po River 3.5)
Mincio, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461);

Northern Italy, 493-553, Ostrogothic (and Visigothic) King, Theodoric the Great
Northern Italy, 493-553, Ostrogothic (and Visigothic) King, Theodoric the Great; Ostrogothic Kingdom, Kingdom of Italy, Ravenna, 493-553; St. Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17;

Northern Italy, 495-552, Gregory, Archbishop oHomer (Omrits), called tHomer bMiracles, Converted Jews bDebate&Jesus appearing

Northern Italy, 500, 6th C Folder, Lombard Kingdom 568-774

Northern Italy, 568-774, Lombard Kingdom, Capitol Pavia, 571 in Rome to Frankish Invasion 774
Rome, Lombard Kingdom, 568-774, 571 in Rome to Frankish Invasion 774 ;

Northern Italy, 600, 7th C Folder, Boniface oFlorence

Northern Italy, 695, Boniface oFerentino (Florence), non-covetousness love fPoor, gave yrs grain supply, miraculously refilled
Northern Italy, , Boniface oFerentino (Firentium, Florence), non-covetousness love fPoor, example gave yrs grain supply, miraculously filled again, widowed mother upset he gave his clothes; Firentium (Florence); St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ; his very childhood, Saint Boniface was distinguished by his non-covetousness and love for the poor. he saw a destitute man on the street, he took his own clothes and gave them away to those in need, to the chagrin of his widowed mother. he gave away a year’s supply of grain, but the Lord worked a miracle through his prayer, and the family’s granary was filled again. Boniface became bishop of the city of Ferentino (Florence), north of Rome (in Tuscany). in his lofty position as bishop he remained completely non-covetous and merciful towards people, and he directed his flock wisely, exhorting them to attend to even the least among their neighbors.

Northern Italy, 700, 8th C Folder, Charlemagne Siege oPavia, Lombards tLigura Republic oGenoa, Carolingian Empire

Northern Italy, 774, Siege of Pavia (773-“74), Frankish Invasion, Charlemagne, Ended Lombard Kingdom
Rome, 774, Siege of Pavia (773-“74); Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Northern Italy, 774, Lombards flee to Ligura, to eventually form Republic of Genoa, 774-1797
Lombards flee to Ligura, to eventually form Republic of Genoa; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4;

Northern Italy, 768-814, Carolingian, The Empire during the reign of Charlemagne (768-“814)
The Empire during the reign of Charlemagne (768-“814);

Northern Italy, 1200, 13th C Folder, Teutonic Knights 1291-1309

Northern Italy, 1291-1309, Teutonic Knights (Venice, Northern Italy 1291-1309)
Teutonic Knights (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Northern Italy, 1400, 15th C Folder, Council oFlorence, Holy Leagues, Republic oVenice

Northern Italy, 431-449, Council of Florence, Hussites, Ottomans, papal supremacy
Council of Florence (1438); Council of Florence is the seventeenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church, held between 1431 and 1449. It was convoked as the Council of Basel by Pope Martin V shortly before his death in February 1431 and took place in the context of the Hussite wars in Bohemia and the rise of the Ottoman Empire. At stake was the greater conflict between the Conciliar movement and the principle of papal supremacy. Council entered a second phase after Emperor Sigismund's death in 1437. Pope Eugene IV convoked a rival Council of Ferrara on 8 January 1438 and succeeded in drawing some of the Byzantine ambassadors who were in attendance at Basel to Italy. The remaining members of the Council of Basel first suspended him, declared him a heretic, and then in November 1439 elected an antipope, Felix V. The rival Council of Florence (moved to avoid the plague in Ferrara) concluded in 1445 after negotiating unions with the various eastern churches. This bridging of the Great Schism proved fleeting, but was a political coup for the papacy. In 1447, Sigismund's successor Frederick III commanded the city of Basel to expel the Council of Basel; the rump council reconvened in Lausanne before dissolving itself in 1449. St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Northern Italy, 1431-1457, St Mark tArchbishop oEphesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy
Northern Italy, 1431-1457, St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy, against theological compromise& Political expediency, Byzantine Emperor seeking military assistance against Moslems, M's drawing close tConstan, Mark countered wPure Theology, from Holy Fathers, members from his Ephesian delegation tried changing his mind, he countered, there can be no compromis in matters Orthodox faith. but they signed Tomos oUnion, mark only discenter, died 1457 a52; Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated January 19; Mark Eugenikos, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Florence. would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on theological compromise political expediency (the Byzantine Emperor was seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever closer to Constantinople). Mark countered the arguments of his opponents, from the well of pure theology, the teachings of the holy Fathers. the members of his own delegation tried to pressure him into accepting the Union replied, “There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith.” the members of the Orthodox delegation signed the Tomos of Union, Saint Mark was the only one who refused to do so. he returned from Florence, Saint Mark urged the inhabitants of Constantinople to repudiate the dishonorable document of union. died in 1457 at the age of fifty-two, admired and honored by all.

Northern Italy, 1495-1717, Holy Leagues, Republic of Venice, 697-1797
Holy League, 1717, Republic of Venice, 697-1797; Republic of Venice, 697-1797; Venice, Northern Italy; Saint Sophronius, Confessor of Ciorara, Romania, Commemorated on October 21;

Northern Italy, 1500, 16th C Folder, Jesuits begin, 1545-1563 Council oTrent

Northern Italy, 1540, Formal beginning of the Jesuits in Venice
Northern Italy, 1540, Formal beginning of the Jesuits ; Venice; IGNATIUS LOYOLA, MYSTIC, EDUCATOR, PREACHER, AND FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS (31 JULY 1556);

Northern Italy, 1545-1563, Council of Trent
Council of Trent 1545-1563; MARTIN LUTHER EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Northern Italy, 1800, 19th C Folder, JOHN BOSCO, Salesians oDon Bosco, Becchi his castle

Northern Italy, 1835-1888, JOHN or Don BOSCO, Turin, work wDisadvantaged youth, educator, writer, prophet, historian, miracles
Northern Italy, 1835-1888, JOHN BOSCO or Don BOSCO, Turin, Salesian Society, work w disadvantaged youth, priest, educator, writer, historian, teaching methods from Christianity based on love not punishment, always under Francis de Sales, so Bosco's followers called themselves Salisians, established network of centers to carry on his work after death, Turin's industrialization urbanization ill effects, street children juvenile delinquents, Devotee Virgin Mary, Mary help of Christians, then Salesians of Don Bosco in Turin, Institute Daughters oMary Help oChristians, Salisian sisters oDon Bosco, pioneer mutual aid society, 1869 ADMA Association of Mary Help oChriatians, commitments easily fulfilled bMost people, 1875 movement oLaity, Salesian Cooperators, same educational mission tPoor, and more including dreams, and prophetic miracles.; Turin (Po River 1); JOHN BOSCO, Commemorated January 31 ; Bosco (16 August 1815 — 31 January 1888), born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, also called Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest and educator, put into practice the dogma of his religion, employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment. placed his works under the protection of Francis de Sales, thus his followers styled themselves the Salesian Society. Bosco succeeded in establishing a network of centers to carry on his work. recognition of his work with disadvantaged youth, he was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. Melchior Bosco, SDB (Italian: Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; Piedmontese: Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 1815[4] – 31 January 1888),[5] popularly known as Don Bosco (IPA: [ˈdɔm ˈbɔsko, bo-]),[6] an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century. working in Turin, the population suffered many of the ill effects of industrialization and urbanization, dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.[7] follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Francis de Sales, was an ardent devotee of the Virgin Mary under the title Mary Help of Christians. later dedicated his works to de Sales when he founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.[8] with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls. taught Dominic Savio, of whom he wrote a biography that helped the young boy be canonized. is one of the pioneers of mutual aid societies that were initiated as collaborative financial support to young migrant Catholic workers in the city of Turin. 1850, he drew up regulations to assist apprentices and their companions when any of them was involuntarily without work or fell ill.[9] 18 April 1869, one year after the construction of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, Bosco established the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) it with commitments easily fulfilled by most common people, to the spirituality and the mission of the Salesian Congregation (CG 24 SDB, 1996, NR. 80). ADMA was founded to promote the veneration of the Most Holy Sacrament and Mary Help of Christians (Don Bosco, Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, San Benigno Canavese, 1890, page 33).[10] 1875, Bosco began to publish the Salesian Bulletin.[11] The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.[12] 1876, he founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor.[13] established a network of organizations and centres to carry on his work. sainthood cause was opened after his death, and following his beatification in 1929, he was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. Bosco was born on the evening of 16 August 1815 in the hillside hamlet of Becchi, Italy. is located in a region that was called Castelnuovo d'Asti, which was later renamed Castelnuovo Don Bosco in honour of the saint.[14] was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1784–1817) and Margherita Occhiena (1788–1856). had two older brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862).[15] Boscos of Becchi were farmhands of the Moglian Family. was born in a time of great shortage and famine in the Piedmontese countryside, the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic Wars and drought in 1817.[16] Bosco was little more than two years old, his father died, which left the support of three boys to his mother.[3] played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality,[17] and was an early supporter of her son's ideals.[18] 1825, when he was nine, Bosco had the first of a series of dreams that would play an influential role in his outlook and work. first dream "left a profound impression on him for the rest of his life" according to his memoirs.[19] apparently saw a multitude of very poor boys playing and blaspheming, a man, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing",[19] said to him, "You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. begin right now to show them that sin is ugly and virtue beautiful."[19] when he was ten years old started watching his classmates' attitudes, in every fight was the referee. older boys were scared of him because he knew their strengths and their weaknesses.[20] travelling entertainers performed at a local feast in the nearby hills, he watched and studied the jugglers' tricks and the acrobats' secrets. would then put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician, and acrobat,[21] with prayers before and after the performance.[22] money that he needed to prepare the shows was taken from selling the birds that he hunted and given to him by his mother.[23] prevented any serious attempt at schooling. early years were spent as a shepherd,[3] he received his first instruction from Don Calosso "was impressed by John’s memory and understanding of the sermons he had heard at a parish mission in a nearby Church."[24] childhood experiences are thought to have inspired him to become a priest. a priest was then more commonly a profession for the privileged classes than for farmers.[25] biographers portray his older brother, Antonio, as the main obstacle for Bosco's ambition to study, as Antonio protested that John was just "a farmer like us!"[26] a cold morning in February 1827, John left his home and went to look for work as a farm servant. 12, he found life at home unbearable because of the continuous quarrels with Antonio. to face life by himself at such a young age may have developed his later sympathies to help abandoned boys. begging unsuccessfully for work, he ended up at the wine farm of Louis Moglia.[25] he could pursue some studies by himself, he was not able to attend school for two more years. 1830, he met Joseph Cafasso, a young priest who identified some natural talent and supported his first schooling.[27] mother, Margherita, managed to earn enough money to finance his education. 1835, Bosco entered the seminary at Chieri, next to the Church of the Immacolata Concezione.[28] 1841, after six years of study, he was ordained a priest on the eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni of Turin. was twenty-six years old.[3] and first apostolates[edit] Don Bosco in the 1880s ordination, Bosco went to Turin, where Cafasso headed the Institute of Saint Francis of Assisi, which provided higher education for the diocesan priests. then had a population of 117,000 inhabitants. The city reflected the effects of industrialization and urbanization. Numerous poor families lived in the slums of the city and had come from the countryside in search of a better life. his studies, Bosco accompanied Cafasso in visiting the prisons and became concerned regarding the recidivism of young offenders. began to work with orphaned and abandoned boys, teaching them catechism and helping them find work.[29] completion of his studies, Cafasso secured for Bosco appointment as almoner of the Rifugio (Refuge), girls' boarding school founded in Turin by the Marchioness Giulia di Barolo, that he could remain in Turin.[30] other ministries included visiting prisoners, teaching catechism, and helping out at many country parishes. of population growth and migration to the city, Bosco found the traditional methods of parish ministry to be inefficient. decided that it was necessary to try another form of apostolate, he began to meet the boys where they worked and gathered in shops and marketplaces. were pavers, stonecutters, masons, and plasterers who had come from far away, as he recalled in his brief Memoires. Oratorio was not simply a charitable institution, and its activities were not limited to Sundays. Don Bosco, it became his permanent occupation. looked for jobs for the unemployed. of the boys did not have sleeping quarters and slept under bridges or in bleak public dormitories. he tried to provide lodgings in his house. first time, they stole the blankets; second, time, they emptied the hayloft. did not give up, and in May 1847, he gave shelter to a young boy from Valencia in one of the three rooms he was renting in the slums of Valdocco, where he was living with his mother. and his mother began taking in orphans. boys sheltered by Don Bosco numbered 36 in 1852, 115 in 1854, 470 in 1860, and 600 in 1861, reaching a maximum of 800 sometime later.[31] and his oratory moved around town for several years; he was turned out of several places in succession. only two months based in the church of St. Martin, the entire neighbourhood expressed its annoyance with the noise coming from the boys at play. formal complaint was lodged against them with the municipality. Rumours also circulated that the meetings conducted by the priest with his boys were dangerous; their recreation could be turned into a revolution against the government. The group was evicted.[32] with apprentices[edit] the archives of the Salesian Congregation is a contract of apprenticeship, dated November 1851; another one on stamped paper costing 40 cents, dated 8 February 1852; and others have later dates. are among the first contracts of apprenticeship to be found in Turin. of them are signed by the employer, the apprentice, and Don Bosco. those contracts, Don Bosco touched on many sensitive issues. employers customarily made servants and scullery boys of the apprentices. Bosco obliged them to agree to employ the boys only in their acknowledged trade. used to beat the boys, and Don Bosco required them to agree that corrections be made only verbally. cared for their health and demanded that they be given rest on feast days and an annual holiday. all the efforts and contracts, the situation of the apprentices of the time remained difficult.[31] influential friend was the Piedmontese justice minister Urbano Rattazzi. was anticlerical in his politics saw some value in Bosco's work.[33][34] Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardinian legislature to suppress religious orders, advised Bosco on how to get around the law. found a religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder's death.[33] had been thinking about that problem too and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose Congregation of St. Francis de Sales. was also training select older boys for the priesthood. supporter of the idea of establishing a religious order to carry out Bosco's vision was the reigning pope, Pope Pius IX.[35] Photograph of Bosco, c. 1887 disliked the ideals that had been exported by Revolutionary France, part of the process of dechristianization of France during the French Revolution, called Rousseau and Voltaire "two vicious leaders of incredulity".[36] favoured an ultramontane view of politics that acknowledged the supreme authority of the pope. 1854, when the Sardinia-Piedmont was about to pass a law suppressing monastic orders and confiscating ecclesiastical properties, reported a series of dreams about "great funerals at court" that referred to politicians or members of the Savoy court.[37] November 1854, Bosco sent a letter to King Victor Emmanuel II and admonished him to oppose the confiscation of church property and suppression of the orders; King failed to respond.[38] actions, which had been described by the Italian historian Roberto Petoia as having "manifest blackmailing intentions",[39] only after the intervention of the then prime minister, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour. king's family suffered several deaths in a short period. January to May 1855, the king's mother Maria Theresa of Austria (aged 54), his wife Adelaide of Austria (aged 32), their newborn son Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Genoa (nearly four months old), and his only brother, Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (aged 32), all died.[37][38] to Bosco and his work came from various quarters. clergy accused him of stealing the young and old people away from their own parishes. politicians, including some clergy, saw his several hundred young men as a recruiting ground for revolution. Marquis de Cavour, the chief of police in Turin, regarded the open-air catechisms as overtly political and a threat to the state and was highly suspicious of Bosco's support for the powers of the papacy. was interrogated on several occasions; no charges were made. Closure may have been prevented by orders from the king that Bosco was not to be disturbed.[40] attempts were also made on Bosco's life, including a near-stabbing, bludgeoning, and a shooting. biographers put that down to the growing influence of the Waldensians in opposition to Catholic clergy.[41] Foundation of Salesians of Don Bosco[edit] Basilica Don Bosco in Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Asti St. John Bosco Parish Church, Makati, Philippines Statue of Saint John Bosco, Ronda, Spain Statue of Saint John Bosco, Makati, Philippines Statue of Saint John Bosco at the Diocesan Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Canlubang, Laguna, Philippines of the boys helped by Don Bosco decided to do what he was doing: working in the service of abandoned boys. was the origin of the Salesian Congregation. Among the first members were Michael Rua,[42] John Cagliero (who later became a Cardinal), and John Baptist Francesca. 1857 Bosco drew up a set of rules for his helpers. This rule was approved definitively in 1873 by Pope Pius IX as the Rule of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales. 1859, Bosco selected the experienced priest Vittorio Alasonatti, 15 seminarians, and one high school boy and formed them into the Society of St. Francis de Sales. was the nucleus of the Salesians, the religious order that would carry on his work. the group had its next meeting, it voted on the admission of Joseph Rossi as a lay member, the first Salesian brother. Salesian Congregation was divided into priests, seminarians, and coadjutors (the lay brothers). then worked with Mary Mazzarello and a group of girls in the hill town of Mornese. 1871, he founded a group of religious sisters to do for girls what the Salesians were doing for boys.[43] were called the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. 1874, he founded yet another group, the Salesian Cooperators, who were mostly lay people who would work for young people like the Daughters and the Salesians would not join a religious order.[44] first Salesians departed for Argentina in 1875. his ordination, Bosco himself would have become a missionary if his director, Joseph Cafasso, had not opposed the idea. nevertheless eagerly read the Italian edition of the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and used this magazine to illustrate his Cattolico Provveduto (1853) and his Month of May booklets (1858). Bosco founded the Salesian Society, the thought of the missions still obsessed him but completely lacked the financial means. three years he collected information about different countries. A request from Argentina turned him towards the Indians of Patagonia, a study of its people convinced him that the country and its inhabitants were the ones that he had seen in his dream. late 1874, Bosco received letters from the Argentine consul at Savona requesting that he accept an Italian parish in Buenos Aires and a school for boys at San Nicolas de Los Arroyos. [citation needed] regarded it as a sign of Providence and started to prepare a mission. a way of evangelization that would not expose his missionaries to wild, uncivilized tribes, proposed setting up bases in safe locations at which missionary efforts were to be launched. started after Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos Aires had indicated that he would be glad to receive the Salesians. a ceremony held on 29 January 1875, Bosco was able to convey the great news to the oratory. 5 February, he announced the fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking volunteers to apply in writing. proposed for the first missionary departure to start in October. There were many volunteers.[citation needed] Preventive System and other works[edit] section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Main article: Salesian Preventive System the years that Bosco had spent running his oratory and giving spiritual and practical instruction to the boys he had housed there, relied on a different approach to education and general instruction, he believed to be superior to traditional educational methods, such as school discipline, which he labelled as a repressive system of education. 12 March 1877, Bosco gave an opening address on the systems of education during the day for the opening of the St. Peter's Youth Center in the new quarters of the Patronage de Saint Pierre in Nice in which he first mentioned the term "Preventive System".[45] his return to Turin, Bosco wrote down the address as a polished essay under the title The Preventive System in the Education of the Youth, which was published in 1877 and in which he included in the initial draft of the Rule for the Salesian Order.[46] espoused the values of reason, religion, and loving kindness with a goal of producing "good Christians and honest citizens".[12] was the only attempt that Bosco made at a systematic exposition of his educational system. the idea itself was not innovative by any means, Bosco having drawn the inspiration for his system through the contemporary criticisms of the punitive and outdated educational systems prevalent in Europe during his time, he was one of the first to combat it and to put his criticisms into practice.[47] Bosco's written works were little known outside of his own order and the subscribers of his Salesian Bulletin, which he founded in August 1877, wrote frequently and voluminously. Don Bosco was described as more of a man of action than a scholar,[48] he was an exceptional historian. penned the 1881 A Compendium of Italian History from the Fall of the Roman Empire, was translated and continued to the present by John Daniel Morell was noted by scholars for its cultural importance on the knowledge base of ancient to modern civilization.[49] was also a skilled biographer. two most well-known biographies were on his mentor, Joseph Cafasso,[50] one of his students, Dominic Savio, which would later be instrumental in his canonization.[51] are Bosco's works in roughly chronological order. Essays published in the volumes of Catholic Readings (Letture Cattoliche), 1853–1884[52] 1853 ”Announcements for Catholics” “The Instructed Catholic” “Historical Notes on the Miracle of the Blessed Sacrament at Turin” “Fact of Our Times” “A Dispute Between a Lawyer and a Protestant Minister” “Notes on the Life of the Youth Luigi Comollo” “The Conversion of a Waldensian” “A Collection of Strange Contemporary Happenings” “The Six Sundays in Honour of St. Aloysius Gonzaga” “The Jubilee” 1855 “An Easy Method of Learning Sacred History” “Talks on Confession” “Life of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours” “The Value of a Good Upbringing” 1856 “Life of St. Pancras” 1857 “Life of St. Peter” “Two Conferences on Purgatory” “Life of St. Paul” “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Linus, Cletus, and Clement” “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Anacletus, Evaristus, and Alexander I” “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Sixtus, Telesphorus, and Hyginus” 1858 “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Anicetus, Soter, Eleutherus, Victor, and Zephirinus” “The Month of May, Consecrated to Mary Immaculate” “The Christian’s ‘Porta Tecum’” “Life of the Sovereign Pontiff Callistus I” 1859 “Life of the Youth Dominic Savio” “Life of the Sovereign Pontiff Urban I” “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Pontian, Anteros, and Fabian” “The Persecution of Decius and the Pontificate of St. Cornelius I” 1860 “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs St. Lucian I and St. Stephen I” “The Pontificate of St. Sixtus II and the Glories of St. Laurence” “Biography of Fr. Joseph Cafasso” 1861 “A Family of Martyrs” “Biographical Note on Michael Magone” “The Pontificate of St. Dionysius” “Biography of Silvio Pellico” 1862 “The Pontificates of St. Felix I and St. Eutychian” “The New Charm of an Old Soldier of Napoleon” 1863 “Historical Notes on BI. Catherine De-Mattei” “The Pontificate of St. Caius” 1864 “The Pontificates of SS. Marcellinus and Marcellus” “Episodes Pleasant and Contemporary” “The Little Shepherd of the alps” 1865 “The House of Fortune” “Dialogues on the Jubilee” “The Peace of the Church” “Life of Bl. Mary of the Angels, C.S.” 1866 “Valentine or the Opposed Vocation” 1867 “The Centenary of St. Peter the apostle” “Life of St. Joseph” “News and Stories” 1868 “Severino, or the adventures of a Young alpinist” “Marvels of the Mother of God” “Life of St. John the Baptist” “Remembrance of a Solemnity” 1869 “The Catholic Church and Its Hierarchy” “Association of the Devotees of Mary, Help of Christians” “The General Councils and the Catholic Church” “Angelina, or the Little Orphan Girl of the Apennines” 1870 “Nine Days Consecrated to the august Mother of Our Saviour” “Church History” 1871 “The Apparition of the Blessed Virgin at La Salette” “Pleasing Facts From the Life of Pius IX” 1872 “The Centenary of St. Eusebius the Great” 1874 “Massimino, or the Encounter of a Boy with a Protestant” 1875 “The Jubilee of 1875” “Mary, Help of Christians” 1877 “The Little Cloud of Carmel” 1878 “The Loveliest Flower of the Apostolic College” 1883 “The Catholic in the World 1884 “New Stories of Luigi Comolli” Series started by Don Bosco The friend of youth, a politico-religious paper (1849) 1851 Synoptic tablet (on the Catholic Church) Flying leaflets "Il Galantuomo". A national almanac began (1854) Salesian Bulletin (since 1877) Critical works Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco (critical edition published in 1977, originally published as a dream journal in 1855) The Preventive System in the Education of the Youth (1877) A Compendium of Italian History from the Fall of the Roman Empire (1881) works Memoirs of the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales (written between 1815 and 1855, published posthumously in 1989) The spiritual writings of Saint John Bosco (1984) Dreams, Visions, and Prophecies of Don Bosco (1999) The Unpublished Don Bosco (compiled by Mario Balbi and published in 2005) and canonization[edit] Bosco died on 31 January 1888. His funeral was attended by thousands. Archdiocese of Turin investigated, and witnesses were called to determine if Bosco was worthy to be declared a saint. Salesians, Daughters, and Cooperators gave supportive testimonies. Pope Pius XI had known Bosco and pushed the cause forward. XI beatified Bosco on 2 June 1929 and canonised him on Easter Sunday (1 April) 1934, he was given the title of "Father and Teacher of Youth". Pius XII proclaimed him patron saint of Catholic publishers in 1949. repertoire of writings and publications consists of over 220 titles collected in 38 volumes.[53] were printed at his own peerless paper-to-print workshop, where boys learned the art of printing and publishing in view of future employment.[54] had been popularly known as the patron saint of illusionists. 30 January 2002, Silvio Mantelli petitioned Pope John Paul II to declare Bosco formally to the patron of stage magicians.[55] stage magicians who practice gospel magic venerate Bosco by offering free magic shows to underprivileged children on his feast day.[55] work was carried on by an early pupil, collaborator, and companion, Michael Rua, who was appointed rector major of the Salesian Society by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. He is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 31 January.[2] popular culture[edit] is the patron saint of Brasília, which he supposedly foresaw in a dream concerning an extraordinary new civilization that would flourish in central Brazil. educational institutions are named after him, in countries as diverse as Australia, India, the Philippines, Pakistan, and the United States. institutions in Engadine, New South Wales, were also named for Bosco, including St John Bosco Parish, St John Bosco Primary School, and St John Bosco College. was the subject of the 1935 biopic Don Bosco, directed by Goffredo Alessandrini, and was played by the actor Gian Paolo Rosmino. was also the subject of two Italian movies: Don Bosco (1988) and Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love (2004). borough in Quilmes, Argentina, is named after him. Italian church, San Giovanni Bosco, is named after him in Montreal, Canada, in the Ville-Émard area.

Northern Italy, 1857, Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin
Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin, 1857; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

Northern Italy, 1888, Becchi, the Castle of Don Bosco
V; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31 ;

Northern Italy, 1900, 20th C Folder, 1922 Conference oGenoa

Northern Italy, 1922, Conference of Genoa
Genoa Conference (1922) ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16

Northern Italy, Po River Folder

Po River Source (Monte Viso)

Cottian Alps
Cottian Alps;

Cimelum, Northern Italy (near Po River Source)
Cimelum Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commorated August 4 ; Hieromartyr Fabian the Pope of Rome Martyr Pontious at Cimella in France, Commemorated August 5 ;

Po River 1 (Turin)

Turin (Po River 1)
Turin (Po River 1); JOHN BOSCO, Commemorated January 31 ;

Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin, 1857
Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin, 1857; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

Becchi and Castelnuovo Don Bosco, near Turin, Northern Italy
Becci and Castelnuovo Don Bosco; John Bosco; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy Folder ( Kingdom of Sardinia, Northern Italy)

Savoy (France, then Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France)
Savoy (of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France, Leysse and Albane Rivers); JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31 ;

Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa)
Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa); Savoy (of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France, Leysse and Albane Rivers); Hieromartyr Fabian, Pope of Rome, and Martyr Pontious, Commemorated on August 5;

Savoy Area

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy, Dora Riparia River Folder

Dora Riparia River, Savoy

Dora Riparia River, Savoy Second Source (Mount Cenis Pass and Lake)

Dora Riparia River, Savoy Source (Col de Montgenevre, Pass, Savoy)
Dora Riparia River, Savoy Source (Col de Montgenevre, Pass, Savoy);

Dora Riparia River, Savoy Mouth (Po River Source)
Dora Riparia River, Savoy;

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy, Arc River, Savoy Folder

Arc River, Savoy

Arc River, Savoy Source (Graian Alps)
Arc River, Savoy Source (Graian Alps);

Arc River 1 (Bonneval-sur-Arc, Savoy)
Bonneval-sur-Arc, Savoy;

Arc River 2 (Bessans, Savoy)
Bessans, Savoy

Arc River 3 (Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis, Savoy)
Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis, Savoy;

Arc River 4 (Sollieres-Sardieres, Savoy)
Sollieres-Sardieres, Savoy;

Arc River 5.1 (Villarodin-Bourget, Savoy)
Villarodin-Bourget, Savoy;

Arc River 5.2 (Modane, Savoy)
Modane, Savoy;

Arc River 5.3 (Fourneaux, Savoy)
Fourneaux, Savoy;

Arc River 6.1 (Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Savoy)
Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Savoy ;

Arc River 6.2 (Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis, Savoy)
Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis, Savoy;

Arc River 7.1 (La Chambre, Savoy)
La Chambre, Savoy;

Arc River 7.2 (Epierre, Savoy)
Epierre, Savoy;

Arc River Mouth (Isere 5.5, Aiton, Savoy)
Arc River Savoy Mouth;

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy, Leysse River Folder

Leysse River, Savoy

Leysse River Source (Montmélian, Savoy)

Leysse River 1, Savoy (Chambery, Savoy)
Chambery, Savoy;

Leysse River 2, Savoy (Lake Bourget)
Leysse River, Savoy;

Leysse River 3, Savoy (Canal de Savieres, Savoy)
Canal de Savieres, Savoy;

Leysse River, Savoy Mouth (Chanaz, Savoy, Rhone River 3)
Chanaz, Savoy;

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy, Isere River Foler

Isere River, Savoy

Isere River, Savoy Source (Grande Aiguille Rousse)
Grande Aiguille Rousse;

Isere River 1 (Val-d'Isere, Savoy)
Val-d'Isere, Savoy

Isere River 2 (Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoy)
Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoy;

Isere River 3 (Aime, Savoy)
Isere, River, Savoy (Aime, Savoy)

Isere River 4 (Moutiers, Savoy)
Moutiers, Savoy;

Isere River 5 (Albertville, Savoy)
Albertville, Savoy;

Isere River 5 (Chaise River Mouth)
Isere River, Savoy (Chaise River);

Isere 5.5 (Arc River Mouth, Aiton, Savoy)
Arc River Savoy Mouth;

Annecy Lake, Savoy

Isere River 6 (Montmelian, Savoy)
Montmelian, Savoy;

Isere River 7 (Pontcharra, Savoy)
Pontcharra, Savoy;

Isere River 8 (Grenoble, Savoy)
Grenoble, Savoy;

Isere River 8.2 (Drac River Mouth)
Drac River;

Isere River 9 (Voreppe, Savoy)
Voreppe, Savoy;

Isere River 10 (Morge River Mouth)
Morge River;

Isere River 11 (Romans-sur-Isere, Savoy)
Romans-sur-Isere, Savoy;

Isere River Savoy Mouth (Rhone River 6)
Isere River Savoy Mouth;

Northern Italy, Po River Source, Savoy, Drome River Folder

Drome River, Savoy

Drome River Source (French Prealps)
French Prealps;

Drome River, Savoy (Valdrome, Savoy)
Valdrome, Savoy;

Drome River, Savoy (Luc-en-Diois, Savoy)
Luc-en-Diois, Savoy;

Drome River, Savoy (Crest, Savoy)
Crest, Savoy;

Drome River, Savoy Mouth (Rhone River 6.5)

Po River 2 (Lambro River)

Northern Italy, Po River 2, Ticino River Folder

Ticino River

Ticino River Source (Nufenen Pass in Switzerland)

Ticino River Source (Bedretto)
Ticino River Source (Bedretto);

Ticino River 1 (Lake Maggiore)

Ticino River 2 (Novora)

Novara (Ticino River 2 in Lombardy)
Novara; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21;

Ticino River Mouth (Po River 2)

Northern Italy, Po River 2, Lambro River Folder (Lombardy, Milan)

Lambro River

Lake Como

Lambro River Source (near Lake Como)

Lambro River 1

Lambro River 2

Lambro River 3

Lambro River 4 (Monza)

Lambro River 4 (Milan)

Monza, Northern Italy (Monza River Mouth, Lambro River 4)
Monza; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated on May 27;

Lambro River 5 (Milan)

Milan, Northern Italy (Lambro River 5)
Milan; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Milan City Walls, its Area

Milan cathedral, 1386
Milan cathedral; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ;

Lombardy Region, Northern Italy (capitol is Milan, Lambro River)
Lombardy; Lombards in Sicily; Lombards; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; JOHN XXIII (Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli), BISHOP OF ROME, 1963, Commemorated June 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21;

Lambro River Mouth (Po River 2)

Aemilia - Placentia, Northern Italy (Po River 2, across river from Lambro River Mouth)
Aemilia; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ;

Aemilia, Roman Province, its Area

Po River 3 (Adda River)

Northern Italy, Po River 3, Adda River Folder

Adda River

Grison Alps

Umbrail Pass
Umbrail Pass;

Foscagno Pass
Foscagno Pass;

Gavia Pass
Gavia Pass;

Stelvio Pass

Adda River Source (Stelvio Pass)

Adda River 1 (Bormio)

Adda River 2 (Tirano)

Adda River 3 (Sondrio)

Adda River 4 (thru Lake Como)

Northern Italy, Po River 3, Adda River 4, Mera River Folder

Mera River from Source 2

Mera River

Mera River Source (Piz Duan Mt, Oberhalbstein Alps, Switzerland )

Val Bregaglia Valley (Mera River 1)
Val Bregaglia Valley;

Mera River Mouth (Lake Como, Ada River 4)
Mera River;

Adda River 5

Adda River 6

Adda River 7 (Lodi, Lombardy)

Lodi, Lombardy (Adda River 7)
Lodi, Lombardy; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10;

Adda River 8

Adda River Mouth (Po River 3)

Cremona, Northern Italy and Gaul (Adda River at Po River 3)
Cremona, Northern Italy and Gaul (Adda River at Po River 3); St. Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated on July 13 ;

Mincio, Northern Italy, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great (Po River 3.5)
Mincio, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461);

Po River 4 (Ferrara)

Ferrara (Po River 4)
Ferrara (Po River 4); Nicholas Copernicus of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Po River Mouth (Adriatic Sea near Venice)

Northern Italy, Adige River Folder (Adriatic Sea, Venice)

Adige (Atesis) River

Adige River Source (Reschen Pass)
Reschen Pass

Adig River 2nd Source, from Brenner Pass, Tyrol

Adige River from third source, Aurino Stream

Adige River Third Source, Tauern Pass

Adige River Second Source (Val Gardena, Italy)

County of Tyrol (now in Austria and Northern Italy)
County of Tyrol; The heart of the alpine region called the Alps. The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land (Kronland) of Austria-Hungary. Today its territory is divided between the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Sirol, a small part of the Italian region of Veneto (Cortina d'Ampezzo and other villages) and the Austrian state of Tyrol. Both regions are today associated again in the Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino.

Adige River 1 (Glurns)

Adige River 2 (Merano)

Adige River 4 (Auer, South Tyrol)

Adige River 5 (Trento)

Trent, Northern Italy, Council of Trent (1545-1563) (Adige River 5)
Council of Trent 1545-1563; MARTIN LUTHER EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Northern Italy
Council of Trent 1545-1563; MARTIN LUTHER EDUCATOR, TRANSLATOR (18 FEB 1546);

Adige River 6 (Rovereto)

Breschia, Northern Italy (Adige River 6.5)
Breschia; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated July 16 ;

Adige (Atesis) River 7 (Verona)

Verona, Northern Italy (Adige River 7)
Verona; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12 ;

Adige River 8

Adige River 9

Adriaca, Northern Italy (Adige River 9.5)
Adriaca; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Epaphroditus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Adige River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Northern Italy, Adige River Mouth, Amber Road Folder

Teutonic Knights (Venice, Northern Italy, Amber Rd, 1291-1309) sometimes called Germans
Teutonic Knights (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16;

Padua, Northern Italy (near Venice, Adige River Mouth, Adriatic Sea)
Padua, Northern Italy; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18 ;

Northern Italy, Adige River Mouth, Amber Road 2, Northeast Rivers Folder, Aquilea

Torre River

Torre River 1

Torre River 2

Torre River 3

Torre River 5 (Overview)

Natiso River

Natiso River 1

Natiso River 2

Natiso River 3

Natiso (Torre) River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Aquileia, Northern Italy (Roman Road, Amber Rd 2, near Natiso River Mouth)
Aquileia; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ;

Bibione River

Pordenone River

Aviano River

Aviano, Northern Italy (north of Venice)
Aviano, Northern Italy, 39th Squadron from Pope AFB flew from here during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 ; Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974;

Cortina River

Cortina Ski World Cup

Val Gardena River

Val Gardena Ski World Cup
Val Gardena Ski World Cup;

Northern Italy, Tuscany Folder

Tuscany, Northern Italy
Tuscany; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August , Commemorated on August 16 ; St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Northern Italy, Tuscany, Genoa Folder, Genoa and Canossa

Genoa, Tuscany, Northwest Italy
Genoa; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23;

Genoa Conference (1922), Genoa, Tuscany, Northern Italy
Genoa Conference (1922) ; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16

Mornese (hill town), Northern Italy
Mornese; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31 ;

Tinos Island (Ligurian Sea)
Icon of the Mother of God "Tinos";

Liguria Region - northwest coast, Genoa, near Tuscany
Liguria Region; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7;

Liguria Region, its Area

Canossa, Northern Italy (confrontation at Canossa, 1077)
confrontation at Canossa ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Canossa, Tuscany, Walk to Canossa in 1077 Folder

Northern Italy, Tuscany, Arno River Folder, Florence and Pisa

Arno River

Arno River Source (high point near Florence)

Arno River 1 (Florence, Tuscany)

Florence, Tuscany (High Point, Arno River 1)
Florence; Medici Family; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Firentium (Florence)
Firentium (Florence); St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Ferentino (Firentium, Florence)
Firentium (Florence); St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Siena (a Tuscan hill town, irrigation)
Siena; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380);

Arno River Mouth (Ligurian Sea at Pisa)
Arno River

Pisa, Tuscany, Italy (Arno River Mouth)
Pisa;

Northern Italy, Reno River area Folder (Bologna, Ravenna, Adriatic Sea)

Aemilia Region
Aemilia; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7;

Reno River

Reno River Source (along the border Near Pistoria)

Reno River 1 (Bologna)

Bologna, Italy (Apennine Mountains, Reno River Valley)
Bologna, Italy; DOMINIC, PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253);

Reno River Mouth (Adriatic Sea)

Ravenna, Northern Italy (Candiano Canal, Reno River Mouth)
Ravenna; Hieromartyr Apollinarius the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10;

Candiano Canal (Ravenna to Adriatic Sea) 1738
Candiano Canal (Ravenna to Adriatic Sea);

Ostrogothic Kingdom, Kingdom of Italy, Ravenna, 493-553
Ostrogothic Kingdom, Kingdom of Italy, Ravenna, 493-553; St. Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17;

Northern Italy, Via Aurelia Folder - Pisa to Rome

Northern Italy (Clean) Folder (the Po River, its tributaries, Adriatic neighbors and Arno River Tuscany)

Northern (Clean) Italy, its Area
Northern Italy, its Area

Northern Italy
Northern Italy (the Po River, its tributaries, and Adriatic neighbors);

Northern Italy (Clean), Po River Folder

Turin (Po River 1)
Turin (Po River 1);

Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin, 1857
Salesians of Don Bosco, Turin, 1857;

Becchi and Castelnuovo Don Bosco, near Turin, Northern Italy
Becci and Castelnuovo Don Bosco; John Bosco;

Savoy (France, then Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France)
Savoy (of the Kingdom of Sardinia from 1815-1860, then France, Leysse and Albane Rivers);

Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa)
Cimelum City maybe Savoy (on the pass between Gaul and Northern Italy, Henry's Road to Canossa);

Novara (Ticino River 2 in Lombardy)
Novara;

Monza, Northern Italy (Monza River Mouth, Lambro River 4)
Monza;

Milan, Northern Italy (Lambro River 5)
Milan;

Milan cathedral, 1386
Milan cathedral;

Lombardy Region, Northern Italy (capitol is Milan, Lambro River)
Lombardy;

Aemilia - Placentia, Northern Italy (Po River 2, across river from Lambro River Mouth)
Aemilia;

Lodi, Lombardy (Adda River 7)
Lodi, Lombardy;

Cremona, Northern Italy and Gaul (Adda River at Po River 3)
Cremona, Northern Italy and Gaul (Adda River at Po River 3);

Mincio, Northern Italy, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great (Po River 3.5)
Mincio, 452, Meeting with Atilla The Hun and Pope Leo the Great;

Ferrara (Po River 4)
Ferrara (Po River 4);

Northern Italy (Clean), Adige River Folder (Adriatic Sea, Venice)

Trent, Northern Italy, Council of Trent (1545-1563) (Adige River 5)
Council of Trent 1545-1563;

Council of Trent, 1545-1563, Northern Italy
Council of Trent 1545-1563;

Breschia, Northern Italy (Adige River 6.5)
Breschia;

Verona, Northern Italy (Adige River 7)
Verona;

Adriaca, Northern Italy (Adige River 9.5)
Adriaca;

Northern Italy (Clean), Tuscany Folder

Tuscany, Northern Italy
Tuscany;

Genoa, Tuscany, Northwest Italy
Genoa;

Mornese (hill town), Northern Italy
Mornese;

Liguria Region - northwest coast, Genoa, near Tuscany
Liguria Region;

Canossa, Northern Italy (confrontation at Canossa, 1077)
confrontation at Canossa ;

Walk to Canossa - from Speyer
Walk to Canossa; from Speyer ; to confrontation at Canossa ;

Walk to Canossa - to Canossa
Walk to Canossa; from Speyer ; to confrontation at Canossa ;

Florence, Tuscany (High Point, Arno River 1)
Florence; Medici Family;

Firentium (Florence)
Firentium (Florence);

Ferentino (Firentium, Florence)
Firentium (Florence);

Siena (a Tuscan hill town, irrigation)
Siena;

Via Aurelia 3 - Aurelian gate
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome; Aurelian gate, Rome aka Porta Pia. The Aurelian gate is known today as the Porta St Pancrazio.;

Northern Italy (Clean), Reno River area Folder (Bologna, Ravenna, Adriatic Sea)

Aemilia Region
Aemilia;

Bologna, Italy (Apennine Mountains, Reno River Valley)
Bologna, Italy;

Ravenna, Northern Italy (Candiano Canal, Reno River Mouth)
Ravenna;

Ostrogothic Kingdom, Kingdom of Italy, Ravenna, 493-553
Ostrogothic Kingdom, Kingdom of Italy, Ravenna, 493-553;

Northern Italy (Clean), Amber Road Folder

Venice, Northern Italy (Adige River Mouth, Amber Road)
Venice;

Northern Italy (Clean), 1000, 11th C Folder, Walk to Canossa

Walk to Canossa - from Speyer
Walk to Canossa;

Walk to Canossa - to Canossa
Walk to Canossa;

Northern Italy (Clean), Via Aurelia Folder - Pisa to Rome

Via Aurelia 3 - Aurelian gate
Via Aurelia, Roman Road from Pisa to Rome - Aurelian gate, Rome aka Porta Pia. The Aurelian gate is known today as the Porta St Pancrazio.

Northern Italy (Clean), Adige River Mouth, Amber Road Folder

Teutonic Knights (Venice, Northern Italy, Amber Rd, 1291-1309) sometimes called Germans
Teutonic Knights (Venice, 1291-1309);

Padua, Northern Italy (near Venice, Adige River Mouth, Adriatic Sea)
Padua, Northern Italy;

Aquileia, Northern Italy (Roman Road, Amber Rd 2, near Natiso River Mouth)
Aquileia;

Naples Folder, South Central Italy, and its Roman Roads to Albania

Naples, Italy (Aragon)
Neapolis or Parthenope (Naples); BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplius of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13 ; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21 ; CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET, 1894, Commemorated April 27 ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Virginmartyr Archelais Beheaded at Salerno, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Potitus at Naples, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Lucy at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Martyrs at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Campania Region (fertile countryside, Neopolitan)
Campania Region (Naples, Neopolitan); Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Martyrs at Rome; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4 ; Virginmartyr Archelais Beheaded at Salerno, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Lucy at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Martyrs at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Campania Region (SW Italy, Naples, Salerno, down to the toe, Calabria)
Campania Region (most of SW Italy, Naples, Salerno) ; is an administrative region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the island of Capri. capital of the Campania region is Naples.[6]

Campagna, Italy (near Naples)
Campagna; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Lucy at Rome, Commemorated on July 6; Martyrs at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Naples 0030-1274, Naples History Folder

Naples, 30-70, Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Puteoli and Naples Bishop
Naples, 30-70, Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy; Puteoli; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15;

Naples, 50, Presbyter Julian & Deacon Caesarius at Terracina, pagan temple collapsed, killing many, bodies floated
Naples, 50, Martyrs Julian the Presbyter and Caesarius the Deacon at Terracina; Caesarius was thrown into prison for insulting the pagan gods. They later took him in bonds to the temple of Apollo, but before they got him near the pagan temple it collapsed, killing the pagan priests and many of the people. the same time the idolaters arrested the Christian priest Julian. At the emperor’s orders, the holy martyrs were cast into the sea, but their bodies floated to the surface, and Christians buried the sufferers. Terracina, near Rome ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter at Terracina, Commemorated October 7 ; Martyr Julian the Presbyter suffered martyrdom for Christ with Saint Caesarius the Deacon at Terracina, Italy in the first century. Caesarius was thrown into prison for insulting the pagan gods. They later took him in bonds to the temple of Apollo, but before they got him near the pagan temple it collapsed, killing the pagan priests and many of the people. the same time the idolaters arrested the Christian priest Julian. At the emperor’s orders, the holy martyrs were cast into the sea, but their bodies floated to the surface, and Christians buried the sufferers. relics of Saint Caesarius are kept in Rome.

Naples, 373-431, Paulinus oNola, young Roman Senator, Baptized a25, gave all, adopted orphans, ransomed Vandal captives, poet

Naples, 692, Council in Trullo, Appian Way east of Naples
Council in Trullo in 692; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25;

Naples, 1245-1274, Holy Roman Saint, Thomas Aquias
Belgium, Holy Roman Saint, 1245-1274, Thomas Aquias; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274);

Tyrrhenian Sea

Naples (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Places Folder

Naples (Clean), its Area
Naples, its Area

Naples (Clean), Naples Area Folder

Naples, Italy (Aragon)
Neapolis or Parthenope (Naples);

Mt. Vesuvius, Naples
Mt. Vesuvius ;

Salerno, near Naples, Italy (Gulf of Salerno)
Salerno;

Campagna, Italy (near Naples)
Campagna;

Campania Region (fertile countryside, Neopolitan, Naples area, everything south of those two rivers)
Campania Region (Naples, Neopolitan);

Vesuvius, Mt. Vesuvius, Naples
Mt. Vesuvius ;

Puteoli (Pozzuoli), Naples
Puteoli;

Naples (Clean), Volturno River Folder

Volturno River

Monte Cassino, Napoli (Volturno River 2)
Monte Cassino monastery ;

Aquino, Napoli (home of Thomas Aquinas, near Monte Cassino)
Aquino (home of Thomas Aquinas, Thomas of Aquino);

Naples, Volturno River 6, Calore River Folder, Naples or Campagnia

Calore River

Picentini Mountains
Monti Picentini;

Beneventum, Italy (near Naples, Calore River 4)
Beneventum;

Capua Bridge (Volturno River 8, Appian Way, Latina Way)
Capua Bridge; Capua Gladiator School;

Thracian Italy, near Naples, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian
Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian, The Third Servile War 73 BC;

Naples (Clean), Roman Roads, Appian Way Folder

Naples (Clean), Appian Way 336 Miles or 540 Kilometers
Appian Way;

Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines)
Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines) ;

Terracina (Appian Way, north of Naples, south of Rome)
Terracina, near Rome ;

Bari, Italy ( on Appian Way and Via Egnatia, across Adriatic from K Triangle Via)
Bari, Italy;

Sinuessa, Naples (on the Appian Way)
Sinuessa (in Campania); Sinuessa was a city on the line of the Via Appia, and was the last place where that great highroad touched on the sea-coast. Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7;

Thracian Italy, near Naples, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian
Thracian Italy, Capua Gladiator School, Spartacus the Thracian, The Third Servile War 73 BC; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13;

Mount Garganus (north of Appian Way, east northeast of Naples)
Mount Garganus; The Gargano peninsula is partly covered by the remains of an ancient forest, Foresta Umbra, the only remaining part in Italy of the ancient oak and beech forest that once covered much of Central Europe as well as the Apennine deciduous montane forests biome. Horace spoke of the oaks of Garganus in Ode II, ix.;

Gargano, Mount Garganus (Adriatic Sea, east northeast of Naples)
Gargano, Mount Garganus;

Rapolla, on Appian Way from Naples to Brindisi
Rapolla, Southern Italy; is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Lavello, Melfi, Rionero in Vulture, Venosa. ancient sarcophagus of Rapolla takes its name from its find spot, near the town of Rapolla. It is from a workshop in Asia Minor and dates to the late II century AD. Now it's in the Museo Nazionale del Melfese, in the Castle of Melfi. sights of Santa Lucia (10th-11th centuries), with Romanesque, Apulian and Byzantine influences. Cathedral, a 13th-century church, with Lombard Gothic influences in the façade portal. The bell tower (1209) is from Master Sasolo of Muro Lucano, who also sculpted the bas-reliefs with Adam and Eve and Annunciation inside the church. also Diocese of Rapolla, former Catholic diocese Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Greece, K Triangle Folder, Roman Roads in Greece (Clean)

Via Egnatia Folder (Clean, Main East West Roman Road)

Naples, Volturno River Folder, Naples or Campagnia (Tyrrhenian Sea)

Volturno River Source (near Castle San Vincenzo)

Volturno River 1

Volturno River 2

Monte Cassino, Napoli (Volturno River 2)
Monte Cassino monastery ; BENEDICT, FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Benedict of Nursia; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14;

Aquino, Napoli (home of Thomas Aquinas, near Monte Cassino)
Aquino (home of Thomas Aquinas, Thomas of Aquino); THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ;

Volturno River 3

Volturno River 6 (Calore River)

Calore River Source (Monte Cervialto, Picentini Mountains)

Acerno, Campania, near Naples
Acerno (Campania); Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6;

Calore River 1

Calore River 2

Calore River 3

Calore River 4 (Beneventum)

Beneventum, Italy (near Naples, Calore River 4)
Beneventum; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Calore River Mouth (Volturno River 6)

Volturno River 7 (Caizzo)

Volturno River 8 (Capua Bridge, Appian Way, Latina Way)

Volturno River Mouth (Castle Volturno, Tyrrhenian Sea)

Naples, Naples Area Folder

Mt. Vesuvius, Naples
Mt. Vesuvius ; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21;

Vesuvius, Mt. Vesuvius, Naples
Mt. Vesuvius ; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21;

San Giovanni Maggiore, Naples
Church of San Giovanni Maggiore, Naples; Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Vico della Batonia
Vico della Batonia is probably Vico Equense ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplius of Catania, Commemorated on August 11;

Puteoli (Pozzuoli), Naples
Puteoli; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Apostle Patrobus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Hieromartyr Januarius the Bishop of Benevento, and his companions, at Pozzuoli, Commemorated on April 21;

Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines)
Nola, Campagna (on plain between Mt Vesuvius and the Apennines) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ;

Amalfi, Italy (near Naples)
Amalfi, Italy; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ;

Cava monastery, near Naples
Cava monastery; EMILY MALBONE MORGAN, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1937, Comemorated February 26 ;

Salerno, near Naples, Italy (Gulf of Salerno)
Salerno; Virginmartyr Archelais Beheaded at Salerno, Commemorated on June 6;

Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam Folder

Thailand, Chao Phraya River Folder, Bangkok

Thailand
Thailand;

Chao Phraya River
Chao Phraya River;

Chao Phraya Source (Luang Prabang Range)

Chao Phraya Mouth, Bangkok

Nakhon Sawan Province

Nan River

Nan River Source (Luang Prabang Range)
Luang Prabang Range;

Ping River

Ping River Source (Chaing Mai Provence)
Ping River;

Wang River

Wang River Source (Phi Pan Nam Range)
Phi Pan Nam Range;

Wang River
Wang River;

Uthai Thani Province
Uthai Thani Province;

Sakae Krang River

Sakae Krang River Source (Mae Wong National Park)
Mae Wong National Park;

Sakae Krang River Mouth
Sakae Krang River;

Tha Chin Distributary

Chai Nat Province
Chai Nat Province;

Tha Chin River (Distributary)
Tha Chin River;

Sing Buri Province
Sing Buri Province;

Ang Thong Province
Ang Thong Province;

Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province;

Pa Sak River

Pa Sak River Source (Phetchabun Mountains)
Phetchabun Mountains;

Pa Sak River Mouth
Pa Sak River;

Pathum Thani Province
Pathum Thani Province;

Nonthaburi Province
Nonthaburi Province;

Bangkok, Thailand (Cho Phaya River Mouth)
Bangkok, Thailand; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Samut Prakan Province
Samut Prakan Province;

Chao Phraya River Mouth (Gulf of Thailand)

Pattaya Beach

Utapao Air Base

Cambodia and South Vietnam, Mekong River Folder

Mekong River

Mekong River Source (Lasagongma Spring)

Mekong River 1

Mekong River 2

Mekong River 3

Mekong River 10 (Dayan)

Mekong River 12 (En Luocun)

Nuodeng, Dali, Yunnan, China

Mekong River 21 (China Inland Mission)

Mekong River 29 (China Inland Mission)

Mekong River 31 (Manghuaicun)

Mekong River 40.5

China, Yunnan Province

Mekong River 44 (Xishuangbanna)

Laos Folder (between Thailand and North Vietnam)

Laos (Mekong River 47-64, Between Thailand and North Viet Nam)
Laos

Mekong River 47 (Laos Myamar Burma Border)

Mekong River 50 (Chiang Khong)

Mekong River 56 (Chiang Khan)

Mekong River 57 (Rattanawapi)

Mekong River 58 (Bung Khla)

Mekong River 59 (Tha Uthen)

Mekong River 60 (Mueang Nakhon Phanom)

Mekong River 61 (Savannakhet)

Mekong River 62 (Khemmarat)

Mekong River 63 (Pakse)

Mekong River 64 (Stung Treng, Laos South Vietnam Border)

Cambodia, Mekong River 64, Stung Treng Cambodia Folder

Srepok River

Srepok River Source

Tonle Son River

Tonle Kon River 2

Tonle Kon River

Mekong River 65 (Kampong Cham)

Mekong River 66 (Phnom Penh)

Cambodia, Mekong River 66, Tonle Sap River, Phnom Penh Cambodia

Mekong River 66, Tonle Sap River Folder, Phnom Penh Cambodia

Cambodia
Cambodia ;

Cambodia, South Viet Nam, Mekong River Mouth (Mekong Delta)

Cambodia, South Viet Nam, Mekong River Mouth Folder, Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon, South Viet Nam, Ho Chi Minh City

North Viet Nam, Red River Folder, Hanoi, Tonkin Gulf

Red River (Asia)

Red River (Asia) Source (Hengduan Mountains, China)

Dali City, Yunnan Province (Thailand Folder)
Dali City, Yunnan Province ; Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

Hanoi, North Vietnam
Vietnam;

Red River (Asia) Mouth (Gulf of Tonkin)

Troy Folder (Troas), its rivers and mountains, Northwest Asia Minor

Troy, 334BC-1003. Troy History Folder

Troy, 300BC, 4th Century BC Folder, Battle of the Granicus, Alexander tGreat defeats Persians

Troy, 334 BC, Battle of the Granicus, Alexander tGreat defeats Persians
Battle of the Granicus 334 BC;

Troy, 000, 1st Century Folder, Cornelius tCenturion, Onesiphorus, Demetrius oSkepsis bCornelius

Troy, 41-54, Demetrius t prince of Skepsis, from Cornelius, came to believe with his family, so were Martyred
Troy, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; Skepsis; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated September 11 ; of the truth of Christianity by the saint’s preaching and by his miracles, the prefect Demetrius himself came to believe in Christ and was baptized with all his family. Because the saints now believed in Christ, the pagans threw the newly-converted family into prison where they were starved to death. Holy Martyrs Demetrius, his wife Euanthea, and their son Demetrian. Demetrius was a prince and prefect of the city of Skepsis in the Hellespont. Saint Cornelius the Centurion (September 13), the first Gentile converted to Christ by the Apostle Peter, came into his city preaching the Gospel. Cornelius sowed the seeds of Christianity among many of the inhabitants of Skepsis, and so the pagans arrested him and brought him to trial before the prefect Demetrius. In vain he demanded that the saint renounce Christ, and finally handed him over for torture. Cornelius bravely endured the torture, while in turn urging the prefect to forsake his pagan errors and turn to the true faith in Christ. Led into a temple of idols, Saint Cornelius destroyed the pagan temple and the idols standing in it by his prayer. of the truth of Christianity by the saint’s preaching and by his miracles, the prefect Demetrius himself came to believe in Christ and was baptized with all his family. Because the saints now believed in Christ, the pagans threw the newly-converted family into prison where they were starved to death. Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13; retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a Tparticularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed. Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Troy, 41-54, Cornelius t Centurion, lots drawn, C to Skepsis, Demetrius, f darkness, Truth, earthquake, wife and c
Troy, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; Skepsis; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13; retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a Tparticularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed. Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Troy, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart

Troy, 70, Apostle Onesiphoros ot70, died at Parium, Hellespont, Troy
Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Corinth; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans.

Troy, 200, 3rd Century Folder, Tryphon's deliverance power, Menignus' heavenly voices&Angel

Troy, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter
Troy, 238-250, Tryphon, Lampsakos, Troy, deliverence power, healing, plague of locusts, evil spirit Emperor Gordian's daughter, confessed, tortures, clubs, iron hooks, fire, foot nails, no complaints, died right before beheading; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Martyr Tryphon was born in Phrygia, one of the districts of Asia Minor, in the village of Lampsacus. From his early years the Lord granted him the power to cast out demons and to heal various maladies. He once saved the inhabitants of his native city from starvation. Saint Tryphon, by the power of his prayer, turned back a plague of locusts that were devouring the grain and devastating the fields. Tryphon gained particular fame by casting out an evil spirit from the daughter of the Roman emperor Gordian (238-244). Helping everyone in distress, he asked only one thing from them: faith in Jesus Christ, by Whose grace he healed them. the emperor Decius (249-251) assumed the imperial throne, he began a fierce persecution of Christians. Someone reported to the commander Aquilinus that Saint Tryphon was boldly preaching faith in Christ, and that he led many to Baptism. The saint was arrested and subjected to interrogation, during which he fearlessly confessed his faith. was subjected to harsh tortures: they beat him with clubs, raked his body with iron hooks, they scorched his flesh with fire, and led him through the city, after iron nails were hammered into his feet. Saint Tryphon bravely endured all the torments without complaint. he was condemned to beheading with a sword. The holy martyr prayed before his execution, thanking God for strengthening him in his sufferings. He also asked the Lord to bless those who should call upon his name for help. Just as the soldiers raised the sword over the head of the holy martyr, he surrendered his soul into the hands of God. This event occurred in the city of Nicea in the year 250. wrapped the holy body of the martyr in a clean shroud and wanted to bury him in the city of Nicea, where he suffered, but Saint Tryphon in a vision commanded them to take his body to his native land to the village of Lampsacus. Later on, the relics of Saint Tryphon were transferred to Constantinople, and then to Rome. Russia, Saint Tryphon is regarded as the patron saint of birds. There is a story that when Tsar Ivan the Terrible was out hunting, his falconer carelessly allowed the Tsar’s favorite falcon to fly away. The Tsar ordered the falconer Tryphon Patrikeiev to find the bird within three days, or else he would be put to death. Tryphon searched all through the forest, but without luck. the third day, exhausted by long searching, he returned to Moscow to the place called Marinaya Grove. Overcome with weariness, he lay down to rest, fervently praying to his patron saint, the Martyr Tryphon, for help. a dream he saw a youth on a white horse, holding the Tsar’s falcon on his hand. The youth said, “Take the lost bird, go to the Tsar and do not grieve.” When he awakened, the falconer actually spotted the falcon on a pine tree. He took it to the Tsar and told him about the miraculous help he received from the holy Martyr Tryphon. Grateful to Saint Tryphon for saving his life, Tryphon Patrikeiev built a chapel on the spot where the saint appeared. Later on, he also built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Tryphon in Moscow. holy martyr is greatly venerated in the Russian Orthodox Church as the heavenly protector of Moscow. Many Russian icons depict the saint holding a falcon on his arm.

Troy, 249-251, Menignus at Parium, simple worker, twice heaven voice, suffer cal, after angel led Cs, confessed & beheaded
Troy, 249-251, Menignus at Parium, Hellespont, Troy, simple worker, special mercy twice voice from heaven, call to suffer, after angel led Cs out of prison, confessed & beheaded; Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Martyr Menignus was a simple worker, a linen-bleacher. Lord granted him His special mercy. in his life, he heard a voice from Heaven calling on him to suffer for Christ. the persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251) a miracle occurred: angel led Christians out of prison. learned of this, Saint Menignus rejoiced and loved the Savior with all his heart. to mind the heavenly summons to suffer for Christ, he tore up the decree of the impious Decius which hung in the city square, and which ordered the persecution of Christians. saint declared himself a follower of Christ. For this he was arrested and after fierce tortures he was beheaded.

Troy, 300, 4th Century Folder, Aboudimos' incorrupt relics, Theogenes' divine light

Troy, 303, Aboudimos of Tenedos Island, Troy, Early Diocletian Persecution Martyr, Relics seen by Daniel tTraveler
Tenedos Island, Troy; Martyr Aboudimos of the Isle of Tenedos, Commemorated on July 15; courageous soldier of Christ was from the island of Tenedos, which lies opposite the renowned city of Troy, he was one of the first Christians to be put to death during the persecution of the Church under Diocletian in the early IV century. Saint Aboudimos would not agree to worship idols, or to eat any food which had been sacrificed to them, he was bound and severely beaten. All the while he kept shouting, “I am a Christian.” Then they broke his ribs with iron nails; and when he continued to confess Christ, they beheaded him. Saint’s holy relics were seen on the island of Tenedos at the beginning of the XII century by the Russian pilgrim Daniel.

Troy, 311-320, Theogenes, Bishop oParium, Hellespont, Troy, divine light when he prayed before execution
Troy, 311-320, Theogenes, Bishop of Parium, Hellespont, Troy, divine light when he prayed before execution, fake christian emperor Licinius martyr, refused renounce Christ, beaten wRods, prison woFood, sentenced tDrown, prayer, divine light, sailors&Some soldiers converted, healings at his city walls grave; Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated January 2 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes was bishop of the Asia Minor city of Parion the beginning of the fourth century. the reign of the emperor Licinius (311-324), coruler with Constantine the Great, tribune Zalinkinthius demanded that he give up the priesthood, to renounce Christ and to enlist in military service. he refused, Saint Theogenes was mercilessly beaten with rods and thrown into prison, where he was not allowed any food. they sentenced him to be drowned in the sea. his execution, the saint requested time to pray. he prayed, an extraordinary light shone on him. sailors and some of the soldiers who were ordered to drown the saint were struck by the light and were converted to Christ. soldiers hastened to cast him into the sea. Theogenes received the unfading crown of martyrdom around the year 320. body was later taken from the water by Christians and buried at the city walls. this spot, numerous healings occurred.

Troy, 325-364, Parthenius oLampsacus otHellespont, Bishop wCouldn't read, wWorker, deliverance, raised m fDeath, converted many
Troy, 325-364, Parthenius tBishop oLampsacus otHellespont, fMelitopolis, father aDeacon, couldn't read but learned Scriptures well from church services, kind heart, example, gave fish to poor, grace filled a18, healed, cast out, other miracles, Learning about him, Melitopolis bishop gave him education, ordained him bishop, 325 Archbishop oKyzikos made him Bishop oLampsakos, many pagans, spread Christ, miracles confirmed, healing sick, people converted, Parthenius tRome Emperor asking for money tBuild Church, E gave him authority destroy pagan temples and money build church, he returned, destroyed temples, built beautiful church middle oLamp, moved large mable stone fTemple to be Church altar, devil overturned the wagon, stone killed driver Eutykhianos, P resurrected E, shaming tDevil, P's mercy, never refused heal any came to him, or people on roads wBodily ailments or possessed, People stopped going to doctors, P cast out demons by great power name oChrist, one demon asked P another place to live, P promised show him place, come dwell in me, as if scorched by fire, demon said how shall I enter house oGod?, then divine fire (light?) drove him to fire oGehenna, thus many idolaters converted, P's skull in Espigmenou Athos, other relics on Cyprus, Euboea Island Greece, (P Replaced by Marcion 364) ; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated February 7; Parthenios, the Bishop of Lampsakos, from the city of Melitopolis (Asia Minor), his father Christopher served as a deacon. young man could not read, but he learned the Holy Scriptures well, by attending the Divine Services in church. had a kind heart and, when he went fishing, he distributed the proceeds to the poor. with the grace of God from the age of eighteen, Saint Parthenios healed diseases, cast out demons, and worked other miracles in Christ's name. about the virtuous life of the young man, Philip of Melitopolis gave him an education and ordained him as a presbyter. 325, during the reign of Constantine the Great, Archbishop Achilles of Kyzikos appointed him as Bishop of Lampsakos (in Asia Minor). pagans lived in the city, and the Hierarch was diligent in spreading the faith in Christ, and confirming it with many miracles and healings of the sick, according to God's will. abandoned their pagan beliefs, and Bishop Parthenios visited Emperor Constantine the Great, requesting him to permit the destruction of pagan temples so that Christian churches could be built in their place. Emperor received him with honor, and gave him a document authorizing him to destroy pagan temples, and provided him with the means to build a church. to Lampsakos, Bishop Parthenios ordered the destruction of the pagan temples and built a beautiful church in the middle of the city. a large marble stone in one of the ruined temples, suitable for the Holy Altar in the church, the Bishop ordered work to begin on the stone so that it could be put on a wagon and taken to the church. of malice, the devil, who was enraged because the stone had been removed from the temple, overturned the wagon, and the stone killed the driver Eutykhianos. Parthenios resurrected him by his prayers, and shamed the devil, who wanted to obstruct God's work. Hierarch's mercy was so great that he never refused to heal any of those who came to him, or the people he met on the roads, who were suffering from bodily ailments and possessed by unclean spirits. stopped going to doctors, because Saint Parthenios freely healed every illness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. the great power of the name of Christ, the Hierarch cast out many demons from people, houses, and the waters of the sea. the Bishop exorcised a demon from a certain man who had been possessed since childhood, the unclean spirit begged Saint Parthenios to give him another place to live. Saint promised to show him such a place and, opening his mouth, he said to the demon: "Come and dwell in me." if scorched by fire, the demon cried out, "How shall I enter the house of God?" and disappeared into desolate and impassable places. by the Saint the unclean spirit shouted that Divine fire (light?) was driving him into the fire of Gehenna. by showing people the great power of faith in Christ, the Saint converted many idolaters to the only true God. Saint's skull is located in the Monastery of Espigmenou on Mount Athos. of the Saint's relics are to be found in the Monasteries of the Great Cave at Kalavryta, Rovelistas of Arta, and Kykkos on Cyprus. of the Saint's skull is kept in the Holy Monastery of Makrymallē (Μακρυμάλλη). in the Holy Metropolis of Chalkida, in the center of the island of Euboea in Greece.

Troy, 400, 5th Century Folder, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B Empire

Troy, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer
Constantinople, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20;

Troy, 900, 10th Century Folder, Athanasius the Athonite, Founder Mt Athos Monasticism

Troy, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus founder Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island n Troy, giving, dispassion, clairvoyance, miracles
Troy, 913-962, Michael oMaleninus and Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx., fCappadocia, wealthy powerful parents, 925 tMt Kyminas, met monk John heladites, elder of great virtue, brought home few months, returned, alone in cave, 5days fasting prayer, 2days services, after John reposed used great inheritance built Larva Kyminas, gave it all to poor & suffering, high degree dispassion, clairvoyance, very compassionate, many miracles, cenobitic m, many great ascetics through there, Athanasios the Athonite of Great Larva, Kyminas calligraphers, copying, new remote monastery (Dry Lake), Kyminas covered monastic communities, constant prayers for whole world, surrendered soul advanced age while still vigorus; Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Michael lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine VI (913-959) until the reign of Basil II, the Bulgar-slayer (976 - 1025). was born in Cappadocia to devout and wealthy parents, Eudókimos and Anastasó (Ἀναστασῶ). Eustáthios, paternal grandfather, was a patrician; and his maternal grandfather, Adrálestos, held the rank of General of the East. ḗl (the Saint's name in the world) was brought up in the east, but soon he realized the futility of worldly honors and goods. the year 925, he fled to Mount Kyminas (Όρος Κύμινας) in Bithynia. he met a monk named John Heladites, an Elder of great virtue, and asked him if he might stay nearby. Elder accepted him, but after a while, his father discovered where he was, and after many entreaties, he brought him home. a few months, however, and with this permission of his parents, he returned to his Elder, who received him with great joy. he begged Father John to allow him to live alone in a cave, and the Elder blessed him to do this. five days of the week he devoted himself to fasting, vigil, and prayer. On Saturday and Sunday he came to the monastery to participate in the Divine Services, and to partake of the Holy Mysteries. three years of probation, Manouḗl was tonsured as a monk with the name Michael. after Elder John had reposed, Father Michael took the great inheritance he had received from his family and gave it away to the poor and the suffering. Michael was deemed worthy of ordination to the priesthood. From the Holy Scriptures, he showed how the priesthood ought to be combined with monasticism. attained a high degree of dispassion, and he also received the gift of clairvoyance. He was very compassionate and kind toward people. He could not bear to let those who were in need or sorrow remain without help and consolation. By his ardent prayers, he performed many miracles. Michael also founded the famous Lavra of Kyminas, where many brethren received their spiritual formation. had organized it as a cenobitic monastery, suffusing it with fraternal love. great ascetics passed through this Monastery, whom was Saint Athanasios the Athonite (July 5), the founder of the Greatest Lavra (Μεγίστη Λαύρα) on the Holy Mountain. Monastery was also renowned for its calligraphers, and for copying spiritual books. the monastery was secure, Saint Michael went to an even more remote place, where he built a new monastery. his efforts, the whole mountain of Kyminas was covered with monastic communities, where constant prayers were offered for the entire world before the Throne of the Most High. an advanced age, but still vigorous in faith and in spirit, Saint Michael surrendered his holy soul to God in the year 962.

Troy, 963-1003, Saint, Athanasius the Athonite, Mt Athos Monasticism Founder

Troy, 1200, 13th C Folder, Maximus the Hut Burner

Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, became fool to hide prodigious ascetic deeds, wandered, then one place for others
Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, fLampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia, tOne of the Deserts, tConstantinople&Blachernae Church entrance, abode there, asked MOG gift unceasing mental prayer, flame entered his heart from her icon, sweetness contrition within, from that time his heart repeated Jesus prayer, fulfilling his request, then fulfilled obedience aAthanasius Lavra Mt Athos, to conceal deeds behaved fool, vision MOG, she told ascent tMt, prayed 3 days there, MOG appeared again, surrounded bAngels, holdiing Jesus in her arms, he prostrated, she said receive the deliverance gift, and settle at foot oMt Athos, for this is my son's will, she told him he would ascend heights virtue, and teach guide many, then heavenly bread given him (after 3days without), as put it in mouth he surrounded bDivine light, saw MOG ascending tHeaven, Maximus told Mt Carmel elder, but skeptical, M turned disbelief tGood by pretending slightly crazy tConceal prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, hardship, solitude, he wandered like lunitic, burned hut when moved, called hut Burner (Kavsokalyvites), for long time Mt Athos residents contemptious, even though height spiritual life, but Gregory oSinai encouraged him, persuaded him stop fool act, live one place for othe, he settled cave oElijan, Byzantine emperors J Paleologos& J Kantakouzenos visited, suprised his predictions fThem fulfilled, Theophanes oVatopadi wrote about him, I saw several his miracles, travel through air, predicted I become igumen&Ochrid Metropolitan, even how I would suffer fChurch, M abandoned solitude right before death, died at 95 i1354, relics glorified by many miracles; Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. seventeen years of age he left his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. the death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. in Constantinople, Saint Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. his youth, Saint Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mt. Athos. order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, told him to ascend the mountain. the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, “Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son.” told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of Saint Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. Gregory persuaded Saint Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. the words of Saint Gregory and the advice of other Elders, Saint Maximus selected a permanent dwelling a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah. of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about Saint Maximus: “I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church.” Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, settled near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius, he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). his death, as in life, Saint Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

Troy, Hellespont (Dardanelles) Strait Folder, Northern TRO

Hellespont (Dardanelles, near Troy)
Hellespont; Dardanelles; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated September 11 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated February 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18;

Dardanelles Strait
Dardanelles Strait; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Lampsakos, Troy
Lampsakos; Lampsacus ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated February 7; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18;

Parium, Hellespont, Troy
Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated January 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18;

Meningus, Hellespont, Troy, aka Parium, for St Meningus of Parium
Meningus, aka Parium, for St Meningus of Parium; Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated January 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18;

Troy, Simoeis River Folder, Troy, Central TRO

Simoeis River

Simoeis River Source (Foothills near Troy)

Simoeis River 1 (Trojan Plain)

Troy (Trojan Plain)
Troas and its capital Troy; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Simoeis River Mouth (Trojan Plain, Troy)
Simoeis River Mouth (Trojan Plain, Troy);

Troy, Scamander River Folder, Southern TRO

Scamander River (from Mt Ida)

Mount Ida
Mount Ida;

Scamander River Source (Mt Ida)
Mt Ida, Goose Mountain;

Scamander River 1 (Skepsis)

Skepsis, Troy (Scamander River 1)
Skepsis; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13;

Scamander River Mouth (Troas)

Troy in Troas (Scamander River Mouth, Trojan Plain, Troad Penninsula)
Troas; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch;

Troy, Scamander South, Adramyttian Gulf, Biga Penninsula Folder, Assos, Troad, Appolonia

Appolonia (Assos), Troy
Appolonia (Assos); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10;

Troy, Scamander West, Tenedos Island Folder

Tenedos Island, Troy
Tenedos Island, Troy; Martyr Aboudimos of the Isle of Tenedos, Commemorated on July 15; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx.
Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Dry Lake Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx.
This looks like a Dry Lake near Kyminas. Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5;

Troy, Granicus River Folder, Eastern TRO

Granicus River

Granicus River Source (Mt Ida)
Mt Ida, Goose Mountain;

Granicus River 1 (Can)
Can;

Can Granicus River 1
Can Granicus River 1;

Granicus River 2 (Biga)
Biga;

Granicus River Mouth (Sea of Marmara)

Troy (Clean), Roman Roads, Straits, Hellespont of Troy to Bosphorus of Constantinople

Troy (Clean), its Area
Troy, its Area

Granicus River from Mt Ida

Tenedos Island, Troy
Tenedos Island, Troy;

Kyminas Monastery, Tenedos Island near Troy, 953 approx.
Wikipedia directs Kyminas to Tenedos ;

Lampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia
Lampsakos; Lampsacus ;

Troy (Trojan Plain)
Troas and its capital Troy;

Hellespont (Dardanelles, near Troy)
Hellespont; Dardanelles;

Troas (Scamander River Mouth, Trojan Plain, Troad Penninsula)
Troas;

Parium, Hellespont, Troy
Parium: near Ephesus and near Lampsacus on the Hellenspont. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated January 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18;

Ammon Folder, and its rivers

Ammon (a nation between Arnon and Jabbok Rivers)
Ammon Nation; Amman, Capital City of Ammon or Jordan; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Righteous Lot, Commemorated October 9 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22;

British Empire - Transjordan, historical Edom, Moab and Ammon
British Empire - Transjordan; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Ammon 2000BC, Ammon History Folder

Ammon, 2000BC, Lot, Ammon Partiarch, Ben-Ami his son with his daughter, incest
Ammon, 2000BC, Lot, Ammon Partiarch, Ben-Ami his son with his daughter, incest; and Incest (Gen 19) Location -- Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32) uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. for safety? No, another city. Lot, instead of going to the hills for safety, decided to live in another city (Zohar). In their flight from Sodom, Lot's nameless wife looked at the destruction and turned to a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:1-29). Abraham had rescued Lot, again, (Gen. 19:29; compare 12:4) = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammo In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7) Ammon Nation;

Ammon, Kings Highway Folder

Kings Highway 12 (Madaba, Moab, Jordan)

Kings Highway 13 (Moab, Moab, Jordan)

Ammon Range (Amman was built on seven hills)
Amman Range (Amman was built on seven hills); St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22;

Philadelphia, Arabia (Amman, Jordan)
Philadelphia, Arabia (Amman, Jordan); Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22 ;

Jordan Desert (Ammon, Arabian Desert)
Jordan Desert; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ;

Amman, Ammon (Capital of Jordan and Ammon)
Amman, Capital City of Ammon or Jordan; Ammon Nation; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Righteous Lot, Commemorated October 9 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Zeno of Philadelphia, Commemorated on June 22;

Kings Highway 15 (Gerasa, Ammon, Jordan)

Ammon, Arnon River Folder

Arnon River

Arnon River 1
Arnon River;

Arnon River 2 (Moab)

Arnon River Mouth (Dead Sea)

Machaerus, Ammon or Perea, (high point, hillside palace, Arnon River Mouth, where John the Baptist was killed)
Machaerus, Perea ; is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. According to Flavius Josephus, it is the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist.[1] According to the chronology of the Bible (Mark 6:24; Matthew 14:8), this infamous execution took place in about AD 32 shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years. The site also provides the setting for four additional New Testament characters: Herod the Great; his son, Tetrarch Herod Antipas; his second wife, Princess Herodias, and her daughter, Princess Salome.[2] The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29; Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ. the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. (After the death of king Herod the Great, the Romans divided the territory of Palestine into four parts, and put a governor in charge of each part. Herod Antipas received Galilee from the emperor Augustus). prophet of God John openly denounced Herod for having left his lawful wife, the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas, and then instead cohabiting with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip (Luke 3:19-20). On his birthday, Herod made a feast for dignitaries, the elders and a thousand chief citizens. Salome, the daughter of Herod, danced before the guests and charmed Herod. In gratitude to the girl, he swore to give her whatever she would ask, up to half his kingdom. vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked that she be given the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod became apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a prophet, whom earlier he had heeded. He also feared the people, who loved the holy Forerunner. But because of the guests and his careless oath, he gave orders to cut off the head of Saint John and to give it to Salome. to Tradition, the mouth of the dead preacher of repentance once more opened and proclaimed: “Herod, you should not have the wife of your brother Philip.” Salome took the platter with the head of Saint John and gave it to her mother. The frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a needle and buried his holy head in a unclean place. But the pious Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptist in an earthen vessel on the Mount of Olives, where Herod had a parcel of land. (The Uncovering of the Venerable Head is celebrated February 24). The holy body of John the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried at Sebastia, there where the wicked deed had been done. the murder of Saint John the Baptist, Herod continued to govern for a certain time. Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent Jesus Christ to him, Whom he mocked (Luke 23:7-12). judgment of God came upon Herod, Herodias and Salome, even during their earthly life. Salome, crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell through the ice. The ice gave way in such a way that her body was in the water, but her head was trapped above the ice. It was similar to how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but now she flailed helplessly in the icy water. Thus she was trapped until that time when the sharp ice cut through her neck. corpse was not found, but they brought the head to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of Saint John the Baptist. The Arab king Aretas, in revenge for the disrespect shown his daughter, made war against Herod. The defeated Herod suffered the wrath of the Roman emperor Caius Caligua (37-41) and was exiled with Herodias first to Gaul, and then to Spain. Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, a Feast day established by the Church, is also a strict fast day because of the grief of Christians at the violent death of the saint. In some Orthodox cultures pious people will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat food that is round in shape on this day. the Church makes remembrance of Orthodox soldiers killed on the field of battle, as established in 1769 at the time of Russia’s war with the Turks and the Poles.

Ammon, Jazer River Folder

Jazer River

Jazer River 1 (Jazer)

Jazer
Jazer, 10 miles west of Philadelphia and 15 miles north of Heshbon, 1 Maccabees Ch 5;

Ammon, Roman Roads, Kings Highway, Jabbok, Jazer, and Ammon Rivers

Ammon, its Area

Jabbok River

Jabbok River wet source from Ain Ghazal
Jabbok (Zarqa) River; Ain Ghazal;

Amman, Ammon (Capital of Jordan and Ammon)
Amman, Capital City of Ammon or Jordan;

Ammon, Jabbok River Folder

Jabbok River Source (Zarqa)
Jabbok (Zarqa) River; Ain Ghazal;

Jabbok River wet Source (Ain Ghazal)
Jabbok (Zarqa) River; Ain Ghazal;

Jabbok River 1 (Zarga)

Zarga, Ammon (Jabbok (Zarga) River 1)
Zarga (Jabbok River 1) ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20;

Jabbok River 2 (Jerash)

Jabbok River 3 (Jerash or Geraza)

Jabbok River 4 (Sukkoth, Sukkoth Valley of Jabbok River)

Jabbok River Mouth (City of Adam, Sukkot Valley, Jordan River 3)

Adam, Ammon (waters of Jordan stood still here)
Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan (waters of Jordan stood still here); Joshua 3:14-4:7; Waters of Jordan stood still, rising in a single heap far off at Adam (18 miles away) 14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea,* were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan. Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal 4When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: ˜Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3and command them, œTake twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests™ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight. Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe. 5Joshua said to them, ˜Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites, 6so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, œWhat do those stones mean to you?7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial for ever. Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1;

Bosporan Kingdom Folder, in Thaurica (Crimea), Roman Empire

Bashan Folder, and its vicinity

Bashan, Hauran Plateau Yarmouk River Folder

British West Indies Folder

British West Indies
British West Indies; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

West Indies - surrounded by Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea
West Indies or Caribbean; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean;

Caribbean Sea

British West Indies Area

Bermuda Area - 181 Islands

Bermuda, British West Indies
Bermuda, British West Indies ; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

The Bahamas Area

Bahamas (The Bahamas), British West Indies
The Bahamas; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Turks and Caicos Area

British Empire - Turks and Caicos Islands - British West Indies
British Empire - Turks and Caicos Islands - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Virgin Islands Area

British Empire - British Virgin Islands - British West Indies
British Empire - British Virgin Islands - British West Indies;

Anguilia Area

British Empire - Anguilia - British West Indies
British Empire - Anguilia - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Saint Kitts and Nevis Area

British Empire - Saint Kitts and Nevis - British West Indies
British Empire - Saint Kitts and Nevis - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Montserrat - British West Indies
British Empire - Montserrat - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Grenada - British West Indies
British Empire - Grenada - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Trinidad and Tobago, British West Indies
British Empire - Trinidad and Tobago; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Guyana, British West Indies
Guyana; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

British Empire - Guyana, British West Indies
Guyana; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

Guyana River 1

Guyana River 3

Guyana River 2

British Empire - Jamaica - Caribbean Sea, British West Indies
British Empire - Jamaica - Caribean Sea, British West Indies;

Cayman Islands Area

British Empire - Cayman Islands - Caribbean Sea - British West Indies
British Empire - Cayman Islands - Caribean Sea - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Philippines Folder (Clean)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Folder

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Dinaric Alps)
Bosnia and Herzegovina ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Bosna River Folder

Bosnia Region (Sarajvo, Bosna River, Flows North)
Bosnia Region ; Bosnia lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Bosna River

Bosna River Source (Vrelo Bosne Spring)
Vrelo Bosne (Spring of the Bosna River);

Skenderia, Bosnia (Sarajevo, Bosna River Source)
Skenderia; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

World War 1, and Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Sarajevo, 1914
World War 1; World War 1, Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria;

Mount Igman

Bosna River 1 (Visoko, Bosnia)

Bosna River 2 (Zenica)

Bosna River 3 (Maglaj)

Bosna River 4 (Doboj)

Bosna River 5 (Modrica, Bosnia)

Bosna River Mouth (Sava River 15)

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Herzegovina and Neretva River Folder

Herzegovina (Neretva River, Flows South)
Herzegovina; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Neretva River

Neretva River Source (Lebrsnik Mountain)
Lebrsnik Mountain, Dinaric Alps;

Neretva River 1 (Ulog)

Neretva River 2 (Glavaticevo)

Neretva River 3 (Konjic)
Konjic;

Neretva River 4 (Jablanica)
Jablanica;

Neretva River 5 (Herzegovina)

Neretva River 6 (Mostar)
Mostar;

Zakholmsk (Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, Mostar, Neretva River 6.5)
Zakholmsk (Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina); St. Basil the Bishop of Zakholmsk in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Neretva River 7 (Pocitelj)
Pocitelj;

Neretva River 8 (Metkovic, Croatia)
Metkovic;

Neretva River Mouth (Adriatic Sea, Ploce, Croatia)

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Trebinsk monestary Herzegovina Folder, Southern H

Trebinsk monastery, Herzegovina, 1450 approx
Trebinsk monastery, Herzegovina; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Drina River Folder

Popov, Herzegovina (Drina River 1)
Popov, Herzegovina; Saint Basil, Bishop of Zakholmsk in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Lim River Source (Lake Plav, Northeast Montenegro

Budimlje, Serbia aka Berane, Montenegro (Lim River 1)
Budimlje aka Berane (; Repose of Saint Stephen of Deani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11

Mileshevsk monastery, Serbia (Mileshevsk River, Lim River 2) 1236
Mileshevsk (Milesheva) monastery ; St Vladislav of Serbia, Commemorated on September 24 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ;

Laze, Bosnia Herzegovina (Drina River 6)
Lazes could mean the region of the Lazes River in Romania, but it probably is Laze in Bosnia and Herzegovina, or it could be neither; however, they are both on the way from Armenia to Albania. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Bosnia (Clean) and Herzegovina Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folde

Bosnia (Clean) Harzegovina, its Area

Bosnia (Clean) and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Bosna River Folder

Bosnia (Clean) and Herzegovina, Herzegovina and Neretva River Folder

Herzegovina (Neretva River, Flows South)
Herzegovina;

Bosnia (Clean) and Herzegovina, Trebinsk monestary Herzegovina Folder, Southern H

Bosnia (Clean) and Herzegovina, Drina River Folder

Burma Folder, its rivers and mountains

Burma
Burma; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

British Empire - Burma
Burma; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Burma 1828-1840, Burma History Folder

Burma, 1808-1850, ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, from Malden, MA, non-Buddhist Swaleen people received
Burma, 1808-1850, ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, from Malden, MA, non-Buddhist Swaleen people received Gospel easily, then converted Buddhists; Burma; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; Judson, Jr. (9 August 1788 – 12 April 1850) was a Baptist missionary from the United States who labored for almost forty years in Burma. the age of 25, Adoniram Judson was the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America, inspired many Americans to become or support missionaries, translated the Bible into Burmese, and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma. Judson is remembered as the first significant missionary there, as well as one of the group of the very first missionaries from America to travel overseas. was born on 9 August 1788 in Malden, Massachusetts, son of a Congregational minister of the same name. graduated as valedictorian of his class at Brown Univ. at the age of nineteen. He then attended The Andover Theological Seminary, and graduated in 1810. had joined an earnest group of mission-minded students at Andover who called themselves "the Brethren." Passionately eager to serve abroad, and convinced that "Asia with its idolatrous myriads, was the most important field in the world for missionary effort", they appeared before the Congregational Church's General Association to appeal for support to their missionary intentions. by the polite behavior of the four men and their sincerity, the elders in 1810 voted to form an "American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions." some mishaps and delays, Judson arrived in Calcutta on June 17, 1812. While aboard ship on route to India, he did a focused study on the theology of baptism. He came to the position that believer's baptism was theologically valid. September 6, 1812, he switched to the Baptist denomination along with his wife and they were baptized by immersion in Calcutta by an English missionary associate of William Carey. They were ordered out of India by the British East India Company, to whom American missionaries were even less welcome than British. The following year, on July 13, 1813, he moved to Burma. Burma, Judson was told by the Baptists, was impermeable to Christian evangelism. Judson, who already knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, immediately began studying the Burmese grammar but took over three years learning to speak it. This was due, in part, to the radical difference in structure between Burmese and that of "Western" languages. Four years passed before Judson dared even to hold a semi-public service. It wasn't until June, 1819, that he baptized his first Burmese convert. attempts by the Judsons to interest the natives of Rangoon with the Gospel of Jesus met with almost total indifference. By 1823, ten years after his arrival, membership of the little church had grown to eighteen, and Judson had finally finished the first draft of his translation of the entire text of the New Testament in Burmese. Karen people were a primitive, hunted minority group of ancient Tibeto-Burman ancestry scattered in the forests and jungles of the Salween River and in the hills along the southeast coast. was the first missionary to make contact with them about 1827 when he ransomed and freed a debt-slave from one of his early converts. The freed slave, Ko Tha Byu, was an illiterate, surly man who spoke almost no Burmese and was reputed to be not only a thief but also a murderer. In 1828 the former Karen bandit, "whose rough, undisciplined genius, energy and zeal for Christ" had caught the notice of the missionaries, was sent south with a new missionary couple, the Boardmans, into the territory of the strongly animistic, non-Buddhist Karen. There, he was no sooner baptized then he set off into the jungle alone to preach to his fellow tribespeople. Astonishingly, he found them strangely prepared for his preaching. the Boardmans and Ko Tha Byu were penetrating the jungles to the south, Adoniram Judson shook off a paralyzing year-long siege of depression that overcame him after the death of his wife, Ann, and set out alone on long canoe trips up the Salween River into the tiger-infested jungles to evangelize the northern Karen. trips he worked untiringly at his lifelong goal of translating the whole Bible into Burmese. When he finished it at last in 1834, he had been labouring on it for twenty-four years. It was printed and published in 1835. developed a serious lung disease and doctors prescribed a sea voyage as a cure. On 12 April 1850, Adoniram Judson died at age 61 on board ship in the Bay of Bengal and was buried at sea, having spent 37 years in missionary service abroad with only one home leave. — more at Wikipedia

Burma, 1828-1840, Evangelist, Ko Tha Byu
Ko Tha Byu, Evangelist, 1828-1840 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ; Judson, Jr. (9 August 1788 – 12 April 1850) was a Baptist missionary from the United States who labored for almost forty years in Burma. the age of 25, Adoniram Judson was the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America, inspired many Americans to become or support missionaries, translated the Bible into Burmese, and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma. Judson is remembered as the first significant missionary there, as well as one of the group of the very first missionaries from America to travel overseas. was born on 9 August 1788 in Malden, Massachusetts, son of a Congregational minister of the same name. graduated as valedictorian of his class at Brown Univ. at the age of nineteen. He then attended The Andover Theological Seminary, and graduated in 1810. had joined an earnest group of mission-minded students at Andover who called themselves "the Brethren." Passionately eager to serve abroad, and convinced that "Asia with its idolatrous myriads, was the most important field in the world for missionary effort", they appeared before the Congregational Church's General Association to appeal for support to their missionary intentions. by the polite behavior of the four men and their sincerity, the elders in 1810 voted to form an "American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions." some mishaps and delays, Judson arrived in Calcutta on June 17, 1812. While aboard ship on route to India, he did a focused study on the theology of baptism. He came to the position that believer's baptism was theologically valid. September 6, 1812, he switched to the Baptist denomination along with his wife and they were baptized by immersion in Calcutta by an English missionary associate of William Carey. They were ordered out of India by the British East India Company, to whom American missionaries were even less welcome than British. The following year, on July 13, 1813, he moved to Burma. Burma, Judson was told by the Baptists, was impermeable to Christian evangelism. Judson, who already knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, immediately began studying the Burmese grammar but took over three years learning to speak it. This was due, in part, to the radical difference in structure between Burmese and that of "Western" languages. Four years passed before Judson dared even to hold a semi-public service. It wasn't until June, 1819, that he baptized his first Burmese convert. attempts by the Judsons to interest the natives of Rangoon with the Gospel of Jesus met with almost total indifference. By 1823, ten years after his arrival, membership of the little church had grown to eighteen, and Judson had finally finished the first draft of his translation of the entire text of the New Testament in Burmese. Karen people were a primitive, hunted minority group of ancient Tibeto-Burman ancestry scattered in the forests and jungles of the Salween River and in the hills along the southeast coast. was the first missionary to make contact with them about 1827 when he ransomed and freed a debt-slave from one of his early converts. The freed slave, Ko Tha Byu, was an illiterate, surly man who spoke almost no Burmese and was reputed to be not only a thief but also a murderer. In 1828 the former Karen bandit, "whose rough, undisciplined genius, energy and zeal for Christ" had caught the notice of the missionaries, was sent south with a new missionary couple, the Boardmans, into the territory of the strongly animistic, non-Buddhist Karen. There, he was no sooner baptized then he set off into the jungle alone to preach to his fellow tribespeople. Astonishingly, he found them strangely prepared for his preaching. the Boardmans and Ko Tha Byu were penetrating the jungles to the south, Adoniram Judson shook off a paralyzing year-long siege of depression that overcame him after the death of his wife, Ann, and set out alone on long canoe trips up the Salween River into the tiger-infested jungles to evangelize the northern Karen. trips he worked untiringly at his lifelong goal of translating the whole Bible into Burmese. When he finished it at last in 1834, he had been labouring on it for twenty-four years. It was printed and published in 1835. developed a serious lung disease and doctors prescribed a sea voyage as a cure. On 12 April 1850, Adoniram Judson died at age 61 on board ship in the Bay of Bengal and was buried at sea, having spent 37 years in missionary service abroad with only one home leave. — more at Wikipedia

Burma, Swaleen River Folder, Eastern BUR

Salween River
Salween River;

Salween River Source (along the border)

Derung Valley (Dulong Valley, Salween River Source)
Derung Valley (Dulong Valley, Salween River Source); Tom and Marguarite Antonson

Salween River 1 (China Inland Mission, Dengyue)

Nujiang (Salween) River Valley
Nujiang (Salween) River Valley ; Tom and Margaurite Antonson, 2015

China Inland Mission, Burma China border (Salween River 1) 1865
China Inland Mission Dengyue; Dengyue is a treaty port; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ;

Salween River 2

Salween River 3

Salween River 4

Shan Hills, Swaleen River 6
Shan Hills

Karen Hills, Swaleen River 8
Karen Hills;

Karen People, Burma (Karen Hills, Swaleen River 8)
The Karen people were a primitive, hunted minority group of ancient Tibeto-Burman ancestry scattered in the forests and jungles of the Salween River and in the hills along the southeast coast. Judson was the first missionary to make contact with them about 1827 when he ransomed and freed a debt-slave from one of his early converts. The freed slave, Ko Tha Byu, was an illiterate, surly man who spoke almost no Burmese and was reputed to be not only a thief but also a murderer. In 1828 the former Karen bandit, "whose rough, undisciplined genius, energy and zeal for Christ" had caught the notice of the missionaries, was sent south with a new missionary couple, the Boardmans, into the territory of the strongly animistic, non-Buddhist Karen. There, he was no sooner baptized then he set off into the jungle alone to preach to his fellow tribespeople. Astonishingly, he found them strangely prepared for his preaching. ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Pai River

Pai River Source (Daen Lao Range, Thailand)

Pai River Mouth (Salween River 8.5)

Yuam River

Yuam River Source (Thanon Thong Chai Range, Thailand)

Thanon Thong Chai Range
Thanon Thong Chai Range;

Moei River Mouth (Salween River)

Yuam River Mouth (Salween River )

Dawna Hills, Swaleen River 10
Dawna Hills;

Gyaing River

Gyaing River Source (Hlaingbwe and Haungtharaw Rivers)

Gyaing River 1

Gyaing River Mouth (Salween River 10)

Salween River Mouth (Adaman Sea)

Burma, Rangoon River Folder, Central BUR

Rangoon River

Rangoon, Burma (Pegu River Mouth, Rangoon River Source)
Rangoon, Burma; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Pegu River

Pegu River Source (Pegu Range)
Pegu Range

Pegu River 1 (Bago)

Pegu River 2

Pagu River Mouth (Yango or Rangoon River Source)

Myitmaka River

Myitmaka River 1

Myitmaka River 2

Myitmaka River Mouth (Pegu River Mouth, Rangoon River Source)

Burma, Irrwaddy River Folder, Western BUR

Irrawaddy River

Irrawaddy River Source (Kachin State, Himalayas Glaciers)

Irrawaddy River 1 (Putao)

Irrawaddy River 2 (Myitkyina)

Himalayas Glaciers (Irrawaddy River_
Himalayas Glaciers;

Irrawaddy River 3 (China Inland Mission, Bhamo)

Taping River Mouth (Irrawaddy River 3)

Irrawaddy River 4 (Katha)

Shweli River Mouth (Irrawaddy River 4)

Irrawaddy River 5 (Tagaung)

Irrawaddy River 6 (Kyaukmyaung)

Irrawaddy River 7 (Mandalay)

Irrawaddy River 7 (Sagaing)

Mu River Mouth (Irrawaddy River 7)

Dokhtawaddy River Mouth (Irrawaddy River 7)

Irrawaddy River 8 (Bagan)

Irrawaddy River 8 (Chauk)

Burma, Irraddy River 8, Chindwin River Folder

Chindwin River

Chindwin River Source (Hukawng Valley)

Hukawng Valley
Hukawng Valley ;

Chindwin River 1

Chindwin River 2

Chindwin River 3

Chindwin River 4 (Homalin)

Chindwin River 5 (China Inland Mission)

Chindwin River 6 (Mingin)

Chindwin River 7 (Monywa)

Chindwin River Mouth (Irrawaddy River 8)

Irrawaddy River 9

Irrawaddy River 10 (Magway)

Irrawaddy River 11 (Pyay)

Irrawaddy River 12 (Hinthada)

Irrawaddy River 13 (Pantanaw)

Irrawaddy River Mouth (Andaman Sea)

Burma (Clean) Folder, its rivers and mountains

Burma (Clean), its Area

Burma
Burma;

British Empire - Burma
Burma;

Burma (Clean), Swaleen River Folder, Eastern BUR

Derung Valley (Dulong Valley, Salween River Source)
Derung Valley (Dulong Valley, Salween River Source); Tom and Marguarite Antonson in my Bonners Ferry Hiking Group. We counted this hike as one of our own.

Nujiang (Salween) River Valley
Nujiang (Salween) River Valley ; Tom and Marguarite Antonson in my Bonners Ferry Hiking Group. We counted this 2015 hike as one of our own.

China Inland Mission, Burma China border (Salween River 1) 1865
China Inland Mission Dengyue; Dengyue is a treaty port;

Karen People, Burma (Karen Hills, Swaleen River 8)
The Karen people were a primitive, hunted minority group of ancient Tibeto-Burman ancestry scattered in the forests and jungles of the Salween River and in the hills along the southeast coast. Judson was the first missionary to make contact with them about 1827 when he ransomed and freed a debt-slave from one of his early converts. The freed slave, Ko Tha Byu, was an illiterate, surly man who spoke almost no Burmese and was reputed to be not only a thief but also a murderer. In 1828 the former Karen bandit, "whose rough, undisciplined genius, energy and zeal for Christ" had caught the notice of the missionaries, was sent south with a new missionary couple, the Boardmans, into the territory of the strongly animistic, non-Buddhist Karen. There, he was no sooner baptized then he set off into the jungle alone to preach to his fellow tribespeople. Astonishingly, he found them strangely prepared for his preaching.

Moei River Mouth (Salween River 9.5)

Yuam River Mouth (Salween River 9.5 )

Burma (Clean), Rangoon River Folder, Central BUR

Rangoon, Burma (Pegu River Mouth, Rangoon River Source)
Rangoon, Burma;

Pegu River 3 (Bago)

Burma (Clean), Irrwaddy River Folder, Western BUR

Hispaniola Folder (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Haiti)

Hispaniola Island
Hispaniola Island; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Dominican Republic, Hispanola
Dominican Republic; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Haiti, Republic of Haiti, Hispanola
Haiti, Republic of Haiti; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938; FREDERICK DOUGLASS, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1895, Commemorated February 18; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911);

Danish West Indies Area (US Virgin Islands) Area

Danish West Indies (US Virgin Islands of St Thomas, St John, St Croix,)
Danish West Indies (Virgin Islands of St Thomas, St Jan, St Croix); SOREN KIERKEGAARD, TEACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 8 Sept. 1855 ;

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10;

Hispanola, 1930-1961, Dominican Republic Strongman, Rafael Trujillo
Hispanola, 1930-1961, Dominican Republic Strongman, Rafael Trujillo; Leonidas Trujillo Molina (24 October 1891 - 30 May 1961), nicknamed El Jefe ("The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961.[2] He served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, ruling for the rest of the time as an unelected military strongman under figurehead presidents.[Note 1] His 31 years in power, to Dominicans known as the Trujillo Era, are considered one of the bloodiest eras ever in the Americas, as well as a time of a personality cult, when monuments to Trujillo were in abundance. Trujillo and his regime were responsible for many deaths, including between 5,000 and 67,000 Haitians in the infamous Parsley massacre.[3][Note 2][Note 3] his long rule, the Trujillo government extended its policy of state terrorism beyond national borders. Notorious examples of Trujillo's reach abroad are the unsuccessful assassination attempt in Caracas against Venezuelan President Romulo Betancourt in 1960, the abduction and subsequent disappearance in New York City of the Spaniard Jesus Galindez in 1956, the murder of writer Jose Almoina in Mexico, also a Spaniard, and crimes committed against Cubans, Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans, and Puerto Ricans, as well as Americans.[6] On 30 May 1961, Trujillo was assassinated by conspirators sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In the immediate aftermath, Trujillo's son Ramfis took temporary control of the country, and vowed to kill those involved in the death of his father. By 19 November 1961, Trujillo's relatives and cronies, such as Joaquín Balaguer, who fled to New York City, were forced to leave the country, but not before killing the surviving members of the assassination plot. Trujillo era unfolded in a Hispanic Caribbean environment that was particularly fertile for dictatorial regimes.[Note 4] In the countries of the Caribbean Basin alone, his dictatorship (in whole or in part) was concurrent with those in Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, and Haiti. In retrospect, the Trujillo dictatorship has been characterized as more prominent and more brutal than those that rose and fell around it.[8] Trujillo remains a polarizing figure in the Dominican Republic, the sheer longevity of his rule makes a detached evaluation difficult. While his supporters credit him for bringing stability and prosperity to the country, others criticize his heavy-handed rule and disregard for civil rights and freedoms. CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; American missionary in the Dominican Republic, the Reverend Charles Barnes spoke out against tyranny. Barnes raised awareness of the slaughter of thousands of Haitian innocents at the hand of the Dominican Republic's Trujillo regime by writing letters to contacts in the American State Department. Intercepted by Trujillo's officials, Barnes' letters made him the target of the regime, and he was martyred for his advocacy in 1938. came to the Dominican Republic in April 1936, and served as Vicar of the Church of the Epiphany, where his remains are interred. He was born in Camden, New Jersey, on March 17, 1894, and received his graduate theological training at the General Theological Seminary in New York. Ordained to the priesthood in 1920, Barnes served in Pennsylvania, present-day Belize, and Honduras before coming to the Dominican Republic.

Spanish American War 1898 (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, Phillipines)
Spanish American War 1898; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Cuba (next to Hispanola)
Cuba; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929); Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

Cuba, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, tears of t Indians, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help
Spain and Portugal, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, from Seville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2), tears of the Indians, social justice pioneer, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help; Seville; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; de Las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. 1502 he went to Cuba, and for his military services there was given an Encomienda, an estate that included the services of the Indians living on it. about 1513 he was ordained priest (probably the first ordination in the Americas), in 1514 he renounced all claim on his Indian serfs. During the following seven years he made several voyages to Spain to find support for a series of new towns in which Spaniard and Indian would live together in peace and equality. 1523 he became a Dominican friar and disappeared for a time from public controversy. 1540 he returned to Spain and was a force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. was made Bishop of Chiapas in Guatemala, and returned to the Americas in 1544 to implement the new laws, but he met considerable resistance, in 1547 he returned to Spain, where he devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians. is chiefly remembered for his Brief Report On the Destruction of the Indies (or Tears of the Indians), a fervid and perhaps exaggerated account of the atrocities of the Spanish conquerors against the Indians. book was widely read and widely translated, and the English version was used to stir up English feeling against the Spanish as a cruel race whom England ought to beware of, and whose colonies in the Americas would be better off in English Las Casas is widely admired as an early pioneer of social justice, and widely denounced as an irresponsible pamphleteer and spreader of slanders. died in Madrid on 17 July (or perhaps 31 July) 1566, and is remembered as a national hero in Cuba and Nicaragua. An extract from Tears of the Indians follows. Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, Gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and spreading religion. Las Casas we may remember Bartolomeo de Olmedo, priest and friar of Mercy, who was chaplain of Cortez's expedition to Mexico City, and who appears in the records of that expedition as a moderating force, denouncing atrocities and conquest, talking Cortez out of forcibly destroying idol temples, telling him instead to set the Indians an example of Christian love, and wait for them to destroy the idols by their own decision. readers will remember him from Samuel Shellabarger's historical novel, Captain From Castille.) to the Britannica article on pre-Columbian American cultures (see vol. 26 p. 25 of the 15th edition), the clergy accompanying the Spanish conquistadors were consistently more disposed than the commanders to respect the native civilizations and undertake to preserve their records, and whatever aspects of native culture were not clearly inconsistent with Christianity. the beginning, the missionary priests in Spanish America showed concern for the welfare of the Indians. On Christmas Day in 1511, in Hispaniola, the Dominican Antonio de Montesimos preached, saying, "By what right or justice do you keep the Indians in such horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?" government policy was to establish towns for the Indians, and these were normally built in connection with mission posts. The Indians seem to have taken to the mission civilization with enthusiasm. In particular, they were great lovers of music, and found plainchant much to their taste. first Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, said, "I find that more are converted by music than by any other method." were also impressed by the asceticism of the friars. A prominent idea in the native religions had been that holiness was associated with bearing pain in the service of the gods, and when they met missionaries like the Franciscan Antonio de Roa, who went barefoot and slept on boards, wore only a coarse sackcloth robe, ate no meat or wine, and scourged himself every time he saw a crucifix, they concluded that he must be a man of God, and listened eagerly to his preaching. seems clear that the Indians for the most part regarded the missionaries as their benefactors, and gave them a loyalty which was not simply fear of the secular authority that backed them up. This is shown when the secular authority did not back them. 1769, when the Spanish Crown adopted an anti-Jesuit policy, the Jesuits were deported from Mexico. Mobs of angry Indians attempted to break into the barracks where they were held, and a large military escort was necessary to conduct them to Vera Cruz and the waiting ships. in 1799, in Pueblo, a large Indian crowd attacked a jail in which a priest had been imprisoned. about three centuries, from the early 1500's to the early 1800's, the people of Mexico were obedient to the Spanish Crown because their clergy were. when the Crown broke with the clergy in the early 1800's the priests began to preach independence, and the people followed their lead, and Mexico and the rest of Spanish America became independent. great many converts were brought in by the Cloak of Guadalupe. An Indian Christian reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and sent him to see the bishop; and as a sign that the appearance was genuine, she filled his cloak with roses although it was winter, and printed on the cloak a picture of herself, portrayed in the Indian style of art, as a woman treading a serpent, and with some details that made no particular sense to a European. Indians came to see the cloak (which is still on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City), and were converted by the sight. seems that some of the details are significant in terms of American Indian culture, and were understood by the Indians to mean that Christianity is the fulfilment of their prophecies and expectations. persons today think of the Indians of Mexico as a free and happy people who were conquered and enslaved by the Spanish. must be remembered that before the coming of the Europeans, the Aztecs with their capital at what is now Mexico City had conquered the surrounding tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions, and required of them every year a tribute of young men and women to be sacrificed in the temples at Mexico City. subjugated tribes did not like this, and gladly assisted Cortes in his campaign against the Aztecs. when he suffered temporary defeats, the loyalty of his Indian auxiliaries never wavered, and his rule, once he had established himself, was considered far less harsh than that of the Aztecs had been. The Britannica article on Cortes speaks of "his acceptance by the Indians and his popularity as a relatively benign ruler." the European conquest of the Americas is being deplored, the accompanying high death rate among the natives is often mentioned. ought to be remembered that most of these deaths were due to smallpox. The disease was brought to the Americas by one sick sailor, and triggered a series of major epidemics. The Indians had no previous exposure to it and almost no resistance to it, and most cases were fatal. Moreover, the Indians habitually treated their sick by baths, and the water was used by many bathers. One bather with an open sore was enough to infect all who shared the same bath. two populations long separated come into significant contact, each of them is at risk from diseases against which they are defenseless. The smallpox epidemic would have run about the same course if the ships of Columbus had been loaded with social workers and Peace Corps volunteers. can denounce the Europeans for the smallpox epidemic only by being prepared to say that there ought never to be contact between two populations that have previously been isolated from each other. — by James Kiefer

Guantanamo Naval Base, Island of Cuba, Hispanola
Guantanamo Naval Base; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ;

Puerto Rico (next to Hispanola)
Puerto Rico; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic
Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938;

Episcopal Cathedral of the Epiphany-Union Church of Santo Domingo, 1930
Episcopal Cathedral of the Epiphany-Union Church of Santo Domingo; Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES. PRIEST, 26 July 1938;

Hispaniola (Clean) Folder (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Haiti)

Hispanola Area

Spanish American War 1898 (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, Phillipines)
Spanish American War 1898;

Cuba (an Island, next to Hispanola)
Cuba;

Guantanamo Naval Base, Island of Cuba, Hispanola
Guantanamo Naval Base;

Puerto Rico (next to Hispanola)
Puerto Rico;

Palestine Folder, Phoenicia, Canaan, Israel, and Holy Land

Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River) after 135
Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter of Galatia; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Eulogius of Palestine, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable John the Silent of St Savas Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

British Empire - Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River)
Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter of Galatia; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Eulogius of Palestine, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Phoenicia, Palestine (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza)
Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Promised Land, Land of Milk and Honey
Promised Land; Promised Land (also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey") is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament), God promised and subsequently gave to Abraham and to his descendants. In modern contexts the phrase "Promised Land" expresses an image and idea related both to the restored homeland for the Jewish people and to salvation and liberation. first makes the promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:18–21: that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites." later confirms the promise to Abraham's son Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and then to Isaac's son Jacob (Genesis 28:13). The Book of Exodus describes the Promised Land in terms of the territory from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates river (Exodus 23:31). The Israelites conquered and occupied a smaller area of former Canaanite land and land east of the Jordan River after Moses led the Exodus out of Egypt (Numbers 34:1–12), and the Book of Deuteronomy presents this occupation as God's fulfillment of the promise (Deuteronomy 1:8). Moses anticipated that God might subsequently give the Israelites land reflecting the boundaries of God's original promise – if they were obedient to the covenant (Deuteronomy 19:8–9). concept of the Promised Land is the central tenet of Zionism, whose discourse suggests that modern Jews descend from the Israelites and Maccabees through whom they inherit the right to re-establish their "national homeland".[1] Palestinians also claim partial descent from the Israelites and Maccabees, as well as from other peoples who have lived in the region.[2] spirituals invoke the imagery of the "Promised Land" as heaven or paradise[3] and as an escape from slavery, which can often only be reached by death.[citation needed] The imagery and term also appear elsewhere in popular culture, in sermons, and in speeches such as Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop", in which he said: just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.[4] Church New Year, Commemorated September 1; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Paneas in Palestine, Golan Heights
Paneas in Palestine, Golan Heights; Apostle Erastus;

Palestine, etc. 2000BC-1270, Palestine, etc. History

Palestine, BC Folder, Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Judith

Palestine, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Abraham in Caanan
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Abraham; Abraham's story with abstract locations.; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Palestine, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Abraham, 100 yr old father of vast nation

Palestine, 2000 BC Dot 5, Sarah, Abraham's wife, 90 yr old mother of nations, in Caanan

Palestine, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Lot

Palestine, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Palestine, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Jacob, story with locations
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Jacob; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Abstract of Jacob's son's locations. ; Jacob's story with Abstract Locations; Righteous Jacob, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Jacob is mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapters 25-50. had a dream of a ladder (Genesis 28:12-17). Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and the Lord was above the ladder type of the Mother of God, who united earth to Heaven when she consented to become the mother of the Messiah). Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:22-30), who appeared as a man, and Jacob prevailed. the Lord gave him the name Israel and blessed him. called that place Peniel (The face of God), and said, "I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved."

Palestine, 1570 BC approx., Promised Land Entry in September
Palestine, 1570 BC, Promised Land Entry in September; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1;

Palestine, 605-562 BC, Judith &Book oJudith, Bethulia, Gaza (where Judith beheaded Holofernes), & background Locations
Palestine, 605-562 BC, Judith and Book of Judith, Bethulia, Gaza (Bethulia, where Judith beheaded Holofernes), Other Book oJudith Locations, Nebuchadnezzar tAssyrian Against Arphad tMede, Nineveh Assyria, Ecbatana Media, Huge stones, Huge walls, towers at gates wide foundations, Wide gates, Plain oRagau, hill country, along Euphrates, Tigris, Hydaspes, wKing oElam itPlains, thus many nations wtChelodites, Then Nebuchadnezzar contacted Persia in the East, Cilicia, Damascus, Lebanon, Antilebanon, &seacoast in the West, like Carmel, Gilead, Upper Galilee, vast plain oEsdraelon, Samaria, Jerusalem, Bethany, Chelous, Kadesh, Nile River, Tahpanhes, Raamses, Goshen, Memphis, all the way to Ethiopia, but they all made light of his summons so he got mad, he swore revenge after he defeats Medes oArphaxad, which he does turning Exbatana into shame, feasted 120 days then out to revenge; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; about the Righteous Judith may be found in the Old Testament book bearing her name. (See below) Bethulia, Gaza (where Judith beheaded Holofernes) ; 6th century Madaba Map shows a settlement called Betulion (Greek Β[ητ]υλιον) in this location, possibly the Bethulia where Judith beheaded Holofernes in biblical legend.[4] Zuweid (also spelled Sheikh Zoweid, Shaykh Zuwayd, or Sheikh Zouède; Arabic: الشيخ زويد Arabic pronunciation: [aʃˈʃeːx zeˈweːd, -zoˈwæjjed], Coptic: ⲃⲁⲓⲧⲩⲗⲟⲩⲁ, Greek: Bitulion) is a Bedouin town in the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip. It is situated between the cities of Arish and Rafah and is 334 kilometers (214 miles) northeast of Cairo. It has a population of around 60,000 as of 2015.[1] VA remarkable mosaic from Late Antiquity (between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth centuries) was found in Sheikh Zuweid in 1913, known from the archaeological literature as the Sheikh Zouède mosaic (leaning on the French spelling: Cheikh Zouède). It is currently preserved in a museum in Ismailia.[2][3][dubious – discuss] 6th century Madaba Map shows a settlement called Betulion (Greek Β[ητ]υλιον) in this location, possibly the Bethulia where Judith beheaded Holofernes in biblical legend.[4] town is named after Sheikh Zuweid, a commander of the Rashidun Islamic army who fought during the Muslim conquest of Egypt alongside Amr ibn al-'As. He died at the site of the present town in 640.[5] the 2011 Egyptian revolution, protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak were held in Sheikh Zuweid. On 27 January, one protester was killed by security forces attempting to disperse the demonstrations.[6] On 14 May 2011, an unknown group bombed the Sufi shrine in Sheikh Zuweid.[5] As many as 70 ISIS affiliated militants using mortars and car bombs attacked five Army checkpoints just north of the city on July 1, 2015. The attacks killed 30 Egyptian soldiers and were part of a larger group of coordinated attacks across the Sinai.[7] Book of Judith; Chapter 1 Against Arphaxad.* was the twelfth year* of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh. At that time Arphaxad was ruling over the Medes in Ecbatana.a Around Ecbatana he built a wall of hewn stones, three cubits thick and six cubits long. He made the walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide. its gates he raised towers one hundred cubits high with foundations sixty cubits wide. made its gates seventy cubits high and forty cubits wide to allow passage of his mighty forces, with his infantry in formation. that time King Nebuchadnezzar waged war against King Arphaxad in the vast plain that borders Ragau.* to him were all who lived in the hill country, all who lived along the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Hydaspes, as well as Arioch, king of the Elamites, in the plains. Thus many nations joined the ranks of the Chelodites.* b Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, contacted all the inhabitants of Persia* and all who lived in the west, the inhabitants of Cilicia and Damascus, Lebanon and Antilebanon, and all who lived along the seacoast, peoples of Carmel, Gilead, Upper Galilee, and the vast plain of Esdraelon, all in Samaria and its cities, and west of the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, Bethany, Chelous, Kadesh,c and the river of Egypt; Tahpanhes,d Raamses, all the land of Goshen, Memphise and beyond, and all the inhabitants of Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. all the inhabitants of the whole land* made light of the summons of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, and would not join him in the war. They were not afraid of him, since he was only a single opponent. So they sent back his envoys empty-handed and disgraced.f Nebuchadnezzar fell into a violent rage against all the land, and swore by his throne and his kingdom that he would take revenge on all the territories of Cilicia, Damascus, and Syria, and would destroy with his sword all the inhabitants of Moab, Ammon, the whole of Judea, and all those living in Egypt as far as the coasts of the two seas.* of Arphaxad. the seventeenth year* he mustered his forces against King Arphaxad and was victorious in his campaign. He routed the whole force of Arphaxad, his entire cavalry, and all his chariots, took possession of his cities. He pressed on to Ecbatana, took its towers, sacked its marketplaces, and turned its glory into shame. captured Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau, ran him through with spears, and utterly destroyed him once and for all. he returned to Nineveh with all his consolidated forces, a very great multitude of warriors; and there he and his forces relaxed and feasted for one hundred and twenty days.g the rest online

Palestine, 605-562 BC, Judith &Book oJudith, nTrust God fear, beautiful widow, decapitates General, israel saved, rUnmarried
Palestine, 605-562 BC, Judith and Book of Judith, Bethulia, Gaza (Bethulia, where Judith beheaded Holofernes), daring beautiful widow, upset leaders not trusting God, goes wMaid to enemy general Holofernes, promising info, gets into his tent, decapitates him, brings head back, Babylonian Assyrian enemies leave, israel saved, remains unmarried; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; about the Righteous Judith may be found in the Old Testament book bearing her name. (See below) Bethulia, Gaza (where Judith beheaded Holofernes) ; 6th century Madaba Map shows a settlement called Betulion in this location, possibly the Bethulia where Judith beheaded Holofernes in biblical legend.[4] Zuweid is a Bedouin town in the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt near the border with the Gaza Strip. It is situated between the cities of Arish and Rafah and is 334 kilometers (214 miles) northeast of Cairo. It has a population of around 60,000 as of 2015.[1] remarkable mosaic from Late Antiquity (between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth centuries) was found in Sheikh Zuweid in 1913, known from the archaeological literature as the Sheikh Zouède mosaic (leaning on the French spelling: Cheikh Zouède). It is currently preserved in a museum in Ismailia.[2][3][dubious – discuss] 6th century Madaba Map shows a settlement called Betulion in this location, possibly the Bethulia where Judith beheaded Holofernes in biblical legend.[4] Pagination Previous chapter Previous chapter 1 Against Arphaxad.* was the twelfth year* of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh. At that time Arphaxad was ruling over the Medes in Ecbatana.a Around Ecbatana he built a wall of hewn stones, three cubits thick and six cubits long. He made the walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide. its gates he raised towers one hundred cubits high with foundations sixty cubits wide. made its gates seventy cubits high and forty cubits wide to allow passage of his mighty forces, with his infantry in formation. that time King Nebuchadnezzar waged war against King Arphaxad in the vast plain that borders Ragau.* to him were all who lived in the hill country, all who lived along the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Hydaspes, as well as Arioch, king of the Elamites, in the plains. Thus many nations joined the ranks of the Chelodites.* b Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, contacted all the inhabitants of Persia* and all who lived in the west, the inhabitants of Cilicia and Damascus, Lebanon and Antilebanon, and all who lived along the seacoast, peoples of Carmel, Gilead, Upper Galilee, and the vast plain of Esdraelon, all in Samaria and its cities, and west of the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, Bethany, Chelous, Kadesh,c and the river of Egypt; Tahpanhes,d Raamses, all the land of Goshen, Memphise and beyond, and all the inhabitants of Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. all the inhabitants of the whole land* made light of the summons of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, and would not join him in the war. They were not afraid of him, since he was only a single opponent. So they sent back his envoys empty-handed and disgraced.f Nebuchadnezzar fell into a violent rage against all the land, and swore by his throne and his kingdom that he would take revenge on all the territories of Cilicia, Damascus, and Syria, and would destroy with his sword all the inhabitants of Moab, Ammon, the whole of Judea, and all those living in Egypt as far as the coasts of the two seas.* of Arphaxad. the seventeenth year* he mustered his forces against King Arphaxad and was victorious in his campaign. He routed the whole force of Arphaxad, his entire cavalry, and all his chariots, took possession of his cities. He pressed on to Ecbatana, took its towers, sacked its marketplaces, and turned its glory into shame. captured Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau, ran him through with spears, and utterly destroyed him once and for all. he returned to Nineveh with all his consolidated forces, a very great multitude of warriors; and there he and his forces relaxed and feasted for one hundred and twenty days.g See the rest online Book of Judith; Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Old Testament of the Bible but excluded from the Hebrew canon and assigned by Protestants to the apocrypha. tells of a Jewish widow, Judith, who uses her beauty and charm to trick and kill an Assyrian general who has besieged her city, Bethulia. With this act, she saves nearby Jerusalem from total destruction. The name Judith, meaning "praised" or "Jewess",[1] is the feminine form of Judah. Plot summary story revolves around Judith, a daring and beautiful widow, who is upset with her Jewish countrymen for not trusting God to deliver them from their foreign conquerors. She goes with her loyal maid to the camp of the enemy general, Holofernes, with whom she slowly ingratiates herself, promising him information on the Israelites. Gaining his trust, she is allowed access to his tent one night as he lies in a drunken stupor. She decapitates him, then takes his head back to her fearful countrymen. Assyrians, having lost their leader, disperse, and Israel is saved.[39] Though she is courted by many, Judith remains unmarried for the rest of her life. structure Book of Judith can be split into two parts or "acts" of approximately equal length. 1–7 describe the rise of the threat to Israel, led by the evil king Nebuchadnezzar and his sycophantic general Holofernes, and is concluded as Holofernes' worldwide campaign has converged at the mountain pass where Judith's village, Bethulia, is located.[40] 8–16 then introduce Judith and depict her heroic actions to save her people. first part, although at times tedious[according to whom?] in its description of the military developments, develops important themes by alternating battles with reflections and rousing action with rest. In contrast, the second half is devoted mainly to Judith's strength of character and the beheading scene.[40] Judit and her maid, Artemisia Gentileschi, Italy, 1619 Part I (1:1–7:23) A. Campaign against disobedient nations; the people surrender (1:1–2:13) B. Israel is "greatly terrified" (2:14–3:10) C. Joakim prepares for war (4:1–15) D. Holofernes talks with Achior (5:1–6.9) E. Achior is expelled by Assyrians (6:10–13) E'. Achior is received in the village of Bethulia (6:14–15) D'. Achior talks with the people (6:16–21) C'. Holofernes prepares for war (7:1–3) B'. Israel is "greatly terrified" (7:4–5) A'. Campaign against Bethulia; the people want to surrender (7:6–32) Part II (8:1–16:25) A. Introduction of Judith (8:1–8) B. Judith plans to save Israel (8:9–10:8), including her extended prayer (9:1–14) C. Judith and her maid leave Bethulia (10:9–10) D. Judith beheads Holofernes (10:11–13:10a) Judith Returns to Bethulia, 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld C'. Judith and her maid return to Bethulia (13.10b–11) B'. Judith plans the destruction of Israel's enemy (13:12–16:20) A'. Conclusion about Judith (16.1–25)[40]

Palestine, 000, 1st C Folder, Philemon&Apphia, 5 Apostles, Lydda Icon, Lydia Dorcas Phoebe, Cornelius

Palestine, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances

Palestine, 30-68, Apostle Philemon and wife Apphia, Bishop of Gaza, Church in their home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Philemon and wife Apphia, Colossae, Phyrgia, Church in their home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Palestine, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon and wife Apphia and their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed with knives
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon and wife Apphia and their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed with knives; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Palestine, 33-1st Century, Apostle Thomas of the Twelve, founded churches in Palestine
Apostle Thomas of the Twelve; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6; to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. “My Lord and my God,” the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). “Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.” Some icons depicting this event are inscribed “The Doubting Thomas.” This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, “The Touching of Thomas.” In Slavonic, it says, “The Belief of Thomas.” When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. the Gospel earned him a martyr’s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).

Palestine, 33-1st Century, Apostle Philip, in Azotus, where he healed and eye affliction and baptized whole family
Greece, 1st Century, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Palestine, 34, Lydda Icon, Diospolis, new church, Peter&Johnl, go there I will be with you
Palestine, 34, Lydda Icon, Diospolis; Lydda or Lod or Diospolis; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Icon œNot Made by Hands from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; wonderworking Lydda Icon is mentioned in the service for the Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon. to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence. She sent them back to Lydda and said, “Go in peace, and I shall be there with you.” at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. the eighth century, Saint Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of Saint Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. The icon still existed as late as the ninth century. Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26; Story wonderworking Lydda Icon is mentioned in the service for the Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon. to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence. She sent them back to Lydda and said, “Go in peace, and I shall be there with you.” at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. the eighth century, Saint Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of Saint Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. icon still existed as late as the ninth century. The Lydda Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on March 12.

Palestine, 34-1st Century, Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Bishop of Lydda or Diospolis
Apostle Amplias of the Seventy; Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Amplias was a bishop in the city of Diospolis. Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles was established by the Orthodox Church to indicate the equal honor of each of the Seventy. They were sent two by two by the Lord Jesus Christ to go before Him into the cities He would visit (Luke 10:1). the celebration of the Synaxis of the Holy Disciples, the Church celebrates the memory of each of them during the course of the year: Saint James the Brother of the Lord (October 23); Mark the Evangelist (April 25); Luke the Evangelist (October 18); Cleopas (October 30), brother of Saint Joseph the Betrothed, and Simeon his son (April 27); Barnabas (June 11); Joses, or Joseph, named Barsabas or Justus (October 30); Thaddeus (August 21); Ananias (October 1); Protomartyr Stephen the Archdeacon (December 27); Philip the Deacon (October 11); Prochorus the Deacon (28 July); Nicanor the Deacon (July 28 and December 28); Timon the Deacon (July 28 and December 30); Parmenas the Deacon (July 28); Timothy (January 22); Titus (August 25); Philemon (November 22 and February 19); Onesimus (February 15); Epaphras and Archippus (November 22 and February 19); Silas, Silvanus, Crescens or Criscus (July 30); Crispus and Epaenetos (July 30); Andronicus (May 17 and July 30); Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles (October 31); Aristobulus (October 31 and March 16); Herodion or Rodion (April 8 and November 10); Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon (April 8); Hermas (November 5, November 30 and May 31); Patrobas (November 5); Hermes (April 8); Linus, Gaius, Philologus (November 5); Lucius (September 10); Jason (April 28); Sosipater (April 28 and November 10); Olympas or Olympanus (November 10 ); Tertius (October 30 and November 10); Erastos (November 30), Quartus (November 10); Euodius (September 7); Onesiphorus (September 7 and December 8); Clement (November 25); Sosthenes (December 8); Apollos (March 30 and December 8); Tychicus, Epaphroditus (December 8); Carpus (May 26); Quadratus (September 21); Mark (September 27), called John, Zeno (September 27); Aristarchus (April 15 and September 27); Pudens and Trophimus (April 15); Mark nephew of Barnabas, Artemas (October 30); Aquila (July 14); Fortunatus (June 15) and Achaicus (January 4). the Descent of the Holy Spirit the Seventy Apostles preached in various lands. Some accompanied the Twelve Apostles, like the holy Evangelists Mark and Luke, or Saint Paul’s companion Timothy, or Prochorus,the disciple of the holy Evangelist John the Theologian, and others. Many of them were thrown into prison for Christ, and many received the crown of martyrdom. are two more Apostles of the Seventy: Saint Cephas, to whom the Lord appeared after the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-6), and Simeon, called Niger (Acts 13:1). They also were glorified by apostolic preaching. are discrepancies and errors in some lists of the Seventy Apostles. In a list attributed to Saint Dorotheus of Tyre (June 5) some names are repeated (Rodion, or Herodion, Apollos, Tychicus, Aristarchus), while others are omitted (Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, Archippus, Aquila, Olympas). Saint Demetrius of Rostov consulted the Holy Scripture, the traditions passed down by the Fathers, and the accounts of trustworthy historians when he attempted to correct the mistakes and uncertainties in the list in compiling his collection of Lives of the Saints. Church in particular venerates and praises the Seventy Apostles because they taught us to honor the Trinity One in Essence and Undivided. the ninth century Saint Joseph the Hymnographer composed the Canon for the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles of Christ. Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Palestine, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop
Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop; Alexandria; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apollos (September 10) was a native of Alexandria and was a man of erudition. The chief place of his service was at Corinth. He toiled there for a long time and converted many to Christ. Towards the end of his life he preached on the island of Crete and was Bishop of Caesarea. Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; the Acts of the Holy Apostles we read the following: “A certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, eloquent and well-versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Hearing him, Aquila and Priscilla took him and more precisely explained to him the way of the Lord. And when he resolved to go to Achaia, the brethren wrote and asked the disciples to receive him. When he got there, he greatly helped those who believed by grace, for he powerfully confounded the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:24-28). Holy Apostle Apollos assisted the Apostle Paul. Saint Paul speaks about the spread of Christianity among the Corinthians, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Cor.3:6). Saint Apollos was later bishop at Smyrna (Asia Minor). Apollos is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, Commemorated on December 8;

Palestine, 35-61, Apostle Sosthenes, Jew aCorinth then Bishop oCaeserea
Greece, 35, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea ; Sosthenes /ˈsɒsθə.niːz/ (Greek: Σωσθένης, Sōsthénēs, "safe in strength") was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12–17). The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] Some historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother" (Greek: Σωσθένης ὁ ἀδελφός, Sōsthénēs ho adelphos, literally "Sosthenes the brother"), a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1–2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rückert, and de Wette".[2] It has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] He is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Corinth; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Sosthenes, before accepting Christianity, was head of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth. a riot against the Apostle Paul, he too suffered a beating. was converted by Paul to faith in Christ and afterwards became bishop at Caesarea.

Palestine, 40, LYDIA, DORCAS & PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)
Palestine, 40, LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7); was an early disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles[1][2] (Acts 9:36-43, see discussion here). lived in the port city of Joppa, today absorbed by Tel Aviv. Acts describes her as being known for her "good works and acts of mercy", sewing clothes for the poor.[3][4] she died, the widows of her community mourned her and sent urgently for Peter (Acts 9:38), who was in nearby Lydda. As evidence of her charity, they showed him some of the clothes she had sewn, and according to the biblical account he raised her from the dead.[5] Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; (or Tabitha in Aramaic -- both names mean "gazelle") is mentioned in Acts 9:36-42. was a member of the early Christian community in Joppa, a seacoast town of Israel, and noted for her acts of charity, in particular for making garments and giving them to needy widows. she fell ill and died, Peter came to see her, and raised her to life. words to her, "Tabitha, kumi," (Tabitha, arise), are reminiscent of the words of Jesus to the daughter of Jairus, "Talitha, kumi," (little girl, arise) as given in Mark 5:41. this is anything more than coincidence is hard to say. If the Aramaic words of Jesus had been quoted by Luke rather than by Mark, one might suppose that Luke was underscoring a resemblance between the two episodes (the reader is invited to look up both stories, the former in M 9:18-26 = P 5:22-43 = L 41-56 and the latter in A 9:36-42). As it is, I am not sure that Luke (or Peter, presumably Mark's source for his account) intends a connection. by James Kiefer

Palestine, 41-54, CORNELIUS, Centurion, angel appeared while praying, send people to Peter, Peter sheet vision, preach to pagans
Palestine, 41-54, Cornelius the Centurion, Joppa, Palestine, virtuous life, monotheist, piety, good deeds, angel appeared while he praying, send people from Caesarea to Joppa to Peter, Peter at prayer, vision great sheet 3 times lowered to him, all kinds beasts and fowl, eat everything, what God cleansed, not calll common, preach to pagans, C first pagan to receive baptism; Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed. CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); that we know of Cornelius is contained in the Book of Acts (chapters 10 and 11). centurion was a Roman army officer, theoretically in charge of a hundred men. Several centurions are mentioned in the New Testament (Matt 8:5 = Luke 7:2; Matt 27:54 = Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1; 22:25; 23:17,23; 22:23; 27:1), and they are consistently portrayed favorably. Cornelius is called a God-fearer--that is to say, he was a monotheist, a Gentile who worshipped the One God. The Jews traditionally recognized that such Gentiles had a place in the Family of God, and they are mentioned along with the priests (House of Aaron), the Levites (House of Levi), and the Jews or Israelites (House of Israel) in Ps 115:9-13, Ps 118:2-4, and Ps 135:19-20. In New Testament times, an estimated ten per cent of the population of the Roman Empire consisted of God-fearers, Gentiles who recognized that the pagan belief in many gods and goddesses, who according to the myths about them were given to adultery, treachery, intrigue, and the like, was not a religion for a thoughtful and moral worshipper, and who had accordingly embraced an ethical monotheism -- belief in One God, who had created the world, and who was the upholder of the Moral Law. Although only a few of them took the step of formal conversion to Judaism, undergoing circumcision and accepting the obligations of keeping the food laws and ritual laws of Moses and his rabbinical interpreters, most of them attended synagogue services regularly. Cornelius, then, was a Roman centurion, and a God-fearing man. One day, as he was praying, an angel appeared to him and told him to send a messenger to Joppa and ask Peter to come and preach to him. Peter, meanwhile, was given a vision that disposed him to go with the messenger. When Peter had preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on the first Christians at Pentecost (Acts 2), and they began to speak in other tongues. Thus, there was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians who hesitated to believe that it was the will of God that Gentiles should be brought into the Church. Cornelius was the first Gentile converted to Christianity, along with his household, and Luke, recording this event, clearly regards it as an event of the utmost importance in the history of the early Church, the beginning of the Church's decision to admit Gentiles to full and equal fellowship with Jewish Christians. Cornelius lived in Caesarea, the political capital of Judea under Herod and the Romans. (Given that Jerusalem was a holy city to the Jews, it would have been needlessly provocative for the Romans to establish their headquarters there.) Although he is not mentioned again, he and his household presumably formed the nucleus of the Christian community that we find mentioned later (Acts 8:40; 21:18) in this important city. by James Kiefer

Palestine, 41-54, Cornelius, Centurion, Peter, sheet, eat everything, salvation, Skepsis, idols, earthquake, wife and c
Palestine Centurion, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. He had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. The angel commande him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Palestine, 50, 1st C, CORNELIUS, All we know is contained in Acts, C's Angel, Peter's vision, important early Church history
Rome, 50, 1st C, CORNELIUS, All that we know about Cornelius is contained in Acts, a Roman officer, 100 men, God fearer, 10% Roman Empire God Fearers, ethical monotheism, most attended Synagogue regularly, one day as C praying Angel appeared, told him send messanger tJoppa, ask Peter come preach tHim, Meanwhile Peter given vision that allowed him go with messanger, Peter preached, Holy Spirit fell on them as on Christians aPentecost, they began speaking iOther tongues, which was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians God's will Gentiles in the Church, Luke regarded this event utmost important early Church history, Cornelius lived in Caesarea, C not mentioned again; Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); that we know of Cornelius is contained in the Book of Acts (chapters 10 and 11). centurion was a Roman army officer, theoretically in charge of a hundred men. Several centurions are mentioned in the New Testament (Matt 8:5 = Luke 7:2; Matt 27:54 = Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1; 22:25; 23:17,23; 22:23; 27:1), and they are consistently portrayed favorably. Cornelius is called a God-fearer--that is to say, he was a monotheist, a Gentile who worshipped the One God. The Jews traditionally recognized that such Gentiles had a place in the Family of God, and they are mentioned along with the priests (House of Aaron), the Levites (House of Levi), and the Jews or Israelites (House of Israel) in Ps 115:9-13, Ps 118:2-4, and Ps 135:19-20. New Testament times, an estimated ten per cent of the population of the Roman Empire consisted of God-fearers, who recognized that the pagan belief in many gods and goddesses, who according to the myths about them were given to adultery, treachery, intrigue, and the like, was not a religion for a thoughtful and moral worshipper, and who had accordingly embraced an ethical monotheism -- belief in One God, who had created the world, and who was the upholder of the Moral Law. only a few of them took the step of formal conversion to Judaism, undergoing circumcision and accepting the obligations of keeping the food laws and ritual laws of Moses and his rabbinical interpreters, of them attended synagogue services regularly. Cornelius, then, was a Roman centurion, and a God-fearing man. day, as he was praying, an angel appeared to him and told him to send a messenger to Joppa and ask Peter to come and preach to him. meanwhile, was given a vision that disposed him to go with the messenger. Peter had preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell on them, on the first Christians at Pentecost (Acts 2), they began to speak in other tongues. there was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians who hesitated to believe that it was the will of God that Gentiles should be brought into the Church. Cornelius was the first Gentile converted to Christianity, along with his household, Luke, recording this event, clearly regards it as an event of the utmost importance in the history of the early Church, beginning of the Church's decision to admit Gentiles to full and equal fellowship with Jewish Christians. Cornelius lived in Caesarea, the political capital of Judea under Herod and the Romans. that Jerusalem was a holy city to the Jews, it would have been needlessly provocative for the Romans to establish their headquarters there.) he is not mentioned again, he and his household presumably formed the nucleus of the Christian community that we find mentioned later (Acts 8:40; 21:18) in this important city. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion: Soon after the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and His Ascension into Heaven, a centurion by the name of Cornelius settled at Caesarea in Palestine. had lived previously in Thracian Italy. Although he was a pagan, he distinguished himself by deep piety and good deeds, as the holy Evangelist Luke says (Acts 10:1). The Lord did not disdain his virtuous life, and so led him to the knowledge of truth and to faith in Christ. Cornelius was praying in his home. An angel of God appeared to him and said that his prayer had been heard and accepted by God. angel commanded him to send people to Joppa to find Simon, also called Peter. Cornelius immediately fulfilled the command. those people were on their way to Joppa, the Apostle Peter was at prayer, and he had a vision: three times a great sheet was lowered down to him, filled with all kinds of beasts and fowl. He heard a voice from Heaven commanding him to eat everything. When the apostle refused to eat food which Jewish Law regarded as unclean, the voice said: “What God hath cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). this vision the Lord commanded the Apostle Peter to preach the Word of God to the pagans. When the Apostle Peter arrived at the house of Cornelius in the company of those sent to meet him, he was received with great joy and respect by the host together with his kinsmen and comrades. fell down at the feet of the apostle and requested to be taught the way of salvation. Saint Peter talked about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and spoke of the miracles and signs worked by the Savior, and of His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Saint Peter told him of the Lord’s death on the Cross, His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cornelius believed in Christ and was baptized with all his family. He was the first pagan to receive Baptism. retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Saints Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Saint Cornelius was chosen. the city lived a prince by the name of Demetrius, learned in the ancient Greek philosophy, hating Christianity and venerating the pagan gods, in particular Apollo and Zeus. Learning about the arrival of Saint Cornelius in the city, he immediately summoned him and asked him the reason for his coming. Saint Cornelius answered that he came to free him from the darkness of ignorance and lead him to knowledge of the True Light. prince, not comprehending the meaning of what was said, became angry and demanded that he answer each of his questions. When Saint Cornelius explained that he served the Lord and that the reason for his coming was to announce the Truth, the prince became enraged and demanded that Cornelius offer sacrifice to the idols. saint asked to be shown the gods. When he entered the pagan temple, Cornelius turned towards the east and uttered a prayer to the Lord. There was an earthquake, and the temple of Zeus and the idols situated in it were destroyed. All the populace, seeing what had happened, were terrified. prince was even more vexed and began to take counsel together with those approaching him, about how to destroy Cornelius. They bound the saint and took him to prison for the night. At this point, one of his servants informed the prince that his wife and child had perished beneath the rubble of the destroyed temple. a certain while, one of the pagan priests, by the name of Barbates, reported that he heard the voice of the wife and son somewhere in the ruins and that they were praising the God of the Christians. The pagan priest asked that the imprisoned one be released, in gratitude for the miracle worked by Saint Cornelius, and the wife and son of the prince remained alive. joyful prince hastened to the prison in the company of those about him, declaring that he believed in Christ and asking him to bring his wife and son out of the ruins of the temple. Saint Cornelius went to the destroyed temple, and through prayer the suffering were freed. this the prince Demetrius, and all his relatives and comrades accepted holy Baptism. Saint Cornelius lived for a long time in this city, converted all the pagan inhabitants to Christ, and made Eunomios a presbyter in service to the Lord. Saint Cornelius died in old age and was buried not far from the pagan temple he destroyed.

Palestine, 200, 3rd C Folder, Roman Senator Asterius oC wZacchaeus +3, historian Eusebius, Ananias iPhoenicia

Palestine, 260, Marinus of Rome, Martyr, soldier, being promoted to centurion, refused to sacrifice to idols, buried bAsterius
Palestine, 260, Marinus of Rome, Martyr, soldier, being promoted to centurion, refused to sacrifice to idols; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated December 16 ; Martyr Marinus was a soldier who suffered in Caesarea of Palestine in the third century. he was about to be promoted to centurion, he refused to swear the customary oath invoking the pagan gods, or to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Marinus was beheaded after cruel tortures, and buried by Saint Asterius (August 7).

Palestine, 260, Asterius the Roman Senator, Caesarea Philippi Palestine, expelled deamon, wrapped Martyr's body in his S Garb
Palestine, 260, Asterius the Senator, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), Christian Roman Senator, during C persecutions, expelled deamon, which exposed sacrifice, wrapped martyr's body in senatorial garb, carried to grave, for doing this beheaded ; Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; Martyr Asterius the Senator at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Holy Martyr Asterius the Senator lived during the reign of the pagan emperors Valerian (253-259) and his son Gallienus (260-268). he was a Roman senator, Asterius nonetheless held firmly to the Christian Faith, in spite of the persecutions occurring during those times. while in Palestine, he came to the city of Caesarea Philippi, where by custom a pagan feast was made with the offering of sacrifice to an idol. demon residing in the idol made the sacrifice disappear, and this was looked upon as a great wonder. Asterius expelled the demon by prayer. sacrifice ceased to be invisible, the pagans ceased to celebrate this impious festival. Asterius also happened to be present at the sufferings of the Martyr Marinus (December 16). the execution was over, he took off his senatorial garb, spread it upon the ground and wrapped the head and body of Saint Marinus in it. his own shoulders he carried the martyr’s relics to the grave and reverently consigned them to earth. doing this, he was himself sentenced to death and beheaded in the year 260.

Palestine, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, Arian
Palestine, 280-340, Eusebius, Church Historian, Arian; FABIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR (20 JANUARY 250);

Palestine, 284-305, Zacchaeus of Caesarea, Palestine, tortured with Alphaeus, Diocletian Persecution, deacon oGadara
Palestine, 284-305, Zacchaeus of Caesarea, Palestine, tortured with Alphaeus, Diocletian Persecution, deacon oGadara, shackled wAlphaeus, prayed all night; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ; Holy Martyrs Zacchaeus, Deacon of Gadara, and Alphaeus, Reader of Caesarea, suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). those arrested during the most fierce persecution against Christians was Saint Zacchaeus, a deacon of the Gadara church, who openly confessed his faith and did not renounce Christ under torture. Diocletian persecution was so fierce that many did not endure, and frightened of the tortures, they agreed to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Alphaeus, a reader of the church of Caesarea, zealous for the glory of God, approached a crowd of those fallen away from Christ on their way to offer pagan sacrifice. He urged them not to defile themselves with the impious sacrifices. arrested Saint Alphaeus and after tortures and torments they shackled him together with Saint Zacchaeus. They threw the martyrs into prison for the night, where they prayed continually, supporting one another in their resolve to endure all the sufferings for the name of Christ and thereby gain eternal life. The next morning, the holy Martyrs Zacchaeus and Alphaeus were beheaded for confessing Christ. The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Palestine, 286-305, Antonius o Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus&Nikephoros
Palestine, 286-305, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus and Nikephoros ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Antoninus of Casarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Nikephoros, Antoninus, and Germanus were beheaded in Caesarea of Palestine during the reign of Maximian by the ruler Firmilian.

Palestine, 286-305, Manetha o Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), Paraded naked before beheading
Palestine, 286-305, Manetha o Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), Paraded naked before beheading; Martyr Manetha of Cæsarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13; Manetha was captured along with Saints Antoninus, Nikēphóros and Germanus. She suffered many tortures. She was led naked through the city, was mocked, and received the crown of martyrdom when she was burned alive. Palestine, 286-305, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), beheaded by Maximian w Germanus and Nikephoros ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Antoninus of Casarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Nikephoros, Antoninus, and Germanus were beheaded in Caesarea of Palestine during the reign of Maximian by the ruler Firmilian.

Palestine, 295, Ananias tPresbyter's prayers destroyed temple&idols after hammers, fire, salt in burns, guard conversions
Palestine, 295, Ananias tPresbyter, Peter tPrison Guard, &7Soldiers suffered in Phoenicia, Palestine (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza), during Diocletian Persecution 284-305, A arrested fPreaching Christ, refusing worship idols, He was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on his scorched body, after that His prayers destroyed temple wIdols, Peter&his 7soldiers witnessed, believed, drowned after torture; Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Holy Martyrs Ananias the Presbyter, Peter the prison guard, and seven soldiers suffered in Phoenicia in the year 295. a persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), Saint Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of Phoenicia. He had been arrested for confessing Christ and refusal to worship idols. was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on his scorched body. his terrible sufferings, a temple and the idols standing in it were destroyed through the prayers of Saint Ananias. and seven other soldiers who were stationed to guard Ananias and witnessed his suffering came to believe in Christ. They were drowned in the sea after lengthy torture.

Palestine, 300, 4th C Folder, Roman Diocletian Persecution Copper Mines, George's Church, Hilarion tGreat, Martinian's fire

Palestine, 303-313, Roman Diocletian Persecution, Copper Mines in Phaeno, Palestine
Roman Diocletian Persecution, 303-313, copper mines at Phaeno in Palestine and Cilicia in Asia Minor ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ;

Palestine, 303-313, Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, falsely accused, copper mines, beheaded
Palestine, 303-313, Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, soldier, priest, falsely accused, copper mines, beheaded w 40 other Christians; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14 ; Holy Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza was a native of the city of Gaza. was first a soldier, then a priest. was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to labor in the copper mines. spite of many tribulations, the saint did not renounce Christ. his old age, he was beheaded together with forty other Christians.

Palestine, 304-305, Zenaida oCaesarea, Palestine, little info other than birth date 284, charism oMiracles & Martyr
Palestine, 304-305, Zenaida oCaesarea, Palestine(Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), little info other than birth date 284, charism oMiracles & Martyr; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; is very little information about Saint Zenaida, except that she was born in 284, in Caesarea of Palestine, that she was found worthy of the charism of working miracles. ended the course of her life with a martyric death. Byzantine Synaxarion mentions that Saint Zenaida's veneration was widespread in Constantinople, where her Synaxis took place on June 6, at a church dedicated to her in the Basilisk district. are a number of hagiographic sources which mention the name of Saint Zenaida. Among them, a Neapolitan calendar of the IX century (June 7); a printed Greek Menaion (Venice, 1591; and the Synaxaristes of Saint Νikodemos of the Holy Mountain. the Roman Martyrology of Cardinal Caesar Baronius, Zenaida is mistakenly listed under June 5 with the martyrs Valeria, Kyriake

Palestine, 305, Peter Apselamus oAneia, Persecution oMaximian, said sparing self because those sacrificing tIdols will perish
Palestine, 305, Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River), Diocletian Persecution oMaximian, said sparing self because those sacrificing tIdols will perish ; Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; Holy Martyr Peter Apselamus was a native of the village of Aneia in Palestine. the fourth century persecution against Christians he was arrested and brought to Severus, the governor of Palestine. vain did the judge and the people urge him to escape torture by sacrificing to the pagan gods. “I will spare myself by remaining faithful to the truth and refusing to offer sacrifice to lifeless idols,” the saint replied. “Whoever offers sacrifice to false gods will perish.” was enraged, and ordered the holy martyr to be tortured without mercy. he was crucified during the reign of Maximian, our Lord Jesus Christ was reigning unto the ages of ages. some Lives of the Saints he is listed twice: on January 12 as the martyr Peter Apselamus, and on January 13 as Peter of Aneia, it was mistakenly assumed that they were different persons.

Palestine, 305-311, 156 Martyrs in Palestine, eyes gouged out, foot tendons cut, beheaded or burned
Palestine, 305-311, 156 Martyrs in Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River), eyes gouged out, foot tendons cut, beheaded or burned; Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Holy Martyrs Peleus and Nilus, Bishops of Egypt, Presbyter Zeno, Patermuthius, Elias and another 151 Martyrs suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). majority of them were Egyptians, but there were also some Palestinians among them. the governor of Palestine, arrested 156 Christians. gouged out the eyes of the holy martyrs, cut the tendons of their feet, and subjected them to all manner of tortures. beheaded 100 of the martyrs, and burned the rest.

Palestine, 305-337, Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis), George's relics, many miracles
Palestine, 305-337, Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis), during Constantine's reign, George's relics, many miracles; Palestine, , Dedication St George's Church, Lydda, Palestine (Lo or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1), George's relics, many miracles; Lydda or Lod; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydda, Commemorated on November 3; Christians built a new church in honor of Saint George at Lydda during the reign of Saint Constantine (305-337). the church was consecrated, the relics of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23) were transferred there, and many miracles took place before them.

Palestine, 308, Ennatha, Valentina, &Paula oPalestine, they all beheaded after resistance and torture
Palestine, 308, Ennatha, Valentina, &Paula oPalestine, E fGaza, V&P fCaesarea, E tFirst bravely confessed Christ, beat, suspended fPillar & scourged, V bravely hurled stone aSacrifice, turned back on it, beaten, sentenced tBeheaded wE, P tormented, endured wPatience Courage, thanked God for strengthening, bowed to Christians, bent head beneath sword; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Holy Virgin Martyrs Ennatha, Valentina and Paula suffered in the year 308 under the emperor Maximian II Galerius (305-311). Ennatha came from the city of Gaza (in the south of Palestine), Saint Valentina was a native of Palestinian Caesarea, and Saint Paula was from the region of Caesarea. Ennatha was the first to be brought to trial before the governor Firmilian, bravely declaring herself a Christian. beat her, and then they suspended her from a pillar and scourged her. Valentina, accused of not worshipping the gods, was led to a pagan temple to offer sacrifice, she bravely hurled a stone at the sacrifice and turned her back on it. beat her mercilessly and sentenced her to be beheaded along with Saint Ennatha. of all, Saint Paula was brought, and they subjected her to many torments. the help of God, however, she endured them with great patience and courage. her death Paula gave thanks to the Lord for strengthening her. Bowing to the Christians present, she bent her neck beneath the sword.

Palestine, 308-309, Pamphilius, Valens, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, persecution, initiated by Diocletian
Palestine, 308-309, Pamphilius the Presbyter, Valens the Deacon, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, Samuel, Elias, Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah suffered during the persecution against Christians, initiated by the emperor Diocletian in the years 308-309 at Caesarea in Palestine; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Holy Martyrs Pamphilius the Presbyter, Valens the Deacon, Paul, Porphyrius, Seleucius, Theodulus, Julian, Samuel, Elias, Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah suffered during the persecution against Christians, initiated by the emperor Diocletian in the years 308-309 at Caesarea in Palestine. holy martyr Pamphilius, a native of the city of Beirut, was educated at Alexandria, after which he was made a priest at Caesarea. He devoted much labor to collating manuscripts and correcting copyist errors in the texts of the New Testament. The corrected texts of Saint Pamphilius were copied and distributed to anyone who wanted them. Many pagans were converted to Christ through them. works were collected into the extensive library of spiritual books available for the enlightening of Christians. Saint Jerome (4th-5th century) deeply respected Saint Pamphilius and considered himself fortunate to have located and acquired several of his manuscripts. assisting Saint Pamphilius in proclaiming the faith in Christ were Saint Valens, deacon of the church at Eleia, a man stooped with age and well-versed in the Holy Scriptures, and Saint Paul, ardent in faith and love for Christ the Savior. All three were imprisoned for two years by Urban, the governor of Palestinian Caesarea. the rule of his successor Firmilian, 130 Christians were sentenced in Egypt and sent to Cilicia (Asia Minor) to work in the gold mines. Five young brothers accompanied them to the place of exile. On their return to Egypt they were detained at Caesarea and thrown into prison for confessing Christ. youths appeared before Firmilian, together with those imprisoned earlier: Saints Pamphilius, Valens and Paul. The five Egyptian youths took the names of Old Testament prophets, Elias, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Samuel and Daniel. Asked where they were from, the youths said that they were citizens of Jerusalem, meaning the heavenly Jerusalem. Firmilian knew nothing of such a city, since Jerusalem had been razed to the ground by the emperor Titus in the year 70. The emperor Hadrian (117-138) built a new city on the site, which was called Aelia Capitolina. tortured the youths for a long time. He sought to learn the location of the unknown city, and he sought to persuade the youths to apostatize. But nothing was accomplished, and the governor ordered them to be beheaded by the sword with Pamphilius, Valens and Paul. this occurred, a servant of Pamphilius endured suffering. This was the eighteen-year-old youth Porphyrius, meek and humble. He had heard the sentence of death for the condemned martyrs, and asked the governor’s permission to bury the bodies after their execution. For this he was sentenced to death, and thrown into a fire. witness of this execution, the pious Christian Seleucius, a former soldier, in saluting the deeds of the sufferers, went to Pamphilius and told him about the martyric death of Saint Porphyrius. He was seized by soldiers and, on Firmilian’s orders, was beheaded by the sword together with the condemned. of the governor’s servants, Theodulus, a man of venerable age and a secret Christian, met the martyrs being led to execution, embraced them and asked them to pray for him. He was taken by soldiers to Firmilian, on whose orders he was crucified. young Julian, a native of Cappadocia who had come to Caesarea, saw the bodies of the saints which had been thrown to wild beasts without burial. Julian went down on his knees and venerated the bodies of the sufferers. Soldiers standing by at the wall seized him and took him to the governor, who condemned him to burning. The bodies of all twelve martyrs remained unburied for four days, but neither beasts nor birds would touch them. Embarrassed by this situation, the pagans permitted Christians to take the bodies of the martyrs and bury them.

Palestine, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder palestinian monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, defeated passions wWork&prayer
Palestine, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder palestinian monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, from Thabatha near Gaza&Cyprus, baptized iAlexandria, wtSketis, btMaium desert, violent struggles impure thoughts passions of flesh, defeated them through heavy laborfasting&prayer, overcame demonic terrors by prayer, converted thieves, famous for miracles, deliverance power, cured sick without pay, discerned sin passion by smell, monasteries spring up, he instituted strict rule, to Cyprus in 364; Palestine Saint, 311-371, Hilarion; the Great (291–371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, St Hilarion is considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism[1] and venerated as a saint by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hilarion the Great was born to pagan parents in the year 291 in the Palestinian village of Thabatha near Gaza. a young man, he was sent to Alexandria for his education. he became acquainted with Christianity and was baptized. hearing an account of the angelic life of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), Hilarion went to meet him, desiring to study with him and learn what is pleasing to God. soon returned to his native land to find that his parents had died. After distributing his family’s inheritance to the poor, Saint Hilarion went forth into the desert surrounding the city of Maium. the desert the Saint endured violent struggles with impure thoughts, vexations of the mind, and the burning passions of the flesh, he defeated them through heavy labor, fasting and fervent prayer. devil sought to frighten him with phantoms and apparitions. While he was praying Saint Hilarion would sometimes hear children crying, women wailing, and the roaring of lions and other wild beasts. understood that the demons were causing these terrors in order to drive him out of the wilderness. overcame his fear by resorting to fervent prayer. some thieves fell upon Saint Hilarion, and he persuaded them to forsake their lawless life by the power of his words. all of Palestine heard about Saint Hilarion and of the miracles he worked. Lord granted the holy ascetic the power to cast out unclean spirits. With this gift of grace he loosed the bonds of many of those who were afflicted. sick came for healing, and the Saint cured them without asking for any payment, saying that the grace of God is freely received, and must be freely given (Matthew 10:8). was the grace that he received from God that he could tell by the smell of someone’s body or clothing which passion was afflicting his soul. came to Saint Hilarion desiring to save their souls under his guidance. his blessing, monasteries began to spring up throughout Palestine. Going from one monastery to another, he instituted a strict ascetic manner of life. seven years before his death (+ 371-372) Saint Hilarion moved back to Cyprus, where the ascetic lived in a solitary place until the Lord summoned him to Himself. Hilarion is sometimes depicted holding a scroll which reads: "The tools of a monk are steadfastness, humility, and love according to God." In iconography, is depicted as an old man with a brown, rush-like beard divided into three points. Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius, Arcjbishop oGaza, trance at Golgatha, Jesus told him protect Holy Cross, he got the job and did
Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius, Arcjbishop oGaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, born 346 at Thessalonica, wealthy, educated, at 25 in 371 tNitrian Desert Egypt, then tJerusalem, holy places, venerating Holy Cross, then tCave in Jordanian wilderness, fPrayer&ascetic deeds, after 5yrs aflicted serious leg malady, back to holy places to pray fHealing, trance in front oGolgotha, he beheld Jesus descending from the Cross and saying take this wood and preserve it, came out of tTrance healed, then gave his money to poor and for churches adornment &monasteries, for a time he was a shoemaker, Jesus' words fulfilled 45yr old 391, ordained priest and custodian otCross, 395 Met John in Caesarea made P Bishop oGaza, with tears&trembling he accepted, prostrating before the Cross, only 3Christian Churches in Gaza, but many temples with idols, long perios without rain, severe drought, Pagan priests offering tIdols failed, Prophyrius imposed fast, served all-night vigil, church procession around tCity, immediately rain poured down, many pagans said Christ the only God, 270 people baptized, pagans contunued Christian harrasment, passed over fPublic Office, taxes, J&Met John oC tJerusalem to seek redress from emperor, John Chrysostom assisted, Emperess Eudoxia expecting and needed son after 3 daughters, intercede for us and the Lord will send you a son who shall reign in your lifetime, heir born, emperor issued edict i401, destroy Gaza's pagan temples, restore Christian privileges, plus he gave money for church over main temple location, 401to420 Prophyrius upheld Christianity, guarded christians from Pagans, numberous miracles and healings from his prayers ; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at Thessalonica. parents were people of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrius to receive a fine education. the inclination for monastic life, he left his native region at twenty-five years of age and set off for Egypt, he lived in the Nitrian desert the guidance of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19). he also met Saint Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries. went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), he moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. five years, Saint Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, Saint Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. beheld Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and preserve it.” out of his trance, he found himself healthy and free from pain. he gave away all his money to the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. a time he supported himself by working as a shoemaker. words of the Savior were fulfilled when the saint was forty-five years old. Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint Porphyrius to the holy priesthood appointed him custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. The Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrius. fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience. Gaza there were only three Christian churches, there were a great many pagan temples and idols. this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; then served an all-night Vigil, by a church procession around the city. the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ is indeed the only true God!” a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this. pagans continued to harass the Christians. passed them over for public office, burdened them with taxes. Porphyrius and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. John Chrysostom (September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them. John and Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. a result of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza the restoration of privileges to Christians. the emperor gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, was to be built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple. Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years, and reposed in 420 at an advanced age.

Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius, Bishop oGaza, tNitrian desert, preserved Holy Cross aJerusalem per Jesus, converted Gaza
Palestine, 366-420, Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, fThessalonica, weathy, educated, inclined monastic life, tNitrian desert Egypt, under Marcarius tGreat, also met Jerome, tJerusalem fHoly Places, and tVenerate tLife Creating Holy Cross, then tCave in Jordanian wilderness, fPrayer&Ascetic deeds, 5yrs, then afflicted malady otLegs, to tHoly Places Jerusalem tPray for Healing, laying half conscious aFoot oGolgotha, in a trance, beheld Jesus descending ftCross, saying take this wood and preserve it, out of trance healthy free from pain, then gave all his money tPoor and Churches adornment, worked as shoemaker, at age 45 (391) savior's words fulfilled, ordained and assigned custodian otCross, 395 Gaza bishop died, with fear and trembling he accepted, tears before tCross, only 3 churches in Gaza, pagans predominant, harrasing christians, many temples&Idols, long spell without rain, pagan priests offerings tIdols dd not work, imposed fast all christians, all-night vigil, procession around tCith, immediately abundant rain, many pagans united tChurch, 237, but harrasment continued, no public office, taxes, tConstantinople wMet oCaesarea john tSeek redress fEmperor, John Chrysostom assisted them, Emperess Eusoxia had son, heir after Bishops prayed for her, offering intercede for us and Lord will send you a son who will reign during your lifetime, So Emperor ordered destruction of all tempels in Gaza, restoration oPrivileges tChristian, mone for new Church, replacing chief pagan temple, P's prayers brought numerous healings and miracles; Gaza City; Gaza Strip; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza, was born about the year 346 at Thessalonica. parents were people of substance, and this allowed Saint Porphyrius to receive a fine education. the inclination for monastic life, he left his native region at twenty-five years of age and set off for Egypt, he lived in the Nitrian desert under the guidance of Saint Macarius the Great (January 19). he also met Saint Jerome (June 15), who was then visiting the Egyptian monasteries. went to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and to venerate the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord (September 14), he moved into a cave in the Jordanian wilderness for prayer and ascetic deeds. five years, Saint Porphyrius was afflicted with a serious malady of the legs. decided to go to the holy places of Jerusalem to pray for healing. he lay half-conscious at the foot of Golgotha, Porphyrius fell into a sort of trance. beheld Jesus Christ descending from the Cross and saying to him, “Take this Wood and preserve it.” out of his trance, he found himself healthy and free from pain. he gave away all his money to the poor and for the adornment of the churches of God. a time he supported himself by working as a shoemaker. words of the Savior were fulfilled when the saint was forty-five years old. Patriarch of Jerusalem ordained Saint Porphyrius to the holy priesthood appointed him custodian of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord. 395 the bishop of the city of Gaza (in Palestine) died. local Christians went to Caesarea to ask Metropolitan John to send them a new bishop who would be able to contend against the pagans, which were predominant in their city and were harassing the Christians there. Lord inspired the Metropolitan to summon the priest Porphyrius. fear and trembling the ascetic accepted the office of bishop, with tears he prostrated himself before the Life-Creating Wood and went to fulfill his new obedience. Gaza there were only three Christian churches, but there were a great many pagan temples and idols. this time there had been a long spell without rain, causing a severe drought. pagan priests brought offerings to their idols, but the woes did not cease. Porphyrius imposed a fast for all the Christians; then served an all-night Vigil, by a church procession around the city. the sky covered over with storm clouds, thunder boomed, and abundant rains poured down. this miracle, many pagans cried out, “Christ is indeed the only true God!” a result of this, 127 men, thirty-five women and fourteen children were united to the Church through Holy Baptism, and another 110 men soon after this. pagans continued to harass the Christians. passed them over for public office, burdened them with taxes. Saint and Metropolitan John of Caesarea journeyed to Constantinople to seek redress from the emperor. John Chrysostom (September 14, January 27 and 30) received them and assisted them. John and Porphyrius were presented to the empress Eudoxia who was expecting a child at that time. “Intercede for us,” said the bishops to the empress, “and the Lord will send you a son, who shall reign during your lifetime”. very much wanted a son, since she had given birth only to daughters. the prayer of the saints an heir was born to the imperial family. a result of this, the emperor issued an edict in 401 ordering the destruction of pagan temples in Gaza the restoration of privileges to Christians. the emperor gave the saints money for the construction of a new church, which was to be built in Gaza on the site of the chief pagan temple. Porphyrius upheld Christianity in Gaza to the very end of his life, guarded his flock from the vexatious pagans. the prayers of the saint numerous miracles and healings occurred. holy archpastor guided his flock for twenty-five years, reposed in 420 at an advanced age.

Palestine, 370-422, Martinian, Zoe and Photina, Caesarea, Palestine, M's fire convicts Zoe, M's dolphins inspires Photina
Palestine, 370-422, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), wilderness at 18, 25 yrs, ascetic, silence, healing, deliverence, temptations, prostitute Zoe to topple his virtue with her beauty, chose to burn in fire to escape fires of Hell, Zoe realized her sin, repented, asked him to guide her, sent to Bethlehem, Paula's convent, M burns healed, to rocky island, open sky, wove baskets for sailor who brought provisions, Photina floated to island, remain here for ship, M jumped into sea, carried by 2 dolphins, became wanderer, to Athens, sensed death, died in a church 422, Photina stayed island 6 yrs, men's clothing, bread water and wool to make clothes for captain's wife, incorrupt relics; Caesarea, Palestine ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Martinian went to live in the wilderness at the age of eighteen, not far from the city of Caesarea in Palestine. twenty-five years, he devoted himself to ascetic deeds and silence, and he was granted the gift of healing illnesses and casting out demons. However, the Enemy of the human race would not stop troubling the holy ascetic with various temptations. day a prostitute overheard some citizens of Caesarea speaking of Saint Martinian's virtuous life, so she asked them why they were amazed by it. She said that he went to live in the desert because he could not endure the temptations of the flesh in the city. Furthermore, she made a wager with them that she could topple this pillar of virtue with her beauty and seduce him. came to him one night, dressed in shabby clothes, pretending that she had lost her way in the storm, and asking for shelter. Reluctantly, the saint allowed her to enter his cell, because he did not wish to be the cause of her death. He went into the inner room of his cell, telling her she would have to leave in the morning. After chanting Psalms according to his Rule, he went to sleep on the floor, but he was disturbed by carnal thoughts. Meanwhile, the wicked guest opened the bag she had been carrying and changed into her beautiful clothes and adorned herself with jewels. morning came, Saint Martinian came out to send the woman away. Though he was tempted by the woman’s beauty, he was determined not to fall into sin. Lighting a fire, he stepped into it, saying, “You want me to burn with temptation, but I will not give in to it.. Instead, I choose to burn in this fire in order to preserve my purity and to escape the unquenchable fires of Hell." Saint Zoe woman was astonished at the lengths Saint Martinian was willing to go, and she realized how evil she was. She repented and asked the saint to guide her onto the way of salvation. He told her to go to Bethlehem, and enter the convent founded by Saint Paula (January 26). There she lived as a nun for twelve years in strict asceticism until her blessed repose. The woman’s name was Zoe. his burns healed, Saint Martinian went to an uninhabited rocky island, and lived on it under the open sky for several years, nourished by the provisions brought by a certain sailor from time to time. In return the monk wove baskets for him. day a ship was wrecked by a powerful storm, and a woman named Photina floated to the island on pieces of the wreckage Saint Martinian helped her to survive on the island. “Remain here,” he told her, “for I am leaving you bread and water, and in two months a boat will come and return you to the mainland." Martinian refused to stay on the island with the woman, believing that it would be better to drown than to burn with lust. He jumped into the sea and swam away, and a pair of dolphins carried him to dry land. Thereafter, Saint Martinian led the life of a wanderer. Later, he came to Athens and fell ill. Sensing the approach of death, he went into a church and lay upon the floor. God revealed to the Bishop of Athens who Saint Martinian was, and the hierarch buried his body with honor. This occurred around the year 422. for Saint Photina, she did not board the ship when it came to the island, electing to stay there by herself. She asked the captain of the ship to have his wife bring her men's clothing and some wool, promising to make clothes for his family. She also asked the woman to bring her bread and water in addition to the other supplies. Photina lived on the island for six years, and then she went to the Lord. Two months after her repose, the captain and his wife found her incorrupt relics and brought them to Caesarea in Palestine. He had a vision which revealed many details of Saint Photina's life, which he shared with the bishop. Then they buried her with great honor and reverence.

Palestine, 380-420, Pelagia tPenitent , dance troupe head, Nonnus prayed for her, she repented, adorned her soul
Palestine, 380-420, Pelagia tPenitent oAntioch of Palestine, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine, dance troupe head iPalestinian Antioch, frivolity&prostitution, elegantly dressed passed Nonnus' church, believers faced away but Nonnus glanced after her, struck by her beauty, foreseen spiritual greatness in her, prayed long time for her in his cell, he told fellow bishops that she put them to shame, explained she took great care to adorn her body to appear beautiful in eyes of men, while we take no thought to adorn our souls, Next day Pelagia came to hear his preaching about last judgement, tremendous impression on her, fear oGod and tears oRepentance, asked Nonnus for baptism, seeing full repentance, he baptized her, devil appeared at night but she prayed and signed herself wThe Cross, devil vanished, 3days aBaptism P gathered up valuables gave them tNonnus for distribution tPoor, and went to cell on Mt oOlives Jerusalem, there she lived iCell disguised as monk Pelagius, attaining great spiritual gifts, buried in her cell; Gaza City; Venerable Pelagia the Penitent, Commemorated on October 8; Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by Saint Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week). her acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch, a life of frivolity and prostitution. day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her way past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers turned their faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after her. by the outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the spiritual greatness within her, saint prayed in his cell for a long time to the Lord for the sinner. He told his fellow bishops that the prostitute put them all to shame. explained that she took great care to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the eyes of men. “We... take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,” he said. pelagia Saint Pelagia with Saint Nonnus the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came. teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. the fear of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her. night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former life. saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and the devil vanished. days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. bishop ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” this Saint Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual gifts. she died, she was buried in her cell.

Palestine, 400, 5th C Folder, Zosiman oPalestine wMary oEgypt

Palestine, 480-560, Saint, Zosimas of Palestine, with St Mary of Egypt
Palestine, 480-560, Saint, Zosimas of Palestine, with St Mary of Egypt; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1;

Palestine, 483-565 or 600, Barsanuphius tGreat&His disciple John tProphet, both wonderworking, raised the dead etc, humble

Palestine, 600, 7th C Folder, Persian control oPalestine

Palestine, 614-628, Persian Control of Palestine
Persian Control of Palestine, Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12;

Palestine, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia, Stole the Cross, Became a Monk
Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Anastasius of Persia, also known by his native name Magundat, was a Zoroastrian soldier in the Sasanian army later became a convert to Christianity and was martyred in 628. was born in the city of Ray. He was the son of a magus named Bau. He had a brother whose name is unknown. was a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II (r. 590–628) participated in the capture of the True Cross in Jerusalem, was carried to the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon. occasion prompted him to ask for information about the Christian religion. then experienced a conversion of faith, left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk at the monastery of Saint Savvas (Mar Saba) in Jerusalem[dubious – discuss]. He was baptized by Modestus, receiving the Christian name Anastasius to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Anástasis" in Greek). seven years of monastic observance, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Sasanians. he interrupted and ridiculed the Zoroastrian priests for their religion, was as a result arrested by the local marzban,[1] taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were continued while at the same time the highest honors in the service of King Khosrow II as a magus were promised him if he would renounce Christianity. after refusing to abjure, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated on January 22, 628. body, which was thrown to the dogs left untouched by them, carried from the place of his martyrdom to Palestine, then to Constantinople, and finally to Rome where the relics were venerated at the Tre Fontane Abbey. Passio [2] written in Greek was devoted to the saint. adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticized the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[3] feast day is 22 January. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Palestine, 622, Caesarea, Maritima, Where Anastacios sought martyrdom 7 or 8 years after he helped Chozroes steal The Cross
Caesarea, Palestine ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Monk Martyr Anastasius the Persian was the son of a Persian sorcerer named Bavi. a pagan, he had the name Magundates and served in the armies of the Persian emperor Chozroes II, in 614 ravaged the city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord to Persia. miracles occurred from the Cross of the Lord, and the Persians were astonished. heart of young Magundates was inflamed with the desire to learn more about this sacred object. everyone about the Holy Cross, the youth learned that upon it the Lord Himself was crucified for the salvation of mankind. became acquainted with the truths of the Christian Faith in the city of Chalcedon, where the army of Chozroes was for a certain while. was baptized with the name Anastasius, and then became a monk and spent seven years in one of the Jerusalem monasteries, living an ascetical life. the Lives of the holy martyrs, Saint Anastasius was inspired with the desire to imitate them. mysterious dream, which he had on Great and Holy Saturday, the day before the Resurrection of Christ, urged him to do this. fallen asleep after his daily tasks, he beheld a radiant man giving him a golden chalice filled with wine, who said to him, “Take this and drink.” Draining the chalice, he felt an ineffable delight. Anastasius then realized that this vision was his call to martyrdom. went secretly from the monastery to Palestinian Caesarea. he was arrested for being a Christian, and was brought to trial. governor tried in every way to force Saint Anastasius to renounce Christ, threatening him with tortures and death, and promising him earthly honors and blessings. saint, however, remained unyielding. Then they subjected him to torture: they beat him with rods, they lacerated his knees, they hung him up by the hands and tied a heavy stone to his feet, they exhausted him with confinement, and then wore him down with heavy work in the stone quarry with other prisoners. the governor summoned Saint Anastasius and promised him his freedom if he would only say, “I am not a Christian.” holy martyr replied, “I will never deny my Lord before you or anyone else, neither openly nor even while asleep. No one can compel me to do this while I am in my right mind.” Then by order of the emperor Chozroes, Saint Anastasius was strangled, then beheaded. the death of Chozroes, the relics of the Monk Martyr Anastasius were transferred to Palestine, to the Anastasius monastery. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Palestine, 638, Anastasios Relics uncovered, 3 tradns, head iRome, body iConstantinople, Stole Cross, Became aMonk, sght martyr
Persia, 638, Anastasios tPersian's Relics uncovered, 3 tradotopms, now head in Rome, body in Constantinople, Stole tCross, Became a Monk, 1 Relics tRome under Flavius Heraclius 610-645, tGreek monastery Three Fountains, Tre Fontain. 2. transfer tConstantinople under Heraculus and Pope Theodore I, Greek fJerusalem, 3. relics trans tVenice fConstantinople in 1204, Doge Henry Dandolos, Church Holy Francis iVenice, headless body, later moved to Constantinople, his head isin Rome; Persia, 614-622, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Anastasius of Persia, also known by his native name Magundat, was a Zoroastrian soldier in the Sasanian army later became a convert to Christianity and was martyred in 628. was born in the city of Ray. He was the son of a magus named Bau. He had a brother whose name is unknown. was a cavalryman in the army of Khosrow II (r. 590–628) participated in the capture of the True Cross in Jerusalem, was carried to the Sasanian capital Ctesiphon. occasion prompted him to ask for information about the Christian religion. then experienced a conversion of faith, left the army, became a Christian, and afterwards a monk at the monastery of Saint Savvas (Mar Saba) in Jerusalem[dubious – discuss]. He was baptized by Modestus, receiving the Christian name Anastasius to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ ("Anástasis" in Greek). seven years of monastic observance, he was moved by the Holy Ghost to go in quest of martyrdom and went to Caesarea, then subject to the Sasanians. he interrupted and ridiculed the Zoroastrian priests for their religion, was as a result arrested by the local marzban,[1] taken prisoner, cruelly tortured to make him abjure, and finally carried down near the Euphrates, to a place called Barsaloe (or Bethsaloe according to the Bollandists), where his tortures were continued while at the same time the highest honors in the service of King Khosrow II as a magus were promised him if he would renounce Christianity. after refusing to abjure, with seventy others, he was strangled to death and decapitated on January 22, 628. body, which was thrown to the dogs left untouched by them, carried from the place of his martyrdom to Palestine, then to Constantinople, and finally to Rome where the relics were venerated at the Tre Fontane Abbey. Passio [2] written in Greek was devoted to the saint. adapted Latin translation, possibly by Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury, was available to the Anglo-Saxon church historian Bede, who criticized the result and took it upon himself to 'improve' it. There are no surviving manuscripts of Bede's revision, though one did survive as late as the 15th century.[3] feast day is 22 January. Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; uncovering of the relics of Saint Anastasios of Persia (January 22) took place in 638, ten years after his martyrdom. are three traditions regarding his relics; According to the first, which is also accepted by the English historian Saint Bede (May 27), the relics were transferred to Rome during the reign of Emperor Flavius Heraclius Augustus (reigned 610-645) deposited in the Greek Monastery of the Three Fountains (“Tre Fontane”). The second tradition states that the transfer of the relics to Constantinople, also during the reign of Heraclius, took place during the time of Pope Theodore I, who may have been from Jerusalem, of Greek descent (see May 18). The third tradition indicates that the relics were transferred to Venice from Constantinople in 1204 the Doge Henry Dandolos removed them and placed them in the church of the Holy Trinity in Venice. the Saint’s holy relics are in the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis in Venice. survive in the form of a headless body, clothed in the garments of his time. Sophronios Eustratiadis of Leontopolis declares that a Roman bishop transported the relics to Caesarea in Palestine, later they were moved to Constantinople. head is in Rome, where it is still kept.

Palestine, 1200, 13th C Folder, Mamluk Sultan expels Crusaders fPalestine

Palestine, 1270, Mamluk Sultan Baibars expels Crusaders from Palestine

Palestine, 1300, 14th C Folder, Oldest Unburnt Bush Icon Palestine tMoscow

Palestine, 1390, Unburnt Bush Icon, Mt Horeb in Median, signifies MOG conception by Holy Spirit, to Russia 1390

Palestine, 9999, Unknown Century Folder, Romanus, Youth Barulus, Procopius tReader

Palestine, 9999, Roman or Romanus of Caesarea, Palestine
Palestine, 9999, Roman or Romanus of Caesarea, Palestine ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; concerning Saint Romanus is found in Books 3 and 12 of the Church History of Eusebius. Saint Romanus was born in Palestine, and served as a deacon in Caesarea. At the time of the persecution against Christians, he was living in Antioch. Through his preaching, he encouraged the faithful to stand firm in their confession of Christ when the Eparch Asclypiades wanted to raze the church to its foundations. Saint Romanus told the people that they must fight to prevent the destruction of the house of God, assuring them that even if they died in their efforts they would sing a hymn of victory in heaven. that time there a festival was being celebrated in honor of the idols, and Saint Romanus went to the pagan temple to upbraid the Eparch and the unbelievers for their impiety. As Asclypiades was about to enter the temple, Saint Romanus fearlessly proclaimed that the idols were not gods, and that only Jesus Christ was truly God. ordered the saint to be beaten, and even tried to persuade him to deny Christ. When this failed, the Eparch ordered that Saint Romanus be tortured. He was suspended and beaten, and his sides were scraped with metal blades. Bravely enduring these torments, Saint Romanus confessed Christ, and chastised Asclypiades for his obstinate refusal to see the truth. Saint Romanus was condemned to death by fire. As soon as the fire was lit, however, a rain fell and put it out. Then the Eparch ordered the saint’s tongue to be cut out, because he still confessed Christ and reviled the idolaters. Even after his tongue was cut out, the saint continued to speak as before. Saint Romanus was nailed to a keg, and he was strangled in his prison cell. Having completed his contest for Christ, he was found worthy of the heavenly Kingdom, where he continuously glorifies the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout all ages. Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Palestine, 9999, The Youth Barulus of Caesarea, Palestine, Your gods are demons, they have not created anything
Palestine, 9999, The Youth Barulus of Caesarea, Palestine; Caesarea, Palestine ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Barulas was a child in the crowd of people who witnessed the torture of Saint Romanus. Christ’s holy martyr told the Eparch Asclypiades that the young child was wiser than he was, because he knew the true God, while the Eparch did not. asked the boy what gods he worshiped, and he replied that he worshiped Christ. “Your gods are demons,” the child stated, “and they have not created anything.” these and other words, the young child put the idolaters to shame. Seeing that he could not convince Saint Barulas to worship the false gods, he had the boy tortured. His mother stood by, encouraging him to remain faithful to the Savior Christ. “Do not be afraid of death, my son,” she told him. “You shall not die, but shall live forever. When you are beheaded, you will behold Christ’s glory, and you will dwell with Him in unspeakable joy.” the child was executed, his mother took his body and buried it, rejoicing because he had shed his blood for Christ. Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ;

Palestine, 9999, Procopius the Reader, beheaded at Caesarea, Reader at Jerusalem, preacher, deliverance gift, Caesarea trial
Palestine, 999, Procopius the Reader, beheaded at Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8), Reader at Jerusalem, preacher, deliverance gift, Caesarea trial ; Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; Holy Martyr Procopius was a reader in the Church of Jerusalem. led a strict ascetic life, for which he received from the Lord the ability to cast out demons. zealous preacher of the Word of God was arrested and brought to trial in Palestinian Caesarea. his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols, he was beheaded.

Palestine, Way of the Sea Folder

Idumea (southern coastal plain and Edom)
Idumea (southern coastal plain and Edom), 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 6;

Abba Seridus, Gaza, Palestine (Way of the Sea 5)
Abba Seridus is at Gaza, but that is all Wikipedia knows about it. Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5;

Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine
Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Venerable Theophanes the Merciful of Gaza, Commemorated September 29 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT) ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma, Commemorated on October 12 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 19; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4;

Antioch of Palestine, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine
Gaza City; Gaza Strip; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Venerable Theophanes the Merciful of Gaza, Commemorated September 29 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT) ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma, Commemorated on October 12 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 19; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4;

Maium (Maiuma, Port of Gaza, Way of the Sea 5)
Maiuma; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma, Commemorated on October 12; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ;

Way of the Sea 5.5 (Askalon, Gaza Strip, Palestine)

Askalon, Philistia, Palestine Way of the Sea 5.5, Israel
Askalon; No Askalon found in Italy, so it must be Askalon in Israel.; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Azotus (Ashdod)
Azotus, 1 Maccabees Ch 10; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated November 14 ;

Jamnia
Jamnia, 1 Maccabees Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 15;

Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13 ; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Venerable John the Chozebite, Commemorated on October 28 ; Martyr Antoninus of Cæsarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Martyr Manetha of Cæsarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ; Martyr Romanus the Deacon, of Cæsarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated December 16 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Pretorium at Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Pretorium at Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8); Holy Virgin Martyr Theodosίa of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29;

Herod's Praetorium in Caesarea, served as his home, and a prison
Herod's Praetorium in Caesarea, served as his home, and a prison;

Dor
Dor, Israel, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Euroea, Phonecia (on the road to Damascas)
Euroea, Phonecia;

Palestine, General Folder

Holy Land (Palestine)
Holy Land; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated January 11 ; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523) ; Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated February 1 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea;

Palestine, land of the Philistines - Pleshet
land of the Philistines - Pleshet, 1 Maccabees Ch 3, Ashdod, Askelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Gath;

Canaan (Palestine, Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea)
Canaan (Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea); Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19;

Land of the Philistines (Gaza to Yarkon River)
Land of the Philistines (Gaza to Yarkon River), According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states (the "Philistine Pentapolis") of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with no fixed border to the east.; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ;

Mediterranean world
Mediterranean world; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ;

Israel
Israel; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64);

Palestinian Israel
Israel; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64);

Promised Land
Promised Land; Church New Year, Commemorated September 1; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ;

Promised Land Entry Point (Jordan River 4, Bethany baptismal site and Promised Land entry point)
Palestine, 400 BC, Promised Land Entry in September; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1;

Levant (littoral, Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean)
Levant (Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean); littoral zone

Palestine, Jordan River Folder

Baptismal Site Bethany, Palestine (Beyond the Jordan)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Palestine, Jordan Rift Valley Folder

Pharan wilderness of Palestine
Pharan wilderness of Palestine ; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated August 3 ;

Capitolias, Decapolis, Palestine
Capitolias, Palestine; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Palestine, Phoenicia Folder

Beret, Phoenecia (Biblos, Lebanon)
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Palestine, Yarkon River Folder (Tel Aviv, Joppa)

Yarkon River

Yarkon River Source (Arethusa, Tel Afek, Antipatris)

Arethusa, Palestine (Yarkon River Source)
Arethusa, Palestine; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Diospolis, Palestine (Lod or Lydda, Yarkon River)
Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Yarkon River 1

Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1)
Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydda, Commemorated on November 3; Christians built a new church in honor of Saint George at Lydda during the reign of Saint Constantine (305-337). When the church was consecrated, the relics of the holy Great Martyr George (April 23) were transferred there, and many miracles took place before them. Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; is a soldier and martyr who suffered around 303 at Lydda (Diospolis) in Palestine. The earliest surviving record of him is a church inscription in Syria, dated about 346. Commemorations of him are numerous, early, and widespread. However, no details of his life are known. In 495 his name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God." The best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. It should be noted that this story is unknown before the appearance in 1265 of a romance called the Golden Legend (Legendum Aureum), translated into English in 1483. the soldiers of the First Crusade were besieging Antioch in 1098, they had a vision of George and Demetrius (a deacon of Sirmium in Serbia, martyred under Maximian, and referred to as a "soldier of Christ," from which he was often understood to be a literal soldier) encouraging them to maintain the siege, which ultimately proved successful. Richard I ("the Lion-Heart") of England, who fought in the Holy Land in 1191-1192, placed himself and his army under George's protection, and with the return home of the Crusaders, the popularity of George in England increased greatly. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 under his patronage, his banner (a red cross on a white field) began to be used as the English national flag in 1284, and in 1415 Henry V spoke of him to rally the troops before the battle of Agincourt ("Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead. ... cry God for Harry, England, and St George!"), and in the years following George was regarded as the special patron of England, of soldiers, and of the Boy Scouts, as well as of Venice, Genoa, Portugal, and Catalonia. He is also remembered with enthusiasm in many parts of the East Orthodox Church. He is a principal character in Edmund Spenser's allegorical poem The Faerie Queene, written in the late 1500's. — by James Kiefer Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; wonderworking Lydda Icon is mentioned in the service for the Kazan Icon (July 8 & October 22) in the third Ode of the Canon. to Tradition, the Apostles Peter and John were preaching in Lydda (later called Diospolis) near Jerusalem. There they built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, then went to Jerusalem and asked her to come and sanctify the church by her presence. She sent them back to Lydda and said, “Go in peace, and I shall be there with you.â€ at Lydda, they found an icon of the Virgin imprinted in color on the wall of the church (some sources say the image was on a pillar). Then the Mother of God appeared and rejoiced at the number of people who had gathered there. She blessed the icon and gave it the power to work miracles. This icon was not made by the hand of man, but by a divine power. the Apostate (reigned 361-363) heard about the icon and tried to eradicate it. Masons with sharp tools chipped away at the image, but the paint and lines just seemed to penetrate deeper into the stone. Those whom the emperor had sent were unable to destroy the icon. As word of this miracle spread, millions of people came to venerate the icon. the eighth century, Saint Germanus, the future Patriarch of Constantinople (May 12) passed through Lydda. He had a copy of the icon made, and sent it to Rome during the iconoclastic controversy. It was placed in the church of Saint Peter, and was the source of many healings. In 842, the reproduction was returned to Constantinople and was known as the Roman Icon (June 26). oldest sources of information for the Lydda Icon are a document attributed to Saint Andrew of Crete in 726, a letter written by three eastern Patriarchs to the iconoclast emperor Theophilus in 839, and a work of George the Monk in 886. icon still existed as late as the ninth century. Lydda Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on March 12.

Yarkon River 2 (Yarkon Park)

Yarkon River Mouth (Joppa, Mediterranean Sea)

Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)
Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated on October 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY);

Tabitha, Tomb of Tabitha, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)
Tabitha, Tomb of Tabitha, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7) Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21;

Apollonia, Israel (north of Yarkon River Mouth on Way of the Sea)
Apollonia; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor). Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ;

Palestine, Jerusalem Roads Folder

Bethpage, Mount of Olives Steep Route

Wilderness Road South to Gaza and North to Hebron
Wilderness Road - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ˜Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. ™ (This is a wilderness road.); Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Palestine, Philistia Folder, Philistines

Philistia, Land of the Philistines
Philistia, Land of the Philistines; Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Gath Philistia, One of the Top 50 Bible Locations Jordan River, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Mediteranean Sea, Fertile Crescent (Greater Syria) , Caanan -- West of Jordan River, Messopotamia and Ephrates River, Egypt, Ethiopia, Cities: Babylon, Bethel, Bethlehem, Damascus, Gibeon, Gilgal, Hebron, Lachish, Soddom and Gomorrah, Sidon and Tyre, & Shechem/ Shiloh. Areas: Chaldea, Eden, Edom, Gilead, Havilah, Hamath, Judea, Kadesh, Lebanon, Megiddo, Midian, Moab or Shittim, Ammon, Northern Kingdom, Persia, Philistia, Red Sea, Samaria, Shinar or Messopotamia, Wilderness of Sin, Syria, Hittites Area, Mountains: Hermon, Hill Country, Zion, Seir,

Palestine (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, Points Folder

Palestine (Clean), its Area
Palestine, its Area

Palestine (Clean), Jordan River, Eastern boundary

Palestine, Canaan, its Area
Canaan, its Area

Palestine, Caanan, its Area, outside Palestine
Caanan, its Area

Palestine, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Palestine, on Arabian Plate, its Area

Palestine (Clean), Phonecia, its Area, coastal part of Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza
Lebanon, its Area

Phoenicia, Palestine (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza)
Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.;

Diospolis, Palestine (Lod or Lydda, Yarkon River)
Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Icon “Not Made by Handsâ€ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or “the Romanâ€, Commemorated on June 26;

Jerusalem, in Palestine
Jerusalem;

Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River) after 135
Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.;

Palestine, Canaan ( Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea)
Canaan (Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea);

Palestinian Israel
Israel, between Jordan Rift up to Lebanon and Mediterranean Sea;

Palestine, Promised Land aka Canaan (Palestine, Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea)
Canaan (Between Jordan Rift (up to Lebanon) and Mediterranean Sea);

Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)
Joppa, now Jaffa, 1 Maccabees Ch 10-15;

Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1)
Lydda or Lod;

Paneas in Palestine, Golan Heights
Paneas in Palestine, Golan Heights;

Way of the Sea (Egypt to Syria)
Way of the Sea (Heliopolis Egypt to Damascus, Syria)

Palestine (Clean), Jerusalem, Mt of Olives area Folder

Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane
Dormition of the Theotokos at Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane; the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies. and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone. one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose. Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers. faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand. in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end. this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world. came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God. began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance.

Palestine (Clean), Jerusalem Gates area Folder

Palestine, Jerusalem, City Gates Area, Old City
Jerusalem, City Gates Area, Old City

Palestine, Jerusalem Temple Mount, its Area
Jerusalem Temple Mount, its Area

Palestine (Clean), Way of the Sea Folder

Way of the Sea (Egypt to Syria)
Way of the Sea (Egypt to Demascus Syria)

Abba Seridus, Gaza, Palestine (Way of the Sea 5)
Abba Seridus is at Gaza, but that is all Wikipedia knows about it.

Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine
Gaza City; Gaza Strip;

Antioch of Palestine, Gaza, Gaza Strip, Way of the Sea 5, Palestine
Gaza City; Gaza Strip;

Maium (Maiuma, Port of Gaza, Way of the Sea 5)
Maiuma;

Spanidrion Monastery, at Epiphanius' desert place in Palestine near Gaza
Hilarion's desert place in Palestine near Gaza;

Askalon, Philistia, Palestine Way of the Sea 5.5, Israel
Askalon; No Askalon found in Italy, so it must be Askalon in Israel.;

Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Caesarea, Palestine ;

Pretorium at Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Pretorium at Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8);

Palestine (Clean), Jordan River Folder

Palestine (Clean), Jordan Rift Valley Folder

Palestine (Clean), Yarkon River Folder (Tel Aviv, Joppa)

Tabitha, Tomb of Tabitha, Joppa, Palestine (Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Yarkon River Mouth, Way of the Sea 7)

Palestine (Clean), Phoenicia Folder

Palestine (Clean), Phoenecia, its Area, coastal part of Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza

Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia
Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Palestine (Clean), Jerusalem Roads Folder

Wilderness Road - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "˜Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.(This is a wilderness road.); Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Palestine (Clean), Philistia Folder, Philistines

Phrygia Folder (Highway Intersection, upper Meander, Sakara, Akarcay, Ankara, and Lycus Rivers)

Phrygia (along the Upper Sakarya River South of Bithynia, North of the Intersection and Upper Akarcay River)
Phrygia Region ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Ariadne of Phrygia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Martyr Alexander and 30 others in Pisidia and Phrygia, Commemorated September 28 ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Platon of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 18 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Onesimus the Disciple of St Paul, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28 ; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated on December 4 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10: Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28; Martyr Nestor, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr Peter of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Theodotus of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; Virginmartyr Christina of Ancyra, who suffered under Decius, Commemorated on May 18; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27 ; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5;

Anatolia (Asia Minor)
Anatolia; Asia Minor; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12 ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12;

Phrygia 30-1402, Phrygia History Folder

Phrygia, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostles Philemon Archippus Onesimus Tychicus & Philip

Phrygia, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus, fEphesus orColossae in Asia Minor, delivered Pauls letters to E&C, later Bishop oCaesarea
Phyrgia, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus of the 70, Colossae (Great Road, Lycus River 1); Tychicus /ˈtɪkɪkəs/ was an Asiatic Christian who, with Trophimus, accompanied the Apostle Paul on a part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem. He is also alluded to have been with Paul in Rome, where the apostle sent him to Ephesus, probably for the purpose of building up and encouraging the church there.[1] In the New Testament, he is mentioned five times (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21–22; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:12).[2] Appearance in the Bible[edit] (1) Acts 20:4 states that Tychicus was from the Roman province of Asia. The Western text indicates that he was an Ephesian. (2) In Ephesians 6:21, the author (traditionally identified as Paul) calls Tychicus a "dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord" (NIV), (3) while in Colossians, he says he is "a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord." In both Ephesians and Colossians, the author indicates that he is sending Tychicus to the Christians to whom he is writing, in order to encourage them.[2] (4) The passages in the Epistle to Titus (Titus 3:12) and to Timothy show that Tychicus was again with Paul after the appeal to the emperor had resulted in the apostle regaining his freedom. The passage in Titus evidently refers to the interval between Paul's first and second Roman imprisonments, and while he was again engaged in missionary journeys. The apostle writes to Titus, who was in Crete in charge of the churches there, that he intended to send either Artemas or Tychicus to him, so as to take the oversight of the work of the gospel in that island so that Titus might be free to come to be with the apostle at Nicopolis.[1] (5) The last passage where Tychicus is mentioned occurs in 2 Timothy, which was written in Rome not long before Paul's execution. To the very end Paul was busy as ever in the work of the gospel; and though it would have been a comfort to him to have his friends beside him, yet the interests of the kingdom of Christ are uppermost in his thoughts, and he sends these friends to help the progress of the work. To the last, Tychicus was serviceable as ever: "Tychicus I sent to Ephesus" (2 Timothy 4:12). As Timothy was in charge of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), the coming of Tychicus would set him free, so as to enable him to set off at once to rejoin Paul at Rome, as the apostle desired him (2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21).[1] Additional Detail[edit] The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that different traditions make him out to be the Bishop of Colophon, Chalcedon or Neapolis in Cyprus.[3] Hippolytus of Rome lists Tychicus as one of the seventy disciples. His feast is kept on 29 April.[3] Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Tychicus, a native of Asia Minor, was a disciple and companion of the holy Apostle Paul. During Saint Paul’s first imprisonment, he delivered the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. He replaced Saint Sosthenes on the episcopal throne at Caesarea.

Phrygia, 30-68, Apostle Philemon&w Apphia, Colossae, Phyrgia, Church in home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Philemon and wife Apphia, Colossae, Phyrgia, Church in their home, slave Onesimus, friend Archippus, stoned to death; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Phrygia, 30-68, Philemon, Apphia and Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, P Bishop of P, Gaza Archpastor, Wife Apphia, Archippus C b
Phrygia, 30-68, Philemon, Apphia and Archippus of the Seventy, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), Prominent Phrygia citizen, church in his home, evangelist preacher, Bishop of P, Archpastor of Gaza, Wife Apphia coworker, Archippus bishop of Colossae, P; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; See below Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. Later on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Saint Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Saint Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. After torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22.

Phrygia, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon&Apphia & their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed w knives
Phyrgia, 30-68, Apostle Archippus, Colossae, Phyrgia, friends Philemon and wife Apphia and their slave Onesimus, tortured, slashed with knives; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon and Equal-to-the-Apostles, and Onesimus, disciple of Saint Paul Commemorated on November 22 Holy Apostles of the Seventy Philemon and his wife Apphia lived in the city of Colossa in Phrygia. After they were baptized by the holy Apostle Paul, they converted their house into a house of prayer, where all those who believed in Christ gathered and attended services. They devoted themselves to serving the sick and downcast. Philemon became bishop of the city of Gaza, and he preached the Word of God throughout Phrygia. The holy Apostle Paul continued to be his guide, and addressed to him his Epistle filled with love, and in which he sends blessings “to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house” (Phil 1:1-3). Onesimus (February 15), also mentioned in the Epistle, was Saint Philemon’s former slave. Philemon and Apphia, and also Saint Archippus (who also lived at Colossa), all received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Nero (54-68). During a pagan festival an enraged crowd rushed into the Christian church when services were going on. All fled in terror, and only Saints Philemon, Archippus and Apphia remained. They seized them and led them off to the city prefect. The crowd beat and stabbed Saint Archippus with knives, and he died on the way to the court. Saints Philemon and Apphia were stoned to death by order of the prefect. memory of the holy Apostles Archippus, Philemon, and Apphia is celebrated also on February 19. Apostles of the Seventy Archippus and Philemon, and Martyr Apphia, Commemorated on February 19; Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, Apostles of the Seventy were students and companions of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle to Philemon, the Apostle Paul names Saint Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). Archippus was bishop of the city of Colossae in Phrygia. Saint Philemon was an eminent citizen of this city, and the Christians gathered in his home to celebrate church services. He was also made a bishop by Saint Paul and he went about the cities of Phrygia, preaching the Gospel. on, he became archpastor of the city of Gaza. Apphia, his wife, took the sick and vagrants into her home, zealously attending to them. She was her husband’s co-worker in proclaiming the Word of God. the persecution against Christians under the emperor Nero (54-68), the holy Apostles Archippus and Philemon and Apphia were brought to trial by the ruler Artocles for confessing faith in Christ. Archippus was brutally slashed with knives. torture, they buried Saints Philemon and Apphia up to the waist in the ground, and stoned them until they died. Archippus is also commemorated on November 22. -----------------------------------------------------

Phrygia, 30-100, Mariamne, Philip's sis, successfully preached with P&Bart iHerapolis, Phrygia, tLykaonia
Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Lycus River 2), Apostolic Virgin, Philip's sister, companion oPhilip&Bartholomew, successful preaching iHieropolis, arrested there, Philip died on a cross, Mariamne buried him and preached in Lykaonia, Bart went to India, she died in peace ; Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Mariamne “The Apostolic Virgin” and sister of the holy Apostle Philip (November 14), a vow of virginity became the companion of her brother Philip and the holy Apostle Bartholomew (June 11), actively assisting them in their apostolic work. Church historian Nikēphóros Callistus describes their successful preaching in the Phrygian city of Hieropolis, they were arrested and locked up in prison. put the Apostle Philip to death on a cross, Saint Mariamne and Saint Bartholomew were set free. Bartholomew went to preach the Gospel in India. Mariamne, after burying the body of Saint Philip, preached the Gospel at Lykaonia (Asia Minor). died there in peace.

Phrygia, 40-109, Onesimus, Apostle of the 70, Colossae, fled to Rome from Philemon, Paul sent letter, Ph sent him back to Pa
Phyrgia, 40-109, Onesimus, Apostle of the 70, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Lycus River 1), guilty offense against his master Philemon, he fled to Rome, prison as a runaway slave, Baptized by Paul, served him like a son, Knowing P Paul sent him letter carried by O, P forgave O, sent him back to P, O became bishop of Ephesus, stoned and beheaded in 109; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Onesimus, Apostle of the Seventy in his youth was a servant of Philemon, a Christian of distinguished lineage, living in the city of Colossae, Phrygia. of an offense against his master and fearing punishment, Saint Onesimus fled to Rome, but as a runaway slave he wound up in prison. In prison he encountered the Apostle Paul, was enlightened by him, and was baptized. prison Saint Onesimus served the Apostle Paul like a son. Saint Paul was personally acquainted with Philemon, and wrote him a letter filled with love, asking him to forgive the runaway slave and to accept him like a brother. He sent Saint Onesimus with this letter to his master, depriving himself of help, of which he was very much in need. he received the letter, Saint Philemon not only forgave Onesimus, but also sent him back to Rome to the apostle. Saint Philemon (January 4, February 19, and November 22) was afterwards consecrated bishop of the city of Gaza. the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Onesimus served the apostles until their end, and he was made a bishop. the death of the holy apostles he preached the Gospel in many lands and cities: in Spain, Carpetania, Colossae, Patras. In his old age, Saint Onesimus occupied the bishop’s throne at Ephesus, after the Apostle Timothy. When they took Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20) to Rome for execution, Bishop Onesimus came to meet with him with other Christians, as Saint Ignatius mentions in his Epistle to the Ephesians. the reign of the emperor Trajan (89-117), Saint Onesimus was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch Tertillus. He held the saint in prison for eighteen days, and then sent him to prison in the city of Puteoli. After a certain while, the eparch sent for the prisoner and, convincing himself that Saint Onesimus maintained his faith in Christ, had him stoned, after which they beheaded the saint with a sword. A certain illustrious woman took the body of the martyr and placed it in a silver coffin. This took place in the year 109.

Phrygia, 70, Lydia, Apostle Philip, Hieropolis, Pagan Temples, enormous snake, Amphipatos' wife, Crucified, earthquake
Ephesus, 1st Century, Lydia, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Phrygia, 100, 2nd C Folder, Abercius tWonderworker, Archippus oHerapolis wArchangel saving Chone Church, wRock Fissure

Phrygia, 100-167, Saint Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols
Ephesus, 150, Saint Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Abercius, Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis lived in the second century in Phrygia. The city of Hieropolis was inhabited by many pagans and very few Christians. The saint prayed to the Lord for the salvation of their souls and that they might be numbered among God’s chosen flock. An angel appeared and bade Saint Abercius to destroy the idols in the pagan temple. He fulfilled the command of God with zeal. Hearing that the idol-worshippers wanted to kill him, the saint went to the place where the people had gathered and openly denounced the failings of the pagans. The pagans tried to seize the saint. this moment three demon-possessed youths in the crowd cried out. The people were dumbfounded, as the saint expelled the devils from them by his prayers. Seeing the youths restored to normal, the people of Hieropolis asked Saint Abercius to instruct them in the Christian Faith, and then they accepted Holy Baptism. this the saint went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. With his preaching he made the rounds of Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, he visited Rome and everywhere he converted multitudes of people to Christ. For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, he confirmed Christians in the Faith, he set the prodigal upon the righteous path, he healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Because of his great works, Saint Abercius is termed “Equal of the Apostles.” Abercius returned home to Hieropolis, where he soon rested from his labors. After his death, many miracles took place at his tomb. He wrote his own epitaph, and it was carved on his tombstone, which is now in the Lateran Museum.

Phrygia, 110-170, St Archippus of Herapolis, plan to flood Chonae church, prayed to Archangel Michael, great miracle at Colossae
Phrygia, 110-170, St Archippus of Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Great Road, Lycus River 2), caretaker from age 10 to 70, ascetic, preacher, plan to flood Chonae church, prayed to Archangel Michael, great miracle at Colossae, died peacefully at 70 ; Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Archippus, son of devout Christians from the city of Hieropolis, age ten went to pray in the church of the holy Chief Commander Michael he remained at this temple to serve as church caretaker. led a strict and ascetic manner of life, constantly at fasting and prayer. persuaded many pagans who came to the holy spring to accept holy Baptism, to forsake pagan impiety, and to turn to the One True God and Savior Jesus Christ. pagans headed by idolous priests repeatedly tried to kill Saint Archippus, but each time the Lord delivered him out of their hands. the pagans devised a plan to destroy the church and at the same time kill also Archippus by flooding the spot where both the church and the curative spring stood. the preparations for this wicked deed, Saint Archippus firmly resolved not to abandon the holy place, he prayed to God and to the Archangel Michael to preserve the church and the spring. Lord heard his prayer, and the saint witnessed the great Miracle of the Chief Commander Michael at Colossae. delivered from death, Saint Archippus lived at the church into his old age, and he died peacefully at the age of 70. buried the saint at Colossae, at the place of his deeds.

Phrygia, 150, Chonae plunging Angel Michael, healing deaf daughter, Church, spring drink, plan, M prayer, rock fissure
Phrygia, 150, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), Commander Michael appeared in dream, drink from spring to heal speach, Church of Angel Michael, pagans healed, Archippus 60 years, p made confluence 2 rivers directed at church, A prayed to M, M appeared at C, blow made wide fissure in rock, M commanded water flow there, Chonae plunging; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated on September 6; 90+60=150 Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built over a miraculous spring. church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of Laodicia in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from the water of the spring. girl actually did receive healing and began to speak. this miracle, the father and his daughter and all their family were baptized. fervent gratitude, the father built the church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. only did Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted to the faith in Christ. this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a certain pious man by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many pagans to faith in Christ. the general malice of that time towards Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus. this end they made a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. Archippus prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger. his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. temple remained unharmed. such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror. and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. place where the rivers plunged into the fissure received the name “Chonae”, which means “plunging.” Chudov (“of the Miracle”) monastery in Moscow is named for this Feast.

Phrygia, 150, Michael commanded drink spring, Church, pagans healed, p pointed rivers at church, M's blow, c water flow fissure
Phrygia, 150, Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1), Commander Michael appeared in dream, drink from spring to heal speach, Church of Angel Michael, pagans healed, Archippus 60 years, p made confluence 2 rivers directed at church, A prayed to M, M appeared at C, blow made wide fissure in rock, M commanded water flow there, Chonae plunging; Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated on September 6; 90+60=150 Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built over a miraculous spring. church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of Laodicia in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from the water of the spring. girl actually did receive healing and began to speak. this miracle, the father and his daughter and all their family were baptized. fervent gratitude, the father built the church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. only did Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted to the faith in Christ. this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a certain pious man by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many pagans to faith in Christ. the general malice of that time towards Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus. this end they made a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. Archippus prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger. his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. temple remained unharmed. such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror. and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. place where the rivers plunged into the fissure received the name “Chonae”, which means “plunging.” Chudov (“of the Miracle”) monastery in Moscow is named for this Feast.

Phrygia, 200, 3rd C Folder, Philoumenus oAncyra nails hands feet, Clement oAncyra bheaded aLiturgy, Agapitus oSynnada, WWorker
Phrygia, 200, 3rd C Folder, Philoumenus oAncyra nails hands feet, Clement oAncyra bheaded aLiturgy, Agapitus oSynnada, wonderworking gift, prayer killed dragon

Phrygia, 274, Philoumenus of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia, bread merchant, nails in hands head &feet, then walk, loss of blood
Phrygia, 274, Philoumenus of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), bread merchant, nails in hands head &feet, then walk, loss of blood; Ancyra; Martyr Philoumenus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 29 ; Holy Martyr Philoumenus suffered for Christ in the year 274, during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Philoumenus was a bread merchant in Ancyra. Envious persons reported to the governor Felix that Philoumenus was a Christian, and so he came before a judge. Philoumenus did not renounce Christ. For this they hammered nails into his hands, feet and head, and they forced him to walk. The holy martyr bravely endured the torments and he died from loss of blood, giving up his soul to God.

Phrygia, 278-312, Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy

Phrygia, 278-312, Clement and Agathangelus, Ancyra, Galatia, revelation 28 yr suffering, many places
Phrygia, 278-312, Clement and Agathangelus, Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), mother predicted martyr's death for him, raised by Sophia, famine, fed, clothed, taught unfortunates, many later martyrs, priest at 18, bishop at 20, 303 Diocletian P, preserved and healed, to rome and D, prison transformed to church, to nicomedia and M, joined by Agathangelus, to Agrippa, pagans stoned torturers, set free, multitudes, sent home to Ancrya, to Amasea, hot lime whole day unharmed, to Tarsus, revelation 28 yrs suffer, A beheaded, C freed, cave church service beheading ; Ancyra; Phrygia, 278-312, Saint Clement of Ancyra; Clement, Bishop of Ancyra or simply Clement of Ancyra (c. 258-312) (born in Ancyra present-day Turkey) a bishop who served during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian. He was arrested by Roman authorities and tried by Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian attempted to convert Clement to Paganism but Clement refused and withstood tremendous torture. was eventually beheaded by a Roman soldier whilst he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the year 312.[1] He is venerated on 23 January according to the Gregorian calendar and on 5 February according to the Julian calendar in some Eastern Orthodox countries together with his disciple Agathangelus of Rome. relics are in the saint's altar in the basilica of Our Lady of Trapani in Trapani.[2] Saint Clement Church is the only structure survived from the Byzantine era in Ankara.[3] Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in the year 258, of a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. She predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ. woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God. During a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own children, not having the means to feed them. Sophia took in these unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. Saint Clement assisted her in this. He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. Many of them died as martyrs for Christ. Clement was made a reader, and later a deacon. When he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, and at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. Soon afterwards the persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out. Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. Dometian, the governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, but Saint Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the tortures. suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. They smashed his mouth with stones, and they turned him on a wheel and burned him over a low fire. The Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his lacerated body. Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. Diocletian, seeing the martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison. of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. People flocked to Saint Clement in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was literally transformed into a church. When word of this reached the emperor, many of these new Christians were executed. struck by the amazing endurance of Saint Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to his co-emperor Maximian. On the ship, the saint was joined by his disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other confessors, and who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop Clement. emperor Maximian in turn sent Saints Clement and Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones. been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to them in multitudes. Arrested again on orders of Maximian, they were sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. Then they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known for his great cruelty. Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot lime. They spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. They flayed them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured sulfur on their bodies. All this failed to harm the saints, and they were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. In the wilderness along the way Saint Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight years for Christ. Then having endured a multitude of tortures, the saints were locked up in prison. Agathangelus was beheaded with the sword on November 5. The Christians of Ancyra freed Saint Clement from prison and took him to a cave church. There, after celebrating Liturgy, the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the persecution and his own martyrdom. On January 23, the holy hierarch was killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless Sacrifice. Two deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with him, but no one else was harmed.

Phrygia, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia, Wonderworker, Healer, Salvation fMany
Phrygia, 284-335, Agapitus (+Victor) tConfessor oSynnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), fCappadocia, pious God-Loving Parents, tSynnada Monastery while young, monk, loved bIgumen for Virtue, taught read write, received fGod gift working miracles, more than 100, killed great dragon by prayer, recruited bLicinus tArmy, there he saw martyrs Victor +many being tortured fChrist, wanted join them, but was preserved wounded by spear, so he could lead many tSalvation, Constantine heard A could heal by prayer, cured sick servant, asked C only return to Synnada M, devoted study Holy Gospel, ordained Priest, succeeded as Bishop, reposed in peace; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. By his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. Though they were perfected in Christ by the sword, was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace.

Phrygia, 284-335, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia, gift of miracles, p killed dragon, recruited military, Consantine discharged him
Phrygia, 285-323, Agapitus of Synnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), young monk from Cappadocia, Armenia, gift of working miracles, over 100, prayers killed dragon, recruited military, wanted to join martyrs but preserved for saving souls, Consantine discharged him, priesthood, bishop ; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Agapitos came from Cappadocia and was the son of pious and God-loving parents. lived during the time of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (285-305). a young age he departed for a monastery near Synnada in Phrygia, where he became a monk. was loved by the Igumen because of his virtuous life and so he was taught how to read and write. also received from God the gift of working miracles, performing over a hundred of them. his prayers he killed a great dragon, which had appeared near the monastery, carrying off both people and animals. This was a great benefit for those who had turned to him for help. on, during the reign of Licinius (308-323) Saint Agapitos was recruited into the army against his will. There he saw the victorious Martyrs Victor, Dorotheos, Theodoulos, Agrippa and many others, being tortured for their faith in Christ. Right away he wanted to join them in their martyrdom. they were perfected in Christ by the sword, he was preserved and, by God's providence, he suffered no harm, even though they wounded him with a spear. His life was spared so that he might lead many to salvation. holy Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) heard that Saint Agapitos could heal people by his prayers. The emperor sent him a sick servant, and he was cured. Constantine wished to reward Saint Agapitos, but he asked only that he be discharged from military service and be permitted to return to his monastery. His request was granted, and so he went back to the monastery. Agapitos devoted himself to the study of the Holy Gospel, and the Bishop of Synnada ordained him to the holy priesthood. After the bishop reposed, Saint Agapitos was chosen to succeed him in this position by the common consent of the clergy and the people. governing his flock in a God-pleasing manner, instructing them in the Orthodox Faith, and in virtuous living, Saint Agapitos reposed in peace

Phrygia, 300, 4th C Folder, Menas +angels camels nMoving, Timothy+15 aT, Basil vs Arians, C oLaodicea, Melasippus torture unharm
Phrygia, 300, 4th C Folder, Menas oEgypt angels srelics camels not moving, Timothy+15 aTiberiopolis, Basil oAncyra fighting Arian heresy, Council oLaodicea church conduct&Biblical Cannon, Melasippus aAncyra son spits Julius endured torture unharmed 40 youth confess

Phrygia, 304-309 , Menas of Egypt, very famous, angels, marytr crowns, angel, relics, camels not moving
Phrygia, 304-309, Menas of Egypt, marytr, Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia; of Egypt (also Mina, Minas, Mena, Meena; 285 - c. 309), a martyr and wonder-worker, is one of the most well-known Coptic saints in the East and the West, due to the many miracles that are attributed to his intercession and prayers. Menas was a Coptic soldier in the Roman army martyred because he refused to recant his Christian faith. The common date of his commemoration is November 11, which occurs 13 days later (November 24) on the Julian calendar. feast day is celebrated every year on 15 Hathor in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which corresponds to November 24 on the Gregorian Calendar. In Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the old style or Julian calendar, it is likewise celebrated on November 24. In the Eastern Orthodox churches that follow the new style or Revised Julian calendar, as well as in the Catholic Church, it is celebrated on November 11. of his name was his original name, according to the story his mother called him Mena because she heard a voice saying Amen. Minas is how he is known in Greek and Armenian, while in Coptic he is known as Mīna). Life and martyrdom St. Menas and boatman on a Makurian manuscript from c. 1000 There are many sources written in different languages (Koine Greek, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ge'ez, Latin, Syriac, Armenian) relating to Menas.[3] was born in Egypt in 285 in the city of Nikiou,[4] which lay in the vicinity of Memphis. parents were ascetic Christians but did not have any children for a long time. father's name was Eudoxios and his mother's name was Euphemia. On the feast of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, Euphemia was praying with tears before an icon of the Virgin for God to give her a son. sound came from the icon saying "Amen". A few months later, Euphemia gave birth to a boy and named him Menas.[5] a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was fourteen years old. the age of fifteen Menas joined the Roman army and was given a high rank due to his father's reputation. sources state that he served in Cotyaeus in Phrygia,[6] although some say his appointment was in Algeria.[5] years later he left the army, longing to devote his whole life to Christ, and headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life. spending five years as a hermit, Menas saw in a revelation the angels crowning the martyrs with glorious crowns, and longed to join those martyrs. he was thinking about it, he heard a voice saying: "Blessed are you Menas because you have been called to the pious life from your childhood. You shall be granted three immortal crowns: one for your celibacy, another for your asceticism, and a third for your martyrdom." Menas subsequently hurried to the ruler, declaring his Christian faith.[7] soldiers who executed Menas set his body on fire for three days but the body remained unharmed. Menas' sister then bribed the soldiers and managed to carry the body away. She embarked on a ship heading to Alexandria, where she placed his body in a church. the time of persecution ended, during the papacy of Athanasius of Alexandria the pope had a vision of an angel appearing to him and ordering him to load Menas' body on a camel and head towards the Libyan Desert. a certain spot near a water well at the end of Lake Mariout, not far from Alexandria, the camel stopped and wouldn't move. The Christians took this a sign from God and buried Menas' body there. Berbers of Pentapolis rose against the cities around Alexandria. the people were getting ready to face them, the Roman governor decided to secretly take the body of Menas with him to be his deliverer and his strong protector. Menas' blessings, the governor overcame the Berbers and returned victorious. he decided not to return the body to its original place and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, as they passed by Lake Mariout at the same spot where the body was originally buried, the camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move. moved the body to another camel, but the second camel would not move either.[8] The governor finally realized that this was God's command. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. Terracotta pilgrim's Menas flask impressed with Saint Mina between two camels, Byzantine, probably made at Abu Mina, Egypt, c. 6th–7th century. (Louvre Museum) versions of the story state that the location of the tomb was then forgotten until its miraculous rediscovery by a local shepherd. A shepherd was feeding his sheep in that location, and a sick lamb fell on the ground. As it struggled to get on its feet again, its scab was cured. The story spread quickly and the sick who came to this spot recovered from whatever illnesses they had just by lying on the ground. Ethiopian Synaxarium describes Constantine I sending his sick daughter to the shepherd to be cured, and credits her with finding Menas' body, after which Constantine ordered the construction of a church at the site. versions of the story replace Constantine with the late-5th century emperor Zeno, but archaeologists have dated the original foundation to the late 4th century.[9] to the Zeno version, his daughter was leprous and his advisors suggested that she should try that place, and she did. At night Menas appeared to the girl and informed her that his body was buried in that place. The following morning, Zeno's daughter was cured and she related her vision about the saint to her servants. Zeno immediately ordered Mina's body to be dug out and a cathedral to be built there. his martyrdom in the early fourth century, Menas acquired a reputation for miraculous healing powers. The cult of Saint Menas was centered on Abu Mena near Alexandria.[10] Sick people from all over the Christian world used to visit that city and were healed through the intercessions of Menas, who became known as the Wonders' Maker. numerous little clay Menas flasks, or bottles for holy water or oil on which the saint's name and picture are stamped, are found by archeologists in diverse countries around the Mediterranean world, such as Heidelberg in Germany, Milan in Italy, Dalmatia in Croatia, Marseille in France, Dongola in Sudan, Meols (Cheshire) in England, and the holy city of Jerusalem, as well as modern Turkey and Eritrea. Pilgrims would buy these bottles and take them back to their relatives.[5] Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Holy Great Martyr Menas of Egypt, an Egyptian by birth, was a military officer and served in the Kotyaeion region of Phrygia under the centurion Firmilian during the reign of the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). When the emperors began the fiercest persecution against Christians in history, the saint refused to serve these persecutors. He removed his soldier’s belt (a sign of military rank) and withdrew to a mountain, where he lived an ascetic life of fasting and prayer. he happened to arrive in the city during a pagan festival. At the climax of the games the saint’s accusing voice rang out, preaching faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. At his trial before the prefect Pyrrhus, the saint bravely confessed his faith, saying that he had come to denounce the impious. The prefect was angered, and had Menas arrested. offered to restore the saint’s former rank if he would offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When he refused, he was put to cruel tortures, then he was beheaded. This occurred in the year 304. Christians gathered up the martyr’s relics by night and hid them until the end of the persecution. Later, they were brought to Egypt and placed in a church dedicated to Saint Menas southwest of Alexandria. saint received grace from God to work miracles, and to help those in need. Saint Menas is noted for healing various illnesses, delivering people from possession by demons, and as a protector, especially during times of war. We also ask his help in finding lost objects.

Phrygia, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ
Ephesus, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ; Hierapolis; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated January 13 ; Peter was slain at Hieropolis between 309—320 for confessing Christ.

Phrygia, 361, Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4), with 15 others, imprisoned by Apostate Julian, martyred
Phrygia, 361, Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4), with 15 others, imprisoned by Apostate Julian, martyred, together with his fellow bishop Theodore; the priests Timothy, Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore, Nikephoros; the deacons Basil and Thomas; the monks Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton, Socrates, Comasius; and Etymasius; Tiberiopolis; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28 ; Timothy was a bishop who was imprisoned by Julian the Apostate (331-363) with his fellow bishop Theodore; the priests Timothy, Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore, Nikephoros; the deacons Basil and Thomas; the monks Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton, Socrates, Comasius; and Etymasius. all suffered martyrdom in Tiberiopolis in 361.

Phrygia, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, riled Julian aAncyra, Red Hot belt walk tEdessa, pierced&mutilated, but baptism cHeals
Armenia, 361-363, Gemelius oPaphlagonia, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage), tormented fDenunciating Julian tApostate, iAncyra, had to walk wRed hot iron belt tEdessa, there limbs pierced wWooden stakes, then hung oPost&Mutilated, endured, continued revile Julian, tortured, let go, still able walk, met priest, baptized, instantly all healed, then Julian had him crucified, secretly buried bChristians; Paphlagonia Region; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Holy Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia was subjected to cruel tortures for his staunch denunciation of the emperor Juilan the Apostate (361-363) in the city of Ancyra (Galatia). red-hot iron belt was placed around his waist. he was ordered to accompany the impious Julian on his journey. they reached Edessa in Mesopotamia, he was stretched out on the ground and his limbs were pierced with wooden stakes. he was hung on a post and mutilated. the tortures, the saint continued to revile the emperor. being subjected to even more horrible torments, they let him go. was still able to walk and speak, so he went on his way until he met a priest. entreated the priest to baptize him, and when he emerged from the water, his wounds were all healed. of this miracle, Julian ordered that Saint Gemellus be crucified. victorious athlete of Christ gave up his soul to God, and his body was secretly taken down and buried by Christians.

Phrygia, 361-363, Basil tLayman oAncyra, tortured iA, and Constantinople incl furnace but not harmed, Lions end iCaesarea
Phrygia, 361-363, Basil of Ancyra, Phrygia, the layman, tortured iAncyra, tConstantinople, suspended fTree, stretched oRack, beaten, stabbed wRed-hot needles, thrown into fiery furnace, but not harmed, sent tCaesarea&Torn to pieces bLions iArena.; Ancyra; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Basil lived in the time of Julian the Apostate (331-363), confessed his faith in Christ before the governor Saturninus. was tortured in Ancyra, sent to Constantinople, he was suspended from a tree, stretched on a rack, beaten, then stabbed with red-hot needles. was also thrown into a fiery furnace, but was not harmed. was sent to Caesarea and was torn to pieces by lions in the arena. saint, a layman, should not be confused with the other Saint Basil of Ancyra, who was a priest (March 22). Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Basil was a presbyter in Ancyra, Galatia. against the Arian heresy, he urged his flock to cling firmly to Orthodoxy. Because of this Saint Basil was deposed from his priestly rank by a local Arian council, but a Council of 230 bishops in Palestine reinstated him. Basil openly continued to preach and denounce the Arians. Therefore, he became the victim of persecution and was subjected to punishment as a man dangerous to the state. Two apostates, Elpidios and Pegasios, were ordered to turn Saint Basil from Orthodoxy. The saint remained unshakable, and was again subjected to tortures. the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) arrived in the city of Ancyra, Saint Basil bravely confessed Christ before him at the trial, and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. Julian ordered that strips of skin be cut from the saint’s back. Saint Basil endured the gruesome torture with great patience. they began to beat his shoulders and stomach with red-hot rods, he fell down upon the ground from the torments and cried out, “O Christ, my Light! O Jesus, my Hope! Quiet Haven from the stormy sea. I thank You, O Lord God of my fathers, that You have snatched my soul from the pit of Hell and preserved Your Name in me unstained! Let me finish my life a victor and inherit eternal life according to the promise You gave my fathers. Now accept my soul in peace, remaining steadfast in this confession! For You are merciful and great is Your mercy, You Who live and sojourn throughout all the ages. Amen.” made such prayer, and lacerated all over by the red-hot rods, the saint fell into a sweet slumber, giving up his soul into the hands of God. The Hieromartyr Basil died June 29, 362. His commemoration was transferred to March 22 because of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. saint should not be confused with Saint Basil of Ancyra (January 1), a layman.

Phrygia, 362, Basil t Presbyter of Ancyra, fighting Arian heresy, deposed, dangerous to the State, strips of skin, red hot rods
Phrygia, 362, Basil t Presbyter of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), fighting Arian heresy, deposed, dangerous to the State, unshakable, tortured, J the Apostate, strips of skin, red hot rods, prayer of patience, sweet slumber; Ancyra; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Basil was a presbyter in Ancyra, Galatia. against the Arian heresy, he urged his flock to cling firmly to Orthodoxy. Because of this Saint Basil was deposed from his priestly rank by a local Arian council, but a Council of 230 bishops in Palestine reinstated him. Basil openly continued to preach and denounce the Arians. Therefore, he became the victim of persecution and was subjected to punishment as a man dangerous to the state. Two apostates, Elpidios and Pegasios, were ordered to turn Saint Basil from Orthodoxy. The saint remained unshakable, and was again subjected to tortures. the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) arrived in the city of Ancyra, Saint Basil bravely confessed Christ before him at the trial, and denounced the emperor for his apostasy. Julian ordered that strips of skin be cut from the saint’s back. Saint Basil endured the gruesome torture with great patience. they began to beat his shoulders and stomach with red-hot rods, he fell down upon the ground from the torments and cried out, “O Christ, my Light! O Jesus, my Hope! Quiet Haven from the stormy sea. I thank You, O Lord God of my fathers, that You have snatched my soul from the pit of Hell and preserved Your Name in me unstained! Let me finish my life a victor and inherit eternal life according to the promise You gave my fathers. Now accept my soul in peace, remaining steadfast in this confession! For You are merciful and great is Your mercy, You Who live and sojourn throughout all the ages. Amen.” made such prayer, and lacerated all over by the red-hot rods, the saint fell into a sweet slumber, giving up his soul into the hands of God. The Hieromartyr Basil died June 29, 362. His commemoration was transferred to March 22 because of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. saint should not be confused with Saint Basil of Ancyra (January 1), a layman. Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Basil lived in the time of Julian the Apostate (331-363), confessed his faith in Christ before the governor Saturninus. was tortured in Ancyra, sent to Constantinople, he was suspended from a tree, stretched on a rack, beaten, then stabbed with red-hot needles. was also thrown into a fiery furnace, but was not harmed. was sent to Caesarea and was torn to pieces by lions in the arena. saint, a layman, should not be confused with the other Saint Basil of Ancyra, who was a priest (March 22).

Phrygia, 363-364, Council of Laodicea, regulating the conduct of church members, Biblical Cannon
Council of Laodicea 363-364; Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 AD in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. context[edit] council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last Constantinian emperor, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination against Christians. After his death in battle on 26 June 363, officers of the army elected the Christian Jovian as his successor. Jovian, in a precarious position, far from supplies, ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. He was soon succeeded by Valentinian I, who named his brother Valens Emperor of the East. concerns[edit] major concerns of the Council involved regulating the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the sixty canons decreed, several aimed at: Maintaining order among bishops, clerics and laypeople (canons 3–5, 11–13, 21–27, 40–44, 56–57) Enforcing modest behaviour of clerics and laypeople (4, 27, 30, 36, 53–55) Regulating approach to heretics (canons 6–10, 31–34, 37), Jews (canons 16, 37–38) and pagans (canon 39) Outlawing the keeping of the Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraging rest on Sunday (canon 29) Outlining liturgical practices (canons 14–20, 21–23, 25, 28, 58–59) Restrictions during Lent (canons 45, 49–52) Admission and instruction of catechumens and neophytes (canons 45–48) Specifying a Biblical canon (canons 59–60) canon[edit] 59th canon forbade the readings in church of uncanonical books. The 60th canon listed Canonical books, with the New Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book of Revelation, and the Old Testament including the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah; but excluding all the deuterocanonical books proper. It is also believed that they may have demonized the "Second Book of Enoch", which led to its degeneration.[1] authenticity of the 60th canon is doubtful,[2] as it is missing from various Greek manuscripts and may have been added later[1] to specify the extent of the preceding 59th canon. The Latin version of the canons of Laodicea consistently omit the canon list. Around 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea.[3] council marks the first occasion in Christianity of the explicit condemnation of astrology, a matter on which theologians and legislators had not yet reached consensus.[4][5] Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia); Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ;

Phrygia, 363, Melasippus at Ancyra, Phrygia, son spits Julius' face, endures torture unharmed which cause 40 youths confess
Phrygia, 363, Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2), suffered under Julius the Apostate, lacerated under iron hooks, exhausted, son spat in Julius' face, cruel tortures, unharmed, beheaded, which cause 40 youths to confess and endure; Ancyra; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyrs Melasippus and Karina and their son Antoninus, and 40 children converted by their martyrdom at Ancyra during the reign of the emperor Julian the Apostate the city of Ancyra in Phrygia in the year 363. holy Martyrs Melasippus and Karina, lacerated by iron hooks and exhausted, died under torture. son Antoninus, whom the persecutor forced to watch the torture of his parents, in the face of the apostate emperor. this he was subjected to cruel tortures, but he remained unharmed, and then he was beheaded. other youths, seeing that the Lord had preserved His confessor Antoninus unharmed by tortures, believed in Christ, and they openly confessed their faith and endured martyrdom..

Phrygia, 400, 5th C Folder, Devastating Earthquakes Byzantine Empire, Trisagion Prayer

Phrygia, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer
Constantinople, 434-447, Devastating Earthquakes throughout B. Empire, Trisagion Prayer; Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20;

Phrygia, 500, 6th C Folder, Theodore fSykeon Galatia oTrade route, Greatmrtr George appears, mother's star vision, animals&more
Phrygia, 500, 6th C Folder, Theodore fSykeon Galatia on trade route, Greatmartyr George appearances&leading, mother's vision star over womb, animals&more

Phrygia, 560-610, St Theodore the Sykeote, Galatia, Greatmartyr G appearances & leading, Christ said Struggle, & much more
Phrygia, 560-610, St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopoli, Galatia (on trade route, Ankara Mouth, Sakarya 4), mothers vision bright star over womb, Greatmartyr George appearances and leading, Christ said Struggle, prayed and rain came, grace upon him, healing, deliverance, complete solitude, 2yrs, 17yr old priest, Chozeba monastic tonsure, returned, bretheren gathered around him, iron cage, cave, power over w animals, healed leprosy, locusts died at service, predicted emperor mauricius, bread each year, became bishop of A, Sabbas Larva, return led by G, poison try, MOG pieces of grain, Eucharist grace, purple light, floating Holy Lamb, sainthood while alive, crosses striking themselves, portent of iconoclasts, repose; Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Theodore the Sykeote was born in the mid-sixth century in the village of Sykeon, not far from the city of Anastasiopolis (in Galatia, Asia Minor), into a pious family. his mother Maria conceived the saint, she had a vision of a bright star overshadowing her womb. A clairvoyant Elder, whom she consulted, explained that this was the grace of God being poured forth on the infant in her womb. the boy reached the age of six, his mother presented him with a golden belt, since she intended that her son should become a soldier. That night the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23) appeared to her in a dream, and he told her not to consider military service for her son, because the boy was destined to serve God. The saint’s father, Cosmas, had served as a messenger of the emperor Justinian the Great (527-565), and he died at an early age. The boy remained in the care of his mother, and his grandmother Elpis, his aunt Dispenia and his little sister Vlatta also lived with them. school, Saint Theodore displayed great apptitude in his studies, chief of which was an uncommon ability for reasoning and wisdom. He was quiet, mild, he always knew how to calm his comrades, and he did not permit fights or quarrels among them. pious Elder Stephen also lived at his mother’s house. Imitating him, Saint Theodore at the age of eight began to eat only a small morsel of bread in the evening during Great Lent. So that his mother should not force him to take supper with everyone, the boy returned home from school only toward evening, after he had partaken of the Holy Mysteries with Elder Stephen. At the request of his mother, the teacher began to send him home to supper at the end of his lessons. Saint Theodore, however, ran to the church of the Great Martyr George, where the saint appeared to him in the form of a youth, and ushered him into the church. Saint Theodore turned ten, he fell deathly ill. They brought him to the church of Saint John the Baptist and placed him in front of the altar. The boy was healed by two drops of water that fell from the face of the Savior in the dome of the temple. At this time the Great Martyr George began appearing to the boy at night, and also leading him to his own temple to pray until morning. His mother, fearing the dangers of the forest at night, urged her son not to go at night. when the boy had already gone, she angrily followed him to the church, and she dragged him out by the hair and tied him to his bed. But that very night the Great Martyr George appeared to her in a dream, and commanded her not to hinder the child from going to church. Both Elpis and Dispenia had the same vision. The women then understood Saint Theodore’s special calling, and they no longer hindered him. Even his little sister Vlatta began to imitate him. twelve years of age, the saint had a dream in which he saw Christ on the Throne of Glory, Who said to him, “Struggle, Theodore, so that you may obtain a perfect reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.” that time, Saint Theodore began to intensify his labors. He spent both the First Week of Great Lent and the Week of the Veneration of the Cross in complete silence. devil considered how to destroy him. He appeared to the saint in the form of his classmate Gerontius, and urged him to jump off a precipice, but the Great Martyr George saved the boy. time, the boy went into the desert to obtain the blessing of the Elder Glycerius. Then there was a terrible drought throughout the land, and the Elder said, “Child, let us pray to the Lord on bended knee, asking Him to send rain. Then we shall learn whether our prayers are pleasing to the Lord.” The old man and the boy began to pray, and immediately it began to rain. Then the Elder said to Saint Theodore, that the grace of God was upon him, and he blessed him to become a monk when the time came. he was fourteen, Saint Theodore left home and lived near the church of the Great Martyr George. His mother brought him food, but Saint Theodore left everything on the stones by the church, and he ate only a single prosphora each day. Even at such a young age, Saint Theodore was granted the gift of healing. Through his prayers a demon-possessed youth was restored to health. Theodore then fled human glory and he withdrew into complete solitude. Under a large boulder not far from the church of Saint George, he dug a cave and persuaded a certain deacon to cover over the entrance with earth, leaving only a small opening for air. The deacon brought him bread and water and he told no one where the monk had hidden himself. two years Saint Theodore lived in this seclusion and complete quiet. His relatives mourned for the saint, thinking that he had been devoured by wild beasts. deacon finally revealed the secret, since he was afraid that Saint Theodore would perish in the narrow cave, and moreover he pitied the weeping mother. They took Saint Theodore out of the cave barely alive. mother wanted to take her son home and nurse him back to health, but the saint remained near the church of Saint George, and after several days he was completely well. of the youth’s exploits reached the local bishop Theodosius, who ordained him to the diaconate, and later to the holy priesthood, although the saint was only seventeen years old at the time. a certain while Saint Theodore went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem, and there at the Chozeba Lavra near Jordan, he received monastic tonsure. he returned to his native land, he again continued to live near the church of Saint George. His grandmother Elpis, his sister Vlatta and his mother entered a women’s monastery on the saint’s advice, and his aunt died in a good confession. ascetic life of the young hieromonk attracted to him people seeking salvation. The saint tonsured the youth Epiphanius, and later on a pious woman, healed by the saint from her sickness, brought him her son Philoumenus. Then the virtuous youth John also came to him. Thus brethren gradually gathered around the monk. Theodore continued in his harsh labors. At his request a blacksmith made him an iron cage without a roof, and so narrow that it was scarcely possible to stand. In this cage the monk stood in heavy chains from Holy Pascha until the Nativity of Christ. From the Baptism of the Lord until Holy Pascha he secluded himself in his cave, from which he emerged only for church services on Saturdays and Sundays. Throughout the whole of the forty-day Fast the saint ate only greens, and bread on Saturdays and Sundays. in such manner, he received from the Lord the power over wild animals. Bears and wolves came up to him and took food from his hand. the saint’s prayers, those afflicted with leprosy were healed, and demons were cast out from whole districts. In the nearby village of Magatia, when locusts threatened the crops, people turned to Saint Theodore for help. He sent them to church. After Divine Liturgy, which he served, the villagers returned home and learned that during the service all the locusts had died. the military commander Mauricius was returning to Constantinople by way of Galatia after a Persian war, the monk predicted that he would become emperor. The prediction came true, and the emperor Mauricius (582-602) fulfilled the saint’s request: he sent bread to the monastery each year for the multitude of people being fed there. small temple of Saint George could not accommodate all those who wanted to pray in it. Then through the efforts of the saint a beautiful new church was built. During this while the Bishop of Anastasiopolis happened to die. The people of the city requested Metropolitan Paul of Ancyra to install Saint Theodore as their bishop. that the saint would not resist, the messengers of the Metropolitan and the people of Anastasiopolis dragged him out of his cell by force and carried him into the city. bishop, Saint Theodore toiled much for the welfare of the Church, but his soul yearned for solitary communion with God. After several years he went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem. And there, concealing his identity, he settled at the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he lived in solitude from the Nativity of Christ until Pascha. Then the Great Martyr George led him to return to Anastasiopolis. enemies tried to poison the saint, but the Mother of God gave him three small pieces of grain. The saint ate them and remained unharmed. Saint Theodore felt weighed down with the burden of being a bishop and he asked Patriarch Cyriacus of Constantinople (595-606) for a release to return to his own monastery and celebrate the services there. ’s sanctity was so evident that when he celebrated the Eucharist, the grace of the Holy Spirit appeared as a radiant purple light, overshadowing the Holy Gifts. One time, when the saint elevated the discus with the holy Lamb and proclaimed “Holy things are for the holy,” the holy Lamb floated up in the air, and then settled again upon the discus. Orthodox Church venerated Saint Theodore as a saint, even while he was still alive. one of the cities of Galatia, a terrible event occurred: during a church procession the wooden crosses being carried began to strike each other by themselves, with the result that Patriarch Thomas (607-610, March 21) summoned Saint Theodore, asking him the meaning of this terrible portent. Having the gift of foresight, Saint Theodore explained that this indicated coming misfortunes for the Church of God (he was prophetically indicating the future heresy of the Iconoclasts). In his grief the holy Patriarch Thomas begged the saint to pray that he would soon die, so that he would not witness the coming woe. the year 610 the holy Patriarch Thomas reposed, having asked the blessing of Saint Theodore. Saint Theodore also departed to the Lord.

Phrygia, 600, 7th C Folder, Antiochus oGalatia writer Savva Mrtyrs, Pandect oScriptures, Iconodule John oPolybotum

Phyriga, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, sleep, repose of both body and soul
Phyriga, 610-641, Antiochus, Galatia, Phyriga, writer, Savva Martyrs, Pandect of Scriptures, down to sleep, repose of both body and soul; Galatia; St Antiochus, Commemorated December 24 ; Antiochus was from Galatia, and lived during the reign of Heraclius (610-641). witnessed the martyrdom of the monks of Saint Savva’s Monastery (May 16) by the Saracens, and recorded their sufferings. also wrote another book, called Pandect of the Scriptures. Divided into 130 chapters, the book examines the moral teachings of the Holy Scriptures. quote attributed to Saint Antiochus is found in the Evergetinos (Book 3:39). One of his best-known prayers is recited during Compline, “And grant us, Master, as we lay down to sleep, repose of both body and soul....”

Phrygia, 650-700, John Bishop oPolybotum, Phrygia, denouced Leo III's iconoclasm, gifts healing deliverance
Phrygia, 650-700, John Bishop oPolybotum, Phrygia (Intersection, Great Road, Akarcay River 2) denounced Leo III's iconoclasm, gifts healing deliverance; Polybotum; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated December 4 ; John, Bishop of Polybotum (in Phrygia), known as a denouncer of the heresy and impiety of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. John opposed Leo for his iconoclasm, and taught his flock the Orthodox doctrine of the veneration of icons. saint died at the beginning of the eighth century. Lord granted him the gift of healing the infirm and casting out evil spirits.

Phrygia, 700, 8th C Folder, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75

Phrygia, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75
Constantinople, 770-825, Evarestus of Studion Monastery, Galatia native, strict fasting, wearing chains till 75; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Evarestus, a native of Galatia, was the son of illustrious parents. his youth he longed for the monastic life, and in particular he loved to read the books of Saint Ephraim the Syrian. went to the Studion monastery, pursuing asceticism in strict fasting, vigil and prayer, and wearing iron chains. He departed to the Lord at age 75 in the year 825.

Phrygia, 800, 9th C Folder, Peter oGalatia, Emperor's son, Count, War, but left fDaphne M, Sack oAmorium, 42 Mrtrs oAmmoria
Phrygia, 800, 9th C Folder, Peter oGalatia, Emperor's son, Count, War, but left fDaphne Monastery, Sack oAmorium, 42 Mrtrs oAmmoria

Phrygia, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Emperor Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne monastery
Phrygia, 829-842, Peter of Galatia, Phyriga, Theophilos and Eudokia's son, count, war, but left for Daphne monastery, Olympus, Laodocia, Antalya; Galatia; Venerable Peter of Galatia,Commemorated on October 9; Peter lived during the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Theophilos (in 829). He was from the province of Galatia in Asia Minor. He was the son of Theophilos and Eudokia and at first he was named Leo. he was handsome, physically strong, and wise, the Emperor made him a count. After many years of war and being in charge of many things, he gave it all up to become a monk in the monastery of Daphne, with the new name Petros. went to Olympus, and from there to Jerusalem, but he did not remain there either. After leaving for Laodicia and Antalya, he had to endure arduous journeys, asceticism, and the fierce anger of the Ismaelites (Moslems), whom he encountered in the street. Finally, he returned to Olympus. of the loftiness of his virtues, he began to be noticed by the Emperors. That is why Emperor Basil the Macedonian convinced him to live in the monastery of Saint Phokas in the year 867. After many spiritual struggles, he departed to the Lord in peace. Saint Peter should not be confused with another Saint Peter of Galatia who lived in the V century (February 1).

Phrygia, 838, Sack of Amorium
Phrygia, 838, Sack of Amorium; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Phrygia, 838-845, 42 Martyrs of Ammoria, Phrygia, Saracen war, Commander Treason, A fell, Christ's many OT witnesses, Mohammed 0
Phrygia, 838-845, 42 Martyrs of Ammoria, Phrygia (Ammorai River Source, Sakarya River 3), Saracen war, Byzantine Commander Baditses Treason, A fell, 42 generals sent to Syria prison 7 yrs, not accept Islam, death sentence, Christ's OT witnesses, Mohammed no witnesses, 42 Martyred; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). a result of treason on the part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors tried in vain to persuade them to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before executing them. martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim. of the captives, Theodore, had renounced the priestly office to become a general. His captors taunted him, “We know that you forsook the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept Mohammed.” But the martyr replied, “You do not speak truthfully when you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have committed against Him.” executioners took each one separately and led him off to be beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the “All-Blessed” Theodore, the “Unconquered” Callistus, the “Valiant” Constantine, the “Wondrous” Theophilus and “the Most Strong” Basoes. Saints Aetius (Aetitus) and Melissenus were also among the martyrs. betrayer Baditses did not escape his shameful fate. The enemy knew that it is impossible to trust a traitor, and so they killed him.

Phrygia, 1400, 15th C Folder, Battle oAnkara, Timur over Ottomans

Phrygia, 1402, Battle of Ankara, 1402, Timur victory oOttomans
Battle of Ankara;

Phrygia, 9999, Unknown C Folder, Platon oAncyra arrested fPreaching tBoiling c's, Constantine oSynnada Jewish Christian Monk
Phrygia, 9999, Unknown Century Folder, Platon oAncyra arrested fPreaching tBoiling caldrons, Constantine oSynnada Jewish Christian Monk

Phrygia, 9999, Platon of Ancyra arrested fPreaching tBoiling caldrons, Galatia, Phrygia
Phrygia, 999, Platon of Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia; Ancyra; Martyr Platon of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 18 ; Holy Martyr Platon, brother of the holy Martyr Antiochus the Physician (July 16), was born at the city of Ancyra in Galatia. still a youth he left home and went through the cities, preaching the Word of God to pagans, amazing his audience with the persuasiveness and beauty of his speech, and his profound knowledge of Greek learning. of his preaching he was arrested and brought for trial to the temple of Zeus before the governor Agrippinus. At first, the judge attempted to persuade the saint to turn away from Christ by flattery. He assured the youth that he might be on a par of intellect with the greatest of the philosophers Plato, if only he worshipped also the pagan gods. this Saint Platon answered, that the wisdom of the philosopher, although great, was but ephemeral and limited, whereas the true, eternal and unbounded wisdom comprised the Gospel teachings. the judge promised to give him his beautiful niece for his wife if he would deny Christ. He also threatened him with torture and death if he refused. Platon replied that he chose a temporal death for the sake of eternal life. The patience of the governor was exhausted, and he gave orders to mercilessly beat the martyr, and then send him off to prison. they led Saint Platon off to prison, he turned to the people gathered about the temple, and he called on them not to forsake the Christian Faith. days later they again led the Martyr Platon for trial before Agrippinus in the temple of Zeus, where they had the implements of torture already prepared: boiling cauldrons, red-hot iron and sharp hooks. judge offered the martyr a choice: either to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, or to feel the effects of these implements of torture on his body. the saint steadfastly refused to worship idols, and after his tortures they threw him in prison for eighteen more days without bread or water. seeing that this did not shake the martyr, they offered him his life and freedom if he would only say, “Great is the god Apollo.” The martyr refused to deny Christ or to sacrifice to the idols. Therefore, Agrippinus ordered the holy Martyr Platon to be beheaded.

Phrygia, 9999, Constantine, Jew fSynnada, Phrygia, left parents tbMonk,touched cross to his head, cross image on him whole life
Phrygai, 9999, Constantine, Jew fSynnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source), drawn to Christ, carefully studied scriptures, heart aflame, left parents tbMonk, kissed cross wLove&touched it to his head, cross image impressed on him whole life, strict asceticism, departed peacefully; Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; Venerable Constantine of Synnada, Commemorated December 26 ; Constantine was a native of the city of Synnada of Jewish descent. his youth he was drawn to the Christian Faith. study of the teachings of Christ set his heart aflame, he left his parents to become a monk. He was baptized with the name Constantine and received monastic tonsure. they brought him the Holy Cross, he kissed it with love and touched it to his head. image of the Holy Cross impressed itself upon him throughout all his life. spent his God-pleasing life in strict asceticism, Saint Constantine departed peacefully to the Lord.

Phrygia, Galatia Folder (Along and East of Ankara River Area) Northern PHR

Ankara River

Galatia, Phyriga (along the Ankara River)
Galatia;

Eskisehir Povince in Galatia with Ankara Province
Eskisehir Povince; Martyr Julian of Galatia and 40 Martyrs with him, Commemorated on September 12;

Ankara River Source (along the Galatia-Bithynai divide-border)

Ankara River 1 (Paphlagonia)

Ankara River 2 (Ankara, Galatia, Phrygia)

Ancyra, Galatia, Phrygia (Ankara River 2)
Ancyra;

Ankara River 3 (Phrygia)

Ankara River 4 (Phrygia)

Ankara River Mouth (Anastastopolis, Phrygia, Sakarya River 4)

Anastasiopolis, Galatia (on trade route, Ankara Mouth, Sakarya 4)
Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 7;

Sykeon, near BeypazarÄ± and Anastasiopolis, in Galatia, Phrygia
Sykeon, near Beypazar; Sykeon, near BeypazarÄ±; Saint Theodore the Sykeote, Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Story------Saint Theodore the Sykeote was born in the mid-sixth century in the village of Sykeon, not far from the city of Anastasiopolis (in Galatia, Asia Minor), into a pious family. his mother Maria conceived the saint, she had a vision of a bright star overshadowing her womb. A clairvoyant Elder, whom she consulted, explained that this was the grace of God being poured forth on the infant in her womb. the boy reached the age of six, his mother presented him with a golden belt, since she intended that her son should become a soldier. That night the Holy Great Martyr George (April 23) appeared to her in a dream, and he told her not to consider military service for her son, because the boy was destined to serve God. The saint’s father, Cosmas, had served as a messenger of the emperor Justinian the Great (527-565), and he died at an early age. The boy remained in the care of his mother, and his grandmother Elpis, his aunt Dispenia and his little sister Vlatta also lived with them. school, Saint Theodore displayed great apptitude in his studies, chief of which was an uncommon ability for reasoning and wisdom. He was quiet, mild, he always knew how to calm his comrades, and he did not permit fights or quarrels among them. pious Elder Stephen also lived at his mother’s house. Imitating him, Saint Theodore at the age of eight began to eat only a small morsel of bread in the evening during Great Lent. So that his mother should not force him to take supper with everyone, the boy returned home from school only toward evening, after he had partaken of the Holy Mysteries with Elder Stephen. At the request of his mother, the teacher began to send him home to supper at the end of his lessons. Saint Theodore, however, ran to the church of the Great Martyr George, where the saint appeared to him in the form of a youth, and ushered him into the church. Saint Theodore turned ten, he fell deathly ill. They brought him to the church of Saint John the Baptist and placed him in front of the altar. The boy was healed by two drops of water that fell from the face of the Savior in the dome of the temple. At this time the Great Martyr George began appearing to the boy at night, and also leading him to his own temple to pray until morning. His mother, fearing the dangers of the forest at night, urged her son not to go at night. when the boy had already gone, she angrily followed him to the church, and she dragged him out by the hair and tied him to his bed. But that very night the Great Martyr George appeared to her in a dream, and commanded her not to hinder the child from going to church. Both Elpis and Dispenia had the same vision. The women then understood Saint Theodore’s special calling, and they no longer hindered him. Even his little sister Vlatta began to imitate him. twelve years of age, the saint had a dream in which he saw Christ on the Throne of Glory, Who said to him, “Struggle, Theodore, so that you may obtain a perfect reward in the Kingdom of Heaven.â€ that time, Saint Theodore began to intensify his labors. He spent both the First Week of Great Lent and the Week of the Veneration of the Cross in complete silence. devil considered how to destroy him. He appeared to the saint in the form of his classmate Gerontius, and urged him to jump off a precipice, but the Great Martyr George saved the boy. time, the boy went into the desert to obtain the blessing of the Elder Glycerius. Then there was a terrible drought throughout the land, and the Elder said, “Child, let us pray to the Lord on bended knee, asking Him to send rain. Then we shall learn whether our prayers are pleasing to the Lord.â€ The old man and the boy began to pray, and immediately it began to rain. Then the Elder said to Saint Theodore, that the grace of God was upon him, and he blessed him to become a monk when the time came. he was fourteen, Saint Theodore left home and lived near the church of the Great Martyr George. His mother brought him food, but Saint Theodore left everything on the stones by the church, and he ate only a single prosphora each day. Even at such a young age, Saint Theodore was granted the gift of healing. Through his prayers a demon-possessed youth was restored to health. Theodore then fled human glory and he withdrew into complete solitude. Under a large boulder not far from the church of Saint George, he dug a cave and persuaded a certain deacon to cover over the entrance with earth, leaving only a small opening for air. The deacon brought him bread and water and he told no one where the monk had hidden himself. two years Saint Theodore lived in this seclusion and complete quiet. His relatives mourned for the saint, thinking that he had been devoured by wild beasts. deacon finally revealed the secret, since he was afraid that Saint Theodore would perish in the narrow cave, and moreover he pitied the weeping mother. They took Saint Theodore out of the cave barely alive. mother wanted to take her son home and nurse him back to health, but the saint remained near the church of Saint George, and after several days he was completely well. of the youth’s exploits reached the local bishop Theodosius, who ordained him to the diaconate, and later to the holy priesthood, although the saint was only seventeen years old at the time. a certain while Saint Theodore went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem, and there at the Chozeba Lavra near Jordan, he received monastic tonsure. he returned to his native land, he again continued to live near the church of Saint George. His grandmother Elpis, his sister Vlatta and his mother entered a women’s monastery on the saint’s advice, and his aunt died in a good confession. ascetic life of the young hieromonk attracted to him people seeking salvation. The saint tonsured the youth Epiphanius, and later on a pious woman, healed by the saint from her sickness, brought him her son Philoumenus. Then the virtuous youth John also came to him. Thus brethren gradually gathered around the monk. Theodore continued in his harsh labors. At his request a blacksmith made him an iron cage without a roof, and so narrow that it was scarcely possible to stand. In this cage the monk stood in heavy chains from Holy Pascha until the Nativity of Christ. From the Baptism of the Lord until Holy Pascha he secluded himself in his cave, from which he emerged only for church services on Saturdays and Sundays. Throughout the whole of the forty-day Fast the saint ate only greens, and bread on Saturdays and Sundays. in such manner, he received from the Lord the power over wild animals. Bears and wolves came up to him and took food from his hand. Through the saint’s prayers, those afflicted with leprosy were healed, and demons were cast out from whole districts. In the nearby village of Magatia, when locusts threatened the crops, people turned to Saint Theodore for help. He sent them to church. After Divine Liturgy, which he served, the villagers returned home and learned that during the service all the locusts had died. the military commander Mauricius was returning to Constantinople by way of Galatia after a Persian war, the monk predicted that he would become emperor. The prediction came true, and the emperor Mauricius (582-602) fulfilled the saint’s request: he sent bread to the monastery each year for the multitude of people being fed there. small temple of Saint George could not accommodate all those who wanted to pray in it. Then through the efforts of the saint a beautiful new church was built. During this while the Bishop of Anastasiopolis happened to die. The people of the city requested Metropolitan Paul of Ancyra to install Saint Theodore as their bishop. that the saint would not resist, the messengers of the Metropolitan and the people of Anastasiopolis dragged him out of his cell by force and carried him into the city. bishop, Saint Theodore toiled much for the welfare of the Church, but his soul yearned for solitary communion with God. After several years he went to venerate the holy places in Jerusalem. And there, concealing his identity, he settled at the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he lived in solitude from the Nativity of Christ until Pascha. Then the Great Martyr George led him to return to Anastasiopolis. enemies tried to poison the saint, but the Mother of God gave him three small pieces of grain. The saint ate them and remained unharmed. Saint Theodore felt weighed down with the burden of being a bishop and he asked Patriarch Cyriacus of Constantinople (595-606) for a release to return to his own monastery and celebrate the services there. ’s sanctity was so evident that when he celebrated the Eucharist, the grace of the Holy Spirit appeared as a radiant purple light, overshadowing the Holy Gifts. One time, when the saint elevated the discus with the holy Lamb and proclaimed “Holy things are for the holy,â€ the holy Lamb floated up in the air, and then settled again upon the discus. Orthodox Church venerated Saint Theodore as a saint, even while he was still alive. one of the cities of Galatia, a terrible event occurred: during a church procession the wooden crosses being carried began to strike each other by themselves, with the result that Patriarch Thomas (607-610, March 21) summoned Saint Theodore, asking him the meaning of this terrible portent. Having the gift of foresight, Saint Theodore explained that this indicated coming misfortunes for the Church of God (he was prophetically indicating the future heresy of the Iconoclasts). In his grief the holy Patriarch Thomas begged the saint to pray that he would soon die, so that he would not witness the coming woe. the year 610 the holy Patriarch Thomas reposed, having asked the blessing of Saint Theodore. Saint Theodore also departed to the Lord.

Church of the Great Martyr George (probably this mosque that looks like a church)
Church of the Great Martyr George (probably this mosque that looks like a church); Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 7;

Phrygia, Sakarya River Folder (Upper Sakarya) flows North

Sakarya River Source (Phrygia, Bayat Plateau)

Sakarya River 1 (Phrygia)

Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia (Sakarya River 1)
Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Kotyaeion City, Phrygia (Sakarya River 1)
Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Sakarya River 2 (Phrygia)

Phrygia, Sakarya River 3, Ammoria River Folder

Ammoria River

Ammoria, Phrygia (Ammorai River Source, Sakarya River 3)
Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Sakarya River 3 (Phrygia)

Sakarya River 4 (Phrygia, Ankara River)

Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4)
Tiberiopolis; Martyr Ariadne of Phrygia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28 ;

Phrygia, Akarcay River Folder (Upper Akarcay) flows South

Akarcay River

Akarcay River Source (Phrygia, Bayat Plateau)

Synnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source)
Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor). Martyr Trophimus of Synnada, Commemorated on September 19 ; Venerable Constantine of Synnada, Commemorated December 26 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Michael the Confessor From his youth he longed for the monastic life and was sent by Patriarch Tarasius (784-806) to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea. Saint Theophylactus (March 8), the future Bishop of Nicomedia also entered the monastery together with him. the monastery both monks engaged in spiritual struggles and were soon glorified by gifts from the Lord. Once, during a harvest, when the people were weakened by thirst, an empty metal vessel was filled with water by the prayer of the monks. Tarasius consecrated Saint Michael as bishop of the city of Synnada. Through his holy life and wisdom, Saint Michael won the love of believers, and the notice of the emperors Nicephorus I (802-811) and Michael I Rangabe (811-813). Saint Michael was present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 787. the Iconoclast heretic Leo the Armenian (813-820) assumed the throne, he began to expel Orthodox hierarchs from their Sees, appointing heretics in their place. Michael defended Orthodoxy, bravely opposing the heretics and denouncing their error. Leo the Armenian brought Saint Michael to trial, but not fearing torture he answered resolutely, 'I venerate the holy icons of my Savior Jesus Christ and the All-Pure Virgin, His Mother, and all the saints, and it is to them I bow down. I shall not obey your decrees to remove icons from churches.' then banished Saint Michael to the city of Eudokiada, where the confessor died about the year 821. The head of Saint Michael is preserved in the Great Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mount Athos, and part of the relics are at the Iveron monastery. Icon of the Mother of God œEconomissaÂ, Commemorated on July 5;

Augustopolis, Phrygia (Akarcay River Source)
Augustopolis, Phrygia;

Akarcay River 1 (very close to Sakarya River Source)
Akarcay River 1 (very close to Source of Sakarya River), so Sakarya and Akarcay seem to connect across Asia Minor and once defined the Border of Kingdom of Lydia. At that time Lydia was all of western Anatolia or Asia Minor. Kingdom of Lydia;

Afyon Province, Phrygia
Afyon Province; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18;

Polybotum, Phrygia (Intersection, Great Road, Akarcay River 2)
Polybotum; St John the Bishop of Polybotum, Commemorated December 4

Bolvadin Plain (watered by Akarcay River)
Bolvadin Plain;

Phrygia, Meander River Folder (Upper Meander) flows West Northwest

Meander River

Meander River Source (Phrygia) not far from Lycus River Source

Meander River 1 (Sebaste, Usak, Phrygia)

Sebaste, Usak, Phrygia (Meander River 1)
Sebaste, Usak (Meander River 1); Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ;

Meander River 2 (Lycus River Mouth, Phrygia)

Meander River 3 (Tauropolis, Meanderin Plain)

Meander River 4 (Meanderian Plain)

Bozgodan River

Bozgodan River Source (Pinar Spring)

Meander River 5 (Tralles)

Meander River 6 (Miletus)

Meander River Mouth (Miletus, Agean Sea)

Phrygia, Lycus River Folder (Upper Lycus) flows West Southwest

Asian Turkey
Asian Turkey is simply the part of Turkey that is in Asia; the other part: Balkan or EuropeanTurkey. NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ;

Lycus River Source (Apamea, not far from Meander River Source)

Apamea, Phrygia (high point, Lycus and Meander Rivers Source, major E&W, N&S crossroads)
Apamea, Phrygia; Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ;

Lycus River 1 (Colossae, Phyrgia)

Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1)
Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated on September 6; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ;

Chonae, Phyrgia (Colossae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1)
Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built over a miraculous spring. church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of Laodicia in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. The holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from the water of the spring. The girl actually did receive healing and began to speak. After this miracle, the father and his daughter and all their family were baptized. In fervent gratitude, the father built the church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. Not only did Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted to the faith in Christ. this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a certain pious man by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. By his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many pagans to faith in Christ. With the general malice of that time towards Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus. this end they made a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. Saint Archippus prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger. Through his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. The temple remained unharmed. Seeing such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror. Archippus and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. The place where the rivers plunged into the fissure received the name “Chonae”, which means “plunging.” Chudov (“of the Miracle”) monastery in Moscow is named for this Feast. St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ;

Laodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Phrygia)
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia); Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ;

Lycus River 2 (Laodicea and Herapolis)

Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Great Road, Lycus River 2)
Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14 ; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Phrygian Hieropolis
Phrygian Hieropolis; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14 ;

Cheretopos, Phrygia (Lycus River 2)
In Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ;

Lycus (river of Phrygia) Mouth (Meander River 2)

Phrygia, Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Phrygia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder

Phrygia (Clean), its Area
Phyrgia, its Area

Phrygia (Clean), areas in the neighborhood (Clean)

Phyrgia, its Area

Phrygia, Galatia, its Area

Armenia, Cappadocia, its Area

Lycia, its Area

Paphlagonia, its Area

Pontine, its Area (includes Paphlagonia)

Lydia, Greater Lydia, its Area
Lydia, Greater Lydia, its Area, west of Sakarya and Akarcay rivers, Western Asia Minor

Ephesus, its Area

Lykaonia, its Area

Bithynia, its Area

Troy, its Area

Constantinople, Sea of Marmora, its Area

Constantinople, Local Roads, its Area

Phrygia (along the Upper Sakarya River South of Bithynia, North of the Intersection and Upper Akarcay River)
Phrygia Region ;

Anatolia (Asia Minor)
Anatolia; Asia Minor;

Phrygia (Clean), Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Phrygia (Clean), Lycus River Folder (Upper Lycus) flows West Southwest

Apamea, Phrygia (high point, Lycus and Meander Rivers Source, major E&W, N&S crossroads)
Apamea, Phrygia;

Colossae, Phyrgia (Chonae, plunging, Great Road, Lycus River 1)
Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ;

Laodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Phrygia)
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia);

Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Great Road, Lycus River 2)
Herapolis (Hot Springs) ;

Phrygian Hieropolis
Phrygian Hieropolis;

Cheretopos, Phrygia (Lycus River 2)
In Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos ;

Phrygia (Clean), Meander River Folder (Upper Meander) flows West Northwest

Sebaste, Usak, Phrygia (Meander River 1)
Sebaste, Usak (Meander River 1);

Phrygia (Clean), Akarcay River Folder (Upper Akarcay) flows South

Synnada, Phrygia (Intersection and Akarcay River Source)
Synnada, Synnada is on a small plain near the Akarcay River;

Afyon Province, Phrygia
Afyon Province;

Polybotum, Phrygia (Intersection, Great Road, Akarcay River 2)
Polybotum;

Phrygia (Clean), Galatia Folder (Along and East of Ankara River Area) Northern PHR

Phrygia (Clean), Galatia, its Area
Phrygia, Galatia, its Area

Galicia (Galatia), Phrygia (Ankara River Area)
Galicia (Galatia), Phrygia;

Eskisehir Povince in Galatia with Ankara Province
Eskisehir Povince;

Phrygia (Clean), Ankara-Amasea Road, Euchaita was important stop
Armenia (Clean), Ankara-Amasea Road, Euchaita was important stop

Anastasiopolis, Galatia (on trade route, Ankara Mouth, Sakarya 4)
Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ;

Sykeon, near BeypazarÄ± and Anastasiopolis, in Galatia, Phrygia
Sykeon, near Beypazar; Sykeon, near BeypazarÄ±;

Church of the Great Martyr George (probably this mosque that looks like a church)
Church of the Great Martyr George (probably this mosque that looks like a church); Anastasiopolis, Galatia, a military fort on the trade route from Constantinople to Bagdad ;

Phrygia (Clean), Sakarya River Folder (Upper Sakarya) flows North

Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia (Sakarya River 1)
Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia ;

Kotyaeion City, Phrygia (Sakarya River 1)
Kotyaeion Region of Phrygia ;

Ammoria, Phrygia (Ammorai River Source, Sakarya River 3)
Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838;

Tiberiopolis, Phrygia (Sakarya River 4)
Tiberiopolis;

Phrygia (Clean), Roman Roads, Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Phrygia (Clean), Roman Roads, Great Road Ephesus to Euphrates

Philippines Folder

Philippines
Philippines ; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Philippines Area

Philippines, Northern Luzon, Illocos Norte and Luzon Mountains Folder

Luzon Island, Phillippines
Luzon Island, Phillippines; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Luzon Mountains
Luzon Mountains; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Luzon Strait
Luzon Strait between Taiwan and Phillippines ;

Ilocos Norte Region, Phillipines
Ilocos Norte Region; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Batac City, Ilocos Norte, Phillipines
Batac, Ilocos Norte; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940 ;

Igorots People, Mountain Province, Phillippines
Igorots People, Mountain Province ; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Illocos Sur, Northern Luzon, Philippines
Illocos Sur, Philippines; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Victoria, Tarlac, Northern Luzon, Philippines
Victoria, Tarlac, Philippines; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Philippines, Southern Luzon Island and Manilla Folder

Manila, Chinese settlements in Manila, Binondo
Manila, Philpines; Manila, Chinese settlements in Manila, Binondo ;

University of Santo Tomas, Manilla, Phillipines, 1611
University of Santo Tomas; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manilla, Phillipines, 1620
Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manilla; Intramuros, Manilla; GREGORIO AGLIPAY, PRIEST AND FOUNDER OF THE PHILIPINE INDEPENDENT CHURCH, 5 Sept. 1940;

Philippines, Central Islands

Tubabao, large island Eastcentral Philippines
Tubabao, large island Eastcentral Phillipines

Philippines, Southern Islands Folder, Muslim

Phillippine southern islands, Muslim
Phillippine southern islands, Muslim; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Philippines (Clean) Folder

Philippines
Philippines ;

Philippines (Clean) its Area

Phillippines (Clean) Northern Luzon Island, its Area

Philippines (Clean) Central Philippines, its Area

Philippines (Clean) Metro Manila, its Area

Philippines (Clean) Southern Philippines, its Area, incl Mindanao Island

Philippines (Clean), Northern Luzon, Illocos Norte and Luzon Mountains Folder

Luzon Island, Phillippines
Luzon Island, Phillippines;

Luzon Mountains
Luzon Mountains;

Ilocos Norte Region, Phillipines
Ilocos Norte Region;

Batac City, Ilocos Norte, Phillipines
Batac, Ilocos Norte;

Igorots People, Mountain Province, Phillippines
Igorots People, Mountain Province ;

Illocos Sur, Northern Luzon, Philippines
Illocos Sur, Philippines;

Victoria, Tarlac, Northern Luzon, Philippines
Victoria, Tarlac, Philippines;

Philippines (Clean), Southern Luzon Island and Manilla Folder

University of Santo Tomas, Manilla, Phillipines, 1611
University of Santo Tomas;

Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Manilla, Phillipines, 1620
Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manilla;

Philippines (Clean), Central Islands

Phillippine southern islands, Muslim
Phillippine southern islands, Muslim;

Pacific Islands Folder

Pacific Islands, Oceania Folder

Oceania area
Oceania area;

Tonga Area

New Hebrides Area

British Empire - Tonga - Polynesia, Pacific Islands, 169 islands, 39 inhabited
British Empire - Tonga - Polynesia, Pacific Islands, 169 islands, 39 inhabited; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Pacific Islands, Polynesia Folder

Polynesia area
Polynesia area;

British Empire - New Hebrides - Polynisia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - New Hebrides - Polynisia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Ellice Islands - Oceana and Polynesia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Ellice Islands - Oceana and Polynesia, Pacific Islands;

British Empire - Western Samoa - Polynesian Islands, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Western Samoa - Polynesian Islands, Pacific Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Polynesian Islands
Polynesian Islands; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Fiji, Polynesia, Pacific Islands
Fiji; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORIN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

South Pacific
South Pacific; Australasia; Oceania; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871);

Pacific Islands, Hawaiian Islands Folder

Pacific Islands, Hawaii History Folder

Pacific Islands, 1855-1864, 1885, KING KAMEHAMEHA & QUEEN EMMA, spread c, English missionaries, t BCP & Hymnsl, Queen's Hospitl
Pacific Islands, 1855-1864, 1885, KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, Christian rulers, built schools & hospitals, spread christianity, avoided US, to England for missionaries, personally translated BCP & Hymnal, Queen's Hospital; Hawaii; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; Kamehameha IV and his wife Emma were Christian rulers who encouraged the building of Christian schools and hospitals, and who contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity among the Hawaiian people. King was worried by the growth of American political influence, directly connected with the work of American missionaries, many of whom openly favored annexation of the islands by the United States. accordingly invited the Church of England to send missionaries and to establish a presence in Hawaii. touring England as a prince, he had attended worship services, and had been favorably impressed.) although the King's support of the Church of England was perhaps politically motivated, his support of Christianity was not. and his wife were earnest in their devotion to both the material and the spiritual welfare of their people. King personally translated the Book of Common Prayer and much of the Hymnal into Hawaiian. only son died in 1863, and the King died, apparently of grief, on 30 November 1864. Queen devoted the remainder of her life to charitable endeavors (Queen's Hospital, the largest civilian hospital in Hawaii, is largely her doing). She died in 1885. of the television program, MAGNUM, P I, will be disappointed to learn that the King Kamehameha Club was probably named for King Kamehameha I, who was a somewhat different sort of ruler.) NOTE: successor, Kamehameha V, suspended the constitution and announced his intention to rule in the traditional autocratic manner. the end of his life, he was too fat to walk unaided. He was the last of his dynasty. In 1893 Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and a republic proclaimed. 1894, the republic acquired its first president, Sanford B. Dole. (His family is in the pineapple business.) 1898, the United States, (having just acquired Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in a brief war with Spain, and being in an expansionist mood) annexed the Republic of Hawaii at the request of the government thereof. US troops withdrew from Cuba (except for Guantanamo Naval Base) in 1902. The Philippines became independent in 1946. Puerto Rico, by vote of its inhabitants, has rejected both independence and becoming one of the United States, and has been since 1952 officially an "associated commonwealth," whose citizens are also citizens of the United States, free to travel between the two countries, voting in US elections when on the mainland, free of US taxes when on the island. Guam has been a self-governing unincorporated US territory since 1950. Since the 1970's, there has been talk of giving it the same status as Puerto Rico. Hawaii was made a territory in 1900 and a State in 1959. by James Kiefer

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1860-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized Ls
Belgium, 1816-1918, DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI Island, Hawaii, Leprosy isolation, organized burial, grow crops, choir, medical, built chapel, Marianne from Germany, replaced D, miraculously did not get Leprosy; Molokai; DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ; the 1800's, the Hawaiian Islands suffered a severe leprosy epidemic, which was dealt with largely by isolating lepers on the island of Molokai. were simply dumped there and left to fend for themselves. The crews of the boats carrying them there were afraid to land, so they simply came in close and forced the lepers to jump overboard and scramble through the surf as best they could. Ashore, they found no law and no organized society, simply desperate persons waiting for death. Belgian missionary priest, Joseph Van Veuster (Damien of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart), born in 1840, came to Hawaii in 1863, and in 1873 was sent at his own request to Molokai to work among the lepers. organized burial details and funeral services, so that death might have some dignity. He taught the people how to grow crops and feed themselves better. He organized a choir, and got persons to sing who had not sung in years. He gave them medical attention. doctors had been making regular visits, but they were afraid of contagion, and would not come close to the patients. They inspected their sores from a distance and then left medicines on a table and fled. Damien personally washed and anointed and bandaged their sores.) was already a small chapel on the island. It proved too small, and with the aid of patients he built a larger one, which soon overflowed every Sunday. Damien contracted leprosy himself in 1885, and continued to work there until his death on 15 April 1889. — by James Kiefer; more at Wikipedia Marianne Cope Marianne Cope (January 23, 1838 – August 9, 1918), was a Franciscan nun of the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. in Heppenheim (Germany) and entered religious life in Syracuse, New York, she worked, lived and died for the lepers on the island of Moloka'i in Hawai'i. She was not herself afflicted by the disease, a fact arguably declared to be miraculous considering her close contact with the patients over the course of several years. the age of three her family moved from Germany to the United States, settling in Utica, New York. After joining the Franciscans, she spent nearly a decade as a teacher and then principal in newly established schools for German immigrants. She was also a founding member of two of the first Catholic hospitals in the United States. November 1883, Mother Marianne, then Provincial Mother, traveled from Syracuse to Honolulu with six other nuns to answer a call for aid to the Hansen's disease sufferers. In 1888, she moved to Kalaupapa to help the ailing Father Damien of Moloka'i. When the famed priest died, Mother Marianne Cope took over the care of the patients of Kalaupapa. She remained there until her death in 1918. — more at Wikipedia

Pacific Islands, Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation by US
Hawaii, 1893-1898, Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and Annexation; Hawaii, 1891-1893, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864); DAMIEN and MARIANNE of MOLOKAI, PRIEST AND LEPER, 1889; RELIGIOUS 1918, Commemorated April 15 ;

Pacific Islands, Micronesia Folder

Micronesia Area
Micronesia;

Guam, Micronesia, Pacific Islands
Guam; KING KAMEHAMEHA AND QUEEN EMMA OF HAWAII, (28 NOV 1864) ; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Micronesia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Polynisia and Micronesia ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Nauru - Micronesia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Nauru - Micronesia, Pacific Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Pacific Islands, Australasia Folder

Australasia Area
Australasia ; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ;

Austrailia
Austrailia; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

British Empire - Austrailia - Australasia, Pacific Islands, Capitol Canberra
Austrailia; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

British Empire - Australia - Australasia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Australia - Australasia, Pacific Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Gold Coast - Eastern Australia, Brisbane
British Empire - Gold Coast - Eastern Australia, Queensland, Brisbane; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

New Zealand, Australasia, Pacific Islands
New Zealand; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

British Empire - New Zealand, Australasia and Polynisia, Pacific Islands
New Zealand; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Maori People, New Zealand
Maori People, New Zealand; New Zealand; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Pacific Islands, Santa Cruz Islands Folder

Santa Cruz Islands area
Santa Cruz Islands area;

Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Cruz Islands; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ;

Pacific Islands, Melanesia Folder

Melanesia Area
Melanesia;

Melanesian Islands
Melanesia; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945, Commemorated June 6 ;

New Guinea, the Island of New Guinea, Melanesia, Pacific Islands
New Guinea ; THE MARTYRS OF NEW GUINEA, (2 SEP 1942);

British Empire - Papua New Guinea - Eastern half Island of New Guinea
British Empire - Papua New Guinea - Eastern half Island of New Guinea; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Papua New Guinea (a country)
Papua New Guinea (a country); THE MARTYRS OF NEW GUINEA, (2 SEP 1942);

Pacific Islands, Melanisia, Solomon Islands Folder

Solomon Islands Area

Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Solomon Islands - Melanesia, Pacific Islands
Solomon Islands; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Bugotu Language Santa Isabel Island
Bugotu Language Santa Isabel Island; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945, Commemorated June 6;

Maravovo, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Maravovo; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945, Commemorated June 6 ;

Pacific Islands, Melanisia, 1925-1945, INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1925, w Englishman John M Steward
Pacific Islands, Melanisia, 1925-1945, INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1925, Maravovo, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, w John Manwaring; Maravovo; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945, Commemorated June 6 ; Kopuria (died 1945), a police officer from Maravovo, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands the Melanesian Brotherhood in 1925. and the Bishop of Melanesia, the Right Reverend John Manwaring Steward, realised Ini's dream by forming a band of brothers (known in the Mota language as 'Ira Reta Tasiu') to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the non-Christian areas of Melanesia. is commemorated in the calendars of the Church of the Province of Melanesia and of the Church of England. — from Wikipedia information on him and the Melanesian Brotherhood may be found on Project Canterbury.

Pacific (Clean) Islands Folder

Pacific (Clean) Islands Area
Pacific Islands;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Oceania Folder

Pacific (Clean), Oceania area
Oceania area;

Pacific (Clean), Tonga Area

Pacific (Clean), New Hebrides Area

British Empire - Tonga - Polynesia, Pacific Islands, 169 islands, 39 inhabited
British Empire - Tonga - Polynesia, Pacific Islands, 169 islands, 39 inhabited;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Polynesia Folder

Pacific (Clean), Polynesia area
Polynesia area;

Pacific (Clean) Samoan Islands, Polynesia, its Area, Western, American, & Samoa
Pacific (Clean) Samoan Islands, its Area, Western, American, & Samoa

Pacific (Clean) Ellice Islands, Polynesia Area

Pacific (Clean) Fiji Islands, Polyeisia, its Area
Pacific (Clean) Fiji Islands, Polynesia, its Area

Pacific (Clean) Gilbert Islands, Micronesia & Polynesia, its Area

British Empire - New Hebrides - Polynisia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - New Hebrides - Polynisia;

British Empire - Western Samoa - Polynesian Islands, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Western Samoa - Polynesian Islands, Pacific Islands;

Polynesian Islands
Polynesian Islands;

Fiji, Polynesia, Pacific Islands
Fiji;

South Pacific
South Pacific; Australasia; Oceania;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Hawaiian Islands Folder

Pacific (Clean) Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia, Its Area
Pacific (Clean) Hawaiian Islands, Its Area

Hawaii, Pacific Islands, Polynesia
Hawaii; Republic of Hawaii;

Honolulu, Hawaii (Oahu Island)
Honolulu; Oahu Island;

Queen's Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii (1859)
Queen's Hospital;

Molokai Island, Hawaii
Molokai;

Kalaupapa, Hawaii (Molokai Island)
Kalaupapa;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Micronesia Folder

Pacific (Clean) Micronesia, its Area
Micronesia;

Pacific (Clean) Nauru Island, Micronesia, its Area

Pacific (Clean) Guam Island, Micronesia, its Area

Guam, Micronesia, Pacific Islands
Guam;

British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Micronesia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Polynisia and Micronesia ;

British Empire - Nauru - Micronesia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Nauru - Micronesia, Pacific Islands;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Australasia Folder

Pacific (Clean) Australasia, its Area

Pacific (Clean) Australia, Australasia, its Area

Pacific (Clean) New Zealand, Astralasia, its Area

Australia, Gold Coast

Austrailia
Austrailia;

British Empire - Austrailia - Australasia, Pacific Islands, Capitol Canberra
Austrailia;

British Empire - Australia - Australasia, Pacific Islands
British Empire - Australia - Australasia, Pacific Islands;

British Empire - Gold Coast - Eastern Australia, Brisbane
British Empire - Gold Coast - Eastern Australia, Queensland, Brisbane;

British Empire - New Zealand, Australasia and Polynisia, Pacific Islands
New Zealand;

Maori People, New Zealand
Maori People, New Zealand;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Santa Cruz Islands Folder

Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Cruz Islands;

Pacific (Clean) Islands, Melanesia Folder

Pacific (Clean) Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, its Area, Eastern Half New Guinea Island

Melanesian Islands
Melanesia;

New Guinea, the Island of New Guinea, Melanesia, Pacific Islands
New Guinea ;

British Empire - Papua New Guinea - Eastern half Island of New Guinea
British Empire - Papua New Guinea - Eastern half Island of New Guinea;

Pacific (Clean) Solomon Islands, Melanesia, its Area

Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands;

British Empire - Solomon Islands - Melanesia, Pacific Islands
Solomon Islands;

Bugotu Language Santa Isabel Island
Bugotu Language Santa Isabel Island;

Maravovo, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Maravovo;

Pacific Islands, Melanisia, 1925-1945, INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1925, w Englishman John M Steward
Pacific Islands, Melanisia, 1925-1945, INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1925, Maravovo, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, w John Manwaring; Maravovo;

Malaya (Malaysia), Sumatra, Jakarta, Indonesia Folder

Malaysia, Sumatra, Jakarta, and Indonesia Area

Malaya (Malay Peninsula)
Malay Peninsula; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); FRANCIS XAVIER

British Empire - British Malaya, Malaya (Malay Peninsula)
British Empire - British Malaya, Malaya (Malay Peninsula); Malay Peninsula; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); FRANCIS XAVIER

Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; FRANCIS XAVIER

Malacca, Malasia (a Portugese Possession)
Malacca, a Portugese Possession FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ;

Malacca River

Malacca River Distributary

British Empire - Singapore - Singapore Strait, Southern Maylay Penninsula
British Empire - Singapore - Singapore Strait, Maylay Penninsula; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Brunei - North Coast Island of Borneo, Surrounded by Sumatra
British Empire - Brunei - North Coast Island of Borneo, Surrounded by Sumatra; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - British North Borneo, Kudat
British Empire - North Borneo, Kudat; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - British North Borneo - Sandakan
British Empire - North Borneo - Sandakan; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Sarawak - Central Sumatra, Borneo
British Empire - Sarawak - Central Sumatra, Borneo; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Mexico Folder, and its rivers

Mexico, Land of the Aztecs (Lake Texcoco, Valley of Mexico)
Aztecs; Mexican Indians fought with the Spanish against the Aztecs. BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Mexico, 1504-1547, Mexico History Folder

Mexico, 1504-1547, Mexican Conqueror, Hernan Cortez
Mexican Conqueror, 1504-1547, Hernan Cortez; BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 25;

Mexico, El Camino Real Santa Fe, NM to Mexico City Folder

El Camino Real Sante Fe, NM to Mexico City

El Camino Real Santa Fe, NM to Mexico City 1 (San Juan Pueblo)
San Juan Pueblo;

El Camino Real Santa Fe, NM to Mexico City 2 (Santa Fe, NM)
Santa Fe;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 3 (Albuquerque, NM)
Albuquerque, NM;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 4 (El Paso, TX)
El Paso;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 5 (Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico)
Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 6 (Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico)
Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 7 (Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico)
Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 8 (Durango, Durango, Mexico)
Durango, Durango, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 9 (Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico)
Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 10 (Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico)
Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 11 (Lagos, Moreno, Mexico)
Lagos de Moreno;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 12 (Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico)
Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 13 (Mexico City)
Mexico City;

Mexico, Vera Cruz to Acapulco via Mexico City Folder

Vera Cruz to Acapulco via Mexico City Road

Vera Cruz, Mexico
Vera Cruz, Mexico; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Mexico City (in Valley of Mexico, a basin)
Mexico City (in Valley of Mexico); Cloak of Guadalupe BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Cloak of Guadalupe, Our Lady of G, 1531, Mexico City, most visited, sign asked for, Castilian roses
Cloak of Guadalupe, Our Lady of G, 1531; Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a series of five Marian apparitions in December 1531, and a venerated image on a cloak enshrined within the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The basilica is the most-visited Catholic shrine in the world, and the world's third most-visited sacred site.[1][2] Leo XIII granted the image a decree of a canonical coronation on 8 February 1887 and it was ceremoniously crowned on 12 October 1895. apparitions of the face, showing the discoloration on the top part of the head, where a crown is said to have been present at some point, now obscured by an enlarged frame for unknown reasons. accounts provide that the Virgin Mary appeared four times to Juan Diego and once more to his uncle, Juan Bernardino. The first apparition occurred on the morning of Saturday, December 9, 1531 (Julian calendar, which is December 19 on the (proleptic) Gregorian calendar in present use), when it is said that an indigenous Mexican peasant named Juan Diego experienced a vision of a young woman at a place called the Hill of Tepeyac, which later became part of Villa de Guadalupe, in a suburb of Mexico City.[citation needed] According to the accounts, the woman, speaking to Juan Diego in his native Nahuatl language (the language of the Aztec Empire), identified herself as the Virgin Mary, "mother of the very true deity".[3] She was said to have asked for a church to be erected at that site in her honor.[citation needed] Based on her words, Juan Diego then sought the Archbishop of Mexico City, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, to tell him what had happened. Not unexpectedly, the Archbishop did not believe Diego. Later the same day, Juan Diego again saw the young woman (the second apparition), and she asked him to continue insisting.[citation needed] next day, Sunday, December 10 (Julian calendar), Juan Diego spoke to the Archbishop a second time. The latter instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill and to ask the woman for a truly acceptable, miraculous sign to prove her identity. Later that day, the third apparition occurred when Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac; encountering the same woman, he reported to her the Archbishop's request for a sign, which she consented to provide on the next day (December 11).[4] Monday, December 11 (Julian calendar), however, Juan Diego's uncle, Juan Bernardino, became ill, which obligated Juan Diego to attend to him. In the very early hours of Tuesday, December 12 (Julian calendar), Juan Bernardino's condition having deteriorated overnight, Juan Diego journeyed to Tlatelolco to get a Catholic priest to hear Juan Bernardino's confession and help minister to him on his deathbed.[citation needed] drawing of the Mexican Coat of arms, c. 1743 avoid being delayed by the Virgin and ashamed at having failed to meet her on Monday as agreed, Juan Diego chose another route around Tepeyac Hill, yet the Virgin intercepted him and asked where he was going (fourth apparition); Juan Diego explained what had happened and the Virgin gently chided him for not having made recourse to her. In the words which have become the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe apparitions and are inscribed above the main entrance to the Basilica of Guadalupe, she asked "¿No estoy yo aquÃ que soy tu madre?" ("Am I not here, I who am your mother?"). She assured him that Juan Bernardino had now recovered and told him to gather flowers from the summit of Tepeyac Hill, which was normally barren, especially in the cold of December. Juan Diego obeyed her instruction and he found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, blooming there.[citation needed] of the Convent of San Francisco, Mexico City, with a painting of the tilma Virgin arranged the flowers in Juan Diego's tilma, or cloak, and when Juan Diego opened his cloak later that day before Archbishop Zumárraga, the flowers fell to the floor, revealing on the fabric the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.[5] next day, December 13 (Julian calendar), Juan Diego found his uncle fully recovered as the Virgin had assured him, and Juan Bernardino recounted that he also had seen her, at his bedside (fifth apparition); that she had instructed him to inform the Archbishop of this apparition and of his miraculous cure; and that she had told him she desired to be known under the title of 'Guadalupe'.[citation needed] Archbishop kept Juan Diego's mantle, first in his private chapel and then in the church on public display, where it attracted great attention. On December 26, 1531 a procession formed to transfer the miraculous image back to Tepeyac Hill where it was installed in a small, hastily erected chapel.[6] During this procession, the first miracle was allegedly performed when a native was mortally wounded in the neck by an arrow shot by accident during some stylized martial displays performed in honor of the Virgin. In great distress, the natives carried him before the Virgin's image and pleaded for his life. Upon the arrow being withdrawn, the victim fully and immediately recovered.[7] Diego's tilma has become Mexico's most popular religious and cultural symbol, and has received widespread ecclesiastical and popular veneration. In the 19th century it became the rallying cry of the Spaniards born in America, in what they denominated 'New Spain'. They said they considered the apparitions as legitimizing their own indigenous Mexican origin. They infused it with an almost messianic sense of mission and identity, thereby also justifying their armed rebellion against Spain.[8][9] and early history article: Juan Diego of Guadalupe in Monastery of Guadalupe, in Cáceres, Extramadura, Spain shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain was the most important Marian shrine in the medieval kingdom of Castile.[10] It is one of the many dark or black skinned Madonnas in Spain and is revered in the Monastery of Santa MarÃa de Guadalupe, in the town of Guadalupe in Extremadura of Spain. Numerous Spanish conquistadors, including Hernán Cortés, came from Extremadura. The name is believed to be derived from the Arabic phrase ÙˆØ§Ø¯ÙŠ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ø¨, "Wad-al-lubb" ("hidden river"), because the river narrows down as it flows near to the town of Guadalupe.[citation needed] shrine houses a statue reputed to have been carved by Luke the Evangelist and given to Saint Leander, archbishop of Seville, by Pope Gregory I. According to local legend, when Seville was taken by the Moors in 712, a group of priests fled northward and buried the statue in the hills near the Guadalupe River. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Virgin appeared one day to a humble cowboy named Gil Cordero who was searching for a missing animal in the mountains.[11] Cordero claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and ordered him to ask priests to dig at the site of the apparition. Excavating priests rediscovered the hidden statue and built a small shrine around it which became the great Guadalupe monastery.[citation needed] the Conquest in 1519–1521, the Marian cult was brought to the Americas and Franciscan monks often leveraged syncretism with existing religious beliefs as an instrument for evangelization. What is purported by some to be the earliest mention of the miraculous apparition of the Virgin is a page of parchment, the Codex Escalada, which was discovered in 1995 and, according to investigative analysis, dates from the sixteenth century.[12] This document bears two pictorial representations of Juan Diego and the apparition, several inscriptions in Nahuatl referring to Juan Diego by his Aztec name, and the date of his death: 1548, as well as the year that the then named Virgin Mary appeared: 1531. It also contains the glyph of Antonio Valeriano; and finally, the signature of Fray Bernardino de Sahagun that was authenticated by experts from the Banco de Mexico and Charles E. Dibble.[13] doubts have been cast on the authenticity of the document.[14] mopohua more complete early description of the apparition occurs in a 16-page manuscript called the Nican mopohua, which was acquired by the New York Public Library in 1880 and has been reliably dated in 1556. This document, written in Nahuatl, but in Latin script, tells the story of the apparitions and the supernatural origin of the image. It was probably composed by a native Aztec man, Antonio Valeriano, who had been educated by Franciscans. The text of this document was later incorporated into a printed pamphlet which was widely circulated in 1649.[15][16][17][18] spite of these documents, there are no written accounts of the Guadalupe vision by Catholic clergymen of the 16th century, as there ought to have been if the event had the Christian importance it is said to have had.[19] In particular, the canonical account of the vision also features archbishop Juan de Zumárraga as a major player in the story, but, although Zumárraga was a prolific writer, there is nothing in his extant writings that can confirm the indigenous story.[citation needed] written record that does exist suggests the Catholic clergy in 16th century Mexico were deeply divided as to the orthodoxy of the native beliefs springing up around the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with the Franciscan order (who then had custody of the chapel at Tepeyac) being strongly opposed to the outside groups, while the Dominicans supported it.[20] main promoter of the story and those native believers was the Dominican Alonso de Montúfar, who succeeded the Franciscan Juan de Zumárraga as archbishop of Mexico. In a 1556 sermon Montúfar commended popular devotion to "Our Lady of Guadalupe", referring to a painting on cloth (the tilma) in the chapel of the Virgin Mary at Tepeyac, where certain miracles had also occurred. Days later, Fray Francisco de Bustamante, local head of the Franciscan order, delivered a sermon denouncing the native belief and believers. He expressed concern that the Catholic Archbishop was promoting a superstitious regard for an indigenous image:[21] The devotion at the chapel... to which they have given the name Guadalupe was prejudicial to the Indians because they believed that the image itself worked miracles, contrary to what the missionary friars had been teaching them, and because many were disappointed when it did not. banner of the Mexican conquistador Hernán Cortés from year 1521, which was kept within the Archbishop's villa during the time of the Guadalupe apparitions next day Archbishop Montúfar opened an inquiry into the matter. At the inquiry, the Franciscans repeated their position that the image encouraged idolatry and superstition, and four witnesses testified to Bustamante's statement that the image was painted by an Indian, with one witness naming him "the Indian painter Marcos".[22] This could refer to the Aztec painter Marcos Cipac de Aquino, who was active at that time.[23][24] But "if he did, he apparently did so without making a preliminary sketches – in itself then seen as a near-miraculous procedure... Cipac may well have had a hand in painting the Image, but only in painting the additions, such as the angel and moon at the Virgin's feet",[25] says Prof. Jody Brant Smith (referring to Philip Serna Callahan's examination of the tilma using infrared photography in 1979).[citation needed] Archbishop Montúfar, himself a Dominican, decided to end Franciscan custody of the shrine.[26] From then on the shrine was kept and served by diocesan priests under the authority of the archbishop.[27] Moreover, Archbishop Montúfar authorized the construction of a much larger church at Tepeyac, in which the tilma was later mounted and displayed.[citation needed] report of this 1556 inquiry is the most extensive documentation concerning the Virgin of Guadalupe from the 16th century, and it makes no mention of Juan Diego, the miraculous apparition, or any other element from the legend.[citation needed] the late 1570s, the Franciscan historian Bernardino de Sahagún denounced the cult at Tepeyac and the use of the name "Tonantzin" or to call her Our Lady in a personal digression in his General History of the Things of New Spain, in the version known as the Florentine Codex.[citation needed] At this place [Tepeyac], [the Indians] had a temple dedicated to the mother of the gods, whom they called Tonantzin, which means Our Mother. There they performed many sacrifices in honor of this goddess ... And now that a church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is built there, they also called her Tonantzin, being motivated by those preachers who called Our Lady, the Mother of God, Tonantzin. While it is not known for certain where the beginning of Tonantzin may have originated, but this we know for certain, that, from its first usage, the word refers to the ancient Tonantzin. And it was viewed as something that should be remedied, for their having [native] name of the Mother of God, Holy Mary, instead of Tonantzin, but Dios inantzin. It appears to be a Satanic invention to cloak idolatry under the confusion of this name, Tonantzin.[28] ún's criticism of the indigenous group seems to have stemmed primarily from his concern about a syncretistic application of the native name Tonantzin to the Catholic Virgin Mary. However, Sahagún often used the same name in his sermons as late as the 1560s.[29] the 16th century and probably continuing into the early 17th century, the image was modified by then adding the mandorla-shaped sunburst around the Virgin, the stars on her cloak, the Moon under her feet, and the angel with a folded cloth supporting her—as was determined by an infrared and ocular study of the tilma in 1979.[30] printed accounts Virgin of Guadalupe, c. 1700, featuring a crown on the Virgin's head, later removed. Indianapolis Museum of Art. of the first printed accounts of the history of the apparitions and image occurs in Imagen de la Virgen Maria, Madre de Dios de Guadalupe, published in 1648 by Miguel Sánchez, a diocesan priest of Mexico City.[31] account is the Codex Escalada, dating from the sixteenth century, a sheet of parchment recording apparitions of the Virgin Mary and the figure of Juan Diego, which reproduces the glyph of Antonio Valeriano alongside the signature of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún. It contains the following glosses: "1548 Also in that year of 1531 appeared to Cuahtlatoatzin our beloved mother the Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Cuahtlatoatzin died worthily"[32] next printed account was a 36-page tract in the Nahuatl language, Huei tlamahuiçoltica ("The Great Event"), which was published in 1649. This tract contains a section called the Nican mopohua ("Here it is recounted"), which has been already touched on above. The composition and authorship of the Huei tlamahuiçoltica is assigned by a majority of those scholars to Luis Laso de la Vega, vicar of the sanctuary of Tepeyac from 1647 to 1657.[33][34] Nevertheless, the most important section of the tract, the Nican Mopohua, appears to be much older. It has been attributed since the late 1600s to Antonio Valeriano (c. 1531–1605), a native Aztec man who had been educated by the Franciscans and who collaborated extensively with Bernardino de Sahagún.[15] A manuscript version of the Nican Mopohua, which is now held by the New York Public Library,[35] appears to be datable to the mid-1500s, and may have been the original work by Valeriano, as that was used by Laso in composing the Huei tlamahuiçoltica. Most authorities agree on the dating and on Valeriano's authorship.[16][17][18] the other hand, in 1666, the scholar Luis Becerra Tanco published in Mexico a book about the history of the apparitions under the name "Origen milagroso del santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe," which was republished in Spain in 1675 as "Felicidad de Mexico en la admirable aparición de la virgen MarÃa de Guadalupe y origen de su milagrosa Imagen, que se venera extramuros de aquella ciudad."[36] In the same way, in 1688, Jesuit Father Francisco de Florencia published La Estrella del Norte de México, giving the history of the same apparitions.[37] separate accounts, one in Nahuatl from Juan Bautista del Barrio de San Juan from the 16th century,[38] and the other in Spanish by Servando Teresa de Mier[39] date the original apparition and native celebration on September 8 of the Julian calendar, but it is also said that the Spaniards celebrate it on December 12 instead.[citation needed] new (left) and old basilica church the help of the Informaciones JurÃdicas de 1666, a Catholic feast day in name of Our Lady of Guadalupe was requested and approved, as well as the transfer of the date of the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe from September 8 to December 12, the latest date on which the Virgin supposedly appeared to Juan Diego. The initiative to perform them was made by Francisco de Siles who proposed to ask the Church of Rome, a Mass itself with allusive text to the apparitions and stamping of the image, along with the divine office itself, and the precept of hearing a Catholic Mass on December 12, the last date of the apparitions of the Virgin to Juan Diego as the new date to commemorate the apparitions (which until then was on September 8, the birth of the Virgin).[40][clarification needed] 1666, the Church in México began gathering information from people who reported having known Juan Diego, and in 1723 a formal investigation into his life was ordered, where more data was gathered to support his veneration. Because of the Informaciones JurÃdicas de 1666 in the year 1754, the Sacred Congregation of Rites confirmed the true and valid value of the apparitions, and granted celebrating Mass and Office for the then Catholic version of the feast of Guadalupe on December 12.[41][42] published documental accounts of the origin of the image already venerated in Tepeyac, then increased interest in the identity of Juan Diego, who was the original recipient of the prime vision. A new Catholic Basilica church was built to house the image. Completed in 1709, it is now known as the Old Basilica.[citation needed] BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, 1709
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

Acapulco, Mexico
Acapulco, Mexico;

Mexico, Rio Grande River Folder, Northeastern MEX

Rio Grande River Source (Canby Mountain, Continental Divide, CO)

Mexico, Rio Grande River 10, Rio Conchos River Folder

Rio Conchos River

Mexico, Rio Grande River 13, Rio Salado Folder

Rio Salado River

Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains
Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains;

Rio Salado River Source (Sierra Madre Oriental)

Rio Grande River 13.5 (Rio Alamo River Mouth)

Mexico, Rio Grande River 13.5, Rio Alamo Folder

Rio Alamo River

Mexico, Old Spanish Trail Florida to California in US 1830-1850

Galicia (Galatia), Phrygia (Ankara River Area).kmz

Galicia (Galatia), Phrygia (Ankara River Area)
Galicia (Galatia), Phrygia; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Moab Folder, and its rivers

Moab 2000BC, Moab History Folder

Moab, 2000BC, Lot, Moab Patriarch, Moab tSon of Lot by Lot's daughter, incest
Moab, 2000BC, Lot, Moab Patriarch, Moab tSon of Lot by Lot's daughter, incest; and Incest (Gen 19) Location -- Sodom, Moab, Ammon Ten righteous men? Lot is not mentioned again until Genesis 19 when two angels visited him. God had already told Abraham that He intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20). Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom, that if ten righteous men were found in Sodom that God would not destroy the city (Gen. 18:32) uncovers sodomy -- even in the children The two angels were apparently going to Sodom to inspect it. When the angels arrived, Lot received them with hospitality. When the townsmen heard that two strangers were staying with Lot, they wanted to have sexual relations with them. Lot protected his guests and offered them his daughters instead. The townsmen refused this offer and tried unsuccessfully to get the two strangers. For Lot's help, the angels revealed God's desire to destroy Sodom and urged Lot to take his family to the hills to safety. They warned Lot and his family not to look on Sodom. for safety? No, another city. Lot, instead of going to the hills for safety, decided to live in another city (Zohar). In their flight from Sodom, Lot's nameless wife looked at the destruction and turned to a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:1-29). Abraham had rescued Lot, again, (Gen. 19:29; compare 12:4) = Moab and Ammon Location -- Moab and Ammon Lot’s Daughters decided to deceive their father As it turned out, Lot feared to live in the city of Zohar and decided to live in the surrounding caves instead. His daughters, fearing that they would never have offspring, decided to deceive their father into having intercourse with them. They got their father drunk; both conceived a son by him. The son of the eldest daughter was called Moab and became the father of the Moabites. The son of the youngest daughter was named Ben-ammi and became the father of the Ammonites (Gen. 19:30-38). Later in Israel's history, God desired to ensure the place of the Moabites and Ammonites in Palestine (Deut. 2:9). The Moabites and Ammonites betrayed their relationship, however, by joining with Assyria at a later period (Ps. 83:5-8). ’s Wife Location -- Moab and Ammo In the New Testament, the day of the Son of man is compared to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-29). The followers of Jesus are warned not to desire their former lives, like Lot's wife, but to be willing instead to lose their lives. Losing one's life is the only way to gain life (Luke 17:32). The story of Lot is also used to show the faithfulness of God to rescue his people (2 Pet. 2:7) Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo;

Moab, 1100BC, Dot 7, Ruth, Book of Ruth begins on Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo, across from Jerusalem
Righteous Ruth, Commemorated on December 11 about the Righteous Ruth, the wife of Boaz, may be found in the Old Testament book bearing her name. Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo; Moab, 1100BC, Dot 7, Ruth, Book of Ruth begins on Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo, across from Jerusalem; Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books and placed between Judges and 1 Samuel.[1] book, written in Hebrew in the 6th–4th centuries BCE, tells of the Moabite woman Ruth, who accepts Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, as her God and accepts the Israelite people as her own. In Ruth 1:16–17, Ruth tells Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."[2] book is held in esteem by Jews who fall under the category of Jews-by-choice, as is evidenced by the considerable presence of Boaz in rabbinic literature. The Book of Ruth also functions liturgically, as it is read during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot ("Weeks").[3] Hebrew text of Ruth The book is structured into four chapters:[4] Act 1: Prologue and Problem: Death and Emptiness (1:1–22) Scene 1: Setting the scene (1:1–5) Scene 2: Naomi returns home (1:6–18) Scene 3: Arrival of Naomi and Ruth in Bethlehem (1:19–22) Act 2: Ruth Meets Boaz, Naomi's Relative, on the Harvest Field (2:1–23) Scene 1: Ruth in the field of Boaz (2:1–17) Scene 2: Ruth reports to Naomi (2:18–23) Act 3: Naomi Sends Ruth to Boaz on the Threshing Floor (3:1–18) Scene 1: Naomi Reveals Her Plan (3:1–5) Scene 2: Ruth at the threshing-floor of Boaz (3:6–15) Scene 3: Ruth reports to Naomi (3:16–18) Act 4: Resolution and Epilogue: Life and Fullness (4:1–22) Scene 1: Boaz with the men at the gate (4:1–12) Scene 2: A son is born to Ruth (4:13–17) Genealogical appendix (4:18–22) Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795 the time of the judges, an Israelite family from Bethlehem (who are Ephrathites) – Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion – emigrated to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. about ten years, the two sons of Naomi also died in Moab (1:4). Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers and remarry. Orpah reluctantly left. However, Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you." (Ruth 1:16–17 NJPS). and Ruth returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and, in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth went to the fields to glean. As it happened, the field she went to belonged to a man named Boaz, who was kind to her because he had heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth told Naomi of Boaz's kindness, and Ruth continued to glean in his field through the remainder of barley and wheat harvest. being a close relative of Naomi's husband's family, was therefore obliged by the levirate law to marry Ruth (Mahlon's widow) to carry on his family's inheritance. Naomi sent Ruth to the threshing floor at night where Boaz slept, telling Ruth to "uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what you are to do." (3:4). Ruth did so. Boaz asked her who she was, and she replied: "I am your handmaid Ruth. Spread your robe over your handmaid, for you are a redeeming kinsman" (3:9 NJPS). Acknowledging he was a close relative, Boaz blessed her and agreed to do all that was required. He noted that "all the elders of my town know what a fine woman you are" (3:11 NJPS). However, Boaz told her that there was a closer male relative. Ruth remained in submission at his feet until she returned to the city in the morning. that day, Boaz went to the city gate to meet with the other male relative before the town elders. (The relative is not named. Boaz addresses him as ploni almoni literally "so and so".) The unnamed relative, unwilling to jeopardize the inheritance of his own estate by marrying Ruth, relinquishes his right of redemption, thus allowing Boaz to marry Ruth. They transfer the property and thus redeem it, and they ratify the redemption by the nearer kinsman taking off his shoe and handing it over to Boaz. Ruth 4:7 notes for later generations that: this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel. (NJPS) Boaz and Ruth were then married and had a son. The women of the city celebrated Naomi's joy, for Naomi had found a redeemer for her family name. Naomi took the child and placed it on her bosom. child was named Obed, whom the reader discovers is "the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:13–17), that is, the grandfather of King David. book concludes with an appendix which traces the Davidic genealogy all the way back from Perez, "whom Tamar bore to Judah", through to Obed, down to David.

Moab, Moab Plateau Folder, across from Jerusalem

Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo, across from Jerusalem
Moab Plateau, from here South to Mt Nebo;

Medeba, Moab, Jordan
Medeba, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Abarim Range, Moab
Abarim Range ; Moses; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Bamoth-baal, Moab (Balaam's First Oracle, across from Mt Pisgah or Mt Nebo)
Bamoth-baal (Balaam's First Oracle, across from Mt Pisgah or Mt Nebo, On the Kings Highway); Numbers 22.22-41, Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel; BalaamÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s First Oracle, 41 On the next day Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal; and from there he could see part of the people of Israel.; Balaam's First and Second Oracles, Numbers 22:41-23:28;

Beser, Reuben, Moab
Beser in Reuben, East of Mount Nebo; Beser, is in the wilderness of Jordan; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10 ;

Mt Pisgah or Mt Nabath, in Moab
Mt Nebo in Moab; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Mt Nebo (east to west view, elevation exageration 3)
Turn up the tools options elevation exageration to 3 to understand this view and rotate to see the Moab Plateau; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Mt Nabau, or Nebo, in Moab
Mt. Nabau, or Nebo; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Mt Nebo, Moab
Mt Nebo in Moab; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Baal of Peor, Moab, at Mt. Nebo (Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles)
Baal of Peor at Mt. Nebo (great view of Jerusalem, Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles) Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles, Numbers 23:25-24:25; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12; Righteous Phineas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron (also commemorated today) and son of the High Priest Eleazar, was also a priest and zealous in his service. the Israelites, after the holy Prophet Moses (September 4) led them out of Egypt, were already near the Promised Land, their neighbors the Moabites and Midianites were overcome by fear and envy. Not trusting in their own strength, they summoned the magician Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord revealed His will to Balaam, and Balaam refused to curse the People of God, seeing that God was pleased to bless them (Num. 24:1). the Moabites drew the Israelites into the worship of Baal-Peor. God punished the Jews for their apostasy, and they died by the thousands from a plague. Many, beholding the wrath of God, came to their senses and repented. this time a certain man named Zimri, of the tribe of the Simeon, “brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tabernacle of witnessâ€ (Num. 25:6). Phineas, filled with wrath, went into Zimri’s tent and killed both him and the Midianite woman with a spear. “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Phineas... has caused My wrath against the children of Israel to cease, when I was exceedingly jealous among them.... Behold, I give him a covenant of peace, and he and his descendants shall have a perpetual covenant of priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel’â€ (Num. 25:10-13). this, at the command of God, Phineas went at the head of the Israelite army against the Moabites and brought chastisement upon them for their impiety and treachery. After the death of the High Priest Eleazar, Saint Phineas was unanimously chosen as High Priest. The high priesthood, in accord with God’s promise, continued also with his posterity. Saint Phineas died at an advanced age around 1500 B.C.

Heshbon, Moab (Sihon's City)
Heshbon, 1 Maccabees Ch 5; Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35, King Sihon Defeated; 21 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, saying, 22ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of any well; we will go by the KingÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Highway until we have passed through your territory.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 23But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel to the wilderness; he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 24Israel put him to the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites; for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong. 25Israel took all these towns, and Israel settled in all the towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far as the Arnon. 27Therefore the ballad-singers say, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. 28 For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed up* the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon. 30 So their posterity perished from Heshbon* to Dibon, and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™* 31 Thus Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. 32Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they captured its villages, and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

Ir-Moab (the beginning of the Moab Plateau)
Ir-Moab (the beginning of the Moab Plateau, the entry into Moab from the north from the Jordan Arabian Desert, on the King's Highway) Numbers 22.22-41, Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel, near Ir-Moab;

Moab, Kings Highway Folder

Kings Highway 5 (Eilat, Edom and Aquaba, Israel)

Kings Highway 6 (Arabah, Edom, of the Jordan Rift)

Kings Highway 7 (Petra, Edom, Jordan)

Kings Highway 8 (Maan, Edom, Jordan)

Kings Highway 9 (Shaubak, Bozrah, Edom, Jordan)

Kings Highway 11 (Mizpeh or Kerak, Moab, Jordan)

Kings Highway 14 (Rabbah Ammon/Philadelphia, Ammon, Jordan)

Kings Highway 15 (Gerasa, Ammon, Gilead, Jordan)

Moab, Dead Sea Folder

Dead Sea
Dead Sea; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20;

Sodom. prior to Moab
Sodom; Righteous Lot, Commemorated October 9 ; Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10 ;

Zoar (Zoara, The Jordan Valley well watered as far as Zoar)
Zoar (Zoara, The Jordan Valley well watered as far as Zoar) Genesis 13:1-2,5-18, Abram and Lot Separate;

Mizpeh, Moab
Mizpeh, Moab; 1 Samuel 22:1-23, David and His Followers at Adullam (David moves his parents to Mizpeh for safety) ;

Zared River (between Edom and Moab)

Moab, Arnon River Folder

Arnon River Source Desert Hwy 15

Moab (Arnon River 2)
Moab; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; Righteous Lot, Commemorated October 9 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Moab, Roman Roads, Rivers, places (Clean)

Moab, its Area

Moab Plateau, Kings Highway extension of Moab
Moab Plateau, Kings Highway extension of Moab, includes Arnon drainage

Arnon River (between Ammon and Moab)

Moab, its Area (between Arnon and Zared Rivers)

Moldovia Folder, its Siret, Prut and Dniester rivers and their mountains

Moldavia (on the Dniester River)
Moldavia (on the Dniester River) ; St Stephen the Great St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1 ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Barlaam of Khutin, Commemorated on June 24; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Moldovians or Bessarabians
Moldovians or Bessarabians; Bessarabia, Moldovia, Romania; Icon of the Mother of God of Gerbovets, Commemorated on October 1;

Moldovia 1345-1991, Moldovian History Folder

Moldovia, 1345-1361, Moldovian Prince, Dragos, Voivode of Moldavia, Founder, invited saxons to farm, from Transylvania
Moldovian Prince, 1345-1361, Dragos, Voivode of Moldavia; also known as Dragos Voda, or Dragos the Founder[1] was the first Voivode of Moldavia, who reigned in the middle of the 14th century, according to the earliest Moldavian chronicles. same sources say that Dragos came from Maramures while chasing an aurochs or bison across the Carpathian Mountains. dismounting, on the banks of the Moldova River has traditionally been regarded as the symbol of the foundation of the Principality of Moldavia in Romanian historiography. details of his life are uncertain. Historians have identified him either with Dragos of Bedeu or with Dragos of Gulesti, who were Vlach, or Romanian, landowners in the Kingdom of Hungary. Moldavian chronicles write that Dragos came to Moldavia in 1359, but modern historians tend to propose an earlier date (1345, 1347, and 1352). became the head of a march of the Kingdom of Hungary, which emerged after a Hungarian army inflicted a crushing defeat on a large army of the Golden Horde in 1345. sources say that he founded Baia and Siret, and invited Saxon settlers who introduced viticulture in Moldavia. According to the traditional dating, he died in 1361, but earlier years (1353, c. 1354 and 1357) have also been suggested by historians. Dragos did not establish a royal dynasty, because his grandson, Balc, was expelled from Moldavia by Bogdan of Cuhea, another Vlach landowner from Maramures. St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

Moldovia, 1359-1538, Principality of Moldovia
Moldovia, Principality of Moldovia, 1359-1538; St Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

Moldovia, 1399-1432, the Voevod, Alexander I of Moldavia, reforms, trade, V council, built monasteries
Moldovia, 1399-1432, Alexander I of Moldavia; the Good (c. 1375 -“ 1 January 1432) was a Voivode (Prince) of Moldavia, reigning between 1400 and 1432,[1] son of Roman I Murat. He succeeded Iuga to the throne,[2] and, as a ruler, initiated a series of reforms while consolidating the status of the Moldavian Principality. politics[edit] of the church of Moldovlahia to the Council of Constance in 1415, led by Grigore Aamblac, and sent by Alexandru cel Bun expanded the bureaucratical system by creating the "Council of the Voivode", the Chancellory and by adding (in 1403) the institution of Logofa“ Chancellor of the official Chancellery. his reign, he introduced new fiscal laws, by adding commercial privileges to the traders of Lviv (1408) and Krakow (1409), improved the situation of the trading routes (especially the one linking the port of Cetatea Alba to Poland), strengthened the forts guarding them, and expanded the Moldavian ports of Cetatea Alba and Chilia. also had a role in ending the conflict of the Moldavian Eastern Orthodox with the Patriarch of Constantinople; he built Bistria ›a Monastery where he is buried and continued the building of Neams› Monastery which was started in the previous century. affairs[edit] main concern of Alexander the Good was to defend the country in wars against superior armies. In order to do that, he forged a system of alliances with Wallachia and Poland, generally against Hungary (although he had been backed to the throne by Sigismund of Hungary). 1402, he was sworn vassal of Jogaila, the King of Poland.[3] The treaty was renewed in 1404, 1407, 1411 and 1415. I of Moldavia (Alexandru cel Bun), monument by Tudor Cataraga participated in two battles against the Teutonic Knights: in 1410 at Grunwald and in 1422 at Marienburg. In 1420, he also defended Moldavia against the first incursion by Ottomans at Cetatea Alba. He also got involved in the power struggles of Wallachia, by helping Radu II Prasnaglava in 1418-“1419 and Alexandru I Aldea in 1429, mostly in order to prevent the capture of Chilia. to a territorial claim of Poland and the previous failure of the Polish king to fulfill his part of the vassalic treaty during an Ottoman attack in 1420, Alexander launched an attack on Poland during the Lithuanian Civil War (1431-“1435). The attack ended with the Treaty of Suceava on November 18, 1431. makes the first documentary confirmation of the gypsy slavery in Moldova, giving the monastery of Bistrit›a 31 gypsy families along with some cattle.[4]:14 Icon of the Mother of God œNeamtsÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St. Leontius of Radauti, Commemorated on July 1;

Moldovia, 1426-1496, Daniel tHesychast, wise clairvoyant wonderworker&monk instructor
Moldovia, 1426-1496, Daniel tHesychast, oSt Nicholas m at Radauti (Suceava River 5), wise clairvoyant wonderworker&monk instructor, under Leontius, priest, St Laurence m Civoul de Sus, obediences bDay, vigil, prayer, baskets bNight, Great Schema, solitude, 1450 by Neamts m 14yrs, discovered, chapel&carved cave nPutna creek, where spiritual child Steven tG bPutna m, tVoronets m, cell cave carved fFalcon Cliff f20yrs, gift oHealing, 1488 over 80yr old , back tVoronets m, igumen, died a96yr; monestary of St Nicholas at Radauti; Bogdana Monastery, 1359; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; Daniel the Hesychast, the great wonderworker and instructor of monastics, born in Moldavia at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was baptized with the name Dumitru. he was sixteen, he became a monk of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Radauti and received the name David. spiritual Father was Saint Leontius of Radauti (July 1). many years of ascetical struggles, he became a chosen vessel of the Spirit and was ordained to the holy priesthood. lived for some years at the monastery of Saint Laurence in the Civoul de Sus district. he fulfilled his obediences during the day, and at night he kept vigil, prayed, and wove baskets. received the Great Schema and the new name Daniel. obtained the igumen’s blessing to live in the wilderness in solitude, where he devoted himself to spiritual struggles. 1450, he lived near the Neamts Monastery by Secu creek for fourteen years. time, people discovered where he lived and came to visit him. for solitude, he moved to northern Moldavia and chiseled out a cell for himself in the face of a cliff near Putna creek. Next to it, he carved out a small chapel for prayer. his spiritual child Saint Stephen the Great (July 2) built the Putna Monastery, which was consecrated in 1470, Saint Daniel moved near the Voronets Monastery. too, he carved a small cell out of the rock under Soim (Falcon) Cliff and lived a God-pleasing life for the next twenty years. guided many disciples in the principles of the spiritual life, and he also had the gift of healing the sick of their physical infirmities. 1488, when he was over eighty years old, Saint Daniel went to live at the Voronets Monastery, where he was chosen to be the igumen. Daniel was a great ascetic and wonderworker, wise and clairvoyant. from near and far visited him seeking his spiritual advice, or to confess their sins. died in 1496 and was buried at the Voronets Monastery, where people continue to venerate his tomb. Daniel was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992.

Moldovia, 1426-1496, Daniel the Hesychast, prophet for and friend of Stephen the Great
Moldovia, 1426-1496, Saint, Daniel the Hesychast; Sihastrul (Romanian for "Daniel the Hesychast"; was a renowned Romanian Orthodox spiritual guide, advisor of Stephen the Great, and hegumen of VoroneÈ› Monastery. Canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992, he is commemorated on December 18.[1] contemporary of Stephen the Great (1457-1504), Daniil Sihastrul was born near the beginning of the 15th century in a village near Radauti, with the baptismal name Dumitru. At 16 he was tonsured a monk with the name of David at Bogdana Monastery in Radauti. time later, he retreated to the Sfantul Laurentiu Monastery near the village of Vicovu de Sus. Feeling the need for greater solitude, he took upon himself the Great Schema, taking the schematic name of Daniil, and retreating into a densely forested area of the Vitau valley near modern-day Putna. There he found a rock into which he carved a chapel. To this day one can see the narthex, naos, and altar, as well as an underground room, also carved out of the rock, in which the saint dwelled. Stephen the Great came here in 1451, after the assassination of his father Bogdan II, at Reuseni. Daniil prophesied that Stephen would return and would become the ruler of Moldavia, which did occur in 1457. the urging of Daniil Sihastrul, Stephen the Great built Putna Monastery in 1466. After its consecration in 1470, Daniil withdrew to VoroneÈ›, on the banks of the VoroneÈ› river, by Soimului rock, where he continued his monastic life. VoroneÈ› he was again visited by Stephen the Great, after the Battle of Valea Alba in 1476, seeking advice. Daniil Sihastrul advised him to continue battling the Turks, foreseeing that he would triumph. To commemorate this victory in 1488 the ruler commissioned the VoroneÈ› Monastery. its consecration, Daniil moved from his hermitage to the monastery. He spent the latter part of his life here, being elected as hegumen. He died in 1496 and was buried in the church at the VoroneÈ› Monastery. On his tomb stone, carved according to the wishes of Stephen the Great, it is written: This is the tomb of our father David, the schema-monk Daniil. Moldovian Prince, 1457-1504, Stephen III of Moldavia (the Great); III of Moldavia, most commonly known as Stephen the Great ( died on 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 in a conspiracy organized by his brother and Stephen's uncle Peter III Aaron who took the throne. Stephen fled to Hungary, and later to Wallachia, but with the support of Vlad III Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia, he returned to Moldavia, forcing Aaron to seek refuge in Poland in the summer of 1457. I, Metropolitan of Moldavia, anointed Stephen prince. He attacked Poland and prevented Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, from supporting Peter Aaron, but eventually acknowledged Casimir's suzerainty in 1459. Stephen decided to recapture Chilia (now Kiliya in Ukraine), an important port on the Danube, which brought him into conflict with Hungary and Wallachia. besieged the town during the Ottoman invasion of Wallachia in 1462, but was seriously wounded during the siege. years later, he captured the town. promised support to the leaders of the Three Nations of Transylvania against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in 1467. invaded Moldavia, but Stephen defeated him in the Battle of Baia. Aaron attacked Moldavia with Hungarian support in December 1470, but was also defeated by Stephen and executed, along with the Moldavian boyars who still endorsed him. restored old fortresses and built new ones, which improved Moldavia's defence system as well as strengthened central administration. Ottoman expansion threatened Moldavian ports in the region of the Black Sea. In 1473, Stephen stopped paying tribute to the Ottoman sultan and launched a series of campaigns against Wallachia in order to replace its rulers who had accepted Ottoman suzerainty with his protage. However, each prince who seized the throne with Stephen's support was soon forced to pay homage to the sultan. eventually defeated a large Ottoman army in the Battle of Vaslui in 1475. Stephen was referred to as Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") by Pope Sixtus IV, even though Moldavia's hopes for military support went unfulfilled. following year, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II routed Stephen in the Battle of Valeac, but the lack of provisions and the outbreak of a plague forced him to withdraw from Moldavia. advantage of a truce with Matthias Corvinus, the Ottomans captured Chilia, their Crimean Tatar allies Cetatea Alba (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine) in 1484. Corvinus granted two Transylvanian estates to Stephen, the Moldavian prince paid homage to Casimir, who promised to support him to regain Chilia and Cetatea Alba. Stephen's efforts to capture the two ports ended in failure. 1486, he again paid a yearly tribute to the Ottomans. the following years, dozens of stone churches and monasteries were built in Moldavia, which contributed to the development of a specific Moldavian architecture. IV's successor, John I Albert, wanted to grant Moldavia to his younger brother, Sigismund, but Stephen's diplomacy prevented him from invading Moldavia for years. Albert attacked Moldavia in 1497, but Stephen and his Hungarian and Ottoman allies routed the Polish army in the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. again tried to recapture Chilia and Cetatea Alba, but had to acknowledge the loss of the two ports to the Ottomans in 1503. his last years, his son and co-ruler Bogdan III played an active role in government. Stephen's long rule represented a period of stability in the history of Moldavia. the 16th century onwards both his subjects and foreigners remembered him as a great ruler. Romanians regard him as one of their greatest national heroes, although he also endures as a cult figure in Moldovenism. After the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him in 1992, he is venerated as "Stephen the Great and Holy". Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; Daniel the Hesychast, the great wonderworker and instructor of monastics, was born in Moldavia at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was baptized with the name Dumitru. When he was sixteen, he became a monk of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Radauti and received the name David. His spiritual Father was Saint Leontius of Radauti (July 1). After many years of ascetical struggles, he became a chosen vessel of the Spirit and was ordained to the holy priesthood. lived for some years at the monastery of Saint Laurence in the Civoul de Sus district. There he fulfilled his obediences during the day, and at night he kept vigil, prayed, and wove baskets. He received the Great Schema and the new name Daniel. He obtained the igumen’s blessing to live in the wilderness in solitude, where he devoted himself to spiritual struggles. Around 1450, he lived near the Neamts Monastery by Secu creek for fourteen years. In time, people discovered where he lived and came to visit him. Longing for solitude, he moved to northern Moldavia and chiseled out a cell for himself in the face of a cliff near Putna creek. Next to it, he carved out a small chapel for prayer. his spiritual child Saint Stephen the Great (July 2) built the Putna Monastery, which was consecrated in 1470, Saint Daniel moved near the Voronets Monastery. Here too, he carved a small cell out of the rock under Soim (Falcon) Cliff and lived a God-pleasing life for the next twenty years. He guided many disciples in the principles of the spiritual life, and he also had the gift of healing the sick of their physical infirmities. 1488, when he was over eighty years old, Saint Daniel went to live at the Voronets Monastery, where he was chosen to be the igumen. Daniel was a great ascetic and wonderworker, wise and clairvoyant. People from near and far visited him seeking his spiritual advice, or to confess their sins. He died in 1496 and was buried at the Voronets Monastery, where people continue to venerate his tomb. Daniel was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2; Stephen succeeded his father, Prince Bogdan II, as Prince of Moldavia on April 12, 1457 soon after the latter was murdered. He defended his country against the Turks, and he also built many churches and monasteries. Stephen the Great was a spiritual son of Saint Daniel the Hesychast (December 18), who told him that if he built a church after every battle he would be victorious in all his wars. Following Saint Daniel’s counsel, Saint Stephen won forty-seven battles and built forty-eight churches or monasteries. He also built the Putna Dormition Monastery in northern Moldavia in 1466 when Saint Daniel urged him to do so. 1476, Saint Stephen lost the battle of Razboieni to the Turks. He went to visit Saint Daniel at the Voronets Monastery to ask whether or not he should surrender the country to the Moslems. Saint Daniel told him not to surrender, because he would soon win a decisive victory. Saint Daniel also told him that after he had saved the nation, Stephen should build a monastery in honor of Saint George at that place. Having faith in Saint Daniel’s prophecy, Stephen went forth with his army and drove the Turks from the country. Stephen fell asleep in the Lord on July 2, 1504, and was buried at the Putna Monastery. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Moldovia, 1449-1457, Prince Bogdan II, brother or son, father of Stephen the Great
Moldovian Prince, 1449-1457, Prince Bogdan II; II (1409 -“ 17 October 1451) was a prince of Moldavia from October 12, 1449 to October 17, 1451. to some historians, he is the bastard of Alexander the Good, his mother being unknown. On the contrary, according to the others, he is the Alexander the Good'™s brother. the II is the father of the Stephen the Great.[1] He was in very good relationship with Iancu de Hunedoara, who supported him in taking the throne. He was married with Doamna Oltea (Lady Oltea), who monked under the name of Maria and died on November 4, 1465, being buried at the Probota Monastery of Suceava County. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Moldovia, 1457-1504, Prince, Stephen III (the Great), s by and a w Vlad III Dracula against Ms, b churches and m's, Orthodox
Moldovian Prince, 1457-1504, Stephen III of Moldavia (the Great); III of Moldavia, most commonly known as Stephen the Great ( died on 2 July 1504), was Voivode (or Prince) of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504. He was the son of and co-ruler with Bogdan II, who was murdered in 1451 in a conspiracy organized by his brother and Stephen's uncle Peter III Aaron who took the throne. Stephen fled to Hungary, and later to Wallachia, but with the support of Vlad III Dracula, Voivode of Wallachia, he returned to Moldavia, forcing Aaron to seek refuge in Poland in the summer of 1457. I, Metropolitan of Moldavia, anointed Stephen prince. He attacked Poland and prevented Casimir IV Jagiellon, King of Poland, from supporting Peter Aaron, but eventually acknowledged Casimir's suzerainty in 1459. Stephen decided to recapture Chilia (now Kiliya in Ukraine), an important port on the Danube, which brought him into conflict with Hungary and Wallachia. besieged the town during the Ottoman invasion of Wallachia in 1462, but was seriously wounded during the siege. years later, he captured the town. promised support to the leaders of the Three Nations of Transylvania against Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in 1467. invaded Moldavia, but Stephen defeated him in the Battle of Baia. Aaron attacked Moldavia with Hungarian support in December 1470, but was also defeated by Stephen and executed, along with the Moldavian boyars who still endorsed him. restored old fortresses and built new ones, which improved Moldavia's defence system as well as strengthened central administration. Ottoman expansion threatened Moldavian ports in the region of the Black Sea. In 1473, Stephen stopped paying tribute to the Ottoman sultan and launched a series of campaigns against Wallachia in order to replace its rulers who had accepted Ottoman suzerainty with his protage. However, each prince who seized the throne with Stephen's support was soon forced to pay homage to the sultan. eventually defeated a large Ottoman army in the Battle of Vaslui in 1475. Stephen was referred to as Athleta Christi ("Champion of Christ") by Pope Sixtus IV, even though Moldavia's hopes for military support went unfulfilled. following year, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II routed Stephen in the Battle of Valeac, but the lack of provisions and the outbreak of a plague forced him to withdraw from Moldavia. advantage of a truce with Matthias Corvinus, the Ottomans captured Chilia, their Crimean Tatar allies Cetatea Alba (now Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi in Ukraine) in 1484. Corvinus granted two Transylvanian estates to Stephen, the Moldavian prince paid homage to Casimir, who promised to support him to regain Chilia and Cetatea Alba. Stephen's efforts to capture the two ports ended in failure. 1486, he again paid a yearly tribute to the Ottomans. the following years, dozens of stone churches and monasteries were built in Moldavia, which contributed to the development of a specific Moldavian architecture. IV's successor, John I Albert, wanted to grant Moldavia to his younger brother, Sigismund, but Stephen's diplomacy prevented him from invading Moldavia for years. Albert attacked Moldavia in 1497, but Stephen and his Hungarian and Ottoman allies routed the Polish army in the Battle of the Cosmin Forest. again tried to recapture Chilia and Cetatea Alba, but had to acknowledge the loss of the two ports to the Ottomans in 1503. his last years, his son and co-ruler Bogdan III played an active role in government. Stephen's long rule represented a period of stability in the history of Moldavia. the 16th century onwards both his subjects and foreigners remembered him as a great ruler. Romanians regard him as one of their greatest national heroes, although he also endures as a cult figure in Moldovenism. After the Romanian Orthodox Church canonized him in 1992, he is venerated as "Stephen the Great and Holy". Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; Daniel the Hesychast, the great wonderworker and instructor of monastics, was born in Moldavia at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He was baptized with the name Dumitru. When he was sixteen, he became a monk of the monastery of Saint Nicholas at Radauti and received the name David. His spiritual Father was Saint Leontius of Radauti (July 1). After many years of ascetical struggles, he became a chosen vessel of the Spirit and was ordained to the holy priesthood. lived for some years at the monastery of Saint Laurence in the Civoul de Sus district. There he fulfilled his obediences during the day, and at night he kept vigil, prayed, and wove baskets. He received the Great Schema and the new name Daniel. He obtained the igumen’s blessing to live in the wilderness in solitude, where he devoted himself to spiritual struggles. Around 1450, he lived near the Neamts Monastery by Secu creek for fourteen years. In time, people discovered where he lived and came to visit him. Longing for solitude, he moved to northern Moldavia and chiseled out a cell for himself in the face of a cliff near Putna creek. Next to it, he carved out a small chapel for prayer. his spiritual child Saint Stephen the Great (July 2) built the Putna Monastery, which was consecrated in 1470, Saint Daniel moved near the Voronets Monastery. Here too, he carved a small cell out of the rock under Soim (Falcon) Cliff and lived a God-pleasing life for the next twenty years. He guided many disciples in the principles of the spiritual life, and he also had the gift of healing the sick of their physical infirmities. 1488, when he was over eighty years old, Saint Daniel went to live at the Voronets Monastery, where he was chosen to be the igumen. Daniel was a great ascetic and wonderworker, wise and clairvoyant. People from near and far visited him seeking his spiritual advice, or to confess their sins. He died in 1496 and was buried at the Voronets Monastery, where people continue to venerate his tomb. Daniel was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2; Stephen succeeded his father, Prince Bogdan II, as Prince of Moldavia on April 12, 1457 soon after the latter was murdered. He defended his country against the Turks, and he also built many churches and monasteries. Stephen the Great was a spiritual son of Saint Daniel the Hesychast (December 18), who told him that if he built a church after every battle he would be victorious in all his wars. Following Saint Daniel’s counsel, Saint Stephen won forty-seven battles and built forty-eight churches or monasteries. He also built the Putna Dormition Monastery in northern Moldavia in 1466 when Saint Daniel urged him to do so. 1476, Saint Stephen lost the battle of Razboieni to the Turks. He went to visit Saint Daniel at the Voronets Monastery to ask whether or not he should surrender the country to the Moslems. Saint Daniel told him not to surrender, because he would soon win a decisive victory. Saint Daniel also told him that after he had saved the nation, Stephen should build a monastery in honor of Saint George at that place. Having faith in Saint Daniel’s prophecy, Stephen went forth with his army and drove the Turks from the country. Stephen fell asleep in the Lord on July 2, 1504, and was buried at the Putna Monastery. He was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.

Moldovia, 1476, battle of Razboien, Moldovia lost plains, not high ground, then Ottoman Retreat
battle of Razboieni, 1476, Moldovia; Battle of Valea Alba, also known as the Battle of Razboieni or the Battle of Akdere, was an important event in the medieval history of Moldavia. It took place at Razboieni, also known as Valea Alba, on July 26, 1476, between the Moldavian army of Stefan cel Mare and an invading Ottoman army which was commanded personally by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. 1475 the Ottoman's attempt to bring Moldavia under their control, at winter by using an army of Rumelian local levies, ended disastrously with a defeat in the Battle of Vaslui. the proper military campaign season, the Ottomans assembled a large army under the command of Sultan Mehmed II and entered Moldavia in June 1476. groups of Tartars from the Crimean Khanate (the Ottomans' recent ally) were sent to attack Moldavia. Romanian sources may state that they were repelled.[5] Other sources state that joint Ottoman and Crimean Tatar forces occupied Bessarabia and took Akkerman, gaining control of the southern mouth of the Danube. Stephan tried to avoid open battle with the Ottomans by following a scorched-earth policy.[6] the process the Moldavians forces ended up being dispersed throughout the country, leaving only a small force of about 12,000–20,000 men, led by Stefan cel Mare himself, to face the main Ottoman attack. battle battle began with the Moldavians luring the main Ottoman forces into a forest that was set on fire, causing some casualties to the attacking Ottoman army in the forest. According to another battle description, the defending Moldavian forces repelled several attacks with steady fire from hand-guns.[7] The attacking Ottoman Janissaries were forced to crouch on their stomachs instead of charging headlong into the defenders' positions. Seeing the imminent defeat of his forces, Mehmed charged with his personal guard against the Moldavians, managing to rally the Janissaries, and turning the tide of the battle. Ottoman Janissaries penetrated inside the forest and engaged the defenders in man-to-man fighting. Moldavian army was utterly defeated (casualties were very high on both sides, and the chronicles say that the entire battlefield was covered with the bones of the dead, a probable source for the toponym (Valea Alba is Romanian and Akdere Turkish for "The White Valley"). cel Mare retreated into the north-western part of Moldavia or even into the Polish Kingdom[8] and began forming another army. The Ottomans captured considerable parts of Moldovian territory but were unable to conquer some of the major Moldavian strongholds such as Suceava, NeamÈ›, and Hotin[5] and were constantly harassed by small-scale Moldavians attacks. Soon they were also confronted with starvation, a situation made worse by an outbreak of the plague. anti-Ottoman forces were being assembled in Transylvania[9] under Stephen V Bathory's command. Confronted with this army and with Stefan's counterattack, the Ottomans retreated from major parts of Moldavia in August 1476 to come back again in 1480. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Moldovia, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, exalted experience, founded community, tried to move but MOG said my garden is here
Moldovia, 1480, Joseph oBistritsa Monastery, Moldovia, went to Lords Tomb in J, tJordan Valley Wilderness, exalted spirit experience, founded community, Arabs invaded, back tRomania, Bistrita M, rule otSleepless, Turks came, tMt Athos but MOG, back my garden is here in Moldovia Bistritsa Monastery; Saint Joseph of Bisericani Monastery (late XV century), Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Father was the first known hermit on Mount Bisericani, and the founder of a Monastery with the same name. was born in a village in Neamț county and, being inclined toward the monastic life from a young age, he entered Bistrița Monastery. he was trained in monasticism and learned about the spiritual life from the older Fathers, also taught him about fasting and unceasing prayer. Venerable Joseph, seeing that he did not have much peace at Bistrița Monastery, he left with the Igoumen's blessing went to worship at the Lord's tomb in Jerusalem. then retired to the wilderness of the Jordan Valley, and within a few years after his arrival, he was a famous hermit. lived in a cave, alone at first, then with a few disciples, enduring many temptations from the devil. a life of exalted spiritual experience, he gathered seventeen monks around him, and founded the first Romanian spiritual community in the Holy Land. when Arabs invaded the Holy Places, causing great turmoil, Saint Joseph took his disciples and went to Bistrița Monastery in Moldavia. Saint Joseph's hermitage moved from the Jordan Valley to Moldavia, on Mount Bisericani. the number of disciples increased, he built a small church dedicated to the Annunciation, and built cells around it. the monastic life here, he established the Rule of the sleepless, after the model of the Stoudion Monastery in Constantinople, which involved unceasing prayer in church and in the cells, fasting, prostrations, singing psalms, listening, and love. the Turks came and set fire to their church, they decided to go to Holy Mount Athos. On the way, however, they saw Most Holy Mother of God in an oak tree, who asked them, "Where are you going?" At this wondrous sight they replied, "We are going to your garden;"1 and the Mother of God then said to them, "Return, for my garden is here." remembrance of this miracle, they placed an icon of the Mother of God there. the Hermitage of the Venerable Joseph was called "Bisericani Skete." that is, "of the godly," because the monks prayed here with tears, and many were cured of their diseases through Saint Joseph's prayers and blessings. 1 Mount Athos is known as the Garden of the Theotokos.

Moldovia, 1595, Battle of Cecora, not 1620, Iasi or Jassy Moldovia, Hungarian Transylvania Pol-Lith over Ottoman Crimean Tartars

Moldovia, 1620, Battle of Cecora, not 1595, Iassi or Jiassi, Pol-Lith w Moldov V Ottomans w Nogali Tartars, Moldov switch sides

Moldovia, 1634-1653, Prince Basil Lupu of Moldavia, admin, finance, rich, gifts to Ottomans
Prince Basil Lupu of Moldavia, 1634-1653; Coci, known as Vasile Lupu (Romanian pronunciation: [vaËˆsile Ëˆlupu]; 1595–1661), was the Voivode of Moldavia between 1634 and 1653. had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to hold it for twenty years. Vasile was a capable administrator and a brilliant financier and was soon almost the richest man in the Christian East. His gifts to Ottoman leaders kept him on good terms with the Ottoman authorities. St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Moldovia, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Abandoned World, birds feed her, spiritual p, radiant light, levitation, incorrupt relics
Moldovia, 1640-1710, Theodora oSihla, Sihastria Monastery, born approx 1620, died approx 1710, great early trial, thought tAbandon world, parents married her, they entered monasteries, iBuzau valley, Skete of Poiana Marului, he Priest, she grace of unceasing prayer otHeart, she many temptations endured, she fled to mts fTurks, tNeramt mts, Neamts Icon, Sihastria Skete, under FrPaul, live wilderness 1yr, if endure remain until die, beneath clifs of Sihla, clairvoyant elder, Theodora remain in my cell, Fr Paul left her there 30 yrs, visiting time to time wSpotless Mysteries&supplies, asceticism progress, able arms in air virgil all night, break fast herbs, Theodora's rainwater spring, Paul's repose, God's care, Turks attack villages, nuns discover her cell, remain my cell I go to cave, rest on flagstones, Turks discover cave, Lord deliver me, cave wall opens up escape to woods, she grows old forgotten alone no one to care for her, placed all hope in God, great heights spiritual perfection, radiant light, levitation, mouth prayer flame, rags for clothes, birds bring food from Sihastria, monks follow them to her, bright light at night from her, levitating, she clairvoyantly knew their names and sent them to bring named priest for her final rites, how, guided by light before them, repose, burried in her cave, people came to venerate, incorrupt relics, healing and consolation, husband came, stayed there 10 yrs, buried hermit's cemetery Skete John tBaptist built over his grave, her relics taken to Kiev Caves 1828-34. Sihastria Monastery; Saint Theodora of Sihla, Commemorated on August 7; Theodora of Sihla, who is one of the greatest of Romania’s women ascetics, was born in the village of Vânatori in Neamts County in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was one of the two daughters of Stephen Joldea and his wife. her youth, Saint Theodora experienced a great trial in her family. Her sister, Marghiolitsa, died in a tragic way. This event deeply affected the saint. At this time, the thought of abandoning the world blossomed in her heart. She wished to do penance for her parents, for her sister, and for herself. Her grieving parents, however, did not agree with her decision, because now Theodora was their only child. They pleaded with her, and, at the proper time, they married her to a young man who was working in their vicinity, and who went frequently to venerate the holy sites. After entering into a lawful marriage, they lived together in her husband’s house. Saint Theodora and her husband did not have any children, they both decided to enter monasteries in the Buzau valley. Her husband went to the Skete of Poiana Mărului, where he was tonsured with the name Eleutherios. He was also found worthy of ordination to the holy priesthood. Saint Theodora also received the monastic tonsure in the Skete of Poiana Mărului. In just a few short years, she advanced in obedience, prayer, and asceticism, acquiring the grace of unceasing prayer of the heart. She also had to endure many temptations from the Enemy. the Buzau valley was invaded by the Turks, Saint Theodora fled to the mountains with her Spiritual Mother, Schema-nun Paisia. They lived for several years in fasting, vigil and prayer, enduring cold, hunger, and other trials from the devil. When her Spiritual Mother fell asleep in the Lord (sometime between 1670 - 1675), Saint Theodora was led by God to the mountains of Neamț. After venerating the wonderworking Neamts Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) at the monastery, she was told to seek the advice of Hieromonk Barsanuphios of Sihăstria Skete. Seeing her desire for the eremetical life, and recognizing her great virtues, he gave her Holy Communion and assigned Hieromonk Paul as her Father Confessor and spiritual guide. Barsanuphios advised Mother Theodora to go and live alone in the wilderness for a year. “If, by the grace of Christ, you are able to endure the difficulties and trials of the wilderness, then remain there until you die. If you cannot endure, however, then go to a women’s monastery, and struggle there in humility for the salvation of your soul.” Paul searched in vain for an abandoned hermitage where the saint might live. Then they met an old hermit living beneath the cliffs of Sihla. This clairvoyant Elder greeted them and said, “Mother Theodora, remain in my cell, because I am moving to another hermitage.” Paul left the nun on Mount Sihla, blessing her before he returned to the Sihăstria Skete. Saint Theodora lived in that cell for thirty years, glorifying God. Strengthened with power from on high, she vanquished all the attacks of the Enemy through patience and humility. She never left the mountain, and never saw another person except for Father Paul, who visited her from time to time to bring her the Spotless Mysteries of Christ and the supplies she needed in order to survive. Theodora made such progress in asceticism that she was able to keep vigil all night long with her arms lifted up toward heaven. When the morning sun touched her face, she would eat some herbs and other vegetation to break her fast. She drank the rain water which she collected from a channel cut into the cliff, which is still known as Saint Theodora’s spring. After Father Paul’s repose, she remained solely in God’s care. Turks attacked the villages and monasteries around Neamts, the woods became filled with people from nearby villages and refugees from the monasteries. Some nuns discovered Saint Theodora’s cell and she told them, “Remain here in my cell, for I have another place of refuge.” Then she moved into a nearby cave, living there completely alone. At night she would rest a little on the flagstones, which still can be seen to this day. An army of Turks discovered the cave, and were about to kill the saint. Lifting up her hands, she cried out, “O Lord, deliver me from the hands of these murderers.” The wall of the cave opened up, and she was able to escape into the woods. Saint Theodora grew old, she was completely forgotten and there was no one to care for her. Placing all her hope in God, she continued her spiritual struggles, and reached great heights of perfection. When she prayed her mind was raised up to Heaven, and her body was lifted up off the ground. Like the great saints of earlier times, her face shone with a radiant light, and a flame came forth from her mouth when she prayed. her clothes became mere rags, and when her food ran out, she was fed by birds just as the Prophet Elias (July 20) was. The bread that they brought to her came from the Sihăstria Skete. Seeing the birds come to the Skete and then fly away with pieces of bread in their beaks, the Hegumen sent two monks to follow them, thinking that some ascetic was living there and that God was providing food for him. Night fell as they walked toward Sihla, and they lost their way in the woods. They decided to wait for daylight, and so they began to pray. One of them climbed a tree and looked for a place where someone might be living. Suddenly, they saw a bright light rising up into the sky, and went to investigate. As they approached, they saw a woman shining with light and levitating above the ground while she prayed. their presence, Saint Theodora said, “Brethren, do not be afraid, for I am a humble handmaiden of Christ. Throw me something to wear, for I am naked.’ The monks were amazed when she addressed them by name. Then she prayed: “I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast heard me.” She said to the monks, “Brothers, I have lived for many years in these parts, and, behold, it has been forty days since I prayed for God to send me a Confessor to come and impart unto me the Holy Mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, because it is almost time for me to depart from this life. So, please, go straight to the Skete and ask Father Hegumen to send Father Anthony and Hierodeacon Laurence to me tomorrow morning with Holy Communion.” asked her how they could find their way to the Skete at night, for they did not know the way. She said that they would be guided to the Skete by a light which would go before them. next day at dawn, Father Anthony went to Sihla with the deacon and two other monks. When they found Saint Theodora, she was praying by a fir tree in front of her cave. She made a Confession of her entire life to Father Anthony, and then she received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and gave her soul to God. Her last words were, “Glory to God for all things.’ The monks buried Saint Theodora in her cave with great reverence sometime during the first decade of the eighteenth century. of her death spread quickly, and people came from all over to venerate her tomb. Her holy relics remained incorrupt, and many miracles took place before them. Some kissed the relics; others touched the reliquary, while others washed in her spring. All who entreated Saint Theodora’s intercession received healing and consolation. Theodore’s former husband, Hieromonk Eleutherios, heard that she had been living at Sihla, and decided to go there. He found her cave shortly after her death and burial. Grieving for his beloved wife, Eleutherios did not return to his monastery, but made a small cell for himself below the cliffs of Sihla. He remained close to her cave, fasting, praying, and serving the Divine Liturgy. He lived there for about ten years before his blessed repose. He was buried in the hermits’ cemetery and the Skete of Saint John the Baptist was built over his grave. Theodora’s relics were taken to the Kiev Caves Monastery between 1828 and 1834. There she is known as Saint Theodora of the Carpathians. Our Venerable Mother Theodora was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church on June 20, 1992. inscription of Saint Theodora’s scroll reads: “Life is blessed for those in the wilderness as they fly upon the wings of Divine love” (Sunday Matins, Hymn of Degrees, first Antiphon).

Moldovia, 1672-1676, Polish Ottoman War, Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth ceded Ukraine territory to Empire
Moldovia, 1672-1676, Polish Ottoman War ; –Ottoman War (1672–1676) was a conflict between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire, as a precursor of the Great Turkish War. It ended in 1676 with the Treaty of Å»urawno and the Commonwealth ceding control of most of its Ukraine territories to the Empire. 1 Prelude 2 The first phase (1672) 3 The second phase (1673–1676) 4 Aftermath 5 Battles 6 In popular culture 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links article: Polish–Cossack–Tatar War (1666–1671) causes of the Polish-Ottoman War of 1672–1676 can be traced to 1666. Petro Doroshenko Hetman of Zaporizhian Host, aiming to gain control of Ukraine but facing defeats from other factions struggling over control of that region, in a final bid to preserve his power in Ukraine, signed a treaty with Sultan Mehmed IV in 1669 that recognized the Cossack Hetmanate as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.[3]:273 the meantime, Commonwealth forces were trying to put down unrest in Ukraine, but were weakened by decades long wars (Khmelnytsky Uprising, The Deluge and Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)). Trying to capitalize on that weakness, Tatars, who commonly raided across the Commonwealth borders in search of loot and plunder, invaded, this time allying themselves with Cossacks under hetman Doroshenko. They were however stopped by Commonwealth forces under hetman John Sobieski, who stopped their first push (1666–67), defeating them several times, and finally gaining an armistice after the Battle of Podhajce. 1670, however, hetman Doroshenko tried once again to take over Ukraine, and in 1671 Khan of Crimea, Adil Giray, supportive of the Commonwealth, was replaced with a new one, Selim I Giray, by the Ottoman sultan. Selim entered into an alliance with the Doroshenko's Cossacks; but again like in 1666–67 the Cossack-Tatar forces were dealt defeats by Sobieski. Selim then renewed his oath of allegiance to the Ottoman Sultan and pleaded for assistance, to which the Sultan agreed. Thus an irregular border conflict escalated into a regular war in 1671, as the Ottoman Empire was now prepared to send its regular units onto the battlefield in a bid to try to gain control of that region for itself.[4]:646 first phase (1672)[edit] also: Lipka rebellion forces, numbering 80,000 men and led by Grand Vizier Köprülü FazÄ±l Ahmed and Ottoman sultan Mehmed IV, invaded Polish Ukraine in August, took the Commonwealth fortress at Kamieniec Podolski and besieged Lwów. Unprepared for war, and torn by internal conflict between the king Michael I and the szlachta nobility, the Commonwealth Sejm could not act to raise taxes and gather a larger army. Its representatives were forced to sign the Peace of Buczacz in October that year, which ceded to the Ottomans the Commonwealth part of Ukraine (the Right-bank BracÅ‚aw Voivodeship, Podole Voivodeship and part of Kiev Voivodeship;[4]:648 Left-bank Ukraine was already controlled by Russia since the Treaty of Andrusovo of 1667) and promised an annual tribute of 22,000 ducats. second phase (1673–1676)[edit] Over the Turkish Banner by Józef Brandt. of ratifying the peace treaty,[4]:648 the Commonwealth Sejm, with most of the deputies finally united by anger due to the territorial losses and the demeaning tribute (which could in fact be seen as reducing the Commonwealth to Ottomans' vassal) finally raised taxes for a new army (of about 37,000 strong was raised) and increased the Cossack register to 40,000. Hetman John Sobieski led a military campaign against the Ottomans and dealt several defeats to the Ottomans; of which the battle of Khotyn was the largest;[4]:649 next he took control of the Moldavia territory and most of disputed Ukrainian lands. That year king Michael I of Poland died, and in recognition of his victories and dedication, John Sobieski was elected King of the Commonwealth in 1674.[4]:649 of the standards by Józef Brandt. the next year, however, the Polish forces were subject to attrition, as the Sejm again refused to raise taxes and pay the army, resulting in mass desertions of unpaid soldiery. The Polish problems were further aggravated by the incompetent leadership of hetman MichaÅ‚ Kazimierz Pac, who obstructed Sobieski's leadership, while the Ottomans continued to receive reinforcements. Nonetheless in 1674 the Commonwealth resumed the offensive, taking advantage of a new Russo-Turkish conflict that year, and the Polish-Ottoman war remained undecided.[3]:275 Sobieski's force of 6,000 defeated 20,000 Turks and Tatars under Ibrahim Shyshman in the battle of Lwow in August 1675.[4]:653 Even after the Battle of Trembowla, the Sejm still refused his pleas for more funds and a larger army.[4]:653 1676, after Sobieski's 16,000 withstood the two-week siege of Å»urawno, by 100,000 men under Ibrahim Pasha, a new peace treaty was signed, the Treaty of Å»urawno.[4]:655 The peace treaty partially reversing those from Buczacz: the Ottomans kept approximately two thirds of the territories they gained in 1672, and the Commonwealth no longer was obliged to pay any kind of tribute to the Empire; a large number of Polish prisoners were released by the Ottomans. ózef Brandt, Attack of the Cavalry portrait of captain Zygmunt Dziembowski, who died during the war against Ottoman Empire on December 16th, 1674[5] Sejm rejected the treaty, through the actions of Austrian diplomats and Pope Innocent XI.[4]:655 Sobieski also was forced to reduce his army from 30,000 to 12,000 men.[4]:655 war showed the increasing weakness and disorder of the Commonwealth, who by the second half of the 17th century had started its gradual decline that would culminate a century later with the partitions of Poland. The unruly Sejm, paralyzed by liberum veto and foreign bribery, was dominated by politicians who thought in short term gains only and constantly refused the funds to raise an army, as it appeared that most of the Commonwealth would not be ravaged by the Ottoman armies. Even after the unfavourable Buczacz treaty, which convinced the Sejm to raise the taxes, once initial successes were achieved, the majority of the Sejm again couldn't be convinced to keep up the pressure on the enemy; soldiers were left unpaid and desertions on a mass scale negatively affected the Polish cause. This apparent inability to defend itself, also seen in the other recent and future conflicts the Commonwealth was involved in, increasingly invited foreign forces to prey on the Commonwealth. the Polish side the fighting was done mostly by a force privately financed by John Sobieski. He gained reputation as an able, courageous commander and a patriot, having invested part of his personal fortune in the defense of the Commonwealth. In 1674 he was elected King of Poland and ruled now as John III. reputation also preceded him in the Ottoman Empire, and his victory several years later at the battle of Vienna would ensure his reputation as the top commander fighting the Ottomans — however even he would not be able to stop the Commonwealth from decline and introduce reforms that would save the country. Commonwealth did regain the territories lost in this war after the Polish–Ottoman War (1683–1699) in 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz, but that was one of the last of its victories. Battle of ÅadyÅ¼yno (or Battle of Czetwertynówka) (18 July 1672) Battle of Humanie (1672) Siege of Kamieniec Podolski (18–27 August 1672) Battle of Korc (1672) Battle of Krasnobród (5–6 October 1672) Battle of Narol (6 October 1672) Battle of Niemirów (7 October 1672) Battle of Komarno (9 October 1672) Battle of Petranka (14 October 1672) Battle of KaÅ‚usz (1672) Battle of Khotyn (11 November 1673) Battle of Lesienice near Lwów (22 August 1675) Battle of Trembowla (20 September – 11 October 1675) Battle of WojniÅ‚owo (24 September 1676) Battle of Å»urawno (25 September – 14 October 1676) popular culture[edit] Polish-Ottoman War had a major effect on Poland.[6] Fire in the Steppe is a historical fiction novel, set in the 17th century in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the Polish–Tatar and Polish–Ottoman Wars. Wolodyjowski is a Polish historical drama film directed by Jerzy Hoffman. The film is based on the novel Fire in the Steppe, the last part in The Trilogy of Henryk Sienkiewicz. Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach, 1672; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1;

Moldovia, 1672, Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach, Turk v, including Ottoman Ukraine, Terebovlya Icon transfer
Polish-Lithuanian Turkish Treaty of Buchach, 1672; Polish-“Ottoman War (1672-76); –Ottoman War (1672–1676) was a conflict between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire, as a precursor of the Great Turkish War. It ended in 1676 with the Treaty of Żurawno and the Commonwealth ceding control of most of its Ukraine territories to the Empire. Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1; 1 commemorates the transfer of the Terebovlya Icon of the Mother of God from the town of Terebovlya to Lvov in 1672. icon of the Most Holy Theotokos originally appeared in the principality of Galich during the time of the Terebovlya princes, in the thirteenth, or perhaps as early as the twelfth century. After the decline of the Galich principality in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Roman Catholics tried many times to seize the icon and bring it to their own church. Orthodox believers of Galich and Terebovlya always prayed fervently before the Terebovlya icon, asking the Mother of God to protect them whenever Russia was attacked by enemy forces, and its citizens were led into captivity. the spring of 1672, a Turkish army of 300,000 men took the town of Kamenets Podolski. This same army was defeated at Terebovlya, and was forced to retreat. The holy icon of the Mother of God was taken from the Church of the Protection in town and moved to the church in the ancient castle. There the people of Terebovlya thanked God for their deliverance. the Feast of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God in 1672, the Bishop of Lvov, with the clergy and the faithful, transferred the icon to the cathedral of Saint George in Lvov so that it would not be stolen. This translation took place when Bishop Joseph (Shumlyansky) of Lvov, who later became a Uniate, was still a hierarch of the Orthodox Church. 1973, when it was decided to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its translation, the icon was provided with a gilded cover, thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Nicholas of Lvov and Ternopol.

Moldovia, 1693-1711, Prince, Dimitrie Cantemir, allied with Russia
Moldovia, 1693-1711, Prince, Dimitrie Cantemir; St. Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16;

Moldovia, 1711, Prut Campaign, Rus Ottoman War of 1710-1711, Moldavia agreed to support Russia, Rus v
Prut Campaign; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Moldovia, 1711-1822, Moldovia Under Russian Rule
Moldovia, 1711-1822, Moldovia Under Russian Rule; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Moldovia, 1731-1769, Constantine Mavrocordatos, Phanaroite, acting prince of Wallacia, laws, taxes, emancipation
Romania, 1731-1769, Constantine Mavrocordatos, Phanaroite, acting prince of Wallacia; Constantine Mavrocordatos (February 27, 1711 -November 23, 1769) was a Greek noble who served as Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia at several intervals between 1730 and 1769. As a ruler he issued reforms in the laws of each of the two Danubian Principalities, ensuring a more adequate taxation and a series of measures amounting to the emancipation of serfs and a more humane treatment of slaves. St. Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15;

Moldovia, 1740-1800, Barsanuphius tGreat&His disciple John tProphet, both wonderworking, raised the dead etc, humble

Moldovia, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War, Moldovia, Ochakov, Crimea, Black and Azov Seas
Moscow, 1768-1774, Russo-Turkish War (1768-“74) ; Dragomirna Monastery; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated on January 2;

Moldovia, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War, France w Turks, Moldovia and Wallacia, Russian V.
Moscow, 1806-1812, Russo-Turkish War (1806-“12) Russia crossed the Caucasus and annexed Georgia for Orthodoxy; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19;

Moldovia, 1843-1892, Romanian Bishop Melchizedek, writer, reformer
Romania, 1843-1892, Bishop Melchizedek; Ștefănescu born Mihail Ștefănescu 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1823 - 28 May [O.S. 16 May] 1892) a Moldavian, later Romanian historian and bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church. A native of the Piatra Neamț area, he was educated at Iași and in Kiev. After a decade of teaching seminary, he became a bishop, serving at Huși, Ismail, briefly in Galați and then in Roman until his death. He was involved in politics, especially around the time the United Principalities came into being, and was a steadfast supporter of Alexandru Ion Cuza's reforms, including the secularization of monastic estates. A historian appreciated by his peers, Melchisedec published over sixty works. After his death, his property and money went toward setting up the Romanian Academy Library, sending students on scholarship to Imperial Russia and establishing a foundation that continues its activities in Roman. Icon of the Mother of God œSokolsky, Commemorated on February 1;

Moldovia, 1848-1940, Moldovia as part of Greater Romania
Moldovia, 1848-1940, Moldovia as part of Greater Romania; Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ;

Moldavia, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia Capital, paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, Many miracles
Moldavia, 1863, Prodromitsa Icon, Iasi, Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8), paint only while fasting, alone, faces finished by MOG, kept in Theophany Skete near Great Lavra, MA, Many miracles, thorns in eyes, unconscious child died recovered, Jews healed, Icon not move teachers house, icon in woman's vision, mocking painter fierce expression on MOG's face, became zealous admirer, sick monk at P Skete departs peacefully, many more miracles to this day; Jassy (Iasi), Romania ; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Icon is kept in the Moldavian Theophany (now Prodromou)1 Skete on Mount Athos, about an hour's walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios. 1863, Igoumen Niphon, accompanied by several monks, went to Moldavia on the Monastery's business. Arriving at Iasi, the capital of Moldavia, the Athonite monks decided to order an icon of the Mother of God for their Monastery, and began to look for a master, who would not only know his craft well, but at the same time he would lead a good life, have the fear of God, and who would be adorned with Christian piety. Soon they managed to find such a man at Iasi, the aged painter, George Nikolaev (Iordache Nicolau), with whom they agreed that he should paint the icon only while fasting, before eating any food, and by himself, without the participation and assistance of others. old man, having agreed to these conditions, zealously set about his work. The work progressed quickly to its end: it remained only to paint the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Child. when the painter started to execute the last part of the work, he suffered a setback: he couldn't paint the faces correctly, despite all his efforts. He was upset and told the monks of his failure, and he even began to doubt himself, whether he had forgotten his art in his old age. painter increased his fasting and prayed with tears. one morning, after intensified fasting and fervent prayer, he entered his workroom to finish the task that had caused him so much grief and anxiety. Approaching the Icon and looking at it, he suddenly stopped, struck with amazement: from the canvas of the Icon the faces of the Mother of God and the Child looked at him, painted by an invisible hand and radiant with heavenly beauty and artistic expression. painter was awestruck: the more he considered these faces, the more clearly he understood that a great and incomprehensible miracle of the Queen of Heaven had occurred, and that she had heard his humble and fervent prayers. with amazement, the artist did not dare to touch this Icon with his brush, but only covered it with varnish. of this miracle quickly spread throughout the city, and many people gathered in the artist's home, so that the Athonite monks had great difficulty in moving the Icon from his house to their apartment. miraculous event that had occurred was also made known to the local Metropolitan, His Grace Callinic (Miclescu), who at that time held the office of Metropolitan. examined the Icon carefully and recognized the truth of the miracle. After that, a Moleben was served before the Icon, and only then were the people allowed to venerate the image of the Mother of God, which from that time began to be glorified by many miraculous signs. certain man had a large thorn in his eyes, and he could not see anything. He was brought in to venerate the Icon of the Mother of God was given some Holy Water to drink, and to wash with it. He took some of it with him to his house. days later he received perfect sight, so that without the help of others he was able to come to give thanks to the Mother of God before her miraculous Icon for his healing. nobleman had a child who was unconscious for three days without any movement, so that only by the child's barely perceptible breath could one determine that a faint spark of life still remained. of saving his child from death by conventional medical means, the father turned to the Mother of God for help, praying fervently before her Icon. some Holy Water to his house, he sprinkled the dying child and poured a few drops into his mouth. And a miracle occurred: the child had already died, but then he recovered. other patients afflicted with various ailments received healing by praying before the Icon of the Mother of God. view of the numerous miracles performed by the power of the Theotokos through her Holy Icon, not only did Orthodox Christians come to venerate her, but also schismatics, Armenians, and even Jews, for there was the case of a Jewish woman who received her gracious help, which was why she and her entire household were baptized. return of the Athonite monks with the Icon, from Iași to their Monastery on Athos, was also accompanied by many miracles. the monks arrived with the Icon in the city of Byrlad, the people's teacher in that city wished to receive the Holy Icon in his house, and for this purpose he sent people for it. The monks advised him to come to them if he wished to venerate the Icon, instead of bringing it to his home. But the teacher insisted on having his way. monks decided to grant his wish. When two of them tried to lift the Icon, despite all their efforts, they could not do so. It took four monks to lift the icon, but only with great effort. When the Icon was brought to the carriage in order to put it in, a loud noise was heard, frightening everyone, both people and the horses. It turned out that the kiot containing the Icon had cracked. everyone knew that the Mother of God did not want to have her Icon brought to the teacher's house, and it was decided not to carry it to the teacher's home. a strange thing occurred: this time, two monks were able to lift the Icon without any difficulty. pious woman who lived outside the city of Byrlad beheld a vision in a dream telling her to go into the city to venerate the Icon. When she arrived, she recognized the very Icon that she had seen in the vision. the monks came to Galați there was a painter who, seeing a multitude of people flocking to venerate the Icon, began to mock it, urging people not to believe the miracle of how the faces had not been painted by any earthly artist. But when he gazed at the Icon of the Mother of God, the exression on her face seemed so fierce to him that he was struck with great horror. Then he became a zealous admirer of the wonderworking Icon. the time the monks arrived at their Skete on the Holy Mountain, there was a sick monk, who had not eaten any food for three weeks, nor did he speak. He was so weak that he did not move at all. Only by his breathing could anyone tell that he was still alive. When the monks arrived at the Skete, the patient seemed to awaken from a deep sleep and asked to be taken to venerate the Holy Icon. Presenting himself before the Icon, he turned to the Mother of God with this plea: "O Mother of God! You know my heart and you know my fate. If it would be good for me to live, then give me health. If, after I am healed of my illness, I do not behave better, then let me die: end my life here on earth, so that I do not suffer or endure torments there, in the grave." After praying this way, he returned to his cell, put on clean linen and his full monastic garb, and asked to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He seemed to have a clear premonition of his approaching death. And, indeed, less than an hour after receiving Communion, he departed peacefully and quietly to the Lord. this Skete there were even more cases of healings by the Icon of the Mother of God. The monk Sergius was healed from weakness in all his members, and from deafness, and one of the masters who worked in the same Skete was subjected to torments by an unclean spirit; as soon as he was brought to the Icon of the Mother of God, he was freed from the excruciating power of the Enemy. addition to the recorded accounts, many other wonderful signs took place on Mount Athos from the Moldavian Icon of the Mother of God, which continues to work miracles up to the present day. 1 The Romanian Skete of Saint John the Forerunner on Mount Athos.

Moldovia, 1917-1918, Moldovian Democratic Republic
Moldovia, 1917-1918, Moldovian Democratic Republic; Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ;

Moldovia, 1924-1940, Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Moldovia, 1924-1940, Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ;

Moldovia, 1940-1991, Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Moldovia, 1940-1991, Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; Moldovia, Siret River Valley between Eastern Carpathians and Dniester River; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ;

Moldovia, Roman Roads or Major Rivers

Moldovia, Dniester River Folder (Eastern Moldovia)

Easterm Moldovia, its Area, never part of Romania or Russia

Moldovia, Prut River Folder (Central Moldovia)

Iasi, Moldovia, Romania (crossroads: Poland, Russia, Austria and Constantinople, Pruth River 8)
Jassy (Iasi), Romania ; Prodromitsa Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1;

Moldovia, Siret River Folder (Western Moldovia)

Terebovlya, Moldovia or Ukraine (Seret River 2)
Terebovlya, Ukraine (Seret River 2) ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ;

Dragomirna Monastery, Moldovia (Siret River 5) 1602
Dragomirna Monastery; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ;

Siret River 6 (Succava River)

Putna Creek, Daniel the Hesychast's house carved out of a rock, 1450
Putna Creek, Daniel's house carved out of a rock; Spiritual Calling of Solitude From around 1450, the monk lived for 14 years near the Neamts Monastery by the Secu Creek. When people discovered where the saint was living, they began to visit him. Daniel, however, desired to live in the wilderness in solitude, so as to devote himself to spiritual struggles. Therefore, he moved to Putna, in what is today the northern Romanian region of Bukovina. Here, he carved a house / monastic cell out of rock in the cliff face near Putna Creek, and lived as a hermit. In addition, a small chapel for prayer was also carved out of a rock adjacent to the saint’s new home. Some sources state that the chapel was carved in a high cliff, and the monk’s cell below it. Putna Monastery; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ; St Iorest Metropolitan of Ardeal, and the Confessor of Romania, Commemorated on April 24;

Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River Folder

Soim (Falcon) Cliff nearVoronets Monastery, Daniel the Hesychast, for 20 years
Soim (Falcon) Cliff nearVoronets Monastery, Daniel the Hesychast, for 20 years; Voronets Monastery; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated December 18 ;

Moldovia, Siret River 10, Moldova River 3, Neamt River Folder

Moldovia, Nemtisor River Folder

Razboien, Moldovia, Neamt River Mouth, 1476, battle of Razboien, Moldovia lost plains, not high ground, then Ottoman Retreat
battle of Razboieni, 1476, Moldovia; Battle of Valea Alba, also known as the Battle of Razboieni or the Battle of Akdere, was an important event in the medieval history of Moldavia. It took place at Razboieni, also known as Valea Alba, on July 26, 1476, between the Moldavian army of Stefan cel Mare and an invading Ottoman army which was commanded personally by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. 1475 the Ottoman's attempt to bring Moldavia under their control, at winter by using an army of Rumelian local levies, ended disastrously with a defeat in the Battle of Vaslui. the proper military campaign season, the Ottomans assembled a large army under the command of Sultan Mehmed II and entered Moldavia in June 1476. groups of Tartars from the Crimean Khanate (the Ottomans' recent ally) were sent to attack Moldavia. Romanian sources may state that they were repelled.[5] Other sources state that joint Ottoman and Crimean Tatar forces occupied Bessarabia and took Akkerman, gaining control of the southern mouth of the Danube. Stephan tried to avoid open battle with the Ottomans by following a scorched-earth policy.[6] the process the Moldavians forces ended up being dispersed throughout the country, leaving only a small force of about 12,000–20,000 men, led by Stefan cel Mare himself, to face the main Ottoman attack. battle battle began with the Moldavians luring the main Ottoman forces into a forest that was set on fire, causing some casualties to the attacking Ottoman army in the forest. According to another battle description, the defending Moldavian forces repelled several attacks with steady fire from hand-guns.[7] The attacking Ottoman Janissaries were forced to crouch on their stomachs instead of charging headlong into the defenders' positions. Seeing the imminent defeat of his forces, Mehmed charged with his personal guard against the Moldavians, managing to rally the Janissaries, and turning the tide of the battle. Ottoman Janissaries penetrated inside the forest and engaged the defenders in man-to-man fighting. Moldavian army was utterly defeated (casualties were very high on both sides, and the chronicles say that the entire battlefield was covered with the bones of the dead, a probable source for the toponym (Valea Alba is Romanian and Akdere Turkish for "The White Valley"). cel Mare retreated into the north-western part of Moldavia or even into the Polish Kingdom[8] and began forming another army. The Ottomans captured considerable parts of Moldovian territory but were unable to conquer some of the major Moldavian strongholds such as Suceava, NeamÈ›, and Hotin[5] and were constantly harassed by small-scale Moldavians attacks. Soon they were also confronted with starvation, a situation made worse by an outbreak of the plague. anti-Ottoman forces were being assembled in Transylvania[9] under Stephen V Bathory's command. Confronted with this army and with Stefan's counterattack, the Ottomans retreated from major parts of Moldavia in August 1476 to come back again in 1480. St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Moldovia, Siret River 11, Bistrita River Folder

Neamts, Moldovia (Bistra River of Siret River)
Neamts; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated December 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God œNeamts Â, Commemorated on June 26;

Moldovia, Siret River 12, Trotus River Folder

Montenegro Folder, and its rivers

Montenegro
Montenegro; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Duklja (State), Illyria, Serbia, Montenegro (Serbian Saint John-Vladimir's Principality)
Duklja (State), Montenegro; Saint John-Vladimir, Prince of Bulgaria, Greatmartyr, and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Montenegro 1000-1830, Montenegro History Folder

Montenegro, 1000-1016, Prince, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav, married to d of Bulgarian Tsar
Bulgaria, 1000-1016, Prince, John-Vladimir, Serbian Prince murdered by John-Vladislav; Vladimir or John Vladimir ([a] c. 990 - 22 May 1016) was the ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time,[1] from around 1000 to 1016. ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire. Vladimir was acknowledged as a pious, just, and peaceful ruler. He is recognized as a martyr and saint, with his feast day being celebrated on 22 May.[b] Vladimir had a close relationship with Byzantium but this did not save Duklja from the expansionist Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, who conquered the principality around 1010 and took Vladimir prisoner. medieval chronicle asserts that Samuel's daughter, Theodora Kosara, fell in love with Vladimir and begged her father for his hand. The tsar allowed the marriage and returned Duklja to Vladimir, who ruled as his vassal. Vladimir took no part in his father-in-law's war efforts. The warfare culminated with Tsar Samuel's defeat by the Byzantines in 1014 and death soon after. 1016, Vladimir fell victim to a plot by Ivan Vladislav, the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. He was beheaded in front of a church in Prespa, the empire's capital, and was buried there. was soon recognized as a martyr and saint. His widow, Kosara, reburied him in the Precista Krajinska Church, near his court in southeastern Duklja. 1381, his remains were preserved in the Church of St Jovan Vladimir near Elbasan, and since 1995 they have been kept in the Orthodox cathedral of Tirana, Albania. saint's remains are considered Christian relics, and attract many believers, especially on his feast day, when the relics are taken to the church near Elbasan for a celebration. cross Vladimir held when he was beheaded is also regarded as a relic. Traditionally under the care of the AndroviÄ‡ family from the village of Velji MikuliÄ‡i in southeastern Montenegro, the cross is only shown to believers on the Feast of Pentecost, when it is carried in a procession to the summit of Mount Rumija. Vladimir is regarded as the first Serbian saint and the patron saint of the town of Bar in Montenegro. earliest, lost hagiography was probably written sometime between 1075 and 1089; a shortened version, written in Latin, is preserved in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja. His hagiographies in Greek and Church Slavonic were first published, respectively, in 1690 and 1802. The saint is classically depicted in icons as a monarch wearing a crown and regal clothes, with a cross in his right hand and his own head in his left hand. He is fabled to have carried his severed head to his place of burial. Bulgaria, 1015-1018, Tsar, John-Vladislav; Vladislav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from August or September 1015 to February 1018. The year of his birth is unknown; he was born at least a decade before 987, but probably not much earlier than that. from death by his cousin Gavril Radomir, the Bulgarian Emperor, in 976, Ivan Vladislav murdered him in October 1015 and seized the Bulgarian throne. to the desperate situation of the country following the decades-long war with the Byzantine Empire, and in an attempt to consolidate his position, he tried to negotiate truce with the Byzantine emperor Basil II. the failure of the negotiations he continued the resistance, attempting unsuccessfully to push the Byzantines back. During his period of rule, Ivan Vladislav tried to strengthen the Bulgarian army, reconstructed many Bulgarian fortresses and even carried out a counter-offensive, but he died at the Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1018. his death his widow, Empress Maria, the Patriarch and most of the nobility finally surrendered to Basil II, who soon suppressed the last remnants of resistance and brought about the end of the First Bulgarian Empire. Vladislav left a mixed heritage, varying from a reputation of being a ruthless murderer to a hero defending his country as well as he could. The descendants of Ivan Vladislav entered the Byzantine nobility and rose to the highest ranks of the hierarchy. women of his family became empresses of the Byzantine Empire and others became military commanders or high-ranking officials. He was an ancestor of the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos. Bulgarian Tsar, 997-1014, Samuel of Bulgaria; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Holy Martyr John-Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the tenth century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy Faith in purity. noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women’s monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life. The relics of the holy prince are located near Elbosan.

Montenegro, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Bishop of Zeta, Zeta Athos, then Archbishop of Serbia
Hungary, 1262-1285, Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, from Eparchy of Buda (Budim), Budapest, Hungary, strict ed from tutor,monastery in Zeta, Great ascetic, Serbia Hilandar Monaster, Mt Athos, Igumen, Bishop of Zeta, Archbishop of Serbia; Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221; Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 4; Eustathius, Archbishop of Serbia, lived in the second half of the thirteenth century, during the reign of the Serbian king Stephen Urosh (1262-1320). was born in the diocese of Budim into a pious Christian family, where he received a spiritual upbringing. by remarkable talents, Eustathius was given a tutor by his parents to train him in spiritual wisdom. studied Holy Scripture with particular diligence, perfecting himself in piety and good deeds. finished his education, the youth entered the Monastery of the Archangel Michael in the Zeta district (Montenegro) and led a strict monastic life. he became known as a great ascetic. thence he undertook a journey to Jerusalem, to venerate the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord. the return journey he visited Mount Athos and settled there in the Serbian Hilandar monastery. Eustathius gained general renown and love as a strict ascetic and good teacher, and many came to him for spiritual advice. Later, he became igumen of the monastery. several years he was consecrated as Bishop of Zeta, and the saint returned to his native land. in spiritual life and in churchly matters, he won the love of his fellow countrymen, and continued to set an example for his flock. Eustathius was chosen as Archbishop of Serbia after the death of Archbishop Joannicius. Eustathius guided the Serbian Church for seven years, and died about the year 1285. His body was buried in the Zhicha monastery, and later it was transferred to Pech and placed in the cathedral church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

Montenegro, 1782-1830, St Peter of Cetinje, archmandrite and commander, d Napoleon at Dalmatia, w Serbs a Turks, ascetic, incorrupt r, myrrh
Montenegro Saint and Commander, 1782-1830, St Peter of Cetinje; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18; Peter was born in Njegushi, Montenegro on April 1, 1747. was tonsured a monk and ordained to the diaconate when he was only seventeen. He accompanied his uncle Bishop Basil to Russia the following year in order to study there. His uncle died within a year after arriving in Russia, and so Peter was obliged to return to Montenegro. young deacon was ordained to the holy priesthood, and was later elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Saint Peter assisted Metropolitan Savva in the administration of the diocese until that hierarch died in 1781. Saint Peter seemed the logical choice to succeed him. Metropolitan of Montenegro, Saint Peter also became the secular leader (governor) of the Montenegran Serbs. For the rest of his life he devoted himself to promoting peace and unity among warring tribes and clans, and to helping his flock rise above petty quarrels and animosity at a difficult time in their history. Peter also defended his nation against the onslaught of enemies. He successfully opposed Napoleon’s army at Dalmatia, and took part in the first Serbian uprising against the Turks. he enjoyed a certain prominence as the archpastor and governor of the Serbs, Saint Peter continued to live as a simple monk in a small cell where he lived in asceticism. He fasted, prayed, and read books in French, Italian and Russian in order to increase his knowledge of Orthodox doctrine and secular culture. While he was strict with himself, the holy bishop was merciful toward others. Peter contributed to the welfare of his country through his good works. As a bishop he promoted love and peace. As governor he never sentenced a criminal to death. Peter, the Metropolitan and governor of Cetinje and all Montenegro, fell asleep in the Lord on October 18, 1830. He was succeeded by his nephew Bishop Peter II (Njegos). Peter’s holy and grace-filled relics were uncovered in 1834. They were found incorrupt and streaming with myrrh, and still rest in the monastery at Cetinje. He is honored as a powerful intercessor for his people, and for the whole Church.

Montenegro, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era, Roman Catholic, but Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Orthodox
Croatia, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era; in the Napoleonic Era[edit] Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy from 1806 to 1810 included the Dalmatia that had belonged to Venice until 1797 as a part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1811 in 1797, in the treaty of Campo Formio, Napoleon I gave Dalmatia to Austria in return for Belgium. republics of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) and Poljica (central Dalmatia near Omis) retained their independence, and Ragusa grew rich by its neutrality during the earlier Napoleonic wars. the Peace of Pressburg in 1805, Istria, Dalmatia and the Bay of Kotor (Montenegro) were handed over to France. 1805 Napoleon created his Kingdom of Italy around the Adriatic sea, annexing to it the former Venetian Dalmatia from Istria to Cattaro (Kotor). 1806, the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) finally succumbed to foreign (French) troops under general Marmont, the same year a Montenegrin force supported by the Russians tried to contest the French by seizing Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor, Montenegro). The allied forces have pushed the French to Ragusa. The Russians induced the Montenegrins to render aid and they proceeded to take the islands of Korula and Bra (both central Dalmatian archipelago) but made no furtherprogress, and withdrew in 1807 under the treaty of Tilsit. The Republic of Ragusa was officially annexed to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1808. 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition broke out, and French and Austrian forces also fought in the Dalmatian Campaign (1809). the summer, Austrian forces retook Dalmatia, but this lasted only until the Treaty of Schunbrunn, when Austria ceded a number of additional provinces north of Dalmatia to France, so Napoleon removed Dalmatia from his Kingdom of Italy and created the Illyrian Provinces. major part of the Dalmatian population was Roman Catholic. St. Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

Montenegro, Zeta River Folder, Western MON

Zeta River

Zeta River Source (Niksic)

Ostrog monastery, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley) 1650 approx
Ostrog monastery; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated October 10 ; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Bjelopavlici plain 1, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley)
Bjelopavlici plain; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Bjelopavlici plain 2, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley)
Bjelopavlici plain; St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia, Commemorated on April 29;

Zhrebaonik monestary, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley)
Zhrebaonik monestary, Montenegro; Repose of Saint Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on October 28;

Zeta River Mouth (Podorica, Moraca River Source)

Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221
Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221; Repose of Saint Eustathius I, Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 4;

Montenegro, Moraca River Folder, Central MON

Moraca River

Moraca River Source (Kolasin)

Moraca River Mouth (Lake Skadar)
Lake Skadar;

Montenegro, Upper Lim River Folder, Berane-Budimlje, Northern MON

Montenegro, Bukovica River Folder, Northwestern MON

Bukovica River

Bukovica River Source (under Ranisava Mountain)

Bukovica River Mouth (Drina River 1)

Drina River Mouth (Sava River 18)

Montenegro, Bay of Kotor Folder, Southwestern MON

Cetinje monestary, Montenegro, 1701 (see of Metropolitanate of Montenegro)
Cetinje monestary, Montenegro; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated October 18 ;

Montenegro (Clean), Folder, and its rivers

Montenegro
Montenegro;

Duklja (State), Illyria, Serbia Montenegro (Serbian Saint John-Vladimir's Principality)
Duklja (State), Montenegro;

Dukkja, its Area, a large Christian State 1046-1186

Montenegro (Clean), Zeta River Folder, Western MON

Ostrog monastery, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley) 1650 approx
Ostrog monastery;

Bjelopavlici plain 1, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley)
Bjelopavlici plain;

Bjelopavlici plain;

Zhrebaonik monestary, Montenegro (Zeta River Valley)
Zhrebaonik monestary, Montenegro;

Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221
Zeta MONASTERY VRANJINA FROM THE XIII CENTURY, Lake Skadar, Zeta River Mouth, Zeta Athos, 1221;

Montenegro (Clean), Moraca River Folder, Central MON

Montenegro (Clean), Upper Lim River Folder, Berane-Budimlje, Northern MON

Budimlje, Serbia aka Berane, Montenegro (Lim River 1)
Budimlje aka Berane (;

Mileshevsk monastery, Serbia (Mileshevsk River, Lim River 2) 1236
Mileshevsk (Milesheva) monastery ;

Montenegro (Clean), Bukovica River Folder, Northwestern MON

Montenegro (Clean), Bay of Kotor Folder, Southwestern MON

Cetinje monestary, Montenegro, 1701 (see of Metropolitanate of Montenegro)
Cetinje monestary, Montenegro;

Estonia Folder, and its rivers

Estonia
Estonia; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud People ; Pagan Chud people; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, andall the New Martyrs of Estonia, Commemorated on January 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Eesti People, Estonia
Estonia; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16; Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud People ; Pagan Chud people; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Estonia 1204-2000's, Estonia History Folder

Estonia, 1200, 13th-16th Century History Folder, Livonian Knights and Order

Estonia, 1204-1237, Livonian Knights
Livonia; Livonian Knights; Turaida Castle; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated on January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Estonia, 1204-1237, Livonian Brothers of the Sword
Estonia, Livonian Brothers of the Sword, 1204-1237; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16;

Estonia, 1237-1561, Livonian Knights, Order of Teutonic Order

Estonia, 1235 and 1944, battle at the River Emajogi, Russia over Germany
battle at the River Emajogi; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23;

Estonia, 1237-1561, Livonian Order
Estonia, Livonian Order, 1237-1561 ; Estonia, Livonian Brothers of the Sword, 1204-1237; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16;

Estonia, 1268, Battle of Rakovor, Novgorod Pskov forces retreated out of Danish Estonia
Estonia, Battle of Rakovor 1268 ; Battle of Wesenberg, Rakvere or Rakovor was a battle fought on February 18, 1268, the combined forces of Danish Duchy of Estonia, Bishopric of Dorpat, Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights, and local Estonian militia on one side and the forces of Novgorod and Pskov, led by Dmitry of Pereslavl, on the other. accounts of the battle vary with both sides claiming victory, however the Livonian victory being more plausible as Novgorodian-Pskovian forces retreated out of Danish Estonia, with Livonian Knights launching a retaliatory attack on Izborsk and Pskov soon afterward, in June 1269.[1]: 78–79  Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Estonia, 1463, Isidore + 72, Yuriev, Estonia, Livonian Knight Latins violate treaty to protect Orthodox, pushed all under ice
Estonia, 1463, Isidore +72, Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2), Livonian Knight Latins violate treaty to protect Orthodox, tried to force conversion to Catholicism, pushed them all into ice hole for blessing the water after Theophany; Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated January 8 ; Isidore was priest of Saint Nicholas church in the city of Yuriev (Derpto, at present Taru in Estonia). to the terms of a treaty concluded in 1463 between the Moscow Great Prince Ivan III and the Livonian knights, the latter were obligated to extend every protection to the Orthodox at Derpto. But the Livonian knights (who were German Catholics) broke the treaty and tried to force the Orthodox to become Roman Catholics. priest Isidore bravely stood forth in defense of Orthodoxy, preferring to accept a martyr’s crown rather than submit to the Catholics. The Latin bishop and the Roman Catholic nobles of Yuriev had been told that Saint Isidore and the Orthodox population of the city had spoken against the faith and customs of the Germans. Saint Isidore and seventy-two of his parishioners went to bless the waters of the River Omovzha (or Emaiyga, now Emajogi) for the Feast of Theophany, they were arrested and brought before the Latin bishop Andrew and the civil judges of the city. Pressure was brought on them to convert to Catholicism, but the saint and his flock refused to renounce Christ or the Orthodox Faith. Enraged by this, the authorities had them thrown into prison. Isidore encouraged his flock to prepare themselves for death, and not to fear torture. He partook of the reserved Gifts he carried with him, then communed all the men, women, and children with the Holy and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ. the bishop and the judges summoned the Orthodox to appear before them once more, demanding that they convert to Catholicism. When they refused to do so, they were dragged back to the river and pushed through the hole in the ice that they had cut to bless the water. So they all suffered and died for Christ, Who bestowed on them crowns of unfading glory. the spring floods, the incorrupt bodies of the holy martyrs, including the fully-vested body of the hieromartyr Isidore, were found by Russian merchants journeying along the river bank. They buried the saints around the church of Saint Nicholas. people began to venerate these saints shortly after their death, they were not officially glorified by the Church until 1897.

Estonia, 1500, 16th Century History Folder, War with Russia, Seige of Pskov Caves

Estonia, 1500's, Livonia, Land of the Aesti People
Land of the Aesti People; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Estonia, 1500's, Esti [Aesti]) and Saeti people
Estonia, 1500's, Esti [Aesti]) and Saeti people ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20;

Estonia, 1558-1583, Livonian War 1558-1583 (Russia vs a Western Coalition)
Livonian War 1558-1583 (in Livonia and Estonia, Russia vs a Western Coalition); Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Estonia, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582)
Moscow, 1581-1582, Siege of Pskov Caves (Livonian War 1581-1582); Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov "œthe Protection"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St John the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on October 24; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of "œTenderness"Â, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œVirgin of Tenderness" from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œTenderness" of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on June 23 ;

Estonia, 1558, Narva Icon, war hero, Germans t icon into fire, House and city burn, Russians took advantage, icon unharmed
Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland); Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ; Narva Icon of the Mother of God became famous in the year 1558, when the Russian army attacked the city of Narva. one of the houses where Russian merchants had once lived, drunken Germans grabbed an icon of the Mother of God that had been left behind. Mocking the holy thing, they threw it into a fire under a kettle, in which they were brewing beer. Flames shot out from the kettle and engulfed the roof of the house. that very moment a storm blew up, and spread the fire throughout all the city. advantage of the confusion, the Russian army advanced and took the city. Wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, and an icon of Saint Nicholas, were found in the ashes unharmed.

Estonia, 1558-1710, under Swedish rule
Estonia under Swedish rule 1558-1710;

Estonia, 1558-1583, Livonian War 1558-1583 (Russia vs a Western Coalition)
Estonia, Livonian War 1558-1583 (in Livonia and Estonia, Russia vs a Western Coalition); Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Estonia, 1558, Russian Seige of Narva Livonia, Eastern Estonia, Narva Icon war hero
Estonia, 1558, Seige of Narva; Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ;

Estonia, 1574-1658, Proposed Polish-“Lithuanian-“Muscovite Commonwealth
Estonia, 1574-1658, Proposed Polish-“Lithuanian-“Muscovite Commonwealth;

Estonia, 1581, Livonian campaign of Stephen Bathory 1581
Estonia, Livonian campaign of Stephen Bathory 1581; Venerable Nicander the Hermit of Pskov, Commemorated on September 24;

Estonia, 1800-Present, 19th-21st Century Folder, Holy Roman Empire, German Empire, USSR, EU&NATO

Estonia, 1889-1919, Hieromartyr Platon, the first Bishop of Estonia, and all the New Martyrs of Estonia, Traveling Preacher

Estonia, Narva River Folder, Northeast EST

Narva River

Narva River Source (Pskov Lake)

Narva River Mouth (Gulf of Finland)

Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland)
Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland); Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ;

Ivangorod Fortress Russia (across river from Narva, for access to the sea)
Ivangorod Fortress a 15th century castle in Ivangorod, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located on the east bank of the Narva river which currently forms the international border between Russia and Estonia, across from the Estonian city of Narva. Fortress was established during the reign of Ivan III in 1492, intended to reaffirm Muscovy's access to the Baltic Sea and to form a bulwark against the Teutonic Order, being built opposite the powerful Teutonic Hermann Castle. The fortress eventually grew into the town of Ivangorod, and the structures of the fort were gradually expanded and strengthened.[1] Ivangorod Fortress was controlled by Sweden after the end of the Livonian War in 1583, changing hands numerous times during conflicts and border shifts over the following centuries.

Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, Estonia
Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, Estonia; Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland); Icon of the Mother of God of Narva, Commemorated August 14 ;

Estonia, Embach River Folder, Eastern EST, Lake Wirzsee, Yuriev

Embach River

Embach River Source (Lake Wirzsee)

Lake Wirzsee
Lake Wirzsee;

Odenpa (Bears Head), Estonia
Odenpa (Bears Head) ; St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ;

Valga, Estonia, Latvia Border
Valga, Estonia; Venerable Hilarion of Pskov, Lake Gdov, Commemorated on March 28;

Embach River 1

Embach River 2 (Yuriev, Estonia)

Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated January 8 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Livonian Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Hieromartyr Isidore and 72 Others at Yuriev, Estonia, Commemorated January 8 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15 ;

Battle of Emajogi River, 1235 Livonian Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Repose of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23; From his early years Saint Alexander went along on his father’s campaigns. In 1235 he participated in a battle at the River Emajogi (in present-day Estonia), where the forces of Yaroslav totally routed the Germans.

Iuriev, Estonia (now Tartu, Embach River 2)
Iuriev (now Tartu); Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Derpto, Estonia (now Tartu, Embach River 2)
Iuriev (now Tartu); Venerable Serapion of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery, Pskov, Commemorated September 7 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Serapion of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15;

Embach River 3

Embach River Mouth (Lake Peipus)

Estonia, Piusa (Tolva) River Folder Southeast EST

Estonia, Amber Road Folder, Western EST

Talinin (Thellin), Estonia (Amber Road 19)
Tallinn, Estonia, Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Tallinn; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated August 30; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20 ;

Cathedral church in Talinin, Estonia, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1894
Cathedral church in Talinin, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1894; Translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lossi plats, Tallinn, Estonia, 1894
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lossi plats, Tallinn, Estonia; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Estonia (Clean), Roman Roads, rivers, places Folder

Estonia, its Area

Estonia (Clean), Narva River Folder, Northeast EST

Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland)
Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland);

Ivangorod Fortress Russia (across river from Narva, for access to the sea)
Ivangorod Fortress

Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, Estonia
Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, Estonia; Narva, Estonia (Narva River Mouth, Gulf of Finland);

Estonia (Clean), Embach River Folder, Eastern EST, Lake Wirzsee, Yuriev

Odenpa (Bears Head), Estonia
Odenpa (Bears Head) ;

Valga, Estonia, Latvia Border
Valga, Estonia;

Livonian Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin);

Battle of Emajogi River, 1235 Livonian Yuriev, Estonia (Embach River 2)
Yuriev, Estonia; Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin);

Iuriev, Estonia (now Tartu, Embach River 2)
Iuriev (now Tartu);

Derpto, Estonia (now Tartu, Embach River 2)
Iuriev (now Tartu);

Estonia (Clean), Piusa (Tolva) River Folder Southeast EST

Estonia (Clean), Amber Road Folder, Western EST

Talinin (Thellin), Estonia (Amber Road 19)
Tallinn, Estonia, Yuriev and Velyansk (i.e., Thellin); Tallinn;

Cathedral church in Talinin, Estonia, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1894
Cathedral church in Talinin, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1894;

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lossi plats, Tallinn, Estonia, 1894
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Lossi plats, Tallinn, Estonia;

Edom Folder, and its vicinity

Edom including the Negev
Edom including the Negev; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Edom (Land of Esau)
Edom, Seir is the Easu's place in Edom, Bozra is the Capital of Edom. Idumea is Edom; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Idumea (Edom, Ausis, Land of Esau)
Idumea is Edom; Edom, Seir is the Easu's place in Edom, Bozra is the Capital of Edom; Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Land of Uz (Edom)
Land of Uz (Edom); Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on Job'™s Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Edom 1590BC- 106, Edom History Folder

Edom, 2000BC, Abraham, Sarah & Lot in Negev, Edom (from Beersheba to Resort & Port of Eilat)
Negev, Edom; Negev or Negeb (/ˈnɛɡɛv/; Hebrew: הַנֶּגֶב, romanized: hanNegév; Arabic: ٱلنَّقَب, romanized: an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. 209,687), in the north. its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city and port of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin towns, including Rahat and Tel Sheva and Lakiya. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics. historically part of a separate region (known during the Roman period as Arabia Petraea), the Negev was added to the proposed area of Mandatory Palestine, of which large parts later became Israel, on 10 July 1922, having been conceded by British representative St John Philby "in Trans-Jordan's name".[a] Despite this, the region remained exclusively Arab until 1946; in response to the British Morrison–Grady Plan which would have allotted the area to an Arab state, the Jewish Agency enacted the 11 points in the Negev plan to begin Jewish settlement in the area.[2][3] A year later, the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine allotted the area to the Jewish State which became Israel. desert is home to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, whose faculties include the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research and the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, both located on the Midreshet Ben-Gurion campus adjacent to Sde Boker. October 2012, global travel guide publisher Lonely Planet rated the Negev second on a list of the world's top ten regional travel destinations for 2013, noting its current transformation through development.[4][5]

Edom, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Jacob, story with locations

Edom, 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant
Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Edom, 2000BC, Dot5, Rebecca, Isaac's wife, Jacob & Esau's mother
Righteous Rebecca, Commemorated on December 11; was the wife of the Old Testament Patriarch Isaac, and the mother of Jacob and Esau. is mentioned in Genesis 22:23; Chapters 24-28; and Chapter 49:31. Saint Paul also mentions her (Romans 9:10). Palestine, BC 2000BC, Dot5, Isaac, Abraham Sarah's son, Jacob's father, Patriarch in Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant, Type of Christ b almost sacrificed, husband Rebecca, father of Jacob & Esau; Isaac's story with abstract locations.; of the promise -- Eldest son Ishmael banished by Abraham. Location -- Hebron Old Testament Isaac was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 (Gen. 17:17; 21:5). Isaac means "he laughs" and reflects his parents' unbelieving laughter regarding the promise (Gen. 17:17-19; 18:11- 15) as well as their joy in its fulfillment (Gen. 21:1-7). Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael banished. God directed Abraham to comply, saying that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would be reckoned (Gen. 21:8-13; compare Rom. 9:7). Abraham's test of faith was God's command to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19). Rebekah Location -- Nahor, southeast of Haran; Hebron; and Gerar Isaac married Rebekah (Gen. 24), who bore him twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Gen. 25:21-28). Isaac passed her off as a sister at Gerar (as Abraham had done). Became Quite Prosperous Location -- Beer Lahai Roi; Beersheba After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi. He became quite prosperous, later moving to Beersheba (Gen. 26). Isaac was deceived into giving Jacob his blessing and priority over Esau (Gen. 27). Isaac died at Mamre near Hebron at the age of 180 and was buried by his sons (Gen. 35:27-29). Though less significant than Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was revered as one of the Israelite patriarchs (Ex. 3:6; 1 Kings 18:36; Jer. 33:26). Amos used the name Isaac as a poetic expression for the nation of Israel (Amos 7:9,16). Testament example of faith, children of promise In the New Testament Isaac appears in the genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34), as one of the three great patriarchs (Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:28; Acts 3:13), and an example of faith (Heb. 11:20). Isaac's sacrifice by Abraham (Heb. 11:17-18; Jas. 2:21), in which he was obedient to the point of death, serves as a type looking forward to Christ and as an example for Christians. Paul reminded believers that "we, brethren, as Isaac, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28) Righteous Isaac, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Isaac was the second of the Old Testament Patriarchs, and the son of Abraham (Genesis 17:17-22). God tested Abraham to see if he would sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:1-13), and thus Isaac was a type of Christ. He was the husband of Rebecca (Genesis 24:67), and the father of Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:19-26). Caanan, The Holy Lands, The Levant; (/ˈkeɪnən/; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍[1] – KNʿN; Hebrew: כְּנַעַן – Kənáʿan, in pausa כְּנָעַן – Kənāʿan; Biblical Greek: Χανααν – Khanaan;[2] Arabic: كَنْعَانُ – Kan‘ān) was a Semitic-speaking civilization and region in the Ancient Near East during the late 2nd millennium BC. had significant geopolitical importance in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Period (14th century BC) as the area where the spheres of interest of the Egyptian, Hittite, Mitanni and Assyrian Empires converged or overlapped. Much of present-day knowledge about Canaan stems from archaeological excavation in this area at sites such as Tel Hazor, Tel Megiddo, En Esur, and Gezer. name "Canaan" appears throughout the Bible, where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particular to the areas of the Southern Levant that provide the main settings of the narratives of the Bible: the Land of Israel, Philistia, and Phoenicia, among others. word Canaanites serves as an ethnic catch-all term covering various indigenous populations—both settled and nomadic-pastoral groups—throughout the regions of the southern Levant or Canaan.[3] It is by far the most frequently used ethnic term in the Bible.[4] The Book of Joshua includes Canaanites in a list of nations to exterminate,[5] scripture elsewhere portrays them as a group which the Israelites had annihilated.[6][7] scholar Mark Smith notes that archaeological data suggests "that the Israelite culture largely overlapped with and derived from Canaanite culture... In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."[8]: 13–14 [9][10] name "Canaanites" is attested, many centuries later, as the endonym of the people later known to the Ancient Greeks from c. 500 BC as Phoenicians,[6] and after the emigration of some Canaanite-speakers to Carthage (founded in the 9th century BC), was also used as a self-designation by the Punics (as "Chanani") of North Africa during Late Antiquity.

Edom, 1590BC-1350BC, Job of the Bible
Edom, 1590BC-1350BC, Job of the Bible;

Edom, Arab Nabataean Kingdom, 400BC - 106AD
Arab Nabataean Kingdom, 400BC - 106AD; Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Edom, Arab Nabataean King, 9BC - 40AD, Aretas IV Philopatris
Arab Nabataean King, 9BC - 40AD, Aretas IV Philopatris; Arab Nabataean Kingdom, 400BC - 106AD; Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Edom, 106, Arab Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, annexed by Trajan in 106
Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Edom, Brook of Arish Folder, Wadi of Egypt

Brook of Arish, Wadi of Egypt

Brook of Arish Source

Kadesh, Edom, Israel (Brook of Arish 1)
Kadesh, Israel; Numbers 20:14-29, Passage through Edom Refused;

Kadesh-barnea aka Beer-lahai-roi in Edom
Kadesh-barnea aka Beer-lahai-roi; Beer-lahai-roi;

Negev, Edom (from Beersheba to Resort & Port of Eilat)
Negev, Edom; Negev or Negeb (/ˈnɛɡɛv/; Hebrew: הַנֶּגֶב, romanized: hanNegév; Arabic: ٱلنَّقَب, romanized: an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. 209,687), in the north. its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city and port of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin towns, including Rahat and Tel Sheva and Lakiya. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics. historically part of a separate region (known during the Roman period as Arabia Petraea), the Negev was added to the proposed area of Mandatory Palestine, of which large parts later became Israel, on 10 July 1922, having been conceded by British representative St John Philby "in Trans-Jordan's name".[a] Despite this, the region remained exclusively Arab until 1946; in response to the British Morrison–Grady Plan which would have allotted the area to an Arab state, the Jewish Agency enacted the 11 points in the Negev plan to begin Jewish settlement in the area.[2][3] A year later, the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine allotted the area to the Jewish State which became Israel. desert is home to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, whose faculties include the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research and the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, both located on the Midreshet Ben-Gurion campus adjacent to Sde Boker. October 2012, global travel guide publisher Lonely Planet rated the Negev second on a list of the world's top ten regional travel destinations for 2013, noting its current transformation through development.[4][5]

Wadi of Egypt, Brook of Arish 2
Wadi of Egypt, Brook of Arish; 2 Kings 23:36-24:17: Jehoiakim Reigns over Judah, Judah Overrun by Enemies, Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin, Capture of Jerusalem

Edom, Kings Highway Folder

Copper Mines of Timna Valley, Edom, Israel
Copper Mines of Timna Valley Israel; Roman Diocletian Persecution, 303, copper mines at Phaeno in Palestine and Cilicia in Asia Minor ; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4;

Seir, Edom & Mt Seir (Kings Hwy 5.7)
Seir, Edom & Mt Seir; Seir (Hebrew: הַר-שֵׂעִיר, Har Sēʿīr) is the ancient and biblical name for a mountainous region stretching between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba in the northwestern region of Edom and southeast of the Kingdom of Judah. It may also have marked the older historical limit of Ancient Egypt in Canaan.[1] A place called "Seir, in the land of Shasu" (ta-Shasu se`er, t3-sh3sw s`r), thought to be near Petra, Jordan, is listed in the temple of Amenhotep III at Soleb (ca. 1380 BC).[citation needed] modern Arabic equivalent is thought to be Jibal ash-Sharah (Arabic: جبال الشراة, romanized: Jibāl ash-Sharāh, lit. 'Mountains of Sharāh') in Jordan.[citation needed]

Mount Hor, Edom (Kings Highway 7, Petra)
Mount Hor, Edom (Kings Highway 7, Petra); Numbers 20:14-29, Passage through Edom Refused, and Death of Aaron;

Edom, , Aaron, 1st Priest, Moses' older bro & spokesman, died Mount Hor, Edom (Kings Highway 7, Petra)
Edom, , Aaron, Moses' older bro & spokesman, died Mount Hor, Edom (Kings Highway 7, Petra) Righteous Priest Aaron, Commemorated on December 11; Righteous Aaron was the son of Amram and Jochebed, and the elder brother of the Prophet Moses the God-seer, and also of Miriam. was a direct descendent of Levi by both parents. called him “the Levite” in Exodus 4:14, when He appointed Aaron to be the spokesman for Moses, who was “slow of speech,” before the people. he would also speak on behalf of Moses before Pharaoh in Egypt (Ex. 4:30; 7:2). was married to Elisheba, the daughter of the Prince of Judah (Ex. 6:23), who bore him four sons. was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh and asked that the Hebrews be released from their slavery. Lord told Moses that Pharaoh would ask them for a miracle, and that Aaron should throw down his rod before him, and it would become a serpent (Ex. 7:9). Pharaoh would not allow the Hebrews to leave Egypt, God told Moses to have Aaron stretch forth his rod over the Nile River, and it would turn to blood. a succession of plagues, Pharaoh relented and let the people go, Moses led them on their long journey to the Promised Land. Chapter 17 of Exodus, the Hebrews fought Amalek in a battle at Rephidim. stood atop a hill with the rod of God in his hand. As long as he raised his hand, the Hebrews prevailed, but when he became tired and lowered it, Amalek prevailed. Aaron and Hur sat Moses on a rock and held up his hands, one on each side. This was a prefiguration of the suffering of Christ, because the arms of Moses formed a cross. In the Greek Septuagint, the names Aaron and Hur begin with the letters Alpha and Omega, another reference to Christ (Revelation 1:8). and his sons were anointed and sanctified to serve God as priests (Exodus chapter 29). In chapter 32, Aaron fell into temptation when Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments. Since Moses was taking a long time, the people grew restless and asked Aaron to make them a golden idol in the form of a calf so that they could offer sacrifices. He gave into them, and Moses was angry when he returned and saw them dancing and singing before the calf. He threw down the tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments, and then he burned the golden calf and ground it to powder. He scattered the powder on the water, and he made the people drink it. When Moses asked those who were on the Lord’s side to gather around him, the Levites came to him. He ordered them to take their swords and slay their sons, companions, and neighbors. About three thousand people were killed that day. Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses for marrying a Cushite woman (Num. 12:1). God was angry with them, so He punished Miriam with leprosy. She was healed by God seven days after Moses interceded for her. chapter 17 of Numbers, the people murmured against Moses and Aaron, so God commanded that the leaders of the twelve tribes should have their names inscribed on their rods and placed in the tent of testimony. God would reveal His choice to make the people cease their grumbling against Moses and his brother. Aaron’s rod bloomed miraculously in the tent of the testimony, to show that he had been chosen for this purpose. reposed atop Mount Hor when he was one hundred and twenty-three years old. One of his descendants was Saint Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist (Luke 1:5). Mount Hor, Edom (Kings Highway 7, Petra); Numbers 20:14-29, Passage through Edom Refused, and Death of Aaron;

Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, annexed by Trajan in 106
Nabataean kingdom capital of Petra, Edom, annexed by Trajan in 106 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Akrabattene (Probably Petra)
Akrabattene (Probably Petra), 1 Maccabees Ch 5, Geography from Wikipedia: Pliny the Elder and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans and the center of their caravan trade. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress, but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf.;

Bozrah
Bozrah is 20 miles south of Tafilah, between Tafilah and Shaubak, 1 Maccabees ch 5;

Ausis, Edom (the Land of Job. between Idumea and Arabia)
Ausis (the Land of Job. between Idumea and Arabia) Righteous Job the Long-Suffering, Commemorated on May 6;

Hormah (Tafilah)
Hormah (Tafilah, I chose Tafilah because the other two locations suggested for the location of Hormah were not very far and they were probably not the way they would go if persued); Numbers 14:26-45;

wilderness of Zin
wilderness of Zin, Numbers 13 ; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Edom (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, and Valleys

Edom (Clean), its Area, aka Idumea aka Ausis
Edom, its Area, aka Idumea

Edom half in Arabia (Clean), Arabian Plate, its Area

Edom including the Negev
Edom including the Negev;

Edom (Land of Esau)
Edom, Seir is the Easu's place in Edom, Bozra is the Capital of Edom. Idumea is Edom;

Land of Uz (Edom)
Land of Uz (Edom);

British Empire - Transjordan, historical Edom, Moab and Ammon
British Empire - Transjordan;

Negev, Edom (from Beersheba to Resort & Port of Eilat)
Negev, Edom;

Copper Mines of Timna Valley, Edom, Israel
Copper Mines of Timna Valley Israel;

Seir, Edom & Mt Seir (Kings Hwy 5.7)
Seir, Edom & Mt Seir;

Ephesus Folder, and vicinity, Great Road to the Euphrates and Agean Seaport

Ephesus (Agean Seport and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates)
Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; First Council of Ephesus ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council, Commemorated September 9 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Martyr Adauctus and His Daughter of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; 7 Holy Youths "œSeven Sleepers"Â of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Timothy of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, Commemorated January 26; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Maximus of Ephesus, Commemorated on April 30; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St George the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

New Ephesus (Kusantasi), near Old Ephesus
New Ephesus (Kusantasi), near Old Ephesus; New Martyr John of Crete, Commemorated on September 15;

Lydia - Greater Lydia - West of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers
Lydia (Hermes River Valley or Greater Lydia - area west of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers, Western Asia Minor); Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Ephesus 30-1959, Ephesus History Folder

Ephesus, 000, 1st C Folder, J Theologian, 11 ot70 Apostles, Apollos, M Magdalene, Philip tDeacon, Polycarp

Ephesus, 20-100, John, Theologian, dormition, 14 d afloat to Ephesus, Rome, poison, b oil, e to Patmos, rev, b t E
Ephesus, 30-100, St John the Theologian, of Patmos and Ephesus; the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. Martyr Hermione, daughter of Saint Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. He was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart. the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. They boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. Teacher and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him. Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder, the youth actually did repent and turn his life around. John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. The Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ, as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Church commemorates Saint John on this day because of the annual pilgrimage to his grave. Saint John was more than one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disciples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. John’s main Feast is on September 26.

Ephesus, 30-61, Aquila of the 70, wife Priscilla, When P and A heard Apollos, they explained to him C baptism
Ephesus, 30-61, Aquila of the 70, wife Priscilla, When P and A heard Apollos, they explained to him C baptism; Ephesus, 30-61, Apollos; was a 1st-century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament. A contemporary and colleague of Paul the Apostle, he played an important role in the early development of the churches of Ephesus and Corinth. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14; Aquila, Apostle of the 70: It is possible that he was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, a native of Pontus and a Jew, living in the city of Rome with his wife Priscilla (they are commemorated on February 13 on the Greek Calendar). During the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-54) all the Jews were banished from Rome, so Saint Aquilla and his wife were compelled to leave. They settled in Corinth. A short while later, the holy Apostle Paul arrived there from Athens preaching the Gospel. Having made the acquaintance of Aquila, he began to live at his house and labored together with him, making tents. received Baptism from the Apostle Paul, Aquila and Priscilla bacame his devoted and zealous disciples. They accompanied the apostle to Ephesus. The Apostle Paul instructed them to continue the preaching of the Gospel at Ephesus, and he himself went to Jerusalem, in order to be present for the feast of Pentecost. At Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard the bold preaching of a newcomer from Alexandria, the Jew Apollos. He had been instructed in the fundamentals of the Faith, but knew only the baptism of John the Forerunner. They called him over and explained more precisely about the way of the Lord. the death of the emperor Claudius, Jews were permitted to return to Italy, and Aquila and Priscilla then returned to Rome. The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans recalls his faithful disciples, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who put forth their heads for my soul, whom I do not alone thank, but also all the Church of the Gentiles and the church of their household” (Rom. 16: 3-4). Saint Aquila did not long dwell in Rome: the Apostle Paul made him a bishop in Asia. Saint Aquila zealously labored at preaching the Gospel in Asia, Achaia and Heraklia. He converted pagans to Christ, he confirmed newly-converted Christians in the faith, he established presbyters and destroyed idols. Saint Priscilla constantly assisted him in the apostolic work. Saint Aquila ended his life a martyr: pagans murdered him. According to the Tradition of the Church, Saint Priscilla was killed together with him.

Ephesus, 30-70, Apelles of the Seventy, died at Smyrna as a good soldier of Christ

Ephesus, 30-70, Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Bishop at Ephesus after Timothy
Ephesus, 30-70, Apostle Gaius of the Seventy; Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. Patrobus, Hermes, Linus, Gaius, and Philologus, Apostles of the Seventy, preached the Gospel in various cities, each enduring various hardships in their service as bishops. Saint Patrobus (Rom 16:14) was Bishop of Neopolis (now Naples) and Puteoli in Italy. Saint Hermes was bishop in the city of Philippoplis where he died a martyr. Saint Linus (2 Tim 4:21) was a successor to the Apostle Peter at Rome. Saint Gaius (Rom 16:23), was Bishop of Ephesus after Saint Timothy. The Apostle Andrew consecrated Saint Philologus (Rom 16:15) as bishop of the city of Sinope (in the Black Sea region). Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Seventy Apostles; Apelles of Heraklion;

Ephesus, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, first to proclaim his resurrection
Galilee, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan); Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. woman whose name has entered forever into the Gospel account was born and grew up in Magdala. The Gospel tells us nothing of Mary’s younger years, but Tradition informs us that Mary of Magdala was young and pretty, and led a sinful life. It says in the Gospels that the Lord expelled seven devils from Mary (Luke. 8:2). From the moment of her healing Mary led a new life, and became a true disciple of the Savior. Gospel relates that Mary followed after the Lord, when He went with the Apostles through the cities and villages of Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God. Together with the pious women Joanna, wife of Choza (steward of Herod), Susanna and others, she served Him from her own possessions (Luke 8:1-3) and undoubtedly shared with the Apostles the evangelic tasks in common with the other women. The Evangelist Luke, evidently, has her in view together with the other women, stating that at the moment of the Procession of Christ onto Golgotha, when after the Scourging He took on Himself the heavy Cross, collapsing under its weight, the women followed after Him weeping and wailing, but He consoled them. The Gospel relates that Mary Magdalene was present on Golgotha at the moment of the Lord’s Crucifixion. While all the disciples of the Savior ran away, she remained fearlessly at the Cross together with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Evangelists also list among those standing at the Cross the mother of the Apostle James, and Salome, and other women followers of the Lord from Galilee, but all mention Mary Magdalene first. Saint John, in addition to the Mother of God, names only her and Mary Cleopas. This indicates how much she stood out from all the women who gathered around the Lord. was faithful to Him not only in the days of His Glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation and insult. As the Evangelist Matthew relates, she was present at the Burial of the Lord. Before her eyes Joseph and Νikόdēmos went out to the tomb with His lifeless Body. She watched as they covered over the entrance to the cave with a large stone, entombing the Source of Life. to the Law in which she was raised, Mary together with the other women spent the following day at rest, because it was the great day of the Sabbath, coinciding with the Feast of Passover. But all the rest of the peaceful day the women gathered spices to go to the Grave of the Lord at dawn on Sunday and anoint His Body according to the custom of the Jews. is necessary to mention that, having agreed to go on the first day of the week to the Tomb early in the morning, the holy women had no possibility of meeting with one another on Saturday. They went separately on Friday evening to their own homes. They went out only at dawn the following day to go to the Sepulchre, not all together, but each from her own house. Evangelist Matthew writes that the women came to the grave at dawn, or as the Evangelist Mark expresses, extremely early before the rising of the sun. The Evangelist John, elaborating upon these, says that Mary came to the grave so early that it was still dark. Obviously, she waited impatiently for the end of night, but it was not yet daybreak. She ran to the place where the Lord’s Body lay. went to the tomb alone. Seeing the stone pushed away from the cave, she ran away in fear to tell the close Apostles of Christ, Peter and John. Hearing the strange message that the Lord was gone from the tomb, both Apostles ran to the tomb and, seeing the shroud and winding cloths, they were amazed. They went and said nothing to anyone, but Mary returned to the tomb and stood about the entrance to the tomb and wept. Here in this dark tomb so recently lay her lifeless Lord. proof that the tomb really was empty, she went down to it and saw a strange sight. She saw two angels in white garments, one sitting at the head, the other at the foot, where the Body of Jesus had been placed. They asked her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She answered them with the words which she had said to the Apostles, “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” At that moment, she turned around and saw the Risen Jesus standing near the grave, but she did not recognize Him. asked Mary, “Woman, why weepest thou? Whom dost thou seek?” She answered thinking that she was seeing the gardener, “Sir, if thou hast taken him, tell where thou hast put Him, and I will take Him away.” she recognized the Lord’s voice. This was the voice she heard in those days and years, when she followed the Lord through all the cities and places where He preached. He spoke her name, and she gave a joyful shout, “Rabbi” (Teacher). and love, fondness and deep veneration, a feeling of thankfulness and recognition at His Splendor as great Teacher, all came together in this single outcry. She was able to say nothing more and she threw herself down at the feet of her Teacher to wash them with tears of joy. But the Lord said to her: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and tell them: ‘I ascend to My Father, and your Father; to My God and to your God.’” came to herself and again ran to the Apostles, to do the will of Him sending her to preach. Again she ran into the house, where the Apostles still remained in dismay, and proclaimed to them the joyous message, “I have seen the Lord!” This was the first preaching in the world about the Resurrection. Apostles proclaimed the Glad Tidings to the world, but she proclaimed it to the Apostles themselves. Scripture does not tell us about the life of Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection of Christ, but it is impossible to doubt, that if in the terrifying minutes of Christ’s Crucifixion she was at the foot of His Cross with His All-Pure Mother and Saint John, she must have stayed with them during the happier time after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Thus in the Acts of the Apostles Saint Luke writes that all the Apostles with one mind stayed in prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and His brethren. Tradition testifies that when the Apostles departed from Jerusalem to preach to all the ends of the earth, then Mary Magdalene also went with them. A daring woman, whose heart was full of reminiscence of the Resurrection, she went beyond her native borders and went to preach in pagan Rome. Everywhere she proclaimed to people about Christ and His teaching. When many did not believe that Christ is risen, she repeated to them what she had said to the Apostles on the radiant morning of the Resurrection: “I have seen the Lord!” With this message she went all over Italy. relates that in Italy Mary Magdalene visited Emperor Tiberias (14-37 A.D.) and proclaimed to him Christ’s Resurrection. According to Tradition, she brought him a red egg as a symbol of the Resurrection, a symbol of new life with the words: “Christ is Risen!” Then she told the emperor that in his Province of Judea the unjustly condemned Jesus the Galilean, a holy man, a miracleworker, powerful before God and all mankind, had been executed at the instigation of the Jewish High Priests, and the sentence confirmed by the procurator appointed by Tiberias, Pontius Pilate. repeated the words of the Apostles, that we are redeemed from the vanity of life not with perishable silver or gold, but rather by the precious Blood of Christ. to Mary Magdalene the custom to give each other paschal eggs on the day of the Radiant Resurrection of Christ spread among Christians over all the world. In one ancient Greek manuscript, written on parchment, kept in the monastery library of Saint Athanasius near Thessalonica, is a prayer read on the day of Holy Pascha for the blessing of eggs and cheese. In it is indicated that the igumen in passing out the blessed eggs says to the brethren: “Thus have we received from the holy Fathers, who preserved this custom from the very time of the holy Apostles, therefore the holy Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene first showed believers the example of this joyful offering.” Magdalene continued her preaching in Italy and in the city of Rome itself. Evidently, the Apostle Paul has her in mind in his Epistle to the Romans (16: 6), where together with other ascetics of evangelic preaching he mentions Mary (Mariam), who as he expresses “has bestowed much labor on us.” Evidently, she extensively served the Church in its means of subsistence and its difficulties, being exposed to dangers, and sharing with the Apostles the labors of preaching. to Church Tradition, she remained in Rome until the arrival of the Apostle Paul, and for two more years following his departure from Rome after the first court judgment upon him. From Rome, Saint Mary Magdalene, already bent with age, moved to Ephesus where the holy Apostle John unceasingly labored. There the saint finished her earthly life and was buried. holy relics were transferred in the ninth century to Constantinople, and placed in the monastery Church of Saint Lazarus. In the era of the Crusader campaigns they were transferred to Italy and placed at Rome under the altar of the Lateran Cathedral. Part of the relics of Mary Magdalene are said to be in Provage, France near Marseilles, where over them at the foot of a steep mountain a splendid church is built in her honor. Orthodox Church honors the holy memory of Saint Mary Magdalene, the woman called by the Lord Himself from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. immersed in sin and having received healing, she sincerely and irrevocably began a new life and never wavered from that path. Mary loved the Lord Who called her to a new life. She was faithful to Him not only when He was surrounded by enthusiastic crowds and winning recognition as a miracle-worker, but also when all the disciples deserted Him in fear and He, humiliated and crucified, hung in torment upon the Cross. This is why the Lord, knowing her faithfulness, appeared to her first, and esteemed her worthy to be first to proclaim His Resurrection. Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan, between Capharnum and Tiberias); Matthew 15:29-39, Jesus Cures Many People, and Feeding the Four Thousand They returned to Magadan.; The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT);

Ephesus, 30-70, Clement of the Seventy, Bishop, Sardis, Lydia
Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10 ; Saint Clement Paul refers to Clement in his Epistle to the Phillipians (4:3). After mentioning the women Euodia and Syntykhe, who assisted him in proclaiming the Gospel, he speaks of Clement as one of his coworkers, "whose names are in the Book of Life." Clement later became a bishop at Sardika in Asia Minor. Eusebius mistakenly identified him with Clement of Rome (History of the Church 3. 15, 1). Today's Saint reposed after enduring many trials in order to strengthen his flock, and to hand down to them the truth of the Gospel. Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27;

Ephesus, 30-97, Timothy oTIMOTHY&TITUS, Bishop oEphesus, companion&co-worker wPaul, subject 2Pauline Pastoral letters
Ephesus, 30-97, Timothy oTIMOTHY&TITUS, Bishop of Ephesus (Agean Seport and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), companion&co-worker wPaul, subject 2Pauline Pastoral letters wDisputed Pauline authorship, because written 1on1; Ephesus; Timothy of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, Commemorated January 26; and Titus appear in the New Testament writings as missionary companions of, and co-workers with, the Apostle Paul. is mentioned as a companion of Paul in some of his epistles (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18; Gal 2:1-3; 2 Tim 4:10). is mentioned in Acts 16-20, and appears in 9 epistles either as joining in Paul's greetings or as a messenger. addition, Timothy has two New Testament letters addressed to him, and Titus one. these three letters (called the Pastoral Epistles), it appears that Paul had commissioned Timothy to oversee the Christian community in Ephesus and vicinity, and Titus to oversee that in Crete. The Pauline authorship of these three letters has been disputed by many scholars who accept as genuine most or all of the other New Testament letters attributed to Paul. this connection, we may note: It would be difficult to forge a letter from Paul to an early Christian community. you did it during Paul's lifetime, the congregation would be likely to reply, thanking Paul for his letter, and he would write back, saying, "What letter?" If you forged a letter from Paul to (say) the Corinthians after his death, sooner or later the Corinthians would hear of the letter, and say, "If Paul wrote that letter to us in his lifetime, why has no one here ever heard of it?" difficulties are less when one forges, say, a letter from Paul to Timothy, waiting until after the death of both to do so. There are significant differences in manner between the Pastorals and the other letters. his letters to churches, Paul routinely presents arguments for the positions he takes. the Pastorals, he simply states his position and expects that to end the matter. it is a matter of common observation that a man may have one style when lecturing to a classroom and another when explaining something to a member of his family. the saying: Never teach a family member--or let a family member teach you--how to drive a car. The lesson is bound to lead to a shouting match.) The subjects Paul deals with in the Pastorals are different from those in the other letters, and imply a much more formal church organization. it may be noted that Paul normally writes letters dealing with the questions that the recipient has asked, or needs to have answered. writes to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming because some of them have gotten the idea that it is just around the corner, and so there is no reason to plant the crops. writes to the Corinthians about the Lord's Supper, because of reports that some of them are behaving irreverently at celebrations thereof. the Corinthians had observed proper decorum at the Lord's Table, there would now be scholars who argued that Paul had never heard of the Eucharist, since he never mentions it.) is not surprising that, having set Timothy and Titus to organize the church in certain areas, he writes to them about church organization. The preceding remarks are not intended to settle the question of Pauline authorship, or even to present all the arguments on either side. They are merely there to get the reader started. by James Kiefer

Ephesus, 33-73, Apostle Philip the Deacon and Evangelist, Bishop of Tralles til old age
Ephesus, 33-73, Apostle Philip the Deacon, Bishop of Tralles; Tralles (Meander River 5); Trallians (Illyrian Tribe); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be confused with Saint Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children. the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons, they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. The eldest among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. the persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr Stephen. Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13) the command of an angel of the Lord, Saint Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). holy disciple Philip tirelessly preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining Palestine. Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. Saint Philip died in old age. PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT), Commemorated October 11; the sixth chapter of Acts, we read that the Apostles commissioned seven men in the congregation at Jerusalem to supervise the church's ministry to the needs of its widows and other poor. is generally considered to be the beginning of the office of Deacon in the Church, although the Scriptures do not use this term in referring to the original seven men.) of these have gained lasting fame. One was Stephen, who became the Church's first martyr. The other was Philip, whose story we find in Acts 8:5-40; 21:8-9. the death of Stephen, there was a general persecution of the Church at Jerusalem, and many Christians fled to escape it. fled to Samaria, where he preached the Gospel to the Samaritans, a group who had split off from the Jewish people about six centuries earlier, had intermarried with other peoples, and were considered outsiders by most Jews. received the message with eagerness, and soon Peter and John came to Samaria to bless the new converts. this, Philip was sent by God to walk along the road from Jerusalem southwest to Gaza, he met a eunuch (a term meaning literally a castrated man, but also used to mean simply an official of a royal court) of the Queen of Ethiopia (probably meaning Nubia -- what we now call the Sudan), returning home after worshipping in Jerusalem. The man was reading from Isaiah 53 ("He was wounded for our transgressions"), and Philip told him about Jesus, and persuaded him that the words were a prophecy of the saving work of Jesus. man was baptized, and went on his way rejoicing, Philip went north to Caesarea, the major seaport of Israel, and its secular capital. Paul (accompanied by Luke) was going up to Jerusalem for the last time, he paused at Caesarea and spent several days with Philip. may be the source of some of the information Luke used in writing the early chapters of Acts.) are told that Philip had four daughters who prophesied. is relevant to discussions of the role of women in the Church.) Philip the Deacon the same person as Philip the Apostle (see 1 May)? they were different. There were Twelve Apostles, and they said, "Our work is to preach the Gospel, not to administer the budget. Choose seven men to administer the budget." Obviously they meant seven men other than themselves. Moreover, when Philip went to Samaria, and preached and made converts, he baptized them, but none of them received the Holy Spirit. It was not until Peter and John came from Jerusalem and laid hands on them that they received the Spirit. Surely this means that Philip was not an Apostle--not one of the Twelve. they were the same person. have ancient testimony identifying them. Papias of Hierapolis, a second-century writer who had spoken with some of the apostles, speaks of the Philip of Acts 21 as one of the Apostles. Polycrates, a second-century bishop of Ephesus, says that Philip, "one of the Twelve", was buried at Hierapolis along with two aged virgin daughters of his, and that a third daughter, a prophetess, was buried at Ephesus. It seems unlikely that two Philips would both have unmarried daughters of whom at least one was known as a prophetess. If eleven of the Twelve Apostles refused the work of administering the church's welfare program, but one, for special reasons, accepted it, it is not clear that Luke would have felt bound to point this out. The Jerusalem community may have thought it desirable to have one man serve both as one of the Twelve and one of the Seven, so as to provide a link, a liason, between the two groups. Philip, who specifically named in John's account of the feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6:5), is likely to have had special abilities in organizing the feeding of the hungry, and related matters. Moreover, the Seven were originally appointed because the Greek-speaking Jews complained that their widows were being neglected. Philip had a Greek name ("lover of horses"), which at least suggests some kind of Hellenistic element in his background. Even more to the point, we note that earlier, when a group of Greek-speaking Jews wanted a chance to speak with Jesus, they went first to Philip (Jn 12:20f). Clearly Philip was a good choice for dealing with Hellenists. for the objection that Philip's Samaritan converts receive the laying on of hands, not from Philip, but from Peter and John, it must be noted that Peter and John were there specifically as representatives of the Apostles gathered at Jerusalem. It may very well be that Philip wanted to make sure that the receiving of a group of Samaritans into the Church, a gesture certain to stir up violent emotions in some Christians, had the official support of the College of Apostles. by James Kiefer

Ephesus, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Patmos Island; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Ephesus, 35-61, Apollos, When P and A heard him, they explained to him C baptism
Ephesus, 35-61, Apollos; was a 1st-century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament. A contemporary and colleague of Paul the Apostle, he played an important role in the early development of the churches of Ephesus and Corinth. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14; Aquila, Apostle of the 70: It is possible that he was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, a native of Pontus and a Jew, living in the city of Rome with his wife Priscilla (they are commemorated on February 13 on the Greek Calendar). During the reign of the emperor Claudius (41-54) all the Jews were banished from Rome, so Saint Aquilla and his wife were compelled to leave. They settled in Corinth. A short while later, the holy Apostle Paul arrived there from Athens preaching the Gospel. Having made the acquaintance of Aquila, he began to live at his house and labored together with him, making tents. received Baptism from the Apostle Paul, Aquila and Priscilla bacame his devoted and zealous disciples. They accompanied the apostle to Ephesus. The Apostle Paul instructed them to continue the preaching of the Gospel at Ephesus, and he himself went to Jerusalem, in order to be present for the feast of Pentecost. At Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla heard the bold preaching of a newcomer from Alexandria, the Jew Apollos. He had been instructed in the fundamentals of the Faith, but knew only the baptism of John the Forerunner. They called him over and explained more precisely about the way of the Lord. the death of the emperor Claudius, Jews were permitted to return to Italy, and Aquila and Priscilla then returned to Rome. The Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans recalls his faithful disciples, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who put forth their heads for my soul, whom I do not alone thank, but also all the Church of the Gentiles and the church of their household” (Rom. 16: 3-4). Saint Aquila did not long dwell in Rome: the Apostle Paul made him a bishop in Asia. Saint Aquila zealously labored at preaching the Gospel in Asia, Achaia and Heraklia. He converted pagans to Christ, he confirmed newly-converted Christians in the faith, he established presbyters and destroyed idols. Saint Priscilla constantly assisted him in the apostolic work. Saint Aquila ended his life a martyr: pagans murdered him. According to the Tradition of the Church, Saint Priscilla was killed together with him.

Ephesus, 35-61, Apostle Apollos, Alexandria native, eloquent in scriptures, to Ephesus, HS, Corinth Achaia, Crete, Smyrna bishop

Ephesus, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus of the 70, sent to Ephesus and Colosse
Phyrgia, 35-61, Apostle Tychicus of the 70, Colossae (Great Road, Lycus River 1); Tychicus / was an Asiatic Christian who, with Trophimus, accompanied the Apostle Paul on a part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem. He is also alluded to have been with Paul in Rome, where the apostle sent him to Ephesus, probably for the purpose of building up and encouraging the church there.[1] In the New Testament, he is mentioned five times (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21-“22; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:12).[2] Contents 1 Appearance in the Bible 2 Additional Detail 3 References 4 External links Appearance in the Bible[edit] (1) Acts 20:4 states that Tychicus was from the Roman province of Asia. The Western text indicates that he was an Ephesian. (2) In Ephesians 6:21, the author (traditionally identified as Paul) calls Tychicus a "dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord" (NIV), (3) while in Colossians, he says he is "a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord." In both Ephesians and Colossians, the author indicates that he is sending Tychicus to the Christians to whom he is writing, in order to encourage them.[2] (4) The passages in the Epistle to Titus (Titus 3:12) and to Timothy show that Tychicus was again with Paul after the appeal to the emperor had resulted in the apostle regaining his freedom. The passage in Titus evidently refers to the interval between Paul's first and second Roman imprisonments, and while he was again engaged in missionary journeys. The apostle writes to Titus, who was in Crete in charge of the churches there, that he intended to send either Artemas or Tychicus to him, so as to take the oversight of the work of the gospel in that island so that Titus might be free to come to be with the apostle at Nicopolis.[1] (5) The last passage where Tychicus is mentioned occurs in 2 Timothy, which was written in Rome not long before Paul's execution. To the very end Paul was busy as ever in the work of the gospel; and though it would have been a comfort to him to have his friends beside him, yet the interests of the kingdom of Christ are uppermost in his thoughts, and he sends these friends to help the progress of the work. To the last, Tychicus was serviceable as ever: "Tychicus I sent to Ephesus" (2 Timothy 4:12). As Timothy was in charge of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3), the coming of Tychicus would set him free, so as to enable him to set off at once to rejoin Paul at Rome, as the apostle desired him (2 Timothy 4:9, 2 Timothy 4:21).[1] Additional Detail[edit] The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that different traditions make him out to be the Bishop of Colophon, Chalcedon or Neapolis in Cyprus.[3] Hippolytus of Rome lists Tychicus as one of the seventy disciples. His feast is kept on 29 April.[3] Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ;

Ephesus, 35-61, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth, Colophon and Caeserea
Greece, 35, Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Corinth and Caeserea ; was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews. The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded. Some manuscripts insert the mob was composed of "Greeks"; others read "Jews".[1] historians identify this Sosthenes with a companion of Paul the Apostle referred to as "Sosthenes our brother", a convert to the Christian faith and co-author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:1-“2). It is not clear whether this identification is tenable.[1] According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, "Theodoret and most commentators, including Flatt, Billroth, Ewald, Maier [and] Hofmann, identify Sosthenes with the person so named in Acts 18:17, but this is rightly denied by Michaelis, Pott, Rackert, and de Wette".[2] has also been suggested that Sosthenes is a later name of Crispus, who is mentioned in Acts 18:8 and 1 Corinthians 1:14.[3] is traditionally listed among the Seventy Disciples of Luke 10:1.[4] Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Holy Apostles Sosthenes was head of the Corinthian synagogue before his conversion. The Apostle Paul converted him to Christianity and made him his helper in his work. In addressing the Corinthian church, Saint Paul sent greetings from both of them: “Paul, by the will of God called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and brother Sosthenes...” (1 Cor.1:1). Afterwards, Saint Sosthenes was made bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor). Sosthenes is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Corinth;

Ephesus, 40-105, Bucolus, 1st Bishop of Smyrna, John's disciple, baptized many, fought heresy, died in peace after long life
Ephesus, 40-105, Bucolus the 1st Bishop of Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity), John's disciple, converted baptized many pagans, defended against heresy, gave flock tPolycarp, died in peace after long life; Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, became the first Bishop of Smyrna (Asia Minor). the grace of God, Saint Bucolus converted many of the pagans to Christ and baptized them. a wise and experienced guide, he defended his flock from the darkness of heresy. died in peace between the years 100-105. entrusted his flock to Saint Polycarp (February 23), of the Apostolic Fathers, who was also a disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. the grave of Saint Bucolus grew a myrtle tree, which healed the sick.

Ephesus, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart

Ephesus, 70, Apostle Deacon Philip, Hieropolis, Lydia, Pagan Temples, enormous snake, Amphipatos' wife, Crucified, earthquake
Ephesus, 1st Century, Lydia, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Ephesus, 78-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia, Paul's disciple & constant companion, Bishop oEphesus, Martyr, relics
Lykaonia, 52-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5), Paul&Barnabas, Paul healed one crippled from birth, Timothy and family converted, mother Eunice, Gmother Lois, seed oFaith brought abundant fruit, Paul's disciple & constant companion, followed Paul's teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience, Bishop oEphesus, 15yrs, summoned tRome fLast farewell, 93 Martyred in Ephesus stoned Pagan festiva, 4th C relics tConstantinople, included as one ot70 Apostels, in Russia back oPriest's cross says Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity; Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Holy Apostle Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor. Timothy was converted to Christ in the year 52 by the holy Apostle Paul (June 29). the Apostles Paul and Barnabas first visited the cities of Lycaonia, Saint Paul healed one crippled from birth. of the inhabitants of Lystra then believed in Christ, among them was the future Saint Timothy, his mother Eunice and grandmother Loida (Lois) (Acts 14:6-12; 2 Tim. 1:5). seed of faith, planted in Saint Timothy’s soul by the Apostle Paul, brought forth abundant fruit. became Saint Paul’s disciple, and later his constant companion and co-worker in the preaching of the Gospel. Apostle Paul loved Saint Timothy and in his Epistles called him his beloved son, remembering his devotion and fidelity with gratitude. wrote to Timothy: “You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Apostle Paul appointed Saint Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus, where the saint remained for fifteen years. when Saint Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Saint Timothy, for a last farewell (2 Tim. 4:9). Timothy ended his life as a martyr. pagans of Ephesus celebrated a festival in honor of their idols, and used to carry them through the city, accompanied by impious ceremonies and songs. Timothy, zealous for the glory of God, attempted to halt the procession and reason with the spiritually blind idol-worshipping people, by preaching the true faith in Christ. pagans angrily fell upon the holy apostle, they beat him, dragged him along the ground, and finally, they stoned him. Saint Timothy’s martyrdom occurred in the year 93. the fourth century the holy relics of Saint Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of Saint Andrew (November 30) and Saint Luke (October 18). Church honors Saint Timothy as one of the Apostles of the Seventy. Russian practice, the back of a priest’s cross is often inscribed with Saint Paul’s words to Saint Timothy: “Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Ephesus, 89-155, Polycarp, Smyrna Bishop, assisted Theologian, angel widow raised him, flames not touch, stabbed creamated
Ephesus, 89-155, Polycarp, Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity), fruitful in every good work, Jesus time, orphaned, angel had him raised by widow, gave possessions, Chaste life, caring sick, friend of Bishop Bucolus who ordained him and made him bishop, accompanied still alive John Theologian, as bishop Lord Jesus appeared to him, Ignatius wrote to Polycarp the father of all christians, to be burned alive, flames not touch him, stabbed and creamated; Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. He was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. the death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. was very fond of and close to Saint Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February 6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood. holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. Saint Polycarp was especially close to Saint John, and sometimes accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. before his death, Saint Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp be made Bishop of Smyrna. Saint Polycarp was consecrated as a bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. Polycarp guided his flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the clergy. Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him, he wrote to Saint Polycarp, “This age is in need of you if it is to reach God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a port.” emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans demanded that the judge search for Saint Polycarp, “the father of all the Christians” and “the seducer of all Asia.” this time Saint Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock, stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. the soldiers came for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. suffering and death are recorded in the “Epistle of the Christians of the Church of Smyrna to the Other Churches,” one of the most ancient memorials of Christian literature. been brought to trial, Saint Polycarp firmly confessed his faith in Christ, and was condemned to be burned alive. The executioners wanted to nail him to a post, but he declared that God would give him the strength to endure the flames, so they could merely tie him with ropes. flames encircled the saint but did not touch him, coming together over his head in the shape of a vault. Seeing that the fire did him no harm, the pagans stabbed him with a dagger. So much blood flowed from this wound that it extinguished the flames. body of the hieromartyr Polycarp was then cremated. The Christians of Smyrna reverently gathered up what remained of his holy relics, and each year they celebrated the day of his martyrdom. story has been preserved about Saint Polycarp by his disciple, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, which Eusebius cites in his ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (V, 20): “I was still very young when I saw you in Asia Minor at Polycarp’s,” writes Saint Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, “but I would still be able to point out the place where Blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, and be able to depict his walk, his mannerisms in life, his outward appearance, his speaking to people, his companionable wandering with John, and how he himself related, together with other eyewitnesses of the Lord, those things that he remembered from the words of others. He also told what he heard from them about the Lord, His teachings and miracles.... “Through the mercy of God to me, I then already listened attentively to Polycarp and wrote down his words, not on tablets, but in the depths of my heart. I am able to bear witness before God, that if this blessed and apostolic Elder heard something similar to your fallacy, he would immediately stop up his ears and express his indignation with his usual phrase: ‘Good God! That Thou hast permitted me to be alive at such a time!’” his life the holy bishop wrote several Epistles to the flock and letters to various individuals. The only one that has survived to the present day is his Epistle to the Philippians which, Saint Jerome testifies, was read in the churches of Asia Minor at divine services. It was written by the saint in response to the request of the Philippians to send them some letters of the hieromartyr Ignatius (December 20) which Saint Polycarp had in his possession. composer H.I.F. Bibier (1644-1704) has written a Sonata “Scti Polycarpi” for eight trumpets in honor of the holy martyr.

Ephesus, 89-156, Polycarp, Roman Saint, Smyrna, close to J t theologian and Iraneous, alive in t fire, stabbed, fire out
Rome, 89-156, Roman Saint in Smyrna, Polycarp; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who was “fruitful in every good work” (Col. 1:10), was born in the first century, and lived in Smyrna in Asia Minor. was orphaned at an early age, but at the direction of an angel, he was raised by the pious widow Kallista. the death of his adoptive mother, Polycarp gave away his possessions and began to lead a chaste life, caring for the sick and the infirm. was very fond of and close to Saint Bucolus, Bishop of Smyrna (February 6). He ordained Polycarp as deacon, entrusting to him to preach the Word of God in church. He also ordained him to the holy priesthood. holy Apostle John the Theologian was still alive at this time. Saint Polycarp was especially close to Saint John, and sometimes accompanied him on his apostolic journeys. before his death, Saint Bucolus expressed his wish that Polycarp be made Bishop of Smyrna. When Saint Polycarp was consecrated as a bishop, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. Polycarp guided his flock with apostolic zeal, and he was also greatly loved by the clergy. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch (December 20) also had a high regard for him. Setting out for Rome where execution awaited him, he wrote to Saint Polycarp, “This age is in need of you if it is to reach God, just as pilots need winds, and as a storm-tossed sailor needs a port.” emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) came to the Roman throne and started up a most fierce persecution against Christians. The pagans demanded that the judge search for Saint Polycarp, “the father of all the Christians” and “the seducer of all Asia.” this time Saint Polycarp, at the persistent urging of his flock, stayed in a small village not far from Smyrna. When the soldiers came for him, he went out to them and invited them in to eat. He asked for time to pray, in order to prepare himself for martyrdom. suffering and death are recorded in the “Epistle of the Christians of the Church of Smyrna to the Other Churches,” one of the most ancient memorials of Christian literature. been brought to trial, Saint Polycarp firmly confessed his faith in Christ, and was condemned to be burned alive. The executioners wanted to nail him to a post, but he declared that God would give him the strength to endure the flames, so they could merely tie him with ropes. flames encircled the saint but did not touch him, coming together over his head in the shape of a vault. Seeing that the fire did him no harm, the pagans stabbed him with a dagger. So much blood flowed from this wound that it extinguished the flames. The body of the hieromartyr Polycarp was then cremated. The Christians of Smyrna reverently gathered up what remained of his holy relics, and each year they celebrated the day of his martyrdom. story has been preserved about Saint Polycarp by his disciple, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, which Eusebius cites in his ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY (V, 20): “I was still very young when I saw you in Asia Minor at Polycarp’s,” writes Saint Irenaeus to his friend Florinus, “but I would still be able to point out the place where Blessed Polycarp sat and conversed, and be able to depict his walk, his mannerisms in life, his outward appearance, his speaking to people, his companionable wandering with John, and how he himself related, together with other eyewitnesses of the Lord, those things that he remembered from the words of others. He also told what he heard from them about the Lord, His teachings and miracles.... “Through the mercy of God to me, I then already listened attentively to Polycarp and wrote down his words, not on tablets, but in the depths of my heart. Therefore, I am able to bear witness before God, that if this blessed and apostolic Elder heard something similar to your fallacy, he would immediately stop up his ears and express his indignation with his usual phrase: ‘Good God! That Thou hast permitted me to be alive at such a time!’” his life the holy bishop wrote several Epistles to the flock and letters to various individuals. The only one that has survived to the present day is his Epistle to the Philippians which, Saint Jerome testifies, was read in the churches of Asia Minor at divine services. It was written by the saint in response to the request of the Philippians to send them some letters of the hieromartyr Ignatius (December 20) which Saint Polycarp had in his possession. The composer H.I.F. Bibier (1644-1704) has written a Sonata “Scti Polycarpi” for eight trumpets in honor of the holy martyr. Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11;

Ephesus, 100, 2nd C Folder, Theologian' Basilica, Wworker Abercius, Iranaeus wPolycarp, Angel Michael aChonae, J&RT Debate

Ephesus, 101, Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there
Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there; Grave of Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Church commemorates Saint John on this day because of the annual pilgrimage to his grave. Saint John was more than one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disciples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. John’s main Feast is on September 26. Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus; Basilica of St. John (Greek: Βασιλική του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου) was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.[1] The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill just below the fortress near the center of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey and about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from Ephesus.[2] Church[edit] is known about the Basilica of St. John, with its only source being from a small description[3] provided by Procopius in one of his works, Buildings, whereupon he writes: chanced to be a certain place before the city of Ephesus, lying on a steep slope hilly and bare of soil and incapable of producing crops, even should one attempt to cultivate them, but altogether hard and rough. On that site the natives had set up a church in early times to the Apostle John; this Apostle has been named “the Theologian,” because the nature of God was described by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man. church, which was small and in a ruined condition because of its great age, the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and replaced by a church so large and beautiful, that, to speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects, and is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the Apostles in the imperial city...[4] of the church began by 548 and was completed by 565.[3] The building of this church was presided over by the bishop, Hypatius of Ephesus. As the leading ecclesiastical theoretician and writer of his day, it was possible that he gained the influence of Justinian and had the tomb of St. John reconstructed, as major construction in the Asia Minor was rare.[5] After its completion, it was regarded as one of the holiest churches of its time and was held in great honor as Procopius makes mention of this in his Secret History: ...to the sanctuary of the Apostle John, which was the most holy one there and held in very high honour...[6] its popularity after the 9th century it was no longer mentioned, possibly due to a new church built in honor of St. John, Church of John the Theologian.[7]

Ephesus, 101-167, Saint Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols
Ephesus, 150, Saint Abercius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Angels command to destroy idols Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Abercius, Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis lived in the second century in Phrygia. The city of Hieropolis was inhabited by many pagans and very few Christians. The saint prayed to the Lord for the salvation of their souls and that they might be numbered among God’s chosen flock. An angel appeared and bade Saint Abercius to destroy the idols in the pagan temple. He fulfilled the command of God with zeal. Hearing that the idol-worshippers wanted to kill him, the saint went to the place where the people had gathered and openly denounced the failings of the pagans. The pagans tried to seize the saint. this moment three demon-possessed youths in the crowd cried out. The people were dumbfounded, as the saint expelled the devils from them by his prayers. Seeing the youths restored to normal, the people of Hieropolis asked Saint Abercius to instruct them in the Christian Faith, and then they accepted Holy Baptism. this the saint went to the surrounding cities and villages, healing the sick and preaching the Kingdom of God. With his preaching he made the rounds of Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, he visited Rome and everywhere he converted multitudes of people to Christ. For many years he guarded the Church against heretics, he confirmed Christians in the Faith, he set the prodigal upon the righteous path, he healed the sick and proclaimed the glory of Christ. Because of his great works, Saint Abercius is termed “Equal of the Apostles.” Abercius returned home to Hieropolis, where he soon rested from his labors. After his death, many miracles took place at his tomb. He wrote his own epitaph, and it was carved on his tombstone, which is now in the Lateran Museum.

Ephesus, 109-202, Haralambos of Magnesia near Ephesus, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, miraculous conversions, great story
Ephesus, 109-202, Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus, successful preacher, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, iron hooks, removed skin, I thank you for restoring my spirit, to pass over, Lucius forearms cut off, spat in face, head twisted around, L asked for mercy, healed, baptized, Emperor Severus ordered more tortures, saint protected, E daughter believed, S blasphemed & boasted, earthquake, imps suspended in air, H let them down, E sentenced H to beheadidng, savior and angels, H asked no famine disease, but peace, prosperity, fruit, grain, wine, and souls saved in that place, Lord promised to fulfill and ascended w H; Magnesia (Meander River); Hieromartyr Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, the Martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus, and three women Martyrs, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia, the martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus and three women martyrs suffered in the year 202. Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia (Asia Minor), successfully spread faith in Christ the Savior, guiding people on the way to salvation. News of his preaching reached Lucian, the governor of the district, and the military commander Lucius. The saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. the bishop’s advanced age (he was 113 years old), he was subjected to monstrous tortures. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. During this the saint turned to his tormentors, “I thank you, brethren, that you have restored my spirit, which longs to pass over to a new and everlasting life!” the Elder’s endurance and his complete lack of malice, two soldiers (Porphyrius and Baptus) openly confessed Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Saint Haralampus also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred. enraged Lucius seized the instruments of torture and began to torture the holy martyr, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately his head was turned around so that he faced backwards. Lucius entreated the saint to show mercy on him, and both torturers were healed through the prayers of Saint Haralampus. During this a multitude of witnesses came to believe in Christ. Among them also was Lucius, who fell at the feet of the holy bishop, asking to be baptized. reported these events to the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211), who was then at Pisidian Antioch (western Asia Minor). The emperor ordered Saint Haralampus to be brought to him in Antioch. Soldiers twisted the saint’s beard into a rope, wound it around his neck, and used it to drag him along. They also drove an iron nail into his body. The emperor then ordered them to torture the bishop more intensely, and they began to burn him with fire, a little at a time. But God protected the saint, and he remained unharmed. miracles were worked through his prayer: he raised a dead youth, and healed a man tormented by devils for thirty-five years, so that many people began to believe in Christ the Savior. Even Galina, the daughter of the emperor, began to believe in Christ, and twice smashed the idols in a pagan temple. On the orders of the emperor they beat the saint about the mouth with stones. They also wanted to set his beard on fire, but the flames burned the torturer. of wickedness, Septimus Severus and an official named Crispus hurled blasphemy at the Lord, mockingly summoning Him to come down to the earth, and boasting of their own power and might. The Lord sent an earthquake, and great fear fell upon all, the impious ones were both suspended in mid-air held by invisible bonds, and only by the prayer of the saint were they put down. The dazed emperor was shaken in his former impiety, but again quickly fell into error and gave orders to torture the saint. finally, the emperor sentenced Saint Haralampus to beheading with a sword. During Saint Haralampus' final prayer, the heavens opened and the saint saw the Savior and a multitude of angels. The holy martyr asked Him to grant that the place where his relics would repose would never suffer famine or disease. He also begged that there would be peace, prosperity, and an abundance of fruit, grain, and wine in that place, and that the souls of these people would be saved. The Lord promised to fulfill his request and ascended to heaven, and the soul of the hieromartyr Haralampus followed after Him. By the mercy of God, the saint died before he could be executed. Galina buried the martyr’s body with great honor. Greek hagiography and iconography Saint Haralampus is regarded as a priest, while Russian sources seem to regard him as a bishop.

Ephesus, 145-202, Smyrna Saint in Iranaeus, Bishop of Lyons, with Polycarp
Ephesus, 145-202, Smyrna Saint in Iranaeus, with Polycarp; Ephesus, 89-156, Roman Saint in Smyrna, Polycarp; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

Ephesus, 145-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France, from Smyrna and Polycarp, anti Gnostic writer
Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France ; Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). He received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. He was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). While he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. After the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.” Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

Ephesus, 150, Chonae plunging Aangel Michael, healing deaf d, Church, spring drink, plan, M prayer, rock fissure
Colossae or Chonae means plunging. ; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built over a miraculous spring. church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of Laodicia in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. The holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from the water of the spring. The girl actually did receive healing and began to speak. After this miracle, the father and his daughter and all their family were baptized. In fervent gratitude, the father built the church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. Not only did Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted to the faith in Christ. this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a certain pious man by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. By his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many pagans to faith in Christ. With the general malice of that time towards Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus. this end they made a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. Saint Archippus prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger. Through his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. The temple remained unharmed. Seeing such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror. Archippus and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. The place where the rivers plunged into the fissure received the name “Chonae”, which means “plunging.” Chudov (“of the Miracle”) monastery in Moscow is named for this Feast. St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated November 22 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Archippus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ;

Ephesus, 157, Debate with Rabbi Trypho, Justin the Philosopher
Ephesus Debate with Rabbi Trypho, about 157AD, Justin the Philosopher; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ;

Ephesus, 200, 3rd C Folder, 113yOld Haralambos, Jadorus Isadore Myrope Myrrhr dLight, 7Sleepers, Onesiphorus&Porphyrius

Ephesus, 202, Haralambos of Magnesia near Ephesus, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, miraculous conversions, great story
Ephesus, 202, Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus, successful preacher, 113 years old, monstrous tortures, iron hooks, removed skin, I thank you for restoring my spirit, to pass over, Lucius forearms cut off, spat in face, head twisted around, L asked for mercy, healed, baptized, Emperor Severus ordered more tortures, saint protected, E daughter believed, S blasphemed & boasted, earthquake, imps suspended in air, H let them down, E sentenced H to beheadidng, savior and angels, H asked no famine disease, but peace, prosperity, fruit, grain, wine, and souls saved in that place, Lord promised to fulfill and ascended w H; Magnesia (Meander River); Hieromartyr Haralambos, Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, the Martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus, and three women Martyrs, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia, the martyrs Porphyrius and Baptus and three women martyrs suffered in the year 202. Haralampus, Bishop of Magnesia (Asia Minor), successfully spread faith in Christ the Savior, guiding people on the way to salvation. News of his preaching reached Lucian, the governor of the district, and the military commander Lucius. The saint was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to offer sacrifice to idols. the bishop’s advanced age (he was 113 years old), he was subjected to monstrous tortures. They lacerated his body with iron hooks, and scraped all the skin from his body. During this the saint turned to his tormentors, “I thank you, brethren, that you have restored my spirit, which longs to pass over to a new and everlasting life!” the Elder’s endurance and his complete lack of malice, two soldiers (Porphyrius and Baptus) openly confessed Christ, for which they were immediately beheaded with a sword. Three women who were watching the sufferings of Saint Haralampus also began to glorify Christ, and were quickly martyred. enraged Lucius seized the instruments of torture and began to torture the holy martyr, but suddenly his forearms were cut off as if by a sword. The governor then spat in the face of the saint, and immediately his head was turned around so that he faced backwards. Lucius entreated the saint to show mercy on him, and both torturers were healed through the prayers of Saint Haralampus. During this a multitude of witnesses came to believe in Christ. Among them also was Lucius, who fell at the feet of the holy bishop, asking to be baptized. reported these events to the emperor Septimus Severus (193-211), who was then at Pisidian Antioch (western Asia Minor). The emperor ordered Saint Haralampus to be brought to him in Antioch. Soldiers twisted the saint’s beard into a rope, wound it around his neck, and used it to drag him along. They also drove an iron nail into his body. The emperor then ordered them to torture the bishop more intensely, and they began to burn him with fire, a little at a time. But God protected the saint, and he remained unharmed. miracles were worked through his prayer: he raised a dead youth, and healed a man tormented by devils for thirty-five years, so that many people began to believe in Christ the Savior. Even Galina, the daughter of the emperor, began to believe in Christ, and twice smashed the idols in a pagan temple. On the orders of the emperor they beat the saint about the mouth with stones. They also wanted to set his beard on fire, but the flames burned the torturer. of wickedness, Septimus Severus and an official named Crispus hurled blasphemy at the Lord, mockingly summoning Him to come down to the earth, and boasting of their own power and might. The Lord sent an earthquake, and great fear fell upon all, the impious ones were both suspended in mid-air held by invisible bonds, and only by the prayer of the saint were they put down. The dazed emperor was shaken in his former impiety, but again quickly fell into error and gave orders to torture the saint. finally, the emperor sentenced Saint Haralampus to beheading with a sword. During Saint Haralampus' final prayer, the heavens opened and the saint saw the Savior and a multitude of angels. The holy martyr asked Him to grant that the place where his relics would repose would never suffer famine or disease. He also begged that there would be peace, prosperity, and an abundance of fruit, grain, and wine in that place, and that the souls of these people would be saved. The Lord promised to fulfill his request and ascended to heaven, and the soul of the hieromartyr Haralampus followed after Him. By the mercy of God, the saint died before he could be executed. Galina buried the martyr’s body with great honor. Greek hagiography and iconography Saint Haralampus is regarded as a priest, while Russian sources seem to regard him as a bishop.

Ephesus, 224-290, Saint Irene or Penelope from Shiraz, Persia
Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. this, Saint Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. They enclosed her inside three bronze oxen, one after another, which were heated until they were red-hot. When the Great Martyr was placed within the third ox, it began to walk about, and then it split asunder. Saint Irene emerged from it as if from the fires of hell. This resulted in thousands of souls converting to the faith of Christ. the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. She also told them that that no one should move the stone until four days had passed. returned after only two days, and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. There are conflicting accounts about her holy relics being taken to Constantinople and other places, including Patras, Samos, and Patmos. According to the Western Martyrologies, Saint Irene was martyred in Thessaloniki after being thrown into the fire, while according to the Menologion of Emperor Basil II, Saint Irene completed her martyric contest by being beheaded. Irene led thousands of people to Christ through her preaching, and by her example. The Church continues to honor her memory and to seek her heavenly intercession. She is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage. In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. Saint Irene is also one of the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to Saint Seraphim of Sarov (January 2) and the Diveyevo nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831. By her holy prayers, may the Lord have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.

Ephesus, 249-251, Myrope of Chios, Myrrhr f Hermione's grave in Ephesus, r Isidore's body, midnight prayer, d light, I w angels
Ephesus, 249-251, Myrope of Chios, Myrrhr f Hermione's grave in Ephesus, r Isidore's body, guards sentenced, her confession, fierce beating, midnight prayer, d light, I w angels, M d, sweet fragrance, guard's report to priest confession and martyrdom; City of Chios; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Holy Martyr Myrope was born in the city of Ephesus at the beginning of the third century. She lost her father at an early age, and her mother raised her in the Christian Faith. Myrope frequently visited the grave of the Martyr Hermione (September 4), daughter of the holy Apostle Philip, took myrrh from her relics, and healed the sick with it. the persecution by Decius (249-251), Myrope went with her mother to the island of Chios, where they spent their time in fasting and prayer. by order of the cruel governor of the island, the soldier Isidore (May 14), a man of deep faith and great piety, was martyred. Saint Myrope secretly removed the body of the martyr and buried it. soldiers, who had been ordered not to allow the Christians to take Isidore’s body, were sentenced to death. Myrope took pity on the condemned, and she told the soldiers and then the governor what she had done. the trial she confessed herself a Christian. For this they gave her a fierce beating and then threw her in prison. midnight, while she was praying, a light shone in the prison. Saint Isidore appeared surrounded by angels, and Saint Myrope surrendered her soul to God. The prison was immediately filled with a sweet fragrance. pagan guard, trembling at the vision, told this to a priest. Later, he accepted Baptism and a martyric death for his confession of Christ.

Ephesus, 249-251, Isidore& Myrope of Chios Island, Whipped, dragged sharp rocks, tongue cOut, still talk, Heavenly light angels
Ephesus, 249-251, Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios Island, discovered as Christian by Admiral Numerius, sacrifice or torture, imprisoned, his father tries then disowned him, whipped, dragged over sharp rocks, tongue cut out, but still could talk, Admiral then could not speak, overjoyed when sentenced, beheaded, thrown into well, but Ammonios and Myrope saved body, guards tbKilled but M acknowledged, she whipped, imprisoned, heavenly light angels St Isadore appeared, she rejoiced&surrendered soul, sweet fragrance filling prison, guard told priest&converted, relics existance affirmed later, currently light from well confirmed, special mastic tree found nowhere else sheds fragrant tears at martyrdom site, and is major product; City of Chios; Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on May 14; Isidore lived during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251) and came from Alexandria in Egypt. was an officer in the Roman Navy when the fleet commanded by Admiral Numerius chanced to be anchored off the Greek island of Chios. Christianity was not persecuted, and perhaps Saint Isidore was not as cautious as he should have been. Somehow, the centurion Julius discovered that Isidore was a Christian, and denounced him to Admiral Numerius. Admiral summoned him in order to determine whether or not the allegation was true. Saint Isidore admitted that he was indeed a Christian, and refused to offer sacrifice to inanimate idols. Numerius urged him to obey the Emperor's decree to offer sacrifice so that he would not be subjected to torture. Isidore replied, "You may be able to kill my body, but you have no power over my soul. The true, living God, Jesus Christ, abides in me; even after my death He shall be with me, and I with Him. I shall abide in Him, and I shall never cease to confess Him while breath still remains in my body." Isidore was led away to be tortured. In the midst of his suffering, he praised Christ God and mocked the pagan idols. Since Saint Isidore still refused to offer the prescribed sacrifice, he was thrown into prison. the Saint's father heard about this, he went to Chios to convince Isidore to deny Christ. was able to persuade Numerius to place Isidore in his custody, saying that he would try to convert him. Saint, however, begged his father to open the eyes of his soul and to learn the truth about Christ. father was most displeased by these words, and he could not accept that his son chose to believe in Christ rather than follow the idolatry of his ancestors. that Saint Isidore would not change his mind, he disowned him and sent him back to Admiral Numerius, asking him to execute his son right away. the Admiral ordered Isidore to be beaten with whips, and then dragged along over rocky ground. After that, his tongue was cut out. without his tongue, Saint Isidore was still able to speak, by the grace of God, and he continued to confess Christ. God punished Numerius by causing him to loose the power of speech. Finally, the Admiral gave the signal to behead Isidore. he heard the sentence the holy martyr was overjoyed. Praising God, he was led to the place of execution, where he was beheaded. the Saint's martyrdom his body was thrown into a well to be devoured by animals, two Christians, Saints Ammonios (September 4) and Myrope (December 2) secretly took his body, and buried it in a secret place, with all due honor. evil Numerius heard that the martyr's body had been stolen and wanted to kill the two guards who had been ordered to prevent the body from being taken. that innocent men would suffer for her good deed, Saint Myrope appeared before the authorities and acknowledged that she had stolen the martyr's body and buried it, but she refused to tell them where. commanded that the holy virgin should be whipped, and finally she was confined in a prison, covered with wounds. the Lord did not leave His martyr without consolation. midnight a heavenly light illumined the prison, and many angels appeared to her with Saint Isidore in their midst. "Peace be with you, Myrope," he said to her. "God has heard your prayer, and soon you shall be with us and shall receive the crown which has been prepared for you." holy martyr rejoiced and surrendered her soul to God at that very moment. sweet fragrance emanated from her body, filling the entire prison. of the guards, seeing all of this and smelling the fragrance, told a priest about the vision. He believed in Christ and was baptized. Soon afterward, he also suffered martyrdom. Later, Saint Ammonios himself was put to death in the city of Kyzikos. Myrope's body was interred beside that of the martyr Isidore, and a chapel was built over the graves. the fifth century, Saint Markian (January 10), the Oikonomos of the Great Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, a chapel by the church of Hagia Eirene (Holy Peace). He also transferred the Saint's skull and a portion of his relics to Constantinople, which he placed in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Peran. the sixth century, the existence of the rest of the Saint's relics on the island of Chios, and the numerous miracles which occurred, is affirmed by Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) in his book Liber in Gloria Martyrum (Book of the Glory of the Martyrs): martyr Isidore is buried on the island of Chios. the Saint's church there is a well into which he is said to have been thrown. drinking from the water of this well, possessed people, those with fevers, and others who are sick, are often cured. is said that believers often see a light there, similar to a burning candle. myself met a priest who insisted that he had often seen this light from the mouth of the well. this island a seed is picked from the mastic trees which, so they say, are not found in other regions." tradition agrees that at the place where Saint Isidore was martyred, the mastic trees shed fragrant tears because of the Holy Martyr's suffering. holds that the mastic, which is a major product of the island of Chios, may be gathered and prepared only from the trees near the site of the Saint's martyrdom.

Ephesus, 249&449, Seven Sleepers, wealthy, m belts, hid in cave, entrance sealed, sleep, owner resurection
Ephesus, 250, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Ephesus, 249&449, 7 Youth Sleepers of Ephesus preparing for rtyrdom, cave sealed 200 yr, bodily resurrection mystery solved
Ephesus, 249&449, 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus (Agean Seport and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), friends, soldiers & officials' sons, Decius' command, informants, summons, confession, freed, cave hideout, preparing martyrdom, D ordered cave sealed, owner left plaques, miraculous sleep 2 centuries, free christianity but bodily resurrection heretics, mystery revealed through 7 saints; Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, in the third century. Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on August 4. to one tradition, which entered into the Russian PROLOGUE (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek MENAION of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the GREAT BOOK OF NEEDS (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Ephesus, 249 & 449, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus , Lord revealed resurection of dead through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay
Ephesus, 249 & 449, Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates), Lord revealed resurection of dead through 7 Sleepers 200 yr in cave, no decay; Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, in the third century. Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Ephesus, 249-251, Martyr Jadorus of Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island, m by Decius w Isidore and Myrope oChios (May 14)
Ephesus, 249-251, Martyr Jadorus of Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island, Martyrdom with Isidore and Myrope oChios (May 14), m by Decius; City of Chios; Martyr Jadorus, Commemorated on February 4; Jadorus suffered martyrdom with Saint Isidore (not Isidore of Pelusium) in the reign of Decius (249-251).

Ephesus, 284-305, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius, Martyrs during Diocletian Persecution, beat, burned, horses dragged over stones
Ephesus, 284-305, Onesiphorus and Porphyrius, Martyrs during Diocletian Persecution, beat, burned, dragged over stones by wild horses; Ephesus; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus suffered during the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). They beat them and burned them. After this, they tied the saints to wild horses, which dragged them over the stones, after which the Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius died. Believers gathered the remains of the saints and reverently buried them.

Ephesus, 300, 4th C Folder, Hieromartyr Albian, Prophyrius tActor, Council oLaodicea Angels Synaxis

Ephesus, 304, Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea, Ephesus, diocletian p, tortured red-hot irons, died red-hot oven
Ephesus, 304, Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea, Ephesus, diocletian p, tortured red-hot irons, died red-hot oven; Anaea, Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth); Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Albian was bishop of the city of Aneium in the Aseian district, suffered for Christ about the year 304 in a persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian and his co-ruler Maximian. Albian was ordered to offer sacrifice to idols under the threat of death, but he confessed his faith in Christ and refused to serve idols. They tortured him with red-hot irons and beat him mercilessly, but he remained unyielding. tortured his disciple with him, and he also remained faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Both holy martyrs were sentenced to death and thrown into a red-hot oven, in which they died, receiving the crowns of martyrdom.

Ephesus, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ
Ephesus, 309-320, Peter oAnium, at Hierapolis, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2), martyred for confessing Christ; Hierapolis; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated January 13 ; Peter was slain at Hieropolis between 309—320 for confessing Christ.

Ephesus, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred
Ephesus, 361, Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, saved while mocking baptism, then martyred; Holy Martyr Porphyrius suffered during the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363). Porphyrius was an actor and on the emperor’s birthday he was performing a role at the theater, where he was supposed to mock the mystery of holy Baptism. the play Porphyrius was immersed in water and said: “The servant of God, Porphyrius, is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Through divine grace, he emerged from the water and confessed himself a Christian. Julian ordered him to be tortured, and after the torments, to be beheaded. This took place in the city of Ephesus in the year 361. Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ;

Ephesus, 363, Synaxis otAngels, Council oLaodicea, 35th Cannon denounced worship of angels, but affirmed proper veneration
Ephesus, 363, Synaxis of the Angels, Council oLaodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Caria near Ephesus), 35th Cannon denounced worship of angels, but affirmed proper veneration, 9ranks of angels so started 9th month, 8th day since Last Judgement called Eighth Day, after end of this day (7 days of Creation), then Son oMan shall come with all the angels, 3 hierarchies of angels (highest, middle, lowest), H Seraphim Cherubim Thrones, Seraphim closest to Holy Trinity, Many eyed Cherubim oWisdom they enlighten peoples minds, Thrones give authorities or kings righteous judgment, Middle three Ranks Dominions Powers Authorities, Dominions, D over angels, instruct earthly authorities, to rule wisely &Govern Lands well, they teach us to subdue sin impulses, tSubject flesh tSpirit, tMaster will, tConquer temptation, to be patient, to give spiritual strength & fortitude, Authorities over the Devil, protect people from d temptations, prevent d from harming as they would wish, they uphold astetics and guard them, Lowest Rank- Principalities Archangels & Angels, P-command lower angels, instructing them fulfill G's commands, they watch over the world protecting lands, nations, peoples, they instruct people honor authority, they teach authorities to use A to honor god not for advancement, they teach people to spread word of God for their own benefit, Archangels - are messengers of great things, they reveal prophecies&mistteries of the faith, they enlighten people will of God, they spread faith, they illuminating minds w Gospel, Angels- reveal lesser misteries, never abandon us, always prepared help us if we desire it, Archangel Michael chief commander over Angels, and appeared throughout history; Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia); Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Synaxis of the Chief of the Heavenly Hosts, Archangel Michael and the Other Heavenly Bodiless Powers: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel established at the beginning of the fourth century at the Council of Laodicea, which met several years before the First Ecumenical Council. 35th Canon of the Council of Laodicea condemned and denounced as heretical the worship of angels as gods and rulers of the world, but affirmed their proper veneration. Feastday was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him” (Mt. 25:31). Angelic Ranks are divided into three Hierarchies: highest, middle, and lowest. Highest Hierarchy includes: the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. six-winged SERAPHIM (Flaming, Fiery) (Is 6:2) stand closest of all to the Most Holy Trinity. They blaze with love for God and kindle such love in others. many-eyed CHERUBIM (outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment) (Gen 3:24) stand before the Lord after the Seraphim. They are radiant with the light of knowledge of God, and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Through them wisdom is poured forth, and people’s minds are enlightened so they may know God and behold His glory. THRONES (Col 1:16) stand after the Cherubim, mysteriously and incomprehensibly bearing God through the grace given them for their service. They are ministers of God’s justice, giving to tribunals, kings, etc. the capacity for righteous judgment. Middle Angelic Hierarchy consists of three Ranks: Dominions, Powers, and Authorities: (Col 1:16) hold dominion over the angels subject to them. They instruct the earthly authorities, established by God, to rule wisely, and to govern their lands well. The Dominions teach us to subdue sinful impulses, to subject the flesh to the spirit, to master our will, and to conquer temptation. (1 Pet 3:22) fulfill the will of God without hesitation. They work great miracles and give the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to saints pleasing to God. The Powers assist people in fulfilling obediences. They also encourage them to be patient, and give them spiritual strength and fortitude. (1 Pet 3:22, Col 1:16) have authority over the devil. They protect people from demonic temptations, and prevent demons from harming people as they would wish. They also uphold ascetics and guard them, helping people in the struggle with evil thoughts. Lowest Hierarchy includes the three Ranks: Principalities, Archangels, and Angels: (Col 1:16) have command over the lower angels, instructing them in the fulfilling of God’s commands. They watch over the world and protect lands, nations and peoples. Principalities instruct people to render proper honor to those in authority, as befits their station. They teach those in authority to use their position, not for personal glory and gain, but to honor God, and to spread word of Him, for the benefit of those under them. (1 Thess 4:16) are messengers of great and wondrous tidings. They reveal prophecies and the mysteries of the faith. They enlighten people to know and understand the will of God, they spread faith in God among the people, illuminating their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel. (1 Pet 3:22) are in the lowest rank of the heavenly hierarchy, and closest to people. They reveal the lesser mysteries of God and His intentions, guiding people to virtuous and holy life. They support those who remain steadfast, and they raise up the fallen. They never abandon us and they are always prepared to help us, if we desire it. the Ranks of the Heavenly Powers are called angels, although each has its own name and position by virtue of their service. The Lord reveals His will to the highest ranks of the angels, and they in turn inform the others. all the Nine Ranks, the Lord appointed the Holy Archangel Michael (his name in Hebrew means “who is like unto God”), the faithful servitor of God, as Chief Commander. He cast down from Heaven the arrogantly proud Lucifer and the other fallen spirits when they rebelled against God. Michael summoned the ranks of angels and cried out, “Let us attend! Let us stand aright before our Creator and do not consider doing what is displeasing unto God!” to Church Tradition, and in the church services to the Archangel Michael, he participated in many other Old Testament events. the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt he went before them in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Through him the power of the Lord was made manifest, annihilating the Egyptians and Pharaoh who were in pursuit of the Israelites. The Archangel Michael defended Israel in all its misfortunes. appeared to Joshua Son of Navi and revealed the will of the Lord at the taking of Jericho (Josh 5:13-16). The power of the great Chief Commander of God was manifest in the annihilation of the 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib (4/2 Kings 19:35); also in the smiting of the impious leader Heliodorus (2 Macc. 3: 24-26); and in the protection of the Three Holy Youths: Ananias, Azarias and Misail, thrown into the fiery furnace for their refusal to worship an idol (Dan 3:22-25). the will of God, the Chief Commander Michael transported the Prophet Habbakuk (December 2) from Judea to Babylon, to give food to Daniel in the lions’ den (Dan. 14:33-37). Archangel Michael disputed with the devil over the body of the holy Prophet Moses (Jude 1:9). holy Archangel Michael showed his power when he miraculously saved a young man, cast into the sea by robbers with a stone about his neck on the shores of Mt Athos. This story is found in the Athonite Paterikon, and in the Life of Saint Neophytus of Docheiariou (November 9). ancient times the Archangel Michael was famed for his miracles in Rus. In the Volokolamsk Paterikon is a narrative of Saint Paphnutius of Borov with an account of Tatar tax-gatherers concerning the miraculous saving of Novgorod the Great: “Therefore Great Novgorod was never taken by the Hagarenes... when... for our sins the godless Hagarene emperor Batu devoured and set the Russian land aflame and came to Novgorod, and God and the Most Holy Theotokos shielded it with an appearance of Michael the Archangel, who forbade him to enter into it. He [Batu] was come to the Lithuanian city and came toward Kiev and saw the stone church, over the doors of which the great Archangel Michael had written and spoken to the prince his allotted fate, ‘By this we have forbidden you entry into Great Novgorod’.” for Russian cities by the Most Holy Queen of Heaven always involved Her appearances with the Heavenly Hosts, under the leadership of the Archangel Michael. Grateful Rus acclaimed the Most Pure Mother of God and the Archangel Michael in church hymns. Many monasteries, cathedrals, court and merchant churches are dedicated to the Chief Commander Michael. old Kiev at the time of the accepting of Christianity, a cathedral of the Archangel was built, and a monastery also was named for him. Archangel cathedrals are found at Smolensk, Nizhni Novgorod, Staritsa, at Great Ustiug (beginning of the thirteenth century), and a cathedral at Sviyazhsk. In Rus there was not a city where there was not a church or chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. of the chief temples of the city of Moscow, the burial church in the Kremlin, is dedicated to him. Numerous and beautiful icons of the Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts are also in his Cathedral. One of these, the Icon “Blessed Soldiery,” was painted in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The saintly soldiers, Russian princes, are depicted under the leadership of the Archangel Michael. invoke Saint Michael for protection from invasion by enemies and from civil war, and for the defeat of adversaries on the field of battle. He conquers all spiritual enemies. Scripture and Tradition give us the names of the Archangels: strength (power) of God, herald and servitor of Divine omnipotence (Dan 8:16, Luke 1:26). He announces the mysteries of God. the healing of God, the curer of human infirmities (Tobit 3:16, 12:15) the fire or light of God, enlightener (2 Esdras 5:20). We pray for him to enlighten those with darkened minds. the prayer of God, impelling to prayer (2 Esdras 5:15). He prays to God for mankind. the glorifying of God, encouraging exertion for the glory of the Lord and interceding for the reward of efforts. distributor of the blessings of God for good deeds, entreats the mercy of God for people. the raising up to God (2 Esdras 4:36) icons the Archangels are depicted in according to the character of their service: tramples the devil underfoot, and in his left hand holds a green date-tree branch, and in his right hand a spear with a white banner on which is outlined a scarlet cross, or sometimes a fiery sword. with a branch from Paradise, presented by him to the Most Holy Virgin, or with a shining lantern in his right hand and with a mirror made of jasper in his left. holds a vessel with healing medications in his left hand, and with his right hand leads Tobias, carrying a fish for healing (Tobit 5-8). in his raised right hand holds a naked sword at the level of his chest, and in his lowered left hand “a fiery flame.” in a prayerful posture, gazing downwards, hands folded on the chest. holds a golden crown in his right hand, in his left, a whip of three red (or black) thongs. is shown with a white rose on his breast. holds balance-scales in his hand. person has a guardian angel (Matt 18:10), and every nation also receives its own guardian angel from God (Dan. 10:13). When a church is consecrated, it also receives a guardian angel (Palladius, Dial. Ch. 10).

Ephesus, 363-365, Council of Laodicea 363-364, regulating the conduct of church members, Biblical Cannon
Council of Laodicea 363-364; Council of Laodicea was a regional synod of approximately thirty clerics from Asia Minor which assembled about 363–364 AD in Laodicea, Phrygia Pacatiana. context[edit] council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last Constantinian emperor, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination against Christians. After his death in battle on 26 June 363, officers of the army elected the Christian Jovian as his successor. Jovian, in a precarious position, far from supplies, ended the war with Persia unfavorably for Rome. He was soon succeeded by Valentinian I, who named his brother Valens Emperor of the East. concerns[edit] major concerns of the Council involved regulating the conduct of church members. The Council expressed its decrees in the form of written rules or canons. Among the sixty canons decreed, several aimed at: Maintaining order among bishops, clerics and laypeople (canons 3–5, 11–13, 21–27, 40–44, 56–57) Enforcing modest behaviour of clerics and laypeople (4, 27, 30, 36, 53–55) Regulating approach to heretics (canons 6–10, 31–34, 37), Jews (canons 16, 37–38) and pagans (canon 39) Outlawing the keeping of the Sabbath (Saturday), and encouraging rest on Sunday (canon 29) Outlining liturgical practices (canons 14–20, 21–23, 25, 28, 58–59) Restrictions during Lent (canons 45, 49–52) Admission and instruction of catechumens and neophytes (canons 45–48) Specifying a Biblical canon (canons 59–60) canon[edit] 59th canon forbade the readings in church of uncanonical books. The 60th canon listed Canonical books, with the New Testament containing 26 books, omitting the Book of Revelation, and the Old Testament including the 22 books of the Hebrew Bible plus the Book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah; but excluding all the deuterocanonical books proper. It is also believed that they may have demonized the "Second Book of Enoch", which led to its degeneration.[1] authenticity of the 60th canon is doubtful,[2] as it is missing from various Greek manuscripts and may have been added later[1] to specify the extent of the preceding 59th canon. The Latin version of the canons of Laodicea consistently omit the canon list. Around 350 AD, Cyril of Jerusalem produced a list matching that from the Council of Laodicea.[3] council marks the first occasion in Christianity of the explicit condemnation of astrology, a matter on which theologians and legislators had not yet reached consensus.[4][5] Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ;

Ephesus, 400, 5th C Folder, 3rd Ecumential Council, 2nd Ephesus Council (Robber Council) &3rd both repudiated, 7 Sleepers

Ephesus, 420-450, Xenia oRome, tAvoid marriage, sailed tMilas, Roman senator's daughter, she bought land, built church&monastery
Ephesus, 420-450, Xenia oRome, avoiding marriage, sailed tMilas, Caria, Near Ephesus, Roman senator's daughter, met Milas Monastery head on ship, through God, he took her and her 2 servants there, she bought land, built church, founded woman's monastery, Milas Bishop made her Deaconess, helped everyone, for destitute a benefactress, forgrief-stricken a comforter, for sinners a guide to repentence, She deeply humble, she reported self most sinfull of all, Guided by Euthymius oPalestine, many souls tChrist, died 450 wPraying; Milas, Caria, Near Ephesus; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24; Xenia of Rome, in the world Eusebia, was the only daughter of an eminent Roman senator. her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid the marriage arranged for her. secretly left her parental home with two servants devoted to her, and set sail upon a ship. the Providence of God she met the head of the monastery of the holy Apostle Andrew in Milassa, a town of Caria (Asia Minor). besought him to take her and her companions to Milassa. also changed her name, calling herself Xenia [which means “stranger” or “foreigner” in Greek]. Milassa she bought land, built a church dedicated to Saint Stephen, and founded a woman’s monastery. after this, Bishop Paul of Milassa made Xenia a deaconess, because of her virtuous life. saint helped everyone: the destitute, she was a benefactress; the grief-stricken, a comforter; sinners, a guide to repentance. possessed a deep humility, accounting herself the worst and most sinful of all. her ascetic deeds she was guided by the counsels of the Palestinian ascetic, Saint Euthymius. sublime life of Saint Xenia drew many souls to Christ. holy virgin died in 450 while she was praying. her funeral, a luminous wreath of stars surrounding a radiant cross appeared over the monastery in the heavens. sign accompanied the body of the saint when it was carried into the city, remained until the saint’s burial. of the sick received healing after touching the relics of the saint. the death of Saint Xenia, first one of her former servants died, then the other. were buried at the saint’s feet.

Ephesus, 431, Third Ecumenical Council, Ephesus (431)
Third Ecumenical Council ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Ephesus, 431, 449, 475, Councils of Ephesus, last 2 Repudiated
Councils of Ephesus; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ;

Ephesus, 449, Repudiated Robber Council tSecond Ephesus Council, 3rd also Repudiated
Robber Council; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Ephesus, 449, Seven Sleepers, 249-449
Ephesus, 250, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven SleepersÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4;

Ephesus, 463-512, Vendemianus, Hermit oBithynia, asceticism 42 yrs in Auxentius' cell cliff crevice, demon temptation, healing g
Ephesus, 463-512, Vendemianus, Hermit oBithynia, fMysia Rgion (Caicus River area, near Ephesus), Auxentius' disciple, who was a father 4th EC, tA's monastery on Mt Oxia, Chalcedon, asceticism 42 yrs, with A his cell, cliff crevice, fasting prayer, demon temptation, granted healing gift, died 512; Mysia or Myzia; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Vendemianus (Bendemianus) was born in Myzia. his youth he was a disciple of Saint Auxentius, one of the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical He went to the monastery founded by Saint Auxentius (February 14) on Mount Oxia, not far from Chalcedon (Asia Minor), he lived in asceticism for forty-two years at the cell of his teacher in the crevice of a cliff. spent his life in fasting and prayer, and was tempted by demons. of his holy life and spiritual struggles, the saint was granted the gift of healing. died around the year 512.

Ephesus, 700, 8th C Folder, Iconoclast General Michael Lachanodradon tDragon, Iconodule Hieromartyr Euthymius, 7th EC

Ephesus, 741-792, Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, Arab Frontier, capable general, famous for iconoclast fervor
Ephesus, 741-792, Byzantine General Michael Lachanodrakon, the dragon, capable general against arabs, iconoclast fervor, Pelekete monastery, Thrace Theme Gov, forced monks to marry, disolved all monasteries, ; Lachanodrakon (died 20 July 792) was a distinguished Byzantine general and fanatical supporter of Byzantine Iconoclasm under Emperor Constantine V (r. 741–775). a result of his iconoclast zeal, in 766 he rose to high office as governor of the Thracesian Theme, and instigated a series of repressive measures against iconophile practices, particularly targeting the monasteries. talented general, he also led a series of campaigns against the Arabs of the Abbasid Caliphate before being dismissed from office in about 782. to imperial favour in 790, he fell at the Battle of Marcellae against the Bulgars in 792. of the iconophiles[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741), depicted with his son and successor, Constantine V. Leo first promoted iconoclasm, which became official policy under Constantine. Nothing is known of Lachanodrakon's origins and early life. receives a very negative treatment in the historical sources, which were written after the final defeat of Byzantine Iconoclasm; some refer to him solely as the Dragon, alluding to his surname and the Biblical Beast). profoundly iconophile perspective means that reports of his actions, especially those relating to the suppression of icon worship, are potentially untrustworthy.[1][2] the Council of Hieria in 754, Constantine V had declared the adoration of icons to be a heresy, and had thereby elevated iconoclasm to official imperial policy. persecution of iconophiles was launched at first, but iconophile resistance grew, until from 765 on, Constantine began persecuting iconophiles, and especially monks. discovery of a wide-ranging iconophile plot against him involving some of the highest civil and military officials of the state in 766 provoked an extreme reaction. Constantine II and other officials were deposed, jailed, publicly humiliated, and finally executed, replaced by new, uncompromisingly iconoclast officials. In addition, the veneration of sacred relics and prayers to the saints and the Virgin Mary were condemned.[3] Map of the themes and major settlements of Byzantine Asia Minor and the Arab–Byzantine frontier zone in the late 8th century 763 or 764, according to the iconophile Life of St Stephen the Younger hagiography, Lachanodrakon had already distinguished himself by his iconoclast fervour. the emperor's orders, he led a group of soldiers on an invasion of the Pelekete monastery on the Propontis, where he arrested 38 monks and subjected the remainder to various tortures and mutilations. After burning down the monastery, he took the 38 captives to Ephesus, where they were executed.[4][5] 766/767, as part of the emperor's reshuffle of the senior echelons of the Byzantine Empire, Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the important post of strategos (military governor) of the Thracesian Theme, and given the rank of patrikios and imperial protospatharios according to his seal.[6][2] soon began a harsh repression of the monasteries and iconophiles. to Theophanes the Confessor, in 769/770 he summoned the monks and nuns of his theme to Ephesus, gathered them in the city's tzykanisterion and forced them to marry, threatening them with blinding and exile to Cyprus if they refused. Although many resisted and "became martyrs" in Theophanes's words, many complied. Later reports of exiled monks in Cyprus becoming Arab captives seem to partly corroborate this story.[2][7][8] reports further that in 771/772, Lachanodrakon dissolved all monasteries in the theme, confiscated and expropriated their property, and sent the proceeds to the emperor, who replied with a letter thanking him for his zeal. allegedly had relics, holy scriptures, and monks' beards set on fire, killed or tortured those who venerated relics, and finally prohibited the tonsure. Although highly embellished, these reports probably reflect actual events.[4][8][9] At any rate, by 772, according to historian Warren Treadgold, Lachanodrakon seems to have succeeded in "eradicating monasticism within his theme".[4][10] activities[edit] Gold coin of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar (r. 775–780), also depicting his son and co-emperor Constantine VI, as well as the Isaurian dynasty's founders Leo III and Constantine V. was also a capable general, winning fame for his campaigns against the Abbasids on the Byzantine Empire's eastern frontier. During the reign of Constantine V's son Leo IV (r. 775–780) he seems to have been the most prominent military commander, repeatedly leading expeditions comprising troops from several themes against the Arabs.[2][8][11] first such expedition occurred in 778 when, preempting an anticipated Arab raid, Lachanodrakon led a large army against Germanikeia. Although the city did not fall (Theophanes claims that the Arab commander bribed Lachanodrakon), the Byzantine army defeated a relief force, plundered the region, and took many captives, mostly Jacobites, who were then resettled in Thrace.[2][11][12] In 780, Lachanodrakon ambushed and defeated an Arab invasion in the Armeniac Theme, killing the brother of the Arab commander Thumama ibn al-Walid. The Arab historian al-Tabari records that in 781 Lachanodrakon forced another Arab invasion, under 'Abd al-Kabir, to withdraw without battle, although Theophanes ascribes the success to the sakellarios John.[2][8][11] In 782, however, he was defeated by the Arab general al-Barmaqi during a large-scale invasion led by the future caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), losing some 15,000 men according to Theophanes. In the aftermath of this defeat, and likely because of his iconoclast past, he was apparently removed from his command by the iconophile empress-regent Irene of Athens.[2][8][11] reappears in 790, when the young emperor Constantine VI (r. 780–797) conspired to overturn the tutelage of Irene. The general was sent by Constantine to the Armeniac Theme to secure the allegiance of its soldiers. succeeded in toppling his mother in December 790; it was probably then that Lachanodrakon was rewarded with the supreme non-imperial title, that of magistros.[2][8][11] According to the account of Theophanes, he participated in the imperial campaign against the Bulgars in 792 that led to the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Marcellae on 20 July, where he was killed. The history of John Skylitzes records his death in the Battle of Versinikia, again against the Bulgars, in 813, but this is clearly an error.[2][8][11] Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Ephesus, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E
Ephesus, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E; Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis, during the period of the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and the empress Irene (797-802), was chosen Bishop of Sardis because of his virtuous life. was also present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), at which he denounced the Iconoclast heresy. the Iconoclast emperor Nikephoros I (802-811) came to rule, Saint Euthymius and other Orthodox hierarchs were banished to the island of Patalareia, where they languished for a long time. from exile by the emperor Leo V (813-820), the bishop boldly denounced the Iconoclast heresy, and they sent him into exile to the city of Assia. next emperor, Michael II the Stammerer (820-829), attempted to make him renounce icon-veneration, but without success. the holy martyr was flogged and banished to the island of Crete. was succeeded on the throne by the Iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842), on whose order Saint Euthymius was subjected to cruel tortures: they stretched him on four poles and beat him with ox thongs. Saint Euthymius fell asleep in the Lord several days after the torture. Saint Euthymius is also commemorated on March 8.

Ephesus, 800, 9th C Folder, Theotiste oLesbos, 35 yrs tGod wHiding fArabs

Ephesus, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, sole survivor Generl, became serious monk, prayer killed snake, igumen, stillness, angel fed
Ephesus, 829-860, Arsenius oLatros, Mt Latros Monestary (north side mt, near Ephesus, Meander River 6), fConstantinople, wealthy pious parents, Patrician&General, sole survivor many ship wreck, became monk, mortified flesh, Later tLatros Mt, killed poison snake wPrayer&Sign oCross, settled north side mt, Igumen, longed fStillness, tCave, off Beasts wPrayer, fed bAngel, miracles like changing bitter water tSweed wStaff, begged return, but not live wMonks, small cell 6days week no food, wBros 1day and eat, foresaw repose went Lord iPeace, continues miracles after death; Mt Latros Monestary; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated December 13 ; Arsenios lived in Constantinople during the VIII and IX centuries1 was the son of wealthy, illustrious, and devout parents. was made Patrician and General of the Kibyrraiote (Κιβυρραιωτῶν)2Military Theme. while traveling by sea with his soldiers, there was a storm and all the ships sank. Saint Arsenios was the only surviver. he became a monk, and mortified his flesh by austere fasting, vigils, and hardships. he came to a certain place on Mount Latros (in Asia Minor), he killed a poisonous viper by his prayers and by making the Sign of the Cross. he settled in the nearby Kelliboria Monastery (Μονὴ Κελλιβάρων) on the north side of the mountain, he was chosen as Igoumen. by many distractions and by people who wanted to see him, he longed for stillness. Saint Arsenios left the Monastery and went to live in a cave, where he drove off the wild beasts with prayer. Arsenios had attained such perfection that he was fed by an Angel. was also granted the grace of performing miracles. example, was able to stir bitter water with his staff and change it into sweet water. brethren of the Monastery begged him to come back to them. did return, but not to live with the other monks. lived alone in a small cell, and for six days of the week he did not eat any food, nor would he converse with anyone. Only on Sundays would he consent to see the brethren and eat with them. the day of his repose, Saint Arsenios summoned all the monks of the Monastery, and after advising them to put aside all worldly cares and vanities, he went to the Lord in peace. The Saint continues to work miracles even after his death. 1 Some sources say he reposed in the XI century. 2 The Byzantine Empire was divided into 29 Themes, or districts.

Ephesus, 846-881, Theoctiste oLesbos, hid 35yrs in prayer fArabs, died aTaking gifts, no leave till hand returned, empty grave
Lesbos, Isle of Lesbos (Between Troy and Ephesus), fMethymna, Lesbos, orphaned, tMonasatery, loved m life, 846 18yr old T visited sister nearby, village captured by Arabs, tParos is, Lord helped T escape, lived there 35 yrs in old church, sunflower seeds food, prayer all time, hunter discovers her, she tells him her story and asks for particle reserved gifts, he does 1881, she dies next day, he cuts off hand, can't leave until hand returned, told companions, return to venerate but she not in grave; Isle of Lesbos; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; Theoktίstē was born in the city of Methymna on the island of Lesbos. was orphaned at an early age, so her relatives sent her to a monastery to be raised by the nuns. girl was quite happy to forsake this sinful world. She loved the monastic life, the long Church Services, monastic obedience, the strict fasting, and unceasing prayer. She learned much of the chants, prayer, and psalmody by heart. the radiant Feast of Christ's Resurrection in the year 846, when Theoktίstē was eighteen years old, she left the Monastery with the blessing of the Igoumeness, and went to a nearby village to visit her sister, remaining there overnight. Arabs invaded the settlement, captured all the inhabitants, and forced them onto a ship. By morning, they were at sea. brigands took the captives to the desolate island of Paros so that they might examine them in order to set a price on each when they were sold at the slave market. Lord helped the young maiden to escape, and the Arabs did not catch her. Saint Theoktίstē lived on the island for the next 35 years. An old church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos served as her abode, her food was sunflower seeds. spent all her time in prayer. a group of hunters landed upon the island. One of them, pursuing his prey, went far from the coast into the forest, and suddenly he saw the church and went inside in order to pray. the hunter saw what seemed to be a human form in a dim corner, not far from the holy altar table, Brushing aside thick cobwebs. drew nearer and heard a voice say, “Stay there, and come no closer, for I am a naked woman, and I am ashamed.” hunter gave the woman his outer garment and she came out from her place of concealment. He saw a grey-haired woman with worn face, who called herself Theoktίstē. a faint voice, she told him of her life, which she had devoted to God. Saint Theoktίstē finished her story, she asked the hunter, if he should happen to come to this island again, to bring her a particle of the reserved Gifts. In all the time she had lived in the wilderness, she had not been able to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ even once. year later, in 881, the hunter returned to the island and brought a small vessel with a particle of the Holy Mysteries. Theoktίstē approached the Holy Gifts and fell to the ground, praying with tears for a long time. Standing up, she took the vessel and received the Body and Blood of Christ "with faith, reverence, and in the fear of God." next day, the hunter found the dead body of Saint Theoktίstē in the church. After digging a shallow grave, he placed her in it. brazenly, he cut off one of her hands, in order to take a relic of the Saint with him. night the ship was tossed upon a tempestuous sea. In the morning, it ended up at the very place from which it started. the man realized that his taking the relic was not pleasing to God. to the grave, he placed the hand with the Saint's body. the ship was able to sail away without difficulty. .On the journey, the hunter told his companions all that had happened on the island. hearing his story, they all decided to return to Paros at once, that they might venerate the relics of the great ascetic, they did not find her holy body in the grave.

Ephesus, 900, 10th C Folder, wonderworker clairvoyant Paul oLatros

Ephesus, 905-955, Paul oLatros, for ascetic deeds gifts oClairvoyance&Wonderworking, counciled Emperor, estab&restor monasteries
Ephesus, 905-955, Paul oLatros, fPergamun, Mysia, Lydia (near Ephesus, Caicus River 1), ed iPhrygia, after mom's death monk aMt Latra near Miletos, then in a cave, gifts oClairvoyance wonderworking, counciled Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, withdrew twice tSamos, estab m, restored 3 monassteries Arabs ravaged, foretold time oDeath, 955; Pergamun; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15 ; Paul of Latros was a native of the city of Aelen in Pergamum. bereft of his father, he was educated at the monastery of Saint Stephen in Phrygia. the death of his mother, he devoted himself completely to monastic deeds at a monastery on Mount Latra, near Miletos. even loftier accomplishments, he secluded himself in a cave. his ascetic deeds he gained the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking. emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (912-959) often wrote to him, asking his prayers and counsel. Paul twice withdrew to the island of Samos, where he established a monastery and restored three monasteries ravaged by the Hagarenes (Arabs). his end, the monk reposed in the year 955.

Ephesus, 1000, 11th C Folder, Pillar Dweller Lazarus wonderous vision pillar angels singing

Ephesus, 1001-1053, Lazarus, Pillar-dweller, near Ephesus, wondderous vision pillar angels singing, monastery&hisPillar there
EEphesus, 1001-1053, Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, near Ephesus, Asia Minor, fMagnesium, Lydia, educated, monk at Sava, Palestine, intense m struggles, returned as priest near Ephesus, Mt G, wonderous vision, fiery pillar, encircled bAngels singing, let God arise & his enemies be scattered, built church there, pillar dwelled there, monks flocked there, monastery there, time death r, death prolonged 15 yrs b monks prayers, many miracles after death; Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, 1038; Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt Galesius near Ephesus was born in Lydia, in the city of Magnesium. An educated young man who loved God, Lazarus became a monk at the monastery of Saint Savva, the founder of great ascetic piety in Palestine. He spent ten years within the walls of the monastery, winning the love and respect of the brethren for his intense monastic struggles. to the holy priesthood by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Lazarus returned to his native country and settled near Ephesus, on desolate Mount Galesius. Here he saw a wondrous vision: a fiery pillar, rising up to the heavens, was encircled by angels singing, œLet God arise and let His enemies be scattered. the place where the saint beheld this vision, he built a church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and took upon himself the feat of pillar-dwelling. Monks soon began to flock to the great ascetic, thirsting for spiritual nourishment by the divinely-inspired words and blessed example of the saint, and a monastery was established there. received a revelation about the day of his death, the saint told the brethren. Through the tearful prayers of all the monks, the Lord prolonged the earthly life of Saint Lazarus for another fifteen years. Lazarus died at 72 years of age, in the year 1053. The brethren buried the body of the saint at the pillar upon which he had struggled in asceticism. He was glorified by many miracles after his death. Lazarus is also commemorated on July 17.

Ephesus, 1300, 14th C Folder, Markella's spring&Monastery where father chopped her up after earth opend up to her waist

Ephesus, 1375, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella, spring of holy water
Ephesus, 1375, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Markella (also Marcella) was an inhabitant of fourteenth-century Chios who was canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church. Her feast day is celebrated on July 22. Markella rocks today, Chios. Markella was born and lived in Volissos, Chios, Greece. She was raised as a devout Christian by her mother. However, her father (in some accounts) was a pagan. lived during the fourteenth century - during most of which Chios was under Genoese rule. At a young age, her mother died and Markella continued to study her Bible, pray to God and live a life according to what she was taught. the time of her eighteenth birthday, the virtuous Markella had to flee the fury of her violent father. There are variant accounts given about the reasons for that. In one version, while Markella's late mother had been a Christian, her father was an idolater and he tried very hard to force his daughter to become an idolater, too; this seems anachronistic, since by the 14th Century paganism was long since extinct in Greece. By another version, the problem was that Markella's father was consumed with incestuous lust for her, and she fled in horror when he declared his intentions.[1] her reason for being afraid of her father, Saint Markella fled to nearby mountains and hid in a bush. Her father found her with the help of a local herdsmen, and they set fire to the bush to force her to show. ran to the sea to escape but her father aimed an arrow at her and wounded her. As believed by the local people, the blood of the saint dyed the rocks and to this very day, during the festivities for her feast day, at a specific time, her blood becomes visible on these rocks for all the faithful who bear witness to this miracle. is further believed that as she was injured, she prayed to Jesus - her final moments spent in prayer requesting that the rocks would open for her to hide from her father and this happened. However, the opened rock enabled her to hide all of her body inside, but not her head. Her father decapitated her and threw the head into the sea. Her head floated to the nearby beach of Komi. many years, the locals could not locate the head until one day an Italian (presumably Genoese) warship was in the area. In the evening, the Italians could see a bright light coming from the distance and when they got closer they witnessed a head, floating in the water, lit by upright floating candles. Immediately, they realized that this was a sacred miracle they were witness to and they took the head of the Saint back to their homeland. tradition also has it that holy water springs from the rocks that mark her martyrdom. Many pilgrims visit this location and every year on 22 July, during the commemoration services for the Saint, the holy sea water in the rock pool boils during the entire Paraklisis Service; this phenomenon only occurs in the presence of a priest. If a pilgrim's faith is strong, a local tradition is that the water in the rock-pool will feel extremely warm to touch. significance[edit] Today there is a church on the cave of Saint Markella. The rock in which she was killed is said to spring holy water. Her nameday is on July 22 [2] and on that day the sea is said to boil. The icon of Saint Markella is one of the most revered and is said to be miraculous. Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Ephesus, 1375, Marcella of Chios, M virtue, devil incited father, MOG open earth, did to waist, he chopped, hole curing water
Ephesus, 1375, Marcella of City of Chios, Chios Island, M increased virtue, devil tried M then incited her mayor father, w unnatural lust, shepherd saw her hiding, she prayed Theotokos earth open up swallow her, did to the waist, chopped up head to sea, later years church and hole w curing water; City of Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Markella lived in the village of Volissos, Chios sometime after the middle of the fourteenth century. parents were Christians, and among the wealthiest citizens of Volissos. saint’s mother died when she was young, and so her father, the mayor of the village, saw to her education. had been trained by her mother to be respectful and devout, and to guard her purity. avoided associations with other girls who were more outgoing than she was so that she would not come to spiritual harm through such company. goal was to attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and to become a bride of Christ. Markella increased in virtue as she grew older, fasting, praying, and attending church services. tried to keep the commandments and to lead others to God. loved and respected her father, and comforted him in his sorrow. She told him she would take care of him in his old age, and would not abandon him. an adult, Saint Markella was loved by everyone for her beauty and for her spiritual gifts. Enemy of our salvation tried to lure her into sin by placing evil thoughts in her mind. She resisted these temptations, so the devil turned away from a direct confrontation with the young woman. Instead, he incited her father with an unnatural desire for his daughter. ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Ephesus, 1400, 15th C Folder, Timur over Knights Hospitallers, Appearances Phanourius aRhodes

Ephesus, 1403, Smyrna (Timur defeats Knights Hospitaller at Smyrna 1403)
Smyrna; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17;; Smyrna (Timur defeats Knights Hospitaler at Smyrna); Further conquests: 1200-“1800 ; Knights Hospitaller; Timur or Tamerlane ;

Ephesus, 1431-1457, St Mark tArchbishop oEphesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy
Northern Italy, 1431-1457, St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, alone defended Orthodoxy aCouncil of Florence, against Papal Supremacy, against theological compromise& Political expediency, Byzantine Emperor seeking military assistance against Moslems, M's drawing close tConstan, Mark countered wPure Theology, from Holy Fathers, members from his Ephesian delegation tried changing his mind, he countered, there can be no compromis in matters Orthodox faith. but they signed Tomos oUnion, mark only discenter, died 1457 a52; a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus">Ephesus; Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated January 19; Mark Eugenikos, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the Council of Florence. would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on theological compromise political expediency (the Byzantine Emperor was seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever closer to Constantinople). Mark countered the arguments of his opponents, from the well of pure theology, the teachings of the holy Fathers. the members of his own delegation tried to pressure him into accepting the Union replied, “There can be no compromise in matters of the Orthodox Faith.” the members of the Orthodox delegation signed the Tomos of Union, Saint Mark was the only one who refused to do so. he returned from Florence, Saint Mark urged the inhabitants of Constantinople to repudiate the dishonorable document of union. died in 1457 at the age of fifty-two, admired and honored by all.

Ephesus, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way.

Ephesus, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests at Rhodes
Ephesus, 1490-1510, Appearances of St Phanourius to free the priests so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9

Ephesus, 1500, 16th C Folder, Euthymios&others aRhodes impaled on stake by Turks

Ephesus, 1523, Euthymios oRhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested by Turks, impaled on steak wOther clergymen& citizens
Ephesus, 1523, Euthymios of Rhodes, Island of Rhodes, Caria, Met of Rhodes 1523, arrested fConspiracy aTurks, impaled on steak wOther clergymen& leading citizens of Rhodes; Rhodes; Hieromartyr Euthymios of Rhodes, Commemorated on August 9; glorious Hieromartyr Euthymios was elected as the Metropolitan of Rhodes, when the Ottomans occupied the island in 1523. those difficult years, Euthymios shepherded his flock in a God-pleasing manner. 1529, he was arrested as the leader of a conspiracy against the Turks and was impaled on a stake along with other clergymen and leading citizens of Rhodes. Euthymios was honored as a martyr by the Christians immediately after his death. Latin Missionary Peter Fangonis, Vicar General of the Latin Archbishop Alfonso Gonzaga, states in his report to the Roman Catholic Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith the tomb of the blessed Euthymios had become the most prominent site of pilgrimage on Rhodes, that those who went there suffering from the quaternary fever "malaria," and the chills and fever that went with it, were healed.

Ephesus, 1700, 18th C Folder, Nidetas blood h blind, JtForerunner miracle, New M rtC, Shepherd rape charge tongue healed

Ephesus, 1710-1770, George of Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, young slave, forced Islam, at 70 announced christian, martyred
Georgia, 1710-1770, George of Iberia, Caucasian Iberia, Kartli, Central Georgia, young, into slavery, forced to Islam, Mytilene shop owner, at 70 announced Orthodox christian, beaten, endured, hanged; Caucasian Iberia; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2 ; George (Zorzes) was from Georgia, and was sold into slavery when he was young. His master, a Muslim from the Greek island of Mytilene, forced him to embrace Islam and renamed him Sali. After his master died, George remained on the island and opened a small shop. In 1770, when he was seventy years old, he appeared before the authorities and announced that he was an Orthodox Christian. The kadi thought that George had lost his mind, since his declaration would lead to his death. next day George was questioned again, and then he was beaten. He endured his torments with silence, but would not be turned from his confession of faith. After more torture, the holy martyr was hanged on January 2, 1770, receiving a crown of glory from the Savior Christ.

Ephesus, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros, Caria, called Infidel, rt C faith, confessed, blind healed by hBlood, clean body, incorruption
Ephesus, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros near Island of Rhodes, Caria, bMandraki on N, arrested town leader father became moslem, wFamily, N became Mehmed, N Christians despised them, tMoved to Rhodes, after fight Muslim boy's mother calls him infidel, he learns his C name, returned to C faith, ship tChios, Lithe harbor, walked Nea Moni, Makarios former Met Corinth, Holy Chism, stayed there, cave holy fathers there, Anthimos told him go back to N, tax collector aChora oChios, tPrison, but aBounaki, Priest Daniel questons Now arressting Moslems for taxes, Turk Judge, admitted return to true C faith, wished called Niketas, imprisoned tortured 10 days, steadfast not afraid, no food, I'm fed food you not have, joy you not experience, wild horses no trample, Iveron M dependency, I shall die as Niketas, kill me quickly that may enjoy paradise, but several sword neck blows, blind healed by his blood, dirt bBody remained clean, so, incorruption crown; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21; Holy New Martyr Nikḗtas was born in the town of Mandraki on the Aegean island of Nisyros (Νίσυρος), and his father was one of the town's leaders. father had committed some crime for which he was arrested, and was put on trial by the Moslems. that he would be executed, he decided to save his life by becoming a Moslem along with his family. ḗtas, who was too young to understand the significance of this change, was given the name Mehmed. Christians of Nisyros despised them for denying Christ, so the family had to move to the island of Rhodes. day Nikḗtas got into a fight with a Muslim boy with whom he was playing. the boy's mother heard about it, she started to yell at Nikḗtas and called him an infidel. by this, Nikḗtas asked his mother what it meant. She ignored his questions but Nikḗtas was persistent in his attempts to discover the truth. At last his mother relented and told him how they had become Moslems. he wished to know what his Christian name was, the one he had received at his Baptism. When he was told it was Nikḗtas, was determined to return to his ancestral faith, and waited for an opportunity to escape from the island. ḗtas took a ship to the island of Chios and landed at the harbor of Lithe. He walked without knowing where he was going, soon he arrived at the Byzantine Monastery of Nea Moni. he told his story to the Igoumen and asked for some advice concerning his salvation. Igoumen told him to visit Makarios, the former Metropolitan of Corinth,1 who was living on the island as an ascetic at that time. When Makarios heard his Confession, he was received back into the Church through Holy Chrism, and he also received spiritual guidance. ḗtas decided to remain at the Monastery of Nea Moni, where he began to live an ascetical life. to undertake even greater struggles, Nikḗtas went to live in the Cave of the Holy Fathers near the Monastery. he met the ascetic Anthimos. He was told that a Christian who has denied Christ must return to the place of his denial, and confess his faith in Jesus Christ, reject Islam and suffer martyrdom. ḗtas rejoiced when he heard this, and then he returned to the Monastery, where he told the Fathers of his desire. his determination, they chanted the Canon of Supplication to the Theotokos (Paraklesis), and he received a blessing to carry out his intention. the young man arrived at the port of Chora on Chios, he was arrested by a Moslem tax collector from the Crimea, because he had no proof that he paid the head tax, which was required of all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. he was being led to prison, the tax collector stopped at a place called Bounaki, where he looked for other tax evaders. then a priest named Daniel, who knew Nikḗtas, happened to come by and called out to Nikḗtas using his Moslem name Mehmed. he asked Nikḗtas why he was being detained, he was told it was because he did not pay the head tax. Then Father Daniel shouted: "Here is something new! Are Moslems now obliged to pay the head tax?" Nikḗtas explained to him that he was a Christian named Nikḗtas, the Moslem from the Crimea overheard their conversation and came to investigate. Then Nikḗtas was taken to the Turkish judge and was interrogated. ḗtas admitted to the judge that he had been a Moslem and was circumcised, but then he decided to return to the Christian faith which is the true faith. also wished to be called by his baptismal name Nikḗtas. judge therefore ordered that Nikḗtas be imprisoned and tortured for ten days so he might come to his senses and return to Islam. ḗtas remained steadfast and was not afraid, even though they cursed him and beat him without mercy. They brought him food to eat, but he chose not to eat, saying: am being fed with food which you do not have, and I rejoice with joy which you cannot experience." was also placed in a stable so he would be trampled by the wild horses, but when it was discovered that he was unharmed, he was returned to the prison. the ten days had passed, the Turks realized that Nikḗtas had no desire to return to Islam, and was even more steadfast in his Orthodox Christian faith. led Nikḗtas to the edge of the city, to a Metochion (Dependency) of the Athonite Monastery of Ivḗron. again, he was urged by the executioners to become a Moslem again and thereby escape death. Nikḗtas replied: "I am a Christian; my name is Nikḗtas, and I shall die as Nikḗtas." executioners made Nikḗtas kneel several times, trying to frighten him, but he said to them: "Why do you delay? Kill me quickly that I may enjoy the blessedness of Paradise." executioner repeatedly struck his neck with the sword in order to cause him greater pain. After several blows, the seventeen-year-old Nikḗtas was decapitated and received the crown of martyrdom on June 21, 1732. dipped cloths in his martyric blood, and when it was applied to the eyes of the blind, they received their sight. the Turks threw dirt over his body to dishonor it, the body would remain clean for many days. order to prevent the Christians from taking his sacred relics, they were thrown into the sea. head of Saint Nikḗtas was preserved in a box with a glass cover in the Monastery of Saint Mark the Evangelist on Chios. It is thought that Christians bribed the guards, or stole the head. The next day, when the Saint's relics were tossed into the sea, the guards, hoping to avoid punishment, did not bother to inform the authorities that the head was missing. Later, the skull was given to Saint Parthenios of Chios (December 8), who founded the Monastery. There was no mention of where the holy relic was, so that the monks would not be punished for having it. Saint's holy relics are in the church of Saint Nikḗtas at Nisyros. His head is kept at Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos. This Makarios is not to be confused with Saint Makarios of Corinth (April 17), who lived from 1731-1805.

Ephesus, 1740, Miracle oJohn tForerunner, City oChios, only Moslems planning steal church die in building collapse aEarthquake
Ephesus, 1740, Miracle of John the Forerunner, City of Chios, Chios Island City of Chios; Miracle of John the Baptist against Hagarines at Chios 1740; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Ephesus, 1784, New Martyr Theodore, raised Orthodox kids, renounced Christ, soon confessed tMoslem judge, tortured, strangeled
Ephesus, 784, New Martyr Theodore, Mytilene, Lesbos Island (Between Troy and Ephesus), fMytilene, became orthodox, raised Orthodox children, renounced Christ, became Moslem, soon repented, tMt Athos, there, deeply anguished, in 1784 tLord blessed him to confess his faith before Moslem judge, who ordered severe torture, strangeled, tossed into sea, christians buried body in Church; Mytilene; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; Holy New Martyr Theodore was born in the city of Mytilene, where he married and raised children in Orthodox piety. renounced Christ and accepted the Moslem religion, but soon repented of his sin, left his family and went to Mt. Athos. even in the monastery Saint Theodore was deeply anguished by his denial of Christ. Lord blessed the saint to confess the Orthodox Faith before a Moslem judge in the year 1784. enraged judge gave orders to fiercely torture the holy martyr, then they strangled him with a rope and cast him into the sea. buried the body of the holy Martyr Theodore in the church of Saint John the Forerunner.

Ephesus, 1794-1795, New Martyr Theodore, w at Sultan's palace, converted tIslam, plague, c back, to Chios, confessed in Mytilene
Greece, 1794-1795, New Martyr Theodore, Neochorion (New Village), Evros, on Roman Road Via Egnatia, near Adrianople, worked at Sultan's palace, converted to Islam, during plague converted back, to Chios & Mytilene, confessed in M, hanged there; Neochorion, Evros; (Greek: Νεοχώρι meaning new village) is a village and a community in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros regional unit in Greece. The community includes the village Patagi. It is situated 7 km west of the centre of Orestiada. Year Neochori village Patagi Community 1981 1,612 - - 1991 1,138 - - 2001 1,159 278 1,437 2011 739 163 902 History[edit] It was annexed to Greece in 1920, prior it was ruled by the Ottomans. It adopted its current name after the annexation, refugees flowed into the village and the Turkish population was displaced eastward. New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17; Holy New Martyr Theodore was born of pious parents in Neochorion near Constantinople in 1774. He worked in the palace of the Sultan, where he converted to Islam. a plague broke out in Constantinople, he realized the gravity of his sin and returned to Christianity. He went to Chios and then to Mytilene, where he confessed Christ before the Moslem authorities. He was imprisoned, tortured, then hanged by the Turks in 1795.

Ephesus, 1794-1802, New Martr Lazarus, Pergamon Shepherd, Moslem attacked by hDog, rape charge, prayed tGeorge, tongue healed
Bulgaria, 1794-1802, New Martyr Lazarus of Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1), Shepherd near Pergamon, Moslem wife attacked by his dog, saved her but she said he attached her, her husband attacked wrong man, to hide mistake had wife's relatives charge Laz wRape, relatives offered $1,000 if he converts, horrible tortures, red hot irons, heavy stones on chest, prayed Lord &St George, tongue ruined by hot iron, heated band on head, med doctor merchant John oZagora, aga's doctor, saw his tongue healed, encouraged him, aga realized tHealing, I have 1 God in 3 persons, will die Orthodox C, condemned him to hang ; Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23; Holy New Martyr Lazarus was from Gabrovo, Bulgaria and he was born to devout and God-loving parents in 1774. a young age he left Gabrovo and went to Soma in Asia Minor, near Pergamon, where he became a shepherd. day while tending his sheep in the fields, he sat down to rest, and fell asleep. a Moslem woman passed by, and was attacked by the sheep dog. by the dog's barking, Lazarus hastened to save her. dog was calmed down and the woman was unharmed, but her dress was somewhat torn. infuriated the woman, who immediately went home and told her husband that she had been attacked by a Christian shepherd who attempted to molest her. enraged husband went out to look for Lazarus, but since he did not know him, he mistook another man for Lazarus, and nearly beat him to death. order to hide his mistake, the husband had his wife's relatives go before the Turkish judge and to charge Lazarus with attempted rape. Lazarus was aware of what the woman's husband planned to do, he did not attempt to hide. He knew that he was innocent, and that running away would only make him appear guilty. on April 7, 1802, he showed up in court, where he was charged and thrown into prison. the meantime, the woman's relatives insisted that Lazarus must either convert to Islam or be executed for the dishonor he had inflicted upon their relative. They offered the aga a thousand grosia if he succeeded in converting Lazarus; or if the Saint refused to deny Christ, he must be sentenced to death. prison, saints Lazarus was beaten continuously until April 22, in an attempt to force his conversion. Christians came and visited Lazarus to give him support and encouragement, but he requested them to leave because they were placing themselves in danger. the aga grew increasingly angry because Lazarus would not convert, and the one thousand grosia seemed to be slipping through his fingers. Lazarus remained steadfast in the face of torture and flattery, and so the aga confiscated his herd of forty sheep. Tuesday of Saint Thomas week (April 22) the aga ordered more tortures for Lazarus. After his tormentors got drunk, they began applying red-hot irons to Lazarus' body. Then they placed heavy stones upon his chest, Lazarus still refused to submit. Instead, Lazarus entreated the Lord to help him, and he also prayed to Saint George (April 23), asking for his assistance. the torturers stretched out Lazarus' tongue and applied a hot iron to it, burning the front half and cauterizing the rest. Lazarus was now unable to speak, they told him to use sign language when he was ready to convert. They also placed a heated iron band around his head, causing him terrible pain. sunset, the merchant John from Zagora, who was also a medical doctor, went to see the aga, with whom he was acquainted, because he was the physician to the aga's household. John went to the window of the prison and was able to see Lazarus sitting on the floor. Not only did he seem to be well, but he was also able to speak normally. The doctor, who was an Orthodox Christian, encouraged Lazarus to persevere until the end, and to endure everything for the love of Christ. He spoke to Lazarus in Turkish, since he did not know Bulgarian and Lazarus did not understand Greek. Lazarus assured the doctor that he would not give in, but he was afraid that the Moslems would become tired of torturing him and would just stop instead of putting him to death. the aga learned that Lazarus could speak, he became angry with the torturers, whom he thought had deceived him. Yet when he saw the marks of torture on the Saint's body, he was convinced that the men had done their job. After trying once more to make Lazarus convert, he heard him reject all gifts, honors, and promises of wealth if he became a Moslem. Saint Lazarus told him, "I have one God in three persons, Whom I worship and adore. I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian, and I shall die as an Orthodox Christian." Then the aga ordered that he be hanged. the way to the place of his execution, many Moslems mocked Lazarus for being so foolish as to give up his life for Jesus Christ. When they arrived at their destination, Saint Lazarus voluntarily placed the rope around his own neck and stood on a basket, and then the executioner kicked it from under his feet. Thus the Holy New Martyr Lazarus endured martyrdom on April 23, 1802. He was twenty-eight years old when he departed from this temporal life, and inherited everlasting life. Now, in the Kingdom of Heaven, he joins the angels and all the Saints in glorifying the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout the ages. Church Service in honor of Saint Lazarus was composed by Saint Nikephoros of Chios (May 1). Portions of his relics can be venerated in Leimonos Monastery in Lesbos, and in the Chapel of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg at Mandra in Attica.

Ephesus, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra &Rhodes, converted tIslam, repented, martyred, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Greece, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra (island), Southern Greece, tRhodes, converted tIslam, repented, t, sought martyrdom, tKrimi, tConstantinople, tIveron, tRhodes, martyred; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania. Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Ephesus, 1800, 19th C Folder, NM Onphrius regrets telling parents wish tBe moslem, NM David Mocked Turks, Wworker Met Nectarius

Ephesus, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar, Mt Athos, regrettd Mslm wish to parents, Athos ASAP, C torment, Mrtr path tChios
Greece, Athos, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), angry w parents said wished become moslem, overheard, regretted, went Athos ASAP, approx 1806, conscience torment, asked persue martyrdom path, 4 months intense prayer fasting struggle, to Chios, torture, beheaded and into sea; Hilandar monastery; Venerable New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos), Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Onuphrius, in the world Matthew, was born in Bulgaria in Gabrovo in the Trnovo diocese. became angry with his parents one day, and said he wished to become a Moslem. he was overheard by the Hagarenes, who wished to take him away. regretted these words as soon as he uttered them, he went to Athos to the Hilandar monastery as soon as he came of age. There he became a monk with the name Manassas. by his conscience, Manassas decided to suffer for Christ. he asked the blessing of his Elder Nikēphóros to pursue the path of martyrdom. Elder tonsured him a schemamonk with the name Onuphrius. four months of intense prayer, fasting, and spiritual struggle, he went with Gregory of the Peloponnesos to the island of Chios. the Monk Martyr Onuphrius openly confessed the Christian Faith, for which he was seized and subjected to cruel tortures. the torture they beheaded him and threw him into the sea. He died in 1818 at the age of thirty-two.

Ephesus, 1813, New Martyr David oSt Anne's Skete, fAivali near Ephesus, divine zeal, builder, burned fMartyrdom, Mocked Turks
Ephesus, 1813, New Martyr David of St Anne's Skete, from Aivali (Ayvalık, Mysia, Caicus River area, across from Lesbos Is), divine zeal, tSmyrna fChurch Reconstruction Money, 2Water Tanks &cells, burned fMartyrdom, tMagnesia witnessed &Mocked Turks, expelled, tSA Skete, tKaryes&former BoChristopoulos, blessing oMartyrdom, tThessaloniki, Vatopaidi Embassy Church monk had converted to Islam, intended to confront but Turks found out, beaten &Hanged; Aivali (Ayvalık); New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Monastic Martyr David was descended from the Kydonians of the town of Aivali (Αϊβαλί) in Asia Minor. inhabitants of the town had a special relationship with Mount Athos, because there were two Athonite embassy churches in their city, belonging to Ivḗron Monastery, the other to Pantokrator Monastery. Saint David left his hometown, he went to Mount Athos and lived near a fellow countryman, a brother of Saint Anne’s Skete, who later became a monk. his monastic life, Saint David was moved by divine zeal. took the initiative, after receiving the blessing of his Elder, and visited Smyrna in order to collect money for the reconstruction of the ruined churches of the Transfiguration of the Savior and that of the Theotokos on Mount Athos. completing the work on the two temples, he built two water tanks as well as a number of cells for the worshipers. did not remain on Mount Athos, he burned with the desire for martyrdom. went to Magnesia in Asia Minor, where he bore witness to Christ, and mocked the Turks for their religion. arrested him and beat him severely, and then he was expelled from their city. without fulfilling his desire, he returned to the Holy Skete of Saint Anne, he confessed to his Elder his earnest desire for martyrdom. Spiritual Father, fearing the outcome of such an act, tried to dissuade him, but he did not succeed. David went to Karyes and saw Metropolitan Pankratios, the former Bishop of Christopoulos, from whom he received a blessing to seek martyrdom. David traveled to Thessaloniki, he was told of a monk from the Vatopaidi embassy church of Saint Demetrios, who had converted to Islam. David attempted to confront this monk, somehow the Turks had learned of his intention. Turks arrested the Saint, and after they had beaten him, they handed him over to the judge for trial. judge, fearing that Saint David might persuade the monk to abandon Islam and to confess Christ, ordered the Saint to be executed at once. same night, June 26, 1813, Saint David suffered a martyric death by hanging. Monastic Martyr David is particularly honored at the Skete of Saint Anne on the Holy Mountain.

Ephesus, 1814, New Martyr Onphrius oHilandar, Martyred at Chios, Chios Island nEphesus
City of Chios; Greece, Athos, 1806-1818, Onphrius of Hilandar monastery, Mt Athos (Serbian, Bulgarian), angry w parents said wished become moslem, overheard, regretted, went Athos ASAP, approx 1806, conscience torment, asked persue martyrdom path, 4 months intense prayer fasting struggle, to Chios, torture, beheaded and into sea; Hilandar monastery; Venerable New Martyr Onuphrius of Hilandar (Mount Athos), Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Onuphrius, in the world Matthew, was born in Bulgaria in Gabrovo in the Trnovo diocese. became angry with his parents one day, and said he wished to become a Moslem. he was overheard by the Hagarenes, who wished to take him away. regretted these words as soon as he uttered them, he went to Athos to the Hilandar monastery as soon as he came of age. There he became a monk with the name Manassas. by his conscience, Manassas decided to suffer for Christ. he asked the blessing of his Elder Nikēphóros to pursue the path of martyrdom. Elder tonsured him a schemamonk with the name Onuphrius. four months of intense prayer, fasting, and spiritual struggle, he went with Gregory of the Peloponnesos to the island of Chios. the Monk Martyr Onuphrius openly confessed the Christian Faith, for which he was seized and subjected to cruel tortures. the torture they beheaded him and threw him into the sea. He died in 1818 at the age of thirty-two.

Ephesus, 1866-1920, Nectarius, Met oPentapolis, engine start, wind stop, Malice, deposed, S director, incorrupt r

Ephesus, 1900, 20th C Folder, Nikephoros tLeper oChios, Forgotten Martyrs oLesbos

Ephesus, 1910-1965, Nikephoros the Leper, Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island
City of Chios; Greece, 1910-1964, Nikephoros tLeper, Kastanochori, Arcadia, Peloponnesos, an orphan at 13 in 1903, w gfather in Khani, a barber, then got Hansen's disease i.e. Leprosy, not want to go to Leper Colony Spinalonga Island, went to Alexandria, as a barber, disease more apparent, 1914 went to Chios Leper Church and Fr. Anthimos, a saint, hospital, chapel, wonderworking Icon oPanagia, course of virtues, 1916 Angelic Schema, disease progressed, unquestioning obedience, austere fasting, garden work, saw &recorded A's miracles, including deliverance, he prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, he was the master chanter of the temple. after losing sight he chanted troparia&Epistles from memory, drug found 1947, 1957 Chios leprosarium closed, Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo, Fr Eumenios completely cured but he stayed there, Ntestimonies, face shone while eaten away, seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified, died 1964 at 75, fragrant relics exumed 1967, discernment gift; Kastanochori, Arcadia; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4; Nikephoros (Nicholas Tzanakakis in the world) was born in 1890 in a mountainous village in Khania, in Sikari, Kastanohori to the west of the prefecture with a healthy climate, with beautiful forests, rich waters, gorges and caves. village has a peculiarity that we do not often encounter: it is divided into eleven neighborhoods, which have also been named after the families who first settled there. Saint Nikephoros was born in the neighborhood of Kostoyianides. parents were simple and pious villagers, who died when he was still a young child, leaving him as an orphan. at the age of thirteen, he left his home. grandfather, who had undertaken to raise him, went to Khania to work there in a barber shop in order to learn the job. he showed the first signs of Hansen’s disease, i.e. leprosy. lepers were isolated on the island of Spinalonga because leprosy was a contagious disease and it was treated with fear and dismay. was sixteen years old when signs of the disease began to become more conspicuous, so he left on a boat to Egypt in order to avoid being confined to Spinalonga. remained in Alexandria, working in a barber shop again, but the signs of the disease became more and more apparent, especially on his hands and face. is why, through the intervention of a cleric, he went to Chios, where there was a church for lepers at that time, and the priest was Father Anthimos Vagianos, later Saint Anthimos (February 15). arrived in Chios in 1914 at the age of twenty-four. In the leper hospital of Chios, which was a complex with many homesteads, there was a chapel of Saint Lazarus, where the wonderworking icon of Panagia Ypakoe1 (Feb. 2) was kept. In this space, the course of virtues was opened for Nicholas. Within two years Saint Anthimos considered him ready for the angelic Schema and tonsured him with the name Nikephoros. The disease progressed and evolved in the absence of suitable drugs, causing many large lesions (a drug was found in 1947). Nikephoros lived with unquestioning, genuine obedience to his Spiritual Father, and with austere fasting, working in the gardens. He also recorded the miracles of Saint Anthimos, which he had witnessed with his own eyes (many of these were related to the deliverance of those possessed by demons). was a special spiritual relationship between Saint Anthimos and the monk Nikephoros, who always remained close to him, as Father Theoklitos Dionysiatis writes in his book Saint Anthimos of Chios. Father Nikephoros prayed at night for hours on end making countless metanias, he did not quarrel with anyone, nor injure anyone's heart, and he was the master chanter of the temple. Because of his illness, however, he slowly lost his sight, and so he chanted the troparia and the Epistles from memory. Chios leprosarium was closed in 1957 and the remaining patients, together with Father Nikephoros, were sent to Saint Barbara’s home for lepers in Athens, in Aigaleo. At that time, Father Nikephoros was about 67 years old. His members and his eyes were completely altered and distorted by the disease. Father Eumenios also lived there at the home for lepers. He also suffered from Hansen’s disease, but with the medication he received, he was completely cured. However, he decided to remain in the home for lepers for the rest of his life near his fellow sufferers, caring for them with much love. Thus he submitted to Father Nikephoros, to whom the Lord had given many gifts as a reward for his patience. A crowd of people gathered in the humble cell of the leper Nikephoros, in Saint Barbara in Aigaleo to obtain his prayers. Here are some testimonies of those who met him: “While he was prostrate with wounds and pains, he did not complain, but he showed great patience.” “He had the charisma of consoling those who were sad. His eyes were permanently irritated, and he had limited sight. He also had stiffness in his hands and paralysis in his lower limbs. Nonetheless, he endured all of this in the sweetest, meek, smiling, delightful way, and he was also pleasant and lovable.” “His face, which was eaten away by the marks of his illness, and his wounds, shone. It was a joy for those who saw this destitute and seemingly feeble man saying, May His holy name be glorified.” Nikephoros reposed on January 4, 1964 at the age of 74. After three years, his holy relics were exhumed and found to be fragrant. Father Eumenios and other believers reported many cases where miracles occurred by calling on Saint Nikephoros to intercede with God. life of Saint Nikephoros was a brilliant example and model for everyone. He was pleasing to God because he had endured so much. For this reason, we have many testimonies that our saint received from the Holy Spirit the gift of discernment as and a host of other charisms. We should note that most of the miracles are recorded, and today the saint gives generous help to anyone in need. Surely there will be many more miracles which not have not yet been made manifest. The name of the icon honors the obedience of the Theotokos to God’s will for her to give birth to His Son, so by her obedience people would also obey His will. The Greek word Υπακοή means “obedience.“

Ephesus, 1959, Isle of Lesbos, Forgotten Martyrs
Ephesus, Isle of Lesbos, 1959, Forgotten Martyrs; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9;

Ephesus, Ephesus River Folder, Central EPH

Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth)
Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; First Council of Ephesus ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council, Commemorated September 9 ; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Martyr Adauctus and His Daughter of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Maximus of Ephesus, Commemorated on April 30; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St George the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3;

Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there
Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there; Grave of Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Church commemorates Saint John on this day because of the annual pilgrimage to his grave. Saint John was more than one hundred years old, he took seven of his disciples and went to a spot outside the city of Ephesus. There he told them to dig a grave in the form of a cross. Then he climbed into the grave and told his disciples to cover him with earth. Later, the grave was opened and the saint’s body was not there. year on May 8 a red dust would arise from the grave which the faithful collected in order to be healed of their illnesses. John’s main Feast is on September 26. Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus; Basilica of St. John (Greek: Βασιλική του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου) was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.[1] The basilica is on the slopes of Ayasuluk Hill just below the fortress near the center of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey and about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) from Ephesus.[2] Church[edit] is known about the Basilica of St. John, with its only source being from a small description[3] provided by Procopius in one of his works, Buildings, whereupon he writes: chanced to be a certain place before the city of Ephesus, lying on a steep slope hilly and bare of soil and incapable of producing crops, even should one attempt to cultivate them, but altogether hard and rough. On that site the natives had set up a church in early times to the Apostle John; this Apostle has been named “the Theologian,” because the nature of God was described by him in a manner beyond the unaided power of man. church, which was small and in a ruined condition because of its great age, the Emperor Justinian tore down to the ground and replaced by a church so large and beautiful, that, to speak briefly, it resembles very closely in all respects, and is a rival to, the shrine which is dedicated to all the Apostles in the imperial city...[4] of the church began by 548 and was completed by 565.[3] The building of this church was presided over by the bishop, Hypatius of Ephesus. As the leading ecclesiastical theoretician and writer of his day, it was possible that he gained the influence of Justinian and had the tomb of St. John reconstructed, as major construction in the Asia Minor was rare.[5] After its completion, it was regarded as one of the holiest churches of its time and was held in great honor as Procopius makes mention of this in his Secret History: ...to the sanctuary of the Apostle John, which was the most holy one there and held in very high honour...[6] its popularity after the 9th century it was no longer mentioned, possibly due to a new church built in honor of St. John, Church of John the Theologian.[7]

Ephesus River

Colophon, Ionia (near Ephesus)
Colophon is 70 Stadia times 157 meters = 10,990 Meters North of Ephesus; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Mount Ochlon near Ephesus
Mount Ochlon is somewhere near Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepersof Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4 ; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepersof Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Mount Galerius Near Ephesus
Mt. Galerius is somewhere Near Ephesus; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated July 17 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ;

Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, 1038
Venerable Lazarus, Pillar-dweller of Mount Galesius, 1038; Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt Galesius near Ephesus was born in Lydia, in the city of Magnesium. An educated young man who loved God, Lazarus became a monk at the monastery of Saint Savva, the founder of great ascetic piety in Palestine. He spent ten years within the walls of the monastery, winning the love and respect of the brethren for his intense monastic struggles. to the holy priesthood by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Lazarus returned to his native country and settled near Ephesus, on desolate Mount Galesius. Here he saw a wondrous vision: a fiery pillar, rising up to the heavens, was encircled by angels singing, “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered.â€ the place where the saint beheld this vision, he built a church in honor of the Resurrection of Christ and took upon himself the feat of pillar-dwelling. Monks soon began to flock to the great ascetic, thirsting for spiritual nourishment by the divinely-inspired words and blessed example of the saint, and a monastery was established there. received a revelation about the day of his death, the saint told the brethren. Through the tearful prayers of all the monks, the Lord prolonged the earthly life of Saint Lazarus for another fifteen years. Lazarus died at 72 years of age, in the year 1053. The brethren buried the body of the saint at the pillar upon which he had struggled in asceticism. He was glorified by many miracles after his death. Lazarus is also commemorated on July 17.

Anaea, Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth)
Anaea, Ephesus (Ephesus River Mouth); Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4;

Ephesus, Caicus River Folder (near Ephesus) Northern EPH, Pergamun, Thyatira

Caicus River

Caicus River Source

Stratonicea, Caria (Lydia, near Ephesus)
Stratonicea (Lydia); Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16;

Mysia Region (Caicus River area, near Ephesus)
Mysia or Myzia; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ;

Caicus River 1 (Pergamun, Mysia, Lydia)

Pergamun, Mysia, Lydia (near Ephesus, Caicus River 1)
Pergamun; Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated on December 15 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; New Martyr Lazarus of Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 23; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Thyatira, Lydia (near Ephesus)
Thyatira; Acts 16:6-15 Paul's Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ˜Come over to Macedonia and help us.10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. The Conversion of Lydia 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district* of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ˜If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.™ And she prevailed upon us. Saint Lydia of Philippi, Commemorated on May 20;

Caicus River Mouth (Elaitic Gulf, Aegean Sea)

Aivali (Ayvalık, Mysia Region, Caicus River Area)
Aivali (Ayvalık); New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26;

Ephesus, Hermus River Folder (near Ephesus) North Central EPH, Philidelphia, Sardis, Lydia, Smyrna

Hemus River

Hermus River Source (Gediz, Murat Mountain)
Murat Mountain

Hermus River 1

Hermus River 2 (Philadelphia)

Hermus River 3 (fertile plain of Hemus River)

Philadelphia (Hermus River 3, near Ephesus)
Philadelphia; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Usaki, near Philadelphia (Hermus River 3, near Ephesus)
Philadelphia; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Hermus River 4 (Sardis)

Sardis, Lydia (Hermus River 4, near Ephesus)
Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10 ; Saint Clement Paul refers to Clement in his Epistle to the Phillipians (4:3). After mentioning the women Euodia and Syntykhe, who assisted him in proclaiming the Gospel, he speaks of Clement as one of his coworkers, "whose names are in the Book of Life." Clement later became a bishop at Sardika in Asia Minor. Eusebius mistakenly identified him with Clement of Rome (History of the Church 3. 15, 1). Today's Saint reposed after enduring many trials in order to strengthen his flock, and to hand down to them the truth of the Gospel. Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27;

Lydia (Hermes River Valley near Ephesus)
Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Theogenes the Bishop of Parium on the Hellespont, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1;

Hermus River 5

Hermus River 6 (Magnesium)

Magnesium, Lydia (Hermus River 6)
Magnesium; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Hermus River Mouth (Smyrna, Agean Sea)

Gulf of Ismir (Gulf of Smyrna)
Gulf of Ismir (Gulf of Smyrna);

Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity)
Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; POLYCARP; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202);

Aeolis Region, between Ephesus and Hemus River
Aeolis; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4;

Ephesus, Meander River Folder (near Ephesus) South Central EPH, Great Road, Colosse, Laodicea

Meander River Source (Phrygia)

Tralles, Ephesus vicinity (Great Road, Meander River 5)
Tralles (Meander River 5); Trallians (Illyrian Tribe); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ;

Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus
Magnesia (Meander River); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26;

Miletus (Meander River 6)
Miletus (Meander River 6) ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor). Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated December 15 ;

Latros, Mt Latros Monestary (north oMt, near Ephesus, Meander River 6) Mid 7th Century
Mt Latros Monestary; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated December 13 ;

Mt Latros

Heracleia by Latmus and Ephesus (Meander River 6)
Heracleia or Latmus; Apostle Apelles, commemorated October 31; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "the General", Commemorated February 8 ;

Ephesus, Islands near Ephesus Folder, Western and Northwestern EPH, Patmos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos

Ephesus Islands Area

Lesbos, Isle of Lesbos (Between Troy and Ephesus)
Isle of Lesbos; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12;

Mytilene, Lesbos Island (Between Troy and Ephesus)
Mytilene; New Martyr Theologia; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on January 30 ; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St George the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on May 16; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Methymna, Lesbos
Methymna; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2;

Aivali (Ayvalık, across from Lesbos Is)
Aivali (Ayvalık); New Martyr David of Saint Anne's Skete, Commemorated on June 26;

Thermi and Karyes Church, Lesbos (Thermal (hot) Springs)
Thermi and Karyes Church (Loutropoli Thermis) ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9 ; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9 ;

Chios, Island of Chios (near Ehphesus)
Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; New Martyr Theodore; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on May 14; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Volissos, Chios
Chios Volissos; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Chios Volissos
Chios Volissos; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Chios Monastery of Agia Markella
Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island
City of Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Jadorus, Commemorated on February 4; New Martyr Theodore, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyrs Isidore and Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on May 14; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Nea Moni Monastery of Chios, 1042
Nea Moni ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21;

Vrontados, Chios Island
Vrontados, Chios Island; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17;

Kardamyla, Chios
Kardamyla, Chios; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1 ;

Samos, Island of Samos (near Ephesus)
Island of Samos (near Ephesus) ; Venerable Paul of Latros, Commemorated December 15 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; St Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ;

monastery of Chrysopetro, Kampos, Samos Island near Ephesus
KAMPOS, Codigo Postal: 83102, SAMOS, Hotel Chrysopetro; Venerable Nikon œMetanoeite,Â the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26;

Kalamion, Samos Island, near Ephesus, 37° 46' 4" N 26° 58' 1" E
Kalamion, 37° 46' 4" N 26° 58' 1" E: Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7;

Patmos, Island of Patmos, near Ephesus
Patmos Island; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28 ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Saint Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Makarius' Seat of All Saints Monastery, North Side of Port of Skala, Port of Patmos
Seat of All Saints Monastery, North Side of Port of Skala, Port of Patmos; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17;

Monastery of St John on Patmos, 1088
Monastery of St John on Patmos; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Saint Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14;

Ephesus, Dalyan Cayi R Folder, Caria, Southern EPH, Laodicea on the Lycus, Rhodes

Caria Region, near Ephesus
Caria Region; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Rhodes and Caria History

Caria, Rhodes occupied by Islamic Umayyad forces, 654, of Caliph Muawiyah I
Caria, Rhodes occupied by Islamic Umayyad forces, 654, of Caliph Muawiyah I ; Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ;

Caria, 720-1150, Cibyrrhaeot Theme, Southern Asia Minor - Caria and Pamphylia
Cibyrrhaeot Theme; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Caria, 1490-1510, Discovery of Phanourius' Icon, Rhodes, looked painted that day
Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9

Rhodes, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros, Caria, called Infidel, rt C faith, confessed, blind healed by hBlood, clean body, incorruption
Ephesus, 1732, Nidetas oNisyros near Island of Rhodes, Caria, bMandraki on N, arrested town leader father became moslem, wFamily, N became Mehmed, N Christians despised them, tMoved to Rhodes, after fight Muslim boy's mother calls him infidel, he learns his C name, returned to C faith, ship tChios, Lithe harbor, walked Nea Moni, Makarios former Met Corinth, Holy Chism, stayed there, cave holy fathers there, Anthimos told him go back to N, tax collector aChora oChios, tPrison, but aBounaki, Priest Daniel questons Now arressting Moslems for taxes, Turk Judge, admitted return to true C faith, wished called Niketas, imprisoned tortured 10 days, steadfast not afraid, no food, I'm fed food you not have, joy you not experience, wild horses no trample, Iveron M dependency, I shall die as Niketas, kill me quickly that may enjoy paradise, but several sword neck blows, blind healed by his blood, dirt bBody remained clean, so, incorruption crown; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21; Holy New Martyr Nikḗtas was born in the town of Mandraki on the Aegean island of Nisyros (Νίσυρος), and his father was one of the town's leaders. father had committed some crime for which he was arrested, and was put on trial by the Moslems. that he would be executed, he decided to save his life by becoming a Moslem along with his family. ḗtas, who was too young to understand the significance of this change, was given the name Mehmed. Christians of Nisyros despised them for denying Christ, so the family had to move to the island of Rhodes. day Nikḗtas got into a fight with a Muslim boy with whom he was playing. the boy's mother heard about it, she started to yell at Nikḗtas and called him an infidel. by this, Nikḗtas asked his mother what it meant. She ignored his questions but Nikḗtas was persistent in his attempts to discover the truth. At last his mother relented and told him how they had become Moslems. he wished to know what his Christian name was, the one he had received at his Baptism. When he was told it was Nikḗtas, was determined to return to his ancestral faith, and waited for an opportunity to escape from the island. ḗtas took a ship to the island of Chios and landed at the harbor of Lithe. He walked without knowing where he was going, soon he arrived at the Byzantine Monastery of Nea Moni. he told his story to the Igoumen and asked for some advice concerning his salvation. Igoumen told him to visit Makarios, the former Metropolitan of Corinth,1 who was living on the island as an ascetic at that time. When Makarios heard his Confession, he was received back into the Church through Holy Chrism, and he also received spiritual guidance. ḗtas decided to remain at the Monastery of Nea Moni, where he began to live an ascetical life. to undertake even greater struggles, Nikḗtas went to live in the Cave of the Holy Fathers near the Monastery. he met the ascetic Anthimos. He was told that a Christian who has denied Christ must return to the place of his denial, and confess his faith in Jesus Christ, reject Islam and suffer martyrdom. ḗtas rejoiced when he heard this, and then he returned to the Monastery, where he told the Fathers of his desire. his determination, they chanted the Canon of Supplication to the Theotokos (Paraklesis), and he received a blessing to carry out his intention. the young man arrived at the port of Chora on Chios, he was arrested by a Moslem tax collector from the Crimea, because he had no proof that he paid the head tax, which was required of all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. he was being led to prison, the tax collector stopped at a place called Bounaki, where he looked for other tax evaders. then a priest named Daniel, who knew Nikḗtas, happened to come by and called out to Nikḗtas using his Moslem name Mehmed. he asked Nikḗtas why he was being detained, he was told it was because he did not pay the head tax. Then Father Daniel shouted: "Here is something new! Are Moslems now obliged to pay the head tax?" Nikḗtas explained to him that he was a Christian named Nikḗtas, the Moslem from the Crimea overheard their conversation and came to investigate. Then Nikḗtas was taken to the Turkish judge and was interrogated. ḗtas admitted to the judge that he had been a Moslem and was circumcised, but then he decided to return to the Christian faith which is the true faith. also wished to be called by his baptismal name Nikḗtas. judge therefore ordered that Nikḗtas be imprisoned and tortured for ten days so he might come to his senses and return to Islam. ḗtas remained steadfast and was not afraid, even though they cursed him and beat him without mercy. They brought him food to eat, but he chose not to eat, saying: am being fed with food which you do not have, and I rejoice with joy which you cannot experience." was also placed in a stable so he would be trampled by the wild horses, but when it was discovered that he was unharmed, he was returned to the prison. the ten days had passed, the Turks realized that Nikḗtas had no desire to return to Islam, and was even more steadfast in his Orthodox Christian faith. led Nikḗtas to the edge of the city, to a Metochion (Dependency) of the Athonite Monastery of Ivḗron. again, he was urged by the executioners to become a Moslem again and thereby escape death. Nikḗtas replied: "I am a Christian; my name is Nikḗtas, and I shall die as Nikḗtas." executioners made Nikḗtas kneel several times, trying to frighten him, but he said to them: "Why do you delay? Kill me quickly that I may enjoy the blessedness of Paradise." executioner repeatedly struck his neck with the sword in order to cause him greater pain. After several blows, the seventeen-year-old Nikḗtas was decapitated and received the crown of martyrdom on June 21, 1732. dipped cloths in his martyric blood, and when it was applied to the eyes of the blind, they received their sight. the Turks threw dirt over his body to dishonor it, the body would remain clean for many days. order to prevent the Christians from taking his sacred relics, they were thrown into the sea. head of Saint Nikḗtas was preserved in a box with a glass cover in the Monastery of Saint Mark the Evangelist on Chios. It is thought that Christians bribed the guards, or stole the head. The next day, when the Saint's relics were tossed into the sea, the guards, hoping to avoid punishment, did not bother to inform the authorities that the head was missing. Later, the skull was given to Saint Parthenios of Chios (December 8), who founded the Monastery. There was no mention of where the holy relic was, so that the monks would not be punished for having it. Saint's holy relics are in the church of Saint Nikḗtas at Nisyros. His head is kept at Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos. This Makarios is not to be confused with Saint Makarios of Corinth (April 17), who lived from 1731-1805.

Caria, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra &Rhodes, converted tIslam, repented, martyred, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Greece, 1797-1800, Constantine oHydra (island), Southern Greece, tRhodes, converted tIslam, repented, t, sought martyrdom, tKrimi, tConstantinople, tIveron, tRhodes, martyred; Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania. Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Dalyan Cayi River

Dalyan Cayi River Source

Dalyan Cayi River Mouth (Dalyan, Keugesi Bay, Rhodes Bay)

Laodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Caria near Ephesus)
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia); Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea, Commemorated September 11 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ;

Aphrodisias, Caria (a marble quarry near Ephesus)
Aphrodisias, Caria; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29;

Tauropolis, Caria (near a marble quarry near Ephesus)
Tauropolis (near a marble quarry); Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Martyr Diodorus the Deacon at Aphrodisias in Anatolia, Commemorated on April 29;

Gulf of Cos
Gulf of Cos;

Halicarnassus
Halicarnassus, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Myndos
Myndos, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Strobilos, fortress Strobil (on coast south of Ephesus, Gulf of Cos entrance)
Strobilos, fortress Strobil (on coast south of Ephesus); Saint Theophylactus, Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia.

Cos
Cos, in the Gulf of Cos, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Cnidus
Cnidus, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Hierapolis, Hot Springs, Caria, near Ephesus (Lycus River 2)
Hierapolis; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Archippus of Herapolis, Commemorated September 6 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); PHILIP ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Chalki Island, Caria
Chalki Island, Monastery of the Theotokos on the island of Chalki St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ;

Nisyros near Rhodes, Caria
Nisyros near Rhodes; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21;

Mandraki on Nisyros
Nisyros near Rhodes; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21;

knights of Rhodes (Caria), Right Hand of John
knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7; The right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conquerorÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. In the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. ;

Mount Philermos, Island of Rhodes, Philermos Icon, Portion of the Cross
Mount Philermos, Island of Rhodes, the only mountain on the island. Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God;

Filersk (Mount Philermos), Island of Rhodes
Mount Philermos, Island of Rhodes, the only mountain on the island. Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God;

Ephesus, 1797-1800, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth. working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.” saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer. scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church. that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera. so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night. in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing. the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters. night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before. Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!” next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!” more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius. the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance. saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way. St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Holy New Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Hydra; his father was named Michael, and his mother was called Marina. the age of eighteen, he left Hydra and went to Rhodes, where he served the Turkish ruler Hasan Kapetan. Constantine converted to Islam and took the name Hasan, in honor of his master. For three years he received great honors and was content. however, he felt remorse for denying Christ. He gave alms to Orthodox Christians, prayed with bitter tears, and showed great reverence to the Orthodox priests he encountered. decided to atone for his sin by martyrdom. So he found a Spiritual Father, to whom he confessed, asking for his blessing to seek martyrdom. how young he was, his Spiritual Father advised him to wait. obeyed and left Rhodes, traveling to the city of Krimi, then to Constantinople, and from there he went to the Holy Mountain. Ivḗron Monastery he prepared himself for martyrdom. With the blessing of the Fathers, he returned to Rhodes and presented himself to the ruler, and courageously confessed Christ. The tortures he endured were horrible. he was hanged on November 14, 1800. at Saint Constantine's birthplace on Hydra, there is a beautiful church which is dedicated to him, and there his holy relics are kept. fragment from Saint Constantine's relics is in the "Quick to Hear" Icon at Saint Tikhon's Monastery church in Pennsylvania. Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Rhodes, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Rhodes; knights of Rhodes; Hieromartyr Euthymios of Rhodes, Commemorated on August 9; St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, Commemorated on November 14; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; New Martyr Nikḗtas of Nisyros near Rhodes, Commemorated on June 21;

Ephesus (Clean), Roman Roads and Rivers Folder

Ephesus (Clean) All Areas and Rivers Folder

Ephesus (Agean Seport and Great Road Ephesus to the Euphrates)
Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus;

Ephesus (Clean), its Area

Ephesus, Lydia, Greater Lydia, its Area
Lydia, Greater Lydia, its Area, west of Sakarya and Akarcay rivers, Western Asia Minor

Ephesus (Clean), Great Road from Ephesus thru Colossae to the Euphrates at Melitine

Ephesus (Clean), Ephesus Islands, their Area
Ephesus Islands, their Area

Ephesus (Clean), Connecting Rivers Route (Akarcay and Sakarya Rivers)

Ephesus (Clean), Caria Area
Ephesus (Clean), Caria Area Caria Area;

Ephesus (Clean), Ephesus River Folder

Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there
Basilica (grave) of St. John, in Ephesus, 100 yr old J commanded dig grave, cover him w earth, later not there;

Colophon, Ionia (near Ephesus)
Colophon is 70 Stadia times 157 meters = 10,990 Meters North of Ephesus;

Ephesus (Clean), Hermus River Folder, North Central EPH

Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity)
Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ;

Lydia - Greater Lydia - West of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers
Lydia (Hermes River Valley or Greater Lydia - area west of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers, Western Asia Minor);

Philadelphia (Hermus River 3, near Ephesus)
Philadelphia;

Usaki, near Philadelphia (Hermus River 3, near Ephesus)
Philadelphia;

Sardis, Lydia (Hermus River 4, near Ephesus)
Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley);

Lydia (Hermes River Valley near Ephesus)
Lydia (Hermes River Valley);

Magnesium, Lydia (Hermus River 6)
Magnesium;

Smyrna (Izmir, Hemus River Mouth, Ephesus vicinity)
Smyrna;

Aeolis Region, between Ephesus and Hemus River
Aeolis;

Ephesus (Clean), Dalyan Cayi R Folder, Caria, Southern EPH, Laodicea on the Lycus, Rhodes

Ephesus (Clean), Caria Area
Caria Area;

Laodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Caria near Ephesus)
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phrygia);

knights of Rhodes (Caria), Right Hand of John
knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7; The right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror s orders and kept under lock in the imperial treasury. In the Lives of the Saints is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred the sacred relic they had received to Malta. ;

knights of Rhodes (Caria), Right Hand of John
knights of Rhodes;

Rhodes, Island of Rhodes, Caria
Rhodes; knights of Rhodes;

Ephesus (Clean), Islands Folder, Patmos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos Folder

Ephesus (Clean), Ephesus Islands, their Area

Lesbos, Isle of Lesbos (Between Troy and Ephesus)
Isle of Lesbos;

Mytilene, Lesbos Island (Between Troy and Ephesus)
Mytilene;

Chios, Island of Chios (near Ehphesus)
Chios;

Chios, City of Chios, Chios Island
City of Chios;

Volissos, Chios
Chios Volissos;

Chios Volissos
Chios Volissos;

Chios Monastery of Agia Markella
Chios Monastery of Agia Markella;

Nea Moni Monastery of Chios, 1042
Nea Moni ;

Vrontados, Chios Island
Vrontados, Chios Island;

monastery of Chrysopetro, Kampos, Samos Island near Ephesus
KAMPOS, Codigo Postal: 83102, SAMOS, Hotel Chrysopetro;

Kalamion, Samos Island, near Ephesus, 37° 46' 4" N 26° 58' 1" E

Patmos, Island of Patmos, near Ephesus
Patmos Island;

Ephesus (Clean), Lycus River Folder

Ephesus (Clean), Meander River Folder

Tralles, Ephesus vicinity (Great Road, Meander River 5)
Tralles (Meander River 5); Trallians (Illyrian Tribe);

Magnesia (Meander River 5), near Ephesus
Magnesia (Meander River);

Heracleia by Latmus and Ephesus (Meander River 6)
Heracleia or Latmus;

Ephesus (Clean), Caicus River Folder

Pergamun, Mysia, Lydia (near Ephesus, Caicus River 1)
Pergamun;

Aivali (Ayvalık, across from Lesbos Is. Mysia Region. Caicus mouth)
Aivali (Ayvalık);

Finland Folder, and its vicinity

Finland
Finland; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated on November 16 ; Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18;

Finland 1256-1721, Finland History Folder

Finland, 1256, Christianity Enters Finland
Finland, 1256, Christianity Enters Finland; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Finland, 1721, Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721
Nishtad Peace, Treaty of Nystad. August 30, 1721; Great Northern War 1700-1721; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30;

Finland, its Area

Gulf of Bothnia

Finland, Western Finland, Land of the Yam People
Western Finland: Land of the Yam People; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ;

Yam and Chud People, Western Finland, Estonia
Western Finland: Land of the Yam People; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ;

Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki, Finland; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ;

Heinavesi, Finland
Heinavesi, Finland; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7 ;

New Valamo Monastery, Heinavesi, 1940
New Valamo Monastery, Heinavesi; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7 ;

Viipuri Province, Finland, 1812-1945
Viipuri Province, Finland, 1812-1945; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7;

Lykaonia Folder (Great Road, Isaurai, Pisidia, Konya, Iconium, and Pamphylia)

Lykaonia Region, Anatolia
Lycaonia is the region of Anatolia north of Mt Taurus ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated on July 10; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1 ; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated August 5 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; THECLA, 1ST CENTURY, Commemorated September 24; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated November 19 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, with his Mother, Commemorated on April 21 ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2; Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21;

Lykaonia 30-1204, Lykaonia History Folder

Lykaonia, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostles Chephas, Onesiphorus, Artemas, Sosipater, Tertius, &Timothy, Bishop Terrance, Mariamne

Lykaonia, 30-60, Apostle Chephas, Bishop oColophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, Goksu River 1)
Colophon, Pamphylia; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; was Bishop of Colophon, Pamphylia, Lykaonia

Lykaonia, 30-70, Apostle Onesiphorus, Bishop oColophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, between Akarcay 3 &Goksu 1)
Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Corinth; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8; Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), later at Corinth. died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Colophon, Pamphylia;

Lykaonia, 30-80, Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Bishop of Lystra, Lyconia (high point), He died in peace
Lykaonia, 30-80, Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Bishop of Lystra, Lyconia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5), He died in peace ; Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated October 30 ; Artemas was bishop of Lystra, Lycia. He died in peace.

Lykaonia, 30-100, Mariamne, Philip's sis, successfully preached with P&Bart iHerapolis, Phrygia, tLykaonia
Herapolis, Phrygia (Hot Springs, Lycus River 2), Apostolic Virgin, Philip's sister, companion oPhilip&Bartholomew, successful preaching iHieropolis, arrested there, Philip died on a cross, Mariamne buried him and preached in Lykaonia, Bart went to India, she died in peace ; Herapolis (Hot Springs) ; St Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip, Commemorated February 17 ; Mariamne “The Apostolic Virgin” and sister of the holy Apostle Philip (November 14), a vow of virginity became the companion of her brother Philip and the holy Apostle Bartholomew (June 11), actively assisting them in their apostolic work. Church historian Nikēphóros Callistus describes their successful preaching in the Phrygian city of Hieropolis, they were arrested and locked up in prison. put the Apostle Philip to death on a cross, Saint Mariamne and Saint Bartholomew were set free. Bartholomew went to preach the Gospel in India. Mariamne, after burying the body of Saint Philip, preached the Gospel at Lykaonia (Asia Minor). died there in peace.

Lykaonia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia, then in 63 went to Epiris w Jason
Lyconia, 30-110, Apostle Sosipater, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lyconia ; is a person mentioned in the New Testament, in Romans 16:21. He is probably the same person as Sopater mentioned in Acts 20:4. church tradition, he is known as Sosipater of Iconium, and is numbered among the Seventy Apostles. St. Sosipater's feast days are on April 28 (Slavic tradition), or 29 (Greek tradition) with St. Jason; 10 with saints Erastus, Olympas, Herodian, Quartus and Tertius; and January 4 with the Seventy. According to Latin tradition, the disciple of St Paul the Apostle died on the 25th of June in Beroea. was born in Achaea. According to legend, he was Bishop in Iconium[1] (prior to the Apostle Tertius) by his relative the Apostle Paul. the Apostle Jason he traveled to the island of Corfu where they built a church in honor of the Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr and converted many pagans to the Christian faith. this, the governor of Corfu threw them into prison where they converted seven other prisoners to the Christian faith: Saturninus, Jakischolus, Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius and Mammius, known as the Seven Robbers. The governor had those seven put to death by boiling pitch for their faith. governor's daughter, the virgin Cercyra [uk], having watched these holy apostles being tortured and turned to the Christian faith, distributed all her jewels to the poor. governor became angry and put her in prison, yet she would not deny Christ. So he had the prison burned, but she remained unharmed. Many people were baptized upon seeing this miracle. He then had her killed with arrows while tied to a tree. believers fled to a nearby island to get away from the enraged governor, but as he chased them his boat sank. The new governor embraced the Christian faith and in baptism received the name Sebastian. then on Sts. Sosipater and Jason freely preached the Gospel and built up the Church in Corfu until a very old age, when they gave up their souls to God. Iconium; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10; Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. The holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Lykaonia, 30-1st Century, Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Iconium, amanuensis for Paul for E to Romans
Lykaonia, 30-1st Century, Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Iconium; to the New Testament book of Romans, Tertius of Iconium (also Tertios) acted as an amanuensis for Paul the Apostle, writing down his Epistle to the Romans.[1] He is numbered among the Seventy Disciples in a list pseudonymously attributed to Hippolytus of Rome,[2] which is found in the margin of several ancient manuscripts.[3] to tradition, Tertius was Bishop in Iconium[4][5] after the Apostle Sosipater[6] and died a martyr.[citation needed] The Catholic Church marks St. Tertius days on October 30 and November 10. Iconium; Apostles of the Seventy: Tertius, Commemorated on November 10; Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died.

Lykaonia, 50-60 approx., Apostle Paul&Thecla, noble virgin, punished by fiance, saved from burning & by female beasts, f cult
Lykaonia, 50-60 approx., Apostle Paul and Thecla, young noble virgin, punished by mother & fiance, saved from burning at stake & by female wild beasts, female empowerment cult; Lykaonia, 50-60 approx., Apostle Paul; Iconium; THECLA, 1ST CENTURY, Commemorated September 24; was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla. to the Acts of Paul and Thecla, Thecla was a young noble virgin who listened to Paul's "discourse on virginity" and became Paul's follower and a Disciple of Paul's teachings and Ministry. Thecla's mother and her fiancé Thamyris became concerned Thecla would follow Paul's demand "one must fear only one God and live in chastity", and punished both Paul and Thecla. was miraculously saved from burning at the stake by the onset of a storm and traveled with Paul to Antioch of Pisidia. There a nobleman named Alexander desired Thecla and attempted to take her by force. Thecla fought him off, assaulting him in the process, and was put on trial for assaulting a nobleman. She was sentenced to be eaten by wild beasts, but was again saved by a series of miracles when the female beasts protected her against her male aggressors. gained a massive "cult-like" following, and became perhaps the most prominent figure for female empowerment at the time. She listened to Paul's teachings to fear nobody but God, and live in chastity. She demonstrates these teachings on several occasions starting from the first time she heard Paul speak by leaving Thamyris, fighting off Alexander, and surviving several life threatening situations. She traveled to preach the word of God and became an icon encouraging women to also live a life of chastity and follow the word of the Lord. Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24 ; Holy Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla was born in the city of Iconium. She was the daughter of rich and illustrious parents, and she was distinguished by extraordinary beauty. eighteen years of age they betrothed her to an eminent youth. But after she heard the preaching of the holy Apostle Paul about the Savior, Saint Thekla with all her heart came to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and she steadfastly resolved not to enter into marriage, but rather to devote all her life to preaching the Gospel. Thekla’s mother was opposed to her daughter’s plans and insisted that she marry her betrothed. Saint Thekla’s fiancé also complained to the prefect of the city about the Apostle Paul, accusing him of turning his bride against him. The prefect locked up Saint Paul in prison. the night Saint Thekla secretly ran away from her house, and she bribed the prison guards, giving them all her gold ornaments, and so made her way into the prison to the prisoner. For three days she sat at the feet of the Apostle Paul, listening to his fatherly precepts. Thekla’s disappearance was discovered, and servants were sent out everywhere looking for her. Finally, they found her in the prison and brought her home by force. his trial Saint Paul was sentenced to banishment from the city. Again they urged Saint Thekla to consent to the marriage, but she would not change her mind. Neither the tears of her mother, nor her wrath, nor the threats of the prefect could separate Saint Thekla from her love for the Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. mother in a insane rage demanded from the judges a death sentence against her unyielding daughter, and Saint Thekla was sentenced to be burned. Without flinching, the holy martyr went into the fire and made the Sign of the Cross over herself. At this moment the Savior appeared to her, blessing her present deed, and inexpressible joy filled her holy soul. flames of the fire shot up high, but the martyr was surrounded by a light and the flames did not touch her. Thunder boomed, and a strong downpour of rain and hail extinguished the fire. The torturers scattered in fear. Saint Thekla, kept safe by the Lord, left the city and with the help of a certain Christian youth, searched for the Apostle Paul. The holy apostle and his companions, among whom was Saint Barnabas, were hidden in a cave not far from the city, praying fervently, that the Lord would strengthen Saint Thekla in her sufferings. this, Saint Thekla went with them preaching the Gospel in Antioch. In this city she was pursued by a certain dignitary named Alexander, who was captivated by her beauty. Saint Thekla refused his offer of marriage, and so she was condemned to death for being a Christian. Twice they set loose hungry wild animals upon her, but they would not touch the holy virgin. Instead, they lay down meekly and licked her feet. Providence of God preserved the holy martyr unharmed through all her torments. Finally, they tied her to two oxen and began to chase her with red-hot rods, but the strong cords broke asunder like cobwebs, and the oxen ran off, leaving Saint Thekla unharmed. The people began shouting, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The prefect himself became terrified, realizing that the holy martyr was being kept safe by the Almighty God, Whom she served. He then gave orders to set free the servant of God Thekla. the blessing of the Apostle Paul, Saint Thekla then settled in a desolate region of Isaurian Seleucia and dwelt there for many years, constantly preaching the Word of God and healing the sick through her prayer. Saint Thekla converted many pagans to Christ, and the Church appropriately names her as “Equal-to-the-Apostles.” Even a pagan priest, trying to assault her purity and punished for his impudence, was brought by her to holy Baptism. More than once the Enemy of the race of man tried to destroy Saint Thekla through people blinded by sin, but the power of God always preserved this faithful servant of Christ. Saint Thekla was already a ninety-year-old woman, pagan sorcerers became incensed at her for treating the sick for free. They were unable to comprehend that the saint was healing the sick by the power of the grace of Christ, and they presumed that the virgin-goddess Artemis was her special helper. Envious of Saint Thekla, they sent their followers to defile her. When they came near her, Saint Thekla cried out for help to Christ the Savior, and a rock split open and hid the holy virgin, the bride of Christ. Thus did Saint Thekla offer up her holy soul to the Lord. holy Church glorifies the Protomartyr Thekla as “the glory of women and guide for the suffering, opening up the way through every torment.” From of old many churches were dedicated to her, one of which was built at Constantinople by the holy Equal of the Apostles Constantine (May 21). The Protomartyr Thekla, a prayerful intercessor for ascetics, is also invoked during the tonsure of women into monasticism.

Lykaonia, 50-60, Apostle Cephas of the 70, bishop Iconium or Colophon
Lykaonia, 50-60, Apostle Cephas of the 70, Colophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, between Akarcay 3 and Goksu 1); Cephas of Iconium is numbered among the Seventy Disciples, and was bishop of Iconium or Colophon, Pamphylia. The name "Cephas" is Aramaic for "Peter."[1] The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers St. Cephas on March 30 with Apostles Sosthenes, Apollos, Caesar, and Epaphroditus; and on December 8 with the same apostles and Onesiphorus. Apostles of the 70 were hand-picked (chosen) and sent by Jesus himself to preach. They were chosen some time after the selection of the Twelve Apostles.[2] All seventy are commemorated by the Orthodox Church on January 4. Colophon, Pamphylia; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8;

Lykaonia, 50-60, Apostle Onesiphorus, Bishop Colophon&Corinth, d in Parium, p for dead
Lykaonia, 50-60, Apostle Onesiphorus of the 70, Colophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, between Akarcay 3 and Goksu 1); (meaning "bringing profit" or "useful") was a Christian referred to in the New Testament letter of Second Timothy (2 Tim 1:16-“18 and 2 Tim 4:19). According to the letter sent by St. Paul, Onesiphorus sought out Paul who was imprisoned at the time in Rome. Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, from the Menologion of Basil II. to Orthodox tradition, Saint Onesiphorus was one of the seventy disciples chosen and sent by Jesus to preach. They were chosen some time after the selection of the Twelve Apostles (Luke 10:1-24).[1] Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. Both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches hold that he died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont.[2] Timothy persecution of Christians during Nero'™s reign made Rome a dangerous city for Christians. Paul praises Onesiphorus for his hospitality, kindness, and courage.[3][4] Onesiphorus is contrasted with the other Christians in Asia who have deserted Paul at this time. In 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Paul sends greeting to the mana™s household in Ephesus and makes reference to the help he showed Paul earlier in Ephesus. who led the Ephesian church is apparently familiar with these acts.[5] Paul's praise of Onesiphorus is significant because it was written shortly before Paul's death as a final encouragement to Timothy. now, at the time of correspondence, only "Luke alone is with (Paul)" (4:11). Because Paul speaks of Onesiphorus only in the past tense, wishes blessings upon his house (family), and mercy for him "in that day", some scholars believe that Onesiphorus had at this point died.[5] the end of the same letter, in 2 Timothy 4:19, Paul sends greetings to "Priscilla and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus", again apparently distinguishing the situation of Onesiphorus from that of the still living Priscilla and Aquila. reference to Onesiphorus, along with 2 Maccabees 12:40-“46, is cited by Catholics as one of the early examples of prayer for the dead,[6] while some Protestants opposing this practice reject such an interpretation.[7] is commemorated on September 6 in Roman Catholic Church,[8] and September 7 in Orthodox Church.[9] should not be confused with the Onesiphorus of Ephesus who was martyred with Porphyrius during the Diocletian persecution, and is commemorated on November 9. Colophon, Pamphylia; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8;

Lykaonia, 50-65, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION oPAUL, Prison wP aPhillipi beaten, in stocks, freed bPsalms &Earthquake
Syria, 50, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Inner Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten severly, in stocks, Psalms &Earthquake freed them, first mention Silas and Judas Barnabus sent back from Jerusalem to convey council decision on the Law and Gentile converts, Silas replaced John Mark with Paul in Turkey (Pamphylia, Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) into Europe (Phillipi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, riots each place, Silas ended in martytrdom, no details, Bye the Way this story taken off the Episcopal Website sometime after I first found it there. ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; - SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL: is chiefly remembered as the companion of the Apostle Paul who was arrested with him at Philippi (Acts 16:19-40). were beaten severely and confined in the inner prison, with their feet in stocks. they sang hymns in the night, and an earthquake shook the prison, and released them. a result, the jailer and his household became believers. first mention of Silas is earlier. Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey (A 13:1-5), taking with them John Mark, who (for unspecified reasons) parted from them and went home in the middle of the journey (A 13:13). and Barnabas completed their mission and returned to Antioch. had made many Gentile converts on their mission, and the question arose whether a Gentile could become a Christian without also becoming a Jew, being circumcised if male, and undertaking to observe the Law of Moses (A 15:1). congregation at Antioch referred the question to the Apostles at Jerusalem, and Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to present their case. council of apostles and elders at Jerusalem judged that, with a few specified exceptions, the Law of Moses was not to be imposed on Gentile Christians, and they sent two men from Jerusalem back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to convey their reply. men were Judas Barsabbas (not otherwise mentioned) and Silas (A 15:22). Paul and Barnabas undertook to visit again the congregations they had founded on their previous journey, and Barnabas wished to take John Mark with them, but Paul thought this unwise, and so they determined to travel separately, Barnabas taking Mark, and Paul taking Silas (A 15:36-40). so Paul and Silas (joined in progress by Timothy and by Luke) went through part of what is now Turkey and then crossed over into Europe and preached at Philippi (where they made converts and were arrested as described above), and went on to Thessalonica and Berea, being the center of riots in each place (A 17:1-13), after which Paul went on to Athens and thence to Corinth, and was soon joined there by Silas and Timothy (A 18:5). And that is the last we hear of Silas. name "Silas" is a shortened form of "Silvanus", and the Silvanus whom Paul mentions in his writings to the Corinthians (2 C 1:19) and the Thessalonians (1 Th 1:1; 2 Th 1:1) is almost certainly the Silas of Acts, and probably the same as the Silvanus who carried the Apostle Peter's first letter (1 P 5:12) to its scattered recipients. details of the life of Silas are not known, but he is customarily honored as a martyr. by James Kiefer

Lykaonia, 50 1st Century, Hieromartyr Terence, Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lycaonia, tortured & beheaded for his faith in Christ
Lyconia, 50 1st Century, Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium (Konya), Lycaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ ; Iconium; Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Terence was Bishop of Iconium in Lycaonia in the first century. was tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ.

Lykaonia, 52-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia, Paul's disciple & constant companion, Bishop oEphesus, Martyr, relics
Lykaonia, 52-93, Timothy fLystra, Lykaonia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5), Paul&Barnabas, Paul healed one crippled from birth, Timothy and family converted, mother Eunice, Gmother Lois, seed oFaith brought abundant fruit, Paul's disciple & constant companion, followed Paul's teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience, Bishop oEphesus, 15yrs, summoned tRome fLast farewell, 93 Martyred in Ephesus stoned Pagan festiva, 4th C relics tConstantinople, included as one ot70 Apostels, in Russia back oPriest's cross says Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity; Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Holy Apostle Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor. Timothy was converted to Christ in the year 52 by the holy Apostle Paul (June 29). the Apostles Paul and Barnabas first visited the cities of Lycaonia, Saint Paul healed one crippled from birth. of the inhabitants of Lystra then believed in Christ, among them was the future Saint Timothy, his mother Eunice and grandmother Loida (Lois) (Acts 14:6-12; 2 Tim. 1:5). seed of faith, planted in Saint Timothy’s soul by the Apostle Paul, brought forth abundant fruit. became Saint Paul’s disciple, and later his constant companion and co-worker in the preaching of the Gospel. Apostle Paul loved Saint Timothy and in his Epistles called him his beloved son, remembering his devotion and fidelity with gratitude. wrote to Timothy: “You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Apostle Paul appointed Saint Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus, where the saint remained for fifteen years. when Saint Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Saint Timothy, for a last farewell (2 Tim. 4:9). Timothy ended his life as a martyr. pagans of Ephesus celebrated a festival in honor of their idols, and used to carry them through the city, accompanied by impious ceremonies and songs. Timothy, zealous for the glory of God, attempted to halt the procession and reason with the spiritually blind idol-worshipping people, by preaching the true faith in Christ. pagans angrily fell upon the holy apostle, they beat him, dragged him along the ground, and finally, they stoned him. Saint Timothy’s martyrdom occurred in the year 93. the fourth century the holy relics of Saint Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of Saint Andrew (November 30) and Saint Luke (October 18). Church honors Saint Timothy as one of the Apostles of the Seventy. Russian practice, the back of a priest’s cross is often inscribed with Saint Paul’s words to Saint Timothy: “Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Lykaonia, 91-100, Plhilip's sister Mariamne
Lykaonia, 91-100, Plhilip's sister, Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia.; Lykaonia, 50-60 approx., Apostle Paul; Iconium; THECLA, 1ST CENTURY, Commemorated September 24; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24 ;

Lykaonia, 100, 2nd C Folder, Conon & Archangel Michael, Martyr Theodore oPerge

Lykaonia, 101-141, Conon of Isauria, Archangel Michael protection, Anna, lived virginity, wonderworker, served b evil spirits
Lykaonia, 101-141, Conon of Isauria, Lykaonia, special protection Archangel Michael, betrothed Anna, lived virginity, saved father who became martyr, C wonderworker, m pagans converted, evil spirits served him, 2nd century, declining years, tortured Isauria; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Conon of Isauria was born in Bethany, a village near the Asia Minor city of Isauria, whose inhabitants had accepted Christianity from the Apostle Paul. his youth, Saint Conon was accorded the special protection of the “Archistrategos” (“Leader of the Heavenly Hosts”) Michael, who appeared to him and assisted him in many difficult circumstances in life. the insistence of his parents, Conon was betrothed to a maiden named Anna. He persuaded her to live with him in virginity after the wedding. young couple lived as brother and sister, devoting themselves entirely to God. Saint Conon brought also his parents to the Christian Faith. His father, Saint Nestor, received a martyr’s death for denouncing idol-worshippers. burying both his mother and wife, Saint Conon continued his service to God, devoting himself entirely to monastic works, fasting and prayer. his declining years the holy ascetic was glorified with the gift of wonderworking. virtue of his preaching and miracles many pagans were converted to Christ. It is said that even the evil spirits were forced to serve him. a persecution against Christians broke out in Isauria, one of the first to suffer was Saint Conon. He was subjected to fierce torments for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols. When the people of Isauria learned of the tortures to which the saint was being subjected, they came forth bearing arms to defend the martyr. Frightened by the people’s wrath, the torturers fled, and the Isaurians found the martyr wounded and bloodied at the place of torture. Conon wished to endure martyrdom for the Lord, but he lived two more years. Saint Conon died in the second century and was buried beside his parents and wife.

Lykaonia, 138-161, Martyr Theodore+ aPerge, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, executed for destroying idols&temples, horrible tortures
Lykaonia, 138-161, Martyr Theodore and those with him at Perge (Perga, Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, executed for destroying pagan idols and temples, horrible tortures, red hot iron grates, dragged by horse, fiery frunace, imprisoned, crucified, wounded by arrows 3 consecutive days, burnt in fire, stabbed wLance iFurnace; Perge Martyr Theodore and those with him, Commemorated on April 19; Holy Martyr Theodore was from Pérgē of Pamphylia and was executed by Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 – 161). of pious zeal, Saint Theodore destroyed the idols and temples of the pagans. was arrested for this, however, and was later subjected to horrible tortures. placed him on red hot iron grates, and then his feet were tied to horses which dragged him along the ground. Then they threw him into a fiery furnace with the soldiers Sokrátēs and Dionysios. pagan priest Dióskoros, after witnessing the Saint's martyrdom, also believed in Christ. Saint Theodore was imprisoned, then they crucified him, and wounded him with arrows for three consecutive days. Thus, Saint Theodore was put to death and received a crown of martyrdom and glory. her son's death on the cross, Saint Theodore's mother, Philippa, confessed Christ as the True God, and was killed with a sword. Holy Martyr Dióskoros was burnt in the fire, and the Martyrs Sokrátēs and Dionysios were executed by being stabbed with a lance in the furnace.

Lykaonia, 200, 3rd C Folder, Parasceva oIconium, 12 Martyrs aPerge, Heliodorus iMagidum, Azes oIsauria, Marina oAntioch

Lykaonia, 249-251, Conon tGardener oPamphylia, confessed faith, nails in feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed & surrendered spirit
Gaillee, 249-251, Conon the Gardener oPamphylia, from Nazareth, Galilee, lived in Mandona, Pamphylia, God Fearing, sincere in heart, without malice, suffered under Decius, confessed faith in Christ at trial, nails into feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed and surrendured his spirit; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Conon the Gardener was born in Nazareth of Galilee, he lived in the city of , where he occupied himself with gardening. was a God-fearing man, sincere in heart, and without malice. saint suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Decius (249-251). they brought him to trial, he unwaveringly and firmly confessed his faith. torturers drove nails into his feet and dragged him behind a chariot until the sufferer collapsed from exhaustion. a prayer, he surrendered his spirit to the Lord.

Lykaonia, 250, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, celibate, confessor, torment, to the bone, miraculously healed, martyred
Lykaonia, 250, Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium; Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Great Martyr Paraskeva of Iconium, lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. The parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeva. This name, Paraskeva, also means Friday. Paraskeva with all her heart loved purity and the loftiness of the virginal life, and she took a vow of celibacy. She wanted to devote all her life to God and to enlighten pagans with the light of Christ. of her confession of the Orthodox Faith, the pagans in a frenzy seized her and brought her to the city prefect. They demanded that she offer unholy sacrifice to the pagan idols. With a steady heart, and trusting on God, the saint refused this demand. For this she underwent great torments: after stripping her, they tied her to a tree and beat her with rods. Then the torturers raked her pure body with iron claws. Finally, they threw her into prison, exhausted by the torture and lacerated to the bone. But God did not forsake the holy sufferer, and miraculously healed her wounds. Not heeding this divine miracle, the executioners continued with their torture of Saint Paraskevḗ, and finally, they cut off her head. Paraskeva has always enjoyed a special love and veneration among the Orthodox people. Many pious customs and observances are associated with her. In the ancient Russian accounts of the Saints’ Lives, the name of the Great Martyr is inscribed as: Saint Paraskeva, also called Piatnitsa (in Russian: Friday). Churches dedicated to Saint Paraskeva in antiquity were given the name Piatnitsa. Small wayside chapels in Rus received the name Piatnitsa. The simple Russian people called the Martyr Paraskeva variously Piatnitsa, Piatina, Petka. of Saint Paraskeva were especially venerated and embellished by the faithful. Russian iconographers usually depicted the martyr as an austere ascetic, tall of stature, with a radiant crown upon her head. Icons of the saint guard pious and happy households. By Church belief, Saint Paraskevḗ is protectress of fields and cattle. Therefore, on her Feastday it was the custom to bring fruit to church to be blessed. These blessed objects were kept until the following year. Moreover, Saint Paraskeva is invoked for protection of cattle from disease. She is also a healer of people from grievous illness of both body and soul.

Lykaonia, 250, Parasceva of Iconium, name m friday, virgin, light o Christ, many customs, churches chapels, Petka, Icons, healer
Lykaonia, 250 3rd Century, Parasceva of Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), name m friday, virgin life, for light of Christ, refused idol sacrifice, tortured rods, iron claws, healed, beheaded, Orthodox love, many customs, rus churches chapels, Petka, Icons, tall austere ascetic radiant crown, protect fields cattle, healer; Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Great Martyr Paraskeve of Iconium, lived during the third century in a rich and pious family. parents of the saint especially reverenced Friday, the day of the Passion of the Lord, and therefore they called their daughter Paraskeve. This name, Paraskeve, also means Friday. Paraskeve with all her heart loved purity and the loftiness of the virginal life, and she took a vow of celibacy. She wanted to devote all her life to God and to enlighten pagans with the light of Christ. of her confession of the Orthodox Faith, the pagans in a frenzy seized her and brought her to the city prefect. demanded that she offer unholy sacrifice to the pagan idols. a steady heart, and trusting on God, the saint refused this demand. this she underwent great torments: after stripping her, they tied her to a tree and beat her with rods. Then the torturers raked her pure body with iron claws. Finally, they threw her into prison, exhausted by the torture and lacerated to the bone. God did not forsake the holy sufferer, and miraculously healed her wounds. Not heeding this divine miracle, the executioners continued with their torture of Saint Paraskeve, and finally, they cut off her head. Paraskeve has always enjoyed a special love and veneration among the Orthodox people. pious customs and observances are associated with her. the ancient Russian accounts of the Saints’ Lives, the name of the Great Martyr is inscribed as: Saint Paraskeve, also called Piatnitsa (in Russian: Friday). dedicated to Saint Paraskeve in antiquity were given the name Piatnitsa. wayside chapels in Rus received the name Piatnitsa. simple Russian people called the Martyr Paraskeve variously Piatnitsa, Piatina, Petka. of Saint Paraskeve were especially venerated and embellished by the faithful. iconographers usually depicted the martyr as an austere ascetic, tall of stature, with a radiant crown upon her head. of the saint guard pious and happy households. Church belief, Saint Paraskeve is protectress of fields and cattle. Therefore, on her Feastday it was the custom to bring fruit to church to be blessed. These blessed objects were kept until the following year. Saint Paraskeve is invoked for protection of cattle from disease. is also a healer of people from grievous illness of both body and soul.

Lykaonia, 250, Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Lykaonia
Lykaonia, 250, Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Saint Papias was martyred with Saints Claudianus and Diodorus at Perge, Pamphylia in 250; Perge Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 3; Papias was martyred with Saints Claudianus and Diodorus at Perge, Pamphylia in 250.

Lykaonia, 250, Nestor tBishop oMagydos, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, arrested after peculiar vision plus heavenly voice with earthquake
Lykaonia, 250, Nestor tBishop oMagydos (Magidum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, arrested while praying at home, after he had peculiar vision, he saw lamb being prepared for sacrifice, sent tPerge for trial, on the way strengthened by voice from heaven followed by earthquake, cruel tortures then crucified; Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Hieromartyr Nestor, Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia. a persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), was arrested while praying in his home. learned of the suffering awaiting him through a peculiar vision. saw a lamb prepared for sacrifice. ruler of the city of Magydos sent him for trial to Perge. the way there Saint Nestor was strengthened in spirit when he heard a Voice from Heaven, which an earthquake occurred. cruel tortures at Perge the hieromartyr was crucified in the year 250.

Lykaonia, 250, Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, Marcellus, & Anthony of Perge, Pamphylia, torture instruments laid out to scare them, tortured, beheaded
They fearlessly preached Christ during Emperor Decius 249-251. Governir send large detachment to arrest & bring them for judgement. Torture instruments laid out to scare them. But they all did not cease glorify Lord. Unshakable after being stripped naked and beaten mercilessly with dry ox sinews, after which they were suspended from a tree and their bodies were flayed until their entrails were exposed. Then beheaded and inherited Kingdom ofHeaven.; Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, and those with them, Commemorated on March 1; The Holy Martyrs Nestor, Tribimius, Marcellus, and Anthony of Perge (Pérgē) in Pamphylia (Pamphylίa) lived during the reign of the impious Emperor Decius As Christians, they fearlessly preached Christ, therefore the pagans denounced them to the governor of the region. latter immediately sent a large detachment of soldiers with orders to arrest them and bring him before him for judgement. the Holy Martyrs were brought to trial, the governor commanded that all the instruments of torture should be laid out before them in order to frighten them and force them to renounce their Christian Faith. when they saw them, they cried out with a loud voice: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ" (Romans 8:35), and they did not cease to glorify the Lord. the governor ordered them to be stripped naked and beaten mercilessly with dry ox sinews, after which they were suspended from a tree and their bodies were flayed until their entrails were exposed. convinced that the Saints were unshakable in their faith in Christ, the governor ordered the executioners to take them down from the tree. they gave thanks to God, the Saints were beheaded. Thus these Holy Martyrs were executed and thereby inherited the Kingdom of Heaven. The city of Perge was located in the region of Pamphylia, located in the southern part of Asia Minor on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Roman Emperor Decius reigned from 249-251, and was a fierce persecutor of Christians.

Lykaonia, 270-275, Heliodorus in Magidum, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Martyr, fierce tortures, beheaded
Lykaonia, 270-275, Heliodorus in Magidum, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, Martyr, fierce tortures, beheaded, Aurelian' time, city ruler Aetius fierce tortures for his faith; Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Holy Martyr Heliodorus lived during the reign of the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the city of Magidum (Pamphylia). ruler of the city, Aetius, subjected the saint to fierce tortures for his faith in Christ and had him beheaded.

Lykaonia, 270-350, Cheriton tConfessor of Souka, Pharan, and Jericho Monasteries, Robber's Cave Story

Lykaonia, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth
Lykaonia, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth; Isauria; MLykaonia, 284-305, Azes of Isauria, Lykaonia, 150 Arresting Soldiers baptised after water sprung forth, they had been sent to arrest A, A commanded them to obey authority and bring him to the Eparch, he beheaded all including his wife and daughter; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated November 19 ; Holy Martyr Azes and with him 150 Soldiers suffered at Isauria, in Asia Minor, under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). his confession of the Christian Faith, the saint was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch, Aquilinus. hundred and fifty soldiers had been sent to arrest the saint, but they were converted to the path of salvation and they accepted holy Baptism with water that sprang forth through the prayer of Saint Azes. martyr persuaded them to fulfill the commandment to obey those in authority, and therefore to bring him before the eparch. soldiers and the saint confessed their Christian faith before Aquilinus, and for this they were all beheaded. With them the eparch executed his own wife and daughter, who had come to believe in Christ, seeing the steadfastness of Saint Azes under torture.

Lykaonia, 284-305, Marina of Antioch, Pisidia, daughter of Pagan Priest, burns, water, divine light, healed, 15,000 martyred
Lykaonia, Pisidai, 284-305, Greatmartyr Marina of Antioch, Pisidia, Turkish Lakes, Major Intersection, daughter of Pagan Priest, Christian nurse, tortured beaten nails tridents, heavenly aid, burns, water of baptism, divine light, dove, golden crown, fetters removed, completely healed, 15,000 martyred; Antioch in Pisidia; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in Asia Minor, in the city of Antioch of Pisidia (southern Asia Minor), into the family of a pagan priest. infancy she lost her mother, and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. learning that his daughter had become a Christian, the father angrily disowned her. the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), when she was fifteen years old, Saint Marina was arrested and locked up in prison. firm trust in the will of God and His help, the young prisoner prepared for her impending fate. governor Olymbrios, charmed with the beautiful girl, tried to persuade her to renounce the Christian Faith and become his wife. the saint, unswayed, refused his offers. vexed governor gave the holy martyr over to torture. Having beaten her fiercely, they fastened the saint with nails to a board and tore at her body with tridents. governor himself, unable to bear the horror of these tortures, hid his face in his hands. the holy martyr remained unyielding. for the night into prison, she was granted heavenly aid and healed of her wounds. stripped her and tied her to a tree, then burned the martyr with fire. alive, the martyr prayed: “Lord, You have granted me to go through fire for Your Name, grant me also to go through the water of holy Baptism.” the word “water”, the governor gave orders to drown the saint in a large cauldron. The martyr besought the Lord that this manner of execution should become for her holy Baptism. they plunged her into the water, there suddenly shone a light, and a snow-white dove came down from Heaven, bearing in its beak a golden crown. fetters put upon Saint Marina came apart by themselves. martyr stood up in the fount of Baptism glorifying the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Marina emerged from the fount completely healed, without any trace of burns. at this miracle, the people glorified the True God, and many came to believe. brought the governor into a rage, and he gave orders to kill anyone who might confess the Name of Christ. Christians perished there, and the holy Martyr Marina was beheaded. sufferings of the Great Martyr Marina were described by an eyewitness of the event, named Theotimos. until the taking of Constantinople by Western crusaders in the year 1204, the relics of the Great Martyr Marina were in the Panteponteia monastery. to other sources, they were located in Antioch until the year 908 and from there transferred to Italy. they are in Athens, in a church dedicated to the holy Virgin Martyr. venerable hand was transferred to Mount Athos, to the Batopedi monastery.

Lykaonia, 284-305, 9 Martyrs oPerge, Pamphylia, Lykaonia, decided martyrdom, hungry beasts no eat them
Lykaonia, 284-305, 9 Martyrs oPerge (Perga, Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, ond day they all decided to suffer Martyrdom, destroyed all idols in a pagan temple, questioned, tortured, scraped flesh wIron claws, stabbed in eyes wTorches, into prison, no food orWater, tCage w Wild beasts, miraculously hungry animals not eat them; Perge Nine Martyrs of Perge in Pamphilia, Commemorated on August 1; the reign of Diocletian (284-305) nine holy Martyrs, Leontios, Attos, Alexander, Kindeos, Mnesitheos, Kyriakos, Mineon and Eukles were put to death at Perge in Pamphilia. of them were farmers by profession, but Mineon was a carpenter. were Christians from their early childhood, and they remained so after reaching adulthood. evening, they all decided to suffer martyrdom for Christ, so they went to the pagan temple of Artemis and destroyed all the idols. this they were arrested by the pagans, who questioned them and then tortured them. they burned their sides, and then they scraped their flesh with iron claws. they took torches and stabbed them in the eyes. they were thrown into prison without any food or water. a while, they were taken out and thrown into a cage of wild beasts in order to be devoured by them. the animals had not been fed, they sat calmly and did not approach the Saints. who saw this miraculous event were astonished and shouted: "Great is the God of the Christians." a miracle occurred. there was the sound of thunder, lightning flashed, and rain began to fall. the same time a voice was heard, inviting the Saints to heaven. soon as the Saints heard this voice, they rejoiced. this, the tyrant became so angry that he ordered soldiers to behead them. this manner the suffering of the nine Saints came to an end, and they entered into the eternal Kingdom.

Lykaonia, 300, 4th C Folder, Gregory oNazianus the Theologian, disciple Amphilochius, sister Gorgonia

Lykaonia, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium, Lykaonia, disciple of Gregory & Basil, 40 yr wild ascetic, made bishop by angels
Lykaonia, 340-394, Amphilochius of Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), disciple of Gregory and Basil, 40 yr wilderness ascetic, made bishop by Angels, 381 council, fought heresies, Arian, Eunomian, Macedonian ; Iconium; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia, city which has given the world some of the greatest Fathers and teachers of the Orthodox Church. was a first cousin to Saint Gregory the Theologian, a close friend of Saint Basil the Great. was their disciple, follower and of like mind with them. Amphilochius toiled hard in the field of Christ. lived in the wilderness as a strict ascetic for about forty years, the time when the Lord summoned him for hierarchic service. the year 372 the Bishop of Iconium died. Angels of the Lord thrice appeared in visions to Saint Amphilochius, summoning him to go to Iconium to be the bishop. truthfulness of these visions was proven when the angel, appearing to him the third time, sang together with the saint the angelic song: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth.” heavenly messenger led the saint to the nearest church, where an assembly of angels consecrated Amphilochius bishop. saint, on the way back to his cell, encountered seven bishops who were seeking him at the command of God, in order to establish him as archpastor of Iconium. Saint Amphilochius told them that he was already consecrated by the angels. many years Saint Amphilochius tended the flock of Iconium entrusted to him by the Lord. prayer of the righteous one was so intense that he was able to ask the Lord to heal the spiritual and bodily infirmities of his flock. wise archpastor, gifted as writer and preacher, unceasingly taught piety to his flock. strict Orthodox theologian, the saint relentlessly confronted the Arian and Eunomian heresies. participated in the Second Ecumenical Council (381), and he headed the struggle against the heresy of Macedonius. and treatises of Saint Amphilochius are preserved, which are profoundly dogmatic and apologetic in content. holy Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium departed peacefully to the Lord in the year 394.

Lykaonia, 352-370, Gorgonia, Gregory tTheologian's Sis, blended married state w unmaried state, all that is good, virtuous woman
Lykaonia, 352-370, Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Iconium, Lykaonia (Goksu River and Great Road), blended married state w unmaried state, all that is good, Solomon's virtuous woman ; Iconium; Saint Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on February 23; of the information about Saint Gorgonia (Γοργονία) comes from her brother, Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 25) in his Oration VIII, "On his Sister Gorgonia," which was delivered sometime after their brother Saint Caesarius (March 9) went to the Lord in 369, and before the repose of their father, the elder Saint Gregory Nazianzus, in 374. was the daughter of Saint Gregory Nazianzus (January 1) and Saint Nonna (August 5), and was named for her maternal grandmother Gorgonia. Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us that she derived her existence and her reputation from their parents, because they sowed in her the seeds of piety. praising her virtues, Saint Gregory states that her modesty surpassed those of her own time, and those who lived before her. She blended the excellence of the married state with that of the unmarried state, avoiding the disadvantages of each, while combining all that is best in both. Thus, Saint Gorgonia proved that "neither of them absolutely binds us to, or separates us from, God or the world." It is the mind which nobly presides over marriage and virginity, arranging and working on them as "the raw material of virtue." Gorgonia had consecrated herself to God, and also won her husband Alypios to her side. He was from the city of Iconium, where Faustinus was the bishop. She made Alypios "a good fellow servant, instead of an unreasonable master." This pious couple had five children; two sons who became bishops, and three daughters: Alypianḗ, Eugenia, and Nonna. Moreover, she made her children and their children's children the fruit of her spirit, dedicating to God not only her soul, but also her entire family and household. As long as she lived, she showed herself as an example of all that is good. Her devoted brother even compared her to King Solomon's virtuous woman (Proverbs 31:10-31). daughter of a saintly family took both her natural and spiritual parents as her models of virtue, and they were the source of her goodness. She did not wear fine clothes or expensive jewelry, nor did she use pigments to enhance her beauty. The only red coloring dear to her was the blush of modesty; and her only white coloring was the tint of temperance. adorned the churches with offerings, and thereby presented herself to God as a living temple. She opened her house to members of her family who were in want, and even to strangers. She was sympathetic to those in trouble, and compassionate toward widows. She "dispersed abroad" and "gave to the poor" (Psalm 111/112:9). The only wealth she left to her children was the excellence of her example. her fasting, her chanting of the Psalms, her vigils, her tears, and her prayers, she surpassed not only women, but also the most devout men, thereby demonstrating that the distinction between male and female is one of body, not of soul. day, as Saint Gorgonia was riding in her carriage, the mules bolted and the carriage was overturned. She was dragged over the ground and suffered serious injury. Those who were not Christians were scandalized that God would permit such a thing to happen to this righteous woman. Although she was bruised in her bones and limbs, she would not allow a physician to examine her, in order to preserve her modesty. She trusted that God would heal her, and He did. Seeing her unexpected recovery, people concluded that the accident had occurred so that by her patient endurance and her miraculous healing, God would be glorified. Gorgonia longed for death, preferring to be with Christ rather than remain on earth. She had a vision in which the day of her death was revealed to her so that she might prepare herself. As that time drew near she took to her bed, and spent her last day giving instructions to her husband, her children, and her friends. After discoursing about spiritual matters, she reposed in the year 370 at the age of thirty-eight. Her last words were, “I will both lie down in peace and sleep” (Psalm 4:8).

Lykaonia, 371, Byzantine Saint, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or 'œthe Roman'Â, Commemorated on June 26;

Lykaonia, 400, 5th C Folder, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess

Lykaonia, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, left hubby, igumen iHoms&Beriut&Constan, miraculous gifts, paradise vision
Lykaonia, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, fPerge (Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, left marriage, hid in men's monastery, discovered by pierced ear&dreams, to women's m in emesa aka Homs, became igumen, miraculous healing gifts, husband coming, tJerusalem, tMt Sinai, t abandoned Temple in Beriut, converted local pagans, formed monastery there, God's will fulfilled per Dream, tConstantinople, husband had died, founded monastery strict rule virtuous life, vision in extreme old age 100 of her place in Paradise Perge; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Matrona, Abbess of Constantinople was born in the city of Perge Pamphylia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century. gave her in marriage to a wealthy man named Dometian. her daughter Theodota was born, they resettled in Constantinople. twenty-five-year-old Matrona loved to walk to the temple of God. She spent entire days there, ardently praying to the Lord and weeping for her sins. the church the saint met two pious Eldresses, Eugenia and Susanna, who from their youth lived there in asceticism, work and prayer. began to imitate the God-pleasing life of an ascetic, humbling her flesh by abstinence and fasting, which she had to endure criticism by her husband. soul yearned for a full renunciation of the world. long hesitation, Saint Matrona decided to leave her family entreated the Lord to reveal whether her intent was pleasing to Him. The Lord heard the prayer of His servant. during a light sleep, she had a dream that she had fled from her husband, who was in pursuit of her. The saint concealed herself in a crowd of monks approaching her, and her husband did not notice her. accepted this dream as a divine directive to enter a men’s monastery, where her husband would not think to look for her. gave her fifteen-year-old daughter to be raised by the Eldress Susanna, having cut her own hair and disguised herself in men’s attire, she went to the monastery of Saint Bassion (October 10). the Nun Matrona passed herself off as the eunuch Babylos and was accepted as one of the brethren. lest the monks learn that she was a woman, the saint passed her time in constant quietude and much work. The brethren marveled at the great virtue of Babylos. time the saint was working in the monastery vineyard with the other monks. The novice monk Barnabas noted that her ear-lobe was pierced and asked about it. “It is necessary, brother, to till the soil and not watch other people, which is not proper for a monk,” answered the saint. a certain while it was revealed in a dream to Saint Bassion, the igumen of the monastery, that the eunuch Babylos was a woman. was also revealed to Acacius, igumen of the nearby Abraham monastery. Bassion summoned Saint Matrona and asked in a threatening voice why she had entered the monastery: to corrupt the monks, or to shame the monastery. tears the saint told the igumen about all her past life, about her husband, hostile to her efforts and prayers, and about the vision directing her to go to the men’s monastery. that her intent was pure and chaste, Saint Bassion sent Saint Matrona to a women’s monastery in the city of Emesa. In this monastery the saint dwelt for many years, inspiring the sisters by her high monastic achievement. When the Abbess died, by the unanimous wish of the nuns the Nun Matrona became head of the convent. fame of her virtuous activities, and miraculous gift of healing, which she acquired from the Lord, spread far beyond the walls of the monastery. also heard about the deeds of the nun. Saint Matrona learned that her husband was coming to the monastery and wanted to see her, she secretly went off to Jerusalem, and then to Mount Sinai, from there to Beirut, where she settled in an abandoned pagan temple. local inhabitants learned of her seclusion, and began to come to her. The holy ascetic turned many from their pagan impiety and converted them to Christ. and girls began to settle by the dwelling of the nun and soon a new monastery was formed. fulfilled the will of God, revealed to her in a dream, the saint left Beirut and journeyed to Constantinople where she learned that her husband had died. the blessing of her spiritual Father, Saint Bassion, the ascetic founded a women’s monastery in Constantinople, to which sisters from the Beirut convent she founded also transferred. Constantinople monastery of Saint Matrona was known for its strict monastic rule and the virtuous life of its sisters. extreme old age Saint Matrona had a vision of the heavenly Paradise and the place prepared for her there after 75 years of monastic labor. At the age of one hundred, Saint Matrona blessed the sisters,and quietly fell asleep in the Lord.

Lykaonia, 500, 6th C Folder, Pisidia Icon

Lykaonia, 553 and 787, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor

Lykaonia, 600, 7th C Folder,

Lykaonia, 700, 8th C Folder, Gregory oDecapolis, Pisidia Icon

Lykaonia, 770-816, Gregory of Decapolis, wandering, iconodule, prophet wonderwork, m relics, in Romania
Lykaonia, 770-816, Gregory of Decapolis, Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities, Lykaonia), to avoid marriage spent life wandering, preaching, denouncing iconoclast, prophecy wonderworking, miraculous relics, now in Romania; Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities); Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Gregory the Decapolite was born in the Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities) in the eighth century. his childhood he loved the temple of God and church services. He read the Holy Scripture constantly and with reverence. order to avoid the marriage which his parents had intended for him, he secretly left home. spent all his life wandering: he was in Constantinople, Rome, Corinth, and he lived as an ascetic on Olympus for a while. Gregory preached the Word of God everywhere, denouncing the Iconoclast heresy, strengthening the faith and fortitude of the Orthodox, whom the heretics in those times oppressed, tortured and imprisoned. his ascetic effort and prayer, Saint Gregory attained the gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. overcoming the passions and reaching the height of virtue, he was permitted to hear angelic singing in praise of the Holy Trinity. Gregory left the monastery of Saint Menas near Thessalonica, where he had labored for a long time, and he went again to Constantinople in order to combat the Iconoclast heresy. the capital, a grievous illness undermined his strength, and he departed to the Lord in the year 816. Gregory was buried at a monastery in Constantinople, and many miracles took place at his tomb. As a result, the monks removed the holy relics of Saint Gregory and enshrined them in the church where people could venerate them. Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the relics of Saint Gregory were carried to the region of the Danube by a Turkish official. 1498 Barbu Craiovescu, the Ban of the Romanian Land (Wallachia) heard of the miracles performed by the holy relics and bought them for a considerable sum of money. Craiovescu placed the relics in the main church of Bistritsa Monastery which he founded in Rimnicu Vilcea, where they remain to the present day. small book describing the miracles and healings performed by Saint Gregory the Decapolite in Romania has been written by Abbess Olga Gologan, who reposed in 1972. Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; John was born at the end of the eighth century. a young age he became a disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis (November 20) and accepted monastic tonsure from him at a monastery in Thessalonica. the guidance of this experienced teacher, Saint John attained great spiritual perfection. the emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820) renewed the persecution against Orthodox Christians because they venerated the holy icons, Saint Gregory of Decapolis and Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) and his disciple Saint John went from Thessalonica to Constantinople, to raise opposition to the Iconoclast heresy. spite of persecution, Saints Gregory and John fearlessly defended Orthodoxy for several years, and preached the veneration of icons. many hardships Saint Gregory died (around 820), and soon after, his faithful disciple John also departed to the Lord. Joseph the Hymnographer transferred the relics of Saints Gregory and John and placed them in the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Lykaonia, 787 and 553, Pisidia Icon, 6th Century Miracles, 8th C icon confessor

Lykaonia, 800, 9th C Folder,

Lykaonia, 900, 10th C Folder, Lampados shone with Christian Virtues

Lykaonia, 950, 10th Century, Lampados of Irenopolis, Isauria, shone wChristian Virtues, many miracles before, after death
Lykaonia, 950, 10th Century, Lampados of Irenopolis, Isauria, Lykaonia (Calycadnus Basin, Goksu River Mouth), shone wChristian virtues, wisdom, exceedcin goodness, controlled tongue, patience, forbearance, gentleness, lover for poor&suffering, led visitors to spiritual balm, many miracles before and after death ; Irenopolis in Isauria; Hieromartyr Lampados of Irenopolis, Commemorated on July 5; Lampados was from Irenopolis in Isauria and lived during the tenth century. he was still in the world, he shone with the Christian virtues. was distinguished for his wisdom, his exceeding goodness, controlling his tongue, his patience, his forbearance, his gentleness, and for his great love for the poor and the suffering. he struggled in asceticism, and he was one of those ascetics who, by their holy life and the reputation of their virtue, are also profitable for the world. who came to his hermitage were led by Saint Lampados to the appropriate spiritual balsam, and they recovered their moral health, which the passions and the pleasures of the flesh had destroyed. monastic saint performed many miracles during his lifetime and after his repose.

Lykaonia, 1000, 11th C Folder,

Lykaonia, 1100, 12th C Folder, Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah 1196-1204

Lykaonia, 1196-1204, Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah 1196-1204
Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah 1196-1204; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1;

Lykaonia, 9999, Unknown Century Folder

Lykaonia, 9999, Holy Martyr Onesimus of Isauria, Lykaonia (Goksu River 2), lived in Palestine, Beheaded, Martyr
Lykaonia, 9999, Isauria, Lykaonia (Goksu River 2), lived in Palestine, Beheaded, Martyr; Isauria; Martyr Onesimus of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Onesimus (Onisius) lived in Palestine. He was beheaded with the sword for confessing faith in Christ.

Lykaonia, Goksu River Folder (Great Road, Iconia, Isauria) Central and East Lykaonia

Goksu River

Goksu River Source (Tuz Golu, Salt Lake)

Goksu River 1 (Sasima and Konya, Great Road)

Sasima, Lykaonia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Sasima; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Lystra, Lykaonia (high point pass between rivers Akarcay 4 and Goksu River 1.5)
Lystra and Derben, Lyconia (Konya) ; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated October 30 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Apostle Artemas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23;

Lyceian Iconium
Lyceian Iconium, In the central plateau of the Lycaonian District, Iconium was a city set amidst a very large fertile plain that stretched to the north and east. Well watered and surrounded by an unusually productive and stoneless alluvial soil ; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated on July 10; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30;

Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (high place, Akarcay & Goksu Rivers, & Great Road)
Iconium; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated August 5 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; THECLA, 1ST CENTURY, Commemorated September 24; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24 ; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated September 28 ; Greatmartyr Parasceva of Iconium, Commemorated on October 28 ; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated October 30 ; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Saint Gorgonia, Sister of Saint Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on February 23; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21;

Goksu River 2 (Isauria)

Isauria, Lykaonia (Goksu River 2)
Isauria; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated on November 19; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; Martyr Azes of Isauria, Commemorated November 19 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated November 28 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Onesimus of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12;

Decapolis, Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities, Lykaonia)
Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities); Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18;

Laranda, Lyconia
Laranda, Lyconia; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16;

Taurus Mountains, Lyconia
Taurus Mountains; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19;

Mt Taurus, Lyconia
Mt Taurus ; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19;

Goksu River 3 (South of Mut)

Irenopolis, Lykaonia (Isauria, Calycadnus Basin, Goksu River Mouth)
Irenopolis in Isauria; Hieromartyr Lampados of Irenopolis, Commemorated on July 5;

Seleucia, Isauria (Goksu River Mouth)
Seleucia, Isauria; Seleucia (theme); Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated September 24; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Lykaonia, Akarcay River Folder (Pamphylia) West Central Lykaonia

Goksu River Mouth (Selucia, Isauria, Mediterranean Sea)

Akarcay River 2 (Bolvadin Plain)
Bolvadin Plain;

Akarcay River 3 (Great Road and Derbent)

Derbe (Derbent)
Derbent, Konya;

Derbe, Acts 14
Acts 14:19-28; 19 But Jews came there from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. Then they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20But when the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the city. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. The Return to Antioch in Syria (from Antioch in Pisidia) 21 After they had proclaimed the good news to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, then on to Iconium and Antioch. 22There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ 23And after they had appointed elders for them in each church, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. 24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work* that they had completed. 27When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. 28And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.

Colophon, Pamphylia (Great Road from Ephesus, Konya, between Akarcay 3 and Goksu 1)
Colophon, Pamphylia; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ;

Akarcay River 4 (Lake Beyschir)

Akarcay River Mouth (Side and Seleucia, Pamphylia, Mediterranean Sea)

Pamphylia Region of Lykaonia (Akarcay River Mouth)
Pamphylia; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia; Martyr Nestor, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24 ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, with his Mother, Commemorated on April 21 ; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Pamphylia Capitol, Perge
Pamphylia; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Nestor, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, with his Mother, Commemorated on April 21 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Side, Pamphylia, Lykaonia (Akarcay River Mouth)
Side, Pamphylia; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch; Hieromartyr Alexander of Side, in Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 15;

Seleucia, Pamphylia, Lykaonia (Akarcay River Mouth)
Seleucia (Pamphylia) ; Hieromartyr Cindeus the Presbyter of Pamphylia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ;

Perge (Perga, Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia
Perge Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1; Nine Martyrs of Perge in Pamphilia, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyrs Papias, Diodorus and Claudianus, at Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 3; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7; Martyr Theodore and those with him, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, with his Mother, Commemorated on April 21; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ;

Eudocia (Psidia, Pamphylia)
Eudocia (Psidia, Pamphylia); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23;

Attalia, Psidia, Pamphylia
Attalia; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2;

Magydos (Magidum), Pamphylia
Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Magidum (Magydos), Pamphylia
Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Hieromartyr Nestor the Bishop of Magydos in Pamphylia, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Lykaonia, Pisidia Folder (Turkish Lakes Region to Mt Chimaera) West Lykaonia

Psidia Region of Lykaonia (Turkish Lakes Region)
Pisidia; Martyr Bianor of Pisidia, Commemorated July 10 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Alexander and 30 others in Pisidia and ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19;

Mount Chimaera, Psidia
Mount Chimaera;

Chimaera, Mt Chimaera, Psidia
Chimaera; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24 ;

Phaselis
Phaselis, 1 Maccabees Ch 15

Turkish Lakes Region - Lake Burdur
Turkish Lakes Region ;

Turkish Lakes Region - Lake Seleucia (Lake Egirdir)
Lake Seleucia (Lake Egirdir) ;

Antioch, Pisidia, Turkish Lakes, Major Intersection
Antioch in Pisidia; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Martyr Trophimus of Synnada, Commemorated on September 19 ; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24; Martyr Alexander and 30 others in Pisidia and Phrygia, Commemorated September 28 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Hieromartyr Charalampus the Bishop of Magnesia in Thessaly, Commemorated on February 10; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9;

Turkish Lakes Region - Lake Beysehir
Lake Beysehir;

Sozopolis, Great Road and Turkish Lakes, Pisidia
Sozopolis, Pisidia ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19;

Seleucia of Pisidia, Lykaonia (Asia Minor)
Seleucia of Pisidia (Asia Minor); Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Martyr Heliodorus in Pamphylia, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Artemon (Menignus) the Bishop of Seleucia, Commemorated on March 24;

Caesarea Antiochia, Pisidia
Caesarea Antiochia; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Martyr Zosimus the Soldier at Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on June 19;

Lykaonia (Clean), Roman Roads and Rivers Folder

Lykaonia (Clean), its Area
Lykaonia, its Area

Lykaonia (Clean), Psidia Region, its Area, Turkish Lakes
Lykaonia (Clean), Psidia Region, its Area

Psidia Region of Lykaonia (Turkish Lakes Region)
Pisidia;

Lykaonia (Clean), areas in the neighborhood

Magidum (Magydos), Pamphylia
Magydos, half way between Perge and Antalya;

Isauria, Lykaonia (Goksu River 2)
Isauria;

Decapolis, Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities, Lykaonia)
Isaurian city of Decapolis (ten cities);

Iconium (Konya), Lykaonia (high place, Akarcay & Goksu Rivers, & Great Road)
Iconium;

Lyceian Iconium
Lyceian Iconium, In the central plateau of the Lycaonian District, Iconium was a city set amidst a very large fertile plain that stretched to the north and east. Well watered and surrounded by an unusually productive and stoneless alluvial soil ;

Seleucia, Isauria (Goksu River Mouth)
Seleucia, Isauria; Seleucia (theme);

Seleucia of Pisidia, Lykaonia (Asia Minor)
Seleucia of Pisidia (Asia Minor);

Antioch, Pisidia, Turkish Lakes, Major Intersection
Antioch in Pisidia;

Perge (Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia
Perge

Pamphylia Capitol, Perge
Pamphylia;

Pamphylia Region of Lykaonia (Akarcay River Mouth)
Pamphylia;

Attalia, Psidia, Pamphylia
Attalia;

Side, Pamphylia, Lykaonia
Side, Pamphylia;

Lebanon Folder, its rivers and mountains

Lebanon, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Lebanon
Lebanon; Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Thallelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on May 20; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Phoenicia (Lebanon)
Phoenicia; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Lebanon 030-335, Lebanon History Folder

Lebanon, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, Bishop of Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanon, 30-1st Century, Apostle Quartus, Bishop of Beirut, Lebanon; (Greek: Κούαρτος, romanized: Kouartos) was an early Christian who is mentioned in the Bible. to church tradition, he is known as Quartus of Berytus[1] and is numbered among the Seventy Disciples. Furthermore, he was Bishop of Beirut and suffered for the faith. He converted many to the Christian faith. His feast day is 10 November. was born in the city of Athens, and was one of its wealthy and learned nobles. He believed in the Lord Christ and served him. Having received the grace of the Comforter on the day of Pentecost, he preached the gospel in many countries. He entered the city of Magnis and preached there. The people of the city believed; he baptized them and taught them the commandments. Then he returned to Athens, to preach there also, but they stoned him and tortured him severely. Finally they cast him into the fire; thus, he received the crown of martyrdom. Beirut; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. holy Apostles Erastus, Sosipater (April 28), Olympas (January 4), Rodion (April 8), Quartus and Tertius (October 30) were disciples of Saint Paul. They all lived during the first century. Apostle to the Gentiles speaks of them in the Epistle to the Romans, “And Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus, a brother” (Rom 16: 23). Sosipater, a native of Achaia, was Bishop of Iconium, where he also died. Saint Paul mentions him in Romans 16:21. Olympas was mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 16:15). He was also a companion of the Apostle Peter. Saint Rodion (Herodion), was a kinsman of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:11), and left the bishop’s throne at Patras to go to Rome with the Apostle Peter. Saints Rodion and Olympas were beheaded on the very day and hour when Saint Peter was crucified. Quartus endured much suffering for his piety and converted many pagans to Christ, dying peacefully as a bishop in the city of Beirut. Tertius is mentioned in the Epistle to the Romans, “I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom 16:22). Saint Tertius, to whom Saint Paul dictated the Epistle to the Romans, was the second Bishop of Iconium, where also he died. Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Lebanon, 30-70, Lucius of the Seventy, Apostle, Laodicia, Syria, then controlled by Parthia, Med China trade
Laodicea in Syria; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Saint Luke (or Loukias) Luke, or Loukias (not the Evangelist), lived during the first century. Some lists of these Saints identify him as the Evangelist Luke, who was also one of the 70 Apostles, but Greek sources say he was someone other than the Evangelist Luke. However, Saint Demetrios of Rostov, and Slavic Tradition say that he was the Evangelist Luke (See his Life on October 18). Saint was consecrated as the Bishop of Laodikeia in Syria, and completed the course of his life spreading the Gospel and caring for his flock, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; ----------- Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

51, Lebanon, Eudokia of Heliopolis, wealthy impious Samaritan, in Phoenicia (Lebanon, Baalbek), heard singing & judgement teaching, repentented, Jesus told her to pray for resurrection, she taught others
Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated March 1st; 98, Lebanon, Eudokia of Heliopolis, was a wealthy impious Samaritan, of Heliopolis in Phoenicia (Lebanon, modern Baalbek), heard singing and judgement teaching, repentented, entered monastery, strict pennance, spiitual gifts, became igumen, former lover came, struck dead, prayed Lord reveal his will, Lord appeared and told her to pray for his resurrection, revived by her prayer he repented. time, then another situation, H residents reported E took Gold & Silver out of the city to her monastery, invisible power of God protected M 3 days. Then Governor sent his own son who died on the way, G asked E to revive him. then he and his associates became christian when she did. She later did same for Governor Diodgenes and Military Commander Diodorus, and then led them to pray for and resurrect commander's son. 56 years in Monastery then martyered by another governor.;

Lebanon, 250 3rd Century, Christina of Tyre (Christina of Bolsena)
Lebanon Saint, 3rd Century, Christina of Tyre (Christina of Bolsena); Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24;

Lebanon, 250 3rd C, Christina oTyre, Lebanon, worshipped creator, prayed reveal self, he taught her savior faith, healed fMany t
Lebanon, 250 3rd Century, Christina oTyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth), wealthy, beautiful, pagan princess, gold idols, Incense before them, but wondered who created beautiful world, idols couldn't have, prayed to creator to reveal himself, wFasting, visited bAngel wInstructed true faith, tSavior Christ, called her Bride oChrist, told future suffering, she smashed all idols&out the window, her father's rage, mother's imploring tReturn, tortured iron wheel scorched all sides, prison, angel healed fed her, father drowned her but angel sustained her, father to execute her for sorcery but he died suddenly, more tortures another governor, she converted 300 in prison, new governor locked red hot oven 5days alive unharmed, executed wSword; Tyre; Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Christina lived during the third century. was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. ’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. this end he placed her in a special dwelling where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them. Two servants attended Christina. her solitude, Christina began to wonder who had created this beautiful world. her room she was delighted by the stars of the heavens and she constantly came back to the thought about the Creator of all the world. was convinced, that the voiceless and inanimate idols in her room could not create anything, since they themselves were created by human hands. began to pray to the One God with tears, entreating Him to reveal Himself. Her soul blazed with love for the Unknown God, and she intensified her prayer all the more, and combined it with fasting. time Christina was visited by an angel, who instructed her in the true faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. angel called her a bride of Christ and told her about her future suffering. holy virgin smashed all the idols standing in her room and threw them out the window. visiting his daughter Christina’s father, Urban, asked her where all the idols had disappeared. Christina was silent. Then, having summoned the servants, Urban learned the truth from them. a rage the father began to slap his daughter’s face. At first, the holy virgin remained quiet, but then she told her father about her faith in the One True God, and that she had destroyed the idols with her own hands. gave orders to kill all the servants in attendance upon his daughter, and he gave Christina a fierce beating and threw her in prison. learned about what had happened, Saint Christina’s mother came in tears, imploring her to renounce Christ and to return to her ancestral beliefs. Christina remained unyielding. another day, Urban brought his daughter to trial and urged her to offer worship to the gods, and to ask forgiveness for her misdeeds. Instead, he saw her firm and steadfast confession of faith in Christ. torturers tied her to an iron wheel, beneath which they lit a fire. The body of the martyr, turning round on the wheel, was scorched on all sides. They then threw her into prison. angel of God appeared at night, healing her wounds and strengthening her with food. father, seeing her unharmed, gave orders to drown her in the sea. angel sustained the saint while the stone sank down, and Christina miraculously came out of the water and reappeared before her father. terror, her father imputed this to sorcery and decided to execute her in the morning. night he himself suddenly died. governor, Dion, was sent in his place. He summoned the holy martyr and also tried to persuade her to renounce Christ, but seeing her unyielding firmness, he again subjected her to cruel tortures. holy martyr was for a long while in prison. People began to flock to her, and she converted them to the true faith in Christ. Thus about 300 were converted. place of Dion, a new governor Julian arrived and resumed the torture of the saint. various torments, Julian gave orders to throw her into a red-hot furnace and lock her in it. After five days they opened the furnace and found the martyr alive and unharmed. Seeing this miracle take place, many believed in Christ the Savior, and the torturers executed Saint Christina with a sword.

Lebanon, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, B's Bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross miraculously etched
Syria, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, tower, pagan teachers, beauty, first cause questions, idols human hands w, not able to make, desire to know god life' goal, virginity, fame her beauty, refused marriage, warned father of split, permitted freedom, christian maidens, priest disguised merchant, baptism, Barbara's bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross, miraculously etched, footprints too, healing water, many B miracles, father's rage, escape, hill opens up, crevice, shepherds, torture, Jesus, Juliana's sympathetic loud voice, torture, angel c nakedness w robe, beheaded by f and perfect, both killed by lightning; Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon.[1][2] There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology. Despite the legends detailing her story, the earliest references to her supposed 3rd-century life do not appear until the 7th century, and veneration of her was common, especially in the East, from the 9th century.[3] of doubts about the historicity of her legend,[4] she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, though not from the Catholic Church's list of saints.[5] Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times, perhaps best known as the patron saint of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning, and also of mathematicians. A 15th-century French version of her story credits her with thirteen miracles, many of which reflect the security she offered that her devotees would not die before getting to make confession and receiving extreme unction.[3] Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon); Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her from the eyes of strangers. Therefore, he built a tower for Barbara, where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and the meadows covered with a mottled blanket of flowers; by night the harmonious and majestic vault of the heavens twinkled and provided a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. the virgin began to ask herself questions about the First Cause and Creator of so harmonious and splendid a world. she became convinced that the souless idols were merely the work of human hands. her father and teachers offered them worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the surrounding world. desire to know the true God so consumed her soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, to spend her life in virginity. fame of her beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her hand in marriage. But despite the entreaties of her father, she refused all of them. warned her father that his persistence might end tragically and separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that the temperament of his daughter had been affected by her life of seclusion. therefore permitted her to leave the tower and gave her full freedom in her choice of friends and acquaintances. Barbara met young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos. the Providence of God, a priest arrived in Heliopolis from Alexandria disguised as a merchant. After instructing her in the mysteries of the Christian Faith, he baptized Barbara, then returned to his own country. this time a luxurious bathhouse was being built at the house of Dioscorus. By his orders the workers prepared to put two windows on the south side. But Barbara, taking advantage of her father’s absence, asked them to make a third window, thereby forming a Trinity of light. one of the walls of the bath-house Barbara traced a cross with her finger. The cross was deeply etched into the marble, as if by an iron instrument. her footprints were imprinted on the stone steps of the bathhouse. water of the bathhouse had great healing power. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9) compared the bathhouse to the stream of Jordan and the Pool of Siloam, because by God’s power, many miracles took place there. Dioscorus returned and expressed dissatisfaction about the change in his building plans, his daughter told him about how she had come to know the Triune God, about the saving power of the Son of God, and about the futility of worshipping idols. went into a rage, grabbed a sword and was on the point of striking her with it. The holy virgin fled from her father, and he rushed after her in pursuit. His way became blocked by a hill, which opened up and concealed the saint in a crevice. the other side of the crevice was an entrance leading upwards. Saint Barbara managed then to conceal herself in a cave on the opposite slope of the hill. a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. he handed her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat Saint Barbara fiercely: they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night Saint Barbara prayed fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even more frightful torments. the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her. martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of Saint Barbara the Lord sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Saints Barbara and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed Saint Barbara. The wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning. the sixth century the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople. Six hundred years later, they were transferred to Kiev (July 11) by Barbara, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos, Barbara, wife of the Russian prince Michael Izyaslavich. They rest even now at Kiev’s Saint Vladimir cathedral, where an Akathist to the saint is served each Tuesday. pious Orthodox Christians are in the habit of chanting the Troparion of Saint Barbara each day, recalling the Savior’s promise to her that those who remembered her and her sufferings would be preserved from a sudden, unexpected death, and would not depart this life without benefit of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Lebanon, 275-362, Dorotheus, Bishop oTyre, Lebanon, martyred at age 107 by Julian tApostate, after hiding from Diocletian, converted many pagans
Lebanon, 275-362, Dorotheus, Bishop oTyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth), Martyred at age 107 in 362 by Julian tApostate, but hid from Diocletian (per the Gospel) in Bulgaria, Tyre Bshop over 50 yrs, Converted many pagans, tortured by Julian in 362, some say author of "The Synopsis"; Tyre; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Dorotheus was bishop of the Phoenician city of Tyre, the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). the words of the Gospel (Mt.10:23), the saint withdrew from Tyre and hid from the persecutors. returned to Tyre during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337, May 21), again occupying the bishop’s throne he guided his flock for more than fifty years, converted many of the pagans to Christianity. When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) began openly to persecute Christians, Saint Dorotheus was already over 100 years old. withdrew from Tyre to the Myzean city of Udum (present day Bulgarian Varna). of the emperor arrested him there for his refusal to offer sacrifice to idols. began to torture the holy Elder, and under torture he surrendered his soul to the Lord (+ ca. 362) at the age of 107. ascribe to Saint Dorotheus the compilation of a work, “The Synopsis”, a collection of sayings, and including lives of the holy prophets and apostles.

Lebanon, 335, Council of Tyre, which judged the cause of St. Athanasius
Lebanon, Council of Tyre 335, which judged the cause of St Athanasius against Arians; First Synod of Tyre or the Council of Tyre (335 AD) was a gathering of bishops called together by Emperor Constantine I for the primary purpose of evaluating charges brought against Athanasius, the Patriarch of Alexandria. was involved in the early Christian christological and trinitarian debates, and supported the position of the Council of Nicaea in opposition to that of Arius and his followers. 328, Athanasius was elected as bishop or patriarch of Alexandria. Alexandria happened to be the city in which Arius was a priest. The situation was further complicated, as Athanasius had not yet reached the age of 30 - the minimum age for bishops in the church. Athanasius succeeded to the see of Alexandria, the Arians had accused Athanasius of, among other things: immoral conduct, illegally taxing the Egyptian people, supporting rebels to the Imperial throne, and even murdering a bishop and keeping his severed hand for use in magical rites. More to the point, Constantine was persuaded to ask Athanasius to re-admit Arius to the church—which he would not do. In 334 Athanasius was summoned before a synod in Caesarea, which he did not attend. Synod[edit] emperor Constantine had ordered a Synod of bishops to be present at the consecration of the church which he had erected at Jerusalem (the precursor to the Holy Sepulchre). He directed that, as a secondary matter, they should on their way first assemble at Tyre, to examine charges that had been brought against Athanasius.[1] The Emperor also sent a letter to Athanasius, making clear that if he did not attend voluntarily, he would be brought to the Synod forcibly. of Nicomedia played a major role in the council and, according to Epiphanius of Salamis, presided over the assembly.[2] About 310 members attended. Athanasius appeared this time with 48 Egyptian bishops. The Synod condemned Athanasius, so he went to Constantinople and confronted the Emperor personally. a hearing in the presence of the Emperor, Athanasius was cleared of all charges except one: threatening to cut off the grain supply to Constantinople from Egypt. This one charge was enough for the Emperor to exile Athanasius to Trier, then part of the Gallic prefecture of Rome (in present-day Germany). did not return from exile until the death of Constantine in 337. Arianism of the Synod of Tyre was ultimately overturned by the Council of Constantinople. St Athanasius; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13;

Lebanon, 373, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all
Beret, Phoenecia Biblos; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christin Beret , Commemorated October 11 ; of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret: At the fourth session of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (in 787), Saint Peter, Bishop of Nicomedia, in defending the necessity of icon veneration, presented an account of Saint Athanasius about a miracle which occurred in the city of Beret, Phoenecia. this city, near the Jewish synagogue, lived a certain Christian. When he moved to another place, he left behind an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Jew, who moved into the house, paid no attention to the icon. Once, his friend noticed of the image of Jesus Christ on the wall and said to the homeowner, “Why do you, a Jew, have an icon in your house?” He then went to the synagogue and reported this transgression of Jewish law. Jews expelled the owner of the house from the synagogue. took the icon from the wall and began to scoff at it, “As once our fathers mocked Him, so we also mock Him.” They spit at the face of the Lord. Hurling abuses, they lashed at the icon, they placed thorns around the head, nailed it to a tree, and put a sponge with vinegar to the mouth. Finally, they took a spear, and one of the Jews thrust it into the side of the Savior. from the hole in the icon made by the spear, blood and water flowed. The Jewish rabbis, seeing the miracle, said, “The followers of Jesus Christ say that He could heal the sick. Let us take this blood and water into the synagogue and anoint those afflicted with infirmities. Then we shall see whether what is spoken of Him is true.” vessel with the blood was put in the synagogue. The inhabitants of Beret, once they learned of the miracle, began to bring those suffering from various illnesses into the synagogue. all were healed, after being anointed with the blood from the icon of the Savior. the Jewish people believed in Christ and exclaimed, “Glory to You, O Christ, Whom our fathers crucified, Whom we also crucified in the form of Your icon. Glory to You, O Son of God, for having worked such a miracle! We believe in You, therefore be merciful to us and receive us!” Jews went to the Bishop of Beret. After showing him the wonderworking icon and the blood and water that flowed from it, they told him of their misdeed. The bishop, seeing their sincere repentance, accepted them, catechized them for many days and then baptized them. he consecrated the synagogue into a church of our Savior Jesus Christ. At the request of the Jews, he also consecrated other synagogues into churches dedicated to the holy martyrs. There was great joy in that city, not only because many people were healed, but because many were baptized due to the miracles worked by the icon of the Savior. St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Lebanon, 787, Beret Icon, Beret Phoenecia, Biblos, Lebanon, Jesus icon, Jews, spear, blood and water, healing for all

Lebanon, Beirut Folder, Central Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Quartus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13;

Laodicea in Phoenicia (Beiruit, Lebanon)
Laodicea in Phoenicia (Beiruit); Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ;

Biblos, Lebanon, Greater Syria, Levant
Biblos; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ;

Beirut, Large Lake outside Beirut, Chouwan Lake, George and the Dragon
Large Lake outside Beirut, Chouwan Lake, George and the Dragon; the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air. the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash. people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George. Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Holy Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, was a native of Cappadocia (a district in Asia Minor), and he grew up in a deeply believing Christian family. His father was martyred for Christ when George was still a child. His mother, owning lands in Palestine, moved there with her son and raised him in strict piety. he became a man, Saint George entered into the service of the Roman army. He was handsome, brave and valiant in battle, and he came to the notice of the emperor Diocletian (284-305) and joined the imperial guard with the rank of comites, or military commander. pagan emperor, who did much for the restoration of Roman might, was clearly concerned with the danger presented to pagan civilization by the triumph of the Crucified Savior, and intensified his persecution against the Christians in the final years of his reign. Following the advice of the Senate at Nicomedia, Diocletian gave all his governors full freedom in their court proceedings against Christians, and he promised them his full support. George, when he heard the decision of the emperor, distributed all his wealth to the poor, freed his servants, and then appeared in the Senate. The brave soldier of Christ spoke out openly against the emperor’s designs. He confessed himself a Christian, and appealed to all to acknowledge Christ: “I am a servant of Christ, my God, and trusting in Him, I have come among you voluntarily, to bear witness concerning the Truth.” “What is Truth?” one of the dignitaries asked, echoing the question of Pontius Pilate. The saint replied, “Christ Himself, Whom you persecuted, is Truth.” by the bold speech of the valiant warrior, the emperor, who had loved and promoted George, attempted to persuade him not to throw away his youth and glory and honors, but rather to offer sacrifice to the gods as was the Roman custom. The confessor replied, “Nothing in this inconstant life can weaken my resolve to serve God.” by order of the enraged emperor the armed guards began to push Saint George out of the assembly hall with their spears, and they then led him off to prison. But the deadly steel became soft and it bent, just as the spears touched the saint’s body, and it caused him no harm. In prison they put the martyr’s feet in stocks and placed a heavy stone on his chest. next day at the interrogation, powerless but firm of spirit, Saint George again answered the emperor, “You will grow tired of tormenting me sooner than I will tire of being tormented by you.” Then Diocletian gave orders to subject Saint George to some very intense tortures. They tied the Great Martyr to a wheel, beneath which were boards pierced with sharp pieces of iron. As the wheel turned, the sharp edges slashed the saint’s naked body. first the sufferer loudly cried out to the Lord, but soon he quieted down, and did not utter even a single groan. Diocletian decided that the tortured one was already dead, and he gave orders to remove the battered body from the wheel, and then went to a pagan temple to offer thanks. this very moment it got dark, thunder boomed, and a voice was heard: “Fear not, George, for I am with you.” Then a wondrous light shone, and at the wheel an angel of the Lord appeared in the form of a radiant youth. He placed his hand upon the martyr, saying to him, “Rejoice!” Saint George stood up healed. the soldiers led him to the pagan temple where the emperor was, the emperor could not believe his own eyes and he thought that he saw before him some other man or even a ghost. In confusion and in terror the pagans looked Saint George over carefully, and they became convinced that a miracle had occurred. Many then came to believe in the Life-Creating God of the Christians. illustrious officials, Saints Anatolius and Protoleon, who were secretly Christians, openly confessed Christ. Immediately, without a trial, they were beheaded with the sword by order of the emperor. Also present in the pagan temple was Empress Alexandra, the wife of Diocletian, and she also knew the truth. She was on the point of glorifying Christ, but one of the servants of the emperor took her and led her off to the palace. emperor became even more furious. He had not lost all hope of influencing Saint George, so he gave him over to new and fiercesome torments. After throwing him into a deep pit, they covered it over with lime. Three days later they dug him out, but found him cheerful and unharmed. They shod the saint in iron sandals with red-hot nails, and then drove him back to the prison with whips. In the morning, they led him back to the interrogation, cheerful and with healed feet, and the emperor asked if he liked his shoes. The saint said that the sandals had been just his size. Then they beat him with ox thongs until pieces of his flesh came off and his blood soaked the ground, but the brave sufferer, strengthened by the power of God, remained unyielding. emperor concluded that the saint was being helped by magic, so he summoned the sorcerer Athanasius to deprive the saint of his miraculous powers, or else poison him. The sorcerer gave Saint George two goblets containing drugs. One of them would have quieted him, and the other would kill him. The drugs had no effect, and the saint continued to denounce the pagan superstitions and glorify God as before. the emperor asked what sort of power was helping him, Saint George said, “Do not imagine that it is any human learning which keeps me from being harmed by these torments. I am saved only by calling upon Christ and His Power. Whoever believes in Him has no regard for tortures and is able to do the things that Christ did” (John 14:12). Diocletian asked what sort of things Christ had done. The Martyr replied, “He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the lame, gave hearing to the deaf, cast out demons, and raised the dead.” that they had never been able to resurrect the dead through sorcery, nor by any of the gods known to him, and wanting to test the saint, the emperor commanded him to raise up a dead person before his eyes. The saint retorted, “You wish to tempt me, but my God will work this sign for the salvation of the people who shall see the power of Christ.” they led Saint George down to the graveyard, he cried out, “O Lord! Show to those here present, that You are the only God in all the world. Let them know You as the Almighty Lord.” Then the earth quaked, a grave opened, the dead one emerged from it alive. Having seen with their own eyes the Power of Christ, the people wept and glorified the true God. sorcerer Athanasius, falling down at the feet of Saint George, confessed Christ as the All-Powerful God and asked forgiveness for his sins, committed in ignorance. The obdurate emperor in his impiety thought otherwise. In a rage, he commanded both Athanasius and the man raised from the dead to be beheaded, and he had Saint George again locked up in prison. people, weighed down with their infirmities, began to visit the prison and they there received healing and help from the saint. A certain farmer named Glycerius, whose ox had collapsed, also visited him. The saint consoled him and assured him that God would restore his ox to life. When he saw the ox alive, the farmer began to glorify the God of the Christians throughout all the city. By order of the emperor, Saint Glycerius was arrested and beheaded. exploits and the miracles of the Great Martyr George had increased the number of the Christians, therefore Diocletian made a final attempt to compel the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. They set up a court at the pagan temple of Apollo. On the final night the holy martyr prayed fervently, and as he slept, he saw the Lord, Who raised him up with His hand, and embraced him. The Savior placed a crown on Saint George’s head and said, “Fear not, but have courage, and you will soon come to Me and receive what has been prepared for you.” the morning, the emperor offered to make Saint George his co-administrator, second only to himself. The holy martyr with a feigned willingness answered, “Caesar, you should have shown me this mercy from the very beginning, instead of torturing me. Let us go now to the temple and see the gods you worship.” believed that the martyr was accepting his offer, and he followed him to the pagan temple with his retinue and all the people. Everyone was certain that Saint George would offer sacrifice to the gods. The saint went up to the idol, made the Sign of the Cross and addressed it as if it were alive: “Are you the one who wants to receive from me sacrifice befitting God?” demon inhabiting the idol cried out, “I am not a god and none of those like me is a god, either. The only God is He Whom you preach. We are fallen angels, and we deceive people because we are jealous.” George cried out, “How dare you remain here, when I, the servant of the true God, have entered?” Then noises and wailing were heard from the idols, and they fell to the ground and were shattered. was general confusion. In a frenzy, pagan priests and many of the crowd seized the holy martyr, tied him up, and began to beat him. They also called for his immediate execution. holy empress Alexandra tried to reach him. Pushing her way through the crowd, she cried out, “O God of George, help me, for You Alone are All-Powerful.” At the feet of the Great Martyr the holy empress confessed Christ, Who had humiliated the idols and those who worshipped them. immediately pronounced the death sentence on the Great Martyr George and the holy Empress Alexandra, who followed Saint George to execution without resisting. Along the way she felt faint and slumped against a wall. There she surrendered her soul to God. George gave thanks to God and prayed that he would also end his life in a worthy manner. At the place of execution the saint prayed that the Lord would forgive the torturers who acted in ignorance, and that He would lead them to the knowledge of Truth. Calmly and bravely, the holy Great Martyr George bent his neck beneath the sword, receiving the crown of martyrdom on April 23, 303. pagan era was coming to an end, and Christianity was about to triumph. Within ten years, Saint Constantine (May 21) would issue the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to Christians. the many miracles worked by the holy Great Martyr George, the most famous are depicted in iconography. In the saint’s native city of Beirut were many idol-worshippers. Outside the city, near Mount Lebanon, was a large lake, inhabited by an enormous dragon-like serpent. Coming out of the lake, it devoured people, and there was nothing anyone could do, since the breath from its nostrils poisoned the very air. the advice of the demons inhabiting the idols, the local ruler came to a decision. Each day the people would draw lots to feed their own children to the serpent, and he promised to sacrifice his only daughter when his turn came. That time did come, and the ruler dressed her in her finest attire, then sent her off to the lake. The girl wept bitterly, awaiting her death. Unexpectedly for her, Saint George rode up on his horse with spear in hand. The girl implored him not to leave her, lest she perish. saint signed himself with the Sign of the Cross. He rushed at the serpent saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Saint George pierced the throat of the serpent with his spear and trampled it with his horse. Then he told the girl to bind the serpent with her sash, and lead it into the city like a dog on a leash. people fled in terror, but the saint halted them with the words: “Don’t be afraid, but trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him, since it is He Who sent me to save you.” Then the saint killed the serpent with a sword, and the people burned it outside the city. Twenty-five thousand men, not counting women and children, were then baptized. Later, a church was built and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr George. George went on to become a talented officer and to amaze the world by his military exploits. He died before he was thirty years old. He is known as Victory Bearer, not only for his military achievements, but for successfully enduring martyrdom. As we know, the martyrs are commemorated in the dismissal at the end of Church services as “the holy, right victorious martyr....” George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.” name of Saint George was also borne by the founder of Moscow, Yurii Dolgoruky (+ 1157), who was the builder of many churches dedicated to Saint George, and the builder of the city of Yuriev-Polsk. In the year 1238 the heroic fight of the Russian nation against the Mongol Horde was led by the Great Prince Yurii (George) Vsevolodovich of Vladimir (February 4), who fell at the Battle at the Sita River. His memory, like that of Igor the Brave, and defender of his land, was celebrated in Russian spiritual poems and ballads. first Great Prince of Moscow, when Moscow had become the center of the Russian Land, was Yurii Danilovich (+ 1325), the son of Saint Daniel of Moscow, and grandson of Saint Alexander Nevsky. From that time Saint George the Victory Bearer, depicted as a horseman slaying the serpent, appeared on Moscow’s coat of arms, and became an emblem of the Russian state. This has strengthened Russia’s connections with Christian nations, and especially with Iberia (Georgia, the Land of Saint George).

Lebanon, Litani River Folder, Southern and Eastern Lebanon, Tyre and Sidon

Litani River

Litani River Source (west of Baalbeck)

Lebanon's Roman Road, Bequaa Valley, Litani River

Baalbeck, Lebanon (Heliopolis, in Syria, Litani River Source)
Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon); Syria, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, tower, pagan teachers, beauty, first cause questions, idols human hands w, not able to make, desire to know god life' goal, virginity, fame her beauty, refused marriage, warned father of split, permitted freedom, christian maidens, priest disguised merchant, baptism, Barbara's bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross, miraculously etched, footprints too, healing water, many B miracles, father's rage, escape, hill opens up, crevice, shepherds, torture, Jesus, Juliana's sympathetic loud voice, torture, angel c nakedness w robe, beheaded by f and perfect, both killed by lightning; Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon.[1][2] There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology. Despite the legends detailing her story, the earliest references to her supposed 3rd-century life do not appear until the 7th century, and veneration of her was common, especially in the East, from the 9th century.[3] of doubts about the historicity of her legend,[4] she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, though not from the Catholic Church's list of saints.[5] Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times, perhaps best known as the patron saint of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning, and also of mathematicians. A 15th-century French version of her story credits her with thirteen miracles, many of which reflect the security she offered that her devotees would not die before getting to make confession and receiving extreme unction.[3] Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon); Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her from the eyes of strangers. Therefore, he built a tower for Barbara, where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and the meadows covered with a mottled blanket of flowers; by night the harmonious and majestic vault of the heavens twinkled and provided a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. the virgin began to ask herself questions about the First Cause and Creator of so harmonious and splendid a world. she became convinced that the souless idols were merely the work of human hands. her father and teachers offered them worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the surrounding world. desire to know the true God so consumed her soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, to spend her life in virginity. fame of her beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her hand in marriage. But despite the entreaties of her father, she refused all of them. warned her father that his persistence might end tragically and separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that the temperament of his daughter had been affected by her life of seclusion. therefore permitted her to leave the tower and gave her full freedom in her choice of friends and acquaintances. Barbara met young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos. the Providence of God, a priest arrived in Heliopolis from Alexandria disguised as a merchant. After instructing her in the mysteries of the Christian Faith, he baptized Barbara, then returned to his own country. this time a luxurious bathhouse was being built at the house of Dioscorus. By his orders the workers prepared to put two windows on the south side. But Barbara, taking advantage of her father’s absence, asked them to make a third window, thereby forming a Trinity of light. one of the walls of the bath-house Barbara traced a cross with her finger. The cross was deeply etched into the marble, as if by an iron instrument. her footprints were imprinted on the stone steps of the bathhouse. water of the bathhouse had great healing power. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9) compared the bathhouse to the stream of Jordan and the Pool of Siloam, because by God’s power, many miracles took place there. Dioscorus returned and expressed dissatisfaction about the change in his building plans, his daughter told him about how she had come to know the Triune God, about the saving power of the Son of God, and about the futility of worshipping idols. went into a rage, grabbed a sword and was on the point of striking her with it. The holy virgin fled from her father, and he rushed after her in pursuit. His way became blocked by a hill, which opened up and concealed the saint in a crevice. the other side of the crevice was an entrance leading upwards. Saint Barbara managed then to conceal herself in a cave on the opposite slope of the hill. a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. he handed her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat Saint Barbara fiercely: they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night Saint Barbara prayed fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even more frightful torments. the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her. martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of Saint Barbara the Lord sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Saints Barbara and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed Saint Barbara. The wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning. the sixth century the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople. Six hundred years later, they were transferred to Kiev (July 11) by Barbara, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos, Barbara, wife of the Russian prince Michael Izyaslavich. They rest even now at Kiev’s Saint Vladimir cathedral, where an Akathist to the saint is served each Tuesday. pious Orthodox Christians are in the habit of chanting the Troparion of Saint Barbara each day, recalling the Savior’s promise to her that those who remembered her and her sufferings would be preserved from a sudden, unexpected death, and would not depart this life without benefit of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse at Heliopolis
Syria, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, tower, pagan teachers, beauty, first cause questions, idols human hands w, not able to make, desire to know god life' goal, virginity, fame her beauty, refused marriage, warned father of split, permitted freedom, christian maidens, priest disguised merchant, baptism, Barbara's bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross, miraculously etched, footprints too, healing water, many B miracles, father's rage, escape, hill opens up, crevice, shepherds, torture, Jesus, Juliana's sympathetic loud voice, torture, angel c nakedness w robe, beheaded by f and perfect, both killed by lightning; Barbara, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon.[1][2] There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology. Despite the legends detailing her story, the earliest references to her supposed 3rd-century life do not appear until the 7th century, and veneration of her was common, especially in the East, from the 9th century.[3] of doubts about the historicity of her legend,[4] she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in the 1969 revision, though not from the Catholic Church's list of saints.[5] Barbara is often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower. As one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times, perhaps best known as the patron saint of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives because of her legend's association with lightning, and also of mathematicians. A 15th-century French version of her story credits her with thirteen miracles, many of which reflect the security she offered that her devotees would not die before getting to make confession and receiving extreme unction.[3] Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon); Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her from the eyes of strangers. Therefore, he built a tower for Barbara, where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and the meadows covered with a mottled blanket of flowers; by night the harmonious and majestic vault of the heavens twinkled and provided a spectacle of inexpressible beauty. the virgin began to ask herself questions about the First Cause and Creator of so harmonious and splendid a world. she became convinced that the souless idols were merely the work of human hands. her father and teachers offered them worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the surrounding world. desire to know the true God so consumed her soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, to spend her life in virginity. fame of her beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her hand in marriage. But despite the entreaties of her father, she refused all of them. warned her father that his persistence might end tragically and separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that the temperament of his daughter had been affected by her life of seclusion. therefore permitted her to leave the tower and gave her full freedom in her choice of friends and acquaintances. Barbara met young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos. the Providence of God, a priest arrived in Heliopolis from Alexandria disguised as a merchant. After instructing her in the mysteries of the Christian Faith, he baptized Barbara, then returned to his own country. this time a luxurious bathhouse was being built at the house of Dioscorus. By his orders the workers prepared to put two windows on the south side. But Barbara, taking advantage of her father’s absence, asked them to make a third window, thereby forming a Trinity of light. one of the walls of the bath-house Barbara traced a cross with her finger. The cross was deeply etched into the marble, as if by an iron instrument. her footprints were imprinted on the stone steps of the bathhouse. water of the bathhouse had great healing power. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9) compared the bathhouse to the stream of Jordan and the Pool of Siloam, because by God’s power, many miracles took place there. Dioscorus returned and expressed dissatisfaction about the change in his building plans, his daughter told him about how she had come to know the Triune God, about the saving power of the Son of God, and about the futility of worshipping idols. went into a rage, grabbed a sword and was on the point of striking her with it. The holy virgin fled from her father, and he rushed after her in pursuit. His way became blocked by a hill, which opened up and concealed the saint in a crevice. the other side of the crevice was an entrance leading upwards. Saint Barbara managed then to conceal herself in a cave on the opposite slope of the hill. a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. he handed her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat Saint Barbara fiercely: they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night Saint Barbara prayed fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even more frightful torments. the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her. martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of Saint Barbara the Lord sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Saints Barbara and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed Saint Barbara. The wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning. the sixth century the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were transferred to Constantinople. Six hundred years later, they were transferred to Kiev (July 11) by Barbara, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos, Barbara, wife of the Russian prince Michael Izyaslavich. They rest even now at Kiev’s Saint Vladimir cathedral, where an Akathist to the saint is served each Tuesday. pious Orthodox Christians are in the habit of chanting the Troparion of Saint Barbara each day, recalling the Savior’s promise to her that those who remembered her and her sufferings would be preserved from a sudden, unexpected death, and would not depart this life without benefit of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Mount Lebanon Range
Mount Lebanon Range;

Anti-Lebanon mountains
Anti-Lebanon mountains including Mt Hermon; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Zahleh, Lebanon (Litani River, Bequaa Valley, Beruit Damascas Road)
Zahleh, Lebanon; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ;

Bequaa Valley, Lebanon
Bequaa Valley in Lebanon between Lebanon and Anti Lebanon Mountains (the border with Syria); Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ;

Litani River Bend

Litani River Mouth (Tyre, Mediterranean Sea)
Litani River

Sidon, Lebanon
Sidon, 1 Maccabees ch 5; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20;

Sarepta (Zarephath), Lebanon
Zarephath; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ;

Zarephath (Sarepta), Lebanon
Zarephath; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ;

Tyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth)
Tyre; Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24; 10 Egyptian Ascetics; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated November 30 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8;

Ladder of Tyre, Southern Lebanon
Ladder of Tyre, 1 Maccabees Ch 11; Martyr Christina of Tyre, Commemorated on July 24; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Lebanon, Eleutherus River Folder, Northern Lebanon, Tripoli

Eleutherus River
Eleutherus River, 1 Maccabees Ch 11, Ch 12;

Eleutherus River Source (Mt Lebanon)

Mount Lebanon (Mount Libanus)
Mount Lebanon; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Mount Libanus (Mount Lebanon)
Mount Lebanon; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4;

Eleutherus River 1 (Homs Gap)
Homs Gap, the Gateway to Syria;

Saint George's Monastery, Homs, Lebanon, about 450, or fifth century
Saint George's Monastery, Homs; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Catabad, Phonicia (first of the only 2 Islands in P)
Venerable Nicephorus, Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19;

Catabad, Phonicia (second of only 2 Islands in P, less likely)
Venerable Nicephorus, Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19;

Eleutherus River Mouth (Tripoli, Mediterranean Sea)

Orthosia (between Tripoli and Eleutherus River)
Orthosia, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Tripoli, Lebanon (Greater Syria, Eleutherus River Mouth)
Tripoli, Lebanon (Syria); Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ;

Barsa, Lebanon
Barsa, Lebanon; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Lebanon (Clean), Roman Road, Rivers, interesting places Folder

Lebanon (Clean), its Area
Lebanon, its Area

Lebanon
Lebanon;

Lebanon on Arabian Plate, its Area

Lebanon (Clean), Phoenecia, its Area, coastal part of Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza

Lebanon (Clean), Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Lebanon (Clean), Lebanon's Roman Road, Bequaa Valley, Litani River
Lebanon's Roman Road, Bequaa Valley, Litani River

Lebanon (Clean), Lebanon to Syria Pass, Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse to Orantes Headwaaters
Lebanon to Syria Pass, Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse to Orantes Headwaaters

Biblos, Lebanon, Greater Syria, Levant
Biblos;

Emessa, Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2)
Emesa, Syria (Homs);

Lebanon (Clean), Beirut Folder, Central Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut;

Laodicea in Phoenicia (Beiruit, Lebanon)
Laodicea in Phoenicia (Beiruit);

Beirut, Large Lake outside Beirut, Chouwan Lake, George and the Dragon
Large Lake outside Beirut, Chouwan Lake, George and the Dragon;

Lebanon (Clean), Litani River Folder, Southern and Eastern Lebanon, Tyre and Sidon

Heliopolis, Phoenicia (Baalbeck, Lebanon, Litani River Source)
Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon);

Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon, Litani River Source)
Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon);

Heliopolis, Barbara's Bathhouse at Heliopolis
Heliopolis, in Syria (Baalbeck, Lebanon);

Anti-Lebanon mountains
Anti-Lebanon mountains including Mt Hermon;

Bequaa Valley, Lebanon
Bequaa Valley in Lebanon between Lebanon and Anti Lebanon Mountains (the border with Syria);

Sidon, Lebanon
Sidon, 1 Maccabees ch 5;

Tyre, Lebanon (Litani River Mouth)
Tyre;

Phoenicia (Lebanon)
Phoenicia;

Ladder of Tyre, Southern Lebanon
Ladder of Tyre, 1 Maccabees Ch 11;

Lebanon (Clean), Eleutherus River Folder, Northern Lebanon, Tripoli

Eleutherus River

Mount Lebanon (Mount Libanus)
Mount Lebanon;

Tripoli, Lebanon (Greater Syria, Eleutherus River Mouth)
Tripoli, Lebanon (Syria);

Lycia Folder, its rivers and mountains

Lycia Region (Xantos, Myros, Finike, Alakir Cay Rivers)
Lycia; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Trophimus and 14 Others in Lycia, Commemorated on July 23; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Converser, Commemorated on August 14; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; St Peter of Atroe, Commemorated September 13 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 21 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Apostle Cephas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Crescens of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on April 13; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Callinike of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20;

Lycia 68-343, Lycia History Folder

Lycia, 000, 1st C Folder, Hieromartyrs Nicander&Hermas of Titus, converted many

Lycia, 68-100, Hieromartyrs of Myra, Bishop Nicander, Presbyter Hermas, by Titus, converted many, torments but help
Lycia, 68-100, Hieromartyrs of Myra, Bishop Nicander, Presbyter Hermas; Myra, Lycia; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4 ; Hieromartyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra, and Hermas the Presbyter, were disciples of the holy Apostle Paul’s follower and fellow ascetic, the holy Apostle Titus of the Seventy (August 25), and they were ordained by him to the priesthood. the ascetic life amid incessant pastoral works, the saints converted many pagans to Christ. For this they were arrested and brought before the city prefect, Libanius. Neither flattery nor threats swayed the holy martyrs to renounce Christ. Then Libanius gave orders that they be tortured. saints endured fierce and inhuman torments: they were tied to horses and dragged over stones, their bodies were raked with iron hooks, and they were cast into a hot oven. The Lord helped them endure things that a mere man by his own strength could not endure. Towards the end, iron nails were hammered into their heads and hearts. They were thrown into a pit, then covered over with earth. enduring such a cruel death, now they live forever in the joy of the Lord (Mt. 25:21). Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun. Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun.

Lycia, 200, 3rd C Folder, Christopher served greatest king, shepherd Thermistocles tSubstitute & St Nicholas saved 3 daughters

Lycia, 249-250, Saint Christopher, miracles, strength, vow serve greatest king, served Satan, he feared Christ, sought Christ
Lycia, 249-250, Saint Christopher, miracles, worldwide veneration, Italy, contagious diseases, cannanites or dogheads of thessaly, stature, strength, hansome, Lord gave him uasttractive face, named Reprobate, denounced christian persecution, beaten endured humbly, 200 soldiers assigned to bring him, submitted, along the way dry stick blossomed, loaves of bread multiplied, soldiers astonished, vow to serve greatest king, local king feared devis, served Satan, devil feared Christ, sought Christ, by task best suited, ferryman, child across stream, heavy, sins of world, Christ, 2 profligrate women converted to Christ, martyred, 200 martyred, red hot metal box, unharmed, beheaded, 250, 50,000 pagans converted, relics to spain and france; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, and, with him, the Martyrs Callinika and Aquilina, Commemorated on May 9; Holy Martyr Christopher lived during the third century and suffered about the year 250, during the reign of the emperor Decius (249-251). There are various accounts of his life and miracles, and he is widely venerated throughout the world. Saint Christopher is especially venerated in Italy, where people pray to him in times of contagious diseases. are various suggestions about his descent. Some historians believe that he was descended from the Canaanites, while others say from the “Cynoscephalai” [literally “dog-heads”] of Thessaly. Christopher was a man of great stature and unusual strength. According to tradition, Saint Christopher was very handsome, but wishing to avoid temptation for himself and others, he asked the Lord to give him an unattractive face, which was done. Before Baptism he was named Reprebus [Reprobate] because his disfigured appearance. Even before Baptism, Reprebus confessed his faith in Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. Consequently, a certain Bacchus gave him a beating, which he endured with humility. of his renowned strength, 200 soldiers were assigned to bring him before the emperor Decius. Reprebus submitted without resistance. Several miracles occurred along the way; a dry stick blossomed in the saint’s hand, loaves of bread were multiplied through his prayers, and the travellers had no lack thereof. This is similar to the multiplication of loaves in the wilderness by the Savior. The soldiers surrounding Reprebus were astonished at these miracles. They came to believe in Christ and they were baptized along with Reprebus by Saint Babylus of Antioch (September 4). once made a vow to serve the greatest king in the world, so he first offered to serve the local king. Seeing that the king feared the devil, Christopher thought he would leave the king to serve Satan. Learning that the devil feared Christ, Christopher went in search of Him. Saint Babylas of Antioch told him that he could best serve Christ by doing well the task for which he was best suited. Therefore, he became a ferryman, carrying people across a river on his shoulders. One stormy night, Christopher carried a Child Who insisted on being taken across at that very moment. With every step Christopher took, the Child seemed to become heavier. Halfway across the stream, Christopher felt that his strength would give out, and that he and the Child would be drowned in the river. As they reached the other side, the Child told him that he had just carried all the sins of the world on his shoulders. Then He ordered Christopher to plant his walking stick in the ground. As he did so, the stick grew into a giant tree. Then he recognized Christ, the King Whom he had vowed to serve. Christopher was brought before the emperor, who tried to make him renounce Christ, not by force but by cunning. He summoned two profligate women, Callinika and Aquilina, and commanded them to persuade Christopher to deny Christ, and to offer sacrifice to idols. Instead, the women were converted to Christ by Saint Christopher. When they returned to the emperor, they declared themselves to be Christians. Therefore, they were subjected to fierce beatings, and so they received the crown of martyrdom. also sentenced to execution the soldiers who had been sent after Saint Christopher, but who now believed in Christ. The emperor ordered that the martyr be thrown into a red-hot metal box. Saint Christopher, however, did not experience any suffering and he remained unharmed. After many fierce torments they finally beheaded the martyr with a sword. This occurred in the year 250 in Lycia. By his miracles the holy Martyr Christopher converted as many as 50,000 pagans to Christ, as Saint Ambrose of Milan testifies. The relics of Saint Christopher were later transferred to Toledo (Spain), and still later to the abbey of Saint Denis in France. Greece, many churches place the icon of Saint Christopher at the entrance so that people can see it as they enter and leave the building. There is a rhyming couplet in Greek which says, “When you see Christopher, you can walk in safety.” This reflects the belief that whoever gazes upon the icon of Saint Christopher will not meet with sudden or accidental death that day. name Christopher means “Christ-bearer.” This can refer to the saint carrying the Savior across the river, and it may also refer to Saint Christopher bearing Christ within himself (Galatians 2:20).

Lycia, 251, Thermistocles of Myra, Lycia, a shepherd who concealed Dioskorides and went out to persuers. Tortured and Martyed
Lycia, 251, Thermistocles of Myra, Lycia, a shepherd who concealed Dioskorides and went out to persuers. Tortured and Martyed; Myra, Lycia; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 21 ; Holy Martyr Themistocles lived in the city of Myra of Lycia during the reign of the persecutor of Christians, Decius (249-251) was a shepherd. During the persecution he concealed within his home a certain Christian named Dioskorides, while he himself went out to the pursuers. They tortured him cruelly, and he received a martyr’s crown for Christ in the year 251

Lycia, 293-343, NICHOLAS of Myra, childless parents dedicate, d light early, d inheritance, saved 3 daughters, myrrh relics
Lycia, 293-343, NICHOLAS of Myra, Bishop, from Patara, wealthy childless parents dedicate him, d light revealed in youth, mother healed, stood 3 hours, fasting from birth, r scripptures, d inheritance to poor, saved daughters from prostitution w 3 sacks of gold, to holy land, saw devil on ship, calmed the waves, restored sailor from mast fall, divine voice to return, monastery, divine voice return to world, chosen bishop by God, at 1st E council, slapped Arius, under guard, restored by same vision to several Fathers, angel face, face relieves opression, grabbed executioners sword for 3 men unjustly condemned by Gov, who repented, appeared to merchant to bring grain for 3 gold pieces, myrrh from his relics; Saint Nicholas of Myra[a] (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343),[3][4][b] also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor during the time of the Roman Empire.[7][8] of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.[c] Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. reputation evolved among the pious, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick") through Sinterklaas. little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and contain many legendary elaborations. He is said to have been born in the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor to wealthy Christian parents.[9] In one of the earliest attested and most famous incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of them. early stories tell of him calming a storm at sea, saving three innocent soldiers from wrongful execution, and chopping down a tree possessed by a demon. his youth, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine. after his return, he became Bishop of Myra. He was later cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, but was released after the accession of Constantine. early list makes him an attendee at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, but he is never mentioned in any writings by people who were actually at the council. unsubstantiated legends claim that he was temporarily defrocked and imprisoned during the council for slapping the heretic Arius. famous late legend tells how he resurrected three children, who had been murdered and pickled in brine by a butcher planning to sell them as pork during a famine. than 200 years after Nicholas's death, the St. Nicholas Church was built in Myra under the orders of Theodosius II over the site of the church where he had served as bishop, and his remains were moved to a sarcophagus in that church. In 1087, while the Greek Christian inhabitants of the region were subjugated by the newly arrived Muslim Seljuk Turks, and soon after their church was declared to be in schism by the Catholic church, a group of merchants from the Italian city of Bari removed the major bones of Nicholas's skeleton from his sarcophagus in the church without authorization and brought them to their hometown, where they are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. remaining bone fragments from the sarcophagus were later removed by Venetian sailors and taken to Venice during the First Crusade. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Converser, Commemorated on August 14; Converser Icon of the Mother of God is so named since it depicts the Mother of God and Saint Nicholas of Myra conversing with the sacristan George. event occurred soon after the appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1383, when the Most Holy Theotokos Herself commanded sacristan George to say that they should replace the metal cross on the newly-constructed temple in Her honor at Tikhvin with a wooden one. the place of this vision a chapel was built in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The chapel burned several times (the first time was in 1390 at the same time as the church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). In 1515, a wooden church was built and a monastery founded in honor of this holy icon. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia is famed as a great saint pleasing unto God. was born in the city of Patara in the region of Lycia (on the south coast of the Asia Minor peninsula), and was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who had vowed to dedicate him to God. the fruit of the prayer of his childless parents, the infant Nicholas from the very day of his birth revealed to people the light of his future glory as a wonderworker. mother, Nonna, after giving birth was immediately healed from illness. The newborn infant, while still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet three hours, without support from anyone, thereby honoring the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas from his infancy began a life of fasting, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he would not accept milk from his mother until after his parents had finished their evening prayers. his childhood Nicholas thrived on the study of Divine Scripture; by day he would not leave church, and by night he prayed and read books, making himself a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Nicholas of Patara rejoiced at the spiritual success and deep piety of his nephew. He ordained him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the priesthood, making him his assistant and entrusting him to instruct the flock. serving the Lord the youth was fervent of spirit, and in his proficiency with questions of faith he was like an Elder, who aroused the wonder and deep respect of believers. Constantly at work and vivacious, in unceasing prayer, the priest Nicholas displayed great kind-heartedness towards the flock, and towards the afflicted who came to him for help, and he distributed all his inheritance to the poor. was a certain formerly rich inhabitant of Patara, whom Saint Nicholas saved from great sin. The man had three grown daughters, and in desperation he planned to sell their bodies so they would have money for food. The saint, learning of the man'™s poverty and of his wicked intention, secretly visited him one night and threw a sack of gold through the window. With the money the man arranged an honorable marriage for his daughter. Saint Nicholas also provided gold for the other daughters, thereby saving the family from falling into spiritual destruction. In bestowing charity, Saint Nicholas always strove to do this secretly and to conceal his good deeds. Bishop of Patara decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy places at Jerusalem, and entrusted the guidance of his flock to Saint Nicholas, who fulfilled this obedience carefully and with love. the bishop returned, Nicholas asked his blessing for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Along the way the saint predicted a storm would arise and threaten the ship. Saint Nicholas saw the devil get on the ship, intending to sink it and kill all the passengers. At the entreaty of the despairing pilgrims, he calmed the waves of the sea by his prayers. his prayer a certain sailor of the ship, who had fallen from the mast and was mortally injured, was also restored to health. he reached the ancient city of Jerusalem and came to Golgotha, Saint Nicholas gave thanks to the Savior. He went to all the holy places, worshiping at each one. One night on Mount Sion, the closed doors of the church opened by themselves for the great pilgrim. Going round the holy places connected with the earthly service of the Son of God, Saint Nicholas decided to withdraw into the desert, but he was stopped by a divine voice urging him to return to his native country. returned to Lycia, and yearning for a life of quietude, the saint entered into the brotherhood of a monastery named Holy Sion, which had been founded by his uncle. But the Lord again indicated another path for him, œNicholas, this is not the vineyard where you shall bear fruit for Me. Return to the world, and glorify My Name there. So he left Patara and went to Myra in Lycia. Upon the death of Archbishop John, Nicholas was chosen as Bishop of Myra after one of the bishops of the Council said that a new archbishop should be revealed by God, not chosen by men. of the elder bishops had a vision of a radiant Man, Who told him that the one who came to the church that night and was first to enter should be made archbishop. He would be named Nicholas. The bishop went to the church at night to await Nicholas. The saint, always the first to arrive at church, was stopped by the bishop. œWhat is your name, child? he asked. God'™s chosen one replied, œMy name is Nicholas, Master, and I am your servant. his consecration as archbishop, Saint Nicholas remained a great ascetic, appearing to his flock as an image of gentleness, kindness and love for people. was particularly precious for the Lycian Church during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Nicholas, locked up in prison together with other Christians for refusing to worship idols, sustained them and exhorted them to endure the fetters, punishment and torture. The Lord preserved him unharmed. Upon the accession of Saint Constantine (May 21) as emperor, Saint Nicholas was restored to his flock, which joyfully received their guide and intercessor. his great gentleness of spirit and purity of heart, Saint Nicholas was a zealous and ardent warrior of the Church of Christ. Fighting evil spirits, the saint made the rounds of the pagan temples and shrines in the city of Myra and its surroundings, shattering the idols and turning the temples to dust. the year 325 Saint Nicholas was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. This Council proclaimed the Nicean Symbol of Faith, and he stood up against the heretic Arius with the likes of Saints Sylvester the Bishop of Rome (January 2), Alexander of Alexandria (May 29), Spyridon of Trimythontos (December 12) and other Fathers of the Council. Nicholas, fired with zeal for the Lord, assailed the heretic Arius with his words, and also struck him upon the face. For this reason, he was deprived of the emblems of his episcopal rank and placed under guard. But several of the holy Fathers had the same vision, seeing the Lord Himself and the Mother of God returning to him the Gospel and omophorion. The Fathers of the Council agreed that the audacity of the saint was pleasing to God, and restored the saint to the office of bishop. returned to his own diocese, the saint brought it peace and blessings, sowing the word of Truth, uprooting heresy, nourishing his flock with sound doctrine, and also providing food for their bodies. face of Saint Nicholas resembled that of an Angel, resplendent with divine grace. A brilliant ray shone from his face, like that which shone from the face of Moses (Exodus 34:29), so that those who looked at him were astonished. was oppressed by some affliction or passion of the soul had only to behold the Saint, and his sorrow was eased at once. for those who conversed with him, they soon found themselves advancing on the path of virtue. Not only were the faithful moved to compassion, but unbelievers as well, and they directed their steps on the path of salvation when they heard him speak. The evil of unbelief which had been implanted in their hearts since childhood was uprooted, and in its place, the word of truth was sown. during his life the saint worked many miracles. One of the greatest was the deliverance from death of three men unjustly condemned by the Governor, who had been bribed. saint boldly went up to the executioner and took his sword, already suspended over the heads of the condemned. The Governor, denounced by Saint Nicholas for his wrong doing, repented and begged for forgiveness. this remarkable event were three military officers, who were sent to Phrygia by the emperor Constantine to put down a rebellion. They did not suspect that soon they would also be compelled to seek the intercession of Saint Nicholas. Evil men slandered them before the emperor, and the officers were sentenced to death. Appearing to Saint Constantine in a dream, Saint Nicholas called on him to overturn the unjust sentence of the military officers. worked many other miracles, and struggled many long years at his labor. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Myra was rescued from a terrible famine. He appeared to a certain Italian merchant and left him three gold pieces as a pledge of payment. He requested him to sail to Myra and deliver grain there. More than once, the saint saved those drowning in the sea, and provided release from captivity and imprisonment. reached old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. His venerable relics were preserved incorrupt in the local cathedral church and flowed with curative myrrh, from which many received healing. In the year 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of Bari, where they rest even now (See May 9). name of the great saint of God, the hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas, a speedy helper and suppliant for all hastening to him, is famed in every corner of the earth, in many lands and among many peoples. In Russia there are a multitude of cathedrals, monasteries and churches consecrated in his name. There is, perhaps, not a single city without a church dedicated to him. first Russian Christian prince Askold (+ 882) was baptized in 866 by Patriarch Photius (February 6) with the name Nicholas. Over the grave of Askold, Saint Olga (July 11) built the first temple of Saint Nicholas in the Russian Church at Kiev. Primary cathedrals were dedicated to Saint Nicholas at Izborsk, Ostrov, Mozhaisk, and Zaraisk. At Novgorod the Great, one of the main churches of the city, the Nikolo-Dvorischensk church, later became a cathedral. and venerable churches and monasteries dedicated to Saint Nicholas are found at Kiev, Smolensk, Pskov, Toropetsa, Galich, Archangelsk, Great Ustiug, Tobolsk. Moscow had dozens of churches named for the saint, and also three monasteries in the Moscow diocese: the Nikolo-Greek (Staryi) in the Chinese-quarter, the Nikolo-Perervinsk and the Nikolo-Ugreshsk. One of the chief towers of the Kremlin was named the Nikolsk. of the churches devoted to the saint were those established at market squares by Russian merchants, sea-farers and those who traveled by land, venerating the wonderworker Nicholas as a protector of all those journeying on dry land and sea. They sometimes received the name among the people of “Nicholas soaked.â€ village churches in Russia were dedicated to the wonderworker Nicholas, venerated by peasants as a merciful intercessor before the Lord for all the people in their work. And in the Russian land Saint Nicholas did not cease his intercession. Ancient Kiev preserves the memory about the miraculous rescue of a drowning infant by the saint. The great wonderworker, hearing the grief-filled prayers of the parents for the loss of their only child, took the infant from the waters, revived him and placed him in the choir-loft of the church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) before his wonderworking icon. In the morning the infant was found safe by his thrilled parents, praising Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. wonderworking icons of Saint Nicholas appeared in Russia and came also from other lands. There is the ancient Byzantine embroidered image of the saint, brought to Moscow from Novgorod, and the large icon painted in the thirteenth century by a Novgorod master. depictions of the wonderworker are especially numerous in the Russian Church: Saint Nicholas of Zaraisk, portrayed in full-length, with his right hand raised in blessing and with a Gospel (this image was brought to Ryazan in 1225 by the future wife of Prince Theodore, the Byzantine Princess Eupraxia, who perished in 1237 with her husband and infant son during the incursion of Batu); and Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk, also in full stature, with a sword in his right hand and a city in his left. This recalls the miraculous rescue of the city of Mozhaisk from an invasion of enemies, through the prayers of the saint. It is impossible to list all the grace-filled icons of Saint Nicholas, or to enumerate all his miracles. Nicholas is the patron of travelers, and we pray to him for deliverance from floods, poverty, or any misfortunes. He has promised to help those who remember his parents, Theophanes and Nonna. Nicholas is also commemorated on May 9 (The transfer of his relics) and on July 29 (his nativity). Italy, the relics of Saint Nicholas are in the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari; and his left arm is in Saint Nicholas Roman Catholic Church of Rimini. Russia, relics of Saint Nicholas are to be found in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, and in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. right hand of Saint Nicholas is in the church of Saint George the New in Bucharest, Romania. Greece, portions of the Saint's relics are in the Monasteries of Saint Nicholas Apo Bathia in Euboia, and PhaneromenÄ“ in Salaminos. A piece of the Saint's left arm is in the Metropolitan church of Volos. One of the Saint's teeth is at Kalabryta Monastery in the PeloponnÄ“sos. NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) , Commemorated December 6; story of St. Nicholas offers a possible way of dealing with the "Santa Claus" problem, to parents who do not want to lie to their children, even in fun, but do not want to say simply: "Bah, humbug! There is no such thing as Santa. Forget about him." was a native of the western part of what is now Asiatic Turkey. He became Bishop of Myra in the fourth century, and there are many stories of his love for God and for his neighbor. best-known story involves a man with three unmarried daughters, and not enough money to provide them with suitable dowries. This meant that they could not marry, and were likely to end up as prostitutes. Nicholas walked by the man's house on three successive nights, and each time threw a bag of gold in through a window (or, when the story came to be told in colder climates, down the chimney). Thus, the daughters were saved from a life of shame, and all got married and lived happily ever after. of this and similar stories, Nicholas became a symbol of anonymous gift-giving. Hence, if we give a gift to someone today without saying whom it is from, it can be called "a present from Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus)." Some parents explain this to their children and invite the child to join them in wrapping a toy (either something purchased for that purpose, at least partly with the child's allowance, or else a toy that the child has outgrown but that is still serviceable) or an outgrown but not shabby item of the child's clothing, or a package of food, and then going along to donate it to a suitable shelter that will give it to someone who will welcome it. This gift is then called "a present from Santa," so that the child understands that this is another name for an anonymous gift given to someone whom we do not know, but whom we love anyway because God does. (Presents within the family can be "From Santa" or "From Santa and...") fresco of St. NicholasPictures of Nicholas often show three bags of gold next to him, and often these bags have become simply three disks or balls. Nicholas became the patron of an Italian city (I think Bari, which is where his body is now buried) that was a center of the pawnbroking business, and hence a pawnbroking shop traditionally advertises by displaying three gold balls over its front. It is thought that some persons looking at pictures of Nicholas confused the three round objects with human heads. Hence there is a story of a wicked innkeeper who murdered three boys and salted their bodies to serve to his guests, to save on the butcher's bill. Nicholas visited the inn and confronted the innkeeper, who confessed his crime, whereupon Nicholas prayed over the brine-tub and the three boys leaped out unharmed. Other stories have him saving the lives of three innocent men who had been condemned to death. Still other stories have him coming to the rescue of drowning sailors (could this be related to the brine-tub incident?). Nicholas has always been popular with children, mariners, pawnbrokers, the Dutch, the Russians, and recently, the department-store owners. (American readers may remember the story of the brine-tub through reading it as children in the book The Dutch Twins, by Lucy Fitch Perkins, author of The Spanish Twins, The Italian Twins, and many similar books, all children's favorites in the middle of this century. They may now be banned as politically incorrect -- I have no idea. If your children know the brine-tub story, from this book or elsewhere, they may be interested to know how it may have originated.) many countries, Nicholas visits children on his feast day, 6 December, and brings them gifts then. In these countries, there is usually no exchange of Christmas presents, but there may be gifts again on January 6, the feast of the coming of the Wise Men, who brought gifts to the Holy Child of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In America, it may be thought necessary to yield to outside pressure and let Nicholas distribute gifts on December 25. you want to show your children (or yourself) how Nicholas is remembered by Christians with a background different from your own (unless, of course, this IS your background), you might want to attend an East Orthodox service at this time. Many Eastern Orthodox congregations have services on the evening before 6 December that feature "visits from Saint Nicholas." He appears as a bishop, with no red suit. The faithful leave their shoes outside the church door, and find in them afterwards gold coins (actually chocolate wrapped in gold foil) representing the gold dowries of the three daughters. To find a service and inquire what it is likely to be like, look up CHURCHES, ORTHODOX in the Yellow Pages. For an English-language service, "Orthodox Church in America" or "Antiochan Orthodox" parishes are likely choices, but do not overlook other possibilities. are told, but it is uncertain, that Nicholas was imprisoned for his faith before the accession of Constantine, and that he was present at the Council of Nicea in 325. We may note in passing that the picture of him as roly-poly is a late development. Early stories indicate that he was generous to others, but not given to self-indulgence. Indeed, even as an unweaned infant, he fasted regularly on Wednesdays and Fridays. by James Kiefer

Lycia, 2000, 21st C Folder, Nativity oSt Nicholas feast revived

Lycia, 2004, Nativity of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Myra, Lycia, Celebration Revived in 2004
Lycia, 2004, Nativity of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Myra, Lycia (Myros River Mouth), The Feast of his Nativity was not very widely known in Russia, but in 2004, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia, the celebration of the Nativity of Saint Nicholas was revived ; Myra, Lycia; Nativity of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Commemorated on July 29; July 29, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Bishop of Myra in Lycia, who is one of the most revered saints in Russia. addition to the two main holidays dedicated to Saint Nicholas, celebrated on December 6 (the saint's blessed repose) and May 9 (the transfer of his holy relics to the city of Bari), there are other days when the Church remembers the God-pleaser Nicholas. Feast of his Nativity was not very widely known in Russia, but in 2004, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia, the celebration of the Nativity of Saint Nicholas was revived. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia is famed as a great saint pleasing unto God. He was born in the city of Patara in the region of Lycia (on the south coast of the Asia Minor peninsula), and was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who had vowed to dedicate him to God. the fruit of the prayer of his childless parents, the infant Nicholas from the very day of his birth revealed to people the light of his future glory as a wonderworker. His mother, Nonna, after giving birth was immediately healed from illness. The newborn infant, while still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet three hours, without support from anyone, thereby honoring the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas from his infancy began a life of fasting, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he would not accept milk from his mother until after his parents had finished their evening prayers. his childhood Nicholas thrived on the study of Divine Scripture; by day he would not leave church, and by night he prayed and read books, making himself a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Bishop Nicholas of Patara rejoiced at the spiritual success and deep piety of his nephew. He ordained him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the priesthood, making him his assistant and entrusting him to instruct the flock. serving the Lord the youth was fervent of spirit, and in his proficiency with questions of faith he was like an Elder, who aroused the wonder and deep respect of believers. Constantly at work and vivacious, in unceasing prayer, the priest Nicholas displayed great kind-heartedness towards the flock, and towards the afflicted who came to him for help, and he distributed all his inheritance to the poor. was a certain formerly rich inhabitant of Patara, whom Saint Nicholas saved from great sin. The man had three grown daughters, and in desperation he planned to sell their bodies so they would have money for food. The saint, learning of the man’s poverty and of his wicked intention, secretly visited him one night and threw a sack of gold through the window. With the money the man arranged an honorable marriage for his daughter. Saint Nicholas also provided gold for the other daughters, thereby saving the family from falling into spiritual destruction. In bestowing charity, Saint Nicholas always strove to do this secretly and to conceal his good deeds. Bishop of Patara decided to go on pilgrimage to the holy places at Jerusalem, and entrusted the guidance of his flock to Saint Nicholas, who fulfilled this obedience carefully and with love. When the bishop returned, Nicholas asked his blessing for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Along the way the saint predicted a storm would arise and threaten the ship. Saint Nicholas saw the devil get on the ship, intending to sink it and kill all the passengers. At the entreaty of the despairing pilgrims, he calmed the waves of the sea by his prayers. Through his prayer a certain sailor of the ship, who had fallen from the mast and was mortally injured, was also restored to health. he reached the ancient city of Jerusalem and came to Golgotha, Saint Nicholas gave thanks to the Savior. He went to all the holy places, worshiping at each one. One night on Mount Sion, the closed doors of the church opened by themselves for the great pilgrim. Going round the holy places connected with the earthly service of the Son of God, Saint Nicholas decided to withdraw into the desert, but he was stopped by a divine voice urging him to return to his native country. He returned to Lycia, and yearning for a life of quietude, the saint entered into the brotherhood of a monastery named Holy Sion, which had been founded by his uncle. But the Lord again indicated another path for him, “Nicholas, this is not the vineyard where you shall bear fruit for Me. Return to the world, and glorify My Name there.â€ So he left Patara and went to Myra in Lycia. Upon the death of Archbishop John, Nicholas was chosen as Bishop of Myra after one of the bishops of the Council said that a new archbishop should be revealed by God, not chosen by men. One of the elder bishops had a vision of a radiant Man, Who told him that the one who came to the church that night and was first to enter should be made archbishop. He would be named Nicholas. The bishop went to the church at night to await Nicholas. The saint, always the first to arrive at church, was stopped by the bishop. “What is your name, child?â€ he asked. God’s chosen one replied, “My name is Nicholas, Master, and I am your servant.â€ his consecration as archbishop, Saint Nicholas remained a great ascetic, appearing to his flock as an image of gentleness, kindness and love for people. This was particularly precious for the Lycian Church during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Bishop Nicholas, locked up in prison together with other Christians for refusing to worship idols, sustained them and exhorted them to endure the fetters, punishment and torture. The Lord preserved him unharmed. Upon the accession of Saint Constantine (May 21) as emperor, Saint Nicholas was restored to his flock, which joyfully received their guide and intercessor. his great gentleness of spirit and purity of heart, Saint Nicholas was a zealous and ardent warrior of the Church of Christ. Fighting evil spirits, the saint made the rounds of the pagan temples and shrines in the city of Myra and its surroundings, shattering the idols and turning the temples to dust. the year 325 Saint Nicholas was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. This Council proclaimed the Nicean Symbol of Faith, and he stood up against the heretic Arius with the likes of Saints Sylvester the Bishop of Rome (January 2), Alexander of Alexandria (May 29), Spyridon of Trimythontos (December 12) and other Fathers of the Council. Nicholas, fired with zeal for the Lord, assailed the heretic Arius with his words, and also struck him upon the face. For this reason, he was deprived of the emblems of his episcopal rank and placed under guard. But several of the holy Fathers had the same vision, seeing the Lord Himself and the Mother of God returning to him the Gospel and omophorion. The Fathers of the Council agreed that the audacity of the saint was pleasing to God, and restored the saint to the office of bishop. returned to his own diocese, the saint brought it peace and blessings, sowing the word of Truth, uprooting heresy, nourishing his flock with sound doctrine, and also providing food for their bodies. The face of Saint Nicholas resembled that of an Angel, resplendent with divine grace. A brilliant ray shone from his face, like that which shone from the face of Moses (Exodus 34:29), so that those who looked at him were astonished. Whoever was oppressed by some affliction or passion of the soul had only to behold the Saint, and his sorrow was eased at once. As for those who conversed with him, they soon found themselves advancing on the path of virtue. Not only were the faithful moved to compassion, but unbelievers as well, and they directed their steps on the path of salvation when they heard him speak. The evil of unbelief which had been implanted in their hearts since childhood was uprooted, and in its place, the word of truth was sown. during his life the saint worked many miracles. One of the greatest was the deliverance from death of three men unjustly condemned by the Governor, who had been bribed. The saint boldly went up to the executioner and took his sword, already suspended over the heads of the condemned. The Governor, denounced by Saint Nicholas for his wrong doing, repented and begged for forgiveness. this remarkable event were three military officers, who were sent to Phrygia by the emperor Constantine to put down a rebellion. They did not suspect that soon they would also be compelled to seek the intercession of Saint Nicholas. Evil men slandered them before the emperor, and the officers were sentenced to death. Appearing to Saint Constantine in a dream, Saint Nicholas called on him to overturn the unjust sentence of the military officers. worked many other miracles, and struggled many long years at his labor. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Myra was rescued from a terrible famine. He appeared to a certain Italian merchant and left him three gold pieces as a pledge of payment. He requested him to sail to Myra and deliver grain there. More than once, the saint saved those drowning in the sea, and provided release from captivity and imprisonment. reached old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. His venerable relics were preserved incorrupt in the local cathedral church and flowed with curative myrrh, from which many received healing. In the year 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of Bari, where they rest even now (See May 9). name of the great saint of God, the hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas, a speedy helper and suppliant for all hastening to him, is famed in every corner of the earth, in many lands and among many peoples. In Russia there are a multitude of cathedrals, monasteries and churches consecrated in his name. There is, perhaps, not a single city without a church dedicated to him. first Russian Christian prince Askold (+ 882) was baptized in 866 by Patriarch Photius (February 6) with the name Nicholas. Over the grave of Askold, Saint Olga (July 11) built the first temple of Saint Nicholas in the Russian Church at Kiev. Primary cathedrals were dedicated to Saint Nicholas at Izborsk, Ostrov, Mozhaisk, and Zaraisk. At Novgorod the Great, one of the main churches of the city, the Nikolo-Dvorischensk church, later became a cathedral. and venerable churches and monasteries dedicated to Saint Nicholas are found at Kiev, Smolensk, Pskov, Toropetsa, Galich, Archangelsk, Great Ustiug, Tobolsk. Moscow had dozens of churches named for the saint, and also three monasteries in the Moscow diocese: the Nikolo-Greek (Staryi) in the Chinese-quarter, the Nikolo-Perervinsk and the Nikolo-Ugreshsk. One of the chief towers of the Kremlin was named the Nikolsk. of the churches devoted to the saint were those established at market squares by Russian merchants, sea-farers and those who traveled by land, venerating the wonderworker Nicholas as a protector of all those journeying on dry land and sea. They sometimes received the name among the people of “Nicholas soaked.â€ village churches in Russia were dedicated to the wonderworker Nicholas, venerated by peasants as a merciful intercessor before the Lord for all the people in their work. And in the Russian land Saint Nicholas did not cease his intercession. Ancient Kiev preserves the memory about the miraculous rescue of a drowning infant by the saint. The great wonderworker, hearing the grief-filled prayers of the parents for the loss of their only child, took the infant from the waters, revived him and placed him in the choir-loft of the church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) before his wonderworking icon. In the morning the infant was found safe by his thrilled parents, praising Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. wonderworking icons of Saint Nicholas appeared in Russia and came also from other lands. There is the ancient Byzantine embroidered image of the saint, brought to Moscow from Novgorod, and the large icon painted in the thirteenth century by a Novgorod master. depictions of the wonderworker are especially numerous in the Russian Church: Saint Nicholas of Zaraisk, portrayed in full-length, with his right hand raised in blessing and with a Gospel (this image was brought to Ryazan in 1225 by the future wife of Prince Theodore, the Byzantine Princess Eupraxia, who perished in 1237 with her husband and infant son during the incursion of Batu); and Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk, also in full stature, with a sword in his right hand and a city in his left. This recalls the miraculous rescue of the city of Mozhaisk from an invasion of enemies, through the prayers of the saint. It is impossible to list all the grace-filled icons of Saint Nicholas, or to enumerate all his miracles. Nicholas is the patron of travelers, and we pray to him for deliverance from floods, poverty, or any misfortunes. He has promised to help those who remember his parents, Theophanes and Nonna. Nicholas is also commemorated on May 9 (The transfer of his relics) and on July 29 (his nativity). Italy, the relics of Saint Nicholas are in the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari; and his left arm is in Saint Nicholas Roman Catholic Church of Rimini. Russia, relics of Saint Nicholas are to be found in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, and in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. right hand of Saint Nicholas is in the church of Saint George the New in Bucharest, Romania. Greece, portions of the Saint's relics are in the Monasteries of Saint Nicholas Apo Bathia in Euboia, and PhaneromenÄ“ in Salaminos. A piece of the Saint's left arm is in the Metropolitan church of Volos. One of the Saint's teeth is at Kalabryta Monastery in the PeloponnÄ“sos.

Lycia (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, important places Folder

Lycia (Clean), its Area
Lycia, its Area

Lycia (Clean), Xantos River Folder, Western LYC (Clean)

Xanthos River

Xanthos River Mouth (Xanthos, Patara, Lycia, Rhodes Bay)

Patara, Lycia (Xantos River Mouth)
Patara, Lycia;

Lycia (Clean), Myros River Folder, Central LYC

Myros River

Myra, Lycia (Myros River Mouth)
Myra, Lycia;

Lycia (Clean), Finike River Folder, East Central LYC

Finike River

Finike River Mouth (Lycia, Road to Elmali, Mediterranean Sea)

Lycia (Clean), Alakir Cay River Folder, Eastern LYC

Alakir Cay River

Atroe, Lycia, Alakir Cay mouth , near Asian Olympos
Olympos, Lycia ;

Olympos, Lycia
Olympos, Lycia ;

Lycia, Xantos River Folder, Western LYC

Xantos River Source

Patara, Lycia (Xantos River Mouth)
Patara, Lycia; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20;

Lycia, Myros River Folder, Central LYC

Myros River Source

Myros River Mouth (Myra, Lycia)

Myra, Lycia (Myros River Mouth)
Myra, Lycia; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Nativity of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Commemorated on July 29; Icon of the Mother of God œthe ConverserÂÂ, Commemorated on August 14; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Nicander the Bishop of Myra, Commemorated on November 4 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326); Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; Martyr Themistocles of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 21 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Crescens of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on April 13; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21;

Lycia, Finike River Folder, East Central LYC

Finike River Source

Lycia, Alakir Cay River Folder, Eastern LYC

Alakir Cay River Source

Alakir Cay River 1 (Alakir Dam)

Alakir Cay River Mouth

Atroe, Lycia, Alakir Cay mouth , near Asian Olympos
Olympos, Lycia ; St Peter of Atroe, Commemorated September 13 ;

Olympos, Lycia
Olympos, Lycia ; St Peter of Atroe, Commemorated September 13 ;

Lemnos Island, Agean Sea Folder, Between Troy and Mt Athos (Clean)

Lemnos Island, Agean Sea, between Troy and Mt Athos
Lemnos Island, Agean Sea, between Troy and Mt Athos; Great Martyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Melitinḗ of Marcianopolis, Commemorated on September 16;

Central America Folder

Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras
Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras;

Central America 1494-1980, Central America History Folder

Nicaragua, 1494-1566, BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, tears of t Indians, great story history spanish over Aztecs w indian help

Central America, 1937-1980, Saint, Oscar Romero, El Salvador
Central American Saint, 1937-1980, Oscar Romero, El Salvador; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

El Salvadoran Civil War, 1979-1992
El Salvadoran Civil War, 1979-1992; El Salvador ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

Chiapas in Guatemala, Central America
Chiapas in Guatemala ; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; de Las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. 1502 he went to Cuba, and for his military services there was given an Encomienda, an estate that included the services of the Indians living on it. about 1513 he was ordained priest (probably the first ordination in the Americas), in 1514 he renounced all claim on his Indian serfs. During the following seven years he made several voyages to Spain to find support for a series of new towns in which Spaniard and Indian would live together in peace and equality. 1523 he became a Dominican friar and disappeared for a time from public controversy. 1540 he returned to Spain and was a force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. was made Bishop of Chiapas in Guatemala, and returned to the Americas in 1544 to implement the new laws, but he met considerable resistance, in 1547 he returned to Spain, where he devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians. is chiefly remembered for his Brief Report On the Destruction of the Indies (or Tears of the Indians), a fervid and perhaps exaggerated account of the atrocities of the Spanish conquerors against the Indians. book was widely read and widely translated, and the English version was used to stir up English feeling against the Spanish as a cruel race whom England ought to beware of, and whose colonies in the Americas would be better off in English Las Casas is widely admired as an early pioneer of social justice, and widely denounced as an irresponsible pamphleteer and spreader of slanders. died in Madrid on 17 July (or perhaps 31 July) 1566, and is remembered as a national hero in Cuba and Nicaragua. An extract from Tears of the Indians follows. Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, Gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and spreading religion. Las Casas we may remember Bartolomeo de Olmedo, priest and friar of Mercy, who was chaplain of Cortez's expedition to Mexico City, and who appears in the records of that expedition as a moderating force, denouncing atrocities and conquest, talking Cortez out of forcibly destroying idol temples, telling him instead to set the Indians an example of Christian love, and wait for them to destroy the idols by their own decision. readers will remember him from Samuel Shellabarger's historical novel, Captain From Castille.) to the Britannica article on pre-Columbian American cultures (see vol. 26 p. 25 of the 15th edition), the clergy accompanying the Spanish conquistadors were consistently more disposed than the commanders to respect the native civilizations and undertake to preserve their records, and whatever aspects of native culture were not clearly inconsistent with Christianity. the beginning, the missionary priests in Spanish America showed concern for the welfare of the Indians. On Christmas Day in 1511, in Hispaniola, the Dominican Antonio de Montesimos preached, saying, "By what right or justice do you keep the Indians in such horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?" government policy was to establish towns for the Indians, and these were normally built in connection with mission posts. The Indians seem to have taken to the mission civilization with enthusiasm. In particular, they were great lovers of music, and found plainchant much to their taste. first Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, said, "I find that more are converted by music than by any other method." were also impressed by the asceticism of the friars. A prominent idea in the native religions had been that holiness was associated with bearing pain in the service of the gods, and when they met missionaries like the Franciscan Antonio de Roa, who went barefoot and slept on boards, wore only a coarse sackcloth robe, ate no meat or wine, and scourged himself every time he saw a crucifix, they concluded that he must be a man of God, and listened eagerly to his preaching. seems clear that the Indians for the most part regarded the missionaries as their benefactors, and gave them a loyalty which was not simply fear of the secular authority that backed them up. This is shown when the secular authority did not back them. 1769, when the Spanish Crown adopted an anti-Jesuit policy, the Jesuits were deported from Mexico. Mobs of angry Indians attempted to break into the barracks where they were held, and a large military escort was necessary to conduct them to Vera Cruz and the waiting ships. in 1799, in Pueblo, a large Indian crowd attacked a jail in which a priest had been imprisoned. about three centuries, from the early 1500's to the early 1800's, the people of Mexico were obedient to the Spanish Crown because their clergy were. when the Crown broke with the clergy in the early 1800's the priests began to preach independence, and the people followed their lead, and Mexico and the rest of Spanish America became independent. great many converts were brought in by the Cloak of Guadalupe. An Indian Christian reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and sent him to see the bishop; and as a sign that the appearance was genuine, she filled his cloak with roses although it was winter, and printed on the cloak a picture of herself, portrayed in the Indian style of art, as a woman treading a serpent, and with some details that made no particular sense to a European. Indians came to see the cloak (which is still on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City), and were converted by the sight. seems that some of the details are significant in terms of American Indian culture, and were understood by the Indians to mean that Christianity is the fulfilment of their prophecies and expectations. persons today think of the Indians of Mexico as a free and happy people who were conquered and enslaved by the Spanish. must be remembered that before the coming of the Europeans, the Aztecs with their capital at what is now Mexico City had conquered the surrounding tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions, and required of them every year a tribute of young men and women to be sacrificed in the temples at Mexico City. subjugated tribes did not like this, and gladly assisted Cortes in his campaign against the Aztecs. when he suffered temporary defeats, the loyalty of his Indian auxiliaries never wavered, and his rule, once he had established himself, was considered far less harsh than that of the Aztecs had been. The Britannica article on Cortes speaks of "his acceptance by the Indians and his popularity as a relatively benign ruler." the European conquest of the Americas is being deplored, the accompanying high death rate among the natives is often mentioned. ought to be remembered that most of these deaths were due to smallpox. The disease was brought to the Americas by one sick sailor, and triggered a series of major epidemics. The Indians had no previous exposure to it and almost no resistance to it, and most cases were fatal. Moreover, the Indians habitually treated their sick by baths, and the water was used by many bathers. One bather with an open sore was enough to infect all who shared the same bath. two populations long separated come into significant contact, each of them is at risk from diseases against which they are defenseless. The smallpox epidemic would have run about the same course if the ships of Columbus had been loaded with social workers and Peace Corps volunteers. can denounce the Europeans for the smallpox epidemic only by being prepared to say that there ought never to be contact between two populations that have previously been isolated from each other. — by James Kiefer

El Salvador, Central America
El Salvador ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, Central America
San Salvador ; El Salvador ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

El Salvador Area

Nicaragua, Central America
Nicaragua; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; de Las Casas was born in Seville, Spain, in 1474. 1502 he went to Cuba, and for his military services there was given an Encomienda, an estate that included the services of the Indians living on it. about 1513 he was ordained priest (probably the first ordination in the Americas), in 1514 he renounced all claim on his Indian serfs. During the following seven years he made several voyages to Spain to find support for a series of new towns in which Spaniard and Indian would live together in peace and equality. 1523 he became a Dominican friar and disappeared for a time from public controversy. 1540 he returned to Spain and was a force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. was made Bishop of Chiapas in Guatemala, and returned to the Americas in 1544 to implement the new laws, but he met considerable resistance, in 1547 he returned to Spain, where he devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians. is chiefly remembered for his Brief Report On the Destruction of the Indies (or Tears of the Indians), a fervid and perhaps exaggerated account of the atrocities of the Spanish conquerors against the Indians. book was widely read and widely translated, and the English version was used to stir up English feeling against the Spanish as a cruel race whom England ought to beware of, and whose colonies in the Americas would be better off in English Las Casas is widely admired as an early pioneer of social justice, and widely denounced as an irresponsible pamphleteer and spreader of slanders. died in Madrid on 17 July (or perhaps 31 July) 1566, and is remembered as a national hero in Cuba and Nicaragua. An extract from Tears of the Indians follows. Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, Gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and spreading religion. Las Casas we may remember Bartolomeo de Olmedo, priest and friar of Mercy, who was chaplain of Cortez's expedition to Mexico City, and who appears in the records of that expedition as a moderating force, denouncing atrocities and conquest, talking Cortez out of forcibly destroying idol temples, telling him instead to set the Indians an example of Christian love, and wait for them to destroy the idols by their own decision. readers will remember him from Samuel Shellabarger's historical novel, Captain From Castille.) to the Britannica article on pre-Columbian American cultures (see vol. 26 p. 25 of the 15th edition), the clergy accompanying the Spanish conquistadors were consistently more disposed than the commanders to respect the native civilizations and undertake to preserve their records, and whatever aspects of native culture were not clearly inconsistent with Christianity. the beginning, the missionary priests in Spanish America showed concern for the welfare of the Indians. On Christmas Day in 1511, in Hispaniola, the Dominican Antonio de Montesimos preached, saying, "By what right or justice do you keep the Indians in such horrible servitude? Are they not men? Have they not rational souls? Are you not bound to love them as you love yourselves?" government policy was to establish towns for the Indians, and these were normally built in connection with mission posts. The Indians seem to have taken to the mission civilization with enthusiasm. In particular, they were great lovers of music, and found plainchant much to their taste. first Bishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumarraga, said, "I find that more are converted by music than by any other method." were also impressed by the asceticism of the friars. A prominent idea in the native religions had been that holiness was associated with bearing pain in the service of the gods, and when they met missionaries like the Franciscan Antonio de Roa, who went barefoot and slept on boards, wore only a coarse sackcloth robe, ate no meat or wine, and scourged himself every time he saw a crucifix, they concluded that he must be a man of God, and listened eagerly to his preaching. seems clear that the Indians for the most part regarded the missionaries as their benefactors, and gave them a loyalty which was not simply fear of the secular authority that backed them up. This is shown when the secular authority did not back them. 1769, when the Spanish Crown adopted an anti-Jesuit policy, the Jesuits were deported from Mexico. Mobs of angry Indians attempted to break into the barracks where they were held, and a large military escort was necessary to conduct them to Vera Cruz and the waiting ships. in 1799, in Pueblo, a large Indian crowd attacked a jail in which a priest had been imprisoned. about three centuries, from the early 1500's to the early 1800's, the people of Mexico were obedient to the Spanish Crown because their clergy were. when the Crown broke with the clergy in the early 1800's the priests began to preach independence, and the people followed their lead, and Mexico and the rest of Spanish America became independent. great many converts were brought in by the Cloak of Guadalupe. An Indian Christian reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to him and sent him to see the bishop; and as a sign that the appearance was genuine, she filled his cloak with roses although it was winter, and printed on the cloak a picture of herself, portrayed in the Indian style of art, as a woman treading a serpent, and with some details that made no particular sense to a European. Indians came to see the cloak (which is still on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City), and were converted by the sight. seems that some of the details are significant in terms of American Indian culture, and were understood by the Indians to mean that Christianity is the fulfilment of their prophecies and expectations. persons today think of the Indians of Mexico as a free and happy people who were conquered and enslaved by the Spanish. must be remembered that before the coming of the Europeans, the Aztecs with their capital at what is now Mexico City had conquered the surrounding tribes for hundreds of miles in all directions, and required of them every year a tribute of young men and women to be sacrificed in the temples at Mexico City. subjugated tribes did not like this, and gladly assisted Cortes in his campaign against the Aztecs. when he suffered temporary defeats, the loyalty of his Indian auxiliaries never wavered, and his rule, once he had established himself, was considered far less harsh than that of the Aztecs had been. The Britannica article on Cortes speaks of "his acceptance by the Indians and his popularity as a relatively benign ruler." the European conquest of the Americas is being deplored, the accompanying high death rate among the natives is often mentioned. ought to be remembered that most of these deaths were due to smallpox. The disease was brought to the Americas by one sick sailor, and triggered a series of major epidemics. The Indians had no previous exposure to it and almost no resistance to it, and most cases were fatal. Moreover, the Indians habitually treated their sick by baths, and the water was used by many bathers. One bather with an open sore was enough to infect all who shared the same bath. two populations long separated come into significant contact, each of them is at risk from diseases against which they are defenseless. The smallpox epidemic would have run about the same course if the ships of Columbus had been loaded with social workers and Peace Corps volunteers. can denounce the Europeans for the smallpox epidemic only by being prepared to say that there ought never to be contact between two populations that have previously been isolated from each other. — by James Kiefer JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

British Empire - Mosquito Coast
British Empire - Mosquito Coast; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Honduras aka Spanish Honduras, Central America
Honduras aka Spanish Houduras, Central America; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938;

Belize aka British Honduras, Central America
Belize aka British Honduras, Central America; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938;

British Empire - Belize aka British Honduras, Central America
Belize aka British Honduras, Central America; CHARLES RAYMOND BARNES, PRIEST, 26 July 1938; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Nacaome River, Southwestern Honduras

Choluteca River, Southwest Honduras

Choluteca River Mouth, Honduras

Ulua River, Sula Valley, Honduras

Ulua River, Honduras, Sula Valley

Chamelecon River, Sula Valley, Honduras

Chamelecon River, Honduras

Aguan River, Honduras

Aguan River

Path Measure

Panama Canal
Panama Canal; Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva, Commemorated on December 2;

Panama Canal Route

Panama Canal Zone, its Area
Panama Canal Zone; Probably coming back to the US because China trying to buy, and offer almost accepted. Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva, Commemorated on December 2;

Balboa, Capital of Panama Canal Zone
Balboa, Capital of Panama Canal Zone; Saint Porphyrios, Wonderworker of Kavsokaliva, Commemorated on December 2;

Central (Clean) America Folder

Central America, its Area

Central (Clean) America, Guatemala, its Area

Central (Clean) America, El Salvador, its Area

Central (Clean) America, Belize, its Area, aka British Honduras

Central (Clean) America, Honduras, its Area

Central (Clean) America, Nicaragiua, its Area

Central (Clean) America, Costa Rica, its Area

Central (Clean) America, Panama, its Area

Mexico (Clean) its Area

Columbia (Clean), its Area

Ecuador (Clean), its Area

Chiapas in Guatemala, Central America
Chiapas in Guatemala ;

El Salvador, Central America
El Salvador ;

Nicaragua, Central America
Nicaragua;

San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, Central America
San Salvador ;

British Empire - Mosquito Coast
British Empire - Mosquito Coast;

Honduras aka Spanish Honduras, Central America
Honduras aka Spanish Houduras, Central America;

Belize aka British Honduras, Central America
Belize aka British Honduras, Central America;

British Empire - Belize aka British Honduras, Central America
Belize aka British Honduras, Central America;

Choluteca River Mouth, Gulf of Fonsesca, Honduras

Barra Patica River
Aguan River, Honduras

Julieaja River

San Estehan River

Sico River

Oaxaca (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Oaxaca (state, Mexico), Continental Divide;

Chiapas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
Chiapas (state, Mexico), Continental Divide ;

Southern Guatemala, Continental Divide
Southern Guatemala, Continental Divide ;

Guatemala (Clean), its Area

Southwestern Honduras, Continental Divide
Southwestern Honduras, Continental Divide;

Western Nicaragua, Continental Divide
Western Nicaragua, Continental Divide ;

Western and Southwestern Costa Rica, Continental Divide
Western and Southwestern Costa Rica, Continental Divide ;

Costa (Clean) Rica, its Area

Southern Panama, Continental Divide
Southern Panama, Continental Divide;

Panama (Clean), its Area

Western Columbia, Continental Divide
Western Columbia, Continental Divide;

Panama (Clean) Canal Zone Folder

Panama (Clean) Canal Zone, its Area
Panama Canal Zone; Probably coming back to the US because China trying to buy, and offer almost accepted.

Panama Canal
Panama Canal;

Panama (Clean) Canal Route
Panama Canal Route

Balboa, Capital of Panama Canal Zone
Balboa, Capital of Panama Canal Zone;

Canada Folder

Canada (Ottawa)
Canada; JOHN HORDEN MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; JOHN MUIR, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Canada, Roman Roads, Rivers, Places, Folder (Clean)

Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway; with the Canadian Confederation, the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a task originally undertaken as the National Dream by the Conservative government of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald (1st Canadian Ministry).[7] He was helped by Alexander Tilloch Galt, who was the owner of the North Western Coal and Navigation Company. British Columbia, a four-month sea voyage away from the East Coast, had insisted upon a land transport link to the East as a condition for joining Confederation (initially requesting a wagon road).[8] A. Macdonald 1873, John A. Macdonald and other high-ranking politicians, bribed in the Pacific Scandal, granted federal contracts to Hugh Allan's Canada Pacific Railway Company (which was unrelated to the current company) rather than to David Lewis Macpherson's Inter-Ocean Railway Company which was thought to have connections to the American Northern Pacific Railway Company. of this scandal, the Conservative Party was removed from office in 1873. The new Liberal prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, ordered construction of segments of the railway as a public enterprise under the supervision of the Department of Public Works led by Sandford Fleming. was carried out during the first years of a number of alternative routes in this virgin territory followed by construction of a telegraph along the lines that had been agreed upon.[9] Thunder Bay section linking Lake Superior to Winnipeg was commenced in 1875. By 1880, around 1,000 kilometres (700 mi) was nearly complete, mainly across the troublesome Canadian Shield terrain, with trains running on only 500 kilometres (300 mi) of track.[10] C.P.R. 2-6-0 locomotive no. 2000 and employees Macdonald's return to power on 16 October 1878, a more aggressive construction policy was adopted. confirmed that Port Moody would be the terminus of the transcontinental railway, and announced that the railway would follow the Fraser and Thompson rivers between Port Moody and Kamloops. 1879, the federal government floated bonds in London and called for tenders to construct the 206 km (128 mi) section of the railway from Yale, British Columbia, to Savona's Ferry, on Kamloops Lake. The contract was awarded to Andrew Onderdonk, whose men started work on 15 May 1880. After the completion of that section, Onderdonk received contracts to build between Yale and Port Moody, and between Savona's Ferry and Eagle Pass.[11] 21 October 1880, a new syndicate, unrelated to Hugh Allan's, signed a contract with the Macdonald government. Fleming was dismissed and replaced with Collingwood Schreiber as chief engineer and general manager of all government railways. They agreed to build the railway in exchange for $25 million (approximately $625 million in modern Canadian dollars) in credit from the Canadian government and a grant of 25 million acres (100,000 km2) of land. government transferred to the new company those sections of the railway it had constructed under government ownership, on which it had already spent at least $25 million. its estimates of the cost of the Rocky Mountain section alone was over $60 million.[12] The government also defrayed surveying costs and exempted the railway from property taxes for 20 years. Montreal-based syndicate officially comprised five men: George Stephen, James J. Hill, Duncan McIntyre, Richard B. Angus and John Stewart Kennedy. Donald A. Smith[13] and Norman Kittson were unofficial silent partners with a significant financial interest. 15 February 1881, legislation confirming the contract received royal assent, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was formally incorporated the next day.[14] Critics claimed that the government gave too large a subsidy for the proposed project but this was to incorporate uncertainties of risk and irreversibility of insurance. The large subsidy also needed to compensate the CPR for not constructing the line in the future, but rather right away even though demand would not cover operational costs.[15] beaver was chosen as the railway's logo in honour of Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, who had risen from factor to governor of the Hudson's Bay Company over a lengthy career in the beaver fur trade. Smith was a principal financier of the CPR.[13] staking much of his personal wealth to the venture. In 1885, he drove the last spike to complete the transcontinental line.[13] the railway, 1881–1886[edit] Canadian Pacific Railway Crew laying tracks at lower Fraser Valley, 1883 the railway took over four years. J. Hill in 1881 sent Alpheus Beede Stickney to be construction superintendent for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Canadian Pacific Railway began its westward expansion from Bonfield, Ontario (previously called Callander Station), where the first spike was driven into a sunken railway tie. Bonfield was inducted into Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002 as the CPR first spike location. That was the point where the Canada Central Railway extension ended.[16] CCR was owned by Duncan McIntyre, who amalgamated it with the CPR, and became one of the handful of officers of the newly formed CPR. The CCR started in Brockville and extended to Pembroke. It then followed a westward route along the Ottawa River passing through places like Cobden, Deux-Rivières and eventually to Mattawa at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers. It then proceeded cross-country towards its final destination of Bonfield. McIntyre and his contractor James Worthington piloted the CPR expansion. Worthington continued on as the construction superintendent for the CPR past Bonfield. He remained with the CPR for about a year after which he left the company. McIntyre was uncle to John Ferguson who staked out future North Bay and who became the town's wealthiest inhabitant and mayor for four successive terms.[17] Unidentified engineers of the Canadian Pacific Railway Survey, 1872 was presumed that the railway would travel through the rich "Fertile Belt" of the North Saskatchewan River Valley and cross the Rocky Mountains via the Yellowhead Pass, a route suggested by Sandford Fleming based on a decade of work. the CPR quickly discarded this plan in favour of a more southerly route across the arid Palliser's Triangle in Saskatchewan and via Kicking Horse Pass and down the Field Hill to the Rocky Mountain Trench. This route was more direct and closer to the Canada–US border, making it easier for the CPR to keep American railways from encroaching on the Canadian market. this route also had several disadvantages. was that the CPR would need to find a route through the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia while, at the time, it was not known whether a route even existed. job of finding a pass was assigned to a surveyor named Major Albert Bowman Rogers. The CPR promised him a cheque for $5,000 and that the pass would be named in his honour. Rogers became obsessed with finding the pass that would immortalize his name. He discovered the pass in April 1881[18][19] and, true to its word, the CPR named it "Rogers Pass" and gave him the cheque. However, he at first refused to cash it, preferring to frame it, saying he did not do it for the money. He later agreed to cash it with the promise of an engraved watch.[20] Map from 1890 showing system of land survey and the lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway in Manitoba, Alberta, Assiniboia, and Saskatchewan. First Nations reserves are marked throughout with "I.R." for "Indian Reserve." obstacle was that the proposed route crossed land in Alberta that was controlled by the Blackfoot First Nation. This difficulty was overcome when a missionary priest, Albert Lacombe, persuaded the Blackfoot chief Crowfoot that construction of the railway was inevitable. In return for his assent, Crowfoot was famously rewarded with a lifetime pass to ride the CPR. more lasting consequence of the choice of route was that, unlike the one proposed by Fleming, the land surrounding the railway often proved too arid for successful agriculture. The CPR may have placed too much reliance on a report from naturalist John Macoun, who had crossed the prairies at a time of very high rainfall and had reported that the area was fertile.[21] greatest disadvantage of the route was in Kicking Horse Pass, at the Alberta-British Columbia border on the continental divide. In the first 6 km (3.7 mi) west of the 1,625 metres (5,331 feet) high summit, the Kicking Horse River drops 350 metres (1,150 feet). The steep drop would force the cash-strapped CPR to build a 7 km (4.3 mi) long stretch of track with a very steep 41⁄2 percent gradient once it reached the pass in 1884. This was over four times the maximum gradient recommended for railways of this era, and even modern railways rarely exceed a two-percent gradient. this route was far more direct than one through the Yellowhead Pass and saved hours for both passengers and freight. This section of track was the CPR's Big Hill. Safety switches were installed at several points, the speed limit for descending trains was set at 10 km per hour (6 mph), and special locomotives were ordered. Despite these measures, several serious runaways still occurred including the first locomotive, which belonged to the contractors, to descend the line. CPR officials insisted that this was a temporary expediency, but this state of affairs would last for 25 years until the completion of the Spiral Tunnels in the early 20th century.[22] Cornelius Van Horne 1881, construction progressed at a pace too slow for the railway's officials who, in 1882, hired the renowned railway executive William Cornelius Van Horne to oversee construction with the inducement of a generous salary and the intriguing challenge of handling such a difficult railway project. Horne stated that he would have 800 km (500 mi) of main line built in 1882. Floods delayed the start of the construction season, but over 672 km (418 mi) of main line, as well as sidings and branch lines, were built that year. Thunder Bay branch (west from Fort William) was completed in June 1882 by the Department of Railways and Canals and turned over to the company in May 1883, permitting all-Canadian lake and railway traffic from Eastern Canada to Winnipeg, for the first time in Canada's history. the end of 1883, the railway had reached the Rocky Mountains, just eight kilometres (five miles) east of Kicking Horse Pass. The construction seasons of 1884 and 1885 would be spent in the mountains of British Columbia and on the north shore of Lake Superior. C.P.R. trestle bridge thousands of navvies worked on the railway. Many were European immigrants. British Columbia, government contractors eventually hired 17000 workers from China, known as "coolies". A navvy received between $1 and $2.50 per day, but had to pay for his own food, clothing, transport to the job site, mail and medical care. After 21⁄2 months of hard labour, they could net as little as $16. Chinese labourers in British Columbia made only between 75 cents and $1.25 a day, paid in rice mats, and not including expenses, leaving barely anything to send home. They did the most dangerous construction jobs, such as working with explosives to clear tunnels through rock.[23] The exact number of Chinese workers who died is unknown but historians estimate the number is between 600 and 800. The victims of sickness and accidents were not given proper funerals. Most of the remains were buried into the railway and the families of the Chinese who were killed received no compensation, or even notification of loss of life. Many of the men who survived did not have enough money to return to their families in China, although Chinese labour contractors had promised that as part of their responsibilities.[24] Many spent years in isolated and often poor conditions. Yet the Chinese were hard working and played a key role in building the Western stretch of the railway; even some boys as young as twelve years old served as tea-boys. In 2006, the Canadian government issued a formal apology to the Chinese population in Canada for their treatment both during and following the construction of the CPR.[25] 1883, railway construction was progressing rapidly, but the CPR was in danger of running out of funds. In response, on 31 January 1884, the government passed the Railway Relief Bill, providing a further $22.5 million in loans to the CPR. The bill received royal assent on 6 March 1884.[26] Donald Smith, later known as Lord Strathcona, drives the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, at Craigellachie, 7 November 1885. Completion of the transcontinental railway was a condition of BC's entry into Confederation. March 1885, the North-West Rebellion broke out in the District of Saskatchewan. Van Horne, in Ottawa at the time, suggested to the government that the CPR could transport troops to Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan (Assiniboia) in 10 days. Some sections of track were incomplete or had not been used before, but the trip to Winnipeg was made in nine days and the rebellion quickly suppressed. because the government was grateful for this service, they subsequently reorganized the CPR's debt and provided a further $5 million loan. money was desperately needed by the CPR. this government loan later became controversial. Even with Van Horne's support with moving troops to Qu'Appelle, the government still delayed in giving its support to CPR. This was due to Macdonald putting pressure on George Stephen for additional benefits. himself later did admit to spending $1 million between 1881 and 1886 to ensure government support. This money went to buying a £40,000 necklace for Lady MacDonald and numerous other "bonifications" to government members.[27] Telegram to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald announcing the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 7 November 1885 7 November 1885, the last spike was driven at Craigellachie, British Columbia, making good on the original promise. Four days earlier, the last spike of the Lake Superior section was driven in just west of Jackfish, Ontario. While the railway was completed four years after the original 1881 deadline, it was completed more than five years ahead of the new date of 1891 that Macdonald gave in 1881. successful construction of such a massive project, although troubled by delays and scandal, was considered an impressive feat of engineering and political will for a country with such a small population, limited capital, and difficult terrain. was by far the longest railway ever constructed at the time. It had taken 12,000 men and 5,000 horses to construct the Lake section alone.[28] in Eastern Canada, the CPR had created a network of lines reaching from Quebec City to St. Thomas, Ontario, by 1885 – mainly by buying the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa & Occidental Railway from the Quebec government and by creating a new railway company, the Ontario and Quebec Railway (O&Q). It also launched a fleet of Great Lakes ships to link its terminals. Through the O&Q, the CPR had effected purchases and long-term leases of several railways, and built a line between Perth, Ontario, and Toronto (completed on 5 May 1884) to connect these acquisitions. The CPR obtained a 999-year lease on the O&Q on 4 January 1884. In 1895, it acquired a minority interest in the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway, giving it a link to New York and the Northeast United States.[29] –1900[edit] The system in 1906, soon after the construction of the transcontinental railway The last spike in the CPR was driven on 7 November 1885, by one of its directors, Donald Smith.[13] first transcontinental passenger train departed from Montreal's Dalhousie Station, located at Berri Street and Notre Dame Street at 8 pm on 28 June 1886, and arrived at Port Moody at noon on 4 July 1886. This train consisted of two baggage cars, a mail car, one second-class coach, two immigrant sleepers, two first-class coaches, two sleeping cars and a diner (several dining cars were used throughout the journey, as they were removed from the train during the night, with another one added the next morning).[citation needed] First Transcontinental Train arrives in Port Arthur on 30 June 1886 that time, however, the CPR had decided to move its western terminus from Port Moody to Granville, which was renamed "Vancouver" later that year. The first official train destined for Vancouver arrived on 23 May 1887, although the line had already been in use for three months. CPR quickly became profitable, and all loans from the Federal government were repaid years ahead of time. 1888, a branch line was opened between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie where the CPR connected with the American railway system and its own steamships. That same year, work was started on a line from London, Ontario, to the Canada–US border at Windsor, Ontario. That line opened on 12 June 1890.[30] CPR also leased the New Brunswick Railway in 1891 for 991 years,[31] and built the International Railway of Maine, connecting Montreal with Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1889. The connection with Saint John on the Atlantic coast made the CPR the first truly transcontinental railway company in Canada and permitted trans-Atlantic cargo and passenger services to continue year-round when sea ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence closed the port of Montreal during the winter months. By 1896, competition with the Great Northern Railway for traffic in southern British Columbia forced the CPR to construct a second line across the province, south of the original line. Van Horne, now president of the CPR, asked for government aid, and the government agreed to provide around $3.6 million to construct a railway from Lethbridge, Alberta, through Crowsnest Pass to the south shore of Kootenay Lake, in exchange for the CPR agreeing to reduce freight rates in perpetuity for key commodities shipped in Western Canada.[citation needed] controversial Crowsnest Pass Agreement effectively locked the eastbound rate on grain products and westbound rates on certain "settlers' effects" at the 1897 level. Although temporarily suspended during the First World War, it was not until 1983 that the "Crow Rate" was permanently replaced by the Western Grain Transportation Act which allowed for the gradual increase of grain shipping prices. Crowsnest Pass line opened on 18 June 1898, and followed a complicated route through the maze of valleys and passes in southern British Columbia, rejoining the original mainline at Hope after crossing the Cascade Mountains via Coquihalla Pass.[32] Southern Mainline, generally known as the Kettle Valley Railway in British Columbia, was built in response to the booming mining and smelting economy in southern British Columbia, and the tendency of the local geography to encourage and enable easier access from neighbouring US states than from Vancouver or the rest of Canada, which was viewed to be as much of a threat to national security as it was to the province's control of its own resources. local passenger service was re-routed to this new southerly line, which connected numerous emergent small cities across the region. Independent railways and subsidiaries that were eventually merged into the CPR in connection with this route were the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway, the Kaslo and Slocan Railway, the Columbia and Kootenay Railway, the Columbia and Western Railway and various others.[31] and the settlement of western Canada[edit] One of the CPR's land offerings, 1883 CPR had built a railway that operated mostly in the wilderness. The usefulness of the prairies was questionable in the minds of many. The thinking prevailed that the prairies had great potential. Under the initial contract with the Canadian government to build the railway, the CPR was granted 25 million acres (100,000 km2). Proving already to be a very resourceful organization, Canadian Pacific began an intense campaign to bring immigrants to Canada. Canadian Pacific agents operated in many overseas locations. Immigrants were often sold a package that included passage on a CP ship, travel on a CP train and land sold by the CP railway. Land was priced at $2.50 an acre and up but required cultivation.[33] To transport immigrants, Canadian Pacific developed a fleet of over a thousand Colonist cars, low-budget sleeper cars designed to transport immigrant families from eastern Canadian seaports to the west.[34] –1928[edit] CPR advertisement highlighting "Free Farms for the Million" in western Canada, circa 1893 the first decade of the 20th century, the CPR continued to build more lines. In 1908, the CPR opened a line connecting Toronto with Sudbury. Previously, westbound traffic originating in southern Ontario took a circuitous route through eastern Ontario. Several operational improvements were also made to the railway in Western Canada. In 1909 the CPR completed two significant engineering accomplishments. The most significant was the replacement of the Big Hill, which had become a major bottleneck in the CPR's main line, with the Spiral Tunnels, reducing the grade to 2.2 percent from 4.5 percent. The Spiral Tunnels opened in August. In April 1908, the CPR started work to replace the Old Calgary-Edmonton Rail Bridge across the Red Deer River with a new standard steel bridge that was completed by March 1909.[35] Viaduct 3 November 1909, the Lethbridge Viaduct over the Oldman River valley at Lethbridge, Alberta, was opened. It is 1,624 metres (5,328 feet) long and, at its maximum, 96 metres (315 feet) high, making it one of the longest railway bridges in Canada. 1916, the CPR replaced its line through Rogers Pass, which was prone to avalanches (the most serious of which killed 62 men in 1910) with the Connaught Tunnel, an eight-kilometre-long (5-mile) tunnel under Mount Macdonald[36] that was, at the time of its opening, the longest railway tunnel in the Western Hemisphere.[37][38] C.P.R. railway locomotive 2860 21 January 1910, a passenger train derailed on the CPR line at the Spanish River bridge at Nairn, Ontario (near Sudbury), killing at least 43.[39][40] CPR acquired several smaller railways via long-term leases in 1912. On 3 January 1912, the CPR acquired the Dominion Atlantic Railway, a railway that ran in western Nova Scotia. This acquisition gave the CPR a connection to Halifax, a significant port on the Atlantic Ocean. The Dominion Atlantic was isolated from the rest of the CPR network and used the CNR to facilitate interchange; the DAR also operated ferry services across the Bay of Fundy for passengers and cargo (but not rail cars) from the port of Digby, Nova Scotia, to the CPR at Saint John, New Brunswick. DAR steamships also provided connections for passengers and cargo between Yarmouth, Boston and New York. On 1 July 1912, the CPR acquired the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, a railway on Vancouver Island that connected to the CPR using a railcar ferry. The CPR acquired the Quebec Central Railway on 14 December 1912.[31] the late 19th century, the railway undertook an ambitious programme of hotel construction, building Glacier House in Glacier National Park, Mount Stephen House at Field, British Columbia, the Château Frontenac in Quebec City and the Banff Springs Hotel. then, the CPR had competition from three other transcontinental lines, all of them money-losers. In 1919, these lines were consolidated, along with the track of the old Intercolonial Railway and its spurs, into the government-owned Canadian National Railways. CPR suffered its greatest loss of life when one of its steamships, the Empress of Ireland, sank after a collision with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad. On 29 May 1914, the Empress (operated by the CPR's Canadian Pacific Steamship Company) went down in the St. Lawrence River with the loss of 1,024 lives, of which 840 were passengers.[41] World War[edit] the First World War CPR put the entire resources of the "world's greatest travel system" at the disposal of the British Empire, not only trains and tracks, but also its ships, shops, hotels, telegraphs and, above all, its people. the war effort meant transporting and billeting troops; building and supplying arms and munitions; arming, lending and selling ships. CPR ships were pressed into service during World War I, carrying more than a million troops and passengers and four million tons of cargo.Twenty seven survived and returned to CPR. also helped the war effort with money and jobs. CPR made loans and guarantees to the Allies of some $100 million. As a lasting tribute, CPR commissioned three statues and 23 memorial tablets to commemorate the efforts of those who fought and those who died in the war.[42] the war, the Federal government created Canadian National Railways (CNR, later CN) out of several bankrupt railways that fell into government hands during and after the war. CNR would become the main competitor to the CPR in Canada. 1923, Henry Worth Thornton replaced David Blyth Hanna becoming the second president of the CNR, and his competition spurred Edward Wentworth Beatty, the first Canadian-born president of the CPR, to action.[43] During this time the railway land grants were formalized.[44] Depression and the Second World War, 1929–1945[edit] Strikers from unemployment relief camps climbing on boxcars as part of the On-to-Ottawa Trek, 1935 Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 until 1939, hit many companies heavily. While the CPR was affected, it was not affected to the extent of its rival CNR because it, unlike the CNR, was debt-free. The CPR scaled back on some of its passenger and freight services, and stopped issuing dividends to its shareholders after 1932. Hard times led to the creation of new political parties such as the Social Credit movement and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, as well as popular protest in the form of the On-to-Ottawa Trek.[45] highlight of the late 1930s, both for the railway and for Canada, was the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their 1939 royal tour of Canada, the first time that the reigning monarch had visited the country. The CPR and the CNR shared the honours of pulling the royal train across the country, with the CPR undertaking the westbound journey from Quebec City to Vancouver. that year, the Second World War began. As it had done in World War I, the CPR devoted much of its resources to the war effort. It retooled its Angus Shops in Montreal to produce Valentine tanks and other armoured vehicles, and transported troops and resources across the country. As well, 22 of the CPR's ships went to war, 12 of which were sunk.[46] –1978[edit] The Multimark logo was used from 1968 to 1987, when it fell out of favour. It was sometimes referred to as the 'Pac-Man' logo, after the popular 1980s video game of the same name. CPR train step stool (Calgary station) c. 1950 the Second World War, the transportation industry in Canada changed. Where railways had previously provided almost universal freight and passenger services, cars, trucks and airplanes started to take traffic away from railways. This naturally helped the CPR's air and trucking operations, and the railway's freight operations continued to thrive hauling resource traffic and bulk commodities. However, passenger trains quickly became unprofitable. During the 1950s, the railway introduced new innovations in passenger service. In 1955, it introduced The Canadian, a new luxury transcontinental train. However, in the 1960s, the company started to pull out of passenger services, ending services on many of its branch lines. It also discontinued its secondary transcontinental train The Dominion in 1966, and in 1970, unsuccessfully applied to discontinue The Canadian. For the next eight years, it continued to apply to discontinue the service, and service on The Canadian declined markedly. On 29 October 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail, a new federal Crown corporation that is responsible for managing all intercity passenger service formerly handled by both CP Rail and CN. Via eventually took almost all of its passenger trains, including The Canadian, off CP's lines.[47] 1968, as part of a corporate reorganization, each of the major operations, including its rail operations, were organized as separate subsidiaries. The name of the railway was changed to CP Rail, and the parent company changed its name to Canadian Pacific Limited in 1971. Its air, express, telecommunications, hotel and real estate holdings were spun off, and ownership of all of the companies transferred to Canadian Pacific Investments. The slogan was: "TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD" The company discarded its beaver logo, adopting the new Multimark (which, when mirrored by an adjacent "multi-mark" creates a diamond appearance on a globe) that was used—with a different colour background—for each of its operations.[48]

Canada, Saint Lawrence Seaway Folder, Eastern CAN (Clean)

Canada, Hudson Bay Waters Folder, Central CAN (Clean)

North American Indians
North American Indians; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Ontario, Canada (Hudson Bay and Saint Lawarence Seaway)
Ontario, Canada (Saint Lawarence Seaway and Hudson Bay); Charles Fox Parham, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1929, Commemorated January 29 ;

Canada, Laurentian Divide 8-16 Folder, South Central CAN

Canada, Polar Bear Express Folder, East Central CAN

Polar Bear Express

Groundhog River Mouth (Mattagami River 3)

Kapuskasing River Mouth (Mattagami River 4)

Moose River

Moosonee, Ontario Canada (Moose River, Hudson Bay Waters)
Moosonee, Ontario Canada ; JOHN HORDEN, Commemorated December 15 ;

Hudson's Bay Company (Moose Factory, Ontario)
Hudson's Bay Company;

Moose Factory, Canada (Hudson Bay Waters)
Moose Factory; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ;

Moose Factory Island
Moose Factory Island;

James Bay, Canada, Hudson Bay Waters
James Bay is southernmost part of Hudson Ban and the Artic Ocean. JOHN HORDEN, Commemorated December 15 ;

Moose Cree Lands
Moose Cree Lands; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, Nelson River Lake Winnipeg Folder, Central CAN

Nelson River

Lake Manitoba Area

Norway House, Manitoba (Nelson River 1)
Norway House, Manitoba; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Manitoba, Central Canada (a Province)
Manitoba, Canada; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Rupert's Land (Nelson River Mouth, Hudson Bay)
Rupert's Land; JOHN HORDEN, Commemorated December 15 ; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

York Fort and Factory, Manitoba, in Hudson's Bay
York Fort and Factory, in Hudson's Bay; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Winnipeg River

Lac Suel (English) River Mouth (Winnipeg River)
Lac Suel (English) River Mouth (Winnipeg River). This point was called White Dog or Islington. In 1853 Mr. McDonald was appointed by Bishop Anderson to the charge of White Dog Mission, situated at the junction of the Winnipeg and Lac Seul Rivers. This station had been established the year before by Mr. Philip Kennedy, and given the name of Islington. ROBERT McDONALD;

Lac Seul River

Canada, Lake Manitoba Folder, South Central CAN

Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba;

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Hudson Bay Drainage
Winnipeg; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ;

Upper Fort Carry
Point Douglas; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ;

University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ;

Canada, Lake Manitoba Source, Red River Folder, USA and Central CAN

Canada, Lake Manitoba Source, Red River 3, Assinboine River Folder

Assinboine River

Canada, Saskatchewan River Folder, West Central CAN

Saskatchewan River

Saskatchewan, Canada (a Province)
Saskatchewan; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15 ; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Cumberland station, Cumberland Lake (Saskatchewan River 5)
Cumberland station ; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Cumberland House, Cumberland Lake, SK (Saskatchewan River 5)
Cumberland House, Cumberland Lake, Saskatchewan; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

The Pas, Manitoba (Saskatchewan River 7)
The Pas; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ;

Cree People, North and West of Lake Superior
Cree People, North and West of Lake Superior; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22;

Canada, South Saskatchewan River Folder, Calgary, Southwest Central CAN

Canada, South Saskatchewan River Source, Oldman and Bow Rivers Folder, Central CAN

Oldman River

Crows Nest River

Oldman River 6 (Lethbridge, Saint Mary River Mouth)

Lake Louise Ski Resort, Alberta, Canada
Lake Louise Ski Resort

Nakiska

Canada, North Saskatchewan River Folder, Edmonton, Northwest Central CAN

Howse River

Conway Creek

Howse Pass (David Thompson)
Howse Pass (David Thompson); David Thompson;

Rocky Mountain House (David Thompson)
Rocky Mountain House (David Thompson); David Thompson;

Edmonton, Alberta , Central Canada
Edmonton, Central Canada ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Vostok (Wostok), Alberta (North Saskatchewan River 9)
Vostok (Wostok), Alberta ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Alberta, Canada (a Province)
Alberta, Canada; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Canada, West of the Rockies Folder, BC, Western CAN (Clean)

Canada, Western Canada, British Columbia
British Columbia; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

British Columbia. Canada (a Province)
British Columbia; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15 ; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Canada, West of the Rockies, Fraser River Folder, Vancouver, BC

Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies;

Nechako River

Kitimat Ranges
Kitimat Ranges;

North Thompson River

Nicolo River

Coquihalla River

Coquihalla Pass

Hozameen Range

Skagit Range
Skagit Range;

Vancouver, BC, Western Canada (Fraser River Mouth, Puget Sound, Pacific Ocean)
Vancouver, BC, Western Canada; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

Canada, West of the Rockies, Spokane Waters Folder, Eastern BC

Rogers Pass
Rogers Pass;

Spokane, Spokane River Folder

Spokane, Pend Oreille River Folder

Spokane, East Kootenay Creeks, Duncan River and Columbia River Creeks further north

Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
Purcell Wilderness Conservancy;

Spokane, West Kootenay Creeks

Glacier National Park (Canada)
Glacier National Park (Canada);

Spokane, Kootenai River Folder

Spokane, Kootenai River 3, Vermillion River Folder

Spokane, Kootenai River 6-9, Cranbrook and Kimberly Folder

Spokane, Kootenai River 8, Saint Mary River Folder

Spokane, Kootenai River 15, Moyie River Folder

David Thompson's Camp on Great Road of the Flatheads
David Thompson's Camp, , on the Great Road of the Flat Heads"";

Spokane, Columbia River Folder

Kinbasket Lake
Kinbasket Lake; David Thompson (explorer);

Kinbasket Creek

Athabasca Pass
Athabasca Pass; David Thompson (explorer);

Spokane, Okanogan River Folder

Canada, West of the Rockies, Vancouver Island, Far Western BC

Nanaimo

Victoria

Port Alberni

Canada, Northeast of the Rockies Folder, Mackenzie River, Northwest Territories, North Alberta (Clean)

Canada, Mackenzie River Folder, Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories (Mackenzie Country)
Northwest Territories; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Mackenzie River

Mackenzie Mountains
Mackenzie Mountains;

Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada (Mackenzie River 1)
Fort Simpson; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories (Peel River Mouth, Makenzie River 5)
Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Peel River

Canada, Northern Alberta, Slave River Folder, Athabaska and Peace Rivers

Slave River

Canada, Northern Alberta, Slave River Source, Athabasca River Folder

Athabasca River

Athabaska Source 2

Athabaska Source 3

Athabaska River 4

Athabasca River Source 5

Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park;

Canada, Northern Alberta, Slave River Source, Peace River Folder

Peace River

Peace River (Parsnip River)

Peace River (Findlay River)

Canada, Northern Alberta, Slave River Source, Peace River 3, Smokey River Folder

Smokey River

Canada, Yukon Territory Folder, Northwest CAN (Clean)

Yukon
Yukon; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15;

Yukon Territory, Canada (Alaska Drainage)
Yukon Territory;

Lake Lebarge (source of large and late ice flows)

Yukon River H (Bennett Lake Arm, Chilkoot Pass)

Chilkoot Pass, Yukon Territory (Yukon River H Bennett Lake0
Chilkoot Pass; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Carcross, Yukon aka Caribou Crossing, Bennett Lake Arm
Carcross, Yukon; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Whitehorse (Yukon River 1)
Whitehorse (Yukon River 1); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

White Horse Rapids
White Horse Rapids;

Miles Canyon
Miles Canyon;

Yukon, Yukon River 3, Pelly River Folder, Faro, YT

Pelly River

Faro, YT

Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territories (Yukon River 3, Pelly River Mouth)
Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territories ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Yukon, Yukon River 6, Stewart River Folder (Silver Trail)

Stewart River

Selwyn Mountains
Selwyn Mountains;

Yukon, Yukon River 6, Stewart River 1, Silver Trail Folder

Silver Trail
Silver Trail;

Yukon, Yukon River 7, Klondike River Folder (Dawson)

Klondike River

Dawson, Yukon (Klondike River, Yukon River 7)

Yukon, Yukon River 8, Fortymile River Folder (Fortymile)

Fortymile River

Fortymile, YT (Yukon River 8)
Fortymile, YT (Yukon River 8); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Yukon, Yukon River 12, Porcupine River Folder

Fort Yukon, AK, USA (Yukon River 22, Porcupine River Mouth)
Fort Yukon, Alaska; Fort Yukon, Alaska; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Canada, Nunavut Territory Folder, Far North CAN (Clean)

Canada, Nunavut Territory

Canada, 1834-1911, Canada History Folder, by Prime Minister

Canada, 1834-1875, Henry Budd, f Norway House, Manitoba, mission tCumberland House, Saskatchewan, first Native American Priest
Canada, 1834-1875, Henry Budd, f Norway House, Manitoba, mission tCumberland House, Saskatchewan, The Pas, first Native American Anglican Priest, orphamed, raised by Anglican Priest John West, bright, capable, school charge, 1840 started mission aCH, moved tThe Pas, Manitoba just across tborder, converted many Cree, ordained 1850, journals online; Norway House, Manitoba; HENRY BUDD, Commemorated December 22 ; Budd (~1812 - 2 April 1875) was the first native American ordained as an Anglican priest. was born near Norway House in what is now Manitoba, and was orphaned as a child. was then raised by an Anglican priest, the Rev. John West. proved bright and capable, and put in charge of a school. 1840 he was asked to start a mission at Cumberland House, in what is now Saskatchewan. soon moved to The Pas (today just across the border in Manitoba) and converted many of the native Cree to Christianity. He was eventually ordained on 22 Dec. 1850. remained in the area serving the people there until his death in 1875. journals and other resources are online thanks to Project Canterbury.

Canada, 1848-1893, JOHN HORDEN, Moosonee, Ontario Canada, Ruperts Land, preached in Cree in 8 mos, translated Bible into Cree
Canada, 1848-1893, JOHN HORDEN, Moosonee, Ontario Canada, Ruperts Land, preached in Cree in 8 mos, translated Bible into Cree, first Anglican Bishop Moosonee, May 10 1851 letter Church Missionary Society asking for schoolmaster aMoose Factory northern Ontario, that he had been appointed, prepare leave less than month, that they desired he marry, less than enthused, he prepared, contacted lady, missionary indications, she agreed, June 8 set sail, on trip continued study Greek and began study Cree, wrote down words as he heard them, preached i8 mos, prepared Cree Prayer Book, hymnal, Gospels, 1865 family o7 sailed back for children ed, popular speaker, 1867 retirmed James Bay, 1872 tEngland tbBishop, returned Canada, huge territory, pastoral visits, Rheumatism, finished Bible translation tCree; Canada, 1848-1893, JOHN HORDEN, Moosonee, Ontario Canada (Moose River, Hudson Bay Waters). Ruperts Land, preached in Cree after only 8 mos, 1 month to marry and leave, translated Bible into Cree language; Horden (January 20, 1828[1] – January 12, 1893) was the first Anglican Bishop of Moosonee, Canada, who for more than forty years led services in Cree, Inuit and other languages of his parishioners.[2] life[edit] was born in Exeter, England, the eldest son of William Horden (a printer) and Sarah Seward, and received his early schooling at St. John's School, paid for by charitable donations.[2] He was apprenticed to a blacksmith while still a child, spending his spare time improving his education. By attending night school and studying during odd moments, he was in time able to become a teacher and schoolmaster. He took advantage of the opportunities to study given him there and eventually learned to read Latin and Greek.[3] was an active member of his local Church of England congregation (Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, Exeter) and regularly attended the vicar's Bible class, which offered information on the mission opportunities available in addition to a Biblical education. With two other students, he expressed his interest in the mission field and they met to pray and study. After some time they all volunteered for the Church Missionary Society and two were accepted. Horden was rejected and told that he was still thought too young to be a church leader in "heathen" areas. He was, however, encouraged to continue his schooling and was told that he would hear from the Society when they needed someone. in Hudson's Bay Territory[edit] On May 10, 1851, Horden received a letter from them, informing him that the Bishop of Rupert's Land, had made a request for a schoolmaster at Moose Factory, territory of the Hudson's Bay Company, and that he had been appointed to fill the position. They also told him to prepare to leave within a month and indicated that they desired that he marry and take his wife out to assist him in his missionary work. He immediately prepared for his new position. He contacted his fiancée of one year, Elizabeth Baker Oke (1826–1908), a teacher who trained at The Home and Colonial School Society (Gray’s Inn Road, London), and someone who also had missionary aspirations, and they quickly married (May 28, 1851).[4] Horden was to assume the role of catechist, to superintend the schools and to be a scripture reader at the Sunday services. Elizabeth was charged with supervising the girl’s schools and teaching the Indian women. In London, Horden met with Reverend George Barnley, a Wesleyan Methodist missionary at Moose Factory until 1847, who introduced him to some basic Cree language and its symbolic writing. June 8, 1851, the young couple set sail for North America. Horden spent much of his time on the trip by continuing his studies of the Greek Testament and of the Cree language. He benefited from the prior experience of several of the crew of the ship with the language and had developed a small vocabulary by the end of the voyage. He also learned to play the accordion.[2] Elizabeth's first pupil was onboard, a woman returning to Hudson's Bay.[2] ship arrived at Moose River on August 26 and the passengers were delivered to Moose Factory. The young couple lived at the residence of Chief Factor Robert Miles, affording them some time to acclimate to the daily routines at Moose Factory before moving into the repaired Methodist parsonage just ahead of winter. It was Miles who had persistently urged for a replacement for Barnley at the mission, having lost his two front teeth, he remarked "…it is a labor for me now to read the service."[4] engaged a young native in conversation, making several mistakes initially. He found that prior missionaries had already created a translation of the Lord's Prayer and a few biblical texts, and he used the existing transliteration system to help him in his own studies. continued to go among the natives, writing down new words as he heard them and, after eight months' effort, becoming able to preach to the natives without an interpreter. Horden created his own version of the Lord's Prayer, later translating the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, some prayers from services, a few hymns, and some passages of scripture, all of which he copied and circulated among the natives. He used the opportunity he had at the mission school to teach the adults and children how to read and write, and the fundamentals of Christianity. Horden also worked to address the spiritual needs of the staff of the Hudson's Bay Company at Moose Factory. They were very grateful and, along with the native parishioners, repaired the church, improved the residence that he and his family used, and built a schoolhouse. priest and Cree bible[edit] one year, Bishop David Anderson of Rupert's Land visited the mission, and decided to ordain Horden as a priest (August 24, 1852) to better serve this location rather than replace him. the Bishop and Horden discussed establishing a central residential school in the future, the schools continued to operate as day schools. Beginners were first taught by natives in their own language, then, they progressed to the English school.[2] This became a long-standing practice, and in 1879 the Diocese indicated that their schools aimed to teach "every child, whether European, half-caste, or Indian" to read and write in their own language.[5] Funding was obtained through the Coral Missionary Society, largely through the efforts of Beatrice Batty and other editors of its magazine, to create a foster care program for orphans. These children were cared for in the homes of native families in the settlement, remaining part of Cree society, and could attend school, which was not compulsory.[4] A summer school program was established for Cree children living in outlying areas, who were educated in their own language.[4] prepared a prayer book, a hymnal, and translations of the Gospels in the Cree language, and sent them to England with an order for a thousand copies. The printer had no proofreader capable of reading the print, and decided the person who created the manuscript would probably be best qualified to check it. On that basis, in 1853, they returned the manuscript to him, with a printing press specially prepared. However, they did not include the instructions on how to operate it. Horden spent his free time studying the mechanism and operation of the machine for several days, leading his neighbors to wonder what was bothering him. Then one day he came running to the camp waving a sheet of paper over his head, shouting, "Come, see this thing!" They followed him and saw the first sheet Horden had printed. Horden proudly told them that he would now be able to give them books. For the next several years, he and his students printed and bound books which were distributed throughout the region, substantially increasing the awareness of and interest in Christianity in the area. Robert Machray visited the area and was very impressed by Horden's achievements. He licensed four of Horden's lay readers to conduct services and read the Scriptures among their fellows, the first time a bishop licensed lay readers in any of the stations of the Church Missionary Society. several years, John Horden worked with E. A. Watkins at Fort George to produce religious material in syllabics for Inuit. In 1865, when they were both in London, they spent time together modifying the Cree syllabic system to the Inuktitut language.[6] life in this remote territory was both exerting and fulfilling. The settlement was mainly inhabited by the Cree, connected to the mainland by an ice road in the winter, and home to an international community of Hudson's Bay Company employees at the post.[5] Severe famine[7] and flooding were not uncommon, with Horden remarking that during the spring thaw of 1857, every house on the island flooded, "having five feet nine inches deep in my own kitchen."[2] Epidemic outbreaks of influenza struck in the winter and whooping cough plagued them in the summer. In 1858, Horden and his young family traveled north to visit Eskimo at Little Whale River. On their return to Moose Factory, they realized they had just escaped an outbreak of whooping cough that claimed 32 lives, including that of "Little Susan", a native orphan who the Hordens had raised from infancy.[8] and Elizabeth had six children, five of whom survived infancy: Elizabeth Anderson Horden (b. 1852) named for Bishop Anderson, John Oke Horden (b. ~1854), who became a physician and surgeon in Middlesex, England and to whose home his mother retired in later life, Christiana Seward Horden (b. 1856), who married William Kelk Broughton (District Manager and Chief Trader at Albany, Rupert's House and Moose Factory, awarded Gold medal and two bars),[9] Beatrice Campbell Horden (b. 1863), and baby "Bertie", Herbert Henry Horden (b. 1866), who also became a doctor in Middlesex, England but died in 1904 from poisoning.[10] Daughter Ellen Hudson Horden (1860–1861), named after her place of birth, was buried at Moose Factory. delaying their plans of a furlough for an entire year due to a ship-wreck, in 1865 Horden and his family sailed back to England through icebergs and freezing storms, and Thomas Vincent was placed in charge of the mission. Upon Horden's return to England, he found he was very well known throughout the British Isles, and became a popular and sought-after speaker. In 1867, Horden returned overland from Montreal to James Bay, travelling the last 1200 miles by canoe with Elizabeth and their two youngest children, having left the three older children to be educated in England.[11] Horden later remarked on his "loneliness", missing his children in England.[4] and Elizabeth traveled to England again in the fall of 1880. At that time her mother Jane Oke, a widow since 1846 who had worked as a dress maker, was living in "Free Cottages" at St. David, Devonshire and Elizabeth's unmarried sister Christiana, an upholsteress, was living there also.[12] When Horden returned to Hudson's Bay in 1882, Elizabeth now 56 years of age, remained behind to attend to her family in England and was active in raising contributions for the Moosonee Association until her death in 1908.[4] Horden went on furlough for the last time in May 1888, his daughter "Chrissie" and her children accompanied him for one day, and his young grandson, William Kelk Broughton, Jr. (aged 11 years) continued further until the remaining traveling party turned back to Moose Factory. the autumn of 1872, Horden received a message to return to England to be consecrated as a bishop. Elizabeth remained behind to look after the affairs at Moose Factory. On December 15, 1872, he and two others were ordained in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey involving eight other bishops, including Bishop Anderson, who had first ordained Horden 20 years earlier.[2] served as bishop for a huge territory, and made pastoral visits to as many parts of the diocese as possible, including York Factory via Winnipeg, despite his having a serious problem with rheumatism.[2] Once the bishop arrived at these distant parishes, he had a full day that could include, an early morning service in Cree, then a service in Inuit, later another Cree service that would include marriages and baptisms, then later, the English service.[2] Over the course of forty-one years, Horden built five Anglican churches to serve the diocese.[2] New construction at Moose Factory was undertaken in 1856 for St. Thomas' Anglican Church to replace an older building,[4] but it was carried nearly a quarter-mile in a flood in 1860.[2] Construction resumed in 1864, but was not completed until 1885. his later years, he also worked diligently to finish his translation of the Bible into the Cree language, and also Ojibwa, Inuktitut, Chipewyan, and Norwegian (the language of some Hudson's Bay Company employees).[13] Horden wrote several books and his "A grammar of the Cree language, as spoken by the Cree Indians of North America" (London, 1881) is considered one of his most significant linguistic achievements.[1] and legacy[edit] November 21, 1892, the pain was more acute than ever, and despite the care and assistance of his family, his health continued to wane. John Horden died on January 12, 1893, and was buried in the Hudson's Bay Company graveyard in Moose Factory, beside his infant daughter Ellen Hudson Horden (1860–1861) and infant grandson Henry Seward Broughton (1883), who died from a whooping cough epidemic at the Albany post.[8] is a monument to Horden (1895), under canopy at the North Wall of Nave, Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter.[14] Three 1893 design sketches for the memorial by sculptor Herbert Read, depicting an island scene of the bishop and natives, are held at the Devon Heritage Centre.[15] John's Hospital School on High Street, Exeter, where Horden attended the English Free School as a child, erected a monument to Horden in the wall, inscribed with a biography and closing with "Faithful unto Death".[2] Little remained of the building after it was bombed in May 1942. 1938, a replacement building for the mission school (first opened by Horden in 1855) was named "Bishop Horden Memorial School", and this was replaced in 1953 by a building named "Horden Hall". By 1964 classes at Horden Hall were phased out as students attended public school and the hall served only as a hostel.[16] Calendar of Saints of the Anglican Church of Canada remembers his service on January 12. Moosonee, Ontario Canada ; JOHN HORDEN, Commemorated December 15 ; Horden (1828 – January 12, 1893) was the first Anglican Bishop of Moosonee, Canada. May 10, 1851, he received a letter from Church Missionary Society, informing him that the bishop of Rupert's Land had made a request for a schoolmaster at Moose Factory, in northern Ontario, and that he had been appointed to fill the position. also told him to prepare to leave within a month, and indicated that they desired he marry and take his wife out to assist him in his missionary work. he was less than enthused about the appointment, he immediately prepared for his new position. He contacted the woman of his choice, a young lady who herself had missionary inclinations, and she agreed to marry him. On June 8, 1851, they set sail for Canada. spent much of his time on the trip by continuing his studies of the Greek Testament and beginning the study of the Cree language. went among the natives, writing down new words as he heard them and, after eight month's effort, was able to preach to the natives without an interpreter. He was ordained a priest during this period. Soon Horden had prepared a prayer book, a hymnal, and translations of the Gospels in the Cree language. in 1865, Horden and his family, which now included five children that he and his wife had had in Canada, sailed back to England so that his children could be educated. Horden's return to England, he found he was very well-known throughout the British Isles, and became a popular and sought-after speaker. In 1867, Horden returned with his wife to James' Bay. the autumn of 1872, Horden received a message to return to England to be consecrated as a bishop, and on December 15, 1872, he and two others were ordained in a ceremony involving eight other bishops, including Bishop Anderson, who had first ordained Horden 20 years earlier. continued to serve as bishop of his huge territory, making pastoral visits to as many parts of his huge diocese as possible, despite his having a serious problem with rheumatism. In his later years, he also worked diligently to finish his translation of the Bible into the Cree language. more from Wikipedia

Canada, 1849-1913, ROBERT McDONALD, NW Territories, extensive travels, translator, Bible, Book Common Prayer, dictionary, hymns
Canada, 1849-1913, ROBERT McDONALD, Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories (Peel River Mouth, Makenzie River 5), fManitoba, ordained 1853 a24, posted tOjbwe People (Ojbwa, Chippewa), syllabic method Latin alphabet began tranlating Bible into Ojbwa, completed minor prophets, 1862 Church Missionary Society sent him tYukon Territory, first Artic Protestant m, extensive travel Yukon&Alaska, stationed Ft Yukon which became Alaska in 1863, 1863 Ft McPherson base, 40yrs wGwich'in People, alphabet, Bible translation, Book of Common Prayer, m Hymns, dictionary, translation work helped unify tribes speaking Athabaskan, 1911 dictionary&grammar for Tukudh (Gwich'in), retired 1905, died Winnipeg 1913 ; Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; McDonald was born in 1829 in what is now Manitoba, Canada. was ordained as a priest in 1853. first posting was in Manitoba among the Ojibwe people. a syllabic method and Latin alphabet, McDonald began translating the Bible into Ojibwe (also known as Ojibwa or Chippewa), completed the minor prophets before his next assignment. 1862, the Church Missionary Society sent McDonald to the Yukon Territory, he became the first Protestant missionary ever assigned to work among indigenous peoples of the Arctic. work involved extensive travel in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, as well as what became Alaska. initial station, at Ft. Yukon, was thought to be in Canada, but turned out to be in Alaska. later established another base at Fort McPherson. spent most of the next four decades working among the Gwich'in people. achieved lasting recognition for his translations, having established an alphabet for the previously oral Gwich'in. the help of his wife Julia and other native speakers, McDonald translated the Bible, Book of Common Prayer and many hymns into Gwich'in (which he called Takudh and, later, Tukudh). translation work helped unify the various tribes speaking similar Athabaskan languages. 1911, McDonald published a dictionary and grammar for the language under the title of A Grammar of the Tukudh Language. retired in 1905 to Winnipeg, and died there in 1913. A biographical sketch may be found in Leaders of the Canadian Church. The entire book is available at the Internet Archive.

Canada, 1867-1873, John A. McDonald, Prime Minister, first PM new nation 1867, annexed NW Territory, Ruperts Land, BC and PEI
Canada, 1867-1873, Prime Minister, John A. McDonald, first PM new nation 1867, annexed NW Territory, Ruperts Land, BC and PEI, CP Rail bribes, re-elected, successful government, using patronage apointments, protective tariff, completing railway, fought provincials, executed Louis Reil for treason after indigenious NW Rebellion, Chinese head tax, indigenous residential school system, highest rated PM in history ; John Alexander Macdonald[a] GCB PC QC (January 10 or 11, 1815[b] – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that spanned almost half a century. was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the Province of Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). As a lawyer, he was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which elected him in 1844 to the legislature of the Province of Canada. 1857, he had become premier under the colony's unstable political system. 1864, when no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act, 1867 and the establishment of Canada as a nation on July 1, 1867. was the first prime minister of the new nation, and served 19 years; only William Lyon Mackenzie King has served longer. is widely credited with expanding Canada, annexing the North-Western Territory, Rupert's Land, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island. 1873, he resigned from office over a scandal in which his party took bribes from businessmen seeking the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. he was re-elected in 1878. greatest achievements were building and guiding a successful national government for the new Dominion, using patronage to forge a strong Conservative Party, promoting the protective tariff of the National Policy, and completing the railway. He fought to block provincial efforts to take power back from the national government in Ottawa. approved the execution of Métis leader Louis Riel for treason in 1885; it alienated many francophones from his Conservative Party. He continued as prime minister until his death in 1891. the 21st century, Macdonald has come under criticism for his role in the Chinese Head Tax and federal policies towards Indigenous peoples, including his actions during the North-West Rebellion that resulted in Riel's execution, and the development of the residential school system designed to assimilate Indigenous children. however, remains respected for his key role in the formation of Canada. Historical rankings in surveys of experts in Canadian political history have consistently placed Macdonald as one of the highest-rated prime ministers in Canadian history. JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ;

Canada, 1873-1878, Alexander Mackenzie, Prime Minister, very young stone mason, Canada at 19, prospered, reformist editor
Canada, 1873-1878, Prime Minister, Alexander Mackenzie, very young stone mason, Canada at 19, prospered, reformist editor, George Brown supporter, McDonald's CPRail scandal, nation building, supreme court, military college; Mackenzie, PC (January 28, 1822 – April 17, 1892) was a Canadian politician who served as the second prime minister of Canada, in office from 1873 to 1878. was born in Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland. left school at the age of 13, following his father's death to help his widowed mother, and trained as a stonemason. immigrated to Canada when he was 19, settling in what became Ontario. His masonry business prospered, allowing him to pursue interests – such as the editorship of a pro-Reformist newspaper called the Lambton Shield.[2] Mackenzie was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1862, as a supporter of George Brown. 1867, Mackenzie was elected to the new House of Commons of Canada for the Liberal Party. He became leader of the party (thus Leader of the Opposition) in mid-1873, and a few months later succeeded John A. Macdonald as prime minister, following Macdonald's resignation in the aftermath of the Pacific Scandal. Mackenzie and the Liberals won a clear majority at the 1874 election. He was popular among the general public for his humble background and apparent democratic tendencies. prime minister, Mackenzie continued the nation-building programme that had been begun by his predecessor. His government established the Supreme Court of Canada and Royal Military College of Canada, and created the District of Keewatin to better administer Canada's newly acquired western territories. However, it made little progress on the transcontinental railway, and struggled to deal with the aftermath of the Panic of 1873. At the 1878 election, Mackenzie's government suffered a landslide defeat. He remained leader of the Liberal Party for another two years, and continued on as a Member of Parliament (MP) until his death, due to a stroke. JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ;

Canada, 1878-1891, Prime Minister, John A McDonald
Canada, Prime Minister, 1878-1891, John A McDonald; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1891-1892, Prime Minister, John Abbott
Canada, Prime Minister, 1891-1892, John Abbott; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1892-1894, Prime Minister, John Sparrow David Thompson
Canada, Prime Minister, 1891-1892, John Abbott; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1894-1896, Prime Minister, Mackenzie Bowell
Canada, Prime Minister, 1894-1896, Mackenzie Bowell; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1896-1896, Prime Minister, Charles Tupper
Canada, Prime Minister, 1896-1896, Charles Tupper; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1896-1911, Prime Minister, Wilfrid Laurier
Canada, Prime Minister, 1896-1911, Wilfrid Laurier; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15;

Canada, 1911-1920, Prime Minister, Robert Borden
Canada, 1911-1920, Prime Minister, Robert Borden;

Canada, 1920-1921, Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen
Canada, 1920-1921, Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen;

Canada, 1921-1926, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King
Canada, 1921-1926, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King;

Canada, 1926-1926, Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen
Canada, 1920-1921, Prime Minister, Arthur Meighen;

Canada, 1926-1930, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King
Canada, 1926-1930, Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King;

Canada, 1930-1935, Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett
Canada, 1930-1935, Prime Minister, R. B. Bennett;

Canada, Saint Lawrence Seaway Folder, Eastern CAN

Canada, Hudson Bay Waters Folder, Central CAN

Polar Bear Express 1 (Timmins)
Polar Bear Express, Timmons to Moosenee;

Mattagami River Source (Mattagami Lake)
Mattagami River Source (Mattagami Lake), Southwest of Timmins.

Mattagami River 1

Polar Bear Express 2

Polar Bear Express 3

Mattagami River 2

Polar Bear Express 4

Mattagami River 5

Mattagami River Mouth (Moose River)

Moose River Source

Polar Bear Express 7 (Moosenee)
Polar Bear Express, Timmons to Moosenee;

Moose River Mouth (James Bay)

Nelson River Source (Lake Winnipeg)

Nelson River Mouth (York Fort, Hudson Bay)
Nelson River;

Winnipeg River Source (Lake of the Woods)

Lac Seul River Source (Lac Seul)

Lac Seul (English) River 1

Winnipeg River Mouth (Traverse Bay Lake Winnipeg)

Rainy River Source (International Falls, Rainy Lake)

Seine River (Ontario) Source (Lac des Mille Lacs)
Lac des Mille Lacs;

Seine River (Ontario) Mouth (Rainy Lake, Rainy River)
Seine River (Ontario) Mouth (Rainy Lake, Rainy River);

Assiniboine River Source (Windy Lake, Saskatchewan)

Assiniboine River1 (Russell, Manitoba, Shellmouth Dam)

Assiniboine River 2 (Brandon, Manitoba, end of Assiniboine Valley)

Assinboine River 3 (Portage la Prairie)

Sheyenne River Mouth (Red River of the North, ND)

Saskatchewan River Source (North and South Sasatchewan Rivers)

Saskatchewan River 1

Saskatchewan River 2

Saskatchewan River 3

Saskatchewan River 7 (The Pas)

Saskatchewan River 9 (Cedar Lake)

Saskatchewan River Mouth (Lake Winnipeg)

South Saskatchewan River Source (Bow and Oldman Rivers)

Oldman River Source (Canadian Rockies)
Canadian Rockies;

Oldman River 1

Oldman River 2

Oldman River 3 (Crowsnest River Mouth)

Crowsnest River Source

Crowsnest River 1

Crowsnest River 2

Crowsnest River Mouth (Oldman River 3)

Oldman River 4

Saint Mary River 1

Saint Mary River 2

Saint Mary River 3

Saint Mary River Mouth (Lethbridge, Oldman River 6)

Oldman River 7 (Overview)

Oldman River Mouth (South Saskatchewan River Source)

Bow River Source (Bow Glacier)

Bow River 1 (Lake Louise)

Bow River 2 (Banff)

Bow River 3 (Canmore)

Bow River 4 (Cochrane)

Bow River 5 (Calgary)

Bow River 6

Bow River 7

Bow River 8

Bow River Mouth (South Saskatchewan River Source)

South Saskatchewan River 1

South Saskatchewan River 2 (Medicine Hat, Alberta)

South Saskatchewan River 3

South Saskatchewan River 4 (Overview)

South Saskatchewan River 5 (Saskatoon)

South Saskatchewan River Mouth (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan River Source)

North Saskatchewan River Source (Saskatchewan Glacier)
North Saskatchewan River Source (Saskatchewan Glacier in Banff National Park;;

North Saskachewan River 1

North Saskatchewan River 2

North Saskatchewan River 3

North Saskatchewan River 4

North Saskatchewan River 6 (Rocky Montain House)

North Saskatchewan River 8 (Edmonton)

North Saskatchewan River 9 (Pakan, Alberta)

North Saskatchewan River 10 (Elk Point, Alberta)

North Saskatchewan River 11 (Frenchman Butte)

North Saskatchewan River 12 (Battleford,SAS)

North Saskatchewan River 13 (Saskatoon)

North Saskatchewan River 14 (Priince Albert)

North Saskatchewan River Mouth (Saskatchewan River)

Canada, West of the Rockies Folder, BC, Western CAN

Canada, West of the Rockies History Folder

Canada, 1890-1935, John G. Lake, Pentecostal, healing ministeries in South Africa and Spokane-Portland

Canada, West, 1932-1993, Ern Baxter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24
Ern Baxter, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Canadian Minister, Commemorated December 24 Vancouver, BC, Western Canada; William M. Branham PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Commemorated December 24;

Fraser River Source (Fraser Pass)
Fraser River; Fraser Pass;

Fraser River 1 (Prince George, BC)
Prince George;

Nechako River 1 (Fort Fraser, BC)
Fort Fraser;

Nechako River Mouth, (Prince George, Fraser River 1)
Nechako River;

Fraser River 2 (Thompson River, Lytton)

Thompson River Source

Thompson River 1 (North Thompson River, Kamloops)

North Thopmson River 1

North Thompson River Mouth (Thompson River 1, Kamloops)

Thompson River 2 (Nicola River Mouth, Spences Bridge)

Nicola River Source (30k Northwest of Kelowna)

Nikola River 1 (Coldwater River, Merritt)

Coldwater River Source (Coquihalla Pass)
Coquihalla Pass

Coldwater River Mouth (Merritt, Nikola River 1)

Nicola River Mouth (Thompson River, Spences Bridge)

Thompson River Mouth (Fraser River 2, Lytton)

Fraser River 3 (Coquihalla River, Hope, BC)

Coquihalla River Source (Coquihalla Pass)

Coquihalla River Mouth (Hope, Fraser River Valley and Canyon)

Fraser River Mouth (Fraser River Delta, Vancouver, BC)

Beaver River Mouth (Columbia River 5)

Spokane River Mouth (Columbia River 20)

Saint Maries River Source

Pend Oreille River Mouth (Columbia River 16)

Saint Mary River Source (Purcell Wilderness)

St. Mary River Mouth (Kootenai River 8)

Moyie River 4

Moyie River 5

Moyie River 7 (Good Grief)

Moyie River Mouth (Kootenai River 15)

David Thompson's Camp on Great Road of the Flatheads
David Thompson's Camp, 48ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 42ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â² 45ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â³ N, 116ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â° 00ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â² 08ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â³ W, on the Great Road of the Flat Heads"";

Canada, Northeast of the Rockies Folder, Mackenzie River, Northwest Territories, North Alberta

Mackenzie River 1 (Fort Simpson)

Liard River Mouth (Mackenzie River 1)

Mackenzie River 2

Keele River Mouth (Mackenzie River 2)

Mackenzie River 3

Great Bear River Mouth (Mackenzie River 3)

Mackenzie River 4

Arctic Red River Mouth (Mackenzie River 5)

Peel River Mouth (Mackenzie River 5)

Mackenzie River Mouth (Arctic Ocean)

Slave River Source, Alberta, Peace and Athabasca Rivers

Athabaska River Source (Columbia Icefield, Jasper National Park)
Athabaska River Source (Columbia Icefield, Jasper National Park);

Athabasca River Mouth (Lake Athabasca)

Peace River Source (Finlay River, Thutade Lake, BC)

Peace River (Finlay River, Deserters Canyon)

Peace River Source (Parsnip River near Mt Barton, BC)

Peace River 1 (Williston Lake, AB)

Peace River 2 (Ft St John, AB, Alcan Hwy)

Peace River 3 (Peace River, AB, Smokey River Mouth)

Smokey River Source (Adolphus Lake, AB)

Smokey River (Grand Cache, AB)

Smokey River Mouth (Peace River)

Peace River Mouth (Slave River Source, Athabasca)

Slave River Mouth, Northwest Territories, Great Slave Lake, McKenzie River Source

Canada, Yukon Territory Folder, Northwest CAN

Yukon River 3 (Fort Selkirk)

Pelly River Source (Selwyn Mountains)

Pelly River 1 (Faro, YT)

Pelly River Mouth (Yukon River 3, Fort Selkirk, YT)

Yukon River 6 (Stewart Crossing)

Stewart River Source (Selwin Mountains)

Silver Trail (Stewart Crossing, Klondike Highway)

Silver Trail (Mayo, YT)
Mayo, YT; Silver Trail;

Silver Trail (Elsa, YT)
Elsa, YT; Silver Trail;

Silver Trail (Keno City, Yukon)
Keno City, Yukon

Stewart River Mouth (Yukon River 6, Stewart Crossing)
Stewart River;

Yukon River 7 (Dawson, YT, Klondike River)

Klondike River Source (Ogilvie Mountains)

Klondike River 1

Klondike River Mouth (Yukon River 7, Dawson, YT)

Fortymile River Source (Chicken Alaska)

Fortymile River 1 (Alaska Yukon border, US Canada border)

Fortymile River Mouth (Yukon River 8)

Yukon River 9 (Alaska border, US and Canada)

Porcupine River 2 (Old Crow, YT, CAN)

Canada, Nunavut Territory Folder, Far North CAN

Cilicia Folder, its rivers and roads

Cilicia Region of Asia Minor
Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated July 15 ; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated August 19; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia. Commemorated September 7 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr and Unmercenary Cosmas and his brother in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 17; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Martyr Claudius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated October 29 ; Hieromartyr Zenobius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Venerable Romanos of Cilicia, Commemorated on November 27; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe General, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Romanós of Cilicia, Commemorated on February 9; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17 ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Thallelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29;

Cilicia 5-407, Cilicia History Folder

Cilicia, 000, 1st C Folder, St Paul oTarsus, Onesiphorus o Colophon

Cilicia Saint, 5-67, St Paul of Tarsus, Cilicia
Cilicia Saint, 5-67, St Paul of Tarsus, Cilicia;

Cilicia, 30-64, Onesiphorus of the Seventy, bishop of Colophon, Cilicia, and Corinth, with Paul in Rome, martyred at Parium

Cilicia, 40, CONVERSION oPAUL, oTarsus, Cilicia, formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tChief Spokesman, had vision oChrist
Cilicia, 40, CONVERSION oPAUL, oTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tbChief Spokesman, questions of authorship oPaul's Letters and Acts: info sources: 1. several NT letters, 2. Luke's account of him in Acts, forger's difficulties, during lifetime, I never wrote anything like that, after death, why didn't we recieve, argument applies only to letters to congregations, or general form letters, so, pastoral letters Timothy&Titus signed by Paul are questioned, Hebrews not signed, Paul first opposed Church, had vision oChrist, converted, devoted rest oLife tSpreading Gospel oChrist, Luke was his companion fPart of his journeys, well established comparison oStyle Acts written by companion oPaul, but chronology differences Acts and Pauls autobiography accts some scholars dispute genuiness oActs; Tarsus; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; January 25 we remember how Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, formerly an enemy and persecutor of the early Christian Church, was led by God's grace to become one of its chief spokesmen. detail of the Conversion of Paul, by Peter Bruegel chief sources of information about the Apostle Paul are several of his own letters, preserved for us in the New Testament, and the account of him given by Luke in the book of Acts. One naturally asks whether we can be sure that the letters attributed to Paul are in fact his. partial answer is that a forger would run into difficulty. If he wrote a letter, say, to the church at Corinth during Paul's lifetime, and signed Paul's name, the Corinthians would naturally mention it the next time they sent a message to Paul, and Paul would naturally reply: "What are you talking about? I never wrote anything like that!" a letter supposedly to Corinth were circulated after Paul's death, sooner or later a copy would reach Corinth, and the members of the church there would ask, "If Paul wrote this letter and sent it to us while he lived, how does it happen that no one here has ever heard of it?" it would be difficult to obtain credence for a forged letter to a congregation. argument does not apply to a letter to an individual (such as Timothy or Titus). it arguably does not apply to the Letter to the Ephesians. Although some ancient copies of this letter begin: an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [at Ephesus and] faithful in Christ Jesus: ancient copies read simply "also" instead of the bracketed words. it is widely supposed that the letter was written as a general form letter to many churches, with the name of the church to be filled in in each particular copy. view is supported by the fact that the letter contains no personal greetings and makes no references to the past history of the congregation addressed. a forger might write such a form letter, circulate it after Paul's death, and escape detection, since no particular congregation could say, "Since we did not hear of this letter before, Paul could not have written it." accordingly, we find that it is precisely Ephesians and the Pastorals (the letters to Timothy and Titus) that are questioned by some scholars who acknowledge Paul's authorship of all the other letters claiming to be by him. (I am not counting the letter to the Hebrews, which is not signed.) Conversion of Paul, by Caravaggio Our other source of information is the book of Acts, where Paul (at first called Saul) appears in 7:58-8:1; 9:1-30; 11:25-30; 12:25--28:31. we read how Paul at first opposed and persecuted the Church, how he had a vision of Christ and was converted, and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Gospel of Christ. of this account include statements like "we then crossed over to Troas," which are taken to mean that Luke was a companion of Paul for part of Paul's journeys. these accounts, particularly those of the shipwreck on Paul's last voyage, show every sign of being accurate eyewitness accounts (see the book The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, by James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS) and since a comparison of the style of various portions of the book of Acts makes it highly improbable that it is a scissors-and-paste job, with portions of one man's work inserted into a story by someone else, many scholars consider the claim that Acts was written by a companion of Paul to be well established. the other hand, it is not always clear how the chronology of Luke's account of the life of Paul is to be fitted with the autobiographical snippets we find in Paul's own writings, and for this reason some scholars dispute the genuineness of the book of Acts. an old but still worth-while introduction to the subject, and a defense of the conservative position, I refer the reader to A Historical Introduction to the New Testament (the title varies a bit from one edition to another) by George Salmon, FRS. A portion of this book (dealing with the authorship of the Fourth Gospel) can be obtained at READING Acts 26:9-21 (Paul, on trial before Agrippa, recounts the story of his conversion at Damascus) PSALM 67 (God has blest us, and all the ends of the earth shall revere Him) EPISTLE Galatians 1:11-24 (Paul writes of his conversion, and its implications) THE HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 10:16-22 (Christ warns His disciples of persecutions to come, and encourages them to stand firm and trust God) by James Kiefer

Cilicia, 50-65, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION oPAUL, Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten, in stocks, freed bPsalms &Earthquake
Syria, 50, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Inner Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten severly, in stocks, Psalms &Earthquake freed them, first mention Silas and Judas Barnabus sent back from Jerusalem to convey council decision on the Law and Gentile converts, Silas replaced John Mark with Paul in Turkey (Pamphylia, Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) into Europe (Phillipi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, riots each place, Silas ended in martytrdom, no details, Bye the Way this story taken off the Episcopal Website sometime after I first found it there. ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; - SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL: is chiefly remembered as the companion of the Apostle Paul who was arrested with him at Philippi (Acts 16:19-40). were beaten severely and confined in the inner prison, with their feet in stocks. they sang hymns in the night, and an earthquake shook the prison, and released them. a result, the jailer and his household became believers. first mention of Silas is earlier. Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey (A 13:1-5), taking with them John Mark, who (for unspecified reasons) parted from them and went home in the middle of the journey (A 13:13). and Barnabas completed their mission and returned to Antioch. had made many Gentile converts on their mission, and the question arose whether a Gentile could become a Christian without also becoming a Jew, being circumcised if male, and undertaking to observe the Law of Moses (A 15:1). congregation at Antioch referred the question to the Apostles at Jerusalem, and Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to present their case. council of apostles and elders at Jerusalem judged that, with a few specified exceptions, the Law of Moses was not to be imposed on Gentile Christians, and they sent two men from Jerusalem back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to convey their reply. men were Judas Barsabbas (not otherwise mentioned) and Silas (A 15:22). Paul and Barnabas undertook to visit again the congregations they had founded on their previous journey, and Barnabas wished to take John Mark with them, but Paul thought this unwise, and so they determined to travel separately, Barnabas taking Mark, and Paul taking Silas (A 15:36-40). so Paul and Silas (joined in progress by Timothy and by Luke) went through part of what is now Turkey and then crossed over into Europe and preached at Philippi (where they made converts and were arrested as described above), and went on to Thessalonica and Berea, being the center of riots in each place (A 17:1-13), after which Paul went on to Athens and thence to Corinth, and was soon joined there by Silas and Timothy (A 18:5). And that is the last we hear of Silas. name "Silas" is a shortened form of "Silvanus", and the Silvanus whom Paul mentions in his writings to the Corinthians (2 C 1:19) and the Thessalonians (1 Th 1:1; 2 Th 1:1) is almost certainly the Silas of Acts, and probably the same as the Silvanus who carried the Apostle Peter's first letter (1 P 5:12) to its scattered recipients. details of the life of Silas are not known, but he is customarily honored as a martyr. by James Kiefer

Cilicia, 100, 2nd C Folder, Anistion oLesser Alexandria on Cilician Gates Route

Cilicia, 120-160, Aristion, Bishop of Lesser Alexandria on Cilician Gates route,
Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor), Alexandria is probably Kitikien of the Ptolemaic Empire, along the Cilician Gates route ; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Anthony, a native of the city of Alexandria, was a Christian. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with iron hooks, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing in the fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for the body but for the soul in aspiring towards God. After the fire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his death is unknown. Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Aristion was the bishop of lesser Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor). He was born in the small town of Aribazo in the eparchy of Apamea, Syria at the beginning of the second century. His parents were pagans, and he spent his early years in an atmosphere of idolatry. do not know what sort of early education Saint Aristion received, nor where he studied, but it did not satisfy his search for the truth. A ten-year-old boy who lived in the same town, the future martyr Anthony, showed him the path which led to the truth. Anthony instructed him in the true Faith, and Aristion increased in piety and zeal for God. is significant that Anthony, despite the constant fear of persecution, exile and even danger to his own life, was not just a member of the local church, but also preached the Faith to others. It is certain that Aristion prayed for his young friend and remembered his courage and strength, for Anthony’s efforts to bring Aristion to the saving Faith had born fruit and were not in vain. Not only did Anthony give himself to the Church through his martyrdom at the age of twenty, he also gave it another saint and martyr: Saint Aristion later, Saint Aristion was consecrated bishop for Isso in Cilicia, which is found in lesser Alexandria. He was a good shepherd to his flock, and cared diligently for their souls. day the ruler of Alexandria had Saint Aristion arrested because he was a Christian. Although he was placed on public trial, the holy bishop was calm and showed no fear. His whole demeanor made the Roman eparch realize that it would not easy to deal with this man who stood before him. He tried to turn Aristion from Christ through flattery and promises of reward, but the saint stood firm. Seeing that his words had no effect on the bishop, he threatened him with fierce tortures. He was not influenced by these threats, however. Aristion stood before the eparch and his counselors, gazing at them with love and concern for their salvation. Even in his weakness, this captive was stronger than his captors, and he refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. a multitude of idolaters, Saint Aristion spoke of the Triune God, by Whom all things were created. He also told them about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was accomplished through God’s saving dispensation. He explained that Christ brings salvation to fallen man, thereby giving him another chance to attain the true purpose of his life—theosis. “How poor these soulless statues of the gods are,” the bishop said, “and how helpless the eparch looks in his radiant apparel.” who heard the saint speak were amazed and asked one another where he got such courage. Aristion invited them to believe in the truth which he was revealing to them. Those who watched understood that this holy man was someone special, and they wanted to hear more about his beliefs. Roman eparch could not find any way to resist Aristion except through violence, so he sentenced him to death. He commanded his soldiers to prepare a large furnace and then throw him into the flames.The saint went to his martyrdom without resistance, remaining brave and strong until the end. The few Christians who were present tried not to weep.They whispered prayers for him, and were saddened because their father was leaving them. They knew, however, that their archpastor would not cease praying for them, especially now that he was going to Christ. They could hear Saint Aristion singing hymns in the fire until his last breath. eparch did not know what a terrible mistake he had made. He did not realize that death is not the end for men, nor for the truth. Nothing could separate Saint Aristion from the Fountain of Life, and so the Lord bestowed upon him an imperishable crown of glory. the flames died down, his spiritual children approached the furnace and collected as many of his bones as they could. With great reverence they put the holy relics in a secret place, which remains unknown to the present day. more detailed biography of the saint has been published (in Greek): THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ARISTION, by John G. Thalassinos (Athens, 2003). This volume also contains the Service to the saint, which was composed by Hieromonk Athanasius of Simonopetra Monastery on Mt. Athos. Martyr Anthony of Alexandria Commemorated on August 9

Cilicia, 200, 3rd C Folder, Unmercnrs Cosmos&Damien, Anthanasius oTarsus, Boniface tSlave, Pelagia oTarsus, Domnina oAnazarbus

Cilicia, 250-287, Cosmos&Damian, unmercenary physicians, practiced iAegae, Cilicia & across Gulf in Rossos, Syria
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Aegeae, Cilicia; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; and Damian ( c.  3rd century – c.  287 or 303 AD) two Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs.[3][4] practised their profession in the seaport of Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Syria.[5] and Damian were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practised medicine and surgery without a fee. This led them to being named anargyroi (from the Greek Ἀνάργυροι, 'the silverless' or 'unmercenaries'); by this, they attracted many to the Christian faith.[6] They reputedly cured blindness, fever, paralysis and reportedly expelled a breast serpent. They were arrested by Lysias, governor of Cilicia (modern day Çukurova, Turkey) during the Diocletian persecution because of their faith and fame as healers. Emperor Diocletian was a religious fanatic and favoured the pantheism of the Olympian Gods. He issued a series of edicts that condemned the Christians in his attempt to wipe out Christianity from his empire.[7] Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, by Gerard Seghers, 17th century, Private collection, U.S. Nothing is known of their lives except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. According to Christian traditions, the twin brothers were born in Arabia and became skilled doctors.[8] d'Ascoli, a 15th century Italian physician, claims that the medieval electuary, a pasty mass consisting of a drug mixed with sugar and water or honey suitable for oral administration,[9] known as opopira,[10] a complex compound medicine used to treat diverse maladies including paralysis, was invented by Cosmas and Damian.[11] the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who is otherwise unknown, who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned and shot by arrows and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.[5] and Damian miraculously transplant the black leg of the Ethiopian onto the white body of the patient. (1400/1420) in St. Michael's Church, Munich containing the alleged skulls of Cosmas and Damian. The convent of the Poor Clares in Madrid also has two skulls alleged to be of Cosmas and Damian. Felix IV presents Saints Cosmas and Damian with the basilica he rededicated to them. veneration of Cosmas and Damian quickly spread beyond Constantinople; accounts of their martyrdom were rewritten by various authors such as Andrew of Crete, Peter of Argos, Theodore II Laskaris, and a certain Maximus around 1300. The legends are preserved also in Syriac, Coptic, Georgian, Armenian, and Latin.[12] early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established at Jerusalem, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. Theodoret records the division of their reputed relics. Their relics, deemed miraculous, were buried in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. Churches were built in their honor by Archbishop Proclus and by Emperor Justinian I (527–565), who sumptuously restored the city of Cyrrhus and dedicated it to the twins, but brought their purported relics to Constantinople; there, following his cure, ascribed to the intercession of Cosmas and Damian, Justinian, in gratitude also built and adorned their church at Constantinople,[8] and it became a celebrated place of pilgrimage. At Rome, Pope Felix IV (526–530) rededicated the Library of Peace (Bibliotheca Pacis) as a basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in the Forum of Vespasian in their honour. The church is much rebuilt but still famed for its sixth-century mosaics illustrating the saints. are said to be their skulls are venerated in the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales of the Clares in Madrid, where they have been since 1581, the gift of Maria, daughter of Emperor Charles V. They had previously been removed from Rome to Bremen in the tenth century, and thence to Bamberg. Other skulls said to be theirs were discovered in 1334 by Burchard Grelle, Archbishop of Bremen. He "personally 'miraculously' retrieved the relics of the holy physicians Cosmas and Damian, which were allegedly immured and forgotten in the choir of the Bremen Cathedral.[13] In celebration of the retrieval Archbishop and Chapter arranged a feast at Pentecost 1335, when the relics were translated from the wall to a more dignified place.[14] Grelle claimed the relics were those Archbishop Adaldag brought from Rome in 965. The cathedral master-builder Johann Hemeling made a shrine for the relics, which was finished around 1420. The shrine, made from carved oak wood covered with gilt and rolled silver is considered an important mediaeval gold work.[15] In 1649 Bremen's Chapter, Lutheran by this time, sold the shrine without the heads to Maximilian I of Bavaria. The two heads remained in Bremen and came into the possession of the small Roman Catholic community. They were shown from 1934 to 1968 in the Church of St. Johann and in 1994 they were buried in the crypt.[16] The shrine is now shown in the Jesuit church of St Michael in Munich. At least since 1413 another supposed pair of skulls of the saints has been stored in St Stephens's Cathedral in Vienna. Other relics are claimed by the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian by Fra Angelico (Musée du Louvre, Paris). martyr twins are invoked in the Canon of the Mass[8] in the prayer known as the Communicantes (from the first Latin word of the prayer): "In communion with the whole Church, they venerate above all others the memory of the glorious ever-virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, then of blessed Joseph, husband of the Virgin, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, ...John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints: grant through their merits and prayers that in all things we may be defended by the help of your protection." They are also invoked in the Litany of the Saints, and in the older form of the Roman rite, in the Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, as the station church for this day is Santi Cosma e Damiano. feast day in the General Roman Calendar, which had been on 27 September, was moved in 1969 to 26 September because 27 September is the dies natalis ("day of birth" into Heaven) of Vincent de Paul, now more widely venerated in the Latin Church.[17][original research?] In Canada it has been moved to 25 September (as 26 September is the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs in Canada).[18] Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patrons of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists and are sometimes represented with medical emblems. They are also regarded as the patron saints of twins. and Damian are depicted as supporters of the arms of the guild of barber-surgeons carved into a capital, 15th century, from the Carmes monastery in Trie-sur-Baïse in southwestern France. The inscription reads, "Saints Cosmas and Damian pray for us". Brazil, the twin saints are regarded as protectors of children, and 27 September is commemorated, especially in Rio de Janeiro, by giving children bags of candy with the saints' effigy printed on them and throughout the entire state of Bahia where Catholics and adepts of Candomblé religion offer typical food such as caruru. The ritual consists of first offering the food to seven children that are no older than seven years old and then having them feast while sitting on the floor and eating with their hands. The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, in Igarassu, Pernambuco is Brazil's oldest church, built in 1535. the UK Damian is the dexter side supporter in the coat of arms of the British Dental Association. and Damian are venerated every year in Utica, New York at St. Anthony's Parish during the annual pilgrimage which takes place on the last weekend of September (close to the 27 September feast day). There are thousands of pilgrims who come to honor the saints. Over 80 busloads come from Canada and other destinations. The 2-day festival includes music (La Banda Rosa), much Italian food, masses and processions through the streets of East Utica. It is one of the largest festivals honoring saints in the northeast USA. Christianity[edit] of Saints Cosmas and Damian (17th century, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Cosmas and Damian are venerated as a type of saint known as Unmercenary Physicians (Greek: ἀνάργυροι, anargyroi, "without money"). This classification of saints is unique to the Eastern Church and refers to those who heal purely out of love for God and man, strictly observing the command of Jesus: "Freely have you received, freely give." («Δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε...» Matthew 10:8) While each of the Unmercenaries has his own feast days, all are commemorated together on the first Sunday in November, in a feast known as the Synaxis of the Unmercenary Physicians. Orthodox celebrate no less than three different sets of saints by the name of Cosmas and Damian, each with their own distinct feast day: Saints Cosmas and Damian of Cilicia (Arabia) (17 October) Brothers, according to Christian legend they were beaten and beheaded together with three other Christians: Leontius, Anthimus, and Eutropius. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor — alternately, of Mesopotamia (1 November) Twin sons of Theodota of Philippi. Died peacefully and were buried together at Thereman in Mesopotamia. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (1 July) Brothers, according to Christian tradition they were martyred outside Rome by a jealous pagan physician during the reign of the Roman Emperor Carinus (283–284). Orthodox icons of the saints depict them vested as laymen holding medicine boxes. Often each will also hold a spoon with which to dispense medicine. The handle of the spoon is normally shaped like a cross to indicate the importance of spiritual as well as physical healing, and that all cures come from God. Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Cilicia, 250-287, Cosmos& Damien, Mom's example, physicians healing gift, for animals, 3eggs story, camel spoke, appeared aDeath
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Cilicia, 270-275, Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, baptized Anthusa, beheaded by Aurelian
Cilicia, 270-275, Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), baptized Anthusa, beheaded by Aurelian; Tarsus; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22; Hieromartyr Athanasius, bishop of the Cilician city of Tarsus, baptized the holy Nun Anthusa, beheaded by the sword under the emperor Aurelian (270-275). Anthusa, a native of the city of Seleucia (in Syria), was the daughter of illustrious pagans. of the teachings of Christ, she under pretense of visiting her benefactress, journeyed instead to Tarsus to Saint Athanasius and received Baptism from him. parents were enraged at their daughter for becoming a Christian. received monastic tonsure from Saint Athanasius, then settled in the desert, where she spent 33 years at ascetic deeds. died at the end of the third century while she was praying. Martyrs Charisimos and Neophytus, who had been baptized together with the Nun Anthusa, were her servants, they too accepted death for Christ.

Cilicia, 278-312, Clement of Ancyra, recoveries from extreme torturers by 7 Pagan Leaders over 28yrs, hMother's prophesy

Cilicia, 284-305, Boniface, slave, cohabitation, wanted relics from East, grace radiant faces, church on his relics, miracles
Cilicia, 284-305, Boniface, Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), slave of rich roman woman, cohabitation, conscience, wanted relics in home for salvation, relics diminish sin, virtue prevails, bring back relics from east, to Tarsus, christians being tortured,with grace radiant faces, B asked to suffer with them, stripped, hung upside down, beat flesh from body, molten tar down throat, remained unharmed, caldron boiling tar, no harm, bedewed by an angel, tar burned torturers, beheaded, relics back to Rome, Aglaida build church on his relics, miracles there, she distrib wealth and went to monastery, she buried by Boniface; Tarsus; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Holy Martyr Boniface was the slave of a rich young Roman woman named Aglaida (Aglae) and he dwelt with her in an iniquitous cohabitation. But they both felt the sting of conscience and they wanted somehow to be cleansed of their sin. And the Lord granted them the possibility to wash away their sin with their blood and to finish their life in repentance. learned that whoever keeps relics of the holy martyrs in the home and venerates them receives great help in gaining salvation. Under their influence, sin is diminished and virtue prevails. She arranged for Boniface to go to the East, where there was a fierce persecution against Christians, and she asked him to bring back the relics of some martyr, who would become a guide and protector for them. he was leaving, Boniface laughed and asked, “My lady, if I do not find any relics, and if I myself suffer for Christ, will you accept my body with reverence?” Aglaida scolded him, saying that he was setting off on a sacred mission, but he was not taking it seriously. Boniface pondered her words, and during the whole journey he thought that he was unworthy of touching the bodies of the martyrs. at Tarsus in Cilicia, Boniface left his companions at the inn and proceeded to the city square, where they were torturing Christians. Struck by the beastly horrible torments, and seeing the faces of the holy martyrs radiant with the grace of the Lord, Boniface marveled at their courage. He embraced them and kissed their feet, asking them to pray that he might be found worthy to suffer with them. judge asked Boniface who he was. He replied, “I am a Christian,” and then refused to offer sacrifice to idols. They stripped him and hung him upside down, beating him so hard that the flesh fell from his body, exposing the bone. They stuck needles under his nails, and finally they poured molten tin down his throat, but by the power of the Lord he remained unharmed. The people who witnessed this miracle shouted, “Great is the God of the Christians!” Then they began to throw stones at the judge, and then they headed for the pagan temple, in order to cast down the idols. the following morning, when things had quieted down somewhat, the judge directed that the holy martyr be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tar, but this also caused the sufferer no harm. An angel come down from Heaven and bedewed him as he stepped into the cauldron. The tar overflowed the cauldron, splattering and burning the torturers themselves. Saint Boniface was then sentenced to beheading by the sword. Blood and a milky fluid flowed from his wounds. Beholding such a miracle, about 550 men believed in Christ. Boniface’s companions, waiting for two days at the inn for him in vain, began searching for him, thinking that he had gotten drunk somewhere. At first their search was without success, but finally they came across a man who had been an eyewitness to the martyr’s death. The man also led them to the place where the decapitated body lay. Saint Boniface’s companions tearfully begged his forgiveness for their unseemly thoughts about him. After they ransomed the martyr’s remains, they brought them back to Rome. the eve of their arrival an angel appeared to Aglaida in her sleep and told her to prepare herself to receive her former slave, now the brother and fellow-servant of the angels. summoned the clergy, and she received the holy relics with great reverence. Then she built a church on the site of his grave and dedicated it to the holy martyr. There she enshrined his relics, glorified by numerous miracles. distributing all her wealth to the poor, she withdrew to a monastery, where she spent fifteen years in repentance, then fell asleep in the Lord. She was buried beside Saint Boniface. The sins of the one were washed away by his blood, the other was purified by her tears and asceticism. Both were found worthy to appear unsullied before our Lord Jesus Christ, Who desires not the death of a sinner, but that he should turn from his wickedness and live (Ezek. 33:11). pray to Saint Boniface for deliverance from drunkenness.

Cilicia, 284-305, Pelagia of Tarsus, beautiful, holy, virgin, Problem w Diocletian&son, visions, baptism, 3 crowns, Myhrr, Lions
Cilicia, 284-305, Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus; Tarsus; Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus, Commemorated October 7 ; Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord. Diocletian’s heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia, was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage. ’s reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy bishop told her to be baptized. Saint Pelagia traveled in a chariot to visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole retinue of servants, as her mother wished. the way Saint Pelagia, by the grace of God, met Bishop Linus. Pelagia immediately recognized the bishop who had appeared to her in the dream. She fell at his feet, requesting Baptism. At the bishop’s prayer a spring of water flowed from the ground. Linus made the Sign of the Cross over Saint Pelagia, and during the Mystery of Baptism, angels appeared and covered the chosen one of God with a bright mantle. After giving the pious virgin Holy Communion, Bishop Linus offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord with her, and then sent her to continue her journey. She then exchanged her expensive clothing for a simple white garment, and distributed her possessions to the poor. Returning to her servants, Saint Pelagia told them about Christ, and many of them were converted and believed. tried to convert her own mother to Christ, but the obdurate woman sent a message to Diocletian’s son that Pelagia was a Christian and did not wish to be his wife. The youth realized that Pelagia was lost to him, and he fell upon his sword in his despair. Pelagia’s mother feared the emperor’s wrath, so she tied her daughter up and led her to Diocletian’s court as a Christian who was also responsible for the death of the heir to the throne. The emperor was captivated by the unusual beauty of the virgin and tried to turn her from her faith in Christ, promising her every earthly blessing if she would become his wife. holy virgin refused the emperor’s offer with contempt and said, “You are insane, Emperor, saying such things to me. I will not do your bidding, and I loathe your vile marriage, since I have Christ, the King of Heaven, as my Bridegroom. I do not desire your worldly crowns which last only a short while. The Lord in His heavenly Kingdom has prepared three imperishable crowns for me. The first is for faith, since I have believed in the true God with all my heart; the second is for purity, because I have dedicated my virginity to Him; the third is for martyrdom, since I want to accept every suffering for Him and offer up my soul because of my love for Him.” sentenced Pelagia to be burned in a red-hot bronze bull. Not permitting the executioners to touch her body, the holy martyr signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and went into the brazen bull and her flesh melted like myrrh, filling the whole city with fragrance. Saint Pelagia’s bones remained unharmed and were removed by the pagans to a place outside the city. Four lions then came out of the wilderness and sat around the bones letting neither bird nor wild beast get at them. The lions protected the relics of the saint until Bishop Linus came to that place. He gathered them up and buried them with honor. Later, a church was built over her holy relics. Service to the holy Virgin Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus says that she was “deemed worthy of most strange and divine visions.” She is also commemorated on May 4. Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; story as Oct 7th

Cilicia, 284-305, Zosimus tHermit&Athanasius tCommentarius, Confessors oCilicia, Z preserved torture, A saw tMiracle, baptized
Cilicia, 284-305, Zosimus tHermit&Athanasius tCommentarius, Confessors oCilicia Region of Asia Minor, Z seized tortured but preserved, A beheld tMiracle, baptized, both went to wilderness after Z released; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia was an inhabitant of the wilderness. a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Cilicia, 284-305, Theodula in Cilicia, great story includes Helladius, Macarius and Evagrius, Theodula, breath destroyed idol
Cilicia, 284-305, Theodula in Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, great story includes Helladius, Macarius and Evagrius, Theodula fAnazarbus, Cilicia, A city perfect Pelagius was a cruel man, sent his servants out to bring Christians to trial, they brought Theodula, she was afraid of being defiled, but not of tortures for Christ, they rejected her much gold offer and brought her before perfect, asked her name, & to idol worship order she said she was Christian, her name meant servant of God, I worship true god not a stone, furious peladius ordered torture, Lord helped, she felt no pain, P said the gods helped her, T said where are your gods that spared me? taken to deified Hadrian's temple, T merely blew breath at the idol and it crumbled to dust, Pelagius feared he would be blamed so asked T to restore it and promised to convert, she did but he recanted and resumed torture, Helladius took over but was converted, martyred, into sea, T stretched out on metal plate, poured boiling tar wax & oil on her, but plate shattered many pieces scorching people incl Pelagius who died of fright, T unharmed, many believed, incl respected Macarius&Evagrius, T,M, &E thrown into heated oven ; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy martyr Theodula lived in the city of Anazarbus (Asia Minor) during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). prefect of the city, Pelagius, was a very cruel man. servants sought out Christians throughout the entire region and brought them to trial, which the imperial edict was read to them, and they were ordered to worship idols. day they brought to him a Christian woman named Theodula. was afraid, so much of the tortures, but that she might be defiled by the pagans, so she had offered them much gold. the servants would not accept the gold, and they brought her before the prefect. asked her name and he ordered her to worship the pagan gods. threatened her with cruel tortures if she refused. Theodula replied, “I am a Christian. very name means ‘servant of God,’ and so people call me Theodula. worship the One True God and will not worship a mere stone.” became furious and he gave orders to begin the tortures. Lord granted Theodula His help, and she did not feel any pain. however, said this was done by the gods, who had spared Theodula in the hope that she would turn to them. Theodula said to the prefect, “Where are your gods, who spare me? Show them to me, that I might show honor to them.” brought her into the temple of the “deified” Roman emperor Hadrian, whom they regarded as a mighty god. saint however, in praying to the One True God, merely blew a breath at the idol, and it crumbled into dust. this, Pelagius trembled with fright. the idol’s destruction was reported to the emperor, he himself would be thrown to the wild beasts. fell down at the feet of Saint Theodula, begging her to restore the idol, and promised to accept Christianity. saint prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the idol again stood in its place, whole and intact. prefect Pelagius, however, not only did not keep his promise to become a Christian, instead he began to torture the martyr with an even greater fury. these torments a certain fellow named Helladius came up to the prefect, and looking at the captives, he asked to be given the maiden Theodula, promising to make her worship the pagan gods, doing this because he wanted to ingratiate himself with the city prefect and to receive honors. subjected Saint Theodula to harsh torments, exceeding Pelagius in cruelty. saint prayed that God would grant her the ability to persevere. immediately received help from God and was healed. tormentor was awestruck, and Saint Theodula admonished him. “Become a Christian,” she said, “and attain eternal honors in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge both the living and the dead and render to each man according to his deeds.” her prayers and her words, Saint Theodula led Helladius to the knowledge of truth. believed in Christ and confessed the True God before the prefect. also received the crown of martyrdom. cut off his head with a sword, and threw his body into the sea. Theodula was thrown into a blazing oven, but she remained unharmed. this, they stretched her out on a metal plate. They poured boiling tar, wax and oil on her, the red-hot plate shattered into pieces, and the fire scorched many people, including the city prefect Pelagius, indeed died of fright, but Saint Theodula remained unharmed. such a miracle, many people believed in Christ, among whom were the respected citizens Macarius and Evagrius. pagans continued to torture Christians. heated an oven and threw Saint Theodula, Macarius, Evagrius and many others who believed in Christ into it. all suffered martyrdom, and were translated into life immortal.

Cilicia, 284-305, Helladius in Cilicia, great story includes Theodula, while torturing T, become Christian for eternal honors
Cilicia, 284-305, Helladius in Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, great story includes Theodula, Macarius and Evagrius, H fAnazarbus, Cilicia, To impress the A Perfect, Helladius steped in to torture Theodula, his tortures Pelagius', but after prayer God helped her endure and she was healed, Helladius in awe, T admonished him "become a christian and obtain eternal honors", so he believed in Christ and confessed True God before the Perfect, martyred; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy martyr Theodula lived in the city of Anazarbus (Asia Minor) during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). prefect of the city, Pelagius, was a very cruel man. servants sought out Christians throughout the entire region and brought them to trial, which the imperial edict was read to them, and they were ordered to worship idols. day they brought to him a Christian woman named Theodula. was afraid, so much of the tortures, but that she might be defiled by the pagans, so she had offered them much gold. the servants would not accept the gold, and they brought her before the prefect. asked her name and he ordered her to worship the pagan gods. threatened her with cruel tortures if she refused. Theodula replied, “I am a Christian. very name means ‘servant of God,’ and so people call me Theodula. worship the One True God and will not worship a mere stone.” became furious and he gave orders to begin the tortures. Lord granted Theodula His help, and she did not feel any pain. however, said this was done by the gods, who had spared Theodula in the hope that she would turn to them. Theodula said to the prefect, “Where are your gods, who spare me? Show them to me, that I might show honor to them.” brought her into the temple of the “deified” Roman emperor Hadrian, whom they regarded as a mighty god. saint however, in praying to the One True God, merely blew a breath at the idol, and it crumbled into dust. this, Pelagius trembled with fright. the idol’s destruction was reported to the emperor, he himself would be thrown to the wild beasts. fell down at the feet of Saint Theodula, begging her to restore the idol, and promised to accept Christianity. saint prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the idol again stood in its place, whole and intact. prefect Pelagius, however, not only did not keep his promise to become a Christian, instead he began to torture the martyr with an even greater fury. these torments a certain fellow named Helladius came up to the prefect, and looking at the captives, he asked to be given the maiden Theodula, promising to make her worship the pagan gods, doing this because he wanted to ingratiate himself with the city prefect and to receive honors. subjected Saint Theodula to harsh torments, exceeding Pelagius in cruelty. saint prayed that God would grant her the ability to persevere. immediately received help from God and was healed. tormentor was awestruck, and Saint Theodula admonished him. “Become a Christian,” she said, “and attain eternal honors in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who shall judge both the living and the dead and render to each man according to his deeds.” her prayers and her words, Saint Theodula led Helladius to the knowledge of truth. believed in Christ and confessed the True God before the prefect. also received the crown of martyrdom. cut off his head with a sword, and threw his body into the sea. Theodula was thrown into a blazing oven, but she remained unharmed. this, they stretched her out on a metal plate. They poured boiling tar, wax and oil on her, the red-hot plate shattered into pieces, and the fire scorched many people, including the city prefect Pelagius, indeed died of fright, but Saint Theodula remained unharmed. such a miracle, many people believed in Christ, among whom were the respected citizens Macarius and Evagrius. pagans continued to torture Christians. heated an oven and threw Saint Theodula, Macarius, Evagrius and many others who believed in Christ into it. all suffered martyrdom, and were translated into life immortal.

Cilicia, 286, Martyr Domnina, Anazarbus, Cilicia, killed by Governor Licius
Cilicia, 286, Martyr Domnina, Anazarbus, Cilicia, killed by Governor Licius; Anazarbus (Aleian plain, Ceyhan River); Martyr Domnina of Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr Domnina of Anazarbus lived in the region of Cilicia, and suffered for confessing Christianity. She was beaten for a long time, by order of the governor Licius, and they also burned her with fire. After many tortures, Saint Domnina was thrown into prison, where she died in 286.

Cilicia, 290-304, Martyr Sozon, in Cilicia, shepherd, martyrdom vision, distributed statues' gold, idol a helpless god
Cilicia, 290-304, Martyr Sozon, Pompeiopolis, Cilicia (near Seyhan River Mouth), shepherd inferior to sheep in meekness, martyrdom vision at spring, broke hand off golden statue, to pieces, distributed to poor, innocent people arrested, turned himself in, explained idol helpless god, tortured to death, large fire, thunder lightning rain hail, divine light, incorrupt relics; Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia, Commemorated September 7 ; Sozon lived in the late III century. was from Lykaonia in Cilicia, and originally his name was Tarasios. he became a Christian, he was baptized and received the name Sozon. shepherd by profession, he tried to imitate the meekness of the sheep, at which he marveled. “I am ashamed,” he said, “that I am inferior to sheep.” studied the Holy Scriptures attentively, and he also guided Christ‘s rational sheep to good pastures. day, while watering his flock at a spring, Sozon fell asleep under an oak tree, where he had a vision which foretold his impending martyrdom for Christ. was also informed that the spring would become a source of blessing and of healing for many, since it would be sanctified by God‘s grace. he awakened, he entrusted his flock to another shepherd and journeyed to Pompeiopolis in Cilicia. Seeing what impiety there was in that city, his heart was profoundly grieved. one of the temples of the idolaters, he beheld a golden statue representing a pagan “god.” Then, with great courage, he broke off the statue‘s right hand with his shepherd‘s crook and smashed it into tiny pieces, which he distributed to the poor. caused a great uproar in the city. the governor of Cilicia, became very angry, and a search was made to find the culprit. Many innocent people were arrested and tortured in an attempt to force a confession from them. Saint Sozon heard about this, he could not permit others to suffer for something he had done. Therefore, he presented himself before the governor and responded to his threats in a calm manner, saying that the statue was not doing anyone much good inside the temple, and so he used the gold for the benefit of the poor. asked the Saint how he dared to dishonor their “god” in such a way. replied, “I did this so that you might know that your ‘god’ is powerless. When I struck off his hand, he did not protest or make any attempt to stop me, nor did he cry out with pain. How could he? Your idol is deaf and dumb and without breath. It cannot see, hear, speak, or defend itself. If your ‘god’ was real, I would not have been permitted to break it.” Maximian heard these words, he ordered that Saint Sozon be tortured without mercy. He was suspended and his body was raked with iron claws. Then iron boots were nailed to the soles of his feet, and he was paraded through the city. his torments, he never ceased to glorify the Savior Christ. again he was suspended from a tree and beaten with iron rods, so that his body was mangled and his bones were broken. Amid such torture, the Saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 304. that he was dead, the soldiers took him down from the tree and built a large fire to burn his body so that the Christians would not be able to claim it and venerate it. there was thunder and lightning, rain and hail, which put out the fire. The pagans fled in fear, and the holy relics were not damaged. faithful came at midnight, when it was very dark. They were troubled because they could not find the relics, a light from Heaven shone upon Christ‘s holy martyr to guide them. Gathering the Saint‘s relics, the Christians gave them an honorable burial. miracles took place at the tomb, and also at the spring where the Saint had his vision under the oak tree. a church was built by the spring, and was dedicated to Saint Sozon. that holy place praise was offered to the one true God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory throughout all the ages. Amen.

Cilicia, 300, 4th C Folder, Zosimus oWildrns, Callioius aPompipls, Cyrenia wNnaked, Elias fPrisoners, Diodorus&Flavian rChrystrm

Cilicia, 303-353, Zosimus, Cilicia Wilderness, tortured, unharmed, prison warden believed, they back to wilderness
Cilicia, 303-353, Zosimus, Wilderness, Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, tortured, preserved unharmed, prison warden Athanasius believed, they retired back to wilderness; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia and was an inhabitant of the wilderness. During a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Saints Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Cilicia, 303-353, Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites
Cilicia, 303-363, Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, Diocletian Persecution, The Cilicia Wilderness, fierce torture, preserved unharmed, prison warden A believed, they went to Cilicia W, lived in crevice until death; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Confessors Zosimus the Hermit and Athanasius the Commentarisius (Superintendent of Prisoners), Anchorites, of Cilicia, Commemorated on January 4; Monk Confessor Zosimus came from Cilicia and was an inhabitant of the wilderness. a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) Saint Zosimus was seized and subjected to fierce torture for the Faith, but by the power of God he was preserved unharmed. beheld such a miracle of God, the prison warden named Athanasius believed in Christ and was baptized. Saints Zosimus and Athanasius were released and went into the wilderness where they lived in the crevice of a mountain until their death.

Cilicia, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis, dedicated to God, survived torture, crucified
Cilicia, 304, Calliopius at Pompeiopolis , Cilicia and (near Seyhan River Mouth) and Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia, Armenia, dedicated to God, survived iron rods, iron wheel, roasted, encouraged by mother, crucified upside down, buried w mother ; Cilician Pompeiopolis ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7; Holy Martyr Calliopius was born in Perge, Pamphylia of the pious woman Theoklia, wife of a renowned senator. Theoklia was childless for a long time. She fervently prayed for a son, vowing to dedicate him to God. after the birth of her son Theoklia was widowed. When Saint Calliopius reached adolescence, a fierce persecution against Christians began. Theoklia, learning that her son would be denounced as a Christian, sent him to Cilicia in Asia Minor. the saint arrived at Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia there was a celebration in honor of the pagan gods. They invited the youth to take part in the proceedings, but he said he was a Christian and refused. They reported this to the prefect of the city Maximus. Saint Calliopius was brought before him to be tried. At first, he attempted to persuade Calliopius to worship the gods, promising to give him his own daughter in marriage. After the youth rejected this offer, Maximus subjected him to terrible tortures. He ordered the martyr to be beaten on the back with iron rods, and on the stomach with ox-hide thongs. Finally, the prefect had him tied to an iron wheel, and he was roasted over a slow fire. After these tortures, they threw the martyr Calliopius into prison. Theoklia heard about the sufferings of her son, she wrote her last will, freed her slaves, distributed her riches to the poor, and hastened to Saint Calliopius. The brave mother gave money to the guard and got into the prison to see her son. There she encouraged him to endure suffering to the end for Christ. on the following day the saint refused to renounce Christ, Maximus gave orders to crucify the martyr. The day of execution happened to be Great Thursday, when the Savior’s last meal with His disciples is commemorated. begged the guard to crucify her son head downward, since she considered it unworthy for him to be crucified like the Lord. Her wish was granted. The holy martyr hung on the cross overnight and died on Great Friday in the year 304. the holy martyr was removed from the cross, Theoklia gave glory to the Savior. She embraced the lifeless body of her son and gave up her own spirit to God. Christians buried their bodies in a single grave.

Cilicia, 305-311, Cyrenia &Juliana, Charity, orphans, sick fFree, c pagans, Confess Christ, C walked naked, C&J burnt alive
Cilicia, 305-311, Cyrenia fTarsus, Cilicia &Juliana fRoso, Syria, Charity, Philanthropy, orphans, poor widows, sick fFree, poverty, injustice support, converted pagans, arrested bMarcian oCilicia, refused deny Christ, C walked naked Tarsus, C&J burnt alive iRosso; Tarsus; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Holy Martyr Kyriaina aka Cyrenia (Κυριαίνα) was from Tarsus in Cilicia, and Saint Juliana was from the city of Roso. virtuous women devoted themselves to works of charity and Christian philanthropy during the reign of Emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). cared for orphans, comforted poor widows and treated the sick without charging any fee. knew how to read and write somewhat, but they were very eager and always found a way to support the faith of those who suffered from poverty, injustice, or other trials. times they succeeded in bringing pagans to the light of Christ through the Gospel, and by their own patience and goodness. Saints were arrested by Marcian, the governor of Cilicia, who tried to make them to deny Christ, but they refused to do this. Marcian had Kyriaina's hair and eyebrows shaved, and forced her to walk naked through the streets of Tarsus. she and Juliana were taken to the city of Roso, where they were burnt alive. endured this horrible death with admirable steadfastness and self-denial, thereby obtaining the incorruptible crown of martyrdom from Christ.

Cilicia, 308, Elias, Probus, and Ares, Cilicia, heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison, Martyred
Cilicia, 308, Elias, Probus, and Ares, Cilicia Region of Asia Minor, heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison, during Maximian, tortured and Killed; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyrs Elias, Probus, and Ares, natives of Egypt, and heedless of their own safety, cared for Christians locked up in prison during the persecution of Maximian (305-313). For this they were arrested, subjected to torture and given over to death (+308). Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Cilicia, 340-390, Diodorus of Tarsus (Seyhan River Mouth), Raised Chrysostom
Diodorus of Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), Raised Chrysostom; Tarsus; Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13;

Cilicia, 340-404, Flavian of Tarsus and Antioch (Seyhan River Mouth), Raised Chrysostom
Cilicia, 378-390, Flavian of Tarsus and Antioch (Seyhan River Mouth), Raised Chrysostom; Diodorus of Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), Raised Chrysostom; Tarsus; Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13;

Cilicia, 400, 5th C Folder, Chrysostom dies oRoman Road iCilicia, Romanos oCilicia nAntioch, miracle, but right works tBig deal

Cilicia, 401-460, Thalelaeus oSyria, small cell after defeating demons from ruined temple, to avoid eternal punishment
Cilicia, 401-460, Thalelaeus tHermit oSyria, fCilicia Region oAsia Minor, an Unmercenary Physician, tSabbas m, ordained presbyter, later moved tSyria near Gabala (Jableh), tent near ruined pagan temple, demons there, praying day&night, complete solitude, frequently attacked, but he was ultimately victorius, no longer troubled, intensified efforts, built cell he could not sit up in, tall man, cramped conditions for 10yrs, why, because many sins and he might receive eternal punishment, so suffered voluntarily in his cell, gift oWonderworking, converted pagans, they helped him destroy pagan temple and build church with daily services, reposed advanced age 460; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Thalelaios (Thallélaios) lived during the fifth century, and is one of the Unmercenary Physicians. He was a native of Cilicia in Asia Minor, and entered the Monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified, there he was ordained as a presbyter. on, he moved to Syria, not far from the city of Gabala, he found a ruined pagan temple surrounded by pagan graves, he settled there in a tent. place had an evil reputation, the demons inhabiting the place frightened travellers and caused them much harm. Thalelaios lived, praying day and night in complete solitude. demons attacked the Saint frequently, trying to scare him with frightful apparitions and noises. by the power of God Thallélaios was ultimately victorious over the Enemy, which he was no longer troubled. he intensified his efforts even more: built a small cell measuring three feet high and two feet wide. he was a tall man, he was unable to sit up in it, but had to rest his head on his knees. remained in these cramped quarters for about ten years. Theodoret of Cyrrhus visited Saint Thalelaios one day and found him reading the Gospel. asked him why he had chosen live in such a way. Saint said that he had many sins, and that he might receive eternal punishment, he hoped to escape those torments by suffering voluntarily in his cell. Bishop left, greatly edified by this answer. Lord granted to the ascetic the gift of wonderworking, his miracles helped him to enlighten the pagan population. the help of those he had converted to Christianity, he destroyed the pagan temple, built a church in which there were daily Services. Thalelaios reposed at an advanced age around the year 460. the book entitled Leimonarion, or Pratum [The Meadow], written by the Greek monk John Moskhos (+ 622), Saint Thallélaios is mentioned: “Abba Thalelaios was a monk for sixty years he never ceased saying with tears, "Brethren, God has given us this time for repentance, and we must seek after Him’” (Chapter 59). Life is included in the Church History of Theodoret of Cyrrhus.

Cilicia, 407, Saint, John Chrysostom (died in Comana, Cilicia, on a Roman Road)
Cilicia Saint, 349-407, John Chrysostom (died in Comana, Cilicia) ; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22;

Cilicia, 420-480, Romanos of Cilicia, cave near Antioch, fasting, hair shirt chains, no fire, miracles grace, healed infertility
Cilicia, 420-480, Venerable Romanos of Cilicia of Asia Minor, cave near Antioch, Syria, fasting, heavy chains under hair shirt, no fire, miracles grace, crowds, healed infertility; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Venerable Romanos of Cilicia, Commemorated on November 27; Romanos was from the city of Roson in Cilicia, he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanos reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on February 9. Romanos is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Cilicia, 420-480, Romanos oCilicia, lived in cave near Antioch, great miracles but take heed, right works tBig Deal
Cilicia, 450, 5th Century, Romanos oCilicia, Region of Asia Minor, lived in cave near Antioch, from Roson, heavy chains, hair shirt, no fire for many years, grace of working miracles, great crowds, healed grave ilnesses, healed infertility, not proud for miracles, think stand take heed lest fall, miracles no big deal, righteousness the big deal Cilicia, 450, 5th Century, Romanos oCilicia, Region of Asia Minor, lived near Antioch, Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Romanós of Cilicia, Commemorated on February 9; Romanós was from the city of Rosón in Cilicia, but he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. The Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanós reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on November 27. Romanós is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. Some of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Cilicia, 500, 6th C Folder, Conan & Forerunner, dispassion

Cilicia, 505-555, Conan Abbot oPethukla Monastery, baptized those sent fJerusalem, but no women, 2 Forrunner visits, dispassion
Cilicia, 505-555, Conan Abbot oPethukla Monastery (On the Jordan), young monk at Pethukla, presbyter, Jerusalem Archbishop sent people to him for Baptism, he baptized those who came and anointed with holy chrism, but would not baptize women, John tForerunner appeared to him promising help with his struggle wTemptations, Persian girl seeking baptism, beautiful, naked, so he could not baptize her, she waited 2days, he wanted pious woman to anoint her, could not find in this remote area, he left , Forerunner appeared again and told him to return, for I will relieve you of your conflict, he argued saying he promised that before but did not, Forerunner signed him with the cross, said he would receive reward for struggle wTemptations, then commanded him return wNo further doubts, anointed persian girl wChrism not noticing she was a woman, then lived at Monastery 20 yrs, perfect dispassion, peace sleep 555; Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Conan was born in Cilicia. still at an early age he became a monk at the Pethukla monastery near the Jordan River, he was ordained presbyter. Peter of Jerusalem learned about the strict ascetic and sent people to him for Baptism. Conan baptized those who came and anointed them with holy chrism, he would not baptize women. John the Forerunner appeared to him, promising to help him in his struggle with temptations. girl came from Persia seeking Baptism. was so beautiful that Saint Conan could not anoint her with the holy chrism, since she was naked. two days the girl remained without being baptized or anointed with the holy chrism. Conan wanted to find a pious woman to anoint her, it was difficult to find such a woman, since the area was so remote. ascetic decided to leave the monastery, on the way Saint John the Forerunner again appeared to him and said, “Return to your monastery, I shall relieve you of your conflict.- ” Saint Conan tried to argue and to refuse, saying that when Saint John the Forerunner had appeared before, had promised to free him from temptation. John the Baptist then signed the ascetic with the Sign of the Cross said that he would receive a reward for his struggle with temptations. he commanded him to return to the monastery and to have no further doubts. Conan obediently fulfilled the advice of Saint John, and he anointed the Persian maiden with chrism without even noticing that she was a woman. this the ascetic lived at the monastery for twenty years. achieved perfect dispassion, he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord about the year 555. Feasts & Saints

Cilicia, 800, 9th C Folder, Eustratius tWonderworker, Wonderworking Miasena Icon, hidden lake long time

Cilicia, 813-888, Eustratius tWonderworker, fTarsus, tAbgar m a20, igumen, bread water only, prayer nights, think future life

Cilicia, 869, Wonderworking Miasena Icon, hidden in Lake Zagura for a long time
Lake Zagura; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was thrown into Lake Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery. Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Cilicia (Clean), Roman Roads and Rivers Folder to Syria

Cilicia (Clean), its Area
Cilicia Area

Celicia (Clean), Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Diocaesarea (Isauria, near Limonlu mouth)
Diocaesarea (Isauria);

Cilicia, Ceyhan River Folder, Eastern Cilicia

Lake Zagura, Cilicia
Lake Zagura; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was thrown into Lake Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery. Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Miasena Monastery Celicia, near Melitene Armenia
Miasena Monastery ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Miasena Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was thrown into Lake Zagura in the ninth century in an effort to save it from the iconoclasts. After a long time, the wonderworking icon emerged from the water unharmed and was brought to the Miasena Monastery. Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Cucusus, Cilicia (near Ceyan River 2), Remote place of several exiles
Cucusus, Syria (near Ceyan River 2), Remote place of several exiles; St. Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Irenopolis (Cilicia, Ceyhan River 8.7)
Irenopolis (Cilicia);

Arabian Plate and Cilicia, Zargos Mountains around the Fertile Crescent
Arabian Plate and Cilicia; Martyr and Unmercenary Cosmas and his brother in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 17;

Gulf of Isska, Cilicia, near the city of Ossos
Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos; Saint Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11;

Rossos, Cilicia, Gulf of Isska, on this coastal road, near the city of Ossos
Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos; Martyrs Kyriaina and Juliana in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Saint Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11;

Aleian Plain, Upper Aleian plain, Cilicia
Aleian plain;

Anazarbus, Cilicia (Mehmetli River at Kilgen River at Aleian plain, Ceyhan River 10)
Anazarbus (Aleian plain, Ceyhan River); Martyr Domnina of Anazarbus, Commemorated on October 12 ; Marinus the Elder at Anazarbus, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16

Kilgen River Mouth, Ceyan River 10

Aleian plain, Lower Aleian Plain, Cilicia
Aleian plain;

Cilicia, Seyhan River Folder, Celicia and Cappadocia, Central Celicia, Tarsus

Cilicia, Seyhan River Source, Zamanti and Goksu Rivers Folder, Cappadocia

Zamanti River Source (Pinarbasi, Cappadocia)

Zamanti River 1

Zamanti River 2 (Comana)

Komana (Comana), Cilicia (on Roman Road, Pontica, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)
Comana (Cappadocia); Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31;

Comana (Komana), Cilicia (on Roman Road, Pontica, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)

Cucusus, Cilicia, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness
Cucusus, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness; Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Zamanti River 3 (Yahyali)

Zamanti River (Overview)

Zamanti River 4

Zamanti River 5

Zamanti River Mouth (Seyhan River Source)

Goksu River Source (Comana, Cappadocia)

Seyhan River Source (Aldag)

Sarus (Seyhan River) River Source (Anti-Taurus Mountains, Aladag)

Anti-Taurus Mountains
Anti-Taurus Mountains;

Seyhan River 1

Seyhan River 2

Seyhan River 3

Seyhan River 4 (Adana)

Antioch, Cilicia (Seyan River 4, Adana)
Antioch, Cilicia (Seyan River 4, Adana); Pancras of Taormina; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9;

Incirlik Air Base (Seyhan River 4, Adana)
Incirlik Air Base; Aleian plain;

Mopsuestia, Cilicia
Mopsuestia is 12 Miles East of Adana.

Seyhan River 5 (Overview)

Seyhan River Mouth (Cape Deli, Mediterranean Sea)

Tarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth)
Tarsus; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated July 15 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Diomedes was born in Cilician Tarsus. He was a physician, and a Christian, and he treated not only ills of the body but also of the soul. He enlightened many pagans with belief in Christ, and baptized them. The Church venerates him as a healer and mentions him during the Mystery of Holy Unction. Diomedes traveled much, converting people to the true Faith. When he arrived in the city of Nicea, the emperor Diocletian (284-305) sent soldiers to arrest him. Along the way from Nicea to Nicomedia, he got down from the cart so as to pray, and he died. proof of carrying out their orders, the soldiers cut off his head, but became blinded. Diocletian gave orders to take the head back to the body. When the soldiers fulfilled the order, their sight was restored and they believed in Christ. Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus, Commemorated October 7 ; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Marinus the Elder at Anazarbus, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 9 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated January 23 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29;

Mercin, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth)
Mercin; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ;

Cilicia, Limonlu River Folder, Southwestern Cilicia

Limonlu River Source

Diocaesarea (Isauria, near Limonlu mouth)
Diocaesarea (Isauria); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21;

Sebaste, Mercin, Cilicia (Limonlu River Mouth)
Sebaste, Mercin; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated February 11; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Cilicia, Cilician Gates Folder, Western Cilicia

Heraclea Cybistra (Cilician Gates)
Heraclea Cybistra: the entry pont into the hills on the way to Cilicia; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe GeneralÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8 ;

Tyana, beyond Cilicia Gates on Roman Road tCappadocia, Armenia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Cappadocia Folder (Central Asia Minor)

Cappadocia (Central Anatolia)
Cappadocia; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Meletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Igantius the Abbot in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 27 ; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated November 6 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Terence the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Cappadocia Region (Upper Kizilirmak River area, above Phaplagonia)
Cappadocia Region, Cappadocia is the area from Mt Taurus to the Black Sea; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Martyr Marcian of Iconium, Commemorated on July 13 ; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder; St Meletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Venerable Igantius the Abbot in Asia Minor, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated October 16; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated January 10; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe GeneralÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated February 11; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Sava the Goth of Wallachia, Commemorated on April 15; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Glorification of the Venerable Zebulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Asia Minor (Anatolia)
From Wikipedia: Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey. It is a peninsula bound by the Black Sea to the north, Georgia to the north-east, the Armenian Highland to the east, Mesopotamia to the south-east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Penninsula or Western Two Thirds of Asian Turkey: Asia Minor; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy;

Central Anatolia (Cappadocia)
Central Anatolia, Cappadocia ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27;

Cappadocia, 033-395, Cappadocia History Folder

Cappadocia, 33-50, Loginius, Centurion at Cross & Sepulchre & then Cappadocia, his head story

Cappadocia, 223-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker
Cappadocia, 223-270, Gregory Thaumaturgus, the Wonderworker ; St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¦sarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Cappadocia, 275, Child Martyr Saint Mammes of Caesarea
Capadocia, 275, Child Martyr Saint Mammes of Caesarea; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12;

Cappadocia, 292-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia
Cappadocia, 290-303, Great Martyr George of Cappadocia; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Cappadocia, 292-340, Armenian Saint, Nino, George's Kin, to Georgia for the Robe
Armenian Saint, 296-340, Nino; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on January 14;

Cappadocia, 244-250, Cappadocian Saint, Mercurius
Cappadocia, 244-250, Cappadocian Saint, Mercurius; Great Martyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9;

Cappadocia, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Byzantium, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River) ; Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Cappadocia, 331-383, Cappadocian Goth Arian Saint, Ulfilas
Cappadocia, 331-383, Cappadocian Goth Arian Saint, Ulfilas; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530);

Cappadocia, 349-390, Byzantine Saint, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory the Theologian
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Cappadocia, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¦sarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Cappadocia, 350-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)
Cappadocia, 350-381, Theosebia, the younger sister (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus); Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¦sarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1;

Cappadocia, 350-379, Byzantine Saint, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great
Byzantine Saint, 350-379, Basil of Caesarea, Basil the Great; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Cappadocia, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, younger brother of Gregory
Cappadocia, 351-368, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus, younger brother of Gregory; St. Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25;

Cappadocia, 355-395, Cappadocian, Byzantine Saint, Gregory of Nyssa
Byzantine Saint, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia
Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Cappadocia, 459-532, Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, born in Cappadocia, Armenia
Jerusalem Saint, 459-532, Sabbas the Sanctified; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Venerable John the Silent of St Savaâ€™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30;

Cappadocia, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh
Armenia, 829-842, Saint Eudocimus, Charsianon Fortress, Cappadocia, admin, blameless life, incorrupt relics, myrrh; Charsianon (Charsia); Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31 ; Eudocimus, a native of Cappadocia (Asia Minor), lived during the ninth century during the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829-842). He was the son of the pious Christians Basil and Eudokia, an illustrious family known to the emperor. They raised their son “in discipline and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6: 4), planting in his soul a sincere faith and holy virtues. righteous life of Saint Eudocimus was devoted to pleasing God and serving his neighbor. Having given a vow to remain unmarried and chaste, he avoided conversation with women and did not look at them. He would speak only with his own mother, whom he greatly respected. The emperor valued his virtue and talents, so he appointed Saint Eudocimus as governor of Chorziane, Armenia. Fulfilling his duty as a servant of God, Saint Eudocimus governed the people justly and with kindness. He concerned himself with the unfortunate, and with orphans and widows, and he was a defender of the common people. His personal Christian exploits which he did in secret, were known only to God. pleased God by his blameless life, and the Lord called him at age 33. Lying on his deathbed, Saint Eudocimus gave final instructions to place him in the grave in those clothes in which he would meet death. Then he sent everyone out of the room and entreated the Lord that no one would see his end, just as no one saw his secret efforts during life. His attendants buried him as he had instructed them. Right after the death of Saint Eudocimus miracles took place at his grave. Many sick people were healed, and the news of the miraculous healings spread. 18 months, the mother of Saint Eudocimus came from Constantinople to venerate his relics. She gave orders to remove the stone, dig up the ground, and open the grave. Everyone beheld the face of the saint, bright as if alive, altogether untouched by decay. A great fragrance came from him. They took up the coffin with the relics from the earth, and they dressed the saint in new clothes. His mother wanted to take the relics of her son to Constantinople, but the Kharsian people would not clear a path for their holy one. After a certain time the hieromonk Joseph, having lived and served at the grave of the saint, transported the relics of Saint Eudocimus to Constantinople. There they were placed in a silver reliquary in the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, built by the parents of the saint. Eudocimus is considered by the Russian Church to be one of the special protectors and intercessors before God of the family hearth. He was, as his name implies, truly successful in every virtue.

Cappadocia, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, refused Islam&daughter, starvation sentence, not feel hunger, stoned&hanged
Armenia, 1740, New Martyr Theocharis, at Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia, Roman Roads Intersection Great Road across Turkey and to Cilicia, Governor decreed Christian boys tConcentration camps, including T, but Judge liked him, brought him home, offered wed his daughter, if convert tIslam, T refused, starvation sentence, nourished bPrayer, not feel hunger, satisfied little water, refused again, stoned and hanged, 1923 right hand tThessaloniki; Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, Greater Armenia; Holy New Martyr Theocharis, Commemorated on August 20; the year 1740 Sultan Ahmed and Ibrahim Pasha, the governor of Asia Minor, a decree was issued that Christian boys should be placed in concentration camps. orphan Theocharis was among them. a certain day, however, the judge of Neapolis (Nevsehir) in Cappadocia, saw Theocharis in the camp, he liked him, and brought him home to care for his animals. ’s piety and comeliness prompted the judge to suggest that he become his son-in-law, after first becoming a Moslem. answered courageously, “My master, I was born a Christian, and I cannot deny the faith of my Savior and of my fathers.” Ottoman judge considered the answer to be offensive and threatened him with torture, and then he sentenced him to death by starvation. went to church to confess and to partake of the spotless Mysteries, and then returned to his master. When he repeated his refusal and confessed his faith, they threw him into prison without food for many days. was nourished by prayer, however and did not feel hunger; he was satisfied with a little water once in a while. the judge repeated his offer to let him marry his daughter, Theocharis firmly refused. Then, after frightful torture, they took him an hour’s journey from the city of Neapolis, where he was stoned and then hanged at noon on a white poplar tree on August 20, 1740. 1923, the right hand of St. Theocharis was brought to Thessaloniki and was placed in the Church of St. Katherine, where it remains today.

Cappadocia, Kizilirmak River Folder, Great Road from Ephesus to Euphrates

Sebaste, Cappadocia (high point, Iris River Source, Kizilirmak River 1)
Sebaste, Cappadocia; Hieromartyr Athenogenes the Bishop of Heracleopolis, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379); Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Irenarchus at Sebaste, Commemorated on November 28 ; Martyr Eustratius at Sebaste, Commemorated December 13 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9;

Caesurea (Kayseri), Cappadocian Capital (Great Road, Kizilirmak River 4)
Caesurea, Cappadocia; Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste, Commemorated on July 16; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated September 2 ; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 7 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated September 17 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Theodora of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated December 30 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 3 ; St Carterius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 8 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Eubulus at Caesarea, Cappadocia, February 2 ; Martyr Blaise of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated February 3 ; Virginmartyr Dorothy at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated Febuary 6 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Hyacinthus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Theodotus at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 4;

Comana, Cappadocia (Pontica, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)

Cucusus, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness
Cucusus, Cappadocian Cucusus in the Taurian wilderness; Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Mount Argeos, Cappadocia
Mount Argeos; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated February 11;

Prokopion, Cappadocia, Asia Minor
Prokopion (renamed Urgup by the Turks) ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Sasima, Cappadocia
Sasima, St Basil the Great made St Gregory bishop of the city of Sasima, a small town between Caesarea and Tyana. ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Nazianzos, Cappadocia (Great Road from Ephesus)
Nazianzos; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Tyana, Cappadocia and Cilicia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Tiana in great Cappadocia
Tiana in great Cappadocia; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7;

Nyssa, Cappadocia (Kizilirmak River 5)
Nyssa, Cappadocia; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated November 17 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395);

Crete Folder

Crete, Island of Crete
Crete; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Myron the Wonderworker and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr John of Crete, Commemorated September 15 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; 99 Martyred Fathers of Crete, Commemorated October 7 ; Monkmartyr Andrew of Crete, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated December 26 ; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated January 24 ; Titus of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT) St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Crete, 30-1908, Crete History Folder

Crete, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostles Titus & Apollos

Crete, 30-96, Titus, of t Seventy, heard voice, read Isaiah, uncle sent him to see Jesus, accompanied st paul, bishop of Crete
Crete, 30-96, Saint Titus of the Seventy; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 25; Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. Preoccupied by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and passions characteristic of the majority of pagans. He preserved his virginity, as the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer (December 20) testifies of him. such a manner of life the Lord did not leave him without His help. At age twenty Saint Titus heard a voice in a dream, suggesting that he abandon Hellenistic wisdom, which could not provide salvation for his soul, but rather to seek that which would save him. After this dream, Saint Titus waited yet another year, since it was not actually a command, but it did guide him to familiarize himself with the teachings of the prophets of God. The first that he happened to read was the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Having opened it to the 47th Chapter, he was struck by the words, speaking as it were about his own spiritual condition. news reached Crete about the appearance of a Great Prophet in Palestine, and about the great miracles He worked, the governor of the island of Crete (an uncle of Titus) sent him there. This Prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate of the Most Holy Virgin Mary Who came into the world for the redemption of the race of mankind from the oppression of ancestral sin. Jerusalem, Saint Titus saw the Lord. He heard His preaching and believed in Him. He witnessed the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross, His glorious Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. On the day of Pentecost the future apostle heard how the Twelve Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, spoke in various languages, among which was the Cretan language (Acts 2: 11). Titus accepted Baptism from the Apostle Paul and became his closest disciple. He accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys, fulfilling the tasks entrusted to him. He was involved in establishing new churches, and was with Paul in Jerusalem. Titus was numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was made Bishop of Crete by the Apostle Paul. Around the year 65, not long before his second imprisonment, the Apostle Paul sent a pastoral epistle to his son in the Faith (Tit. 1: 4). the Apostle Paul was taken like a criminal to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, Saint Titus left his flock in Crete for a time and went to Rome to be of service to his spiritual Father. After Saint Paul’s death by martyrdom, Titus returned to Gortyna, the chief city of Crete. Titus peacefully guided his flock and toiled at enlightening the pagans with the light of faith in Christ. He was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. During one of the pagan feasts in honor of the goddess Diana, Titus preached to a crowd of pagans. he saw that they would not listen to him, he prayed to the Lord, so that the Lord Himself would show to the mistaken people the falseness of idols. By the prayer of Saint Titus, the idol of Diana fell down and shattered before the eyes of all. Another time Saint Titus prayed that the Lord would not permit the completion of a temple of Zeus, and it collapsed. such miracles Saint Titus brought many to faith in Christ. After bringing the light of faith to the surrounding regions, Saint Titus died peacefully at the age of 97. At the time of his death, his face shone like the sun.

Crete, 30-97, Titus, oTIMOTHY & TITUS, Bishop oCrete, Companion oPaul, coworker, subject Paul's NT letter to Titus
Crete, 30-97, Titus, oTIMOTHY & TITUS, Bishop oCrete, Companion oPaul, coworker, subject Paul's NT letter to Titus, T appears in 2Cor, Galatians, 2Tim, Pastoral Letters 1Tim, 2Tim, Titus, Pauline Authorship questioned,because not written to congregations; Crete; Titus of TIMOTHY AND TITUS, COMPANIONS OF PAUL (26 JAN NT) and Titus appear in the New Testament writings as missionary companions of, and co-workers with, the Apostle Paul. is mentioned as a companion of Paul in some of his epistles (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18; Gal 2:1-3; 2 Tim 4:10). is mentioned in Acts 16-20, and appears in 9 epistles either as joining in Paul's greetings or as a messenger. addition, Timothy has two New Testament letters addressed to him, and Titus one. these three letters (called the Pastoral Epistles), it appears that Paul had commissioned Timothy to oversee the Christian community in Ephesus and vicinity, and Titus to oversee that in Crete. The Pauline authorship of these three letters has been disputed by many scholars who accept as genuine most or all of the other New Testament letters attributed to Paul. this connection, we may note: It would be difficult to forge a letter from Paul to an early Christian community. you did it during Paul's lifetime, the congregation would be likely to reply, thanking Paul for his letter, and he would write back, saying, "What letter?" If you forged a letter from Paul to (say) the Corinthians after his death, sooner or later the Corinthians would hear of the letter, and say, "If Paul wrote that letter to us in his lifetime, why has no one here ever heard of it?" difficulties are less when one forges, say, a letter from Paul to Timothy, waiting until after the death of both to do so. There are significant differences in manner between the Pastorals and the other letters. his letters to churches, Paul routinely presents arguments for the positions he takes. the Pastorals, he simply states his position and expects that to end the matter. it is a matter of common observation that a man may have one style when lecturing to a classroom and another when explaining something to a member of his family. the saying: Never teach a family member--or let a family member teach you--how to drive a car. The lesson is bound to lead to a shouting match.) The subjects Paul deals with in the Pastorals are different from those in the other letters, and imply a much more formal church organization. it may be noted that Paul normally writes letters dealing with the questions that the recipient has asked, or needs to have answered. writes to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming because some of them have gotten the idea that it is just around the corner, and so there is no reason to plant the crops. writes to the Corinthians about the Lord's Supper, because of reports that some of them are behaving irreverently at celebrations thereof. the Corinthians had observed proper decorum at the Lord's Table, there would now be scholars who argued that Paul had never heard of the Eucharist, since he never mentions it.) is not surprising that, having set Timothy and Titus to organize the church in certain areas, he writes to them about church organization. The preceding remarks are not intended to settle the question of Pauline authorship, or even to present all the arguments on either side. They are merely there to get the reader started. by James Kiefer

Crete, 35-61, Apostle Apollos of the 70, erudite, Alexandria, Corinth, Crete, Caesurea
Egypt, 35-61, Apostle Apollos of the 70, erudite, Alexandria, Corinth, Crete, Caesurea ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus, Commemorated on December 8;

Crete, 100, 2nd C Folder, Hieromartyr Cyril, 50yr Bishop, Rejoiced M, flames no touch

Crete, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Cret, flames no touch, set free, sought & rejoiced martyrdom
Crete, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, 50 yr, refused idol w, flames did not touch, set free, continued preaching, sought & rejoiced martyrdom; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. The governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. Seeing this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. Lucius himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. It was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. Hearing the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). As a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. When a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. Along the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. He was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. He was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Crete, 200, 3rd C Folder, Cyril still alive, visions voices, 10 Martyrs Crete 30 day torture

Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, commanded by visions, doors open, idols destroyed, beheaded at 95
Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, in prison heard voice commanding go to Rome, doors open, idols destroyed, vision on road, Philoxenos said two crowns, hierarch and martyr, preached in Rome until persecution, to Jerusalem, vision to crete, bishop at C at age 60, age 95 beheaded; Crete, 174-251, Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, 50 yr, refused idol w, flames did not touch, set free, continued preaching, sought & rejoiced martyrdom; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. The governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. Seeing this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. Lucius himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. It was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. Hearing the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). As a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. When a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. Along the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. He was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. He was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril of Gortyna, lived during Decius, Diocletian, & Maximian, m freed from prison, visions, g story
Crete, 235-305, Hieromartyr Cyril of Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete, lived during Decius, Diocletian, & Maximian, miraculously freed from prison & sent to Rome, vision two crowns from Philoxenos, preaching success at R, went toward Jerusalem but vision sent him to Crete, bishop Gortyna 35 yrs, martyred at 95; Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, was bishop at Gortyna on the island of Crete for 50 years. He suffered either under the emperor Decius (249-251), or according to other historical sources, the emperor Maximian (284-305). to trial before a governor named Lucius, who demanded that he offer sacrifice to idols, the holy Elder steadfastly confessed his faith in Christ and refused to fulfill the soul-destroying command. governor sentenced Saint Cyril to burning, but the flames did not touch him. this miracle, many pagans came to believe in Christ. himself offered up praise to the Christian God and set the saint free. Cyril continued with his preaching and led many pagans to Christ, but also he grieved that he had not been allowed to suffer for the Savior. was reported to the governor that Saint Cyril would not cease his preaching, and that he continued to convert people from the darkness of paganism to the light of Christ. the sentence against him, Saint Cyril rejoiced that he was to be granted a martyr’s death for Truth, and the 84-year-old Elder willingly placed his head beneath the sword. Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 6; Hieromartyr Cyril, Bishop of Gortyna, lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his co-emperor Maximian (284-305). a Christian he was brought to trial before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown into prison. night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to Rome. the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols overthrown and destroyed. the road to Rome Saint Cyril had a vision: Saint Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr. Rome, Saint Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his preaching. a persecution against Christians started up, Saint Cyril went to Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. the way he had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete. he arrived there, Saint Cyril was chosen bishop of the city of Gortyna. was then 60 years of age. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at age 95, Saint Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution against Christians and sentenced to death. was beheaded with the sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century. Cyril is commemorated on June 14 on the Greek calendar.

Crete, 249-251, 10 Martyrs of Crete, refused to worship idols, with God persevered cruel tortures 30days rejoicing, beheaded
Crete, 249-251, 10 Martyrs of Crete. named, suffered under Decius, from various cities oCrete, confessed Christ, refused to worship idols, with God's help, persevered cruel tortures 30 days glorifying God, beheaded; Crete; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pompius, Agathopus, Basilides and Evaristus suffered for Christ during the third century under the emperor Decius (249-251). governor of Crete, also named Decius, fiercely persecuted the Church, and arrested anyone who believed in Christ. Once, ten Christians were brought before him from various cities of Crete, who at the trial steadfastly confessed their faith in Christ and refused to worship idols. thirty days they were subjected to cruel tortures, and with the help of God they all persevered, glorifying God. their death they prayed that the Lord would enlighten their torturers with the light of the true Faith. Since pain did not influence them, the saints were beheaded. Paul of Constantinople (November 6) visited Crete about a hundred years later. He took the relics of the holy martyrs to Constantinople to serve as a protection for the city, and a source of blessings for the faithful.

Crete, 400, 5th C Folder, Commentary writer Bishop Philon,

Crete, 450, 5th C, Philon, Bishop oKolpasteia (Crete), wrote Pentateuch and Song of Songs commentaries
Crete; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated January 24 ; Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia (Crete) died peacefully in the fifth century. wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch, and on the Song of Songs.

Crete, 700, 8th C Folder, Iconodule Gregory great ascetic deeds

Crete, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds
Crete, 780-820, Gregory of Crete, iconodule, to Jerusalem, persecuted by jews, to rome monastery, to Akrita, Marmora Sea, great ascetic deeds; Crete; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated January 5 ; Gregory of Akrita was born on the island of Crete in the year 760, and was raised by pious parents. At this time the iconoclast heretics persecuted the Orthodox. The youth Gregory, wanting to preserve his Orthodox Faith, went to Seleukia and led a life of piety. the age of twenty, Saint Gregory went to Jerusalem and lived there for twelve years, enduring fierce persecution from the Jews. From there Saint Gregory journeyed to Rome, where he entered a monastery. He became acquainted with Saint Michael, Bishop of Synnada (May 23), who took him along and settled in a monastery on the Cape of Akrita (Sea of Marmora). The saint accomplished great ascetic deeds and died there around the year 820.

Crete, 800, 9th C Folder, Arab Muslim conquest oCrete 820

Crete, 813-862, Nicholas tConessor oStudion, iconodule, imprisoned tortured repeatedly, Gift of healing even after death
Crete, 850 9th C, Nicholas tConessor oStudion Monastery, Constantinople, fKedonia, Crete, tUncle Theophanes, Monk aStudion a10, igumen Theodore enrolled him in their school, finished a16&Tonsured a monk, ordained priest aSeveral years, Iconoclast Leo tArmenian's persecution, Nicholas&Theodore repeatedly imprisoned, tortured, humiliated, continued to defend Orthodoxy, Theodora restored icon veneration, relative peace time, Nick chosen igumen Studion, but not for long, Uncle Bardas replaced Theodora, Patriarch Ignatius tried restrain Bardas' cohab with his son's wife, I exiled, Nick left Constantinople, tVarious monasteries7 yrs, back as prisoner 2years Studion, freed by Basil 1, igumen again, Gift of healing even after death; The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; Nicholas the Confessor, Igumen of the Studion Monastery, lived during the ninth century. was born on the island of Crete in the village of Kedonia into a Christian family. he was ten, his parents sent him to Constantinople to his uncle, Saint Theophanes (October 11), who was a monk at the Studion monastery. the approval of Saint Theodore (November 11), the head of the Studion monastery, the boy was enrolled in the monastery school. he finished school at sixteen years of age, he was tonsured a monk. several years, he was ordained a priest. this time there was a fierce persecution, by the Byzantine emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820), those who venerated the holy icons. Nicholas and Saint Theodore the Studite were repeatedly locked up in prison, tortured in various ways, and humiliated. they zealously continued to defend Orthodoxy. the holy Empress Theodora (February 11), who ruled the realm while her son Michael was still a minor, icon veneration was restored, a time of relative peace followed. Nicholas returned to the Studite monastery and was chosen its head. this calm did not last very long. Empress Theodora was removed from the throne, the emperor’s uncle, Bardas, a man who defiled himself by open cohabitation with his son’s wife, came to power. attempts of Patriarch Ignatius (October 23) to restrain the impiety of Bardas proved unsuccessful. the contrary, he was deposed from the patriarchal throne and sent into exile. to witness the triumph of iniquity, Saint Nicholas left Constantinople. spent seven years at various monasteries. on, he returned as a prisoner to the Studite monastery, where he spent two years imprisoned, until the death of the emperor Michael (855-867) and Bardas. the emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867-886) ascended the throne, Nicholas was set free, again became igumen on the orders of the emperor. of his life as a confessor and ascetic he received from God the gift of healing, which continued even after his repose in the year 868.

Crete, 820, Arab Muslim Conquest of Crete 820
Arab Muslim Conquest of Crete 820;

Crete, 1800, 19th C Folder, Cretan State 1898 but under Muslim rule per UK Russia etc, Prince George oGreece&Denmark

Crete, 1898-1908, Cretan State
Crete, 1898-1908, Cretan State; Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date;

Crete, 1889-1901, Prince George of Greece and Denmark
Crete, 1889-1901, Prince George of Greece and Denmark; Crete, 1898-1908, Cretan State; Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date;

Crete, 1900, 20th C Folder, Theriso Revolt, Crete finally joins Greece, Alexandros Zaimis

Crete, 1905, Theriso revolt
Crete, 1905, Theriso revolt; Crete, 1889-1901, Prince George of Greece and Denmark; Crete, 1898-1908, Cretan State; Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date;

Crete, 1906-1908, Alexandros Zaimis
Crete, 1906-1908, Alexandros Zaimis; Crete, 1889-1901, Prince George of Greece and Denmark; Crete, 1898-1908, Cretan State; Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date;

Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete
Gortyna; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna in Crete, Commemorated on July 9 ; Apostle Titus of the Seventy and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated August 25 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Moldovo-Vlachiana, Crete
Moldovo-Vlachiana, Crete; Venerable Makarius of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17;

River Triton (Only River on Crete)
River Triton (Only River on Crete) St Myron the Wonderworker and Bishop of Crete, Commemorated on August 8;

Triton River

Heraclion, Crete
Heraclion, Crete ; Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669), Commemorated on August 29; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ;

Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon)
Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon); St Phocal Monastery at Episcopi, Heracleon, Crete; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9;

Spinalonga Island, Crete, for Leper Colony
Spinalonga Island, Crete, for Leper Colony; Saint Nikēphóros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4;

Akrita (Krita), Crete
Akrita (Krita), Crete; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5;

Kasos Island, near Crete, between Crete and Rhodes
Kasos Island Venerable Cassiani the Hymnographer, Commemorated on September 7;

St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon, Crete
Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon); St Phocal Monastery at Episcopi, Heracleon, Crete; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9;

Kydonia, Crete
Kydonia; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion;

Chania, NW Crete
Chania, NW Crete; Saint Nikephoros the Leper, Commemorated on January 4;

Aptera, Crete
Aptera, Crete; Saint Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14;

Kountoura Beach, Crete
Kountoura Beach, Crete; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4;

Crete (Clean) Folder

Crete Island, its Area

Crete, Island of Crete
Crete;

Gortyna, Crete, Chief City of Crete
Gortyna;

Moldovo-Vlachiana, Crete
Moldovo-Vlachiana, Crete;

Akrita (Krita), Crete
Akrita (Krita), Crete;

River Triton (Only River on Crete)

Heraclion, Crete
Heraclion, Crete ;

Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon)
Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon);

Spinalonga Island, Crete, for Leper Colony
Spinalonga Island, Crete, for Leper Colony;

Kasos Island, near Crete, between Crete and Rhodes
Kasos Island

St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon, Crete
Episkopi, Heraklion, Crete (St Phocas Monastery at Episkopi, Heracleon);

Kydonia, Crete
Kydonia;

Chania, NW Crete
Chania, NW Crete;

Aptera, Crete
Aptera, Crete;

Kountoura Beach, Crete
Kountoura Beach, Crete;

Cyprus Folder

Cyprus Island
Cyprus; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated December 7 ; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on December 27 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Hieromartyr Philagrius the Bishop of Cyprus; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taoromina in Sicily; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT) ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Cyprus 40-1974 Cyprus History Folder

Cyprus, 000, 1st Century Folder, Barnabus, Lazarus and Philagrius

Cyprus, 40-61, Apostle Barnabus from Cyprus
Cyprus, 40-61, Apostle Barnabus from Cyprus; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25;

Cyprus, 40-70, Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim (assisted by his sisters Martha and Mary)
Cyprus, 40-70, Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim ; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4;

Cyprus, 40-50, Philagrius Hieromartyr of Cyprus, disciple o Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ

Cyprus, 52-102, Auxibius, Bishop oSol, Cyprus, preached iMarketplace, many seeking miracles believed, incl local pagan priest
Cyprus, 52-102, Auxibius, Bishop oSol, Cyprus, fRome, rich, early remarkable talents, easily learned sciences, fled East when parents wanted marriage, at marketplace many seeking miracles believed in Christ, Converted local pagan priest, Auxinios remained wAuxibius, assisted to the end, Auxibius' brother Tempstagoras came from Rome, baaptized became priest served in one otChurches, A guided diocese 50 years, died 102, leaving A bishop ; Soli, Cyprus; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; Auxibius was born at Rome in a rich family. was raised with his brother Tempstagoras, from an early age he displayed remarkable talents. the schools of Rome he easily learned the secular sciences. His parents wanted their son to marry. of this, the youth secretly left Rome and journeyed to the East. upon the island of Cyprus, he settled in the environs of Limnitis, not far from the city of Soli. God’s dispensation, he encountered the holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (September 27, October 30, January 4, April 25), the Word of God at Cyprus. Mark established Auxibius as bishop in the city of Soli, himself went to preach at Alexandria. Auxibius went toward the western gates of the city settled near the pagan temple of Zeus. he converted the local pagan priest and other idol-worshippers to Christianity. Saint Heraklides (September 17) came to Saint Auxibius. had been made a bishop in Cyprus earlier by Saint Mark, he consulted with Saint Auxibius to preach the Gospel of Christ. day, Saint Auxibius arrived at the marketplace began to preach to the people about Christ. seeing the miracles and the signs worked by the saint, believed in Christ. the converted were many people from the surrounding villages. man, by the name of Auxinios, remained with Saint Auxibius and assisted him until the end of his days. a certain while Tempstagoras, brother of Saint Auxibius, came from Rome. was baptized with his wife, became a priest, and served in one of the churches. Auxibius guided his diocese for fifty years and died peacefully in the year 102, leaving his disciple Auxinios upon the cathedra.

Cyprus, 300, 4th Century Folder, St Epiphanius of Salamis, St Sabinus

Cyprus, 301-320, Arkadios oArsinoe, Wonderworker Bishop, ascetic struggles, great virtues
Cyprus, , Arkadios oArsinoe, Wonderworker Bishop, ascetic struggles, great virtues; Arsinoe, Cyprus; Saint Arkadios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Arsinoe, Cyprus, Commemorated on August 29; Arkadios was born in Arsinoe, Cyprus and lived in the late third century until the early fourth century. was the son of pious and wealthy parents, Michael and Anna. Saint Arkadios went to be educated in Constantinople, and then he returned home to Arsinoe. became known for his ascetic struggles and for his great virtues. Saint Nikon died, Arkadios was chosen as his successor on the episcopal throne of Arsinoe. shepherding his flock in a God-pleasing manner, he reposed peacefully on August 29th. also had a brother, Saint Theosebios the God-bearer of Arsinoe (October 12).

Cyprus, 306, Martyrs Aristocles, Demetrian, and Athanasius, of Cyprus, Lord commanded Ar return&suffer, fire did not work on D&At
Cyprus, 306, Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, terrified, Lord commanded Ar return&suffer, picked D&At on the way, fire did not work for D&At, all beheaded Cyprus; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Holy Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian, and Athanasius suffered for the Christian Faith during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). The presbyter Aristocles, a native of the Cypriot city of Tamasa, served in the cathedral church during the time of the persecution against Christians. He became terrified of the tortures, and he left the city and hid in a mountain cave. Once during prayer a light shone upon him, and he heard a command from the Lord to return to the island of Cyprus and suffer for Christ. Saint Aristocles obediently set out to return, and on the way he visited the church of the holy Apostle Barnabas (June 11), where he met Deacon Demetrian and Athanasius the Reader. He told them of his vision, and Saints Demetrian and Athanasius decided to endure martyrdom together with him. Having arrived in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. The pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead Saint Aristocles, and to burn Saints Demetrian and Athanasius. But even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306. In Greek usage, these saints are commemorated on June 23. Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Holy Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian, and Athanasius suffered for the Christian Faith during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). presbyter Aristocles, a native of the Cypriot city of Tamasa, served in the cathedral church during the time of the persecution against Christians. became terrified of the tortures, and he left the city and hid in a mountain cave. Once during prayer a light shone upon him, and he heard a command from the Lord to return to the island of Cyprus and suffer for Christ. Aristocles obediently set out to return, and on the way he visited the church of the holy Apostle Barnabas (June 11), where he met Deacon Demetrian and Athanasius the Reader. told them of his vision, and Saints Demetrian and Athanasius decided to endure martyrdom together with him. arrived in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead Saint Aristocles, and to burn Saints Demetrian and Athanasius. even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306. Greek usage, these saints are commemorated on June 23.

Cyprus, 306-337, Spyridon oTremithus, a Shepherd, giving much, so wondrwrkng gift, converted Arian Philosopher at 1st EC, much+
Cyprus, 306-337, Spyridon Wonderworker Bishop oTremithus, Cyprus, a Shepherd, giving tNeighbors&homeless, so wonderworking gift, healing deliverance, bishop aWife dies, continued giving, attended 325 EC, converted Greek Arian philosopher with his powerful not reasonable word, remarkable trinity display, squezed brick into water, fire&dust, for flock stopped drought &incessent rains, demons cast out, restored woman's dead son, she died restored her, hindered on way to saving falsely accused friend he stopped flood stream, judge heard and freed friend, heavenly choir in empty church attracts neighborhood, singing stopped when they entered, like Abraham iHospitality, received stranger at start 40 day fast, promised tDine, but no food, served salted ham, stranger refused eat, corrected stranger, unto pure all things pure, distributed his harvest tDestitute&Debtors all they needed pay back later without accounting records, robbers planned steal his sheep, at night, tied by invisible power, prayed released them in morning, advised they leave iniquity for respectable work, gave them sheep for their trouble, called by council to shatter last idol, idol shattered when his feet touched down on land, relics on Corfu, hand in Rome; Tremithus; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; Spyridon of Tremithus was born towards the end of the third century on the island of Cyprus. was a shepherd, and had a wife and children. used all his substance for the needs of his neighbors and the homeless, which the Lord rewarded him with a gift of wonderworking. healed those who were incurably sick, and cast out demons. the death of his wife, during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337), he was made Bishop of Tremithus, Cyprus. a bishop, the saint did not alter his manner of life, but combined pastoral service with deeds of charity. to the witness of Church historians, Saint Spyridon participated in the sessions of the First Ecumenical Council in the year 325. the Council, the saint entered into a dispute with a Greek philosopher who was defending the Arian heresy. power of Saint Spyridon’s plain, direct speech showed everyone the importance of God’s wisdom before human wisdom: “Listen, philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the earth on account of our sins. He was born of a Virgin, He lived among men, and suffered and died for our salvation, and then He arose from the dead, and He has resurrected the human race with Him. We believe that He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human reason.” a result of their discussion, the opponent of Christianity became the saint’s zealous defender and later received holy Baptism. his conversation with Saint Spyridon, the philosopher turned to his companions and said, “Listen! Until now my rivals have presented their arguments, and I was able to refute their proofs with other proofs. instead of proofs from reason, the words of this Elder are filled with some sort of special power, and no one can refute them, since it is impossible for man to oppose God. any of you thinks as I do now, let him believe in Christ and join me in following this man, for God Himself speaks through his lips.” this Council, Saint Spyridon displayed the unity of the Holy Trinity in a remarkable way. took a brick in his hand and squeezed it. At that instant fire shot up from it, water dripped on the ground, and only dust remained in the hands of the wonderworker. “There was only one brick,” Saint Spyridon said, “but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.” saint cared for his flock with great love. his prayers, drought was replaced by abundant rains, and incessant rains were replaced by fair weather. Through his prayers the sick were healed and demons cast out. woman once came up to him with a dead child in her arms, imploring the intercession of the saint. prayed, and the infant was restored to life. mother, overcome with joy, collapsed lifeless. Through the prayers of the saint of God, the mother was restored to life. time, hastening to save his friend, who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death, the saint was hindered on his way by the unanticipated flooding of a stream. saint commanded the water: “Halt! For the Lord of all the world commands that you permit me to cross so that a man may be saved.” The will of the saint was fulfilled, and he crossed over happily to the other shore. judge, apprised of the miracle that had occurred, received Saint Spyridon with esteem and set his friend free. instances are known from the life of the saint. he went into an empty church, and ordered that the lampadas and candles be lit, and then he began the service. When he said, “Peace be unto all,” both he and the deacon heard from above the resounding of a great multitude of voices saying, “And with thy spirit.” choir was majestic and more sweetly melodious than any human choir. To each petition of the litanies, the invisible choir sang, “Lord, have mercy.” by the church singing, the people who lived nearby hastened towards it. As they got closer and closer to the church, the wondrous singing filled their ears and gladdened their hearts. when they entered into the church, they saw no one but the bishop and several church servers, and they no longer heard the singing which had greatly astonished them. Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9), the author of his Life, likened Saint Spyridon to the Patriarch Abraham in his hospitality. in his Church History, offers an amazing example from the life of the saint of how he received strangers. time, at the start of the Forty-day Fast, a stranger knocked at his door. Seeing that the traveller was very exhausted, Saint Spyridon said to his daughter, “Wash the feet of this man, so he may recline to dine.” since it was Lent there were none of the necessary provisions, for the saint “partook of food only on certain days, and on other days he went without food.” daughter replied that there was no bread or flour in the house. Then Saint Spyridon, apologizing to his guest, ordered his daughter to cook a salted ham from their larder. seating the stranger at table, he began to eat, urging that man to do the same. the latter refused, calling himself a Christian, the saint rejoined, “It is not proper to refuse this, for the Word of God proclaims, ‘Unto the pure all things are pure’” (Titus 1:15). historical detail reported by Sozomen, was characteristic of the saint. It was his custom to distribute one part of the gathered harvest to the destitute, and another portion to those having need while in debt. He did not take a portion for himself, but simply showed them the entrance to his storeroom, where each could take as much as was needed, and could later pay it back in the same way, without records or accountings. is also the tale by Socrates Scholasticus about how robbers planned to steal the sheep of Saint Spyridon. broke into the sheepfold at night, but here they found themselves all tied up by some invisible power. morning came the saint went to his flock, and seeing the tied-up robbers, he prayed and released them. a long while he advised them to leave their path of iniquity and earn their livelihood by respectable work. he made them a gift of a sheep and sending them off, the saint said kindly, “Take this for your trouble, so that you did not spend a sleepless night in vain.” the Lives of the saint speak of the amazing simplicity and the gift of wonderworking granted him by God. a word of the saint the dead were awakened, the elements of nature tamed, the idols smashed. one point, a Council had been convened at Alexandria by the Patriarch to discuss what to do about the idols and pagan temples there. the prayers of the Fathers of the Council all the idols fell down except one, which was very much revered. was revealed to the Patriarch in a vision that this idol had to be shattered by Saint Spyridon of Tremithus. by the Council, the saint set sail on a ship, and at the moment the ship touched shore and the saint stepped out on land, the idol in Alexandria with all its offerings turned to dust, which then was reported to the Patriarch and all the bishops. Spyridon lived his earthly life in righteousness and sanctity, and prayerfully surrendered his soul to the Lord. relics repose on the island of Corfu (Kerkyra), in a church named after him (His right hand, however, is located in Rome). memory is also celebrated on Cheesefare Saturday.

Cyprus, 310-403, Epiphanius of Salamis, Cyprus, Writer, Panarion, Against Origen and other Heresies
Epiphanius of Salamis, Cyprus, 310-403; of Salamis (c. 310–320 - 403) was the bishop of Salamis, Cyprus at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy. He is best known for composing the Panarion, a very large compendium of the heresies up to his own time, full of quotations that are often the only surviving fragments of suppressed texts. According to Ernst Kitzinger, he "seems to have been the first cleric to have taken up the matter of Christian religious images as a major issue", and there has been much controversy over how many of the quotations attributed to him by the Byzantine Iconoclasts were actually by him. Regardless of this he was clearly strongly against some contemporary uses of images in the church.[2] was either born into a Romaniote Christian family or became a Christian in his youth. Either way, he was a Romaniote Jew who was born in the small settlement of Besanduk, near Eleutheropolis (modern-day Beit Guvrin, Palestine,[3] and lived as a monk in Egypt, where he was educated and came into contact with Valentinian groups. He returned to Palestine around 333, when he was still a young man, and he founded a monastery at Ad nearby,[4] which is often mentioned in the polemics of Jerome with Rufinus and John, Bishop of Jerusalem. He was ordained a priest, and lived and studied as superior of the monastery in Ad that he founded for thirty years and gained much skill and knowledge in that position. In that position he gained the ability to speak in several tongues, including Hebrew, Syriac, Egyptian, Greek, and Latin, and was called by Jerome on that account Pentaglossos ("Five tongued").[5] reputation for learning prompted his nomination and consecration as Bishop of Salamis, Cyprus,[6] in 365 or 367, a post which he held until his death. He was also the Metropolitan of the Church of Cyprus. He served as bishop for nearly forty years, as well as travelled widely to combat unorthodox beliefs. He was present at a synod in Antioch (376) where the Trinitarian questions were debated against the heresy of Apollinarianism. He upheld the position of Bishop Paulinus, who had the support of Rome, over that of Meletius of Antioch, who was supported by the Eastern Churches. In 382 he was present at the Council of Rome, again upholding the cause of Paulinus. controversy and death[edit] article: Origenist Crises a visit to Palestine in 394 or 395, while preaching in Jerusalem, he attacked Origen's followers and urged the Bishop of Jerusalem, John II, to condemn his writings. He urged John to be careful of the "offence" of images in the churches. He noted that when travelling in Palestine he went into a church to pray and saw a curtain with an image of Christ or a saint which he tore down. He told Bishop John that such images were "opposed . . . to our religion" (see below).[7] This event sowed the seeds of conflict which erupted in the dispute between Rufinus and John against Jerome and Epiphanius. Epiphanius fuelled this conflict by ordaining a priest for Jerome's monastery at Bethlehem, thus trespassing on John's jurisdiction. This dispute continued during the 390s, in particular in the literary works by Rufinus and Jerome attacking one another. 399, the dispute took on another dimension, when the Bishop of Alexandria, Theophilus, who had initially supported John, changed his views and started persecuting Origenist monks in Egypt. As a result of this persecution, four of these monks, the so-called Tall Brothers, fled to Palestine, and then travelled to Constantinople, seeking support and spreading the controversy. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, gave the monks shelter. Bishop Theophilus of Alexandria saw his chance to use this event to bring down his enemy Chrysostom: in 402 he summoned a council in Constantinople, and invited those supportive of his anti-Origenist views. Epiphanius, by this time nearly 80, was one of those summoned, and began the journey to Constantinople. However, when he realised he was being used as a tool by Theophilus against Chrysostom, who had given refuge to the monks persecuted by Theophilus and who were appealing to the emperor, Epiphanius started back to Salamis, only to die on the way home in 403.[8] curtain incident[edit] LI in Jerome's letters gives Jerome's Latin translation, made at Epiphanius' request, of his letter, originally in Greek from c. 394, "From Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, to John, Bishop of Jerusalem" (see previous section for wider context). The final section covers the often quoted incident of the curtain, which unlike other passages attributed to Epiphanius and quoted by the Iconoclasts, is accepted as authentic by modern scholars:[9] Moreover, I have heard that certain persons have this grievance against me: When I accompanied you to the holy place called Bethel, there to join you in celebrating the Collect, after the use of the Church, I came to a villa called Anablatha and, as I was passing, saw a lamp burning there. Asking what place it was, and learning it to be a church, I went in to pray, and found there a curtain hanging on the doors of the said church, dyed and embroidered. It bore an image either of Christ or of one of the saints; I do not rightly remember whose the image was. Seeing this, and being loth that an image of a man should be hung up in Christ’s church contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, I tore it asunder and advised the custodians of the place to use it as a winding sheet for some poor person. They, however, murmured, and said that if I made up my mind to tear it, it was only fair that I should give them another curtain in its place. As soon as I heard this, I promised that I would give one, and said that I would send it at once. Since then there has been some little delay, due to the fact that I have been seeking a curtain of the best quality to give to them instead of the former one, and thought it right to send to Cyprus for one. I have now sent the best that I could find, and I beg that you will order the presbyter of the place to take the curtain which I have sent from the hands of the Reader, and that you will afterwards give directions that curtains of the other sort—opposed as they are to our religion—shall not be hung up in any church of Christ. A man of your uprightness should be careful to remove an occasion of offence unworthy alike of the Church of Christ and of those Christians who are committed to your charge. Beware of Palladius of Galatia—a man once dear to me, but who now sorely needs God's pity—for he preaches and teaches the heresy of Origen; and see to it that he does not seduce any of those who are intrusted to your keeping into the perverse ways of his erroneous doctrine. I pray that you may fare well in the Lord.[10] His best-known book is the Panarion (from Latin panarium, "bread basket" < panis, "bread"), also known as Adversus Haereses, "Against Heresies", presented as a book of antidotes for those bitten by the serpent of heresy. Written between 374 and 377, it forms a handbook for dealing with the arguments of heretics. lists, and refutes, 80 heresies, some of which are not described in any other surviving documents from the time. Epiphanius begins with the 'four mothers' of pre-Christian heresy – 'barbarism', 'Scythism', 'Hellenism' and 'Judaism' – and then addresses the 16 pre-Christian heresies that have flowed from them: four philosophical schools (Stoics, Platonists, Pythagoreans and Epicureans), and 12 Jewish sects. There then follows an interlude, telling of the Incarnation of the Word. After this, Epiphanius embarks on his account of the 60 Christian heresies, from assorted gnostics to the various trinitarian heresies of the fourth century, closing with the Collyridians and Messalians.[11] Epiphanius often let his zeal come before facts – he admits on one occasion that he writes against the Origenists based only on hearsay (Panarion, Epiphanius 71) – the Panarion is a valuable source of information on the Christian Church of the fourth century. It is also an important source regarding the early Jewish gospels such as the Gospel according to the Hebrews circulating among the Ebionites and the Nazarenes, as well as the followers of Cerinthus and Merinthus.[12] unique feature of the Panarion is in the way that Epiphanius compares the various heretics to different poisonous beasts, going so far as to describe in detail the animal's characteristics, how it produces its poison, and how to protect oneself from the animal's bite or poison. For example, he describes his enemy Origen as "a toad noisy from too much moisture which keeps croaking louder and louder." He compares the Gnostics to a particularly dreaded snake "with no fangs." The Ebionites, a Christian sect that followed Jewish law, were described by Epiphanius as "a monstrosity with many shapes, who practically formed the snake-like shape of the mythical many-headed Hydra in himself." In all, Epiphanius describes fifty animals, usually one per sect.[13] feature of the Panarion is the access its earlier sections provide to lost works, notably Justin Martyr's work on heresies, the Greek of Irenaeus' Against Heresies, and Hippolytus' Syntagma.[14] The Panarion was first translated into English in 1987 and 1990. works[edit] earliest known work is the Ancoratus (the well anchored man), which includes arguments against Arianism and the teachings of Origen. Aside from the polemics by which he is known, Epiphanius wrote a work of biblical antiquarianism, called, for one of its sections, On Weights and Measures (Ï€ÎµÏá½¶ Î¼ÎÏ„ÏÏ‰Î½ ÎºÎ±á½¶ ÏƒÏ„Î¬Î¸Î¼Ï‰Î½). It was composed in Constantinople for a Persian priest, in 392,[15] and survives in Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian translations (this last is found in Shatberd ms 1141 along with Physiologus and De Gemmis).[16] The first section discusses the canon of the Old Testament and its versions, the second of measures and weights, and the third, the geography of Palestine. The texts appear not to have been given a polish but consist of rough notes and sketches, as Allen A. Shaw, a modern commentator, concluded; nevertheless Epiphanius' work on metrology was important in the history of measurement. work, On the Twelve Gems (De Gemmis), survives in a number of fragments, the most complete of which is the Georgian.[17] The letter written by Epiphanius to John, Bishop of Jerusalem, in 394 and preserved in Jerome's translation, is discussed above.[18] The collection of homilies traditionally ascribed to a "Saint Epiphanius, bishop" are dated in the late fifth or sixth century and are not connected with Epiphanius of Salamis by modern scholars.[19] was Epiphanius's reputation for learning that the Physiologus, the principal source of medieval bestiaries, came to be widely falsely attributed to him.[20] The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book I (Sects 1–46) Frank Williams, translator, 1987 (E.J. Brill, Leiden) ISBN 90-04-07926-2 The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, Book II and III (Sects 47–80, De Fide) Frank Williams, translator, 1993 (E.J. Brill, Leiden) ISBN 90-04-09898-4 The Panarion of St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis Philip R. Amidon, translator, 1990 (Oxford University Press, New York) (This translation contains selections rather than the full work.) ISBN 0-19-506291-4 Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures: The Syriac Version, James Elmer Dean, ed, 1935. (Chicago) [English translation of On Weights and Measures; available at Epiphanius de Gemmis: the Old Georgian Version and the Fragments of the Armenian Version. ed. Robert Pierpont Blake; de Vis, H. (1934). London: Christophers. Epiphanius von Salamis, Über die zwölf Steine im hohepriesterlichen Brustschild (De duodecim gemmis rationalis). Nach dem Codex Vaticanus Borgianus Armenus 31 herausgegeben und übersetzt by Felix Albrecht and Arthur Manukyan (Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 37), 2014 (Gorgias Press: Piscataway) ISBN 978-1-4632-0279-8 (German edition). Anacephalaiosis (originally thought to be the work of Epihanius of Salamis, although this opinion is now disputed).[21] Saint Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, “a last relic of ancient piety,â€ as Saint Jerome calls him, lived during the fourth century in Phoenicia. The Roman empress Honoria was his sister. He was of Jewish descent, and in his youth he received a fine education. He was converted to Christianity after seeing how a certain monk named Lucian gave away his clothing to a poor person. Struck by the monk’s compassion, Epiphanius asked to be instructed in Christianity. was baptized and became a disciple of Saint Hilarion the Great (October 21). Entering the monastery, he progressed in the monastic life under the guidance of the experienced Elder Hilarion, and he occupied himself with copying Greek books. of his ascetic struggles and virtues, Saint Epiphanius was granted the gift of wonderworking. In order to avoid human glory, he left the monastery and went into the Spanidrion desert. Robbers caught him there and held him captive for three months. By speaking of repentance, the saint brought one of the robbers to faith in the true God. When they released the holy ascetic, the robber also went with him. Saint Epiphanius took him to his monastery and baptized him with the name John. From that time, he became a faithful disciple of Saint Epiphanius, and he carefully documented the life and miracles of his instructor. of the righteous life of Saint Epiphanius spread far beyond the monastery. The saint went a second time into the desert with his disciple John. Even in the wilderness disciples started to come to him, so he established a new monastery for them. a certain time, Saint Epiphanius made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to venerate its holy shrines, and then returned to the Spanidrion monastery. The people of Lycia sent the monk Polybios to Saint Epiphanius asking him to take the place of their dead archpastor. When he learned of this intention, the clairvoyant ascetic secretly went into the Pathysian desert to the great ascetic Saint Hilarion (October 21), under whose guidance he had learned asceticism in his youth. saints spent two months in prayer, and then Hilarion sent Saint Epiphanius to Salamis. Bishops were gathered there to choose a new archpastor to replace one who recently died. The Lord revealed to the eldest of them, Bishop Papius, that Saint Epiphanius should be chosen bishop. When Epiphanius arrived, Saint Papius led him into the church, where in obedience to the will of the participants of the Council, Epiphanius agreed to be their bishop. Saint Epiphanius was consecrated as Bishop of Salamis in 367. Epiphanius won renown because of his great zeal for the Faith, his love and charity toward the poor, and his simplicity of character. He suffered much from the slander and enmity of some of his clergy. Because of the purity of his life, Saint Epiphanius was permitted to see the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Gifts at Divine Liturgy. Once, when the saint was celebrating the Mystery, he did not see this vision. He then suspected this was caused by the spiritual state of one of the clergy and quietly said to him, “Depart, my son, for you are unworthy to participate in the celebration of the Mystery today.â€ this point, the writings of his disciple John break off, because he became sick and died. The further record of the life of Saint Epiphanius was continued by another of his disciples, Polybios (afterwards bishop of city of Rinocyreia). the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia and the Patriarch Theophilos of Alexandria, towards the end of his life Saint Epiphanius was summoned to Constantinople to participate in the Synod of the Oak, which was convened to judge the great saint, John Chrysostom (September 14 and November 13). Once he realized that he was being manipulated by Chrysostom’s enemies, Saint Epiphanius left Constantinople, unwilling to take part in an unlawful council. he was sailing home on a ship, the saint sensed the approach of death, and he gave his disciples final instructions: to keep the commandments of God, and to preserve the mind from impure thoughts. He died two days later. The people of Salamis met the body of their archpastor with carriages, and on May 12, 403 they buried him in a new church which he himself had built. Seventh Ecumenical Council named Saint Epiphanius as a Father and Teacher of the Church. In the writings of Saint Epiphanius, the PANARIUM and the ANCHORATUS are refutations of Arianism and other heresies. In his other works are found valuable church traditions, and directives for the Greek translation of the Bible. his zeal to preserve the purity of the Orthodox Faith, Saint Epiphanius could sometimes be rash and tactless. In spite of any impetuous mistakes he may have made, we must admire Saint Epiphanius for his dedication in defending Orthodoxy against false teachings. After all, one of the bishop’s primary responsibilities is to protect his flock from those who might lead them astray. also honor Saint Epiphanius for his deep spirituality, and for his almsgiving. No one surpassed him in his tenderness and charity to the poor, and he gave vast sums of money to those in need. St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Cyprus, 311-326, Theodotus Bishop oCyrenia in Cyprus, Openly preached Christ under Licinius' persecution, when being brought to trial he came on his own to preach, tortured, resisted, seeing his endurance people came to Christ
Cyprus, 311-326, Theodotus Bishop oCyrenia in Cyprus, under emperor Licinius (311-324), Theododus openly preached Christ, Governor of Cyprus had T arrested and brought to trial, T did not wait but went to Gov saying I am here, to preach Christ my God, Gov ordered beaten w/o mercy, susptended from tree, raked with sharp things, &taken to prison. 5 days later he still preached. they put him under iron grate, lit fire, hammered nails into his feet, and let him go. many witnessed and inspired by his endurance, believed in Christ, so Gov stopped the torture and put him in prison, T was set free when Constantine came to power, returned to Cyrenia, fell asleep after 2 years in 326; Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Hieromartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was Bishop of Cyrenia in Cyprus. a time of persecution against Christians under the impious emperor Licinius (311-324), Saint Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling on the pagans to abandon idolatry and turn to the true God. the governor of Cyprus, ordered that Bishop Theodotus be arrested and brought to trial. he heard about this order, the saint did not wait for the soldiers to be sent after him, but immediately went to the governor saying, “I, whom you seek, am here. I have shown myself in order to preach Christ my God.” governor ordered that the saint be beaten without mercy, suspended from a tree, raked with sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. days later Saint Theodotus was brought to the governor, who presumed that after his tortures the bishop would prefer to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. Saint Theodotus did not cease to preach about Christ. first they put the saint on an iron grate, under which they lit a fire, and then hammered nails into his feet and let him go. witnessed the sufferings of the martyr. Astonished at the saint’s endurance and his divinely-inspired speech, they came to believe in Christ. of this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and throw the saint into prison. the reign of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), the freedom to confess their faith was given to all Christians, and among those set free from prison was Saint Theodotus. saint returned to Cyrenia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in about the year 326.

Cyprus, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder palestinian monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, defeated passions wWork&prayer
Palestine, 311-371, Hilarion tGreat, founder palestinian monasticism, Anthony tGreat disciple, from Thabatha near Gaza&Cyprus, baptized iAlexandria, wtSketis, btMaium desert, violent struggles impure thoughts passions of flesh, defeated them through heavy laborfasting&prayer, overcame demonic terrors by prayer, converted thieves, famous for miracles, deliverance power, cured sick without pay, discerned sin passion by smell, monasteries spring up, he instituted strict rule, to Cyprus in 364; Palestine Saint, 311-371, Hilarion; the Great (291–371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, St Hilarion is considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism[1] and venerated as a saint by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hilarion the Great was born to pagan parents in the year 291 in the Palestinian village of Thabatha near Gaza. a young man, he was sent to Alexandria for his education. he became acquainted with Christianity and was baptized. hearing an account of the angelic life of Saint Anthony the Great (January 17), Hilarion went to meet him, desiring to study with him and learn what is pleasing to God. soon returned to his native land to find that his parents had died. After distributing his family’s inheritance to the poor, Saint Hilarion went forth into the desert surrounding the city of Maium. the desert the Saint endured violent struggles with impure thoughts, vexations of the mind, and the burning passions of the flesh, he defeated them through heavy labor, fasting and fervent prayer. devil sought to frighten him with phantoms and apparitions. While he was praying Saint Hilarion would sometimes hear children crying, women wailing, and the roaring of lions and other wild beasts. understood that the demons were causing these terrors in order to drive him out of the wilderness. overcame his fear by resorting to fervent prayer. some thieves fell upon Saint Hilarion, and he persuaded them to forsake their lawless life by the power of his words. all of Palestine heard about Saint Hilarion and of the miracles he worked. Lord granted the holy ascetic the power to cast out unclean spirits. With this gift of grace he loosed the bonds of many of those who were afflicted. sick came for healing, and the Saint cured them without asking for any payment, saying that the grace of God is freely received, and must be freely given (Matthew 10:8). was the grace that he received from God that he could tell by the smell of someone’s body or clothing which passion was afflicting his soul. came to Saint Hilarion desiring to save their souls under his guidance. his blessing, monasteries began to spring up throughout Palestine. Going from one monastery to another, he instituted a strict ascetic manner of life. seven years before his death (+ 371-372) Saint Hilarion moved back to Cyprus, where the ascetic lived in a solitary place until the Lord summoned him to Himself. Hilarion is sometimes depicted holding a scroll which reads: "The tools of a monk are steadfastness, humility, and love according to God." In iconography, is depicted as an old man with a brown, rush-like beard divided into three points. Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Cyprus, 311-372, St constantia oPaphos, Unceasing prayer, Patroness oP, known for love oHilarion even after his death
Cyprus, , St constantia oPaphos, Cyprus, Unceasing prayer, Patroness of Paphos, known for her love for Hilarion even after his death ; Paphos; Saint Constantia of Paphos, Commemorated on August 25; Constantia was from the city of Paphos on the island of Cyprus, as Saint Jerome (Hieronymus) writes in his book On the Ecclesiastical Writers, was the disciple of Saint Hilarion the Great (October 21) who lived as an ascetic in a village in the Diocese of Paphos. Saint Jerome’s Life of Saint Hilarion (44), he tells us that Saint Hilarion saved her daughter and son-in-law from death by anointing them with oil. Saint Hilarion’s death, Constantia remained near his grave and struggled in asceticism, in imitation of the Saint, praying ceaselessly and striving for her spiritual fulfillment. her faith and her prayers to Saint Hilarion she was also found worthy of performing miracles. Constantia is also mentioned by the chronographer Cyprian while the Cypriot scholar Stephanos Luzinian (in the XVI century) reports that was regarded as the patroness of Paphos. Stephanos Luzinian writes about Saint Constantia: “Constantia, a very noble lady of the city of Paphos, was a disciple of the most holy Father Hilarion. She died of unbearable sadness when she heard of the death of her master and how his body had been stolen by his disciple Hesychius. faithful love is worthy of praise: not only did she love her master while he was still alive, but her great love for him continued even after his death.” Jerome also relates (Life of Saint Hilarion, 47) that when Saint Constantia received a message saying that Saint Hilarion’s body was in Palestine, “She immediately fell dead, thus attesting to her deep love for the servant of God. had become her custom to keep nightly vigils in the Saint’s sepulcher and converse with him as if he was there to aid her in her prayers.” Cypriot Menaion contains a complete Service in honor of Saint Constantia, and in her Troparion she is called “the Protectress of Paphos.”

Cyprus, 328-388, Nophon, oCyprus, sinful youth, black face, radiant face, passion struggles, St Paul appearance, bishop
Cyprus, 328-388, Nophon, Bishop oCyprus, Constantia, Cyprus, fPaphlagonia, ed iConstantinople, gentle kind child but wild sinful youth, came to senses but believed lost, friend stared at his black face, realized how far fallen, cried to MOG, ling time, then saw MOG's face radiant, started praying MOG incessantly, sin caused her face turn away, tears oRepentence caused her face turn back, finally turned life around, illnes healed, holy mysteries, tonsured monk, exhausting struggle wPassions, several years, demon attacks, gift o discerning defeat spirits, see soul departures, Bishop as old man, by St Paul's appearance, consecrate someone who looks like me, even if he resists, quickly made deacon, priest&bishop, governed short time, foresaw death 3days, visited bAthanasios tG, Angels, various Saints, &MOG; Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Niphon (Nḗphon), the Bishop of Constantia on the island of Cyprus, born in Paphlagonia in the IV century, was educated in Constantinople. a child, he was gentle and kind, and he often attended Church Services. in in his youth, he began to lead a wild and sinful life. when he came to his senses, he was horrified at the extent of his fall, believing that he was lost and could not be forgiven, he continued his wicked life. day he met a friend who gazed at his face for a long time in astonishment. Niphon asked why he was staring, the friend replied, “I have never seen your face like this before. It is black, like that of an Ethiopian.” words made Niphon realize how far he had fallen, he began to cry out to the Mother of God, asking for her intercession. praying for a long time, he saw that the face of the Mother of God on the Icon had become radiant, and she smiled. that time, Niphon prayed incessantly to the Queen of Heaven. he fell into sin, the face of the Mother of God turned away from him, but after he prayed with fervent tears of repentance, she seemed to show mercy and she looked at him again. Niphon completely turned his life around, and he began to spend his time in prayer and repentance. an illness, from which he was healed by the Mother of God, he partook of the Holy Mysteries. he was tonsured as a monk and intensified his ascetical labors, exhausting his body in his struggle with the passions. struggle lasted several years, and Saint Niphon was attacked many times by demons, but with God's help he was able to overcome them. he received from the Lord the gift of discerning the machinations of evil spirits, and how to defeat them. was even able to see the departure of souls after death. he was already an old man, he journeyed to Alexandria. that time a delegation from Constantia was in the city to ask Patriarch Alexander (May 29) to consecrate a new Bishop for them, because their Bishop Christopher had reposed. night Saint Paul appeared to Saint Alexander in a vision and told him to go to the church the next day with his clergy. Apostle said, "When you see someone who resembles me (except for being bald), consecrate him as the Bishop of Christ's flock, even if he does not wish it." the morning Patriarch Alexander told Niphon that he must not refuse to do what the Lord had appointed for him. protested that he was not worthy to be a Hierarch, yet he did not dare to oppose God's will. were made and Niphon was ordained as a deacon, then shortly afterward he was ordained to the priesthood; and finally, he was consecrated as a Bishop. days later, he set out for his diocese. governing his flock for a short time, Saint Niphon foresaw that he would die in three days. his repose he was visited by Saint Athanasios the Great. his deathbed, he was accounted worthy to behold the Holy Angels and various Saints: Martyrs, Prophets, Priests, Monks, and the Most Holy Theotokos. his flock learned of their Bishop's death there was weeping and lamentation throughout the city. Patriarch asked them to give thanks to God instead, for letting them have such a holy man as their Bishop. the funeral, Saint Niphon was laid to rest in the church of the Holy Apostles, and then everyone glorified God, Who is wondrous in His Saints.

Cyprus, 392, Cyprus Icon manifested at Tomb of Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim, Hawk, arrow, knife, cleansing
Cyprus, 40-70, Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim ; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on July 9; Cyprus Icon of the Mother of God belongs to the Panachrana type. In this icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting on a throne with the Divine Infant in Her arms. On either side of Her is an angel. prototype of this holy icon manifested itself in the year 392 on the island of Cyprus at the tomb of Righteous Lazarus, the friend of Christ (October 17), and is kept there in a monastery. Renowned copies of the Cyprus Icon are at the Moscow’s Dormition Cathedral, and in the Nikolo-Golutvin church in the village of Stromyn, Moscow diocese (Commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy). the week of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Greek Synaxarion has an account of an icon which is probably the Cyprus Icon. the island of Cyprus a certain Arab was passing by a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. In order to display his hatred for Christianity, the man shot an arrow at an icon of the Mother of God which hung by the gate. The arrow struck the Virgin’s knee, from which blood began to flow. Overcome with fear, the Arab spurred his horse and rode for home, but was struck dead before he could get there. In this way, he was punished for his impiety. days commemorating the Cyprus Icon are the Day of the Holy Spirit, and April 20. Some copies of the Cyprus Icon have additional names such as “Cleansing,â€ “Knife,â€ and “Hawk.â€ Cyprus Icon called “Hawkâ€ was so named because of the way it was discovered. One day, the Christian ruler of Cyprus was hunting with his trained hawk. The hawk became tangled in a thicket while diving after another bird, and the ruler ordered the thicket to be cut away so that the hawk could be rescued. His servants rescued the hawk and also discovered an icon of the Mother of God in the thicket. The ruler later built a monastery on the site. “Cleansingâ€ Cyprus Icon was in another monastery on Cyprus, and was famous for healing many people with diseases of the eyes. “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon became famous in 1841. An eighteen-year-old girl from Stromyn, a village not far from Moscow, was close to death from an illness. In a dream she saw the Cyprus Icon standing over the entrance to the church, and a voice came from the icon: “Take me into your home and have the priest serve a Molieben with the Blessing of Water, and you will be cured.â€ sick girl was brought to the church and finally located the icon after a long search. The girl obeyed the command of the Most Holy Theotokos, and after the Molieben she felt strong enough to carry the icon back to the church herself. Shortly thereafter, she was completely healed. The “Stromynâ€ Cyprus Icon continued to work miracles of healing, which the rector of the church reported to the holy Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (November 19).

Cyprus, 392&841, Cyprus Icon, a Lazarus tomb, Stromyn, Arab arrow hit knee, A struck d, Stromyn girl h by icon voice, m miracles

Cyprus, 500, 6th Century Folder, Sophronius the wonderworker

Cyprus, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign
Cyprus, 527-565, Sophronius, wonderworker, Archbishop of Cyprus, during Justinian reign; Cyprus; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9 ; Sophronius, Archbishop of Cyprus, was born into a Christian family on Cyprus, he studied many sciences, but most of all he devoted himself to the reading of Holy Scripture. He became so accomplished in piety and good works, that he was granted the gift of wonderworking by the Lord. the death of Saint Damian, bishop of Cyprus, Saint Sophronius was chosen to replace him. As bishop, he proved himself a true father to his flock.

Cyprus, 600, 7th Century Folder, Arab Muslim Conquest of Cyprus, 654

Cyprus, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Cyprus, 654, Arab Muslim Conquest of Cyprus 654
Arab Muslim Conquest of Cyprus 654;

Cyprus, 700, 8th C Folder, Senator, Commander Theophilus tNew Martyred bArabs

Cyprus, 784, Theophilus the New, Senator&Commander from Constantinople, captive by Arabs, imprisoned&beheaded on Cyprus Island
Cyprus; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Holy Martyr Theophilus the New was born and raised in Constantinople. was a commander of the Greek armies and a senator. a time of war with enemies of the Byzantine Empire, Saint Theophilus was taken captive. Arabs demanded he renounce Christ, but he remained faithful to Orthodoxy. Theophilus was imprisoned on Cyprus, where he spent four years, which he was beheaded in the year 784.

Cyprus, 800, 9th C Folder, Cyprus Icon

Cyprus, 841&392, Cyprus Icon, Lazarus tomb, Arab arrow hit knee, A struck d

Cyprus, 1000, 11th C Folder, End 11th C Kykkos Monastery established bMOG, Knife Icon, Kykkos Icon transfer

Cyprus, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mt, Cyprus, f Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah
Cyprus, 1090 end 11th Century, Merciful Icon of Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus, from Egypt to Constantinople to Kykkos by vison to Elder Isaiah, many miracles; Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Merciful, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: This icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. At first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. From ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” The wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. The depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodēgḗtria (“Directress”) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Cyprus, 1090, Luke's Machairotissa (knife) Icon MOG gave knife to ascetics to uncover Icon in cave
Transferred to Cyprus during Iconoclast period. Painted by Luke, Kikios Icon, forgotten in cave, MOG gave knife to ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius to cut brush and find it again. Site of knife or Kikios or Kionia monastery. ; Machairotissa (knife) Icon of the Mother of God Commemorated on October 18; Machairotissa (Μαχαιριώτισσα) Icon is a wonderworking icon of the Mother of God in the Holy Machaira Monastery on Cyprus. This Icon is historically and spiritually linked to the Monastery, which owes its name to the history of the Icon. Icon is believed to be one of the 70 icons of the Theotokos painted by Saint Luke, and at the time it was located above the Holy Soros (a chest containing the Robe and the Sash of the Theotokos) in the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae (See July 2 and August 31). This is reinforced by the inscription "Hagiosoritissa" on the Icon, which was later changed to "Machairiotissa," from the Greek word for "knife" (μαχαίρι). to oral tradition, an ascetic brought the Hagiosoritissa Icon to Cyprus from Constantinople during the Iconoclastic period (716 - 843), and settled in a cave on the site where the monastery stands today. After the ascetic went to the Lord, the Icon was forgotten and the entrance of the cave was sealed until the XII century, when the Theotokos gave a knife to the Holy Ascetics Neophytos and Ignatius (December 13), so that they could cut the bushes away and find the Icon. When Saint Neophytos reposed, another old monk, Father Prokopios, joined Ignatius. brotherhood grew too large, and so these two Fathers decided to build a monastery which would be governed according to the cenobitic Rule followed by the great monastic centers of the time. The Holy, Royal and Stavropigial Monastery of Panagia Machairotissa, is located at the eastern end of the Troodos mountain range near the peak of Kionia, at an altitude of 870 meters. It is built on a beautiful mountainside overgrown with pine trees, ending in the Pediaios torrent. It is called a Basilica because it was built with royal assistance, and Stavropegial,1 because the Patriarch had affixed a cross on the side of the building. Synaxis of the Machairotissa Icon is celebrated on October 18th, the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke who, according to Tradition, painted the Machairiotissa Icon. It is kept in the katholikon of the Machaira Monastery. The Icon is also commemorated on November 21, the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. of the primate of a Church rather than under the local diocesan bishop. Blachernae;

Cyprus, 1100, 12th Century Folder, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke

Cyprus, 1101, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, then transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing according to faith
Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, then transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing according to faith, fEgypt, 980 tConstantinople till 1105 or so, miraculous sign that it would be transferred to Cyprus by Elder Isaiah, many miracles on Cyprus, I built church, to present day healing every type infirmity, other faith's also, covered by peculiar half shroud, so no able see faces; Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke; Monastery, which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century[1] by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. Kykkos Monastery, Exterior View to tradition, that was written by the Russian pilgrim, Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky, who travelled to Kykkos Monastery in 1735,[4] a virtuous hermit called Esaias was living in a cave on the mountain of Kykkos. day, the Byzantine governor of the island, doux Manuel Boutoumites, who was spending the summer at a village of Marathasa because of the heat of the season, went into the forest to hunt. Having lost his way in the forest he met Monk Esaias and asked him to show him the way. The hermit who was not interested in the things of this world would not answer his questions. got angry at the monk's indifference and called him names and even maltreated him. Not long after, when the doux returned to Nicosia, he fell ill with an incurable illness by the name of lethargia. In his terrible condition he remembered how inhumanly he had treated the hermit Esaias and asked God to cure him so that he might go to ask the hermit personally for forgiveness. And this came to pass. But God had appeared in front of the hermit and revealed to him that the very thing that had happened had been planned by the divine will and advised him to ask Boutoumites to bring the icon of the Virgin, that had been painted by the Apostle Luke, to Cyprus. icon was kept in the imperial palace at Constantinople. When Boutoumites heard the hermit's wish he was taken aback because he considered such a thing impossible. Then Esaias explained to him that it was a matter of divine wish and they agreed to travel together to Constantinople for the realization of their aim. was passing and Boutoumites could not find the right opportunity to present himself in front of the emperor and ask for the icon. For this reason he provided Esaias with other icons and other necessary things and sent him back to Cyprus, at the same time placating him that he would soon see the emperor. divine dispensation the daughter of the emperor had fallen ill with the same illness that had struck Boutoumites. The latter grasped the opportunity and went to see the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. He recounted to him his personal experience with the monk Esaias and assured him that his daughter would be cured if he sent to Cyprus the holy icon of the Virgin. his desperation the emperor, seeing that he had no other option, agreed. His daughter became well instantly. The emperor, however, not wanting to be parted from the icon of the Virgin, called a first-class painter and ordered him to paint an exact copy of the icon with the aim of sending this one to Cyprus. the evening the Mother of God herself appears in a dream of the emperor's and tells him that her wish is for her icon to be sent to Cyprus and for the copy to be kept by the emperor. the following day the royal boat with the icon of the Virgin departed for Cyprus where Esaias was awaiting for it. the procession of the icon from the coast to the Troödos Mountains, according to legend, the trees, participating in the welcoming ceremonies, were piously bending their trunks and branches. patronage provided by the emperor Alexios Komnenos a church and monastery were built at Kykkos, where the icon of the Virgin was deposited. According to another tradition, still preserved by the people, a bird with human voice was flying around the area singing: Kykkou, Kykkou, Kykkos' hill A monastery the site shall fill A golden girl shall enter in And never shall come out again "golden girl" is, without a doubt, the icon of the Virgin while the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of Kykkos which has been sheltering the icon for over nine hundred years. icon of Virgin Mary the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon.[5][6] The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy.[7] The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.[8] relics are placed to the right of the icon a bronze arm, and a sword fish saw. Regarding the arm, this serves as a reminder the story of a Turk who tried to light a cigarette using one of the vigil lamps and he was cursed and suffered a gangrenous arm. The saw from the sword fish represents the gratefulness of sailors who prayed to Our Lady of Kykkos to save them from the storms of the sea.[9] Kykkou monastery maintains separate grounds Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi tou Kykkou (Μετόχι του Κύκκου). The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be in the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds. 1974, whilst Archbishop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.[10] Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Merciful€, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodegetria (Directress) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Cyprus, 1900, Moslem and Christian Green Lines, 1974

Green Line 1, 1974 (Christian)
Green Line 1974;

Green Line 2, 1974 (Moslem)
Green Line 1974;

Cyprus, 9999, Unknown Time Period

Cyprus, 9999, Bishop Gergory of Constantia, Cyprus and Adrian, limited information
Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Gregory is mentioned in the Patmos Codex 266 as follows: “The Holy Fathers Gregory of Constantia, Cyprus and Adrian.” Perhaps Saint Adrian was also a Bishop on Cyprus.

Cyprus, 9999, Paul tObedients, deep humility, will renunciation, boiling tar not hurt hand, paradise twigs returning
Cyprus, 9999, Paul the Obedient, Troodos Mountains, Cyprus, wealthy parents, monk at maturity, obedient because deep humility, complete renunciation of his will, considered suspitious because boiling tar not hurt his hand, but vision of him in heaven with rememberance twigs returning from paradise, time oDeath recieved God's voice, Ascend tMountain, Paul, accept the end oLife; Troodos Mountains, Cyprus; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated on December 7; do not know when Saint Paul lived. is only a short Life which says that he was the son of wealthy parents. He left secular life upon reaching maturity. appellation “Obedient” was bestowed upon the monk for his deep humility, and for the complete renunciation of his own will. the monk stirred boiling tar with his hand, and received not the slightest burn from it. of the brethren regarded him as a God-bearing ascetic, but others became suspicious of him. fervent prayer, the monks received a unique vision proving that their brother was a true ascetic. night they were all transported to Paradise and they conversed with Saint Paul, who permitted them to take a flower or twig with them as a remembrance. from sleep, they found in their hands the flowers and twigs from Paradise. this Saint Paul went to Jerusalem, and then to Cyprus. led a solitary life, he ended his life on Mount Paregoros [Mount Solace]. his death the voice of God said to him, “Ascend the mountain, Paul, and accept the end of life.”

British Empire - Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia)
British Empire - Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos; Saint Constantia of Paphos, Commemorated on August 25 Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Arsinoe, Cyprus
Arsinoe, Cyprus; Saint Arkadios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Arsinoe, Cyprus, Commemorated on August 29;

Tremithos, Cyprus
Tremithos, Cyprus; St. Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13;

Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus
Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12;

Kykko Icon, Cyprus
Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God œthe MercifulÂ, Commemorated on November 12;

Troodos Mountains, Cyprus
Troodos Mountains, Cyprus; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated on December 7;

Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus (Georgian) 1090's
Kykkos Monastery - A Georgian Monestary on Cyprus ; Martyr Charitina of Amisos, Commemorated on October 5 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Soli, Cyprus
Soli, Cyprus; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ;

Monastery of Saint Mamas, Guzelyurt, North Cyprus, before 969
Monastery of Saint Mamas, Guzelyurt, North Cyprus; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12;

Amathus, Cyprus
Amathus; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ;

Koilani, Limassol, Cyprus
Koilani, Limassol, Cyprus; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife, Maura, in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3;

Galatea (Cyprus)
Galata, Cyprus; is a village in the Solea valley, located about 60 km west of the capital Nicosia, at an altitude of 620 m in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. It is a popular summer tourist destination (especially among locals) for its cooler climate in the summer months.[2] It is also well known on the island for its fruit produce. In Galata there is Panagia tis Podithou, church, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 along with nine other Painted Churches in the Troödos Region, because of their unique murals and testimony to the history of Byzantine rule in Cyprus.[3] of village and history to Greek mythology, Cyprus was the first land that Aphrodite set foot on; where Pygmalion begged her to let him be with the statue that he created in her image. Aphrodite brought the statue to life and Pygmalion married Galatea. Galatea (Cyprus); Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Galata, Cyprus
Galata, Cyprus; is a village in the Solea valley, located about 60 km west of the capital Nicosia, at an altitude of 620 m in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. It is a popular summer tourist destination (especially among locals) for its cooler climate in the summer months.[2] It is also well known on the island for its fruit produce. In Galata there is Panagia tis Podithou, church, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 along with nine other Painted Churches in the Troödos Region, because of their unique murals and testimony to the history of Byzantine rule in Cyprus.[3] of village and history to Greek mythology, Cyprus was the first land that Aphrodite set foot on; where Pygmalion begged her to let him be with the statue that he created in her image. Aphrodite brought the statue to life and Pygmalion married Galatea. Galatea (Cyprus); Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Cyrenia (Kiteia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2;

Kiteia (Cyrenia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2;

Kiteia (Cyrenia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus;

Assia, Cyprus
Assia, Cyprus; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ;

Galanteia, Cyprus
Galanteia, Cyprus; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28;

Leucosia (Nicosia), Cyprus
Leucosia (Nicosia); St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13;

Kittim, Cyprus
Kittim; 1 Maccabees Ch 1; Cyprus, 40-70, Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim ; Translation of the relics of Saint Lazarus œof the Four Days in the Tomb , Bishop of Kiteia, Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4;

church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus
church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus; Translation of the relics of Saint Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ, Bishop of Kiteia, Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17;

church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus
church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus;

Constantia, Cyprus
Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Saint Gregory, Bishop of Constantia, Cyprus, Commemorated on March 4;

Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis, Cyprus; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20;

Tremithus, Cyprus
Tremithus; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20;

Tamassos, Cyprus
Tamassos, Cyprus; (Greek: Ταμασσός) or Tamasos (Greek: Τἀμασος)[1] – names Latinized as Tamassus or Tamasus – was a city-kingdom in ancient Cyprus, one of the ten kingdoms of Cyprus. was situated in the great central plain of the island, south-east of Soli, on the road from Soli to Tremithus. is an archaeological site bordering the village of Politiko, about 21 kilometres southwest of Nicosia. Assyrian inscription from ca. 673 BC (Prism of Esarhaddon) refers to it as Tamesi, described as a city-state which paid tribute to the Neo-Assyrian Empire.[2] there were copper mines in the neighbourhood, it is very probably the Temese mentioned by Homer (Odyssey, I, 184), which was in his time the principal copper market of the island.[3] the villages of Psimolofou, Episkopeio, Pera Orinis, Ergates, Politiko, Kampia, Analyontas, and Kapedes occupy the site of the city. city-state prospered mainly because of its mines, from which metals (mostly copper, Cyprus's chief export in the ancient world) were extracted. However, it managed to survive despite exhaustion of its copper deposits. Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian the Deacon, and Athanasius the Reader, of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20;

Menikos, Nicosia, Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus; Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina, and Martyr Theoctistus, of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2;

Cyprus (Clean) Folder

Cyprus (Clean) Island, its Area
Cyprus Island, its Area

Cyprus, next to the Arabian Plate Area

Cyprus, next to the Cilicia Area

Cyprus, next to the Lykaonia Area

Cyprus, next to the Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Cyprus, next to Lebanon, its Area
Lebanon, its Area

Cyprus Island
Cyprus;

British Empire - Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia)
British Empire - Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia);

Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos;

Arsinoe, Cyprus
Arsinoe, Cyprus;

Tremithos, Cyprus
Tremithos, Cyprus;

Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus
Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus;

Kykko Icon, Cyprus
Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus;

Troodos Mountains, Cyprus
Troodos Mountains, Cyprus;

Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus (Georgian) 1090's
Kykkos Monastery - A Georgian Monestary on Cyprus ;

Soli, Cyprus
Soli, Cyprus;

Monastery of Saint Mamas, Guzelyurt, North Cyprus, before 969
Monastery of Saint Mamas, Guzelyurt, North Cyprus;

Amathus, Cyprus
Amathus;

Koilani, Limassol, Cyprus
Koilani, Limassol, Cyprus;

Galatea (Cyprus)
Galata, Cyprus;

Galata, Cyprus
Galata, Cyprus;

Cyrenia (Kiteia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus;

Assia, Cyprus
Assia, Cyprus;

Galanteia, Cyprus
Galanteia, Cyprus;

Leucosia (Nicosia), Cyprus
Leucosia (Nicosia);

Kittim, Cyprus
Kittim;

Constantia, Cyprus

Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis, Cyprus;

Tremithus, Cyprus
Tremithus;

Tamassos, Cyprus
Tamassos, Cyprus;

Menikos, Nicosia, Cyprus
Nicosia, Cyprus;

Croatia and Slovenia Folder (The Horseshoe)

Croatia (Zagreb)
Croatia (Zagreb) ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Croatia 117-1809, Croatia History Folder, (Dalmatia, Illyricum, Slovenia)

Croatia, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother
Illyria, 117-138, Eleutherius, Illyria, bishop at 20, tortured for preaching by Hadrian, beheaded w mother, Eparch tortured him then converted; Illyria; Yugoslavia; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, was raised in Christian piety by his mother. virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. Eparch Caribus, who had tortured Saint Eleutherius, also came to believe in Christ and was executed. Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15;

Croatia, 284-305, Croatian Roman Emperor, Diocletian, Diocletian's Palace in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia
Croatian Roman Emperor, 284-305, Diocletian, Diocletian's Palace in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7;

Croatia, 284-305, Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia, painted cross on door, Fuller brush man
Croatia, 284-305, Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia, painted cross on door during Diocletian Persecution, Fuller brush man; Salona in Dalmatia; Definition of Fuller; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on December 5. Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; story Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on October 25.

Croatia, 303-313, Anastasia, visited prisons, fed, clothed, ransomed, A beaten by h, be patient, accept lords will, much more

Croatia, 303-313, Anastasia's mentor Chrysogonus, foretold A's husband death at sea, C tortured, behead iAquileia, appears&informs

Croatia, 304, Anastasius the Fuller, Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia, martyred for cross on door
Croatia, , Anastasius the Fuller, Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia; Anastasius the Fuller (died 304) is a Christian saint of the pre-schism Christian Church. Anastasius was a fuller at Aquileia who subsequently moved his business to Solin (some sources say Split). was martyred by being drowned after he had proclaimed his Christian faith openly by painting a cross on his door. is the patron saint of fullers and weavers. His feast day is September 7 (formerly August 26).[1] Salona in Dalmatia; Definition of Fuller; who fulls cloth - definition of fulls cloth it to make it more absorbant, more full, more luxurious, fuller brush man Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Saint Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Saint Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on December 5. Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller lived at Salona in Dalmatia during the third century. He was arrested and brought to trial because of his missionary activity in Salona. Saint Anastasius, boldly and without fear, confessed Christ as the true God and Creator of all. He even painted a cross on his door during the persecution of Diocletian (284-311). Saint Anastasius was sentenced to death by the decision of the court, and the pagans tied a stone around his neck and threw his body into the sea. A righteous Christian, the rich matron Ascalopia, found the body of Saint Anastasius and reverently buried him in her estate church. The relics of the holy martyr were glorified by many miracles. Saint Anastasius the Fuller is also commemorated on October 25.

Croatia, 367-420, Croatian Saint, Jerome
Croatian Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Croatia, 379-395, Croatian Roman Emperor, Theodosius the Great
Croatian Roman Emperor, 379-395, Theodosius the Great, Moved from Rome to Illuricum; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

Croatia, 765, Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), guardian of Blood of Christ, which came from stabbed Icon
Croatia, 765, Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), guardian of Blood of Christ, which came from stabbed Icon; Dalmatia; Stridon or Strido; Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Commemorated on September 10; Barypsabas of Dalmatia was a hermit and a Martyr, guardian of the blood of Christ. to one source, a righteous man named Jacob, who was present at the crucifixion of the Savior, blood and water from the Lord’s side in a vessel made from a gourd. order to conceal the holy object from wicked men, Jacob filled the vessel with oil; and from its contents many healings and miracles took place. Jacob’s death, the vessel passed to two hermits. of them, before his death, gave the vessel to Barypsabas, perhaps to the Syrians, who later fought in the area of ​​Kattara Sukhrei (Σουχρεῶν), in Persia. his martyrdom in the second century, Saint Barypsabas gave the vessel to his disciple. author of the Life of Saint Barypsabas, published in Acta Sanctorum (BHG, No. 238), is unknown. story of those who shed the Savior's blood appears in the MENOLOGION of Basil II (X century), also mentions the martyrdom of Saint Barypsabas. villains, who heard about the miracles and healings from the hidden vessel containing the blood of Christ, decided to seize the vessel and use it for mercenary purposes. attacking Barypsabas during the night, they killed him, but they did not find what they were looking for in the vessel. to Saint Νikόdēmos the Hagiorite, the vessel, of which Barysabas was the guardian, did not contain the actual blood and water which flowed from Christ's side, but rather from an icon of Christ, when some Jews stabbed His side on the icon. legend of the "Miracle in Berite" (BHG, No. 780) is attributed to Saint Athanasios the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria. according to the Roman Martyrology, this miracle occurred in 765. The blood from the icon of the Savior in Berite was transferred to Constantinople in the X century, during the reign of Emperor John Tzimiskes.

Croatia, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, named after fr Dalmatos, Theotokos helped him , icon survives several fires
Croatia, 1644-1800, Dalmatia Icon, Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon), named after fr Dalmatos, not Dalmatia, Croatia, he went to Nevyan Monastery in Tobolsk, rejected being Igumen, then to Perm, Tyumen Tatar Ilegei's land, I went to expel, Theotokos protected D, she appeared to I, ordered him to give land for the monastery, Kalmyks burn m, only D survives w icon, D begins to rebuild, people come, 1651 burned again by Siberian muslim Devlet-Girei, icon unscathed, scorched spot for muslim's hand, 1702 icon restored, monastery restored by D's son, 1800 icon adorned, 1852 another fire, icon unscathed ; Dalmatia; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Perm Gubernia, Shadrinsk county, on the banks of the Iseti River, is the Dalmatian Monastery of the Dormition. the cathedral church of this monastery is a wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which belonged to Father Dalmatios, the founder of this monastery. the first half of the XVII century, a certain resident of Tobolsk, a nobleman by the name of Demetrios Mokrinsky, left his wife and children, and went to the Nevyan Monastery (Tobolsk Diocese), where he was tonsured with the name Dalmatios, in honor of the fourth century ascetic Saint Dalmatios of Constantinople (August 3). Father Dalmatios was known for his exalted life of asceticism and virtue, the brethren of the Nev'yan Monastery wanted to choose him as their Igoumen, but out of humility, the Elder would not accept such an august position with all its responsibilities. He left the monastery, taking with him an Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. 1644 he arrived in Perm Gubernia, where he settled in a cave on land owned by the Tyumen Tatar Ilegei. When Iligei discovered that a monk had settled on his property, and even intended to establish a monastery there, he was indignant. Gathering his relatives, he went with the intention of expelling Dalmatios. Iligei spent the night near the cave, beyond the River Iseti, waiting for dawn to make an unexpected attack on the recluse. Dalmatios seemed to be in imminent danger of death, if he tried to resist or defend himself. He could not expect help from anyone anywhere, nor could he flee, since he did not know that an enemy lurked beyond the river in the darkness of night, ready to spill his blood at any moment. The monk did not require any human protection, however, for his protector was the Queen of Heaven. Iligei was asleep, the Mother of God appeared to him in a dream, wearing a crown and dressed in a crimson robe, holding a flaming sword in her hands. The Most Holy Theotokos strictly forbade him to harm Father Dalmatios, and ordered Iligei to give the monk some land for a monastery. Awakened by this terrible vision, the Tatar went to Father Dalmatios, accompanied by all his companions, and gave him a piece of land on which to build a monastery. Queen of Heaven's wondrous protection of Dalmatios occurred in 1646. In that same year, the Dalmatian Monastery was founded. the end of 1646, the newly-established monastery was attacked by the Kalmyks. They set fire to the monastery's buildings; some of the monks who fled were killed, and some were taken captive. this time, only Dalmatios, the founder of the monastery, escaped death, saved by the wonderworking Icon. This was the same Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God which he brought with him from the Nevyan Monastery. the Kalmyks went away, Elder Dalmatios returned to the same site and began working alone to rebuild the monastery. A few years later, because of his diligence, a wooden church was already standing on the site of the ruined monastery, and nearby there were also cells for monks. Pilgrims began to visit and made donations for the adornment of the monastery and the temple. From that time, word of the monastery quickly spread all over, not only in the places close by, but also in very remote places. 1651, less than twenty years after the founding of the Dalmatian Monastery, it was attacked again. This time it was attacked by the Siberian Prince Devlet-Girei. He ransacked and burned the monastery. The Icon of the Mother of God, however, remained unscathed, although the church completely burned down. In just one place, on the back of the board, there was a scorched spot where a certain Muslim had put his hand. 1702, the icon was restored by the Tobolsk iconographer Ivan Nikitin. monastery was restored by Archimandrite Isaac, the son of Father Dalmatios. He built a stone church in 1707, and in it he placed the wonderworking Icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God. the reign of Empress Catherine II, the monastery withstood a three-day siege by the troops of Emelian I. Pugachev, while the monks prayed before the Dalmatian Icon. 1800 the Icon was adorned with a gilded riza with silver crowns and precious gems, by order of Igoumen Gideon. In 1864 Archimandrite Methodios ordered a new silver and gilded riza from Moscow, decorated with precious stones. The Icon was in a special kiot, decorated with carvings, and was covered with a colorful silk curtain, which could be opened when necessary. April 19, 1852, many of the Monastery buildings, including the upper church, were destroyed by fire. again, the Dalmatian Icon remained damaged. year on February 15th, and again on August 15th, the Monastery's Altar Feast, great crowds would travel to the Dalmatian Monastery in order to venerate the wonderworking Icon. The sick receive healing, according to their faith, from this wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God. This custom continued until 1917. the early 1920s, after the monastery was abolished, the monks went to other monasteries, taking the Dalmatian Icon with them. At present, there is no information about the location of the Icon. who experience physical or spiritual suffering pray before the Dalmatian Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos for deliverance.

Croatia, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era, Roman Catholic, but Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Orthodox
Croatia, 1805-1809, Dalmatia in the Napoleonic Era; in the Napoleonic Era[edit] Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy from 1806 to 1810 included the Dalmatia that had belonged to Venice until 1797 as a part of the Illyrian Provinces in 1811 in 1797, in the treaty of Campo Formio, Napoleon I gave Dalmatia to Austria in return for Belgium. republics of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) and Poljica (central Dalmatia near Omis) retained their independence, and Ragusa grew rich by its neutrality during the earlier Napoleonic wars. the Peace of Pressburg in 1805, Istria, Dalmatia and the Bay of Kotor (Montenegro) were handed over to France. 1805 Napoleon created his Kingdom of Italy around the Adriatic sea, annexing to it the former Venetian Dalmatia from Istria to Cattaro (Kotor). 1806, the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik, Sicily) finally succumbed to foreign (French) troops under general Marmont, the same year a Montenegrin force supported by the Russians tried to contest the French by seizing Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor, Montenegro). The allied forces have pushed the French to Ragusa. The Russians induced the Montenegrins to render aid and they proceeded to take the islands of Korula and Bra (both central Dalmatian archipelago) but made no furtherprogress, and withdrew in 1807 under the treaty of Tilsit. The Republic of Ragusa was officially annexed to the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1808. 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition broke out, and French and Austrian forces also fought in the Dalmatian Campaign (1809). the summer, Austrian forces retook Dalmatia, but this lasted only until the Treaty of Schunbrunn, when Austria ceded a number of additional provinces north of Dalmatia to France, so Napoleon removed Dalmatia from his Kingdom of Italy and created the Illyrian Provinces. major part of the Dalmatian population was Roman Catholic. St. Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated on October 18;

Croatia and Slovenia, Croatia, Una River Folder, South Center of the Horseshoe

Una River

Una River Source (Vrelo Una Spring)
Una River Source (Vrelo Una Spring, north-eastern slopes of the Strazbenica mountain in Croatia)

Rail Bridge

Una River 3 (Martin Brod)

Una River 4

Una River 5

Una River 6 (Bihac)
Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

Una River 7 (Bosanska Krupa)
Bosanska Krupa

Una River 8

Una River Mouth (Sava River 12)

Mostanica monastery, Croatia or Bosnia
Mostanica monastery is or was near Kozarska Dubica (in Bosnia, on the Croatian Border); Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; St Paisius, Commemorated on December 17 ;

Croatia and Slovenia, Sava River Folder, Center (Slovenia) and Lower Right (Croatia) of the Horseshoe

Julian Alps
Julian Alps;

Slavonia Region, Croatia
Slavonia; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Sirmie County, Croatia (between Sava and Danube Rivers)
Sirmie County, Croatia; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1;

Sava River 18 (Sirmium, Serbia)

Sava River 19 (Serbia, Rakovica monastery)

Croatia and Slovenia, Slovenia, Sava River 1-9, Mur River 3-8, Northwest of the Horseshoe

Slovenia (a crossroads)
Slovenka (Slovenia); Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Radovicha, Slovenia, Croatia
Radovicha, Slovenia St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated August 29 ;

Slovenka (Slovenia)
Slovenka (Slovenia); Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23;

Strido, Slovenia (Stridon, Dalmatia, near Ljubijana, Slovenia)
Strido (Stridon, Dalmatia, near Ljubijana, Slovenia), Home of Saint Jerome; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Croatia and Slovenia, Drava River Folder, Rightside, Northside of Slavonia, Croatia, and the Horseshoe

Croatia and Slovania, Slovenia, Drava River 16, Mur River Folder (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary)

Mur River Source (Hohe Tauern), Austria
Hohe Tauern (High Pass) Park ;

Mur River 7 (Stridonium, Croatia)

Stridonium, Croatia (Forests and Vineyards, between Drava (13) and Mur (7) Rivers)
Stridonium; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Drava River 18 (Croatia, Hungary)

Drava River 19 (Croatia, Hungary)

Drava River 20 (Croatia, Hungary)

Drava River Mouth (Danube River 8, Croatia, Serbia)

Croatia and Slovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia Folder, Lower Left of the Horseshoe

Istria Penninsula, Northern Dalmatia
Istria Penninsula;

Croatia and Slovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Cetina and Kirka Rivers Folder, Southern Dalmation

Krka River (Croatia)

Krka River (Croatia) Mouth (Adriatic Sea)
Krka River (Croatia);

Cetina River

Dinara Mountain, Croatia and Bosnia
Dinara Mountain; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15;

Cetina River Source (Dinara Mountain)

Illyria, Croatia (from west of Dinara Mountains in Croatia to north of the Aous River)
Illyria; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Cetina River 1 (Cetina, Croatia)

Cetina River Mouth (Salona, Dalmatia (Croatia, Ilyricum)

Illyricum, Croatia
Illyricum; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

Illyria, Croatia (west of Dinara Mountains)
Illyria; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Illyricum (Roman Province)
Illyricum (Roman Province); Saint Martin of Tours from Illyricum

Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon)
Dalmatia; Stridon or Strido; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Commemorated on September 10; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Definition of Fuller ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia; Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Commemorated September 10 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Strido (Stridon, Dalmatia, near Ljubijana, Slovenia)
Strido (Stridon, Dalmatia, near Ljubijana, Slovenia), Home of Saint Jerome; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389) ;

Salona in Dalmatia, Croatia
Salona in Dalmatia; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Definition of Fuller; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ;

Raguza, Dalmatia, Republic of Raguza, 1358-1808
Raguza, Dalmatia, Republic of Raguza, 1358-1808; Saint Joseph the New of Partos, Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15;

Croatia and Slovania, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Croatia (Clean) and Slovania, Roman Roads, Rivers, interesting places

Croatia (Clean) and Slovenia, its Area, The Horseshoe
Croatia and Slovenia, Area, The Horseshoe

Croatia (Clean), Illyricum (Roman Province), its Area
Illyricum (Roman Province);

Croatia (Clean), Illyria, its Area, includes Albania
Illyria;

Illyria, Croatia
Illyricum;

Illyricum, Croatia
Illyricum;

Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon)
Dalmatia; Stridon or Strido;

Stridonium, Croatia (Forests and Vineyards, between Drava (13) and Mur (7) Rivers)
Stridonium;

Croatia (Clean), Illyria,Roman Roads, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road, K Triangle) - centered on Elbesan

Ochrid, Illyria (largest city on Lake Ochrid)
Ochrid (largest city on Lake Ochrid);

Galilee Folder, its rivers, lake and mountains

Galilee
Lower Galilee; Western Galilee; Upper Galilee; Galilee Region; ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, (28 April 1801-“ 1 October 1885), Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22 ; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second Feast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated November 14 ; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10 ; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Galilee 600BC-1291, Galilee History Folder

Galilee, 900 BC, 10th C BC Folder, Prophet Elijah

Galilee, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, angels at birth, idols v God contest, to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in breeze, Elisha double portion
Galilee, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead, angels at his birth, rain stopped 3.5 yrs, cave beyon Jordan, fed by ravens, to Sarephta Sidon widow, gave last bread oil, then not depleted during famine, Mt Carmel idols true God contest, to consume sacrifice with fire, E watered his sacrifice, his fire came, E put Pagan Priests to death, J threatened to kill him, to Judea, Angel c him to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in gentle breeze, 7k faithful servants will be preserved, Elisha double portion; Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God. Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” name Elijah (the Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety. this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land. this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow. the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God. Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth. Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave. Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal. the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit. to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world. life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30). Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor, was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism Saint Olga (July 11) built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the village of Vibuta. iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

Galilee, 700 BC, 8th C BC Folder, Prophet Nahum

Galilee, 700-675 BC, 7th Century BC, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel
Galilee, 675 BC, 7th Century BC, Prophet, Nahum, prophesied ends of Assyrian E, Nineva, and Israel, fElkosh Galilee, prophesies Nineva end, Israel end, Sennacherib blasphemy, A empire crumbles 632-612BC, Nineveh fell 612, Nahum no call tRepentence&no denounce Israel infidelity, died age 45, 7th o12 minor prophets; Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum; was a minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Tanakh, also called the Hebrew Bible and The Old Testament. book comes in chronological order between Micah and Habakkuk in the Bible.[1] wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh, in a vivid poetic style.[2] was a very nationalistic Hebrew, and lived amongst the Elkoshites in peace. called "the Elkoshite", is the seventh in order of the minor prophets. Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Holy Prophet Nahum, whose name means “God consoles,” was from the village of Elkosh (Galilee). lived during the seventh century B.C. Prophet Nahum prophesies the ruin of the Assyrian city of Nineveh because of its iniquity, destruction of the Israelite kingdom, the blasphemy of King Sennacherib against God. Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 632 B.C., and over the next two decades, his empire began to crumble. fell in 612 B.C. differs from most of the prophets in as much as he does not issue any call to repentance, nor does he denounce Israel for infidelity to God. of the prophet’s life are unknown. died at the age of forty-five, and was buried in his native region. is the seventh of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Prophet Nahum and Saint Nahum of Ochrid (December 23) are invoked for people with mental disorders.

Galilee, 1st C BC Folder, Joachin&Anna, Herod tG, Herod II, James, H Archelaus, Roman Rule, Annunciation

Galilee, 63 BC - 12 BC, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God
Jerusalem, 63 BC - 12 BC, Joachin and Anna, Grandparents of God; Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their life they grieved over this. They had to endure derision and scorn, since at that time childlessness was considered a disgrace. They never grumbled, but fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in Him. during a great feast, the gifts which Joachim took to Jerusalem as an offering to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who considered that a childless man was not worthy to offer sacrifice to God. This pained the old man very much, and he, regarding himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle in solitude in a desolate place. Saint Anna learned what humiliation her husband had endured, she sorrowfully entreated God with prayer and fasting to grant her a child. In his desolate solitude the righteous Joachim also asked God for this. The prayer of the saintly couple was heard. An angel told them that a daughter would be born to them, Who would be blessed above all other women. He also told them that She would remain a virgin, would be dedicated to the Lord and live in the Temple, and would give birth to the Savior. Obeying the instructions of the heavenly messenger, Saints Joachim and Anna met at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. Then, as God promised, a daughter was born to them and they named her Mary. Joachim died a few years later at the age of 80, after his daughter went to live in the Temple. Saint Anna died at the age of 70, two years after her husband. Saints Joachim and Anna are often invoked by couples trying to have children. Jerusalem Saint, 18 BC-62AD, Mary, Mother of God; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15;

Galilee, 47BC-33AD, Joseph, tBetrothed, 7kids before chosen MOG's guardian, Angel told him Incarntn, sent him Egypt, 100yrOld
Galilee, 47BC-33AD, Joseph, the Betrothed, Jesus' step father, Nazareth, Galilee, J of King David's line, 4 sons 3 daughters from previous marriage, strict temperance as widower, chosen guardian oTheotokos, a virgin, Angel told him oIncarnation through her, present at Jesus' birth wAngels&Shepherds, Angel ordered him flee tEgypt, carpenter there till Herod's death, died at age 100; Nazareth; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 ; Joseph the Betrothed was of the lineage of King David. had four sons from his previous marriage: James, Judah, Joses, and Simon (or Symeon), three daughters: Esther, Martha, and Salome, who was the mother of Saint John the Theologian. he became a widower, Saint Joseph led a life of strict temperance. was chosen to be the husband and guardian of the Most Holy Theotokos, who had taken a vow of virginity. angel told him of the Incarnation of the Son of God through her. Joseph was present when the shepherds and the Magi worshiped the new-born divine Infant. the orders of the angel, he fled into Egypt with the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus, saving them from the wrath of King Herod. lived in Egypt with the Virgin Mary and the divine Child, working as a carpenter. Joseph reputedly died at the age of one hundred. Joseph is commemorated on the Sunday after the Nativity. If there is no Sunday between December 25 and January 1, his Feast is moved to December 26. Righteous Joseph is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers.

Galilee, 37 BC - 4 BCE, King, Herod the Great
Galilee, 37 BCE - 4 BCE, King, Herod the Great;

Galilee, 27 BC-34 AD, heir, Herod II
Jerusalem heir, 27BC-34AD, Herod II ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Galilee, 15BC-63, Dot 9, Apostle James, Lord's step, Nazarene, 1st Bishop of J, c many Jews, so thrown down f Temple top

Galilee, 15BC-63, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee, approx 20yrs older than MOG, first bishop oJerusalem
Galilee, 15BC-40, James Brother otLord, Nazareth, Galilee (Kishon River drainage), approx 20yrs older than MOG, Solomonia's Son, flight to Egypt, probably to Bethlem Nativity also, thrown from roof of Temple Nazareth; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26; Holy Apostle James, Brother of the Lord, was the eldest son of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage with Solomonia. Apostle James is remembered after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ together with his father Joseph and the Prophet-King David, since he accompanied his family on the Flight into Egypt and lived there with the Infant Jesus, the Mother of God and Joseph. Later, he returned to Israel with them. the Ascension of the Lord, Saint James was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, gaining the great esteem not only of Christians, but also of Jews. He was thrown from the roof of the Jerusalem Temple because he had publicly preached to the people about the God-Manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle James is also commemorated on October 23.

Galilee, 4 BC-6 AD, Ethnarch, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom) Killed the Innocents
Jerusalem Ethnarch, 4BC-6AD, Herod Archelaus, (Samaria, Judea, Edom); Archelaus (Ancient Greek: ; 23 BC -AD 18) was ethnarch[1][2] of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea (biblical Edom), including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years[3] (c. 4 BC to AD 6). Archelaus was removed by Roman Emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, and was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod II. Archelaus (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father. A map depicting the domain of Herod Archelaus as was given to him by Augustus after the death of King Herod the Great. Josephus writes that Herod the Great (father of Archelaus) was in Jericho at the time of his death.[4] Just prior to his final trip to Jericho, he was deeply involved in a religious conflagration. Herod had placed a golden eagle over the Temple entrance which was perceived as blasphemous.[5] The eagle was chopped down with axes. Two teachers and approximately 40 other youths were arrested for this act and immolated. Herod defended his works and offered an attack on his predecessors, the dynastic Hasmoneans. Herod killed all male lineal successors of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees had long attacked the Hasmoneans as well, as having parentage from Greeks while under bondage. This racial slur was repeated by the Pharisees through the rule of Alexander Jannaeus and Queen Salome.[6] With this explicit background given, Josephus began an exposition of the days of Archelaus' reign before Passover of 4 BC. Archelaus dressed in white and ascended a golden throne and appeared to be kind to the populace in Jerusalem in order to appease their desires for lower taxes and an end to the (political) imprisonment of Herod's enemies. The demeanor of the questioning appeared to turn at some point, and the crowd began to call for the punishment of those of Herod's people who ordered the death of the two teachers and the 40 youths. They also demanded the replacement of the High Priest, from the appointed High Priest of Herod's to a High Priest, "of greater piety and purity".[7] Josephus does not tell who would be "of greater piety and purity". To this request, however, Archelaus acceded, although he was becoming angry at the presumptions of the crowds. Archelaus asked for moderation and told the crowds that all would be well if they would put aside their animosities and wait until he was confirmed as King by Caesar Augustus. Archelaus then left to feast with his friends. It was evening and as the darkness settled, a mourning and wailing begin over the city. Archelaus began to worry as people begin streaming into the Temple area and those who wailed for loss of the teachers continued their very loud mourning. The people were escalating in their threatening behavior. Henry St. John Thackeray's translation of Josephus here states it thus: "The promoters of the mourning for the doctors stood in the body of the temple, procuring recruits for their faction".[8] Josephus does not tell us who these "promoters of the mourning", who recruit from within a body inside the Temple, could be. Archelaus then sent a general, some other people and finally a "tribune in Command of a Cohort" to reason with these "Seditionists", to stop their "innovations" and wait until Archelaus could return from Rome and Caesar. Those who came from Archelaus were stoned, with many killed. After the stoning, those who stoned the soldiers returned to their sacrifices, as if nothing had happened. Josephus does not tell who performed the sacrifices in the Temple. It was after midnight, and Archelaus suddenly ordered the entire army into the city to the Temple. Josephus records the death toll at 3000. Archelaus sent heralds around the city announcing the cancellation of Passover. Archelaus quickly sailed to Caesar and faced a group of enemies – his own family. Antipas, the younger brother of Archelaus who was deposed from Herod's will days earlier, argued that Archelaus merely feigned grief for his father, crying during the day and involved with great "merriment" during the nights. The threats carried out by Archelaus ending in the death of 3000 in the Temple were not just threats to the worshipers in Jerusalem at Passover, but also amounted to a threat to Caesar himself, since Archelaus acted in every manner a King, before such title had been given by Caesar. At this point, Nicolaus of Damascus argued to Caesar that Archelaus acted appropriately and that Herod's will, supposedly written a few weeks prior (yielding the kingship to Archelaus and against Antipater), should be seen as valid. The change of this will in favor of Archelaus is given as Herod's true choice and, it is argued, occurred with Herod being in his right mind since he left the final decision to Caesar. The change of the will appears as one of Herod's last acts and it is attested from Jericho by one "Ptolemy", keeper of Herod's Seal. Nicholaus of Damascus had been Herod's confidant for years. He was loyal to Rome. Ptolemy was Nicholaus of Damascus' brother. Archelaus, at the conclusion of the arguments, fell at Caesar's feet. Caesar raised him up and stated that Archelaus "was worthy to succeed his father".[9] Caesar gave Archelaus the title of Ethnarch and divided the kingdom. Rome would consolidate its power later. Thus, Archelaus received the Tetrarchy of Judea through the last will of his father, though a previous will had bequeathed it to his brother Antipas. He was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Caesar Augustus in Rome. In Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the Jews, who feared his cruelty, based on the murder of 3000; but in 4 BC Augustus allotted to him the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea) with the title of ethnarch (a ruler of an ethnic group).[10][11] The first wife of Archelaus is given by Josephus simply as Mariamne,[12] perhaps Mariamne III, daughter of Aristobulus IV, whom he divorced to marry Glaphyra. She was the widow of Archelaus' brother Alexander, though her second husband, Juba, king of Mauretania, was alive. This violation of the Mosaic law, along with Archelaus' continued cruelty, roused the ire of the Jews, who complained to Augustus. Archelaus fell into disrepute and was deposed in his 10th year of reign as ethnarch, being banished to Vienna (today Vienne) in Gaul.[13][10] Samaria, Judea proper, and Idumea became the Roman province of Iudaea.[14] Biblical references[edit] Herod Archelaus from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum (16th century depiction) Archelaus is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 2 verse 13–23). An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up and take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to avoid the Massacre of the Innocents. When Herod the Great died, Joseph was told by an angel in a dream to return to the land of Israel (presumably to Bethlehem). However, upon hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father as ruler of Judaea he "was afraid to go there" (Matthew 2:22), and was again warned in a dream by God "and turned aside to the region of" Galilee. This is Matthew's explanation of why Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea but grew up in Nazareth. The beginning and conclusion of Jesus' parable of the minas in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, may refer to Archelaus' journey to Rome. Some interpreters conclude from this that Jesus' parables and preaching made use of events familiar to the people as examples for bringing his spiritual lessons to life. Others read the allusion as arising from later adaptations of Jesus' parables in the oral tradition, before the parables were recorded in the gospels. A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return ... But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." ... "But as for these enemies of mine," [said the nobleman,] "who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me." (Luke 19:12, 19:14, 19:27) Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ;

Galilee, 4 BC -6 AD, Direct Roman Rule
Galilee, 37 BCE - 18 AD, King, Herod Archelas; 9 years of direct Roman Rule during Jesus' early years 4BC-6AD Archelaus (Ancient Greek: á¼©Ïá¿´Î´Î·Ï‚ á¼ˆÏÏ‡ÎÎ»Î±Î¿Ï‚, HÄ“rÅidÄ“s Archelaos; 23 BC – c. AD 18) was ethnarch[1][2] of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, including the cities Caesarea and Jaffa, for a period of nine years[3] (c. 4 BC to AD 6). was removed by Roman Emperor Augustus when Judaea province was formed under direct Roman rule, at the time of the Census of Quirinius. He was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan, and was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod II. (a name meaning "leading the people") came to power after the death of his father Herod the Great in 4 BC, and ruled over one-half of the territorial dominion of his father.

Galilee, 1 BC, Angel Gabriel, Annunciation, Jesus' birth
The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 692 says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent. Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as “good tidings.â€ This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery,â€ for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man. are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God’s promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.â€ The Fathers of the Church understand “her seedâ€ to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled. see this echoed in the Liturgy of Saint Basil, as well: “When man disobeyed Thee, the only true God who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself.â€ Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to Saint Joseph: “Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.â€ contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel’s message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature. said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?â€ (Luke 1:34). “And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.â€ (Luke 1: 35-38) his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, Saint Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that “the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world.â€ He explains that salvation is not merely an act of God’s will, but also involves the Virgin’s free will. She could have refused, but she accepted God’s will and chose to cooperate without complaint or further questions. icon of the Feast shows the Archangel with a staff in his left hand, indicating his role as a messenger. Sometimes one wing is upraised, as if to show his swift descent from heaven. His right hand is stretched toward the holy Virgin as he delivers his message. Virgin is depicted either standing or sitting, usually holding yarn in her left hand. Sometimes she is shown holding a scroll. Her right hand may be raised to indicate her surprise at the message she is hearing. Her head is bowed, showing her consent and obedience. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon her is depicted by a ray of light issuing from a small sphere at the top of the icon, which symbolizes heaven. In a famous icon from Sinai, a white dove is shown in the ray of light. are several famous icons of the Annunciation. One is in the Moscow Kremlin in the church of the Annunciation. This icon appeared in connection with the rescue of a prisoner by the Mother of God during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Another is to be found in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow (July 8). It was originally located in Ustiug, and was the icon before which Saint Procopius the fool (July 8) prayed to save the city from destruction in 1290. One of the most highly revered icons in Greece is the Tinos icon of the Annunciation (January 30). Annunciation falls during Lent, but it is always celebrated with great joy. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or Saint John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent. It is one of the two days of Great Lent on which the fast is relaxed and fish is permitted (Palm Sunday is the other). Galilee, 1 BCE, Angel Gabriel, Annunciation, Jesus' birth; Annunciation (from Latin annuntiatio), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady,[1] or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Christian Messiah and Son of God, marking His Incarnation.[2] Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "YHWH is salvation".[3] to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist.[4] Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March,[2] an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. The Annunciation is a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Marian art in the Catholic Church, having been especially prominent during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A work of art depicting the Annunciation is sometimes itself called an Annunciation.

Galilee, 1 BC, ANNUNCIATION, Nazareth, good tidings, salvation's beginning, mystery revealed, son of God became son of man, more
Galilee, 1 BC, ANNUNCIATION, Nazareth, Galilee, good tidings, salvation beginning, mystery revealed, son of God became son of man, the message & the response, Genesis promise, God sent back to earth, Angel Gabriel announcement, Holy Ghost upon thee, Son of God, Elizabeth old age 6mos pregnant, OK, our salvation of her free will and God's, A icons, Mar 25 9 mos b birth, beginning new year middle of month, selection by God not search for God, great things impossible to describe; Nazareth; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 692 says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent. Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as “good tidings.” This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery,” for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man. are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God’s promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.” The Fathers of the Church understand “her seed” to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled. see this echoed in the Liturgy of Saint Basil, as well: “When man disobeyed Thee, the only true God who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself.” Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to Saint Joseph: “Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel’s message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature. said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). “And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1: 35-38) his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, Saint Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that “the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world.” He explains that salvation is not merely an act of God’s will, but also involves the Virgin’s free will. She could have refused, but she accepted God’s will and chose to cooperate without complaint or further questions. icon of the Feast shows the Archangel with a staff in his left hand, indicating his role as a messenger. Sometimes one wing is upraised, as if to show his swift descent from heaven. His right hand is stretched toward the holy Virgin as he delivers his message. Virgin is depicted either standing or sitting, usually holding yarn in her left hand. Sometimes she is shown holding a scroll. Her right hand may be raised to indicate her surprise at the message she is hearing. Her head is bowed, showing her consent and obedience. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon her is depicted by a ray of light issuing from a small sphere at the top of the icon, which symbolizes heaven. In a famous icon from Sinai, a white dove is shown in the ray of light. are several famous icons of the Annunciation. One is in the Moscow Kremlin in the church of the Annunciation. This icon appeared in connection with the rescue of a prisoner by the Mother of God during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Another is to be found in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow (July 8). It was originally located in Ustiug, and was the icon before which Saint Procopius the fool (July 8) prayed to save the city from destruction in 1290. One of the most highly revered icons in Greece is the Tinos icon of the Annunciation (January 30). Annunciation falls during Lent, but it is always celebrated with great joy. The Liturgy of Saint Basil or Saint John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent. It is one of the two days of Great Lent on which the fast is relaxed and fish is permitted (Palm Sunday is the other). THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; the first chapter of Luke we read how the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Christ, and how Mary answered, "Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be to me as you have said." is reasonable to suppose that Our Lord was conceived immediately after this. Accordingly, since we celebrate His birth on 25 December, we celebrate the Annunciation nine months earlier, on 25 March. The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico The Annunciation, by Fra Angelico many centuries most European countries took 25 March, not 1 January, as the day when the number of the year changed, so that 24 March 1201 was followed by 25 March 1202. If you had asked a Christian of that time why the calendar year changed so awkwardly partway through a month, he would have answered: "Today we begin a new year of the Christian era, the era which began X years ago today when God was made man, when He took upon Himself a fleshly body and human nature in the womb of the Virgin." following paragraph is from Chapter 14 of the book MIRACLES, by C S Lewis. of those features of the Christian story which is repulsive to the modern mind. To be quite frank, we do not at all like the idea of a "chosen people". Democrats by birth and education, we should prefer to think that all nations and individuals start level in the search for God, or even that all religions are equally true. It must be admitted at once that Christianity makes no concessions to this point of view. It does not tell of a human search for God at all, but of something done by God for, to, and about Man. And the way in which it is done is selective, undemocratic, to the highest degree. After the knowledge of God had been universally lost or obscured, one man from the whole earth (Abraham) is picked out. He is separated (miserably enough, we may suppose) from his natural surroundings, sent into a strange country, and made the ancestor of a nation who are to carry the knowledge of the true God. Within this nation there is further selection: some die in the desert, some remain behind in Babylon. There is further selection still. The process grows narrower and narrower, sharpens at last into one small bright point like the head of a spear. It is a Jewish girl at her prayers. All humanity (so far as concerns its redemption) has narrowed to that. following quotation is from Martin Luther's sermon "On the MAGNIFICAT" (the Song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55). He that is mighty hath done great things for me, and Holy is His Name." (Luke 1:49) "great things" are nothing less than that she became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed upon her as pass man's understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among whom she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in Heaven, and such a child. She herself is unable to find a name for this work, it is too exceedingly great; all she can do is break out in the fervent cry: "They are great things," impossible to describe or define. Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God. No one can say anything greater of her or to her, though he had as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea. It needs to be pondered in the heart, what it means to be the Mother of God. Luther's Works, Vol. 21, p. 326, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan, Concordia Publishing House, 1956. by James Kiefer

Galilee, 000, 1st C Folder, Herod Antipas, Joanna, John tBaptist, Jesus, Apostles, Transfiguration, H Agrippa

Galilee, 6-39, King Herod Antipas, killed John the Baptist
Jerusalem King (Galilee), 6-39, Herod Antipas; Antipater (born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch"[1] and "King Herod"[2] in the New Testament, although he never held the title of king.[3] He is widely known today for accounts in the New Testament of his role in events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.[4] (Matthew 14:1–12) being recognized by Augustus upon the death of his father, Herod the Great (4 BC/), and subsequently by his brother, the ethnarch Herod Archelaus, Antipas officially ruled Galilee and Perea as a client state of the Roman Empire.[5][6] He was responsible for building projects at Sepphoris and Betharamphtha, and for the construction of his capital Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Named in honour of his patron, the emperor Tiberius, the city later became a centre of rabbinic learning after the Jewish-Roman wars (66-135 CE). divorced his first wife Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, in favour of Herodias, who had formerly been married to his half-brother Herod II. (Antipas was Herod the Great's son by Malthace, while Herod II was his son by Mariamne II.)[7][8] According to the New Testament Gospels, it was John the Baptist's condemnation of this arrangement that led Antipas to have him arrested; John was subsequently put to death in Machaerus. Besides provoking his conflict with John the Baptist, the tetrarch's divorce added a personal grievance to previous disputes with Aretas over territory on the border of Perea and Nabatea. The result was a war that proved disastrous for Antipas; a Roman counter-offensive was ordered by Tiberius, but abandoned upon that emperor's death in 37 AD. In 39 AD Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa I of conspiracy against the Roman emperor Caligula, who sent him into exile in Spain, according to Josephus. Accompanied there by Herodias, he died at an unknown date.[9] Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was first brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, since Pilate was the governor of Roman Judea, which encompassed Jerusalem where Jesus was arrested. Pilate initially handed him over to Antipas, in whose territory Jesus had been most active, but Antipas sent him back to Pilate's court. (Hérode), by French painter and Bible illustrator James Tissot, in the Brooklyn Museum life[edit] was a son of Herod the Great, who had become king of Judea, and Malthace, who was from Samaria.[10] His date of birth is unknown but was before 20 BC.[11] Antipas, his full brother Archelaus and his half-brother Philip, were educated in Rome.[12] was not Herod's first choice of heir. That honour fell to Aristobulus and Alexander, Herod's sons by the Hasmonean princess Mariamne. It was only after they were executed (c. 7 BC), and Herod's oldest son Antipater was convicted of trying to poison his father (5 BC), that the now elderly Herod fell back on his youngest son Antipas, revising his will to make him heir.[13] During his illness in 4 BC, Herod had yet another change of heart about the succession. According to the final version of his will, Antipas' elder brother Archelaus was now to become king of Judea, Idumea and Samaria, while Antipas would rule Galilee and Perea with the lesser title of tetrarch. Philip was to receive Gaulanitis (the Golan Heights), Batanaea (southern Syria), Trachonitis and Auranitis (Hauran).[14] of Judea's status as a Roman client kingdom, Herod's plans for the succession had to be ratified by Augustus. The three heirs therefore travelled to Rome to make their claims, Antipas arguing he ought to inherit the whole kingdom and the others maintaining that Herod's final will ought to be honoured. Despite qualified support for Antipas from Herodian family members in Rome, who favoured direct Roman rule of Judea but considered Antipas preferable to his brother, Augustus largely confirmed the division of territory set out by Herod in his final will. Archelaus had, however, to be content with the title of ethnarch rather than king.[15] 4 BC to c. 39 AD[edit] given to Herod Antipas, as Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, by Augustus in 4 BC the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC, Augustus confirmed the testament of the dead king by making Antipas tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, a region he would rule for the next forty-two years.[16] The two territories were separated by the region of the Decapolis, with Galilee to the north and Perea to the south (see map). Threats to stability in both areas would have been clear to Antipas when he took office. While he had been making his case to Augustus in Rome, dissidents led by Judas, son of Hezekiah, had attacked the palace of Sepphoris in Galilee, seizing money as well as weapons which they used to terrorize the area.[17] In a counterattack ordered by Quinctilius Varus, Roman governor of Syria, Sepphoris was destroyed by fire and its inhabitants sold as slaves.[18] Perea, meanwhile, bordered on the kingdom of Nabatea, which had long had uneasy relations with Romans and Jews.[19] of Antipas' solution was to follow in his father's footsteps as a builder. He rebuilt and fortified Sepphoris, while also adding a wall to Betharamphtha in Perea.[20] The latter city was renamed Livias after Augustus' wife Livia, and later Julias after his daughter.[21] However, the tetrarch's most noted construction was his capital on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, so named to honour his patron Tiberius, who had succeeded Augustus as emperor in 14 AD.[22] Residents could bathe nearby at the warm springs of Emmaus, and by the time of the First Jewish-Roman War the city's buildings included a stadium, a royal palace and a sanctuary for prayer.[23] It gave its name to the sea and later became a centre of rabbinic learning after the Jewish-Roman wars.[24] However, pious Jews at first refused to live in it because it was built atop a graveyard and therefore a source of ritual impurity. Antipas had to colonize it with a mixture of foreigners, forced migrants, poor people, and freed slaves.[25] other times Antipas was more sensitive to Jewish tradition. His coins carried no images, which would have violated Jewish prescriptions against idolatry.[26] When Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD, caused offence by placing votive shields in the Antonia palace at Jerusalem, Antipas and his brothers successfully petitioned for their removal.[27] the Baptist and Jesus[edit] before Herod Antipas, Albrecht Dürer, 1509 to Herodias[edit] in his reign, Antipas had married the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea. However, on a visit to Rome he stayed with his half-brother Herod II and there he fell in love with his wife, Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great and Mariamne I, and the two agreed to marry after Herod Antipas had divorced his wife.[28] Aretas' daughter learned of the plan and asked permission to travel to the frontier fortress of Machaerus, whence Nabatean forces escorted her to her father. With his daughter safe in his custody, Aretas now could declare war on Herod.[29] is generally agreed that the war, in which Herod was defeated, occurred in 36 AD, a year before the death of the emperor Tiberius. A point of contention today is how long before this date Herod's marriage to Herodias took place. Some surmise that the marriage of Antipas and Herodias took place shortly before the war in about 34 AD, after the death of Philip,[30] but others have pointed to Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews (Book 18, chapter 5, paragraph 4) comment that Herodias "divorced herself from her husband while he was alive" to argue that it took place before Herod II's death, in about 27 AD, thus making it possible for Jesus to have been born in the reign of Herod the Great (as indicated by the Gospel of Matthew) and to have died in his early 30s (as indicated by the Gospel of Luke).[31] ministry and execution[edit] faced more immediate problems in his own tetrarchy after John the Baptist, in 28/29 AD according to the Gospel of Luke[32] (or 27 AD, if the co-regency of Augustus and Tiberius is included in Luke's reckoning of time, for which there is some evidence), began a ministry of preaching and baptism by the Jordan River, which marked the western edge of Antipas' territory of Perea. The Gospels state that John attacked the tetrarch's marriage as contrary to Jewish law (it was incestuous, as Herodias was also Antipas' niece, but also John criticized the fact that she was his brother's wife (Mark 6:18), (lending credence to the belief that Antipas and Herodias married while Herod II was still alive), while Josephus says that John's public influence made Antipas fearful of rebellion.[33] John was imprisoned in Machaerus and executed.[34] According to Matthew and Mark, Herod was reluctant to order John's death but was compelled by Herodias' daughter (unnamed in the text but named by Josephus as Salome), to whom he had promised any reward, up to half his kingdom, she chose as a result of her dancing for guests at his birthday banquet.[35] ministry and trial[edit] those baptized by John was Jesus of Nazareth, who began his own ministry in Galilee, causing Antipas, according to Matthew and Mark, to fear that John had been raised from the dead.[36] Luke alone among the Gospels states that a group of Pharisees warned Jesus that Antipas was plotting his death, whereupon Jesus denounced the tetrarch as a "fox" and declared that he, Jesus, would not fall victim to such a plot because "it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem".[37] Luke also credits the tetrarch with a role in Jesus' trial. According to Luke, Pilate, on learning that Jesus was a Galilean and therefore under Herod's jurisdiction, sent him to Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem at the time. Initially, Antipas was pleased to see Jesus, hoping to see him perform a miracle, but when Jesus remained silent in the face of questioning, Antipas mocked him and sent him back to Pilate. Luke says that these events improved relations between Pilate and Herod despite their earlier enmity.[38] aspects[edit] reason for Antipas' involvement has been debated. Theodor Mommsen argued that the normal legal procedure of the early Roman empire was for defendants to be tried by the authorities of their home provinces.[39] A. N. Sherwin-White re-examined the relevant legal texts and concluded that trials were generally based on the location of the alleged crimes, but that there was a possibility of referral to a province of origin in special cases.[40] If Pilate was not required to send Jesus to Antipas, he may have been making a show of courtesy to the tetrarch[41] and trying to avoid the need to deal with the Jewish authorities himself.[42] When Jesus was sent back, Pilate could still have represented Antipas' failure to convict as support for his own view (according to Luke) that Jesus was not guilty of a capital offence,[43] thus allowing him to avoid responsibility for Jesus' crucifixion.[44] of Gospel narrative[edit] to the lack of historical evidence, it has been suggested that Jesus' trial by Herod Antipas is unhistorical.[45] For example, Robin Lane Fox, an English historian, alleges that the story was invented based on Psalm 2, in which "the kings of the earth" are described as opposing the Lord's "anointed", and also served to show that the authorities failed to find grounds for convicting Jesus.[46] reign[edit] 34 and 36 AD[47][48] the conflict with Aretas of Nabatea, caused by Antipas' divorce from Aretas' daughter and the rulers' disagreement over territory, developed into open war. Antipas' army suffered a devastating defeat after fugitives from the former tetrarchy of Philip sided with the Nabateans, and Antipas was forced to appeal to Tiberius for help. The emperor ordered Lucius Vitellius, governor of Syria, to march against Aretas and ensure that he was captured or killed.[49] Vitellius obediently mobilized two legions, sending them on a detour around Judea while he joined Antipas in attending a festival at Jerusalem. While staying there he learned of the death of Tiberius (16 March 37 AD), concluded he lacked the authority to go to war, and recalled his troops.[50] implies that Vitellius was unwilling to cooperate with the tetrarch because of a grudge he bore from an earlier incident. According to his account, Antipas provided hospitality at a conference on the Euphrates between Vitellius and King Artabanus III of Parthia, and after Vitellius' diplomatic success anticipated the governor in sending a report to Tiberius.[51] However, other sources place the meeting between Vitellius and Artabanus under Tiberius' successor Caligula,[52] leading some historians to think that Josephus misdated it to the reign of Tiberius or conflated it with an earlier diplomatic meeting involving Antipas and Vitellius.[53] and death[edit] fall from power was due to Caligula and to his own nephew Agrippa, brother of Herodias. When Agrippa fell into debt during the reign of Tiberius despite his connections with the imperial family, Herodias persuaded Antipas to provide for him, but the two men quarrelled and Agrippa departed. After Agrippa was heard expressing to his friend Caligula his eagerness for Tiberius to die and leave room for Caligula to succeed him, he was imprisoned. When Caligula finally became emperor in 37 AD, he not only released his friend but granted him rule of Philip's former tetrarchy (slightly extended), with the title of king.[54] relates that Herodias, jealous at Agrippa's success, persuaded Antipas to ask Caligula for the title of king for himself. However, Agrippa simultaneously presented the emperor with a list of charges against the tetrarch: allegedly, he had conspired against Tiberius with Sejanus (executed in 31 AD) and was now plotting against Caligula with Artabanus. As evidence, Agrippa noted that Antipas had a stockpile of weapons sufficient for 70,000 men. Hearing Antipas' admission to this last charge, Caligula decided to believe the allegations of conspiracy. In the summer of 39 AD, Antipas' money and territory were turned over to Agrippa, while Antipas was exiled.[55] Spain was the place of his exile, as recorded by Josephus in Antiquities.[56] Caligula offered to allow Herodias, as Agrippa's sister, to retain her property. However, she chose instead to join her husband in exile.[57] died in exile.[58] The 3rd-century historian Cassius Dio seems to imply that Caligula had him killed, but this is usually treated with skepticism by modern historians.[59] Antipas as portrayed in the Nuremberg Chronicle the followers of Jesus and members of the early Christian movement mentioned in the New Testament are Joanna, the wife of one of Antipas' stewards, and Manaen, a "foster-brother" or "companion" of Antipas (both translations are possible for the Greek σύντροφος). It has been conjectured that these were sources for early Christian knowledge of Antipas and his court.[60] In any case, Antipas featured prominently in the New Testament in connection with the deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus. The pseudepigraphical Gospel of Peter went further, stating that it was Antipas rather than Pilate who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. In line with the work's anti-Judaic theme, it pointedly remarked that Herod and "the Jews", unlike Pilate, refused to "wash their hands" of responsibility for the death.[61] has appeared in a large number of representations of the passion of Jesus – most notably portrayed by Frank Thring in King of Kings (1961), José Ferrer in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), and Christopher Plummer in Jesus of Nazareth (1977). Often, as in the films Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and The Passion of the Christ (2004), Antipas is portrayed as effeminate (Antipas was played in those films by Joshua Mostel and Luca De Dominicis respectively); the origin of this tradition may have been Antipas' manipulation by his wife Herodias, as well as Christ's description of him as a "fox" in Luke 13:32, using a feminine word in the original Greek.[62] In Salome (1953), he is portrayed by Charles Laughton, opposite Dame Judith Anderson as Herodias and Rita Hayworth in the title role. He features in Salomé (1923) by Mitchell Lewis. He also features in The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow. In Longfellow's view, he was not effeminate so much as rash, ineffective, and when backed into a corner by his furious ex-father-in-law, willing to do anything to save himself. Gustave Flaubert's "Herodias" (1877), Herodias uses her long-concealed daughter, Salome, to manipulate Herod sexually for her own political purposes. This conceit (original with Flaubert) inspired Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" (1891), the first version of the legend to show Salome with a will of her own, opposing her mother and lusting after John the Baptist herself. Naive and puzzled by her stepfather's lascivious attentions, the young girl arouses Herod in order to avenge herself on the prophet who has refused her advances. Flaubert's novella was turned into an opera by Jules Massenet (1881) in which Salome, ignorant of her royal parentage, becomes a disciple of the Baptist, who is then executed by the lustful and jealous Herod (a baritone). In Richard Strauss's operatic setting of Wilde's play (1905), Herod, one of the most difficult tenor roles in the repertory, is depicted as befuddled by both drink and lust, and in bitter conflict with his wife (as in Flaubert). At the end of the opera (as in Wilde's play), disgusted with Salome's behavior with the head of John, he orders her execution. novella was also, very roughly, the basis of the 1953 film "Salome," a Rita Hayworth vehicle directed by William Dieterle, in which the girl is implausibly unaware that her dancing will be used by her mother (Judith Anderson) to secure Herod's (Charles Laughton) consent to the execution of John the Baptist (Alan Badel). The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27, wife of Chusa, who worked for King Herod (the King Herod who killed John the baptist), who lived in Tiberias;; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ;

Galilee, 6-39, Joanna, wife of Chuza, worked for Herod and saved John's head
Galilee, 6-39, Joanna, wife of Chuza Jerusalem King (Galilee), 6-39, Herod Antipas; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27, wife of Chusa, who worked for King Herod (the King Herod who killed John the baptist), who lived in Tiberias;; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ;

Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, t theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, Jesus' friend, MOG care 34yrs, much more
Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; Galilee, 20-100, JOHN, the theologian, Jesus' nephew, son of Jesus's step sister, virgin, friend of Christ, Jairus' daughter restored to life, Transfiguration, last supper, Gethsemane, Court, Golgotha, behold thy son, took care of MOG 34 yrs, then Ephesus w Prochorus, shopwreck and 14 days in sea, conversions in E, to Rome Nero trial, sentenced to death, preserved by poison drink, caldron of boiling oil, sent back to Patmos near E, many years, Revelation; the Evangelist is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, or John the Presbyter,[2] although this has been disputed by most modern scholars.[3] Mount Tabor; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Holy, Glorious All-laudable Apostle and Evangelist, Virgin, and Beloved Friend of Christ, John the Theologian was the son of Zebedee and Salome, a daughter of Saint Joseph the Betrothed. was called by our Lord Jesus Christ to be one of His Apostles at the same time as his elder brother James. This took place at Lake Gennesareth (i.e. the Sea of Galilee). Leaving behind their father, both brothers followed the Lord. Apostle John was especially loved by the Savior for his sacrificial love and his virginal purity. After his calling, the Apostle John did not part from the Lord, and he was one of the three apostles who were particularly close to Him. Saint John the Theologian was present when the Lord restored the daughter of Jairus to life, and he was a witness to the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. the Last Supper, he reclined next to the Lord, and laid his head upon His breast. He also asked the name of the Savior’s betrayer. The Apostle John followed after the Lord when they led Him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane to the court of the iniquitous High Priests Annas and Caiphas. He was there in the courtyard of the High Priest during the interrogations of his Teacher and he resolutely followed after him on the way to Golgotha, grieving with all his heart. the foot of the Cross he stood with the Mother of God and heard the words of the Crucified Lord addressed to Her from the Cross: “Woman, behold Thy son.” Then the Lord said to him, “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:26-27). From that moment the Apostle John, like a loving son, concerned himself over the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and he served Her until Her Dormition. the Dormition of the Mother of God the Apostle John went to Ephesus and other cities of Asia Minor to preach the Gospel, taking with him his own disciple Prochorus. boarded a ship, which floundered during a terrible tempest. All the travellers were cast up upon dry ground, and only the Apostle John remained in the depths of the sea. Prochorus wept bitterly, bereft of his spiritual father and guide, and he went on towards Ephesus alone. the fourteenth day of his journey he stood at the shore of the sea and saw that the waves had cast a man ashore. Going up to him, he recognized the Apostle John, whom the Lord had preserved alive for fourteen days in the sea. and disciple went to Ephesus, where the Apostle John preached incessantly to the pagans about Christ. His preaching was accompanied by such numerous and great miracles, that the number of believers increased with each day. this time there had begun a persecution of Christians under the emperor Nero (56-68). They took the Apostle John for trial at Rome. Saint John was sentenced to death for his confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord preserved His chosen one. The apostle drank a cup of deadly poison, but he remained alive. Later, he emerged unharmed from a cauldron of boiling oil into which he had been thrown on orders from the torturer. this, they sent the Apostle John off to imprisonment to the island of Patmos, where he spent many years. Proceeding along on his way to the place of exile, Saint John worked many miracles. On the island of Patmos, his preaching and miracles attracted to him all the inhabitants of the island, and he enlightened them with the light of the Gospel. He cast out many devils from the pagan temples, and he healed a great multitude of the sick. with demonic powers showed great hostility to the preaching of the holy apostle. He especially frightened the chief sorcerer of them all, named Kinops, who boasted that they would destroy the apostle. But the great John, by the grace of God acting through him, destroyed all the demonic artifices to which Kinops resorted, and the haughty sorcerer perished in the depths of the sea. Apostle John withdrew with his disciple Prochorus to a desolate height, where he imposed upon himself a three-day fast. As Saint John prayed the earth quaked and thunder rumbled. Prochorus fell to the ground in fright. The Apostle John lifted him up and told him to write down what he was about to say. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8), proclaimed the Spirit of God through the Apostle John. Thus in about the year 67 the Book of Revelation was written, known also as the “Apocalypse,” of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In this Book were predictions of the tribulations of the Church and of the end of the world. his prolonged exile, the Apostle John received his freedom and returned to Ephesus, where he continued with his activity, instructing Christians to guard against false teachers and their erroneous teachings. In the year 95, the Apostle John wrote his Gospel at Ephesus. He called for all Christians to love the Lord and one another, and by this to fulfill the commands of Christ. The Church calls Saint John the “Apostle of Love”, since he constantly taught that without love man cannot come near to God. his three Epistles, Saint John speaks of the significance of love for God and for neighbor. Already in his old age, he learned of a youth who had strayed from the true path to follow the leader of a band of robbers, so Saint John went out into the wilderness to seek him. Seeing the holy Elder, the guilty one tried to hide himself, but the Apostle John ran after him and besought him to stop. He promised to take the sins of the youth upon himself, if only he would repent and not bring ruin upon his soul. Shaken by the intense love of the holy Elder, the youth actually did repent and turn his life around. John reposed when he was more than a hundred years old. He far outlived the other eyewitnesses of the Lord, and for a long time he remained the only remaining eyewitness of the earthly life of the Savior. it was time for the departure of the Apostle John, he went out beyond the city limits of Ephesus with the families of his disciples. He bade them prepare for him a cross-shaped grave, in which he lay, telling his disciples that they should cover him over with the soil. The disciples tearfully kissed their beloved teacher, but not wanting to be disobedient, they fulfilled his bidding. They covered the face of the saint with a cloth and filled in the grave. Learning of this, other disciples of Saint John came to the place of his burial. When they opened the grave, they found it empty. year from the grave of the holy Apostle John on May 8 came forth a fine dust, which believers gathered up and were healed of sicknesses by it. Therefore, the Church also celebrates the memory of the holy Apostle John the Theologian on May 8. Lord bestowed on His beloved disciple John and John’s brother James the name “Sons of Thunder” an awesome messenger accompanied by the cleansing power of heavenly fire. And precisely by this the Savior pointed out the flaming, fiery, sacrificial character of Christian love, the preacher of which was the Apostle John the Theologian. The eagle, symbol of the lofty heights of his theological thought, is the iconographic symbol of the Evangelist John the Theologian. The appellation “Theologian” is bestown by Holy Church only to Saint John among the immediate disciples and Apostles of Christ, as being the seer of the mysterious Judgments of God. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ;

Galilee, 30-38, THOMAS, Madras, Doubting Thomas, p loyal, aTouching greatest apostle, many places&arab icon appearances

Galilee, 30-60, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna, first called, Peter's b, Scythia, Black Sea and Kiev
Rome, 30-60, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna; Mongol, Scythia, 1st Century, Apostle Andrew and Saint Inna; Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20; Holy Martyrs Inna, Pinna and Rimma were Slavs from northern Scythia (modern Bulgaria), they were disciples of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. preached the Gospel of Christ and they baptized many barbarians who converted to the true Faith. were seized by the local chieftain, but they would not deny Christ, nor would they offer sacrifice to idols. was wintertime, and the rivers were so frozen that not only people, but also horses with carts could travel on the ice. chieftain had the saints tied to logs on the ice, and gradually lowered them into the freezing water. the ice reached their necks, they surrendered their blessed souls to the Lord. Martyr Inna the Disciple of Apostle Andrew in Scythia, Commemorated on June 20;

Galilee, 30-70, Saint Mary Magdalene, first to proclaim his resurrection

Galilee, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles
Galilee, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles, greece, parthia, Azotus, Syrian Hieropolis, Lydia, Emessa, sister Mariamne, Bartholomew, Phrygian Hieropolis, k serpent, healed wife, arrested, o crucified, earthquake, prayed for those, they believed, he died on cross, M&B to Armenia, M to Lykaonia; Galilee, 30-80, Apostle Philip, all-praised, Bethsaida, Galilee, knew Scripture, awaited coming, Call, preaching, miracles; the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. Bethsaida; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy. ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); PHILIP ;

Galilee, 30-73 or 107, Apostle Simon the Zealot, Cana, Galilee, the bridegroom, went many places from Britain to Black Sea
Galilee, 30-73, Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) the bridegroom at Jesus' first miracle, so became zealous for Christ, went many places from Britain to Black Sea, Crucified; Cana in Galilee; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; Simon was from Cana in Galilee, and was known to the Lord and His Mother. says that he was the bridegroom at the wedding where the Savior performed His first miracle. witnessing the miracle of the water which had been turned into wine, he became a zealous follower of Christ. For this reason, he is known as Saint Simon the Zealot. Simon was one of the twelve Apostles, and received the Holy Spirit with the others on Pentecost. traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. After winning many pagans to the Lord, Saint Simon suffered martyrdom by crucifixion. Demetrius of Rostov says that this Saint Simon is to be distinguished from the Apostle Simon Peter, and from the Lord’s relative Simon (Mt.13:55), who was the second Bishop of Jerusalem. Simon is also commemorated on June 30 with the other Apostles.

Galilee, 30-90, Apostle Matthew, Capernaum, tax c, Gospel early in 50 at J, many lands, Ethiopia, Fulvian-Matthew story

Galilee, 30-91, Nathaniel ot70, aka Bartholomew ot12, Cana, Galilee, great story, many places GArmenia, India, Syria, Asia Minor
Galilee, 30-91, Nathaniel otSeventy, aka Bartholomew otTwelve, Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) His first miracle, Gift oGod, brought by Philip to Jesus, called true Israelite, one who sees God, amazed seen under Fig t, more to be seen, heavens opened, angels a&d on Son oMan, Barts's story, after Pentecost his lot tSyria&AsiaMinor wPhilip&sisMariamnne, stoned prison, wJohn theologian tPhrygia, Hieropolis blind man 40yrs Stachys received sight, news spread, many healed baptized, city perfect, magic in clothes, orderd strip, but Mariamne became torch, Philip crusified upsidedown, earthquake swallowed perfect and priests, Bart&M freed, M tLykaonia, BtIndia, tranlated Gospel M, converted many, tGreater Armenia, Healed Kings daughter, deliverance, King Polymios baptized & 10 Cities followed example, but Bart beheaded by Kings brother, relics tMany places, Dara Mesopotamia, Black Sea Armenia, coffin floats tLipari Is, tBeneventum, Neopolitan Italy, tRome, Joseph tHymnographer blessed by Bart in person to write hymns for whole world, 300 Canons in all; Cana in Galilee; Apostle Nathaniel of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22; Nathanael, whose name means "the gift of God," from Cana of Galilee (John 21:2). was brought to the Savior by Phillip, as described in the Fourth Gospel (John 1:45-51). calls him a true Israelite, which means "one who sees God." was amazed when Christ says that He had seen him under the fig tree. He says that Nathanael will see even greater things; he will the heavens opened, and "the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanios of Cyprus and other Fathers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew (the son of Tholomai) as the same person as Nathanael. his name would be Nathanael, and his patronymic would be Bartholomew. to The Jerome Biblical Commentary (page 796), Nathanael was thought to be the same person as Bartholomew, because the latter's name followed Philip's in three lists of the Apostles (Matthew 10:2-5; Mark 3:14-19; and Luke 6:14-16). The Synoptic Gospels mention Bartholomew as one of the Twelve Apostles, but they do not mention Nathanael. On the other hand, Saint John's Gospel makes mention of Nathanael, but not of Bartholomew. the Life of Saint Bartholomew, see June 11. Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin Saint Mariamnne. the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles. Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods. that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. Saint Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many of the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and Saint Mariamne left the city and moved on. the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind. Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king’s brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him. about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome. holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. Saint Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so. the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, Saint Joseph saw him at the altar. beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, “May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world.” from that time Saint Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45-51, 21:2).

Galilee, 32, Beheading of the Forerunner in Galilee, jail because he denounced Herod, Salome danced, Herod gave her John's head
Galilee, 32, Beheading of the Forerunner in Galilee, jail because he denounced Herod for leaving wife and living with brother's wife, Salome danced, Herod gave her what she wanted, John's head ; Lower Galilee; Western Galilee; Upper Galilee; Galilee Region; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ. the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. the death of king Herod the Great, the Romans divided the territory of Palestine into four parts, and put a governor in charge of each part. Herod Antipas received Galilee from the emperor Augustus). prophet of God John openly denounced Herod for having left his lawful wife, the daughter of the Arabian king Aretas, and then instead cohabiting with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip (Luke 3:19-20). his birthday, Herod made a feast for dignitaries, the elders and a thousand chief citizens. the daughter of Herod, danced before the guests and charmed Herod. In gratitude to the girl, he swore to give her whatever she would ask, up to half his kingdom. vile girl on the advice of her wicked mother Herodias asked that she be given the head of John the Baptist on a platter. became apprehensive, for he feared the wrath of God for the murder of a prophet, whom earlier he had heeded. He also feared the people, who loved the holy Forerunner. But because of the guests and his careless oath, he gave orders to cut off the head of Saint John and to give it to Salome. to Tradition, the mouth of the dead preacher of repentance once more opened and proclaimed: “Herod, you should not have the wife of your brother Philip.” took the platter with the head of Saint John and gave it to her mother. frenzied Herodias repeatedly stabbed the tongue of the prophet with a needle and buried his holy head in a unclean place. the pious Joanna, wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, buried the head of John the Baptist in an earthen vessel on the Mount of Olives, where Herod had a parcel of land. Uncovering of the Venerable Head is celebrated February 24). holy body of John the Baptist was taken that night by his disciples and buried at Sebastia, there where the wicked deed had been done. the murder of Saint John the Baptist, Herod continued to govern for a certain time. Pilate, governor of Judea, later sent Jesus Christ to him, Whom he mocked (Luke 23:7-12). judgment of God came upon Herod, Herodias and Salome, even during their earthly life. crossing the River Sikoris in winter, fell through the ice. The ice gave way in such a way that her body was in the water, but her head was trapped above the ice. It was similar to how she once had danced with her feet upon the ground, but now she flailed helplessly in the icy water. she was trapped until that time when the sharp ice cut through her neck. corpse was not found, but they brought the head to Herod and Herodias, as once they had brought them the head of Saint John the Baptist. Arab king Aretas, in revenge for the disrespect shown his daughter, made war against Herod. The defeated Herod suffered the wrath of the Roman emperor Caius Caligua (37-41) and was exiled with Herodias first to Gaul, and then to Spain. Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, a Feast day established by the Church, is also a strict fast day because of the grief of Christians at the violent death of the saint. some Orthodox cultures pious people will not eat food from a flat plate, use a knife, or eat food that is round in shape on this day. the Church makes remembrance of Orthodox soldiers killed on the field of battle, as established in 1769 at the time of Russia’s war with the Turks and the Poles.

Galilee, 33, CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Galileee, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ
Galilee, 33, CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), led by God's Grace, Peter acknowledged Jesus as the Christ; Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) , Commemorated January 18; 18 January we remember how the Apostle Peter was led by God's grace to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 16:13-20), we join with Peter, and with all Christians everywhere, in hailing Jesus as our Lord, God, and Savior. by James Kiefer

Galilee, 33, TRANSFIGURATION, Tabor, Jesus d light, Peter, James, John, w Moses & Elijah, this my son, Orthodox d light focus
Galilee, 33, FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source), beginning to teach his death and resurrection, revealed himself to Peter, James and John, w Moses and Elijah, Law and Prophets, Father proclaimed this is my son, Listen to him, Orthodox say what light, why 6 days and 8 days, 8 on the mt only 6 visible, it is because mystery of the 8th day in the future, the day of the Church; Mount Tabor; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); we celebrate the occasion (recorded in M 17:1-8 = P 9:2-8 = L 9:28-36) on which Christ, He was beginning to teach His disciples that He must die and rise again, Himself in shining splendor to Peter, James, and John. and Elijah were present, and are taken to signify that the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is the promised Messiah. the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying, "This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him." For a moment the veil is drawn aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God. The Transfiguration, by Giovanno Lanfranco the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the East Orthodox calendar. the West it was observed after the ninth century by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general observance. the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that have been revised in the twentieth century. recent tendency in the West is to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6 August remains to be seen. The Transfiguration, from the Predis Codex FIRST READING: Exodus 34:29-35 (When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, after speaking with the LORD, the skin of his face was so radiant that the Israelites were afraid to look at him. Therefore, he wore a veil.) PSALM 99 or 99:5-9 (The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble.... Moses and Aaron and Samuel cried unto him, and he spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.) EPISTLE: 2 Peter 1:13-21 (Peter, near the end of his life, for his own strengthening and that of his readers, recalls his long-ago experience of seeing the Transfigured Christ.) THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 9:28-36 (Jesus took Peter and James and John up a mountain, and there appeared to them in shining splendor, and with Him appeared Moses and Elijah, who spoke with Him.) by James Kiefer The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? it was to show them something great and mysterious. is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Galilee, 33, Holy Transfiguration, Tabor, Orthodox d light focus, Jesus d light, 6days&8, 6people&8, Spiritual 8th day Church
Galilee, 33, Holy Transfiguration, Tabor, Orthodox d light focus, Jesus d light, 6days&8, 6people&8, 8th day Church, Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, Father God, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Church of the 8th Day Mount Tabor; The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? it was to show them something great and mysterious. is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); we celebrate the occasion (recorded in M 17:1-8 = P 9:2-8 = L 9:28-36) on which Christ, He was beginning to teach His disciples that He must die and rise again, Himself in shining splendor to Peter, James, and John. and Elijah were present, and are taken to signify that the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is the promised Messiah. the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying, "This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him." For a moment the veil is drawn aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God. The Transfiguration, by Giovanno Lanfranco the East, the Festival of the Transfiguration has been celebrated since the late fourth century, and is one of the twelve great festivals of the East Orthodox calendar. the West it was observed after the ninth century by some monastic orders, and in 1457 Pope Callistus III ordered its general observance. the time of the Reformation, it was still felt in some countries to be a "recent innovation," and so was not immediately taken over into most Reformation calendars, but is now found on most calendars that have been revised in the twentieth century. recent tendency in the West is to commemorate the Transfiguration on the Sunday just before Lent, in accordance with the pattern found in the Synoptics, where Jesus is represented as beginning to speak of his forthcoming death just about the time of the Transfiguration, so that it forms a fitting transition between the Epiphany season, in which Christ makes himself known, and the Lenten season, in which he prepares the disciples for what lies ahead. observing the Transfiguration then will affect the observation of it on 6 August remains to be seen. The Transfiguration, from the Predis Codex FIRST READING: Exodus 34:29-35 (When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, after speaking with the LORD, the skin of his face was so radiant that the Israelites were afraid to look at him. Therefore, he wore a veil.) PSALM 99 or 99:5-9 (The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble.... Moses and Aaron and Samuel cried unto him, and he spoke to them from the pillar of cloud.) EPISTLE: 2 Peter 1:13-21 (Peter, near the end of his life, for his own strengthening and that of his readers, recalls his long-ago experience of seeing the Transfigured Christ.) THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 9:28-36 (Jesus took Peter and James and John up a mountain, and there appeared to them in shining splendor, and with Him appeared Moses and Elijah, who spoke with Him.) by James Kiefer

Galilee, 33, Veronica, Woman wIssue oBlood, home Pansada, Galilee, statue front of her house, healing plant grew there
Galilee, 33, Veronica, Woman wIssue oBlood, home Pansada Village, Galilee, grateful for His healing, 12 yr suffering, spent all, became worse, believed she be healed by touching His garment. who touched Me, disciples puzzled, your faith healed you, statue front of her house, healing plant grew there; Pansada Village, Galilee Saint Veronica (Bernice), the woman with the issue of blood, Commemorated on July 12; account of the woman with an issue of blood, who had the unusual name of Veronica, may be found in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (9:20-22), in Saint Mark's Gospel (5:25-34), and also in Saint Luke's Gospel (8:43-49). Synaxaristes of Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain states that this Saint was from the city of Paneada. the Lord healed her issue of blood, she was very grateful, for twelve years she had "suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and nothing had helped, but instead she became worse" (Mark 5:26). had heard of Christ, and decided to go to Him, believing that she would be healed merely by touching His garment. she did this, the Savior felt that power had gone forth from Him. to the crowd, He asked who had touched His garment. disciples were puzzled by the question, since many people were pressing Him on all sides. Veronica came forward and fell down before Him in fear and trembling, and admitted what she had done. Lord said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction" (Mark 5:34). her gratitude, she made a statue of Him and placed it in front of her house, where everyone could venerate it. A healing plant grew at the base of the statue, which was able to cure various diseases. Saint Veronica became a member of the early Church. After living a life of holiness, she surrendered her soul to God. Catholics venerate a saint named Veronica, who is said to have wiped the Savior's face with her veil as He carried His Cross to Golgotha. She is not the saint who is commemorated by the Orthodox Church. That cloth was called the "Veronica," or true image (from vera and iconica) of Christ's face. Saint Gregory of Tours uses this word (Vita Patrum chapter 12) for an image (see the Greek word εικόνα). This incident, is not mentioned in the Gospels. uninformed iconographers confuse these two women and depict our Saint Veronica holding a cloth with the imprint of Christ's face, which is not in accordance with Orthodox Tradition. On August 16, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Image not made by hands, the cloth which Christ sent to King Abgar with the imprint of His Face.

Galilee, 40, Vladimir Icon by Apostle Luke painted on a board from Mary and Joseph's Table
Galilee,40,Vladimir Icon by Apostle Luke painted on a board from Mary and Joseph's Table, The Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, œHenceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon.; Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke on a board from the table at which the Savior ate together with His All-Pure Mother and Righteous Joseph. The Mother of God, upon seeing this image, exclaimed, œHenceforth, all generations shall call Me blessed. The grace of both My Son and Me shall be with this icon. Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26;

Galilee, 41-44, King, Herod Agrippa I
Galilee King, 41-44, Herod Agrippa I; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41);

Galilee, 200, 3rd C Folder, Roman Senator Asterius expelled demon, Paul&sis Juliana iron hooks red hot grate

Gaillee, 249-251, Conon tGardener oPamphylia, confessed faith, nails in feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed & surrendered spirit
Gaillee, 249-251, Conon the Gardener oPamphylia, from Nazareth, Galilee, lived in Mandona, Pamphylia, God Fearing, sincere in heart, without malice, suffered under Decius, confessed faith in Christ at trial, nails into feet and dragged behind chariot, collapsed and surrendured his spirit; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Holy Martyr Conon the Gardener was born in Nazareth of Galilee, he lived in the city of , where he occupied himself with gardening. was a God-fearing man, sincere in heart, and without malice. saint suffered for his faith in Christ under the emperor Decius (249-251). they brought him to trial, he unwaveringly and firmly confessed his faith. torturers drove nails into his feet and dragged him behind a chariot until the sufferer collapsed from exhaustion. a prayer, he surrendered his spirit to the Lord.

Galilee, 260, Asterius the Roman Senator, Caesarea Philippi Palestine, expelled deamon, wrapped Martyr's body in his S Garb
Palestine, 260, Asterius the Senator, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), Christian Roman Senator, during C persecutions, expelled deamon, which exposed sacrifice, wrapped martyr's body in senatorial garb, carried to grave, for doing this beheaded ; Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; Martyr Asterius the Senator at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Holy Martyr Asterius the Senator lived during the reign of the pagan emperors Valerian (253-259) and his son Gallienus (260-268). he was a Roman senator, Asterius nonetheless held firmly to the Christian Faith, in spite of the persecutions occurring during those times. while in Palestine, he came to the city of Caesarea Philippi, where by custom a pagan feast was made with the offering of sacrifice to an idol. demon residing in the idol made the sacrifice disappear, and this was looked upon as a great wonder. Asterius expelled the demon by prayer. sacrifice ceased to be invisible, the pagans ceased to celebrate this impious festival. Asterius also happened to be present at the sufferings of the Martyr Marinus (December 16). the execution was over, he took off his senatorial garb, spread it upon the ground and wrapped the head and body of Saint Marinus in it. his own shoulders he carried the martyr’s relics to the grave and reverently consigned them to earth. doing this, he was himself sentenced to death and beheaded in the year 260.

Galilee, 270-275, Paul&sisJuliana, aPtolemais (Acre) Phoenicia, executed under Aurelian, iron hooks, burned, red hot grates
Galilee, 270-275, Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia, executed under Aurelian, iron hooks, burned, hot grates, soldiers believed executed, J preserved at brothel, touch lose sight, to execcution singing ; Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4; Holy Martyr Paul and his sister Juliana were executed under the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the Phoenician city of Ptolemais. emperor happened to visit Ptolemais, and among those who met him was Paul, who made the Sign of the Cross. They arrested him and threw him in prison. the following day, when they brought him to trial, he openly and boldly confessed his faith in Christ, for which he was subjected to fierce tortures. Juliana, seeing the suffering of her brother, began to denounce the emperor for his injustice and cruelty, for which she was also subjected to torture. beat the martyrs, tore their bodies with iron hooks, burned them over red-hot grates, but they were not able to break the wondrous endurance of the Lord’s confessors. Three soldiers torturing the saints were struck by the courageous spirit of the martyrs, and they in turn believed in Christ. These newly chosen of God were named Quadratus, Acacius and Stratonicus, and they were immediately executed. tormentor tried to seduce Saint Juliana with a promise to marry her, if she were to renounce Christ, but the saint refused the offer and remained steadfast. By order of the emperor they sent her to a brothel to be defiled. The Lord also preserved her there, and anyone who tried to touch the saint lost his sight. the enraged emperor commanded that they again burn the bodies of the saints. Those who saw the suffering of the saints began to murmur loudly, and Aurelian gave orders to behead the martyrs. gladdened face the brother and sister went to execution singing, “For Thou hast saved us from those who afflicted us and hast shamed those who hated us” (Ps. 43/44:7).

Galilee, 270-275, Paul &His Sister Juliana, Paul tortured for crossing self, Juliana complained, tortured
Galilee, 270-275, Paul and his sister Juliana, from Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia, EmperorAurelian happened to be in Ptolemais, Paul met him and made sign of the cross, P thrown in prison, next day boldly confessed Christ, fierce tortures, Juliana denounced emperor, was also tortured, beaten, torn with iron hooks, burned over red hot gates, 3 soldiers torturing them, saw their endurance and believed Christ, immediately executed, Juliana sent to brothel, whoever touched her lost sight, emperor commanded burn bodies again, bystanders murmured loudly, Aurelian ordered beheading both ; Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4; Holy Martyr Paul and his sister Juliana were executed under the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the Phoenician city of Ptolemais. emperor happened to visit Ptolemais, and among those who met him was Paul, who made the Sign of the Cross. They arrested him and threw him in prison. the following day, when they brought him to trial, he openly and boldly confessed his faith in Christ, for which he was subjected to fierce tortures. Juliana, seeing the suffering of her brother, began to denounce the emperor for his injustice and cruelty, for which she was also subjected to torture. beat the martyrs, tore their bodies with iron hooks, burned them over red-hot grates, they were not able to break the wondrous endurance of the Lord’s confessors. soldiers torturing the saints were struck by the courageous spirit of the martyrs, and they in turn believed in Christ. newly chosen of God were named Quadratus, Acacius and Stratonicus, and they were immediately executed. tormentor tried to seduce Saint Juliana with a promise to marry her, if she were to renounce Christ, the saint refused the offer and remained steadfast. order of the emperor they sent her to a brothel to be defiled. Lord also preserved her there, and anyone who tried to touch the saint lost his sight. the enraged emperor commanded that they again burn the bodies of the saints. who saw the suffering of the saints began to murmur loudly, and Aurelian gave orders to behead the martyrs. gladdened face the brother and sister went to execution singing, “For Thou hast saved us from those who afflicted us and hast shamed those who hated us” (Ps. 43/44:7).

Galilee, 300, 4th C Folder, Commander Varus, Pagan Priest St Akepsimas, Cleopatra's divine light vision, Zosimas' beasts talking

Galilee, 301-307, Varus, commander, secret christian, assistance, fiercely beaten to d, holy relics in Galilee
Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19; Varus lived in Egypt during the period of several persecutions against Christians (late third to early fourth century). (Ouaros) was a military commander and secretly a Christian. He gave assistance to many of the persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and he visited the prisoners at night. He also brought food to the prisoners, dressed their wounds, and gave them encouragement. Varus spent a whole night talking with seven imprisoned monks. These men were Christian teachers who had been beaten and starved. Varus marched with the teachers when they were led to their execution. judge, seeing Varus’ strong faith, had him fiercely beaten. Varus died during the beating. After his death, the monks were beheaded.

Galilee, 301-350, Akepsimas &Aithalas, Arbel, Galilee, Pagan Priest and Arbel Church Deacon, martyred together for confession

Galilee, 307-327, Cleopatra, witnessed Varus martyrdom, son died, in heaven w V, comforted, built Galilee church over r
Egypt, 307-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra; Cleopatra (died 319 or 327) was a Christian saint who lived between the 3rd century and 4th century. She is venerated in the Catholic Church,[1] Oriental Orthodoxy[citation needed] and Eastern Orthodoxy[2]. originally came from a village called Edra near Mount Tabor in Lower Galilee.[3] was a contemporary of the holy martyr Saint Varus and had witnessed his suffering and execution. After Varus' death, Cleopatra had his remains taken to her home in Daraa, Syria where she had them buried with reverence. was a widow, whose only child, was a son named John. By 319, John had attained the officer rank of centurion, but to her great sorrow, had died suddenly. in grief, turned to the relics of Saint Varus, begging the saint to return her son. She dreamt that Varus and John appeared to her as radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads and took this to mean that the Lord had received John into the Heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted.[3] moved to live by the church that she had built was over the relics of Saint Varus and her son. Miracles were reported by people who had come to pray at the church. Cleopatra spent her remaining years in the service of God. She gave her property to the poor and spent her time praying and fasting.[3] She died in 327. from Cleopatra, her son John is also recognised as a saint in Orthodox Christianity. The feast day of Saints Cleopatra and John is 19 October. Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Cleopatra and her son John came from the village of Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine. She was a contemporary of the holy Martyr Varus and witnessed his voluntary suffering. the execution, Saint Cleopatra brought the body of the holy martyr to her own country and buried him with reverence. had one beloved son, John, who had attained the honorable rank of officer. To the great sorrow of his mother, John suddenly died. Cleopatra with tears of grief turned to the relics of the holy Martyr Varus, begging him for the return of her son. and her son appeared to Cleopatra in a dream, radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads. She realized that the Lord had received her son into the heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted. this vision blessed Cleopatra started to live by a church she built over the relics of the holy martyr Varus and her son John, and performed many good deeds. She distributed her property to the poor and spent her time in prayer and fasting. After seven years she fell asleep in the Lord. Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19;

Galilee, 307-327, Cleopatra, Mt Tabor, C prays to d Varus, divine light vision comforts, then built church distributed wealth
Galilee, 307, Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source), John dies, C prays to d friend Varus to raise him, divine light vision of V and J in heaven comforted her, then built church distributed wealth & spent time prayer&fasting ; Mount Tabor; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Cleopatra and her son John came from the village of Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine. was a contemporary of the holy Martyr Varus and witnessed his voluntary suffering. the execution, Saint Cleopatra brought the body of the holy martyr to her own country and buried him with reverence. had one beloved son, John, who had attained the honorable rank of officer. To the great sorrow of his mother, John suddenly died. Cleopatra with tears of grief turned to the relics of the holy Martyr Varus, begging him for the return of her son. and her son appeared to Cleopatra in a dream, radiant in bright attire with crowns upon their heads. She realized that the Lord had received her son into the heavenly Kingdom, and was comforted. this vision blessed Cleopatra started to live by a church she built over the relics of the holy martyr Varus and her son John, and performed many good deeds. distributed her property to the poor and spent her time in prayer and fasting. After seven years she fell asleep in the Lord.

Galilee, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit, calmly amiably conversing w beasts, prayer told huge lion to come
Galilee, 350, Martyr Zosimas the Hermit; Martyr Zosimas the Desert Dweller lived during the fourth century. Once, while hunting, Dometian, the governor of Sicily, saw the Elder calmly and amiably conversing with the beasts around him. the hunters, the beasts fled. They then interrogated the Elder, asking who he was and why he lived in the wilderness. The Elder answered that he was a Christian called Zosimas, and that he could not live in the city with the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he lived alone among the wild animals. Dometian said threateningly: “If you worship the Nazarene, I shall subject you to fierce tortures at Nazareth, and you will renounce Christ.” asked what kind of magic he used to tame wild beasts, Saint Zosimas replied, “I am a Christian.” At Nazareth the tortures began. They tied the Elder head downwards, with a large stone around his neck, and they began to lacerate his body with iron hooks. torturers taunted the sufferer: “If the beasts do listen to you, tell one of them to come here, and then we will believe in your God.” The holy martyr turned to God in prayer, and suddenly a huge lion came forth. fled in terror, and the lion went up to the Elder, and began to lift the stone around the martyr’s neck with its paw in order to ease the suffering of the saint. The governor implored the martyr to keep the lion calm, and he gave orders to untie the saint, and to bring him to the emperor, but Saint Zosimas was already dead, having given up his pure soul to God. Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1; to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Galilee, 700, 8th C Folder, Procopius tConfessor oDecapolis

Galilee, 717-750, Procopius tConfessor oDecapolis, noticably Pure, he defeated iconoclasts saying vereration passes tPrototype
Galilee, 717-750, Procopius tConfessor o Decapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos), a monk devoted to life oPrayer&fasting, experienced, adorned wVirtue&Purity oSoul, other ascetics noticed him, meanwhile iconoclast heresy appeared, Emperor Leo tIsaurian regarded icons as idols and iconodules as idolaters, righteous Prokopios and others fought against that heresy, he defeated them by declaring Orthodox do not worship but venerate icons, and that veneration passes to the original prototype, so he received wrath of the Emperor, arrested tormented flogged beaten wRods raked wIron claws, then thrown into dank dungeon, with Basil he was there till Leo died in 741, when confessors were released, he spent rest of life in peace; the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Prokopios lived during the VIII century in the region of Dekapolis, east of the Sea of Galilee. the vainity of this world, Prokopios was tonsured in a certain monastery, where he labored for his salvation, himself to a life of prayer and fasting. he grew experienced in ascetical labors, he was adorned with virtue and purity of soul, that other ascetics began to notice him. about this time, the heresy of iconoclasm appeared. was distressed by the policies of the wicked Emperor Leo the Isaurian, regarded the Holy Icons as idols, those who venerated them as idolaters. righteous Prokopios, together with other zealots of Orthodoxy, fought against the wicked heresy of the iconoclasts. refuted their mindless madness and defeated them by declaring that Orthodox Christians do not worship icons, we venerate them, that veneration passes to the original prototype. brought upon him the wrath and disfavor of the Emperor. his command, Saint Prokopios was arrested and subjected to cruel torments: was flogged, beaten with rods, and raked with iron claws, and then was thrown into a dank dungeon. Saint Prokopios and Saint Basil (February 28), his co-struggler in the monastic liife, languished until the death of Emperor Leo, when the Holy Confessors were released. Prokopios the Decapolite spent the remainder of his life in peace, many on the path of virtue and salvation. reposed at an advanced age, around the year 750.

Galilee, 717-750, Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius aDecapolis, Eastern Galilee, persecuted for icon veneration, torture, prison, long time
Galilee, 717-750, Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius aDecapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos), persecution against icon veneration, torture, prison, long time, set free on emperor Leo's death death, continued monastic struggles, instructing faith Virtuous life, died peacefully 750 ; the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Basil the Confessor was a monk and suffered during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). a persecution started against those who venerated holy icons, Basil and his companion Saint Procopius of Decapolis (February 27) subjected to much torture and locked up in prison. both martyrs languished for a long while, until the death of the impious emperor. the holy Confessors Basil and Procopius were set free along with other venerators of holy icons, continued in their monastic struggles, many in the Orthodox Faith and the virtuous life. Saint Basil died peacefully in the year 750.

Galilee, 1200, 13th C Folder, Teutonic Knights at Acre

Galilee, 1192-1291, Teutonic Knights (Acre, Galilee)
Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) then (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ;

Galilee, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burne, Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel, became fool to hide prodigious asceticdeeds, then one place
Troy, 1276-1354, Maximus tHut Burner oMt Athos, fLampsakos, Troy and sometimes included with Phrygia, tOne of the Deserts, tConstantinople&Blachernae Church entrance, abode there, asked MOG gift unceasing mental prayer, flame entered his heart from her icon, sweetness contrition within, from that time his heart repeated Jesus prayer, fulfilling his request, then fulfilled obedience aAthanasius Lavra Mt Athos, to conceal deeds behaved fool, vision MOG, she told ascent tMt, prayed 3 days there, MOG appeared again, surrounded bAngels, holdiing Jesus in her arms, he prostrated, she said receive the deliverance gift, and settle at foot oMt Athos, for this is my son's will, she told him he would ascend heights virtue, and teach guide many, then heavenly bread given him (after 3days without), as put it in mouth he surrounded bDivine light, saw MOG ascending tHeaven, Maximus told Mt Carmel elder, but skeptical, M turned disbelief tGood by pretending slightly crazy tConceal prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, hardship, solitude, he wandered like lunitic, burned hut when moved, called hut Burner (Kavsokalyvites), for long time Mt Athos residents contemptious, even though height spiritual life, but Gregory oSinai encouraged him, persuaded him stop fool act, live one place for othe, he settled cave oElijan, Byzantine emperors J Paleologos& J Kantakouzenos visited, suprised his predictions fThem fulfilled, Theophanes oVatopadi wrote about him, I saw several his miracles, travel through air, predicted I become igumen&Ochrid Metropolitan, even how I would suffer fChurch, M abandoned solitude right before death, died at 95 i1354, relics glorified by many miracles; Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mount Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Saint Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. seventeen years of age he left his parental home, became a monk, and passed his obedience under Elder Mark, the finest spiritual instructor in Macedonia. the death of his teacher, the saint pursued asceticism under the guidance of several desert Fathers of extremely strict life. in Constantinople, Saint Maximus was constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. his youth, Saint Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request. Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of Saint Athanasius on Mt. Athos. order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, told him to ascend the mountain. the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms. himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, “Receive the gift against demons... and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son.” told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven. Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.” on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of Saint Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life. Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. Gregory persuaded Saint Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. the words of Saint Gregory and the advice of other Elders, Saint Maximus selected a permanent dwelling a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah. of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about Saint Maximus: “I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church.” Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, settled near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius, he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). his death, as in life, Saint Maximus was glorified by many miracles.

Galilee, Patriarch Locations Abstract folder, including Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and Issachar
Patriarch Locations Abstract Folder, including Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and Issachar;

Galilee, Sea of Galilee Folder, Central GAL

Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias)
Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias); Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ;

Lake of Gennesaret
Lake of Gennesaret; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29;

Capernaum, Sea of Galilee
Capernaum; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22 ; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16 ; Apostle Alphaeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 26; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26;

Bethsaida, Galilee (Lake Gennesaret)
Bethsaida; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); PHILIP ;

Tiberiada (Tiberias Galilee)
Tiberiada (Tiberias Galilee) ; St Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 10 ; St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27, wife of Chusa, who worked for King Herod (the King Herod who killed John the baptist), who lived in Tiberias;,

Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan)
Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan, between Capharnum and Tiberias); Matthew 15:29-39, Jesus Cures Many People, and Feeding the Four Thousand They returned to Magadan.; The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT);

Magdala, Sea of Galilee
Magdala, between Capharnum and Tiberias; The Holy Myrrh-Bearer Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene. On the banks of Lake Genesareth (Galilee), between the cities of Capharnum and Tiberias, was the small city of Magdala, the remains of which have survived to our day. Now only the small village of Mejhdel stands on the site. Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT);

Pansada Village, Galilee, Home oWoman wIssue oBlood
Pansada Village, Galilee (Tiberias Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Saint Veronica (Bernice), the woman with the issue of blood, Commemorated on July 12;

Arbel, Galilee
Arbel; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Holy Martyrs Akepsimas and Aithalas were from Persia. Akepsimas was a pagan priest in the city of Arbel. Having received healing through the prayers of a Christian bishop, he was converted to the faith in Christ and boldly confessed it. For this they threw Saint Akepsimas into prison. after, Saint Aithalas, a deacon of the Arbel Church, was imprisoned with him. They brought the martyrs before the ruler, where they again confessed their faith and were beheaded.

Arbel, Mount Arbel, Sea of Galilee
Mount Arbel, Sea of Galilee; Arbel is a mountain in The Lower Galilee near Tiberias in Israel, with high cliffs, views of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, to a cave-fortress, and ruins of an ancient synagogue. Arbel sits across from Mount Nitai; their cliffs were created as a result of the Jordan Rift Valley and the geological faults that produced the valleys. are four villages on the mountain: Kfar Zeitim, Arbel, Kfar Hittim, and Mitzpa. peak, at 181 metres above sea level (380 metres above the surrounding area), dominates the surroundings (much of the area is below sea level) and from the lookout atop the mountain, almost all of the Galilee into the Golan Heights including Safed, Tiberias and most of the Sea of Galilee, is visible.

Natai, Mouth Natai
Natai, Mouth Natai;

Gennesaret town (Lake Gennesaret)
Gennesaret, 1 Maccabees Ch 11;

Galilee, Kishon River Folder (Jesreel Valley, Nazareth, Zebulon) Southwest GAL

Kishon River (the Wadi of the Jesreel Valley)
Kishon River (the Wadi of the Jesreel Valley); Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Diocaesarea, Galilee
Diocaesarea; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16;

Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) His first miracle
Cana in Galilee; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Apostle Nathaniel of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 22; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Transfiguration Location, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today’s reading from the Gospel: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves” (Mt.17:1). of all we must ask, from whence does the Evangelist Matthew begin to reckon with six days? From what sort of day is it? What does the preceding turn of speech indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His disciples, said to them: “For the Son of Man shall come with his angels in the glory of His Father,” and further: “Amen I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:27-28)? That is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom. Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: “Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white” (Luke 9:28-29). But how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being eight days between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says): “after six days?” were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus, and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. However, the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. Thus, the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. Similarly, there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says “after six days,” and the other says “eight days after these words.” these twofold sayings as it were present is a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of those actually present upon the Mount. It stands to reason, and everyone rationally studying in accordance with Scripture knows that the Evangelists are in agreement one with another. Luke spoke of eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days.” There is not another day added on to represent the day on which these sayings were uttered, nor is the day on which the Lord was transfigured added on (which a rational person might reasonably imagine to be added to the days of Matthew). Evangelist Luke does not say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew says “after six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days after these words.” But where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say “after six days,” but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days. the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Mt.16:28). Everywhere and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit. That is why it is said: “come in power.” And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. Therefore, and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising us up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. Certainly, such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit. the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor is it subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. But the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light. not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something “created”) not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. In all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor.2:9-10). with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to pray. He always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (Mt.14:19-23). Or, taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt.26:36). Then He took with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes. “What does it mean to say: He was transfigured?” asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (Chrysostom). He answers this by saying: “It revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him.” The Evangelist Luke says: “And as He prayed, His countenance was altered” (Luke 9:29); and from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His face shone as the sun” (Mt.17:2). But the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses (let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). Rather, it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. Therefore, some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. This shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, and that the radiance occured and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, and that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. True beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. the face of Moses was illumined by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. However, our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. In this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. For it is written that even the saints “will shine forth like the sun” (Mt.13:43), which is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. On Mount Tabor it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine and human, within the divine Person [Hypostasis] of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). The Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, divine and human, as “without mingling, without change, without division, without separation.” believe that at the Transfiguration He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. So also, in the teachings of the Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, not taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. Rather, it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light? this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, but rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. They were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification through union with the Word of God in place of this. also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. So it was also for Simeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, and the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting, since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of heart. why did the Lord, before the beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? Certainly, it was to show them something great and mysterious. What is particularly great or mysterious in showing a sensory light, which not only the foremost, but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed? Why would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it were merely sensory and created? How could the Glory and the Kingdom of the Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light? Indeed, in what sort of Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord come at the end of the ages, when there would not be necessary anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in the words of the Apostle, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor.15: 28)? That is to say, will He alter everything for all? If so, then it follows that light is included. it is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. And the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city “has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the Glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb will be its lamp” (Rev 21:23). Is it not clear, that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines, is the lamp manifesting the Glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him? the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: “they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more” (Rev 22:5). But how, we might ask, is there this other light, in which “there is no change, nor shadow of alteration” (Jas 1:17)? What light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be the Light of God? Moreover, could Moses and Elias (and particularly the former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining with any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? Especially since it was written of them: “they appeared in glory, and spoke of his death, which he was about to fulfill at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). And how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never seen before, unless through the mysterious power of the Divine Light, opening their mental eyes? let us not tire our attention with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. We shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this well: the Mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. Let us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves and encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, purifying our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. Let us be freed from these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 6; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Tabor, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second œFeast of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 6; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Nazareth, Galilee (Kishon River drainage)
Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Church New Year, Commemorated on September 1; to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue on September 1 to announce His mission to mankind (Luke 4:16-22). Quoting Isaiah 61:1-2, the Savior proclaimed, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” This scene is depicted in a Vatican manuscript (Vatican, Biblioteca. Cod. Gr. 1613, p.1). The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Nazrite definition, not the Nazarene Sect
Nazrite definition, not Nazarene; Nazarene definition, not Nazrite Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23;

Hill of Moreh
below the Hill of Moreh, where the Midianites camped north of Gideon in the Valley; Judges 7:1-18, Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites;

Zebulon, Kishon Valley - Land of tribe of Zebulon (Jesreel Valley)
tribe of Zebulon; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Kishon Valley - Land of tribe of Zebulon (Jesreel Valley)
tribe of Zebulon; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel valley
Plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel valley; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Kishon River Mouth (Haifa, Israel)
Kishon River;

Cave of Elijah on Mt Carmel, Kishon River Mouth, Galilee
Cave of Elijah on Mt Carmel, Kishon River Mouth, Galilee; Cave of Elijah is a grotto that appears in the Hebrew Bible, where the prophet Elijah took shelter during a journey into the wilderness (1 Kings 19:8).[1] exact location of the cave is unknown. There is a "Cave of Elijah" on Mount Carmel approximately 40 m above sea level in Haifa. For centuries it has been a pilgrimage destination for Jewish, Christian and Muslim people. Another cave associated with Elijah is located nearby, under the altar of the main church of the Stella Maris Monastery, also on Mount Carmel.[2][3] name of the cave is also known as el-Khader in Arabic[3] Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. He was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God. Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.â€ The name Elijah (the Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. Called to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety. this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, they abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. Beholding the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. The Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land. this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. At the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. Through the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. By the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow. the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. The Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God. Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. The prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. Through the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is God!â€ Then the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth. Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. The Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave. Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in “a gentle breezeâ€ (3 Kings 19: 12). He revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal. the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. The Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit. to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world. life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30). Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor, was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism Saint Olga (July 11) built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the village of Vibuta. iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel, Maximus tHut Burner
Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mount Athos, Commemorated on January 13; Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. Saint Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down. Therefore, he was called “Kavsokalyvites,” or “Hut Burner.”

Mount Carmel, Galilee (near Jerusalem)
Mount Carmel; Carmelite Order; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre) Phoenicia
Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4;

Acre, Galilee (Ptolemais)
Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4;

Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) sometimes called Germans
Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) then (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ;

Galilee, Dan Folder (Napthtali, Kadesh) Northern and Northwestern GAL

Dan, Northern Galilee (Tribe of Dan)
Dan, upper Galilee, Tribe of Dan; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Kedesh, Northern Galilee (Naphtali)
Kedesh, Naphtali; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Naphtali, Northern Galilee (Kedesh)
Kedesh, Naphtali; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Naphtali, North Central Promised Land, Northern Galilee;

Achzib, Galilee
Achzib;

Hazor, Galilee (home of King Jabin and Commander Sisera, of Canaan)
Hazor, North Galilee; Judges 4: 1-7, Deborah and Barak,

Elkosh, Northwestern Galilee
Elkosh, Galilee ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ;

Upper Galilee, up to the Litani River from Beit HaKerem River
Upper Galilee; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Beit HaKerem Valley and River
Beit HaKerem Valley; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Beit HaKerem River (or watercourse)

Laish, Northern Galilee (City of Dan)
Laish, City of Dan; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Galilee, Asher Folder (Tyre, Sidon) Western and Coastal GAL

Asher, Western and Coastal Gallilee
Tribe of Asher ; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated August 28 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated on February 3;

Galilee, Isachar Folder (Jesreel) Southern GAL

Spring of Herod, Southern Galilee (Isachar)
Spring of Herod, where Gideon chose his men; Judges 7:1-18, Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites;

Jesreel, Galilee - Ahab's Fort (Queen Jezebel from Tyre), Southern Galilee
Jesreel - Ahab's Fort; King Ahab - 7th King of Israel ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ;

Meroz, Isachar (5 miles nw of Beth-shan)
Meroz, Isachar (5 miles nw of Beth-shan) ; Judges 5, The Song of Deborah ;

Issachar, Galilee
Issachar; Issachar (an abstract view); Prophet Hosea, Commemorated October 17;

Decapolis (Scythopolis) Issachar
Decapolis;

Scythopolis, Galilee (aka Decapolis) Issachar
Scythopolis; Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3;

Scythopolis, Southern Galilee, Issachar
Scythopolis; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ;

Jarmuth or Ramoth, Issachar, of the five Amorite Cities, Refuge City
Jarmuth or Ramoth, Issachar, of the five Amorite Cities, Refuge City; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still;

Beth-shan, Southern Galilee, Issachar
Beth-shan, 1 Maccabees ch 5;

Rehob, Southern Galilee (near Lebo-hamath) Issachar
Rehob, near Lebo-hamath, Numbers 13 ; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Galilee, Golan Heights Folder (Caesarea Philippi, Decapolis) Southern and Eastern GAL

Golan Heights, Eastern Galilee
Golan Heights; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights)
Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Asterius the Senator at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) , Commemorated January 18; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Palestine, 260, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Asterius the Senator at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Holy Martyr Asterius the Senator lived during the reign of the pagan emperors Valerian (253-259) and his son Gallienus (260-268). he was a Roman senator, Asterius nonetheless held firmly to the Christian Faith, in spite of the persecutions occurring during those times. while in Palestine, he came to the city of Caesarea Philippi, where by custom a pagan feast was made with the offering of sacrifice to an idol. demon residing in the idol made the sacrifice disappear, and this was looked upon as a great wonder. Asterius expelled the demon by prayer. sacrifice ceased to be invisible, the pagans ceased to celebrate this impious festival. Asterius also happened to be present at the sufferings of the Martyr Marinus (December 16). the execution was over, he took off his senatorial garb, spread it upon the ground and wrapped the head and body of Saint Marinus in it. his own shoulders he carried the martyr’s relics to the grave and reverently consigned them to earth. doing this, he was himself sentenced to death and beheaded in the year 260.

Paneas (Banias), Palestine, Golan Heights, near Galilee
Paneas (Banias), Palestine, Golan Heights, near Galilee; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Decapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos) Manesseh
the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Capitolias, Eastern Galilee, Decapolis, Manesseh
Capitolias, Palestine; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Gilead, Eastern Galilee
Gilead, Eastern Galilee; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Rock of Oreb, Golan Heights, Manesseh
Rock of Oreb is probably Orbo east of the Jordan near Bethshean;

Gerasa, Galilee , Golan Heights (land of the Gerasenes) Manesseh
Gerasa, Galilee (land of the Gesarenes); Saint Veronica (Bernice), the woman with the issue of blood, Commemorated on July 12;

Galilee (Clean), Roman Roads and Rivers Folder

Galilee (Clean), its Area
Galilee, its Area

Galilee (Clean), Golan Heights aka Eastern Galilee, its Area
Galilee (Clean), Golan Heights, its Area

Galilee
Lower Galilee; Western Galilee; Upper Galilee; Galilee Region;

Flight into Egypt by Way of the Sea, 350 miles
Flight into Egypt most likely by Way of the Sea from Nazareth to Egypt;

Galilee (Clean), Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Kishon River (the Wadi of the Jesreel Valley)
Kishon River (the Wadi of the Jesreel Valley);

Nazareth, Galilee (Kishon River drainage)
Nazareth;

Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor;

Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias)
Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias);

Galilee (Clean), Sea of Galilee Folder, Central GAL

Lake of Gennesaret
Lake of Gennesaret;

Capernaum, Sea of Galilee
Capernaum;

Bethsaida, Galilee (Lake Gennesaret)
Bethsaida;

Tiberiada (Tiberias Galilee)
Tiberiada (Tiberias Galilee) ;

Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan)
Magdala, Galilee (Magdalan or Magadan, between Capharnum and Tiberias);

Magdala, Sea of Galilee
Magdala, between Capharnum and Tiberias;

Pansada Village, Galilee, Home oWoman wIssue oBlood
Pansada Village, Galilee (Tiberias

Arbel, Galilee
Arbel;

Arbel, Mount Arbel, Sea of Galilee
Mount Arbel, Sea of Galilee;

Galilee (Clean), Kishon River Folder (Jesreel Valley, Nazareth, Zebulon) Southwest GAL

Diocaesarea;

Cana, Galilee (Kishon River Drainage) His first miracle
Cana in Galilee;

Transfiguration Location, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor;

Tabor, Mt Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor;

Nazrite definition, not the Nazarene Sect
Nazrite definition, not Nazarene; Nazarene definition, not Nazrite

Hill of Moreh
below the Hill of Moreh, where the Midianites camped north of Gideon in the Valley;

Zebulon, Kishon Valley - Land of tribe of Zebulon (Jesreel Valley)
tribe of Zebulon;

Kishon Valley - Land of tribe of Zebulon (Jesreel Valley)
tribe of Zebulon;

Plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel valley
Plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel valley;

Cave of Elijah on Mt Carmel, Kishon River Mouth, Galilee
Cave of Elijah on Mt Carmel, Kishon River Mouth, Galilee;

Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel, Maximus tHut Burner
Cave of Elijah, Mt Carmel;

Mount Carmel, Galilee (near Jerusalem)
Mount Carmel;

Acre, Galilee (Ptolemais)
Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9;

Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) sometimes called Germans
Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) then (Venice, 1291-1309);

Galilee (Clean), Dan Folder (Napthtali, Kadesh) Northern and Northwestern GAL

Dan, Northern Galilee (Tribe of Dan)
Dan, upper Galilee, Tribe of Dan;

Kedesh, Northern Galilee (Naphtali)
Kedesh, Naphtali;

Naphtali, Northern Galilee (Kedesh)
Kedesh, Naphtali; 4

Hazor, Galilee (home of King Jabin and Commander Sisera, of Canaan)
Hazor, North Galilee;

Elkosh, Northwestern Galilee
Elkosh, Galilee ;

Upper Galilee, up to the Litani River from Beit HaKerem River
Upper Galilee;

Beit HaKerem Valley and River
Beit HaKerem Valley;

Laish, Northern Galilee (City of Dan)
Laish, City of Dan;

Galilee (Clean), Asher Folder (Tyre, Sidon) Western and Coastal GAL

Asher, Western and Coastal Gallilee
Tribe of Asher ;

Galilee, (Clean) Isachar Folder (Jesreel) Southern GAL

Spring of Herod, Southern Galilee (Isachar)
Spring of Herod, where Gideon chose his men;

Jesreel, Galilee - Ahab's Fort (Queen Jezebel from Tyre), Southern Galilee
Jesreel - Ahab's Fort;

Meroz, Isachar (5 miles nw of Beth-shan)
Meroz, Isachar (5 miles nw of Beth-shan) ;

Issachar, Galilee
Issachar;

Scythopolis, Galilee (aka Decapolis) Issachar
Scythopolis;

Scythopolis, Southern Galilee, Issachar
Scythopolis;

Jarmuth or Ramoth, Issachar, of the five Amorite Cities, Refuge City
Jarmuth or Ramoth, Issachar, of the five Amorite Cities, Refuge City;

Rehob, Southern Galilee (near Lebo-hamath) Issachar
Rehob, near Lebo-hamath, Numbers 13 ;

GalileeL (Clean), Golan Heights Folder (Caesarea Philippi, Decapolis) Southern and Eastern GA

Golan Heights, Eastern Galilee
Golan Heights;

Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights)
Caesarea Philippi;

Palestine, 260, Asterius the Roman Senator, Caesarea Philippi Palestine, expelled deamon, wrapped Martyr's body in his S Garb
Palestine, 260, Asterius the Senator, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights), Christian Roman Senator, during C persecutions, expelled deamon, which exposed sacrifice, wrapped martyr's body in senatorial garb, carried to grave, for doing this beheaded ; Caesarea Philippi;

Palestine, 260, Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Caesarea, Palestine ;

Paneas (Banias), Palestine, Golan Heights, near Galilee
Paneas (Banias), Palestine, Golan Heights, near Galilee;

Decapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos) Manesseh
the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ;

Capitolias, Eastern Galilee, Decapolis, Manesseh
Capitolias, Palestine;

Gadara, Bashan (up from Yarmouk River Mouth)
Gadara;

Gilead, Eastern Galilee
Gilead, Eastern Galilee;

Gerasa, Galilee , Golan Heights (land of the Gerasenes) Manesseh
Gerasa, Galilee (land of the Gesarenes);

Mount Hermon, Damascus, Syria
Mount Hermon;

Gilead Folder, and its rivers

Gilead
Gilead, on both sides of the Jabbok River above Ammon and below Bashan, 1 Maccabees Ch 5; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18;

Gilead 634, Gilead History Folder

Gilead, 2000 BC Dot 5, Patriarch, Jacob, story with locations

Gilead, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, angels at birth, idols v God contest, to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in breeze, Elisha double portion
Galilee, 900 BC, Prophet Elijah, Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead, angels at his birth, rain stopped 3.5 yrs, cave beyon Jordan, fed by ravens, to Sarephta Sidon widow, gave last bread oil, then not depleted during famine, Mt Carmel idols true God contest, to consume sacrifice with fire, E watered his sacrifice, his fire came, E put Pagan Priests to death, J threatened to kill him, to Judea, Angel c him to Mt Horeb cave, Lord in gentle breeze, 7k faithful servants will be preserved, Elisha double portion; Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Holy Prophet Elijah is one of the greatest of the prophets and the first dedicated to virginity in the Old Testament. was born in Tishba of Gilead into the Levite tribe 900 years before the Incarnation of the Word of God. Epiphanius of Cyprus gives the following account about the birth of the Prophet Elijah: “When Elijah was born, his father Sobach saw in a vision angels of God around him. They swaddled him with fire and fed him with flames.” name Elijah (the Lord’s strength) given to the infant defined his whole life. From the years of his youth he dedicated himself to the One God, settled in the wilderness and spent his whole life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer. to prophetic service, which put him in conflict with the Israelite king Ahab, the prophet became a fiery zealot of true faith and piety. this time the Israelite nation had fallen away from the faith of their Fathers, abandoned the One God and worshipped pagan idols, the worship of which was introduced by the impious king Jereboam. the wife of king Ahab, was devoted to idol worship. She persuaded her husband to build a temple to the pagan god Baal, which led many Israelites away from the worship of the true God. the ruin of his nation, the Prophet Elijah began to denounce King Ahab for impiety, and exhorted him to repent and turn to the God of Israel. The king would not listen to him. Prophet Elijah then declared to him, that as punishment there would be neither rain nor dew upon the ground, and the drought would cease only by his prayer. Indeed, the word of Elijah was a torch (Eccles. 48: 1). The heavens were closed for three and a half years, and there was drought and famine throughout all the land. this time of tribulation, the Lord sent him to a cave beyond the Jordan. There he was miraculously fed by ravens. When the stream Horath dried up, the Lord sent the Prophet Elijah to Sarephta to a poor widow, a Sidonian Gentile who suffered together with her children, awaiting death by starvation. the request of the prophet, she prepared him a bread with the last measure of flour and the remainder of the oil. the prayer of the Prophet Elijah, flour and oil were not depleted in the home of the widow for the duration of the famine. the power of his prayer the prophet also performed another miracle: he raised the dead son of the widow. the end of three years of drought the Merciful Lord sent the prophet to appear before King Ahab, and promised to send rain upon the earth. Prophet Elijah told the king to order all of Israel to gather upon Mount Carmel, and also the priests of Baal. When the nation had gathered, the Prophet Elijah proposed that two sacrificial altars be built: one for the priests of Baal, and the other for the Prophet Elijah who served the True God. Prophet Elijah told them to call on their gods to consume the sacrificial animals with fire, and he would call on his. Whichever was first to send fire on the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God. prophets of Baal called out to their idol from morning till evening, but the heavens were silent. Towards evening the holy Prophet Elijah built his sacrificial altar from twelve stones, the number of the tribes of Israel. He placed the sacrifice upon the wood, gave orders to dig a ditch around the altar and commanded that the sacrifice and the wood be soaked with water. When the ditch had filled with water, the prophet turned to God in prayer. the prayer of the prophet fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, and even the water. The people fell down to the ground, crying out: “Truly, the Lord is God!” the Prophet Elijah had all the pagan-priests of Baal put to death, and he began to pray for rain. Through his prayer the heavens opened and an abundant rain fell, soaking the parched earth. Ahab acknowledged his error and repented of his sins, but his wife Jezebel threatened to kill the prophet of God. Prophet Elijah fled into the Kingdom of Judea and, grieving over his failure to eradicate idol worship, he asked God to let him die. An angel of the Lord came before him, strengthened him with food and commanded him to go upon a long journey. The Prophet Elijah traveled for forty days and nights and, having arrived at Mount Horeb, he settled in a cave. Lord told him that the next day Elijah would stand in His presence.There was a strong wind that crushed the rocks of the mountain, then an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord was not in them. The Lord was in “a gentle breeze” (3 Kings 19: 12). revealed to the prophet, that He would preserve seven thousand faithful servants who had not worshipped Baal. the Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Elisha into prophetic service. Because of his fiery zeal for the Glory of God the Prophet Elijah was taken up alive into Heaven in a fiery chariot. Prophet Elisha received Elijah’s mantle, and a double portion of his prophetic spirit. to the Tradition of Holy Church, the Prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Dread Second Coming of Christ. He will proclaim the truth of Christ, urge all to repentance, and will be slain by the Antichrist. This will be a sign of the end of the world. life of the holy Prophet Elijah is recorded in the Old Testament books (3 Kings; 4 Kings; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 48: 1-15; 1 Maccabees 2: 58). At the time of the Transfiguration, the Prophet Elijah conversed with the Savior upon Mount Tabor (Mt. 17: 3; Mark 9: 4; Luke. 9: 30). Christians of all times, and in all places, have venerated the Prophet Elijah for centuries. The first church in Russia, built at Kiev under Prince Igor, was named for the Prophet Elijah. After her Baptism Saint Olga (July 11) built a temple of the holy Prophet Elijah in her native region, at the village of Vibuta. iconography the Prophet Elijah is depicted ascending to Heaven in a fiery chariot, surrounded with flames, and harnessed to four winged horses. We pray to him for deliverance from drought, and to ask for seasonable weather.

Gilead, 634, Arab-“Byzantine wars begin at Fahl
Arab-“Byzantine wars begin at Fahl 634;

Gilead, Jabbok River Folder

Gilead South, Land of Sihon's Ammorites (from the Arnon to the Jabbok)
Land of Sihon's Ammorites (from the Arnon to the Jabbok) Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35, King Sihon Defeated; 21 Then Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites, saying, 22ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Let me pass through your land; we will not turn aside into field or vineyard; we will not drink the water of any well; we will go by the KingÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Highway until we have passed through your territory.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 23But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel to the wilderness; he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 24Israel put him to the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites; for the boundary of the Ammonites was strong. 25Israel took all these towns, and Israel settled in all the towns of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and captured all his land as far as the Arnon. 27Therefore the ballad-singers say, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. 28 For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed up* the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon. 30 So their posterity perished from Heshbon* to Dibon, and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™* 31 Thus Israel settled in the land of the Amorites. 32Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they captured its villages, and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

Zarga, Gilead (Jabbok (Zarga) River 1)
Zarga (Jabbok River 1) ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20;

Jerash or Decapolis, Gilead (Jabbok River 3)
Decapolis: Jerash on the Jabbok River is first on the list of the ten cities of the Decapolis, the ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18;

Decapolis or Jerash, Gilead (Jabbok River 3)
Decapolis: Jerash on the Jabbok River is first on the list of the ten cities of the Decapolis, the ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18;

Gerasa, Gilead, Kings Hightway 15, Location of Jairus Daughter's home
Gerasa, Gilead, Kings Hightway 15, Location of Jairus Daughter's home; Apostle James the Brother of Saint John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Decapolis Region (10 Cities from Golan Heights of Galilee to Gilead)
Decapolis: Jerash on the Jabbok River is first on the list of the ten cities of the Decapolis, the ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18;

Capitolias, Gilead, Decapolis

Jabbok River Mouth (Adam, Jordan River 3)

Sukkoth (Sukkoth Valley of Jabbok River)
Sukkoth (Sukkoth Valley of Jabbok River) ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ;

Gilead, Jabesh River Folder

Jabesh River

Jabesh River Source, Mountains of Pella or Jabesh

Dathema, Gilead
Dathema, 1 Maccabees Ch 5;

Land of Tob (southeast of Sea of Galilee)
Land of Tob, 1 Maccabees ch 5

Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead
Tishba (Tishbe), Gilead ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20;

Jabesh River Mouth

Jabesh, Gilead
Jabesh, Gilead; 1 Samuel 10:17-27, Saul Proclaimed King; 1 Samuel 11, Saul Defeats the Ammonites;

Gilead Roman Roads Folder

Gaul Folder, South of the Roman Fortresses in Western Germany, till 486

Gaul (France, Belgium, and Northern Italy) before the year 486
Gaul and Roman Gaul; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177) ; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Gaul (South of the German Frontier) before the year 486
Gaul and Roman Gaul; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177) ; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Sweden, Ostragoths went to Gaul (South of the German Frontier) before the year 486
Gaul and Roman Gaul; St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; Hieromartyr Antherus (Antheros) Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 5; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177) ; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Gaul (modern France)
Gaul (modern France); Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Frontasius of Gaul, Commemorated on June 4;

Germania, not Germany, the fertile plain North of this Line, difficult to protect
Germania, not Germany, the fertile plain North of this Line and South of Sweden, difficult to protect. It is bounded on the East by the Vistula, on the South by the Mountains, and on the West by Rhine and its Roman German Frontier. ;

Gaul 50BC-486, Gaul History Folder

Gaul, 50 BC - 450 AD, Celtic Tribe of the Franks
Gaul, Remi, Celtic Tribe of the Franks, 50 BC - 450 AD; Rheims (near Aisne River 29) ; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ;

Gaul, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostle Crecens ot70, Dionysius tAreopagite

Gaul, 60-100, Apostle Crescens of the Seventy
Gaul, 60-100, Apostle Crescens of the Seventy; Apostle Crescens of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30;

Gaul, 90-96, of Athens, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite, important Orthodox writer, MOG description
Greece, 30-96, Saint, Dionysius the Areopagite ; Hill of Ares (The Aeropagus): Areopagus (both a place and a judicial body); Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave.

Gaul, 96, Death of Dionysius the Aeropagite
Lutetia (ancient name for Paris); to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3;

Gaul, 100, 2nd C Folder, Iraneus oLugdunum (Lyons)

Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France, from Smyrna and Polycarp, anti Gnostic writer
Gaul, 150-202, Iraneus, Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul, Lyons, France ; Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). He received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. He was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). While he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. After the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.” Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ;

Gaul, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons
France, 150-202, Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, France (Saone River Mouth, Rhone River 4), from Smyrna near Ephesus, under Polycarp, preaching transformed Lyons, wrote of Orthodox faith against gnosis; Lyons; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world. guide in the truths of the Christian Faith was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (February 23). Polycarp baptized the youth, and afterwards ordained him presbyter and sent him to a city in Gaul then named Lugdunum [the present day Lyons in France] to the dying bishop Pothinus. commission was soon entrusted to Saint Irenaeus. was to deliver a letter from the confessors of Lugdunum to the holy Bishop Eleutherius of Rome (177-190). he was away, all the known Christians were thrown into prison. the martyric death of Bishop Pothinus, Saint Irenaeus was chosen a year later (in 178) as Bishop of Lugdunum. “During this time,” Saint Gregory of Tours (November 17) writes concerning him, “by his preaching he transformed all Lugdunum into a Christian city!” the persecution against Christians quieted down, the saint expounded upon the Orthodox teachings of faith in one of his fundamental works under the title: Detection and Refutation of the Pretended but False Gnosis. It is usually called Five Books against Heresy (Adversus Haereses). that time there appeared a series of religious-philosophical gnostic teachings. The Gnostics [from the Greek word “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”] taught that God cannot be incarnate [i.e. born in human flesh], since matter is imperfect and manifests itself as the bearer of evil. They taught also that the Son of God is only an outflowing (“emanation”) of Divinity. Together with Him from the Divinity issues forth a hierarchical series of powers (“aeons”), the unity of which comprise the “Pleroma”, i.e. “Fullness.” The world is not made by God Himself, but by the aeons or the “Demiourgos,” which is below the “Pleroma.” refuting this heresy, championed by Valentinus, Saint Irenaeus presents the Orthodox teaching of salvation. “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His inexplicable blessedness caused it to be, that we also, should be made that which He is ... ,” taught Saint Irenaeus. “Jesus Christ the Son of God, through exceedingly great love for His creation, condescended to be born of a Virgin, having united mankind with God in His own Self.” Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God. Salvation consists in the “Sonship” and “Theosis” (“Divinization”) of mankind. the refutation of another heretic, Marcian, who denied the divine origin of the Old Testament, the saint affirms the same divine inspiration of the Old and the New Testaments: “It is one and the same Spirit of God Who proclaimed through the prophets the precise manner of the Lord’s coming,” wrote the saint. “Through the apostles, He preached that the fulness of time of the filiation had arrived, and that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.” successors of the Apostles have received from God the certain gift of truth, which Saint Irenaeus links to the succession of the episcopate (Adv. Haer. 4, 26, 2). “Anyone who desires to know the truth ought to turn to the Church, since through Her alone did the apostles expound the Divine Truth. She is the door to life.” Irenaeus also exerted a beneficial influence in a dispute about the celebration of Pascha. In the Church of Asia Minor, there was an old tradition of celebrating Holy Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, regardless of what day of the week it happened to be. The Roman bishop Victor (190-202) forcefully demanded uniformity, and his harsh demands fomented a schism. In the name of the Christians of Gaul, Saint Irenaeus wrote to Bishop Victor and others, urging them to make peace. this incident, Saint Irenaeus drops out of sight, and we do not even know the exact year of his death. Saint Gregory of Tours, in his Historia Francorum, suggests that Saint Irenaeus was beheaded by the sword for his confession of faith in the year 202, during the reign of Severus. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, and Saint Irenaeus of Lyons are three links in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession, which goes back to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. his old age, Saint Irenaeus wrote to his old friend the priest Florinus: “When I was still a boy, I knew you... in Polycarp’s house.... I remember what happened in those days more clearly than what happens now.... I can describe for you the place where blessed Polycarp usually sat and conversed, the character of his life, the appearance of his body, and the discourses which he spoke to the people, how he spoke of the conversations which he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, how he remembered their words, and what he heard from them about the Lord ... I listened eagerly to these things, by the mercy of God, and wrote them, not on paper, but in my heart.”

Gaul, 161-180, Zealot Seusippus oTriplet martyrs, converted by grandmother iGaul, burnt but bodies not destroyed
Gaul, 161-180, Martyr Seusippus, his brothers, grandmother iGaul (France, Western Germany, and Northwest Italy) before the year 486, GM Leonilla baptized old age bPolycarp disciples, converted triplet grandsons, these zealot brothers pulled down idols&reproached pagans, judge ordered Leonilla go prison convert gsons, but she praised them, flogged fire but bodies not destroyed by flames, L beheaded, others witnessed, converted, martyred or recorded story; Gaul and Roman Gaul; Martyred brothers Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and those with them, in Gaul, Commemorated on January 16; Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and their grandmother Leonilla together with Neon, Turbo and Jonilla suffered in Gaul (by another account, in Cappadocia) in the second century, during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius (161-180). received Baptism in her old age from one of the disciples of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, she afterwards converted her three grandsons (who were triplets) to Christ. brothers, in their zeal for the Lord, pulled down idols and reproached the pagans for their folly. judge ordered Leonilla to go to the prison and tell her grandchildren to renounce Christ and worship the idols. she praised them for their bravery and their firm confession of faith. three were hanged on a tree, then flogged. Finally, the martyrs were thrown into a fire, but their bodies were undamaged by the flames. the torture and death of her grandchildren, Saint Leonilla was beheaded with a sword. Jonilla also suffered with her. She saw the steadfast faith of the holy martyrs and said that she too was a Christian. The torturers hung her up by the hair, lacerated her body, then beheaded her. left behind her husband and young son. Neon witnessed the exploits of the holy brothers, and wrote an account of their sufferings. gave his manuscript to Turbo, and openly confessed himself a Christian, for which he was fiercely beaten and died from his beating. Turbo, after he copied out the exploits of the passion-bearers, also ended his life by martyrdom. martyrs are particularly revered in Spain, where many churches are dedicated to them. relics of the holy martyrs were given by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to a French nobleman from the city of Langres, where they now rest.

Gaul, 200, 3rd C Folder, patron saint oFrance Dennis, Sebastian oRome, C's father Constantius Chlorus,

Gaul, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France, Paris, France, Lutetia Parisorum, Gaul, carried his head
Gaul, 220-258, Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of France Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop. Commemorated on October 9; Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as the patron saint of France. is believed that Saint Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). A later legend claims that Saint Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as Saint Denis. The abbey of Saint-Denis, where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their martyrdom. identification of this Saint Dionysius with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century writer.

Gaul, 284-305, Sebastian at Rome, shot with arrows, survived, clubbed to death, thrown into sewer, appeared
Gaul, 284-305, Sebastian at Rome, from Narbonum, Gaul, head imperial guards, brave, wise, honest, secret christian, converted healed many, shot with arrows, survived, clubbed to death, thrown into sewer, appeared to woman to have his body put in catacombs; Narbonum; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated December 18; Holy Martyr Sebastian was born in the city of Narbonum in Gaul (modern France), and he received his education at Mediolanum (now Milan). the co-reigning emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305) he occupied the position of head of the imperial guards. Sebastian was respected for his authority, and was loved by the soldiers and those at court. was a brave man filled with wisdom; his word was honest, his judgment just. He was insightful in advice and faithful in his service and in everything entrusted to him. was a secret Christian, not out of fear, but so that he could provide help to the brethren in a time of persecution. noble Christian brothers Marcellinus and Mark had been locked up in prison, and at first they firmly confessed the true Faith. under the influence of the tearful entreaties of their pagan parents (Tranquillinus and Marcia), and also their own wives and children, they began to waver in their intent to suffer for Christ. Sebastian went to the imperial treasurer, at whose house Marcellinus and Mark were held in confinement, and addressed the brothers who were on the verge of yielding to the entreaties of their family. “O valiant warriors of Christ! Do not cast away your everlasting crowns of victory because of the tears of your relatives. not remove your feet from the necks of your enemies who lie prostrate before you, lest they regain their strength and attack you more fiercely than before. your banner high over every earthly attachment. those whom you see weeping knew that there is another life where there is neither sickness nor death, where there is unceasing gladness and everything is beautiful, then assuredly they would wish to enter it with you. who fears to exchange this brief earthly life for the unending joys of the heavenly Kingdom is foolish indeed. For he who rejects eternity wastes the brief time of his existence, and will be delivered to everlasting torment in Hades.” Saint Sebastian said that if necessary, he would be willing to endure torment and death in order to show them how to give their lives for Christ. Saint Sebastian persuaded the brothers to go through with their act of martyrdom, and his speech stirred everyone present. They saw how his face shone like that of an angel, and they saw how seven angels clothed him in a radiant garment, and heard a fair Youth say, “You shall be with Me always.” the wife of the jailer Nicostratus, had lost her ability to speak six years previously. She fell down at the feet of Saint Sebastian, by her gestures imploring him to heal her. The saint made the Sign of the Cross over the woman, and she immediately began to speak and she glorified the Lord Jesus Christ. said that she had seen an angel holding an open book in which everything Saint Sebastian said was written. Then all who saw the miracle also came to believe in the Savior of the world. Nicostratus removed the chains from Marcellinus and Mark and offered to hide them, but the brothers refused. said, “Let them tear the flesh from our bodies with cruel torments. They can kill the body, but they cannot conquer the soul which contends for the Faith.” Nicostratus and his wife asked for Baptism, and Saint advised Nicostratus to serve Christ rather than the Eparch. He also told him to assemble the prisoners so that those who believed in Christ could be baptized. Nicostratus then requested his clerk Claudius to send all the prisoners to his house. Sebastian spoke to them of Christ, and became convinced that they were all inclined to be baptized. He summoned the priest Polycarp, who prepared them for the Mystery, instructing them to fast in preparation for Baptism that evening. Claudius informed Nicostratus that the Roman eparch Arestius Chromatus wanted to know why the prisoners were gathered at his house. told Claudius about the healing of his wife, and Claudius brought his own sick sons, Symphorian and Felix to Saint Sebastian. the evening the priest Polycarp baptized Tranquillinus with his relatives and friends, and Nicostratus and all his family, Claudius and his sons, and also sixteen condemned prisoners. The newly-baptized numbered 64 in all. before the eparch Chromatus, Nicostratus told him how Saint Sebastian had converted them to Christianity and healed many from sickness. The words of Nicostratus persuaded the eparch. summoned Saint Sebastian and the presbyter Polycarp, and was enlightened by them, and became a believer in Christ. Nicostratus and Chromatus, his son Tiburtius and all his household accepted holy Baptism. The number of the newly-enlightened increased to 1400. Upon becoming a Christian, Chromatus resigned his office of eparch. this time the Bishop of Rome was Saint Gaius (August 11). He blessed Chromatus to go to his estates in southern Italy with the priest Polycarp. Christians unable to endure martyrdom also went with them. Father Polycarp went to strengthen the newly-converted in the Faith. the son of Chromatus, desired to accept martyrdom and he remained in Rome with Saint Sebastian. Of those remaining, Saint Gaius ordained Tranquillinus as a presbyter, and his sons Marcellinus and Mark were ordained deacons. Nicostratus, his wife Zoe and brother Castorius, and Claudius, his son Symphorian and brother Victorinus also remained in Rome. They gathered for divine services at the court of the emperor together with a secret Christian named Castulus, but soon the time came for them to suffer for the Faith. pagans arrested Saint Zoe first, praying at the grave of the Apostle Peter. At the trial she bravely confessed her faith in Christ. She died, hung by her hair over the foul smoke from a great fire of dung. Her body then was thrown into the River Tiber. Appearing in a vision to Saint Sebastian, she told him about her death. priest Tranquillinus was the next to suffer: pagans pelted him with stones at the grave of the holy Apostle Peter, and his body was also thrown into the Tiber. Nicostratus, Castorius, Claudius, Victorinus, and Symphorian were seized at the riverbank, when they were searching for the bodies of the martyrs. They were led to the eparch, and the saints refused his command to offer sacrifice to idols. They tied stones to the necks of the martyrs and then drowned them in the sea. false Christian Torquatus betrayed Saint Tiburtius. When the saint refused to sacrifice to the idols, the judge ordered Tiburtius to walk barefoot on red-hot coals, but the Lord preserved him. Tiburtius walked through the burning coals without feeling the heat. The torturers then beheaded Saint Tiburtius, and his body was buried by unknown Christians. also betrayed the holy Deacons Marcellinus and Mark, and Saint Castulus (March 26). After torture, they threw Castulus into a pit and buried him alive, but Marcellinus and Mark had their feet nailed to the same tree stump. They stood all night in prayer, and in the morning they were stabbed with spears. Sebastian was the last one to be tortured. The emperor Diocletian personally interrogated him, and seeing the determination of the holy martyr, he ordered him taken out of the city, tied to a tree and shot with arrows. Irene, the wife of Saint Castulus, went at night in order to bury Saint Sebastian, but found him alive and took him to her home. Sebastian soon recovered from his wounds. Christians urged him to leave Rome, but he refused. Coming near a pagan temple, the saint saw the emperors approaching and he publicly denounced them for their impiety. ordered the holy martyr to be taken to the Circus Maximus to be executed. They clubbed Saint Sebastian to death, and cast his body into the sewer. holy martyr appeared to a pious woman named Lucina in a vision, and told her to take his body and bury it in the catacombs. This she did with the help of her slaves. Today his basilica stands on the site of his tomb.

Gaul, 293-306, Roman Britain and Gaul Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, Father of Constantine the Great

Gaul, 300, 4th C Folder, E Constantine tG, HILARY oPotiers, Constantine II, Martin oTours, John Cassian tRoman

Gaul, 306-337, Caesar and Emperor, Constantine the Great, Legal Christianity
Byzantine Emperor, 306-337, Constantine the Great ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Onesimus of Magnesia, Commemorated on July 14 ; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated on July 15 ; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated on September 1; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 26; Martyr Nestor of Thessalonica, Commemorated on October 27; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on December 23; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated on December 30; St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Casarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 1; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1; Martyr Gordius at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 3 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356); Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; St Parthenius the Bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Commemorated on February 7; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Eugene of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Gaul, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul, the Athanasius of the West, exiled, wrote essays, sent back, persuaded Arian bishop
Gaul, 335-367, HILARY of Poitiers, Gaul (Clain River 3) the Athanasius of the West. He was bishop of Poitiers, exiled to Phrygia 357, wrote essays, sent back to Gaul, to Milan persuaded Arian bishop ; Poitiers; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. When the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Saint Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. Because of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. There he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. His holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ; of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." He was bishop of Poitiers, when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. His exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. Finally the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. In 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways.

Gaul, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful, Arien opponent wHiliary, against Priscillian or any heretic execution

Gaul, 336-397, Martin of Tours, cold beggar cloak story, Jesus appeared, front line cross story, conversed wAngels&saints

Gaul, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary oPoitiers, great arianism oponnent, exiled tPhrygia, orthodox champion there
France, 340 - 368, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers, great arianism oponnent, raised pagan, adult conversion, bishop i350, opposed Constantius II's arianism, 356 exiled tPhrygia, great orthodox champion there, so returned to his diocese, continued fight till death 368, relics in Hiliary Cathedral Poitiers, Hiliary term in courts & universities begin near his feast day; France, 330 - 367, Saint Hilliary of Poitiers; Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated on January 13; Hilary, the great opponent of Arianism, was born around 320. was raised as a pagan, but converted to Christianity as an adult. became Bishop of Poitiers in 350. the emperor Constantius II attempted to impose Arianism on the western Church, Hilary led a vigorous opposition to his efforts. of his outspoken criticism, he was exiled to Phrygia in 356. he became such a defender and champion of Orthodoxy that the emperor decided it would be less trouble to allow him to return to his diocese. Hilary continued to fight against Arianism until his death in 368. holy relics still rest in the cathedral bearing his name at Poitiers in France. has lent his name to the “Hilary term” of English law courts and universities, which begin on or near his Feast Day. HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367); of Poitiers (315-367) lived during the great controversy between Athanasius, who taught that the Son is fully God, equally with the Father, and Arius, who denied this. is sometimes called "the Athanasius of the West." was bishop of Poitiers, and when he refused to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, Arian emperor Constantius (one of the sons of Constantine) banished him to Phrygia in 357. exile lasted three years, during which time he wrote several essays, including On the Trinity. the Emperor was forced to send him back to Gaul because he was causing such difficulties for the Arians in the East. 364, he journeyed to Milan, where he engaged in public debate with the Arian bishop Auxentius, and persuaded him of the error of his ways. by James Kiefer

Gaul, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra) Deliverance&Clairvoyance
Gaul, 370-429, Honoratus oArles, Gaul (Rhone River 8), founded Lerins Monastery (French Rivierra), fDistinquished Roman Family, pilgrimage Greece&Rome, then Hermit Ise oLerins, Joined by 3 Saints&Others, Sts Lupus oTroyes, Eucherius oLyons, Hilary oArles, depleted youthful vigor wFasting&asceticism, so body made way for spirit, same as those younger&stronger, visitng sick when sicker, treated spiritual diseases, freeing vice enslavement, clairvoyant insight into character, for appropriate remedies, consecrated bishop and died 429; Arles (Rhone River 8); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Honoratus was born in Gaul (modern France) about 350, came from a distinguished Roman family. a pilgrimage to Greece and Rome, he became a hermit on the isle of Lerins, he was joined by Saints Lupus of Troyes (July 29), Eucherius of Lyons (November 16), and Hilary of Arles (May 5), among others. saint depleted his youthful vigor through fasting and asceticism, so “the powers of the body made way for the power of the spirit.” in poor health, he managed to follow the same rule of fasting and keeping vigil as those who were younger and stronger than he. would visit the sick when he was even sicker than they were, offering consolation for body and soul. fearing he had not done enough for them, he would review each case in his mind to determine how he could ease their suffering. with virtues, Saint Honoratus treated a variety of spiritual diseases, many from their enslavement to vice. insight into each person’s character him to apply the appropriate remedies for restoring souls to spiritual health. Honoratus died in 429 after being consecrated as Bishop of Arles. Hilary, his relative and successor, delivered a eulogy which still survives.

Gaul, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman
Gaul, 380-435, Saint John Cassian the Roman; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St. Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Gaul, 400, 5th C Folder, Vincent oLerins, Prosper oAquitaine, Genevieve oParis, Atilla approaching Paris, Remigius oRheims

Gaul, 404-456, Vincent oLerins, Soldier, Monk, Author, true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos
France, 404-456, Vincent of Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) Soldier, Monk, Author, Commonitorium (anti heresy), follow true faith held everywhere, always, & by all, defended term Theotokos; Lerins monestary; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24; in the late fourth century in Toulouse in Gaul, Vincent initially served in the military, later left the world to become a monk at the renowned Lérins Monastery, he was ordained to the priesthood. is widely known for his work, Commonitorium, which he wrote around the year 434 AD, which he differentiated between the Church's teachings and the heresies of his time. is remembered for writing that Christians must follow the true faith that has been held “everywhere, always, and by all.” also defended the term “Theotokos” with regard to the Mother of God in opposition to the teachings of Nestorius that were condemned at the Third Ecumenical Council. Vincent died peacefully in 456 AD. His relics are preserved at Lérins.

Gaul, 410-455, Prosper oAquitaine, Heresies Eradicator, renowned lay theolog, writings echoed Augustine, science joined virtue
France, 410-455, Prosper of Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7), Eradicator of Heresies, renowned lay theologian, many his writings echoed Augustine on grace, science joined virtue, math, astronomy, chronology, one soul wHis wife, convinced her Num, entered monastery ; Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7); Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Commemorated on July 7; Prosper (Prosper Tiro), Eradicator of Heresies," as Saint Photios (February 6) calls him, born in the Aquitaine around the year 390. was a renowned lay theologian, although few details of his life are known. know Saint Prosper chiefly from his writings. A contemporary writer described him as "a holy and venerable man. Many of Saint Prosper's writings echo the teaching of Saint Augustine (June 15) on grace. Saint Augustine, Saint Prosper was also an opponent of the Pelagian heresy. This wise man seems to have spent his life embroiled in controversies with heretics. For the semi-Pelagians in particular, Prosper was one of their most fearsome adversaries. Saint Prosper, science was joined to virtue. It is evident that he applied himself to literature, and especially to acquiring knowledge of Holy Scripture. He was no less an expert in human sciences than he was in theology. He excelled particularly in mathematics, astronomy, and chronology. His great learning and holiness made him well known throughout the entire Church. Prosper has sometimes been identified, mistakenly, with Saint Paulinus of Reggio (June 25), who was a bishop. Everything we know about him leads us to believe that Saint Prosper was not a bishop, nor even a priest. a poem to his wife he wrote: "Lift me up again if I fall; correct yourself if I point out some fault. Let it never be sufficient for us to be one body, let us also be one soul." 428, Saint Prosper persuaded his wife to become a nun, and he entered a monastery at Marseilles. Saint Leo the Great was chosen as the Bishop of Rome in 440, he sent for Prosper to become his secretary. Many historians believe that the admirable treatise "On the Incarnation of the Word," which is ascribed to Saint Leo, is actually the work of Saint Prosper. is possible, however, that Saint Leo may have reworked it in his own style. Prosper reposed in Rome, sometime after 455. icon of Saint Prosper depicts him holding a scroll which reads: "The Orthodox Faith subdues the monster of heresy."

Gaul, 442-512, Genevieve oParis, Germanus noticed her a7 aProphecied she lead many tSalvatn, clairvoyant &M gifts, eSat Vigil
France, 442-512, Genevieve oParis, fNanterre, Gaul (Seine River 5, Paris Area), tended sheep Mt Valerien, Germanus noticed her a7, he placed his hand on her head aProphecied she lead many tSalvation, she wished tDedicate, he gave brass medal oCross, he told never wear bracelets etc, 417 tParis monastery a15, fasting prayer, clairvoyance&Miracles gifts, people recognized holy vessel, years later 451 Atilla tHun approched, she & nuns prayed, Atilla left, she emphasized Saturday Virgil because it symbolizes the Lord wFind us ready, one stormy saturday night her light went out on way, she made Cross sign, it burned wBright flame, relics destroyed French Revolution, Wine Maker Saint; Nanterre (Seine River 5) ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; Genevieve (Geneviève) was born of wealthy parents in Gaul (modern France) in the village of Nanterre, near Paris, around 422. father’s name was Severus, and her mother was called Gerontia. to the custom of the time, she often tended her father’s sheep on Mount Valerien. the child was about seven years old, Saint Germanus of Auxerre (July 31) noticed her as he was passing through Nanterre. the Service that night the Bishop placed his hand on her head and told her parents that she would become great in the sight of God, and would lead many to salvation. Genevieve told him that she wished to dedicate herself to Christ, he gave her a brass medal with the image of the Cross to wear around her neck. Germanus told her never to wear bracelets, or necklaces made with pearls, gold, or silver, and to avoid wearing any other ornaments around her neck, or on her fingers. she was fifteen, Genevieve was taken to Paris to enter the monastic life. fasting,vigil and prayer, she progressed in monasticism, received from God the gifts of clairvoyance and of working miracles. the people of Paris and the surrounding area regarded Genevieve as a holy vessel (2 Timothy 2:21). later, Saint Genevieve was told that Attila the Hun was approaching Paris, and the other nuns prayed and fasted, entreating God to spare the city. the barbarians turned away from Paris and went off in another direction. Genevieve considered the Saturday night Vigil service to be very important, since it symbolizes how our entire life should be. “We must keep vigil in prayer and fasting so that the Lord will find us ready when He comes,” she said. was on her way to church with her nuns one stormy Saturday night when the wind extinguished her lantern. nuns could not find their way without a light, since it was dark and stormy, and the road was rough and muddy. Genevieve made the Sign of the Cross over the lantern, and the candle within burned with a bright flame. In this manner they were able to make their way to the church for the service. is a tradition that the church which Saint Genevieve suggested King Clovis should build in honor of Saints Peter and Paul, would become her own resting place when she fell asleep in the Lord around 512 at the age of eighty-nine. holy relics were later transferred to the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. of her relics, and those of other saints, were destroyed at the time of the French Revolution. the Middle Ages, Saint Genevieve was regarded as the patron Saint of wine makers.

Gaul, 451, Attila the approaching Paris - Orleans, Atilla in Gaul 451
Attila the approaching Paris - Orleans; Atilla in Gaul 451 Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ;

Gaul, 458-530, Saint Remigius of Rheims, Remi, baptized Clovis of the Franks and 4,000 in 496
France, 458-530, Saint Remigius of Rheims, Remi; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530); (Latin Remigius) was born about 438 and became bishop of Rheims about 460, at the remarkably young age of 22. (Both he and the city were named for his tribe, the Remi.) his time, the Roman Empire and the Christian church were jointly faced with a serious practical problem -- the barbarian invasions. series of droughts in central Asia had driven its inhabitants out in all directions in search of more livable territory. brought the Goths, for example, across the Danube in the early 300's. the Emperor Constantine had died in 337, and during his lifetime the Church had debated the question of whether the Logos, the Word who was made flesh for our salvation in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, was (as Arius taught) the first and greatest of the beings created by God, but nevertheless not eternal, and not God; or was (as Athanasius taught) fully God, co-eternal and co-equal with the Father. the Council of Nicea in 325, the Athanasian position had been endorsed by an overwhelming majority of the bishops assembled from throughout the Christian world. the Arians refused to accept the decision, and there were attempts to re-negotiate and find a compromise that would make everyone happy. Constantine died, and his Empire was divided among his sons, with Constantius Emperor of the East, and eventually of the whole Empire. And Constantius was an Arian, and made a serious attempt to stamp out the Athanasian position by banishing its leaders and pressuring churches into electing or accepting Arian bishops. his reign, missionaries, led by one Bishop Ulfilas, were sent to convert the Goths. And naturally, Ulfilas was an Arian. He preached with great vigor and eloquence among the Goths, and translated the Bible into their language (omitting, we are told, the wars of the Hebrews, on the grounds that the Goths were quite warlike enough without further encouragement). In fact, the portions of his translation that have survived are the only material we have in the Gothic language, and as such are highly valued by students of the history of languages. the Goths became Arian Christians, and so did the Vandals. And these two highly warlike peoples were most of the time either making war on the settled peoples of the Empire or hiring out as mercenaries to defend the borders of the Empire from the next wave of invaders. may remember that Ambrose, bishop of Milan (died 397, remembered 7 December), was commanded by the Empress Mother to hand over a church for the use of her soldiers, who were Goths and Arians, and that Ambrose refused, and filled the church with members of his congregation, who sang hymns composed by Ambrose for the occasion, and the soldiers did not attack. may also remember that when Augustine lay on his deathbed in his town of Hippo in North Africa (near Carthage or modern Tunis), the city was under attack by Vandal troops, who had come into Africa out of Spain, and who captured and vandalized (that is where we get the term) the cities of North Africa, and Sicily and Sardinia and Corsica (which they made into bases for piracy) and the southern part of Italy. Long after Arianism had died out elsewhere, it was the religion of the Goths and Vandals and related peoples, and being an Arian was the mark of a good Army man. a new people appeared on the scene, a pagan warrior tribe called the Franks. In the late 400's, they were led by a chief called Clovis, a pagan but married to a Christian wife, Clotilda. His wife and Bishop Remi (remember him?) spoke to him about the Christian faith, but he showed no particular signs of interest until one day when he was fighting a battle against the Alemanni, and was badly outnumbered and apparently about to lose the battle. He took a vow that if he won, he would turn Christian. tide of battle turned, and he won. Two years later, he kept his vow and was baptized by Remi at Rheims on Christmas Day, 496, together with about 3000 of his followers. became the traditional and "proper" place for a French king to be crowned, as we learn from the story of Joan of Arc. It remained so until the French Revolution.) Clovis was converted to the Athanasian (or orthodox, or catholic) faith rather than the Arian, and this fact changed the religious history of Europe. The clergy he brought to his court were catholic, and when the Franks as a whole became Christians, which did not happen overnight, they became catholic Christians, meaning in this context that they were Athanasian rather than Arian, and accepted the belief that it was God himself, and not a particularly prominent angel, who came down from heaven and suffered for our salvation. the preceding century, the Arians had had a near-monopoly on military power, and now this was no longer true. The conversion of the Franks brought about the conversion of the Visigoths, and eventually (about 300 years later) the empire of Charlemagne and the beginning of the recovery of Western Europe from the earlier collapse of government and of city life under the impact of plague, lead poisoning, currency inflation, confiscatory taxation, multiple invasions, and the assorted troubles of the Dark Ages. Remigius and the demons noted above, Clot(h)ilda, a Christian princess of Burgundy, married the pagan Clovis, King of the Franks, thus preparing the way for his baptism by Remi in 496, and for the conversion of the Franks. Their great-grandaughter, Bertha, married the pagan Ethelbert, King of Kent, thus preparing the way for his baptism by Augustine of Canterbury in 601, and for the eventual conversion of southeast England. Bertha and Ethelbert's daughter, Ethelburga, married the pagan Edwin, King of Northumbria, thereby preparing the way for his baptism by Paulinus in 627, and for the eventual conversion of many in the North of England. James Kiefer

Gaul Locations (Dirty)

Lutetia, Gual (ancient name for Paris)
Lutetia (ancient name for Paris); Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop. Commemorated on October 9; Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as the patron saint of France. is believed that Saint Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. He was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). A later legend claims that Saint Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as Saint Denis. The abbey of Saint-Denis, where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their martyrdom. identification of this Saint Dionysius with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century writer. Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible world is coming to an end,” Dionysius said. Upon his return to Athens from Egypt, he was chosen to be a member of the Areopagus Council (Athenian high court). the holy Apostle Paul preached at the place on the Hill of Ares (Acts 17:16-34), Dionysius accepted his salvific proclamation and became a Christian. For three years Saint Dionysius remained a companion of the holy Apostle Paul in preaching the Word of God. Later on, the Apostle Paul selected him as bishop of the city of Athens. And in the year 57 Saint Dionysius was present at the repose of the Most Holy Theotokos. the lifetime of the Mother of God, Saint Dionysius had journeyed from Athens to Jerusalem to meet Her. He wrote to his teacher the Apostle Paul: “I witness by God, that besides the very God Himself, there is nothing else filled with such divine power and grace. No one can fully comprehend what I saw. I confess before God: when I was with John, who shone among the Apostles like the sun in the sky, when I was brought before the countenance of the Most Holy Virgin, I experienced an inexpressible sensation. Before me gleamed a sort of divine radiance which transfixed my spirit. I perceived the fragrance of indescribable aromas and was filled with such delight that my very body became faint, and my spirit could hardly endure these signs and marks of eternal majesty and heavenly power. The grace from her overwhelmed my heart and shook my very spirit. If I did not have in mind your instruction, I should have mistaken Her for the very God. It is impossible to stand before greater blessedness than this which I beheld.” the death of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius wanted to continue with his work, and therefore went off preaching in the West, accompanied by the Presbyter Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius. They converted many to Christ at Rome, and then in Germany, and then in Spain. In Gaul, during a persecution against Christians by the pagan authorities, all three confessors were arrested and thrown into prison. By night Saint Dionysius celebrated the Divine Liturgy with angels of the Lord. In the morning the martyrs were beheaded. According to an old tradition, Saint Dionysius took up his head, proceeded with it to the church and fell down dead there. A pious woman named Catulla buried the relics of the saint. writings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite hold great significance for the Orthodox Church. Four books of his have survived to the present day: On the Celestial Hierarchy On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy On the Names of God On Mystical Theology In additional, there are ten letters to various people. book On the Celestial Hierarchies was written actually in one of the countries of Western Europe, where Saint Dionysius was preaching. In it he speaks of the Christian teaching about the angelic world. The angelic (or Celestial-Heavenly) hierarchy comprises the nine angelic Ranks: Seraphim Cherubim Thrones Dominions Powers Authorities Principalities Archangels Angels The account of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers of Heaven is located under November 8. purpose of the divinely-established Angelic Hierarchy is the ascent towards godliness through purification, enlightenment and perfection. The highest ranks are bearers of divine light and divine life for the lower ranks. And not only are the sentient, bodiless angelic hosts included in the spiritual light-bearing hierarchy, but also the human race, created anew and sanctified in the Church of Christ. book of Saint Dionysius On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchies is a continuation of his book On the Celestial Hierarchies. The Church of Christ, like the Angelic ranks, in its universal service is set upon the foundation of priestly principles established by God. the earthly world, for the children of the Church, divine grace comes down indescribably in the holy Mysteries of the Church, which are spiritual in nature, though perceptible to the senses in form. Few, even among the holy ascetics, were able to behold with their earthly eyes the fiery vision of the Holy Mysteries of God. But outside of the Church’s sacraments, outside of Baptism and the Eucharist, the light-bearing saving grace of God is not found, neither is divine knowledge nor theosis (deification). book On the Names of God expounds upon the way of divine knowledge through a progression of the Divine Names. Dionysius’ book On Mystical Theology also sets forth the teaching about divine knowledge. The theology of the Orthodox Church is totally based upon experience of divine knowledge. In order to know God it is necessary to be in proximity to Him, to have come near to Him in some measure, so as to attain communion with God and deification (theosis). This condition is accomplished through prayer. This is not because prayer in itself brings us close to the incomprehensible God, but rather that the purity of heart in true prayer brings us closer to God. written works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite are of extraordinary significance in the theology of the Orthodox Church, and also for late Medieval Western theology. For almost four centuries, until the beginning of the sixth century, the works of this holy Father of the Church were preserved in an obscure manuscript tradition, primarily by theologians of the Alexandrian Church. The concepts in these works were known and utilized by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius the Great, pre-eminent figures of the catechetical school in Alexandria, and also by Saint Gregory the Theologian. Saint Dionysius of Alexandria wrote to Saint Gregory the Theologian a Commentary on the “Areopagitum.” The works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite received general Church recognition during the sixth-seventh centuries. relevant are the Commentaries written by Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21). (trans. note: although many scholars suggest that the “Areopagitum” was actually written by an anonymous sixth century figure who employed the common ancient device of piously borrowing an illustrious name, this in no way diminishes the profound theological significance of the works.) the Russian Orthodox Church the teachings of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite about the spiritual principles and deification were at first known through the writings of Saint John of Damascus (December 4). The first Slavonic translation of the “Areopagitum” was done on Mt. Athos in about the year 1371 by a monk named Isaiah. Copies of it were widely distributed in Russia. Many of them have been preserved to the present day in historic manuscript collections, among which is a parchment manuscript “Works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite” belonging to Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus (September 16) in his own handwriting. to one tradition, he was killed at Lutetia (ancient name of Paris, France) in the year 96 during the persecution under the Roman emperor Dometian (81-96). Today most scholars and theologians believe that Saint Dionysius the Areopagite did not die in Gaul, and that Saint Dionysius (or Denys) of Paris is a different saint with the same name. Demetrius of Rostov says that the Hieromartyr Dionysius was beheaded in Athens, and that many miracles were worked at his grave. Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop. Commemorated on October 9; Dionysius (or Denis) has, for many centuries, been regarded as the patron saint of France. is believed that Saint Dionysius was sent to preach the Gospel at Lutetia Parisiorum (modern Paris) in Gaul around 250. was beheaded in 258 with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius at Montmartre (Hill of the Martyrs). later legend claims that Saint Dionysius carried his severed head from Montmartre to his burial place at Vicus Catulliacus, now known as Saint Denis. abbey of Saint-Denis, where French kings were interred, was built on the site of their martyrdom. identification of this Saint Dionysius with Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) appears to be an error made by a ninth century writer.

Nanterre, Gaul (Seine River 5, Paris Area)
Nanterre (Seine River 5) ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ;

Nogent-Sur-Seine, Gaul (near Paris, Seine River 4)
Nogent-Sur-Seine, France (near Paris, Seine River 4); Venerable Cloud (Clodoald) the Abbot-Founder of Nogent-Sur-Seine Near Paris, Commemorated September 7 ;

Auxerre, Gaul (Yonne River 2)
Auxerre, France (Yonne River) ; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31 ; Gaul; Britain; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Mediolanum, Gaul (now Milan, Northern Italy)
Mediolanum (Milan); Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Munchen (Munich), Gaul (Isar River, Bavaria)
Munich (Isar River, Bavaria); Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated January 31; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26;

Cremona, Gaul and Northern Italy (Adda River at Po River 3)
Cremona, Northern Italy and Gaul (Adda River at Po River 3); St. Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated on July 13 ;

Cenomanis, Gaul and France (Le Mans, Sarthe River 5)
Cenomanis, Gaul (Le Mans, Sarthe River 5); St Julian the Bishop of Cenomanis (Le Mans) in Gaul, Commemorated July 13 ;

Aptia Julia, Gaul, France
Aptia Julia; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27;

Marseille, Gaul (Rhone River Mouth)
Marseille; THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Raoul Wallenberg and Carl Lutz, Commemorated July 16 ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; FRANCIS OF ASSISI, FRIAR (4 OCT 1226); THE RIGHTEOUS GENTILES, Hiram "Harry" Bingham IV; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29;

Septimania, Southern Gaul
Septimania, Gaul; Islamic Invasion of Gaul; Arab Muslim Conquest of Hispania 711-718;

Toulouse, Southern Gaul, Langedoc - high point, Capital of the Visigoths (Garonne River 1)
Capital of the Visigoths - Toulouse; Toulouse; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Saint Vincent of Lerins, Commemorated on May 24;

Thenon, Gaul (Gironde area, N-S and E-W Crossroads)
Thenon (N-S and E-W Crossroads) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ;

Lugdunum (Lyons), Gaul (Rhone River 4), capital of Gaul
Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ;

Vienne, Gaul (Claine River 3)
Vienne, France; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177) ;

Poitiers, Gaul (Clain River 3)
Poitiers; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; CECILIA OF ROME, MARTYR AT ROME, c. 280, Commemorated November 22; St Hilary the Bishop of Poitiers, Commemorated January 13 ; HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (13 JANUARY 367) ;

Bordeaux, Gaul (Garonne River Mouth)
Bordeaux, France; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated January 23 ;

Aquitaine, Gaul (Garonne River 3.7)
Aquitaine (Garonne River 3.7); Saint Prosper of Aquitaine, Commemorated on July 7;

Vienne, Gaul (Rhone River 5)
Vienne, Isere, France; BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS, (Formerly THE MARTYRS OF LYONS), (2 JUNE 177)

Arles, Gaul (Rhone River 8)
Arles (Rhone River 8); St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Langres, Gaul (Champagne-Ardenne, Marne River Source)
Langres Cathedral; Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ;

Burgundy, Gaul (Morvan Hills, rivers source area, Saone drainage)
Burgundy; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Besancon, Gaul (Doubs River 2)
Besancon, France on the Doubs River; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Francia, Frankland, Gaul (Doubs River 2)
Francia, Frankland, Gaul (Doubs River 2) Besancon, France on the Doubs River; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Tours, Gaul (Loire River 22)
Tours; Battle of Tours 732; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; ALCUIN, DEACON, SCHOLAR, AND ABBOT OF TOURS (20 MAY 804) ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

Breton or Brittany Region, Gaul
Brittany; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ; St. Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; PETER ABELARD, Abbot, Theologian, Philosopher, 21 April 1142 ;

Amiens, Gaul (a former crossroads, Somme River 5)
Amiens (a former crossroads); MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397) ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ;

Tournai, Gaul (Capital of Francia or Frankland, 421-508)
Tournai, Gaul (Capital of Francia 421-508); Glorification of Venerable Zabulon and Sosanna, parents of Saint Nino, Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20;

Beauvais, Gaul (Avalon River Mouth, Therain River 4)
Beauvais; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Rheims, Gaul (near Aisne River 29, Champagne-Ardenne, Marne Department)
Rheims (near Aisne River 29) ; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

Orleans, Gaul (Loire River 20)
Orleans; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ;

Narbonum, Southern Gaul (Aude River Mouth, Mediterranean Sea)
Narbonum; Martyr Sebastian at Rome, and his companions, Commemorated December 18;

Troyes, Gaul (Seine River 2)
Troyes (Seine River 2), City of Tricassinum (Troyes); Martyr Patroclus of Troyes, Commemorated August 17 ;

Gaul (Clean), Roman Roads or Major Rivers, places

Gaul (Clean), its Area, includes France, Belgium, and Northern Italy, includes Frankish Empire til 881

Gaul (Clean), France, Roman Roads or Major Rivers

Gaul (Clean) France, its Area
France, its Area

Paris, France (Seine River 5)
Paris; NATHAN SÖDERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God “Jerusalemâ€, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Auxerre, Gaul (Yonne River 2)
Auxerre, France (Yonne River) ;

Normandy, France (Lower Seine to Cotentin Peninsula)
Normandy;

Poitiers, Gaul (Clain River 3)
Poitiers;

Bordeaux, Gaul (Garonne River Mouth)
Bordeaux, France;

Narbonum, Gaul (Aude River Mouth, Mediterranean Sea)
Narbonum;

Arles, Gaul (Rhone River 8)
Arles (Rhone River 8);

Lugdunum (Lyons), Gaul (Rhone River 4), capital of Gaul
Lugdunum (Lyons in France);

Gaul (Clean), Northern Italy, Roman Roads, Rivers, places Folder (Clean)

Gaul (Clean), Northern Italy, its Area

Milan (Mediolanum), Northern Italy (Lambro River 5)
Milan;

Mediolanium (Milan), Gaul, Northern Italy (Lambro River 5)
Milan;

Umbrail Pass, Italy Switzerland, connecting Santa Maria & Bormio
Umbrail Pass;

Grison Alps, Switzerland
Grison Alps

Foscagno Pass, Italy in Sondrio province
Foscagno Pass;

Gavia Pass, Italy between two provinces
Gavia Pass;

Stelvio Pass, Italy and Switzerland
Stelvio Pass

Adige Source Reschen Pass, connecting Tyrol Austria with Tyrol Italy
Reschen Pass

Tuscany, Northern Italy
Tuscany; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated December 7 ; CLARE OF ASSISI, NUN (11 AUGUST 1253) ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third , Commemorated on August 16 ; St Boniface the Merciful the Bishop of Ferentino, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; CATHERINE OF SIENA, REFORMER AND SPIRITUAL TEACHER (29 APR 1380); St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Northern Italy, Via Aurelia Folder - Pisa to Rome (Clean)

Northern Italy, 1000, 11th C Folder, Walk to Canossa (Clean)

Northern Italy, Amber Road Folder (Clean)

Gaul (Clean), Belgium, Roman Roads, Rivers, places, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus

Gaul (Clean), Belgium, its Area, includes Germanicus Limes, German Frontier

Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus (Clean)

South America Folder

South America or Latin America
Latin America ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commended June 25;

Latin America (South America, Central America, French Canada)
Latin America ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commended June 25;

South America, Veneszuela and Guyana Folder, Northern SA Folder

Orinoco River

Venezuela, Northern South America
Venezuela; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Orinoco River Source (along the border)

Orinoco River Delta

Orinoco River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Guyana, Northern South America (Guyana Rivers)
Guyana; Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

French Guiana 1

French Guiana 2

French Guiana 3

South (Clean) America, Veneszuela and Guyana Folder, Northern SA Folder

Veneszuela (Clean), its Area

Guyana (Clean), its Area, British on left, French on right, and Suritame in middle

Guyana, its Area
Guyana, its Area Guyana;

Venezuela, Northern South America
Venezuela;

Guyana, Northern South America (Guyana Rivers)
Guyana;

South America, Brazil Folder, Northcentral, and Eastern SA

Brazil
Brazil; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7;

Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7;

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro; Central Diocese; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7; EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL;

Guanabara Bay
Guanabara Bay;

Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil (Lagoon of the Ducks)
Lagoa dos Patos; Southern Diocese; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7; EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL;

Porto Alegre, Brazil (five rivers converge, Rio Guaiba, Guaiba Lake)
Porto Alegre; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7; EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL;

Amazon River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Amazon River 1 (Main Branch Amazon)

Amazon River 2 (Main Branch Amazon)

Amazon River 3 (Jurua River)

Jurua River Mouth (Amazon River 3)

Amazon River 4 (Tapajos River)

Tapajos River Source (along the border)

Tapajos River Mouth (Amazon River 4)

Amazon River 5 (Madeira River)

Madeira River Mouth (Amazon River 5)

Amazon River 6 (Purus River)

Purus River Mouth (Amazon River 6)

Amazon River 7

Amazon River 7 Source (along the border)

Amazon River 8 (Putumayo River)

Source of the Putumayo 200 miles from Pacific Ocean
Source of the Putumayo is only 200 miles from Pacific Ocean, in a straight line passing through Pasto, Columbia.

Putumayo River Source (200 miles from Pacific)

Putumayo River Mouth (Amazon River Main Branch)

Putumayo River

Amazon River 9

Amazon River 10 (Maranon River)

Amazon River 11

Amazon River 13 (Negro River, blackwater)

Negro River Mouth (Amazon River 13)

Araguaia River 1 (Tocantins River Mouth)

Araguaia River Mouth

Araguaia River

Tocantins River Mouth (Araguaia River)

Tocantins River

South America, Bolivia River, Southcentral SA Folder

Bolivia, South America
Bolivia, South America; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7;

Altiplano Plateau (Bolivian Plateau)

Bolivian River 1

Bolivian river 2 - Piray River from Source 1

Piray River Source 1

Piray River 1 (near Quirusillas)

Bolivian River 3 - Piray River from Source 2

Piray River Source 2

Bolivian River 4

Bolivian River 5

Bolivian river 7 - Mother of God River

South America, Peru Folder, Western SA Folder

Peru (Lima)
Peru ; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ;

South America, Peru, 1606-1617, Saint, Rose of Lima, Embroidery, gardening, flowers, care for sick and hungary
Lima, Peru; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ; of Lima (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 – 24 August 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of cultivation of beauty and her care of the poverty stricken of the city through her own private efforts. Saint Rose de Lima was born to a Noble Family and is the Patron Saint of embroidery, gardening and cultivation of blooming flowers. A lay member of the Dominican Order, she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church, being the first person born in the Americas to be canonized as such.[1] a saint, Rose of Lima has been designated as a co-patroness of the Philippines along with Saint Pudentiana; both saints were moved to second-class patronage in September 1942 by Pope Pius XII, but Rose remains the primary patroness of Peru and of the local people of Latin America. Her image is featured on the highest denomination banknote of Peru. was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, then in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on 20 April 1586. She was one of the many children of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier in the Imperial Spanish army, born in Puerto Rico,[3] and his wife, María de Oliva y Herrera, a criolla native of Lima. Her later nickname "Rose" comes from an incident in her infancy: a servant claimed to have seen her face transform into a rose. In 1597 Isabel was confirmed by the Archbishop of Lima, Toribio de Mogrovejo, who was also to be declared a saint. She formally took the name of Rose (Rosa in Spanish) at that time.[4] a young girl, in emulation of the noted Dominican tertiary Catherine of Siena, she began to fast three times a week and performed severe penances in secret. When she was admired for her beauty, Rose cut off her hair and rubbed pepper on her face, upset that men were beginning to take notice of her.[5] She rejected all suitors against the objections of her friends and her family. Despite the censure of her parents, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily, an extremely rare practice in that period. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents who wished her to marry.[4] Finally, out of frustration, her father gave her a room to herself in the family home. glass window by Harry Clarke, located in St. Michael's Church, Ballinasloe, Ireland, depicting Saint Rose burning her hands in an act of penance. daily fasting, she took to permanently abstaining from eating meat. She helped the sick and hungry around her community, bringing them to her room and taking care of them. Rose sold her fine needlework, and took flowers that she grew to market, to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor, and she prayed and did penance in a little grotto that she had built. Otherwise, she became a recluse, leaving her room only for her visits to church.[5] attracted the attention of the friars of the Dominican Order. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so she instead entered the Third Order of St. Dominic while living in her parents' home. In her twentieth year she donned the habit of a tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She only allowed herself to sleep two hours a night at most, so that she had more hours to devote to prayer.[6] She donned a heavy crown made of silver, with small spikes on the inside, in emulation of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ.[5] eleven years she lived this way, with intervals of ecstasy, and eventually died on 24 August 1617, at the young age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, attended by all the public authorities of Lima. Her feast day is on the 23rd day of August (the 30th day of August in the Traditional calendar). of Saint Rose in 17th-century Lima was beatified by Pope Clement IX on 10 May 1667, and canonized on 12 April 1671, by Pope Clement X, and was the first Catholic in the Americas to be declared a saint.[1] Her shrine, alongside those of her friends Martin de Porres and John Macias, is currently located inside of the convent of Saint Dominic in Lima. The Catholic Church says that many miracles followed her death: there were stories that she had cured a leper, and that, at the time of her death, the city of Lima smelled like roses; roses also started falling from the sky. Many places in the New World are named Santa Rosa after her. Rose of Lima; facial reconstruction and Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima, Peru where the remains of St. Rose of Lima rest liturgical feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1729 for celebration initially on 30 August, because 24 August, the date of her death, is the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and 30 August was the closest date not already allocated to a well-known saint.[7] Pope Paul VI's 1969 revision of the calendar made 23 August available, the day on which her feast day is now celebrated throughout the world, including Spain, but excluding Peru and some other Latin American countries, where 30 August is a public holiday in her honor. is honored together with Martin de Porres and Toribio de Mogrovejo with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on 23 August. lives of Rosa were written by the Dominican Father Hansen, "Vita Sanctae Rosae" (2 vols., Rome, 1664–1668), and Vicente Orsini, afterward. Pope Benedict XIII wrote "Concentus Dominicano, Bononiensis ecclesia, in album Sanctorum Ludovici Bertrandi et Rosae de Sancta Maria, ordinero praedicatorum" (Venice, 1674). is a park named for her in downtown Sacramento, California.[8] A plot of land at 7th and K streets was given to the Catholic Church by Peter Burnett, first Governor of the State of California. Father Peter Anderson built one of the first of two churches in the diocese to be consecrated under the patronage of St. Rose.[9] the Caribbean twin-island state of Trinidad and Tobago, the Santa Rosa Carib Community, located in Arima, is the largest organization of indigenous peoples on the island.[10] The second oldest parish in the Diocese of Port of Spain is also named after this saint. The Santa Rosa Church, which is located in the town of Arima, was established on 20 April 1786, as the Indian Mission of Santa Rosa de Arima, on the foundations of a Capuchin Mission previously established in 1749.[11] the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia there are two flower festivals supported by their Societies. Each society has a patron saint on whose feast day the grande fete is celebrated. For the Roses it is the feast of St. Rose of Lima on 30 August; and for the Marguerites it is that of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 17 October.[12] skull, surmounted with a crown of roses, is on public display at the Basilica in Lima, Peru, along with that of St. Martin de Porres. It was customary to keep the torso in the basilica and pass the head around the country. Rose is the patroness of the Americas,[4] the indigenous people of the Americas, and of Peru, especially the city of Lima, Sittard in the Netherlands, and of India and Philippines.

Lima, Peru
Lima, Peru; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ; of Lima (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 – 24 August 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of cultivation of beauty and her care of the poverty stricken of the city through her own private efforts. Saint Rose de Lima was born to a Noble Family and is the Patron Saint of embroidery, gardening and cultivation of blooming flowers. A lay member of the Dominican Order, she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church, being the first person born in the Americas to be canonized as such.[1] a saint, Rose of Lima has been designated as a co-patroness of the Philippines along with Saint Pudentiana; both saints were moved to second-class patronage in September 1942 by Pope Pius XII, but Rose remains the primary patroness of Peru and of the local people of Latin America. Her image is featured on the highest denomination banknote of Peru. was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, then in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on 20 April 1586. She was one of the many children of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier in the Imperial Spanish army, born in Puerto Rico,[3] and his wife, María de Oliva y Herrera, a criolla native of Lima. Her later nickname "Rose" comes from an incident in her infancy: a servant claimed to have seen her face transform into a rose. In 1597 Isabel was confirmed by the Archbishop of Lima, Toribio de Mogrovejo, who was also to be declared a saint. She formally took the name of Rose (Rosa in Spanish) at that time.[4] a young girl, in emulation of the noted Dominican tertiary Catherine of Siena, she began to fast three times a week and performed severe penances in secret. When she was admired for her beauty, Rose cut off her hair and rubbed pepper on her face, upset that men were beginning to take notice of her.[5] She rejected all suitors against the objections of her friends and her family. Despite the censure of her parents, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily, an extremely rare practice in that period. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents who wished her to marry.[4] Finally, out of frustration, her father gave her a room to herself in the family home. glass window by Harry Clarke, located in St. Michael's Church, Ballinasloe, Ireland, depicting Saint Rose burning her hands in an act of penance. daily fasting, she took to permanently abstaining from eating meat. She helped the sick and hungry around her community, bringing them to her room and taking care of them. Rose sold her fine needlework, and took flowers that she grew to market, to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor, and she prayed and did penance in a little grotto that she had built. Otherwise, she became a recluse, leaving her room only for her visits to church.[5] attracted the attention of the friars of the Dominican Order. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so she instead entered the Third Order of St. Dominic while living in her parents' home. In her twentieth year she donned the habit of a tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She only allowed herself to sleep two hours a night at most, so that she had more hours to devote to prayer.[6] She donned a heavy crown made of silver, with small spikes on the inside, in emulation of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ.[5] eleven years she lived this way, with intervals of ecstasy, and eventually died on 24 August 1617, at the young age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, attended by all the public authorities of Lima. Her feast day is on the 23rd day of August (the 30th day of August in the Traditional calendar). of Saint Rose in 17th-century Lima was beatified by Pope Clement IX on 10 May 1667, and canonized on 12 April 1671, by Pope Clement X, and was the first Catholic in the Americas to be declared a saint.[1] Her shrine, alongside those of her friends Martin de Porres and John Macias, is currently located inside of the convent of Saint Dominic in Lima. The Catholic Church says that many miracles followed her death: there were stories that she had cured a leper, and that, at the time of her death, the city of Lima smelled like roses; roses also started falling from the sky. Many places in the New World are named Santa Rosa after her. Rose of Lima; facial reconstruction and Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima, Peru where the remains of St. Rose of Lima rest liturgical feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1729 for celebration initially on 30 August, because 24 August, the date of her death, is the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and 30 August was the closest date not already allocated to a well-known saint.[7] Pope Paul VI's 1969 revision of the calendar made 23 August available, the day on which her feast day is now celebrated throughout the world, including Spain, but excluding Peru and some other Latin American countries, where 30 August is a public holiday in her honor. is honored together with Martin de Porres and Toribio de Mogrovejo with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on 23 August. lives of Rosa were written by the Dominican Father Hansen, "Vita Sanctae Rosae" (2 vols., Rome, 1664–1668), and Vicente Orsini, afterward. Pope Benedict XIII wrote "Concentus Dominicano, Bononiensis ecclesia, in album Sanctorum Ludovici Bertrandi et Rosae de Sancta Maria, ordinero praedicatorum" (Venice, 1674). is a park named for her in downtown Sacramento, California.[8] A plot of land at 7th and K streets was given to the Catholic Church by Peter Burnett, first Governor of the State of California. Father Peter Anderson built one of the first of two churches in the diocese to be consecrated under the patronage of St. Rose.[9] the Caribbean twin-island state of Trinidad and Tobago, the Santa Rosa Carib Community, located in Arima, is the largest organization of indigenous peoples on the island.[10] The second oldest parish in the Diocese of Port of Spain is also named after this saint. The Santa Rosa Church, which is located in the town of Arima, was established on 20 April 1786, as the Indian Mission of Santa Rosa de Arima, on the foundations of a Capuchin Mission previously established in 1749.[11] the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia there are two flower festivals supported by their Societies. Each society has a patron saint on whose feast day the grande fete is celebrated. For the Roses it is the feast of St. Rose of Lima on 30 August; and for the Marguerites it is that of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 17 October.[12] skull, surmounted with a crown of roses, is on public display at the Basilica in Lima, Peru, along with that of St. Martin de Porres. It was customary to keep the torso in the basilica and pass the head around the country. Rose is the patroness of the Americas,[4] the indigenous people of the Americas, and of Peru, especially the city of Lima, Sittard in the Netherlands, and of India and Philippines.

Peru, Lima, Peru
Lima, Peru; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ; of Lima (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 – 24 August 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of cultivation of beauty and her care of the poverty stricken of the city through her own private efforts. Saint Rose de Lima was born to a Noble Family and is the Patron Saint of embroidery, gardening and cultivation of blooming flowers. A lay member of the Dominican Order, she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church, being the first person born in the Americas to be canonized as such.[1] a saint, Rose of Lima has been designated as a co-patroness of the Philippines along with Saint Pudentiana; both saints were moved to second-class patronage in September 1942 by Pope Pius XII, but Rose remains the primary patroness of Peru and of the local people of Latin America. Her image is featured on the highest denomination banknote of Peru. was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, then in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on 20 April 1586. She was one of the many children of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier in the Imperial Spanish army, born in Puerto Rico,[3] and his wife, María de Oliva y Herrera, a criolla native of Lima. Her later nickname "Rose" comes from an incident in her infancy: a servant claimed to have seen her face transform into a rose. In 1597 Isabel was confirmed by the Archbishop of Lima, Toribio de Mogrovejo, who was also to be declared a saint. She formally took the name of Rose (Rosa in Spanish) at that time.[4] a young girl, in emulation of the noted Dominican tertiary Catherine of Siena, she began to fast three times a week and performed severe penances in secret. When she was admired for her beauty, Rose cut off her hair and rubbed pepper on her face, upset that men were beginning to take notice of her.[5] She rejected all suitors against the objections of her friends and her family. Despite the censure of her parents, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, which she received daily, an extremely rare practice in that period. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents who wished her to marry.[4] Finally, out of frustration, her father gave her a room to herself in the family home. glass window by Harry Clarke, located in St. Michael's Church, Ballinasloe, Ireland, depicting Saint Rose burning her hands in an act of penance. daily fasting, she took to permanently abstaining from eating meat. She helped the sick and hungry around her community, bringing them to her room and taking care of them. Rose sold her fine needlework, and took flowers that she grew to market, to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor, and she prayed and did penance in a little grotto that she had built. Otherwise, she became a recluse, leaving her room only for her visits to church.[5] attracted the attention of the friars of the Dominican Order. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so she instead entered the Third Order of St. Dominic while living in her parents' home. In her twentieth year she donned the habit of a tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She only allowed herself to sleep two hours a night at most, so that she had more hours to devote to prayer.[6] She donned a heavy crown made of silver, with small spikes on the inside, in emulation of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ.[5] eleven years she lived this way, with intervals of ecstasy, and eventually died on 24 August 1617, at the young age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, attended by all the public authorities of Lima. Her feast day is on the 23rd day of August (the 30th day of August in the Traditional calendar). of Saint Rose in 17th-century Lima was beatified by Pope Clement IX on 10 May 1667, and canonized on 12 April 1671, by Pope Clement X, and was the first Catholic in the Americas to be declared a saint.[1] Her shrine, alongside those of her friends Martin de Porres and John Macias, is currently located inside of the convent of Saint Dominic in Lima. The Catholic Church says that many miracles followed her death: there were stories that she had cured a leper, and that, at the time of her death, the city of Lima smelled like roses; roses also started falling from the sky. Many places in the New World are named Santa Rosa after her. Rose of Lima; facial reconstruction and Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima, Peru where the remains of St. Rose of Lima rest liturgical feast was inserted into the General Roman Calendar in 1729 for celebration initially on 30 August, because 24 August, the date of her death, is the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and 30 August was the closest date not already allocated to a well-known saint.[7] Pope Paul VI's 1969 revision of the calendar made 23 August available, the day on which her feast day is now celebrated throughout the world, including Spain, but excluding Peru and some other Latin American countries, where 30 August is a public holiday in her honor. is honored together with Martin de Porres and Toribio de Mogrovejo with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on 23 August. lives of Rosa were written by the Dominican Father Hansen, "Vita Sanctae Rosae" (2 vols., Rome, 1664–1668), and Vicente Orsini, afterward. Pope Benedict XIII wrote "Concentus Dominicano, Bononiensis ecclesia, in album Sanctorum Ludovici Bertrandi et Rosae de Sancta Maria, ordinero praedicatorum" (Venice, 1674). is a park named for her in downtown Sacramento, California.[8] A plot of land at 7th and K streets was given to the Catholic Church by Peter Burnett, first Governor of the State of California. Father Peter Anderson built one of the first of two churches in the diocese to be consecrated under the patronage of St. Rose.[9] the Caribbean twin-island state of Trinidad and Tobago, the Santa Rosa Carib Community, located in Arima, is the largest organization of indigenous peoples on the island.[10] The second oldest parish in the Diocese of Port of Spain is also named after this saint. The Santa Rosa Church, which is located in the town of Arima, was established on 20 April 1786, as the Indian Mission of Santa Rosa de Arima, on the foundations of a Capuchin Mission previously established in 1749.[11] the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia there are two flower festivals supported by their Societies. Each society has a patron saint on whose feast day the grande fete is celebrated. For the Roses it is the feast of St. Rose of Lima on 30 August; and for the Marguerites it is that of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, 17 October.[12] skull, surmounted with a crown of roses, is on public display at the Basilica in Lima, Peru, along with that of St. Martin de Porres. It was customary to keep the torso in the basilica and pass the head around the country. Rose is the patroness of the Americas,[4] the indigenous people of the Americas, and of Peru, especially the city of Lima, Sittard in the Netherlands, and of India and Philippines.

Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru; Lima, Peru; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ;

Paita, Peru (600 miles northwest of Lima)
Paita, Peru (600 miles northwest of Lima) ; TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated 23 August, 1606;

Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima
Third Order of Saint Dominic worldwide ; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ;

Huallaga River

Huallaga River Mouth (Maranon River)

Maranon River

Maranon River Source (160k NE of Lima, Peru)
Maranon River;

160k northeast of Lima, Peru (Source of Maranon River)

Maranon River 1
Maranon River;

Maranon River Mouth (Amazon River Source)

Ucayali River

Ucayali River Source (a confluence)

Ucayali River Mouth (Amazon River Source)

Tambo River

Pawkartampu River

Pawkartampu River Mouth (Perene River)

Chanchamayu River

Chanchamayu River Mouth (Perene River Source)

Tambo River Mouth (Ucayali River Source)

Mantaro River Source (Lake Junin)
Mantaro River;

Chila mountain range, Mt Misimi
Chila mountain range; Mt Misimi;

Apurimac River Source (Mt Misimi, Peru)
Apurmac River;

Perene River

Perene River Source (a confluence)

Ene River

Ene River Source (a confluence)
Ene River;

Mantaro River

Urubamba River

Urubamba River Source (southeast of Cuzco)

Urubamba River Pongo de Mainique (a whitewater canyon)
Pongo de Mainique, a whitewater canyon that divides the Upper and Lower Urbamba River areas;

Urubamba River Source (a confluence)
Urubamba River;

Urubamba River Mouth (Ucayali River Source)

Tambo River Source (a confluence)
Tambo River;

Apurimac River

South America, Argentina Folder, Southern SA Folder

Argentina
Argentina; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31 ; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7;

Patagonia, Argentina (and Chile)
Patagonia; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

British Empire - Falkland Islands, Argentine Sea
British Empire - Falkland Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Argentine Sea
British Empire - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - British Antarctica Territory
British Empire - British Antarctica Territory; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Tristan da Cunha Islands
British Empire - Tristan da Cunha Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

South America, Argentina, Paraguay, Paraguay River Folder

Paraguay River

Pantanal Wetlands (54,000 to 75,000 sq miles)

Paraguay River Source (Parecis Plateau)

Paraguay River Mouth (Parana River 5 at Corrientes)

Pilcomayo River

Pilcomayo River Source (Andes Mountains)
Andes Mountains;

Pilcomayo River Mouth (Asuncion, Paraguay River)
Pilcomayo River;

Bermejo River

Bermejo River Source (along the border)

Bermejo River Mouth (Paraguay River at Parana River)

South America, Argentina, Parana River Folder

Parana River

Paranaba River Source (Minas Gerais)

Paranaiba River Mouth (Parana River Souce)

Parana River Source (Minas Gerais)

Parana River Mouth (River of Silver)

Rio Grande River (Parana River)

Mantiqueira Mountains
Mantiqueira Mountains ;

Rio Grande River Source (Mantiqueira Mountains)
Rio Grande River Source (Mantiqueira Mountains);

Rio Grande Mouth (Parana River Source)

Rio Grande River 2

Rio Grande River second source near Rio

Tiete River

Tiete River Source (Sao Paulo)

Tiete River Mouth (Parana River)

Paranapanema River

Paranapanema River Source (Serra dos Agudos)

Paranapanema River (Brazilia)

Paranapanema River Mouth (Parana River)

Iguazu River

Triple Frontier (Paraguay, Argintina and Brazil)

Iguazu River Source (Serra du Mar)

Iguazu Falls
Iguazu Falls;

Iguazu River Mouth (Parana River)
Iguazu River Mouth (Parana River) ;

Salado River

Salado River Source (Salta Provence)

Salado River Mouth (Parana River)

South America, Argentina, Uruguay, Uruguay River Folder

Uruguay River

Uruguay River Source

Uruguay River Mouth (River of Silver)

Canoas River

Canoas River (Santa Catarina) Source (Serra do Mar)

Canoas River (Santa Catarina) River Mouth (Uraguay River Source)

Ibicu River

Ibicu River Source

Santa Maria, Argentina (Rio Grande do Sul)
Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Southwest Diocese; a highway and railway hub ; PIONEERS OF THE EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, Commemorated June 7 ; EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL;

Ibicu River Mouth (Uraguay River)

Negro River

Negro River Source

Negro River Mouth (Uruguay River)

South America, Argentina, Colorado River Folder

Colorado River Source (Black Lake)

Colorado River 1

Colorado River 2

Colorado River 3

Colorado River 10 (Desaguadero River)

Colorado River 10.5

Colorado River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Desaguadero River

Desaguadero River Source (a spring)

Desaguadero River 1

Desaguadero River 2

Desaguadero River 3

Desaguadero River 5 (Jachal River)

Desaguadero River 6 (San Juan River)

Desaguadero River 7 (Tunayan River)

Desaguadero River Mouth (Colorado River 10)

Jachal River

Jachal River Source

Jachal River Mouth (Desaguadero River 5)

San Juan River Source

San Juan River (San Juan)

San Juan River Mouth (Desaguadero River 6)

Tunuyan River

Tunuyan River 1 (Rivadavia)

Tunuyan River 2

Tunuyan River 3

Tunuyan River Mouth (Desguadero River 7)

South America, Argentina, Buenos Aires Folder

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires; JOHN BOSCO PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

Rio de la Plata Basin, Argentina
Rio de la Plata Basin ;

River of Silver Estuary (Re­o de la Plata)

River of Silver (Rio de la Plata) Estuary

Sicily and Southern Italy Folder

Sicily, Southern Italy
Sicily;

Southern Italy
Southern Italy; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated January 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Rescuer of the Drowning", Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; Virginmartyr Euthalia of Sicily, Commemorated on March 2; Monkmartyr Conon and his son of Iconium, Commemorated on March 6; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Martyr Modestus at Lucania, Commemorated on June 15; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23;

Catania, East Central Sicily
Catania;

Agrigentum, Sicily
Agrigentum;

Calabria area, Southern Italy (the toe)
Calabria Region;

Heraclea Lucania, Southern Italy
Heraclea Lucania;

Ionian Sea

Leontii, Sicily
Leontii;

Lipari Island, Sicily, Southern Italy
Lipari, Italy ;

Lucania, Southern Italy (Lucanium, the instep, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia)
Lucania;

monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone, Basilicata
monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone, Basilicata;

Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia)
Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia); also known by its ancient name Lucania is an administrative region in Southern Italy, on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. has two coastlines: a 30-km stretch on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania and Calabria, and a longer coastline along the Gulf of Taranto between Calabria and Apulia. region can be thought of as the "instep" of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the "toe" and Apulia the "heel". region covers about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi). In 2010 the population was slightly under 600,000. The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera.[8][9] inhabitants are generally known as Lucanians (Italian: Lucani), although this ethnonym should properly refer to ancient Lucania's populations; and, to a lesser extent, as Basilicatesi or Basilischi.[10]

Apulia Region of Italy (the heel, toe is Calabria, instep is Lucania or Basilicata), Bari and Brindisi
Apulia Region of Italy (the heel, toe is Calabria, instep is Lucania or Basilicata);

Malta (independent country near Sicily)
Malta ; knights of Rhodes;

Messina, Sicily, Southern Italy
Messana or Messina ;

Mount Aetna, Sicily
Mount Aetna

Palermo, Sicily
Palermo;

Province of Palermo, Sicily
Province of Palermo;

Castronovo, Sicily, Palermo Provence
Castronovo, Sicily;

Province of Syracuse, Sicily
Province of Syracuse;

Province of Enna, High Point of Enna
Province of Enna;

Scillato, Sicily, Southern Italy
Scillato, Sicily, Southern Italy;

monastery of Saint Philip at Agira, Enna Provence (High Point)
monastery of Saint Philip at Agira;

Syracuse, Sicily

Tauromenium (Taormina), Sicily, Southern Italy
Taormina;

Cucomo, Sicily
Cucomo, Sicily;

Demena, Sicily, (on coast N or Mt Aetna)
Demena, Sicily;

Mount Turri

Sicily and Southern Italy 40-1798, Sicily and Southern Italy History Folder

Sicily, 000, 1st C Folder, Peter's disciples Bishop Pancratius, Bishop martyr Marcellus, & Bishop wonderworker Cyril

Sicily, 40-50, Pancratius, disciple of Peter, Antioch native, Pontus cave, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily
Sicily, 40-50, First Century Saint Pancratius, disciple of Peter, Antioch native, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9; Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina, was born when our Lord Jesus Christ yet lived upon the earth. parents of Pancratius were natives of Antioch. Hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, Pancratius’ father took his young son with him and went to Jerusalem in order to see the great Teacher for himself. The miracles astonished him, and when he heard the divine teaching, he then believed in Christ as the Son of God. He became close with the disciples of the Lord, especially with the holy Apostle Peter. It was during this period that young Pancratius got to know the holy Apostle Peter. the Ascension of the Savior, one of the Apostles came to Antioch and baptized the parents of Pancratius together with all their household. When the parents of Pancratius died, he left behind his inherited possessions and went to Pontus and began to live in a cave, spendng his days in prayer and deep spiritual contemplation. The holy Apostle Peter, while passing through those parts, visited Pancratius at Pontus. He took him along to Antioch, and then to Sicily, where the holy Apostle Paul then was. There the holy Apostles Peter and Paul made Saint Pancratius Bishop of Taormina in Sicily. Pancratius toiled zealously for the Christian enlightenment of the people. In a single month he built a church where he celebrated divine services. The number of believers quickly grew, and soon almost all the people of Taormina and the surrounding cities accepted the Christian Faith. Pancratius governed his flock peacefully for many years. However, pagans plotted against the saint, and seizing an appropriate moment, they fell upon him and stoned him. Thus, Saint Pancratius ended his life as a martyr. saint’s relics are in the church named for him in Rome. He is also commemorated on February 9.

Sicily, 40-50, Marcellus, Hieromartyr, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ

Sicily, 40-50, Pancratius Hieromartyr of Taormina, Sicily, Southern Italy, disciple of Peter, Bishop, death for spreading faith of Christ

Sicily, 40-90, Cyril, Bishop of Catania, Sicily, Peter's Antioch disciple, wonderworker, sweetened bitter water, old age
Sicily, 40-90, Cyril, Bishop of Catania, Sicily, from Antioch, Peter's disciple, pious, wonderworker, sweetened bitter water, old age; Catania; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Cyril was born in Antioch. was a disciple of the Apostle Peter (June 29, January 16), installed him as Bishop of Catania in Sicily. Cyril wisely guided his flock; he was pious, and the Lord granted him the gift of wonderworking. his prayer the bitter water in a certain spring lost its bitterness and became drinkable. This miracle converted many pagans to Christianity. Cyril died in old age and was buried in Sicily.

Sicily, 200, 3rd C Folder, Babylas oSicily converted many, Martyred

Sicily, 249-251, Agatha oPalermo, wealthy beautiful 15yrold, declined pagan sac, Breasts cutoff, healed bApstl Peter, earthquake
Sicily and Southern Italy, 249-251,Agatha oPalermo, Sicily, wealthy beautiful 15yrold daughter, rich respected christian parents. Catania city perfect Quintianus heard of her, brought her to trial as christian, first put her with woman and five daughters, they tempted her with fine clothes, amusements, entertainment, urged her to sacrifice pagan, she declined resolutely, she prayed for martyrdom, cruel torments, tongs tried remove her breasts, failed so used knives, Apostle Peter appeared and healed her wonds, Quintians astonished, but torture once more, earthquake, many buildings destroyed, people killed, incl 2 Q's advisors, inhabitants terrified, demand tortures stop, she martyred in prison; Palermo; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ; Holy Virgin Martyr Agatha was the fifteen-year-old daughter of rich and respected Christian parents from the city of Palermo (formerly Panormos) in Sicily. the persecution under the emperor Decius (249-251), city prefect of Catania, Quintianus, heard about Agatha’s wealth and beauty, his soldiers after her to bring her to trial as a Christian. Catania they housed the saint with a certain rich woman, who had five daughters. all attempted to tempt Saint Agatha with fine clothes, amusements and entertainment, her to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, the saint disdained all these things. The more they tried to move her, the more resolute she became. prayed that she might soon face martyrdom. her interrogation under Quintianus, the holy martyr was swayed neither by the flattery, nor by the threats, she was subjected to cruel torments. also tried to remove her breasts with metal tongs, when this failed, they used knives. holy Apostle Peter appeared to her in prison and healed her wounds. Agatha was led to torture again, and Quintianus was astonished to see her completely healed, with no trace of cutting. the torture began once more. this moment an earthquake took place in the city, and many buildings were destroyed. those killed were two of Quintianus’s advisors. terrified inhabitants rushed to Quintianus, demanding an end to Agatha’s tortures. a revolt by the people, Quintianus sent Saint Agatha back to prison. the martyr, offering thanks to God, peacefully surrendered her soul to the Lord.

Sicily, 250 3rd C, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died
Sicily, 250, 3rd Century, Babylas of Sicily, Southern Italy, fasting prayer silence, converted many, arested, tortured, died; Sicily; Martyr Babylas of Sicily, Commemorated January 24 ; Holy Martyrs Babylas of Sicily and his two disciples Timothy and Agapius lived during the third century on the outskirts of Rome. Saint Babylas was born in the city of Reupolium into a rich family, and he was raised by his parents in the Christian Faith. still in his youth he abandoned the world, secretly going from the house of his parents to a mountain, where he spent all his time in fasting, prayer and silence. two disciples, Timothy and Agapius, labored with him. Fleeing a persecution by the pagans, he went with his disciples to the island of Sicily, where they converted many unbelievers to Christ. governor of the island, angered by the missionary activity of Saint Babylas, ordered that he and his disciples be arrested, and he also had them tortured. The saints patiently endured their sufferings, and all three died by the sword. Their bodies were thrown into a fire, but the flames did not harm the warriors of Christ. They were buried on the island of Sicily by local Christians.

Sicily, 300, 4th C Folder, LUCY OF ROME

Sicily, 303-304, LUCY OF ROME, Syracuse, Sicily, virginity, rejected suitor, denounced, to be defiled, not burned, cut throat
Sicily, 303-304, LUCY OF ROME, Syracuse, Sicily, virginity vow, rejected suitor, who denounced her as a christian, sentenced to be defiled, saved from that, attempted to burn her, not harmed, killed by sword to the throat, light, aflictions of eyes, blinded tradition, eyesight restored ; of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia or Saint Lucy, a Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches. is one of eight women (including Saint Mary) explicitly commemorated by Roman Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. traditional feast day, known in Europe as Saint Lucy's Day, is observed by Western Christians on 13 December. of Syracuse was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England.[3] Syracuse, Sicily Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13 ; Lucy was born in Syracuse, Sicily during the reign of Diocletian. distributed her wealth to the poor, and made a vow of virginity. Since she refused to marry him, a rejected suitor denounced her to the prefect Paschasius as a Christian, and she was arrested. She was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, but with God’s help she preserved her purity. the pagans attempted to burn her alive, but she was not harmed by the fire. Finally, she was killed by a sword thrust to the throat. name Lucy (Lucia) is derived for the Latin word for light (lux), and so she is often invoked for afflictions of the eyes. There is a tradition that she was blinded by her torturers, and the church of San Giovanni Maggiore in Naples even claims to possess her eyes. ’s saint should not be confused with Saint Lucy of Campania (July 6). LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13 ; early Roman lists of martyrs commemorate Lucy, virgin and martyr, on 13 December, and her name, with that of Agatha, appears in the Roman Liturgy as an example of those who have gone before us, in whose company we join in giving thanks and praise to God. from this, little is known of her, except that she lived in Syracuse in Sicily, and probably died around 304. name, which means "light," probably accounts for the story that her eyes were put out and her eyesight miraculously restored, may be connected with the fact that her feast occurs near the time when (in the Northern Hemisphere) the nights are longest. Sweden and elsewhere, the day is observed by having one of the daughters of the house dress in a white robe with a crown of lighted candles and go singing from room to room (presumably followed by an adult with a fire extinguisher) early in the morning when it is still dark to awaken the other family members and to offer them St. Lucy's Cakes and hot coffee. Wednesday (of the winter season) is defined as the Wednesday after Lucy's Day. (An equivalent definition would be: the Wednesday preceding the last Sunday before Christmas.) by James Kiefer

Sicily, 500, 6th C Folder, wonderworker Gregory oAgrigentum &harlot s, Bartholomew's relics oLipari Is, 440 Slain by Lombards

Sicily, 546-630, Gregory o Agrigentum, Sicily, 553 council, Pope chosen b, harlot lies, prison, gifts fame, delivers h for truth
Sicily, 546-630, Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Sicily, gifted, message angel to Jerusalem, Mt Olives monastic 1 yr, desert elder 4 yrs, 553 council, Rome, Pope chosen bishop of A, did well but harlot lies, frenzied rage, sorcery charge, pope prison, prayer and wonderworking gifts became known, heals Marcian at prison, delivers harlot, she tells truth; Agrigentum; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum, was born on the island of Sicily, in the village of Pretorium, not far from the city of Agrigentum, of the pious parents Chariton and Theodota. infant Gregory was baptized by the bishop of Agrigentum, Pataimonus. ten years of age the studious boy mastered writing and was able to read, and to sing church hymns. twelve years of age Saint Gregory was given to the clergy, and he was put under the spiritual guidance of the archdeacon Donatus. Gregory spent the next ten years in the Agrigentum church. however, an angel of the Lord appeared to the holy youth, who had a fervent desire to visit Jerusalem, and said that God had blessed his intention. Jerusalem Saint Gregory was presented to Patriarch Macarius (563-574), who retained the pious youth for service in his own cathedral church, ordaining him deacon. soul of Saint Gregory thirsted for monastic labors, and the Patriarch gave his blessing, allowing him go to a monastery on the Mount of Olives. a year Saint Gregory departed this monastery for a desert Elder, who for four years taught him spiritual wisdom, humility and the principles of monastic life. ascetic, foreseeing in Saint Gregory a future great luminary of the Church, gave him a blessing to forsake the solitary life. left the Elder, Saint Gregory dwelt for a certain time at Jerusalem, and then went to Constantinople, where he was received with love by the brethren of the monastery of the holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. ascetic efforts of Saint Gregory were noticed by Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople (552-565), at whose insistence the saint participated in the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553). the completion of the Council Saint Gregory set off for Rome, to venerate the graves of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. this time the bishop of Agrigentum died. The elder clergy and illustrious citizens of Agrigentum journeyed to Rome with a request for the Pope to determine a successor for their late hierarch from among a list of candidates they were presenting. Pope, however, declined their proposal through divine inspiration, and instead summoned Saint Gregory to serve them as bishop. a few years Saint Gregory peacefully guided the flock entrusted to him by God. He was a defender of the down-trodden, a wise preacher, and miraculous healer. archbishop, Saint Gregory led the life of an ascetic monk, fervently observing monastic vows. The flock loved their hierarch and trusted in him. there were also malicious people who had resolved to slander him. Saint Gregory was in church, these vicious people secretly led a bribed harlot into his chambers, and then in front of the crowd which accompanied the bishop to the doors of his house after services, they led her out and accused Saint Gregory of the deadly sin of fornication. placed the holy bishop under guard. The people attempted to defend their bishop, but were unsuccessful. the trial the harlot gave false testimony against Saint Gregory. Just as she pronounced the words of slander, she went into a fit of frenzied rage. judges accused the saint of sorcery. Saint Gregory was sent for judgment to the Roman bishop together with a report about his “crimes.” Pope, after reading the charges, did not want to see the accused, and gave orders to remand him to prison. The saint endured his humiliation humbly, dwelling in constant prayer. prayerful effort and wonderworking gifts quickly became known through the city and the surrounding region. Pious Romans began to gather at the prison, whom the imprisoned saint taught about the righteous life, and he implored the Lord to heal the sick. two years, a clairvoyant Elder named Mark, who had known Saint Gregory since youth, came to the Pope. The Elder did not believe the charges and he persuaded the Pope to convene a Council to decide Gregory’s case. the invitation of the Pope, many clergy from the city of Agrigentum came to the Council, together with all those making accusations against the saint, including the harlot. Constantinople three bishops and the imperial dignitary Marcian came to Rome. the way Marcian had fallen grievously ill. On the advice of many people who had received healing through the prayers of Saint Gregory, servants carried the dying man to the prison where the wonderworking saint languished. Through the prayers of Saint Gregory the Lord granted healing to Marcian. the Council the slanderers attempted to renew their accusations, and as their chief proof they presented the deranged harlot to the judge, declaring that Gregory had bewitched her. the saint prayed over her and cast out the devil. woman came to her senses and told the Council the whole truth. The slanderers were brought to shame and judged. Marcian even wanted to execute them, but Saint Gregory implored forgiveness for them. Gregory returned in honor to his own cathedral, and surrounded by the love of his flock, he guided the Church until his own peaceful demise.

Sicily, 579, 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Southern Italy, including Sanctulus and Hospicius
Sicily, 579, 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Southern Italy, including Sanctulus and Hospicius; Sicily; 440 Martyrs slain by the Lombards in Sicily, Commemorated on March 2; Martyrs Slain by the Lombards in Sicily refused to participate in idol worship and were massacred by the Lombards (a Germanic tribe) in the year 579. those who perished, the names of the presbyter Sanctulus and the hermit Hospicius have been preserved. Gregory Dialogus (March 12) has written of them.

Sicily, 599, Miraculous Transfer Bartholomew's Relics Trebizond, Black Sea to Lipari Island, Sicily

Sicily, 700, 8th C Folder, Cucomo M founder Theoctistus, Sardis Ephesus exile Euthymius on Patalareia Is

Sicily, 760, Sabinus, Bishop oCatania, withdrew tWilderness, working miracles, many became monks
Sicily, 760, Sabinus, Bishop oCatania, East Central Sicily, after some time, commotion, withdrew tWilderness, tbAlone wGod, struggled very hard, vessel oGrace, working miracles, healings deliverance prophecy, many persuaded become monks, reposed 760; Catania; St Sabinus the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated October 15 ; Saint Sabinus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Catania (+ 760), Commemorated October 15; of his many virtues, the blessed Sabinus was ordained Bishop of Catania. some time, due to the commotion that comes with the office, he withdrew into the wilderness to be alone with God. he struggled very hard in the ascetic life, and in turn was made worthy of becoming a vessel of grace through the working of miracles. healed sicknesses and diseases, banished demons from the possessed, and foretold the future. benefited many, they were persuaded by his teachings to leave the world and their parents, and become monastics for the love of Christ. reposed in peace in the year 760.

Sicily, 775-800, Theoctistus, Abbot&Founder Cucomo Monastery, Sicily, sheltered iconodule monks fIconoclast Emperors
Sicily, 775-800, Theoctistus, Abbot&Founder Cucomo Monastery, Sicily, sheltered iconodule monks fIconoclast Emperors, lived during iconoclast heresy, founder igumen Cucomo M Sicily, Orthodox persecuted bIconoclast Emperors, Churches closed, Icons desecrated&destroyed, because monks protected them expelled fMonasteries, Monasteries destroyed, T sheltered these monks aCucomo, 7th EC condemned Iconoclasts, but heresy continued, but Theodora at Council o842 finally condemned heresy; Cucomo, Sicily; Venerable Theoctistus, Abbot at Cucomo, in Sicily, Commemorated on January 4; Theoktistos lived in the second half of the eighth century, during a period of widespread iconoclastic heresy. Venerable one was the founder and Igoumen of Cucomo Monastery on the island of Sicily. that difficult time for the Church, the Orthodox were persecuted by iconoclastic Emperors. Orthodox churches were closed, and the Holy Icons were desecrated and destroyed. monks, in particular, were affected by the iconoclastic persecution because they protected the Holy Icons. The monks were expelled from their monasteries, which were destroyed, and they were forced to flee their homeland. Theoktistos sheltered these Greek monks in his monastery. Seventh Ecumenical Council, which was convened in 787, condemned the iconoclast heresy, but even after that, the heresy, supported by iconoclastic Emperors, continued to disturb the peace of the Church. in the reign of the Holy Empress Theodora, at the Council of 842, was iconoclasm finally condemned. Triumph of Orthodoxy was appointed to be celebrated every year on the first Sunday of Great Lent. Theoktistos did not live to see that Triumph, for he fell asleep in the Lord in the year 800. Theoktistos of Sicily should not be confused with Saint Theoktistos of Palestine (September 3), the companion of Saint Euthymios (January 20) in the ascetic life.

Sicily, 775-785, Leo, Bishop oCatania, Sicily, famous for many things including pulling sorcerer into fire until he burned
Sicily, 775-785, Leo, Bishop oCatania, Sicily, fRavenna, famed for benevolence, charity, christian love for the poor and wanderers, purity, spiritual life, protector oOrphans&widows, teaching, struggles against heretics, writings, healing people, working miracles, sorcerer Heliodoros deceived people wFraudulent miracles, once a christian but denied and became devil's servant, Leo urged him in vain, One time H entered tChurch to create a disturbance, Leo saw people beset by demons and knew this was the time for strong not meek action, he came out from Altar and tied his omophorion around H's neck, leading him out of the Church into City square, forced H confess wicked deeds, pulled him into a fire till he burned, Leo was not harmed, This miracle brought fame, honors, Leo reposed i785, grave healed woman oIssue oBlood, relics in Church oLucy he built then in church oSt Martin oTours in Rome; Catania; St Leo the Bishop of Catania in Sicily, Commemorated February 20; Leo was born in Ravenna, Italy, of pious and noble parents. was famed for his benevolence and charity, well as his Christian love for the poor and wanderers. completing his studies, he was ordained as a priest at Ravenna, later, because of his purity and his most spiritual life, he was consecrated as Bishop of Catania in Sicily. became the protector of orphans and widows, teaching and shepherding his flock. Saint was also distinguished for his struggles against heretics, whom he defeated and shamed, not only by his words, but also through his writings. Lord honored him with the charisms of healing people from various diseases, and of working miracles. Saint Leo's episcopate, there was a sorcerer named Heliódoros who lived in Catania and deceived people with his fraudulent miracles. was once a Christian, but then he denied the Savior and became a servant of the devil. Leo urged Heliódoros to refrain from his evil deeds and return to God, but all in vain. day Heliódoros audaciously entered the church where the bishop was performing the Divine Services, and tried to create a disturbance, sowing confusion and temptation with his sorcery. the people beset by demons under the sorcerer's spell, Saint Leo knew that the time for meek exhortation had passed. came out of the altar and tied his omophorion around the sorcerer's neck, leading him out of the church and into the city square. he forced Heliódoros to confess all his wicked deeds. he commanded that a fire be lit, and jumped into the flames with the sorcerer. they stood until Heliódoros was consumed by the fire. Leo, by God's grace, remained unharmed. miracle brought the Hierarch great renown during his lifetime, the Saint was invited to visit Constantinople by Emperors Leo IV (775 - 780) and Constantine VI (780 - 798), he received many honors. Leo reposed peacefully in 785. his death, a woman with an issue of blood received healing at his grave. Saint's body was placed in the church of the holy Martyr Lucy (December 13), which he himself had built. on, his relics were transferred to the church of Saint Martin, the Bishop of Tours (November 11) in Rome.

Sicily, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E
Ephesus, 780-842, Euthymius, Hieromartyr, Sardis, virtuous, 7th E Council, banished by 3 Emperors, tortured by 4th E; Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis, during the period of the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and the empress Irene (797-802), was chosen Bishop of Sardis because of his virtuous life. was also present at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), at which he denounced the Iconoclast heresy. the Iconoclast emperor Nikephoros I (802-811) came to rule, Saint Euthymius and other Orthodox hierarchs were banished to the island of Patalareia, where they languished for a long time. from exile by the emperor Leo V (813-820), the bishop boldly denounced the Iconoclast heresy, and they sent him into exile to the city of Assia. next emperor, Michael II the Stammerer (820-829), attempted to make him renounce icon-veneration, but without success. the holy martyr was flogged and banished to the island of Crete. was succeeded on the throne by the Iconoclast emperor Theophilus (829-842), on whose order Saint Euthymius was subjected to cruel tortures: they stretched him on four poles and beat him with ox thongs. Saint Euthymius fell asleep in the Lord several days after the torture. Saint Euthymius is also commemorated on March 8.

Sicily, 800, 9th C Folder, 820-21 Monastery founder Luke oS, Wonderworker Fantius oC, 827-1061 Muslim Conquest&Rule

Sicily, 820, Luke of Sicily, Tauromenium, left parents and fiancee for wilderness, revelation founded monastery
Sicily, 820, Luke of Sicily, Tauromenium, left parents and fiancee for wilderness, revelation founded monastery, many yrs fasting prayer, Mt Aetna, visited many monasteries searching for Rule, Died Corinth; Taormina; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; Luke of Sicily was a native of the Sicilian city of Tauromenium. In his youth he left his parents and fiancée and went into the wilderness, where he spent many years in fasting and prayer. He lived the ascetic life at Mount Aetna. the end of his life Saint Luke, because of a revelation to him, founded a monastery. In order to become familiar with the rule and life of other monasteries, he visited many other cities. He died at Corinth in 820.

Sicily, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker
Sicily and Southern Italy, 821-901, St Fantius of Calabria, Ascetic Wonderworker; Calabria Region; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari; By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Fantinus the Wonderworker was born in Calabria (Italy) of parents George and Vriena. was given over to a monastery, and from childhood he was accustomed to ascetic deeds. his youth he wandered into the wilderness, remaining often without food or clothes for twenty days. The monk spent 60 years in such exploits. the end of his life, fleeing before pursuing Saracens, he went with his disciples Vitalius and Nikēphóros to the Peloponnesos (Greece). Preaching the way of salvation, the monk visited Corinth, Athens, Larissa and Thessalonica, where he venerated the relics of the Great Martyr Demetrius (October 26). He died peacefully in extreme old age at the end of the ninth, and beginning of the tenth century. St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Sicily, 827, Arab Muslim Conquest of Sicily and Southern Italy 827

Sicily, 827-1061, Muslim Rule of Sicily and Southern Italy 827

Sicily, 900, 10th C Folder, Vitalius oCastronovo, Wealthy ascetic monastery builder

Sicily, 970-994, Vitalius oCastronovo, Sicily, wealthy, pilgrimages, Rome&Calabria, Demena, Bari, Sardinia, monastery iRapolla
Sicily, 970-994, Vitalius of Castronovo, Sicily, Palermo Provence, wealthy, fled tMonastery early, asceticism, virtue f15yrs, Rome&Calabria Pilgrimages, met Luke oDemena, went to Bari, settled on Mt Turri, Sardinia, built monastery in Rapolla, gathered monks, died 994; Castronovo, Sicily; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9; Vitalius was born in the Sicilian town of Castronovo in the X century to wealthy and pious parents, Sergius and Chrysonίkḗ, who raised him according to God's Word, and saw that he received a good education. an early age, Vitalius loved Christ and the monastic state, which is why he fled to the monastery of Saint Philip at Agira (Ancient Agyrion). he became a monk and received the Angelic Schema after living a life of asceticism, and by making progress in virtue for fifteen years. this time, he made pilgrimages to Rome, Calabria and other holy places. he returned to Calabria and engaged in further ascetical struggles on the mountain of Liporachos. There he met the ascetic Anthony and lived with him for a short time. he moved from mountain to mountain, until at last he settled in the monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone. several years, he went to a cave between the mountains of Turri and Armento. The Saint struggled day and night, praying and ascending to great spiritual heights. Even the wild beasts of the mountain approached him docilely in order to receive his blessing. he was visited by Saint Luke of Demena, Sicily (October 13, February 5), with whom he prayed and discussed spiritual matters.1 the Saint went to Bari with his nephew Elias and settled on Mount Turri, where he built a small church. The final abode of Saint Vitalius was in the region of Rapolla,where he built a monastery. There he spent the rest of his life, gathering a multitude of monks around him. Vitalius reposed peacefully in the year 994. 1 San Luca d’Armento (October 13, February 5) was a monk in Lucania, Sicily. He founded the monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasios the Persian (January 22) at Carbone, Italy and served as its first Igoumen. Saint Luke based his Rule for the monastic life on the Greek Typika.

Sicily, 1300, 14th C Folder, Barlaam of Seminara, western Humanist, accused Hesychist Gregory Palamas oHeresy, lost i3 synods

Sicily, 1310-1348, Barlaam of Seminara, theologian, Humanist, accused Hesychist Gregory Palamas oHeresy, lost i3 synods
1310-1348, Barlaam of Seminara, Sicily, 1310-1348, Barlaam of Seminara, Basillian monk, theologian, Humanist, anti Hesychist, accused Gregory Palamas oHeresy, lost i3 synods; of Seminara (Bernardo Massari, as a layman),[1][2] c. 1290–1348, or Barlaam of Calabria a Basilian monk, theologian and humanistic scholar in southern Italy. was a scholar and clergyman of the 14th century, as well as a humanist, philologist and theologian. Gregorios Palamas defended Hesychasm (the Eastern Orthodox Church's mystical teaching on prayer), Barlaam accused him of heresy. Three Eastern Orthodox synods ruled against him and in Palamas's favor (two Councils of Sophia in June and August 1341, and a Council of Blachernae in 1351). St. Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Νikόdēmos of Vatopedi (July 11). he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. Gregory’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Νikόdēmos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikēphóros, and after the latter’s death, Gregory transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). Here he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. But after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. The head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. The experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. In the year 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. Five days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. He celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. Sometimes he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. After he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. Soon he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. In 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. In 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Soon Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. Journeying from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). He ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. But seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). Towards the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” At the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. On May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. The teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. To these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); the emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. Akyndinos, whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. The saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. The patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. In 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. But the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. On one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. Even in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. Some of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. On the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Saint Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. In 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Sicily, 1700, 18th C Folder, 1798 French Conquest oMalta, Hide tRelics

Sicily, 1798, French Conquest of Malta, Hide the Relics
France, 1798, French Conquest of Malta, Hide the Relics; Malta ; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John (no Wiki link);

Agrigentum, Sicily
Agrigentum; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23;

Calabria area, Southern Italy (the toe)
Calabria Region; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari; By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Catania, East Central Sicily
Catania; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplius of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; St Sabinus the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated October 15 ; Saint Sabinus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Catania (+ 760), Commemorated October 15 Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ; St Leo the Bishop of Catania in Sicily, Commemorated February 20; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21;

Heraclea Lucania, Southern Italy
Heraclea Lucania; Martyr Modestus at Lucania, Commemorated on June 15;

Leontii, Sicily
Leontii; Virginmartyr Euthalia of Sicily, Commemorated on March 2 ; Martyr Philadelphus and 18 others in Sicily, Commemorated on May 10 ;

Lipari Island, Sicily, Southern Italy

Lucania, Southern Italy (Lucanium, the instep, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia)
Lucania; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Modestus at Lucania, Commemorated on June 15;

monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone, Basilicata
monastery of Saint Elias at Carbone, Basilicata; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia)
Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia); also known by its ancient name Lucania is an administrative region in Southern Italy, on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. has two coastlines: a 30-km stretch on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania and Calabria, and a longer coastline along the Gulf of Taranto between Calabria and Apulia. region can be thought of as the "instep" of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the "toe" and Apulia the "heel". region covers about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi). In 2010 the population was slightly under 600,000. The regional capital is Potenza. The region is divided into two provinces: Potenza and Matera.[8][9] inhabitants are generally known as Lucanians (Italian: Lucani), although this ethnonym should properly refer to ancient Lucania's populations; and, to a lesser extent, as Basilicatesi or Basilischi.[10] Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Malta (independent country near Sicily)
Malta ; knights of Rhodes; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John (no Wiki link);

island of Patalareia, near Malta, between Tunisia NAfrica & Sicily
island of Patalareia; Hieromartyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26;

British Empire - Malta (strategic Mediterranean island near Sicily)
Malta ; knights of Rhodes; Translation of a Particle of the Life Giving Cross from Malta to Gatchina, Commemorated October 12 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, October 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Maltese Order in honor of the holy Prophet John (no Wiki link);

Messina, Sicily, Southern Italy
Messana or Messina ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 ; By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. St. Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8, Bishop of Messana, Mentor of St Augustine of Canterbury; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Mount Aetna, Sicily
Mount Aetna Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ;

Palermo, Sicily
Palermo; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ;

Province of Palermo, Sicily
Province of Palermo; Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily, Commemorated February 5 ;

Castronovo, Sicily, Palermo Provence
Castronovo, Sicily; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Scillato, Sicily, Southern Italy
Scillato, Sicily, Southern Italy; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7;

monastery of Saint Philip at Agira, Enna Provence (High Point)
monastery of Saint Philip at Agira; church of the Abbey of San Filippo d'Agira is located in Piazza Abbazia #1 in the town of Agira, province of Enna, region of Sicily, Italy. It is also referred to as the Reale Abbazia or royal abbey. monastery was founded in the 7th or 8th century by Basilian monks. is dedicated to Philip of Agira, whose hagiography was recalled by Eusebius and the author known as Pseudo-Athanasius. is said to have been one of the original Christian missionaries to Sicily and putatively was buried beneath this church in Agira. monastery continued to exist under the Muslim Emirate of Sicily, and monks from here left to found monasteries elsewhere, including in Calabria. the Norman conquest of Sicily, the monastery became a Benedictine abbey, and was refurbished by Count Roger I of Sicily between 1095 and 1101. monastery was suffragan of the first institution of the Latin rite in Jerusalem, the renowned Benedictine abbey affiliated with Santa Maria Latina in Jerusalem. The abbot of the monastery in the Crusader kingdom was forced to move to Sicily with the Muslim capture of Acre in the 1291. document from 1273 refers to this monastery as San Filippo di Latina. the 14th century, the abbott of the monastery was represented by members of the Paternò family of Catania; in the mid-16th century by members of the Aiutamicristo family of Palermo. in the subsequent century, there were concerns about the lax practice of the Benedictine monks and decline of the economic support of the monastery. In 1632 the commendatory abbot, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, replaced the Benedictine fathers with secular priests. monks were moved to the larger Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena in Catania. By the second half of the 17th century, the church was assigned members of the Colonna da Egidio family. in 1862, the monastery was suppressed in 1924, the church became a parish of the town.

Syracuse, Sicily
Syracuse, Sicily Martyr Andrew of Syracuse, martyred in Africa, Commemorated on September 23 ; Hieromartyr Marcian the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on October 30 ; Virginmartyr Lucy of Syracuse, Commemorated on December 13 ; LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR, abt. 304, Commemorated December 13 ; St Zosimus the Bishop of Syracuse, Commemorated on March 30; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10;

Tauromenium (Taormina), Sicily, Southern Italy
Taormina; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyr Philagrius the Bishop of Cyprus; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taoromina in Sicily;

Cucomo, Sicily
Cucomo, Sicily; (Sicilian: Càccamu) is a town and comune located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. official founding of Caccamo was not until 1093, when the Normans started to build the castle on a rocky spur overlooking a cliff, Castello di Caccamo. castle itself is actually now being slowly converted into a museum. the ground level of the castle is a restaurant "A Castellana". within the Rosamarina lake is a stone bridge built in 1307 on the road that once linked the town with Palermo. city contains an attractive 11th-century cathedral, which was remodeled in 1477 and 1614. the side of the cathedral are two churches. The Chiesa dell'Anime del Purgatorio (Church of the Souls of Purgatory) features some stucco work in the eastern end and an 18th-century organ. the downstairs are catacombs where the skeletons of a number of townspeople lie in niches along the wall, a burial practice that lasted from the 17th century up to 1863. The Festa del Patrono, near the entrance to the Castle of Caccamo the 1950s the town itself has lost almost half of its inhabitants to emigration. Caccamo holds some great views of the surrounding countryside, including the Rosmarina artificial lake, which was created by a controversial dam built in 1993. Venerable Theoctistus, Abbot at Cucomo, in Sicily, Commemorated on January 4;

Demena, Sicily, (on coast N or Mt Aetna)
Demena, Sicily; Venerable Vitalius of Castronovo, Commemorated on March 9;

Mount Turri
Mount Turri;

Sicily (Clean) and Southern Italy Folder

Sicily (Clean) and Southern Italy, its Area
Sicily and Southern Italy, its Area

Sicily (Clean), its Area, including Malta and Lipari Islands
Sicily, its Area, including Malta and Lipari Islands

Sicily (Clean) Southern Italy, its Area
Southern Italy, its Area

Southern Italy
Southern Italy;

Agrogento Province, its Area

Ragusa Province, its Area

Calabria, its Area

Catania Province, its Area

Lucaniia, its Area

Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia)
Basilicata Region aka Lucania (the instep of Italy, toe is Calabria, heel is Apulia);

Trullo, Appian Way east of Naples
Council in Trullo in 692;

Apulia, its Area

Messina Province, its Area

Palermo Province, its Area

Trapani Province

Sicily (Clean), Syracuse Province, its Area

Enna Province, its Area

Scotland Folder, its rivers and mountains

Scotland
Scotland; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); ANDREW THE APOSTLE(30 NOV NT); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

British Empire - Scotland
Scotland; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); ANDREW THE APOSTLE(30 NOV NT); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Scotland 380-1093 and 1910, Scotland History Folder

Scotland, 000, 1st C Folder, Apostle Aristobulus

Scotland, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also
England, 45-99, Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, Bishop of Britain, Barnabas' brother, from Cyprus, evangelized Scotland, Ireland also; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Holy Apostle Aristóboulos of the Seventy was born on Cyprus. He and his brother, the Apostle Barnabas (June 11), accompanied Saint Paul on his missionary journeys. Saint Aristóboulos is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:10). are several conflicting narratives about the hierarch's life before he went to Britain. Some identify him with Zebedee, the father of the Apostles James and John. Others say that he was the father-in-law of the Apostle Peter. Most of these are unreliable, however. Paul made Aristóboulos a bishop and sent him to preach the Gospel in Britain, Scotland, and Hibernia (Ireland), where he converted many people to Christ. He also had to endure many torments and afflictions from hostile pagans, who beat him and mocked him. Eventually, he won them over and brought them to Christ as well. Aristóboulos reposed peacefully in Britain among the people he had evangelized. Some sources say he suffered a martyr's death in Wales at an advanced age. Aristóboulos is also commemorated on October 31 (with Saints Stachys, Apellēs, Amplias, Urban, and Narcissus), and also on the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4). In Greek usage he is commemorated on March 15.

Scotland, 300-399, History Folder, St Ninian of Galloway

Scotland, 380-432, Saint, Ninian of Galloway
Scotland, 380-432, Saint, Ninian of Galloway; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430);

Scotland, 400-499, History Folder, St Patrick, Coroticus of Alt Clut

Scotland, 410-461, Saint Patrick of Ireland
Ireland, Saint, 410-461, Patrick of Ireland; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461) ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

Scotland, 430's, Coroticus of Dumbarton, Briton Chieftan (River Clyde 6)
Coroticus of Dumbarton, Scotland (River Clyde 6); Alt Clut (Dumbarton), Scotland; Epistle to Coroticus; St. Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

Scotland, 450, Coroticus, King of Alt Clut, mid 400's
Coroticus, King of Alt Clut, mid 400's ; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Scotland, 500-599, History Folder, St Columba

Scotland, 541-597, Scottish Saint, St Columba
Scotland, Scottish Saint, 541-597, St Columba; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14;

Scotland, 541-597, Colomba, excommunicated but recognized by dLight&angels, w12 missions fTheir Iona Monastery 30yrs+4, Much more

Scotland, 554-584, Brude, King of the Picts, Converted by Columba
Scotland, 554-584, Brude, King of the Picts, Converted by Columba; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Scotland, 584-614, Kentigern Mungo, Scottish&Welsh monastery founder, fScotland, on foot missionary baptizing many
Scotland, 584-612, Scottish Welsh Saint, St Kentigern Mungo, fLothian, Scotland, royal blood, tHermit Servan on Firth oForth, named Mungo (dear friend) bHim, Mongo tStrathclyde, founded monastery, became Glasgow, Bishop there, driven fScotland, tWales, founded Asaph Monastery, returned Scotland, missionary work, baptizing many, 584 met Columba, exchanged bishop staffs, strict ascetic, travelled everywhere on foot, died 612 84yrs old, Gothic cathedral there 13th C; Scotland, Scottish Welsh Saint, 584-614, St Kentigern Mungo; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14;

Scotland, 600-699, History Folder, St Adian of Lindisfarne

Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651);

Scotland, 1000-1099, History Folder, Malcolm III and Margaret of Scotland

Scotland, 1058-1093, Scottish King, Malcolm III, Anglo Saxon wars with England to get Norman NHumbria
Scotland,1058-1093, Scottish King, Malcolm III of Scotland; Scotland,1070-1093, Scottish Queen, Saint Margaret of Scotland ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer

Scotland, 1070-1093, Margaret, Queen, related to English K, married Malcolm III, customs, schools, hospitals, orphanages, Abbys
Scotland,1070-1093, Scottish Queen, Saint Margaret, related to AS English Kings, married Malcolm III, customs, schools, hospitals, orphanages, Iona and Dunfermilne; Scotland,1070-1093, Malcolm III of Scotland; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer

Scotland, 1100, 12th C Folder, ALFRED Of RIEVAULX iScottish Court t24

Scotland, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships
England, 1129-1167, ALFRED OF RIEVAULX, Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, writer, room for particular friendships, fDurham, tScottish Court, for Ed, asNoble&Courtier, Suceeded but unsatisfied, master otHousehold oScottish King, tCistercian monaster aRievaulx iYorkshire, a24, Bernard oClairvaux encouraged write first work The Mirror oCharity, follow Christ all things, 1147 abbot oRievaulx till death kidney disease a57, most famous work Spiritual Friendship, OK to have special friendships, some believe only christian charity for love so no special friendships, some believe monks can not have special friendships, even no special preferences food drink, but Jesus loved John, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, even though he said All who do will oMy Father are my family ; Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; was born in 1109 at Durham, and was sent to the Scottish court for an education that would ensure his future as a noble and courtier. succeeded, to the extent of being made Master of the Household of the King of Scotland. he found success at the court of an earthly king unsatisfying, at the age of 24 he entered the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. of Clairvaux encouraged him to write his first work, The Mirror of Charity, which deals with seeking to follow the example of Christ in all things. 1147 he became abbot of Rievaulx, a post which he held until his death of kidney disease twenty years later at the age of 57. most famous work is called Spiritual Friendship (both it and the Mirror have been published in English by the Cistercian Press). Jesus was told that his family was waiting to see him, he replied, "All who do the will of my Father are my family." this, some Christians have drawn the conclusion that the only kind of love permissible to a Christian is Charity that is: (a) the universal benevolence that wills the good of all persons, (b) the bond that unites the Christian with Christ and through Christ with all other Christians. that Universal Benevolence is extended equally to all persons (we are to love Jones because God made him), that the bond of Christian Unity unites us equally with all our fellow Christians who are in a state of grace (we are to love Jones because Christ dwells in him). leaves any room for particular friendships, for liking Jones more than Smith because Jones shares our interest in hockey, or because Jones and we like the same sort of jokes, or come from the same part of the country and have similar childhood memories, or because Jones is an easy-going type and it is easy to relax and feel comfortable around him, or because Jones and we have a special bond of friendship, loyalty, and trust. Particular friendships are out! who do not think that every Christian must renounce particular friendships believe that every monastic must do so. many religious houses, where the monks or nuns walk two by two into chapel or the dining hall or while pacing about during the daily hour of recreation, the superior will make a point of constantly shifting partners, anyone form a liking for onepartner more than another. does not apply just to friends. It is sometimes held that no monk ought to allow himself any preferences in food or drink.) this view, Aelred wrote that it is compatible with the highest degree of Christian perfection to take special pleasure in the company of particular friends. point out that we are told that Jesus loved John, and Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, and that this probably means that he found their company congenial. by James Kiefer

Scotland, 1500, 16th C Folder, WILLIAM LAUD, Defended Church Customs, Threatened Pariiament, Executed

Scotland, 1593-1645, WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP, defended church order, for Clergy independence, threatened Parliament, executed
England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD, A oCanterbury 1633-1645, turbulent time before English Civil War, surplice controversy, like Christmas Celebration c, Bible no commands, Pagan Roman Catholic rite, marks person as idolater, Laud said Let all things be don decently and in order, Puritans interrupted services, stole surplices, into dung-pit, ruined altar hangings wPitch, Laud's office to maintain order&punish church peace offences, punished rich&poor, equal under law, cost his life, also punished speech against Church doctrine (no free speech), so Laud made enemies 3ways, 1. Puritins punished by Laud for vandalizing or scolding Church, 2. upheld harmless customs like surplice which suppoled Return Roman Catholic rule, 3. sought financial independence oClergy from local squire, by returning church lands seized bHenry 8th, no details, but every landholder threatened, His execution, 1637 attempt Common Prayer book in Scotland caused rioting, 1638 Scottish National Covenant for Puritin position, S voted excomminicate every Bishop, unrest spread tEngland, 1640 Laud arrested high treason, in Tower 4yrs, 1644 a71 found guilty, no evidence, House oCommons wanted him dead, prayed oScaffold, recieve my soul, have mercy oMe, bless Kingdom wPeace, that no this effusion Christian blood ; England, 1593-1645, ARCHBISHOP WILLIAM LAUD; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645); Laud, born in 1573, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645 in the days of King Charles I. was a turbulent time throughout, one of violent divisions in the Church of England, eventually culminating in the English Civil War. example is the surplice controversy. have all encountered Christians who are opposed to celebrating Christmas on the grounds that the Bible nowhere commands us to celebrate Christmas, and does not mention the 25th of December; and the pagans had a festival in December at which they built fires and feasted and exchanged gifts, from which it follows that those who celebrate Christmas are participating in pagan rites. in the late 1500's and early 1600's, there were Christians in England who objected to the garment called the surplice. participating in the services of Morning and Evening Prayer in Church, clergy, including choir members, normally wore a cassock (a black, floor-length, fairly tight-fitting garment) covered by a surplice (a white, knee-length, fairly loose garment with loose sleeves). Puritans objected to the surplice as not mentioned in the Bible, and as something that the Roman Catholics had worn before the Reformation, which made it one of the props of idolatrous worship, and marked anyone who wore it as an idolater. Laud regarded it as a seemly, dignified, garment, an appropriate response to the Apostle Paul's injunction, all things be done decently and in order." Puritans stood by their objections, and violently interrupted services at which the surplice was worn. one occasion, a group of Puritans broke into an Oxford chapel the night before a service and stole the surplices, which they thrust into a the dung-pit of a privy. a woman marched into Lichfield Cathedral, accompanied by the town clerk and his wife, and ruined the altar hangings with a bucket of pitch. English Law, it was part of Laud's office as Archbishop to maintain order and to punish offences against the peace of the Church. made it his practice to proceed not only against poor and obscure offenders, but also, perhaps especially, against rich and powerful ones. is well that men should be equal before the law, but his integrity on this point ultimately cost Laud his life. was also the prosecutor of record in the trials of those who published seditious or violent and abusive attacks on the doctrine and discipline of the Church, the Puritans produced an abundance of scurrilous attacks on those who disagreed with them, which were duly punished, with Laud taking the responsibility. 1630 (before Laud became Archbishop), when Alexander Leighton published Zion's Pleas Against Prelacy, a violent attack on the Bishops as tools of Antichrist, he was sentenced to be publicly whipped and branded, and to have his ears cut off. was sixty years old and a Doctor of Divinity, and the sentence aroused great public indignation. (It is not certain that it was actually carried out.) made enemies chiefly in three ways. He punished those who attacked the Church, both those who vandalized and those who merely scolded. He upheld various customs in public worship (such as the wearing of the surplice) that were harmless in themselves, but which aroused the suspicion and fury of those who feared a return to power of Roman Catholicism. He sought the financial independence of the clergy, so that a preacher was not dependent on what support the local squire was pleased to give him. proposed means to this end was to restore to the Church some of the Church lands that had been seized by Henry VIII and given or sold to various nobles and gentlemen. proposal never reached the stage of discussion about details, so it was not clear how compensation would be handled, the mere whisper of such a proposal was enough to make every landholder in the country feel personally threatened. William Laud at his execution Laud at his execution 1637 an attempt was made to introduce the Book of Common Prayer into general use in Scotland this book is online at the Book of Common Prayer site], it immediately caused rioting. February of 1638, Scottish leaders signed the National Covenant, by which they pledged themselves to uphold the Puritan position by force, by the end of the year they had voted to depose and excommunicate every bishop in Scotland. unrest spread to England, in 1640 Laud was arrested on a charge of high treason. was kept in the Tower for four years, and tried in 1644, at the age of seventy-one. was found guilty, not because there was any evidence of his guilt, but because the House of Commons was determined that he should die. the scaffold he prayed: "The Lord receive my soul, and have mercy on me, and bless this kingdom with peace and charity, that there may not be this effusion of Christian blood amongst them." by James Kiefer

Scotland, 1600, 17th C Folder, English Civil War, uniting Eng Ire Scot

Scotland, 1642-1651, English Civil War, Parlimentarians v Royalists, P's won, Cromwell ruled, Commonwealth, inified Eng Ire Scot
England, 1642-“1651, English Civil War; English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers"), over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedom.[2] was part of the wider Wars of the Three Kingdoms. first (1642–1646) and second (1648–1649) wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, the third (1649–1651) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. wars also involved the Scottish Covenanters and Irish Confederates. war ended with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651. other civil wars in England, which were mainly fought over who should rule, conflicts were also concerned with how the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland should be governed. outcome was threefold: the trial of and execution of Charles I (1649); exile of his son, Charles II (1651); the replacement of English monarchy with the Commonwealth of England, from 1653 (as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland) unified the British Isles under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell (1653–1658) briefly his son Richard (1658–1659). England, the monopoly of the Church of England on Christian worship was ended, in Ireland, the victors consolidated the established Protestant Ascendancy. the outcome of the wars established the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament's consent, the idea of Parliamentary sovereignty was legally established only as part of the Glorious Revolution in 1688.[3] JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645);

Scotland, 1700, 18th Century Folder, Samuel Seabury became US Episcopal Bishop

Scotland, 1784, Samuel Seabury became Bishop of US Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland
Scotland, 1784, Samuel Seabury became Bishop of US Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, Scotland; Aberdeen, Scotland; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ; crucial date for members of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the consecration of the first Bishop of the Anglican Communion in the United States. During the colonial era, there had been no Anglican bishops in the New World; and persons seeking to be ordained as clergy had had to travel to England for the purpose. After the achievement of American independence, it was important for the Church in the United States to have its own bishops, and an assembly of Connecticut clergy chose Samuel Seabury to go to England and there seek to be consecrated as a bishop. the English bishops were forbidden by law to consecrate anyone who would not take an oath of allegiance to the British Crown. He accordingly turned to the Episcopal Church of Scotland. When the Roman Catholic king James II was deposed in 1688, some of the Anglican clergy (including some who had been imprisoned by James for defying him on religious issues) said that, having sworn allegiance to James as King, they could not during his lifetime swear allegiance to the new monarchs William and Mary. Those who took this position were known as non-Jurors (non-swearers), and they included almost all the bishops and clergy of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. Accordingly, the monarchs and Parliament declared that thenceforth the official church in Scotland should be the Presbyterian Church. The Episcopal Church of Scotland thereafter had no recognition by the government, and for some time operated under serious legal disablities. However, since it had no connection with the government, it was free to consecrate Seabury without government permission, and it did. This is why you see a Cross of St. Andrew on the Episcopal Church flag. Aberdeen, 14 November 1784, Samuel Seabury was consecrated to the Episcopate by the Bishop and the Bishop Coadjutor of Aberdeen and the Bishop of Ross and Caithness. He thus became part of the unbroken chain of bishops that links the Church today with the Church of the Apostles. In return, he promised them that he would do his best to persuade the American Church to use as its Prayer of Consecration (blessing of the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper) the Scottish prayer, taken largely unchanged from the 1549 Prayer Book, rather than the much shorter one in use in England. The aforesaid prayer, adopted by the American Church with a few modifications, has been widely regarded as one of the greatest treasures of the Church in this country. by James Kiefer

Scotland, 1900, 20th C Folder, Womens Christian Temperance Union, World Missionary Confoerence, Ecumenical Movement

Scotland, 1901, Womens Christian Temperance Union Meetings, Edinburgh
Scotland, 1900, Womens Christian Temperance Union Meetings, Edinburgh; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934);

Scotland, 1910 World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh
Scotland, 1910 World Missionary Conference; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955 ;

Scotland, 1910, Ecumenical Movement, World Missionary Conference, Edinburg
Ecumenical Movement, 1910, World Missionary Conference, Edinburg ; Scotland, 1910 World Missionary Conference; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955 ; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

Scotland, 1922-1945, ERIC LIDDELL, Tianjin, flying scotsman, Chariots of Fire, teacing wealthy chinese 1-12, Japan-China W prisoner
China, 1922-1945, ERIC LIDDELL, Tianjin, Far North China (Hai River Mouth, Five Rivers), flying scotsman, 400m Olympic Champion, Chariots of Fire, teacing wealthy chinese 1-12, China-Japan war 1941, 1943 prisoner at Weihsien, died 1945 brain tumor ; Tianjin (Hai River Source, Five Rivers); ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; Henry Liddell (16 January 1902 – 21 February 1945, was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international and missionary. was the winner of the Men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris. He was portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. in China, Liddell returned there as a Protestant missionary in later life. Liddell, often called the "Flying Scotsman", was born in Tianjin (formerly transliterated as Tientsin) in North China, second son of the Rev & Mrs James Dunlop Liddell who were Scottish missionaries with the London Missionary Society. Liddell became well-known for being the fastest runner in Scotland while at Eltham College. withdrew from the 100 meter race 1924 Olympics in Paris as he refused to run on a Sunday. Liddell spent the intervening months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. Even so, his success in the 400m was largely unexpected. He not only won the race, but broke the existing world record with a time of 47.6 seconds. returned to Northern China where he served as a missionary, like his parents, from 1925 to 1943 - first in Tianjin and later in the town of Xiaozhang. Liddell's first job as a missionary was as a teacher at an Anglo-Chinese College (grades 1-12) for wealthy Chinese students. It was believed that by teaching the children of the wealthy that they themselves would later become influential figures in China and promote Christian values. his first furlough in 1932, he was ordained as a minister of religion. On his return to China he married Florence Mackenzie of Canadian missionary parentage in Tianjin in 1934. 1941 life in China was becoming so dangerous that the British Government advised British nationals to leave. Florence and the children left for Canada to stay with her family when Liddell accepted a new position at a rural mission station in Shaochang, which gave service to the poor. Meanwhile, the Chinese and the Japanese were at war. When the fighting reached Shaochang the Japanese took over the mission station. In 1943, Liddell was interned at the Weihsien Internment Camp with the members of the China Inland Mission Chefoo School. He died there of a brain tumor on 21 February 1945, five months before liberation. — more at Wikipedia

Scotland, Tweed River Folder, Scottish Borders

Tweed River Source (Tweedsmuir)

Tweed River 1

Tweed River 2

Tweed River 3 (Peebles)

Tweed River 4

Tweed River 5 (Melrose Abby, Leader River Mouth)

Scotland, Tweed River 5, Leader River Folder

River Leader Source (Lammermuir Hills)

Lammermuir Hills, Scottish Borders
Lammermuir hills south of Edinburgh near the River Leader; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

River Leader 1

River Leader 2 (Lauder)

River Leader 3 (Earlston)

River Leader Mouth (Tweed River 5, Melrose Abby)

Melrose Abbey, Scottish Borders, Scotland, Great North Road, Tweed River 5
Melrose Abbey; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Tweed River 6 (Kelso)

Tweed River 7 (Bernicia and Norham Castle)

Bernicia, Scottish Borders (Tweed River 7)
Bernicia; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ;

Tweed River Mouth (Berwick Bay, North Sea)

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Scottish Borders
Berwick-upon-Tweed; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Scotland, Galloway Region Folder, Cree, Ken and Nith Rivers

Galloway Region, Scotland (Lake Ken, Nith and Cree Rivers)
Galloway Region (Lake Ken); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ;

Galloway Hills
Galloway Hills;

River Cree Mouth (Solway Firth)

River Cree

Range of the Awful Hand
Range of the Awful Hand;

Water of Ken River Source (Carsphairn Hills)

Water of Ken River 1

Water of Ken River Mouth (Selway Firth)

Water of Ken River

Carsphairn and Scaur Hills

Lake Doon
Lake Doon;

River Nith Source (Carsphairn Hills)

Nithsdale (Valley of the River Nith)
Nithsdale (Valley of the River Nith);

River Nith Mouth (Solway Firth at Ards Point)

River Nith

Scotland, River Clyde Folder, Glasgow

River Clyde

River Clyde Source (Daer and Portrail Waters)

River Clyde 1 (River Clyde Proper)

River Clyde 2

River Clyde 3

River Clyde 4 (Bothwell Castle)

River Clyde 5 (Glasgow)

Cambuslang, near Glascow (Whitefield's Preaching to 30,000 in 1742)
Cambuslang, Scotland (George Whitefield's Preaching to 30,000) ; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

University of Glasgow, 1451
University of Glasgow; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21

Glasgow, Scotland (River Clyde 5)
St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Lennox District, Scotland
Lennox District; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; Dukes of Lennox Chamberlin of Scotland or Master of the Household of the King of Scotland;

River Clyde 6 (Dumbarton, Alt Clut)

Alt Clut (Dumbarton), Scotland (River Clyde 6)
Alt Clut (Dumbarton), Scotland; Epistle to Coroticus; St. Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

River Clyde Mouth (Firth of Clyde)

Strathclyde, Scotland (Clyde Valley)
Strathclyde; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ;

Scotland, River Forth Folder, Edinburg

Forth River

Forth River Source (Loch Ard)
Loch Ard, a freshwater lake in Trossachs National Park in the Trossachs, a woodland glen;

Picts - Scottish Picts - Land of the Picts (north of the Forth and Clyde rivers)
Picts; St Germanus the Bishop of Auxerre, Commemorated on July 31; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430); COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Kinloch House Hotel, River Forth Area, Northwest of St Andrew
Kinloch House; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

Firth (Estuary) of Forth (River), Scotland
Firth (Estuary) of Forth (River); St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ;

Aberdeen, Scotland
Aberdeen, Scotland; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ;

Forth River 1 (Sterling Castle)

Stirling Castle, Scotland - Home of the English Chapel Royal after 1594
Stirling Castle - Home of the English Chapel Royal after 1594; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

Scottish Court at Forteviot, 10th and 11th Centuries
Scottish Court at Forteviot, 10th and 11th Centuries; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167);

Forth River 2 (Dunfermine)

Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline
Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer

Dunfermline Abby
Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer

Forth River 3 (Edinburg)

Edinburg, Scotland (Great North Road and Firth of Forth)
Edinburg; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934), 1900 Womens Christian Temperance Union International Convention Edinburg ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Episcopal Church (Kirk) of Scotland
Episcopal Church (Kirk) of Scotland; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Lothian Region, Scotland
Lothian Region, Scotland ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 /a>;

Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland; John Muir of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Forth River Mouth (Edinburg, Firth of Forth)

Firth of Forth Mouth

Fife, Scotland
Fife; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ;

Queensferry North, Fife
Queensferry North; Scotland,1070-1093, Scottish Queen, Saint Margaret of Scotland ; Scotland,1070-1093, Malcolm III of Scotland; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093);

Queensferry South, Edinburg
Queensferry South; Scotland,1070-1093, Scottish Queen, Saint Margaret of Scotland ; Scotland,1070-1093, Malcolm III of Scotland; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093);

St Andrews, Scotland (just north of Firth River Forth)
St Andrews; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ;

Scotland, Scottish Highlands Folder

Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands; MARGARET;

Grampian Mountains
Grampian Mountains; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430);

Caithness Area
Caithness County SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ;

Ross Region
Ross Region; Ross County; SAMUEL SEABURY, BISHOP (14 NOV 1784), (BESTOWAL OF THE AMERICAN EPISCOPATE) ;

Craig Phadrig, Ross Region, Scottish Highlands
Craig Phadrig, Ross Region, Scottish Highlands; Scotland, 554-584, Brude, King of the Picts, Converted by Columba; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Scottish Highlands - Land of the Gaels
Land of the Gaels (Highland Scots) ; Scottish Highlands ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Moray Firth (Inlet)
Moray Firth;

Large Gash across Scotland in the Highlands
COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Bannavem Taberniae, Scotland, St Patric's Birthplace
Bannavem Taberniae, Scotland; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17 ;

Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Columba's monastery of Iona, Scotland, 563
Iona Abbey; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9;

Iona, Scotland
Iona monastery; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093); (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her husband was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said). by James Kiefer COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9;

Eileach an Naoimh, Brendan tNavigator's Monastery
Eileach an Naoimh; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Jura, Scotland
Jura, Scotland; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Colonsay Is
Colonsay Is; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Oronsay, Colonsay Is
Oronsay, Colonsay Is; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Seil Is
Seil Is; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Canna, Scotland
Canna, Scotland; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides;

Inner Hebrides and Hinba Is locations
Inner Hebrides; Saint Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland, Commemorated on June 9; Hinba Is Scotland; is an island in Scotland of uncertain location was the site of a small monastery associated with the Columban church on Iona.[1] a number of details are known about the monastery and its early superiors, and various anecdotes dating from the time of Columba of a mystical nature have survived, modern scholars are divided as to its whereabouts. source of information about the island is Adomnán's late 7th-century Vita Columbae. islands of Eileach an Naoimh, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay are the most likely candidates, although Seil and Canna are also possibilities.

Scotland, Roman Wall Folder - The Wall - Hadrian's Wall, in England

The Wall - Hadrian's Roman Wall
The Wall - Hadrian's Wall; Hadrian's Wall Path; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430);

Wallsend
Wallsend;

Heddon-on-the-Wall
Heddon-on-the-Wall;

Chollerford
Chollerford;

Vercovicium (Housesteads, a Roman Fort)
Vercovicium (Housesteads, a Roman Fort) ;

Greenhead, Northumberland
Greenhead, Northumberland;

Carlisle, Cumbria
Carlisle, Cumbria ;

Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway;

Scotland, Great North Road Folder, England to Scotland

Scotland (Clean), Roman Roads and major landmarks

Scotland (Clean), its Area
Scotland, its Area

Bannavem Taberniae, Scotland, St Patric's Birthplace
Bannavem Taberniae, Scotland;

Columba's monastery of Iona, Scotland, 563
Iona Abbey;

Ross Region
Ross Region;

Caithness Area
Caithness County

Grampian Mountains
Grampian Mountains;

Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders;

Glasgow, Scotland (River Clyde 5)
St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland;

Strathclyde, Scotland (Clyde Valley)
Strathclyde;

Scottish Court at Forteviot, 10th and 11th Centuries
Scottish Court at Forteviot, 10th and 11th Centuries;

Firth (Estuary) of Forth (River), Scotland
Firth (Estuary) of Forth (River);

Edinburg, Scotland (Great North Road and Firth of Forth)
Edinburg;

Lothian Region, Scotland, including Edinburg
Lothian Region, Scotland ;

Syria Folder, its rivers and mountains, Greater Syria - The Fertile Crecent

Syria, Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent, a country without a nation)
Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent); The Pace Teamswin Locations Abstract of the Fertile Crescent; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; St Joseph of Damascus and his companions, Commemorated July 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated January 18 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated January 23 ; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyrs Marcellus and Anthony of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1 ; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Martyr Cyril the Deacon of Heliopolis, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4 ; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Syria, Levant (The Fertile Crescent)
Levant (Latin name for The Fertile Crescent, from the Eastern sunrise, levitate); The Pace Teamswin Locations Abstract of the Fertile Crescent; Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent); St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated December 7 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1885 "a country without a nation" for "a nation without a country";

Syria, Middle East (Greater Syria, Levant)
Middle East; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated December 7 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Syria, Syrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens)
Syrian Deserts; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Antiochus and Antoninus, ascetics of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Zebinas, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23;; Venerable Polychronius, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Damian, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Syria, Damascus
Syria; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; St Joseph of Damascus and his companions, Commemorated July 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the Three HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Appearance of the Smolensk ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDirectressÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Sergius in Syria; Venerable Akepsimas the Hermit of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated November 3 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16 ; St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated January 18 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated January 23 ; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 15 ; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Venerable Limnaeus Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated February 27 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1 ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Martyr Michael ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Black-RobedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4 ; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Three HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Aram-Damascus, location of Ben-Hadad 1
Aram-Damascus, location of Ben-Hadad 1; Prophet Hanani, Commemorated on March 27;

Syria, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet Ezekiel, During the 70 Yrs
Jerusalem, 586 BC-516 BC, Prophet Ezekiel, During the 70 Yrs Jerusalem Prophet, 586 BC-551 BC, Habakkuk, During the 70 Yrs; Jerusalem Prophet, 586 BC-516 BC, Daniel, During the 70 Yrs; Jerusalem King, 586 BC-551 BC, Shealtiel, Fall of Jerusalem, Begin 70 Yrs ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Syria, 240-63 BC, Seleucid Empire in Antioch
Syria, 240-63 BC, Seleucid Empire in Antioch; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1;

Syria, 64 BC-314 AD, Roman Province (Antioch)
Syria, Roman Province; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDirectressÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Syria, 314-637, Byzantine Province (Antioch and Apamea)
Syria - Byzantine Province (Antioch and Apamea), 314-637;

Syria, 526, Antioch earthquake
Syria - 526 Antioch earthquake; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8;

Syria, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch, Iron Bridge Battle
Syria, 637, Arab Moslem Conquest of Antioch; Battle of the Iron Bridge; In 637, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, Antioch was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate during the Battle of the Iron Bridge.;

Syria, First Muslim Civil War, 656-661
Syria, First Muslim Civil War, 656-661;

Syria, 661-750, Arab Umayyad Caliphate, Sunni Islam
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliphate, 661-750, Sunni Islam; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Syria, 750-1517, Abbasid, Caliphates, Arab, based in Baghdad, Shia
Abbasid, Caliphates, 750-1517, Arab, based in Baghdad, Shia; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Coelesyria (all of Syria)
Coelesyria (all of Syria), from the hollow of the Beqaa Valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon to Antioch, and over to Damascus and Aleppo, 1 Maccabees Ch 10,

Seleucia, Syria, Messopotamia & Persia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Syria 740BC-1831, Syria History Folder

Syria, 740BC, History Folder, Israel Assyrian Captivity

Syria, 740 BC, Israel Assyrian Captivity, Gozan, Syria, Chebar River
Gozan, Syria, Assyrian captivity, 740 BC 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-18, Israel Carried Captive to Assyria;

Syria, 240BC to 63BC, History Folder, Seleucid Empire

Syria, 240-63 BC, Seleucid Empire in Antioch, Helenist
Syria, 240-63 BC, Seleucid Empire in Antioch; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1;

Syria, 175-164 BC, Syrian King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Syrian King, BC 175-164, Antiochus IV Epiphanes; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1;

Syria, 166 BC, 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Antiocus IV at Antioch, Eleazar, the 7 & their mother s faithful, inspired Judas M

Syria, 64BC-314AD, History Folder, Roman Province (Antioch)

Syria, 64 BC-314 AD - Roman Province (Antioch)
Syria, Roman Province; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; St Agabbas of Syria, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Syria, 9 BC - AD 40, Aretas IV Philopatris, King of Damascus, whose daugter was divorced from Herod Antipas, war with Herod
Syria, 9 BC - AD 40, Aretas IV Philopatris, King of Damascus, whose daugter was divorced from Herod Antipas, war with Herod; IV Philopatris [1] was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. daughter Phasaelis was married to, and divorced from, Herod Antipas. Herod then married his stepbrother's wife, Herodias. It was opposition to this marriage that led to the beheading of John the Baptist. After he received news of the divorce, Aretas invaded the territory of Herod Antipas and defeated his army. Damascus (Barada River foothills); The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT), Commemorated June 24;

Syria, 4 BC - 50 AD, Syrian and Armenian King, Abgar V
Syrian King, BC 4 - AD 50, Abgar V; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-Hands of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 27; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Syria, 10-66, Evodius, Syrian Saint, Bishop, writer, mary birth at 15, died under Nero in 66
Syrian Saint, 10-66, Evodius; Evodius or Euodias (died circa 69) was an Early Christian bishop of Antioch, succeeding Saint Peter. He is regarded as one of the first identifiable Christians, and venerated as a saint. is known of the life of Evodius. the time, Antioch was an opulent and cosmopolitan city where both Hellenized Jews and pagans were influenced by monotheism. According to the Book of Acts, one of the first evangelised communities were these Jews and pagans of Antioch. It was there that the term "Christian" was coined for these Gentiles, mainly Syrian and Greek converts.[citation needed] Peter became the bishop of Antioch and led the church there. Evodius is said to have been one of the pagans converted to Christianity due to the apostolic work of Saint Peter.[citation needed] eventually succeeded Peter as bishop of Antioch when Peter left for Rome.[1] Evodius was bishop of Antioch until 66 AD, and was succeeded by Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Catholic tradition says it is likely that Saint Evodius died of natural causes, however, the Eastern Orthodox tradition holds that he was martyred under Emperor Nero in 66 AD.[2] As one of the first pagans to come to the new church, he is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church as well as in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in Oriental Orthodoxy including the Assyrian Church of the East. His feast day is 6 May in the Catholic Church and 7 September in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Holy Apostle Evodius of the Seventy was, after the holy Apostle Peter, the first bishop in Syrian Antioch. His successor, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: “Remember your blessed father Evodus, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles.” Evodius served as bishop for 27 years and died as a martyr under the emperor Nero (54-68). Saint Evodus wrote several compositions. In one of them he writes that the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world at the age of fifteen. writings of the saint have not survived. A book entitled THE STAR is mentioned by the fourteenth century church historian Nikēphóros Callistus. Saint Evodus received the crown of martyrdom in the year 66.

Syria, 30-45, Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Damascus bishop, h Paul's eyes& baptized h, healed m, prayed f stoners
Syria, 30-67, Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, bishop of Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17), restored Paul's eyes & baptized him, went to Eleutheropolis, healed many, tortured, stoned, prayed for stoners; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Holy Apostle Ananias of the Seventy (October 1), the first Bishop of Damascus. Lord ordered him to restore the sight of Saul, the former persecutor of Christians, then baptize him (Acts 9:10-19, 22:12). became the great preacher and Apostle Paul. Ananias boldly and openly confessed Christianity before the Jews and the pagans, despite the danger. Damascus he went to preach at Eleutheropolis, he healed many of their infirmities. the prefect of the city, tried to persuade the holy one to offer sacrifice to idols. Because of Ananias’ staunch and solid confession of Christ, Lucian ordered that he be tortured. Harsh torments did not sway the witness of Truth. the torturers led him out beyond the city, where they stoned him. The saint prayed for those who put him to death. His relics were later transferred to Constantinople.

Syria, 30-66, Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Antioch, Syria, for 27 yrs, writer, wrote MOG birth at 15
Syria, 30-66, Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, 2nd bishop of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), for 27 yrs, writer, wrote MOG birth at 15; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Evodius of the Seventy was, after the holy Apostle Peter, the first bishop in Syrian Antioch. successor, the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: “Remember your blessed father Evodus, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles.” Evodius served as bishop for 27 years and died as a martyr under the emperor Nero (54-68). Evodus wrote several compositions. In one of them he writes that the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world at the age of fifteen. writings of the saint have not survived. A book entitled THE STAR is mentioned by the fourteenth century church historian Nikēphóros Callistus. Saint Evodus received the crown of martyrdom in the year 66.

Syria, 30-70, Lucius of the Seventy, Apostle, Laodicia, Syria, then controlled by Parthia, Med China trade
Laodicea in Syria; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Saint Luke (or Loukias) Luke, or Loukias (not the Evangelist), lived during the first century. Some lists of these Saints identify him as the Evangelist Luke, who was also one of the 70 Apostles, but Greek sources say he was someone other than the Evangelist Luke. However, Saint Demetrios of Rostov, and Slavic Tradition say that he was the Evangelist Luke (See his Life on October 18). Saint was consecrated as the Bishop of Laodikeia in Syria, and completed the course of his life spreading the Gospel and caring for his flock, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; ----------- Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Syria, 30-84, Luke t Evangelist&Apostle, f Antioch, a salvation preaching f Christ, Luke&Acts, icons h Jesus' Grace& MOG mercy
Syria, 30-84, Luke the Evangelist and Apostle, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), hearing about Christ accepted salvation preaching from Christ, Luke and Acts, Paul's companion, physician, iconographer, MOG said his icons have Jesus' grace and MOG mercy, chronologica order L and A, council of Jerusalem in 51, Acts focus on Holy Spirit ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Luke is also commemorated on April 22. LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings. the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine guidance. see how the early Christians at first preached only to Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and fellowship of Christ. St. Luke, from an old Book of Common Prayer makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and noteworthy precision. mention just one example, he refers to two centurions by name, Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (Sergius Paulus in Acts 13;7) or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when speaking of civilian officials. is a distinction that would have been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had largely died out by, say, 70 AD. preserving it shows either that (1) he wrote fairly close to the events he described, or (2) he was describing persons and events on which he had good information, or (3) he was an expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding detail. is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem. ***** ***** ***** ***** writer wrote more pages of the New Testament than anyone else? If you say Paul, try again. In my pocket Bible, Acts and the Gospel of Luke occupy a total of sixty pages, while all the letters traditionally attributed to Paul (not counting Hebrews) total fifty-six. writer of the Third Gospel and the Book of Acts does not give his name in his writings. (Except for Nehemiah, no Biblical writer of a narrative book does.) does claim to be a traveling companion of Paul, and his interests and vocabulary suggest that he is a physician. Since Paul tells us that he had a companion named Luke who was a physician, the conclusion that Luke is the writer we are looking for is reasonable. the two-volume work Luke-Acts in fact written by a companion of Paul? Scholars are not agreed on the answer. and large, most German writers favor a negative answer. reasons are that (1) the chronology of Paul's life found in the Book of Acts presents certain apparent conflicts with that found in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and that (2) the writer seems unfamiliar with the geography of Israel. the other hand, most English scholars favor an affirmative answer. reasons are that the "We" sections in Acts (the sections in which the author explicitly claims to have been present at the events he describes) contain a wealth of circumstantial detail that make invention extremely unlikely. (Thus, for example, Mr. James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS, having sailed a vessel over the same route described in Acts 27-28, argues in his book, The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, that the account must have been written by someone who had sailed that route. It used to be a popular theory that the writer had somehow gotten his hands on a travel diary of the real "Luke" and incorporated it into his work. However, a detailed analysis of the writing style of various sections of the work shows none of the differences that would be expected on this theory. on the affirmative side generally answer the negative objections mentioned above by supposing that (1) the conferences mentioned in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 are not the same conference, and that (2) Luke uses the word "Judea" sometimes to mean the southern portion of the land of Israel, and sometimes to mean the whole land. some comments on the historical reliability of the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke, go to the following URLs: by James Kiefer

Syria, 30-84 , Apostle Luke of the Seventy, f Antioch S Dr, Emmaus, w Paul, Achaia, Libya, Egypt, Thebaid, Icons, Gospel & Acts
Syria, 30-84 , Apostle Luke of the Seventy; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18 ; Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. one of the Seventy Apostles, Saint Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior’s earthly life (Luke 10:1-3). the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saints Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. accompanied Saint Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul’s coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. credits Saint Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. “Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons,” said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. Luke’s Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), Saint Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). Saint Luke’s Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior. the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. holy relics of Saint Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history. Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of Saint Luke’s relics for the saint’s empty sepulchre in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of Saint Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Vico in Prague. skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skelton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in Saint Luke’s original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes. Saint Luke is also commemorated on April 22. LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ;

Syria, 30- 1st century, Timon tDeacon, Bishop oBosra, Syria ot70, ot7deacons, converted many, crucified after red-hot furnace
Syria, 30- 1st century, Timon the Deacon, Bishop of Bosra in Syria (Kings Highway 16) of the Seventy, red hot furnace, ot7 deacons, Bishop oBosra, converted many, crucified after red-hot furnace; Apostle Timon; holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostle Timon of the Seventy was among the first deacons in the Church along with Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Parmenas and Nicholas. they died at various times and in various places, they are commemorated together on July 28. St. Timon is also commemorated on December 30. the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. tradition of the Roman Church says that St. Timon died by crucifixion. Bosra in Syria; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ; Holy Apostle Timon was one of the seven deacons appointed by the Apostles (Acts 6:5) to minister to destitute Christian widows. he was chosen bishop of the city of Bosra in Syria, where he led many to Christianity. was thrown into a red-hot furnace and received the crown of martyrdom. He is also commemorated on July 28.

Syria, 30 1st Century, Hieropolis, Apostle Philip
Syria, 1st Century, Hieropolis, Apostle Philip ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14; Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee. He had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him. Apostle Philip is spoken about several times in the Holy Gospel: he brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew, April 22, June 30, and August 25. See John. 1:46). The Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John. 6: 5-7). He brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John. 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John. 14:8). the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priests at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip. Apostle Philip exposed the lie of the chief priest, who said that the disciples of Christ had stolen away and hidden the body of Christ. Philip told instead how the Pharisees had bribed the soldiers on watch, to deliberately spread this rumor. When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone’s sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Greece the Apostle Philip went to Parthia, and then to the city of Azotus, where he healed an eye affliction of the daughter of a local resident named Nikoklides, who had received him into his home, and then baptized his whole family. Azotus the Apostle Philip set out to Syrian Hieropolis (there were several cities of this name) where, stirred up by the Pharisees, the Jews burned the house of Heros, who had taken in the Apostle Philip, and they wanted to kill the apostle. The apostle performed several miracles: the healing of the hand of the city official Aristarchus, withered when he attempted to strike the apostle; and restoring a dead child to life. When they saw these marvels, they repented and many accepted holy Baptism. After making Heros the bishop at Hieropolis, the Apostle Philip went on to Syria, Asia Minor, Lydia, Emessa, and everywhere preaching the Gospel and undergoing sufferings. Both he and his sister Mariamne (February 17) were pelted with stones, locked up in prison, and thrown out of villages. the Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them. At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. Seeing this happen, the people believed in Christ and began to demand that the apostles be taken down from the crosses. The Apostle Bartholomew was still alive when he was taken down, and he baptized all those believing and established a bishop for them. the Apostle Philip, through whose prayers everyone remained alive, except for Amphipatos and the pagan priests, died on the cross. his sister buried his body, and went with the Apostle Bartholomew to preach in Armenia, where the Apostle Bartholomew was crucified (June 11); Mariamne herself then preached until her own death at Lykaonia. holy Apostle Philip is not to be confused with Saint Philip the Deacon (October 11), one of the Seventy.

Syria, 33-117, Holy Apostles ot70&first Deacons: Prochorus,Nicanor,Timon,& Parmenas, full HS&Wiscom, various times&places
Bithynia, 33-117, Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, first Deacons otChurch, full Holy Spirit & Wiscom, various times&places, Prochorus wPeter&Bishop Nicomedia, after Dormition wJohn tPatmos, wrote down Book Revelation, returned Nicomedia, then Antioch pagans conversion & martyrdom, Nicanor martyred same day wStephen, Timon tBostra Arabia, into furnace bJews&pagans unharmed, crucified, Parmenas iMacedonia to 117 ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ. the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons. are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places. first, Saint Prochorus accompanied the holy Apostle Peter, who made him bishop in the city of Nicomedia. After the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, Prochorus was a companion and coworker of the holy Apostle John the Theologian and was banished with him to the island of Patmos. There he wrote down the Book of Revelation concerning the final fate of the world. Upon returning to Nicomedia, Saint Prochorus converted pagans to Christ in the city of Antioch, where he suffered martyrdom. Saint Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is also commemorated on December 28. Timon was later appointed by the Apostles as bishop of the city of Bostra in Arabia and suffered from the Jews and pagans for preaching the Gospel. He was thrown into a furnace, but by the power of God he came out of it unharmed. The tradition of the Roman Church says that Saint Timon died by crucifixion. Saint Timon is also commemorated on December 30. Parmenas zealously preached Christ in Macedonia. He died after being afflicted with an illness. Some say that Saint Parmenas suffered martyrdom under Trajan (98-117) in the final year of his reign.

Syria, 40, CONVERSION oPaul, near Damascus, Syria, , formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tChief Spokesman, had vision oChrist
Cilicia, 40, CONVERSION oPAUL, oTarsus, Cilicia (Seyhan River Mouth), formerly enemy otChurch, led by grace, tbChief Spokesman, questions of authorship oPaul's Letters and Acts: info sources: 1. several NT letters, 2. Luke's account of him in Acts, forger's difficulties, during lifetime, I never wrote anything like that, after death, why didn't we recieve, argument applies only to letters to congregations, or general form letters, so, pastoral letters Timothy&Titus signed by Paul are questioned, Hebrews not signed, Paul first opposed Church, had vision oChrist, converted, devoted rest oLife tSpreading Gospel oChrist, Luke was his companion fPart of his journeys, well established comparison oStyle Acts written by companion oPaul, but chronology differences Acts and Pauls autobiography accts some scholars dispute genuiness oActs; Damascus (Barada River foothills); THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; January 25 we remember how Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, formerly an enemy and persecutor of the early Christian Church, was led by God's grace to become one of its chief spokesmen. detail of the Conversion of Paul, by Peter Bruegel chief sources of information about the Apostle Paul are several of his own letters, preserved for us in the New Testament, and the account of him given by Luke in the book of Acts. One naturally asks whether we can be sure that the letters attributed to Paul are in fact his. partial answer is that a forger would run into difficulty. If he wrote a letter, say, to the church at Corinth during Paul's lifetime, and signed Paul's name, the Corinthians would naturally mention it the next time they sent a message to Paul, and Paul would naturally reply: "What are you talking about? I never wrote anything like that!" a letter supposedly to Corinth were circulated after Paul's death, sooner or later a copy would reach Corinth, and the members of the church there would ask, "If Paul wrote this letter and sent it to us while he lived, how does it happen that no one here has ever heard of it?" it would be difficult to obtain credence for a forged letter to a congregation. argument does not apply to a letter to an individual (such as Timothy or Titus). it arguably does not apply to the Letter to the Ephesians. Although some ancient copies of this letter begin: an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [at Ephesus and] faithful in Christ Jesus: ancient copies read simply "also" instead of the bracketed words. Thus, it is widely supposed that the letter was written as a general form letter to many churches, with the name of the church to be filled in in each particular copy. view is supported by the fact that the letter contains no personal greetings and makes no references to the past history of the congregation addressed. a forger might write such a form letter, circulate it after Paul's death, and escape detection, since no particular congregation could say, "Since we did not hear of this letter before, Paul could not have written it." And accordingly, we find that it is precisely Ephesians and the Pastorals (the letters to Timothy and Titus) that are questioned by some scholars who acknowledge Paul's authorship of all the other letters claiming to be by him. (I am not counting the letter to the Hebrews, which is not signed.) Conversion of Paul, by Caravaggio Our other source of information is the book of Acts, where Paul (at first called Saul) appears in 7:58-8:1; 9:1-30; 11:25-30; 12:25--28:31. we read how Paul at first opposed and persecuted the Church, how he had a vision of Christ and was converted, and devoted the rest of his life to spreading the Gospel of Christ. of this account include statements like "we then crossed over to Troas," which are taken to mean that Luke was a companion of Paul for part of Paul's journeys. these accounts, particularly those of the shipwreck on Paul's last voyage, show every sign of being accurate eyewitness accounts (see the book The Voyage and Shipwreck of Saint Paul, by James Smith of Jordan Hill, FRS) and since a comparison of the style of various portions of the book of Acts makes it highly improbable that it is a scissors-and-paste job, with portions of one man's work inserted into a story by someone else, many scholars consider the claim that Acts was written by a companion of Paul to be well established. the other hand, it is not always clear how the chronology of Luke's account of the life of Paul is to be fitted with the autobiographical snippets we find in Paul's own writings, and for this reason some scholars dispute the genuineness of the book of Acts. an old but still worth-while introduction to the subject, and a defense of the conservative position, I refer the reader to A Historical Introduction to the New Testament (the title varies a bit from one edition to another) by George Salmon, FRS. A portion of this book (dealing with the authorship of the Fourth Gospel) can be obtained at READING Acts 26:9-21 (Paul, on trial before Agrippa, recounts the story of his conversion at Damascus) PSALM 67 (God has blest us, and all the ends of the earth shall revere Him) EPISTLE Galatians 1:11-24 (Paul writes of his conversion, and its implications) THE HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 10:16-22 (Christ warns His disciples of persecutions to come, and encourages them to stand firm and trust God) by James Kiefer

Syria, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, Jesus hugged him, bore God in his heart

Syria, 45-108 , Ignatius, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, God Bearer, gold J C in his heart, to Rome, incouraging letters and preacing
Syria, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, little boy Jesus hugged, bore God in his heart, prayed unceasingly, antiphonal singing, by angels example, Trajan 107, I came to him, T sent I to Rome for wild beasts to I joy, from Seleucia to Smyrna and Polycarp, to Troas, to Neapolis, to Philippi, visited churches, wrote 7 epistles to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philidelphia, Smyrna, to Polycarp; joy of roman christians meeting, lions tore him to pieces leaving heart w gold JC, Trajan stopped persecution, relics to Antioch then to San Clemente church Rome; Syria, 107-18 , Ignatius of Antioch; of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD),[3][4][7][8][9] also known as Ignatius Theophorus (the God-bearing), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of a later collection of works known to be authored by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered to be one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Antioch (Orontes River 7); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; the Apostles, Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch in Syria. His predecessor, of whom little is known, was named Euodius. he knew any of the Apostles directly is uncertain. is known of his life except for the very end of it. in the second century (perhaps around 107 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan), he was arrested by the Imperial authorities, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to die in the arena. thus dealing with a leader, the rulers hoped to terrify the rank and file. Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage them, speaking to groups of Christians at every town along the way. the prison escort reached the west coast of Asia Minor, it halted before taking ship, and delegations from several Asian churches were able to visit Ignatius, to speak with him at length, to assist him with items for his journey, and to bid him an affectionate farewell and commend him to the grace of God. response he wrote seven letters that have been preserved: five to congregations that had greeted him, en masse or by delegates (Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans), one to the congregation that would greet him at his destination (Romans), and one to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John. His letters are available in several modern translations. Perhaps the most accessible is the Penguin Paperback, Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. The themes with which he is chiefly concerned are (1) the importance of maintaining Christian unity in love and sound doctrine (with warnings against factionalism and against the heresy of Docetism -- the belief that Christ was not fully human and did not have a material body or really suffer and die), (2) the role of the clergy as a focus of Christian unity, (3) Christian martyrdom as a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped. He writes: I am God's wheat, ground fine by the lion's teeth to be made purest bread for Christ. No early pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world. do not try to tempt me with material things. Let me attain pure light. Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being. Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God. by James Kiefer Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ. the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity. Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome. the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him. In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation... In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’” Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi. the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day. Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians. December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.” this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome. of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Syria, 45-108, Syrian Saint, Ignatius of Antioch, wrote important letters en route to Rome
Syria, 45-107, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), Theologian John's disciple w Polycarp, 2nd Bishop of Antioch, little boy Jesus hugged, bore God in his heart, prayed unceasingly, antiphonal singing, by angels example, Trajan 107, I came to him, T sent I to Rome for wild beasts to I joy, from Seleucia to Smyrna and Polycarp, to Troas, to Neapolis, to Philippi, visited churches, wrote 7 epistles to Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philidelphia, Smyrna, to Polycarp; joy of roman christians meeting, lions tore him to pieces leaving heart w gold JC, Trajan stopped persecution, relics to Antioch then to San Clemente church Rome; Syria, 55-108, Syrian Saint, Ignatius of Antioch; of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD),[3][4][7][8][9] also known as Ignatius Theophorus ( lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer and bishop of Antioch. en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence now forms a central part of a later collection of works known to be authored by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered to be one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology. Important topics they address include ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23;

Syria, 50-65, SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION oPAUL, Prison wP aPhillipi, beaten, in stocks, freed bPsalms &Earthquake

Syria, 54-91, Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Armenia, fell out of window
Armenia, 54-91, Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene; Malatya; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Syria, 60, 1st Century, Edessa, Armenia, Apostle Jude
Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Syria, 66-70, Martyr Acasius of Apamea, brought to 3 governors, Syria, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Phrygia
Syria, 66-70, Martyr Acasius of Apamea, brought to 3 governors, Syria, Greece, Phrygia; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts. When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor). Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, "Procopius in Apamea on the way to Alexandria" ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10 ; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Syria, 98-117, Sarbelus & Bebaia oEdessa, Martyred bTrajan, Pagan priest. both converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius
Armenia, 98-117, Sarbelus oEdessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), Martyred with his sister bTrajan, Pagan priest & sister Bebaia converted by Edessa Bishop Barsimaius; Edessa, Syria; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Holy Martyr Sarbelus was a pagan priest who lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and his sister Bebaia were converted by Barsimaius, the Bishop of Edessa. both received the crown of martyrdom. Saints Sarbelus and Bebaia are also commemorated on October 15.

Syria, 108, 438, 540 or 637, Ignatius relics transfer, Rome tAntioch and back, listen to your bishops

Syria, 63BC-114, History Folder, Kingdom of Osroene, Parthian Empire

Syria, 63BC-114, Kingdom of Osroene, Parthian Empire including Armenia
Syria, 63BC-114, Kingdom of Osroene, Parthian Empire; Syrian King, BC 4 - AD 50, Abgar V;

Syria, 114-314, Roman Syria, with Palmyra under Rome

Syria, 100, 2nd C Folder, Ariston&Theosis, Victor unharmed, hWife, Theophilus oA

Syria, 120-160, Aristion, Bishop, Lesser Alexandria, Cilician Gates r, boyhood f martyr Anthony, life's purpose-theosis
Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor), Alexandria is probably Kitikien of the Ptolemaic Empire, along the Cilician Gates route ; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Anthony, a native of the city of Alexandria, was a Christian. For his confession of faith they tied him to a tree and tore at his body with iron hooks, and then sentenced him to burning. Standing in the fire, he calmly exhorted those standing about to toil not for the body but for the soul in aspiring towards God. After the fire flared up, the body of the saint remained unharmed. The time of his death is unknown. Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Aristion was the bishop of lesser Alexandria in Cilicia (Asia Minor). He was born in the small town of Aribazo in the eparchy of Apamea, Syria at the beginning of the second century. His parents were pagans, and he spent his early years in an atmosphere of idolatry. do not know what sort of early education Saint Aristion received, nor where he studied, but it did not satisfy his search for the truth. A ten-year-old boy who lived in the same town, the future martyr Anthony, showed him the path which led to the truth. Anthony instructed him in the true Faith, and Aristion increased in piety and zeal for God. is significant that Anthony, despite the constant fear of persecution, exile and even danger to his own life, was not just a member of the local church, but also preached the Faith to others. It is certain that Aristion prayed for his young friend and remembered his courage and strength, for Anthony’s efforts to bring Aristion to the saving Faith had born fruit and were not in vain. Not only did Anthony give himself to the Church through his martyrdom at the age of twenty, he also gave it another saint and martyr: Saint Aristion later, Saint Aristion was consecrated bishop for Isso in Cilicia, which is found in lesser Alexandria. He was a good shepherd to his flock, and cared diligently for their souls. day the ruler of Alexandria had Saint Aristion arrested because he was a Christian. Although he was placed on public trial, the holy bishop was calm and showed no fear. His whole demeanor made the Roman eparch realize that it would not easy to deal with this man who stood before him. He tried to turn Aristion from Christ through flattery and promises of reward, but the saint stood firm. Seeing that his words had no effect on the bishop, he threatened him with fierce tortures. He was not influenced by these threats, however. Aristion stood before the eparch and his counselors, gazing at them with love and concern for their salvation. Even in his weakness, this captive was stronger than his captors, and he refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. a multitude of idolaters, Saint Aristion spoke of the Triune God, by Whom all things were created. He also told them about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which was accomplished through God’s saving dispensation. He explained that Christ brings salvation to fallen man, thereby giving him another chance to attain the true purpose of his life—theosis. “How poor these soulless statues of the gods are,” the bishop said, “and how helpless the eparch looks in his radiant apparel.” who heard the saint speak were amazed and asked one another where he got such courage. Aristion invited them to believe in the truth which he was revealing to them. Those who watched understood that this holy man was someone special, and they wanted to hear more about his beliefs. Roman eparch could not find any way to resist Aristion except through violence, so he sentenced him to death. He commanded his soldiers to prepare a large furnace and then throw him into the flames.The saint went to his martyrdom without resistance, remaining brave and strong until the end. The few Christians who were present tried not to weep.They whispered prayers for him, and were saddened because their father was leaving them. They knew, however, that their archpastor would not cease praying for them, especially now that he was going to Christ. They could hear Saint Aristion singing hymns in the fire until his last breath. eparch did not know what a terrible mistake he had made. He did not realize that death is not the end for men, nor for the truth. Nothing could separate Saint Aristion from the Fountain of Life, and so the Lord bestowed upon him an imperishable crown of glory. the flames died down, his spiritual children approached the furnace and collected as many of his bones as they could. With great reverence they put the holy relics in a secret place, which remains unknown to the present day. more detailed biography of the saint has been published (in Greek): THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ARISTION, by John G. Thalassinos (Athens, 2003). This volume also contains the Service to the saint, which was composed by Hieromonk Athanasius of Simonopetra Monastery on Mt. Athos. Martyr Anthony of Alexandria Commemorated on August 9

Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier martyred aDamascus, Syria, tortured but unharmed, converted sorcerer wPrayer power, blind healed
Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier martyred aDamascus, Syria, tortured but unharmed, converted sorcerer wPrayer power, blind got sight, Stehpanida witnessed&converted; Syria, 161-180, Victor, Soldier and Martyr at Damascus, Syria; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, wVictor, 15yr old torturers' wife glorified Christ, two palm trees tore her apart
Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, with Victor, 15yr old torturers' wife glorified Christ, two palm trees tore her apart, aka Corona, martyred at Damascus, she witnessed V tortured but unharmed, relics buried aDamascus; Syria, 161-180, Stephanida of Spain, with Victor, Martyr at Damascus; Victor and Corona (also known as Saints Victor and Stephanie) are two Christian martyrs. was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed; Corona was killed for comforting him. Corona is invoked as a patron of causes involving money; she was not historically associated with pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the coronavirus pandemic. St Victor of Siena (left) and St Corona by the Master of the Palazzo Venezia Madonna in the National Gallery of Denmark. legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, who was tortured, including having his eyes gouged out, and was beheaded. sources state that he and Corona were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (around the 160s-170s AD), but various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus Pius, or Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] he was suffering from the tortures, the sixteen-year-old wife of another soldier, named Corona or Stephanie (or Stefania or Stephana, the Greek version of her Latin name, which also means "crown")[2][3][4] comforted and encouraged him. this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released; the passio is considered largely fictional, and she herself may also be fictional.[5] Other sources state that Victor and Corona were husband and wife.[6][7] is also debate as to where Corona was from; differing accounts place her in Syria, Sicily, and Marseille.[7] and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). feast day is 14 May. the town of Feltre in northern Italy, on the slopes of Mount Miesna, is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade. is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. There is a chapel dedicated to her in Sauerlach, near Munich.[7] There are two churches named after her in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau and two towns named after her in Lower Austria.[7] A statue of her stands in the Münster Cathedral.[7] 1000 AD Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor brought Corona's relics to Aachen in western Germany.[7] relics were rediscovered during excavation work at Aachen Cathedral in 1910. The relics were removed from a crypt and placed in a shrine inside the cathedral.[7] is the patroness of causes involving money, such as gambling and treasure hunting, a result of a later treasure hunter who credited his success to invoking her.[5][8][9] She is called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[10] was not historically a patron saint of or invoked against pandemics or disease, but has been invoked against the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][9] Her relics will be available for public veneration once the pandemic has passed.[9][11] Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; Stephanida witnessed the martyrdom at Damascus of the Holy Martyr Victor, a soldier, during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). was tortured, but he came through all the torments unharmed. the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried. Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Holy Martyr Victor at Damascus was a soldier during the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161-180). the emperor began a persecution against Christians, Victor refused to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Such obligatory sacrifices were a test of a soldier’s loyalty to the gods, the emperor and the state. The saint was given over to torture, but he came through all the torments unharmed. By the power of prayer he was victorious over a sorcerer, who from that point gave up give sorcery and became a Christian. Saint Victor’s prayers, blind soldiers suddenly received their sight. the miracle worked by the Lord through Saint Victor, Stephanida, the young Christian wife of one of the torturers, openly glorified Christ, for which she was condemned to a cruel death. She was tied to two palm trees bent to the ground, which when released, sprung back and tore her apart. She was fifteen years old. torturer ordered that the holy Martyr Victor be beheaded. Hearing the commander’s order, Saint Victor told his executioners that they would all die in twelve days, and that the commander would be captured by the enemy in twenty-four days. As he foretold, so it came to pass. martyrs suffered in the second century at Damascus, where their venerable relics were buried.

Syria, 169-185, Syrian Saint and Patriarch, Theophilus of Antioch
Syria, 169-185, Syrian Sain tand Patriarch, Theophilus of Antioch; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Smolensk Hodegetria Icon of the Theotokos, or “She who leads the way,” was, according to Church Tradition, painted by the holy Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos. The holy hierarch Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this icon was painted at the request of Theophilus, the prefect of Antioch. From Antioch the holy image was transferred to Jerusalem. From there the empress Eudokia, the spouse of Arcadius, gave it at Constantinople to Pulcheria, the sister of the emperor, who put the holy icon in the Blachernae church. 1046, the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1054), gave his daughter Anna in marriage to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. He blessed her on her way with this icon. After the death of Prince Vsevolod the icon went to his son Vladimir Monomachos, who transferred it at the beginning of the twelfth century into the Smolensk cathedral church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. From that time, the icon was known as the Smolensk Hodēgḗtria. the year 1238, at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercurius went by night into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in whose number was their most powerful warrior. Having accepted a martyr’s death in battle, he was included by the Church in the ranks of the Saints (November 24). the fourteenth century, Smolensk came into the possession of the Lithuanian princes. The daughter of prince Vitovt, Sophia, was given in marriage to the Moscow Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398, she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with her to Moscow. They set the holy image in the Annunciation cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the Royal Doors. 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk with Bishop Misael at the head, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk in a church procession, and at Moscow there remained two copies. One was put in the Annunciation cathedral, and the other, “a measure for measure,” was put in the Novodevichi monastery, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on Devichi Pole (Virgin’s Field), where “with many tears” the Muscovites handed over the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602 an exact copy was painted from the wonderworking icon (in 1666 together with the ancient icon they brought a new copy to Moscow for restoration), which they placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall over the Dneprovsk Gates, under a specially constructed cover. Afterwards, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802, a stone church. new copy took on the power of the old image, and when the Russian armies left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this icon through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to great deeds. The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodēgḗtria, taken to the Dormition cathedral on the day of the Battle of Borodino went in procession with the Ivḗron and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, and then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. After leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl. were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God defended Russia through Her icons. After the victory over the enemy forces the Hodēgḗtria Icon was returned to Smolensk together with its glorified copy. celebration in honor of this wonderworking icon on July 28 was established in the year 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. exist many venerated copies of the Smolensk Hodegetria, for which the celebration is set on this day. There is also a day of celebration for the Smolensk Icon (November 5), glorified in the nineteenth century when this image was returned to Smolensk on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov. In memory of the expulsion of the enemy from Russia, it was decided to celebrate this day annually at Smolensk. holy icon of the Hodegetria Mother of God is one of the chief holy objects of the Russian Church. Believers have received and do receive from it an abundant help of grace. The Mother of God through Her holy icon intercedes for and strengthens us, guiding us on the way to salvation, and we call out to Her, “Thou art the All-Blessed Hodegetria for faithful peoples, Thou art the affirmation, the Praiseworthy of Smolensk and all the Russian land. Rejoice, Hodegetria, salvation of Christians!”

Syria, 200, 3rd C Folder, Artemon animals speak, Babylas blocking Desius, B's Bhouse, C&D Drs, G's vision, N's forgvnss, Synods

Syria, 227-303, Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, great story, animals speaking and more
Syria, 227-303, Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, animals speaking and prophecising, very old, destroyed pagan temple gods, Patricius healed but thought by witchcraft, Artémon followed by six wild donkeys and two deer by Word of Christ, eagle angels throw P caldron burning pitch; Laodicea in Syria; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Hieromartyr Artémon was born of Christian parents in Laodίkeia, Syria in the III century. his youth, he devoted himself to the service of the Church, and was a Reader for sixteen years. For his zeal, Bishop Sisίnnius ordained him as a Deacon. Saint Artémon also carried out this service with fervor and diligence for twenty-eight years, then he was ordained to the priesthood. In that position, Saint Artémon served the Church of God for another thirty-three years, preaching Christianity among pagans. Emperor Diocletian (reigned 284-305) began his fierce persecution of the Church, issuing an edict ordering Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, Saint Artémon was already quite old. of the impending arrival of the military commander Patricius at Laodίkeia, Saint Sisίnnius went with the priest Artémon and some other Christians into the temple of the "goddess" Artemis. There they smashed and burned the idols, reducing them all to dust. Saint Sisίnnius and Saint Artémon gathered the flock into the church and fervently exhorted the Christians to remain firm in the Faith, and not to fear the threats of torturers. he arrived in Laodίkeia, Patricius celebrated a five-day festival in honor of the pagan "gods," and then entered the temple of Artemis to offer sacrifice. When he was told who had destroyed the temple, he went with a detachment of soldiers to the church where the Christians were praying. he approached the church, Patricius suddenly felt a chill, and then developed a fever, which left him scarcely alive. He was carried him home and put to bed. “The Christians have put a curse on me, and their God torments me,” he said to those around him. Although Patricius prayed to the idols, they did not relieve his sufferings. sent a messenger to Bishop Sisίnnius, asking for his help, and promised to set up a gold statue of that Hierarch in the middle of the city. The Saint replied, “Keep your gold, but if you believe in Christ, He will heal you.” was afraid of death, so he declared that he believed in Christ, and the affliction left him. But even this miracle did not affect the obdurate pagan's soul. Although he did not raise a hand against Bishop Sisίnnius, he did enforce the imperial edict against other Christians in the city of Caesarea. the way he encountered Saint Artémon, who was followed by six wild donkeys and two deer. Patricius asked how he was able to control these wild beasts, Saint Artémon replied that he held them with the Word of Christ. learned from the idolaters that it was Artémon who had destroyed the pagan temple of Artemis, so he ordered that Artémon be arrested and taken to the city of Caesarea. The Saint went with the soldiers without fear, but he told the animals to go to Saint Sisίnnius. Seeing the animals, Bishop Sisίnnius asked, “Why have these animals come here?” doe received the gift of speech from God and said, “The servant of God Artémon is being held by the impious Patricius, and is being brought to Caesarea in chains. He commanded us to come here to give you this news.” not be astonished that the Lord, Who opened the mouth of Balaam’s ass (Numbers 22:28), also permitted the doe to speak. The Bishop sent Deacon Phileas to Caesarea to verify what he had been told. Caesarea, Patricius brought Saint Artémon to trial and tried to force him to offer sacrifice in the temple of Asclepius. In that pagan temple there were many poisonous vipers. The pagan priest never opened the doors, nor did he place the sacrifice before the idol. Saint Artémon, calling on the Name of Jesus Christ, went into the temple and drove the snakes out. The pagans fled, but the Saint stopped them and killed the snakes by his breath. Vitalius, one of the pagan priests, believed in Christ and asked Saint Artémon to baptize him. thought that Saint Artémon killed the snakes by sorcery, and again he interrogated and tortured him. the doe which had spoken arrived at Caesarea. She lay down at the Martyr's feet, licking his wounds. By God’s command the doe spoke again, denouncing the impious pagans. Addressing Patricius, the doe predicted that he would be seized by two birds of prey, and dropped into a cauldron of burning pitch. was enraged because he had been censured by a wild beast. He commanded his soldiers to shoot the doe with arrows, but she escaped. that the miracles performed by Saint Artémon would attract more people to him, Patricius ordered his execution. enormous cauldron was filled with boiling pitch, and the soldiers intended to throw Saint Artémon into it. But when Patricius rode up to the cauldron on horseback to see if the pitch was indeed boiling, two Angels in the form of eagles seized him and dropped him into the cauldron. His body was consumed so that not a single bone remained, but Saint Artémon survived. this miracle, everyone ran away except Saint Artémon, who blessed and glorified God. When the Saint finished his prayer, a spring of water gushed forth from the ground. Saint Artémon baptized the pagan priest Vitalius and many pagans, who had come to believe in Christ. On the following morning, Saint Artémon communed the newly-baptized with the Holy Mysteries. Many of the baptized were ordained to the diaconate and the priesthood, and Vitalius was made Bishop of Palestine. Bishop of Caesarea came to visit Saint Artémon, noting the place where he had suffered. Subsequently, a church was built on that site. by God's voice, Saint Artémon preached the Gospel in Asia Minor. Then an Angel appeared and transported him to the place which had been revealed to him, and there he converted many to Christ. The pagans arrested the Saint and beheaded him († 303). the Roman Martyrology, Saint Artémon is listed under October 8, while in Greek usage he is commemorated on April 12. Artémon the Presbyter of Laodίkeia should not be confused with Saint Artémon the Bishop of Seleukeia (March 24).

Syria, 249-251, Hieromartyr Babylas of Antioch, blocked Decius, Lord's e not worthy respect, these chains venerable
Syria, 249-251, Hieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), blocked curious Decius f church, fired church, why insult, not worthy respect, Lord's enemy, these chains venerable, suffering desirable, death precious, 3 spiritual children, test them, whipped by age, Decius lied about them, but B not believe, all burned and beheaded ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, and those with him, Commemorated on September 4; Hieromartyr Babylas and with him the three youths Urban, Prilidian, Epolonius and their mother Christodoula died as martyrs under the emperor Decius (249-251). his stay in their city of Antioch, the emperor arranged for a large festival in honor of the pagan gods. the same time, Babylas, the holy and God-fearing Bishop of Antioch, was serving the Divine Liturgy in church. He prayed for his flock and taught them to endure all tribulations for Christ with courage. idolater Decius, curious to witness the Divine Mysteries, decided to enter the church. of this reached the bishop, so he went out to meet Decius and blocked the path to the church, for he was unwilling to permit impiety in the temple of God. the emperor approached the church doors, Saint Babylas refused to let him enter, so the emperor had to abandon his intention. He wanted to take revenge on the saint right away, but when he saw the large throng of Christians, he feared they might riot. next day the angry emperor ordered that the church be set on fire, and for Bishop Babylas to be brought before him. asked why he had insulted the imperial dignity by not allowing the emperor to enter the church, the holy bishop answered, “Anyone who would rise up against God and want to desecrate His sanctuary, is not worthy of respect, but has become the enemy of the Lord.” declared that the holy bishop must worship the idols in order to make up for his lack of respect for the emperor, or else face execution. convincing himself that the martyr would remain steadfast in his faith, he commanded the military commander Victorinus to put him in heavy chains and lead him through the city in disgrace. holy martyr replied, “Emperor, these chains are as venerable for me as your imperial crown is for you. For me, suffering for Christ is as desirable as the imperial power is for you. Death for the Immortal King is as precious to me as your life is to you.” the trial with Bishop Babylas were three young brothers, who did not forsake him even in this most difficult moment. Seeing them, the emperor asked, “Who are these children? “ “These are my spiritual children,” the saint replied, “and I have raised them in piety, I have given them an education, cultivated them with guidance, and here before you in a small body are these great young men and perfect Christians. Test them and see.” emperor tried in all sorts of ways to entice the youths and their mother Christodoula to renounce Christ, but in vain. in a rage, he ordered each of them to be whipped with a number of blows corresponding to their age. The first received twelve blows, the second, ten, and the third, seven. the mother and children, the torturer again summoned the bishop, telling him that the children had renounced Christ. He did not believe the lie, however. he commanded all the martyrs be tied to a tree and burned with fire. Seeing the stoic bravery of the saints, the emperor finally condemned them to be beheaded with the sword.

Syria, 250 3rd Century, Barbara and Juliana at Heliopolis, B's Bathhouse, trinity of light, traced cross miraculously etched

Syria, 250-287, Cosmos& Damien, Mom's example, physicians healing gift, for animals, 3eggs story, camel spoke, appeared aDeath
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Syria, 250-287, Cosmos&Damian, unmercenary physicians, practiced iAegae, Cilicia & across Gulf in Rossos, Syria
Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien, fAsia Minor or Macedonia, Mother's example, skilled physicians, plus holy spirit gift oHealing, even animals, free services, wide fame as unmercenary physicians, 3eggs story, healed hopeless condition, but payment broke vow, Camel spoke, eggs as respect God's name, so buried together aThereman, then many miracles, C&D appeared aServants oChrist to rescue woman, thanks to their Icon, then brothers venerated as protectors marriage; Aegeae, Cilicia; Cilicia, 250-287, Unmercenaries, Saints, Cosmos and Damien; and Damian ( c.  3rd century – c.  287 or 303 AD) two Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs.[3][4] practised their profession in the seaport of Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Syria.[5] and Damian were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practised medicine and surgery without a fee. This led them to being named anargyroi (from the Greek Ἀνάργυροι, 'the silverless' or 'unmercenaries'); by this, they attracted many to the Christian faith.[6] They reputedly cured blindness, fever, paralysis and reportedly expelled a breast serpent. They were arrested by Lysias, governor of Cilicia (modern day Çukurova, Turkey) during the Diocletian persecution because of their faith and fame as healers. Emperor Diocletian was a religious fanatic and favoured the pantheism of the Olympian Gods. He issued a series of edicts that condemned the Christians in his attempt to wipe out Christianity from his empire.[7] Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, by Gerard Seghers, 17th century, Private collection, U.S. Nothing is known of their lives except that they suffered martyrdom in Syria during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. According to Christian traditions, the twin brothers were born in Arabia and became skilled doctors.[8] d'Ascoli, a 15th century Italian physician, claims that the medieval electuary, a pasty mass consisting of a drug mixed with sugar and water or honey suitable for oral administration,[9] known as opopira,[10] a complex compound medicine used to treat diverse maladies including paralysis, was invented by Cosmas and Damian.[11] the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who is otherwise unknown, who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned and shot by arrows and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.[5] and Damian miraculously transplant the black leg of the Ethiopian onto the white body of the patient. (1400/1420) in St. Michael's Church, Munich containing the alleged skulls of Cosmas and Damian. The convent of the Poor Clares in Madrid also has two skulls alleged to be of Cosmas and Damian. Felix IV presents Saints Cosmas and Damian with the basilica he rededicated to them. veneration of Cosmas and Damian quickly spread beyond Constantinople; accounts of their martyrdom were rewritten by various authors such as Andrew of Crete, Peter of Argos, Theodore II Laskaris, and a certain Maximus around 1300. The legends are preserved also in Syriac, Coptic, Georgian, Armenian, and Latin.[12] early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established at Jerusalem, in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Devotion to the two saints spread rapidly in both East and West. Theodoret records the division of their reputed relics. Their relics, deemed miraculous, were buried in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. Churches were built in their honor by Archbishop Proclus and by Emperor Justinian I (527–565), who sumptuously restored the city of Cyrrhus and dedicated it to the twins, but brought their purported relics to Constantinople; there, following his cure, ascribed to the intercession of Cosmas and Damian, Justinian, in gratitude also built and adorned their church at Constantinople,[8] and it became a celebrated place of pilgrimage. At Rome, Pope Felix IV (526–530) rededicated the Library of Peace (Bibliotheca Pacis) as a basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in the Forum of Vespasian in their honour. The church is much rebuilt but still famed for its sixth-century mosaics illustrating the saints. are said to be their skulls are venerated in the Convent of Las Descalzas Reales of the Clares in Madrid, where they have been since 1581, the gift of Maria, daughter of Emperor Charles V. They had previously been removed from Rome to Bremen in the tenth century, and thence to Bamberg. Other skulls said to be theirs were discovered in 1334 by Burchard Grelle, Archbishop of Bremen. He "personally 'miraculously' retrieved the relics of the holy physicians Cosmas and Damian, which were allegedly immured and forgotten in the choir of the Bremen Cathedral.[13] In celebration of the retrieval Archbishop and Chapter arranged a feast at Pentecost 1335, when the relics were translated from the wall to a more dignified place.[14] Grelle claimed the relics were those Archbishop Adaldag brought from Rome in 965. The cathedral master-builder Johann Hemeling made a shrine for the relics, which was finished around 1420. The shrine, made from carved oak wood covered with gilt and rolled silver is considered an important mediaeval gold work.[15] In 1649 Bremen's Chapter, Lutheran by this time, sold the shrine without the heads to Maximilian I of Bavaria. The two heads remained in Bremen and came into the possession of the small Roman Catholic community. They were shown from 1934 to 1968 in the Church of St. Johann and in 1994 they were buried in the crypt.[16] The shrine is now shown in the Jesuit church of St Michael in Munich. At least since 1413 another supposed pair of skulls of the saints has been stored in St Stephens's Cathedral in Vienna. Other relics are claimed by the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian by Fra Angelico (Musée du Louvre, Paris). martyr twins are invoked in the Canon of the Mass[8] in the prayer known as the Communicantes (from the first Latin word of the prayer): "In communion with the whole Church, they venerate above all others the memory of the glorious ever-virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, then of blessed Joseph, husband of the Virgin, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, ...John and Paul, Cosmas and Damian and all your Saints: grant through their merits and prayers that in all things we may be defended by the help of your protection." They are also invoked in the Litany of the Saints, and in the older form of the Roman rite, in the Collect for Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, as the station church for this day is Santi Cosma e Damiano. feast day in the General Roman Calendar, which had been on 27 September, was moved in 1969 to 26 September because 27 September is the dies natalis ("day of birth" into Heaven) of Vincent de Paul, now more widely venerated in the Latin Church.[17][original research?] In Canada it has been moved to 25 September (as 26 September is the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs in Canada).[18] Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patrons of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists and are sometimes represented with medical emblems. They are also regarded as the patron saints of twins. and Damian are depicted as supporters of the arms of the guild of barber-surgeons carved into a capital, 15th century, from the Carmes monastery in Trie-sur-Baïse in southwestern France. The inscription reads, "Saints Cosmas and Damian pray for us". Brazil, the twin saints are regarded as protectors of children, and 27 September is commemorated, especially in Rio de Janeiro, by giving children bags of candy with the saints' effigy printed on them and throughout the entire state of Bahia where Catholics and adepts of Candomblé religion offer typical food such as caruru. The ritual consists of first offering the food to seven children that are no older than seven years old and then having them feast while sitting on the floor and eating with their hands. The Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, in Igarassu, Pernambuco is Brazil's oldest church, built in 1535. the UK Damian is the dexter side supporter in the coat of arms of the British Dental Association. and Damian are venerated every year in Utica, New York at St. Anthony's Parish during the annual pilgrimage which takes place on the last weekend of September (close to the 27 September feast day). There are thousands of pilgrims who come to honor the saints. Over 80 busloads come from Canada and other destinations. The 2-day festival includes music (La Banda Rosa), much Italian food, masses and processions through the streets of East Utica. It is one of the largest festivals honoring saints in the northeast USA. Christianity[edit] of Saints Cosmas and Damian (17th century, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland). In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Cosmas and Damian are venerated as a type of saint known as Unmercenary Physicians (Greek: ἀνάργυροι, anargyroi, "without money"). This classification of saints is unique to the Eastern Church and refers to those who heal purely out of love for God and man, strictly observing the command of Jesus: "Freely have you received, freely give." («Δωρεὰν ἐλάβετε, δωρεὰν δότε...» Matthew 10:8) While each of the Unmercenaries has his own feast days, all are commemorated together on the first Sunday in November, in a feast known as the Synaxis of the Unmercenary Physicians. Orthodox celebrate no less than three different sets of saints by the name of Cosmas and Damian, each with their own distinct feast day: Saints Cosmas and Damian of Cilicia (Arabia) (17 October) Brothers, according to Christian legend they were beaten and beheaded together with three other Christians: Leontius, Anthimus, and Eutropius. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor — alternately, of Mesopotamia (1 November) Twin sons of Theodota of Philippi. Died peacefully and were buried together at Thereman in Mesopotamia. Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (1 July) Brothers, according to Christian tradition they were martyred outside Rome by a jealous pagan physician during the reign of the Roman Emperor Carinus (283–284). Orthodox icons of the saints depict them vested as laymen holding medicine boxes. Often each will also hold a spoon with which to dispense medicine. The handle of the spoon is normally shaped like a cross to indicate the importance of spiritual as well as physical healing, and that all cures come from God. Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian and their mother Saint Theodota were natives of Asia Minor (some sources say Mesopotamia). pagan father died while they were still quite small children. mother raised them in Christian piety. her own example, and by reading holy books to them, Saint Theodota preserved her children in purity of life according to the command of the Lord, and Cosmas and Damian grew up into righteous and virtuous men. and skilled as physicians, they received from the Holy Spirit the gift of healing people’s illnesses of body and soul by the power of prayer. even treated animals. fervent love for both God and neighbor, they never took payment for their services. strictly observed the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Freely have you received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8). fame of Saints Cosmas and Damian spread throughout all the surrounding region, and people called them unmercenary physicians. the saints were summoned to a grievously ill woman named Palladia, whom all the doctors had refused to treat because of her seemingly hopeless condition. faith and through the fervent prayer of the holy brothers, the Lord healed the deadly disease and Palladia got up from her bed perfectly healthy and giving praise to God. gratitude for being healed and wishing to give them a small gift, Palladia went quietly to Damian. presented him with three eggs and said, “Take this small gift in the Name of the Holy Life-Creating Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Hearing the Name of the Holy Trinity, the unmercenary one did not dare to refuse. Saint Cosmas learned what had happened, became very sad, for he thought that his brother had broken their strict vow. his deathbed he gave instructions that his brother should not be buried beside him. Damian also died shortly afterward, and everyone wondered where Saint Damian’s grave should be. through the will of God a miracle occurred. A camel, which the saints had treated for its wildness, spoke with a human voice that they should have no doubts about whether to place Damian beside Cosmas, because Damian did not accept the eggs from the woman as payment, but out of respect for the Name of God. venerable relics of the holy brothers were buried together at Thereman (Mesopotamia). miracles were worked after the death of the holy unmercenaries. lived at Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a certain man by the name of Malchus. day he went on a journey, leaving his wife all alone for what would be a long time. He prayerfully entrusted her to the heavenly protection of the holy brothers. the Enemy of the race of mankind took on the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends, and planned to kill the woman. A certain time went by, and this man went to her at home and said that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. The woman believed him and went along. He led her to a solitary place intending to kill her. woman, seeing that disaster threatened her, called upon God with deep faith. fierce-some men then appeared, and the devil let go of the woman and fled, falling off a cliff. The two men led the woman home. At her own home, bowing to them deeply she asked, “My rescuers, to whom I shall be grateful to the end of my days, what are your names?” replied, “We are the servants of Christ, Cosmas and Damian,” and became invisible. woman with trembling and with joy told everyone about what had happened to her. God, she went up to the icon of the holy brothers and tearfully offered prayers of thanksgiving for her deliverance. from that time the holy brothers were venerated as protectors of the holiness and inviolability of Christian marriage, and as givers of harmony to conjugal life. ancient times, their veneration spread also to Russia. Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor should not be confused with the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Rome (July 1), or the Unmercenary Saints Cosmas and Damian of Arabia (October 17). Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1 ;

Syria, 253, Galacteon & w Epistemis at Emessa, childless rich family, prayer always granted to faith, crowns vision
Syria, 253, Galacteon and wife Epistemis at Emessa, Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2), childless rich family, prayer always granted to faith, son, educated, marriage but monastic life, radiant king and crowns vision, terrible torments, hands & Legs, tongues, beheaded; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Galacteon and his wife at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5; was a rich and distinguished couple named Kletophon and Leukippe, who lived in the Syrian city of Emesa, and for a long time they were childless. They gave much gold to the pagan priests, but still they remained childless. city of Emesa was governed by a Syrian named Secundus, put there by the Roman Caesars. was a merciless and zealous persecutor of Christians, and to intimidate them he ordered that the instruments of torture be displayed on the streets. slightest suspicion of belonging to “the sect of the Galilean” (as thus Christians were called by the pagans), was enough to get a man arrested and handed over for torture. spite of this, many Christians voluntarily surrendered themselves into the hands of the executioners, in their desire to suffer for Christ. certain old man by the name of Onuphrius concealed his monastic and priestly dignity beneath his beggar’s rags. He walked from house to house in Emesa, begging alms. At the same time, whenever he saw the possibility of turning people away from the pagan error, he preached about Christ. he came to the magnificent house of Leukippe. Accepting alms from her, he sensed that the woman was in sorrow, and he asked what was the cause of this sadness. told the Elder about her familial misfortune. In consoling her, Onuphrius began to tell her about the one true God, about His omnipotence and mercy, and how He always grants the prayer of those turning to Him with faith. filled the soul of Leukippe. She believed and accepted Holy Baptism. after this it was revealed to her in a dream that she would give birth to a son, who would be a true follower of Christ. first, Leukippe concealed her delight from her husband, but after the infant was born, she revealed the secret to her husband and also persuaded him to be baptized. named the baby Galaction and his parents raised him in the Christian Faith and provided him a fine education. could make an illustrious career for himself, but Galaction sought rather an unsullied monastic life in solitude and prayer. Galaction turned twenty-four, his father resolved to marry him off and they found him a bride, a beautiful and illustrious girl by the name of The son did not oppose the will of his father, but by the will of God, the wedding was postponed for a time. his betrothed, Galaction gradually revealed his faith to her. Eventually, he converted her to Christ and he secretly baptized her himself. Episteme he baptized also one of her servants, Eutolmius. newly-illumined decided on the initiative of Galaction, to devote themselves to the monastic life. the city, they hid themselves away on Mount Publion, where there were two monasteries, one for men and the other for women. new monastics had to take with them all the necessities for physical toil, since the inhabitants of both monasteries were both old and infirm. several years the monastics struggled in work, fasting and prayer. Episteme had a vision in her sleep: she and Galaction stood in a wondrous palace before a radiant King, and the King bestowed golden crowns on them. was a prefiguring of their impending martyrdom. pagans became aware of the existence of the monasteries, and a military detachment was sent to apprehend their inhabitants. the monks and the nuns succeeded in hiding themselves in the hills. however, had no desire to flee and so he remained in his cell, reading Holy Scripture. Episteme saw that the soldiers were leading Galaction away in chains, she began to implore the Abbess to permit her to go also, since she wanted to accept torture for Christ together with her fiancé and teacher. The Abbess tearfully blessed Episteme to do so. saints endured terrible torments, while supplicating and glorifying Christ. Their hands and legs were cut off, their tongues were cut out, and then they were beheaded. the former servant of Episteme, and who had become her brother in Christ and fellow ascetic in monastic struggles, secretly buried the bodies of the holy martyrs. He later wrote an account of their virtuous life and their glorious martyrdom, for his contemporaries and for posterity.

Syria, 253-268, Nikephoros of Antioch, friends Sapricius and N b enemies, N a forgiveness, S s no, after apostacy N dies for S
Syria, 253-268, Nikephoros of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7) friends Sapricius and N become enemies, N asks forgiveness, but S says no, N dies for S after S apostacy; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Martyr Nikephoros of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9; Holy Martyr Nikephoros lived in the city of Syrian Antioch. In this city lived also the presbyter Sapricius, with whom Nikephoros was very friendly, so that they were considered as brothers. They quarreled because of some disagreement, and their former love changed into enmity and hate. a certain time Nikephoros came to his senses, repented of his sin and more than once asked Sapricius, through mutual friends, to forgive him. Sapricius, however, did not wish to forgive him. Nikephoros then went to his former friend and fervently asked forgiveness, but Sapricius was adamant. this time the emperors Valerian (253-259) and Gallius (260-268) began to persecute Christians, and one of the first brought before the court was the priest Sapricius. He firmly confessed himself a Christian, underwent tortures for his faith and was condemned to death by beheading with a sword. As they led Sapricius to execution, Nikephoros tearfully implored his forgiveness saying, “O martyr of Christ, forgive me if I have sinned against you in any way.” priest Sapricius remained stubborn, and even as he approached death he refused to forgive his fellow Christian. Seeing the hardness of his heart, the Lord withdrew His blessing from Sapricius, and would not let him receive the crown of martyrdom. At the last moment, he suddenly became afraid of death and agreed to offer sacrifice to idols. In vain did Saint Nikephoros urge Sapricius not to lose his reward through apostasy, since he already stood on the threshold of the heavenly Kingdom. Nikephoros then said to the executioner, “I am a Christian, and I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Execute me in place of Sapricius.” The executioners reported this to the governor. He decided to free Sapricius, and to behead Nikephoros in his place. Thus did Saint Nikephoros inherit the Kingdom and receive a martyr’s crown.

Syria, 264-269, 3 Synods of Antioch, Council of Antioch
Syria, 264-269, 3 Synods of Antioch; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5;

Syria, 280-350, James oNisibis, great ascetic Armenia Persian border, clairvoyant, 18 Chapters Orthodox Faith, 1st EC defender

Syria, 280-350. Saint James of Nisibis, Jacob, Gregory's Kin, Armenia (Tigris River 3)

Syria, 284-323, Philogonius, Bishop oAntioch, Syria, Lawyer fPoor, profound theological knowledge, anti Arian confessor
Syria, 284-323, Philogonius, Bishop oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), lawyer defending poor, widowed, orphaed before selected bishop, selected bishop after wife died, profound theological knowledge, fought Arian heresy, prevented church unrest, confessor, John Chrysostom wrote his eulogy i386; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; becoming a bishop, Saint Philogonius was a laywer who defended the poor, the widowed and the orphaned. his wife died, he was chosen as Bishop of Antioch. by profound theological knowledge, Saint Philogonius successfully defended Orthodoxy against the Arian heresy and by this prevented unrest in the Church. the persecution against Christians under the emperors Maximian (284-305)and Licinius (311-324), Philogonius proved himself a confessor of the Orthodox Faith. He died peacefully in about the year 323. Saint John Chrysostom wrote a eulogy for Saint Philogonius in 386.

Syria, 300, 4th C Folder, J tSolitary raising dead, Cyrenia&Juli walked naked, Julian oEmesa, physician martyr

Syria, 301, James t Solitary of Syria, chains, evening food o, constant prayer, spiritual p, deliverance, healing, raising dead
Syria, 300, James the Solitary of Syria, Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), chains, evening food only, constant prayer, high spiritual perfection, deliverance, healing, raising dead; Cyrrhus; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated November 26 ; James the Solitary (Hermit) was the disciple of Saint Maron (February 14). lived in asceticism on a mountain not far from the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. suffered grievous ills, but he always wore chains, ate food only in the evening, and prayed constantly. such efforts he attained to high spiritual perfection, from the Lord power over demons, the gift of healing and even of raising the dead. James peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Syria, 305, Maurice oApamea, Syria, military commander, martyred with his son and 70 of his men, horible tortures
Syria, 305, Maurice oApamea, Syria (Orontes River 5), military commander oApamea, under Maximian Galerius, martyred with Son and his 70 soldiers, pagan priests reported him tEmperor that he was spreading the faith, they all firmly confessed faith, did not yield to treats or threats, beaten without mercy, burned, raked wIron hooks, son beheaded in front of father, but father happy son got the martyr's crown, then more subtle tortures, swampy place full oMosquitos, wasps, gnats, tied to trees, smeared wHoney, bites, weakened by hunger&thirst, endured 10 days, praying glorifying God, Lord ended sufferings, beheaded, no burial, but Christians at night buried them right there ; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Maurice, a military commander of Syrian Apamea, in the year 305 under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311) together with his son Photinus and seventy soldiers under his command two of the soldiers’ names are known, Theodore and Philip). a persecution, pagan priests reported to the emperor that Saint Maurice was spreading the faith in Christ. to trial, Saint Maurice, his son and his soldiers firmly confessed their faith they yielded neither to entreaties nor to threats. were then beaten without mercy, burned with fire and raked with iron hooks. Photinus, having endured the tortures, was beheaded by the sword before the very eyes of his father. this cruel torment did not break Saint Maurice, who was happy that his son had been vouchsafed the martyr’s crown. then devised even more subtle tortures for the martyrs: led them to a swampy place full of mosquitoes, wasps and gnats, they tied them to trees, smeared their bodies with honey. insects fiercely stung and bit the martyrs, were weakened by hunger and thirst. saints endured these torments for ten days, they did not cease praying and glorifying God finally the Lord put an end to their sufferings. wicked torturer gave orders to behead them and leave their bodies exposed without burial, Christians secretly buried the venerable relics of the holy martyrs by night the place of their horrible execution. Slavic usage Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion are commemorated on February 22; but on December 27 in Greek usage.

Syria, 305-311, Cyrenia &Juliana, Charity, orphans, sick fFree, c pagans, Confess Christ, C walked naked, C&J burnt alive
Cilicia, 305-311, Cyrenia fTarsus, Cilicia &Juliana fRoso, Syria, Charity, Philanthropy, orphans, poor widows, sick fFree, poverty, injustice support, converted pagans, arrested bMarcian oCilicia, refused deny Christ, C walked naked Tarsus, C&J burnt alive iRosso; Tarsus; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Holy Martyr Kyriaina aka Cyrenia (Κυριαίνα) was from Tarsus in Cilicia, and Saint Juliana was from the city of Roso. virtuous women devoted themselves to works of charity and Christian philanthropy during the reign of Emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). cared for orphans, comforted poor widows and treated the sick without charging any fee. knew how to read and write somewhat, but they were very eager and always found a way to support the faith of those who suffered from poverty, injustice, or other trials. times they succeeded in bringing pagans to the light of Christ through the Gospel, and by their own patience and goodness. Saints were arrested by Marcian, the governor of Cilicia, who tried to make them to deny Christ, but they refused to do this. Marcian had Kyriaina's hair and eyebrows shaved, and forced her to walk naked through the streets of Tarsus. she and Juliana were taken to the city of Roso, where they were burnt alive. endured this horrible death with admirable steadfastness and self-denial, thereby obtaining the incorruptible crown of martyrdom from Christ.

Syria, 312, Julian of Emesa, Phoenecia Segunda, skilled physician, converted many,encouraged martyrs, martyred w long nails
Syria, 312, Julian of Emesa, Syria or Phoenecia Segunda (Homs, Orontes River 2), skilled physician, converted many,encouraged martyrs, martyred w long nails; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; Holy Martyr Julian was a native of the Phoenician city of Emesa, and he suffered in the year 312 under the emperor Maximian. was a skilled physician, and healed illnesses not only of the body but also of the soul, and he converted many people to faith in Christ the Savior. they led away the holy Martyrs Bishop Silvanus, Deacon Luke and the Reader Mocius (February 29) to be eaten by wild beasts, Julian encouraged them and urged them not to fear death for the Lord. was also arrested and put to death. His head, hands and feet were pierced with long nails.

Syria, 312, Bishop Silvanus and his deacon&reader thrown tWild beasts after tortures exhaustion hunger, untouched bAnimals
Syria, 312, Silvanus the bishop suffered in the city of Phoenician Emesa Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2) in 312 along with Saint Luke the deacon and Mocius the Reader, thrown tWild Beasts after tortures, prison, exhaustion, hunger, untouched by animals, died praying, Julian encouraged them not to fear death; Emesa, Syria (Homs); Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; - Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated on January 29: Silvanus the bishop suffered in the city of Phoenician Emesa (Homs) in 312 along with Saint Luke the deacon and Mocius the Reader. tortures, imprisonment and exhaustion by hunger, they were thrown to the wild beasts. holy martyrs died praying, untouched by the animals. took up the bodies of the holy martyrs by night and buried them with reverence. Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; Holy Martyr Julian was a native of the Phoenician city of Emesa, and he suffered in the year 312 under the emperor Maximian. was a skilled physician, and healed illnesses not only of the body but also of the soul, and he converted many people to faith in Christ the Savior. they led away the holy Martyrs Bishop Silvanus, Deacon Luke and the Reader Mocius (February 29) to be eaten by wild beasts, encouraged them and urged them not to fear death for the Lord. was also arrested and put to death. His head, hands and feet were pierced with long nails.

Syria, 314-673, History Folder, Byzantine Province of Syria

Syria, 300, 4th C Folder,Orthodox&Arians, J Chrystom&mentors, Hymn writer, tortured boy lives t80, prayer burns, Ismaelite Saint
Syria, 300, 4th C Folder,Orthodox Eustathius oAntioch, Arian Eusebius oNicomedia, Marican oCyrrhus divine light, J Barsanuphius oDamascus tEgypt, Ephrem tHymn writer, prophet Artemius oAntioch, Orthodox Esubius oSamosata, Flavian&Melitius rChrystm, C oAntioch, Theodosius oAntioch waves calmed, Titus of Bostra, J Chrysostom, Theodore oAntioch tortured a15 for moving relics lived t80, Marcellus BoApamea, prayer burned temple, Ismaelite St Agabbas

Syria, 320-337, Syrian Saint, Eustathius of Antioch, Orthodox
Syria, 320-337, Syrian Saint, Eustathius of Antioch, Orthodox; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24;

Syria, 320-341, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arian
Syria, 320-341, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arian; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24;

Syria, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading
Syria, 320-388, St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Syria, Divine Light for reading Cyrrhus; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; Marcian of Cyrrhus lived during the fourth century. He went into the desert, where he lived for many years in solitude, unceasing prayer, and strict fasting. He built a small cell, and settled in it. saint never lit candles for reading at night when he fulfilled his Rule of prayer, for the cell was filled with a divine light. several years the monk accepted two disciples, settling them beside him, but he continued to live as a hermit. Patriarch Flavian of Antioch (February 18) and other bishops entreated the monk to abandon his strict solitude for the benefit of Christians, but he would not agree. while not quitting his cell, he taught those coming to him for instruction and he turned many away from heresy and led them to the Orthodox Faith. Before his end, Saint Marcian instructed his disciple Eusebius to bury him secretly far from his cell, in order to shun posthumous glory and avoid contention among those wanting his relics for nearby churches. Saint Marcian died in the year 388.

Syria, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria , withdrew t Nitria&Thebaid, Egypt
Syria, 320-390, John-Barsanuphius, Bishop oDamascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Way of the Sea 17, Kings Highway 17), fPalestine, baptized at 18, became Monk, c Archbishop of Damascus, withdrew tAlexandria, Nitria, Theodore oNitria, withdrew (Thebaid); Damascus (Barada River foothills); Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; John, called Barsanuphius, was a native of Palestine. was baptized when he was eighteen years old, and later became a monk. of his ascetic life, Saint John was consecrated Archbishop of Damascus. of his love for the solitary life, Saint John gave up his position as hierarch and secretly withdrew to Alexandria, calling himself Barsanuphius. he went into the Nitrian desert, arrived at a monastery, and begged the igumen to accept him into the monastery to serve the Elders. conscientiously fulfilled this obedience by day, and spent his nights in prayer. of Nitria saw the monk, and knew that he was a bishop. Saint John concealed himself again and withdrew into Egypt, where he lived in asceticism until the end of his days.

Syria, 323-337, Eustathius, Archbishop oAntioch, First EC president, Estemed by Basil, Chrysostom, Athanasius, falsely condemned
Syria, 323-337, Eustathius, Archbishop oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), fSide in324, Bishop oBoreoa (Aleppo) 320, people loved him, sent him to first EC 325 (as a one year old?), learned theologian, broad knowledge secular sciences, Bishop oAntioch 325, Arianism spreading in the East, Eustathius presided over First EC 325 at Nicea, Nicene Creed, the Orthodox confession oFaith, Arius refused renounce errors, excommunicated with others, some bishops signed to avoid ex, after council his enemies convened local Antioch council bribed woman to accuse him of fathering her child, deposed, only one witness, two required, without trial, exile iThrace, lie soon unmasked, woman sick repented tMany people, Constantine;s arian son took over in 337, Eustathius struggled in exile, died 337, 2nd EC 381 confirmed Nicene Creed, vigorously defended by E, 482 E's relics transfered from Philippi to Antioch, E estemed by: Basil, Chrysostom, Athanasius, Epiphanius oCyprus, Anastasius oSinai, and other bishops in struggle fOrthodoxy ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Eustathius, Archbishop of Antioch (323-331) born in Side, Pamphylia in 324. was Bishop of Beroea (modern Aleppo), enjoyed the love and esteem of the people, at the request of his flock he was elevated by the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (325) to the See of Antioch. Eustathius was a learned theologian, was also distinguished by his broad knowledge in secular sciences. the heresy of Arius began to spread in the East (Arianism denied the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father), Eustathius struggled zealously for the purity of the Orthodox Faith through his words and his writings. First Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 325 by the holy God-crowned Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337). first to preside over this Council was Saint Eustathius. Council condemned the heretical teachings of Arius and incorporated the Orthodox confession into the Symbol of Faith (the Nicene Creed). the mad Arius, as Saint Eustathius called him, refused to renounce his errors. and those who shared his opinion were excommunicated from the Church by the Council. the bishops who signed the Nicene Symbol of Faith were some who sympathized with the heresy of Arius, but signed the Acts of the Council through fear of excommunication. the Council, his enemies plotted against Saint Eustathius. great cunning they gained his consent to convene a local Council at Antioch. bribed a certain profligate woman, they persuaded her to appear at the Council with an infant at her breast, and falsely declare that Saint Eustathius was the father of the infant. Arians declared Saint Eustathius deposed, violating the Apostolic Rule that accusations against the clergy must be substantiated by two witnesses. a trial he was sent off into exile in Thrace. the lie was soon unmasked: the woman repented after falling grievously ill. She summoned the clergy, and in the presence of many people, she confessed her sin. Constantine the Great died around this time, his son Constantius (337-361), who shared the heretical views of Arius and favored the Arian bishops, succeeded his father on the throne. in exile, Saint Eustathius struggled for Orthodoxy with the same zeal. He died in exile, in the city of Philippi or Trajanopolis, in the year 337. in the year 381 at Constaninople, the Second Ecumenical Council confirmed the Orthodox Symbol of Faith, which Saint Eustathius had so vigorously defended. The Arian heresy was once again anthematized. the year 482 the relics of Saint Eustathius were reverently transferred from Philippi to Antioch, to the great joy of the people of Antioch, who had not ceased to honor and love their patriarch. Eustathius was esteemed by the great hierarchs of the fourth century: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Athanasius of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus, Anastasius of Sinai, and Jerome of Stridonia. renowned church historian Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus calls Saint Eustathius a pillar of the Church and a man of piety, of equal stature with Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and the other bishops at the forefront of the struggle for Orthodoxy. Eustathius of Antioch, Wikipedia of Antioch, sometimes surnamed the Great, was a Christian bishop and archbishop of Antioch in the 4th century. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is February 21. Life He was a native of Side in Pamphylia. About 320 he was bishop of Beroea, and he became patriarch of Antioch shortly before the Council of Nicaea in 325. In that assembly he distinguished himself zealously against the Arians,[1] though the Allocutio ad Imperatorem with which he has been credited is probably not by him.[2] At Nicaea, he and Marcellus joined forces with Alexander.[3][4] In this way, they were able to significantly influence the formulation of the Nicene Creed.[5] His anti-Arian polemic against Eusebius of Nicomedia made him unpopular among his fellow bishops in the East, and a synod convened at Antioch in 330 deposed him for Sabellianism,[6] which was confirmed by the emperor.[2] After Nicaea, the conflict at Nicaea between the Eusebians and the pro-Nicenes continued. “Within ten years of the Council of Nicaea all the leading supporters of the creed of that Council had been deposed or disgraced or exiled," including Eustathius.[7] Arius and his theology were now no longer the focus of the Controversy.[8] The focus of the controversy was now the term homoousios: The Eusebians, led by Eusebius of Caesarea, argued that this term implies Sabellianism, in which the Logos is part of the Father and has no real distinct existence. Eustathius accused Eusebius, an admirer of Origen, for deviating from the Nicene Creed: “The fifth-century ecclesiastical historian Sozomen reports a dispute immediately after the council, focused not on Arius, but … concerning the precise meaning of the term homoousios. Some thought this term … implied the non-existence of the Son of God; and that it involved the error of Montanus and Sabellius. … Eustathius accused Eusebius [of Caesarea] of altering the doctrines ratified by the council of Nicaea, while the latter declared that he approved of all the Nicaean doctrines, and reproached Eustathius for cleaving to the heresy of Sabellius.”[9] Eustathius was accused, condemned, and deposed at a synod in Antioch.[10] His supporters at Antioch rebelled against the decision of this synod and were ready to take up arms in his defence.[11] But Eustathius kept them in check, exhorted them to remain true to their faith and humbly left for his place of exile, accompanied by a large body of his clergy. Eustathius was banished to Trajanopolis in Thrace, where he died, probably about 337, though possibly not until 370.[12] The Eusebians proposed Eusebius as the new bishop, but he declined. Eustathius' adherents in Antioch formed a separate community by the name of "Eustathians" and refused to acknowledge the bishops set over them by the Eusebians. Eustathius asserted one hypostasis in God.[13] This means that he did not recognize the Logos as a hypostasis; a distinct existence.[14] For Him, Jesus Christ was not the Logos but a mere man.[15] For him, the Logos existed as an energy in the man Jesus.[16] When, after the death of Eustathius, Meletius became Bishop of Antioch in 360, the Eustathians would not recognize him, even after his election was approved by the Synod of Alexandria in 362. Their intransigent attitude gave rise to two factions among the orthodox, the so-called Meletian Schism, which lasted till the second decade of the fifth century.[17] "The schism at Antioch, between the Eustathians, or old Catholic party, under their Bishop Paulinus … and the new Catholic party under S. Meletius, had troubled both the East and West. The holiest Bishops in the East, such as S. Basil and S. Eusebius of Samosata, sided with Meletius. S. Damasus and the Western Bishops communicated with Paulinus. Meletius asserted Three Hypostases in the HOLY TRINITY, Paulinus One: S. Damasus would not allow the former, for fear of being considered an Arian, nor S. Basil the latter, lest he should be imagined a Sabellian.… Peter served as a kind of connection between the two conflicting parties, though his sentiments inclined to those of Damasus. S. Basil addressed a letter to him while at Rome, on the subject, in which he complains in very strong language, that the Western Bishops, who could not be so well acquainted with the actual state of affairs, should presume to class Meletius and Eusebius among the Arians."[18] The only complete work by Eustathius is the De Engastrimytho contra Origenem.[19] The Commentary on the Hexameron attributed to him in the manuscripts is too late to be authentic.

Syria, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, Syrian Senator, gave all, Archimandrite 2 monasteries, died 380, strict ascetic monk 40yrs
Syria, 330-380, Publius tAscetic, fZeugma, Syria iGreater Armenia (Euphrates River 3), Syrian Senator, renounced world, gave possessions, became monk, ascetical life mountain cave Syrian wilderness, founded 2 monasteries, 1Greek, 1Syrian, so eventually Archimandrite, died 380, though elevated remained strict ascetic 40yrs; Zeugma, Syria; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Publius of Syria was born in the city of Zeugma on the Euphrates and was a senator. the world, he gave away his possessions, became a monk, and lived an ascetical life in a cave on a mountain in the Syrian wilderness. Publius founded two monasteries: one for Greeks, and another for Syrians. died in the year 380. his disciples, Saints Theoteknos, Theodotus, Gregory, and Aphthonius were particularly known for the sanctity of their life. Publius guided the monastery for over forty years and was eventually made an archimandrite. elevated in rank, he changed neither his garb nor his manner of life, but remained a strict ascetic.

Syria, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian, Hymn writer, theologian, popular
Syria, 326-373, Saint, Ephrem the Syrian; the Syrian (Classical Syriac:; c. 306 – 373), also known as Saint Ephrem, Ephrem of Edessa or Ephrem of Nisibis, ----------------------------------was a prominent Christian theologian and writer, who is revered as one of the most notable hymnographers of the Eastern Christianity. ------------------------------------ He was born in Nisibis, served as a deacon and later lived in Edessa.[1][2] is venerated as a saint by all traditional Churches. He is especially revered in Syriac Christianity, most notaby in the Syriac Orthodox Church, and also counted as a Venerable Father (i.e., a sainted Monk) in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated on 28 January and on the Saturday of the Venerable Fathers. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose exegesis. These were works of practical theology for the edification of the Church in troubled times. So popular were his works, that, for centuries after his death, Christian authors wrote hundreds of pseudepigraphal works in his name. He has been called the most significant of all of the fathers of the Syriac-speaking church tradition.[3] The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373), Commemorated June 10;

Syria, 330-429, Peter tHermit, fBlack Sea, down to Galatia, then mts oAntioch, performed miracles like Christ, even his clothes
Syria, 330-429, Peter tHermit, oAntioch, Syria, fBlack Sea, down to Galatia, then tPalestine, then to mts oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), able to perform miracles like Christ, even his clothes had miraculous power, like Paul's handkerchiefs, people came, gift of having demons his subjects, delivered Daniel who later co-struggler with him, healed 23 yr old mother of historian bishop oCyprus, her incurable eye disease, first cured fondness fine clothing, we dishonor God's creation by defacing it, she repented, asked for prayer, he put hand on eye made sign otCross, healed her, he blinded magistrate who wanted rape nun, historian Bishop Theodoret wrote his life reported many other great miracles, Peter lived 99yrs; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Peter of Galatia lived during the IV-V century, and came from the region of the Black Sea. a young age was distinguished by his fervent piety and his determination to acquire spiritual treasures. he was seven years old, he went to Galatia and then to Palestine, where his faith grew even stronger. the second quarter of the IV century, He lived an ascetical life in the mountains, had been glorified by so many great spiritual athletes and teachers of Christianity. Peter was able to perform miracles, just as Christ did, that even his garments had miraculous power, just as the Apostle Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons did (Acts 29:22). did not take long for his spiritual fruits to be noticed, many people came to him, reaping valuable advice and solace for the wounds of their souls, which were very difficult to cure. of his great virtue, he also received from God the gift (charism, χάρισμα) of having demons subject to him. delivered a possessed man named Daniel from the demons, he instructed in asceticism, and then accepted him as his co-struggler. he healed the mother of the historian Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus, devout woman who suffered from an incurable disease in one eye. about Saint Peter's gift of working miracles, she hoped that he would heal her of this terrible affliction. mother was only twenty-three years old when she went to see him. was very beautiful, and she wore a lot of make-up, an expensive silk dress, and gold bracelets on her arms, as well as gold rings in her ears. the holy monk looked at her, he discerned some good soil (Matthew 13:8) in her for a word of profitable instruction, decided that first he would cure her fondness for fine clothing. said, "My child, just as a painter who does not paint according to the rules of his art, but as he pleases, insults the art of painting, do those who cover their faces with red, white, or black paint, offend the Creator; in this way they seem to accuse Him of imperfection in His creation, He has the power to do as He wishes. the Prophet-King David wrote: that the Lord willed, He created' (Psalm 134/135:6). He gives to everyone everything that is useful, and nothing which is harmful. Do not disfigure the divine image created by God." monk's words fell on fertile ground and produced good fruit. young woman fell at the ascetic's feet and begged him to pray for her and to heal her. Peter replied, "If you have firm faith in God's help, you will be cured of your illness; for God is always ready to grant the petitions of a believing soul." he placed his hand on the afflicted eye and, making the Sign of the Cross, he healed her. Saint once blinded a city magistrate, who wanted to rape a certain nun, thereby preventing him from carrying out his unholy desire. Peter performed many other great miracles, as Bishop Theodoret (who wrote his Life) relates. living in a God-pleasing manner for ninety-nine years, Saint Peter surrendered his soul to God and received the reward for his spiritual and ascetical labors in the year 429 at the age of 95 (or 99, according to other sources). Greek usage, Saint Peter is commemorated on November 25. should not be confused with the other Saint Peter of Galatia, who lived during the IX century, and is commemorated on October 9.

Syria, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius of Antioch, Julian tortured, Jesus encouraged, he prophesied J death
Egypt, 337-362, Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, viceroy of Egypt, spread C in E, b relics to Constantinople, then Julian tortured him, Jesus appeared w angels, encouraged him, he prophesied Julians death; Egypt; Rahab; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Great Martyr Artemius of Antioch was a prominent military leader during the reigns of the emperor Constantine the Great (May 21), and his son and successor Constantius (337-361). received many awards for distinguished service and courage. was appointed viceroy of Egypt. this official position he did much for the spreading and strengthening Christianity in Egypt. Artemius was sent by the emperor Constantius to bring the relics of the holy Apostle Andrew from Patras, the relics of the holy Apostle Luke from Thebes of Boeotia, Constantinople. holy relics were placed in the Church of the Holy Apostles beneath the table of oblation. The emperor rewarded him by making him ruler of Egypt. emperor Constantius was succeeded on the throne by Julian the Apostate (361-363). in his desire to restore paganism was extremely antagonistic towards Christians, sending hundreds to their death. Antioch he ordered the torture of two bishops unwilling to forsake the Christian Faith. this time, Saint Artemius arrived in Antioch and publicly denounced Julian for his impiety. enraged Julian subjected the saint to terrible tortures and threw the Great Martyr Artemius into prison. Artemius was praying, Christ, surrounded by angels, appeared to him and said, “Take courage, Artemius! I am with you and will preserve you from every hurt which is inflicted upon you, and I already have prepared your crown of glory. Since you have confessed Me before the people on earth, so shall I confess you before My Heavenly Father. Therefore, take courage and rejoice, you shall be with Me in My Kingdom.” this, Artemius rejoiced and offered up glory and thanksgiving to Him. the following day, Julian demanded that Saint Artemius honor the pagan gods. Meeting with steadfast refusal, the emperor resorted to further tortures. The saint endured all without a single moan. saint told Julian that he would be justly recompensed for his persecution of Christians. became furious and resorted to even more savage tortures, but they did not break the will of the saint. Finally the Great Martyr Artemius was beheaded. relics were buried by Christians. After the death of Saint Artemius, his prophecy about Julian the Apostate’s impending death came true. left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide Julian’s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, Julian’s army battled against fresh Persian forces. retribution caught up with Julian the Apostate. During the battle he was mortally wounded by an unseen hand and an unseen weapon. groaned deeply said, “You have conquered, Galilean!” the death of the apostate emperor, the relics of the Great Martyr Artemius were transferred with honor from Antioch to Constantinople. Artemius is invoked by those suffering from hernias.

Syria, 339-388, Marcian oCyrrhusl, asceticism attracted monastery, wonderworking, snake killed by hCross, heavenly reading light
Syria, 339-388, Marcian oCyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), desert dweller near C, small hut, prayer, singing psalms, spiritual reading, ate little, just enough, many zealous attracted, estab m for them, wonderworking, examples snake killed by his cross, heavenly light for his reading, many others for bros, died 388 ; Cyrrhus; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated January 18 ; Marcian of Cyrrhus lived in the desert near the city of Cyrrhus. built a small hut and settled in it, passing his time in prayer, singing Psalms and reading spiritual books. ate very little food, just enough to keep him alive. of his holy life attracted to him many zealous ascetics, Saint Marcian established a monastery for them. ’s blessing rested upon the saint, and he possessed the gift of wonderworking. a serpent crawled into his cell. saint made the Sign of the Cross and the serpent perished, burned up by flames. night, when the ascetic read, a heavenly light shone for him. monk also worked many other miracles on behalf of the brethren. died in peace about the year 388.

Syria, 340-379, Eusebius of Samosata, Syrian Saint, Orthodox, persecuted by Arians
Syrian Saint, 340-379, Eusebius of Samosata ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. this he underwent persecution by the Arians, being repeatedly deprived of his see and banished. emperor Constantius (337-361), patron of the Arians, learned that Saint Eusebius kept a conciliar decree regarding the election of the Orthodox Archbishop Meletius to the See of Antioch. commanded him to give up the decree. The saint boldly refused to do as ordered. The enraged emperor sent a message that if he did not give up the decree, then his right hand would be cut off. Eusebius stretched out both hands to the emissary saying, “Cut them off, but I will not give up the Decree of the Council, which denounces the wickedness and iniquity of the Arians.” The emperor Constantius marveled at the audacity of the bishop, but did not harm him. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), even more difficult times ensued, and an open persecution against Christians began. Saint Eusebius, having concealed his identity, went about in the garb of a soldier across the whole of Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, urging Christians to the Orthodox Faith. established priests and deacons in desolated churches, and he consecrated bishops who renounced the Arian heresy. Julian the Apostate’s death, he was succeeded by the pious emperor Jovian (363-364), during whose reign the persecutions stopped. from exile, Saint Meletius (February 12) convened a local Council at Antioch in the year 379 on the advice of Saint Eusebius. Twenty-seven bishops participated, and it reaffirmed the Orthodox teaching of the First Ecumenical Council. Arians signed the conciliar definition, fearing the steadfast defenders of Orthodoxy, the holy hierarchs Meletius, Eusebius and Pelagios, who had great influence with the emperor. After the death of Jovian the Arian Valentinian (364-378) came to power. Orthodox were again subjected to persecution. Saint Meletius was banished to Armenia, Saint Pelagius to Arabia, and Saint Eusebius was condemned to exile in Thrace. Having received the imperial decree, Saint Eusebius left Samosata by night so as to prevent tumult among the people that esteemed him. Having learned of of the bishop’s departure, believers followed after him and with tears entreated him to return. The saint refused the entreaty of those who had come, saying that he had to obey the authorities. The saint urged his flock to hold firm to Orthodoxy, blessed them and set off to the place of exile. The Arian Eunomios became Bishop of Samosata, but the people did not accept the heretic. The Orthodox would not go to the church and avoided meeting with him. The heretical Arian perceived that it was impossible to attract the independent flock to him. emperor Gracian (375-383) came upon the throne, and all the Orthodox hierarchs banished under the Arians were brought back from exile. Saint Eusebius also returned to Samosata and continued with the task of building up the Church. Together with Saint Meletius he supplied Orthodox hierarchs and clergy to Arian places. In the year 380 he arrived in the Arian city of Dolikhina to establish the Orthodox bishop Marinus there. An Arian woman threw a roof tile at the holy bishop’s head. As he lay dying, he asked her for wine and requested those around not to do her any harm. The body of Saint Eusebius was taken to Samosata and was buried by his flock. The saint’s nephew, Antiochus, succeeded him and the Samosata Church continued to confess the Orthodox Faith, firmly spread through the efforts of the holy Hieromartyr Eusebius.

Syria, 340-404, Flavian I of Antioch and Tarsus, Syrian Saint, Raised Chrysostom, Orthodox
Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on September 27; Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, was a contemporary of Saint John Chrysostom. He attempted to obtain from the emperor Theodosius (379-395) a pardon for the citizens of Antioch, who had angered the emperor by destroying his statue. Saint Flavian’s death was peaceful and without illness. He is also commemorated on February 16. Saint Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch; Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, was a contemporary of Saint John Chrysostom. He attempted to obtain from the emperor Theodosius (379-395) a pardon for the citizens of Antioch, who had angered the emperor by destroying his statue. Saint Flavian’s death was peaceful and without illness. He is also commemorated on September 27. Syria, 399-404, Syrian Saint, Flavian I of Antioch and Tarsus, Raised Chrysostom, Orthodox; Flavian I of Antioch (Latin: Flavianus I; c. 320 – February 404) was a bishop or Patriarch of Antioch from 381 until his death. He was born about 320, most probably in Antioch. He inherited great wealth, but resolved to devote his riches and his talents to the service of the church. In association with Diodore, afterwards bishop of Tarsus, he supported the orthodox Faith against the Arian heretic Leontius, who had succeeded Eustathius as Patriarch of Antioch. The two friends assembled their adherents outside the city walls for religious services (according to Theodoret, it was in these meetings that the practice of antiphonal singing was first introduced in the services of the church).[1] When Meletius was appointed bishop of Antioch in 361 he ordained Flavian to the priesthood, and on the death of Meletius in 381 Flavian was chosen to succeed him. The schism between the two parties was, however, far from being healed. The Bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of Alexandria refused to acknowledge Flavian, and Paulinus, who by the extreme Eustathians had been elected bishop in opposition to Meletius, continued to exercise authority over a portion of the church.[1] On the death of Paulinus in about 383, Evagrius was chosen as his successor. After the death of Evagrius, (c. 393) Flavian succeeded in preventing the election of a successor, though the Eustathians still continued to hold separate meetings. Through the intervention of John Chrysostom soon after his elevation to the patriarchate of Constantinople in 398, and the influence of the emperor Theodosius I, Flavian was acknowledged in 399 as the sole legitimate bishop of Antioch.[1] Nevertheless, the Eustathian schism was not finally healed until 415 due to the reconciliation efforts of Alexander (appointed bishop 412), successor to Porphyrios (also spelled Porphyrus).[2] Flavian is posthumously venerated in both the Western and Eastern churches as a Saint.[1] Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. His father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. His mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. The youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. But, scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Saint Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. After three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. The highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. When John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” Soon John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. During this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. The saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. And here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. For two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Saint Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. The following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” In the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. Saint John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). For twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. In his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). As a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. Saint John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). At Pascha in the following year the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. In the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. In 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” The fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. At the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. The saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. He established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. Saint John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. He also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. The saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. The saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. Eudoxia’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. This court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. That very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” The slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. In Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. At the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” The holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” Although he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; Chrysostom (/ˈkrɪsəstəm, krɪˈsɒstəm/; Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος; Ge'ez[citation needed] :ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ አፈወርቅ c. 347 – 14 September 407)[5] was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority[6] by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, his Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. The epithet Χρυσόστομος (Chrysostomos, anglicized as Chrysostom) means "golden-mouthed" in Greek and denotes his celebrated eloquence.[1][7] Chrysostom was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian Church, although both Origen of Alexandria[8] and Augustine of Hippo[9] exceeded Chrysostom. He is honoured as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, as well as in some others. The Eastern Orthodox, together with the Byzantine Catholics, hold him in special regard as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (alongside Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus). The feast days of John Chrysostom in the Eastern Orthodox Church are 14 September, 13 November and 27 January. In the Roman Catholic Church he is recognized as a Doctor of the Church. Because the date of his death is occupied by the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14 September), the General Roman Calendar celebrates him since 1970 on the previous day, 13 September; from the 13th century to 1969 it did so on 27 January, the anniversary of the translation of his body to Constantinople.[10] Of other Western churches, including Anglican provinces and Lutheran churches, some commemorate him on 13 September, others on 27 January. John Chrysostom is honored on the calendars of the Church of England and the Episcopal Church on 13 September.[11][12] The Coptic Church also recognizes him as a saint (with feast days on 16 Thout and 17 Hathor).[13] Biography[edit] Early life[edit] John was born in Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Hatay, Turkey) in 347.[14][15] Different scholars describe his mother Anthusa as a pagan or as a Christian.[16] His father was a high-ranking military officer. John's father died soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother. He was baptised in 368 or 373 and tonsured as a reader (one of the minor orders of the church). It is sometimes said that he was bitten by a snake when he was ten years old, leading to him getting an infection from the bite.[b] As a result of his mother's influential connections in the city, John began his education under the pagan preacher Libanius.[17] From Libanius, John acquired the skills for a career in rhetoric, as well as a love of the Greek language and literature.[18] Eventually, he became a lawyer. As he grew older, however, John became more deeply committed to Christianity and went on to study theology under Diodore of Tarsus, founder of the re-constituted School of Antioch. According to the Christian historian Sozomen, Libanius was supposed to have said on his deathbed that John would have been his successor "if the Christians had not taken him from us".[19] John lived in extreme asceticism and became a hermit in about 375; he spent the next two years continually standing, scarcely sleeping, and committing the Bible to memory. As a consequence of these practices, his stomach and kidneys were permanently damaged and poor health forced him to return to Antioch.[20] Diaconate and service in Antioch[edit] Further information: Meletian schism John was ordained as a deacon in 381 by the bishop Meletius of Antioch who was not then in communion with Alexandria and Rome. After the death of Meletius, John separated himself from the followers of Meletius, without joining Paulinus, the rival of Meletius for the bishopric of Antioch. But after the death of Paulinus he was ordained a presbyter (priest) in 386 by Flavian, the successor of Paulinus.[21] He was destined later to bring about reconciliation between Flavian I of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome, thus bringing those three sees into communion for the first time in nearly seventy years.[22] In Antioch, over the course of twelve years (386–397), John gained popularity because of the eloquence of his public speaking at the Golden Church, Antioch's cathedral, especially his insightful expositions of Bible passages and moral teaching. The most valuable of his works from this period are his homilies on various books of the Bible. He emphasised charitable giving and was concerned with the spiritual and temporal needs of the poor. He spoke against abuse of wealth and personal property: Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same who said: "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food", and "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me"... What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.[23] His straightforward understanding of the Scriptures – in contrast to the Alexandrian tendency towards allegorical interpretation – meant that the themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible's application to everyday life. Such straightforward preaching helped Chrysostom to garner popular support.[1] One incident that happened during his service in Antioch illustrates the influence of his homilies. When Chrysostom arrived in Antioch, Flavian, the bishop of the city, had to intervene with emperor Theodosius I on behalf of citizens who had gone on a rampage mutilating statues of the emperor and his family. During the weeks of Lent in 387, John preached more than twenty homilies in which he entreated the people to see the error of their ways. These made a lasting impression on the general population of the city: many pagans converted to Christianity as a result of the homilies. The city was ultimately spared from severe consequences.[6] Archbishop of Constantinople[edit] See also: Origenist Crises John Chrysostom confronting Aelia Eudoxia, in a 19th-century anti-clerical painting by Jean-Paul Laurens In the autumn of 397, John was appointed archbishop of Constantinople, after having been nominated without his knowledge by the eunuch Eutropius. He had to leave Antioch in secret due to fears that the departure of such a popular figure would cause civil unrest.[24] During his time as archbishop he adamantly refused to host lavish social gatherings, which made him popular with the common people, but unpopular with wealthy citizens and the clergy. His reforms of the clergy were also unpopular. He told visiting regional preachers to return to the churches they were meant to be serving – without any pay-out.[25] Also he founded a number of hospitals in Constantinople.[26][27] His time in Constantinople was more tumultuous than his time in Antioch. Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, wanted to bring Constantinople under his sway and opposed John's appointment to Constantinople. Theophilus had disciplined four Egyptian monks (known as "the Tall Brothers") over their support of Origen's teachings. They fled to John and were welcomed by him. Theophilus therefore accused John of being too partial to the teaching of Origen. He made another enemy in Aelia Eudoxia, wife of emperor Arcadius, who assumed that John's denunciations of extravagance in feminine dress were aimed at herself.[6] Eudoxia, Theophilus and other of his enemies held a synod in 403 (the Synod of the Oak) to charge John, in which his connection to Origen was used against him. It resulted in his deposition and banishment. He was called back by Arcadius almost immediately, as the people became "tumultuous" over his departure, even threatening to burn the imperial palace.[28][unreliable source?] There was an earthquake the night of his arrest, which Eudoxia took for a sign of God's anger, prompting her to ask Arcadius for John's reinstatement.[29][unreliable source?] Peace was short-lived. A silver statue of Eudoxia was erected in the Augustaion, near his cathedral, the Constantinian Hagia Sophia. John denounced the dedication ceremonies as pagan and spoke against the empress in harsh terms: "Again Herodias raves; again she is troubled; she dances again; and again desires to receive John's head in a charger",[30][unreliable source?] an allusion to the events surrounding the death of John the Baptist. Once again he was banished, this time to the Caucasus in Abkhazia.[31] His banishment sparked riots among his supporters in the capital, and in the fighting the cathedral built by Constantius II was burnt down, necessitating the construction of the second cathedral on the site, the Theodosian Hagia Sophia. Around 405, John began to lend moral and financial support to Christian monks who were enforcing the emperors' anti-pagan laws, by destroying temples and shrines in Phoenicia and nearby regions.[32] Exile and death[edit] The causes of John's exile are not clear, though Jennifer Barry suggests that they have to do with his connections to Arianism. Other historians, including Wendy Mayer and Geoffrey Dunn, have argued that "the surplus of evidence reveals a struggle between Johannite and anti-Johannite camps in Constantinople soon after John's departure and for a few years after his death".[33] Faced with exile, John Chrysostom wrote an appeal for help to three churchmen: Pope Innocent I; Venerius, the bishop of Mediolanum (Milan); and Chromatius, the bishop of Aquileia.[34][35][36] In 1872, church historian William Stephens wrote: The Patriarch of the Eastern Rome appeals to the great bishops of the West, as the champions of an ecclesiastical discipline which he confesses himself unable to enforce, or to see any prospect of establishing. No jealousy is entertained of the Patriarch of the Old Rome by the patriarch of the New Rome. The interference of Innocent is courted, a certain primacy is accorded him, but at the same time he is not addressed as a supreme arbitrator; assistance and sympathy are solicited from him as from an elder brother, and two other prelates of Italy are joint recipients with him of the appeal.[37] Pope Innocent I protested John's banishment from Constantinople to the town of Cucusus (Göksun) in Cappadocia, but to no avail. Innocent sent a delegation to intercede on behalf of John in 405. It was led by Gaudentius of Brescia; Gaudentius and his companions, two bishops, encountered many difficulties and never reached their goal of entering Constantinople.[38] John wrote letters which still held great influence in Constantinople. As a result of this, he was further exiled from Cucusus (where he stayed from 404 to 407) to Pitiunt (Pityus) (in modern Georgia) where his tomb is a shrine for pilgrims. He never reached this destination, as he died at Comana Pontica (modern-day Gümenek, Tokat, Turkey) on 14 September 407 during the journey.[29] He died in the Presbyterium or community of the clergy belonging to the church of Saint Basiliscus of Comana.[39] His last words are said to have been "Δόξα τῷ Θεῷ πάντων ἕνεκεν" ('Glory be to God for all things').[29] Veneration and canonization[edit] Byzantine 11th-century soapstone relief of John Chrysostom, Louvre John came to be venerated as a saint soon after his death. Almost immediately after, an anonymous supporter of John (known as pseudo-Martyrius) wrote a funeral oration to reclaim John as a symbol of Christian orthodoxy.[33] But three decades later, some of his adherents in Constantinople remained in schism.[40] Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople (434–446), hoping to bring about the reconciliation of the Johannites, preached a homily praising his predecessor in the Church of Hagia Sophia. He said, "O John, your life was filled with sorrow, but your death was glorious. Your grave is blessed and reward is great, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ O graced one, having conquered the bounds of time and place! Love has conquered space, unforgetting memory has annihilated the limits, and place does not hinder the miracles of the saint."[41] These homilies helped to mobilize public opinion, and the patriarch received permission from the emperor to return Chrysostom's relics to Constantinople, where they were enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 28 January 438. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him as a "Great Ecumenical Teacher", with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. These three saints, in addition to having their own individual commemorations throughout the year, are commemorated together on 30 January, a feast known as the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs.[42] In the Eastern Orthodox Church there are several feast days dedicated to him: 27 January, Translation of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom from Comana to Constantinople[43] 30 January, Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs[43] 14 September, Repose of Saint John Chrysostom[43] 13 November, celebration was transferred from 14 September by the 10th century AD as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross became more prominent.[43] According to Brian Croke, 13 November is the date news of John Chrysostom's death reached Constantinople.[44] In 1908 Pope Pius X named him the patron saint of preachers.[4] Writings[edit] Some 700 sermons and 246 letters by John Chrysostom survive, plus biblical commentaries, moral discourses, and theological treatises.[citation needed] Homilies[edit] Paschal Homily[edit] The Byzantine emperor Nicephorus III receives a book of homilies from John Chrysostom; the Archangel Michael stands on his left (11th-century illuminated manuscript). The best known of his many homilies is an extremely brief one, the Paschal Homily (Hieratikon), which is read at the first service of Pascha (Easter), the midnight Orthros (Matins), in the Eastern Orthodox Church.[45] General[edit] Chrysostom's extant homiletical works are vast, including many hundreds of exegetical homilies on both the New Testament (especially the works of Paul the Apostle) and the Old Testament (particularly on Genesis). Among his extant exegetical works are sixty-seven homilies on Genesis, fifty-nine on the Psalms, ninety on the Gospel of Matthew, eighty-eight on the Gospel of John, and fifty-five on the Acts of the Apostles.[1] The homilies were written down by stenographers and subsequently circulated, revealing a style that tended to be direct and greatly personal, but formed by the rhetorical conventions of his time and place.[46] In general, his homiletical theology displays much characteristic of the Antiochian school (i.e., somewhat more literal in interpreting biblical events), but he also uses a good deal of the allegorical interpretation more associated with the Alexandrian school.[1] John's social and religious world was formed by the continuing and pervasive presence of paganism in the life of the city. One of his regular topics was the paganism in the culture of Constantinople, and in his homilies he thunders against popular pagan amusements: the theatre, horseraces, and the revelry surrounding holidays.[47] In particular, he criticizes Christians for taking part in such activities: If you ask [Christians] who is Amos or Obadiah, how many apostles there were or prophets, they stand mute; but if you ask them about the horses or drivers, they answer with more solemnity than sophists or rhetors.[47] One of the recurring features of John's homilies is his emphasis on care for the needy.[48] Echoing themes found in the Gospel of Matthew, he calls upon the rich to lay aside materialism in favor of helping the poor, often employing all of his rhetorical skills to shame wealthy people to abandon conspicuous consumption: Do you pay such honor to your excrements as to receive them into a silver chamber-pot when another man made in the image of God is perishing in the cold?[49] Along these lines, he wrote often about the need for almsgiving and its importance alongside fasting and prayer, e.g. "Prayer without almsgiving is unfruitful."[50] 11th-century conch mosaic of John Chrysostom from the south-east apse of the nave of the Hosios Loukas monastery Cyril of Alexandria attributed the destruction of the Ephesian Temple of Artemis to John Chrysostom, referring to him as "the destroyer of the demons and overthrower of the temple of Diana". A later Archbishop of Constantinople, Proclus repeated the allegation, saying "In Ephesus, he despoiled the art of Midas". Both claims are considered spurious.[51] Homilies against Jews and Judaizing Christians[edit] Main article: Adversus Judaeos During his first two years as a presbyter in Antioch (386–387), John denounced Jews and Judaizing Christians in a series of eight homilies delivered to Christians in his congregation who were taking part in Jewish festivals and other Jewish observances.[52][53] It is disputed whether the main targets were specifically Judaizers or Jews in general. His homilies were expressed in the conventional manner, utilizing the uncompromising rhetorical form known as the psogos (Greek: blame, censure).[52] One of the purposes of these homilies was to prevent Christians from participating in Jewish customs, and thus prevent the perceived erosion of Chrysostom's flock. In his homilies, John criticized those "Judaizing Christians", who were participating in Jewish festivals and taking part in other Jewish observances, such as the shabbat, submitted to circumcision and made pilgrimage to Jewish holy places.[52] There had been a revival of Jewish faith and tolerance in Antioch in 361, so Chrysostom's followers and the greater Christian community were in contact with Jews frequently, and Chrysostom was concerned that this interaction would draw Christians away from their faith identity.[54] John claimed that synagogues were full of Christians, especially Christian women, on the shabbats and Jewish festivals, because they loved the solemnity of the Jewish liturgy and enjoyed listening to the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and applauded famous preachers in accordance with the contemporary custom.[55] Due to Chrysostom's stature in the Christian church, both locally and within the greater church hierarchy, his sermons were fairly successful in spreading anti-Jewish sentiment. This prompted the introduction of anti-Jewish legislation and social regulations, increasing the separation between the two communities.[citation needed] In Greek the homilies are called Kata Ioudaiōn (Κατὰ Ἰουδαίων), which is translated as Adversus Judaeos in Latin and 'Against the Jews' in English.[56] The original Benedictine editor of the homilies, Bernard de Montfaucon, gives the following footnote to the title: "A discourse against the Jews; but it was delivered against those who were Judaizing and keeping the fasts with them [the Jews]."[56] According to Patristics scholars, opposition to any particular view during the late 4th century was conventionally expressed in a manner, utilizing the rhetorical form known as the psogos, whose literary conventions were to vilify opponents in an uncompromising manner; thus, it has been argued that to call Chrysostom an "anti-Semite" is to employ anachronistic terminology in a way incongruous with historical context and record.[57] This does not preclude assertions that Chrysostom's theology was a form of anti-Jewish supersessionism.[58] Anglican priest James Parkes called Chrysostom's writing on Jews "the most horrible and violent denunciations of Judaism to be found in the writings of a Christian theologian".[59] According to historian William I. Brustein, his sermons against Jews gave further momentum to the idea that Jews are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus.[60] Steven T. Katz cites Chrysostom's homilies as "the decisive turn in the history of Christian anti-Judaism, a turn whose ultimate disfiguring consequence was enacted in the political antisemitism of Adolf Hitler."[61] John Chrysostom with Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus on a late-15th-century icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs from the Cathedral of St Sophia, Novgorod Homily against homosexuality[edit] According to Robert H. Allen, "Chrysostom's learning and eloquence spans and sums up a long age of ever-growing moral outrage, fear and loathing of homosexuality."[62] His most notable discourse in this regard is his fourth homily on Romans 1:26,[63] where he argues as follows: All these affections then were vile, but chiefly the mad lust after males; for the soul is more the sufferer in sins, and more dishonored, than the body in diseases. ... [The men] have done an insult to nature itself. And a yet more disgraceful thing than these is it, when even the women seek after these intercourses, who ought to have more sense of shame than men.[64] He says the active male victimizes the passive male in a way that leaves him more enduringly dishonored than even a victim of murder since the victim of this act must "live under" the shame of the "insolency".[64] The victim of a murder, by contrast, carries no dishonor. He asserts that punishment will be found in Hell for such transgressors and that women can be guilty of the sin as much as men. Chrysostom argues that the male passive partner has effectively renounced his manhood and become a woman – such an individual deserves to be "driven out and stoned". He attributes the cause to "luxury". "Do not, he means (Paul), because you have heard that they burned, suppose that the evil was only in desire. For the greater part of it came of their luxuriousness, which also kindled into flame their lust".[64] According to scholar Michael Carden, Chrysostom was particularly influential in shaping early Christian thought that same-sex desire was an evil, claiming that he altered a traditional interpretation of Sodom as a place of inhospitality to one where the sexual transgressions of the Sodomites became paramount.[65] However, other scholars – such as Kruger[66] and Nortjé-Meyer[67] – dispute this, arguing that the author of the Epistle of Jude already interpreted the sin of Sodom as homosexuality in the New Testament. Treatises[edit] Apart from his homilies, a number of John's other treatises have had a lasting influence. One such work is John's early treatise Against Those Who Oppose the Monastic Life, written while he was a deacon (sometime before 386), which was directed to parents, pagan as well as Christian, whose sons were contemplating a monastic vocation.[68] Chrysostom wrote that, already in his day, it was customary for Antiochenes to send their sons to be educated by monks.[69] Another important treatise written by John is titled On the Priesthood (written 390/391, it contains in Book 1 an account of his early years and a defence of his flight from ordination by bishop Meletios of Antioch, and then proceeds in later books to expound on his exalted understanding of the priesthood). Two other notable books by John are Instructions to Catechumens and On the Incomprehensibility of the Divine Nature.[70] In addition, he wrote a series of letters to the deaconess Olympias, of which seventeen are extant.[71] Liturgy[edit] Beyond his preaching, the other lasting legacy of John is his influence on Christian liturgy. Two of his writings are particularly notable. He harmonized the liturgical life of the church by revising the prayers and rubrics of the Divine Liturgy, or celebration of the Holy Eucharist. To this day, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite typically celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom as the normal Eucharistic liturgy, although his exact connection with it remains a matter of debate among experts.[72] Legacy and influence[edit] A sculpture of John Chrysostom in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York City During a time when city clergy were subject to criticism for their high lifestyle, John was determined to reform his clergy in Constantinople. These efforts were met with resistance and limited success. He was an excellent preacher[72] whose homilies and writings are still studied and quoted. As a theologian, he has been and continues to be very important in Eastern Christianity, and is generally considered among the Three Holy Hierarchs of the Greek Church, but has been less important to Western Christianity. His writings have survived to the present day more so than any of the other Greek Fathers.[1] Influence on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and clergy[edit] Regardless of his lesser influence compared to, say, Thomas Aquinas, John's influence on church teachings is interwoven throughout the current Catechism of the Catholic Church (revised 1992).[citation needed] The Catechism cites him in eighteen sections, particularly his reflections on the purpose of prayer and the meaning of the Lord's Prayer:[citation needed] Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not say "thy will be done in me or in us", but "on earth", the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.[73] Christian clerics, such as R. S. Storr, refer to him as "one of the most eloquent preachers who ever since apostolic times have brought to men the divine tidings of truth and love",[This quote needs a citation] and the 19th-century John Henry Newman described John as a "bright, cheerful, gentle soul; a sensitive heart".[74] Music and literature[edit] John's liturgical legacy has inspired several musical compositions. Particularly noteworthy[citation needed] are Sergei Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31, composed in 1910,[75] one of his two major unaccompanied choral works; Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41; and Ukrainian composer Kyrylo Stetsenko's Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Arvo Pärt's Litany sets Chrysostom's twenty-four prayers, one for each hour of the day,[76] for soli, mixed choir and orchestra. And the compositions of Alexander Grechaninovs Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 1, Op. 13 (1897), Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 2, Op. 29 (1902), Liturgia Domestica (Liturgy Johannes Chrysostomos No. 3), Op. 79 (1917) and Liturgy of Johannes Chrysostomos No. 4, Op. 177 (1943) are noteworthy.[citation needed] James Joyce's novel Ulysses includes a character named Mulligan who brings 'Chrysostomos' into another character (Stephen Dedalus)'s mind because Mulligan's gold-stopped teeth and his gift of the gab earn him the title which St. John Chrysostom's preaching earned him, 'golden-mouthed':[77] "[Mulligan] peered sideways up and gave a long low whistle of call, then paused awhile in rapt attention, his even white teeth glistening here and there with gold points. Chrysostomos."[78] Legend of the penance of Saint John Chrysostom[edit] The Penance of St. John Chrysostom. Engraving by Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1509. The saint can be seen in the background on all fours, whilst the princess and their baby dominate the foreground. A late medieval legend relates that, when John Chrysostom was a hermit in the desert, he was approached by a royal princess in distress.[citation needed][c] John, thinking she was a demon, at first refused to help her, but the princess convinced him that she was a Christian and would be devoured by wild beasts if she were not allowed to enter his cave. He therefore admitted her, carefully dividing the cave in two parts, one for each of them. In spite of these precautions, the sin of fornication was committed, and in an attempt to hide it the distraught John took the princess and threw her over a precipice. He then went to Rome to beg absolution, which was refused. Realising the appalling nature of his crimes, Chrysostom made a vow that he would never rise from the ground until his sins were expiated, and for years he lived like a beast, crawling on all fours and feeding on wild grasses and roots. Subsequently, the princess reappeared, alive, and suckling John's baby, who miraculously pronounced his sins forgiven. This last scene was very popular from the late 15th century onwards as a subject for engravers and artists. The theme was depicted by Albrecht Dürer around 1496,[79] Hans Sebald Beham and Lucas Cranach the Elder, among others. Martin Luther mocked this same legend in his Die Lügend von S. Johanne Chrysostomo (1537) to analyse the pitfalls of the Christian Legendary (hagiography).[80][81] The legend was recorded in Croatia in the 16th century.[82][non-primary source needed] Relics[edit] The return of the relics of Saint John Chrysostom to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople John Chrysostom died in the city of Comana in 407 on his way to his place of exile. There his relics remained until 438 when, thirty years after his death, they were transferred to Constantinople during the reign of the empress Eudoxia's son, the emperor Theodosius II (408–450), under the guidance of John's disciple, Proclus, who by that time had become archbishop of Constantinople (434–447).[83] Most of John's relics were looted from Constantinople by crusaders in 1204 and taken to Rome, but some of his bones were returned to the Orthodox Church on 27 November 2004 by Pope John Paul II.[84][85][86] Since 2004 the relics have been enshrined in the Church of St. George, Istanbul.[87] The skull, however, having been kept at the monastery at Vatopedi on Mount Athos in northern Greece, was not among the relics that were taken by the crusaders in the 13th century. In 1655, at the request of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the skull was taken to Russia, for which the monastery was compensated in the sum of 2,000 rubles. In 1693, having received a request from the Vatopedi Monastery for the return of Saint John's skull, Tsar Peter the Great ordered that the skull remain in Russia but that the monastery was to be paid 500 rubles every four years. The Russian state archives document these payments up until 1735. The skull was kept at the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, until 1920, when it was confiscated by the Soviets and placed in the Museum of Silver Antiquities. In 1988, in connection with the 1,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the head, along with other important relics, was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church and kept at the Epiphany Cathedral, until being moved to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour after its restoration.[citation needed] Today, the monastery at Vatopedi posits a rival claim to possessing the skull of John Chrysostom, and there a skull is venerated by pilgrims to the monastery as that of Saint John. Two sites in Italy also claim to have the saint's skull: the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Dal Pozzo chapel in Pisa. The right hand of Saint John[88][unreliable source?] is preserved on Mount Athos, and numerous smaller relics are scattered throughout the world.[89]

Syria, 341 or 264-383, Council of Antioch, the matter of Paul of Samosata and homoousios
Council of Antioch (383); with three synods convened between 264 and 269 in the matter of Paul of Samosata, more than thirty councils were held in Antioch in ancient times. Most of these dealt with phases of the Arian and of the Christological controversies.[1] For example, the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Paul of Samosata states: must be regarded as certain that the council which condemned Paul rejected the term homoousios; but naturally only in a false sense used by Paul; not, it seems because he meant by it a unity of Hypostasis in the Trinity (so St. Hilary), but because he intended by it a common substance out of which both Father and Son proceeded, or which it divided between them, — so St. Basil and St. Athanasius; but the question is not clear. The objectors to the Nicene doctrine in the fourth century made copious use of this disapproval of the Nicene word by a famous council.[2] most celebrated convened in the summer of 341 at the dedication of the Domus Aurea, and is therefore called in encaeniis or dedication council. Nearly a hundred Eastern bishops were present, but the bishop of Rome was not represented. The emperor Constantius II attended in person.[1] Synods of Antioch in 264-269[edit] [icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2021) Synod of Antioch in 341[edit] council approved three creeds.[3] Whether or not the so-called "fourth formula"[4] is to be ascribed to a continuation of this synod or to a subsequent but distinct assembly of the same year, its aim is like that of the first three; while repudiating certain Arian formulas it avoids the orthodox term homoousios, fiercely advocated by Athanasius of Alexandria and accepted by the First Council of Nicaea (Nicaea I). The somewhat colourless compromise doubtless proceeded from the party of Eusebius of Nicomedia, and proved not unacceptable to the more nearly orthodox members of the synod.[1] twenty-five canons adopted regulate the so-called metropolitan constitution of the church. Ecclesiastical power is vested chiefly in the metropolitan (later called archbishop), and the biannual provincial synod (see Nicaea I, canon 5.), which he summons and over which he presides. Consequently, the powers of country bishops (chorepiscopi) are curtailed, and direct recourse to the emperor is forbidden. The sentence of one judicatory is to be respected by other judicatories of equal rank; re-trial may take place only before that authority to whom appeal regularly lies.[5] Without due invitation, a bishop may not ordain, or in any other way interfere with affairs lying outside his proper territory; nor may he appoint his own successor. Penalties are set on the refusal to celebrate Easter in accordance with the Nicaea I decree, as well as on leaving a church before the service of the Eucharist is completed.[1] numerous objections made by scholars in past centuries about the canons ascribed to this council have been elaborately stated and probably refuted by Hefele. The canons formed part of the Codex canonum used at Chalcedon in 451 and are found in later Eastern and Western collections of canons.[1] Paul of Samosata, 220-275, Bishop of Antioch and Theif of Samosata ( lived from 200 to 275 AD) was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268 and the originator of the Paulianist heresy named after him. He was a believer in monarchianism, a nontrinitarian doctrine; his teachings reflect adoptionism. was born at Samosata into a family of humble origin. He was elected bishop of Antioch in 260. He held the civil office of Procurator ducenarius.[1] Monarchianist teachings aroused strong opposition in the church. He was also accused of corruption on a grand scale. Edward Gibbon describes him as follows: wealth of that prelate was a sufficient evidence of his guilt, since it was neither derived from the inheritance of his fathers, nor acquired by the arts of honest industry. But Paul considered the service of the church as a very lucrative profession. His ecclesiastical jurisdiction was venal and rapacious; he extorted frequent contributions from the most opulent of the faithful, and converted to his own use a considerable part of the public revenue. By his pride and luxury the Christian religion was rendered odious in the eyes of the Gentiles. His council chamber and his throne, the splendour with which he appeared in public, the suppliant crowd who solicited his attention, the multitude of letters and petitions to which he dictated his answers, and the perpetual hurry of business in which he was involved, were circumstances much better suited to the state of a civil magistrate than to the humility of a primitive bishop. When he harangued his people from the pulpit, Paul affected the figurative style and the theatrical gestures of an Asiatic sophist, while the cathedral resounded with the loudest and most extravagant acclamations in the praise of his divine eloquence. Against those who resisted his power, or refused to flatter his vanity, the prelate of Antioch was arrogant, rigid, and inexorable; but he relaxed the discipline, and lavished the treasures of the church on his dependent clergy, who were permitted to imitate their master in the gratification of every sensual appetite. For Paul indulged himself very freely in the pleasures of the table, and he had received into the episcopal palace two young and beautiful women, as the constant companions of his leisure moments.[2] 269, seventy bishops, priests and deacons assembled at Antioch as a Pre-Ecumenical synod or council called the Synods of Antioch. Egypt to the Euxine Sea, the bishops were in arms and in motion. Several councils were held, confutations were published, ex-communications were pronounced, ambiguous explanations were by turns accepted and refused, treaties were concluded and violated.[3] synod deposed Paul as bishop and elected Dominus as his successor. They also wrote an encyclical letter to Dionysius and Maximus, bishops of Rome and Alexandria respectively. This letter is the only indisputably contemporary document concerning him and was preserved in Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History.[4] because the synod had acted without consulting the clergy or the people, its authority was in question,[3] enabling Paul to claim continued possession of his bishopric. Since he had friendly relations with Zenobia, the separatist queen of Palmyra ruling in Syria, he maintained his occupancy of the bishop's house in Antioch for another four years. Late in 272, however, when the emperor Aurelian defeated Zenobia, Paul lost her protection. Aurelian allowed the two parties, for and against Paul, to present their cases before his own tribunal. Aurelian was not a Christian and had no interest in the doctrinal issues of the Church. Wishing only to restore order, he relied on the judgment of the bishops of Italy and Rome. The unanimous verdict was for Paul to relinquish his position as bishop. ruling of Aurelian occurred during the "Little Peace of the Church", a roughly 40-year period when Christianity flourished without official sanctions from the central government. It was the first time the Church had sought the emperor's intervention in an internal dispute.[5] teaching is a form of Monarchianism, which emphasized the oneness of God. Paul taught that Jesus was born a mere man, but that he was infused with the divine Logos or word of God. Hence, Jesus was seen not as God-become-man but as man-become-God. In his Discourses to Sabinus, of which only fragments are preserved in a book against heresies ascribed to Anastasius, Paul writes: been anointed by the Holy Spirit he received the title of the anointed (i.e. Christos), suffering in accordance with his nature, working wonders in accordance with grace. For in fixity and resoluteness of character he likened himself to God; and having kept himself free from sin was united with God, and was empowered to grasp as it were the power and authority of wonders. By these he was shown to possess over and above the will, one and the same activity (with God), and won the title of Redeemer and Saviour of our race." Saviour became holy and just; and by struggle and hard work overcame the sins of our forefather. By these means he succeeded in perfecting himself, and was through his moral excellence united with God; having attained to unity and sameness of will and energy (i.e. activity) with Him through his advances in the path of good deeds. This will be preserved inseparable (from the Divine), and so inherited the name which is above all names, the prize of love and affection vouchsafed in grace to him." do not award praise to beings which submit merely in virtue of their nature; but we do award high praise to beings which submit because their attitude is one of love; and so submitting because their inspiring motive is one and the same, they are confirmed and strengthened by one and the same indwelling power, of which the force ever grows, so that it never ceases to stir. It was in virtue of this love that the Saviour coalesced with God, so as to admit of no divorce from Him, but for all ages to retain one and the same will and activity with Him, an activity perpetually at work in the manifestation of good." not that the Saviour had one will with God. For as nature manifests the substance of the many to subsist as one and the same, so the attitude of love produces in the many a unity and a sameness of will which is manifested by unity and sameness of approval and well-pleasingness." was an early forerunner of Adoptionism. It was suggested that the Paulicians of Armenia adhered to his teachings, and received their name from him. However, historical records show that the Paulicians were bitterly persecuted more for their gnostic and iconoclastic views than for their adherence to Adoptionism. pupil Lucian of Antioch is considered to have had a major influence on Arius the founder of Arianism. account[edit] major source of information we have of Paul of Samosata comes from Eusebius of Caesarea, who described some of the doctrines and practices Paul displayed openly, which included: Receiving money for his religious services,[6] as well as paying others to preach his doctrines.[7] Preferring to be called an imperial procurator of queen Zenobia, rather than bishop.[8] He stopped the production of psalms to Christ, and trained women to sing psalms to himself[9] as an angel come down from heaven.[10] Likewise, Eusebius hints to the fact that Paul was "too familiar" with his women followers,[11] whom he called "subintroductae".[7] 19 of the First Council of Nicaea dealt with the Paulianists: the Paulianists who have flown for refuge to the Catholic Church, it has been decreed that they must by all means be rebaptized; and if any of them who in past time have been numbered among their clergy should be found blameless and without reproach, let them be rebaptized and ordained by the Bishop of the Catholic Church; but if the examination should discover them to be unfit, they ought to be deposed. Likewise in the case of their deaconesses, and generally in the case of those who have been enrolled among their clergy, let the same form be observed. And we mean by deaconesses such as have assumed the habit, but who, since they have no imposition of hands, are to be numbered only among the laity.[12] of Alexandria explained that despite the fact that the followers of Paul of Samosata baptised in the name of the Trinity, they did not make it in the orthodox sense, making their baptism invalid.[13] The Paulianists seemed to have disappeared soon after the council, although the Paulicianists, a 7th-century dualistic sect, were often misidentified as being one and the same.[14] St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16;

Syria, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, conquered passions, labored plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name, Marathon
Syria, 342-412, Theodosius of Antioch, Syria, prostrations, lying on ground, hairshirt, iron chains, long hair, continuious fasting and prayer, much labor, conquered passions, labored much, plaiting ropes, waves calmed at his name, Marathon; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Theodosius of Antioch in his early years left the rich home of his illustrious parents and entered upon the straight and arduous path of asceticism. settled into a small cell on the shore of the Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos. saint weakened his body with prostrations and by lying upon the bare ground. also wore a hairshirt and heavy iron chains. His hair grew so long that it covered his feet. continuous feats of fasting and prayer he conquered his fleshly and spiritual passions, he quieted his temper, and drove away unclean thoughts. labored much, tilling his garden and occupying himself with plaiting ropes. his native land Saint Theodosius founded a monastery (Skupela). He imparted to the monks a love for physical toil and for spiritual deeds. Saint Theodosius had a special concern for strangers. sublime life of the saint was known even beyond the confines of the monastery. Both Christians and pagans knew him. Seafarers in time of peril called out for help to “the God of Theodosius.” happened that at the mere mention of Saint Theodosius, the waves of the sea were calmed. feared and respected him, and sought his prayers. the praise of people, the saint settled near the village of Maraton, founding here the Maratonia monastery. There the great ascetic peacefully finished the days of his God-pleasing life (412).

Syria, 350-390, Simeon tAncient, oSinai iArab Lands, Arab Syrian Deserts, extreme ascetic child, 2Monasteries Aman, wonderworker
Arabs, 350-390, 4th C, Simeon tAncient oSinai / Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs. the elder not the stylite, 5th Century Ascetic iSyria, lived cave Syrian wilderness as child, complete solitude, Unceasing prayer, meditation, and contemplation of God were his constant occupation, ate only grass about his cave, to preserve silence left cave when people came, tMts oAman Range, but many visitors, tMt Sinai where Moses received revelation, short stay by divine province, returned Aman, founded 2Monasteries, one on top, other at base Mt Aman, guided monks, warned wiles otEnemy, taught struggle temptations, encouraged ascetic deeds, rousing salvation thoughts, Simeon received wonderworking gift, departed 390 ; Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); St Simeon “the Ancientâ€ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; Simeon the Elder was so named in order to distinguish him from Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1). practiced asceticism in Syria in the fifth century, in his childhood years went out into the Syrian wilderness and lived in a cave in complete solitude. prayer, meditation, and contemplation of God were his constant occupation. ascetic ate only the grass which grew about his cave. people began to come to him to receive guidance, he wished to preserve his silence, he left his cave and settled on one of the mountains of the Aman range. here also his solitude was disturbed by many visitors. Simeon withdrew to Mount Sinai, formerly the Prophet Moses (September 4) received a revelation from God. divine Providence, the holy ascetic returned to Aman after a short stay on Sinai founded two monasteries: one at the top of the mountain, the other at its base. head of these monasteries, Saint Simeon guided the monks, them about the wiles of the Enemy of mankind, and he taught them how to struggle against temptations. inspired and encouraged them in ascetic deeds, rousing them to think of their salvation. of the holiness of his life Saint Simeon received from God the gift of wonderworking. the many labors of his ascetic life, Saint Simeon departed to God around the year 390.

Syria, 350-400, Palladius tHermit, oBlack Mountains Desert, Wonderworker, Writer, Raised dead man to name his murderers
Syria, 350-400, Palladius tHermit, oBlack Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch, Wonderworker, Writer, Raised the dead man to name his murderers, Levitation, desert dweller, ascetic, mountain cave near Syrian Antioch, accused of murdering merchant near his cave, raised him to name murders, died end of 4th C, left several edifyiing works; Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Palladius the Desert Dweller led an ascetical life in a certain mountain cave near Syrian Antioch. of his struggles, he received from the Lord a gift of wonderworking. a merchant was found murdered by robbers near his cave. People accused Saint Palladius of the murder, through the prayer of the saint, the dead man rose up and named his murderers. saint died at the end of the fourth century, leaving behind several edifying works.

Syria, 350-410, Eusebius tHermit oSyria, extreme ascetic, open sky, heat and cold, skins, pea&bean pods, 15 figs for 40day fast
Syria, 350-410, Eusebius tHermit oSyria, Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent, a country without a nation), lived iAsceticism on Mt near Asicha, Syria, open sly, summer heat, winter cold, skins fClothing, pea and bean pods fFood, only 15 figs during 40 day great fast, people flocked so he went nearby monestery, built small enclosure at monastery walls, lived there until death, died at 90 after 400; Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent); Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; Eusebius the Hermit lived in the fourth century lived in asceticism on a mountain near the village of Asicha in Syria. led a very strict life under the open sky, patiently enduring the summer heat and winter cold. wore skins for clothing, and nourished himself on the pods of peas and beans. he was elderly and infirm, he ate only fifteen figs during the Great Forty day Fast. many people began to flock to Saint Eusebius, went to a nearby monastery, built a small enclosure at the monastery walls and lived in it until his death. Eusebius died at the age of ninety, sometime after the year 400.

Syria, 357-381, Meletius of Antioch, Syrian Saint, Raised Chrysostom, 3 Exiles, Orthodox
Syria, 357-381, Syrian Saint, Meletius of Antioch; St. Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13;

Syria, 357-381, Meletius oAntioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised three fingers, withdrawing two
Syria, 357-381, Meletius of Antioch, Syria, lightning like fire surrounded him after he raised three fingers, withdrawing two, explaining three hypostaties and one nature,381 led 2nd EC and passed away there, 357 Bishop oSebaste, Armenia, summoned to Antioch bConstantius tCombat Arians, C then became Arian, and deposed M twice, M extraordinary gentle, led by example, virtue&kind disposition, so true teaching would sprout, M ordained Basil tGreat, baptized John Chrysostom, Julian tApostate expelled M, 363 Jovian and M wrote his "Exposition oFaith" treatise, it converted many Arians, 381 Theodosius convened 2nd EC aConstantinople, presided by M, before it began m explained 3 hypostases and 1 nature with his fingers, and lightening fire, M died during the council, Gregory oNyssa eulogy, M's treatises on consubstantiality of Jesus with his father, letter tJovian about Trinity, Relics tansferred to Antioch; Syria, 357-381, Syrian Saint, Meletius of Antioch; St. Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12; Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 357), afterwards he was summoned to Antioch by the emperor Constantius to help combat the Arian heresy, and was appointed to that See. Meletius struggled zealously against the Arian error, through the intrigues of the heretics he was thrice deposed from his cathedra by the Emperor Constantius had become surrounded by the Arians and had accepted their position. all this Saint Meletius was distinguished by an extraordinary gentleness, he constantly led his flock by the example of his own virtue and kindly disposition, that the seeds of the true teaching sprout more readily on such soil. Meletius was the one who ordained the future hierarch Saint Basil the Great as deacon. Meletius also baptized and encouraged another of the greatest luminaries of Orthodoxy, Saint John Chrysostom, later eulogized his former archpastor. Constantius, the throne was occupied by Julian the Apostate, the saint again was expelled, to hide himself in secret places for his safety. under the emperor Jovian in the year 363, Saint Meletius wrote his theological treatise, “Exposition of the Faith,” which facilitated the conversion of many of the Arians to Orthodoxy. the year 381, under the emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395), the Second Ecumenical Council was convened. the year 380 the saint had set off on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, came to preside over it. the start of the Council, Saint Meletius raised his hand displaying three fingers, then withdrawing two fingers and leaving one extended he blessed the people, proclaiming: “We understand three hypostases, and we speak about a single nature.” this declaration, fire surrounded the saint like lightning. the Council Saint Meletius fell asleep in the Lord. Gregory of Nyssa honored the memory of the deceased with a eulogy. Meletius has left treatises on the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, a letter to the emperor Jovian concerning the Holy Trinity. relics of Saint Meletius were transferred from Constantinople to Antioch.

Syria, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus, Basil tGreat's disciple, also rich, served Emperor, then 40 yr Antioch Cave
Armenia, 358-405, Zeno tHermit oAntioch, fPontus (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis and Kelkit Rivers), Basil tGreat's disciple, fRich family, served Emperor Valens, delivered imperial edicts, left world tAntioch cave upon V's death, 40 yrs there sloitude cleansing soul, church each Sunday, no bed fireplace or lamp, old rags, bread&water, tedious tWell in city, borrowed holy books fSpiritual counciled, filled wSpiritual Grace but considered self poor in Spirit, died beginning 5th C; Eupatoria (Pontus); Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Zeno, the disciple of Saint Basil the Great, born in the city of Pontus into a rich family. served at the court of the emperor Valens (364-378), among the soldiers who were sent out to deliver the imperial edicts. the death of Valens, Saint Zeno left the world and settled in a cave near the city of Antioch. forty years he lived in this cave, and he lived an austere life in complete solitude, cleansing his soul, and meditating on God. Zeno went to church each Sunday and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. his cell he had neither bed, nor fireplace, nor lamp. The ascetic wore old rags, and ate only bread and water, for which he had to make a tedious journey into the city to the well. Zeno was particularly fond of holy books, which he borrowed from those who came to him for spiritual counsel. his deep humility the blessed ascetic, filled with the gifts of grace, considered himself poor in spirit. Zeno died at the beginning of the fifth century.

Syria, 360-378, Titus of Bostra, Bishop, theologian, anti manichaean works, literal exegesis
Syrian Saint, 360-378, Saint and Bishop Titus of Bostra; of Bostra (died c. 378[1]) was a Christian theologian and bishop. Sozomen[2] names Titus among the great men of the time of Constantius. also tells[3] of a mean trick played upon Titus by Julian the Apostate. It was expected that the reestablishment of paganism would cause riots, as it had elsewhere. Julian wrote to Titus, as bishop of Bostra (now Bosra) that he would hold him and the clergy responsible for any disorder. Titus replied that though the Christians were equal in number to the pagans they would obey him and keep quiet. Julian then wrote to the Bostrians urging them to expel Titus because he had calumniated them by attributing their quiet conduct not to their own good dispositions but to his influence. Titus remained bishop at Bostra until c. 371.[4] to Socrates[5] Titus was one of the bishops who signed the Synodal Letter, addressed to Jovian by the Council of Antioch (363), in which the Nicene Creed was accepted, though with a clause "intended somewhat to weaken and semiarianize the expression homoousios".[6] Jerome[7] names Titus among writers whose secular erudition is as marvellous as their knowledge of Scripture; in his De Viris Illustribus, cii, he speaks of his "mighty" (fortes) books against the Manichaean and nonnulla alia. He places his death under Valens. the nonnulla alia only fragments of exegetical writings have survived. These show that Titus followed the Antiochene School of Scripture exegesis in keeping to the literal as opposed to the allegorical interpretation. Contra Manichæos is the most important work of the kind that has come down to us; it is extremely valuable because of the number of quotations it contains from Manichaean writers. The work consists of four books of which the fourth and the greater part of the third are only extant in a Syriac translation. The Greek and Syriac texts of the Contra Manichæos were published by Paul de Lagarde (Berlin, 1859). Earlier editions of the Greek text suffer from an insertion from a work of Serapion owing to the misplacement of a leaf in the original codex. The latest edition by Paul-Huber Poirier of the extant Greek text and the more extensive Syriac translation appeared 2013 (Corpus Christianorum Series Graeca 82).[8] In 2015 a French translation of the texts in this edition appeared in the Corpus Christianorum in Translation-series.[9] one passage Titus seems to favour Origen's view that the pains of the damned are not eternal.[10] Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke is attributed to Titus, which survives in excerpts principally in catenae. For this, and other writings attributed to Titus see Migne and Gallandi. The genuine exegetical fragments of this commentary were published by Sickenberger.[11] Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4 ;

Syria, 360-390, Mausimas tSyrian,fCyrrhus, voluntarily embraced poverty, gave bread & oil to anyon who came, vessels never empty
Syria, 360-390, Mausimas tSyrian, lived at Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), voluntarily embraced poverty, gave bread & oil to anyon who came, vessels never empty; Cyrrhus; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated January 23 ; Mausimas the Syrian lived in Syria, near the city of Cyrrhus. voluntarily embraced poverty and devoted his life to the service of his neighbor. doors of his hut were always open to anyone who had need of him. his hut there were two vessels: one with bread, and the other with oil. in need came to him and received the food from his hand. vessels never became empty. saint died at the end of the fourth century.

Syria, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death
Syria, 360-400, Salamanes tSilent, honored by Orthodox Church first saint complete silence maintained until death, fKapersana on west bank Euphrates River 9. iSyria or Mesopotamia, loved solitary life, towns bishop wanted him for Priest, Archpastor ordered him dismantel part wall for his entry, spoke about priesthood grace, but S quiet, bishop departed with order to rebuild wall, S content wSilence, prayer, Word study, thus comforted bGod, led souls tChrist, both hometown people&P across the river wanted him&moved him, S did not complain or agree, still silent, dead to this world, seeking obey God's will, praying for himself&Other servants oGod, so he could say like Paul, no longer I who live but Christ in me, so I live by faith in Son oGod, who loved me and died for me, still silent, speaking only to God; Kapersana (Euphrates River 9) Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated January 23 ; Salamanēs (Σαλαμάνης) was from the town of Kapersana (Καπερσανά) in Syria, on the west bank of the Euphrates River. he loved the solitary life, he followed the path of monasticism, building his cell near the Euphrates River. Bishop of the town, who was informed of the virtue of the venerable one, to see him in order to ordain him to the priesthood. at the Saint's cell, the Archpastor ordered him to dismantle part of the wall so that he might enter. Bishop spoke to him about the grace of the priesthood, during the time he was in the cell, the Hierarch did not hear a single word from the Saint. he departed, after ordering him to rebuild the wall. Salamanēs was content with his silence, prayer, and study of the Word of God. comforted by God, he led people's souls to Christ. the Synaxarion it is said that people from the place where Saint Salamanēs was born went to his cell because they wanted him to live near them. did not protest their actions, nor agree to them, but maintained his silence. they picked him up and brought him to their town, they built a cell similar to the other one and enclosed him within. Saint also remained in this cell in silence and prayer. few days later, some people went there by night from a town on other side of the river, took the Saint and brought him to their town. did not object when they took him away, neither opposing nor agreeing to it. the inhabitants of the village on the other side of the river came at night to his new dwelling heard him say this prayer: "O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and all the servants of Thy name, and those who worship Thee, our true God." Salamanēs was dead to this world, seeking only to obey the will of God. he could say with Saint Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20). ascetic did not interrupt his feat of silence, speaking only to God. Orthodox Church honors him as the first Saint to embrace complete silence, he maintained until his death († ca. 400).

Syria, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80
Constantinople, 361-420, Theodore of Antioch, tortured at 15 for transfering relics, angel relieved suffering, lived to 80; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch, a fifteen-year-old youth, was condemned to fierce torments by the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Because he was responsible for the translation of the relics of Saint Babylas (September 4) from Daphne to Antioch, he was arrested and tortured. The executioners were dismayed that the saint could rejoice during the torture, and didn’t seem to feel any pain. They reported this miracle to the emperor, and he gave orders to release the saint. Theodore later said that when they were tormenting him, an angel appeared and relieved his suffering. When the angel left after the torture, the saint began to feel the pain. The holy Martyr Theodore lived to old age and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Syria, 361, Theodoritus of Antioch, sacred vessel keeper, Golder Chapel, predicted both Julian's deaths
Syria, 361, Theodoritus of Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), sacred vessel keeper, Constantine's Golder Chapel, apostate Julian closed churches, valuables to treasurery, Theodoritus tortured and predicted both Julian's death ; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Theodoritus was a presbyter and keeper of sacred vessels at the cathedral church in Antioch. This church was built and richly adorned by the emperor Saint Constantine the Great (May 21) and his son Constantius, and the people called it “the Golden church.” Having occupied the throne after the death of the emperor Constantius (337-361), Julian the Apostate (361-363) decided to restore paganism throughout the Roman Empire. emperor appointed his uncle, also named Julian, as prefect of Antioch. He ordered him to close the Christian churches, and to send the valuables within them to the imperial treasury. Wanting to please the emperor, the prefect, also an apostate from Christianity, set about his impious task with zeal. at Antioch with the dignitary Felix, he gave orders to lock up the priest Theodoritus under guard, and he began his plundering, defiling the altar and the holy altar table. One of those present, Euzoios, tried to admonish him for his impiety, and for this he was killed. Julian accused Theodoritus of hiding the church valuables, but the venerable keeper of vessels denied the accusation and openly denounced Julian for his apostasy. beastly tortures, the holy martyr maintained his faith in Christ the Savior, and predicted a speedy death for Julian and the emperor for their sacrilege. soldiers torturing the faithful presbyter were struck by his firmness and endurance, and by the power of the Word of God. They were converted to Christ, for which they were drowned in the sea. holy confessor was beheaded. The mockery and sacrilege of the pagans did not go unpunished, and the predictions of Saint Theodoritus were soon fulfilled. The prefect Julian died in agony from a grievous illness, and the emperor Julian perished in a campaign against the Persians.

Syria, 361-363, Eugene tPresbyter oAntioch, wMacarius, refused orgies, tortured, exiled, prayer lightning killed Giant Snake
Syria, 361-363, Eugene tPresbyter&Confessor oAntioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), with presbyter Macarius, tortured by Julian tApostate, refused pagan orgies, fierce tortures, prayer and spiritual rejoicing, exile aOasim, Arabian Desert, on hill, giant snake there, in a cave, warned by local people, asked point him out, prayer brought lightning to hit cave and kill snake, they then lived in the cave, They prayed to die together, they did in 363.; Antioch (Orontes River 7); St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; Holy Confessors Eugene and Macarius were presbyters of the Antiochian Church. the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363) they were brought to the emperor for trial for their refusal to participate in pagan orgies. presbyters boldly denounced him for his apostasy and they were given over to fierce tortures, which they underwent with prayer and spiritual rejoicing. the tortures, they sent them off to exile at Oasim, an oasis in the Arabian desert, they intended to settle there upon a hill. local people warned the saints that they should immediately abandon the place, since an enormous snake lived there. holy martyrs asked them to point out this place, and through their prayer a lightning bolt struck the cave, reducing the monster to ashes. Eugene and Macarius began to live in this cave. The confessors prayed that they might die together. Lord heard their prayer, and they died in 363 at the same time.

Syria, 363-423, Maron, Hermit oSyria, Prayer, vigil, ascetical works, strict fasting, Healing&Deliverance, many monasteries
Syria, 363-423, Maron, Hermit oSyria, fCyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), time spend open sky iPrayer, vigil, ascetical works, strict fasting, obtaine fGod gift oHealing and deliverance, counciled, be temperate, salvation concern, guard against avarice (extreme greed for wealth) and anger, advanced age, Chrysostom's friend, his disciples, James tHermit, Limnius, Domnina, founded many monasteries near Cyrrhus, near Antioch converted pagan temple to church; Cyrrhus; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; Maron was born in the fourth century near the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. spent almost all his time beneath the open sky in prayer, vigil, ascetical works and strict fasting. obtained from God the gift of healing the sick and casting out demons. counselled those who turned to him for advice be temperate, to be concerned for their salvation, and to guard against avarice and anger. Maron, a friend of Saint John Chrysostom, died before 423 at an advanced age. of Saint Maron’s disciples were James the Hermit (November 26), Limnius (February 23), and Domnina (March 1). Maron founded many monasteries around Cyrrhus, converted a pagan temple near Antioch into a Christian church.

Syria, 363-423, Limnaeus, desert hermit, virtues, wonderworking, wanderers home, giving spiritual nourishment
Syria, 363-423, Limnaeus, hermit oDesert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, dwelt suffient time to acquire virtues oThalassius, simplicity oManner, genrtleness, humility, then joined Maron on a hill, built stone cell without a roof, through small hole he conversed with people who came to him, compassionate heart, built wanderers home with admirers help, a dwelling for poor and crippled, sacrificing his solitude, took responsibility for their spiritual nourishment, inducing them to pray, glorify the Lord, for this granted wonderworking gift and cured himself oSnakebite; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch Venerable Limnaeus, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Limnaeus began his efforts under the guidance of Saint Thalassius and dwelt with him for a sufficient time to acquire the virtues of his teacher: simplicity of manner, gentleness and humility. Saint Limnaeus joined Saint Maron (February 14). a hill he built a small stone enclosure without a roof, through a small aperture, he conversed with those who came to see him. heart was full of compassion for people. to help all the destitute, he built a wanderers’ home on the hillside with the help of his admirers, dwelling for the poor and the crippled, and he fed them with what pious people brought him. holy ascetic even sacrificed his own quiet and solitude for these poor brethren, took upon himself the responsibility for for their spiritual nourishment, them to pray and glorify the Lord. his holy life he was granted the gift of wonderworking. once cured himself of a snakebite through prayer. St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Syria, 367-407, John Chrysostom, Syrian Saint, Preacher and Public Speaker, Archbishop of C
Syrian Saint, 367-407, St John Chrysostom ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him. three years John was tonsured as a Reader. When Saint Meletius had been sent into exile by the emperor Valens in the year 372, John and Theodore (afterwards Bishop of Mopsuestia) studied under the experienced instructors of ascetic life, the presbyters Flavian and Diodorus of Tarsus. highly refined Diodorus had particular influence upon the youth. John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration. this period Saint John wrote his “Six Discourses on the Priesthood,” a great work of Orthodox pastoral theology. saint spent four years struggling in the wilderness, living the ascetic life under the guidance of an experienced spiritual guide. here he wrote three books entitled, “Against the Opponents of Those Attracted to the Monastic Life”, and a collection entitled, “A Comparison of the Monk with the Emperor” (also known as “Comparison of Imperial Power, Wealth and Eminence, with the True and Christian Wisdom-Loving Monastic Life”), both works which are marked by a profound reflection of the worthiness of the monastic vocation. two years, the saint lived in a cave in complete silence, but was obliged to return to Antioch to recover his health. Meletius, the Bishop of Antioch, ordained him deacon in the year 381. following years were devoted to work on new theological writings: “Concerning Providence” (“To the Ascetic Stagirios”), “Book Concerning Virginity,” “To a Young Widow” (2 discourses), and the “Book of Saint Babylos, and Against Julian and the Pagans.” the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners. his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick. John began his commentary on Genesis at the beginning of Great Lent in 388, preaching thirty-two homilies during the forty day period. During Holy Week he spoke of how Christ was betrayed, and about the Cross. During Bright Week, his pastoral discourse was devoted to the Resurrection. His exegesis of the Book of Genesis was concluded only at the end of October (388). Pascha in the following year (389) the saint began his homilies on the Gospel of John, and toward the end of the year 389 he took up the Gospel of Matthew. the year 391 the Christians of Antioch listened to his commentary on the Epistles of the holy Apostle Paul to the Romans and to the Corinthians. 393 he explained the Epistles to the Galatians, the Ephesians, Timothy, Titus, and the Psalms. In his homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint John denounced a schism in Antioch, “I tell you and I witness before you, that to tear asunder the Church means nothing less than to fall into heresy. The Church is the house of the heavenly Father, one Body and one Spirit.” fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach. saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil. saintly hierarch denounced the dissolute morals of people in the capital, especially at the imperial court, irrespective of person. When the empress Eudoxia connived to confiscate the last properties of the widow and children of a disgraced dignitary, the saint rose to their defense. The arrogant empress would not relent, and nursed a grudge against the archpastor. ’s hatred of the saint blazed forth anew when malefactors told her that the saint apparently had her in mind during his sermon on vain women. A court was convened composed of hierarchs who had been justly condemned by Chrysostom: Theophilus of Alexandria, Bishop Severian of Gabala, who had been banished from the capital because of improprieties, and others. court of judgment declared Saint John deposed, and that he be executed for his insult to the empress. The emperor decided on exile instead of execution. An angry crowd gathered at the church, resolved to defend their pastor. In order to avoid a riot, Saint John submitted to the authorities. very night there was an earthquake at Constantinople. The terrified Eudoxia urgently requested the emperor to bring the saint back, and promptly sent a letter to the banished pastor, beseeching him to return. Once more, in the capital church, the saint praised the Lord in a short talk, “For All His Ways.” slanderers fled to Alexandria. But after only two months a new denunciation provoked the wrath of Eudoxia. In March 404, an unjust council was convened, decreeing the exile of Saint John. Upon his removal from the capital, a fire reduced the church of Hagia Sophia and also the Senate building to ashes. Devastating barbarian incursions soon followed, and Eudoxia died in October 404. Even pagans regarded these events as God’s punishment for the unjust judgment against the saint. Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana. the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!” holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.” he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30. St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26;

Syria, 370, Aphraates fPersia, tEdessa&Antioch, disavvowed illustrious lineage, attracted many to his holy life, preached

Syria, 370-420, Macedonius tHermit, began ascetic wanderer, 45yrs deep uncovered pit, crowds fSpiritual advise, only barley&watr
Syria, 370-420, Macedonius tHermit oSyria, fNear Cyrrhus (a small town near Antioch), Syria (Orontes River 7), began ascetic life as wanderer, Phoenecia, Cilicia, Syria, then 45 yrs in deep wilderness pit, open sky no roof, shunning human glory (fool for christ), called pit (Gouvas), crowds visited, spiritual advise, ate only barley&water, called barley eater, old age moved to cell & ate baked bread, lived advance age 70; Antioch (Orontes River 7); Saint Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; Macedonius, a Syrian hermit, lived during the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth. he first embarked upon the path of asceticism, he led the life of a wanderer, roaming through the cities of Phoenicia, Cilicia, and Syria. he spent forty-five years in the wilderness, in a deep pit, living under the open sky with no roof over his head, shunning human glory. he was called "Gouvas," which means "pit" in Syrian. of people visited him, seeking spiritual help and guidance. in his old age did he accede to the requests of those who begged him to live in a narrow cell they built for him. his life Saint Macedonius ate just barley and water. Therefore, he was called “Krithophagos" (Κριθοφάγος), or "Barley-Eater." as he felt his strength fading did he agree to eat baked bread. of his ascetical life, God granted him the power to cast out demons, and to heal the sick. also healed the mother of the historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus (a small town near Antioch), who had been barren for a long time before she conceived. labor, however, something went wrong, and she feared that she would lose the child. Saint traced the Sign of the Cross in a vessel of water with his fingers, and told her to drink it. The child was born without any further difficulty. Macedonius performed many other miracles. lived to an advanced age and reposed in peace around the year 420, after reaching his seventieth year.

Syria, 370-430, Alexander, founder 2 Unsleeping Ones Monasteries, prayed 3yrs to make sure, preached the original gospel
Armenia, 370-430, Alexander, founder Unsleepinge Ones Monastery, Edessa, Armenia, (Euphrates River 3), educated iConstantinople, some military service, called to desert monastery near Antioch, under Elias, monastic obedience, blessed to dwell wilderness, took only Holy Gospel with him, not the Gospels?, then Lord summoned him to preach tPagans, converted local leader who became bishop oEdessa 30 years, Alex settled not far from Euphrates, Monks gathered, monastery o400 monks, A decided offer never ceasing prayer, but first prayed 3yrs to make sure, divine revelation God said yes, Monks divided 24 watches oPrayer, shifts each hour, 2 Choirs sang Psams both Day and Night, except for divine services time, named Unsleeping Ones, unceasing praise tGod, A guided this monastery 12yrs, left Trphimus as igumen, left to preach Gospel to cities on Persian border, with chosen brothers, arrives at Constantinople and established another Unsleeping monastery with rule of unceasing praise, died 430 after 50 yrs a monk; Venerable Alexander, founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones”, Commemorated on February 23; Alexander, Founder of the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones,” was born in Asia and received his education at Constantinople. spent some time in military service sensing a calling to other service, he left the world and received monastic tonsure in one of the desert monasteries near Antioch under the guidance of Igumen Elias. advanced through all the degrees of monastic obedience, he received a blessing from the igumen to dwell in the wilderness. saint lived an ascetical life in the wilderness, taking only the Holy Gospel with him. the Lord summoned him to preach to pagans. converted to the faith the local city-head Rabbul, who afterwards prospered in the service of the Church, attaining the rank of bishop, and for thirty years, he occupied the bishop’s cathedra in the city of Edessa. Saint Alexander settled not far from the Euphrates River. Monks gathered around him, attracted by the loftiness of his prayerful asceticism and spiritual experience. monastery of 400 monks eventually sprang up there. the holy igumen in his prayerful zeal decided to offer never-ceasing praise to the Lord at the monastery both by day and by night. three years the holy abba prayed that God might reveal to him whether it was pleasing to Him to establish such a monastic rule. received an answer by divine revelation. the monks were divided into twenty-four watches of prayer. Changing shifts each hour, two choirs sang the holy Psalms both day and night, except when divine services were celebrated in church. the name “Monastery of Unsleeping Ones,” since the ascetics offered unceasing praise to God. Alexander guided the monastery on the Euphrates for twelve years. having left the experienced Elder Trophimus as igumen, he set off with some chosen brethren through the cities bordering on Persia, to preach the Gospel. arrived at Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, he also established a monastery there with his Rule of unceasing praise. abba died at a great old age after fifty years of monastic struggles. death occurred in the year 430. Saint Alexander is also commemorated on July 3.

Syria, 372-422, Maruthas, Bishop oMartyropolis, tPersian Shah twice, persuaded favorable Christian disposition, much more

Syria, 375, Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, permission to destroy Temple, Lesser Blessing of Water, temple destroyed
Syria, 375, Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Syria (Orontes River 5), permission to destroy Temple, temporary wood woould not burn, Lesser Blessing of Water, wood burned, caught destroying another temple, thrown into fire; Apamea, Syria; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus, Bishop of Apamea, was born of illustrious parents on the island of Cyprus. received a fine education, he occupied a high civil office. marveled at his purity of life, mildness, kindness and eloquence. the year 375, the saint left his wife and children, and devoted himself to a monastic life in Syria. people of Apamea, having him come to the city on some practical matter, elected him as bishop. the account of Theodoret of Cyrrhus we learn that Saint Marcellus received permission from the emperor Saint Theodosius the Great (379-395) to destroy a strongly built temple of Jupiter at Apamea, the saint didn’t know how to accomplish this. certain worker promised to help him. He undermined three of the huge columns, propping them up temporarily with olive wood. he tried to set them afire, but the wood would not burn. Saint Marcellus learned of this, he performed the Lesser Blessing of Water, he commanded that this water be faithfully sprinkled around the wood. this, the wood burned quickly, the columns fell down and the whole pagan temple collapsed in upon itself. soldiers near Aulona in the Apamea district demolished another pagan temple, the saint, watching from a distance, was seized by pagans and thrown into a fire. killers were found, and the saint’s sons wanted to take revenge. local Council forbade them to do this, decreeing that it would be wrong to avenge such a death as the saint had received. Instead, they ought to give thanks to God.

Syria, 378-423, Thalassius oTargala, Syria, 38yrs, no roof, nor cell, nor shelter, wonderworker, healing, built cells for others
Syria, 378-423, Thalassius, Hermit oTargala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital, Apamea, withdrew at young age, 38yrs, no roof, nor cell, nor shelter, for his simple disposition, gentleness, humility he was granted wonderworking and healing the sick, people wanted live under his guidance, he did not refuse them, built cells for them, died peacefully; Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital Apamea; Venerable Thalassius Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Thalassius of Syria lived during the fifth century. a young age he withdrew to a hill near the village of Targala and passed 38 years there in monastic deeds, having neither a roof over his head, nor any cell nor shelter. his simple disposition, gentleness and humility he was granted by the Lord the gift of wonderworking and healing the sick. wanted to live under his guidance, and the saint did not refuse those coming to him. himself built cells for them. He died peacefully, granted rest from his labors. Venerable Limnaeus Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22

Syria, 379-417, Ismaelite Saint Agabbas, silence, loin chains, always standing or kneeling, constant prayer, died in peace

Syria, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, resigned position, gave wealth, ate once aWeek as Stylite
Armenia, 379-440, Theodolous, Eparch oConstantinople, Stylite oEdessa, Armenia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3), resigned position, gave wealth tPoor, became monk, ate once aWeek as Stylite; Edessa, Syria; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Theodoulus was an eparch during the reign of Theodosius the Great. resigned his position because he did not want to be distracted by vain worldly cares. his wife’s death, Saint Theodoulus gave his wealth away to the poor and became a monk. traveled to Edessa and lived on top of a pillar for thirty years, eating only once a week. Theodoulus the Stylite departed to the Lord around 440.

Syria, 390-450, Marana and Kyra oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, went without eating for long periods
Syria, 390-450, Marana and Kyra oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, went without eating for long periods; Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2), a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, who went without eating for long periods oTime Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Marina (Marana) and Kyra (Cyra), sisters by birth, during the fourth century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. parents were illustrious and rich, the sisters left home and departed the city when they had reached maturity. cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a narrow opening through which food was passed to them. little hut had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements. their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured hunger. a three year period, they ate food only once every forty days. former servants came to them, wanting to join their ascetic life. saints put them in a separate hut next to their own enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to deeds of prayer and fasting. The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religiosa Historica. of respect for his hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their dwelling. conversed with them and persuaded them to remove the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. who was weak in body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit upright. he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains. they lived in asceticism for forty years. disturbed their solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the Sepulchre of the Lord. their journey (which took twenty days) they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. the way back, they also went without eating. did the same thing at another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria. Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. ascetical life equaled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, they received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior. Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Domnica (Domnina) a Syrian nun, a companion of Saints Marana and Kyra.

Syria, 390-450, Domnica oVeria in Syria, a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, went without eating for long periods oTime
Syria, 390-450, Domnica (Domnina) oVeria (or Berea) in Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2), a Syrian nun, companion oMarana and Kyra, who went without eating for long periods oTime Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; Domnica (Domnina) a Syrian nun, a companion of Saints Marana and Kyra. Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Marina (Marana) and Kyra (Cyra), sisters by birth, during the fourth century in the city of Veria (or Berea) in Syria. parents were illustrious and rich, the sisters left home and departed the city when they had reached maturity. cleared off a small plot of land, the holy virgins sealed up the entrance to their refuge with rocks and clay, leaving only a narrow opening through which food was passed to them. little hut had no roof, and so they were exposed to the elements. their bodies they wore heavy iron chains and patiently endured hunger. a three year period, they ate food only once every forty days. former servants came to them, wanting to join their ascetic life. saints put them in a separate hut next to their own enclosure and they spoke to them through a window, exhorting them to deeds of prayer and fasting. The life of the holy ascetics Marana and Kyra was described by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrrhus in his Religiosa Historica. of respect for his hierarchical dignity, the holy virgins allowed him into their dwelling. conversed with them and persuaded them to remove the heavy chains they wore under their clothing. who was weak in body, was always stooped under their weight and was unable to sit upright. he left, however, they resumed wearing the chains. they lived in asceticism for forty years. disturbed their solitude only to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to pray at the Sepulchre of the Lord. their journey (which took twenty days) they ate no food until they had prayed at the Holy Places. the way back, they also went without eating. did the same thing at another time, when they journeyed to the grave of the Protomartyr Thekla (September 24) at Seleucia, Isauria. Marana and Kyra died in about the year 450. ascetical life equaled that of the great male ascetics of the desert, they received the same crown of victory from Christ the Savior.

Syria, 393-430, Mares tSinger, fNear Cyrrhus, lived iHut, ascetic 37yrs, rough food, goat skins, handsome, pleasant singng voice
Syria, 393-430, Mares tSinger, fNear Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1), lived in hut, fasting&prayer, 37yrs, rough food, wild goat skins, handsome, pleasant singing voice; Cyrrhus; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Mares the Singer lived in a hut in fasting and prayer for thirty-seven years in the village of Homeron, not far from the city of Cyrrhus in Syria. ate rough food, and wore clothes made from the hide of wild goats. was handsome, and had a pleasant singing voice. Mares reposed in the year 430.

Syria, 400, 5th C Folder, Stylites iWell, 40dFast, clairvoyance&angels, Nestorian Theologian, abbess igumen, Forerunner's Head
Syria, 400, 5th C Folder, Simeon Stylites iWell, 40dFast, Marcellus oApamea clairvoyance&angels, Nestorian Theologian Theodoret oCyrrhus, Daniel tStylite oSamosata, Miraculous Romanos oCicilia Antioch cave, Matrona tConstantinople abbess igumen iHoms, Beiruit, Nestorian John oAntioch, ascetics syrian desert bread salt only, never sat down, shoulder heavy root, small box lentils, Forerunner Head Finding

Syria, 401-459, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Elder, lived in a well, angels, back, stone cave, 40 d s fast, first pillar
Syria, 400-459, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Elder (Queig (Aleppo) River 2); St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Simeon the Stylite was born in the Cappadocian village of Sisan of Christian parents, Sisotian and Martha. At thirteen years of age he began to tend his father’s flock of sheep. He devoted himself attentively and with love to this, his first obedience. after he heard the Beatitudes in church, he was struck by their profundity. Not trusting to his own immature judgment, he turned therefore with his questions to an experienced Elder. The Elder readily explained to the boy the meaning of what he had heard. The seed fell on good soil, and it strengthened his resolve to serve God. Simeon was eighteen, he received monastic tonsure and devoted himself to feats of the strictest abstinence and unceasing prayer. His zeal, beyond the strength of the other monastic brethren, so alarmed the igumen that he told Simeon that to either moderate his ascetic deeds or leave the monastery. Simeon then withdrew from the monastery and lived in an empty well in the nearby mountains, where he was able to carry out his austere struggles unhindered. After some time, angels appeared in a dream to the igumen, who commanded him to bring back Simeon to the monastery. monk, however, did not long remain at the monastery. After a short while he settled into a stony cave, situated not far from the village of Galanissa, and he dwelt there for three years, all the while perfecting himself in monastic feats. Once, he decided to spend the entire forty days of Great Lent without food or drink. With the help of God, the monk endured this strict fast. From that time he abstained from food completely during the entire period of the Great Lent, even from bread and water. For twenty days he prayed while standing, and for twenty days while sitting, so as not to permit the corporeal powers to relax. whole crowd of people began to throng to the place of his efforts, wanting to receive healing from sickness and to hear a word of Christian edification. Shunning worldly glory and striving again to find his lost solitude, the monk chose a previously unknown mode of asceticism. He went up a pillar six to eight feet high, and settled upon it in a little cell, devoting himself to intense prayer and fasting. of Saint Simeon reached the highest church hierarchy and the imperial court. Patriarch Domninos II (441-448) of Antioch visited the monk, celebrated Divine Liturgy on the pillar and communed the ascetic with the Holy Mysteries. living in the desert heard about Saint Simeon, who had chosen a new and strange form of ascetic striving. Wanting to test the new ascetic and determine whether his extreme ascetic feats were pleasing to God, they sent messengers to him, who in the name of these desert fathers were to bid Saint Simeon to come down from the pillar. the case of disobedience they were to forcibly drag him to the ground. But if he was willing to submit, they were to leave him on his pillar. Saint Simeon displayed complete obedience and deep Christian humility. The monks told him to stay where he was, asking God to be his helper. Simeon endured many temptations, and he invariably gained the victory over them. He relied not on his own weak powers, but on the Lord Himself, Who always came to help him. The monk gradually increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. His final pillar was 80 feet in height. Around him a double wall was raised, which hindered the unruly crowd of people from coming too close and disturbing his prayerful concentration. in general, were not permitted beyond the wall. The saint did not make an exception even for his own mother, who after long and unsuccessful searches finally succeeded in finding her lost son. He would not see her, saying, “If we are worthy, we shall see one another in the life to come.” Saint Martha submitted to this, remaining at the foot of the pillar in silence and prayer, where she finally died. Saint Simeon asked that her coffin be brought to him. He reverently bid farewell to his dead mother, and a joyful smile appeared on her face. Simeon spent 80 years in arduous monastic feats, 47 years of which he stood upon the pillar. Many pagans accepted Baptism, struck by the moral staunchness and bodily strength which the Lord bestowed upon His servant. first one to learn of the death of the saint was his close disciple Anthony. Concerned that his teacher had not appeared to the people for three days, he went up on the pillar and found the dead body stooped over at prayer. Patriarch Martyrius of Antioch performed the funeral before a huge throng of clergy and people. They buried him near his pillar. At the place of his ascetic deeds, Anthony established a monastery, upon which rested the special blessing of Saint Simeon. pray to Saint Simeon for the return to the Church of those who have forsaken Her, or have been separated from Her. Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia; Venerable Shio Mgvime;

Syria, 401-460, Thalelaeus oSyria, small cell after defeating demons from ruined temple, to avoid eternal punishment

Syria, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling, igumen Unsleeping
Syria, 401-485, Marcellus, Apamea, Syria, monastic schema, spiritual talents, clairvoyance, angels encircling, igumen Unsleeping Ones Monastery, fApamea, wealthy parents died early, ed aAntioch&Ephesus, distributed tPoor, tUnsleeping M Constantinople & Alexander, monk, great spiritual talents incl clairvoyance, left before he knew A would die tAvoid igumen, returned aJohn named igumen, John's assistant, after J's death Igumen for 60 yrs, many people came rich&poor, many times angels encircling him, attending&guarding him, many monks came, built Church, hospital, &hostel fHomeless, treated sick, cast devils, worked miracles, example ill monk called out mentally fAnkara, M heard at once prayed monk healed at once, same for ship wMonks on Black Sea, fire raging aConstantinople he stopped from his monastery by prayer, another example, servant John unjustly accused hid at the monastery, his lord Ardaburios demanded him back, refused, sent detachment, soldiers surrounded m threatening kill anyone, brethern wanted to fold, Marcellus signed cross went out alone, lightning, thunder, & Cross appeared brighter than the sun, soldiers ran, Ardaburios pardoned servant, departed 485, 5days later appreared to disciple Lukian conforting him fortelling L's death; Apamea, Syria; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Marcellus, igumen of the Monastery called “the Unsleeping Ones,” was a native of the city of Apamea in Syria. parents were wealthy, but died when he was young. received his education first at Antioch, and then at Ephesus. his possessions left him by his parents he distributed to the poor, thereby sundering his ties to the world. the guidance of an experienced elder at Ephesus, Marcellus entered upon the path of asceticism. later went on to Byzantium to Saint Alexander, igumen of the monastery named “the Unsleeping.” The monastery received its name because in it psalmody was done constantly, both day and night, by alternating groups of monks. Alexander accepted Marcellus and tonsured him into the monastic schema. in the works of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, the saint received great spiritual talents and the gift of clairvoyance. foresaw the day of Abba Alexander’s death and his own election as igumen. However, since he was still young, he did not want to rule others. So he slipped out of the monastery to visit other provinces and other monasteries, where he received edification from the monks who lived there. the death of Saint Alexander, when Abba John had already been chosen as igumen, Marcellus returned to the great joy of the brethren. Abba John made Marcellus his own closest assistant. After John’s death, Saint Marcellus was chosen igumen of the monastery in spite of his own wishes, and in this position he remained for sixty years. of his saintly life spread far. People came to Marcellus from afar, both the illustrious and the common, rich and the poor. times they saw angels encircling the saint, attending and guarding him. the help of God, the monastery of “the Unsleeping Ones” flourished. many monks came to place themselves under the direction of Saint Marcellus that it became necessary to enlarge the monastery and the church. Marcellus received donations from believers for expansion, and built a beautiful large church, a hospital, and a hostel for the homeless. his prayers the monk treated the sick, cast out devils and worked miracles. example, one of the monks was sent to Ankara and fell ill. near death, he called out mentally to his abba. that very hour Saint Marcellus heard his disciple in the monastery, and he began to pray for him. He who was sick recovered at once. a ship with his monks came into danger on the Black Sea, the saint calmed the tempest by his prayers. time, when they told him that a fire was raging at Constantinople, he prayed tearfully for the city, and the fire subsided as if extinguished by the tears of the monk. the servant of a certain Arian nobleman named Ardaburios, was unjustly accused of something, and he hid out at the monastery to escape his master’s wrath. twice demanded that Saint Marcellus hand John over to him, but he refused. then sent out a detachment of soldiers, who surrounded the monastery, threatening to slay anyone who interfered with their mission. brethren went to the abba, asking him to surrender John and save the monastery. Marcellus signed himself with the Sign of the Cross, then boldly went out alone through the monastery gate towards the soldiers. flashed in the sky, thunder rumbled, and the Cross appeared shining brighter than the sun. soldiers threw down their weapons and took to flight. Ardaburios, learning from the soldiers what had happened, was frightened, and because of Saint Marcellus he pardoned the servant. Marcellus peacefully departed to the Lord in the year 485. His faithful disciple Lukian grieved terribly over him, but on the fifth day after the death Saint Marcellus appeared to him and comforted him, foretelling his own impending end.

Syria, 413-466, Theologian, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, pro Nestorius, anti Cyril, writings condemned
Syria, 413-466, Theologian, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1) ; of Cyrus or Cyrrhus (c. AD 393 - c. 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus (423–457). played a pivotal role in several 5th-century Byzantine Church controversies that led to various ecumenical acts and schisms. wrote against Cyril of Alexandria's 12 Anathemas which were sent to Nestorius and did not personally condemn Nestorius until the Council of Chalcedon. writings against Cyril were included in the Three Chapters Controversy and were condemned at the Second Council of Constantinople. Some Chalcedonian and East Syriac Christians regard him as a "full" saint.[a] Cyrrhus; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated on January 21;

Syria, 420-480, Daniel t Stylite, Samosata, Armenia (Euphrates River 3), Stylite Simeon visited, prophecy his S, Thrace w

Syria, 420-480, Romanos of Cilicia, cave near Antioch, fasting, hair shirt chains, no fire, miracles grace, healed infertility
Cilicia, 420-480, Venerable Romanos of Cilicia of Asia Minor, cave near Antioch, Syria, fasting, heavy chains under hair shirt, no fire, miracles grace, crowds, healed infertility; Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Venerable Romanos of Cilicia, Commemorated on November 27; Romanos was from the city of Roson in Cilicia, he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanos reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on February 9. Romanos is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Syria, 420-480, Romanos of Cilicia, lived in cave near Antioch, great miracles but take heed, right works tBig Deal
Cilicia, 450, 5th Century, Romanos oCilicia, Region of Asia Minor, lived in cave near Antioch, from Roson, heavy chains, hair shirt, no fire for many years, grace of working miracles, great crowds, healed grave ilnesses, healed infertility, not proud for miracles, think stand take heed lest fall, miracles no big deal, righteousness the big deal Antioch (Orontes River 7); Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Venerable Romanós of Cilicia, Commemorated on February 9; Romanós was from the city of Rosón in Cilicia, but he spent his anchoritic life in strict fasting in a cave near Antioch during the V century. at the foot of a mountain, he built a small cell, in which he struggled as an ascetic. He wore heavy chains under his hair shirt, and for many years he did not light a fire in his cell. of his most holy life, God granted him the grace of working miracles. of his holiness attracted great crowds of the faithful to him, who asked for his blessing. The Saint healed several persons who suffered from grave illnesses, and through his prayers, many infertile women were able to give birth to healthy children. charisma1 of working miracles did not make him proud. Quite the contrary! The Saint often quoted the words of Saint Paul: "Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Corinthians 10:12). also said that it is no great thing to perform miracles, but rather to do works of righteousness and to keep God's commandments. after leading a God-pleasing life, Saint Romanós reposed in peace. He is also commemorated on November 27. Romanós is one of many Saints whose intercession we seek for deliverance from childlessness and barreness. Some of the others are: Saint Stylianos (November 26), Saint Hypatios the Igoumen of Rufinianus in Chalcedon († March 31, 446), Saints Theodore and John (July 12). χάρισματα = Extraordinary powers given to certain individuals by God, enabling them to serve the Church by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Syria, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, left hubby, igumen iHoms&Beriut&Constan, miraculous gifts, paradise vision
Lykaonia, 420-500, Matrona tConstantinople Abbess, fPerge (Pergamum), Pamphylia, Lykaonia, left marriage, hid in men's monastery, discovered by pierced ear&dreams, to women's m in emesa aka Homs, became igumen, miraculous healing gifts, husband coming, tJerusalem, tMt Sinai, t abandoned Temple in Beriut, converted local pagans, formed monastery there, God's will fulfilled per Dream, tConstantinople, husband had died, founded monastery strict rule virtuous life, vision in extreme old age 100 of her place in Paradise Perge; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Matrona, Abbess of Constantinople was born in the city of Perge Pamphylia (Asia Minor) in the fifth century. gave her in marriage to a wealthy man named Dometian. her daughter Theodota was born, they resettled in Constantinople. twenty-five-year-old Matrona loved to walk to the temple of God. She spent entire days there, ardently praying to the Lord and weeping for her sins. the church the saint met two pious Eldresses, Eugenia and Susanna, who from their youth lived there in asceticism, work and prayer. began to imitate the God-pleasing life of an ascetic, humbling her flesh by abstinence and fasting, which she had to endure criticism by her husband. soul yearned for a full renunciation of the world. long hesitation, Saint Matrona decided to leave her family entreated the Lord to reveal whether her intent was pleasing to Him. The Lord heard the prayer of His servant. during a light sleep, she had a dream that she had fled from her husband, who was in pursuit of her. The saint concealed herself in a crowd of monks approaching her, and her husband did not notice her. accepted this dream as a divine directive to enter a men’s monastery, where her husband would not think to look for her. gave her fifteen-year-old daughter to be raised by the Eldress Susanna, having cut her own hair and disguised herself in men’s attire, she went to the monastery of Saint Bassion (October 10). the Nun Matrona passed herself off as the eunuch Babylos and was accepted as one of the brethren. lest the monks learn that she was a woman, the saint passed her time in constant quietude and much work. The brethren marveled at the great virtue of Babylos. time the saint was working in the monastery vineyard with the other monks. The novice monk Barnabas noted that her ear-lobe was pierced and asked about it. “It is necessary, brother, to till the soil and not watch other people, which is not proper for a monk,” answered the saint. a certain while it was revealed in a dream to Saint Bassion, the igumen of the monastery, that the eunuch Babylos was a woman. was also revealed to Acacius, igumen of the nearby Abraham monastery. Bassion summoned Saint Matrona and asked in a threatening voice why she had entered the monastery: to corrupt the monks, or to shame the monastery. tears the saint told the igumen about all her past life, about her husband, hostile to her efforts and prayers, and about the vision directing her to go to the men’s monastery. that her intent was pure and chaste, Saint Bassion sent Saint Matrona to a women’s monastery in the city of Emesa. In this monastery the saint dwelt for many years, inspiring the sisters by her high monastic achievement. When the Abbess died, by the unanimous wish of the nuns the Nun Matrona became head of the convent. fame of her virtuous activities, and miraculous gift of healing, which she acquired from the Lord, spread far beyond the walls of the monastery. also heard about the deeds of the nun. Saint Matrona learned that her husband was coming to the monastery and wanted to see her, she secretly went off to Jerusalem, and then to Mount Sinai, from there to Beirut, where she settled in an abandoned pagan temple. local inhabitants learned of her seclusion, and began to come to her. The holy ascetic turned many from their pagan impiety and converted them to Christ. and girls began to settle by the dwelling of the nun and soon a new monastery was formed. fulfilled the will of God, revealed to her in a dream, the saint left Beirut and journeyed to Constantinople where she learned that her husband had died. the blessing of her spiritual Father, Saint Bassion, the ascetic founded a women’s monastery in Constantinople, to which sisters from the Beirut convent she founded also transferred. Constantinople monastery of Saint Matrona was known for its strict monastic rule and the virtuous life of its sisters. extreme old age Saint Matrona had a vision of the heavenly Paradise and the place prepared for her there after 75 years of monastic labor. At the age of one hundred, Saint Matrona blessed the sisters,and quietly fell asleep in the Lord.

Syria, 428-442, John of Antioch, Patriarch, Nestorius supporter, council, robber c, then Formula of Reunion
Syrian Patriarch, 428-442, John of Antioch; I of Antioch was Patriarch of Antioch (429–441).[1] He led a group of moderate Eastern bishops during the Nestorian controversy. He is sometimes confused with John Chrysostom, who is occasionally also referred to as John of Antioch. gave active support to his friend Nestorius in the latter's dispute with Cyril of Alexandria. In the year 431, he arrived too late for the opening meeting of the First Council of Ephesus. Cyril, suspecting John of using procrastinating tactics to support Nestorius, decided not to wait and convened the council without John and his supporters, condemning Nestorius. When John reached Ephesus a few days after the council had begun, he convened a counter-council which condemned Cyril and vindicated Nestorius. years later, in 433 John reconciled with Cyril based on the Formula of Reunion, a theological formula devised as a compromise. In the process, John lost many of his own supporters within his patriarchate. Some of his letters are extant. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, a distinguished champion of Orthodoxy and a great teacher of the Church, came from an illustrious and pious Christian family. studied the secular sciences, including philosophy, but most of all he strove to acquire knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the truths of the Christian Faith. his youth Cyril entered the monastery of Macarius in the Nitreia hills, where he stayed for six years. Theophilus (385-412), the Patriarch of Alexandria, ordained him as a deacon, numbered him among the clergy and entrusted him to preach. the death of Patriarch Theophilus, Cyril was unanimously chosen to the patriarchal throne of the Alexandrian Church. He led the struggle against the spread of the Novatian heresy in Alexandria, which taught that any Christian who had fallen away from the Church during a time of persecution, could not be received back into it. seeing the futility of admonishing the heretics, sought their expulsion from Alexandria. The Jews appeared a greater danger for the Church, repeatedly causing riots, accompanied by the brutal killing of Christians. The saint long contended with them. In order to wipe out the remnants of paganism, the saint cast out devils from an ancient pagan temple and built a church on the spot, and the relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John were transferred into it. A more difficult struggle awaited the saint with the emergence of the Nestorian heresy. a presbyter of the Antiochian Church, was chosen in 428 to the see of Constantinople and there he was able to spread his heretical teaching against the dogma about the uncommingled union of two natures in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nestorius called the Mother of God not the Theotokos, but rather Christotokos or “Birth-giver of Christ,” implying that she gave birth not to God, but only to the man Christ. The holy Patriarch Cyril repeatedly wrote to Nestorius and pointed out his error, but Nestorius continued to persevere in it. Then the saint sent out epistles against Nestorianism to the clergy of Constantinople and to the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), denouncing the heresy. Cyril wrote also to other Churches, to Pope Celestine and to the other Patriarchs, and even to monks of several monasteries, warning of the emergence of a dangerous heresy. started an open persecution against the Orthodox. In his presence one of his partisans, Bishop Dorotheus, pronounced an anathema against anyone who would call the Most Holy Virgin Mary the Theotokos. hated Cyril and brought out against him every kind of slander and fabrication, calling him a heretic. The saint continued to defend Orthodoxy with all his powers. The situation became so aggravated, that it became necessary to call an Ecumenical Council, which convened in the city of Ephesus in the year 431. At the Council 200 bishops arrived from all the Christian Churches. awaiting the arrival of Bishop John of Antioch and other Syrian bishops, did not agree to the opening of the Council. But the Fathers of the Council began the sessions with Cyril presiding. Having examined the teaching of Nestorius, the Council condemned him as a heretic. did not submit to the Council, and Bishop John opened a “robber council”, which decreed Cyril a heretic. The unrest increased. By order of the emperor, Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria and Archbishop Memnon of Ephesus were locked in prison, and Nestorius was deposed. Saints Cyril and Memnon were freed, and the sessions of the Council continued. Nestorius, not submitting himself to the determinations of the Council, was deprived of priestly rank. By order of the emperor he was sent to the faraway place Sasim in the Libyan wilderness, where he died in grievous torments. His tongue, having blasphemed the Mother of God, was overtaken by punishment -- in it there developed worms. Even Bishop John of Antioch and the remaining Syrian bishops signed the decrees of the Council of Ephesus. guided the Alexandrian Church for 32 years, and towards the end of his life the flock was cleansed of heretics. Gently and cautiously Cyril approached anyone, who by their own simpleness and lack of knowledge, fell into false wisdom. There was a certain Elder, an ascetic of profound life, who incorrectly considered the Old Testament Priest Melchizedek to be the Son of God. Cyril prayed for the Lord to reveal to the Elder the correct way to view the righteous one. After three days the Elder came to Cyril and said that the Lord had revealed to him that Melchizedek was a mere man. learned to overcome his prejudice against the memory of the great John Chrysostom (November 13). Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and uncle of Cyril, was an antagonist of John, and presided in a council in judgment of him. Cyril thus found himself in a circle antagonistic to John Chrysostom, and involuntarily acquired a prejudice against him. Isidore of Pelusium (February 4) repeatedly wrote to Cyril and urged him to include the name of the great Father of the Church into the diptychs of the saints, but Cyril would not agree. in a dream he saw a wondrous temple, in which the Mother of God was surrounded by a host of angels and saints, in whose number was John Chrysostom. When Cyril wanted to approach the All-Holy Lady and venerate her, John Chrysostom would not let him. The Theotokos asked John to forgive Cyril for having sinned against him through ignorance. Seeing that John hesitated, the Mother of God said, “Forgive him for my sake, since he has labored much for my honor, and has glorified me among the people calling me Theotokos.” John answered, “By your intercession, Lady, I do forgive him,” and then he embraced Cyril with love. repented that he had maintained anger against the great saint of God. Having convened all the Egyptian bishops, he celebrated a solemn feast in honor of John Chrysostom. died in the year 444, leaving behind many works. In particular, the following ought to be mentioned: commentaries On the Gospel of Luke, On the Gospel of John, On the Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews; also an Apologia in Defense of Christianity against the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Of vast significance are his Five Books against Nestorius; a work on the Most Holy Trinity under the title Thesaurus, written against Arius and Eunomios. Also two dogmatic compositions on the Most Holy Trinity, distinguished by a precise exposition of the Orthodox teaching on the Procession of the Holy Spirit. Cyril wrote Against Anthropomorphism for several Egyptians, who through ignorance depicted God in human form. Among Cyril’s works are also the Discussions, among which is the moving and edifying Discourse on the Exodus of the Soul, inserted in the Slavonic “Following Psalter”. we commemorate the repose of this great Father of the Church. He is also remembered on January 18, the date of his flight from Alexandria.

Syria, 438, Ignatius relics transfer, back to Rome from Syria because Persia took Antioch

Syria, 450. 5th Century, Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by pagan townspeople at night w sword,
Syria, 450. 5th Century, Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by pagan townspeople at night w sword, ; Syria, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyr Anthony, a Syrian, lived during the fifth century and was a stone-mason. With the blessing of the bishop of the Syrian city of Apamea, he started to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When the pagan townspeople learned of this, they rushed into his house by night and murdered him with a sword.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, Antiochus and Antoninus, ascetics otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) w John
Saints Antiochus & Antoninus also lived in asceticism w Saint John. They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and overcoming every obstacle. ; Syrian Deserts; Venerable Antiochus and Antoninus, ascetics of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Antiochus and Antoninus also lived in asceticism with Saint John. They continued their ascetical struggles until they reached an advanced age, offering an example of spiritual strength, and overcoming every obstacle.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, John, ascetic otSyrian Deserts, shelterless life, bread&salt only, heavy chains, refused almond tree
Syria, 450, 5th Century, John, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens), shelterless life, on hill 25yrs, bread&salt only, heavy chains, refused almond tree to deny body respite ; Syrian Deserts; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23 ; John, disciple of Saint Limnaeus (February 22), lived in Syria in the fifth century, and chose for himself the ascetic struggle of “a shelterless life.” settled on a hill, sheltered from the wind on all sides, and lived there for twenty-five years. He ate only bread and salt, and he exhausted his body under heavy chains. one of the nearby ascetics planted an almond tree on the hill so that Saint John could enjoy its shade and get out of the vicious heat, the saint told him to cut it down. This he did in order to deny his body any respite.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, Moses, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) wJohn under Polychroniius
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Moses lived in Syria in the fifth century. Imitating Saint John, he settled on a high mountain near the village of Rama. He was a disciple of Saint Polychronius, and lived with him. Emulating his Elder in everything, Saint Moses was the very model of an austere ascetical life. Saint Moses died in Syria in the fifth century.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, Zebinas, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) uJohn,w Moses, never sat down
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Zebinas, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23;; Zebinas lived in Syria during the fifth century. He lived an ascetical life on the same mountain as Saint Moses. He never sat down during his Rule of prayer, but sometimes he leaned on his staff. The neighboring inhabitants venerated Saint Zebinas, and they received great help in their sorrows and needs through his prayers. He reached a great old age, then departed to the Lord.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, Polychronius, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens) underZebinas, heavy root on shoulders
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Polychronius, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Polychronius lived in Syria in the fifth century. He was the disciple of Saint Zebinas, and imitated the life of his Elder, spending both day and night in fasting and vigil. Saint Polychronius had no chains, but he dug up a heavy oaken root from the earth and carried it on his shoulders when he prayed. Saint Polychronius asked God to send rain during a drought, and he filled up a stone vessel with oil for the needy.

Syria, 450, 5th Century, Damian, ascetic otSyrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens), withdrew to Ieros, solitary, small box lentils
Syrian Deserts; Venerable Damian, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated February 23; Damian lived in Syria in the fifth century. He withdrew to a monastery named Ieros and lived there in asceticism. In his cell he had only a small box of lentils from which he ate.

Syria, 450, 5th C, Asclepius, never left his hermitage, spoke through angled wall cut, never kindled a lamp
Syria, 450, 5th C, Asclepius and James who copied him, Syrian Ascetics, Theodoret oCyrrhus speaks of them, A never left his hermitage, had many imitators and followers, A spoke to visitory through small aperture in the wall, cut at an angle so no one could see him, never kindled a lamp; Cyrrhus; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Asclepius and James were Syrian ascetics, and lived during the fifth century. of Cyrrhus speaks of them. Asclepius led an ascetic life of temperance in his native village and was not hindered by constant association with many people. had many imitators and followers. One of them was Saint James, who secluded himself in a small dwelling near the village of Nimuza. until the end of his life, the ascetic did not leave his hermitage, but spoke to visitors through a small aperture in the wall, cut at a angle so that no one was able to see him. never kindled a fire or lit a lamp.

Syria, 452,330&452, 1st&2nd finding Forerunner's Head,1st 330 Mt Olives F told f monks,2nd cave near Emesa 452 F showed c monk
Jerusalem, 330 & 452, First and second finding Forerunner's Head, Joanna wife of steward Chuza, Innocents Mt Olives Church and Cell, found head diggng foundation, signs of grace, hid it again same place, 330 Constantine time Forerunner appeared twice monks Jerusalem pilgrimage, way home potter carrying bag, Forerunner appeared ordering potter to flee from careless monks, gave it to sister in jug, heretic Eustathius buried it in cave near Emesa, monks settled in the cave and monastery arose, in 452 Forerunner appeared to Marcellus archmandrite and exposed head, second finding, to Emesa, to Constantinople ; Mount of Olives; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (August 29), his body was buried by disciples in the Samarian city of Sebaste, and his venerable head was hidden by Herodias in an unclean place. Joanna (June 27), the wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza (Luke 8:3), secretly took the holy head and placed it into a vessel and buried it on the Mount of Olives in one of Herod’s properties. many years, this property passed into the possession of a government official who became a monk with the name of Innocent. He built a church and a cell there. they started to dig the foundation, the vessel with the venerable head of John the Baptist was uncovered. Innocent recognized its great holiness from the signs of grace emanating from it. Thus occurred the First Finding of the Head. Innocent preserved it with great piety, fearful that the holy relic might be abused by unbelievers, before his own death he again hid it in that same place, where it was found. Upon his death the church fell into ruin and was destroyed. the days of Saint Constantine the Great (May 21), when Christianity began to flourish, the holy Forerunner appeared twice to two monks journeying to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the holy places, and he revealed the location of his venerable head. monks uncovered the holy relic and, placing it into a sack of camel-hair, they proceeded homewards. Along the way they encountered an unnamed potter and gave him the precious burden to carry. knowing what he was carrying, the potter continued on his way. the holy Forerunner appeared to him and ordered him to flee from the careless and lazy monks, with what he held in his hands. potter concealed himself from the monks and at home he preserved the venerable head with reverence. Before his death he placed it in a water jug and gave it to his sister. that time the venerable head was successively preserved by devout Christians, the priest Eustathius (infected with the Arian heresy) came into possession of it. He beguiled a multitude of the infirm who had been healed by the holy head, ascribing their cures to the fact that it was in the possession of an Arian. When his blasphemy was uncovered, he was compelled to flee. After he buried the holy relic in a cave, near Emesa, the heretic intended to return later and use it for disseminating falsehood. however, did not permit this. Pious monks settled in the cave, and then a monastery arose at this place. the year 452 Saint John the Baptist appeared to Archimandrite Marcellus of this monastery, and indicated where his head was hidden. This became celebrated as the Second Finding. The holy relic was transferred to Emesa, and later to Constantinople.

Syria, 452-32,330&452, 2 Findings otHead tForerunner, from his appearances in 330 and 452

Syria, 460, Baradates, Hermit oSyrian Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, cramped then leather wNose&Mouth holes
Syria, 460, Baradates, Hermit oSyrian Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch, cramped stone cell on a hill, stooped position, no window, no door, wind rain came in through cracks, not protected from heat, urged to leave after many years, covered in leather head to foot except for nose and mouth he prayed standing hands raised to heaven, grace of God strenghtened him, purified him, people came to him, he guided them, many spiritual gifts, died in peace 460; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Baradates the Syrian began to live as a desert-dweller in a hut near Antioch. then built a stone cell upon a hill, so cramped and low that the ascetic could stand in it only in a stooped position. had neither window nor door, and the wind, rain and cold came in through the cracks, and in summer he was not protected from the heat. many years Patriarch Theodoretos of Alexandria urged the monk to leave the cramped hut. the saint withdrew into a new seclusion: covered in leather from head to foot with a small opening for his nose and mouth, he prayed standing with hands upraised to heaven. grace of God strengthened him in his works and purified his heart from passions. began to flock to him for spiritual counsel, and Saint Baradates with deep humility guided them. acquired many spiritual gifts, Saint Baradates departed to the Lord in peace in 460. St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Syria, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, Syria, young monk iSyrian deserts, later Phoenicia, spiritual gifts, monasteries, man oPrayer
Syria, 470-530, Rabulas oSamosata, Syria (Euphrates River 3), excellent ed, young monk struggling iDeserts&Mountains, like Elias&John tBaptist, later tPhoencia, long time asceticism, received spiritual gifts, Emperor Zeno gave him money to help build manastery with Bishop John oBeriut, monks of new monestery converted nearby pagans, Under Anastasius, Zeno's successor, Rabulas came to Constantinople, built several more monasteries in various places with A's help, one named Rabulas' m, Rabulas whole life at work, gentle, Kind, well-disposed towards people, man oGreat Prayer, lived to 80, to 530; Samosata; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Rabulas was born in the Syrian city of Samosata he received an excellent education. still young, he became a monk and struggled in the deserts and on the mountains, the example of the holy Prophet Elias (July 20) and Saint John the Baptist of the Lord (January 7, February 24, May 25, June 24, August 29, September 23, October 12). later, Saint Rabulas went to Phoenicia, for a long while he lived in asceticism and was glorified by spiritual gifts. emperor Zeno gave Saint Rabulas monetary help to build a monastery, with the assistance of Bishop John of Beruit. the new monastery lived many pagans, who were gradually converted to Christianity through the efforts of the monks. Xeno’s successor Anastasius (491-518), Saint Rabulas came to Constantinople, having received financial help from the emperor, he built several more monasteries in various places. One of them was named after the holy ascetic. Rabulas spent all his life at work, and he was gentle and kind and well-disposed towards people. was also a man of great prayer. lived to be eighty, before his death he heard a voice: “Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden” (Mt. 11:28). Rabulas fell asleep in the Lord around the year 530 after a short illness.

Syria, 500, 6th C Folder, Romanos tMelodist,13 Georgian Fathers fAntioch Wilderness, Antioch EQuake then Persian war wByzantines
Syria, 500, 6th C Folder, Romanos tMelodist, 13 Georgian Fathers from Antiochian Wilderness, Antioch Earthquake, Simeon Stylites tYounger, Chosroes I war wByzantines aEarthquake, Consantinople Partiarch J Scholasticus fAntioch Law&Hymn writer

Syria, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist
Syria, 510-556, Saint Romanos the Melodist; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1;

Syria, 520's - 540's, Saint John of Zadazeni, he and the 13 Georgian Fathers were from Antioch Wilderness
Syria, 540's, Saint John of Zadazeni, he and the 13 Georgian Fathers were from Antioch Wilderness; Saint John Zedazeni of Zaden, Georgia, with his 12 disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Holy Father John of Zedazeni and his twelve disciples, Abibus of Nekresi, Anthony of Martqopi, David of Gareji, Zenon of Iqalto, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Jesse of Tsilkani, Joseph of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavisi, Michael of Ulumbo, Pyrrhus of Breti, Stephen of Khirsa, and Shio of Mgvime, were Syrian ascetics and the founding fathers of Georgian monastic life. John received his spiritual education in Antioch. Early in his youth he was tonsured a monk and withdrew to the wilderness. The Lord, recognizing his humility, diligence in fasting, and devout watchfulness, blessed His faithful servant with the gift of healing the sick and casting out demons. Saint John was celebrated for his holy deeds and miracles. Curious crowds would swarm around him, and after some time he found it necessary to withdraw into even deeper seclusion. with him several of his disciples, he chose a remote area, fashioned for himself a cell, and began to labor as a hermit. Once the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Saint John and told him, “Take twelve monks and go with them to Georgia, the nation enlightened by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, and strengthen the Christian soul of its people.â€ John related the vision to his disciples, and after much fasting and prayer he chose twelve of them: Abibus, Anthony, David, Zenon, Thaddeus, Isidore, Joseph, Jesse, Michael, Pyrrhus, Stephen, and Shio. He left his remaining disciples in the wilderness in the care of the abbot, the blessed elder Euthymius, and set off for Georgia with the twelve he had chosen. divine revelation the Georgian king Parsman and Catholicos Evlavios received the good news that the venerable fathers were in Mesopotamia, on their way to Georgia, and they hurried to greet them with the proper honors. King Parsman and Catholicos Evlavios met the holy fathers as they were approaching Mtskheta. holy fathers venerated the myrrh-streaming wood of the Living Pillar and the Robe of Christ at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. From there Saint John and his disciples traveled throughout Georgia, visiting its many holy sites. the blessing of Catholicos Evlavios, Saint John and his disciples settled on Zedazeni Mountain, where a pagan temple to the idol Zadeni had previously stood. The monks lived in wretched cells, eating only plants and praying ceaselessly.

Syria, 520's - 540's, Saint Shio of Mgvine, from Antioch and John's Antiochian Wilderness
Syria, 540's, Saint Shio of Mgvine, from Antioch and John's Antiochian Wilderness; Antiochian by birth, Saint Shio of Mgvime was among the Thirteen Syrian Fathers who preached the Christian Faith in Georgia. His parents were pious nobles who provided their son with a sound education. When the twenty-year-old Shio heard about the great ascetic labors of Saint John of Zedazeni and his disciples who labored in the wilderness, he went in secret to visit them. Saint John promised to receive Shio as a disciple, provided his parents agreed to his decision. ----------------------------------------------- But when Shio returned home he said nothing to his parents about what had transpired. passed and Shio’s parents both entered the monastic life. Shio sold all his possessions, distributed the profits to the poor, widows, orphans, and hermits, freed all his family’s slaves, and returned to Fr. John. John received Shio joyfully, tonsured him a monk, and blessed him to remain in the wilderness. He labored there with Saint John for twenty years. Then John was told in a divine revelation to choose twelve disciples and travel to Georgia to increase the faith of its people. Shio was one of the disciples chosen to follow him on this holy mission. Syria, 540's, Saint John of Zadazeni, he and the 13 Georgian Fathers were from Antioch Wilderness; Saint John Zedazeni of Zaden, Georgia, with his 12 disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Holy Father John of Zedazeni and his twelve disciples, Abibus of Nekresi, Anthony of Martqopi, David of Gareji, Zenon of Iqalto, Thaddeus of Stepantsminda, Jesse of Tsilkani, Joseph of Alaverdi, Isidore of Samtavisi, Michael of Ulumbo, Pyrrhus of Breti, Stephen of Khirsa, and Shio of Mgvime, were Syrian ascetics and the founding fathers of Georgian monastic life. John received his spiritual education in Antioch. Early in his youth he was tonsured a monk and withdrew to the wilderness. The Lord, recognizing his humility, diligence in fasting, and devout watchfulness, blessed His faithful servant with the gift of healing the sick and casting out demons. Saint John was celebrated for his holy deeds and miracles. Curious crowds would swarm around him, and after some time he found it necessary to withdraw into even deeper seclusion. with him several of his disciples, he chose a remote area, fashioned for himself a cell, and began to labor as a hermit. Once the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Saint John and told him, “Take twelve monks and go with them to Georgia, the nation enlightened by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino, and strengthen the Christian soul of its people.â€ John related the vision to his disciples, and after much fasting and prayer he chose twelve of them: Abibus, Anthony, David, Zenon, Thaddeus, Isidore, Joseph, Jesse, Michael, Pyrrhus, Stephen, and Shio. He left his remaining disciples in the wilderness in the care of the abbot, the blessed elder Euthymius, and set off for Georgia with the twelve he had chosen. divine revelation the Georgian king Parsman and Catholicos Evlavios received the good news that the venerable fathers were in Mesopotamia, on their way to Georgia, and they hurried to greet them with the proper honors. King Parsman and Catholicos Evlavios met the holy fathers as they were approaching Mtskheta. holy fathers venerated the myrrh-streaming wood of the Living Pillar and the Robe of Christ at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. From there Saint John and his disciples traveled throughout Georgia, visiting its many holy sites. the blessing of Catholicos Evlavios, Saint John and his disciples settled on Zedazeni Mountain, where a pagan temple to the idol Zadeni had previously stood. The monks lived in wretched cells, eating only plants and praying ceaselessly.

Syria, 526-597, Saint, Simeon Stylites the Younger
Syrian Saint, 526-597, Simeon Stylites the Younger; Syria - 526 Antioch earthquake; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8;

Syria, 527-592, Simeon Stylites, Simeon the Younger, translated Abibus a letter of courage
Syria, 527-592, Simeon Stylites, Simeon the Younger; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekresi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Syria, 530-595, James tFaster oSyria, served Lord many yrs, then sin wGirl, so killed her, forgiven, Ww gift reacquired
Syria, 530-595, James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza), 15yr cave monastic, wonderworking gift, converted many locals, left when became popular, new cave, 30 yrs, devil set terrible snares, healed young girl of demonic possession, into sin with her, to conceal his sin, killed her, threw her into river, distraught, repented, hid in wilderness long time, no shelter or peace, tormented conscience, almost returned to world, God's iommeasurable mercy desires salvation for all and prevails over sin, would not let this monk (who had toiled long for Him) be ruined, God led him to repentence and path of salvation, wandering in wilderness James entered a monastery, confessed his sin before igumen and brethren, igumen feared despair so urged him remain with them, but James again went away to wander wilderness long time, found desert dweller filled with grace and wisdom, lifted his burden, but again James did not remain with him, secluded in cave for 10yrs offering reepentence to God, weepiing wailing asking forgiveness for the sin, Lord heard and granted mercy, James reacquired wonderworking gift, remined in cave, buried there; Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; James the Faster lived a life of asceticism near the Phoenician city of Porphyrion in the sixth century. fifteen years, he lived in a cave devoting himself to monastic deeds, he received the gift of wonderworking from the Lord. his influence many of the local inhabitants were converted to the Christian Faith. of the ascetic spread everywhere, and so went to another place so that he would not fall into temptation. found a new cave, and lived there for thirty years. devil set terrible snares for the ascetic. healed a young girl from demonic possession, but then fell into sin with her. order to conceal his sin, he killed the girl and threw her into a river. over this sin, he repented for what he had done. a long time he hid himself away in the wilderness, bereft of shelter and peace, tormented by the pricks of conscience, he was on the point of forsaking the monastic life and returning to the world. the immeasurable mercy of God, against which the sins of this world cannot prevail, and which desires salvation for all mankind, would not permit the ruin of this monk who had toiled so many years for the Lord. Lord thwarted the devil’s intent to destroy the ascetic, and returned him through repentance to the path of salvation. about the wilderness, James saw a monastery, and entering it, confessed his sin before the igumen and the brethren. igumen urged him to remain with them, fearing that he would ultimately fall into despair. James went off and again he wandered the wilderness for a long time. the All-Beneficent Providence of God brought him to a certain desert-dweller filled with grace and wisdom. the burden from him, the desert-dweller suggested that James remain with him. James would not remain with the Elder, though encouraged and given hope by him, he secluded himself in a cave and there for ten years offered repentance to God, weeping and wailing, and asking forgiveness for the sin he committed. Lord heard the prayers of the penitent monk and granted him His mercy. reacquired his gift of wonderworking. remained in the cave until the time of his death. He was also buried there.

Syria, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake
Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Syria, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia, Syrian Father, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath
Georgia, 540's, Jesse, Bishop oTsilkani, Georgia (Narekvavi River 1), o13 Syrian Fathers, wonderworker, preacher, commanded river follow me, Time oDeath; Tsilkani, Georgia (Town near T. Cathedral, Narekvavi River 1); St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia; Jesse of Tsilkani arrived in Georgia in the 6th century with the other Syrian fathers and companions of Saint John of Zedazeni. the recommendation of Saint John of Zedazeni, Catholicos Evlavios of Kartli consecrated Saint Jesse as bishop of Tsilkani. holy father traveled throughout his diocese preaching the Holy Gospel. from city to city, from valley to mountain and back, the kind shepherd worked wonders, healed the infirm, cleansed lepers, cast out demons and raised those who were confined to their beds. with the blessing of his teacher Saint John of Zedazeni, Saint Jesse performed a miracle to strengthen the people in their Faith. descended to the bank of the Ksani River, followed by Saint John and a multitude of people. made the sign of the Cross over the river, touched his staff to the water and commanded: “In the name of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, I command you, river: follow me!” the river reversed its current and began to flow backwards, following in Saint Jesse’s footsteps right up to Tsilkani Church. living near Mtskheta and Tsilkani who witnessed this miracle glorified the Lord Jesus Christ for bestowing upon one of His children the gift of wonderworking. the Lord made known to the saint the day of his repose, he gathered his disciples and church servitors, bade them farewell, blessed them, partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and reposed in peace. last words were “Lord, into Thy hands I commit my spirit!” Jesse of Tsilkani is buried in the Tsilkani Church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Syria, 565-577, John Scholasticus, Patriarch oConstantinople, from Antioch, Syria, Law & Hymn writer
Syria, 565-577, John Scholasticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7), studied law, ordained priest, bishop, patriarch oC, writer, Church Rules, Church related Civil Laws, Church Admin Law Cannon, Cherubic Hymn, Of Thy Mystical Supper Antioch (Orontes River 7); Saint John “Scholasticus”, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 21; John Scholasticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, was born in Sirimion near Antioch, and studied law. was ordained a priest because of his great holiness and piety. he was elevated to the patriarchal throne, where he spent the years 565 to 577. still a presbyter, he compiled a collection of Church Rules in Fifty Chapters, later during his time as patriarch he made a Codex of civil laws relating to the Church. these collections was compiled the Nomocanon (i.e. “Law-canon”), used in church administration. John also composed the “Cherubic Hymn”, and “Of Thy Mystical Supper.”

Syria, 579-608, St Eulogius of Alexandria, Egypt, anti - Monophysitism Novatian Nestorian Eutyches, voice of truth
Egypt, 579-608, St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, enlightened, first at Antioch, 579 at A, Orthodox two natures theology, anti Monophysitism, friend of Pope Gregory the Great, anti Novatian, vindicated hypostatic union, anti Nestorian and Eutyches, voice of truth; of Alexandria was Greek Patriarch of that see from about 580 to 608. He is regarded as a saint, with a feast day of September 13. was first igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch.[1] He was a successful combatant of various phases of Monophysitism.[2] He was a warm friend of Pope Gregory the Great, who corresponded with him, and received from that pope many flattering expressions of esteem and admiration.[3][4] refuted the Novatians, some communities of which ancient sect still existed in his diocese, and vindicated the hypostatic union of the two natures in Christ, against both Nestorius and Eutyches. Cardinal Baronius says that Gregory wished Eulogius to survive him, recognizing in him the voice of truth.[2] has been said that he restored for a brief period to the Church of Alexandria life and youthful vigour.[3] the above works and a commentary against various sects of Monophysites (Severans, Theodosians, Cainites and Acephali) he left eleven discourses in defence of Pope Leo I and the Council of Chalcedon, also a work against the Agnoetae, submitted by him before publication to Pope Gregory I, who after some observations authorized it unchanged. With exception of one sermon and a few fragments, all the writings of Eulogius have perished.[3] Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria, was one of the enlightened hierarchs of the sixth century. At first he was igumen of the monastery of the Mother of God in Antioch, and then in 579 he was chosen as Patriarch of Alexandria, where he served for twenty-seven years. his life, the saint struggled vigorously against heresies. He was also a friend of Saint Gregory Dialogus (March 12), and some of their correspondence has been preserved. Eulogius died in 607 or 608. Saint Photius quotes from his writings, which reveal an Orthodox theology of the two natures of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only one of his sermons, for Palm Sunday, has survived in complete form.

Syria, 600, 7th C Folder, Arabs seize Edessa, martyrdom aDamascus

Syria, 601-662, Maximus tConfessor, most effective against Monothelite heresy, divine light candels over grave

Syria, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa
Syria, 630, Arab forces seize Edessa; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16;

Syria, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus
Syria, 630, Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, & Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century; Damascus (Barada River foothills); Martyr Caesarius at Damascus, Commemorated on November 1 ; Caesarius, Adrian, Dacius, Savva, Sabinian, Agrippa, and Thomas suffered martyrdom at Damascus in the seventh century.

Syria, 661-750, History Folder, Umayaad Caliphate, Sunni

Syria, 661-680, Muawiyah I, Caliph , in Damascus
Arab Caliph, 661-680, Muawiyah I ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Syria, 685-705, Abdul Malek, Damascus, Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 685-705, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus, Greater Syria; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Syria, 695-749, John of Damascus, Saint, Iconodule, Three Hands Icon
Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12;

Syria, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Flesly form God blessed Matter fHis service
Syria, 701-781, JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, ICON DEFENDER, Last otFathers, son oChristian official court oMoslem Khalif, succeeded father's office, Iconoclast Iconodule dispute, Iconoclast Byzantne Emperor Leo III, John's Iconodule writings, protected by being under Moslem Khalif, not Byzantine, even though Moslems were Iconoclasts, 2 oHis Hymns sung in English, many more sung Eastern Church, major writing tFount oKnowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, both Greek &Latin churches Iconodule, Iconoclasts &2nd Commandment about images, Iconodules things changed, God flesly form blessed matter fit for manifesting divine splendor, reclaimed everything fHis service, incl eucharist bread wine, plus painting, sculpture, music, spoken word, daily tasks, pleasures, 16th century Protestants denounce images, sermon about mental images that mind can grasp, vs not thinking at all, like tapioca pudding story, description Eastern Orthodox iconostasis & incense on people, every person image oGod; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); is generally accounted "the last of the Fathers". was the son of a Christian official at the court of the moslem khalif Abdul Malek, and succeeded to his father's office. In his time there was a dispute among Christians between the Iconoclasts (image-breakers) and the Iconodules (image-venerators or image-respectors). Emperor, Leo III, was a vigorous upholder of the Iconoclast position. wrote in favor of the Iconodules with great effectiveness. he was able to do this chiefly because he had the protection of the moslem khalif because the moslems have a strong prohibition against the religious use of pictures or images). John is also known as a hymn-writer. of his hymns are sung in English at Easter ("Come ye faithful, raise the strain" and "The Day of Resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad!"). Many more are sung in the Eastern Church. His major writing is The Fount of Knowledge, of which the third part, The Orthodox Faith, is a summary of Christian doctrine as expounded by the Greek Fathers. dispute about icons was not a dispute between East and West as such. Both the Greek and the Latin churches accepted the final decision. The Iconoclasts maintained that the use of religious images was a violation of the Second Commandment ("Thou shalt not make a graven image... thou shalt not bow down to them"). The Iconodules replied that the coming of Christ had radically changed the situation, and that the commandment must now be understood in a new way, just as the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath Day" must be understood in a new way since the Resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week. Before the Incarnation, it had indeed been improper to portray the invisible God in visible form; God, by taking fleshly form in the person of Jesus Christ, had blessed the whole realm of matter and made it a fit instrument for manifesting the Divine Splendor. had reclaimed everything in heaven and earth for His service, had made water and oil, bread and wine, means of conveying His grace to men. had made painting and sculpture and music and the spoken word, and indeed all our daily tasks and pleasures, the common round of everyday life, a means whereby man might glorify God and be made aware of Him. I always use "man" in the gender-inclusive sense unless the context plainly indicates otherwise.) the use of images and pictures in a religious context is open to abuse, and in the sixteenth century abuses had become so prevalent that some (not all) of the early Protestants reacted by denouncing the use of images altogether. Many years ago, I heard a sermon in my home parish (All Saints' Church, East Lansing, Michigan) on the Commandment, "Thou shalt not make a graven image, nor the likeness of anything in the heavens above, nor in the earth beneath, nor in the waters under the earth -- thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them." (Exodus 20:4-5 and Deuteronomy 5:8-9) preacher (Gordon Jones) pointed out that, even if we refrain completely from the use of statues and paintings in representing God, we will certainly use mental or verbal images, will think of God in terms of concepts that the human mind can grasp, since the alternative is not to think of Him at all. I digress to note that, if we reject the images offered in Holy Scripture of God as Father, Shepherd, King, Judge, on the grounds that they are not literally accurate, we will end up substituting other images -- an endless, silent sea, a dome of white radiance, an infinitely attenuated ether permeating all space, an electromagnetic force field, or whatever, which is no more literally true than the image it replaces, and which leaves out the truths that the Scriptural images convey. of the best books I know on this subject is Edwyn Bevan's Symbolism and Belief, Beacon Press, originally a Gifford Lectures series.[note - now out of print]) C S Lewis repeats what a woman of his acquaintance told him: that as a child she was taught to think of God as an infinite "perfect substance," with the result that for years she envisioned Him as a kind of enormous tapioca pudding. To make matters worse, she disliked tapioca. Back to the sermon.) sin of idolatry consists of giving to the image the devotion that properly belongs to God. No educated man today is in danger of confusing God with a painting or statue, but we may give to a particular concept of God the unconditional allegiance that properly belongs to God Himself. does not, of course, mean that one concept of God is as good as another, or that it may not be our duty to reject something said about God as simply false. concepts, of God matter, because it matters how we think about God. The danger is one of intellectual pride, of forgetting that the Good News is, not that we know God, but that He knows us (1 Corinthians 8:3), not that we love Him, but that He loves us (1 John 4:10). (Incidentally, it was customary in my parish in those days for the preacher to preach a short "Children's Sermon," after which the children were dismissed for Sunday School, and the regular sermon and the rest of the service followed. What I have described above was the Children's Sermon. I remained for the regular sermon, but found it a bit over my head -- a salutary correction to my intellectual snobbery.) the East Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional representations are seldom used. The standard icon is a painting, highly stylized, and thought of as a window through which the worshipper is looking into Heaven. the background of the picture is almost always gold leaf.) an Eastern church, an iconostasis (icon screen) flanks the altar on each side, with images of angels and saints (including Old Testament persons) as a sign that the whole church in Heaven and earth is one body in Christ, and unites in one voice of praise and thanksgiving in the Holy Liturgy. At one point in the service, the minister takes a censer and goes to each icon in turn, bows and swings the censer at the icon. He then does the same thing to the congregation -- ideally, if time permits, to each worshipper separately, as a sign that every Christian is an icon, made in the image and likeness of God, an organ in the body of Christ, a window through whom the splendor of Heaven shines forth. by James Kiefer

Syria, 701-781, John oDamascus, zealous Icon defender, wrote t Fount of Knowledge incl tOrthodox Faith, a hymnographer
Syria, 701-781, John oDamascus, born 680, Christian father treasurer fCaliph, foster brother saint Cosmas, both good education fSlave Cosmas oCalabria, both mastered secular spiritual sciences, John took father's post, became city perfect, Iconoclasm quickly spreads iConstantinople, Iconoclast Byzantine Emperor Leo III Isaurian, John's 3Iconodule treatises, enraged Leo, but J not Byzantine subject, Leo slandered J tKaliph, letter tLeo fJ offering help in conquering Damascas, Kaliph immediately ordered J removed hand cut off led through D in chains, same evening hand returned tJ, pressed to wrist he prayed MOG heal him so he could defend Orthodoxy and write again, heard voice iSleep commanding him toil w restored hand, awake saw hand restored thin red line around wrist sign oMiracle, silver model hand put on Icon in thanksgiving, of t3Hands Icon, Caliph heard of tMiracle & wanted restore J but J went to Sabbas wComas, only very Experienced Elder would guide him, do nothing to own will, offer God all labors & prayers, & shed tears to wash sins, once sent to Damascus to sell baskets inflated price, dressed in rags, not recognized except for his steward, sold baskets, monk died and J asked to compose consolation, refused but finally submitted, wrote What earthly delight & All human vanity & others, but for disobedience Elder banished him from Elder's cell, Elder refuses forgiveness fJ &All tMonks, then a monk asks fPenance sentence, wash chamber pots &Latrines wBare hands, after while Elder commanded bMOG allow J write again, Jerusalem Patriarch ordained J & mace him preacher at his Cathedral, but J returned to Sabbas, writing spiritual books&hymns, 754 Council Constantinople he denounced Iconoclasts, died 780 more than 100yrOld; Syria, 695-749, Saint, John of Damascus; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4; John of Damascus was born about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria into a Christian family. father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer at the court of the Caliph. had also a foster brother, the orphaned child Cosmas (October 14), whom Sergius had taken into his own home. the children were growing up, Sergius saw that they received a good education. the Damascus slave market he ransomed the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity and entrusted to him the teaching of his children. boys displayed uncommon ability and readily mastered their courses of the secular and spiritual sciences. the death of his father, John occupied ministerial posts at court and became the city prefect. Constantinople at that time, the heresy of Iconoclasm had arisen and quickly spread, by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). up in defense of the Orthodox veneration of icons [Iconodoulia], Saint John wrote three treatises entitled, “Against Those who Revile the Holy Icons.” wise and God-inspired writings of Saint John enraged the emperor. since the author was not a Byzantine subject, the emperor was unable to lock him up in prison, or to execute him. emperor then resorted to slander. A forged letter to the emperor was produced, supposedly from John, in which the Damascus official was supposed to have offered his help to Leo in conquering the Syrian capital. letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to the Saracen Caliph by Leo the Isaurian. Caliph immediately ordered that Saint John be removed from his post, that his right hand be cut off, and that he be led through the city in chains. same evening, they returned the severed hand to Saint John. The saint pressed it to his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to heal him so that he could defend the Orthodox Faith and write once again in praise of the Most Pure Virgin and Her Son. a time, he fell asleep before the icon of the Mother of God. He heard Her voice telling him that he had been healed, and commanding him to toil unceasingly with his restored hand. awakening, he found that his hand had been attached to his arm once more. Only a small red mark around his wrist remained as a sign of the miracle. in thanksgiving for being healed, Saint John had a silver model of his hand attached to the icon, which became known as “Of the Three Hands.” unlearned painters have given the Mother of God three hands instead of depicting the silver model of Saint John’s hand. Icon “Of the Three Hands” is commemorated on June 28 and July 12. he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John’s innocence, the Caliph asked his forgiveness wanted to restore him to his former office, but the saint refused. gave away his riches to the poor, and went to Jerusalem with his stepbrother and fellow-student, Cosmas. he entered the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified as a simple novice. was not easy for him to find a spiritual guide, because all the monks were daunted by his great learning and by his former rank. one very experienced Elder, who had the skill to foster the spirit of obedience and humility in a student, would consent to do this. Elder forbade John to do anything at all according to his own will. also instructed him to offer to God all his labors and supplications as a perfect sacrifice, to shed tears which would wash away the sins of his former life. he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the monastery, and commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price, far above their actual value. undertook the long journey under the searing sun, dressed in rags. No one in the city recognized the former official of Damascus, for his appearance had been changed by prolonged fasting and ascetic labors. Saint John was recognized by his former house steward, who bought all the baskets at the asking price, showing compassion on him for his apparent poverty. of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged Saint John to compose something consoling for the burial service. John refused for a long time, but out of pity he yielded to the petition of the grief-stricken monk, and wrote his renowned funeral troparia (“What earthly delight,” “All human vanity,” and others). this disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. fell at his feet and asked to be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. the monks began to plead for him to allow John to return, but he refused. one of the monks asked the Elder to impose a penance on John, and to forgive him if he fulfilled it. Elder said, “If John wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all the chamber pots in the lavra, and clean the monastery latrines with his bare hands.” rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. a certain while, the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and Most Holy Theotokos to allow Saint John to write again. the Patriarch of Jerusalem heard of Saint John, he ordained him priest and made him a preacher at his cathedral. Saint John soon returned to the Lavra of Saint Savva, where he spent the rest of his life writing spiritual books and church hymns. left the monastery only to denounce the iconoclasts at the Constantinople Council of 754. subjected him to imprisonment and torture, but he endured everything, and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died in about the year 780, more than 100 years old. John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of Orthodoxy. His most important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The third section of this work, “On the Orthodox Faith,” is a summary of Orthodox doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since he was known as a hymnographer, we pray to Saint John for help in the study of church singing.

Syria, 705-715, Al-Walid I, Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 705-715, Al-Walid I; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Syria, 717-720, Umar II, Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 717-720, Umar II ; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Syria, 717-740, Icon of Three Hands, John of Damascus' hand, Syria, MOG heals hand, to Sabbas, to Serbia, donkey igumen story

Syria, 720-724, Yazid II, Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 720-724, Yazid II; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Syria, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Syria, 735-736, Marwan bin Muhammad, Arab invasion of Georgia
Syria, Marwan bin Muhammad (Marwan II) Arab invasion of Georgia 735-736; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Syria, 740 & 1237, Damascus Icon aka 3Hands, iconodule John oD slandered bIconoclast, MOG heals hand, Silver hand oHer Icon

Syria, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf), Arab Umayyad Caliph
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf) ; Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Syria, 750-1145, History Folder, Abbasid Caliphate, Sunni, Persian bureaucrats

Syria, 750-1517, Abbasid Caliphate, first based in Baghdad, Sunni, Revolution, Persian bureaucrats, Seljuk Turks in 1055
Arab Caliphates, 750-1517, Abbasid, based in Baghdad, Shia ; The Abbasid Caliphate was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566-“653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name.[2] They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Sasanian capital city of Ctesiphon. Abbasid period was marked by reliance on Persian bureaucrats (notably the Barmakid family) for governing the territories as well as an increasing inclusion of non-Arab Muslims in the ummah (national community). customs were broadly adopted by the ruling elite, and they began patronage of artists and scholars.[3] became a center of science, culture, philosophy and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. this initial cooperation, the Abbasids of the late 8th century had alienated both non-Arab mawali (clients)[4] and Iranian bureaucrats.[5] were forced to cede authority over al-Andalus (Spain) to the Umayyads in 756, Morocco to the Idrisids in 788, Ifriqiya and Southern Italy to the Aghlabids in 800, Khorasan and Transoxiana to the Samanids and Persia to the Saffarids in the 870s, and Egypt to the Isma'ili-Shia caliphate of the Fatimids in 969. political power of the caliphs was limited with the rise of the Iranian Buyids and the Seljuq Turks, who captured Baghdad in 945 and 1055, respectively. Abbasid leadership over the vast Islamic empire was gradually reduced to a ceremonial religious function in much of the Caliphate, the dynasty retained control over its Mesopotamian domain. Abbasids' period of cultural fruition and its (reduced) territorial control ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan and the execution of Al-Musta'sim. Abbasid line of rulers, and Muslim culture in general, re-centred themselves in the Mamluk capital of Cairo in 1261. lacking in political power (with the brief exception of Caliph Al-Musta'in of Cairo), the dynasty continued to claim religious authority until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.[6] Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Syria, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Queen Seida, King al-Mamun, no adultry, poison fails, Relics Plllar oFire
Jerusalem, 813-833, Michael tBlack-Robed, oSabbas, Lavra of St Sav, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, From Edessa, distributed inheritance, tJerusalem under Moslem Rule, tSabbas, kin Theodore, reed baskets, tJMarketplace, Queen Seida wants him, King al-Mamun, M rejects adultery, accused insulting Queen&enemy oIslam, debate wKing, Mohammad neither apostle of Jesus nor prophet, he a deceiver&antichrist forerunner, send me to my monastery, be baptized&reign forever, or send me to Christ tMartyrdom, sign oCross, deadly poison failed tHarm, decapitated, Theodore notified bLord, fight over relics, King decided go to Sabbas, Pillar oFire wRelics to Lavra, buried wMartyrs, many miracles, 12th century Daniel tTraveler sees relics; Edessa, Syria; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Venerable Michael lived in the ninth century, and was from the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia, the son of Christian parents. After their death he distributed his inheritance to the poor, then went to Jerusalem to venerate the Holy Places. The Holy Land at that time was under Moslem rule. remained in Palestine and settled in the Lavra of Saint Savva, he became the disciple of his relative, Saint Theodore of Edessa (July 9), who spent his time both in the monastery and living as an anchorite in the Judean desert. Theodore accepted him and tonsured him right away. The two made baskets of reeds together in order to support themselves. Saint Michael would take the baskets to the marketplace in Jerusalem in order to sell them. day while at the marketplace, the eunuch of the Muslim Queen Seida, seeing that the baskets were both fine and well-made, took him along to the Queen, who was visiting the city with her husband King al-Ma’mun (813-833). handsome monk aroused the desire of the Queen, who tried to lead him into the sin of adultery, but he did not accept her suggestions. enraged Seida told her husband to have the monk beaten with rods because he had insulted her, and accused him of being an enemy of Islam. was a debate about which faith is the true one, Christianity or Islam, and the king said, “Do as I tell you, and confess that Mohammed is a prophet and an apostle of Christ, then I will adopt you as my son.” Michael said, “Mohammad is neither an apostle nor a prophet, but a deceiver and the forerunner of the antichrist. send me back to my Elder at the monastery, or be baptized into our Christian faith and reign forever in the heavens, or send me to Christ through martyrdom.” king gave the Saint a cup with deadly poison to drink. Michael made the Sign of the Cross over the cup, and he drank it, but he remained unharmed, according to the promise of the Lord (Mark16:18). this the king ordered that he be decapitated. monks of the Lavra of Saint Savva wanted to take the Saint’s relics to their Lavra, but the Christians of Jerusalem would not permit this. They said that since he was martyred in Jerusalem, his relics ought to remain monks of the Lavra disagreed with them, saying that he was nurtured in the Lavra and so he should be buried there. There was such a heated argument that the king decided that the relics would go to the Lavra. the same day that Saint Michael was put to death, the Lord revealed this to Saint Theodore. informing the brethren, he sent some monks to bring the relics to the Lavra. the relics were carried to the Lavra, there was a pillar of fire from Heaven accompanying the relics, and it remained until they reached the Lavra. Theodore and the monks came out to meet the procession with lit candles, and singing hymns. holy relics were buried with the other holy Fathers who had endured martyrdom. miracles took place before the relics of Saint Michael, as a sign that he had found favor with God. the beginning of the twelfth century the relics of Saint Michael were seen by Daniel, the Igoumen of the Kiev Caves Monastery, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Michael is commemorated twice during the year: on May 23 (his repose) and July 29 (the transfer of his relics).

Syria, 836-848, Theodore, Bishop oEdessa, tSabbas, 36yrs solitude, dove miracle, 12yr bishop, converts Bagdad calif

Syria, 1145-1149, History Folder, Second Crusade, County of Edessa

Second Crusade (County of Edessa, 1145-1149)
Second Crusade; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Syria, 1831, Muhammad Ali's Conquest of Greater Syria

Syria, 1831, Muhammad Ali's conquest of Greater Syria
Syria, Muhammad Ali's conquest of Greater Syria (1831); ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1885;

Syria, 9999, Unknown Date Folder

Syria, 9999, Martyr Marcellus oSyria, Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent), thrown into fire, shone bright, Martyrdom
Syria, 9999, Martyr Marcellus oSyria, Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent, a country without a nation), thrown into fire, shone bright, Martyrdom; Greater Syria (The Fertile Crescent); Martyrs Marcellus and Anthony of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Marcellus and Saint Anthony were thrown into a fire, where they shone forth brighter than gold in a crucible, receiving crowns of martyrdom from Christ our God.

Syria, Orontes River Folder, Northern SYR, Antioch, Homs, Apamea

Orontes River

Orontes River Source (Great Springs of Labweh)

Seleucia ad Belum, Syria (at the headwaters of the Orantes River)
Seleucia ad Belum, Syria (at the headwaters of the Orantes River); Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated on August 22;

Kadesh, Syria (Orantes River 1, Lake of Homs)
Kadesh, Syria (Orantes River 1, Lake of Homs) ; Kadesh of the Levant, 1 Maccabees Ch 11; Battle of Kadesh, 1274BC, Egypt and the Hittites, Largest Chariot Battle ever fought; Righteous Judith, Commemorated on December 11;

Orontes River 1 (Lake of Homs, Kadesh)

Ash Sha'irat Airbase

Orontes River 2 (Homs, Emessa)

Emessa, Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2)
Emesa, Syria (Homs); Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; dispassion (apathia); Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1 ; Martyr Galacteon and his wife at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Matrona, Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Homs, Syria (Lake of Homs, Emessa, Orontes River 2)
Homs; Martyr Galacteon and his wife at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Orontes River 3 (Arethusa)

Arethusa (see and city) near Apameia, Syria
Arethusa (see and city) near Apameia, Syria; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29 ;

Orontes River 4 (Hamath)

Hamath, Syria (Orontes River 4)
Hamath, Syria;

Orontes River 5 (Apamea, Seleukia)

Apamea, Syria (Orontes River 5)
Apamea, Syria; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated July 28 ; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, "Procopius in Apamea on the way to Alexandria" ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated August 14 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated February 22 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10 ; Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on March 29; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Apostle Aristarchus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Seleukia (Orantes River 5)
Seleukia; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24;

Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital, Apamea
Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital Apamea; Venerable Thalassius Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Limnaeus Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22

Byzantine Syria (Theodosius)
Byzantine Syria (Theodosius) ; Venerable Thalassius Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Limnaeus Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22

Khan Sheikhun, Sarin Gas
Khan Sheikhun, Serin Gas

67.5 Miles

Orontes River 6 (Lake of Antioch)

Syria, Orontes River 6, Afrin River Folder

Afrin River

Afrin River Source (Kartal Mountains)

Afrin River 1 (Cyrrhus, Syria)

Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1)
Cyrrhus; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; Venerable Akepsimas the Hermit of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25 ; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated January 23 ; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated February 14 ; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1 ;

Afrin River 2 (Queig (Aleppo) River Mouth)

Syria, Orontes River 6, Afrin River 2, Queig (Aleppo) River folder

Queig (Aleppo) River

Queig (Aleppo) River Source (Southwestern Aintab plateau)

Queig (Aleppo) River 1 (Chalcis)

Chalcis, Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 1)
Chalcis, Syria; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Queiq (Aleppo) River 2 (Beroea, Aleppo, Syria's largest city)

Aleppo, Syria or Armenia (Beroea), (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Aleppo; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21;

Lavra of St Simeon, Aleppo, Syria or Armenia
Aleppo; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; St Macarius the Stylite of Martkobsk, Georgia, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21;

Veria (or Berea) in Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Domnica (Domnina) of Syria, Commemorated on February 28;

skete monastery of St John the Forerunner, Veria, Berea, Syria

Queig (Aleppo) River 3

Queig (Aleppo) River 4

Queig (Aleppo) River 5

Queig (Aleppo) River Mouth (Afrin River 2)

Afrin River 3

Afrin River 4

Telanissa (Taladah), Syria (Afrin River 4, Site of Simeon the Elder's Pillar)
Telanissa (Taladah), Syria (Afrin River 4, Site of Simeon the Elder's Pillar); St. Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated on September 1;

Afrin River 5

Afrin River Mouth (Lake Antioch, Orontes River 6)

Orontes River 7 (Antioch)

Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7)
Antioch (Orontes River 7); St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated July 3 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated July 4 ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas, Commemorated on July 28; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, and those with him, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Martyr Trophimus of Synnada, Commemorated on September 19 ; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Martyr Romanus the Deacon, of Caesarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25 ; St Romanus, Commemorated on November 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch ; St Aphraates of Persia; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch; Venerable Romanós of Cilicia, Commemorated on February 9; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Saint John “Scholasticus”, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones". Commemoratedd December 29; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22 Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Cyrrhus (a small town near Antioch), Syria (Orontes River 7)
Antioch (Orontes River 7); Saint Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24;

Antigonia, Syria, Antioch (Orantes River 7), Island of Antigonia (may be Cyprus?)
Antigonia, Syria, Antioch (Orantes River 7); Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Cathedral Church in Antioch, Syria (Domus Aurea (Antioch))
Cathedral Church in Antioch, Syria (Domus Aurea (Antioch)) Antioch (Orontes River 7); Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Theodoritus was a presbyter and keeper of sacred vessels at the cathedral church in Antioch. This church was built and richly adorned by the emperor Saint Constantine the Great (May 21) and his son Constantius, and the people called it the Golden church. Having occupied the throne after the death of the emperor Constantius (337-361), Julian the Apostate (361-363) decided to restore paganism throughout the Roman Empire. emperor appointed his uncle, also named Julian, as prefect of Antioch. He ordered him to close the Christian churches, and to send the valuables within them to the imperial treasury. Wanting to please the emperor, the prefect, also an apostate from Christianity, set about his impious task with zeal. at Antioch with the dignitary Felix, he gave orders to lock up the priest Theodoritus under guard, and he began his plundering, defiling the altar and the holy altar table. One of those present, Euzoios, tried to admonish him for his impiety, and for this he was killed. Julian accused Theodoritus of hiding the church valuables, but the venerable keeper of vessels denied the accusation and openly denounced Julian for his apostasy. beastly tortures, the holy martyr maintained his faith in Christ the Savior, and predicted a speedy death for Julian and the emperor for their sacrilege. soldiers torturing the faithful presbyter were struck by his firmness and endurance, and by the power of the Word of God. They were converted to Christ, for which they were drowned in the sea. holy confessor was beheaded. The mockery and sacrilege of the pagans did not go unpunished, and the predictions of Saint Theodoritus were soon fulfilled. The prefect Julian died in agony from a grievous illness, and the emperor Julian perished in a campaign against the Persians.

Tvali Monastery, Syria (somewhere not far from Antioch)
Tvali Monastery St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Hilarion of Tvali (Tulashvili) served as abbot of Khakhuli Monastery in southwestern Georgia at the beginning of the 11th century. his work The Life of George of the Holy Mountain, George the Lesser writes that Venerable Hilarion was outstanding in virtue and celebrated for his sermons and ascetic labors. Hilarion raised the young George of the Holy Mountain to be a brilliant writer, translator, theologian and patriot. From him George also received a blessing to enter the monastic life. to the chronicle Life of Kartli, Saint Hilarion was a famous translator and writer and an eminent theologian. Saint Hilarion moved from Khakhuli to Tvali Monastery, not far from Antioch, where he remained for the rest of his life. According to the 19th-century historian-iconographer Michael Sabinin, Saint Hilarion reposed in the year 1041. St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3;

Orontes River Mouth (Antioch, Latakia Bay)

Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Syria, 350-400, Palladius tHermit, oBlack Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28;

Wonderful Mountain or Black Mountains East, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch
Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Limnaeus, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Daphne (a suburb of Antioch)
Daphne (a suburb of Antioch) Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones", Commemorated on July 3;

Gulf of Isska, Syria, near the city of Ossos
Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos; Saint Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11;

Rossos, Syria, Gulf of Isska, on this coastal road, near the city of Ossos
Gulf of Isska, near the city of Ossos; Martyrs Kyriaina and Juliana in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Saint Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11;

Seleucia by the sea (Orantes River Mouth)
Seleucia by the sea (Orantes River Mouth); Seleucia by the sea, 1 Maccabees Ch 11; Acts 12:24-13:5, Paul and Barnabas Commissioned, Apostles Preach in Cyprus;

Syria, Lebanon Border and Laodicea, Syria Folder, Western SYR

Eleutherus River (Syrian Border with Lebanon)
Eleutherus River, 1 Maccabees Ch 11, Ch 12;

Aradus (Arwad)
Aradus, 1 Maccabees Ch 15;

Laodikeia, Syria near Latikia
Laodicea in Syria; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Saint Luke (or Loukias) Luke, or Loukias (not the Evangelist), lived during the first century. Some lists of these Saints identify him as the Evangelist Luke, who was also one of the 70 Apostles, but Greek sources say he was someone other than the Evangelist Luke (άλλος του Ευαγγελιστή Λουκά). However, Saint Demetrios of Rostov, and Slavic Tradition say that he was the Evangelist Luke (See his Life on October 18). Saint was consecrated as the Bishop of Laodikeia in Syria, and completed the course of his life spreading the Gospel and caring for his flock, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; ----------- Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Latakia, Syria (built on old Laodicia)
Latakia or Laodicia; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Gabala (Jableh), Syria (on the coast 16mi South of Laodicia)
Gabala (Jableh), Syria; Venerable Thalelaios the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27;

Syria, Damascus Folder, Southern SYR

Syria, Damascus History Folder

Syria, Damascus, 9 BC - AD 40, Aretas IV Philopatris, King of Damascus, whose daugter was divorced from Herod Antipas, war with Herod
Syria, 9 BC - AD 40, Aretas IV Philopatris, King of Damascus, whose daugter was divorced from Herod Antipas, war with Herod; IV Philopatris [1] was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. daughter Phasaelis was married to, and divorced from, Herod Antipas. Herod then married his stepbrother's wife, Herodias. It was opposition to this marriage that led to the beheading of John the Baptist. After he received news of the divorce, Aretas invaded the territory of Herod Antipas and defeated his army. Damascus (Barada River foothills); The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT), Commemorated June 24;

Syria, Damascus, Way of the Sea Folder (Egypt to Syria)

Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Way of the Sea 17, Kings Highway 17)
Damascus (Barada River foothills); St Joseph of Damascus and his companions, Commemorated July 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Caesarius at Damascus, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750) ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Barada (Abana) River

Barada (Abana) River Source (Lake Barada, 8k from Zabadani)

Barada River (Abana) (Damascus)

Oasis of Ghouta (7 branches of the Brada River)
Oasis of Ghouta;

Barada River Sink (Damascus)

Pharpar River

Pharpar River Source (Mt Hermon)

Pharpar River Sink (Damascus)

Syria, Kings Highway Folder, Greater Syria, Left half of the Fertile Crescent

Kings Highway 13 (Moab, Jordan, Bethany Baptismal Site)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); (Arabic: meaning "baptism" or "immersion") is the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.[1] place has also been referred to as Bethany (Beyond the Jordan) and Bethabara. The name is currently used primarily for the eastern side of the site, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River. western side of the ancient site is currently known as Qasr el-Yahud. This article deals primarily with the eastern section, located in Jordan. includes two principal archaeological areas: the remnants of a monastery on a mound known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah's Hill) and an area close to the river with remains of churches, baptism ponds and pilgrim and hermit dwellings.[3] The two areas are connected by a stream called Wadi Kharrar.[4][5] strategic location between Jerusalem and the King's Highway is already evident from the Book of Joshua report about the Israelites crossing the Jordan there. Mar-Elias is traditionally identified as the site of the ascension of the prophet Elijah to heaven.[6] complete area was abandoned after the 1967 Six-Day War, when both banks of the Jordan became part of the frontline. The area was heavily mined then.[7] the signing of the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994, de-mining of area soon took place after an initiative of Jordanian royalty, namely Prince Ghazi.[8] site has then seen several archaeological digs, four papal visits and state visits, and attracts tourists and pilgrimage activity.[9] In 2015, the site was designated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, excluding the western side of the river. Approximately 81,000 people visited the site in 2016, mostly European, American, and Arab tourists.[10] Thousands flock to the site on January 6 to mark Epiphany.[9]

Bosra in Syria (Kings Highway 16)
Bosra in Syria; Martyr Peter of Capetolis. Commemorated October 4 Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commerated December 30 ;

Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17)
Damascus (Barada River foothills); St Joseph of Damascus and his companions, Commemorated July 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Cosmas the Hymnographer the Bishop of Maiuma, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Caesarius at Damascus, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Victor at Damascus, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated November 11 ; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750) ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, Commemorated on June 29 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Antiochian Monastery of the Mother of God, Saidnaya, Damascas, Syria, 547
Antiochian Monastery of the Mother of God, Saidnaya, Syria, 547; Saint Eulogius, Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13;

Phoenicia, Syria (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza)
Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Syria, Edessa and Melitene area Folder, Top Left of the Fertile Crescent

Syria, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River Folder, Great Road

Melitene, Syria (Intersection Road from Ephesus and Euphrates River 2)
Malatya; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Eudoxius; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28;

Samosata, Syria (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Romanus at Samosata, Commemorated January 29 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Edessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Saint Theodore of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Michael the Black-Robed of Saint Savva Monastery, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in August, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image "œNot-Made-By-Hands"Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Edessa, Syria (abundant water)
Edessa in Syria which is also called upper Messopotamia. County of Edessa; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Abgar monastery; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Abgar monestary, Edessa, Syria
Abgar monastery; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robed of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Carrhae, Syria (modern Harran, near Edessa)
Carrhae (modern Harran) ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ;

Constantina, Syria (Kurdish Turkey, NE of Edessa)
Constantina; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5;

Kobane, Syria (Euphrates River 3.7)
Kobane, Syria;

Syria, Edessa and Melitene, Euphrates River 4, Sajur River Folder

Callinicus, or Callinicum, Syria (Euphrates River 5)
Callinicus, or Callinicum; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5 ;

Syria, Eastern Syria, Gozan, Nisibis and River Chebar Folder, Top Right of the Fertile Crescent

Syria, Eastern Syria (River Chebar, Al-Hasakah)
Eastern Syria (River Chebar, Al-Hasakah); Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Martyr Sergius in Syria, Commemorated on October 7 ;

River Chebar
River Chebar; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ;

River Chebar Source (Sikan Springs)
Sikan Springs;

Theodosiopolis, Syria (near Chebar River Source)
Theodosiopolis, Syria; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated September 16 ;

Gozan, Syria, Chebar River, Assyrian captivity, 740 BC
Gozan, Syria, Assyrian captivity, 740 BC 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-18, Israel Carried Captive to Assyria;

River Chebar 1

Nisibis, Syria (Tigris River 3, Chebar River 1)
Nisibis, Syria; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Platonida (Platonis) of Nisibis, Syria, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Martyropolis, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Armenia (Tigris River 2)
Martyropolis; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16;

Dura, Syria
Dura (Anastasiopolis or Dara, Messopotamia) ; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

River Chebar 2

River Chebar Mouth (Euphrates River 6)

Assyria (Assyria (Chebar) River Mouth, Syria)
Assyria; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated January 5;

Halah, Assyria (Chebar (Habor) River Mouth, Euphrates River 6)
Halah, Assyria; 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-18;

Nineveh (Mosul), Assyria, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Nineveh; Jonah 3:1-10,4:1-11, Conversion of Nineveh ; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Syria (Clean), Roman Roads Folder, from Cilicia to Syria

Syria (Clean), Greater Syria, The Fertile Crescent, its Area
Syria, Greater Syria, The Fertile Crescent, its Area

Syria, on the Arabian Plate, its Area

Syria, in Mesopotamia, its Area

Syria, Assyrian Empire in Syria, its Area, headquarters
Syria, Assyrian Empire in Syria, its Area

Syria, near Constantinople, its Area

Syria, Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Syria (Clean), Phoenecia, its Area, coastal part of Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza

Edessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)

Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7)
Antioch (Orontes River 7);

Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch

Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch;

Seleucia by the sea (Orantes River Mouth)
Seleucia by the sea (Orantes River Mouth);

Apamea, Syria (Orontes River 5)
Apamea, Syria;

Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital, Apamea
Targala in Byzantine Syria, near its Capital Apamea;

Laodicia, Syria
Laodicea in Syria;

Cyrrhus, Syria (Afrin River 1)
Cyrrhus;

Aleppo, Syria or Armenia (Beroea), (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Aleppo;

Veria (or Berea) in Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo;

Chalcis, Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 1)
Chalcis, Syria;

Samosata, Syria (Euphrates River 3)
Samosata;

Hieropolis in Syria (Sajur River Mouth, Euphrates River 4)
Hieropolis in Syria (Euphrates River 4) 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates;

River Chebar
River Chebar;

Seleucia, Syria, Messopotamia & Persia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia;

Damascus, Syria (Barada River foothills, Kings Highway 17, Way of the Sea 17)
Damascus (Barada River foothills);

Barada River Sink

Pharpar River Sink

Aram-Damascus, location of Ben-Hadad 1
Aram-Damascus, location of Ben-Hadad 1;

Syria, Syrian Deserts (Land of the Saracens)
Syrian Deserts;

Cilicia, Roman Roads and Rivers Folder to Syria (Clean)

Syria, Eastern Syria, Gozan, Nisibis and River Chebar Folder, Top Right of the Fertile Crescent (Clean)

Assyria (Assyria (Chebar) River Mouth, Eastern Syria)
Assyria; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated January 5;

Switzerland Folder, and its rivers

Switzerland
Switzerland; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, VISIONARY (17 SEP 1179) ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28 ;

Switzerland 1300-1948, Switzerland History Folder

Switzerland, 1300-1798, History Folder, Old Swiss Confederacy

Switzerland, 1300-1798, Old Swiss Confederacy
Switzerland, 1300-1798, Old Swiss Confederacy;

Switzerland, 1414-1418, Council of Constance (Lake Constance), ended western pope schism, also condemed Jan Hus
Council of Constance, 1414-1418 (Lake Constance); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Switzerland, 1529-1564, John Calvin
Switzerland, 1529-1564, John Calvin ; France, 16th Century, Protestant Reformation throughout Europe; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, commemorated May 28;

Switzerland, 1587-1622, Saint Francis de Sales
Switzerland, 1587-1622, Saint Francis de Sales; JOHN BOSCO, Commemorated January 31;

Switzerland, 1732-1778, Rousseau, enlightenment, modern political, social thought, Facism, Naziism, Communism, democracy, progressive

Switzerland, 1798-1803, History Folder, Helvetic Republic

Switzerland, 1798-1798, Campaigns of 1798, French Revolutionary Wars
Switzerland, 1798-1798, Campaigns of 1798, French Revolutionary Wars;

Switzerland, 1798-1803, Helvetic Republic
Switzerland, 1798-1803, Helvetic Republic;

Switzerland, 1803-1815, History Folder, Swiss Confederation

Switzerland, 1803-1803, Act of Mediation, Napoleon's attempt at compromise
Switzerland, 1803-1803, Act of Mediation; Act of Mediation was issued by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic on 19 February 1803 establishing the Swiss Confederation. act also abolished the previous Helvetic Republic, which had existed since the invasion of Switzerland by French troops in 1798. After the withdrawal of French troops in July 1802, the Republic collapsed (in the Stecklikrieg civil war). Act of Mediation was Napoleon's attempt at a compromise between the Ancien Régime and a republic. This intermediary stage of Swiss history lasted until the Restoration of 1815. The Act also destroyed the statehood of Tarasp and gave it to Graubunden.

Switzerland, 1803-1815, Swiss Confederation, Napoleon's compromise attempt
Switzerland, 1803-1815, Swiss Confederation;

Switzerland, 1815-1848, History Folder, Swiss Civil War

Switzerland, 1815-1848, Restoration and Regeneration in Switzerland
Switzerland, 1815-1848, Restoration and Regeneration in Switzerland ;

Switzerland, 1842, August 18, 1842: Seal Date for the tribe of Levi
Switzerland, 1842, August 18, 1842: Seal Date for the tribe of Levi; Treaty of Nanking, August 29, 1842;

Switzerland, 1847-1847, Law Change/ Sonderbund Swiss Civil War
Switzerland, 1847-1847, Law Change/ Sonderbund Swiss Civil War;

Switzerland, 1848-Present, History Folder, Swiss Federal Council

Switzerland, 1848-Present, Swiss Federal Council
Switzerland, 1848-Present, Swiss Federal Council;

Switzerland, 1895, World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), Geneva, Switzerland
World Student Christian Federation (WSCF); JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955;

Switzerland, 1906-1968, KARL BARTH, Calvinist, almost Orthodox, not Liberal, God not discovered by reason, MOG
Switzerland, 1906-1968, KARL BARTH, Sefenwil (Aar River 3), Calvinist, almost Orthodox, not Liberal, important western Christian thinker, theologian, theology of the word, Hitler, Barman Declaration, Confessing Church, Church Dogmatics, recover Trinity Doctrine, God can't be discovered by reason, Mariology; of Mary[edit] Main article: Karl Barth's views on Mary many Protestant theologians, Barth wrote on the topic of Mariology (the theological study of Mary). Barth's views on the subject agreed with much Catholic dogma but he disagreed with the Catholic veneration of Mary. of the common dogmatic tradition of the early Church, Barth fully accepted the dogma of Mary as the Mother of God, seeing a rejection of that title equivalent to rejecting the doctrine that Christ's human and divine natures are inseparable (contra the Nestorian heresy). Through Mary, Jesus belongs to the human race. Through Jesus, Mary is Mother of God.[54] Sefenwil (Aar River 3) ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; Barth (May 10, 1886– December 10, 1968) (pronounced bart) a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas. with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his training in the predominant liberal theology typical of 19th-century European Protestantism. he embarked on a new theological path initially called dialectical theology, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth (e.g., God's relationship to humanity embodies both grace and judgment). critics have referred to Barth as the father of neo-orthodoxy — a term emphatically rejected by Barth himself. most accurate description of his work might be "a theology of the Word." Barth's theological thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. his commentary The Epistle to the Romans (Ger. Der Römerbrief; particularly in the thoroughly re-written second edition of 1922) Barth argued that the God who is revealed in the cross of Jesus challenges and overthrows any attempt to ally God with human cultures, achievements, or possessions. theologians believe this work to be the most important theological treatise since Friedrich Schleiermacher. the decade following the First World War, Barth was linked with a number of other theologians, actually very diverse in outlook, who had reacted against their teachers' liberalism, in a movement known as "Dialectical Theology". Other members of the movement included Rudolf Bultmann, Eduard Thurneysen, Emil Brunner, and Friedrich Gogarten. 1934, as the Protestant Church attempted to come to terms with the Third Reich, Barth was largely responsible for the writing of the Barmen declaration which rejected the influence of Nazism on German Christianity—arguing that the Church's allegiance to the God of Jesus Christ should give it the impetus and resources to resist the influence of other 'lords'—such as the German Führer, Adolf Hitler. Barth mailed this declaration to Hitler personally. This was one of the founding documents of the Confessing Church. theology found its most sustained and compelling expression through his thirteen-volume magnum opus, the Church Dogmatics. Widely regarded as one of the most important theological works of the century, the Church Dogmatics represents the pinnacle of Barth's achievement as a theologian. Barth published the first part-volume of the Dogmatics in 1932 and continued working on it until his death in 1968, by which time it was 6 million words long in thirteen part-volumes. tries to recover the Doctrine of the Trinity in theology from its putative loss in liberalism. argument follows from the idea that God is the object of God’s own self-knowledge, and revelation in the Bible means the self-unveiling to humanity of the God who cannot be discovered by humanity simply through its own intuition. Barth's theology rejected German Protestant liberalism, his theology has usually not found favour with those at the other end of the theological spectrum: confessionalists and fundamentalists. from Wikipedia

Pentecostal World Conference, 1947, Zurich, Switzerland
Pentecostal World Conference 1947, aka Pentecostal World Fellowship 1947 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Switzerland, 1948, World Council of Churches (Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland)
World Council of Churches (at the Ecumenical Center), next to: the International Labour Organization, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the World Health Organization and serves as the base for the following Church organisations: Action by Churches Together Conference of European Churches Ecumenical Church Loan Fund Ecumenical News International Lutheran World Federation World Communion of Reformed Churches World Student Christian Federation World Council of Churches NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12;

Switzerland, Rhine River Folder, Northern SWI, Zurich, Basel

Zurich, Switzerland (Rhine River 1)
Zurich, Switzerland ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Basel, Switzerland (Rhine River 1)
Basel; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28 ;

Switzerland, 1848-Present, Swiss Federal Council, Government of Switzerland
Switzerland, 1848-Present, Swiss Federal Council, Government of Switzerland, they meet in Bern, Switzerland;

Constance, Switzerland, 1414-1418, Council of Constance (Lake Constance)
Council of Constance, 1414-1418 (Lake Constance); JAN HUS, PRIEST and MARTYR, 6 July 1415;

Switzerland, Aar River Folder, Northwest SWI, Wengen, Bern, Zurich

Aar River

Aar River Source (Aar Glaciers, Switzerland)
Aar Glaciers

Aar River 1

Aar River 2

Aar River 3 (Wengen, Switzerland)

Sefenwil (Aar River 3)
Sefenwil (Aar River 3) ; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

Aar River 4 (Adelboden, Switzerland)

Aar River 5 (Bern, Switzerland)

Bern, Switzerland (Aar River 5)
Bern, Switzerland; KARL BARTH PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

University of Berne, Switzerland, 1834
University of Berne; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Aar River 6

Aar River Mouth (near Zurich, Rhine River 1)

Hapsburg Castle, Switzerland (Aar Mouth, Rhine 1, near Zurich)
Hapsburg Castle; House of Hapsburg;

House of Hapsburg, Switzerland (Aar Mouth, Rhine 1, near Zurich)
Hapsburg Castle; House of Hapsburg;

House of Austria, House of Hapsburg, Hapsburg Castle, actually in Switzerland
House of Austria, House of Hapsburg, Hapsburg Castle, actually in Switzerland; Hapsburg Castle; House of Hapsburg;

Switzerland, Inn River Folder, Eastern SWI, St Moritz, St Anton, Solden, Innsbruck

Inn River (Lake Sills, Switzerland)
Lake Sils

Inn River (Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland)
Lake Silvaplana;

Inn River (St Moritz, Switzerland)
St Moritz;

Inn River (Engadin Valley, Switzerland)
Engadin Valley;

Inn River (Landeck, St Anton, Austria)
Landeck;

Inn River (Solden, Austria)
Solden, Austria ;

Inn River (Innsbruck, Austria)
Inn River (Innsbruck (Bridge over the Inn));

Inn River (Kufstein, Kitzbuhel, Tyrol on Bavarian Border)
Kufstein, Tyrol on Bavarian Border;

Inn River Mouth (Passau, Danube River 3)
Inn River;

Switzerland, Rhone River Folder, Western SWI, Geneva

Burgundy, the borderlands between Switzerland, France and Italy
Burgundy (historical region); BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX;

Lausanne, Switzerland (Rhone River 1)
Lausanne, Switzerland; CHARLES HENRY BRENT, Missionary Bishop (27 March 1929);

Geneva, Switzerland (Lake Geneva, Rhone River 2)
Geneva; NATHAN SO–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; RICHARD HOOKER, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600) ; JOHN CALVIN, THEOLOGIAN, 1564, Commemorated May 28 ;

Switzerland (Clean), Roman Roads, Rivers, important points

Switzerland (Clean) Swis Border (approx. abstract), its Area

Switzerland (Clean), Roman Roads, Northern SWI, Rhine River Folder, Zurich, Basel

Constance, Switzerland, 1414-1418, Council of Constance (Lake Constance)
Council of Constance, 1414-1418 (Lake Constance);

Switzerland (Clean), Roman Roads, Northwest SWI, Aar River Folder, Wengen, Bern, Zurich

University of Berne, Switzerland, 1834
University of Berne;

Switzerland (Clean), Roman Roads, Eastern SWI, Inn River Folder, St Moritz

Switzerland (Clean), Roman Roads, Western SWI, Rhone River Folder, Geneva

Burgundy, the borderlands between Switzerland, France and Italy
Burgundy (historical region);

Lausanne, Switzerland (Rhone River 1)
Lausanne, Switzerland;

Geneva, Switzerland (Lake Geneva, Rhone River 2)
Geneva;

England, Regions Folder

Wales, 584-612, Kentigern Mungo, Scottish&Welsh monastery founder, fScotland, on foot missionary baptizing many
Wales, 584-612, Scottish Welsh Saint, St Kentigern Mungo, fLothian, Scotland, royal blood, tHermit Servan on Firth oForth, named Mungo (dear friend) bHim, Mongo tStrathclyde, founded monastery, became Glasgow, Bishop there, driven fScotland, tWales, founded Asaph Monastery, returned Scotland, missionary work, baptizing many, 584 met Columba, exchanged bishop staffs, strict ascetic, travelled everywhere on foot, died 612 84yrs old, Gothic cathedral there 13th C; England, 584-612, Scottish Welsh Saint, St Kentigern Mungo, fLothian, Scotland, royal blood, tHermit Servan on Firth oForth, named Mungo (dear friend) bHim, Mongo tStrathclyde, founded monastery, became Glasgow, Bishop there, driven fScotland, tWales, founded Asaph Monastery, returned Scotland, missionary work, baptizing many, 584 met Columba, exchanged bishop staffs, strict ascetic, travelled everywhere on foot, died 612 84yrs old, Gothic cathedral there 13th C; England, Scottish Welsh Saint, 584-612, St Kentigern Mungo; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14; Kentigern was from Lothian (in Scotland), may have been of royal blood. left home at an early age and was brought up by a hermit named Servan (July 1) on the Firth of Forth. was Saint Servan who gave him the name Mungo (or dear friend). Kentigern Mungo labored in Strathclyde, and founded a monastery where the city of Glasgow stands today. was made a bishop, taking Glasgow for his See. from Scotland by the enmity of a local ruler, Kentigern went to Wales and founded the monastery of Saint Asaph. he returned to Scotland and resumed his missionary work, baptizing many people. 584 he met Saint Columba (June 9), and exchanged croziers (bishop's staff) with him. Kentigern was a strict ascetic who traveled everywhere on foot. is believed that he died in Glasgow around 612 at the age of eighty-five. Gothic cathedral was built over his shrine in the thirteenth century.

England, East Saxons, London Folder, Essex Folder

London, Essex, England
London; CATHERINE WINKWORTH POET, 7 August 1878; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; THOMAS TALLIS of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ; RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; Martyr Aule, Commemorated February 7; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND "ÂœFRIEND OF THE POOR"Â IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 22 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616; CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET, 1894, Commemorated April 27 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ; EVELYN UNDERHILL, THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC (15 JUNE 1941); JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOP and THEOLOGIAN (1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

England, East Saxons, History Folder

England, Essex, 604-616, King of the English, King Sabert of the East Saxons
England, King of the English, 604-616, King Sabert of the East Saxons; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31;

England, Essex, 653, Bradwell-On-Sea, Essex, Fort & Monastery, M estab by Cedd f Exxex evangelisation
Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7 Bradwell-On-Sea, Fort and Monastery; is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. The village is on the Dengie peninsula. It is located about 9 km (5.6 mi) north-northeast of Southminster and is 30 km (19 mi) east from the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the District of Maldon in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon whose boundaries were last varied at the 2010 general election. It has a population of 863,[1] a decline from 877 in the previous census.[2] was a Saxon Shore fort in Roman times known as Othona. The Anglo-Saxons originally called it Ithancester. Cedd founded a monastery within the old walls in 653, which survives as the restored Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, one of the oldest churches in Britain. there, he continued the evangelisation of Essex. the 20th century, the village became better known as the site for the Bradwell nuclear power station. It also has a school, St Cedd’s Church of England primary school and a sailing club. village has been called Bradwell juxta Mare, Bradwell-next-the-Sea and Bradwell near the Sea. residents include the Tudor martyr Thomas Abel, the newspaper editor Sir Henry Bate Dudley, the MP Tom Driberg (later Baron Bradwell), who lived at Bradwell Lodge and is buried in the churchyard, and the artist F. H. Haagensen. local newspaper is the Maldon and Burnham Standard. There is a Facebook page called The Bradwell Bugle. War Two the Second World War the airfield sited to the north-east of Bradwell Waterside was a front-line station, and named RAF Bradwell Bay. Prior to this conflict a small grass airfield was sited there for refuelling and re-arming the aircraft used by pilots practising shooting and bombing at the ranges on nearby Dengie Marshes. In 1941 the airfield was enlarged, swallowing up the pre-war grass landing ground, and three concrete runways were laid down. As it was quite near the coast, and many aircraft in distress landed there, it had the FIDO (Fog Intensive Dispersal Operation) system installed to help pilots find a safe landing in foggy weather. Many night-fighter squadrons were based here, equipped first with the Douglas Havoc, then the de Havilland Mosquito, the ubiquitous multi-role-combat aircraft of its time. The airfield was also used as a jumping-off point for fighters escorting long-distance bombing raids on Germany, and such types as the Spitfire and North American Mustang could be seen. A recent memorial, in the shape of a crashed de Havilland Mosquito, has been placed near to the edge of the airfield to remember all those who lost their lives in defence of Britain in the Second World War whilst based at RAF Bradwell Bay.

England, East Saxons, London Airport Area, Essex Folder

Essex County (London Airport, East Anglia)
Essex County; Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11 ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870) ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

Bradwell-On-Sea, Essex, Fort & Monastery, M estab by Cedd 653 for Exxex evangelisation
Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7 Bradwell-On-Sea, Fort and Monastery; is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. The village is on the Dengie peninsula. It is located about 9 km (5.6 mi) north-northeast of Southminster and is 30 km (19 mi) east from the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the District of Maldon in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon whose boundaries were last varied at the 2010 general election. It has a population of 863,[1] a decline from 877 in the previous census.[2] was a Saxon Shore fort in Roman times known as Othona. The Anglo-Saxons originally called it Ithancester. Cedd founded a monastery within the old walls in 653, which survives as the restored Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, one of the oldest churches in Britain. there, he continued the evangelisation of Essex. the 20th century, the village became better known as the site for the Bradwell nuclear power station. It also has a school, St Cedd’s Church of England primary school and a sailing club. village has been called Bradwell juxta Mare, Bradwell-next-the-Sea and Bradwell near the Sea. residents include the Tudor martyr Thomas Abel, the newspaper editor Sir Henry Bate Dudley, the MP Tom Driberg (later Baron Bradwell), who lived at Bradwell Lodge and is buried in the churchyard, and the artist F. H. Haagensen. local newspaper is the Maldon and Burnham Standard. There is a Facebook page called The Bradwell Bugle. War Two the Second World War the airfield sited to the north-east of Bradwell Waterside was a front-line station, and named RAF Bradwell Bay. Prior to this conflict a small grass airfield was sited there for refuelling and re-arming the aircraft used by pilots practising shooting and bombing at the ranges on nearby Dengie Marshes. In 1941 the airfield was enlarged, swallowing up the pre-war grass landing ground, and three concrete runways were laid down. As it was quite near the coast, and many aircraft in distress landed there, it had the FIDO (Fog Intensive Dispersal Operation) system installed to help pilots find a safe landing in foggy weather. Many night-fighter squadrons were based here, equipped first with the Douglas Havoc, then the de Havilland Mosquito, the ubiquitous multi-role-combat aircraft of its time. The airfield was also used as a jumping-off point for fighters escorting long-distance bombing raids on Germany, and such types as the Spitfire and North American Mustang could be seen. A recent memorial, in the shape of a crashed de Havilland Mosquito, has been placed near to the edge of the airfield to remember all those who lost their lives in defence of Britain in the Second World War whilst based at RAF Bradwell Bay.

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (First London Elim Church, Thames River Mouth)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Waltham Abbey, 610
Waltham Abbey Church; Thomas Tallys of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River Folder

Thames River Source (Thames Head, Gloucestershire)

Thames River 1 (Oxford)

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River 1, Oxford Folder

Oxford (Thames River 1, upstream from London)
Oxford; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555), Cross in Broad St., Oxford, marking the spot where Latimer & Ridley died ; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ; John Wesley of JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Abingdon Abbey (downstream from Oxford, Thames River 1) 675
Abingdon Abbey ; Edmund of Abingdon (Edmund Rich) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253);

Cuddesdon Theological College, Oxfordshire, 1853
Cuddesdon Theological College; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Radley Parish near Oxford, 1290
Radley Oxfordshire; Pusey House, Oxford; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Oxford University, 1096
Oxford University; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; VIDA DUTTON SCUDDER, EDUCATOR AND WITNESS FOR PEACE, (10 October 1954); THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963); JOHN WYCLIF TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ; Bampton Lectures; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Oxford Movement, 1833-1841
Oxford Movement; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; John Henry Newman EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); Other well-known Tractarians included John Keble, Charles Marriott, Richard Hurrell Froude, Robert Wilberforce, Isaac Williams and William Palmer. RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21; JOHN KEBLE, PRIEST, POET, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (29 MAR 1866), Commemorated March 29; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Christian Social Union (UK) 1889 at Oxford
Christian Social Union (UK) 1889 at Oxford; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND "ÂœFRIEND OF THE POOR"Â IN INDIA, 1940. Commemorated February 12;

Pusey House, Oxford, 1884
Pusey House, Oxford; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Balliol College, Oxford, 1263
Balliol College, Oxford; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

King's College, Oxford, 1324
King's College, Oxford; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18;

Oriel College, Oxford, 1324
Oriel College, Oxford; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882) ;

Magdalen College, Oxford, 1458
Magdalen College, Oxford; William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

St Clement's Parish, Oxford, 1827
St Clement'™s, Oxford; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Cowley, Oxfordshire
Cowley, Oxfordshire; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cowley, Oxfordshire, 1866, Cowley Fathers
Society of St. John the Evangelist; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; BERNARD MIZEKI, CATECHIST AND MARTYR IN AFRICA (18 JUNE 1896);

College in Littlemore, District Oxford
College in Littlemore, District Oxford; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Littlemore Parish, Oxford
Littlemore Parish, Oxford; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21;

Christ Church, Oxford, 1546, A School
Christ Church, Oxford; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, (28 April 1801 ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“ 1 October 1885), Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

University Church of Oxford, St. Mary the Virgin, Christ Church, Oxford, 1546
Christ Church, Oxford; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, (28 April 1801 ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“ 1 October 1885), Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, 1160
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882) ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ;

Holy Club at Christ Church Oxford (The Methodists) 1729
Holy Club at Christ Church Oxford (The Methodists); FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15;

Pembroke College, Oxford, 1624
Pembroke College, Oxford; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Merton College, Oxford, 1264
Merton College, Oxford; JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871) ;

Wantage, Berkshire (Thames River 1)
Wantage, Berkshire; ALFRED THE GREAT KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ;

Thames River 2 (Reading)

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River 2, River Kennet Folder

River Kennet Source (Swallowhead Spring, Silbury Hill, Wiltshire)

River Kennet 1, Ramsbury, Wiltshire

Ramsbury, Wiltshire (River Kennet 1)
Ramsbury, Wiltshire, Wessex ; St. Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

River Kennet 2 (Newbury, Burkshire)

Newbury, Berkshire (River Kennet 2)
Newbury, Berkshire; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Bucklebury Manor of John Winchcombe, received from Henry VIII for Bible support
Bucklebury Manor of John Winchcombe, received from Henry VIII for Bible support; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

River Kennet Mouth (Thames River 2, Reading)

Reading, Berkshire (Thames River 2, River Kennet Mouth)
Reading, Berkshire; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Reading Abbey, Berkshire (Kennet River Mouth, Thames River 2)
Reading Abbey; Reading, Berkshire; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

River Kennet 2 Source

Thames River 3 (Henley-on-Thames)

Thames River 4 (Windsor)

Magna Carta Signing at Runnymede (Thames River 4) 1215
Magna Carta Signing at Runnymede ; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ;

Eton College (Thames River 4) 1440
Eton College; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878)

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (Thames River 4) 1348
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River 4, River Colne Folder, Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire County
Hertfordshire; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304); St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22;

River Colne Source (North Mymms, along the border)

River Colne 1 (Hertford)

Hatfield, Hertfordshire (Colne River 1)
Hatfield, Hertfordshire England, 679, Synod of Hatfield, Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690);

Hertford (a central location)
Hertford; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); Council of Hertford in 672; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304); St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22;

River Colne 2 ( River Ver, St Albans)

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River 4 , River Colne 2, Ver River Folder

River Ver Source (Markyate, along the border)

River Ver 1 (Flamstead)

River Ver 2 (Redbourn)

Redbourn (River Ver 2)
Redbourn; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22;

St Albans, Hertfordshire
St Albans; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

St. Alban's Cathedral, 1077
St. Alban's Cathedral; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

River Ver Mouth (St Albans, River Colne 2)

Holmhurst Hill (Ver River Mouth, Colne River 2)
Holmhurst Hill, St Alban's Cathedral is built on Holmhurst Hill; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

Verulamium, Hertfordshire
Verulamium; St Alban the Protomartyr of Britain, Commemorated on June 22; ALBAN, FIRST MARTYR OF BRITAIN (22 JUNE 304);

River Colne 3 (Harrow School)

Harrow School, Hertfordshire (RiverColne 3)
Harrow School; Public Schools Act of 1868; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, (28 April 1801-“ 1 October 1885), Commemorated July 30 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

River Colne Mouth (River Thames 4, near Windsor)

Thames River 5 (Kingston-on-Thames)

Surbiton, London (Thames River 5)
Surbiton, London; Richard Meau Benson of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, both Commemorated January 16;

Teddington (Thames River 5)
Teddington THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674 ;

England, East Saxons, London, Thames River 5, London Area Folder

London, England (Thames River 5)
London; CATHERINE WINKWORTH POET, 7 August 1878; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL; CHARLES CHAPMAN GRAFTON, BISHOP OF FOND DU LAC & ECUMENIST, 30 August 1912 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944); JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ; THOMAS TALLIS of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ; RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, Commemorated January 16 ; Martyr Aule, Commemorated February 7; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORIN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN, 1890, Commemorated February 21 ; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ; JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH (3 MAR 1791); William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Anne Ayres of WILLIAM AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, PRIEST (8 APR 1877), [ANNE AYRES], RELIGIOUS (9 FEB 1896), Commemorated April 8; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); Hudson Stuck of JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 22 ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616; CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET, 1894, Commemorated April 27 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 12 ; EVELYN UNDERHILL, THEOLOGIAN AND MYSTIC (15 JUNE 1941); JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOP and THEOLOGIAN (1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Church Army, 1882 (St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums)
Church Army (St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums); WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Old St Pauls Church, Westminster, 1087
Old St Pauls Church, Westminster; St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster ; Church Army (St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums); WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster, 1240
St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster ; Church Army (St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Slums); WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Blackheath, London (Whitefield, First Great Awakening)
Blackheath, London (First Great Awakening); FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15

Greenwich, Southeast London
Greenwich, Southeast London; Thomas Tallys of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

St Alfege Church, Greenwich
St Alfege Church, Greenwich; Thomas Tallys of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

Eltham College, near Southeast London
Eltham College; ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22 ;

Barking Monastery (Abbey), East London
Barking Monastery (Abbey); Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated on October 11 ;

Stoke Newington, North London (on Cambridge Road A10)
Stoke Newington; ISAAC WATTS HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ;

Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington; ISAAC WATTS HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ;

St. Mary Magdalene "house of charity" in Highgate, north of London
St. Mary Magdalene "house of charity" in Highgate; CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, POET, 1894, Commemorated April 27 ;

Whitefield's Tabernacle 2 of 4, Moorfields, Northeast London
Whitefield's Tabernacle 2 of 4, Moorfields; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

London Hospital Medical School
London Hospital Medical School; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

Salvation Army, 1865, Blind Beggar Tavern, London
Salvation Army, 1865, Blind Beggar Tavern, London; Salvation Army, 1865, Blind Beggar Tavern, London; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Tower of London, 1078
Tower of London; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

St Mary-at-Hill, Parish, Billingsgate, London
St Mary-at-Hill, Parish, Billingsgate, London; WILSON CARLILE PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

St. Edmund King and Martyr Church on Lombard Street in London
St. Edmund King and Martyr Church on Lombard Street in London; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

St Paul's Cross, London (outdoor theater)
St Paul's Cross ; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

Rolls Chapel in London
Rolls Chapel in London ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Essex House, London, Earl of Essex Rebellion 1601
Essex House, London, Earl of Essex Rebellion 1601; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

King's College London, 1829
King's College London; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872);

World Antislavery Convention, Exeter Hall, London, 1840 (Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Honeymoon)
World Antislavery Convention, Exeter Hall, London, 1840 (Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Honeymoon); Elizabeth Cady Stanton of ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, AMELIA BLOOMER, SOJOURNER TRUTH, HARRIET ROSS TUBMAN: FOUR AMERICAN PIONEERS OF BLACK RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS, Commemorated July 20; Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 - October 26, 1902) was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s. Anti-Slavery Convention Mott on their honeymoon in England in 1840, the Stantons attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. Elizabeth was appalled by the convention's male delegates, who voted to prevent women from participating even if they had been appointed as delegates of their respective abolitionist societies. The men required the women to sit in a separate section, hidden by curtains from the convention's proceedings. William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent American abolitionist and supporter of women's rights who arrived after the vote had been taken, refused to sit with the men and sat with the women instead.[26] Mott, a Quaker minister, abolitionist and women's rights advocate, was one of the women who had been sent as a delegate. Although Mott was much older than Stanton, they quickly bonded in an enduring friendship, with Stanton eagerly learning from the more experienced activist. While in London, Stanton heard Mott preach in a Unitarian chapel, the first time Stanton had heard a woman give a sermon or even speak in public.[27] Stanton later gave credit to this convention for focusing her interests on women's rights.[28]

Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery
Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910);

Lincoln'™s Inn, London, 1234
Lincol'™s Inn; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

British Library
JOHN MERBECKE;

Working Men's College (north of London) 1854
Working Men's College ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872);

Old Saint Pancras Church, London, 598 approx.
Old Saint Pancras; Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12;

British Museum, London, 1753
British Museum; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ;

St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, 410
St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ;

Leicester House (Square), home of Caroline and George II
Leicester House Square, home of Caroline and George II; Caroline of Ansbach. Queen to George II; JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOP and THEOLOGIAN (1752) , Commemorated June 16;

Whitefield's Tabernacle 3 of 4, Tottenham Court Road, Northwest London
Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

East Saxons (Essex)
East Saxons (Essex) ; St Eanswy, the the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated August 31 ;

House of Commons, London
House of Commons; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

House of Lords, London
House of Lords, London;

Parliament, London, Palace of Westminster
Parliament; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Chapel Royal, St James Palace
Chapel Royal, St James Palace; THOMAS TALLIS of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

St James Palace, 1531
St James Palace, 1531; Chapel Royal, St James Palace; THOMAS TALLIS of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

Clarence House
Clarence House;

Prince of Wales Residence, Clarence House
Prince of Wales Residence, Clarence House;

Westminster Abby, West London, 960
Westminster Abby Canons of Westminster Abby; Henry Purcell of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980);

Westminster, London (West Bank of Thames River)
Westminster (West Bank of Thames River); Henry Purcell of JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, GEORGE FREDERICK HANDEL and HENRY PURCELL, COMPOSERS, 1750, 1759, 1695, Commemorated July 28 ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988;

Lambeth, Southwest London
Lambeth; Lambeth Convention; PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; JAMES THEODORE HOLLY, BISHOP OF HAITI AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, (13 March 1911), Commemorated November 8 ;

Camberwell, Southwark, London
Camberwell, Southwark, London; WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942;

Clapton, London (Church Missionary Society)
Clapton, London (Church Missionary Society); SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Kensington Temple, Notting Hill, West London
Kensington Temple, West London; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Blackfriars, Central London (Blackfriars Theatre)
Blackfriars, Central London ; Blackfriars Theatre; WILSON CARLILE, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CHURCH ARMY, 26 September 1942 ;

Bessborough House, London, 1731
Bessborough House, London, 1731; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16;

Elim Pentecostal Church, Wimbleton
Elim Pentecostal Church, Wimbleton; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Clapham, Essex, London Area (Elim Church and Bible College)
Clapham, Essex, London Area (Elim Church and Bible College); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon, London ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Thames River 6 (Richmond)

Thames River 7 (Central London)

Thames River Mouth (English Channel)

East Tilbury, Essex, Fort&Monastery (Thames River Mouth)
Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7l East Tilbury, Essex, Fort&Monastery (Thames River Mouth); Tilbury is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, Essex, England, and one of the traditional Church of England parishes in Thurrock. In 1931 the parish had a population of 353.[2] Saxon times, the location on which the church now stands was surrounded by tidal marshland. is the probable location for the minster church established by St Cedd at Tilaburg[3] which is mentioned in Bede's History of the English Church. the 1860s, Coalhouse Fort was constructed on the bank of the Thames, close to the parish church. fort was an active part of the defences of London up to and including World War II, having originally been developed as a precaution against French ironclads approaching London up the Thames it was refortified with new armaments as threats changed over the years. 1894 to 1936 East Tilbury was part of the Orsett Rural District.[4] The East Tilbury civil parish was abolished on 1 April 1936 when the area became part of Thurrock Urban District.[5] The Bata Factory by John Winfield construction of a Bata Shoes factory in the 1930s resulted in substantial development in East Tilbury. The factory has since closed down.[6] Bata company developed not only a factory, but also a town for workers, built in the modernist style, and a sizeable estate of listed buildings remains. A sizeable Czech workforce was relocated here, and has merged into the local community after connections were lost with Czechoslovakia after World War II. The father of arts administrator John Tusa, also called John (Jan), was managing director of the factory in the late 30s.[7]

England, West Saxons, Wessex Folder

England, West Sasons, Wessex History

England, West Saxons, Wessex, 869-899, Alfred the Great
Wessex, 869-899, Alfred the Great King Alfred's Victory, 878; Great Heathen Army, Great Danish Army; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 13 ;

England, West Saxons, Wessex, 878, Battle of Edington in 878 (Battle Location)
Battle of Edington in 878; Guthrum; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899); GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

England, West Saxons, Wessex, 878, Battle of Edington, Alfred the Great (Town of Eddington)
Battle of Edington, 878, Alfred the Great (Town of Eddington) ; King Alfred's Victory, 878; Great Heathen Army, Great Danish Army; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899) ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936, Commemorated June 13 ;

England, West Saxons, Wessex, 1000-1707, Kingdom of England, centered in Winchester, Wessex
Kingdom of England; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Avon River Folder, Northwest

Avon River Source (North of Acton Turville)

Avon River 1

Avon River 2

Avon River 3

Avon River 4 (Malmesbury Abby, Tetbury Avon River Mouth)

Tetbury Avon River Source (Tetbury)
Tetbury;

Malmesbury Abby, Wessex (Tetbury Avon River Mouth) 675
Malmesbury Abby, Wessex (Tetbury Avon River Mouth) ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

Tetbury Avon River Mouth (Malmesbury Abby, Avon River 4)

Avon River 5 (Marden River)

Marden River Source (Calstone Wellington)
Calstone Wellington;

Marden River Mouth (Dauntsey Vale, Avon River 5)
Dauntsey Vale;

Edington, Wiltshire (Avon River 7)
Edington, Wiltshire; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899);

Avon River 8 (Bradford on Avon)

Bristol, Wessex (Avon River Mouth, Seven River 8)
Bristol; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Avon River 8 (Avoncliff Aqueduct)
Avoncliff Aqueduct;

Frome River Source (Witham Friary)
Witham Friary;

Frome River Mouth (Avon River 8)

Avon River 9 (Dundas Aqueduct)
Dundas Aqueduct;

Avon River 10 (Bathford)

Avon River 11 (Cleveland Bridge, Bath)
Cleveland Bridge;

Bath, Wessex (hot springs, Avon River 11) 60
Bath, Somerset; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Avon River 11 (Bath, Kennet and Avon Canal)
Kennet and Avon Canal

Avon River 12 (Avon Canal)

Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, Wessex (Mining)
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire (outside Bristol); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Whitefield's Tabernacle 4 of 4, Kingswood School
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire (outside Bristol); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Whitefield's Tabernacle 1 of 4, Penn Street Bristol
Whitefield's Tabernacle 1, Penn Street Bristol; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Avon River 13 (Severn River 8, Bristol)

Avon River Mouth (Briston and Clifton, Severn River 8)

Clifton, Bristol, Wessex (Avon River Mouth)
Clifton, Bristol; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, Poet, Commemorated August 7 ;

Avon River Mouth (Severn Estuary, Bristol Channel)

Wiltshire County (Wessex)
Wiltshire County; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ;

Dauntsey Vale (Malmesbury)
Dauntsey Vale; Malmesbury;

Dauntsey Vale (Royal Wootton Bassett)
Dauntsey Vale

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Wey River Folder, Northeast

Wey River

Wey River South

Wey River South Source

Wey River South Branch Source (Blackdown, West Sussex)

Wey River South Source (Gibbet Hill near Hindhead)

Wey River South 1

Wey River South 2

Charterhouse School, Wessex (Wey River 2.5)1611
Charterhouse School, Wessex (Wey River 2.5)1611; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Wey River South 3

Surrey Hills
Surrey Hills;

Wey River North

Wey River North Branch Source (Alton, Hampshire)

Wey River North 1 (Upper Froyle)

Wey River North 2 (Bentley)

Wey River North 3 (Farnham)

Wey River 1

Wey River 2

Wey River 3 (Ock River)

Ock River Mouth (Wey River 3)

Wey River 4

Wey River Mouth (Thames River 4.5)

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Dorset Stour River Folder, Southwest

Dorset Stour Source (Stourhead)

Dorset Stour River 1 (Blackmore Vale of Stour Valley)
Blackmore Vale of Stour Valley;

Dorset Stour River 2 (East Stour and Shaftesbury)

Shaftesbury, Wessex (on a hill top, Dorset Stour River 2, Wessex)
Shaftesbury; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Dorset Stour River 3 (Sturminster Newton)

Dorset Stour River 4 (Dorset)

Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4)
Dorchester (Dorset Stour River 4); DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3;

Dorset Stour River 5 (Blandford Forum)

Dorset Stour River 6 (Wimborne Minster)

Dorset Stour Estuary (Christchurch)

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Hamshire Folder, East Central

Anton River Source (Andover, Hampshire)

Anton River Mouth (Test River 1)

Test River Source (near Ashe)

Test River 1

Test River 2

Test River Mouth (Nursling Winchester, Southhampton Water)

River Itchen, Hampshire Source
River Itchen, Hampshire Source, just south of Cheriton.

Winchester, Wessex (Itchen River 1)
Winchester City, county seat of Hampshire County, The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen.; LANCELOT ANDREWES, BISHOP AND SCHOLAR (26 SEPT 1626) ; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ;

River Itchen, Hampshire Mouth (Southhampton Water)

England, West Saxons, Wessex, Salisbury Area Folder, West Central

Salisbury, Wessex
Salisbury; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633) ;

Salisbury Cathedral, Wessex, 1220
Salisbury Cathedral, Wessex; Salisbury; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633) ;

Bemerton, Wessex
Bemerton ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633) ;

Fugglestone, Wessex
Fugglestone; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633) ;

Wilton, Wiltshire (Wessex)
Wilton, Wiltshire (Wessex) ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ;

Old Sarum, Wessex
Old Sarum, Wessex; St. Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated on January 22;

England, South Saxons, Sussex Folder

Sussex 1
Sussex; THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (29 DEC 1170) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Sussex 3
Sussex; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

River Levant, West Sussex Source

Sussex 2
Sussex;

River Lavant, West Sussex Mouth (Chichester Harbour)

Chichester, Sussex (River Levant, Chichester Harbour)
Chichester (River Levant Chichester Harbour); GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253);

Lewes, Sussex, 1077 Clunic Reform
Lewes in Sussex, It was under his (Hugh') abbacy that the Cluniac reform was introduced into England (at Lewes in Sussex in 1077) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Hastings, Sussex, England
Hastings, in Sussex (UK); PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955. Commemorated April 10 ;

England, Canterbury and Kent Folder, Southeast ENG

Kent, Southeast ENG, including Canterbury
Kent; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone; St James the Deacon, Commemorated October 18 ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605) ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Jute Kingdom of Kent
Jute Kingdom of Kent; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870);

Kent Downs
Kent Downs;

North Downs Way
North Downs Way;

North Downs ( a chalk ridge to Dover)
North Downs;

England, Canterbury History Folder

Kent, Canterbury, England, 590-616, King of the English, Aethelberht (Ethelbert) of Kent
England, 590-616, King of the English, King of Kent, Aethelberht of Kent ; Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Kent, 601-644, Paulinus of York, Gregorian Mission
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18

Kent, 601-671, James the Deacon, Gregorian Mission
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18

Kent, 601, Gregorian Mission
England, 601, Gregorian mission ; England, 600-644, Paulinus of York; England, 600-671, James the Deacon; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18

Kent, Canterbury, England, 616-640, Eadbald of Kent, King of the English
England, 616-640, King of the English, Eadbald of Kent ; Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Eanswythe the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Kent, 630-640, St Eanswythe and her Folkstone Abby, Eadbald d, paganism return, Laurence, Gaul, St Peter, f conversion, relics
England, 630-640, St Eanswythe and her Folkstone Abby ; St Eanswy, the the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated August 31 ; Eanswythe was born around 614, the only daughter of King Eadbald of Kent and his wife Emma, who was a Frankish princess. At the time of Eanswythe’s birth, her father was probably a pagan, while her mother was almost certainly a Christian. Therefore, it is highly likely that Eanswythe was baptized and raised as a Christian. she was two years old, her paternal grandfather King Ethelbert of Kent (February 25) died. Saint Ethelbert had been baptized at Saint Martin’s church in Canterbury by Saint Augustine of Canterbury (May 28). It was Saint Augustine who came to England in 597 with several monks in order to re-establish Christianity, which had almost been wiped out by the pagan Anglo-Saxons. These monks carried out their missionary work under the protection of King Ethelbert. ’s father King Eadbald offered no opposition to Christianity while his father was alive. When Saint Ethelbert died, however, Eadbald’s attitude changed. Not only did he embrace idolatry, he also married his father’s second wife (Bede, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE Book 2, ch. 1). While this practice was prohibited by Church law, it was quite common among the pagan royalty. this time, King Sabert of the East Saxons (and a convert to Christianity) passed away. His three sons were pagans, and so idolatry returned to that territory as well. Laurence of Canterbury (February 3), Saint Mellitus of London (April 24), and Saint Justus of Rochester (November 10) held a council to determine what they should do. They decided that they should not waste their time among the pagans, and to go where people would be more receptive to their preaching. Appalled by the King’s behavior and by the rise of paganism, Saints Mellitus and Justus went to Gaul. night before he was to leave Canterbury, Saint Laurence decided to sleep in the church of Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter appeared to him and rebuked him for even thinking of leaving his flock. He also beat Saint Laurence, who remained with his flock and even converted King Eadbald. king ended his unlawful marriage and was baptized. Within a year, Saint Justus returned to Rochester. The people of London, who lived in the realm of the East Saxons, refused to accept Saint Mellitus back to his See. Following the death of Saint Laurence in 619, Saint Mellitus succeeded him as Archbishop of Canterbury. her childhood, Saint Eanswythe showed little interest in worldly pursuits, for she desired to dedicate her virginity to God and to serve Him as a nun. Her father, on the other hand, wanted her to marry. Saint Eanswythe told him that she would not have any earthly suitor whose love for her might also be mixed with dislike. There was a high rate of mortality for children in those days, so she knew it was likely that at least some of hers would also die. All of these sorrows awaited her if she obeyed her father. The young princess told her father that she had chosen an immortal Bridegroom Who would give her unceasing love and joy, and to Whom she had dedicated herself. She went on to say that she had chosen the good portion (Luke 10:42), and she asked her father to build her a cell where she might pray. king ultimately gave in to his daughter, and built her a monastery in Folkestone in Kent. While the monastery was under construction, a pagan prince came to Kent seeking to marry Eanswythe. King Eadbald, whose sister Saint Ethelburga (April 5) married the pagan King Edwin (October 12) two or three years before, recalled that this wedding resulted in Edwin’s conversion. Perhaps he hoped that something similar would happen if Eanswythe married the Northumbrian prince. Eanswythe, however, insisted that she would not exchange heavenly blessings for the things of this world, nor would she accept the fleeting joys of this life in place of eternal bliss. the year 630, the building of the monastery was completed. This was the first women’s monastery to be founded in England. Saint Eanswythe lived there with her companions in the monastic life, and they may have been guided by some of the Roman monks who had come to England with Saint Augustine in 597. Eanswythe was not made abbess at this time, for she was only sixteen years old. We do not know of any other abbess before Saint Eanswythe, but a few experienced nuns may have been sent from Europe to teach the others the monastic way of life. A temporary Superior could have been appointed until the nuns were able to elect their own abbess. are many stories of Saint Eanswythe’s miracles before and after her death. Among other things, she gave sight to a blind man, and cast out a demon from one who had been possessed. know few details about the rest of Saint Eanswythe’s life. Following the monastic Rule, she prayed to God day and night. When she was not in church, she spent her waking hours reading spiritual books and in manual labor. This may have consisted of copying and binding manuscripts. The nuns probably wove cloth for their clothing, and also for church vestments. They cared for the sick and aged nuns of their own community, as well as for the poor and infirm from outside. Then there was the daily routine of cooking and cleaning. to Tradition, Saint Eanswythe fell asleep in the Lord on the last day of August 640 when she was only in her mid-twenties. Her father King Eadbald also died in the same year. monastery at Folkestone did not last very long after the saint’s death. Some say it was destroyed by the sea, while others say it was sacked by the Danes in 867. Saint Eanswythe’s holy relics were moved to the nearby church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was farther away from the sea. In 927 King Athelstan granted the land where the monastery had stood to the monks of Christchurch, Canterbury. time passed, the sea continued to encroach on the land. In 1138 a new monastery and church, dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe, were built farther inland. The relics of Saint Eanswythe were transferred once again, this time from the church of Saints Peter and Paul to the new priory church. During the Middle Ages, this second transfer of her relics was celebrated on September 12, which is the present Feast Day of the church of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe. November 15, 1535 the priory was seized by the officers of the King, who plundered the church of its valuables. The shrine of Saint Eanswythe was destroyed, but her relics had been hidden to protect them. June 17, 1885 workmen in the church discovered a niche in the walls which had been plastered up. Removing the plaster, they found a reliquary made of lead, about fourteen inches long, nine inches wide, and eight inches high. Judging by the ornamentation on the reliquary, it dated from the twelfth century. A number of bones were found inside, which experts said were those of a young woman. Today the niche is lined with alabaster, and is covered by a brass door and a grille. first, the holy relics were brought out for veneration every year on the parish Feast Day. This practice ended when several parishioners accused the Vicar of “worshiping” the relics. Although Saint Eanswythe’s relics are no longer offered for public veneration, candles and flowers are sometimes placed before the brass door where they are immured. Orthodox iconographer has presented the parish of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe with an icon of the saint.

Kent, England, 668-690, Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, throughout england, Hertford Council, incorrupt relics
Kent, England, 668-690, Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury; Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury at the age of sixty-five. Saint Adrian (January 9), an African who was the abbot of a monastery near Naples, was sent to assist Saint Theodore. Theodore arrived in Kent in 669, when he was almost seventy. In spite of his age, he was quite energetic, traveling throughout England founding churches and consecrating bishops to fill those Sees which were left vacant by an outbreak of plague. He also created new Sees and established a school in Canterbury where Greek was taught. Northumbria, Saint Theodore settled a dispute involving episcopal succession. Saint Wilfrid (October 12) had been elected Bishop of Lindisfarne (the See was later transferred to York), and he traveled to Gaul to be consecrated by a Roman bishop, because he would not accept consecration from a Celtic bishop. In the meantime, Saint Chad, or Ceadda (March 2), had been elected and uncanonically consecrated because Wilfrid remained in Gaul for three years. Although Saint Theodore deposed Saint Chad, he recognized his worthiness to be a bishop. He regularized the consecration, then sent Saint Chad to be Bishop of Mercia. Saint Wilfred was restored to his See. Theodore summoned a council of the entire English Church at Hertford in 672. Not only was this the first church council in England, it was the first assembly of any kind attended by representatives from all over the country. In 679 he convened another synod at Hatfield to maintain the purity of Orthodox doctrine and to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism. Theodore fell asleep in the Lord in 690, and his body remained incorrupt for a long time. Under his leadership, the English Church became united in a way that the various tribal kingdoms did not. The diocesean structures which he established continue to serve as the basis for church administration in England. He was respected for his administrative skills, and also for his moral and canonical decisions.

England, Canterbury and Kent, Stour River Folder

Stour River - Upper Great Stour Source (Lenham)

Stour River - Upper Great Stour 1 (Little Chart)

Stour River - Upper Great Stour 2 (Great Chart)

Stour River - East Stour River Source (Hythe)

Stour River - East Stour River Mouth (Great Stour River 3, Pledges Mill)

Stour River - Little Stour River Source (Lyminge)

Lyminge, Kent, Ethelburga's Convent (Little Stour River Source)
Lyminge, Kent, Ethelburga's Convent (Little Stour River Source); Saint Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

Folkestone, Kent (Clifts of Dover and Stour River East Source) St Eanswythe and her Abby
Folkestone, Kent ; St Eanswy, the the Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated August 31 ; Eanswythe was born around 614, the only daughter of King Eadbald of Kent and his wife Emma, who was a Frankish princess. At the time of Eanswythe’s birth, her father was probably a pagan, while her mother was almost certainly a Christian. Therefore, it is highly likely that Eanswythe was baptized and raised as a Christian. she was two years old, her paternal grandfather King Ethelbert of Kent (February 25) died. Saint Ethelbert had been baptized at Saint Martin’s church in Canterbury by Saint Augustine of Canterbury (May 28). It was Saint Augustine who came to England in 597 with several monks in order to re-establish Christianity, which had almost been wiped out by the pagan Anglo-Saxons. These monks carried out their missionary work under the protection of King Ethelbert. ’s father King Eadbald offered no opposition to Christianity while his father was alive. When Saint Ethelbert died, however, Eadbald’s attitude changed. Not only did he embrace idolatry, he also married his father’s second wife (Bede, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE Book 2, ch. 1). While this practice was prohibited by Church law, it was quite common among the pagan royalty. this time, King Sabert of the East Saxons (and a convert to Christianity) passed away. His three sons were pagans, and so idolatry returned to that territory as well. Laurence of Canterbury (February 3), Saint Mellitus of London (April 24), and Saint Justus of Rochester (November 10) held a council to determine what they should do. They decided that they should not waste their time among the pagans, and to go where people would be more receptive to their preaching. Appalled by the King’s behavior and by the rise of paganism, Saints Mellitus and Justus went to Gaul. night before he was to leave Canterbury, Saint Laurence decided to sleep in the church of Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter appeared to him and rebuked him for even thinking of leaving his flock. He also beat Saint Laurence, who remained with his flock and even converted King Eadbald. king ended his unlawful marriage and was baptized. Within a year, Saint Justus returned to Rochester. The people of London, who lived in the realm of the East Saxons, refused to accept Saint Mellitus back to his See. Following the death of Saint Laurence in 619, Saint Mellitus succeeded him as Archbishop of Canterbury. her childhood, Saint Eanswythe showed little interest in worldly pursuits, for she desired to dedicate her virginity to God and to serve Him as a nun. Her father, on the other hand, wanted her to marry. Saint Eanswythe told him that she would not have any earthly suitor whose love for her might also be mixed with dislike. There was a high rate of mortality for children in those days, so she knew it was likely that at least some of hers would also die. All of these sorrows awaited her if she obeyed her father. The young princess told her father that she had chosen an immortal Bridegroom Who would give her unceasing love and joy, and to Whom she had dedicated herself. She went on to say that she had chosen the good portion (Luke 10:42), and she asked her father to build her a cell where she might pray. king ultimately gave in to his daughter, and built her a monastery in Folkestone in Kent. While the monastery was under construction, a pagan prince came to Kent seeking to marry Eanswythe. King Eadbald, whose sister Saint Ethelburga (April 5) married the pagan King Edwin (October 12) two or three years before, recalled that this wedding resulted in Edwin’s conversion. Perhaps he hoped that something similar would happen if Eanswythe married the Northumbrian prince. Eanswythe, however, insisted that she would not exchange heavenly blessings for the things of this world, nor would she accept the fleeting joys of this life in place of eternal bliss. the year 630, the building of the monastery was completed. This was the first women’s monastery to be founded in England. Saint Eanswythe lived there with her companions in the monastic life, and they may have been guided by some of the Roman monks who had come to England with Saint Augustine in 597. Eanswythe was not made abbess at this time, for she was only sixteen years old. We do not know of any other abbess before Saint Eanswythe, but a few experienced nuns may have been sent from Europe to teach the others the monastic way of life. A temporary Superior could have been appointed until the nuns were able to elect their own abbess. are many stories of Saint Eanswythe’s miracles before and after her death. Among other things, she gave sight to a blind man, and cast out a demon from one who had been possessed. know few details about the rest of Saint Eanswythe’s life. Following the monastic Rule, she prayed to God day and night. When she was not in church, she spent her waking hours reading spiritual books and in manual labor. This may have consisted of copying and binding manuscripts. The nuns probably wove cloth for their clothing, and also for church vestments. They cared for the sick and aged nuns of their own community, as well as for the poor and infirm from outside. Then there was the daily routine of cooking and cleaning. to Tradition, Saint Eanswythe fell asleep in the Lord on the last day of August 640 when she was only in her mid-twenties. Her father King Eadbald also died in the same year. monastery at Folkestone did not last very long after the saint’s death. Some say it was destroyed by the sea, while others say it was sacked by the Danes in 867. Saint Eanswythe’s holy relics were moved to the nearby church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was farther away from the sea. In 927 King Athelstan granted the land where the monastery had stood to the monks of Christchurch, Canterbury. time passed, the sea continued to encroach on the land. In 1138 a new monastery and church, dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe, were built farther inland. The relics of Saint Eanswythe were transferred once again, this time from the church of Saints Peter and Paul to the new priory church. During the Middle Ages, this second transfer of her relics was celebrated on September 12, which is the present Feast Day of the church of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe. November 15, 1535 the priory was seized by the officers of the King, who plundered the church of its valuables. The shrine of Saint Eanswythe was destroyed, but her relics had been hidden to protect them. June 17, 1885 workmen in the church discovered a niche in the walls which had been plastered up. Removing the plaster, they found a reliquary made of lead, about fourteen inches long, nine inches wide, and eight inches high. Judging by the ornamentation on the reliquary, it dated from the twelfth century. A number of bones were found inside, which experts said were those of a young woman. Today the niche is lined with alabaster, and is covered by a brass door and a grille. first, the holy relics were brought out for veneration every year on the parish Feast Day. This practice ended when several parishioners accused the Vicar of “worshiping” the relics. Although Saint Eanswythe’s relics are no longer offered for public veneration, candles and flowers are sometimes placed before the brass door where they are immured. Orthodox iconographer has presented the parish of Saint Mary and Saint Eanswythe with an icon of the saint.

Dover Priory
Dover Priory; Thomas Tallys of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

Dover Downs (White Clifts of Dover)
Dover Downs (White Clifts of Dover);

Stour River - Little Stour River 1 (Elham)

Stour River - Little Stour River 2 (Barham)

Stour River - Little Stour River 3 (Kingston)

Stour River - Little Stour River 4 (Bridge)

Stour River - Little Stour River 5 (Bekesbourne)

Stour River - Little Stour River 6 (Wickhambreaux)

Stour River - Little Stour River Mouth (Stour River 6)

Stour River - Lower Great Stour Source (Ashford)

Stour River - Lower Great Stour River 3 (Pledges Mill)

Stour River - Lower Great River Stour 4 (Wye)

Stour River - Lower Great River Stour 5 (Canterbury)

Canterbury, Kent, England (crossroads of 4 Roman roads, Stour River 5)
Canterbury (crossraods of 4 Roman roads); WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); REMIGIUS OF RHEIMS, BISHOP, APOSTLE OF THE FRANKS (1 OCTOBER 530) ; GEORGE BELL BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958 ; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, Commemorated December 29 ; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; THOMAS CRANMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (21 MARCH 1556) ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 19 April 1012, ; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012); ANSELM OF CANTERBURY, Monk, Archbishop, Theologian, 21 April 1109 ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ; Martyr Pancratius, Commemorated on May 12; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605) ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

St Augustine's College, Canterbury, 1848
St Augustine's College, Canterbury; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

St Augustine'™s Monastery, Canterbury, Kent, 598
St Augustine's Abby; Augustine of Canterbury 604 ; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Christ Church, Canterbury
Christ Church, Canterbury; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26;

Canterbury Cathedral, 597
Canterbury Cathedral, 597; Thomas Tallys of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

St Martin's Church in Canterbury, 100 approx., 580, 1668
St Martin's Church in Canterbury; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated October 12 ; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated November 11 ; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

Stour River - Lower Great River Stour 5 (Fordwich)

Stour River - Lower Great River Stour 6 (Plucks Gutter)

Stour River Mouth (Pegwell Bay, English Channel)

Isle of Thanet, where Gregorian Mission and St Augustine landed
Isle of Thanet; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ;

Ebbsfleet, Thanet, Kent (Stour River Mouth, Pegwell Bay)
Ebbsfleet; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 27 ;

River Medway Source (Turners Hill)
Turners Hill is a Village;

Sackville College, Kent (River Medway Source) 1609, poorhouse, John Mason Neal, translator, hymn writer
Sackville College; JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); Mason Neale was born in London in 1818, studied at Cambridge, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1842. He was offered a parish, but chronic ill health, which was to continue throughout his life, prevented him from taking it. In 1846 he was made warden of Sackville College, a position he held for the rest of his life. Sackville College was not an educational institution, but an almshouse, a charitable residence for the poor. 1854 Neale co-founded the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, an order of women in the Anglican Church dedicated to nursing the sick. Many Anglicans in his day, however, were very suspicious of anything suggestive of Roman Catholicism. Only nine years earlier, John H. Newman had encouraged Romish practices in the Anglican Church, and had ended up joining the Romanists himself. This encouraged the suspicion that anyone like Neale was an agent of the Vatican, assigned to destroy the Anglican Church by subverting it from within. Once Neale was attacked and mauled at a funeral of one of the Sisters. From time to time unruly crowds threatened to stone him or to burn his house. He received no honor or preferment in England, and his doctorate was bestowed by an American college (Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut). However, his basic goodness eventually won the confidence of many who had fiercely opposed him, and the Sisterhood of St. Margaret survived and prospered. translated the Eastern liturgies into English, and wrote a mystical and devotional commentary on the Psalms. However, he is best known as a hymn writer and translator, having enriched English hymnody with many ancient and mediaeval hymns translated from Latin and Greek, including the following: A great and mighty wonder All glory, laud and honor Alleluia, song of gladness Blessed city, heavenly Salem Blessed feasts of blessed martyrs Brief life is here our portion Christ is made the sure foundation Christian, dost thou see them Come, Holy Ghost, with God the Son Come, ye faithful, raise the strain Creator of the stars of night Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord For thee, O dear, dear country Jerusalem the golden Jesus, Name all names above Let us now our voices raise Light's abode, celestial Salem Now that the daylight fills the sky O blest Creator of the light O God, creation's secret force O God of truth, O Lord of might, O sons and daughters, let us sing O Trinity of blessed light O what their joy and their glory must be O wondrous type! O vision fair Of the Father's love begotten Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle Stars of the morning, so gloriously bright The day is past and over The day of resurrection Those eternal bowers Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise To thee before the close of day and many others. More than anyone else, he made English-speaking congregations aware of the centuries-old tradition of Latin, Greek, Russian, and Syrian hymns. portion of an article by him follows: Among the most pressing of the inconveniences consequent on the adoption of the vernacular language in the office-books of the Reformation, must be reckoned the immediate disuse of all the hymns of the Western Church. That treasury, into which the saints of every age and country had poured their contributions, delighting, each in his generation, to express their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, in language which would be the heritage of their Holy Mother until the end of time--those noble hymns, which had solaced anchorets on their mountains, monks in their cells, priests in bearing up against the burden and heat of the day, missionaries in girding themselves for martyrdom--henceforth became as a sealed book and as a dead letter. The prayers and collects, the versicles and responses, of the earlier Church might, without any great loss of beauty, be preserved; but the hymns, whether of the sevenfold daily office, of the weekly commemoration of creation and redemption, of the yearly revolution of the Church's seasons, or of the birthdays to glory of martyrs and confessors--those hymns by which day unto day had uttered speech, and night unto night had taught knowledge--could not, by the hands then employed in ecclesiastical matters, be rendered into another, and that a then comparatively barbarous, tongue. One attempt the Reformers made--the version of the Veni Creator Spiritus in the Ordinal; and that, so far perhaps fortunately, was the only one. Cranmer, indeed, expressed some casual hope that men fit for the office might be induced to come forward; but the very idea of a hymnology of the time of Henry VIII may make us feel thankful that the prelate's wishes were not carried out. The Church of England had, then, to wait. She had, as it has well been said, to begin over again. There might arise saints within herself, who, one by one, should enrich her with hymns in her own language; there might arise poets, who should be capable of supplying her office-books with versions of the hymns of earlier times. In the meantime the psalms were her own; and grievous as was the loss she had sustained, she might be content to suffice herself with those, and expect in patience the rest. M Neale, "English Hymnology: Its History and Prospects," in the periodical The Christian Remembrancer, 1849. died on 6 August 1866 (age 48). Since 6 August is the Feast of the Transfiguration, he is remembered on 7 August.

Rochester, Kent (North Down, Kent Downs, River Medway)
Rochester, Kent, Lowest bridging point of River Medway ; NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; Saint Eanswythe, Abbess of Folkestone, Commemorated on August 31;

River Medway Mouth (English Channel)

England, Cornwall Penninsula Folder, Southwest ENG

Cornwall Penninsula, England
Cornwall Peninsula; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, Commemorated August 1 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated January 13 ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Cornish, People of Cornwall Penninsula, England
Cornwall Peninsula; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, Commemorated August 1 ; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated January 7 ; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated January 13 ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, Commemorated May 22; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605); BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Devon or Devonshire County
Devon or Devonshire County; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

England, Cornwall History Folder

Cornwall, 30- , Joseph of Arimathea in Glastonbury
Cornwall, 30-?, Joseph of Arimathea in Glastonbury; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

Cornwall, 475-525, King Arthur, Late 5th Early 6th Century
England, 475-525, King Arthur, Late 5th Early 6th Century; AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (26 MAY 605);

Cornwall, 1588, Sir Walter Raleigh, 34 in 1588
Sir Walter Raleigh, 34 in 1588; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631);

England, Cornwall, Glastonbury and Wells Folder, Northeast

Glastonbury, Somerset (SW England, Cornwall)
Glastonbury; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ;

Glastonbury Abbey (SW England, Cornwall) 712
Glastonbury Abbey; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; St Brihtwald of Wilton, Commemorated January 22 ; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

Wells, Cornwall (three wells at this location), SW England
Wells; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Wells Cathedral (SW England, Cornwall) 1175
Wells Cathedral; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ;

Somerset County, Seymour Family from 1547
Somerset, Seymour Family from 1547; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

England, Cornwall, Bristol Bay Folder, Northern

England, Cornwall, Exe River Folder, Central

Exe River Source (Exe Head)
River Exe ;

Exe River 1 (Exeter, Creedy River)

Creedy River Mouth (Cowley Bridge, Exeter, Exe River)

Crediton, Devon, Cornwall (a crossroads in Creedy River Valley)
Crediton, Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837.[1] The town is situated in the narrow vale of the River Creedy, between two steep hills and is divided into two parts, the east or old town and the west or new town. ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754);

Devonshire, Cornwall
Devonshire; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ; BONIFACE, BISHOP, MISSIONARY, MARTYR (5 JUNE 754); Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Sampford Courtenay, Devonshire, Cornwall
Sampford Courtenay, Devonshire, Cornwall; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Hartland, Devon, Cornwall (a port on Hartland Point, Celtic Sea)
Hartland, Devon; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Exeter, Cornwall (Exe River) 69-79
Exeter; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

Exeter Cathedral, 1112
Exeter Cathedral; Exeter; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15; DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY, MONK AND ARCHBISHOP (19 MAY 988) ;

Heavitree, Exter, Devon, Cornwall (Richard Hooker)
Heavitree, Exter; RICHARD HOOKER. PRIEST AND THEOLOGIAN (3 NOV 1600);

Exe River Mouth (Exeter, Lyme Bay, English Channel)

England, Wales Folder, West of ENG

Wales History Folder

Wales, 450-1216, Kingdom of Gwynedd, AKA Cwynedd
Wales, Kingdom of Gwynedd, 450-1216; Wales, 625-634, King Caedwalla of Cwynedd (North Wales), 625-634, AKA Cadwallon ap Cadfan; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

Wales, 450-1045, England, Brycheiniog Kingdom
Wales, 450-1045, England, Brycheiniog Kingdom;

Wales, 450-490, Wales, Brycheiniog King, Brychan
England, Wales, Brycheiniog King, 450-490, Brychan; England, Wales, Brycheiniog Kingdom, 450-1045; St Brannock of Braunton, Commemorated on January 7; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Wales, 500-550, St Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr, Wales, earth opened and Arthur swallowed to his neck
St Padarm's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr; England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; ( ? – c. 550 AD)[1] was an early 6th century sanctified British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in[2] Ceredigion, Wales. first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy appear to be the same person. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Padarn's early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3] Vita Sancti Paterni, a major source for biographical details of Padarn, may be an epitome of a previous and more extensive source. According to the Vita Sancti Paterni, Padarn is Armorican by race, born to "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother".[1] His parents "dedicated themselves to Christ" and Petran left Letavia (modern Brittany) for Ireland. Thomas Wakeman names Padarn a nephew of Hoel of Cornouaille.[4] However, Canon G. H. Doble believes Padarn was likely Welsh, and was later confused with Breton saints of the same name.[5] the year 524 Padarn traveled to join his father in Ireland. He joined a fellowship of monks led by his cousin, St. Cadvan, who were travelling to Britannia. At this time, as in many saints' lives of the era, there appears to be an aristocratic military function in Padarn's career, for among the travellers were Padarn's cousins, who appointed him as the fourth leader of the troop, saying "you should rule over people for example of life".[4] 1878 stained glass window of St. Paternus at the Cathedral of Vannes in Morbihan. became a student at Illtud's school, Cor Tewdws.[4] Padarn later founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, which became the seat of a new diocese, with him as its first bishop.[1] He then left it in the charge of a trusted steward and proceeded to Ireland. Padarn's spiritual countenance was sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces.[6] Padarn returned to Llanbadarn Fawr, Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to cheat him out of property belonging to the monastery. Two of Maelgwn's evil heralds were undone by the trial by ordeal of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."[7] Maelgwn Gwynedd himself is first cursed and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness, and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed: "a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged."[8] the Vita Sancti Paterni Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Saint David and Saint Teilo for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. Along the way they acquired the gift of tongues so that whomever they spoke to understood them in his own language.[6] The patriarch gave Paternus two gifts, a crozier and a finely woven tunic. On their return, they amicably divided Britannia into three bishoprics.[9] finally returned to Letavia, where his fame filled the region and "made peace" with the bishop Samson in Vannes, where Padarn his built a monastery and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica, of which he now made a seventh. and Arthur[edit] sketch from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Benzinger Brothers. the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic and subsequently becomes Christian. It's too late to be reliable. But the episode was probably meant to increase Padarn's prestige and credibility as a saint by being granted credit for "Christianizing" the semi-historical leader who allegedly defeated the Anglo-Saxons with the help of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the battle of Mount Badon according to the 9th century ad monk Nennius. The author also seemed to confuse this Padarn with Padarn Redcoat whose coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain;[6] Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.[10] of Avranches[edit] British Padarn appears to be the same person as Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. By tradition, it is said that he was born in Poitiers, became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes [fr] in France, and retreated with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion, to the forest of Scissy [fr] in the diocese of Coutances before the Bishop of Coutances made him a priest in 512.[11] day: April 16 [12] Three days were kept to honor Padern in Armorica; the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, namely, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, the day of his obit, and the day he received the order of the episcopate, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July. well as the church at Llanbadarn Fawr, there is a second church dedicated to him, in Llanberis in Gwynedd. Padarn’s Institute, located at St Michael’s Conference Centre, Llandaff, handles training for ministry in the Church in Wales.[13]

Wales, 625-634, King Caedwalla of Cwynedd (North Wales), 625-634, AKA Cadwallon ap Cadfan
Wales, Kingdom of Gwynedd, 450-1216; Wales, 625-634, King Caedwalla of Cwynedd (North Wales), 625-634, AKA Cadwallon ap Cadfan; Saint Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

Wales, 626-655, King of Mercia, Penda of Mercia
King of Mercia, 626-655, Penda of Mercia; Battle of Maserfield 642 was fought on 5 August 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. Oswald was Christian, Penda was Pagan, Oswald was Northumbrian and Penda was Welsh. ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

Wales, 642, Battle of Maserfield
Battle of Maserfield 642 was fought on 5 August 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. Oswald was Christian, Penda was Pagan, Oswald was Northumbrian and Penda was Welsh. ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

Wales, 1154-1214, Angevin Empire, All oEngland, Half oFrance, Wales, Parts oIreland
Angevin Empire, Half oFrance, All oEngland, Wales, Parts oIreland, 1152 Henry II married Eleanor oAquitaine, 1154 inherited England fMother Matilda, Court in Anjou&Touraine, Conflicted wFrench Capet kings, H's son John defeated by Philip II oFrance Anglo-French War 1213-1214, he lost all continental possessions but Gascony iSouthern Aquitaine, that led to 100 Yrs War; Angevin Empire; term Angevin Empire describes the possessions of the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, they ruled over an area covering roughly half of France, all of England, and parts of Ireland and Wales, and had further influence over much of the remaining British Isles. may be described as an early example of a composite monarchy.[3] empire was established by Henry II of England, who succeeded his father Geoffrey as Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou (from which the term Angevins is derived). married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, acquiring the Duchy of Aquitaine, inherited his mother Empress Matilda's claim to the English throne, succeeding his rival Stephen in 1154. their title of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, Plantagenets held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou, at Chinon in Touraine. influence and power of the House of Anjou brought them into conflict with the kings of France of the House of Capet, whom they also owed feudal homage for their French possessions, bringing in a period of rivalry between the dynasties. the extent of Angevin rule, Henry's son John was defeated in the Anglo-French War (1213–1214) by Philip II of France following the Battle of Bouvines. lost control of most of his continental possessions, apart from Gascony in southern Aquitaine. defeat set the scene for further conflicts between England and France, leading up to the Hundred Years' War.

Wales, 1904-1905, Welsh Revival, Swansea, Wales
Wales, 1904-1905, Welsh Revival, Swansea, Wales ; 1904-1905 Welsh Revival; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

England, Wales, Wey River Folder, Herfordshire, Southeast WAL

River Wey Source (Herefordshire)

River Wey 1 (Ledbury and Herford, Herfordshire)

Ledbury, Herefordshire, Wales
Ledbury, Herefordshire; Thomas Traherne; THOMAS TRAHERNE, PRIEST AND POET, 27 Sept. 1674;

River Wey 2 (Monnow River Mouth, Monmouth)

Monnow River Source (Herefordshire)

Monnow River 1 (Herefordshire, England)

Monnow River 2 (Monmouthshire, Wales)

Monnow River Mouth (River Wey 2)

Monmouth (River Monnow Mouth, River Wey 2)
Monmouth; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, Commemorated March 1 ;

River Wey Herefordshire Mouth (River Severn Mouth)

England, Wales, River Severn Folder, Central WAL

River Severn Source (Cambrian Mountains)

Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian Mountains;

River Severn 1

River Severn 2

River Severn 3

River Severn 4 (Shrewsbury)

River Severn 5 (Coalbrookdale)

River Severn 6 (Worchester)

Worcester Cathedral, Wales, West Midlands (River Severn 6) 1084
Worcester (pronounced "Wooster") Cathedral; CHARLES GORE; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, AKA Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

River Severn 7 (Gloucester)

Cheltenham Ladies' College (near Glouchestershire, Wales border)
Cheltenham Ladies' College ; CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878;

Slymbridge in Gloucestershire on Wales Border
Gloucestershire, Slymbridge is somewhere in Gloucestershire, which borders Wales; William Tyndale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE] TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

River Severn Mouth (Severn Estuary, Bristol Channel)

England, Wales, River Towy Folder, Saint David's, West WAL

River Towy Source (Cambrian Mountains)
Cambrian Mountains;

River Towy 1

River Towy 2

River Towy 3

Carmathen, Pembrokeshire, West Wales (Towy River 3)
Carmathen; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

River Gwili Mouth (River Towy 3)

River Towy Mouth (Carmarthen Bay)

Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Mynyw (Menevia in English) in Pembrokeshire; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

St. Davids, West Wales
St. Davids; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Pembrokeshire; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, West Wales; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633);

England, Wales, River Towy 1, Brecon Folder, West Wales

Brecknock (Brecon), Wales
Brecknock; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

St Padarm's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr, 1257
St Padarm's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr; England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; ( ? – c. 550 AD)[1] was an early 6th century sanctified British Christian abbot-bishop who founded St Padarn's Church in[2] Ceredigion, Wales. first bishop of Braga and Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy appear to be the same person. Padarn built a monastery in Vannes and is considered one of the seven founding saints of Brittany. Padarn's early vita is one of five insular and two Breton saints' lives that mention King Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3] Vita Sancti Paterni, a major source for biographical details of Padarn, may be an epitome of a previous and more extensive source. According to the Vita Sancti Paterni, Padarn is Armorican by race, born to "Petran, his father, and Guean, his mother".[1] His parents "dedicated themselves to Christ" and Petran left Letavia (modern Brittany) for Ireland. Thomas Wakeman names Padarn a nephew of Hoel of Cornouaille.[4] However, Canon G. H. Doble believes Padarn was likely Welsh, and was later confused with Breton saints of the same name.[5] the year 524 Padarn traveled to join his father in Ireland. He joined a fellowship of monks led by his cousin, St. Cadvan, who were travelling to Britannia. At this time, as in many saints' lives of the era, there appears to be an aristocratic military function in Padarn's career, for among the travellers were Padarn's cousins, who appointed him as the fourth leader of the troop, saying "you should rule over people for example of life".[4] 1878 stained glass window of St. Paternus at the Cathedral of Vannes in Morbihan. became a student at Illtud's school, Cor Tewdws.[4] Padarn later founded a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, which became the seat of a new diocese, with him as its first bishop.[1] He then left it in the charge of a trusted steward and proceeded to Ireland. Padarn's spiritual countenance was sufficient to calm the armies of kings of two provinces.[6] Padarn returned to Llanbadarn Fawr, Maelgwn Gwynedd tried to cheat him out of property belonging to the monastery. Two of Maelgwn's evil heralds were undone by the trial by ordeal of boiling water; scalded and defeated, "Their souls in raven-forms fly to the riverbed, which unto this day by the name of one of them is called, to wit, Graban."[7] Maelgwn Gwynedd himself is first cursed and then cured of his sickness and blindness when he comes on bended knee to ask forgiveness, and to bestow lands on Padarn's community, which are laid out with the exactitude of a deed: "a quantity of land, that is, from the mouth of the river Rheidiol upwards until it touches at its head the limit of the river Clarach; and along the length of the same river as far as the sea is the limit prolonged."[8] the Vita Sancti Paterni Padarn travels on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Saint David and Saint Teilo for all three to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. Along the way they acquired the gift of tongues so that whomever they spoke to understood them in his own language.[6] The patriarch gave Paternus two gifts, a crozier and a finely woven tunic. On their return, they amicably divided Britannia into three bishoprics.[9] finally returned to Letavia, where his fame filled the region and "made peace" with the bishop Samson in Vannes, where Padarn his built a monastery and subsequently made a peace with the six bishops of Armorica, of which he now made a seventh. and Arthur[edit] sketch from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Benzinger Brothers. the most celebrated episode, King Arthur tries to steal Padarn's tunic and subsequently becomes Christian. It's too late to be reliable. But the episode was probably meant to increase Padarn's prestige and credibility as a saint by being granted credit for "Christianizing" the semi-historical leader who allegedly defeated the Anglo-Saxons with the help of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in the battle of Mount Badon according to the 9th century ad monk Nennius. The author also seemed to confuse this Padarn with Padarn Redcoat whose coat was one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain;[6] Padarn was in his church resting after so much labour at sea, a certain tyrant, Arthur by name, was traversing the regions on either side, who one day came to the cell of saint Padarn the bishop. And while he was addressing Padarn, he looked at the tunic, which he, being pierced with the zeal of avarice, sought for his own. The saint answering said, "This tunic is not fitting for the habit of any malign person, but for the habit of the clerical office." He went out of the monastery in a rage. And again he returns in wrath, that he might take away the tunic against the counsels of his own companions. One of the disciples of Padarn seeing him returning in fury, ran to saint Padarn and said, "The tyrant, who went out from here before, is returning. Reviling, stamping, he levels the ground with his feet". Padarn answers "Nay rather, may the earth swallow him." With the word straightway the earth opens the hollow of its depth, and swallows Arthur up to his chin. He immediately acknowledging his guilt begins to praise both God and Padarn, until, while he begs forgiveness, the earth delivered him up. From that place on bent knees he begged the saint for indulgence, whom the saint forgave. And he took Padarn as his continual patron, and so departed.[10] of Avranches[edit] British Padarn appears to be the same person as Saint Paternus of Avranches in Normandy. By tradition, it is said that he was born in Poitiers, became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Jouin de Marnes [fr] in France, and retreated with his fellow monk, Saint Scubilion, to the forest of Scissy [fr] in the diocese of Coutances before the Bishop of Coutances made him a priest in 512.[11] day: April 16 [12] Three days were kept to honor Padern in Armorica; the Armoricans celebrate three solemnities of his, namely, that day of the Kalends of November, when he formed perpetual unity with the six chief saints of Letia, the day of his obit, and the day he received the order of the episcopate, the twelfth before the Kalends of the month of July. well as the church at Llanbadarn Fawr, there is a second church dedicated to him, in Llanberis in Gwynedd. Padarn’s Institute, located at St Michael’s Conference Centre, Llandaff, handles training for ministry in the Church in Wales.[13]

England, 500-550, St Padarn, Llanbadarn Fawr, Wales, earth opened and Arthur swallowed to his neck

England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr Wales
England, 524-550, St Padarm of Llanbadarn Fawr, Commemorated April 15; St Padarm's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr; St Padarn;

England, Wales, River Taff Folder, Cardiff, South Wal

River Taff Source, Brecon Beacon Mts

Dowlais, South Wales (Elim Church, River Taff Source)
Dowlais, South Wales (Elim Church, River Taff Source); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

River Taff Mouth (Cadiff Bay)

Llandaff, Wales, Cardiff (River Taff Mouth) South Wales
Llandaff; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

Llanelli, Carmathenshire, South Wales (Carmathen Bay near Swansea, Bristol Channel)
Llanelli, Carmathenshire, South Wales (Carmathen Bay near Swansea, Bristol Channel); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Nantyffylon, Maesteg, Wales
Maesteg, Wales George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

England, Wales, River Dee Folder, North WAL

River Dee (Wales) Source (Slopes of Dduallt)
Dduallt;

Snowdonia
Snowdonia;

River Dee (Wales) 1 (Bala Lake)

River Dee (Wales) 2 (Llangollen)

Maserfield, Wales
Maserfield, Wales ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated August 31 ;

River Dee (Wales) 3 (east of Wrexham)

River Dee (Wales) 4 (Chester, England)

monastery of St Asaph, North Wales, before 544 in 6th Century
monastery of St Asaph; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

River Dee (Wales) Mouth (Irish Sea)
River Dee (Wales);

St. Asaph, North Wales (River Dee Mouth)
St. Asaph ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES, (1 MAR 544) ;

Dyserth, Wales, home of JOHN ROBERTS, American Indian Missionary
Dyserth, Wales; JOHN ROBERTS, PRIEST, 1949, Commemorated February 25; to minister to the Shoshone and Arapahos on the Wind River Reservation, set about his work by learning all he could about Native American customs and beliefs, that by knowing the people he hoped to minister to he would be more effective. also learned the native languages, eventually translating the gospel for his Native American congregates. often said the object of his work among the Indians was to make them self supporting. this in mind he established two schools, Indian Boarding School at Ft. Washakie the Shoshone Indian Mission Boarding School. cultivated friendships with tribal leaders, including Chief Black Coal and Chief Washakie, whom he later baptized. earned the trust of the tribal leadership and was often involved in their negotiations with the agents of the federal government. Indians rewarded Roberts for his fairness in dealing with them by giving him the name "Elder Brother." also ministered to the non-natives of the state, Episcopal churches in towns across Wyoming. retired from active missionary work in 1921 continued to live on the reservation until his death in 1949 at the age of ninety-seven. — from the Univ. of Wyoming translation of the Gospel of Luke into Arapahoe is online at Project Gutenberg. Translations of the Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Ten Commandments, etc., into Arapaho and Shoshone are also online. Further information may be found on a page devoted to him and at Wikipedia. John Roberts (missionary); Roberts (31 March 1853 – 22 January 1949)[1] was a Welsh Anglican priest, writer and missionary in the Bahamas and Wyoming. was born in 1853 at Llewerllyd, a farm near the village of Dyserth, which was then in Flintshire but was later placed in Denbighshire, in north Wales. at Ruthin grammar school and St David's College, Lampeter (then affiliated with Oxford University), graduated in 1878. He was ordained a deacon by the Right Rev. George Augustus Selwyn in Lichfield Cathedral, briefly served as a curate at Dawley Magna in Shropshire. Roberts yearned to become a missionary, possibly because of Selwyn's work in New Zealand. year's end, Roberts had sailed to Nassau, Bahamas, he was ordained a priest and made chaplain of St. Matthew's Anglican Church. concentrated his ministry among "coloured people" and lepers. those were already Christian, and the priest wanted greater challenges, particularly among American Indians.[2] years later, Roberts sailed to New York and applied for the mission he always wanted, among American Indians. met Bishop John Spalding of Wyoming and Colorado, and asked for missionary work in the diocese's most difficult field. was told that was at the Shoshone and Bannock Indian Agency in Wyoming Territory (in what later became the Wind River Indian Reservation).[3] However, Bishop Spalding wanted the young priest to first gain experience, so sent him first to tend to the spiritual needs of coal miners in Greeley, Colorado, then to the mixed community in Pueblo. Roberts established Trinity mission in South Pueblo. a smallpox epidemic caused the community to be quarantined, Roberts worked at the hospital. that experience, Roberts secured his dream job in 1883, to the Shoshone and Arapahoe tribes and other people within 150 miles of Fort Washakie. was also a government employee, serving as the first principal of the reservation's school. became known for his interest in, and support for, traditional customs. also translated the Bible into the local languages. boarding school for girls that Chief Washakie and Roberts established in 1888 placed on the National Register of Historic Places, though it has not operated as a school since 1949. also established several churches in his territory, many of which still function. flag was presented to be flown in Washington National Cathedral in his honor.

England, Wales, River Conwy Folder, Banghor, Northwest WAL

Bangor, Gwynedd, Northwest Wales
Bangor, Gwynedd; DAVID (DEWI) OF WALES (1 MAR 544) ;

Cwynedd (Northwest Wales)
Cwynedd (Northwest Wales); St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ;

Anglesey Island, Northwest Wales, Ynys Mon
Anglesey Island, Northwest Wales, Ynys Mon; St. Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13;

River Conwy Source (along the Border)

River Conwy 1 (Lake Conwy, Migneint Moorland)

River Conwy 2 (Llanrwst)
Llanrwst;

River Conwy Mouth, Conwy Bay Irish Sea

Rhos (North Wales) (East of the River Conwy)
Rhos (North Wales) (East of the River Conwy); St. Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13;

England, Lake District of England Folder, including Solway Firth, Northwest ENG

Keswick, England (Lake Diistrict)
Keswick, England ; Keswik, England, home of the Oxford Group; SAMUEL SHOEMAKER, PRIEST AND EVANGELIST, 1963, Commemorated January 31 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Black Lyne Source

Lyne River White Lyne

White Lyne Source

Lyne River Mouth (Solway Firth)

Eden River Source (Mallerstang)

Eden River 1 (Petteril and Caldrew Rivers)

Carlisle, Cumbria, Lake District, England (Eden River 1)
Carlisle, Cumbria; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Caldew River Source (Mt Skiddaw)

Solway Plain (between Calder River and Solway Firth (inlet))
Solway Plain; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430);

Petteril River Source (near Penruddock and Motherby)

Eden River Mouth (Solway Firth)

Esk River Source (Esk Hause Pass)
Esk River Source (Esk Hause Pass);

Esk River Mouth (Irish Sea)

Isle of Man
Isle of Man; Saint David, Bishop of Wales, Commemorated on March 1;

England, Manchester, Mersey River Folder, Northwest Midlands

England, Manchester History Folder

Battle of Brunaburh, 937
Battle of Brunaburh; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

Mersey River Source (River Etherow Mouth)

Mersey River 1 (Stockport)

Mersey River 1 (Goyt River Mouth)

Mersey River 1 (Tame River Mouth)

Mersey River 2 (Manchester)

Mersey River 4 (Manchester)

Mersey River 6

Mersey River 8

River Irwell Source (Cliviger, Lancashire)

River Irwell 1 (Littleborough)

River Irwell 2 (Bury)

River Medlock Source (between Oldham and Saddleworth)

Mancunium Bluff (Between Medlock and Irwell Rivers)
Mancunium Bluff (Between Medlock and Irwell Rivers); CATHERINE WINKWORTH, POET, 7 August 1878 ;

River Medlock Mouth (River Irwell)

River Irwell Mouth, Manchester Ship Canal

Flixton or Felixton, Greater Manchester, Manchester Ship Canal
Flixton or Felixton, Greater Manchester, Manchester Ship Canalr; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Eccles, near Salford, Lancashire, near Manchester, England
Eccles, near Salford, Lancashire, England; William W. Mayo of WILLIAM W. MAYO, CHARLES MENNINGER, and their SONS, PIONEERS IN MEDICINE, 1911, 1953, Commemorated March 6 ;

Manchester Ship Canal Mouth (Mersey River 9)

Mersey River 10

North West England (Manchester)
North West England; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, Commemorated January 19 ;

Bridgewater Canal (Runcorn)

Bridgewater Canal (Manchester)

Bridgewater Canal (Leigh)

Mersey River Mouth (Irish Sea)

Battle of Brunaburh, 937, Wirral Penninsula, Mersey River Mouth
England, 937, Battle of Brunaburh, Saxon England v Scotland and Ireland; Martyr Nectan of Hartland, Commemorated on June 17;

River Dee (Wales) (Chester, England)

Parkgate, Cheshire, Manchester (East Side River Dee, across from Wales)
Parkgate, Cheshire; WILFRED GRENFELL, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, 9 October 1940;

England, West Midlands Merica Folder

England, West Midlands Mercia History Folder

Kingdom of Mercia, 527-918, Yorkshire (centered on Trent River Valley)
Kingdom of Mercia; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

King of Mercia, 626-655, Penda of Mercia
King of Mercia, 626-655, Penda of Mercia; Battle of Maserfield 642 was fought on 5 August 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. Oswald was Christian, Penda was Pagan, Oswald was Northumbrian and Penda was Welsh. ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

England, West Midlands Mercia, Birmingham Folder

Hamstead Bridge, West Midlands, Birmingham Area
Hamstead Bridge, West Midlands ; Francis Asbury of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15;

Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, Mercia, West Midlands
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, Mercia, West Midlands; England, 1508-1569, Bible Translator and Bishop, Miles Coverdale; WILLIAM TYNDALE and MILES CLOVERDALE, TRANSLATOR OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Bishop Ashbury College
Bishop Ashbury College; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD Evangelists, 1816, 1770;

Great Barr, Sandwell
Great Barr, Sandwell; Bishop Ashbury College; FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD Evangelists, 1816, 1770;

Lichfield, West Midlands, Birmingham Area
Lichfield; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

Mercia, West Anglia (River Trent and Birmingham Area)
Mercia Region (West Anglia, River Trent); St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870); WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ;

Watling Street

Lichfield Cathedral, Birmingham Area, West Medlands, 700
Lichfield Cathedral ; WILLIAM LAUD, ARCHBISHOP AND MARTYR (10 JANUARY 1645) ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878);

England, West Midlands Mercia, River Avon Folder

River Avon, Warwickshire Source (Naseby)

River Avon 1 (Welford)

River Avon 2 (Stanford Reservoir)

Lutterworth, West Midlands (Market, Stagecoach Stop, River Avon 2)
Lutterworth; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ;

Rugby, Warwickshire, West Midlands (River Avon 3)
Rugby, Warwickshire; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944) ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, AKA Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929;

River Avon 3 (Rugby)

Warwickshire, West Midlands (Avon River 3.5)
Warwickshire; RICHARD BAXTER, PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire, West Midlands
Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire ; WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

River Avon 4 (Stratford-on-Avon)

River Avon 5 (Vale of Evesham)

Cotswolds (limestone hills), between West and East Midlands (Avon River Mouth)
Cotswolds; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

River Avon Mouth (River Severn 7)

England, West Midlands Mercia, River Severn Folder (Wales and West Midlands)

Schewsbury, Wales and West Midlands, Charles Darwin, Theory of Evolution, 1859
England, 1859, Charles Darwin and his book On the Origin of Species;

Kidderminster, West Midlands (Severn River 5.5)
Kidderminster, West Midlands ; RICHARD BAXTER PASTOR AND WRITER, 1691, Commemorated December 8 ;

Wyche, Worchester West Midlands (Droitwich Spa, Severn River 5.7)
Wyche (Droitwich Spa); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253), Richard of Wyche ;

Worcester, West Midlands, England (River Severn 6)
Worcester; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555); Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915. AND CHARLES GORE. BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, both commemorated January 16; WULFSTAN OF WORCESTER, Commemorated January 19 ; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, AKA Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Worcester Cathedral, West Midlands, Wales (River Severn 6) 1084
Worcester (pronounced "Wooster") Cathedral; HUGH LATIMER, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555); CHARLES GORE; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, AKA Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Saint Paul's Church, Worcester
Saint Paul's Church, Worcester; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8;

Droitwich Spa (Wyche), Worchester West Midlands
Wyche (Droitwich Spa); RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253), Richard of Wyche ;

Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills;

Wyche, Worcestershire, Wales (Malvern Hills)
Wyche, Worcestershire ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253) ;

Gloucester, England (on Wales border, River Severn 7)
Gloucester, England (on Wales border); George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Crypt School, Gloucester, 1539
Crypt School, Gloucester George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

England, East Midlands Folder

River Witham Source (Wymondham, Leicestershire)
Wymondham, Leicestershire

River Witham 1 (Grantham Canal to River Trent)
Grantham Canal;

River Witham 2 (Foss Dyke Canal at Lincoln)
Foss Dyke Canal;

Lincoln, East Midlands, Yorkshire (River Witham, Foss Dyke Canal)
Lincoln, Yorkshire, England; HUGH OF LINCOLN BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200); ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Lincoln Cathedral, 1072
Lincoln Cathedral, 1072; William Byrd of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21;

River Witham 3 (Barlings Eau (river) at Short Ferry)
Barlings Eau;

Alford, Lincolnshire, East Midlands (River Witham 3)
Alford, Lincolnshire; Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated January 5;

River Witham Mouth (East Midlands, The Wash)

Boston, Lincolnshire, East Midlands (River Witham Mouth)
Boston, Lincolnshire, East Midlands (River Witham Mouth); John Cotton (minister); Anne Hutchinson of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated January 5;

River Welland Source (Hothorpe Hills, East Midlands)
Hothorpe Hills, East Midlands;

Northampton, East Midlands (River Welland North of River Ouse)
Northampton; HUGH OF LINCOLN BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

River Welland 1 (River Jordan, Northamptonshire)

River Jordan, Northhamptonshire, Source (Northwest of Dedsborough)

River Jordan, Northamtonshire 1, Braybrooke

River Welland 2 (Eye Brook)

Oakham School, East Midlands (near River Welland and Great North Road)
Oakham School; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10;

Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, East Midlands
Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761);

River Welland 3 (River Chater)

Stamford, East Midlands (River Welland, Lincolnshire)
Stamford, Lincolnshire ; HUGH OF LINCOLN BISHOP, PROTECTOR OF THE OPPRESSED (17 NOV 1200);

River Welland 4 (River Glen, Lincolnshire)

River Welland Mouth (East Midlands, The Wash)

River Nene Source, Arbury Hill
River Nene Source, Arbury Hill;

Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, East Midlands (Rivers Nene and Ouse Source)
Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, Entland; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated on 19th 0ctober.;

River Nene 1, Northhamton
River Nene 1, Northhamton;

Piddington, Northhamptonshire, East Midlands (River Nene 1)
Piddington, Northhamptonshire, East Midlanda, Entland ; Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, Entland; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated on 19th 0ctober.;

River Nene 2 (Great Billing)
River Nene 2 (Great Billing);

Moulton, Northhamptonshire, East Midlands (River Nene 2)
Moulton, Northhamptonshire, East Midlands, England ; Piddington, Northhamptonshire, East Midlanda, Entland ; Paulerspury, Northhamptonshire, Entland; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated on 19th 0ctober.;

River Nene 3 (Cogenhoe)
River Nene 3 (Cogenhoe);

River Nene 4 (Earls Barton)
River Nene 4 (Earls Barton);

River Nene 5 (Wellingborough)
River Nene 5 (Wellingborough);

River Nene 5 (River Ise)

River Nene 6 (Irthlingborough)
River Nene 6 (Irthlingborough);

River Nene 7 (Great Addington)
River Nene 7 (Great Addington);

River Nene 8 (Thrapston)
River Nene 8 (Thrapston);

River Nene 9 (The Fens)
River Nene 9 (The Fens);

Peterborough, Cambridgeshire County Seat
Peterborough ; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836);

Peterborough Cathedral, 1118
Peterborough Cathedral, 1118; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836);

Ramsey abbey in Huntingdonshire, 975
Ramsey abbey in Huntingdonshire; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Leighton Bromswold, West Cambridgeshire, East Midlands
Leighton Bromswold; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Little Gidding, Cambridgeshire, East Midlands
Little Gidding; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Huntingdonshire, East Midlands
Huntingdonshire; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

River Nene 10 (Peterborough)
River Nene 10 (Peterborough);

River Nene 11 (Tydd Gote)
River Nene 11 (Tydd Gote);

River Nene Mouth, The Wash, East Midlands

Great River Ouse Source (Syresham)
Syresham, Northhamptonshire ;

Great River Ouse 1 (Brackley, Northhamptonshire)
Brackley, Northhamptonshire;

Great River Ouse 2 (Buckingham)
Buckingham

Great River Ouse 3 (Stony Stratford)
Stony Stratford

Great River Ouse 3.1 (Milton Keynes)
Milton Keynes;

Great River Ouse 4 (Newport Pagnell)
Newport Pagnell ;

Great River Ouse 5 (Olney, Buckinghamshire)
Olney, Buckinghamshire ;

Great River Ouse 6 (Kempston, Bedfordshire)
Kempston, Bedfordshire, current head of navigation ;

Great River Ouse (6.1 Bedford)
Bedford;

Bedford (home of John Bunyan)
Bedford ; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688; was born in 1628 near Bedford, in the agricultural midlands of England. He was the son of a tinker (a maker and mender of metal pots). He had little schooling. During the English Civil War, he served in the Parliamentary Army. He underwent a period of acute spiritual anxiety, and finally found peace in a Baptist congregation. He became a lay preacher, while earning his living as a tinker. the Restoration in 1660, Bunyan (under suspicion for having fought on the anti-Anglican side) was ordered to preach no more, and, since he refused to desist, he was several times sentenced to jail, where he spent his time studying, preaching to his fellow prisoners, and writing. His first substantial work was an autobiography, Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners. This was followed by other works, of which by far the most read and most loved is his The Pilgrim's Progress From This World To That Which Is To Come, usually called Pilgrim's Progress. The work recounts in allegorical form the experience of a person (called Christian), from his his first awareness of his sinfulness and spiritual need, to his personal conversion to Christ, to his walk as a believer. He is shown as a pilgrim in this world on his way to the "Celestial City," which will be his true home forever. The work was an immediate sensation, and its popularity endured. For a century and more thereafter, there were many English-speaking Christians who were thoroughly familiar with only two books, The Bible and Pilgrim's Progress. (Those who have read the book or seen the movie Little Women, portraying the life of an American family in the 1860's, will remember that the book was a family favorite.) extracts follow: Pilgrim's Progress In the Similitude of A Dream I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on A certain place where was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: and, as I slept, I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and, as he read, he wept, and trembled; and, not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, What shall I do? this plight, therefore, he went home and refrained himself As long as he could, that his wife and children should not perceive his distress; but he could not be silent long, because that his trouble increased. Wherefore at length he brake his mind to his wife and children; and thus he began to talk to them: O my dear wife, said he, and you the children of my bowels, I, your dear friend, am in my self undone by reason of a burden that lieth hard upon me; moreover, I am for certain informed that this our city will be burned with fire from heaven; in which fearful overthrow, both myself, with thee my wife, and you my sweet babes, shall miserably come to ruin, except (the which yet I see not) some way of escape can be found, whereby we may be delivered. At this his relations were sore amazed; not for that they believed that what he had said to them was true, but because they thought that some frenzy distemper had got into his head; therefore, it drawing towards night, and they hoping that sleep might settle his brains, with all haste they got him to bed. But the night was as troublesome to him as the day; wherefore, instead of sleeping, he spent it in sighs and tears. So, when the morning was come, they would know how he did. He told them, Worse and worse: he also set to talking to them again; but they began to be hardened. They also sought to drive away his distemper by harsh and surly carriages to him; sometimes they would deride, sometimes they would chide, and sometimes they would quite neglect him. Wherefore he began to retire himself to his chamber, to pray for and pity them, and also to condole his own misery; he would also walk solitarily in the fields, sometimes reading, and sometimes praying: and thus for some days he spent his time. I saw, upon a time, when he was walking in the fields, That he was, as he was wont, reading in his book, and greatly distressed in his mind; and, as he read, he burst out, as he had done before, crying, What shall I do to be saved? saw also that he looked this way and that way, as if he would Run; yet he stood still, because, as I perceived, he could not tell which way to go. I looked then, and saw a man named Evangelist coming to him, who asked, Wherefore dost thou cry? He answered, Sir, I perceive by the book in my hand, at I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment; and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second. said Evangelist, Why not willing to die, since this life Is attended with so many evils? The man answered, Because I fear that this burden that is upon my back will sink me lower than the grave, and I shall fall into Tophet. And, Sir, if I be not fit to go to prison, I am not fit, I am sure, to go to judgment, and from thence to execution; and the thoughts of these things make me cry. said Evangelist, If this be thy condition, why standest Thou still? He answered, Because I know not whither to go. Then he gave him a parchment roll, and there was written within, Flee from the wrath to come. when he [Christian] was got up to the top of the Hill, There came two men running up against him amain; the name of the one was Timorous, and the name of the other Mistrust. To whom Christian said, "Sirs, what's the matter you run the wrong way?" Timorous answered that they were going to the city of Sion, and had got up that difficult place; "But," said he, "the further we go, the more danger we meet with, wherefore we turned, and are going back again." said Mistrust, 'for just before us lie a couple of Lions in the way, whether sleeping or waking we know not and we could not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces." said Christian, "You make me afraid, but whither Shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture: to go back is nothing but death, to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward." So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the Hill, and Christian went on his way. I saw in my dream, that these two men [Christian and Hopeful] went in at the Gate; and lo, as these entered they were transfigured, and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There was also that met them, with harps and crowns, and gave them to them, the harp to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. Then I heard in my dream, that all the bells in the City rang again for joy; and that it was said unto them, "Enter Ye Into the Joy of Your Lord." I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice, saying, "Blessing, Honour, Glory, and Power, Be To Him That Sitteth Upon the Throne and To the Lamb For Ever and Ever." just as the Gates were opened to let in the men, I Looked in after them; and behold, the City shone like the sun, the streets also were paved with gold, and in them walked many men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises withal. were also of them that had wings, and they answered One another without intermission, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Is The Lord. And after that, they shut up the Gates: which when I had seen, I wished myself among them. died 31 August 1688, and is remembered on the 30th. [August 29th in the Episcopal Church.] by James Kiefer

Bedfordshire, East Midlands
Bedfordshire; JOHN BUNYAN, WRITER, 30 August 1688;

Great River Ouse 7 (St Neots, Cambridgeshire)
St Neots, Cambridgeshire ;

Buckden, Cambridgeshire, East Midlands (Ouse River 7.5)
Buckden, Cambridgeshire, Home of John Williams and many other Bishops of Lincoln ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Great River Ouse 8 (Godmanchester)
Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse 8.3 (Hemingford Grey)
Hemingford Grey ;

Great River Ouse 8.5 (St Ives, Cambridgeshire)
St Ives, Cambridgeshire ;

Saint Ives (one of Oliver Cromwell's homes)
Saint Ives; one of Oliver Cromwell's homes. NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ;

Great River Ouse 9 (Earith, a tidal section)
Earith, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse 10 (Ely, Cambridgeshire)
Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely Cathedral;

Great River Ouse Mouth (The Wash, Kings Lynn, UK)
River Great Ouse;

King's Lynn, Norfolk, East Midlands and The Broads
King's Lynn; MARGERY KEMPE ; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

Cotswolds (limestone hills), between East and West Midlands (Avon River Mouth)
Cotswolds; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Playwright, 23 April, 1616;

Chiltern Hills (a chalk ridge, south boundary of Bedfordshire)
Chiltern Hills (a chalk ridge, south boundary of Bedfordshire) ;

England, Broads Folder, a Navigatable River System, East Anglia

England, Broads East Anglia History Folder

East Anglia, 599-624, Raedwald, King of East Anglia, Sutton Hoo
Raedwald, King of East Anglia 599-624; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

East Anglia, 629-634, Sigeberht, Rendlesham
Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634 ; Rendlesham; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

England, Broads, 1825-1872, F.D. Maurice, Anglican theologian, Christian Socialism
England, Broads, 1825-1872, F.D. Maurice, Anglican theologian, Christian Socialism; PAUL JONES, BISHOP (4 SEP 1941);

England, Broads, 1877, Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

England, Broads, River Cam Folder, Cambridge, Upstream and West

River Cam Source (River Rhee Source, Ashwell Springs)
Ashwell Springs ;

River Cam (Mathematical Bridge)
Mathematical Bridge;

River Cam (Cambridge)

Cambridge (at the head of the Broads River System, River Cam 2)
Cambridge; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761) ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872) ; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 630 or 1209
University of Cambridge; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; WILLIAM TYNDALE ; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; England, 630-648, Saint Felix of Burgundy and Dunwich; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; Felix, the Apostle of East Anglia, was born in the Burgundy region of Gaul (now France). It was he who converted King Sigebert (September 27), King of East Anglia, while he was in exile in Gaul. He was forced to flee there, in order to save himself from the intrigues of his kinsmen. Saint Sigebert (or Sigerberht, which means 'bright victory') was summoned home to claim his ancestral crown, he invited his Spiritual Father, Saint Felix, to leave Gaul to assist him in converting his idolatrous subjects to Christianity. Saint Felix was consecrated as a bishop in 631 by Archbishop Honorius of Canterbury (September 30), who sent him to preach in East Anglia. new Bishop was quite successful in his ministry. After seventeen years.he had converted almost the entire region. He established churches, monasteries, and a school for boys with the help of King Siegbert, and Saint Felix provided him with teachers from Canterbury. Because of this, some regard him as the founder of the university of Cambridge. Saint Felix also established schools at Felixstoe and at Flixton, or Felixton. after two years, King Sigebert abdicated in favor of his cousin Egric, and entered the monastery at Cnobersburgh, now Burgh Castle in Suffolk, the monastery he had founded for Saint Fursey, or Fursa (January 16), who had lived there for about ten years. In 642, after Saint Sigebert was killed in battle against King Penda of Mercia, Saint Fursey made a pilgrimage to Rome.Then he travelled to Gaul, where he established a monastery at Lagny-sur-Marne, near Paris, around the year 644. Felix reposed in 648 and was buried at Dunwich, but his relics were transferred to Ramsey Abbey in Huntingdonshire in 971. Saint Felix has given his name to Felixstowe in Suffolk, and to Felixkirk in Yorkshire. He is mentioned by Saint Bede (History of the English Church and People, Book 3, chapters 18 and 20). was once a large city, with fifty-two religious establishments, but was gradually swallowed up by the sea. The remains of the steeples may still be seen, underwater, about five miles from shore. FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, 1400
Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) ;

Trinity College, Cambridge, 1546
Trinity College, Cambridge; Fellow of Trinity; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633) ;

Emmanuel College, Cambridge, 1584
Emmanuel College, Cambridge; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761);

Pembrook College, Cambridge, 1347
Pembrook College, Cambridge; Roger Williams of ROGER WILLIAMS and ANNE HUTCHINSON, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1683, 1643, Commemorated February 5;

Clare College, Cambridge, 1326
Clare College, Cambridge; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10 ;

St John's College, Cambridge, 1511
St John's College, Cambridge; Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE, PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ;

River Cam (Bridge of Sighs (Cambridge))
Bridge of Sighs (Cambridge);

River Cam Mouth (Great River Ouse (Ely, Cambridgeshire)

England, Broads, Great River Ouse Folder, Western Broads

Great River Ouse (Buckingham)
Buckingham

Great River Ouse (Stony Stratford)
Stony Stratford

Great River Ouse (Milton Keynes)
Milton Keynes;

Great River Ouse (Newport Pagnell)
Newport Pagnell ;

Great River Ouse (Olney, Buckinghamshire)
Olney, Buckinghamshire ;

Great River Ouse (Kempston, Bedfordshire)
Kempston, Bedfordshire, current head of navigation ;

Great River Ouse (Bedford)
Bedford;

Great River Ouse (St Neots, Cambridgeshire)
St Neots, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse (Godmanchester)
Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse (Hemingford Grey)
Hemingford Grey ;

Great River Ouse (St Ives, Cambridgeshire)
St Ives, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse (Earith, a tidal section)
Earith, Cambridgeshire ;

Great River Ouse (Ely, River Cam, Cambridgeshire)
Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely Cathedral;

England, Broads, Lower Great River Ouse Folder, Navigation and Tidal Section

Great River Ouse (Kempston, Bedfordshire, Head of Navigation)
Kempston, Bedfordshire, current head of navigation ;

Great River Ouse (Ely, Cambridgeshire)
Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely Cathedral;

Houghton, Norfolk (Robert Walpole)
Houghton, Norfolk (Robert Walpole); Robert Walpole;

Brunham, Bishop's Lynn, now King's Lynn, Norfolk, East Midlands and The Broads
King's Lynn; MARGERY KEMPE ; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

The Wash
The Wash;

England, Broads, River Yare Folder, Norwich, Northeast

River Wensum Source
River Wensum;

River Wensum 1

River Wensum Mouth (Norwich, River Yare 1)

Norwich, The Broads (River Wensum Mouth, River Yare 1)
Norwich; MARGERY KEMPE; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417);

River Yare Source

River Yare 1 (Norwich, River Wensum)

River Yare Mouth (Breydon Water North Sea)
River Yare;

Cnobersburgh Monastery at BURGH CASTLE, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, North Sea
Cnobersburgh Monastery at BURGH CASTLE, Great Yarmouth, North Sea; Saint Felix of Burgundy, Bishop of Dunwich, Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Broads, Bungay River Folder, Dunwich, East

Bungay River Source

Bungay River Mouth

Dunwich, East Anglia, the Broads, now under water
Dunwich; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Broads, Rivers Orwell and Stour Folder, Suffolk County, Southeast

River Orwell Source (along the border)

Mildenhall (Air Field on A11)

Bury St. Edmunds, the Broads
Bury St. Edmunds ; EDMUND OF EAST ANGLIA, KING AND MARTYR (20 NOV 870) ;

Felixstowe, Suffok, East Anglia, The Broads
Felixstowe; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

monastery of Barking (Berecingum) in Essex
monastery of Barking (Berecingum) in Essex; Venerable Ethelburga, Commemorated October 11 ;

River Orwell Mouth (The Broads, English Channel)

Suffolk County, the Broads
Suffolk County; ROBERT GROSSETESTE, BISHOP OF LINCOLN (9 OCT 1253) ; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

River Stour Source (the Broads System of Rivers)

River Stour Mouth (English Channel, The Broads)

England, Northumbria Folder (North of the Humber Estuary), Northeast ENG

Deira, Northumbria, Capital, York, Yorkshire
Deira, Northumbria ; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

Bernicia, Northumbria, Scottish Borders
Bernicia; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ;

England, Northumbria Yorkshire History Folder

England, 559ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“664, Kingdom of Deira, Yorkshire (from the Huber to the Tees, aka Vale of York)
Kingdom of Deira; Vale of York St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

England, 593-616, King of the English, Ethelred of Bernicia, Ethelfirth
England, 593-616, King of the English, Ethelred of Bernicia, Ethelfirth ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

England, Northumbria, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651);

England, Northumbria, 616-633, King of the English, Edwin of Northumbria (Bernecia)
King of the English, 616-633, Edwin of Northumbria (Bernecia); AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Northumbria, 620-647, English Queen, Ethelburg of Kent
Northumbria, 620-647, English Queen, Ethelburg of Kent ; Kingdom of Kent, 455-871 ; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Northumbria, 633-642, King of the English, Oswald of Northumbria, Diera, York
King of the English, 633-642, Oswald of Northumbria; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Northumbria, 633-642, King of the English, Oswald of Northumbria, Bamburgh
King of the English, 633-642, Oswald of Northumbria; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Battle of Heavenfield, 633 or 634
Battle of Heavenfield, 633 or 634; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

Battle of Maserfield, 641, Oswald Killed in battle with Penda of Wales
Battle of Maserfield, 641, Oswald Killed in battle with Penda; Saint Aidan, Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31;

England, Northumbria, 642-670, King of the English, Oswin (Oswiu) of Northumbria, Bamburgh Castle
England, Northumbria, 642-670, King of the English, Oswin (Oswiu) of Northumbria King of the English, 633-642, Oswald of Northumbria; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St James the Deacon, Commemorated on October 18; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Northumbria, 654-687, Saint, Cuthbert
England, 654-687, Saint, Cuthbert; Melrose Abbey; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

England, Northumbria, 663-664, Synod of Whitby
Synod of Whitby 663-664; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

England, Northumbria, 678-739, Saint, WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, from Northumbria, England
Scotland, 610-651, Saint, Irish Monk, Aidan of Lindisfarne, England; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); WILLIBRORD OF UTRECHT, ARCHBISHOP AND MISSIONARY (NOV 7, 739);

England, Northumbria, 780, Cynewulf of Lindisfarne, the Poet
Cynewulf of Lindisfarne the Poet 780;

England, Northumbria, Scottish Borders Folder

Melrose Abbey, Scottish Borders, Northumbria, Great North Road, Tweed River 5
Melrose Abbey; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

River Leader Mouth (Tweed River 5)

Bernicia, Scottish Borders
Bernicia; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ;

Norham Castle (Tweed River 7)
Norham Castle; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Inner Farne, Northumbria
Inner Farne; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, Commemorated August 31 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Holy Isle (Lindisfarne)
Holy Isle (Lindisfarne); AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

Lindisfarne, Northumbria or Scottish Borders, Tweed River Mouth
Lindisfarne; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5 ; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated August 31 ; Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated on September 19 ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Farne Islands, Northumbria
Farne Islands; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Kingdom of Bernicia, Northumbria, England
Kingdom of Bernicia; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

Bamburg, Northumbria (Royal Town of)
Bamburg; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ;

Church of St Peter at Bamburgh Castle
Church of St Peter at Bamburgh Castle; Saint Aidan, Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31;

England, Northumbria, Tyne River Folder

Tyne River - North Tyne Source (north of Kielder Water)

North Tyne River 1

North Tyne River 2 (Bellingham, Northumberland)

Northumberland (North Tyne River 2)
Northumberland; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

North Tyne River 3 (Heavenfield)

Heavenfield, Northumbria
Heavenfield, Northumbria; St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated on August 5;

Tyne River - South Tyne Source (Alston Moor)

South Tyne River 1 (Haltwhistle)

Tyne River Confluence (Hexham)

Hexham, Northumbria (River Tyne 1 and Confluence)
Hexham; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Tyne River 1

Tyne River 2

Chester-le-Street, Northumbria
Chester-le-Street; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Durham, Northumbria (Great North Road and Tyne River)
Durham; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; Joseph Butler of GEORGE BERKELEY and JOSEPH BUTLER, BISHOPS and THEOLOGIANS (1753, 1752), Commemorated June 16 ;

Tyne River Mouth (Cleofirth's Monastery, North Sea)
Tyne River; WILLIAM TEMPLE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (6 NOV. 1944);

Wearmouth-Jarrow Priory, Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey
Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27;

Wearmouth-Jarrow Abby (Tyne River Mouth) 682
Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27;

Cleofirth's Monastery, Northumbria, 682
Cleofirth's Monastery, Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27;

Jarrow, Northumbria (Tyne River Mouth)
Jarrow; Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey; BEDE THE VENERABLE, PRIEST, MONK, SCHOLAR (25 MAY 735); Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Sunderland, England (Tyne River Mouth, Northumbria)
Sunderland, Tyne and Wear; George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ; England, 1874-1930, Alexander Boddy, Founder Pentacostalism in England; England, 1879-1947, PENTACOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

Monkwearmouth, Sunderland
Monkwearmouth, Sunderland; England, 1874-1930, Alexander Boddy, Founder Pentacostalism in England; England, 1879-1947, PENTACOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

England, Northumbria, Roman Wall Folder - The Wall - Hadrian's Wall

England, Northumbria, Tees River Folder

Tees River Source (Cross Fell, Pennines)
Cross Fell;

Pennine Hills
Pennine Hills;

Tees River Mouth (North Sea)

England, Northumbria, River Esk Folder, Whidby Abby

River Esk Source (Eskets on Westerdale Moor)

River Esk Mouth (North Sea)

Whitby Abbey, Northumbria, 657 (just north of North Yorkshire Moors)
Whitby Abbey ; Synod of Whitby, 663-664; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG); St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680); St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Robin Hood's Bay
St Edwin, King and Martyr;

Fylingdales Ballistic Missile Early Warning System, River Esk Mouth, North Yourkshire Moors
Fylingdales Ballistic Missile Early Warning System; Saint Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

England, Northumbria, Yorkshire Folder, East Central ENG

Yorkshire County
Yorkshire County; JOHN WYCLIF, TRANSLATOR AND CONTROVERSIALIST, 30 OCT. 1384 ; HILDA OF WHITBY, ABBESS AND PEACEMAKER (18 NOV 680);

Rievaulx, Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire, 1132
Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ;

Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire, 1132
Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire; AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT (12 JANUARY 1167) ;

Lastingham, North Yorkshire
Lastingham, North Yorkshire; Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering, North Yorkshire; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

Felixkirk, North Yorkshire
Felixkirk; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Catterick in North Yorkshire
Catterick in North Yorkshire ; St James the Deacon, Commemorated October 18 ;

River Hull Source

Godmanham, Hull River 1, Yorkshire
Godmanham, Yorkshire, Northumbria; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

River Hull 1 (Beverley in Yorkshire)

Beverley in Yorkshire (River Hull 1)
Beverley; in Yorkshire; JOHN MERBECKE of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

River Hull Mouth (Hull and Ouse Estuary, North Sea)

Kingston upon Hull (Yorkshire, Hull River)
Kingston upon Hull (Yorkshire, Hull River); ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

River Ouse Source (Cuddy Shaw Reach, near Linton-on-Ouse)
Cuddy Shaw Reach, near Linton-on-Ouse;

River Ouse 1

Ure River (Ure Head, along the border)

Ure River 1 (Richmondshire)

Richmondshire District, Yorkshire
Coverdale District North Riding of Yorkshire Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Cover River Source

Coverdale (dale), Yorkshire Dales
Coverdale (dale), Yorkshire dales; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE] TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Cover River Mouth (Ure River)

Ure River 2 (Coverdale, Cover River Mouth)

Ure River 3 (Ripon)

Ripon, Yorkshire, Northumbria (Ure River 3)
Ripon; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Fountains Abbey at Ripon, Yorkshire, 1132
Fountains Abbey at Ripon; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20;

Ure River Mouth (River Ouse 1)

River Ouse 2

River Ouse 4

River Ouse 8 (York)

River Foss Source (Oulston Reservoir)
Oulston;

Danelaw - Area Controlled by the Danes and Guthrum, 878
Danelaw - Area Controlled by the Danes, 878; Guthrum, Danish King in Danelaw, 878; ALFRED THE GREAT, KING OF THE WEST SAXONS (26 OCT 899);

Kingdom of Deira, Yorkshire (from the Huber to the Tees, aka Vale of York)
Kingdom of Deira; Vale of York St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ; CHAD OF LICHFIELD, (2 MAR 672) ;

River Foss Mouth (York, River Ouse 8)

Deira, Kingdom of Deira, 559-664, Yorkshire
Deira, Kingdom of Deira, 559-664, Yorkshire; St. Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12; Saint Cedd of Lastingham, Commemorated on January 7;

River Ouse 10 (York)

River Ouse 22 (River Aire)

Aire River Source (Malham Tarn)
Malham Tarn;

Aire River 1

Aire River 2

Aire River 3

Aire River 8 (Shipley)

Bradford, West Yorkshire (Aire River 8, Shipley)
Bradford, West Yorkshire (Aire River 8, Shipley); Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Menston, Yorkshire (Aire River 8, Shipley)
Menston, Yorkshire, birthplace of Smith Wigglesworth; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Aire River 9 (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

Leeds, West Yorkshire (River Aire 9)
Leeds; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8

Aire River 12 (Calder River, Castleford)

Calder River Source (Todmorden)

Calder River 1 (Calderdale)

Hebble Brook Source (Ogden Reservoir)

Hebble Brook 1 (Halifax)

Hebble Brook Mouth (Salterhebble)

Calder River 2 (Brighouse)

Mirfield, Yorkshire (near Aire River 8)
Mirfield, Yorkshire; Pusey House, Oxford; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Calder River Mouth (Aire River 12)

Hampole, South Yorkshire (Aire River 13, on the Great North Road)
Hampole; RICHARD ROLLE; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

Aire River Mouth (Ouse River 22)

River Ouse 30 (Overview)

River Ouse Mouth (Trent Falls, Humber Estuary)

Trent River Source (along the border)

Trent River 1 (Knypersley Reservoir)

Trent River 2 (Stoke-on-Trent )

Trent River 3 (Trentham Gardens, Trentham Estate)

Trent River 4 (Salt, Stratfordshire)

Trent River 5 (Great Haywood, Essex Bridge, Shugborough Hall)

Trent River 6 (Rugeley)

Trent River 7 (Kings Bromley)

Mease River Mouth Trent River 8

Trent River 8 (Alrewas)

Tame River Mouth, Trent River 8

Trent River 9 (Walton-on-Trent)

Trent River 10 (Burton upon Trent)

Dove River Source (Axe Edge Moor, Peak District)

Dove River 1 (Hartington, Derbyshire)

Dovedale Gorge

Dove River 2 (Ilam, Staffordshire)

Dove River 3 (Mayfield, Staffordshire)

Dove River 4 (Rocester)

River Churnet Mouth

River Tean Mouth

Dove River 5 (Hatton, Derbyshire)

Dove River Mouth, Trent River 10

Staunton Harold Hall, Salina Hastings (Doe River, Trent River 10)
Staunton Harold Hall; England, 1727-1791, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, built Calvanist Methodist Churches; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Trent River 11 (Willington, Derbyshire)

Trent River 12 (Swarkestone Bridge)

Donnington Hall, Salina Hastings, Calvinist Methodist Church Builder
Donnington Hall, Salina Hastings, Calvinist Methodist Church Builder; England, 1727-1791, Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, built Calvanist Methodist Churches; George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

Trent River 13 (Trent Mersey Canal Begins)

River Soar Source (Monks Kirby, Warwichshire)

River Soar 1 (Leicester, East Midlands)
Leicester, East Midlands;

Leicester, East Midlands (Soar River 1 East Midlands of Trent River 13.3 Yorkshire)
Leicester, East Midlands; WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834, Commemorated October 19;

River Soar 2 (Loughborough, East Midlands)
Loughborough, East Midlands;

River Soar Mouth (Trent River 13.3)

Trent River 14 (London College of Divinity)

London College of Divinity, Nottingham, Trent River14, South Yorkshire, 1863
London College of Divinity (St John's College, Nottingham); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

Nottingham, South Yorkshire, Northumbria (Trent River 14.3)
Nottingham, South Yorkshire, Northumbria (Trent River 14.3); George Jeffreys, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1962, Commemorated January 26 ;

Sneinton, Nottingham, South Yorksire, Northumbria (Trent River 14.4)
Sneinton, Nottingham (Trent River, Yorkshire); England, 1849-1912, William Boothe, Founder Salvation Army; PENTECOSTAL SAINT, Smith Wigglesworth, Commemorated March 12;

Trent River 15 (Newark, Nottinghamshire)

Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Sheffield, South Yorkshire ; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Swallownest
Swallownest; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Bethesda Church, Mansfield Road, Swallownest, SHEFFIELD, South Yorkshire S26 4UA, S26 4UA Sheffield
Bethesda Church, Mansfield Road, Swallownest, SHEFFIELD, South Yorkshire S26 4UA, S26 4UA Sheffield;

Newark-on-Trent
WILLIAM BYRD

Newark, Nottinghamshire (Trent River 15)
Newark, Nottinghamshire, on Trent; WALTER HILTON. 28 Sept. 1396 ; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

Saltergate, South Yorkshire (near Trent River 15)
Saltergate, Yorkshire; St Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated October 12 ;

Thurgarton Priory, near Newark, in Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire
Thurgarton Priory, near Newark, in Nottinghamshire; WALTER HILTON. 28 Sept. 1396 ; RICHARD ROLLE, WALTER HILTON, AND MARGERY KEMPE MYSTICS, 28 Sept. 1349, 1396, c. 1440;

Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, South Yorkshire, Trent River 15
Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, Yorkshire;

Trent River 16.5 (Hatfield Chase)

Hatfield Chase, Battle of , 633, Wales and Mercia over Northumbria (Trent River 16.5)
Battle of Hatfield Chase, 633, Gwynedd Wales and Mercia over Northumbria; Saint Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

Battle of Hatfield Chase, 633, Gwynedd Wales and Mercia over Northumbria
Battle of Hatfield Chase, 633, Gwynedd Wales and Mercia over Northumbria; Saint Edwin, King and Martyr, Commemorated on October 12;

Trent River Mouth (Hull and Ouse Estuary)

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire, 13 Colonies

England, New England, New World, 13 Colonies North America area
New England; 13 Colonies; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14;

England, British Empire - Thirteen North American Colonies
British Empire - Thirteen North American Colonies: The thirteen colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire, British West Indies

England, New England, New World, British West Indies Area
British West Indies;

England, British Empire - British West Indies
British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885;

England, India Folder, British Empire

England, British Empire, India (including Pakistan, Afganistan and Burma)
British Empire; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

England, Oceania Folder, British Empire

England, British Empire - Oceania area
Oceania area;

England, Gibraltar Folder, British Overseas Territory.kmz

British Empire - Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory
Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

England, China, Hong Kong Folder, Xi and Pearl Rivers

England, China, Hong Kong History

England, China, Hong Kong, 1842-1941 and 1945-1984, British Colony
Hong Kong, British Colony, 1842-1941 and 1945-1984; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

England, China, Hong Kong, 1941-1945, Japanese Occupation
Hong Kong, Japanese Occupation, 1941-1945 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

England, China, 1945-1984, Hong Kong, British Colony
Hong Kong, British Colony, 1945-1984 ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

England, China, Hong Kong, Xi River Folder, Macau

England, China, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong

Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997
Hong Kong ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Luxemborg Folder

Luxemborg, its Area

Luxemburg
Luxemburg;

Holy Roman Emperor Sigmund in Hus's Story was also King of Lumemburg and Metz
Luxemburg;

Councils, Tobit, etc.,

Councils, 325-787, Seven Ecumenical Councils Folder (Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon)

Councils, 325-787, Ecumenical Councils
First Seven Ecumenical Councils, 325-787, (325 Nicaea, 381 Constantinople, 431 Ephesus, 451 Chalcedon, 553 Constantinople, 680 Constantinople, and 787 Nicaea) ; First seven ecumenical councils Main article: First seven Ecumenical Councils copied from Wikipedia: In the history of Christianity, the first seven Ecumenical Councils, from the First Council of Nicaea (325) to the Second Council of Nicaea (787), represent an attempt to reach an orthodox consensus and to unify Christendom. All of the original Seven Ecumenical Councils as recognised in whole or in part were called by an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire and all were held in the Eastern Roman Empire, a recognition denied to other councils similarly called by an Eastern Roman emperor and held in his territory, in particular the Second Council of Ephesus (449) and the Council of Hieria (754), which saw themselves as ecumenical. First Council of Nicaea (325) repudiated Arianism, declared that Christ is "homoousios with the Father" (of the same substance as the Father), and adopted the original Nicene Creed; fixed Easter date; recognised authority of the sees of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch outside their own civil provinces and granted the see of Jerusalem a position of honour. First Council of Constantinople (381) repudiated Arianism and Macedonianism, declared that Christ is "born of the Father before all time", revised the Nicene Creed in regard to the Holy Spirit. Council of Ephesus (431) repudiated Nestorianism, proclaimed the Virgin Mary as the Theotokos ("Birth-giver to God", "God-bearer", "Mother of God"), repudiated Pelagianism, and reaffirmed the Nicene Creed. This and all the following councils in this list are not recognised by all of the Church of the East. Second Council of Ephesus (449) declared Eutyches orthodox and attacked his opponents. Though originally convened as an ecumenical council, this council is not recognised as ecumenical and is denounced as a Robber Council by the Chalcedonians (Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestants). Council of Chalcedon (451) repudiated the Eutychian doctrine of monophysitism, adopted the Chalcedonian Creed, which described the hypostatic union of the two natures of Christ, human and divine. Reinstated those deposed in 449 and deposed Dioscorus of Alexandria. Elevation of the bishoprics of Constantinople and Jerusalem to the status of patriarchates. This is also the last council explicitly recognised by the Anglican Communion. This and all the following councils in this list are rejected by Oriental Orthodox churches. Second Council of Constantinople (553) repudiated the Three Chapters as Nestorian, condemned Origen of Alexandria, decreed the Theopaschite Formula. Third Council of Constantinople (680ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“681) repudiated Monothelitism and Monoenergism. Quinisext Council, also called Council in Trullo (692) addressed matters of discipline (in amendment to the 5th and 6th councils). The Ecumenical status of this council was repudiated by the western churches. Second Council of Nicaea (787) restored the veneration of icons (condemned at the Council of Hieria, 754) and repudiated iconoclasm.

Councils, 325, First Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia
First Ecumenical Council; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326); St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31 ; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Councils, 381, Second Ecumenical Council, Constantinople
Second Ecumenical Council (381), First Council of Constantinople; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated November 23 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Councils, 431, Third Ecumenical Council, Ephesus
Third Ecumenical Council ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople.

Councils, 451, Fourth Ecumenical Council, Chalcedon, Bithynia
Fourth Ecumenical Counci; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated February 18; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Councils, 553, Fifth Ecumenical Council, Constantinople
Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), Second Council of Constantinople; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Councils, 680, Sixth Ecumenical Council, Constantinople
Sixth Ecumenical Council (680); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Councils, 787, Seventh Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia
Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Beret, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated December 26 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem (Spiritual Meadow), Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11;

Roman Road, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Tobit Locations (Great Story, Prophecy, and History)

Thisbe or Tishbe, Southern Galilee
Thisbe or Tishbe; Tobit 1;

Kedesh, Northern Galilee (Northern Naphtali)
Kedesh, Naphtali; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Persia, 25th Century BC- 612 BC, Assryia (Assur) Assyrian Kingdom

Samaria, 931BC-910BC, Israelite King, Jereboam
Samaria, Israelite King, 931BC-910BC, Jereboam, First King of Israel's Northern Kingdom ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Persia, Assryan Emperor, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib
Persia, Assryan Emperor, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated on August 28; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Nineveh; Jonah 3:1-10,4:1-11, Conversion of Nineveh ; TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Youth and Virtuous Life, 3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life. I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people who had gone with me in exile to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians. 4When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali deserted the house of David and Jerusalem. This city had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes of Israel should offer sacrifice and where the temple, the dwelling of God, had been consecrated and established for all generations for ever. Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Media region of Persia, Tehran
Media or Median Empire; Taken Captive to Nineveh: Tobit Chapter 1:10 After I was carried away captive to Assyria and came as a captive to Nineveh, everyone of my kindred and my people ate the food of the Gentiles, 11but I kept myself from eating the food of the Gentiles. 12Because I was mindful of God with all my heart, 13the Most High gave me favour and good standing with Shalmaneser,* and I used to buy everything he needed. 14Until his death I used to go into Media, and buy for him there. While in the country of Media I left bags of silver worth ten talents in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri. 15But when Shalmaneser* died, and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place, the highways into Media became unsafe and I could no longer go there. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16 ;

Persia, 705 BC - 681 BC, Assryan Emperor, Sennacherib
Persia, Assryan Emperor, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated on August 28; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon
Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon; Tobit Chapter 1: Sennacharib's sons kill him and Esarhaddon becomes King 21 But not forty* days passed before two of SennacheribÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s* sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon* reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar, the son of my brother Hanael* over all the accounts of his kingdom, and he had authority over the entire administration. 22Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to Nineveh. Now Ahikar was chief cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts under King Sennacherib of Assyria; so Esar-haddon* reappointed him. He was my nephew and so a close relative. ;

Mount Ararat, Armenia
Mount Ararat; Tobit Chapter 1: Courage in Burying the Dead: 16 In the days of Shalmaneser* I performed many acts of charity to my kindred, those of my tribe. 17I would give my food to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw the dead body of any of my people thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury it. 18I also buried any whom King Sennacherib put to death when he came fleeing from Judea in those days of judgement that the king of heaven executed upon him because of his blasphemies. For in his anger he put to death many Israelites; but I would secretly remove the bodies and bury them. So when Sennacherib looked for them he could not find them. 19Then one of the Ninevites went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. But when I realized that the king knew about me and that I was being searched for to be put to death, I was afraid and ran away. 20Then all my property was confiscated; nothing was left to me that was not taken into the royal treasury, except my wife Anna and my son Tobias. ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Armenia (a highland plateau, Aras River Valley, behind Mount Ararat)
Armenia; Mount Ararat; Armenian Plateau; Aras River; 45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia, Commemorated on July 10; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Hieromartyr Emilian, Commemorated on August 18 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT) ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Severian of Sebaste, Commemorated on September 9 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Martyr Rhipsime of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14 ; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Nikon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMetanoeite,ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated on November 26 ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18 ; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915, April 24th ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Dodo of the St David-Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on May 17; The Entrance of St Nino (Nina) the Enlightener into Georgia, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Michael of Parekhi, Commemorated on May 27; St Eutychius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30 ;

Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf)
Elymais or Elam (at the head of the Persian Gulf); Tobit Chapter 2, Tobit back in Nineva, again burying the dead, becomes blind from sparrow droppings, protected by Ahikar his nephew before Ahikar goes to Elymais 7 When the sun had set, I went and dug a grave and buried him. 8And my neighbours laughed and said, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Is he still not afraid? He has already been hunted down to be put to death for doing this, and he ran away; yet here he is again burying the dead!ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ 9That same night I washed myself and went into my courtyard and slept by the wall of the courtyard; and my face was uncovered because of the heat. 10I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall; their fresh droppings fell into my eyes and produced white films. I went to physicians to be healed, but the more they treated me with ointments the more my vision was obscured by the white films, until I became completely blind. For four years I remained unable to see. All my kindred were sorry for me, and Ahikar took care of me for two years before he went to Elymais. ;

Ecbatana in Media, Persia
Ecbatana in Media, Persia ; Tobit; Tobit Chapter 3: Sarah Falsely Accused in Ecbatana 7 On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, it also happened that Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was reproached by one of her fatherÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s maids. 8For she had been married to seven husbands, and the wicked demon Asmodeus had killed each of them before they had been with her as is customary for wives. So the maid said to her, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜You are the one who kills* your husbands! See, you have already been married to seven husbands and have not borne the name of* a single one of them. 9Why do you beat us? Because your husbands are dead? Go with them! May we never see a son or daughter of yours!ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™

Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran)
Rages, Media, Persia; Tobit; Tobit 4 Tobit Gives Instructions to His Son 4That same day Tobit remembered the money that he had left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media, 2and he said to himself, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Now I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobias and explain to him about the money before I die?ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ 3Then he called his son Tobias, and when he came to him he said, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜My son, when I die,* give me a proper burial. Honour your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her life. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her in anything. 4Remember her, my son, because she faced many dangers for you while you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave. 5 ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Revere the Lord all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing; 6for those who act in accordance with truth will prosper in all their activities. To all those who practise righteousness* 7give alms from your possessions, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. 8If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. 10For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. 11Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practise it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High. 12 ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your fatherÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. 13So now, my son, love your kindred, and in your heart do not disdain your kindred, the sons and daughters of your people, by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion. And in idleness there is loss and dire poverty, because idleness is the mother of famine. 14 ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Do not keep over until the next day the wages of those who work for you, but pay them at once. If you serve God you will receive payment. Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and discipline yourself in all your conduct. 15And what you hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. 16Give some of your food to the hungry, and some of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus as alms, and do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms. 17Place your bread on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. 18Seek advice from every wise person and do not despise any useful counsel. 19At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding, but the Lord himself will give them good counsel; but if he chooses otherwise, he casts down to deepest Hades. So now, my child, remember these commandments, and do not let them be erased from your heart. Money Left in Trust with Gabael 20 ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜And now, my son, let me explain to you that I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael son of Gabrias, at Rages in Media. 21Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and flee from every sin and do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™

Jerusalem
Jerusalem; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2 ; Council of Jerusalem, 50AD ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Apostle Silas of the Seventy; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated August 28 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT) ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Prophet Joel, Commemorated October 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; ByzantineÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“Persian War of 602ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“628 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated December 7 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated December 9 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Sunday before the Nativity, Commemorated December 18 ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated December 28 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilkgiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœCzestochowaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Silent of St SavaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT); Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Michael ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Black-RobedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT); Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Three HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 28; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilk-GiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Kaserin, across from Nineveh
Kaserin, across from Nineveh, Tobit Chapter 11: Homeward Journey 11When they came near to Kaserin, which is opposite Nineveh, Raphael said, 2ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜You are aware of how we left your father. 3Let us run ahead of your wife and prepare the house while they are still on the way.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ 4As they went on together Raphael* said to him, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Have the gall ready.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ And the dog* went along behind them. 5 Meanwhile, Anna sat looking intently down the road by which her son would come. 6When she caught sight of him coming, she said to his father, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Look, your son is coming, and the man who went with him!ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Sight Restored 7 Raphael said to Tobias, before he had approached his father, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜I know that his eyes will be opened. 8Smear the gall of the fish on his eyes; the medicine will make the white films shrink and peel off from his eyes, and your father will regain his sight and see the light.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ 9 Then Anna ran up to her son and threw her arms around him, saying, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Now that I have seen you, my child, I am ready to die.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ And she wept. 10Then Tobit got up and came stumbling out through the courtyard door. Tobias went up to him, 11with the gall of the fish in his hand, and holding him firmly, he blew into his eyes, saying, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Take courage, father.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ With this he applied the medicine on his eyes, 12and it made them smart.* 13Next, with both his hands he peeled off the white films from the corners of his eyes. Then Tobit* saw his son and* threw his arms around him, 14and he wept and said to him, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜I see you, my son, the light of my eyes!ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ Then he said, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Blessed be God, and blessed be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be blessed* throughout all the ages. 15 Though he afflicted me, he has had mercy upon me.* Now I see my son Tobias!ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ So Tobit went in rejoicing and praising God at the top of his voice. Tobias reported to his father that his journey had been successful, that he had brought the money, that he had married RaguelÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s daughter Sarah, and that she was, indeed, on her way there, very near to the gate of Nineveh. 16 Then Tobit, rejoicing and praising God, went out to meet his daughter-in-law at the gate of Nineveh. When the people of Nineveh saw him coming, walking along in full vigour and with no one leading him, they were amazed. 17Before them all, Tobit acknowledged that God had been merciful to him and had restored his sight. When Tobit met Sarah the wife of his son Tobias, he blessed her saying, ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜Come in, my daughter, and welcome. Blessed be your God who has brought you to us, my daughter. Blessed be your father and your mother, blessed be my son Tobias, and blessed be you, my daughter. Come in now to your home, and welcome, with blessing and joy. Come in, my daughter.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ So on that day there was rejoicing among all the Jews who were in Nineveh. 18Ahikar and his nephew Nadab were also present to share TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s joy. With merriment they celebrated TobiasÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s wedding feast for seven days, and many gifts were given to him.* ;

Nahum, Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum
Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum; Tobit, Chapter 14: TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Final Counsel: 14So ended TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s words of praise. 2 Tobit* died in peace when he was one hundred and twelve years old, and was buried with great honour in Nineveh. He was sixty-two* years old when he lost his eyesight, and after regaining it he lived in prosperity, giving alms and continually blessing God and acknowledging GodÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s majesty. 3 When he was about to die, he called his son Tobias and the seven sons of Tobias* and gave this command: ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜My son, take your children 4and hurry off to Media, for I believe the word of God that Nahum spoke about Nineveh, that all these things will take place and overtake Assyria and Nineveh. Indeed, everything that was spoken by the prophets of Israel, whom God sent, will occur. None of all their words will fail, but all will come true at their appointed times. So it will be safer in Media than in Assyria and Babylon. For I know and believe that whatever God has said will be fulfilled and will come true; not a single word of the prophecies will fail. All of our kindred, inhabitants of the land of Israel, will be scattered and taken as captives from the good land; and the whole land of Israel will be desolate, even Samaria and Jerusalem will be desolate. And the temple of God in it will be burned to the ground, and it will be desolate for a while.* 5 ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â˜But God will again have mercy on them, and God will bring them back into the land of Israel; and they will rebuild the temple of God, but not like the first one until the period when the times of fulfilment shall come. After this they all will return from their exile and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendour; and in it the temple of God will be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it. 6Then the nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in truth. They will all abandon their idols, which deceitfully have led them into their error; 7and in righteousness they will praise the eternal God. All the Israelites who are saved in those days and are truly mindful of God will be gathered together; they will go to Jerusalem and live in safety for ever in the land of Abraham, and it will be given over to them. Those who sincerely love God will rejoice, but those who commit sin and injustice will vanish from all the earth.8,9So now, my children, I command you, serve God faithfully and do what is pleasing in his sight. Your children are also to be commanded to do what is right and to give alms, and to be mindful of God and to bless his name at all times with sincerity and with all their strength. So now, my son, leave Nineveh; do not remain here. 10On whatever day you bury your mother beside me, do not stay overnight within the confines of the city. For I see that there is much wickedness within it, and that much deceit is practised within it, while the people are without shame. See, my son, what Nadab did to Ahikar who had reared him. Was he not, while still alive, brought down into the earth? For God repaid him to his face for this shameful treatment. Ahikar came out into the light, but Nadab went into the eternal darkness, because he tried to kill Ahikar. Because he gave alms, Ahikar* escaped the fatal trap that Nadab had set for him, but Nadab fell into it himself, and was destroyed. 11So now, my children, see what almsgiving accomplishes, and what injustice doesÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â”it brings death! But now my breath fails me.ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™ Death of Tobit and Anna Then they laid him on his bed, and he died; and he received an honourable funeral. 12When TobiasÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s mother died, he buried her beside his father. Then he and his wife and children* returned to Media and settled in Ecbatana with Raguel his father-in-law. 13He treated his parents-in-law* with great respect in their old age, and buried them in Ecbatana of Media. He inherited both the property of Raguel and that of his father Tobit. 14He died highly respected at the age of one hundred and seventeen* years. 15Before he died he heard* of the destruction of Nineveh, and he saw its prisoners being led into Media, those whom King Cyaxares* of Media had taken captive. Tobias* praised God for all he had done to the people of Nineveh and Assyria; before he died he rejoiced over Nineveh, and he blessed the Lord God for ever and ever. Amen.* ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Jerusalem Temple
Temple in Jerusalem; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated September 5 ; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated December 29; Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 1; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 8; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated Febraury 7 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin)
Gate of Benjamin (Upper, Higher, Gate toward Benjamin). Pashur hit Jerimiah the Prophet, then he placed him in the stocks in the high gate of Benjamin, where he remained all night; Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

City Gates - Jaffa Gate
Old Jerusalem City Wall Gates; Jaffa Gate; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Corner Gate (Zion Gate)
Corner Gate (Zion Gate) Old City (Jerusalem); Zechariah 14:1-11, Future Warfare and Final Victory ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Dung Gate, Jerusalem's Wall
Dung Gate, Jerusalem's Wall; Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, NehemiahÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Inspection of the Walls; Nehemiah 12:27-31,42-47, Dedication of the City Wall, Temple Responsibilities;

Fountain Gate (Chain Gate)
Fountain Gate (Chain Gate) ; Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, NehemiahÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Inspection of the Walls;

King's Pool (Pool of Siloam)
King's Pool (Pool of Siloam); Nehemiah 2:1-20, Nehemiah Sent to Judah, NehemiahÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Inspection of the Walls;

Golden Gate in Jerusalem, The only Eastern Gate, Walled up
Golden Gate in Jerusalem; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

City of David (Royal Court)
City of David (Royal Court); Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Potter's Field
Potter's Field, Jerusalem ; Potter's field, source of clay ; When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money." After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."

Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem
Golgotha, just outside City Gates, Jerusalem ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335) ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; St Melchizedek I, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated October 1 ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated October 16 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7;

Holy Sepulchre (Tomb) of the Lord
Holy Sepulchre of the Lord; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Church of the Resurrection
Church of the Resurrection; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated on July 31 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13;

Samaria
Samaria; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER); Prophet Obadiah (Abdias), Commemorated on November 19 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Samaria, Kingdom of Israel, 931BC - 722BC
Kingdom of Israel (Samaria); Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on August 24; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated October 17 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia or Semeias), Commemorated on January 9 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Samaria History (Israelite Kings)

Samaria, Israeilite Kings, Samuel - Ahab

Samaria, 1146BC, Israelite Judge, Samuel
Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9;

Shiloh, Ephraim, Samaria, 1146BC, Tabernacle Location
Samaria, 1146BC, Tabernacle Location, Shiloh, Ephriam, Samaria ; Samaria, Israelite Judge, 1146BC, Samuel ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9;

Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 1000BC-960BC, Ahijah
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 1000BC-960BC, Ahijah; Prophet Ahijah, Commemorated on November 12;

Samaria, Israelite King, 910BC-909BC, Nadab of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 910BC-909BC, Nadab of Israel ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, Israelite King, 909BC-877BC, Baasha of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 909BC-877BC, Baasha of Israel ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30;

Samaria, Israelite King, 877BC-876BC, King Elah
Samaria, Israelite King, 877BC-876BC, King Elah ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC, Zimri (king)
Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC, Zimri (king) ; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC-869BC, Omri
Samaria, Israelite King, 876BC-869BC, Omri; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab
Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite Kings, Ahab to Joash (83 years)

Samaria, 9th Century BC, Israelite Prophet, Hosea
Samaria, Israelite King, Samaria, 9th Century BC, Israelite Prophet, Hosea; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Samaria, 869BC-850BC, Israelite King, Ahab
Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC, Micah

Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC approx, Elijah
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC approx, Elijah; Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC, Elisha
Samaria, Israelite Prophet, 869BC-850BC, Elisha ; Samaria, Israelite King, 869BC-850BC, Ahab; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite King, 850BC-849BC, Ahaziah of Israel
Samaria, Israelite King, 850BC-849BC, Ahaziah of Israel ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Samaria, Israelite Kings, Jeroboam II and The Earthquake -

Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II
Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake; The Earthquake in Amos;

Samaria, The Earthquake in Amos, 753 BC
Samaria, The Earthquake in Amos, 753 BC; Samaria, Israelite King, 786BC-753BC, Jeroboam II ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15, two years before the earthquake;

Sebaste, Samaria
Sebaste, Samaria; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, August 9; Hieromartyr Eutyches the Disciple of St John the Theologian, August 24th; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ;

Nablus (Flavia Neapolis , Shechem)
Flavia Neapolis (Nablus, Shechem); JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167); St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9;

Jacob's Well, Samaria
Jacob's Well; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Martyr Kyriake of Rome, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; St David Gareji, Commemorated on June 9; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14;

Galilee
Lower Galilee; Western Galilee; Upper Galilee; Galilee Region; ANTHONY ASHLEY COOPER, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, (28 April 1801 ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“ 1 October 1885), Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22 ; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the SaviorÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in August), Commemorated on August 6; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated November 14 ; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 24 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10 ; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Peter, Commemorated on June 29; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Near East
Near East; Greater Syria; Palestine; Galilee ; Judea Crimean War Muhammad Ali; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Galilee History Folder

Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum
Galilee Prophet, 7th Century BC, Nahum; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Galilee, 6-39, King Herod Antipas
Jerusalem King (Galilee), 6-39, Herod Antipas; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27, wife of Chusa, who worked for King Herod (the King Herod who killed John the baptist), who lived in Tiberias;; The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John, Commemorated on August 29 ;

Galilee King, 41-44, Herod Agrippa I
Galilee King, 41-44, Herod Agrippa I; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41);

Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee)
Teutonic Knights, 1192-1291 (Acre, Galilee) then (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16 ;

Galilee, Kishon River Folder (Jesreel Valley)

Cana in Galilee (Kishon River Drainage)
Cana in Galilee; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Mount Tabor, Galilee (Kishon River Source)
Mount Tabor; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ (the Second ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the SaviorÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in August), Commemorated on August 6; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord; Afterfeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord ; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Venerable Callistus Xanthopoulos of Mt Athos, Commemorated November 22 ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30;

Nazareth, Galilee
Nazareth; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, (6 AUGUST NT); THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on December 26 Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF OUR LORD (19 MAR NT); The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Mount Carmel (near Jerusalem)
Mount Carmel; Carmelite Order; THOMAS MERTON, MONK, POET, SPIRITUAL WRITER, 1968, Commemorated December 10; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ;

Ptolemais, Galilee (Acre)
Ptolemais, Acre, 1 Maccabees Ch 9; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4;

flight into Egypt 1 (Nazarath)
flight into Egypt (From Nazarath to Egypt and return); Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT);

Flight to Egypt 2 (Egypt)
flight into Egypt (From Nazarath to Egypt and return); Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Flight into Egypt by Way of the Sea
Flight into Egypt most likely by Way of the Sea from Nazareth to Egypt; Prophet Hosea, Commemorated on October 17;

Galilee, Sea of Galilee Folder

Bethsaida, Galilee (Lake Gennesaret)
Bethsaida; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); PHILIP ;

Pansada Village, Galilee
Pansada Village, Galilee Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ;

Arbel (Arbela), Galilee
Arbel; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ;

Galilee, Southern Galilee Folder (Isachar)

Beth-shan, Southern Galilee
Beth-shan, 1 Maccabees ch 5;

Rehob, Southern Galilee (near Lebo-hamath)
Rehob, near Lebo-hamath, Numbers 13 ; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Rock of Oreb
Rock of Oreb is probably Orbo east of the Jordan near Bethshean;

Galilee, Southern and Eastern Galilee and Golan Heights

Caesarea Philippi, Galilee (Base of Mt Hermon, Jordan River Source, Golan Heights)
Caesarea Philippi; Mark 8:27-9:1 Peter's Declaration about Jesus; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Erastus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Decapolis, Eastern Galilee (Hippos)
the Decapolis city to the east of Lake Galilee, Hippos ; Venerable Procopius the Confessor of Decapolis Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Decapolis (Scythopolis)
Decapolis;

Scythopolis, Southern Galilee
Scythopolis; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ;

Galilee, Northern and Northwestern Galilee Folder

Persia (Iran)
Persia (Iran); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated July 12 ; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated on August 4; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4; Martyr Aithalas of Persia ; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated on September 6 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia; Martyr Dada of Persia, Commemorated September 29 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated October 5 ; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia, Commemorated October 13 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated October 19 ; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated October 28 ; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2 ; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia,Commemorated on October 28; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Greatmartyr Mercurius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 24 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; Prophet Malachi, Commemorated January 3 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on January 5 ; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated January 20 ; Prophet Daniel; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Christina of Persia, Commemorated on March 13; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Persia, 224AD-651AD, Sasanian Empire, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian (Fire Worshipers)
Persian Sasanian Empire, 224AD-651AD, Ctesiphon, 226-637, Zoroastrian; Overthrown by Umar I, 2nd caliph of Rashidun Caliphate, in Medina, 634-644 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire
Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Parthia (northeastern Iran or Persia, south of Ochus River)
Parthia; Parthis Map Ochus River Map; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated November 16 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persian History

Persia, Assryian Empire, 1250 BC - 612 BC

Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes
Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes; Tobit 14, TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Final Counsel, and Death of Tobit and Anna;

Persia, 559-530 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Cyrus the Great
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great ; Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 522-486 BC, Darius I, Achaemenid Empire; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9;

Persia, Pasargadae, 559BC-486BC, Daniel, Malachi and Haggai Lived Here
King Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae - Daniel Lived Here ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 530BC-522 BC, Cambyses II
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 530BC-522 BC, Cambyses II; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17;

Persia, 522BC-486BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great)
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 522BC-486 BC, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great); Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persian Achaemenid Emperor, 465BC-424 BC, Artaxerxes I of Persia
Persian Achaemenid Emperor, 465BC-424 BC, Artaxerxes I of Persia; Ezra 7:1-26, The Coming and Work of Ezra, The Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persia, 247BC - 224AD, Parsiism - Kings of Epiphany - Parthian Empire
Parsiism, Perianism, Zorastrainism ; Parthian Empire of Persia 247BC - 224AD ; Ctesiphon, Persia; EPIPHANY - Kings of Epiphany, Commemorated January 6 ;

Persian Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian
Persian Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian ; Commemoration of the apparition of the Pillar with the Robe of the Lord under it at Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persian Parthian (Arsacid) Empire, 247BC-224AD, Zoroastrian, Fire Worshipers

Persian Capital, 247BC-651AD, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7)
Persian Capital, 247BC-651AD, Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7); Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 2 BC - 4 AD, Parthian Emperor, Musa of Parthia (Empress)
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Musa of Parthia (Empress); Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Phraates V
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Phraates V; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persian Parthian Emperor, 4-6, Orodes III of Parthia
Persian Parthian Emperor, 4-6, Orodes III of Parthia; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persian Parthian Emperor, 8-12, Vonones I
Persian Parthian Emperor, 8-12, Vonones I ; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 10-40, Emperor, Jesus' Time, Artabanus III of Parthia
Persia, 10-40, Emperor, Jesus' Time, Artabanus III of Parthia ; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Philip
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14;

Persia, 31-55, Adiabene Emperor, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II)
Persia, 31-55, Adiabene Emperor, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II) ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, 40-51, Emperor Gotarzes II of Parthia
Persia, 40-51, Emperor Gotarzes II of Parthia ; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 51-78, Emperor Vologases I of Parthia
Persia, 51-78, Emperor Vologases I of Parthia ; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; St Sidonia of Georgia, Commemorated on October 1; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 15-116, Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom History Folder

Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28);

Persia, Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom, 15-116
Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom, 15-116 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, Adiabene Emperor, 31-55, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II)
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, 31-55, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, Adiabene Emperor, -116, Meharaspes
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, -116, Meharaspes; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4;

Persia, 224-651, Sasanian Empire History Folder

Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226
Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Sasanian first Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor; Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 240-270, Shapur I
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 240-270, Shapur I; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on October 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 274-293, Bahram II
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 274-293, Bahram II ; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293, Bahram III
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293, Bahram III; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persian Emperor, 302-309, Hormizd II, Sasanian, Bishapur
Persian Emperor, 302-309, Hormizd II, Sasanian, Bishapur; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 309-379, Sasanian Emperor, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10; Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Ananias the Presbyter in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 363, Battle of Samarra, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persian Court of emperors Izdegerd (399-420) and Barakhranes (420-438)
Court of emperors Izdegerd (399-420) and Barakhranes (420-438) in Ctesiphon, Persia; Ctesiphon; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 399-420, Izdegerd I
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 399-420, Izdegerd I ; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persian Emperor, 420, Sapor IV, Sasanian
Persian Emperor, 420, Sapor IV, Sasanian; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persian Emperor, 420-438, Bahram V
Persian Emperor, 420-438, Bahram V; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 457-459, Sasanian Emperor, Hormizd III
Persian Emperor, 457-459, Hormizd III, Sasanian; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9;

Persia, 459-494, Emperor, Peroz I, Sasanian
Persia, 459-494, Emperor, Peroz I, Sasanian ; Martyr Razhden of Persia the Georgian, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Persian Viceroy, 470-482, Varsken, Sasanian, Zoroastrian fire worshiper
Persian Viceroy, 470-482, Varsken, Sasanian, Zoroastrian fire worshiper; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28;

Persia, 488-531, Persian Sasanian Emperor, Kavadh I
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 488-531, Kavadh I ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30;

Persia, 531-579, Persian Sasanian Emperor, Chosroes I the Elder
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 531-579, Chosroes I the Elder; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Persian Sasanian Emperor, 579-590, Hormizd IV
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 579-590, Hormizd IV ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29;

Persian Chosroes home, Ctesiphon 590-628 - last King of Sasanian Empire
Chosroes home, Ctesiphon 590-628 - last King of Sasanian Empire Persia, In the year 614 military forces of the Persian ruler Chosroes fell upon Syria and Palestine, killing ninety thousand Christians and destroying Christian churches; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 590-628, Sasanian Emperor, Khosrau (Chosroes) II
Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 590-628, Khosrau (Chosroes) II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; ByzantineÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“Sasanian War of 602ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Persia, 627, Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Victory then Arab Caliphate
Persia, 627, Battle of Nineveh, Byzantine Victory then Arab Caliphate; Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ;

Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 632-651, Yazdegerd III
Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 632-651, Yazdegerd III ; St Jesse, Bishop of Tsilkan in Georgia, Commemorated on December 2; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24;

Persia History, 634 - Present, Muslim Persia

Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf)
Persia, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf); Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Persia, 1072-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I
Persia, 1072-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1092-1195, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq
Persia, 1092-1195, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Barkiyaruq; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1105-1105, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Malik-Shah II
Persia, 1105-1105, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Malik-Shah II; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1105-1118, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mehmed I of Bagdad
Persia 1105-1118, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mehmed I of Bagdad ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1118-1152, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, Mahmud II of Great Seljuq
Persia, 1118-1152, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, Mahmud II of Great Seljuq; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1116-1156, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mesud I
Persia, 1116-1156, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Mesud I; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1152-1153, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan,Malik-Shah III
Persia, 1152-1153, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan,Malik-Shah III; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26;

Persia, 1156-1192, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kilij Arslan II
Persia, 1156-1192, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kilij Arslan II;

Persia, 1192-1196, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kaykhusraw I
Persia, 1192-1196, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kaykhusraw I;

Persa, 1196-1204, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Rukn al-Din
Persa, 1196-1204, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Rukn al-Din; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1220-1231, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu
Persia, 1220-1231, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu ; St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia
Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia ; Sultan Jalal al-Din ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353
Persia, 1256-1353, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Empire, 1256-1353; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1265-1282, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan
Persia, 1265-1282, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Abaqa Khan ; St Demetrius the Devoted, King of Georgia, Commemorated on March 16; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16;

Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas 1, Isfahan
Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas 1, Isfahan; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and G war 1616 Shah Abbas 1 ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1589-1613, Persian Iman, Allahverdi Khan from Georgia
Persia, 1589-1613, Persian Iman, Allahverdi Khan from Georgia Persian Iman, 1610-1633, Imam-Quli Khan from Georgia ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18;

Persia, 1610-1633, Persian Iman, Imam-Quli Khan from Georgia
Persia, 1610-1633, Persian Iman, Imam-Quli Khan from Georgia ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13;

Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, Tabriz, Persia, 1614
Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, Tabriz, Persia, 1614 ; Safavid dynasty ; Tabriz, Persia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St Kaikhosro the Georgian, Commemorated on June 16;

Persia, 1629-1642, Persian Safavid Shah, Safi of Persia
Persia, 1629-1642, Persian Safavid Shah, Safi of Persia;

Persia, 1642-1666, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas II of Persia
Persia, 1642-1666, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas II of Persia; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Persia, 1666-1694, Persian Safavid Shah, Suleiman I of Persia
Persia, 1666-1694, Persian Safavid Shah, Suleiman I of Persia;

Persia, 1694-1722, Safavid Shah, Sultan Husayn, Isfahan, Persia
Persia, 1694-1722, Safavid Shah, Sultan Husayn, Isfahan, Persia; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persia, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“23)
Persia, 1722-1723, Russo-Persian War (1722ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“23) ;

Persia, 1736-1796, Persian Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad, Sunni
Persia, 1736-1796, Persian Afsharid dynasty, at Mashhad, Sunni; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, 1736-1747, Persian Afsharid Shah, Nadir, Sunni
Persia, 1736-1747, Persian Afsharid Shah, Nadir, Sunni ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated on March 3;

Persia, 1748-1796, Persian Afsharid Shah, Shahrukh Afshar, Sunni
Persia, 1748-1796, Persian Afsharid Shah, Shahrukh Afshar, Sunni; St Euthymius the Elder of the St John the Baptist Monastery, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated September 12 ;

Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar
Persia, 1789-1797, Persian Qajar Shah, Aga Mohammad Khan Qajar ; Hieromartyr Dositheus of Tbilisi, Commemorated on September 12 ;

Persia, Tigris River Folder

Arbela, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Arbela, Persia; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ;

Arbela, Assyria (Tigris River 4)
Arbela in Assyria; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ;

Seleucia, Persia and Messopotamia (Tigris River 7)
Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad)
Ctesiphon; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ;

Persia, Crossroads at Isfahan Folder

Isfahan, Persia (Crossroads NS and EW)
Isfahan, Persia (Crossroads NS and EW); Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDeliverer from PotionsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Persian Capital - Pasargadae (Daniel Lived Here)
Persian Capital - Pasargadae ; Darius Hystaspis (Darius I, Darias the Great) ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ;

Persia, Bahu Kalat River Folder

Persia, Kurdustan and Azerbaijan Folder (Northwest Persia, Tabriz)

Persian Azerbaijan - Northwest Persia
Persian Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan in Northwest Persia ; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Persia, Artaz Region Folder

Kelissa Monestary, Artaz Region, Persia
Kelissa Monestary or Qara Kelissa or Saint Thaddeus Monastery; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ;

Persia, Northern Iran Folder

Persia, Northern Rivers Folder

Persia, Atrek River Folder, Northeastern Iran, Parthia

Persia, Namak Lake (sink) Folder (Tehran)

Rages, Media, Persia
Rages, Media, Persia; Tobit;

Persia, Halil River Folder (Kerman)

Kerman, Persia (home of Shapur II the Great)
Shapur II the Great; Kerman, Persia; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6;

Hazaran Mountains
Hazaran Mountains ;

Persia, Shiraz Folder

Persia, Suza and Persian Gulf Folder

Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf)
Suza, Iran (Persian Gulf) ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated November 10 ; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31;

Bushehr, Persia
Bushehr, Persia;

Persia, Media Region of Persia Folder

Media region of Persia
Media or Median Empire; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16 ;

Ecbatana in Media, Persia
Ecbatana in Media, Persia ; Tobit;

Persia, Karum River Folder (Chaldeans)

Land of the Chaldeans (far southeastern Messopotamia)
Land of the Chaldeans ; Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on JobÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Roads from Nineveh, Assyria to Rages, Media

Other - Trails, Roads, Canals, and Rivers

Roman Road, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Erie Canal Folder, Started 1817, Completed 1825

Grand Trunk Road Folder (between South China and Afganistan)

Jordan Rift Valley Folder

Euphrates River Folder

Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route Folder

The chief trade route of Rus, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, was then called ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Way from the Varangians to the Greeks.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ

Cherson, Crimea in the Roman Empire (Dnieper (Varangian) Trade Route 2)

Kings Highway Folder

Trans-Siberian Railway and Road Folder

Trans-Siberian RWY 2 - Yaroslavl
Trans-Siberian RWY - Yaroslavl;

Trans-Siberian RWY 3 - Volga Bridge Yaroslavl
Trans-Siberian RWY - Yaroslavl;

Trans-Siberian RWY 4 - Danilov
Trans-Siberian RWY 3 - Danilov;

Trans-Siberian RWY 5 - Kirov

Trans-Siberian RWY 7 - Yekaterinburg
Trans-Siberian RWY 7 - Yekaterinburg;

Trans-Siberian RWY 8 - Tyumen
Trans-Siberian RWY 8 - Tyumen;

Trans-Siberian RWY 9 - Nazyvayevsk
Trans-Siberian RWY 9 - Nazyvayevsk;

Trans-Siberian RWY 10 - Irtysh River Bridge (Omsk)
Trans-Siberian RWY 10 - Irtysh River Bridge (Omsk);

Trans-Siberian RWY 11 - Ob River Bridge at Novosibirsk
Trans-Siberian RWY 11 - Ob River Bridge at Novosibirsk;

Trans-Siberian RWY 12 - Yenisei River Bridge at Krasnoyarsk
Trans-Siberian RWY 12 - Krasnoyarsk;

Trans-Siberian RWY 13 - Tayshet
Trans-Siberian RWY 13 - Tayshet;

Trans-Siberian RWY 14 - Angara River Crossing - Irkutsk
Trans-Siberian RWY 14 - Angara River Crossing - Irkutsk;

Trans-Siberian RWY 15 - Ulan-Ude

Trans-Siberian RWY 16 - Chita
Trans-Siberian RWY 16 - Chita;

Trans-Siberian RWY 17 - Birobidzhan
Trans-Siberian RWY 17 - Birobidzhan;

Trans-Siberian RWY - 18 Amur River Crossing at Khabarovsk
Trans-Siberian RWY - 18 Amur River Crossing at Khabarovsk;

Trans-Siberian RWY 19 - Vladivostok
Trans-Siberian RWY 19 - Vladivostok;

Muravsky Trail Folder

Elets, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4)
Elets; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Elets, Commemorated January 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29;

Klondike Highway Folder

Klondike Highway

Klondike Highway (Skagway)
Klondike Highway, Skagway to Dawson City;

Klondike Highway (White Pass)
White Pass;

Klondike Highway (Whitehorse, Yukon)
Whitehorse, Yukon;

Klondike Highway (Dawson City)
Klondike Highway, Skagway to Dawson City;

Wilderness Road Folder, 1775 (Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, to Ohio)

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City Folder

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 1 (San Juan Pueblo)
San Juan Pueblo;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 2 (Santa Fe)
Santa Fe;

El Camino Real Santa Fe to Mexico City 4 (El Paso)
El Paso;

El Camino Real Sante Fe to Mexico City

Rio Grande River Folder

Moscow to St Petersburg Folder

Moscow to St Petersburg 1 (Overview Northwest from Moscow)

Moscow to St Petersburg 2 (Volga River)

Moscow to St Petersburg 3 (Tver, Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)

Moscow to St Petersburg 4 (Torzhok, Tversta River 2)

Moscow to St Petersburg 5 (Tversta River 1)

Moscow to St Petersburg 6 (Sources both Tversta and Msta Rivers)

Moscow to St Petersburg 7 (halfway) (Bologoye)

Moscow to St Petersburg 8 (Borov)

Moscow to St Petersburg 9 (Vishera River Novgorod Source)

Moscow to St Petersburg 10 (Volkhov River, Novgorod)

Moscow to St Petersburg 11 (Overview Southeast from St Petersburg)

Moscow to St Petersburg 13 (St Petersburg)

Moscow to St. Petersburg Trade Route 1 (Krasnogorsk, Moscow towards Tver)

Alcan Hwy Folder

Way of St James (Camino Real) Folder

Way of Saint James (Compostela)

Old Castile (Santander (now Cantabria) Way of St James)
Old Castile; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS), MYSTIC, 1591, Commemorated December 14 ;

White Pass and Yukon Route Folder

White Pass to Yukon Railway Path

White Pass (between Pacific Ocean and Yukon River)

White Pass and Yukon Route 1 (Skagway, AK)
White Pass and Yukon Route;

White Pass and Yukon Route 2 (Carcross, YT)
White Pass and Yukon Route;

White Pass and Yukon Route 3 (Whitehorse)
White Pass and Yukon Route;

Volga Trade Route Folder

Volga Trade Route 2 (Novgorod)

Volga Trade Route 3 (Lake Ilmen)

Volga Trade Route 4 (Lovat River Mouth)

Volga Trade Route 5 (Lovat River 3, Kolm)

Volga Trade Route 6 (Lovat River 2)

Volga Trade Route 7 (Lovat River 1, Luki)

Volga Trade Route 8 (Volga River 1)

Volga Trade Route 9 (Volga River 2, Sehzaharovo, Varangian Trade Route)

Volga Trade Route 10 (Volga River 3, Staritza)

Volga Trade Route 11 (Volga River 4, Tver)

Volga Trade Route 12 (Volga River 5, Moscow Volga Canal)

Volga Trade Route 13 (Volga River 7, Three Rivers)

Volga Trade Route 14 (Volga River 8, Yaroslavl)

Volga Trade Route 15 (Volga River 9, Nizhni-Novgorod)

Volga Trade Route 16 (Volga River 10, Kazan)

Volga Trade Route 17 (Volga River 14, Saratov)

Volga Trade Route 18 (Volga River 15, Golden Horde, Sarai)

Volga Trade Route 19 (Caspian Sea)

Volga River Folder

Volga River 11 (Overview)

Amber Road Folder

Way of the Sea Folder (Egypt to Syria)

Moscow Volga Canal Folder

Tushino, near Moscow Volga Canal
Tushino; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17;

Silk Road to Great Road and Yerevan Trade Route Folder

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Folder, started 1826, completed 1834

Mississippi River Folder

World War I Folder, 1914-1918

World War 1, and Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Sarajevo
World War 1; World War 1, Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria;

World War I, Western Front WW1 Folder

Western Front WWI (about 400 Miles)

Western Front WWI (Basel, Switzerland, Rhine River 1)

Western Front WWI (Colmar, Rhine River 2)

Western Front WWI (Meurthe River Mouth, Moselle River)

Western Front WWI (Thiaucort)

Western Front WWI (Etain, France, Orne River)

Western Front WWI (Verdun, road to Paris)
Western Front;

Western Front WWI (Rheims)

Western Front WWI (Noyon Cathedral and Fort)

Western Front WWI (Roye, Somme)

Western Front WWI (Peronne, Somme)

Western Front WWI (Nieuport in Flanders, Belgium)

World War 1, Eastern Front WW1 Folder

Eastern Front WWI (Gulf of Riga to Transylvania)
Eastern Front WWI (Gulf of Riga to Transylvania);

Eastern Front WWI (Focsani on the Milcov River)

Eastern Front WWI (Bacau on the Siret River)

Eastern Front WWI (Suceava on the Suceava River)

Eastern Front WWI (Storozhi on the Siret River)

Eastern Front WWI (Terebovlya on the Seret River)

Eastern Front WWI (Marsh of Pinsk, Pripyat River)

Eastern Front WWI (Dvinsk on the Daugava River0

Eastern Front WWI (Gulf of Riga)

National Road Folder, 1811-Present (Cumberland Road, National Pike)

Great North Road Folder

Jordan River Folder

Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan)
Baptismal Site Bethany (Beyond the Jordan); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Forefeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 3 ; Feast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 6 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated January 10 ; Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Oregon Trail Folder

Platte River Folder

North Platte River 3 (Medicine Bow, Routt National Forest)
Medicine Bow,ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“ Routt National Forest;

South Platte River Source (Park County, Colorado)

South Platte River 3 (Platte Canyon)
Platte Canyon;

Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder (1804-06)

Santa Fe Trail Folder

Ruhr River Folder

Kizilirmak River Folder

Danube River Folder

Connecticut River Folder

Chicopee River Mouth (Connecticut River 22)

Mill River Mouth (Connecticut River 22)

Westfield River Mouth (Connecticut River 22)

Merchants Road Folder (Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod)

Moscow Road to Poland Folder

Saint Lawrence Seaway Folder

Missouri River Folder

Oka River Folder

Colorado River Folder

Colorado River Source (La Poudre Pass)
La Poudre Pass;

Colorado River (Grand Lake)

Colorado River (Gore Canyon)
Gore Canyon;

Colorado River (Glenwood Canyon)
Glenwood Canyon;

Colorado River (De Beque Canyon)
De Beque Canyon;

Colorado River (Grand Valley)
Grand Valley;

Colorado River (Colorado Plateau)

Colorado River (Cataract Canyon)
Cataract Canyon;

Colorado River (Lake Powell)
Lake Powell;

Colorado River (Lee's Ferry)
Lee's Ferry;

Colorado River (Grand Canyon)
Grand Canyon;

Colorado River (Lake Mead)

Colorado River (Imperial Dam)
Imperial Dam;

Colorado River Mouth (Gulf of California)

California Trail Folder

Sakarya River Turkey Folder

Sakarya River Mouth (Bithynia, Pontus and Black Sea)

Elbe River Folder

Central Overland Route Folder

Bozeman Trail Folder

World Cup Ski Racing Venues

Route Denver to Vail Pass 80 miles
Denver to Vail is 100 miles and Denver to Aspen is 200 miles

Route Calgary to Lake Louise 114 miles

Route Bonners Ferry, ID to Lake Louise 250 miles

The Alps

Val Gardena, Italy
Val Gardena, Italy;

Kitzbuhel, Tyrol, Austria
Kitzbuhel;

Saalbach, Austria
Saalbach, Austria ;

Solden, Tyrol, Austria

Lienz, Tyrol, Austria
Lienz, Tyrol, Austria;

Bad Kleinkirchheim, Carinthia, Austria

Semmering, Lower Austria
Semmering, Lower Austria, Austria;

Semmering Pass, Lower Austria and Styria
Semmering Pass, Austria ;

St Anton, Arlberg, Tyrol, Austria
St Anton, Arlberg, Tyrol, Austria;

Flachau, Salsberg, Bavaria, Austria
Flachau, Salsberg,Bavaria, Austria;

Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Salsberg, Austria
Altenmarkt-Zauchensee;

Wengen, Switzerland
Wengen, Switzerland;

Adelboden, Switzerland
Adelboden, Switzerland;

Schladming, Styria, Austria
Schladming, Styria, Austria;

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Garmisch-Partenkirchen;

Muenchen (GER) City Event
Muenchen (Ger) City Event

Kuehtai in Tirol (AUT)
Kuehtai in Tirol (AUT) ;

Meribel, France
Meribel, France, Tarentaise Valley;

Kvitfjell, Norway
Kvitfjell, Norway;

Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia;

Maribor, Slovenia
Maribor, Slovenia;

Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb, Croatia;

Are, Sweden
Are, Sweden;

Ofterschwang, Bavaria, Germany
Ofterschwang, Bavaria, Germany;

Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Lenzerheide, Switzerland;

St. Moritz, Switzerland
St. Moritz, Switzerland ;

Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Crans-Montana, Switzerland;

Bansko, Bulgaria
Bansko, Bulgaria;

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dolomite (Southern) Alps, Italy
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dolomite (Southern) Alps, Italy;

Val-d'Isere, France
Val-d'Isere, Tarentaise Valley, France;

Chamonix, France
Chamonix, France;

Courchevel, France
Courchevel, France;

Bormio, Italy
Bormio, Italy;

Santa Caterina, Italy
Santa Caterina, Italy;

North Atlantic
North Atlantic; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, February 3, 1943; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Greenland, North Atlantic
Greenland, North Atlantic ; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, 1943, Commemorated February 3;

Iceland, North Atlantic
Iceland; DORCHESTER CHAPLAINS: Lieutenant George Fox, Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Lieutenant John P. Washington, February 3, 1943;

Connecting Rivers Folder (a North South Route dividing Turkey)

Yukon River Folder

Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territories (Yukon River 3)
Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territories ; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Canada, Yukon River 3, Pelly River Folder

Yukon River 11 (Circle City, AK)

Circle City, Alaska (Yukon River 11)
Circle City (Yukon River 11); JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Athabascan Peoples of the Koyukuk River
Athabascan Peoples of the Koyukuk River; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26;

Northern Athabascan Lands (Interior Alaska)
Northern Athabascan Lands (Interior Alaska); Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Carcross, Yukon aka Caribou Crossing
Carcross, Yukon; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Chilkoot Pass (Yukon River 21)
Chilkoot Pass; JOHN MUIR and HUDSON STUCK, NATURALIST & WRITER, 1914; PRIEST & ENVIRONMENTALIST, 1920, Commemorated April 21 ;

Arkansas River Folder

Columbia River Folder

Blaeberry River Mouth
Blaeberry River;

Blaeberry River

Kinbasket Lake
Kinbasket Lake;

Kootenai River Folder

Old Spanish Trail (auto trail) Jacksonville Beach, Florida to San Diego, California

Dnieper Bug Canal Folder (Portages and Canals; Russia, Poland and Lithuania)

Earth Folder, The World, Views of the World

Earth 1 of 4
Earth; THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS ; FOR THE DAY OF ALL SOULS;

Earth 2 of 4

Earth 3 of 4

Earth, South Pole
South Pole, Celestial South Pole;

Earth, North Pole
North Pole, Celestial North Pole;

Earth, Europe
Europe; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Earth, Asia
Asia; Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ;

Earth, Asia Minor aka Anatolia, its Area

Earth, Asia Minor (Anatolia, Western Turkey)
Asia Minor; Anatolia; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated October 9 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22 ; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt

Earth, Anatolia (Asia Minor, Western Turkey)
Asia Minor; Anatolia; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated October 9 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated on November 1 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 22 ; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt

Earth - Turkey
Turkey; Turks; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS; St Stephen Stiljianovitch of Serbia, Commemorated on October 4 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia, Commemorated December 17 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated December 20 ; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Earth, Africa (the continent of Africa)
Africa; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983);

Earth, Far East
Far East; Russian Far East; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God œThe Word was made FleshÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ;

Earth, Near East
Near East; Greater Syria; Palestine; Galilee ; Judea Crimean War Muhammad Ali; ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], Commemorated July 30 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ;

Zargos Mountains, around the Fertile Crescent

Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire
Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire, also includes Pontine and Cappadocia as revealed in many Saints' stories

Earth, Arctic Sea
Arctic Sea;

Earth, Western Europe
Western Europe; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, Commemorated September 18 ;

Earth, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe: Eastern European Countries used local languages in Church service, and Greek in conference. Western Europe: the countries of the Roman Empire that used Latin in Church services. THOMAS AQUINAS ;

Earth, Western Europe
Western Europe: the countries of the Roman Empire that used Latin in Church services. Eastern Europe: Eastern European Countries used local languages in Church service, and Greek in conference. THOMAS AQUINAS ;

Earth, The Americas
The Americas; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated October 31 ;

Earth, Europe
Europe; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ;

Earth, Europe (Greek definition)
Europe; As the border between Asia and Europe, the Ancient Greeks used: the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus Straight, the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait, and the Sea of Azov.

Earth, Asia (Greek definition)
Definition of Asia; As the border between Asia and Europe, the Ancient Greeks used: the Aegean Sea, the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus Straight, the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait, and the Sea of Azov. Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ;

Earth, Eastern world
Western world, The West vs The East; Eastern world; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT); Western Christianity; Eastern Christianity ;

Earth, Western world
Western world, The West vs The East; Eastern world; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT); Western Christianity; Eastern Christianity ;

Earth, America, North America (Canada, Mexico, and United States)
North America; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; NIKOLAUS LUDWIG von ZINZENDORF, PROPHETIC WITNESS, 1760, Commemorated May 10 ;

Earth, America, South America or Latin America
Latin America ; Rex Humbard, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 2007, Commemorated September 21 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commended June 25;

Earth, America, Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras
Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras;

Earth, Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky;

Earth, Church, Western Church, Catholic
Church, Western Church, Catholic;

Earth, Church, Eastern Catholic Church, Uniates
Church, Eastern Catholic Church, Uniates;

Earth, Church, Eastern Church, Orthodox
Church, Eastern Church, Orthodox;

Earth, Church, Ecumenical Councils and Creeds Orthodox, Nicene Creed Catholic
Church, Ecumenical Councils and Creeds Orthodox, Nicene Creed Catholic;

Earth, New England (ME, MA, NH, VT, RI, and CT)
New England, consisting of six states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14 ADELAIDE TEAGUE CASE, TEACHER, 1948, Commemorated July 19 ; William Lloyd Garrison of WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON AND MARIA STEWART, PROPHETIC WITESSES, 1879, Commemorated December 17 ; JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Earth, Ural Mountains, Russia and Mongol Lands, East and West
Ural Mountains; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye;

Earth - Indian Ocean (full view from the center)
Indian Ocean

Earth - Pacific Ocean (full view from the center)
Pacific Ocean;

Earth - Atlantic Ocean (full view from the center)
Atlantic Ocean;

Earth - North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean;

Earth - Mediterranean world
Mediterranean world; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT) ;

Earth, Black Sea (Varangian Sea, Romania to Georgia)
Black Sea (Varangian Sea, Romania to Georgia); Note: Wikipedia assumes the Varangian Sea was the Baltic Sea, but the stories of the saints refer to the Black Sea as the Varangian Sea. Varangians; Varangian Sea (Black Sea), Both Sides of Varangian Sea (Romania and Georgia); St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10 ; Martyr Orentius, one of the seven martyred brothers in Georgia, Commemorated on June 24 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Ottoman Empire Folder (The Turks, From Turkmenistan, to Bithynia, to Bulgaria, to Constantinople)

Ottoman Empire, 1299-1335, Sogut, Bithynia (Sunni, Turkey, the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, 1299-1335, Sogut, Bithynia (Sunni, Turkey, the Turks) ; Turks; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated September 21 ; The Martyrs of Armenia, 24 April 1915 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Martyr Avakum the Deacon of Serbia;

Ottoman Empire, 1335-1413, Prusa, Bithnia (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks)
Ottoman Empire, 1335-1413, Prusa, Bithnia (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks); Moslem sultan Bayazet; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Ottoman Empire, 1413-1457, Adrianopolis, Bulgaria (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, 1413-1457, Adrianopolis, Bulgaria (the Turks) ; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Ottoman Empire, 1453-1922, in Constantinople, Sunni (the Turks)
Ottoman Empire, 1453-1922, in Constantinople, Sunni (the Turks) ; Fall of Constantinople (1453); Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1;

Seven Churches of The Revelation (all near Ephesus)

0. Island of Patmos, near Ephesus
Patmos Island; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Venerable Xenia of Rome, and her two female servants, Commemorated on January 24 ; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ;

1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7, Message to Ephesus
Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; First Council of Ephesus ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Martyr Adauctus and His Daughter of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; 7 Holy Youths ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSeven SleepersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Maximus of Ephesus, Commemorated on April 30; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167);

2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna
Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; POLYCARP; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202);

3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17, Message to Pergamum
Pergamun; 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17, Message to Pergamum ; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28. Message to Thyatira
Thyatira; 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28. Message to Thyatira; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Acts 16:6-15 PaulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Come over to Macedonia and help us.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. The Conversion of Lydia 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district* of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ And she prevailed upon us.

5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6, Message to Sardis
Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea Lydia (Hermes River Valley); 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6, Message to Sardis; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10 ; Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27;

6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13, Message to Philadelphia
Philadelphia; 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13, Message to Philadelphia ; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22, Message to the Laodicians
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phyria); 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22, Message to Laodicia ; Revelation Chapter 1: The Seven Churches of the Revelation, The Seven Stars (their Angels), and the Seven Lampstands (the Seven Churches): 1. Ephesus in Revelation 2: 1-7 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11 3. Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17 4. Thyatira in Revelation 2:17-28 5. Sardis in Revelation 3: 1-6 6. Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 7. Laodicia in Revelation 3: 14-22; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ;

Ephesus, and vicinity

Ephesus
Ephesus; Revelation 2: 1-7, The Message to Ephesus; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; First Council of Ephesus ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Hieromartyr Hypatius the Bishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on September 21 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Martyr Adauctus and His Daughter of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; 7 Holy Youths ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSeven SleepersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle Gaius of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Martyr Onesiphorus of Ephesus, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; Martyr Menignus at Parium, Commemorated on November 22 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT); Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Maximus of Ephesus, Commemorated on April 30; Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on May 8; Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome, Commemorated on June 1; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167);

Thyatira, Lydia (near Ephesus)
Thyatira; Acts 16:6-15 PaulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Vision of the Man of Macedonia 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Come over to Macedonia and help us.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 10When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. The Conversion of Lydia 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district* of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ And she prevailed upon us.

Stratonicea (Lydia)
Stratonicea (Lydia); Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16;

Lydia (Hermes River Valley near Ephesus)
Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ;

Lydia - Greater Lydia - West of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers
Lydia (Hermes River Valley or Greater Lydia - area west of Sakarya and Akarcay Rivers);

Isle of Lesbos
Isle of Lesbos; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9;

Methymna, Lesbos
Methymna; Venerable Theoctiste of the Isle of Lesbos, Commemorated on November 9;

Thermi and Karyes Church (Thermal (hot) Springs)
Thermi and Karyes Church (Loutropoli Thermis) ; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9 ; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9 ;

Pergamun, Mysia, Lydia (Caicus River 1)
Pergamun; Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Mysia Region
Mysia or Myzia; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia;

Chios Island (near Ehphesus)
Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7; New Martyr Theodore; Martyr Nikon in Sicily, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Island of Samos
Venerable Paul of Latros;

Patmos Island
Patmos Island; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ;

Third Ecumenical Council (431)
Third Ecumenical Council ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ;

Councils of Ephesus (431, 449, 475)
Councils of Ephesus; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL ;

Robber Council (449)
Robber Council; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Mount Ochlon near Ephesus
Mount Ochlon is somewhere near Ephesus; 7 Holy Youths ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSeven SleepersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4 ; 7 Holy Youths ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSeven SleepersÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22 ;

Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus
Mt. Galerius is somewhere Near Ephesus; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated July 17 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ;

Colophon, Ionia
Colophon is 70 Stadia times 157 meters = 10,990 Meters North of Ephesus; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30;

Tralles (Meander River 5)
Tralles (Meander River 5); Trallians (Illyrian Tribe); Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20;

Magnesia (Meander River 5)
Magnesia (Meander River); IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Miletus (Meander River 6)
Miletus (Meander River 6) ; Venerable Paul of Latros;

Heracleia by Latmus
Heracleia or Latmus; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "the General";

Mt Latros Monestary
Mt Latros Monestary; Venerable Arsenius of Latros;

Tauropolis, Caria (near a marble quarry near Ephesus)
Tauropolis (near a marble quarry); Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon;

Monastery of St John on Patmos
Monastery of St John on Patmos; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28 ; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Patmos Island
Patmos Island; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated on July 28 ; Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Commemorated on September 26; Hieromartyr Antipas the Bishop of Pergamum and Disciple of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 11 ;

Nea Moni Monastery of Chios
Nea Moni ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1;

City of Chios
City of Chios; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Martyr Myrope of Chios, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14;

Kardamyla
Kardamyla; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1;

Smyrna (Timur defeats Knights Hospitaller at Smyrna 1403)
Smyrna; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated on February 17;; Smyrna (Timur defeats Knights Hospitaler at Smyrna); Further conquests: 1200ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“1800 ; Knights Hospitaller; Timur or Tamerlane ;

Smyrna (Izmir, Gulf of Smyrna at Hemus River Mouth)
Smyrna; 2. Smyrna in Revelation 2: 8-11, Message to Smyrna ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Apostle Apelles of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20; St Bucolus the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 6; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; POLYCARP; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated February 23 ; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202);

Aeolis Region of Asia Minor
Aeolis; Hieromartyr Albian the Bishop of Anaea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4;

Magnesium, Lydia (Hermus River 6)
Magnesium; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20;

Sardis, Lydia (Hermus River 4, near Ephesus)
Sardis, On highway to Agean Sea; Lydia (Hermes River Valley); Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George in Lydia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Martyr Apollonius of Sardis; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10 ; Martyr Carpus at Pergamus, Commemorated on October 13; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on May 27;

Philadelphia (Hermus River 3, near Ephesus)
Philadelphia; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7;

Caria, near Ephesus, its rivers and mountains

Caria Region
Caria Region; Martyr Xenia of Rome, and her two female slaves, Commemorated January 24;

Laodicea on the Lycus (Carian Laodicea, Lycus River 2, Phyria)
Carian Laodicea (Lycus Rivier 2, Phyria); Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Diodorus of Laodicea; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ; Hieromartyr Trophimus of Laodicea, Commemorated on March 16 ;

Council of Laodicea 363-364
Council of Laodicea 363-364; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8 ;

Chalki Island, Caria
Chalki Island, Monastery of the Theotokos on the island of Chalki St Constantine Brancoveanu; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ;

knights of Rhodes
knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7;

Mount Philermos, Island of Rhodes
Mount Philermos, Island of Rhodes, the only mountain on the island. Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God;

Island of Rhodes, Caria
Rhodes; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; Translation of the Filersk Icon of the Mother of God; knights of Rhodes; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9

England, 1583-1945, British Empire Folder, The Sun Never Sets, 1583-1945

British Empire - approx 1583-1945
England; EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, PRIEST, RENEWER OF THE CHURCH (18 SEP 1882); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5 ; THOMAS BRAY, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (15 FEB 1730); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL; RICHARD HOOKER; WILLIAM TEMPLE; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia; THOMAS TALLIS; THOMAS KEN, BISHOP AND NON-JUROR (21 MAR 1711) ; ROBERT HUNT, PRIEST & FIRST CHAPLAIN AT JAMESTOWN, 1608, Commemorated April 26 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; THE FIRST BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER; St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26 ;

Afghanistan Folder, and its rivers

Afghanistan History

Helmund River

Kandahar, Afganistan (Arghandab River)
Kandahar, Afganistan

Bulawayo Rhodesia (between Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers)
Bulawayo Rhodesia (between Limpopo and Zambezi Rivers); ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ;

Africa, South Africa, Orange River 4, Vaal River Folder

Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa ; John G. Lake, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1935, Commemorated September 16 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

Sharpeville massacre 1960
Sharpeville massacre; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21;

Africa, South Africa, Orange River 4, Vaal River Folder.kmz

Africa, South Africa, Orange River Folder.kmz

Africa, West Africa, 18 Countries of West Africa Filder.kmz

Africa, West Africa, Guiana Rivers Folder, Sierra Leone and Freetown.kmz

Africa, West Africa, Niger River Mouth, Ogun River Folder.kmz

Akure-Ilesha road
Akure ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“ Ilesha road Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1959, Commemorated July 26;

Christ Apostolic Church, Logos, Nigeria
Christ Apostolic Church, Logos, Nigeria; Joseph Ayo Babalola, PENTECOSTAL SAINT;

Ammon Folder, and its rivers.kmz

Ammon Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot
Ammon Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Adam, Ammon (waters of Jordan stood still here)
Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan (waters of Jordan stood still here); Joshua 3:14-4:7; Waters of Jordan stood still, rising in a single heap far off at Adam (18 miles away) 14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea,* were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan. Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal 4When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: 2ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, 3and command them, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœTake twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priestsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ 4Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe. 5Joshua said to them, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites, 6so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœWhat do those stones mean to you?ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ 7then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial for ever. Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1;

Africa, East Africa, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania Folder.kmz

Africa, East Africa, Sudan Folder.kmz

Sudanese Diaspora - Martyrs of South Sudan 1983
Sudanese Diaspora - Martyrs of South Sudan 1983 ; MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983) ;

Khartoum, Sudan, East Africa (Nile River Source)
Khartoum; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); MARTYRS OF SUDAN, (16 May 1983);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda Folder.kmz

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1856-1884, Ugandan King, Muteesa I of Buganda
Ugandan King, 1856-1884, Muteesa I of Buganda; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885); THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1884-1897, Ugandan King, Mwanga II of Buganda
Ugandan King, 1884-1897, Mwanga II of Buganda; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, East Africa, Uganda, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga
Uganda, 1885-1897, Homosexual War of King Mwanga ; JAMES HANNINGTON AND THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (29 OCT 1885) ; THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA, (3 JUNE 1886);

Africa, South Africa, Limpopo River Folder, Transvaal Colony, Mozambique.kmz

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 323-383, Abyssinia (Ethiopian) Saint, Frumentius
East Africa, Abyssinia, 323-383, Ethiopian Saint, Frumentius; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum
East Africa, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 350-405, Ethiopian Saint, Moses the Black
Egyptian Saint, 350-405, Moses the Black; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Ethiopian of Scete, Commemorated on August 28;

Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, 520-540, King, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian
Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian Kingdom of Axum (100-940); St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa), Ethiopia
Mirmena (Asmara or Massawa); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16;

Afar, Ethiopia (Semera)
Afar, Ethiopia (Semara) ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Arab Lands Folder (Saracens, Hagarenes, Pre-Islamic Arabia, Havilah).kmz

Arabs, 600 BC - 8th Century, History Folder, East African Egyptian Arabs, Nubian Kingdom

Arabs,110 BC-520 AD, Arabian Himyarite Kingdom, Historical Dhafar
Himyarite Kingdom; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Arabs, Arabia, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas
East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Arabs, 517-525, Arabian Jewish Warlord, Dunaan
Arabian Jewish Warlord, 517-525, Dunaan; Yemen; Saint Elesbaan, King of Ethiopia; Dunaan, Jewish king in Yemen; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Arethas, Commemorated on October 24; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated October 24 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Arabs, 519, Dunaan, Himyarite King and Jewish Warlord in Yemen
Himyarite king Dunaan ; Himyarite Kingdom (110BC-520AD); St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Arabia, Raids on Meccan caravans 622-632
Arabia, Raids on Meccan caravans 622-632;

Arabia, 622-632, Military career of Muhammad
Military career of Muhammad 622-632; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24;

Arabs, 634-644, Rashidun Caliph, Umar I
Arab Caliph, 634-644, Umar I, 2nd caliph of Rashidun Caliphate, 634-644 ; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12;

Arabs, 644-656, Rashidun Caliph, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 644-656, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Arabs, 656-661, Arab Rashidun Caliph, Ali (First Shia Iman, fourth and Last Rashidun Caliph)
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 656-661, Ali (First Shia Iman, fourth and Last Rashidun Caliph); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Arabs, 661-750, Umayyad Caliphate based in Damascus, Sunni
Arab Caliphates, 661-750, Umayyad, based in Damascus, Sunni ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ;

Arabs, 661-680, Caliph Muawiyah I, in Damascus, Sunni
Arab Caliph, 661-680, Muawiyah I ; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 685-705, Umayyad Caliph, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 685-705, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus, Greater Syria; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 705-715, Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 705-715, Al-Walid I; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 717-720, Umayyad Caliph Umar II
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 717-720, Umar II ; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 720-724, Umayyad Caliph Yazid II
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 720-724, Yazid II; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 724-743, Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 744-750, Umayyad Caliph Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf or Blind)
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf) ; Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Arabs, 750-1517, Abbasid Caliphate, first based in Baghdad, Shia
Arab Caliphates, 750-1517, Abbasid, based in Baghdad, Shia ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Arabs, 750-754, Abbasid Caliph, As-Saffah
Abbasid Caliph, 750-754, As-Saffah; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 754-775, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur
Abbasid Caliph, 754-775, Al-Mansur; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 775-785, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mahdi
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 775-785, Al-Mahdi; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30;

Arabs, 786-809, Abbasid Caliph, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Arabs, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Arabs, 819-861, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir
Messopotamia, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, 819-861, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tasim, Sunni
Arabs, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tasim; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Sunni, Probably Christian Caliph Mavi
Arabs, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Shia; St. Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Arabs, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Sunni, assasinated by his son
Arabs, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Shia; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae,Commemorated on July 2;

Arabs, 862-866, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Musta'in, Sunni
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 862-866, Al-Musta'in, Shia; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Michael ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Black-RobedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Arabs, 866-86, Abbasid Caliph9, Al-Mu'tazz, Sunni
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 866-869, Al-Mu'tazz; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 870-892, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, Sunni
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 870-892, Al-Mu'tamid ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 892-902, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, Sunni
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 892-902, Al-Mu'tamid; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 908-932, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muqtadir, Sunni
Abbasid Caliph, 908-932, Al-Muqtadir ; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 17;

Arabs, 960's, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi, Sunni
Arabs, 960's, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi, Sunni; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount AthosÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â”10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9;

Arabs, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, Persia into Geogria

Arabs, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria
Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria; Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Arabs, 1037-1194, History Folder, Seljuk Empire, Sunni, Battle of Baghdad, 600,000 men to Georgia

Arabs, 1118-1152, Seljuk sultan, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1118-1153, Mehmed II, Great Seljuq Persia ; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Arabs, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate)
Messopotamia, 1258, Battle of Bagdad (Mongols seige Abbasid Caliphate ; Further conquests: 1200ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“1800 ; Timur or Tamerlan;

Arabs, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), Sunni Islam, joined by Crusaders

Saracens, Arabs, Saracen Land (the original Saracens north of the Euphrates River)
Saracens, Both Hippolytus and Uranius mention three distinct peoples in Arabia during the first half of the third century: the Saraceni, the Taeni and the Arabes.[2] The Taeni, later identified with the Arabic speaking people called Tayy, were located around the Khaybar oasis north of Medina, and also in an area stretching up to the Euphrates river, while the Saraceni were placed north of them.[2] These Saracens located in the northern Hejaz appeared as people with a certain military ability who were opponents of the Roman Empire and who were characterized by the Romans as barbarians.[2]; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; St Antiochus, Commemorated on December 24 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; St Leo of Cappadocia, Commemorated on February 28; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Saracens, Arabs, Land of the Saracens (Syrian Desert, Pre Islamic Arabia)
Saracens; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Arab Lands, Big Picture, Kings Highway Folder

Midian (Northwest Arabian Penninsula, and Western Havilah)
Midian; Median and Mt Sinai; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Land of the Kenites (Midian), Jethro and Heber
Land of the Kenites (Midian) ; Midian, land of Jethro and Heber, Moses' father in law and brother in law.; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Moses' Father In-Law's Home - Jeptha
Median and Mt Sinai;

Watercourse route to Mount Horeb, Median (up from the Desert of Sin)
Watercourse Route;

Horeb, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Burning Bush
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Elijah's Cave
Elijah's Cave is on Mount Horeb in Median.; Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated November 19 ;

Mt Sinai, Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Sinai / Mt Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Mecca
Mecca; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Habala, Land of the Arabs
Habala; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ;

Omirits (Wadi Nejran)
Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Negran (Najran), Arabia
Negran (Najran); Martyr Arethas, Commemorated October 24 ; Martyr Syncletica and her two daughters, Commemorated on October 24 ; Dunaan; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Homer, Land of Homer, Omirits (Najran River, Wadi Nejran)
Nejran or Negran; Wadi Najran; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Yemen (Southern Arabia)
Yemen; Dunaan; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24;

Zafar, Yemen
Zafar, Yemen; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Mocha, Yemen
Mocha, Yemen; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated December 19 ;

Land of the Sabeans (Yemen)
Land of the Sabeans (Yemen) ; Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on JobÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Arab Lands, Qatar. Bahrain, Al-Hasa Oasis Folder.kmz

Arab Lands, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi, Liwa Oasis Folder.kmz

Arab Lands, Yeman Folder.kmz

Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean across from Congo Basin Central Africa.kmz

Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean across from Congo Basin Central Africa
Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean across from Congo Basin Central Africa; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Aden, port city and capital of Yemen, Southern Arabia.kmz

British Empire - Anguilia - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Ascension Island, South Central Atlantic Ocean .kmz

British Empire - Austrailia - Australasia, Pacific Islands, Capitol Canberra.kmz

British Empire - Australia - Australasia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - Bahrain, Island of Arad, Arab Lands, Persian Gulf.kmz

British Empire - Basutoland - Orange River Source - South Africa.kmz

British Empire - Bechuanaland - Vaal River, South Africa.kmz

British Empire - Belize aka British Honduras, Central America.kmz

British Empire - British Antarctica Territory.kmz

British Empire - British Indian Ocean Territory - halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia.kmz

British Empire - British Malaya, Malaya (Malay Peninsula).kmz

British Empire - British North Borneo - Sandakan.kmz

British Empire - British North Borneo, Kudat.kmz

British Empire - British Somaliland - East Africa, Gulf of Aden.kmz

British Empire - British Virgin Islands - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Burma.kmz

British Empire - Cayman Islands - Caribean Sea - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Cayman Islands - Caribean Sea - British West Indies
British Empire - Cayman Islands - Caribean Sea - British West Indies; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Ceylon, India (Sri Lanka).kmz

British Empire - Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia).kmz

British Empire - Egypt - Lower Nile River below the Cataracts and the Sinai.kmz

British Empire - Ellice Islands - Oceana and Polynesia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - England.kmz

British Empire - Falkland Islands, Argentine Sea.kmz

British Empire - Gambia, West Africa.kmz

British Empire - Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory.kmz

British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Micronesia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - Gold Coast - Eastern Australia, Brisbane.kmz

British Empire - Grenada - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Guyana, British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Helogoland - East of Frisian Islands in the North Sea, Netherlands.kmz

British Empire - Hong Kong, British Colony (Pearl River Estuary) 1842-1997.kmz

British Empire - India.kmz

British Empire - Ionian Islands - West Greece - The Seven Islands.kmz

British Empire - Iraq, in the Fertile Crescent, Ephrates River, Bagdad.kmz

British Empire - Ireland.kmz

British Empire - Jamaica - Caribean Sea, British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Jamaica - Caribean Sea, British West Indies
British Empire - Jamaica - Caribean Sea, British West Indies;

British Empire - Kenya, East Africa.kmz

British Empire - Maldives Islands - Indian Ocean Southsouthwest of India.kmz

British Empire - Malta (strategic Mediterranean island near Sicily).kmz

British Empire - Montserrat - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - New Hebrides - Polynisia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - New Zealand, Australasia and Polynisia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - Nigeria - Ogun River, West Africa.kmz

British Empire - North Borneo - Sandakan.kmz

British Empire - North Borneo - Sandakan
British Empire - North Borneo - Sandakan; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - North Borneo, Kudat.kmz

British Empire - North Borneo, Kudat
British Empire - North Borneo, Kudat; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Northern Rhodesia (outside the Zambezi River arc).kmz

British Empire - Nyasaland - Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia.kmz

British Empire - Nyasaland - Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia
British Empire - Nyasaland - Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

British Empire - Nyasaland - Outside the Z River Arc 'Eastern Edge of Northern Rhodesia.kmz

British Empire - Oman, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabia.kmz

British Empire - Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River).kmz

British Empire - Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River)
Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter of Galatia; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Eulogius of Palestine, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable John the Silent of St SavaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

British Empire - Papua New Guinea - Eastern half Island of New Guinea.kmz

British Empire - Qatar, large penninsula in Persian Gulf, Arabia.kmz

British Empire - Saint Helena Island, Southern Atlantic Ocean off West Africa.kmz

British Empire - Saint Kitts and Nevis - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Sarawak - Central Sumatra, Borneo.kmz

British Empire - Scotland.kmz

British Empire - Seychelles - Islands in the Indian Ocean, off East Africa.kmz

British Empire - Sierra Leone, West Africa.kmz

British Empire - Singapore - Singapore Strait, Southern Maylay Penninsula.kmz

British Empire - Socotra - Island at the mouth of Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea.kmz

British Empire - Solomon Islands - Melanesia, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire - South Africa.kmz

British Empire - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Argentine Sea.kmz

British Empire - South West Africa.kmz

British Empire - Southern Rhodesia (inside the Zambezi River arc).kmz

British Empire - Sudan, East Africa.kmz

British Empire - Tanganyika, Tanzania, East Africa, Zanzibar, Indian Ocean.kmz

British Empire - Tonga - Polynesia, Pacific Islands, 169 islands, 39 inhabited.kmz

British Empire - Tristan da Cunha Islands.kmz

British Empire - Trucical States, 7, became UAE, Southern Persian Gulf, Arabia.kmz

British Empire - Turks and Caicos Islands - British West Indies.kmz

British Empire - Uganda, East Africa.kmz

British Empire - Weiihai - Strategic penninsula into Peking C across from Seoul K.kmz

British Empire - Western Samoa - Polynesian Islands, Pacific Islands.kmz

British Empire, Guyana, British West Indies.kmz

British Empire, Guyana, British West Indies
Guyana; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Ida B. Robinson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1946, Commemorated April 20;

British West Indies Folder.kmz

Burma Folder, its rivers and mountains.kmz

Burma, 1828-1840, Evangelist, Ko Tha Byu
Ko Tha Byu, Evangelist, 1828-1840 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Cambridge (at the head of the Broads River System, River Cam 2).kmz

Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 1209.kmz

Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 1209
University of Cambridge; ALEXANDER CRUMMELL, PRIEST, MISSIONARY, EDUCATOR (10 SEP 1898); NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; WILLIAM TYNDALE ; Miles Coverdale of WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE], TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569); CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) ; WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Canada Folder.kmz

Canada, 1867-1911, Canada History Folder, by Prime Minister

Canada, 1867-1873, Prime Minister, John A. McDonald
Canada, Prime Minister, 1867-1873, John A. McDonald; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ;

Canada, 1873-1878, Prime Minister, Alexander Mackenzie
Canada, Prime Minister, 1873-1878, Alexander Mackenzie ; JOHN HORDEN, MISSIONARY BISHOP IN CANADA, 1893, Commemorated December 15 ; ROBERT McDONALD, PRIEST, 1913, Commemorated December 15; HENRY BUDD, PRIEST, 1875, Commemorated December 22 ;

Ojibwa People, Ontario (Saultiers) and Michigan
Ojibwa People; ENMEGAHBOWH, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY (12 JUNE 1902);

Ojibwe Lands (Outlet Lake Superior, Eastern Canada)
Ojibwe Lands: Because many Ojibwe were historically formerly located mainly around the outlet of Lake Superior, which the French colonists called Sault Ste. Marie, they referred to the Ojibwe as Saulteurs. Ojibwe who subsequently moved to the prairie provinces of Canada have retained the name Saulteaux. Ojibwe who were originally located about the Mississagi River and made their way to southern Ontario are known as the Mississaugas. ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15;

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Rideau Canal, Saint Laurence River Source, Saint Laurence Seaway)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ORDINATION OF FLORENCE LI TIM-OI, FIRST WOMAN PRIEST IN THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION, 24 JANUARY 1944;

Canada, St Laurence River Mouth, Rideau Canal Folder, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston

Cataraqui, near Kingston, Ontario (Saint Laurence River Source)
MARY (MOLLY) BRANT, WITNESS TO THE FAITH AMONG THE MOHAWKS, 1796;

Slave River Source, Peace River 3, Smokey River Folder

Central America Folder.kmz

Central America 1937-1980, Central America History Folder

Chiapas in Guatemala, Central America
Chiapas in Guatemala ; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ;

San Salvador, El Salvador, Central America
San Salvador ; El Salvador ; OSCAR ROMERO, ARCHBISHOP OF SAN SALVADOR, AND THE MARTYRS OF EL SALVADOR, (24 March 1980) ;

Nicaragua, Central America
Nicaragua; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, POET, 1938, Commemorated June 25 ;

Continental Divides Folder.kmz

Continental Divide - Germany and Poland, between Elbe and Order Rivers

Continental Divide - Pskov Lakes Divide - Estonia and Russia

Continental Divide - Pskov Novgorod, Pskov St Petersburg

Continental Divide - Ukraine

Continental Divide - Upper Muravsky Trail

Continental Divide - Western St Petersburg Area

Continental Divide - Namak Lake Sink

Queretaro (state, Mexico), Continental Divide
QuerÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â©taro (state, Mexico), Continental Divide; Continental Divide of the Americas;

Continental Divides - North and South Idaho

Continental Divide - Through Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina

Cyprus Folder.kmz

Cyprus
Cyprus; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the Four Days in the TombÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated December 7 ; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe MercifulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 27 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Sicily, Commemorated on February 9; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Hieromartyr Philagrius the Bishop of Cyprus; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taoromina in Sicily; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Arcadius of Cyprus, Commemorated on March 6; Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain, Commemorated on March 16; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 22; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT) ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Cyprus, 000, 1st Century Folder, Barnabus ad Lazarus

Cyprus, 310-403, Epiphanius of Salamis, Cyprus
Epiphanius of Salamis, Cyprus, 310-403; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Arab Muslim Conquest of Cyprus 654
Arab Muslim Conquest of Cyprus 654;

Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Kykkos Mountain, Cyprus
Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe MercifulÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 12;

Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus (Georgian) 1090's
Kykkos Monastery - A Georgian Monestary on Cyprus ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ;

Galatea (Cyprus)
Galatea (Cyprus); Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ;

Cyrenia (Kiteia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the Four Days in the TombÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2;

Kiteia (Cyrenia, Kyrenia) on Cyprus
Kiteia (Kyrenia) on Cyprus; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœof the Four Days in the TombÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Hieromartyr Theodotus the Bishop of Cyrenia, Commemorated on March 2;

Kittim, Cyprus
Kittim; 1 Maccabees Ch 1; Cyprus, 40-70, Lazarus, Bishop of Kittim ; Translation of the relics of Saint Lazarus ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœof the Four Days in the TombÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Bishop of Kiteia, Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4;

church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus
church of the Righteous Lazarus, Larnaca, Cyprus; Translation of the relics of Saint Lazarus ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœof the Four Days in the TombÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Bishop of Kiteia, Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17;

Constantia, Cyprus
Constantia, Cyprus St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ;

Salamis, Cyprus
Salamis, Cyprus; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20;

Tremithus, Cyprus
Tremithus; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13;

Edom Folder, and its vicinity.kmz

Land of Uz (Edom)
Land of Uz (Edom); Job 1:1-22, Job, Job and His Family, Attack on JobÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Character, Job Loses Property and Children;

Egypt Folder, its river and roads.kmz

Egypt (aka Rahab)
Egypt; Rahab; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9 ; Venerable Psoi of Egypt, Commemorated August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; St Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Venerable Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 13; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated on September 18; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; Martyr Varus, Commemorated October 19 ; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated November 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; Hieromartyr Theodore the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 3 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Martyr Akepsimas of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Mirax of Egypt, Commemorated on December 11 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; LILLIAN TRASHER, MISSIONARY IN EGYPT, 1961. Commemorated December 19 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, along with David the King, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe MercifulÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated February 9 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Theodotion of Egypt, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmartyr Martha in Egypt, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11 ; Martyr Nicander of Egypt, Commemorated on March 15 ; Martyr Sabinus of Egypt, Commemorated on March 16; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Zachariah the Recluse, Commemorated on March 24 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17 ; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Meletius Stratelates who suffered in Galatia, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt, Commemorated on June 15 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilk-GiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Egypt, 1900 BC to 1500 BC, History Folder, Joseph and Pharaohs to Moses and Joshua

Egypt, 1900 BC, Egyptian Saint, Joseph
Egypt, 1900 BC, Egyptian Saint, Joseph;

Egypt, 1701 BC-1661 BC, Egyptian Pharaoh, Merneferre Ay, at abandoned capitol
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1701BC-1661BC, Merneferre Ay; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1689BC-1569BC, Egyptian Patriarch, Moses
Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egyptian Pharaoh, 1677BC-1675BC, Merhotepre Ini
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1677BC-1675BC, Merhotepre Ini; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses; Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egyptian Pharaoh, 1675BC-1654BC, Sankhenre Sewadjtu
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1675BC-1654BC, Sankhenre Sewadjtu; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egyptian Pharaoh, 1672BC-1648BC, Mersekhemre Ined

Egyptian Pharaoh, 1669BC-1643BC, Sewadjkare Hori
Egyptian Pharaoh, 1669BC-1643BC, Sewadjkare Hori; Egyptian Patriarch, 1689BC-1569BC, Moses Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1654BC-1544BC, Egyptian Patriarch, Joshua
Egyptian Patriarch, 1654BC-1544BC, Joshua, 4000-1654=2,346. So Joshua and Moses lived around the 2,500th year. We live around the 6,000th year and Jesus first lived around the 2,000th year; Righteous Joshua the son of Nun (Navi), Commemorated on September 1; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated on September 4 ;

Egypt, 1500 BC to 170 AD, History Folder, Later Ancient Times, Jews Drawn Back to Egypt

Migdol, an Island in the Nile, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Migdol, an Island in the Nile, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Noph, aka Memphis, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times
Noph, aka Memphis, Jewish Settlement, Later Ancient Times; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria
Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ;

Egypt, 170 - 640, Patriarchs and Saints History Folder

Egypt, 170-215, Saint Clement of Alexandria
Egypt, 170-215, Saint Clement of Alexandria; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?);

Egypt, 220-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria
Egypt, 220-264, Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria; Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes, the first Christian hermit
Egypt, 244-341, Saint Paul of Thebes; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great;

Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple
Egypt, 245-339, Saint Paul the Simple; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria
Egypt, 250, Epimachus of Pelusium, Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria; Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great
Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated on October 4; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 276-311, Egyptian Saint, Pope Peter I of Alexandria
Egypt, 276-336, Egyptian Saint, Pope Peter I of Alexandria; Egyptian Scholar, 276-336, Arius of Alexandria ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25 ;

Egypt, 280-307, Egyptian Saint, Varus
Egypt, 280-307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Egypt, 280-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 280-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra
Egypt, 280-307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Egypt, 280-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra; Blessed Cleopatra with her son in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 300-395, Egyptian Saint, Onuphrius
Egyptian Saint, 300-395, Onuphrius; Egyptian Patriarch, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2;

Egypt, 305-309, Egyptian Saint, Menas
Egypt, 305-309, Egyptian Saint, Menas; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17;

Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus
Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 307-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra
Egypt, 307-327, Egyptian Saint, Cleopatra; Egypt, 307, Egyptian Saint, Varus; Blessed Cleopatra with her son John, in Egypt, Commemorated on October 19; Martyr Varus, and seven Monastic Martyrs with him, Commemorated on October 19;

Egypt, 311-371, Saint Hilarion the Great
Egypt, 311-371, Saint Hilarion ; St. Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12;

Egypt, 312-348, Egyptian Patriarch, Pachomius the Great
Egyptian Patriarch, 312-348, Pachomius the Great; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 313-328, Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 313-328, Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373);

Egypt, 320-391, Saint, Marcarius the Great
Egyptian Saint, 320-391, Marcarius the Great; Virginmartyr Apollinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5;

Egypt, 325-375, Saint, Pambo
Egypt, 325-375, Saint, Pambo; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18;

Egypt, 325-395, Egyptian Saint, Paphnutius the Ascetic
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15;

Egypt, 325-395, Egyptian Saint, Thais
Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Thais; Egyptian Saint, 325-395, Paphnutius the Ascetic; Venerable Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on October 8; St John of Egypt,Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15;

Egypt, 328-373, Egyptian Patriarch, Athanasias of Alexandria, The Great
Egyptian Patriarch, 328-373, Athanasias of Alexandria; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30; St. Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, Pharmutius
Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, Pharmutius; Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29;

Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit
Egypt, 330?-394, Egyptian Saint, John the Anchorite, John the Hermit; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29;

Egypt, 334-368, Egyptian Patriarch, Theodorus of Tabennese
Egyptian Patriarch, 334-368, Theodorus of Tabennese ; Egyptian Patriarch, 312-348, Pachomius the Great; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16;

Egypt, 340-417, Saint, Paisius the Great, Pishoy
Egypt, 340-417, Saint, Paisius the Great, Pishoy; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Egypt, 340-429, Saint, Sisoes the Great
Egypt, 340-429, Saint, Sisoes the Great; Egypt, 271-356, Saint Anthony the Great; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Egypt, 350-405, Egyptian Saint, Moses the Black
Egyptian Saint, 350-405, Moses the Black; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Ethiopian of Scete, Commemorated on August 28;

Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes
Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9;

Egypt, 360-450, Egyptian Saint, Pimen the Great, Sketes
Egyptian Saint, 360-450, Pimen the Great; Egypt, 359-405, Egyptian Saint, John the Short, or the Dwarf, Sketes; Venerable Pimen the Great, Commemorated on August 27;

Egypt, 370-450, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great
Egypt, 370-445, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ;

Egypt, 384-412, Impious Pope Theophilus of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 384-412, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Egypt, 384-450, Egyptian Saint, Isadore of Pelusium
Egyptian Saint, d. 450, Isadore of Pelusium; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6;

Egypt, 406-450, Egyptian Heratic, Nestorius
Egypt, 406-450, Egyptian Heratic, Nestorius; Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Egypt, 412-444, Egyptian Patriarch, Cyril of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria
Egypt, 420-458, Egyptian Saint, Euphrosyne of Alexandria; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15;

Egypt, 444-451, Egyptian Patriarch, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria
Egypt, 444-451, Egyptian Patriarch, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria;

Egypt, 451-457, Egyptian Patriarch, Proterius of Alexandria
Egypt, 451-457, Egyptian Patriarch, Proterius of Alexandria; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28;

Egypt, 444-451, Egyptian Patriarch, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria, Monophysite
Egyptian Patriarch, 444-451, Pope Dioscorus I of Alexandria, Monophysite; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28;

Egypt, 600-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus
Egypt, 600-649, Saint John of the Ladder, John Climacus; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ; Commemorated on March 30;

Egypt, 606-616, Patriarch, John the Merciful of Alexandria
Egyptian Patriarch, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22;

Egypt, 610-685, Egyptian Saint, Anastasius Sinaita
Egyptian Saint, 610-685, Anastasius Sinaita; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20;

Egypt, 868-905, Sultan Ahmad ibn Tulun, Founder Tulunid Dynasty, Sunni
Egypt, 868-905, Sultan Ahmad ibn Tulun, Founder Tulunid Dynasty, Sunni ; Martyr Michael ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Black-RobedÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Egypt, 909-1171, Fatmid Caliphate, Shia Islam

Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah)
Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), despoiler of the Holy Places ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ;

Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo), Sunni Islam
Egypt, 1250-1517, Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo), Sunni Islam;

Egypt, 1847-1858, Patriarch Hierotheus II of Alexandria
Egypt, 1847-1858, Patriarch Hierotheus II of Alexandria; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23;

Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt
Alexandria; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 14 ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia ; Martyr Anthony of Alexandria, Commemorated on August 9 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 31; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Martyr Cyriacus and 11 others at Alexandria, Commemorated September 6 ; Venerable Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; St Euphrosynus the Cook, of Alexandria, Commemorated September 11 ; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 13; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22 ; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Chronides of Alexandria, Commemorated September 13 ; Virginmartyr Irais (Rhais) of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 25 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21 ; Martyr Eutropia of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 30 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13 ; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24 ; Virginmartyr Mastridia of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated November 30; Hieromartyr Theodore the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 3 ; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Nun-Martyr Eugenia of Rome, Commemorated on December 24 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; ANTONY, ABBOT IN EGYPT (17 JAN 356) ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated on January 31 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Virginmartyr Apollonia, Commemorated February 9 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated February 15 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Auxibius Bishop of Soli, Cyprus, Commemorated on February 17 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Julian of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Virginmartyr Piama, Commemorated on March 3 ; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11 ; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16 ; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30 ; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25 ; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373) ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Virginmartyr Theodora of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 27 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; Martyr Philosophus at Alexandria, Commemorated on May 31 ; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4 ; JUSTIN MARTYR, PHILOSOPHER, APOLOGIST, AND MARTYR (1 JUNE 167) ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9 ; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; St Leucius the Bishop of Brindisi, Commemorated on June 20 ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8; Venerable Theophilus the Myrrhgusher of Macedonia, Commemorated on July 8;

Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark, AD 50 Approx.
Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark, AD 50 Approx.; Hieromartyr Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5;

Egyptian desert
Egyptian Desert (Nitrian Desert) ; There were three deserts in northern Egypt: the first was the Cells (the inner desert), so designated because of the many cells carved into the rocks. The second was called Skete (utter desert). The third was the Nitrian desert which reached the western bank of the Nile. Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Hellius of Egypt; gift of clairvoyance and directed animals to his service;; Venerable Sisoes the Great; Venerable Psoi of Egypt, Commemorated August 9 ; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Pimen the Great. St. Pimen was Located at one of the Egyptian Monestaries.; Martyr Paphnutius in Egypt, Commemorated September 25; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt,Commemorated on October 4; 546 Martyred Companions of Paphnutius in Egypt; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated December 8; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2 ; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable John the Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on March 29 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr; Venerable Paphnutius of Alexandria; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29; Venerable Anubius the Confessor and Anchorite of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the New, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Scetes monasteries, Egyptian Desert, 330, 360 of them
Scetes monestary; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10;

Scetis, Egyptian Desert
Scetis ; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Cherimon (Chaeremon) of Egypt, Commemorated on August 16; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Nitrian desert
Nitrian desert; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Nitrean Desert (Egyptian Hermits)
Nitria; Nitrian Desert ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Ammon, Commemorated on October 4; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt,Commemorated on October 4; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Pansophius of Alexandria, the Martyr, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19 ;

Monestary of the Cells (Kellia), Egyptian Desert, 338
Monestary of the Cells (Kellia), Egyptian Desert, 338; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10 ; Venerable Memnon the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 29;

Nitria (first Lavra, Lake Nitria) 330
Nitria; Nitrian Desert ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœMilk-GiverÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Canopis, Egypt
Canopis, Egypt ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Athanasia and her daughters at Canopus in Egypt, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery, 650
St Menas Church southwest of Alexandria, Oktodekadian monastery ; Martyr Menas of Egypt, Commemorated on November 11 ; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ;

Pelusium, Egypt (Way of the Sea 2)
Pelusium; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated February 4 ; Apostle Epimachus of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 31 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

Zoan (Pi-Ramses), Moses' Miracles before Pharoh
Zoan (Pi-Ramses); Psalm 78: Part II

Thmuis, Egypt
Thmuis; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ;

Memphis, Egypt
Memphis, Egypt; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2, From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8;

Babylon Fortress, Egypt
Babylon Fortress, Egypt; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4;

Mount Sinai - Horeb in Egypt, Saint Helena, Constantine's Mother made a mistake as to the location of the Desert of Sin and therefor Sinai and Mount Horeb. She put Horeb in Egypt and not in Midian. Many miracles still happened in this mistaken location; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12 ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt, 565
St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ; St Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush", Commemorated September 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Raithu, Sinai Penninsula, Egypt
Raithu; Fathers slain at Sinai and Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; St Joseph Analytinus of Raithu, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30;

Sinai monastery, Egypt, 565
Sinai monastery; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated November 29 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe LadderÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Egypt, Nile River Folder, Thebaid and Tabenna

Thebaid Region (Upper Egypt, Nile River 13)
Thebaid; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Thebaid Region of Ancient Egypt; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 3 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Thebes, Egypt (Nile River 13)
Thebes, Egypt; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated July 25 ; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; St Eumenius the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 18 ; Venerable Paul the Simple of Egypt, Commemorated October 4 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable John the Chozebite, Commemorated on October 28; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated October 18 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated December 8 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Pachomius the Great, Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of the Venerable Pachomius the Great, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Caluf of Egypt, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12;

Antinoe, Thebaid, Egypt (Nile River 15)
Antinoe or Antinopolis; St David of Hermopolis in Egypt, Commemorated September 6 ; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Martyr Apollonius of Alexandria, Commemorated December 14 ; Martyr Julian at Antinoe in Egypt, Commemorated January 8 ; Martyr Asclas of Egypt, Commemorated on May 20;

Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid, Nile River 16)
Oxyrhynchos (Upper Thebaid); St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; St John of Egypt, Commemorated December 2 ; Venerable Onuphrius the Great, Commemorated on June 12;

England, 1779-1836, CHARLES SIMEON, Teacher.kmz

England, British Empire - British West Indies.kmz

England, British Empire - Oceania area.kmz

England, British Empire - Thirteen North American Colonies.kmz

England, British Empire, India (including Pakistan, Afganistan and Burma).kmz

England, British Empire, India (including Pakistan, Afganistan and Burma)
British Empire; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

England, British West Indies Area.kmz

England, British West Indies Area

England, Broads Folder, a Navigatable River System, East Anglia.kmz

East Anglia, Raedwald, King of East Anglia 599-624, Sutton Hoo
Raedwald, King of East Anglia 599-624; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634, Rendlesham
Sigeberht of East Anglia, 629-634 ; Rendlesham; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8; St Cuthbert, wonderworker of Britain, Commemorated on March 20; CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (20 MAR 687) (now 31 AUG);

Cambridge (at the head of the Broads River System)
Cambridge; WILLIAM WHITE, BISHOP OF PENNSYLVANIA (17 JULY 1836); JOHN MASON NEALE, PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR (7 AUGUST 1866); JEREMY TAYLOR, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (13 AUGUST 1667); Thomas Gallaudet of THOMAS GALLAUDET & HENRY WINTER SYLE PRIESTS (27 AUGUST 1902 & 6 JANUARY 1890) ; NICHOLAS RIDLEY, BISHOP AND MARTYR (16 OCTOBER 1555) ; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); WILLIAM BYRD of WILLIAM BYRD, JOHN MERBECKE and THOMAS TALLIS, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585, Commemorated November 21 ; C S LEWIS, SCHOLAR AND SPIRITUAL WRITER (22 NOV 1963) ; ISAAC WATTS, HYMNWRITER, 1748, Commemorated November 26 ; FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872); WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761) ; NICHOLAS FERRAR, DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637) ; ROBERT McDONALD, Commemorated December 15 ; CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ; GEORGE HERBERT, PRIEST AND POET (27 FEBRUARY 1633); JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872) ; WILLIAM LAW, WRITER, PRIEST, AND NON-JUROR (09 APR 1761; GEORGE AUGUSTUS SELWYN, BISHOP AND MISSIONARY (11 APR 1878); DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, CONTEMPLATIVE (8 MAY 1417); JOHN ELIOT, MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 21 MAY 1690;

Dunwich, East Anglia, the Broads
Dunwich; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

Felixstowe, Suffok, The Broads
Felixstowe; St Felix of Burgundy the Bishop of Dunwich and Enlightener of East Anglia, Commemorated on March 8;

England, Broads, River Cam Folder, Cambridge, Upstream and West.kmz

Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory
Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) George Whitefield of FRANCIS ASBURY & GEORGE WHITEFIELD, Evangelists, 1816, 1770, Commemorated November 15 ;

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire, 13 Colonies.kmz

New World, England, New England, British Empire - 13 Colonies North America area
New England; 13 Colonies; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14;

England, New England, British Empire - 13 Colonies North America area, New World
New England; 13 Colonies; SAMSON OCCUM, WITNESS TO THE FAITH IN NEW ENGLAND, 1792, Commemorated July 14;

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire, British West Indies.kmz

England, New England Folder, New World, British Empire.kmz

Greece, Corinth, Athens, Achaia (West Greece) Folder.kmz

Corinth, Greece
Corinth; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Theodotus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN NT ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Martyr Quadratus and those with him at Corinth, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Leonidas of Corinth, Commemorated on April 16; Martyr Adrian of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Athens, Greece
Athens; Martyr Hermias of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 8 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 21 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ;

Achaia, Roman Province South of Macedonia and Epirus
Achaea[1] or Achaia,[2][3] sometimes transliterated from Greek as AkhaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¯a (Greek: ÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â‘ÃƒÂÂÂÂÃ‚Â‡ÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â±ÃƒÂŽÃ‚ÂÂÂÂÃƒÂŽÃ‚Â± AchaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¯a, [axaÃƒÂ‹Ã‚Âˆia]), was a province of the Roman Empire, consisting of the Peloponnese, eastern Central Greece, and parts of Thessaly. In the north, it bordered on the provinces of Epirus vetus and Macedonia. The region was annexed by the Roman Republic in 146 BC following the sack of Corinth by the Roman general Lucius Mummius, who was awarded the cognomen "Achaicus" ("conqueror of Achaea"). It became part of the Roman province of Macedonia, which included the whole of mainland Greece. Acts 18:12-28 before Paul's return to Antioch, Syria;

Greece, 1st Century, Patra in Achaia, Apostle Andrew
Greece, 1st Century, Patra in Achaia, Apostle Andrew; Patras; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Nea Makri, Attica (Corinth and Athens area)
Nea Makri; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5;

Marathon, Greece (near Athens)
Marathon, Greece; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated January 11; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Maraton
Maraton; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated January 11;

Boeotia (region in central Greece, near Corinth)
Boeotia; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Hesperus with his wife and sons at Attalia, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Achaia Region, West Greece near Corinth
Achaia Region Northwest Greece, capitol is Patras; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, Commemorated on August 17; Apostle Sosipater of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Tertius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Aegina Island (between Athens and Corinth)
Aegina Island; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated November 9 ; Venerable Nikon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Achaea, West Greece
Achaea; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON, APOLOGIST and WRITER, 1936;

Patra (Patras) in Achaia, West Greece
Patras; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated September 23; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; Apostle Rodion of the Seventy, Commemorated November 10 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28;

New Prokopion, Euboia Island
New Prokopion St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Dremvitsa, or Velitsa or Tithorea (in fertile basin North of Corinth)
Dremvitsa, or Velitsa or Tithorea ; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ;

Thebes of Boeotia, Greece, northeast of Corinth
Thebes, A Greek City State in Boetia ; Boetian Plain; Thebes of Boeotia; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8;

Kephalonia (Cephalonia, West Greece)
Cephalonia (Kephalonia) ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on October 20 ;

Zakynthos Island, West Greece
Zakynthos Island; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated October 20; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ;

Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, 1400.kmz

India Folder (including Pakistan).kmz

British Empire, India (including Pakistan)
British Empire; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); CHARLES GORE, BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16 ;

Indian Ocean (near India)

India, 30-80, Kushan Emperor, Kujula Kadphises
India, Kushan Emperor, 30-80, Kujula Kadphises; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 54-91, Saint, Bartholomew
Indian Saint, 54-91, Bartholomew; Armenian King, 54-91, Triadates I; BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE, (24 AUGUST NT); Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

India, Kushan Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I
India, Kushan Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Saints, 224-242, Barlaam and Josaphat
India, Kushan Saints, 78-78, Barlaam and Josaphat ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 232-245, Kanishka II
India, Kushan Emperor, 232-245, Kanishka II ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 245-265, Vasiska
India, Kushan Emperor, 245-265, Vasiska; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 265-275, Kanishka III
India, Kushan Emperor, 265-275, Kanishka III ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 275-300, Vasudeva II
India, Kushan Emperor, 275-300, Vasudeva II ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 300-350, Shaka Kushan
India, Kushan Emperor, 300-350, Shaka Kushan; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, Kushan Emperor, 350-376 Gandhara
India, Kushan Emperor, 350-376 Gandhara ; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

India, 1400, 15th Century Folder, Portuguese India

India,1769-1954, French India
India,1769-1954, French India;

India, 1877, Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi
India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated January 12;

Pakistan (Indus River Basin)
Pakistan; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; JANANI LUWUM, ARCHBISHOP OF UGANDA, MARTYR (16 FEB 1977);

New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India ; World Council of Churches 1961 ; David du Plessis, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1987, Commemorated February 2 ;

St. Stephen's College, Delhi, 1881
St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877
Cambridge Brotherhood to Deli (Cambridge Mission to Delhi) 1877; St. Stephen's College, Delhi, located at the University of Delhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Calcutta, India (Hooghly River 5)
Calcutta WILLIAM CAREY, MISSIONARY TO INDIA, 19 October 1834; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; PANDITA MARY RAMABAI, PROPHETIC WITNESS AND EVANGELIST IN INDIA, 1922, Commemorated April 5 ; ADONIRAM JUDSON, MISSIONARY TO BURMA, 1850, Commemorated April 12 ;

Gujarat State, Northwestern India
State of Gujarat; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Natal, India (Ahmedabad)
Natal; Ashram; Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi stayed.; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12; (Charles Freer Andrews) helped Gandhi organize an Ashram in Natal and publish his famous magazine, The Indian Opinion.

Dummagudem, District of Dummagudem, India (Godavari River)
District of Dummagudem; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Dornakal (railway junction)
Dornakal, a railway junction; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Telugu, South Central India, Land of the Telugu people
Land of the Telugu people; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Hyderabad State, South Central India
Hyderabad State ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Kurnool District (northwest part of Andhra Pradesh State)
Kurnool District (northwest part of Andhra Pradesh State); VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2;

India, Pakistan and its Indus River.kmz

India, Pakistan and its Indus River

India, Southern India, Ceylon Folder.kmz

Ireland Folder, its rivers and mountains.kmz

Ireland, 410-461, Saint Patrick of Ireland
Ireland, Saint, 410-461, Patrick of Ireland; PATRICK OF IRELAND, (17 MAR c461) ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17;

Ireland, 473-524, Saint, Brigit of Kildare
Ireland, Saint, 473-524, Brigit of Kildare; ST BRIDGET OF KILDARE, ABBESS (1 FEB 523); Venerable Brigid (Bridget) of Ireland, Commemorated on February 1;

Ireland, 485-530, Saint, Ciaran of Saigir, Ciaran the Elder
Ireland, Saint, 485-570, St Ita of Killeady ; Ireland, Saint, 485-530, Ciaran of Saigir, Ciaran the Elder; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 490-549, Saint, Finnian of Clonard
Ireland, Saint, 490-549, Finnian of Clonard; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, Saint, 490-520, Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois
Ireland, Saint, 490-520, Saint Abban of Kilabban, Co. Laois, Gobnata's Brother? Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ;

Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney
Ireland, Saint, 500-550, St Gobnata of Ballyvourney; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ;

Ireland, 500-570, Saint, St Ita of Killeady
Ireland, Saint, 500-570, St Ita of Killeady ; Ireland (then called Scotland); St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ita the Hermitess of Killeady, Commemorated on January 15 ;

Ireland, 502-577, Saint, St Brendan the Voyager
Ireland, Saint, 502-577, St Brendan the Voyager; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 522-549, Saint, CiarÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¡n of Clonmacnoise, Ciaran the Younger
Ireland, Saint, 522-549, CiarÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¡n of Clonmacnoise, Ciaran the Younger; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Ireland, 541-597, Saint, Colomba of Iona
Ireland, Saint, 541-597, Colomba of Iona ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated on September 9 ;

Moville, Ireland
Moville ; Movilla Abbey; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10;

Durrow, Ireland (Shannon River 3)
Durrow, Ireland ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Trinity College, Dublin, 1592
Trinity College, Dublin; GEOFFREY ANKETELL STUDDERT KENNEDY, aka Woodbine Willie, PRIEST, 1929, Commemorated March 8 ;

Malaya (Malaysia), Sumatra, Jakarta, Indonesia Folder.kmz

Mesopotamia Folder (Tigris and Euphrates).kmz

Mesopotamia (Land of the Rivers)
Mesopotamia; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated October 4 ; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated October 6 ; Venerable Julian the Hermit of Mesopotamia, Commemorated October 18 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Apostle Urban of the Seventy; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cosmas of Asia Minor, Commemorated November 1 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Damian of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on November 1; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated December 7 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated on December 20 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; Venerable Shio Mgvime, Commemorated February 9 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15 ; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25;

Mesopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Abraham
Messopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Abraham; Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Lot
Messopotamian Saint, 2000BC, Lot; Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Mesopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Babylonian Empire
Messopotamia, 1894 BC-1595 BC, Babylonian Empire;

Mesopotamia, 634 BC-562 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar - Hanging Gardens
Babylonian King, 634-562 BC, Nebuchadnezzar - Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1;

Mesopotamia, 626-605 BC, Babylonian King, Nabopolassar
Babylonian King, 626-605 BC, Nabopolassar ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Mesopotamia, 612 BC, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, to Babylonians and Medes
Persia, 612 BC, Fall of Nineveh, Assyria, Persia ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Mesopotamia, 609 BC - 538 BC, Babylon, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Babylon, 609 BC - 538 BC, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Mesopotamia, 586 BC - 516 BC, Babylon, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity
Babylon, 586 BC - 516 BC, Prophet Daniel, 70 Yr Babylonian Captivity; Prophet Daniel ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2;

Mesopotamia, 553-539 BC, Babylon, Babylonian King, Baltasar (Handwriting on the Wall)
Babylonian King, 553-539 BC, Baltasar (Handwriting on the Wall); Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Mesopotamia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas
Messopotamia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Kufa, Messopotamia (Capital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661)
Kufa, Messopotamia (Capital of the Rashidun Caliphate from 656-661); Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Mesopotamia, 750-1517, Babylon History Folder, Abbasid Caliphate, Shia

Mesopotamia, 750-1517, Abbasid, Caliphates, Arab, until 1261 based in Baghdad, Shia

Mesopotamia, 754-775, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur
Abbasid Caliph, 754-775, Al-Mansur; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Mesopotamia, 775-785, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mahdi
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 775-785, Al-Mahdi; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30;

Mesopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi;

Mesopotamia, 786-809, Abbasid Caliph, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Mesopotamia, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 813-833, Al-Ma'mun; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Edessa, Messopotamia (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ;

the country beyond the river
Bacchides, Governor of the country beyond the river"ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â”Euphrates, 1 Maccabees ch 7;

Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home)
Ur, Chaldea, Messopotamia (Abraham's Home) ; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9;

Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia (70 miles West of Tigris River 3)
Syngara Fortress, Mesopotamia; Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6;

Eden, Mesopotamia (Tigris River 5, Ephrates River 7)
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia ; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden in Mesopotamia; Eden in an abstract view of Mesopotamia; Forefeast of the Nativity of our Lord, Commemorated December 20 ;

Mesopotamia, Euphrates River Folder.kmz

Moab Folder, and its rivers.kmz

Moab Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot
Moab Patriarch, 2000 BC, Lot; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9; Righteous Lot, Commemorated on October 9;

Arnon River Source

Mt Nebo (east to west view, elevation exageration 3)
Turn up the tools options elevation exageration to 3 to understand this view; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Righteous Phineas the grandson of Aaron, Commemorated on March 12;

Baal of Peor, Moab, at Mt. Nebo (Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles)
Baal of Peor at Mt. Nebo (great view of Jerusalem, Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles) Balaam's Third and Fourth Oracles, Numbers 23:25-24:25;

Moab, Kings Highway Folder.kmz

Mongol, China, Hai River Folder (Peking or Bejing, Far North China).kmz

Peking, Mongol Capitol since 1260, China (Hai River and North China Plain)
Peking (Hai River and Northern tip of North China Plain); Major rivers flowing through the municipality include the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, part of the Hai River system, and flow in a southerly direction. St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Peking Man Site, 1921
China, 1921, Peking Man Site; Even though the original fossils disappeared in 1941 during World War II, excellent casts and descriptions remain. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Here is the story of the discovery and identification before that disappearance (copied from Wikipedia, Peking Man Site): Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson and American palaeontologist Walter W. Granger came to Zhoukoudian, China in search of prehistoric fossils in 1921. They were directed to the site at Dragon Bone Hill by local quarrymen, where Andersson recognised deposits of quartz that were not native to the area. Immediately realising the importance of this find he turned to his colleague and announced, "Here is primitive man; now all we have to do is find him!" Excavation work was begun immediately by Andersson's assistant Austrian palaeontologist Otto Zdansky, who found what appeared to be a fossilised human molar. He returned to the site in 1923, and materials excavated in the two subsequent digs were sent to Uppsala University in Sweden for analysis. In 1926 Andersson announced the discovery of two human molars in this material, and Zdansky published his findings. Canadian anatomist Davidson Black of Peking Union Medical College, excited by Andersson and ZdanskyÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s find, secured funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and recommenced excavations at the site in 1927 with both Western and Chinese scientists. Swedish palaeontologist Anders Birger Bohlin unearthed a tooth that fall, and Black placed it in a gold locket on his watch chain. Black published his analysis in the journal Nature, identifying his find as belonging to a new species and genus which he named Sinanthropus pekinensis, but many fellow scientists were skeptical about such an identification on the basis of a single tooth, and the foundation demanded more specimens before it grant additional money. A lower jaw, several teeth, and skull fragments were unearthed in 1928. Black presented these finds to the foundation and was rewarded with an $80,000 grant that he used to establish the Cenozoic Research Laboratory. Excavations at the site under the supervision of Chinese archaeologists Yang Zhongjian, Pei Wenzhong, and Jia Lanpo uncovered 200 human fossils (including six nearly complete skullcaps) from more than 40 individual specimens. These excavations came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. Fossils of Peking Man were placed in the safe at the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Peking Union Medical College. Eventually, in November 1941, secretary Hu Chengzi packed the fossils so that they could be sent to USA for safekeeping until the end of the war. The fossils vanished en route to the port city of Qinhuangdao in northern China. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those casts and descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Note: according to their stories, all these people involved already believed in evoluton and were looking for its proofs like missing links. Some were medical doctors, some were geologists, some were both, and much of their science actually derived from this type of search. Since evolution does not jive with the origin of sin and death, it is impossible to fear God and believe in Evolution. The Bible story is all about that original sin and and our salvation from sin and death through the life of Jesus Christ, both his current business as head of his Body the Church (our crosses) and his previous business on his cross. So to be understood, Life by Faith (the solution to sin and death) requires us to understand the origin of sin and death. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Beijing
Beijing; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Tianjin, China (Hai River Mouth, Five Rivers)
Tianjin (Hai River Source, Five Rivers); ERIC LIDDELL MISSIONARY TO CHINA, 1945, Commemorated February 22; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, Hong Kong Folder, Xi and Pearl Rivers.kmz

British Empire, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong.kmz

British Empire, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong

Mongol, China, Yellow River Folder (North China Plain, Peking).kmz

Netherlands, North of the Roman German Frontier Wall, Friesland.kmz

Pacific Islands Folder.kmz

Pacific Islands Area
Pacific Islands; Smith Wigglesworth, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1947, Commemorated March 12 ;

Fiji, Polynesia, Pacific Islands
Fiji; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Pacific Islands, Melanesia, 1920-1945, Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brogherhood
Pacific Islands, Melanesia, 1920-1945, Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brogherhood; Maravovo; INI KOPURIA, FOUNDER OF THE MELANESIAN BROTHERHOOD, 1945, Commemorated June 6 ;

New Guinea, the Island of New Guinea
New Guinea ; THE MARTYRS OF NEW GUINEA, (2 SEP 1942);

Pacific Islands, Australasia Folder.kmz

Pacific Islands, Melanesia Folder.kmz

Pacific Islands, Melanisia, Solomon Islands Folder.kmz

Pacific Islands, Micronesia Folder.kmz

British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Polynisia and Micronesia
British Empire - Gilbert Islands - Polynisia and Micronesia ; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Pacific Islands, Polynesia Folder.kmz

Palestine Folder, Phoenicia, Canaan, Israel, and Holy Land.kmz

Palestine (area between Mediterranean Sea and Jordan River)
Palestine is a geographic region in Western Asia between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Translation of the Image ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot-Made-By-HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFeast of the Savior in AugustÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Pimen of Palestine, Commemorated August 27 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (21 SEP NT); St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836); Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Venerable Copres of Palestine, Commemorated on September 24; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; St Peter of Galatia; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philemon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable George the Chozebite, Abbot, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu), Commemorated January 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch; Martyr Peter Apselamus of Palestine; St Arsenius the Archbishop of Kerkyra (Corfu); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Apostle Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Eulogius of Palestine, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable John the Silent of St SavaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Monkmartyr Menas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 12; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Phoenicia (coastal part of the Fertile Crescent, Lebanon to Gaza)
Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modern Lebanon.; Martyr Paul of Syria, Commemorated on August 17; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated November 13 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; Presbyter Ananias in Phoenicia, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13 ; Martyr Leontius at Tripoli in Syria, Commemorated on June 18 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Palestine, 2000 BC, Caanan, Patriarch Abraham
Jerusalem Patriarch, 2000 BC, Abraham; Righteous Forefather Abraham, Commemorated on October 9;

Palestine, 1st Century, Centurion, Cornelius the Centurion
Palestine Centurion, 1st Century, Cornelius the Centurion; Martyr Demetrius with his wife and son, at Skepsis on the Hellespont, Commemorated on September 11 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ;

Palestine, 1st Century, Azotus, Apostle Philip
Greece, 1st Century, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14;

Palestine, 303, Roman Diocletian Persecution, Copper Mines in Phaeno, Palestine
Roman Diocletian Persecution, 303, copper mines at Phaeno in Palestine and Cilicia in Asia Minor ; Hieromartyr Silvanus of Gaza, Commemorated on October 14; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4 ;

Palestine, 311-371, Saint, Hilarion
Palestine Saint, 311-371, Hilarion; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Palestine, 614-628, Persian Control of Palestine
Persian Control of Palestine, ByzantineÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“Persian War of 602ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“628; Battle of Nineveh (627); Byzantine Emperor Heraclius; Persian emperor Chosroes II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12;

Diospolis, Palestine (Lod or Lydda, Yarkon River)
Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Icon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot Made by HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Lydda, Palestine (Lod or Diospolis, Yarkon River 1)
Lydda or Lod; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated September 27 ; St Tabitha the Widow, raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter, Commemorated October 25 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; Apostle Amplias of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Zenas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Icon ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœNot Made by HandsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RomanÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Apollonia, Israel
Apollonia; Martyr Acacius of Apamea, Commemorated on July 28; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30 ;

Caesarea, Palestine (Phonecia, Dor, Way of the Sea 8)
Caesarea, Palestine ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr Julitta at Caesarea, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Marinus the Soldier at Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Timothy of Palestine, Commemorated on August 19; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13 ; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT); Venerable John the Chozebite, Commemorated on October 28 ; Martyr Antoninus of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¦sarea in Palestine, Commemorated November 13 ; Martyr Manetha of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¦sarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; Martyr Zacchaeus the Deacon of Caesarea in Palestine, Commemorated on November 18 ; Martyr Romanus the Deacon, of CÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¦sarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Tychicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Marinus of Rome, Commemorated December 16 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated January 16 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; CORNELIUS THE CENTURION, (7 FEBRUARY); Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10 ; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Agapius at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on March 15; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13 ; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; Apostle Zacchaeus, Commemorated on April 20; Hieromartyr Silvanus the Bishop of Gaza, and with him 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Kyriake of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on June 7; Venerable Zosimus of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on June 8; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Wilderness Road - Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â˜Get up and go towards the south* to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ (This is a wilderness road.); Acts 8:26-40, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch ; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4;

Persia Folder, its roads, and rivers.kmz

Persia, 312 - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia
Messopotamia Babylon History, 312 BC - 240 BC, Seleucid Empire in Seleucia; Seleucia; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11;

Parthia (northeastern Iran or Persia, south of Ochus River, Isfahan Crossroad Bagdad to Merv)

Persia, 730 BC, 8th Century BC Folder, Prophet Jonah

Persia, 705 BC - 681 BC, Assyrian Emperor, Sennacherib
Persia, Assyrian Emperor, 705 BC - 681 BC, Sennacherib ; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated on August 28; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated on December 1;

Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya
Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya;

Persia, 2 BC - 4 AD, Parthian Emperor, Phraates V
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Phraates V; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 4-6, Parthian Emperor, Orodes III of Parthia
Persian Parthian Emperor, 4-6, Orodes III of Parthia; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 8-12, Parthian Emperor, Vonones I
Persian Parthian Emperor, 8-12, Vonones I ; Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 15-116, Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom
Assyrian Adiabene Kingdom, 15-116 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, 31-55, Adiabene Emperor, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II)
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, 31-55, Assyrian emperor Nerses (Izates II); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ;

Persia, 35, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Persia, 35, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Philip
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Philip; Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, Commemorated on November 14;

Persia, 35, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE
Persia, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostles SIMON and JUDE; SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES (OCT 28);

Persia, 55-116, Adiabene Emperor, Meharaspes
Persia, Adiabene Emperor, -116, Meharaspes; Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon, Commemorated on September 4;

Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude
Persia, 70, 1st Century, Parthia, Apostle Jude; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19;

Persia, 200-252, Armenian Parthian Prince, Anak the Parthian
Armenian Parthian Prince, 3rd Century-252, Anak the Parthian; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Persia, 224-226, Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr
Persian Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Sasanian first Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30;

Persia, 224-242, Sasanian Emperor, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 224-242, Ardashir I, First Sasanian Emperor; Sasanian Empire First Capital Estakhr, 224-226; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Venerable Barlaam, Commemorated on November 19;

Persia, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism
Egypt, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Persia, 240-270, Sasanian Emperor, Shapur I
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 240-270, Shapur I; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on October 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Persia, 274-293, Sasanian Emperor, Bahram II
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 274-293, Bahram II ; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 293, Sasanian Emperor, Bahram III
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293, Bahram III; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 293-302, Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 302-309, Emperor, Hormizd II, Sasanian, Bishapur
Persian Emperor, 302-309, Hormizd II, Sasanian, Bishapur; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 309-379, Sasanian Emperor, Alamundar, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10; Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Ananias the Presbyter in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 363, Battle of Samarra, Julian the Apostate's death
Battle of Samarra, 363, Julian the Apostate's death; Julian left Antioch for a war with the Persians. Near the Persian city of Ctesiphon, Julian came upon an elderly Persian, who agreed to betray his countrymen and guide JulianÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s army. The old man deceived Julian and led his army into the Karmanite wilderness, where there was neither food nor water. Tired from hunger and thirst, JulianÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s army battled against fresh Persian forces. ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 399-420, Persian Sasanian Emperor, Izdegerd I
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 399-420, Izdegerd I ; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 420, Persian Emperor, Sapor IV, Sasanian
Persian Emperor, 420, Sapor IV, Sasanian; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 420-438, Persian Emperor, Bahram V, Barakhranes
Persian Emperor, 420-438, Bahram V; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 470-482, Viceroy, Varsken, Sasanian, Zoroastrian fire worshiper
Persian Viceroy, 470-482, Varsken, Sasanian, Zoroastrian fire worshiper; Martyr Susanna the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on August 28;

Persia, 500, 6th Century Folder, Sasanian Empire Failing, Chosroes 1 war with Byzantium after Antioch Earthquake

Persia, 540-562, Chosroes I war with Byzantine Empire after Antioch Earthquake

Persia, 579-590, Sasanian Emperor, Hormizd IV
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 579-590, Hormizd IV ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29;

Persia, 590-628, Chosroes home, Ctesiphon - last King of Sasanian Empire
Chosroes home, Ctesiphon 590-628 - last King of Sasanian Empire Persia, In the year 614 military forces of the Persian ruler Chosroes fell upon Syria and Palestine, killing ninety thousand Christians and destroying Christian churches; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 614, Chosroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; ByzantineÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“Sasanian War of 602ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Persia, 614-628, Saint Anastasius of Persia, Stole the Cross, Became a Monk
Persia, 614-628, Saint Anastasius of Persia; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24;

Persia, 644-656, Rashidun Caliph, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph
Arab Rashidun Caliph, 644-656, Uthman, 3rd Rashidun Caliph; Martyr Neophytus of Urbin, Georgia, Commemorated on October 28;

Persia, 656-661, Rashidun Caliph, Ali, 4rd Rashidun Caliph, Shia
Persia, 656-661, Rashidun Caliph, Ali, 4rd Rashidun Caliph, Shia;

Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, Sunni, Persia into Geogria

Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria
Persia, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, from Persia into Geogria; Arab Sajid invasion of Georgia 914 Kvelistsikhe Fortress; Martyr Michael (Gobron) of Georgia, Commemorated November 17 ;

Persia, 1072-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I
Persia, 1072-1092, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Jalal al-Dawlah Malik Shah I; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6;

Persia, 1192-1196, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kaykhusraw I
Persia, 1192-1196, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Kaykhusraw I; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Persia, 1196-1204, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Rukn al-Din
Persa, 1196-1204, Persian-Turk Seljuk Suleiman Sultan, Rukn al-Din; St Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; St John Shavteli of Salosi, Bishop of Gaenati, Georgia, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St John of Shavtel-Gaenati, Commemorated on June 9;

Persia, 1203, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum, Georgia over Turk Sultan Rukn al-Din
Georgia, 1202, Battle of Bassian, 60 K NE Erzurum; St. Eulogius of Salosi, the Prophet and Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Persia, 1220-1231, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, Sunni
Persia, 1220-1231, Persian Khwarazmian Sultan, Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu ; St Tbeli Abuseridze, Commemorated on August 17; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31; St Shalva of Akhaltsikhe, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din, Sunni, attacked Georgia
Persia, 1227, Persian Khwarazms Attack Georgia, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia ; Sultan Jalal al-Din ; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; 100,000 Martyrs of Tbilisi by the Mongols, Commemorated on October 31 ;

Persia, 1256-1300, 13th Century Folder, Ilkhanate Empire, 1256- , Georgia under these Mongols

Persia, 1256-1265, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Hulagu Khan
Persia, 1256-1265, Persian Mongolian Ilkhanate Emperor, Hulagu Khan; St. Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated on February 12;

Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas 1, Isfahan, Shia
Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas 1, Isfahan; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and G war 1616 Shah Abbas 1 ; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on February 18; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1605-1639, King George III of Imeret,i Georgia
Georgia, 1605-1639, King George III of Imereti; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on September 13; 6,000 Martyrs of the St David Gareji Monastery, Georgia, Commemorated on April 26; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1610-1632, Imam-Quli Khan, Georgian, Shia
Persia, 1610-1632, Imam-Quli Khan, Georgian, Shia; Shiraz; Venerable Christodoulos the Philosopher, Commemorated on August 18; Greatmartyr Ketevan the Queen of Georgia, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21;

Persia, 1614-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, 1614 Tabriz, Persia
Persia, 1588-1629, Persian Safavid Shah, Abbas I, Tabriz, Persia, 1614 ; Safavid dynasty ; Tabriz, Persia; 9 Kherkheulidze Brothers with their Mother and Sister and Nine Thousand Martyrs of Marabda, Commemorated on August 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; St Kaikhosro the Georgian, Commemorated on June 16;

Persia, 1616, Capture of Tbilisi and Gokce war, Resetlement of Georgians to mainland Persia
Shah Abbas 1; Persian Capture of Tbilisi and GÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¶kÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â§e war 1616 Shah Abbas 1; St Nicholas the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated February 18 ;

Persia, 1629-1642, Persian Safavid Shah, Safi of Persia
Persia, 1629-1642, Persian Safavid Shah, Safi of Persia; Martyr Evdemoz the Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on October 4;

Parthia (Atrek River Source, northeastern Iran or Persia, south of Ochus River)

Media region of Persia
Media or Median Empire; Taken Captive to Nineveh: Tobit Chapter 1:10 After I was carried away captive to Assyria and came as a captive to Nineveh, everyone of my kindred and my people ate the food of the Gentiles, 11but I kept myself from eating the food of the Gentiles. 12Because I was mindful of God with all my heart, 13the Most High gave me favour and good standing with Shalmaneser,* and I used to buy everything he needed. 14Until his death I used to go into Media, and buy for him there. While in the country of Media I left bags of silver worth ten talents in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabri. 15But when Shalmaneser* died, and his son Sennacherib reigned in his place, the highways into Media became unsafe and I could no longer go there. Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, November 16 ;

Scotland Folder, its rivers and mountains.kmz

Scotland, 584-614, Scottish Welsh Saint, St Kentigern Mungo
Scotland, Scottish Welsh Saint, 584-614, St Kentigern Mungo; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated on January 14;

Scotland,1058-1093, Scottish King, Malcolm III of Scotland
Scotland,1058-1093, Scottish King, Malcolm III of Scotland; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093);

Scotland,1070-1093, Scottish Queen, Saint Margaret of Scotland
Scotland,1070-1093, Malcolm III of Scotland; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093);

Scotland, 1900-1999, History Folder, Womens Christian Temperance Union, World Missionary Confoerence, Ecumenical Movement

Scotland, 1900, Womens Christian Temperance Union Meetings, Edinburgh
Scotland, 1900, Womens Christian Temperance Union Meetings, Edinburgh; FRANCES JOSEPH-GAUDET, EDUCATOR AND PRISON REFORMER, (30 December 1934);

Ecumenical Movement, 1910, World Missionary Conference, Edinburg
Ecumenical Movement, 1910, World Missionary Conference, Edinburg ; Scotland, 1910 World Missionary Conference; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955 ; GEORGE BELL, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER, AND ECUMENIST, 3 October 1958;

Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline
Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ;

St Andrews, Scotland
St Andrews; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ;

Large Gash across Scotland
COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Columba's monastery of Iona, Scotland, 563
Iona Abbey; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; St Kentigern, first Bishop of Glasgow, Scotland, Commemorated January 14 ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

Iona, Scotland
Iona monastery; AIDAN, MISSIONARY, ABBOT, BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE (31 AUGUST 651); St Oswald, king and martyr, Commemorated August 5 ; St Aidan the Bishop of Lindesfarne, Commemorated on August 31 ; St Ciaran of Clonmacnois, Commemorated September 9 ; MARGARET, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND (16 NOV 1093) ; COLUMBA, ABBOT OF IONA AND MISSIONARY (9 JUNE 597) ;

South America Folder.kmz

Lima, Peru
Lima, Peru; Saints of Peru, MARTIN DE PORRES; ROSA DE LIMA; and TORIBIO DE MOGROVEJO, Commemorated August 23 ;

Apurimac River Source (Mt Misimi, Peru)
ApurÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂmac River;

British Empire - Falkland Islands
British Empire - Falkland Islands; CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836);

Paraguay River Mouth (Parana River)

ParanaÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â­ba River Source (Minas Gerais)

River of Silver Estuary (RÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â­o de la Plata)

South America, Argentina Folder, Southern SA Folder.kmz

Spain and Portugal, Guadiana, Guadelete and Guadalquivir Rivers Folder, Gibraltar, Vandalusia.kmz

Seville, Spain (Guadalquivir River 2)
Seville; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4;

Tonga Area.kmz

West Indies - surrounded by Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.kmz

Africa, Central Africa Folder.kmz

Africa, East Africa Folder.kmz

Africa, East Africa 600BC-1983, Folder

Africa, East Africa, 600BC-700, East African Arabs

Africa, East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas
East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Thomas; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6

Africa, East Africa, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew
Ethiopia, 1st Century, Apostle Matthew; Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas, Commemorated on October 6 ; Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, Commemorated on November 16;

Africa, East Africa, 320-333, King, Ella Amida aka Ousanas
East Africa, 320-333, King, Ella Amida aka Ousanas; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, 323-383, Abyssinia (Ethiopian) Saint, Frumentius
East Africa, Abyssinia, 323-383, Ethiopian Saint, Frumentius; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum
East Africa, 333-356, King, Ezana of Axum; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, East Africa, 520-540, Abyssinia, Ethiopian King, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian
East Africa, Abyssinia, Ethiopian King, 520-540, Elesbaan (Caleb or Kaleb), Christian ; Blessed Elesbaan the King of Ethiopia, Commemorated on October 24; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ;

Africa, East Africa, Abyssinia, 900-1270, Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, Christian
East Africa, Abyssinia, 900-1270, Ethiopian Zagwe dynasty, Christian; St Frumentius the Archbishop of Abyssinia, Ethiopia, Commemorated on November 30;

Africa, South Africa Folder.kmz

Boer republics of South Africa
Boer republics of South Africa; Charles Gore of RICHARD MEUX BENSON, RELIGIOUS, 1915, AND CHARLES GORE BISHOP OF WORCESTER, BIRMINGHAM & OXFORD, 1932, Commemorated January 16;

Africa, South Africa, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi
India, 1889-1948, Mahatma Gandhi; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated January 12;

Africa, South Africa, 1900, 20th Century, Albert Lutuli, Sharpeville massacre

Africa, South Africa, 1952-1967, Politician, Albert Lutuli
South African Politician, 1952-1967, Albert Lutuli; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ;

Natal Province, South Africa
Natal Province, South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ; CHARLES FREER ANDREWS, PRIEST AND ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœFRIEND OF THE POORÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ IN INDIA, 1940, Commemorated February 12;

Stanger, Natal, South Africa
Stanger, South Africa ; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ;

Groutville, Natal, South Africa
Groutville, South Africa; ALBERT JOHN LUTHULI, PROPHETIC WITNESS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1967, Commemorated July 21 ;

Africa, West Africa Folder.kmz

Niger River, 1725-1896, Fulani Imamate of Futa Jallon, Sunni
Niger River, 1725-1896, Fulani Imamate of Futa Jallon, Sunni ; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Africa, West Africa, 1804-1808, Fulani War
Fulani War; Land of the Fulani People is a 1,000 mile wide streach of land across Africa south of the Sahara Desert; Muslim Fulani Slave Raiders; Portuguese slave traders; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31 ;

Niger River, 1818-1862, Massina Empire
Niger River, 1818-1862, Massina Empire ;

Niger River, 1848-1893, Toucouleur Empire
Niger River, 1848-1893, Toucouleur Empire;

Niger River, Massina Almami, 1818-1845, Seku Amadu. Massina Empire Founder
Niger River, Massina Almami, 1818-1845, Seku Amadu. Massina Empire Founder; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Niger River, 1878-1898, Wassoulou Empire, Sunni Islam, Mandinka people
Niger River, 1878-1898, Wassoulou Empire, Sunni Islam, Mandinka people ; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Niger River, Fulani Iman, 1890-1896, Bokar Biro, Sunni
Niger River, Fulani Iman, 1890-1896, Bokar Biro, Sunni; SAMUEL AJAYI CROWTHER, BISHOP IN THE NIGER TERRITORIES, 1891, Commemorated December 31;

Niger River, 1893-1900, The French allied with Bamana Empire
Niger River, 1893-1893, The French allied with Bamana Empire; Niger River, 1640-1861, Bamana Empire ; The French Scramble for Africa

Mongol, China Folder, its major rivers.kmz

China (Mongol China)
China; Aimee Semple McPherson, PENTECOSTAL SAINT, 1944, Commemorated September 27 ; JOHN MOTT, EVANGELIST AND ECUMENICAL PIONEER, 3 October 1955; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910) ; FRANCIS XAVIER, Missionary to the Far East, 1552, Commemorated December 3 ; JULIA CHESTER EMERY, UPHOLDER OF MISSIONS (9 JAN 1922) ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Mongol, China, 1260-ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“1368, Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing)
1260ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â“1368 Mongol-Tartar Capital - Dadu (Peking or Beijing); Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on November 23;

Mongol, China, 1260-1368, Mongol Tartar Capital Peking Folder

Mongol, China, 1368-1644, Ming Dynasty Folder

Mongol, China, 1643-1661, Qing dynasty Emperor, Shunzhi Emperor
Mongol, China, 1643-1661, Qing dynasty Emperor, Shunzhi Emperor ; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Mongol, China, 1652-1695, China War of the Amur Region
Russia China War of the Amur Region (1652-1695) ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Mongol, China, 1661-1722, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi
China, 1661-1722, Qing dynasty Emperor, Kangxi Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26;

Mongol, China, 1684-1686, Chinese Invasions of Albazin and Amur River
Siberia, Chinese Invasions of Albazin (1684-1686) ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20;

Mongol, China, 1722-1735, Qing dynasty Emperor,Yongzheng Emperor
China, 1722-1735, Qing dynasty Emperor,Yongzheng Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26;

Mongol, China, 1850-1861, Qing dynasty, Xianfeng Emperor
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1850-1861, Xianfeng Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910);

Mongol, China, 1861-1875, Qing dynasty Emperor, Tongzhi Emperor
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1861-1875, Tongzhi Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22;

Mongol, China, 1875-1908, Qing dynasty Emperor, Guangxu Emperor
China, Qing dynasty Emperor, 1875-1908, Guangxu Emperor; China, 1644-1912, Qing dynasty ; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906); CHANNING MOORE WILLIAMS, MISSIONARY TO ASIA (2 DEC. 1910); LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22;

Mongol, China, 1899-1901, Boxer Rebellion (Shandong and North China Plain) against Christian Foreigners
Boxer Rebellion; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; LOTTIE MOON, MISSIONARY IN CHINA, 1912, Commemorated December 22; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ;

Mongol China, 1915-1916, Empire of China
China, 1915-1916, Empire of China ; Philip Lendel Tsen of PAUL SHINJI SASAKI AND PHILIP LENDEL TSEN, BISHOP OF TOKYO, 1946; BISHOP OF HONAN, CHINA, 1954; Oct. 31; PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

Mongol, China, 1921, Peking Man Site
China, 1921, Peking Man Site; Even though the original fossils disappeared in 1941 during World War II, excellent casts and descriptions remain. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Here is the story of the discovery and identification before that disappearance (copied from Wikipedia, Peking Man Site): Swedish geologist Johan Gunnar Andersson and American palaeontologist Walter W. Granger came to Zhoukoudian, China in search of prehistoric fossils in 1921. They were directed to the site at Dragon Bone Hill by local quarrymen, where Andersson recognised deposits of quartz that were not native to the area. Immediately realising the importance of this find he turned to his colleague and announced, "Here is primitive man; now all we have to do is find him!" Excavation work was begun immediately by Andersson's assistant Austrian palaeontologist Otto Zdansky, who found what appeared to be a fossilised human molar. He returned to the site in 1923, and materials excavated in the two subsequent digs were sent to Uppsala University in Sweden for analysis. In 1926 Andersson announced the discovery of two human molars in this material, and Zdansky published his findings. Canadian anatomist Davidson Black of Peking Union Medical College, excited by Andersson and ZdanskyÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™s find, secured funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and recommenced excavations at the site in 1927 with both Western and Chinese scientists. Swedish palaeontologist Anders Birger Bohlin unearthed a tooth that fall, and Black placed it in a gold locket on his watch chain. Black published his analysis in the journal Nature, identifying his find as belonging to a new species and genus which he named Sinanthropus pekinensis, but many fellow scientists were skeptical about such an identification on the basis of a single tooth, and the foundation demanded more specimens before it grant additional money. A lower jaw, several teeth, and skull fragments were unearthed in 1928. Black presented these finds to the foundation and was rewarded with an $80,000 grant that he used to establish the Cenozoic Research Laboratory. Excavations at the site under the supervision of Chinese archaeologists Yang Zhongjian, Pei Wenzhong, and Jia Lanpo uncovered 200 human fossils (including six nearly complete skullcaps) from more than 40 individual specimens. These excavations came to an end in 1937 with the Japanese invasion. Fossils of Peking Man were placed in the safe at the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Peking Union Medical College. Eventually, in November 1941, secretary Hu Chengzi packed the fossils so that they could be sent to USA for safekeeping until the end of the war. The fossils vanished en route to the port city of Qinhuangdao in northern China. So to believe in Peking Man, we have to trust those casts and descriptions from people who came to China to find a prehistoric man. Note: according to their stories, all these people involved already believed in evoluton and were looking for its proofs like missing links. Some were medical doctors, some were geologists, some were both, and much of their science actually derived from this type of search. Since evolution does not jive with the origin of sin and death, it is impossible to fear God and believe in Evolution. The Bible story is all about that original sin and and our salvation from sin and death through the life of Jesus Christ, both his current business as head of his Body the Church (our crosses) and his previous business on his cross. So to be understood, Life by Faith (the solution to sin and death) requires us to understand the origin of sin and death. PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SCIENTIST AND MILITARY CHAPLAIN, 1955, Commemorated April 10 ;

China Inland Mission, China Burma border (Salween River 1) 1865
China Inland Mission Dengyue; Dengyue is a treaty port; LOTTIE MOON, Commemorated December 22 ; VEDANAYAGAM SAMUEL AZARIAH, FIRST INDIAN ANGLICAN BISHOP, DORNAKAL, 1945, Commemorated January 2 ;

Shanghai, China (Yangtze River Mouth, East China Sea)
Shanghai; SAMUEL ISAAC JOSEPH SCHERESCHEWSKY, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, BISHOP (14 OCT 1906) ;

England, 1815-1914, British Empire Folder, 100yr World Peace, 1815-1914

England, 1815-1914, British Empire (100 Years World Peace Protector after Napoleon till WWI)
CHARLES SIMEON, TEACHER, PROMOTOR OF MISSIONARY WORK (12 NOV 1836) England, British Empire; Canada Newfoundland 13 Colonies British Honduras Mosquito Coast British Guiana Trinidad and Tobago Falkland Islands British Antartica South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Tristan da Cunha South Africa South West Africa Basutoland Swasiland Bechuanaland Southern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia St Helena Nyasaland Tanganyika Zanzibar Kenya Uganda Assension Island Nigeria Gold Coast Sierra Leone Gambia Sudan Egypt British Somaliland Malta Gibraltar Ireland England Scotland Ionian Islands Heligoland Cyprus/Akrotiri & Dhekelia Transjordan Palestine Iraq Kuwait Quatar Bahrain Trucical States Oman Aden Socotra India Burma Ceylon Malaya Singapore Brunei British North Borneo Sarawak Papua New Guinea Hong Kong Weihai Maldives Seychelles British Indian Ocean Territory Australia New Zealand Soloman Islands New Hebrides Gilbert Islands Nauru Ellis Islands Western Samoa Tonga Cayman Islands Jamaica Turks and Caicos Islands British Virgin Islands Anguilla St Kits and Nevis Montserrat Grenada

Mongol, China, Hong Kong, Pearl (Canton) River Folder, Hong Kong.kmz

Bible Tribes Folder (Seal Dates, 1579-1974)

01 Dan - Netherlands Folder

02 Judah - Russia Folder

Moscow, 1612, Tribe of Judah Seal Date, Polish Incursion, Romanov's
August 13, 1612 OS: Judah's Seal Date, Polish Incursion, Romanov's ; Polish Incursion of 1612 (Moscow Kremlin); Moscow Romanov Dynasty, 1613-1917 ; Moscow Tsar, 1613-1645, Michael I of Russia ;

03 Reuben - Baltics Folder

Sweden, The Baltics, 1645,13 Aug, Treaty of Bromsebro
Sweden, The Baltics, 1645,13 Aug, Treaty of Bromsebro; Sweden, The Baltics, 1645, July 1, 1645 NS: Reuben's Seal Date; Swedish King, 1632-1654, Christina, Queen of Sweden;

04 Gad - Spain Folder

Spain and Portugal, 29 Apr 1678 OS, Treaty of Nijmegen
Spain and Portugal, 29 Apr 1678 OS, Treaty of Nijmegen; Spain and Portugal, May 9, 1678 NS: Gad's Seal Date; Spanish King, 1665-1700. Charles II of Spain; Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, 1658-1705, Leopold I ;

05 Asher - Austria Folder

06 Naphtali - Germany Folder

07 Manasseh - United States Folder

US, 1776, 1 Dec 1776 NS, United States Declaration of Independence
US, 1776, 1 Dec 1776 NS, United States Declaration of Independence ; US, 1776, December 1, 1776: Seal Date for the tribe of Manasseh;

08 Simeon - France Folder

France, 1804-1814, Napoleon I Bonaparte
France, 1804-1814, Napoleon I Bonaparte; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ;

France, 1809, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn
France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn; France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date of 10 Oct 1809 NS; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, French Third Republic President, 1870-1871, Napoleon III
France, French Third Republic President, 1870-1871, Napoleon III; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, French Third Republic President, 1871-1873, Adolphe Thiers
France, French Third Republic President, 1871-1873, Adolphe Thiers; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta
France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn
France, 1875, 10 Oct 1809 NS, Treaty of Schonbrunn; France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date or 10 Oct 1809 NS
France, 1875, June 26 1875: Simeon's Seal Date or 10 Oct 1809 NS; France, French Third Republic President, 1873-1879, Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST, 1888, Commemorated January 31;

09 Levi - Switzerland Folder

Switzerland, 1847-1847, Law Change/ Sonderbund Swiss Civil War
Switzerland, 1847-1847, Law Change/ Sonderbund Swiss Civil War; Switzerland, 1815-1848, Restoration and Regeneration in Switzerland ;

10 Issachar - Serbia Folder

Serbia, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-78)
Serbia, 1877-1878, Russo-Turkish War (1877-“78); Serbia, 1875, June 26 1875: Issachar's Seal Date;

11 Zebulun - Greece Folder

Ottoman Greece 1450-1821
Ottoman Greece 1450-1821 ; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1;

Greece, Greek King, 1862-1913, George I of Greece
Greece, Greek King, 1862-1913, George I of Greece;

Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date
Greece, 1908, May 4, 1908: Zebulun's Seal Date; Greece, Greek King, 1862-1913, George I of Greece;

12 Joseph - United States and United Kingdom

US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date
US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date ; US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy;

US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy
US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date;

England and US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy
US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy; March 12, 1941: Joseph's Seal Date;

13 Ephraim - United Kingdom Folder

US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Ephraim's Seal Date
US and Great Britain, 1941, March 12, 1941: Ephraim's Seal Date ; US Policy, 1941-1945, Lend-Lease Policy;

14 Benjamin - Israel Folder

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1973, Yom Kippor War
Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1973, Yom Kippor War; January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1974, January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date
Jerusalem, Benjamin, 1974, January 18, 1974: Benjamin Seal Date ; Jerusalem, Judah, 1973, Yom Kippor War;

Moses' Red Sea Crossing Folder

Watercourse route to Moses' Father In-Law's - Jeptha

Red Sea Crossing Path (8 mile gulf)

Red Sea Crossing
Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses;

The Rock in Horeb - The Fountain - Rephadim

Soloman's Pillar for the Crossing
Mt Sinai in Median; The Column on the Saudi Beach (in Part II of the Story);

Mt. Sinai Horeb Jabel al Lawz
Jabal al-Lawz; Holy Precinct of Mt Sinai; Ron Wyatt's work there;

Mount Horeb, Median Saudi Arabia
Mount Horeb; Jabal al-Lawz; Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb;

Jabal al-Lawz
Jabal al-Lawz; Holy Precinct of Mt Sinai; Ron Wyatt's work there;

Mt Sinai / Horeb in Median, Land of the Arabs
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Mt Sinai / Horeb in Median (an east to west view)

12 Pillars, 12 Wells, Gold Calf, Altar Folder

Backside of the Desert of Sin
Desert of Sin; Ron Wyatt's work there, Mt Horeb is up from the Desert of Sin, on the backside of the Desert of Sin; Diagram not drawn to scale;

Frontside of the Desert of Sin
Desert of Sin; Ron Wyatt's work there, Mt Horeb is up from the Desert of Sin, on the backside of the Desert of Sin;

Stillaguamish River North Fork 1, Darrington, WA
Darrington, WA

Stillaguamish River Source, Arlington, Confluence North and South Forks

Sauk River Source, North and South Fork Confluence

Fort Steele, British Columbia
Fort Steele, British Columbia;

Wild Horse Creek, BC, Gold Rush
Wild Horse Creek, BC;

Moyie, British Columbia
Moyie, British Columbia;

Yahk, British Columbia
Yahk, British Columbia;

Creston, British Columbia
Creston, British Columbia;

Trail, British Columbia
Trail, British Columbia;

Grand Forks, British Columbia
Grand Forks, British Columbia;

Rock Creek, British Columbia, Gold Rush
Rock Creek, British Columbia;

Princeton, British Columbia
Princeton, British Columbia;

Fort Hope, British Columbia
Fort Hope, British Columbia;

Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay;

Winnipeg
Winnipeg;

Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield;

Port Moody
Port Moody;

Kamloops
Kamloops;

Yale, British Columbia
Yale, British Columbia;

Savona's Ferry, on Kamloops Lake
Savona's Ferry, on Kamloops Lake;

Eagle Pass (British Columbia)
Eagle Pass (British Columbia);

Craigellachie, British Columbia (last spike)
Craigellachie, British Columbia;

Bonfield, Ontario (previously called Callander Station)

Jackfish, Ontario (Last Spike)
Jackfish, Ontario;

Brockville, Ontario
Brockville, Ontario;

Pembroke, Ontario
Pembroke, Ontario;

Yellowhead Pass (near Jasper Park and Snow Dome)
Yellowhead Pass;

Kicking Horse Pass (next to Lake Louise Resort, near Bow River Source)
Kicking Horse Pass; arid Palliser's Triangle in Saskatchewan;

Field Hill
Field Hill;

Rogers Pass (British Columbia)
Rogers Pass (British Columbia);

Lethbridge, Alberta
Lethbridge, Alberta;

Crowsnest Pass (opened 1898)
Crowsnest Pass;

Yahk, BC
Yahk, BC;

Southern End of Kootenay Lake
Southern End of Kootenay Lake;

Kaslo, BC

Slocan, BC

Nelson, BC, Canada
Nelson, BC, Canada;

Merritt, BC
Merritt, BC;

Coquihalla Pass
Coquihalla Pass;

Hope, British Columbia
Hope, British Columbia;

Geography Folder

Geography - Continental United States

US, 1600, 17th Century Folder

Saint Laurence River Folder, New France 1534–1763, British defeat French 1758
Saint Laurence River;

Mississippi River Folder, New France 1534–1763
Mississippi River;

Ohio River Folderi, began 1749, French Indian War 1754-63, Pittsburg, Portsmouth and Cincinatt

Ohio River Route
Ohio River

US 1804-1806, Lewis and Clark Expedition Folder

White River (Illinois) West Fork

Miami River, Great Miami River, Miami Valley
Miami River, Great Miami River, Miami Valley;

US, 1817, Erie Canal Folder, Started 1817, Completed 1825

US, 1821, Santa Fe Trail Folder, 1821
Santa Fe Trail;

El Camino Real, 1598, Santa Fe, NM to Mexico City, Mexico City Folder
El Camino Real Santa Fe, NM to Mexico City

US, 1830, Old Spanish Trail, (same as auto trail) Jacksonville Beach, Florida to San Diego, California

Truckee Route to Yuba City, Sutter, 1850, HWY 20, later to Fort Brag ( Mendocino), and North Coast
Highway 20 History;

US, 1870-1883, Northern Pacific Railway - from Midwest to Bozeman Pass

US, 1883-1889, Northern Pacific Railway - Pacific Expansion from Bozeman Pass West through Stampede Pass (I90)

US, 1885-1890, Southern Pacific Railroad

US, 1889, Great Northern Hi-Line Road

Snohomish River Folder

Geography - Assryian, Babylonian, Persian Empires

Persian Azerbaijan - Northwest Persia, Tabriz
Persian Azerbaijan - Azerbaijan in Northwest Persia ; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8;

Rages, Media, Persia (Rey or Tehran)
Rages, Media, Persia; Tobit; Tobit 4 Tobit Gives Instructions to His Son 4That same day Tobit remembered the money that he had left in trust with Gabael at Rages in Media, 2and he said to himself, ˜Now I have asked for death. Why do I not call my son Tobias and explain to him about the money before I die? Then he called his son Tobias, and when he came to him he said, ˜My son, when I die,* give me a proper burial. Honour your mother and do not abandon her all the days of her life. Do whatever pleases her, and do not grieve her in anything. 4Remember her, my son, because she faced many dangers for you while you were in her womb. And when she dies, bury her beside me in the same grave. 5 ˜Revere the Lord all your days, my son, and refuse to sin or to transgress his commandments. Live uprightly all the days of your life, and do not walk in the ways of wrongdoing; 6for those who act in accordance with truth will prosper in all their activities. To all those who practise righteousness* 7give alms from your possessions, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. 8If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. 9So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. 10For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. 11Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practise it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High. 12 ˜Beware, my son, of every kind of fornication. First of all, marry a woman from among the descendants of your ancestors; do not marry a foreign woman, who is not of your father'™s tribe; for we are the descendants of the prophets. Remember, my son, that Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our ancestors of old, all took wives from among their kindred. They were blessed in their children, and their posterity will inherit the land. 13So now, my son, love your kindred, and in your heart do not disdain your kindred, the sons and daughters of your people, by refusing to take a wife for yourself from among them. For in pride there is ruin and great confusion. And in idleness there is loss and dire poverty, because idleness is the mother of famine. 14 ˜Do not keep over until the next day the wages of those who work for you, but pay them at once. If you serve God you will receive payment. Watch yourself, my son, in everything you do, and discipline yourself in all your conduct. 15And what you hate, do not do to anyone. Do not drink wine to excess or let drunkenness go with you on your way. 16Give some of your food to the hungry, and some of your clothing to the naked. Give all your surplus as alms, and do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms. 17Place your bread on the grave of the righteous, but give none to sinners. 18Seek advice from every wise person and do not despise any useful counsel. 19At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him that your ways may be made straight and that all your paths and plans may prosper. For none of the nations has understanding, but the Lord himself will give them good counsel; but if he chooses otherwise, he casts down to deepest Hades. So now, my child, remember these commandments, and do not let them be erased from your heart. Money Left in Trust with Gabael 20 ˜And now, my son, let me explain to you that I left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael son of Gabrias, at Rages in Media. 21Do not be afraid, my son, because we have become poor. You have great wealth if you fear God and flee from every sin and do what is good in the sight of the Lord your God.™

Geography - Roman Empire

Roman Roads Folder

Roman Amber Road Folder, Northern Italy, Venice to St Petersburg

Amber Road (Mediterranean Sea to Baltic Sea)
Amber Road Folder, Venice, Italy, Slovenia, Pannonia, including Austria and Moravia, Czech Lands, Poland, Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, St Petersburg

Teutonic Knights (Venice, Northern Italy, Amber Rd, 1291-1309)
Teutonic Knights (Venice, 1291-1309); St Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated October 16;

Roman Albania, Roman Roads Folder

Roman, Macedonia, Roman Roads Folder, K Triangle

Greece, Macedonia, Via Egnatia Folder (Main East West Roman Road)

Roman Bithynia, Roman Roads Folder

Roman Serbia, Roman Roads Folder

Roman Armenia, Roman Roads Folder

Armenai, Roman Roads, Great Road To Yerevan Trade Route Folder - via Upper Euphrates

Roman Bulgaria, Roman Roads Folder

Bulgaria, Roman Roads, Via Militaris Folder, from Belgrade, Serbia to Adrianopolis, Bulgaia

Roman Road, Via Egnatia - Adrianople
Via Egnatia - Adrianople ;

Roman Province Macedonia

Roman Provinces Folder

Roman Province of Raetia Area

Roman Province of Albania Area

Roman Province of Germania Area, only 16 years

Roman Province of Egypt Area

Roman Province of Syria Area (in Zargos Mts except for Antioch and Damascus)

Roman Province of Bithynia and Pontus Coastline Area

Roman Province of Crete and Cyrene, Libya Area

Roman Province of Mesopotamia Area (inside Zaragos Mts)

Roman Province of Corsica and Sardinia Area

Roman Province of Sicily Area

Roman Province of Achaia Area

Roman Buffer State Armenia, Greater Armenia Area till 461

Roman Province of Britain Area

Roman Province of Gaul Area

Roman Province of Hispania Area

Roman Province of Illyricum Area - Illyria and Slavonia

Roman Province of Pannonia Area - Little Hungarian Plain - Danube - Drava - and Alpen Foothills

Roman Province of Pannonia Area - Slavonia - Between Sava and Drava Rivers in Croatia

Roman Province of Bithynia and Pontus Coastline

Bithynia Province (Lower Sakarya River at its center)
Bithynia Province (southwest coast of the Black Sea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Hilary of Ancyra, Commemorated July 12 ; Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated on July 12 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated July 27 ; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 17 ; Martyr Thyrsus at Caesarea, in Bithynia, Commemorated August 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Tation (Tatio) of Claudiopolis, Commemorated on August 24; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated September 12 ; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor, Commemorated on September 15; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Dorotheus the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Philotheus the Presbyter in Asia Minor ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery ; Venerable Joannicius the Great, Commemorated on November 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated November 28 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated November 28 ; Martyr Paramon in Bithynia, Commemorated on November 29 ; 16Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated December 10 ; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated December 12 ; Martyr Thyrsus of Apollonia, Commemorated December 14 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; St Agapitus the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada in Phrygia, Commemorated February 18; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Eudokia of Heliopolis, Commemorated on March 1; St Hesychius the Faster of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 5; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Nicetas the Confessor the Archbishop of Apollonias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29 ; Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs, Commemorated on April 6; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius, Commemorated on May 11; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium Commemorated on June 3 EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Nicaea, Bithynia (on Lake Ascanius in Lower Sakarya)
Nicea (Nicaea); Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia, Commemorated on July 29; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Fathers of the First Six Councils; First Council of Nicaea; Second Council of Nicaea; Martyr Theodota in Bithynia; Saint Sava I, first Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on August 30 and January 14; St Peter Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Martyr Theodota at Nicea, Commemorated on September 17 ; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia; Martyr Neophytus of Nicea, Commemorated January 21; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated February 25; Martyr Antonina of Nicea, in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 1; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on March 31; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Antonina of Nicea, Commemorated on June 13; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Nicomedia, Bithynia (Gulf of Ismid, Lower Sakarya)
Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus at Nicomedia, Commemorated July 26 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon. His mother Saint Euboula (March 30) was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling. hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28), were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. Saint Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited Saint Hermolaus every day. day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly resolved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and receive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes. this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, Saint Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then believed in Christ and was baptized by Saint Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored. the death of his father, Saint Panteleimon dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to Saint Panteleimon. envious doctors told the emperor that Saint Panteleimon was healing Christian prisoners. Maximian urged the saint to refute the charge by offering sacrifice to idols. Saint Panteleimon confessed himself a Christian, and suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave Saint Panteleimon over to fierce torture. Lord appeared to the saint and strengthened him before his sufferings. They suspended the Great Martyr Panteleimon from a tree and scraped him with iron hooks, burned him with fire and then stretched him on the rack, threw him into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast him into the sea with a stone around his neck. Throughout these tortures the martyr remained unhurt, and denounced the emperor. this time the priests Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were brought before the court of the pagans. All three confessed their faith in the Savior and were beheaded (July 26). order of the emperor they brought the Great Martyr Panteleimon to the circus to be devoured by wild beasts. The animals, however, came up to him and licked his feet. The spectators began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The enraged Maximian ordered the soldiers to stab with the sword anyone who glorified Christ, and to cut off the head of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. led the saint to the place of execution and tied him to an olive tree. While the martyr prayed, one of the soldiers struck him with a sword, but the sword became soft like wax and inflicted no wound. The saint completed his prayer, and a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom. the Voice, the soldiers fell down on their knees before the holy martyr and begged forgiveness. They refused to continue with the execution, but Saint Panteleimon told them to fulfill the emperor’s command, because otherwise they would have no share with him in the future life. The soldiers tearfully took their leave of the saint with a kiss. the saint was beheaded, the olive tree to which the saint was tied became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution believed in Christ. The saint’s body was thrown into a fire, but remained unharmed, and was buried by Christians. Saint Panteleimon’s servants Laurence, Bassos and Probus witnessed his execution and heard the Voice from Heaven. They recorded the life, the sufferings and death of the saint. of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon were distributed throughout all the Christian world. His venerable head is now located at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt. Athos. veneration of the holy martyr in the Russian Orthodox Church was already known in the twelfth century. Prince Izyaslav (in Baptism, Panteleimon), the son of Saint Mstislav the Great, had an image of Saint Panteleimon on his helmet. Through the intercession of the saint he remained alive during a battle in the year 1151. On the Feast of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Russian forces won two naval victories over the Swedes (in 1714 near Hanhauze and in 1720 near Grenham). Panteleimon is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a mighty saint, and the protector of soldiers. This aspect of his veneration is derived from his first name Pantoleon, which means “a lion in everything”. His second name, Panteleimon, given him at Baptism, which means “all-merciful”, is manifest in the veneration of the martyr as a healer. The connection between these two aspects of the saint is readily apparent in that soldiers, receiving wounds more frequently than others, are more in need of a physician-healer. Christians waging spiritual warfare also have recourse to this saint, asking him to heal their spiritual wounds. holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is invoked in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick. Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus ; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; 200 Martyrs with Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated December 28; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Prusa, Bithynia (Proussa, Sakkoudion River 1)
Prusa or Plusias, or Cius in Bithynia Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople; Venerable Luke the Abbot, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on September 7; St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; Hieromartyr Patrick the Bishop of Prusa with his companions, Commemorated on May 19; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10;

Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs
Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs; also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. was the first major and second overall capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1363. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning God's gift, in Ottoman Turkish, a name of Persian origin) during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yesil Bursa (Green Bursa) in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, towers over it, and has a well-known ski resort. Bursa has rather orderly urban growth and borders a fertile plain. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa, and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Prusa, and his companions, Commemorated on May 19;

Bursa Hot Springs at Prusa, Bithynia
Prusa Hot Springs or Bursa Hot Springs; also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. was the first major and second overall capital of the Ottoman State between 1335 and 1363. The city was referred to as Hüdavendigar (meaning God's gift, in Ottoman Turkish, a name of Persian origin) during the Ottoman period, while a more recent nickname is Yesil Bursa (Green Bursa) in reference to the parks and gardens located across its urban fabric, as well as to the vast and richly varied forests of the surrounding region. Mount Uludag, the ancient Mysian Olympus, towers over it, and has a well-known ski resort. Bursa has rather orderly urban growth and borders a fertile plain. The mausoleums of the early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa, and the city's main landmarks include numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period. Bursa also has thermal baths, old Ottoman mansions, palaces, and several museums. Hieromartyr Patrick, Bishop of Prusa, and his companions, Commemorated on May 19;

Apamea, Bithynia (only Costal city beginning with an A)
Apamea in Bithynia ; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ;

Pelekete Monastery, Bithynia, 709
Pelekete Monastery; Venerable Macarius the Monk of Pelekete, Commemorated on August 18; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelekete, Commemorated on March 28;

Chalcedon, Bithynia (Bosphorus Strait)
Chalcedon; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; LEO THE GREAT, BISHOP OF ROME, DOCTOR (10 NOV 461) ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Council of Chalcedon, Commemorated July 17 ; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised; Venerable Luke the New Stylite of Chalcedon, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Chenolaklos Monastery, Near Chalcedon, Commemorated January 14 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated January 22 ; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Aninas of the Euphrates, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Solochon at Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 17; St Nicetas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on May 28; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Bithyninum, Bithynia (near Lycus River)
Bithyninum, Bithynia ; Hieromartyr Autonomus the Bishop in Italy, Commemorated on September 12; Venerable John Calabytes ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe Hut-DwellerÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 15;

Roman Province of Mesopotamia Folder

Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Roman Province Achaia (Athens, Corinth and West Greece) Folder

Corinth, Greece (Gulf, Isthmus and Canal of Corinth, Saronic Gulf)
Corinth; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Holy Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy Saint Paul writes of him: “God grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my bonds. When he was at Rome, he searched for me with great diligence, and found me. May the Lord grant him to find the mercy of the Lord on that day; and you know how much he served me at Ephesus.” (2 Tim 1:16-18). Onesiphorus was bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor), and later at Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium (not far from Ephesus) on the shores of the Hellespont, where he had gone to proclaim Christ among the local pagans. Apostle Aquila of the Seventy; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; StMeletius the New, Commemorated September 1 ; St Phoebe the Deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Theodotus of Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated November 20 ; CLEMENT OF ROME, BISHOP (23 NOV 100) ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated November 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN NT ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Crispus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Rufus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT; TIMOTHY AND TITUS; Martyr Victorinus of Egypt, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated February 7; Martyr Quadratus and those with him at Corinth, Commemorated on March 10; Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna and those with him, Commemorated on March 11 ; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Holy Apostles Sosthenes was head of the Corinthian synagogue before his conversion. The Apostle Paul converted him to Christianity and made him his helper in his work. In addressing the Corinthian church, Saint Paul sent greetings from both of them: “Paul, by the will of God called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and brother Sosthenes...” (1 Cor.1:1). Afterwards, Saint Sosthenes was made bishop at Colophon (Asia Minor). Sosthenes is also commemorated on December 8 and the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles on January 4. Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Martyr Leonidas of Corinth, Commemorated on April 16; Martyr Adrian of Corinth, Commemorated on April 17; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 28; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Paul the Physician of Corinth, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Athens; Martyr Hermias of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 8 ; Greatmartyr Marina (Margaret) of Antioch in Pisidia, Commemorated July 17 ; Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop of Interamna, Terni in Italy, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated September 21 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 3 ; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated October 31 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Apostle of the Seventy: Quartus, died in Athens, Commemorated on November 10; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ; Apostle Sosthenes of the Seventy, Commemorated on December 8 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Dionysius of Aegina, Commemorated December 17 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Apostle Narcissus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Phlegon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; Venerable Neophytus of Vatopedi, Mt Athos, Commemorated January 21 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; LYDIA, DORCAS AND PHOEBE, CO-WORKERS WITH THE APOSTLES, 27 JAN. NT ; St Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated February 17 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Apostle Apollos of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mark the Anchorite of Athens, Commemorated on April 5; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Simeon of Philotheou, Commemorated on April 19; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Martyr Heraclius, Commemorated on May 18; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24; Martyr Felix of Apollonia in Macedonia, Commemorated July 6 ;

Roman Buffer State of Armenia Folder

Armenia Folder, its rivers and mountains, Greater A includes Pontine, Cappadocia, Edessa, Azerbaizhan

Armenia, 331 BC-428 AD, Great Armenia, including Christian Armenia from 1st Century
Great Armenia, Kingdom of Armenia was bordered by Caucasian Albania in the east, by Caucasian Iberia in the north, by the Roman Empire in the west and by Parthia, later succeeded by Sassanid Empire. The border between Caucasian Iberia and Kingdom of Armenia was Kur river, which was also the border between Caucasian Albania and Kingdom of Armenia ; Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia, Commemorated on July 31; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated September 30 ; St Emilia, the Mother of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, Commemorated on March 9; St Acacius the Confessor, Commemorated on March 31; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve, Commemorated on June 11 ;

Armenia, Greater Armenia Area till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire
Greater Armenia till 461, buffer state for Western Roman Empire, also includes Pontine and Cappadocia as revealed in many Saints' stories

Armenia, Eastern part of the Roman Empire
Eastern part of the Roman Empire ; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28;

Eastern part of the Roman Empire, Armenia

Tokat, Pontaine, Armenia (Iris or Yesil River 1)
Tokat (Iris or Yesil River) ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; HENRY MARTYN, MISSIONARY AND TRANSLATOR (19 OCT 1812) ;

Iris River 3, the Crossroads ( Pontus on the Iris, and Neocaesarea on the Kelkit)

Iris River Crossroads ( Pontus on the Iris, and Neocaesarea on the Kelkit) Macrina the Younger and Saint Basil

Pontus, City of Pontus, Armenia (Eupatoria, a crossroads, Isis River 3, Kelkit River 3)
Eupatoria (Pontus); Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3;

Iris (Yesil) River 4 (Amasea)

Alasium, Pontine, Armenia (Amasea, Iris River 4)
Alasium or Amasea; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro "œthe Recruit"Â), Commemorated on February 17;

Pontica, Amasea, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 4)

Amasea, Pontine, Armenia (Iris River 4)

Amasya, Pontica, Armenia (Yesil (Iris) River4)
Amasea; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated January 23; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; Hieromartyr Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 26; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26; Uncovering of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Amasea, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22;

Euchaita, Pontine, Armenia (west of Iris River 4)
Euchaita; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated January 30 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates œthe GeneralÂ, Commemorated on February 8; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Amisus, Armenia, Pontine (near Iris River Mouth, on the shore of the sea)
Amisus; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Martyr Charitina of Amisus, Commemorated October 5 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20;

Pontic Mountains
Pontic Mountains or Pontine district of Northeast Asia Minor; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe RecruitÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ), Commemorated on February 17;

Armenia, Paphlagonia Folder, Western Pontine

Paphlagonia Region, Pontaine, Armenia (Gangra River, lower Kizilirmak River drainage)
Paphlagonia Region; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 27; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Mamas of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated on September 13; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania; St Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Lycus River Folder, Farwestern Pontine

Heraclea, Pontica, Armenia (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea)
Heraclea Pontica (Lycus River Mouth, Black Sea) ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated on September 16; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates "the General", Commemorated February 8 ; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Lower Kizilirmak River Folder

Mantinea in Paphlagonia Asia Minor
Mantinea Asia Minor is somewhere in the Paphlagonia Region; Mantinea in Greece ; Regions of Ancient Greece - Asia Minor; Asia Minor; Venerable Anthusa the Abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27; 90 Venerable Sisters of Mantinea in Asia Minor, Commemorated July 27 ;

Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia
Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia; The exact location of Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia is 45 km north of Kastamonu, to the north of TaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â…ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂŸkÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¶prÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¼, in the valley of the GÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¶kÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â„ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â±rmak (Roman name Amnias, or Amneus). Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Pontine, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Gangra River Folder

Gangra, Paphlagonia, Armenia (rich well watered valley, Gangra River)
Gangra; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Martyr Theodotus of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea, Commemorated on November 20 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Stylianus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on November 26 ; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated December 1 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; Martyr Agathangelus, Commemorated on January 23; Martyr Eustathius of Nicea; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Armenia, Paphlagonia, Pontine, Lower Kizilirmak River 7, Amnia River Folder

Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia, Armenia (Amnia River Source)
Pompeiopolis, Paphlagonia; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7;

Sinope, Paphlagonia, Armenia (Pontine Capital, near Kizilirmak River Mouth, Black Sea)
Sinope, Turkey (Black Sea); Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated August 9 ; Cappadocian city of Tianum and Sinope; Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope, Commemorated on September 22 ; Apostle Philologus of the Seventy, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; Righteous Virginmartyr Glaphyra, Commemorated on April 26;

Roman Spain and Portugal Folder, Hispania

Noguera Ribagorcana River Source (Pyrenees Mts)
Noguera RibagorÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂƒÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â§ana;

Tormes River Mouth (Duero River)

Duero River Mouth (Atlantic Ocean)

Roman North Africa Province Folder, 146BC - 429AD

Carthage, North Africa
Carthage; Carthagian Empire; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated on July 16 ; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5). Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31 ; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; 49 Martyrs with Callistratus, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Callistratus, Commemorated on September 27 ; Martyr Terence and 39 ohers of Carthage, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Gregory the Archbishop of Omirits, Commemorated on December 19 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31 ; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202); Martyr Photina (Svetlana), the Samaritan Woman, and Her Sons, Commemorated on March 20; Martyr Terence and 40 others beheaded at Carthage, Commemorated on April 10; St Monica, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, 429-534,
North Africa, 429-534, Vandal Kingdom in North Africa; The Vandal Kingdom (Latin: Regnum Vandalum) or Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans (Latin: Regnum Vandalorum et Alanorum) was established by the Germanic Vandal people under Gaiseric. It ruled in North Africa and the Mediterranean 435â€“534 CE. In 429 CE, the Vandals, estimated to number 80,000 people, had crossed by boat from Hispania to North Africa. They advanced eastward, conquering the coastal regions of what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In 435, the Roman Empire, then ruling North Africa, allowed the Vandals to settle in the provinces of Numidia and Mauretania when it became clear that the Vandal army could not be defeated by Roman military forces. In 439 the Vandals renewed their advance eastward and captured Carthage, the most important city of North Africa. The fledgling kingdom then conquered the Roman-ruled islands of Mallorca, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica in the western Mediterranean. In the 460s, the Romans launched two unsuccessful military expeditions by sea in an attempt to overthrow the Vandals and reclaim North Africa. The conquest of North Africa by the Vandals was a blow to the beleaguered Western Roman Empire as North Africa was a major source of revenue and a supplier of grain (mostly wheat) to the city of Rome. Although primarily remembered for the sack of Rome in 455 and their persecution of Nicene Christians in favor of Arian Christianity, the Vandals were also patrons of learning. Grand building projects continued, schools flourished, and North Africa fostered many of the most innovative writers and natural scientists of the late Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire.[5] The Vandal Kingdom ended in 534, when it was conquered by Belisarius in the Vandalic War and incorporated into the Eastern Roman Empire (or Byzantine Empire). 62 Martyred Priests of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8; 300 Martyred laypeople of Africa, martyred by the Arians, Commemorated on December 8;

Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis)
Carthage (modern Tunis) ; Virginmartyr Julia of Carthage, Commemorated on July 16 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Apostle Epenetus of the Seventy, Commemorated on July 30; Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5). Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; Hieromartyr Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage, Commemorated on August 31; CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AND MARTYR (15 SEP 258) ; Martyr Callistratus, Commemorated on September 27 ; 49 Martyrs with Callistratus, Commemorated September 27 ; Martyr Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, Commemorated February 1 ; PERPETUA AND HER COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AT CARTHAGE (7 MAR 202) ; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13; St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ;

Tunis, Tunisia, North Africa
Tunis, Tunisia, Africa; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270);

Roman Province of Cilicia Folder

Cilicia Region of Asia Minor
Cilicia Region of Asia Minor ; Cilicia (Roman province); Cilicia; Martyr Julita (Ulita) of Tarsus, Commemorated July 15 ; Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; Martyr Leontius of Perge in Pamphylia, Commemorated on August 1 ; Martyr Aristion the Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 3 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated August 19; Hieromartyr Athanasius the Bishop of Tarsus in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 22 ; Venerable Anthusa the Nun, Commemorated August 22 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of St Simeon Stylites, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Sozon of Cilicia. Commemorated September 7 ; Apostle Onesiphorus of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 7; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; Uncovering of the relics St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on September 15; St Theodore of Tarsus the Archbishop of Canterbury, Commemorated September 19 ; THEODORE OF TARSUS, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (19 SEP 690); Martyr Zosimas the Hermit of Cilicia, Commemorated on September 19 ; Martyr Zenaida (Zenais) of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 11 ; Martyr Tarachus at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 12 ; Martyr and Unmercenary Cosmas and his brother in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 17; St Abercius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Hieropolis, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Martyr Claudius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated October 29 ; Hieromartyr Zenobius of Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on October 30 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Martyr Boniface at Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19 ; Righteous Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome, Commemorated on December 19 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Jason of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Aquila of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; THE CONVERSION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL, (JANUARY 25) ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Martyr Helladius in Cilicia, Commemorated February 5 ; Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe GeneralÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 8 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17 ; Martyr Calliopius at Pompeiopolis in Cilicia, Commemorated on April 7 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Conon of Isauria, Commemorated on March 5; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; Apostle Jason, of the Seventy and those with him, Commemorated on April 28 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Tarsus, in Asia Minor, Commemorated on May 4; Martyr Thallelaeus at Aegae in Cilicia, Commemorated on May 20; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Martyr Hermias at Comana, Commemorated on May 31 ; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11 ; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29;

Komana (Comana), Cilicia (Pontica, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)

Comana (Komana), Cilicia (Pontica, Cappadocia or Cilicia, Zamanti Seyhan River Valley)

Tyana, Cilicia and Cappadocia
Tyana the Hittite Capital; 33 Holy Martyrs of Melitene, Commemorated on November 7; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379) ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389);

Roman Britain

Roman Britain, Roman Great North Road Folder

Roman Britain to Scotland and Roman Wall Folder - The Wall - Hadrian's Wall, in England

Roman Gaul

Roman Gaul, German Frontier Folder- Roman Limes Germanticus

Gaul (France, Western Germany, and Northwest Italy) before the year 486

Gaul, Roman Roads Folder

Lugdunum (Lyons), Gaul (Rhone River 4)
Lugdunum (Lyons in France); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Lyons, Commemorated on August 23; Hieromartyr Hippolytus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated January 30 ;

Roman Province of Syria Folder

Kadesh, Syria (Orantes River 1, Lake of Homs)
Kadesh, Syria (Orantes River 1, Lake of Homs) ; Kadesh of the Levant, 1 Maccabees Ch 11; Battle of Kadesh, 1274BC, Egypt and the Hittites, Largest Chariot Battle ever fought;

Emessa, Syria (Homs, Orontes River 2)
Emesa, Syria (Homs); Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; dispassion (apathia); Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1 ; Martyr Galacteon and his wife at Emesa, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; Martyr Silvanus Bishop of Emesa, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27;

Veria (or Berea) in Syria (Queig (Aleppo) River 2)
Beroea in Syria, modern day Aleppo; Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ;

Antioch, Syria (Orontes River 7)
Antioch (Orontes River 7); St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated July 3 ; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated July 4 ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; St Hilarion of Tvali, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectress Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Virginmartyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch, Commemorated on July 29; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated July 30 ; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs, Commemorated on August 1; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Venerable Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; St Simeon Stylites, the Elder, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Babylas the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Apostle Evodius (Euodias) of the Seventy, Commemorated September 7 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Martyr Trophimus of Synnada, Commemorated on September 19 ; Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles Thekla, Commemorated on September 24; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP AND MARTYR (17 OCT 107) ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT); St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13 ; Martyr Roman the Deacon of Caesarea, Commemorated November 18 ; Martyr Romanus the Deacon, of Caesarea, Commemorated on November 18 ; The youth Barulus, Commemorated on November 18; Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated November 19 ; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25 ; St Romanus, Commemorated on November 27 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29 ; ANDREW THE APOSTLE, (30 NOV NT) ; Hierarch Peter, First Catholicos of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; St Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 30 ; Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on December 20 ; St Philogonius the Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated December 20 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on December 25 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Euodius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated Janaury 11; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch ; St Aphraates of Persia; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; St Eugene the Presbyter and Confessor at Antioch, Commemorated February 19 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones". Commemoratedd December 29; St Sylvester the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; Martyr Nicephorus of Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 9 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated February 13 ; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; Hieromartyr Polycarp the Bishop of Smyrna, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; St Cyril the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21 ; St Malchus of Chalcis in Syria, Commemorated on March 26 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Ephraim the Great of Atsquri, Commemorated on April 15; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT) ; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303; Hieromartyr Erasmus the Bishop of Formia in Campania, Commemorated on May 4; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ; Repose of the Venerable Shio the Anchorite of Georgia, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22 Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431; St Ephraim the Patriarch of Antioch, Commemorated on June 8; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Julian of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Martyr Eustochius of Ancyra, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; IRENAEUS, BISHOP OF LYONS, THEOLOGIAN (28 JUN 202) ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain West, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Wonderful Mountain or Black Mountains East, near Antioch
Black Mountains or Wonderful Mountain, East or West, near Antioch; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated February 6 ; Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger of Wonderful Mountain, Commemorated on May 24; Venerable George of Mt. Athos, Georgian, Commemorated on June 27; St George the God-Bearer, Commemorated on July 3;

Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch
Desert of Chalcis, southeast of Antioch St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Jerome of Stridon was born into a Christian family in the city of Stridon located on the border between Dalmatia and Pannonia. full name is Eusebius Hieronymos Sophronius. His parents sent him to Rome, where he studied the secular sciences. At the beginning of his life in the capital, the youth was captivated by worldly vanities and fell into temptation. At the end of his time in Rome, Jerome resolved to change his life and to live in goodness and purity. the youth was about 20 years old, he accepted holy Baptism. After this he visited in Gaul (France). Then Saint Jerome decided to dedicate himself totally to God, and to become a monk. about the year 372 Saint Jerome returned to his native city, but his parents had already departed this life. On him fell the responsibility of raising his younger sisters and his brother Paulinian. These cares forced him to put aside his plans to enter a monastery, at least for a time. made arrangements for the care of his siblings, he journeyed to the East with several of his friends. 374, he decided to dwell in the desert of Chalcis southeast of Antioch. There he remained for about 5 years, combining work on the Holy Scriptures with austere ascetic deeds. Besides this, Saint Jerome mastered the Hebrew and Chaldean languages. this period he began his correspondence with numerous persons upon a variety of questions. About 120 letters, considered as authentically written by Saint Jerome, have been preserved. the beginning of the 360s there arose a controversy between the proponents of bishops Meletius, Paulinos and Vitalis. The controversy also reached the monastery where Saint Jerome toiled. In consequence, the disputes caused him to leave the monastery and go to Antioch. Here Bishop Paulinos ordained him to the priesthood. Saint Jerome visited Constantinople and conversed with the holy hierarchs Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa the year 381 he set off for Rome. At Rome he continued his studies. The holy Pope Damasus I (366-384), who also devoted much of his time to the study of Holy Scripture, made Jerome his secretary. because the saint denounced the morals of the contemporary Christian society, a whole party of those bearing malice towards the saint came forward to spread slanders about him. a three year stay at Rome, Saint Jerome felt compelled to abandon this city for good. Together with his brother Paulinian and friends, Saint Jerome visited the Holy Land, and also the monks of the Nitria wilderness monastery. the year 386 he settled into a cave at Bethlehem near the cave where Christ was born, and there he began a life of austere asceticism. was the period of blossoming of his creative activity. Attending to the studies of his time, Saint Jerome left to the Church a rich written legacy: collections of dogmatic-polemic works, moral-ascetic works, commentaries on Scripture, and historical works. the most important of his works was a new translation the books of the Old and New Testaments into the Latin language. This Latin translation is called the “Vulgate,” and it passed into general use throughout the Western Church. Jerome lived through the fall of his beloved city Rome, which was sacked by the Goths in the year 410. In the year 411 a new ordeal beset the saint, Bethlehem was invaded by wild Bedouin Arabs. Only through the mercy of God was the community of the aged ascetic saved from complete destruction. He finished his life at the cave in Bethlehem. Saint Jerome is believed to have reposed in 420. relics were transferred from Bethlehem to Rome in 642, but their present location is unknown. His hand is enshrined in a church near Rome’s Piazza Farnese.

Laodicia, Syria
Laodicea in Syria; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on September 10; Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated September 10; Saint Luke (or Loukias) Luke, or Loukias (not the Evangelist), lived during the first century. Some lists of these Saints identify him as the Evangelist Luke, who was also one of the 70 Apostles, but Greek sources say he was someone other than the Evangelist Luke (άλλος του Ευαγγελιστή Λουκά). However, Saint Demetrios of Rostov, and Slavic Tradition say that he was the Evangelist Luke (See his Life on October 18). Saint was consecrated as the Bishop of Laodikeia in Syria, and completed the course of his life spreading the Gospel and caring for his flock, as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Apostle Lucius of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; ----------- Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Artemon the Presbyter of Laodicea in Syria, Commemorated on April 13;

Edessa, Syria (Intersection and Euphrates River 3)
Edessa, Syria; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, ABBOT, THEOLOGIAN, AND POET (20 AUGUST 1153); Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; St Barses the Confessor, Commemorated August 25 ; Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God at the Miasena Monastery, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria, Commemorated on October 4; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa, Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr and Confessor Gurias of Edessa, Commemorated on November 15 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated December 10 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; St Eustratius the Wonderworker, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Sarbelus of Edessa, January 29 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons; Martyr Domnina with her daughters of Syria; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated February 23 ; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28 ; Apostle Trophimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on April 15 ; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Roman Province of Egypt Folder

Catechetical School of Alexandria, St Mark, 62-400
Egypt, 62-400, Catechetical School of Alexandria; St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, Commemorated on November 17 ; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?) ;

Library at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt, by P II Philadelphus in 285 BC
Library at Alexandria, Goshen, Egypt; Alexandria; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ;

Pharos Island, lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt
Pharos Island, Alexandria, Egypt; Monastic Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New, Commemorated on November 28;

Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark in 62, or Pantaenus in 181
Catechetical School of Alexandria, Founded by Apostle Mark, AD 50 Approx.; The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and priests in Alexandria.[1] The teachers and students of the school (also known as the Didascalium) were influential in many of the early theological controversies of the Christian church. It was one of the two major centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity, the other being the School of Antioch. According to Jerome the Alexandrian school was founded by John Mark the Apostle. The earliest recorded dean was supposedly Athenagoras (176).[citation needed] He was succeeded by Pantaenus 181, who was succeeded as head of the school by his student Clement of Alexandria in 190.[2] Other notable theologians with a connection to the school include Origen, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Heraclas, Dionysius "the Great", and Didymus the Blind. Others, including Jerome and Basil, made trips to the school to interact with the scholars there. Continuity with the ancient school is claimed by the Coptic Theological Seminary, Cairo. Hieromartyr Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on October 5; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, TEACHER AND APOLOGIST (5 DEC 213?);

Nitrian desert and Caves of Scetis
Nitrian desert; 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Pambo the Hermit of Egypt, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable John-Barsanuphius the Bishop of Damascus, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9;

Nitria; Nitrian Desert ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19;

St. Catherinea's Monastery on Mt. Sinai, Egypt ; St Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, Commemorated September 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush", Commemorated September 4 ; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; St Zosimus of Cilicia the Bishop of Babylon in Egypt, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20;

Sinai monastery; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated on August 8; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated November 29 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of "œthe Ladder"Â, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Anastasius the Abbot of Sinai, Commemorated on April 20; Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on July 7;

Roman Province of Germania, only 16 years

Havel River 1 (Spandau)
Havel River 1 (Spandau);

Buchenwald concentration camp (Ilm River 4) 1937
Buchenwald concentration camp; DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN (9 APR 1945);

Marburg, University town, Hesse Region
Marburg, University town, Hesse Region; KARL BARTH, PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN, 1968, commemorated December 10;

Roman Province of Albania

Albania
Albania, Albania lies between latitudes 39 and 43 N, and mostly between longitudes 19 and 21E ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia; Martyr Nicodemus of Elbassan Albania, Commemorated on July 10 ; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated July 27 ; Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30 ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated August 24; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable John (Koukouzelis) the Hymnographer of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on October 1; St Stephen of Serbia, "the blind one", Commemorated October 9 ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25 ; Apostle Caesar of the Seventy, Commemorated December 8 ; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10: Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated December 23 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated December 15 ; Virginmartyr Anysia at Thessalonica, Commemorated on December 30 ; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated on February 19 ; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); New Martyr Nicetas of Pojani and Serres, Commemorated on April 4; Martyr Suchias and his Soldiers in Georgia, Commemorated on April 15; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Nicephorus of Mt. Athos, Albania, Commemorated on May 4; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; New Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade, Commemorated on June 2; Hieromartyr Astius the Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on June 4; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Martyr Peregrinus of Dyrrachium in Macedonia, Commemorated on July 7;

Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia, K Triangle, Roman Road Via Egnatia
Apollonia (Illyria) (Aous River) Ancient Macedonia; Apostle Mark of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 30;

Roman Province of Illyricum

Duklja (State), Montenegro (Serbian Saint John-Vladimir's Principality)
Duklja (State), Montenegro; Saint John-Vladimir, Prince of Bulgaria, Greatmartyr, and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22;

Budimlje aka Berane (; Repose of Saint Stephen of DeÃƒÂ„Ã‚ÂÂÂÂani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11

Cetinje monestary, Montenegro, 1701
Cetinje monestary, Montenegro; St Peter of Cetinje, Commemorated October 18 ;

Illyria Folder (Western Balkans)

Illyria (Western Balkans )
Illyria; Yugoslavia; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23;

Illyria (north of the Aous River and K Triangle, Albania)
Illyria; Yugoslavia; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated August 18 ; Hieromartyr Eleutherius the Bishop of Illyria, and His Mother, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the “Deliverer from Potionsâ€, Commemorated on December 22; Martyr Evanthia of Illyria, Commemorated on December 15; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; Martyr Philetus the Senator, his wife and sons in Illyria, Commemorated on March 23;

Dalmatia, Croatia (Stridon)
Dalmatia; Stridon or Strido; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller at Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated on October 25 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Definition of Fuller ; Martyr Anastasius the Fuller of Salona in Dalmatia, Commemorated December 5 ; Martyr Julian of Dalmatia; Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia, Commemorated September 10 ; Apostle Hermes of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion; Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15 ; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St John-Vladimir the Prince of Bulgaria, the Greatmartyr and Miracle-worker, Commemorated on May 22; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Roman Province of Judaea

Jerusalem; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2 ; Council of Jerusalem, 50AD ; Hieromartyr Pancratius the Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah, Commemorated on July 20 ; Martyr Salome the Georgian, Commemorated on July 20 ; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15, Dormition = A peaceful and painless death, as well as the act of sleeping or falling asleep.; Apostle Silas of the Seventy; 7 Holy Maccabee Martyrs; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated August 21 ; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated August 28 ; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; St Christopher of Palestine, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Hieromartyr Cyril the Bishop of Gortyna, Commemorated September 6 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine ; Prophet Baruch, Commemorated September 28 ; Virginmartyr Pelagia of Antioch, Commemorated October 8 ; PHILIP, DEACON AND EVANGELIST (11 OCT NT) ; Apostle Philip of the Seventy, One of the Seven Deacons, Commemorated on October 11 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Prophet Joel, Commemorated October 19 ; JAMES OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR (23 OCT NT) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St John of Georgia, Commemorated on November 4 ; Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; Martyr Procopius the Reader at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, Commemorated December 7 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated December 9 ; Hieromartyr Alexander the Bishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 12 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Sunday before the Nativity, Commemorated December 18 ; THOMAS THE APOSTLE, (21 DEC NT); Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated December 26 ; Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT) ; JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST (27 DEC NT) ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated December 28 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated on December 29 ; THE HOLY INNOCENTS, (28 DEC NT) ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; The Circumcision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated on January 1 ; THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS, OR, THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST, (1 JAN) ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Mark the Evangelist of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Simeon, of the Seventy, the son of Cleophas, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Apostle Cleophas of the Seventy, the Brother of Joseph the Betrothed, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Philip the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Nicanor the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Timon the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Apostle Silas of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY (6 January) ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; St Nino (Nina), Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated January 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; CONFESSION OF PETER THE APOSTLE, (18 JAN NT) ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; SILAS, MISSIONARY COMPANION OF PAUL, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; Wonderworker and Unmercenary Cyrus, Commemorated on January 31 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; Prophet Zachariah, Commemorated February 8; St John Chimchimeli the Philosopher, Commemorated on February 10 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13 ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated February 15; Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated February 19 ; Venerable Dositheus of Palestine, the Disciple of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, Commemorated February 19 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated February 24 ; MATTHIAS THE APOSTLE, (24 FEB NT); Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Martyr Paul and his sister, Commemorated on March 4 ; Venerable Gerasimus of the Jordan, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Conon the Gardener of Pamphylia, Commemorated on March 5 ; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25 ; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; The Meeting of the Mother of God and Saint Elizabeth, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable John of the Ancient Caves in Palestine, Commemorated on April 19; Hieromartyr Paphnutius of Jerusalem, Commemorated on April 19; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; MARK THE EVANGELIST, (25 APR NT); Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; James of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Philip of PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES (1 MAY NT); Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; St John Zedazneli of Zaden, in Georgia with his 12 Disciples, Commemorated on May 7; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Apostle Simon Zealotes, Commemorated on May 10; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius'™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Alexander the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Glorification of the Venerable Zabulon, the father of St Nino Enlightener of Georgia, Commemorated on May 20; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robedof St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Abercius the son of the Apostle Alphaeus, Commemorated on May 26; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4 ; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, (11 JUNE NT); Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); St Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Commemorated on June 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Three HandsÂ, Commemorated on June 28; PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS (29 JUN 64); The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on July 8;

Benjamin, Land of Benjamin (Bethel, Gibeon, Jericho and Jerusalem)
Benjamin; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Righteous Joseph of Arimathea, Commemorated July 31 ; JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA, (1 AUGUST NT) ; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leader of the Apostles, Paul, Commemorated on June 29;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 460-500, John of Thebes, John Jacob the Chozebite
John of Thebes, John Jacob the Chozebite St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Jerusalem, Benjamin, 460-500, George the Chozebite
John of Thebes, John Jacob the Chozebite St. George's Monastery (Wadi Qelt, West Bank); St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated August 5 ; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; St John the Chozebite the Bishop of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated October 3 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15;

Gerasimus of the Jordan's Monastery, midway on Gerasimus' watercourse, the Caves, 455, Theoctistus'
Gerasimus of the Jordan's Monastery, 455; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10;

Jordanian Wilderness, Benjamin, Jericho area, Jordan Monastery, watercourses go thru Jericho flats to Jordan R
Jordanian Wilderness is described in the story of Gerasimus of the Jordan; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5 ; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6 ; Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Bethel, Benjamin
Bethel; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20; Forefeast of the Nativity of the Mother of God. Commemorated September 7 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Palm of Deborah
Palm of Deborah between Bethel and Ramah. Since there is no Ramah in this neighborhood, this intersection at Taibe is a good location for the Palm of Deborah.; Judges 4, Deborah and Barak;

Emmaus in the plain, near Jerusalem, in Benjamin
Emmaus 7 miles NW of present day Jerusalem.; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated October 18 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ;

Pharan Lavra, 1 of 3 of St Chariton (high point, Kidron Valley 6)
Per Euthymius the Great reference in Wikipedia below, Pharan or Tharan Lavra is about 6 miles east of Jerusalem. Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; Euthymius the Great; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Venerable Chariton the Confessor the Abbot of Palestine, Commemorated on September 28 ;

Judea (South of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel)
Judea; of Benjamin, Samaria, and Galilee, mountainous southern part of Israel, part of West Bank Patriarch Locations in the abstract; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Stephen of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated July 13 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; Myrrhbearer and Equal of the Apostles Mary Magdalene, Commemorated on July 22; WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [and ANTHONY ASHLEY-COOPER, 7th EARL OF SHAFTESBURY], PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1833, 1885, Commemorated July 30 ; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated on September 5 ; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14 ; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated September 23 ; Apostle James the Son of Alphaeus, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Cross of the Lord, Commemorated on October 16 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated on December 3 ; Apostle Justus of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9; THE ANNUNCIATION, OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (25 MAR NT) ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15; Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on June 19; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Hebron, Judea (high point 19 miles south of Jerusalem)
Hebron; Joshua 9:22-10:15, The Five Amorite Cities, The Sun Stands Still; Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated close to December 26; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT);

Judah (Kingdom of Judah, after Solomon)
Kingdom of Judah; An abstract of Judah (Judea) and other Patriarch Locations; Apostle Matthias of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 9; Prophet Micah, Commemorated on August 14; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Joad, Commemorated on March 30; THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (31 MAY); Prophet Elisha, Commemorated on June 14; Prophet Amos, Commemorated on June 15;

Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10;

Georgian Monastery of the Cross, Jerusalem, Given to Kartli King in 327
Monastery of the Cross, Georgian, Given to Kartli King Mirian III in 327; Martyr Constantine, King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10;

Sabbas, Lavra of St Sava, Sabbas watercourse from Theodosius', Judea, near Jerusalem, 483
Great Lavra of St. Sabbas; Holy Lavra of St. Savas; Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Three Handsâ€, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God, “Of the Three Handsâ€: In the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclasts, Saint John of Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons. Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that Saint John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace. Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him promising him quick healing. this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this hand. Having awakened from sleep, Saint John saw that his hand was unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing Saint John placed on the icon a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name “Of Three Hands.â€ (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.) According to Tradition, Saint John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the Mother of God: “All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,â€ which appears in place of the hymn “It is Truly Meetâ€ in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. John Damascene accepted monasticism at the monastery of Saint Savva the Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra presented the icon “Of Three Handsâ€ in blessing to Saint Savva, Archbishop of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During the time of an invasion of Serbia by the Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery’s cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen’s place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every obedience. Greek usage, this Icon is commemorated on June 28; but on July 12 in Slavic usage. St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Three HandsÂÂÂ on Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 12 ; Venerable Stephen of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated July 13 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Lazarus of Mt. Galerius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on July 17 ; St John Jacob the Chozebite, Commemorated on August 5; St Jonah the Presbyter, father of St Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus, Commemorated September 22 ; St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea, Commemorated on October 11 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated October 19 ; Venerable Bessarion Sarai the Confessor in Romania, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Stephen the Hymnographer of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Lazarus the Wonderworker of Mt. Galesius Near Ephesus, Commemorated on November 7 ; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4 ; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilkgiverÂ, Commemorated on January 12 ; St Prochorus of Georgia, Commemorated February 12 ; Fathers and Martyrs of the Georgian Monasteries in Jerusalem, Commemorated February 12 ; Martyr Luke of Jerusalem, the Georgian, Commemorated on February 12 ; Martyr Nicholas Dvali, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; Martyred Holy Fathers who were slain at the Monastery of St Sava, Commemorated on March 20 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Priestmartyrs of St Sava Lavra, Commemorated on May 16; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God the œMilk-GiverÂ of the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 3; “Milk-Giverâ€ Icon of the Mother of God was originally located at the Lavra of Saint Savva the Sanctified near Jerusalem. Before his death, the holy founder of the Lavra foretold that a royal pilgrim having the same name as himself would visit the Lavra. Saint Savva told the brethren to give the wonderworking icon to that pilgrim as a blessing. the thirteenth century, Saint Savva of Serbia visited the Lavra. As he approached the reliquary of Saint Savva the Sanctified, the saint’s staff fell at his feet. The brethren asked the visitor his name, and he told them he was Archbishop Savva of Serbia. Obeying the instructions of their founder, the monks gave Saint Savva his staff, the “Milk-Giverâ€ Icon, and the Icon “Of the Three Handsâ€ (June 28 & July 12). holy archbishop took the icon to Hilandar on Mount Athos and put it on the right side of the iconostasis in the church of Saint Savva at the kellion of Karyes, which is attached to Hilandar. The icon was later named Typikonissa, since the Rule (Typikon) of Saint Savva was preserved there. Hilandar “Milk-Giverâ€ Icon is also commemorated on January 12. St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Beersheba (Isaac's Well Sheba)
Beersheba, Numbers 13 ; Genesis 26:1-33, Isaac and Abimelech; Numbers 13:1-3, 21-30;

Simeon, Land of Simeon (around Beersheba)
Land of Simeon, around Beersheba ; An abstract of Simeon within the lands of the Patriarchs; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated December 2 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Jerusalem, Jerusalem Roads Folder

Bethany, Mt of Olives (on the road from Jericho)
Bethany; MARY MAGDALENE, FIRST WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION (22 JULY NT); MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS OF BETHANY, (29 JULY NT); Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the Tomb the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; Righteous Martha the sister of Lazarus, Commemorated on June 4;

Temple in Jerusalem; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; THE VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF OUR LORD (15 AUGUST NT); Righteous Anna the Prophetess and Daughter of Phanuel, who met the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem, Commemorated on August 28; Righteous Hezekiah, Commemorated August 28 ; Prophet Zachariah the father of St John the Baptist, Commemorated September 5 ; The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on September 8; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Joachim, Commemorated on September 9; Holy, Righteous Ancestor of God, Anna, Commemorated on September 9; Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem, Commemorated on September 13; Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on September 23 ; LUKE THE EVANGELIST, (18 OCTOBER) ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on November 20 ; The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple, Commemorated on November 21 ; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2 ; Prophetess Hannah the mother of the Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on December 9 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated December 16 ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated December 17 ; STEPHEN, DEACON AND PROTOMARTYR (26 DEC NT); Righteous James the Brother of the Lord, along with Joseph the Betrothed, and David the King, Commemorated December 26 ; 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem, Commemorated December 29; Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 1; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated January 4 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FEAST OF THE PURIFICATION OF THE VIRGIN, CANDLEMAS DAY (FEB 2) ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated on February 8; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated February 3 ; Holy, Righteous Anna the Prophetess, Commemorated Febraury 3 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion, Commemorated February 24 ; Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, Commemorated Febraury 7 ; Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Beginning of the Lenten Triodion; Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, Commemorated on March 26; Prophet Jeremiah, Commemorated on May 1 ; THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, (24 JUNE NT); Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, Commemorated on June 24;

City of David (Royal Court, Just outside the gates)
City of David (Royal Court); Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ;

Idumea Folder

Roman Province of Raetia (Switzerland, Bavaria,Tyrol)

Germany, Southern Germany, Danube Area Folder, Bavaria

Austria, Inn River Folder (Switzerland, Austria, Germany) Tyrol, Western AUT

Austria, Salzach River Folder, Tyrol, West Central AUT

Northern Italy, Po River 3, Adda River Folder, Tyrol

Northern Italy, Po River 3, Ada River 4, Mera River Folder

Mera River Source (Piz Duan)

Val Bregaglia Valley (Mera River)
Val Bregaglia Valley;

Northern Italy, Adige River Folder (Adriatic Sea, Venice) Tyrol

Adige River from second source

Adige River Second Source

Aquileia, Northern Italy (Amber Road 2, near Natiso River Mouth)
Aquileia; Greatmartyr Anastasia the œDeliverer from PotionsÂ, Commemorated on December 22 ; Martyr Chrysogonus the Teacher of the Greatmartyr Anastasia, Commemorated December 22 ; Martyr Theodota who suffered under Diocletian, Commemorated December 22 ; Virginmartyr Agape in Thessalonica, Commemorated on April 16 ;

Geography - British Empire - The Sun Never Sets, World Peace

Geography - Mongol Empire

Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8)
Voronezh; First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated August 13; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18 ; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on November 23; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Rescuer of the DrowningÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated Febraury 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unfading BloomÂ, Commemorated on April 3; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ;

Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica, from Moldavia and Transylvania (Dacia) to Pontine)
Lesser Scythia (in Dacia Pontica); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Dacia Pontica (Lesser Scythia)
Dacia Pontica: from Transylvania thru Lesser Scythia to Pontus Dacia; Pontica; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 28; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyrs of Niculitsel, Commemorated on June 4; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ; Martyr Epictetus the Presbyter at Halmyris, Commemorated on July 8;

Tomis, Lesser Scythia (Constantsa, in Dacia Pontica)
Tomis (Constantsa); Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated July 7 ; Martyr Macrobius at Tomis in Romania, Commemorated September 13 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica (Dobrogea), Commemorated on February 29; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Martyr Evangelicus the Bishop of Tomis, Constanta in Romania, Commemorated on July 7 ;

Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongols; Tartars; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœCzestochowaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Pimen of Salosi the Enlightener of Dagestan and the North Caucasus People, Commemorated on March 16 ; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3;

Peking (Hai River and Northern tip of North China Plain); Major rivers flowing through the municipality include the Yongding River and the Chaobai River, part of the Hai River system, and flow in a southerly direction. St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œThe Word was made Flesh"Â, Commemorated on March 9 ; ROLAND ALLEN, MISSION STRATEGIST, Commemorated June 8 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Vyatka, Perm (Kirov, Kama River 8, Vyatka River 1)
Vyatka (Kirov); Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Vyatka, Commemorated on October 8 ; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ;

Khlynov, Perm (Vyatka, Kama River 8, Vyatka River 1)
Khlynov, Perm (Vyatka, Vyatka River 1) ; Blessed Procopius of Vyatka the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated December 21 ;

Orlov, Perm (Vyatka River 2)
Orlov; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners, Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 9 ; we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January 25) which is treasured in the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel Diocese, Karachev district. 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in honor of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon as part of the Saint Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the monastery. wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.

Kazan ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Bulgars and Tartars of Kazan; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated July 8 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Zheltovod and Unzha, Commemorated on July 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ofSeven Lakes, Commemorated July 28 ; Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. This holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. Originally, seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, founder of the Seven Lakes monastery. He placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. There 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city. certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: a radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast and go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance. monk told the authorities about the vision. The Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. After circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. After an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, the icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. After seven days of prayer and processions, the deadly pestilence began to abate. the monks asked to have their icon returned, it was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, then to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. A heavy snow storm came up, however, which prevented them from leaving the church. This was repeated three times, so it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan for a time. It was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655. ’s Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. Orthodox inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God. Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26. St Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, Commemorated on July 30 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on September 12; a and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated September 18 ; First Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on September 25 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Gurias the First Archbishop of Kazan; St Jonah of Kazan, Commemorated October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven Lakes, Commemorated October 13 ; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Hierarch Alexander, Bishop of Guria and Samegrelo, Commemorated on October 27; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on December 5 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Martyr John of Kazan, Commemorated January 24 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Icon "œNot Made by Hands" from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Martyr Peter of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; ; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Paphnutius the Abbot of Borov, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20 ; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; Blessed Prince Gleb Andreevich the Son of St Andrew Bogoliubsky, Commemorated on June 20; Second Translation of the relics of St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Seven Lakes, Commemorated on June 26; “Seven Lakesâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos shone forth with many miracles in the seventeenth century in the area of Kazan. It is similar to the Smolensk Icon (July 28). “The Seven Lakesâ€ Icon is also commemorated on July 28 and October 13. Venerable Serapion of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on June 27; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on July 8;

Hari River

Hari River, Afganistan (Tejen or Tedzjen)

Geography - Moslem Empires, Caliphs, Dynasties in chronological order
Geography - Moslem Empires, Caliphs, Dynasties in order by country: Persia - Rashdun C; Umayyad C; , Sajid D, Persia into Geogria; Khwarezmid E, Ilkhanate E, Timurid E, Safarid D, Afsharid D, Qajar D; Bithynia, Ottoman E, Bulgaria, Ottoman E, Constantinople, Ottoman E; Arab Lands, Rashdun C -Jerusalem, Babylon Fortress, Alexandria, Egypt; Umayyad C - Jerusalem (Dome of the Rock), Turkistan, Pakistan, Syria, Greater Syria, China, Tibet, Georgia; Abbasaid C - Baghdad, Abbasaid Anarchy, Sunni Shia battles, Greater Armenia and Georgia; Mamluk Sultanate (Abbasid Caliphate, Cairo); North Africa - Fatmid C, all of North Africa, Egypt in 969, Levant, Sicily;

Rashidun Caliphate, Medina and Kufa, Arabian Peninsula, Levant, Transcaucasus of Georgia, Great Armenia, North Africa from Egypt to Tunisia, Persia or Iranian Plateau, Central Asia, South Asia
Rashidun Caliphate, Medina and Kufa; Rashidun Caliphate was the first of the four major caliphates established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. was ruled by the first four successive caliphs (successors) of Muhammad after his death in 632 CE (AH 11). caliphs are collectively known in Sunni Islam as the Rashidun, or "Rightly Guided" caliphs. This term is not used in Shia Islam, as Shia Muslims do not consider the rule of the first three caliphs legitimate.[4] Rashidun Caliphate is characterized by a twenty-five-year period of rapid military expansion followed by a five-year period of internal strife. Rashidun Army numbered more than 100,000 men at its peak. the 650s, in addition to the Arabian Peninsula, the caliphate had subjugated the Levant to the Transcaucasus in the north; North Africa from Egypt to present-day Tunisia in the west; and the Iranian Plateau to parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the east. four Rashidun caliphs were chosen by a small electoral body consisting of prominent members of the Quraysh tribal confederation called shura.[5] caliphate arose out of the death of Muhammad in 632 CE and the subsequent debate over the succession to his leadership. Bakr, a close companion of Muhammad from the Banu Taym clan, was elected the first Rashidun leader and began the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula. He ruled from 632 to his death in 634. Bakr was succeeded by Umar, his appointed successor from the Banu Adi clan, who continued the conquest of Persia, eventually leading to the fall of the Sasanian Empire in 651. was assassinated in 644 by a Persian slave and was succeeded by Uthman, a member of the Banu Umayya clan, who was elected by a six-person committee arranged by Umar. Under Uthman, the conquest of Armenia, Fars and Khorasan began.[6] was assassinated by Egyptian rebels in 656[7] and succeeded by Ali, a member of Muhammad's Banu Hashim clan, who presided over the civil war known as the First Fitna (656–661). war was primarily between those who believed Uthman was unlawfully killed, supporting his cousin and governor of the Levant Muawiyah, and those who believed his killing was deserved, supporting the caliph Ali. civil war permanently consolidated the divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims, with Shia Muslims believing Ali to be the first rightful caliph and Imam after Muhammad, favouring his bloodline connection to Muhammad.[8] a third faction in the war believed both Ali and Muawiyah should be deposed and a new caliph elected by shura; this faction supported the governor of Egypt Amr ibn al-As. war led to the end of the Rashidun Caliphate and the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate in 661 under Muawiyah. Rashidun Caliphate at greatest extent (orthographic projection) Muhammad's death in 632 CE, his Medinan companions debated which of them should succeed him in running the affairs of the Muslims while Muhammad's household was busy with his Umar and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah pledged their loyalty to Abu Bakr, with the Ansar and the Quraysh soon following suit. Abu Bakr thus became the first (Successor of the Messenger of God), or Caliph, and embarked on campaigns to propagate Islam. he would have to subdue the Arabian tribes which had claimed that although they pledged allegiance to Muhammad and accepted Islam, they owed nothing to Abu Bakr. As a caliph, Abu Bakr was not a monarch and never claimed such a title; nor did any of his three successors. Rather, their election and leadership were based upon merit.[9][10][11][12] according to Sunnis, all four Rashidun Caliphs were connected to Muhammad through marriage, were early converts to Islam,[13] were among ten who were explicitly promised paradise, were his closest companions by association and support and were often highly praised by Muhammad and delegated roles of leadership within the nascent Muslim community. to Sunni Muslims, the term Rashidun Caliphate is derived from a famous[14] hadith of Muhammad, where he foretold that the caliphate after him would last for 30 years[15] (the length of the Rashidun Caliphate) and would then be followed by kingship. (the Umayyad Caliphate was a hereditary monarchy)[16][17] Furthermore, according to other hadiths in Sunan Abu Dawood and Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, towards the end times, the Rightly Guided Caliphate will be restored once again by God.[18]

Umayyad Caliphate, Damascus, Syria, Rashidun area plus Spain,
Umayyad Caliphate, Damascus, Syria; Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE)[4] was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. caliphate was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty (Sons of Umayyah). third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, Uthman ibn Affan (r. 644-656), was also a member of the Umayyad clan. family established dynastic, hereditary rule with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, long-time governor of al-Sham (Greater Syria), who became the sixth caliph after the end of the First Fitna in 661. Mu'awiyah's death in 680, conflicts over the succession resulted in the Second Fitna,[5] and power eventually fell into the hands of Marwan I from another branch of the clan. region of Syria remained the Umayyads' main power base thereafter, and Damascus was their capital. Umayyads continued the Muslim conquests, incorporating the Transoxiana, Sindh, the Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) under Islamic rule. its greatest extent, the Umayyad Caliphate covered 11,100,000 km2 (4,300,000 sq mi),[1] making it one of the largest empires in history in terms of area. dynasty in most of the Islamic world was eventually overthrown by a rebellion led by the Abbasids in 750. ------------------------Survivors of the dynasty established themselves in Cordoba which, in the form of an emirate and then a caliphate, became a world centre of science, medicine, philosophy and invention during the Islamic Golden Age.[6][7] Umayyad Caliphate ruled over a vast multiethnic and multicultural population. who still constituted a majority of the caliphate's population, and Jews were allowed to practice their own religion but had to pay a head tax from which Muslims were exempt.[8] was, however, the Muslim-only zakat tax, which was earmarked explicitly for various welfare programmes[8][9] for the benefit of Muslims or Muslim converts only.[10] positions were held by Christians, some of whom belonged to families that had served in Byzantine governments. The employment of Christians was part of a broader policy of religious accommodation that was necessitated by the presence of large Christian populations in the conquered provinces, as in Syria. policy also boosted Muawiya's popularity and solidified Syria as his power base.[11][12] The Umayyad era is often considered the formative period in Islamic art.[13]

Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh and Aradibil, Iran, Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia and Georgia
Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh and Aradibil, Iran; Sajid dynasty, was an Iranian Muslim dynasty that ruled from 889-890 until 929. The Sajids ruled Azerbaijan and parts of Armenia first from Maragha and Barda and then from Ardabil.[a][1] Sajids originated from the Central Asian province of Ushrusana and were of Iranian (Sogdian)[2][3][b] descent. Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj Diwdad the son of Diwdad, the first Sajid ruler of Azerbaijan, was appointed as its ruler in 889 or 890. father Abu'l-Saj Devdad had fought under the Ushrusanan prince Afshin Khaydar during the latter's final campaign against the rebel Babak Khorramdin in Azerbaijan, and later served the caliphs. the end of the 9th century, as the central authority of the Abbasid Caliphate weakened, Muhammad was able to form a virtually independent state. of the Sajids' energies were spent in attempting to take control of neighboring Armenia. The dynasty ended with the death of Abu'l-Musafir al-Fath in 929. Saiid Dynasty in Maragheh, Iran;

Khwarazmian Empire, Gurgani, Samargand, Ghazna, and Tabriz, Iran, ruled Central Asia, Afghanistan and Persia
Khwarazmian Empire, Gurgani, Samargand, Ghazna, and Tabriz, Iran; Khwarazmian Empire[a] was a Turko-Persian[9] Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the approximate period of 1077 to 1231, first as vassals of the Seljuk Empire[10] and the Qara Khitai (Western Liao dynasty),[11] and later as independent rulers, up until the Mongol conquest in the 13th century. is estimated that the empire spanned an area of 2.3 million square kilometers[12] to 3.6 million square kilometers[13] in the beginning of the 13th century, effectively making it one of the largest land empires in history. date of the founding of the state of the Khwarazmshahs remains debatable. The dynasty that ruled the empire was founded by Anush Tigin (also known as Gharachai), initially a Turkic slave of the rulers of Gharchistan, later a Mamluk in the service of the Seljuqs. However, it was Ala ad-Din Atsiz, descendant of Anush Tigin, who achieved Khwarazm's independence from its neighbors. of the Turkic peoples pre–14th century History of the Turkic peoples Tiele people Göktürks First Turkic Khaganate 552–581 Western Turkic Khaganate 581–657 (Tokhara Yabghus, Turk Shahis) Eastern Turkic Khaganate 581–650 Second Turkic Khaganate 682–744 Khazar Khaganate 618–1048 Xueyantuo 628–646 Kangar union 659–750 Turk Shahi 665-850 Türgesh Khaganate 699–766 Kimek confederation 743–1035 Uyghur Khaganate 744–840 Oghuz Yabgu State 750–1055 Karluk Yabgu State 756–940 Kara-Khanid Khanate 840–1212 Western Kara-Khanid Eastern Kara-Khanid Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom 848–1036 Qocho 856–1335 Pecheneg Khanates 860–1091 Ghaznavid Empire 963–1186 Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Sultanate of Rum Cuman–Kipchak confederation 1067–1239 Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231 Kerait Khanate 11th century–13th century Delhi Sultanate 1206–1526 Mamluk dynasty Khalji dynasty Tughlaq dynasty Qarlughid Kingdom 1224–1266 Golden Horde 1240s–1502 Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) 1250–1517 Bahri dynasty 1220, the Mongols under their ruler Genghis Khan invaded the Khwarazmian Empire, successfully conquering the whole of it in less than two years. The Mongols exploited existing weaknesses and conflicts in the empire, besieging and plundering the richest cities, while putting its citizens to the sword in one of the bloodiest wars in human history.

Ilkhanate Empire in Maragheh, Tabriz and Soltaniyeh, core of Iran, Azeerbaijan, and Turkey, then Black Death
Ilkhanate Empire in Maragheh, Tabriz and Soltaniyeh, Iran, Azeerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and part of Dagestan, then Black Death; Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate, known to the Mongols as Hulegu Ulus[6] was a khanate established from the southwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. Ilkhanid realm, officially known as Iranzamin (lit. 'land of Iran'),[7][8] was ruled by the Mongol House of Hulagu. Hulagu Khan, the son of Tolui and grandson of Genghis Khan, inherited the Middle Eastern part of the Mongol Empire after his brother Mongke Khan died in 1260. core territory lies in what is now part of the countries of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. its greatest extent, the Ilkhanate also included parts of modern Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, part of modern Dagestan, and part of modern Tajikistan. Ilkhanate rulers, beginning with Ghazan in 1295, converted to Islam. In the 1330s, the Ilkhanate was ravaged by the Black Death. Its last khan Abu Sa'id died in 1335, after which the khanate disintegrated. The Ilkhanid rulers, although of non-Iranian origin, tried to advertise their authority by tying themselves to the Iranian past, and they recruited historians in order to present the Mongols as heirs to the Sasanians (224–651 AD) of pre-Islamic Iran.[9]

Timurid Empire, Samarkand, Uzbekistan and Herat, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, etc
Timurid Empire, Samarkand, Uzbekistan and Herat, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Southern Caucasus, Iraq, Kuait, part of Russia, India, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey; Timurid Empire, was a Persianate[7][8] Turco-Mongol empire comprising modern-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, the southern region of the Caucasus, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, as well as parts of contemporary Russia, India, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey. empire was founded by Timur (also known as Tamerlane), a warlord of Turco-Mongol lineage, who established the empire between 1370 and his death in 1405. He envisioned himself as the great restorer of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, regarded himself as Genghis's heir, and associated much with the Borjigin. Timur continued vigorous trade relations with Ming China and the Golden Horde. The empire led to the Timurid Renaissance, particularly during the reign of astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Begh. 1467, the ruling Timurid dynasty, or Timurids, lost most of Persia to the Aq Qoyunlu confederation. But members of the Timurid dynasty continued to rule smaller states, sometimes known as Timurid emirates, in Central Asia and parts of India. In the 16th century, Babur, a Timurid prince from Ferghana (modern Uzbekistan), invaded Kabulistan (modern Afghanistan) and established a small kingdom there. Twenty years later, he used this kingdom as a staging ground to invade India and establish the Mughal Empire.

Safarid Dynasty, Zaranj, Persia, now Southwest Afghanistan, most of Iran and Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekisan
Safarid Dynasty, Zaranj, Persia, now Southwest Afghanistan, most of Iran and Afghanistan, parts of Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekisan; Saffarid dynasty was a Sunni[3] Persian[4][5][6] dynasty from Sistan that ruled over parts of Greater Iran, with its capital at Zaranj (a city now in southwestern Afghanistan),[7][8] from 861 to 1003.[9] of the first indigenous Persian dynasties to emerge after the Islamic conquest,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] the Saffarid dynasty was part of the Iranian Intermezzo. dynasty's founder was Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar, who was born in 840 in a small town called Karnin (Qarnin), which was located east of Zaranj and west of Bost, in what is now Afghanistan. A native of Sistan and a local ayyār, Ya'qub worked as a coppersmith (ṣaffār) before becoming a warlord. He seized control of the Sistan region and began conquering most of Iran and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Saffarids used their capital Zaranj as a base for an aggressive expansion eastward and westward. They first invaded the areas south of the Hindu Kush, and then overthrew the Persian Tahirid dynasty, annexing Khorasan in 873. By the time of Ya'qub's death, he had conquered the Kabul Valley, Sindh, Tocharistan, Makran (Balochistan), Kerman, Fars, Khorasan, and nearly reached Baghdad but then suffered a defeat by the Abbasids.[9] Saffarid dynasty did not last long after Ya'qub's death. His brother and successor, Amr bin Laith, was defeated at the Battle of Balkh against Ismail Samani in 900. Amr bin Laith was forced to surrender most of his territories to the new rulers. The Saffarids were confined to their heartland of Sistan, and with time, their role was reduced to that of vassals of the Samanids and their successors.

Afsharid dynasty, Mashhad (Silk Road), Turkmenistan, 1736-
Afsharid dynasty; Afsharid dynasty was an Iranian[7] dynasty that originated from the Turkoman[8][9] Afshar tribe in Iran's north-eastern province of Khorasan, ruling Iran (Persia) in the mid-eighteenth century. The dynasty was founded in 1736 by the brilliant military[10] commander Nader Shah, who deposed the last member of the Safavid dynasty and proclaimed himself as the Shah of Iran. Nader's reign, Iran reached its greatest extent since the Sasanian Empire. At its height it controlled modern-day Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan Republic, parts of the North Caucasus (Dagestan), Afghanistan, Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, and parts of Iraq, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Oman. After his death, most of his empire was divided between the Zands, Durranis, Georgians, and the Caucasian khanates, while Afsharid rule was confined to a small local state in Khorasan. Finally, the Afsharid dynasty was overthrown by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1796, who would establish a new native Iranian empire and restore Iranian suzerainty over several of the aforementioned regions. dynasty was named after the Turcoman Afshar tribe from Khorasan in north-east Iran, to which Nader belonged.[11] The Afshars had originally migrated from Turkestan to Azerbaijan (Iranian Azerbaijan) in the 13th century. In the early 17th century, Abbas the Great moved many Afshars from Azerbaijan to Khorasan to defend the north-eastern borders of his state against the Uzbeks, after which the Afshars settled in those regions. Nader belonged to the Qereqlu branch of the Afshars.[12] Foundation of the dynasty[edit] See also: Restoration of Tahmasp II to the Safavid throne, Treaty of Resht, Treaty of Ganja, and Ottoman–Persian War (1730–35) Shah was born (as Nadr Qoli) into a humble semi-nomadic family from the Afshar tribe of Khorasan,[13] where he became a local warlord.[14] path to power began when the Ghilzai Mir Mahmud Hotaki overthrew the weakened and disintegrated Safavid shah Sultan Husayn in 1722. the same time, Ottoman and Russian forces seized Iranian land. Russia took swaths of Iran's Caucasian territories in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, as well as mainland northern Iran, by the Russo-Persian War, while the neighbouring Ottomans invaded from the west. By the 1724 Treaty of Constantinople, they agreed to divide the conquered areas between themselves.[15] the other side of the theatre, Nader joined forces with Sultan Husayn's son Tahmasp II and led the resistance against the Ghilzai Afghans, driving their leader Ashraf Khan easily out of the capital in 1729 and establishing Tahmasp on the throne. fought to regain the lands lost to the Ottomans and Russians and to restore Iranian hegemony in Iran. he was away in the east fighting the Ghilzais, Tahmasp waged a disastrous campaign in the Caucasus which allowed the Ottomans to retake most of their lost territory in the west . Nader, displeased, had Tahmasp deposed in favour of his infant son Abbas III in 1732. Four years later, after he had recaptured most of the lost Persian lands, Nader felt confident enough to have himself proclaimed shah in his own right at a ceremony on the Moghan Plain.[16] subsequently made the Russians cede the taken territories taken in 1722–23 through the Treaty of Resht of 1732 and the Treaty of Ganja of 1735.[17] Back in control of the integral northern territories, and with a new Russo-Iranian alliance against the common Ottoman enemy,[18] he continued the Ottoman–Persian War. The Ottoman armies were expelled from western Iran and the rest of the Caucasus, and the resultant 1736 Treaty of Constantinople forced the Ottomans to confirm Iranian suzerainty over the Caucasus and recognised Nader as the new Iranian shah (king).[19] of Nader Shah and the succession problem[edit] Fall of the Hotaki dynasty[edit] Main article: Restoration of Tahmasp II to the Safavid throne and the Qajar leader Fath Ali Khan (the ancestor of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar) contacted Nader and asked him to join their cause and drive the Ghilzai Afghans out of Khorasan. agreed and thus became a figure of national importance. When Nader discovered that Fath Ali Khan was corresponding with Malek Mahmud and revealed this to the shah, Tahmasp executed him and made Nader the chief of his army instead. subsequently took on the title Tahmasp Qoli (Servant of Tahmasp). In late 1726, Nader recaptured Mashhad.[20] chose not to march directly on Isfahan. First, in May 1729, he defeated the Abdali Afghans near Herat. Many of the Abdali Afghans subsequently joined his army. new shah of the Ghilzai Afghans, Ashraf, decided to move against Nader but in September 1729, defeated him at the Battle of Damghan and again decisively in November at Murchakhort, banishing the Afghans from Persian soil forever. Ashraf fled and Nader finally entered Isfahan, handing it over to Tahmasp in December and plundering the city to pay his army. made Nader governor over many eastern provinces, including his native Khorasan, and married him to his sister. Nader pursued and defeated Ashraf, who was murdered by his own followers.[21] 1738, Nader Shah besieged and destroyed the last Hotaki seat of power, at Kandahar. He built a new city nearby, which he named "Naderabad".[22] Ottoman campaign and the regain of the Caucasus[edit] Main articles: Ottoman–Persian War (1730–35), Treaty of Resht, and Treaty of Ganja the spring of 1735, Nader attacked Persia's archrival, the Ottomans, and regained most of the territory lost during the recent chaos. At the same time, the Abdali Afghans rebelled and besieged Mashhad, forcing Nader to suspend his campaign and save his brother, Ebrahim. It took Nader fourteen months to crush this uprising. Painting of Nader Shah between Nader and the Shah had declined as the latter grew alarmed by his general's military successes. While Nader was absent in the east, Tahmasp tried to assert himself by launching a campaign to recapture Yerevan. He ended up losing all of Nader's recent gains to the Ottomans, and signed a treaty ceding Georgia and Armenia in exchange for Tabriz. Nader, furious, saw that the moment had come to depose Tahmasp. He denounced the treaty, seeking popular support for a war against the Ottomans. In Isfahan, Nader got Tahmasp drunk then showed him to the courtiers asking if a man in such a state was fit to rule. In 1732 he forced Tahmasp to abdicate in favour of the Shah's baby son, Abbas III, to whom Nader became regent. decided, as he continued the 1730–35 war, that he could win back the territory in Armenia and Georgia by seizing Ottoman Baghdad and then offering it in exchange for the lost provinces, but his plan went badly amiss when his army was routed by the Ottoman general Topal Osman Pasha near the city in 1733. Nader decided he needed to regain the initiative as soon as possible to save his position because revolts were already breaking out in Persia. He faced Topal again with a larger force and defeated and killed him. He then besieged Baghdad, as well as Ganja in the northern provinces, earning a Russian alliance against the Ottomans. Nader scored a decisive victory over a superior Ottoman force at Yeghevard (modern-day Armenia) and by the summer of 1735, Persian Armenia and Georgia were under his rule again. In March 1735, he signed a treaty with the Russians in Ganja by which the latter agreed to withdraw all of their troops from Persian territory,[23][24] those which had not been ceded back by the 1732 Treaty of Resht yet, mainly regarding Derbent, Baku, Tarki, and the surrounding lands, resulting in the reestablishment of Iranian rule over all of the Caucasus and northern mainland Iran again. becomes king[edit] suggested to his closest intimates, after a hunting party on the Moghan plains (presently split between Azerbaijan Republic and Iran), that he should be proclaimed the new king (shah) in place of the young Abbas III.[25] small group of close intimates, Nader's friends, included Tahmasp Khan Jalayer and Hasan-Ali Beg Bestami.[25] Following Nader's suggestion, the group did not "demur", and Hasan-Ali remained silent.[25] When Nader asked him why he remained silent, Hasan-Ali replied that the best course of action for Nader would be to assemble all the leading men of the state, in order to receive their agreement in "a signed and sealed document of consent".[25] Nader approved of the proposal, and the writers of the chancellery, which included the court historian Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi, were instructed with sending out orders to the military, religious and nobility of the nation to summon at the plains.[25] The summonses for the people to attend had gone out in November 1735, and they began arriving in January 1736.[26] In the same month of January 1736, Nader held a qoroltai (a grand meeting in the tradition of Genghis Khan and Timur) on the Moghan plains. The Moghan plain was specifically chosen for its size and "abundance of fodder".[27] Everyone agreed to the proposal of Nader becoming the new king, many—if not most—enthusiastically, the rest fearing Nader's anger if they showed support for the deposed Safavids. Nader was crowned Shah of Iran on March 8, 1736, a date his astrologers had chosen as being especially propitious,[28] in attendance of an "exceptionally large assembly" composed of the military, religious and nobility of the nation, as well as the Ottoman ambassador Ali Pasha.[29] Invasion of the Mughal Empire[edit] Main articles: Nader Shah's invasion of India and Battle of Karnal The flank march of Nader's army at Battle of Khyber pass has been called a "military masterpiece" by the Russian general & historian Kursinski At the Battle of Karnal, Nader crushed an enormous Mughal army six times greater than his own In 1738, Nader Shah conquered Kandahar, the last outpost of the Hotaki dynasty and established Naderabad, Kandahar. His thoughts now turned to the Mughal Empire based in Delhi. This once powerful Muslim state to the east was falling apart as the nobles became increasingly disobedient and the Hindu Marathas of the Maratha Empire made inroads on its territory from the south-west. Its ruler Muhammad Shah was powerless to reverse this disintegration. Nader asked for the Afghan rebels to be handed over, but the Mughal emperor refused. Nader used the pretext of his Afghan enemies taking refuge in India to cross the border and invade the militarily weak but still extremely wealthy far eastern empire.[30] In a brilliant campaign against the governor of Peshawar, he took a small contingent of his forces on a daunting flank march through nearly impassable mountain passes, and took the enemy forces positioned at the mouth of the Khyber Pass completely by surprise, decisively beating them despite being outnumbered two-to-one. This led to the capture of Ghazni, Kabul, Peshawar, Sindh and Lahore. As Nader moved into the Mughal territories, he was accompanied by his loyal Georgian subject and future king of eastern Georgia, Erekle II, who led a Georgian contingent as a military commander as part of Nader's force.[31] Following the defeat of Mughal forces priorly, he then advanced deeper into India, crossing the river Indus before the end of year. The news of the Persian army's swift and decisive successes against the northern vassal states of the Mughal empire caused much consternation in Delhi, prompting the Mughal ruler, Muhammad Shah, to summon an overwhelming force of some 300,000 men and march this massive host north towards the Persian army. Afsharid forces negotiate with a Mughal Nawab. Nader Shah crushed the Mughal army in less than three hours at the large Battle of Karnal on 13 February 1739. After this decisive victory, Nader captured Mohammad Shah and entered with him into Delhi.[32] When a rumour broke out that Nader had been assassinated, some of the Indians attacked and killed Persian troops. Nader, furious, reacted by ordering his soldiers to plunder and sack the city. During the course of one day (March 22) 20,000 to 30,000 Indians were killed by the Persian troops, forcing Mohammad Shah to beg Nader for mercy.[33] In response, Nader Shah agreed to withdraw, but Mohammad Shah paid the consequence in handing over the keys of his royal treasury, and losing even the Peacock Throne to the Persian emperor. The Peacock Throne thereafter served as a symbol of Persian imperial might. It is estimated that Nadir took away with him treasures worth as much as seven hundred million rupees. Among a trove of other fabulous jewels, Nader also gained the Koh-i-Noor and Darya-ye Noor diamonds (Koh-e-Noor means "Mountain of Light" in Persian, Darya-ye Noor means "Sea of Light"). The Persian troops left Delhi at the beginning of May 1739, but before they left, he ceded back to Muhammad Shah all territories to the east of the Indus that he had overrun.[34] Nader's soldiers also took with them thousands of elephants, horses and camels, loaded with the booty they had collected. The plunder seized from India was so valuable that Nader stopped taxation in Iran for a period of three years following his return.[35] Nader attacked the empire to, perhaps, give his country some breathing space after previous turmoils. His successful campaign and replenishment of funds meant that he could continue his wars against Iran's archrival and neighbour, the Ottoman Empire.[36] North Caucasus, Central Asia, Arabia, and the second Ottoman war[edit] Main articles: Ottoman–Persian War (1743–46) and Nader's Dagestan campaign Silver coin of Nader Shah, minted in Dagestan, dated 1741/2 (left = obverse; right = reverse) The Indian campaign was the zenith of Nader's career. After his return from India, Nader fell out with his eldest son Reza Qoli Mirza, who had ruled Persia during his father's absence. Reza had behaved highhandedly and somewhat cruelly but he had kept the peace in Persia. Having heard a rumour that Nader was dead, he had prepared to seize the throne by having the Safavid royal captives, Tahmasp and his nine-year-old son Abbas III, executed. On hearing the news, Reza's wife, who was Tahmasp's sister, committed suicide. Nader was not pleased with the young man's behaviour and humiliated him by removing him from the post of viceroy, but he took him on his expedition to conquer territory in Transoxiana. Nader became increasingly despotic as his health declined markedly. In 1740 he conquered Khanate of Khiva. After the Persians had forced the Uzbek khanate of Bukhara to submit, Nader wanted Reza to marry the khan's elder daughter because she was a descendant of his role model Genghis Khan, but Reza flatly refused and Nader married the girl himself. Nader also conquered Khwarezm on this expedition into Central Asia.[37] The Battle of Kars (1745) was the last major field battle Nader fought in his spectacular military career Nader now decided to punish Daghestan for the death of his brother Ebrahim Qoli on a campaign a few years earlier. In 1741, while Nader was passing through the forest of Mazandaran on his way to fight the Daghestanis, an assassin took a shot at him but Nader was only lightly wounded. He began to suspect his son was behind the attempt and confined him to Tehran. Nader's increasing ill health made his temper ever worse. Perhaps it was his illness that made Nader lose the initiative in his war against the Lezgin tribes of Daghestan. Frustratingly for him, they resorted to guerrilla warfare and the Persians could make little headway against them.[38] Though Nader managed to take most of Dagestan during his campaign, the effective guerrilla warfare as deployed by the Lezgins, but also the Avars and Laks made the Iranian re-conquest of this particular North Caucasian region this time a short lived one; several years later, Nader was forced to withdraw. During the same period, Nader accused his son of being behind the assassination attempt in Mazandaran. Reza angrily protested his innocence, but Nader had him blinded as punishment, although he immediately regretted it. Soon afterwards, Nader started executing the nobles who had witnessed his son's blinding. In his last years, Nader became increasingly paranoid, ordering the assassination of large numbers of suspected enemies. With the wealth he gained, Nader started to build a Persian navy. With lumber from Mazandaran and Gilan, he built ships in Bushehr and order to build new artillery in Amol. He also purchased thirty ships in India.[22] He recaptured the island of Bahrain from the Arabs. In 1743, he conquered Oman and its main capital Muscat. In 1743, Nader started another war against the Ottoman Empire. Despite having a huge army at his disposal, in this campaign Nader showed little of his former military brilliance. It ended in 1746 with the signing of a peace treaty, in which the Ottomans agreed to let Nader occupy Najaf.[39] Military[edit] Main articles: Military of the Afsharid dynasty of Persia and Afsharid navy The military forces of the Afsharid dynasty of Persia had their origins in the relatively obscure yet bloody inter-factional violence in Khorasan during the collapse of the Safavid state. The small band of warriors under local warlord Nader Qoli of the Turkomen Afshar tribe in north-east Iran were no more than a few hundred men. Yet at the height of Nader's power as the king of kings, Shahanshah, he commanded an army of 375,000 fighting men which constituted the single most powerful military force of its time,[40][41] led by one of the most talented and successful military leaders of history.[42] Map of Iran during the collapse of the Afsharid Empire After the assassination of Nader Shah at the hands of a faction of his officers in 1747, Nader's powerful army fractured as the Afsharid state collapsed and the country plunged into decades of civil war. Although there were numerous Afsharid pretenders to the throne, (amongst many other), who attempted to regain control of the entire country, Persia remained a fractured political entity in turmoil until the campaigns of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar toward the very end of the eighteenth century reunified the nation. Civil war and downfall of the Afsharids[edit] See also: Khanates of the Caucasus The Afsharid dynasty near its end, as its authority is reduced to Mashhad and the surrounding territory[43] After Nader's death in 1747, his nephew Ali Qoli (who may have been involved in the assassination plot) seized the throne and proclaimed himself Adil Shah ("The Just King"). ordered the execution of all Nader's sons and grandsons, with the exception of the 13-year-old Shahrokh, the son of Reza Qoli.[44] Nadir's former treasurer, Ahmad Shah Abdali, had declared his independence by founding the Durrani Empire. In the process, the eastern territories were lost and in the following decades became part of Afghanistan, the successor-state to the Durrani Empire. northern territories, Iran's most integral regions, had a different fate. Erekle II and Teimuraz II, who, in 1744, had been made the kings of Kakheti and Kartli respectively by Nader himself for their loyal service,[45] capitalized on the eruption of instability and declared de facto independence. Erekle II assumed control over Kartli after Teimuraz II's death, thus unifying the two as the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, becoming the first Georgian ruler in three centuries to preside over a politically unified eastern Georgia,[46] and due to the frantic turn of events in mainland Iran he would be able to remain de facto autonomous through the Zand period.[47] Under the successive Qajar dynasty, Iran managed to restore Iranian suzerainty over the Georgian regions, until they would be irrevocably lost in the course of the 19th century, to neighbouring Imperial Russia.[48] Many of the rest of the territories in the Caucasus, comprising modern-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Dagestan broke away into various khanates. Until the advent of the Zands and Qajars, its rulers had various forms of autonomy, but stayed vassals and subjects to the Iranian king.[49] Under the early Qajars, these territories in Transcaucasia and Dagestan would all be fully reincorporated into Iran, but eventually permanently lost as well (alongside Georgia), in the course of the 19th century to Imperial Russia through the two Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century.[48] made the mistake of sending his brother Ebrahim to secure the capital Isfahan. Ebrahim decided to set himself up as a rival, defeated Adil in battle, blinded him and took the throne. had reigned for less than a year. Meanwhile, a group of army officers freed Shahrokh from prison in Mashhad and proclaimed him shah in October 1748. was defeated and died in captivity in 1750 and Adil was also put to death at the request of Nader Shah's widow. was briefly deposed in favour of another puppet ruler Soleyman II but, although blinded, Shahrokh was restored to the throne by his supporters. He reigned in Mashhad and from the 1750s his territory was mostly confined to the city and it's environs.[43] In 1796 Mohammad Khan Qajar, the founder of the Qajar dynasty, seized Mashhad and tortured Shahrokh to force him to reveal the whereabouts of Nader Shah's treasures. Shahrokh died of his injuries soon after and with him the Afsharid dynasty came to an end.[50][51] of Shahrokh's sons, Nader Mirza, revolted in 1797 upon the death of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar but the revolt was crushed and he was executed in April 1803. descendants continue into the 21st century under the Afshar Naderi surname. policy[edit] Safavids had introduced Shi'a Islam as the state religion of Iran. Nader was probably brought up as a Shi'a [52] but later espoused the Sunni[53] faith as he gained power and began to push into the Ottoman Empire. He believed that Safavid Shi'ism had intensified the conflict with the Sunni Ottoman Empire. His army was a mix of Shi'a and Sunni (with a notable minority of Christians) and included his own Qizilbash as well as Uzbeks, Afghans, Christian Georgians and Armenians,[54][55] and others. He wanted Persia to adopt a form of religion that would be more acceptable to Sunnis and suggested that Persia adopt a form of Shi'ism he called "Ja'fari", in honour of the sixth Shi'a imam Ja'far al-Sadiq. He banned certain Shi'a practices which were particularly offensive to Sunnis, such as the cursing of the first three caliphs. Personally, Nader is said to have been indifferent toward religion and the French Jesuit who served as his personal physician reported that it was difficult to know which religion he followed and that many who knew him best said that he had none.[50] Nader hoped that "Ja'farism" would be accepted as a fifth school (mazhab) of Sunni Islam and that the Ottomans would allow its adherents to go on the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, which was within their territory. In the subsequent peace negotiations, the Ottomans refused to acknowledge Ja'farism as a fifth mazhab but they did allow Persian pilgrims to go on the hajj. Nader was interested in gaining rights for Persians to go on the hajj in part because of revenues from the pilgrimage trade.[22] Nader's other primary aim in his religious reforms was to weaken the Safavids further since Shi'a Islam had always been a major element in support for the dynasty. He had the chief mullah of Persia strangled after he was heard expressing support for the Safavids. Among his reforms was the introduction of what came to be known as the kolah-e Naderi. This was a hat with four peaks which symbolised the first four caliphs.

Durrani Empire, Kandahar, Afganistan, 1747-1800, Eastern Iran, Pakistan, Northern India, Central Asia, Middle East, South Asia
Durrani Empire, Kandahar, Afganistan (Arghandab River Mouth), 1747-1800, huge, Eastern Iran, Pakistan, Northern India, Central Asia, Middle East, South Asia; Durrani Empire, also called the Sadozai Kingdom[6]: 116  and the Afghan Empire,[7] was an Afghan empire founded and built by Ahmad Shah Abdali in parts of Central Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. its maximum extent, the empire ruled over the modern-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as parts of northeastern and southeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India.[8][6]: 190  to the Ottoman Empire, the Durrani Empire was the greatest Muslim empire of the second half of the eighteenth century.[9] Shah Abdali was the son of Muhammad Zaman Khan Abdali (Chieftain of the Abdalis) and the commander of Nader Shah Afshar. Conquering the disunity in his tribe, in June 1747 after Nader's death, Ahmad Shah Abdali secured Afghanistan by taking Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul and Peshawar that year, becoming the King of Afghanistan. After his accession, Ahmad Shah Abdali changed his tribal name to "Durrani", henceforth becoming known as Ahmad Shah Durrani. In 1749 the Mughal ruler had ceded sovereignty over much of northwest India to the Afghans. Ahmad Shah then set out westward to take possession of Mashhad, which was ruled by Shahrokh Shah and acknowledged Ahmad Shah's suzerainty.[10] He next sent an army to subdue the areas north of the Hindu Kush down to the Amu Darya, and in short order, all the different tribes began joining his cause. Ahmad Shah and his forces then invaded India four times, taking control of Kashmir and the Punjab regions. Early in 1757, he sacked Delhi but permitted the Mughal emperor Alamgir II to remain in nominal control as long as the ruler acknowledged Ahmad Shah's suzerainty over the regions south of the Indus. the death of Ahmad Shah Durrani in about 1773, his son Timur Shah Durrani became the next ruler of the Durrani dynasty. Under Timur Shah, Kabul became the new capital of the empire while Peshawar became the winter capital; the empire began to crumble by this time.[11] The dynasty would become heirs of Afghanistan for generations, up until Dost Mohammad Khan gained control in 1823. Durrani Empire is considered the foundation of the modern state of Afghanistan, with Ahmad Shah Durrani being credited as "Father of the Nation".[12] of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747–1772) vte Campaigns of Ahmad Shah Durrani Foundation of the Afghan state 1709 Mirwais Hotak, chief of the Ghilji tribe of Kandahar Province, gained independence from the Safavid Persians. From 1722 to 1725, his son Mahmud Hotak briefly ruled large parts of Iran and declared himself as Shah of Persia. the Hotak dynasty came to a complete end in 1738 after being toppled and banished by the Afsharids who were led by Nader Shah Afshar of Persia. year 1747 marks the definitive appearance of an Afghan political entity independent of both the Persian and Mughal empires.[13] July of that year a loya jirga (grand council) was called into session. The jirga lasted for nine days and two chief contestants emerged: Hajji Jamal Khan of the Mohammadzai lineage and Ahmad Khan of the Saddozai. Sabir Khan, a noted darwish (holy man), who had earlier predicted that Ahmad Khan would be the leader of the Afghans, rose in the jirga and said all this verbose talk? God has created Ahmad Khan a much greater man than any of you; his life is the most noble of all the Afghan families. Maintain, therefore, God's work, for His wrath will weigh heavily upon you if you destroy it. Khan reputedly hesitated to accept the open decision of the jirga, so Sabir Khan again intervened. He placed some wheat or barley sheaves in Ahmad Khan's turban, and crowned him Badshah, Durr-i-Dauran (Shah, Pearl of the Age).[14] The jirga concluded near the city of Kandahar with Ahmad Shah Durrani being selected as the new leader of the Afghans, thus the Durrani dynasty was founded. Despite being younger than the other contenders, Ahmad Shah had several overriding factors in his favor. He belonged to a respectable family of political background, especially since his father had served as Governor of Herat who died in a battle defending the Afghans. victories of Kandahar, its principal bazaar and citadel, as seen from the Nakkara Khauna of Ahmad Shah's first military actions was to capture Qalati Ghilji and Ghazni from the Ghilji, and wrest Kabul and Peshawar from Mughal-appointed governor Nasir Khan. In 1749, the Mughal Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur was induced to cede Sindh, the Punjab region and the important trans Indus River to Ahmad Shah Durrani in order to save his capital from Afghan attack.[15]: 69  Having thus gained substantial territories to the east without a fight, Ahmad Shah turned westward to take possession of Mashhad, which was ruled by Nader Shah Afshar's grandson, Shahrukh Afshar. Ahmad Shah next sent an army to subdue the areas north of the Hindu Kush mountains. In short order, the powerful army brought under its control the Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, and other tribes of northern Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah invaded the remnants of the Mughal Empire a third time, and then a fourth, consolidating control over the Kashmir and Punjab regions, with Lahore being governed by Afghans. He sacked Delhi in 1757 but permitted the Mughal dynasty to remain in nominal control of the city as long as the ruler acknowledged Ahmad Shah's suzerainty over Punjab, Sindh, and Kashmir. Leaving his second son Timur Shah to safeguard his interests, Ahmad Shah left India to return to Afghanistan. with China by the expansion of China's Qing Dynasty up to the eastern border of Kazakhstan, Ahmad Shah attempted to rally neighboring Muslim khanates and the Kazakhs to unite and attack China, ostensibly to liberate its western Muslim subjects.[16] Shah halted trade with Qing China and dispatched troops to Kokand.[17] with his campaigns in India exhausting the state treasury, and with his troops stretched thin throughout Central Asia, Ahmad Shah lacked sufficient resources to do anything except to send envoys to Beijing for unsuccessful talks. Battle of Panipat Main article: Third Battle of Panipat Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, during the Third Battle of Panipat and restored the Mughal Empire to Shah Alam II.[18] Mughal power in northern India had been declining after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb, who died in 1707. 1751–52, the Ahamdiya treaty was signed between the Marathas and Mughals, when Balaji Bajirao was the Peshwa.[19][full citation needed] this treaty, the Marathas controlled virtually the whole of India from their capital at Pune and the Mughal rule was restricted only to Delhi (the Mughals remained the nominal heads of Delhi). Marathas were now straining to expand their area of control towards the Northwest of India. Ahmad Shah sacked the Mughal capital and withdrew with the booty he coveted. To counter the Afghans, Peshwa Balaji Bajirao sent Raghunathrao. He defeated the Rohillas and Afghan garrisons in Punjab and succeeded in ousting Timur Shah and his court from India and brought Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and other subahs on the Indian side of Attock under Maratha rule.[20] Thus, upon his return to Kandahar in 1757, Ahmad was forced to return to India and face the formidable attacks of the Maratha Confederacy. Shah declared a jihad (or Islamic holy war) against the Marathas, and warriors from various Afghan tribes joined his army, including the Baloch people under the command of Khan of Kalat Mir Nasir I of Kalat. Suba Khan Tanoli (Zabardast Khan) was selected as army chief of all military forces. Early skirmishes were followed by victory for the Afghans against the much larger Maratha garrisons in Northwest India and by 1759 Ahmad Shah and his army had reached Lahore and were poised to confront the Marathas. Ahmad Shah Durrani was famous for winning wars much larger than his army. By 1760, the Maratha groups had coalesced into a big enough army under the command of Sadashivrao Bhau. Once again, Panipat was the scene of a confrontation between two warring contenders for control of northern India. The Third Battle of Panipat (14 January 1761), fought between largely Muslim and largely Hindu armies was waged along a twelve-kilometer front. Despite decisively defeating the Marathas, what might have been Ahmad Shah's peaceful control of his domains was disrupted by many challenges. As far as losses are concerned, Afghans too suffered heavily in the Third Battle of Panipat. This weakened his grasp over Punjab which fell to the rising Sikh misls. There were rebellions in the north in the region of Bukhara. The Durranis decisively defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat on 14 January 1761.[21] The defeat at Panipat resulted in heavy losses for the Marathas, and was a huge setback for Peshwa Balaji Rao. He received the news of the defeat of Panipat on 24 January 1761 at Bhilsa, while leading a reinforcement force. Besides several important generals, he had lost his own son Vishwasrao in the Battle of Panipat. He died on 23 June 1761, and was succeeded by his younger son Madhav Rao I.[22] years The Bala Hissar fort in Peshawar was one of the royal residences of the Durrani kings. victory at Panipat was the high point of Ahmad Shah's—and Afghan—power. However, even prior to his death, the empire began to unravel. In 1762, Ahmad Shah crossed the passes from Afghanistan for the sixth time to subdue the Sikhs. From this time and on, the domination and control of the Empire began to loosen, and by the time of Durrani's death he had completely lost Punjab to the Sikhs, as well as earlier losses of northern territories to the Uzbeks, necessitating a compromise with them.[15]: 71  assaulted Lahore and, after taking their holy city of Amritsar, massacred thousands of Sikh inhabitants, destroyed their revered Golden Temple.[23] Within two years, the Sikhs rebelled again and rebuilt their holy city of Amritsar. Ahmad Shah tried several more times to subjugate the Sikhs permanently, but failed. Durrani's forces instigated the Vaḍḍā Ghallūghārā when they killed thousands of Sikhs in the Punjab in 1762.[24]: 144–45 [25][26][24]: 154  Ahmad Shah also faced other rebellions in the north, and eventually he and the Uzbek Emir of Bukhara agreed that the Amu Darya would mark the division of their lands. Ahmad Shah retired to his home in the mountains east of Kandahar, where he died on June 4th 1772.[27] He had succeeded to a remarkable degree in balancing tribal alliances and hostilities, and in directing tribal energies away from rebellion. He earned recognition as Ahmad Shah Baba, or "Father" of Afghanistan.[2] Durrani Empire lost its control over Kashmir to the Sikh Empire in the Battle of Shopian in 1819.[28] Durrani rulers (1772–1823) Shah's successors governed so ineptly during a period of profound unrest that within fifty years of his death, the Durrani empire per se was at an end, and Afghanistan was embroiled in civil war. Much of the territory conquered by Ahmad Shah fell to others in this half century. By 1818, the Sadozai rulers who succeeded Ahmad Shah controlled little more than Kabul and the surrounding territory within a 160-kilometer radius. They not only lost the outlying territories but also alienated other tribes and lineages among the Durrani Pashtuns. Shah (1772–1793) Main article: Timur Shah Durrani Shah was succeeded by his son, Timur Shah Durrani. Timur Shah had briefly fought civil war against his older brother, Suleiman Mirza. Timur Shah had succeeded in defeating Suleiman and begun his effective reign in late 1773-1774. Timur Shah had spent most of his reign trying to keep his realm together, fighting constant rebellions and civil war in Punjab, Kashmir, and Kalat. Timur Shah was proven as an incapable leader, he alienated the Pashtun tribes, and was an inclusive leader, more open to different groups such as the Qizilbash as his private bodyguards. This had caused strife among the Pashtuns. Timur Shah had died on 20 May 1793.[29] Shah (1793–1801) Main article: Zaman Shah Durrani The main street in the bazaar at Kabul, 1842 James Atkinson watercolour painting. the death of Timur Shah, three of his sons, the governors of Kandahar, Herat and Kabul, contended for the succession. Zaman Shah, governor of Kabul, held the field by virtue of being in control of the capital, and became shah at the age of twenty-three. Many of his half-brothers were imprisoned on their arrival in the capital for the purpose, ironically, of electing a new shah. The quarrels among Timur's descendants that threw Afghanistan into turmoil also provided the pretext for the interventions of outside forces. efforts of the Sadozai heirs of Timur to impose a true monarchy on the truculent Pashtun tribes, and their efforts to rule absolutely and without the advice of the other major Pashtun tribal leaders, were ultimately unsuccessful. The Sikhs started to rise under the command of Sikh chief, Ranjit Singh, who succeeded in wresting power from Zaman's forces. Later, when Zaman was blinded by his brother, Ranjit Singh gave him asylum in Punjab. downfall was triggered by his attempts to consolidate power. Although it had been through the support of the Barakzai chief, Painda Khan Barakzai, that he had come to the throne, Zaman soon began to remove prominent Barakzai leaders from positions of power and replace them with men of his own lineage, the Sadozai. upset the delicate balance of Durrani tribal politics that Ahmad Shah had established and may have prompted Painda Khan and other Durrani chiefs to plot against the shah. Painda Khan and the chiefs of the Nurzai and the Alizai Durrani clans were executed, as was the chief of the Qizilbash clan. Painda Khan's son fled to Iran and pledged the substantial support of his Barakzai followers to a rival claimant to the throne, Zaman's younger brother, Mahmud Shah. The clans of the chiefs Zaman had executed joined forces with the rebels, and they took Kandahar without bloodshed. Mahmud Shah had then proceeded to march to Kabul, where he met Zaman Shah and his army on the way from Ghanzi to Kabul, Zaman Shah was decisively defeated, including portions of his army fleeing to Mahmud Shah's cause. Mahmud Shah ordered the lancing of Zaman Shah's eyes, and had succeeded Zaman Shah on the throne of the Durrani Empire.[30] Shah (first reign, 1801–1803) Main article: Mahmud Shah Durrani Shah's overthrow in 1801 was not the end of civil strife in Afghanistan, but the beginning of even greater violence. Mahmud Shah's first reign lasted for only two years before he was replaced by Shuja Shah. Shah (1803–1809 and 1839–1842) Main article: Shuja Shah Durrani another of Timur Shah's sons, Shuja Shah (or Shah Shuja), ruled for only six years. June 7, 1809, Shuja Shah signed a treaty with the British, which included a clause stating that he would oppose the passage of foreign troops through his territories. This agreement, the first Afghan pact with a European power, stipulated joint action in case of Franco-Persian aggression against Afghan or British dominions. Only a few weeks after signing the agreement, Shuja was deposed by his predecessor, Mahmud. Much later, he was reinstated by the British, ruling during 1839–1842. Two of his sons also ruled for a brief period in 1842. Shah (second reign, 1809–1818) Main article: Mahmud Shah Durrani second reign lasted 9 years, where he had further attempted to consolidate power, but was deposed by his brother in 1818, Mahmud's reign was also disputed in 1810, while he was campaigning, another one of Timur Shah Durrani's sons had seized the throne, but was defeated by Shah Mahmud in 1810. Mirza (1810) [icon] This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2021) Sultan Ali Shah (1818–1819) Main article: Ali Shah Durrani Shah was another son of Timur Shah. He seized power for a brief period in 1818–1819. in 1818 or 1819, He was strangled by his brother, Isma'il.[31] Shah (1819–1823) Main article: Ayub Shah Durrani Shah was another son of Timur Shah, who took control of the Durrani Empire after the death of Ali Shah Durrani.[citation needed] The Durrani Empire lost its control over Kashmir to the Sikh Empire in the Battle of Shopian in 1819.[28] Ayub Shah was himself later deposed, and presumably killed in 1823.[citation needed] Durrani military was based on cavalry armed with flintlocks who performed hit-and-run attacks, combining new technology in firearms with Turco-Mongol tactics.[32] The core of the Durrani army were the 10,000 sher-bacha (blunderbuss)-carrying mounted ghulams (slave-soldiers) of which a third were previously Shia soldiers (Qizilbash) of Nader Shah. Many others were also former troops of Nader Shah. The bulk of the army were Afghan irregular tribal cavalry armed with lance and broadsword. Mounted archers were still used but were uncommon due to the difficulty of training them. Infantry played a very small role in the Durrani army and, with the exception of light swivel guns mounted on camels, the Zamburak, so did artillery.[33] Kandahar, Afganistan

Mughal Empire, Grand Trunk Road 9 (Delhi, India)
Mughal Empire; Mughal, Mogul or Moghul Empire (Persian: هند مغولان, Hind-e Moǧulān; Urdu: مغلیہ سلطنت‎‎) was an early modern empire in South Asia.[10] For some two centuries, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan plateau in south India.[11] The Mughal empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from what is today Uzbekistan, who employed military aid in the form of matchlock guns and cast cannon from the Ottoman Empire,[12] and his superior strategy and cavalry to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi,[13][14] in the First Battle of Panipat,[15][16] and to sweep down the plains of Upper India, subduing Rajputs and Afghans.[17][18][19] The Mughal imperial structure, however, is sometimes dated to 1600, to the rule of Babur's grandson, Akbar.[20] This imperial structure lasted until 1720, until shortly after the death of the last major emperor, Aurangzeb,[21][22] during whose reign the empire also achieved its maximum geographical extent. Reduced subsequently, especially during the East India Company rule in India, to the region in and around Old Delhi, the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Although the Mughal empire was created and sustained by military warfare,[23][24][25] it came to rule by establishing new administrative practices,[26][27] and incorporating diverse ruling elites, leading to more efficient, centralised, and standardised rule.[28] The base of the empire's collective wealth was agricultural taxes, instituted by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.[29][30] These taxes, which amounted to well over half the output of a peasant cultivator,[31] were paid in the well-regulated silver currency,[28] and caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.[32] The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion.[33] Burgeoning European presence in the Indian Ocean, and its increasing demand for Indian raw and finished products, created still greater wealth in the Mughal courts.[34] There was more conspicuous consumption among the Mughal elite,[35] resulting in greater patronage of painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture, especially during the reign of Shah Jahan.[36] Among the Mughal UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Asia are: Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Lahore Fort and the Taj Mahal, which is described as the "jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage."[37]

Arabia, Roman Province of Arabia (Capital Petra)
Roman Province of Arabia; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated January 8 ; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25;

Horeb, Mt Horeb / Sinai in Median, Land of the Arabs, Burning Bush
Mt Sinai / Horeb up from the Desert of Sin and Jethro's home in Midian (not Mt Sinai in Egypt); Mt Sinai diagram not drawn to scale; Ron Wyatt's work there; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unburnt Bush"; St Simeon "the Ancient" of Mt. Sinai; St Simeon œthe AncientÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26 ; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19;

Bithynia, 284-305, Saint, Panteleimon, Healer, dead child in street, snake, envious doctors, healing contest
Nicomedia; Bithynia, 284-305, Saint, Panteleimon, Healer; Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, Commemorated on July 27; Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in the city of Nicomedia into the family of the illustrious pagan Eustorgius, and he was named Pantoleon. His mother Saint Euboula (March 30) was a Christian. She wanted to raise her son in the Christian Faith, but she died when the future martyr was just a young child. His father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school, after which the young man studied medicine at Nicomedia under the renowned physician Euphrosynus. Pantoleon came to the attention of the emperor Maximian (284-305), who wished to appoint him as royal physician when he finished his schooling. hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, survivors of the massacre of 20,000 Christians in 303 (December 28), were living secretly in Nicomedia at that time. Saint Hermolaus saw Pantoleon time and again when he came to the house where they were hiding. Once, the priest invited the youth to the house and spoke about the Christian Faith. After this Pantoleon visited Saint Hermolaus every day. day the saint found a dead child on the street. He had been bitten by a great snake, which was still beside the child’s body. Pantoleon began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to revive the dead child and to destroy the venomous reptile. He firmly resolved that if his prayer were fulfilled, he would become a follower of Christ and receive Baptism. The child rose up alive, and the snake died before Pantoleon’s eyes. this miracle, Pantoleon was baptized by Saint Hermolaus with the name Panteleimon (meaning “all-merciful”). Speaking with Eustorgius, Saint Panteleimon prepared him to accept Christianity. When the father saw how his son healed a blind man by invoking Jesus Christ, he then believed in Christ and was baptized by Saint Hermolaus together with the man whose sight was restored. the death of his father, Saint Panteleimon dedicated his life to the suffering, the sick, the unfortunate and the needy. He treated all those who turned to him without charge, healing them in the name of Jesus Christ. He visited those held captive in prison. These were usually Christians, and he healed them of their wounds. In a short time, reports of the charitable physician spread throughout the city. Forsaking the other doctors, the inhabitants began to turn only to Saint Panteleimon. envious doctors told the emperor that Saint Panteleimon was healing Christian prisoners. Maximian urged the saint to refute the charge by offering sacrifice to idols. Saint Panteleimon confessed himself a Christian, and suggested that a sick person, for whom the doctors held out no hope, should be brought before the emperor. Then the doctors could invoke their gods, and Panteleimon would pray to his God to heal the man. A man paralyzed for many years was brought in, and pagan priests who knew the art of medicine invoked their gods without success. Then, before the very eyes of the emperor, the saint healed the paralytic by calling on the name of Jesus Christ. The ferocious Maximian executed the healed man, and gave Saint Panteleimon over to fierce torture. Lord appeared to the saint and strengthened him before his sufferings. They suspended the Great Martyr Panteleimon from a tree and scraped him with iron hooks, burned him with fire and then stretched him on the rack, threw him into a cauldron of boiling tar, and cast him into the sea with a stone around his neck. Throughout these tortures the martyr remained unhurt, and denounced the emperor. this time the priests Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were brought before the court of the pagans. All three confessed their faith in the Savior and were beheaded (July 26). order of the emperor they brought the Great Martyr Panteleimon to the circus to be devoured by wild beasts. The animals, however, came up to him and licked his feet. The spectators began to shout, “Great is the God of the Christians!” The enraged Maximian ordered the soldiers to stab with the sword anyone who glorified Christ, and to cut off the head of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. led the saint to the place of execution and tied him to an olive tree. While the martyr prayed, one of the soldiers struck him with a sword, but the sword became soft like wax and inflicted no wound. The saint completed his prayer, and a Voice was heard from Heaven, calling the passion-bearer by his new name and summoning him to the heavenly Kingdom. the Voice, the soldiers fell down on their knees before the holy martyr and begged forgiveness. They refused to continue with the execution, but Saint Panteleimon told them to fulfill the emperor’s command, because otherwise they would have no share with him in the future life. The soldiers tearfully took their leave of the saint with a kiss. the saint was beheaded, the olive tree to which the saint was tied became covered with fruit. Many who were present at the execution believed in Christ. The saint’s body was thrown into a fire, but remained unharmed, and was buried by Christians. Saint Panteleimon’s servants Laurence, Bassos and Probus witnessed his execution and heard the Voice from Heaven. They recorded the life, the sufferings and death of the saint. of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon were distributed throughout all the Christian world. His venerable head is now located at the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mt. Athos. veneration of the holy martyr in the Russian Orthodox Church was already known in the twelfth century. Prince Izyaslav (in Baptism, Panteleimon), the son of Saint Mstislav the Great, had an image of Saint Panteleimon on his helmet. Through the intercession of the saint he remained alive during a battle in the year 1151. On the Feast of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, Russian forces won two naval victories over the Swedes (in 1714 near Hanhauze and in 1720 near Grenham). Panteleimon is venerated in the Orthodox Church as a mighty saint, and the protector of soldiers. This aspect of his veneration is derived from his first name Pantoleon, which means “a lion in everything”. His second name, Panteleimon, given him at Baptism, which means “all-merciful”, is manifest in the veneration of the martyr as a healer. The connection between these two aspects of the saint is readily apparent in that soldiers, receiving wounds more frequently than others, are more in need of a physician-healer. Christians waging spiritual warfare also have recourse to this saint, asking him to heal their spiritual wounds. holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon is invoked in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick. Martyr Anicetus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 12; Martyr Diomedes the Physician of Tarsus, in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Straton of Nicomedia, Commemorated August 17 ; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Callista with her brothers at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 1 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Theophilus the Deacon of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 3 ; Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Theodore of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Urban and 79 Companions at Nicomedia, Commemorated September 5 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Coronatus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated September 12 ; Hieromartyr Cyprian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 2 ; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus ; Martyr Eulampius at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; 200 Martyrs with Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, Commemorated October 10 ; Martyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch, Commemorated on October 15 ; Martyr Dasius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on October 21; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Virginmartyr Juliana of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 21 ; The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ; Afterfeast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Commemorated December 28; 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 28 ; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated December 30 ; Apostle Prochorus the Deacon of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Hieromartyr Theopemptus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 5 ; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5 ; Virginmartyr Euphrasia of Nicomedia, Commemorated January 19 ; Martyr Bassus at Nicomedia, Commemorated January 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Bishop of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 23 ; 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia,Commemorated February 7 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; Theophylactus lived at Constantinople in the eighth century during the time of the Iconoclast heresy. After the death of the iconoclast emperor Leo IV the Khazar (775-780), Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) ascended the throne. At the same time, the holy Patriarch Paul (August 30), not having the strength to continue guiding the flock in the face of iconoclasm, voluntarily resigned his office (784). Saint Tarasius (February 25) was chosen in his place. At that time, he was an eminent imperial counselor. Under the supervision of the new Patriarch the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787) was convened to condemn the Iconoclast heresy. A relatively peaceful time began for the Church, and monasteries again began to fill with monks. Theophylactus, a gifted disciple of Saint Tarasius, with the blessing of the Patriarch, went to a monastery on the coast of the Black Sea with Saint Michael (May 23). The zealous ascetics by their God-pleasing labors and intense prayer were granted the gift of wonderworking by God. During a drought, when the workers in the field were weakened by thirst, the saints prayed and an empty vessel became filled with enough water to last the entire day. several years in the monastery, they were both consecrated as bishops by Patriarch Tarasius. Saint Michael was made Bishop of Synada, and Saint Theophylactus was made Bishop of Nicomedia. the Church of Nicomedia, Saint Theophylactus cared for the flock entrusted to him. He built churches, hospices, homes for wanderers, he generously distributed alms, was the guardian of orphans, widows and the sick, and personally attended those afflicted with leprosy, not hesitating to wash their wounds. the iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820) came to the imperial throne, the terrible heresy burst forth with renewed strength. the iconoclast emperor was not able to influence Saint Nicephorus (June 2), the successor of Patriarch Tarasius, who with the other bishops vainly urged Leo not to destroy the peace of the Church. Saint Theophylactus was present at the negotiations of the emperor with the Patriarch. Denouncing the heretics, Saint Theophylactus predicted a speedy death for Leo the Armenian. For his bold prophecy the saint was sent into exile to the fortress Strobil (in Asia Minor). He languished for thirty years until his death, which took place around the year 845. the restoration of icon-veneration in the year 847 under the empress Saint Theodora (February 11) and her son Michael, the holy relics of Saint Theophylactus were returned to Nicomedia. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Quadratus and the rest of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 10; Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18; Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 19; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Victor of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 18; Martyr Christopher at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 19; Martyr Isaac of Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 21; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Martyr Eusebius and Others, at Nicomedia, Commemorated on April 24; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Martyr Lucillian and those who suffered with him at Byzantium, Commemorated on June 3; Martyr Kyriake of Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 7;

Bithynia, 303, Church Fire in Nicomedia, 20K died, Survivors, Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates
Bithynia, 303, Church Fire in Nicomedia, Survivors, Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates; Nicomedia; Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia, Commemorated on July 26; Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates of Nicomedia, were among the small number of those remaining alive after 20,000 Christians were burned alive in a church at Nicomedia in the year 303 (December 28), on the orders of the emperor Maximian (284-305). They lived in remote places and did not cease to preach Christianity to the pagans. young pagan named Pantoleon (Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, July 27) often passed by the house in which Saint Hermolaus had concealed himself. Once Saint Hermolaus chanced to meet the youth and asked him to stop by his house. In their conversation Saint Hermolaus began to explain to his guest the falseness, impiety and vanity of worshipping the pagan gods. From that day on, Pantoleon began to visit Saint Hermolaus daily and received holy Baptism from him. the trial of the holy Great Martyr Panteleimon was being held, Saints Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates, were also arrested. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Hermolaus one evening and revealed to him that on the following day he would suffer for Him and receive a martyr’s crown. Hermippus and Hermocrates were arrested and brought to trial after Saint Hermolaus. All three were given the chance to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to idols. But they resolutely refused, confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were prepared gladly to die for Him. pagans began to threaten the holy priests with torture and death. Suddenly, a strong earthquake occurred, and the idols and pagan temple collapsed and shattered. This was reported to the emperor. The enraged Maximian gave the holy martyrs over to torture and pronounced upon them a sentence of death. Bravely enduring all the torments, the holy Hieromartyrs Hermolaus, Hermippus and Hermocrates were beheaded in about the year 305. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; the banishment of Saint John Chrysostom, someone set fire to a large church, and after this a large part of the city burned down. the supporters of Saint John Chrysostom came under suspicion of arson, and they were summoned for interrogation. They summoned Saint Olympias to trial, rigorously interrogating her. They fined her a large sum of money for the crime of arson, despite her innocence and a lack of evidence against her. After this the saint left Constantinople and set out to Kyzikos (on the Sea of Marmara). But her enemies did not cease their persecution. In the year 405 they sentenced her to prison at Nicomedia, where the saint underwent much grief and deprivation. Saint John Chrysostom wrote to her from his exile, consoling her in her sorrow. In the year 409 Saint Olympias entered into eternal rest. 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 28 ; Holy 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia: At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284-305) gave orders to destroy Christian churches, to burn service books, and to deprive all Christians of rights and privileges of citizenship. At this time the bishop of the city of Nicomedia was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life contributed to the spread of Christianity, so that many members of the emperor’s court were also secret Christians. pagan priestess Domna was living in the palace at that time. Providentially, she obtained a copy of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Saint Paul. Her heart burned with the desire to learn more about the Christian teaching. With the help of a young Christian girl, Domna went secretly to Bishop Anthimus (Cyril’s successor) with her faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Anthimus catechized them, and both received holy Baptism. began to help the poor: she gave away her valuables with the assistance of Indes, and she also distributed food from the imperial kitchen. The chief eunuch, who was in charge of provisions for the imperial household, found out that Domna and Indes were not eating the food sent them from the emperor’s table. He had them beaten in order to find out why they did not partake of the food, but they remained silent. Another eunuch informed him that the saints were distributing all the emperor’s gifts to the poor. He locked them up in prison to exhaust them with hunger, but they received support from an angel and did not suffer. Saint Domna feigned insanity so she wouldn’t have to live among the pagans. Then she and Indes managed to leave the court, and she went to a women’s monastery. Abbess Agatha quickly dressed her in men’s clothing, cut her hair and sent her off from the monastery. this time the emperor returned from battle and ordered that a search be made for the former pagan priestess Domna. The soldiers sent for this purpose found the monastery and destroyed it. The sisters were thrown into prison, subjected to torture and abuse, but not one of them suffered defilement. Sent to a house of iniquity, Saint Theophila was able to preserve her virginity with the help of an angel of the Lord. The angel led her from the brothel and brought her to the cathedral. this time the emperor cleared the city square to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. When they began sprinkling the crowd with the blood of the sacrificial animals, Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor became enraged, but in the middle of his rantings a great thunderstorm sprang up. People fled in panic, and the emperor had to retreat to the palace for his own safety. Maximian went to the church with soldiers and told them they could escape punishment if they renounced Christ. Otherwise, he promised to burn the church and those in it. The Christian presbyter Glycerius told him that Christians would never renounce their faith, even under the threat of torture. Hiding his anger, the emperor exited the church, and a short time later commanded the presbyter Glycerius be arrested for trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who did not cease to pray and to call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to force Saint Glycerius stop confessing Christ, Maximian ordered him to be burned to death. the Feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about 20,000 Christians had assembled at the cathedral in Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church. He told the Christians that soldiers were surrounding the building, and that anyone who wished to leave had to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Anyone who defied the emperor would perish when the soldiers set fire to the church. All those present refused to worship the idols. the pagans prepared to set fire to the church, Bishop Anthimus, baptized all the catechumens and communed everyone with the Holy Mysteries. All 20,000 of those praying died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila who had been saved from the den of iniquity by a miracle. Bishop Anthimus, however, managed to escape the fire. thought that he had exterminated all the Christians of Nicomedia. He soon learned that there were many more, and that they would confess their faith and were prepared to die for Christ. The emperor wondered how to deal with them. At his command they arrested the regimental commander Zeno, who was openly criticizing the emperor for his impiety and cruelty. Zeno was fiercely beaten and finally beheaded. They jailed the eunuch Indes, formerly a priest of the idols, for refusing to participate in a pagan festival. persecution against Christians continued. Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius the deacon and others were thrown into prison. Bishop Anthimus encouraged them by sending letters to them. One of the messengers, the Deacon Theophilus, was captured. They subjected him to torture, trying to learn where the bishop was hiding. The holy martyr endured everything, while revealing nothing. Then they executed him and also those whom the bishop had addressed in his letter. Though they were executed in different ways, they all showed the same courage and received their crowns from God. weeks, Saint Domna concealed herself within a cave and sustained herself by eating plants. When she returned to the city, she wept for a long time at the ruins of the church, regretting that she was not found worthy to die with the others. That night she went to the sea shore. At that moment fishermen pulled the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter from the water in their nets. Domna was still dressed in men’s clothing, and she helped the fishermen to draw in their nets. They left her the bodies of the martyrs. With reverence she looked after the holy relics and wept over them, especially over the body of her spiritual friend, the Martyr Indes. giving them an honorable burial, she did not depart from these graves so dear to her heart. Each day she burned incense before them, sprinkling them with fragrant oils. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who offered incense at the graves of executed Christians, he gave orders to behead the youth. The Martyr Euthymius was also executed along with Domna.

Bithynia, 325, First Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia
Bithynia, 325, First Ecumenical Council, Nicaea, Bythnia ; Righteous Nonna the mother of St Gregory the Theologian, Commemorated on August 5; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Martyr Sisinius the Bishop of Cyzicus, Commemorated on November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326); St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6; St Spyridon the Wonderworker and Bishop of Tremithus, Commemorated on December 12 ; St Paul the Bishop of Neocaesarea, Commemorated December 23 ; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Athanasius the Great the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28 ; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 21 ; Hieromartyr Capiton of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31 ; Hieromartyr Zeno the Bishop of Verona, Commemorated on April 12; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; EPHREM OF EDESSA, DEACON AND HYMN-WRITER (10 JUNE 373); BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Bithynia, 420-473, Saint Ausentius, Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia
Mt St Auxentius of Bithynia; Martyr Anna, Commemorated on November 28 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14;

Bithynia, 451, Fourth Ecumenical Council, Chalcedon, Bithynia, Euphemia's choice of scrolls
Fourth Ecumenical Counci; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praised: The holy Great Martyr Euphemia (September 16) suffered martyrdom in the city of Chalcedon in the year 304, during the time of the persecution against Christians by the emperor Diocletian (284-305). One and a half centuries later, at a time when the Christian Church had become victorious within the Roman Empire, God deigned that Euphemia the All-Praised should again be a witness and confessor of the purity of the Orthodox teaching. the year 451 in the city of Chalcedon, in the very church where the glorified relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia rested, the sessions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (July 16) took place. The Council was convened for determining the precise dogmatic formulae of the Orthodox Church concerning the nature of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This was necessary because of the widespread heresy of the Monophysites [“mono-physisâ€ meaning “one natureâ€], who opposed the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). The Monophysites falsely affirmed that in Christ was only one nature, the Divine [i.e. that Jesus is God but not man, by nature], causing discord and unrest within the Church. At the Council were present 630 representatives from all the local Christian Churches. On the Orthodox side Anatolius, Patriarch of Constantinople (July 3), Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem (July 2), and representatives of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome (February 18) participated in the conciliar deliberations. The Monophysites were present in large numbers, headed by Dioscorus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, and the Constantinople archimandrite Eutychius. prolonged discussions the two sides could not come to a decisive agreement. holy Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople proposed that the Council submit the decision of the Church dispute to the Holy Spirit, through His undoubted bearer Saint Euphemia the All-Praised, whose wonderworking relics had been discovered during the Council’s discussions. The Orthodox hierarchs and their opponents wrote down their confessions of faith on separate scrolls and sealed them with their seals. They opened the tomb of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia and placed both scrolls upon her bosom. Then, in the presence of the emperor Marcian (450-457), the participants of the Council sealed the tomb, putting on it the imperial seal and setting a guard to watch over it for three days. During these days both sides imposed upon themselves strict fast and made intense prayer. After three days the patriarch and the emperor in the presence of the Council opened the tomb with its relics: the scroll with the Orthodox confession was held by Saint Euphemia in her right hand, and the scroll of the heretics lay at her feet. Saint Euphemia, as though alive, raised her hand and gave the scroll to the patriarch. After this miracle many of the hesitant accepted the Orthodox confession, while those remaining obstinant in the heresy were consigned to the Council’s condemnation and excommunication. an invasion by the Persians during the seventh century, the relics of Saint Euphemia were transferred from Chalcedon to Constantinople, into a newly built church dedicated to her. Many years later, during the period of the Iconoclast heresy, the reliquary with the relics of the saint was cast into the sea by order of the Iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741). The reliquary was rescued from the sea by the ship-owning brothers Sergius and Sergonos, who gave it over to the local bishop. The holy bishop ordered that the relics be preserved in secret, beneath a crypt, since the Iconoclast heresy was continuing to rage. A small church was built over the relics, and over the reliquary was put a board with an inscription stating whose relics rested within. When the Iconoclast heresy was finally condemned at the holy Seventh Ecumenical Council (in the year 787), during the time of Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople (784-806) and the emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother Saint Irene (797-802), the relics of the holy Great Martyr Euphemia were once again solemnly transferred to Constantinople. Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated February 14; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated February 18; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28 ; Apostle Barnabas of the Seventy, Commemorated on June 11; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 3; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Council of Chalcedon (451, 4th Ecum. Council)
Council of Chalcedon Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated November 25 ;

Bithynia, Ottoman Empire Prusa,1335-1413, (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks)
Ottoman Empire Prusa, Bithnia, 1335-1413, (Sunni, Turkey, The Turks); Moslem sultan Bayazet; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Moslem sultan Bayazet 1389-1402 - Ottoman, Turks - Fortress at Bursa
Ottoman Empire, Prusa, Bithnia (1335-1413); Moslem sultan Bayazet; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ;

Bulgaria, 307, Demetrios of Thrace, Bulgaria, a slav, tortured, martyred
Thrace; Martyr Demetrios of Thrace, Commemorated on November 15 Demetrios was a Slav from the village of Davoudio (Dabuda) in Thrace, which was near the town of Amapasos. He was arrested in the time of Emperor Maximian and the Archon Publius, about the year 298 (some sources say 307). After suffering many tortures for Christ, he was finally beheaded.

Bulgaria, 46, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle, First Called
Bulgaria, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30; Martyr Inna, Disciple of the Apostle Andrew, in Scythia, Commemorated on January 20;

Bulgaria, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea
Bulgaria, 177, Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13; Heraclea Sintica; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated on August 20; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8 ; Virginmartyr Glyceria at Heraclea, Commemorated on May 13

Bulgaria, 343, Council of Sardica, in Lydia? Thrace, Bulgaria
Council of Sardica ; St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18;

Bulgars, 7th Century, Old Great Bulgaria, 632-668
Bulghars, 7th Century, Old Great Bulgaria, 632-668; Bulgars, 7th Century; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 22;

Bulgarian Tsar, 768-777, Telerig of Bulgaria
Bulgarian Tsar, 768-777, Telerig of Bulgaria; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 777-803, Bulgarian Tsar, Kardam of Bulgaria
Bulgarian Tsar, 777-803, Kardam of Bulgaria ; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 801-833, Bulgarian Saint, Boyan or Enravota, converted by Byzantine captive
Bulgaria, 800-833, Bulgarian Saint, Boyan or Enravota; Enravota or Boyan (Ð‘Ð¾ÑÐ½) was the eldest son of Omurtag of Bulgaria and the first Bulgarian Christian martyr, as well as the earliest Bulgarian saint to be canonized. in the early 9th century, Enravota was the elder brother of Malamir of Bulgaria, who succeeded their father Omurtag to the Bulgarian throne in 831. was possibly deprived of the throne because he favoured Christianity, which the boyars feared might endanger the court. long after the death of Omurtag, Enravota asked his brother to release a pious Byzantine captive who had been imprisoned by Omurtag. The captive's sermons persuaded Enravota to convert to Christianity and be baptized. informed of his brother's deeds, Malamir attempted to make him renounce Christianity, but did not succeed. Enravota was killed on the order of Malamir, around 833. 11th-century chronicler Theophylact of Bulgaria claimed he delivered the following prophetic speech before his death: faith, which I now die for, will spread and increase across the whole Bulgarian land, although you may wish to oppress it with my death. In any case, the Sign of Christ will establish itself and churches of God will be built everywhere and pure priests will serve the pure God and will deliver "sacrifice of praise and confession" to the invigorating Trinity. Idols, and priests as well, and their ungodly temples, will crumble and will turn into nothing, as if they had not existed. Besides, you alone (to Malamir), after many years, will cast away your ungodly soul without receiving anything in reward for your cruelty. In the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Enravota's feast day is 28 March. Bulgarian Tsar, 852-889, Boris I ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St. Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Bulgaria, 803-814, Bulgarian Tsar, Krum, doubled Bulgaria in size, wars with Byzantium
Bulgarian Tsar, 803-814, Krum ; [A], often referred to as Krum the Fearsome was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and developed the rudiments of state organization.[1][2] Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ; Peter was born into a patrician family at Constantinople at the end of the eighth century. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros (802-811) Peter was commissioned as an officer and participated in the campaigns of the Greek army against Bulgaria. one particular battle the emperor was mortally wounded, and Peter was one of many soldiers taken captive. night, while he was praying, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and released him from captivity. Having returned to Constantinople, Saint Peter left the world and withdrew into a monastery on Mount Olympus (in Asia Minor) and became a monk. There he passed his time in constant ascetic efforts for 34 years under the guidance of Saint Joannicius the Great (November 4). Saint Peter lived all his monastic life in strict fasting and constant vigil, wearing a prickly hair-shirt and going barefoot. He lived the final eight years of his life at Constantinople, where he founded a church and a monastery named for Saint Euandrus. Peter died in 854 in the seventieth year of his life, and was buried in his monastery.

Bulgaria, 814-831, Tsar, Omurtag, 30 year peace w Byzantines, coped w Franks, Builder
Bulgarian Tsar, 814-831, Omurtag of Bulgaria; (or Omortag) was a Great Khan (Kanasubigi)[3] of Bulgaria from 814 to 831. He is known as "the Builder". the very beginning of his reign he signed a 30-year peace treaty with the neighboring Byzantine Empire which remained in force to the end of his life. Omurtag successfully coped with the aggressive policy of the Frankish Empire to take Bulgaria's north-western lands and suppressed the unrest among several Slavic tribes. He made administrative reforms which increased the power and the authority of the central government. His reign was marked with a strong development of Bulgarian architecture with a number of significant construction projects Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1 ;

Bulgaria, 831-836, Tsar, Malamir, executed bro christian Enravota, 20yr? peace ended by Theophilos
Bulgarian Tsar, 831-836, Malamir ; was the ruler of Bulgaria 831–836. was a son of Omurtag and a grandson of Krum. His name may be of Slavic origin, which would make him the first Bulgar khan to possess a Slavic name; this has led to the speculation that his mother was a Slav, although that cannot be proven. Another theory is that it was an Iranian name, as there is an Iranian city named Malamir. became ruler of Bulgaria in 831 on the death of his father Omurtag, because his older brother Enravota (Voin) had forfeited his right to the succession by becoming a Christian. It is possible that Malamir was young and inexperienced at the time of his accession, and that affairs of state were managed by his kavhan (kaukhanos) Isbul. 833, Malamir executed his brother Enravota for refusing to renounce Christianity. After the expiration of the original 20-year peace treaty(?) with the Byzantine Empire in 836, emperor Theophilos ravaged the regions inside the Bulgarian frontier. The Bulgarians retaliated, and under the leadership of Isbul they reached Adrianople. At this time, if not earlier, the Bulgarians annexed Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and its environs. Several surviving monumental inscriptions from this reign make reference to the Bulgarian victories and others to the continuation of construction activities in and near Pliska. Malamir died in 836, allegedly as retribution for his execution of his older brother. several older studies, Malamir is identified with his successor Presian I, and it is assumed that he survived until the 850s as the direct predecessor of Boris I. This is very unlikely, as Malamir is attested as having been succeeded by his nephew (the son of his brother Zvinitsa), while Boris I was preceded by his father Presian I. Zlatarski resolved the problems in the fragmentary sources by determining that Malamir's unnamed nephew and successor was in fact Presian I, and Boris I was the latter's son. 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation Cagfar TarÃxÄ± (a work of disputed authenticity) represents Balamir (i.e., Malamir) as the son of YomyrÄak (i.e., Omurtag), and as the brother of SabanÅ¡a (i.e., Zvinica), who was the father of BirdÅ¾ihan (i.e., Presian I). Knoll on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, is named for Khan Malamir of Bulgaria. Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 831-836, Tzar, Malamir of Bulgaria, Vladimir, Pagan
Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir of Bulgaria, Vladimir, Pagan; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 836-852, Tzar, Presian I of Bulgaria, Pagan, Bulgarian expansion in Macedonia, war w Serbia
Bulgaria, 836-852, Tzar, Presian I of Bulgaria; was the Khan of Bulgaria from 836–852. He ruled during an extensive expansion in Macedonia. composite picture of the Byzantine sources indicates that Presian I was the son of Zvinitsa, who was a son of Omurtag. In several older studies Presian is identified with his short-lived predecessor Malamir and it is assumed that this single character survived until the 850s as the direct predecessor of Boris I. This is very unlikely, as Malamir is attested as having been succeeded by his nephew (the son of his brother Zvinitsa), while Boris I was preceded by his father Presian. Zlatarski resolved the problems in the fragmentary sources by determining that Malamir’s unnamed nephew and successor was in fact Presian, and Boris I was the latter’s son. 17th century Volga Bulgar compilation Cagfar Tarixi, a work of disputed authenticity, represents Birdzhan (i.e., Presian) as the son of Sabansa (i.e., Zvinitsa), which may lend support to the interpretation of his origins now dominant in Bulgarian historiography.[clarification needed] with Serbia and Byzantium[edit] Inscription, sixth plate, Museum, Philippi, Greece. may have been young and inexperienced at the time of his accession, and state affairs may have been dominated by the minister Isbul, as under Presian's uncle Malamir. In 837, soon after Presian's accession, the Slavs in the vicinity of Thessalonica rebelled against the Byzantine Empire. Theophilos sought Bulgarian support in putting down the rebellion, but simultaneously arranged for his fleet to sail through the Danube delta and undertake a clandestine evacuation of some of the Byzantine captives settled in trans-Danubian Bulgaria by Krum and Omurtag. under Presian retaliation Isbul campaigned along the Aegean coasts of Thrace and Macedonia and captured the city of Philippi, where he set up a surviving memorial inscription set up in a local church. Isbul's campaign may have resulted in the establishment of Bulgarian suzerainty over the Slavic tribe of the Smolyani. reign coincides with the extension of Bulgarian control over the Slavic tribes in and around Macedonia. It is known that the Serbs and Bulgars lived in peace until Presian invaded Serbian territory in 839, during the last years of Theophilos.[1] Vlastimir, the Knez of Serbia, united several Serbian tribes,[2] and Emperor Theophilos (r. 829–842) granted the Serbs independence;[3] thus, the Serbs acknowledged the nominal overlordship of the Emperor.[1] The annexation of western Macedonia by the Bulgars changed the political situation. Malamir or Presian may have seen a threat in the Serb consolidation, and opted to subjugate them in the midst of the conquest of Slav lands.[1] Another reason might have been that the Byzantines wanted to divert attention in order to cope with the Slav Uprising in the Peloponnese, and so sent the Serbs to instigate the war.[4] Presian[5] invaded Serbian territory in 839. The invasion led to a 3-year war, in which Vlastimir was victorious;[6] Presian was driven out of Serbian territory by Vlastimir's army.[4] In addition to making no territorial gains, Presian suffered heavy losses due to the Serbian tactical advantage in the hills.[7] The war ended with the death of Theophilos in 842, which released Vlastimir from his obligations to the Byzantine Empire.[8] died in 852, and was succeeded by his son Boris I. Bulgaria, 831-836, Malamir of Bulgaria, Vladimir, Pagan; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28;

Bulgaria, 852-889, Tsar, Boris I, Christian, autocephalous Bulgarian Church
Bulgarian Tsar, 852-889, Boris I ; St Clement the Bishop of Ochrid and Enlightener of the Bulgarians, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ;

Bulgaria, 900-946, Saint John of Rila, A Testament to Disciples
Bulgaria, 900-946, Saint John of Rila; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; we commemorate the transfer of the relics of Saint John, Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria (1238). relics of Saint John were transferred from the city of Sredets [Sofia] to Trnovo, the capital of the Bulgarian realm, in the year 1238. See August 18 for his Life. Repose of Venerable John, Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers. Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1;

Bulgaria, 927-969, Tsar, Peter I, prosperity, well organized, 933 Serb revolt, 968 Rus Byz attack
Bulgarian Tsar, 927-969, Peter I of Bulgaria; I ( I) (died 30 January 970) was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 27 May 927 to 969. Early reign[edit] Peter I was the son of Simeon I of Bulgaria by his second marriage to the sister of George Sursuvul. Peter had been born early in the 10th century, but it appears that his maternal uncle was very influential at the beginning of his reign. In 913 Peter may have visited the imperial palace at Constantinople together with his older brother Michael. For unspecified reasons, Simeon had forced Michael to become a monk and had named Peter as his successor. To prove himself a worthy successor to his father both at home and in the eyes of foreign governments, Peter began his reign with a military offensive into Byzantine Thrace in 927 which was the last campaign of the Byzantine-“Bulgarian war of 913-“927. Nevertheless, he followed up his quick successes by secretly negotiating a peace treaty before the Byzantine government had a chance to retaliate. Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lakapenos eagerly accepted the proposal for peace and arranged for a diplomatic marriage between his granddaughter Maria and the Bulgarian monarch. October 927 Peter arrived near Constantinople to meet Romanos and signed the peace treaty, marrying Maria on 8 November in the church of the Zodochos Pege. To signify the new era in Bulgaro-Byzantine relations, the princess was renamed Eirene ("peace"). The extensive Preslav Treasure is thought to represent part of the dowry of the princess. The treaty of 927 actually represents the fruit of Simeon's military successes and diplomatic initiatives, ably continued by his son's government. Peace was obtained with the frontiers restored to those defined in treaties of 897 and 904. The Byzantines recognised the Bulgarian monarch's title of emperor and the autocephalus status of the Bulgarian patriarchate, while the payment of an annual tribute to Bulgaria by the Byzantine Empire was renewed.[1] and incursions[edit] initial successes of Peter's reign were followed by several minor setbacks. Around 930, Peter faced a revolt led by his younger brother Ivan, who was defeated and sent into exile in Byzantium. afterwards Peter's older brother Michael escaped from his monastery and led a more formidable rebellion, which terminated with his early death. youngest brother, Benjamin (also called Bojan), was accused of being a werewolf and magician by the Italian Bishop Liutprand of Cremona, but he apparently posed no threat to Peter's authority. taking advantage of these challenges to Peter's rule, the Prince of Serbia Vaslav Klonimirovi escaped the Bulgarian capital Preslav in 933 and, with tacit Byzantine support, managed to raise a Serbian revolt against Bulgarian rule.[2] The revolt succeeded and Serbia recovered its independence. Peter may have had to also face the incursions of the Magyars, who had been defeated and forced into Pannonia by his father in 896. Perhaps after an initial defeat, Peter came to terms with the enemy and now used Magyar groups as his allies against Serbia. Various Magyar clans and chieftains appear to have begun to settle in what was still Bulgarian territory north of the Danube, where they may have become Bulgarian federates, enjoying independence from the Sa¡d dynasty. This arrangement paved the way for the eventual loss of the region to the Magyars, although that happened over the half-century following Peter's death. Peter apparently allowed these groups to cross Bulgaria and raid Byzantine territories in Thrace and Macedonia, perhaps as an underhanded reaction against Byzantine support for the Serbian rebellion. rule[edit] I presided over a long and relatively peaceful reign, albeit one poorly illuminated by foreign or native sources. In spite of the challenges he encountered soon after his accession and the critical situation at the very end of his life, Peter's Bulgaria appears to have been prosperous and increasingly well organized, with an administrative apparatus noted by foreign travelers and confirmed by the numerous finds of imperial seals. Peter was particularly generous towards the Church, which he endowed lavishly throughout his reign. The emperor's generosity reached such an extent that it was seen as a corrupting factor by even Orthodox clerics, like Cosmas Presbyter. Others chose a path away from the temptations of the secular world, most notably Saint Ivan of Rila, but their ascetic existence still drew the attention of the monarch. Luxury and social tensions may have contributed to the spread of the Bogomil heresy, which Peter duly undertook to combat, soliciting the advice of famous hermits and even his uncle-in-law, Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople. with Byzantium and Rus[edit] article: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria with the Byzantine Empire worsened after the death of Peter's wife in the mid-960s. Victorious over the Arabs, Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas refused to pay the annual tribute to Bulgaria in 966, complaining of the Bulgarian alliance with the Magyars, and he undertook a show of force at the Bulgarian border. Dissuaded from a direct attack against Bulgaria, Nikephoros II dispatched a messenger to the Rus prince Sviatoslav Igorevich to arrange a Rus attack against Bulgaria from the north. Death of Emperor Peter I. readily launched a campaign with a vast force of 60,000 troops, routed the Bulgarians on the Danube, and defeated them in a battle near Silistra, seizing some 80 Bulgarian fortresses in 968. Stunned by the success of his ally and suspicious of his actual intentions, Emperor Nikephoros II hastened to make peace with Bulgaria and arranged the marriage of his wards, the underage emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, to two Bulgarian princesses. Two of Peter's sons were sent to Constantinople as both negotiators and honorary hostages. In the meantime Peter managed to secure the retreat of the Rus forces by inciting Bulgaria's traditional allies, the Pechenegs, to attack Kiev itself. spite of this temporary success and the reconciliation with Byzantium, Bulgaria faced a new invasion by Sviatoslav in 969. The Bulgarians were defeated again, and Peter suffered a stroke, which led him to abdicate and become a monk. He died on 30 January 970. with the military success of his father's reign, Peter has been traditionally considered a weak ruler, who lost lands and prestige, allowed his military forces to decline while his country was ravaged by foreign invaders, and turned Bulgaria into a Byzantine satellite governed by Byzantine agents in the persons of his empress and her retinue. This view has been questioned by more recent scholarship, which emphasizes the affluence and internal peace enjoyed by Bulgarian society during his long reign, re-evaluates the relationship between Bulgaria and its semi-nomadic neighbors (Magyars and Pechenegs), and questions the allegedly sinister role of Romanos' granddaughter and her retinue.[3] While Peter's reign witnessed the spread of the Bogomil heresy, its origins were more demographic (perhaps inspired by Paulicians settled earlier by Byzantine emperors in Thrace) than social, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church canonized him as a saint. Peter was considered a good ruler in the Middle Ages, and when Bulgaria fell under Byzantine rule (1018–1185), leaders of attempts to restore Bulgarian independence adopted his name to emphasize legitimacy and continuity (both Peter Delyan and Constantine Bodin adopted the royal name of Peter in their attempts to regain the throne from the Byzantines). Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated on January 30; Peter, King of Bulgaria, was the son of the militant Bulgarian prince Simeon. Saint Peter was distinguished for his Christian piety, and he often turned to Saint John of Rila (August 18, October 19), asking his prayers, spiritual guidance and advice. Peter concluded peace with Byzantium on terms advantageous for Bulgaria. He also gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople for the autonomy of the Bulgarian Church, and the affirmation of a Patriarchal throne in Bulgaria, benefiting all the Bulgarian Church. Peter aided in the successful extirpation of the Bogomil heresy in his lands. He died in the year 967, at fifty-six years of age.

Bulgaria, 927-972, Bulgarian Patriarch, Damian, t my relics to Sofia, where Damian is hiding
Bulgarian Patriarch, 927-972, Damian Repose of the Venerable John the Abbot of Rila, Commemorated on August 18; years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. John of Rila, the great spiritual ascetic of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and Heavenly Protector of the Bulgarian nation, was born in the year 876 in the village of Skrino in the Sredets district [now Sofia]. he had been orphaned, the boy became a cowherd in order to avoid people. Once the rich man beat him for losing a cow with its calf. The boy cried long and he prayed, that God would help him. When he found the cow with the calf, the water at that time flowed high and strong in the River Struma. The young cowherd prayed, he placed his own tattered shirt on the water, made the Sign of the Cross over it, took up the calf in his arms and went with it, as though on dry land, to the other bank of the river where the cow was. rich man, hidden in the forest, was frightened upon seeing this miracle. He rewarded the youth generously, then sent him away from his home. Having given away his things, the boy left his village. Where and when the saint took monastic tonsure is unknown. the very beginning he lived an ascetical life on top of a high and barren hill, eating only wild plants. His cell was made from brushwood. After a short time, robbers fell upon him by night, beat him, and drove him away. Later, he found a deep cave and settled in it. Soon, his nephew Saint Luke also came to live there. secretly left the home of his parents and went into the wilderness where the Saint was living. After much effort, he succeeded in finding him. At first the blessed one, seeing him from afar, thought this was a demonic temptation, and so he prayed. Like many solitaries, Saint John was bothered by demons, who assumed the shape of wild animals and tried to force him to leave. As Luke approached, he made prostration and asked for Saint John's blessing. That convinced the ascetic that it was truly his nephew, and not a delusion. He blessed Luke and asked why he had come. The young man told him of his desire to share his way of life, and was permitted to remain. Luke emulated Saint John the Forerunner, who had lived in the wilderness from childhood. could not endure Saint John's holy life of prayer and fasting. Moved by the devil, an acquaintance of Luke's father found him overwhelmed by grief and upset by his son's disappearance, so he said, "Your brother John came by night, took your son, and has him even now. Unless you rescue the boy, he will become food for the wild beasts. Come, and I will show you where he is, and then you can go and take your child." Luke's father heard this, he became furious and cursed his innocent brother. When they came near the place, the acquaintance showed him John's cave from afar and departed. The brother went on and found the Saint. He reproached him, calling him a deceiver and an evil man who had stolen his son. tried to kill the venerable one with a heavy stick and some stones, but Saint John just stood there saying nothing. The father seized the boy and took him from the wilderness, intending to bring him back to the world. The blessed man, knew that the child would fall into the snares of the devil, was overcome with sorrow and tears. Hefell to his knees and prayed: "Lord Jesus Christ, behold the affliction of my heart, and grant me a sign of Thy mercy. Thou hast said, 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven' (Matthew 19:24). they had walked a short distance, a snake bit Luke, and at once he died a painless death. The father did not know what to do. He returned to Saint John and repented of his actions. With profound sorrow, he revealed what had happened. Saint John told him to bury the boy and return to his home. The Saint was comforted in his sorrow and he glorified God, because by means of a physical death, He had saved the child from the future death of his soul. Saint John often visited the grave of his righteous nephew, which became his favorite place of solitude. John spent twelve years in the desolate cave, and then he went into the Rila wilderness and settled in the hollow of a tree. He fasted and prayed a great deal, wept incessantly, and ate only grass. Seeing such endurance, God caused beans to grow, which he ate for a long time. The beans and his exploits made him known to people. a flock of frightened sheep ran along the hilly steep paths, and did not stop until the place where the monk lived. The shepherds, following after the flock, with astonishment saw the hermit, who amicably greeted them: “You arrive here hungry. Pick some of my beans and eat.” All ate and were satisfied. One gathered many beans in reserve. Along the way home he offered them to his comrades, but there were no beans in the pilfered pods. The shepherds turned back penitent, and the Elder stood there, saying with a smile: “See, children, these fruits are appointed by God for subsistence in the wilderness.” that time they began to bring to the monk the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits, which he healed by prayer. Fleeing celebrity, the monk went from his beloved tree-hollow and settled on a high and rocky crag difficult of access, where he dwelt for seven years under the open sky. Reports about the great ascetic reached even the Bulgarian king Peter (927-969), who wanted to meet him. Saint John wrote a letter, refusing such a meeting out of humility. on Saint John accepted under him the guidance of monks, who built a monastery with a church in the cave where Saint John formerly lived. He wisely tended his flock and died on August 18, 946 at 70 years of age. years before his end he wrote in his own hand “A Testament to Disciples,” one of the finest creations of Old Bulgarian literature. The holy life of the ascetic and the remarkable mercies of God through his prayers were a fine preaching of the Christian Faith in the newly-baptized Bulgarian land. In the uneasy time of struggle of Bulgaria with Byzantium, under the west Bulgarian king Samuel (976-1014), Saint John appeared to his disciples, commanding them to transfer his relics to Sredets (Sofia), where the Bulgarian Patriarch Damian (927-972) was hiding. It is presumed that the transfer of relics took place in the year 980. later, the right hand of Saint John of Rila was transferred to Russia (presumably to the city of Rila, where a church was constructed in the name of Saint John of Rila, with a chapel dedicated to the martyrs Florus and Laurus, on the day of their commemoration (August 18) on which he died). name of Saint John was known and loved by the Russian people from antiquity. Data about the death of the saint is preserved, especially in Russian sources (the Menaion for August in the twelfth century, in the Mazurinsk Chronicle). the year 1183, the Hungarian king Bela II (1174-1196), during a campaign against the Greeks, seized the chest with the relics of Saint John, together with other booty, and took it to the city of Esztergom. the year 1187, after he embellished the reliquary, he sent back the holy relics with great honor. On October 19, 1238 the relics of Saint John were solemnly transferred to the new capital, Trnovo, and put in a church dedicated to the saint. On July 1, 1469 the holy relics of Saint John of Rila were returned to the Rila monastery, where they rest to the present day, granting grace-filled help to all the believers.

Bulgaria, 1204-1261, Latin Empire Constantinople, Crusader State
Constantinople, 1204-1261, Latin Empire, Crusader State; The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The Fourth Crusade had originally been called to retake the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem but a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army sacking the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos, who had been usurped by Alexios III Angelos, to the throne. The crusaders had been promised financial and military aid by Isaac's son Alexios, with which they had planned to continue to Jerusalem. When the crusaders reached Constantinople the situation quickly turned volatile and while Isaac and Alexios briefly ruled, the crusaders did not receive the payment they had hoped for. In April 1204, they captured and plundered the city's enormous wealth. The crusaders selected their own emperor from among their own ranks, Baldwin of Flanders, and divided the territory of the Byzantine Empire into various new vassal crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was immediately challenged by Byzantine rump states led by the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185â€“1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081â€“1185) in Trebizond. From 1224 to 1242 the Komnenos Doukas family, also connected to the Angeloi, challenged Latin authority from Thessalonica. The Latin Empire failed to attain political or economic dominance over the other Latin powers that had been established in former Byzantine territories in the wake of the Fourth Crusade, especially Venice, and after a short initial period of military successes it went into a steady decline due to constant war with Bulgaria to the north and the various Byzantine claimants. Eventually, the Nicaean Empire recovered Constantinople and restored the Byzantine Empire under Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1261. The last Latin emperor, Baldwin II, went into exile, but the imperial title survived, with several pretenders to it, until the 14th century. Like the term "Byzantine Empire", "Latin Empire" was not a contemporary term used by the empire itself or the rest of the world. The Byzantines referred to the Latin Empire as the Frankokratia (Î¦ÃÂÂÂÂÂÎ±Î³ÎºÎ¿ÎºÃÂÂÂÂÂÎ±ÃÂÂÂ„Î¯Î±, lit. "rule of the Franks") or the Latinokratia (Î›Î±ÃÂÂÂ„Î¹Î½Î¿ÎºÃÂÂÂÂÂÎ±ÃÂÂÂ„Î¯Î±, lit. "rule of the Latins") and the Latin Emperors themselves referred to the empire by various names, commonly imperium Constantinopolitanum (lit. Empire of Constantinople), but also imperium Romaniae (lit. Empire of Romania) and imperium Romanorum (lit. Empire of the Romans). The term Romania ("Land of the Romans") had been used unofficially by the population of the Byzantine Empire for their country for centuries.

Bulgaria, 1421-1451, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murat II, economic development, Trade increase, could have invaded Europe
Bulgaria, 1421-1451, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murat II; II (16 June 1404[1][2] - 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. II's reign was a period of important economic development. Trade increased and Ottoman cities expanded considerably. In 1432, the traveller Bertrandon de la Broquière noted that Ottoman annual revenue had risen to 2,500,000 ducats, and that if Murad II had used all available resources he could easily have invaded Europe.[4] St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Bulgaria, 1444-1481, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1444-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror; II (30 March 1432 - 3 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( lit. The Father of Conquest; Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmed), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. the conquest Mehmed claimed the title "Caesar" of the Roman Empire, based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I.[4] The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as continuing the Empire rather than replacing it. continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. At home he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria, Historian, National Awakening
Bulgaria, 1742-1773, Paisius of Hilandar and Bulgaria ; Paisius of Hilendar or Paìsiy Hilendàrski (Bulgarian: Ð¡Ð²ÐµÑ‚Ð¸ ÐŸÐ°Ð¸ÑÐ¸Ð¹ Ð¥Ð¸Ð»ÐµÐ½Ð´Ð°Ñ€ÑÐºÐ¸) (1722–1773) a Bulgarian clergyman and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. He is most famous for being the author of Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, the second modern Bulgarian history after the work of Petar Bogdan Bakshev from 1667, "History of Bulgaria".[1] Bulgarians are taught that he was the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival.[2] was born in the Samokov eparchy of the time. There is a dispute about the exact place of birth, between the town of Bansko[3][4] and villages around Samokov like Relyovo.[5] He established himself in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in 1745, where he was later a hieromonk and deputy-abbot. Collecting materials for two years through hard work and even visiting the Habsburg Monarchy, he finished his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya in 1762 in the Zograf Monastery. The book was the first attempt to write a complete history of Bulgaria and attempted to awake and strengthen Bulgarian national consciousnesses.[6] most famous part of the whole book is the paragraph: "Oh, you unwise moron! Why are you ashamed to call yourself a Bulgarian and why don't you read and speak in your native language? Weren't Bulgarians powerful and glorious once? Didn't they take taxes from strong Romans and wise Greeks? Out of all the Slavic nations they were the bravest one. Our rulers were the first ones to call themselves kings, the first ones to have patriarchs, the first ones to baptise their people.(...) Why are you ashamed of your great history and your great language and why do you leave it to turn yourselves into Greeks? Why do you think they are any better than you? Well, here you're right because did you see a Greek leave his country and ancestry like you do?" more or less signifies the purpose of the author who speaks about the danger of Bulgarians falling victim to the Hellenization policies of the mainly Greek clergy. These anti-Greek sentiments presented in Paisius writing, characterized the Greeks as some kind of Bulgarian national enemies.[7][8][9] The book's first manual copy was done by Sophronius of Vratsa in 1765. Structurally, Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya consists of two introductions, several chapters that discuss various historic events, a chapter about the "Slavic teachers", the disciples of Cyril and Methodius, a chapter about the Bulgarian saints, and an epilogue. As Paisius toured Bulgaria as a mendicant friar, he brought his work, which was copied and spread among the Bulgarians. He is thought to have died on the way to Mount Athos near Ampelino (modern-day Asenovgrad). page of Istoriya slavyanobulgarska (Slav-Bulgarian History) Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Paisiy of Hilendar.[10] saint is portrayed on the obverse of the Bulgarian 2 lev banknote, issued in 1999 and 2005.[11] Bulgaria, 1762, History of the Slav-Bulgarians; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St. Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30;

Bulgaria, 1794, Anastasius, Strumica, Bulgaria (Strumitza River 1), typical marytrdom by Moslems
Strumica; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; New Martyr Anastasius, a Bulgarian, was born in 1774 in the Strumnitsk diocese, in the village of Radovicha. His parents gave him over to military studies. When the youth was twenty years old, he happened to be with his teacher in Thessalonica. The master wanted to sell some Turkish clothes without paying the customary duty. He told his disciple to dress himself as a Turk and go into the city. The collectors of the duty stopped him and demanded the written receipt of duty payment. The youth answered that he was a Turk. Then the collectors demanded that he recite the salutation with the Moslem prayer. The youth became confused and quiet. They ordered him to appear before the commander, who in interrogating the martyr suggested that he become a Moslem. The youth refused, and they led him away to the chief tax-collector. official tried at first to flatter, then to threaten the martyr, who admitted his civil guilt, but would not agree to betray the holy Faith. The tax-collector made this known to the mufti, who in turn answered, “You have in one hand the sword, in the other the law, use what you wish.” knew that by law the tax-collector ought to collect the tax from the youth, but then by judgment of the mufti he would not be a follower of Mohammed, armed with a sword. When he had received such an answer, the commander of the haraje sent the youth to the local mullah together with five Turks, who were obliged to testify that the Christian had blasphemed the Moslem religion. the accusations of blasphemy against Mohammed by these witnesses, the youth honestly answered that he did not blaspheme him, but he would allow having shown disrespect to Moslem customs. They subjected him to torture and condemned him to hanging. Along the way, they continued to urge the martyr to renounce his faith, but bleeding and exhausted, he fell upon the wayside and died on August 29, 1794.

Bulgaria, 1800, National awakening of Bulgaria, Early 19th Century
Bulgaria, 1800, National awakening of Bulgaria, early 19th Century; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St. Demetrius, the New Martyr of Sliven, Commemorated on January 30;

Thracia, Bulgaria
Roman Province Thracia; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated September 13 ; Martyr Demetrius of Thrace, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Alexander of Rome, Commemorated on May 13;

Gregory of Sinai Monastery, Strandzha Mountains, 1335
Gregory of Sinai Monastery; Strandzha Mountains; St. Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated on February 17;

Thrace, Bulgaria (Via Militarius, Via Egnatia, Maritza River 8)
Thrace; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Hieromartyr Apollinaris the Bishop of Ravenna, Commemorated on July 23; Venerable Gregory of Sinai, Mt. Athos, Commemorated August 8 ; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Severus and 38 Soldiers in Thrace, Commemorated August 20; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; St Liberius the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on August 27 ; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Martyr Melitina of Marcianopolis, Commemorated September 16 ; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9 ; Martyr Demetrius of Thrace, Commemorated November 15 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated December 24 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Martyr Manuel the Bishop in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 22; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Apostle Hermas of the Seventy, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Apostle Herodion of the Seventy, and those with Him, Commemorated on April 8; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Agathangelus of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Theodore Trichinas "œthe Hair-Shirt Wearer"Â and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Macarius the Archimandrite of Obruch (Kanev), Commemorated on May 13; St Achilles the Bishop of Larissa, Commemorated on May 15 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Martyr Sophia of Thrace, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22;

Stara Zagora, Bulgaria (Upper Thracian Plain)
Stara Zagora; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated August 8 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus, a native of Zagora, Magnesia (in Thessaly), was beheaded by the Turks at Constantinople in the year 1680 for his refusal to reject Christ and accept Islam. He was only fifteen years old when he received the crown of victory from Christ. New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated October 8 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Adrianopolis, Thrace, Bulgaria (Roman Roads, Tonsus, Ardiscus Rivers, at Maritza River 9)
Adrianople; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; Translation of the relics of St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated on August 13; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; St. Stephen of Serbia, œthe blind oneÂ, Commemorated on October 9; St Alexander the Bishop at Adrianopolis, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated October 28 ; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13;

Heraclea Sintica, Thrace, Bulgaria (Strumitza Mouth, Strymon River 9)
Heraclea Sintica; Hieromartyr Philip the Bishop of Heraclea, Commemorated on August 20; St Anastasius of the Strumitza Eparchy, Commemorated on August 29; 40 Women Martyrs at Heraclea, in Thrace, Commemorated September 1 ; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Martyr Pausilippus of Heraclea in Thrace, Commemorated on April 8 ;

Sredets (Sofia, Iscar River 1)
Sredets, Sofia; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Greatmartyr George the New at Sofia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 26;

Vidin, Bulgaria (Iskar River Mouth, Danube River 12)
Vidin, Bulgaria ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ;

Gabrovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 1)
Gabrovo, Bulgaria ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ;

Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2.3)
Trnovo, Bulgaria (Yantra River 2); New Martyr Ignatius the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 8; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14 ; Translation of the relics of Venerable St John the Abbot of Rila in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 19 ; Translation of the relics of St Hilarion the Bishop of Meglin in Bulgaria, Commemorated on October 21 ; Righteous Michael the soldier of Potouka, Bulgaria, Commemorated on November 22 ; St Philothea of Thrace, the Protectress of Romania, Commemorated December 7 ; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Gabriel, Founder of Lesnov Monastery in Bulgaria, Commemorated January 15 ; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Romilus of Ravenica, Commemorated January 16 ; St Theodosius the Bulgarian, with his disciple Romanos, Commemorated February 17 ;

Trovono Cathedral, 1000, 11th Century
Trovono Cathedral, 11th Century; Venerable Parasceva (Petka) of Serbia, Commemorated on October 14;

Dorostolum, Bulgaria (Silistra, Danube River 14.5, Southeast of Bucharest)
Dorostolum (Dorostorum); Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; Martyr Dasius of Dorostorum, Commemorated November 20 ; Martyr Pasikrates in Moesia, Bulgaria, Commemorated on April 24; Martyr Dada at Dorostolum, Commemorated on April 28;

Varna, Bulgaria (Provadiya River Mouth, Black Sea)
Myzean city of Udum; St Sebastiana the Martyr and Disciple of St Paul the Apostle at Heraclea, Commemorated September 16 ; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5;

Plisk (first capital of Danubian Bulgaria)
Plisk; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20 ;

Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire)
Great Basilica, Pliska (Cathedral of First Bulgarian Empire); Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid, Bishop of Greater Macedonia, and his companions, Commemorated on July 27;

Mongol, Turkmenistan, 1227, Central Asia, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia
Turkmenistan, Central Asia, 1227, Sultan Jalal al-Din attacked Georgia; Turks; Turkmenistan; In 1227 Sultan Jalal al-Din of Khwarazm and his army of Turkmen attacked Georgia ; Greatmartyr and Prince Bidzina of Georgia, Commemorated on September 18;

Constantinople (Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn)
Constantinople; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara, Commemorated on July 11 ; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on July 21; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25; Equal of the Apostles Clement of Ochrid the Bishop of Greater Macedonia, Commemorated on July 27 ; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3 ; New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Julian of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 9 ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs, Commemorated on August 9; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 11 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; Translation of the Image œNot-Made-By-HandsÂ of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third œFeast of the Savior in AugustÂ, Commemorated on August 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Arsenius of Paros, Commemorated on August 18 ; Prophet Samuel, Commemorated on August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated on August 26; St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27 ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Martyr Theodore of Alexandria, Commemorated on September 12 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter, Commemorated on October 7 ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS, PRIEST, 8 October 1926; Monkmartyr Andrew of Crete, Commemorated on October 17 ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Hypatius of Gangra, Commemorated on November 16 ; Venerable Hilarion the Monk and Wonderworker of Thessalonica, Georgian, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Anatolius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; First Council of Constantinople; Second Council of Constantinople ; Third Council of Constantinople ; (Quinisext Council Council in Trullo ); Icon of the Mother of God of Armatia ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated November 12 ; Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople ; Martyr Eleutherius of Constantinople ; Martyr Julian of Constantinople ; Restoration of the Temple of the 40 Martyrs ; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23 ; St George Limniotes the Confessor of Mt. Olympus, Commemorated on August 24 ; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St Alexander the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 30 ; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2 St Gennadius the Patriarch of Constantinople ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; Monkmartyr Joseph of Dionysiou on Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 14 ; Apostle Ananias of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 1 ; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God œJerusalemÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17 ; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 25 ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6 ; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Repose of St Stephen of Dechani, Serbia, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; Byzantine-“Persian War of 602-“628; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated on November 12; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 13; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23 ; Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on November 26 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Martyr Anna, Commemorated November 28 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated December 4 ; Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar, Commemorated on December 4 ; Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated December 4 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Arsenius of Latros, Commemorated on December 13 St Stephen the Confessor the Archbishop of Surozha in the Crimea, Commemorated on December 15 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus, Commemorated on December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople; Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter; Venerable Philotheus the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Bassian of Constantinople, Commemorated October 10 ; WILLIAM DWIGHT PORTER BLISS; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus "of the Four Days in the Tomb" the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople; St Athanasius the Patriarch of Constantinople; Martyr Marcian the Notary of Constantinople ; Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople; Venerable Athanasius the Younger the Patriarch of Constantinople; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; a href="http://oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103131">St Maura of Constantinople; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople; Venerable Nilus the Faster of Sinai, Commemorated November 12 ; St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17 ; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Anna; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated December 3 ; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9 ; Martyr Menas of Alexandria; Venerable Daniel the Stylite of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 11 ; Martyr Eleutherius at Constantinople, Commemorated December 15 ; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated December 16 ; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; St Florus the Bishop of Amisus; St Michael the Confessor at Constantinople, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable George the Scribe, of Khakhuli, Commemorated on December 19 ; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Greatmartyr Anastasia the "Deliverer from Potions", Commemorated December 22 ; 10 Holy Martyrs of Crete, Commemorated on December 23 ; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated December 23 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Theodore Graptus, "the branded," Confessor, Commemorated December 27 ; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the "Unsleeping Ones", Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated on December 29; Martyr Zoticus the Keeper of Orphans, Commemorated December 30 ; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated December 30 ; St Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated January 1 ; Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated January 1 ; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated January 5 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated January 8 ; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Theodosius the Metropolitan of Trebizond, Commemorated on January 11 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14 ; Venerable John Calabytes "the Hut-Dweller", Commemorated January 15 ; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16 ; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; St Ephraim the Lesser, Commemorated January 18 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19 ; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20 ; St Maximus the Confessor, Commemorated January 21 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 26 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ; Blessed Peter the King of Bulgaria, Commemorated January 30 ; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple, Commemorated on February 2 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6; St Arsenius of Iqalto in Georgia, Commemorated on February 6; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Virginmarty Fausta at Cyzicus, Commemorated February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated February 11; Icon of the Mother of God "Iveron", Commemorated February 12 ; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated February 12 ; St Kristo the Gardener of Albania, Commemorated February 12 ; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; Venerable Mary (who was called Marinus), and her father at Alexandria, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18; New Martyr Theodore; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; St Rabulas of Samosata, Commemorated February 19 ; St Athanasius the Confessor of Constantinople, Commemorated February 22 ; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869) ; Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe RecruitÂ), Commemorated on February 17; Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara, Commemorated February 17; St Joseph of Dionysiou, Commemorated February 17 ; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Philothea the Monastic, Commemorated on February 19 ; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius at Constantinople, Commemorated on February 22 ; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Tarasius the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 25; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; St Stephen of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 27 ; Martyr Theokteristus, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable Basil the Confessor, companion of the Venerable Procopius at Decapolis, Commemorated on February 28 ; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6; St Theophylactus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 8; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated March 8; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Memorial Saturday of Meatfare, Commemorated on March 9; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604); Icon œNot Made by HandsÂ from Lydda, Commemorated on March 12; St Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on March 12; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12 ; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Euschemon the Confessor and Bishop of Lampsacus, Commemorated on March 14; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386); Martyr Trophimus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 18 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; 1st Saturday of Great Lent: The Miracle of the Boiled Wheat, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Venerable Hilarion the New the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker the Abbot of Tryglia, Commemorated on March 28; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Nicetas the Confessor the Abbot of Medikion, Commemorated on April 3; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6; Venerable Gregory the Byzantine, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Callinicus of Cernica the Bishop of Rimnicului in Romania, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Anthusa the Virginmartyr of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Athanasia the Abbess of Aegina, Commemorated on April 12; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; Womanmartyr Thomais of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 13; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Martyr Anthony of Vilnius, Lithuania, Commemorated on April 14 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17 ; New Martyr John the New of Epirus, Commemorated on April 18 ; St Cosmas the Bishop of Chalcedon, Commemorated on April 18; Venerable John the Disciple of the Venerable Gregory of Decapolis, Commemorated on April 18; St Tryphon the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 19; Venerable Nicephorus the Abbot of Catabad, Commemorated on April 19; St George the Confessor and Bishop of Antioch, in Pisidia, Commemorated on April 19; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas œthe Hair-Shirt WearerÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE; Deportation of Armenian notables in 1915; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE 1915-1923, Commemorated April 24; MARTYRS OF ARMENIA, 24 April 1915 ; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Acacius the Martyr of Mt Athos and Seres, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ignatius the Martyr of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Euthymius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Timothy the Reader and his wife in Egypt, Commemorated on May 3; St Michael of Ulompo, Georgia, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3; Martyr Acacius the Centurion at Byzantium, Commemorated on May 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Nilus the Myrrhgusher of Lavra of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8; Holy Queen Tamara, Commemorated on May 8 ; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius of Athos the translator, Commemorated on May 13; St George the Confessor, with his wife and children of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 13; St Euthymius the New, Founder of the Iveron Monastery and His Fellow Georgian Saints of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13; St Pausicacus the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 13; St Leontius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on May 14; St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17; Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen, Commemorated on May 21; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Hieromartyr Therapon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 25; St John Psichaita the Confessor, of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 26; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30; St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St John of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22; Virginmartyr Febronia of Nisibis, Commemorated on June 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 11 ; Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia, Commemorated on May 11; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Apostle Andronicus of the Seventy, Commemorated on May 17; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; Virginmartyr Theodosia the Nun of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 29 ; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Martyr Alexander at Constantinople, Commemorated on June 10; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, œIt Is Truly Meet...Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; St (John) Tornike of Mt Athos, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos, Commemorated on June 12 ; St Triphyllius the Bishop of Leucosia (Nicosia) in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Right-believing Prince Lazarus the Great Martyr of Serbia, Commemorated on June 15; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; Martyr Tigrius the Presbyter of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 16; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; St Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 20; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Martyr Juliana of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 22 ; Martyr Agrippina of Rome, Commemorated on June 23; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles, Commemorated on June 30; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Athanasius the Founder of the Great Lavra and Coenobitic Monasticism on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Byzantium, 376-382, Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, Eastern Roman Empire
Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Constantinople, 30-60, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Byzantium
Constantinople, 1st Century, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Byzantium ; the Apostle, also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Saint Peter.[4] He is referred to in the Orthodox tradition as the First-Called. According to Orthodox tradition, the apostolic successor to Saint Andrew is the Patriarch of Constantinople.[5] Contents Life[edit] The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew by Caravaggio (1603–1606) Crucifixion of Saint Andrew, by Juan Correa de Vivar (1540–1545) The name "Andrew" (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, "manhood, valour"), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews and other Hellenized people of Judea. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him. Andrew the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD[6] in Bethsaida, in Galilee.[7] The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,[8] and likewise a son of Jonah. "The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present."[9] Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieis anthrōpōn).[10] At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum. In the Gospel of Matthew[11] and in the Gospel of Mark[12] Simon Peter and Andrew were both called together to become disciples of Jesus and "fishers of men". These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship. In the parallel incident in the Gospel of Luke[13] Andrew is not named, nor is reference made to Simon having a brother. In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon's, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless. The narrative indicates that Simon was not the only fisherman in the boat (they signalled to their partners in the other boat …[14] but it is not until the next chapter[15] that Andrew is named as Simon's brother. However, it is generally understood that Andrew was fishing with Simon on the night in question. Matthew Poole, in his Annotations on the Holy Bible, stressed that 'Luke denies not that Andrew was there'.[16] In contrast, the Gospel of John[17] states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.[18] The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Protokletos, which means "the first called".[9] Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus. Subsequently, in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus.[a] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes,[19] and when Philip wanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first.[20] Andrew was present at the Last Supper.[21] Andrew was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age".[22] Eusebius in his Church History 3.1 quoted Origen as saying that Andrew preached in Scythia. The Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, and from there he travelled to Novgorod. Hence, he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to Hippolytus of Rome, Andrew preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium (later Constantinople and Istanbul) in AD 38, installing Stachys as bishop. This diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Andrew, along with Saint Stachys, is recognized as the patron saint of the Patriarchate.[23] Basil of Seleucia also knew of Apostle Andrew's missions in Thrace, Scythia and Achaea.[24] Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, in AD 60.[21] Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,[25] describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.[b] The iconography of the martyrdom of Andrew — showing him bound to an X-shaped cross — does not appear to have been standardized until the later Middle Ages.[26][c] The Acts of Andrew[edit] Martyrdom of Saint Andrew in the Nuremberg Chronicle Main article: Acts of Andrew The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts (...) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," in the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as a Gospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895). Relics[edit] Saint Andrew of Patras cathedral, where Saint Andrew's relics are kept Statue of Andrew in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran by Camillo Rusconi (1713–1715) Relics alleged to be those of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of Saint Andrew in Patras, Greece; in Amalfi Cathedral (the Duomo di Sant'Andrea), Amalfi and in Sarzana Cathedral[1] in Sarzana, Italy; St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland;[18] and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw, Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world. Andrew's remains were preserved at Patras. According to one legend, Saint Regulus (Rule), a monk at Patras, was advised in a dream to hide some of the bones. Shortly thereafter, most of the relics were transferred from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[21] Regulus was said to have had a second dream in which an angel advised him to take the hidden relics "to the ends of the earth" for protection. Wherever he was shipwrecked, he was to build a shrine for them. St. Rule set sail, taking with him a kneecap, an upper arm bone, three fingers and a tooth. He sailed west, towards the edge of the known world, and was shipwrecked on the coast of Fife, Scotland. However, the relics were probably brought to Britain in 597 as part of the Augustine Mission, and then in 732 to Fife, by Bishop Acca of Hexham, a well-known collector of religious relics.[18] The skull of Saint Andrew, which had been taken to Constantinople, was returned to Patras by Emperor Basil I, who ruled from 867 to 886.[27] In 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of Saint Andrew and Saint Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy,[28] by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. A cathedral (Duomo), was built, dedicated to Saint Andrew (as is the town itself), to house a tomb in its crypt where it is maintained that most of the relics of the apostle, including an occipital bone, remain. Thomas Palaeologus was the youngest surviving son of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Thomas ruled the province of Morea, the medieval name for the Peloponnese. In 1461, when the Ottomans crossed the Strait of Corinth, Palaeologus fled Patras for exile in Italy, bringing with him what was purported to be the skull of Saint Andrew. He gave the head to Pope Pius II, who had it enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and then in Pienza,[2] Italy. In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of Saint Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.[29] The cross of Saint Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy.[30][31] It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles[32] until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every 30 November, his feast day. In 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of Saint Andrew.[33] Traditions and legends[edit] This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Andrew the Apostle" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Georgia[edit] A 13th-century fresco depicting Saint Andrew, from Kintsvisi Monastery, Georgia The church tradition of Georgia regards Saint Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently[citation needed] derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south."[34] The version was adopted by the 10th–11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of Saint Andrew's mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defence argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling Saint Andrew's story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by Saint Nino and explaining the necessity of the "second Christening" by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.[35][36] The Georgian Orthodox Church marks two feast days in honour of Saint Andrew, on 12 May and 13 December. The former date, dedicated to Saint Andrew's arrival in Georgia, is a public holiday in Georgia. Cyprus[edit] Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century. Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. As she was telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest, became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.[37] Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpaso in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such, it is visited by many people for votive prayers. Malta[edit] mosaic of St. Andrew Fifth-century mosaic of Saint Andrew at St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome The first reference regards the small chapel at Luqa dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. This chapel contained three altars, one of them dedicated to Andrew. The painting showing Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli. At one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason for choosing Andrew as patron saint. The statue of Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese artist Abraham Gatt. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687. Romania[edit] Entrance to Saint Andrew's caves near Ion Corvin, Constanța County Main article: Saint Andrew in Romania The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Daco-Romans, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. Such a tradition was however not widely acknowledged until the 20th century. According to Hippolyte of Antioch, (died c. 250 C.E.) in his On Apostles, Origen in the third book of his Commentaries on the Genesis (254 C.E.), Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (340 C.E.), and other sources, such as Usaard's Martyrdom written between 845 and 865, and Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend (c. 1260), Saint Andrew preached in Scythia, a possible reference to Scythia Minor, whose territory was integrated into Romania in the late 19th century. According to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable. They take the idea to be a part of an ideology of protochronism which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history, which was then used for propaganda purposes during the communist era,[38] although this is disputed. East Slavs[edit] Saint Andrew's prophecy of Kiev, depicted in the Radzivill Chronicle Tradition regarding the early Christian history of Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kyiv, where he erected a cross on the site where the Saint Andrew's Church of Kyiv currently stands, and where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city.[39] Because of this connection to Kyiv, Saint Andrew is considered to be the patron saint of the two East Slavic nations descended from the Kievan Rus: Ukraine and Russia, the latter country using the Saint Andrew's Cross on its naval ensign. The third East Slavic nation, Belarus, however, reveres Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a local saint, as its patron instead. Scotland[edit] The Saltire (or "Saint Andrew's Cross") is the national flag of Scotland. Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern Scottish town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn). The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the other is the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c. 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. Saint Andrew (carving c.1500) in the National Museum of Scotland According to legendary accounts given in 16th-century historiography, Óengus II in AD 832 led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Saint Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.[40] However, there is evidence that Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this. Traditional stone fireplace in northern England. The carved Saint Andrew's cross in the left-hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney. In Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole. Andrew's connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher-ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to Saint Andrew. A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the Saint Andrew's cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, whereas the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it. Spain[edit] A form of St. Andrew's cross called the Cross of Bourgogne was used as the flag of the Duchy of Burgundy, and after the Duchy was acquired by Spain, by the Spanish Crown, and later as a Spanish naval flag and finally as an army battle flag up until 1843. Today, it is still a part of various Spanish military insignia and forms part of the Coat of Arms of the king of Spain as it did with General Franco. Monument to Andrey Pervozvanniy in Kyiv, Ukraine. The sculptors were Boris Krylov and Oles Sydoruk. In Spain, Saint Andrew is the patron of several locations: San Andrés (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), San Andrés y Sauces (La Palma), Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres), Éibar (Guipúzcoa), Baeza (Jaén), Pobladura de Pelayo García and Pobladura de Yuso (León), Berlangas de Roa (Burgos), Ligüerzana (Palencia), Castillo de Bayuela (Toledo), Almoradí (Alicante), Estella (Navarra), Sant Andreu de Palomar, (Barcelona), Pujalt (Catalonia), Adamuz (Córdoba) and San Andrés [es] in Cameros (La Rioja). Legacy[edit] Saint Andrew the Apostle by Yoan from Gabrovo, 19th century Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities including: Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Sarzana,[1] Pienza[2] and Amalfi in Italy, Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church of Byzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Apostle Andrew is also the patron of the Russian Navy. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and those of some of the former colonies of the British Empire) feature Saint Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the Russian Navy Ensign. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Alabama flag also shows that device. The feast of Andrew is observed on 30 November in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of Saint Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints. Andrew the Apostle is remembered in the Church of England with a Festival on 30 November.[41] In Islam[edit] The Qur’anic account of the disciples of Jesus does not include their names, numbers, or any detailed accounts of their lives. Muslim exegesis, however, more or less agrees with the New Testament list and says that the disciples included Andrew.[42] Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated on November 30;

Constantinople, 272-303, Byzantine Patriarch, Dometius of Byzantium, emperor Probus' b, converted
Byzantine Patriarch, 272-303, Dometius of Byzantium ; (? – 284) was bishop of Byzantium about the period 272–284. was a brother of the Roman Emperor Probus. He converted to Christianity, and entered the clergy when he was baptised by the bishop of Byzantium Titus, whom he succeeded. had two sons, Probus and Metrophanes, who also became bishops of the same city. St Metrophanes the first Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 4;

Constantinople, 290-340, Macrina the Elder (somewhere on Iris River in Pontus)

Constantinople, 293-330, Helena, Saint Helen, Mother of Constantine the Great
Byzantine Saint, 293-330, Helena, Mother of Constantine the Great, Queen of Constantine Chlorus; Roman Emperor, 293-306, Constantine Chlorus; Byzantine Emperor 306-337, Constantine the Great ; FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS, (14 SEP 335); The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Recluse of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on October 29; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Empress St Helen in Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 6;

Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor Maximian Galerius, sack Persian capital, Across the Danube, Edict of Toleration
Byzantium, 305-313, Emperor Maximian Galerius ; (c. 258 -“ May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300. Although he was a staunch opponent of Christianity, Galerius ended the Diocletianic Persecution when he issued an Edict of Toleration in Serdica in 311. Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; Martyr Paul at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated July 16 ; Martyr and Archdeacon Euplus of Catania, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Lucius, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Bassa of Edessa, and her sons, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Martyr Lupus the Slave of St Demetrius of Thessalonica, Commemorated on August 23 ; Martyr Adrian of Nicomedia, Commemorated on August 26 ; 3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 2 ; Hieromartyr Anthimus the Bishop of Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 3; Martyr Eudoxius, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Menodora at Nicomedia, Commemorated on September 10 ; Martyr Theodotus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated on September 15 ; 156 Martyrs in Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Martyr Peleus the Bishop of Palestine, Commemorated on September 17 ; Hieromartyr Hierotheus the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated October 4 ; Martyr Callisthene and her father Audactus of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 4; Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Martyr Cyrenia in Cilicia, Commemorated on November 1; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; NICHOLAS OF MYRA, FRIEND OF CHILDREN, GIVER OF GIFTS, CLIMBER OF CHIMNEYS, ETC. (6 DEC 326) ; Greatmartyr Catherine of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 24; Hieromartyr Peter the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 25; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated on December 6; St Sophronius the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 9; Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on December 10; Martyr Elias in Cilicia, Commemorated on December 19; Martyr Philetairus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on December 30; Venerable Syncletica of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 5; Martyr Peter of Anium, at Hieropolis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Paul of Thebes, Commemorated on January 15; Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Martyr Julian of Emesa, Commemorated on February 6; Virginmartyr Ennatha of Palestine, Commemorated on February 10; Hieromartyr Blaise the Bishop of Sebaste, Commemorated on February 11; Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro (œthe Recruit), Commemorated on February 17; Uncovering of the relics of the Martyr Menas of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 17; Martyr Victor of Phrygia, Commemorated on February 18 ; Martyr Archippus of the Seventy Apostles, Commemorated on February 19; Martyr Maximus of Adrianopolis, Commemorated February 19; Martyr Maurice at Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Martyr Eutropius of Amasea, Commemorated on March 3 ; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9; Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia, Commemorated on March 9 ; Martyr Alexander of Macedonia, Commemorated on March 13 ; Martyr Julian of Anazarbus, Commemorated on March 16; Martyr Papas of Lyconia, Commemorated on March 16; Virginmartyr Alexandra of Amisus, Commemorated on March 20; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica, Commemorated on March 27; Martyr Amphianus (Apphianus) of Lycia, Commemorated on April 2 ; Martyr Polycarp of Alexandria, Commemorated on April 2 ; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on April 3 ; Martyr Rufinus the Deacon at Sinope, Commemorated on April 7; St Akaki Asistavi of Georgia, Commemorated on May 7; Martyr Hesychius of Antioch, Commemorated on May 10; Martyr Basiliscus the Bishop of Comana, Commemorated on May 22; Virginmartyr Theodosia of Tyre, Commemorated on May 29; Martyr Marcian of Egypt, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Marcellinus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Priscilla of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; Martyr Doulas of Cilicia, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Paisius the Great, Commemorated on June 19; Hieromartyr Methodius the Bishop of Patara, Commemorated on June 20; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Translation of the relics of the Holy and Wonderworking Unmercenary John, Commemorated on June 28 ;

Constantinople, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints
Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess, one of the 5
Byzantium, 335-385, Theosebia the Deaconess; Armenia, 325-375, Emmelia of Caesarea, mother of 5 Saints; Saint Emilia, Mother of Saint Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 1;

Constantinople, 336-397, St Martin of Tours, Martin the Merciful

Constantinople, 349-390, Saint, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian, converted C from Arianism
Byzantine Saint, 349-390, Gregory of Nazianzus; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or 'œthe Roman'Â, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (on Iris River in near Pontus and Neocaserea) of the 5
Byzantium, 350-379, Macrina the Younger (somewhere on Iris River); MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ;

Constantinople, 351, Vision of the Cross, Miraculous Portent
Jerusalem Patriarch, 350-386, St Cyrl of Jerusalem; Commemoration of the Apparition of the Sign of the Precious Cross Over Jerusalem, in 351 AD, Commemorated on May 7 ; Precious Cross appeared in the sky over Jerusalem on the morning of May 7, 351 during the reign of the emperor Constantius, the son of Saint Constantine (May 21). that time the heresy of Arianism, which taught that Christ was merely a creature and not God, was causing great turmoil and division throughout the Empire. Even after the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, many people were drawn to this false teaching, and the Orthodox found themselves in the minority in many places. the ruler of the eastern part of the Empire, was a fervent supporter of Arianism. His brothers Constantine II and Constans, who were pious Orthodox Christians, ruled in the west. They were both killed in separate battles around 350, leaving Constantius as sole ruler. Also in 350, Saint Cyril (March 18) became Patriarch of Jerusalem and began his zealous struggle against Arianism. May of 351 a luminous Cross appeared over Jerusalem, stretching from Golgotha to the Mount of Olives, a distance of about five and a half miles. The Cross was wide as it was long, and shone more brightly than the sun. Many people left their homes and workplaces to gather in the church and glorify Christ. The historian Sozomen says that this wondrous sign led to the conversion of multitudes of pagans and Jews to Christianity. letter from Saint Cyril to the emperor describing this phenomenon, and admonishing him to become Orthodox, has been preserved. The apparition of the Cross remained over the city for a whole week. vision of the Cross over Jerusalem strengthened the Orthodox faithful and contributed to the return of many Arians to the Church. It is also a reminder of the awesome Second Coming of Christ, when “the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heavenâ€ (Matthew 24:30).

Constantinople, 355-395, Byzantine Saint, Gregory of Nyssa, one of the 5
Byzantine Saint, 355-395, Gregory of Nyssa; Martyr Patermuthius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9 ; Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9; Martyr Emilian of Silistria in Bulgaria, Commemorated on July 18; MACRINA THE YOUNGER, MONASTIC AND TEACHER (19 JUL 379) ; Venerable Macrina the Sister of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr John the Soldier at Constantinople, Commemorated on July 30; Martyr Eusignius of Antioch, Commemorated on August 5; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Juventinus the Soldier at Antioch, Commemorated on September 5 ; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia, Commemorated on December 10; St Niphon the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Publius of Egypt, Commemorated on April 5; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; Venerable Moses the Black of Scete, Commemorated on August 28; Martyr Porphyrius the Actor, Commemorated on September 15 ; Martyr Juventinus at Antioch, Commemorated on October 9 ; St Publia the Confessor and Deaconess of Antioch, Commemorated on October 9; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Venerable Hilarion the Great, Commemorated on October 21; Hieromartyr Cyriacus the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on October 28 ; St Marcian of Cyrrhus, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Melasippus with his wife and son at Ancyra, Commemorated on November 7; Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers, Commemorated on November 8; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on November 11; MARTIN OF TOURS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (11 NOV 397); Martyr Elpidius who suffered under Julian the Apostate, Commemorated on November 15; Martyr Theodore of Antioch, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Martyr Timothy at Tiberiopolis, Commemorated on November 28; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); Martyr Basil of Ancyra, Commemorated on January 1; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, Commemorated on January 30; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; St Eulogius the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 27 ; Martyr Theognes at Cyzicus, Commemorated on April 29 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Barbarus the Soldier in Morea, Commemorated on May 6; GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (9 MAY 389); St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Dorotheus the Bishop of Tyre, Commemorated on June 5; Hieromartyr Timothy the Bishop of Prusa, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Theophanes of Antioch, Commemorated on June 10; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17; Hieromartyr Eusebius the Bishop of Samosata, Commemorated on June 22; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe Roman, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 360-391, St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, of the 5
Cappadocia, 360 - 391, St Peter, Bishop of Sebaste, Cappadocia/ Armenia; St. Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10;

Constantinople, 360-397, Saint Ambrose, against Arianism
Byzantium, 360-397, Saint Ambrose; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397)

Constantinople, 364-407, Saint, Isaac of Dalmatius Monastery, Constantinople
Byzantium, 364-383, Saint, Isaac of Dalmatius Monastery, Constantinople; Byzantium, 364-440, Byzantine Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22;

Constantinople, 364-440, Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople
Byzantium, 364-440, Byzantine Saint, Dalmatius of Constantinople; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22;

Constantinople, 372, Gothic Saint, Nicetas the Goth, danube region, ven by Rus, soldier, archangel Michael, Cilicia

Constantinople, 374-397, Saint, Bishop, Ambrose of Milan
Northern Italy, Milan Bishop, 374-397, Ambrose ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4;

Constantinople, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo
Rome, 374-430, Saint Augustine of Hippo; Roman Saint, 367-420, Jerome ; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430); JEROME, SCHOLAR, TRANSLATOR, AND THEOLOGIAN (30 SEP 420); Martyr Pamphilius the Presbyter at Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 16; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 374-450, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine St, Arsenius t Great, Theodosius' sons, Sketis, Silence, Flame, baskets, tears
Egypt, 370-445, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine Saint, Arsenius the Great; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; Arsenius the Great was born in the year 354 at Rome into a pious Christian family, which provided him a fine education and upbringing. He studied rhetoric and philosophy, and mastered the Latin and Greek languages. Saint Arsenius gave up philosophy and the vanity of worldly life, seeking instead the true wisdom praised by Saint James “pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits” (Jas. 3:17). He entered the ranks of the clergy as a deacon in one of the Roman churches, dedicating himself to the service of God. emperor Theodosius (379-395), who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire, heard about his erudition and piety, and he wished to entrust Arsenius with the education of his sons Arcadius and Honorius. Arsenius, however, protested that he had given up secular studies in order to serve God. Against his will, but in obedience to the will of Pope Damasus (December 11), Saint Arsenius agreed to teach the imperial children, hoping to teach them Christian piety as well. he arrived at Constantinople, Arsenius was received with great honor by the emperor Theodosius, who charged him to educate his sons not only in wisdom, but also in piety, guarding them from the temptations of youth. “Forget that they are the emperor’s sons,” said Theodosius, “for I want them to submit to you in all things, as to their father and teacher.” fervor the saint devoted himself to the education of the youths, but the high esteem in which he was held troubled his spirit, which yearned for the quietude of monastic life. Saint Arsenius entreated the Lord to show him the way to salvation. The Lord heard his prayer and one time he heard a voice telling him, “Arsenius, flee from men, and you shall be saved.” And then, removing his rich clothing and replacing it with old and tattered garments, he secretly left the palace, boarded a ship for Alexandria, and he made his way to Sketis, a monastery in the midst of the desert. at the church, he asked the priests to accept him into the monastic brotherhood, calling himself a wretched wanderer, though his very manner betrayed him as a cultivated man. The brethren led him to Abba John the Dwarf (November 9), famed for his holiness of life. He, wishing to test the newcomer’s humility, did not seat Arsenius with the monks for the trapeza meal. He threw him a piece of dry bread saying, “Eat if you wish.” Saint Arsenius got down on his hands and knees, and picked up the bread with his mouth. Then he crawled off into a corner and ate it. Seeing this, Elder John said, “He will be a great ascetic!” Then accepting Arsenius with love, he tonsured him into monasticism. Arsenius zealously passed through his obediences and soon he surpassed many of the desert Fathers in asceticism. The saint again heard the Voice while he was praying, “Arsenius, hide from people and dwell in silence, this is the root of virtue.” From that moment Saint Arsenius settled in a solitary cell deep in the desert. taken on the struggle of silence he seldom left his seclusion. He came to church only on Sundays and Feast days, observing complete silence and conversing with no one. When Abba Moses asked him why he hid himself from people, Saint Arsenius replied, “God knows that I love you, but I cannot remain with God and with men at the same time. The Heavenly Powers all have one will and praise God together. On earth, however, there are many human wills, and each man has his own thoughts. I cannot leave God in order to live with people.” absorbed in constant prayer, the saint did not refuse visiting monks with his counsel and guidance, giving short, but perceptive answers to their questions. Once, a monk from Sketis saw the great Elder through a window standing at prayer, surrounded by a flame. handicraft of Saint Arsenius was to weave baskets, for which he used the fronds of date palms soaked in water. For a whole year Saint Arsenius did not change the water in the container, but merely added a little water to it from time to time. This caused his cell to be permeated with a foul stench. When asked why he did this, the saint replied that it was fitting for him to humble himself in this way, because in the world he had used incense and fragrant oils. He prayed that after death he would not experience the stench of hell. fame of the great ascetic spread far, and many wanted to see him, and they disturbed his tranquility. As a result, the saint was forced to move around from place to place. But those thirsting to receive his guidance and blessing still found him. Arsenius taught that many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance, fasting, and vigil, but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride, greed, jealousy, hatred of one’s brother, remembrance of wrongs, and judgment. In this they resemble graves which are decorated outwardly, but filled with stinking bones. certain monk once asked Saint Arsenius what he should do when he read the Holy Scriptures and did not comprehend their meaning. The Elder answered, “My child, you must study and learn the Holy Scriptures constantly, even if you do not understand their power... For when we have the words of the Holy Scriptures on our lips, the demons hear them and are terrified. Then they flee from us, unable to bear the words of the Holy Spirit Who speaks through His apostles and prophets.” monks heard how the saint often urged himself on in his efforts with the words, “Rouse yourself, Arsenius, work! Do not remain idle! You have not come here to rest, but to labor.” He also said, “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” great ascetic and keeper of silence was given the gift of tears with which his eyes were constantly filled. He spent fifty-five years at monastic labors and struggles. He spent forty years at Sketis, and ten years on the mountain of Troe near Memphis. Then he spent three years at Canopus, and two more years at Troe, where he fell asleep in the Lord. Our holy, God-bearing Father Arsenius reposed when he was nearly one hundred years old, in the year 449 or 450. only disciples seem to have been Alexander, Zoilos, and Daniel (June 7).

Constantinople, 376-382, Gothic Civil War, Eastern Roman Empire
Byzantine Period, Gothic Civil War, 376-382, Eastern Roman Empire; Greatmartyr Nicetas the Goth, Commemorated on September 15; St Martin the Merciful the Bishop of Tours, Commemorated on October 12 ; St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7;

Byzantium, 379-395, Emperor, Theodosis 1, the Great, with Christian Goths, anti Pagan
Byzantine Emperor, 379-395, Theodosis 1, the Great ; I (11 January 347-“ 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395, during Late Antiquity. reign accelerated the Christianization of the Roman Empire, achieved military successes when the frontiers of the empire were threatened by the wars of the Migration Period, and defeated two rival emperors in successive civil wars. He was the first emperor of the Theodosian dynasty (r. 379--“457), and married into the ruling Valentinianic dynasty (r. 364-“455). His decrees made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire and punished Roman paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. his capital Constantinople he commissioned the honorific Column of Theodosius, the Theodosian Walls, and the Golden Gate, among the greatest works of ancient Roman architecture. a military career and a governorship under his father Theodosius the Elder he became magister equitum and was then elevated to the imperial rank of augustus by the emperor Gratian (r. 367-“383). He replaced the latter's uncle and senior augustus Valens (r. 364-“378), who had been killed in the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius married Gratian's half-sister Galla, daughter of Valentinian the Great (r. 364-“375), and defeated the rebellion of Magnus Maximus (r. 383-“388) on behalf of his new brother-in-law, Valentinian II (r. 375-“392). When Valentinian II died, Theodosius became the senior emperor, having already made his eldest son Arcadius his co-augustus. Theodosius then defeated the usurper Eugenius (r. 392-“394). accepting his elevation, he campaigned against Goths and other barbarians who had invaded the Empire. His resources were not sufficient to destroy them or drive them out, which had been Roman policy for centuries in dealing with invaders. By treaty, which followed his indecisive victory at the end of the Gothic War, they were established as foederati, autonomous allies of the Empire, south of the Danube, in Illyricum, within the Empire's borders. They were given lands and allowed to remain under their own leaders, not assimilated as had been normal Roman practice. issued decrees that effectively made Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, including the Edict of Thessalonica.[4][5] neither prevented nor punished the destruction of prominent Hellenistic temples of classical antiquity, including the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Serapeum in Alexandria. He dissolved the order of the Vestal Virgins in Rome's Temple of Vesta. In 393, he banned the pagan rituals of the Olympic Games. his death, Theodosius's young and incapable sons were the two augusti. Arcadius (r. 383-“408) inherited the eastern empire and ruled from Constantinople and Honorius (r. 393-“423) the western empire, an administrative division that endured until the fall of the western Roman empire in the late 5th century. fought two destructive civil wars, successively defeating the usurpers Magnus Maximus in 387-“388 and Eugenius in 394, at great cost to the power of the Empire. His management of the empire was marked by heavy tax exactions, by the compulsory establishment of Christianity, and by a court in which according to Peter Brown "everything was for sale".[6] is considered a saint by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches, and his feast day is on January 17.[7] life[edit] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius the Great was born on 11 January 347 or 346.[8] The epitome de Caesaribus places his birthplace at Cauca (Coca, Segovia) in Hispania.[8] According to the traditional texts of the chronicle of Hydatius and Zosimus, he was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia".[9][10][11] These texts are probably corrupted with interpolations, as Cauca was in fact not part of the province of Gallaecia, while according to Themistius, Claudius Claudianus, and Marcellinus Comes, he was born at Italica in Hispania Baetica.[11] These claims were probably fictitious and intended to connect Theodosius with the lineage of his distant predecessor Trajan (r. 98-“117), who had came from Italica.[8] Thedosius's father was Theodosius the Elder and his mother was Thermantia.[8] Theodosius had a brother named Honorius, a sister referred to in Aurelius Victor's De caesaribus but whose name is unknown, and a niece, Serena.[8] career[edit] accompanied his father, the comes rei militaris, on his 368-“369 campaign against the Franks, Scots, and Saxons to restore order and the rule of the emperors Valentinian I (r. 364-“375) and Valens (r. 364-“378) in Roman Britain, which had been threatened in 367 by the Great Conspiracy.[12][13][8] They also defeated the usurpation in Britain by Valentinus.[13] Previous to this in 366, Theodosius the Elder attacked and defeated the Alamanni in Roman Gaul; the defeated prisoners had been resettled in the Po Valley.[14][15] the Elder was made magister equitum in 369, and retained the post until 375.[8] Theodosius and his father son campaigned against the Alamanni 370.[8] The two Theodosi campaigned against Sarmatians in 372/373.[8] The emperors' rule in Roman Africa was disrupted by the revolt of Firmus in 373.[16] Theodosius the Elder moved to defeat the usurpation.[16] In about 373, Theodosius was made dux of the province of Moesia Prima.[17] In 374, the Quadi and their allies the Sarmatians overran the province of Valeria in the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum.[18] Theodosius drove the Sarmatians out of the Roman territory and then defeated the Quadi.[19][20] He is reported to have defended his province with marked ability and success.[19] the Elder fell from power in 375, and Theodosius the dux of Moesia Prima retired to his estates in the Iberian Peninsula, where he married Aelia Flaccilla in 376.[8] Their first child, Arcadius, was born around 377.[8] Pulcheria, their daughter, was born in 377 or 378.[8] Theodosius had returned to the Danube frontier by 378, when he was appointed magister equitum.[8] the death of his uncle Valens (r. 364-“378), Gratian, now the senior augustus, sought a candidate to nominate as Valens's successor. On 19 January 379, Theodosius I was made augustus over the eastern provinces at Sirmium.[8][21] His wife, Aelia Flaccilla, was accordingly raised to augusta.[8] The new augustus's territory spanned the Roman praetorian prefecture of the East, including the Roman diocese of Thrace, and the additional dioceses of Dacia and of Macedonia. Theodosius the Elder, who had died in 375, was then deified as: Divus Theodosius Pater, lit. 'the Divine Father Theodosius'.[8] administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395, under Theodosius I. of Valentinian II showing Valentinian and Theodosius I on the reverse, each holding a mappa reign: 379-“383[edit] October 379 the Council of Antioch was convened.[8] On 27 February 380 Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, making Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire.[8] In 380, Theodosius was made Roman consul for the first time and Gratian for the fifth; in September the augusti Gratian and Theodosius met, returning the Roman diocese of Dacia to Gratian's control and that of Macedonia to Valentinian II.[21][8] In autumn Theodosius fell ill, and was baptized.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople and staged an adventus, a ritual entry to the capital, on 24 November 380.[8] issued a decree against Christians deemed heretics on 10 January 381.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, on the 11 January, Athanaric, king of the Gothic Thervingi arrived in Constantinople; he died and was buried in Constantinople on 25 January.[8] 8 May 381, Theodosius issued an edict against Manichaeism.[8] In mid-May, Theodosius convened the First Council of Constantinople, the second ecumenical council after Constantine's First Council of Nicaea in 325; the Constantinopolitan council ended on 9 July.[8] According to Zosimus, Theodosius won a victory over the Carpi and the Scirii in summer 381.[8] On 21 December, Theodosius decreed the prohibition of sacrifices with the intent of divining the future.[8] 21 February 382, the body of Theodosius's father in law Valentinian the Great was finally laid to rest in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] Another Council of Constantinople was held in summer 382.[8] to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a treaty of foedus was reached with the Goths, and they were settled between the Danube and the Balkan Mountains.[8] settlement of the Gothic Wars[edit] Goths and their allies (Vandals, Taifals, Bastarnae and the native Carpians) entrenched in the provinces of Dacia and eastern Pannonia Inferior consumed Theodosius's attention. Gothic crisis was so dire that his co-Emperor Gratian relinquished control of the Illyrian provinces and retired to Trier in Gaul to let Theodosius operate without hindrance. major weakness in the Roman position after the defeat at Adrianople was the recruiting of barbarians to fight against other barbarians. In order to reconstruct the Roman Army of the East, Theodosius needed to find able bodied soldiers and so he turned to the most capable men readily at hand: the barbarians recently settled in the Empire. This caused many difficulties in the battle against barbarians since the newly recruited fighters had little or no loyalty to Theodosius. It did not help that Theodosius himself was dangerously ill during many months after his elevation, being confined to his bed in Thessalonica during much of 379.[22] suppressed the incursions into dioceses of Illyria (Pannonia and Dalmatia) by Alathaeus and Saphrax in 380.[23] He succeeded in convincing both to agree to a treaty and be settled in Pannonia.[24] was able finally to enter Constantinople in November 380, after two seasons in the field, having ultimately prevailed by offering highly favorable terms to the Gothic chiefs.[23] His task was rendered much easier when Athanaric, an aged and cautious leader, accepted Theodosius's invitation to a conference in the capital, Constantinople, and the splendor of the imperial city reportedly awed him and his fellow-chiefs into accepting Theodosius' offers.[25] himself died soon after, but his followers were impressed by the honorable funeral arranged for him by Theodosius, and agreed to defending the border of the empire.[25] The final treaties with the remaining Gothic forces, signed 3 October 382, permitted large contingents of barbarians, primarily Thervingian Goths, to settle in Thrace south of the Danube frontier.[26] The Goths now settled within the Empire would largely fight for the Romans as a national contingent, as opposed to being fully integrated into the Roman forces.[26] provinces along the Ister (Danube), showing the Roman dioceses of Thrace, Dacia, Pannonia and Italia Annonaria on the empire's northern frontier civil war: 383-“384[edit] of Theodosius, showing both he and his co-augustus Valentinian II (r. 375-“392) enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") to the Chronicon Paschale, Theodosius celebrated his quinquennalia on 19 January 383 at Constantinople; on this occasion he raised his eldest son Arcadius to co-augustus.[8] Early 383 saw the acclamation of Magnus Maximus as augustus in Britain and the appointment of Themistius as praefectus urbi in Constantinople.[8] On 25 July, Theodosius issued a new edict against gatherings of Christians deemed heretics.[8] unable to do much about Maximus due to his still inadequate military capability, opened negotiations with the Persian emperor Shapur III (r. 383-“388) of the Sasanian Empire.[27] In an attempt to curb Maximus's ambitions, Theodosius appointed Flavius Neoterius as praetorian prefect of Italy.[28] in 383, Gratian's wife Constantia died.[21] Gratian remarried, wedding Laeta, whose father was a consularis of Roman Syria.[29] On the 25 August 383, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Gratian was killed at Lugdunum (Lyon) by Andragathius, the magister equitum of the rebel augustus during the rebellion of Magnus Maximus .[21] Constantia's body arrived in Constantinople on 12 September that year and was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles on 1 December.[21] Gratian was deified as Latin: Divus Gratianus, lit. 'the Divine Gratian'.[21] 21 January 384 all those deemed heretics were expelled from Constantinople.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius received in Constantinople an embassy from the Sasanian Empire in 384.[8] In summer 384, Theodosius met his co-augustus Valentinian II in northern Italy.[30][8] Theodosius brokered a peace agreement between Valentinian and Magnus Maximus which endured for several years.[31] of Theodosius, found in 1847 in Almendralejo, Spain reign: 384-“387[edit] second son Honorius was born on 9 December 384 and titled nobilissimus puer (or nobilissimus iuvenis).[8] The death of Aelia Flaccilla, Theodosius's first wife and the mother of Arcadius, Honorius, and Pulcheria, occurred by 386.[8] She died at Scotumis in Thrace and was buried at Constantinople, her funeral oration delivered by Gregory of Nyssa.[8][32] A statue of her was dedicated in the Byzantine Senate.[32] In 384 or 385, Theodosius's niece Serena was married to the magister militum, Stilicho.[8] On 25 May 385, Theodosius repeated the ban on sacrifices that were done in order to predict the future.[8] the beginning of 386, Theodosius's daughter Pulcheria also died.[8] That summer more Goths were defeated, and many were settled in Phrygia.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, a Roman triumph over the Gothic Greuthungi was then celebrated at Constantinople.[8] The same year, work began on the great triumphal column in the Forum of Theodosius in Constantinople, the Column of Theodosius.[8] On 19 January 387, according to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arcadius celebrated his quinquennalia in Constantinople.[8] By the end of the month, there was an uprising or riot in Antioch (Antakya).[8] With a peace agreement with Persia in the Roman-“Persian Wars came a division of Armenia.[8] civil war: 387-“388[edit] peace with Magnus Maximus was broken in 387, and Valentinian escaped the west with Justina, reaching Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) in summer or autumn 387 and appealing to Theodosius for aid; Valentinian II's sister Galla was then married to the eastern augustus at Thessalonica in late autumn.[30][8] Theodosius may still have been in Thessalonica when he celebrated his decennalia on 19 January 388.[8] Theodosius was consul for the second time in 388.[8] Galla and Theodosius's first child, a son named Gratian, was born in 388 or 389.[8] 10 March 388, Christians deemed heretics were forbidden from residing in cities.[8] On 14 March, Theodosius banned the intermarriage of Jews and Christians.[8] In summer 388, Theodosius recovered Italy from Magnus Maximus for Valentinian, and in June, the meeting of Christians deemed heretics was banned by Valentinian.[30][8] armies of Theodosius and Maximus fought at the Battle of Poetovio in 388, which saw Maximus defeated. On 28 August 388 Maximus was executed.[33] Now the de facto ruler of the Western empire as well, Theodosius celebrated his victory in Rome on June 13, 389 and stayed in Milan until 391, installing his own loyalists in senior positions including the new magister militum of the West, the Frankish general Arbogast.[33] July, Magnus Maximus was defeated by Theodosius at the Battle of Save; on 28 August, Magnus Maximus was executed by Theodosius.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Arbogast killed Flavius Victor (r. 384-“388), Magnus Maximus's young son and co-augustus, in Gaul in August/September that year. Damnatio memoriae was pronounced against them, and inscriptions naming them were erased.[8] affairs: 388-“391[edit] Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral, Anthony van Dyck, c. 1620 came into conflict with Ambrose, bishop of Mediolanum (Milan), in October 388 over the persecution of Jews at Callincium-on-the-Euphrates (Raqqa).[8] As mentioned in the Panegyrici Latini and in a panegyric of Claudian's on the sixth consulship of Honorius, Theodosius then received another embassy from the Persians in 389.[8] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius staged an adventus on entering Rome on 13 June 389.[8] On 17 June, he issued a decree against Manichaeism.[8] Theodosiushad left Valentinian under the protection of the magister militum Arbogast, who then defeated the Franks in 389.[31][30] 390 the population of Thessalonica rioted in complaint against the presence of the local Gothic garrison. The garrison commander was killed in the violence, so Theodosius ordered the Goths to kill all the spectators in the circus as retaliation, an event known as the Massacre of Thessalonica; Theodoret, a contemporary witness to these events, reports: the anger of the Emperor rose to the highest pitch, and he gratified his vindictive desire for vengeance by unsheathing the sword most unjustly and tyrannically against all, slaying the innocent and guilty alike. It is said seven thousand perished without any forms of law, and without even having judicial sentence passed upon them; but that, like ears of wheat in the time of harvest, they were alike cut down.[34] was excommunicated by the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, for the massacre.[35] Ambrose told Theodosius to imitate David in his repentance as he had imitated him in guilt; Ambrose readmitted the emperor to the Eucharist only after several months of penance.[citation needed] spring 390, possibly in April, the Massacre of Thessalonica was perpetrated by Theodosius's army, leading to a confrontation with Ambrose.[8] Ambrose demanded that the emperor do penance for the massacre.[8] According to the 5th-century church historian Theodoret, on 25 December 390 (Christmas), Ambrose received Theodosius back into the Christian Church in his bishopric of Mediolanum.[8] According to the Chronicon Paschale, on 18 February 391, the head of John the Baptist was translated to Constantinople.[8] On the 24 February, attendance at pagan sacrifices and temples was forbidden by law.[8] In early summer 391, an uprising in Alexandria was suppressed, and the Serapeum of Alexandria was destroyed.[8] On 16 June, pagan worship was prohibited by law.[8] In 391, a delegation from the Roman Senate was snubbed in Gaul because of the reappearance of the Altar of Victory in the Curia Julia.[30] to Zosimus, Theodosius then campaigned against marauding barbarian bandits in Macedonia in autumn 391.[8] Eventually, he came to Constantinople, where according to Socrates Scholasticus's Historia Ecclesiastica he held an adventus, entering the city on 10 November 391.[8] of Eugenius (r. 392-“394), showing both he and Theodosius enthroned on the reverse, each crowned by Victory and together holding an orb. Marked: victoria augg ("the Victory of the Augusti") of the Theodosian emperors from the Hoxne Hoard: portraits of Theodosius I (top), Arcadius (left), and Honorius (right) civil war: 392-“394[edit] 15 May 392, Valentinian II died at Vienna in Gaul (Vienne), either by suicide or as part of a plot by the magister militum Arbogast.[30] Valentinian had quarrelled publicly with Arbogast, and was found hanged in his room.[36] Arbogast announced that this had been a suicide.[36] He was deified with the consecratio: Divae Memoriae Valentinianus, lit. 'the Divine Memory of Valentinian'.[30] was then sole adult emperor, reigning with his son Arcadius. Arbogast was unable to assume the role of emperor because of his non-Roman background.[36] Instead, on 22 August at the behest of Arbogast, a magister scrinii and vir clarissimus, Eugenius, was acclaimed augustus at Lugdunum.[8] Eugenius made some limited concessions to the Roman religion; like Maximus he sought Theodosius's recognition in vain.[36] On 8 November 392, all cult worship of the gods was forbidden by Theodosius.[8] to Polemius Silvius, Theodosius raised his second son Honorius to augustus on 23 January 393.[8] He cited Eugenius's illegitimacy.[36] 393 was the year of Theodosius's third consulship.[8] On 29 September 393, Theodosius issued a decree for the protection of Jews.[8] According to Zosimus, at the end of April 394, Theodosius's wife Galla died.[8] On 1 August, a colossal statue of Theodosius was dedicated in Constantinople's Forum of Theodosius, an event recorded in the Chronicon Paschale.[8] the last years of Theodosius's reign, one of the emerging leaders of the Goths, named Alaric, participated in Theodosius's campaign against Eugenius in 394, only to resume his rebellious behavior against Theodosius's son and eastern successor, Arcadius, shortly after Theodosius' death. had gathered a large army, including the Goths whom he had settled in the eastern empire as foederati, as well as Caucasian and Saracen auxiliaries, and marched against Eugenius.[37] According to Socrates Scholasticus, Theodosius defeated Eugenius at the Battle of the Frigidus (the Vipava) on 6 September 394.[8] battle began on 5 September 394, with Theodosius' full frontal assault on Eugenius's forces.[citation needed] Theodosius was repulsed on the first day, and Eugenius thought the battle to be all but over.[citation needed] In Theodosius's camp, the loss of the day decreased morale.[citation needed] It is said[by whom?] that Theodosius was visited by two "heavenly riders all in white" who gave him courage.[citation needed] The next day, the battle began again and Theodosius's forces were aided by a natural phenomenon known as the Bora, which produces cyclonic winds.[38] The Bora blew directly against the forces of Eugenius and disrupted the line.[citation needed] Eugenius's camp was stormed; Eugenius was captured and soon after executed.[38] On 8 September, Arbogast killed himself.[8] to Socrates, on 1 January 395, Honorius arrived in Mediolanum and a victory celebration was held there.[8] suffered from a disease involving severe edema, in Milan.[39] According to the Consularia Constantinopolitana, Theodosius died in Mediolanum on 17 January 395.[8] His funeral was held there on 25 February.[8] Ambrose delivered a panegyric titled De obitu Theodosii in the presence Stilicho and Honorius in which Ambrose praised the suppression of paganism by Theodosius.[39] body transferred to Constantinople, where according to the Chronicon Paschale he was buried on 8 November 395 in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8] He was deified as: Divus Theodosius, lit. 'the Divine Theodosius'.[8] He was interred in a porphyry sarcophagus that was described in the 10th century by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work De Ceremoniis.[40] offers a laurel wreath to the victor, on the marble base of the Obelisk of Thutmosis III at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. patronage[edit] section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) oversaw the removal in 390 of an Egyptian obelisk from Alexandria to Constantinople.[41] It is now known as the obelisk of Theodosius and still stands in the Hippodrome of Constantinople,[41] the long Roman circus that was the centre of Constantinople's public life and scene of political turmoil. Re-erecting the monolith was a challenge for the technology that had been honed in the construction of siege engines. The obelisk, still recognizably a solar symbol, had been moved from Karnak to Alexandria with what is now the Lateran obelisk by Constantius II. Lateran obelisk was shipped to Rome soon afterwards, but the other one then spent a generation lying at the docks due to the difficulty involved in attempting to ship it to Constantinople. Eventually, the obelisk was cracked in transit. The white marble base is entirely covered with bas-reliefs documenting the imperial household and the engineering feat of removing it to Constantinople. Theodosius and the imperial family are separated from the nobles among the spectators in the imperial box, with a cover over them as a mark of their status. The naturalism of traditional Roman art in such scenes gave way in these reliefs to conceptual art: the idea of order, decorum and respective ranking, expressed in serried ranks of faces. This is seen as evidence of formal themes beginning to oust the transitory details of mundane life, celebrated in Roman portraiture. Forum Tauri in Constantinople was renamed and redecorated as the Forum of Theodosius, including a column and a triumphal arch in his honour.[42] of Nazianzus takes his leave of the emperor Theodosius in a miniature from the Paris Gregory, a 9th-century illuminated manuscript of the Homilies of Gregory policy[edit] 325, Constantine I convened the Council of Nicaea, which affirmed the doctrine that Jesus, the Son, was equal to God the Father and "of one substance" with the Father (homoousios in Greek). The Council condemned the teachings of Arius, who believed Jesus to be inferior to the Father. the council's ruling, controversy continued for decades, with several christological alternatives to the Nicene Creed being brought forth. Theologians attempted to bypass the Christological debate by saying that Jesus was merely like (homoios in Greek) God the father, without speaking of substance (ousia). These non-Nicenes were frequently labelled as Arians (i.e., followers of Arius) by their opponents, though not all would necessarily have identified themselves as such.[43] Emperor Valens had favored the group who used the homoios formula; this theology was prominent in much of the East and had under Constantius II gained a foothold in the West, being ratified by the Council of Ariminum, though it was later abjured by a majority of the western bishops (after Constantius II's death in 361). The death of Valens damaged the standing of the Homoian faction, especially since his successor Theodosius steadfastly held to the Nicene Creed which was the interpretation that predominated in the West and was held by the important Alexandrian church. of orthodoxy[edit] Barocci, Saint Ambrose forces Emperor Theodosius I to make penance for the Thessaloniki massacre (1603), left-side nave, Saint Ambrose Altar, Milan Cathedral. 27 February 380, together with Gratian and Valentinian II, Theodosius issued the decree "Cunctos populos", the so-called Edict of Thessalonica, recorded in the Codex Theodosianus xvi.1.2. This declared the Nicene Trinitarian Christianity to be the only legitimate imperial religion and the only one entitled to call itself Catholic; non-Christian religions or those who did not support the Trinity, he described as "foolish madmen".[44] He also ended official state support for the traditional polytheist religions and customs.[45] 26 November 380, two days after he had arrived in Constantinople, Theodosius expelled the Homoian bishop, Demophilus of Constantinople, and appointed Meletius patriarch of Antioch, and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the Cappadocian Fathers from Cappadocia (today in Turkey), patriarch of Constantinople. Theodosius had just been baptized, by bishop Ascholius of Thessalonica, during a severe illness.[citation needed] May 381, Theodosius summoned a new ecumenical council at Constantinople to repair the schism between East and West on the basis of Nicene orthodoxy.[46] The council went on to define orthodoxy, including the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as equal to the Father and 'proceeding' from Him, whereas the Son was 'begotten' of Him.[47] The council also "condemned the Apollonarian and Macedonian heresies, clarified jurisdictions of the bishops according to the civil boundaries of dioceses and ruled that Constantinople was second in precedence to Rome."[47] of pagan religion[edit] article: Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I persecution of pagans under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on some practices of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, decreed magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism were subject to criminal prosecution, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples. 391 and 392 Theodosius promulgated three laws restricting pagan religious practices. The first, issued in June 391 and addressed to the urban prefect of Rome, banned ritual sacrifice and access to temples, with heavy fines for infractors. A similar measure was addressed to Alexandria in June 392. These two laws were apparently aimed at public officials specifically and not binding on the population at large.[48] The third and more extreme law, issued in November 392, prohibited pagan worship in every form, including animal sacrifice and offerings of incense and wine, again threatening offenders with confiscation of property.[49] This measure was addressed specifically to the praetorian prefect of the East, the staunchly Christian Rufinus, and there is seemingly no evidence of its application in the West, where Theodosius himself appointed several pagans to high office to mollify them.[50] He turned pagan holidays into workdays, closed temples, confiscated Temple endowments and disbanded the Vestal Virgins.[51] The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.[52]:115 392 until his death in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration,[53][54] he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the empire.[55][56][57][58][59] 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs,[60] and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans.[61] He is likely to have discontinued the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.[62] Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Phocas the Bishop of Sinope, Commemorated on July 22 ; Virginmartyr Eupraxia of Tabenna, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Isaac the Ascetic of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on August 3; Venerable Horus of the Thebaid, Egypt, Commemorated on August 7; Hieromartyr Marcellus the Bishop of Apamea, Commemorated on August 14; AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (28 AUGUST 430) ; MOSES THE BLACK, DESERT FATHER & MARTYR, 28 August 405; JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH AND OF CONSTANTINOPLE, PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, LITURGIST (13 Sept. 407) ; Repose of St John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 14; NINIAN OF GALLOWAY, BISHOP, MISSIONARY TO SCOTLAND (16 SEP 430) ; St Paul the Confessor the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 6; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated on November 23; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son in Egypt, Commemorated on December 5 ; Venerable Zachariah of Egypt, Commemorated on December 5; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397); St Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Domnica of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 8; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated on January 9; Blessed Theosebia the Deaconess, sister of Sts Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; Venerable Eupraxia of Tabenna, in Egypt, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Theodulus, son of the Venerable Nilus of Sinai, Commemorated on January 14; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated on January 17; Venerable Marcian of Cyrrhus in Syria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Macarius of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 19; Venerable Macarius the Great of Egypt, Commemorated on January 19; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœComfortÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ or ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœConsolationÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on January 21; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Mausimas the Syrian, Commemorated on January 23; Venerable Salamanes the Silent of the Euphrates, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Publius the Ascetic of Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Simeon ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe AncientÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ of Mt. Sinai, Commemorated on January 26; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Palladius the Hermit, of Antioch, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Zeno the Hermit of Antioch the Disciple of St Basil the Great, Commemorated on January 30; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; St Abraham the Bishop of Charres in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Maron the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Eusebius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 15; St Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated on February 19; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; Venerable Paul the Simple and Disciple of the Venerable Anthony the Great, Commemorated on March 7; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on March 22; Martyr Bathusius in the Crimea, Commemorated on March 26 ; Venerable John the Clairvoyant, Anchorite, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 27; Venerable Apollonius, Ascetic, of Egypt, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; Venerable Theodore Trichinas ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Hair-Shirt WearerÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ and Hermit Near Constantinople, Commemorated on April 20; St Donatus the Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, Commemorated on April 30; MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); St Monica, Commemorated on May 4 ; Venerable Arsenius the Great, Commemorated on May 8 ; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379); St Augustine the Bishop of Hippo, Commemorated on June 15 ; St Jerome (Hieronymus) of Stridonium, Commemorated on June 15; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœUnsleeping OnesÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381
Constantinople, 381, Second Ecumenical Council 381, First Council of Constantinople; of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; Second Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 381 and consolidated the victory of Orthodoxy attained in the year 325 at the First Ecumenical Council. the difficult years which passed after the acceptance of the Nicene Symbol of Faith (Creed), the Arian heresy developed new offshoots. Under the guise of struggle against the Sabellian heresy, which taught about a blending of the Hypostatic Persons of the Father and the Son [as mere aspects or modalities within the Trinity], Macedonius began to employ the word “homoiousiosâ€ “of similar essenceâ€ [in contrast to the Orthodox teaching of “homoousiosâ€, “of the same essenceâ€] regarding the essence of the Son and that of the Father. formula still presented a danger because Macedonius presented himself as a struggler against the Arians, who used the term “like the Father.â€ Besides this, the Macedonians, being semi-Arians, depending on conditions and advantages of the moment, sometimes inclined towards Orthodoxy, sometimes towards Arianism. They blasphemed the Holy Spirit by suggesting that He was not “of the same essenceâ€ with the Father and the Son. second heretic, Aetius, introduced the concept “anomoionâ€ (“different in essence.â€) He said that the Father has a completely different essence from that of the Son. His disciple Eunomios taught a hierarchical subordination of the Son to the Father, and of the Holy Spirit to the Son. Everyone who came to him was rebaptized into the “death of Christ,â€ denying Baptism in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, which is commanded us by the Savior Himself (Mt. 28:19). third heresy arose from the teachings of Valentius and Ursacius at the Arimonian Council. They attempted to deceive the Orthodox bishops, proclaiming that the Son of God is from God, and is in the likeness of God the Father, and is not a created being as the Arians taught. The heretics did not wish to use the term “one in essenceâ€ in describing the relation of the Son to the Father, saying that the word “essenceâ€ is not found within the Holy Scripture. Besides these three main heresies, there were also many other false teachings. The heretic Apollinarios said, “The flesh of the Savior did not have a human soul or reason. The Word of God took the place of the absent soul; and Divinity remained dead for three days.â€ order to refute these heretical opinions, the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-395) convened an Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, at which 150 bishops were present. Upon investigation by the Holy Fathers it was proposed that a Creed which holy Pope Damasus had sent to Bishop Paulinus of Antioch should be read. This appears to be the so-called Sirmean Creed, drawn up by Potamius of Lisbon, who participated in a pro-Arian Council at Sirmium in 357, but changed his opinions two years later. The document was a vain attempt to please everyone by not mentioning the terms ousia (essence, or substance), homoousios (identical in essence, or substance), and homoiousion (similar in essence, or substance), "by which the minds of many are perturbed." It said that there "ought to be no mention of any of them at all, nor any exposition of them in the Church." By not defining the Church's teaching clearly, the document is ambiguous, neither endorsing the various heresies it contained, nor the teaching of the Church. Ecumenical Synod is convened primarily to deal with false teachings and refute them by proclaiming the faith handed down to us by the Apostles and the Holy Fathers. To use the definition of St. Vincent of Lérins: "that which has been believed everywhere, always, by everyone." There can be no compromise between truth and falsehood. the document was aloud, the Holy Fathers rejected the false teaching of Macedonius, and unanimously affirmed the Apostolic teaching that the Holy Spirit is not a creature, but is rather the Life-Creating Lord, Who proceeds from the Father, and is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. In order to combat other heresies, of the Eunomians, Arians and Semi-Arians, the Holy Fathers reaffirmed the Nicene Symbol of Faith. the Symbol (Creed), accepted by the First Ecumenical Council, the divine nature of the Holy Spirit was not addressed, since at that earlier time [in 325] heresies against the Holy Spirit had not become widespread. Therefore, the holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council added to the Nicean Symbol its eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth sections. They definitively formulated and affirmed the Nicene-Constantinople Symbol of Faith, which is used even now by all the Orthodox Churches. Second Ecumenical Council also established the norms for ecclesiastical courts [Canon VI], and it decided to receive those repentant heretics who were properly baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity through Chrismation, but those baptized with a single immersion were to be received as pagans. Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 25 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Iconium, Commemorated November 23 ; St Peter the Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, Commemorated January 9 ; St Gregory the Bishop of Nyssa, Commemorated January 10; Emperor Theodosius the Great, Commemorated January 17 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 25 ; St Gregory the Theologian the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; St Meletius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated February 12; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Eustathius the Archbishop of Antioch, Commemorated on February 21; GREGORY OF NYSSA, (9 MAR 395); St Cyril the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 18; CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND THEOLOGIAN (18 MAR 386) ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA, THEOLOGIAN, DOCTOR (2 MAY 373); MONNICA, MOTHER OF AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO (4 MAY 387); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on May 22; BASIL THE GREAT, BISHOP, THEOLOGIAN (14 JUNE 379);

Constantinople, 383, Saturninus (consul 383), christian roman officer and politician, Goths, Thrace, Haemus pass, plains, exiled
Byzantium, 383, Saturninus (consul 383); Saturninus (fl. 377–400) was a Roman army officer and politician. was probably a Christian: it is known that he hosted a bishop, that he donated to a monastery and that he was in touch for a short time with Gregory of Nazianzus. followed the military career, and in 377/378 he fought against the Goths. After the inconclusive Battle of the Willows, the Eastern Emperor Valens, who was in the Eastern frontier, appointed Saturninus temporary commander of cavalry and sent him to Thrace with a cavalry unit, to support the magister peditum Traianus.[1] Saturninus and Traianus blocked the Goths near the passes of the Haemus, building a line of fortifications that repulsed the Gothic attacks. The two generals hoped to force the Goths to suffer through the cold winter and the scarcity of food in order to force them into submission; alternatively, the two generals planned to call back the sentinels, luring the Goths of Fritigern into an open-field battle in the plains between the Haemus and the Danube, where they were confident of winning.[2] Fritigern did not accept battle, but enlisted Hunnic and Alan reinforcements. Saturninus realised that he could no longer fight the enemy with his troops, lifted the block on the mountain passes, and retired.[3] magister militum per Thracias, Emperor Theodosius I, who had succeeded Valens after his death in the Battle of Adrianople, entrusted Saturninus to negotiate peace with the Goths: in October 382 he signed a treaty according to which the Goths were to live in the Low Danube as foederati. successful negotiation guaranteed Saturninus the imperial favour, and he was appointed consul for the year 383. Themistius dedicated to him a panegyric. 400 Saturninus was serving under the Eastern Emperor Arcadius, when the magister militum Gainas deposed and exiled him. Venerable Isaac the Founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople, Commemorated on May 30 ;

Constantinople, 406-425, Patriarch, Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople, Opposed J Chry, then
Constantinople Patriarch, 406-425, Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople; Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the "œUnsleeping Ones"Â, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6;

Byzantium, 408-450, Emperor, Theodosius II, Younger, Eastern half, T Law Code, 2 heresies, University, Walls
Byzantine Emperor, 408-450, Theodosius II the Younger ; II (10 April 401 – 28 July 450), commonly called Theodosius the Younger[2] or the Calligrapher, was Roman emperor for most of his life, proclaimed augustus as an infant in 402 and ruling as the eastern Empire's sole emperor after the death of his father Arcadius in 408. His reign was marked by the promulgation of the Theodosian law code and the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He also presided over the outbreak of two great Christological controversies, Nestorianism and Eutychianism Venerable Dius the Abbot of Antioch, Commemorated on July 19; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Gamaliel, Commemorated August 2 ; Finding of the relics of the Righteous St Nicodemus, Commemorated on August 2; Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; 7 Holy Youths "Seven Sleepers" of Ephesus, Commemorated August 4; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Venerable Theoctistus, Commemorated on September 3; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Andronicus of Egypt with his Wife, Commemorated on October 9 ; Martyr Nazarius of Milan, Commemorated on October 14; 7 Holy Youths œSeven SleepersÂ of Ephesus, Commemorated on October 22; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable John the Short, of Egypt, Commemorated on November 9; Venerable Matrona the Abbess of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20 ; St Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable James the Solitary of Syria, Commemorated on November 26; Prophet Habakkuk, Commemorated on December 2; St John of Egypt, Commemorated on December 2; St Theodoulus the Eparch of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 3 ; Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, Commemorated on December 27; Venerable Marcellus the Abbot of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on December 29; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated on December 31; Virginmartyr Appolinaria of Egypt, Commemorated on January 5; St Marcian the Presbyter in Constantinople, Commemorated on January 10; St Theodosius of Antioch, Commemorated on January 11 ; St Elian, Missionary to Cornwall, England, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable John Calabytes œthe Hut-DwellerÂ, Commemorated on January 15; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated on January 16 ; Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter, Commemorated on January 16; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Venerable Euthymius the Great, Commemorated on January 20; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23; St Macedonius the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on January 24; St Philon, Bishop of Kolpasteia, Crete, Commemorated on January 24; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 27; Venerable Euphrosyne of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 15; St Leo the Great the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Alexander the founder of the Monastery, of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable John, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; First and second finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist of the Lord, John, Commemorated on February 24; St Porphyrius the Bishop of Gaza, Commemorated on February 26; St Asclepius of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17 ; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; St Mares the Singer in Syria, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Peter the Hermit of Galatia Near Antioch, in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; Venerable Vendemianus the Hermit of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 1; Venerable Isidore of Pelusium, Commemorated on February 4; Venerable Martinian of Caesarea, in Palestine, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Auxentius of Bithynia, Commemorated on February 14; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18; Venerable Baradates, Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 22; Venerable Moses, Ascetic of the Syrian Deserts, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Thalelaeus the Hermit of Syria, Commemorated on February 27; Hieromartyr Proterius the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Marana of Syria, Commemorated on February 28; St Germanus of Dacia Pontica, Commemorated on February 29; Venerable John Cassian the Roman, Commemorated on February 29; Virginmartyr Domnina of Syria, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Agathon of Egypt, Commemorated on March 2; St Mark the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on March 5 ; St Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Alexis the Man of God, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Hypatius the Abbot of Rufinus in Chalcedon, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable George of Mt. Maleon in the Peloponnesus, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on April 7 ; St Celestine the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 8 ; St Acacius the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on April 17; St Theotimus the Bishop of Lesser Scythia, Commemorated on April 20; St Maximian the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 21; Blessed Thais of Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St Polybius the Bishop in Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; St Epiphanius the Bishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12 ; St Sabinus the Archbishop of Cyprus, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Serapion of Egypt, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Bessarion the Wonderworker of Egypt, Commemorated on June 6; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Bassian the Bishop of Lodi in Lombardy, Commemorated on June 10; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; St Julius the Presbyter of Novara, Commemorated on June 21; Jacob Riis of WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH, WASHINGTON GLADDEN, and JACOB RIIS, PROPHETIC WITNESSES, 1918, 1918, 1914, Commemorated July 2 ; St Alexander the Founder of the Monastery of the œUnsleeping OnesÂ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Sisoes the Great, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Constantinople, 412-444, Egyptian Patriarch, Cyril of Alexandria, C of Ephesus 431, anti Nestor, Novat and Jew
Egyptian Patriarch, 412-444, Cyril of Alexandria; of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire. wrote extensively and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies of the late-4th and 5th centuries. was a central figure in the Council of Ephesus in 431, which led to the deposition of Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople. is counted among the Church Fathers and also as a Doctor of the Church, and his reputation within the Christian world has resulted in his titles Pillar of Faith and Seal of all the Fathers. Roman Emperor Theodosius II, however, condemned him for behaving like a "proud pharaoh", and the Nestorian bishops at their synod at the Council of Ephesus declared him a heretic, labelling him as a "monster, born and educated for the destruction of the church."[1] is well known for his dispute with Nestorius and his supporter Patriarch John of Antioch whom Cyril excluded from the Council of Ephesus for arriving late. is also known for his expulsion of Novatians and Jews from Alexandria and for inflaming tensions that led to the murder of the Hellenistic philosopher Hypatia by a Christian mob. Historians disagree over the extent of his responsibility in this. tried to oblige the pious Christian emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450) to himself by dedicating his Paschal table to him.[2] It is also important to note that Cyril's Paschal table was provided with a Metonic basic structure in the form of a Metonic 19-year lunar cycle adopted by him around AD 425, which was very different from the first Metonic 19-year lunar cycle invented around AD 260 by Anatolius, but exactly equal to the similar lunar cycle which had been introduced around AD 412 by Annianus; the julian equivalent of this Alexandrian lunar cycle adopted by Cyril and nowadays referred to as the 'classical (Alexandrian) 19-year lunar cycle' would only much later emerge again: a century later in Rome as the basic structure of Dionysius Exiguus’ Paschal table (AD 525) and two more centuries later in England as the one of Beda's Easter table (AD 725).[3] Catholic Church did not commemorate Saint Cyril in the Tridentine Calendar: it added his feast only in 1882, assigning to it the date of 9 February. This date is used by the Western Rite Orthodox Church. Yet the 1969 Catholic Calendar revision moved it to 27 June, considered to be the day of the saint's death, as celebrated by the Coptic Orthodox Church.[4] The same date has been chosen for the Lutheran calendar. The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches celebrate his feast day on 9 June and also, together with Pope Athanasius I of Alexandria, on 18 January. St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on June 9; St Cyril the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on January 18; Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and censure the delusions of the heretics. Cyril was the nephew of Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who educated him from his youth. He succeeded to his uncle’s position in 412, but was deposed through the intrigues of the Nestorian heretics. He later resumed his See, however. Cyril presided at the Third Ecumenical Council in 431, which censured the Nestorian blasphemy against the Most Holy Theotokos. His wise words demonstrated the error of their false doctrine. Cyril departed to the Lord in the year 444, and is also commemorated on June 9 (the day of his repose). 10,000 Martyred Fathers of the Deserts and Caves of Scete by the Impious Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Hellius of Egypt, Commemorated on July 14;

Byzantium, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint, hellenic writer
Jerusalem, 420-460, Empress, Aelia Eudocia, wife of Theodosius Younger, heretic then redemed saint; Eudocia Augusta (/ËˆiËliÉ™ juËËˆdoÊŠÊƒÉ™ É”ËËˆÉ¡ÊŒstÉ™/; Greek: Î•á½Î´Î¿ÎºÎ¯Î±; c. 401 – 460 AD), also called Saint Eudocia, was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Theodosius II (r. 402–450). lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity existed side by side, with both pagans and non-orthodox Christians being persecuted.[1] 1 Early life 2 Life as an empress 2.1 Marriage 2.1.1 Blending Christianity with classical culture 2.2 Children 2.3 Pilgrimage to Jerusalem (438–439) 2.4 Banishment 2.5 In Jerusalem (443–460) 3 Literary work 3.1 Martyrdom of St. Cyprian 3.2 The Hamat Gader poem 3.3 Homeric centos 4 Legacy 5 See also 6 References 6.1 Citations 6.2 Sources 7 External links life Eudocia was born circa 400 in Athens into a family of Greek descent.[2][3][4][5][6] Her father, a Greek philosopher named Leontius,[5][6][7] taught rhetoric at the Academy of Athens, where people from all over the Mediterranean came to either teach or learn. Eudocia's given name was Athenais, chosen by her parents in honour of the city's protector, the pagan goddess Pallas Athena.[8] Her father was rich and had a magnificent house on the Acropolis with a large courtyard in which young Athenais frequently played as a child.[8] Athenais was 12 years old, her mother died and she became her father's comfort, taking on the responsibilities of household chores, raising her siblings and tending to her father. She had two brothers, Gessius and Valerius, who would later receive honours at court from their sister and brother-in-law. In return for her household activities, her father spent time giving her a thorough training in rhetoric, literature and philosophy. He taught her the Socratic virtue of knowledge of moderation, and predicted that she would have a great destiny.[9] She had a gift for memorisation, and easily learned the poetry of Homer and Pindar, which her father would recite to her. Both as a teacher and a role model, he had a great impact on her, prepared her for her destiny and influenced the literary work she created after she became Empress. he died in 420, she was devastated. In his will, he left all his property to her brothers, with only 100 coins reserved for her, saying that sufficient for her is her destiny, which will be the greatest of any woman.[9] Athenais had been her father's confidante and had expected more than this meager 100-coin inheritance. She begged her brothers to be fair and give her an equal share of their father's property, but they refused. after her father's death, at the age of 20, Athenais went to live with her aunt, who advised her to go to Constantinople and "ask for justice from the Emperor", confident she would receive her fair share of her father's wealth.[10] as an empress coin depicting a portrait of Aelia Eudocia, 425–429 AD. has it that when Theodosius (b. 401) was 20 years old, he wanted to get married. He talked to his sister Pulcheria, who began to search for a maiden fit for her brother, that was of either "patrician or imperial blood."[11] His longtime childhood friend, Paulinus, also helped Theodosius in his search.[11] Emperor's search had begun fortuitously at the same time that Athenais had arrived in Constantinople. Pulcheria had heard about this young woman, who had only 100 coins to her name, and when she met her, she was "astonished at her beauty and at the intelligence and sophistication with which she presented her grievance."[11] Upon reporting back to her brother, she told him she had "found a young girl, a Greek maid, very beautiful, pure and dainty, eloquent as well, the daughter of a philosopher", and young Theodosius, who was full of desire, fell in love instantly.[11] had been raised pagan, and upon her marriage to Theodosius II converted to Christianity and was renamed Eudocia.[12] They were married on 7 June 421, and there were "reports that Theodosius celebrated his wedding with chariot races in the hippodrome".[13] Her brothers, who had rejected her after their father's death, fled since they were fearful of the punishment they thought they were going to receive when they learned that she became empress.[14] instead called them to Constantinople, and Theodosius rewarded them.[14] The emperor made Gessius praetorian prefect of Illyricum and made Valerius magister officiorum.[14] Both Gessius and Valerius were rewarded because Eudocia believed that their mistreatment of her was part of her destiny.[14] Theodosius also honoured his best friend, Paulinus, with the title of magister officiorum, for he had helped find his wife.[14] rags-to-riches story, though it claims to be authentic and is accepted among historians, leads one to believe that the tale may have been twisted due to the detail of how the romance was portrayed. The earliest version of this story appeared more than a century after Eudocia's death in the "World Chronicle" of John Malalas, "an author who did not always distinguish between authentic history and a popular memory of events infused with folk-tale motifs".[15] facts are that she was the daughter of Leontius and she did originally have the name Athenais, according to the contemporary historians Socrates of Constantinople, and Priscus of Panion; however, they leave out any mention of Pulcheria's role in playing match-maker for her brother.[13] The historians Sozomen and Theodoret did not include Eudocia in their respective historical works, perhaps because they wrote after 443 when Eudocia had fallen into disgrace.[15] Christianity with classical culture on her pilgrimage to Jerusalem in spring of 438, Eudocia stopped in Antioch, and during her stay she addressed the senate of that city in Hellenic style (i.e., an encomium cast in Homeric hexameters) and distributed funds for the repair of its buildings.[6][16] was very conscious of her Greek heritage, as demonstrated in her famous address to the citizens of Antioch where she quoted a famous line by Homer: (Of your proud line and blood I claim to be).[6][16][17][18] last words of Eudocia's oration brought loud acclaim from the listeners, which resulted in the citizens of Antioch celebrating the Empress Eudocia's Christian Hellenism and commemorating her by erecting a golden statue of her in the curia and a bronze statue in the museum.[17][18][19] On her return, her position was undermined by the jealousy of Pulcheria and the groundless suspicion of an intrigue with her protege, Paulinus, the master of the offices.[20] historical study Theodosian Empresses: Women and Imperial Dominion in Late Antiquity (1982) by Kenneth Holum, further introduced the suggestion that her father, Leontius, was a native of Antioch rather than Athens, drawing from the "traditional link" between the two cities and their philosophers. argument is considered doubtful as the building activity of Eudocia in the 420s focused on Athens rather than Antioch.[21] Holum suggests that Eudocia may have been named after the great city of Athens, but she would have been born in Antioch. She even convinced her husband to "extend the walls of Antioch to take in a large suburb".[22] she also influenced state policy towards pagans and Jews under her husband's reign, and used the powerful influence she had to protect them from persecution.[22] also advocated for "reorganization and expansion" of education in Constantinople.[23] Eudocia had been raised and educated in traditional and classical sophist education from Athens, but her goal was to blend classical pagan education with Christianity. This was her way of using her power as empress to honour teachers and education, something that was very important to her in her life. also built the original Church of St. Polyeuctus in Constantinople, which her great-granddaughter Anicia Juliana greatly expanded and furnished in the 6th century. had three children with Theodosius II.[24][25] Licinia Eudoxia, born in 422, was the oldest. Licinia Eudoxia had been betrothed to her cousin, the Western Roman emperor Valentinian III since her birth, whom she married on 29 October 437.[26] The second child, Flaccilla, died in 431.[24] Arcadius was the only son and died in infancy. Only a year after she gave birth to her first child, Eudocia was proclaimed Augusta by her husband on 2 January 423.[27] to Jerusalem (438–439) mosaic depicting Eudocia in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia, Bulgaria. being named Augusta, she succeeded her sister-in-law, Pulcheria, who had been Augusta since 414. The relationship between the two women consisted of rivalry over power. Eudocia was jealous over the amount of power Pulcheria had within the court, while Pulcheria was jealous of the power Eudocia could claim from her. Their relationship created a "pious atmosphere" in the imperial court, and probably explains why Eudocia travelled to the Holy Land in 438.[28] went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 438, bringing back with her holy relics to prove her faith.[24] Her relationship with her husband had deteriorated, and with much pleading from Melania, a wealthy widow from Palestine and good friend of Eudocia, Theodosius allowed her to go.[29] 443, Eudocia left the palace for reasons that cannot be fully ascertained. One rumor has it that Eudocia was banished from the court towards the latter part of her life for adultery. Theodosius suspected that she was having an affair with his long-time childhood friend and court advisor, Paulinus.[24] According to Malalas's account of this story, Theodosius II had given Eudocia a very large Phrygian apple as a gift. One day Paulinus had shown the emperor the same apple, not knowing that the emperor had given it to Eudocia as a gift. Theodosius recognized the apple and confronted Eudocia who had sworn she had eaten it. Eudocia's denials made the emperor believe that she had fallen in love with Paulinus and was having an affair, and had given his best friend the same apple he had given to her as a symbol of his love. Theodosius had Paulinus executed and Eudocia, embarrassed, decided to leave the court in 443.[16] the other hand, Marcellinus' version suggests intrigues of Theodosius and Eudocia against each other: on Theodosius' orders, comes domesticorum Saturninus killed two allies of the empress, and in revenge, she went on to have Saturninus assassinated.[contradictory] Theodosius subsequently deprived Eudocia of her royal attendants, prompting her to leave the palace.[30] Whatever the cause of her departure may be, she still retained her wealth and the title Augusta. Jerusalem (443–460) returned to Jerusalem in circa 443, where she lived for the last part of her life. In Jerusalem she focused on her writing. Here she was accused of the murder of an officer sent to kill two of her followers,[contradictory] for which she suffered the loss of her imperial staff;[12] she nevertheless retained great influence. involved in the revolt of the Syriac Monophysites (453), she was ultimately reconciled to Pulcheria and readmitted into the Orthodox Church. died an Orthodox Christian in Jerusalem on 20 October 460,[2] having devoted her last years to literature.[20] She was buried in Jerusalem in the Church of Saint Stephen,[31] one of the churches she had herself built in Jerusalem[32] (modern St. Stephen's Basilica now stands at the site). The empress never returned to the imperial court in Constantinople, but "she maintained her imperial dignity and engaged in substantial euergetistic programs."[33] work Eudocia. Colored stone inlay on marble from church of Lips monastery (Fenari Isa Mosque), Fatih, Istanbul. Archeological Museum. after her accession as an empress, Eudocia wrote a hexameter poem eulogizing the Roman performance in the Persian wars of 421–22. The work is now lost. While Eudocia could have written a lot of literature after leaving the court, only some of her work survived. Eudocia "wrote in hexameters, which is the verse of epic poetry, on Christian themes".[24] She wrote a poem entitled The Martyrdom of St. Cyprian in three books, of which 900 lines survived, and an inscription of a poem on the baths at Hamat Gader.[24] Her most studied piece of literature is her Homeric cento, which has been analyzed recently by a few modern scholars, such as Mark Usher and Brian Sowers. Eudocia is an understudied poet and has been neglected due to "lack of complete and authoritative text".[34] of St. Cyprian are three books (or volumes) to this epic poem, which tells the story of how "Justa, the Christian virgin, defeated the magician Cyprian through her faith in God. Cyprian had been hired by Aglaidas to force Justa to love him. It ends with the conversion of Cyprian, his swift rise to the rank of Bishop, and Justa becoming a deaconess, with the new name, Justina."[35] She later became known as Justina of Antioch. This story is all fiction, although the parallels between Eudocia's character Justa and Eudocia herself are interesting, as both of them converted to Christianity and changed their names upon succeeding to power. Although some of the text has been lost, most of it has been paraphrased by Photius. The poem is very long despite not all of it surviving the centuries, and can be found in Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome (2004) edited by Michael Ian Plant. The Hamat Gader poem poem inscribed on the baths at Hamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool. inscription of the poem I have seen many wonders in my life, countless, But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean, Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams. From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there, On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid. Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty. Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah, Antoninus the Good, Dewy Galatia, and Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small, Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's. For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting. But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom For the benefit of speaking mortals. — [36] line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names include Hygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holy Elijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.[37] centos Homeric centos that Eudocia composed are her most popular poems, as well as those most analyzed by modern scholars, because Homer was a popular choice on which to write a cento. Eudocia's centos are the longest Homeric centos, and consist of 2,344 lines.[35] These centos are a clear representation of who Eudocia was, and what she believed in—an epic poem combining her Athenian classical educational background, but adding stories from the book of Genesis and the New Testament stories of the life of Jesus Christ. Usher analyzed this poem as a way to understand why Eudocia chose to use Homeric themes as a means to express her biblical interpretations. According to Usher, Eudocia needed to convey human experience relating to the Bible. She used themes from the Iliad and Odyssey because "they contained all Eudocia needed to tell the Gospel story. Whenever and wherever Eudocia needed to express greatness, pain, truthfulness, deceit, beauty, suffering, mourning, recognition, understanding, fear, or astonishment, there was an apt Homeric line or passage ready in her memory to be recalled."[38] Eudocia's Homeric poetry is essential to understanding her as a Christian woman in the Eastern Roman Empire, and understanding her role as empress. Her classical educational background is clearly seen in her poetry, which captures her literary talent. She made a point to connect her background love for studying classical Greek literature to her Christian beliefs. is regarded as saint in non-Protestant Christianity. Her feast day is 13 August. plot of Antonio Vivaldi's opera Atenaide is based on the courtship and marriage of Eudocia and Theodosius. is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[39][40] Jerusalem, 420-457, Patriarch, Theodosius of Jerusalem, head of the heretics; (died 457) was one of the leading Christian monks of Palestine opposed to the Council of Chalcedon (451). He was installed as bishop of Jerusalem in opposition Juvenal in 451 or 452, but was forced into exile by the emperor Marcian in 453.[1][2] about his life comes mainly from the works of John Rufus. These include a biography of Peter the Iberian and a narration of Theodosius' exile and death, the Narratio de obitu Theodosii Hierosolymitani. The latter is a short text known only from the Syriac version in two manuscripts.[3] Rufus describes Theodosius as a confessor and martyr.[4] A complementary anti-Chalcedonian Syriac account is found in Pseudo-Zacharias Rhetor.[5] A Chalcedonian version of events is given in Cyril of Scythopolis' biography of Euthymius the Great.[2] Juvenal returned to Jerusalem from Chalcedon in 451, many monks and clergy tried to persuade him to recant his acceptance of the council's canons. When he refused, they elected Theodosius as bishop in opposition and Juvenal fled.[5] Theodosius consecrated many anti-Chalcedonian bishops, including Peter the Iberian in the diocese of Maiuma.[2] When Juvenal returned with imperial troops in August 453, there were briefly two active bishops in the city.[6] Theodosius, however, accepted a sentence of exile and did not fight.[2] The bishops he consecrated, except for Peter, were deposed.[7] first went to Egypt or perhaps Sinai.[4] He then went to Antioch, perhaps to secure the support of Symeon Stylites, but was arrested at the city gates. On the orders of Marcian, he was brought to Constantinople. When he refused Marcian's entreaties to accept Chalcedon, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Saint Dios. When the abbot of that house was unable to win him over, he moved him to a narrow unheated cell for the winter. Theodosius fell seriously ill. When Leo I succeeded Marcian, he turned Theodosius over to the custody of the anti-Chalcedonian monks of Sykai. The deposed bishop died only a few days later.[8] His body was taken to Cyprus to prevent the Chalcedonians from stealing it to claim he had changed his mind. It was buried in an anti-Chalcedonian monastery.[4] The Narratio records that Theodosius' companion, Abban Romanus, was recalled to Palestine after his death.[3] the Coptic Orthodox Church, Theodosius was remembered as a champion of orthodoxy against Chalcedonism. Two works are attributed to him, but both are late Coptic forgeries. The first, In Honor of Victor, is a biography of the martyr Victor Stratelates. It is a poorly written text describing the virtues of Victor and the miracles he performed at Jerusalem. It is preserved in a codex from the White Monastery. The second, The Miracles of Saint George, is a homily on the miracles of Saint George, mostly surrounding the construction of his shrine in Jaffa.[2] Jerusalem Patriarch, 420-458, Juvenal; St Juvenal the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on July 2; Repentence) The saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years. Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, occupied the throne of the Holy City during the years 420-458. During this period great luminaries of the Church enlightened the world: Saints Euthymius the Great (January 20), Simeon the Stylite (September 1), Gerasimus of Jordan (March 4), and many others. Juvenal was a friend and converser with Saint Euthymius the Great. During Saint Juvenal’s archpastoral service, the Eastern Church was troubled by dangerous false teachings, which he opposed with a pastoral zeal, safeguarding the flock of Christ. Third Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Ephesus in 431. It condemned the heresy of Nestorius, which was opposed to the Orthodox teaching of the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (June 9) presided at this Council, and among his colleagues was Patriarch Juvenal. 451, the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in the city of Chalcedon. It condemned the Eutchian [Monophysite] heresy, which taught that the human nature in Christ was totally swallowed up and absorbed by the divine nature. The holy Fathers, among them Saint Juvenal, condemned the heresy of Eutychius and affirmed the Orthodox doctrine of the union of two natures in the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine and the human, without separation and without mixture. The heretics, however, continued to confuse the minds of Christians. the head of the heretics stood Theodosius, who lived at Jerusalem, and who had won over to his side Eudokia, the widow of the emperor Theodosius the Younger (+ 450), who lived at Jerusalem. He demanded that Patriarch Juvenal repudiate the Council of Chalcedon, that is, that he should renounce the Orthodox dogma of the two natures in Christ. Juvenal would not agree to embrace falsehood, and bravely confessed the Chalcedon doctrine before the heretics. Theodosius and his adherents then deposed Patriarch Juvenal from the patriarchal throne. The saint withdrew to Constantinople, to Patriarch Anatolius (July 3) and the emperor Marcian. The heretic Theodosius, under the patronage of Eudokia, occupied the patriarchal throne in Palestine, but only for twenty months. Emperor Marcian, holding Saint Juvenal in high esteem, placed him on the patriarchal throne once more, and so the holy confessor returned to Jerusalem. saint made many efforts to restore Church peace. At the suggestion of Saint Simeon the Stylite, the empress Eudokia repented before Saint Juvenal and returned to communion with the Orthodox. A large part of the Jerusalem flock, who had been led astray by the heretics, followed her. Having defeated the pernicious heresies, and having established oneness of mind and propriety, Patriarch Juvenal died peacefully among his faithful flock, after serving as a bishop for thirty-eight years.

Constantinople, 434-446, Patriarch, Proclus of Constantinople, disciple of J Chry
Constantinople Patriarch, 434-446, Proclus of Constantinople; St Proclus the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 20; Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, from his early years devoted all his time to prayer and the study of Holy Scripture. Lord granted him the great good fortune to be a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (November 13), who at first ordained him as a deacon, and then to the holy priesthood. witnessed the appearance of the Apostle Paul to Saint John Chrysostom. Saint Proclus received from his teacher a profound understanding of Holy Scripture, and learned to elucidate his thoughts in a polished form. the exile and death of Saint John Chrysostom, the holy Patriarch of Constantinople Sisinius (426-427) consecrated Saint Proclus as bishop of the city of Kyzikos, but under the influence of Nestorian heretics he was expelled by his flock there. Proclus then returned to the capital and preached the Word of God in the churches of Constantinople, strengthening listeners in the Orthodox Faith and denouncing the impiety of the heretics. once preached a sermon before Nestorius in which he fearlessly defended the title “Theotokosâ€ in speaking of the holy Virgin. the death of the Patriarch Saint Sisinius, Saint Proclus was chosen to take his place. Having thus been made Patriarch of Constantinople, he guided the Church over the course of twelve years (434-447). By the efforts of Saint Proclus, the relics of Saint John Chrysostom were transferred from Comana to Constantinople in the time of the holy emperor Saint Theodosius II (408-450). Saint Proclus was Patriarch, the Empire suffered destructive earthquakes, lasting for several months. At Bithynia, in the Hellespont, and in Phrygia cities were devastated, rivers disappeared from the face of the earth, and terrible flooding occurred in previously dry places. people of Constantinople came out of the city with the patriarch and emperor at their head and offered prayers for an end to the unprecedented calamities. one prayer service, a boy from the crowd was snatched up into the air by an unseen force and carried up to such a height that he was no longer to be seen by human eyes. Then, whole and unharmed, the child was lowered to the ground and he reported that he heard and he saw the angels glorifying God singing: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal.â€ the people began to sing this Trisagion Prayer, adding to it the refrain, “Have mercy on us!â€ Then the earthquakes stopped. The Orthodox Church sings still this prayer at divine services to this very day. Constantinople flock esteemed their Patriarch for his ascetic life, for his concern about the downtrodden, and for his preaching. works of the saint have survived to the present day. Best known are his discourses against the Nestorians, two tracts of the Saint in praise of the Mother of God, and four tracts on the Nativity of Christ, setting forth the Orthodox teaching about the Incarnation of the Son of God. The activity of the holy patriarch in establishing decorum in all the church affairs gained him universal esteem. Surrounded by love and respect, Saint Proclus departed to the Lord after serving as Patriarch for twenty years. St Flavian the Confessor the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 18;

Constantinople, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea, stone mason building church, killed by townspeople at night w sword
Syria, 450, Martyr Anthony, Apamea; Apamea, Syria; Martyr Anthony of Apamea, Commemorated on November 9 ; Holy Martyr Anthony, a Syrian, lived during the fifth century and was a stone-mason. With the blessing of the bishop of the Syrian city of Apamea, he started to build a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. When the pagan townspeople learned of this, they rushed into his house by night and murdered him with a sword.

Constantinople, 450, Seven Sleepers, 250-450, wealthy, m belts, hid in cave, entrance sealed, sleep, owner resurection
Ephesus, 250, Seven Sleepers; 7 Holy Youths œSeven Sleepers of Ephesus, Commemorated on August 4; Seven Youths of Ephesus: Maximilian, Iamblicus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus (Constantine) and Antoninus, lived in the third century. Saint Maximilian was the son of the Ephesus city administrator, and the other six youths were sons of illustrious citizens of Ephesus. The youths were friends from childhood, and all were in military service together. the emperor Decius (249-251) arrived in Ephesus, he commanded all the citizens to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. Torture and death awaited anyone who disobeyed. The seven youths were denounced by informants, and were summoned to reply to the charges. Appearing before the emperor, the young men confessed their faith in Christ. military belts and insignia were quickly taken from them. Decius permitted them to go free, however, hoping that they would change their minds while he was off on a military campaign. The youths fled from the city and hid in a cave on Mount Ochlon, where they passed their time in prayer, preparing for martyrdom. youngest of them, Saint Iamblicus, dressed as a beggar and went into the city to buy bread. On one of his excursions into the city, he heard that the emperor had returned and was looking for them. Saint Maximilian urged his companions to come out of the cave and present themselves for trial. where the young men were hidden, the emperor ordered that the entrance of the cave be sealed with stones so that the saints would perish from hunger and thirst. Two of the dignitaries at the blocked entrance to the cave were secret Christians. Desiring to preserve the memory of the saints, they placed in the cave a sealed container containing two metal plaques. On them were inscribed the names of the seven youths and the details of their suffering and death. Lord placed the youths into a miraculous sleep lasting almost two centuries. In the meantime, the persecutions against Christians had ceased. During the reign of the holy emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) there were heretics who denied that there would be a general resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of them said, “How can there be a resurrection of the dead when there will be neither soul nor body, since they are disintegrated?” Others affirmed, “The souls alone will have a restoration, since it would be impossible for bodies to arise and live after a thousand years, when even their dust would not remain.” Therefore, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead and of the future life through His seven saints. owner of the land on which Mount Ochlon was situated, discovered the stone construction, and his workers opened up the entrance to the cave. The Lord had kept the youths alive, and they awoke from their sleep, unaware that almost two hundred years had passed. Their bodies and clothing were completely undecayed. to accept torture, the youths once again asked Saint Iamblicus to buy bread for them in the city. Going toward the city, the youth was astonished to see a cross on the gates. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ freely spoken, he began to doubt that he was approaching his own city. he paid for the bread, Iamblicus gave the merchant coins with the image of the emperor Decius on it. He was detained, as someone who might be concealing a horde of old money. They took Saint Iamblicus to the city administrator, who also happened to be the Bishop of Ephesus. Hearing the bewildering answers of the young man, the bishop perceived that God was revealing some sort of mystery through him, and went with other people to the cave. the entrance to the cave the bishop found the sealed container and opened it. He read upon the metal plaques the names of the seven youths and the details of the sealing of the cave on the orders of the emperor Decius. Going into the cave and seeing the saints alive, everyone rejoiced and perceived that the Lord, by waking them from their long sleep, was demonstrating to the Church the mystery of the Resurrection of the Dead. the emperor himself arrived in Ephesus and spoke with the young men in the cave. Then the holy youths, in sight of everyone, lay their heads upon the ground and fell asleep again, this time until the General Resurrection. emperor wanted to place each of the youths into a jeweled coffin, but they appeared to him in a dream and said that their bodies were to be left upon the ground in the cave. In the twelfth century the Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the holy relics of the seven youths in the cave. is a second commemoration of the seven youths on October 22. According to one tradition, which entered into the Russian Prologue (of Saints’ Lives), the youths fell asleep for the second time on this day. The Greek Menaion of 1870 says that they first fell asleep on August 4, and woke up on October 22. is a prayer of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Great Book of Needs (Trebnik) for those who are ill and cannot sleep. The Seven Sleepers are also mentioned in the service for the Church New Year, September 1.

Byzantium, 527-565, Emperor, Justinian 1, t Great, Restore of E o Vandals&OGoths,Persia, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor, 527-565, Justinian 1 (the Great) ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; Justinian, a major figure in the history of the Byzantine state, was also a great champion of Orthodoxy, a builder of churches and a Church writer. was born in the Roman province of Illyricum. his reign (527-565), Byzantium won glory with military victories in Persia, Africa, and Italy, as a result of which paganism was decisively routed among the Germanic Vandals and Visigoth tribes. command of the emperor Justinian the pagan schools in Athens were closed. sent John, the Bishop of Ephesus, throughout the regions of Asia Minor with the aim of spreading Christianity. John baptized more than 70,000 pagans. emperor gave orders to build ninety churches for the newly-converted, and he generously supported church construction within the Empire. His finest structures of the time are considered to be St. Catherine's Monastery at Sinai, and the church of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople. Saint Justinian many churches were built dedicated to our Most Holy Lady Theotokos. he had received a broad education, Saint Justinian assiduously concerned himself with the education of clergy and monks, ordering them to be instructed in rhetoric, philosophy and theology. right-believing sovereign devoted much attention and effort to the struggle with the Origenists of his time, who then were reviving the Nestorian heresy. To counter their heretical speculations, the Church hymn “Only-Begotten Son and Immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation...” was composed, and Justinian commanded that it be sung in the churches. that time to the present day, this hymn is sung at the Divine Liturgy before the Small Entrance after the second Antiphon. the command of the sovereign, the Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in the year 553, censuring the teachings of Origen and affirming the definitions of the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon. He also attempted to secure religious unity within the Empire through his (unsuccessful) dialogues with the non-Chalcedonians. holy Emperor Justinian wished to have orderly rule and law within the realm. Under his guidance and supervision a complete compendium of Roman law was compiled. It has come down to us as a law codex known as “the Justinian Codex.” The “Church laws” of Justinian are included in all the variants of the Russian collections of Canon Law. his personal life, Saint Justinian was strictly pious, and he fasted often. During Great Lent he would not eat bread nor drink wine. He is also remembered for promoting the idea of “symphony” between church and state. The holy Emperor Justinian died in the year 565. BENEDICT. FOUNDER OF WESTERN MONASTICISM (11 JULY 540); Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 21; Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, Commemorated on July 25; Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Hesychius of Mt. Horeb, Commemorated on October 3 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; St Gregory the Bishop of Agrigentum, Commemorated on November 23; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29; St John the Silent of St Sabbas Monastery, Commemorated on December 3; Venerable Sava the Sanctified, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Pardus the Hermit, of Palestine, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated on January 5; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; Venerable Zosimas of Palestine, Commemorated on April 4; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Agapitus the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 17; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; St Elizabeth the Wonderworker of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Comgall of Bangor, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Abba Dorotheus of Palestine, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Theodore the Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of St Theodore the Sykeote, Commemorated on June 15; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26; St Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 27; Venerable Martha the Mother of the Venerable Simeon Stylites the Younger, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Byzantium, 527-548, Empress, Theodora, Wife of Justinian I, chief adviser, Miaphysite, Orthodox
Byzantine Emperor, 527-548, Empress Theodora, Wife of Justinian I; ( c. 500 – 28 June 548) was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to emperor Justinian. She became empress upon Justinian's accession in 527 and was one of his chief advisers, albeit from humble origins. Along with her spouse, Theodora is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Oriental Orthodox Church, commemorated on 14 November and 28 June respectively. main historical sources for her life are the works of her contemporary Procopius. The historian offered three contradictory portrayals of the empress. The Wars of Justinian, largely completed in 545, paints a picture of a courageous and influential empress who saved the throne for Justinian. he wrote the Secret History, which survives in only one manuscript suggesting it was not widely read during the Byzantine era. The work has sometimes been interpreted as representing a deep disillusionment with the emperor Justinian, the empress, and even his patron Belisarius. is depicted as cruel, venal, prodigal and incompetent; as for Theodora, the reader is given a detailed portrayal of vulgarity and underage sex, combined with shrewish and calculating mean-spiritedness; even claims both are demons whose heads were seen to leave their bodies and roam the palace at night. Alternatively, scholars versed in political rhetoric of the era have viewed these statements from the Secret History as formulaic expressions within the tradition of invective. Buildings of Justinian, written about the same time as the Secret History, is a panegyric which paints Justinian and Theodora as a pious couple and presents particularly flattering portrayals of them. Besides her piety, her beauty is praised within the conventional language of the text's rhetorical form. Although Theodora was dead when this work was published, Justinian was alive, and perhaps commissioned the work.[1] contemporary John of Ephesus writes about Theodora in his Lives of the Eastern Saints and mentions an illegitimate daughter.[2] other historians presented additional information on her life. Theophanes the Confessor mentions some familial relations of Theodora to figures not mentioned by Procopius. Victor Tonnennensis notes her familial relation to the next empress, Sophia. the Syrian, the Chronicle of 1234 and Bar-Hebraeus place her origin in the city of Daman, near Kallinikos, They contradict Procopius by making Theodora the daughter of a priest, trained in the pious practices of Miaphysitism since birth. These are late Miaphysite sources and record her depiction among members of their creed. The Miaphysites have tended to regard Theodora as one of their own and the tradition may have been invented as a way to improve her reputation and is also in conflict with what is told by the contemporary Miaphysite historian John of Ephesus.[3] These accounts are thus usually ignored in favor of Procopius.[2] years[edit] according to Michael Grant, was of Greek Cypriot descent.[4] There are several indications of her possible birthplace. According to Michael the Syrian, her birthplace was in Mabbug, Syria;[5] Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos names Theodora a native of Cyprus, while the Patria, attributed to George Codinus, claims Theodora came from Paphlagonia. was born c. 500 AD. Her father, Acacius, was a bear trainer of the hippodrome's Green faction in Constantinople. Her mother, whose name is not recorded, was a dancer and an actress.[6] Her parents had two more daughters, the eldest named Comito and the youngest Anastasia.[7] her father's death, when Theodora was four,[8] her mother brought her children wearing garlands into the hippodrome and presented them as suppliants to the Blue faction. From then on, Theodora would be their supporter. to Procopius, (in his Secret History) Theodora followed her sister Comito's example from an early age and worked in a Constantinople brothel serving low-status customers; later, she performed on stage.[9] Theodora, in Procopius's account, made a name for herself with her salacious portrayal of Leda and the Swan.[10] Employment as an actress at the time would include both "indecent exhibitions on stage" and providing sexual services off stage. During this time, she met the future wife of Belisarius, Antonina, who would become a part of the women's court led by Theodora. the age of 16, Theodora traveled to North Africa as the concubine of a Syrian official named Hecebolus when he went to the Libyan Pentapolis as governor.[11] She stayed with him for almost four years before returning to Constantinople. ---------------------------------------------Abandoned and maltreated by Hecebolus, on her way back to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, she settled for a while in Alexandria, Egypt. is speculated by some to have met Patriarch Timothy III in Alexandria, who was Miaphysite, and it may be at that time that she converted to Miaphysite Christianity. Alexandria, she went to Antioch, where she met a Blue faction's dancer, Macedonia, who was perhaps an informer of Justinian. Justinian sought to marry Theodora, he could not: a Roman law from Constantine's time prevented anyone of senatorial rank from marrying actresses. In 524, Justin passed a new law, which decreed that reformed actresses could thereafter legally marry outside their rank if approved by the emperor. The same law stated that daughters of these actresses would also be free to marry a man of any rank, which would have allowed her illegitimate daughter (whose name has been lost) to marry one of the previous emperor Anastasius' relatives. Soon thereafter, Justinian married Theodora.[11] as Empress[edit] of Justinian from a contemporary portrait mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna Justinian succeeded to the throne in 527, two years after the marriage, Theodora was crowned Augusta and became empress of the Eastern Roman Empire. She shared in his plans and political strategies, participated in state councils, and Justinian called her his "partner in my deliberations."[12] This was in Novel 8.1 (AD 535), an anti-corruption legislation, where provincial officials had to take an oath to her as well as the emperor. She had her own court and official entourage. She was often present when the emperor held court. The emperor sought her views on many matters before issuing orders. Nika riots[edit] were two rival political factions in the Empire, the Blues and the Greens, who started a [[riot in January 532 during a chariot race in the hippodrome. The riots stemmed from many grievances, some of which had resulted from Justinian's and Theodora's own actions.[13] rioters set many public buildings on fire, and proclaimed a new emperor, Hypatius, the nephew of former emperor Anastasius I. Unable to control the mob, Justinian and his officials prepared to flee. At a meeting of the government council, Theodora spoke out against leaving the palace and underlined the significance of someone who died as a ruler instead of living as an exile or in hiding, reportedly saying, "royal purple is the noblest shroud".[14] the emperor and his counsellors were still preparing their project, Theodora interrupted them and claimed: lords, the present occasion is too serious to allow me to follow the convention that a woman should not speak in a man's council. Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. It is impossible for a person, having been born into this world, not to die; but for one who has reigned it is intolerable to be a fugitive. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress. If you wish to save yourself, my lord, there is no difficulty. We are rich; over there is the sea, and yonder are the ships. Yet reflect for a moment whether, when you have once escaped to a place of security, you would not gladly exchange such safety for death. As for me, I agree with the adage that the royal purple is the noblest shroud."[15] determined speech convinced them all, including Justinian himself, who had been preparing to run. As a result, Justinian ordered his loyal troops, led by the officers, Belisarius and Mundus, to attack the demonstrators in the hippodrome, killing (according to Procopius) over 30,000 rebels. Despite his claims that he was unwillingly named emperor by the mob, Hypatius was also put to death, apparently at Theodora's insistence.[16] that Justinian never forgot that it was Theodora who had saved his throne depend on seeing Procopius' account as a straightforward report, and not framed to impugn Justinian with the implication that he was more cowardly than his wife. The wording of her famous speech is devised by Procopius, changing the term "tyranny" from an ancient saying to "royal purple", which likely reflects Procopius' desire to link Justinian to ancient tyrants. life[edit] the Nika revolt, Justinian and Theodora rebuilt and reformed Constantinople, building or rebuilding aqueducts, bridges and more than twenty five churches. The most famous of these is Hagia Sophia, considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. was punctilious about court ceremony. According to Procopius, the Imperial couple made all senators, including patricians, prostrate themselves before them whenever they entered their presence, and made it clear that their relations with the civil militia were those of masters and slaves. even the government officials could approach the Empress without expending much time and effort. They were treated like servants and kept waiting in a small, stuffy room for an endless time. After many days, some of them might at last be summoned, but going into her presence in great fear, they very quickly departed. They simply showed their respect by lying face down and touching the instep of each of her feet with their lips; there was no opportunity to speak or to make any request unless she told them to do so. The government officials had sunk into a slavish condition, and she was their slave-instructor. also carefully supervised the magistrates, possibly to reduce bureaucratic corruption. also created her own centers of power. The eunuch Narses, who in old age developed into a brilliant general, was her close ally, as was the praetorian prefect Peter Barsymes. John the Cappadocian, Justinian's chief tax collector, was identified as her enemy, because of his independent and great influence, and was brought down by a plot devised by Theodora and Antonina. She engaged in matchmaking, forming a network of alliances between the old powers, represented by emperor Anastasius' family and the pre-existing nobility, and the new, who were Justinian's and her relatives. According to Secret History, she attempted to marry her grandson Anastasius to Joannina, Belisarius' and Antonina's daughter and heiress, against her parents' will, although the couple would eventually fall in love with each other. The marriages of her sister Comito to general Sittas and her niece Sophia to Justinian's nephew Justin II, who would succeed to the throne, are suspected to have been engineered by Theodora. gave reception and sent letters and gifts to Persian and foreign ambassadors and the sister of Khosrow I.[17] involvement in helping underprivileged women was substantial, being "known for buying girls who had been sold into prostitution, freeing them, and providing for their future."[18] She closed brothels and made pimping a criminal offense. She created a convent on the Asian side of the Dardanelles called the Metanoia (Repentance), where the ex-prostitutes could support themselves.[11] Procopius' Secret History maintained that instead of preventing forced prostitution (as in Buildings 1.9.3ff), Theodora is said to have 'rounded up' 500 prostitutes, confining them to a convent. They sought to escape 'the unwelcome transformation' by leaping over the walls (SH 17). On the other hand, chronicler John Malalas who wrote positively about the court, declared she "freed the girls from the yoke of their wretched slavery."[19] A century later, John of Nikiu observed its positive impact, noting that Theodora "put an end to the prostitution of women, and gave orders for their expulsion from every place." legislations also expanded the rights of women in divorce and property ownership, instituted the death penalty for rape, forbade exposure of unwanted infants, gave mothers some guardianship rights over their children, and forbade the killing of a wife who committed adultery. Though her specific involvement in these legal reforms is not recorded,[20] Procopius, in Wars, mentioned that she was naturally inclined to assist women in misfortune, and according to Secret History, she championed the wives' causes when their husbands charged them with adultery (SH 17). policy[edit] Theodora Mosaic of Theodora - Basilica San Vitale (Ravenna, Italy).jpg Theodora and attendants (mosaic from Basilica of San Vitale, 6th century) in Orthodox Church Catholicism Orthodox Church shrine of the Holy Apostles, Constantinople modern day Istanbul, Turkey November in the Eastern Orthodox Church, 28 June in the Syriac Orthodox Church Vestment worked against her husband's support of Chalcedonian Christianity in the ongoing struggle for the predominance of each faction.[21] As a result, she was accused of fostering heresy and thus undermined the unity of Christendom. spite of Justinian being Chalcedonian, Theodora founded a Miaphysite monastery in Sykae and provided shelter in the palace for Miaphysite leaders who faced opposition from the majority of Chalcedonian Christians, like Severus and Anthimus. Anthimus had been appointed Patriarch of Constantinople under her influence, and after the excommunication order he was hidden in Theodora's quarters for twelve years, until her death. When the Chalcedonian Patriarch Ephraim provoked a violent revolt in Antioch, eight Miaphysite bishops were invited to Constantinople and Theodora welcomed them and housed them in the Hormisdas Palace adjoining the Great Palace, which had been Justinian and Theodora's own dwelling before they became emperor and empress. Egypt, when Timothy III died, Theodora enlisted the help of Dioscoros, the Augustal Prefect, and Aristomachos the duke of Egypt, to facilitate the enthronement of a disciple of Severus, Theodosius, thereby outmaneuvering her husband, who had intended a Chalcedonian successor as patriarch. But Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria, even with the help of imperial troops, could not hold his ground in Alexandria against Justinian's Chalcedonian followers. When he was exiled by Justinian along with 300 Miaphysites to the fortress of Delcus in Thrace, Theodora rescued him and brought him to the Hormisdas Palace. He lived under her protection and, after her death in 548, under Justinian's. Pope Silverius refused Theodora's demand that he remove the anathema of Pope Agapetus I from Patriarch Anthimus, she sent Belisarius instructions to find a pretext to remove Silverius. When this was accomplished, Pope Vigilius was appointed in his stead. Nobatae, south of Egypt, the inhabitants were converted to Miaphysite Christianity about 540. Justinian had been determined that they be converted to the Chalcedonian faith and Theodora equally determined that they should be Miaphysites. Justinian made arrangements for Chalcedonian missionaries from Thebaid to go with presents to Silko, the king of the Nobatae. But on hearing this, Theodora prepared her own missionaries and wrote to the duke of Thebaid that he should delay her husband's embassy, so that the Miaphysite missionaries should arrive first. The duke was canny enough to thwart the easygoing Justinian instead of the unforgiving Theodora. He saw to it that the Chalcedonian missionaries were delayed. When they eventually reached Silko, they were sent away, for the Nobatae had already adopted the Miaphysite creed of Theodosius. death is recorded by Victor of Tonnena, with the cause uncertain but the Greek terms used are often translated as "cancer." The date was 28 June 548 at the age of 48.[22] Later accounts frequently attribute the death to breast cancer, although it was not identified as such in the original report where the use of the term "cancer" probably referred to "a suppurating ulcer or malignant tumor".[22] Other sources report that she died at 51.[23] Her body was buried in the Church of the Holy Apostles, in Constantinople. During a procession in 559, Justinian visited and lit candles for her tomb.[24] Theodora and Justinian are represented in mosaics that exist to this day in the Basilica of San Vitale of Ravenna, Italy, which was completed a year before her death. influence[edit] Miaphysites believed her influence on Justinian to be so strong that after her death, when he worked to bring harmony between the Monophysites and the Chalcedonian Christians in the Empire, and kept his promise to protect her little community of Monophysite refugees in the Hormisdas Palace, the Miaphysites suspected Theodora's memory to be the driving factor. Theodora provided much political support for the ministry of Jacob Baradaeus, and apparently personal friendship as well. Diehl attributes the modern existence of Jacobite Christianity equally to Baradaeus and to Theodora.[25] in Cyrenaica renamed itself Theodorias after Theodora. (It was a common event that ancient cities renamed themselves to honor an emperor or empress.) The city, now called Qasr Libya, is known for its splendid sixth-century mosaics. Venerable Cosmas the Eunuch and Hermit of Palestine, Commemorated on August 3; St Eutychius of Nursia, Commemorated on August 23; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 25; St Peter the Tax-Collector, Commemorated on September 22; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, "œSweet-Singer"Â, Commemorated on October 1; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14; Venerable Acacius of Sinai, who is mentioned in the Ladder, Commemorated on November 29; Venerable Menas of Sinai, Commemorated on January 5; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Venerable Barsanuphius the Great, Commemorated on February 6 ; St Gobnata of Ballyvourney, Commemorated on February 11 ; Venerable Conan, Abbot of the Pethukla Monastery, Commemorated on February 19; St James the Faster of Phoenicia, Syria, Commemorated on March 4; Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Venerable Benedict of Nursia, Commemorated on March 14 ; Venerable John the Silent of St Sava'™s Monastery, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Mary of Egypt, Commemorated on April 1 ; St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4 ; St Eutychius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 6 ; St Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto, Commemorated on April 12; St Theodore the Sykeote the Bishop of Anastasiopolis, Commemorated on April 22; Venerable Thomas the Fool of Syria, Commemorated on April 24; Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt, Commemorated on May 10; St John the Solitary of Jerusalem, Commemorated on June 19; St David of Thessaloniki, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Saint, Pope of Rome
Byzantine Saint, 560-604, Gregory Dialogus, Pope of Rome; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13; GREGORY THE GREAT, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (12 MAR 604) ;

Constantinople, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria, Patriarch
Byzantine Patriarch, 580-608, Eulogius of Alexandria; St Eulogius the Archbishop of Alexandria, Commemorated on February 13;

Constantinople, 582-595, John IV the Faster, Patriarch, by example he taught restraint of desires, and self control
Constantinople Patriarch, 582-595, John IV the Faster ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Holy Father John was born in Constantinople, the Queen of Cities. At first he worked as a goldsmith, and everyone expected him to continue in that occupation. From his youth, however, he was inclined toward the monastic life. He also possessed a rare gift for continence and a natural love for fasting, and thus he was known as “the Faster.” of his reputation for virtue, he was ordained as a deacon by Patriarch John III, and later he received the grace of the priesthood. Saint John was found worthy to behold a vision which showed that he would become be a worthy recipient of God’s grace, for the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He read the Holy Scriptures and other ecclesiastical books every day, thereby enriching his knowledge. when he was a young man, John was walking with Eusebius, an old monk from Palestine. Suddenly, a bodiless voice spoke to Eusebius: “Abba, do not walk to the right of the great John.” It was the voice of God, foretelling the great service to which John would shortly be called. the death of Patriarch Eutychius, Saint John was chosen to succeed him. He did not want to accept the office, but he was frightened by a heavenly vision, and so he consented. the example of his own life he taught all believers to restrain their capricious desires and to control themselves. The hierarch was unable to abide his flock’s blatant disregard for the institutions of the Church. the citizens of Constantinople decided to give in to their passions by attending a horse show in the Hippodrome on eve of the Feast of Pentecost, the hierarch fell on his knees before God and fervently prayed that the Lord would thwart their impious intention. As soon as the people began to make their way to the Hippodrome, a terrible storm arose with thunder, rain and hailstones so that everyone dispersed in fear and came to realize the inappropriateness of such entertainment. John was Patriarch of Constantinople from 582 - 595, and was the first to use the title “Ecumenical Patriarch.” was a great faster, intercessor and wonderworker right up to the time of his death. Distinguished for his abstinence and prayer, Saint John had such a love for the poor that he refused them nothing from his estate. After his death, his only personal possessions were found to be a wooden spoon, a linen shirt and an old garment. His writings on repentance and Confession are well known. a virtuous life of piety, during which he performed many miracles, Saint John reposed on September 2, 595. His grace-filled relics were entombed in the Church of the Holy Apostles. Saint John is also commemorated on August 30. St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Constantinople, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria, Patriarch, many examples of mercy, against Monophysite h
Egyptian Patriarch, 606-616, John the Merciful of Alexandria ; Saint John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12; John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, was born on Cyprus in the seventh century into the family of the illustrious dignitary Epiphanius. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage and had children. When the wife and the children of the saint died, he became a monk. He was zealous in fasting and prayer, and had great love for those around him. spiritual exploits won him honor among men, and even the emperor revered him. When the Patriarchal throne of Alexandria fell vacant, the emperor Heraclius and all the clergy begged Saint John to occupy the Patriarchal throne. saint worthily assumed his archpastoral service, concerning himself with the moral and dogmatic welfare of his flock. As patriarch he denounced every soul-destroying heresy, and drove out from Alexandria the Monophysite Phyllonos of Antioch. considered his chief task to be charitable and to give help all those in need. At the beginning of his patriarchal service he ordered his stewards to compile a list of all the poor and downtrodden in Alexandria, which turned out to be over seven thousand men. The saint ordered that all of these unfortunates be provided for each day out of the church’s treasury. during the week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, he emerged from the doors of the patriarchal cathedral, and sitting on the church portico, he received everyone in need. He settled quarrels, helped the wronged, and distributed alms. Three times a week he visited the sick-houses, and rendered assistance to the suffering. was during this period that the emperor Heraclius led a tremendous army against the Persian emperor Chosroes II. The Persians ravaged and burned Jerusalem, taking a multitude of captives. The holy Patriarch John gave a large portion of the church treasury for their ransom. saint never refused suppliants. One day, when the saint was visiting the sick, he met a beggar and commanded that he be given six silver coins. The beggar changed his clothes, ran on ahead of the Patriarch, and again asked for alms. Saint John gave him six more silver coins. however, the beggar sought charity a third time, and the servants began to chase the fellow away, the Patriarch ordered that he be given twelve pieces of silver, saying, he is Christ putting me to the test. the saint gave money to a merchant that had suffered shipwreck, and a third time gave him a ship belonging to the Patriarchate and filled with grain, with which the merchant had a successful journey and repaid his obligations. John the Merciful was known for his gentle attitude towards people. the saint was compelled to excommunicate two clergymen for a certain time because of some offense. of them repented, but the other fellow became angry with the Patriarch and fell into greater sins. saint wanted to summon him and calm him with kind words, but it slipped his mind. he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, the saint was suddenly reminded by the words of the Gospel: “If you bring your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar ... first, be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt. 5:23-24). saint came out of the altar, called the offending clergyman to him, and falling down on his knees before him in front of all the people he asked forgiveness. The cleric, filled with remorse, repented of his sin, corrected himself, and afterwards was found worthy to be ordained to the priesthood. was a time when a certain citizen insulted George, the Patriarch’s nephew. George asked the saint to avenge the wrong. The saint promised to deal with the offender so that all of Alexandria would marvel at what he had done. This calmed George, and Saint John began to instruct him, speaking of the necessity for meekness and humility. Then he summoned the man who insulted George. When Saint John learned that the man lived in a house owned by the church, he declared that he would excuse him from paying rent for an entire year. Alexandria indeed was amazed by such a “revenge,” and George learned from his uncle how to forgive offenses and to bear insults for God’s sake. John, a strict ascetic and man of prayer, was always mindful of his soul, and of death. He ordered a coffin for himself, but told the craftsmen not to finish it. Instead, he would have them come each feastday and ask if it was time to finish the work. John was persuaded to accompany the governor Nicetas on a visit to the emperor in Constantinople. While on his way to visit the earthly king, he dreamed of a resplendent man who said to him, “The King of Kings summons you.” He sailed to his native island of Cyprus, and at Amanthos the saint peacefully fell asleep in the Lord (616-620). Venerable Vitalius of Gaza, Commemorated on April 22;

Constantinople, 610, St Eustolia, from Rome, Constantinople monastic, people came to her for advice and consolation
Rome; St Eustolia of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Eustolia, a native of Rome, had come to Constantinople and entered one of the women’s monasteries. virtuous and strict monastic life of the saint gained her the love and respect of the sisters. Not only monastics, but also many laypeople came to her for advice and consolation. Eustolia died in the year 610.

Constantinople, 680, Sixth Ecumenical Council
Sixth Ecumenical Council (680); Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, Commemorated on January 23 ; Hieromartyr Gabriel the Lesser, Commemorated on March 17 ; St Martin the Confessor the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on April 14; St Andrew the Archbishop of Crete, Commemorated on July 4;

Constantinople, 750, died in 750, Saint, Basil the Confessor, resolutely came out on the side of icon veneration
Constantinople, 750, died in 750, Saint, Basil the Confessor; St. Basil the Confessor the Bishop of Parium, Commemorated on April 12; Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Parium, lived during the eighth century. He was elected as bishop by the inhabitants of Parium, who venerated the saint as a true pastor of the flock of Christ. the Iconoclast heresy broke out, Saint Basil resolutely came out on the side of icon veneration and refused to sign the orders for their abolition (the “Iniquitous Scroll”) of the Council of 754 which was convened under the emperor Constantine V Copronymos (741-775). The saint avoided any contact with the heretics and did not permit them into his diocese. For his zeal he suffered much persecution, hunger and deprivation. Basil remained faithful to the Orthodox Church until his death.

Constantinople, 797-842, Gregory of Dekapolis, notable for his miracle-working and his Byzantine world travels
Constantinople Saint, 797-842, Gregory of Dekapolis; Gregory of Dekapolis or Gregory Dekapolites (before 797 - 20 November 842 or earlier) was a 9th-century Byzantine monk, notable for his miracle-working and his travels across the Byzantine world. He is known as "the New Miracle-Worker", and his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church[3] is on November 20.[1][2] Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Byzantium, 802-811, Emperor, Nicephorus, Iconoclast, Irene's finance m. led coup
Byzantine Emperor 802-811, Nicephorus ; I or Nicephorus I (Greek: ÎÎ¹ÎºÎ·Ï†ÏŒÏÎ¿Ï‚ Î‘Î„; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine Emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska. Prior to his accession, he had served as genikos logothetÄ“s, whence he is sometimes surnamed "the Logothete" (á½ Î›Î¿Î³Î¿Î¸ÎÏ„Î·Ï‚) and "Genikos" or "Genicus" (á½ Î“ÎµÎ½Î¹ÎºÏŒÏ‚). Both Syriac sources such as Michael the Syrian and Arabic ones like al-Tabari and Mas'udi hold that the emperor was of a Ghassanid Arab origin.[1][2][3] Byzantine chronicles, however, although generally hostile to him, make no explicit mention about his ethnic background.[1] On the other hand, al-Tabari claims that he learned of Nikephoros' Arab origins from Byzantine sources.[4] Some scholars, like Paul Julius Alexander, accept al-Tabari's account, citing a Byzantine apocalyptic text in which the emperor is said to be "from the race of Gopsin".[5] The word "Gopsin" could be a Greek rendering of the name "Ghassan", or the name "Gafna", the eponym of the Ghassanids.[6] Reign[edit] The Byzantine Empire at the beginning of the reign of Nikephoros I, in 802 AD. A patrician from Seleucia Sidera, Nikephoros was appointed finance minister (logothetÄ“s tou genikou) by the Empress Irene. With the help of the patricians and eunuchs he contrived to dethrone and exile Irene, and to be chosen as Emperor in her stead on 31 October 802. He crowned his son Staurakios co-emperor in 803. His rule was endangered by Bardanes Tourkos, one of his ablest generals, who revolted and received support from other commanders, notably the later emperors Leo V the Armenian and Michael II the Amorian in 803. But Nikephoros gained over the latter two, and by inducing the rebel army to disperse achieved the submission of Bardanes, who was blinded and relegated to a monastery. A conspiracy headed by the patrician Arsaber had a similar result. Nikephoros embarked on a general reorganization of the Roman Empire, creating new themes in the Balkans (where he initiated the re-Hellenization by resettling Greeks from Anatolia) and strengthening the frontiers. Needing large sums to increase his military forces, he set himself with great energy to increase the Empire's revenue. By his rigorous tax imposts he alienated his subjects, especially the clergy, whom he otherwise sought to control firmly. Although he appointed an iconodule, Nikephoros, as patriarch, Emperor Nikephoros was portrayed as a villain by ecclesiastical historians like Theophanes the Confessor. Khan Krum feasts while a servant brings the skull of Nikephoros I fashioned into a drinking cup. In 803, Nikephoros concluded a treaty, called the "Pax Nicephori", with Charlemagne, but refused to recognize the latter's imperial dignity. Relations deteriorated and led to a war over Venice in 806–810. In the process, Nikephoros had quelled a Venetian rebellion in 807, but suffered extensive losses to the Franks. The conflict was resolved only after Nikephoros' death, and Venice, Istria, the Dalmatian coast and South Italy were assigned to the East, while Rome, Ravenna and the Pentapolis were included in the Western realm. By withholding the tribute which Irene had agreed to pay to the caliph HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d, Nikephoros committed himself to a war against the Arabs.[7] Compelled by Bardanes' disloyalty to take the field himself, he sustained a severe defeat at the Battle of Krasos in Phrygia (805).[7] In 806 a Muslim army of 135,000 men invaded the Empire. Unable to counter the Muslim numbers, Nikephoros agreed to make peace on condition of paying 50,000 nomismata immediately and a yearly tribute of 30,000 nomismata. With a succession struggle enveloping the caliphate on the death of HÄrÅ«n al-RashÄ«d in 809, Nikephoros was free to deal with Krum, Khan of Bulgaria, who was harassing his northern frontiers and had just conquered Serdica (Sofia). In 811, Nikephoros invaded Bulgaria, defeated Krum twice, and sacked the Bulgarian capital Pliska. The Chronicle of the 12th-century patriarch of the Syrian Jacobites, Michael the Syrian, describes the brutalities and atrocities of Nikephoros: "Nikephoros, emperor of the Byzantine empire, walked into the Bulgarians' land: he was victorious and killed great number of them. He reached their capital, seized it and devastated it. His savagery went to the point that he ordered to bring their small children, got them tied down on earth and made thresh grain stones to smash them." During Nikephoros' retreat, the imperial army was ambushed and destroyed in Varbishki mountain passes on 26 July by Krum. Nikephoros was captured during the battle and sent to Pliska, where Krum ordered his decapitation. Krum is said to have made a drinking-cup of Nikephoros' skull. New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Venerable Athanasius of Medikion Monastery, Commemorated on October 26 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 29; Venerable Luke of Sicily, Commemorated on November 6; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Gregory Decapolite, Commemorated on November 20; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated on November 25; Venerable Nicholas the Monk of Bulgaria, Commemorated on December 24; Hieromartyr Euthymius the Bishop of Sardis, Commemorated on December 26; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated on December 26; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Venerable Gregory of Crete, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; St George the Bishop of Amastris on the Black Sea, Commemorated on February 21; Venerable Theophanes the Confessor of Sigriane, Commemorated on March 12; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pelecete, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; St George the Confessor the Bishop of Mitylene, Commemorated on April 7; St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Peter of Constantinople, Commemorated on July 1;

Byzantium, 838, Sack of Amorium, Phrygia, Sakarya River 3, Saracens capture 42 generals
Phrygia, 838, Sack of Amorium; Ammoria, Phrygia (Sakarya River 3); Sack of Amorium August 838; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6; a war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842) and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria (in Galicia in Asia Minor). As a result of treason on the part of the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell, and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors tried in vain to persuade them to renounce Christianity and accept Islam. The captives stubbornly resisted all their seductive offers and bravely held out against terrible threats. After many torments that failed to break the spirit of the Christian soldiers, they condemned them to death, hoping to shake the determination of the saints before executing them. The martyrs remained steadfast, saying that the Old Testament Prophets bore witness to Christ, while Mohammed called himself a prophet without any other witnesses to support his claim. of the captives, Theodore, had renounced the priestly office to become a general. His captors taunted him, “We know that you forsook the priestly office, became a soldier and shed blood in battle. You can have no hope in Christ, Whom you abandoned voluntarily, so accept Mohammed.” But the martyr replied, “You do not speak truthfully when you say that I abandoned Christ. Moreover, I left the priesthood because of my own unworthiness. Therefore, I must shed my blood for the sake of Christ, so that He might forgive the sins that I have committed against Him.” executioners took each one separately and led him off to be beheaded, then threw the bodies into the River Euphrates. In the service to them, these holy passion-bearers are glorified as: the “All-Blessed” Theodore, the “Unconquered” Callistus, the “Valiant” Constantine, the “Wondrous” Theophilus and “the Most Strong” Basoes. Saints Aetius (Aetitus) and Melissenus were also among the martyrs. betrayer Baditses did not escape his shameful fate. The enemy knew that it is impossible to trust a traitor, and so they killed him.

Byzantium, 842-855, Empress, Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, bride show, Iconodule, regent, righteous
Byzantium, 842-855, Empress Theodora , Wife of Theophilos, Iconodule ; St Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9 ; St Irene Chrysovolantou, Commemorated July 28 ; Venerable Peter of Galatia, Commemorated on October 9; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; Venerable Lazarus the Iconographer, of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 17; Apostle Clement of the Seventy, Commemorated on January 4; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on January 26; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God œIveronÂ, Commemorated on February 12; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St Paul the Confessor the Bishop of Plusias in Bithynia, Commemorated on March 7; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; Martyr Enravota - Boyan, the Prince of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 28; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; St Boris (in Holy Baptism Michael), Equal of the Apostles, Prince and Baptizer of Bulgaria, Commemorated on May 2; St Methodius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 14; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Lydda or œthe RomanÂ, Commemorated on June 26;

Constantinople, 850-885, Byzantine Saints, Cyril and Methodius
Byzantine Saints, 850-885, Cyril and Methodius; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); Repose of St Cyril, Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Commemorated on February 14 ; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11;

Constantinople, 858-886, Photius 1, Patriarch, Iconodule, tutored Mike III and Cyril, rejected pope
Constantinople Patriarch, 858-886, Photius 1 ; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril, Commemorated on May 11; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Byzantium, 860, Rus-Byzantine War (860), caused by Byzantine support of Khzars
Rus-“Byzantine War (860), Russians seize Constantinople ; St Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on October 23 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Constantinople, 886-893, Stephen I, Patriarch, son o Basil I, but probably o Michael III, castrated by Basil I
Constantinople Patriarch, 886-893 , Stephen I ; I (Greek: Î£Ï„ÎÏ†Î±Î½Î¿Ï‚ Î‘Î„, Stephanos I) (November 867 - 18 May 893) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 886 to 893. at Constantinople, Stephen was the son of Eudokia Ingerina and, officially, Emperor Basil I. However, at the time when he was conceived, Eudokia was the mistress of Emperor Michael III. Consequently, it is most probable that like his older brother Leo VI the Wise, Stephen was Michael's son. by Basil I, Stephen became a monk and was designated for a career in the church since his childhood. In 886 his brother, the new Emperor Leo VI, dismissed the Patriarch Photios and appointed the 19-year-old Stephen as patriarch in his stead.[1] patriarch Stephen participated in the ceremonial reburial of Michael III by Leo VI in the imperial mausoleum attached to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. There are no important events associated with Stephen's patriarchate and the patriarch, who acquired a reputation for piety, died in May 893 at the age of 25. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is on May 18.[2] St Stephen the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 17;

Byzantium, 886-912, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused, Ascetic Saint, Rplcd by Zoe
Byzantium, 886-912, Emperess, Theophano, Orthodox, Iconodule, falsely accused w husband, Saint, Ascetic; Martinakia (866/67 - 10 November 897[1]) was a Byzantine Empress by marriage to Leo VI the Wise. She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Byzantine Emperor, 886-912, Leo VI the Wise ; VI, called the Wise or the Philosopher (19 September 866-“ 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), was very well-read, leading to his epithet. During his reign, the renaissance of letters, begun by his predecessor Basil I, continued; the Empire also saw several military defeats in the Balkans against Bulgaria and against the Arabs in Sicily and the Aegean. reign also witnessed the formal discontinuation of several ancient Roman institutions, such as the Roman consul and Senate (in this period also known as the Byzantine Senate), which continued to exist in name only and lost much of their original functions and powers. Venerable Michael of Maleinus, Commemorated July 12 ; St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Venerable Euthymius the New of Thessalonica, and Monk of Mt Athos, Commemorated on October 15; Translation of the relics of St Lazarus œof the Four Days in the TombÂ the Bishop of Kiteia on Cyprus, Commemorated on October 17; St Stephen the œNew LightÂ of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 9; Venerable Thomas of Bithynia, Commemorated on December 10; Blessed Empress Theophano, Commemorated on December 16; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of St Cyril and Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on December 23; Venerable Theodora of Constantinople, Commemorated on December 30 ; Venerable Luke of Hellas, Commemorated on February 7; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Venerable Basil the New, Anchorite, Near Constantinople, Commemorated on March 26; St Eustathius (Eustace) the Confessor, Bishop of Bithynia, Commemorated on March 29; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos, Commemorated on May 3 ; St Nahum of Ochrid, the Disciple of SS Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, Commemorated on June 20;

Constantinople, 890-936, Andrew, Fool for Christ, Jesus called him to Fool for h reward
Constantinople, 890-936, Saint Andrew of Constantinople, Fool for Christ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated on October 2; Andrew, Fool-for-Christ, was a Slav and lived in the tenth century at Constantinople. From his early years, he loved God’s Church and the Holy Scriptures. Once during a dream, the saint beheld a vision of two armies. In the one were men in radiant garb, in the other, black and fiercesome devils. An angel of God, who held wondrous crowns, said to Andrew, that t f forhese crowns were not adornments from the earthly world, but rather a celestial treasure, with which the Lord rewards His warriors, victorious over the dark hordes. “Proceed with this good deed,” the angel said to Andrew. “Be a fool for My sake and you will receive much in the day of My Kingdom.” saint perceived that it was the Lord Himself summoning him to this deed. From that time Andrew began to go about the streets in rags, as though his mind had become muddled. For many years the saint endured mockery and insults. With indifference he underwent beatings, hunger and thirst, cold and heat, begging alms and giving them away to the poor. For his great forebearance and humility the saint received from the Lord the gift of prophecy and wisdom, saving many from spiritual perils, and he unmasked the impiety of many. praying at the Blachernae church, Saint Andrew beheld the Most Holy Mother of God, holding her veil over those praying under her Protection (October 1). Blessed Andrew died in the year 936.

Constantinople, 879-880m Eighth Ecumenical Council, rejected Pope's support of Ignatius, for Photius
Eighth Ecumenical Council; St Photius the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 6 ;

Constantinople, 1101, Kykkos Icon painted b Luke, m sign, transferred, trees bending, to K by Esaias, healing by faith
Cyprus, 1100, Kykkos Icon painted by Luke; Monastery, which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monasteries in Cyprus. Holy Monastery of the Virgin of Kykkos was founded around the end of the 11th century[1] by the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118). monastery lies at an altitude of 1318 meters on the north west face of Troödos Mountains. There are no remains of the original monastery as it was burned down many times. Kykkos Monastery, Exterior View to tradition, that was written by the Russian pilgrim, Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky, who travelled to Kykkos Monastery in 1735,[4] a virtuous hermit called Esaias was living in a cave on the mountain of Kykkos. day, the Byzantine governor of the island, doux Manuel Boutoumites, who was spending the summer at a village of Marathasa because of the heat of the season, went into the forest to hunt. Having lost his way in the forest he met Monk Esaias and asked him to show him the way. The hermit who was not interested in the things of this world would not answer his questions. got angry at the monk's indifference and called him names and even maltreated him. Not long after, when the doux returned to Nicosia, he fell ill with an incurable illness by the name of lethargia. In his terrible condition he remembered how inhumanly he had treated the hermit Esaias and asked God to cure him so that he might go to ask the hermit personally for forgiveness. And this came to pass. But God had appeared in front of the hermit and revealed to him that the very thing that had happened had been planned by the divine will and advised him to ask Boutoumites to bring the icon of the Virgin, that had been painted by the Apostle Luke, to Cyprus. icon was kept in the imperial palace at Constantinople. When Boutoumites heard the hermit's wish he was taken aback because he considered such a thing impossible. Then Esaias explained to him that it was a matter of divine wish and they agreed to travel together to Constantinople for the realization of their aim. was passing and Boutoumites could not find the right opportunity to present himself in front of the emperor and ask for the icon. For this reason he provided Esaias with other icons and other necessary things and sent him back to Cyprus, at the same time placating him that he would soon see the emperor. divine dispensation the daughter of the emperor had fallen ill with the same illness that had struck Boutoumites. The latter grasped the opportunity and went to see the Emperor Alexios III Angelos. He recounted to him his personal experience with the monk Esaias and assured him that his daughter would be cured if he sent to Cyprus the holy icon of the Virgin. his desperation the emperor, seeing that he had no other option, agreed. His daughter became well instantly. The emperor, however, not wanting to be parted from the icon of the Virgin, called a first-class painter and ordered him to paint an exact copy of the icon with the aim of sending this one to Cyprus. the evening the Mother of God herself appears in a dream of the emperor's and tells him that her wish is for her icon to be sent to Cyprus and for the copy to be kept by the emperor. the following day the royal boat with the icon of the Virgin departed for Cyprus where Esaias was awaiting for it. the procession of the icon from the coast to the Troödos Mountains, according to legend, the trees, participating in the welcoming ceremonies, were piously bending their trunks and branches. patronage provided by the emperor Alexios Komnenos a church and monastery were built at Kykkos, where the icon of the Virgin was deposited. According to another tradition, still preserved by the people, a bird with human voice was flying around the area singing: Kykkou, Kykkou, Kykkos' hill A monastery the site shall fill A golden girl shall enter in And never shall come out again "golden girl" is, without a doubt, the icon of the Virgin while the monastery is the Holy Royal and Stauropegial Monastery of Kykkos which has been sheltering the icon for over nine hundred years. icon of Virgin Mary the centuries locals have revered the icon and have attributed miracles to its presence. In 1760 a success in the struggle against locust devastation, a frequent problem of the time, was believed to be the work of the icon.[5][6] The icon has also served as a template for other paintings depicting the Madonna in eastern Orthodoxy.[7] The icon is never looked at, and its top half remains hidden behind a protective covering as it is said that whoever looks at it will be blinded. The last person to have seen the icon is the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Gerasimos, in 1669. icon is rarely uncovered, although this happens on occasion. In recent years there had been a drought affecting Cyprus, in response to which the fathers took the icon to her throne, and read special supplications for rain, whilst looking away from the uncovered icon.[8] relics are placed to the right of the icon a bronze arm, and a sword fish saw. Regarding the arm, this serves as a reminder the story of a Turk who tried to light a cigarette using one of the vigil lamps and he was cursed and suffered a gangrenous arm. The saw from the sword fish represents the gratefulness of sailors who prayed to Our Lady of Kykkos to save them from the storms of the sea.[9] Kykkou monastery maintains separate grounds Engomi, Nicosia called Metochi tou Kykkou (Μετόχι του Κύκκου). The land on which it lies was acquired over the years by the monastery through bequests. With the city's rapid expansion, the area which once used to be in the outskirts has now become prime property. Despite this, much of it is still used for agricultural purposes. Up until the construction of its purpose built premises, the Cyprus State Fair was held on these grounds. 1974, whilst Archbishop Makarios was under pursuit by the military junta, he headed for refuge here. As a result, the building was hit by tank fire and part of it collapsed.[10] Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus; Icon of the Mother of God €œthe Merciful€, Commemorated on November 12; All-Merciful Kykko Icon of the Mother of God: icon was painted, according to Tradition, by the holy Evangelist Luke. received its name “Kykkiotisa” from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church named for it. coming to the island of Cyprus, the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God was brought throughout the region by the will of God. first, it was in one the earliest Christian communities in Egypt, and then it was taken to Constantinople in 980, where it remained in the time of Emperor Alexius Comnenos (end of the eleventh to early twelfth century). these years it was revealed to the Elder Isaiah through a miraculous sign, that by his efforts the wonderworking image painted by the Evangelist Luke would be transferred to Cyprus. The Elder exerted much effort to fulfill the divine revelation. the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles were performed. The Elder Isaiah was instrumental in building a church dedicated to the Theotokos, and placing the Kykko Icon in it. ancient times up to the present day, those afflicted by every sort of infirmity flock to the monastery of the Mother of God the Merciful, and they receive healing according to their faith. Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the holy icon, but those of other faiths also pray before it in misfortune and illness. is the mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, Mediatrix for all the suffering, and Her icon fittingly bears the name, the “Merciful.” wonderworking “Kykkiotisa” Icon of the Mother of God possesses a remarkable peculiarity: from what time period is unknown, but it is covered by a half shroud from the upper left corner to the lower right, so that no one is able to see the faces of the Mother of God and the Divine Infant. depiction of the Mother of God appears to be of the Hodegetria (Directress) type, as is also the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown. copy of this icon is particularly venerated at the women’s Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev.

Constantinople, 1111-1134, Patriarch, John IX, Library, P over Monastics
Constantinople Patriarch, 1111-1134, John IX ; Library A lifelong scholar, he sought to reclaim the great, but dispersed, collection of books within the capital, as there was no central library. He made it a practice to acquire the book collections of deceased powerful men, and then had the patriarchal staff recopy them. His measures greatly expanded the range of titles held in the Great Church to which teachers were attached. Clergy over Monastics Within religious matters, he pushed the trend of making the patriarchal clergy, rather than the monastic community, the authoritative voice of Orthodoxy.[4] He also convened a synod in Constantinople in 1117 which condemned the doctrine of Eustratius of Nicaea as Nestorian, despite the defence offered by the Patriarch.[5] During his patriarchate some efforts were made by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos to bridge the schism between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church but these failed, as Pope Pascal II in late 1112 pressed the demand that the Patriarch of Constantinople recognise the Pope's primacy over "all the churches of God throughout the world". This was something the patriarch could not do in face of opposition from the majority of secular clergy, the monastic world, and the laity.[6] St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8;

Byzantium, 1185-1204, Emperor, Isaac II Angelos, Komnemoi, Killed father, marrigs Serb, Ita, Hun
Byzantine Emperor, 1185-1204, Isaac II Angelos; Isaac II Angelos strengthened his position as emperor with dynastic marriages in 1185 and 1186. His niece Eudokia Angelina was married to Stefan, son of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia. Isaac's sister Theodora was married to the Italian marquis Conrad of Montferrat. In January 1186, Isaac himself married Margaret of Hungary (renamed Maria), daughter of King BÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â©la III.[3] Hungary was one of the Empire's largest and most powerful neighbours, and Margaret also had the benefit of high aristocratic descent, being related to the royal families of Kiev, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Provence, and earlier Byzantine dynasties. Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6; St Sava I, First Archbishop of Serbia, Commemorated on January 12; Venerable Stephen (In Monasticism Simeon), the Myrrhgusher and Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on February 13; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1;

Byzantium, 1259-1282, Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, The Apostate, Empire of Nicea, conflict w other successor states
Byzantine Emperor, 1259-1282, Michael VIII Palaiologos, The Apostate; VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus (Greek:, romanized: Mikhae“l VIII Palaiologos; 1223 -“ 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261, and as Byzantine Emperor from 1261 until his death. VIII was the founder of the Palaiologan dynasty that would rule the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. He recovered Constantinople from the Latin Empire in 1261 and transformed the Empire of Nicaea into a restored Byzantine Empire.[2] reign would see considerable recovery of Byzantine power, including the enlargement of the Byzantine army and navy. It would also include the reconstruction of the city of Constantinople, and the increase of its population.[3] reestablished the University of Constantinople, which would lead to what is regarded as the Palaiologan Renaissance between the 13th and 15th centuries.[3] would also be at this time that the focus of the Byzantine military shifted to the Balkans, against the Bulgarians, leaving the Anatolian frontier neglected.[3] His successors could not compensate for this inadequacy, and both the Arsenite schism and two civil wars (cf. Byzantine civil war of 1321-“1328, Byzantine civil war of 1341-1347) would undermine further efforts toward territorial consolidation and recovery, draining the empire's strength, economy, and resources. conflict between Byzantine successor states such as the Empire of Thessalonica, Trebizond, Epirus and Serbia resulted in permanent fragmentation of former Byzantine territory and opportunity for increasingly successful conquests of expansive territories by post-Seljuk Anatolian beyliks, most notably that of Osman, later called the Ottoman Empire. Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13, Iveron founded middle of 10th Century; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated on October 10; St Stephen Miliutin of Serbia, Commemorated on October 30; Monastic Martyrs of Karyes, Commemorated on December 5; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 23; Venerable Agapius of Vatopedi, Commemorated on March 1;

Constantinople, 1284, Zographou Monestary, Crusaders, 26 Martyrs
Zographou Monastery; 26 Monk-Martyrs of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 21; Venerable Cosmas of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on September 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "of the Akathist" of the Zographou Monastery, Commemorated October 10 ; 26 Martyrs of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos at the hands of the Crusaders, Commemorated October 10 ; Venerable Pimen the Bulgarian of the Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated November 3 ; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Damian of Esphigmenou of Mt Athos, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Akathist, Commemorated on March 27; Martyrs killed by the Latins at the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos, Commemorated on May 13;

Constantinople, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Hesychast, won the debate w Barlaam, uncreated energies
Greece, 1316-1359, Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, Macedonia; Palamas (c. 1296 – 1357 or 1359)[1] was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric of the late Byzantine period. monk of Mount Athos (modern Greece) and later archbishop of Thessaloniki, he is famous for his defense of hesychast spirituality, the uncreated character of the light of the Transfiguration, and the distinction between God's essence and energies (i.e., the divine will, divine grace, etc.). teaching unfolded over the course of three major controversies, (1) with the Italo-Greek Barlaam between 1336 and 1341, (2) with the monk Gregory Akindynos between 1341 and 1347, and (3) with the philosopher Gregoras, from 1348 to 1355. theological contributions are sometimes referred to as Palamism, and his followers as Palamites. has been venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church since 1368. Within the Catholic Church, he was also been called a saint, and repeatedly cited as a great theological writer, by Pope John Paul II.[2] Since 1971, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has venerated Gregory as a saint.[3][4] Some of his writings are collected in the Philokalia, and since the Ottoman period, the second Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to the memory Gregory Palamas in the Orthodox Church. The Byzantine Synodikon of Orthodoxy also celebrates his memory and theology while condemning his opponents, including some anti-Palamites who flourished after Gregory's death. Thessalonica; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated on November 14 ; Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was born in the year 1296 in Constantinople. Gregory’s father became a prominent dignitary at the court of Andronicus II Paleologos (1282-1328), but he soon died, and Andronicus himself took part in the raising and education of the fatherless boy. with fine abilities and great diligence, Gregory mastered all the subjects which then comprised the full course of medieval higher education. emperor hoped that the youth would devote himself to government work. Gregory, barely twenty years old, withdrew to Mount Athos in the year 1316 (other sources say 1318) and became a novice in the Vatopedi monastery under the guidance of the monastic Elder Saint Nikodemos of Vatopedi (July 11). There he was tonsured and began on the path of asceticism. year later, the holy Evangelist John the Theologian appeared to him in a vision and promised him his spiritual protection. Gregory’s mother and sisters also became monastics. the demise of the Elder Nikodemos, Saint Gregory spent eight years of spiritual struggle under the guidance of the Elder Nikephoros, and after the latter’s death, transferred to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius (July 5). Here he served in the trapeza, and then became a church singer. But after three years, he resettled in the small skete of Glossia, striving for a greater degree of spiritual perfection. head of this monastery began to teach the young man the method of unceasing prayer and mental activity, which had been cultivated by monastics, beginning with the great desert ascetics of the fourth century: Evagrius Pontikos and Saint Macarius of Egypt (January 19). on, in the eleventh century, Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12) had provided detailed instruction in mental activity for those praying in an outward manner, and the ascetics of Athos put it into practice. experienced use of mental prayer (or prayer of the heart), requiring solitude and quiet, is called “Hesychasm” (from the Greek “hesychia” meaning calm, silence), and those practicing it were called “hesychasts.” his stay at Glossia the future hierarch Gregory became fully imbued with the spirit of hesychasm and adopted it as an essential part of his life. the y, ear 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to Thessalonica, where he was then ordained to the holy priesthood. Gregory combined his priestly duties with the life of a hermit. Five days of the week he spent in silence and prayer, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come out to his people. celebrated divine services and preached sermons. For those present in church, his teaching often evoked both tenderness and tears. he visited theological gatherings of the city’s educated youth, headed by the future patriarch, Isidore. he returned from a visit to Constantinople, he found a place suitable for solitary life near Thessalonica the region of Bereia. Soon he gathered here a small community of solitary monks and guided it for five years. 1331 the saint withdrew to Mount Athos and lived in solitude at the skete of Saint Savva, near the Lavra of Saint Athanasius. 1333 he was appointed Igumen of the Esphigmenou monastery in the northern part of the Holy Mountain. 1336 the saint returned to the skete of Saint Savva, where he devoted himself to theological works, continuing with this until the end of his life. the 1330s events took place in the life of the Eastern Church which put Saint Gregory among the most significant universal apologists of Orthodoxy, and brought him great renown as a teacher of hesychasm. the year 1330 the learned monk Barlaam had arrived in Constantinople from Calabria, in Italy. He was the author of treatises on logic and astronomy, a skilled and sharp-witted orator, and he received a university chair in the capital city and began to expound on the works of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), whose “apophatic” (“negative”, in contrast to “kataphatic” or “positive”) theology was acclaimed in equal measure in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. Barlaam journeyed to Mt Athos, where he became acquainted with the spiritual life of the hesychasts. Saying that it was impossible to know the essence of God, he declared mental prayer a heretical error. from Mount Athos to Thessalonica, and from there to Constantinople, and later again to Thessalonica, Barlaam entered into disputes with the monks and attempted to demonstrate the created, material nature of the light of Tabor (i.e. at the Transfiguration). He ridiculed the teachings of the monks about the methods of prayer and about the uncreated light seen by the hesychasts. Gregory, at the request of the Athonite monks, replied with verbal admonitions at first. But seeing the futility of such efforts, he put his theological arguments in writing. Thus appeared the “Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts” (1338). the year 1340 the Athonite ascetics, with the assistance of the saint, compiled a general response to the attacks of Barlaam, the so-called “Hagiorite Tome.” the Constantinople Council of 1341 in the church of Hagia Sophia Saint Gregory Palamas debated with Barlaam, focusing upon the nature of the light of Mount Tabor. May 27, 1341 the Council accepted the position of Saint Gregory Palamas, that God, unapproachable in His Essence, reveals Himself through His energies, which are directed towards the world and are able to be perceived, like the light of Tabor, but which are neither material nor created. teachings of Barlaam were condemned as heresy, and he himself was anathemized and fled to Calabria. the dispute between the Palamites and the Barlaamites was far from over. To these latter belonged Barlaam’s disciple, the Bulgarian monk Akyndinos, and also Patriarch John XIV Kalekos (1341-1347); emperor Andronicus III Paleologos (1328-1341) was also inclined toward their opinion. whose name means “one who inflicts no harm,” actually caused great harm by his heretical teaching. Akyndinos wrote a series of tracts in which he declared Saint Gregory and the Athonite monks guilty of causing church disorders. The saint, in turn, wrote a detailed refutation of Akyndinos’ errors. patriarch supported Akyndinos and called Saint Gregory the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church (1344) and had him locked up in prison for four years. In 1347, when John the XIV was replaced on the patriarchal throne by Isidore (1347-1349), Saint Gregory Palamas was set free and was made Archbishop of Thessalonica. 1351 the Council of Blachernae solemnly upheld the Orthodoxy of his teachings. the people of Thessalonica did not immediately accept Saint Gregory, and he was compelled to live in various places. one of his travels to Constantinople the Byzantine ship fell into the hands of the Turks. Even in captivity, Saint Gregory preached to Christian prisoners and even to his Moslem captors. The Hagarenes were astonished by the wisdom of his words. Some of the Moslems were unable to endure this, so they beat him and would have killed him if they had not expected to obtain a large ransom for him. A year later, Saint Gregory was ransomed and returned to Thessalonica. Gregory performed many miracles in the three years before his death, healing those afflicted with illness. On the eve of his repose, Saint John Chrysostom appeared to him in a vision. With the words “To the heights! To the heights!” Saint Gregory Palamas fell asleep in the Lord on November 14, 1359. 1368 he was canonized at a Constantinople Council under Patriarch Philotheus (1354-1355, 1364-1376), who compiled the Life and Services to the saint.

Byzantium, 1360, Ephesus, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella, spring of holy water
Ephesus, 1360, Saint Markella, Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Markella (also Marcella) was an inhabitant of fourteenth-century Chios who was canonized by the Greek Orthodox Church. Her feast day is celebrated on July 22. Markella rocks today, Chios. Markella was born and lived in Volissos, Chios, Greece. She was raised as a devout Christian by her mother. However, her father (in some accounts) was a pagan. lived during the fourteenth century - during most of which Chios was under Genoese rule. At a young age, her mother died and Markella continued to study her Bible, pray to God and live a life according to what she was taught. the time of her eighteenth birthday, the virtuous Markella had to flee the fury of her violent father. There are variant accounts given about the reasons for that. In one version, while Markella's late mother had been a Christian, her father was an idolater and he tried very hard to force his daughter to become an idolater, too; this seems anachronistic, since by the 14th Century paganism was long since extinct in Greece. By another version, the problem was that Markella's father was consumed with incestuous lust for her, and she fled in horror when he declared his intentions.[1] her reason for being afraid of her father, Saint Markella fled to nearby mountains and hid in a bush. Her father found her with the help of a local herdsmen, and they set fire to the bush to force her to show. ran to the sea to escape but her father aimed an arrow at her and wounded her. As believed by the local people, the blood of the saint dyed the rocks and to this very day, during the festivities for her feast day, at a specific time, her blood becomes visible on these rocks for all the faithful who bear witness to this miracle. is further believed that as she was injured, she prayed to Jesus - her final moments spent in prayer requesting that the rocks would open for her to hide from her father and this happened. However, the opened rock enabled her to hide all of her body inside, but not her head. Her father decapitated her and threw the head into the sea. Her head floated to the nearby beach of Komi. many years, the locals could not locate the head until one day an Italian (presumably Genoese) warship was in the area. In the evening, the Italians could see a bright light coming from the distance and when they got closer they witnessed a head, floating in the water, lit by upright floating candles. Immediately, they realized that this was a sacred miracle they were witness to and they took the head of the Saint back to their homeland. tradition also has it that holy water springs from the rocks that mark her martyrdom. Many pilgrims visit this location and every year on 22 July, during the commemoration services for the Saint, the holy sea water in the rock pool boils during the entire Paraklisis Service; this phenomenon only occurs in the presence of a priest. If a pilgrim's faith is strong, a local tradition is that the water in the rock-pool will feel extremely warm to touch. significance[edit] Today there is a church on the cave of Saint Markella. The rock in which she was killed is said to spring holy water. Her nameday is on July 22 [2] and on that day the sea is said to boil. The icon of Saint Markella is one of the most revered and is said to be miraculous. Chios Monastery of Agia Markella; Martyr Marcella of Chios, Commemorated on July 22; ’s father changed in his behavior toward her. He became moody and depressed, forbidding her to go into the garden or to speak with the neighbors. Unable to understand the reason for this change, the saint went to her room and wept. She prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking Her to help her father. Soon she fell asleep, only to be awakened by her father’s shouting. unfortunate man had spent a long time struggling against his lust, but finally he gave in to it. At times he would speak to his daughter roughly, then later he would appear to be gentle. He wanted to be near her, and to stroke her hair. Unaware of her father’s intentions, Saint Markella was happy to see him emerge from his melancholy state, thinking that her prayer had been answered. day, her father openly declared the nature of his feelings for her. Horrified, the saint tried to avoid him as much as she could. Even the neighbors realized that there was something wrong with the man, so they stopped speaking to him. shepherd was tending his sheep near the beach one morning, and was leading them into the shade of a plane tree to avoid the hot July sun. Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a noise and looked up. He saw a young woman with a torn dress running down the hill. She hid in a nearby bush, ignoring its thorns. shepherd wondered who was chasing her, and how she had come to this spot. Then he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and recognized the mayor of the village. He asked the shepherd if he had seen his daughter. He said that he had not seen her, but pointed to her hiding place with his finger. mayor ordered Markella to come out of the bush, but she refused. Therefore, he set fire to the bush in order to force her out. She emerged on the side opposite her father, and ran toward the rocky shore, calling out to the Mother of God for help. continued to run, even though blood was flowing from her face and hands. Feeling a sharp pain in her leg, she saw that she had been shot with an arrow. She paused to pull it out, then took to flight once more. She scrambled over the rocks, staining them with her blood. Hearing her father getting closer, she prayed that the earth would open up and swallow her. saint sank to her knees, her strength all gone, and then a miracle took place. The rock split open and received her body up to the waist. Her father drew near with wild-eyed joy shouting, “I have caught you. Now where will you go? his sword, he began to butcher his helpless daughter, cutting off pieces of her body. Finally, he seized her by the hair and cut off her head, throwing it into the sea. At once the calm sea became stormy, and large waves crashed to the shore near the murderer’s feet. Thinking that the sea was going to drown him because of his crime, he turned and fled. His ultimate fate has not been recorded. later years, pious Christians built a church on the spot where Saint Markella hid in the bush. The spot where she was killed became known as “The Martyrdom of Saint Markella,” and the rock that opened to receive her is still there. The rock appears to be a large stone that broke off from a mountain and rolled into the sea. Soil from the mountain covers the spot on the side facing the land. On the side facing the ocean is a small hole, about the size of a finger. A healing water flows from the opening, which cures every illness. flow of water is not due to the movements of the tide, because when the tide is out, there would be no water. This, however, is not the case. The water is clear, but some of the nearby rocks have been stained with a reddish-yellow color. According to tradition, the lower extremities of Saint Markella’s body are concealed in the rock. most astonishing thing about the rock is not the warmth of the water, nor the discoloration of the other rocks, but what happens when a priest performs the Blessing of Water. A sort of steam rises up from the water near the rock, and the entire area is covered with a mist. The sea returns to normal as soon as the service is over. Many miracles have occurred at the spot, and pilgrims flock there from all over the world.

Constantinople, 1362-1389, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murad I, Kosovo Field Battle, Turks
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1362-1389, Murad I; I (29 June 1326 - 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilufer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Suleyman Pasha's death. I conquered Adrianople, renamed it to Edirne,[2] and in 1363 made it the new capital of the Ottoman Sultanate.[3] Then he further expanded the Ottoman realm in Southern Europe by bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule, and forced the princes of Serbia and Bulgaria as well as the East Roman emperor John V Palaiologos to pay him tribute.[2] Murad I administratively divided his sultanate into the two provinces of Anatolia (Asia Minor) and Rumelia (the Balkans). to the Ottoman sources, Murad I's titles includes Bey, Emir - a zam (Great Emir), Ghazi, Hudavendigar, Khan, Padishah, Sultan-selatin (Sultan of sultans), Melikul-muluk (Malik of maliks), while in Bulgarian and Serbian sources he was referred to as Tsar. In a Genoese document, he was referred to as dominus armiratorum Turchie (Master lord of Turks).[4] I was illiterate and could not even sign his own name. In 1353, Murad I signed a treaty by dipping his hand in ink and impressing it with his finger marks.[5] of the conquests of Murad I century miniature depicting Murad I fought against the powerful beylik of Karaman in Anatolia and against the Serbs, Albanians, Bulgarians and Hungarians in Europe. In particular, a Serb expedition to expel the Turks from Adrianople led by the Serbian brothers King Vukasin and Despot Ugljesia, was defeated on September 26, 1371, by Murad's capable second lieutenant Lala Sahin Pasa, the first governor (beylerbey) of Rumeli. In 1385, Sofia fell to the Ottomans. In 1386 Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic defeated an Ottoman force at the Battle of Plocnik. The Ottoman army suffered heavy casualties, and was unable to capture Nis on the way back. of Kosovo[edit] of Sultan Murad on Kosovo field of Sultan Murad 1389, Murad's army defeated the Serbian Army and its allies under the leadership of Lazar at the Battle of Kosovo. There are different accounts from different sources about when and how Murad I was assassinated. The contemporary sources mainly noted that the battle took place and that both Prince Lazar and the Sultan lost their lives in the battle. The existing evidence of the additional stories and speculations as to how Murad I died were disseminated and recorded in the 15th century and later, decades after the actual event. One Western source states that during first hours of the battle, Murad I was assassinated by Serbian nobleman and knight MiloÅ¡ ObiliÄ‡ by knife.[6][7] Most Ottoman chroniclers[citation needed] (including Dimitrie Cantemir)[8] state that he was assassinated after the finish of the battle while going around the battlefield. His older son Bayezid, who was in charge of the left wing of the Ottoman forces, took charge after that. His other son, Yakub Bey, who was in charge of the other wing, was called to the Sultan's command center tent by Bayezid, but when Yakub Bey arrived he was strangled, leaving Bayezid as the sole claimant to the throne. a letter from the Florentine senate (written by Coluccio Salutati) to the King Tvrtko I of Bosnia, dated 20 October 1389, Murad I's (and Jakub Bey's) killing was described. A party of twelve Serbian lords slashed their way through the Ottoman lines defending Murad I. One of them, allegedly Milos Obilic, had managed to get through to the Sultan's tent and kill him with sword stabs to the throat and belly.[9][page needed] Murad's internal organs were buried in Kosovo field and remains to this day on a corner of the battlefield in a location called Meshed-i Hudavendigar which has gained a religious significance by the local Muslims. It has been vandalized between 1999–2006 and renovated recently. His other remains were carried to Bursa, his Anatolian capital city, and were buried in a tomb at the complex built in his name.[10] of sultanate[edit] established the sultanate by building up a society and government in the newly conquered city of Adrianople (Edirne in Turkish) and by expanding the realm in Europe, bringing most of the Balkans under Ottoman rule and forcing the Byzantine emperor to pay him tribute. It was Murad who established the former Osmanli tribe into an sultanate. He established the title of sultan in 1363 and the corps of the janissaries and the devÅŸirme recruiting system. He also organised the government of the Divan, the system of timars and timar-holders (timariots) and the military judge, the kazasker. He also established the two provinces of Anadolu (Anatolia) and Rumeli (Europe). was the son of Orhan and the Valide Hatun Nilüfer Hatun, daughter of the Lord of Yarhisar, who was of ethnic Greek descent.[11] St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30;

Constantinople, 1389-1403, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Bayezid I
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1389-1403, Bayezid I; I (c. 1360 - 8 March 1403)[2] was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I[3][4] and Gulcicek Hatun. built one of the largest armies in the known world at the time and unsuccessfully besieged Constantinople. He adopted the title of Sultan-Rum being an old Islamic name for the Roman Empire.[5] decisively defeated the Crusaders at Nicopolis (in modern Bulgaria) in 1396, and was himself defeated and captured by Timur at the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and died in captivity in March 1403, triggering the Ottoman Interregnum.

Byzantium, 1397-1405, Patriarch, Matthew I of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Byzantine Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A
Byzantine Patriarch, 1405-1410, N/A Byzantine Patriarch, 1397-1405, Matthew I of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Byzantium, 1405-1463, Isidore of Kiev, Metropolitan, Became Uniate

Byzantine Patriarch, 1410-1416, Euthymius II of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1410-1416, Euthymius II of Constantinople; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1413-1421, Sultan, Mehmed I, restorer, Anatolia, conquest of Wallacia, Venice destroyed fleet
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1413-1421, Mehmed I; I (1389 – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi or Krisci,[3] was the Ottoman sultan from 1413 to 1421. fourth son of Sultan Bayezid I and Devlet Hatun, he fought with his brothers over control of the Ottoman realm in the Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413). Starting from the province of Rum he managed to bring first Anatolia and then the European territories (Rumelia) under his control, reuniting the Ottoman state by 1413, and ruling it until his death in 1421. The Restorer, he reestablished central authority in Anatolia, and expanded the Ottoman presence in Europe by the conquest of Wallachia in 1415. Venice destroyed his fleet off Gallipoli in 1416, as the Ottomans lost a naval war.[4] St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Byzantium, 1412-1444, Byzantine Saint, Mark of Ephesus
Byzantine Saint, 1412-1444, Mark of Ephesus; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1416-1439, Patriarch, Joseph II of Constantinople
Byzantine Patriarch, 1416-1439, Joseph II of Constantinople; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1421-1451, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Murat II, economic development, could have invaded Europe
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1421-1451, Murat II; II (Ottoman Turkish: Ù…Ø±Ø§Ø¯ ثانى‎, romanized: MurÄd-Ä± sÄnÄ«, Turkish: II. Murad, 16 June 1404[1][2] – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. II's reign was a period of important economic development. Trade increased and Ottoman cities expanded considerably. In 1432, the traveller Bertrandon de la Broquière noted that Ottoman annual revenue had risen to 2,500,000 ducats, and that if Murad II had used all available resources he could easily have invaded Europe.[4] St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Byzantium, 1431-1449, Byzantine and Holy Roman Council, Council of Florence
Byzantine Council, 1431-1449, Council of Florence; St Mark the Archbishop of Ephesus, Commemorated on January 19;

Constantinople, 1439-1450, Patriarch, Gregory III of Constantinople
Constantinople, 1439-1450, Patriarch, Gregory III of Constantinople ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15;

Constantinople, 1444-1481, Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror, Muslim Caesar of the Roman Empire
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1444-1481, Mehmed the Conqueror; II (30 March 1432 - 3 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( lit. The Father of Conquest; Turkish: Fatih Sultan Mehmed), was an Ottoman sultan who ruled from August 1444 to September 1446, and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, he defeated the crusade led by John Hunyadi after the Hungarian incursions into his country broke the conditions of the truce Peace of Szeged. When Mehmed II ascended the throne again in 1451 he strengthened the Ottoman navy and made preparations to attack Constantinople. At the age of 21, he conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. the conquest Mehmed claimed the title "Caesar" of the Roman Empire, based on the fact that Constantinople had been the seat and capital of the surviving Eastern Roman Empire since its consecration in 330 AD by Emperor Constantine I.[4] The claim was only recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Nonetheless, Mehmed II viewed the Ottoman state as a continuation of the Roman Empire for the remainder of his life, seeing himself as continuing the Empire rather than replacing it. continued his conquests in Anatolia with its reunification and in Southeast Europe as far west as Bosnia. At home he made many political and social reforms, encouraged the arts and sciences, and by the end of his reign, his rebuilding program had changed Constantinople into a thriving imperial capital. He is considered a hero in modern-day Turkey and parts of the wider Muslim world. Among other things, Istanbul's Fatih district, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge and Fatih Mosque are named after him. Venerable Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 30; St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 11; St Stephen of Serbia, "œthe blind one"Â, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Matrona of Chios, Commemorated on October 20; Blessed John the King of Serbia and his parents, Commemorated on December 10 ; Blessed Stephen the Prince of Serbia, Commemorated on December 10; St Nectarius of Bitel, Commemorated on December 15; Venerable Daniel the Hesychast, Commemorated on December 18; St Maximus the New, Commemorated on January 18; Righteous Theodora, wife of the Emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclast, Commemorated on February 11; New Martyr Raphael of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos, Commemorated on April 9; St Zosimas II of Kumurdo, Commemorated on May 1; St Angelina of Serbia, Commemorated on July 1; Translation of the relics of the Venerable John of Rila from Trnovo to Rila, Commemorated on July 1; St Stephen the Great, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople, 1603-1617, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ahmed I, ended royal fratricide, didn't execute brothers, c Blue Mosque
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1603-1617, Ahmed I ; I (April 1590 - 22 November 1617) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal fratricide; henceforth Ottoman rulers would no longer systematically execute their brothers upon accession to the throne.[2] He is also well known for his construction of the Blue Mosque, one of the most famous mosques in Turkey. Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29; Hieromartyr Theodore of Kvelta, Commemorated on June 8; Martyr Luarsab II the King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1612-1638, Partiarch, Cyril 1, protestant support, anti Jesuit, anti Calvinist, defender of Orthodoxy
Constantinople Partiarch, 1612-1638, Cyril 1 ; Lucaris or Loukaris (13 November 1572 - 27 June 1638), born Constantine Lucaris, was a Greek prelate and theologian, and a native of Candia, Crete (then under the Republic of Venice). He later became the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I. contemporaries, and some modern Calvinist writers as well, have claimed that he strove for a reform of the Eastern Orthodox Church along Protestant, Calvinist lines.[1] Attempts to bring Calvinism into the Orthodox Church were rejected, and Cyril's actions, motivations, and specific viewpoints remain a matter of debate among scholars. the Orthodox Church recognizes him as a hieromartyr and defender of the Orthodox faith against both the Jesuit Catholics and Calvinist Protestants. official glorification of Cyril Loukaris took place by decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria on 6 October 2009, and his memory is commemorated on 27 June.[2][3] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Mustafa I, the Mad, Mother was regent
Constantinople, 1617-1618 and 1622 - 1623, Mustafa I; I (c. 1591 - 20 January 1639), called Mustafa the Saint (Veli Mustafa) during his second reign and often called Mustafa the Mad (Deli Mustafa) by modern historians, was the son of Mehmed III and was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1617 to 1618 and from 1622 to 1623. 1 Early life 2 First reign (1617–1618) 3 Deposition 4 Alleged mental instability 5 Second reign (1622–1623) 6 Deposition and last years 7 Death 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links life[edit] was born in the Manisa Palace, as the younger brother of Ahmed I (1603–1617). His mother was Halime Sultan, an Abkhazian lady.[1] 1603 it was customary for an Ottoman Sultan to have his brothers executed shortly after he gained the throne (Mustafa's father Mehmed III had executed 19 of his own brothers). But when the thirteen-year-old Ahmed I was enthroned in 1603, he spared the life of the twelve-year-old Mustafa.[2] factor in Mustafa's survival is the influence of Kosem Sultan (Ahmed's favorite consort), who may have wished to preempt the succession of Osman, Ahmed’s first-born son from another concubine. Osman became Sultan, he would likely try to execute his half-brothers, the sons of Ahmed and Kosem. (This scenario later became a reality when Osman II executed his brother Mehmed in 1621.[3]) However, the reports of foreign ambassadors suggest that Ahmed actually liked his brother.[4] Ahmed's death in 1617, Mustafa lived in the Old Palace, along with his mother, and grandmother Safiye Sultan.[5] reign (1617–1618)[edit] death created a dilemma never before experienced by the Ottoman Empire. Multiple princes were now eligible for the Sultanate, and all of them lived in TopkapÄ± Palace.[3] court faction headed by the Şeyhülislam Esad Efendi and Sofu Mehmed Pasha (who represented the Grand Vizier when he was away from Constantinople) decided to enthrone Mustafa instead of Ahmed's son Osman. Mehmed argued that Osman was too young to be enthroned without causing adverse comment among the populace. The Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha objected, citing Mustafa's mental problems, but he was overruled.[6] Mustafa's rise created a new succession principle of seniority that would last until the end of the Empire. It was the first time an Ottoman Sultan was succeeded by his brother instead of his son. His mother Halime Sultan became the Valide Sultan as well as a regent and wielded great power. Due to Mustafa's mental conditions, she acted as a regent and exercised power more directly. was hoped that regular social contact would improve Mustafa's mental health, but his behavior remained eccentric. He pulled off the turbans of his viziers and yanked their beards. Others observed him throwing coins to birds and fish. The Ottoman historian Ä°brahim Peçevi wrote "this situation was seen by all men of state and the people, and they understood that he was psychologically disturbed."[7] was never more than a tool of court cliques at the TopkapÄ± Palace.[8] In 1618, after a short rule, another palace faction deposed him in favour of his young nephew Osman II (1618–1622), and Mustafa was sent back to the Old Palace. conflict between the Janissaries and Osman II presented him with a second chance. After a Janissary rebellion led to the deposition and assassination of Osman II in 1622, Mustafa was restored to the throne and held it for another year.[9] mental instability[edit] according to Baki Tezcan, there is not enough evidence to properly establish that Mustafa was mentally imbalanced when he came to the throne. Mustafa "made a number of excursions to the arsenal and the navy docks, examining various sorts of arms and taking an active interest in the munitions supply of the army and the navy." One of the dispatches of Baron de Sancy, the French ambassador, "suggested that Mustafa was interested in leading the Safavid campaign himself and was entertaining the idea of wintering in Konya for that purpose."[10] one contemporary observer provides an explanation of the coup which does not mention the incapacity of Mustafa. Baron de Sancy ascribes the deposition to a political conspiracy between the grand admiral Ali Pasha and Chief Black Eunuch Mustafa Agha, who were angered by the former's removal from office upon Sultan Mustafa's accession. They may have circulated rumors of the sultan's mental instability subsequent to the coup in order to legitimize it.[11] reign (1622–1623)[edit] commenced his reign by executing all those who had taken any share in the murder of Sultan Osman. Hoca Ömer Efendi, the chief of the rebels, the kÄ±zlar Agha Suleiman Agha, the vizier Dilaver Pasha, the Kaim-makam Ahmed Pasha, the defterdar Baki Pasha, the segban-bashi Nasuh Agha, and the general of the janissaries Ali Agha, were cut into pieces.[12][non-primary source needed] epithet "Veli" (meaning "saint") was used in reference to him during his reign.[13] mental condition unimproved, Mustafa was a puppet controlled by his mother and brother-in-law, the grand vizier Kara Davud Pasha. He believed that Osman II was still alive and was seen searching for him throughout the palace, knocking on doors and crying out to his nephew to relieve him from the burden of sovereignty.[14] "The present emperor being a fool" (according to English Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe), he was compared unfavorably with his predecessor.[7] In fact, it was his mother Halime Sultan the de facto-co-ruler as Valide Sultan of the Ottoman empire. and last years[edit] instability was generated by conflict between the Janissaries and the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry), followed by the Abaza rebellion, which occurred when the governor-general of Erzurum, Abaza Mehmed Pasha, decided to march to Istanbul to avenge the murder of Osman II. The regime tried to end the conflict by executing Kara Davud Pasha, but Abaza Mehmed continued his advance. Clerics and the new Grand Vizier (KemankeÅŸ Kara Ali Pasha) prevailed upon Mustafa's mother to allow the deposition of her son. She agreed, on condition that Mustafa's life would be spared.[3][15] 11-year-old Murad IV, son of Ahmed I and Kösem, was enthroned on 10 September 1623. In return for her consent to his deposition, the request of Mustafa's mother that he be spared execution was granted.[16] Mustafa was sent along with his mother to the Eski (old) Palace.[17] source states that Mustafa was executed by the orders of his nephew, Sultan Murad IV on 20 January 1640 in order to end the Ottoman dynasty and prevented to give power to his mother Kösem Sultan. Another source states that he died of epilepsy which was caused by being imprisoned for 34 years out of his 48 years of life. He is buried in the courtyard of the Haghia Sophia.[18]

Constantinople, 1618-1622, Ottoman Sultan, Osman II. educated, polish c, g winter, Janissari coffee houses, Killed by Js
Constantinople, 1618-1622, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Osman II; II (3 November 1604 - 20 May 1622), also known as Osman the Young, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1618 until his regicide on 20 May 1622. life[edit] II was born at TopkapÄ± Palace, Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (1603–17) and one of his consorts Mahfiruz Hatun. According to later traditions, at a young age, his mother had paid a great deal of attention to Osman's education, as a result of which Osman II became a known poet and would have mastered many languages, including Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Italian; this has been refuted since.[2] was born eleven months after his father Ahmed Ahmed's transition to the throne. He was trained in the palace. According to foreign observers, he was one of the most cultured of Ottoman princes. [3] failure to capture the throne at the death of his father Ahmed may have been caused by the absence of a mother to lobby in his favour; his own mother was probably already dead or in exile. Ottoman Empire in 1622, the year of the regicide of Osman II II ascended the throne at the age of 14 as the result of a coup d' etat against his uncle Mustafa I the Intestable (1617–18, 1622–23). his youth, Osman II soon sought to assert himself as a ruler, and after securing the empire's eastern border by signing a peace treaty (Treaty of Serav) with Safavid Persia, he personally led the Ottoman campaign against Poland and king Sigismund III during the Moldavian Magnate Wars.[4] to sign a humiliating peace treaty with the Poles after the Battle of Khotyn (Chocim) in September- October, 1621, Osman II returned home to Constantinople in shame, blaming the cowardice of the Janissaries and the insufficiency of his statesmen for his humiliation.[5] basic and exceptional weakness from which Osman II suffered was the conspicuous absence of a female power basis in the harem. From 1620 until Osman's death, a governess (daye hatun, lit. wet-nurse) was appointed as a stand-in valide, and she could not counterbalance the contriving of Mustafa I's mother in the Old Palace. he did have a loyal chief black eunuch at his side, this could not compensate for the absence of what in the politics of that period was a winning combination, valide sultan–chief black eunuch, especially in the case of a young and very ambitious ruler.[6] According to Piterberg, Osman II did not have haseki sultan, opposite with Peirce who claim that Ayse was Osman's haseki. But it is clear that Ayse could not take valide's role during her spouse's reign.[citation needed] the autumn of 1620, Ozi Beylerbeyi Iskender Pasha seized the secret letter sent by Transylvanian Prince Bethlen Gabor to Istanbul and sent it to Poland, and Osman also became a veteran of the people around him. decided to embark on a Polish expedition. [7] Continuing preparations for the Polish campaign, neither cold nor famine nor the British ambassador John Eyre could deter Osman. The ambassador of Sigismund III, the King of Poland, was brought into Istanbul despite the severe colds. The janissaries and army were not willing to go on a campaign, regardless of their conditions.[8] winter of 1621[edit] II on horseback the murder of Sehzade Mehmed on 12 January 1621, a severe snow started in Istanbul. The people of Istanbul were drastically affected by the cold, which increased local violence on 24 January 1621, more so than the palace murder. This is the biggest natural disaster that concerns the capital in Osman's four-year short reign. Bostanzade Yahya Efendi, one of those who lived through this cold, tells that the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus were covered with ice in the end of January-beginning of February: Between Uskudar and Besiktas, the men walk around and go to Uskudar. [8] They came from Istanbul on foot. And the year became a gala (famine).[8] was snowing for 15 days, that the frosts were frozen from the severity of the cold, but that the river was open between Sarayburnu and Uskudar.[8] For this natural disaster, froze in thirty thousand froze between Uskudar and Istanbul from the cold, Hasimi Celebii, The road became Uskudar, the Mediterranean froze a thousand thirty. As a result of the inconvenience of the Zahire ships, there was a complete famine in Istanbul, and 75 dirhams of bread jumped to one akche, and the oak of the meat to 15 akches.[8] Osman the Young was strangled in Yedikule Zindans in 1622 Fortress in 1685 of the entrances of the Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death by revolting Janissaries Fortress in 1827 a counterweight to Janissary influence, Osman II closed their coffee shops (the gathering points for conspiracies against the throne) and started planning to create a new and more loyal army consisting of Anatolian sekbans.[9] result was a palace uprising by the Janissaries, who promptly imprisoned the young sultan in Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul, where Osman II was strangled to death. Osman's death, his ear was cut off and represented to Halime Sultan and Sultan Mustafa I to confirm his death and Mustafa would no longer need to fear his nephew. It was the first time in the Ottoman history that a Sultan was executed by the Janissaries.[10] This disaster is one of the most discussed topics in Ottoman history. Martyrs of Lazeti, Commemorated on April 29;

Constantinople, 1623-1640, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Murad IV, Ottoman Safavid War (1623-1639)
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1623-1640, Murad IV; IV (Turkish: IV. Murad, 27 July 1612 - 8 February 1640) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. IV was born in Constantinople, the son of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–17) and Kosem Sultan.[2] He was brought to power by a palace conspiracy in 1623, and he succeeded his uncle Mustafa I (r. 1617–18, 1622–23). was only 11 when he ascended the throne. His reign is most notable for the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639), of which the outcome would partition the Caucasus between the two Imperial powers for around two centuries, while it also roughly laid the foundation for the current Turkey–Iran–Iraq borders. The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Hieromartyr Kozman, Commemorated on July 18; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31;

Constantinople, 1623, Partiarch, Anthimus II, catholic support, Orthodox, false credit instruments 20,000 L, deposed by Cyril
Constantinople Partiarch, 1623, Anthimus II ; II was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for a few months in 1623. was born in Constantinople to a noble and rich family. Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople he was Metropolitan of Adrianople.[1] short reign has to be considered in the context of the clash between the pro-Calvinist Patriarch Cyril Lucaris, supported by the Dutch and English ambassadors, and his opponents supported by the French, Austrian and Venetian ambassadors to the Ottoman capital. latter were successful at persuading the Grand Vizier to depose Cyril Lucaris on 12 April 1623 and to appoint in his place the blind and old Gregory IV. The Metropolitans and the bishops were unsatisfied with Gregory IV because he had not been canonically elected by the Holy Synod. Thus on 18 June 1623 the Holy Synod deposed Gregory IV and formally elected Anthimus II as Patriarch of Constantinople.[2] II, even if politically supported by the Catholic governments, remained a strong and good Orthodox.[3] sent metropolitans to Rhodes, where Lucaris was temporarily exiled, to persuade him to retire to Mount Athos, but without success. On the contrary, Lucaris, thanks to the Calvinist Dutch ambassador, returned to Constantinople and produced false instruments of credit for 20,000 Livres on the Patriarchate.[3] could not find such large amount and was forced to abdicate on 22 September 1623.[3] Subsequently, Lucaris returned on the patriarchal throne for the third time. his resignation, Anthimus retired on Mount Athos where he died in 1628.[1] Monkmartyr Euthymius of Prodromou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on March 22; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Constantinople, 1640-1648, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire, the Mad, incompetent
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1640-1648, Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire; (5 November 1615 - 18 August 1648) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648. He was born in İstanbul, the son of Ahmed I by Valide Kösem Sultan, an ethnic Greek originally named Anastasia.[1][2][3] was called "Deli Ibrahim" ("Ibrahim the Mad") due to his mental condition and behavior.[4] However Scott Rank notes that his opponents spread rumors of the sultan's insanity, and some historians suggest he was more incompetent than mad.[5] New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1648-1687, Sultan, Mehmed IV, long reign, empire reached height of European territorial expansion
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1648-1687, Mehmed IV; IV (2 January 1642 -6 January 1693) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687. He came to the throne at the age of six after his father was overthrown in a coup. Mehmed went on to become the second longest reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent.[1] While the initial and final years of his reign were characterized by military defeat and political instability, during his middle years he oversaw the revival of the empire's fortunes associated with the K era. Mehmed IV was known by contemporaries as a particularly pious ruler, and was referred to as gazi, or "holy warrior" for his role in the many conquests carried out during his long reign.[2] his reign the empire reached the height of its territorial expansion in Europe. From a young age he developed a keen interest in hunting, for which he is known as the hunter.[1] In 1687 Mehmed was overthrown by soldiers disenchanted by the course of the ongoing War of the Holy League. He subsequently retired to Edirne, where he resided until his natural death in 1693.[1] Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8. New Martyr Triandaphyllus of Stara Zagora, Commemorated on August 8 ; New Martyr Stamatius of Volos, Commemorated on August 16 ; St Gabriel I the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Joseph the New of Partos the Metropolitan of Timishoara (Romania), Commemorated on September 15; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on October 1 ; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂœQuick to HearÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on November 9; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated on November 13; New-martyr John of Thasos, Commemorated on December 20; Venerable Cyriacus of Tazlu, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Cyriacus of Bisericani, Romania, Commemorated on December 31; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12;

Constantinople, 1664, Quick to Hear Icon, Docheiariou monastery, Mt Athos, smoke darkening, blinded, MOG quick to hear
Docheiariou monastery; Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated August 19 ; Monkmartyr James of Prodromou on Mt Athos, Commemorated November 1 ; Venerable Euthymius the Co-Founder of Dochiariou Monastery of Mt Athos, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Quick to Hear", Commemorated November 9 ; wonderworking "Quick to Hear" Icon of the Mother of God is kept at Dokheiarίou Monastery on Mount Athos, and is believed to date from the XI century, during the time of Saint Neophytos, the Igoumen of the Monastery. the wonderworking Portaitissa Icon, the most famous Icon on Mount Athos is an ancient fresco of the Panagia located outside on the east wall of the trapeza, and to the right of the entrance. 1664 the Monk Neilos, the steward of the trapeza, often passed before the Icon holding a lit torch in his hand so he could carry out his duties in the trapeza. One day, he heard a voice say to him: "Do not come this way again with your torches, darkening my Icon with smoke." did not pay much attention to the voice, thinking that someone was playing a joke on him. It was not long before he heard the voice again saying, "O monk, unworthy of the name, how long will you continue to darken my Icon with smoke?" hearing the voice, Neilos was struck blind. Then he remembered that he had heard the voice before, and realized that he deserved this punishment, for he did not heed the command of the Mother of God, but had ignored it in his ignorance. next morning, the brethren found him laying on the floor of the corridor before the Icon, unable to see them. When they learned why Neilos had been punished, the monks were terrified. From that time on, they passed by the Icon with great reverence, and hung an unsleeping lamp before it. however, did not want to return to his cell. He remained before the Icon in a stasidi, calling upon the Theotokos with tears and lamentations to forgive him for the sin he had committed. He begged her to restore his sight, as a sign of her forgiveness, so that he might gaze upon her Icon and glorify her. was not disappointed in his hopes, for the Mother of God heard the prayers of her repentant servant. He heard her voice a third time, saying, "Monk, your prayer has been heard. You are forgiven, and you shall receive your sight again. Declare to the other Fathers and brethren who struggle here that I am the Mother of God, and that after God, I am the shelter and help and mighty protector of this Monastery of the Archangels, providing for it as its defender and guide. From now on, let the monks come to me for all their needs, and I will hear them quickly, as well as all Orthodox Christians who come to me with reverence, for I am called Quick to Hear." soon this miracle and the promise of the Theotokos became known throughout the Holy Mountain, and monks from the other Monasteries came to Dokheiarίou to venerate the Icon, and to see the monk who had regained his sight. The corridor was closed off and a chapel was built to house the "Quick to Hear" Icon. One of the most devout and accomplished Hieromonks is appointed to be present in the chapel. He is known as the prosmonarios, and he is there most of the time to chant Canons of Supplication before the Icon, which he censes every evening and morning, tending the chapel, and trimming the oil lamps. "Quick to Hear" Icon venerated not only on the Holy Mountain, but also by Orthodox Christians all over the world. Countless miracles of healing are worked by the Mother of God through her Holy Icon. The blind receive their sight, paralytics are healed, barren women conceive children, and captives are set free when they approach the Theotokos with faith and reverence. copy of the "Quick to Hear Icon" was painted on Mount Athos and was sent as a gift from the Russian and other devout monks of the Holy Mountain to Archbishop Tikhon (later Patriarch of Moscow) of the Aleutian Islands and North America. May of 1906 that copy of the famous "Quick to Hear” Icon at Dokheiarίou Monastery was carried to Saint Tikhon's Monastery (in Walmart, PA) in a solemn Cross Procession, along with several others, including one of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon. relics of several saints were placed in the Icon. These include the Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratēlátēs (Feb. 8), Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenary Physicians, Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki (Nov. 14), and the Holy New Martyr Constantine of Mount Athos, who was born on the island of Hydra and suffered at the hands of the Turks on the island of Rhodes on November 14, 1800. "Quick to Hear" Icon is now on the iconostasis of Saint Tikhon's Monastery church.

Constantinople, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray, 4 times Khan, first time lost to Pochaev Icon
Mongol, Crimea, 1671-1704, Crimean Khan, Selim I Giray; I Giray, Selim Khan Girai (Crimean Tatar: I Selim Geray, Turkish: 1. Selim Giray) was four times khan of the Crimean Khanate in the period from 1671 to 1704. During this time Crimean khans were regularly appointed and replaced by the Ottomans. The main events of the period were the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Azov and the Great Turkish War during which the Turks were pushed back from Vienna to about the line of Belgrade. Unlike other khans of the period, he ruled well and had no conflicts with his nobles. He was born in 1631. khans were the direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Emperor. After the death of Genghis Khan (1227) the empire was partitioned and the part in East Europe and Northwest Asia was named Golden Horde. The Golden Horde khans embraced Islam. region which was also called Desht-i Qipchaq was the home of Kypchak Turks and the khanate was Turkified. the early 15th century Golden Horde was further partitioned. One of the parts was the Crimean Khanate founded in and around the Crimean Peninsula, modern Ukraine in 1441. 1478, Giray was the name of the dynasty of khans. However, after partitioning, the parts of the khanate were no longer the major powers in the East Europe and in 1478 after an Ottoman campaign to Cremea, the Crimean Khanate had to accept the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Being the main Moslem vassal of the empire, Crimean Khanate had a privileged status in the Ottoman Empire. father Bahadır I Giray (1637) was one of the many sons of Selâmet I Giray (1608). Selyamet was the ancestor of most subsequent khans. He had 10 daughters and either 10 or 13 sons, five of whom were khans. Among his sons were Devlet II Giray (1699, 1709), Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707, 1713, 1730), Saadet IV Giray (1717), Meñli II Giray (1724, 1737) and Selâmet II Giray (1740) and Azamet, Adil, Muhamed, Shabaz, Maksud, Sahib and Safa. Most subsequent khans were descended from Devlet II, except for the sons of Saadet and Selyamet and the son and grandson of Qaplan. reign (1671-1678)[edit] was appointed as the khan in 1671 while he was in retirement at 'Cholmek' near Yambol in modern in Bulgaria. It is said that he obtained the khanship by bribing vizier Kologi.[1] His kalga and nureddin were his brother Selyamet and his cousin Safa. He was immediately called to fight in the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–76). Howorth[2] says that he and his two sons contributed to the capture of Kamianets-Podilskyi. He captured many prisoners in Pokutia and Volhynia but was forced to abandon them by Jan Sobieski. When the Nogais near Akkerman revolted against the Porte Selim forced them to move to Crimea, but they drifted back. 1676 the pro-Turkish Doroshenko was defeated at Chyhyryn by the Russians and forced to abdicate. In 1677 Turkish and Crimean troops were sent to re-take Chyryhin. The Russians barely won the siege, Selim received part of the blame and was removed. See Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681). He spent the winter in Kaffa and retired to Rhodes. was followed by Murad Giray and then Haci II Giray. In 1683 Murad was removed for his part in the Turkish defeat at Vienna. Haci was soon driven out by the Crimean nobles. reign (1684-1691)[edit] Turkish disaster at Vienna led to the so-called Great Turkish War (1683-1699) in which all the neighboring powers ganged up to push the Turks south. Russia’s role was to send two expeditions against Crimea (Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689). Both failed due to supply problems, but they kept Crimean troops away from the main fighting in the west. In 1688 Selim defeated some Austrians. In 1689 he was again successful near Belgrade, but his son was killed. He chose to resign the khanship and make the pilgrimage to Mecca. On his return he settled at an estate called ‘Kazikui near Silivri’. [3] was followed by Saadet III Giray who was removed after less than a year. The next khan, Safa Giray of Crimea, was replaced by Selim at Crimean request. Saadet failed the Turks militarily and Safa was accused of drunkenness, among other things, Reign (1692-1699)[edit] kalga was his son Devlet. His nureddin was Shahin, the son of his nephew Selyamet. His reign was dominated by three problems: fighting in the Balkans, raiding and fighting in Ukraine and the Russian capture of Azov. 1692 he was immediately called to fight in the Balkans. In September 1695 he was again called west and took part in the battle of Lippa or Lugos. (see de:Friedrich von Veterani) the Azov campaigns (1695–96) Peter the Great tried to capture Azov, the second campaign being successful. Russia held Azov until 1711. Crimeans raided Domanchov (1692), Poltava (1692,1693) and Pereiaslav (1694). In return the Cossacks raided Ochakov and Perekop. Following the Azov campaigns the Cossacks built forts near the mouth of the Don and Crimeans raided toward Lemburg (1697). Crimeans fought Poles at the Battle of Podhajce (1698). is not clear why Selim chose to leave the throne. He retired to an esate near Silivri. His departure roughly coincided with the Treaty of Karlowitz (1699) which ended the Great Turkish War and the Treaty of Constantinople (1700) which ended Russian involvement in the same war. this time Selim suffered from gout and moved to various places near Istanbul in hope of a cure. Selim was followed by his son Devlet II Giray. Devlet was removed and replaced by his father (fourth reign) because of conflicts with his brothers and because of his provocative hostility to Russia. reign (1702–1704)[edit] 71-year old Selim appointed his sons Gazi and Qaplan as kalga and nureddin. In 1704 Selim warned the Porte of Russian expansionism, just as his son had done. He died in Bahçesaray, Crimea and was buried in the tomb of the mosque named after him (22 July 1704). He was followed by Gazi III Giray (1704), Qaplan I Giray (1707) and Devlet II Giray again (1709). a war hero, Selim is also known for his talent as a poet and a musician. As a poet, he wrote the zafername (book of victories) about his victories against Russians at Perekop. During his frequent stays in İstanbul, he supported musicians like Hafız Post (1630–1694). Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is among the most revered sacred objects of the Orthodox Church. Located in the Dormition Cathedral at Pochaev, Ukraine, the Icon is reknowned throughout the entire Slavic world, and is venerated in Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and in other places. Christians of other confessions also venerate the Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The wonderworking Icon has been treasured at the Pochaev Lavra for over 400 years. miracles have taken place before the holy Icon, and these are recorded in special books at the monastery. The books contain the personal testimonies of people who prayed before the Pochaev Icon and were healed of their illnesses, delivered from unclean spirits, or freed from captivity. Many sinners were also brought to repentance. Feast Day in honor of the Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God was appointed to commemorate the deliverance of the Dormition Lavra from a siege by the Turks on July 20-23, 1675. the summer of 1675 during the Zbarazhsk War with the Turks, in the reign of the Polish King Jan Sobesski (1674-1696), regiments composed of Tatars under the command of Khan Nurredin via Vishnevets fell upon the Pochaev monastery, surrounding it on three sides. The weak monastery walls and its stone buildings did not offer much protection against a siege. Igoumen Joseph Dobromirsky urged the brethren and laypeople to pray to their heavenly intercessors, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job of Pochaev (October 28). monks and the people prayed fervently, prostrating themselves before the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, and the reliquary containing the relics of Saint Job. At sunrise on the morning of July 23, as the Tatars prepared to attack the monastery, the Igoumen ordered an Akathist to the Theotokos to be sung. At the opening words, “O Queen of the Heavenly Hosts,” the Mother of God suddenly appeared over the church, in “an unfurled radiant white omaphorion,” with angels holding unsheathed swords. Saint Job stood beside the Mother of God, bowing to her and beseeching her to defend the monastery. Tatars believed that the heavenly army was a vision, and in their confusion they started shooting arrows at the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Job, but the arrows turned backwards and wounded those who shot them. The enemy, gripped by terror, fled in panic, trampling upon and killing each other. The defenders of the monastery pursued them and took many prisoners. Later, some of the prisoners converted to the Orthodox Faith and remained at the monastery thereafter. the year 1721, Pochaev was occupied by the Uniates. Even during this difficult time for the Lavra, the monastery Chronicle lists 539 miracles of the Pochaev Icon. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Uniate nobleman, Count Nicholas Pototski, became a benefactor of the Pochaev Lavra through the following miraculous circumstance. After accusing his coachman of overturning the carriage with runaway horses, the Count took out a pistol to shoot him. The coachman, turning towards the mountain of Pochaev, stretched out his hands and cried: "Mother of God, depicted in the Pochaev Icon, save me!” times Pototski tried to shoot the pistol, which had never failed him, but the weapon misfired and the coachman remained alive. Pototski went at once to the wonderworking Icon and resolved to devote himself and all his property to building up the monastery. With the money he contributed, the Dormition cathedral was built, as well as other buildings for the brethren. return of the Pochaev Monastery to the Orthodox Church in 1832 was marked by the miraculous healing of the blind maiden Anna Akimchukova, who had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine along with her seventy-year-old grandmother from Kremenets-Podolsk, 200 versts away. In memory of this event, the Archbishop of Volhynia and Archimandrite Innocent of the Lavra (1832-1840) appointed that an Akathist be read on Saturdays before the wonderworking Icon. During the time of Archimandrite Agathangelus, Archbishop of Volhynia (1866-1876), a separate chapel was built in the galleries of the Holy Trinity church, which was dedicated on July 23, 1875 in memory of the victory over the Tatars. wonderworking Pochaev Icon is also commemorated on Friday of Bright Week, and on September 8.

Constantinople, 1687-1691, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Suleiman II
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1687-1691, Suleiman II; St Demetrius of Basarabov, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1691-1695, Ottoman Empire, Sultan Ahmed II, before reign in prison 43 years, grand vizier Pasha, executed previous officials, recap Belgrade, then lost Transyl and Romania
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1691-1695, Ahmed II; II (25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642[1] – 6 February 1695) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1691 to 1695. 1 Early life 2 Reign 3 Family 4 References 4.1 Works cited 5 Further reading 6 External links life[edit] II was born on 25 February 1643 or 1 August 1642, the son of Sultan Ibrahim and Muazzez Sultan. On 21 October 1649, Ahmed along with his brothers Mehmed and Suleiman were circumcised. [2] the reigns of his older brothers, Ahmed was imprisoned in Kafes, and he stayed there almost 43 years. mausoleum of Ahmed II is located inside the türbe of Suleiman the Magnificent. (In the above picture, his tomb is seen side by side with Suleiman II and Suleiman the Magnificent). section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) his reign, Sultan Ahmed II devoted most of his attention to the wars against the Habsburgs and related foreign policy, governmental and economic issues. Of these, the most important were the tax reforms and the introduction of the lifelong tax farm system (malikane) (see tax farming). Following the recovery of Belgrade under his predecessor, Suleiman II, the military frontier reached a rough stalemate on the Danube, with the Habsburgs no longer able to advance south of it, and the Ottomans attempting, ultimately unsuccessfully, to regain the initiative north of it. the most important features of Ahmed's reign was his reliance on Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha. Following his accession to the throne, Sultan Ahmed II confirmed Köprülüzade FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha in his office as grand vizier. In office from 1689, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha was from the Köprülü family of grand viziers, and like most of his Köprülü predecessors in the same office, was an able administrator and military commander. Like his father Köprülü Mehmed Pasha (grand vizier 1656–61) before him, he ordered the removal and execution of dozens of corrupt state officials of the previous regime and replaced them with men loyal to himself. He overhauled the tax system by adjusting it to the capabilities of the taxpayers affected by the latest wars. He also reformed troop mobilization and increased the pool of conscripts available for the army by drafting tribesmen in the Balkans and Anatolia. In October 1690 he recaptured Belgrade, a key fortress that commanded the confluence of the rivers Danube and Sava; in Ottoman hands since 1521, the fortress had been conquered by the Habsburgs in 1688. Ä±l Mustafa Pasha's victory at Belgrade was a major military achievement that gave the Ottomans hope that the military debacles of the 1680s—which had led to the loss of Hungary and Transylvania, an Ottoman vassal principality ruled by pro-Istanbul Hungarian princes— could be reversed. However, the Ottoman success proved ephemeral. On 19 August 1691, FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Slankamen at the hands of Ludwig Wilhelm von Baden, the Habsburg commander in chief in Hungary, nicknamed “Türkenlouisâ€ (Louis the Turk) for his victories against the Ottomans. In the confrontation, recognized by contemporaries as “the bloodiest battle of the century,â€ the Ottomans suffered heavy losses: 20,000 men, including the grand vizier. With him, the sultan lost his most capable military commander and the last member of the Köprülü family, who for the previous half century had been instrumental in strengthening the Ottoman military. FazÄ±l Mustafa Pasha's successors, the Ottomans suffered further defeats. In June 1692 the Habsburgs conquered Várad (Oradea, Romania), the seat of an Ottoman governor (beylerbeyi) since 1660. In 1694 they attempted to recapture Várad, but to no avail. On 12 January 1695, they surrendered the fortress of Gyula, the center of an Ottoman sanjak or subprovince since 1566. With the fall of Gyula, the only territory still in Ottoman hands in Hungary was to the east of the River Tisza and to the south of the river Maros, with its center at Temesvár. Three weeks later, on 6 February 1695, Ahmed II died in Edirne Palace. Venerable Romanus the Martyr, Commemorated on January 5; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12;

Constantinople, 1695-1703, Ottoman Empire Sultan, Mustafa II
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1695-1703, Mustafa II; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Fathers martyred by the Dagestanians, Commemorated on June 1;

Constantinople, 1703-1730, Ottoma Sultan, Ahmed III, reformer
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1703-1730, Ahmed III; III (Ottoman Turkish:‎, ) (30 December 1673 – 1 July 1736) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648–87). His mother was Gülnuş Sultan, originally named Evmenia Voria, who was an ethnic Greek.[1][2][3][4][5] He was born at HacÄ±oÄŸlu PazarcÄ±k, in Dobruja. succeeded to the throne in 1703 on the abdication of his brother Mustafa II (1695–1703).[6] NevÅŸehirli Damat Ä°brahim Pasha and the Sultan's daughter, Fatma Sultan (wife of the former) directed the government from 1718 to 1730, a period referred to as the Tulip Era. first days of Ahmed III's reign passed with efforts to appease the janissaries who were completely disciplined. However, he was not effective against the janissaries who made him sultan. Çorlulu Ali Pasha, who Ahmed brought to the Grand Vizier, tried to help him in administrative matters, made new arrangements for the treasury and Sultan. He supported Ahmed in his fight with his rivals. St Constantine Brancoveanu, Commemorated on August 16 ; Venerable Hierotheus the Younger of Iveron of Mt Athos, Commemorated on September 13; Repose of St. Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on September 14; New Martyr Auxentius of Constantinople, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Acacius the Younger of Mt Athos, Commemorated on April 12; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; New Martyr Argyra, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Nicephorus of Chios, Commemorated on May 1; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1754-1757, Ottoman Sultan, Osman III, prisoner, peculiar, angry, modest
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1754-1757 , Osman III; III (Ottoman Turkish: 2 January 1699-“ 30 October 1757) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1754 to 1757.[3] III lived most of his life as a prisoner in the palace, and as a consequence, he had some behavioural peculiarities when he took the throne. Unlike previous sultans, he hated music, and banished all musicians from the palace. According to Baron de Tott, Osman III was an angry and modest type of ruler.[6] Audience of French ambassador Charles de Vergennes with Sultan Osman III in 1755. III's first activity was to choose government officials to work with. During his reign, the changes he made in high-level government duties, especially Grand Vizier, can be considered as attempts to reduce the extremely weighted role of the charitable authority in the previous sultan's era.[5] the severe storm of March 1756, an Egyptian galleon ran ashore in Kumkapa at dusk. Due to the storm, 600 passengers could not be evacuated. The sultan, who came to the shore, took all the passengers by bringing barges from the shipyard. He ordered the construction of the Lighthouse in Istanbul to prevent such incidents. [7] first procession of his enthronement was held on 14 December 1754. The historians of that time didn'™t write the events happening in the empire because of severe and freezing cold of January 1755. [8] was responsible for a firman in 1757 that preserved the Status Quo of various Holy Land sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews.[9] the second year of his reign, Osman lost his mother, žehsuvar Sultan, who had been in contact with his religiousness. Afterward, the oldest prince, Mehmed, died of illness on December 22, 1756. According to various sources, the funeral of the prince, controlled by the quarry, grand vizier and sheikh al-Islam, was attended by 5,000 people. Some contemporary sources said that the prince was poisoned and killed on the initiative of Mustafa Pasha, the next sultan of the third sultan, Mustafa Pasha.[5] is noted that, in this period, provisions were sent against banditry in Anatolia and Rumelia, and especially the movements of headless beams, and that the sultan was also interested in these issues. Some measures were taken against the tribes of Bozulus and Cihanbeyli, the Armenians due to the turmoil in Iran, the bandits around Erzurum and Sivas, and the famous leader KaraosmanoŸlu Hac Mustafa. The latter was captured and executed, and his head was brought to Istanbul on 5 December 1755.[5] is famous for building Nuruosmaniye Mosque, whose construction started during the reign of Mahmud I. Nuruosmaniye Complex, also known as Osmaniye for a while, consisted of three schools, madrasahs, a factory, a library, a mausoleum, a temporary room, a mesh house, a fountain, an inn, and shops. Osman built a new neighborhood in 1755-56 where Palace and Garden was located, along with houses and shops. He also built the Ihsaniye Mosque and its masjids, both of which stand today as hsaniye.[5] III built a fountain in his name in 1755-56; it was destroyed 122 years after its construction. [10] III died on the night of 30 October 1757. In the early morning, a ceremony was held and his cousin Mustafa III was placed on the throne. The new sultan ordered Osman to be buried in the New Mosque Mausoleum, not in Nuruosmaniye. [11] Venerable Theophanes of Dochiariou of Mt Athos, Commemorated on August 19; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Constantinople, 1757-1774, Ottoman Sultan, Mustafa III, justice, prosperity, aquaducts, a Ger, w Rus
Ottoman Empire Sultan, 1757-1774, Mustafa III; III 28 January 1717 -“ 21 January 1774) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1757 to 1774. He was a son of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-“30), and his consort MihrŸah Kadhn. He was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I (1774-“89). ascended the throne on 30 October 1757, after the death of his cousin Osman III, the son of Sultan Mustafa II.[5] of Mustafa's rule[edit] after his accession to the throne, Mustafa demonstrated a special care for justice. He took a number of measures to increase prosperity in Istanbul. He regulated coinage, built large grain stores, maintained aqueducts, and established a strict fiscal policy.[6] He traveled frequently and checked whether the laws he had enforced were followed.[7] with Prussia[edit] much admired Frederick the Great's generalship, and in 1761 established a peace treaty with Prussia. Frederick wanted an alliance against the Habsburgs, and Mustafa wanted to modernize his state and army. Mustafa preferred recruiting his officers in Berlin, rather than in Paris and London, to re-organize his army. In 1763, the two countries exchanged their diplomats for the first time.[8] War (1768-“1774)[edit] article: Russo-Turkish War (1768-“1774) Rag Pasha, who remained grand vizier until 1763, pursued a peace policy towards neighboring countries. But the increasing influence of Russia over the Caucasus and its intention to control Poland created tension between the Ottomans and Russia. Rag Pasha's successor Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha also preferred to remain at peace, and Mustafa's insistence on war with Russia led to his resignation in 1768. The Sultan expected to gain an easy victory over the Russians, but in fact the Ottomans were unprepared for a long war. During the war, military reforms were undertaken, with the assistance of French officer Fransois Baron de Tott. They included the modernization of artillery corps and the foundation of the Naval Engineering School in 1773. The war was disastrous for the Ottoman Empire. The Russian armies occupied the Crimea, Romania and parts of Bulgaria.[9] Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; Monkmartyr Cosmas of St Anne Skete, Mt Athos, Commemorated on December 3; St George of Cernica and Caldarushani, Commemorated on December 3; New Martyr George of Iberia, Commemorated on January 2; New Martyr Theologia, Commemorated on January 2; Hieromartyr Damascene of Hilandar of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 16; New Martyr Zachariah, Commemorated on January 20; St Basil of Poiana Marului, Commemorated on April 15; Venerable Paisius of Hilandar, Bulgaria, Commemorated on June 19; St Athanasius Parios, Commemorated on June 24;

Studion Monastery, Constantinople, 462
The Studion Monestary ; Venerable Dionysius the Orator of St Anne Skete of Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 9; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Theodore the Confessor the Abbot of the Studion, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Evarestus of the Studion Monastery, Commemorated December 26 ; Venerable Thaddeus the Confessor of the Studion, Commemorated December 29 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodore the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated January 26 ; Venerable Nicholas the Confessor the Abbot of Studion, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joseph the Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of St Theodore of Studion ; Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia, Commemorated February 21 ; Venerable Simeon the New Theologian, Commemorated on March 12; St James the Confessor the Bishop of Catania, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe Ladder, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Titus the Wonderworker, Commemorated on April 2; St Plato the Confessor of Studion, Commemorated on April 5; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Dalmatian Monastery, Commemorated on June 6;

Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Niketas the Hidden lived at Constantinople and occupied the position of “chartolarium” (“letter-writer”). They call him “the Hidden,” because living in the world amid the bustle of the city, with secret exploits of faith, he attained spiritual perfection and was a great saint of God. His saintly life was revealed through unusual circumstances. friends, a certain priest and the deacon Sozon, had quarreled. The priest died, and the deacon grieved that they had not been able to be reconciled. He told an experienced Elder of the sin that tormented his conscience. He gave Sozon a letter and ordered him to give it to the first person whom he would meet at midnight at the temple of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. Niketas the Chartolarian appeared before him. Having read the letter, he began weeping and said, that it made him responsible for this, and that it was beyond his strength, but with the prayers of the Elder who had sent Sozon, he would strive to accomplish this. Making a prostration before the church doors, Saint Niketas said: “Lord, open to us the doors of Thy mercy,” and the doors of the temple flew open by themselves. Leaving the deacon at the threshold, Saint Niketas began to pray, and Sozon saw that he shone with a strange light. they went from the church, and the doors again closed. Approaching the church of the Blachernae Mother of God, Saint Nikḗtas again began praying and again the doors opened in front of them. In the church there shone a light, and from the altar came two rows of priests, among whom Deacon Sozon recognized his dead friend. Saint Nikḗtas quietly said: “Father, speak to your brother, and cease the enmity between you.” the priest and Deacon Sozon greeted each other. They embraced one another with love and were reconciled. The priest went back, and the doors closed by themselves. Saint Niketas said to the deacon: “Brother Sozon, save your soul both for your sake, and for my benefit. To the Father who sent you, say that the purity of his holy prayers and his trust in God made possible the return of the dead.” these words Saint Niketas became invisible to Sozon. Having returned to his spiritual Father and Elder, the deacon thanked him with tears, that through his prayers, the great hidden saint of God Niketas the Chartolarian had removed the sin from both the living and the dead. Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1; Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Today the Virgin stands in the midst of the Church, and with choirs of Saints she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and Bishops venerate Her, Apostles and prophets rejoice together, Since for our sake she prays to the Eternal God!” miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where her robe, veil, and part of her belt were preserved after being transferred from Palestine in the fifth century. Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, when the church was overflowing with those at prayer, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew (October 2), at the fourth hour, lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. Saint John the Baptist and the holy Apostle John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven. On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer. completing her prayer she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible. The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” Saint Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe.” Ever-Blessed Mother of God implored the Lord Jesus Christ to accept the prayers of all the people calling on His Most Holy Name, and to respond speedily to her intercession, “O Heavenly King, accept all those who pray to You and call on my name for help. Do not let them go away from my icon unheard.” Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer, and “for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people and shining with flashes of glory. As long as the Most Holy Theotokos was there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, but with her departure it also became invisible. After taking it with her, she left behind the grace of her visitation.” the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God was remembered. In the fourteenth century, the Russian pilgrim and clerk Alexander, saw in the church an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos praying for the world, depicting Saint Andrew in contemplation of her. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor reflects that the protective intercession of the Mother of God was needed because an attack of a large pagan Russian fleet under the leadership of Askole and Dir. The feast celebrates the divine destruction of the fleet which threatened Constantinople itself, sometime in the years 864-867 or according to the Russian historian Vasiliev, on June 18, 860. Ironically, this Feast is considered important by the Slavic Churches but not by the Greeks. Primary Chronicle of Saint Nestor also notes the miraculous deliverance followed an all-night Vigil and the dipping of the garment of the Mother of God into the waters of the sea at the Blachernae church, but does not mention Saints Andrew and Epiphanius and their vision of the Mother of God at prayer. These latter elements, and the beginnings of the celebrating of the Feast of the Protection, seem to postdate Saint Nestor and the Chronicle. A further historical complication might be noted under (October 2) dating Saint Andrew’s death to the year 936. year of death might not be quite reliable, or the assertion that he survived to a ripe old age after the vision of his youth, or that his vision involved some later pagan Russian raid which met with the same fate. The suggestion that Saint Andrew was a Slav (or a Scythian according to other sources, such as S. V. Bulgakov) is interesting, but not necessarily accurate. The extent of Slavic expansion and repopulation into Greece is the topic of scholarly disputes. the PROLOGUE, a Russian book of the twelfth century, a description of the establishment of the special Feast marking this event states, “For when we heard, we realized how wondrous and merciful was the vision... and it transpired that Your holy Protection should not remain without festal celebration, O Ever-Blessed One!” in the festal celebration of the Protection of the Mother of God, the Russian Church sings, “With the choirs of the Angels, O Sovereign Lady, with the venerable and glorious prophets, with the First-Ranked Apostles and with the Hieromartyrs and Hierarchs, pray for us sinners, glorifying the Feast of your Protection in the Russian Land.” Moreover, it would seem that Saint Andrew, contemplating the miraculous vision was a Slav, was taken captive, and became the slave of the local inhabitant of Constantinople named Theognostus. in honor of the Protection of the Mother of God began to appear in Russia in the twelfth century. Widely known for its architectural merit is the temple of the Protection at Nerl, which was built in the year 1165 by holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky. The efforts of this holy prince also established in the Russian Church the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, about the year 1164. Novgorod in the twelfth century there was a monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (the so-called Zverin monastery) In Moscow also under Tsar Ivan the Terrible the cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God was built at the church of the Holy Trinity (known as the church of Saint Basil the Blessed). the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos we implore the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, “Remember us in your prayers, O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you.” Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Church of Saint Mary of Blachernae, Constantinople, 420
Church of St. Mary of Blachernae (Istanbul); Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Appearance of the Smolensk ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœDirectressÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 9; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated September 10 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSweet-SingerÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Monkmartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of Mt St Auxentius, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; Venerable Maximus Kavsokalyvites of Mt Athos, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated June 11 ; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Blachernae, Constantinople
Blachernae; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated July 2; Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae: the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Great (457-474), the brothers Galbius and Candidus, associates of the emperor, set out from Constantinople to Palestine to venerate the holy places. a small settlement near Nazareth they stayed in the home of a certain old Jewish woman. In her house they noticed a room where many lamps were lit, incense burned, and sick people were gathered. When they asked her what the room contained, the pious woman did not want to give an answer for a long time. persistent requests, she said that she had a very precious sacred item: the Robe of the Mother of God, which performed many miracles and healings. Her Dormition the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed one of her garments to a pious Jewish maiden, an ancestor of the old woman, instructing her to leave it to another virgin after her death. the Robe of the Mother of God was preserved in this family from generation to generation. jewelled chest, containing the sacred Robe, was transferred to Constantinople. Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople (August 31), and the emperor Leo, having learned of the sacred treasure, were convinced of the incorrupt state of the holy Robe, and they certified its authenticity. Blachernae, near the seacoast, a new church in honor of the Mother of God was constructed. On June 2, 458 Saint Gennadius transferred the sacred Robe into the Blachernae church with appropriate solemnity, placing it within a new reliquary. the maphorion (i.e., the outer robe) of the Mother of God, and part of Her belt were also put into the reliquary with Her Robe. This circumstance also influenced the Orthodox iconography of the Feast, in connecting the two events: the Placing of the Robe, and the Placing of the Belt of the Mother of God in Blachernae. The Russian pilgrim Stephen of Novgorod, visiting Constantinople in about the year 1350, testifies: “We arrived at Blachernae, where the Robe lies upon an altar in a sealed reliquary.â€ than once, during the invasion of enemies, the Most Holy Theotokos saved the city to which She had given Her holy Robe. Thus it happened during the time of a siege of Constantinople by the Avars in 626, by the Persians in 677, and by the Arabs in the year 717. Especially relevant for us are events of the year 860, intimately connected with the history of the Russian Church. June 18, 860 the Russian fleet of Prince Askold, a force comprising more than 200 ships, laid waste the coastal regions of the Black Sea and the Bosphorus, then entered into the Golden Horn and threatened Constantinople. The Russian ships sailed within sight of the city, setting ashore troops who “proceeded before the city, stretching forth their swords.â€ The emperor Michael III (842-867), interrupted his campaign against the Arabs and returned to the capital. All night he prayed prostrated upon the stone tiles of the church of the Mother of God at Blachernae. The holy Patriarch Photius spoke to his flock, calling for tears of repentance to wash away sins, and to seek the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with fervent prayer. danger grew with each passing hour. “The city was barely able to stand against a spear,â€ says Patriarch Photius in another of his homilies. Under these conditions the decision was made to save the church’s sacred objects, especially the holy Robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae church, not far from the shore. serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, they carried the sacred Robe of the Mother of God in a procession around the city walls. They dipped its edge into the waters of the Bosphorus, and then they transported it to the center of Constantinople into the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and quelled the fury of the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and Askold lifted the siege of Constantinople. June 25 the Russian army began to leave, taking with them a large tribute payment. A week afterwards, on July 2, the wonderworking Robe of the Mother of God was solemnly returned to its place in the reliquary of the Blachernae church. In remembrance of these events an annual feastday of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God was established on July 2 by holy Patriarch Photius. in October-November of the year 860, a Russian delegation arrived in Constantinople to conclude a treaty “in love and peace.â€ Some of the conditions of the peace treaty included articles concerning the Baptism of Kievan Rus, the payment of an annual tribute by the Byzantines to the Russians, permission for them to serve with the Byzantine army, an agreement to trade in the territory of the Empire (primarily in Constantinople), and to send a diplomatic mission to Byzantium. important was the point about the Baptism of Rus. The continuator of the Byzantine “Theophanes Chroniclesâ€ relates that “their delegation arrived in Constantinople with a request for them to receive holy Baptism, which also was fulfilled.â€ An Orthodox mission was sent to Kiev to fulfill this mutual wish of the Russians and the Greeks. Not very long before this (in 855) Saint Cyril the Philosopher (February 14 and May 11) had created a Slavonic alphabet and translated the Gospel. Saint Cyril was sent with his brother, Saint Methodius (April 6 and May 11), on a mission to Kiev with books translated into Slavonic. This was at the initiative of Saint Photius, whose student Saint Cyril was. The brothers spent the winter of 860/861 at Cherson, and in the spring of 861 they were at the River Dniepr, with Prince Askold. Askold was faced with a difficult choice, just as holy Prince Vladimir faced: both the Jews on the one hand, and the Moslems on the other, wanted him to accept their faith. But under the influence of Saint Cyril, the prince chose Orthodoxy. At the end of the year 861, Saints Cyril and Methodius returned to Constantinople and carried letters with them from Prince Askold to Emperor Michael III. Askold thanked the emperor for sending him “such men, who showed by both word and by example, that the Christian Faith is holy.â€ “Persuaded that this is the true Faith,â€ Askold further wrote, “we bid them to baptize in the hope that we may also attain sanctity. We are all friends of the Kingdom and prepared to be of service to you, as requested.â€ accepted holy Baptism with the name Nicholas, and many of his retinue were also baptized. Directly from Constantinople, the capital of Orthodoxy, through the efforts of the holy Apostles to the Slavs both the Slavonic divine services and the Slavonic written language arrived in Rus. Photius appointed Metropolitan Michael to Kiev, and the Russian metropolitan district was entered into the lists of dioceses of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius in an encyclical of the year 867 called the Baptism of the Bulgarians and the Russians as among the chief accomplishments of his archpastoral service. “The Russians, who lifted their hand against the Roman might,â€ he wrote, almost quoting literally from the missive of Askold, “have now replaced the impious teaching which they held to formerly, with the pure and genuine Christian Faith, and with love having established themselves in the array of our friends and subjects.â€ (The Byzantines counted as “subjectsâ€ all accepting Baptism from Constantinople and entering into military alliance with the Empire.) “The desire and zeal of faith has flared up within them to such an extent, that they have accepted bishops and pastors, and they embrace Christian sanctity with great zeal and fervor.â€ Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae also marks the canonical establishment of the Russian Orthodox metropolitanate in Kiev. By the blessing of the Mother of God and by the miracle from Her holy Robe not only was the deliverence of Constantinople from the most terrible siege in all its history accomplished, but also the liberation of the Russians from the darkness of pagan superstition to life eternal. Together with this, the year 860 brought recognition to Kievan Rus from Byzantium, and signified the emergence of the young Russian realm into the arena of history. attempt of Prince Askold to renew the Christian evangelization begun by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which he intended as a religious and state reform, ended unsuccessfully. The time for the spread of Christianity in the Russian Land had not yet come. The adherents of the old paganism were too strong, and the princely power was too weak. In the clash of Askold with the pagan Oleg in 882 the Kievans betrayed their prince. Askold, lured into the camp of his enemies for talks, received a martyr’s death at the hand of hired killers. the deed of Blessed Askold (the Ioakimov Chronicle calls him such) was not extinguished in the Russian Church. Oleg the Sage, who killed Askold, occupied the Kiev princedom after him, and called Kiev the “Mother of Russian Cities.â€ most ancient chronicles of Kiev preserved the grateful memory of the first Kievan Christian prince: the church of the Prophet of God Elias, built by Askold and later mentioned in Igor’s Treaty with the Greeks (in 944), is on the site where the present church of this name now stands, and there is also the church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the 950s by Saint Olga over Askold’s grave. most important achievement of Askold, entering forever into the Church inheritance not only of Rus, but of also all Orthodox Slavs, is the Slavonic Gospel and Slavonic services, translated by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Their apostolic activity among the Slavs began in Kiev at the court of Askold in 861, and continued afterwards in Moravia and Bulgaria. Following Blessed Askold, in the words of the ancient Alphabetic Prayers, “the Slavonic tribe now soars in flight, all striving toward Baptism.â€ outstanding works of Byzantine Church hymnology and homiletics are connected with the miracle of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae. There are two homilies of Saint Photius, one of which he preached within days of the siege of Constantinople, and the other soon after the departure of the Russian forces. Also associated with the campaign of Askold against Constantinople is the composition of a remarkable “Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos,â€ which certain Church histories ascribe also to holy Patriarch Photius. This Akathist forms an integral part of the services of Praise to the Most Holy Theotokos (i.e., the “Saturday of the Akathist,â€ Fifth Saturday of Great Lent). is not only Byzantine sources that relate the events of the year 860, but also Russian historical chronicles. Saint Nestor the Chronicler, stressing the significance of the Russian campaign against Constantinople, notes that from this time “it was begun to be called the Russian Land.â€ Certain of the chronicles, among them the Ioakimov and Nikonov, preserved accounts of the Baptism of Prince Askold and Kievan Rus after the campaign against Constantinople. The popular commemoration of this event is firmly associated with the names of the Kievan princes Askold and Dir, although in the opinion of historians, Dir was prince of Kiev somewhat earlier than Askold. veneration of the feast of the Placing of the Robe was long known in the Russian Church. Saint Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4) built a church in honor of this feastday in the city of Vladimir at the Golden Gates. At the end of the fourteenth century, part of the Robe of the Mother of God was transferred from Constantinople to Rus by Saint Dionysius, Archbishop of Suzdal (June 26). holy Robe of the Mother of God, which previously saved Constantinople, later saved Moscow from hostilities. Tatars of the Horde of the princeling Mazovshi approached the walls of Moscow in the summer of 1451. Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow, with constant prayer and church services, encouraged the defenders of the capital. On the night of July 2, the Chronicle relates, great confusion occurred within the Tatar camp. The enemy abandoned their plundered goods and speedily departed in disarray. In memory of the miraculous deliverance of Moscow, Saint Jonah built the church of the Placing of the Robe in the Kremlin, making it his primary church. It burned, but in its place in the years 1484-1486 a new church, also dedicated to the Feast of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God, was built thirty years later. This temple, standing at present, continued to serve as the primary church of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs until the cathedral of the Twelve Apostles was built under Patriarch Nikon. Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17; St Callinicus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on August 23; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Right-Believing Pulcheria, Byzantine Empress, Commemorated on September 10; Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on October 1 ; Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople, Commemorated October 2 ; Translation of the relic of the Right Hand of John the Baptist, Commemorated October 12 ; Righteous Anna of Constantinople, Commemorated October 29 ; St Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Patapius of Thebes, Commemorated on December 8 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; Prophet Isaiah, Commemorated on May 9 ; St Germanus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unbreakable WallÂ, Commemorated on May 28; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; St Anna and Her Son of Constantinople, Commemorated on June 13; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Translation of the "Blachernae" Icon of the Mother of God to Russia, Commemorated July 7 ;

Church of the Holy Apostles, and monastery, Phanar, Constantinople, 330
Church of the Holy Apostles; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated October 20 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome, Commemorated November 25 ; Apostle Timothy of the Seventy, Commemorated January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13;

Galata, Constantinople (north shore of Golden Horn)
Galata (north shore of the Golden Horn Harbor on the outskirts of Constantinople ; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated July 4 ; Galatea Icon of the Mother of God is found in Galatea (one of the districts of Constantinople), at Perge (in a tower). In honor of the holy icon a monastery was formed, which existed until the seventeenth century. An exact copy of the icon is located in Moscow, in the Church of Saint Tikhon, at the Arbat Gate. Galatea Icon is of the Hodegetria type.

Byzantium (downtown Constantinople)
Byzantium; Byzantine Empire; Apostle Stachys of the Seventy, Commemorated on October 31;

Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330 - 1081, Emperor's Residence
Imperial Palace, Constantinople, 330; Great Palace of Constantinople (Greek: ; Latin: Palatium Magnum, Turkish: Bak Saray), also known as the Sacred Palace (Greek:; Latin: Sacrum Palatium), was the large Imperial Byzantine palace complex located in the south-eastern end of the peninsula now known as Old Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), in modern Turkey. It served as the main royal residence of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine emperors until 1081 and was the centre of imperial administration for over 690 years. Only a few remnants and fragments of its foundations have survived into the present day. Saint Sopatra of Constantinople, Commemorated on November 9;

Hagia Sophia, Patriarch's house, Downtown Constantinople
Hagia Sophia; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev; Venerable Paul the Founder of the Xeropotamou Monastery On Mt Athos, Commemorated on July 28 ; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; St Menas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated August 25 ; Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Romanus the Melodist, œSweet-SingerÂ, Commemorated on October 1 ; Monk Martyr Damascene of the Lavra, Commemorated November 13 ; St Gregory Palamas the Archbishop of Thessalonica, Commemorated November 14 ; St Justinian the Emperor, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated December 27 ; Martyr Hermylus of Belgrade, Commemorated January 13 ; Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople, Commemorated January 27 ; CYRIL AND METHODIUS, MISSIONARIES TO THE SLAVS (14 FEB 869); St John the New Martyr of Bulgaria, Commemorated on March 5; Martyr Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria, Commemorated on March 10; Translation of the relics of St Nicephorus the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 13 ; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21; Venerable Joseph the Hymnographer, Commemorated on April 4; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2;

Constantinople's Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia
Constantinople's Chalcoprateia district Church, 100 meters west of Hagia Sophia; Hagia Sophia; The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 31;

Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, 1455
Ergat-Bazara, near the Bedestan, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul; New Martyr John Kalphes, the Apprentice, Commemorated on February 26;

Constantinople, Roman Roads Folder

Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon, Conquered Egypt, largest Empire ever
Persia, 681 - 669 BC, Assryan Emperor, Esarhaddon; Tobit Chapter 1: Sennacharib's sons kill him and Esarhaddon becomes King 21 But not forty* days passed before two of SennacheribÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s* sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon* reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar, the son of my brother Hanael* over all the accounts of his kingdom, and he had authority over the entire administration. 22Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to Nineveh. Now Ahikar was chief cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge of administration of the accounts under King Sennacherib of Assyria; so Esar-haddon* reappointed him. He was my nephew and so a close relative. ; Esarhaddon, also spelled Essarhaddon,[5] Assarhaddon[6] and Ashurhaddon[7] (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: Rassam cylinder Ansharpapash.jpg, also Esarhaddon (variation).jpg AÃ…Â¡Ã…Â¡ur-aÃ¡Â¸Â«a-iddina,[8][9] meaning "Ashur has given me a brother"),[5] was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father Sennacherib in 681 BC to his own death in 669. The third king of the Sargonid dynasty, Esarhaddon is most famous for his conquest of Egypt in 671,[5] which made his empire the largest the world had ever seen, and for his reconstruction of Babylon, which had been destroyed by his father.[10] After Sennacherib's eldest son and heir Ashur-nadin-shumi had been captured and presumably executed in 694, the new heir had originally been the second eldest son, Arda-Mulissu, but in 684, Esarhaddon, a younger son, was appointed instead. Angered by this decision, Arda-Mulissu and another brother, Nabu-shar-usur, murdered their father in 681 and planned to seize the Assyrian throne. The murder, and Arda-Mulissu's aspirations of becoming king himself, made Esarhaddon's rise to the throne difficult and he first had to defeat his brothers in a six-week long civil war. His brothers' attempted coup had been unexpected and troublesome for Esarhaddon and he would be plagued by paranoia and mistrust for his officials, governors and male family members until the end of his reign. As a result of this paranoia, most of the palaces used by Esarhaddon were high-security fortifications located outside of the major population centers of the cities. Also perhaps resulting from his mistrust for his male relatives, Esarhaddon's female relatives, such as his mother Naqi'a and his daughter Serua-eterat, were allowed to wield considerably more influence and political power during his reign than women had been allowed in any previous period of Assyrian history. Despite a relatively short and difficult reign, and being plagued by paranoia, depression and constant illness, Esarhaddon remains recognized as one of the greatest and most successful Assyrian kings. He quickly defeated his brothers in 681, completed ambitious and large-scale building projects in both Assyria and Babylonia, successfully campaigned in Media, the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Caucasus, and the Levant, defeated and conquered Egypt, and ensured a peaceful transition of power to his two heirs Ashurbanipal and Shamash-shum-ukin after his death.

Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes
Persia, Media, 625-585 BC, King Cyaxares of the Medes; Cyaxares (Ancient Greek: ÃŽÂšÃÂÂÂÂ…ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¾ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÃŽÂ·ÃÂÂÂÂ‚; Old Persian: ÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¾Â¢ÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¾ÂºÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¾Â§ÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¿ÂÂÂÂÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¾Â«ÃÂÂÂÂ Â€ÃÂÂÂÂ¾Â¼ UvaxÃ…Â¡tra;[3][4] Avestan: HuxÃ…Â¡aÃŽÂ¸ra "Good Ruler"; Akkadian: UmakiÃ…Â¡tar;[5] Old Phrygian: ksuwaksaros;[6] r. 625Ã¢Â€Â“585 BC) was the third and most capable king of Media, according to Herodotus, with a far greater military reputation than his father Phraortes or grandfather Deioces. He was the first to divide his troops into separate sections of spearmen, archers, and horsemen.[7] By uniting most of the Iranian tribes of ancient Iran and conquering neighbouring territories, Cyaxares transformed the Median Empire into a regional power.[8] He facilitated the fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and according to Herodotus repelled the Scythians from Media.[9] Tobit 14, TobitÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Â™s Final Counsel, and Death of Tobit and Anna;

Persia, 559BC-486BC, Pasargadae, Daniel, Malachi and Haggai Lived Here
King Cyrus the Great - Pasargadae - Daniel Lived Here ; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17 ; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya, Legitimate Ruler overthrown by Darius with a lie
Persia, 522 BC-522 BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Bardiya; (Old Persian: ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾²ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¼ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾®ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¡ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¹[1] Bardiya),[2] also known as Smerdis among the Greeks[3](Ancient Greek: Î£Î¼ÎÂÂÂÃÂÂÂÂÂÎ´Î¹ÃÂÂÂ‚ Smerdis) (possibly died 522 BC), was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both Persian kings. There are sharply divided views on his life. Bardiya either ruled the Achaemenid Empire for a few months in 522 BC, or was impersonated by a magus called GaumÄÂÂÂta (Old Persian: ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¥ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¢ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¶ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾ ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾«), until he was toppled by Darius the Great.[4][5]

Persia, 522BC-486BC, Archaemenid Emperor, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great) Lied, Marathon, Organizer
Persian Archaemenid Emperor, 522BC-486 BC, Darius I Hystaspis (The Great); I (Old Persian: ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾ÂÂÂÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾ ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¼ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¹ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾ºÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¾¢ÃÂÂÂ €ÃÂÂÂ¿ÂÂÂ, romanized: DÄÂÂÂrayava(h)uÅ¡; New Persian: Ø¯Ø§Ø±ÛŒÙˆØ´â€Ž; Hebrew: ×“Ö¸Ö¼×¨Ö°×™Ö¸×•Ö¶×©×ÂÂÂâ€Ž, Modern: DarÉ™yaveÅ¡, Tiberian: DÄÂÂÂrÇÂÂÂyÄÂÂÂweÅ¡; c. 550 â€“ 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of West Asia, parts of the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans (Thrace-Macedonia, and Paeonia), most of the Black Sea coastal regions, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east and portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt (MudrÃ¢ya), eastern Libya, and coastal Sudan.[2][3] Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing the legitimate Achaemenid monarch Bardiya, whom he later fabricated to be an imposter named Gaumata. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens and Eretria for their aid in the Ionian Revolt and subjugate Greece. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades and the island of Naxos and the sacking of the city of Eretria. Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized Achaemenid coinage as a new uniform monetary system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. He also put the empire in better standing by building roads and introducing standard weights and measures. Through these changes, the empire was centralized and unified.[4] Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on Susa, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Babylon, and Egypt. He had the cliff-face Behistun Inscription carved to record his conquests, an important testimony of the Old Persian language. Darius is mentioned in the biblical books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezraâ€“Nehemiah. Persian Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 BC, Medo-Persian Empire; Persian Emperor, 559-530 BC, Cyrus the Great, Achaemenid Empire ; Daniel 6:16-28, Daniel saved from the lions, then Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian; Prophet Haggai, Commemorated on December 16; Prophet Daniel, Commemorated on December 17; Holy Prophet Malachi, Commemorated on January 3;

Persia, 2 BC - 4 AD, Parthian Emperor, Phraates V, son of slave girl Musa, peace over A and M, fled to Rome
Persian Parthian Emperor, 2 BC - 4 AD, Phraates V; V (Parthian: , also known by the diminutive version of his name, Phraataces (also spelled Phraatakes), was the King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. He was the younger son of Phraates IV (r. 37 BC – 2 BC) and Musa, who ruled with him. Under Phraates V, a war threatened to break out between the Parthian and Roman empires over the control of Armenia and Mesopotamia. Although Augustus (r. 27 BC – 14 AD) had sent his adopted son Gaius Caesar to invade Iran, in 1 AD the two sides agreed a peace treaty, by which once again Armenia was recognized as being in the Roman sphere. Phraates V was in return acknowledged as the rightful Parthian king, which was of high importance to him, due to his insecure position in the country. In 4 AD, Phraates V and his mother fled to Rome after being expelled by the Parthian nobility, who crowned Orodes III as king. Persian Parthian Empire, 247BC-224AD, Ctesiphon, Zoroastrian; THE FEAST OF THE HOLY EPIPHANY, (6 January);

Persia, 200-252, Armenian Parthian Prince, Anak the Parthian, Illuminatory Gregory's father, but killed Tridates father
Armenian Parthian Prince, 3rd Century-252, Anak the Parthian; the Parthian,[1] also known as Anak Pahlavi[2] (flourished 3rd century, died 258[3]), was a Parthian noble who lived during the time of Arsacid Armenia.[4] was an Armenian Parthian nobleman,[5] who was a prince[6] said to be related to the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia[7] or was from the House of Suren,[8][9] one of the seven branches of the ruling Arsacid dynasty[10] of Sakastan.[11] is known of the life of Anak. He married a Parthian noblewoman called Okohe, who bore him sons. Among their children was Gregory.[12] I and his son, Shapur I, incited Anak[13] to murder King Khosrov II of Armenia, promising to return his own domain as a reward.[14] Ardashir I was alarmed by the military victories that Khosrov II with his late father, Tiridates II of Armenia had won against him,[15] as he wanted to expand the Sassanid Empire and to annex Armenia. had won the trust of Khosrov II and had travelled to Vagharshapat.[16] When Anak arrived in Vagharshapat he pretended to take refuge in the Armenian dominions from the persecution of Ardashir I.[17] Anak was hospitably received in Vagharshapat by Khosrov II and then stabbed the king in the heart, also killing Khosrov's wife. Anak was furiously pursued by Armenian soldiers, until he drowned in the Aras River.[18] Armenian army and nobles were outraged by the death of the reigning King and in turn wreaked their vengeance on the family of Anak.[19][20] The only child to survive from Anak’s family was his infant son Gregory,[21] who was taken to Cappadocia by his former caretakers Sopia and Yevtagh, who had escaped the slaughter of Anak’s family. I took possession of Armenia for himself and it became a part of his empire.[22] Troops loyal to Khosrov II, had his son, Tiridates III, taken to Rome for protection[23] where Tiridates III was raised and his daughter Khosrovidkuht was taken to be raised in Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia.[24] The foster parents of Khosrovidukht were Awtay, a nobleman from the family of the Amatuni, and Awtay’s wife, a noblewoman whose name is unknown, who was from the family of the Slkunik.[25] Hieromartyr Gregory the Bishop of Greater Armenia, Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Armenia, Commemorated on September 30; Hieromartyr Gregory, Enlightener of Greater Armenia, was born in the year 257. was descended from a line of Parthian Arsakid kings. Anak, the father of Saint Gregory, was a Parthian by birth. In his quest for the Armenian throne, Anak and his brother attacked their kinsman, King Kursar with their swords, leaving him mortally wounded. The King's servants found him still alive, and he was able to tell them what had happened. Before he expired, the King ordered the execution of Anak, his brother, and also their wives and children. The murderers were caught by a river, where they were slain and their bodies were thrown into the water. of Anak's relatives saved Gregory and his brother, who were infants, and hid them in his home. There was a revolt in Armenia, and King Artasirus of Persia was able to conquer Armenia and bring it under his rule. As for Arak's sons, one was taken to Persia, and Gregory was sent to the Roman Empire. he reached adulthood, Gregory lived in Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was converted to the Christian Faith. Gregory married, and had two sons, but soon was left a widower. Gregory raised his sons in piety. One of them, Orthanes, later became a priest, and the other, Arostanes, was tonsured as a monk and went into the wilderness to live in solitude. order to atone for the sin of his father, who had murdered the father of Tiridates, Gregory entered into the latter's service, and was a faithful servant to him. Tiridates, who was serving in the Roman army, loved Gregory like a friend, but when he learned that Gregory was a Christian, he became angry. Saint Gregory, however, ignored his master's unjust wrath. the Goths attacked the Roman Empire, the Prince of the Goths challenged the Emperor to single combat. The Emperor was afraid to fight the Prince, so he had Tiridates put on his armor and take his place. Tiridates defeated his adversary without using his sword, and led him as a captive to the Emperor. Then the entire Gothic army was defeated. In gratitude, the Emperor made Tiridates King of Armenia. When Tiridates offered sacrifice to his "gods" for his new position, he wanted Gregory to sacrifice with him. Gregory refused, and so Tiridates ordered that he be tortured. Saint was suspended head downward, with a stone about his neck, and for several days they choked him with a foul-smelling smoke, they beat and ridiculed him, and forced him to walk in iron sandals inset with nails. these torments, Saint Gregory sang Psalms. In prison the Lord healed all his wounds. When Gregory stood before the King cheerful and unharmed, he was astonished and ordered that the torments be repeated. Saint Gregory endured them, not wavering, with his former determination and bearing. They then poured hot tin over him and threw him into a pit filled with snakes, scorpions, and other poisonous creatures. The Lord, however, spared His chosen one, and he was left unharmed. pious women kept him alive for fourteen years by feeding him with bread, secretly lowering it into the pit. A holy angel appeared to the martyr, strengthening and encouraging him. During this time King Tiridates killed the holy virgin Saint Ripsimia, the Eldress Gaiane, and 32 other Virgin Martyrs (some sources say 35) from Asia Minor. Tiridates, who seemed to have lost his mind after this, recovered six days later. Then the wrath of God struck King Tiridates, his associates, and the soldiers who had participated in the execution of the virgins. Beset by demons, their appearance resembled wild boars, as once happened to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30). Running through forests and fields, they tore their clothes and devoured their own flesh. Gregory was taken from from the pit, and then he was washed, dressed in clean clothes, and fed. Then he was led to the King. Everyone bowed before him, begging him to ask God to heal the King as well as the others responsible for killing the Holy Virgin Martyrs. First, the Saint asked about their relics, which remained unburied for nine days. Saint Gregory buried the bodies, and then began preaching to the people, urging them to turn away from the darkness of idolatry and toward Christ. The people came to believe in Christ, and wanted to build a large church. When it was completed, Saint Gregory had the relics of the holy nuns brought into it. Then he led King Tiridates to the church before the bodies of the Saints whom he had slain, so that they might pray to Christ for him. He repented, and at once his face was restored to its original appearance once more. all of Armenia was converted to Christ. The temples of the idols were destroyed, and churches for the worship of the only true God were built. Saint Gregory ordained priests, established schools, founded monasteries, and provided for the good order of the Church. this, Saint Gregory went into the wilderness, where he ended his earthly life in a manner pleasing to the Lord. His son Aristanes was made a bishop in Cappadocia, and was one of the 318 Holy Fathers of. the Council of Nicea.

Persia, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism
Egypt, 236-274, Parthian Manichaeus, Mani, Prophet of Gnostic Manichaeism; (c. April AD 216-2 March AD 274 or 26 February AD 277), of Iranian origin,[3][4][5][6] the prophet and the founder of Manichaeism, a religion of late antiquity strongly influenced by Gnosticism which was once widespread but is no longer prevalent by name. was born in or near Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Babylonia,[1] at the time still part of the Parthian Empire. Seven of his major works were written in Syriac, and the eighth, dedicated to the Sasanian emperor Shapur I, was written in Middle Persian.[7] He died in Gundeshapur. exact meaning of the name is a question still unsolved.[8] It may have derived from Babylonian-Aramaic Mânâ [luminescence]. Mandaeans used the term, mânâ rabba meaning the "Enlightened Lord/King.".[9] Ancient Greek interpretations were skeuos and homilia,[clarification needed] same slightly contemptuous "a certain" (Manes quidam) also appears in Hegemonius' Acta Archelai (4th century), however, Hegemonius contributes a detailed description of Mani's looks. Mani’s names became the object of uplifting transformation (Greek, Coptic Mannichaios, Latin Mannichaeus, i.e., Mannam fundens "pouring out Manna".[10][11] 1969 in Upper Egypt a Greek parchment codex dating to c. AD 400 was discovered. It is now designated Codex Manichaicus Coloniensis because it is conserved at the University of Cologne. Combining a hagiographic account of Mani's career and spiritual development with information about Mani's religious teachings, and containing fragments of his writings, it is now considered the most reliable source of information about the historical Mani. other medieval and pre-medieval accounts of his life are either legendary or hagiographical, such as the account in Fihrist by Ibn al-Nadim, purportedly by al-Biruni, or were anti-Manichaean polemics, such as the 4th-century Acta Archelai. Among these medieval accounts, Ibn al-Nadim's account of Mani's life and teachings is generally speaking the most reliable and exhaustive. Notably, the (in other accounts prominent) image of the "Third Ambassador" is only represented through a brief mention of the name bašīr, "messenger of good news", and the topos of "Mani the Painter" (which in other Islamic accounts almost completely replaces that of "the founder of a religion") is completely absent.[12] Parents, a 14th/15th-century silk painting depicts Mani's parents sitting in a palatial building. of Mani's Birth, showing the newborn emerged from the chest of his mother. execution of Mani as depicted in a 14th century illustration of the Shahnameh work and other evidence discovered in the 20th century establishes Mani as a historical individual.[13] life was born near Seleucia-Ctesiphon, perhaps in the town Mardinu in the Babylonian district of Nahr Kutha; according to other accounts in the town Abrumya. Mani's father Pātik (Middle Persian Pattūg;[14] Koinē Greek: Παττικιος, Arabic: Futtuq‎), a native of Ecbatana[15] (now Hamadan, Iran), was a member of the Jewish Christian sect of the Elcesaites. His mother was of Parthian descent[16][17] (from "the Armenian Arsacid family of Kamsarakan"[18]); her name is reported variously, among others Maryam. was raised in a heterodox environment in Babylon. The Elcesaite community was ostensibly Jewish Christian, though with some Gnostic features due to their Ebionite heritage, such as the belief in recurring incarnations of heavenly apostles, one of whom was a docetic Christ. At ages 12 and 24 Mani had visionary experiences of a "heavenly twin" of his (syzygos), calling him to leave his father's sect and preach the true message of Jesus in a new gospel.[19][20] to India then travelled to India (Sakas in present day Afghanistan), where he studied Hinduism and its various extant philosophies, including Buddhism.[5] Al-Biruni says Mani only traveled to India after being banished from Persia,[21] but this might be an error or a second journey.[5] It is believed that his Christian roots might have been influenced by Marcion and Bardaisan.[22] from India in 242, Mani presented himself to Shapur I, to whom he dedicated his only work written in Persian, known as the Shabuhragan. Shapur was not converted to Manichaeism and remained Zoroastrian, but he favored Mani's teachings, which mixed Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and took him into his court.[5][23] Mani is said to have performed miracles, including levitation, teleporting and healing, which helped him to gain converts in the Iranian elite. He was also famed as a painter.[5] and martyrdom successor Hormizd I, who reigned only for one year, continued to patronize Mani, but his successor Bahram I, a follower of the intolerant Zoroastrian reformer Kartir, began to persecute the Manichaeans. He incarcerated Mani, who died in prison within a month, in 274.[24] According to sources, he passed his last days comforting his visiting disciples, teaching that his death would have no other consequence than the return of his soul to the realm of light.[5] followers depicted Mani's death as a crucifixion in a conscious analogy to the crucifixion of Jesus; al-Biruni says that Bahram ordered the execution of Mani. There is a story which claims that he was flayed, and his corpse suspended over the main gate of the great city of Gundeshapur;[25] however, there is no historical basis for this account.[26] It is more plausible that his body was mutilated via post-mortem decapitation, and his head put on display, which may be the original source of the embellishment.[27] canon of Mani included six works originally written in Syriac, and one in Persian, the Shapuragan. While none of his books have survived in complete form, there are numerous fragments and quotations of them, including a long Syriac quotation from one of his works, as well as a large amount of material in Middle Persian, Coptic, and numerous other languages. Examples of surviving portions of his works include: the Shabuhragan (Middle Persian), the Book of Giants (numerous fragments in many languages), the Fundamental Epistle (quoted in length by Saint Augustine), a number of fragments of his Living Gospel (or Great Gospel), a Syriac excerpt quoted by Theodore Bar Konai, and his Letter to Edessa contained in the Cologne Mani-Codex. Mani also wrote the book Arzhang, a holy book of Manichaeism unique in that it contained many drawings and paintings to express and explain the Manichaeist creation and history of the world. Main article: Manichaeism Detail of Mani's Community Established, depicting seven lay people bring offerings to shrine with statue of Mani and three elects. teaching was intended to succeed and surpass the teachings of Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism. It is based on a rigid dualism of good and evil, locked in eternal struggle. his mid-twenties, Mani decided that salvation was possible through education, self-denial, fasting and chastity. According to Al-Biruni, a 10th-century Iranian scholar, Mani claimed to be the Paraclete promised in the New Testament, and the Last Prophet.[28] However according to Lodewijk J. R. Ort, the term last prophet may "in all probability derived from the Quran by Al-Buruni in order to formulate Mani's pretensions and religious claims".[29] Therefore Lodewijk J. R. Ort concludes that a definitive pronouncement about the final character of Mani's appearance is not mentioned in Manichaeistic scriptures.[30] his religion was not strictly a movement of Christian Gnosticism in the earlier mode, Mani did declare himself to be an "apostle of Jesus Christ", and extant Manichaean poetry frequently extols Jesus and his mother, Mary, with the highest reverence. Manichaean tradition is also noted to have claimed that Mani was the reincarnation of different religious figures including Zoroaster, the historical Buddha, as well as Jesus. followers were organized in a church structure, divided into a class of "elects" (electi) and "auditors" (auditores). Only the electi are required to follow the laws strictly, while the auditores care for them, hoping to become electi in their turn after reincarnation. and Islamic tradition Late Antique Christian accounts in the West section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Western Christian tradition of Mani is based on Socrates of Constantinople, a historian writing in the 5th century. According to this account, one Scythianos, a Saracen, husband of an Egyptian woman, "introduced the doctrine of Empedocles and Pythagoras into Christianity"; that he had a disciple, "Buddas, formerly named Terebinthus," who travelled in Persia, where he alleged that he had been born of a virgin, and afterwards wrote four books, one of Mysteries, a second The Gospel, a third The Treasure, and a fourth Heads. While performing some mystic rites, he was hurled down a precipice by a daimon, and killed. A woman at whose house he lodged buried him, took over his property, and bought a boy of seven, named Cubricus. This boy she freed and educated, leaving him the property and books of Buddas-Terebinthus. Cubricus then travelled into Persia, where he took the name of Manes and gave forth the doctrines of Buddas Terebinthus as his own. The king of Persia, hearing that he worked miracles, sent for him to heal his sick son, and on the child's dying put Manes in prison. Thence he escaped, flying into Mesopotamia, but was traced, captured, and flayed alive by the Persian king's orders, the skin being then stuffed with chaff and hung up before the gate of the city. to Jerome, Archelaus wrote his account of his disputation with "Manichæus" in Syriac, whence it was translated into Greek. The Greek is lost, and the work, apart from extracts, subsists only in a Latin translation from the Greek, of doubtful age and fidelity, probably made after the 5th century. By Photius it is stated that Heraclean, bishop of Chalcedon, in his book against the Manichæans, said the Disputation of Archelaus was written by one Hegemonius, an author not otherwise traceable, and of unknown date. the Latin narrative, "Manes" is said to have come, after his flight from court, from Arabion, a frontier fortress, to Caschar or Carchar, a town said to be in Roman Mesopotamia, in the hope of converting an eminent Christian there, named Marcellus, to whom he had sent a letter beginning: "Manichæus apostle of Jesus Christ, and all the saints and virgins with me, send peace to Marcellus." In his train he brought twenty-two (or twelve) youths and virgins. At the request of Marcellus, he debated on religion with bishop Archelaus, by whom he was vanquished; whereupon he set out to return to Persia. On his way he proposed to debate with a priest at the town of Diodorides; but Archelaus came to take the priest's place, and again defeated him; whereupon, fearing to be given up to the Persians by the Christians, he returned to Arabion. this stage Archelaus introduces in a discourse to the people his history of "this Manes," very much to the effect of the recapitulation in Socrates. Among the further details are these: that Scythianus lived "in the time of the Apostles"; that Terebinthus said the name of Buddas had been imposed on him; that in the mountains he had been brought up by an angel; that he had been convicted of imposture by a Persian prophet named Parcus, and by Labdacus, son of Mithra; that in the disputation he taught concerning the sphere, the two luminaries, the transmigration of souls, and the war of the Principia against God; that "Corbicius" or Corbicus, about the age of sixty, translated the books of Terebinthus; that he made three chief disciples, Thomas, Addas, and Hermas, of whom he sent the first to Egypt, and the second to Scythia, keeping the third with him; that the two former returned when he was in prison, and that he sent them to procure for him the books of the Christians, which he then studied. According to the Latin narrative, finally, Manes on his return to Arabion was seized and taken to the Persian king, by whose orders he was flayed, his body being left to the birds, and his skin, filled with air, hung at the city gate.[31] Islamic accounts Painter Mani presenting king Bukhram-Gur (Bahram) with his drawing. 16th-century painting by Ali-Shir Nava'i, Shakrukhia (Tashkent). is described as a painter who set up a sectarian movement in opposition to Zoroastrianism. He was persecuted by Shapur I and fled to Central Asia, where he made disciples and embellished with paintings a Tchighil (or picturarum domus Chinensis) and another temple called Ghalbita. Provisioning in advance a cave which had a spring, he told his disciples he was going to heaven, and would not return for a year, after which time they were to seek him in the cave in question. They then came back there after a year and found him, whereupon he showed them an illustrated book, called Ergenk, or Estenk Arzhang, which he said he had brought from heaven: whereafter he had many followers, with whom he returned to Persia at the death of Shapur. The new king, Hormisdas, joined and protected the sect; and built Mani a castle. The next king, Bahram or Varanes, at first favoured Mani; but, after getting him to debate with certain Zoroastrian teachers, caused him to be flayed alive, and the skin to be stuffed and hung up. Thereupon most of his followers fled to India and China.[31] Venerable Patermuthius the Ascetic of Egypt, Commemorated on July 9;

Persia, 240-270, Sasanian Emperor, Shapur I, refused power of God, k by Lightning
Great Martyr Irene, Commemorated on May 5; was deposed by his son Sapor, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Saint Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Sapor and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. When he refused, Saint Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. She prayed again and they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Sapor refused to recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning. Persian Sasanian Emperor, 240-270, Shapur I; Hieromartyr Polychronius the Bishop of Babylon, Commemorated July 30 ; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on October 19; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Simeon of Persia, Commemorated on May 18; Martyr Marinus and his wife and children and those with them at Rome, Commemorated on July 6;

Persia, 240-270, Bishop Akepsimas, Presbyter Joseph, Deacon Aeithalas, windstorm, lightning k guard, healing tree
Persia, 240-270, Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalas the Deacon, Arbela, Persia ; Arbela in Assyria; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalás the Deacon of Persia were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson. His flock devotedly loved their hierarch for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral work. emperor Sapor ordered his men to seek out and kill Christian clergy. Saint Akepsimas also was arrested, even though he was already an eighty-year-old man. They took him to the city of Arbela, where he came before the judge Ardarkh, a pagan priest of the sun god. The holy Elder refused to offer sacrifice to the Persian gods. For this he was fiercely beaten and thrown into prison, where on the following day the seventy-year-old priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalás were severely beaten and thrown into jail with him. For three years the saints were held in confinement, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Sapor came to the temple of the god of fire, located not far from Arbela, and wanted to take a look at the three holy martyrs. Exhausted and covered with festering wounds, the saints were brought before the emperor. When he asked them to worship the pagan gods they firmly refused, confessing their faith in Christ instead. holy bishop was beheaded, but the presbyter and deacon were taken into the city to be stoned. execution of the presbyter Joseph was prolonged for several hours. A guard was placed near the place of execution, so that Christians would not take the body of the holy martyr. On the fourth night a strong windstorm raged near the city, lightning killed the guard, the wind tossed stones about, and the body of Saint Joseph disappeared. Aeithalás was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was stoned. Christians secretly buried his body. A tree grew on the saint’s grave, and its fruit brought healings.

Persia, 293, Sasanian Emperor, Bahram III, very short reign, overthrown by son of Shapur I, to be over Armenia

Persia, 293-302, Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh, son of Shapur I, lost to Romans, religious tolerance
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 293-302, Narseh; (also spelled Narses or Narseus) was the seventh Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 293 to 303. youngest son of Shapur I (r. 240–270), Narseh served as the governor of Sakastan, Hind and Turan under his father. Shapur I was eventually succeeded by his son Hormizd I (r. 270–271), who died after a reign of one year. I's eldest son Bahram I, who had never been considered as a candidate for succession to the throne by his father, ascended the throne with the aid of the powerful Zoroastrian priest Kartir. then made a settlement with Narseh to give up his entitlement to the throne in return for the governorship of the important frontier province of Armenia, which was a persistent cause for war between the Roman and Sasanian Empires. Narseh held the title of Vazurg sah Arminān ("Great King of Armenia"), which was used by the heir to the throne in the early Sasanian times. Nevertheless, Narseh most likely still viewed Bahram I as a usurper. succession of Bahram I's son, Bahram II (r. 274–293) seemingly occurred without any issues. However, after Bahram II's death in 293, the noble Wahnam had the latters son Bahram III unwillingly crowned. The nobility did not support Bahram III's kingship, and asked Narseh to rule instead. Ultimately, Bahram III abdicated as shah, while Wahnam was executed. Narseh's accession to the throne makes him the first Sasanian shah to not ascend the throne as a crown prince. The circumstances of Narseh's rise to power are detailed in the Paikuli inscription, which he made as his own Res Gestae Divi Augusti and to legitimize his rule.[1] years after his accession, war erupted between the Sasanians and Romans once again. In the spring of 297, Narseh's forces inflicted a heavy defeat on the forces of Galerius. The following year, however, Narseh was to suffer a heavy defeat at Satala; his wives, children, and many Iranian nobles were taken as prisoners of war. Due to this ignominious defeat, Narseh was forced to accept a peace treaty prescribed by the Romans, ceding them several areas at the Sasanian-Roman border. is notable for returning to the religious tolerance policy of his father.[2] Martyr Andrew Stratelates in Cilicia, Commemorated on August 19; Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia, Commemorated on December 7; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332);

Persia, 309-379, Sasanian Emperor, Alamundar, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 309-379, Saphor II the Great, Bishapur ; Kerman, Persia; Bishapur, Persia (Eslamabad); Sapor II (310-331), Sasanian Persian Empire ; Martyr Eudokia of Persia, Commemorated August 4 ; Martyr Dometius of Persia, Commemorated on August 7; Martyr Heliodorus of Persia, Commemorated August 20 ; Martyr Aithalas of Persia, Commemorated on September 1 ; Martyr Ia of Persia, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia, Commemorated on October 5 ; Martyr Memelchtha of Persia was, before her conversion to the Christian Faith, a pagan priestess of the goddess Artemis. saint’s sister convinced her to accept Baptism. When the pagans saw Memelchtha in her white baptismal robe, they stoned her. The saint suffered in the year 344. Later, a church was dedicated to her on the site of the temple of Artemis. Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch, Commemorated on October 20; Hieromartyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on November 1 ; Hieromartyr John the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 1; 7,000 Martyrs who suffered in Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Acindynus of Persia, Commemorated on November 2; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3; St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Milus the Bishop in Persia, Commemorated on November 10; Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia, Commemorated on November 20; Martyr Ananias of Persia, Commemorated on December 1; St James the Bishop of Nisibis, Commemorated on January 13; Venerable Ephraim the Syrian, Commemorated on January 28; St Aphraates of Persia, Commemorated on January 29; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth) the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on February 20; Hieromartyr Theodoritus of Antioch, Commemorated on March 8; GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR, APOSTLE TO ARMENIA (23 March 332); Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28; Martyr Jonah and those with him, in Persia, Commemorated on March 28 ; Virginmartyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) of Persia, with her sister and servant, Commemorated on April 4; 120 Martyrs of Persia, Commemorated on April 6; Martyr Desan the Bishop and 272 others in Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, Commemorated on April 9; Monkmartyr Bademus (Vadim) of Persia, Commemorated on April 9; Martyr James the Presbyter of Persia, Commemorated on April 10; Martyr Azades (Azat) the Eunuch of Persia, Commemorated on April 14; Hieromartyr Simeon the Bishop in Persia, and those with him in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Ananias the Presbyter in Persia, Commemorated on April 17; Martyr Bata the Persian, Commemorated on May 1; Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica, Commemorated on May 5; Hieromartyr Helladius the Bishop in the East, Commemorated on May 28; Hieromartyr Sisinius the Deacon of Rome, Commemorated on June 7; 5 Martyred Nuns beheaded in Persia, Commemorated on June 9; Martyr Manuel of Persia, Commemorated on June 17;

Persia, 399-420, Persian Sasanian Emperor, Izdegerd I, friend to Jews and Christians, Zoros Nobles killed him
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 399-420, Izdegerd I ; Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia, Commemorated on September 5 ; Greatmartyr James the Persian, Commemorated on November 27; St Maruthas the Bishop of Martyropolis in Mesopotamia, Commemorated on February 16; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Hieromartyr Audas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on March 31; Royal Martyr Mirdat, King of Kartli, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Persia, 450, Martyr Benjamin the Deacon, Converted many to Christianity
Persia, 450, Martyr Benjamin the Deacon; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia, Commemorated on October 13; Martyr Benjamin the Deacon of Persia converted many pagan Persians to Christianity, and for his zeal and evangelic preaching he suffered in Persia during the fifth century.

Persia, 531-579, Emperor, Chosroes I the Elder, allied with Italian Ostrogoths, violated peace
Persian Sasanian Emperor, 531-579, Chosroes I the Elder; Martyr Golinduc, in Holy Baptism Mary, of Persia, Commemorated on July 12; Martyr Eustathius of Mtskheta in Georgia, Commemorated on July 29; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Translation of the Image Â of our Lord Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople, the Third "œFeast of the Savior in August"Â, Commemorated on August 16; Return of the Relics of the Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari, Commemorated August 25 : By the power of God the chests did not sink into the depths of the sea, but miraculously floated upon the waves and reached Italy. The chest with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew came to land at the island of Lipari, and the remaining chests continued their journey and came to land at various places in Italy. The chest with the relics of the Martyr Papian halted at Sicily, the Martyr Lucian at Messina, the Martyr Gregory at Calabria, and the Martyr Acacius at Askalon. ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; Translation of the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius, the Godbearer and Bishop of Antioch, Commemorated on January 29;

Persia, 579-590, Sasanian Emperor, Hormizd IV, constant warfare west and east

Persia, 590-628, Sasanian Emperor, Khosrau (Chosroes) II, Cross in J, def by M, then a with M
Persian, Sasanian Emperor, 590-628, Khosrau (Chosroes) II; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on July 11 ; The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, Commemorated on September 14; Greatmartyr Euphemia the All-praised, Commemorated on September 16 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on November 12 ; Hieromartyr Abibus, Bishop of Nekressi in Georgia, Commemorated on November 29; St Modestus the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Commemorated on December 18 ; St Dometian the Bishop of Melitene, Commemorated on January 10; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22; Translation of the relics of St Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 24; St Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Commemorated on March 11; St Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on March 21;

Persia, 614, Chosroes II ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia
Persia, 614, ravaged Jerusalem, carried the Life-Creating Cross to Persia; Byzantine-“Sasanian War of 602-“628; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22;

Persia, 1152-1153, Seljuk sultan, Malik-Shah III, 600,000 Men to Georgia
Messopotamia, Seljuk sultan, 1152-1153, Malik-Shah III; Blessed David IV the King of Georgia, Commemorated on January 26 ;

Nineveh; Jonah 3:1-10,4:1-11, Conversion of Nineveh ; Tobit'™s Youth and Virtuous Life, 3 I, Tobit, walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life. I performed many acts of charity for my kindred and my people who had gone with me in exile to Nineveh in the land of the Assyrians. 4When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still a young man, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali deserted the house of David and Jerusalem. This city had been chosen from among all the tribes of Israel, where all the tribes of Israel should offer sacrifice and where the temple, the dwelling of God, had been consecrated and established for all generations for ever. Prophet Jonah, Commemorated on September 22 ; St John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated November 12 ; Prophet Nahum, Commemorated December 1 ; Prophet Zephaniah, Commemorated December 3 ; St Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh, Commemorated on January 28 ;

Arbela, Persia (Tigris River 4)
Arbela, Persia; Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy, Commemorated on August 21 ; Martyr Akepsimas the Bishop of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aeithalás the Deacon of Persia were leaders of the Christian Church in the Persian city of Naesson. His flock devotedly loved their hierarch for his ascetic life and tireless pastoral work. emperor Sapor ordered his men to seek out and kill Christian clergy. Saint Akepsimas also was arrested, even though he was already an eighty-year-old man. They took him to the city of Arbela, where he came before the judge Ardarkh, a pagan priest of the sun god. The holy Elder refused to offer sacrifice to the Persian gods. For this he was fiercely beaten and thrown into prison, where on the following day the seventy-year-old priest Joseph and the deacon Aeithalás were severely beaten and thrown into jail with him. For three years the saints were held in confinement, and suffered from hunger and thirst. Sapor came to the temple of the god of fire, located not far from Arbela, and wanted to take a look at the three holy martyrs. Exhausted and covered with festering wounds, the saints were brought before the emperor. When he asked them to worship the pagan gods they firmly refused, confessing their faith in Christ instead. holy bishop was beheaded, but the presbyter and deacon were taken into the city to be stoned. execution of the presbyter Joseph was prolonged for several hours. A guard was placed near the place of execution, so that Christians would not take the body of the holy martyr. On the fourth night a strong windstorm raged near the city, lightning killed the guard, the wind tossed stones about, and the body of Saint Joseph disappeared. Aeithalás was taken to the village of Patrias, where he was stoned. Christians secretly buried his body. A tree grew on the saint’s grave, and its fruit brought healings. St Snandulia of Persia, Commemorated on November 3 ; Hieromartyr Abramius the Bishop of Arbela in Assyria, Commemorated February 4 ;

Ctesiphon, Persia (Tigris River 7, Near Bagdad) Sassanian Capitol
Ctesiphon; Virginmartyr Syra of Persia, Commemorated on August 24; Greatmartyr Artemius at Antioch. Commemorated October 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Persian, Commemorated on January 22 ;

Geography - Holy Roman Empire (Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Lands)

Prague, Bohemia, Czech Lands (Vltava River 3, Elbe River 4)
Prague, Czech Republic (Vltava River 3) ; Martyr Ludmilla the grandmother of St Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 16 ; Martyr Gorazd of Prague, Bohemia and Moravo-Cilezsk, Commemorated August 22 ; Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs, Commemorated on September 28 ; Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Commemorated on October 18; Right-believing Prince Wenceslaus of the Czech Lands, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Vitus at Lucania, Commemorated on May 16; Johannes Kepler of NICHOLAS COPERNICUS and JOHANNES KEPLER, ASTRONOMERS, 1543 & 1630, Commemorated May 23;

Ondava River Source (along the border)

Ondava River Mouth (Bodrog River)

Transylvania (over and between the mountains, Tisa River drainage Hungary, now Romania)
Transylvania; Ardeal; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; Martyr John the Wallachian of Romania, Commemorated on May 12; St Anthimus, Bishop of Georgia, Commemorated on June 13; Martyr Aristocles the Presbyter of Cyprus, Commemorated on June 20; Icon of the Mother of God of Kasperov, Commemorated on June 29; St Gelasius of Rimet, Commemorated on June 30;

Hungary, Transylvania and Slovakia, left side Danube 7-9, Tisa River Folder

Pannonia, Little Hungarian Plain, 476-WWI
Little Hungarian Plain, Pannonia; St. Ambrose the Bishop of Milan, Commemorated on December 7 ;

Little Hungarian Plain, Pannonia

Auschwitz, Poland (concentration camp, Vistula River 1.9)
Auschwitz (concentration camp); Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ;

Belz, Fortress of Belz (Bug River 1), Eastern Poland, Western Ukraine
Belz, Fortress of Belz; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœCzestochowaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Lvov, Poland (Poltva River Source, Western Ukraine or Eastern Poland)
Lvov (Poltva River) ; Terebovlya Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated October 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6;

Bug River 3 or Western Bug River 3

Spain
Spain; BARTOLOME DE LOS CASAS, MISSIONARY PRIEST, DEFENDER OF THE OPPRESSED, 1566, Commemorated July 18 ; JAMES BAR-ZEBEDEE, APOSTLE (25 JULY 41) ; DOMINIC PREACHER, FRIAR, MISSIONARY (8 AUGUST 1221); Martyr and Archdeacon Laurence of Rome, Commemorated on August 10; St Felix of Spain, Commemorated August 22 ; St Hosius the Confessor the Bishop of Cordova, Commemorated August 27 ; Virginmartyr Eulalia of Barcelona, Commemorated on August 22; St Xanthippe Disciple of the Apostles, who died in Spain, Commemorated on September 23 ; Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens, Commemorated on October 3; Martyr Vincent of Spain, Commemorated on November 11; Martyr Stephanida of Spain, Commemorated on November 11 ; Martyr Hermeningilda the Goth of Spain; Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17 ; Venerable Melania the Younger of Rome, Commemorated December 31 ; JUAN DE LA CRUZ (JOHN OF THE CROSS); Martyr Speusippus in Cappadocia, Commemorated on January 16 ; St Fructuosis of Tarragona, Spain, Commemorated January 21 ; VINCENT OF SARAGOSSA, DEACON AND MARTYR (22 JAN 304) ; St Paulinus the Merciful the Bishop of Nola, Commemorated on January 23 ; THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, FRIAR, AND THEOLOGIAN (28 JAN 1274) ; Apostle Onesimus of the Seventy, Commemorated on February 15; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœCzestochowaÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25 ; JOHN DONNE, Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631); St Isidore the Bishop of Seville, Commemorated on April 4; GEORGE, SOLDIER and MARTYR, 23 APRIL 303, Commemorated April 23; Apostle James the Brother of St John the Theologian, Commemorated on April 30; Martyr Christopher of Lycia, Commemorated on May 9 ;

Paris; NATHAN SA–DERBLOM, ARCHBISHOP OF UPPSALA, 1931, Commemorated July 12; VINCENT DE PAUL, HELPER OF THE POOR, 27 Sept. 1660; Hieromartyr Dionysius of Paris, Bishop, Commemorated on October 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Genevieve of Paris, Commemorated January 3 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD COOPER, Educator (1964), Commemorated Febraury 28 ; RICHARD, Bishop of Chichester (3 April 1253); St Augustine of Canterbury, Evangelizer of England, Commemorated on May 26; St Germanus the Bishop of Paris, Commemorated on May 28; BERTHA and ETHELBERT, QUEEN & KING OF KENT, 616, Commemorated May 26 ; JOAN OF ARC, VISIONARY, 30 May 1431 ; Hieromartyr Lucian the Bishop at Beauvais in France, Commemorated on June 3;

Bastille Prison
Bastille Prison; France, 1682-1742, Elie Neau, French Huguenot and American Catechist; ELIE NAUD, (ELIAS NEAU), HUGUENOT WITNESS TO THE FAITH, 7 Sept. 1722;

Toulouse, Langedoc - high point, Capital of the Visigoths (Garonne River 1)
Capital of the Visigoths - Toulouse; Toulouse; AMBROSE OF MILAN, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (7 DEC 397) ; EARLY ABBOTS of CLUNY, 30 April 909 ;

Rousillon County, Catalonia, France (Aude River)
Rousillon County; LOUIS IX, KING OF FRANCE (25 AUGUST 1270) ;

Lerins Abbey (French Rivierra) 410
Lerins monestary; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Lerins Islands, Southeastern France
Lerins Islands, Southeastern France ; St Honoratus the Archbishop of Arles and Founder of Lerins Monastery, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Bede, the Church Historian, Commemorated on May 27 ;

Antwerp, Belgium (Scheldt River 7)
WILLIAM TYNDALE [AND MILES COVERDALE] TRANSLATORS OF THE BIBLE (6 OCT 1536, 1569);

Geography - Sweden

Sweden, Land of the Ostrogoths, they went to Italy
Land of the Ostrogoths;

Sweden, Land of the Greuthungi (Crimean) Goths
Land of the Crimean Goths - Cembalo; St John the Bishop of the Goths in the Crimea, Commemorated on May 19;

Sweden, Land of the Thervingian Goths, they went to Hungary, Transylvania, Pontica, Scythia

Sweden, Land of the Varangians, Varangian Peninsula, Norway, They went to the 9 Cities of Russia
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians);

Sweden, Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians) Norway
Varanger Peninsula (Land of the Varangians); 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Blessed Olga (in Baptism Helen), Princess of Russia, Commemorated on July 11; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12;

Sweden - Land of the Varangians - Nine Cities - Russia
Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden, Gardarika, Varangia (the land of cities north of the Black Sea)
Gardarika (the land of cities): Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (five) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski with the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians. Gardarika (the land of cities) Along the Volkhov River;

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Lyubsha
Lyubsha - earliest fort of the Varangians; Ladoga - Staraya Ladoga - a fort of the Varangians;

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Ladoga

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Kiev
land of the Varangians - Kiev; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Polotsk, Belarus
land of the Varangians - Polotsk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Smolensk
land of the Varangians - Smolensk; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Murom
land of the Varangians - Murom; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Suzdal
land of the Varangians - Suzdal; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land. Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov.

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Rostov
land of the Varangians - Rostov; Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea; Gardarski was the Viking name for this land; Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov;

Sweden - Russia - land of the Varangians - Novgorod
land of the Varangians - Novgorod : Land of the Varangians was a series of cities (nine) along the rivers north of the Black Sea. Gardarski was the Viking name for this land; Lyubsha was the first of the Varangian or Viking cities established in Gardariki or the Land of the Varangians, the others were: Ladoga, Novgorod, Kiev, Polotsk, Smolensk, Suzdal, Murom and Rostov;

Sweden - Norway (included in the Sweden Folder)
Norway;

Sweden - Norway, 790-1066, Viking Age (Global Cooling after Global Warming)
Global Cooling after Global Warming in Middle Age; Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings;

Sweden - Viken, Norway (Vikings)
Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings;

Sweden - Vikings
Viken, Norway (Vikings); Vikings;

Sweden - Varanger Peninsula, Norway (Land of the Varangians)

Sweden - Oslo, Norway
Oslo, Norway; Norway; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; ALPHEGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, MARTYR (19 APR 1012);

Geography - Russian Empire

Russia or Rus (Clean) Geography Folder (Varangia, Novgorod, Kiev, Vladimir, then Moscow, Scythia, Perm and Siberia)

Russia, Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Russia, Trans-Siberian Railway and Road Folder

Russia, Eastern Front WW1 Folder

Russia, Original, Natural Russia its Area, Dnieper, Dniester Drainages, and Crimea requred for defense

Russia, Natural Crimea, Taurida Scythia, Don River Folder (to Sea of Azov, Crimea, Black Sea)

Russia, Natural Volga Folder in Mongol Sythia, incl Tver, Moscow, Rostov, Radonezh, Vladimir, &Oka drainage

Kirzhach River

Russia, Natural St Petersburg, Neva &Luga Rivers Drainage, Including Novgorod's Volkhov Drainage

Novgorod, Russia (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen))
Veliky Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" in Novgorod; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 27 ; Nicholas Kochanov, Novgorod Fool-for-Christ (+ 1392), was born at Novgorod into a rich and illustrious family. From his youthful years he loved piety, he went to church faithfully, and he loved fasting and prayer. Seeing his virtuous life, people began to praise him. Blessed Nicholas, disdaining glory from men, began the difficult exploit of folly for the Lord’s sake. He ran about the city in the bitter cold dressed in rags, enduring beatings, insults and mockery. Blessed Nicholas and another Novgorod fool, Blessed Theodore (January 19), pretended to be irreconcilable foes, and graphically demonstrated to the people of Novgorod the pernicious character of their internecine strife. having overcome his sham opponent, Blessed Nicholas went along the Volkhov as if on dry land, and threw a head of cabbage at Blessed Theodore, therefore he was called “Kochanov” (i.e. “cabbage-head”). The Lord glorified Blessed Nicholas with the gift of miracles and clairvoyance. after being turned away by servants from a feast to which he had been invited, he left. Immediately, the wine disappeared from the barrel. Only upon the return of the fool, and through his prayer, did it reappear again. When he died, Blessed Nicholas was buried at the end of the cemetery by the Yakovlev cathedral. relics of Blessed Nicholas rest under a crypt in the church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon which was built over his grave. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3 ; ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God "œJerusalem"Â, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23 ; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated January 11; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Theodore of Novgorod was the son of pious parents, wealthy citizens of Novgorod. Having been raised in strict Christian piety, and having reached the age of maturity, he took on himself the ascetic deed of foolishness for Christ’s sake. He gave all his possessions to the poor, and he lived in great poverty until the end of his life, not even having a roof over his head, nor warm clothes on cold days. he discovered a mutual enmity between the Novgorod citizens of the Torgov quarter and the inhabitants of the Sophia quarter, Blessed Theodore pretended to be feuding with Blessed Nicholas Kochanov (July 27) who lived in asceticism on the opposite Sophia side. When Blessed Theodore happened to cross over the Volkhov Bridge to the Sophia side, then Blessed Nicholas pushed him over to the Torgov side. Theodore did the same thing when Nicholas chanced upon on the Torgov side. The blessed ones, spiritually in agreement with each other, by their unusual behavior reminded the people of Novgorod of their own internecine strife, which often ended in bloody skirmishes. blessed one possessed the gift of clairvoyance. By warning people to see to their bread, he was actually predicting an impending famine. Another time he said, “This will be bare, it will be fine for sowing turnips.” This was his prediction of a fire that devastated the streets of the Torgov quarter. Blessed Theodore foresaw his own end and said to the Novgorod people, “Farewell, I’m going far away.” his life, the citizens of Novgorod saw him as a saint pleasing to God, and had a high regard for him. After his death in the year 1392, the holy fool was buried, at his request, in the Torgov quarter, at Lubyanitsa in the church of the holy Great Martyr George, at the porch where the saint usually loved to spend his time in unceasing prayer. A chapel was built over his holy relics. Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Uncut MountÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro RusÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œTendernessÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Lake Limen

Lake Ladoga

Lake Onega

Russia, Natural Pskov, water into Pskov Lakes, including Estonia, Nava River Drainage

Pskov Lake

Witz-See Lake

Pskov Lake (Gudov)

Pskov Lake (Peipus)

Lake Mikhalkinskoye

Pskov Lakes

Russia, Varangia Folder, Varanger Peninsula and 10 Russian Varantian Cities

Novgorod (Volkhov River Source (Lake llmen))
Veliky Novgorod; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov, Commemorated on July 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" in Novgorod; Blessed Nicholas Kochanov the Fool-For-Christ at Novgorod, Commemorated July 27 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3 ; ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Theodoritus the Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki, Commemorated on August 17; Martyr Florus of Illyria, Commemorated on August 18; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kholm, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on September 21 ; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on September 26; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœJerusalemÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 12 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Leokhnov, Novgorod, Commemorated on October 17; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 23 ; St John the Archbishop and Wonderworker of Novgorod; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod; Right-believing Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich the Prince of Novgorod; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; Venerable Martyrius the Abbot of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on November 11 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of Khutyn, Novgorod, Commemorated on November 6, Barlaam settled on a solitary hill below Volkhov, in a place called Khutyn, ten versts from Novgorod.; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated on November 14 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated on November 22 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk Lake, Commemorated on December 7 ; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Repose of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 23 ; Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated January 7 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov ; Venerable Michael the Fool-for-Christ of the Klops Monastery, Novgorod, Commemorated January 11; Venerable Anthony of Chernoezero, Commemorated on January 17 ; Venerable Anthony of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on January 17 ; Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Xenophon Hodigitria", Commemorated January 21 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Xenophon of Robika, Commemorated January 26 ; St Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver, Commemorated on February 3 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; St Joachim, First Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod, Buried in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Icon of the Mother of God of ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Uncut MountÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Mark of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on March 29; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœStaro RusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Euphrosynus the Abbot and Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated on May 15; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop, Novgorod, Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Sergius of Shukhtom, Commemorated on May 19; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Righteous John the Youth of Meniugi, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Xenophon the Abbot of Robeika, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœTendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ in Novgorod, Commemorated on July 8; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11;

Antoniev monastery, Novgorod, 1117
Antoniev monastery; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Anthony the Roman was born at Rome in 1067 to rich parents who adhered to the Orthodox Faith, and they raised him in piety. After losing his parents at age 17, he took up the study of the Fathers in the Greek language. Afterwards, he distributed part of his inheritance to the poor, and the other portion he put into a wooden barrel and threw it into the sea. Then he was tonsured at one of the wilderness monasteries, where he lived for 20 years. persecution of the Latins against the Orthodox forced the brethren to separate. Saint Anthony wandered from place to place until he came upon a large rock upon the shore of the sea, where he lived for a whole year in fasting and prayer. On September 5, 1105 a terrible storm tore away the stone on which Saint Anthony stood, and threw it into the sea. By divine Providence, the stone floated to Novgorod. On the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, the stone halted 3 versts from Novgorod on the banks of the River Volkhov near the village of Volkhov. This event is testified to in the Novgorod Chronicles. this place the monk, with the blessing of Saint Nikḗtas the Hermit (May 14), founded a monastery in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In another year, fishermen recovered the barrel containing Saint Anthony’s inheritance, cast into the sea many years before. The saint recognized his barrel, but the fishermen did not want to give it to him. Before a judge, Saint Anthony described the contents of the barrel, and it was returned to him. The saint used the money to buy land for the monastery. Spiritual asceticism was combined at the monastery with intense physical labor. Anthony was concerned that help should be given to the needy, orphans and widows from monastery funds. In 1117, the saint built a stone church in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. The church, built during the lifetime of Saint Anthony in the years 1117-1119 by the renowned Novgorod architect Peter, and adorned with frescoes in the year 1125, has been preserved to the present time. In 1131, Saint Niphon of Novgorod made Saint Anthony igumen of the monastery. He died on August 3, 1147 and was buried by Saint Niphon. Anthony was glorified in 1597. His memory is also celebrated (uncovering of his relics) on the first Friday after the Feast of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (June 29), and on January 17, on the same day that Saint Anthony the Great is commemorated. The first Life of Saint Anthony the Roman was written soon after his death by his disciple and successor as igumen, the hieromonk Andrew. A Life, with an account of the uncovering of the relics, was written by a novice of the Antoniev monastery, the monk Niphon, in the year 1598. St. Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4;

Yuriev Monastery, Novgorod (Volkhov River 1) 1030
Yuriev Monastery; Repose of Saint Theoctistus, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 23; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23;

Volotovo Church, 1352
Volotovo Church, 1352; St. Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine (Dnieper River Tributaries and Southern Bug River)
Ukraine; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, NURSE, RENEWER OF SOCIETY (12 AUGUST 1910); Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Translation of the Icon of the Mother of God in Triumph to Russia, Commemorated on September 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Âœthe Blessed HeavenÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœSweet-KissingÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœStaro RusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœVirgin of TendernessÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dnieper River 2, Smolensk Folder

Smolensk, Ukraine (Dnieper River 2, Varangian Trade Route, Moscow Road to Poland)
Smolensk; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Smolensk, Commemorated July 24 ; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated August 21 ; Abramius of Smolensk, a preacher of repentance and the Dread Last Judgment, was born in the mid-twelfth century at Smolensk of rich parents, who had twelve daughters before him, and they begged God for a son. childhood he grew up in the fear of God, he was often in church and had the opportunity to read books. The parents hoped that their only son would enter into marriage and continue their illustrious lineage, but he sought a different life. After the death of his parents, having given away all his wealth to monasteries, to churches and to the destitute, the saint walked through the city in rags, asking God to show him the way to salvation. was tonsured in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, five versts from Smolensk, at Selischa. Having passed through various obediences there, the monk fervently occupied himself with copying books, culling spiritual riches from them. The Smolensk prince Roman Rostislavich (+ 1170) started a school in the city, in which they taught not only in Slavonic, but also from Greek and Latin books. The Prince himself had a large collection of books, which Saint Abramius used. He had struggled for more than 30 years at the monastery, when in the year 1198 the igumen persuaded him to accept the dignity of presbyter. Every day he served the Divine Liturgy and fulfilled the obedience of clergy not only for the brethren, but also for the laity. the monk became widely known. This aroused the envy of the brethren, and then of the igumen also, and five years later, the monk was compelled to transfer to the Exaltation of the Cross monastery in Smolensk itself. With offerings from the devout, he embellished the cathedral church of the poor monastery with icons, and with curtains and candle-stands. He himself painted two icons on themes which most concerned him. On one he depicted the Dread Last judgment, and on the other the suffering of the trials of life. Lean and pale from extreme toil, in priestly garb the ascetic resembled Saint Basil the Great in appearance. The saint was strict both towards himself, and towards his spiritual children. He preached constantly in church and to those coming to him in his cell, conversing with rich and poor alike. city notables and the clergy demanded that Bishop Ignatius bring the monk to trial, accusing him of seducing women and tempting his spiritual children. But even more terrible were the accusations of heresy and the reading of forbidden books. For this they proposed to drown or burn the ascetic. At the trial by the Prince and the Bishop, the saint answered all the false accusations. Despite this, they forbade him to serve as a priest and returned him to his former monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos . A terrible drought occurred in consequence of God’s wrath over the unjust sentence, and only when Saint Ignatius pardoned Saint Abramius, permitting him to serve and preach, did the rain again fall on Smolensk. bishop Saint Ignatius built a new monastery, in honor of the Placing of the Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos, and he entrusted the guidance of it to Saint Abramius, and he himself settled into it, retiring from the diocese because of age. Many wished to enter under the guidance of Saint Abramius, but he examined them very intensely and only after great investigation, so at his monastery there were only seventeen brethren. Saint Abramius, after the death of Saint Ignatius, having become his spiritual friend, urged the brethren, more than before, to think about death and to pray day and night, that they be not condemned in the Judgment by God. Abramius died after the year 1224, having spent 50 years in monasticism. Already at the end of the thirteenth century a service had been compiled to him, together with his disciple Saint Ephraim. The terrible Mongol-Tatar invasion, seen as the wrath of God for the nation’s sins, not only did not stifle the memory of Saint Abramius of Smolensk, but rather was a reminder to people of his calling to repentance and recollection of the dread Last Judgment. Venerable Adrian the Abbot of Ondrusov, Valaam, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves,Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite and Wonderworker of Smolensk, Commemorated on August 21; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Andrew the Prince of Smolensk, Commemorated on October 27; Ozerianka Icon of God of Shuiu-Smolensk, Commemorated on November 2 ; Martyr Mercurius of Smolensk, Commemorated on November 24 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated December 21 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Merciful", Commemorated December 27 ; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Blessed Heaven"Â, Commemorated on March 6; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the "œSweet-Kissing"Â, Commemorated on March 19; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Uncut Mount"Â, Commemorated on March 24; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œVirgin of Tenderness"Â from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Kiev, Ukraine (Dnieper River 4)
Kiev; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; St Olga the Princess of Russia, in Holy Baptism Called Helen, Commemorated on July 11; Transfer of the Relics of St Barbara - Gloves, Commemorated July 11 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Martyr Theodore and his son of Kiev, Commemorated on July 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk œDirectressÂ Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three œFeasts of the SaviorÂ in August), Commemorated on August 1; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on August 2; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Tikhon the Bishop of Voronezh and Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; St Martyrius, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 24 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God Chernigov-GethsemaneÂ, Commemorated on September 1; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Martyr Athanasius the Abbot of Brest, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kupyatitich, Commemorated on November 15 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, Commemorated December 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimirin Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; Martyr Romulus and with him many others, Commemorated September 6 ; Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, Commmorated September 8 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated September 19 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Princess Anna Vsevolodna, Commemorated on November 3 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated November 15 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; Hieromartyr Clement the Pope of Rome; Dedication of the Church of the Greatmartyr George at Kiev, Commemorated on November 26 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called, Commemorated November 30 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on December 6 ; Venerable Nikon the Dry, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 11 ; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 29 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 8 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated January 12 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; Venerable Macarius the Faster, of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 22 ; Translation of the relics of St Theoctistus the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 23 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Ignatius, Wonderworker and Bishop of Smolensk, Commemorated January 29 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; Princess Anna of Novgorod, Commemorated on February 10 ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 12 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Theodore the Silent of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated on February 18 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on February 20 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 27 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œCzestochowaÂ, Commemorated on March 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Hieromartyr Basil of Cherson, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Kursk Root œof the SignÂ, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves ; Venerable Prochorus of the Kiev Near Caves; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk the œSweet-KissingÂ, Commemorated on March 19; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Monkmartyr Eustratius of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Molcha, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27 ; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Hieromartyr Macarius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on May 1; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Icon of the Mother of God œStaro Rus Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Monkmartyr Pachomius of Mt Athos, Commemorated on May 7; Repose of St Alexis Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God œVirgin of Tenderness from the Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 21 ; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Martyr Michael œthe Black-RobedÂ of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St John the Russian and Confessor, whose relics are on the island of Euboia, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on June 2; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Translation of the relics of St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27; Venerable Martin of Turov, Commemorated on June 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Balikin, Commemorated on June 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev'™s St Vladimir cathedral
Kiev'™s St Vladimir cathedral; Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ; Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria, Commemorated on December 4 ;

Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev, 1051s, Yaroslav the Wise
Saint Georges Victory Church, Kiev; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer, and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; George was the patron saint and protector of several of the great builders of the Russian state. Saint Vladimir’s son, Yaroslav the Wise (in holy Baptism George), advanced the veneration of the saint in the Russian Church. He built the city of Yuriev [i.e., “of Yurii.” “Yurii” is the diminutive of “George”, as “Ivan” is of “John”], he also founded the Yuriev monastery at Novgorod, and he built a church of Saint George the Victory Bearer at Kiev. day of the consecration of Saint George’s Church in Kiev, November 26, 1051 by Saint Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus, has entered into the liturgical treasury of the Church as a special church feastday. Yuriev Day is beloved by the Russian people as an “autumn Feast of Saint George.”

Kiev's Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral, 960 by Olga
Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) Cathedral in Kiev; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ;

Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Zlatoverkh-Mikhailovo Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Kiev, 1108
Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery, AKA Saint Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in Kiev; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Brotherhood (Bratsky) monastery, Kiev (Dneiper River 4) 1595
Brotherhood monatery; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated September 6 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Kiev Spiritual Academy, Moghila Academy Kiev, Mogilyansk, 1615-1632
Moghila Academy Kiev; St Peter Mogila; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on June 2; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ;

Kiev Seminary (Dnieper River 4) 1615
Kiev Theological Seminary; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Kiev Theological Academy (Dneiper River 4) 1615
Kiev Theological Academy; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on September 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Vyshgorod near Kiev (Dnieper River 4) residence of kievan rulers
Vyshgorod near Kiev; Vyshhorod, a residence of the medieval Kievan rulers, now a town in Kiev Oblast, Ukraine; ; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Bratsk, Commemorated on September 6; Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God was at first in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. In 1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the Polish. The temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was destroyed and defiled. But the Providence of God preserved the holy wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the saints were hidden beneath a crypt. river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, where it was joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. The icon is described in the records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807. existed a “Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God”, compiled soon after the year 1692. The Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year: September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent. All these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the holy icon in 1654. The original icon has not been preserved. The copy was painted from it “measure for measure,” and is at present located in the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God. Blessed Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, in Holy Baptism Peter, Commemorated November 22 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael the Prince of Kiev, Commemorated on March 14; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Roslavl, Smolensk, Kiev area (Desna River 1), Forests
Roslavl; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16;

Sevsk, Ukraine (Sev River 1)
Sevsk (Sev River); St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Macarius of Optina; Venerable Leonid of Optina;

Kursk, Ukraine (Seym River Source, Kur and Tuskar River mouths)
Kursk; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œof the Sign"Â, the "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on September 8 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œKursk-Root"Â, Commemorated on November 27 ; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign" at Novgorod, Commemorated November 27 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Kursk Root" "œof the Sign"Â, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9 ;

Glinsk Hermitage (between Seym and Desna Rivers) 1648
Glinsk Hermitage ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Glinsk, Commemorated on September 8 ;

Chernigov, Ukraine (Desna River 5) western trade through Kiev, Volhy, to Poland
Chernigov; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; ; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Domnitsa, Commemorated September 8 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Theodosius the Archbishop of Chernigov, Commemorated September 9 ; Right-believing Great Prince Igor of Kiev and Chernigov, Commemorated September 19 ; Martyr and Confessor Michael the Wonderworker of Chernigov, Commemorated September 20 ; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated November 26 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on January 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œElets-Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated on February 23; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk; Icon of the Mother of God of Novgorod; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16 ; St Athanasius the Great the Patriarch of Alexandria, Commemorated on May 2 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Blessed Constantine the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Icon of the Mother of God of Balikin, Commemorated on June 30;

Pereyaslavl, Ukraine, (the Principality, Alta River, Trubizh River, Dnieper River 4) 988-1323
Pereyaslavl; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, in the world Konon, was the son of a Ryazan merchant. In his youth he left his parental home and lived for five years as a novice of the Elder Paul in the Lukianov wilderness near Pereyaslavl. Afterwards the young ascetic transferred to the Pereyaslavl monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb on the Sands [Peskakh]. Konon eagerly went to church and unquestioningly did everything that they commanded him. holy novice did not sit down to eat in the trapeza with the brethren, but contented himself with whatever remained, accepting food only three times a week. After five years, he received monastic tonsure with the name Cornelius. From that time no one saw the monk sleeping on a bed. Several of the brethren scoffed at Saint Cornelius as foolish, but he quietly endured the insults and intensified his efforts. Having asked permission of the igumen to live as a hermit, he secluded himself into his own separately constructed cell and constantly practiced asceticism in fasting and prayer. the brethren found him barely alive, and the cell was locked from within. Three months Saint Cornelius lay ill, and he could take only water and juice. The monk, having recovered and being persuaded by the igumen, stayed to live with the brethren. Saint Cornelius was the sacristan in church, he served in the trapeza, and also toiled in the garden. As if to bless the saint’s labors, excellent apples grew in the monastery garden, which he lovingly distributed to visitors. body of Saint Cornelius was withered up from strict fasting, but he did not cease to toil. With his own hands he built a well for the brethren. For thirty years Saint Cornelius lived in complete silence, being considered by the brethren as deaf and dumb. Before his death on July 22, 1693, Saint Cornelius made his confession to the monastery priest Father Barlaam, received the Holy Mysteries and took the schema. was buried in the chapel. Nine years later, during the construction of a new church, his relics were found incorrupt. In the year 1705, Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov (October 28), saw the relics of Saint Cornelius, and they were in the new church in a secluded place. The holy bishop composed a Troparion and Kontakion to the saint. Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated on January 13 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl
Russian or Southern Pereyaslavl; Translation of the relics of the Right-believing Igor-George, Tonsured Gabriel, Grand Prince of Chernigov, and Kiev, Commemorated on June 5;

Lubno (Lubensk, Lubny), Ukraine (Udai River Mouth, Sula River2)
Lubno (Lubensk); Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2;

Psel River (Oboyan, Russia)

Psel River (Sumy, Ukraine)

Psel River (Hadiach, Ukraine)

Psel River Mouth (Dnieper River 5)
Psel River ;

Kharkov, Ukraine (Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River)
Kharkov; Icon of the Mother of God of Ozerianka, Commemorated on October 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God œElets-ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on February 5; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Athanasius of Lubensk the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on May 2; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated July 2 ;

Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4
Akhtyr, Ukraine, Vorskla River 4; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29; Icon of the Mother of God of Akhtyr, Commemorated on July 2 ;

Poltava, Ukraine (Vorskla River 6)
Poltava; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky, Commemorated on November 15; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated December 10 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Poltava Governorate, Kiev or Ukraine
Poltava Governorate; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ;

Ekaterinoslav Seminary, Ukraine (Vorskla Mouth, Dnieper River 6) 1787
Ekaterinoslav Seminary ; Repose of the New-Hieromartyr Cosmas of Aitolia, Equal of the Apostles, Commemorated on August 24; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28;

Russia, Kiev and Ukraine, Dniester River 5, Siret River Folder

Seret River 3

Seret River Mouth (Dniester River 4)

Smotrych River Source

Kiev Caves, Anthony's first location, Berestovo, 1032
Kiev Caves; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth, he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy life. igumen saw in Saint Anthony the great future ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land, saying, “Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you.” to the land of Rus, Anthony began to make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos. the Providence of God, Anthony came to the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dnieper. The forested area near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot, Anthony prayed with tears, “Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon this spot, and strengthen me to remain here.” He began to struggle in prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint. Anthony’s first disciples was Saint Nikon (March 23), who tonsured Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the monastery in the year 1032. virtuous life of Saint Anthony illumined the Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. Saint Anthony lovingly received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them how to follow Christ, he asked Saint Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve disciples had gathered about Saint Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave and built a church and cells for the monks within it. he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the brethren, Saint Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves. the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of Saint Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although Saint Anthony had no gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of Rus. his holiness of life, God glorified Saint Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and Saint Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of Saint Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073. Divine Providence, the relics of Saint Anthony remain hidden. Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Moses the Hungarian of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated July 26 ; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; ; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 17 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 21 ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27 ; Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of the Venerable Theodosius, Commemorated on August 28; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov œthe ProtectionÂ, Commemorated on October 1; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected OneÂ, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Mark the Grave-Digger of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 29 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia ; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of the Kiev Caves ; Venerable Abramius the lover-of-labor of the Kiev Near Caves; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves; Synaxis of the Saints of the Kiev Caves, whose relics repose in the Far Caves of the Venerable Theodosius; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves ; Venerable Ammon the recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 4 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Gregory the Recluse, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 8 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Pancratius of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 9 ; Venerable Paphnutius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on February 15; Venerable Theodore the Silent of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 17 ; Venerable Agathon the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated February 20 ; Venerable Titus the Soldier, of the Kiev Caves; Commemorated on February 27 ; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Near Caves, St Anthony's Second Location, 1057
Kiev Near Caves; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; St Mercurius the Bishop of Smolensk, Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Pimen the Much-Ailing of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Gregory the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 8; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Venerable Pimen of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2; Venerable Elias of Murom the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated December 19 ; Monkmartyr Anastasius the Deacon of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated February 24 ; Venerable Titus the Presbyter of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 27; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Far Caves - Theodosiev Caves - Berestovo Village, 1032, 1073
Kiev Far Caves - Berestovo Village ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Paisius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 19; Venerable Polycarp the Archimandrite of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 24; Venerable Pimen the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 7; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Dionysius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 3 ; Kiev Caves Caverns; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 ; Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; St Nestor (not the Chronicler) of the Far Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated October 25; Venerable Martyrius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; Venerable Mercurius the Faster of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves< Commemorated November 24 ; Venerable Mardarius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 13 ; Venerable Ignatius the Archimandrite of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; Venerable Macarius the Deacon of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 19 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated Janaury 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Zeno the Faster, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated January 30 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 11; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24; Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod and Recluse, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Caves Lavra of Theodosis) 1051
Kiev Caves Lavra ; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Founder of Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on July 10 ; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on July 18; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; St John the Faster the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable John the Long-Suffering of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Pambo the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves; Venerable Moses the Wonderworker of the Kiev Caves; Venerable Paul the Obedient, of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on September 10; Venerable Sylvester of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on January 2 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; 12 Greeks who built the Dormition Cathedral in the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Lavra, Commemorated on February 14; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, Commemorated February 20; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Isaiah the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 15; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robed of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Igor, Commemorated on June 5; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Venerable Sisoes the Schemamonk of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on July 6;

Kiev Caves monastery, 1051
Kiev Caves monastery; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Venerable Theodore (In monasticism Theodosius) the Prince of Ostrog, Commemorated on October 10 ; Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 13 Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 16 ; Venerable Joseph the Igumen and Wonderworker of Volokolamsk, Commemorated October 18 ; Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 21 ; Venerable Martyrius the Deacon, Commemorated on October 25 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31 ; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Nectarius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 29 ; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Ephraim the Bishop of Pereyaslavl, Kiev Caves, Far Caves, Commemorated January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9 ; Venerable Nikita of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated January 31 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on March 23 ; Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on March 24 ; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; St Niphon the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Rufus the Obedient of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 8; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Alexius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; Uncovering of the relics of St Nikita the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on April 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves Monastery, and Founder of Coenobitic Monasticism in Russia, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Martyr Michael ""Â of St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Leontius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 18; St Menas, Bishop of Polotsk, Commemorated on June 20; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Kiev Near Caves of St Anthony, 1057
Near Caves of St Anthony ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 27; Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on September 2; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated September 28 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; Venerable Damian the Healer and Clairvoyant of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 5 ; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 14 ; Venerable Arethus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Sisoes the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 24 ; Venerable Theophilus the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated October 24 ; Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 27 ; Venerable Spyridon the Prosphora-baker of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on October 31; Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 9 ; Venerable Barlaam the Abbot of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on November 19 ; Venerable Athanasius the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Athanasius œthe Resurrected One, Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on December 2 ; Venerable Euthymius the Schemamonk, Commemorated January 20 ; St Laurence the Recluse of the Kiev Caves, Far Caves, and Bishop of Turov, Near Caves, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on February 14; Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 4; Venerable Sava the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on April 24; Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernigov, and Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Venerable Gregory the Wonderworker of the Kiev Near Caves; Icon of the Mother of God of Sven, Commemorated on May 3; Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on May 8; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; Venerable Silvanus the Schemamonk, of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on June 10; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26;

Bogoliub monastery, Vladimir (Klyazma River 5) 1158
Bogoliub monastery; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ;

Suzdal (Southern Valley, Ukhtoma (Nerl) River 5)
Suzdal (Southern Valley) ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 18 ; Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Commemorated on September 25 ; St John the Bishop of Suzdal, Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23; Commemoration of the Weeping Icon of the Mother of God œof the SignÂ at Novgorod, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Maximus, Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated December 6 ; St Hilarion, Metropolitan of Suzdal and Yuriev, Commemorated December 14 ; St Sophia, Commemorated December 16 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Right-believing Tamara, Queen of Georgia, Commemorated on May 1; St Simeon the Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on May 10; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17; Icon of the Mother of God œthe God LovingÂ, Commemorated on June 18; St Dionysius the Archbishop of Suzdal, Commemorated on June 26; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Euthymius the Archimandrite of Suzdal, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Sudogda River Mouth (Klyazma River 5)

Teza River Mouth (Klyazma River 7)

Moscow; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch, Commemorated July 9 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Rzhevsk, Commemorated on July 11; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Procession of the Honorable Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (First of the three Feasts of the Savior in August), Commemorated on August 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on August 13 ; St Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17 ; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Child Schemamonk Bogolep; Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ; Translation of the relics of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of St Daniel the Prince of Moscow, Commemorated on August 30; Icon of the Mother of God of Pisidia, Commemorated September 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Repose of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on September 16 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, Commemorated on October 13; Commemoration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance from the Poles, Commemorated on October 22 ; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on October 23 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on October 26; Repose of St Jonah the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on November 5 ; St Herman the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated on November 6 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe JoyfulÂ, Commemorated on November 7 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated October 5 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas; Icon of the Mother of God "In Giving Birth, you Preserved your Virginity", Commemorated October 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Gurias the Archbishop of Kazan, Commemorated December 5 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Memorial Saturday of St Demetrius; Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated January 4; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow", Commemorated October 24 ; Repose of the Blessed Maximus of Moscow, Commemorated on November 11 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Apostle James, of the Seventy, the Brother of the Lord, Commemorated on January 4 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Translation to Moscow of the Icon of the Mother of God "Assuage my sorrow", Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated on January 28 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Elets-Chernigov", Commemorated February 5 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Martyr Tryphon of Campsada Near Apamea in Syria, Commemorated on February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated February 5 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Innocent the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on February 9 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; St Hilarion the Georgian, the New, Commemorated February 14 ; Translation of the relics of the Martyr Michael of Chernigov, Commemorated February 14 ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; Venerable Cosmas of Yakhrom, Commemorated February 18 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus, Commemorated February 19; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27 ; Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on February 28 Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on March 3; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Blessed HeavenÂ, Commemorated on March 6; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; St Euthymius the Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on March 11; St Theognostus the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubyatov, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; Martyr Stephen of Kazan, Commemorated on March 24; The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on March 25; Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi, Commemorated on March 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Unfading BloomÂ, Commemorated on April 3; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Vilnius, Commemorated on April 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Maximus, Commemorated on April 18; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Icon of the Mother of God œof the PassionÂ, Commemorated on April 30; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Greatmartyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George, Commemorated on April 23; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of Constantinople, Commemorated on April 25; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected JoyÂ from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9; St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan, Commemorated on May 11; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Virginmartyr Glyceria of Novgorod, Commemorated on May 13; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; St Euphrosyne the Princess, (Eudoxia) of Moscow, Commemorated on May 17 ; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20 ; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 21 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Translation of the relics of St Cyprian the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 27 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29; Translation of the relics of slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow, Commemorated on June 3; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Icon of the Mother of God of Pimen, Commemorated on June 6; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Moscow, Commemorated on June 13; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Tikhon the Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus, Commemorated on June 16 ; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16 ; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in memory of Saving of Moscow from the Invasion of Khan Achmed, Commemorated on June 23; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Holy Queen Dinar, Commemorated on June 30; St Photius the Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on July 2 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae, Commemorated on July 2; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Icon of the Mother of God of Galatea, Commemorated on July 4 ; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; St Eudokia, in Monasticism Euphrosyne, the Grand Duchess of Moscow, Commemorated on July 7; Miracle of the Annunciation Icon of the Mother of God at Ustiug, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Andronikov Monastery, Moscow (Yauza River 2) 1357
Andronikov Monastery; Khitrovo Gospels; ANDREI RUBLEV MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of œthe Unexpected from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4;

Novodevichy Convent and Monestary, Khamovniki Bend Area, Moscow, 1524
Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Icon of the Mother of God the Joyful Icon of the Mother of God œEnthronedÂ, Commemorated on March 2; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ in Moscow, Commemorated on March 7; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking Surety of Sinners Icon was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinnersÂ, Commemorated on May 29;

Donskoy Monastery, South Moscow, K Bend, 1591, built on place of Don Icon Chapel soldiers Story
Donskoi monastery; Intercession of the "Don" Icon of the Mother of God against the Tatars Attack, Commemorated August 19 ; Don Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Theophanes the Greek. On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (September 8, 1380, the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), the Icon was with the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Demetrius of the Don (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow. Icon at first was at the Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annuniciation Cathedral (the Icon is now in the Tretiakov State Gallery). In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was called the Don Icon. the year 1591, the Crimean Khan Nuradin and his brother Murat-Girei invaded Russia with a numerous army. Advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorobiev hills. A church procession was made around Moscow with the Don Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in order to guard the city from the enemy. the day of battle it was in the military chapel in the ranks of the soldiers, and set the Tatars to flight. In 1592, in thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her mercy manifest through the Don Icon, the Don monastery was founded at the very place where the icon had stood amid the soldiers. The wonderworking icon was placed in this monastery, and its feastday was established as August 19. established custom, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of Holy Chrism in the small cathedral in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God. SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925);

Chudov (Archangel Michael, Passions) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 1365
Chudov Monastery ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Commemoration of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae, Commemorated September 6 ; St Theophilus of the Kiev Caves and Bishop of Novgorod, Commemorated October 26 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on December 4 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17; St Arsenius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on March 2 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Uncovering of the relics of St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on May 20; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Kaluga Or Medin, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Poland, 1611-1721, Swedish Empire, Gustav II to Great Northern War.kmz

Kashin, Pereyaslavl (Kashinka River Mouth, Volga River 6)
Kashin; Venerable Dorothy of Kashin, Commemorated September 24; Venerable Ephraim the Abbot of Perekop the Wonderworker of Novgorod; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Vishera, Novgorod, Commemorated October 1 ; Repose of the Holy Right-believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated October 2 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun, Commemorated on October 9; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Martyr Michael the Prince of Tver, Commemorated November 22 ; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Transfer of the relics of the Right-Believing Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12; Second glorification of the Holy Right-Believing Princess Anna of Kashin, Commemorated on June 12;

Rostov-Yaroslavl
Rostov-Yaroslavl; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Unexpected joy"Â, Commemorated on December 9 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23;

Rostov the Great
Rostov the Great; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5;

Rostov (Lake Nero), Rostov the Great
Rustov; Rostov the Great; Rustov Cathedral; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated July 3 ; Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, in Holy Baptism Basil, the Enlightener of the Russian Land, Commemorated on July 15; Venerable Leonid of Ustnedumsk, Commemorated on July 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Prophet Ezekiel, Commemorated on July 21 ; Repose of the Venerable Cornelius of Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on July 22 ; Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb, Commemorated on July 24; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress" Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28 ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ, Commemorated on August 13; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Far Caves, Commemorated on August 14 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on August 22; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Demetrius (Dmitri) the Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on September 21 ; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392); Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated September 25 ; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated September 30 ; St Paul of Rostov, Commemorated on October 22 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28; Venerable Abramius the Archimandrite of Rostov, Commemorated on October 29 ; Martyr Orestes of Cappadocia, Commemorated on November 10 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St James the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on November 27 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated December 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Unexpected joy"Â, Commemorated on December 9 ; Venerable Irenarchus the Recluse of Rostov, Commemorated January 13 ; Venerable Schemamonk Cyril, the Father of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated January 18 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Unexpected Joy", Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Ephraim, Abbot and Wonderworker of Novy Torg, Commemorated January 28 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated on February 1; Right-believing George the Great Prince of Vladimir, Commemorated on February 4; Repose of St Theodosius of Chernigov, Commemorated on February 5 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5 ; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23 ; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris, in Holy Baptism Roman, Commemorated on May 2 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on April 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œIlyin Chernigov"Â, Commemorated on April 16 ; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; St Cyril the Bishop of Turov, Commemorated on April 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of "œthe Unexpected Joy"Â from Andronikov, Commemorated on May 1; Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech, Commemorated on May 7 ; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; St Ignatius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 28; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Cyril the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on June 9; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; St Michael the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Repose of St Job the Patriarch of Moscow, and All Russia, Commemorated on June 19; St Peter the Prince of Ordinsk, Rostov, Commemorated on June 30; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Yaroslavl, Rostov (Kotorosl River Mouth at Volga River 8)
Yaroslav; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated July 18 ; Appearance of the Smolensk "œDirectress"Â Icon of the Mother of God brought from Constantinople, Commemorated on July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga, Commemorated on July 28; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on August 8 ; Venerable Alypius the Iconographer of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 17; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl; Icon of the Mother of God of Georgia, Commemorated August 22 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on September 3 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Isaakov, Commemorated September 8 ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated on September 19 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9 ; Blessed John "œthe Hairy"Â and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov, Commemorated on November 12 ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk ; Finding of the relics of Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on November 19; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Unexpected joy"Â, Commemorated on December 9 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda. Commemorated on December 18 ; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 28 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated on January 24 ; St Tryphon, Bishop of Rostov, Commemorated February 1 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Finding of the relics of St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk, and Yaroslav, and His Children, Commemorated on March 5; Monkmartyr Adrian of Poshekhonye, Yaroslavl, Commemorated on March 5; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; Righteous Basil of Mangazea in Siberia, Commemorated on March 23; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Icon of the Mother of God of Chelnsk and Pskov Caves, Commemorated on May 14; Venerable Isidore the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 14 ; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Uncovering of the relics of St Leontius the Bishop and Wonderworker of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov, Commemorated on May 23; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Prince of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on June 8; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Right-believing Prince Basil of Yaroslavl, Commemorated on July 3; Venerable Nicodemus the Abbot of Kozhe Lake, Commemorated on July 3;

Tolga monastery, 1314
Tolga monastery; The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on July 18. Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga, Commemorated on July 18; Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga. midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his staff. next day, after serving Matins, when Saint Prochorus was preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree, next to his bishop’s staff. saint quickly crossed over with all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. Saint Prochorus later built the Tolga monastery near this church. Saint Prochorus died on September 7, 1328. Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.

Uglich, Rostov (Uchma River, Volga River 7)
Uglich; Alexeyevsky Monestary and Convent in Ugich ; St Bogolep, disciple of St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated August 22 ; St Adrian of Uglich, Commemorated August 26 ; They were singing an Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. Suddenly, throughout all the monastery there shone an extraordinary light, and the monks heard a voice calling them to come out of the cell. The ascetics came out in fear and in confusion, and an angel showed them the Mother of God, sitting on an airy throne and holding the Divine Infant in Her arms. The ascetics fell frightened to the ground, but the angel raised them up and related to Saint Paisius the command of the Mother of God to build on this place a church in honor of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. The vision ended, and the monks spent the whole night in vigil and praise. Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated October 2 ; St Paisius of Uglich, Commemorated on January 8 ; Right-Believing Prince Roman of Uglich, Commemorated February 3 ; St Bassian of Uglich, Commemorated on February 12 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Venerable Macarius the Abbot and Wonderworker of Kalyazin, Commemorated on March 17 ; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Paisius the Abbot of Uglich. Commemorated on June 6;

Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh) 1337
Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Icon of the Mother of God of the Trinity-St Sergius Lavra, Commemorated July 28 ; Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal Doors. this icon in 1730 there a cantor, whose hands were bent and rigid to the back, received healing. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians. Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Commemorated on August 2; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God "Chernigov-Gethsemane", Commemorated September 1 ; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated September 4 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated on September 12 ; Glorification of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow and Enlightener of the Aleuts, Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated October 6 ; Holy, Glorious Demetrius the Myrrhgusher of Thessalonica, Commemorated October 26 ; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh; Uncovering of the relics of St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10; SERGIUS, ABBOT OF HOLY TRINITY (25 SEPT 1392) ; Repose of the Venerable Sergius, Abbot and Wonderworker of Radonezh, Commemorated on September 25; Venerable Sergius the Obedient of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on October 7; Icon of the Mother of God of Yaroslav-Smolensk, Commemorated October 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, November 17 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; St Theodore the Archbishop of Rostov, Commemorated on November 28 ; Venerable Sava the Abbot of Zvenigorod the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated December 3 ; St Joasaph the Bishop of Belgorod, Commemorated on December 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Maximus the Greek, Commemorated January 21 ; St Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated Janaury 25 ; ANDREI RUBLEV, MONK AND ICONOGRAPHER, 1430, Commemorated January 29 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12 ; Venerable John Climacus of Sinai, Author of œthe LadderÂ, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Euthymius of Suzdal, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping œIlyin ChernigovÂ, Commemorated on April 16 ; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; Venerable Micah the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on May 6 ; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius ™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Venerable Andronicus the Abbot of Moscow and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on June 13; Venerable Andrew Rublev the Iconographer, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5; Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 6 ;

Dmitrov, Radonezh (Yakhroma River, Moscow Canal) 1154
Dmitrov; Burial of St Andrew the Prince ; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4 ; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Kalyazin, Commemorated on May 26 ; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4 ;

Mirozhsky Monastery, Pskov, Savior-Transfiguration Mirozh monastery, 1156
Mirozhsky Monastery; Venerable Abramius the Abbot of Mirozh, Pskov, Commemorated on September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God "Mirozh", Commemorated September 24 ; St Abraham of Mirozh, Commemorated September 24 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pskov ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚Âœthe ProtectionÃƒÂ¢Ã‚Â€Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 1; St. Eupraxia, Princess of Pskov, Commemorated on October 16; Venerable Joasaph of Snetogorsk, Pskov, Commemorated on March 4; Blessed Dovmont (Timothy) the Prince of Pskov, Commemorated on May 20 ;

Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00"
Loma, Pskov, Russia, N 58°50′21″ E 28°27′00"; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated on December 28;

Russia, Pskov, Far North, Zelcha River Folder

Elets, Muravsky Trail 6 (Scythia, Bystraya Sosna River Mouth, Don River 4)

Orlov District, Ryazan (Oka River 1, Kaluga)
Orlov District; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Icon of the Mother of God the Surety of sinners of Odrino, Orlov, Commemorated on March 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God Surety of Sinners is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me. The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God. icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (the Assuage My Sorrows Icon commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The Surety of Sinners icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. Surety of Sinners Icon is also commemorated on May 29 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Icon of the Mother of God œthe Surety of sinners, Commemorated on May 29; Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands so that Her thumb is in His right hand, and Her small finger in His left hand. This is the gesture of one who gives surety for another. we do not know when or by whom the icon was originally painted, it is believed that the basis of the icon is to be found in the Akathist to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Rejoice, You Who offer Your hands in surety for us to God.” icon was first glorified by miracles at the Saint Nicholas Odrino men’s monastery of the former Orlov gubernia in the mid-nineteenth century (The “Assuage My Sorrows Icon” commemorated on October 9 is also from this monastery). The “Surety of Sinners” icon of the Mother of God was in an old chapel beyond the monastery gates, and stood between two other ancient icons. Because it was so faded and covered with dust, it was impossible to read the inscription. 1843 it was revealed to many of the people in dreams that the icon was endowed with miraculous power. They solemnly brought the icon into the church. Believers began to flock to it to pray for the healing of their sorrows and sicknesses. The first to receive healing was a crippled child, whose mother prayed fervently before the icon in 1844. The icon was glorified during a cholera epidemic, when many people fell deathly ill, and were restored to health after praying before the icon. large stone church with three altars was built at the monastery in honor of the wonderworking icon. 1848, through the zeal of Lt. Col. Demetrius Boncheskul, a copy of the wonderworking image was made and placed in his home. Soon it began to exude a healing myrrh, which was given to many so they might recover their health after grievous illnesses. Boncheskul donated this wonderworking copy to the church of Saint Nicholas at Khamovniki in Moscow, where a chapel was built in honor of the icon. “Surety of Sinners” Icon is also commemorated on March 7 and on Thursday of the week of All Saints. Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on October 9 ; we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January 25) which is treasured in the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel Diocese, Karachev district. 1784, this icon belonged to Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate adjoining the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own expense, a heated chapel in honor of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon as part of the Saint Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated the icon to the monastery. wonderworking icon is celebrated locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit the Saint Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.

Tula, Ryazan, Russia (Upa River 1, Muravsky Trail 7)
Tula, Russia (Upa River 1); œChernigov-GethsemaneÂ Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Synaxis of the Saints of Tula, Commemorated on September 22 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Ryazan (Oka River 9)
Ryazan; Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane, Commemorated August 26 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31 ; St Juliana the Princess of Vyazma, Commemorated on December 21 ; Venerable Macarius of Zhabyn the Wonderworker, Commemorated January 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated July 3; Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Murom: His memory is celebrated by the Church on June 10 and July 3 (the day of his death in 1295). On June 10, 1609 the holy relics of Bishop Basil at Ryazan were uncovered and transferred to the Dormition cathedral church. Basil I, Wonderworker of Ryazan, is mentioned in the Lavrentian Chronicles. In the ancient list of Ryazan hierarchs, he is mentioned as the fourth. (Basil II was consecrated as bishop in 1356 by Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow,). older tradition connects with Saint Basil the transfer to Ryazan of the wonderworking Murom Icon of the Mother of God (April 12). Saint Basil was at first bishop of Murom. But by the slander of the spirit of evil, the citizens rose up against him, unjustly accusing him of transgressions unbecoming an archpastor. Then the saint, after prolonged prayer, left for the River Oka, and spreading out on the water his bishop’s mantiya he stood upon it, holding in his hands the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Murom. A strong wind carried him against the current and after several hours he reached Ryazan, where he was received with reverence by the prince and people of Ryazan. during his lifetime Saint Basil was regarded a righteous and pious man. Long before his relics were uncovered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ryazan people cherished his memory and called him “their constant intercessor, helper in sorrows and travail.â€ To him most often they turned before setting out on journeys: seeking his help against problems on dry land, and to protect them from drowning in the water. about the year 1540 the monk Erazm Ermolaev wrote “An Account of Basil, Bishop of Ryazan and Muromâ€. Right-believing Prince Roman of Ryazan; Right-believing Prince Basil (Vasilko) of Rostov, Commemorated on March 4; Right-believing Prince Daniel of Moscow, Commemorated on March 4; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16 ; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Murom, Commemorated on April 12; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom, Commemorated on May 21; Finding of the relics of St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on June 10; Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan, Commemorated on June 10; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Peter, Tonsured David, the Wonderworker of Murom, Commemorated on June 25; St Basil the Bishop of Ryazan, Commemorated on July 3 ;

Mogilev, Belarus (Dnieper River 3)
Mogilev, Mogilev Seminary, Kutein Orshansk monastery ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Icon of the Mother of God of Belynich, Commemorated on April 12;

Berezina River 3 (Svietlaharsk, Belarus, Svislocha River Mouth)
SvietlahÃƒÂƒÃ‚ÂÂÂÂÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â¾rsk, Belarus;

Kirzhach River Mouth (Klyazama River 3)

Peksha River Mouth (Klyazma River 4)

Ural Mountains, Siberia, Russia
Ural Mountains; Translation of the relics of Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Commemorated September 12 ; St Theodore the Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, Commemorated September 19; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ;

Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1)
Dalmation Monastery, Dalmatovo, Western Siberia (Iset River 1); Icon of the Mother of God of Dalmatia, Commemorated on February 15;

Tavda River Source (Ural Mountains)

Tuman, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Tiumen.Tura River 4)
Tuman, Kazakhstan, Siberia (Tiumen.Tura River 4) ; Venerable Zosimas of Tuman, Commemorated August 8 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ;

Tobolsk, K., Capital of Siberia (Tobol Mouth at Irtysh River 11)
Tobolsk; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; St Demetrius (Dimitri), Metropolitan of Rostov, Commemorated on October 28 ; Righteous Simeon the Wonderworker of Verkhoturye, Commemorated on December 18 ; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska; Icon of the Mother of God of Abalaka, Commemorated on November 27 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ; St John Maximovitch the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, Commemorated on June 10;

Tomsk (Tom River Mouth, Ob River 5)
Tomsk;

Taz River Source (along the border)

Yenisei River

Yenisei River 5 (Angora River Mouth)

Tungus People, Siberia (3 Tunguska Rivers: Angara, Stony and Lower Tanguska)
Tungus People (3 Tunguska Rivers: Angara, Stony and Lower Tanguska rivers: Tributaries of the Yeniesei in Eastern Siberia) ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Tunguska People - From Right Tributaries of the Yenisei River to Pacific Ocean
Tunguska People - From Right Tributaries of the Yenisei River to Pacific Ocean; St. Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 29;

Russia, Siberia, Far Nortcentral Siberia, Mikhailov Folder

River Sii

Mikhailov Island, Siberia
Mikhailov Island, Siberia ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ;

Mikhailov Penninsula, Siberia
Mikhailov Penninsula ; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ;

Chukchei People (Chukchei Penninsula)
Chukchei People (Chukchei Penninsula) ; Repose of St Innocent the Metropolitan of Moscow the Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas, Commemorated on March 31;

Blagoveschensk (Ust-Zeisk), Okhotsk (Zeya River Mouth, Amur River 3)
Blagoveschensk (Ust-Zeisk), Okhotsk, Siberia (Zeya River, Aur River 3); Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœThe Word was made FleshÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on March 9;

Vologda (aka Komel, Vologda River 3)
Vologda; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of Makhrishche, Vologda, Commemorated on July 14; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, August 2nd ; Icon of the Mother of God œof the Seven ArrowsÂ, Commemorated on August 13 "; St Philip of Sukhona, Commemorated on August 17; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Bassian of Tikhsnen, Vologda, Commemorated September 12 ; St Demetrius of Tsilibinsk, Commemorated on October 26 ; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Cyril the Abbot of Novoezersk, Vologda, Commemorated on November 7 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda; Martyr Galacteon of Vologda, Commemorated September 24 ; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Pelsheme and Wonderworker of Vologda, Commemorated September 30 ; St Sergius of Malopinega, Commemorated November 16; Malopinega is somewhere in Vologda or on the Vologda River. Saint Sergius of Malopinega (in the world Simeon), was born in 1493. His father, Markian Stephanovich Nekliud, was descended from Novgorod nobles. Together with other fellow citizens they left their native-place setting off "to the side of the icy sea," when Great Novgorod was finally subjugated to the power of Moscow by Ivan III........With apostolic zeal he (Sergius) labored over the conversion of the pagan Chud people; Venerable Simon the Abbot of Soiga Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on November 24 ; Venerable Sebastian the Abbot of Pshekhonye Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated December 18 ; Venerable Ignatius of Loma and Yaroslav, Commemorated December 27 ; Blessed Maximus the Fool-for-Christ of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 16 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 29 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Cyril the Abbot and Wonderworker of Novoezersk, Novgorod, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated February 11 ; Venerable Gerasimus of Vologda, Commemorated on March 4; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; St Stephen the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on April 26; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Repose of the Venerable Nilus the Abbot of Sora, Commemorated on May 7; Venerable Cassian the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Laurence the Abbot of Komel (Vologda), Commemorated on May 16; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Right-believing John the Prince of Uglich, Tonsured As Ignatius, Vologda, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Venerable Gregory the Abbot of Avnezh, Vologda, Commemorated on June 15; Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ, Commemorated on July 3;

Priluki (Spaso-Prilutsky) Monastery, Komel, Vologda, 1371
Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery; Venerable Demetrius the Wonderworker of Priluki, Vologda, Commemorated on February 11; Icon of the Mother of God of Sumorin-Totem, Commemorated on January 28 ; Venerable Theodosius the Abbot of Totma, Vologda, Commemorated January 28 ;

Kostroma, Vologda (Kostroma (Pisma) River Mouth, Volga River 8.3)
Kostroma, and Kostroma Region; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Icon of the Mother of God "Chukhloma" from Galich, Commemorated July 20 ; Repose of the Venerable Abramius of Galich or Chukhom Lake, and Disciple of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated July 20 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Kostroma, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Igritsa, Commemorated July 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on August 16; Martyr Agathonicus of Nicomedia, and others who suffered under Maximian, Commemorated on August 22; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Komel, Vologda, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev, Commemorated on September 17 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka, Commemorated on September 23; Blessed Simon of Yurievets, Commemorated November 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Slovenka; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of Monza, Commemorated December 12 ; Venerable Macarius the Abbot of Pisma, Commemorated January 10 ; Venerable Paul the Abbot of Obnora, Vologda, Commemorated on January 10 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma, Commemorated on January 23 ; Venerable Gennadius of Kostroma, Commemorated January 23 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated on February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; Icon of the Mother of God of St Theodore, Commemorated on March 14; St Innocent of Komel the Disciple of St Nilus of Sora, Vologda, Commemorated on March 19 ; St Hypatius the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra, Commemorated on March 31; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable James the Abbot of Zhelezny Bor, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; Repose of St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on March 31; Venerable James the Abbot of Zheleznoborov, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Sylvester the Abbot of Obnora, Commemorated on April 25; "œMyrrh-Bearing" Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on May 1; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Venerable Pachomius the Abbot of Nerekhta, Commemorated on May 15; St Jonah the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on June 15; Venerable Tikhon of Luchov, Kostroma, Commemorated on June 16; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5 ;

Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery, Mologda, Vologda, 1398
Therapon's Ferapontov Monastery; Theraponov monastery was 50 versts from St Cyril's White Lake Monastery betwee two lakes: St Therapon moved to another place fifteen versts away from Cyril, between two lakes, Borodava and Pava. Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on October 7 ; Venerable Cassian of Uglich, Commemorated on October 2 ; Venerable Martinian the Abbot of Byeloezersk, Commemorated on January 12 ; Venerable Therapon the Abbot of White Lake, Commemorated on May 27; Icon of the Mother of God of White Lake, Commemorated on June 8;

Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance
Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated July 28 ; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ;

Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362
Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, Yagorba Mouth, Mologa, 1362; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; St Theodosius of Cherepovets, Commemorated ;

Cherepovets, Yagorba Mouth, Sheksna River 1 , Mologa, Vologda
Cherepovets ; Icon of the Mother of God of Voroninsk, Commemorated on July 28; St Philip the Abbot of Irap Near Novgorod, Commemorated November 13; St Athanasius, "the Iron Staff" and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated November 26 ; Venerable Sebastian of Poshekhonye, Commemorated on February 26; St Theodosius of Cherepovets, Commemorated ;

Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, 1363
Cherepovets Resurrection monastery, 1363; Saint Athanasius, œthe Iron Staff and Saint Theodosius of Cherepovets, disciples of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on November 26;

Russia, Vologda, Mologda, Sheksna River Mouth, Sogozha (Sokhota) River Folder, Poshekhonsky District

Lake Kovzhskoye, Kouzha Source, Mologa, Vologda
Lake Kovzhskoye; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9;

Kouzha River Source (Lake Kovzhskoye)

Onega River Source (Lake Lacha)
Lake Lacha ;

Kena River Source (Lake Kenozero)

Savior-Kamen monastery, Lake Kuben, Vologda, 1260
Savior-Kamen monastery; Blessed Basil of Kubensk, August 2nd ; Venerable Euthymius of Syanzhemsk, Vologda, Commemorated January 20 ; +- Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ;

Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben)
Kubensk, Vologda (Lake Kuben) is not defined in wikipedia, but it is probably right here next to the Kubena River at the mouth of Lake Kuben. If not then Kubensk may be another name for Kamenny Monastery. ; Venerable Prince Andrew, in Monasticism Joasaph, of Kubensk, Vologda, Commemorated on September 10 ; Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda, Commemorated on September 21 ;

Syanzhema River Folder

Syanzhema River Mouth (Kubena River, Vologda)
Syamzhena River; Venerable Chariton of Syanzhemsk, Vologda;

Ust-Vym District, Vologda (Centered in Aykino)
Ust-Vym District; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on August 19; St. Gerasimus the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on January 24; St Pitirim the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated January 29 ; St Jonah the Bishop of Perm, Commemorated on June 6;

Shenkursk, White Sea, Vologda (Vaga River 6)
Shenkursk (Vaga River) ; Righteous Athanasius of Novolotsk, Commemorated January 18 ;

Pinezhsky District, White Sea, Vologda (Pinega River)
Pinezhsky District; Righteous Child Artemius of Verkhol, Commemorated October 20 ; Righteous Artemius of Verkola, Commemorated on June 23 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Archangelsk monastery, White Sea area, 1520
Archangelsk monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Antonievo-Siysky Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda (Northern Dvina Mouth) 1520
Antonievo-Siysky Monastery; St Spyridon the Patriarch, Commemorated on August 30; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14 ;

Mikhailov Island (Northern Dvina River Mouth)
Mikhailov Island; Antonievo-Siysky Monastery; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ;

Siya (Sura), White Sea Region, Vologda (Archangelsk, Northern Dvina Mouth)
Siya; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Siya, Novgorod, Commemorated December 7 ; Venerable Elisha of Suma, Solovki, Commemorated on June 14;

Pechenga, White Sea Region, Vologda (Pechenga River Mouth)
Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk); Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk), Commemorated on December 15 ; Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated on December 15 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ;

Pechenga Monastery, White Sea Region, Vologda, Kola, 1492 or 1533
Pechenga Monastery; Venerable Tryphon the Abbot of Pechenga (Kolsk); Martyr Jonah the Disciple of Tryphon of Pechenga, Commemorated December 15 ; Venerable Abraham of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ; Venerable Coprius of Pechenga, Vologda, Commemorated February 4 ;

Volhynia Region (western trade route, up rivers, Horyn, Styr, Prypiat, Southern Bug and Western Bug Rivers)
Volhynia (Rivers Horyn, Styr, Prypiat, and Western Bug) ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Martyr Basil of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated on August 11; Icon of the Mother of God of St Peter of Moscow, Commemorated on August 24; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Martyr Macarius the Archimandrite of Kanev and Pereyaslavl, Commemorated on September 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Yaropolk the Prince of Vladimir-Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia, Commemorated on October 10 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4 ; The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9 ; Repose of St Peter the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on December 21 ; St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated February 12; Venerable Stephen the Abbot of the Kiev Far Caves, and Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated on April 27; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Alphan with his brother of Novgorod, founder of the Sokolnitzky Monastery, Commemorated on May 4; Burial of St Andrew the Prince, Commemorated on July 4; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6; Uncovering of the relics of Holy Princess Juliana Olshanskaya, Commemorated on July 6;

Ostrog, Volynia, Ukraine (Horyn River 4)
Ostrog, Ukraine St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11 ; Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, gained fame with the construction of churches and by his defense of Orthodoxy in Volhynia against the enroachment of Papism. He was descended from Saint Vladimir (July 15), through a great-grandson Svyatopolk-Michael, prince of Turov (1080-1093) and later Great Prince of Kiev (+1113). first time the name of the holy Prince Theodore is mentioned is in the year 1386, when the Polish king Jagiello and the Lithuanian prince Vitovt affirmed his hereditary possession of the Ostrog district, and they augmented the Zaslavsk and Koretsk surroundings. 1410 Saint Theodore participated in the defeat of the Teutonic Knights of the Catholic Order at the Battle of Gruenwald. In 1422 the holy prince, because of sympathy for the Orthodox in Bohemia, supported the Hussites in their struggle with the German emperor Sigismund. Theodore introduced the Hussite formation (i.e., the Taborite, adopted by the Ukrainian Cossacks) into Russian military strategy. 1432, after winning a series of victories over the Polish forces, Saint Theodore compelled Prince Jagiello to guarantee the freedom of Orthodoxy in Volhynia under the law. Prince Svidrigailo, apprehensive of the strengthening of his ally, locked Saint Theodore into prison, but the people who loved the saint rose up in rebellion, and he was freed. Theodore was reconciled with the offender and went to him for help in the struggle against the Lithuanians and the Poles. In 1438, the holy prince took part in a battle with the Tatars. In 1440, with the accession to the Polish throne of Cazimir, youngest son of Prince Jagiello, Saint Theodore received the rights of administration of the city of Vladimir, Dubno, Ostrog, and he was granted extensive holdings in the best regions of Podolia and Volhynia. Theodore left all this behind, together with princely power and fame. After 1441 he entered the Kiev Caves monastery, where he received the monastic tonsure with the name Theodosius, he struggled there for the salvation of his soul until the time of his blessed repose. year of Saint Theodore’s death is unknown, but it is probable that he died in the second half of the fifteenth century at a great old age (S. M. Soloviev in his History of Russia gives the year of his death as 1483). The saint was buried in the Far Caves of Saint Theodosius. His glorification apparently took place at the end of the sixteenth century, since in the year 1638 the hieromonk Athanasius Kal’nophysky testified that “Saint Theodore rests in the Theodosiev Cave, where his body was discovered incorrupt.” Theodore is also commemorated on the Synaxis of the Monastic Fathers of the Far Caves on August 28.

Koretsk Region, Korets and Korets Castle
Koretsk Region and Korets; St Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves, Commemorated on August 11;

Pochaev, Volynia (Styr, Seret, Western Bug, Horyn, and Ikva Rivers Sources)

Pochaev Lavra Dormition Cathedral, Volhynia, 1527
Pochaev Lavra in Volhynia; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks,1675 Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated on July 23; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev, Commemorated September 8 ; St Amphilochius the Bishop of Vladimir, in Volhynia, Commemorated October 10 ; Repose of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated on October 28; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Job, Abbot and Wonderworker of Pochaev, Commemorated August 28 ; Icon of the Mother of God of Pochaev,Commemorated September 8 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 4 ; Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the Monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks, Commemorated on July 23;

Cherson, Crimea, Russia, Cherson is the Greek Name

St Petersburg, Russia (Peterburg or Petrograd)
St Petersburg; Icon of the Mother of God of Konevits, Commemorated on July 10 ; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord at Moscow, Commemorated on July 10; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Martyr Ilia Chavchavadze of Georgia, Commemorated on July 20; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Joy of All who sorrow"Â (with coins) in St Petersburg, Commemorated on July 23; Repose of St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska, Commemorated on July 26; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Herman of Solovki, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Venerable Anthony the Roman and Abbot of Novgorod, Commemorated on August 3; Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on August 7; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Icon of the Mother of God "œthe Converser"Â, Commemorated on August 14; St Macarius the Roman, Commemorated on August 15; Translation of the relics of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated on August 30; Passion-Bearer Gleb, in Holy Baptism David, Commemorated September 5 ; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated on September 7 ; Venerable Joseph the Abbot of Volokolamsk, Volotsk, Commemorated on September 9 ; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on September 11 ; Martyr Juvenal of Alaska, Commemorated September 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Andronicus, Commemorated on October 22 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Joy of All Who Sorrow", Commemorated October 24 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow ; Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarskoe Selo, Commemorated on November 27 ; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated January 3 ; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Athanasius the Abbot of Syandemsk, Vologda, Commemorated on January 18 ; Venerable Macarius the Roman of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 19 ; Blessed Xenia of St Petersburg, Commemorated January 24 ; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Nicephorus of Vazheozersk, Commemorated on February 9; St John, Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated February 10 ; St Vsevolod (in holy baptism Gabriel) the Wonderworker of Pskov, Commemorated February 11 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Icon of the Mother of God Weeping "œTikhvin"Â on Mt Athos, Commemorated on February 17 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ; Beheading of the Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of the Pskov Caves, February 20 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Repose of St Raphael the Bishop of Brooklyn, Commemorated on February 27; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Venerable Martyrius of Zelenets, Pskov, Commemorated on March 1; Icon of the Mother of God "œCzestochowa"Â, Commemorated on March 6; Venerable Athanasius of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Monkmartyr Euphrosynus of Blue Jay Lake, Novgorod, Commemorated on March 20 ; Venerable Seraphim of Virits, Commemorated on March 21; St Sophronius the Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on March 30; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Euthymius the Enlightener of Karelia and Finland, Commemorated on April 18; Icon of the Mother of God"œStaro Rus"Â Old Russian, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19; Venerable Euphrosyne the Abbess of Polotsk, Commemorated on May 23; Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushetsk, Vologda, Commemorated on June 1; Finding of the relics of the Venerable Bassian the Monk of Pertomsk, Solovki, Commemorated on June 5; Repose of St Theodore Yaroslavich the older brother of St Alexander Nevsky in Novgorod, Commemorated on June 5; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Commemoration of the Appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a Monk on Mt. Athos, and the Revelation of the Hymn, "œIt Is Truly Meet..."Â Or Axion Estin, Commemorated on June 11; Venerable Arsenius the Abbot of Konevits, Commemorated on June 12; Venerable Anthony the Abbot of Dymsk, Novgorod, Commemorated on June 24; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ; Appearance of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on June 26; Venerable Sergius the Wonderworker of Valaam, Commemorated on June 28; Icon of the Mother of God"œOur Lady of Sitka"Â, Commemorated on July 8 ;

Kronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25 ;

Kopore Fortress (southwest of St Petersburg)
Kopore; Repose of St Alexander Nevsky, Commemorated November 23, The Teutonic Knights remained a dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 St Alexander recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov.;

Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg
Saint Katherine'™s Cathedral, Tsarskoye Selo, St Petersburg; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31;

St Petersburg Theological Academy, 1797
St Petersburg Theological Academy; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated October 9 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated December 3; St Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti, Commemorated January 25 ; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ;

St Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy, St Petersburg, 1797
St Alexander Nevsky Spiritual Academy; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19; St Meletius, Archbishop of Kharkov and Akhtyr, Commemorated on February 28; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ;

Lake Onega, Eastern St Petersburg area
Lake Onega; Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on August 30; Hieromartyr Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated January 9 ; Venerable Lazarus of Murom, Commemorated on March 8; Venerable Zosimas the Abbot of Solovki, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Cornelius the Abbot of Paleostrov, Commemorated on May 19;

Luga River Source (along the border)

Luga River 4

Gatchina Road to Peskov

Kaluga district (East European Plain)
Kaluga Oblast ; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; Appearance of the Mother of God to St Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on August 24; Icon of the Mother of God of Kaluga, Commemorated September 2 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Polycarp of Briansk, Commemorated February 23 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Daniel the Abbot of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski, Commemorated on April 7; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9;

Oryol, Kaluga (Orel, Oka River 1)
Oryol (Orel, Oka River 1) ; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God œAssuage My SorrowsÂ, Commemorated on October 9; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ;

Orel Diocese, Kaluga
Orel Diocese; Hieromartyr and Venerable Kuksha of the Kiev Near Caves, Commemorated August 27 ; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœAssuage My SorrowsÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on October 9 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated October 11 ;

Optina Monastery, Kaluga (Zhizdra River 1) 1821
Optina Monestary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina; Venerable Macarius of Optina, Commemorated September 7 ; Venerable Hilarion of Optina, Commemorated on September 18; Venerable Ambrose of Optina, Commemorated October 10 ; Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina, Commemorated on October 11 ; Venerable Leonid of Optina, Commemorated on October 11; Icon of the Mother of God the "Multiplier of Wheat", Commemorated October 15 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated November 19 ; Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; St Gerasimus of Boldino, Commemorated on May 1; Venerable Joseph of Optina, Commemorated on May 9; Venerable Moses of Optina, Commemorated on June 16; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Vereiya, Kaluga
Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ;

Serpukhov, Kaluga (Nara River Mouth and Oka River 6)
Serpukhov; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; HERMAN OF ALASKA, MISSIONARY TO THE ALEUT, 9 August 1837; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ; Repose of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated December 13 ; St Barsanuphius the Bishop of Tver, Commemorated on April 11; New Martyr Ephraim, Commemorated on May 5; Icon of the Mother of God œthe Inexhaustible ChaliceÂ, Commemorated on May 5; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, Commemorated on July 5;

Serpukhov monastery of St Athanasius, Kaluga, 1373
The monastery of St Athanasius was built near the city of Serpukhov, on the high bank of the River Nara ; Vysotsky (of the heights) Monastery at Serpouchoff; Venerable Anthony of Optina, Commemorated on August 7 ; Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, Wonderworker of All America, Commemorated on August 9 ; St Athanasius of Serpukhov, Commemorated September 12 ; Venerable Nikon the Abbot of Radonezh the Disciple of the Venerable Sergius, Commemorated November 17 ;

Boldino Heights, Mordovia
Boldino Heights ; Passion-bearer Tsar Nicholas, Commemorated on July 17; Icon of the Mother of God ÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂœElets-ChernigovÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚ÂÂÂÂ, Commemorated on February 5 ;

Tambov, Mordovia (Studenets River Mouth at Tsna River 1)
Tambov; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; St Pitirim the Bishop of Tambov, Commemorated on July 28; St Metrophanes (in schema Macarius) the Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated November 23 ; St Theophan the Recluse the Bishop of Tambov; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated January 25 ; Icon of the Mother of God "the Seeker of the Lost", Commemorated February 5 ; Venerable Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on February 19 ;

Diveyevo women's monastery, Sanazar, Mordovia, 1773
Diveyevo women's monastery; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov, Commemorated on July 19 ; Repose of St Philaret (Drozdov) the Metropolitan of Moscow, Commemorated on November 19 ; Repose of the Venerable Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov, Commemorated January 2 ;

Tver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4)
Tver; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; St. Moses the Archbishop of Novgorod, Commemorated on January 25; Saint Sabbatius of Tver, Commemorated on March 2;

Valday Iveron Monastery, Tver, 1653
Valday Iversky Monastery; Translation of the relics of Blessed James of Borovichi the Wonderworker of Novgorod, Commemorated October 23 ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Translation of the relics of the Venerable Nilus of Stolbensk, Commemorated on May 27 ;

East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills)
East European Plain (highest point Valdai Hills) only 1,138 ft. The western boundary of the East European Plain is described well by the Eastern Front of WW1. Its eastern boundaries are the Ural Mountains or the Ural and Kama River Basins. ; Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St SergiusÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â€ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â™ Monastery, Commemorated on May 12;

Lama River Mouth (Volga River 3)

Moscova River 2 (Ruza River)

Ruza River Mouth (Moscova River 2)
Ruza River Mouth (Moscova River 2); St. Leucius of Volokolamsk, Commemorated on August 17;

Sestra River Mouth (Dubna River Volga Basin)

Russia, Natural Pskov, water into Pskov Lakes

Geography - Arab Lands

Arabs, Raids on Meccan caravans 622-632
Arabia, Raids on Meccan caravans 622-632;

Arabs, 656-661, First Muslim Civil War, within Rashidun C, Uthman k after nepotism, centralization surplus, arbitration
Syria, First Muslim Civil War, 656-661; First Fitna was a civil war within the Rashidun Caliphate which resulted in the overthrowing of the Rashidun caliphs and the establishment of the Umayyad dynasty. began when the caliph Uthman was assassinated by rebels in 656 and continued through the four-year reign of Uthman's successor, Ali. It ended in 661 when Ali's heir Hasan ibn Ali concluded a treaty acknowledging the rule of Muawiyah, the first Umayyad caliph.[1] Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr became the new leader of the Muslim community. After reasserting Muslim control over the dissident tribes of Arabia, he sent the Muslim armies against the empires of Byzantium and Sassanian Persia initiating a wave of conquests which were continued by his successor Umar (r. 634–644) bringing about almost complete collapse of the Sassanians, and restricting the Byzantine Empire to Anatolia, North Africa, and its European holdings.[2] conquests brought Muslims bounteous revenue and lands.[3] Particularly in Iraq, the former crown-lands and the lands of the Persian aristocracy were now in Muslim hands. These became communal property administered by the state. The revenue was distributed among the conquering armies, who had settled in Iraq.[4] Umar also left the provincial administration to the respective governors, who ruled with considerable autonomy, and provincial surplus was spent on the settlers of the conquered territories instead of being sent to the capital.[5] succeeded Umar after the latter's assassination in 644. His policies earned him displeasure of the Muslim elite and accusations of nepotism. He began centralizing the power by reliance on his Umayyad relatives, the clan who had long opposed Muhammad, to the exclusion of other Quraysh[a] who had enjoyed significant authority during the reign of his two predecessors. He appointed his kinsmen to all of the provincial governorships.[6][7] Empire and Sasanian Empire, 600 CE he continued the expansion in eastern Persia and Africa west of Egypt, the conquests came to a halt in roughly the later part of his reign.[3][8] The influx of spoils ceased, and the economic issues that had previously been ignored by the conquest tribesmen due to incoming revenue started coming to the fore.[9] This was coupled with the dislike of the Arab nomads for the central authority which had hitherto been superseded by the continued war effort.[8] The continued migration of tribes from Arabia to the conquered territories also resulted in reduced payments from the revenue of the lands, which led to resentment in the old settlers.[3][10] Uthman's interference in the provincial affairs, that consisted of his declaration of the crown lands of Iraq as the state assets, and his demand that provincial surplus be forwarded to the caliph in Medina, brought about widespread opposition to his rule, especially from Iraq and Egypt, where majority of the conquest armies had settled.[11] The old settlers also saw their status threatened by the land grants in conquered territories to prominent Quraysh like Talha ibn Ubayd Allah and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam and the caliph allowing late arriving tribal chiefs, such as Ash'ath ibn Qays, to acquire lands there in exchange for their lands in Arabia.[12][10] by the Medinese elite including the companions like Talha, Zubayr, Amr ibn al-A's, the conqueror of Egypt whom Uthman had deposed, and Muhammad's widow A'isha, the provincial opposition subsequently precipitated into open rebellion and the people from Egypt and Iraq marched on Medina, killing the caliph in June 656.[13][8] death had a polarizing effect in the Muslim world at the time. Questions were raised not only regarding his character and policies but also about the relationship between Muslims and the state, religious beliefs regarding rebellion and governance, and the qualifications of rulership in Islam.[14] Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was subsequently recognized caliph.[15] of the Camel[edit] Main article: Battle of the Camel bint Abu Bakr (Muhammad's widow), Talhah ibn Ubayd-Allah, and Zubayr ibn al-Awam opposed Ali's succession and gathered in Mecca calling for vengeance against Uthman's killers, and election of a new caliph through Shura. they moved to Basra, taking it from Ali's governor, with the intention of strengthening their numbers. in response sent his son Hasan and the leaders of Kufan mutineers to raise an army in Kufa. Ali himself soon followed; with the combined army, they marched against Basra.[16] armies met outside Basra. After three days of failed negotiations, battle started in the afternoon of 8 December 656 and lasted till the evening. left the field without fighting but was pursued and killed. Ali's army emerged victorious and Talha was also killed. After admonishing Ayesha, Ali sent her back to Medina, escorted by her brother Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr.[17] Marwan probably paid allegiance to Ali and the latter let him go.[17] of Siffin[edit] Main article: Battle of Siffin Combat between the forces of Ali and Muawiyah I during the Battle of Siffin, from the Tarikhnama inability to punish the murderers of Uthman and Muawiyah's refusal to pledge allegiance eventually led Ali to move his army north to confront Muawiyah. The two armies encamped themselves at Siffin for more than one hundred days, most of the time being spent in negotiations. side wanted to fight. on 29 July 657 (11th Safar), the Mesopotamians under Ashtar's command, the Qurra in Ali's army, who had their own camp, started the fighting in earnest. The battle lasted three days. The loss of life was terrible. one of the Syrians, Ibn Lahiya, out of fear of further civil war and unable to bear the spectacle rode forward with a copy of the Quran on the ears of his horse to call for judgement by the book of Allah, and the other Syrians followed suit. Everyone on both sides took up the cry, eager to avoid killing their fellow Muslims - except for the conspirators. The majority of Ali's followers supported arbitration. Nasr b Muzahim, in one of the earliest sources states that al-Ashath ibn Qays, one of Ali's key supporters and a Kufan, then stood up and said: company of Muslims! You have seen what happened in the day which has passed. In it some of the Arabs have been annihilated. By Allah, I have reached the age which Allah willed that I reach. but I have never ever seen a day like this. Let the present convey to the absent! If we fight tomorrow, it will be the annihilation of the Arabs and the loss of what is sacred. I do not make this statement out of fear of death, but I am an aged man who fears for the women and children tomorrow if we are annihilated. O Allah, I have looked to my people and the people of my deen and not empowered anyone. There is no success except by Allah. On Him I rely and to Him I return. Opinion can be both right and wrong. When Allah decides a matter, He carries it out whether His servants like it or not. I say this and I ask Allah's forgiveness for me and you. Nasr b Muzahim says people looked at Muawiya who said is right, by the Lord. If we meet tomorrow the Byzantines will attack our women and children and the people of Persia will attack the women and children of Mesopotamia. Those with forebearance and intelligence see this. Tie the copies of the Quran to the ends of the spears. So the fighting stopped.[18] time Ali tried to negotiate the Qurra and the Sabait started wars and launched night attacks, fearing that if there was peace, then they will be arrested.[19] hidePart of a series on Islam Muhakkima Muhakkimite Creed.png hide Beliefs and practices Monotheism Kitman Takfir Theology hide History Early First Fitna Battle of Siffin Battle of Nahrawan Dynasties Rustamids Nabhanids Ya'rubids Zanzibar Oman Ibadi Hadith Canon Jami Sahih Tartib al-Musnad hide Notable Individuals Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam Nafi ibn al-Azraq Najda ibn Amir al-Hanafi Abu Bilal Mirdas Abu Qurra Abdullah ibn Ibadh Jabir ibn Zayd Abu Yazid Abd Allah ibn Yazid al-Fazari hide Branches and sects Khawarij Azariqah Sufriyyah Najdat Ibadiyyah Wahbiyyah Nukkari Azzabas Allah-green.svg Islam portal vte was decided that the Syrians and the residents of Kufa should nominate an arbitrator, each to decide between 'Ali and Mu'awiya. Syrians chose 'Amr ibn al-'As who was the rational soul and spokesman of Muawiya, and was one of the generals involved in conquering Syria and also Egypt.[20] A few years earlier, 'Amr ibn al-'As with 9,000 men in Palestine had found himself confronting Heraclius's 100,000-man army until Khalid crossed the Syrian desert from Mesopotamia to assist him.[20] He was a highly skilled negotiator and had previously been used in negotiations with the Heraclius the Roman Emperor.[21] wanted Malik Ashtar or Abdullah bin 'Abbas to be appointed as an arbitrator for the people of Kufa, the Qurra strongly demurred, alleging that men like these two were responsible for the war and, therefore, ineligible for that office of trust. nominated Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as their arbitrator (during the time of 'Uthman, they had appointed Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as the Governor of Kufa and removed 'Uthman's governor before they started fighting 'Uthman). found it expedient to agree to this choice in order to ward off bloody dissension in his army. According to Usd al-G̲h̲āba, Ali therefore took care to personally explain to the arbitrators, "You are arbiters on condition that you decide according to the Book of God, and if you are not so inclined you should not deem yourselves to be arbiters."[22] the arbitrators assembled at Dumat al-Jandal, which lay midway between Kufa and Syria and had therefore been selected as the place for the announcement of the decision, a series of daily meetings were arranged for them to discuss the matters in hand. the time arrived for taking a decision about the caliphate, 'Amr ibn al-'As convinced Abu Musa al-Ash'ari that they should deprive both Ali and Mu'awiya of the caliphate, and give the Muslims the right to elect the caliph. Musa al-Ash'ari decided to act accordingly. As the time for announcing the verdict approached, the people belonging to both parties assembled. 'Amr ibn al-'As requested Abu Musa take the lead in announcing the decision he favoured. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari agreed to open the proceedings, and said, "We have devised a solution after a good deal of thought and it may put an end to all contention and separatist tendencies. It is this. Both of us remove 'Ali as well as Mu'awiya from the caliphate. Muslims are given the right to elect a caliph as they think best."[23] On his turn 'Amr bin al-'As stated that he agreed with the part of Abu Musa Ash'ari's verdict that 'Ali should be deposed but he himself was in favour of retaining Mua'wiyah on his post[citation needed]. refused to accept the verdict.[24][25][26] This put Ali in a weak position even amongst his own supporters.[24] most vociferous opponents of Ali in his camp were the very same people who had forced Ali to appoint their arbitrator, the Qurra.[23] Feeling that Ali could no longer look after their interests[27] they felt that their status was being reduced and therefore started to cause trouble.[27] that they could be arrested for the murder of 'Uthman if there were peace, they broke away from Ali's force, rallying under the slogan, "arbitration belongs to God alone."[23] The Qurra then became known as the Kharijites ("those who leave"). with Kharijites[edit] forces finally moved against the Kharijites in 659, and they finally met in the Battle of Nahrawan. Although Ali won the battle, the constant conflict had begun to affect his standing.[23] Tom Holland writes "Ali won a victory over them as crushing as it was to prove pyrrhic: for all he had done, in effect was to fertilise the soil of Mesopotamia with the blood of their martyrs. Three years later, and there came the inevitable blowback: a Kharijite assassin."[28] dealing with the Iraqis, Ali found it hard to build a disciplined army and effective state institutions to exert control over his areas, and as a result later spent a lot of time fighting the Kharijites. As a result, on the Eastern front, Ali found it hard to expand the state.[29] was assassinated by Kharijites in 661. On the 19th of Ramadan, while praying in the Great Mosque of Kufa, Ali was attacked by the Kharijite Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam. He was wounded by ibn Muljam's poison-coated sword while prostrating in the Fajr prayer.[30] When Alī was assassinated, Muawiyah had the largest and the most organized and disciplined force in the Muslim Empire. treaty with Hasan[edit] months later in 661, in the interest of peace, Hasan ibn Ali, who by now only ruled the area around Kufa, made a peace treaty with Muawiyah. By the Hasan-Muawiya treaty, he handed over power to Muawiya on condition that he was just to the people and keep them safe and secure, and after his own death did not establish a dynasty.[31] the year 661, Muawiyah was crowned as caliph at a ceremony in Jerusalem.[32] Ali's caliphate had lasted for four years. After the treaty with Hasan, Muawiyah ruled for nearly 20 years,[1] most of which were spent expanding the state.

Arabs, 661-680, Caliph Muawiyah I, in Damascus and Egypt, Sunni, Syria's Christian beauracracy
Arab Caliph, 661-680, Muawiyah I ; Muawiyah I (597, 603 or 605-680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, serving from 661 until his death. became caliph less than 30 years following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and very shortly after the reign of the four "rightly guided" (Rashidun) caliphs. Although considered to be lacking in the justice and piety of the Rashidun, Muawiyah was also the first caliph whose name appeared on coins, inscriptions, or documents of the nascent Islamic empire.[1] and his father Abu Sufyan had opposed Muhammad, their distant Qurayshite kinsman, until the latter captured Mecca in 630, after which Muawiyah became one of Muhammad's scribes. He was appointed by Caliph Abu Bakr (r. 632-“634) the commander of the vanguard of his brother Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan's army during the conquest of Syria and he moved up the ranks until becoming governor of Syria during the reign of Caliph Uthman (r. 644-“656). He allied with the province's powerful Banu Kalb tribe, developed the defenses of its coastal cities and directed the war efforts against the Byzantine Empire, including the first Muslim naval campaigns. After Uthman's assassination in 656, Muawiyah took up the cause of avenging the caliph and opposed his successor, Ali. During the First Muslim Civil War, the two led their armies to a stalemate at the Battle of Siffin in 657, prompting an abortive series of arbitration talks to settle the war. Afterward, Muawiyah gained recognition as caliph by his Syrian supporters and his ally Amr ibn al-As, who conquered Egypt from Ali's governor in 658. After the assassination of Ali in 661, Muawiyah compelled Ali's son and successor Hasan to abdicate in Kufa and Muawiyah's suzerainty was acknowledged throughout the Caliphate. Muawiyah relied on loyalist Syrian tribes and Syria's Christian-dominated bureaucracy. is credited with establishing government departments responsible for the postal route, correspondences and chancellery. he engaged his troops in almost yearly land and sea raids against the Byzantines, including a failed siege of Constantinople, though the tide turned against the Arabs toward the end of his reign and he sued for a truce. the provinces of Iraq and the eastern Caliphate, he delegated authority to the powerful governors al-Mughira and Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, the latter of whom he controversially adopted as his brother. Ziyad restarted the eastward Arab conquests in Khurasan and Sijistan and reformed Iraq's army and tax administrations. Muawiyah's direction, the Muslim conquest of Ifriqiya (central North Africa) was launched by the commander Uqba ibn Nafi in 670. Muawiyah confined the influence of his Umayyad clan to the governorship of Medina, he nominated his own son, Yazid I, as his successor. It was an unprecedented move in Islamic politics and opposition to it by prominent Muslim leaders, including Ali's son Husayn and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, persisted after Muawiyah's death, culminating with the outbreak of the Second Muslim Civil War. St Phanourius, Commemorated on August 27; Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 685-705, Umayyad Caliph, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus, born Muslim, centralized r, Dome of Rock, 2nd Civil War
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 685-705, khalif Abdul Malek, Damascus, Greater Syria; Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( July/August 644 or June/July 647 -“ 9 October 705) was the fifth Umayyad caliph, ruling from April 685 until his death. A member of the first generation of born Muslims, his early life in Medina was occupied with pious pursuits. He held administrative and military posts under Caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661-“680), founder of the Umayyad Caliphate, and his own father, Caliph Marwan I (r. 684-“685). By the time of Abd al-Malik's accession, Umayyad authority had collapsed across the Caliphate as a result of the Second Muslim Civil War and had been reconstituted in Syria and Egypt during his father's reign. a failed invasion of Iraq in 686, Abd al-Malik focused on securing Syria before making further attempts to conquer the greater part of the Caliphate from his principal rival, the Mecca-based caliph Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. To that end, he concluded an unfavorable truce with the reinvigorated Byzantine Empire in 689, quashed a coup attempt in Damascus by his kinsman, al-Ashdaq, the following year, and reincorporated into the army the rebellious Qaysi tribes of the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia) in 691. then conquered Zubayrid Iraq and dispatched his general, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to Mecca where he killed Ibn al-Zubayr in late 692, thereby reuniting the Caliphate under Abd al-Malik's rule. The war with Byzantium resumed, resulting in Umayyad advances into Anatolia and Armenia, the destruction of Carthage and the recapture of Kairouan, the launchpad for the later conquests of western North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, in 698. In the east, Abd al-Malik's viceroy, al-Hajjaj, firmly established the caliph's authority in Iraq and Khurasan, stamping out opposition by the Kharijites and the Arab tribal nobility by 702. Abd al-Malik's final years were marked by a domestically peaceful and prosperous consolidation of power. a significant departure from his predecessors, rule over the Caliphate's provinces was centralized under Abd al-Malik, following the elimination of his rivals. loyalist Arab troops from Syria were tasked with maintaining order in the provinces as dependence on less reliable, local Arab garrisons receded. Tax surpluses from the provinces were forwarded to Damascus the traditional military stipends to veterans of the early Muslim conquests and their descendants were abolished, salaries being restricted to those in active service. most consequential of Abd al-Malik's reforms were the introduction of a single Islamic currency in place of Byzantine and Sasanian coinage and the establishment of Arabic as the language of the bureaucracy in place of Greek and Persian in Syria and Iraq, respectively. His Muslim upbringing, the conflicts with external and local Christian forces and rival claimants to Islamic leadership all influenced Abd al-Malik's efforts to prescribe a distinctly Islamic character to the Umayyad state. manifestation of this initiative was his founding of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the earliest archaeologically attested religious monument built by a Muslim ruler and the possessor of the earliest epigraphic proclamations of Islam and the prophet Muhammad. The foundations established by Abd al-Malik enabled his son and successor, al-Walid I (r. 705--“715), who largely maintained his father's policies, to oversee the Umayyad Caliphate's territorial and economic zenith. Abd al-Malik's centralized government became the prototype of later medieval Muslim states. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; JOHN OF DAMASCUS, HYMN-WRITER, DEFENDER OF ICONS (4 DEC 750); Martyr John of Damascus, Commemorated on December 4;

Arabs, 705-715, Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I, continued reforms, Byzntne Raids, public works, U peak, Turkistan, Pakistan
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 705-715, Al-Walid I; Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ( c. 674 -23 February 715), commonly known as al-Walid I , was the sixth Umayyad caliph, ruling from October 705 until his death. He was the eldest son of his predecessor Caliph Abd al-Malik (r. 685-“705). a prince, he led annual raids against the Byzantines from 695 to 698 and built or restored fortifications along the Syrian Desert route to Mecca. became the heir apparent after the death of Abd al-Malik's brother and designated successor, Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan, in 704. largely continued his father's policies of centralization and expansion, and heavily depended on al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, his father's powerful viceroy over the eastern half of the Caliphate. his reign, Umayyad armies conquered the Maghreb, Hispania, Sind and Transoxiana, expanding the Caliphate to its greatest territorial extent. spoils from the conquests allowed al-Walid to finance public works of great magnitude, including the Great Mosque of Damascus, the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. was the first caliph to institute programs for social welfare, aiding the poor and handicapped in Syria. Although it is difficult to ascertain al-Walid's direct role in the affairs of his caliphate, his reign was marked by domestic peace and prosperity and likely represented the peak of Umayyad power. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 717-720, Umayyad Caliph Umar II, scholars, Hadiths, education, China and Tibet
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 717-720, Umar II ; Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (2 November 682 -5 February 720), commonly known as Umar II, was the eighth Umayyad caliph, who possessed the largest empire in Islamic history[1](alongside al-Mutawakkil). He made various significant contributions and reforms to the society, and he has been described as "the most pious and devout" of the Umayyad rulers and was often called the first Mujaddid and the fifth righteous Caliph of Islam.[2] was also a cousin of the former caliph, being the son of Abd al-Malik's younger brother, Abd al-Aziz. He was also a matrilineal great-grandson of the second caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab. with great scholars, he is credited with having ordered the first official collection of Hadiths and encouraged education to everyone. He also sent out emissaries to China and Tibet, inviting their rulers to accept Islam. At the same time, he remained tolerant with non-Muslim citizens. According to Nazeer Ahmed, it was during the time of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz that the Islamic faith took roots and was accepted by huge segments of the population of Persia and Egypt. Umar is sometimes deemed a pacifist, since he ordered the withdrawal of the Muslim army in places such as Constantinople and Central Asia despite being a good military leader. Under his rule, the Islamic Spain conquered good amount of territories from the Christian Kingdoms, but he removed troops from Septimania, modern France. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 720-724, Umayyad Caliph Yazid II, financial crisis, reversing reforms, raising taxes failed
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 720-724, Yazid II; Yazid bin Abd al-Malik (690/91 -” 28 January 724), also referred to as Yazid II, was the ninth Umayyad caliph, ruling from 9 February 720 until his death in 724. did not possess military or administrative experience before his reign.[1] and military policies[edit] expenses of enforcing Umayyad rule in Iraq and the expansionist war efforts along multiple fronts, including the enormous cost of the failed sieges of Constantinople in 717-“718, had erased much of the monetary gains from the conquests of Transoxiana, Sind and the Iberian Peninsula under al-Walid I and caused a financial crisis in the Caliphate.[33] Among the solutions of Yazid's predecessor to the fiscal burden were the withdrawal of the Syrians from Iraq, a halt on conquests and near elimination of grants to Umayyad princes, as well as an unrealized goal to withdraw Arab troops altogether from Transoxiana, the Iberian Peninsula and Cilicia.[33] most significant reforms of Umar II granted equality to the mawa in Khurasan, Sind, Ifriqiya and the Iberian Peninsula by abolishing the jizya, the poll tax traditionally exacted on non-Muslim subjects but in practice extended to non-Arab Muslim converts, and instituting equal pay for mawa in the ranks of the Caliphate's Arab-dominated armies.[1][34] According to Blankinship, the reforms favoring the mawa may have been guided by Umar II's piety, but also a fiscal consideration: if equal treatment with the Arabs made the government popular with the mawa iit could translate into delegating an increased security role for the mawa in their native provinces and their enthusiastic defense of the Caliphate's frontiers, thereby reducing the expense of deploying and garrisoning Arab troops.[33] attempted to reverse, with limited success, the reforms of Umar II, which were opposed by the Arab militarist camp in the Caliphate and the Umayyad ruling family.[1] During Umar II's rule the militarist camp led by Maslama may have accepted a temporary pause in activity to recover from the Constantinople debacle.[35] Under Yazid, Maslama and his proteges, including Ibn Hubayra, were restored or appointed to senior commands, Syrian garrisons were reintroduced to Iraq, the traditional annual raids against the Byzantines and the war with the Khazars were restarted, and the grants of estates or generous sums to Umayyad princes resumed.[36] Although Yazid's policies were presumably meant to gain the backing of the ruling elite and restore the flow of war spoils, they proved insufficient to finance the Caliphate's troops, particularly as booty had become increasingly difficult to obtain by the Arab expeditionary forces.[36] fill the depleted coffers of the caliphal treasury Yazid turned to the fifth of provincial tax revenues officially owed to the caliph. Historically, the provinces neglected to forward the revenues if political conditions allowed and governors often pilfered such funds. To ensure the flow of revenues to the treasury, Yazid appointed governors based on the example set by al-Hajjaj, i.e. upright, meticulously loyal and ruthless in the collection of taxes.[36] Unlike the era of al-Hajjaj, however, Yazid applied this principle for the first time to Ifriqiya, Khurasan, Sind and the Iberian Peninsula.[36] A major aspect of his policy was the reinstatement of the jizya on the mawa,[36] which alienated the mawa in the aforementioned provinces.[1] Ifriqiya, the caliph's governor Yazid ibn Abi Muslim, himself a mawa from Iraq and prota of al-Hajjaj, was assassinated by his Berber guard in 720, shortly after his appointment, for attempting to reinstate the jizya.[1] Many, if not most, Berbers had embraced Islam and commanded a strong position in the army unlike mawa in other parts of the Caliphate.[37] The Berbers reinstalled Ibn Abi Muslim's predecessor Ismail ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Muhajir and notified Yazid, who approved the change.[38] The incident in Ifriqiya was a blow to the Caliphate's prestige in North Africa and served as a harbinger for the Berber Revolt in 740-“743.[1] The reinstatement of the jizya in Khurasan in 721/22 by Ibn Hubayra's deputy Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi led to revolts and wars in the province that continued for twenty years and partly contributed to the Abbasid Revolution.[1] In Egypt pay increases to the indigenous mawa sailors of the Muslim fleet were reversed.[36] groups began to gain power among the disaffected. Al-Tabari records that Abbasids were promoting their cause in A.H. 102 (720-721 CE). They were already building a power base that they would later use to topple the Umayyads in 750 CE. same year Yazid's governor in Medina, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Dahhak, incurred the caliph's displeasure because the governor was exerting undue pressure trying to force a woman to marry him. She appealed to Yazid who replaced Abd al-Rahman with Abd al-Walid ibn Abdallah.[39] against the Khazars[edit] March 722 the Syrian army of Yazid's governor in Armenia and Adharbayjan, Mi'laq ibn Saffar al-Bahrani, was routed by the Khazars in Armenia, south of the Caucasus. The defeat marked the culmination of the Caliphate's winter campaign against the Khazars and resulted in considerable Syrian losses.[40] To avenge this defeat, Yazid II sent al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at the head of a 25,000-strong army of Syrians, who pushed into the Caucasus homeland of the Khazars and took their capital of Balanjar on 22 August.[41] The main body of the highly mobile Khazars avoided the Muslims' pursuit and their presence compelled al-Jarrah to withdraw to Warthan south of the Caucasus and request reinforcements of from Yazid.[41] In 723 he led another raid north of Balanjar, but made no remarkable gains.[41] edict[edit] to Greek sources, including Patriarch John V of Jerusalem (d. 735), Theophanes the Confessor (d. 818) and Patriarch Nikephoros I of Constantinople (d. 828), Yazid issued an edict ordering the destruction of all icons in Christian churches across the Caliphate under the influence a Jewish magician from Tiberias, variously called Beser or Tessarakontapechys, who promised Yazid a long life of fortune in return.[42] Syriac sources further note that Yazid entrusted Maslama to execute the order and that the edict influenced the Byzantine emperor Leo III (r. 717-“741) to enact his own iconoclastic policy in the Byzantine Empire.[43] The Egypt-based Arabic historians al-Kindi (d. 961), Bishop Severus ibn al-Muqaffa (d. 987) and al-Maqrizi (d. 1442) also make note of the edict and describe its execution in Egypt.[44] The medieval historians cite different years for Yazid's edict, but the modern historian Alexander Vasiliev holds that July 721, the date cited by Patriarch John V, is the most reliable.[45] The order was reversed by Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 724-“743).[44] Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 724-743, Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, effective rule
Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 724-743, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik; ibn Abd al-Malik (691-“ 6 February 743) was the tenth Umayyad caliph who ruled from 724 until his death in 743. When he was born in 691 his father named him after his mother. the caliphate from his brother Yazid II, Hisham was ruling an empire with many different problems. He would, however, be effective in attending to these problems, and in allowing the Umayyad empire to continue as an entity. His long rule was an effective one, and it saw a rebirth of reforms that were originated by Umar bin Abd al-Aziz. his brother al-Walid I, Hisham was a great patron of the arts, and he again encouraged arts in the empire. He also encouraged the growth of education by building more schools, and perhaps most importantly, by overseeing the translation of numerous literary and scientific masterpieces into Arabic. He returned to a stricter interpretation of the Sharia as Umar had, and enforced it, even upon his own family. His ability to stand up to the Umayyad clan may have been an important factor in his success, and may point to why his brother Yazid was ineffective. to tradition, Hisham ordered the hadith scholar Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d.742) to commit the hadith he had memorized to writing. activities[edit] the military front his empire suffered a series of setbacks, especially in the Caucasus against the Khazars (the Battle of Marj Ardabil) and in Transoxiana against the Turgesh (the "Day of Thirst" and the Battle of the Pass). Hisham sent armies to end the Hindu rebellion in Sindh, and was successful when the Hindu ruler Jai Singh was killed. This allowed the Umayyads to reassert their rule over some portions of their provinces in India. Some invasions of Indian kingdoms were led by the Arab governors of Sindh but they were unsuccessful. Hisham's rule, regular raids against the Byzantine Empire continued. One regular commander of Arab forces was the redoubtable Maslama, Hisham's half-brother. He fought the Byzantines in 725â€“726 CE (A.H. 107) and the next year captured Caesarea Mazaca. He also fought the Khazars in the Caucasus. In 728, he fought for a month against the Khaqan there and defeated him. Hisham's son Mu'awiyah ibn Hisham was another Arab commander in the almost-annual raids against the Byzantine Empire. In 728, he took the fort of Samalu in Cilicia. The next year Mu'awiyah thrust left and Sa'id ibn Hisham right, in addition to a sea raid. In 731, Mu'awiyah captured Kharsianon in Cappadocia. raided the Byzantine Empire in 731-“732 (A.H. 113). The next year he captured Aqrun (Akroinos), while Abdallah al-Battal took a Byzantine commander prisoner. Mu'awiyah raided Byzantium from 734-“737. In 737, al Walid ibn al Qa'qa al-Absi led the raid against the Byzantines. The next year Sulayman ibn Hisham captured Sindirah (Sideroun). In 738-“739, Maslama captured some of Cappadocia and also raided the Avars. Theophanes the Confessor (p. 103) states that while some Arabs raided successfully in 739 and returned home safely, others were soundly defeated at the Battle of Akroinon. He records that internal Byzantine strife (the struggle between Constantine V and the usurper Artabasdos) facilitated Arab raids by Sulayman ibn Hisham in 741-“742 (p. 106) that made many Byzantines Arab captives. Al-Tabari refers to the same raid.[2] North Africa, Kharijite teachings combined with natural local restlessness to produce a significant Berber revolt. In 740, a large Berber force surrounded a loyal army at Wadi Sherif, where the loyalists fought to the death. Hisham dispatched a force of 27,000 Syrians, which was destroyed in 741. In 742 Handhala ibn Safwan began successfully, but soon was besieged in Qairawan. He led a desperate sortie from the city that scattered the Berbers, killing thousands and re-establishing Umayyad rule. also faced a revolt by the armies of Zayd ibn Ali, grandson of Husayn bin Ali, which was put down because of the betrayal of the Kufans. The Kufans encouraged Zayd to revolt. Zayd was ordered to leave Kufah and though he appeared to set out for Mecca, he returned and dwelt secretly in Kufah moving from house to house and receiving the allegiance of many people. Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi, Iraq's governor, learned of the plot, commanded the people to gather at the great mosque, locked them inside and began a search for Zayd. Zayd with some troops fought his way to the mosque and called on people to come out. He then pushed back Yusuf's troops, but was felled by an arrow. Although his body was initially buried, the spot was pointed out and it was extracted, beheaded and the head sent to Hisham and later to Medina. Umayyad coin issued by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Spain, the internal conflicts of the years past were ended, and Hisham's governor, Abd ar Rahman ibn Abdallah, assembled a large army that went into France. He besieged Bordeaux and pushed to the Loire. This marked the limit of Arabic conquest in Western Europe. The wave was halted at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel who ruled the kingdom of the Franks. Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4;

Arabs, 735-736, Umayyad Caliph, Marwan ibn Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf), fought all across Georgia East to West

Arabs, 744-750, Umayyad Caliph Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf or Blind) Third M Civil War
Arab general Marwan the Deaf; Syria, Arab Umayyad Caliph, 744-750, Marwan II bin Muhammad (Marwan the Deaf) invasion of Georgia; ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan ibn al-Hakam (691 -“ 6 August 750), also called Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until he was killed in 750. Much of his reign was dominated by the Third Muslim Civil War, and he was the last Umayyad ruler to rule the united Caliphate before the Abbasid Revolution toppled the Umayyad dynasty. A.H. 114 (732-“733) Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In A.H. 117 (735-“736) Marwan invaded Georgia, devastated it and then took three fortresses of the Alans and made peace with Tumanshah. In A.H. 121 he launched further raids and obtained tribute. In A.H. 126, on hearing news of the plot to overthrow al-Walid II, Marwan wrote to his relatives from Armenia strongly discouraging this. He urged them to harmoniously preserve the stability and well-being of the Umayyad house. Yazid III persisted in overthrowing al-Walid II, Marwan at first opposed him, then rendered allegiance to him. On Yazid's early death, Marwan renewed his ambitions, ignored Yazid's named successor Ibrahim and became caliph. Ibrahim initially hid, then requested Marwan give him assurances of personal safety. This Marwan granted and Ibrahim even accompanied the new caliph to Hisham's residence of Rusafah. named his two sons Ubaydillah and Abdullah heirs. He appointed governors and proceeded to assert his authority by force. However, anti-Umayyad feeling was very prevalent, especially in Iran and Iraq. The Abbasids had gained much support. As such, Marwan's reign as caliph was almost entirely devoted to trying to keep the Umayyad empire together. took Emesa (Homs) after a bitter ten-month siege. Al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Shaybani led a Kharijite rebellion. He defeated the Syrian forces and took Kufa. Sulayman ibn Hisham turned against Marwan, but suffered a severe defeat. The Kharijites advanced on Mosul and were defeated. Sulayman joined them. Al-Dahhak's successor al-Khaybari was initially successful in pushing back Marwan's centre and even took the caliph's camp and sat on his carpet. However, he and those with him fell in fighting in the camp. Shayban succeeded him. Marwan pursued him and Sulayman to Mosul and besieged them there for six months. Then, reinforced, the caliph drove them out. Shayban fled to Bahrayn where he was killed; Sulayman sailed to India. Khurasan there was internal discord with the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar facing opposition from al-Harith and al-Kirmani. They also fought each other. In addition Abbasid envoys arrived. There had long been religious fervour and a kind of messianic expectation of Abbasid ascendency. During Ramadan 747 (May 16-“June 14), they unfurled the standards of their revolt. Nasr sent his retainer Yazid against them. Yazid, however, was bested, taken and held captive. He was impressed by the Abbasids and when released told Nasr he wanted to join them, but his obligations to Nasr brought him back. continued throughout Khurasan with the Abbasids gaining increasing ascendency. Finally, Nasr fell sick and died at Rayy on November 9, 748 at the age of eighty-five. campaign in Egypt in 749 to quell the Bashmuric Revolt and secure his rear, but his campaign was a failure.[3] The Abbasids, meanwhile, achieved success in the Hijaz. Marwan suffered a decisive defeat by Abu al-'Abbas al-Saffah on the banks of the Great Zab called Battle of the Zab. At this battle alone, over 300 members of the Umayyad family died. Marwan fled, leaving Damascus, Jordan and Palestine and reaching Egypt, where he was caught and killed on August 6, 750. His heirs Ubaydallah and Abdallah escaped to modern Eritrea. Ubaydallah died in fighting there. death signalled the end of Umayyad fortunes in the East, and was followed by the mass-killing of Umayyads by the Abbasids. Almost the entire Umayyad dynasty was killed, except for the talented prince Abd ar-Rahman who escaped to Spain and founded an Umayyad dynasty there. In Egypt, Marian's tongue was fed to a cat.[4] Martyr David the Prince of Georgia, Commemorated on October 2; Martyr Peter of Capetolis, Commemorated on October 4; St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21; Martyr Abo the Perfumer, of Tibilisi, Georgia, Commemorated on January 8; Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29 ;

Arabs, 750-1517, Abbasid Caliph, first b in Baghdad, then took Fatmids 1171, Sunni, Revolution, Persian bureaucrats
Arab Caliphates, 750-1517, Abbasid, based in Baghdad, Shia ; The Abbasid Caliphate was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib (566-“653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes its name.[2] They ruled as caliphs for most of the caliphate from their capital in Baghdad in modern-day Iraq, after having overthrown the Umayyad Caliphate in the Abbasid Revolution of 750 CE (132 AH). Abbasid Caliphate first centered its government in Kufa, modern-day Iraq, but in 762 the caliph Al-Mansur founded the city of Baghdad, near the ancient Sasanian capital city of Ctesiphon. Abbasid period was marked by reliance on Persian bureaucrats (notably the Barmakid family) for governing the territories as well as an increasing inclusion of non-Arab Muslims in the ummah (national community). customs were broadly adopted by the ruling elite, and they began patronage of artists and scholars.[3] became a center of science, culture, philosophy and invention in what became known as the Golden Age of Islam. this initial cooperation, the Abbasids of the late 8th century had alienated both non-Arab mawali (clients)[4] and Iranian bureaucrats.[5] were forced to cede authority over al-Andalus (Spain) to the Umayyads in 756, Morocco to the Idrisids in 788, Ifriqiya and Southern Italy to the Aghlabids in 800, Khorasan and Transoxiana to the Samanids and Persia to the Saffarids in the 870s, and Egypt to the Isma'ili-Shia caliphate of the Fatimids in 969. political power of the caliphs was limited with the rise of the Iranian Buyids and the Seljuq Turks, who captured Baghdad in 945 and 1055, respectively. Abbasid leadership over the vast Islamic empire was gradually reduced to a ceremonial religious function in much of the Caliphate, the dynasty retained control over its Mesopotamian domain. Abbasids' period of cultural fruition and its (reduced) territorial control ended in 1258 with the sack of Baghdad by the Mongols under Hulagu Khan and the execution of Al-Musta'sim. Abbasid line of rulers, and Muslim culture in general, re-centred themselves in the Mamluk capital of Cairo in 1261. lacking in political power (with the brief exception of Caliph Al-Musta'in of Cairo), the dynasty continued to claim religious authority until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.[6] Apostle and Evangelist Mark, Commemorated on April 25;

Arabs, 749-810s, Abbasid military leader, Khuzayma ibn Khazim, Dzhidzhum-Asim, great influence role to power
Arabs, 749-810s, Abbasid military leader, Khuzayma ibn Khazim, Dzhidzhum-Asim ; ibn Khazim ibn Khuzayma al-Tamimi (died 818/9) was a powerful grandee in the early Abbasid Caliphate. The son of the distinguished military leader Khazim ibn Khuzayma, he inherited a position of privilege and power, and served early on in high state offices. was crucial in securing the accession of Harun al-Rashid in 786, and was an influential figure throughout his reign. During the civil war of 811-“813 he sided with al-Amin, but finally defected to the camp of al-Amin's brother al-Ma'mun and played a decisive role in ending the year-long siege of Baghdad in a victory for al-Ma'mun's forces. was the son of Khazim ibn Khuzayma, a Khurasani Arab who became an early follower of the Abbasids and played an instrumental role in their rise to power both during and after the Abbasid Revolution. Through Khazim, the family achieved a prominent place among the Khurasaniyya, the Khurasani soldiers who had come west during the Revolution and formed the main power-base of the early Abbasid regime.[1] In his youth, Khuzayma participated in the Revolution alongside his father, and according to al-Dinawari was named governor of Tabaristan in 760.[2] After Khazim's death (the date is unknown, but sometime after 765[3]), his position and influence were mostly inherited by Khuzayma.[4] Khuzayma served as sahib al-shurta (chief of police) of Baghdad under Caliph al-Mahdi (r. 775-“785).[5] power was shown in 786, at the death of al-Hadi (r. 785-“786), when he was instrumental in securing the accession of al-Hadi's younger brother Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-“809) against the claims of al-Hadi's son Ja'far. At the time of his sudden death on 14 September, al-Hadi was planning to remove Harun from the succession in favour of Ja'far, but he had not yet done so. Thus, on the night when al-Hadi died, Harun's supporters hastened to acclaim him as Caliph, while others gave the oath of allegiance to Ja'far. Although Khuzayma had been a staunch supporter of al-Hadi, the Caliph's decision to strip his brother Abdallah from the post of sahib al-shurta probably alienated him. Khuzayma reportedly gathered and armed 5,000 of his own followers, dragged the young prince from his bed and forced him to publicly renounce his claims in favour of Harun.[3][6][7] Khuzayma and his brother Abdallah enjoyed great influence and occupied senior provincial governorships under Harun; Khuzayma's wealth was such that he built a magnificent palace in Baghdad.[3] Khuzayma served as governor of Basra,[2] as well as twice as governor (ostikan) of Arminiya (a large province encompassing the whole of Transcaucasia) the first time for 14 months in 786-“787, and again for an unknown period of time around 804. According to Arab sources, his first tenure was distinguished for his sound government, but according to Armenian sources he launched repeated and bloody persecutions of the semi-autonomous local princes in both Armenia and Iberia, executing many of their number (among them Archil of Kakheti).[8] After the 799 Khazar invasion of Arminiya, Khuzayma and Yazid ibn Mazyad were tasked with confronting the Khazars. Yazid led the troops against the Khazar invaders, while Khuzayma remained in reserve near Nisibis.[9] In 808, when Harun journeyed east to deal with the revolt of Rafi ibn al-Layth in Khurasan, Khuzayma was appointed as the guardian and tutor over Harun's third son, al-Qasim, who was governor of the frontier zone with the Byzantine Empire.[10][11] Towards the end of Harun's reign, he also served as the Caliph's shahib al-shurta.[2] the death of Harun and the rise to the throne of al-Amin (r. 809–813), Khuzayma was appointed as Qasim's deputy for the Jazira, and in 810, when Qasim was recalled to Baghdad and placed under virtual house arrest, Khuzayma succeeded him as governor of both the Jazira and the Byzantine frontier.[12] In the period leading up to the civil war between al-Amin and his half-brother al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833), at the time heir-apparent and governor of Khurasan, Khuzayma was among those who advised al-Amin to avoid openly breaking relations with al-Ma'mun by removing him from the line of succession.[2][13] By this time, Khuzayma was in very advanced age and almost blind. Like most of the Khurasaniyya and the traditional Abbasid elites, he and his brothers initially supported al-Amin, who was based at Baghdad, against al-Ma'mun, who was based in Khurasan. After the victories of al-Ma'mun's troops, however, Baghdad itself came under a year-long siege. As the siege progressed, the elites' support for al-Amin began to waver, and in September 813, Khuzayma was contacted by al-Ma'mun's general, Tahir ibn Husayn. The talks bore fruit, and on the night of 21 September, Khuzayma's servants cut the main bridge over the Tigris linking the eastern and western quarters of Baghdad. The eastern part surrendered the very next day, while Tahir's troops stormed and captured most of the western city, resulting in al-Amin's flight, capture and execution by Tahir's men.[14][15] Khuzayma remained an important personage and was involved in the tumultuous politics of Baghdad during the next few years, being one of the leaders of the uprising of Baghdad against al-Ma'mun's governor, al-Hasan ibn Sahl, in 816.[2][16] He died in 818/9.[17] After his death, and with the end of the civil war and the rise of new elites under al-Ma'mun, his family, like most of the Khurasaniyya, lost its previous power.[3] Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia, Commemorated on June 21 Holy Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia belonged to the dynasty of the Chosroidoi, and he was a direct descendant of the holy emperor Saint Mirian (+ 342). the reign of Archil II, Georgia was subjected to a devastating invasion by Murvana-Kru (“the Wildâ€), so called by the Georgian people for his inexorable cruelty. The position of the Georgian people was desperate, and the emperor Archil II, together with his brother Myro, the ruler of Western Georgia, tearfully implored the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and She showed forth Her mercy. a battle by the Rivers Abasha and Tskhenis-Tskhali the Georgian forces miraculously gained the victory over the significantly superior forces of Murvana-Kru. this victory the emperor Archil II was occupied with the restoration of the Georgian kingdom. He rebuilt the city of Nukhpatis, rebuilt ruined churches in Mtskheta and furthered the acceptance of Christianity by many of the mountain tribes. But soon Georgia suffered a new Arab invasion with the sudden appearance of Dzhidzhum-Asim (Jijum-Asim). Having paid a tribute to the Arabs, the emperor did not expect this invasion. In order to deliver the land from new devastation and avert the intrusion of Islam upon it, he deemed it beneficial to go himself to Dzhizhum-Asim, and subject formerly independent Georgia to the Arabs, and ask for peace. Placing all his hope on the mercy of God and ready to offer up his soul for his holy Faith and for his nation, Saint Archil went to the camp of the Arabs. Dzhidzhum-Asim received him hospitably and promised his suzerainty, but insisted on acceptance of Mohammedanism. As the “Georgian Chronicleâ€ relates, the holy emperor Archil calmly said, “It will not be, that I should forsake Christ, the True God, Who for our salvation took upon Himself human flesh. I know, if I obey you, then I shall die a spiritual death and shall suffer eternally. If for my firmness you put me to death, I shall then rise as did my Lord, and I shall go to Himâ€. these words, Dzhidzhum-Asim gave orders to seize the confessor and take him off to prison. But neither tortures nor promises could make the eighty-year-old emperor Archil apostasize. March 20, 744 the holy emperor Archil was beheaded. The body of the martyr was secretly taken by Georgian Christians to the locale Ertso and buried in Kakhetia, in the Notkor church built by the holy emperor himself.

Arabs, 750-754, Abbasid Caliph, As-Saffah, first A caliph, ruthless, long rule
Abbasid Caliph, 750-754, As-Saffah; -10 June 754) was the first caliph of the Abbasid caliphate, one of the longest and most important caliphates (Islamic dynasties) in Islamic history. (Due to different methods of romanising Arabic names, the spellings As-Saffah and Al-Saffah may both be found.) meaning "the Blood-Shedder" for his ruthless tactics and perhaps also to instill fear in his enemies. St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 754-775, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mansur, real founder of the caliphate, Bagdad founder
Abbasid Caliph, 754-775, Al-Mansur; or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur (95AH – 158 AH (714 AD – 6 October 775 AD) was the second Abbasid Caliph reigning from 136 AH to 158 AH (754 AD – 775 AD) and succeeding Abu al-'Abbas as-Saffah. is generally regarded as the real founder of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the largest polities in world history, for his role in stabilizing and institutionalizing the dynasty.[1]:265 He is also known for founding the 'round city' of Madinat al-Salam which was to become the core of imperial Baghdad.[1]:270 St Sarmean, the Catholicos of Kartli, Georgia, Commemorated on August 21;

Arabs, 775-785, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mahdi, by future standards, a model of order and decorum, rightly guided
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 775-785, Al-Mahdi; Abdallah Muhammad ibn Abdallah al-Mansur ( 744 or 745 -785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdi ("He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his father, al-Mansur. father, Al-Mansur, died on the hajj to Mecca in 775. The throne then passed to Al-Mansur's chosen successor, his son Al-Mahdi. According to Marozzi, "[it] was, by the standards of the future, blood-soaked successions of the Abbasid caliphate, a model of order and decorum."[5] whose nickname means "Rightly-guided" or "Redeemer", was proclaimed caliph when his father was on his deathbed. His peaceful reign continued the policies of his predecessors. with the Alids in the Caliphate occurred under al-Mahdi's reign. The powerful Barmakid family, which had advised the Caliphs since the days of Abu al's as viziers, gained even greater powers under al-Mahdi's rule, and worked closely with the caliph to ensure the prosperity of the Abbasid state. of Al-Mahdi, 166 AH, Kirman, silver 2.95 g. reigned for ten years. He imprisoned his most trusted vizier Ya'qub ibn Dawud. In the year 167 AH/ 783 AD, al-Mahdi instituted an official inquisition which led to the execution of alleged Zindiq (heretics). He was fond of music and poetry and during his caliphate many musicians and poets received his patronage and he supported musical expression and poetry across his dominion; accordingly, his son Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi (779-“839) and his daughter ˜Ulayya bint al-Mahdi (777-825) were both noted poets and musicians.[6] 775, a Byzantine envoy, Tarath, travelled to Baghdad to convey the congratulations of the Byzantine emperor to Al-Mahdi on his accession to the throne. Tarath was so pleased with the hospitality he received that he offered to put his engineering knowledge to use and build a mill that would generate annual profits, of 500,000 dirhams, equal to the cost of its construction. On completion, the envoy's forecast proved to be correct, and so, delighted, Al-Mahdi ordered that all profits should be given to the envoy, even after he left Baghdad. It is believed this continued to his death, in 780.[7] 777 AD (160 AH) he put down the insurrection of Yusuf ibn Ibrahim in Khurasan. In the same year al-Mahdi deposed Isa ibn Musa as his successor and appointed his own son Musa al-Hadi in his place and took allegiance (bayah) for him from the nobles. In 778 AD (161 AH), he subdued the rebellion of Abdullah ibn Marwan ibn Muhammad, who was leading the Umayyad remnant in Syria. was poisoned by one of his concubines in 785 AD (169 AH). Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30;

Arabs, 785-786, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Hadi, internal chaos, power struggles with mother
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 785-786, Al-Hadi; Muhammad Musa ibn Mahdi al-Hadi ( 6 April 764 CE – 14 September 786 CE)[1] the fourth Abbasid caliph who succeeded his father Al-Mahdi and ruled from 169 AH (785 AD) until his death in 170 AH (786 AD). short reign ended with internal chaos and power struggles with his mother.[2] Martyr Ashot Curapalati, King of of Artanuji, Commemorated on January 29;

Arabs, 786-809, Abbasid Caliph, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia, Bagdad library, knowledge, Golden Age peak
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; al-Rashid ( "Aaron the Orthodox" or "Aaron the Rightly-Guided", 17 March 763 or February 766-“ 24 March 809 (148-“193 Hijri)[1] was the fifth Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided". ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in Baghdad in present-day Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.[2] his rule, the family of Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.[3] of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself.[4] Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious. of the Twelver sect of Shia Muslims blame Harun for his supposed role in the murder of their 7th Imam (Musa ibn Ja'far). New Martyr Isaac of Georgia, Commemorated on September 16; Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor, Commemorated on December 1; Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus, Commemorated on January 30; Translation of the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari, Commemorated on May 9;

Arabs, 809-813, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Amin, pure Persian, Barmakids d, abna central power, taxes, Civil War
Arabs, 809-813, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Amin; Musa Muhammad ibn Harun al-Rashid (April 787 - 24/25 September 813), better known by his regnal name of al-Amin, was the sixth Abbasid Caliph. He succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid, in 809 and ruled until he was deposed and killed in 813, during the civil war by his half-brother, al-Ma'mun. 1 Early life and the issue of succession 2 Caliphate 2.1 Hostility towards al-Mamun 2.2 Internal rebellions 2.3 Personal relationships, death and succession 2.3.1 Wives 2.3.2 Death 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources life and the issue of succession[edit] the future al-Amin, was born in April 787 to the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809) and Zubayda, herself descended from the second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur (r. 754–775). [1] had an elder half-brother, Abdallah, the future al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833), who had been born in September 786. However, Abdallah's mother was a Persian slave concubine, and his pure Abbasid lineage gave Muhammad seniority over his half-brother.[1][2] Indeed, he was the only Abbasid caliph to claim such descent.[2] Already in 792, Harun had Muhammad receive the oath of allegiance (bay'ah) with the name of al-AmÄ«n ("The Trustworthy"), effectively marking him out as his main heir, while Abdallah was not named second heir, under the name al-MaÊ¾mÅ«n ("The Trusted One") until 799.[1][2] brothers were assigned members of the powerful Barmakid family as tutors: al-Amin's tutor was al-Fadl ibn Yahya, while al-Ma'mun's was Ja'far ibn Yahya.[2][3] coinage, naming al-Amin as governor of Khurasan, c. 796–801 arrangements were confirmed and publicly proclaimed in 802, when Harun and the most powerful officials of the Abbasid government made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Al-Amin would succeed Harun in Baghdad, but al-Mamun would remain al-Amin's heir and would additionally rule over an enlarged Khurasan.[1][2] was an appointment of particular significance, as Khurasan had been the starting-point of the Abbasid Revolution which brought the Abbasids to power, and retained a privileged position among the Caliphate's provinces. the Abbasid dynasty relied heavily on Khurasanis as military leaders and administrators. Many of the original Khurasani Arab army (Khurasaniyya) that came west with the Abbasids were given estates in Iraq and the new Abbasid capital, Baghdad, and became an elite group known as the abna al dawla (ons of the state/dynasty").[4][5] large-scale presence of an Iranian element in the highest circles of the Abbasid state, with the Barmakid family as its most notable representatives, was certainly a factor in the appointment of al-Mamun, linked through his mother with the eastern Iranian provinces, as heir and governor of Khurasan.[6] stipulations of the agreement, which were recorded in detail by the historian al-Tabari, accorded al-Mamun's Khurasani viceroyalty extensive autonomy. However, modern historians consider that these accounts may have been distorted by later apologists of al-Mamun in the latter's favour.[7] third heir, al-Mutamin, received responsibility over the frontier areas with the Byzantine Empire in Upper Mesopotamia and Syria.[2][3] complex arrangements, sealed with mutual judicial and religious oaths, clearly demonstrate that Harun was conscious of their precariousness, in view of the profound differences between al-Amin and al-Mamun, both in character and in interests.[1] quickly, this latent rivalry had important repercussions: almost immediately after the court returned to Baghdad in January 803, the Abbasid elites were shaken by the abrupt fall of the Barmakid family from power. On the one hand, this event may reflect the fact that the Barmakids had become indeed too powerful for the Caliph's liking, but its timing suggests that it was tied to the succession issue as well: with al-Amin siding with the abna and al-Mamun with the Barmakids, and the two camps becoming more estranged every day, if al-Amin was to have a chance to succeed, the power of the Barmakids had to be broken.[2][8][9] Indeed, the years after the fall of the Barmakids saw an increasing centralization of the administration and the concomitant rise of the influence of the abna, many of whom were now dispatched to take up positions as provincial governors and bring these provinces under closer control from Baghdad.[9] This led to unrest in the provinces, especially Khurasan, where local elites had a long-standing rivalry with the abna and their tendency to control of the province (and its revenues) from Iraq.[10] The harsh taxation imposed by a prominent member of the abna, Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan, even led to a revolt under Rafi ibn al-Layth, which eventually forced Harun himself, accompanied by al-Mamun and the powerful chamberlain (hajib) and chief minister al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi, to travel to the province in 808. Al-Mamun was sent ahead with part of the army to Marv, while Harun stayed at Tus, where he died on 24 March 809.[2][9][11] article: Fourth Fitna towards al-Mamun[edit] had distrusted al-Amin before their father's death and convinced Harun to take him with him on Harun's last journey east. Although Harun had instructed the Baghdad commanders of this expedition to remain with al-Mamun, after Harun's death they returned to Baghdad. Al-Amin sought to turn al-Mamun's financial agent in Rayy against al-Mamun and he ordered al-Mamun to acknowledge al-Amin's son Musa as heir and return to Baghdad. Al-Mamun replaced his agent in Rayy and refused the orders. His mother was Persian and he had strong support in Iran. brothers had different mothers. Al-Amin was prompted to move against al-Mamun by meddlesome ministers, especially al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi'. He had Harun's succession documents brought from Mecca to Baghdad, where he destroyed them. Then, he sent agents east to stir opposition to al-Mamun. However, a careful watch at the frontier denied them the opportunity. Al-Amin denied al-Mamun's request for his family and money and kept them in Baghdad. March 811 Al-Amin dispatched an army under Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan against Al-Mamun. Ali advanced on Rayy. Mamun's capable general Tahir bin Husain met and defeated Ali, who was killed. rebellions[edit] faced unrest in Syria. He sent Abd al-Malik ibn Salih to restore order there. There was fierce fighting and Abd al-Malik died. Al-Amin sent Ahmad ibn Mazyad and Abdallah ibn Humayd east, each with an army (al-Tabari v. 31 p. 100 says each had 20,000 men). However, Tahir's agents sowed discord and these two armies fought against each other. faced an uprising in Baghdad led by Ali ibn Isa's son Husayn. This was quelled and Husayn was killed. took Ahwaz and gained control of Bahrayn and parts of Arabia. Basra and Kufa swore allegiance to al-Mamun. Tahir advanced on Baghdad and defeated a force sent against him. Mecca, Dawud ibn Isa reminded worshippers that al-Amin had destroyed Harun ar Rashid's succession pledges and led them in swearing allegiance to al-Mamun. Dawud then went to Marv and presented himself to al-Mamun. Al-Ma'mun confirmed Dawud in his governorship of Mecca and Medina. relationships, death and succession[edit] article: Siege of Baghdad (812–813) is recorded as having two wives, Arib bint al-Ma'muniyyah, and LubÄna bint ‘Alī ibn al-MahdÄ« (who was noted for her exceptional beauty).[12] However, Al-Amin died before the consummation of his marriage to Lubanah; her attested poetry includes a lament for his death: 'Oh hero lying dead in the open, betrayed by his commanders and guards. I cry over you not for the loss of my comfort and companionship, but for your spear, your horse and your dreams. I cry over my lord who widowed me before our wedding night'.[13] 812, Tahir advanced and set up camp near Baghdad's Anbar Gate and besieged the city. The effects of this siege were made more intense by the rampaging prisoners who broke out of jail. There were several vicious battles, such as at al-Amin's palace of Qasr Halih, at Darb al- Hijarah and the al-Shammasiyyah Gate. In that last one Tahir led reinforcements to regain positions lost by another officer. Overall the situation was worsening for al-Amin and he became depressed. Tahir pushed into the city, al-Amin sought to negotiate safe passage out. Tahir reluctantly agreed on the condition al-Amin turn over his sceptre, seal and other symbols of office. Al-Amin tried to leave on a boat, apparently with these symbols, rejecting warnings to wait. However, Tahir noticed the boat, and Al-Amin was thrown into the water, swam to shore, was captured and then brought to a room, where he was executed. His head was placed on the Anbar Gate. Al-Tabari (v. 31 pp. 197–202) quotes Tahir's letter to al-Mamun informing him of al-Amin's capture and execution and the state of peace resulting in Baghdad. had appealed to his mother to arbitrate the succession after his death and champion his cause and lineage as Aisha had done two centuries before. Zubaida, however, refused to do so. As al-Ma'mun refused to acknowledge Al-Amin's son Musa as heir, the throne went to al-Mamun. Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 786-809, Aaron (Harun) al-Rashid, Shia ; al-Rashid ( "Aaron the Orthodox" or "Aaron the Rightly-Guided", 17 March 763 or February 766-“ 24 March 809 (148-“193 Hijri)[1] was the fifth Abbasid Caliph. His birth date is debated, with various sources giving dates from 763 to 766. epithet "al-Rashid" translates to "the Orthodox", "the Just", "the Upright", or "the Rightly-Guided". ruled from 786 to 809, during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma ("House of Wisdom") in Baghdad in present-day Iraq, and during his rule Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.[2] his rule, the family of Barmakids, which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate, declined gradually. In 796, he moved his court and government to Raqqa in present-day Syria. Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.[3] of the fictional One Thousand and One Nights are set in Harun's court and some of its stories involve Harun himself.[4] Harun's life and court have been the subject of many other tales, both factual and fictitious. of the Twelver sect of Shia Muslims blame Harun for his supposed role in the murder of their 7th Imam (Musa ibn Ja'far). Third Finding of the Honorable Head of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, Commemorated on May 25;

Arabs, 813-833, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Ma'mun, of concubine, educated, algebra, Mutazilism, r persecution, Byz war

Arabs, 819-861, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, Bugha the Turk, Subdued Great Armenia and Georgia, selected al-Musta'in
Messopotamia, Abbasid, Arab Military Slave, 819-861, Bugha the Turk, Bugha al-Kabir; al-Kabir (Bugha the Greater/Elder), also known as Bugha al-Turki (Bugha the Turk), was a 9th-century Turkic general who served the Abbasid Caliphate. was of Turkic origin, and was acquired along with his sons as a military slave (ghulam) by al-Mu'tasim in 819/820.[1] He is first mentioned in 825, and then again in 835, when he led reinforcements in the fight against the Khurramite rebels of Babak Khorramdin. Bugha also participated in Mu'tasim's Amorium campaign in 838, where he led the rearguard, and later served as the Caliph's chamberlain.[2] In 844/845, he suppressed a revolt of the Bedouin tribes of central Arabia.[3] he played an important role in crushing the Armenian revolt of 850–855: in 852 he was entrusted by the Caliph al-Mutawakkil with its suppression. Setting out from his base at Diyar Bakr, he first focused on the southern half of Armenia, i.e. the regions of Vaspurakan and Lake Van, before moving north to Dvin, Iberia and Albania. During these campaigns, he also defeated the renegade Emir of Tiflis, Ishaq ibn Isma'il, and sacked and burned Tiflis. By the end of 853, he had subdued the country and made many Caucasian magn ates and princes (the eristavi and nakharar) captive, including Grigor-Derenik Artsruni, his uncle Gurgen and his father Ashot I, all sent to caliphal capital of Samarra.[4][5] was dispatched to the frontier (thughur) against the Byzantine Empire in 857/8, where he distinguished himself and where he remained for the next few years.[5] He was thus absent from Samarra at the time of Mutawwakil's assassination, but returned immediately upon hearing of it. Following the death of Mutawwakil's heir, al-Muntasir, a few months later, Bugha and the other Turkic commanders of the Abbasid army selected al-Musta'in as his successor (see the "Anarchy at Samarra").[3] Bugha died a few months later, in August 862, reportedly at an age of "over 90 [lunar] years".[1][2] His son Musa, and his sons in turn, rose to the senior court and military offices in Samarra during the late 9th century.[3][6] Martyr Constantine the King of Georgia, Commemorated on November 10; Martyr John, Abbot of the Zedazeni Monastery, Commemorated on December 12 ; 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutasim, Sunni, warrior c, private army of Turk slaves (ghilman), d Theophilus
Arabs, 833-842, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tasim; Isá¸¥aq Muá¸¥ammad ibn Harun al-RashÄ«d (October 796 - 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutaá¹£im bilah (he who seeks refuge in God), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842.[1] younger son of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he rose to prominence through his formation of a private army composed predominantly of Turkic slave-soldiers (ghilman). This proved useful to his half-brother, Caliph al-Mamun, who employed al-Mutasim and his Turkish guard to counterbalance other powerful interest groups in the state, as well as employing them in campaigns against rebels and the Byzantine Empire. al-Mamun died unexpectedly on campaign in August 833, al-Mutasim was thus well placed to succeed him, overriding the claims of al-Mamun's son al-Abbas. continued many of his brother's policies, such as the partnership with the Tahirids, who ruled Khurasan and Baghdad on behalf of the Abbasids. With the support of the powerful chief qadi, Ahmad ibn Abi Duwad, he continued to implement the rationalist Islamic doctrine of Mutazilism and the persecution of its opponents through the inquisition (miá¸¥na). Although not personally interested in literary pursuits, al-Mutasim also nurtured the scientific renaissance begun under al-Mamun. In other ways, his reign marks a departure and a watershed moment in Islamic history, with the creation of a new regime centred on the military, and particularly his Turkish guard. 836, a new capital was established at Samarra to symbolize this new regime and remove it from the restive populace of Baghdad. power of the caliphal government was increased by centralizing measures that reduced the power of provincial governors in favour of a small group of senior civil and military officials in Samarra, and the fiscal apparatus of the state was more and more dedicated to the maintenance of the professional army, which was dominated by Turks. Arab and Iranian elites that had played a major role in the early period of the Abbasid state were increasingly marginalized, and an abortive conspiracy against al-Mutasim in favour of al-Abbas in 838 resulted in a widespread purge of their ranks. strengthened the position of the Turks and their principal leaders, Ashinas, Wasif, Itakh, and Bugha. Another prominent member of al-Mutasim's inner circle, the prince of Ushrusana, al-Afshin, fell afoul of his enemies at court and was overthrown and killed in 840/1. The rise of the Turks would eventually result in the troubles of the Anarchy at Samarra and lead to the collapse of Abbasid power in the mid-10th century, but the ghulam-based system inaugurated by al-Mutasim would be widely adopted throughout the Muslim world. reign was marked by continuous warfare. The two major internal campaigns of the reign were against the long-running Khurramite uprising of Babak Khorramdin in Adharbayjan, which was suppressed by al-Afshin in 835–837, and against Mazyar, the autonomous ruler of Tabaristan, who had clashed with the Tahirids and risen up in revolt. his generals led the fight against internal rebellions, al-Mutasim himself led the sole major external campaign of the period, in 838 against the Byzantine Empire. His armies defeated Emperor Theophilos and sacked the city of Amorium. The Amorium campaign was widely celebrated, and became a cornerstone of caliphal propaganda, cementing al-Mutasim's reputation as a warrior-caliph. 42 Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia, Commemorated on March 6;

Arabs, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Mutazila muslim, Probably Christian Caliph Mavi
Arabs, 842-847, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Wathiq, Mutazila muslim; St. Theodore the Bishop of Edessa, Commemorated on July 9;

Arabs, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Sunni, assasinated by his son
Arabs, 847-861, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil, Sunni; The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Mother of God at Blachernae,Commemorated on July 2;

Arabs, 862-866, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Musta'in, Sunni, Anarchy of Samarra
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 862-866, Al-Musta'in, Shia; ’l-ʿAbbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mu'tasim (836 - 17 October 866), better known by his regnal title Al-Musta'in (836 - 17 October 866) was the Abbasid caliph from 862 to 866, during the Anarchy at Samarra. the death of previous Caliph, Al-Muntasir (who had not appointed any successors), the Turkic military leaders held a council to select his successor. They were not willing to have Al-Mu'tazz or his brothers; so they elected Ahmad ibn Muhammad, a grandson of Al-Mu'tasim, who took the regnal name Al-Mustaʿin bi-llah (he who looks for help to God). and other troops based in Baghdad, displeased at the choice, attacked the assembly, broke open the prison, and plundered the armory. They were attacked by the Turkic and Berber soldiers, and after some fighting in which many died, succumbed. Baghdad had yet to learn that the Caliphate no longer depended on the opinions of the Arabians, but had passed into other hands. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12; Martyr Michael œthe Black-Robedof St Sava Monastery, Commemorated on May 23;

Arabs, 866-869, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tazz, Sunni, Anarchy of Samarra
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 866-869, Al-Mu'tazz; ū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar (847 - 16 July 869), better known by his regnal title al-Muʿtazz bi-ʾllāh (He who is strengthened by God) was the Abbasid caliph from 866 to 869, during a period of extreme internal instability within the Abbasid Caliphate, known as the "Anarchy at Samarra". named as the second in line of three heirs of his father al-Mutawakkil, al-Mu'tazz was forced to renounce his rights after the accession of his brother al-Muntasir, and was thrown in prison as a dangerous rival during the reign of his cousin al-Musta'in. was released and raised to the caliphate in January 866, during the civil war between al-Musta'in and the Turkish military of Samarra. Al-Mu'tazz was capable and determined to reassert the authority of the caliph over the Turkish military, but had only limited success. by the vizier Ahmad ibn Isra'il, he managed to remove and kill the leading Turkish generals, Wasif al-Turki and Bugha al-Saghir, but the decline of the Tahirids in Baghdad deprived him of their role as a counterweight to the Turks. Faced with the assertive Turkish commander Salih ibn Wasif, and unable to find money to satisfy the demands of his troops, he was deposed and died of ill treatment a few days later, on 16 July 869. reign marks the apogee of the decline of the Caliphate's central authority, and the climax of centrifugal tendencies, expressed through the emergence of the autonomous dynasties of the Tulunids in Egypt and the Saffarids in the East, Alid uprisings in Hejaz and Tabaristan, and the first stirrings of the great Zanj Rebellion in lower Iraq. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 870-892, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, Sunni, start Abbasid Restoration, end Anarchy at Samarra, c and succeeded by b
Messopotamia, Abbasid Caliph, 870-892, Al-Mu'tamid ; ’l-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Jaʿfar (c. 842 – 14 October 892), better known by his regnal name Al-Muʿtamid ʿalā ’llāh (Dependent on God), was the Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 870 to 892. reign marks the end of the Anarchy at Samarra and the start of the Abbasid restoration, but he was a largely a ruler in name only. was held by his brother al-Muwaffaq, who held the loyalty of the military. Al-Mu'tamid's authority was circumscribed further after a failed attempt to flee to the domains controlled by Ahmad ibn Tulun in late 882, and he was placed under house arrest by his brother. In 891, when al-Muwaffaq died, loyalists attempted to restore power to the Caliph, but were quickly overcome by al-Muwaffaq's son al-Mu'tadid, who assumed his father's powers. When al-Mu'tamid died in 892, al-Mu'tadid succeeded him as caliph. St Fantinus of Calabria, Commemorated on August 30; St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 892-902, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tadid, Sunni, regent then c, close army relations, m active, restored Abasid power
Arabs, 892-902, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tadid, Sunni; Ahmad ibn Talha al-Muwaffaq (853/4 or 860/1 – 5 April 902), better known by his regnal name al-Mu'tadid bi-llah (Seeking Support in God[1]), was the Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate from 892 until his death in 902. was the son of al-Muwaffaq, who was the regent and effective ruler of the Abbasid state during the reign of his brother, Caliph al-Mu'tamid. As a prince, the future al-Mu'tadid served under his father during various military campaigns, most notably in the suppression of the Zanj Rebellion, in which he played a major role. When al-Muwaffaq died in June 891 al-Mu'tadid succeeded him as regent. quickly sidelined his cousin and heir-apparent al-Mufawwid; when al-Mu'tamid died in October 892, he succeeded to the throne. his father, al-Mu'tadid's power depended on his close relations with the army. These were first forged during the campaigns against the Zanj and were reinforced in later expeditions which the Caliph led in person: al-Mu'tadid would prove to be the most militarily active of all Abbasid caliphs. Through his energy and ability, he succeeded in restoring to the Abbasid state some of the power and provinces it had lost during the turmoil of the previous decades. a series of campaigns he recovered the provinces of Jazira, Thughur, and Jibal, and effected a rapprochement with the Saffarids in the east and the Tulunids in the west that secured their—albeit largely nominal—recognition of caliphal suzerainty. These successes came at the cost of gearing the economy almost exclusively towards the maintenance of the army, which resulted in the expansion and rise to power of the central fiscal bureaucracy and contributed to the Caliph's lasting reputation for avarice. Al-Mu'tadid was renowned for his cruelty when punishing criminals, and subsequent chroniclers recorded his extensive and ingenious use of torture. His reign saw the permanent move of the capital back to Baghdad, where he engaged in major building activities. A firm supporter of Sunni traditionalist orthodoxy, he nevertheless maintained good relations with the Alids, and was interested in natural sciences, renewing caliphal sponsorship of scholars and scientists. his successes, al-Mu'tadid's reign was ultimately too short to effect a lasting reversal of the Caliphate's fortunes, and the revival that he spearheaded was too dependent on the presence of capable personalities at the helm of the state. The brief reign of his less able son and heir, al-Muktafi, still saw some major gains, notably the annexation of the Tulunid domains, but his later successors lacked his energy, and new enemies appeared in the form of the Qarmatians. In addition, factionalism within the bureaucracy, which had become apparent during the later years of al-Mu'tadid's reign, would debilitate the Abbasid government for decades to come, eventually leading to the subjugation of the Caliphate by a series of military strongmen, culminating in the conquest of Baghdad by the Buyids in 946. St Anthony the Patriarch of Constantinople, Commemorated on February 12;

Arabs, 960's, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi, Sunni
Arabs, 960's, Abbasid Caliph, Al-Muttaqi, Sunni; Venerable Euthymius, founder of Dochiariou Monastery (Mount Athos ”10th c.), and Venerable Neophytus, Co-founder of the Monastery, Commemorated on November 9;

Arabs, 889-929, Sajid dynasty, Persia into Geogria, Sunni

Arabs, 909-934, Fatmid Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah, Fatmah and Ali's son, Umayyads rejected, as usurpers, Abbasids r, not Ali's sons, occultation, millenialist ex
Egypt, 909-934, Fatmid Sultan, Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah; Muhammad Ubayd Allah ibn al-Husayn (873 – 4 March 934), better known by his regnal name Abu Muhammad Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (Arabic: Ø£Ø¨Ùˆ Ù…ØÂÂÙ…Ø¯ Ø¹Ø¨ÙŠØ¯ Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù‡Ø¯ÙŠ بالله‎), was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islamic history, and the eleventh imam of the Isma'ili faith. in the late 9th century since the murder of Ali, the son-in-law of Muhammad, in 661, which led to the establishment of the Umayyad Caliphate, a large part of the Muslim community rejected the Umayyads as usurpers and called for the establishment of a regime led by a member of the Ahl al-Bayt, the Family of Muhammad. The Abbasids, who claimed descent from Muhammad's paternal uncle Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, profited from this during their rise to power against the Umayyads; but their claim too was rejected by the Shi'a, who insisted on the exclusive right of the descendants of al-Husayn and Hasan, Ali's sons by Muhammad's daughter Fatimah.[1] A line of imams emerged from the offspring of Husayn, who did not openly lay claim to the caliphate, but were considered by their followers as the true representatives of God on earth.[1] The sixth imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, had appointed (naá¹£á¹£) his son Isma'il ibn Ja'far as his successor, but Isma'il died before his father, and when al-Sadiq himself died in 765, the succession was left open. One faction of Shi'a held that al-Sadiq had designated another son, Musa al-Kazim, as his heir. Others followed other sons, Muhammad and Abdallah al-Aftah—shortly after his death, they went over to Musa's camp—or even refused to believe that al-Sadiq had died, and expected his return as a messiah.[2] Musa's adherents, who constituted the majority of al-Sadiq's followers, followed his line down to the twelfth imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who vanished in 874.[1][3] Another branch believed that Ja'far was followed by a seventh imam, who also had gone into hiding; hence this party is known as the Seveners. The exact identity of that seventh imam was disputed, but by the late 9th century had commonly been identified with Muhammad, son of Isma'il and grandson of al-Sadiq. From Muhammad's father, Isma'il, the sect receives its name of "Isma'ili".[1][4][5] Neither Isma'il's nor Muhammad's lives are well known, and after Muhammad's death during the reign of Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809), the history of the early Isma'ili movement becomes obscure.[6] Both the Twelvers and the Seveners held that their final imams were not dead, but had simply gone into hiding ("occultation"), and that they would soon return as a messiah, a mahdÄ« ("the Rightly Guided One") or qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m ("He Who Arises"), to usher in the end times.[1][7] The mahdÄ« would rapidly overthrow the usurping Abbasids and destroy their capital Baghdad, restore the unity of the Muslims, conquer Constantinople, ensure the final triumph of Islam and establish a reign of peace and justice.[8] The Isma'ilis in particular believed that the mahdÄ« would reveal the true, "inner" (bÄÂÂá¹ÂÂin) meaning of religion, which was until then reserved for a few selected initiates. The mahdÄ« would dissolve the outer forms and strictures of Islam, since henceforth the true religion, the religion of Adam, would be manifested without the need for symbols and other mediating devices.[9] Secret leadership of the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa at Salamiya While the mahdÄ« Muhammad ibn Isma'il remained hidden, however, he would need to be represented by agents, who would gather the faithful, spread the word (daÊ¿wa, "invitation, calling"), and prepare his return. The head of this secret network was the living proof of the imam's existence, or "seal" (á¸¥ujja).[10] The first known á¸¥ujja was a certain Abdallah al-Akbar ("Abdallah the Elder"), a wealthy merchant from Askar Mukram, in what is now southwestern Iran. Apart from improbable stories circulated by later anti-Isma'ili polemicists, his exact origin is unknown.[11] His teachings led to his being forced to flee his native city to escape persecution by the Abbasid authorities, and seek refuge in Basra, where he claimed to belong to the Aqil branch of the Banu Hashim, the clan of Muhammad. Once again, his teachings attracted the attention of the authorities and he moved on to the small town of Salamiya on the western edge of the Syrian Desert.[12] There he settled as a merchant from Basra, and had two sons, Ahmad and Ibrahim. When Abdallah died c. 827/8, Ahmad succeeded his father as the head of the Isma'ili movement, and was in turn succeeded by his younger son, Muhammad, known as Abu'l-Shalaghlagh.[13][14] During the late 9th century, millenialist expectations increased in the Muslim world, coinciding with a deep crisis of the Abbasid Caliphate during the decade-long Anarchy at Samarra, the rise of breakaway and autonomous regimes in the provinces, and the large-scale Zanj Rebellion, whose leader claimed Alid descent and proclaimed himself as the mahdÄ«.[15] In this chaotic atmosphere, where the Abbasids were preoccupied with suppressing the uprising, the Isma'ili daÊ¿wa spread rapidly, aided by dissatisfaction among Twelver adherents with the political quietism of their leadership and the recent disappearance of the twelfth imam.[16] Missionaries (dÄÂÂ'Ä«s) like Hamdan Qarmat and his brother-in-law Abu Muhammad Abdan spread the network of agents to the area round Kufa in the late 870s, and from there to Yemen (Ibn Hawshab, 882) and thence India (884), Bahrayn (Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi, 899), Persia, and the Maghreb (Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i, 893).[17][18] The real leadership remained hidden at Salamiya, and only the chief dÄÂÂ'Ä«s of each region, such as Hamdan Qarmat, knew and corresponded with it.[19] The true head of the movement remained hidden even from the senior missionaries, however, and a certain Fayruz functioned as chief missionary (dÄÂÂ'Ä« al-duÊ¿ÄÂÂt) and "gateway" (bÄÂÂb) to the hidden leader.[20] Early life The future caliph al-Mahdi Billah was born as Sa'id, the son of Ahmad's elder son, al-Husayn, who died around 880.[21] The official biography gives the date of birth as 31 July 874, although a different tradition gives a date exactly one year earlier.[22] After his father's death, he was fostered by his uncle Abu'l-Shalaghlagh, who was without an heir of his own—his son and grandchild were reportedly captured and imprisoned by the Abbasids. Sa'id was thus designated as his successor, and given his uncle's daughter in marriage.[22] Most of the information about Sa'id's early life comes from the memoirs of the eunuch chamberlain Ja'far, who was a few months older than Sa'id and came with him to the household at Salamiya. The two were reared by the same wet-nurse, and Ja'far became a close confidant of Sa'id until his death.[23] Sa'id's only child, Abd al-Rahman, the future al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, was born in March or April 893.[22] While ostensibly merely the stewards for the absent imam, Ja'far reports that Abu'l-Shalaghlagh—perhaps encouraged by the rapid progress of the daÊ¿wa, now establishing armed strongholds—secretly declared himself to senior members of the daÊ¿wa not as the á¸¥ujja for Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but the actual imam; and that he claimed for his nephew the title of mahdÄ«, and the latter's infant son the title of qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m.[24] Various genealogies were later put forth by the Fatimids to justify this claim (see below). In the most common, Abdallah the Elder was proclaimed to be the son of Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but even in pro-Isma'ili sources, the succession and names of imams who supposedly preceded Ahmad is not the same; for example, Sa'id himself in a letter claimed descent not from Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but from the latter's older brother Abdallah. Anti-Isma'ili Sunni and Twelver sources of course reject any Fatimid descent from the Alids altogether and consider them impostors. The situation is further complicated by the use of the title qÄÂÂÊ¾Ä«m, normally a synonym for the mahdÄ«, for Sa'id's son. This has led to suggestions (first by Bernard Lewis) of two parallel lines of imams, one public (and of non-Alid descent), serving as trustees of the hidden, real one. In this interpretation, Sa'id was the last representative of the former line, and his "son" was the genuine imam.[25][26] Leadership of the daÊ¿wa When Abu'l-Shalaghlagh died around 899, Sa'id became the new head of the movement.[27] Soon after, the letters from Salamiya revealed changes in the official doctrine of the daÊ¿wa. This worried Hamdan Qarmat, who sent his brother-in-law to Salamiya to investigate the matter. It was there that Abdan learned that Sa'id claimed that the imam was not Muhammad ibn Isma'il, but Sa'id's father al-Husayn, and now Sa'id himself. This caused a major rift in the movement: Hamdan denounced the leadership in Salamiya, gathered the Iraqi dÄÂÂ'Ä«s and ordered them to cease the missionary effort. Shortly after he disappeared from his headquarters.[28][29] It was Al-Shi'i's success which was the signal to Al Mahdi to set off from Salamyah disguised as a merchant. In 905 he started proselytising. However, he was captured by the Aghlabid ruler Ziyadat-Allah due to his Ismaili beliefs and thrown into a dungeon in Sijilmasa. In early 909 Al-Shi'i sent a large expedition force to rescue Al Mahdi, conquering the Khariji state of Tahert on its way there. After gaining his freedom, Al Mahdi became the leader of the growing state and assumed the position of imam and caliph. Al Mahdi then led the Kutama Berbers who captured the cities of Qairawan and Raqqada. By March 909, the Aghlabid Dynasty had been overthrown and replaced with the Fatimids. As a result, the last stronghold of Sunni Islam in North Africa was removed from the region. Reign Al-Mahdi established himself at the former Aghlabid residence at Raqqada, Al-Qayrawan (in what is now Tunisia). After that his power grew. At the time of his death he had extended his reign over the Maghreb, but campaigns into Egypt (in 914–915 and 919–921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. The historian Heinz Halm has described the early Fatimid regime as being little more than a "hegemony of the Kutama".[30] The position of these semi-civilized tribesmen as the chosen warriors of the imam-caliph was greatly resented, not only by the other Berber tribes, but chiefly by the inhabitants of the cities, where the Arabic culture predominated.[31] As Halm writes, the situation was similar to a scenario where, "in the early eighteenth-century North America, the Iroquois, converted to Catholicism by Jesuit missionaries, had overrun the Puritan provinces of New England, installed their chieftains as governors in Boston, Providence and Hartford, and proclaimed a European with dubious credentials as King of England".[31] The first years of Fatimid rule in Ifriqiya, Sicily, and Tripolitania were marked by revolts by the local inhabitants against the arrogance and exactions of the Kutama.[32] Al-Mahdi founded the capital of his empire, al-Mahdiyyah, on the Tunisian coast sixteen miles south-east of Al-Qayrawan, which he named after himself. The city was located on a peninsula on an artificial platform "reclaimed from the sea", as mentioned by the Andalusian geographer Al-Bakri. The Great mosque of Mahdia was built in 916 on the southern side of the peninsula.[33] Al-Mahdi took up residence there in 920. In 922 the Bulgarian emperor Simeon I sent envoys to al-Mahdi to propose a joint attack on the Byzantine capital Constantinople with the Bulgarians providing a large land army, and the Arabs a navy. It was proposed that all spoils would be divided equally, with the Bulgarians keeping Constantinople and the Fatimids gaining the Byzantine territories in Sicily and South Italy.[34] As a result of the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927, by 922 the Bulgarians controlled almost the whole Balkan peninsula but Simeon I's main objective to capture Constantinople remained out of his reach because he lacked a navy. Although the Byzantines and the Fatimids had concluded a peace treaty in 914, since 918 the Fatimids had renewed their attacks on the Italian coast.[34] Al-Mahdi accepted the proposal and sent back his own emissaries to conclude the agreement.[34] On the way home the ship was captured by the Byzantines near the Calabrian coast and the envoys of both countries were sent to Constantinople.[34] When the Byzantine emperor Romanos I learned about the secret negotiations, the Bulgarians were imprisoned, while the Arab envoys were allowed to return to Al-Mahdiyyah with rich gifts for the caliph. The Byzantines then sent their own embassy to North Africa to outbid Simeon I and eventually the Fatimids agreed not to aid Bulgaria.[35] After his death, Al-Mahdi was succeeded by his son, Abu Al-Qasim Muhammad Al-Qaim, who continued his expansionist policy. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im, reconquest of Sicily
Egypt, 934-946, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Qa'im; Muhammad ibn Abdallah (Arabic: Ø£Ø¨Ùˆ Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø§Ø³Ù… Ù…ØÂÂÙ…Ø¯ Ø¨Ù† Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù‡Ø¯ÙŠ Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø§Ø¦Ù… Ø¨Ø£Ù…Ø± الله‎; April 893 – 17 May 946), better known by his regnal name al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah or bi-Amri 'llah (Ø§Ù„Ù‚Ø§Ø¦Ù… Ø¨Ø£Ù…Ø± Ø§Ù„Ù„Ù‡, "He who carries out God's orders"), was the second caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya and ruled from 934 to 946. He is the 12th Imam according to the Isma'ili faith. History[edit] Al-Qa'im was born in Salamiyah in Syria in 895 with the name Muhammad. After his father Abd Allah al-Mahdi Billah (910-934) seized power in Ifriqiya he was named heir to the throne in 912, and helped put down several revolts. However, campaigns into Egypt (in 914–915 and 919–921) faltered against the resistance of the Abbasids, with heavy casualties. In 934 Al-Qa'im succeeded his father as Caliph, after which he never again left the royal residence at Mahdia. Nevertheless, the Fatimid realm became an important power in the Mediterranean. After the re-conquest of Sicily the Byzantine province of Calabria and the Ligurian coast was plundered and the city of Genoa sacked. From 944 to 947 the realm was plunged into crisis by the revolt of Abu Yazid, who had united the Kharijite Berber tribes of the Aurès Mountains of eastern Algeria and overrun Ifriqiya. Imam Al-Qa'im was able to hold out in Mahdia with the help of the navy for over a year, but died (13th Shawwal 334 AH (Mahdiyya)/17 May 946) before the revolt could be put down. He was succeeded by his son Ismail al-Mansur (r. 946-953). Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah, supressed the large-scale Kharijite rebellion
Egypt, 946-953, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah; Tahir Isma'il (Arabic: Ø£Ø¨Ùˆ Ø·Ø§Ù‡Ø± إسماعيل‎, romanized: AbÅ« á¹¬ÄÂÂhir Ê¾IsmÄÂÂÊ¿Ä«l; January 914 – 18 March 953), better known by his regnal name al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ù…Ù†ØµÙˆØ± Ø¨Ù†ØµØ± الله‎, romanized: al-Maná¹£Å«r bi-Naá¹£r AllÄÂÂh, lit. 'The Victor with the Help of God'), was the third caliph of the Fatimid Caliphate in Ifriqiya, ruling from 946 until his death. He presided over a period of crisis, having to confront the large-scale Kharijite rebellion of Abu Yazid. He succeeded in suppressing the revolt and restoring the stability of the Fatimid regime. Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, Fatmid center moved to Cairo from Tunis in 969
Egypt, 953-975, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah; Tamim Ma'ad al-Muizz li-Din Allah (Arabic: Ø§Ø¨Ùˆ ØªÙ…ÙŠÙ… Ù…Ø¹Ø¯ Ø§Ù„Ù…Ø¹Ø²Ù‘ Ù„Ø¯ÙŠÙ† الله‎, romanized: AbÅ« TamÄ«m MaÊ¿ad al-MuÊ¿izz li-DÄ«n AllÄÂÂh, lit. 'Glorifier of the Religion of God'; 26 September 932 – 19 December 975) was the fourth Fatimid Caliph and 14th Ismaili imam, reigning from 953 to 975. It was during his caliphate that the center of power of the Fatimid dynasty was moved from Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) to Egypt. The Fatimids founded the city of al-QÄÂÂhirah (Cairo) "the Victorious" in 969 as the new capital of the Fatimid caliphate in Egypt.[1] Venerable Daniel the Confessor (in Schema Stephen) of Spain, and Egypt, Commemorated on December 17

Arabs, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah, good admin, econ, but extrav, Katuma Berbers west, Turks east, replacng slaves, into Syria, empl Ch Jews, not sunnis
Egypt, 975-996, Fatmid Sultan, Al-Aziz Billah; Mansur Nizar (Arabic: Ø£Ø¨Ùˆ Ù…Ù†ØµÙˆØ± نزار‎, romanized: AbÅ« Maná¹£Å«r NizÄÂÂr; 10 May 955 – 14 October 996), known by his regnal name as al-Aziz Billah (Arabic: Ø§Ù„Ø¹Ø²ÙŠØ² بالله‎, romanized: al-Ê¿AzÄ«z biÊ¾llÄÂÂh, lit. 'the mighty through God'), was the fifth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty, from 975 to his death in 996. Nizar, the future al-Aziz Billah, was born on 10 May 955, the third son of the fourth Fatimid Caliph, al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (r. 953–975).[1][2] His mother, Durzan, usually known as al-Sayyida al-MuÊ¿izzÄ«ya ("the Lady of al-Mu'izz") was the chief concubine of al-Mu'izz, and likely of Bedouin origin. She was known for her beautiful singing voice, which earned her the nickname TaghrÄ«d ("Twitter").[3] She died in 995.[4] In 974 his older brother Abdallah ibn al-Mu'izz —who had been the designated heir in preference to the oldest of al-Mu'izz's sons, Tamim—died, and Nizar found himself as his father's designated successor (walÄ« al-Ê¿ahd).[5] The succession was not confirmed in front of the members of the dynasty and court, however, until a day before al-Mu'izz's death on 18 December 975.[1] His official proclamation as caliph was delayed until 9 August 976.[1] Administration and economy[edit] According to the sources, al-Aziz Billah was "tall, with red hair and blue eyes, generous, brave, fond of horses and hunting and very humane and tolerant in disposition".[1] He was marked for his skill as an administrator, reforming the finances of the Fatimid state, standardizing and streamlining the payment of officials, and taking steps to ensure their integrity.[1] At the same time, he was known for his extravagant lifestyle and obsession for precious objects and materials, rare animals and delicacies; it is said that on one occasion, he had carrier pigeons bring him cherries from Ba'albek.[6] The Egyptian economy was also nurtured, and tax revenue thereby increased, through the expansion of streets and canals and the establishment of a stable currency. The general economic well-being was also apparent in an elaborate building programme. The most influential official during most of his reign was Ya'qub ibn Killis, who was the first in Fatimid history to be designated as "vizier", in 979. Apart from two brief periods when Ibn Killis fell into disgrace—in 979 and 984—he remained al-Aziz's chief minister until his death in 991.[1] Just like his master, Ibn Killis lived in great luxury, facilitated by a salary of 100,000 gold dinars.[7] Ibn Killis is credited with the capable administration of the public finances, which ensured a full treasury despite the vast sums expended by the luxury-loving Caliph,[8] but also for his role as a patron of men of letters, and the author of a book that codified Fatimid laws.[1] In contrast, his successors did not long remain in office, and in the short space of five years, the post of vizier was occupied by six men: Ali ibn Umar al-Addas, Abu'l-Fadl Ja'far ibn al-Furat, al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan al-Baziyar, Abu Muhammad ibn Ammar, al-Fadl ibn Salih, and Isa ibn Nasturus ibn Surus.[1] Military reforms[edit] Al-Aziz also undertook major military reforms. Berbers, and especially the Kutama tribe, had traditionally provided the mainstay of the Fatimid armies, and had played the main role in the takeover of Ifriqiya and the conquest of Egypt and the southern Levant under al-Aziz's predecessors.[9] Until the 970s, the Kutama provided the cavalry, with the infantry composed of Slavic (á¹¢aqÄÂÂliba), Greek (RÅ«m) and Black African (SÅ«dÄÂÂn or Ê¿abÄ«d) slaves.[10][11] However, the forays into the Levant revealed the inadequacies of an army based solely on the Kutama, and from 978, al-Aziz, began to introduce mercenaries from the Islamic East, especially Turks and Daylamites. The adoption of the ghilmÄÂÂn system had far-reaching repercussions, as the Turkish ghilmÄÂÂn assumed senior positions in the state and began to rival the Kutama for influence, especially as the flow of new recruits from the Kutama homeland ebbed after c. 987/88.[12][13] Consequently, a fierce antagonism developed between the two groups, termed MaghÄÂÂriba ("Westerners") and MashÄÂÂriqa ("Easterners") respectively, which would erupt in open warfare after al-Aziz's death.[14][15][16] Religious policies[edit] The employment of the Christian Ibn Nesturus, just as that of the Jew Manashsha as Secretary for Syria, was a prominent example of the Fatimids' tolerance in religious matters, further encouraged under al-Aziz by his Melkite Christian wife. Two of her brothers, Orestes and Arsenius, were appointed as Patriarch of Jerusalem and metropolitan bishop of Cairo, respectively.[1] The Coptic Christians also benefited from the Caliph's favour, allowing them to rebuilt the Saint Mercurius Church despite Muslim opposition, or refusing to punish a Muslim man who converted to Christianity.[1] This leniency, crowned by the appointment to high office of Ibn Nesturus and Manashsha, was resented by the Muslim populace, with Muslim opinion incensed by hostile tracts circulating among them. The Caliph was briefly forced to depose his two ministers and imprison them, but soon their undoubted skill ensured their release and reinstatement.[1] Anti-Christian animus was most evident in 996, when merchants from Amalfi were suspected of being responsible for a fire that destroyed the arsenal at Cairo; in a city-wide anti-Christian pogrom, the Amalfitans were murdered and churches were ransacked.[1] This tolerance did not extend towards the Sunni Muslim population, however, as al-Aziz followed a fervently Isma'ili agenda: he erected inscriptions denouncing the Companions of the Prophet, abolished the Tarawih prayers in 982, and initiated the celebration of the Ashura festival in Cairo. In 991, a man found in possession of the Sunni legal treatise Muwatta Imam Malik was executed.[1] The reign of Al-Aziz was also culturally significant. Ibn Killis founded the al-Azhar University in Cairo (988) which went on to become the most important centre of learning in the Islamic world. Likewise a library with 200,000 volumes was built in Cairo. According to Professor Samy S. Swayd Fatimid missionaries made their Dawah in China during the reign of Al-Aziz.[17] Expansion into Syria[edit] Map of Early Islamic Syria and its provinces in the 9th–10th centuries In foreign affairs, al-Aziz concentrated on the extension of Fatimid control over Syria,[7] whose conquest had begun immediately after the Fatimid conquest of Egypt in 969.[18][19] Background[edit] Possession of Syria, and particularly Palestine, was a constant foreign policy objective for many rulers of Egypt both before and after the Fatimids, to foreclose the most likely invasion route into the country by the powers of Western Asia.[20] In the Fatimid case, this drive was given additional impetus by their ambitions to lead the entire Islamic world and unseat the Abbasid Caliphate by conquering Iraq and the eastern Islamic lands, which was possible only via Syria.[7][21] At the same time, the balance of power in the region was altered with the simultaneous expansion of the Byzantine Empire into northern Syria against the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo, culminating in the capture of Antioch in 969. The Fatimids used the Byzantine advance as a major item in their propaganda, claiming to be the only power capable of championing the jihad against the "infidel" threat.[22] However, Fatimid policy with regard to Syria during the early part of al-Aziz's reign was dominated by the vizier Ibn Killis, who, according to historian Hugh N. Kennedy, "believed that the Fatimids should concentrate on controlling Palestine and southern Syria, while leaving the north of the Hamdanids and their successors to form a buffer state against the Byzantines, with whom the caliph should try to keep on good terms".[21] Despite initial successes, the initial Fatimid invasion of Syria, under the Kutama general Ja'far ibn Fallah, quickly came to a halt through a combination of rebellions by the citizens of Damascus and the Bedouin tribes of the Syrian Desert.[23][24] In August 971, the Fatimids were defeated in battle against the Bedouin and their Qarmatian allies, leading to the near total collapse of Fatimid control in southern Syria and Palestine, and even a short-lived Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.[18][25][26] When al-Aziz came to power, Damascus was ruled by the Turk Alptakin, who with only 300 of his fellow Turks had taken power by exploiting the unpopularity of the Fatimids' Kutama troops, gained popular support by restoring order in the city, and held it against the Fatimids, recognizing Abbasid suzerainty.[7][21] Further south, Palestine was under Fatimid control, but the powerful Bedouin chieftain of the Banu Tayy tribe, Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn al-Jarrah, was opposed to them and held the provincial capital Ramla.[7] Reconquest of Damascus[edit] "O Commander of the Faithful, maintain peace with the Byzantines as long as they maintain peace with you. Be satisfied if the Hamdanids [of Aleppo] recognize you in the mint and the [Friday] oration. Do not spare Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn Jarrah, [however], if you get hold of him." Advice of Ya'qub ibn Killis to al-Aziz on his deathbed.[27] In 975 al-'Aziz took control of Baniyas in an attempt to subdue the anti-Fatimid agitation of the Sunni Mahammad b. Ahmad al-Nablusi and his followers.[28] In 976, the Fatimid general Jawhar, the conqueror of Egypt, campaigned against Damascus, but after two months of clashes before the city he had to retreat due to the arrival of Alptakin's Qarmatian allies.[7] Followed by Alptakin's forces, Jawhar was pushed back to Tiberias, Ramla and finally Ascalon, where he was besieged.[7] The siege lasted for seventeen months and ended in early 978 with a negotiated agreement, which abandoned the entire territory from Ascalon to Damascus to Alptakin. Only Gaza remained under direct Fatimid control, although Alptakin was prepared to acknowledge the nominal suzerainty of al-Aziz over the territories he ruled. Jawhar and his men had also to undergo the humiliation of passing under a sword and lance in token of their defeat while departing Ascalon for Egypt.[7][29] The Fatimid court could not accept this humiliating agreement, which not only left Egypt vulnerable to attack, but also deprived senior members of the Fatimid elite—including Ibn Killis himself—of important properties around Damascus.[30] As a result, al-Aziz took the field in person and, at the head of an enormous army, defeated and captured Alptakin in August 978.[7][30] The Qarmatians were bribed with promises of an annual payment of tribute to retreat to Bahrayn, thus bringing an end to their incursions into Syria.[7][30] The events of the previous years also demonstrated to Ibn Killis the dangers of continuing to rely on the Kutama. As a result, the Caliph unexpectedly showed clemency to Alptakin, taking him and his Turkish followers into Fatimid service.[7][30] Alptakin himself was taken to Cairo, where he was lavishly honoured by the Caliph, arousing the envy of Ibn Killis, who had Alptakin poisoned.[7] Nevertheless, as noted before, this event was of momentous importance and marked a major departure from previous Fatimid practice; especially in Syria, the Turkish ghilmÄÂÂn remained influential and often occupied the position of governor of Damascus.[13] Damascus itself was taken over by one of Alptakin's lieutenants, Qassam, with the support of the local population and the city militia (aá¸¥dÄÂÂth), who wished to avoid a renewed Berber occupation.[7][30] The Fatimid general al-Fadl ibn Salih, a protégé of Ibn Killis, was sent with a Berber army against Qassam, but other than a show of force against the coastal cities failed to achieve anything and retreated to Palestine.[7][31] Matters became complicated with the arrival of Abu Taghlib, the ousted Hamdanid ruler of Mosul, who contacted al-Aziz with an offer to capture the city if they supported him with troops. This was opposed by Ibn al-Jarrah, who feared lest the Hamdanid and his followers form the Banu Uqayl tribe, rivals to the Tayy, threaten his own position, particularly his possession of Ramla and the pasture lands of his tribe. Al-Fadl apparently played a duplicitous game, encouraging Abu Taghlib in his designs on Ramla in an effort to sow dissension among the Arab tribes and strengthen Fatimid authority; however, in August 979, when Ibn al-Jarrah attacked Abu Taghlib and his men at Ramla, al-Fadl came to his aid with his own troops. Abu Taghlib was taken captive and executed.[7][32][33] This battle established Ibn al-Jarrah and his Tayy as a major player in the region's power politics: despite his recognition of Fatimid suzerainty, the Tayy chieftain was a virtually independent ruler and remained a constant nuisance for the Fatimid government for decades.[31] Bowl fragment with a mounted warrior, 11th century Damascus continued to resist Fatimid attempts to capture it, notably under the Kutama chieftain Sulayman ibn Ja'far ibn Fallah in 979/80,[7][31] while, despite al-Fadl's efforts to use the Uqayl to contain them, the Tayy and their unchecked depredations grew to be a menace to the settled and agrigultural districts of southern Syria: Ramla was "reduced to a ghost town", in the words of Kennedy, and the Ghuta plain around Damascus and the Hawran region were so devastated that Damascus faced famine, alleviated only through supplies sent from Homs, ruled by the Turk Bakjur for the Hamdanids of Aleppo.[31] As a result of the successive failures of Berber commanders to capture Damascus and restore order in the province, the Fatimid court appointed a Turk, Baltakin, a former follower of Alptakin, as commander of the next expedition into Syria. Baltakin defeated Ibn al-Jarrah, who fled north to Antioch and the protection of the Byzantines, while Qassam was finally forced to surrender Damascus in early 983, albeit under generous terms that allowed him to remain in control under a Fatimid-appointed governor.[7][31] Contest for Aleppo[edit] After securing Fatimid rule in central and southern Syria, Caliph al-Aziz aimed to capture Aleppo as well, but was restrained by Ibn Killis while he lived.[7] The question of Aleppo was complicated, as it risked provoking a direct confrontation with Byzantium.[34] Since 969, the Hamdanid emirate had been tributary to the Byzantines. Its ruler, Sa'd al-Dawla (r. 967–991), resented this dependence, but was forced to abide with it in order to prevent an outright Fatimid conquest. As a result, his policy vacillated between the two powers.[35][36] Nevertheless, the Fatimids benefited from the weakness of the Hamdanids, as many Hamdanid supporters began entering Fatimid service. For example, Raja al-Siqlabi defected with 300 of his men, and was appointed governor of Acre and Caesarea.[11] The most important such defection was that of the Hamdanid governor of Homs, Bakjur, in 983. Bakjur contacted al-Aziz directly and offered to enter Fatimid service against Aleppo in exchange for the governorship of Damascus.[7][11] Attracted by the possibility of taking over not only Homs but possibly Aleppo as well, al-Aziz agreed to Bakjur's offer over the vehement opposition of Ibn Killis, who was briefly deposed and imprisoned in conjunction with a harvest failure that led to famine in the capital.[11] The Caliph provided Bakjur with an army, with which he attacked Aleppo in September. Sa'd al-Dawla was forced to appeal to the Byzantine emperor Basil II (r. 976–1025) for help, who sent his general Bardas Phokas the Younger to assist Aleppo. Forewarned of the Byzantines' approach by the exiled Ibn al-Jarrah, Bakjur raised the siege and fled to Fatimid territory. The Byzantines proceeded to sack Homs in October, and returned the city to Hamdanid control.[7][37] In 987/8, a seven-year truce was concluded with the Byzantines. It stipulated an exchange of prisoners, the recognition of the Byzantine emperor as protector of Christians under Fatimid rule and of the Fatimid Caliph as protector of Muslims under Byzantine control, and the replacement of the name of the Abbasid caliph with that of the Fatimid caliph in the Friday prayer in the mosque at Constantinople.[38] Despite his failure, Bakjur was named governor of Damascus by al-Aziz, and was joined by Ibn al-Jarrah. Ibn Killis, who was released and restored to his office after barely two months, immediately began working against the two. Bakjur gradually made himself unpopular to the Damascenes due to his cruelty, and after several failed efforts, in 989 Ibn Killis finally persuaded al-Aziz to replace Bakjur with one of the vizier's personal ghilmÄÂÂn, Ya'qub al-Siqlabi. Bakjur fled to Raqqa, from where he continued his unsuccessful attacks on Aleppo.[7][11] At the same time, Baltakin was sent to pacify the Bedouin tribes who were raiding the Hajj caravans, leading to the establishment of a Fatimid garrison at Wadi al-Qura, north of Medina.[11] Ibn Killis' death in 991 freed al-Aziz to pursue a more aggressive stance in the Aleppo question. Immediately he dismissed Ibn Killis' protégé and appointed the Turk Manjutakin as governor of Damascus.[7][39] Manjutakin's use of Damascus as his base during the subsequent campaigns shows the consolidation of Fatimid control in the area, but also, as Hugh Kennedy remarks, the changes it brought to the "political and economic geography of Syria": given the continued insecurity of the overland routes due to the depredations of the Bedouin, the Fatimids supplied their forces in Syria by sea—notably via Tripoli—and as a result the chief coastal towns rose in importance, as centres of Fatimid control and administration as well as commerce, experiencing a revival which continued into the 12th century.[40] Manjutakin invaded the Hamdanid emirate, defeated a Byzantine force under the doux of Antioch, Michael Bourtzes, in June 992, and laid siege to Aleppo. However, he failed to pursue the siege with vigour and the city was easily able to resist until, in the spring of 993, after thirteen months of campaigning, Manjutakin was forced to return to Damascus due to lack of supplies.[41] In spring 994, Manjutakin launched another invasion, again defeated Bourtzes at the Battle of the Orontes in September and again besieged Aleppo. The blockade was far more effective this time and soon caused a severe lack of food, but the city's defenders held out until the sudden arrival of the Byzantine emperor, Basil II, in person in April 995.[41] Basil crossed Asia Minor in only sixteen days at the head of an army; his sudden arrival, and the exaggerated numbers circulating for his army, caused panic in the Fatimid army. Manjutakin burned his camp and retreated to Damascus without giving battle.[41] The Byzantines besieged Tripoli but failed to capture it; nevertheless, the Fatimids lost control of the city, which became independent under its qadi.[38] The Byzantine emperor then occupied and fortified Tartus.[38] Al-Aziz himself now prepared to take the field against the Byzantines himself, beginning large-scale preparations at Cairo.[42][43] Byzantine and Hamdanid embassies carrying proposals for a truce were received in September 995, but rejected.[42] Al-Aziz's preparations were set back when the fleet being prepared at Cairo was destroyed by a fire, which set off an anti-Christian pogrom in the city.[44] Manjutakin was ordered to recapture Tartus, but its Armenian garrison was able to fend off his attacks; and a Fatimid fleet sent to assist the siege was lost in a storm off the coast.[38][44] Al-Aziz died on 14 October 996, before setting out on his campaign.[45] The Byzantine–Fatimid conflict continued under his successor until the conclusion of a ten-year truce in 1000.[46] Arabia and North Africa[edit] Along with Syria, al-Aziz presided over an expansion of Fatimid influence in the Arabian peninsula. The Hajj—at least those caravans setting off from Cairo with the pilgrims of the western Islamic world—was placed under Fatimid control and protection, despite the considerable cost.[47] The emirs of Mecca, although de facto autonomous, recognized the Fatimids' suzerainty, in token of which the Fatimids enjoyed the prestigious privilege of furnishing each year the new cover of the Kaaba (the kiswa).[47] Finally, in 992 the Fatimids were acknowledged as caliphs in the Yemen,[47] and even their old enemies, the Qarmatians of Bahrayn, came around to acknowledge their claims.[47] According to Kennedy, these diplomatic victories were the result of the more energetic foreign policy pursued by al-Aziz, particularly after the death of Ibn Killis, which bolstered his credentials by demonstrating "his ability and willingness to undertake the two major public responsibilities of a caliph, to safeguard the Hajj and to lead the Muslims against the infidel Byzantines".[47] On the other hand, North Africa, including the former Fatimid heartland of Ifriqiya, was mostly neglected.[7] Effective power there had passed to the Zirid viceroy of Ifriqiya, Buluggin ibn Ziri (r. 972–984), who was confirmed in office by al-Aziz, as was his son al-Mansur (r. 984–996).[7] In 992, al-Aziz even confirmed al-Mansur's son Badis as heir-apparent, thereby strengthening the Zirids' claim to dynastic succession.[47] Indeed, as Kennedy remarks, "nothing is more striking than the speed with which [the Fatimids] were prepared to allow North Africa to go its own way";[47] apart from diplomatic exchanges of gifts,[47] the Zirids governed their domains increasingly independently from the Fatimid court, even to the point of warring with the Kutama, the erstwhile mainstay of the Fatimid regime.[7] In a similar manner, al-Aziz contended himself with recognizing the succession of the Kalbid emirs of Sicily after the event.[7] Nearer to Egypt, the governor of Barqa (Cyrenaica) is known to have brought presents to the court of Cairo, but otherwise there are no indications of the Fatimids' exercising any control over him.[47] Al-Aziz died on 13 October 996. His son Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (996-1021) succeeded him as Caliph.

Arabs, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), important Shia
Egypt, 996-1021, Fatmid Sultan, Hakim (Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah), despoiler of the Holy Places ; Å« Ê¿AlÄ« Maná¹£Å«r (13 August 985 – 13 February 1021), better known by his regnal name al-á¸¤ÄÂÂkim bi-Amr AllÄÂÂh (Arabic: Ø§Ù„ØÂÂØ§ÙƒÙ… Ø¨Ø£Ù…Ø± الله‎; literally "The Ruler by the Order of God"[1]), was the sixth Fatimid caliph[2] and 16th Ismaili[3] imam (996–1021). Al-Hakim is an important figure in a number of Shia Ismaili religions, such as the world's 15 million Nizaris and 1-2 million Musta’lis, in addition to the 2 million Druze of the Levant whose eponymous founder ad-Darazi proclaimed him as the incarnation of God in 1018.[4][5] Histories of al-Hakim can prove controversial, as diverse views of his life and legacy exist.[6][7] Historian Paul Walker writes: "Ultimately, both views of him, the mad and despotic tyrant (like Germanic and Roman despots) irrationally given to killing those around him on a whim, and the ideal supreme ruler, divinely ordained and chosen, whose every action was just and righteous, were to persist, the one among his enemies and those who rebelled against him, and the other in the hearts of true believers, who, while perhaps perplexed by events, nonetheless remained avidly loyal to him to the end."[8] The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, Commemorated on August 15 ;

Geography - Impoortant Rivers and Mountains

Important Rivers - West

Carpatian Mts - Around Natural Hungary

Zargos Mountains - Around the Fertile Crescent

Alps Mts - Switzerland, France, Austria, Germany, Italy

Pyrenees Mts - Between France and Spain

Hungary, Natural Hungary, Tisa River Drainage & Little Hungarian Plain

Tisa River - Bega River and Canal in the Banat

Tisa River - Mures River

Tisa River - Somes River

US and Canada Rivers

Great Salt Lake

Acushnet River

Logan River

Important Rivers - East

China, Yellow, Yangtzee, Hong Kong

Hong Kong - Xi River

Hong Kong - Pearl (Canton) River

Southeast Asia, Chao Phraya River Thailand, Mekong River, Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam

Chao Phraya River Thailand
Chao Phraya River;

Mekong River, Laos, Cambodia, South Viet Nam

Red River (Asia), North Viet Nam, Gulf of Tonkin

Burma, Irrawaddy River West, Rangoon River Center, Salween River East

Irrawaddy River - West

Rangoon River - Center

Rangoon River Source - Pegu River

Rangoon River Source - Myitmaka River

Salween River - East

India and Pakistan, Ganzese River

Ganges River, India

Turkmenistan, Ochus and Oxus Rivers

Oxus River

Geography - Polotsian Stepe, Cumania

Polotsian Steppe, Cumania, its Area